.

Moving Memories
21: A Change of Tides

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

"What's going on here?" Kankuro asked, jolting Naruto out of his private moment with Gaara.

The two snapped their eyes simultaneously to the elder.

"Does it matter?" Gaara asked. "I've agreed. That's that."

Kankuro turned his demand to Naruto. "What's going on?"

Naruto froze like a deer in headlights. He could see that Kankuro was playing no games. He wasn't just asking to know. He was demanding. But, on the other hand, Naruto could sense that Gaara was determined to keep the matter private. Why? He couldn't say, but Gaara was just as definitive on his stance as Kankuro, and that put Naruto in a very difficult position.

Thankfully, Gaara redirected the attention back to himself. "If it works, you'll see," he said simply.

"That's not enough for me!" Kankuro snapped, his eyes slitting into a glare.

"Oh well," Gaara said, shrugging.

Kankuro's glare only intensified and Naruto began to think he might actually snap on Gaara. But if he did, Naruto could understand why. He was scared silly, and reasonably so when he was none the wiser to what was happening with the people that he loved. But beyond that, he was recognizing something that, inevitably, put him on special alert. His influence as Gaara's elder was doing nothing in this moment. There had been a time when Gaara would cower beneath Kankuro's intolerant gaze, but that was no longer. Gaara wasn't backing down now.

As the eldest, it'd always been Kankuro's duty to watch over his siblings, and that included Sasuke. Though Sasuke had not considered anyone a part of his clan until Ren was born, they'd all considered Sasuke a part of theirs. Because Itachi hadn't been a vampire at the time, it was just natural that Sasuke fall into Kankuro's ranks. He became Kankuro's responsibility too. It was Kankuro's duty to guide his siblings, to ensure they carried on an honorable legacy for their family names. But that had to end eventually. That time had already passed with Temari. She was fully mature, and now she guided her own path. Of course, she still respected him in many ways, but she had the power in her hands to defy him should she choose. And he trusted her judgement enough to not butt heads with her.

The younger ones didn't have that freedom yet. Well, since Sasuke refused to even acknowledge Kankuro as some type of pseudo sibling, Kankuro had never really had all that much influence over him to begin with. Sasuke had been resigned to being his own boss since childhood, but then he wasn't a pureblood either. He'd been changed, so the instinct in him differed from that of the Sundama children. As for Gaara, who was a pureblood, the instinct to follow Kankuro's lead was ingrained into him. It was just a fact that vampires had raised their children this way since the very beginning. The eldest child was groomed to ideal standards, and then they were given the responsibility of any that came after them. The reasons for why could vary, but Kankuro had never been in the practice of questioning it. It was a part of their culture. He accepted it for what it was, and so did his siblings.

Gaara was reaching his maturity though. Within the next couple of years, he'd be fully grown. At that point, it would no longer be Kankuro's responsibility to guide him. Maybe Gaara was reaching his maturity early. Maybe the influence of being in such a crazed state for so long was making him unable to be tamed in the moment. Maybe he was just so resolved in his stance that he refused to let Kankuro control him on this one. The possibilities were plenty, but Kankuro's reaction would be all the same.

He felt totally put-off by the situation. With Temari, maturing had been easy. She'd slipped into adulthood silently and Kankuro had simply faded away, treating her as the equal she proved herself capable of being. She wasn't nearly as dramatic as Gaara. Gaara just had to complicate things to an amazing degree. How could Kankuro possibly be okay with Gaara taking charge of his own fate at a time like this? Maybe if Gaara were less delicate, less feral, less out of his damn mind, then Kankuro could rest easy. He couldn't trust his brother's judgement though, so fate had picked a damned time to give the man a taste of the freedom he'd soon be exercising.

Kankuro felt extremely uneasy in the moment, and it began to show. He recognized that he might have to actually put up a fight and assert his dominance in some ways that would not be pretty, so he began to act as edgy as an animal backed into a corner, as if he could spring at any moment. That concerned Naruto, because Kankuro had never been one to lose his composure.

Gaara stepped forward and Kankuro immediately crouched into a threatening stance. Naruto could see that he was still confused. He was unsure of why Gaara was approaching, but he did know that he wasn't going to let Gaara near Naruto. Everyone could feel his intention to be near Naruto. The reason why was still vague, but Kankuro didn't like the sound of the two being physically close to each other enough to interject at that fact alone.

Naruto could see the truth coming together in Kankuro's head. The idea that Naruto and Gaara might have agreed on Gaara biting Naruto crossed Kankuro's mind, but he just didn't think they'd do that... would they? Maybe they would. Then again, maybe they wouldn't. That would be supreme stupidity, but Kankuro was going to protect Naruto like that was the case anyway. And it was.

Seeing the tension rise to an almost unbearable degree, Temari chose to finally step in. She gripped Gaara's shoulder more tightly and tried to pull him back.

"Let's talk this out," she suggested. "Don't be so hasty with each other."

Gaara just snapped his shoulder out of her hold and continued forward. Getting the message clearly, Temari backed off. She wanted to be on Kankuro's side, but she wanted to be on Gaara's side too. She came to the same conclusions as Kankuro. Perhaps Gaara was simply reaching maturity. If that were the case, was it really her place to interject in the natural friction of the transition? Between her and Kankuro had been easy, but that didn't mean it would be so with Gaara too. She was put in an awkward position, so all she could do was step back and hope her brothers didn't take things too far.

"Do not touch him!" Kankuro snarled.

Reflexive to the tone of Kankuro's voice, Gaara hissed lowly, expressing his primal agitation and assuring Kankuro that he too was ready for a fight.

Naruto knew that this had to be done. No one understood, much like he'd anticipated they would react, but that didn't matter. Gaara saw the point, so this was going to happen one way or another. There was simply no point in Kankuro complicating something that he'd ultimately have to accept.

Naruto touched Kankuro's arm gently, enough to prompt the man to glance back at his face. Gaara shifted, though, and Kankuro's eyes snapped back. It was clear he would not let Gaara stray from his sight for too long, but Naruto knew he'd gained the man's attention anyway.

"Trust me," Naruto said softly, knowing no use would come of being forceful with his words. "I know what I'm doing."

After a long pause, Kankuro looked back at Naruto uncertainly.

"It'll be worth it in the end," Naruto assured.

At that point, Naruto recognized that he might be as desperate, if not more so, than Gaara to make this happen. He'd seen Kiba hurt way too much. In fact, he'd been an unwitting part of causing that hurt. Perhaps this was a way of repenting, but it was also out of pure love for his best friend. Naruto had seen a simple solution. Simple as it was, it was also controversial. If it was going to work out, it was imperative that he and Gaara take this step now. There was no way anyone would let Kiba within ten miles of Gaara if they knew Naruto's scheming and had no surety that it would work out.

Naruto knew that things could never go back to how they were in the beginning, but they could come back around full circle to a good place again. None of them would be the same, some more changed than others, but they could reunite as better versions of themselves instead. And this time, they could get it right. They needed each other, and maybe it had always been Naruto's destiny to find this group of fractured beings and bring them back together. Maybe that was the whole point of him being born a bijuu. Funny how he was their natural enemy, and yet he was drawn to them in such a way anyway.

But fate worked in strange ways like that. Maybe this was even bigger than all of them. Maybe this was the start to something huge. Naruto couldn't say. He might have been destined for great things. Then again, maybe not. What he did know was that he could fix things here if only given the chance. Kankuro simply had to have faith.

The desperate yet confident plea buzzing in Naruto's aura did magical things. After staring at Naruto's appraisingly, but mostly in hesitation and concern, for a long while, Kiba finally relaxed his stance and stood upright again. Though he was still visibly tense and obviously extremely uncomfortable with the situation, he stepped aside so that Gaara could approach Naruto at will. Naruto nodded his thanks and smiled reassuringly, silently promising that things would turn out okay... even if he didn't know that to be exactly true. He had faith that it would be though.

And then it was just Naruto and Gaara. Just them two. They locked eyes and simultaneously approached each other. They stopped with a foot or so of space left between them and Gaara lifted his hand in silent expectancy. It was trembling, and Naruto knew it was because of his urges. Naruto didn't feel scared though, not with his bijuu instinct assuring him that he'd be okay. After all, he was created to withstand situations just like this. He had the power. He was in control.

Although, Gaara would have to take Naruto's power away in order for this to be considered a success. So, really, Naruto should have no control. That was the ideal outcome, so maybe there was grounds to be afraid. Naruto wouldn't let himself panic though. He couldn't. Even if the idea of a very nearly feral vampire about to taste his very tempting blood was terrifying, he wouldn't let fear grip his heart. He would need to be composed enough for the both of them, because Gaara could not be counted on to keep his cool.

Naruto placed his hand in Gaara's, his palm facing up. Gaara pulled, inadvertently making Naruto stumble off balance slightly and step toward him. He ignored Naruto though, simply picking an angle of attack and biting. Naruto immediately gave Gaara direction, but when he told Gaara to inject venom, the redhead didn't react to the demand visibly at all. Naruto began to feel a slight tingle in his arm anyway, so he knew he was being infected.

So that was that. They'd traded. Gaara had bijuu blood and Naruto had vampire venom, and that was all the ingredients necessary. Naruto realized right away that Gaara wasn't acting as he should though. Naruto wanted control. In a situation like this, the vampires always looked up at Naruto's face as soon as the connection was made. Always. They continued looking at him until he was gone or they were directed otherwise. Naruto always suspected that such behavior was because they wanted to be sure they caught every little detail about him, so that they could accommodate properly.

Gaara wasn't looking though. He didn't seem to care one bit what kind of state Naruto was in. He just gripped the blond more tightly and sucked with more vigor.

Naruto could see that Gaara was holding himself back and trying to stay within the confines of sanity. A few more seconds of this, though, and he would be a different man altogether. And it wouldn't be Naruto's lust that stole Gaara's mind. It would be Gaara's own. He'd done such a valiant job of being careful so far, and really Naruto had dragged it out too long already. The outcome had already been pretty clearly indicated, but Naruto wanted to try something more direct to be entirely sure.

"Stop." His tone wasn't overly loud or demanding, but it was always enough.

Gaara ignored him though.

"Stop," Naruto said more loudly.

Nothing.

"Gaara," Naruto demanded firmly. "Stop!"

He felt a small prick, alerting him that Gaara's fangs were no longer retracted. A moment later, his arm began to burn as opposed to the slight tingle from before. That was the sign that Gaara had injected more venom, and Naruto knew exactly what that meant. His instinctual side had noticed that Naruto was still quite able to move around freely, but that would not do. It was just too cumbersome to quarry a prey that could fight back.

Gaara hadn't taken to mauling Naruto, and Naruto wasn't sure exactly why. Maybe he just wasn't in the mood for a struggle. Maybe he just enjoyed doing it slowly. Maybe he was still holding himself back with what remnants of restraint still clung to his mind. Naruto was unsure, but he was sure that he was being immobilized to be made an easier target.

Of course, everything happened within a matter of seconds. And not a moment later, that tingling-turned-burn burst into a hot flame that suddenly shot from his forearm into his chest. The venom would stop his heart any minute now, Naruto knew, and he'd be well on his way to becoming a vampire. Once his heart was stopped, there was no going back. But all Naruto could do was cry out, clutch his chest, and crumble to his knees in pain.

Gaara simply stepped closer, hovering over Naruto's body with a sadistic smirk on his face. A moment later, the upturn of lips turned into a grimace as Temari jabbed her thumb into the special spot on his neck. Naruto just fell to the floor, unable to support himself at all, as Gaara disappeared from his sight and the ceiling began to blur.

Oh god. It's happening. I'm gonna die.

Sounds were getting fuzzy and Naruto was sure he was about to die when his body was lifted and shifted before something was stabbed heedlessly into his chest. Chocolate was shoved in his mouth before he could even cry out from the sting and then he felt a line slashed up his forearm. He could feel blood oozing from the wound heavily, but oddly enough it wasn't making him feel any worse. Teeth sank deep into his bicep next. For a few seconds, there was a stillness between the two as Kankuro sucked feverishly from Naruto's upper arm and Naruto realized that Kankuro was in the process of desperately trying to save his life before it was too late.

It was working too. Naruto slowly began to withdraw from the precipice of unconsciousness. Life slowly seeped back into him, despite the fact that he could feel himself losing a lot of blood. He realized that the longer he dragged this out, the more blood he'd lose and, thus, the worse shape he'd be in. So as soon as he felt like he'd survive and that the anti-venom could do the rest of the job, he pushed lightly on Kankuro's chest. Kankuro didn't pause though.

Naruto acknowledged that he might not have been putting enough energy into the bond. He focused on the bond and Kankuro immediately stopped drawing blood from his bicep. He pulled back and wiped the excess blood from the gash on Naruto's forearm with his own shirt, which was covered in blood anyway. He then wrapped the long wound with already prepared bandaging. Once the wound was adequately covered, though it would soon bleed through the wrappings, Kankuro pulled the syringe out of Naruto's chest. He looked to Naruto with eager eyes, reminding Naruto of a lost puppy.

"Help me sit up," Naruto said weakly because he was starting to feel faint. He knew this time, though, that he would not die. He'd just pass out for a while.

Kankuro helped Naruto slowly sit upright. They paused, and then Naruto started to sway dangerously away from Kankuro's body. Of course, Kankuro caught and righted him before pausing again for confirmation that they could proceed. Naruto just leaned heavily into Kankuro's chest and draped his wounded arm tentatively over the man's shoulder.

"Can't walk," he breathed, winded from his effort. "C-Carry."

Kankuro reacted promptly, picking Naruto up bridal-style.

Naruto looked over his shoulder to see Temari talking in feverish, hushed tones very close to Gaara's face. Gaara wasn't thrashing anymore, so it seemed like her words were taking effect, but he was still squirming. No, that's not the word. It was more like writhing, and that made Naruto feel so goddamn guilty.

"Will he..." Naruto began to ask Kankuro, but Gaara's red eyes snapped to blue and Naruto trailed off. There was moment of tense pause before Gaara shifted back into beast-mode and began to try fighting Temari off. In their current positions though, he was powerless.

The elevator doors closed between them then. Naruto hadn't even realized he was in the elevator, so he grunted in soft surprise before deciding he didn't have the energy to be shocked. Kankuro carried Naruto to the couch inside Sasuke's unused suite and laid the injured man down carefully.

Lost in his own mind and fighting the urge to draw energy from Kankuro, it took Naruto a few moments to realize that Kankuro was watching him intently. He cracked an eye open to see Kankuro's expectant face just inches away. Blood dripped down his chin onto his heavily stained shirt, but he hadn't addressed that yet. When he saw Naruto's eye assessing him, he lit up and scooted closer. With Kankuro, being in control of a vampire seemed like a terrible thing.

Naruto sighed. "Take care of your face for god's sake," he mumbled.

Kankuro's brows furrowed in genuine confusion before he just wiped the back of his hand across his face.

'I guess that takes care of it.'

Naruto laughed softly at the simplicity of the solution. Kankuro smiled back at Naruto, and Naruto found it really endearing. But when Naruto's amusement died, Kankuro suddenly looked worried that he'd done something wrong. That bothered Naruto deeply.

"Stop," Naruto said, so Kankuro looked away. "No, I mean stop everything."

Kankuro gave pause. "How do I do that?" he asked.

Naruto sighed in slight frustration and closed his eyes. He imagined their bond diffusing. He knew he couldn't release it entirely and make it dormant, because Kankuro wouldn't be able to control his bloodlust. So he just dialed down enough so that Kankuro wouldn't make a move against Naruto without permission, but he was free to control himself otherwise.

Afraid Kankuro would still be a danger to others, Naruto softly commanded, "Don't leave without my permission."

Even if he was basically in control of himself, the bond was still strong enough that he wouldn't deny a direct command from Naruto.

There were a few moments of silence before Kankuro finally spoke. "Naruto..."

Naruto just hummed in reply.

"I..." Kankuro never said anything more though.

"What is it?" Naruto murmured after a couple long moments of waiting.

"I can see," Kankuro began, "why you're addicting." A short pause. "Euphoric," Kankuro suddenly provided. "That's what it is."

Naruto sighed. "But it's just a trap," he pointed out softly.

Kankuro nodded and conceded, "It is."

The desire to steal Kankuro's vitality and replenish his body was strong within Naruto, but he hadn't been fighting his lovelust for so long just to revert back to that careless being. It was too difficult to focus on controlling himself and Kankuro at once though, which Kankuro could recognize.

"Sleep," Kankuro said softly. "You'll heal more quickly if you do."

There was a finality to the next pause and Naruto began to drift off to sleep in it. He vaguely heard Kankuro say one last thing before he passed out though. It was just a whisper, really.

"So tempting."

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

Naruto felt a gentle touch on his temple and stirred in his sleep, turning his head toward the touch and sighing softly. The fingertips running carefully down his cheek felt like the caress of a cloud. As he was slowly pulled him from his dreams, his lips pulled into a soft smile. There was a pause, then, in the fluttering fingers before they trailed back up toward his temple. Naruto was often woken up in a gentle manner, as Kiba wasn't the type to be anything but gentle, but this was another feeling entirely. It was an entirely unique experience. It felt... fuller, in some way.

Somehow, the atmosphere around him was crackling in a way it'd never crackled before, at least not where Kiba was concerned... or anyone but Sasuke, for that matter. It was a heavy, yet so uplifting, tranquility that reached deep into his being and left him senselessly calmed. The touch on his face felt lighter than a touch could physically be. It was there, most certainly there, but not really there at all, as if his imagination was so glorious that it could be dreaming this up. But, at the same time, Naruto didn't really think that could be the case at all. It felt, in his heart, way too real to be anything but... well... real. Someone was feeding him this emotion, and it was the almost inebriating effect of that emotion that made this moment feel so ethereal. There was only one thing that could possibly make this any better, and that was Sasuke.

Naruto remembered the softness of Sasuke's skin, the flutter of his perfectly unkempt hair. He recalled the way Sasuke's touch always seemed to be as delicate and light as a feather, almost making you question if it was actually happening or if you were just imagining the beautiful being before you, almost like this moment, in fact. He dredged up the fathomless depth of Sasuke's eyes and how, dark as they might be, there was an unmistakable light that shined way down deep inside.

To the untrained eye, this light didn't exist. But to the eye that loved Sasuke as fully as Naruto, the light was more like a burning star struggling against the tight shackles that Sasuke himself had placed so many years ago. The small silhouette of a hand reached out from within. Through layers of suppression and rejection and thick, dark uncertainty, Sasuke sought contact. And Naruto remembered the first time he'd reached back, the first time he'd touched Sasuke on that plane.

A longing to be connected to Sasuke that way again, to hold not his flesh and bone hand but the one still reaching for someone to hold on to, gripped Naruto tightly. He wished for Sasuke's company so badly. A dull ache made itself known as Naruto realized that Sasuke might not be ready for that, and maybe neither was he. It could be years still until they were reunited. Until that time, Naruto couldn't be at Sasuke's side. He couldn't hold a hand that wasn't ready to be held.

But he couldn't very well just look away either. He saw—felt—so deeply into Sasuke that he couldn't stop himself from responding. There was no delay time for him to interrupt his urges because, really, they felt much baser than desire. They felt part of his being, like a fathomless need. Naruto needed to connect with Sasuke, but Sasuke didn't have room for that yet. And neither did Naruto. At least, that had been the case the last time Naruto had seen Sasuke, and he had a feeling that not even Sasuke was stubborn enough to climb out of a struggle that deep so quickly. There was mending left to do. There had to be, because Naruto was still mending too.

Sasuke was still learning how to be gentle, not just in his touch but gentle in his actions, and his words, and his heart. He was learning to be open, to show himself wholly without hiding any piece of him away. He was learning to trust, to share himself with those who wanted nothing but the access to love him freely and deeply and without cause. For so many years, Sasuke had been a stranger to these principles. He loved a little girl so many years ago, and then his sister had died and broken his heart into a million pieces so tiny that Sasuke still believed he would never be able to pick them up. What Sasuke saw from inside was an irreparable mirror, a broken reflection of who he was. There was still so much that Sasuke needed to rediscover about loving another person, so many tiny pieces he needed to reclaim, before Naruto could be in his presence again.

Naruto needed to learn how to be himself again too. He needed to build up a foundation of strength once more. He needed to let go of his fears, of his past. He needed to stop thinking lowly of himself and accept that he was worth the kind of love Sasuke was learning how to share. He needed to be more like the man he'd once been before he fell into a dark pit, but better still. He needed to raise himself up to a whole other level to be able to stand at Sasuke's side. They would forever need to challenge each other to be more than they had ever been before if they were going to work, and they needed to work.

A familiar and stifling pain ripped through Naruto's chest and tore the serenity that'd been holding him so snugly into shreds of nothingness, as if it'd never been. He kept his eyes closed to try to hang on to the experience. He didn't want to break the lingering memory in his mind. Even if the emotion was no longer tangible, he tried holding on to it anyway. He wanted to stay lost in that fantasy for just a bit, to feel those feelings without the sting of pain lacing in and destroying the lightness he'd had.

He sighed, because reality waited for no one.

"Are you feeling better?" Kankuro asked. "Well, under the circumstances," he revised.

Naruto hummed a quiet affirmative, knowing that Kankuro was missing nothing about his internal struggle.

"I don't know what you've done," Kankuro went on, not wishing to dwell, "but Gaara is..." He trailed off, searching for an appropriate word.

Naruto propped himself up and looked back attentively at where he guessed Kankuro would be.

"—changed," Kankuro finished. A small smile, perhaps the first smile in relation to Gaara for months, settled onto his lips. "There's still a war raging within him, but he's more human than he's been in so long."

Naruto smiled too but said nothing. He just lay back down.

After realizing that information was obviously not going to be given so freely, Kankuro asked, "How'd you do it? Are you... willing this?"

Naruto snorted, as if amused by that insinuation. "No," he answered. "Gaara isn't under my influence at all. He rejected me entirely. He could probably drink half the blood in my body and still be totally oblivious to my will."

"So, then, if he's not under your influence..." Kankuro trailed off, leaving the obvious to hang in the air.

Naruto shrugged, another smile pulling at his lips. "Love?" he suggested.

Kankuro's brows furrowed confusedly, but Naruto didn't have to see the expression to feel the confusion in the air.

"He's rediscovered his feelings for Kiba," Naruto explained. "That's all it is, but isn't that enough? He's found hope, Kankuro. He's realized that not even someone like me could break their bond. He can actually imagine the solution I have in my head. He can see it working, and I guess that's enough to bring him some clarity, which he'll definitely need if my plan is gonna work."

"Which is?" Kankuro prompted.

Naruto heaved a sigh as he sat up properly on the couch. He looked at Kankuro again and replied with, "You should ask Gaara." He could tell that Kankuro was displeased with that answer by the roll of his eyes. "If he doesn't want you to know, then I can only assume there's a reason he isn't sharing with me. I don't wanna upset him, not when he's so unpredictable."

If Gaara wanted his privacy, then Naruto wasn't going to take it away, especially not when Gaara was still so unstable. Better or not, he wasn't cured yet.

Kankuro's annoyed gaze rolled back to Naruto and he realized that he couldn't disagree. It would be best to keep Gaara's mood as even as possible, just like in any other situation since he'd flown off the deep end. It would do no one any good to agitate him. Kankuro knew that Naruto was doing the logical thing by keeping his mouth sealed, but it was still irritating.

"How long have I been out?" Naruto asked.

"An hour or so," Kankuro answered vacantly, hardly interested in this new strain of conversation.

"What?" Naruto lifted his arms, amazed at how easily they responded. "I feel so good."

He looked up at Kankuro both in awe and curiosity, expecting an explanation, but Kankuro just shrugged. Naruto could see that Kankuro was lost along a trail of thought that could not be broken so easily by a subject change.

"Maybe he's willing to talk now," Naruto suggested, finally earning the attention of Kankuro's eyes again. "Maybe he'll let you in on the details."

"Maybe," Kankuro mused. "I'll have to ask..." He looked away and added under his breath, "—since you're no help."

Naruto chose to ignore that quip, because he really was no help. Instead, he stood and made for the elevator, realizing that maybe he was too quick to judge his health. He swayed a little, but Kankuro was supporting him instantly. He smiled nonetheless at the man and nodded.

"Let's go ask him then," he suggested brightly

As expected, Kankuro defensively shielded Naruto's body when they entered Gaara's suite. This was partially to Naruto's aid too, since he still needed a bit of support to find his feet again. They got only a few steps in, time Naruto spent looking around the room for his redheaded friend, before Gaara suddenly appeared before them. He stopped in front of Kankuro but leaned to be able to look into Naruto's eyes over Kankuro's shoulder. There was an eager expression on his face, the likes of a child on christmas morning.

"Call Kiba," Gaara commanded, though his tone was inquisitive and hopeful as opposed to demanding.

Naruto was at a loss for a moment. He didn't react beyond a dumb expression at first. He wasn't sure if he was amused by Gaara's renewed innocence or skeptical of how drastic the attitude change was. And furthermore, was he happy that Gaara was in this state of mind, or was it weird and should he be wary? In any case, Gaara was eager to proceed with the plan they'd silently made with each other, and Naruto thought it was better to utilize this strange mood while it was standing strong. So he reached into his pocket and retrieved his phone.

Kankuro looked back at Naruto, silently questioning where the solidarity between them had gone. Hadn't they made a silent pact to try to get Gaara to explain? Yet, here Naruto was giving in to Gaara's demands so easily, without even trying to get Gaara to open up. Naruto paused his actions, shrugging helplessly. Kankuro just rolled his eyes and looked back at Gaara, using Naruto's pause to get the answers he needed.

"Can you not explain your intentions first?" Kankuro asked.

Gaara seemed to contemplate that request seriously, the undercurrent of relentless excitement ebbing from his aura as he did. When it began to look like Kankuro would get no answer, as Gaara continued to stare seriously at the floor for a few long seconds more than Kankuro was willing to wait, Kankuro spoke again.

"You're better," Kankuro conceded, touching Gaara's shoulder to gain the attention of his brother's eyes. "I'll give you that."

Kankuro paused to smile at the shade of purple Gaara's eyes had become. The constant redness hadn't gone completely, but it was at least beginning to mix with Gaara's normal shade of blue. That was not the gaze of a feral vampire.

"But," Kankuro went on, "that doesn't mean you're ready to face Kiba. I don't understand how you're even better, to be honest. Naruto says it has to do with love and hope, so why don't we start by explaining that," he suggested. "Explain to me what it is you're hoping for."

"It doesn't matter," Gaara answered immediately. "Kiba will heal me."

Kankuro's expression became slightly more stern. "How, Gaara? How is he going to heal you?"

"With his being," was Gaara's simple answer.

Kankuro sighed. "Gaara, you need to do a lot more healing before you can even think about contacting him again. Naruto is one thing, but Kiba is not going to be like any other human and you know that. You can't let this little victory go to your head. You don't want to hurt him, do you?"

Gaara averted his eyes then, receding into himself to analyze those words. Kankuro was right. Gaara didn't want to hurt Kiba. But for Naruto's plan to work, Gaara had to get over that. He had to accept that he was going to have to throw away all the principles he'd lived his entire life upon. He was going to have to mar Kiba's skin, to allow the feral part of him access to Kiba. Even if he didn't want to, he was going to have to put Kiba's life at risk if things were going to change. After spending such a prolonged time in such an instinctual state, Gaara had to accept that he would never be able to live beside Kiba again. He'd spent too long trying to parade around as a normal human being already, and he could do that no longer.

He knew Itachi and Deidara had once been in this same situation, or at least some rough outline of it. Itachi had changed Deidara, that much was for sure. He, like any vampire allured by any human, was mad with lust, lust that made him blind to love. And though he never expressed the dirty details and he made it a point to keep those things locked away where no one would be able to find them, the truth behind it all sometimes seeped into Itachi's eyes. What kept Itachi from murdering Deidara in cold blood would probably never be revealed to Gaara, but Gaara knew that Itachi had wanted to murder his lover. He knew this because Itachi was a vampire and there always came a point for every vampire, no matter how pure of heart, where instinct overruled the mind, the body, and the heart.

Despite how well Itachi hid his demons, Gaara could see them peek out sometimes. He couldn't feel them in Itachi's aura—Itachi was good at hiding things like Sasuke was—but he could see them dull the light in Itachi's eyes anyway. Itachi would fight the wave of emotion those demons brought on. He would purse his lips to ward off a frown, narrow his eyes to stifle tears, tighten his jaw to avoid a tremble. His face would go blank, but that in itself was a sign. Yes, there was a darkness in their past, connected to the story of how they became mates. But there was also light, and that was something Itachi had no problem flaunting to the world. It was an emotion that Itachi felt often, perhaps each time he gazed at his partner even. It was bliss. Reuniting their souls had been pure bliss. It severely overshadowed whatever else happened between them. A few dark memories, a few thoughts and feelings Itachi was ashamed to let even his own self feel, that was the price for them being together. But was the memory of what they had once been not worth what they had become?

Gaara looked back into Kankuro's eyes, and everything set into place for him. If Itachi could manage to spare Deidara's life, then Gaara could spare Kiba's. Plus, Gaara would have help. They would protect Kiba. He would be safe if Gaara ended up not controlling himself. And when his eyes reopened, Kiba would be a different man. When they saw each other again, through a new filter, nothing would be able to shake the high that Gaara would feel. It would be that flourish of emotion that Itachi so often felt for Deidara, but multiplied by tens of hundreds of thousands. It would be well worth it all in the end. No matter the pain Gaara might have to cause Kiba, no matter the discomfort he would have to put his lover through, no matter the danger they would have to face, it was worth it to be with Kiba more wholly than ever before.

"I want one thing," Gaara informed, determination setting his features. "And I will have him."

"And what are you willing to sacrifice for that?" Kankuro asked.

"Everything," Gaara answered simply.

Kankuro's face contorted into an expression of concern. "Even his life?"

Gaara nodded. "If that's the price."

"Gaara, that's just—" Kankuro tried to interject, but Gaara interrupted.

"Call," Gaara instructed Naruto.

Kankuro wanted so badly to snatch Naruto's phone away, but he couldn't make a move against the blond without permission. That only made his emotion twice as potent, so the thunderous demand that left his lips ended up being enough to still the shift of Naruto's thumb on his phone screen and command all attention again.

"Listen to me!" Kankuro boomed, shocking everyone. "I'm sorry," Kankuro offered, though it was obvious he was entirely unapologetic, "but I won't put people in danger for something that may be worth nothing at all."

"It's worth everything!" Gaara snapped.

Kankuro scoffed as the romanticism of the whole idea. He was expected to believe that some existentialist idea of love and fucking hope had changed his brother? He was expected to entrust Kiba's fucking life to something that stupid and fickle? Ha! As if!

"None of this makes any sense!" Kankuro exclaimed. "You want Kiba, but you're willing to sacrifice his life! I don't understand, Gaara! If you love him, then protect him! And what are you even planning on doing that involves risking his life and yet... saving..." He trailed off, his intense emotion dying too as realization dawned on him.

"He's gonna change him," Temari said softly. Everyone looked to regard her and she locked eyes with her elder brother. "And I think we should let him," she added.

Kankuro regarded her blankly for a moment before his expression grew stern and the proper emotions clicked into place. He looked back to Gaara, a tense challenge in his eyes. "Absolutely not," he insisted. "You might be willing to take that from him, but I'm not."

"He's not yours to be making decisions for," Gaara quickly pointed out.

"He's not yours to defile!" Kankuro retorted.

"He's mine alone!" Gaara snapped.

"He is not!" Kankuro shouted, his energy spiking so tangibly that Naruto could swear he felt it licking at his skin like fire. Naruto had never seen Kankuro so worked up about anything.

"He's not yours, Gaara! And if he is, he's yours to love and to protect, not to send like a lamb to the slaughter!" Kankuro countered, effectively silencing Gaara but not without a rebellious snarl on the redhead's behalf. Kankuro just scoffed in return, brushing it off his back without care.

"He is ours," Kankuro went on, with less volume but just as much intensity. "He's been ours since the beginning. I have loved him just as much as you! And because I love him, I will not hand him to you without a fight. You may think you're clear of mind now, but you're not. You're having a good moment and you're drunk with optimism. But you will kill him. He will die."

Naruto didn't know why he thought it would ever be a good idea to interject, but for some god forsaken reason, he did. "Well, with that attitude, you'll make sure of it."

"What?!" Kankuro snapped, turning blazing eyes on Naruto, who instantly regretted his phrasing.

"I just mean that Gaara must already know he'll be at his limit," Naruto clarified. "I think he's relying on you to make sure nobody gets hurt more than necessary."

Kankuro scoffed, looking at Naruto first and then Gaara in turn with an expression of disgust. "Do you hear yourselves? Are you honestly putting a limit on how much he can suffer before you realize what you're doing is fucked up?" Kankuro's head shook in disbelief. "What you're telling me is that you want to destroy the most precious thing you've ever had," he said to Gaara alone.

"You want to take his life, and you want me to stand by and watch as you destroy something that I consider very previous myself? It's not just the idea of hurting Kiba at all that disgusts me but the idea of destroying everything you've striven to model over your life, Gaara! You're demolishing the man you worked so hard to become! And what is this for?!" Kankuro demanded. "To end your own suffering?! To satisfy your own selfish desires?! This is insane!"

"But it's all that I have left!" Gaara shouted, finally brought to his breaking point with Kankuro's speech. His eyes turned to a blazing red to match his brother's. "You don't think I want to watch him live a full life, Kankuro?! I have wanted nothing but to see him thrive the way only a human can! But I feel him every, single day! I feel his pain, and it fuels my bloodlust, and it makes me wanna hunt him down and kill him! And sometimes I think that would be fine because at least I would be ending his suffering!"

Gaara's chest was heaving by now, worrying Temari so much that she stood behind him and placed a hand on his back in both comfort and warning.

"I want my mind back, Kankuro," Gaara went on, trying to calm back down, "and he's the only one who can give it to me. And it's sick and I hate it and I wish there was some other way, but he cannot be human. He just can't. And I just— we just can't live this way!"

The following silence was extremely tense. Kankuro's emotions had long passed boiling point. There was still an undampened rebellion in his aura, despite how silent he was in the wake of Gaara's counter. And Gaara's determination did not waver, despite how firmly opposing his brother's stance was. One was ready to do whatever it took to stop what the other would kill to do, and it looked like that might be what it came down to. The fight about ready to break out between them would be monumental, and Naruto didn't even want to imagine how much it would take for the winner to decide that they'd won. How injured would one of them have to be before this was settled? Naruto didn't want to find out, and it seemed Temari felt exactly the same.

"Kankuro," Temari beckoned, demanding the attention of her brother's eyes as she boldly stepped between them. Once she was sure she had Kankuro's eyes on her alone, she spoke.

"Gaara needs this." Her voice was gentle. "It will work."

"How do you know?" Kankuro asked, his voice no longer angry or demanding but more so desperate, as if he were pleading for someone to make some sense of this situation.

Temari's answer was simple, and Naruto honestly had expected it to take more to sway Kankuro.

"Because I believe, and you need to believe too."

It was a long moment before Kankuro stopped gazing intently at Temari, at which point his eyes shifted to Gaara. He sifted through his brother's emotions, which were thick and roiling without any subsidence at all. And though he didn't completely understand why anyone thought this was a good idea, Kankuro realized that there was nothing he could do. He trusted Temari's judgement completely, but he couldn't be pulled into the plot so easily. There was an intense uneasiness about this whole thing that kept him from giving the okay.

"I love you, brother," Kankuro said quietly, finding it difficult to look into those red eyes when he already missed them being so blue. "I would do anything for you, and that's why I won't get in your way. But I love Kiba just the same, and that's why I can't concede." He closed his eyes and sighed with strain, trying to hide the look of disapproval he didn't want to give Gaara. "I wish you luck. Oh, god. I wish you luck."

And then Kankuro was gone.

To be continued...

Important Note #1: I was thinking about making an Index for this story. I would include the semantics of the world, a history of both vampires and bijuu, and a glossary of terms. Would anyone even care about that?

Important Note #2: I have made some edits to fix plot holes that were pointed out to me.
—Chapter 17:
It was brought to my attention that the time lapse between Naruto and Sasuke splitting up and Naruto finding out he's a bijuu isn't clear. It seemed like one second they were breaking up and then the next Naruto was suddenly in this weird state of being. I had to go back to the chapter and make the time line more clear. The time lapse between chapters 16 and 17 is 6 - 8 weeks, and I also changed up some of the dialogue between him and Kiba early in the chapter.
—Chapter 18:
I was also informed that the way a bijuu bond works isn't clear. I was asked why Sasuke and Sai weren't affected if Naruto can control vampires so easily. This information was added into chapter 18 between Kiba waking up and him kicking Naruto out of the shower. I can't explain it all in this note, so you'll have to go back and read that section. Use that information to infer why Sai wasn't controlled. As for Sasuke, further reasoning will be explained in later chapters.

Unimportant Note: I've gotten a few reviews over the last couple days and not all of them have been nice. I just want to point out that I know not everyone will be pleased by my writing, and that's fine. Be displeased if that's how you feel, but you can be displeased and silent at the same time. I don't mind criticism, so long as it's constructive. If you have thoughts that you think will improve the story, then I don't mind if you tell them to me. I had one person comment on AO3 and point out some serious plot holes that I needed to fix, which is the stuff I fixed from note #2. Constructive criticism is not my enemy, but criticism for the sake of criticizing is because that's just 1) mean and 2) pointless. If all you want to do is bitch about how much you dislike the story, then just save yourself some stress and don't read it.