Jinchuriki Bonds: A Life Beyond the Pain

by Toto Yoshio

Trapped in a collapsing cave, Naruto and Gaara escape when they find a mysterious portal. Consequently they wind up in a monster world. Stranded there, the two Jinchuriki are forced to enroll at Yokai Academy. How will they adapt to this new way of life? Chapter 10 has been posted!

4. Chapter 4 : Settling In

Finally, I finished this chapter it feels like I've been working on it forever, but it is complete at last. There's a couple of things I want to throw out there since I haven't told you guys much about my plans for this fic.

As you know there will be pairings, but the chances of there being a harem are really slim. It's not that I don't like harems because I do, but there's just so many of them already and I want this story have a romantic aspect and I don't think I could pull that off with Naruto and Gaara banging everything in sight. However I do like deception, so I might change my mind down the line but I have to admit it's highly doubtful.

Another thing I wanted to discuss was the Rosario Vampire supporting characters. Some of you have already stated that most of the minor characters don't get any love when it comes to this crossover and I agree. This fic will be different, I plan on putting as many of the minor characters in as possible and I'm not just talking about the female ones either. I'm also talking about Gin, Haiji, and Fong Fong as well.

Well that's all I had to say, anyways I'm thankful for all the reviews I got from the last update. I appreciate it, I hope you guys continue.

Enjoy the chapter! R&R

Chapter 4: Settling In

Shizuka Nekonome was sitting quietly behind her desk while filing her finger nails. Her slender legs were crossed in a feminine manner as she sat there complacently, while looking up every thirty seconds to observe her students. Class was pretty boring, but she wasn't complaining since the period was almost over. After all, the only thing she could do was sit and wait since everything else was already taken care of. She had already given the class their assignment over a half an hour ago. The assignment that was given was simple, read the story "The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell.

This short story was a popular one, which was read all throughout the human world. It was about a man named Sanger Rainsford, who was traveling to Rio with his companion Whitney to capture a legendary big cat. When he hears gunfire he drops his pipe, so he jumps into the Caribbean Sea to retrieve it. After he realizes that he wouldn't be able to make it back to the boat, he swam to Ship-trap Island which was famous for shipwrecks. He finds a palatial villa, occupied by two Cossacks. The owner of the place was General Zaroff and his large, deaf, mute servant Ivan. The general was also a big game hunter, so he invited him to dinner. Zaroff told him that he had become bored with hunting animals, deeming it to be not challenging enough for him. He then asks Rainsford to join him in his inhumane game. Appalled, Rainsford immediately refuses. The general then gives him an ultimatum. His first choice was to be the next person hunted, while the second was to be whipped to death by Ivan. Obviously he chose the former and the most dangerous game began.

With the story being so brief (a little under 9,000 words), Ms. Nekonome decided to let the students work in groups without her interference. They were high school kids, so there was no reason for her to baby them. Besides they knew what to do, so reiterating it would have been a waste of time, especially for those students who had already had her class before. Unfortunately that left her with nothing to do but read a few magazines until the end of class.

Once they finished reading there were to start on their homework in class, which consisted of comprehension questions, vocabulary words, and journal entries. Journal entries were done at the beginning of class, so they were working on their homework now. Most of the class had already finished reading the book and had already started working. Those who hadn't finished were the ones who were distracted by miscellaneous things. Some students were sleeping while others were too lazy and decided to do the work tonight. There were a few girls gossiping about the newest fashions and the latest news, while the boys talked about sports and of course… girls.

The joyful woman looked up to see some of the kids preparing to pack. Her eyes wondered to the left of the class and locked on the new students. The red head seemed to be finishing up the class assignments, while the blonde was had barely finished reading and had just begun writing on his single sheet of lined paper.

Still the fact that both of them were still working so hard made her smile.

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

"Ok class; don't forget there's a test on Friday! Be sure to study your vocabulary words, there written on the board if you need them!" She screamed over the bell, as the students picked up their book bags and began to walk out of class. As the kids exited, some whispered things about the new students on their way out of the room. A few girls thought they were kind of cute, but some of the others thought they looked weird. Most of the boys didn't know what to think of them. Other than the way they dressed and their unfamiliar scent, they seemed pretty normal.

While Gaara finished up the assignment, Naruto began to cram his books into his backpack. Once all the books were in and the bag was zipped, he stood up and slung it over his shoulder. He was packed and ready to go; all he had to do was wait for Gaara.

He walked past the red heads desk and sat on the one in front of it. Leaning over he looked at his paper to see it was filled up, top to bottom. The single sheet of paper was filled to the brim with words.

"Damn! That's a lot of writing" Naruto said dumbly. His blue eyes gazed at the all the complicated words, as he scratched his right cheek. "I can't believe you did all this so quickly."

While jotting down his name and date on the far left corner, he replied, "I'm used to reading documents and filling out papers." Standing up, he grabbed his books and gently placed them in his black bag, which was similar to Naruto's aside from a few extra compartments.

"But to be honest anyone could do this, it takes very little effort."

Irritated, Naruto huffed before jolting his head in the opposite direction. "Show off…" He said while grimacing. The fact that Gaara could finish in such little time was amazing. While it was an impressive feat, it was still a little depressing when he barely even answered one comprehension question. The assignment wasn't all that hard, but he just had a short attention span so it was difficult for him to remember what he had read, which forced him to go back and read certain parts over again. "Anyways, you ready to go?"

"Yes, I just need to turn this in first." He replied while picking up his finished homework assignment.

Raising an eyebrow Naruto replied, "Shouldn't you keep it to study for the test? I mean, it's not do till Friday anyway."

"I don't think I'll need to study, but if I do I'll just use the book."

Naruto chuckled to himself, "Yeah I guess I forgot about that." He responded while turning around. He was about to walk towards the door when someone blocked his path.

"You're Naruto, right?"

Naruto looked up to see a male with dark-brown hair of average height standing before him. He wore a white dress shirt with a red tie and some tan slacks.

"Yeah…And you are?"

The young man grinned, before extending his arm open palmed. "I'm Tsukune; I don't know if you remember…but we've met before."

"We did?" The blonde questioned while shaking his hand.

He looked very familiar, Naruto couldn't remember where, but he knew he had seen him somewhere. No matter how long ago it is, he could never forget a face. Blinking several times he tilted his head while observing him. Slowly it all started to come back to him.

"Hold on," He said while pointing an accusing finger at the stranger. "You're that guy from the woods!"

Smiling, the young man nodded his head in confirmation. "Yes, I am Tsukune Aono." He repeated.

"Oh I see." he grinned. "Wow do we owe you one."

Gaara sat there quietly in his usual stance, arms folded across the chest while leaning against the desk, with his eyes closed. He didn't seem to be at all interested, but despite this he was listening to their conversation.

"Hey Gaara," he said while elbow nudging him in the rib. "Tsukune here is the guy I was telling you about, the one who found us in the forest." he informed his droned friend. As the blonde expected, hearing those words got his attention.

"Is that so?" Gaara questioned, while raising his head to make eye contact with the stranger. So he's the one? He thought.

"Yep," Naruto replied with a smirk. "If it wasn't for him we'd probably be dead right now…"

Tsukune chuckled nervously, while waving his hands. "I wouldn't go that far, I just happened to be heading in that direction." He replied modestly, while rubbing the back of his head. Taking that kind of credit made him feel really uncomfortable. "Honestly, anyone could have found you guys."

Naruto smacked him hard on the back, causing his head to jerk forward. "Ah! Don't be so modest."

The brunette winced, his upper back burned from the hard yet friendly strike. "Ha-ha no really it was nothing. I was just passing through no need to-

"Still…" Gaara randomly interrupted.

Anticipating the worst, Tsukune gazed at the silent red head waiting for the worst. He was way different than the happy go lucky blonde standing next to him. He seems to be more quiet and reserved. He thought, while waiting for him to continue. His green eyes seemed to be watching him like a hawk. And a little intimidating, he mentally noted.

"Still… We appreciate your help." He finished with a nod of approval. "Thank you," he added solemnly.

Surprised by his gratitude, Tsukune stared at him for a few more seconds in wonder. He really didn't expect to get a thank you. He had just assumed he would just sit there and say nothing. After all Gaara did give off that vibe that said "stay the hell away from me." Once he finally got over his shock he simply replied,

"Anytime"

Now that he had conversed with them for about a minute, he was starting to feel more comfortable around them, now he can ask a few subtle questions. "So…I see you have healed up nice."

"Uhh…What do you mean?" Naruto asked with a raised brow.

"Well when I found you in the woods, you had a few nasty injuries," He explained, while scratching the top of his head nervously. "But now it looks like they were never there."

"Ohhhh…That, well I've always healed really fast for some odd reason." He said while gazing at the unmarked skin on his left forearm. He didn't want to lie, since he seemed like a trustworthy guy, but it was prudent that they kept the truth under wraps for the time being. "I guess you can say I have tough skin." He chuckled.

Tsukune still didn't understand, but just nodded in ignorance. It's obvious there's something he's not telling me, but still I shouldn't pry. Shrugging it off, he turned his attention on the calm green eyed wonder currently leaning against a desk. All of his wounds were gone as well, which was strange. Especially the crack he had on the left side of his face. That one raised a lot of questions in his head, so he couldn't resist.

"What about you Gaara?"

Uninterestedly, the red head raised his head to show him he was listening. He didn't say anything; he just stared at him observingly.

"Umm…Your skin, I see…It's all together."

Gaara narrowed his sea green eyes, "Why are you so curious?"

No Tsukune felt really tense. Maybe he had asked too many questions. He didn't want them to think that he was trying to pump information out of them, which he was but not for bad reasons. "Well, I was just wondering, it's not every day that you see a yokai with that kind of healing ability."

Gaara exhaled while lowering his head in mild amusement. "So…You want to know what kind of monsters we are correct?"

Tsukune shook his head rapidly to reprehend him. He knew that it was against school rules to reveal your monster identity. "Well…No I'm just… fascinated by your abilities," he responded. "It's interesting that you two have similar powers, are you guys by any chance…Related?"

His sudden question caught the stoic boy off guard. He didn't show it on his face, but he was dumbfounded. We look nothing alike, so how could he even think such a thing? He wondered to himself. Yes they both healed fast, but for separate reasons. Naruto had the nine tails, which had amazing recuperating powers. He on the other hand had his sand armor, so all of his injuries were minor. With that being said, Gaara decided to put his theory to rest.

"Actually-

"Yeah we're cousins!" Naruto chuckled while looping his arm around Gaara's neck in a buddy fashion. This time Gaara couldn't keep the sense of dread off his face.

During this past week, he had spent a lot of time talking with his fellow jinchuriki so they can try and get to know one another better. They had learned a lot about each other, something's were fun facts while others were on more personal level. Nonetheless, he still didn't think he'd ever get used to Naruto's randomness in social situations. Sometimes it felt like he did these kinds of things on purpose just to mix it up, but then maybe he thought he was helping out. With Naruto you could never be sure, just what the hell is wrong with him?

What there really related! Tsukune inwardly screamed. He was just using that question as a bail out to avoid suspicion.

"Hey do you want to hang out with Gaara and me during lunch?" Naruto randomly asked with a foxy grin.

"Huh?" None of the male students wanted to hang out with him and that includes new students who didn't know him.

"Well since we're new here, we really don't know are way around the school. I was just thinking we can all eat together and then you could give us a tour." He finished matter-of-factly.

The young man surprised at his proposal. He didn't have many male friends aside from Gin and he only associated with him during club meetings. Most of the males on campus despised him for having such beautiful girls flirting with him on daily basis. May be it was because they weren't the jealous type. Naruto seemed to be too friendly to be jealous over something so trivial. Gaara on the other hand seemed to have a complete indifference when it came to socializing with others.

Once the concept of having another male friend sunk in he grinned. "Yeah…That sounds great."

"Hey Tsukune," a girl called out.

Tsukune turned around to see Moka, Kurumu, Yukari and Mizore headed his way. He didn't know if he should be happy or nervous, so only time would tell. He knew Moka and Yukari were okay with their new classmates, but Kurumu didn't think too highly of them and Mizore also seemed a little suspicious.

The four girls stopped directly in front of the young man to address him.

"Tsukune, are you ready to go?" Moka asked melodically. First period had been over for two minutes now, and there was a seven minute intermission between periods. That meant that there was a nine minute interval between each class. She and Tsukune both had math so they usually walked together. The bubble gum haired girl wanted to walk with him alone to the vending machine, but of course the other girls had to follow.

Just trying to grab five minutes alone with him was like pulling teeth, it was an incredibly hard task that involved a lot of calculating. As bad is it sounds sometimes, she wished it was just the two of them again, like it used to be. If only we could be alone, she thought while sighing. Pushing those thoughts aside she shook her head to break out of her daze. Once she had regained her concentration, she noticed the two other males quietly standing behind Tsukune. Those are the two new boys.

"I-I'm sorry… Did we interrupt?" She asked Tsukune.

He shook his head negatively with a smile to correct her, "No…I was just talking to our new classmates."

Moka happily smiled at his response. The only other male friend he had was Gin and they didn't really hang out too much. She felt it was time he made new male friends so he could talk about guy stuff. "I'm glad to see you're making new friends Tsukune," she responded.

"Well…Aren't you going to introduce us?" Kurumu questioned with some hostility.

"Oh!" Tsukune practically yelped. "Sorry about that, umm…" He turned to look at the guys and then back at the girls he just didn't know where to start. "Uhh… Alright…" He replied while running his fingers through his scalp.

"Naruto…Gaara…" He started. Using his index finger he pointed at the busty succubus. "These are my friends, Kurumu Kurono, Mizore Shriayuki, Moka Akashiya and Yukari Sendo." His finger moved in unison with each name he called.

"Hi…" Kurumu said, while holding back a glare. Even though she had her suspicions, she would try to be nice for the sake of her friends. "It's nice...To meet... You," she forced the words to come out while holding a fake smile. She knew Tsukune and Moka were right, it was wrong to judge a book by its cover, but she couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

Even now, that she had up close and personal view, made her feel slightly uncomfortable. She might have been wrong, maybe they are nice guys after all.

"Hey," was all Mizore said while making eye contact with her new classmates. The snow woman was also wary, but she was much calmer than her big breasted friend. Sedately, she sucked on her lollipop as her eyes wondered back and forth between the two. The blonde one seems to be carefree; she mentally noted observing his facial expression. He stood there with his hands in his pockets with a serene smile. But that doesn't mean he's unaware of the things around him. She knew well not to judge a book by its cover, making miscalculations could lead to disaster. He could be hiding a murderous personality underneath that smile.

Her colorful orbs moved to the right and settled on the red head that seemed uninterested in conversing. His posture was different from his friends; it was much more relaxed and composed. Casually he leaned against his desk, with his arms folded across his chest professionally. Unlike Naruto, his face was completely devoid of emotion.

What's his story?

She couldn't read him for some reason; it was as if he was wearing a mask. The snow woman started narrowing her eyes as she continued to gaze at the boy across from her. The simple fact that she couldn't come up with a proper resolution, really started to annoy the hell out of her. Those green eyes showed no signs of life. She continued to watch him until he looked up, causing her to quickly look away.

"It's a pleasure to make your Acquaintance," Yukari said cheerfully. Being the youngest in their group, she was still a little naïve so she couldn't really sense anything negative from their new class mates. Sure she was smart, but as far as maturity goes she had a lot of growing up to do. While looking at them all she saw was a friendly blonde and quiet monotone red head, nothing more nothing less. In her eyes they seemed trustworthy, just because they looked different didn't mean that they were any better. I don't see what the big deal is, they seem like nice guys to me, Kurumu's just stupid.

"Cool, I look forward to getting to know you all." The blonde responded with his usual exuberance.

Naruto subtly looked over each girl. They were all gorgeous; it was hard to believe that underneath their flawless skin was a hideous beast. He had to admit they were more attractive than most of the girls back home, he would even go so far as to say they were even more developed. The pink haired one seemed to be sweet; there was sudden warmness about her that made Naruto feel relaxed. Well she's pretty, he thought with slightly flushed cheeks. Her skin looked healthy, silky smooth to be precise and she had a perfect figure. I bet the guys at this school are lining up to talk to her. He then shifted his gaze to observe another one of the girls.

The small one to the right of her seemed to be nice to, but he wondered what a girl her age was doing in high school? She has to be same age as Moegi or maybe a little older. When comparing the two girls, the brunette was a about an inch taller so it was possible. Maybe she's one of those kids who are older than they appear. Regardless, she was a cute kid and seemed like a loyal friend.

Next his blue orbs shifted to the purple haired girl with sucker in her mouth. Another gorgeous girl, he noted while observing her momentarily. Her body language was similar to that of his friends, she seemed like she could care less. Isn't she delightful? He said to himself sarcastically. despite this, he was positive he'd get along with her since he had several friends who acted in a similar fashion. Gaara, Sasuke, and Neji were prime examples.

Then he turned his attention to the last girl. She was just as beautiful as the others, if not more beautiful. Her body was well proportioned, toned legs, and a wide waist. She had a perfect hour glass shape. Those were all great assets, but those weren't even her best features. Her most prominent feature was her breasts. Damn those are huge! He thought while glancing out of the corner of his eye. Never in his life had he seen a teenage girl with a bosom that big, they looked like they were going to burst out of their confines. Once again his cheeks began to turn a light shade of red. When he finally managed to lock away his inner pervert, his blue eyes found their way back to her face he noticed something that made him uncomfortable. She had an annoyed scowl on her face as she looked back in his direction.

"What are you looking at?"

"Oh nothing! Nothing at all," he replied nervously while waving his hands. Wow I don't think she likes me too much. He noticed how her eyes narrowed when Tsukune introduced them. She was a feisty one indeed, but he was used to dealing with high-maintenance girls from being around Sakura and Ino. He just shrugged; maybe she'll warm up to us eventually.

"Anyways…" He started while scratching the back of his head, indicating his embarrassment. "I was just asking Tsukune if he wanted to join us during lunch." He was really uncomfortable, even though he was a social guy he felt kind of strange being around all these attractive girls, who were clearly different from the young women he usually associates with. Staring at the colored tile floor, he continued. "If you guys want… maybe we can all hang out together?"

Being the neighborly guy that he was, he liked to reach out to others. Ever since he had first started gaining acceptance, he wanted to make friends with anyone who might be willing to get to know him. Pushing people to the side or insulting them because they were different was something he loathed. Since he didn't have the best childhood, he could sympathize with other people who were similar to his self. Now he was trapped in another dimension without knowing if he would ever return home but here he was trying to make new friends, who seemed to be skeptical about them.

The fact that they were skeptical about them didn't bother him in the least. It only made him more determined to earn their trust. Tsukune already seemed like a cool guy in his eyes so he wasn't too worried about him, but the girls…They were a different story. As nice as they were, he could still tell that pink haired girl along with the tiny brunette, still felt a little uneasy. Trying to connect with the quiet girl would also prove to be difficult as well; she didn't seem interested in getting to know the duo. Still she wasn't the worst one, the well-endowed girl who was still glaring at him was the one he needed to worry about.

There was a chance that she might have caught him staring at her breast. Naruto really wanted to face palm, he was usually pretty clever when it came to checking out girls unnoticed. All he could do was hope that she didn't see him; he was only looking for about three seconds at most. Despite the slightly awkward atmosphere, he wanted to start off on the right foot with these girls.

After about several undisturbed seconds he saw the bubblegum haired girl tilt her head with a charming smile. Her soft hands were interlaced with one another in a feminine matter.

"Of course, we'd love to join you guys."

Hearing Moka's declaration, Yukari raised her violet eyes to find Moka smiling. She looked pretty confident in her decision. If Moka and Tsukune trusted them, than she had no reason to doubt their character.

"Sounds like a plan!" She proclaimed.

With two girls already on board, he smiled appreciatively. He was actually expecting Moka and Yukari to accept. Now there was the matter of the last two females. Mizore and Kurumu still seemed indecisive.

Satisfied with their answer, he focused his expectant gaze on them. They were different, unlike their female counterparts they seemed to have a guard up and a strong one at that.

Finally showing interest, Gaara also awaited an answer to his comrades' proposal. Either way he really he'd be fine with outcome. He probably would be more comfortable with the original participants for this casual get together. If it were just him, Naruto, and Tsukune he'd feel more comfortable, because he didn't really like dealing with women and their attitudes. He always made sure to stay away from Temari during that 'time of the month'. Dealing with a pissed off blond for three to five days was an unpleasant prospect. Even kankuro kept his distance and teasing her happened to be a hobby of his.

Still, with all that said maybe he should try and get to know these girls. He didn't really interact with women, even though there were plenty of girls back home who would throw themselves at him when the opportunity strikes. That being said, he couldn't tell if they were interested in him for his status as a Kage or for himself. The only girl he could call friend was his apprentice Matsuri, but nowadays it seemed like she wants more than a friendship from him. As much as he cared about her, he wasn't sure; he couldn't quite place his feelings. While she saw him as a potential lover or even husband, he didn't know if his feelings for her went passed the lines of friendship.

Whatever the case, maybe Naruto has the right idea; it wouldn't hurt to form friendships with the opposite sex.

Just as he was thinking that, a feeling of weariness came over him, forcing him to halt his contemplation. Somebody was watching him and they were observing cautiously. He thought he felt a pair of eyes magnifying his form earlier, but he didn't give it much thought. However, this time there were no doubts.

Bringing his gaze off the ground, his insomniac eyes stumbled upon a girl with light purple hair. For a few moments, he looked at her with watchful eyes. Currently she was looking at Naruto and Tsukune. That's strange; he could have sworn she was staring.

"It's fine with me," Mizore lethargically responded. There wasn't much for her to think about, she was going to go regardless of the circumstances. There was no way in hell she was going to leave the other girls alone with her Tsukune. The reason it took so long for her to reply was because her mind was elsewhere. She was still trying to figure out the mystery behind the quiet red head. He's so hard to read, the way he behaves leaves much to the imagination. Somehow, she was going to find out who he really was and this was the perfect opportunity. Before stealing one final glance at Gaara, she turned to look at Kurumu who still hadn't decided.

The busty succubus stood there with her had her hands on her hips as she tapped her feet thoughtfully. Why do they trust them so much? She asked herself, while avoiding the eyes that were on her, she stared at the wall on the south side of the classroom. I know there up to no good, they have to be. Kurumu didn't want to judge them; but she couldn't help but feel this way. Last year the newspaper club tried to make friends with others, but it always ended badly.

Almost every time they reached out to someone, they were betrayed, so how could she know this wouldn't end the same. This Naruto guy looks nice, but I bet he's a jackass underneath that smile. She narrowed her eyes while glancing in the blonde's direction. Not only that… I could have sworn I saw him staring at my tits!

"Come on Kurumu we don't have all day," Mizore muttered impatiently.

"Alright! Alright! I'll go…" She muttered under her breath. It's just one lunch… it's not like we're going to become buddy buddy with them. I hope…

After her long awaited decision Naruto grinned, "Alright then… I guess will see you there…"

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

That bell was the bell, there nine minutes were up and it meant all seven of them were late. Second period was about to commence and they were still lounging around in their homeroom.

"You guys should get going you're going to be late!" Ms. Nekonome shouted over the bell. She didn't have a second period to teach so she had a whole hour of peace.

"Crap…" Tsukune muttered. "Come on Moka, we should get going," he said while heading for the door. Moka followed him as did the rest of his female companions. "See you guys later…" He waved back to the two boys who were still lingering.

"Later," Naruto waved.

"We should probably be going as well," Gaara remarked. He walked over to Ms. Nekonome's desk and presented her with his finished assignment. He placed the homework on her wooden desk.

"Good job Gaara," She said while smiling brightly at the young man. "I'm glad to see you work so diligently on your first day!"

"Thank you." he closed his insomniac eyes and nodded appreciatively.

Naruto stood by the door and waited for him patiently. Once the red head was done, they both walked out of the room and headed to their next class. As they walked down the narrow hallway, the blonde noticed that there were still a few students late. A guy with dark grey hair was running towards them. He had on round framed glasses with thick lenses. In his hands were several books, in which he was currently fumbling as he sprinted toward the young men.

"Excuse me!" He yelled. Naruto immediately stepped aside to avoid collision with the clumsy guy. The blonde turned around and watched as the boy bolted down the hall and then he made a left once he got to an intersection.

"He sure is in a hurry," Naruto commented.

"He's late… As are we," Gaara stated. Even though he didn't show it on his face, he was slightly annoyed that they were going to be tardy for another class on their first day. Still, he couldn't blame Naruto for their tardiness since he was aware of the time, but decided not to say anything. Besides he wasn't exactly punctual himself.

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Yeah… I guess I lost track a time, my bad."

Gaara exhaled, but nodded. "We're not too late, so it should be alright considering it's our first day."

The blonde nodded in agreement. "Yeah…That's right huh?" He smirked. "If the teachers ask we could just say we got lost or something."

"That's true, but we shouldn't make this a habit."

Naruto waved his hands defensively "I know, I don't plan on being late all the time, I'm just saying it's a good excuse to use when you're new somewhere." This time, Naruto was going to take school seriously. He remembered what his mother told him before she departed from his psyche. Among all the things she wanted for him, education was one of the more important requests. He remembered laughing about how she was right about fearing his grades, but now that he had a second chance; he was going to work hard this time around. Narrowing his eyes, his hands were clenched into a tight fist. I'm going to make you proud mom, I promise. He thought with a look of passion and determination.

"Trust me; I plan on making the best of this opportunity."

Once again the red head nodded, "That's good to hear."

Naruto smiled, "Yeah I'm ready for anything this school has to throw at me!" He declared while raising a clenched fist. His declaration was a little loud so his voice echoed throughout the halls. "So where is this art class?"

"It's in room 2-5, we're almost there." Gaara replied, as they rounded a corner. Digging into his shirt pocket he pulled out a folded sheet of paper and handed it to him. Naruto unfolded the small piece of paper and began read give it a read. While looking carefully looking over the schedule he began to smile. He didn't really have a chance to look at the red heads schedule, but Gaara told him he had art, so he figured they might as well walk together.

Class Schedule

Student name/ Birthday/ Homeroom teacher

Gaara Sabaku/ January 19/ Shizuka Nekonome

1.) English, Nekonome Shizuka 1-3

2.) Art, Ishigami Hitomi 2-5

3.) Physical ED, Okuto Kotsubo Gym

4.) Math, Ririko Kagome 2-2

5.) Cooking, Aspara 3-8

6.) History, Suzuki Mitsuru 1-5

Naruto dug deep into the pockets of his trousers to locate his schedule. He had a lot of miscellaneous items in there, so it took a few seconds to find the damn thing. Taking out a crumpled up piece of paper, Naruto slowly began to unfold it. His blue eyes carefully scanned the printed sheet of paper, "Hmm..."

Class Schedule

Student name /Birthday /Homeroom teacher

Naruto Uzumaki /October 10 /Shizuka Nekonome

1.) English, Nekonome Shizuka 1-3

2.) Art, Ishigami Hitomi 2-5

3.) Cooking, Aspara 3-8

4.) Math, Ririko Kagome 2-2

5.) Physical ED, Okuto Kotsubo Gym

6.) History, Suzuki Mitsuru 1-5

"Sweet," he said with a foxy grin before giving Gaara back his agenda. "We basically have the same schedule, excluding gym and cooking."

"Great," Gaara replied while refolding the paper and stuffing it back in his shirt pouch. He didn't show it on his face, but he was happy with the schedule.

As the young men approached the art room, Naruto brought up something interesting.

"So…" He started, while gazing up at the ceiling lights. The expression that was on his face was one of wonder. "What do you think of them?"

"Huh?"

"Tsukune and those girls," Naruto clarified.

This time the red head turned to face him as they stopped right in front of their art class. He put his hand on the door knob before responding, "I-I… don't know." Since he didn't really talk to them, he didn't know what to think. They seemed okay, but they were still strangers "They seem alright, what do you think?" He asked as he started turning the nob.

"I like them, though they do seem a little strange," he remarked. Tsukune seemed kind of shy and modest, so he was automatically weird to Naruto since he was the exact opposite. Still, he looked trustworthy, but those girls… He didn't know what to expect from them. But not knowing is what makes it so damn interesting, the blonde smirked. Besides, he and Gaara weren't exactly normal either.

"Will find out eventually," He grinned.

Gaara nodded before pushing the door open,then they quietly entered.

Lunch Begins

The bell rang signaling the end of fourth period and the start of lunch. Today was a slow moving day, so all the students were a bit sluggish. Ririko Kagome watched as her students slowly stuffed their books into their bags and departed toward the cafeteria. Today had been an unfulfilling day full of the usual tedious work, but there was no since in complaining since tediousness was part of the job description. Her problem was that none of her students needed any assistance. They all seemed to grasp general concept of geometry, which in essence was good but also troublesome. They weren't experts but they understood it enough to get a passing grade.

She was hoping that she'd have a young man to tutor and keep her company. Having a young man sitting hunched over reading a mathematics book, while being whipped repeatedly by her was something she could only dream of nowadays. Being the kinky woman that she was, she wasn't into basic methods of educating. Even if any of her students were struggling they would have to be male for her to truly be inspired. Not to say she wouldn't help out the female students, she just seemed to gravitate and relate better to the boys. However it couldn't just be any ordinary boy, he had to have a scent. A scent that was so powerful it would intoxicate her with the briefest inhale. There was only one man on campus she knew of who had a scent that fit that description.

"Tsukune…" She whispered yearningly.

Ever since that incident last year, Tsukune had been distant. Though he and Moka forgave her, he decided not to ask for tutoring lessons. It was a pity considering how strong and rare his scent was. Tsukune still was her student, but she knew her chances at getting some alone time with him were very slim. Since Tsukune is out of the question so I'm going to have to find someone else. Lifting her brown eyes she surveyed the classroom as the students continued to exit. As she watched the kids leave she couldn't find anyone tempting. They were all so…Ordinary. I need someone new, she thought as she felt her body temperature rise. Someone fresh, she squirmed helplessly in her chair while rubbing her thighs together trying to locate the source of her random arousal. There was a strong aroma flowing through the room's atmosphere. Someone...

blonde.

Her thin brows rose while gazing at her two new students that were heading out the door.

"Man that was brutal…" Naruto screeched as they walked out of their fourth period math class. He didn't understand anything that she was saying. It was like she was speaking a foreign language, but instead of Spanish or french, it was numbers and shapes. All the numbers and equations on the chalkboard just seemed like numbers and letters integrating.

"Yeah it was tough, but I don't think it's as difficult as you make it out to be." Gaara replied informally. He also had some difficulty with this version of math, but he was able to understand just enough for him to manage. "This was our first day, I'm sure you'll understand sooner or later."

"Speak for yourself," the blonde scoffed while scratching his hair. "That was ten times harder than my training with the pervy sage."

Amused Gaara nodded, but didn't reply to the statement. He knew Naruto wasn't really book smart, but to be honest he was no genius either. He was slightly above average when it came to intellectual prowess so he was a quick learner; however the math was a lot harder than he previously believed.

When the red head didn't answer, he glanced at him out of the corner of his eye before speaking. "Anyways what do you think's there serving for lunch?"

"I'm not sure," he replied tiredly. He really didn't care as long it was edible he'd be satisfied.

Naruto smirked, "I hope it's Ramen!" It had been a whole month since he had enjoyed the delicious noodles that were Ichiraku Ramen. Being stuck on a broken down ship with three males and only fish food was an unpleasant voyage. Not to say he wasn't grateful, he just didn't understand why they couldn't bring some ramen or at least some barbeque pork. As the two walked down the hall, Naruto heard a soft feminine voice call out his name.

"Naruto Uzumaki!"

He turned around attentively to see Ms. Ririko standing outside of door with one hand on her supple hips, while the other one gestured him to come with her index finger. What this about? He wondered. Inwardly shrugging he turned around to face his friend, "Well… I guess I'll meet you in the cafeteria."

"Alright," Gaara nodded, before he continued walking down the hall.

As the red head disappeared into the traffic of wondering students, Naruto turned back around paced toward Ms. Kagome. As he got closer he could have sworn he saw her lick her lips sensually. Stopping right in front of her he shoved his hands in his pockets while staring at his math teacher.

"Yes… Ririko-Sensei?"

"Naruto," she started while tapping her heels against the tile. "I couldn't help but notice that you were struggling with today's lesson," she said with a smile. Her eyes seemed cheerful, but behind those beautiful orbs was a mind filled with sexual hunger and mischief. "I can tutor you if you'd like?" She asked while placing her soft hand on his shoulder.

Observing the small hand that rested on his shoulder, he swallowed the lump in his throat. His cheeks became flushed as she started rubbing. "Y-Yeah it was a little difficult, but I'm sure I'll be fine." He was really starting to become uncomfortable. "Thanks for the offer sensei, but I think I'm going to try to do this on my own."

Hearing him decline was very disappointing, but she wasn't one to give up so easily. "Are you sure? Because your first test is coming on Friday and you need to be ready."

Naruto smirked, "Don't worry I'll be ready." His eyes filled with an intense confidence that could only be found in someone who shared his passion to succeed. "I'll study hard and I'll pass. No sweat."

"Hmm… You sure make it sound easy. What makes you so confident?" She asked.

"I'll pass because I never give up until I achieve my goal," He responded.

His response intrigued her; she had never met a student who made something so hard sound so elementary. The way he looked at things was different, but she liked his optimism. That confidence of his left her with plenty of opportunities.

"This math is difficult, even more complicated than the math that's taught in human high schools." She warned.

"Trust me it's nothing I can't handle," he smirked. On the outside he seemed confident, but on the inside he knew he was in over his head. There was absolutely no way he can pass without someone's assistance. Even so, he would try and if he failed he'd seek help.

"Alright then if you think you can pass without my assistance, I'll support you one hundred percent."

"Ha-ha thanks Ririko-sensei." With that taken care of, he turned around and headed toward the cafeteria.

"But…" she continued causing him to stop. He didn't turn around to make eye contact; he just stood there and listened. "If you don't have a passing grade by the end of this month you will receive tutoring rather you like it or not. Understand…Naruto-Kun?"

Hearing the added endearment was strange, but he nodded in agreement. "Yes sensei..." He then continued pacing toward the lunch area. He appreciated her offer, but this was something he needed to do alone. He wasn't going to ask for assistance until he had given it a shot. He has already proven his independence since he was young by taking care of himself. Now he needed to prove his independence in education. Not only that, he had a feeling that she was coming onto him. He wasn't sharpest nail in the toolshed, but he knew when a woman was flirting. As attractive as she was, he still couldn't help but fill a little weirded out by her advances. Besides Ririko sensei seems like one of those teachers who takes her job a little too seriously for my taste. As he strolled down the hall he saw a boy's restroom come into view. I better take a leak while I have the chance.

X-X-X-X-X-X

Tsukune walked through the crowded lunch area with a porcelain tray that had six compartments. The largest compartment held his spaghetti which was the main focus of the meal. The smaller sections were occupied by a carton of milk, an apple, toasted bread and a pack of carrots. At first glance it wasn't all that appealing since it was process food instead of homemade, but nevertheless it was better than nothing. The brunette stopped abruptly and began to look for a place to sit.

He needed to find an empty table big enough to seat everyone comfortably. Most of the time a small task like that would be simple, but today the cafeteria was full. Students that usually ate outside or in other areas of the school were all jammed pack in one room. Sighing, Tsukune looked back in forth in all directions. Almost every table was occupied by four or more. Any other day the cafeteria would be half full at most, so what makes today so different? Tsukune wondered to himself.

Looking around he didn't see any stage equipment so he knew there wasn't a rally that was taking place. If there was, they would have been notified earlier in the day. That notion aside, the only explanation he could come up with was that it was the second week of school, meaning that half of these students were freshmen. The group that held the second largest percent was the seniors. Since it was there last year at the academy, the popular seniors always had a few tables reserved.

Just when he was about to give up, he saw a red head on the other side of the room sitting alone. He appeared to be deep in thought, as he sat there complacently with his elbows propped on the desk and his fingers interlaced. Immediately recognizing him, Tsukune started walking towards the unsuspecting teen.

"Gaara…" Hearing his name he looked up to see Tsukune standing there with a smile on his face and a plate in his hands. "Do you mind if I join you?"

"Not at all," the red head wearily replied while making brief eye contact with his new acquaintance.

The brunette placed his meal on the table before sitting directly across from him. As Tsukune began to eat, he couldn't help but noticed that Gaara wasn't eating his food. He was just staring at his hamburger questionably. His green eyes observed the bun, before wondering down to the patty. If I didn't know any better I'd say he never had a burger before, he thought. Burgers were common food among teenagers and children across the world, so how could this be his first time trying one?

After staring at the sandwich for what seemed like forever, he picked up the burger and brought it up to his face. Curiously he sniffed it a few times before biting into the beef sandwich. His chews were slow and subtle, as if to savor it. Once he swallowed the broken down food, Tsukune asked him a question.

Chuckling he said, "I take it this is your first hamburger?"

At first Gaara didn't reply he just gazed at him passively. He actually looked a little annoyed by the sudden inquiry. To the brunette's surprise he closed his eyes and said, "Yes."

The unexpected answer left Tsukune somewhat satisfied since he thought the red head didn't really didn't trust him. He was about to ask him something else when he heard a something slam down hard, causing to him to almost jump out of his seat. "What the hell!" he shouted, I almost had a heart attack.

"Kurumu," he exhaled after seeing her face. For a second there he thought Moka's sister was attacking them again.

"Sorry Tsukune I didn't mean to scare you!" She said before embracing him in a tight hug, her breast pressed up against his face closing off his breathing passages. Gaara watched quietly as the woman suffocated him with her large bosom. He felt like it was none of his business so he chose not to say anything. After about thirty seconds she released him, resulting in him gasping for air.

"Are you alright Tsukune?" Kurumu asked. She was concerned even though she was the cause of his fluctuated breathing.

"Yes….I'm…Fine." He panted.

"You really need to work on that, it's a bad habit Kurumu."

Unlike the succubus, Yukari placed her tray gently on the table. "If you don't, you're going to end up suffocating him with those oversized balloons," she giggled.

Kurumu narrowed her eyes at the young witch, before a playful smirk appeared on her face. "That's funny coming from you Yukari, since your boobs are so small you don't even require a sports bra."

Embarrassed, the preteen's face started to redden. "Shut up you bimbo! I'm only 12 years old!"

"My point exactly," Kurumu remarked while leaning over Tsukune to get closer. Her breast hovered over his nose, as she was only inches away from Yukari's face, "Your. Still. Just. A. Kid."

Yukari growled but couldn't find the right words to respond. She knew she was still young, but she knew she would grow sooner or later she just had to! Right?

"Besides, you're turning 13 next month so you will officially be a teenager. When I was 13 I was already a D cup." She bragged. "Who knows maybe when you turn twenty your bust will grow to an A..." She chuckled.

"You…Bitch!" she screamed before grabbing her right tit causing her to moan abruptly. She smirked as the turquoise haired girl squirmed in enjoyment. "Just you wait moo cow! One of these days these things are going to sag!"

Instead of watching the immature argument, Gaara continued to eat, his pale face was slightly flushed from witnessing the random groping. Never in his life had he seen such indecent behavior. Sure he's seen females argue, typically Matsuri and Sari. They were always competing to get his attention, so it always ended up in a confrontation. Still, they never really talked about each other's private parts, at least not in his presence. Nonetheless, he wasn't going to pass judgment. He just shrugged it off as something he would have to get used to.

"I see you two are already at it," Mizore commented as she approached them. Unlike the other girls she didn't have any food, only her sucker. Stopping their fighting, Yukari and Kurumu stared at her for a moment before resuming their arguing. "Annoying…" She murmured while rolling her eyes and taking her seat on the opposite tier. Glancing out of the corner of eye, she noticed the mysterious red headed. As expected, he sat there calm and collective as Tsukune tried to break up the ongoing fight.

"Hey guys what's. Going. On?"

Yukari was in the middle of twisting Kurumu's nipple when she noticed the last girl of their harem standing behind them. "Ha-ha nothing much," said the young witch.

Moka was used to seeing them like this so it wasn't all that shocking; she just hoped they would grow out of it sooner or later. "That's not what I see," She giggled before sitting down next to Yukari. The preteen let go off Kurumu's teat causing the older girl to whimper before easing back into her seat on the other side of Tsukune. Once everyone was seated Moka smiled before pulling a piece of paper out of her jacket pocket. "We need to get started on this week's newspaper; do you guys have any ideas for articles?" She asked.

Gaara raised an invisible eyebrow. Newspaper? He questioned himself. This intrigued him a little, but of course he didn't show it on his face. Instead of participating, he continued eating his burger peacefully while listening to their conversation.

"Hmm…How about we do an article about cooking?" Kurumu asked. Baking was one of the few things she was good at, so she wanted to do something to make Tsukune notice her. It would also put her ahead of the other girls for Tsukune's affection. "It could be one of our side articles. We can do it on deserts and include several different pastries and the recipes to make them."

"That's a good idea Kurumu!" Moka said before jotting it down.

"Psshhh…Come on Moka, we all know why Kurumu picked cooking for a topic," Mizore remarked.

"Just what are you saying Mizore?"

Sighing, the snow woman placed her elbow on the table while her cheek rested in the palm of her hands. "I'm saying you picked cooking so you can out due the rest of us and impress Tsukune," She remarked plainly.

"Y-You couldn't be more wrong ice queen! This is all for the newspaper." Kurumu huffed.

"Right…" Mizore replied casually with a hint of sarcasm.

"Nonetheless, cooking is a good idea and it makes are job that much easier since Kurumu is skilled in that area," Yukari said. As much as she hated to admit it Kurumu could be useful at times.

"Alright!" Moka said joyously, while tapping her pencil against the solid table. "Alright…We have cooking down, we need a few more articles and then we can focus on our main topic for the Yokai cosset."

"How about sports?" Mizore mumbled carelessly.

"Yeah, I think that'll do," Tsukune nodded. "There are going to be tryouts for basketball and soccer we could meet up with the coaches and get some important information. " Even though Tsukune wasn't a perfect athletic specimen, he still was aware of the impact it held in high school.

"Ok we have sport tryouts down," The pink haired vampire declared while slowly writing it down. Wow we're moving a lot faster than usual! Most of the time they planned the topics for the newspaper article in Ms. Nekonome's class, but since it was only the second week of school everyone was still busy so they had less time to plan. Of course they would still have to run all this stuff by Gin before they published it.

"Now we only need one more," she stated.

This time no one answered right away. There weren't many other things that would interest people. They had already gotten down baking recipes which would attract the attention of the female students. The information for sport tryouts was intended to appeal to the guys. Now they need one more thing, to draw in both sexes.

"Hmm…" Moka hummed in wonder. Come on there has to be something left. Slowly the vampire started to look in all directions. Her emerald eyes scanned the vicinity for something appealing. Right when she was about to give up, her eyes settled on Gaara who she didn't even notice was sitting right in front of her.

"Oh my gosh! How could I be so rude?" She asked herself aloud. "Hi… You're Gaara correct?"

The vampire might not have seen him, but Kurumu and Yukari had noticed him when they first arrived, but they never had a chance to greet him since they were too busy squabbling. Still, they couldn't help but notice how well he blends in considering his appearance. Mizore on the other hand had noticed him right away, but not much got by her so it was expected.

He closed his eyes and nodded in confirmation.

"So um how do you like the school so far?" She asked.

"It's nice." That wasn't much of answer, so he really wasn't giving her much to work with.

Wow he's not really talkative, which bothered her since she really wanted to get know Tsukune's new friends. Holding back a sigh, she started to hang her head in disappointment. But then she remembered one something that Tsukune told her earlier. It was a good conversation starter in her opinion.

"So… I hear you and Naruto are related." It was a rather random statement, but she couldn't think of anything else to start with.

Gaara stared at the bubble gum haired woman with uncertainty. He really didn't know how to reply to her question. Since Naruto had declared them cousins, the logical thing would be to go along with the fib. However once he confirmed that they were blood relatives, him and Naruto were going to have to keep up the façade the whole time they attended Yokai academy. I really wish Naruto would think before he speaks, he sighed.

"Yes...We're cousins."

Yukari smiled, "Wow It must be great going to school with a relative."

Kurumu laughed before glancing at the pink haired girl, "Yeah but not for everyone…"

Of course she was referring to Moka's crazy younger sister Kokoa. Ever since the semester begun, she had been attacking the newspaper club relentlessly. Almost every day she would approach Moka demanding her to fight her. As soon as she would decline the younger vampire would go on a rampage.

"Come on Kurumu, she's not that bad-

"Not that bad…ARE YOU KIDDING ME SHE'S A FUCKING PSYCHOPATH!" The succubus shouted.

"I agree she's is a bit unstable," Yukari concurred politely. She loved Moka and wanted to agree with her but her sister was crazy and there was no hiding it.

"Unstable? More like a pain in the ass..." Mizore murmured. She desperately wanted to bury that brat in ice, but she knew Moka wouldn't be too happy about that.

As the girls continued to talk about Kokoa's mental health, a loud crash was heard throughout the cafeteria. Following the booming sound was a miniature earthquake. Once the quake ended, they shifted their attention to the source of the sound which was several feet away from the lunch line.

Standing in the front of the room were two students who appeared to be in an altercation. The first guy was pretty big; he was about "6'5"and pretty bulky. He had short brown hair with piercing black eyes. His nose was rather large with a few heat bumps. Judging by his appearance, one would say he was a senior. On the other side was a boy with spikey blonde hair, he stood at "5'9". Unlike the other guy, he had a leaner frame. His skin was fairly tanned. On both sides of his face were fox like whisker marks. He had a mature face, but still had a very youthful appearance. In between them was a huge hole in the ground, which was created by the larger boy. Lifting his transformed green fist off the ground he glared menacingly at the young blonde.

"Hey you better apologize you little punk!" He demanded.

Naruto scoffed, "Apologize? You bumped into me jerk…" He growled.

"Look at my clothes, there ruined and my food is wasted. This is your fault runt!" You can see a vein popping out of his forehead, clearly showing his frustration.

"Listen pal…" Naruto started while staring at him with a glare of his own. "I'm not the one to blame here; you're the one who bumped into me, so blame yourself for being uncoordinated. Besides you're not the only one who lost their meal." He looked down at the tile floor to spot his spaghetti lying there. The collision was so strong that his noodles and sauce practically separated.

"Who do you think you're talking to you little shit?" He growled while pacing towards the smaller boy.

Hearing the insult Naruto stopped and turned back around. I was really trying to avoid confrontation on my first day, but I guess it can't be helped. "I'm talking to you jackass," he replied coolly with narrowed eyes. "I don't know who you are, but you'd best walk away," he warned. "Trust me you don't want any of this."

As soon as this happened all the other students in the cafeteria practically jumped out of their seats and circled around them in anticipation.

"You're going to wish you didn't say that punk," The big brute cracked his knuckles, before beginning his transformation. All four of his limbs extended and expanded it width, while his skin turned green in the process. Large claws formed at the end of his fingertips. His pupils began to disappear as his eye turned into a murderous red. By the end of his transformation he stood at a whopping 12 feet.

So this is his monster form? Ha and I thought he was ugly before…

X-X-X-X-X-X

Staring at the scene from afar was Gaara and the newspaper club. The girls watched in shock as a fight was about to unfold. Fighting wasn't uncommon at Yokai Academy, as a matter a fact the main reason for having a hospital on campus is the high frequency of fights. There were at least three fights a week, so there were plenty of injuries. This was different though, a newcomer was about to fight on his first day. Breaking the awkward silence, Yukari turned to Gaara.

"Umm Gaara...Isn't that Naruto over there?"

"Yes…" Gaara sighed in agitation before slowly standing up. Looks like I better stop this before it gets out of hand. The last thing he needed was his 'cousin' beating up another student on their first day at the academy. He didn't want them to reveal their powers so soon, unless they had to.

"Excuse me," He said before walking off in direction of the commotion.

"Where the hell is he going?" Kurumu asked while staring at his retreating form.

Mizore watched the red head calmly pace towards the fight. Hmm…Maybe this will give me some answers, she thought. There was no telling what he was going to do, but whatever it was she wanted to be there. Slowly the snow woman stood up and began to follow him.

"Mizore what are you doing!" Kurumu shouted but to no avail. The Yuki-Onna kept walking in the opposite direction. "That's just great…"

"Since there going we might as well check it out." Tsukune said. With any luck I might be able to learn some new things.

"Umm…Okay," Moka nervously replied. She hated confrontation so she was a little uncomfortable, but she followed Tsukune anyways.

"This should be fun! Come on Kurumu!" Yukari shouted over all the loud commotion.

Kurumu watched the young witch disappear into the crowd. She couldn't believe them; they were actually going. Are they stupid? Did they forget what happened last year? If the newspaper club gets involved, they could get in serious trouble. Just because the Security Committee wasn't around anymore didn't mean they could relax. If they do something stupid they could get suspended or even expelled. Sometimes she wondered if they lacked common sense. Then again she had to admit, she was also interested in seeing how this would turn out.

Kurumu looked on for several more seconds before shrugging, "I guess it won't hurt to look, just as long as we don't get involved." She then followed the others into the sea of students.

"FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!"

The students chanted repeatedly as Naruto and his opponent began to size each other up.

The big brutish boy looked down at the smaller boy with a baleful glare. That arrogant smirk was really starting to make his blood boil. He couldn't understand how someone so small scrawny could be so confident. It was as if he was taunting him just waiting for him to attack. Putting all that aside, there was one thing he couldn't understand…

"HEY BRAT! AREN'T YOU GOING TO FIGHT ME IN YOUR MONSTER FORM?" He asked. You could hear the irritation in his monstrous voice. What kind of idiot fought another monster in human form? That's just suicide.

"There's no need, I can beat you without it," Naruto replied.

"COCKY BASTARD… YOUR GOING TO REGRET THAT!" He yelled before charging towards him. His giant feet caused the ground to shake violently with each step. As he approached the blonde he watched him just stand there no even moving an inch. Little runt is mocking me…I'll smash him to pieces!

"TAKE THIS!" He yelled as he brought down his colossal fist on the boy's head. The effect of the thunderous punch was monumental; a booming sound was heard throughout the large room. The earsplitting sound reflected of the hollow walls causing most of the students to temporarily lose their hearing, which was bad since there was a huge dust cloud blocking there vision.

Mizore moved carefully through the crowd. To clear her path she pushed students aside causing a few of them to grunt and groan, but she didn't care. She held her sleeve over her eyes to block out the dust as she moved forward. Where did he go? I only took my eyes off him for a second, she wondered. She was walking right behind him only not too long ago, when the room suddenly began to shake, she stopped causing her to stumble. During that brief moment he escaped her field of vision. Finally she emerged from the herd to see nothing but debris.

"What's this?" She asked with a blank expression.

"Mizore!" hearing a feminine voice, the snow woman turned around to see Moka and Tsukune coming toward her as they squeezed their way through the clustered area. Once they got to her Moka looked at her with uncertainty, displaying her ignorance of the situation. "What happened here? Where's did Gaara go?"

Mizore shrugged, "I don't know... I only took my eyes off him for a second and he was gone."

"How strange…" Tsukune replied. Now he was sure there was something different about those two. How could someone just disappear like that? Now he was really curious.

"You Guys…What's going on?" Kurumu asked as she and Yukari finally caught up with them.

"We don't know, we just got here," Moka responded.

"Shhh… The dust is settling," Yukari whispered.

Once the debris was gone all they saw was a big green monster with his fist planted on the ground. Underneath his fist was a large crater. Now the crowd was silent, they couldn't possibly guess what happened in that dust cloud

"HAHA THAT WAS TOO EASY… I GUESS HE WAS ALL TALK!" He laughed obnoxiously, but when the dust settled completely his boorish laughter came to a halt. Beneath his fist was nothing but a large hole in the ground where the blonde was previously standing. He couldn't believe it he could have sworn he felt his fist make contact with his skull. "W-WHERE DID HE GO?" He asked dumbly while looking left and right. "I THOUGHT I HIT HIM." He was completely baffled until he heard an annoying chuckle.

"Over here ugly!"

Slowly turning around, his crimson orbs landed on his smirking enemy. The blond stood there with his hands in his pockets and a smile on his face. "Wow your aim is terrible," Naruto commented. The students stared at him in awe, just like the brute they thought he had been smashed.

Infuriated, the big green troll began to grind his sharpened teeth. "HOW THE HELL DID YOU ESCAPE?" he questioned.

"That should be the least of your worries," Naruto responded while reaching into his pocket. Slowly he pulled out a freshly sharpened number 2 pencil, it wasn't a kunai but he figured it was better than nothing. Ordinarily most people don't like to carry sharpened pencils in their pockets, but Naruto was in a rush to get out of class so he wasn't even thinking about safety.

The transformed student found this amusing. "JUST WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU PLANNING TO DO WITH THAT?" he chuckled.

Gripping the wooden writing utensil, Naruto stared at him with his piercing blue eyes. "This is all I need to get you on your knees."

"HAHA YEAH LIKE YOU CAN HURT ME WITH THAT PIECE OF WOOD…" He laughed while holding his sides. The troll couldn't believe how naïve he was. There was no way in hell he was going to be defeated by a scrawny kid and a writing utensil. He had fangs and claws and skin that was tougher than a crocodiles. How could a sharp piece of led penetrate such a strong defense? "YOU'RE EVEN DUMBER THAN YOU LOOK!"

Instead of getting mad, Naruto's grin grew wider while glaring at his opponent. "Well we won't truly know until I try…" With nothing else to say the blonde charged towards the hideous beast. As he ran he began to force chakra to his legs so he could pick up speed.

Once he got within range the monster started swing his fists, but Naruto skillfully dodged them. Furiously the troll continued to flail around his gigantic arms in hopes of hitting his target. "STAY STILL YOU WORM!"

After several seconds of hopping about, Naruto decided to get serious. Side stepping to avoid collision with his brick like fists, he activated sage mode but only for a second so he could pick up speed. With frog eyes he charged forward and appeared right in front of him in less than a second. Deactivating sage mode his eyes returned to their previous color. The blonde began to funnel chakra into the thin wooden object. I'll end this quickly; he cranked back his arm, preparing to plunge the pencil into the beasts' abdomen. He didn't want to kill him so he had to avoid hitting any vital organs. Right when he was about to stab him, he felt a soft hand grip his shoulder.

Astonished by the change of events the students began whispering to one another. They couldn't believe their eyes; the new kid was trying to take on a senior who happened to be an A class monster, while remaining in his human form. The fact that he had dodged that attack so swiftly was impressive and then someone else appears and they didn't even sense his presence.

"Naruto...That's enough"

Recognizing the deep voice, he slowly turned his head to see his red headed friend standing there staring at him passively. Forgetting about his hulkish opponent he turned around, causing the hand to fall off his shoulder.

"Why did you stop me Gaara?"

Gaara folded his arms across his chest and exhaled, "You know good and well that we shouldn't be fighting on our first day here."

Naruto scoffed, "Keeping up appearances is the last thing on my mind right now." He replied with narrowed eyes. At this point he could care less about what other people think, this guy needed to be taught a lesson and he wanted to be the one to do it.

"That maybe so, but what are you going to gain from fighting him?" Gaara questioned.

Annoyed the blonde grunted. He knew he had nothing to gain from beating the crap out this guy, but that didn't matter to him. The guy insulted him and publicly challenged him; he was basically asking to get his ass kicked. "Nothing really, but I know I'll be satisfied when it's over."

Gaara was also starting to become irritated, why did he have to be so damn stubborn? With no other ways to convince him Gaara leaned so he could whisper to him, "Listen Naruto…If you fight this guy you're going to be revealing your fighting style and your jutsu."

"Not if I only use taijutsu…" He retorted.

Gaara didn't have anything to say that could oppose that statement. He was right, if he only used taijutsu he wouldn't have to worry about revealing any of his techniques, but there was still one problem that came with that plan. "If you defeat him using only taijutsu it will raise further suspicion."

Naruto huffed at the red heads logic. Even if he was right it didn't mean he had to be happy about. While running hand through his spikey blond hair he sighed in frustration, "Damn it Gaara…You're killing me here."

Growing restless, the monster knelt down to make eye contact with the two teenagers. He snorted causing a cloud of steam to shoot out of his nose, abruptly hitting them in the face. "SO ARE YOU GOING TO FIGHT ME OR NOT? IF I WERE YOU I'D LISTEN TO YOUR EMO FRIEND HERE AND LEAVE WELL ENOUGH ALONE. UNLESS YOU WANT TO END UP IN THE INFIRMARY"

"You're not putting anyone in the infirmary, Ichiro Nagasaki."

The big monster looked up to see a man who appeared to be in his late twenties. He had short burgundy colored hair and brown eyes. His chin had a few fuzzy hairs making him look a little rugged. The outfit he wore was pretty basic, a white tracksuit with a blue stripe along the sides. To match he had on plain white sneakers.

"C-COACH KOTSUBO," The boy now known as Ichiro responded.

"What do you think you're doing here Nagasaki?" Kotsubo asked as he approached. By the glare he was giving the young man you could tell that he was pretty irritated. "You know you're supposed to stay in human form at all times while you're on campus. That rule is only invalid under special circumstances." He continued as he stopped right in front of the transformed student. "So tell me…Why are you not in human form?"

Nervously Ichiro looked in every direction trying to find a proper excuse. He couldn't get in trouble this was his senior year and he wanted to enjoy all the pleasantries that came with graduating. "UHH…YOU SEE-"

"Just save it Nagasaki! Pull another stunt like this and I'll kick you off the soccer team!"

Ichiro's eye's widened as he open his mouth to protest. "BUT COACH-

"Do I make myself clear?" Kotsubo growled once again interrupting him. The last thing he needed was his one of his best players getting in a fight. If it was the end of the season he really wouldn't care, but they haven't even begun practicing and he's trying to brawl.

"YES SIR," he grudgingly replied while hanging his head in defeat. With no more objections Ichiro reverted back to his human form. His green Yokai jacket was slightly stretched out from his transformation which was amazing considering his size while in monster form.

"Alright you guys there's nothing to see here! Resume lunch and act like this never happened." He shouted to all the surrounding students who slowly began to disperse.

As the students returned to their tables, Ichiro stuffed his hands in his pockets and began to walk away with hunched shoulders. When he walked pass Naruto he stopped a few feet away from him. With a wicked grin he said, "This isn't over blondie. One way or another we will settle this."

Naruto smirked at his declaration before shoving his pencil back into his pocket, "Can't wait."

Ichiro grimaced at his response, before trudging towards the cafeteria's exit. Once everything seemed to settle down, Kotsubo turned to address the other student who was involved.

"Sorry about that," he said with a friendly smile.

For a while Naruto didn't reply. He just stood there in a gaze while looking down towards his empty belly. Man I'm hungry, he thought as his stomach began to growl. Damn it, I'm starving and it's all thanks to that ugly bastard. I should have kicked his ass when I had the chance. After about several seconds he finally heard the older male's voice and shook his head to snap out of his daze.

"Oh you don't have to apologize, it's not like you were trying to fight me," he chuckled.

"I know, but I still want to apologize for his behavior. He's one of my soccer guys so I feel a little responsible for his actions."

"Hold on… You're the soccer coach?" He asked curiously.

"Yes and I'm also the Gym teacher." He responded before shaking his hand. "Kotsubo Okuto and you are?"

"Naruto Uzumaki, I actually have your class next."

"Oh is that so? Well I'm looking forward to seeing you there." He replied before looking over his shoulders to see the red head staring at him intensely. He wasn't glaring he was just looking at him with a strange awareness that made the gym teacher a little weary. I know him, he thought as they made exchanged glances.

"Gaara…Sabaku"

"Yes," Gaara replied.

"Yeah I thought so; you're in my third period." When Gaara nodded the older red head smirked. "I was impressed with you today; you ran the mile in record time."

Gaara kept his gaze on the gym teacher with mild interest of the things he was saying. There was something about him he didn't like but he couldn't put his finger on it. Maybe he was just overthinking it. Maybe he needed to relax.

When Gaara didn't respond Kotsubo decided to press on. "I notice that you were very quiet today. When the mile was over I saw you sitting alone on the bleachers instead of interacting with the other guys."

"Sorry sensei, I'm not really a people person," was the stoic teens only answer. He really didn't want to be in his presence much longer, so he was trying to give him subtle hints. Luckily for him it seemed as though the other red head was ready to take his leave.

"I see, well try and get to know the guys I'm sure you'll get along with them if you give them a chance," He remarked with a wave of the hand. "Anyways I should get going there's a faculty meeting and I'm already late." The man proceeded to walk away, "I'll see you tomorrow Sabaku and I'll see you next period Uzumaki…"

"Alright sensei, see you in thirty minutes," Naruto chuckled as he waved to the retreating man. Apparently he wasn't sensing the negative things that Gaara was which was strange since he's a pretty good judge of character.

Once the physical Ed teacher was out of sight, the hyperactive teen smirked before turning to face his friend. "So…You already broke a record?"

"Yes, let me guess you want to beat my time?" Gaara asked.

"You know it!" Naruto responded confidently. There was no way in hell he was going to let Gaara one up him. "So what was your time anyways?"

The red head's gaze went north towards the ceiling as he tried to remember the his finishing time. "If I recall it was 3:29."

Naruto chuckled, "Alright I'll beat that no sweat!" He was already looking forward to gym. If his hunch was correct Gaara was probably one of the only ones who could challenge him in the athletic department. If there are any others it was highly doubtful that he'd be lucky enough to find competition in his period.

"Hey guys!"

Breaking out of their competitive musings, the two jinchuriki turned around to see Tsukune and his harem coming toward them. The expressions on their faces were classic. It was mixture of shock, confusion, and curiosity wrapped in one. They had never seen anything like that before and they witnessed a lot of strange things at this school. A fight was a common occurrence at Yokai academy so that's not what surprised them. What shocked them was their speed. First Gaara disappears in the blink of an eye and then Naruto dodges an attack that look like it landed. Maybe it wasn't speed maybe it was some kind of magic. Then again they didn't seem like the magic type, so it had to be speed. What else could it be?

"What happened?" Tsukune asked immediately.

"That was crazy I can't believe you picked a fight with that guy! He was almost twice your size!" Yukari said with awe struck eyes.

"I can't believe you were going to fight that guy in human form. How reckless can you be blondie?" Kurumu asked slightly annoyed by his stupidity.

"Are you guys alright?" Moka asked the one question that should have been asked from the beginning of this miniature interrogation.

Naruto couldn't believe all the questions he was getting. Damn Gaara was right? I need to be more careful so I can avoid situations like this. "Yeah I'm fine just a little hungry. That jerk bumped into me when I was heading toward the table and I dropped my tray."

"So that's how it all started?" Mizore questioned.

Naruto nodded before continuing, "I was trying to walk away but the guy kept egging me on, so I had no choice in the matter. If I didn't do anything I'd look like a coward."

Kurumu narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "I don't get it. Why didn't you transform?"

That question alone made him become alert. His ocean blue eyes widen as he stared at the big breasted girl. There was only one excuse and he knew it was a crappy one, but it was better than nothing. "It's against school rules to-

"Don't give me that shit, no one follows that rule when there about to fight. So give me a real reason?"

"Uhh…" Naruto started while staring back at the blue haired girl. Man what's this chick's problem? He didn't really have a good reason so he decided to tell her the truth. "I stayed in human form because transforming was pointless."

Instead of getting mad the succubus became amused, "So you're saying you could have defeated him without using any of your powers?"

"Yeah…Basically…" He remarked casually.

"Well if that's the case you must be an S class monster…" As soon as he heard the word S rank, Naruto raised a brow. Before Naruto could reply, Gaara decided to steer the conversation in a different direction.

"Tsukune since it seems like everybody's done eating could you guys' show us around?"

The male was a little caught off guard by the sudden question, but nodded. "Yeah follow me," he said as he began pacing down the narrow highway. Of course the girls followed him first; even Kurumu wasn't so pissed that she'd forget her competition with the other girls. Slowly the two males trailed them, but kept their distance in the process.

"Thanks," Naruto whispered to Gaara still looking straight ahead and the red head nodded.

As they continued to walk they reached the doors at the end of the hallway. Pushing the door open Tsukune stepped outside into the sunlight. He couldn't help but admire the serene atmosphere. It was really peaceful outside. The sun was out and the sky was blue. When the others came out, he turned around and smiled at the girls.

"So where should we start?" he asked.

"That's easy the auditorium," Yukari answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Moka smiled, "I agree…"

"The auditorium it is," Tsukune said. As they walked to toward the concert hall the group of teenagers conversed about different things mostly school. Naruto did most of the talking, while Gaara just listened as they walked. After about three minutes of talking they were with range of the range of their destination, However when they turned a corner someone was blocking their path.

Moka's eyes went wide as well as the other as they stared at the person obstructing their path. Immediately she grabbed Tsukune's arm leaned into him for comfort. Naruto and Gaara who were completely oblivious to what was going on, so they decided to be quiet and watch everything unfold.

Standing there with a mischievous glare was a girl with bright orange hair tied into two ponytails. Her eyes were a dazzling emerald green. She wore a red shirt tied in the front was a bow and she had on the traditional checkered skirt. Adorning her short curvy legs were reddish brown knee socks that stopped at her lower thighs. To correspond with the rest of her attire, she wore gothic lolita shoes. Hovering next to her was a small innocent looking bat.

"I finally found you…Moka"

Kurumu grimaced while face palming, "Damn it...I don't think I can deal with this girl right now."

Mizore stared at the opposing girl with cold eyes. "There's no need to fret Kurumu, because me and you are going to end this hear and now…" Instantly her hands changed into ice daggers and her soft purple hair gained a shade of white while turning cold and frosty in the process. Biting down hard she crushed the sucker in her mouth. "No holding back."

Kurumu closed her violet eyes and sighed, while lazily raising a hand. "I suppose you're right," she said. Just like her friend she decided to take monster form. Without warning wings sprouted from her back and she also grew a thin black tail. Sharp claws shot out of her finger tips and her ears became pointed.

"What...The hell…" Naruto mumbled. There transformation wasn't terrifying, especially after he fought that hideous monster earlier. He was surprised because their actions were so sudden and unexpected. Hell, he didn't even know what was going on at the moment. For all he knew they were supposed to be going to the auditorium, which was right behind the girl with the pony tails.

"Are you ready Yukari?" Kurumu asked.

With narrowed eyes the preteen pulled out her pink heart shaped wand. "Mhmm," she nodded.

"You weaklings really think you can take me on? Oh this is going to be fun." Amused by their odd behavior she opened her hand. "Come Ko buddy," she commanded. Obeying its master, the young bat began to transform. Once the flying rodent was finished it had changed into a gigantic spiked club, also known as a morning star. The large weapon dropped into her small hand and she caught it in a strong grip. Casually she rested it on her shoulder as if it was as light as a feather. "You girls ready?" she smirked.

Now her blood was really pumping, maybe now she'll get the fight she's looking for. All three of them together should put up a challenge, but then again they are lower monsters so her expectations weren't too high.

"Interesting," Gaara murmured to himself. The fact that a girl could lift something of that magnitude like it was a child's toy was amazing. What was even more astonishing was that the weapon she wielded was the same size as her body.

"Wait you guys can't fight her!" Moka shouted while clinging to Tsukune.

Tired of being left out of the loop, Naruto stepped toward the male brunette to get some answers. Nudging Tsukune he leaned in while covering his mouth. "Who's the girl? And why is Moka scared out of her mind?"

"Because she's wants to fight her to the death," Tsukune replied in a hushed tone. He stared at the beautiful orange haired girl who was anxiously gripping her medieval weapon. She had been chasing them around for a whole week. The girls have been trying not to fight back since they were Moka's wishes but enough is enough. The only way she was going to learn was tough love, she was in high school now so there's no excuse. Still, she didn't seem all that bad, just a little misunderstood. Man I was hoping today would be peaceful, but I guess that's out of the question. Forcing his gaze back to Naruto, he opened his mouth to continue.

"Her name is Kokoa…Moka's younger sister."

To be continued…

I know that wasn't much of a cliffhanger, since you all knew it was Kokoa to begin with. Just so I don't get any annoying reviews about Naruto and Gaara's strength and Jutsu I'm going to put a few things out there. Unlike most crossovers of these two shows, I'm not going to have them use all their strongest moves at the beginning of the story; I want to build up to it. I'm following canon so if you guys read the manga you know how strong they are.

I hope you guys like the chapter; please review and tell me what you thought. I know it took me longer than last time to update so I apologize, but I've been kind of out and about lately so I've been a little preoccupied. My goal is to update once a month, but will see how that works out. See you guys next time.