.

Moving Memories
11: A New Way of Living

~ (^.^) (^.^) ~

Fucking Kankuro. Three weeks and he was still "missing". Naruto lightly rubbed the wound on his shoulder absently. It'd been feeling awfully strange lately. He just assumed it must have been traces of venom or something. It wasn't like he knew though. He wasn't an expert on vampire bites or anything. He would have just asked one of his friends, but no one was any damn help. Kiba had been in a real mood since that awful double date. On the bright side, Gaara had dropped the drama queen act and gone home. Even if they were living under the same roof again, Gaara was still pretty distant though. He slept in the guest bedroom and often went out alone, leaving Kiba to feel the same way he'd felt when Gaara was gone. It wasn't exactly a happy one, but it was a medium.

Naruto could understand Kiba's mood though. After what had happened with Sasuke, Kiba had every right to be upset. Naruto couldn't even imagine having a brother who had been his very best friend at some point just shun him for no apparent reason at all. Well, there was definitely a reason. Naruto just didn't know what that reason was. All he knew was that it involved Ren, their sister. Her death had ruined their family. But why? Didn't families usually come together in the wake of such a tragedy?

Kiba had seen Sasuke come so damn close to being human again that night, and then he just turned the other way in an instant. It must have been devastating for Kiba to feel like he was getting his brother back just to have the asshole run away again. Everyone who was there that evening was glad to have seen any emotion coming out of Sasuke at all, even if it wasn't necessarily pleasant. When he started to let himself be truly vulnerable though, everyone was on pins and needles. Just when they all thought that they'd finally had Sasuke in the bag and that his shell had been broken, Naruto included, Sasuke about-faced and kept on running. Naruto had been so damn close to pinning the bastard to the spot too. Sasuke had almost stayed. He had almost hugged Naruto. In the end, though, he ran. He chose to leave and shut himself off again. That must have been eating Kiba up inside. If it affected Naruto as severely as it did, he couldn't even imagine how Kiba must have been faring.

That double date was something else that Naruto would have loved to talk to someone about. Gaara was definitely out though, considering he spent most of the time he was even around looking unhappier than a cat tossed in a lake. It did seem like a different kind of discontentment though. Naruto already knew that Gaara had found his bloodlust harder to manage ever since the whole biting incident when Naruto accidentally found out that vampires existed. It seemed like it had been ten times harder to manage lately though, now that he was living with Kiba again. That was reasonable. At least Gaara's constant scowl wasn't directed toward Kiba himself, but rather toward the fact that he constantly wanted to rip the brunet's throat out and drink his blood instead. Only in the vampire world was that the better option.

Even if it was a constant struggle with his bloodlust for him to stay, Gaara still hadn't left. That was how Naruto knew that things must have changed for Gaara. He was one of the very select few people who knew the Inuzuka-Uchiha family history—not to mention, he could feel Kiba's emotions easily—so he knew exactly what Kiba must have been dealing with. Naruto, on the other hand, only knew that Kiba was suffering. To what extent or for what specific reasons, he had no clue. Even if it'd been easier to pretend otherwise, Gaara and Kiba had a bond that Gaara could not ignore at this time. Before the double date, Gaara was content to simply leave Kiba, thinking that it was best for both of them. Now, however, everything had changed. Even if he refused to date Kiba anymore, he couldn't act like they hadn't been friends their whole lives. He couldn't just leave Kiba hanging during such a turbulent time.

Even if he didn't say it out loud, Kiba needed Gaara. That much was obvious to anyone—even people with no vampire sensing abilities at all—and it was a different kind of need than before too. Before, Kiba just wanted his boyfriend back. Now, Kiba needed his friend. Gaara would still avoid touching or even talking to Kiba if he could, but Naruto saw the redhead staring at Kiba fairly often. It didn't look like Gaara was trying very hard to hide his staring either, and Kiba had easily caught on to that too.

How Naruto knew that Gaara and Kiba still had something strong left between them was all in their eyes. The moments when they would catch each other looking at the same time, something intense would pass between them. Not only that, but Gaara was back to being overly protective of Kiba, if not even more so than before. That was different too though. It was almost as if Gaara was overcompensating because this was something that Gaara knew he couldn't really protect Kiba from. It certainly didn't seem like Gaara was making very big strides to rekindle their relationship romantically, but it was also kind of inevitable. It had to be hard, if not impossible, to be around each other and not feel the love that they'd shared.

Romantic relationship aside, Gaara was definitely striving to be the friend that Kiba needed. Really, he didn't have to do much to help Kiba because Kiba would just instantly relax around Gaara. It must have simply been Gaara's being that caused Kiba to do so. There was obviously a connection deeper than anything Naruto had ever witnessed between the two of them. It was a connection that forced Gaara to stay by Kiba's side, even if it was a very, very confusing place to be. In short, their relationship was obviously complicated, and that made Gaara the wrong guy to talk to about anything—and Naruto decided that anything included everything that had transpired since he had come into their lives. It sure seemed like it was just one big thing after another.

Things with Sasuke just got downright weird after the double date. He started showing up at the very last minute before class, and he always chose to sit in a seat that was light-years away from Naruto. He wouldn't even look at Naruto. Well, not when Naruto was looking anyway. Naruto knew that Sasuke was watching him though. He could just feel Sasuke's eyes on him, but it was no use trying to catch him in the act. Sasuke was a vampire. He could only ever be caught red-handed if he wanted to.

The one time that Naruto was actually able to catch a glimpse of Sasuke's face was when he'd accidentally bumped into the raven while not paying attention. Sasuke had glanced over his shoulder at Naruto, but his expression was absolutely flat. It was as if he was looking at a complete stranger. Naruto wasn't sure how to react right away, but Sasuke disappeared before Naruto could even think about reacting anyway. Naruto noticed that he'd been rubbing his wound more obsessively than normal for the rest of that day. So there was obviously no way he could talk to Sasuke, as if that had ever panned out well any other time he'd tried it in the past anyway.

As for Temari... well... she was just so flippant. Her attention span was worse than a fish. Her having vampire speed only made it harder for Naruto to talk to her too. Every time he tried to bring up the evening of the double date, or his wounds, or Kankuro, she would be onto something else in moments and then she'd be speeding away. It didn't necessarily seem intentional, even though Naruto could tell that those subjects made her uncomfortable and that she wanted to say what everyone said: Ask an Uchiha. Temari was truly just scatter-brained. She was, by no means, a stupid air-head. She just never stopped moving. It was hard to talk to a moving subject, especially if it had vampire speed.

And as for Kankuro, that son of a bitch was still nowhere to be found. His name had also become some sort of a stupid taboo. No one would say it themselves, and then they would all just pretend that they hadn't heard when Naruto did. So, in summary, Naruto was left in the dark. But that was really no shock, was it? He was always the one left in the dark.

He rubbed his cut more roughly as he got more riled up. On one particularly rough rub, he winced as a sting of pain shot through his nerves. He sighed heavily, wishing this wound would heal faster. The one on his back was healing pretty normally, maybe even a bit too quickly. There was something off about the one on his shoulder though. It just didn't feel normal. Well, he did get it from a vampire, so maybe it wasn't normal. Of course, he had no idea because no one would talk to him about that sort of stuff, so he just had to rely on what little knowledge he did have. And all he really knew was that the wound just felt wrong to him. Not necessarily wrong. Just different. He was always rubbing it compulsively. And if he tried not to touch it, then he would get really fidgety and anxious. It was just impossible for him to ignore. It wasn't necessarily hurting or itching or anything. He just felt like he constantly had to be touching it.

"Stop spacing out and read, Naruto."

Naruto snapped his head to the right. Oh, shit. That's right. Kiba. He and Kiba were... uh... What were they doing again?

"We've been here for hours and you're still on the same page," Kiba said flatly. "Don't waste my time."

Right! Studying! Kiba was helping Naruto study for a test!

"I'm reading!" Naruto lied.

Kiba rolled his eyes and returned his attention to his own book. "Doesn't matter. I stopped reading your material a while ago. You were obviously zoned out."

Kiba propped his book to stand up and Naruto leaned forward to read the title. It clearly had nothing to do with his test. From the looks of it, Kiba had been on that book for a while too. He hadn't been helping Naruto study for a long time now, not that Naruto had any right to complain. Kiba would have just been talking to himself had he even been trying to help anyway.

Kiba continued to read his book in silence, showing no real interest in Naruto anymore. Naruto sighed. He hated the dull edge that Kiba's personality had taken on. This had far surpassed depression. Kiba was just a completely different person now. That was mostly thanks to Sasuke and his inability to just be human for a while. Just as Naruto launched into a mental tirade on Sasuke, Kiba's phone started vibrating on the table. Kiba sighed, as if the whole situation was truly troublesome, and Naruto sighed again too. This type of attitude was Shika's thing, not Kiba's. This guy was supposed to be lively and vibrant. Naruto really missed that. Without taking his eyes off of his book, Kiba flipped open his phone and placed it at his ear.

"Yes?" he asked dully. Suddenly, his book fell flat. He stayed staring into the empty space where it had just been with a look of shock on his face anyway though.

"What?" Naruto asked quickly, abandoning the book that he'd been pretending to read.

"Uh... What?" Kiba asked into the phone. "Repeat that."

"Who is it?" Naruto asked eagerly.

Kiba started mouthing a name. Hmm... Ass... Uh... Jockey... Ahgvey... S... Was that an 'S'...? Yes, definitely an 'S'... Sa... s... su... suke... Sasuke! Sasuke?

"Sasuke?!" Naruto asked loudly.

Kiba slapped his hand over Naruto's mouth. "Friends? My friends?" he asked into the phone. Pause. "What should I—" He cut off, and his face scrunched up confusedly. "Wh-What did you say?" he asked. When a response was given, he looked thoroughly confused. "Uh... Okay. Okay, yeah. Um... Bye then?" Kiba paused and then flipped his phone shut, finally removing his hand from Naruto's mouth.

"What'd he want?" Naruto asked immediately.

"Uh... He wants to hang out," Kiba answered.

"Hang out?" Naruto asked. "I'm confused."

"Yeah, I don't know," Kiba said. "Tomorrow, he wants to go ice skating."

Naruto stared blankly for a moment. "Sasuke?" he asked. Kiba nodded his head slowly, clearly confused too. Then, Naruto broke out into uncontrollable snickers. "S-Sasu-uke w-wants t-to ice s-skate?!"

"Is that a problem?" Sasuke asked out of nowhere. Both Naruto and Kiba yelped and jumped in their chairs, earning them a disapproving glare from the librarian across the room. "If you don't like ice skating, then don't go. Simple as that," Sasuke said flatly, standing behind their chairs. Naruto stared at Sasuke incredulously, unable to believe that the man was actually there and admitting that he wanted to go ice skating... with other people. This was just too weird.

"You're here," Kiba pointed out confusedly.

Sasuke hummed affirmatively and casually took the seat across from Naruto at the table. Both boys watched him curiously.

"And you're sitting," Naruto pointed out.

"Oh? Is that what I'm doing?" Sasuke replied sarcastically.

"I thought you said tomorrow," Kiba said.

"I did, but it's not like I couldn't sense you from a mile away. I just thought that I would come—" Sasuke cleared his throat, as he wasn't used to saying these types of things. "—hang out... with you two... right now." When all he received for his effort was two judging stares, he added defensively, "There are some books I need to get anyway."

"Okay," Kiba said after a minute of just staring.

"Uh, no," Naruto interjected, suddenly coming to life. "Not okay. This is weird. Why do you wanna hang out with us? What makes you think that we wanna hang out with you? I think you—"

"Naruto!" Kiba snapped. "Shut up."

Naruto looked thoroughly offended by Kiba's demand, and so he opened his mouth to retort.

"I thought it would be nice if I could meet your friends," Sasuke said, interrupting Naruto's argument before he could even begin it. Naruto's brows shot up in disbelief as he completely abandoned his attack on Kiba to look back at Sasuke instead. Sasuke scowled slightly at the shock that he felt rolling off of Naruto. He wasn't that antisocial... was he? "It would be nice to know that they're normal people who aren't planning on murdering you two in a dark alley somewhere or anything," he added.

Naruto snorted. "You're worried about our friends being dangerous?" he asked.

"They could be," Sasuke replied simply.

"Why would that bother you?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke raised a brow that was clearly questioning Naruto's intelligence. "I thought that would be an obvious answer," he said. After a short pause, in which Naruto just looked at him expectantly, Sasuke went on. "I don't want either of you to die."

"That wasn't obvious," Naruto said bluntly, "not at all."

Sasuke scowled again. "Do I really seem like such a villain in your eyes?" he asked.

Naruto snorted again, even more animatedly this time. "Honestly? 99 percent of the time, yes," he answered. Sasuke's scowl deepened.

"He's not," Kiba said quietly. When Naruto and Sasuke looked at him, he was staring down at his closed book. "Sasuke's not a villain," he clarified. He peered up at Sasuke and then mumbled, "I'm happy you're making an effort." He looked back down and added in a tiny whisper that he knew only Sasuke would hear, "—for Ren."

"I'm gonna go find a book then," Sasuke said simply, pretending to ignore Kiba's comment.

As soon as Sasuke seemed to be out of ear shot—seriously, these humans will never learn that out of earshot just isn't a thing among vampires—Naruto turned to Kiba. "He's acting weird," he said.

Kiba looked up at him and smiled. "That's a good thing, Naruto," he assured. "It means he's trying."

"Trying to what?" Naruto asked.

Kiba sighed and rolled his eyes. "He's trying to move on, Naruto." When all he got in return was a confused look, Kiba added, "—from Ren, you idiot."

"OH!" Naruto exclaimed, finally understanding... kind of. "Then, that double date did have an effect on him?" he asked, looking off toward where Sasuke had disappeared to.

Kiba looked off into the same direction. "Maybe he just needed time to process things," he suggested. "He needed to decide on his own to come back to us. After all, there's no forcing a vampire to do anything, especially not Sasuke."

Naruto snickered. "Ain't that the truth. I guess everything you guys said didn't fall on deaf ears then."

"I think it was less what we said and more what you did," Kiba said softly.

"Please," Naruto said dismissively. "I don't even know what happened. I have no idea what crazy shit is going on with your family," he pointed out, perhaps somewhat bitterly.

"You will," Kiba assured. "If this is any sign, Sasuke will be yours soon."

Naruto just had to snap his head to Kiba and deny the fact that he wanted Sasuke to begin with. After all, why would he want such a bastard? Not that he didn't. We all know he does. He wasn't ready to admit that to Kiba yet though! What, was it written across his forehead? "I have a huge, unreasonable crush on a real bastard named Sasuke and I'm trying my damnedest to get close to him even though he's kind of hated me up until now!" Naruto didn't have a chance to express his fake indignation though, because Sasuke decided to make his presence known in the middle of Naruto's head-snap.

"You should really stop talking about people behind their backs," Sasuke said coolly. And, of course, he had to successfully startle both men into yelping and jumping in their seats again. "—especially when it's me," he added.

Giving them no room to react, though they both adopted a guilty demeanor anyway, Sasuke grabbed Naruto's hand, which had been mindlessly resting on his shoulder, and pulled it away. Kiba took the distraction to bury his nose in his book.

"Dont agitate your wound, dobe," Sasuke instructed. "You make it harder to heal that way."

"Huh?" Then Naruto realized he'd been rubbing his wound again. He sighed and removed his hand. "I can't help it," he grumbled.

"I know," Sasuke said. "I can tell."

Sasuke left it at that and settled back down into his seat, pretending to read his book. Of course, he was actually covertly watching Naruto, but the blond was none the wiser. Naruto sighed and looked back down at his book too, hopefully to read it for real this time. He couldn't help it when he started to wonder what was happening to him though. What was this wound doing to him? Why did it feel so strange? And why was it just this one wound and not the other one too? And Sasuke... Sasuke...

"Don't call me dobe," Naruto demanded as a casual afterthought, and he completely missed the smile that Sasuke hid behind his book.

~ (^.^) (^.^) ~

Naruto sighed in exasperation and flopped face forward on his bed. He was officially fed up with his entire wardrobe. He couldn't decide what the hell to wear. The whole scenario felt like déjà vu. Why was it that new things involving Sasuke always made him this way? First, it was meeting Sasuke for the very first time as the mysterious artist of that mysterious painting. Now, it was introducing Sasuke to all of his friends.

This really shouldn't have been so damn hard for Naruto. He'd been on plenty of outings with his friends already. He knew that they were a pretty chill group. Everyone always dressed casually—as if you could really take such a big group of college students anywhere fancy enough to dress up anyway—so why was he worrying so much?! He already knew that they liked him. Who was he trying to impress? Well, there was... No! No way! He was not trying to impress Sasuke! Sasuke wouldn't give two shits about what he wore anyway!

He groaned, wishing that Kiba would just show up at his apartment already. Naruto knew that Kiba would put him straight. He'd either just pick out the clothes or he'd at least make Naruto feel less anxious about the choice. Seeing as he'd been expecting a guest, Naruto didn't find it all that strange to hear a voice suddenly speaking to him.

"Dobe, stop bothering your wound."

"Don't call me that," Naruto answered automatically.

It took a few long seconds before he understood the situation fully. That was definitely not Kiba's voice, and Kiba would definitely not call him a dobe. When did Sasuke's presence become so natural to him that he could answer so easily when the bastard so obviously snuck into his home without any invitation and called him a dobe? Not really all that startled or shocked—or, perhaps, unable to be, considering he felt his mood being smoothed again—Naruto sat up slowly, asking, "What're you doing here?"

"If you don't get dressed, we'll be late," Sasuke said simply, ignoring Naruto's question.

"You know I didn't invite you into my home, right?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke began rummaging through Naruto's closet. "How casual are you going?" he asked.

Naruto's mind was drawn to Sasuke's clothes. Sasuke dressed semi-casually, but he never dressed too casual no matter what. He wore a nice leather jacket, and his black jeans were hugging him in all the right ways. His jet black hair was sticking out in lazy spikes in all its unruly glory, only adding to the sexy, I-just-jumped-off-the-back-of-my-Ducati look. Careful to stay within his normal, semi-casual fashion, he wore all black, low-top converse. Naruto had to admit that black could be a bit depressing for him. It always made him look like a really sad puppy or something. It looked really fucking good on Sasuke though. It suited him very well. The contrast of pale skin and dark eyes that were always shining with just a hint of auburn also suited Sasuke very well. Was the animal in Sasuke really so relentless that his eyes could never truly rest? Had the red hue just become his new normal? Speaking of red hues, Sasuke's lips were a delicate shade of red themselves. Picking up on the change in Naruto's aura, Sasuke half-turned to look over his shoulder and smirk at the blond. When he did that with his lips, when he smiled like that right at Naruto...

"I'll go with really casual," Sasuke decided. Naruto furrowed his brows and blinked a few times as he slowly stopped his admiration of Sasuke to come back to reality. "What color do you want?" Sasuke asked, turning back to the closet and rummaging through the clothes again.

"How did you even get in here?" Naruto asked, suddenly put back on track.

"Black?" Sasuke asked, completely ignoring Naruto's question and focusing on his own.

"Or know where I even live?" Naruto asked.

"Blue?" Sasuke asked, still ignoring Naruto's queries.

"Or even what apartment I live in?" Naruto asked.

"Orange?"

Sasuke and Naruto both paused. Sasuke glanced over his shoulder at Naruto's face and nodded.

"Orange it is," he said decidedly.

"What? How do you know I even want orange?" Naruto asked loudly while Sasuke pulled the shirt off its hanger. He turned around and raised a brow at Naruto, throwing the orange tee at the blond.

"I'm a vampire, Naruto," he said simply.

"Yeah, that explains everything," Naruto retorted sarcastically.

Sasuke sighed. "I could sense your uneasiness from a mile away, and I don't even live that far. You were practically screaming for help. You have a window, so I opened it. I could hunt you down anywhere you went. You wear orange every other day, but your heart did fluctuate when I said that color and you stopped talking. You obviously wanted it," Sasuke explained.

Naruto stared at him blankly. Now that he had a good view of Sasuke's front, he could see that the dark grey, button-up shit that Sasuke wore also hugged him in all the right places. For a few seconds, Naruto was lost. Eventually, he was able to gather his wits enough to put on his shirt though. When the shirt was down over his head and he could see Sasuke again, Naruto saw that Sasuke was smirking at him. Unbeknownst to Naruto, Sasuke was enjoying just how flustered Naruto seemed to get around him.

"What?" Naruto asked, feeling self-conscious before Sasuke and shifting uncomfortably.

"Nothing," Sasuke said simply. Naruto began to fidget, and then Sasuke's face hardened. "Stop agitating it, dobe," he said sternly.

Naruto stopped the hand working at his wound and sighed. "I can't help it," he groaned. "I don't even notice when I'm doing it. I just do it all the time."

"I know," Sasuke replied.

"How would you know?" Naruto asked skeptically.

"I'm a vampire," was Sasuke's reply. He checked his watch and then tsked. "If we don't leave now, we'll be late."

"We're gonna be late anyway," Naruto pointed out, putting on his dark orange and worn converse.

"Not if I can help it," Sasuke argued. "You may be fine with projecting a lazy appearance, but I take pride in being prompt."

"So you think we're gonna make it all the way across town in less than three minutes?" Naruto asked.

"I will," Sasuke replied. "And since you're with me, you will too."

"I don't try to be late, just so you know," Naruto argued, standing up and kicking the clothes on the floor around to look for his jacket. "I was gonna try to be on time."

"What? You thought you were gonna be able to make it all the way across town in less than three minutes before I showed up?" Sasuke asked mockingly. "You call laying on your bed five minutes before you're supposed to be there trying to be on time? And what are you doing?"

"I was waiting for Kiba!" Naruto defended, kicking his way across the room. "And I'm looking for my jacket."

"Kiba is already on his way to the rink, so he's not coming over," Sasuke informed. "And would it kill you to bend over and pick up the clothes?"

"What?!" Naruto exclaimed, abandoning his search and turning back toward Sasuke. "He coulda warned me y'know," he grumbled and crossed his arms across his chest to pout.

"I told him not to come," Sasuke admitted, spotting Naruto's jacket and throwing it at the blond's head.

"Hey!" Naruto exclaimed, taking the jacket off his head and pulling it on. "That's not your job!" he complained. "You can't just do that because you want to!"

"Well, I did, so sue me," Sasuke retorted, grabbing Naruto by the wrist and leading him toward the front door. "Just do it while we're leaving."

Naruto rolled his eyes, but found himself smiling. Why was he smiling? It was that weird sensation again, always regulating his mood without his permission.

"Sasuke?" Naruto asked as he locked his door.

"Hn?" was Sasuke's dry reply.

Naruto turned around to face Sasuke with a serious look. "What're you doing to me?"

Sasuke furrowed his brows. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"You're a vampire. You should know," Naruto replied sarcastically.

"I'm not doing anything to you, dobe," Sasuke assured.

"Don't call me that," Naruto demanded.

"Sure thing, dobe," Sasuke retorted.

Naruto sighed. "See? I can't even be mad that you're calling me dobe," he pointed out. "How're you doing that?"

"I'm not," Sasuke insisted. "You're doing it on your own. Now, get on my back," Sasuke instructed, turning around and offering his back to Naruto.

"What?!" Naruto blurted out. "You're giving me a piggy back ride? You think that's gonna get us there faster?"

"Just do it, dobe," Sasuke demanded.

Naruto snorted but conceded. "If you insist," he said, and then he jumped up on Sasuke's back. "It's not li—" Instantly, Sasuke sprang into action and Naruto's breath caught. He could see the world moving by at an impossible speed, but it felt as if Sasuke was just sauntering along easily. Instinctively, he tightened his grip on Sasuke. "I forgot," he whispered. "You can move at the speed of light."

Suddenly, Sasuke came to stop and dropped Naruto. "Not quite, but close enough," he replied. "It's just around this corner now." He started straightening his clothes, even though they were perfectly in order, and Naruto watched him closely. Sasuke was so poised and graceful. After a few moments, Sasuke interrupted Naruto's admiration of him to say, "Let's go."

"Wow!" Sakura exclaimed as the two came into view. "You're actually on time! That's an Uzumaki first!" Naruto was successfully plucked from his reverie only when Sakura pulled him into a hug. Sasuke shifted beside them, catching Sakura's attention. She pulled away from Naruto immediately and grinned. "Who's your friend?" she asked enthusiastically.

"This is Sasuke," Naruto announced loud enough for everyone to hear, though he sounded a little dazed.

"Sakura Haruno!" Sakura said quickly, batting her eyelashes wildly at Sasuke. That brought Naruto to attention.

"Uh, you okay, Sakura?" he asked. "Looks like you got something in your eye."

Sakura scowled at Naruto. "I don't!" she snapped. "Unless... Could you check for me, Sasuke?" she asked, leaning in ridiculously close to the man. Sasuke gently placed both of his hands on her shoulders to stop her from advancing any further. If she did, they'd be kissing. He was positive that he wasn't so weak that he'd be tempted to bite just from that, but there was no point in teasing a bull.

Unaware that Sasuke actually had impeccable control over his urges—despite how he'd reacted around Naruto for the duration of their acquaintance—Naruto began to panic immediately. He just assumed that such proximity would make it difficult for Sasuke to control his thirst. After all, Sasuke had been provoked without even being that close to a human throat before in Naruto's experience. Naruto had no idea what exactly triggered the animal in a vampire, but he would guess that Sakura's current position to Sasuke was on the list. She was practically exposing her throat for the taking! Sasuke showed no signs of stress though. He looked absolutely fine. Naruto furrowed his brows confusedly, maybe even with a little annoyance. Why wasn't Sasuke freaking out?

"I think Naruto's right," Sasuke agreed. "It looks like you do have something in your eye."

Sakura froze and frowned. She really hadn't thought that out yet. Before she could think of what to do next that would get her even closer to Sasuke, Ino jumped in and shoved her out the way.

"I'm Ino Yamanaka," Ino declared, thrusting one hand toward Sasuke. "Sooo nice to meet you," she said brightly, giggling like the love-struck girl she was.

Sasuke shook Ino's hand politely, perhaps even lingering for a bit longer than necessary. "Nice to meet you too, Ino," he replied, and Ino just melted.

Even Sakura, who'd been about to launch a counter attack at Ino, had to stop and admire the silkiness of Sasuke's voice. Hell, even Naruto was hard pressed not to swoon at the sound. Sasuke could be really dreamy if you weren't on your guard. The sound of both girls sighing in unison pulled Naruto away from any Sasuke-induced dreamland that he may have been entering. Despite the feeling of peace that tried to claim him, Naruto was suddenly very irritated.

Stepping between Sasuke and the girls determinedly, Naruto announced, "Let's not monopolize Sasuke, girls!" Reacting to the death glare he was receiving from both women, he added in his most cheerfully innocent voice, "Let's go! I can't wait to get in the rink!"

"Yeah!" Kiba agreed just as cheerfully. "Let's go already!"

Naruto then noticed for the first time the company in which Kiba was in, and his jaw dropped in shock. That familiar red head of hair didn't look so happy to be out on an ice skating expedition. If the way he was glaring at Sasuke was any indication, then he was especially unhappy about having to deal with the bastard's presence too. When Kiba grabbed Gaara's hand and started tugging him away though, Naruto swore that he saw the hint of a smile cross Gaara's face. He was just about to turn and comment on that to Sasuke when he was interrupted by a flurry of pink and blonde knocking him right out of the way.

"Walk with me, Sasuke!" Ino suggested, hooking one of his arms.

"No, walk with me!" Sakura insisted, hooking the other arm.

Both girls glared at each other across Sasuke's chest. Naruto was sure that Sasuke would break any moment now. If the fact that they were human and full of blood wasn't enough to put Sasuke on edge, then the fact that they were absolutely annoying surely would be. Sasuke didn't break though. He simply smiled sweetly at the girls in that dreamy, charming way.

"Why don't I just walk with you both?" he suggested smoothly.

"Okay," the two women sighed in unison, and the three began walking after the group.

Naruto stared on in shock after them. Did he really just see that happen? Was this really Sasuke? Sasuke would never let any two people ever hang onto him like that, and he would certainly never speak to them so sweetly or smile at them so kindly either! This was just ri-fucking-diculous! Just as Naruto was transitioning from shocked to thoroughly annoyed, Sasuke glanced over his shoulder and called, "Come on, dobe. Don't get left behind."

Naruto ground his teeth. "Don't call me that!" he called back and stalked along after the trio.

He was more than glad that the ice skating rink was only down the street from where they'd all met up because he could take no more of Ino and Sakura's incessant babbling or the sickening laughs that Sasuke graced them with. God, he was just so fucking different, and Naruto kind of hated it. Maybe that was mostly because it was directed at someone other than him though.

When they entered the building, Naruto continued to linger at the back of the group and act moody. Kiba and Gaara put their skates on beside each other while Kiba talked animatedly and Gaara tried to look uninterested, but failed. Hinata was covertly watching Naruto. Shikamaru and Chouji were complaining about how much work skating would be while TenTen tried to motivate them. Neji simply sat quietly and observed everyone else. Lee was enthusiastically trying to pay for Sakura, who was insisting that she would be skating with Sasuke. All the while, Ino was insisting that Sakura pay for her own damn skates. Sasuke finally decided to end the argument and offered to just pay for all of their skates. Lee was unable to back down from a challenge though.

"I admire your youthful generosity!" he exclaimed enthusiastically. "I should be generous too! Instead, I shall pay for all our skates!" Then, he promptly handed the cashier a wad of money. "Five pairs please!" he demanded excitedly.

For the first time since the beginning of the evening, Naruto saw Sasuke falter. For a moment, he scowled. Naruto had no idea what that scowl meant, but he was glad that Sasuke wasn't smiling anyway, even if just for that second. He really didn't like all the attention that Sasuke was getting. Sasuke's new attitude was definitely strange, but Naruto did want to use it to his advantage. Maybe he could get some answers out of Sasuke... or, better yet, maybe he could use it to actually get genuinely close to Sasuke. That had seemed like an impossible task from the second he'd met Sasuke, and it'd seemed even more impossible after that double date Naruto so stupidly insisted on. It looked like the double date had actually done some good though. Although, he couldn't figure out just how much good it'd done because he couldn't get within three freaking feet of Sasuke with his buffer zone of admirers. To say the least, Naruto was definitely in a sour mood.

Everyone jumped onto the mostly empty rink as they put their skates on. Kiba and Gaara mostly stuck together away from the rest of the group. They went between looking like they were having intense conversations and laughing. Well, Kiba was laughing. Gaara was just refraining from scowling. To Naruto's surprise, Gaara didn't spare one glance for Sasuke the entire time though. It looked like he was too wrapped up in Kiba to remember that the asshole was even there. TenTen kept near Shika and Chouji, trying her best to keep them motivated and succeeding. The three looked like they were having a blast. Neji tagged along beside them only because his girlfriend would've had a cow if he didn't. Sakura and Ino were both latched onto one of Sasuke's arms. Lee, of course, skated around the trio like a madman and tried to impress Sakura with his skill while Naruto skulked along behind them.

After a while, everyone but Kiba and Gaara had ended up skating leisurely along in a group. They all took their turns asking Sasuke questions and laughing at everything he said like it was the best fucking thing they'd ever heard. Naruto kept himself at the back of the pack, glaring at everyone who was so fucking enthralled with Sasuke. Hinata was the only one who skated behind him, working up the nerve to ask the blond to skate with her alone. After a short while, Sasuke saw his escape when Sakura and Ino began fighting over who thought Sasuke was funnier. The two women finally detached from his arms and everyone began to disperse again, just as they normally did when Sakura and Ino got really into it.

When Sasuke was finally freed, he slowed down his pace to less than a snail and called for Naruto over his shoulder, looking back and smirking at the blond. "Hey, dobe?"

"What?" Naruto asked as begrudgingly as he could, determined to be angry at the bastard for being so... likable. God, that was so weird!

"Hurry up and come skate with me," Sasuke said.

Not wanting to look as eager as he felt, Naruto meandered up to Sasuke's side slowly, scowling the entire time. He was sure that the ruse was doing him no good though. After all, Sasuke was a vampire. He would've heard the very second that Naruto's heart sped up. He would've seen his fingers fidgeting nervously. There was no hiding that. Still, Naruto pretended to be uninterested anyway because the bastard really deserved it.

After a few seconds of skating side by side in silence while Naruto glared ahead of them, Sasuke asked, "What's your problem?"

Naruto scoffed. "I have no problem. You're making it impossible for me to feel anything but rainbows and butterflies lately," he said.

"I told you," Sasuke said. "You're doing that all on your own. Plus, you don't look like you're feeling rainbows and butterflies right now."

"Whatever," Naruto grumbled. "You should know exactly what I'm feeling."

Sasuke smothered a smirk. "I told you not to come if you don't like skating," he said.

Naruto rolled his eyes and sneered. "That's your solution?" he asked. "Instead of just stepping away from your fanclub for a second, you'd rather just send me home?"

"I did step away from them," Sasuke pointed out. "They were annoying me," he admitted.

"And yet you keep melting them with your charming laugh and smoldering eyes," Naruto retorted bitterly.

"What's the problem with that?" Sasuke asked.

"Nothing," Naruto grumbled.

"I'm being nice," Sasuke said innocently.

"If you wanted to try being nice, you coulda just started with me and Kiba!" Naruto snapped. "You didn't have to start with everyone else under the sun!"

"I did start with you," Sasuke argued calmly, so calmly that it made Naruto even more furious. "I hung out with you at the library."

"The library!" Naruto exclaimed, throwing his hands up dramatically and nearly knocking himself off balance. He managed to catch himself on the arm that he hadn't even realized Sasuke had offered though. "That was stupid," he went on irritably. When he noticed what he was clinging to, he wrinkled his nose in dismay and pushed the offending appendage away. "We were just reading," he added, grumbling unhappily and trying to fight a blush.

"You were rubbing your wound," Sasuke corrected easily.

Naruto could have had no idea to what degree Sasuke's heart took off though. One simple touch. That was all it ever took.

"Oh, shut up!" Naruto said loudly, shoving Sasuke in the shoulder.

"Don't be so jealous," Sasuke teased with a smirk.

Naruto stopped, and Sasuke followed in suit, turning to face Naruto. For a moment, Naruto just stood there looking like a deer in headlights. Then, he exclaimed, "I'm not jealous!" The blush did nothing to help his case though.

"Could've fooled me," Sasuke replied with a shrug.

Naruto shoved Sasuke hard in the chest. Instead of toppling over, Sasuke simple moved back a couple of feet, so smoothly that it looked like he'd intended to do it. That really ticked Naruto off. He growled and shoved Sasuke again, only to get the same dissatisfying result.

"Just fall!" he demanded, shoving Sasuke again much harder.

This time, Sasuke caught him by the elbows and pulled their bodies close together. "I'm a vampire," he said. "Remember?" Naruto scowled, even though his heart was pounding a million miles a minute. "I don't think you can knock me off balance," Sasuke added smugly.

Naruto rolled his eyes and snatched his arms from Sasuke's grasp harshly. He skated to the edge of the ice and got off the rink to plop down and sulk on a bench by himself. Slowly, Sasuke meandered over toward the pouting blond. He leaned against the wall that separated the benches and the ice.

"If it makes you feel any better," he began, "you were my first friend." Naruto begrudgingly looked up at Sasuke and saw that his features had hardened, even though the words were soft. He could see that the easiness of Sasuke's mood was clearly wearing off. "Since I'm trying to be nice now," Sasuke went on, "I should be able to talk more openly too, right?" Naruto nodded slowly. "So when you tried to help me at Akatsake that night, it made a difference," Sasuke admitted. "That night, you were the only one who really got to me. And the nights following, you were the only one that I really thought about." Sasuke's face was deadly serious now. "You were what made me decide to try out this new lifestyle. I've been practicing this being normal and having friends thing, but forgive me if I'm not perfect at it right away. You were my first friend in eight years."

"So why have you been avoiding me like the plague since then?" Naruto asked automatically.

Sasuke shrugged. "I didn't know what to do," he admitted. "I've been doing things the same way for a long time. You made me change that up, and I didn't know how to deal with it. Still don't." Sasuke looked down at his hands. "I just wanted to change because you remind me so much of..." He clenched his jaw and let the sentence die. Naruto could see what little difference Sasuke had strived to make so far slipping away. He could literally see Sasuke closing back up again. It must have been the name: Ren. It must still have been so hard. Well, of course it was. It'd only been a few days. Sasuke couldn't make a 180 in that short of a time frame.

And what was Naruto doing? He was getting mad at Sasuke for being good at being normal and making friends. He was chastising Sasuke for fitting in with his group. Why wasn't he supporting Sasuke? Didn't Sasuke just make it real clear that Naruto could actually do that now, that he had a real chance to be close to the guy? What the fuck was Naruto waiting for? Sasuke started shifting to lift himself off the wall, having decided that he'd made enough effort for one day and that he'd rather spend the rest of his evening in the company of no one at all. Naruto jumped up and grabbed both of Sasuke's arms though, pinning them down so that the two men were now face to face across the wall.

"I'm just not used to this new Sasuke," Naruto said softly.

"Me neither," Sasuke agreed. "It's weird for me too."

"I know. You said I helped at the bar though, right?" Naruto asked. Sasuke nodded. "Then, I'll try to help now too. I just don't really know how. It's always been tense between us. Where do we start with this whole friends thing?"

"This is a good spot," Sasuke said, glancing down at Naruto's hands, which still held onto his arms firmly. Naruto blushed lightly when he followed Sasuke's gaze. "I don't feel like I can go anywhere when you're..." Sasuke trailed off and simply gazed at Naruto, which only made the blond blush even harder. Eventually, Sasuke smirked. "I think you get my point," he said.

"What, can't say it out loud? Too chicken?" Naruto teased, attempting to ease the tension slightly.

Sasuke chuckled lightly, but whispered, "Yes, actually." Naruto's smile fell, but Sasuke's did not. "I am too afraid," he said, covertly slipping his arms free from Naruto's grip. "Maybe you can teach me how to be more courageous though," he suggested. Naruto opened his mouth to reply, but Sasuke shushed him. "Save it for another time," he said. "You won't be able to get it out."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"Sasuke~" Sakura sang loudly.

Naruto snorted when he saw the pink-haired girl approaching from behind Sasuke. "How'd you know?" he asked. Sasuke simply raised a brow. "Right," Naruto said, grinning. "You're a vampire."

To be continued...