I guess I'll start with thanking everyone who reviewed. Your comments are considered and I don't take offense if you make suggestions as to which way you think the story should go. I do have a (vague) outline of what I want to do but I am still flexible at this point. So basically all ideas are welcome.

I'm not entirely sure if I'm happy with this chapter. There's not as much action in it as the last. Plenty of backstory and character development though. I'll stop now and let you decide whether its good or not.

Chapter 9

Naruto groaned as the hand on his shoulder stirred him from sleep. "Wake up Naruto. It's time for school." Naruto opened his eyes to see Iruka standing over him. The man smiled kindly, his voice soft as he asked, "How are you feeling?"

Naruto rubbed his eyes as he yawned. "Crappy," he mumbled blearily.

Iruka smiled apologetically. "Last night was pretty rough wasn't it?"

A heavy weight suddenly dropped into Naruto's stomach as he remembered the events of the previous night. He nodded dully. "I can't believe my parents were murdered."

Iruka's gaze was sympathetic. "I know it's a lot to take in all at once. If you feel you need to take a day off I'll call your school and say you're sick."

Naruto forced a smile onto his face. "Don't worry about me Iruka, I'm fine." Iruka smiled back but Naruto knew he didn't believe him.

"Well hurry up and get dressed then; you don't want to be late," Iruka said as he slowly rose to his feet and exited the room.

Obediently Naruto rolled out of bed. He dragged his feet over to the bathroom and then across to the kitchen. He'd just sat down with his breakfast when he realized that there was an extra occupant of their small apartment. Kakashi sat opposite him, making himself as unobtrusive as possible. If it hadn't been for the small movement he made when he turned the page of his book Naruto would never have noticed him.

As if realizing he had been spotted Kakashi looked up. "Good morning Naruto, sleep well?" he asked, his eyes crinkling as he smiled.

Kakashi really did look different without his mask, Naruto mused. He looked more normal – more human – now that his facial expressions were visible. With the mask he definitely looked the part of a Vampire Hunter. Without it…

Naruto shrugged in reply to the question. "You?"

"I didn't sleep; I was making sure nobody made any more attempts on your life."

"Does that mean you're nocturnal too?"

Kakashi continued to smile. "Indeed it does."

Kakashi's eyes drifted back down to his book, thinking the conversation over. Naruto, however, wasn't done yet. "Why aren't you wearing your mask?"

Kakashi quickly looked up from his book, his gaze darting about in order to locate Iruka. He couldn't see the brunet so that meant it was safe to talk. "I only wear the mask when I'm hunting vampires. I think it is a good idea to keep my two lives separate from each other don't you?" This last part he said with a meaningful look that implied Naruto should think before he spoke about the subject.

Naruto took a bite of his toast. "How do you get your eye to change colour?"

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that; it's a Vampire Hunter secret."

Naruto frowned but decided to let it go. "Are you really an FBI agent?"

"No," Kakashi said, his eyes returning to his book.

"So what job do you really do?"

"I'm on an extended vacation." Before Naruto could ask what Kakashi meant by this the silver haired man closed his book and turned to look over his shoulder. "Are you leaving now?"

"Not yet," Iruka said as he walked into the kitchen. "Usually I give Naruto a lift to school before going to work. I've called in to tell them I'm taking a day off though. After I've dropped Naruto off at school you and I have some things to discuss."

Kakashi nodded before returning to his book. Naruto watched as Iruka moved about the kitchen, a deep silence settling over all of them. He then returned to his breakfast, his crunching and Iruka's clattering the only sounds in the sombre kitchen.

After breakfast Naruto got dressed and headed down to the car park with Iruka. Once inside the car Naruto relaxed; more glad than he thought he would be to be away from Kakashi's watchful eye.

As they drove Iruka asked, "Did you already know?"

Naruto stared at him in confusion. "Know what?"

"About your parents. You were a lot calmer than I thought you would have been when you heard. Did you already know about them; is that why you've been distracted this last week?"

"Yeah, I knew," Naruto mumbled, looking out the window instead of at Iruka. "Kakashi approached me earlier and told me but he didn't tell me who he was or why he was really here." A plausible half truth.

Iruka nodded. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to believe that it was possible. It's bad enough that they're dead, I don't want to think that they were murdered." They drove along in silence for awhile. Then Naruto asked, "What do you want to talk to Kakashi about?"

"I just want to go over details. Last night was so hectic that a lot of what he said didn't sink in." Iruka dropped his strained smile. "They were such great people. I can't believe they were murdered."

Naruto noticed that Iruka didn't add that his parents' killer was now after him. Strangely enough the fact didn't seem to bother him that much. That was probably because he knew he had Gaara as a night-time protector.

Gaara…

Before Naruto had been more worried that Gaara would get hurt protecting him than that he'd be assassinated. Now that Kakashi had implanted that seed of doubt in his mind his confusion was stronger than any of those fears he had previously held. Now the thing that worried him the most was that his feelings for Gaara were all a lie that the vampire had created to get close to him. If it had all really been just an act…

Naruto shook himself. He shouldn't let his thoughts wander down that path, at least not until Gaara was there to give him his version of events. Naruto was sure that Gaara would tell him Kakashi was mistaken and whisper words into his ear that would make everything better…and put him under the control of Gaara's hypnotic spell.

"Iruka, how do you know Kakashi's telling the truth? How do you know this isn't some scam he's come up with to rob us or something?"

"The thought did cross my mind," Iruka admitted. "He's a fine actor – last night when I talked with him I couldn't sense any falseness in his words. I can't tell if he's deceiving us or not. Part of me hopes he isn't but another part hopes he is."

Naruto nodded, knowing exactly how Iruka felt. He didn't want his judgement to be proven wrong but if it was proven right then it meant that something truly terrible had happened and something even worse had yet to occur. Naruto knew how impossible that situation felt.

They stopped a street away from the school to avoid the traffic. Iruka turned to Naruto and said, "If you feel like you can't cope just call me and I'll come pick you up."

Naruto plastered on a smile. "Don't worry – I'll seize any opportunity presented to skip school."

Iruka's face continued to remain serious. "I also don't think you should tell anyone else about any of this. Unless Sasuke and Haku already know..?"

"Yeah, they know," Naruto said, giving up on his false cheer.

Iruka nodded. "Well, goodbye then. Have a nice day."

"You too."

With that Naruto headed towards the main entrance, joining the crowd of dissatisfied teenagers who were also dragging their feet and wishing the holidays were upon them. He soon reached his form room and found that Haku and Sasuke had already taken up their positions around Sasuke's desk. Naruto grabbed a nearby chair so that he could join them, his bag dropping beside him with a loud thud. Both dark haired teens watched in surprise as Naruto slumped in his seat. The slumping was not unusual (Naruto was usually the one most reluctant to get out of bed on a Monday morning) but his disheartened attitude was.

"Is something wrong Naruto?" Haku asked tentatively.

Naruto ran his hand through his hair as a sigh escaped his lips. "Yeah, something's wrong," he said wearily. "You'd think I'd have enough on my plate with a homicidal vampire after me but apparently the gods think not."

He then went on to recount what had happened the previous night – his talk with Gaara, Deidara's attempt on his life, Kakashi's arrival and warnings about Gaara. When he was finished Sasuke was frowning. "You don't really trust this Kakashi person do you?"

Naruto shrugged. "He said he knew my dad and that he wanted to protect me. If I'd told him to get lost then I'd never have been able to find out more about Hunters and why my dad decided to become one."

Sasuke still looked sceptical. "Just because he knew your father doesn't mean he doesn't have an ulterior motive."

"I know. But I'd rather get rid of the vampire that wants my head on a platter before I go making any more enemies."

"Don't joke about that Naruto," Haku reprimanded, the concern clear in his voice.

Naruto did as he was commanded, his head bowing forward so that his bangs covered his eyes. "I'm just stressed, you know?" He paused for a moment before suddenly asking, "Have either of you ever felt like Itachi or Zabuza were messing with your feelings? You know, with their secret powers or something?"

Haku and Sasuke looked at each other quizzically. "Possibly. Sometimes when I get stressed out and Zabuza hugs me I get this really calm feeling. I think it's my own feelings but maybe Zabuza is amplifying them?" Haku tried to explain.

Naruto's brow creased in thought. "Do you ever wonder why he chose you out of all the other people he could have had? Do you ever wonder if he's just using you?"

"Gaara's not using you Naruto," Sasuke interjected.

"How do you know?" asked Naruto, slightly surprised that Sasuke picked up on his train of thought so quickly.

"Because I grew up with Itachi and Itachi is very much like Gaara. He might not act like he cares but he's always much nicer to you than anyone else. Remember how he was that first night you met?" Naruto nodded, remembering all too well his first visit to Club Secret. "Now compare that with how he is with you now."

When Naruto had first met Gaara he had been cold, distant – a total bastard. He'd thrown Naruto against the wall and forced himself on him. He hadn't done that last night. Last night Gaara had been undemanding and gentle, in his own way. He'd known Naruto would be distressed and hadn't taken advantage of that. Gaara had never taken advantage of him; even when the vampire had drank his blood and wanted to fulfil his other needs he had not pressurised Naruto into anything.

Sasuke smirked when he saw that Naruto was beginning to get his point. "Gaara isn't one to beat around the bush. If there's something he wants he takes it. He must want you for more than just sex or blood because if he did he never would have bothered taking you on that date."

Naruto nodded, a small, true smile forming on his lips. "You're right Sasuke."

"Of course I'm right," Sasuke said, his superior smirk firmly in place as he leaned back in his chair.

Naruto glared at him. "Smug bastard," he muttered under his breath.

Haku chuckled as the two fell back into their usual routine of playful banter. "Any more insecurities that you need help riding yourself of?" he questioned sweetly.

"I'm not insecure!" Naruto said hotly. "I just wanted to know if you guys had ever thought that your memories or feelings had been planted in you."

Sasuke shrugged gracefully. "I doubt it. If Itachi has the ability to implant memories then he has the ability to erase them as well and I have plenty of memories of him that don't portray him in a very good light. If he was messing with my mind I would have thought that his priority would be to get rid of those memories instead of plant new ones."

Haku nodded in agreement. "I think maybe they do sometimes manipulate us but not in such a big way and not maliciously."

Naruto grinned. "You guys are right. I guess my lack of sleep is making me paranoid."

It was at that moment that the teacher walked in and told them to take their seats. Naruto settled down behind the desk adjacent to Haku's. He felt much better after talking with his friends. He still had a lot of things to think about but at least now he felt like he could trust Gaara again. Naruto smiled and turned his attention back to the teacher.

Naruto had been reading the same sentence for the last five minutes. The sun had set and he was waiting anxiously for Gaara to appear, well aware that not very far away Kakashi was waiting for exactly the same thing. As soon as Naruto had come home from school and Iruka had become preoccupied with making dinner Kakashi had taken Naruto aside and asked if Gaara would be coming that night. Naruto had shrugged and said Gaara never informed him when he would be appearing. Kakashi had nodded and reminded him about their conversation the night before. Naruto had had to suppress a shiver as he'd walked away, a part of him still terrified by the extent of Gaara's powers. Kakashi had been watching him ever since; the only reason he was alone now was because he'd said he wanted to sleep. Kakashi also thought Gaara was likely to appear that night and didn't want Naruto to be alone when he met with the vampire.

A light tapping made Naruto quickly discard his book and hurry to the window. As soon as the latch was undone Gaara silently slipped inside and closed the window behind him. He then spun back around to face Naruto. "Are you alright?" he asked in a voice that was no more than a whisper.

"I'm fine," Naruto replied in equally soft tones. "How about you?"

"I am also fine." Gaara's lips curled up into a small smile as he leaned down to kiss Naruto. The blond returned the kiss eagerly, his shoulders relaxing slightly. Gaara also relaxed, glad to have proof that his precious blond really was unharmed. As he pulled back Gaara whispered, "Where is the Hunter?"

"In the living room waiting for you to turn up," Naruto replied, the frown in his voice as well as on his face.

"Has he been giving you any trouble?"

There was a pause before Naruto asked, "Do you have the power to implant false memories?"

Gaara growled, the grip he had on Naruto tightening. Hearing the short hiss of discomfort Gaara relaxed his hold but Naruto could see his eyes still burned with barely controlled fury. "Do not listen to what the Hunter tells you. He will feed you lies to turn you against me; he can not be trusted."

"Is it true though?" Naruto pressed.

Gaara growled again, this time with less rage and more awkwardness. "My mental powers are very strong. If I wished to it would be possible for me to alter a human's memory."

"Have you ever played with any of my memories?"

"I have never felt the need to alter any of your memories when I have been inside your mind."

"What?" Naruto asked, slightly taken aback. "You've been inside my mind?"

"Briefly, when you were sleeping. I wanted to know how strong your defences were and if you were being entirely truthful with me. Don't worry, I have never delved deeper than your conscious mind when you were dreaming; your dreams were enough to tell me that I had nothing to fear from you."

"Don't worry? Don't worry!? You spied on my dreams without telling me!" Naruto said angrily, forgetting that he was supposed to be quiet.

"I didn't tell you because it wasn't important," Gaara said, his jaw clenching slightly.

"Not important?" Naruto echoed, the volume of his voice increasing as he became incensed. "Those were my personal thoughts and you spied on them!"

Gaara grabbed Naruto's arm and hissed, "What I saw were trivial flashes that revealed nothing besides the fact that you are a cheerful, hot tempered human being that fights constantly with Itachi's brother and likes to stare into my eyes. I saw nothing personal – I only saw you as the honest and trusting person I thought you were. Those few flashes were enough to reassure me that I did not need to dig to find malicious intent because there was none. I have never since looked into your mind."

"You've messed with my feelings though," Naruto accused.

"I have done that only twice to protect you. I needed you calm," Gaara defended briskly.

"You could have just told me to calm down instead of using your freaky powers on me."

"I didn't have time for that." Gaara shook his head as he stepped away from Naruto. The blond got the impression that Gaara was silently cursing him out as he turned his back to him. Then the vampire was before him once again, his hands firmly grasping Naruto's shoulders. "I only use my powers when I feel I need to do so. The less I use them the less blood I need to drink. I also have more control over myself if I restrict their use. You don't understand how hard it is to control myself sometimes when I'm around you."

Naruto looked into Gaara's eyes and saw that the edges were tinged with gold. His insides suddenly felt cold as he was again reminded just how dangerous Gaara could be.

"The thought that you're more trouble than you're worth has crossed my mind before. You are the only human whose blood I lust for even when I'm not hungry. Sometimes I have wondered if it would be better to just bleed you dry instead of torturing myself like I do…But then that irrational urge to protect you is provoked and I find myself unwilling to hurt you. I truly am a masochist."

Naruto watched as Gaara forced the gold out of his vision. The vice like grip on his arms lessened as Gaara regarded him with blank, patiently expectant eyes. Naruto stared into those eyes and saw nothing that went against Gaara's words. He meant everything he said; he meant him no harm.

Still, an annoying voice in the back of Naruto's mind reminded him that Gaara was a master of manipulation. Naruto might already be under his spell – his mind trapped inside a fantasy whilst unknown horrors happened around him. It was a possibility (a very real possibility) but Naruto didn't think it was so. He remembered vaguely how he'd felt when he'd been hypnotised before – lightheaded and not in touch with reality – and this was nothing like that. The experience was too vivid to be false; Naruto knew exactly what he was thinking and feeling and why. This was real and Gaara was real and sincere. He loved him and wanted to protect him.

Naruto looked away, his face set in a pout. "You better stay out of my mind or I'll kick your ass," he mumbled.

Gaara took hold of Naruto's chin and slowly turned the boy's face towards him. Their eyes connected and Naruto once again felt like he was drowning. He wasn't being hypnotised though; this was the work of Gaara the sex god instead of Gaara the vampire. As Gaara's face moved closer and closer to his Naruto's eyes began to close in anticipation of the kiss to come.

"I wondered when you were going to show up."

Naruto jumped, his head snapping round to see who had spoken. Kakashi was lounging casually against the doorframe, his expression hidden by his mask. Gaara growled at the sight of him, his grip on Naruto's arm tightening.

Kakashi moved from his reclining position into the room. "I'd appreciate it if you released Naruto now," he said, still sounding calm.

Gaara glared and responded by wrapping his arms around Naruto's waist, dragging the blond closer to his body. Naruto's cheeks became slightly coloured as his brow furrowed. He braced his hands against Gaara's chest and muttered gruffly, "Let go of me Gaara."

Gaara reluctantly released him. He turned to Kakashi, arms crossed defiantly over his chest, and asked, "What do you want?"

"I want you to leave," Kakashi replied amicably.

Gaara glared. "That's not going to happen."

"I think you'll find that it is," Kakashi said, his friendly voice taking on a dangerous tone.

Naruto decided it was time to intervene. "Hey, I thought you said you were going to let Gaara help?"

"I am," Kakashi replied coolly. "He can help by searching for Deidara's trail."

"Why should I be the one to search for him when you are the supposed expert at hunting vampires?" sneered Gaara.

"Because I'm the only one who can answer Naruto's questions about his father."

Naruto's heart suddenly began to beat hard against his ribcage. Finally he was going to learn the truth about his father, Minato Namikaze, the legendary Vampire Hunter. Someone was finally going to explain to him why his father decided to go down such a deadly path, why he had hunted the people Naruto now thought of as friends. Finally he was going to learn about his heritage.

Gaara growled. "You mean you're the only one who can fill his mind with lies."

"Don't judge me by your standards, Vampire."

Gaara snarled and only Naruto's restraining hand on his arm stopped him from attacking Kakashi. Naruto looked between the two of them before his eyes settled on Gaara. Softly, he whispered, "Gaara, I want to know about my father."

Slowly Gaara turned to look at him. His deep green eyes bored into Naruto and for a moment Naruto wondered if the redhead was trying to read his mind. Then Gaara's shoulders dropped and he whispered a bitter, "Fine, I'll go."

"The story isn't short enough to get through in one night so I wouldn't bother coming back tomorrow. Or the night after. Or anytime soon," Kakashi added.

Gaara sent him a look that was pure malice. He then turned to Naruto, his expression clearly showing his suspicion and displeasure at being sent away. He roughly pecked Naruto's cheek before opening the window and disappearing into the night.

Once Gaara was gone Naruto rounded on Kakashi. "What was all that about? Why did you send him away?"

"I'm a Vampire Hunter Naruto; it is in my nature not to trust vampires. This one I am particularly suspicious of. Don't you think it convenient that he turned up just before Deidara did?"

"No," Naruto said adamantly. "Gaara has done nothing to make me suspicious, except be a vampire."

"That in itself should be cause enough for you to stay as far away from him as possible," Kakashi said seriously.

Naruto frowned. "Why do you hate vampires so much?"

The fabric of Kakashi's mask shifted, as if he was giving Naruto a lopsided grin. "The story I'm going to tell you tonight should answer that question."

Kakashi closed the door and took a seat on Naruto's bed, motioning for the blond to join him. Naruto did as he was bidden, watching Kakashi warily.

Once he was sure he had Naruto's attention Kakashi began his tale. "When I was thirteen I was attacked by a vampire. My father had recently died and I'd been forced to move in with my aunt. I spent as much time as I could on my own away from the house. One night I accidently wandered into the hunting ground of a vampire that was particularly sadistic. If Minato hadn't found me I would have died. He took me to the hospital and later explained everything that had happened. When I found out that his job was to eradicate the twisted creatures that had nearly killed me I begged him to let me help. He reluctantly agreed to let me be his apprentice.

"I was the first of Minato's three apprentices. Obito and Rin also survived a vampire attack thanks to Minato and wanted to repay the debt. One night every week we would meet up and he would train us. As we got older he allowed us to observe him take down a vampire and eventually to help. We went our separate ways for three years to go to university but after we'd graduated we met up with him again and our training resumed.

"The city we lived in had one of the largest vampire populations in the country so there was never any shortage of creatures to hunt. By day we all had respectable jobs and by night we helped Minato rid the city of its infestation. For years we followed the same arrangement. Then one day Minato told us that he was retiring and that we should follow suit. When we asked why he was retiring he said that his fiancée had finally convinced him that it was wrong for us to hunt vampires indiscriminately. He said, like you did, that not all vampires are evil. He was our teacher and we trusted his judgement. When he moved away we kept in touch but never tried to hunt vampires.

"A few years later we got a call telling us that Minato was dead. Obito had some links with the police department and was able to get a hold of the case file. We all knew as soon as we saw the photos that Minato had been murdered by vampires. Obito was enraged and wanted to go find Minato's killer immediately. I told him it was a bad idea. We were still only apprentices; Minato had always said that we weren't ready to become fully fledged Hunters. Obito wouldn't listen to reason and he took off with Rin to find the culprit. I later got a call from Rin. She said they'd found the vampire but I had been right – they hadn't been ready to take down Deidara on their own. She didn't say much more than that before the connection died.

"I saw her corpse on the news later that night. Obito disappeared without a trace. For a time I tried to find him but all my leads led me nowhere. That was when I realized that Minato had been right in his original definition of vampires. They were evil and needed to be stopped. I decided to finish my training under the supervision of the one who taught Minato. That's where I've been for the last few years – training so that I can avenge my teacher and my friends."

Kakashi turned to Naruto, his gaze serious and penetrating.

"You may think that vampires are like humans but you haven't seen what I've seen. You haven't experienced first hand how brutal they can be. Deidara has only just begun his game; if we don't find him soon he'll kill everyone you know and care about. You want to know why I sent Gaara away? It was to stop you becoming too attached to him. Better to sever the cord now than when he turns against you. And trust me, Naruto, he will turn against you. Once he's finished with you he'll suck you dry and leave your corpse for the birds. It's in his nature to do so. Vampires are creatures born out of the darkness of death. You say you've seen Gaara's darker side but I doubt you've seen the full horror of it. If you'd seen him lose all restraint then you wouldn't have this notion that vampires have the potential to be good. You'd know as I do that they are pure evil and are better off dead than plaguing humanity with their greed and lust."

Naruto was silent. He was filled with pity for Kakashi, sorry that he had suffered so cruelly at the hands of vampires. Kakashi had never met a good vampire upon which to form a different opinion; Naruto could understand why he had become a Hunter.

That didn't mean Naruto agreed with him though. The vampires Naruto knew were nothing like the vampires Kakashi had described. They were functioning members of society; the only difference between them and the rest of the city's population was that they had an aversion to sunlight. Naruto couldn't believe that they were evil. He knew his friends and he knew they wouldn't put up with someone who didn't have any redeeming qualities.

"You're wrong about Gaara." Naruto's gaze locked with Kakashi's and the older man could see the conviction in those blue orbs. "Just because the vampires you've met have been evil doesn't mean that they all are. Gaara may not be the nicest guy in the world but I know that he cares about me. He said it himself – I'm more trouble than I'm worth. He still wants to be around me though and if that doesn't show that he likes me then nothing will."

"You do know that it could also show that he wants something from you."

Naruto gave him a cocky grin. "Of course he wants something. I'd be insulted if he didn't want my sexy body."

"What about Deidara?" Kakashi asked, raising a curious eyebrow. "You said that he and Gaara used to be together. How do you know that the old spark won't be rekindled? It could already have happened and Gaara could be trying to lure you into a trap."

The comment stung but Naruto hurriedly shrugged it off. "Gaara thinks Deidara's crazy – they won't get back together."

"You don't sound entirely sure about that," Kakashi commented.

"I am sure!" Naruto protested. He glowered at Kakashi, knowing that the Hunter could also hear the small insecurities in his voice. Naruto huffed before saying, "Besides, if Gaara did betray me Itachi and Zabuza would kick his ass."

"Who are they?" queried Kakashi.

Naruto froze, realising that he had let the cat out of the bag. He had planned on keeping Zabuza and Itachi secret after seeing the reaction Gaara's involvement in his life had provoked from Kakashi. Now that he had let it slip it was time for a quick cover up. "They're no-one," Naruto said dismissively.

Kakashi frowned. "It's not a good idea to keep secrets from me Naruto."

The blond bristled. "You really think I'm going to spill my guts to you after only knowing you a few days? You can't just waltz into my life and expect me to help you mess it up. I'm not going to tell you all my secrets unless you give me a damn good reason why I should. Gaara isn't the only one who I should be wary of."

Kakashi discretely clenched his fist. "I am not the one who will murder you once you let your guard down."

"So you say."

Kakashi stood up. "That's enough discussion for one night. You better get some sleep or you'll be tired in the morning."

With that he left the room, silently closing the door behind him. Naruto mentally cheered at winning that round. He appreciated that Kakashi was looking out for him but Naruto refused to let the man ruin his life. He had become a part of the world of vampires and he couldn't reject them now. If he rejected them he'd lose his friends and he'd lose Gaara. Without them what did he have? He had Iruka but Iruka was family and what Naruto needed was friends. He didn't think he'd ever be able to find new friends as loyal as Sasuke and Haku. As for Gaara…

Naruto mulled over the question of Gaara as he lay back on his bed. He had been attracted to the vampire since they first met. He'd doubted the redhead's intentions plenty of times since then but he had always come to the conclusion that Gaara was someone he wanted to be with. That had to count for something.

Naruto smiled as he realised Gaara was just as much trouble as he was. He chuckled at the realisation, finding the thought incredibly funny for some reason. It was almost like they were meant to be together – two birds of a feather. Maybe it was destiny.

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