Never Trust the Eyes of a Killer
Recap:
Gaara shifted uncomfortably in his seat as the screen died. He waited for more memories to resurface, but found nothing playing.
"Now you know" came the cold growl as Shukaku left his side. The young vampire felt foolish, as though he were a spoiled brat told off by a parent. Groaning he place his hands over his face and took a few steadying breaths before figuring out what to do next. First he should make amends to Shukaku and prove himself a better vessel, then apologize to Sasori. He was wrong and he saw exactly how wrong, and how much he actually need the puppeteer. Steeling himself for the hard (and only real) solution Gaara let himself feel out the real, physical world.
"Gaara, Gaara are you okay? Answer me." Sasori's worried tone drifted towards him. The younger vampire's eyes were still lidded from the heavy drowsiness he felt, but he tried to push against it. Falling short he used his voice instead.
"You really need to stop worrying so much"
Chapter 10
Sasori let out a relieved sigh at the retort, he moved away to give some breathing room. It seemed that with the
vampire near him worrying became second nature, how could he simply be told not to do so?
"You should stop fainting in return" Sasori replied brushing his fringes from his maroon eyes in frustration. "How could I not worry when you inexplicably start yelling, then faint, then start groaning and crying while unconscious? I honestly don't know what emotions you want me to feel, but worrying seems justifiable." Sasori huffed out crossing his arms.
The elder vampire shook his head in disapproval, this was getting him nowhere. At the moment both he and Gaara needed to feed, there was no doubt about that. Without a second thought he stood abruptly taking brisk steps to his work station. The cloak he had been retrieving before the distraction strewn across it.
"Look we need to feed. I won't force you to do anything, but by the looks of it you'll need something soon" Sasori reasoned before placing the dark cloak around his shoulder and securing the hood over his head.
He received no answer from the vampire, it wasn't a very encouraging sign and so he turned to leave. If the brat didn't want to feed that was fine by him. Gaara could deal with the excruciating pains of hunger on his own, it would not be on Sasori's conscience. The sound of Sasori's steps towards exit were loud as his footsteps echoed throughout the cave. It was barely noticeable, but the faint sound of another pair of footsteps fell in line with that of the maroon eyed vampire.
It wasn't until the Akatsuki member was at the edge of the cave entrance that a slim pale hand tugged at the back of cloak. Immediately he stopped with his eyes narrowed to a slit as he turned to face whoever dared to touch him. "What the hell do you wan-" his voice silenced by the sight if a very conflicted looking Gaara clutching his own cloak in his other hand. Sasori tilted his head waiting for the younger redhead to speak, it looked like he really wanted to get something off his chest. "Gaara? What-" the other swiftly let go of the Akatsuki's cloak, his hands fiddling with his own cloak before clearing his throat.
"I just wanted to tell you that- well I'm really- I want to apologize" Sea green eyes stared at the other's sandal trying very hard not to make eye contact. "I'm sorry for the way I reacted... and the things I said" It wasn't as bad as he thought it would be to apologize, although the deep blush was not something he'd let the other vampire witness. That would be quite embarrassing, much more so than the fainting spells.
Stunned Sasori grumbled a dismissing "Yeah, it's fine" while staring the vampire down. Sea green eyes were still staring towards the ground with his entire face also facing downward. Mildly annoyed, the elder vampire wanted nothing more than to place a hand under his jaw and make the younger vampire gaze up at him. That would more than likely end with another fight, so he decided against it. "Gaara, look at me"
The redhead blinked at the request trying his best not to twitch. He was relieved it was not another order, yet inside he was panicking a bit. 'Please don't expect me to do that, that would be really degrading' he thought to himself momentarily forgetting the handy fact that Sasori could read minds.
"How would that be degrading? Isn't it customary to look someone in the eye when you apologize?" Sasori leaned forward to try and catch a glimpse of the other's face only to see him turn the other way. This was just another game of cat and mouse that Sasori was definitely not interested in pursuing. "Whatever you want kid, if you're hungry we better get moving"
Nervously Gaara cursed to himself remembering what happened the last time they tried to hunt together. His hand snuck up to his forearm, it no longer had imprints of his own fangs or bruises from Sasori's grip. He softly pet his forearm as a sort of comforting motion before following behind the other vampire. 'Right. No sudden movement while feeding' Gaara reminded himself as he followed behind the other vampire trying to pull a stoic expression. His eyes narrowed at the sunny desert afternoon, it was just another obstacle to his attempt at keeping a blank face. Together the two vampires walked in silence passing mounds of sand and patches of lone pastures on their path. None bothered to try and talk about the events leading to their excursion, they simply kept their eyes trained on the ground and ears perked for sounds.
"We will be hunting together" Sasori airily replied staring ahead focusing on vibration going about the sand. "I'll get the first one. I'm going to have to train you on honing your abilities starting today. I won't be here for a while, you'll have to take care of yourself while I'm gone" The puppeteer wondered over to a particularly large clearing kneeling by a patch of random pasture. For a moment he was silent, just staring at the patch before he raise a hand from his knee, blue strings appearing. Long fingers flexed, black nails shining in the blue afterglow, they moved in tantalizing motions back and forth and to the side.
Gaara stared silently at the crouched deadly creature and let the words sink in. He was leaving, not for a couple of days, but for a while. Well he obviously must have pushed the elder vampire to the point he no longer cared or just wanted to get away from him. Oddly enough he didn't feel better at the thought of finally being left to his own devices, he felt horrible, as though he were being abandoned again. The sand shook slowly as Gaara absently shifted his sandal through the expanse, he really didn't feel like eating anymore. He could feel the heavy yet silent scurrying of feet many feet under him. It would be easy to just use his ability to wrench the beast below out to the surface, but he didn't want a repeat of the last time. Instead the younger red head crouched down beside Sasori and watched the energy charge hand move elegantly moving whatever was on the other side.
Finally he had the mindset to place his blank face on, he wouldn't show how this affected him. So what? His master was leaving, for now he'd be free to do as he wished. It didn't matter that he knew no one in that cave and it didn't matter that he had no village to return to. It would be fine, he would wear the mask of no emotion and carry on. He would prove to Shukaku that he was strong, it was perfect in fact. Without Sasori he would be stronger.
But the hurt...
"You're very good at hiding your emotions, but seeing as we are connected I should remind you that I feel everything you do." Sasori whispered, his maroon eyes still concentrated on the target underground. His eyes momentarily closed as a mass of bright blue energy escaped his fingertips. The sand below their feet rumbled, it managed to slightly shift the other vampire, but Gaara kept his stance. From the ground a crater formed as a rather large mole erupted out with a violent tug of Sasori's shoulder.
Satisfied with the result of his hunting the Puppeteer silently stared into the eyes of the blind rodent, somehow he'd managed to get control. The sea green eyed vampire stared from the blank eyes of the mole to the darkening eyes of the puppeteer in curiosity. "The key to controlling your prey is eye contact. It's simple, you naturally have odd colored eyes for a reason, the point is to enforce the power onto others." Slowly the elder vampire lowered the mole onto the ground lessening his hold on the energy strings. Gaara was about to point out the fact that the mole was blind when he was stopped by the raised hand of the puppeteer. "Even with blinded animals, they sense the power radiating off us and naturally turn our way, the control comes with practice, you enforce your will through thought"
'Sit, stay, bleed. Great advice' The sea green eyed vampire sarcastically tossed as he rounded the rodent to check it out. It seemed rather plump, not too much fur on it meaning it was probably shedding. Sighing Gaara shook his head seriously not wanting to be there at the moment. It was hot, sunny and he wasn't hungry, the younger vampire didn't want to waste his energy out here. Slowly Gaara placed a hand on beast, it would be a waste to just leave after Sasori went through all the trouble. He debated for a few minutes before a hand was placed on the rodent ripping his attention.
"You're keeping me waiting" Sasori grumbled as he glared at the other redhead expectantly. His eyes stared over at the face that he'd previously been denied visual on. It didn't seem off, it was the same blank expression he usually had. The only thing that changed was his eyes, the sea green eyes seemed hardened almost deadened. Sasori didn't bother to ask what was wrong, he was hungry and wanted to make sure the vampire in his care was fed first.
"Go ahead, 'm not hungry" Gaara sighed pulling down his hood and shaking out his hair. It didn't hurt, per say, to be in the daylight, just annoying. Slowly he removed his hand from the rodent and began to move away from the other. Moments later he smelt the bloodshed from the meal and smiled grimly. 'So, it's that way... hn' the redhead felt a tug at his heart and reached for it over his cloak. He didn't care that Sasori was eating without him, he could do whatever the hell he want. What bothered the younger redhead was the utter indifference the other was showing towards him. He felt it was a bit off that the other would promise to always be there for him, but the moment he was unsure about things, he was just left to his own devices.
Cringing at the pain, Gaara did what he thought would make it go away. It wasn't hunger pain, it was different, it hurt to the point he felt entitled to just sleep it off. It made no sense to go back to the cave, he was weak and wasn't stupid enough to trust the other vampires to not take advantage. Walking a fair distance away the vampire crouched down groaning at the pain, he used his ability and began to gather sand from around him. He would have preferred the sand from his gourd, but this would have to do for now. Layer by layer he began to pack on the grains of sand forming a sort of cocoon around his body. Slowly he lead his cocooned form down lower and lower under the grain surface. It didn't feel too itchy, but he preferred Shukaku's warm cocoon to his own.
He quietly let his eyes fall as he descended further underground, he wouldn't need his sense of sight. It felt a little better to be alone and to not think of anything. This was what it should be like, calm and quiet. He was never quite alone, softly Gaara inhaled thinking of the creature living within himself.
"Shukaku, I know you're still mad at me. I would be too, I am weak and I don't know what I'm doing... most of the time. Even now, I don't know what I'm doing or what I'm feeling" Gaara whispered aloud, he didn't feel the need to communicate to the beast through his mind. He knew that Shukaku would hear him regardless of the mode of communication.
You're an idiot. Shukaku's voice answered without much malice, it almost seemed bored. Gaara didn't take it to heart, instead he nodded keeping his eyes closed. It was better to just agree with him than to get into another fight.
"I know"
No , you don't cub. You don't realize what is in front of you.
"Then tell me" Gaara whispered exasperated, he was tired of all the tiptoeing. If he were to be stepped on, he preferred for it to just happen now and get it over with. "I don't hate him, but I don't feel anything akin to love. So why does it hurt? He is not my friend. He is not family. He is... my master" The last part was nearly unheard, the tone of voice so faint. He wasn't his master per say, but he made him a slave... so technically a semi-master.
You feel connected, this is not unheard of. You want to be near him, not just because of the bond, but also because he has been kind to you. You've never been treated with kindness before...
"I have you" Gaara pointed out. Although the beast had his moments of being an outright ass, he was kind and protective of his charge. The beast was the closest thing to family he had, Shukaku had certainly did more for him than anyone in his family had. It wasn't a jump to call him family, even if he spent most of Gaara's life giving him the silent treatment.
Shukaku remained silent for a while taken aback by his charge's remark. It almost seemed as though he'd seen the same child, hopeful eyed and trusting nature again. He knew better though, Gaara was no longer the fearful, harmless child that needed his help. He was a matured vampire, capable of killing and developing normal relations on his own. Sighing the sand demon let the emotion be buried. He needed to let his cub grow up, he couldn't be the only relationship Gaara had, he would need someone else. It pained him to do this, but he bit the bullet.
You need to distinguish between duty and genuine care, brat. Came the clipped response before Gaara felt the monster within him retreat.
"Duty?" Gaara thought to himself for a while still incase in the sand cocoon. The pain subsided a bit as he sat there nine feet underground debating on the true meaning of duty and genuine care. What did Shukaku mean by genuine care? Was the care he'd been shown by the monster not genuine? What about Sasori's?
What was duty? An obligation? Was it something you did out of necessity or out of obligation? If he did what Shukaku had told him to and let Sasori become his master, if he gave up his last free choice, what would happen? It was his choice, he could stay an unattached slave. He didn't need to make this official, Sasori said he wanted to let Gaara choose. Slavery was such a strange concept, especially being in the position of servitude.
What would change?
Would he kiss any semblance of freedom away?
Would he be forced to...
A bit of his mind shut away from the thought, the other whirled over the possibilities. He wasn't naive as to what he could be forced to do, even as a virgin he knew about mating. Would he be forced to do anything sexual, or would his servitude just be labor intensive? Gaara could feel his blood rush to his face, no, he would never allow himself to be used like that. Fuck that shit! Considering the fact that Sasori had done nothing remotely close to sexual, it seemed unlikely to occur. He seemed more protective, sans the whole forgetting how strong he was sometimes and leaving bruises.
The young vampire decided not to dwell on what would happen after officially getting a master. He knew that deep inside he would let the puppeteer take full control sooner or later. Shukaku was right he should just get over it, Sasori was his master whether he liked it or not. When he had been approached by Itachi it had been wrong, it wasn't meant to be and he knew it with every molecule in his body. No one in that cave or in the world would be able to fully control of him, not with his cooperation and certainly not with his will.
So how would it happen?
Gaara pondered the process of how the relationship between master and slave would be established or in this case finalized. He was given something, a necklace, and made a promise to initiate the relationship. But what finalized it? It probably would have something to do with vows or blood given their nature. It would probably be a mixture of the two. As he kept thinking about it Gaara felt the pain subside a bit more until it was just a dull pain. The thoughts running through his mind were interrupted by a stirring above him, but he didn't want to move to investigate what it could be. It very well could be an animal that dwelled in the sand, in which case the cocoon would protect him. If he got hungry later on he could simply snack on whatever it was he reasoned as he opened his eyes.
The stirring was erratic, as though it were searching for something. The redhead simply used some of the sand to form a sort of tendril to search for whatever was making the disturbance. 'Strange' he thought to himself as the rustling went towards him and yet his tendril couldn't grasp it. He felt the thing at his cocoon poking and prodding at it unable to enter. Curiously he let the cocoon open a tiny bit as a peep hole to see what the heck it was. He'd originally thought it was a very slick lizard, but open making the opening a bright blue mass burst in.
"Hey!" Gaara yelped as he quickly tried to close up the opening, but found that whatever the blue thing was it was stopping the cocoon from closing. Feeling cornered and vulnerable the vampire felt his instincts kick in full blast as he began to pull in his remaining energy and shoot downwards. You could imagine that making a tunnel in sand was rather difficult, but that was exactly what Gaara did. He made the sand part (like Moses) for a split second, enough for him to get through before letting gravity take over and having it fall moments later behind him. It was his hope that, whatever the blue thing was, it would be deterred from going after him.
Sadly he was not so lucky, as he bulleted through the ground he still felt the energy behind him following. In his mind he pictured Sasori's energy strings, the blue mass vaguely resembled it, but why would it be following? Shaking his head Gaara dismissed the thought aiming towards a random rock ahead full speed. He wait seconds before impact before turning narrowly missing a possible concussion. He didn't bother to slow down once he evaded the obstacle, he felt the mass split into three after impacting the rock.
"SHIT, SHIT, SHIT" Gaara groaned as he felt one graze against his left shin. Panicking he headed towards the surface. If he moved fast enough he could buy himself a couple seconds to make a barrier around himself. The mass obviously couldn't get through his barriers, it was once they were inside that they couldn't leave, he reasoned.
Planning it out he made a series of spins and quick jerking motions before bursting through the ground. Hoping he had lost the strands he quickly landed on his feet prepared start a barrier. The sand around him stirred as he called for them, he allowed some of the strain on his shoulder loosen as the sand moved his way. 'This is actually going to work' his feet began to form a sand armor that was creeping upward. Gaara's concentration was so trained on the mound of sand that he didn't feel a pair of arms inched their way until he had cloak covered forearms wrapped around his midsection.
"Got yah" Came the bored tone he recognized immediately. 'Don't fight me' came the voice in his head, not an order, but a strict request. Gaara felt himself tense up at the tone of voice, he was prepared to fight back. No, he decided against attacking the vampire behind him. It would probably not be appreciated, and if Gaara wanted to make this bond finalized he'd have to get used to this.
"Let go and I will" he reasoned as he held his hands in full view of the maroon eyed vampire. It was a sign of peace, he had no sand in his hands. He let the sand gathered on his feet recede back to the ground in pile as a sign of good will. "I won't leave"
"Che, Fine" Sasori grumbled as his arms released Gaara's lithe body. His eyes never leaving the other as his hands formed a fist and the blue energy strings disappeared. The anger radiating from the vampire seemed to come off in burst from the bond between them to the point Gaara could actually feel it. He had the sense to even step back, not in a show of defiance. He was actually afraid at this point, refusing to outright show it he narrowed his eyes and kept a brave face.
"What are you doing? I said I wasn't hungry" Gaara emphasized the bite in his tone by crossing his arms. Hopeful he would be attacked, he stared at the other vampire in the eye. Everything about his demeanor screamed disobedience, however inside he battled the scared child that wanted to just run for it.
Sasori's eye twitched as he stared the younger vampire down, his anger simmering the sand under him. Gaara suppressed a shutter as he thought of the approximate temperature needed to simmer sand... shit. The overall stance of the puppeteer was rigid almost as though he was trying his very best to not pummel the brat in front of him.
"Right, you weren't hungry" Sasori nodded his head as a sickly smirk graced his lips. His eyes darkened as he took a couple steps forward towards the other vampire. Fangs darted from his mouth angling between his lips in a show of power, probably a subconscious action. The act was successful as Gaara felt himself also responding, his teeth began to tingle as his own canines began to inch out. Suddenly his shoulder hunched and he felt his feet move on their own moving to the side. A dark eerie voice escaped the other vampire "Just how long do you think you were under there?" came the furious reply as Sasori moved with lightning speed and snatched the redhead by the front of his shirt. Immediately Gaara snatched the arm, his nails drew blood from the other as he applied pressure to the hold. His other hand went to blocking fist aimed for his face.
The sea green eyed vampire reacted instinctually as he pushed away from the other. It was going to be a hard fight, the other was taller and weighed more, but he would fight if he were pushed to it. The words echoed in his head as he stared at the other watching his every move. 'How long?' he thought to himself, 'what a stupid question'. It couldn't have been a couple of minutes, maybe half an hour.
"Hah, half an hour" Sasori's laugh was low and filled with malice. Gaara frowned at the thought that the other was reading his thoughts again. He was going to call him out on the invasion of privacy, but was interrupted by the annoyed growl emitted from the vampire. "Try seven hours, you brat. Look around, does it look like the sun is out?" he called out as point towards the sky.
Confused Gaara looked around and took in the lack of light. It was about noon when they both left the cave, looking up he could see the stars sparkling above him. It seemed he might have underestimated the amount of time spent underground a tad bit. He was a bit shocked by how long he had spent in the sand, but brushed it off as a rather strong wind blew by. "So it seems" he airily replied watching the other for any sign of attack.
"'So it seems'? How dare you nonchalantly respond like that." Sasori lunged forward tackling the other onto the ground. With his weight being significantly more than Gaara the two tumbled onto the ground. Gaara flew into action, he easily dodged the punches while planting a couple on the other. It was a well aimed punch to his gut that winded the vampire enough to leave him open. The puppeteer took the opportunity to land another hit onto his jaw, not hard enough to knock him out, but to lightly stun him. "Do you know how worried I was?" he roared as he grasped the younger's shoulder and began to shake him.
"I spent the last five hours combing through all of the damn desert looking for your sorry ass, you have no sense of responsibility" He let go of Gaara's shoulder and grabbed his chin making the other look at him. "I called out to you, multiple times, what the hell were you doing? I thought someone took you or that you were in trouble or dying. " by this time Gaara's ears were ringing from the extent of how loud Sasori had gotten.
"I was fine" Gaara weakly protested before the elder's glare shut him up. He wisely stayed still as Sasori placed a hand on his chest. His heart rate went racing as he blushed a deep red, he was too scared to do anything. He entertained the thought of sinking into the sand under him, but the glare he was sent told him it was probably not a good idea. The cold hand not on his fished under his cloak, until it stopped just where it was heading towards.
Gaara visibly shuddered as the pendent was lifted from under his shirt. He was relieved that the other hadn't taken advantage of him in the way he thought, but the thought still scared him. He could have been raped and no one would have saved him, he began to tremble at the thought. He couldn't save himself from something like that, he was weak, so weak.
"You still have it" The puppeteer murmured as he freed the pendent from its cloth prison. His eyes scanned the red sand for damage, upon seeing none he sighed bringing his eyes back to the startled vampire. He didn't know whether he should comfort the other or continue to pummel him until he gained some sense. Growling he let the pendent drop, he watched as the emotionless mask fell and Gaara drew back in fear. Tiny beads of tears welled up on the side of his eyes, his lips trembled as he turned his head away. The caring side won over and with a huff he reached out to the other vampire and hugged him close. He felt the other shudder with something akin to fear, this was not how he imagined this going. "Never do this again" Sasori whispered softly as he held onto the other leaving no space between them.
"I'm sorry" came the low response from the younger vampire pressed onto his chest. The shivering didn't stop, it continued so Sasori held on longer. "I-I'm sorry Sasori, I didn't know-" Gaara let a hiccup out, he didn't want to cry, not in front of Sasori. He was supposed to prove that he was stronger, yet he let his own mind psych him out. Gaara made himself think that he was strong enough to take anything down, but he was proven wrong. He needed protection. It was almost as though a flood gate had been opened, tears streamed through lidded eyes as he snaked his arms around the puppeteer. His body ached from the earlier beating, but he felt the trembling continue.
"I know" Sasori let out a sigh as he let one hand go through the wild locks while the other rubbed circles onto Gaara's back. He hadn't been listening to his thoughts too relieved to see that Gaara hadn't torn the only thing keeping him safe from other vampires. He had assumed that younger vampire was startled by his anger. 'I tried to give you some space, but after two hours I began to worry' Sasori began to shift the other into a more comfortable position (made difficult since Gaara wasn't budging on his hold). 'I thought you went off hunting, so I left in search for you. I looked everywhere, I searched for your energy signal and even called out to you through our bond. When you didn't answer through the bond I panicked, I threatened every vampire in the vicinity. I even tore Itachi a new one because I thought he was a part of your disappearance'
Gaara was too lost in his thoughts to appreciate the gesture. He merely buried his head deeper into Sasori, he felt tired. "I'm sorry" he croaked as he tried to gain his composure, it didn't work, more tears ran down his face.
Realizing that something was wrong Sasori stared down at the younger redhead perplexed by the behavior. This was more than repentance or fear of what he'd done. "Gaara" the elder tried, he place his hand on top of the younger vampire's head a gently pushed it back. The head stayed buried into his chest, it was as though he were stuck onto his body. "I'm sorry too" Sasori relented, it wasn't very often that he apologized, but if it got the other to return to normal he'd do it. Brushing at the locks gently he gently lifted the younger vampire his other arm placing Gaara's face by his shoulder. "I overreacted" he mumbled into his ear hoping he could hear his regret. This position was definitely not a common gesture amongst vampires, it was too close to their main arteries for comfort. For Sasori to allow it, it was obviously a time he wanted to show trust towards the other.
The other vampire felt the puppeteer move him, but fought stubbornly against it. He didn't want to have to be comforted, his mind continued to whirl about the possibilities. It hurt to think, it hurt to move even when his body was moving with his doing. He just continued to bury his head onto whatever surface there was and hide, like a child. He wanted Shukaku to take over. He wanted to leave. He wanted to feel protected once more without the sensation of power being ripped away.
"Sasori" Gaara whispered through the last of his tears. He had to do this, he would have to finalize this sooner or later. A pale hand loosened its death grip on the cloak, it moved upwards until the strong feel of a neck was under him. "finalize this"
It was stock still for moments later as the puppeteer didn't dare move or speak. He was unsure of whether he'd correctly heard what the younger vampire. Was he actually submitting himself to Sasori? Willingly? It couldn't be true, the other was too independent and hard headed. Why would he suddenly be interested in finalizing the bond, he would no longer have that freedom he seemed so protective of.
"Are you sure?" Sasori asked with concern laced into his voice, he didn't want to force the other into this. He waited for a response, he needed anything to make sure this was what the other wanted. A nod. He felt a nod on his shoulder, but that wasn't enough. "Say it, Gaara. I want to hear you say that this is what you truly want" he whispered onto the ear by his face.
"Yes" Gaara's voice was gravelly from the crying, but was clear enough to make out. "I want this, Sasori. Please- Please finalize this" he begged. He sniffed to clear his air way while simultaneously bringing the arm not on Sasori's neck to his face. He wiped at the tears, this was the last time he'd cry. He vowed here and now that he wouldn't cry anymore. He would get stronger with Sasori, he would do as Shukaku instructed.
"You understand what this will do?" Sasori calmly brought his arms under the sand users armpits and lifted him onto a sitting position on his lap. It was awkward, there was another person on him just way too close to him. He ignored this as he joined in clearing the tears from Gaara's face. It was streaked with dried tears and sand, but oddly it felt more real than before. He had Gaara bring down his fortress, not intentionally, but this was Gaara raw and open for him to see.
The younger nodded, no longer trusting his voice. With a final swipe he stared at the other sea green eyes moist, but determined to get this done. He felt the burning he had been ignoring come back only it was different, it didn't hurt as much, it was a continuous beat that was running through his body.
Ignoring the lack of sound Sasori grumbled something under the lines of 'have it your way then' before releasing the other. The other probably had no idea what it meant to finalize the bond, but he'd learn soon enough. He quickly got up taking the other with him. He quickly took a look around before sighing and shaking his head. "You certainly chose the worst place to have your little game of hide and seek. There's no food anywhere near here."
Gaara didn't answer, he was trying his hardest to keep his emotions in check. Half of him wanted to run, the other half wanted to this to go badly... if he died he'd hopefully be reincarnated into a normal human.
"I guess there is no choice. Come here" Sasori called his eyes darkening, his outstretched hand was glowing with the same blue energy. Gaara slowly stepped over to him, eyes trained on the hand. Was he going to control him? He was already willing, it seemed a bit unnecessary. "I am going to heal you" Sasori answered airily as he placed a hand centimeters from his worse wounds. The blue seeped into his clothes and into the wounds, it felt soothing and warm, almost like Shukaku's cocoon. His hands moved from one wound to another repeating the process until Gaara no longer felt any pain, not even a sting.
"I'm healed now" Gaara stated, he looked into maroon eyes and tilted his head. "Now what?" he asked as he grabbed the necklace that was hanging from his chest. He wasn't looking down at the pendent, but if he had, he would have seen how the scarlet sand danced about the confines. Shifting left to right like waves on a stormy night, through chaos a beautiful pattern emerges.
"Now we exchange blood kid. I'm not going to lie, it's going to hurt like hell. Don't shy away and don't speak, you'll just lose more blood that way." Moving in Sasori placed a soothing hand Gaara's shoulder, massaging it a bit until the younger redhead naturally bared his neck.
He didn't plunge into the neck, instead he rubbed at the artery with his thumb feeling at the blood pumping through. Trying his very best Gaara ignored the instincts yelling at him to run for it, this was suicide! He focused instead on the soothing warmth within him telling him to relax and let this happen. It was a strong pulse the younger had, nothing was wrong with him even though he'd skipped out on the snacking. Leaning in the elder redhead placed his face right by the spot his thumb had been on. He breathed in the scent of his to be permanent slave, he would be stuck with this person to the end of time. Through thick and thin, Gaara would have to be at his side to do his bidding.
Slicking the area with his tongue, he began to dampen the area with his saliva to loosen the skin and lessen any pain that may arise. He felt the skin raise and goose bumps appear as the wind began to pick up again. Once he was satisfied that the pain would be minimal he let his serrated fangs dig into the outstretched neck. It was a fast motion, he forwent the easing slow motion. If anything that would have been more painful for the younger vampire, and by far he knew deep inside that he probably had the right idea.
Gaara gasped at the feel of his skin being pierced, he choked back a yell forcing his teeth together. Sea green eyes were forced shut under the pressure he had on his locked jaws. His pale face was pinched under the tension as he literally felt his blood leave through the holes in his neck. He stayed quiet throughout the weird grooming session on his neck, but this was fucking painful. It hurt to breathe as the blood left him, never mind moving. He attempted to shift away against better judgment at the initial puncture, but the nerves at his neck sent painful shocks of pain through him. A silent scream tore through him at that moment which again caused more pain to run through his body down to his toes which curled in reaction.
Sasori felt bliss as he tasted the iron rich blood overflow his mouth, almost in a frenzy he swallowed eagerly as more continued to flow. It was amazing to him, he'd already fed sufficiently, and yet here he was nearly draining Gaara of his precious life force. It didn't matter, the smell was absolutely maddening and the warmth was something we welcomed wholeheartedly. He noticed the small movements the other was making, but ignored him. He already warned the other not to move and now he was learning exactly why he shouldn't.
It was when he felt Gaara complete lean against him almost as through the other were boneless that he stopped. Perhaps he had taken a bit too much from the other, but the intoxication was too much. A groan escaped him as he slowly removed his fangs from the other's neck. Almost as a second thought he gave the wound a couple of licks to heal the gaping hole at a faster rate. Seeing as he'd almost emptied the poor sand user it seemed only fair to help heal the other.
"It hurt" Gaara panted tired from the lack of blood. He wanted to go on a rant about how full of shit the other was, it more than painful, it was a fucking torture to just sit there and have your life source sucked out of you. He groaned as he felt the tongue continue to spread saliva over the open wound. He wanted to protest to this, it was unhygienic and it felt weird. Unfortunately he didn't have the energy nor the nerve to continue to piss the vampire off.
"I told you so" Sasori replied as he wiped at the blood that had made it passed his lips and down his chin. It was feeling that was not completely unpleasant, running his finger through the blood he gathered as much as possible before bringing it to his mouth. "You'll feel better once you get some blood in your system. Sit up" Shifting the other redhead, he helped the groaning vampire protesting at the prospect of being moved.
"I don't want to... sleep, need to sleep" Gaara groaned as he let his eye lids fall. Tired. He felt so very tired, if he just fell asleep for a couple of minutes then he could be in a better position to feed.
"No you don't" Sasori smack on Gaara's cheeks lightly to awaken the other. The other simply glared at the puppeteer with as much malice as he could muster before letting his eyes flutter again. Annoyed by the younger redheads stubborn nature he grumbled harshly "Don't sleep, you'll die". It didn't seem to bother Gaara, his eyes stayed closed even at the threat of death. It didn't seem like he had enough strength to do much else so Sasori took it upon himself to lift the younger up and turn him so he was fully seated on Sasori's lap.
Next he did something he was sure he was going to regret sooner or later. He let the redhead lean his back onto his chest and the back of his head balanced in his shoulder. It was not an ideal position to feed, but it was the best Sasori could do. The elder quickly lifted his right wrist and brought it to his mouth. Taking it into his mouth he let his serrated fangs sink in much deeper than he normally would. He needed the wound to stay open long enough for Gaara to get his fill without closing up in the process. "You better open up" Sasori grumbled as he forced pale lips apart with his left hand.
Gaara smelt the rich iron in his near unconscious state, but chose to ignore it. He heard of the hum something spoken into his ear and the feel of his open lips being pulled apart. Yet he refused to move, it felt strange to be this out of it even if he was tired. Was he really dying?
The blood. The sand user felt the crimson warmness flow into his mouth in large quantities. He wanted to spit it out, this was not feeding time, he wanted to sleep. His base instincts however would allow him to do no such thing, instead his lips closed around the wound and began to suckle the blood out. His body urged him to reach out to the appendage and bring it closer, still weak and tired he couldn't physically do it. Mentally he could feel the bond, the strings that connected the two of them. It was weak, but getting stronger with every hardy gulp he allowed.
'Closer' he called into the bond. He wanted more, needed it. He felt the other hear him and the appendage moved closer to his lips. He continued to drink and moaned happily at the thought that he wouldn't die from this. It felt good, he felt stronger and more alive than he had in a while.
Sasori watch the younger vampire suckle his wrist as a new born would on their mother's breast. It felt completely personal and vulnerable, the thought of anyone watching stirred something inside him. He kept his arm close to the vampire as he scanned the area. It was completely secluded, vacant of human, vampire and animals. He calmed his nerves, then when he heard the familiar voice through in his thoughts his heart soared. The bond was getting strong enough for him to get used to it. He gladly pushed his wrist closer to his mouth, it hurt a bit as his suckling became more persistent and the little bit of teeth sticking out poked at the open edges of the wound.
Silence reigned as the sound of slurping and groans subsided, it was almost as though there was absolutely no one else in the world other than them. For some reason Sasori didn't hate the idea, he was finally going to be an official master.
Soon Gaara let his wrist fall from his mouth sheepishly looking to Sasori almost in apology. It looked charming that he thought he'd taken too much when Sasori had nearly emptied him out. Clearing his throat the puppeteer looked down at his wrist and noticed a mixture of slobber and blood from the slightly larger puncture hole. It was already starting to close, but Sasori knew Gaara needed a bit more. 'Take more' the elder urged as he wrapped his arm around Gaara and pulled him back, he placed his wrist back at his lips.
'What if I take too much?' Gaara responded worry evident in his tone. His eye went from the wrist to maroon eyes and back.
'I'll tell you when it's enough' Sasori soothed, endeared by the concern he was being shown. He sighed at the added weight of the younger vampire as he leaned back. It was getting rather cold out in the desert, but to entertain himself Sasori stared up into the sky. He watch the millions of stars sparkle in the sky and silently watch some shoot across the plane. He would often do this after his missions, mainly to get away from Deidara, but the sky was always so vast. Everyone on the planet fit under the sky, so even if someone were far or lost you could take comfort in the fact that somewhere, someplace they were under the same sky. The same stars would be shown to the and if they chose you could also be wishing on the same star.
Ironically it was a thought he used to have often when thinking about the runt that was still suckling on his wrist. As much as he hated to admit it he'd often think about the other, whether he was alive or doing well. It was understandable given the circumstances of his last face to face interaction with the young vampire. He felt bad for leaving him. He probably should have stayed, but sometime things don't work out the way you want to. Sometimes it's useless to think about what could have happened, look at him now. He had Gaara in his arms, safe and sound, and very much alive.
Gaara was loving the feel of strong blood moving into his mouth again. Unlike Sasori he chose to savor the taste by closing his eyes and leaning back. It felt comfortable to be in this position, just lounging while being fed. He could stay like this forever, his belly gave a satisfied grumble, there was no need to continue to feed, but he kept going. If this was what Shukaku meant by really caring, then he was sure that he made the right choice. It didn't feel like Sasori was doing this out of duty, no he wouldn't have done most of the preparatory steps if it were duty nor would he let Gaara continue to leech off him. He must have truly cared about his well being.
Feeling as though he were a bit faint Sasori tapped on Gaara's arm after about ten minutes of star gazing. Immediately the younger redhead released his arm and began to lap at the remaining saliva left over from the feeding. He hadn't used his teeth the entire time so it was inevitable that a bit of saliva escaped. A bit embarrassed by this Gaara removed the evidence as quickly as possible.
Chuckling Sasori pulled at the scruff of the younger's neck and pulled him away from his arm. It was cute that he slobbered, but he didn't want to encourage anymore snacking. Instead he used his cloak to wipe away any extra slobber that was left on his arm. That was all there was to finalizing the bond.
"Are we done yet?" Gaara asked as he lifted himself off Sasori, he wanted to blush at the contact, but thought better of it. It was a more, 'meh who cares' sort of reaction that he could brush off.
"Yeah. We're done, Gaara." Sasori muttered as he unbuttoned the cloak. It wasn't as cold as it had been before and there was no sun. Stretching his shoulder the elder began to push Gaara forward so he could get up.
"I'm really sorry" Gaara mumbled once he also got up from his spot on the sand. "I didn't realize how long I was meditating, or that you'd care about whether I was there or not" he clarified. He felt now that their relationship had changed he would clear the air a bit. Hopefully they'd get a fresh new start.
"Hn, I get it, you're sorry. Next time send a warning" Sasori grabbed at the other's shoulder and tightened his grip. "I do worry contrary to what you may believe"
"Got it" Gaara replied bouncing his shoulder as a sigh to let go. He felt weird as though the world was spinning a bit and it was a bit painful where Sasori had his hand.
It was then that Sasori noticed it his hand was right by the puncture wound and removed it. The puncture wound had already healed, but it would be tender for a while. It was a nasty business to deal with nerves and muscle and ligaments. He probably should think about another place to puncture in the future should the need to feed off Gaara arise.
"Are you okay to get back to the cave or do you need help?" Sasori asked a bit worried by the strange walking habit the younger vampire was exhibiting.
"Is it possible to get drunk off a vampire's blood?" Gaara whirled around to see if he would get dizzy enough to fall. After the third twirl his leg began to over bend and midway through the fourth twirl he lost his footing landing on his face. The younger giggled at the fall rolling over to relieve his airway of sand.
Staring at the vampire on the sand Sasori felt his eye twitch. 'Drunk?' He'd never heard of that ever happening, but then again there aren't many vampires that would allow another to take as much blood as Sasori had. If that were the case then probably, there could be a possibility of drunkenness from blood. He would have to keep that in mind for another time, it could come in handy.
"Apparently you can" Sasori humored the other by answering. It was pretty obvious that the vampire wouldn't be able to make it back to the cave in his state. Sighing Sasori bent down and left his back bare for the other to climb on. "Get on, I'd rather get you back before you start eating sand or anything as stupid as that"
"I'm drunk, not stupid" Gaara countered as he crawled onto the offered back. He was a bit pissed that the other would assume he'd do something like that. As the other straightened his legs Gaara felt his vision swim even more and the rush of acid moving up his esophagus. Swallowing down the bile the younger vampire let out a groan. "You might want to slow down or slobber won't be the only thing you be covered in." Gaara warned.
"If you puke on me I'll throttle you" Sasori bit out as he shifted his hold on the redhead. This was going to be a long walk and if he couldn't use his energy to make it back quickly then it would be longer. He took a couple of steps to make sure everything would be fine at normal speed. Luckily nothing happened and he continued on one dreaded foot in front of the other.
"I warned you" Gaara burped a bit after and scowled at the rancid after taste. He quickly moved away from the other so he wouldn't have to smell his after breath.
"Just go to sleep" Sasori prompted as he moved his head a bit and bared more of his shoulder for the other to use as a pillow.
"But, I'm not sleepy" Gaara complained as he still leaned his chin on the his arm. His eyes closed for a moment to avoid feeling as though he were on a sail boat during a storm.
"Then force yourself to. You're heavy, I'd rather flit than walk the entire way at normal speed." Sasori reasoned. He took a practice flitted step before stopping half way through to the cave in order to check on how the other was doing. "Not going to puke, are you?"
"Nope, I'm hanging in there" Gaara croaked as he adjusted his chin on his arm. It felt oddly good to have the wind blowing fiercely on his face.
"We'll be home soon" Sasori assured before taking another step.
'Home?' Gaara smiled to himself, yes he now had a home. Not just somewhere he lived in, but a place to spend his days with a purpose.
A/N: I hope this is a good read for you guys. I am so, so sorry about the wait. It has been six months since I've written anything for this fic. Wow! I hope this makes up for the fail at updating. I hope everyone had a great holiday, whatever you celebrate... Happy [insert holiday] to you. I appreciate all of your views and comments. Happy new years, hopefully I will get better at balancing everything. ~TheRussianGaaraKid out!