A/N: Thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter. I usually try to reply, but I went on vacation, and couldn't get replies to work on my phone? But yeah, know that I read and appreciated every single review greatly, it means a lot to me! :D


The world was fuzzy around the edges, tinted by red to match the heady scent of blood in the air. He knew it should mean something, that scent. That something had happened, something bad, maybe? It was hard to focus, easier to just stop fighting for once and let himself drift away, caught up in the whirlwind of instincts that was the beast within.

There was a metallic taste in his mouth, and he was vaguely aware of the need for more of that taste thrumming through him. Blood. He wanted more blood. The sweet taste of blood and flesh in his mouth. The feel of flesh breaking apart between his teeth, torn into shreds, the feeling of skin ripped apart by his fangs, of bone snapping, of the dying throbs of a heart as his fist locked around it.

A part of him that was buried was trying to tell him something, trying to rise against the overwhelming instincts ruling him , but he was floating in a hazy world where there was no more fighting, where he could just rest, let someone else take charge for once. He knew there was some reason why this was bad, some reason why he had been struggling not to give in to this, but he couldn't remember why. It felt too good to let go and just float along.

He looked up from one of the broken bodies on the floor, seeing someone in front of him. They weren't attacking, not like those he had just torn apart, but the blood was still warm on his hands, and the taste in his mouth alluringly sweet. He could get more of that taste if he only…

No. It would be bad. He didn't know why, but he couldn't, wouldn't, harm the one in front of him.

Some reason. He knew there was some reason, but it was so hard to focus, as if he was stuck somewhere in-between being awake and being asleep, that place where there were no worries, no pain.

Naruto.

His name. Someone was saying his name. Naruto, he was Naruto. He hadn't torn those vampires apart, something else did, something he had worked so hard to contain, something he thought he had under control. This was what he was fighting, this was why he could never allow the beast to take control. It was too easy to hand over the reigns completely, let the overwhelming power that lay dormant in him take over, but he couldn't. It was bloodthirsty, wouldn't stop at just vampires. He'd harm people, he'd become the monster he had always fought against becoming, and he could not let that happen, had to fight.

Naruto blinked, trying to clear the red fog from his eyes. Someone was in front of him, someone he knew, someone who mattered.

It was like wading through molasses, each step back into gaining control over the beast that was snarling at him, not ready to go back into its cage, wanting to be free. It tasted blood, remembered the feel of flesh tearing under his fangs, it wanted more.

Naruto didn't need it, he was strong enough alone, could protect those he cared about alone, didn't…

Dark eyes were watching him fight, and Naruto tried focusing on them, letting them ground him.

The beast was pushed back, and Naruto knew he was winning the fight, and soon he'd be fine, and then…

It happened so fast.

One moment he was easing back in control of himself, and the next the control snapped like a rubber band pulled to its limit. There had been one more vampire, and Naruto had only noticed when it was already barrelling towards the two of them, looking ready to tear them both apart and bathe in their blood. The next he knew adrenaline was rushing through him, bringing along the beast, and then it was all a blur, blood and broken limbs, the final crunch as its skull shattered underneath his hands, but by then Naruto wasn't even seeing, just catching glimpses of what was happening, and then he saw how the hand he knew was his shot out, carving open more skin, but this time it wasn't a vampire.

The cool detachment of the beast cared little, vampire or human was the same, they bled easily under his claws, but Naruto knew something bad had happened, and that flash of fear was enough to allow him to catch onto the thread of control.

The beast didn't relinquish it easily, struggling against him; growling deep in his throat and curling his hands into fists that had claws carve into the delicate flesh of his palms.

Naruto knew he had to fight it back, knew he needed to stop what was happening, needed to make right what he had done wrong, even if his mind was too messy, making it hard to focus on what he had done.

Growls turned into a broken howl as Naruto's head tipped back, but then the sounds died as the features of the beast washed away, leaving him human again, the beast pushed back for now, a restless pacing in his gut that threatened to break lose again at the smallest provocation.

Naruto shook his head and blinked with heavy eyelids, head clearing. When he looked up again realisation was like a punch to his gut, leaving him breathless with dread.

Sasuke was sitting on his knees, head slumped forward, one arm held limply towards his chest as if trying to contain the damage. His shirt was torn open, and bright blood stained the once-white fabric a deep red, running down his body to pool around his legs, mixing with the dirty blood the vampires had left.

Naruto's eyes widened, and his entire body seized up as panic flooded him.

No.

No no no.


Kiba's hands were shaking as he dug through his pocket, pulling out his phone and leaving bloody smears across the screen as he tried to unlock it. He kept glancing up from the screen towards where Naruto and Sasuke was standing, and knew he should do something, but he didn't think a machete was going to do much against Naruto if he turned back to that thing, and he knew their best bet right now was to get backup.

He wiped off his fingers on his pants, and finally was able to unlock the screen and bring up Kakashi's number, calling while keeping his gaze on the other two, ready to fight if something happened.

As the first beep came across the line Sasuke toppled to the side, legs twisted underneath him.

At the second beep Naruto crawled over towards Sasuke, reaching out with a hesitant hand, pressing the palm across one of the wounds. It came away red with blood.

Third ring and Kakashi finally answered. Kiba cut him off after before Kakashi could finish his hello.

"We need EMTs immediately. And some backup." He was surprised how steady his voice was, even as he watched Naruto's face twist into a mask of shocked despair unlike anything he had seen before.

"Kiba, what has happened?" Kakashi asked.

"Sasuke is hurt, Naruto is… Something happened to him, and I don't… I can't…"

Across the room Naruto was now pressing both hands to Sasuke's chest, seemingly trying to staunch the flow of blood. It wouldn't be enough.

"You need to hurry, I don't think..." Kiba said, voice growing thick.

"The EMTs have already been alerted, they are on their way. I'm leaving now, I'll call in whoever can to assist."

Kiba nodded, then realised how stupid that was, considering Kakashi wouldn't be able to see. "Yeah, okay. Just… hurry."

Kakashi confirmed that Kiba was safe, and then he hung up.

Across the room Naruto had wrenched off his shirt and was pressing the wadded up fabric against Sasuke's chest. His eyes were wet with tears, and his shoulders were shaking. He looked devastated, nothing like the beast that had ripped through the vampires as if they were all paper dolls. This was Naruto, his co-worker and friend, who cracked bad jokes and always had a smile for everyone, wide and bright and truly sincere.

There was no smile on his face now, and just then Kiba stopped fearing him. No matter what had happened this was his friend, and right now he was hurting, and even if Sasuke wasn't a friend per say, he was important to all of them, an integral part of their unit, and now Kiba was seeing the two of them breaking. Sasuke was bleeding out, and with every drop of blood he lost life seemed to drain from Naruto.

This couldn't happen, Kiba couldn't stand seeing people he cared about in this situation.

He sheathed his knife and pocketed the phone, and then he was getting to his feet, walking closer.

Naruto seemed too lost to even realise, so he didn't as much as flinch as Kiba kneeled down across from him, shrugging off his jacket and folding it up into an improvised compress to help keep Sasuke alive until more competent people could take over. Naruto only acknowledged him by moving his own enough to the side so they could take one side each.

This close Kiba could hear Sasuke's ragged breaths, could feel his chest move underneath them, and he knew that for now he was alive. Only a little bit longer, and it was going to be fine. The EMTs would patch him up and give him a transfusion or ten and he'd be back on his feet, chewing them out and complaining like usual. He had to.

Their breaths was all they could hear in the room until there were feet rushing up the stairs outside and a group of uniformed people rushed inside. It had felt like hours sitting here, and Kiba didn't think he had ever been happier to hand over a job to someone else as he scrambled back, allowing two EMTs take his position, peeling away his jacket as they started working.

Naruto's head snapped up with a growl, like an animal protecting its mate, and the EMTs both lifted their hands to show they meant no harm. For a few long seconds it was a stalemate, but then Naruto hesitantly moved his hands away from Sasuke. A broken sound ripped from his throat and he fell back on his ass, shuffling backwards until his back was pressed up against a wall on the other side of the room from where Kiba was sitting. Naruto's eyes were large, the white and blue startling in the smear of blood and dirt that covered his face. He looked like he was on the verge of breaking completely, looking at where the EMTs were pulling open Sasuke's tattered shirt, assessing the situation, putting pressure on the wounds and then moving his limp body onto a gurney.

Naruto seemed to fight with himself when they wheeled Sasuke out of the room, torn between staying and following after, but in the end he stayed where he was, pressed up against the wall, hands shaking.

The room was eerie around them. It was only the two of them left there, as well as the vampires in various stages of ashing out. It looked like the battle zone it was. A mission hadn't gone this bad for Kiba in a while, and it would take very little to push it into the worst one ever.

Naruto seemed to be muttering to himself, but Kiba couldn't make out what he was saying from across the room. It was strange, right now it was hard to imagine that this was the same Naruto he had known since spring, the Naruto he joked with and drank with and had fun with. Naruto seemed to have been hiding something from them all along, and a part of Kiba was furious. Furious that he had been lied to, he thought they were friends, and now he was starting to think he didn't know Naruto at all.

Why wouldn't Naruto have told them he wasn't just an ordinary shifter, wasn't that the sort of thing you shared with your friends?

Either way, Naruto was looking like himself again, and he looked to be on the verge of a breakdown.

Kiba hesitated, before drawing a deep breath and easing onto his knees, and then pushing to his feet, wiping off blood-stained hands on his pants. He'd have to incinerate all his clothes and probably spend a full hour in a scalding hot shower if he was to ever feel clean again.

He ignored the bodies littering the room, wincing as he had to step through the layer of blood and grime that covered the floors. His boots squelched beneath him as he walked across sodden carpets, and he resolutely kept his eyes on Naruto, taking slow measured steps.

He was halfway across the room before Naruto seemed to notice, eyes snapping up to where Kiba was approaching. Kiba held up his hands like the EMTs had done only a few minutes previously, even if he felt like an absolute idiot.

"Hey, Naruto, you okay?" he asked. Dumb. Of course Naruto wasn't okay, how could he be? Those shaking hands and startled eyes did not belong to a guy who was okay, not even close. Naruto was on the verge of losing it completely, and even if his features were completely human again he seemed more like an abused animal, huddling away in a corner.

Naruto pressed closer to the wall behind him, gaze drifting out of focus as his hands fisted at his side.

"Monster," he whispered, his voice thick and ragged. "They were right all along."

Kiba pointedly ignored that. "Hey man, it's okay. Let's get you out of here, yeah?" He stepped closer, and Naruto's gaze snapped back to him.

"No! Don't come closer!"

Kiba stopped. He kind of wished Kakashi would hurry up and come already, because Kiba was not on top of this situation, not at all. He wasn't about to abandon a friend though, that wasn't how he rolled. He also didn't particularly want to be gutted, so he didn't walk any closer. "Naruto, it's gonna be fine, Kakashi will be here soon, and then…"

Kiba had no clue what was going to happen when Kakashi did arrive, so he didn't finish the sentence.

"Come on, take my hand and let's get outta here," Kiba said after a while of Naruto looking at him wide-eyed, stretching a hand towards Naruto. Sitting in the middle of absolute carnage couldn't be a very good place to calm down. They could go outside, sit down on the sidewalk and wait for the others to come, and then Kakashi could fix whatever was wrong.

The movement of Kiba's hand was enough to push Naruto over the edge he had been tethering on, and he slapped it away—no claws thank god—with a broken sound, and then he was scrambling to his feet, and before Kiba could do anything Naruto was running towards the door.

He didn't get far, and Kiba let out a relieved sigh when he heard voices in the stairwell. Kakashi was here, Kakashi would know what to do and then—

Naruto had heard the voices too, and he seemed to act instantaneously, spinning around and taking off, across the room, headed right towards the windows on the other side of the entrance. An arm came up, and then he slammed into the glass. It shattered at impact, breaking outwards into great shards falling towards the ground alongside Naruto.

Kiba sprang into action, running towards the windows and peering out, fearing that he was going to see Naruto on the sidewalk down below, neck snapped clean off, but apart from the broken glass and a smear of blood there was nothing.


Naruto had been startled to notice Kiba walking towards him. He had forgotten that he had been in the room the entire time, that he had seen what had happened, that he had seen what Naruto really was. He had been expecting Kiba to be terrified or disgusted or both, but had been shocked to notice that he hadn't appear to be either. As it was he had looked worried more than anything, maybe wary too. Not that Naruto blamed him. He was dangerous; Kiba should leave while he could, should fear him.

When his warning hadn't been enough to get him to leave Naruto knew that he was going to have to be the one to get away, before the beast got free again, before he hurt Kiba like he had hurt—

He hadn't allowed himself that thought right now, he just needed to get away from people he could harm, needed to…

Panic and fear over what he might do if Kiba and the rest of the team came too close drove him to throw himself out the window. Worst that could've happened was that he broke his neck, and he would've deserved it. One less monster to roam the world.

As it was he landed, neck and spine still intact, and when he rolled to his feet it was only with a sharp pain in his ankle and a throbbing in the elbow he had slammed into the concrete. It was easily ignorable. He deserved worse.

He had been ready to run the entire way home if he needed to, but as he rounded the corner he saw Sasuke's car standing on the sidewalk, abandoned when Sasuke ran upstairs, and he made his way over, leaving a smear of fresh blood on the window when he leaned against it. His arms had been sliced open by the shards he had rolled through when he pulled a full on stuntman move sans breakaway glass. Not the brightest of ideas, but he'd heal too soon and he wanted the pain, the sting of cuts and throbbing of bruised bones, but his body wasn't going to allow him to, the small cuts already starting to close up, robbing him of his penance.

More blood was left on the door as he opened it and slid into the front seat, a small voice telling him that Sasuke was going to be pissed off at him for dragging blood and dirt into his new car.

Shit, Sasuke.

He bit back a sob, pressing the heels of his palms against his eyes, drawing a breath to steady himself before turning the key that Sasuke had luckily forgotten in the ignition.

He probably busted through a few red lights, but soon he was finally back in his apartment, a locked door between him and the rest of the world, nothing but silence around him.

It wouldn't be enough, the door wasn't going to be enough to keep the world safe from him. Here he thought he was going a good deed getting a job keeping the city safe, but then it turned out that he was the worst of the bunch.

His fists thumped against the door a few times before he pushed away from it.

His worst fears had just come through, and now pain was digging in his chest like a rusted ice pick and he didn't know how to fix it.

No, there was no fixing this was it? Naruto had thought he was in control, thought he could restrain the beast within, but it was all a fool's dream, and he should have known, should have stayed away. He was no better than the vampires they hunted for a living. He had tried to play human, but he wasn't, was he?

No, he was a monster. Apparently they had all been right when he was growing up, right to shun him and call him a monster, because that was all he was. He'd been too weak and now he had done the unthinkable. He'd hurt Sasuke bad, possibly even…

He stumbled in his own legs and caught himself on a small bookshelf. The idea that Sasuke might be… might be dead was almost unthinkable. Sasuke had been the only one to see even a glimpse of what Naruto was, and he had stayed by his side, and that had possibly cost him his life, and Naruto didn't know what he was going to do if that was the case.

The bookshelf slammed to the floor before Naruto could register himself pushing it over. The flimsy faux wood splintered, and the knickknacks that Naruto had shoved onto it spilled to the floor in a mess to match his insides.

Naruto felt something crunch underneath his heel as he stomped across the apartment, caring little. Nothing he owned mattered, the only thing worth anything in his life had been carted away in an ambulance.

A side table slammed into the wall, a leg punching through the plaster before it dropped to the ground, surprisingly still in one piece.

The lamp that had been standing next to the couch didn't fare as well, the glass lampshade shattering as Naruto heaved it in the direction of the kitchen.

The armrests of the couch gave in when Naruto flipped it over, and the TV didn't stand a chance when Naruto threw it down and stomped hard on the screen, the cobweb of cracks its final picture.

By the time Naruto crumbled to the floor, his legs too shaky to keep him standing anymore, the entire apartment was as ruined as he was. Glass and splintered wood and broken plastic marred the battleground, and after a final shove with the toe of his boot to send a coffee cup rolling across the floor to vanish underneath the remains of his coach, handle breaking off along the way, the destruction was complete.

It hadn't helped.

The sob came out of nowhere, and the next moment fat tears were dripping down his cheeks, washing streaks of skin through the grime covering his face.


Kakashi looked over what had at one point been a living room. It looked like something out of a horror movie. It wasn't the first time he had seen a scene like this, years on the DPA had shown him that there was no limit to the horrors the vampires could create, and the sight of blood and gore no longer affected him.

He thought that scared him more than the worst crime scenes, that he had gotten so used to death that he no longer saw the remains for what they really were, innocent people who had been dragged into a new life as vampires against their will. He didn't see corpses, he saw a mess he needed to clean up.

He walked out, leaving the actual job to the cleaners. Come the following nightfall there would be nothing but ashes left of the bodies, and the apartment would be cleaned out of everything, ruined carpets torn out, bloodstains bleached out of floors. Anything left behind that could be used to ID the victims would be gathered up so they could contact parents and significant others and destroy what hope they had that their missing loved ones were still alive somewhere. They wouldn't be getting any bodies to bury, but maybe they would be able to find peace.

Kiba was standing out in the hallway, scrubbing at his face with a towel he had probably filched from the cleaners.

"Let's go down to the car, you need to fill me in on everything," Kakashi said, and Kiba followed after him down the stairs, the towel left on the floor, the grey terrycloth smeared with red. It was only the two of them out on the sidewalk. Neji and Shikamaru were still upstairs, assisting the cleaners. He'd called them in as backup since they were on a nonessential mission at the time, but when it was apparent that all the vampires were dead he hadn't sent them out on any new one yet, not until he knew more.

The phone call he had gotten from Kiba had in no way prepared him from what Kiba was telling him, but he also realised that he wasn't nearly as surprised as he should've been when Kiba told him about Naruto's transformation, how he had never seen a shifter do anything like that. He thought maybe he'd always had some inkling of doubt that Naruto was your run of the mill shifter, there had been something about him that Kakashi had never been able to put his finger on.

Their knowledge about the shifter community was riddled with holes at best, but he had never heard anything remotely like this before. Every shifter he had ever heard about, be it fox or cat or bear shared traits that made them different but the same. When they shifted it was from human to animal form, no stages in-between. From what Kiba had told Naruto had taken on some animalistic characteristics, but nothing more. Shifters also tended to have a good control over the animal instincts, but from what Kiba had told it hadn't even been Naruto anymore.

Kakashi felt a headache stir in his temples, but he didn't have time to give into it.

"Kakashi?" Kiba asked hesitantly after he had finished recounting what he could remember and Kakashi hadn't made any move to reply.

"Yes?"

"How is… how is Sasuke doing?"

"I… don't know. There have been no updates from the hospital yet."

Silence settled again, seconds dragging out. Kakashi could feel that Kiba was fighting himself, probably debating whether or not he should ask what he was about to ask. When he finally did the words rushed out of him. "What will happen with Naruto?"

Kakashi let out a weary sigh, rubbing at his aching temples. "Right now I don't know. I need to find him and assess the situation before I make any decision."

Kiba looked so tired where he was sitting, slouched into a chair, looking like a shadow of his usual happy self. Kakashi hated to see him like this.

It was all his fault wasn't it? Kakashi had sent Kiba out there with Naruto, Kakashi hadn't had enough knowledge about the unit he was running. He should have known, should have made sure. If Sasuke didn't pull through this it was all on him, and Naruto's fate was likewise hanging on his shoulders. He needed to find him. No matter what happened with Sasuke Naruto was also a part of their team, he needed to be protected, whether that be from someone else or Naruto himself.

"In the meanwhile I would appreciate it if you kept the details of tonight to yourself. Tell the others that Sasuke was hurt during the mission, and leave it at that for now."

Kiba looked like he wanted to ask more questions, but he nibbled on his bottom lip for a moment and then nodded.

"Go home and get some rest. Take tomorrow off and we'll take things from there."

Kiba got to his feet, shuffling over to the office door, hesitating for a moment before turning around. "Naruto is still my friend. Make sure he's safe, yeah?"

Kakashi wished he could assure that he could make that happen, but he knew the world didn't work like that. "I'll do my best."

Kiba seemed to accept that, and left the office a moment later, leaving Kakashi with his thoughts.

He looked down on his cell phone. No updates on Sasuke's situation yet. There wasn't likely to be any until Sasuke came out of the IC unit they had no doubt wheeled him into. Considering Sasuke had no family left Kakashi had been placed as his emergency contact when Sasuke joined the unit, and he likely hadn't been replaced with Naruto in the papers yet, so he would know as soon as they knew, one way or another.

Sasuke was in the hands of capable surgeons, but there was someone else that Kakashi could help.

He needed to find Naruto.

Technically he should have reported the correct circumstances to Tsunade and let her take the helm at this, but he wanted to talk to Naruto first, so he had decided to track him down. He'd gone to Sasuke's apartment first, figuring the two of them had about moved in together judging by how often they had gotten into work at the same time, but after the building manager had locked him in it was clear that Naruto hadn't been here, and now he was standing in front of Naruto's apartment door. Would probably make more sense that Naruto went here after all, Sasuke's apartment would probably remind him too much of Sasuke, and considering how he had apparently reacted Naruto was wrecked with guilt. Kakashi knew how guilt felt, he should have realised.

There was no answer when he knocked on the door, and deciding that he didn't have time to wait for a locksmith he reeled back, drew up his leg and kicked hard, aiming right below the doorknob. He had no idea where he was going to look if Naruto wasn't here.

Lucky for him this was a cheap building with poorly made doors, because it swung open at his first attempt, lock ripped free of the frame, leaving behind splintered wood. Being strong had its advantages sometimes.

The inside of the apartment made one thing clear for Kakashi. Naruto had definitely come here tonight. That or a very localised tornado had ripped through it. Every single piece of furniture was upended, there were holes in the walls, and a lamp was still embedded deep in the plaster.

Kakashi stepped over the furniture, and even if he had known the moment he stepped in that Naruto was no longer here he still went through the rooms. Apparently he had kept the trashing to the living room and kitchen area, the bedroom was spared, as was the bathroom. There was no sign of Naruto though, and it was hard to tell if he had left for the night or for good, but his toothbrush was still in its cup in the bathroom, and a quick peek into the drawers in the bedroom showed that most of his clothes still appeared to be there.

Kakashi stepped back into the remains of the living room, digging out his cell phone and calling the same number he had tried to call several times tonight. This time he was answered by a ringing coming from somewhere under the carcass of the couch.

He pushed it over and saw Naruto's phone lying on the floor, his own name showing on the screen. He hung up.

Where could Naruto have gone?

He sat down on the couch, looking around the room and had no idea what to do now. Where would he go? Iruka was far away, he wouldn't have gone there would he? If he was feeling guilty over what happened he wasn't likely to go to anyone at all, he'd stay by himself, not risking anything else at all.

Shit, if Kakashi couldn't find him he would have to tell Tsunade. Tsunade was a hell of a chief, but she was bound by the rules of their department, and knowing that one of her agents was possibly out of control and had harmed his partner… She would be forced to bring Naruto in, get him contained somewhere until they knew everything.

If Sasuke pulled through Naruto was still likely to lose his job, would possibly have to spend some time locked up. If Sasuke didn't..? Naruto would have to spend the remainder of his life locked up, most likely in isolation if there was any chance he would attack again.

No, he had to find Naruto, had to fix this without letting anyone know. He wasn't going to give up on Naruto just because he was struggling with something. They would have to find answers together. Kakashi knew what it was to fear people finding out your dark secrets, to hide from repercussions for something that was out of your control. He was going to give Naruto a chance before he condemned him to a life imprisoned. He just had to find him, fast, before anything else happened.