A/N: I know it's a cliche, but Samhain approaches and I'm so happy it's overwhelming. I'm realizing it's October and I'm officially a student in the Wiccan ways!! My aunt is a wiccan and she's going to start teaching me everything! Whoo! Plus the chance arose to write a one shot with Sasuke and Gaara for Halloween. Another whoo.

I'm sorry! It's a day late or so, but I had a Halloween party to attend and I was essentially the one mature one, it was mental.

Have fun and enjoy, I know I enjoyed writing this one.

Without further ado,

Gaara smiled casually as he walked the streets. Pumpkins were on every doorstep and the candles gave the streets an eerie warmth. This was the desert but damn if they didn't do Halloween. Gaara himself had a particular fondness for the holiday. His siblings and his country enjoyed thoroughly and it made it better when the Kazekage would have some fun.

So he'd dress up and walk around on Halloween, scare some kids and hand out some candy. This year was different however. Every year since Sasuke had been in Suna, the last Uchiha had been needed else where on a mission on the holidays. This was Sasuke's first Halloween in Suna and this was also their first Halloween together. It was only Halloween afternoon but things were already a twitter with excitement.

Gaara waved towards a group of shinobi out celebrating a mission completion. They called back greetings and tipped their hats and Gaara laughed. He tugged out his keys and hunted for Sasuke's apartment key. Luckily the door flew open before he even needed to find it.

"Hey, come look at this." Sasuke's onyx eyes were bright with interest and energy as he pulled the fifth to the balcony. Gaara kicked the front door closed behind him and let his lover pull him out. Sasuke pointed to a family setting up a sand pit in front of their house and a child as they tested it. The person would sink in then the sand would automatically push them back out. "Isn't it odd? What is that boy supposed to be?"

He motioned to the boy sinking in. His torn clothes looked ancient and his eyes were gray by genjutsu. He looked someone had taken a chomp out of his arm.

"Not odd for someone native to Suna. I've been here for a long time, Halloween isn't that new to me Sasuke. He's a zombie Sasuke, it's like the walking dead, see the eyes that's how you tell " Gaara was grinning though, Sasuke seemed so utterly intrigued that it was endearing. Gaara hadn't seen that light-hearted a smile in a while.

"Oh by the way some woman from your office dropped off a orange pie." Sasuke waved him off as he spoke.

"Pumpkin pie, Sasuke. Pumpkin. Did you totally miss Halloween in Konoha as well?" Gaara corrected with a good natured smile.

"I never celebrated anything in Konoha and I always go on missions during the holidays, the pay is amazing." Sasuke leaned forward to study the sand pit a little closer.

Gaara was gobsmacked. His lover had never had a Christmas, a Halloween, a Valentine's day? By the gods. The Kazekage stood behind Sasuke and placed either hand beside Sasuke's gloved ones. Fingerless gloves that Gaara thought were bloody useless. Sasuke turned to face the red head and Gaara kissed his cheek.

"You're freezing." He commented and Gaara nodded.

"I was practicing with wind jutsus. The desert is a cold place at this time of night and therefore so's the wind." Gaara shrugged.

"Let's go inside then, you can warm up." Sasuke ducked under Gaara's arm and went inside. Almost without thinking Gaara ran his eyes over Sasuke's frame. Something about how easily pleased Sasuke was was stirring reactions from Gaara. Sasuke didn't often smile with such joy, didn't often display such concern about Gaara's health.

There must be a full moon coming. The Kazekage leaned over the balcony railing to look up at the sky.

Gaara went inside and shut the balcony door behind him. Sasuke's hand appeared with a cup of tea and Gaara smiled and took it. Sasuke must be in a good mood. He was in the kitchen, the raven usually left all things 'kitchen-y' to his lover. Gaara wrapped both arms around Sasuke's waist and pulled the raven against him.

"Gaara?" Sasuke quizzed and tilted his head to look back at the Kage. Gaara smiled and kissed him softly. Sasuke's face lit up at the warm, but casual display of affection. Gaara nodded to himself and hugged the last Uchiha tightly before walking to retrieve a bit more sugar.

Sasuke frowned as he heard his lover murmur something akin to 'dull noon'. Sasuke scowled and looked at the outside, nope he wasn't hallucinating, it was definitely no where near noon. Thinking back, the lunch earlier today had been anything but dull.

Dull noon....

Sasuke mused this and it's meanings in the back of his mind as he curled up on the couch and tucked his feet underneath him in order to wrap himself up more sufficiently with Gaara's discarded traveling cloak. Truth be told Sasuke hated cloaks like this one but it had Gaara's warmth embedded rather firmly in it's fibers.

When did I even start feeling cold?

Sasuke wondered absently as he buried his face in the black hood. Then his head shot up and he grumbled to himself, "Why am I doing this?" He stood and walked to the kitchen and hugged the 5th Kazekage from behind and buried his face in the silky locks tickling the back of Gaara's neck.

The muscles in Gaara's back tensed for a split-second before Gaara turned in Sasuke's grasp and nuzzled the raven. "Are you sick? Being blackmailed? Something?"

"No." Sasuke chuckled. "Why?"

"Because I can't name the other time you've been this..cuddly. You and I are very reserved and withdrawn people, not prone to much cuddling. Yet since I've gotten home you have barely let go of me, and you are acting extremely out of character." Gaara quirked an eyebrow and Sasuke laughed.

"I'm sure I'm not being blackmailed, like I said, the mood here is infectious and I've never been around for a holiday before. Give me some credit that I'm not outside looking at things with a big smile on my face. I think I'd give people heart attacks." Sasuke laughed and Gaara nipped the shell of his ear softly then muttered.

"No but we should start thinking about what to dress up as. We only have a few hours before we are supposed to be outside with the people. Come, I'm sure Matsuri can help us if we ask incredibly politely."

"And if you promise her Halloween night off. I heard she was supposed to go to Konoha, but I suspect that can easily be changed - particularly if the Kazekage himself said so." Sasuke smiled, "Come. Let's go see her." Sasuke gripped the red head's pale hand, fighting down a grin when Gaara's pianist fingers gripped his in return, and drew him out the door and down the stairs.

They walked in silence, Gaara absentmindedly bringing Sasuke's hand up to kiss his knuckles every once in a while. "Must you treat me like a girl?"

"Would you rather we duck into an alley for a quick-"

"Gaara!"

"-then shut up. If I can't have all of you, I'd like to be able to keep my hold on some of you." Gaara kissed his knuckles again and this time Sasuke stepped closer with an embarrassed flush and nuzzled into Gaara's side, tugging them both down the less-populated side streets to avoid the leers of crazed fangirls.

Yaoi fan-girls. Worst there is.

Sasuke's face could not have burned any brighter, unless perhaps Gaara were to make good on his terms to duck into a....Sasuke glanced around at the abandoned alley they were in and promptly brought them back into the flow of people. Gaara merely smirked and tightened his grasp. A easy genjutsu and it looked as though the two were merely walking and discussing a file in Sasuke's hands.

Gaara knocked on Matsuri's door and gave a gentlemanly bow when the woman opened it. Matsuri blushed and ushered them both inside. "Damn you Gaara, those manners of yours mess with me."

"Hey Matsuri," Sasuke kissed the girl's cheek and laughed when Matsuri immediately blushed.

"We need your help-"

"I want Halloween night off and I want free reign, you are totally not allowed objecting." She ordered. Gaara chuckled and looked at Sasuke. Sasuke rolled his eyes, Gaara's old student always knew exactly what they wanted. But Halloween costumes and Matsuri? It was like dropping Naruto into the middle of a prank store, you couldn't tell what would happen.

"I can't agree to your terms, I need to be able to object but Sasuke, if you would like her to help..." He let the sentence drop to Sasuke, however he did tell Matsuri, "You can however have Halloween night off."

"I agree, but Matsuri keep it clean please." Sasuke grinned. The ANBU girl jumped up and hugged him, dragging the last Uchiha off to her room and her closet. That closet of hers was like a different world, she had everything in it. It was creepy.

"Go shower, you smell like Gaara. I'll get you a costume and Gaara too, even if he is Kazekage he won't object. He just needs to say that." She stuck her tongue out at him and Sasuke laughed. " I'll leave your costume on the bed, change as soon as you get out, I wanna see what I've made." She smirked dangerously at him then disappeared into that alter-dimension known as her closet. Sasuke went into the bathroom and ran a shower.

"....certain?....understood....I will...." Sasuke could make out some voices in the stream of water. Matsuri was talking, he assumed to Gaara. Sounded like she was receiving orders. Sasuke grabbed a towel off the wall as his ninja instincts kicked in. He left the water running and sneaked to the door. He pushed a little chakra to his ears to hear.

"Good. Sasuke can't be aware. I've got to go, tell him work came up or something." Gaara instructed. "Matsuri, remember tell no one. He can't know where I am."

Sasuke stopped. The red head was hiding something from him. Matsuri was helping. He stopped the water and went out. He looked at the costume and laughed.

"Nice one Matsuri." He pulled on the costume and laughed, it was perfect. The clothes hugged his frame - that was the only issue, he'd never get rid of the fangirls now.

"Use a genjutsu for wings." She instructed then launched into a brief explanation of what they should look like. He focused his chakra and cast the justu laughing when she gasped at how perfect they were. Sasuke was an ANBU Black Ops Captain, he was good with following instruction, and capturing minor details.

"Where's Gaara at?" He raised an eyebrow. Would Matsuri lie to him?

"Work or something, an ANBU showed up to get him. Snake mask I think."

Whoops. The snake mask is my mask Matsuri.

Sasuke didn't outwardly react, it wasn't wise. Whatever Gaara was doing, he could find out by easier means then Matsuri. Plus it would look suspicious if he questioned her then she'd inform Gaara and the Kage would cover it up. Rumor had politicians were good at that stuff.

"So, how do I look?" He quirked a smile and an eyebrow. The girl grinned and rubbed the underside of her nose.

"Delicious. You might want to poof home, not walk. I'd hate for something...pleasurable to happen." She giggled and Sasuke burst out laughing. Someone getting that much of an upper hand on Sasuke Uchiha? As if.

"You're funny, really Matsuri. It's me." He coughed, his chest hurt from that much laughing, he hadn't laughed that hard in a long time. His smile even hurt. But just in case, he 'poofed' home. Matsuri used the term poof instead of teleporting or disapparating. Probably because poof sounded funnier.

At home he looked into a mirror and surprised himself. He really was kind of good looking. The black torn shirt hugged his torso and the rips were large enough that he might as well have not been wearing a shirt the fabric just concealed enough to be appealing. His black jeans were also ripped, but it looked like someone had been tearing at them with claws because of the blood red dusting on the rips. Matsuri had styled his hair differently, the bangs were slanting over his eyes but mostly degrading into his right eye. His face had been coated in just enough make-up to make his cheeks look sunken in and his face had splats of blood across it, as did his torn-up knuckles and fingers.

The wings were what really made the costume though. Beautiful and soft on the eyes, they started out pure black at the top and faded to a pure white at the very end. Dark angel. He'd been thrown from heaven so now his wings were turning. Sasuke looked like he'd just fought off a damn hoarde of archangels.

And he was armed to do so. His pants were lined with senbon and his shirt - where there was fabric - had kunai in it. The long sleeves hid his katana.

He re-tied his shoes and went out on the balcony again. The family had finished their sand-pit and were going inside. One little girl jumped back and went under the sand for a few seconds before she was spat back out. Perfect condition, no harm. Not that anything could happen, her father was a shinobi lucky enough to have Halloween off. Gaara tried to keep everyone with a family home, but some he couldn't afford to spare, instead promising a different day off.

He frowned as his thoughts drifted back to Gaara's secret. Of course his lover was allowed having secrets but he'd never told someone else but not Sasuke, never purposefully hidden it from him. What the hell was going on.

Temari.

That chick had the answer to everything about her baby brother. She was more often then not the girl he went to when he wanted information that the Kage wouldn't give him. The fists-up blond always seemed to just know what was going and how to fix it.

He jumped off the balcony and jumped from rooftop to rooftop until he reached her house. He flipped off her roof, careful to avoid being seen and used the key the woman had given him to get in.

"Hey Temari! It's Sasuke!" He waited 15 seconds then walked into the living room. The blond was dressed up like a fire spirit. Sasuke could see the chakra buzzing around her eyes to make them turn flame red and flicker in the light. Her hair was pure red and her dress was crimson and the bottom was a genjutsu of fire.

Halloween was like the biggest genjutsu Sasuke'd ever seen.

"Damn Sasuke. You sure it's safe to go out looking that yummy?" She laughed. Sasuke shrugged.

"I'm not sure, Matsuri said something like that too, and I did get a couple odd looks on my way here." He joked lightly and the fiery blond - well now red - smirked.

"Come on, there's a party starting soon. You're so coming."

"No, I'm good. Anyway I've gotta find Gaara. The damn guy took off while I was in the shower saying work called. He can't work on Halloween." He let the woman bring him outside by the arm however. She locked her door then linked arms with him again.

"We'll look together, after the party."

After the party was 5 hours later. That place had been insane. Decorations everywhere Sasuke turned and of course he'd been on his feet the whole time dancing. A drink every once in a while that he made himself just in case, to get a break from the women dragging him onto the dance floor. He and Temari left when she said her heels were killing her.

"C'mon, we'll go hunt down my baby brother."

They went through the whole city before Sasuke sighed, "Gaara said he tended to avoid the downtown area during the night because of the party's. But that's the only area of town we haven't searched." He told the wind mistress on his back. Her heels were in her hands wrapped around his neck and he was carrying her with ease.

When they got downtown he put her on her feet in seconds and drew two kunai in the next. Everyone was dead. He recognized faces and looked away when he did. He couldn't see his friends deceased, it hurt too much. He paused at Kankuro, the man was ripped open and his mouth left open in a silent death scream. He looked away again.

Matsuri lay discarded like a doll on a bench, she looked so broken. Hiroku from Gaara's office pinned to the wall by a katana, Ritsu from his squad on the ground ripped in half, Enju with a broken neck. Just in case this was a mind-trick, he focused his chakra and tried releasing the genjutsu. Nothing. Everyone stayed dead. Everyone he knew stayed dead.

He tossed a weopan to Temari and drew another. The duo approached with caution before Temari gasped.

"Gaara!!" She screamed and went to run forwards. Sasuke didn't dare look where she was, just tossed out an arm to stop her. He couldn't risk her death as well. "Sasuke, Gaara is hurt! He needs me!" She fought against his grip feeble for a moment before freezing. "Sasuke..."

He looked now. Gaara was on his knees, the costume he was wearing whatever it was was destroyed. A old suit jacket was half-torn off one of his shoulders and a top hat was thrown to one side. Gaara was wearing the same fingerless gloves that he always told Sasuke were pointless and his pants were doused with blood. The red head was beaten to hell, the bruises over his face could attest to that. His azure eyes shone with warning and worry. But he was alive.

"Kazekage-dono, what happened?" He called out as he continued assessing the situation.

Siario from the hospital sliced open...Winni the babysitter he helped out was dismembered....Kauru the secretary at the Academy was destroyed...

"We were attacked, he didn't move like a ninja - Oh!" Gaara gripped his side and dropped forward onto his other arm to balance himself. When he looked up, his azure eyes were tinged gray. Sasuke jolted back a step when the dead began rising. None of them looked right, all their eyes were gray and their cheeks seemed so sunk in. They still looked dead.

But the dead don't move...right?

Sasuke brought his arms up into a defensive position and ignored the groan from somewhere to his right. Big mistake, he had to flip off an assailant from that direction. He looked at the thing he'd chucked and his eyes widened slightly to recognize Temari with pure gray eyes.

"'Suke, I'm hungry. Come here."

The last Uchiha frowned and backed up with a jump to put his back to an empty street. Or at least empty for now. He continued dodging his friends, then pushed off the ground and used chakra to stay on the wall when he heard Gaara scream. Matsuri was latched onto his throat and from where he was he could see the blood pouring out from around her lips. He flipped forwards and gripped her shirt to throw her off. Then yelped himself, the Kazekage had grabbed onto his ankle.

"Run--! Now!" He ordered, his back arched and his eyes changed to a totally gray and the man seemed to age before his eyes. His cheeks fell in, his complexion turned to ash and his hair dulled. Sasuke slipped through the crowd at high speed to make it to the empty street before skidding to a halt.

Everyone he'd been partying with was there, they all had gray eyes.

'He's a zombie Sasuke, it's like the walking dead. See the eyes, that's how you tell'

Zombies? Impossible. But he'd seen the transformation in Gaara after Matsuri bit him. Sasuke threw the kunai into a wall, not wanting to hurt his friends and let his katana slide down into his hands.

"Back up. Let me through." He kept a katana pointed at either side of the crowd and watched as they all stopped. Stopped in place and smirked at him, most of their teeth had blood on them.

Sasuke scowled, what the hell was going on? The he felt something grab either of his arms and saw Gaara limp forwards, the red head's hands slipped up his shirt and Sasuke shook his head. Gaara looked horrible, his throat was still bleeding down his shirt and he was so un-Gaara-like that it hurt.

"Gaara, wake up. Knock this off." He murmured too softly for anyone but the man to hear. Gaara leaned up and Sasuke felt him press his lips to the raven's own throat.

Gaara bit gently once, just enough to draw blood then met the last Uchiha's eyes. "Sasuke, I'm hungry. Don't you trust me?" Those gray eyes seemed to draw him and Sasuke nodded once. Then the red head bit down.

Sasuke screamed.

.

.

.

I should be horrified, scared, but I'm numb, cold instead. Sasuke thought softly, his own thoughts couldn't seem to gain any volume. He couldn't see, are my eyes closed? Did I pass out?

"Gaara, what did Sakura give you? He's unconscious." A woman's voice, she sounded concerned and Sasuke forced himself to begin the trek back to full-consciousness instead of this half-state.

Sasuke felt so light-headed, and everything felt wrong. His neck was pulsing with a dull throb, not painful anymore but definitely irksome. Dimly he wondered how everyone was. Were they okay, this zombie thing had to have been a figment of Sasuke's imagination, but it felt so real.

"She said it had kick, that this was what the ANBU over there used to make pain seem worse then it was, when they were interrogating prisoners they couldn't really touch much. I put a little on my teeth and let it sink in when I bit the first time. I didn't think it'd do that much. Damn that cherry blossom." Sasuke could feel Gaara's hand checking his pulse. Sasuke groaned, first off everything had been a prank; Gaara used drugs to make the Uchiha think that he'd been bitten. Second it hurt when Gaara touched his throat.

"My neck!" He gripped it tightly, of course it didn't hurt anymore, but he was so getting Gaara back for this. Gaara barked for a medic and Sasuke kept up his agonized act until everyone was in a frenzy. Running around him, asking if he was okay. Hell he was fairly certain he managed to get a few women to cry.

Sasuke cried out as pathetically as he could and opened his eyes. Gaara looked horrified, everyone else looked panicked. Gaara reached out and gripped Sasuke's hands to try and comfort him. Guilt clouded over his now normal features.

Sasuke started laughing, hard. Gaara poked the raven's stomach and scowled. "I was worried about you damnit!" He protested.

"You were worried? I got my neck torn out and watched it 'happen' to you!" Sasuke was outraged of course that he'd been pranked like this but it was good one he had to admit. Naruto would've loved to be here to see that.

"Asshole."

"Shouldn't have started it, lover." Sasuke muttered and Gaara chuckled.

"You must admit that you were horrified."

"Oh definitely, this would've been a horrible breach in security, now help me up." He stuck up a hand and felt a few people lift him to his feet. Once there he turned and swung a punch at Gaara. "Stupid Kazekage-no-baka!" He let fly a well-controlled side kick. "I was worried about you." A quick 3 punch combo. "I thought you were hurt!" Gaara blocked what would've been a rib shattering front kick. "Damn you," Sasuke gripped the red head's shirt, "I am totally going to get you back for this." He leaned his head into Gaara's collarbone.

He felt the Kage's fingers in his hair as he caught his breath. Genuine horror, that had been his first reaction to seeing Gaara down like that. The worst thing was that his immediate motions were to get the threat away from the Kage, even in the event that it sacrificed his position of safety. He'd jumped from his completely safe position on the wall to Gaara's side the moment Matsuri bit him.

"Asshole." He mouthed against Gaara's skin.

"Come," Gaara gripped his hand and went to the front of the crowd. "Ladies and Gentlemen! A round of applause for the coolest head I've ever seen in the face of the living dead!" Gaara held up their hands and Sasuke laughed. The people who'd been caused to panic a few moments ago all cheered and howled for Sasuke.

"And a round of applause," Sasuke yelled, "for the best Halloween prank I've ever experienced!" The crowd went wild, ninjas were flipping and rotating in mid-air to show their support and the villagers jumped and hooted.

Sasuke bit down a grin, Suna really did do Halloween. The two weaved through the crowd and Sasuke ignored the overwhelming sense of claustrophobia. Crowds were something he still didn't like, it was way too easy to stick a poisonous senbon into someone's side. Gaara gripped his wrist and pulled Sasuke into an alley.

"Hmm...abandoned alley, you and I, and I haven't seemed to have my hands on you for hours..." Very casually he began backing the Uchiha against the wall. "Wasn't my policy on this brought up earlier?" Gaara almost seemed to pose the question to himself.

Sasuke's eyes widened, He isn't serious?!

"I believe I said, if I couldn't duck into an alley with you, then I wanted to at least have a hand on you. Did I have that Sasuke?" The Kazekage smirked, Sasuke looked mortified. The onyx eyes that Gaara loved kept flicking to the crowd, anyone could walk down the alley and catch them at anytime.

"Sasuke. I, the Kazekage, asked a question and I expect an answer." Gaara made sure to school his features into the mask of calm collection he used during his daily life.

It was all the raven could do to not gape. Gaara was serious! The damn red head actually meant for Sasuke to allow this?

"No Kazekage-sama, you did not." However the words flew out his mouth. All the years Sasuke had spent working for the Kazekage had made it immediate, if Gaara asked a question he got an answer regardless. Sasuke bit his lip after that, no chance of anything other words flying out his mouth.

"Sasuke," Gaara had a Cheschire smile on his face and Sasuke glued his eyes to the crowd, the red head provided far too tempting a picture,"You wouldn't happen to have any protests to me making good on my word?"

Unfortunately Sasuke's reaction was to keep his mouth shut, and Gaara knew it so he used it.

"I thought not."