A/N: I'm BACK! Sorry for the wait. Been suffering from writer's block as well as a cold so I've been kinda sluggish with the writing. Not going to keep you here anymore so R&R! I love feedback. And the usual: I DO NOT own Naruto unfortunately only the idea and my own OCs.

Chapter 4: Competition

Gaara stood staring at the wood of the door as he heard her move around on the other side. He could still smell her too and it made him growl. Damn Naruto and his scheming ways. That damn fox had been bugging him for decades, ever since the Hyuga woman came along actually, about why the pureblood had never tried to find himself a mate or even some kind of girlfriend. The simple truth was that he saw no reason to do such a thing. Gaara had better and more important things to pour his time and energy into than pouring it into searching for and winning over a woman. He had told Naruto as much and now wish he didn't. Somehow Gaara knew that was what prompted his demonic friend to go and shove this woman at him.

There was no place for her here. Normally he would just have killed her since she was competition, but Naruto's and Neji's words still rung in his head from their… conversation earlier and it gave him pause.

"You don't know her. Don't you dare judge her based off of one sentence that you weren't supposed to even hear."

It wasn't his fault the damn Hyuga left the door open. If he wanted a private moment alone with the female he should have closed the door. She obviously wanted to be alone with him. There was no other reason the red head could think of that would lead to a female clinging to a male like that. She was very clearly in love with the Hyuga. It was a ridiculous emotion, pointless even, but she did seem to have plenty of it for him. It made Gaara wonder what had really gotten into Kankuro's and Naruto's heads. Did they not see it? She was soft…too soft.

"Would you do it, Gaara? Kill your own sister in cold blood? Sure, you threaten it enough but would you actually do it? Could you?"

If Temari ever tried to kill him? Yes, he could kill her. Easily…well, fairly easily. Even if it did bother him, he'd get over it eventually and everything would be for the better. It wasn't his fault this newcomer was afraid to get her hands dirty. Life wasn't fair, it's hard and you have to do certain things to survive. Kill or be killed. It was time she learned that. Besides, why should he care?

"It would be polite to show a little concern. Just a little since asking for any more than that is pointless. You're 218 years old, Gaara, and I know you learned some manners along the way. Use them."

That he could do if he wanted. The question was did he? Did he want to be polite to this new female? She was rather powerful. Sure he held her back easily but he could do that to Naruto when the demon wasn't pissed. He knew there was power, power he could use, in that body. The body wasn't a bad thing in itself. Otherwise he would have never pulled her off of Naruto like that. She wasn't the most beautiful vampire he had ever seen, but she wasn't the worst. Not by a long shot, but it wasn't enough for him to just accept that she was here.

He had specifically told Naruto not to let anymore pureblood vampires live with them. Being Naruto, however, the demon of course had to ask why. The simple truth was that it caused chaos. Temari had tried once to explain the hierarchy to Naruto once but the blonde just didn't grasp it. Instead he asked, since the Hyuga duo hadn't caused any problems, what the big deal was. The big deal, she went on to explain as Gaara held his head in his hands very frustrated, was that the clans usually avoided each others territories as a way to maintain a peaceful coexistence and balance of power. Still no matter how she tried Temari just couldn't explain it fully. Gaara couldn't really explain it either it was just one of those things that just was.

Naruto would never understand it because he was a demon. It was practically impossible to explain the complicated way the vampire hierarchy worked since most of it was pure instinct that all vampires were born with. Regardless he still should have understood that it was simply not a good idea to have two top predators living in the same house let alone city. That she was a top predator he had no doubts.

She may have been soft when it came to her predicament with her sister and her infatuation with Neji but he could tell that when it came to her food she wasn't soft in anyway. He could tell that by how she stalked after Naruto.

Gaara growled as he scowled at the door. Naruto was going to pay for his meddling. He didn't need the Kyuubi Demon throwing women at him…well, woman at him. The red haired vampire began to pace back and forth up the hall considering what he would do. Naruto knew him well enough to know not to throw just anyone at him. The demon would have only risked Gaara's wrath if he knew that the woman was worth Gaara's time.

Knowing this it made the vampire curious. What did the female posses that would make Naruto plan such a thing? What could she possibly have that he would want? Sure, she had power he could use but he was stronger than her as it was and the question was: Did he really need more power? Sure he wanted it and could use it but he didn't really need it badly enough for him to want to take on a mate. That would mean that there was something else she had that he would want…and Naruto knew what it was. What did Naruto know that Gaara did not?

"I know very well Naruto won't tell me. That means I'm going to have to find out myself so I can't just kill her until after I find out." Gaara thought to himself as he stared at the door and rested his chin on his hand as he did and realized what he would have to do.

It would be easy enough to do and when it was done he could kill her, but not until afterwards. If Naruto wanted to him to play nice then he would play nice, but only on his own terms until he learned what he needed to. Gaara heard the movement stop on the other side of her door as the handle began to twist.

Zukiyo was positive there was someone standing on the other side of her door so she decided to open it to see who it was. She had a guess since she could faintly smell him but wasn't sure what he would want of her. Well, he probably wanted to kill her but she would be damned if she went down without a fight. When she opened the door and looked up Zukiyo found herself staring right into two black rimmed jade eyes which were staring down at her emotionlessly. However she could see the curiosity behind that mask of indifference.

"Can I help you?" she asked while raising an eyebrow at the male pureblood before her and watched as he looked at her while searching for an answer.

"I just wanted to…apologize for my behavior earlier. No doubt you heard all of it." he finally stated and bowed slightly, "I am sorry."

Zukiyo looked him over again and nodded. He was up to something. She could tell from his presence that he wasn't one to apologize that quickly for anything even if he was wrong. Well, if he wanted to play with her, fine but he better not expect to win; this princess could play mind games too.

"You are forgiven. According to my gracious host you have just recently returned from some trip. I personally hate anything to do with airplanes so I can understand the crankiness on your part." She stated and smiled at him, "If you would be so kind as to show me to the kitchen I think I could find it in me to say we just start over with the whole introductions thing. I'm very hungry and Naruto is passed out on my couch so I don't think it would be wise for me to stay in the same room as him on an empty stomach."

"I would have to agree with you." Gaara admitted and turned, "Follow me. I will show you the way."

She looked at him and raised an eyebrow. The male vampire rolled his eyes as he sighed and looked back at her with a bored yet very slightly amused expression.

"Please follow me." He stated and she chuckled and nodded as she began to follow him silently until he spoke a few minutes later, "I don't think you ever told me your name. If I'm going to be living in the same house as you I'd like to know what to call you."

"Zukiyo. Most people call me Zu. Neji and Hinata call me Zuzu but they're my oldest friends so I wouldn't call me that if I were you. Then there is the ever more popular growing Kijo. I may be a she-devil, but that doesn't mean I'm particularly fond of that nickname." Zu answered as they walked down the stairs and she looked straight ahead as he studied her.

Gaara could tell this woman was a predator just by the way she walked. It was the walk of a silent, powerful, and confident predator. She was dressed for bed, which was normal enough, but she also had a scarf wrapped around her neck. The red head found this odd. There was no reason for the scarf to be there. Sure she was wearing one when he first saw her but she had just arrived so he didn't think much of it then, but since it was still there it caught his attention.

"You do realize that staring is rude." She said suddenly making him pause ever so slightly in shock.

"And you do realize that you're the first person to move in with us in about 35 years."

"Still. There are other more subtle ways to study me other than silent staring. You could…I don't know…interrogate me and study me while I am distracted answering you, or you could make some other kind of friendly conversation." Zukiyo stated then glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes and Gaara saw them catch the light in a way that made them almost shine silver as they smiled at him amusedly, "Then again you don't look like the conversational type."

"I'm not. I say what I need to and rarely waste my time on idle conversation." The male stated and Zukiyo smiled slightly.

"Yet here you are conversing with me about something that is essentially just pointless banter when you get right down to it." she stated and looked left then right when they entered a hallway.

"Left, and I said I rarely do this…not never." He stated and smirked at her as she rolled her eyes.

"Well excuse me for misunderstanding." She stated as she walked ahead of him then stopped suddenly and groaned, "I'm hungry…"

"Breathe. Take a deep breath and count to ten." He said and she shook her head.

"It doesn't work like that with me." The hungry female growled as she turned to look at him, eyes consumed by a hungry black haze, "I can't just stop being hungry, I can't control this…I need to feed."

"You know you don't stand a chance against me." Gaara stated calmly as he walked towards her and she hissed at him, "Try to feed on me and I'll kill you."

"No…you won't." she growled at him as she began to circle him, "Neji already told me of Naruto's rules. One of which is: There is to be no bloodshed in the house."

"Another is: There is to be no feeding in the house. We keep blood in the house to keep the thirst at bay between feedings, but that is all." He replied as he stood calmly and patiently until she stopped in front of him and looked up at him.

"I was never very good at rules." She stated and smiled the same way she did at Naruto earlier and he smiled the same smile back.

"Go ahead then. Try it. I was never good at rules either, but unlike you I stand a chance at living if I upset Naruto." Gaara threatened which earned him an odd response.

Instead of making her afraid, concerned, worried, or even intimidated it made her smirk at him. This confused the male vampire greatly. In all of his 218 years no one had ever smirked at that smile. Her eyes had changed back to their normal light grey color but Gaara could still see the hunger beneath the smile in them.

"We could do this all day and night. Throwing threats and pointless banter at each other until the others wake and wonder what in hell we've been doing but it wouldn't fix what started this. I'm hungry and I need blood." She stated seriously, "That glass of blood you fed me was the first time I had eaten in two weeks."

"Are you insane?" he asked shocked, "How-"

"Let's just say it wasn't my choice to deny myself of blood." Zukiyo interrupted and Gaara noticed a slight shift in the light in her eyes as he looked at her questioningly and she sighed, "I…was denied the right to feed by someone more powerful than I. I do not wish to talk of it."

"Come, the kitchen where we keep the blood is right around the next corner." He stated and she nodded as she followed him into the kitchen and allowed him to serve her a glass, "You are from the Kamitsuyo clan aren't you, Zukiyo?"

She looked up at him flatly as she took a sip from the glass. The exiled princess sat as she let the blood roll over her tongue while she though of an appropriate answer. Zukiyo couldn't deny that she was just a little bit shocked at his knowledge of her clan, nor could she deny that she felt a slight bit of worry that he would know her status in the clan.

"I am." She simply stated and watched as the male sat down on the other side of the table and looked at her with interest in his eyes, "How did you know?"

"I'm not an idiot. Your clan is essentially our kind's royalty so everyone will have at least heard of the name Kamitsuyo. Besides I know more about Hinata and Neji than Naruto does so I know which clan they serve under."

"True, my clan is essentially royalty, but I could have come from one of the lesser clans that also serve mine. You'd have to know more of the Kamitsuyos than that to come to the conclusion you did. What else do you know?"

"Well it's common knowledge that the Queen is dead. Akahana-heika supposedly-"

"Akahana-heika has been dead for over 30 years." Zu interrupted not wishing to once again hear that filthy rumor about her mother, "The new queen is no where near as great as our dearly departed monarch was."

"So I've heard." Gaara stated flatly, wondering why this woman would have interrupted him, and then continued, "Yukiko-heika is rumored to be losing her mind from her refusal to feed. That is how I determined your clan. The Queen has been forcing the other members of the clan to stop feeding or confining those that do feed and denying them blood or so I've heard."

"You have heard correctly, sir. If your next question is what I did to be confined my answer will be nothing of your concern. If your next question after that is how I escaped…well I have a few dear old friends and one new one to thank for that. Details are not important." Zukiyo stated simply with an air that Gaara knew meant he wasn't going to get any details from her that easily.

All he could do was nod in understanding as she finished her glass and sighed. Gaara watched with a cool disinterest in his eyes as she sat back in the kitchen chair and closed her eyes. He took this opportunity to study her a little more.

Her hair was not black as he had originally thought; instead it was a very dark brown that bordered on black. Currently it was pulled back into a pony tail. Her ears were slightly too large for her head he discovered but it wasn't really that noticeable. That was the only fault he found he could see on her and even that wasn't really a fault. Overall she was quite pretty, but, as he had stated before, that alone couldn't be why Naruto was doing this. The reason had to lie in her ties to the Kamitsuyo clan. That had to be it, but the question as to what the reason was exactly still remained.

A/N: There you go, Chapter 4. Chapter 5 is in the works. Review and/or message me and THANK YOU! I have nothing else to say other than that.