Hey guys! Sorry for the super long wait for another chapter. My schedule is crazy hectic so I find it hard to find time to write anymore these days. Still try though so here you guys go. This chapter is super long! 27 pages! . though the next one is only like 12... was gonna turn it into three even chapters but couldn't find a third good stopping point so you get one long and one short chapter as an update! As per usual feedback is loved! So read this one and then onto the next one an tell me what you think of it!


Kyuu hummed to herself idly as she moved about her kitchen and grabbed herself some breakfast. "What are your plans for the day?" Haku asked as he yawned and entered the kitchen for some breakfast as well.

"Gonna go do some training for most of the day probably." She responded.

"Do you want to train together? Tsuki and I also need to train for the finals."

"Hmm, tomorrow maybe. My own training is a little… different. But we should definitely rotate between training together and on our own. Plus going to do a few other things while I'm out today too." She answered with a shrug and downed her glass of blood.

"Alright, I'm going shopping later today; make a note of anything you want me to pick up." Haku stated, finishing his own drink and putting the glass in the sink.

"Will do."

Kyuu watched her brother leave the kitchen and head back for his bedroom, most likely heading off to get ready for the day. Once he was gone and she washed up to the two cups she headed for the door, slipped on her shoes and left. Kyuu got about three feet from her door before she stopped walking and turned around, feeling a presence behind her.

"Morning Gaara, you know you could have just knocked, didn't have to stand outside my door waiting." She greeted as she spotted him leaning against the wall near her apartment.

Gaara didn't respond but pushed off from the wall and walked up beside her. "I guess I'll take this as a hint you'd like to hang out today?" She grinned and started walking, not surprised he started following her.

"….Yes.." He agreed after a moment's hesitation.

Kyuu beamed, pleased she was making progress with him, though confused that he seemed eager to hang out with her when just yesterday he was upset at her. By this point she was certain he was bipolar. "Great, I have to run a few errands first though, so if you wanna meet me over by the cherry tree around noon, we can hang out then?" She offered, as eager as she was to spend time with the boy, she had few other matters to take care of first.

Gaara stared at her for a moment and gave a tiny nod before vanishing. "I'll take that as a yes." She muttered and headed off.

Kyuu's first destination was Naruto's apartment, she hadn't seen him since he ran out after the preliminaries and wanted to see how pumped he was for the finals and if he wanted to train together from time to time. She was just about to knock on his door when it flew open and Naruto came barreling out of his apartment.

"Damn Naruto where's the fire!" Kyuu exclaimed as she quickly leapt out of the blonde's way.

Naruto skidded to a halt and glanced at her, having not even noticed Kyuu in his rush. "Sorry Kyuu! Didn't see you! I'm in a big hurry!" Naruto answered excitedly.

"How come?" Kyuu asked curiously and started following the boy, he seemed to be too excited to stand by and talk and was already walking away at a brisk pace while talking.

"I'm getting some special training!" He exclaimed excitedly.

"Kakashi's training you for the finals?" Kyuu asked surprised, in light of what happened at the preliminaries she figured he'd be training Sasuke first.

"No, he's going to train Sasuke." Naruto responded while making a face. "But that's ok. This perverted old hermit I met yesterday helped me with my chakra and walking on water and he said today he was going to teach me this super special technique!" Naruto added.

"….Super special technique from an old perverted hermit…?" Kyuu wondered.

"Yeah, he's weird but strong and I can't wait so I gotta go! We'll hang later ok! Bye!" Naruto added and rushed off.

"Well… ok then…." Kyuu muttered to herself and shrugged her shoulders before heading to her next destination.

Kyuu strolled along the streets of Konoha and a leisurely pace and glanced around as she made her way towards the hospital. As she walked she passed by a flower stand and stopped, she deliberately avoided heading to Ino's family flower shop to avoid the girl and any prying questions, but still wanted to bring something with her. She glanced over the various flowers for sell and picked out three of them, a blue iris, white lily, and a yellow tulip. Once she had picked them out and paid for them she went on her way again and glanced at the flowers, hoping they would like them. She continued on with her walk to the hospital lost in thoughts and never noticed the fact that a certain red head had been following her since she told him they'd have to meet up later and was now watching her carry the flowers with narrowed eyes, wondering what she was up to with them.

Kyuu walked into the hospital and glanced around with a slight shiver. She never cared for hospitals. They gave her the creeps and tried to stay out of them to avoid awkward questions about her…uniqueness. She shrugged off her unease and walked over to the information desk. "Uh... hi." She greeted when she reached the nurse.

"How can I help you?"

"Can you tell me what rooms Hinata Hyuga, Sasuke Uchiha, and Rock Lee are in?" She asked.

"One moment." She responded and went through a roster; she found the room numbers and jotted them down on a paper for her.

"Thanks."

Kyuu wandered off and looked at the numbers. Sasuke's was the closest so she went to his room first. As she turned down the hallway she saw a hospital room door open and saw Kakashi and Anko step out of the room talking in hushed voices. She quickly ducked back around the corner and listened.

"How's Sasuke doing?" She heard Anko ask.

"He should be up and moving in a few days. I was able to seal the curse mark before it did too much damage." Kakashi answered.

'So it was a curse seal? How did he get it?' Kyuu wondered to herself as she listened.

"What does Orochimaru want with him?" Anko asked but Kyuu felt she was asking that question more to herself than to Kakashi based on her tone.

"Not sure, but we won't let him take him."

'Orochimaru? Who's that? What does he mean take him?' Kyuu thought, eyes widening a bit as she listened.

"Orochimaru's definitely up to something. Kabuto let on as much that they're scheming something dark." Kakashi mused.

"If only he hadn't escaped. Do you think Orochimaru's scheming is linked to those two deaths?"

"The one sound ninja dead, no I don't think so, he may be working with the sound. The one of our own that was killed though; I think he probably heard something he shouldn't have that night."

"That bastard is up to his old tricks again and I hate it."

"We must prepare and be ready. That's all we can do for now."

"What are you going to do about Sasuke?"

"When he's able to leave the hospital, I'll train him personally so he can better protect himself."

"Good luck. The Hokage wanted me to report back after I checked up on the kid and you so I'm out of here." Anko concluded and Kyuu heard their footsteps and voices retreat as they walked away down the hall in the opposite direction.

Once Kyuu no longer sensed their presence she stepped out from the corner and walked down the hall, stopping in front of Sasuke's door. She was a lot more worried now, that short relief she felt when Kakashi said he'd take care of Sasuke was gone now and replaced with worry about who this Orochimaru might be and what he wanted with her former teammate.

Kyuu stepped into the room without knocking and found Sasuke unconscious in his hospital bed. She watched him rest for a moment and placed the lily in a small vase on his bedside table. There were no other flowers yet, so clearly Sakura hadn't managed to come by and visit him just yet. Kyuu glanced at the flower and then glanced at Sasuke. "I don't know what kind of trouble you're getting yourself into, but please take care of yourself. You had me worried when you came out of the forest with that thing on your neck and I can't say I feel much better now knowing what it is and who gave it to you. You keep yourself pretty separated from the rest of us, but you're in danger and your friends are here if you need them so don't be stubborn and ask for the help." She spoke, poking him lightly on the forehead and turning to leave. She got to the door before she heard him stir behind her.

"Kyuu…?" Sasuke spoke, confused and disoriented.

"Sup duckbutt? Thought I'd come by and get a good laugh at you stuck in a hospital bed." Kyuu lied, turning around and giving him a cheesy grin.

Sasuke stared at her and then glanced at the flower on his bedside table and the two in her hand. "Really? You brought me a flower? Didn't know you cared so much." He mused and relaxed back down on his pillow, staring at his ceiling.

"Wasn't me, Sakura brought it for you earlier, I wouldn't bring you any flowers dumbass." She scoffed.

"Liarrrr…" Sasuke retorted and blinked his eyes slowly, he felt unbelievably drained and just wanted to go back to sleep, he already felt it trying to claim him again.

"Nahh…" Kyuu laughed and slid the door open. "I'll let you rest now; you look ready to pass back out." She stated as she began to step out of the room. "….Remember, whatever left you that nasty looking hickey in the forest is no friend, if you need help… well that creature's not the only thing that can leave a nasty bite. I got your back." Kyuu added and left, sliding the door shut behind her.

Kyuu shook her head to clear it of all the now confusing thoughts that swam through it and headed off for the next room. Next on her list was Hinata's room; she reached the door and knocked softly before stepping in. This time the person she wanted to visit was awake. Hinata was sitting up in bed and reading a book.

"Kyuu?" Hinata asked surprised, looking up from her book and coughing weakly.

"How are you feeling?" Kyuu asked as she stepped into the room and handed her the blue iris.

"A little better than I did than when I first woke up." She responded and took the flower, smelling it. "Thank you." She added.

"No problem. You fought really well against Neji." Kyuu responded.

"I still lost…" Hinata mumbled. "I was so utterly defeated…"

"It doesn't matter. You stood up against him. You defied his destiny bullshit and stood your own. It doesn't matter that you lost the fight because you won internally. You didn't run away and changed yourself. Be proud." Kyuu responded confidently and Hinata smiled weakly.

"I suppose so…"

"And you had Naruto and the rest of us acknowledging that change and that determination the whole time." She added and watched Hinata blush faintly.

"I heard Naruto-kun is to fight Neji-kun in the finals…."

"He's determined to kick his ass for what he did to you and for his holier-than-thou-destiny-bullshit. He vowed to you that he will win that fight." Kyuu answered and watched Hinata blush a little more. "Now let's change the subject, what's that book you're reading?" Kyuu asked, pulling up a seat beside her.

Kyuu and Hinata chatted for awhile until Kyuu felt Hinata looked warn out and needed to rest some more, she still had a lot to recover from. "I'll visit again soon ok?" Kyuu smiled and stood up, ready to leave.

"Ok, I'll look forward to it." Hinata smiled and watched Kyuu head to the door. "Wait… Kyuu... Why… why did you never tell me about what you are?" She asked hesitantly stopping Kyuu form leaving.

"…I… I was worried about what you might think… what many people would think if they knew…. You're incredibly kind, I thought you'd be one of the few who wouldn't judge me but I was scared." Kyuu answered, staring at the floor in front of her.

"I don't think of you any differently. You're still my friend Kyuu-san. You're different than when I first met you back in the academy. You changed too… no matter how dark you were or what darkness is left in you, your heart's still pure. Vampire or no, you're a good person."

Kyuu smiled weakly, deeply touched by her friend's kind words. It meant so much to her that others still accepted her now that they knew the truth. "Thank you Hinata." She smiled and headed out of the room to let her rest.

Kyuu glanced at a clock as she made her way towards the last room. She was doing good on time, but still wanted to wrap things up so she could go meet up with Gaara. Still unaware that the boy had been following her all day and was lurking outside the hospital. He grew agitated when she brought a flower to Sasuke and couldn't understand why it angered him that she did. However by the time he was done watching her visit Hinata his anger had left again and was replaced with boredom by watching the two girls talk. He was now curious about who the last flower was for and followed her from the outside of the building as she made her way down the halls. Her final destination made him scowl in anger again.

Kyuu paused in front of the last door and after a moment of hesitation knocked on it and slid it open, stepping inside. Lee looked away from the window and glanced at the door frame when he heard it open. He was surprised to see Kyuu standing there. "You're Kyuu right? Why are you here?" Lee asked confused.

Kyuu stared at him, his arm and leg were completely covered in casts and he looked broken, not just physically but emotionally. He must have already been told the devastating news. Her eyes saddened and then she remembered he had asked her a question.

"I brought you a flower, a get well gift." She smiled holding out the yellow tulip. "I…I wanted to apologize on Gaara's behalf." She breathed out quickly.

Lee blinked in confusion and took the flower from her. "On his behalf..? You are his friend..?" He asked confused.

"In a manner of speaking yes. What he did to you, in that ring, it is horribly unfair and cruel for you. I am so sorry for the outcome of that fight. I wish I could do something to help ease your pain. I know the circumstances you now face and I am so sorry your dream was ripped from you like that." Kyuu rushed out and bowed apologetically.

Lee stared at her with sad eyes. As frustrated and angry and sad as he was by his situation, he was touched by this girls' compassion; she had no reason to apologize for what someone else had done to him but she did anyway. "You don't need to apologize, you did nothing." Lee answered wanting her to stop bowing in front of him like that.

"I agitated him during the second exam, I fear, that, on top of you managing to inflict harm on him drove him over the edge like that. He is in a very dark place and suffering deeply, even if he won't admit it, though that doesn't excuse his actions, and though you have every right to hate him for it, I ask you not to. It's all a very complicated mess and though you've suffered from him, I'll take the burden of your hate if that means one less person will hate him."

"You're asking me to forgive him for crushing my bones and taking my life as a ninja away?" Lee asked; his tone a little harder than he intended.

"No. I'm not asking you to forgive him, how could you forgive someone of something like that? I'm only asking that you not hate him… he has enough of that already… and I am willing to take the brunt of your anger in his place."

"You care a lot about him? Despite how much of a monster he is?"

"Yes and he is not a monster, I don't think he is beyond saving."

"Does he care about you as much as you care about him?"

Kyuu blushed a little at Lee's question. "I highly doubt it." She answered.

"Then why care at all?"

"It's what friends do."

Lee stared at Kyuu for a long moment. "You're extremely kind... I heard you say what you are in your match, I wouldn't think a vampire would be so gentle hearted; you're apologizing for someone else's actions and offering yourself as a target of hate instead. That's really unexpected."

"I'm unique I guess." Kyuu answered.

"Well… I don't hate you and I accept your apology, though as I said you have no reason to. I am angry, and sad, but I am not full of hate for anyone. I haven't given up…" Lee concluded and glanced out the window again.

"Haven't given up..?" Kyuu wondered.

"I will overcome any obstacle. This is just another hurdle to overcome. I will not give up on my dreams." Lee answered and turned back to look at her with a small smile.

"It's no wonder you hit it off with Naruto so well." She grinned a bit, she could see Naruto's determination in him and although she saw little hope for him, she wasn't about to crush that determination.

"I really appreciate you coming to visit me. It must have been a bit difficult for you to decide to do this."

"It was a little uncomfortable I guess you could say? But, not difficult; I felt bad for you and I wanted to apologize and cheer you up. We could both use a new friend I think." She smiled.

"Everyone could use a new friend." Lee smiled back.

Kyuu sat down and talked with Lee for awhile longer until she felt like she had spent enough time with him too and that he should get more rest. "I'll visit again soon, maybe next time I'll bring some food. God knows you could use a real meal if you're living off of hospital food. I'm not the best cook in the world, but just about anything is better than the stuff they try to pass off for food here." She laughed as she stood up.

"I'd like that." Lee laughed as well and waved to Kyuu as she left.

Gaara watched Kyuu leave the hospital and continued to scowl. Why did she visit that Rock Lee? She wasn't his friend or former teammate; she had just met him in these exams. Why the concern? He recalled her being concerned for that bastard during their match. This angered him greatly. However before he could act on his anger he remembered Kyuu said she'd meet back up with him at noon and was likely heading towards their spot now. He quickly disappeared in a whirl of sand and reappeared under the cherry tree, ready to wait and act as if he hadn't followed her around all morning.

Kyuu stepped out into the clearing and saw Gaara already waiting for her under the tree. "Hey man." She grinned and walked over to him. "Half expected you not to show up." She laughed.

"Why?"

"Well you're bi-polar as shit, your mood could have changed to wanting nothing to do with me in between those few hours since I last saw you." She teased.

"Well I'm here." Was all he responded with, which Kyuu decided to translate into 'I still want something to do with you and like hanging around you'.

"Yes you are, and now we hang!" She declared.

Kyuu spent the rest of the day with Gaara. Though he barely spoke as per usual, she noted he seemed a lot different than he had when they spoke yesterday. He was calmer, and more willing to be with her. She wasn't sure what breakthrough occurred overnight with him but was pleased nonetheless. They spent the day talking (Kyuu talking), lounging on the grass under the tree, Kyuu trained a bit while he watched, and Kyuu dragged him back into the village when it started to get dark for some food. She dragged him over to her (and Naruto's) favorite ramen bar and ate dinner with him before walking back with him back to her apartment.

"Well today's been fun. Just think; I get a whole month of annoying the shit out of you like today!" Kyuu laughed as they neared her apartment.

"I suppose." Gaara grunted.

"Oh? So you're agreeing to let me annoy you all month long? Hehehe you're finally accepting the fact that we're friends now?"

"I didn't say that." Gaara retorted.

"Well if we're not friends, you have an odd way of showing it." Kyuu retorted cheekily.

"Whatever." Gaara grumbled.

"Heh, I'll see you later." Kyuu laughed as they reached her door and she boldly reached out and hugged him goodnight.

Gaara froze at the contact. That confusing warmth rushed through him again. All day, while in her presence he felt that… relaxation wash over him. The relaxation that silenced his inner turmoil and brought him a bit of…peace? His decision to use this distraction seemed like a good one so far. Now that warmth from her touch was back and it made his stomach lurch uncomfortably before she let go and he felt cold again. He was vaguely aware of her saying good night and heading inside her apartment. He stared at the closed door for a second and started to walk off. She wasn't around anymore, that relaxation…distraction, was gone now the familiar cold washed over him and the restlessness stirred again. With Kyuu around, he often lost the urge to remind himself that he was alive. He needed it now though, he needed to kill something, to feel that rush and enjoyment, to reestablish his existence and to remind himself of what he must do when this month comes to an end. Allowing this obsession to run its course and taking her life would be the ultimate way to reaffirm his existence.


Kyuu busied herself around her kitchen, idly humming a tune while she finished making another bento box and moved onto the sixth and final one. She paused in her work when she heard Haku enter the kitchen.

"You're not going to eat all six of those are you?" He teased lightly.

"Of course not." She laughed "I'm making lunch for my friends again." She explained.

"I'll assume you'll be out all day again then?"

"Probably."

"I've barely seen you at all these past two weeks and I can't say I care for the company you're keeping."

"Luckily I don't need your approval." Kyuu retorted, a bit harsher than she intended.

Two weeks had passed since the preliminaries and almost every day she spent it with Gaara. She saw others of course; she visited Hinata and Lee several times and trained with her team fairly often as well but most of her time was indeed spent with a specific red head.

"And for someone who dislikes him so much, you seem perfectly content to spend lots of time with his sister." Kyuu added with a stern glance before getting back to work on the food.

"She's not a psychopath." Haku retorted.

Kyuu frowned into the bento box. She wanted to argue that Gaara wasn't one, but there really wasn't any denying it, he was. Though these past few weeks showed him calmer around her than ever before. She continued to sense the unease in him and smell fresh blood on him, hinting that perhaps his calmness was only around her and done when not. Still she could tell it wasn't human blood on him and no other deaths had occurred since that first night after the preliminaries so she supposed that could be considered an improvement (though the bunny population didn't quite feel the same).

"You just don't understand him." She decided to answer while wrapping up the last box.

"Perhaps not or perhaps you don't understand him like you think you do. He's dangerous sister…"

"Not to me."

"You've no idea what he's capable of, what he might do to you."

"We're not arguing about this brother. I can look after myself." She snapped, getting frustrated. Would she always be the only one who defended him? "I'll be back later." She added and grabbed the boxed lunches before making a beeline for the door.

Kyuu glanced around the outside of her apartment once she was through the door. She wasn't surprised that Gaara wasn't there. Meeting up together under the tree at noon had become their routine now and she usually didn't see him before then. She'd spend her mornings with her other friends and the rest of her days with him. At the moment she was on her way to bring Lee lunch at the hospital and then deliver the rest of the lunches before she went to meet up with Gaara. She had little idea the redhead often followed her throughout the days regardless of their routine.

Kyuu arrived at the hospital and headed off for Lee's room. Hinata and Sasuke had already left the hospital. Hinata went to receive care in the privacy of her home and Sasuke checked himself out to train as soon as he could move again. When she arrived to Lee's room she saw a new flower on his bedside table and knew Sakura had come to visit him again as well. She had ran into Sakura and Ino once before on one of her visits. They had been attempting to visit Sasuke and had become annoyed when they found he already left, though Sakura also enjoyed visiting Lee as well it seemed. After Kyuu brought Lee his lunch, she talked with him for a bit and then left the hospital and headed off for her next destination. This walk took her out of the village and even out of the forests surrounding it. She made her way high into the more mountainous terrain and found who she was looking for.

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke asked when he and Kakashi spotted her.

"I brought you guys' lunch." She answered and held out two boxes.

"Why..?" Kakashi asked curiously as he took one.

"Well I was making them for a few others and I figured I could make them for you guys too." She answered with a shrug. Truth be told, she was still worried about the mark on Sasuke and who the person was that left it. Though never particularly friendly towards each other, she felt the compulsion to look out for her former teammate.

"You didn't poison it did you?" Sasuke asked as he took his from her and eyed it suspiciously.

"Of course." She retorted cheekily. "Poured a whole bottle of arsenic into it."

"Bit over kill." Kakashi commented with a light chuckle.

"Yeah well, when you're undead, you want to be sure what you kill is dead dead." She laughed "Nahh, you're fine. I even put extra tomatoes in yours and no sweets." She added to Sasuke.

"Well thank you." Kakashi stated as he looked over his meal.

"Yeah thanks, now leave." Sasuke added.

"Psh, don't worry, I got more important people to see than you." She retorted and waved to the two as she headed off.

Naruto was last on her list of stops and he was training in the same direction as her meet up spot with Gaara so she figured it was best to save him for last and make it quicker. She tracked him down to a river out in the forest. She paused as she stepped out of the bushes and into the clearing. Naruto was at the edge of the river attempting a jutsu.

"You're summoning tadpoles?" She asked curiously as she came up behind him.

Naruto yelped in surprise and turned to look at her (the tadpole poofing away). "Kyuu! Where did you come from?"

"I thought I'd drop by and see how you're doing." She answered. "And I brought you lunch." She added, offering one of the boxes.

"Sweet! Thank you! I'm so hungry." He cheered, taking it.

"So… tadpoles?"

"They're supposed to be frogs… Ero-Sennin said it's a special summoning technique. The fourth even made the same contract with the frogs before me!" Naruto answered excitedly.

"…Ero-Sennin…?" She wondered in bewilderment. She also mentally paused at the mention of the fourth...

"Yeah… hey! Ero-Sennin! Come here! I want you to meet someone!" Naruto shouted.

Kyuu heard a couple of girls scream from downstream and than a man curse. "Naruto! I told you not to shout! You scared the girls away!" A voice yelled back and Kyuu watched an elderly man march out of the bushes towards them. He paused when he saw her. "Who's this? Your girlfriend?" He asked curiously.

Naruto and Kyuu both made a face. "She's like family you perv! And don't do anything weird to her!" He added.

"I like adult women." He retorted but held out his hand for Kyuu to shake. "Name's Jiraiya, nice to meet you." He greeted.

"…Kyuu.." Kyuu responded as she shook his hand. "You were spying on women?" She asked before she could stop herself.

"He's a peeping pervert." Naruto whispered.

"I was doing research!" He defended. "I'm a writer." He tried to explain to Kyuu. "Of the Icha Icha series."

"The smut Kakashi-sensei reads all the time?" Kyuu asked surprised.

"Literature!"

"Right….Naruto said you're a hermit not a writer…. And you're teaching him to summon frogs?"

Kyuu paused as the words left her mouth. Something occurred to her that hadn't before. The Hokage said Naruto's godfather was a perverted writer… This old man was training Naruto a technique his father was taught… could this man be him then?

Kyuu studied Jiraiya carefully. She wasn't familiar with his headband and knew Sennin meant sage or hermit but she didn't know much about sages. She could sense a tremendous amount of power behind him though. He was clearly stronger than his attitude let on. Jiraiya in turn studied Kyuu carefully. He had been a little surprised by the coldness of her hand when they shook hands and she seemed unnatural. Dangerous power seemed to linger just below the surface of her, something beyond the realm of normal. There was only one other person he had ever met that he got the same reading from. Someone he hadn't heard from in years.

"Do you have family around here?" He asked curiously.

Kyuu was a bit taken back by the question. Though as she thought about it, if he was Naruto's dad's teacher, than the chances of him knowing her parents was pretty high. "I used to, my parents are dead now." She answered, wondering if he knew who she was.

"What do you mean you used to? You moved here after they died…?" Naruto asked confused.

"Oh, I never got the chance to tell you yet. It seems, that I'm actually originally from Konoha. My parents left though, before I was born, but they're from here." She answered, wishing she could say more but she would keep her promise to the Hokage.

"What? Really? Cool! No wonder you felt drawn to Konoha when you came here." Naruto responded.

"Mhm, hey sorry guys but I got to get going, I've got other errands to run." Kyuu responded, wanting to exit this conversation before letting something slip to Naruto, still she had a million questions spinning in her head now.

"Well, a pleasure meeting you. Any friend of this dumbass is a friend of mine, especially a young lady." Jiraiya responded; now he was almost certain that this was the daughter of Minato's peculiar brother in-law...

"Hey!" Naruto snapped. "I'm not dumb!"

"Right…. Then show me the summoning jutsu!" He snapped back.

Naruto huffed and tried again to summon a frog. When the smoke cloud cleared Kyuu and Jiraiya stared at the tadpole. "What the hell is that Naruto?!" He shouted.

"Look look! This one has legs!" Naruto insisted, convinced this meant improvement.

"You're horrible." He groaned in response and Kyuu just laughed.

"I'll see you around Naruto." She laughed while turning to leave.

"Bye Kyuu! Thanks for the food!" He waved.

Kyuu walked in the direction of her meet up spot with Gaara but paused. She still had some time before she met up with him and questions were burning inside her now. She wanted to talk to someone, ask somebody for answers. She thought about who she could ask and realized a good person who could answer. She headed back into the village for a quick detour and began her search to find her. It didn't take long; she had a good hunch on where to start and was proven correct when she spotted her sensei stepping out of a bar, despite it not even being mid day yet. Kaji did like her booze…

"Kaji-sensei!" Kyuu called, walking over to her.

"What's up?" She greeted.

"Just passing by." Kyuu shrugged, she was pleased she caught Kaji while she was drinking; she'd be more open to conversations.

"Enjoying the break from missions?" She asked as they walked along. "I hope you're using this time to train."

"I am. I was about to go do some training now." Kyuu lied.

"Glad to hear it."

"Hey, before I go, I have a question. What exactly is a Sennin? They're a sage right? But like, what's a sage?" She decided to ask.

Kaji paused for a moment. "A Sennin? Like you said, they're a sage, usually a ninja but they specialize in a different way than most. They're connected to nature and draw power from it. They're usually extremely powerful. Why do you ask?"

"I came across the term and didn't know much about them. Have you ever met one?"

"Hmm… one, there was one Sennin from Konoha. Actually, it's kinda like a play on words almost, him an his two teammates are called Sannin. Sennin...Sannin… sound almost the same." She answered laughing a bit at the words, maybe she had a bit more to drink than she realized.

"And what's a Sannin?" Kyuu asked; more curious.

"Well literally, it translates to three ninja. The legendary Sannin of Konoha. All on at least Kage level of strength and all with their own unique abilities."

"Really? Who are they? Are they still alive?"

"Hmm… yeah I think so. They're not super old, maybe in their 50's. Let's see they all left the village years ago but they would have been the sensei to my generation's sensei. In fact, one of them was Kakashi's sensei's sensei." She paused to chuckle at the amount of times she said sensei. "The fourth Hokage was Kakashi's teacher, and he was taught by…Jiraiya, the frog sage. Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru; frog, slug, and snake. The three Legendary Sannin. They were all taught by the third." She concluded, nodding as she thought it over.

Kyuu inwardly froze as she processed all that information. So that was in fact Naruto's god father after all. It was no coincidence, and his godfather was a legend? That was interesting news, however what caused her more pause was the name Orochimaru. He was connected to all this?

"Sensei… Who exactly is Orochimaru? I've heard his name before too."

Kaji paused for a moment, trying to decide how to answer. "I should tell you. We're not supposed to talk about it, but… in light of things…. Orochimaru, as I said, is one of the legendary Sannin. All three of them left the village years ago, two left on peaceful terms and for their own personal reasons. Orochimaru did not. He was under pursuit and fled the village as a rouge ninja."

"What did he do?"

"He was… Orochimaru was a genius he was considered a prodigy for his generation. There was darkness in him though, I dunno if anyone knows or knew what it stemmed from, but he was twisted. He wanted strength and power; he wanted to learn every jutsu in the world and was determined to find a way to do that. He… conducted experiments using… human's, both alive and dead, as guinea pigs. He wanted to be immortal." She began explaining. "Though he wanted immortally that didn't bind him to the night only." She added with a glance at Kyuu. "He didn't want immortality with a catch; he wanted complete immortality and absolute power. I don't know if he succeeded in that or not, but eventually the Hokage got wind of his dark interests and his experiments with curses and humans. He was to be arrested, but he fled the village and completely disappeared up till now." She finished explaining.

Kyuu thought about what she said. So Orochimaru was someone who delved into human experiments, curses, and the dark arts? He wanted immortally? What could he possibly want with Sasuke? She knew now why she felt so worried for him. Was it mere coincidence that two of the Sannin who were old teammates no less, made an appearance so close together and both took an interest and Naruto and Sasuke? She felt that wasn't the case. Bigger things were happening here than anyone, herself included understood, she realized that much.

"Now pretend I didn't say anything. We're not really supposed to discuss it. Heh, next you'll probably ask me about the Akatsuki too. Well... Orochimaru was a member for a time…" She muttered as she started to walk off.

"Akatsuki?" Kyuu asked curiously, not sure her brain could handle much more info.

"A mercenary gang of rouge ninja, nothing to be concerned about." She called over her shoulder and left.

Kyuu ran a hand through her hair and huffed, so much information to take in lately, so many new facts kept popping up and she couldn't convince herself they were all merely coincidence. "Ehhh, stop worrying so much Kyuu. If you stress about what if's you'll go crazy." She muttered to herself.

Kyuu then checked the time and jumped when she saw how much time had passed. She was now late for her meet up with Gaara. Quickly she spun on her heel and headed out of the village, back to her tree. When she arrived there Gaara was already waiting under the tree with his arms crossed.

"You're late." Gaara commented when she arrived.

"I know, sorry! I was taking lunches to Lee and Naruto and Sasuke and I lost track of the time." She explained apologetically.

"Don't be late again." He retorted.

Kyuu raised an eyebrow and bowed mockingly. "Yessss master…." She responded sarcastically before straightening up. Gaara stared at her with a raised nonexistent eyebrow but mentally shrugged it off without comment. He was fuming though that she had been late due to bringing lunch to other people.

"Well anyway, I'm here now. What do you want to do?" She asked, changing the subject. Gaara shrugged in response and Kyuu thought for a bit before an idea hit her and she grinned. "Follow me." She decided and began walking off, knowing Gaara would follow her.

Seeing Naruto training at the river had given her the urge to go swimming. She knew the perfect spot and so she led Gaara deep into the forest until they reached it. They stepped out into another clearing at the base of one of the mountains. In the clearing was a large waterfall cascading down the side of the mountain and into a large pool of water that broke away on one side to turn into a river, downstream from that pool, miles away was Naruto training in the same river.

"Pretty huh?" Kyuu grinned, she truly loved nature. She also walked over to a nearby tree at the edge of the clearing and put her bag down.

Gaara shrugged in response to her question and turned to ask her why they were here but before the words could come out of his mouth he froze. "What are you doing?" He demanded, suddenly feeling like his stomach leapt up into his throat.

Kyuu paused in removing her kimono and stared at him. She stood in the pair of short shorts she wore under her dress and the strapless bra she wore glued to her chest. She had her kimono and her obi in her hands. "You do swim don't you?" She asked as if it was obvious and tossed the garments under the tree she placed the bag at.

"No." He retorted, finding it difficult to breathe as he stared at her. What was wrong with him?

"Do you know how?" She asked as she kicked off her shoes.

"Of course, what ninja wouldn't be trained to swim? Even one from a desert." He snapped, trying to mask his discomfort with anger.

"Good. Get in." She grinned and willed him not to kill her as she, in one fluid motion, ripped his gourd off his back and pushed him hard into the pool. Gaara cursed before he went under and Kyuu let out a shriek of delight before jumping in herself (rolling his gourd to the tree beforehand).

"What the hell!?" Gaara snarled when he resurfaced for air. He was livid. How dare she push him into the water? Who did she think she was? He was ready to strangle her until she popped back up from under the water. He found his anger was gone as suddenly as it came as he looked at her. She was laughing hysterically, her eyes gleaming in delight and a huge grin was plastered to her face. Her hair flowed out around her and her skin glistened from the moisture. She was gorgeous. Gaara scowled at his thoughts and cursed again as he made his way to shore, he clumsily got out of the water while continuing to swear at everything.

"Haha, come on, don't be mad. Strip and come swim with me. I couldn't resist pushing you in, don't be pissed." She laughed. "Let your clothes dry while you swim." She added reasonably.

Gaara scowled at her. She was such a pest. Still she had a point. He could either swim or sit in wet clothes all afternoon. With that thought in mind, he cursed once more before stripping down into his boxers and set his clothes out to dry before wading back into the water. "Happy?" He demanded once he was in.

"Extremely." She grinned and blinked a few times as she stared at his bare torso.

He wasn't as muscular as some of her other male friends, he was more lean. She suspected that was due to the fact that his fighting style wasn't as big on physical strength as others. Still he lugged around a heavy gourd all day and it showed with how toned he was. She found she enjoyed the smaller toned/lean look over the extremely buff look anyway. She shyly looked down at herself in the water and wondered what he thought.

Since she was in shorts and a non-reveling, unsexy bra, she didn't feel embarrassed, but she did feel a bit insecure about how her figure might look to him. She was athletic and curvy, but she wasn't on par with some of her female friends. She had a flat, toned stomach, but she didn't have an hourglass waist like Sakura. She was developed in the chest category, but there was no competing with Hinata's breasts, she had confidence in her butt as it was firm but still large and well rounded, but her overall curves she felt weren't nearly as pronounced as Ino's near flawless body. She knew she was pretty, there wasn't any denying that, but she wondered and worried just how pretty. She mentally frowned at herself; she used to never fret over her appearance so much. Gaara barely tolerated her presence; he didn't care about how she looked physically so why was she always so concerned when it came to him and no one else?

For awhile the two swam around, or rather Gaara floated there awkwardly while Kyuu swam and played in the falls. She greatly enjoyed how much progress she had made with the self proclaimed monster. She doubted anyone ever managed to push him and live, let alone push him into water and live. If looks could kill she'd be dead at least five times, but he still didn't harm her. Even the fact that he didn't turn into a mud-man further proved to her that he didn't bother wearing his sand armor around her, just when he fought. After awhile longer of swimming they both got out of the water and sat down under the tree to dry off and eat lunch.

They ate quietly and Gaara glanced at Kyuu. Several times now she had made food for him, though normally a very picky eater, he discovered her cooking was enjoyable. He wondered if she made the same things for all the friends she brought lunches or if she tried to make their favorite foods. She had no idea what his favorite foods were, but she guessed well for him, today she had made medium rare beef that was both salty and marinated in a type of sauce that was both spicy and a tad bit sweet, over steamed rice and veggies. He wasn't a big fan of sweets (aside from the occasional cookie) and preferred salty or spicy foods so it worked well for him. Kyuu had made the same thing for herself but also had a thermos with her that, judging by the smell, contained blood.

Gaara watched her drink from it and a morbid thought of wondering what it tasted like ran through his mind. He watched a bit spill out of the corner of her mouth and run down her chin, dripping down her neck and onto her collarbone as she chugged. He suddenly found himself struck with a mental image of him on top of her, all that exposed skin touching his, and his mouth licking the blood clean from her neck and collarbone.

"Gaara are you ok?" Kyuu asked surprised as he suddenly leapt to his feet, heat rising to his face.

"I have to piss." He declared in a rush and dove into the nearby trees away from her.

Kyuu blinked in confusion but shrugged it off at sat there while she waited for him to come back. Several minutes passed and she stretched out onto her back, watching the clouds until she felt him return. "That was a long pee break." She joked and Gaara, now calm again, glanced at her.

"You should get dressed." He stated, inwardly groaning as he fought to keep the composer he finally managed to get back.

Her body was driving him crazy to stare at. That same strong desire to tare that perfect body to pieces and crush her for tormenting him with it was there, but aside from his blood lust, he also felt the desire to do other things with it. Things he knew about obviously, but never had a desire to do until now. This alarmed and concerned him greatly.

"Hmm? Why?" Kyuu asked, sitting up while she looked at him in confusion.

"Aren't you uncomfortable? I'm a guy." He tried, weren't girls supposed to be modest and shy about stuff like this?

"No not really, I mean yea it's my bra and the shorts are a bit short, but all my lady bits are completely covered. As a ninja I can't afford to be modest, I mean we're taught to use our bodies as weapons if we have to. Plus like if I was fighting and like my boob popped out, I couldn't risk getting freaked out an drop my guard, gotta roll with it." She rambled. "Plus, if I were in a bikini, I'd be showing even more skin and that's weird to me. Like, that's completely normal but covers less, this is considered indecent because it's my underwear, but covers more. Never did understand that." She added thoughtfully.

Gaara stared at her blankly while she rambled. "If it makes YOU uncomfortable, I'll put clothes on." She laughed as she looked at him. "But I'm not bothered by your obvious lack of clothe either." She added boldly.

"I don't care." He concluded, not about to admit how uncomfortable it did make him.

"Yours are still damp anyway." Kyuu stated, patting them to check.

"I should throw yours in the water to be fair." He commented bitterly.

"….Did you just try to crack a joke? I think you were trying to tease me." She asked, astonished.

"Threaten more like."

"Well, if you do, I will walk home like this and let you explain to my vampire big brother why I came back from hanging with you in nothing but my undies." She threatened back.

Gaara scowled but didn't rise to the challenge. A part of him was pretty sure she would really do just that and wasn't bluffing. That was a confrontation he didn't want to deal with.

"That's what I thought." She grinned.

The two sat in silence for awhile again and then Kyuu reached for her bag and pulled a journal out of it (while cramming the empty bento boxes back in). "You asked me about my singing last time we hung out right? This is what I write them all down in." She stated, handing the notebook to him.

"…How do you come up with songs so easily?"

"Just sing what pops into your head and roll with it. Watch." She answered and paused for a moment before singing.

~~See Who I Am by Within Temptation~~

Is it true what they say?
Are we too blind to find a way?
Fear of the unknown
Clouds our hearts today.

Come into my world,
See through my eyes.
Try to understand,
Don't want to lose what we have.

We've been dreaming
But who can deny?
It's the best way of living
Between the truth and the lies.

[Chorus:]
See who I am,
Break through the surface.
Reach for my hand,
Let's show them that we can
Free our minds and find a way.
The world is in our hands,
This is not the end.

Fear is withering the soul
At the point of no return.
We must be the change we wish to see.

I'll come into your world,
See through your eyes.
I'll try to understand,
Before we lose what we have.

We just can't stop believing
Because we have to try.
We can rise above their truth and their lies.

[Chorus x2]
See who I am,
Break through the surface.
Reach for my hand,
Let's show them that we can
Free our minds and find a way.
The world is in our hands.

This is not the end.

I hear their silence
Preaching my blame.
Will our strength remain
If their power reigns?

[Chorus x2]
See who I am,
Break through the surface.
Reach for my hand,
And show them that we can
Free our minds and find a way.
The world is in our hands.

This is not the end.

"See? Easy." She stated when she was done.

"Why do you sing?"

"Well, to me, sometimes songs allow me to express things I can't get out in regular words. Like that song, I thought about how Naruto and I desperately want to prove something and for people to see us for who we are, so those are the lyrics that came to me with those thoughts in mind. Songs can have a bigger impact when it comes to understanding others. Songs also help me to cope and work through things." She explained. "You should try it sometime."

"No."

"Totally didn't see that answer coming." She retorted, rolling her eyes playfully.

Gaara skimmed over the songs in her journal, pausing from time to time to fully read a few. "If you find one you like, I'll sing it for ya, other than Naruto you're the only one who seems to enjoy and appreciate my singing."

Gaara flipped through it some more and paused at a one of the last few songs written down. The glanced at it for a moment then glanced at her. "This one." He decided, handing it to her. He wasn't expecting her to look like she saw a ghost and blush.

"That one? I thought I tore it out of there…" She blushed.

"Sing it." He demanded. Kyuu shifted uncomfortably but nodded, not meeting his eyes as she began to sing.

~~Give unto Me by Evanescence~~

I've been watching you from a distance
The distance sees through your disguise
All I want from you is your hurting
I want to heal you
I want to save you from the dark

Give unto me your troubles
I'll endure your suffering
Place onto me your burden
I'll drink your deadly poison

Why should I care if they hurt you
Somehow it matters more to me
Than if I were hurting myself
Save you (save you)
I'll save you

Give unto me your troubles
I'll endure your suffering
Place onto me your burden
I'll drink your deadly poison

Fear not the flame of my love's candle
Let it be the sun in your world of darkness
Give unto me all that frightens you
I'll have your nightmares for you
If you sleep soundly

Give unto me your troubles
I'll endure your suffering
Place onto me your burden
I'll drink your deadly poison

Fear not the flame of my love's candle
Let it be the sun in your world of darkness
Give unto me all that frightens you
I'll have your nightmares for you
If you sleep soundly

Fear not the flame of my love's candle
Let it be the sun in your world of darkness

While Kyuu sang she pointedly refused to look at him. She was mortified that he found it and wanted to hear her sing it. She was confused though as to why he'd want that song sung so badly. When she was finished with the song she braved a quick glance at his reaction. His face was emotionless as ever but his eyes showed confusion and flickers of other emotions.

"Why'd you write that song?"

"Ahh… well…. Someone gave me the inspiration to write it." She admitted, embarrassed but risking a small smile at him, wondering if he understood her. "Sooo….yeah. Its not hard to sing when there's emotions involved. Singing from the heart can be easy." She stated awkwardly and took the journal back from him. She failed to notice his slight reluctance to release the notebook, eyes still stuck on that song until it was put away.

Gaara remained silent and after a while of awkward silence Kyuu couldn't stand it anymore, she stood up and began to get dressed. "So want to head back into the village now?" She asked, trying hard to direct her brain (and hopefully his) to something else.

"…Sure." Gaara agreed and started to get dressed as well. His clothes were still just a little bit damp but they were manageable now. They headed back into the village and for a bit just wondered around, Kyuu chatted about random things and Gaara listened, or at least gave the appearance of listening.

"Hey Kyuu!"

Kyuu glanced behind her when she heard her name being called and saw Mitsune stepping out of a shop with Kankuro of all people. "What's up?" She asked when they approached them.

"Just hanging out, kicking back." She answered with a shrug. "Bumped into this guy awhile ago an just been chilling."

"How do you guys know each other?" Kyuu asked surprised.

"We met a few weeks ago, she's a cool chick." Kankuro answered with a shrug. "Why do you two smell like a pond?"

"Oh, we went swimming." Kyuu answered, sniffing herself.

"You went swimming Gaara?" Kankuro asked in disbelief.

Gaara shrugged, glared, and walked off without a word. "I kinda forced him to." Kyuu explained and watched him leave with a frown.

"He gives me the creeps." Mitsune muttered.

"He's not that bad." Kyuu retorted quickly. "He's also Kankuro's little brother, so watch what you say." She added.

"What? Seriously? Why didn't you tell me that?" Mitsune asked in surprise.

"Never came up. We're not close." He answered with a shrug.

"Well anyway, want to hang out with us for a bit, Kyuu?" Mitsune asked.

"Sure why not." Kyuu agreed, she was a bit curious to see how Kankuro would treat her. They hadn't spoken much since he found out about what she was and while Temari she saw more of and had gone back to acting normal towards her she hadn't yet dealt with Kankuro and it seemed Gaara was done with her for the day.

So Kyuu spent the rest of the afternoon with them. Kyuu found that she really liked Mitsune. She was easy to get along with and had an attitude that matched her own. Kankuro she still found to be the biggest ass out of the three siblings (Gaara was a psychopath, but not an asshole), but when he wasn't acting like a dick, he wasn't so bad and was fun to hang around. He had a sense of humor and liked to joke. Though she could sense he was apprehensive around her initially; he calmed down and warmed back up towards her as the day progressed.

When Kyuu returned home that night she was surprised to find Temari over and watching TV with Haku. Though tempted, she didn't start anything with her brother and instead sat down and joined them on a movie marathon until Temari finally went home.

"Have fun today?" Haku asked as the picked up the living room, getting ready for bed.

"Yeah, you?"

"Yeah… sorry about this morning."

"Don't worry about it."

The two went to bed after that and Kyuu slept peacefully until she was woken early the next morning by a loud knock on the door. She sleepily answered it only to find Sasuke on the other side.

"Here, your trays." He spoke, not bothering with a proper greeting and handing her back her lunch boxes.

"Good morning to you too." Kyuu responded sarcastically as she took them back.

"I have to get back to training." He responded as if that made up for his lack of manners.

"Don't work yourself too hard or you'll end up in the hospital again, wimp." She joked.

"Whatever." He retorted, turning to leave.

"Wait, hey, how's the curse mark? Does it hurt still?" She asked quickly, unable to resist.

"How do you know about that?" he demanded, turning back around to look at her.

'Hey, my former teammate comes out of the woods with a weird bite mark on his neck, as a vampire, I got to look into that."

"It's none of your business."

"Just be careful you prick, ok?"

"Hn, speaking of none of people's business; why did you go telling everyone about what you are during the preliminaries?"

"How'd you find out about that?"

"You told everyone, people talk, Kyuu."

"It just sort of happened."

"You never even told us until the mess with Haku."

"Yeah well, maybe a part of me is tired of hiding who I am all the time. Besides Naruto's known for ages and Kakashi was told when I was put on the team, so it was really only you and Sakura that didn't know."

"And the fact that the idiot kept it a secret for so long is amazing."

"Naruto's full of surprises and everyone keeps secrets."

"Hn."

Kyuu looked at the empty boxes in her hand for a moment then glanced back at him. "Now come inside real quick and I'll make you another lunch before you go." She decided.

"I need to train." He protested.

"Shut up, it'll take like five minutes and then you're gone. Don't worry I've got more important things to do than talk with you all day, like sleep." She retorted, pulling him inside.

After she made him a quick lunch she walked him back to the door, said goodbye, and watched him leave. When he was gone she glanced around to see if Gaara was lurking anywhere, he wasn't. So she headed back inside and decided to go back to bed for a few hours.


What Kyuu hadn't realized was that Gaara had been lurking outside and had watched Sasuke's brief visit with narrowed eyes. He didn't like the Uchiha; in his eyes he saw the same hatred and emptiness as in his own. The boy was strong as well, very strong; he could read the power in him. He would make excellent prey. It was a shame plans for the final exam were going a bit differently now, still it didn't matter, he'd be able to kill him just the same.

Gaara found himself following Sasuke form a distance, curious and murderous at the same time. As he studied his prey and his hatred toward him grew, he realized this was beyond his desire to kill a worthy target. This was also fueled by that accursed vampire. He had thought, based on the many attempts on her life and the pranks she pulled, that they hated each other. That didn't seem to be the case anymore. Twice now he watched her either visit him in the hospital or make him lunch (which he remembered she was late yesterday due to bringing him lunch). This angered him, almost as much as it angered him that she repeatedly visited that Lee kid in the hospital, pitying him for what he had done to him. HE wished he had finished the job like he wanted to.

Gaara's attention zeroed back in on Sasuke as he reached his training grounds high in the mountains. He sat down to wait for something (or someone) and Gaara hid in the shadows to watch. As Sasuke waited he examined the new bento box Kyuu had prepared for him.

"She's fucking crazy, one minute she's trying to set me on fire and the next she's making me lunches… Well she's making multiple people lunches, but somehow I made it onto that list." Sasuke muttered, putting the box back down. "She seems different lately, happier and more compassionate. Wonder why? Eh, none of my business anyway." He concluded, standing up and stretching. "Focus on what's important Sasuke, strength and power, not her." He finished before starting to run through some drills.

Gaara watched on with a scowl, unsure why hearing Sasuke talk about her made him feel so angry. Midway through the day of observing Sasuke's skill (he now had a teacher with him) his presence was finally spotted. Gaara stepped out from his hiding spot and stood before Sasuke and he's sensei (he briefly recalled the name Kakashi). They questioned what he was doing there and Gaara paused. He wanted to fight, to kill, now would be a perfect opportunity to do so. He refrained from it though, he remembered their mission here, now wasn't the time to kill. Soon he would, but not yet. So he opted to threaten Sasuke instead.

When Gaara walked away from the training grounds he was pleased with his threat. Sasuke knew now that he was a marked man. He knew Gaara had every intention to kill him and Sasuke too recognized their similarities. The hatred and emptiness in their eyes, Gaara could tell Sasuke acknowledged him as a threat just as much as he did. This would be a great challenge.

'Are you sure you only want to kill him because of his strength and how much he reminds you of yourself?' Shukaku asked and Gaara mentally groaned as he stirred.

'Yes, those are the only reasons.' He answered 'It will reaffirm my existence.'

'That is true, you've gotten softer lately.'

'Have not.'

'You have, Kyuu makes you weak. End her.'

'I will soon enough.' He responded. He was right, she was making him weak. He could feel it. Allowing this interest in her to run its course and playing all her little games was affecting him. Still, it would make it all that much more enjoyable when he killed her for it. The ultimate way to remind himself that he was alive, allowing himself to….feel…. for something and then destroy it with his own two hands. It was perfect.

'I think you want to kill that boy because Kyuu seems to care for him. The same way you desire to kill Lee even more because she visits him. You're jealous.'

Was that Jealousy? Is that what that murderous desire, so different from his usual kind, stemmed from? She was his now, until he was done with her. Those stupid smiles and shinning eyes belong to him now. Others didn't get to share in that bewitching comfort she exuded it was just for him… Those smiles and bright eyes, he would be the last person who got to see them before he took them and her life.

Gaara found himself not walking back to Kyuu's apartment but instead heading to his hotel. Today, he didn't want to see her. He wanted to be alone with his thoughts. Things were stirring in his mind now. He also wanted Shukaku to silence again. Once he had he returned to his room. He stepped into the hotel room and saw Temari was still there, watching TV.

"Not going to go hangout with Kyuu today?" She asked surprised.

"No."

Temari looked at Gaara thoughtfully for a moment. She hesitated at first but then spoke up. "Do you think maybe you're spending too much time with her? With what we're about to do in less than two weeks…?"

"It's none of your business."

"I know, I know, but, you know there's a very high chance you'll have to kill her right? She's not the kind of person to stand by while her friends are in danger."

"I am aware of that."

"And you're ok with killing her if need be? We can't afford for you to hesitate."

"When have I ever hesitated in killing? She will fall. I want to kill her."

"You say that, but I don't believe you truly do or you would have already done it…"

"Don't pretend to know me."

"All I'm saying is, she's affected you in some way and you can't let that get in the way of our mission. Also… if you don't kill her… you do understand that she will hate you right? She will never forgive any of us for what we're going to do. We're- you're betraying her. That hate could be very dangerous."

"And what do you propose I do then? Since it seems you want to pretend we're siblings that actually give a damn about each other. I don't see why you want to act like a caring sister when we both know neither of us thinks of each other as family." Gaara snapped at her.

The idea that Kyuu would hate him caused a strange ill feeling in his gut. Somehow, he was so caught up with the idea of killing her that he never thought of what may happen if he spared her. The thought of her hating him left him feeling conflicted. He should want her to hate him, if she, with her claims of compassion and kindness turned on him he'd have the proof he'd need that she was lying all along. He could go back to normal. So why did a small part of him not want that?

"If she's angry she's dangerous. She might even be able to stop you, stop us, if pushed by rage. But… but if she's broken she's weak. Break her Gaara; break her before the final match. She's probably our biggest threat to this plan, eliminate it. Break her heart, let her be overcome by heartache before she can be overcome with rage and she'll be too much of a mess to fight at one hundred percent." Temari explained. It pained her to say this, to tell Gaara to hurt Kyuu like that, she was her friend too, but regardless they were betraying her now. She'd get hurt either way and this gave them an advantage.

"Break her heart?" This conversation was causing more thoughts and concerns to stir than Gaara cared to admit. Destroying her before killing her could be fun, would be fun. He could make her suffer so much more. He wanted to and yet the idea of it made his insides squirm unpleasantly.

"Even you should be able to tell how she feels about you Gaara. It'd be very easy to do considering you can't feel the same." Temari answered.

Gaara regarded Temari with a thoughtful look and then left the room without another word. He went up onto the roof of the hotel and sat down deep in thought. He played along with Kyuu's game of pretend because it helped him silence his demons. He was using her, letting himself partly believe her lies so he could greedily enjoy that strange…comfort she brought. He knew they were all lies though; he never let himself fully believe or accept anything she said. She didn't feel anything for him and he didn't feel anything for her. Killing her should be easy, would be easy. He'd do whatever it took to get rid of the change she forced on him with her bewitchment. He wouldn't succumb to weakness. Destroying her before killing her would make all this much more satisfying. He'd be the monster he knew he was not the person she was convinced he could be.

Gaara suddenly found his vision going dark as a pair of hands placed themselves over his eyes from behind. "Guess who!" That intoxicating voice rang out.

"What are you doing here Kyuu?" Gaara asked blankly and the hands were removed as Kyuu plopped down beside him.

"You weren't at our meet up spot. After that fuss you made yesterday about me being late, you just don't show up at all today? Not cool bro."

"I wasn't aware we had to meet up every day."

"Really? I was under the impression we did. Considering there hasn't been a single day these past two weeks where we didn't see each other."

"Wouldn't you rather spend time with your friends?"

"Well you're certainly moody today. You're my friend too remember? And I do see them; I visit Lee in the hospital pretty regularly now for example."

"Why did you befriend him?"Gaara scowled; irritated that she brought him up.

"Well… after you destroyed his body and ruined his life as a ninja, I felt he could use a new friend… and I went to apologize on your behalf."

"It upsets you? What I did?"

"Of course it does. It was just an exam and you took it so far as to run his life forever. He's a sweet boy, extremely kind, he didn't deserve that."

"Do you hate me for it?"

"What? No." Kyuu answered surprised. "I think you made a terrible mistake is all and I tried making amends with Lee for you." She explained. "I don't think I could ever hate you." She added, playfully bumping into him.

"….you will…." Gaara found himself muttering, but it seemed Kyuu didn't hear him for the next moment she was talking about something else.

Gaara listened to her talk without really hearing what she was saying. He didn't understand, when she was gone all he could do was think about killing her and stopping this nonsense, but when she was near he could barely stand the idea (though it was still there). Maybe this wouldn't be as easy as he anticipated it. Seeing her right after that conversation with Temari, it left him feeling….apprehensive towards what he thought he wanted all along.

"It's gonna be strange when the exams are all over and you guys leave." Kyuu commented. "I've gotten so used to always having you right here." She added, boldly placing her hand on top of his.

Gaara stared at her hand on top of his. He'd never be able to touch her again, whether he spared her or not… Gaara suddenly found himself turning his hand over in hers and allowing their fingers to lace together. Kyuu stared at their hands now, surprised but immensely pleased. She leaned against him resting her head on his shoulder with a happy grin. Gaara glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and tilted his head so it rested on top of hers. He'd end everything soon; her, her home, he'd destroy it all soon enough. Until then, she was still his though in this twisted mess.


So there you guys go! There's chapter 11 or the first have of today's update. Read on to see what happens next! Things are about to get interesting! Also if Gaara's thoughts/inner monologs seem contradicting or confusing I'm doing that on purpose. I'm attempting to portray his craziness and how Kyuu affects it. I hope I'm doing an ok job with his showing how he might be/act given his mental state at this point in the manga. Remember feedback is loved!