Shorter chapter than usual but that's because I thought you'd all rather have something now instead of waiting another few weeks for an extra 500 words.

In other news: I'm on holiday now so I'm going to try and churn out the last few chapters of this story. I predict there will be 3 or 4 more chapters, depending on how the action plays out.

Chapter 13

The cafe was practically empty. A few students were seated at surrounding tables, but Naruto was unable to identify any of them. They all looked older than him; looked like couples hoping to grab a few moments of privacy before they were forced to return home. Naruto watched the nearest couple lean in close and whisper to each other. The girl giggled and the boy grinned awkwardly. They held hands, fingers interlinked over the table. They were blissfully unaware of being watched.

Iruka placed a mug of hot chocolate in front of Naruto and sat down opposite him, effectively blocking Naruto's view of the couple he had been spying on. "Thanks," Naruto said as he took a sip of the beverage.

Iruka nodded and sipped his own cup of tea. For a moment he didn't say anything, clearly contemplating how to begin the conversation. Eventually, he put down his cup and sat back straight in his chair. "I suppose you're wondering why I wanted to talk to you here."

Naruto nodded. When Iruka had dropped him off at school that morning he'd said that he'd pick him up at the end of the day so that they could talk. He hadn't said what about, he'd only assured Naruto that he wasn't in trouble. All day Naruto had been trying to work out what Iruka wanted to discuss with him.

"Well, I suppose the first part of the answer to that question is that I chose to talk here instead of at home because I thought you would be more comfortable without Kakashi looking over your shoulder."

Naruto couldn't prevent a small smile from gracing his lips. He'd wondered if Iruka had noticed the tension between him and the Hunter. It wasn't as if he'd been subtle about his dislike of Kakashi and, although the Hunter had initially maintained his distance, last night the supposed FBI agent had been unable to resist questioning Naruto about where he'd been that afternoon. Naruto had told him where he could stick his questions and tried to storm off into his room, but Kakashi had intercepted him and continued to press him for information. He'd asked about Haku and why Iruka thought he was Naruto's boyfriend; he'd asked if going out with Haku was a cover story for meeting Gaara. For one horrifying moment, Naruto had thought that Kakashi knew he'd been to visit Gaara. But then he'd realised that Kakashi was just fishing, that he suspected the tryst but couldn't prove it. With this realisation, Naruto had once again told Kakashi where he could stick his suspicions and slammed the door to his room in the Hunter's face. He hadn't spoken to the silver haired man since.

Iruka leaned forward slightly, his eyes and tone serious as he said, "The second part of the answer is that I want to talk to you about the thing you and Kakashi have been hiding from me."

Naruto froze. After a heart-stopping second of panic, he forced a grin onto his face and said, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Iruka's expression was stony. "Don't lie to me Naruto. I know." Naruto's eyes widened, his mouth going dry as Iruka continued. "I know that Haku's not your boyfriend. I know you're dating someone else. So why don't you stop lying and just tell me who it is? I promise not to be angry."

Naruto was torn between relief and terror. Relief because Iruka didn't know about Gaara and vampires, terror because Iruka had promised not to be angry. Whenever he promised that it usually meant that he was going to be disappointed instead, which in many ways was worse than him being angry. It also meant that there was no way Naruto could lie to him anymore. When Iruka knew something was amiss he was very good at spotting lies. There was no way Naruto could look his guardian in the eye and say that Haku was his boyfriend. It was time for Iruka to know the truth.

Naruto sighed. "Alright. I'm dating someone other than Haku. His name is Gaara, he's a few years older than me and that's why I didn't want to tell you about him."

"Where did you meet him?"

Naruto bit his lip as he thought of the best way to phrase his reply. "He's a friend of Sasuke's brother. You remember that party of Itachi's I went to a few weeks ago? He was there. We started talking and just...clicked, I guess."

Naruto decided to stare at his hot chocolate instead of meeting Iruka's gaze.

"How did Kakashi find out about him?"

"He saw us together and after that there didn't seem much point denying it." Naruto frowned, his grip tightening on the mug in his hands. "Kakashi doesn't like Gaara. He thinks he's one of the people trying to hurt me, but I know he's not. Gaara would never do anything to hurt me. That's why Kakashi and I are fighting."

"I see."

Naruto kept his gaze firmly trained on his drink. The silence between them was killing him, but there was no way he was going to break it. There was no way he was going to raise his head to see the disappointed look on Iruka's face. At that moment he sincerely wished he was anywhere in the world but that cafe opposite his clearly infuriated guardian. He just wished Iruka would hurry up and tell him his punishment so that the silence would end.

"I want to meet him."

Startled, Naruto looked up. Iruka smiled, not looking nearly as angry or disappointed as Naruto had expected.

"This Gaara is clearly important to you. I want to meet him so that I can form my own opinions on him."

A smile slowly spread across Naruto's face. "Iruka you're amazing!"

Iruka frowned. "Don't think this means you're off the hook for lying to me. You're still grounded for a week."

Naruto nodded, suppressing a grin. Being grounded for a week was nothing compared to what he'd imagined Iruka might do when he found out about Gaara.

Sitting back in his chair, Iruka once again smiled and asked, "So, when do I get to meet him?"

"I don't know. I'll call and ask him when he's free."

As Naruto dug around in his pocket for his phone Iruka said, "If he's free tonight invite him over for dinner."

Naruto grinned as he fished out the phone. Kakashi was going to be so pissed when he found out.

"This is a bad idea."

Iruka sighed as he turned to face the scowling FBI agent. They'd been having this conversation for almost an hour. Kakashi was like a dog with a bone – he just wasn't willing to give it up. "I don't think so. Naruto has been dating this Gaara person for weeks now and nothing's happened; why should tonight be any different?"

"You're tempting fate by bringing him into your home."

"That's not a real answer." Iruka's frown was starting to match Kakashi's as the other man slowly wore through his patience. "If you want me to cancel this dinner then you need to give me a proper reason to do so."

"I have given you a reason – he's involved with the people who are trying to hurt Naruto."

"Naruto doesn't think he is."

"Naruto is blinded by his affection. Gaara has tricked him into trusting him. No matter how many times I point out how dangerous he is Naruto refuses to listen to me."

"I'm not surprised if all you're giving him is vague warnings about confidential material you can't reveal."

Kakashi glowered. "I came here to protect you and Naruto. Do you not trust me to do my job?"

Iruka rubbed at his eyes. He felt very tired all of a sudden. "I do trust you Kakashi. But I also trust Naruto's instincts. He's a surprisingly good judge of character. Years ago, not too long after his parents died, he befriended a boy called Sasuke. Sasuke was always insulting Naruto's intelligence and the two of them were always fighting, so I told Naruto that he shouldn't be friends with him anymore. Naruto told me that that was just Sasuke's way of showing he cared, that he really was a good person. I didn't believe him and tried to prevent them from seeing each other out of school. Then, one day, I saw a group of kids ganging up on Naruto. I could tell he was close to tears, but before I could intervene Sasuke stepped in. He got rid of the bullies and even gave Naruto a bar of chocolate to make him smile. Today those two still bicker constantly, but deep down I know they'd do anything to protect each other. That's why I trust Naruto on this."

"You're willing to compromise your safety because as a child Naruto was right about one boy being his friend?" Kakashi asked incredulously.

"How am I compromising my safety? I'll have an FBI agent at my table and a whole lot more waiting outside in case something happens. Can't get much safer than that," Iruka replied with a sly grin.

Kakashi still looked unhappy, but it was clear that he couldn't find a good counter argument.

Iruka tried not to look too smug as he added consolingly, "Kakashi, I know you're only trying to protect us, but you've got to remember that Naruto is a teenager. You've got to at least give the appearance of being fair otherwise he'll never listen to a word you say." Iruka's sly grin returned as he added, "Besides, as Naruto's guardian it is my God-given right to interrogate any potential suitors. And trust me when I say I'm not going to let just anyone date my son."

Kakashi's eyes widened for a moment before he chuckled. "I think I've misjudged you Iruka."

"People often do. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a dinner to prepare." With that Iruka turned his back on Kakashi and set to work pulling pots and pans from the cupboard.

As nightfall approached Naruto set up camp by the front door. His heart pounded in his chest as the feeling that maybe this wasn't such a good idea steadily made its insidious presence known. Kakashi was hovering not that far away, clearly sharing Naruto's desire to be the first one to greet Gaara. Occasionally they shared a look, but Naruto always turned away before the Hunter could begin a conversation. He had nothing to say to the man; even gloating didn't seem appropriate as Naruto was no longer quite sure if Iruka really had handed him a victory over Kakashi. True, Naruto was going to be seeing Gaara when Kakashi had warned him to stay away, but Kakashi was going to be there when he did and might very well let something slip that would get him in trouble with Iruka. It seemed whether the night would be a victory or a defeat depended very much on how Naruto played his cards and whether he managed to outmanoeuvre Kakashi. He was very glad that he'd have Gaara by his side whilst he engaged in this deadly dance with the Hunter.

Suddenly, Kakashi tensed. His hand slowly drifted to where Naruto knew he kept his gun, informing the blond that their guest for the night had arrived. As if to confirm this there was a short but firm knock at the door. Naruto dived for the door and stepped out into the corridor, closing the door behind him before Kakashi had a chance to move. He grinned up at Gaara as he held the door shut. Gaara gave him a quizzical look before shooting a glare at the door at Naruto's back. "I take it the Hunter will be joining us for dinner?"

"Unfortunately." It took Naruto a moment to notice that underneath his coat Gaara was wearing a black three-piece suit and burgundy tie. He grinned as he commented, "I see you came dressed to impress."

"I was under the impression that this was the point of this evening – to impress your guardian?"

"It is, and I'm pretty sure he will be impressed." Naruto slipped his hand beneath Gaara's coat and ran his fingers over the fabric of the waistcoat. Naruto didn't know much about suits but he could tell that this one was made of good quality material. It was also old and well-worn in the sense that it spoke of many an outing while still retaining its original elegance. Naruto wondered how many decades Gaara had owned it. However many it had been would only be a small fraction of Gaara's true age.

Gaara gently took hold of Naruto's hand and brought it to his lips. "Do not worry, everything will be fine."

Naruto smiled and was just about to lean in for a kiss when the handle jostled in his grasp. He held tight, thinking it was Kakashi trying to burst in and ruin their moment. From the other side of the door he heard a sigh and Iruka's voice calling him. "You've had plenty of time to prep him Naruto; it's time to face the music."

A look of panic flashed across Naruto's face. He hadn't thought about preparing Gaara, about giving him last minute hints to make the evening run smoothly, he'd been too distracted by his daydreaming and now he was out of time.

Gaara smirked at the expression on his face. He slowly reached around Naruto and pried his hand from the door. Naruto looked on helplessly as Gaara gently turned him round by the shoulders to face the entrance to what felt like his doom.

"You're the one meeting the parents; why am I the one freaking out while you're as cool as a cucumber?" Naruto asked as Gaara's hand returned to the door handle.

"I've endured worse interrogations."

The door swung open to reveal Iruka. His arms were crossed in a gesture of impatience but Naruto could see the amusement in his smile. As soon as his eyes met Gaara's the amusement disappeared and was replaced by stern disapproval. "You must be Gaara; I've heard nothing about you."

Gaara bowed his head and said, "I apologise for the secrecy of our relationship but we felt it necessary to conceal it after others had already frowned upon it."

Gaara sent a glare towards Kakashi, who was still hovering in the background. The Hunter glared back, his dislike of Gaara made all the more obvious without his mask. Iruka glanced between the two and sighed. "I hope you can both be civil to each other tonight. You're under my roof so you'll abide by my rules and, as Naruto will tell you, rule number one is 'no fighting'. Neither of you are too old for a timeout."

Kakashi stared at Iruka in a manner that made Naruto think the man was sulking. Gaara was looking bewildered, as if he'd never been threatened with a timeout. Naruto tried not to laugh as he turned to the vampire and said, "Iruka's a teacher. Sometimes he forgets himself and treats everyone like little kids."

"Naruto," Iruka reprimanded, although he couldn't stop himself from looking just a little bit sheepish.

Naruto grinned unabashedly. "Aren't you going to invite Gaara in Iruka?"

Iruka gave him a look before indicating that Gaara should enter. Carefully propelling Naruto forward, Gaara stepped over the threshold and closed the door behind him. He then removed his coat and shoes and placed them among the already vast collection by the door. Finally the vampire walked forward and offered his hand to Iruka. "I thank you for the invitation and the chance to prove my worth to you. I would have brought a gift but I did not think flowers or a bottle of wine would be appropriate."

Iruka shook Gaara's hand, his eyes skimming over the redhead's suit with obvious approval. "It's no problem," he said with a smile. "Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. Naruto, why don't you seat our guests at the table while I finish up in the kitchen?"

With that Iruka disappeared. Naruto walked over to the table and indicated where Gaara should sit. Kakashi sat opposite the vampire whilst Naruto seated himself to Gaara's left. The two guests immediately began to glower at each other. Naruto would have rolled his eyes if he wasn't still mad at Kakashi and felt like joining Gaara in glaring at the Hunter.

After a moment of palpable silence Kakashi leaned forward to whisper, "This isn't a victory. This is an opportunity for me to prove to Iruka that you're dangerous. Once he recognises that you're a threat to his son's safety he'll help me to make sure you stay away from Naruto."

"I'm sitting right here," Naruto muttered, with a scowl.

The two guests ignored him. "Or perhaps he will see through your lies and realise that my only interest here is protecting Naruto," replied Gaara. "Then he will send you away and you will be unable to interfere."

"You overestimate your ability to charm, vampire, and underestimate my skills at persuasion."

"You were unable to trick Naruto into joining your side."

"That is because you had already gotten your insidious hooks into his mind. Which reminds me – if I see a hint of those pretty golden eyes of yours I won't hesitate to shoot."

"I don't need my abilities to win this battle."

"I doubt that."

"Still sitting right here guys," Naruto interjected with a note of frustration.

Gaara glanced at him before reaching out to take his hand. Naruto allowed him to interlock their fingers and tried not to smile too widely at the dark look Kakashi gave them. "To what degree is your guardian comfortable with displays of affection?" Gaara asked as his thumb caressed the joints of Naruto's hand.

"He'd probably be ok with hand holding but he might think you're doing it just to piss off Kakashi." Gaara gave him a mischievous look that said that was exactly what he was doing. Naruto returned the look with his own foxy grin.

It was at that point that Iruka walked in with two steaming bowls of pasta. "I hope this is alright," he said as he placed the bowls in front of Gaara and Kakashi. "It was a bit of a last minute thing and Naruto didn't say if you had any special dietary requirements."

"This is perfect, thank you," Gaara replied, releasing Naruto's hand as Iruka left to retrieve the two remaining bowls of pasta.

When Iruka returned and the four of them began to eat the real interrogation began. "So Gaara, what do you do for a living?"

"I work in the law department of a local firm. I mostly review contracts and offer legal advice."

"So you have a steady income?"

"Yes."

"What about a criminal record?"

"No."

"Kakashi seems to think you're involved with the people trying to hurt Naruto."

Gaara sent the Hunter a dark look. "He is mistaken. I would never intentionally harm your son."

"So how do you think he got this misimpression of you?"

Gaara considered his dinner as he mulled over how to answer the question. He could sense Naruto's worry and the Hunter's eager gaze. He could always not answer the question, could leave it to the Hunter to provide a suitable reason for his suspicions, but that would allow the Hunter to twist the situation. It would allow him to dictate the rules of the game and Gaara would much rather sound unconvincing than offer nothing in his defence.

"I suppose there is the convenience of our relationship. I become close to Naruto around the same time that this group makes an attempt on his life? If I was in law enforcement I would consider that a suspicious coincidence." Gaara paused, contemplated how much truth it was wise to speak in front of the Hunter. "There is also the fact that in my youth I associated myself with some rather unsavoury people. I lost my family and for a time that caused me to lose my humanity. I have now severed my ties with those parts of my past, however. I am trying to be a better person to make up for any transgressions committed when I had lost my way."

"Drugs?" Iruka asked, and there was an obvious note of sympathy in his voice.

"Yes."

"I'm sorry about your family. What happened to them, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I'd rather not say."

Iruka nodded understandingly. He then forced himself to return to the role of protective and intimidating parent. "So drugs. What made you get clean?"

"A friend. He made me realise that there was something in my life that I was missing. I suppose he showed me that I had options and didn't need to remain on the path I was on. He made me believe that I could be more than I was."

"What's the name of this friend?" Kakashi asked casually.

Gaara glared at him. "If I give you his name you will harass him too. You seem to be suspicious of anyone connected to drugs."

Kakashi smiled grimly. "Experience has taught me that drug addicts aren't all that trustworthy and that those who stand by them are either gullible or addicts themselves."

"Maybe that's because you've never given them a chance to prove themselves," Naruto accused.

"Or perhaps I'm just a realist."

"Kakashi," Iruka warned. "I thought we agreed that you'd let me ask the questions."

"Sorry," Kakashi apologised. "My curiosity got the better of me."

Iruka watched Kakashi for a moment longer before returning his attention to Gaara. "How do I know you won't relapse and start using again? What assurances do I have that Naruto won't pick up your old habit?"

"Iruka! You know I'd never do drugs!" Naruto protested but was ignored by his guardian.

Gaara looked Iruka straight in the eye as he answered, "I've been clean for years and I have no intentions of relapsing. I left my old triggers behind when I moved to this city. I cannot give you any physical proof or assurances that I will never use drugs again. All I can offer is my word that I would never expose Naruto to that. I know the damage addiction causes and I would not wish him to suffer because of it or me."

Iruka nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer. He offered Gaara a smile as he asked, "How did the two of you meet?"

Both Gaara and Naruto relaxed a little. It seemed Iruka had finished with the hostile and invasive questions and returned to somewhat safer ground.

"A friend introduced us," Gaara answered.

"The same friend who convinced you to get clean?" Kakashi asked sardonically.

Gaara glared at him but it was Iruka who said, "Naruto said you met at Itachi's party is that correct?"

"Yes."

"I've personally never met him but his brother has always spoken well of him."

Gaara nodded. "He and Sasuke have always been close."

Iruka smiled again and said, "I hope dinner was ok. There's more pasta in the kitchen if you're still hungry."

"I am quite full thank you. Dinner was wonderful."

"I'm glad to hear it." Iruka quickly cleared the table and moved the empty bowls to the kitchen. He then returned to his seat and cheerfully asked Gaara, "What do you do in your spare time?"

The rest of the evening progressed as well as could be expected. Iruka continued to quiz Gaara but by that point it was clear that he approved of him. Naruto thought that it was Gaara's seemingly blunt honesty that had endeared Iruka to him. Iruka was a sucker for giving people second chances and Gaara had made himself sound like the poster boy for rehabilitation. He was polite with a good job and the ability to not rise to any of Kakashi's jabs or underhanded comments; Gaara hadn't really given Iruka any reason not to like him. Of course Iruka's opinion would probably change if he found out that Gaara was a vampire, but not even Kakashi was willing to let slip that little titbit of information. None of them wanted to involve Iruka in this more than he had to be, even if his enlightenment would likely win him over to Kakashi's side. By the end of the evening the Hunter was silently fuming, well aware that his hopes that he could undermine Gaara had failed. It took a lot of effort for Naruto not to look too pleased about that and he was sure the same was true for Gaara.

It was late when Iruka looked at his watch and announced that it was time for Gaara to leave. He shook Gaara's hand after handing him his coat and told him that he would have to come to dinner again when Naruto was no longer grounded. Gaara agreed and sent Kakashi a smug look when Iruka turned his attention to Naruto.

"I'll give you two minutes to say goodbye out in the hall and then I'm going to drag you apart," Iruka warned, trying and failing to look stern.

"Thanks Iruka," Naruto said with a grin. He then grabbed Gaara's hand and dragged him out into the hallway, closing the door firmly behind him. With a relieved sigh he slumped back against the door and said, "That went better than I expected."

"Did you not think I would be able to charm your guardian?" Gaara asked, the edges of his lips quirked in amusement.

"It's not your charm I doubted – it was more the fact that I'd lose my cool and just spew the truth everywhere, or that Kakashi would find a way to make you sound like the villain."

"He might yet try to do so, but I have told my side of the story and your guardian does not seem to be one to be swayed by prejudice."

Naruto shook his head while smiling. "Even though I was worried that tonight would turn into a massive train wreck I've enjoyed it. It's been nice to spend some legitimate time with you."

"Agreed," Gaara mumbled as he cupped Naruto's jaw and leaned in for a kiss. Naruto kissed back eagerly, one hand gripping Gaara's shirt in an effort to keep him in place. However, the sound of knuckles rapping on the door at Naruto's back effectively put an end to any plans to deepen the kiss. Gaara sighed against Naruto's lips and whispered, "Goodnight," before stepping back.

"Yeah," Naruto mumbled back. "See you when I'm no longer grounded."

Gaara smiled as he headed for the stairs and out onto the street. Naruto returned to his apartment. Iruka smiled at him and told him that he liked Gaara before sending the teenager to bed. On the way Naruto saw Kakashi and smirked victoriously. The Hunter returned the smirk with an ominous smile that punched Naruto's good mood right out of him. He glared at Kakashi before entering his room and slamming the door. He tried not to think about what the Hunter might have in store for them next.

Sorry if this isn't as good as previous chapters. My muse for this fandom has run off and so writing is hard. But I will finish this story because the end is in sight and I don't want to leave it unfinished.

Please Review!