Author's Note: I meant to update this sooner, but life, simply put, has been crazy. I suspect that won't change anytime soon either. _ So thanking you all in advance for being patient with me. I'm aiming to update once a month, but we will see how that works out... Enjoy chapter 5!

Hunger 05

Dreams

A child no more than seven peered at him with a mischievous smile on his lips. The look in his golden eyes was too mature, too full of malice to fit the cherubic curve of his round cheeks. A single finger was in his mouth, his skin caked with red that looked too dark to be syrup or paint.

"You've been playing naughty," Naruto's voice sounded in his own ears. Only it wasn't his voice. It was deeper, more grating. The child's laughter bubbled out of his throat, his wide open mouth revealing small pearly teeth and a tongue coated a dark red. He pulled his hand behind his back and it became obvious that he was hiding something, an item small enough to fit in his childish paws.

"Daddy was being naughty. Such a bad daddy," he tilted his head, his straight brown locks wafting a little in the still air. A pale hand emerged in front of him, open and demanding.

The child pouted and turned his shoulder in the opposite direction. "I only did it because daddy wouldn't pay attention. He wouldn't look at me, no matter how naughty I was."

The grown up hand gestured forward, demanding the prize kept tight behind the child's back.

"And you punished him, I presume?" the flat voice responded.

The child grinned again and held out his small hand. His fingers curled open while a proud smile split across his face. A pair of blue eyes were cradled in his grubby palms. "I made daddy look!" the child chirped gleefully. "Now he has to look whenever I say."

The face rippled as it filled out, shifting into something older. A familiar jaw line appeared, a tuft of red hair. A red tattoo blazed against pale skin on the wrong side.

"Here, catch," a deeper voice jeered, tossing the eyes into the air like twin marbles. Naruto's fingers stretched into the air.

Naruto startled, his head turning and his eyes cringing against the afternoon light. Even with the windows tinted, he could feel the warmth pressing against him. He turned to look around the van.

"Morning, sunshine," the blonde hunter teased. "Sleep well?" she winked.

Naruto murmured sleepily, digging the palm of his heels into his eyes and tried not to see the nightmare still waiting for him behind his eyelids.

He turned to look behind him. The vampire was still curled up, his head cradled on his arm as he leaned against the window. He had placed his jacket there to help block out the light, the edges curled over the top of his head. He looked like a boy, just a regular teenager sleeping in the back of the car.

Naruto shook his head and turned his attention to the blurred scenery outside the car window. He wondered where they were and when he turned to ask the driver he noted Kakashi was sitting in the passenger seat now, grinning at him over his shoulder. A tuft of pink hair stuck out from the driver's head rest.

Kakashi held out an energy bar, waving it slightly. Naruto shook his head.

The car trundled down a slightly bumpy road. Kakashi shrugged and unwrapped the energy bar himself. He turned away and from the new angle, it was impossible to see his face. The older hunter tugged down his mask and finished off the energy bar in two bites. He tugged his mask back up before he even finished chewing.

"Where are we going?" Naruto asked.

"Headquarters," Kakashi mumbled between chewing. There was an awkward pause as he tried to chew more quickly and swallow down the lump pressed against his cheek. "We've got a temp setup and a skeleton crew working on this mission. We'll tell you more when we get there. Just relax for now," he said.

Naruto huffed and looked out the window. He stretched out his legs carefully, extending his foot as far as he could before running into the back of the driver's chair. He felt stiff and his neck muscles twinged and he wanted nothing more than to shed his clothes and his skin and run outside.

A pang of anxiety had gripped him and for a moment he mistook it for homesickness. He wondered if he had made the wrong decision and fear crept into his heart. He grimaced as the emotions only intensified, feeling like a kid that was fighting against his change for the first time. His heart began pounding and his body hummed with nervous energy. For a moment he panicked and thought he would change right there, in the middle of the van. The vampire murmured something in his sleep and with a start, Naruto remembered the bond.

Forcing a deep breath into his lungs, Naruto shut his eyes and thought of everything that made him calm. He imagined home, sitting at Kiba's kitchen table with a cup ramen in his hands; running through the forest, the dappled sunshine hitting his fur and a splash of cool water against his legs. He pictured these things over and over, shoving down his energy to where it belonged. Slowly the anxiety receded and Naruto's pulse grew steady as a drum.

When he opened his eyes the female hunter was watching him curiously. She licked her lips, words just at the tip of her tongue before thinking better of it. She offered a smile instead.

Naruto returned it before shifting his attention to his own reflection in the windows. He pressed himself against the warmth of the glass and wrapped his arms around himself as though he might be cold; as though that might be responsible for the slight shuddering in his limbs.

Gaara twirled the bloody pair of eyeballs in his hand. Shukaku grinned at him with his own maniac smile, his own twisted face reflected back at him.

"Where is daddy now?" Gaara prompted, wary of Shukaku's unpredictable shifts.

An impish smile greeted him. "Eating dinner," he punctuated too carefully. Gaara narrowed his eyes and given the childlike appearance, he suspected dinner was something out of the ordinary.

"I thought it would be fun to play act the bed time story he read to me. My favorite one," he grinned.

Gaara twirled the eyes in his palm. "Show me," he said, setting the orbs back in Shukaku's hands. His doppelganger took off with glee and Gaara followed him, through the door that shifted and waved while the colors blurred around him.

A table came into focus, covered in muck and spare parts. A man ate with his bare fingers, gulping down the scorched flesh of the child set down on the porcelain plate in front of him. He had been starved for some time, his cheeks sallow beneath the streams of dried blood. His eyesockets were mere dark holes, small caverns that leaked red.

A pair of eyes had been set in jelly. Dessert, he presumed as Gaara strode right up to the man. "It will be over soon," he whispered turning the man's head to bare his neck.

The man stifled a sob, his pulse leaping against his neck with mingled fear and hope. Shukaku screamed a protest, his body launching forward as Gaara's fangs pressed against yielding flesh.

His mouth filled with blood and yet he took no pleasure in it. It was like lapping up leftovers or cleaning off the plate of a petulant child who refuses to eat his peas. Once upon a time he had found these daddy games entertaining, but not now and not when Shukaku insisted on making him clean up the mess.

The man had been too weak to even struggle. His fingers pawed the dirty table cloth, his limbs weakening with the beat of his heart. Gaara waited for the blood to slow, for the heart to grow silent and still. Another night, another victim, he thought. And when would it end?

The man faded into nothing and when Gaara pulled away a girl sat in his place. Her hair sat in blonde ringlets that just brushed her bare shoulders. A feathered mask obscured the upper half of her face and only hazel eyes looked out absently at him.

Gaara touched his fingers to his lips. An aftertaste lingered on the back of his tongue as though he had just fed from her. She had been dosed with something, something delicious that even now, made him want to drink more. Gaara's fingers tightened on the blonde wig. She made no protest as he yanked her head sideways, no murmur of protest as his teeth scraped her unbroken flesh.

His teeth sank and her blood was like a burst of honey, warm and sweet as it washed over his tongue. He dug his teeth in deeper, tearing the flesh so that her life would spill out faster.

"She's such a good little doll, isn't she?" Shukaku began. He wore Gaara's face, though his clothes had changed from a child's to a sharp suit. "When I invited her inside she was only too delighted. Anything for Gaara-sama," he raised the pitch of his voice.

Gaara paused and pulled his mouth away. He wiped his lips with the back of his hand, looking at the smeared blood suspiciously.

"I didn't have to do anything! She even brought the drugs herself. I suppose it's easy for a shop girl when mommy and daddy own the pharmacy."

Gaara felt his stomach drop. He looked again at the girl he hardly recognized, noticing the tuft of brown hair poking out from beneath the blonde wig. He tugged one curl until it came sliding off, releasing short brown locks that tumbled down to her shoulders.

Gaara sank to his knees and heaved, his mouth opening into a gag. He wanted to rid himself of everything he had stolen, every drop he had drained from her body.

But his traitorous body held onto it. He dry heaved until Shukaku's fingers slid along his back. The monster climbed down onto his knees and pulled Gaara against his chest. "Now that she's gone it can be just the two of us again. No one to stop us and get in the way of our fun." A kiss was pressed to the back of his neck and all Gaara could see was red.

Blood seemed to be everywhere. The blood he had consumed or spilled unnecessarily. The blood he had allowed Shukaku to shed in the name of fun. It covered the floor and rose around him, dragging the girl's lifeless body down. He reached for her, but it was Shukaku's hand stopping him, pulling him away. For a moment life seemed to flicker back in her eyes and when she looked at him there was no compassion left. Not for him.

Gaara screamed as he watched her drift away. The blood rose like a river, tugging him away, threatening to sweep him in the other direction. He thought he would go mad when suddenly it stopped. The arms wrapped around him shifted. They grew warm and gentle and when he turned around Gaara was five years old again and Yashamaru's face was smiling at him.

"Headquarters" seemed to be nothing more than an abandoned warehouse in an industrial part of town. There was no one for miles around and save the barbed wire curling around a tall picket fence, Naruto noticed nothing special about the security surrounding the concrete block they parked in front of.

The van door slid open and Naruto unfastened his seat belt, impatient to get outside and feel the sunlight on his skin. The vampire behind him slept on, seemingly unaware that the motor had been cut or that people were moving around him. But when he turned to shake his knee, pale eyes slid open, warning him not to.

"Home sweet home," the blonde sing songed and Naruto turned to smile at her. She slid out of the van and Naruto followed after her, his sneakers crunching on the loose gravel.

He stretched like he had never stretched before. Unaccustomed to long periods of inactivity, his legs ached from being cramped in such a small space. He took off his long sleeve jacket, sticking his arms out to feel the warmth of the sun on his skin.

"Not used to road trips, are you?" the female hunter asked. Naruto shook his head. She began walking toward the large building in front of them and Naruto followed her without question. He glanced over his shoulder at the van where the brunette hunter was still inside. She was hunched over the vampire from what he could tell and judging by a feeling in his limbs, a heaviness that seemed to affect his entire body, he assumed she was administering some sort of drug. Not that the Gaara needed it. He felt drowsy enough just from his night or poor sleep and for a vampire to be up during the day it was worse.

Kakashi overtook them just as they reached the door. He fiddled with what appeared to be a simple side panel. His fingers moved around it carefully until he found a latch and pulled off the facade. Underneath was a more sophisticated looking panel, replacing a simple key pad with a touch screen and scanner. Kakashi lifted his eye patch just as he bent over and placed it to the lens. He pressed his thumb against the touch pad and Naruto watched as something flared into motion. Some sort of mechanism had been triggered, metal sliding and grinding into place. A simple click sounded and the female hunter reached for the knob, pushing the door in.

"After you," she waved like a gentleman escorting a lady. Naruto's mouth twisted as he stepped inside.

There were crates stacked everywhere. The first thing he saw was a wall of them as though they were waiting for shipment or had just been dumped at the door. It was hard to tell really whether they were coming or going and he supposed that was the point.

Looking up, the warehouse seemed large. The lighting was dim, dark mostly were it not for the light that filtered in from a few skylights. The hunter walked around the wall of crates and Naruto followed, his path illuminated by the glow of a few desk lamps triangulated around a large table covered in monitors. A young man sat in a computer chair, his back turned to them while he observed the area outside the warehouse on his many screens. Sakura was there, helping the brunette hunter drag in Gaara. Kakashi waited for them at the door.

His gaze shifted to the other screens, to faces and places he didn't know.

"Shino, we're home!" the girl announced loudly. "Did you miss us?" she asked, walking over to the desk and picking up a bag of crackers. She stuffed a few into her mouth without asking. Shino turned and regarded her silently. He wore sunglasses, which Naruto found odd, given that they were inside a dimly lit building. The collar of his jacket was high, covering his mouth so that only his nose was visible.

"Those are Chouji's," he said in a deep, monotone voice. The girl lowered the hand holding more crackers. She grimaced as she looked at the side panel of the box.

Naruto approached them warily. The young man, Shino, turned in his chair to regard him. "This is the target?" he asked, never moving his attention away from Naruto.

The girl shook her head. "Naw, Tenten is dragging him in. They've got him doped up on something or other. Probably more dead man's blood," she said flippantly. Naruto cringed as she said it. It explained why his body felt sluggish. He tried to imagine running from them when his body wanted to curl up on the floor. They had said he was strong.

"So who are you?" Shino asked.

"His name is Naruto, our new recruit," Kakashi's voice piped up behind him. Naruto leaped, wondering how the hunter had crept up on him. He should have heard his footfalls or detected his smell and Naruto frowned when it occurred to him that the bond might affect his senses.

Kakashi strode forward and pulled out an empty chair. "Put him down here," he said. Naruto turned and moved out of the way as both Sakura and Tenten supported Gaara on either side. The vampire looked chalky white in the dim lighting, his expression drawn. He practically sank into the chair when they released him, his chin resting against his chest.

"You poisoned him again," Naruto said bluntly.

"Safety precaution," Kakashi replied swiftly. "The feeding and the rest gave him a little more strength than I'm comfortable with. This is so he can't destroy anyone or anything while he's here."

Kakashi paused as though he was waiting for further challenge, but Naruto knew better than to press him. He shifted his attention to the guy in the glasses he assumed was watching the exchange, though Naruto honestly couldn't tell.

"Shino, get Naruto here something to eat. The rest of you, go get some sleep. I'll handle the debriefing."

Shino rose wordlessly and disappeared behind another crate. The girls all looked to Kakashi, a few glancing at Naruto as they nodded and disappeared in another direction. They slipped behind a row of shelves, their hushed whispers echoing slightly.

Kakashi waited for their voices to grow a bit fainter before gesturing to Shino's empty seat.

Naruto accepted it reluctantly.

He was quiet as he regarded the vampire still slumped in the chair. His eyes were closed as though he had drifted back to sleep.

"Look, Naruto," Kakashi started off carefully. "I think you and I got off on the wrong foot. What happened to your friend..." he paused. "It shouldn't have happened, and I'm sorry. He slipped our grasp and we lost a day trying to pick up his trail."

Naruto lowered his gaze, thinking of Hinata in the hospital. The vampire had explained himself and that he had been driven to desperation. It wasn't an excuse he realized, and the hunters hadn't meant for anyone to get hurt. Naruto wanted to be angry at all of them and yet he couldn't, because it wasn't as simple as that.

"If you're wondering why I've dosed him again it's because he's fed on your friend, and you. Supernatural blood is powerful. You heal faster than normal humans, right?" Naruto nodded his head. He looked up at the vampire, remembering the rush of power he felt when their blood mingled. "That was to Gaara's benefit. And right now my team is exhausted. My girls can't fight a master vampire in their condition and I will do anything- I repeat, anything- to protect them."

Naruto nodded again. He knew the feeling. Given that he had made himself an enemy of the vampire, he could see the wisdom in Kakashi's decision, whatever his moral qualms.

"So now that we've got that out of the way, we can get down to business."

Naruto perked up. He glanced cautiously at the vampire, but Kakashi didn't seem concerned.

"Naruto, we've been keeping tabs on the Uchihas longer than you've been alive. There were... incidents well before the massacre. Members of the house going missing, hunters walking into a hunt and never coming out. We could never figure out where they were going. There were never any bodies to be found. These incidents were always so isolated we could only explain them away as hazards of the trade."

Kakashi's fingers gravitated to his necklace. Naruto thought of the Uchiha crest, the one that had belonged to a hunting partner.

"Inuzuka's land was supposed to be a refuge. And for a long time nothing happened. They were safe and we got so fixated on solving the mysteries elsewhere, we failed to notice when Orochimaru snuck in. It shouldn't have happened and we've been trying to make up for it ever since."

"You think the disappearances are connected to Orochimaru?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi shrugged, lifting his empty palms. "It's not certain. The massacre that took place seemed to have a different agenda. From what we've pieced together, Orochimaru was trying to befriend someone in the clan. Namely, Itachi."

Naruto frowned, recalling the older boy in the photo he kept in his wallet. Itachi had always seemed like a good older brother. Sasuke had always adored him. And true, he had been spending time with the creepy older man at the time, but he had always talked about lessons of some sort and the two boys had never investigated much further.

"You know something," Kakashi stated. Naruto startled and shook his head.

"At the time, Itachi mentioned something about Orochimaru teaching him things, out in the forest. Sasuke always begged to go along, but his brother was strict about not allowing him to. He kept telling Sasuke that it wasn't for little kids and made us go play elsewhere."

"Did Orochimaru ever see you up close?"

Naruto shook his head. "I was never comfortable around him so I kept my distance. He always smelled funny to me, though I could never place it. I only saw him from a distance and would hear Sasuke's complaints."

"So you never exchanged words," Kakashi continued. Naruto shook his head. "That's good," he leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest. "It makes our job a lot easier. It means there is no one in the vampire world who can connect you with Sasuke."

"Do you really know where he is?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi shook his head. "No, but we managed to find Itachi." Naruto startled. "And if Sasuke hasn't given up on his mission to find his brother, my guess is if we keep an eye on Itachi, Sasuke is sure to surface."

"How?" Naruto asked, shaking his head. "I thought Itachi..."

"Died?" Kakashi supplied. "He did in a way, if you consider conversion to vampirism a form of dying."

Naruto recoiled. "So then Orochimaru's goal. . ."

"Was to bring Itachi over. Given that he was estimated to be a genius, and the most promising member of the clan, it makes sense that Orochimaru would target him. It's no secret that Orochimaru has been converting new members to his group, mostly against the wishes of the council. What they don't know is that one of them is an Uchiha. It's his best kept secret at the moment and not one we're planning to let spill. If Itachi is outed, then Sasuke won't be far behind him. We need that secret kept."

Kakashi shot a look at the sleeping vampire. But Gaara didn't stir or make any comment and after a considerable pause, Kakashi resumed.

"Itachi is working with the resistance, against the pure bloods and their loyal followers. For a non-pure blood, he shows surprising levels of power. I have my theories about that, but for now, that's not the problem."

"Then what is?" Naruto asked. Kakashi stood up and moved over to the computer. Naruto shifted out of his way and the hunter bent over and tapped out a password. A window popped up on the far right screen, the cursor hovering over a folder titled "Akatsuki Project."

A screencap appeared featuring two men in profile. Naruto recognized one of them.

"Itachi," he breathed. He still looked 17 and not a day older, his hair still the same raven black. His eyes were crimson in the camera glare.

"That's not red eye," Kakashi said, as though reading his thoughts. "No manner of photo correction will change that. His eye color changed permanently. But that's not what we're discussing. Look at the man next to him."

Naruto's eye was drawn to the tall man standing besides Itachi. His skin was tinted blue, jagged lines were sharp against his cheek as though he had sliced his own skin to look like a fish's gills. Even his hair was a deep blue and Naruto wondered at the bizarre alterations.

"None of that is faked," Kakashi said. "We've run numerous reconnaissance missions and the photos are consistent. Some research into the matter traces him back to a rare supernatural breed. A two-natured, like you."

Naruto shuddered. "He can't be converted. It's not possible," Naruto said. Kakashi shook his head.

"It's an even bigger freak of nature than he already is. But given that he exists, my only conclusion is that Orochimaru is experimenting. He's been known to conduct tests on live subjects before. He has always been interested in why the converted never seem to last or why their strength and powers are so inferior. It could be that he has finally discovered a cure."

"But it shouldn't work on other supernaturals," Naruto protested. He felt cold inside at the thought.

"I know," Kakashi agreed. "It's been the law of the supernatural world that the two cannot mix. Always for scientific reasons. They cannot cross breeds and they cannot convert one another. I always imagined this was mother nature protecting some type of natural order. It's why vampires love supernatural pets. All the blood play they want and no fear of conversion."

Naruto cringed, reminded of his exchange less than 24 hours ago.

"But now it's possible," Naruto said.

"So it seems," Kakashi said. The two men lapsed into silence as they considered this.

"This is why you want me," Naruto startled. "You want Gaara to parade me around so Orochimaru comes after me," he said.

Kakashi shrugged. "It may work better than trying to ransom Gaara. Anyone who tries to bargain for you will need to bring something serious to the table, something incredibly rare. If Gaara lets on that he's heard rumor of a living Uchiha, plays it off as a fool's errand and that this is his only listing price, Orochimaru might make it happen. He already has an Uchiha in his ranks."

Naruto paused and considered this. It was true that Itachi had always been hailed as the more talented of the brothers. It had always rankled with Sasuke who complained about it constantly. Given a choice between the last human Uchiha and the last were-fox, it was clear who would prove more useful in Orochimaru's army.

"It's a sound plan," Naruto admitted. "But what's to stop them from kidnapping me outright?"

Kakashi smirked. "You'll be in the council's stronghold. Better security than the secret service. It's why sneaking my spies in there is so damn hard. And if they miraculously sneak you out, you'll have us to back you up on the outside. And your pack too, of course. I don't think I could keep them away if I wanted to." Kakashi snorted and pointed at one of the surveillance screens where Sai's nose was magnified many times. He pulled back and turned to Kiba who stood beside him.

Naruto smiled. He wondered how he hadn't noticed them following their van. But that was his pack. They were pros. "You want me to talk to them?" Naruto asked.

"If you would be so kind."

Naruto stood and began walking toward the door they had entered. He looked forward to another opportunity to take in the fresh air and not be locked up inside metal and concrete. He paused and turned to look back at Kakashi, a request at the tip of his tongue. Kakashi lifted his brow, prompting to get it out and Naruto smiled sheepishly.

"Since I'm going to be out there... outside that is, would it be a problem if I shifted? I'm not used to being cooped up and. . . they might feel more at ease that way. If I can show them that I'm okay, that I'm not a prisoner..."

Kakashi waved his hand. Just stay within the fence. We don't have surveillance beyond that so we can't help you if something happens." He nodded in the direction the girls had disappeared in. Naruto nodded his understanding.

"Thanks," he said.

Gaara was dreaming again. He could tell because Shukaku was alive. The shifter had donned his face again, lured in a few girls with promises of a good time. Gaara refused to take place in the festivities. He knew what would come next; the drinks, the drugs, the rough play in the bedroom- forced if necessary- while Gaara watched. Shukaku's desires would swirl inside him- always that depraved need to hurt and control- that he would use to cement the bond between them.

And Gaara would waver and push back; a constant tug-o-war while he kept his feet planted and held strong until the blood began to flow.

And while he stood at the edge of his indecision he was struck with these realizations: Shukaku wasn't alive, this was just a dream, and he didn't have to play anymore.

And so while Shukaku's attention was elsewhere, Gaara turned on his heel and moved in the opposite direction. He didn't know what he was walking to, but it this direction there was something warm and soothing and reminded him of words like "safety" and "comfort;" things he used to believe in like Santa Clause.

He could sense Shukaku's distress behind him. He could feel the last vestiges of his consciousness screaming to be heard or simply acknowledged. Gaara rolled his neck and shook him off like his skin. He could feel it peeling away from him, his bones humming in their transformation.

He dropped to his knees and his hands darted out before him, the palms of his flesh hitting the ground as he sprang out on all fours. Cool air brushed against his skin and something akin to laughter bubbled in his throat. The sunlight was warm on his skin, filling him with a sense of energy he hadn't felt in years.

Gaara continued to run and his legs pumped out faster, gaining speed along the unknown terrain. There was an inexplicable joy in it, a freedom that set his heart pounding.

Shortly after, it became clear that others were present. Though he couldn't see them, he could feel their energy humming around him. He felt no fear, only a sense of mischief and not the kind that intended harm. A game of tag ensued and Gaara tried to catch his breath as he was knocked over. He wanted to laugh as he climbed back to his feet in pursuit of his attacker.

There was a playful nip at his heels, a wolf's croon taunting him. A scent filled his nose that was so powerfully familiar.

That was when he realized he wasn't dreaming. Alarms were ringing in his head as he pushed back against it, trying to extricate himself from these feelings. But there was an overwhelming desire to succumb, an invisible hand beckoning him to join. It would have been so easy to go along.

His own consciousness flooded him and Gaara struggled against the pull, his eyes fluttering open with a gasp.

Crates and boxes came into focus and a young man illuminated by computer screens. Gaara said nothing as his gaze shifted to the monitor; two wolves and a fox, a moving tangle at the edge of the screen.

Inwardly, Gaara shuddered. Even now he could feel their licks and nips, their claws, barely raking his limbs. Only a day and he had been pulled completely under.

The fox wasn't even aware he was doing it. His power and the sheer intensity of his emotions had slipped past the weakened divide between them.

Gaara's own words came rushing back to him. He had predicted the bond would destroy them. And now that he had tasted the shifter's power it was only a question of how soon.