Moving Memories

by itabitaboo

Due to unfortunate events, Naruto's life is turned upside down when he moves from his childhood country home to a place in the city. While starting at university, he finds himself connecting with new people in new ways. He turns from sure that his life is ending to wondering if his life is really only just beginning, but what secrets will his new friends be hiding? (multi pairings)

12. Hallowed Eve

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Moving Memories
12: Hallowed Eve

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

Sasuke buttoned the last button of his black shirt and smoothed the fabric down nicely. After checking himself in the mirror, he moved out of sight to put on his shoes. He peeked back into the mirror to tousle his hair before moving away again and putting on his leather coat. Then, he checked himself fully in the mirror once more. You know, just for good measure. After deciding that he looked perfect, just as he always did, he finally left his mirror and descended into his kitchen to have a drink before leaving. It wouldn't do to be around so many humans without having had at least one packet of blood. Even if supplemental blood wasn't half as satisfying as real blood when it was warm and seeping from the flesh of a human, it would have to do. After all, this was his new life.

After finishing two packets of cold and only slightly decent blood, he crossed to his front door with the intention to leave. He felt the impulsive need to speed back up into his bedroom and check himself in the mirror yet again though, but he resisted that urge. Instead, he left the apartment at top speed while cursing himself underneath his breath. It was just a Halloween party for god's sake. There was no need for him to be so damn anxious or anything. Although, it wasn't a crime to want to look good, was it? Then again, why was this particular evening such a big deal? It was just Kiba and his friends... and Naruto... not that Naruto really mattered all that much. It was just the dobe. He was nothing to fret over. Right? Right.

Within moments, Sasuke was standing in front of that particular dobe's building. His life's tribulations came to a halt as he rationalized that he was being far too analytic. He decided that he would do no more of that for the rest of the night. He would be as calm and confident as he always was and just go with the flow, even if that wasn't exactly his specialty. That was more along Naruto's line of work. It would work out though. After all, this is Sasuke we're talking about. When did things not work out? After taking a deep breath and releasing his petty troubles, Sasuke buzzed Naruto's apartment number.

"Who is it?" Naruto asked over the intercom.

"I've come to suck your blood," Sasuke replied in his best Dracula accent.

Shit. Was that too much? Did he just make a complete fool of himself trying to make a joke? He wasn't so good at jokes. Actually, he was terrible at jokes. He wasn't funny at all. He'd never been a particularly funny guy. He was always too serious. Did Naruto dislike that about him? Was he too serious for Naruto? Damn! Why did he have to go and try to make a joke when he was so shitty at that? Wait. Was he being too analytic again? Or had not being analytic enough caused him to say something completely moronic? When Naruto's voice came back, it was laughing a laugh that made Sasuke feel reassured. He'd forgotten how easy Naruto was to please.

"Only if you buy me dinner first," Naruto joked. "I'm not so cheap y'know."

Sasuke chuckled lightly. "You gonna let me in, dobe?"

"Don't call me that!" Naruto demanded, but his tone of voice was still light and cheerful.

"Sure thing, dobe," was Sasuke's reply. Naruto could practically hear the smirk on his face.

"Tell me who the most handsome man on the earth is first," Naruto commanded playfully.

"Me," Sasuke answered easily. "Now let me in."

"Eh, that works too," Naruto said agreeably. He buzzed Sasuke in, and Sasuke was up the steps and knocking on the door before Naruto even had a chance to stop pressing to buzz button. Naruto opened the door and stared at Sasuke incredulously.

"Holy shit," he said, stepping aside and letting Sasuke in.

"What?" Sasuke asked.

"That must've been a world record!"

Sasuke shrugged and smirked. "Probably."

"Must be nice to be a vampire," Naruto said flippantly, closing his door and brushing past Sasuke to go back into his bedroom.

"Not really," Sasuke said, following Naruto. He found it a bit hard to focus when the latter was walking around all shirtless and whatnot though. His just-out-of-the-shower hair and loose sleeping pants that he must have just thrown on were no help either.

"Why not?" Naruto asked as he turned and plopped down on his bed. Sasuke stopped to stand in front of him.

"It might be fun to move really fast and have extra-sensitive senses and all, but it comes with this annoying urge to kill you and drink your blood," Sasuke replied.

"Touche," Naruto said, leaning back on his hands.

"Why are you relaxing?" Sasuke asked. "You're not even dressed yet."

Naruto shrugged. "I thought I'd let you pick my outfit," he said. When Sasuke simply stared at him, he began to blush. Before he knew it, he was feeling compelled to rub at the back of his neck nervously and avert his suddenly very bashful gaze. How did Sasuke do that to him?

"Aren't you going in costume?" Sasuke asked.

"I was gonna go as a fox, but I see that you're not in costume," Naruto pointed out timidly. "I didn't want you to be the only one and feel awkward or anything. I figured it would seem like a plan if we both said we were just going as ourselves."

Sasuke fought the urge to grin at Naruto, but he couldn't help it if the dobe was kind of, at risk of sounding like a swooning girl, warming his insides. Naruto was so thoughtful. He had no obligation to Sasuke. If anything, he should've wanted to see Sasuke struggle after the kind of awful behavior Sasuke had displayed since they'd met. Naruto didn't want that though. He was very mindful of Sasuke. It wasn't really a shock to Sasuke or anything. He'd already known that Naruto was the kind of guy to be kind, caring, and compassionate, even if the other person didn't exactly deserve that kind of treatment. It was a whole new thing when Sasuke was the object of that treatment though. Having Naruto think enough of him to be concerned about his feelings made Sasuke want to grin like a moron. He refrained though.

Instead, Sasuke raised a questioning brow and asked, "What makes you think I'm not in costume?"

Naruto raised his own skeptical brow. "Uh, the clothes you're wearing," he answered.

Sasuke twitched his upper lip and flashed his fangs. "I'm going as a vampire," he explained, "but I'll be damned if I give in to any of that cliché bullshit that people associate us with."

"Of course," Naruto said, chuckling lightly. "How did I miss that? It's so you."

"What do you want me to pick out for you?" Sasuke asked as he walked over to Naruto's closet.

"The whole outfit," Naruto replied.

Sasuke glanced over his shoulder at Naruto, who was staring somewhat solemnly down at the ground between his feet. He could feel the blond's attitude shift strangely. "Maybe you should go as the fox," he suggested, looking for the solution to whatever had Naruto's attitude shifting so oddly.

Even though he tried to hide it, Sasuke could feel Naruto's apprehensiveness. Nonetheless, he agreed. "I guess I should," he said quietly.

So that wasn't the answer, Sasuke deduced. "Or maybe you can just go as my date," he suggested, diving into the closet and looking for some decent clothes to match his own. He didn't have to see Naruto's face to feel the uplift in his spirit.

"Why would I wanna do that?" Naruto asked, trying to sound less giddy than he felt... and failing.

Sasuke smiled to himself. Problem solved. The brightness was back. "Because I'm the most handsome man in world, and I'll make you look good," he answered. "You could wear rags and look like a king beside me."

Naruto snorted loudly. "Hah! Yeah right!"

Sasuke chuckled lightly, feeling some more of that warmth spreading within. It was a new sensation, and he decided that it must have just been Naruto. The blond had taken up residence inside Sasuke's chest. When he was bright like this, he warmed Sasuke's core. When his attitude did those weird shifts though—the ones that didn't seem like they had any real direct cause—Sasuke felt uneasy. Thus, it was his goal to preserve Naruto's light. He had to keep his dobe smiling because, frankly, it felt really good to be able to bask in his warmth. It had been a very long time since Sasuke had felt like this though. Was this friendship? Yes, he supposed that it was, and then some.

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

"Don't be nervous," Naruto said. "They're fun. They like you. You already know that. There's no reason to get nervous. They'll think you look great. I know it. You'll be fine. It'll all be—"

"Dobe," Sasuke interrupted, "I'm not nervous."

Naruto rang the door bell. "Right. Of course you're not," he said.

If he were standing next to anyone else, Naruto wouldn't have seemed so anxious. He was standing next to Sasuke though, and Sasuke could feel all of Naruto's emotions vividly. He thought that he'd gotten rid of that weird shift in Naruto's aura. Now it was back though. What did Sasuke have to do to eliminate it? Naruto was freaking out, but Sasuke couldn't understand why. These were his friends.

"You'll be fine," Sasuke assured quietly.

"God damnet," Naruto cursed as he made a sudden realization. "I forgot teeth." It seemed like a calm statement, but Sasuke could tell that it was enough to make Naruto want to abort this mission, if the feelings that he was trying so hard to hide were any indication. "Oh well," Naruto said, seemingly shrugging it off just as Ino answered the door.

"Sasuke!" she exclaimed, and then Naruto's mood went from anxious right to irritated. "I'm so glad you're here! You look so great! What are you?!"

Sasuke glanced at Naruto momentarily and retracted his teeth almost imperceptibly. "Myself," he said easily, choosing to abandon his costume idea so that Naruto didn't have to feel like an outcast. It wasn't like he needed anything else to be anxious about, since just being here, apparently, was a damn chore for the dobe. "Naruto and I—"

"Don't lie, Sasuke," Naruto interrupted, a big smile on his face. "Sasuke's a vampire. Come on, Sasuke. Show her your teeth."

Sasuke stared at Naruto questioningly for a moment. Why was he thwarting Sasuke's attempt to band with him? Naruto simply raised an expectant brow.

"OH!" Ino exclaimed when Sasuke finally extended his teeth. "WOW! That's so cool! How does that thing work?! You must've spent a lot of money on such a trick!" Sasuke shrugged and forced himself to smile pleasantly, even if all he was really interested in was what Naruto could be thinking. "What about you Naruto?" Ino asked eagerly. "Are you a vampire too? You have some of those fancy things?"

"Nahhhh," Naruto said lightly, "I'm not flashy like this guy. I'm just me."

Ino rolled her eyes. "Way to be cheap, Naruto." She moved aside to make room for the two to enter. "You still look good though!" she added as Naruto passed her.

"Don't I always?" Naruto replied with a grin. Sasuke could see right through it though.

There was no sincerity in that smile. It was fake, and it was sickening. In fact, it was so sickening that Sasuke found himself fighting the urge to scowl at the back of Naruto's head. A smile like that looked ugly on Naruto. How had Sasuke never noticed this before? Had he really paid so little attention to Naruto? He felt like he'd always been paying extra attention to the man simply because he was trying so hard to actually ignore him. Had he really been so blind though, even when he was so vigilant? Had he truly never seen signs of such a broken, fragile guy like these? Had he never noticed just how insincere that smile was or how forced that laughter seemed to be? Had Sasuke always been so clueless? Had they all?

"Why'd you interrupt me earlier?" Sasuke asked quietly while Ino took their coats away. "I was gonna say that we both just came as ourselves so that it seemed like a plan."

"Why would you do that?" Naruto asked, appearing to be genuinely clueless.

So the dobe was not only going to purposely deny Sasuke's help, but he was going to act stupid too. Now that they were doing the whole friends thing, Sasuke had felt their bond magnify tenfold. Vampire senses were extraordinary all the time. Most of the time, however, vamps could only pick up on minute changes in a person's aura if they were paying special attention to that person. Sasuke could feel the tiniest shift in the wind when it came to Naruto though. Ever since that night at Akatsake, Sasuke felt his connection to Naruto intensify extensively. He could read Naruto even more easily than before, so he could tell that Naruto knew exactly what he was doing when he deliberately interrupted Sasuke. Now Sasuke just had to figure what that reason was.

He rolled his eyes at Naruto. "You said that you wouldn't want me to feel awkward by being the only one not in costume," he pointed out. "I was just extending you the same courtesy. Why'd you reject it?"

"Why would I feel awkward?" Naruto asked. "These are my friends. They won't care if I dress up or not. No need for me to feel social anxiety or anything."

Sasuke really wished that he could just read Naruto's mind at this point. Every little thing that Naruto felt, Sasuke felt too. Even when they were literally miles apart, Sasuke was constantly tuned in to Naruto on a subconscious level. He was even monitoring Naruto's vitals to look for even the slightest bodily reactions too. Even if he could catch Naruto in a lie or feel his emotional state of being so easily, he still didn't know what was going on in that head. And it seemed like there was an awful lot going on in there. Naruto wasn't half the idiot that he pretended to be. Now that things were slowly changing between them, their bond was only getting stronger by the second. So when Naruto laughed such a fake laugh and smiled such a fake smile, Sasuke couldn't help but notice. He couldn't help but be disturbed by it either.

"Dobe," Sasuke began.

He fully intended to call Naruto out and... well... he didn't really know, actually. He wasn't sure if he should be sympathetic or reprimanding or if maybe he should just pretend to be ignorant. He had to say something to Naruto though, because whatever was going on inside the other's head seemed off to Sasuke, and he was afraid that all those things might be markers for something really huge in Naruto's life. Sasuke had an obligation to figure it out and at least try to offer help, didn't he? They were friends now. Isn't that what friends did? More importantly, Sasuke just wanted to be in on Naruto's secrets. If it brought them closer together, then who would complain?

"Sasuke! You must have a drink!" Ino insisted, reappearing and interrupting Sasuke's half-baked speech.

She began dragging the man away from the entryway and into the living room, where the party was in full swing. Naruto's smile dropped immediately, and he scowled at the back of Ino's head as he trailed along behind the pair—something that Sasuke didn't have to see to recognize because he could feel it radiating from Naruto.

"What do you prefer?" Ino asked once they made it to the drink station.

Sasuke looked over the bottles of alcohol quickly. "I don't know. What'll you have, dobe?" he asked, glancing over his shoulder at an annoyed Naruto, who tried to hide his disgruntled expression immediately. The emotion flooding his aura didn't fade an ounce though.

"I'm a beer guy!" Naruto said brightly, wedging himself in between Sasuke and Ino to get to the keg.

"Sounds good to me," Sasuke decided, not at all disappointed by Naruto's obtrusive gesture. He smiled softly at the blond and touched his back ever so lightly in a covert attempt to lift his sour mood. Naruto paid him no mind though. Apparently, the keg required extra special attention, attention that could not be wasted on recognizing Sasuke's efforts. Sasuke was tempted to sigh bleakly at this disheartening failure. He hadn't really realized it, but it seemed like he was a bit more invested in Naruto than he'd ever thought before.

"Are you sure you don't want something a little bit stronger though?" Ino asked, holding up a bottle of vodka and grinning at Sasuke across Naruto. "I do good with shots," she added with a wink.

"You do not!" Sakura refuted, appearing out of nowhere. She shoved Naruto out of the way to get in between Ino and Sasuke herself as she spoke. "You are a sloppy drunk, Ino," she said insultingly.

Luckily, Sasuke had already been anticipating Sakura's actions. Had it not been for him snaking an arm around Naruto's waist to steady him just moments before Sakura even had a chance to appear, Naruto would have been knocked over completely. His now full beer did become quite the dangerous weapon though, threatening to drench him completely as it began to topple over, but Sasuke had anticipated that as well. His hand was already wrapped around Naruto's, stilling the cup and keeping even a drop from spilling over the edge. That was how Naruto ended up pulled right up to Sasuke's chest with just his red solo cup to separate their hearts, one of which was pounding much, much, much more furiously than the other.

"Vodka is your enemy," Sakura proclaimed in Ino's face. Then, she smiled a sinister smile. "Well, maybe I should just let you down the whole bottle."

Sasuke thought that he would've been content to simply stay there like that. Hell, he might have even got a bit ballsy and tried to—

"Naruto!"

Deep breath. I will not kill Ino. I will not kill Ino. I will not kill Ino. Sasuke's new mantra for the night.

"Get Sakura a beer, won't you?" Ino asked, glaring steadily at her roommate.

Even though neither woman looked away from the other to pay any mind to what kind of proximity that their friend and their crush were currently in, Naruto jumped and wiggled out of Sasuke's grip quickly anyway, as if he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Oh! Wait!" Ino went on to exclaim in a mock revelation, still very ignorant of what had just transpired between Naruto and Sasuke. "I forgot! Beer gives you gas!"

Sakura gasped. "At least I don't go—"

Ino slapped her hand over Sakura's mouth to cut her off. "Shut up!" she shrieked.

"Sakura!" Lee sang from somewhere across the room.

Sakura's eyes widened and Ino's narrowed evilly. Sakura began shaking her head frantically, begging her friend not to rat her out. She'd been trying to avoid Lee all night. She was glad they were friends and all. He was a really great, fun guy. He was just a little too enthusiastic about his "love" for her, and it was ten times worse when he drank alcohol. Her pleading eyes didn't affect Ino though.

"She's over here!" Ino shouted, waving her arm up in the air for Lee to spot.

Sakura growled at the blond, ripping the girl's hand from her mouth. "Dance with me!" she demanded of Sasuke.

Sasuke was busy plotting a way to get that close to Naruto again though, too busy to respond right away. Naruto, on the other hand, was busy looking for the answers to life in his beer cup and fighting the blush that kept trying to invade his cheeks.

"No! Dance with me!" Ino exclaimed, snatching Sasuke's wrist.

When Ino and Sakura's bickering became too much to handle, which was fairly quickly, Sasuke made an executive decision. "I'll dance with you both," he suggested.

"NO!" the two women said in unison, equally disgusted. The look in Naruto's eyes as he snapped his head to attention echoed their displeasure.

Sasuke smiled that charming smile though. "Ladies," he nearly sang, and then their fate was sealed.

"Okay," they sighed at once, melting beside him.

An extremely drunk Lee showed up just in time to see Sasuke leading the two women out into the middle of the crowded room to dance, and an extremely jaded Naruto stood glaring at the same scene. In Sasuke's mind, an angry glare from Naruto was better than being ignored though. Some form of attention from the other was all that he wanted. He also wanted to shut the women up because they were annoying. Plus, if he let Naruto build up the tension all by his lonesome, then Sasuke was sure that he'd eventually get his chance to be close to him again. The best part about it was that it would be of Naruto's own volition. That was what had Sasuke smirking. That made dancing with these women bearable.

"Wazgononn?" Lee asked. When Naruto didn't reply, he tried again. "Alllooo? I said wasgonnonnnom?" He hiccupped loudly. He was just about to shout at his blond friend when TenTen appeared out of nowhere.

"Lee!" she exclaimed, clasping the man on his shoulder. "I've been looking everywhere for you! Neji needs you for pong! Come on, you oaf!"

"Alright!" Lee exclaimed excitedly, forgetting about Sakura in an instant. "I shall beofservss!"

TenTen simply laughed happily and nodded her head. There was no use trying to actually understand Lee when he was drunk. It was better to just nod and agree. Lee hurried off toward the kitchen where Neji would be waiting for him.

"Oh! Naruto!" TenTen exclaimed happily. He turned his glare to TenTen and raised one intolerant eyebrow as if to ask 'What the fuck do you want'. TenTen simply smiled sweetly, seeming to completely miss the aura of death radiating off of him. "Hinata needs a partner, and I really suck at beerpong," she informed. "You play!"

Before Naruto could say no, TenTen started dragging him off toward the kitchen too. He sighed and sipped at his beer. This was going to be a long night. He could feel it.

"I got you a partner, Hinata!" TenTen exclaimed once they got to the beerpong table.

"O-Oh! H-Hi, N-Naruto," Hinata said shyly, blushing bright red. "I-I'm so glad that y-you want to p-play with me."

"Sure," Naruto grumbled half-heartedly. The only person he really cared to pretend to be happy around was Sasuke. He didn't want the other to see just how much he could affect Naruto. "Let's just get this going."

"O-Okay," Hinata said meekly.

As Naruto and Neji were deciding who would go first, Hinata glanced over to see TenTen winking at her and nodding encouragingly, causing her to flush an even deeper shade of red. For the entire game, Naruto kept glancing obsessively over at Sasuke, only to see him dancing with a new girl every time. Although, Ino and Sakura were never all that far away. With each new girl that Sasuke danced with, Naruto's attitude got worse. Not that he really cared, but they were losing the game drastically because of it. Hinata wasn't on her game either. She was too busy trying to make idle conversation with her crush. Naruto was unresponsive though. His answers were all noncommittal and vague. It didn't help that Lee was surprisingly awesome at pong when he was drunk either. It seemed like he was good at everything except talking.

"O-Oh," Hinata said timidly. "L-Looks like we lost."

Naruto's response was a mindless grunt, as he was too busy scowling at some redheaded whore dancing with Sasuke like a total slut. He narrowed his eyes at her. He really had to think of a way to get the bastard away from all these girls. They were just so possessive, like Sasuke was theirs or something. Not that Sasuke was his or anything... but he kind of was.

"I-I guess I can d-drink this then," Hinata said quietly.

"Naruto!" Neji hollered, snapping Naruto out of his daze.

"What? My turn?" Naruto asked.

Neji rolled his eyes. "You lost. Be a gentleman and drink all this shit. Don't make my little cousin do it all on her own," he demanded.

"Oh. Right," Naruto said as he stared at all the beer he had to drink for losing.

"If you were gonna stare at Sasuke the whole time, then why'd you even play?" Neji asked bluntly.

Naruto blushed but managed to hide it behind a loud snort. "Yeah right!" he exclaimed.

"Jealous of all the attention he's getting?" Neji asked.

"Please!" Naruto boomed. "I already know that I'm sexy!" he said confidently, following up with a hearty laugh. It must have been a good ruse because everyone began laughing along with him. "All right!" he said spiritedly. "Let's get smashed!" He started chugging all the beer quickly, leaving Hinata with none.

"I-I can h-help," she insisted, but Naruto simply shook his finger at her while he drank.

When he finished the last bit of beer, he dropped the cup onto the table and smiled at her. "Neji's right. I should be a gentleman. Don't you think?" he said, clapping Hinata on the shoulder. She blushed deeply. "Wow," he went on, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "We really lost by a lot. I'm really starting to feel all that beer."

After a glance to TenTen for support, Hinata suggested that they play again. Naruto couldn't find it within him to say no. If he just purposely lost again, then he'd get to chug all the beer. If he was going to have to watch Sasuke's shenanigans all night, then he might as well be drunk. Plus, his friends clearly liked him better when he was laughing and joking around, even if he was just faking it. It was easier to fake when he was smashed too. After all, it was a party. It was time for him to get into the mood.

That was how Naruto ended up purposely losing three games in a row and refusing to let Hinata drink a single cup. After pong, Lee challenged Naruto to a competition to see who could chug a full beer the fastest. Naruto, of course, eagerly accepted. In fact, he eagerly accepted until he finally beat Lee on his fifth try. He even got to witness TenTen and Hinata go at it. Surprisingly, Hinata was a beast. She beat TenTen before TenTen was even halfway done with her beer. At that point, Naruto was feeling pretty drunk, so he didn't question it when Kiba appeared out of thin air and pulled him away for a little chat in a quiet corner of the kitchen.

"Naruto, you need to grow a pair of balls," Kiba said.

Naruto looked at him with a shocked expression. "Scuse me?" he asked, a little bit of a slur working its way into his voice.

"I said, grow some balls," Kiba repeated matter-of-factly.

"The fuck?" Naruto asked, feeling very offended. Then, he seemed to finally realize who he was talking to. "Kiba...?"

"Who else?!" Kiba said. "Are you really that drunk?"

"Wooooaaahhh," Naruto said dramatically. "When'd you get here? I haven't seen you all night!"

Kiba rolled his eyes, but he was smiling uncontrollably. "I've been around, with Gaara of course."

Naruto perked up. "Are you back together then?" he asked excitedly.

Kiba blushed. "Uh... Well... I don't know. This isn't about me anyway. It's about you," he said, evading the question skillfully. Although, a drunk Naruto wasn't that hard to fool.

"Right," Naruto said, nodding his head seriously. "It's about me not having any balls."

"Exactly," Kiba agreed.

"Wait! I'm offended!" Naruto realized.

Kiba shook his head. "Naruto, I'm trying to give you some advice," he said.

Naruto cocked his head to the side curiously. "About what?" he asked.

"The object of your affection," Kiba replied.

Thoughtlessly, Naruto looked back over to Sasuke and scowled because now the bastard was emptying a full bottle of vodka. Looked like Ino had gotten her way in the end. Naruto watched Sasuke down the bottle in record speed. When he was done, all the women around him cheered ecstatically and found ways to touch him suggestively.

"This is the time, Naruto," Kiba said, earning Naruto's attention once more. "Now is the time to go for what you want. Before, it would've been too soon. Now, I think Sasuke is ready. So grow some balls or else someone else might get him for good."

Naruto suddenly realized what Kiba was saying to him in its entirety. "Woah!" he said, waving his hands defensively. "Th-that's not... I-I... I don't... I... Sasuke... He and I..."

"Can it," Kiba interjected. "Don't forget who you're talking to. I know I've been kinda vacant lately, but things are finally looking up for me again. I'm feeling like my old self, and I'm being a good friend and letting you know that it's time to man up." With that, Kiba nodded, smiled, and then walked away, leaving a stunned Naruto to stare blankly after him.

When Naruto looked back to Sasuke again, he was surprised to see the latter already looking right at him. That had been the first time that Sasuke had glanced at Naruto all night. Well, it was the first time that Naruto had seen him do it anyway. It made Naruto blush. Maybe Kiba was right though. Maybe it was finally time. Maybe Naruto just needed to man up and go for it. Those eyes were beckoning him. Sasuke wouldn't look away, and neither would Naruto. So it was no surprise that Naruto was completely oblivious to Hinata when she showed up at his side.

"Hey, N-Naruto," she said meekly. No reply, so she went on. "I-I was j-just thinking th-that m-m-maybe y-you w-would... um..." She glanced over at TenTen who nodded vigorously. "U-Uh... I-I... U-Uh... Oh, fuck it." She pulled the blond down and kissed him.

Naruto just barely caught the look of disgust that may or may not have crossed Sasuke's face before the man turned away. Being as drunk as he was, it took a few seconds for Naruto to realize that he was being kissed, and that it wasn't Sasuke kissing him. Immediately, but as politely as possible, he pulled away. Hinata stared at him, looking completely unfazed and confident. He wanted to smile at her, but he was sure that it came out as a grimace instead.

"Um... I... Hinata, I kind of like someone else already," Naruto said slowly. "I... I don't think... I mean... uh..."

"Oh," Hinata said quietly, her confidence deflating quickly. She stared down at the ground. Naruto felt a pang of guilt surge through him, but he was more concerned with the head of black hair making its way toward the front door.

"Um... We'll have to talk later," he said hurriedly. "I've gotta go and..." He left that sentence hanging as he suddenly just walked away. He followed Sasuke's hair rather calmly until it went through the front door. Then, he began pushing through the people dancing in the middle of the room more roughly, wanting to get outside before the bastard could just disappear. Just as he got out the front door, a hand at his elbow stopped him.

"You idiot!" Neji exclaimed angrily.

Naruto looked at him confusedly. "What?" he asked innocently, looking distractedly over his shoulder to try to spot Sasuke.

"You made my cousin cry," Neji said, glaring at Naruto, "and then you just walked away!"

"Oh, that," Naruto replied vacantly, still glancing around for Sasuke. "I didn't mean to. I'm just kind of trying out this new idea of going for what I really want."

"You don't need to trample over Hinata along the way!" Neji retorted. That earned him Naruto's full attention.

"She just kissed me out of nowhere!" Naruto defended. "I didn't ask her to!"

"You didn't ask her not to either!" Neji argued. "You just stared off into the distance all vacant-like! Are you retarded?! Do you not know when someone is flirting with you, or do you just not care?! Are you just that much of an asshole that you'd lead someone on like that?!"

Naruto glared at Neji. "We're friends, Neji, but I'll punch you right here and now," he warned. "I wouldn't purposely do anything to hurt Hinata! You know that!"

"I should knock you the fuck out!" Neji very nearly shouted. "You're a selfish asshole sometimes, Naruto!" He tightened his grip on Naruto's elbow. "Think with your fucking brain!" he exclaimed. "Or are you really too fucking stupid to—" He was cut off as Sasuke suddenly appeared, grabbed his wrist, and ripped his hand from Naruto's arm.

"Don't touch him," Sasuke warned in a dangerous tone.

Neji simply snorted. "What are you gonna do?" he spat. Suddenly, he was thrown backward and pinned up against the wall by his throat. Instinctively, one hand went to the fingers wrapped around his neck while the other pushed futilely against Sasuke's chest. He wheezed as he struggled to breathe.

"You don't wanna know," Sasuke ground out.

"Let him go!" Naruto exclaimed quickly. "You'll hurt him, Sasuke!"

Sasuke growled defiantly but dropped Neji obediently. Neji gasped for air but stayed standing tall to glare at the man. They shared a long, tense moment before Naruto intervened again by lightly touching Sasuke's shoulder from behind.

"Sasuke," he said quietly. It was soft and gentle, but it was enough to reign the beast in. Sasuke's muscles relaxed, but neither his eyes nor his fangs eased up. Eventually, Neji simply left the two men alone and went back inside, rubbing his throat tenderly. When Neji was out of sight, Naruto asked, "Don't you think that was a bit much?"

"He touched you inappropriately," Sasuke ground out, still glaring at the spot where Neji had been standing.

"Only because I accidentally hurt Hinata's feelings," Naruto defended. "He was protecting her, and it was fair. You didn't have to crush his windpipe over it."

In a flash, Sasuke had Naruto pinned to the very same spot where Neji had just been. He held both of Naruto's wrists over his head and hovered his body close enough to share body heat without touching. "Let's get one thing straight," he whispered close enough to Naruto's mouth for their breath to mingle. Naruto took in a shuddering breath as he stared raptly at Sasuke's lips. "If I want to kill someone for touching you, then I will because I can. I'm a killer, Naruto. Don't forget that." Slowly, Sasuke leaned away, but he didn't release Naruto.

Naruto swallowed thickly, negligent of just how tempting that made his throat to Sasuke. "Are you trying to scare me?" he asked.

Sasuke snorted. "I don't need to try," he assured smugly.

Naruto leaned forward, thinking that maybe he could get a hold of those sinful lips, or maybe not really thinking at all. Sasuke moved out of reach though. In response, Naruto sighed with disappointment. "I'm not scared of you," he insisted, "especially not right now. You don't look scary. You look..." He trailed off as his eyes began to rove over what he could see of Sasuke's physique.

"Don't do that," Sasuke demanded quietly.

Naruto met Sasuke's eyes again. "Why not? I can't appreciate you?" he asked, a tantalizing smirk on his lips.

Sasuke's eyes grew deeper and his grip grew tighter on Naruto's wrists. "No," he said in a low voice, "you can't because it makes me want to bite you."

Naruto wouldn't be shut up so easily though. "Maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing," he mused.

"No?" Sasuke asked, suddenly leaning in and placing his lips against Naruto's neck. "Not even if it killed you?" he asked, his teeth grazing the skin. It didn't have quite the affect that he'd been hoping for though, as Naruto was barely able to stifle a pleased whimper.

Who did this idiot think that he was? Didn't he understand what he was getting into? Didn't he know what Sasuke was capable of? Didn't that matter? How could he play with Sasuke so easily? After all, that was all this was, wasn't it? It was just Naruto having some fun. Sasuke was unlovable, untouchable. He always had been. Being a vampire had sort of sealed that fate a long time ago.

Naruto could never truly care for Sasuke. This was just some surface attraction. Sasuke was hot, after all. Who wasn't attracted to him? Naruto was just playing a game with Sasuke... but Sasuke was playing along. He was giving in. He was fucking changing for the dobe. He had already changed so much for him. The old Sasuke would have had Naruto's throat ripped out weeks ago already. This Sasuke couldn't though. This Sasuke didn't understand what Naruto was doing to him or why. Why was Naruto doing this?

"What do you want from me?" Sasuke asked, suddenly very serious as he pulled away from Naruto's neck and tightened his grip a bit.

Naruto's eyes found Sasuke's again. "What do you mean?" he asked quietly, growing serious too.

"Why have you been so interested in me all this time?" Sasuke asked. Naruto blushed lightly. "You have a crush on me?" Sasuke asked. Naruto blushed even more deeply. "I knew it," Sasuke said. He snorted and tightened his grip severely. Naruto winced against the bruises forming on his wrists, but Sasuke ignored him. He leaned in close again, except it wasn't half as seducing to Naruto this time around. Such pain has a tendency to put a real damper on one's mood though. Naruto couldn't help the grimace on his face. "I'm not a pet," Sasuke snarled. "Your fascination is insulting me."

Only when Naruto whimpered quietly and began gritting his teeth did Sasuke finally let him go. Immediately, the blond rubbed his wrists tenderly. When he looked back up, he was presented with a view of the back of Sasuke's head. He simply watched Sasuke for a few moments as he thought of what he wanted to say in reply.

"Give me some credit," he finally said. "I am a little deeper than that." He moved to stand beside Sasuke and stared at the man's profile. His teeth had still yet to retract, though his eyes had cleared up a little bit. "I don't want a pet," Naruto said quietly. Sasuke's facial expression didn't change. Cautiously, Naruto lifted his hand and carded it through Sasuke's hair. He had to smile at the way Sasuke unintentionally relaxed into the touch. He shuffled a little closer so that his chest was pressed against Sasuke's shoulder and then leaned forward even more to whisper in Sasuke's ear, "I want you."

Sasuke went rigid and stood as still as a stone. After a few seconds of uncertainty, Naruto removed his hand from Sasuke's hair and began to think that maybe this encounter was a failure. Sasuke wasn't really reacting at all though, so he wasn't exactly sure. He lingered for a few more seconds before deciding that it was definitely a failure and that he was absolutely humiliated. After all, that was one of his best attempts at seducing and Sasuke was just standing there, like it hadn't just happened. Feeling stupid, Naruto began walking away hurriedly. God, he felt like such a fool. It wasn't just an attempt at seduction. That was kind of a confession too. He wanted more than just Sasuke's body. Sasuke was just fucking standing there though! Suddenly, Naruto was running, perhaps with the intentions of outrunning the awful feeling in his chest.

Suddenly, however, Sasuke was forcing Naruto to a halt. He grabbed both of Naruto's elbows tightly from behind and gently pulled Naruto to a stop. Naruto just stood there, huffing heavily and waiting for the bastard to say something. Finally, Sasuke spun Naruto around and, without any warning, kissed him deeply. At first, Naruto was far too shocked to react. He'd never kissed a man before! It took a moment for his drunken mind to compute that, yes, in fact, he had kissed men before. He'd always been drunk and out of his mind though. Just like he was now, actually. But, then again, he wasn't kissing Sasuke. Sasuke was kissing him. So he'd never been kissed by a man before! But what did that have to do with anything?

Kissing Sasuke seemed like it deserved its own category completely, so it really didn't matter who'd he'd kissed before. Naruto hadn't even reciprocated the kiss yet, but it already felt a thousand times better than a kiss could ever feel with anyone else. Naturally, when Naruto kissed back, it was like proverbial fireworks exploded in his head. Now this was a fucking kiss. It didn't last nearly long enough though because Sasuke pulled away quickly. Before Naruto could even ask what was up, Sasuke had picked him up bridal-style and they were moving at the speed of light.

Naruto was glad that it didn't take that long to get back to his apartment because all he wanted to do was more and more kissing. Well, he thought that maybe he'd start with a real confession first, the confession that Sasuke deserved. Even if he was a vampire and even if he was Sasuke, he still had human emotions. After everything that Naruto had learned about the guy, Sasuke must have just been yearning for affection for years now. He was just too afraid or unequipped to ask for it. Now was Naruto's chance to change that though. Sasuke set him down in front of the building and took a giant step back away from him.

"What?" Naruto asked, feeling very put off. "Am I that bad at kissing?"

Sasuke didn't take the joke so lightly though. "We can't," he said simply and sternly. He looked ready to bolt, and that expression worried Naruto. He didn't want Sasuke running back to his old self, not after they'd gotten so far, not after Naruto had gotten to close.

"Wait," Naruto pleaded, reaching out and grabbing one of Sasuke's hands. "Don't go yet. I have a lot that I wanna say still." Sasuke's expression was pained, but he didn't move. "Just talk with me," Naruto insisted. "You said you wanted to change and I said that I would help, so talk with me."

Sasuke's expression grew even more pained. He was tempted to stay. He knew that Naruto wasn't going to jump his bones or anything. He could feel the blond's intentions easily. He truly just wanted to talk, but could Sasuke handle that? Was he ready? It might be easier for him to battle his thirst while necking with Naruto than actually trying to have a real talk with the guy. No, Sasuke wasn't ready. Maybe that made him a coward, but he was okay with that for now. He couldn't cross that threshold and go back into Naruto's apartment. He had to get away. He was feeling suffocated. He wasn't ready for this. It was too much at once. He wanted to go back in time to when things made sense. Vampire. Thirst. Blood. Kill. That was easy. Suddenly, his thirst was multiplied. Now he really couldn't stay a second longer or else he would snap.

"We can't," he repeated simply, and then he was gone.

To be continued...