Hello again. I know a lot of you have been sitting eagerly on the edge of your seats waiting for this chapter. I had thought I'd get it out sooner since I'm off school but I went on holiday and when I came back I looked at the chapter and realized it was rubbish. I've rewritten everything and only now do I think this chapter is acceptable. I still hate the ending though. I hate most of my ending paragraphs though so...

Now, since we're in the middle of the action there won't be loads of romance but I'm sure I can squeeze some in somewhere. As for the GaaraxDeidara pairing if people really want to see some action I might do a flashback chapter later. Also, if anyone has any ideas I am very open to hearing them as the plot I have at the moment is not set in stone.

Lastly I have to thank everyone who reviewed last chapter. Special thanks goes to Tasukigirl who has been a springboard for my ideas.

Chapter 8

Deidara stared at the apartment complex from his hiding place on the roof of a nearby building, a smug grin tugging at his lips. By his calculations the window framed by the orange curtains was the best point of entry into the Namikaze brat's apartment. He'd have to fly to reach the window but that was fine; it would be a great part of his dramatic entrance. He'd go crashing through the window, hopefully making the blond brat piss his pants. Then he'd drag the filthy human from his comfy bed and laugh in his face as he begged for mercy. That would be when the torture would begin.

The thought of all the blood that would pore from the human's dying body made Deidara's fangs elongate and his eyes turn a hungry burgundy. His fingers twitched in anticipation as his hidden vampire powers awakened. The dark energy began to flow through him making his entire body cry out for the blond rat's blood. He was filled with a wild hunger that had been lying dormant for years and now needed to be sated. He was going to kill the boy and rejoice in his blood. He was going to make him pay for the sins of his father. He was finally going to have his revenge.

Before Deidara could jump from the roof an irritatingly cool voice behind him said, "That's an awful lot of bloodlust you're radiating."

Deidara spun around, baring his fangs in a snarl. "Who are you?" he demanded, barely resisting the temptation to rip out the intruder's throat.

The intruder shrugged. "My name's not really important, especially since I'm going to kill you now."

Deidara growled, not liking the stranger's reply. "Don't be so cocky human. Challenge me and you'll be the one who dies."

The intruder tipped his head to the side and said, "We'll see."

Incensed Deidara charged at the man, his previous thoughts of killing Naruto momentarily wiped from his mind. The stranger smiled grimly to himself as he watched the vampire charge towards him with murder in his eyes. Let the battle commence.

Something didn't feel right. Gaara closed his eyes and stilled his breathing. He used all of his heightened senses to search for the source of the disturbance but was unable to find anything concrete. Still, he was sure that something big was happening outside of Naruto's bedroom.

Gaara opened his eyes, a frown marring his features. Silently he slipped out of bed and headed towards the window. The world was still wrapped in night's cloak and all seemed peaceful. Up on the roof of a nearby building there was movement but for all Gaara knew it was just aggravated pigeons. He wanted to check it out just in case it wasn't but that would mean leaving Naruto's side. Gaara glanced back at the still sleeping blond. He couldn't leave his post, not until morning. He would just have to wait and hope it was only pigeons that were causing this uneasy feeling that he couldn't seem to shake.

Deidara hissed as he jumped backwards, his hand grasping his slashed forearm. He then winced as the pain of his new wound caught up with him. This human was much harder to kill than he had anticipated.

Deidara's red eyes narrowed as he pinned his opponent with his most terrifying glare. The man met his gaze with unfazed eyes. This angered Deidara even more, especially since he now knew what he was up against. This was no ordinary human – this was a Hunter, and a powerful one at that. Deidara had slaughtered plenty of Hunters with ease during his extended lifespan but this one for some reason was not as easily killed as the rest. In fact, he was so hard to kill that Deidara was beginning to wonder if he would be able to win this fight. The Hunter had been prepared for this battle whereas he hadn't; he had been blinded by bloodlust and that had made him sloppy. He had been disadvantaged from the start and now he was more injured than the Hunter. It would be better to cut his loses and retreat. After all, he still had a blond rat to find.

Deidara smirked, causing a look of surprise to flicker across the Hunter's face. The blond slowly rose up into the air, his smirk becoming much more feral. "Consider yourself lucky Hunter. I have other matters to attend to tonight; the next time we meet will be your last."

With his badass villain speech delivered Deidara turned and jumped off the roof. Single-mindedly he dived towards Naruto's window, deciding that if he couldn't kill the Hunter then the blond rat would be a good consolation prize. The Hunter might have hurt his pride but he couldn't stop Deidara from getting his revenge.

Deidara was so focused on enacting his revenge that he only noticed the bullet flying towards him seconds before impact. He managed to roll so that it pierced his shoulder instead of his lungs but pain still shot through him, causing him to lose his focus and crash into the wall of Naruto's apartment building. Deidara hurriedly gathered his wits and turned to seek out the one who had shot him. His eyes located the Hunter still in his original position on the roof. This time however he had his gun aimed at Deidara and it appeared he was preparing to fire again.

Deidara rolled over, barely missing the Hunter's second shot. He snarled at the man, considered going back to finish him, then discarded the thought. He was too close to getting his revenge to turn back now. He'd have to be quick mind – not torture the brat as much as he'd hoped – but he could still rough him up a bit before dropping him out of the window. Yes, he'd let the Hunter watch helplessly as he put an end to the son of their greatest hero.

Grinning triumphantly Deidara jumped towards Naruto's window. He expected to crash through the glass and startle the little brat awake. He didn't expect to be met half way by furious amber eyes in a pale face surrounded by red hair. "Gaara!" he managed to gasp out as the two plummeted to the ground, Gaara using his flying abilities to increase the speed of their descent towards the pavement.

With a sickening crack the two vampires landed. Gaara hurriedly stood up, unharmed as he had used Deidara's body to soften the impact. The fall hadn't been enough to kill Deidara but it had certainly been enough to knock him unconscious. Gaara wanted to stay to finish the job but he didn't have enough time to do so. There was somebody else out there who appeared to be just as powerful as Deidara. Gaara didn't know yet if they were friend or foe and he wasn't about to leave Naruto alone when a potential enemy was lurking about.

Keeping his eyes peeled for any stray bullets, Gaara flew back up to Naruto's window. The blond human was already there waiting for him, his eyes wide and anxious. Apparently Naruto wasn't one of those people with the ability to sleep through anything.

"What's going on?!" Naruto demanded in hushed tones as Gaara slipped back through the window.

"Deidara," Gaara grunted as he dragged Naruto away from the window. Naruto wanted to ask another question but Gaara's hand over his mouth prevented him. "There's somebody else out there as well. I can't work out who though."

Realising that this was one of those times when Gaara needed him to be quiet, Naruto gently removed Gaara's hand from his mouth and waited for the redhead to tell him he was allowed to speak again.

After a few minutes in which nothing happened Naruto started to get inpatient. "Are you sure somebody's out there?"

Gaara sent a glare his way before returning to his search. A few moments later the redhead released a frustrated sigh. "Whoever was there before has gone."

"And your ex?"

Gaara frowned and peered down at the pavement. He should have been able to make out the body but he couldn't. He could smell Deidara's blood and it was not tainted by the scent of death. Clenching his fists Gaara growled, "He's still alive."

"Does that mean he's going to come after me again tonight?" Naruto asked hesitantly.

Gaara shook his head slowly, trying hard to suppress his growing rage. "He's injured and knows I'm watching you – he won't come after you again until he's fully recovered."

Naruto smiled in relief. "That's good then."

Gaara didn't return the smile. He continued to look troubled and deep in thought, making Naruto drop his smile. He reached out slowly, placing a hand on Gaara's arm. The redhead tensed before gradually facing Naruto. The blond looked up at him with questioning eyes and Gaara felt his chest tighten at the look. The vampire leaned down and kissed Naruto, hoping to reassure the blond that everything was alright. When he pulled back the blond teen's eyes still looked concerned but there was now a small smile gracing his beautiful face. With his own minute smile Gaara leaned in and kissed the boy again.

The sudden blaring of the fire alarm made them both jump. Gaara hurriedly pushed Naruto towards the door. In his ear he whispered, "Get outside. I'll follow you at a distance."

Naruto wanted to reply but Gaara had already propelled him out of his room into Iruka's line of sight. His guardian was jamming his feet into a pair of trainers and pulling on a jacket. As the older man grabbed his keys he called for Naruto to hurry up. Reluctantly Naruto also put on the nearest pair of shoes and grabbed a jacket, trying to glance inconspicuously behind him. He couldn't see Gaara but he was sure the vampire was there.

Iruka grabbed hold of Naruto's hand and led him out into the corridor. It was absolute chaos with everyone trying to shove their way through the masses towards the exit. Naruto and Iruka tried to move with the flow of people, most of who were still in their pyjamas, but they were separated when they reached the stairs by people eager to escape the supposed fire. Naruto looked about for Iruka but he was being buffeted about so much that it was hard to concentrate. That was when he felt a hand on his elbow and heard a soothing voice whisper, "Don't worry about him; we'll find him once we're outside."

Naruto instantly felt much more relaxed as Gaara's words washed over him. A small part of his brain wondered if Gaara was using his powers to insert this calm into him as those around him also seemed to become less panicked as Gaara spoke in his enchanting, hypnotic voice. That part was ignored in favour of thinking very little. Naruto allowed Gaara to manoeuvre him through the crowds, offering up little resistance to the vampire behind him. Before he knew it Naruto was out on the street, his mind much clearer than it had been when he was inside.

Gaara had taken Naruto away from where the majority of people had gathered so that he could get a good look at anyone who approached him. He couldn't smell smoke; it was a false alarm. Someone had wanted the building evacuated and if he had to guess he'd say that someone was the person who had tried to shoot down Deidara. Gaara wasn't entirely sure who he was looking for but he knew he'd be able to tell once he saw them.

"Gaara, can you see Iruka?" Naruto asked, his own eyes scanning the crowd for his guardian.

"No," Gaara answered as he took hold of Naruto's hand to stop him running off. "We'll look for him later. Right now we need to worry about finding the person who set off the false alarm."

"That would be me," said a cool voice from Gaara's other side. Before the vampire had time to do anything besides tense the stranger pushed something into the flesh below his ribcage. "Make any sudden moves and I'll shoot."

Naruto turned to see a man holding a gun against Gaara's side. The man was young, still in his twenties, yet his hair was silver. The bottom portion of the stranger's face was covered by a mask but above the mask was probably his most defining feature. One eye was pitch black whilst the other was a deep crimson. For some reason the face looked familiar. Naruto didn't think he'd met the man before but there was a nagging doubt in the back of his mind.

The man turned his deep gaze on Naruto now. "It's alright Naruto. Go find Iruka whilst I deal with this guy."

Naruto blinked in surprise. "How do you know my name?"

The man's eyes became crescents, almost as if he was smiling. "I'll tell you later. Run along now; I'll find you when I finish up here."

The implications of 'finish up' hit Naruto like a tonne of bricks. His eyes narrowed as he hissed, "Hurt Gaara and I'll kick your ass."

The stranger looked surprised at this. Then a look of absolute seriousness slipped into his eyes. "You're obviously confused or you wouldn't say that. If you knew who he was, what he was, you wouldn't be so quick to defend him."

The 'what he was' caught Naruto's attention. Before Naruto could interpret the meaning behind these words Gaara hissed, "He knows exactly what I am and I know exactly what you are Hunter."

That was when it clicked. "You're a Hunter like my dad?"

"Yes, I was Minato's student," answered the Hunter warily.

Naruto's eyes lit up. "Really? That's great! Wow, I never expected to find a Hunter let alone one that actually knew my dad personally. This is awesome; I have so many questions to ask you!" That was when Naruto remembered the situation they were in. He coughed lightly before saying, "You can stop pointing the gun at Gaara now."

"But if I stop pointing the gun at him then he'll attack you," the Hunter said slowly, as if he was speaking to a small child.

Irritation flickered inside Naruto. "Do I have 'Defenceless' scrawled across my forehead or something? Because lately everyone seems to be going on about how I need protecting. I might not have super vampire powers but I can look after myself you know. I've managed to get by on my own for fifteen years – I am not a damsel in distress that needs rescuing 24/7!"

Both Gaara and the Hunter stared in surprise at Naruto for a moment. Then the Hunter turned his critical gaze on Gaara, before slowly lowering his weapon and taking a step back from the vampire. The two still regarded each other with obvious suspicion but the level of hostility between them had decreased somewhat. It was a start at least.

"Alright, now that I'm not pointing the gun at the vampire mind telling me why I'm doing so?" asked the Hunter.

Ignoring Gaara's low growl Naruto said, "Because he's my friend." At the Hunter's sceptical look he added, "And because he's saved me twice now from his psycho ex."

"And why did he save you?"

"None of your business," Gaara spat.

"Really? I think it is. I don't trust you Vampire; I want to know why you would save the son of a hated enemy."

Gaara bared his fangs at the man in a hostile snarl. Naruto marvelled at how two people, who had never met before now, hated each other so much. Even though they seemed to have the common goal of protecting him they were still reluctant to stand near each other, let alone trust one another. They were going to have to do it though because Naruto had questions that he wanted answering.

"Gaara saved me because we're dating. He was in my room because he's a possessive bastard and felt I needed to be protected. Which I guess I did because his ex came after me. But that's not the point – the point is that I trust him and you should too if you trust me. Now, you can start showing you trust me by telling me your name."

The Hunter hesitated a moment before saying, "Kakashi."

Naruto nodded, a triumphant smile gracing his lips. "Right. Kakashi this is Gaara. I'd tell you to shake hands but something tells me that would be a bad idea."

"It would indeed," Kakashi said, using his eyes to flash a grin Naruto's way before returning his distrusting gaze on Gaara. "By 'dating' do you mean…"

"Mean what?" Naruto asked, confused.

"I think he's asking if we've had sex yet," Gaara said calmly but with a malicious undertone.

Naruto blushed as he felt the indignation swell within him. "That's none of your business!"

"Is that a yes?"

Gaara growled and grabbed hold of Naruto's shirt to stop him punching Kakashi as the blond ranted about how Kakashi was a pervert and how Naruto wouldn't tell him anything about his sex life even if he did have one.

Kakashi couldn't help the smirk that played across his lips as Naruto continued to cause a spectacle. He hadn't met Kushina Uzumaki more than a handful of times and only once had he ever seen her get angry. Naruto's temper tantrum reminded him of that one time and he couldn't help but chuckle as he saw quite clearly in Naruto the two people who had conceived him. He had his father's looks and his mother's attitude. It was easier to understand how Naruto could trust a vampire now that he had seen the spirit of Kushina reborn.

Naruto stopped struggling but he was still fuming. "What are you laughing at!?"

Kakashi shook his head. "You remind me of your mother."

Those words were enough to take out whatever fight remained within Naruto. "You knew my mom too?" he asked quietly.

"I met her," was Kakashi's soft reply.

Naruto didn't quite know what to say to that. He remembered his mother's face – so beautiful and loving – and wondered if she had known about his father's secret profession. Surely she wouldn't have condoned it…would she?

Eventually Naruto worked up the courage to ask, "Was my mom a Hunter too?"

"No, but she knew of the existence of vampires. It's hard not to when you marry a Vampire Hunter," answered Kakashi.

"So she knew my dad killed vampires and was alright with it?"

"No," Kakashi said darkly. "Kushina didn't agree with killing vampires at all. She thought their lives were as precious as any human's. She convinced Minato to give up being a Hunter and he in turn convinced me that not all vampires were evil. Then a group of vampires slaughtered them and made it look like an accident. After that I swore I would never trust a vampire again."

It slowly dawned on Naruto the reason that Kakashi hated vampires. He had put his trust in his teacher and in vampires and they had betrayed his trust. In a way Naruto could understand where he was coming from. However, he could also see that Kakashi was also being incredibly stupid. "So if it had been a black guy who had killed my parents would you have started hating all blacks?"

Kakashi blinked in surprise. "Of course not."

"So how come you hate vampires? Just because one vampire is a total bastard doesn't mean they all are."

Kakashi shook his head sadly. "You don't understand Naruto. You've never seen the dark side of a vampire's nature. If you'd seen that you wouldn't trust them either."

"If you mean when their eyes change colour then yeah, I have actually seen their 'dark side'."

"And you still trust them?" Kakashi asked, clearly shocked.

Naruto nodded. "It scared the shit out of me seeing so much evil and hate in a person's eyes. But I knew Gaara hadn't wanted to use his powers – he'd only done it to protect me. If I'd never been in danger then I wouldn't ever have had to see his dark side because Gaara knows how to control that part of him. Some obviously don't have that control but there are a few who do and it's wrong to go after them when they've done nothing wrong. Vampires are like humans in a way – some choose to be bad and some chose to be good. You don't kill them all just because one decided to be bad."

Kakashi regarded Naruto silently. "Perhaps," he said at last, but it didn't seem he had been convinced by Naruto's argument. Naruto hadn't expected him to change his mind and his convictions so suddenly; he just hoped that Kakashi would be a little more open to the idea of trusting Gaara.

The sound of a second set of sirens added to the chaos of the scene outside the apartment building as the Fire Brigade arrived. Naruto watched as the Firemen began unloading their equipment and pushing civilians away from the supposedly burning building. Then a few of them headed inside in a vain attempt to find the blaze.

"I take it you are here because you were hunting Deidara," Gaara said to Kakashi, looking at the Firemen instead of the Hunter.

"Yes, he deserves to pay for his crimes," Kakashi said in a way that dared Gaara to challenge his claim.

"Did you remove the body before you pulled the fire alarm?"

"No, it was gone by the time I got here."

"Pity, I had hoped you'd gotten rid of that problem for me."

Sensing the tension beginning to mount again Naruto quickly captured their attention. "Now that you know I'm alright maybe you should continue your hunt?"

Kakashi looked at him curiously. "After giving me a lecture on not killing vampires you're encouraging me to go hunt one down?"

"It was a lecture on not going after good vampires. And Gaara's ex is crazy; I've already been convinced that he needs to be stopped."

Kakashi gave Gaara a calculating glance before returning his attention to Naruto. "I'll resume my hunt later. Deidara was too injured to have moved on his own which means he had an accomplice. I need to come up with a new strategy to take both of them down."

"Does that mean you're going to keep on playing Night Watchman?" Naruto asked Gaara.

Gaara opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by Kakashi. "That won't be necessary. From now on I'll be your 'night watchman'."

Gaara growled. "I am not entrusting his safety to you."

"I think you'll find that you are. Don't worry; I'll make sure no vampires hurt him."

Naruto sensed that Kakashi had wanted to add an 'including you' at the end of his sentence.

Gaara looked as if he was about to protest but before words could leave his mouth he froze. He turned his head to the side, his frown becoming one of concentration. "Your guardian is coming," he said at last.

Naruto followed Gaara's line of sight. He thought he could just about make out Iruka among the crowd of people milling about outside the building. If it hadn't been for Gaara's superior senses Naruto never would have noticed him.

Naruto returned his attention to Gaara when the redhead resumed speaking. "I better leave now before he sees me. I'll watch you until I'm satisfied that you're safe."

"He'll be safe with me," said Kakashi.

Gaara glowered at him whist Naruto turned his attention to the silver haired Hunter. "Does that mean you're staying?"

"Yes, there are a few things that I need to discuss with Iruka."

"What sort of things?" Gaara asked suspiciously.

Instead of answering the question Kakashi replied with, "You better go before Iruka gets here."

Sending one last glare towards Kakashi, Gaara swooped down to kiss Naruto. As he pulled away he trailed his lips up to Naruto's ear and whispered, "Goodnight Naruto. Watch the Hunter for me," before disappearing into the crowd and the shadows.

"He's an interesting one," Kakashi commented absently. "Does Iruka know that you two are…dating?"

"No, and I'd prefer it if it remained that way," Naruto said, slightly miffed by the cynic utterance of 'dating'.

Before any more could be said Iruka arrived. The brunet placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder, using it partly as a support as he struggled to regain his breath. Once he was recovered he asked, "Are you alright Naruto?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Naruto replied, smiling encouragingly.

Iruka smiled in return and nodded before becoming distracted by something to Naruto's left. "Who are you?"

Naruto turned to see that he was addressing a man who was standing where Kakashi had been standing moments before. He had the same hair and was wearing the same clothes as Kakashi but this man wasn't wearing a mask. In addition both eyes were black whereas one of Kakashi's had been crimson.

As Naruto looked on in confusion the man held out his hand to shake Iruka's. "I'm Kakashi. We've met once before, at Minato Namikaze's funeral."

"Oh," said Iruka before his eyes lit up with recognition. "Oh yes of course – you were one of the coffin bearers weren't you? What are you doing here?"

"I came here to talk to you and Naruto."

"About what?"

"About the deaths of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki."

Iruka paled, his lips pressing together into a thin line. He glanced quickly at Naruto before asking, "What about their deaths?"

"We believe they may have been murdered."

Iruka glanced at Naruto (who thankfully appeared surprised but not upset) before returning his attention to Kakashi. "We?"

"The FBI," Kakashi said as he carelessly flashed a badge at Iruka before stowing it back in the safety of his jacket pocket. "We've identified who the killer is and tracked him back to this city."

"Why are you telling us this?"

Kakashi paused and looked meaningfully at Naruto. By the time the blond realized what he was about to do it was too late to stop him. "I'm telling you this because I believe he intends to kill Naruto."

Naruto lay on his back in the dark with his hands behind his head. Even though it was still early in the morning he wasn't tired. Once the Fire Department had allowed everyone to return to the building Iruka had sent him to bed while he talked privately with Kakashi. Naruto had listened at the door to the adults talking in hushed voices about the 'serial killer' who wanted to 'finish the job' by murdering him. Naruto already knew most of the things Kakashi was saying – the silver haired man had just altered the story so that Deidara was a human instead of a vampire.

Irritably Naruto blew his bangs out of his eyes. He hadn't wanted to tell Iruka that a psycho was after him because he knew that the information would only worry his guardian, as it would have worried any other parent if they had received similar news. Naruto knew already that tomorrow (well, today, actually) Iruka was going to sit him down and tell him that he was not allowed to leave the apartment except to go to school. Naruto could tell Iruka was really worried because when talking to Kakashi the man had actually considered keeping Naruto from going to school! Luckily Kakashi had reassured Iruka that the serial killer only attacked once it got dark and that there would be other agents secretly watching Naruto the whole time he was at school. Naruto guessed Kakashi was just making this up to reassure Iruka. He was glad because as much as he'd have loved to have an excuse not to do work he also wouldn't have been able to see his friends if he had been made to stay home.

Once Kakashi and Iruka had discussed security in more depth Iruka had gone to bed. He had offered Kakashi the couch and Kakashi had accepted. Naruto wondered if Kakashi was going to talk to him once Iruka was asleep. He did, after all, deserve to be told what Kakashi was doing invading his home and taking his freedom from him.

Naruto didn't have to wait long for Kakashi's arrival. The bed dipped as extra weight was placed upon it. Naruto jumped, hurriedly sitting up. He hadn't heard anyone come in; he was impressed by Kakashi's stealth skills.

"I hope I didn't disturb you," said Kakashi quietly.

"I couldn't sleep," Naruto said honestly. He decided to skip beating around the bush and ask his question straight out. "Why did you tell Iruka that I was in danger?"

"Because you are in danger and he has the right to know. Plus it's a great cover story for me."

"I knew that was the real reason!" Naruto declared more loudly than he should have. Kakashi immediately slapped his hand over Naruto's mouth. They both froze, listening intently for any sign of movement in Iruka's room. When they heard nothing but silence Kakashi's hand returned to his side.

"I would have preferred to keep Iruka out of this but unfortunately that is impossibly. Deidara knows where you live and is going to come after you again. There is a chance he will be unsubtle about it – it is better to have Iruka know part of the truth than none at all so that if Deidara does come he won't be paralyzed with shock when he sees a vampire attack you."

"Maybe, but you still could have consulted me before just blurting out one of my secrets," Naruto grumbled.

"You should be thankful I didn't tell him any of your other secrets," Kakashi said gravely.

"What?" Naruto said, surprised.

"I could easily have told him about your vampire friend. I doubt Iruka would be very happy that you are dating an older man without telling him. I could have got you into a lot of trouble but I didn't. Do you know why?"

"No; why?" Naruto asked warily.

"Because for some reason you feel attached to that vampire and if I had blown the whistle then you would have resented me for it. I do not want you to resent me Naruto – I want you to trust me. I need you to trust me."

"And not trust Gaara," Naruto said bitterly, his eyes narrowed defiantly.

"I think you're a fool for trusting him, you are correct there. But I can tell that you are headstrong and will not easily be convinced that he is unreliable."

"Damn straight."

"Therefore I will not pressurize you into severing your ties with him until after Deidara has been dealt with. Once that is done we will have a chance to sit and talk properly about vampires. After that I'm sure you'll come to see vampires as they really are."

"I already told you that I've seen them as they 'really are'. But if you promise to let Gaara help you then I promise I'll trust your decisions."

"You want me to accept the notion 'An enemy of my enemy is my friend'?" Kakashi queried.

Naruto beamed. "Exactly."

"But how do you know Deidara's his enemy?"

"I already told you that: Deidara's Gaara's ex and Gaara hates him," Naruto said, his smile turning into an impatient frown.

"Just because he says so doesn't make it true."

Naruto was starting to get angry now. "He didn't just say so – he showed it. He's fought Deidara in order to protect me and I trust him with my life!"

"That's exactly why I'm worried." Kakashi leaned forward, his voice nearly a whisper. "You are right in some ways that vampires are very much human. They lie and have hidden motives just as humans do. Vampires are more deadly than humans though because they have great and terrible powers - powers that can ensnare the senses and take control of a person's mind.

"Do you really think you're the first one Gaara has seduced by using his hidden powers? You may think you remember him saving you but those could be false memories, implanted memories. You shouldn't even consider trusting vampires until you have learned to stop them from accessing your mind like I have; only then can you know that everything you feel and know is true."

With that Kakashi left the room. Naruto wanted to shout at him to come back so that he could defend Gaara but Kakashi's words had rendered him speechless. Naruto wanted to label them as false accusations and forget them but he couldn't. Kakashi's words had unearthed a fear within him that he had kept hidden for awhile now. He knew Gaara could hypnotize people because he had felt the effects of the ability when it was used on him in the graveyard and earlier on the stairs. His mind had gone blank and he'd been willing to do whatever Gaara told him. In that state Gaara could have done anything to him.

Naruto trusted Gaara, knew that the vampire loved him, but he was still scared of the power that Gaara possessed. Without Gaara there to tell him that Kakashi was spouting utter crap Naruto's paranoid side was beginning to wonder 'what if…?'

Violently shaking his head to rid it of these ridiculous doubts, Naruto threw himself onto his side and implored sleep to come to him. The words kept circling though and Naruto found that he was wide awake.

Deciding that it was time to implement drastic measures, Naruto switched the light on. He then padded silently over to his schoolbag and pulled out his textbooks. Revision always made him feel tired so he would revise until he was too tired to think and fall asleep. It was going to be tedious work but that was what he needed. It would definitely distract him from his thoughts and Naruto doubted it would hurt to get ahead in school even though he had much bigger problems than his education to deal with at the minute.

Settling himself comfortably on his bed, Naruto opened the first of his books. As predicted he was distracted from his doubts and quickly became tired. Before long his eyelids were drooping and the book was beginning to slip from his fingers. With a dull thud the book landed on the floor. Naruto Uzumaki was officially asleep.

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