A Gaara chapter this time. I'm predicting two more chapters and an epilogue. And if people want me to I can also post a chapter with all my ideas for the sequel that is never going to happen, because once upon a time I started plotting this great epic that would have been about ten times as long as this fic. That fic is never going to be written, but if you want to know more about this universe then I'd be willing to share that info with everyone.

Also, I think possible gore warning for this chapter is necessary. And character deaths. You have been warned.

Chapter 15

Gaara knew something was wrong the instant he arrived outside of Naruto's apartment. There was the scent of familiar blood in the air – Deidara's blood – as well as multiple blood trails leading to and from the apartment building. Looking up, Gaara could see that a number of the building's windows had been smashed from the outside in, a hard feat to accomplish for those without access to helicopters or the power of levitation.

Dread settled in Gaara's stomach, causing his fangs to elongate and his eyes to transform into twin pools of golden fury. He raced towards the building and up the stairs to Naruto's apartment, all the while trying not to imagine the worst case scenario.

The blood trail ended at the one place he didn't want it to. Gaara crossed the threshold of Naruto's home cautiously, well aware that this might be a trap. He immediately spotted the body resting in the hallway and moved in to investigate. Gaara kicked the unfamiliar corpse onto its back and hissed as he recognised the face. The vampire had been part of the group who had claimed credit for Namikaze's murder. Gaara vaguely recalled meeting him when he was still with Deidara. The vampire had been quiet, had let the woman he was with do all the talking and bragging about what they had done. Gaara hadn't bothered learning the names of either of them once he'd realised that Deidara was the only one with true power in the group; the others were simply numbers with which to overwhelm the Hunter and whomever they might find with him. Still, Gaara had made a point to remember the faces of those Deidara might one day call on as allies against him, and this vampire was definitely one of the faces he had catalogued.

Deciding to hold that thought for the moment, Gaara ventured further into the apartment in search of any other clues as to what had occurred there. He instantly spotted Iruka and rushed to check for a pulse. Finding none he cursed (repressed the image of Naruto's horror-struck face as he watched his assailants murder his guardian) and moved away. That was when he noticed the Hunter's motionless body. Gaara's eyes scanned the man for weapons but found him unarmed. The vampire approached the felled Hunter warily and again searched for a pulse. He was disappointed to find that the man still had one. Although, considering the amount of blood pooling around his body and drenching his clothes, Gaara wasn't entirely sure how long the Hunter would last without receiving medical attention. The redhead briefly considered helping him before pushing that errant pity aside. He had more important things to do than attempt to save the life of the enemy.

Standing, Gaara began to scour the apartment for any signs that Naruto might be hiding there. When his search turned up empty he returned to the living room and located the phone. He dialled the number Itachi had informed him he would always be able to reach him at and waited impatiently for the younger vampire to pick up. "Hello? Who is this?"

"It's Gaara. I need you to find out if Naruto is with your brother."

"Is he not at his apartment?"

"The apartment is in ruins. Iruka is dead, the Hunter nearly so, and Naruto is missing. There's a dead vampire whom I recognise as being part of the group who killed Namikaze. I can also smell Deidara's blood and that of at least three others. You were right about somebody helping Deidara."

Itachi swore violently. "You need to leave before the police arrive."

Gaara decided to ignore that piece of advice. "Deidara was injured and left a blood trail. I'm going to follow it before it grows cold and put an end to him once and for all. I need you to locate Naruto for me; I need to know that he's safe."

Itachi was silent for a moment before he hesitantly replied, "I'll make the calls, Gaara, but you are aware that Naruto won't be with his friends. The Hunter would never have allowed him to leave on his own. If he's not in the apartment it means that he's been taken."

A mix of rage and fear rushed through Gaara and he crushed the handset in his hand. Cursing, he tossed the broken thing aside. He then took a deep breath in an attempt to regain his composure and his wits. He'd been able to maintain his calm so far because he'd been able to sustain the hope that Naruto hadn't been home when Deidara attacked. Now that all illusions had been ripped away from him it was taking all of his self-control not to lose it and chase after Deidara in a berserker rage. He needed to stay calm – letting his temper take control would hinder rather than help him in locating Naruto.

Suddenly, an obnoxious tune began to play. Gaara spun towards the source of the sound, his body tensing for an attack. When he failed to sense the presence of another being in the apartment he moved towards the gaudy tune. In Naruto's room he discovered that the tune was emanating from the blond teen's phone. Gaara picked up the device and sighed as he read the caller ID. As soon as the vampire answered the phone Itachi remarked, "Naruto would never have left home without his mobile."

"Fine," Gaara hissed. "You've made your point. Now tell me how you think we should proceed."

"You need to follow Deidara's trail. Take Naruto's mobile phone with you so that I'll be able to contact you. I'll call Zabuza and we'll catch up with you." Itachi paused before adding, "If you find whoever took Naruto don't try to fight them without us. From the sound of it they're smart and well-organised. The sun went down less than half an hour ago – they must have been waiting close by and moved as soon as it was safe to do so. You might be stronger than them but they'll likely be expecting you to follow and have set a trap. If you rush in the probability Naruto will be hurt in the crossfire increases dramatically."

Gaara took another calming breath. He hated being told what to do, hated the idea of relying on others. However, he was too close to the situation. He needed Itachi to make the plan, to remind him that he needed to play this smart if he was going to save Naruto. He needed the others for this. Deidara and friends were able to take out the Hunter – he wouldn't be able to win the battle if he fought them alone. He needed to forget his pride and put his trust in somebody if he was going to save Naruto.

"Very well. It's a good plan. I'll follow it. Just hurry."

"We will."

The blaring of sirens alerted Gaara to the fact that he needed to move. He hurriedly hung up and thrust the phone into his pocket. Deciding that it was better not to risk a confrontation with the authorities, Gaara headed for the roof. The door opened easily and he walked out into the fresh night air. The vampire moved to the edge of the roof and jumped to the building opposite. He then levitated down to the deserted street below and slipped effortlessly into the shadows. From there he located the scent of Deidara's blood and followed the trail away from the crime scene.

Eight blocks later Gaara hit an intersection and stopped. So far the scent of Deidara's blood had been mixed with that of the other vampires with him. Now the scents had split, each travelling a different route. Gaara growled a curse. Itachi was right about the group (or the person running this operation) being smart. Gaara couldn't follow all of the blood trails and he had no way to tell which was the fastest route to Naruto. The blond teen's scent was covered by the blood and they must have made a point not to hurt him so Gaara couldn't track him directly.

Gaara closed his eyes and fought down the emotions threatening to overwhelm him. He needed to be smart about this and not let his emotions control him if he wanted to find Naruto before it was too late. What did he remember about the group? Most of them had known each other prior to the attack on Namikaze. All seven vampires had possessed their own reasons for wanting the Hunter dead and their previous association with each other meant that they had not cared who killed Namikaze as long as they were allowed to witness his painful end. Deidara had been the exception. He'd been recruited to the group because of his strength and his lust for vengeance. He hadn't been a team player and had wanted to kill Namikaze himself. Deidara had admitted to him that the only reason he joined them was because they had somehow unearthed information on Namikaze's whereabouts that he had so far failed to discover. He hadn't been about to risk vengeance slipping through his fingers so he had agreed to join them on the condition he was the one who delivered the killing blow. Gaara guessed he had gotten his wish, although that hadn't been enough for Deidara. He'd hated the Hunter so much that he'd wanted to kill everyone he'd ever known. Seeing as that hadn't been an overly feasible option Deidara had been forced to try and forget that particular lust for blood. Then he'd discovered Naruto and that bloodlust had been brutally awakened. He'd wanted to complete this kill on his own – had wanted to be the sole vampire to savour the thrill of ending Naruto's life. When that had no longer been a feasible option he'd called his old comrades in arms to help him.

No, Gaara corrected himself, somebody had helped Deidara before his attempt on Naruto had failed. Maybe he'd called them for information, had wanted to confirm Naruto was related to Namikaze before going after him? Or perhaps the others had simply been keeping tabs on Deidara and through him discovered Naruto's existence? Either way, Deidara would not have wanted their help and likely only accepted it under duress. Deidara wasn't part of the group and Gaara doubted he trusted them. If they'd struck the same bargain as before to gain his cooperation he wouldn't have let Naruto leave his sight in case they broke their word and stole his kill. Which meant the quickest way to find Naruto was to find Deidara.

Decision made, Gaara hastily located the vampire's blood trail. He was just about to follow it when Itachi appeared behind him. "Zabuza will be along shortly; he said he had something important to collect first," Itachi said in lieu of a greeting.

Gaara nodded and pointed in the direction Deidara had headed. "That way."

"Are you sure?" Itachi asked sceptically. "We could split up and take each route to cover all the options."

"Deidara wouldn't have let Naruto leave his sight."

Itachi nodded, trusting Gaara's deduction. "Lead the way."

They moved quickly through the streets and after what felt like forever but was in fact less than an hour they found Deidara and another vampire in a deserted park. The two vampires were bathing in a miniature lake that had become stagnant many years ago, and were too preoccupied by their task to notice that their location had become compromised.

"I thought the boss was kidding when he told us to take a dip in a pond. If I'd known he was being serious I'd have told him to get stuffed. Ducks shit in this stinking water; no wonder it'll cover the scent of our blood."

Deidara didn't reply as he wadded out of the water. The other vampire followed him, still grumbling viciously. As they tried to shake their clothes dry, Gaara and Itachi made their move. The redhead jumped out of the shadows and crashed into Deidara, sending him to the floor. Instead of giving the blond time to recover Gaara immediately began to pound his fists into the vampire's face. It took Deidara a moment longer than it should have to recover from the unexpected attack, and when he did he didn't react as Gaara had anticipated. Instead of raising his arms to defend himself he reached past Gaara's guard to land his own blows. The redhead quickly adapted, using his arms to block Deidara's punches whilst still pinning the vampire to the ground. After a moment in which Gaara remained strong against Deidara's attack, the redhead realised that the other vampire's punches lacked their usual finesse and strength. Deciding to test a hunch, Gaara launched a mental assault on Deidara's mind and easily crashed through his defences. Deidara screamed as Gaara plucked at a recent memory – Deidara being injected with a clear viscous liquid. The other vampire had been drugged to make him more compliant – that would explain why Deidara seemed unable to feel pain or use his full strength. It also meant that Gaara would be able to explore his mind without him putting up too much resistance.

The blond vampire continued to scream as Gaara savagely searched his memory for where they had taken Naruto. Finding only confused glimpses of some sort of warehouse, Gaara withdrew from Deidara's mind. The vampire immediately fell lax and ceased his screaming. Gaara hadn't been the least bit gentle with his mind and he doubted that Deidara would be moving again anytime soon. Still, in the interest of being better safe than sorry, Gaara securely pinned him to the ground before turning his attention to Itachi. The younger vampire had also managed to subdue his quarry and had him in a painful looking hold. Gaara met Itachi's eyes and said, "Deidara doesn't know anything. We'll have to use yours for information."

Itachi nodded and dug his fingers deeper into a shoulder wound that had yet to properly close. The vampire in his grasp cursed and cried out, "I'm not telling you anything!"

"Would you like to interrogate him or should I?" Itachi asked conversationally.

"You do it," Gaara growled. "Don't be gentle."

"He hurt my friend – I have no intention of being gentle."

With that Itachi twisted his arm and dislocated the other vampire's shoulder. The vampire screamed for a long moment before descending into soft whimpering.

"Where is Naruto?" Itachi asked patiently.

"Fuck you, you Hunter-loving scum."

Itachi relocated the arm, drawing out another cry of pain. "I can do this all night you know."

"And by that time the brat will be dead." The vampire's laugh turned into a sob as his arm was broken. "I'm not telling you anything," he repeated as moisture gathered in the corners of his eyes.

Itachi's savage scarlet gaze met Gaara's. The redhead shook his head. Even with the vampire in pain he was having trouble slipping past his mental defences. If he was going to access their prey's memories he was going to have to force his way in. The only problem with that was that it would require his full focus and he was uncomfortable leaving himself vulnerable when they were so exposed out in the open. However, time was of the essence; they could easily kill Naruto before Gaara found him and then all his efforts that night would have been for nought. Getting the information he needed too late to save Naruto was just as bad as not getting the information at all. Gaara knew he was going to have to take risks if he was going to beat time itself, and this appeared to be one of those necessary risks.

Indicating his intentions to Itachi, the other vampire nodded and prepared to once again inflict as much distracting pain as possible. However, before either of them could make a move their attention was caught by an approaching presence. Seconds later Zabuza appeared carrying a gym bag. Gaara regarded the bag with interest as Zabuza smugly raised it to shoulder height and it made a sound that indicated it held more than sweaty clothes. "Sorry I'm late; I had to make a quick stop and pick up this bag of goodies." He then dropped the bag and approached Itachi. "Want me to hold that for you?"

Itachi passed the now quietly panicking vampire to Zabuza and forced the man to hold his gaze. Mental manipulation was Itachi's speciality and before long the vampire was screaming in Zabuza's grasp as Itachi forced his way into the captive's mind. A few minute later the man collapsed as Itachi withdrew from his mind and said, "I have the location."

Gaara nodded before casting an eye over their two unconscious captives. "What do we do with them?"

Zabuza and Itachi shared a look. "I know it's bad form to kick a man when he's down, but we can't exactly risk them coming after us or biding their time and going after Naruto again when our backs are turned. Perhaps the best solution is to kill them."

"It is bad form," Itachi returned, his expression tight. "Are you sure they would make another attempt on Naruto's life?"

"Yes," Gaara replied immediately. "Only implanting an order to cease hunting him would cause them to stop, and we don't have time for that. You know what I believe we must do. The pertinent question here is whether you need me to do the deed for you."

For a moment Itachi silently regarded Gaara and his unconscious prisoner. Then he sighed and moved to the discarded gym bag. He opened it and took out a katana before returning to the side of his prey. Zabuza lifted the motionless form by the hair, presenting Itachi with a clear shot at the neck. "Don't miss," Zabuza warned, only half joking.

Itachi didn't reply as he mapped the trajectory of the blade. Then with one swift, super-powered stroke he beheaded the unconscious vampire. The headless corpse immediately collapsed to the floor. The head followed it promptly.

Turning away from his grisly work, Itachi offered Gaara the katana. Gaara accepted the blade with a nod of thanks. He'd started this mess by leading Deidara to Naruto – he was going to be the one to finish it by putting an end to Deidara once and for all.

Gaara moved to his feet to give Itachi access to Deidara. The younger vampire did as Zabuza had done with their other prisoner, ensuring the beheading would be clean. Gaara tested the weight of the blade before raising it and readying his strike.

It was at that point that Deidara stirred. He blinked groggily, his eyes unfocused as he stared at Gaara. "Sasori?" he whispered, his mental functions clearly still impaired by the drugs he'd been given.

"No," Gaara answered shortly.

Deidara continued to blink bleary eyes at him. "Gaara?" As lucidity slowly returned to him, Deidara's gaze became slightly more focused and he murmured, "I only wanted you back. I only wanted the pain to stop."

"I know," Gaara replied softly, meeting Deidara's gaze.

Then he swung the katana.

Handing the blade to Itachi to clean and return to the gym bag, Gaara watched Deidara's corpse with an odd sense of detachment. Once upon a time he'd cared for the vampire. He'd been content with his company and would probably have remained with him if he'd never learnt about Sasori. But that hadn't happened, and Gaara was a different person now to who he was back then. All those years ago he would never have risked his life to save a human – now all he could think about as he stared at Deidara was that he hoped he would not find Naruto in a similar condition.

Taking one last look at his former lover, Gaara turned to Itachi and said, "Lead the way."

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