Metamorphosis

Metamorphosis

Hey, this is set just after the forest of death scene that Hinata saw. You know, the one where Gaara killed those rain nin? Well, this is where it will veer off from the original plot line. It will show how he will evolve into a full demon. You know what? I like making him into a super-Gaara, it's just so much fn. Well, what can I say? It makes for good typing, at least on my computer. Rated M, just to be safe, although I won't have any intimacy between Gaara and Hinata at this point, I think they're way too young for that. Mostly graphic violence and such. Besides, the ratings guide says that although you can have adult content in an M story, you can't have anything graphic, and the one time I do post something graphic, that's the time that someone reports me and I get kicked off the site. That would suck more than words can describe, so I will play it safe, for now at least. Besides, all I need is some kid that decided to be a big boy/girl and read an M story, then get caught by their mom/dad. Their mom/dad would then undoubtedly do research on the site and then try to report abuse. I don't want to give them anything. I like typing these stories. Maybe I'm paranoid. Anyway, here we go! oh, and I don't Own Naruto.

Chapter One

It was getting worse. He had been hurting for days now, weeks even. It all started just before he left the village with his siblings. He also noticed something else even more disturbing. He was not on top of his game, wasn't nearly as strong as he once was. No one else knew, but he knew, and that was all that mattered. His reflexes had slowed, and so had his healing capabilities. His chakra was down, and even his sand had slowed down. His siblings merely wrote it off as him toying with his victims, but there had been a time when he could've easily caught each and every one of those senbon by hand before the guy could blink. Now he was forced to use his sand shield, his impenetrable armor. This, on top of all of the pain, worried him.

His siblings always acted so cocky and arrogant, and never faced the reality of things; that they weren't that good. Oh sure, they were better than average, but they were nothing spectacular. They had him to thank for their flawless mission record. unbeknownst to the other villages, Gaara had actually graduated first from the academy, just after Yashamaru betrayed him. He was the youngest recorded graduate in the history of the hidden villages, and he had the highest scores. He was of jonin and ANBU strength and rank, but it was all kept hush-hush, even amongst his own village. Not even Baki knew about him.

Oh yes, the Chuunin exams weren't that difficult so far, even in his weakened condition. He had made a game of the first one, and the second one as well, at first. But the pain was beginning to get to him, and he had been forced to pass the exams quickly, against his orders. Like he cared about orders. Their team had caught the attentions of the proctor, and even the ANBU and Hokage of this village. There was no doubt in his mind that his father was pitching a bitch because of it, and probably Orochimaru as well. He was supposed to kill at least three or four more hours out there, and come in just ahead of the former record.

Well, they could whine all they wanted, they weren't the ones who were throwing up blood, now were they? He wondered what on earth was happening to his body, and if it had something to do with the sand spirit within him. Probably, they probably screwed up the sealing process when he was still within his mother. Chiyo was old and sloppy, and his father was an idiot, so it wasn't that far-fetched. It could also be poison, but that seemed unlikely. He was always careful when he ate, and the chances of multiple attempts sliding by his nose were unlikely. He also hadn't noticed any strange substances on his clothing or other items. Besides, his father wasn't stupid enough to try to assassinate him on such a big mission, was he?

Well, whatever it was, he needed to fix it, soon. He was getting weaker by the day, and he often spiked a fever, but no one noticed. No one would care even if they did notice. He put a hand to his head, and his sibling tensed believing that he was having issues with Shukaku again. It never occurred to them that he could simply be having a migraine. Of course, in this case, the pounding in his temples was most likely a sign of something more sinister. Still, all he really wanted right now, aside from the pain stopping and his old strength back, was a nice, dark, quiet place to meditate, and hopefully some hot water so he could brew some tea. Was it really so much to ask?

It comes, child.

What comes? The one from the forest?

Yes, it is night now, they finally managed to get here. Watch that one closely, child, it is different from the others. I can sense it.

Yes. It is the reason why I stopped back there, I was curious about this one

We should see it, child, so that we recognize it in the future, from a distance.

We won't get a good look, those two rats will follow me around; they seem to think that their presence will make a difference. I'm feeling too sick to deal with the headache that their deaths would bring. I should have strangled them long ago.

Perhaps we could arrange for a little accident during the attack?

I'm thinking about it. He tried to tune out his siblings' complaints, and glanced at the different one and her comrades. She was tiny, even smaller than he was, and he was pleased to see her fear. She was shy and submissive. Yet, this made him a little sad, to see her tremble so. He heard the one with the mutt before, calling him a pipsqueak. He didn't appreciate that at all, but the look on his face was priceless. He knew all too well that if he faced the mutt and his master in battle that they would back out, and the same was for that bug user. He could smell the beetles on him, and the scent wasn't pleasant, not like blood. The girl though, she smelled delicious, and pure. And the look of terror in her eyes was bittersweet, and he secretly reveled in it. He had decided that if he could not have companionship from others, then he would have their fear, and ultimately their death. That one, though, he would be sure to take his time and enjoy her thoroughly.

He did not come across such a treat often, and never one of this quality. Yes, he would have to think of a way to get maximum enjoyment and pleasure from this one. Her blood was too sweet and delicious to have it otherwise. He sighed in contentment as he sat on the roof of the tower in the forest of death. Here he was away from the others, an only the faint screams of terror were on the wind tonight, as one team or another met with disaster out there. There was also that snake-man, Orochimaru. He sent shivers of disgust through Gaara. It was the way that he looked at him, the same look he's seen in the eyes of men when they were with a prostitute or stripper.

The idea of Orochimaru alone with him was disconcerting; had it been a few months ago he would've been able to handle him, or at least fend him off. Now though, this strange disease was taking it's toll, and he was no longer so sure about his abilities. He cursed his father and that damned old woman again. He hated them both. If they hadn't done this to him, then he would've never been in this mess.

The days flew by swiftly, and soon it was time for the preliminaries, where the full extent of Gaara's illness was made known to him. He was unable to track his opponent's movements with his eyes. Had his opponent been a jonin, he could've found himself in dire straits, but as it was, he had ended up with a few nasty bruises , but he had been able to win the fight. His illness worried him, but again, he was the only one who noticed. Oh how he loathed his siblings just then, and how they pretended to care about him. He knew all too well that it was them against him, and that they had often secretly hoped that he would die at the hands of some assassin. Ungrateful idiots, the both of them. How many times had he rescued them, and made a success out of a certain failure? Who was it that they always turned to when things got tough?

He grimaced in disgust, and settled down to meditate, hoping to calm the pounding in his temples. Of course, there was another reason why he was seething. That wretch Neji had spilled Hinata's precious blood. That blood was his, and only he was allowed to spill it, to feel it, to taste it. She was his prey, and his kill. He would be certain to kill Neji. The Hyuuga was accurate, agile, and quick; but not as quick or agile as that Lee kid was. Gaara was sure that, even in his weakened condition, he could take him down.

For the moment, however, that one sound ninja was standing below him, challenging him. Of course, the sound ninja wanted to fight Sasuke, and he thought that he would increase his chances by killing Gaara. What an idiot, didn't he realize that they were supposed to be cooperating? Well, he would have none of this nonsense, not tonight. It was a full moon, and the demon was stirring within him. Fine, he wanted the sound ninja so bad, then he could have him.

The ninja was ripped apart- what was his name? Dosu? Yes, that was right, Dosu. Well, it didn't matter anymore, because he was in several pieces, and the roof was a wreck too. He gasped for air, struggling to rein in the demon and to handle the pain.

He spied two, no, three, shadowy figures watching him in the distance. Orochimaru's lapdog, his father's lapdog, and what appeared to be the proctor from the preliminary rounds. He watched the two lapdogs discuss something, probably him killing the genin just now, then Baki took off after Hayate Gekko, vanishing over the rooftops. He rolled his eyes in disgust. Baki was always so sloppy, and he would probably put the village on high alert. It was one thing for a foreign ninja to die, especially one who was taking the chuunin exams, but it was another thing entirely for a jonin to die. He crushed the remains or the body, leaving only a wrecked roof and a few bloodstains. He left the headband; by now the village knew that the sound ninjas were under the command of Orochimaru, and they would not be too concerned by the demise of one or two.

Just to be safe, he decided to find a different rooftop. This whole affair was ridiculous, and way more trouble than it was worth. His father never thought things through, and would probably be killed by the snake because of his stupidity. Why did he insist upon dragging everyone down with him?

Shukaku shifted uneasily in his prison. He was feeling guilty, which was not something he was accustomed to. It was he who was at fault for his child's condition. He was turning him fully demon, and the process was painful. He was doing it to protect the boy from those who would harm him. The members of a group called the Akatasuki were hunting down demon vessels and extracting the demons, which killed the containers. He heard this through Gaara, who had gleaned the information from missions abroad. It was only a matter of time before they got to him, and it was Shukaku's job to protect him by any means necessary. The problem was, he was unsure of just how to break the news to his host. He was also unsure of just where would be a safe place for him to undergo the final stages of the transformation.

Shukaku knew one thing though, and that was that Gaara was on his own, for now. All he could do was wait and watch.

Yeah, I know, I didn't get very far in the initial chapter. The next one will see more action and stuff, so stay tuned! Please? I updated a bunch of other chapters, so it's not like you don't have anything to read. I hope you guys will like this story!