Three

HALF MOON

Sasuke didn't remember the ground being so soft when he awoke later.

"It's about time,"

Sasuke opened his eyes halfway. Somewhere near him was Gaara's indifferent monotone voice. He sat up, the room spinning into focus. Groaning, he scratched the back of his head. "Ah, shit!"

"I would be more careful with those if I were you," Gaara advised, rising up from the chair he had been perched in and walking over to the bed.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and retracted his fingers from his scalp. He'd forgotten about his claws. Claws…An amused expression slid over his face, and out of curiosity, he examined his nails. Sure enough, they were still there—those inhuman, animalistic talons. He glanced at Gaara. "How the hell did I get home?" He gestured around his bedroom, his bed.

"You passed out in the alleyway. I drove you here. Your van's in the driveway." Gaara replied bluntly. He averted his gaze briefly to check the digital clock on Sasuke's bedside table. "You've been comatose for hours."

Sasuke furrowed his brow. He slid his fingers between the blinds of the window and peered outside. The sky in the west blazed gold and vermilion, streaking the horizon with the arousing colors of sunset. The fine hair on the back of his neck and all the way down his spine bristled. His toes curled, and he swallowed. Why do I feel so…excited? He wondered, climbing out of bed.

Gaara smirked. The look in his eyes made Sasuke guess he could read his mind. "It's your primal instincts. Like I said, you're turning. Right now the moon is only half-full. But as it waxes, so will the undeniable lycanthropic urges boiling within your blood. On the night the moon looms round and whole, you will change. There is no way to avoid it."

Sasuke stared blankly at Gaara. "Sure," He muttered, crossing the room and swinging the door open. Damn, he sounds like some tribal shaman from a horror movie or something, he concluded silently.

The evening air was intimately warm as Sasuke stepped outside. He licked his lips, then stretched. He felt a new awakening within, and it felt good. Strolling down the sidewalk, he detected a pleasant hum course through his body. He smiled and trailed his claws over some unsuspecting homeowner's mailbox.

Sasuke didn't realize where he was going until he reached Tayuya's neighborhood. He raised an eyebrow, and his mouth closed into a thin line. A strange pressure was beginning to build at the base of his spine. Glancing up at the sky, he realized it had darkened to a shade of indigo. The first few stars of the night were glitteringly bright in the atmosphere, and the moon glowed softly, her light washing down in undulating waves of silver.

The breath caught in Sasuke's throat, and for a moment he was paralyzed in the middle of the sidewalk. This feeling…

He shrugged it off a few moments later, and continued his impromptu rendezvous to Tayuya's house.

Needless to say, Tayuya wasn't expecting Sasuke. "Uh…hey," She greeted awkwardly, stepping aside to let him enter her house. He slid his shoes off and looked around her living room. He hadn't been here in a while, but the walls were still painted the same bleak white color; the carpet was still stained beige, and her furniture was still brown leather. "Any particular reason you came?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I was in the neighborhood, and decided to pay you a visit." He flopped down on the couch and smirked. "You should consider it an honor."

Tayuya rolled her eyes and closed the door, latching the small golden chain into place. "Look, what the hell happened to you?" Her surprise at his presence was now transmuting to anger. "I've been trying to call you since last night, and you never picked up your phone. And you seem…different." She folded her arms, her dark eyes glinting.

Sasuke raised a finger. "Actually, I did pick up my phone around noon," He began, propping his legs up on the coffee table. "And furthermore, what I've been doing is technically none of your business."

When Tayuya opened her mouth to spit out her next argument, Sasuke spoke first. "You shouldn't want to know all of my daily shenanigans, Tayuya." He rose up and sauntered into her kitchen. He opened the refrigerator and peered inside. "Ah, here we go." Straightening up, he closed the door and brought into the living room two cans of Coors.

Tayuya growled, but sat down next to him anyway. "You're damn lucky my parents aren't home," She proclaimed, grabbing a can.

Sasuke reached for the beer. "Allow me," He took it from her hands and, cracking the tab open, handed it back to her. She took it, a bemused expression on her face. "…Thanks," She tilted the can to her lips.

They sat quietly for a while, hearing the occasional swishing of liquor inside a can as one of them took a swig. Sasuke kept his gaze fixed ahead at the TV—the shows being merely colored, motion pictures with no meaning whatsoever—but occasionally he allowed himself a quick glance at Tayuya's slim legs propped up on the table alongside his. The thought crossed his mind that he wanted to touch her, just to see what her flesh felt like. He felt a surge of exciting heat, but gripped the arm of the sofa firmly and instead took another drink from his can.

Finally, Tayuya spoke. "What's with the claws?"

Sasuke nearly sputtered on his beer. "What?"

Tayuya gestured to Sasuke's hand. "Those. Are they fake or what?"

Sasuke clicked his nails on his Coors can. He turned to look at Tayuya. "Depends. How open minded are you?"

Tayuya furrowed her brow. A scoff escaped her lips. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" She took another swig from her can.

Sasuke set his beer down and sighed. "It means…that what I'm about to tell you requires a very open mind." He reached out and gently traced a talon down her thigh to stall the inevitable confession.

Tayuya raised an eyebrow. "Is this going to lead somewhere?" She set her can down and placed her hand over his, stilling his motions. She raised her eyes to meet his.

Sasuke's heart picked up speed. What the fuck do I say? 'Guess what, Tayuya, I'm turning into a vicious, bloodthirsty monster!' Get real, he thought.

"Sasuke?" Tayuya prompted softly.

He snapped out of his mental argument. "Never mind," He replied quietly, turning away. It's not like she would believe you anyway. It's not everyday one of your friends announces that he's slowly changing into a werewolf…supposedly.

"It's all right, Sasuke. You can tell me." Tayuya inched closer to him, her voice uncharacteristically gentle.

Sasuke felt a sudden surge of adrenaline and fear. His toes curled, and he inhaled sharply. Against all common sense, he whipped around and pressed his lips to Tayuya's, taking her head in his hands.

Tayuya squealed, then closed her eyes and flung her arms around his neck, pushing him into the cushions. Sasuke pulled her over him, running his hands down her back. Ever the risk taker, he ventured further and parted her lips with his tongue.

Tayuya pulled away abruptly. "…Whoa," She breathed, blinking in shock.

Sasuke had a similar reaction. He propped himself up on his elbows, and opened his mouth as if to say something, but he was speechless. Damn, it's hot in here, he realized.

"Was that what you meant by…an open mind?" Tayuya was still dazed.

"Uh…yeah, I guess," Sasuke stammered. His T-shirt clung to him; his jeans felt too tight. He flexed his fingers as a tingling sensation began in his palms. Oh, why did she have to pull away?!

Tayuya bit her lip. "Do you…?" She didn't finish her sentence. She didn't have to.

"Yes," Sasuke answered, pulling her down again.

Sasuke stared, transfixed with disbelief, in the bathroom mirror. What the fuck…? He thought.

His hair was turning white.

How did this happen? It was black last night, and now it's got fucking white streaks in it! Sasuke scowled and ran his fingers through his hair. It looked odd, the contrast between the two colors in his follicles. I've gotta call Gaara, he decided. Gaara seemed to know a lot about this whole 'turning into a werewolf' business.

"Calm down, Rapunzel, it's probably just another side effect," Gaara said in a bored tone in response to Sasuke's frantic telephone call. "God, I never knew a guy who was so overly concerned about his damn hair."

"No, you don't understand," Sasuke growled. "I'll look like a fucking eighty year old man with white hair! That can't happen, especially when I'm seeing Tayuya tonight!"

Oops.

"You're seeing Tayuya?" Even Gaara's interest seemed piqued at this statement Sasuke had just blurted out.

Shit…Sasuke realized. He sighed heavily to show his exasperation. "Yes, not that it's any of your concern. Now what am I supposed to do about my hair?"

It was Gaara's turn to sigh. "Dye it, you fucking douche. Now leave me alone."

Sasuke found himself holding a dead line after that. "Oh yeah…" He muttered, feeling immensely stupid.

If there was a time when Sasuke had been more humiliated in his life, it was right now. As he stood, as nonchalantly as possible, in the hair products aisle of the local drugstore, Sasuke knew the other passerby didn't give a shit about him just looking at some hair dye. But he couldn't shake the squirming feeling of uneasiness as he tugged the hood of his sweatshirt lower over his skull. His—thankfully—still charcoal bangs hung over his face as he scrounged the disturbingly similar packages of dye.

I feel ridiculous, he thought while examining a box of black dye. It would have to do. Sighing, he grabbed the box off the shelf and hurriedly made his way over to the register.

At home, Sasuke had dumped the contents of the box all over his bathroom counter. There was an instructional pamphlet, along with a couple of different packages filled with a mysterious thick substance, a silver tube of something, and a small plastic comb. Great…he rolled his eyes exasperatedly and snatched up the instructions.

Thirty minutes later, there was pasty white cream splotched in the sink and all over the inside wall of the shower and a trail of black droplets surrounding Sasuke's personal being, but his hair was back to normal. Nice, he admired his reflection vainly, not caring that he was a dripping mess from being in the shower. He would clean the bathroom later.

Later…

"Oh, shit!" Sasuke staggered as the memory of what he was supposed to be doing right now socked him with the strength of a blow.

He was supposed to be getting ready to take Tayuya to the Stark Raving Mad concert at the fair in roughly an hour.

Bathroom mess forgotten, Sasuke threw his towel aside and flew to his room, digging frantically through his closet for that special outfit he'd picked out last week. Slipping on the black jeans with the glittering silver chains, studs, and loops along with the tight crimson T-shirt, he figured his it was all right to dry his hair now. Too bad the blow dryer was fried, though.

"Gimme a break!" He shouted, throwing his hands up in the air. Oh, well, I'll just let it dry on the walk over there, he thought. It was bound to be warm outside; the sun would work just as well as a blow dryer.

As he adjusted the spiked choker around his neck and reapplied the thick black liner on his eyelids, Sasuke wondered if Tayuya was this vain in preparation. He shrugged, figuring all girls took as much time as he did.

Satisfied, Sasuke left the house and set off toward Tayuya's neighborhood.