Chapter 1

August 22, Monday

Hi Shukaku, it's my first day at Konoha High...Guess what?

I hate school, I hate school, I HATE school!

I just got to my first class. Temari and Kankurou ditched as soon as we got here.
I had to get my schedule by myself, then I had to find my classes alone.

In the office there was this huge crowd ,at first I thought I was waiting in
line...After maybe ten minutes, I realized they seemed to be trying to get some
guy's attention. Most of them were girls who were dressed even skimpier than
Temari, and some of them were guys in football jerseys and Nike. I see, ladies
and gentlemen, meet the jocks and the cheerleaders.

A few of them looked at me and sneered... I guess they immediately passed

judgement because of what I was wearing.

I'm sorry! You have no idea what I was wearing. Well, on that particular day, I
was wearing a black coat that three sizes too big, and the previous owner (I got
said coat for $4 at goodwill) had cut it so it was quarter sleeves. Underneath, I
this black shirt, but it had black lace sewn on. It was only a quarter sleeve,
except red lace had been sewn on the sleeves so that it went a little past my
thumbs. I guess it may have been a girl's shirt, but it was on the discount rack in
the boy's section, only $1.50. My pants were just something I got from Kankurou,
that he'd worn when he was 12. They were probably high waters on him, but I
had to roll them up a little. My shoes were just some dingy old red converse
Temari had given me three years ago, when they went out of style. By the way,
most people call me Goth. I couldn't really say one way or another. I wear really
old hand me downs, or when I do have extra money, I usually have to go to a
Goodwill. I don't mind, the stuff is cheap and usually in good condition.
Sometimes I wear makeup, eyeliner, but only to hide the bags under my eyes
from lack of sleep...And sometimes bruises. I guess I must be pale... I never
really thought about it. I almost never go outside, so I'm certainly not tan. I don't
listen to Marilyn Manson, I don't hate him. He did a good job of "You spin me
round"...Although my heart belongs to Billy Idol with that song.

But you probably don't care, huh?

But anyway they were blocking my way and I was getting seriously pissed.

After trying to say excuse me...about a million times, I gave up and just shoved
one of them out of the way, hoping to get the point across that they were
blocking the walk way.
I should have known they were just a bunch of idiots though.

"Hey!" Said the girl I pushed, "What's your problem you gothic fag!"

I ignored her of course, she wasn't worth my time. I walked up to the desk and
told them my name. While they were looking through a stack of papers, one of
the people from the crowd walked over and took my book bag.

"Hey twerp!" He said, "Want your bag?"

I stared at him, I think he wanted me to start jumping and trying to get it.
Unfortunately for him, I've always had a habit of disappointing.

"Give me my bag" I said calmly, giving him a chance before I decided to rip out
his spinal cord and strangle him with it.

He didn't . I didn't expect him to. I just wanted to give him some sort of chance,
so that I would not have to be held responsible for my actions.

He started laughing, and I sighed. I didn't mind beating him into a bloody pulp, I
just really didn't feel like getting in trouble the first day of school. I knew I was
grinning evilly, because he stopped laughing and was looking at me. Who knows
what I would have done, if it hadn't been for what happened next.

"Kisame Just give him his fuckin' bag!"

I turned around and saw that the guy who had been getting swarmed had
pushed his way through the crowd. For a second it felt like my heart stopped
beating...Is that when they say "Heart skipped a beat"?

But oh well, it didn't matter. I could see why he had been surrounded, he was by
no means plain. His hair was really long, to his waist? It was jet black too, and it
looked SOFT. His eyes actually startled me. They didn't have any pupils what so
ever, but they had the most piercing gaze. He was tall, and he looked kind of
muscular, maybe he played sports?

His skin was white though...Maybe whiter than mine. He wasn't wearing anything
note worthy, just a white sweatshirt and a pair of dark blue pants.

I didn't bother looking at his shoes, I don't have a foot fetish.

He raised an eyebrow at me, "Your bag?"

I looked down and noticed for the first time that the oafish blue guy had dropped
my bag next to me.
I was a little surprised that I hadn't even noticed when he left. I took my schedule
from the old lady behind the desk, and I was going to walk away. But he grabbed
me by the shirt and leaned down, God! He had to be at least ten inches taller
than me!

"You shouldn't shove people" He said, "It's not nice"

He started to lean back when I said, "Then you should keep your whores out of
the way. They're an eyesore" It wasn't that I wasn't grateful...I was just angry at
being reproached for pushing some bitch who was in my way.

He froze and his eyes narrowed. I don't know if it was my imagination, but he
almost looked surprised. Now I wasn't scared, granted he was giving a scary
look. But I feel that the reason I was starting to sweat was that I didn't like how
good his breath felt on my face.

He might've been about to say something, but the bell rang. He cursed and ran
out of the room, but not before looking at me one last time. It wasn't a glare
though...I'm not sure what it was.

August 30, Monday

Shukaku,

Shit, things are getting confusing.

I met these people. I don't know why they're talking to me, but they keep calling
me buddy.

I'm writing a list to keep track of which is which.

Uzamaki Naruto-The loud blond one

Inuzuka Kiba-The guy who REALLY seems to like dogs

Akimichi Chouji-The guy who won't stop eating

Aburame Shino-The quiet one I can tolerate for two seconds

Nara Shikamaru-The lazy one who complains a lot

Yeah, that should do it, sometimes some girl will talk to them...Hinata? Uh, I think
so...

Apparently, there are all these rules about school that I thought only existed on
those shitty teen movies.
There is a place where everyone hangs out... Sort of, more like, a certain area
where they stay.

Like, apparently, I have been forced into the 'Corner of Misfit Toys'. They said it
was because, if someone was a misfit, and didn't have anywhere to go...Well,
this is where they ended up. The bottom of the food chain. They call it Toy
Corner for short.

Then there is 'Inbreed Corner'. That's where the nerds hang out. And I mean the
stereotypical, pocket protector nerds you see on TV. Even they are higher than
us.

There's 'Whore Corner', I guess that is self explanatory.

'Virgin Corner', that's where the innocent people who blush in health class hang
out.

There are other corners, 'Poser Corner', 'Skate Corner', 'Rap Corner' ...etc, the
list goes on.

They all seem to have an edge on the clique or another, except us. We are the
ones that everyone likes to pick on. Sure we fight back, but they gang up, and
sometimes a guy cant get away.

But the one corner that stands above them all, and I mean, the top of the food
chain, is 'Royal Corner'.

Not very many people are actually part of it. But people from other corners try to
visit. I swear, the social ways at this school are FUCKED UP! I mean, more in
the sense that people actually remember all this and pass it on to younger
generations.

Royal Corner holds the top dogs. Like:

Uchiha Itachi and Sasuke: They are bastards, so I hear from Naruto, who wont
shut up about Sasuke.

Akuma Orochimaru: He's some super pale guy, who, according to Kiba, is
Itachi's boyfriend.

Tori Deidara: He seems like an airheaded blond who has like three girlfriends at
a time. But there is a rumor that he has a thing for a guy named Sasori, um,
Shikamaru said he was from...Conformance Corner? That, by the way, is the
group of people that think they're a bunch of fucking non-conformists, when they
shop at Hot Topic and listen to My Chemical Romance and Blink 182. Way to be
original you bunch of Emo assholes! Even though there is an Emo Corner.
Kisaragi Kisame: A shark dude, he's the fucker who was trying to tease me a
week ago.

Hyuuga Neji: I haven't heard anything about him yet.

Yeah, the whole corner thing is pretty gay, but whatever. Corners are named by
everyone else. It's kind of weird, but interesting at the same time.

Toy Corner had it's name excepted by everyone, because there were two guys,
one was Hatake Kakashi, he was the leader of Royal Corner. He hooked up with
another guy named Umino Iruka, who was from Toy Corner...Actually, Naruto
tells it, that he started Toy Corner. Anyway, the story goes, that, like fifteen years
ago, Iruka, these guys Gai, Mizuki and Asuma and this girl Kurenai had all left
certain groups. They didn't like where they were, but they didn't want to be
loners. They all met, and started to hang out. They kept it up, and it became an
official group. At first, everyone just named them 'Loner Corner', because they
were like, a group of loners that were together between classes.

Well, Kakashi liked Iruka, asked him out, and while they were together, he and
Iruka watched some Christmas movies, and there was an island of misfit toys.
Iruka liked it, and said that was the name of his corner, 'The Corner of Misfit
Toys'. Kakashi spread the word and said anyone who used the term 'Loner
Corner' would get their ass kicked. To this day, 'Toy Corner'.

Loners don't exist at Konoha High. Everyone has a bully here...Well, almost
everyone.

Anyone seen walking alone is most likely in deep shit just because. Toy Corner
has a buddy system, I make six. The pairing system goes like this:

Kiba/Naruto

Shikamaru/Chouji

Me/Shino

I think they put us two together because we both don't talk.

...Oh great, I filled up nearly eight pages about the damn social contract at this
school. EW!

September 8, Tuesday

Shukaku, I'm about to go to lunch. Yesterday I found out who that guy was. OH,
and by the way, he's in my second, fourth and sixth period.
What happened was in my fifth period, I sat next to Naruto and Kiba.

I had been late to class the first day. I don't know why they brought it up, but they
asked me why. I have never been much for talking, especially not to people...I
figured I might as well tell them though, I guess I knew they wouldn't leave me
alone until I did.

After hearing my story of being detained in the office, they were both staring at
me kind of weird...

Flashback

"Wait," Said Naruto, "You mean you talked to Hyuuga Neji?"

Gaara stared at him blankly, not knowing or just not caring who Hyuuga Neji was.

Kiba shoved him to the side a little, "Ok," he said, "So you say he had white eyes
and long black hair right?"

Gaara shrugged

"That was Neji..." He bit his lip to hold in a snicker, "I cant believe you started shit
with NEJI of all people!"

Gaara glanced at the clock before answering, "Does that entail something
relevant?"

Naruto gave him a look that seemed to say 'Where the HELL have you been?'

"Well YEAH!" he said, "You might as well have picked a fight with the Uchiha-
bastard! Although that would probably be better for you" He always talked about
Sasuke, Gaara and everyone else at Toy Corner had guessed he liked him.

"No kidding," said Kiba, "I mean, at least he wont beat the snot out of you on
campus"

Gaara shrugged, "Anyone who can 'beat the snot' out of me, deserves to"

Naruto chuckled, "You seem pretty sure of yourself"

Gaara made no attempt tp respond, then the bell rang

End Flashback

Apparently he's tough, and doesn't mind getting in trouble...At least not about
fighting. He seemed like he really didn't want to be late for class.
Oh look, they're coming over here-

"Hey!" exclaimed Naruto, "Why aren't you eating?"

He, Kiba, Chouji, Shino and Shikamaru all sat down at the table that had
previously been empty, other than Gaara.

Gaara glared at him and closed Shukaku, sticking it back in his book bag, "Why
are you sitting here?"

"Sheesh!" said Shikamaru, "You're moody, how troublesome"

Had Gaara been a different person, he might've tried to figure out why that was
troublesome. But he wasn't so he didn't.

"Hey!" said Kiba leaning over the table to Gaara, "Guess what I heard!"

"No"

Kiba scowled a bit surprised, but continued, "Neji has been asking about you. He
wants to know your name"

"Really!" Cried Naruto, "How do you know?"

Chouji stopped stuffing his face momentarily and answered, "He asked me"

Naruto's jaw dropped, "What did you say?"

Chouji frowned, "At first I tried to tell him I didn't know...But he had sources that
told him we hang out together..." He looked apologetically at Gaara, "I'm sorry"

Gaara rolled his eyes, "I really don't care if he knows who I am"

Chouji looked relieved, as did everyone else. They all liked Gaara a lot, even if
he didn't seem to care.

Suddenly, a milk carton landed on the middle of their table, splashing everyone.
Although most of it got on Gaara.

"Ha!" Someone yelled

They all looked over, even Gaara and Shino, to a table that held Kisame, the
Uchiha brothers Itachi and Sasuke, Deidara, Orochimaru, various fangirls/guys
and none other than Mr Hyuuga Neji himself.

"That's what you get!"

Gaara picked up some napkins and began to wipe himself off. But Naruto on the
other hand was pissed.

"Hey Asshole! What the fuck is your problem!"

Everyone at the table looked up, most of them just noticing that the guy had
thrown something.

Sasuke smirked, causing the angry blond's attention to go to him, "AHA! I knew
it! Sasuke-teme you put him up to it!"

The rest of the cafeteria had gone deathly silent after Naruto first shouted,
everyone knew that this could spell the end for 'Toy Corner'.

Sasuke and Naruto were caught in a glaring contest, as the entire Royal Corner
got up and walked towards them, minus their fans.

If the cafeteria hadn't been silent before, it certainly was now. Even the lunch
ladies had stopped serving, all eyes were on the two groups. No matter what
happened, it would be big and possibly serve to shake the inward community that
seemed to shape the social classes at school.

"That isn't very polite" said Itachi resting a hand protectively on his younger
brother's head and looking at Naruto, "maybe you should apologize?"

"Maybe, fuck you" hissed Kiba

Orochimaru growled and was going to say something, but Sasuke beat him to it.

"You fucking wish you could"

Naruto stepped in, "Hey! Just because you're a pretty boy doesn't mean-"

"You think he's pretty?"

Immediately all eyes went to the redhead who didn't seem to care that he had
just countered against his own friends..In fact some people had guessed he was
trying to get on Sasuke's good side, others said he was just a traitor against
everyone.
But back to it. All eyes went to Gaara, except for Neji's, his had already been on
him.

"Well Naruto?" he said, "Do you find this hermaphrodite be a pretty

(whisper)half(end whisper) boy?"

The silence was broken, as two thirds of the student body began to laugh, while
the remaining third could only gawk at the boy who insulted THE Uchiha Sasuke,
and with his entire group present.

Of course the members of Royal Corner were not at all amused. Especially
Sasuke. With eyes narrowed, he took a step towards Gaara, only to be stopped
by a hand on his shoulder.

The laughter died and it was silent again, with the exception of a few murmurs
and whispers. Hyuuga Neji was taking initiative.

He stepped up to Gaara, who had somehow ended up a step in front of his

friends...On the front line. Neji stared down at him, he raised an eyebrow.

"Subaku no Gaara?"

Gaara nodded mutely

"I see. You seem to have quite a mouth on you..." He leaned down again, close
and whispered in his ear, "Keep this up, and I'll put your pretty little mouth to
good use"

Gaara's eyes narrowed indignantly and some people say he even blushed.

Neji smirked and walked back to his table, with the rest of them following.
Shikamaru, Kiba, Naruto, Chouji, Shino and Gaara sat down.

September 8, Tuesday ...continued...

I cannot believe that FUCKING HYUUGA! What the hell did he say! That was
like...Retarded flirting! I can't remember being so pissed off in my entire life! He
was staring at me too.

In fourth period, that is History, the desks are wrapped around the class, kind of
like an amphitheater. Anyway, he sits across from me and one seat over. He
kept on looking at me...

It was getting really annoying! Finally, after glaring at him didn't seem to be
working, and when the teacher had turned his back, I finally just flipped him off.
Then I ignored him for the rest of class.
Fifth period was great, he wasn't there. But in sixth...Art. There are two-man
tables, like desks, you can't see what's going on underneath them, most people
text on their cell phones. We choose our own seats and guess what?

THAT GODDAMN HYUUGA MADE IT SO THAT EVERY SINGLE FUCKING

SEAT BUT THE ONE NEXT TO HIM WAS FILLED!

I had to sit next to him entire time! And...The teacher said that because of too
much arguing about seats, where we were then were going to be our permanent
seats till the end of the year.

And I thought I hated my life before...

Chapter 2

September 10, Wednesday

Shukaku,

I was walking to school early, I didn't feel like being in the house with dad yelling
about the electric bill and guess who drives up in some fancy monte carlo?

THATS FUCKING RIGHT! The damn Hyuuga! Well, he didn't drive up like he
was following me, he was at a red light. There was music without lyrics playing,
he was singing to it:

"Ah chocolate girl, you're looking like something I want

(finding out true love is blind)
Ah and your little Asian friend she can come if she wants
(finding out true love is blind)I want all the self conscious girls who try to hide
who they are with makeup
(finding out true love is blind)You know it's the girl with a frown with the tight
pants I really want to shake up
(finding out true love is blind)"

Did I mention he was singing? Ah, good...WHAT THE HELL!

The bell rang catching Gaara's attention. He sighed and closed Shukaku, sticking
the book into his bag and stood. A large crowd had begun moving towards their
first period classes. He looked up and winced, he had recently found out that
Deidara had his first class was two doors down from him. And with his luck, of
course Neji had started walking the blond to class.

Gaara's eyes narrowed, they were looking at him. He didn't like it when Neji
looked at him, he didn't like the way it made him feel.
Deidara smirked and went into his class, and only then did the redhead notice
that he had actually stopped and had been standing there staring at them. He
glared as Neji started to walk over to him, he was smirking.

"Hey, carrot juice, I wanna squeeze you away until you bleed"

Gaara's eyes widened before returning to normal. Neji had just whispered in his
ear, and he couldn't whether he was sure or not it had been obscene. He might
have let it go, except for the fact that immediately afterwards, Gaara couldn't help
but also noticed that his backside had been given a pinch.

He jumped and spun around to glare at Neji's retreating figure before rushing into
his classroom.

Second Period

He's looking at me again! What did I do? Is this what he does to everyone? I
HATE this! Dammit my face hurts! Wheres that fucking mirror I stole from
Temari...

I'M BLUSHING! HYUUGA NEJI I HATE YOU!

Why is he smiling!

"Anyway," Said the teacher, "You and your partner will have to prepare a skit and
then explain the symbology . It will be due next Friday, that will be plenty of time!"

Gaara's eye twitched, he didn't know anyone in this class...That meant

"I guess we're partners"

His head snapped up and he met with milky white orbs. He began to shake with
rage, why did Neji piss him off so much?

The Hyuuga seemed to ignore this, as he sat in the desk next to him and
contented himself, playing the hair at the base of Gaara's neck. Sending shivers
up and down the redhead's spine.

"Don't touch me" He ground out, and jerked away.

Neji didn't seem to mind this, and settled for staring at him. His face had lost it's
smirk, and he watched the boy stoically. Gaara felt uncomfortable under his
gaze, but he resisted the urge to squirm.

"I was thinking we could do something based off a poem by Jack Kerouac ,
Cognac Blues?"
Gaara raised an eyebrow, "YOU know Jack Kerouac?"

Neji smirked in response, "Of course, don't you?"

Gaara shrugged, not bothering to mention that Cognac Blues was his favorite
poem in the world. He cast sidelong glance at the Hyuuga who had begun to
pack up his things, "It's almost time to go. We'll talk tomorrow"

Gaara didn't respond, he only put away his single notebook, and began to ponder
how a skit could be done.

You gets your just dues in

Heaven-Heaven'll
Be indifferent to this
Indifferent dog

(Yet, honest indifference

were better than cant)

…really

When I hear pious

Bullshit about Justice
& Democracy and I know
the hypocrites are lying
in their false teeth

I'm not indifferent to God

I'm indifferent to
me-on-earth

I cant think of anything More ridiculous than me

On earth -
Really!

His 'friends' stared at him as he finished reciting the poem. It was lunch time, and
Kiba had heard from Hinata, who heard from a girl named Kin, who heard from
some guy who was in his second period, named Dosu, that Gaara had been
partnered with Neji. After telling them about Neji walking over and he was his
partner, most of them were nearly falling over. Then he said that Neji had
suggested Cognac Blues. However, only Shino and Shikamaru had caught that
one.

"Hm," said Shikamaru, "I never pegged him as Kerouac fan..."

They were all silent.

"In fact," said the usually silent Shino, "I wouldn't peg him as a poetry fan"

Gaara began to twitch, "...No...Probably not"

September 10, Wednesday

I can't help but realize something. You see, my classes go:

1) Grammar

2)Drama

3)Algebra

4)Wood Shop

5)Biology

6)Art

And as it would seem, a member of Royal Corner is in every single one of

them...

You see my classes more or less go

1)Sasuke

2)Neji

3)Kisame

4)Neji

5)Itachi

6)Neji

This is a Goddam CONSPIRACY! All I did was call the little Uchiha a
hermaphrodite! I find it hard to believe I'm the first person to insult them! They
really are just a bunch of bastards.

But anyway, I know that Neji found out I like Jack Kerouac, and that is because
in Grammar, we had to compile a list of poems, and then present one of them to
the class.
I picked Cognac Blues and I remember saying I picked it because it was my
favorite.

That crazy Hyuuga found out...FUCK IT ALL! I hate blushing so much!

Anyway, here in biology, I can't help but feel that big Uchiha is watching me... I
wish he would stop.

I mean, why bother? I won't lie, sure, I think Neji is hot, but he is an asshole. I
wish he would just die already! I should be working on my project, its about birds.

That Deidara guy likes birds, it's so obvious, and he says 'yeah' after every word
he says! I heard he went out with Neji once, personally I think Neji is too good for
him...

Why did I write that? Everything I write seems to be against me! Shukaku, I need
you to give me a paper cut so that I might die and go to Hell where I can at least
be tormented by someone other that Neji. And another thing, when did I start
calling him Neji?

Hmmm...Ok, all I have to do is ignore it. Yes, I mean, it's not like this can go on
much longer...Right?

His poster was nearly finished, he figured at soon as he got it graded, he would
throw it out.

He never liked anything he made. His dad had instilled a passive aggressive
hatred in him for him. Gaara wasn't in to self mutilation or anything like that, but
he sure as hell didn't like himself all that much.

Every now and then he would get into a fight with his dad, sometimes it would
result in a scuffle, but more often than not, it was just yelling. If he did get in fights
that involved fists, it was usually with Kankurou. The older boy didn't seem to
actually hate Gaara, but he was always on his case about changing something
about himself.

His father was indifferent. Once, a cop had brought Gaara home, because he
had broken a child's nose at school. His father assured the officer that he would
be severely punished. However, as soon as the cop was gone, he closed the
door and started laughing, while patting Gaara on the back.

But sometimes he would get mad for no reason...It was too random for Gaara to
care much. And Temari just didn't seem to like him very much, but she could
have her nice moments.
The bell was going to ring soon. He put his stuff away and decided to mentally
preparing himself to face Neji in his next class. It pissed him off how the thought
of being near the brunette filled him with dread, but it did.

The redhead sighed, but his face remained passive as always.

Naruto and Kiba took their usual route down the hall, just past the library on the
left. It became routine when they decided that Kiba could run faster, so he would
take Naruto to class, then dash three doors down to his own.

Now, what was unusual about today, was that they saw Orochimaru and Neji in
the library. Normally they would have scowled, except they couldn't help but hear
the sound of, "That redhead has been giving us looks... I think he's noticed
something"

They froze and immediately dashed inside, hiding behind a bookcase.

Neji seemed to almost ignore it, he had been singing softly the entire time, now
Naruto and Kiba could hear it:

"I want miss little smart girl with your glasses and all your books
(finding out true love is blind)
And I want the stupid girl who gives me all those dirty looks
(finding out true love is blind)"

Kiba and Naruto frowned, as did Orochimaru, "Take me seriously" growled The
snake man, "Are you making a move or what?"

Neji stopped singing and shrugged

Orochimaru rolled his eyes, "Why are you doing this? You could find a better toy"

Neji shook his head smirking, "No, not like this one"

The two boys who had been listening in ran. They ran to Naruto's class, catching
their breath just enough to stare at eachother in horror.

This was bad, and there wasn't much they could do, but they had to do
something.

And apparently they had not been the only ones to hear the conversation. Within
a very short time, word began to spread like wild fire. Hyuuga Neji had his eyes
set on a new toy, and most who knew the stories, could only feel pity for the boy.

September 10, Wednesday

Shukaku,

He didn't say much to me, he looked at me every now and then. I almost felt a
little disappointed, I mean, you get used to something...And even if he is rude
and a jackass, no one has ever paid so much attention to me.

He sat next to me, because we have assigned seats. He was painting, it was a
person, curled up into the fetal position, in a drop of dew that was in the center of
a huge rose. I knew I was staring, I knew he had noticed, but I didn't really care, I
can appreciate something, and I give credit when credit is due.

At the end of class is when he said something that caught me off guard, and
defiled me to no end,

"Wind you up and make you crawl to me

Tie you up until you call to me"

...Did I mention he was wierd?

Chapter 3

Neji

The Hyuuga walked alone down that crowded halls. All the other students were
somehow finding a way to make a good size path for him. A few of them, every
now and then, even managed to say 'hi'.

He smirked, life was certainly treating him good. He owned every school he went
to, and this one wasn't any different. He got straight A's, won championships in
soccer, baseball and football. No teacher cared what he did, because he was
perfect, and that meant, he boosted school prestige.

He was good looking, a real pretty boy. His hair was long, naturally dark, straight
and it was soft without him having to do anything spectacular. His skin didn't
seem to ever tan. His metabolism was very fast and he was strong.

If everyone didn't submit to him by his natural all around charm and greatness,
then he only had to kick their ass.

Neji sauntered into his last class of the day, ten minutes late, and smirked even
more when he saw that everyone had known better than to sit next to the little
redhead of his new affections. Even though there were seating assignments, he
knew people did it because of him. (Which they did)

He took his seat and noticed how the boy had hastily threw a notebook into his
book bag.
Neji merely shrugged it off, 'kid was probably doodling'

He took in his surroundings with smug satisfaction. Their desk was in the back of
the room, and since their classroom was in a diamond shape, they had no one to
their left or right. A person had to blatantly turn around to look at them. Of course,
the teacher was strict on the rule that talking to anyone but your partner was
forbidden, so no one would turn around.

Neji stretched and placed his arm around Gaara's shoulders, smirking when he
stiffened.

"Get off" he growled

Instead, Neji lowered his arm to Gaara's waist and pulled him closer, "I'd love to"
he murmured.

He grinned when the redhead blushed darkly and narrowed his eyes.

"You know exactly what I meant" He hissed

Neji rolled his eyes, mentally noting that the teacher was engrossed in her
painting, as was everyone else, and removed his arm.

Gaara seemed to relax a little bit and he started to work on his own painting. Neji
noted with amusement that it was of a raccoon in black, white and greys.

He reached down and started the other's thigh, "You know," he whispered in the
livid boy's ear, "It hurts me when you act like this"

Gaara tried to pry his hand off, but only succeeded in making Neji move his hand
up farther. His face matched his hair by the time he finally gave up. The Hyuuga's
hand now rested entirely on his crotch and he really didn't want to draw any
attention to them.

'He's blushing for me...' thought Neji as he worked to undo the zipper

He nearly laughed at the indignant look Gaara gave him when he stuck his hand
in. The boy was really trying not to enjoy it. But no, Neji knew the look all too well
by now. Gaara wanted him.

He started to lean closer and the redhead faced him. He couldn't help but take in
the deep green of his eyes, the smooth complexion of his fair skin and the pink of
his lips... those lips...

Without a second thought, Neji leaned down and captured them.

Gaara's eyes widened, he hadn't been expecting that, although he probably
should have. After all, he was being molested during school hours, and in class
no less!

His eyes slipped shut, 'maybe this isn't so bad...'

Neji opened his mouth and licked Gaara's lips, causing the other gulp.

After a moment, Gaara opened his mouth, and Neji plunged in, licking the wet
cavern and savoring in the taste.

Neji pulled his pet closer, until he was almost in his lap. He threaded his fingers
through the soft red hair, biting back a groan when Gaara accidentally rubbed
against him.

He was still aware of the fact that they could very easily be caught. Fortunately,
almost everyone was blasting some sort of music or another in their ears. He
took a second to quietly thank corporation who invented the ipod.

He felt Gaara's arms go around his neck, it felt like he was just trying to hold on
to something. It felt almost...Lonely.

When their kiss broke and they immediately checked and saw that not person
had turned around.

Gaara tried to scoot away, but Neji held him securely by his waist. He leaned
over and placed a few butterfly kisses in his neck, before leaning allowing the
redhead to do as he pleased.

September 11, Thursday

Shukaku, After school, don't feel like going home yet

JESUS H CHRIST! WHAT WAS THAT!

I can't believe Neji kissed me... I CANT BELIEVE IT FELT SO GOOD!

..NO! IT WASN'T GOOD! I HATED IT!

No... WHAT I HATE IS FEELING LIKE AN BOOK IS ACCUSING ME OF LYING

TO IT! ...Fine, maybe I have, just a little crush on Neji...

I mean, it isn't that he isn't good looking. He's hot, and I will admit to that. Ah, I
am calming down. I might not have overreacted like that, except that was my first
kiss.
I hate this, I hope he doesn't do it again. I wonder if maybe he knows he's doing
this... What a bastard.

"Hey Gaara"

He looked up and saw Shikamaru and Shino, he put Shukaku away and stared at
them, "What?"

Shino and Shikamaru looked at each other, "Well," said Shikamaru, "We heard
that...Someone saw you kissing Neji in art class."

Gaara shrugged, "So what if I was?"

Shikamaru and Shino both sat next to him, underneath his little spot under the
tree where he had chosen to sit about fifteen minutes ago.

Shino was the one who answered, who usually talked to Shikamaru and Gaara
more than anyone else, "We were just wondering if it was true," he said, "Naruto
and Kiba are the ones who are going to make a huge deal out of it"

Gaara nodded, he knew that alright, "He kissed me," said Gaara, who never
knew the gift of shame, "And I liked it, so I kissed him back"

Shikamaru plopped on to his back and stared at the clouds, "Yeah, I heard he
was a good kisser, but you should be careful"

Gaara frowned slightly, and flicked a bug off his book bag, "What do you mean?"

"Word is he's getting a new pet," said Shino, "And word is: It's you"

Gaara allowed himself to frown more at the title, "What does that mean?"

Shikamaru and Shino glanced at each other, then stood up, "Do you have time?"
asked Shikamaru, "Because this will take awhile"

Gaara shrugged again, he was never in a hurry to get home, he was often out
visiting abandoned parks, or empty libraries.

"Ok," Said Shikamaru, "Then we can go see Susan"

The house was white, the roof was black, and the grass was green and neatly
cut. It looked completely normal from the outside. That's what probably scared
Gaara the most.

Shikamaru and Shino approached the door and knocked. After a moment they
heard footsteps and a girl who looked to be around seventeen answered.
"Shikamaru! Shino!" she exclaimed, "Hi, who's your friend?"

Shikamaru nodded, "This is Gaara...Have you heard about it?"

She frowned and looked at Gaara with pity shining in her eyes, "Neji's pet?"

Shikamaru and Shino nodded sadly.

Gaara resisted the urge to huff indignantly, "I am no one's pet!" He growled

The other three only smiled, as they walked inside, Gaara took in his
surroundings.

The walls were a pale lavender, the furniture was a creamy white with very light
pink embroidery and the carpet was plush and white.

They was in the living room was a little small, and it connected to the kitchen by a
doorway.

Susan came back in and smiled, placing a white tea set with purple painted
flowers on the coffee table.

"So," she said sitting down, "Why is it you are here?"

They helped themselves to some tea and Shikamaru began,

"Gaara made a bit of a ruckus in the office on his first day, he's a freshemen by
the way, and he caught Neji's attention"

Susan frowned, "How? Neji is picky, you and I know that"

He nodded, "Yeah, but he started a ruckus with Neji"

That caught her

"With Neji?"

Shikamaru smirked and beamed proudly at the redhead who was sipping some
tea and glaring at them,

"First he shoved Ayame, then he told Neji to keep his whores out of the way"

Susan stared at Gaara in horror, "you said that?"

Gaara shrugged, "More or less" he muttered

Shikamaru chuckled, "Anyway, Neji lets him off without a scratch. But then he
starts asking about him, he asked Chouji. And I've heard he's been paying a lot
of attention to Gaara"

Gaara twitched a little but kept his temper in check, "Who the Hell cares?" he
growled, "I thought I was brought here so that she could tell me what it was to be
a fucking pet"

Susan glanced at Shikamaru and Shino, before folding her hands in her lap, "Of
course," She said, "I will explain it to you"

She brushed her hand over her sleeved forearm and bit her lip, "It all started in
the 6th grade... Neji had just moved here, because his father had died. He was
so beautiful and mature, I could hardly believe he was only 12.

"Everyone at school liked him, even though he used cruel words. He was in
charge, no one else could stand up to him. I remember..." She sniffed, "I had
developed a crush on him... He had been so hurt, I thought I could be the girl to
heal him...

"He found out, he found out I liked him. I thought he was going to get mad, or
tease me but...But he didn't. He asked me out the next day."

She paused and Gaara felt jealousy stab threw him like a spear. He didn't like the
thought of the Hyuuga with anyone else, even if he hated him.

"I was so happy," She said, "Because, I thought I was getting my chance... But,
he wasn't nice, he was...He made me do things I didn't want to... He actually hit
me" Susan pulled her knees to her chest, "After only three days, he got a
collar...It said, 'Property of Hyuuga Neji' on it. He told me I was his pet...

"I know it may seem weak, but...I could leave him. For one, I was scared of his
anger, and another I was...Addicted to him. To his kisses, to his touch. I just
couldn't leave him.

"Things were really bad, he dragged me everywhere, only to let anyone who
wanted touch me... I begged him to protect me, but he would hit me and tell me
that I was a selfish whore. He was always like that, I don't even remember a kind
word he said to me...

"A week and a half later, he dumped me. He took the collar back and said that I
wasn't worth his time anymore... After that I became extremely depressed, and
my parents had to take me out of school. I have never gone back. A year later I
met Naruto, and became friends with him and these two, along with Kiba and
Chouji...As I hear, he has had many pets afterwards. And now that he is older, it
is much worse for his pets"
There was a heavy atmosphere in the room. Her words hung in the air and
swirled around, nearly making Gaara's head spin. After a moment he stood and
looked at her,

"Thank you for the story, but as you should have heard by now, I hate that damn
Hyuuga, I am not in anyway addicted to him and I know he's a bastard. What
happened to you, will not happen to me"

The other three seemed cautiously optimistic. It seemed believable, they could
almost feel hope for the fiery redhead.

"I- I hope not" Susan finally answered

Thursday, continued...

Shukaku,

I don't know what to think exactly... I'm not scared of him, but, I feel confused. I
don't completely understand what I feel for Neji. I do know that I have never felt
like this about anyone...

Dammit, maybe I could though... I mean, I won't lie, that kiss felt good. REALLY
good.

I already know what to expect, so maybe I could be with him for just a little
while? Or am I just taking an unnecessary risk? It would seem foolish to just be
with him, especially knowing what he does to people. He couldn't force me to do
anything I didn't want to...Right?

The next day, Gaara had run into Naruto on the way to school. They walked
together, Naruto chatting his head off and Gaara silently glaring ahead.

"I can't believe he wants YOU to be his pet! What the hell is his problem? I mean
jeez, I knew they were assholes, but I didn't know they were idiots! Crap! It's not
like you're even interested!" Naruto paused for confirmation, but that he was only
being stared down.

"...Are you?"

Gaara shrugged, "Considering the past few days...I would guess that I am"

The blond stared at him in shock. This was certainly something to hear at 7
o'clock in the morning. He nodded lightly, "Oh, ok..."

He was silent the rest of the way to school, even when Chouji and Shino joined
them on their walk.
When they finally reached the building Naruto pulled Gaara to the side, asking
the other two to inform Shikamaru and Kiba that they would catch up.

Gaara shrugged the blond's hand off his shoulder and stared at him.

Naruto licked his lips, "So you DO like Neji?"

The elder seemed to think for a moment before nodding the affirmative, "I think
he is good looking"

The usually happy, perky blond's face was distorted with horror, and he grabbed
Naruto by the shoulders, "You know what he does to his pets, right?"

"Naruto," said Gaara firmly, "I'm just saying he's hot"

"Who?"

The two froze and turned to stare at a raven haired sophomore and a blue junior.
Or should I say, Uchiha Sasuke and Kisaragi Kisame.

Sasuke scowled at Naruto's hands that were still resting on the redhead's
shoulders. However this went unnoticed by everyone else.

"None of your business teme!" snapped Naruto, "go away!"

Sasuke glared more, "make me"

Naruto released Gaara and turned to Sasuke. Kisame stepped in between them.

"Oh no you don't blondie," he said, "We're all getting pretty tired of you picking
fights with Sasuke"

Naruto sneered, "Then make him leave me the hell alone!"

Sasuke stepped forward and shoved him, "You're the idiot who yells at me!"

The blond didn't back down though, "I hate you! Uchiha-Bastard!"

"SAME HERE DOBE!"

Naruto lunged at Sasuke, only to be caught by the surprisingly strong Gaara,

"Enough," he growled in a tone that made all three of the others wince, "I haven't
even been here that long and you two are driving me insane!"

He let go of Naruto and fixed the other two with a glare, "I was talking about your
damn friend!"
He turned and dragged Naruto off, but not before Kisame yelled out, "Neji?"

However he got no response.

Neji POV

My little one has obviously been thinking about me... Kisame and Sasuke spoke
of hearing him and the blond say something about him thinking I was hot.

I am pleased, I think he will be my favorite pet, I can tell already. Forget that old
collar I have now, I'm going to have a new one made just for him. I feel so
excited, I can hardly wait until second period.

I saw him when he walked past my class this morning. He was wearing black
high water pants, a black t-shirt that said "Tragedy is when I cut my finger.
Comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die" in white letters, a
horizontally black and white striped longe sleeve shirt underneath and white
socks with those same shoes. Do those even protect his feet at all?

His hair is getting longer than when I first met him...But only a little. He has
started wearing make up more often now. Lots of eyeliner, but his eyes always
had rings around them, I heard he is an insomniac.

It pisses me off when I see him walking down the halls with that lo9ser in the
sunglasses. I don't see why he feels it is needed to walk with him. When he's my
pet, I won't have him talking to any of them!

Hurry up you stupid bell and ring! I still need to think of a way that poem could
have a skit...Who knew? Jack Kerouac is good. I went out and bought one of his
books. What was it called again?

Oh well! I must get to class! We are working in groups and I will claim my pet
today.

"Gaara Subaku..." A predatory smirk graced his oh so sexy features, "You are
mine..."

Chapter 4

September 15, Monday

Shukaku,

Yeah, Monday... Oh and hey! Apparantly there was some girl who was visiting
her grandfather for a few months, and she just got back today. Apparantly she
was one of Neji's friends...And she got all classes with him, and three with
me...And she was talking to Neji during second period and she didnt seem happy
when he kept rubbing my leg! (Neither was I...REALLY!)...We did our skit and
she was giving me a dirty look the whole fucking time...

Her name is Ichino TenTen...A junior like Neji...She is kinda tall with brown hair
and brown eyes...I guess most people think she's pretty hot... I think she's an
ugly bitch! SHE WAS ALL OVER NEJI AND IT WAS PISSING ME OFF! HE
DIDN'T EVEN SEEM TO CARE! BACK OFF WHORE, OR I'LL CUT YOU SO
BAD YOU'LL WISH I DIDN'T CUT YOU SO BAD!

Not that I care about Neji, because I don't. She just keeps glaring at me, because
she thinks I'm the one hitting on him! Can you believe that?

Ok, it's time for lunch...Maybe it will be better... Maybe she'll die!

"Hey Gaara?" said Naruto, "Are you going to be ok?"

The redhead stared up at him from the table forlornly. He looked like he had just
thrown any old thing on. He was wearing a long sleeve maroon and grey
horizontally striped shirt, a dark red coat that reached halfway down his thighs,
slightly tight pinstriped black pants and the same shoes as always.

Naruto grinned, "Hey Kiba got paid yesterday!" He said, "Want something? He's
buying"

Gaara shook his head. Naruto frowned, "Come on Gaara..."

The others came over and sat down. They looked at Gaara and shared knowing
glances.

"So," said Kiba, "You hungry?"

Gaara shook his head.

They stared worriedly at their friend and sighed. It wasn't unusual for Gaara to
not eat, but something still wasn't right. They all knew, he had been sulking since
that morning. They had been approaching school just in time to see Neji get out
of his car. At first Gaara had wanted to turn the other way, but suddenly a
brunette that Kiba and Shikamaru recognized as his fanclub president had come
running and threw herself at him.

As soon as they saw that, Gaara had heatedly mumbled that they were going
that way and walked past the two. Gaara had been livid that Neji didn't say hi to
him. Even though he denied it.
Everyone winced at a sudden shrill squeal that sounded as if it could shatter an
iceberg. Upon inspecting, they found that of course, TenTen and another whore
named Haruno Sakura, had seen fit to crowd upon Sasuke and Neji at their
corner.

Gaara's eye twitched, "I hope she eats a twinkie with arsenic in it" he muttered

Shikamaru sighed, "Why would a twinkie have 'arsenic' in it?"

He was met with an evil green eyed glare, "I hate you"

Neji

"Ano, Sasuke-kun?"

The Uchiha glared at the pink haired girl, "What?"

She blushed and leaned forward over the table, trying to show off her cleavage,
or lack there of, in her tight little light pink blouse.

"W-Would you like to go out with me?"

Sasuke arched an eyebrow then turned away abruptly, "No" was the curt reply.

Itachi and Orochimaru smirked in amusement as she began begging. The girl
had been trying to get Sasuke to go out with her for around three years now. He
always said no, they didn't see why she kept at it. Itachi smirked more, he sure
was proud of his little stud muffin brother.

"So Neji," said TenTen catching their attention, "what have you been up to?"

She batted her eyelashes and latched into his arm, attempting to push her chest
against him. Unfazed, Neji shrugged, "Got a new pet"

Everyone else at Royal Corner froze. It was common knowledge, even to Neji,
that TenTen desperately wanted to be his girlfriend, despite his...abusive
reputation. He had just never been interested, hence, he never cared. That was
the story with most girls. They all thought they would be the one to change him,
and make him fall in love. The rest of Royal Corner found it very amusing.

TenTen's eyes narrowed, "What?"

"I got a new pet" repeated Neji, not showing the slightest bit of discomfort that the
girl at his side was now fuming.
"Who is it?" demanded TenTen, "Some ugly freshmen girl who begged you since
the first day of school?"

"Nope!" interrupted Deidara, "Some cute freshmen boy who's hated him since
the first day of school! Yeah"

TenTen stared at him, and she slowly stood up, placing her hands on the table,
"Where is he?"

Kisame pointed behind her and she whirled around, glaring up and down, with
her hand keeping an imaginary light out of her eyes, "Which one?"

"The redhead right over there"

She gaped at the corner that was located very close to a soda vending machine,
about twenty feet from the bathroom and far from all the other corners. With the
table that held no graffiti, but had not been painted. The paint was chipping in
various places so it was hard to tell if it was dark blue chipping off black or black
chipping off dark blue. That place, "T-Toy Corner?" She exclaimed

Itachi laughed, "Everyone else was pretty damn surprised too! But yeah, Toy
Corner"

While everyone was chuckling at the oddness of it, groaning in disgust at the
absurdness or just weeping that the beautiful, super-smexy Neji was out of their
reach yet again, TenTen closed her mouth, squared her shoulders and marched
over to Toy corner. Her entire stance screaming for blood.

Gaara looked up at the approaching girl and inwardly smirked, 'if she picks a
fight, I could kick her ass...Or if she doesn't I could still kick her ass'

"You're Neji's pet right?" She hissed, venom laced in every word

Gaara's left eye twitched, 'I see, that's what she's over here for...'

"No"

TenTen blinked, "What?"

Naruto and Kiba stood up and moved between her and their friend, "Just go
away," said Kiba, You're not wanted here"

TenTen sneered at them, "You're not wanted at all!"

"Did you have a point?" asked Gaara monotonously, noticing that Neiji, Sasuke,
Itachi and Orochimaru had followed her over. As well as some other people he
didn't know or care about.

They all stood behind her, watching to see who would win, Neji's stalker, or Neji's
pet.

"Yes I do you ugly little freshmen!" She snarled, "You need to keep your filthy
hands off MY Neji!"

Gaara's head twitched at the side as he stared hard at her. After a short moment
a smile that only a few had seen on the first day of school found purpose to
spread it's way across his face. He stood up and crossed his arms, "Well," he
began in a voice sent shivers down her spine, "You see I would love to do this
favor for you...But it would seem that YOUR Neji, can't keep his hands, off me"

Her mouth fell open, as a few people broke out into snickers.

Then without warning, she took three steps forward and punched him in the face.

Gaara's head jerked to the side at the impact, though nothing else happened.
The group that now surrounded him made the traditional "ooooh!" noise. TenTen
smirked at him as he slowly turned his head to face her again. He lowered his
arms to the side and stared at her again.

"Hah!" said TenTen, "I knew you were just some brat!"

She pointed at him accusingly, "I bet you made Neji take you as his pet! You're
so pathetic! There's no way he could be interested in you! You're just some loser
from Toy cor-"

WHAM!

She never finished however, because a fist had connected with her jaw and sent
her flying into about three people before htting the ground, with blood over
flowing out of her mouth.

A unified gasp was heard as snickering and whispers went silent. Who knew that
the puny redhead packed such a punch?

The brunette sat up with difficulty and glared at him, "You're going to regret
that..."She growled, "I knew you liked Neji"

Gaara snorted, "Trust me," he said, "I don't like him half as much as I hate you"
Naruto, Shikamaru, Kiba, Chouji and Shino couldn't help but feel very proud of
him. For a guy who didn't like to talk, he sure could torch someone REAL well.

Neji POV

He looks angry. TenTen you should stop yelling at him, I have heard he is strong.
No doubt with his temper you will get beaten to a pulp. I don't see why you think
you could even compare to him though... My pets are only the best, and my
Gaara certainly is the best.

WHAM!

See? I knew it. He's so beautiful when he's angry. I couldn't help but notice him
the first day. I can't say that everyone I've met has ever been so rude to me. And
even if they were I would have broken something very painful, but not him. I
couldn't bring myself to mar his lovely face, it would have been a sin.

I will help you up though TenTen, I hope you have learned your lesson, you will
be punished for touching him, no one touches him...Except me.

Oh my, he looks angry again! He doesn't like it when I'm near her. It's obvious,
how could I miss it?

He was all but purring when I touched him this morning. Hm, I wonder how many
ways I could put this to good use?

End POV

Gaara glared at the Hyuuga who was currently helping TenTen to her feet. How
could he help her? He had gotten hit too! He had gotten hit first!

"Why is he helping her?"

He turned and saw that Shino had walked over to stand next to him, "That's
weird"

Gaara nodded and turned back to him, purposefully ignoring the fact that the
bitchy brunette was now gushing all over Neji about how much it hurt.

He scowled, "Like I would care"

Shino stood still for a moment and walked over to Naruto, dragging Gaara with
him.

"Naruto"
The blond who had been standing with the other four, who were talking about
how much they hated Royal Corner, looked at them, "Yeah?"

"You like pranks right?"

He received a confused nod.

"Good, make Neji jealous, because Gaara needs vengeance"

Naruto smiled brightly, making the redhead cringe, "I don't need vengeance!" he
said, "Because I don't care! You're weird! Why are you making such a big deal
out of this?"

"Gaara! Don't take away my fun!" Whined Naruto tugging on his sleeve

"It had better not have anything to do with me," growled Gaara, "Or you will
suffer"

September 15, continued...

Shukaku,

I'm in trouble, my dad actually came to pick me up from school. He's mad, but he
won't talk to me, not that I've tried, but he won't say anything.

Apparently some asshole saw fit to call the office and nark on me for hitting the
bitch, but failed to mention that she threw the first punch, wimpy as it was. When
I told them they informed me they'd look into it. They won't, I know they wont the
bunch of biased jerkoffs.

Dad is talking now, he's saying he is disappointed, I just told him that he isn't
really helping anything, and that he can go to hell.

Now he's yelling at me that I'm an ungrateful brat...I just told him to shut the fuck
up or I'll kill him in his sleep.

It's quiet again, I don't know why everyone is so scared of me. I honestly don't.

We're home now, I think Dad is going to leave again...Yep, he is going to work.

Hm, he really doesn't care, cool. I hate afternoon television, but I'm so bored.
School doesn't get out for another hour! I sure wish I slept more, but I haven't
slept a wink since...Well, since I got you Shukaku. I may have only started writing
in you at the beginning of this year, but I have had you since the first grade.

At least I get some time away from Neji...I MEAN HYUUGA!

...Dammit

"So whats the plan Uzamaki?"

Three dark shadows crowded around the blond as he laid out a blue piece of
paper showing various graphs and writing.

"Simple," he replied pointing to one of them, "You just have to hang all over
Gaara for a few days. He shouldn't kill you once he knows what's going on. And
also, you'll get help with you other, ne?"

The three dark figures nodded, before melting into the darkness, further unseen
by the world. (AN: I couldn't help but put that in! o)

"Soon!" cackled Naruto, "You shall pay!"

"NARUTO SHUT UP!"

"Sorry Iruka!"

((Three days later))

Gaara walked silently next to Temari. Kankurou had gotten sick and stayed
home, leaving the two younger to walk to school.

Gaara didn't react much, but his older sister had been furious. She started yelling
about school being too far away and how they would be late. Kankurou had
intterupted and said in an angry tone of his own that Gaara walked to school
everyday anyway, and that they would have plenty of time.

So the blonde relented and stormed out, making Gaara follow.

On this particular day, Gaara was wearing a black 'The Clash' T-shirt, with the
same dark red coat as Monday, long black slacks that weree too big and had to
be held up with a plain belt and the same shoes.

They had been walking in silence since. Except for the occasional mutter from
Temari about bastards and reputations, Gaara sighed.

"Hey.." said Temari suddenly, "I've been hearing things around school"

He glanced at her with disinterest, "Really?"

She bit her lip, "People are saying that...That Hyuuga Neji wants you as his
pet..."
Gaara snorted, "Yeah, he's made himself pretty clear"

"So what do you think?"

He shrugged, "It's mind over matter"

At Temari's confused look he clarified, "I don't mind, because he doesn't matter"

She repressed the urge to giggle and gave him a scolding look, "You can't treat
this lightly! I mean, haven't you heard the things he's done to his pet?"

He remained silent, in some way showing her that the entire ordeal meant
nothing to him.

Temari sighed, "I'm scared" she murmured, "Neji is so handsome, but I heard he
can be so cruel... I'm scared for you Gaara"

Finally the redhead stopped and glared straight at her, "Well, don't be. He can't
hurt me, becaue I'm not interested in him ain the least"

"They say Hyuuga Neji gets whatever he wants...That could also be you"

Gaara didn't respond, because at that moment, a car pulled up next to them and
the window rolled down.

"Need a ride?"

Temari jumped, and turned to face it. Speak of the devil. Neji and Deidara were
both in Neji's car, smiling innocently at the two siblings. Temari couldn't help but
feel all her fear wash away at that smile.

"Yeah sure!" She exclaimed, approaching the vehicle as it pulled up to the

sidewalk.

Neji turned and gave Deidara a look before the blond climbed into the backseat
and open the door or Temari. They all looked expectantly at Gaara who
begrudgingly climbed into the front seat.

Neji drove off, listening slightly as Deidara and Temari began to make small
friendly banter. He didn't really care much about either of them. At that moment,
his sights were set on the adorable redhead next to him.

When they reached a red light, Neji reached over and pulled up the armrest that
separated him and Gaara. He poked the other a little catching his attention. He
gave the seat between them a little pat, which caused Gaara to glare harder and
give his head a little shake.
The light turned green and Neji shot him a warning glare before pushing on the
gas pedal.

Gaara knew he was being threatened, and he knew that it was probably best for
him to stay where he was. But his need to show the Hyuuga that he wasn't afraid
drove him to undo his seatbelt and slide next to him.

He felt an arm instantly around his waist, and a hand immediately rubbing his
inner thigh. He really didn't want his sister to see this so he didn't struggle, but
settled for glaring at the hand, hoping it would burst into flames. Unfortunately, all
it did was open his zipper yet again. It was at that moment that Gaara
remembered to his horror that he hadn't done laundry in forever and therefore
had no clean...

Neji had a huge smirk on his face when he heard the nearly inaudible gasp as he
tightly gripped Gaara.

'My little pet isn't wearing underwear...How cute'

He began to gently knead it while simultaneously moving his hand up and down.

Both Gaara's hands flew to grab Neji's wrist, but only succeeded in making the
grip tighter. HE clenched his teeth and tried with all his might to keep from
moving his hips, knowing full well that it would only serve to encourage the
already far too bold, pervy Hyuuga.

The pace quickened a little, and Gaara found that he was now setting the pace.
His traitorous body was rocking blissfully into Neji's hand.

They approached the last red light before their school. Neji looked down at the
underclassman, who was now blushing red and biting his lips. He smirked and
gave the boy a rough squeeze, resulting with the redhead gasping again. He
pressed his face against Neji's upper arm, his right hand coming up to clutch the
sleeve.

"Stop it" he whispered, "let go of me"

Because there were so many cars ahead of them, they had to wait at the light a
second time. Neji smirked again and leaned down to nuzzle the soft red hair,
"No"

Gaara looked up at him with rage etching his every feature, "Goddam mmph!"

Neji kissed him again, only this time he immediately sucked on Gaara's tongue,
biting it lightly every now and then. After a moment he felt the kiss being
returned. He slipped his hand completely into Gaara's pant, adjusting his grip and
squeezing one last time before-

"Lights green, yeah"

Neji pulled away and zipped Gaara's pants up before pressing the gas pedal and
continueing down the road.

The redhead's eye twitched as it had normally since he had started attending
Konoha High. He wiped some saliva off his mouth, purposefully ignoring his
sister's disbelieving gaze.

September 18, Thursday

Shukaku

Oh...My...GOD!

That jerk! Why the- Why the- FUCK! He raped me in front of my sister! I enjoyed
it in front of my sister!...Aw hell, I did enjoy it didn't I?

Hehe, NO! I thought coming here, all I would have to do is beat the shit out of
someone and then be left alone! But noooo! This asswipe has to come along
and...and... I don't understand his interest in me, BUT I DON'T LIKE IT! Hyuuga
Neji LEAVE ME ALONE!

Chapter 5

The brisk air felt good for waking him up. His blond hair bounced up and down as
he ran down the sidewalk, just barely missing cracks in the sidewalk.

He grinned as he ran, ready for another day of sleeping through class, playing
awesome pranks and Sasuke-

Time slowed down as his foot caught a tree root. He felt his balance leave him as
he fell face forward, barely catching himself his hands.

"Man," he grumbled, "that was close"

He pouted as he stood up, his hands stung really bad, maybe he should start
looking where he was going...YEAH RIGHT! Naruto dusted himself off and
straightened his orange coat. Sure Gaara had threatened him bodily harm if he
continued to wear the color, but you don't tamper with the classics.

"Dobe"
Naruto spun around and growled. There parked near the sidewalk was Sasuke
and Itachi. Sasuke was leaning partly out the window, resting his chin on his left
arm, the other dangling against the car door.

"What do you want teme?" he growled at the smirking raven hair

Itachi clicked his tongue, "Temper, temper! And here we were going to offer you
a ride"

Sasuke leaned back into the car, smirking more as Itachi began to chuckle, "But
then again," He continued, "I guess it wouldn't be smart to get to close to a loser
loner like you"

Naruto scowled, "Go to Hell!"

He turned and started walking down the side walk, ignoring the screaming pain in
his ankle, it had to be sprained.

September 19, Friday

RAGE BEYOND COMPREHENSION, CAN YOU SAY!...Wait, what?

Whatever.

But seriously! Why in the hell would he even want me? I OBVIOUSLY hate his
fucking guts!

After everything he has done...Well...

Despite molesting me, he has actually been...Nice. He worked really hard on our
skit, and we got a good grade. He bought me lunch the other day too...I wonder if
maybe...Maybe he isn't so bad...?

NO! I will not start thinking like that! As if I am not confused enough!

Ok...I will think this out rationally...

1)Neji is attractive

2)Neji rapes me

3)Neji is actually nice other than that

4)Neji has looked even more damn proud of himself since yesterday

5)I met Susan! She seemed...broken. Did Neji do that?

Would he do it to me? NO! Back to rational!

6)Neji has soft hair

7)He is a really good kisser

8)His voice is really soothing

9)I feel safe in his arms...

10) THAT ASSHOLE IS MAKING ME SOUND LIKE A FUCKING LOVE

STRUCK GIRL!

Which I am not! I'm NOT a girl! And I'm NOT in love! I don't love him! I DON'T, I
DON'T, I DON'T, I DON'T!

...Why did I say 'love'?

Neji POV

I can't wait to give my little pet his present. Instead of that old dark brown leather
one, I had one specially made, just for him. It is leather with black vinyl sewn on
the outside, and velvet sewn on the inside. On the outside is red cross stitching
and a silver tag that says "Gaara, Property of Hyuuga Neji"

It is only for him, I made sure of it.

Kisame is in Algebra with him now. I am in Government. This is boring though! I

already know all about the judicial fucking branch!

I'm taking a few breathes to calm down, I'm told I have anger issues...Among
other things. Even Orochimaru has had the nerve to call me weird. I asked them
if they hated me and they said it was endearing. Deidara actually asked when I
would be breaking my pet in, and how long till I share.

Normally, I would not mind sharing at all, and the boys at the pool hall need their
entertainment... But...Nothing.

I am breaking in my beautiful pet as soon as possible. It has felt so good to just

kiss and touch, I can hardly wait to fuck him. He's so small, gods, it will probably
be SO tight.

I should stop, just thinking about him turns me on...Gaara, my Gaara-pet.

End POV
Gaarascowled as he was shoved against his locker for the third time that day. As
groups had finally settled in, everyone knew where everyone was going. Gaara
was of Toy Corner, and thus, the ultimate target.

He had managed to fight everyone off...Mostly. His neck was a bit sore from
when a fangirl of Neji's had yanked on his collar and told him to stay away from
Neji.

Today he was rather normal. He donned a dark green T shirt that matched his
eyes, a black button up shirt and camouflage pants.

He had told her to fuck off and went on to talk about how he and Neji were going
to fuck three more times that night just because of her. Only later did he realize
that it had possibly been a mistake to say such a thing at school. Ten people had
probably heard him.

It had been worse for some of the others though. Naruto was sporting a bruise on
his left cheek and a limp, from what he claimed was when he tripped that
morning. Kiba had a fat lip and a sore stomach. Shino had a few bruises on his
arms and most of his pencils were broken. Then Shikamaru had a bruise the size
of a fist on his left thigh, and the back of his head hurt from being slammed into a
wall.

They were tougher than the other Toy corners before them, so it wasn't as bad
as it once was.

He got his math book that he had forgotten in his locker and headed back to
class. The teacher had given him an earful that possibly would have lasted
longer if he hadn't silenced the old bat with a death glare he was getting quite
good at. He had merely stood up and grabbed the pass before exiting the room.

Sure he might get in trouble, but he also needed to get away from that stupid
blue guy. The prick kept whispering very loudly about how he was Neji's pet. This
of course made the whisperings of other people who couldn't believe that
someone as beautiful and great as Neji would pick someone from Toy corner of
all places.

This of course led to glares, dirty looks and hate notes. Needless to say, he was
getting pissed.

He walked back into the room receiving a glare from the teacher, but nothing
more. The class was doing a quick quiz that he easily finished. It would be lunch
soon, and maybe he could get a little escape.

September 19, Friday

Shukaku,

It is lunch time now...I don't want to eat anything. Naruto and Kiba keep looking
around the room and it is really annoying. I don't trust them, they're up to
something...And that damn Hyuuga-bastard probably is too!

..."Hyuuga-Bastard"?...I've been hanging out with Naruto too much.

I hate how I keep thinking about him... And how much I like it when he touches
me.

I hate being touched, I have a veery big space bubble, which most people
respect. But Noooo!

With Neji it's all ,"Hi there pet! Well, time to stick my hand down your pants!"

I bet that's exactly what hes thinking. I am going to cut his head off. That is the
only way.

He's too dangerous, I can't just let him...I can't want him. I only need myself, and
if he is making me think otherwise, then this is seriously wrong!

"Subaku no Gaara"

He looked up and frowned, "random stranger who needs to go the Hell away"

The other smirked, "My name is Sasori, Mikuni Sasori"

Gaara glared at him and put Shukaku away, "State your business lest I hurt you
badly"

Sasori shrugged and sat next to him. He seemed comfortable enough, and that
was really pissing Gaara off. First of all, he didn't know who this guy was, second
he was just sitting there not explaining his goddam purpose and third... Well...
One and Two are outrage enough!

"What the fuck do you want!" He snarled, making Sasori jump.

"Jeez!" he said, "Naruto told me you knew what was going on!"

After realizing that Gaara had no idea and the fact that he was no doubt ready to
claim the soul of an innocent, the taller male decided to scoot a few inches away.

"Listen," he said, "I agreed to do this because I need help too"

"I don't give a-" Gaara paused and his eye twitched, "What do you mean 'too'?"
Sasori frowned and moved to sit on the table, as Gaara seemed content enough
standing.

"Well, I was told that you need help with Neji" He shrugged, "I want Deidara's
attention"

"Hmm," said Gaara, "I don't care. And I don't need help with the imbecile"

Sasori sighed, "look I-"

He stopped as he Naruto hand signal. It meant that Royal Corner was coming. It
meant that he needed a convincing show...And FAST!

Without thinking he reached down, grabbed Gaara by the shoulders and pulled
him onto the table. Before Gaara even had time to express the feeling that the
man was most definitely as good as decapitated, he found himself pinned on the
table with Sasori leaning extremely close. It was also in that moment that Gaara
noticed that his 'friends' had abandoned him and that he was there alone with
this random soon to be headless guy.

Neji and the others entered the room and immediately a horde of fans
surrounded them screaming about one thing, 'CHEATING ON YOU!'

It took a moment to process, before Neji pushed his way through them and saw
with his own eyes, his brand new pet, getting tongued by someone else.

His face went blank and his vision went red. Oh hell no, that was NOT how things
worked here.

Deidara and Orochimaru pushed their way through as well and gasped. Well
Deidara gasped and Orochimaru glared.

"That's jacked up" he muttered, "I knew that kid was no good"

Deidara went with Neji as he stormed over to the table, just as the big one on
Gaara leaned back up. In his rage, Neji didn't notice how infuriated his pet
looked, but only saw how he was blushing. (His face is really red because he will
soon devour Sasori's heart)

Neji grabbed Sasori by the shoulder and seemingly jerked him back, but with
amazing strength that sent him sailing through the air, so that Deidara had to
catch him.

Itachi and Sasuke finally got through the crowd and ran to Orochimaru who was
leaning over Deidara who was holding Sasori. Both the snake man and the blond
were scolding the other about how Gaara was Neji's property and that he was
NEVER to touch without permission from Neji himself and no other.

Gaara sat up only to face a frighteningly enraged Hyuuga. His opal eyes were
gleaming with barely contained violence, enough so that Gaara felt himself
involuntarily gulp.

"Pet," growled Neji in a dangerous tone, as he pulled the redhead to the edge of
the table and stood between his legs, "What was that?"

Gaara nearly answered, but caught himself. If Neji wanted to flirt with all the
whores in the school then he could! Because he didn't belong to Gaara and
Gaara didn't belong to him.

Instead of answering, he turned his head away and snorted.

Neji's eyes narrowed and a loud SMACK sounded in the cafeteria. Gaara felt the
right side of his face sting. Then it felt warm, then numb for a short moment, and
then a dull ache spread through his entire face and down his neck. Damn it
wasn't w wonder why always one fights and was the top dog a Konoha Hgih.

Gaara turned to face him, his face was dark, "Don't hit me Hyuuga" He ground
out, trying to shove Neji away.

The elder merely flung Gaara wrists behind him, pulled the collar out of his
pocket and put it on Gaara's neck.

"And look," he said smirking, "I even added an attachment!" He pulled out a little
lock and put it between the two clasps that came together in an uncommon loop,
"No one can take it off unless they have the key"

Gaara licked his lips, he felt a little excited with Neji, angry and smirking like that,
and between his legs no less! ...He mentally kicked himself. He shouldn't be
excited by that bastard who had just hit him!

From the doorway where Neji and his friends had entered, Naruto had seen the
whole thing, as did the rest of Toy Corner.

On instinct, The blond immediately darted to his friend's aid. Only to be caught by
Sasuke, still ten feet away.

The Uchiha had noticed the instant Naruto moved and got in his pathway,
grabbing him around the waist and pulling him back against him.

"Let me go" cried Naruto struggling uselessly, "Now!"

"Shut up Dobe!" he hissed in the blond's ear, "It's none of your business!"

"If it has to do with Gaara then it is!"

Sasuke growled and tightened his grip, "There's nothing special about him
anyway" he muttered dragging the still kicking and screaming Uzamaki further
away.

"Stupid Uchiha-bastard Sasuke-teme!" Naruto finally fell still, but did not stop his
spew of inults at his captor.

And of course, said captor released him only to be turned on and yelled at.

"Baka teme! What was that for?"

"It wasn't any of your business dobe! Besides, Neji would've laid you out"

"He would not! I'll kick that jerk's ass!"

"You idiot, I already told you, this does not concern you!"

"I already told you! Mess with Gaara mess with me!"

Sasuke caught Naruto's wrist and pulled him foreward so that their chests almost
touched. He tilted his head down and growled in the blond's scowling face, "And
what makes HIM so special?"

Naruto made no effort to respond, except for the raising of an eyebrow. Sasuke
realized his mistake and let him go, "Do whatever you want" He muttered darkly
walking back over to where his brother was.

Naruto frowned slightly after him, but found that he himself felt, calmed.

While this happened, Neji pulled Gaara close, so close that their crotches were
pressed firmly together; Ignoring the rest of the student body currently gawking at
them.

"My pretty pet" murmured Neji bringing his right hand up to play with Gaara's hair
and his left hand resting on his ass, "When you do things like that you make me
angry. Now I have to punish you"

Gaara didn't answer, he didn't trust his voice at that moment, instead he settled
for glaring. Neji smirked his sexy virginity stealing smirk(1) and began licking
Gaara's lips in long swipes.
The rest of Royal Corner took this as a cue to clear the cafeteria. (AN: By the
way, there are two cafeterias, AB abd EF)

Shikamaru and Chouji looked at each other as all the students cleared out
obediently. Even the lunch ladies, who were students volunteering, left. They
knew, that they had to go too. They jogged over to where Shikamaru, Kiba and
Naruto were exiting, though Kiba and Naruto were cursing like sailors.

"This is bullshit!" Exclaimed Kiba, "Who knows what that asshole will do! Did you
see how fucking pissed he was?"

"Oh...Don't look now" said Shikamaru, pointing to the left, "But it looks like the
plan halfway worked"

They followed the direction of his finger with their eyes and gagged. Apparently
Sasori told Deidara how he felt, because he was currently tackled on the ground
under a tree with the rest of Royal Corner (minus Neji) getting mouth raped.

They sat on a bench in silence, until Shikamaru saw fit to break it, "Why were we
trying to get Neji's attention back on Gaara?"

Naruto, Kiba, Chouji, Shino: O.O

Toy Corner shed a few tears.

Neji's eyes stayed on Gaara, not even bothering to make sure everyone had
gone. He knew that no one, not even Gaara's little friends had the nerve to stay
in there when he ordered it clear.

Dear gods how he loved biased schools that played favorites.

As he licked the redhead's slightly chapped lips, he began grinding their hips
together roughly. Neji smiled when Gaara finally showed some obedience and
opened his mouth a crack. However he was a bit surprised when Gaara stuck out
his own tongue and started licking Neji's.

The Hyuuga slipped his hand to the nape of Gaara's neck, tilting it back for better
access. He sealed their lips as their tongues battle for dominance. Which Neji
won in the end.

Gaara's left arm wound around Neji's neck, while his right hand clutched Neji's
denim coat.

He mewled appreciatively when Neji pushed particularly hard against him. His
pants had become uncomfortably tight and he began to thrust his hips wildly,
seeking to create more friction.
Neji had just thought he gained control, when he felt Gaara's hard on ram against
his own. He groaned into the kiss and pushed Gaara back on the table.

The redhead used his feet to push himself up slightly, giving Neji room to get on
as well.

Gaara tangled his hands into Neji's long, silky hair, trying to pull him closer.

Neji smirked again into the kiss, and let his hands slide down to squeeze his pet's
ass, as he began to thrust back against the little red haired beauty.

Their kiss finally broke, with Gaara gasping for breath. He whimpered as Neji
moved down his jawline and began biting at his neck, making sure to mark him
good.

He resisted pausing his movements as he one of Gaara's hands leave his hair.
He was glad that he didn't though, when felt something pulling down his zipper.

"My turn" gasped Gaara

He slid his hand in and under his boxers. Neji bit down particularly hard as he felt
a hand squeeze his cock, almost painfully tight.

"THAT IS ENOUGH!"

They both jumped and looked over at a lady. A blonde lady with huge boobs...
Gaara looked away and thus buried his face in the crook of Neji's neck.

"Hello Tsunade-sama" said Neji blandly, "What?"

Her upper lip twitched (Neji has that affect on people) "Hyuuga-sam, the teachers
may look the other way, but I will not. Now get up! You cannot kick students out
of one of the cafeterias!

And then keep one to have sex with!"

Neji rolled his eyes sat up letting his legs dangle over the edge of the table and
pulling Gaara with him, so that the redhead was sitting in his lap.

"Whatever"

September 19, Friday continued...

I have just gotten to fourth period from lunch. I guess the huge boob chic was
going to yell at us and the bell rang. I was all...I am sitting in Neji's lap...
It's kinda weird, when he kisses me...My mind gets all hazy. Like he brainwashes
me or something. That is probably what Susan meant about getting addicted,
even if you don't want it, you will feel good. It feels SO good. I wish he was
kissing me right now... I MEAN NO!

WILLPOWER, WILLPOWER, WILLPOWER, WILLPOWER!

Ok, I can get through this. Yes it feels good... But I know what it will lead to. I
could enjoy it, while it lasts... If I'm already having withdrawals after ten minutes...

I need to get out while I can. I've been alone my whole life...I don't want to be
alone anymore. But I don't want the pain Neji will give me either.

Gaara sat alone at his wood shop table in the far corner. He placed his book bag
underneath his stool and sighed, 'I don't feel like building a napkin holder'

It didn't matter though, he had to keep his grades up to keep his dad off his ass.
He took out his materials, but couldn't help the nagging feeling that he was
forgetting something...

"Hey," Whispered a sultry voice in his ear, "Why are you sitting alone?"

Gaara tensed up and felt like punching someone in the face. Duh! He had Neji in
this class! It had probably just slipped his mind because until today, Neji had left
him alone in fourth period.

The Hyuuga did not seem to notice his discomfort, or he just chose to ignore it.
Gaara had guessed the latter.

Neji sighed happily as he sat next to his new pet, wrapping an arm around his
shoulders. He was so pretty and so cute. He just knew Gaara would last a long
time. Maybe even through the whole year.

Gaara tried to shrug his arm off, "Don't touch me"

Neji shook his head, they would have to work on that attitude problem. He began
playing with a lock of hair and kissed his cheek. He allowed his lips to linger, and
began placing butterfly kisses down his neck.

"We're in class" hissed Gaara trying to lean away

"The damn teacher in this class doesn't care, I have an A+"

Gaara scowled, "Hn, well I have a B-"

Neji stared at him, "Pet...How do you have a 'B-' in WOOD SHOP of all things?"
"I'm not fucking Jesus!"

"Tch, not with that mouth"( my friend and I actually said that to each other)

Gaara finally shoved his arm off, "will you leave me alone?" He turned back to his
work and his satisfaction, and though he would not admit it, disappointment, Neji
got out of his seat.

Suddenly he felt strong, warm arms circle around his torso.

Neji rested his on the redhead's shoulder, "You are my pet, and I will hold you as
often as I like"

Though Gaara put in his best effort, after about six minutes and twenty eight
seconds, Gaara felt himself relaxing into the embrace.

"...Neji, please don't"

He looked down at the redhead a little confused, "Don't what?"

Gaara put his hands over the elder's and clasped them tightly, "Don't leave me
alone"

Chapter 6

Kankurou and Temari sat in Temari's bedroom. Temari had informed him of
Neji's interest, and of course Kankurou had heard some things around school. H
hadn't believed it when he first heard that one of the hottest and most dangerous
guys in school had taken a liking to his little brother. It seemed almost unreal, his
mind was going a mile a minute with thoughts of 'what if?'

No person could attend Konoha High and not know the Hyuuga boy's reputation.
He was never someone to mess with, and while just about every gorl and some
boys wanted to hang on his arm...Everyone was a little scared that they may be
picked. Though, almost as an unspoken rule, no one spoke of it. It had been
unanimously decided that he was an object of desire, despite his harmful habits.

"What if he hurts Gaara?" Asked Temari, "Can't we do anything?"

Kankurou sighed, "Theres nothing we can do," he said, "If it had just been
anyone else...But...Temari, we can't take on Neji and Royal corner"

Temari looked down, she knew it was the truth, but she was hoping to be proved
wrong. They hadn't been great older siblings, but they loved their brother. They
didn't want this for him. Neither of them would have guessed that in a million
years, Neji would even look at him. Sure they knew he would end up at Toy
corner, and sure they knew he would be bullied and they would try to take care of
him from afar. But how could they have known this...

"Kankurou..."

Temari"

She looked up at him, and saw that he was forcing an optimistic smile, "Gaara's
a tough kid. Maybe he'll be ok? Maybe he'll hold out and Neji will get bored"

His sister had tears in her eyes as she answered, "No, Kankurou" She sat up
straighter and looked at him, "In the car...When they gave us a ride. I've never
seen Gaara like that, when Neji touched him..." Her tears fell at the memory of
Gaara's face, the rebellious spark in his eyes, all but succumbing to Neji's spell.
"Kankurou! I'm scared!"

She broke down into sobs as her brother held her. "Shh, its ok" he whispered,
"We'll find a way to help him" He tilted her chin up to look into her eyes, "I
promise"

Gaara stared down at his project assignment in disgust.

Choose a poem of a famous poet, that pertains to someone you know. Present it
to the class, and write a three page essay on the poet.

For practice they had to write a poem and read it out loud. Gaara sighed, he
hated grammar. The teacher called his name and walked to the front of the class.

"I hide in the noise that greets me

and while they show their scorn

My mask that keeps and hides me

Is turning old and worn

"Sometimes I want to let it fall

and shatter into broken glass

I barely contain what is my all

behind this tired mask

"I live each day with dying zeal

And doubt that never fades

Someone may break my curse and seal

So my mask can slip away"

He looked up from the paper and stared at the class. Most of them stared back,
awed at the poem, others tried to pretend that they hadn't heard it. Gaara
returned to his seat, paying no heed to the gazing eyes that stayed on him.
However, unnoticed by everyone was a pair of ebony eyes that closed, and pale
lips that whispered, "Naruto..."

"Gaara!" Cried Naruto as he spotted the redhead walking down the hall with
Shino. He and Kiba ran to catch up with them, dodging various people who were
in their way.

"I heard you wrote a poem!" continued the blond, pretending to cry and jumping
on Gaara.

"About meeee!"

Shino rolled his eyes and Kiba doubled over, laughing because Gaara was now
lying on the ground with a hyper fox pretending to cry into his chest.

"Who says it was about you?" He growled, " And get the hell off of me!"

"Guys!" Hissed Shino

They froze and glanced around. There walking down the hall and headed straight
for them, were Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuuga Neji. As the sophomore and junior
passed them, Neji arched his eyebrow, and Sasuke scowled.

Gaara, in a moment of random insanity reached and grabbed Naruto's face and
pulled him down so that their lips barely brushed.

Silence swept through the hallway. The air felt a little colder as Gaara and Naruto
pulled away to look at to very livid popular boys. The look Neji was giving Gaara,
almost made him glad Naruto was there. In case of having to run he could throw
the blond at them and make a dash for home. Almost. He wasn't afraid
though...Really.

Hyuuga Neji's face had never been scarier, or so says other witnesses, even to
this day. His once beautiful features were contorted with rage, and there almost
seemed to be a shadow over his eyes. His lips were pressed firmly together, and
his hands were clenched into fists. Sasuke, looked no better. His scowl had
deepened and his eyes had hardened into onyx daggers.
Gaara and Naruto glanced at each other before standing up. Everyone other
inhabitant of the hallway shrank back in fear of Royal corner's wrath. Only Kiba
and Shino stood by them, silently envying Shikamaru and Chouji who were
probably already in class.

Gaara returned the evil look he was getting with his regular glare, he didn't doubt
his own abilities. Besides, he was still upset about being caught in a moment of
weakness, begging the Hyuuga like that. This was merely revenge for trying to
get to him...And possibly nearly succeeding. He mentally shook his head, 'No! He
didn't at all!'

Neji calmly approached him, Sasuke followed behind him, though still looking
irked.

Gaara winced as his upper arm was caught in a tight grasp and yanked toward
Neji, "We need to talk" Was all that was whispered in his ear, before he was
dragged away, with Sasuke staying behind, telling Naruto and Kiba to stay the
hell where they were. Gaara had never felt fear before, but this was as close as it
got.

"Sasuke! Get out of my way!"

Naruto twisted his arm as much as he could, but the Uchiha's grip was too
strong. He bit his lip. If they had kept going, he would have congratulated Gaara.
He never knew the redhead had it in him. It would have been a great joke, that
even Shino would have to appreciate.

Sasuke growled at Naruto's reaction and held him tighter, "You need to stay out
of this!" He said, "It's your own fault, Kissing Neji's property"

Naruto growled and spun to face him, "Gaara isn't anyone's property!" He
shouted, "And don't forget it!"

Sasuke didn't even flinch as the blond started fighting again, he stared at Naruto
and in a moment, he was pulled to the Uchiha's warm body. But this time, it
wasn't to restrain him.

Kiba and Shino who were just about to step in, gaped at them in shock. Sasuke
hugged Naruto close, and whispered into his hair, "Why do you care so much?
I've known you for so much longer than him" He spat the last word out like
poison, "So why?"

Naruto softly inhaled the scent of his crush's shirt, yeah, he had a crush on
Sasuke. At the sound of his voice and his strained words, Naruto pulled back a
little stared at him. There was a look of bitterness on his face, and loneliness in
his eyes.
At this moment, Orochimaru turned the corner and spotted them, "Sasuke?"

Startled, Sasuke looked at him and then back down at Naruto who had begun tp
blush considerably. He stiffened, he had let himself go big time. He closed his
eyes and then opened them smirking down at the blond in his arms, "Well, that
shut you up"

Naruto stopped and then his eyes narrowed, "DAMN UCHIHA-BASTARD!"

He twisted away and ran off with Shino and Kiba, hoping to find which way Neji
went.

Sasuke jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder as he watched the blond
leave. He turned and scowled up at his brother's boyfriend, "What?"

Orochimaru shrugged and started to walk away, "You were looking at him like a
love struck puppy is all!" He called over his shoulder.

Neji opened the door to the teacher's lounge and threw Gaara in. Upon entering
himself, he found that two other teachers were currently in there, sitting on the
sofa and staring at him. Neji smirked, he loved it when people played favorites,
because he was the favorite.

"Out. Now." He growled.

Both teachers immediately jumped up and walked out of the room, not even
sparing a second glance at the redhead who was currently being jerked to his
feet, by his hair.

With the door shut and locked, Neji threw Gaara onto the sofa. He fell into the
back of it and landed on the cushion, glaring evilly at the Hyuuga.

"That hurt you asshole" He said

"Good," said Neji, "You have done this for the last time"

Gaara rolled his eyes, despite his rapidly beating heart. "You don't own me
Hyuuga. The sooner you realize that, the better off it will be"

Neji chuckled lightly, before pushing the redhead over, so that he was laying
sprawled on the couch. The elder then lowered himself to straddle his pelvis, and
wrapped his hand around the angry boy's throat, "Oh, but you do Subaku, and
the sooner you realize that, the better off you will be"

Gaara snarled, and tried to bite at his hand. Neji laughed and then slapped him
hard across the face, "None of that, not just yet"
He moved down and then stretched out to cover Gaara. He was wearing a white
button up shirt and dark blue dickies. Gaara was wearing a black turtle neck, that
Neji noted, covered up his collar, and his coat and pants that he had worn on the
first day.

"My Gaara, my Gaara, mine, mine, mine" He sang as he started immediately

moving his hips in a slow sensual manner. The response he got, was the
redhead, trying to push him off by his shoulders. Neji grabbed his wrists and held
them above his head, biting his lip as Gaara started squirming underneath him.

Gaara growled under his breath, the fucking Hyuuga was going to rape him! In
the teacher's lounge! And those idiots didnt even have the common courtesy to
maybe suggest an alternative...Or call the police!

He started struggling again, but Neji only seemed to enjoy it, the sick bastard.
Suddenly he felt something very warm and pleasant on his jaw. Neji started
licking down his neck, sometimes nipping gently. Gaara sighed and rolled his
head back, allowing better access. He could feel Neji smirk against his skin as
the Hyuuga found his pulse and began sucking on it.

Gaara arched his back and bit back a moan. Yes, he hated the Hyuuga, yeah he
wasn't about to let himself get raped, and no he wasn't in love...But damn he was
allowed to enjoy and a hot and sexy man, god, beast, on top of him, sucking on
his neck, grinding against him. Oh Hell yeah, he was allowed to like it! After all,
you can't rape the willing.

Neji groaned when Gaara started grinding back. As much as he loved a

challenge, he loved it when Gaara submitted. They started pushing their hips
together frantically, letting small noises escape their throat. Neji finally released
Gaara's hands and started fumbling with the redhead's pants.

Gaara used his new found freedom to trail his hands down the Hyuuga's chest,
and he began unbuttoning the shirt. Little by little, more creamy, beautiful skin
was exposed, until the shirt was fully open. Neji felt his breath catch in his throat
as he felt the younger boy's hands rubbing his nipples. Those fingers felt
wonderful, as they toyed with him, bringing both to hardness.

Although, he wanted those hands about a foot lower.

Gaara's eyes widened as he felt his pants slide down. He lifted his hips to help
and found that Neji had pulled off his boxers as well. Neji reached up and slipped
off his shirt, smirking at how cooperative he was being.

"So, you finally know your place?"

Gaara scowled at him, only when he was stark naked and underneath him, it only
served to nearly give Neji a nosebleed. The redhead took Neji hand, "Don't ruin
my momentarily good mood" he said placing it on his already hard cock.

Neji grinned wolfishly and shrugged, tightening his hold. Gaara's breath came out
a bit shaky as he dug his nails into the couch. Neji resumed kissing his neck,
going around the collar to suck on Gaara's fading hickey.

"You know," said Gaara, "This would work better if you're not wearing anything
either"

Neji laughed, "Is that a request?"

Deciding to play along, if only for the heat of the moment, "It's a demand"

Neji smirked, "Ok"

Gaara forced himself into a sitting position and started tugging at Neji's shirt. The
smirking Hyuuga pulled it over his head and his pants soon followed. He laid
against his pet, grinding their bodies together, and placing messy, happy, messy
kisses all over his neck and shoulder.

Gaara sighed and let his head fall back, giving more access to his flesh. He
hadn't ever thought of sex before, but if it felt this good...

Neji suddenly stood up and pulled Gaara along with him. He seemed to study the
room, while Gaara felt his patience drop dead and crawl to some desolate place
far, far away.

"What the hell are you doing?" He growled

Neji chuckled, "I want to fuck you against something...How about this?"

Gaara stared, shocked, as Neji approached a table with an ashtray near it, next
to a soda vending machine. 'Neji wants to...On that!'

"You really are a pervert" He muttered, stalking past the older boy and climbing
on to the table.

He turned to face Neji and opened his legs his legs, leaning back a little. He held
back a smirk of his own when he noticed the other's face tense noticeably.

"What's wrong Hyuuga Hentmmph!"

Neji tackled him on the table and shoved his tongue far into the redhead's mouth.
Gaara kissed back, running his hand through Neji's ebony tresses. He vaguely
noticed Neji throwing the ashtray off the table and hearing it shatter against a
wall. All he registered, was Neji spreading his legs and sliding between them.

Gaara broke the kiss and turned his head to the side to moan as their swollen
cocks were shoved against each other. Neji spared no time, he took some
precum frim the tip of Gaara's erection and lathered it in himself, cringing at the
touch.

"Hey," he said positioning his head at Gaara's entrance, "I hope you don't expect
some tender moment or any bull shit like that"

Gaara managed to get his panting under control and glared at him. He pushed
himself up, only a little to whisper into Neji's ear,

"Wind me up and make me crawl to you... Tie me up until I call to you"

Neji's eyes narrowed, as he lost all control. Without any preparation, he

slammedi nas hard as he could. Causing the table to shake and Gaara to fall
back against it, screaming at the top of his lungs. He dug his nails into Neji's
shoulders and clenched his teeth, not wanting to scream again.

The pain was excruciating, it felt like he was being ripped in half.

Neji grabbed his thighs hard enough to leave bruises and started pounding in
and out with animalistic force. Gaara threw his arms tighter around the Hyuuga's
neck and pulled him down so that they were pressed hard against each other. He
bit down of the brunet's shoulder, making a mark of his own, though not
intentionally. Gaara tried hard to contain a noises of pain he was tempted to
make, but found that the merciless Hyuuga was not going to give him any time to
adjust.

Neji grunted as he slammed back in. He knew it was going to be tight, but this
was insane. The hot, tight, velvet walls were squeezing him SO perfectly. He
knew he had found the perfect pet.

He felt Gaara moving against him, bucking his hips up, actually keeping up with
Neji's pace... But where was it...

Suddenly, Gaara threw his head back and screamed in rapture. Oh, there it is.

The pain was finally gone, and Gaara could understand fully why people were a
bunch of horny bastards. But he REALLY understood it when Neji hit a certain
spot. It felt so good, he knew that this was bad and now he would get even more
attached, but he didn't want to think of anything at that moment.
Neji buried his face in the crook of Gaara's neck, listening with increasing
pleasure to the noises he made.

"Nnn...ah! AH! N-n...NEJI!"

Neji bit down on the boy's neck at the sound of his name. It was almost enough
to make him cum right there. He couldn't help himself, it was too amazing.
"Gaara..." he murmured

Gaara released cry after cry and moan after moan. He didn't even bother trying
to hold them back, the Hyuuga's hot mouth on his neck, the white skin pressed
against his own and that big, hard cock pounding against his prostate
mercilessly, was more than he could bare. Sudden;y the heat in his gut turned to
fire and he saw white.

Neji choked as he felt the already tight walls constrict around him. With a
strangled cry, Gaara came on both their stomachs. Neji gasped for air as he
managed a few more thursts before reaching his end as well.

The last thing Gaara remembered, was falling asleep for the first time in three
days.

"Pet...Gaara...WAKE THE HELL UP!"

Gaara jerked awake and sat up immediately, colliding painfully with his
tormentor's head, which resulted in him recoiling backwards and falling off the
table. Gaara sat up and looked around groggily, he crawled to the edge of the
table and stared down at the fully clothed, fuming Hyuuga who was currently
holding his forehead.

"What?" he snapped sliding to the edge of the table and wincing at the sharp
pain in his backside, "Why did you wake me up?"

Neji stood up and eyed him for a moment before walking over to him and pulling
his legs open again. Gaara scowled and tried to move back, but was caught with
the Hyuuga's arms around his waist.

"We slept for the rest of school" He said placing small butterfly kisses on his pet's
shoulder, "The last bell just rang. You might want to get dressed...Unless you'd
like to go again?"

With a glare and a tinge of pink to his cheeks, Gaara shoved him away, "Where
the fuck are my clothes?"

"How long are you going to sulk?"

"How long, SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

Neji chuckled, "Are you so mad you can't contrive a decent comeback?"

He received no answer. Once Gaara had gotten dressed, Neji offered him a ride
home. After declining several times, and threatening the use of violence, he had
still been forced to accept, through threat of Neji screwing him in public.

"If you ever try that again, I'll kill you"

Neji sighed, "You know you liked it"

The redhead leaned his face against the window, he face was perfectly neutral.
The trees whizzing past were starting to make him nauseous, but he didn't want
to look at the older boy next to him.

"Sit next to me"

He was startled out of his thoughts by Neji's voice.

"I don't want to"

Neji rolled his eyes, "Don't piss me off pet"

Suddenly he swerved off the road. However he knew for a fact that he had not
done anything to turn, but looking down he saw that there was an angry white fist
clenched around the steering wheel. He turned to face Gaara, and was
confronted with one of the deadliest glares ever recorded in history.

The redhead unbuckled his seat belt and moved next to Neji, purposefully hitting
him in the side with his elbow.

Neji flinched, but happily wrapped his arm around the smaller boy's waist. Gaara
stiffened, but he ignored this and pulled off the side of the road.

They had not been driving a full five minutes when Neji felt something warm and
wet on his ear. He smirked, "What's wrong pet? Are you not satisfied from
earlier?"

Gaara shook his head, "You're a stupid bastard and I hate you"

Tuesday, September 23

Shukaku,

HHHHHHHHHHHH!
That had to be the most frightening thing in the world! That JERK! I cant believed
I fucked him!

I hate my life! And KANKUROU SAW MY NECK! He started asking me all these
questions about Neji and all this stupid shit! THAT IS IT! I'm never going to give
in! YOUR HEAR ME HYUUGA! NEXT TIME YOU COME NEAR ME! I'M
CUTTING IT OFF!

"Hey Gaara?" said Naruto, "Are you ok?"

Gaara turned to him, his face was paler than usual, the dark circles around his
eyes were bigger and blacker than ever. They also looked blood shot, along with
the dark cloud that seemed to be hanging over his head, he didn't look well.

"He will suffer"

Chapter 7

Sasuke sighed. It wasn't that he was inconvenienced at all, doing Neji a favor
and keeping an eye on his pet. After all, if it hadn't been for the Hyuuga accepted
both him and his older brother, who knows what would have become of them.
They had all known each other since Sasuke was a seventh grader, Neji was an
eighth grader and Itachi was a ninth grader. They were close friends, and while
the Uchihas were surprised to find out about his...Tenancies, they were not
appalled, mostly because he had saved them from melting into the crowd of
people around them.

Still...He had been purposefully transferred into this class by Neji's connections in
the office. That meant he was transferred out of a class that he had with
someone else. He sighed again.

Glancing at the redhead he couldn't help but scowl. He didn't see what was so
great about HIM anyway. Sure, he was cute, but he had a real bad attitude.
Sasuke had never seen Neji so worked up about a pet before, going through all
the trouble, just to watch the kid... It seemed like more of a bother. Neji sure had
been insistent. Sasuke had been watching him since the first day of school, now,
almost two months later, his friend's obsession with the redhead hadn't shown
any signs of slowing down very much at all.

"Uchiha Sasuke?"

He spared a look at the substitute teacher who was filling in because of their's
being sick. "What?"
"I noticed you have straight A's, but no community service hours" She said,
holding a clipboard close to her face, "I run a tutor program, how would you like
to-"

"No"

She frowned, "You can't graduate without community service"

Sasuke sighed, always with some stupid person who thought that he had to do
everything required.

"Listen," he said, "I know Hyuuga Neji, he's already taken care of everything,
Ok?"

She frowned at him, "Young man, first of all, you do not talk to a teacher with
such disrespect. And secondly, Hyuuga Neji is a student, and as such-"

"He is more equipped to help me than you ever were" Interrupted the Uchiha,
"Now leave me alone"

Sometimes a new teacher wouldn't know such things, but Neji took care of his
friends. And since Sasuke already did good in his classes, the Hyuuga was able
to alter the rules for him. It came from having a rich uncle and a charismatic
personality.

"Please, Uzamaki Naruto really needs help in his math class, and since you are
in trigonometry already-"

"Uzamaki Naruto?"

She looked at him hopefully, "Yes"

"...Fine"

"The silent treatment is getting old"

Gaara stared ahead, not even bothering to flinch away as Neji whispered in his
ear. Second period had begun, and the teacher instructed everyone to get into
groups of two or three and work on an assignment. Gaara had not even bothered
to look at the paper Neji brought over. He knew the Hyuuga would come over
and bother him. And of course he was right. Neji sat down next to him
immediately, followed by TenTen three seconds later.

Gaara sighed inwardly, he was getting dirty looks from the girl and he was getting
a new mark on his neck from the boy. Could he maybe work alone? No, of
course not, the teacher had preached to him last time about how drama and
theater was only perfected with perfect teamwork. How could he deploy his plan
of evil and beautiful vengeance? Hmmm...

"Pet, you have kept this up for a week and it's starting to piss me off"

It was true. He went to school the next day, claiming he had fallen down the
stairs to explain his very obvious limp. Naruto and the others hadn't believed him,
but they didn't dare press for any information. He had ignored Neji the whole day,
even gone so far as to push him away in art. Then the next day, then the next
day. It started to get easier, even though he found he actually missed the
Hyuuga's warm arms and soft lips, he always remembered Susan, and even
through all Neji had done to her, she still spoke of him with a hint of fondness in
her voice. He didn't want to be like that, he didn't want to get used and then cast
aside.

"Would you leave me alone?" He snapped, scooting away from Neji and
somehow enraging TenTen more so then before.

"Hey you little twerp!" She growled, "Don't talk to Neji-kun like that! If you were
my pet, I give you poisoned soda!"

Gaara glared at her and was annoyed that Neji didn't seem to care about her
complete lack of manners. "If I were your pet," he retorted, "I'd drink it"

The girl gaped at him like a fish for a moment, taking her time to process that
she'd just been insulted. After a second she scowled, her brown eyes narrowed
into slits, "You little-"

"That's enough TenTen" said Neji winding his arms around Gaara, "You're
annoying me"

She stared at him with a heart broken look on her face, "But Neji-"

"I said, that's enough!" He snapped, his voice dropping lower into a more
dangerous purr than anything else. Gaara shivered at the voice, especially when
TenTen lowered her head obediently.

He tried to push Neji away, though unsuccessfully, all he achieved was getting a
tighter hug.

"Ok class!" Boomed the teacher, "I hope you all have picked something! This is
due for your final exam. So it is due in January! I know that seems like a long
time, but remember, it is a lot of work and a lot of things you will have to keep
together!"
The class murmured understanding and went back to their seats to clean up,
including Neji and TenTen. Gaara berated himself for the millionth time. While he
hadn't done anything to encourage Neji at all, he still didn't resist much. It was
just so hard, but he still had a shred if dignity left, and by every god he ever
heard of he was going to protect it...But how?

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I NEED A TUTOR!" Wailed Naruto at the top of his
lungs, "I DON'T NEED NO STINKIN' TUTOR!"

The vice principal sighed, of all the people they sent to his office for him to give
the information to... "Obviously Mr. Uzamaki, you do need a tutor. Because if you
didn't, you would have realized that you used a double negative, thus stating in
your own words, that you do need a tutor"

The blonde student sitting in the chair on the other side of his desk scratched his
head, "Huh?"

The man smiled lightly, "Anyway, you wont have to pay or anything, the student
is doing it for community service hours"

Naruto glared at him suspiciously, "who agreed to this exactly?"

"Uchiha Sasuke"

"...FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCCKK!"

The vice principal's eyes bulged and he grew a vein on the side of his temple as
he stared at the boy, "MR. UZAMAKI!"

"What!" Yelleed Naruto, "It's in you PRECIOUS DICTIONARY!"

Naruto sat down at lunch, slumping over like his redheaded friend who was
already there. Not only did the stupid jerk give him an evil, sexy tutor, but also a
detention! That was just uncalled for as far as the blond was concerned.

"What's wrong with you?" He asked turning to the redhead on his right.

Gaara didn't answer, but only continued to sit there twitching occasionally and
glaring ahead at the wall which he was facing. He had been like this since he had
gotten there, not that Naruto knew that because he had arrived after Gaara.
Naruto shrugged, it probably had something do do with his
rapist/boyfriend/master/stalker, "Wow," said Naruto after he had pondered this,
"You must hate life"

Gaara twitched again, "You have no idea"

"So they made you do community service hours after all?"

Sasuke looked at his older brother, "Yeah, this substitute teacher wouldn't leave
me alone, so I decided I didn't really care. No big deal, it's only tutoring"

Itachi eyed him, "You're awfully optimistic my dear brother"

"About what?"

They looked up as Neji and Orochimaru approached with some food from a
random vending machine. "What's going on?" Asked Orochimaru

Sasuke scowled, "What's wrong with not minding doing something for my
future?"

Neji smirked, "So...who are you tutoring exactly?"

Sasuke bit into a rice crispy treat that had been placed in front of him and fixed
the Hyuuga with a glare, "It doesn't matter" Neji rolled his eyes, "It's someone, or
else you would be throwing a hissy fit until I promised to fix things"

Deidara, Sasori and Kisame sat down at the table, Royal corner was now
complete. Neji nodded a brief acknowledgment before continuing, "So come on!
Tell us what's going through that little cockatiel head of yours"

Sasuke glared at him as everyone else chuckled at the jab. They all continued to
prod at the little Uchiha, hardly noticing that a crowd of fans was forming around
them. It didn't matter, it happened every day, and if someone was lucky enough
to be a member of their corner, than they had to get used to it.

"I said-"

"Uzamaki Naruto" Said Orochimaru interrupting him, "It is isn't it?"

All eyes turned to the little Uchiha again, who was trying to shoot a death glare at
the snake man with his eyes. A silence passed through the table and Sasuke
could only be thankful that none of the fans could had heard them. Kisame
started to chuckle, "The blond?"

Sasuke stared down at his hands that were tightly gripping his pants. Stupid
Orochimaru! Sure he was cool when Sasuke wanted a ride somewhere and
Itachi was busy, but come on! There was only a certain point that someone could
get to before going on Sasuke's bad side for good!

"Would you guys just shut up!"

They all started laughing, "Ah, First one of my best friends Neji! And now my dear
little brother!" cried Itachi, "It would seem that Toy corner is trying to move up a
notch!"

Not fully understanding this, but disliking the name of Toy corner anyway, the
large group of people around them groaned and some even went so far as to
claim to protect them. Royal corner ignored this and went back to their
conversation, although this time they spoke a little quieter, knowing that all the
pointless gossip around them would drown their own voices out to the airheaded
ears.

"So Neji," said Deidara changing the subject, "What are you going to do about
your little pet?"

Neji looked at him and raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

Itachi leaned forward, "I hear he's been ignoring you all week" he whispered

"Yeah," Neji sighed, "I'll take care of that eventually"

Everyone one else shrugged. Neji had his reasons for the doing what he did, and
by now they all knew not to even bother questioning him. If he wanted you to
know, than you would immediately understand, if he didn't, then you wouldn't.

"So what makes him so special?" Asked Sasuke, recalling the various times that
Naruto had been ready to pound Neji's face in over the redhead, "He doesn't
seem so great"

Neji just smiled, "I honestly don't know," he siad, "He's actually a little too...You
know, Toy corner-esque for my taste"

"Really?" said Orochimaru, "yet you insist on keeping him. And I saw that brand
new collar you stuck on him. I know that shit wasn't cheap"

"No," replied Neji, "It wasn't, but I don't mind, I just think...I think he's my favorite
so far"

"But, you've only fucked once," said Kisame, "Was he that good?"

Neji smirked and started nibbling on a french fry, "Yeah...He was"

"Bless you" Said Shikamaru after Gaara sneezed for the eighth time since lunch
started, "jeez, you should get that looked at"
He and Gaara were sitting at the table slumped over as Naruto sat semi in front
of them on top of it. Chouji was on the other side eating some cafeteria cheese
sticks and Kiba and Shino were leaning against it.

Gaara glared at him, "Get a 'sneeze' looked at?"

The other shrugged, "Get something looked at"

"You guys!" Whined Naruto, "Listen to my problems!"

Kiba started laughing, "Oh come on!" He said, "We all know you're ecstatic!"

Naruto blushed as Chouji and Kiba started laughing at him. Well, he wasn't going
to deny it, but they didn't have to say it so loud! "Oh shut up" he muttered, "You
don't know anything!"

"Well," said Chouji, "We know that they're coming over right now"

"WHAT!"

Sure enough. It seemed to the rest of school that Royal corner was dealing with
Toy corner a lot, leaving many people vexed and confused. There hadn't been
this much activity between the two groups since the fabled relationship between
Hatake Kakashi and Umino Iruka, when Toy corner had first started.

"Hey there" said Itachi as he and the rest of Royal corner sat on the nearly empty
lunch table, "So, my little bother is tutoring you?" He pointed to the blond who
was at that moment demanding an explanation as to why they were there.

"Yeah, so what?" Snapped Naruto

Neji leaned against the table on the free side of Gaara, "You're so rude," he said
smirking at Naruto, "And we came all the way over here to say hi"

Gaara flinched away from him, scooting very slightly towards Shikamaru . "If
that's all then please leave" He muttered, shooting a glare at Sasori who had
moved to the other side of the table facing him. Neji started running his fingers
through the red hair and said, "No, I think we like it here, right guys?"

There was a murmur of agreement and Neji smirked, "I guess I we'll be staying"

"So troublesome," muttered Shikamaru, "Why don't you leave them both alone?
We have to put up with creepy Gaara and whiney Naruto as it is"

Deidara stood over him threateningly, "You wanna repeat that?" He asked softly.
Shikamaru had actually opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by Naruto
"WHAT DO YOU WANT!" He shouted, causing most of them to jump. He turned
and glared at Sasuke, "Are you here to make fun of me, or did you want
something?"

Sasuke shrugged, "I can go wherever I want," He smirked, "Dobe"

All anyone saw was a blond flash and then the younger Uchiha was pinned on
the ground by a pissed off Uzamaki. Itachi and Orochimaru glanced at each other
before pulling the two apart before any damage was done and a fight was
started. Even though they both knew that Sasuke would win hands down.

"You still need your brother's protection teme!" Yelled Naruto, kicking and
squirming in Orochimaru's grasp

"Hah!" said Sasuke, "Like I need anyone's protection from you!"

"Naruto!"

They both stopped yelling and looked at the redhead who apparently had a much
louder voice than anyone would have guessed, "Just stop! We all know you can't
say Sasuke's name without cumming in your pants!" Gaara stood up with a very
annoyed look on his face and stormed out of the cafeteria. Leaving a confused
crowd behind.

The date isn't important right now!

Shukaku,

Yeah, I'm gonna get it for that one. I can't say I care, it was worth it seeing their
faces. I just walked out of there and straight to my fourth period class, I think I'll
go ahead and stay in here. I still regret nothing, I wonder if they'll stop fighting
now?

(Quick flash to the Cafeteria)

"Dammit Gaara you are going to get it!" Shouted Naruto, his face turning
red like tomato soup.

Just about everyone currently at Toy corner, except for Sasuke, was trying
to stop laughing, unsuccessfully.

(Back to Shukaku)

I still have ten minutes until lunch is over. I guess I'll draw or something. Or I
could just write, maybe I could stop writing down everything that comes into my
head. Like that, just now, or that...DAMMIT I NEED A THEME! Not Neji though, I
still haven't decided my revenge on him. Maybe I could make a list of things I
could do for revenge? Nah, That would require too much thought on him. Man
that was good sex...O.O... I did not just write...FUCK!

I DIDN'T MEAN THAT, IT JUST, SLIPPED OUT! I SWEAR!

Ok, back to how funny Naruto's face was. Yes, that was hilarious. It sure felt
good to embarrass him, especially after what he pulled with...Sasa...Sasi...OH!
Right! His name was Sariso! Anyway, after that, Naruto deserved it. Well, maybe
that was a little harsh, but I said what I said and I stand by it. I wonder what Neji
thought...SHIT! That guy really is good at what he does! I wonder if he knows I
think about him so much...That is, I wonder if he planned it. I have him in this
class don't I?

Woodshop, how pointless.

He put Shukaku away and walked over to the white board where the assignment
was written: Choose and sketch project. Must be at least six inches tall but no
more than twelve. Don't start on it until tomorrow, low on supplies.

Gaara walked back over to his lone table in the far corner. He was the only one
in there, the teacher had stepped out to get food no doubt, and everyone else
was swarming around random places getting gossip of Royal corner or around
Royal corner itself. Gaara didn't know how those seven could put up with all
those people all the time. They probably just liked the attention though.

Gaara sighed, he didn't know what to make. He'd probably end up doing a bird
house, or a bread box. Or a napkin holder, "Wow," he said out loud, "I'm just a
well spring of ideas"

"You know," said a voice behind him, "Talking to yourself is the first sign of
insanity"

Gaara scowled, "Can't you leave me alone for five minutes?"

Neji sat down at the table, "That was something you pulled back there. Your little
blond friend took off after promising to kill you" He chuckled, "I don't think I've
even seen Sasuke that red"

'Hm,' though Gaara, 'two birds with one stone'

He remained standing, "Hmph, I don't care. And by the way, you'll have to sit with
your groupies today" Neji raised an eyebrow at this, so Gaara continued,
"Because if you some near me I'm cutting it off"
A smirked appeared on the Hyuuga's face, as his smirk grew, "the relationship,
or my penis?"

Gaara returned the smirk, "Now that you mention it, both"

The bell rang.

Gaara glared hard at the brunette as the students filed in. He was refusing to sit
down until the other moved. Neji rested his arms on the table, as a clear sign that
Gaara could sit with him, or he could at with another group. Gaara twitched with
horror at the thought.

"Subaku no Gaara, please take your seat" said the teacher, before turning back
to the class and explaining the assignment on the board.

Gaara glanced back and forth between Neji and the rest of room. Both choices
were Hell as far as he was concerned. He began to growl quietly, he knew that
the teacher was going to yell at him any second. Neji was smirking again, just
staring at him, then finally, a thought came to mind, vengeance.

"Hyuuga Neji!" He yelled, "CONSIDER YOURSELF DUMPED!"

Gaara turned and ran out of the room, that was fine for now, he was ditching the
rest of the day.

An awed silence filled the classroom, followed by one of dread as Neji stood up
slowly. A scowl worked its way over his darkening features, as his rarely seen
temper was about to unleash its wrath. "We'll see about that..."

Chapter 8

"You were dumped?" Orochimaru stared at his cell phone in disbelief, "But
that...He just dumped you?"

Neji smirked, "Yep"

Orochimaru frowned, Neji had called him during fourth period from his car, saying
that he was going to ditch the rest of the day. When his friend asked him why, he
told the whole story. Orochimaru had been shocked, well he was still shocked.
Dumping Neji? Hyuuga Neji? Wasn't there a law against that? Though the
teacher had glared at him, he left the classroom and headed for the bathroom to
talk privately. "So what do you want to do?"

On the other line, Neji started chuckling, "Call the boys, we're kicking it at
Tayuya's tonight"
Orochimaru sighed, "And kidnaping your pet?"

"You know me too well"

Neji's smirk faded as he hung up his phone. He hated being disrespected, even if
everyone was on his side, but what he hated more, was the burning emptiness in
his chest, that had been there since Gaara had said those words. 'He really does
hate me...'

Gaara reached into his bag and pulled out Shukaku, he didn't know if his dad
was home, but he didn't want to take any chances. He had gone straight to the
park a couple blocks away from his house. There were a lot of trees and
shrubbery there, that could hide him from any adult eyes that would make him go
back to school. After a moment he frowned and put the book away, he wasn't
going to write in it until he was sure he could write something that didn't have to
do with Neji. That guy was way too exasperating for his own good.

Gaara had found a large tree to sit under once he got there, he was far from the
playground with all those little brats that weren't old enough for school, but close
enough to the parking lot to see if anyone was coming. If he saw them, he could
easily disappear in the creek, that ran through the small forest behind the
playground bathrooms. What a set up.

Then, he noticed someone staring at him, from a bench near the swings. Gaara
scowled, if they had any association to Neji or Naruto, he didn't care who it was,
he was going to murder them. They stood up and started walking towards him,
as the person got closer, he was able to see that it was some guy with silver hair
and light green eyes with weird red makeup.

"What the hell do you want?" Growled Gaara as soon as he was in hearing range

The other sat down a few feet away from him, "You are Gaara? Neji-san's new
pet?"

Gaara sighed, "Just go away before I carry out my mental threat"

The other raised an eyebrow, "Apologies, my name is Kimimaro, and I had just
heard from my cousin that Neji-san got a new redheaded pet"

Gaara twitched, "That's what he likes to call me, but I just dumped him, so you
can leave now" He leaned back against the tree, hoping that Kimimaro would
leave, but knowing that if he had anything to do with Royal corner, than he would
be staying until Gaara gave him bodily harm or left himself. "Look," he said, "I
don't know why I am in such a mellow mood, but I am, so I won't hurt you just
yet, but please, leave me alone"
Kimimaro's eyes widened, but his face remained otherwise blank, "I see. You are
the first person who actually wants to turn him down." He smiled, "And you
dumped him?"

Gaara nodded, "Yes, I did"

Kimimaro started laughing, "I don't blame you, he can be so exasperating to be

around" He coughed lightly and continued, "But he can be good even more...If it
weren't for him, I'd be dead"

Gaara tilted his head to the side, "How?"

"A few years ago, I was extremely sick. I was orphaned and living with
Orochimaru. He didn't have enough money to take me to the doctor as often as I
needed. He tried as hard as he could, but...Anyway, he met this person, and he
happened to mention me. Neji started coming over and talking to me, and I
remember, he actually introduced Itachi to Orochimaru..." He trailed off looking a
bit wistful, "But...Two days later, Orochimaru came home and took me to the
hospital. I told him we couldn't afford it, but he wouldn't listen. It turned out that
Neji took all the money he had been saving for moving out of his uncle's house
and gave it to the top doctor in the city and said to give me treatment for
whatever I had and if that wasn't enough he would pay them more. I was
diagnosed and have been being treated ever since for leukemia, and I am almost
better now, thanks to him"

Gaara looked down, he hadn't seen Neji as capable of that, "I see"

Kimimaro stood up, "I don't go to school, because I need to be able to go to the
hospital at any time. Oh! I am sorry to have bothered you. I will leave"

"Hey," said Gaara, "You can stay if you want to"

Maybe this one wasn't so bad. He was Orochimaru's cousin? He didn't see a big
resemblance, but whatever. He would stay here for awhile with this guy and then
probably head home. It wasn't that he hated people, he had always been a lonely
person, because everyone hated him. They had moved here when he was about
twelve, and had still been shunned, only because he was the new kid, and then
because everyone thought he was weird. Now that people were actually talking
to him, he found that he had no tolerance for anything that didn't have his
complete and utter attention captivated. If he were to be truthful, he would admit
that he liked Naruto and the others, he might even admit to thinking Neji could be
witty. If he were to be truthful.

Kimimaro sat back down, "You know," he said, "He thinks you're special"

Gaara frowned at him, "What?"

The other just shook his head and smiled, "Nothing. Anyway, I have to-" He
jumped and reached into his pocket pulling out a vibrating flip phone. Gaara eyed
it, "You got that when you couldn't afford the hospital?"

Kimimaro chuckled, "Actually, Neji got it for me, so Orochimaru and I could keep
in touch, seeing as I am still getting treated. Hello?" He held the phone to his ear
listening closely, "Yes I have...In the park...Yes...Yes..." He looked up after
pausing for a long moment, staring past Gaara, "Yes...I was just about to
leave...Ok...I'll be fine...Bye" He hung up smiling fondly.

Gaara shook his head slightly to get some hair out of his eyes, it had grown out a
little, and was currently around five inches long. Longer than he was used to,
maybe he should cut it, "Who was that?" He asked, eyeing the phone that
Kimimaro was pocketing.

"I hope," he said, "That next time we meet, you will not feel too much animosity
towards me"

Gaara was about to demand an explanation to these words but found himself
interrupted by a hand on his head, "Oh don't worry, he'll be fine"

The redhead felt himself bristling with rage at the sound of the voice, he looked
up and was confronted with the equally angry, white eyes of Hyuuga Neji.

"I don't think you getting out of class and coming to sit around in study hall is fair"
complained Naruto, glaring at the Uchiha across the table from him.

"Hn," Said Sasuke, "I don't think your birth was fair, but I at least keep my mouth
shut about it" He glared at the blond, "I'm doing this for community service, but
don't think I can't just switch, there are plenty of people who wish I was their
tutor"

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "Then why me?"

Sasuke glared at him, and then shrugged, "You were the only person on there
who wouldn't attempt to get me to fuck them," He looked at Naruto and raised an
eyebrow of his own, "Unless what Gaara said was true?" He smirked when
Naruto turned red once again.

"Yeah right!" Snapped Naruto, ignoring the angry shushing of other students in
study hall, "Gaara is just pissed off at me, because I was the one who had
Sasori-" He stopped and clamped his mouth shut, but Sasuke had heard enough

"You had someone touch Neji's pet? On purpose?" He voice grew lower and
angrier with each word, "You know you can get your ass kicked for that? Or are
you too stupid to not only pass algebra 1A, but you can't grasp the concept of
property?"

Naruto stared at him, he had just called his friend the property of an even bigger
egotistical bastard, he threatened him and he called him stupid, it all seemed to
pile up. Naruto looked down at his feet, he started shaking and biting his lip.
Sasuke frowned when he saw blood begin to dribble down the boy's chin. Naruto
stared back up at him, "I hate you" Murmured, before gathering his stuff and
leaving, despite the angry calls from the teacher who was supervising the hall
that day.

Sasuke stared after him and rested his head in his hands, "Dammit"

"You followed me out of school?" Gaara remained sitting, as Neji stood in front of
him, his hand still tangled in his hair. Neji raised an eyebrow, "Pet, I will not put
up with this attitude of yours for very long"

"I'm not your pet" Hissed Gaara, "I distinctly remember dumping you as a matter
of fact"

Neji's grip tightened, pulling some of Gaara's hair and causing him to wince, "Let
go of me Hyuuga"

Neji brought his hand up and backhanded him across the face, causing him to
jerk his head to the side, "You will not speak to me like that" he purred, hitting the
sitting boy again, harder, "You will treat me with respect," This time Gaara was
punched, while Neji retained a firm grip on his hair, "Because I am you master"
He threw Gaara back against the tree and stepped closer, "Do you understand?"

Gaara spit out some blood and pushed himself into a sitting position, resting his
back against the tree, "Fuck you!" He growled, attempting to stand on shaking
legs, that guy sure did hit hard. Neji sighed, "Get back on your knees" He brought
his hand down again, only this time, Gaara caught him by the wrist, "You aren't
my master"

He coughed as he found himself roughly pinned to the tree, with Neji pressing
their bodies hard together, "You make me wild when you resist," Whispered Neji
licking the shell of his ear, "But that won't save you"

Gaara shivered, but retaliated by punching the Hyuuga in the stomach, causing
the other to cough. Gaara's breath caught though, as Neji's strong hand wrapped
around his throat, "You're making me angry" was hissed in his face, but Gaara
continued to struggle, clawing at Neji's arm, trying to kick at him and finally, he
punched him in the face. Neji's glare was something that was unrivaled, as he
brought his knee into Gaara's gut and dropped him onto the ground. The younger
was bent over slightly, holding himself in pain.
"Now," said Neji, "You will behave. OR would you rather I get someone else?
Perhaps one of your siblings? Temari or Kankurou?" Gaara glared up at him in
disbelief, "Or...Maybe your little blond friend, Naruto was it?"

Gaara bit his lip, that wasn't fair, that stupid bastard! "F...Fine" he muttered

Neji smirked, "Good" He took a handful of Gaara's red hair pulled him closer. He
unzipped his own pants and shoved Gaara's face against his crotch, "Now suck"

Gaara stared up at him, refusing to look at what was currently at his eye level,
"What?"

Neji smirked, "You heard me. I told you that you make me wild, and I was dead
serious" He pulled himself out and pushed against Gaara's bottom lip, "Suck"

Gaara's eyes narrowed in rage and defiance, but he leaned forward and covered
Neji with his mouth. He was able to comfortably fit him half way in. He began to
suck, almost immediately feeling the Hyuuga's grip on his hair tighten. He
frowned, he hoped this would go by fast, that bastard didn't even have the
courtesy of taking him back to the car.

He closed his eyes, trying to ignore the arousing sounds of Neji's quiet moans
and kept focused on his task. He had planned on taking Neji all the way in little
by little, but was surprised and annoyed when his head was shoved forward as
Neji thrust into his mouth and partly down his throat. Damn Hyuuga was too big.
Gaara coughed, but swallowed as well, trying to get used to it. Neji groaned and
pulled at Gaara's hair, making him look up.

"You don't have a gag reflex?"

"Obmphmy momph" (Obviously not) said Gaara unconsciously sending

vibrations of pleasure throughout Neji's cock.

Neji closed his eyes and bucked his hips, "Keep swallowing..."

Gaara's glare radiated the flames of Hell, but he did as he was told, swallowing
over and over again as Neji's pace increased and he let out louder moans and
grunts.

His head was starting to hurt from his hair getting pulled and finally, in an attempt
to finish it, he swallowed one last time, and then suck as hard as he could, his
tongue pushing hard against the erection in his mouth.

He felt Neji stiffen, and then he felt the Hyuuga create what he assumed was
going to be bald spot, and then he felt something running down his throat.
"Swallow"

Gaara started gulping as fast as he could, finding that his mouth was suddenly
full. It tasted bitter and salty, but he found himself licking Neji clean, before
putting him away and zipping up his pants. Neji smirked as he got to his feet,
"Like that did you?"

Gaara glared at him, "...I hate you"

Neji chuckled and licked off some of his seed that had dribbled down Gaara's
chin, before kissing him deeply, "Don't say that to me anymore"

"I heard you got in trouble"

Orochimaru looked over a bit startled at Itachi who had snuck up on him, "When
was the last time that meant anything?"

Itachi shrugged, "You really shouldn't push your luck, Neji won't take care of us
forever"

Orochimaru smirked, "actually, I got in trouble because of Neji, he wants us to

meet him at Tayuya's"

Itachi sat down next to him. They were in the parking lot, when Orochimaru had
gone back to class, the teacher told him not to bother and to leave. Orochimaru
had shrugged it off and left to sit out at his car for a while. During the passing
period, Itachi had caught a few whispers and had gone out to join him.

"He's taking the redhead to the bar already?"

"Yep"

"Hn, that the soonest I've ever seen him do that..." He laughed, "Although. I also
heard about that stunt the little one pulled"

Orochimaru leaned against his tire, staring up at the sky, "that kid even beat
Susan's record. Getting to the bar so fast! If that wasn't such a sign that he was
pissed...Well, who knows how honored they'd feel?"

Itachi shrugged and climbed into his lap, "You know?" He whispered seductively,
"With all this activity with Neji and Sasuke all of the sudden...It seems like we
haven't had any time to ourselves"

Orochimaru opened his mouth and accepted a somewhat sloppy kiss from the
Uchiha, "My fault I'm sure"
Itachi grinned, "I know a way you can make it up to me"

"What did you say!"

Neji laughed at his pet's outburst, "I said," he murmured pulling Gaara back into
the seat beside him, "I'm picking you up tonight, so look pretty"

Gaara's eye twitched, "I have to go out in public with you?"

Neji smirked, "yes, you do. And you are going to behave like a good little pet
aren't you?" He cooed, pinching Gaara's cheek, "Now here's your house,
remember, I'll be here at seven. You won't be back until...late...Very late"

Gaara climbed out of the car, snatching his bag and throwing the door open,
"Fine."

"Kiss me"

Gaara turned around, "What?"

"I said, kiss me"

Gaara frowned, a small tinge of pink appeared on his cheeks as he crawled back
over and gave Neji a small chaste kiss. But when he tried to pull back, Neji held
onto the back of his head.

"Now, tell me you love me"

Gaara's eyes widened as he stared disbelievingly at the elder boy, "What?"

"Just say it!" Snapped Neji yanking on his hair

Gaara winced and resumed his previously lost glare, "I...I love..You"

He heard Neji let out a breath and then he was released, he was offered a soft
smile that Gaara had never seen before, "I'll see you tonight"

Gaara nodded and climbed out of the car, Kimimaro's words echoing in his head.

You know, he thinks you're special

Chapter 9

CRASH! BANG! SMASH!

Temari, Kankurou and their father, who were sitting in the living room, all looked
up at the ceiling as a final THUMP resided throughout the house. After a moment
of silence, they all looked at each other, and then shrugged. Suddenly they all
heard a loud curse, which startled them into a standing position. Their father
spoke up, "Kankurou, go see what he brat is doing"

Kankurou frowned, but left the room and ventured up the stairs towards Gaara's
room, hearing more crashes and curses coming from behind the closed door. He
gulped and pushed it open, revealing a shirtless Gaara, wearing only a pair of
black and white striped pajama pants. "Um...Something wrong?" The elder
asked, surveying the huge mess of broken furniture.

Gaara glared at him, "Knock next time fucker"

Kankurou winced but shrugged it off as best as he could, "What's going on?"

Gaara growled and yanked him inside, he slammed the door shut and turned
another evil glare on him. "That stupid bastard is dragging me out" he said
punching a random nick-knack of a shelf and letting it shatter against the wall,
"I'm supposed to look pretty"

Kankurou scowled, "I see. It's not like you to agree to something you don't want
to do...It's not like you to want to do anything" His stomach churned when he saw
Gaara freeze, "Gaara...Is something wrong?"

Gaara gulped, "No, I'm just getting dressed, so get out"

Kankurou looked down sadly, "Yeah," he said, "Sure, sorry" He opened the door
and took one last look at his little brother, before walking out and shutting the
door.

Gaara fell onto the ground. He closed his eyes and sighed, 'That stupid
bastard...' He ran a hand through his red hair and scowled. It wasn't fair, it was
fair at all. He didn't see why it had to be him, he didn't see why he didn't fight
back harder. He tugged on the collar, but found that just like all the other times it
wouldn't come off. Nothing would cut it either, well, nothing that he had tried. He
would go buy some garden shears next time he was able to get his hands on
some money.

It wasn't that he didn't like the collar, it was actually pretty cool. But he
hated...Well, he didn't like Neji. It was so stupid. At first he had thought he was
attractive, he had even been charming, but, from years of going through it
himself, he knew that there was underlying insanity that perhaps the Hyuuga
himself wasn't aware of. Gaara frowned, he didn't like being alone, but he didn't
like being tied down, and he especially hated people acting like they owned him.
Back in Sunaga, everyone had left him alone, since he sent that child to the
hospital in the first grade.

Suddenly, Gaara smirked, maybe he could try going back to his old roots.

Neji leaned back in his car, waiting for the idiots in the fast food restaurant to
hurry up and finish his order. He didn't order that much for Christ's sake!

He licked his lips, thinking about earlier that day, thinking about Gaara. He could
feel a smile tugging at his lips. He had never had anyone hold out for so long. In
fact, he had never had anyone even try to hold out. It almost didn't seem right to
him, but it was arousing in a way. He couldn't believe that he had to threaten the
kid's family and friends, just to get him to cooperate. And even with that, there
were the dirty looks, the insults, the overreacting to every little thing he tried to do
or say.

He glanced over and received his food with a charismatic smile, secretly wishing
he could cuss that stupid loser out. He really was an angry person, and he knew
it. He had absolutely no temper that could even be short. He knew all that, but he
didn't understand why he managed to be so patient with the redhead. Every
single other pet who had even dared to say 'no' to anything to him, had been
severely punished, by whatever means necessary, to make sure they knew
better next time.

I hate you...

Neji pulled into a parking lot at some random convenient store and turned off the
ignition. He bit his lip and punched the steering wheel. He didn't like hearing that,
not from Gaara, it hurt. He watched a small bird hop around the parking lot,
searching for a crumb that someone might have dropped. He smiled wistfully, as
another bird joined it, a robin with a large red breast. He frowned as he thought of
Gaara. He wondered if the redhead saw him wandering around, all alone, would
he join him? His frown turned bitter, no, he wouldn't. He would pass right through
him, just like he had tried to do the very first day of school.

Maybe that's why he had found him so interesting. The kid had guts, standing up
to him like that. It had to be the first time since he didn't even remember when.
He was cute too. Neji was unaware of what reason Gaara wasn't swarmed by
people, just himself, Itachi, Sasuke and Deidara. Well, he was anti-social, and a
different kind of cute. Neji wasn't sure how he could explain it to himself, he just
knew it was the truth.

Neji jumped when his cellphone rang. He looked down at the caller id,
Orochimaru, yeah, he needed to talk to someone.

(Big time skip)

October 14, Friday

Shukaku,

Ok, Neji should be here in about five minutes. I think I wore the right clothes. I'm
wearing some pants I stole from Temari, they're tight and dark blue, and a black
tank top... :D But, I'm also wearing a REALLY big coat that I got recently,
something I could hide anything in. Something about the size of a metal pipe in
the pockets...Like a metal pipe that he was totally packing, just in case that
asshole tries anything.

Anyway, I also put on a bunch of eyeliner on. I can't wait, first I'm gonna punch
him in the face and then in the stomach and then in the face.

I think I probably do like him. Even though what he did. I mean, if I didn't talk
down to him, because I'm better than him, who knows I think he would treat me
like a regular person. He is good looking too. Ok fine, I have a crush on Hyuuga
Neji. I really want to scribble that out, but I wont. This is what a diary is for right?

DAMMIT NEJI!

Well, he's outside honking...He's early, stupid jerk probably wants to torture me
even more. Thats all...I wonder if he really does like me? Why would he? Is he
knocking on the fucking door? NO! I'm in my room...KANKUROU DON'T
ANSWER!

Neji is downstairs talking to my brother...Oh God they're coming up, why am I still
writing?...They're staring at me... "Why don't you fucking knock next time?" I
says...Kankurou is leaving, I guess Neji can wrap anyone around his
finger...KANKUROU JUST MOUTHED 'ARE YOU OK'? I nod, now I must put
you away because Neji is walking over, ok bye!

Neji raised an eyebrow, "Writing are we?"

Gaara glared at him but stood up, sliding Shukaku underneath his pillow. He
stuck his hands in his pockets, making sure the metal pipe was still hidden within
and smirked inwardly. 'As soon as we're in the car alone...WHAM! Right in the
temple! Hit a tree, scratch my head a little and ta-da! The perfect crime!'

With his evil plan simmering in his brain, Gaara flashed Neji a brilliant smile,
"Lets go" he purred, brushing past a very confused Hyuuga.

(Deidara, Sasori and Kisame)

"So...This is new"
"How so?"

"You know how Deidara"

"You're so hurtful to me Sasori!"

"Will you two shut up!"

The redhead and the blond glared at Kisame, who was trying with all his might to
swat a fly with a rolled up newspaper. They were all sitting on Deidara's front
porch, waiting for Neji to pick them up and take them to Tayuya's. All three were
itching to find out what would happen to Gaara, and what he would do once he
found out what Tayuya's meant for him. Even though Sasori was new to Toy
Corner, even he knew what that meant.

They all knew that Neji looked at Gaara different then all his other pets, and they
were all curious as to how far that extended.

Just then, they saw Neji's familiar car pull up, with a sight they didn't expect.

(Going back a little with Neji and Gaara)

Neji raised his eyebrow as Gaara scooted closer for the fourth time in the last two
minutes. He had removed his coat when they got into the car and placed in on
the floor. "Are you up to something?"

Gaara scooted closer again, taking one of Neji's arms and wrapping it around
him and nuzzling his chest, "Me? Up to something? What would give you that
idea?" Neji frowned, keeping his eyes on the road However, despite the
extremely suspicious behavior, he held the boy with a large amount of glee.
"Whatever"

Gaara smirked, 'that's right, just trust me...Now then...'

With his foot, Gaara pulled his coat up onto the seat a started fidgeting, making it
look like he was rubbing against the Hyuuga, while reaching into the pocket for
the pipe. The perfect crime. Neji grabbed his wrist and for a moment, Gaara
thought he was caught, but the Hyuuga only pulled him into a kiss, right after
pulling off the road and turning off the engine.

Gaara's eye twitched as he forced himself to kiss back, slowly closing his fingers
around the metal pipe. Neji licked his lips, and put his hand behind the redhead's
neck, tilting his head up for better access. Suddenly Neji stopped and pushed
Gaara away, he reached down and hastily undid his seatbelt, while Gaara
recovered from a heart attack caused by thinking he had been caught again.
He almost 'meeped' when Neji pulled him onto his lap. Gaara frowned at the pipe
once again on his coat, while Neji attacked his neck, thankfully not seeing it. Or
maybe this was all a plan to get into his pants and-

His eyes widened as the Hyuuga bit down on his neck and arched his back.
Gaara let his eyes slip shut, 'maybe I'll let him get a little more distracted...'

He wrapped his arms around Neji's neck, and started moving his hips. Neji
placed his hands on his hips and started pushing up against him. Gaara licked
his lips and leaned down, nibbling on Neji's muscular shoulder. He slid his hand
down the elder's thigh, and onto the seat, searching for the pipe again, before he
got too caught up in the moment...Not that it was all that great.

Neji sighed, sliding his hands up Gaara's thighs, and then up his shirt, rubbing his
stomach. He pulled back and kissed the redhead, massaging his lips.

Gaara hesitated, but then let go of the pipe, to touch Neji's face.

Neji frowned, and opened his eyes, he glanced down where Gaara's hand had
just been. He caught a glint of metal and his eyes narrowed. He broke the kiss
and pushed Gaara away, causing him to hit the steering wheel and honk the
horn. "What the Hell is this!" Neji growled, grabbing the pipe and holding it in
Gaara's face. Gaara stared at it before turning his face away, "Huh?"

He climbed out of Neji's lap and scooted over to the other side of the front seat.
Neji scowled and opened his door. He got out and threw the pipe as hard as he
could, nearly hitting another car. He sat back in there and glared hard at Gaara,
"We are going to have a serious talk".

Chapter 10

"Why did you have this pipe?"

"...In case...You...What pipe?"

Neji stared hard at Gaara, the redhead was slowly scooting away from him, and
starting to lean towards the door. He scowled and pushed a button on his control
panel, locking Gaara's means of escape. Gaara stopped scooting and glared at
him, "Why don't you just let me go"

Neji took a deep breath and licked his lips, "I don't have the patience for your
attitude," He said slowly, "Now, were you going to attempt to hurt me with that
pipe?"

Gaara's face remained annoyed, "Yes, I was. Because you're an asshole and I
hate you"
Neji's face tensed and his eye twitched, "I told you not to say that to me..."

"I'll say whatever I fucking want!"

He was suddenly slammed against the window, with Neji leaning in his face,
"You WON'T say THAT!" Gaara kicked him hard in the thigh, only to be punched
hard in the stomach, "Stupid bastard" he coughed, still trying to shove Neji off. "If
I'm so much trouble, why do you keep me!"

Neji tried to punch his face, but Gaara leaned to the side, causing him to punch
the window glass, with enough force to make it vibrate. Gaara stared at him, not
in fear, but just staring. Neji swallowed, he could feel his heart racing, he knew
he was angry, he knew he should send him home. He lightly touched Gaara's
lips, but he couldn't.

"We're going to the bar, you are going to behave and I won't do something you
won't like, ok?"

"You're not going to threaten me anymore. I'm not scared of you, and I'm NOT
seduced" To emphasize his point, he shoved Neji back, this time succeeding,
because of The Hyuuga's distraction.

Neji's upper lip twitched, and his eyes narrowed. His fists clenched and started to
shake. Gaara ignored this and turned around once more to unlock the door and
walk home. Neji grabbed his shoulder and jerked him back, pinning him on the
seat, despite his protests.

Gaara threw his head back in a silent scream, as Neji bit down on his neck as
hard as he could, effectively breaking the skin and drawing blood. Gaara stared
at the roof of the car, feeling a bit of shock, almost paralyzing him.

Neji sucked up the blood, smacking his lips and smirking. He was done a bit
quickly, and leaned over the side of the seat, searching underneath it. He pulled
out an elastic rope, with a hook on either side. He pulled Gaara into a sitting
position, and bound his hands, behind his back. Gaara snapped out of his stupor
and started struggling again, "What the fuck do you think you're doing you stupid
weird ass stalker!"

Neji rolled his eyes, and lifted him up, throwing him over into the back seat. He
turned around, fastened his seat belt and drove off to pick up his friends. "JUST
KEEP YOUR FUCKING MOUTH SHUT!"

Deidara was the first to speak, "Is someone kicking his back window? Yeah"
Kisame and Sasori felt the urge to laugh, but nothing came out. They sat there in
silence until Neji gave them an annoyed look and honked his horn. They blinked
slowly and then made their way to the car.

Neji rolled down the passenger side window, and looked at them, "Can you guys
sit up front? I need to spend some time with my pet"

They nodded and Neji climbed into the backseat. Allowing Sasori to get into the
driver's seat, Deidara in the middle and Kisame in the last seat. Sasori started
driving, all of them silently agreeing to be quiet, wanting to know what was going
on. To their growing amusement, it seemed that Neji and Gaara were having a
talk. Well, sort of.

"A PIPE! WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING!"

"I WAS THINKING I'D BASH YOUR SKULL IN!"

Sasori wished he could turn around watch them along with Kisame and Deidara,
but no, he had to drive. Although, from what he was able to tell, they seemed to
be getting physical. Deidara and Kisame had faced front again, and he knew
why. The three of them would repeatedly jump when they felt either Gaara or Neji
kick the back of the seat.

The couple was currently scrapping about, yelling about something completely
different from before.

"WATCH IT YOU LITTLE BITCH! THIS IS A THIRTY FOUR THOUSAND

DOLLAR CAR!"

"LIKE I GIVE A FUCK ABOUT YOUR CAR RICH BOY!"

Deidara managed to summon enough courage to glance over his shoulder and
started to giggle when he saw Gaara turn onto his stomach and purposefully start
chewing on the upholstery. Neji flipped out and started trying to pull his head
away, "NO! Stop it Gaara! Bad!"

Sasori and Kisame joined Deidara's giggling at this. Neji sure was different
around this one.

"STOP BITING MY FUCKING CAR!"

"NO!"

"NOW!"

"THEN LET ME LEAVE!"

"I SAID YOU WERE COMING AND YOU ARE FUCKING COMING!"

"I DON'T WANT TO!"

The three up front flinched as many colorful insults were exchanged between the
two. They mentally sighed with relief as the bar came into view. Twenty minutes,
driving through the hills, to a mile outside town to a bar with their friend and his
lover fighting in the backseat was uncomfortable business.

"We're here" said Sasori, "You can...please stop now"

Neji and Gaara paused, remaining still as Sasori pulled into the gravel parking
lot. They came to a halt with a slight jolt.

With a small amount of hesitation, Neji pushed himself into a sitting position,
straddling Gaara's hips and glaring down at him, "You're coming inside and you
are going to behave"

Gaara snorted and looked to the side. Neji grabbed his wrist and pulled him up,
backing out the door that had been opened by Kisame and dragging Gaara with
him. Gaara went dead weight, forcing Neji to extend far more energy than
necessary just to get him out of the back seat.

"Neji?"

They all turned to Orochimaru and Itachi who were exiting the bar and walking
towards them, "What's up? Sasuke's sorry, but he cant make it today..." Itachi
stared at Gaara who, without Neji noticing, had taken a rock and was scratching
the paint as much as he could. Itachi and Orochimaru started snickering as the
other three turned around.

"GAARA!" Roared Neji, "NO!"

He picked the redhead up and threw him over his shoulder, ignoring the yells and
protests. "Come on" he said to the others, "Let's go inside" He started walking
and they followed, staring at the scene he and his pet were making.

"STUPID BASTARD!"

"That isn't going to convince me to let you go"

He pushed the door open and they walked in.

Gaara looked around the room hatefully. It was kind of dark, lit with various
lamps hanging from the ceiling, creating that atmosphere one sees in a bar on tv
or in a movie. There was a pool table in the center of the room, with a rack that
held the pool sticks against the nearest wall. There were several booths around
the room, and a bar with about twenty stools that were seated in front of it. Then
there was a high shelf that held various kinds of liquor and a pink-ish haired girl
wiping a glass and talking to one of six other people who were there.

"Over there," said Neji, gently setting Gaara down and pointing to a booth located
in the farthest right corner, "Tayuya! The usual!"

The girl at the counter gave a quick nod without even looking at them and put
down the cup and started mixing some liquids together. "Sure thing ya shitheads"

"Tayuya," softly scolded an orange haired man sitting at the bar, "a lady shouldn't
speak like that"

"SHUT UP FAT ASS!"

Gaara slid into the seat, glaring at everyone else as they sat down and started
eating peanuts and talking about some club that was opening downtown. Neji
smirked, "So that idiot thinks he can beat Sasuke? Che, fat chance"

Deidara nodded, "Well, I always did think that Yoroi was too big for his britches,
yeah"

Itachi raised an eyebrow at him, "Britches? Why Deidara, why?"

The blond merely stuck his tongue out, which Itachi threw a peanut at. They
started laughing and Gaara rolled his eyes, they were as juvenile as the guys at
Toy Corner! He rolled his eyes, hiding a small smile as Orochimaru announced
loudly that he would come to his lovely Itachi's rescue and that Deidara would
pay. Only to get nailed right in the middle of his forehead by a cashew that Sasori
threw. From there it turned into an all out war.

Because he was seated between Deidara and Neji, Gaara was getting hit
repeatedly. Finally, Neji pulled him closer, shielding him with his body. Gaara
scowled, but the war was ended abruptly by Tayuya who had apparently finished
the 'usual'.

"HEY YOU SHITS! YOU'RE PAYIN' FOR THOSE!"

They stopped laughing, "Aw, come on!" said Kisame, "Let us have a little fun!"

"Stupid shits! Act your age!" With a coy smirk she set the tray that held their
drinks on the table and thwacked Neji in the head (Cor: That was for all you Neji
haters) Her actions were met with laughter, except for Neji who pretended to
sulk.
"Gaara!" He pouted, "Kiss ut and make it better!"

He leaned down and pointed to a small pinkish spot on his temple where he had
been hit. Gaara stared at him and scowled, "Kiss it yourself"

Neji gasped, "Bad Gaara! Be polite!"

While they were all chuckling, and Gaara was having a mental war with himself,
because his pride was telling him that he wanted to break one of the cups and
stab the stupid Hyuuga repeatedly, but...Some other, more hated part of him,
kinda did want to kiss him.

"Hey Neji! You got a new one!"

Neji laughed, "Kidomaru, that really is the only reason you come here anymore
isn't it?"

Gaara glared at a dark skinned man, with black hair in a pony tail on top of his
head. He was talking to Neji, but pausing to look at him every now and then. "I
see you got yourself a boy this time. He looks kinda..."

"I'm here against my will" Growled Gaara, "and I hate you"

Kidomaru raised an eyebrow, and turned his attention to Neji, "This is new. You
force this one?"

"You don't know the half of it!" Interjected Itachi, laughing, "This little redhead
punched out TenTen"

Kidomaru looked surprised for a moment, and then started laughing

uncontrollably, "TenTen! You punched her out!" His laughter was joined with
their's, as Gaara sat silently, beginning to get uncomfortable, instead of just
angry. "Why isn't she your pet?" Asked Kidomaru, once they had all calmed
down, "I mean, she's cute and has only wanted your body for...ever"

Gaara twitched, and Neji smiled. He reached out and pulled the redhead into his
lap, which was actually a small fit, and wrapped his arms tightly around his waist,
"Because I don't want TenTen, I want Gaara" He took Gaara's chin and tilted it
upwards, "Gaara is much better than her" He leaned down and kissed him ever
so slightly, before turning back to Kidomaru.

"Sure, sure" he said waving his hand, "You guys wanna play pool?"

They all nodded, except for Neji and Gaara, "You guys go ahead," said Neji,
"We'll stay here" They left, chuckling about something or another that Gaara
didn't care about, "Maybe I wanted to play pool" he spat, struggling to get out of
Neji's lap.

Neji smirked, "Did you?"

"..."

"Ok then"

Gaara scowled and tried to escape, only to have Neji hold him tighter, "Just let
me hold you" whispered Neji, "Just for right now, please?"

Gaara frowned, but shrugged his shoulders, "You're weird," he muttered,

pinching his hand, but holding still other than that, "Have you forgotten that I was
going to bludgeon you in the car only ten minutes ago?"

Neji chuckled and started to kiss his neck, "I do remember that, but...I think
that...I've gotten to know you more, through our little fights" Gaara stared at the
table, and Neji continued, "And the Gaara I know is incapable of hurting me,"
Gaara scoffed, "Not morally, but physically"

"OH THATS IT!" yelled Gaara, "Let me go!"

Neji started laughing, "Oh come one, I was joking"

"Your sense of humor sucks!"

"At least I have one"

"Oh ouch! Did your grandma teach you that insult?"

Sasuke walked up to the front door, he used the knocker twice and then sat there
for about ten seconds, when he heard a noise getting louder, possibly meaning
that it was getting closer to the door. He raised an eyebrow when a soaking wet,
blond answered the door with only a towel around his waist.

Yes, he had stayed home from what he knew would be a good time, in order to
come here. He couldn't stop thinking about him, he couldnt stop thinking about
how bad he felt. "I'm sorry about earlier today," he said, "Now put some clothes
on, I'm coming inside"

Naruto frowned, but in his surprise he stepped to the side and allowed Sasuke to
enter. Sasuke smiled as he glanced around the house, it was nice. Naruto
excused himself and went upstairs to get dressed. Sasuke didn't mind, he
wandered into the living and looked at a picture on the center of the mantel.
'So it's true'

The picture was of three people. Naruto was in the middle, judging the
appearnce of him, Sasuke guessed that it was taken recently. On Naruto's left,
stood a brunet with his hands on Naruto's shoulders. His hair was in a ponytail
and he was smiling warmly. The second man, on Naruto's right, had silver hair
that hung over his left eye. He was the tallest and had his left arm around the
brunet's shoulders and his other hand joined the brunet's on Naruto's right
shoulder. Sasuke smirked, it had been a popular theory when Naruto first came
to middle school, that two Konoha highschool legends had adopted him. Many
dismissed it, including the Uchiha. But here it was, undeniable proof that he was
indeed the adopted son of Hatake Kakashi and Umino Iruka.

"So, if you apologized, then why are you still here?"

He turned and saw Naruto standing in the doorway, that separated the living
room from the entry way. He was dressed in orange pajama pants and a black T-
shirt, his hair was still wet, and it clung to his forehead and face, "Or did you want
something else?"

Sasuke smirked, "More with the sexual innuendo"

The blond sputtered and blushed, causing him to chuckle, "Relax, I was just here
to apologize, and also..." He took a few steps forward, and looked down at him,
fully taking advantage of his extra three inches, "You need to stop..." He traced a
finger along the blond's lips, and then down his neck and stopped in the center of
his chest, "trying to go against Royal Corner"

Naruto, who had previously been staring at him in a trance, snapped out of his
dream like state and glared at him with flashing blue eyes, "Fuck. Royal. Corner."
He said, spitting out each word, "If that's all you had to say, then you can go THE
FUCK AW-"

He was silenced when Sasuke pulled him into a passionate, hungry kiss.

Once again, surprise paralyzed him as he stood there, a warm tongue exploring
and tasting his mouth. Naruto blinked for a second, and then closed his eyes,
kissing Sasuke back.

Sasuke shoved him back against a wall and ran his hands up the blond's thighs
and resting on his hips. Naruto tangled his fingers in the soft raven hair. He was
caught off guard, when he felt no hair gel. 'Hm, the spikes are natural' He smiled
secretly to himself.

Their breath mingled as Sasuke pulled away, a trail of saliva working it's way
down his chin, "So, I guess Gaara was telling the truth"
"Would you shut up about Gaara"

Naruto pouted, leaning in to kiss him again, but Sasuke held him back, "Would
you let me talk?"

Naruto rolled his eyes, "Fine...What?"

"I...Like you,"

"No shit"

"SHUT UP! I like you, but I can't...Well, we can't be together"

Naruto's eyes narrowed and Sasuke looked away, "Why not? WHY THE FUCK
DID YOU KISS ME THEN!"

Sasuke laughed bitterly, "Listen, ok? Royal Corner-"

"THIS HAS TO DO WITH THAT FUCKING CORNER!" He shoved the Uchiha

away and wiped off his mouth, "You're too ashamed to be with me!"

"That's not it, I want to be with you, and I don't give a shit what anyone else
thinks," said Sasuke, "But, at Royal Corner...If you have something you share
it..."

"ARE YOU FUCKING INSANE?"

"If you don't do it, I can think of a much tighter place to put it"

Gaara had been forced onto his knees by Neji and Orochimaru, and then some
guy who Neji called Zaku had demanded that he suck him off. Gaara of course
objected to this, but now Zaku was threatening to...Ew.

"Looks like your new pet needs some breakin' in Neji!" Said another asshole
named Baki (Cor: Yeah, he is a minor pervert from a bar in this fic...HE KILLED
HAYATE!)

"I never knew you were the type to wait Neji" Said another, Gato

Neji raised an eyebrow, "I have, he's just stubborn"

Gaara twitched, this jerk was going to let these guys do anything they wanted!
'WTF!' He tried to stand up, because Orochimaru had let him go, but apparently
Neji was enough to hold him down. He glared at the Hyuuga, "Why are you
letting them do this?"
Neji looked at him and smirked, "Oh come on pet, what kind of friend would I be if
I didn't share with my friends"

The room of men laughed, and someone shouted, "Get 'im on the pool table!
We'll take turns!" Whoever it was, was met with noises of agreement, and Gaara
found himself hoisted off the ground and thrown onto the dark green table in the
center of the room. His eyes widened when his pants were yanked down, Neji
had gotten up on the table after him. He was staring at him with eyes full of lust
and, something else he couldn't name.

His boxers were gone too, he was laying half naked on a table with a pervert,
surrounded by other, far less attractive perverts. He knew there was something
illegal about this.

"Me first," said Neji, "Because he is my pet after all"

"Of course Neji!"

"You the man!"

"MAKE HIM SCREAM!"

Gaara grimaced in disgust, but Neji only laughed. He leaned over the redhead
and pushed his shirt up, revealing his white taut stomach. Gaara growled, but his
arms and legs were being restrained by Orochimaru, Itachi, Deidara and Sasori.

"Don't touch me" he snarled, struggling against them. Neji pushed his legs open,
and settled between them. He put his hands farther up Gaara's shirt, and started
playing with his nipples, "Shut up," he murmured, "Unless you want to beg"

Gaara glared at him as hard as he could, his entire body went numb with rage.
He willed his face blank and stared at the ceiling, "I hate you"

Neji opened his pants and pulled himself out, "Just for that," he whispered in
Gaara's ear, "No lube" To his friends he called out, "Flip him over!"

Gaara coughed as he was flipped onto his stomach, he bit back a scream as Neji
entered him violently.

Gaara felt his body almost blur, the pain and throbbing and heat that was
coursing threw his body was blacking out his senses. But more so than anything
else, that hatred that was coursing through his veins. He could hear the cheers
for Neji, the laughing, and even some of them jacking off at the sight of Neji
thrusting violently back in after pulling out. He could feel the hot breath on his
neck when Neji bent over him, biting his shoulder.
Gaara did his best, he did his absolute best to keep quiet, to not scream.

Finally, he felt a rush inside him, and knew that Neji had cum. He kept his face
blank when Neji pulled out, panting. Gaara's hands, which had been released
while Neji was fucking him, clenched into fists. The rest of the room was laughing
still, and crying out shouts of appreciation for the Hyuuga.

He started shaking when Neji did up his pants and climbed off the table.

Neji looked at Gaara who was lying perfectly still and bit his lip.

"Hey Neji!" said Baki, "Let me go next!"

Neji felt his hands go colder than before. He wished he had never brought Gaara.
He wished he had just told him to get out of the car, or maybe even...He didn't
know. All he knew was, he couldn't-

Neji's thoughts were cut short as a loud smack resounded threw the bar, and
Baki fell onto the ground. His eyes immediately returned to pool table, where
Gaara, who had pulled his boxers back on, was holding a broken pool stick.

Gaara stared at Baki, before he felt a sensation cover him in a cloak that blocked
out everything but a new feeling of violence that flooded his soul. It was almost
slow motion as he attacked the one called Zaku, hitting him square in the nose
with the handle of his new found weapon.

Chaos broke out as Gaara jumped off the table, handling the half pool stick with
amazing skill, taking out everyone who tried to stop him. Finally Neji made an
attempt, just as Gaara almost reached the door. They made momentary eye
contact and Gaara whispered three small words,

(End Chapter)

Anyhoo, I love Gaara with a passion

I hate OC's

I roleplay Neji

Neji with Gaara

Is like me with Gaara

In my head

It makes my soul happy

JUST KIDDING!

"How could you?"

As he said this, he took the pointed end of the pool stick and stabbed Neji in the
shoulder, before running out the door.

Sasuke held Naruto tighter, sighing in contentment as the blond squeezed him
back. They had agreed that they both wanted to have a relationship. All they had
to do, was keep it secret. Sasuke didn't want to lie to his brother and friends and
the same went for Naruto. However, Sasuke wasn't willing to put him in the
danger that he knew Gaara was in. After that, all either wanted to do was cuddle
on Naruto's living room couch.

"You know," said Naruto leaning against his new boyfriend's chest, "I think I've
liked you since the beginning of seventh grade"

Sasuke smiled against his golden hair, "I win. I've liked you since the summer
before seventh grade...Dobe"

Naruto glared at him, but Sasuke just chuckled and placed a kiss on his cheek.
They settled down for a nice nap, when the phone rang. Naruto and Sasuke
frowned in annoyance, but Naruto got up anyway.

"Hello?" he said into the phone

"Naruto" said a voice that sounded tired from crying, "come get me"

Naruto felt fear and horror come down on him like a tidal wave, "G-Gaara?"

Chapter 11

66996969696
Gaara sat down after hanging up the pay phone. He pulled his knees to his chest
and took a shaky breath, I'm gonna kill him

He stared at the ground, imaging Naruto freaking out. He knew that the blond
would take a while to find him; He had been able to tell him the street he was on,
before he hung up, tired of his friend's spazzing. Not that it was a bad thing that
the other cared, that was kind of refreshing.

Neji...

That jerk, how could he? Gaara licked his lips; he had thought that Neji's feelings
for him were genuine. He knew his feelings for the other were...or had been. He
leaned his head back against the pole and winced. He was covered in bruises,
his lower back hurt, and he had a splinter. How peachy life was.

The moon was only a quarter full, so he was mostly in darkness. He had run as
far and as fast as he could, trying to get away from that place. He had made it
into town pretty fast. Unfortunately, he didn't know where to go. He also didn't
want to go home and explain why he was half naked, with blood and bruises all
over him.

He heard shouting and looked over. Naruto was running over to his side with
Sasuke behind him. So that's where the little Uchiha went...

"Gaara " exclaimed Naruto falling onto his knees beside him, "What happened"

"I'm tired," whispered Gaara, "I'm going to sleep, don't do anything stupid"

Naruto caught him, as Gaara's strength finally failed him, and he fell into
unconsciousness.

696969669696

The blackness was surrounding him. It was like a void that seemed to call out his
name, over and over again. It would have been frightening maybe, if it didn't
appeal to him so greatly. Gaara wasn't sure where he was, but he thought he
could hear water running. Slowly, but as fast as he could, he pushed his mind
into the waking world.

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief when Gaara's eyelids fluttered open.

"Welcome back," he joked, "We were worried"

Gaara looked around and found that he was lying on a bathroom floor. Beneath
him was a dark blue plush carpet. There were pretty pictures of flowers and such.
The walls were a light cream colour and the sink and tub were white marble. The
tub...
"Why is the tub running? Where the hell did you take me?"
Naruto looked at him, and then he stood up and turned off the water, "Me and
Sasuke brought you here after we found you" he said, "This is his house, it was
closer and we didn't want you to be hurt more. Can you move?"

Gaara sat up, wincing, but still up, "Yeah"

"Good. The bath is ready; its only water, you can use any soap you want"

Gaara nodded, "Thanks"

Naruto smiled and walked out, shutting the door behind him.

6969696969696969696

Sasuke looked up as his blond lover entered the kitchen, seeing the frown, he
put down the toast he had prepared for Gaara and walked over to him, "Did he
wake up?"

Naruto nodded and frowned, "They did something...Your friends hurt him..."

Sasuke looked down, "Oh," he said, "Did he say anything?"

Naruto shook his head, "No, I didn't want to ask anything just yet...I've heard
about what happens around school, Sasuke. Care to tell me what is truth and
what isn't?"

The Uchiha looked down in shame, "Well...When I say share..."

-To Gaara-

He sat in the hot water slowly, letting his flesh adjust little by little. He lay back,
looking at the little shelf along the wall of the large tub, picking out which soap to
use. He felt dirty, worse than dirty. Gaara took a wash cloth that Naruto had left
in the bathroom for him and took a random shampoo bottle and poured half the
contents on the rag, before proceeding to scrub himself as hard as he could.

Tears started to run down the redhead's face, as his skin turned redder and
redder. The water had been hot enough, but Gaara pulled out the plug and
turned the faucet back on, and set it as hot as it would go. He started scrubbing
again, especially on his thighs, trying to get clean, but unable to get rid of the
feeling of muck on him.
Gaara jumped when Naruto started pounding on the door, "Gaara? Put some
clothes on! You need to come out here! PLEASE!"

Gaara didn't answer and Naruto kept pounding, "Gaara please come out, Sasuke
told me... What they do to pets at the bar. Please, talk to me"

He could hear Naruto's choked, muffled sobs. He was no doubt being held by
Sasuke. Gaara felt bitterness and jealousy attach themselves like leeches to his
heart, but he made his best attempt to ignore it. Screw the Hyuuga, he could go
fuck himself. He stood up and put on the pyjamas left in the sink with the towels,
and opened the door that hadn't even been locked in the first place.

As expected they were on the floor, and Naruto was sitting in Sasuke's arms.
Gaara gave them a look before shaking his head, "You're freaking out over
nothing"
Naruto and Sasuke stood up, pulling away from each other. Naruto stared at him
and Sasuke glared, "What did my idiot brother and friends do?" Asked the
Uchiha

Gaara shrugged, "Neji raped me, what else is new?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed, "How can you say that so casually?" Gaara shrugged
again and Naruto scowled, "Gaara..." He looked down, suddenly finding
something about the carpet extremely interesting.

"They didn't hurt you? He didn't..." Sasuke trailed off, "Did Neji let them do
anything?"

Gaara nodded, "It was only Neji. I took everyone else out and left before they
could try anything"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, "Neji?"

"Yeah" Gaara rolled his eyes, "Listen, I'm gonna head home, so you guys...Take
it easy" To escape Naruto's protests, he stepped right outside, without his shoes
or anything, clad only in the pyjamas borrowed from Sasuke, and started his trek
home.

69696969696969696969696

"Neji! Are you alright?"

Orochimaru looked at his shoulder, noting that there was still some wood left in
the bleeding hole punctured in his friends' skin. He shook his head and then
turned to Itachi, "See if there are any tweezers in my car, would you?" Itachi
nodded and ran out of the bar, where Tayuya, Sasori and Deidara where also
helping to make sure everyone else was ok.
Orochimaru started when he felt a tugging at his shirt and saw that Neji was
trying to get him to lean closer. He put his ear to his friend's naturally pale lips
and heard him whisper ever so softly, "We deserved this"

His golden eyes met with the pearly orbs that were reflecting more sorrow than
Orochimaru had ever seen in anyone. He felt his heart tug with feelings he
thought he had forgotten a long time ago, "Neji..."

"I shouldn't have brought him here.." tears started to work their way down his
face, "I shouldn't have hurt him"

Itachi returned with the tweezers and Orochimaru took them with a forced smile.
Itachi noticed this and sighed, "Is it bad?"
Orochimaru gave a minuscule shrug, and Itachi frowned, "So, what's going on?"

Neji started to chuckle, "Gaara hates me, I am stabbed and who knows what else
could possibly go wrong on the way home from here"

The two lovers glanced at each other, Neji was seemingly in super-depressed-
emo mode. There was something wrong with this picture, seeing as the Hyuuga
usually bought a round of drinks after...Letting everyone try out his pet.

"Hey," said Itachi, "Since when do you screw your pets here?"

Neji made a show of lifting his head and stared at the Uchiha, "What are you
talking about?"

Itachi rolled his eyes, "Don't act like an idiot, you made this huge rule that you
weren't going to do it here. But you insist on going first. Did you even plan on
letting anyone have a turn?"

Neji shrugged his shoulders, "Maybe I wanted to keep him to myself"

Orochimaru frowned, "What are you saying?" He demanded placing a hand on

his friend's shoulder, "Since when have you ever cared about a pet?"

Neji tried to bat his hand away, but was unsuccessful. Orochimaru remained a
firm grip on his shirt and continued, "You do realize that he hated your guts
before, and now, he probably wont let you within a two mile radius of him"

Itachi nodded his agreement, but still pulled his boyfriend back, "Come, just start
getting out those splinters, I'll call Sasuke"

Orochimaru nodded, and took a few deep breaths to calm himself. He started
working to get small splinters out that were embedded in the drying blood, skin
and muscle. After a few minutes, he noticed that Neji's shoulders were shaking.
He looked up and saw a smile on his friend's face. He was laughing, but crying at
the same time.

"What's so funny"

Neji let his head fall against the wall, as he smirked bitterly at the ceiling, "This is
where I bring pets when I think I hate them enough to just break them
completely..." He stared at Orochimaru and gave a small chuckle, "And this time I
brought one here because..." more tears made their way down his face,
"Because I just wanted him to...Be with me" He looked at his shoulder, his
movement had caused a fresh onslaught blood to come out, "I'm such a fucking
idiot"
Orochimaru only watched painfully, unsure of what to do exactly. Neji...His best
friend, and the first person he ever trusted, was hurting. There was nothing he
could do about it. He wasn't good enough to help him, just like he hadn't been
good enough before.

"Spread the word," said Neji catching his attention, "I don't have a pet anymore"

6969696969969696969696

Gaara felt like a real moron. The least he could have done for himself was put on
a coat...Or at least some shoes. It was late, and cold. He wasn't sure of where he
was, but he did realize that he was in the same place that he and Neji had been
when he tried to kill him. Gaara smirked, fond memories of earlier that night.

He stopped as something glinted in the streetlight. He bent down curiously and

nearly chuckled when he found that it was in fact the very pipe he had wanted to
use. He picked it up; the metal was cold from being out in the night air for so
long. His green eyes scanned over it and he held it to himself, "I'll call you Jake"
he murmured, "And together. We will kill every person at Royal Corner"

With this said and Jake held firmly in his left hand, he continued on his way
home.

Same night,

Shukaku,
I cant believe he actually did that to me. That time in the teacher's lounge... I'll
admit, I really enjoyed it. But this time, it seemed like he didn't even like it.
I think Naruto won't get off my case for a while. Not that I care, he'll hopefully be
more distracted now by that stupid Uchiha. I am now making the assumption that
they are together.

I feel like I hate him, but I can't at the same time. I haven't ever been this
confused before and it's pissing me off. I can't believe what he did.

What will things be like on Monday? Oh, I got home by the way. It's around
2:00am; does that count as still Friday? Not according to the Calendar.
Whatever, the calendar can go to Hell. I'm tired, so I'm going to go to sleep. But I
think I just wanted to write down... I was in love with Neji. I don't think so
anymore.

6969696969696969696969696
That Monday they drove to school in silence. Kankurou and Temari were very
aware of what time Gaara got home. But one look from him, informed his two
siblings that they would be getting no information from him. Kankurou sighed as
he turned the corner into the parking lot, narrowly missing two unfamiliar faces.

"WATCH IT JERK-FACE!"

Kankurou took a moment to raise an eyebrow at the elementary insult, but his
eyes froze on the sight that they beheld. Two guys, that looked almost exactly
alike. Although one, who he assumed yelled, because he was currently on the
receiving end of a pouty glare, caught his attention more than the other. He was
barely an inch taller, with a half a lighter shade of grey hair, and deep black eyes.
He sure was wearing a lot of make up.

Kankurou shook his head and pulled into a parking spot. Gaara jumped out
immediately and left, knowing that if he didn't, his new leaf older brother and
sister would insist on walking him to class.

"Hey"

Kankurou and Temari turned to see that the two grey haired twins were walking
up to them, "What's your problem jerk?" Said the one who got his attention
before

Temari smirked, "He got distracted, staring at your ass"

Kankurou's eye twitched in a very Gaara-like manner and he glared at his sister,
"That was low...and cold" He growled, blushing a little. The other two took this
the wrong way and stared at him, "Really?"
"NO!"

"Yes he was"

"I was not!"

"You see, I think he wants to poke you"

"WHERE THE HELL IS THIS COMING FROM?"

The twins seemed to be watching them in amusement, as Temari got herself a

kick out of torturing him, over something he'd normally play along, "Out of the
closet?"

"Shut Up!" He looked at their, now laughing audience and said, "We haven't seen
you around before"
The shorter one answered this time, "We are new. We just moved here, I'm
Ukon, this is my older brother Sakon"

Temari raised an eyebrow, "Older?"

Sakon laughed, "By about forty-five seconds"

Kankurou leaned over to Temari and whispered loud enough for them to hear, "I
thought they looked a bit similar"

They all chuckled and Temari and Kankurou introduced themselves. "Who was
that little redhead?" Asked Sakon, looking at Kankurou, "He was cute"

"Cute isn't the word"

"Huh?"

"Nothing!"

Temari glared at her brother, "That was Gaara," she said, "He's the youngest. A
freshman"

Ukon raised an eyebrow, "Gaara? You don't mean as in Neji's-" He abruptly cut
off with a choke as Sakon elbowed him in the stomach. His brother glared at him,
but looked at the sand siblings apologetically. "Please, don't mind my brother,
he's just an idiot"

But they had already been caught. Kankurou grabbed Sakon's collar and pulled
him close, "What do you know about Neji and Gaara?" He hissed, using the
death glare he had learned from the master. (Gaara for those of you who didn't
gather that). Ukon tried to step forward, but was met with Temari, who already
had the; I'm-a-crazy-bitch-and-I-can-fuck-you-up persona down.
"Listen," said Sakon, flinching at the tight hold, "We didn't have any part in this.
We only know what our friend told us, ok?"

Kankurou let go of him, and Temari eased up her threat vibes, "Who's your
friend?" they demanded.

Sakon fixed his collar, "You wouldn't know him," he said, "but his name is
Kimimaro. Apparently he met your brother in the park or something. Said he was
a cool guy and that he didn't think Neji was going to hurt him as much as the
others"

Kankurou and Temari looked at each other, "Why?"

"He said that Neji looked at him different" replied Ukon, "and that...Something
was just different about him"

"But why won't Gaara talk to us!" Yelled Kankurou

"And why is he so quiet? He's usually called me fat by now!" Followed up Temari

Sakon and Ukon looked at each other helplessly, "Look, we already said what we
know. If you're so curious, why don't you talk to Neji himself?"

Kankurou scowled, "Whatever," he grumbled stalking past him, "Come on

Temari!"

Temari followed, casting a glance at Sakon and raising her eyebrow.

6969696969696969696

Gaara sat down in his desk for first period. He had about five minutes until the
bell rang, and he was drawing in Shukaku. His first thought, when someone sat
in the desk next to his, was violence. After curbing this he turned his head and
saw that little Sasuke Uchiha had seen fit to grace him with his presence. He
glared at him, "What do you want?"

Sasuke shrugged, "You've heard haven't you?"

Gaara closed Shukaku and put him away, before returning his evil glare back on
the other, "No. Now I repeat, what do you want?"

"Word is going around, that Neji doesn't have a pet anymore" He paused
watching Gaara's face for a response, when all he received was a cold stare he
continued, "And Naruto is pissed"
Gaara nodded in a sarcastically caring sense, "I don't give a rat's ass"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, "Last time Neji dumped a pet, and their friend got
pissed...He sent the guy to the hospital. And-"

"And you don't want that to happen to your precious little idiot" Finished Gaara
moving his head from side to side with each syllable. He smirked, "I don't give a
fuck if he dumped me. Why should I, Mr. Set-The-Blond-Stereotype?" (No
offence meant to you blondes out there!)

Sasuke turned his head to the side, "I just don't want him to get hurt, ok?"

"Is it true that you're not even telling them about him?"

"Them?"
"Your little friends at Deuce Bag Corner"

Sasuke glared at him, "Yes, I am not telling them. That's for his own protection
though. If I were to tell them then...Well-"

"You don't want what happened to me, to happen to Naruto"

Sasuke stared at his feet, while Gaara chuckled, "If you think you love him so
much, then why don't you stick up for him?"

Before Sasuke could answer, the bell rang and students started pouring in. He
went back to his designated seat, but not before throwing the redhead one last
dirty look.

69696969696969696969696969696

Gaara's eye twitched. He hated this, he really hated this. When they had picked
groups to do that huge project, which he might add, he hadn't even begun to
work on, it turns out, they were also picking work groups...For the rest of the
year.

Word had spread fast that Gaara had been dumped and the fan girls had gone
wild; Especially TenTen. For you see, Gaara was currently in his second period
class, and they were currently doing a worksheet, that pertained to some stupid
play or another. But that wasn't the point. No, the reason that his hands were
shaking in murderous rage, was the fact that TenTen was trying to be as bitchy
as possible. While he felt that he put up a brave front, Gaara had been upset
when he found out that he was officially dumped. Although he had known that his
slight fantasy of Neji breaking down on his doorstep was a bit farfetched.
This was annoying none the less. TenTen had been giving him shit for the past
ten minutes, with Neji telling her to shut up every now and then.

"I knew you didn't have what it takes to be his pet," boasted TenTen, clinging to
Neji's arm as he tried to write on his paper, "After all, he needs someone who will
satisfy him!"

Gaara glared at her, "Would you shut up you stupid whore" He glanced at Neji
who had looked up at him to smirk when he addressed TenTen.

Not that anyone would notice by just looking at him, but the Hyuuga looked like
Hell. His eyes looked tired and almost held a hint of sorrow. His hair seemed to
kind of hang in his face, like a curtain that had something to hide. He was only
wearing a dark blue T shirt and some slightly tight black pants that looked
expensive.
Gaara frowned and turned his head to the side, angry at himself for looking at the
stupid Hyuuga. He looked down to do his work, but TenTen's ever relentless
voice, continued to be a unpleasantly loud and high itched sound in his ears.
"You see, he needs someone who can satisfy him. You're just some freshmen
who probably couldn't even get him into bed"

Gaara sighed in distaste at her lack of common decency. Not that he had his fair
share or anything.

"Would you shut up?"

TenTen merely scowled, "Tell him Neji! He couldn't get into bed with you could
he?"

Neji just shrugged, apparently proving to TenTen, in her own odd logic, that she
was correct. Gaara's grip on his pencil increased and his pencil snapped in half.
TenTen stared at him, "You're such a pathetic freak," she sneered, "It's no
wonder Neji dumped you"

"TENTEN!" growled Neji suddenly slamming his book shut, "shut up, before I
shut you up!"

He stood abruptly, and stalked out of the classroom. The rest of the class that
had looked up and followed Neji with their eyes wince he first yelled, now turned
their heads to TenTen and Gaara.

"That was your fault!" Screamed TenTen at Gaara before getting up and
following Neji out. The redhead merely shrugged his shoulders and went back to
his assignment.

Chapter 12

"What the ferk was that woman?"

Temari and Kankurou had third period together, Algebra 2. The blonde rolled her
eyes, "Jesus," she said, "We always do that when people get all pissed off! What
was it with you not playing along?"

And it was the truth. Whenever they had gotten into a jam with another male,
Temari would say something about Kankurou checking him out and Kankurou
would start touching his arm. If the guy was straight he would leave a bit
traumatized, and if not...Well, Kankurou broke more hearts that way.

"That's not the point," said Kankurou changing the subject, "Those guys don't
mean anything! WHAT WE NEED TO BE FOCUSING ON IS GAARA!"
Temari raised her eyebrow, "You're making a scene"

"Huh?"

And as it would happen, the rest of the student body, currently situated in the
classroom, had their eyes glued on him. Maybe the fact that he had stood on his
desk and was yelling in his sister's face had something to do with that fact, but oh
well.

"Please sit down Kankurou" said the exasperated teacher.

He sheepishly took his seat and glared at Temari who had begun snickering in
her hand.

Gaara stared blankly at the junior in front of him. Why was he there? Why wasn't
he at his own seat? He thought he was going to be finally left alone...Kisame
raised an eyebrow, "No hello?"

"I was under the impression that when I was dumped that you people were going
to leave me alone" The redhead said monotonously, inwardly wincing as he said
the word 'dumped'.

Kisame chuckled, "You won't have to worry about us" He said reaching into the
pocket of his denim coat, "I'm just supposed to get something from you for Neji.
We aren't exactly on good terms after that little stunt at Tayuya's"

Gaara glared at the key that Kisame had pulled out and said, "We weren't on
good terms before"

The blue man merely shrugged, "Well, we liked you" He reached out and
touched the collar around the redhead's neck, "So lean over and I'll take this off"

Gaara tilted his head to the side, "Maybe I want to keep it"

Kisame scowled, "Why would you want to keep it. You don't even like it"

"No, but I hate that stupid Hyuuga. He gave it to me, so it's mine"

Kisame raised his eyebrow, "Maybe I didn't make myself clear. I'm here to get the
collar back for Neji, so give it!"

Gaara smirked as the teacher entered the room, turning on loud 80's music and
singing along with a funny out of key voice. "B-b-b-baaad! Bunananana! Bad to
the bone!"
Kisame frowned, but went back to sit at his desk which was across the room.
Why did that brat have to be so difficult? All Neji's other pets had just broken
down into tears! Well, then again, all his other pets had been with him willingly.
He raised an eyebrow in a bit of pondering interest... Neji sure had gone in a
different direction this time.

Gaara listened with little interest to what the teacher was saying. He had a solid
B in this class, so he could easily afford to space out.

After Neji had stormed out, the teacher had called the office to inform them that
Hyuuga Neji might be late for his next class. He had almost given a small snort;
the guy was covering for that bastard. He had finished his assignment in silence,
but his mind had been a wreck. Neji had been angry at TenTen, he had... In a
way stood up for him.

Gaara rested his face in his hands, 'I have decided what I want to be when I grow
up...' An evil smirk stretched across his face. And he picked up his pencil and
began to doodle, now completely oblivious to the lesson being spoken by the
over animated teacher.

Math was a trivial thing that he didn't care about and that he would never care
about. All he knew about this stupid subject was the urban myth that all math
teachers everywhere wanted you to believe:

Urban Myth

"Gaara quick! We're in over our heads in this one! We could lose this account
unless you are able to solve this quadratic equation to the roots and round to the
nearest hundredth! Show all work!"

End Urban Myth

Gaara shook his head; he really shouldn't let himself wander too much, it got
scary if you saw the places his mind would wander to.

He glared at the teacher who was walking over to him, "Gaara? Why don't you do
this next problem on the board?"

"Why don't you get bent?"

The normally happy teacher's eyes widened, "Do you want to go to the principal's
office?"

"Do you want to get bent?"

He wasn't sure why he picked now of all days to be rude and careless with his
words to a teacher, but he did know that he was having a really good time with it.
Obviously, the teacher was not. "Go to the office now!"

"Get bent now" Was the reply as Gaara picked up his bag, he did not even
bother to take out any of his things in the first place -apart from the pencil-, and
left the room, leaving a few snickers and a very pissed off teacher.

Kisame rolled his eyes and looked down at his cell phone that was concealed
underneath his desk and read the message that he was send.

Get the collar

He sighed, pushing buttons with practiced speed, replying:

Our little friend is on his way to the office, didn't give the collar back

Neji scowled at the response he received from Kisame in accordance with this
text message. Gaara hadn't given back and the necklace and then got himself in
trouble, so that he was sent to see the principal. 'Dammit! Why does he have to
make this so hard!'

He raised his hand, catching the teacher's attention, "Yes Mr. Hyuuga?"

"May I go to the office ma'am? Of friend of mine is in trouble" He smiled sweetly,

causing the young teacher to swoon slightly before nodding the affirmative, "Of
course"

Neji smirked as she wrote up a pass for him and gave it to him with a small
giggle. At least he knew he could still charm the faculty if anything else. He
scowled as TenTen leaned over her desk and grabbed his sleeve, "Where are
you going Neji?" She whispered, tugging on his sleeve.

Neji scowled, "None of your fucking business"

He yanked his arm free and walked out of the room, ignoring TenTen's calls. He
broke into a light jog, hoping to get there before Gaara was given any
consequences. Kisame's text hadn't been very informative, so he had no idea
why the redhead was going to the office. He started running faster, becoming
impatient after only seconds. He reached the office quickly and pushed the door
open.

Gaara was still sitting in one of the seats; he had obviously not been called in yet.
He stared at the redhead, feeling the tightening in his chest that had plagued him
all weekend. Gaara stared back at him, those emerald green eyes completely
blank. He gulped; schooling his expression to make sure it was as cold as it had
been the first day they met. "What did you do?"

Gaara's blank look morphed into an ugly glare, "I told the teacher to get
bent...Repeatedly"

Neji kept his face unreadable, but his inner self was practically biting the
freshmen's head off. How could he be that stupid? "Why didn't you give the collar
back to Kisame?"

The glare was once again a blank look and Gaara turned away, "Maybe I want to
keep it"

Neji scowled, his mask cracking slightly, "Why? Why the Hell would you want it! I
thought you hated it!" He caught himself and paused, looking down and forcing
his face back to normal.

Gaara shrugged, diverting his gaze so that their eyes met, a serious expression
lingering in his otherwise empty mints. "I hate this thing as much as I hate you,
but if only to spite you; I'll keep it."

Neji bristled, "I can get you in a lot of trouble," he growled, "If you cross me"

Gaara scoffed, standing up and glaring straight at him, "Like I give a shit! You
think I'm scared of you? You're sadly mistaken-"

"Fine!" Yelled Neji interrupting him, "I was going to help you! I was going to get
you out of this, but now you can fucking forget it! YOU RUINED IT!"

Gaara blinked, his glare lessening, and he tilted his head in honest confusion,
"You were here to help?" He frowned suspiciously, "Why?"

"BECAUSE I L-" Neji caught himself for the second time, "NEVERMIND!" He
turned on his heel and stormed out of the office, and slamming the door hard
enough to make a couple of pictures fall off the wall. Gaara was left behind,
leaning back in his chair and resuming his blank look; though his mind was
swarming with thoughts of murder, rage and confusion.

Neji stormed back down the halls, pondering whether or not he even wanted to
go back to class. He stopped, his white gaze falling on the locker lined walls. He
let himself go, only for a moment.

A loud noise echoed through the halls, and Neji withdrew his red knuckled hand
from the newly made dent in the aluminum. He panted in pain as a stinging,
burning sensation made its way up his hand and through his arm. He closed his
eyes tightly and leaned his forehead against the locker. He had to get out of
there. He could ask Itachi or Orochimaru to get his stuff for him.

The Hyuuga boy made his way more slowly down the halls, his suddenly tired
feet carrying him through the quiet corridors. 'Why did he do that?' That
suspicious look in Gaara's eye had actually hurt. As had the blank look he had
been met with. 'Why didn't he...' Neji wasn't sure what he wanted exactly. All he
knew was that he was disappointed. He didn't know why he had rushed to the
office at the thought that Gaara might be in trouble. He didn't know what he had
been hoping for.

Neji felt tears welling up in his eyes as he stopped to lean against the open
gates. His jaw clenched and he was tempted to punch the concrete. And what he
had almost said...Neji scowled, he couldn't believe he had almost said that he...

He felt his heart clench, 'It's not possible...It is?' The tears fell as he looked up
and the third floor where he knew the office was. 'Am I really in love?'

Gaara refrained from frowning, but he knew he wanted to. Just what the Hell was
that all about? He almost wanted to take out Shukaku and write something, but
he wasn't sure what exactly he would write. What the Hell was up with that stupid
jerk?

His green glare continued to emanate evil at the wall, as he replayed the events
in his head over and over again. The way Neji avoided his eyes, the slight pink
on his cheeks, how he had overreacted so much, just because he was going to
keep the collar. He lowered his head, and finally, just before he left...

Because I l-

His jade eyes narrowed in disbelief, 'Was he about to say he loved me!'

That was too much for the redhead. Ignoring the protests of the secretary, he
bolted out the door, searching frantically for which way Neji went. Picking a
random hall, he began his search throughout the entire building, starting with the
third floor down. Though in truth, all he did was run down one hall to the stairs,
and keep like this until he had left the building completely.

The crisp autumn air met his face with a rush and he saw that Neji was just
leaving the gate, "Oh no you don't" he hissed under his breath, gaining his
second wind.

Neji's eyes widened as he felt the world beginning to feel oddly off balance. This
feeling was quickly replaced with annoyance and indignation when he fell what
would have been face first if not for his reflexes, into the pavement. He felt a
presence on top of his back. In a flash he had pushed himself up and turned to
pin the soon to be injured asshole who tackled him.

His sour look was wiped clean off his face however, when he came face to face
with a panting Gaara.

Neji raised an eyebrow, "What?"

Gaara pushed him off balance again and sat on his stomach to prevent him from
leaving, "What were you about to say?"

"What?"

"Why did you come to help me?"

Neji scowled, "I said nevermind. Mind your own fucking business!"

Gaara rolled his eyes, "In case you didn't notice, this is my fucking business" He
leaned closer, narrowing his eyes, "So, what were you going to say?"

The Hyuuga stared at the redhead's lips, just one week before he could have
kissed them without a second thought. His thoughts were bubbling up, Just tell
him! Kiss him! Throw him off and run away! He Shut his eyes and leaned
back, "Go away," He muttered, "You hate me, I dumped you, so it doesn't matter"

Gaara sighed, "Maybe it does..." Then he kissed him.

Neji felt his head reeling in shock, 'Ok, WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!' But all he
could do was wrap one arm around the boy's waist and put his hand on the back
of his neck. He opened his mouth and found that Gaara did so as well. Their
tongues battled for dominance, while Neji rolled them over so that he was on top.

Gaara wrapped his arms around Neji's neck, finally giving in and letting the
Hyuuga explore his mouth. He whimpered when Neji's hand found their way to
his hips and started to move under his shirt. Neji smiled against his lips and
pulled away slightly to allow them both breath.

Gaara pushed himself up and nuzzled against Neji's neck, then tilted his head up
for another kiss. Neji leaned down to meet him again. Gaara laid his head back
down on the cement, forgetting his surroundings and enjoying the warmth. Their
tongues tangled together, both of them starting to grind their hips together, trying
to feel it more.

Their kisses were fast becoming sloppy as their breath became short and
ragged. Gaara threw his head to the side, taking in gulps of air and moaning as
Neji began thrusting between his legs and sucking on his neck, in what had
become a familiar way to the redhead. He could feel his face burning with a hot
blush and he arched his back into the rhythmic movements of his partner.

Suddenly, they heard a cough and froze. Gaara stared straight up at the overcast
sky, while Neji turned his head and saw green spandex and huge eyebrows.

"What the-"

"GOOD AFTERNOON MY FELLOW YOUTHFUL PEERS!"

Gaara gawked and Neji groaned, it was the hall monitor, "Lee," he whined, "You
have horrible timing! Give us five more minutes!"

Lee shook his head, "WHILE I REGRET TO INTERRUPT YOUR YOUTHFUL

ACTIVITIES! YOU MUST SAVE THEM FOR AFTER CLASS!"

Neji started to push himself up, but was stopped by Gaara legs around his waist,
"Can't you use your precious influence to make him go away?" He whispered into
the Hyuuga's ear.

Neji shivered, but shook his head, "Sorry," he muttered, "But this guy will rant"

He sat up into his haunches and stood. He held his hand out to Gaara, only to
have swatted away. "It's not like you can't make him go away" Muttered Gaara,
standing up by himself.

Neji rolled his eyes, "Listen," he said jabbing the redhead in the chest with his
finger, "you can wait!" He turned to Lee, missing the dark look that settled on
Gaara's face. "Lee, we're coming ok?"

Lee shook his head, "I AM AFRAID NOT FELLOW YOUTH!"

"What?"

Lee pointed behind him, "FOR YOU SEE, YOUR YOUTHFUL COMPANION
SEEMS TO BE LEAVING!"

Neji turned back around and saw Gaara storming away, towards the school
parking lot, which was a street over. "Gaara!" He yelled, "GET BACK HERE!"

Gaara kept walking, ignoring his voice and lost in his own thoughts. 'Stupid
bastard! I can't believe I kissed him! What the hell!' He growled, but kept walking,
knowing that Neji had started to run after him. The Hyuuga almost reached him,
when he glanced over his shoulder and gave the darkest, most evil glare he
could ever possibly be capable of.
Neji stopped in his tracks, and glared back, though not as powerfully. Gaara
turned his head to face forward and broke out into a run, leaving Neji behind.

Neji let out a tired sigh, giving up on following the Subaku. 'Was it something I
said?'

"Listen," he said jabbing the redhead in the chest with his finger, "you can wait!"

'Oh boy... I probbly shouldn't have said /that/ to him... Not when he was finally
accepting me after...' Letting out a sigh, Neji made his way to his car. He was
going with the original plan of skipping the rest of the day. He was tired now, and
a nap was beginning to get very appealing.

Gaara paused, panting and leaning against an alley wall. He let his head fall
back against it, 'What an asshole!' He thought, 'What a stupid...gah!'

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a little box that he had been
saving since Sunday. 'I heard these were great stress relievers...'

He opened the Marlboro box and pulled out a cigarette. He reached into his coat
pocket and took out his red lighter that he had gotten at the dollar store, three for
a dollar. He lit up and took a few experimental puffs, coughing a couple times.

The breaths started coming more smoothly and he felt that he was growing more
accustomed to the taste and even getting fond of it.

He held his cigarette lightly between his teeth and pocketed the box and lighter.

After taking a few leisurely drags, he started back down the road, heading home
and preparing a loud, angry speech as to why he would not explain to Kankuro or
Temari why he left.

Neji flopped onto his bed, the water in the mattress moving underneath him,
causing him to rock. He stared at the ceiling, Gaara echoing through his head,
not just his voice, but everything about him. Things Neji never knew he noticed
before.

How vibrantly red his hair was, yet soft and wispy, obviously not dyed. His eyes,
that almost changed shades of green, depending on his moods. How that dark
makeup he wore only served to make them look even brighter. The way he would
glare at everything, but you could tell he was happy because of a tiny little smile
he would give every minute or so. Neji gulped, why did he have to mess up? It
had almost seemed like things were going to be ok.

He rolled over onto his stomach and groaned, this sucked.

He lay like that for another forty minutes, before his sudden exhaustion over
came him, and pulled him into slumber.

A couple hours later, he was still asleep. His dream was far too wonderful to ever
want to wake up again. Unfortunately, his younger cousin Hanabi did not know
this. And came running into his room, jumping onto his bed and giving him a rude
awakening.

"NEJI!" she cried jumping into his bed and landing on his stomach, not only
waking him up, but knocking the wind out of him as well. Neji sat up and shoved
her off the bed, "What?" he growled, irritated at having been woken up.

"What's that?"

Neji frowned and looked down at her arm. He followed it with his eyes and found
that she was pointing into his lap. At his...Neji closed his eyes, not something he
would like his cousin to see, "Go ask Hinata," he muttered, "She can tell you"

He threw the covers off as Hanabi ran off to find her older sister. As he checked
his clock to find it to be 3:45pm he heard the tell tale 'thump' of Hinata fainting.

He would have smirked, had he not been so distracted. He had not been
expecting a dream like that. Not that he minded immensely...Well, he wouldn't
have if it hadn't been interrupted by a rude little bitch who would remain
unnamed.

He grabbed his keys and headed down the hall, intent on finding a distraction.
Gaara was pissed and probably needed space. He smiled when he climbed into
the driver's seat, but still, maybe there was hope after all.

Chapter 13

It was just after school, students were rushing for the bus with the disgruntled
driver who left twenty seconds after the bell rang. Some sauntered to the gate,
and some just stood on the campus talking about the latest gossip, or their
pathetic crushes on Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Itachi or the once again single
Hyuuga Neji.

A single figure could be seen if one looked very closely, sitting on top of the
school roof that even the delinquents had evacuated. With a cigarette hanging
limply and unlit in his mouth, the redhead sat in solitary. Jade green eyes stared
at the blank page in Shukaku that had been open for the past hour that he had
skipped class. He hadn't written in the two weeks he had been avoiding Neji. He
had been angry at first, but he didn't care anymore.
He was starting to get that hyper feeling. One that had become so foreign, that
he used to feel constantly. It felt like he could do anything, a constant rush that
was hidden behind a mask of hating, dangerous indifference. It wasn't a good
hyper, at least not for those around him, but it was his sanctuary, his protection
from being like everyone else. Neji had taken it from him, but the more he
thought, just pondered over things, the more he could feel the old impulses
surging through his veins and giving him that strength and insanity he had
momentarily lost.

He was Sabaku no Gaara, and there was no way that he would be pushed down
or overcome, not by his father, not by TenTen, and certainly not by Neji.

He smirked at the once so usual feeling. Things were starting to get better,
starting to go back to the way he once was. It had always been so easy all
through middle school, and this place thought it could win. Gaara looked up at
the sky. Those who thought he was going to be cast aside, who thought he had
just been a pet, another face in the crowd that would be melted to nothing, were
in for a rude awakening.

He heard the door that led to the roof open and didn't bother turning his head.
From the silence and soft footsteps, he knew it was one of his siblings, come to
fetch him.

"Gaara," said the deep voice of Kankurouu, "It's time to leave"

Gaara gave a slight nod of his head and pocketed the still unused cigarette. He
brushed off his black high waters and turned to glare at his older brother,
"Whatever" he muttered brushing past him.

Kankurouu sighed and followed, speaking as they made their way to the front
entrance where Temari was waiting, "I wish you wouldn't smoke those things," he
said, "You know how bad they are for you?"

Gaara snorted, "I don't know why you and Temari suddenly want to get all buddy
buddy after ignoring me since... my birth, and I don't really care, but it's getting
annoying, so piss off"

Kankurou frowned, but remained silent, knowing that any other words would be
wasted at the moment. There was no sense in casting his pearls before the
swine, not that he thought Gaara was a swine.

Temari

The blonde girl stood there, tapping her foot immediately after Kankurou left to
retrieve their brother from the roof of the school. She wasn't impatient; she was
just trying to appear so, in order to avoid too much small talk. Not that she didn't
like her friends, she just wanted to get Gaara home as soon as possible.

She and Kankurou had entertained fantasies of their younger brother mellowing
out in high school, and while they thought maybe it might happen with Neji. They
found they were proved wrong, with their younger sibling dumped him and
returned to his old ways. She wasn't sure which one she preferred, although she
was sure that she desperately craved the blood of the Hyuuga. Even though
Gaara acted like he didn't care, and maybe he didn't, she knew that he had felt
something.

Neither she nor Kankurou had really reacted to Gaara dating a boy. They had
always considered the redhead asexual above anything else, so a girl or a guy
would have surprised them equally.

Now, Temari wasn't very aware of herself, in the sense that she had no idea that
when she pondered while standing, she had a habit of pacing.

Why this fact is important, is the fact that while pacing, she walked right into a
student who was just about to leave the main gate. They both fell onto the
ground with a thud.

"What the hell!" She growled, sitting up and snapping her legs together, "Watch
where you're going asshole!"

The boy who she had knocked over was sitting as well, but he didn't seem very
angry, "Sheesh, getting all worked up over nothing...How troublesome"

She stood up and glared down at a boy whom she recognized to be a freshmen
who was somehow in her advanced chemistry class. He was that kid who sat
three seats in front of her then diagonal two more seats. He was always sleeping
but still pulling an A in the class. Naturally, being his elder, she and her lesser C-
were quite envious.

"Look you" she growled, pointing an accusing finger at him, "You should watch
where you're going! You knocked a pretty lady on the ground and didn't even
apologize!"

"Che," muttered Shikamaru, "Try acting like a lady" He looked to the side and
something seemed to catch his eye. Temari curiously followed his gaze and saw
that Gaara and Kankurou were approaching him.

"Gaara" murmured Shikamaru

"Shikamaru"
The boy turned away from the redhead and started to walk away. But just as he
was about to turn the corner, Temari piped up, "Gaara! That jerk told me I wasn't
a pretty lady! How can you talk so civilly to him?"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, "Putting words in my mouth?" The three siblings
looked at him, "I don't recall saying you weren't pretty" Leaving this as his parting
statement, he disappeared from view, muttering about something troublesome.

Temari stood there, blushing a little, wondering what exactly he meant by that.
While Kankurou and Gaara proceeded to walk ahead, leaving her to catch up.

"Dobe..."

Naruto's back stiffened, as a shiver ran up and down his spine, "Teme" he
murmured, turning to place a chaste kiss on the new arrival's lips.

They had been sneaking around for about two and a half weeks. No one
suspected a thing as far they knew. Sasuke would inform his brother and friends
that he was tired of his parents ignoring him and that he wanted to go for a walk,
and they accepted it, not even asking where he walked to. It was the truth in a
way. The Uchiha parents always praising Itachi and seemed to forget that they
had a second son. It used to hurt Sasuke a lot, but attention showered on him by
others, served to more or less make him forget about it.

Naruto only had to disappear and come back at any hour with the explanation
that he had been eating at the Ichiraku, and Iruka would believe him. Kakashi
always gave him a look though, one that screamed, 'You're not foolin' me with
that bullshit'.

It didn't matter though. They were able to meet fairly often without the threat of
someone discovering them and their secret. It was almost sunset, mostly
everyone was at home, having dinner. The park where they had chosen to meet
was completely deserted.

Naruto smiled as Sasuke began to push him lightly. He was sitting on a lone
swing, tied to a tree that was a little ways away from the rest of the playground.

"You know," He sighed, "I used to sit here, on this swing, all by myself when I
lived at the orphanage..." He could practically see all the little kids playing
happily, or glaring at him hatefully, "I never had any friends, everyone called me
a monster. I never knew what I did... And when Iruka came to see about a son
when I was twelve. I was so sure that he would pick someone else..." He stopped
swinging and felt Sasuke's arms wrap around him, tears were falling from his
eyes, "I was so happy... That he wanted me"
Sasuke smiled when the blond nuzzled into his chest, "It's sorta the same, you
know? I never thought...You would want me"

The Uchiha buried his face in the blond hair, "I've wanted you for a long time" he
murmured.

They stayed like that for a while, talking about various things, each seemingly
avoiding the subject of school until, "So that time when I tried to beat up Neji and
you held me back... You weren't making things easier for him... You were
protecting me"

Sasuke smirked, "Maybe"

"Oh come on Teme! I don't need protection! I'll scrap! I'll scrap anytime he says!"

Sasuke sighed, "I know Dobe, just stay out of his way...He is leaving Gaara alone
now, isn't that good enough?"

Naruto growled, leaning away to look him in the eye, "What your friends did was
awful Sasuke! Sure Gaara is acting like it's nothing, but it's still unforgivable!"

The Uchiha sighed and let go of the blond to rub the bridge of his nose, "So what
do you want to do? What do you think you could honestly do? Going against Neji
is going against almost the entire student body" He let his arms fall to his sides,
"And besides that, he's my friend. What stopped you from hating him before,
when he did this to other people?" His voice began to rise unconsciously, as his
protective feelings for a friend began to surface.

Naruto scowled, it was the truth that it angered him what happened to the people
who caught the Hyuuga's, and often other members of Royal corner's, eye. But
he hadn't actually thought of acting against it until it happened to Gaara. There
was something about Gaara, that Naruto felt was the same as him. The blow that
was dealt that night at Tayuya's had felt far more personal than anything else that
Hyuuga had ever done that even remotely pertained to Naruto.

"But it was Gaara...We have no idea how he actually feels..."

Sasuke frowned, "He said he didn't care"

"I know what he said! But...But he's different. He was alone, not even his brother
and sister really talked to him at all. He never had any friends till he came here"
Naruto looked solemnly at the Uchiha, "So how do we know that he wants to, or
even knows how to talk about how he's feeling?"

The blond felt his stomach twist in concern for the redhead. The solitude that he
knew Gaara had endured was unmatched even by his own. And even at that,
Gaara hadn't exactly readily accepted Toy Corner's friendship, even if he had
caved in the end. Why would the redhead trust them? Even if they all knew he
was trustworthy, he probably did not feel the same about them.

"I'm just worried Teme, it's worse that I can't do anything about it. I can't help him
at all" He could feel tears starting to gather in his eyes and wiped them away with
disdain. Not only was he helpless but he was crying over it, that would be too
much of a blow to his ego is Sasuke saw.

The Uchiha wrapped his arms around the boy, "I don't know him very well," he
whispered, "But maybe you should have more faith in him. If he had it so rough,
than maybe he has thicker skin than you give him credit for..."

Naruto sighed and nodded his head, although he didn't fully agree with what the
other said, he allowed himself to bask in false hope...For the moment at least.

They were late, he was going to give them five minutes before he just left and
went to hang out with his friends. He had a life! He had things to do! His uncle
had been on his case for the past six days, Hinata would avoid looking him in the
eye even more now and, and...Ok, maybe ten more minutes...

Neji smiled when he saw the familiar car pull into the driveway. Now a days he
rushed out to his car and driven to this part of town, just to catch a glimpse of the
now aloof redhead. The past two weeks had been a bit hard on him. Gaara
almost never met his eye in class, and when he did, Neji was a cold glare that
made even the Hyuuga shiver. Now all he could do was watch the boy from afar,
and regret his mistakes.

Chapter 14

((Neji's POV))

It's way too early, I need it to be weekend so bad... I just got to school, after
driving Deidara and Sasori, who were making out in the backseat. Normally I
wouldn't mind, but...For some reason it sort of bothered me. It's probably
because of the fact that I haven't kissed Gaara for two weeks. I know we weren't
together for very long, and even during that time he was pretty much resisting me
and threatening my life and home. Still, when he would blush or kiss me back...

I finally got to the gate when suddenly; I spot something on the edge of the roof.
Red hair...

I couldn't help but smile, he went up there a lot, I almost never see him between
classes anymore. And in the past couple of weeks he has only shown up at lunch
about four times. I know I miss him, but I don't really understand why. I guess
that I just kind of need attention, and it's always been given. I'll admit that I was
really surprised that Gaara wouldn't even spare me a passing glance. Maybe
that's why I felt like he needed to be obsessed with me.

I watched as the red hair disappears from my view, I guess he must have been
really close to the edge for me to have been able to see him.

"Neji!"

I jumped a little when I heard someone call my name. Even if I didn't know all my
close friend's voices, I'd still know that it was someone who knew me well.
Almost everyone else in this school calls me "Neji-kun" or "Neji-san"...At least to
my face.

I tried to smile and as Sasuke walked up to me, "Where's Itachi?" I asked, noting
that he was alone.

Sasuke shrugged. He was always scowling, he should at least try to master

some sort of creepy grin. Suddenly my mind flashed to Orochimaru or Kisame,
hmmm...Maybe not so much. I noticed Sasuke is glaring at me even more,
"What?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "Were you even listening?"

"...No"

He huffed, looking a little more his age than usual, "I said, I want to talk about
something important"

I can't help but smile for real at him, "Sure"

Sasuke nodded, "But not right now," he said, "Class starts in about five minutes,
so let's talk when..."

I tilted my head to the side; I wondered what he wanted to talk about, "How
about...I'll take you out for coffee after school. I can give you a ride home too"

Sasuke nodded, "Yeah thanks. I'll see you at lunch"

I nodded and he turned around and walked away. I walked the rest of the way to
class and ponder what he might want. I had first period with Gaara. And I think
that's where my thoughts went to him and stayed there for the rest of my class.
Even with TenTen saying something or another. I don't really care; I'm still kind of
mad at her for messing with Gaara. Oh well, he didn't seem very bothered by her.

Class was over pretty fast, I must have been more distracted than I thought. I
started walking towards my next class, when I saw Gaara. 'Hm, looks like he's
going into the bathroom...' I realize that it was probably a pathetic move on my
part, but I followed him. I walked in as quietly as possible; he was in there alone,
pulling out a lighter. I frowned when I saw the cigarette in his mouth. He is in the
far corner, almost against the wall.

"You're breaking school rules" I said before I could stop myself. I didn't really
care if he was breaking the rules; I think I just wanted him to notice I was there.
Well, he did notice me.

Gaara glared at me, but he put the lighter back in his pocket, "What the fuck do
you want?" He growled.

I shrugged. I had no idea how to go about this. Everything I had tried just seemed
to piss him off even more. So I just stood there, hoping that he would do
something... Anything. We had actually acknowledged each other while in the
same room for awhile. He pulled the cigarette out of his mouth, "I'll repeat," he
said, "What the fuck do you want?"

I sighed and took a couple steps closer so that I was right in front of him. He
doesn't look as small as he used to, his hair looked a little shorter, like he just
trimmed it.

He glared at me warily, he still didn't trust me. Although...Why would he? After
everything I put him through, why would he even want to be near me? I could feel
guilt stab right through me, but I tried to ignore it, the last thing I needed to do
was flinch while he was watching me so carefully. I wished he would watch me
more; maybe he would be able to figure out what's wrong with me...

The next thing I know, I've pinned him against the wall, and my mouth is on his. I
can't really think right now. I've missed him so much, and now I can finally taste
him again. I put my hands in his hair, it's so soft, and his skin is so smooth. But I
still notice something; he's holding perfectly still, he isn't responding in any way.

I open my eyes and pull away. He's staring at me, same as usual. Although, his
cheeks are a little pink; probably from me grabbing him.

I liked my lips, "Why didn't you kiss me back?" I was scared to ask, I think I
already knew the answer, but I needed some sort of closure. I needed it if I
wanted any chance of getting over him.

"Why should I"

He didn't really ask it, he just sort of said it. I almost wanted to cry, but I couldn't
let him see me being weak, I couldn't allow myself to be weak.
I shrugged, "Yeah...I guess you're right" I managed a smirk, though I doubt that it
looked real, oh well, as long as I managed to save some sort of face. I turned
around and walked out of the bathroom, he didn't follow me. I went to class from
there and sat down, I hope this will get better from here on out.

((End POV))

Gaara stared at the door after it closed, 'What the Hell was that!' He swallowed,
frowning slightly and put the cigarette in his mouth. With shaking hands he lit it
and inhaled a lungful, 'damn Hyuuga, what's he planning...'

He walked to the class and took his seat, noticing that TenTen was draped over
Neji and giving him a dirty look. He shook his head and took his seat, it was their
last day working on the project until they had to present. Gaara unconsciously
licked his lips, whatever toothpaste that Hyuuga used, it tasted pretty good. He
growled, 'not this again'. He looked back over, just in time to see TenTen plant a
kiss on Neji's cheek. He felt his insides boil when the Hyuuga just smiled at her.

He frowned and pulled out Shukaku.

((October 31))

Shukaku,

I can't believe he let her kiss him. I'm not jealous, but I have to say, it is insulting
to be replaced by a bitch like her. I mean really, of all the people, he has to pick
her? Ouch for me. So this is what it feels like for a girl to be cheated on by her
boyfriend with another guy. Hm, oh well.

Naruto is upset with me for not showing up very often at lunch, everyone except
Shino and Shikamaru is. I think Shino doesn't care cause we still usually walk to
class together, and Shikamaru is just a lazy bastard. I hate Shakespeare, sorry
to say that so suddenly, but we have just been assigned to read a biography of
his life and write a summary. He's the guy who wrote Romeo and Juliet. The
supposed greatest romance of all time about two star crossed lovers.

Oh! Look at this, we have to talk about Romeo and Juliet because we will be
reading it.

TenTen just raised her hand. Oh man, this is gonna be a laugh.

"Well," said TenTen, "I think that it's their parents fault. I mean, if two people are
in love," She smiled at Neji, "Then their parents should back off. Like, we're
young; we should be able to follow our hearts! Romeo and Juliet were so much in
love that they died together...And that's such a beautiful thing"
She was met with applause and Gaara rolled his eyes, 'How cute'

After the clapping died down she took her seat and actually glared smugly at the
redhead who thought she sounded like an idiot.

"Would anyone else like to say something?" Asked the teacher glancing around
the room, "How about you Gaara? You never talk during class, but your writing is
very insightful"

He heard some snickers and TenTen making some snide remark, so he stood up
and leaned against his desk. He glanced around the room and shrugged.

"The thing about Romeo and Juliet that most people ignore is that they were
pathetic. They were a couple of little kids; it says in the book and the play that
they were 13 and 14... So really, what makes them so mature? Follow their
hearts? Your heart will lie to you more than anything or anyone else you will ever
encounter. Juliet could have had a perfectly happy life with the man that her
older, wiser and loving parents picked out for her. Romeo was the son from a
wealthy family that loved him as well. In reality, they met and had a crush. Love
at first sight doesn't exist. Love in itself is a chemical reaction in the brain that is
triggered by a certain sight that releases endorphin in the brain.

"They weren't in love and their suicide wasn't beautiful at all. They were a couple
of little kids who couldn't get their way, so they threw the ultimate bitch fit"

He smirked at TenTen and Neji and than sat back down. Some of the people
were nodding their agreement, they had never thought about it like that before.
The ones surrounding TenTen were giving him dirty looks and coughing random
insults that he didn't pay attention to.

He allowed to let his thoughts wander as the teacher congratulated TenTen and
Gaara on their opinion and went into the different plots that were actually holding
similar elements to the play...Or some bullshit like that. He stared at the ceiling,
silently wondering to himself if he should write a book. If everyone in the world
was as clueless as the idiots in his classroom, than he could quite conceivably
make a fortune.

Sakon glanced at the person on the other side of the room for the twenty-seventh
time that day and sighed for the thirty-fourth. This individual obviously wasn't
exactly fond of him, so how would he get them to agree to a date? Ukon was way
more convincing than he was. That's how his younger brother managed to sink
his claws into Kimimaro after Orochimaru turned him down.

Sakon shook his head. He didn't need to be thinking about that drama right now,
most certainly not. He glanced again, 'twenty eight'
Here they were in Spanish class currently and he was only learning how to ask
someone to accompany him for coffee. Maybe he could trick this person into
going out with him...Maybe that would serve to piss them off. He sighed, 'thirty
five'

"Alright class partner up!"

Sakon stood up hurriedly and ran over to the new object of his affections. "Hey!"
He said before they could even stand up, "Let's be partners!"

Kankurou raised his eyebrow, "Uh, ok"

Sakon smiled and sat down, "Sooo...Do you understand this?"

Kankurou gave a slight nod "Yeah, you just have to conjugate the verbs into the
future tense" He glanced around and frowned.

"What's wrong?" Asked Sakon, leaning forward "Are you alright?"

He nodded, "Yeah, I can't find my pencil..." They both started rummaging around.
Kankurou checked the surrounding area, whereas Sakon got on his hands and
knees and looked on the floor to see if his crush had dropped it. Unfortunately he
was unable to locate any some sort of writing utensil.

"DONDE CONO ESTA MI LAPIZ!"(1) Kankurou yelled in annoyance at life. But

as life was being already cruel to him, the teacher was giving him a death glare.
The rest of the students were able to recognize some of that sentence. Sakon
had though; he snickered into his hand, "Way to go genius"

Kankurou glared at him, then turned to the teacher and raised his eyebrow,
"Well?"

The teacher handed him a Ticonderoga pencil, "Now please sit down and one
more outburst... Just one more and you go to the principal's office"

The boy just nodded and sat down, glaring once more at Sakon who started
laughing. "I can't believe you swore in front of the teacher! How stupid can you
get!"

"If you're just going to make fun of me," snarled Kankurou, "Than I can find
another partner!"

Sakon started, than looked at him apologetically, "No! Wait, I'm sorry. I really am!
I just...I think you're funny..."

"... Uh, thanks... I think"

The grey haired boy smiled, "It was a compliment"

Kankurou nodded, "Heh, ok then. Thank you"

They finished the assignment with plenty of time. Sakon knew that language
because his mother lived in Spain and he and his brother had been visiting her a
month out of the summer and every spring break and Thanksgiving break for the
past twelve years. He was very surprised to see how well Kankurou was able to
understand it.

"Have you taken Spanish before?" He asked the brunet once he had signed his
name on the their paper.

"No"

Sakon raised an eyebrow, "Really? You seem to know it so well though!" All he
received was a shrug. "Hm, well, since you understand it so well... Maybe you
could tutor me?"

Kankurou frowned, "You didn't seem to be having to much trouble"

"Ah, uh... I know! You were helping me! I never got stuff before, but you were
able to explain it! You're really smart!"

"Well," Said Kankurou reclining in his seat and puffing out his chest in pride, "I
guess I can't argue with that!"

Sakon sighed, good thing appealing to the guy's pride worked, or else he didn't
know what he would do. "So... Will you tutor me?"

"... Depends... Can I call you grasshopper?"

"... Sure?"

"THAN YES! Now Grasshopper! ASSIST ME IN THE CAPTURE OF THE

GREAT PENCIL BANDIT!"

"Kankurou, Sakon, office now"

"I hope you're happy" grumbled Sakon slumping in the chair outside the
principal's office, "But don't worry, I can get us out of this!"

Kankurou grinned, "How are you going to do that? Childishly insult someone?"

Sakon twitched, "You aren't going to let me live that down are you?"
"... Mmmm... Probably not, no"

"Hmph, whatever...You were the one staring at my ass"

Kankurou started sputtering and blushed, "I was not!"

"Uh huh, sure you weren't"

"Whatever dude. I know you're interested in a ruggedly handsome, smart, funny

guy like me... I'm sorry! I can't help how awesome I am!"

Sakon scowled, "Whatever, see if I ask Neji to get you out of this now"

Unbeknownst to him Kankurou scowled, "I have no idea why you think I'd want
anything to do with that bastard" He growled, "Or his friends"

Sakon flinched and looked down, "Right..." He looked away, suddenly feeling
very ashamed. "Hey," he said, "I'm sorry... I'm really sorry... And..." He trailed off,
twiddling his thumbs in his lap, "And I really think Neji is too. You should see him
now, he's really sorry..."

Kankurou shrugged, "I bet he is," Sakon jumped when he felt a hand on top of
his head, "And by the way," Sakon looked at him and received a toothy grin, "I
forgive you"

The lunch bell rang, interrupting every some sort of thing that was happening.
The one thing that freed them for a short while; until they were released for the
day. Beautiful glorious lunch.

Gaara walked to the cafeteria, wondering briefly if maybe he should go to the

roof to have a smoke first. However he felt he had already come too far, so then
consented to continue on his way.

Hardly anyone took notice of his entrance to the large cafeteria. He walked
quietly, managing to avoid touching every single person who crossed his path.
He spotted Shino, Kiba and Naruto already at the table. Then that would mean
Shikamaru and Chouji were getting food. He never found out who came up with
the idea, but in the beginning of the year, it had been decided that the whole
table would put their money together, then two people would go and buy enough
food for everyone. It was efficient, and everyone was able to eat.

He sat down at the table and the others looked at him. Shino gave him a small
nod, Kiba grinned and Naruto leaned over to him, "GAARA! Finally decided to
join us?"

Gaara looked at him, "I'm out of cigarettes"

Naruto frowned, "Is that it? Are you really?"

Gaara shrugged, "No. I was hoping to burst your bubble"

"Nice try," muttered Shino, "But that thing is made of leather"

"Whatever! You're just jealous 'cause I'm totally awesome! Bleh!" Said Naruto
sticking his tongue out at the other boy.

Gaara sighed, "Naruto your level of maturity never ceases to amaze me"

"Yeah!" said Kiba, "You're so immature Uzamaki!"

Naruto glared at him, "Like you're any better!"

"AT LEAST I DON'T HAVE RUMORS GOING AROUND ABOUT ME!"

The other three paused and looked at him. Kiba, who had previously stood on his
seat in order to glower down at the blond, sat down. Shino pushed his
sunglasses further up on his nose and looked at Naruto who leaned closer to
Kiba.

"What are you talking about Kiba?" He asked, his voice was low, but Kiba could
hear the small amount of fear in it.

'So he does have something to hide...' Kiba gave him a sharp, scrutinizing look,
"Some people are claiming they saw you and the little Uchiha in the park last
week...Most people aren'teven talking about it because no one believes it. But a
couple are...Well, they're saying they saw you two making out"

Naruto paled at the news and turned to Gaara who was staring at the floor. He
leaned back, giving the Inuzuka more space and took a deep breath. "Do you
believe it?"

Kiba and Shino glanced at each other, "We don't know what we believe," Said
Shino slowly, "You always seemed so obsessed with each other, but the thought
of you to actually getting together seemed ridiculous"

Naruto tilted his head at the hesitant tone, but Kiba picked up, "At first we didn't.
But you're acting scared"

Gaara smirked, "I guess it's time to fess up Naruto"

Naruto sighed and nodded, "Let's meet up at the coffee shop today after school,
before we go trick or treating, ok guys? I'll explain everything to you...But you
can't tell anyone"
"Tell anyone what?" They looked up at Shikamaru and Chouji who had finished
gathering the days sustenance and had returned to the table. Gaara snatched a
red bull they were holding and leaned against the side of the table, "Have you
heard the rumors about Naruto? Or will this be news to you?"

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, "Rumors? Not the ones about in the park with
Uchiha"

Naruto nodded, "So I guess you have heard them"

"Yeah, so what? They aren't true are they?"

The blond bit his lip, "It's complicated..." He said, "I'll explain it after school in the
coffee shop"

"It's a grind'? How troublesome"

"What? Is the same thing troublesome now?"

Shikamaru shook his head, "You're troublesome"

Chouji grinned as he divided the food, keeping a much larger portion for himself,
"We couldn't help but hear that his girlfriend Temari was going there today after
school with her friends"

Shikamaru scowled, "She isn't my girlfriend, and shut up"

Gaara looked at him, "Temari? As in my older sister?"

Chouji paused with a chip midway to his mouth, "The blonde who hangs out at
Label Corner?"

Gaara nodded, "My older brother and sister both hang out over there..." He tilted
his head to give Shikamaru a look, "Your 'girlfriend'?"

Shikamaru shook his head, "I said she wasn't"

"You did call her pretty"

"Naruto made out with the Uchiha in the park"

Naruto's head snapped in their direction, "WHY ARE YOU BRINGING ME INTO
THIS!"

Shikamaru shrugged, "If I'm going down I'm taking everybody with me"
Chouji and Kiba started snickering, "Since when has this corner ever been so
lively" Said Kiba, "I never knew how much MORE fun we could be!"

Naruto glared at him, "Shut up dog-boy!"

Kiba growled, "You shut up dummy!"

Shino sighed and nibbled on a burrito that had been placed in front of him. They
were so loud, he had no idea why he came here in the first place. Kiba had just
been shoved into him by Naruto, forcing Shino to catch him. The bug lover felt a
smile tug at his lips at the brief contact between himself and the smaller teen, 'Oh
yeah, that's why'

Gaara pushed himself away from the table, "Since everyone is feeling so
energetic and I'm not, I'm going up to the roof" He turned away from them, but
Naruto stopped with his argument long enough to touch the redhead's shoulder,
"Are you coming after school?"

Gaara shrugged the hand of and thought for a moment, "Sure" he said.

"I'll go with you," said Shino standing up, "It's a bit loud for my taste as well"

Gaara nodded and they left the cafeteria together.

Neji couldn't believe it. After a lot of pressure from casual acquaintances, he had
taken a new pet. He had been convinced that it would be better for his image and
could help as a stress reliever. He could believe that, what got to him was that he
had picked TenTen.

She had just sort of been there, and she had wanted to be his for a while, so he
figured, why the Hell not?

Now he was walking to lunch with her hanging on his left arm and his friend, and
one of the newer members of Royal Corner, Ukon.

"So I says to the guy, I'll tell you what I says, I says." Ukon frowned at his older
friend's spaced out look, "Are you listening?"

Neji looked at him, "Yeah. I was just thinking about something as well"

Ukon gave him a disbelieving look, "Ok, so what did I just say?"

"You were rambling about saying something, but never quite told me what you
actually said" Neji smirked at the small blush on his sophomore friend's face, "Or
am I wrong?"
Ukon sighed, "Fine, I guess you were listening"

"So," said TenTen leaning over so that she could look at the grey haired boy,
"What did you say?"

Ukon grinned, "Well, actually it was Sakon. The guy almost hits us with his car
and Sakon and me get pissed. But then Sakon is all, "JERK FACE!" And I start
busting up!" Ukon laughed at the memory, while Neji and TenTen chuckled at the
voice impression Ukon did of his twin brother, even though they already sounded
almost exactly alike.

They reached their table where everyone was already sitting down. Ukon went to
sit between his brother and their standing friend Kisame. Neji went to talk to
Sasuke and TenTen sat in their usual place, next to Sakura and Sasori, to wait
for him to get back.

"Sasuke," said Neji catching the younger Uchiha's attention, "Come with me. I
don't know if I can make it today, let's go talk on the roof.

Sasuke looked at him for a second, then nodded. He bid farewell to Itachi and
Orochimaru and stood up. They left the cafeteria with TenTen glaring after them.

"Hey!" She hissed leaning over to Sakura who had been previously ogling
Sasuke before he left, "Where are they going?"

"I don't know, I heard Sasuke-kun asking Neji to talk to him privately before
school today though"

TenTen frowned, "Come on!" She said, "Let's go see what they're talking about!"

Sakura nodded and they followed the two boys out the door. They were already
out of sight, but both the girls knew which way to go to get to the roof.

Gaara and Shino sat on the roof, sharing a cigarette. Gaara had found out that
he smoked when he informed the Aburame that he was going to skip class
around twelve days ago.

((Flashback))

"I'm going to the roof," said Gaara as Shino accompanied him to his class, "I'm
feeling a bit tired"

Shino raised a visible eyebrow over his sunglasses, "You're ditching?"

"Yes"
Shino shrugged and continued to walk with him. Gaara looked at him, "I meant
that I was going straight there"

Shino nodded, "As am I"

Gaara smirked, "Trouble maker"

When they reached the roof, Gaara walked about four feet from the edge, while
Shino leaned against the door. The redhead merely ignored the other's presence
and reached into his pocket for his cigarettes. He noticed Shino's silent
approach, but continued with his actions. After obtaining his prize he reached
into his backpack for his lighter.

He took a long drag and exhaled the smoke off away from the building, allowing
the small wind to carry it away. He glanced at Shino out of the corner of his eye.

Shino held his hand out, "May I?"

Gaara didn't believe he smoked, but handed it to him anyway, "You smoke?"

The other merely shrugged, "I'm trying to quit. You know these things give you
cancer?" He blew a smoke ring and watched the grey swirls distort before
disappearing from view. Gaara smirked, "That's an urban legend"

"Sure it is"

"You don't think so?"

"Smoking killed my father and raped my mother"

Gaara frowned, before he started laughing quietly against his will, "That's
something for Dr. Phil"

Shino smirked, "My father isn't really dead"

The redhead nodded, "I know. I was about to point that out, before I realized that
you said it raped your mother"

((End Flashback))

They had become somewhat close in the couple of times they went to the roof.
They didn't always talk that much. In fact it was rare, but when they did, Gaara
learned more about the youth. In fact, Shino had even confided in him and only
him, his crush on Kiba. Gaara had been surprised, but couldn't help but notice
the similarities between them and Naruto and Sasuke.
Today they didn't bother to smoke, after various conversations they decided to at
least cut back on smoking.

"So it is the truth about Uzamaki and Uchiha?"

Gaara looked at Shino and was about to answer, when they both heard voices
coming towards the door. They were instantly on the feet and around the corner,
hidden and peeking around to see who had come. Both were glad they had
chosen not to smoke that day. There was no odor to give them away. The door
opened and two dark haired stepped onto the roof.

"So what did you want to talk about Sasuke?"

Gaara's eyes narrowed, it was Neji and Sasuke.

"Well..." Sasuke looked to the side and gulped, "Have you heard the bullshit
going around about me and the dobe?"

Neji raised an eyebrow, "I've heard one or two people mention it...Why?"

Sasuke shifted from foot to foot, "Well...It's true"

Both the Hyuuga's eyebrows shot to his hairline, "Are you serious?" When he
received a nod Neji blinked, "Really? I mean...Damn"

Shino and Gaara exchanged looks, Sasuke was actually admitting it.

"Well," said Neji slowly, "It's your choice," He smiled a warm soft smile, "If he is
what you want"

Sasuke nodded, "He is...About the Halloween party tonight..."

"Are you bringing him? I mean, everyone knows who he is, but not like this"

Sasuke gulped, he had come here with a mission, he wasn't going to mess up,
"No," he said, "I...I He took a deep breath, "I love him"

The two hiding teenagers' eyes widened considerably, and Sasuke continued, "I
don't want to hurt him Neji...I...I refuse to share him" He was met with Neji's blank
stare, but his resolve stayed strong. "If...If Royal Corner doesn't want to approve
of that, then," He met the Hyuuga and looked him straight in the eye, "I can leave
and go to Toy Corner"

Neji's blank look turned into a scowl. He stared down at Sasuke and opened his
mouth to respond.
Chapter 15

Neji scowled and opened his mouth to respond, "Sasuke," he began, his voice
low, "I can't believe you... "

Sasuke frowned, but was unable to say anything as Neji continued, "You... " Neji
shook his head, "You're our friend Sasuke and Itachi's brother... " He chuckled
and pulled the surprised younger into a hug, placing a soft kiss on his forehead,
"I want you to know that I'm really proud of you," He pulled back and smiled
again, "You have more strength than I did"

The Uchiha blinked, now confused and Neji laughed, "If you love him, than you
can have him. We want you to be happy Sasuke, all of us. There's no way I'll
allow anyone to force you to share, if he is important to you, than you have my
support"

Sasuke stared at him, before his face broke out into a small smile, "Thanks," he
murmured, "I actually thought you'd get mad"

Neji chuckled, "Well, like I said, I'm your friend. So if I got bent out of shape
because you wanted to take care of someone you love... Well, what kind of friend
would I be?"

Sasuke laughed and Neji frowned, "No, that was an actual question"

"Oh... Not a very good one?"

"Damn straight"

Shino looked at Gaara secretly behind his sunglasses and saw the redhead
staring at the Hyuuga. He couldn't read the boy's blank face, but he guessed that
Gaara was feeling the same as him. They were probably both shocked and
confused, because every person at Toy Corner had figured Neji to be an
asshole. 'I guess he really is a good friend... ' Thought Shino

"NEJI!"

All four of the boys on the roof jumped at the loud scream that came from the
doorway. There stood TenTen and Sakura, the brunette staring at Neji in
disbelief and the pink hair staring at Sasuke in sorrow.

"Sasuke-kun! It's not true! I KNOW IT ISN'T!" Cried Sakura running to him and
throwing her arms around his neck, "Go out with me Sasuke! I'll make a real man
out of you!"
Sasuke shoved her off as TenTen stormed over to Neji and grabbed his hand,
"Neji!" She exclaimed, "I can't believe you would suggest that Sasuke should
actually go out with that loser! He's a boy! And boy from Toy Corner!"

Neji glared at her and leaned down, "Don't you dare think that just because you
are my pet you have any say in my affairs," he said in a deadly purr, "In fact, you
have less. Now go sit at the table and take that" He pointed at Sakura who was
still on the ground "with you!" His voice rose as his anger grew.

TenTen knew better than to argue with him when he was mad, so she helped
Sakura up and they left, both angry and upset. Their minds boiling as one and
plotting for revenge against Toy Corner and its inhabitants that seemed to be
stirring up a lot of trouble.

Neji and Sasuke watched them leave silently, waiting until they were out off ear-
shot before they continued talking.

The Uchiha looked at his friend with a smirk, "There's the 'abusive towards his
pets' Neji that I'm used to"

Neji smirked back, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh please," Muttered Sasuke, sticking his hands in his pockets, "Everyone
noticed you had a soft spot for him" He didn't see the pained look on Neji's face,
if he had, he would not have continued, "I mean, you were always nice to him.
You don't honestly think we wouldn't guess you liked him? I mean actually like
him. If I didn't know better, I might guess you didn't only want him for sex"

Shino noticed Gaara stiffen and frowned, but he did not say anything.

Neji sighed, "It doesn't matter anymore Sasuke"

"You know Naruto is angry at you"

"Well I cant- Wait, how do you know?"

Sasuke blinked noticing his mistake, "I mean, I would imagine... "

Neji glared at him in mock anger, "You've been sneaking around eh? I see how
things go" He smiled and opened the door that TenTen had previously slammed
shut, "Come on, let's go before TenTen and Sakura have enough time to cause
damage"

Sasuke nodded and they left.

Shino turned to Gaara, "Should we leave too?"

The redhead frowned, "No, I need to smoke now" The other could only agree.

Naruto and Kiba were laughing at some inside joke. Shikamaru sighed, all he did
was mention something about a vacuum and they started laughing like there was
no tomorrow. He shook his head, why did Gaara and Shino have to leave? Not
that he didn't like Chouji, but he was pretty much the only kid who used lunch to
eat and only eat. He didn't do much talking during lunch hour, so at the moment,
Shikamaru was practically alone. However, this unwanted, lonely peace was
soon interrupted.

A loud smack resounded through the tiled room. A few minutes passed as the
sound waves that resided in the room slowly died. Naruto's only vision was
Kiba's shocked, narrowed eyes. His face hurt with a stinging sensation, like he
had just done a belly flop into a pool. After a moment he managed to get his
head together and slowly turned to see Sakura standing over him with TenTen
just behind her.

Behind the brunette were a couple people who they recognized as the idiots who
were trying to get accepted to Royal Corner. Naruto glared at each one of them
before look at Sakura.

He had liked her from Kindergarten to 7th grade. However, just before the
summer he had asked her out in a note, where he confessed all his feelings for
her. He had poured over the note for an entire night and then given it to her the
next morning with a blushing face and a hopeful heart. However, the very same
day, at the end of class, she had a friend of hers read the note over the intercom
for everyone to hear. He had been heartbroken and embarrassed. Everyone
made fun of him for it for the last two weeks of school, and then most of the 8th
grade. Naruto had never been one to hold grudges, but he knew he would never
trust her again. She had shown how vindictive, malicious and conniving she
really was that day.

"I hear that you're trying to get Sasuke-kun. Well you may have tricked him into
thinking that he's like you, but he's not! I'm going to fix him!"

The blond boy's eyes narrowed in both irritation and panic, "What the Hell are
you talking about you stupid whore!"

Kiba, Shikamaru and Chouji moved to stand with him as several more people
stood behind Sakura to see what was happening. Many of them murmuring
about how much attention Toy Corner was getting that year from Royal Corner.

Sakura glared at him, "Listen loser! Sasuke doesn't really love you! He loves me!
If you get in the way, I'll make sure that you won't be able to come back to school
ever!"
At that moment Neji and Sasuke entered the cafeteria and were met by Itachi
and Orochimaru, the others had gone to see what was going on.

"Hey," said Itachi, "You're missing it. Sakura's saying the weirdest shit"

They both raised their eyebrows in question and Orochimaru laughed, "She just
said something about Sasuke loving Uzamaki or something like that" He looked
at Itachi, "We figured she was just trying to start a fight. Why do we keep her
around again?"

Itachi shrugged and turned to Neji who was staring intently at Sasuke, "What?
Did we miss something?"

Neji smirked at Sasuke, "I'll explain everything over here, you go take things with
them" He gestured towards the large crowd now circulating around Toy Corner.

Sasuke nodded and spared a glance at his older brother as he left. Neji looked at
Itachi and Orochimaru as they watched the younger Uchiha leave, with
confusion. "Well," he said, "I guess I should tell you what's going on"

"You know," said Shino, "We only have about fifteen minutes before class,
maybe we should head back"

Gaara dropped their almost gone cigarette on the ground and stomped it out,
"Ok, fine."

Shino was already at the door and he left. Gaara lingered behind for a moment,
taking a deep breath of the clean air before joining him.

The pair felt tension in the air that grew as they got closer to their destination.
Both felt a small sense of concern. There had been way too much attention on
their corner that year, so whenever anything happened, they were always
apprehensive.

Sure enough, as they made it to the lunchroom they saw a large crowd around
Toy Corner's table.

The two suppressed twin sighs, this was getting annoying. Every single year
before they came to this high school, Toy Corner had been ignored, besides the
bullies and their stupid antics. What was wrong with the student body!

As they walked to their table they noticed Neji talking to Itachi and Orochimaru.
The two latter looked like they were either about to faint of laugh. Shino briefly
wondered how a person could look like both of those things simultaneously, but
dismissed it carelessly. The inner workings of those peoples' minds were
unimportant to him. Neji seemed to notice them in his peripheral vision, but kept
talking. Shino's eyes narrowed behind his sunglasses at the Hyuuga staring at
his redheaded friend, but the action went unnoticed to everyone but himself.

The made their way through the crowd, shoving people out of the way and
ignoring their curses that followed them. Gaara was the first to reach the center,
where he saw Sasuke standing in front of Naruto, facing Sakura.

Shino stood behind him and raised an eyebrow(AN: People sure do this a lot in
this fic! XD)'What the Hell happened here?'

"Sasuke! Just leave that loser! I can make you a real man!" screamed Sakura
holding her hand out to him.

The Uchiha backed up, gripping Naruto's hand and glaring fiercely at her, "I don't
know why you think you would have a chance with me, but you don't. So back off
already!"

That caught a lot of people's attention. The yelling that had previously filled the
air quieted down to murmurs and whispers of confusion and disapproval.

Naruto let his eyes shift from the Uchiha's back and he looked at the faces of the
crowd somewhat nervously. Every seemed so against them being together, he
almost felt a little fear that Sasuke might not want to be with him anymore. He
unconsciously moved closer to the taller teen. Sakura noticed this action and
turned on him yet again.

"I say that you little fag!" She screamed, "Get away from him!"

Only this time, rather than stand alone, many people from the crowd stepped
closer, yelling at him to do the same. Sasuke's eyes narrowed at the slowly
growing group, they were starting to gain a bit of a mob mentality.

Off on the outskirts Neji looked at their five friends, "Well," he said, "Is he still our
Sasuke?"

Gaara started and then growled as someone brushed past him, but stopped
when he looked up and saw Itachi walking over to his younger brother. He
frowned curiously, Neji, Itachi, Orochimaru, Sasori, Kisame and Deidara had all
moved to stand either beside or behind Sasuke. The yelling group went still as
Neji opened his mouth.

"I suggest you let our friend speak, unless you want to deal with all of us"

At the silence Sasuke looked at his friends and brother and received a nod.
Naruto smiled; they were all with him.
The younger Uchiha turned to Sakura who was standing there trembling. TenTen
who was behind her was staring at the group of them with shock, as was the rest
of the student body.

"Sasuke!" Sakura cried, "You can't be serious! I know you aren't!" She ran
forward and threw her arms around his neck, but what really pissed the Uchiha
off was the fact that she had also smashed her lips against his. His eyes widened
as a bunch of people started to cheer. Itachi and the others choked back
laughter, not wanting to seem unsupportive, but were still amused none the less.

With rage burning in his veins he shoved the pink haired girl of him and onto the
ground, "DON'T YOU EVER FUCKING DO THAT AGAIN!" He roared standing
over her.

She whimpered and pushed herself to her feet, "But Sasuke!" She reached out to
touch his face, but he drew his hand back and punched her hard, right across the
face causing her to fall back against TenTen.

"DON'T FUCKING TOUCH ME! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOUR UGLY FACE
AGAIN!" He shoved her back down as she tried to get up, "IF I EVER SEE YOU
BACK AT MY CORNER I'LL MAKE SURE YOU'RE HURT WAY WORSE THAN
A SIMPLE PUNCH!"

Tears began to stream down the girl's cheeks as the object of her affections
turned his back on her and went to the blond boy he had picked over her. With a
sob she jumped to her feet and ran out, with her best friend and rival for Sasuke,
Ino, following.

The crowd of students began to disperse, murmuring among themselves. Gaara

and Shino squeezed through various strangers, making their way towards their
table where Kiba, Shikamaru, Chouji, Naruto and Royal Corner were standing.

The redhead noticed with annoyance that his siblings were following him. He had
completely forgotten that they were there. The four of them approached the
others and Shino cleared his throat gaining everyone's attention, but rather than
address the whole group he turned to Kiba. "What happened?"

Kiba glanced at Naruto, who was being held by Sasuke and watching the two of
them and shrugged, "The Mega-Whore just came over and bitch slapped Naruto
and started yelling at him"

Temari and Kankurou stood on either side of Gaara, "So this didn't have to do
with our brother?" Asked Kankurou glancing at the redhead suspiciously.

Naruto shook his head, "No, why would it"

Temari smirked, "Big commotions usually do" She looked at Shikamaru, "Hey! I
know you!"

Chouji and Kiba began to snicker, earning a glare from their lazy friend.

Sasuke scowled and turned to Itachi, "Can we have a ride somewhere?"

Itachi looked at him, "We?"

His brother nodded, "The dobe, I don't want him at school right now. Not with all
this shit happening"

Naruto growled and looked like he was about to protest his 'pet name', but
Orochimaru had already begun to speak, "Yes, speaking of 'shit
happening'...What's all this then?"

"Sneaking around, yeah?" said Deidara, "We thought you loved us, yeah"

Sasuke let a small blush cover his cheeks before burying his face in Naruto's
hair, "Hn"

They laughed and Itachi leaned over placing a kiss on Orochimaru's lips, "Come
on Sasuke and Sasuke's lone lover. Let's go"

"Wait a sec!" Exclaimed Kiba, "One, Naruto didn't tell us either! And two, Naruto!
You can't be serious! You know..." He trailed off, but his serious expression
stayed. His blond friend, who had been being uncharacteristically quiet spoke up,
"I know... Sasuke-teme?" He looked up at the Uchiha, but Neji spoke.

"We aren't going to force him to do anything he doesn't want to do Naruto," He

said, offering the couple a reassuring smile, "Even if we never really made that
clear to each other"

"Yeah," said Itachi, "It took guts to tell Neji that he didn't want to share you... Heh,
well, that's my brother for you!" He slung his arm around Orochimaru's neck,
"You can tell he takes after me!"

The bell rang, and Itachi signaled for the freshmen and sophomore to follow him.
Neji and Orochimaru smiled at each other and looked at Sasori, Kisame and
Deidara expectantly. While the other four left, Neji stayed behind and looked at
Gaara. The redhead stared back at him blankly before turning to Shino who had
come to stand beside him. Chouji and Shikamaru saw fit to leave with Temari
following, curious to see what Chouji was saying to get her normally lazy,
uncaring classmate all worked up. Kankurou and Kiba were further away but
were watching the Hyuuga warily.
Neji noticed all this but chose to ignore them all. "Gaara..." He frowned and
stopped, but continued after seemingly thinking over his words, "Never mind, I'll
talk to you in class"

He turned around and left with his group of friends, leaving the redhead and the
others behind. Shino looked at him when he snorted, "We'll see about that," he
said glaring after the junior, "Stupid bastard"

The tardy bell rang and with one lost concerned look at his brother, Kankurou
cursed and raced to his class. Kiba, Shino and Gaara took their leisurely time.

Neji sat in wood shop, carefully trying to think up what to say when Gaara finally
got there. He had already told the teacher not to mark him tardy, not that he had
any thought that the redhead would like him any better for it.

He found that Gaara actually skipped this class a lot. He hoped that wouldn't be
the case this time. He ignored all the attention he was getting and also TenTen
who was demanding to know what was going on. He had already told Itachi and
Orochimaru that they were taking her to Tayuya's. The orange haired broad
hadn't been angry at all for some reason about Gaara. Maybe it was because
Neji paid for the damages, maybe it was because she thought Gaara beating the
shit out of all her customers was funny. He didn't know. He was glad they didn't
have to find a new hang out.

Of course, he had told them that before he told them of Sasuke's love for the loud
mouthed blond he was always fighting with. He couldn't help but wonder if they
even remembered everything he said before that. After all, they seemed to take
serious brain damage. While they had all figured Sasuke wanted Naruto, but they
never would have thought he would admit it. And especially they would not have
guessed that he would actually leave Royal Corner for him. Not that they would
have any of that.

Neji smiled, he should have had more faith in his friends, and he should have
been more like Sasuke. But it wasn't only his lack of faith in his friends that made
him do what he did; he had needed to prove something to himself.

TenTen was tugging at his shirt. He looked down at her, raising an eyebrow in
question, "What?"

She pointed to the door, "That little freak just came in like fifteen minutes late."
She said giving Gaara a dirty look.

The boy didn't even seem to notice her as he made his way to his usual lone
table in the very back of the room. Neji looked back down at his half finished foot
stool. 'I wonder if Gaara is having trouble with this...'
Without a word he stood up from his table and took his materials with him.

As he approached he saw Gaara writing in that notebook again. He had often

wondered what he wrote in there. Gaara seemed to notice him and quickly put
the book away, glaring back up at him, "What?"

Neji shrugged and sat down, "I said I wanted to talk to you"

Gaara snorted and turned away, pulling out the wood and blue prints (AN: I have
never taken wood shop, so I have no idea how they go about doing their thing),
"You're wasting your breath, so go the fuck away"

"Gaara..." Neji began to smooth a rough edge, staring at his hand sadly, "Please
just listen..." 'I have to tell him. Now or never'

"No, I want you to leave me alone!"

Neji glared at him, "Would you please just let me talk!"

"NO! I said leave me alone! SO LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE!"

"GOD DAMMIT GAARA! I'm trying to tell you something!"

Gaara stood up, both of the teenagers completely oblivious to the fact that the
entire class was watching them in rapture.

"FINE!" Yelled Gaara, "WHAT IS SO FUCKING IMPORTANT THAT YOU WONT

LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE!"

Neji glared hard at the stubborn redhead but answered.

Chapter 16

Last Time:

"GOD DAMMIT GAARA! I'm trying to tell you something!"

Gaara stood up, both of the teenagers completely oblivious to the fact that the
entire class was watching them in rapture.

"FINE!" Yelled Gaara, "WHAT IS SO FUCKING IMPORTANT THAT YOU WONT

LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE!"

Neji glared hard at the stubborn redhead but answered.

"Just sit down," He said trying to calm himself, "We don't have to yell at each
other"

"KISS MY ASS HYUUGA! THE LAST THING I WANT TO DO IS TALK TO YOU"

"GAARA, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD JUST SIT DOWN!"

"NO YOU BASTARD! SAY WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY AND LEAVE!"

Neji growled and grabbed the redhead by his collar and smashed his lips against
his. He could feel Gaara still, but the Hyuuga slowly wrapped his arms around
the smaller teen's waist. The younger felt himself beginning to melt into the
embrace and immediately began to struggle.

Neji pulled back and took a deep breath and opened his mouth but was
interrupted, "WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT!"

His eye twitched, "I LOVE YOU, YOU FUCKING IDIOT!"

The air in the class suddenly felt thicker and most of the students could only
stare blankly. A few say that the people from Virgin Corner who were in the class
actually fainted. Gaara blinked for a moment, still resting in the Hyuuga's arms
and then looked up at him, "You... " His eyes narrowed and he shoved the
brunette, "ARE YOU TRYING TO FUCK WITH MY HEAD NOW?"

He turned and ran out of the classroom for the second time that year.

Neji watched him go, feeling like an idiot, yet again. He looked down and saw
Gaara's book bag, he sighed and picked it up. He would return it after this class.

"So where to?"

Itachi looked into the backseat and smiled. Naruto had apparently been
exhausted; he was currently napping, leaning his little brother's shoulder.

"Mmm... I love you... " Drooled the blond, snuggling into Sasuke's shoulder more.

Itachi tried not to laugh at the blush on the younger Uchiha's face, which was
priceless. He should have brought Orochimaru to take pictures.

"I love you... RAMEN!"

Sasuke growled and shoved the sleeping boy off him, "Wake up dobe"

"Huh?" Naruto lifted his head and looked around the car sleepily with a bit of
drool still on his chin, "Where'd my Ramen go?" He looked at Sasuke
suspiciously, but that only served to earn an Uchiha death glare. "Say... Did you
take my ramen?"

Sasuke looked out the window, offended that Naruto would think of food when he
was with him. Naruto however, took this the wrong way, "I KNEW IT! YOU DID
TAKE IT!"

Sasuke turned on him, "YOU IDIOT! DON'T YOU KNOW THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN REALITY AND A DREAM!"

Itachi couldn't help it, he began to laugh hysterically ((AN: O.O Itachi...
laughing?)) "Where do you guys want to go?"

"THE ICHIRAKU!"

"Can you take us to the movies?"

"Movies it is"

Naruto glared at Sasuke, "I thought you said I could pick"

The Uchiha rolled his eyes and looped an arm around the blonde's waist, pulling
him closer, "I didn't say that and you know it"

Naruto went willingly, lying against the boy's chest comfortably, but still pouting,
"You're forcing me to skip class. The least you could do is let me pick where we
go"

He heard a sigh and then the other spoke, "That's not the least I could do"

Naruto huffed in mock annoyance, "Fine. So what are we going to see?"

"... "

"Do you even know what's playing?"

"... "

"TEME! WHAT ARE WE GOING TO-" He was silenced with a soft kiss from a
smirking Uchiha, "Most of the time," he said leaning down to whisper in the
blonde's ear, "People who go during the day don't watch the movie"

"Oh... So what do they do?"

Sasuke stared at him, watching to see any sign of a joke, when he saw none he
sighed, 'figures'. Itachi had glanced in the rear view mirror and also noticed with
amusement that his brother's boyfriend was serious. "They make out" He said
simply, enjoying the embarrassment in the back seat.

Kankurou looked at the clock for the tenth time in the past six minutes, he was
anxious for school to be over. Once school was out, he and Temari were going to
get dressed and go to a party. He was going to be Batman and his sister was
going as Laura Croft. He tried to inform her that her boobs and ass were far too
small, but rather than thank him for his honesty, she had actually punched him! In
the stomach! REPEATEDLY!

He looked up as someone sat next to him. It was one of the gray haired twins. He
frowned; unsure of which one it was, "Hey," he said, "I didn't know you had this
class"

The other looked at him and grinned in a crazy sort of way that told him it was
Ukon, "I didn't. I just got kicked out of ceramics"

Kankurou smirked, "Why?"

"I threw clay... At the teacher"

Kankurou laughed, "Why?"

"He smashed my pinch pot! I worked damn hard on that thing! I was going to give
it to Kimimaro! I even carved a pretty little snake into it!" Ukon scowled and
crossed his arms.

Kankurou sighed, "You're not smart"

The younger blew some hair out of his face, "Whatever! I'm not the one who
decided he wanted to yell obscenities about a pencil"

The brunette laughed, "Yeah... Hm, today sure has been eventful"

"It must be 'cause it's Halloween. It's a full moon tonight you know"

"And it's Friday the 13th"

"... uhm," Ukon shut his mouth and frowned, "Wait... What? No," He pulled out
his cell phone and opened up the calender, "Look. It's the 31st"

Kankurou looked at it and blushed, "SHUT UP!"

Ukon started snickering, "So do you have any plans?"

Kankurou shrugged, leaning back in his seat, watching the teacher as he went on
about musical notes, "Me and Temari were going to a party. I'm kind of worried
about my brother though"

Ukon nodded, "Well... Why don't you take him to the party with you?"

"He's going to trick or treating with his friends"

"Then you should come to my and Sakon's party! Or you could just follow him
and his friends! OR BETTER YET! I SHOULD BUY A BOAT!"

The teacher cleared his throat, causing the two to jump and smile sheepishly.
The balding man merely huffed and turned around to continue with his sermon.

Kankurou raised his eyebrow at the still grinning boy next to him, "Did you eat a
lot of paint chips as a kid"

Ukon laughed, "Why?"

"... Never mind"

"But yeah, you should still come"

Kankurou sighed, "Maybe we'll drop by, Temari will have to agree"

Ukon smiled while they heard a phone ring in the background, "Ok. Because
yeah. Sakon was hoping you guys would come"

"So why didn't he just ask me?"

"He's shy... Well... Around some people anyway. Plus he already asked you to
tutor him"

"Shy? Oh! About the whole him being friends with Neji and Gaara being my
brother?"

"No," said Ukon fiddling with a piece of paper, "He just has a big ass crush on
you"

"Ukon," called the teacher, "You may return to your class now"

With a parting smile, the gray haired boy stood up and left the room, knowing full
well the mental damage he caused the poor brunette junior.

Gaara sat on the swing in the park, swinging slowly on the swing. He stared at
the ground in front of him. According to his shadow, he had been there for about
two and a half hours, maybe a little more. He could venture a guess that school
was probably out, sometimes he thought maybe he should stop ditching, his
grades were beginning to be affected.

The rusted chain of the swing squeaked, causing various flashbacks in his head.
All of them pertaining to how he had once been alone. He wished he had his
book bag, then he could write in Shukaku or listen to music.

-You left your book bag in class-

He smirked, making voices up in his head probably wasn't the best thing he'd
ever done. 'I can go back to get it once everyone is gone'

-What if the Hyuuga found it?-

He stiffened, that was true. 'Would that bastard actually read it though?'

-He did say that he loved you. Think of it like this brat, you wrote down your
thoughts, pasted in pictures you like, doodled, wrote song lyrics, poems and even
a copy of that letter you wrote to Hillary Duff threatening her with death if she
made another movie-

'... I'm insulting myself... '

He shook his head in an attempt to clear his thoughts, when he heard music
approaching:

Some say you're trouble, boy

Just because you like to destroy
All the things that bring the idiots joy
Well, what's wrong with a little destruction?

And the Kunst won't talk to you

Because you kissed St Rollox Adieu
Because you robbed a supermarket or two
Well, who gives a damn about the prophets of Tesco?

He frowned and turned his head towards the parking lot of the park, but saw
nothing, still the music played.

Did I see you in a limousine

Flinging out the fish and the unleavenedTurn the rich into wine
Walk on the mean
For the fallen are the virtuous among us
Walk among us
Never judge us
Yeah we're all...

He lightly tapped his foot to it. He liked this song, it was really catchy. He stared
at the cloudy sky, it was kind of cold. He knew it would be cold; he had been
considering the weather when picking out a costume, although he hadn't decided
on anything just yet.

Up now and get 'em, boy

Up now and get 'em, boy
Drink to the devil and death at the doctors

Did I see you in a limousine

Flinging out the fish and the unleavened
Five thousand users fed today
As you feed us
Won't you lead us
To be blessed

So we stole and drank Champagne

On the seventh seal you said you never feel pain
"I never feel pain, won't you hit me again?"
"I need a bit of black and blue to be a rotation"

He was thinking he wanted to be the Mad Hatter from Alice in wonderland. Not
that he would tell anyone in a million years, but that movie freaked him out. It was
some guy's drug trip made into a 'child friendly' cartoon. Sometimes he really
thought Disney was a sick guy. He already had the perfect clothes for a costume;
he just needed to get a hat, which shouldn't be hard.

In my blood I feel the bubbles burst

There was a flash of fist, an eyebrow burst
You've a lazy laugh and a red white shirt
I fell to the floor fainting at the sight of blood

Did I see you in a limousine

Flinging out the fish and the unleavened
Turn the rich into wine
Walk on the mean
Be they Magdalene or virgin you've already been
You've already been and we've already seen
That the fallen are the virtuous among usWalk among us
Never judge us to be blessed

He felt himself moving and looked down at his legs; he wasn't swinging on his
own accord. He turned his head and saw none other than Neji pushing him
lightly. He turned back around and allowed himself to be pushed. It was sort of
comforting in a way, not that he would tell the brunette behind him. He could still
hear that music though; he wondered where it was coming from.

So I'm sorry if I ever resisted

I never had a doubt you ever existed
I only have a problem when people insist on
Taking their hate and placing it on your name

Some say you're trouble, boy

Just because you like to destroy
You are the word, the word is 'destroy'
I break this bottle and think of you fondly
Did I see you in a limousine
Flinging out the fish and the unleavened
To the whore in a hostel
Or the scum of a scheme
Turn the rich into wine
Walk on the mean
It's not a jag in the arm
It's a nail in the beam
On this barren Earth
You scatter your seed
Be they Magdalene or virgin
You've already been
Yeah, you've already been
We've already seen
That the fallen are the virtuous among us
Walk among us
If you judge us
We're all damned...

The swinging stopped as the music trailed off. Gaara felt arms wrap around him,
protecting him from the cold air of the autumn afternoon. Gaara didn't fight this
time, he didn't even scowl. The air around them felt too neutral, almost
comfortable. He leaned back, feeling the arms tighten almost possessively. He
didn't mind though, even though he still was wary, he liked this small bit of
comfort, something that made him feel safe.

That was when he did scowl. This was the same guy who hurt him, who actually
made him feel like... like he had feelings for someone.

He felt warm breath against his ear as Neji whispered, "Will you ever forgive
me?"
The redhead stayed silent, contemplating the words. He had been humiliated,
sexually assaulted and betrayed. Yet for some reason he just wanted to be held,
just for a little while, but... He leaned forward, the arms loosened, allowing him to
stand up. He turned and looked at Neji who stood up straight. The Hyuuga's face
looked tired, his hair wasn't back in its usual pony tail, but was down and spilling
over his shoulders.

Gaara had long ago noticed that Neji usually wore clothes that looked very
similar. Today he wore a gray long sleeve button up shirt, a black tank top and
black slacks that, as usual, were a little tight, but not so that his movements
would be restricted. The redhead often wondered why Neji always dressed like
this; it was one of the things he had noticed about him. How Neji actually held
himself as a regular guy, besides being an egotistical asshole, and how he was
still able to capture the attention of everyone in the room. He knew he had to get
away from him, because...

Gaara still remained silent and Neji seemed to almost read his mind. He nodded
and took Gaara's face; he placed one last kiss on the boy's lips, which was
returned. He walked back to his car and left the park.

Ms. Tsuki had been a psychiatrist for six years, she had dealt with it all, pyros,
suicidal teens, even a kid had a fear of lettuce -something about salad fingers or
something-. But never before had she a case as difficult as Hyuuga Neji.

That was her thought as he burst in the door, yelling about a redhead and
something about getting drunk tonight and setting things on fire.

At first she thought he had been one of the usual neglect cases. His father
worked too much and he needed attention at his tender young age. As their
sessions went on, she found that actually, his father had been shot when Neji
was four and while he survived, he remained very delicate. For the next eight
years, Hizashi, Neji's father, had been bedridden, but still tried to work in order to
maintain usefulness to the family. Neji had been all but ignored during this time,
the only instances where he got attention were when he did well in his studies, or
got in trouble.

The boy studied hard, he even opted to stay home from regular or even private
school and hired only the best and most educated tutors. He learned various
different languages, including Latin, Greek, French, Dutch and Portuguese. He
was in Algebra 2 by the 5th grade. But in time, his father forgot him and his
health decreased. Neji, who was still a small child, no matter how intelligent,
didn't understand this and went on to get attention the next way that occurred to
him. He was lucky he also learned four types of martial arts from several different
instructors. When he was sent to juvenile hall for a week for setting a Claire's
store on fire, a lot of the other boys there tried to pick on him. Then he spent
most of his time there in the 'Hole' for beating them all senseless.
The summer he turned twelve, Hizashi died.

The uncle, Hiashi had felt responsible for him and took the boy in to live with him,
because the boy's mother had died giving birth to him. Unfortunately, Hiashi
already had a girl a year younger than Neji, and another who was six.

Neji was still ignored, and by now he had developed a bit of a mean streak. As
he went to school, attention was finally showered on him by adoring classmates.
This sudden onslaught made the boy very unstable. What grieved Tsuki the most
was that she knew of no way to help him, other than simply listen to him rant
every week or so.

"So now I have no idea what to do! I told him I loved him! But he doesn't believe
me!" The boy walked in, shoved out her client that was already there and made
himself comfortable on the couch. She frowned, she had spoken to him about
kicking her clients out during the session they were paying for.

"I really wanted to take him to the party! Or even a party! Hell! I'd take him trick or
treating if he wanted, I just wanted to be with him on Halloween. By the way,
Happy Halloween. Where are those chocolates? Thank you"

At this time his words were between the chews and swallows of the candy he
was eating. Tsuki was reminded once again just how young he was, now if only
he would slow down, so that she could understand what exactly he was talking
about.

"I don't know what to do! I just freaked out, I really fucked up this time. I just want
to make things right with him, but I don't know how. He's so perfect, you should
just see him. I used to think that he probably dyed his hair that shade of red, but
it's natural. He wears a lot of eyeliner, but it makes his eyes stand out more.
They're green by the way, his eyes... He's so beautiful. HOW DO I FIX THINGS!"
He stood up with the last exclamation and stared down at his psychiatrist with an
angry glare, "Are you just going to sit there? This isn't help! I better not get billed
for this! DON'T YOU DARE BILL ME FOR THIS!"

"Neji! Calm down"

The teen sat back down easily and watched her carefully, waiting for an answer.
She smiled at the almost eager face and began, "So you like this boy?"

"Yes"

He had admitted when he was a freshmen that he was bi, so she was used to it
as well, "And you want him to forgive you for doing...?"
He looked down, feeling shame well up inside his chest, "I... Wasn't very good to
him. I embarrassed him and I-"

She cut him off, knowing that was what he hoped she would do. "So you wish to
express your love for him and make up for what you did?"

"Yeah"

She thought for a moment, "So, what you have to do is sacrifice yourself on the
alter of dignity! Humiliate yourself, but make sure you're doing it only for him!
Because he's worth it!"

Neji nodded, his mind already at work, "I get it!" He stood up, "Thank you!" He
called running outside and saying a quick apology to the still waiting client
outside.

Tsuki sighed, at least she gathered enough information on what was going on to
satisfy him with an answer. Now if she could only find a way to do that for the
angry, poorly disguised man now sitting on the couch.

"Now, Ebisu, if you like porn-"

"NO! I SAID I WANTED TO USE AN ALIAS!"

((Chapter 17))

Naruto sighed. Sasuke had taken him home after watching about three movies.
Each more exciting than the last, not that he paid much attention to them... It
turned out the Uchiha had been right, the only reason people went there during
the day was to make out.

No one seemed to even care when Sasuke totally jumped him at the climax of
the... His thoughts trailed off as he felt his face blush, 'But that stupid teme did
get me in trouble'.

That was also the truth. As soon as he stepped in the door, Iruka was on him,
demanding to know where the hell he went. Of course, his other, totally not
helpful, father Kakashi had perversely pointed out the hickey on his neck that he
tried to keep hidden with his bright orange coat, and asked who gave it to him.
Naruto had never been more embarrassed in his life, but then it seemed, neither
had Iruka. He had given the scarecrow a good punch in the head, saying such
things were unimportant, after a moment his face turned so red it was almost
glowing and he had turned his wrath back on Naruto demanding the name of
whoever had their mouth on his neck.
The blond threw his arm over his eyes. He was lying on his bed while Iruka and
Kakashi gibbered about something in another room.

He smiled; Sasuke was his boyfriend, officially. He grinned like an idiot. Ever
since he found out that Sakura attacked him because she had heard Sasuke tell
Neji that if Naruto wouldn't be accepted as his lover with a grant of safety, than
he would leave Royal Corner. He sighed again. He sure was lucky, he was so
sure that he wouldn't ever find love after Sakura, but it turned out that Sasuke
showed him what it actually was.

He wondered if his friends were actually upset with him. He hoped they weren't it;
would suck to have to choose, not that he thought they were like that.

His life was finally coming together, he was so happy. Sasuke had actually
agreed to come trick or treating with them. He just had to promise that they could
stop by a party that these twins were throwing. Naruto agreed; he still had to
clear it with Kiba, Gaara, Shikamaru, Chouji and Shino.

He suddenly remembered something and sat up. He began to rummage through

his clothes looking for a certain jumpsuit he had seen and just had to get. Gaara
mentioned being the Mad Hatter for Halloween and from there they decided that
they wanted to follow an Alice in Wonderland theme.

Things went like this:

Gaara: Mad Hatter

Naruto: The Cheshire Cat

Kiba: Tweedle Dee

Shino: Tweedle Dum (He had no idea how Kiba got him to agree with that one)

Chouji: The Walrus

Shikamaru: The Carpenter

Naruto asked Sasuke what he was going to be, apparently, the Uchiha brothers
always went as the Blues Brothers. That meant he was going to wear a black
tuxedo with a black tie, a black hat and sunglasses. Naruto said that was cute
and proceeded to giggle while Sasuke yelled at him to shut up.

Naruto finally found his striped jumpsuit and grinned, "THIS IS GOING TO BE
THE BEST HALLOWEEN EVER!"
Kiba stood in front of Shino's full length mirror that hung on his bedroom door.
The two had gone to the Aburme's house after school to work on their costumes.
Shino had flat out refused to wear the actual costumes that Kiba had bought. The
smaller teen was more than slightly miffed to say the least.

In the end Shino won of course, so that left them with having to buy new ones.
Luckily, the bug lover had been prepared.

Kiba had turned red at the outfits he brought out of dresser. Dark red vinyl, low
rise pants that came with black suspenders, a black thermal long sleeve shirt that
stopped an inch from the top of the pants a red and olive green argyle sweater-
vest, dark red bows for around the neck, and topped off with the red hats from
the old question.

Kiba glared at the mirror, "We don't look like Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum!"
He complained, attempting to pull shirt down to cover his skin, "Why don't we just
change into the other costumes?"

Shino shook his head, "I'm dressing up at all. That's enough for now"

Kiba pouted, "Well at least take off your sunglasses,"

Shino frowned, "No"

He turned around to tie the bow on his neck but suddenly found himself tackled
form behind. His eyes widened as he found his vision substantially brighter. He
pushed himself up and saw Kiba sitting triumphantly on his bed, holding his
sunglasses tauntingly.

"Ha!" Said Kiba, "Look who's going..." He trailed off and a blush spread across
his cheeks before he began to laugh.

Shino frowned, "What?"

"You! I mean..HAHAHA! Never... Never seen you without..." He started laughing

to hard to talk and held up the sunglasses. As he calmed he continued, "You're a
pretty boy! HAHA! That's rich! Oh man!"

Shino raised an eyebrow, a pretty boy? He looked the mirror skeptically, he didn't
see it. But if he was a pretty boy... Maybe that gave him a better chance. He
smirked at his crush who had unknowingly put him in the perfect position.

He walked to the bed and reached out for his sunglasses. As expected, Kiba
threw his arm behind his back in order to put more distance between his friend
and the desired object. Shino hid another smirk and leaned over the boy,
pressing their chests together. He allowed his breath to fan over his now blushing
friend's face and whispered, "Give them back Kiba"

The Inuzuka gulped and slowly brought to be held in front of the boy's face. The
next thing he knew, his mouth was getting crushed in a bruising kiss. He
whimpered as he was lowered onto the bed.

He had certainly never thought of Shino in this sense, but damn, he was a good
kisser. He opened his mouth to the taller boy's tongue and sighed at the taste. It
was good; not sweet or anything like that, just... Shino. Kiba whimpered slightly
when the other pulled away and looked at him. He sat there under the gaze,
unsure of what to do, he was really confused. First, he never would have
guessed Shino was that way. Second, he couldn't believe Shino, who he had just
found out was totally hot without those glasses, would actually kiss him. Finally,
he was shocked he liked it, he thought he liked Hinata!

The Aburame leaned down and kissed him again and Kiba didn't resist. Maybe
he could like Shino more.

Gaara glanced at the clock, he was almost ready, the costume had turned out to
be even easier than he thought. He was wearing a maroon wool tail coat with
black velvet collar and cuffs, a white high collared shirt underneath with a satin
maroon bow tie, black trousers that stayed tight the entire length of his legs and
ending with knee high maroon vinyl boots. To top everything off, he placed a dark
red top hat on his head.

He figured that was enough, but on a whim he took a red sharpie and drew the
kanji symbol for love on his forehead. (AN: I bet everyone thought I had forgotten
about that! XD) Pleased with his appearance he headed down stairs.

He saw Temari and Kankurou also in costume in the kitchen and made a quick
bee line for the door. He didn't need them trying to offer a ride, it was already five
o' clock, but he would still rather walk then put up with either of them.
Unfortunately Kankurou had seen him and quickly caught up.

"Hey short stuff!" He greeted placing a hand on his younger brother's head,
"Where are you headed?"

Gaara shoved his hand off and growled, "It's a grind"

"But that's like twelve blocks away," Said Temari as she approached them, "Why
don't we just give you a ride, it's no trouble"

The redhead scowled, "Because I don't want a ride. Twelve blocks isn't that far"
His two older siblings looked at each other before shaking their heads, "Gaara,"
began Kankurou, "Please just let me give you a ride"

He sighed, "Fine," he muttered, "But only if you promise to leave me alone after
this. I don't know why you guys are trying to be all... Sibling like, but it's pissing
me off"

"Deal"

Shikamaru and Chouji sat waiting impatiently in the coffee shop. They couldn't
remember if they were supposed to meet there after school before trick or
treating, but they showed up anyway. So far they were the only ones there.

Chouji had put on a bunch of makeup on his face and was wearing a jumpsuit
made of fake fur material. Shikamaru wore simple straight leg jeans that slightly
hugged his legs, work boots and a white T shirt with a tool belt. He had
complained in the beginning that thinking up a carpenter costume was
troublesome, but Naruto had not listened, nor had anyone else.

They both looked up as they heard a loud noise. To their amusement Naruto had
tried to enter the shop stealthily, but tripped two feet from their table and knocked
over a waitress who happened to be carrying a very hot coffee.

Naruto was both writhing on the ground in pain and informing the lady that he
would pay for the drink. She didn't seem to mind and was asking him if he was
ok.

Shikamaru helped the blond up and put his hands on his hips, "You idiot, why
can't you enter a room like a normal human being?"

"Because like you said, he's an idiot"

Shikamaru looked up at Sasuke who entered after parking the car. Sure enough,
he was Elwood Blues and Naruto was the Cheshire cat. They sat at the table and
ordered some coffee.

"So," said Chouji, "Why did we still meet here?"

Naruto grinned, "Because I forgot to cancel. It's ok though, the teme gave me a
ride" Sasuke swatted him on the back of the head, causing the blond to pout, and
hence earn a kiss.

"Aww," said Chouji, "That's beautiful. I bet Shikamaru wished he could have that
with Temari"

"Have what with Temari?"

They jumped and looked up at Gaara who had succeeded where Naruto failed,
and had both of his siblings standing behind him. Temari looked at Shikamaru
and raised her eyebrow, "You were talking about me?"

He shook his head and gestured to Chouji, "He was"

Gaara sighed and sat down, "Whatever, you know you want my sister"

Shikamaru blushed, but rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, "Tch, troublesome"

Temari blushed as well, while Kankurou started laughing, "Aww! Tem-chan has a
wittle cwush!" He ran back out to the car to escape the blonde's Laura Croft
Wrath, with her following yelling obscenities.

Naruto and Chouji were laughing as Shino and Kiba walked in, staring behind
them, watching the scene that the two older sand siblings were making in the
parking lot. 'Man,' thought Kiba, 'They sure are weird'

He smiled as Naruto called out his name, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Oi!
Kiba! What happened! You guys are wearing the same thing, but you don't look
like Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum... WOAH! SHINO TOOK HIS GLASSES
OFF!"

Kiba stuck out his tongue, "This guy," he gestured to Shino, "Wouldn't wear the
costume I bought! But he already had some other ones"

"You look like Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum Kink version" Said Shikamaru
eyeing them as the sat down.

"Maybe so," said Kiba, "But Gaara looks like Kink version too"

The redhead shrugged, "I already owned these clothes. Besides, what makes
you kink is that hickey on your neck"

The brunette's hand flew to cover the mark, but the damage was done. Naruto
was already in his face, "I DEMAND AN EXPLANATION YOUNG MAN! WHAT
HAPPENED?"

Kiba gawked, but made a zipper like motion, shutting his mouth. Naruto scowled,
and even though he was the only one asking, he knew everyone else was just as
curious. So he turned to Shino, "Do you know who did this Shino? Come on! I
told you about Sasuke!"

The Aburame shrugged, "It was me"

This time the group joined Kiba in gawking, except Gaara, who already knew of
Shino's feelings for Kiba, and Sasuke who blinked, then quickly forced the
apathetic look back onto his face.

"...What?"

Shino wrapped his arm around Kiba's waist and raised his eyebrow, "Is this clear
enough for you?"

Kiba blushed, but allowed himself to be held, he didn't know they were just going
to admit everything, but then again, Shino had never made himself out to be a
guy who would be unsure of anything. He sighed and looked at his friends.
Gaara didn't look surprised, but Shino already told him about everything. Sasuke
looked like he didn't care, not that Kiba expected anything less from him.
Shikamaru had the same old bored poker face, he could live with that. Chouji had
stopped eating and joined Naruto, who was staring blankly.

"Well come on!" Exclaimed the Inuzuka finally, "It's not the most shocking thing
that's ever happened!"

((We're skipping to trick or treating because I'm a lazy bitch))

"Sasuke! Carry me!"

"For the last fucking time, NO!"

"Shino, will you carry me?"

"Sure"

"SEE SASUKE-TEME! WHY WON'T YOU CARRY ME!"

"WE'VE BEEN WALKING FOR FIFTEEN MINUTES!"

Naruto pouted as they walked down the street. Shino was now carrying Kiba on
his back, Gaara was walking a bit behind and Chouji was explaining to
Shikamaru why low fat yogurt, was indeed not really yogurt at all. He glared at
Sasuke who was walking quietly beside him, it was too dark out for his
sunglasses, so they were on top of his head. Because of this, Naruto was able to
see his lover's eyes that were staring straight ahead.

"So!" Said Kiba grinning at the still angry Naruto, "Why aren't we stopping at any
houses? I thought we were supposed to be getting free candy from these places"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "We're going to a different neighborhood. They give out a
lot more candy, plus I really need to talk to someone"
The group followed silently, except for Naruto who kept complaining.

"Look, I really think you should just pick out all the lemon candies"

Neji scowled, "Why?"

"Because I hate lemon candy"

Neji turned to Sakon and Ukon who were standing in his living room with him and
this stranger. "Who the hell is this!"

Ukon shrugged, "We were on our way over and he just sort of started following
us" He turned to the boy who was dressed in like Edward Scissorhands with big
black eyeliner rings around his eyes and red hair a few inches past his shoulders,
"Who are you?"

The boy grinned, "I'm Kyo"

"Why did you follow them?" Asked Neji eyeing the hair

Kyo shrugged, "I thought they were zombies"

Sakon and Ukon were dressed as zombis, that was the truth, however, what
seemed to be the problem, was that Kyo had begun to follow them asking where
they were going. They figured he was someone from school, and said they were
going to Neji's house. At that point in time he began to tell them about life as a
ninja.

"Ok," said Ukon "So...What's your costume of little boy?"

"I'm not wearing a costume," said Kyo picking a chocolate bar out of the candy
dish, "And I'm not a little boy!"

Neji groaned, "Look kid, I have no idea who you are, but look outside, it's already
dark. Maybe you should get home and go to bed"

"No! Kyo goes night-night when Kyo pleases!" He pouted jabbing his thumb into
his chest repeatedly

Sakon laughed, "Aww! He's so cute! How old are you?"

"Fifteen"

The other three blinked, "Really?"

The redhead nodded the affirmative and smiled, "Yeah, I was just following you
guys because I got lost and have no idea where I am"

Neji scowled, "Then why didn't you say that at first?" The doorbell rang and the
Hyuuga glared one last time at the boy before telling Sakon and Ukon to watch
him and went to answer it. Kyo continued to smile at the twins, who in turn were
admiring his outfit. Sakon rubbed the material on the arm and gestured for Ukon
to do the same. "Wow, this is a lot lighter than I would have guessed," said Ukon,
"Where did you get this?"

Kyo shrugged nonchalantly, "I got it out of my dad's dresser"

"... Oh... Kay..."

((Chapter 18))

Neji opened the door and was greeted by the sight of Naruto screaming at
Sasuke, "Where are we? Where did you bring us!"

Sasuke's eyebrow twitched, but he managed a smirk for the Hyuuga. Neji
returned this with a hesitant smile, than he noticed the group behind them.

"Um, what's going on?"

He moved to the side to let everyone in, not missing the dirty looks he got from
half of his new guests, including -his breath got caught in his throat- Gaara.

The Hyuuga allowed himself to eye the redhead's costume. It looked really good
on him. Neji actually felt a little self conscious. He had forgotten about getting a
costume, so he had taken Hanabi's old cat ears and tail and merely put on some
black leather pants and a black long sleeve shirt, with buckles on the back that
were attached to vinyl and served to act as a sort of bodice.

Sasuke interrupted his thoughts by elbowing him in the stomach, "Is your living
room on fire?"

Neji's eye twitched, "KYO!" He ran out of the entry way and into his living room
where he saw Sakon and Ukon watching Kyo roast a marshmallow over his now
ignited sofa. The two twins seemed to notice him and his guests and began to
apologize and try to explain that they had no idea what he was planning when he
asked for a lighter, a stick and a marshmallow.

Gaara watched in amusement as Neji began to yell at, who he assumed was
Kyo.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU SET MY COUCH OF FUCKING FIRE!"

"I don't appreciate your tone, I mean friends shouldn't-"

"I'M NOT YOUR FRIEND! I DON'T EVEN KNOW YOU!"

"... Well, look on the bright side"

Neji stared at him, seemingly forgetting the fire right behind the younger teen,
"What's the bright side?"

Kyo's face went blank, then he turned to Gaara and smiled, "Oh hi there! What's
your name? I'm Kyo" He walked over to the other redhead, completely forgetting
his marshmallow and Neji and held his hand out to be shook. Naruto, Kiba and
Chouji crowded behind him and watched Kyo carefully.

Not that they noticed, but Neji had snapped out of the stupor Kyo had somehow
put on him and was now being aided by Sasuke and Shino to put out the fire.
Ukon, Sakon and Shikamaru were chatting lazily about what they were doing for
Halloween.

"My name is Gaara, how do you know these people?"

The shorter redhead giggled, "I don't know them, I just followed those two back
here," He pointed to Ukon and Sakon, "Why are all you people here? Can I wear
your hat?"

"We were trick or treating until that idiot Uchiha led us to this jerk off's house," He
glared at the two who were fussing over the melted polyester, then turned back
to Kyo, "No you can't wear my... Ok"

Kyo squealed with delight as Gaara placed the red top hat on his head, "Yaay!
DADDY!" He jumped at the other, who instinctively caught him bridal style, "I love
you!"

Gaara stared at him and Naruto started laughing, "Daddy? You just called Gaara
daddy!"

"I've decided that he must be my new daddy," Said Kyo solemnly, standing on his
own and looking around the room at everyone, "For you see... I have no reason
why, other than the fact that... You know, we're like this!" He held up his hand
and crossed his fingers.

Naruto leaned over to Kiba, "He has huge eyes; he should get surgery"

"I HEARD THAT 'DAVID LEE ROTH'!"

Neji glared at Sakon, "You realize you've brought an apocalypse upon us"
The gray haired boy just shrugged, "For the last time, it followed us!"

The Hyuuga rubbed his temples, "Whatever, I need alcohol"

"Oh come on," said Sasuke, "You're not planning on getting drunk, that's so bad
for you. Don't you remember what happened last time?"

Neji nodded, but looked over his shoulder at Kyo who was doing the cabbage
patch for Gaara, Naruto, Kiba and Ukon and scowled, "I have brain cells that are
going to remember this night and I want them dead"

Sasuke looked at him sympathetically, "Come on, I'll get you to the party"

"No," said Sakon, "Don't you have trick or treating to do? Besides, Neji can drive"

"He can't when he's drunk, do we know anyone who can drive?"

"I'm bored," Complained Kyo, suddenly appearing and hugging Neji around the
waist with a catlike face, "I believe I heard the mention of a party?"

"WHAT?" Exclaimed Naruto, "Sasuke you teme! I thought you said you just had
to talk to somebody!"

Ukon sensing danger for himself went to stand next to his brother while Neji
spoke, "Calm down, we were just-"

"LIKE WE WANNA HEAR IT FROM YOU" growled Kiba, "After what you did,
you're lucky we don't pound you!"

Kyo looked back and forth between the two groups with a small frown, "I feel
painfully left out of the loop," he muttered to himself, though it went unnoticed by
everyone else.

Neji glared at the brunette and blond, his fists were clenched so tight that his
knuckles were white, and his face looked dangerously dark. Gaara had his arms
crossed and was glaring out the window. He had seen Neji like this before and
wasn't very fond of the mood.

"Get out"

Naruto and Kiba who had turned to yell at Sasuke, turned back to Neji, "What?"

"Get OUT!" The last word came out as a roar, causing Naruto, Kiba and Chouji to
jump. He stormed out of the living room, with the others following, and threw
open the door, "GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE!"
Kyo had let go of Neji and was hugging Gaara's arm with big sad eyes, "Papa is
angry again" he whispered, earning a glare from Gaara.

Neji crossed his arms and stared icily at Naruto. Sasuke frowned, he had hoped
that they could talk quick while Naruto was distracted by the huge bowl of candy
for trick or treaters that Neji's aunt always bought. Now his best friend and his
boyfriend were almost fighting, "Naruto," he said, walking up and taking the
blond's arm, "Come on, let's go"

Naruto looked at him then back at Neji.

Shino grabbed Kiba's wrist and pulled him outside, Chouji followed, having
already taken a quarter of the bowl's contents went too, followed by Shikamaru.
Naruto sighed and looked at Gaara who was currently flinching away from Kyo
who was begging him to take him too. Then to Ukon and Sakon who were staring
at the ground awkwardly, well, there wasn't much point in staying anyway. "Are
you coming Gaara?"

"Yeah," the redhead looked at Kyo who had stopped talking and was staring at
Neji, "Are you coming or what?"

The boy nodded and Gaara walked out the door, making brief eye contact with
Neji, who's attention was pulled away by Sasuke.

"I'll see you at their party?" He asked referring to the twins. Neji nodded and gave
the Uchiha a small hug which was returned, then they left.

"The blue man group sucks!"

Naruto giggled along with Kyo as three more people glared at them. Kyo had
been at trick or treaters that their costumes sucked for the past two hours.
Sasuke frowned. If they got in another fight, he wasn't going to protect anyone.

"You know, except for having really bright blue eyes, he sort of looks like you"

Gaara looked at Shikamaru who had a bag that was half full over his shoulder, "I
mean, with the red hair, tons of eyeliner and"

"Love of all things free?"

They glared at Kyo, who had snuck up behind them and had been
eavesdropping. "It's rude to interrupt," grumbled Shikamaru, "Tch, troublesome
kid"

Gaara couldn't help but smirk at the pouting redhead, he really was cute.
Although, something about him seemed more like Neji, just something about the
facial features. He frowned and looked ahead of them. Sasuke had convinced
them to go to the party at Sakon and Ukon's house after the first three fights that
Kyo had gotten them into. Naruto and Chouji had also begun to complain about
being to tired and Kiba said he was thirsty, so they had agreed.

They were almost two blocks away, and he was starting to feel uneasy. He didn't
want to go, because Neji would be there, and he didn't want to see him. Once
tonight had been enough after seeing him at school... Gaara frown, and he still
hadn't found Shukaku, things kept adding up and adding up.

"There's the house" said Sasuke, pointing to a home that had lights and
decoration all over it. Spider webs were everywhere, a couple people who had
already gotten drunk were stumbling about. Music was blasting and they could
see groups dancing through the windows.

"Oh joy" Muttered Gaara

Sasuke smirked and wrapped his arm around Naruto's waist and led him up the
walkway. Kiba pouted and grabbed Shino's arm, intent on not letting Naruto out
show him. Chouji, Shikamaru, Gaara and Kyo stood idly on the sidewalk

"You know," said Kyo, "I think I know people who are here"

"I bet you do" Said Chouji, "Come on, lets go in. I want to see what they have in
the way of snacks"

"Me too!" Squealed Kyo

Once inside the music was much louder and it was warmer and smelled of
sweat. Gaara's nose wrinkled in disgust, he couldn't believe people actually
came to places like this for entertainment. He looked around, Chouji had rushed
to a counter in the kitchen that was connected to living room where there was a
layout of snacks and candy. Shikamaru had followed, hoping to find a chair so
that he wouldn't have to stand. He was standing alone with Kyo who seemed to
be searching for someone.

"I hate parties"

"I hate Sakura"

"..." Gaara smirked at the redhead and opened his mouth to say something, but
was interrupted, "Hey look! There's papa!"

There was Neji, still in those tights pants, with those cat ears that looked... Really
hot, leaning against a wall. He scowled, stupid damn Hyuuga, everything bad
was all his fault.
"Hey daddy,"

"Why do you keep calling me that?"

Kyo's expression immediately went from curious to the verge of tears, "Because
you look like my daddy"

Gaara's eyes narrowed, "How so?" He shook his head to prevent the other from
answering, "And why do you call him 'daddy'?"

Kyo shrugged, "I called him that when I was little, so why not now?"

Gaara scowled, maybe this kid was drunk...

"You made it!"

Kankurou and Temari jumped as they approached the house. They looked to the
side and saw a coffin with a fake body in it.

"Um... Did that corpse just talk"

Suddenly, said corpse sat straight up, causing Kankurou to emit a loud, high
pitched scream before jumping behind Temari and shoving her into the coffin,
"DON'T EAT ME! EAT TEMARI! SHE'LL LAST LONGER!"

The corpse caught the blonde and began to laugh hysterically, while Temari
yelled her head off at Kankurou, "YOU SPINELESS BASTARD! I CAN'T
BELIEVE YOU WOULD SACRIFICE YOUR DARLING SISTER!"

"I COULD ALWAYS GET ANOTHER ONE! BUT THERE IS NO REPLACEMENT

FOR THE KANKUROU!"

"YEAH! EVERYONE ELSE HAS SOME BALLS!"

"ESPECIALLY YOU!"

"Guys, guys! Calm down" Said the corpse standing up and pulling Temari with
him, "Geez, I swear, I'll never try to startle you again!"

Temari blinked and snatched the mask off the zombies face, "Sakon?"

"Yeah" He grinned at the two of them and Temari started laughing, "Well, you
scared the hell out us!" She gave him a hug and turned to Kankurou, "I can't
believe that's how you would act if a zombie attacked us!" She said scoldingly.
Kankurou didn't answer her but stared at Sakon as if he had grown another head.
Temari frowned and then looked back at the gray haired boy who had a puzzled
expression on his face as well. She sighed, of course Kankurou was going to
start acting like a freak! It was probably about the joke the first day they met.
Honestly, why did he act so weird about it?

"Right," she said, a theory quickly formulating in her head, "I'm going inside for a
drink and some dancing" She left them standing there, staring at each other
awkwardly.

Kankurou cleared his throat and scratched the back of his head, "Uh... Hey"

"Hiya," Said Sakon stepping out of the coffin and getting closer, "Are you alright?
You're acting kind of funny"

The brunette gave a small laugh, "Yeah... Ukon said the craziest thing to me" He
looked at the younger boy's face and saw no change in his demeanor other than
narrowed eyes.

"I assume it had to do with me?"

"Yeah, he said you..." He trailed off and licked his lips, "He said you liked me"

Sakon frowned and Kankurou sighed, "I know! I had no idea what he was talking
about!"

He smiled, "Sorry man, I guess I kind of believed him for a while" Sakon nodded
and Kankurou couldn't help the feeling of disappointment. He had been thinking
about it all day and... The idea of being with Sakon actually seemed appealing.
The brunette had come to the conclusion that he was attracted to Sakon and
therefore, had been inordinately pleased that the boy wanted to make friends
with him.

"Would you have been unhappy if I did like you?"

He looked up again, "Do you? Grasshopper?"

Sakon smiled with a light blush gracing his features, "I don't know, do you want
me to?"

Kankurou groaned, "We aren't going to keep this up for long are we? Yes! I want
you to like me!" He marched up and grabbed the gray haired boy, kissing him
and then pulling him into a hug. "There! Your evil plan to keep things going in a
horrible plot circle is dead!" He began to laugh triumphantly, while Sakon
chuckled softly, hugging the other back.
Bonfires burning bright

Pumpkin faces in the night

I remember Halloween

Neji tapped his foot to the music, watching the crowd of bodies mash together.
He never cared much for this type of dancing, so he was leaning against a wall.
He thought back on Gaara, he had found the boy's notebook, the one he was
always writing in. He had gone through the bag and found it. Because he felt bad
enough for invading the redhead's privacy that much, he refrained from reading
the book, even though he had really wanted to.

He frowned at the people, how they were dancing to a perfectly good song upset
him to no end. It was practically insulting Glen Danzig! What did he ever do to
them? He smirked, at least Sakon and Ukon had good taste in music.

He looked over at the clock that was illuminated by a black light, he had been
there for nearly three hours. Itachi and Orochimaru had gone off to a bedroom,
he knew what they were doing and didn't want to bother them. Ukon was
distracted by Kimimaro who had shown up in a skeleton costume. Kisame was
dressed as a shark (AN: COME ON! Who's surprised by the costumes? XD) and
was currently hitting on a girl who was dressed as a mermaid. Deidara, a bird,
and Sasori, a raggedy Andy doll, were making out in the kitchen as far as he
knew.

Dead cats hanging from poles

Little dead are out in groves

I remember Halloween

He was waiting for Sasuke, hoping that no one would try to talk to him.
Personally he hated being around people, he was actually really surprised that
he found so many people he could stand.

There! Through the crowd! Gaara and that crazy redhead who showed up on his
doorstep. Why did they bring him? Sure he was cute and sort of reminded him of
Gaara, but come on! Setting a stranger's couch on fire was crossing a line.

He couldn't help smirk at the two of them, the smaller one... Kyo! He had started
to do the Time Warp.

Brown leafed vertigo

Where skeletal life is known

I remember Halloween

Neji would have smiled, except he had just been tackled by a girl with short pink
hair, 'Oh God'

"Neji!" exclaimed Sakura breathing in his face, "Hi! Have you seen Sasuke-kun?"

He winced at her breath, it smelled of rancid alcohol, "I don't think he's here," He
lied. Gaara was there, so his immediate assumption was that the Uchiha had
made it, "Get off me"

She complied, but continued to cling to him after, "You know Neji-kun," she said,
adding the suffix and making him grimace, "I always thought you were so great! I
never thought TenTen was good enough for you! Maybe we should go out"

Neji stared at her, she was dressed as a slutty nurse and pushing against him.
He stomach turned, "Maybe NOT" He said shoving her away by her shoulder.

This day anything goes

Burning bodies hanging from poles

I remember Halloween

She tried to pout, and pressed further, "Oh come on Neji-kun! We'd be great
together!"

"Just leave him alone you gross, dirty whore!"

They both looked behind the girl to see Kyo, who was clutching Gaara's wrist,
and Gaara who was giving Kyo possibly the most evil look in history.

"He said no! So piss off!"

Sakura growled, "Who the hell are you? Why do you losers think you have a
place here!"

Kyo laughed, "Well fuck this. I don't feel I'm up to invent quick, witty yet scathing
remarks. So I get straight to it" He kicked Sakura in the stomach and she
slammed into the wall next to Neji. The redhead started laughing hysterically and
began to punch her in the face.

"Don't. Ever. Go. Near. Them. Again!" With each word came a strike, with the
same gigantic, insane grin.

Halloween, Halloween, Halloween, Halloween

Candy apples and razor blades

Little dead are soon in graves

I remember Halloween

"Kyo, settle"

Neji and Gaara snapped out of the shocked stupor and looked a boy who looked
to be Itachi or Orochimaru's age. He had silver hair that came to his jaw and he
looked like he was going to pass out at any moment.

"Kyo, what did we tell you?" He spoke in a drawl that almost sounded like an
accent.

Kyo stopped hitting Sakura, who's unconscious body slumped to the floor, "Don't
hit people if they have seen you and can give a police statement"

Neji turned to him, "You know this kid?"

The silver haired boy gave a lazy grin, "'Fraid so, sorry if he caused you any
trouble"

Kyo ran to him and clutched his arm, "I roasted marshmallows on his couch!"

Botan raised an eyebrow, "I see..." He turned to Neji, "I'm really sorry then. I can
pay for that"

The Hyuuga sat there dumfounded, "Um, no don't worry about it"

"You sure?"

"Yeah"

He smiled, "alright, cool" He pulled the little redhead away with him as he walked
towards the exit, "Come on Kyo, let's find the others, it's time to go night-night"

"NO WAY! KYO GOES NIGHT-NIGHT WHEN-"

"You keep thinking that"

This day anything goes

Burning bodies hanging from poles

I remember
Gaara frowned after them, "That was... Really weird"

Neji nodded, "yeah"

Gaara sighed, "Did you see Naruto?"

The other shook his head and Gaara frowned and made to leave but Neji spoke,
"You don't know anyone else do you?"

"Way to go Sherlock Homo"

Neji's eyes narrowed and he smirked, "Have you ever tried Tequila?"

"No..."

"Subaku no Gaara, I challenge you to Round Table"

Halloween, Halloween, Halloween, Halloween

Halloween, Halloween, Halloween, Halloween

Gaara stirred slightly, he wasn't fully awake, but he knew his consciousness
would bring pain. Unfortunately, he had no choice, his eye lids fluttered open to
immense pain. He pushed himself up and looked around, he was in a car, but not
just any car, it was Neji's car.

There in the driver's seat was the Hyuuga himself, still asleep and leaning
against his window. He was in the front seat too, his shirt was open and he could
see hickeys all over his chest and stomach. He winced at the immense pain in
his head, and ever more at the stinging in a certain spot. He reached up to rub it,
but found only more pain in doing that.

He heard snoring in the back seat and looked over to find Shikamaru dozing,
leaning against the door, and even more to the redhead's shock, his older sister
Temari resting against the lazy Nara's chest. Next to them was Deidara, curled
into a ball and sucking his thumb.

Gaara scowled the car smelled of alcohol and sweat, which was not a good
combination. He opened the door, pain shooting through his head at the slight
noise, and surveyed his surroundings.

It was a forest like place, with trees and moss everywhere. If he hadn't been
hurting like he had just got beaten with a baseball bat he would have appreciated
it more. To the side of the car he saw a river. It must be the one outside town. He
walked down to the water and sat down near the bank, this was annoying.
Inside the car, Deidara was starting to move, having what seemed to be a
nightmare. Finally, he woke up with a loud screech that aroused everyone else in
the car. (AN:NOT LIKE THAT!)

Neji groaned, "Dammit Deidara!" He clutched his head painfully, "Why do you
have to be so fucking loud?"

Shikamaru said nothing and just rubbed his sinuses, while Temari groaned,
much like Neji.

The noise had drawn Gaara's attention and he was now leaning against the
hood. The other four got out of the car and stared at him. "Where are we?" He
asked Neji who blinking in the light, obviously experiencing the same pain he
had.

"Um... Looks like the river"

Temari gasped, "How did we get out here?"

"You all got drunk," said Shikamaru yawning, "I was supposed to be the
designated driver, but the genius there wouldn't give me the keys to his car"

"That's Neji for you. Yeah" said Deidara, "Stubborn as a mule. Yeah"

Temari blushed remembering she had been drunk too, "What happened? Why
are we out here?"

"Don't know. It was too troublesome to stay awake. All I know is we all got in the
car, drove around town and Gaara got a tattoo. Then when we got back in the
car, I fell asleep"

Neji stared, Deidara gawked, Temari gasped and Gaara twitched, "I WHAT?"

((Chapter 19))

00000Sorry Kids but the line ain't working right now!0000000

Gaara sat in the front seat of Hyuuga Neji's car, twitching like no tomorrow and
finally understanding why his forehead stung like a bitch.

After Shikamaru, who was in the back seat with Temari and Deidara, had
informed them of his rather... Permanent decision, he had interrogated the rest
out of him.

((Flashback))
They had decided that the party was boring after Gaara lost to Neji at Round
Table. However they decided this after the two had consumed three bottles of
tequila together. Temari had been drinking casually for the past hour and a half,
and Deidara just had no control and had lost track of Sasori.

On their way out to the car, Neji and Gaara stumbling as they tried to suck each
other's faces and walk at the same time, Temari had spotted Shikamaru who was
still sitting bored with Chouji who had actually struck up a conversation with Ino.

Temari had run over to the boy and grabbed his arm saying, "You should come
with us! Maybe you'll have a good time"

Shikamaru had groaned, "I seriously doubt I'll have a good time with four drunks
going God knows where"

The blonde hadn't listened and proceeded to bodily drag him, with a giggly
Deidara yelling, "ALRIGHT TEMARI! YOU SHOW HIM!Yeah!" To her. Neji and
Gaara were already making out in the front seat half naked, so the other three
climbed into the back.

"Let's go to the tattoo parlor! Yeah" A slurred voice Deidara had squealed, "I
think Zetsu is working tonight! Yeah"

Neji had let go of Gaara and started the car. The redhead had pouted and opted
to sit in his lap for the ride.

Once at the... Ahem, establishment of business, they had gotten out and met
Zetsu. He had been Itachi, Deidara and Sasori's friend for a while. He offered to
give one free tattoo, all of them had left their wallets at home or worse, back at
the party.

In the end, as everyone knows, Gaara was voted to get it. He had stared long
and hard at the choices, wondering which to get and trying, unsuccessfully, to
process the suggestions made by his older sister and Deidara. He made up his
mind when Neji came up behind him and whispered, rather huskily, in his ear,
"You know, you look pretty hot with 'Love' on your forehead..."

They left after Gaara got the kanji on his head inked over and headed for the lake
planning to swim. Shikamaru, who would have protested, was currently busy with
a drunken Temari trying to lick the back of his throat, with Deidara yelling,
"ALRIGHT TEMARI! YOU SHOW HIM! Yeah!" At them.

Neji and Gaara had ignored them, while Neji proceeded to make the hickies that
now adorned Gaara's torso.

((End Flashback))
Gaara twitched again, "Why do we have to go to his house?" He demanded,
glaring over the seat at Temari.

She only sighed, "If we try going to home now, dad will kill us"

The redhead huffed and turned back around, glaring ahead at the street.

Neji glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and sighed, "Once we get there, I
need you all to be as quiet as possible," he said in a whisper trying to prevent his
head from hurting more, "Go upstairs to my room, Deidara can show you where it
is. Ummm... Just dig through my dressers and wear whatever you want. If you
need to bathe, and trust me, we all do, there's a bathroom connected, it's the
door on the left of my bed. Any questions?"

"Yeah," said Temari, "Where will you be?"

"I'll be in the kitchen getting us some bread and water"

"Ok"

Gaara snorted and looked out the window. The fact that after nearly three weeks
of ignoring him, that bar incident, and being shoved aside for some freak in green
spandex, Neji still managed to get into his pants was really enraging. "I can't
believe I got drunk," He grumbled, noticing that he caught Neji's attention, "I
almost wish Kyo was here. Then he could bring some poetic justice and set your
couch on fire again"

The Hyuuga frowned, "Maybe you getting drunk was poetic justice for him setting
my couch on fire?"

The redhead glared at him, "Maybe you're fat!"

Neji laughed softly, trying not to aggravate his head anymore than he was doing
so already, "We're here" He said to the whole car as he pulled into the driveway
of a rather large house.

Gaara stared absently, it sure was impressive in the daylight... For belonging to a
douche bag anyway.

"Wow," marveled Temari, "It's so pretty"

Neji just shrugged and got out of the car, and the others followed suit.

0000000000000STILL NO LINE BUT PRETEND ANYWAY!000000000

((Neji's POV))
I was a little nervous about getting caught. I could get away with anything from
anybody, except my uncle. I found that out the hard way, when he caught me
having sex in his car. Hey! That was the time with Deidara! Ohh, he still doesn't
like Deidara very much.

I pushed in the code for the security system, luckily uncle Hiashi hadn't changed
it. We went in through the back door and Deidara led them all upstairs. I was
pleased that they were being so quiet, not even Chaucer, our butler, would be
able to hear them. Unfortunately Gaara didn't go up the stairs, he was still
standing there, looking at me.

"What?" I whispered.

He may be precious and beautiful but dear Gods! He was stubborn.

His green eyes narrowed, "I don't trust you"

I could feel my eye twitch, what the fucking... "You don't trust me to get some
bread and water?"

"No."

Ok, now I really twitched, do I piss him off this much? Oh well, at least he's cute,
"Whatever" I turned on my heels and headed for the kitchen my socks -I had
removed my shoes along with everyone else at the back door- weren't making a
sound.

Gaara and I got to the kitchen and I opened the fridge and pulled out a couple
water bottles, "one, two..."

"There's five of us"

I couldn't help it, I smiled at him, what a little helper... Shit I really do sound
creepy. I pulled out five water bottles and went into the pantry for the bread.

You've got to be kidding! He followed me in here! "What are you doing?"

"I thought I explained myself"

I frowned, no he hadn't, "No you didn't"

Gaara glared at me, "I don't trust you," he said, "You always manage to be a
jackass. And I don't trust you"
Ok, that hurt, does he have to be so... Blunt. Oh, right, of course he does. "You're
unreasonable" I growled, grabbing two loaves of bread and brushing past him.
He followed me up the stairs and down the hall, but then I heard a noise.

It was around 6 in the morning, what the hell?

"What was that?" I felt Gaara lean closer to me, trying to stay hidden no doubt. I
looked at him briefly, before straining my ears to listen.

Silence... Then the flushing of a toilet. I peeked around the corner we were
currently propped up against and saw my uncle heading back to his room. I could
feel my legs practically shaking, that was close. I tapped Gaara's ankle with my
foot and motioned for him to follow. We tip toed past my uncle's bedroom, and
turned another corner. I tried to open the door, but my hands were full, I guess I
was pretty lucky that Gaara decided to stay behind. He opened the door and
squeaked, which made me jump and almost drop the stuff.

I gave him a small frown and started up the stairs that were behind the door.
Once at the top, Gaara gave me a look, "What?"

He frowned, "You have a third story to your house?" He said, "I always knew you
were spoiled, but this," he walked away muttering and I rolled my eyes. He went
the wrong way, but I didn't bother to say anything, he'd figure it out eventually.

I started walking towards my room and I heard him swear and run after me. I
tried not to laugh, I really did, but a chuckle did sort of happen. Damn, he looks
pretty mad.

"Asshole" He elbowed me in the side and it hurt, for the second time I almost
dropped the stuff. We got to my room and went inside. I could hear the shower
going and saw Deidara and Shikamaru both sitting down on some of the chairs I
forever keep stowed away in my room.
((End Neji's POV))

"Temari decided she wanted to take a bath before doing anything else," Muttered
Shikamaru, "Troublesome girl"

Neji smirked and set the food and drinks on a table next to one of the windows.

Gaara eyed the space critically, it was big, kind of girly though, were those
magenta drapes? His eye twitched, he hated Neji... That bed looked comfy, he
sat on it, purposefully messing up the blanket for the hell of it.

He glared at Neji who was now sipping water and listening to Deidara complain
about not knowing what happened to Sasori. He couldn't believe he ended up
here, of all places! He ended up in Hyuuga Neji's room! Gaara hated his life; that
was it, that was just it, everything and everyone was against him.

"Gaara," He looked up and saw Neji standing over him, holding a bag...
Gaara'sbook bag, "Here, you left this in class"

The redhead snatched it out of the Hyuuga's hands and reached in. He pulled out
the book and a pencil and ran to the bathroom where Temari was just exiting in
one of the extra bathrobes that Neji kept in the bathroom. He slammed the door
shut behind him, hitting his older sister in the back of the head in the process.

"Ow!"

Shikamaru glanced up lazily as the girl fell onto her knees, nursing her, now in
worse condition, head. He sighed and stood up to help her, 'troublesome' he
thought, smiling fondly.

"Gaara!" Deidara whispered loudly after a while, knocking on the door, "Unless
you're naked and wet in there, get out! Yeah. There happen to be three other
people who need to get clean! Yeah!"

The redhead opened the door and went to sit on the bed again, earning a glare
from Temari who was now leaning against Shikamaru. Deidara smirked and
entered the bathroom. He shut the door and they could hear the water turn on for
another bath.

Gaara glared at Neji who had moved to the bed while he had been inside the
bathroom and was now inclining against the headboard, with his eyes closed.
"Hey," he said, catching the Hyuuga's attention and causing him to open his
eyes, "Did you read this?" He gestured to his notebook and watched the
brunette's face remain tiredly blank, "Did you!" He demanded.

Neji sighed and gave his head a small shake, "No Gaara," he murmured, "I
didn't"

He received a disbelieving snort and then silence. That was what he had come to
expect from the redhead, so he remained silent, trying to stay awake until his turn
to take a bath. Shikamaru watched the two in mild amusement as they kept
taking glances at each other.

Deidara came out a few minutes later and Shikamaru pried a protesting Temari
off of him and went in.

Neji raised an eyebrow at the blond, "So Deidara, I couldn't help but notice you're
wearing one of my robes too?"
"Well, it's not like I'm not used to wearing your clothes. Yeah"

They snickered and began to converse about old times and fond memories.
Gaara's right eye began to twitch as the green monster, Jealousy, reared its ugly
head. 'Isn't that stupid, vapid blond dating the other guy? Now he and Neji are
flirting, practically hitting on each other!'

In truth they were just having a friendly conversation, but it did not appear that
way to the angry redhead.

Shikamaru came out and sighed, "Almost all of the hot water is gone," he said,
"There's probably only enough left for one bath"

Gaara and Neji stared at each other, watching their opposite for any sign of
movement that would hint they were headed for the bathroom. Suddenly, Gaara
dashed for the door, with Neji on his heels. The door closed violently, preventing
the older teen from entering.

Deidara and Temari snickered, "Are you going to take that?" Teased Temari
wagging her finger.

The brunette smirked and opened the door, which Gaara in his haste hadn't
locked. He stepped his inside and closed the door softly. The blond duo began to
laugh hysterically when they heard angry, muffled arguing over the sound of
running water.

00000000I would hope you know the drill by now! 0000000000

((In the bathroom))

Gaara sank into the tub, Neji had just barged in and locked the door.
Unfortunately for the redhead, he had undressed, even before turning on the
water. Now all he could do was trust the white porcelain to shield his naked body.

Neji raised his eyebrow, "Shy?"

"You'll excuse me if I still hate you" Snarled the redhead, "Now get out"

The Hyuuga turned away to hide his pained look and began to strip. He heard
sloshing in the water, a tell tale sign that the obviously shy younger boy had
turned around. He smirked, and turned to get into the tub. "You know," he said
slipping into the warm water, "We're both guys and we've seen each other naked
before"

Gaara snorted, but turned so that his back was still facing Neji, "I can't believe
you think this is appropriate"
The Hyuuga dipped his head back, letting the water wet his dark hair. Gaara
glanced over his shoulder to see the brunette washing his left arm with a wash
cloth, seemingly ignoring him. This was a bad move however, as Gaara found
himself unable to tear his eyes away.

Neji seemed to notice the staring and looked at him with a coy smile, "Like what
you see?"

"Fuck you"

With a huff, Gaara turned back around and looked in his field of vision for
something to scrub his skin with. Sadly, there was nothing to be found.

His eyes widened as arms wrapped around his waist and pulled him back against
the larger body behind him. "What is your fucking-" He nearly bit his tongue off as
the same cloth that had been previously cleaning Neji, was now roughly rubbing
him, down there.

The redhead leaned back unconsciously, allowing more access to be granted. An

elegant hand made its way up his chest and began to draw circles around his left
nipple.

Gaara licked his lips, refusing to lift his hips into the touch and inclined his head
to glare at the smirking brunette, "Stop"

He could almost see regret flash in the near white eyes, before the touching
ceased and he was now freed. He scooted away and stared back at the Hyuuga,
slightly baffled that he had been let go. With a confused frown he looked away
and stared out the window.

"Sooo..." Said Neji, "How are things?"

"I hate you"

"Gaara," Neji stared with a fixed gaze at the younger boy's back, the hurt in his
tone was evident, "I... I'm sorry..."

"I bet you are," spat Gaara, turning and glaring at him, "You're a selfish bastard
Hyuuga. That's why I hate you, and that's why I'm always going to hate you"

For less then half a second, there was such a stricken, heart breaking look on the
Hyuuga's face that Gaara was sure he had made it up as soon as it was gone.
The brunette's face was back to calm and he shrugged his shoulders, "You know
exactly what I let you know Gaara," he said, "Nothing more, nothing less"
Gaara was suddenly straddling him, the water splashed over the sides at the
sudden movement. Neji's eyes widened, as he stared straight into jade green
eyes. "Gaara?"

The addressed merely smirked, "You want me so bad"

He leaned closer, pushing hard against the older teen his inhaled sharply. Their
lips met and their tongues tangled together. Gaara wrapped his arms tightly
around Neji's neck, while the Hyuuga's hands went to the redhead's lower back,
pushing the smaller boy closer as he ground their hips together roughly.

Gaara moaned into the kiss, and trailed one hand down the Hyuuga's chest, and
lower to cover the other's hand. He pulled away with a few chaste parting kisses
and began to kiss and bite the older boy's neck.

Neji sighed, threading his fingers through the soft red hair contentedly. Suddenly,
Gaara stopped and pulled away. He stood up, smirking and went to the closet to
pull out a dark green bath robe. He began to pick his clothes up, still smirking,
when Neji finally snapped out of his stupor.

"What are you doing?" He asked, twitching slightly in annoyance at being left
painfully hard in a bathtub.

Gaara looked at him, his expression turned from devious to innocent, "I'm clean,
so I'm leaving"

The brunette's eye twitched in disbelief, "You're not serious" His voice betrayed
his position far more than he would have liked.

Gaara smirked again, "Oh I am Hyuuga"

000000000000000 Yeah... I hate the lack of line 0000000000

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at Gaara as he exited the bathroom, looking

cleansed and pretty damn pleased with himself. He frowned, immediately
assuming the worst, "Please tell me you didn't kill our host" He mumbled just loud
enough for the redhead to hear.

Gaara smirked, sitting down and staring out the window, "No, but I may as well
have..."

Temari, Deidara or Shikamaru had all planned to ask what he meant by that.
However, at that moment a very disgruntled Hyuuga came out of the bathroom
wearing only a white towel, low around his waist.
His blond friend raised an eyebrow, "Something wrong Neji? Yeah." All he
received was a glare as the brunette stalked over to a dresser and pulled out
some blue pajama pants. He slipped them on and removed the towel. Then he
turned to Deidara and threw him a yellow and green plaid pair.

The blond dressed himself and grinned at Temari, who was massaging
Shikamaru's shoulders, and the Nara himself, "Are you two lovebirds going to
need your own room? Yeah"

Temari had the decency to blush, but Shikamaru just shrugged, "Probably not"

Neji sighed, "Do you want any clothes? Or do you just want to stay in your
robes?"

The other two just nodded to signal that their robes were fine. Deidara expected
Neji to offer something to Gaara, but the Hyuuga just closed the drawer and
crawled into his bed.

"Anyone who wants to can sleep. I have the bed and the floor, pick whichever
you want"

Deidara hopped up and got into the bed next to Neji, Temari laid her head on
Shikamaru's chest, who decided to sleep on the floor and Gaara remained
awake, still staring straight out the window.

0000000000000 We can almost Justify anything we feel! 00000000000

((November 1st, Tuesday))

Shukaku,

After Temari and I went home yesterday, we wouldn't look each other in the eye.
Kankurou freaked out, because he couldn't find us the following morning after the
party. Well, he looked for us AFTER he woke up to find that he slept with Sakon,
and after he puked his guts out from drinking WAAAY too much. What an idiot.
I'm glad I didn't throw up.

I think Neji is still mad at me. Whatever, I hate him and he deserved it.

I'm in my second period class actually, TenTen is nagging him about the
November Ball. Got what a whore, going to some stupid dance. It's not even a
real ball. Girls go out and spend hundreds of dollars on some skimpy or straight
up ugly dress, to wear it one night. Then they all go and grind up against each
other, not really dancing, no, God forbid anyone actually do some dancing at
these damn social events!
The thought of that bitch, against Neji... AH! I WILL MAKE HER DEAD! I may
hate Neji but he's mine! THAT'S RIGHT! I LAY CLAIM! HE HAS TO GO THE
REST OF HIS LIFE WITHOUT BEING TOUCHED BY ANYONE! 0.0

I hate reading Romeo and Juliet too, I already expressed my distaste for it to the
class.

I should write a book, about how Romeo and Juliet sucks and how TenTen is a
whore! I will call it, "Romeo and Juliet sucks and TenTen is a whore" Ah yes,
short, sweet and to the point.

Neji seems to be ignoring her, he has that sad look on his face. WOULD YOU
STOP FREAKING OUT YOU DAMN WOMAN!

I hate it when he sulks like that.

On to other things. Well, I can safely assume the following people are now ukes,
because they were limping around this morning:

1) Naruto (I'm assuming Sasuke, or else that creepily possessive Uchiha will kill
someone)

2) Kiba (Same as above, replace Uchiha Sasuke with Aburame Shino)

3) Sakon (I believe I mentioned such things above)

Wow, I must really be wanting to change the subject to mention that as if I care.
v.v Oh well

I guess I'll have to skim through this enough to answer the questions at the end
of each chapter.

000000000000 Damn I sure do have to do this alot 00000000000

((Time Skip))

"Remember, remember the 5th of November,"

"If you quote that movie one more time, I will rip out your voice box"

Naruto pouted, giving Kankurou a nasty look, "You're almost as bad Gaara!"

No one knew quite how it happened, because one would have to know the whole
story, much like yourself dear reader. However, the student body at Konoha High
are not as fortunate as you. All they knew was that the Tuesday after Halloween,
things were not as they used to be.
At lunch, Temari and Kankurou left their group, Temari to go sit at Toy Corner
(Which baffled her friends) so that she could be with Shikamaru and her little
brother Gaara. Kankurou went to Royal Corner (Which left his friends painfully
envious) to sit with Sakon, though he was still weary of Neji. Although, the
brunette found himself unable to stop the fondness that almost immediately grew
for the other.

But then Sasuke wanted to sit with his Naruto, but the blond refused to leave his
friends behind. So the Uchiha went to Toy Corner, saying that he didn't care
where he sat.

The next day, Wednesday, Itachi began to complain loudly about wanting his
little brother back, then he and Orochimaru went to sit at Toy Corner as well.

The day after, Thursday, Neji had exclaimed, "Fuck it!" And went to sit there as
well. Deidara, Sasori, Kisame, Ukon, Sakon and Kankurou had sat there
dumbfounded.

Finally, on Friday, the remaining people went to Toy Corner, promising death to
any groupies if they followed them.

To the rest of the student body who had no knowledge of Halloween's night, this
occurrence was almost frightening. On the 4th of November, Royal Corner, the
top dogs of the school, had joined with Toy Corner, the underdogs.

Today was Saturday, they had decided to celebrate their new friendship, with a
trip out. Everyone was there, even Kimimaro who had been dragged along by
Sakon.

They were sitting in a restaurant, sipping the rounds of hot chocolate Neji had
bought for everyone. Inside the booth, the order went Orochimaru, Itachi,
Sasuke, Naruto, Kiba, Shino, Gaara, Kankurou, Sakon, Ukon, Kimimaro, Kisame,
Chouji, Shikamaru, Temari, Deidara, Sasori and Neji.

Naruto had been amusing himself by quoting a movie they had just seen. (Kyo:
Corvin will not disclose the name of the movie that is being quoted for legal
reasons o)

"No one is as bad as Gaara" Retorted the brunette wrapping an arm around his
little brother's shoulders.

The table chuckled while the redhead shoved the arm off him. He hadn't even
wanted to come today, but his older siblings dragged him there anyway. Gaara
scowled at his older sister who was blushing slightly at Deidara who was making
a comment about herself and Shikamaru. He didn't want to see Neji, not ever
again.
Sure he had thought his stunt in the bathtub would be a good idea, it had been
genius! But now he felt so awkward! He had been able to admit to himself,
watching the Hyuuga sleep peacefully on the bed that day, that he still had
feelings for the man. He didn't know, and didn't want to know how deep they
went, but he knew they were there. So now, so close to him, but still so far away,
it felt weird. The brunette didn't seem to be trying to win his forgiveness anymore.
Gaara couldn't help but wonder why that made him feel so bad and at the same
time, he wondered if he had ended up like Susan in the end.

He was brought back from his thoughts at the sound of Naruto's loud voice, "Oh
yeah! Well, one time I tried to get into Gaara's notebook, and he totally attcked
me! I mean he jumped on me and started choking me! I seriously couldn't
breathe! It took like... Three people to get him off me"

The others laughed and Gaara shook his head. He could feel the heated glare
Sasuke was giving him for hurting the blond, but he didn't care. It wasn't like he
killed him or anything!

"So Neji," said Orochimaru, "You broke things off with TenTen?"

"Of course," replied the Hyuuga, "Once she found out I was sitting at Toy Corner
she started saying all this shit about me having to choose something or another...
I don't know. I dumped her on the spot. There was a reason I never went out with
her"

The former members of Royal Corner snickered, while the rest didn't get it.
Sakon leaned against Kankurou, noticing his younger twin brother grimace
dramatically and begin to shake his head, "So then, who are you going to the
November Ball with?"

The Hyuuga just shrugged.

"Why would anyone want to go?" Spoke Gaara catching everyone's attention,
"It's an excuse to nearly procreate in public while pressed up against strangers or
some random acquaintance"

Itachi gave a barely noticeable shake of his head, "Maybe some of us like it that
way!" He said pulling Orochimaru's arm tighter around his waist, "neh, Orochi-
pi?"

The other only smirked, leaning closer to kiss the teen chastely, before they
began making out, obviously forgetting their surroundings. Their friends went
back to talking while the rest of the occupants in the establishment watched the
two attractive males kiss, enthralled.
"So... Who all doesn't have a date? Yeah" Said Deidara glancing around the
table.

"Hmmmm," said Naruto, "Well let's see. As far as we know, Gaara, Neji, Kisame
and Chouji!"

Kisame shook his head, "Nope, I got a date"

Deidara gasped, "What! Yeah. You got a date and you didn't even tell us! Yeah!"

The blue man looked at the blond who was pretending to sob forlornly into
Sasori's chest and shook his head, "No one asked. I'm going with Kin, the girl
who dressed as a mermaid at the Bobbsey Twins' party"

Sakon and Ukon glared at the 'nickname', while Chouji spoke up as well, "I have
a date too," He said blushing a little, "Um. I asked Ino on Wednesday and she
said yes"

"Really!" Exclaimed Naruto

"How did you manage that!" Demanded Kiba, "Wasn't she Sakura-bitch's best
friend!"

The Akimichi only blushed more, "I don't know. We were talking at the party and
then she said hi to me in our fifth period. So... I asked her the next day"

Shikamaru shook his head, "And you didn't even tell me"

"It slipped my mind!"

"SO!" said Naruto loudly, interrupting them, "I guess that means only Neji and
Gaara don't have a date..."

The redhead glared at him, while the brunette only shrugged, "I guess so"

Everyone knew of what had happened and while they had forgiven Neji, as well
as Gaara claimed he didn't care, so they didn't press the matter further.

"I'm leaving" Muttered Gaara, shoving with incredible strength and causing the
six people to his right to fall on the ground in a heap.

He stood up and walked away, smirking as their groans of pain and complaints
followed after him.

0000000000000000000000I hate life and I ahte you00000000000000000

((November 4th, Friday))

Shukaku,

Tomorrow is the November Ball. I promised Naruto I would go yesterday,

because he wouldn't stop nagging me about going to see a movie.

Speaking of which! Note to self: Carry out death threat to Hillary Duff. I heard
some girls talking, apparently the bitch made another movie... I wonder if that's
the one Naruto wanted to go see? Sweet Jesus I hope not.

Maybe I should just go with Neji, I could make him pay for the tickets and give
me a ride. Although, he may have gotten a date. I left an hour before Temari and
Kankurou got home, so I have no idea what happened in the amount of time. I
am not going to ask them! I know he probably doesn't have one yet, but... It
could happen.

I don't think Neji likes me anymore. I never catch him staring at me, he never
tries to talk to me, or touch me anymore. He was even flirting with the waitress at
the restaurant. I made he just made her day, that bastard.

I don't know, I just... Don't feel anything from him anymore. I know that, I want
him to love me back. Because I will NOT tell anyone but you this, but I can finally
admit it to myself at least. That asshole went and made me fall for him. I don't
even know how, Hell, I don't even know when it happened!

But he doesn't even look at me anymore. The sadness is gone from his
demeanor. I guess it was all just a farce. He only thought of me as some toy...
His pet.

Then, when he realized that I wasn't going to give in and be an easy fuck, he
decided I wasn't worth the effort. I don't like the thought of that, but... It seems
like him. Not the nice him that he shows everyone, but a darker side.

I hate him for what he did to me that night, for what he's doing to me now,
making me feel this way. But at the same time, I love him so much, I wish he
would just show up on my doorstep and tell me he loves me.

...Have I become like Susan after all?

((Chapter 20))

Temari had been in the bathroom for three hours and counting. She had called
Ino earlier to come get ready with her and they had immediately run to the
upstairs bathroom, shutting and locking the door. It hadn't mattered at first,
except Gaara had chosen to lock himself in the downstairs bathroom, muttering
something about plotting the death of a bitch... Or something. He was never
really sure either way.

Why was this disheartening and inconvenient? Just listen...

"TEMARI! COME OUT OF THERE FOR FIVE MINUTES! I HAVE TO MAKE

TINKY!"

Kankurou was currently outside the door, doing the potty dance and yelling at the
top of his lungs, "OPEN UP!"

"JUST GO USE THE DOWNSTAIRS BATHROOM!" Came the annoyed reply

"I CAN'T! GAARA'S IN THERE! YOU KNOW HOW SCARY HE GETS WHEN
HE'S PLOTTING SOMEONE'S MURDER!"

"CAN'T HELP YOU THEN!"

He paused and then smirked, "OK FINE! I'LL JUST GO IN YOUR ROOM!"

"YOU WOULDN'T!"

"SO SOON YOU FORGET LAST SUMMER!"

"..." The door opened and two blondes walked out, wearing only bathrobes, with
some weird sort of lotion on their faces. At any other time the brunette might
have laughed at the ridiculous ritual girls went through before social events. But
this was not any other time, this time, he had to pee, really bad. He ran into the
bathroom, yelling a quick thank you and shutting the door.

Ino raised an eyebrow, "He's weird. He's the one dating Sakon right?"

Temari nodded, "Yeah. Gaara is the small redhead"

Her friend nodded, "I remember him. TenTen and Sakura were always going on
about him and Naruto, back when I still sat at that table" She sighed, "Sakura
used to be so sweet. I remember back when she was shy and cute. I don't know
what happened"

"Simple," said the Subaku, "Popularity got to her head and mixed with that
stalker-insanity she had for Uchiha Sasuke. Nothing good would have come out
of it"

She thought for a moment about Ino's other old friend and continued, "And as for
TenTen... She was pretty normal. Like, just a regular girl until she found out
about Gaara"
The Yamanaka nodded, "She used to be a really fun girl who happened to have
a crush on her friend Neji" She sighed, "But I guess Neji being with Gaara didn't
bode well"

Temari shook her head, "No, Gaara was never known for bringing out the best in
people anyway. I noticed that it didn't seem to get to you. The popularity I mean,
you're going to the ball with Chouji!"

"I got over my crush on Sasuke, so I didn't have the whole... Insanity thing
going," she laughed, "Plus, I never got as much attention as Sakura after 7th
grade. In a way she took a bullet for me. No matter how much she changed... I
still feel bad for her"

Kankurou stepped out of the bathroom looking much better than before, "Awww,
sweet relief"

Temari eye twitched before she dragged her friend back into the bathroom and
slammed the door shut.

Gaara stared hard in the mirror, he was wearing a dark red tank top that went
down to his black belt that he was using to hold up black pinstripe pants. He had
just applied his eyeliner, the already existent rings around his eyes were now
covered with kohl. He was currently deciding whether or not to do something to
his hair, or maybe wear a hat.

He frowned, he had been in here for hours after he heard that Neji had been
asked by some senior named Tsunami. First he had written in Shukaku, then he
had read over his draft of the letter he had sent Hillary Duff, then wrote down
various ways to kill her. Then he had started thinking about Neji again. This had
resulted in him deciding he was going to go to the ball, which in turn resulted in
him digging through his dresser and closet for something to wear.

Gaara scowled and ruffled his hair, giving it a messy look. He wasn't going to
look like he was desperate pr anything! He wasn't!

He scowled even more, beginning to feel stupid. 'How have I allowed myself to
slip this much?'

He left the bathroom and stalked into his room, passing a half dressed and
panicking Kankurou on his way.

Gaara slammed his door shut and went to sit on his bed. He had already decided
to wear his black coat to top everything off.

'I won't even talk to him, I'm just going to sabotage his stupid date' He thought to
himself putting on his coat and shoes, 'He doesn't want me anymore, but that's
fine. I'll make sure no one wants him' He smirked, it would be his revenge and
closure.

Suddenly Kankurou burst into the room finally fully dressed, "Gaara!" He
screamed, "I'M A ZOMBIE! AND I'M IN NEED OF RESOLUTION!"

Gaara glanced at him, "Oh really?" He said tying his shoe, "... This is urgent?"

"Yeah"

"Ok... Kankurou. Life's to short to worry about... Life" He stood up and

straightened out his jacket, "Just be grateful you're alive and well... And Sakon
hasn't dumped you for someone cooler and smarter..." The redhead suddenly
wondered why the Hell he was playing along, "Do you understand?"

"Yeah are you done? Dad? I need medical attention," His older brother said
beginning to rap, "or I'll give you a mental detention. Is that out of your
comprehension? And one more thing I'd like to mention-"

"Go the Hell away!"

His brother stopped and grinned, "Sorry, I'm just nervous about tonight"

Gaara frowned, examining himself in the mirror, "Why?"

"Well... It's mine and Sakon's first date... I don't wanna screw it up"

"You've already fucked"

"GAARA!"

The redhead smirked, "Was that your first time?"

His older brother turned beet red, "J-Just hurry up and get ready! We only have
an hour!"

"I lost my virginity before you"

Kankurou stared at him, not believing Gaara brought that night up so casually.
The redhead just smirked superiorly, "I bet it was better with Neji too. Even if it
was in a teacher's lounge"

"What?" Exclaimed the brunette, "YOU LOST YOUR VIRGINITY IN A

TEACHER'S LOUNGE?" He shrank to the ground muttering to himself, "My own
brother. Oh my God. I can't believe it..." He looked up, "Aren't you angry about... I
heard about at the bar. Neji told me about it... Gaara"
His younger brother sighed, "I'm over it," He said, "Sure it hurt like a bitch and it
was embarrassing as Hell. But I'm going to get back at him"

Kankurou frowned, "But do you still like him Gaara?"

"... Yes"

The brunette nodded, "I thought so"

Gaara twitched, "Get out"

His older brother left with a chuckle and called back, "Make sure you're ready
soon. Neji hired a limo to come get us" to the now blushing Gaara.

Itachi frowned, something wasn't right, but what? He had his pants, his shirt, his
coat... "Sasuke! Have you seen my bow tie? I bought that especially for tonight!"

Sasuke walked in, completely dressed and stared at his older brother, "You're
not ready to go yet?" He said, "Orochimaru is going to be here in fifteen minutes
and we still have to pick up the dobe... Isn't that the suit you wore to grandma's
funeral?"

Itachi nodded, "Yeah, I figured I could use it again"

"But... It's from a funeral"

"I know"

"..."

"..."

There was a knock at the door, interrupting their staring contest. Sasuke gave his
older brother one last look before going to answer. He shook his head on his way
down the stairs, wondering if Orochimaru could top Itachi's weirdness. He
opened to door and came face to face with his older brother's boyfriend, clad in
snake skin pants and a black leather jacket.

"You're wearing that!" He exclaimed disbelievingly.

Orochimaru smirked, "Itachi said he was wearing a tuxedo from your grandma's
funeral, and he dared me to out weird him"

Sasuke frowned, "You guys need hobbies"

"This is our hobby!"

"GET NEW ONES!"

"Oh good you're here" They turned and saw Itachi walk down the stairs. He
smiled slightly, and grabbed Orochimaru's arm. "Come on," He said, "We should
get going"

Sasuke followed the two hesitantly out to his brother's boyfriend's car, why did
they have to be so weird?

Naruto rushed through the house, yelling in excitement, "Iruka! Where's my

orange bow tie? CAN YOU BELIEVE IT! HE'S TAKING ME TO THE BALL!"

"Yeah," said Kakashi looking up from him book, which he was reading in the
kitchen, "You're a regular Cinderella"

Naruto stopped and began to pout. Iruka hit the silver haired man upside the
head and walked over to Naruto, smiling warmly and handing him the clip on bow
tie. The brunette was beaming proudly at the blond who grinned in return.

"You should hurry," said Iruka, "They'll be here soon"

According to the plan, Orochimaru, Itachi and Sasuke were going to pick him up,
go to Neji's house and wait for the limo. Once it got there, they would go and get
Temari, Kankurou, Sakon, Shikamaru and Gaara. Chouji and Ino were getting a
ride from Chouji's dad and Kiba and Shino were going to tag along. Deidara and
Sasori were going to get Kisame, Kin, Ukon and Kimimaro in their own limo. The
plan was to meet on a certain street and then drive to the school together.

He put the bow tie on, looking in the mirror that was on the wall in the entry way.
He could feel the butterflies in his stomach, Sasuke was taking him to the
November Ball!

He began to bounce around the house, ranting about how much he loved
everything and how awesome life was. Iruka leaned over Kakashi and hugged
him around the neck, "It's just like a long time ago," He whispered into his pervert
lover's ear, "Isn't it?"

Kakashi nodded, "Just like Cinderella"

Iruka hit him up side the head again. Suddenly, they heard a car honking outside
and both smiled, "Naruto!" Called Iruka, "They're here!"

"Ack! Just a second!" Called Naruto from upstairs.

Kakashi stood up and walked over to the door. He mouthed the numbers, "3...
2... 1.." He opened the door, revealing Sasuke, with his hand poised to knock.
"Yo," said Kakashi grinning under his scarf that covered the bottom half of his
face, "You must be Sasuke" He stepped aside to allow the Uchiha to enter.

Sasuke stepped inside, feeling a bit nervous for not only meeting one of Naruto's
parents, but the Hatake Kakashi at the same time. He licked his lips, "Nice to
meet you sir" He mumbled looking at the other's nose instead of in the eye.

Kakashi smirked, "Don't. We both know what people from Royal Corner are like.
It might have been years ago, but I know for a fact it hasn't changed"

The Uchiha jerked his head up, "I left-"

"I'm well aware of what happened," Laughed Kakashi, "I was trying to help you
be more comfortable. Here, will this help?" He held his Icha Icha Paradise book
up in front of Sasuke's face. After a moment the boy's face turned red.

"Kakashi!"

He looked away from the dirty book and saw a brunette with a scar over his nose
storm in and start hitting the silver haired man with a rolled up newspaper,
"DON'T START SHOWING TEENAGERS YOUR SMUT!"

Kakashi ducked behind Sasuke and Iruka acknowledged him for the first time.
"Hello," He siad, the enraged look melting off his face, "I'm Iruka, you are
Sasuke?"

He nodded slowly, "a pleasure... Um"

Iruka smiled, "Oh please, just be natural. There isn't any need to be nervous"

Sasuke sighed, well, if they insist... "Is the dobe ready?"

"I HEARD THAT TEME!"

Kakashi and Iruka stared as their blond son tackled the Uchiha to the ground and
the two began to fight. Finally they saw who they assumed to be Itachi and
Orochimaru get out of the car and pull them apart. Kakashi smirked, the people
at Royal Corner were always so pretty.

"Sorry about them," said Itachi

Iruka stared at Naruto with concern, he was currently in Orochimaru's grasp

telling Sasuke where to go. Kakashi smiled at them, "Don't worry about it!" He
said, shooing them outside, "Have fun now!"

Iruka watched them pile into the car and drive off. He sighed, "I'm worried"
"Don't be," Said Kakashi, pulling the brunette into a hug, his smile turning
suggestive, "Besides... We have the house all to ourselves"

Even thought they had been together for fifteen years, Iruka still blushed every
time.

Neji finished brushing his hair and looked in the mirror, nodded in approval. He
was wearing a white, tight, long sleeve shirt, a black coat that reached just above
his belly button and black pants held up with a black leather belt. He frowned,
feeling like an idiot, everyone else was probably going to wear a suit. He had
dressed like this, only because he knew Gaara was going to be there. He had
been trying to give the redhead his space, but there was only so much he could
stand!

With a sigh he plopped down on his bed and picked up his cell phone. He dialed
a number and listened to it ring several times.

"Hello? You are on the speaker phone of Ms. Tsuki, how may I help you?"

"Tsuki..." He said, "This is Hyuuga Neji"

"Neji!"

"Neji?" Said another voice in the background.

"Do you know Neji, Susan?"

The Hyuuga's eyes narrowed, it was her. He licked his lips, after Gaara, he had
been feeling remorse for all his pets... Especially his first one. "Hi Susan, haven't
talked to you in a while..."

He heard shuffling and assumed the girl was coming closer to the phone, "Hello
Neji" she said in a timid voice, "How have you been?"

He cleared his throat, "I have been... Well. How have you been?" He felt like an
idiot as soon as he had said it. She answered anyway, saving him some
embarrassment, "Fine, I am fine..."

Tsuki spoke up, "How do you two know each other?"

"From... Elementary school" Said Neji, hoping that would be enough. He was
already calling to get help with another relationship, he didn't need to be talking
about another one. Especially one that happened a long time ago.

"Oh, how nice" Was the lady's answer. Neji sighed with relief.
"What did you need Neji? I'm in the middle of a session with your friend"

"Oh, uh..." Should he say it? With Susan right there. Damn, he really had gone
soft... "Um, I need help... I couldn't think of anything to do for Gaara and..."

"Gaara?" Asked Susan, "Is he ok?"

He frowned, "You know Gaara?"

"Um, Yes. He came to my house a while ago with Shino and Shikamaru"

He started to get angry, he didn't even know why, "Why was he at your house?"
His anger was beginning to leak into his voice. It was lower and more threatening
that he meant it to sound.

"Ju- Just for tea" She mumbled. It was quieter, he assumed she had shrank
away from the phone, just like she used to shrink away from him when he used
that tone.

"Ok!" Said Tsuki, "That's enough of that! What did you need help with?"

Neji took a few deep breaths to calm himself, "I don't know what to do," He said,
his temper back to normal, "I just... He still hates me. I couldn't think of anything,
what am I supposed to do?"

He heard Susan talking in the background, but he assumed that they were
whispering, because he couldn't understand what they were saying. After a
moment, Tsuki spoke up, "Tell him"

He raised an eyebrow and Susan spoke, "Um... I was saying that... You should
sing to him, at the Ball"

"Sing? I don't sing to anyone"

"Neji!" Said Tsuki, "What did I say before? SACRIFICE!"

"I know of a band," Said Susan, "They would probably know the perfect song"

"They already have a band for the Ball" said Neji dryly

He didn't see it, but on the other side, Susan grinned evilly, "Trust me," She said,
"You hire them and they'll find a way. Especially their lead singer... If you want, I'll
call them for you"

Neji thought this over, sing for Gaara?... "Hell yes!" He exclaimed, "SUE! NEXT
TIME I SEE YOU, I OWE YOU A BIG KISS! BYE TSUKI!"
He hung up and ran to his computer to search some songs that might be a
possibility.

(((((( With Tsuki and Susan ))))))

"Susan... Are you ok?"

The had turned bright red and fainted. The psychiatrist sighed and took the girl's
cell phone and opened the phone book. She raised an eyebrow, "Kyo's band eh?
Well, I guess I can start with that..."

Gaara's head jerked up at the sound of a horn honking. He got up from his place
at the kitchen table, and looked out the window. Temari and Kankurou were in
the living room getting lectured about "No sex (Tch too late for that), No drinking
(Oh please...) And No drugs" Gaara pondered that last one. He wouldn't do
drugs, but he never knew about Temari and Kankurou... He had always assumed
they hadn't either.

The horn honked again, catching everyone else's attention.

"We have to go dad," Said Temari, "We'll see you later"

"Just stay out of trouble" Grumbled their dad, not even sparing a glance at the
redhead as he followed the siblings to the front door, "Got it?"

"Yeah," said Kankurou, "See you later"

They went outside and Sakon got opened the door. He ran to them and jumped
up on Kankurou, wrapping his legs around the boy's waist, "Hey guys!" He
exclaimed, "Ready for fun?"

Kankurou smirked, his arms were now around the gray haired teen's waist. He
knew full well that his father was watching from the living room. "You know we
are" He carried his boyfriend to the limo and climbed inside with him. Gaara and
Temari went in next.

Once inside they were met with Itachi, Orochimaru, Sasuke, Naruto and
Shikamaru. The car started moving and they were on their way.

"Sooo..." Said Temari, squeezing between Shikamaru and Naruto, "How was
everyone's day?"

The order went Gaara next to the door, then Neji, then Itachi, then Orochimaru.
On the other, bigger, side, there was Kankurou, Sakon, Sasuke, Naruto, Temari
and Shikamaru.
The redhead glanced to his side at Neji. 'Hyuuga looks pretty scrumptious in that
outfit...' Gaara mentally drooled. He glared out the window, while the others
chatted up a storm. They were pulling up next to another limo that contained their
other friends. Not that he really noticed. He couldn't help thinking to himself,
'Stupid Neji... Having to make me like him like that! I...' He looked at the brunette
again and found himself unable to claim any feelings of hatred.

"We're here!" Exclaimed Naruto.

Suppressing, that's all that happened. He had been raised in a family where you
had to pretend that nothing was wrong, if anyone complained, they were too
ungrateful and ignored. Maybe that was the reason he was where he was...
Sitting in a limo, with his own siblings, the boy claiming to be his best friend and
the people who had hurt him, in the worst way. Why was he doing this, every
time he felt like he was starting to remember what had happened, he'd practically
kick himself.

Gaara scowled and looked out the window, how had this happened? How had
Neji gotten him to pine? What had happened.

He felt a sudden sense of disgust. Why was he here? Rage was beginning to boil
as the door opened and he climbed out. He felt like he was being pulled around
on strings, just like a puppet. He pulled his coat tighter around himself, the night
air almost felt like it was piercing his skin. He almost felt naked, in pain, tired and
betrayed. There was something he was letting go, something...

They were walking to the gymnasium, chatting so evenly, like nothing was wrong
with the situation.

He could see them though, those eyes jeering at him. He could hear them
cheering for someone. He could feel the pain, in his elbows, in his head, in his
spine. He could smell the alcohol, the sweat, the cigarettes. He could taste the
blood in his mouth, from biting his lip, not wanting to scream.

But... Maybe that was what he should have done in the beginning?

Suddenly, it felt like everything was clear to Gaara, how had this happened? How
hadn't it happened? He had been so caught up in proving that he didn't give a
shit that he got sucked in. His brother and sister still didn't care, his own friend
just wanted that damn Uchiha and Neji... Gaara stared at the back of the
Hyuuga's head, his hands were shaking, that fucking Hyuuga had wrapped him
around his finger. He had been caught, like a fly in the spider's invisible web.

He fell to the back, staring at the group in horror. They weren't just brainwashed
and tricked, he could see them, he could see the putrid nonentities that were
clinging to them. But that wasn't it, he could see their eyes, just barely straying to
these creatures, and looking away just as quickly. They weren't tricked or fooled
at all, they were purposefully buying into it. Buying into the bullshit that everything
was ok!

He could himself twitching again, it had almost gotten him, but why? Of course,
he thought he was clinging back into insanity that had once held him so dearly,
but really, that was what Neji had wanted. He bit back a bitter laugh, he had
probably been going along with the Hyuuga's plan from the very beginning. The
real question was, why had he underestimated Neji so much?

They were handing in tickets, smiling, giggling, having a dandy fucking time!

"Gaara?"

He snapped out of his thoughts and looked at his older sister who was waiting for
him. They were standing there, staring at him. He felt like he was going to puke,
they didn't believe anything was wrong.

"Is this supposed to be some kind of fucking resolution?"

His voice visibly startled them, even Neji. He could feel the stomach bile already
in his throat. He had become just like Susan, he probably went through the same
thing. Thinking they were over this conniving Hyuuga, only to have a thought.
That was how he worked, he made his way into your head and existed as a
passing thought that barely existed. As soon as it entered your head, it vanished,
not even leaving a memory.

"What do you mean?" Asked Naruto, "Gaara, are you ok?"

Was he ok? What the fuck was that even supposed to mean? He stared hard,
those blue eyes almost looked glazed over. He shook his head, he was stuck in
their fucked up illusion too. He vaguely wondered if that was what Royal Corner
had planned from the beginning. If that was what Neji had counted on in the
beginning.

Or maybe he had changed his plan after Gaara retaliated. How had he ever felt
bad for it? No... Fucking... He had been RAPED! He hadn't just been humiliated,
but RAPED! And his own family and people who claimed to be his friends were
just stnading there with those people who had done it to him. They were being
friendly! THEY WERE GOING TO A FUCKING SCHOOL DANCE TOGETHER!

"I can't believe this..." He muttered, the realization of it all making itself known for
the first time to his battered mind, "I don't even believe this is possible"

They seemed confused, wasn't that just too convenient. He glared at them, he
couldn't even believe that they were doing this.
"I want to go home," he said, "Good night"

"Wait a second!" Kankurou stepped forward and grabbed his arm, "What are you
doing Gaara? What's your problem!"

Gaara stared at him, "Oh nothing!" He screamed, "YOU JUST WANT TO GO TO

A FUCKING DANCE WITH MY FUCKING RAPIST AND HIS ACCOMPLICES! I
JUST HAPPEN TO NOT WANT TO SEE HIS FUCKING FACE EVER AGAIN!"

Gaara's green eyes were wide and hysterical, the events were pouring over his
mind and vision. He felt like he was in two places at once. In the parking lot of
dance and at the bar, on that pool table. He could feel his pulse quickening as
they recoiled from his outburst. Especially them from Royal Corner. They looked
so shocked that he actually said it!

He almost laughed outright when he saw the teacher who was manning the ticket
table stand to go inside.

"No!" He yelled, pointing at him, "STAY OUT HERE! YOU ALREADY KNOW!
WHY BOTHER EVEN LIVING IN DENIAL IF YOU DON'T GIVE A SHIT!"

He felt panic, he felt adrenaline, he felt it... True terror, the kind of fear that could
only be found in insanity. Some even believed that terror was really an ancient
wisdom locked away in the subconscious mind. Only someone not mentally
fitting in with the whole goddam society of mindless, soulless blobs could
comprehend it.

He started laughing finally, he had an ancient wisdom, and he wouldn't share it.

He wasn't sure who had just stepped forward to grab him, he didn't care. He
swung with all his might, effectively knocking whoever the fuck it was away from
him. His vision went clear for just a moment, he stared at Neji, who looked like a
deer caught in the headlights, "You!" He pointed his finger accusingly, hoping to
condemn him somehow, "If you ever come near me again... I'm not playing, I'll kill
you" His voice was low, growling, animalistic.

He turned, and fled, most definitely not heading towards home.

Neji stepped quietly into his house, he had decided not to stay at the Ball after
Gaara's little scene. The mood had become tense, no one wanted to look each
other in the eye. He calmly walked up the stairs, not really bothering to hold the
railing.

He finally reached the top floor. Neji had already removed his jacket and was
now working on his belt. He pushed his door open. It shut silently behind him as
he dropped his coat onto the floor.
He looked down at the belt he was now gripping so tightly in his hand, his
knuckles were turning white. Neji walked over to the mirror that hung on the wall
next to his window. He was staring blankly back at himself.

((((((((((((((((( Neji POV ))))))))))))))))))

I saw a smirk on my face and I knew why it was there. I looked back down at my
hand, and the next thing I knew, the mirror had shattered. I watched as the
shards fell onto the carpet.

Tiny pieces of broken glass, reflecting his now bloodied fist.

How poetic... In an emo-gothic-bitch sort of sense...

THAT LITTLE SLUT! HOW FUCKING DARE HE! NO ONE TREATS ME THAT
WAY!

I got everyone on my side. Even the boy's own brother and sister forgave me
easily! What gives him any sort of right to act up like that?

Does he want to take this to the authorities? He'll never win, not against me.

If that little whore thinks he can best Hyuuga Neji, he is sadly mistaken. I will not
have an ex fuck toy treat me so disrespectfully. Even if I do still want him. After
all, I tried to make things easy for him. I played the part of remorseful wrongdoer,
my friends did the innocent bystander bullshit, FUCK! I even let Sasuke go out
with that stupid, annoying blond.

I would have even sang to him to seal the deal. A cute little tune, just for him.

Well, I am fucking done with that little shit, I'm going back to my fucking corner.
Sasuke can do whatever the fuck he wants!

I pick up a chair and smash it against a wall, but I can still see my face. I look so
calm, how do I manage that? I'm so angry. I punch a hole in my wall, I'm
probably going to get in trouble, not that I care.

He's dead to me, that should make him happy. After everything I did, all that
fucking trouble I went through, he just throws it back in my face. The little bitch
probably liked it when I fucked him on that pool table, at least I didn't let those fat
fucks have a go at him! Maybe I should have...

000000000000000000((((((((((( End
POV ))))))))))))))000000000000000000000000
He was running, as fast and as far as he could. The flashbacks of that night were
almost overwhelming. He had been running that night as well. Running, trying so
hard to escape his tormentor.

Gaara wasn't sure where he had ended up, all he knew was that he saw a light,
and heard a horn... A horn...?

He was standing in the middle of the street, in a small business district. What part
of town was this? Suddenly, the light was closer. It wasn't moving though, it had
stopped, he wasn't sure, but it seemed like someone was yelling at him. He felt
like he was waking up from a dream.

"Hey kid! What are you doing! Why are you just standing in the middle of the
road?"

Gaara looked up at a large man, he looked angry. Behind him, he saw what he
assumed to just be a girly boy.

"Zabuza!" It said, "Ask if he's ok!"

Zabuza...

"In a minute Haku!" replied the large man, "Ok shrimpy, what's your deal? You
gotta death wish?"

"G-Gaara-kun?"

The redhead looked passed Zabuza again and saw a familier pair of eyes
standing next to Haku.

"... You are a Hyuuga" He growled, immediately sinking into a defensive stance.

"Hinata, do you know him?" Haku turned to look at the girl who had climbed out
of the pick up truck after him. "Is he a friend from school?"

"I'm not her friend" Snapped Gaara

"Hey!" Growled Zabuza, "That's not a good tone to speak to my Haku in!"

Haku shook his head, and stepped forward, "Are you ok... Gaara was it?"

He had long black hair, past his shoulders, round black eyes that seemed to
emanate kindness and snow white skin. He was far more petite than Zabuza,
who was tall, muscular, with short black hair and narrowed black eyes. Gaara
glared at the girl with them, he had seen her at school. Hinata had short dark
purple hair, with eyes and skin almost exactly like Neji. Although he seemed to
be the very embodiment of confidence and narcissism, while looked timid and
shy. Something about them seemed somehow... Trustworthy though. But he had
thought such things before.

"I am Gaara," he said, "What's it to you?"

Hinata looked down, blushing and Haku smiled, "Well... Are you ok? We almost
made you into a road pancake"

"It was his fault..." Grumbled Zabuza, earning a playful hit from Haku.

Gaara scowled, "I was out for a nightly jog" He growled sarcastically, then turned
to Hinata, "How are you related to Neji?"

"Uh! I-I am his c-cousin" She stuttered, twiddling her fingers.

"Hmph, are you aware of what your cousin does?" He snarled, feeling his anger
and animosity well up again.

"Calm down shrimp!" Said Zabuza, stepping in front of the Hyuuga girl.

"Yes," said Haku, "Look, you look tired. Come back to mine and Zabuza's
apartment. We can have some tea and you can tell us what happened?"

The redhead scoffed, "I'm not an idiot"

"I made some brownies earlier..." Said Haku, "Delicious chocolate brownies..."

"No fucking way is this brat getting my brownies!" Exclaimed Zabuza, "If he
doesn't want to go to a stranger's house then... He doesn't get my brownies!"

"G-Gaara-kun..." Said Hinata, taking a step around Zabuza to look at the

redhead, "I... I w-want to know w-what happened"

He glared at her, but seemed to think it over, "Fine," he growled, "But any of you
touch me and you're losing something"

"Then you'll have to ride in the back" said Zabuza, earning another hit from Haku.

Gaara sat in their living room on a crimson couch with gold embroidery. The
walls were white, with what looked to be Italian paintings. There was the couch,
then across from him, was a love seat, the same style and against the left of him
was another love seat, just like the others. The room was square, with the door
way to his right and a large window with curtains over it to his left, behind the
love seat. Where adjacent love seat and the one to his left, left a space, Haku
had put a small table and a television. There was also a coffee table in front of
him.

"Here," said Haku, placing a tray on the table, "I hope you like them!" He smiled
sweetly, also placing a glass of milk on the table. Had he an eyebrow, he would
have raised it in question. The black haired boy seemed to notice the look on his
face, "Trust me you'll need it," He said as Hinata and Zabuza sat down as well.
Hinata on the love seat in front of the window and Zabuza with Haku on the
opposite love seat. "It's a family recipe"

Gaara just nodded, and took a bite. It was rich, very rich. He chewed and
swallowed and then took a drink of the milk, thankful it was there.

"So brat," said Zabuza, "What happened that's got you all upset?"

The redhead glared at him and Haku nudged him, "Zabuza!" He hissed, "Be
polite!"

He only rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, watching Gaara expectantly.

"What's got me upset..." Repeated the Sabaku, "Where do I start...?"

"W-Well," said Hinata, "I-If it has to do w-with Neji... Um, why don't y-you start
from th-there?"

He nodded, "Fine. It was the first day of school, I was trying to get my schedule-"

"How about you skip a little ahead" said Zabuza, his tone seemed a little less
gruff, with Haku's head resting on his shoulder, "I mean, unless this is really
important"

Gaara shrugged, "ok... He forced me to go out with him. I just wanted to finish
four years of highschool, get out of that fucking house and not ever have to see
my family again.

"But then that asshole decides he wants to fuck with my plans. I even tried to
dump him, but he threatened people who I thought cared about me. I don't know
why, but I sort of even went along with it. I stopped picking fights for a little while,
I even kissed him a couple times..." He scowled, "But when I tried to dump him,
is when I think he got really angry. There is this place, called Tayuya's bar"

Hinata gasped and he looked at her. She was holding her cup tightly, shaking.
She looked up and saw Haku's concerned expression and just shook her head,
"P-please continue"
"Well, he made me go there. And... At first... Maybe it wasn't so bad. But after we
were there... For maybe about forty minutes. Some guy comes over, greets Neji
and his friends and then tells me to suck him off. I got pissed, because I didn't
know what the fuck was going on. Then they start saying all this shit like, I need
to be broken in and stuff. Well fuck! Then I asked him... Why was he letting them
do this and he said... 'What kind of friend would I be, if I didn't share with my
friends?' Then they put me on the pool table and Neji got on, and raped me" He
fell silent, he was getting angry again, really angry.

Hinata sobbed, she set the cup on the table and covered her mouth with both
hands, but Gaara took a deep breath and continued.

"Some guy said he wanted to go next. But before he could, I broke a pool stick
over his head. Then I beat the shit out of pretty much everyone else in the bar. I
was almost to the door when Neji got in my way, so I stabbed him. I didn't really
pay much attention to where I stabbed him, but he is still alive and well, so I
guess it didn't cause too much damage... Unfortunately. I avoided him for about a
week. Then it was Halloween. I got drunk at the same party he was at, and then
woke up the next morning in the same car as him, my older sister and two guys
named Shikamaru and Deidara" He sighed and looked up at the ceiling, "I don't
know how, but somehow, he made everyone almost forget. It was like he had
never done anything wrong and I was some moody kid. He ended sitting where I
sit at lunch, with all his friends. My older brother and older sister adore him and
my own friends were going to hang out with him at the fucking school dance. And
I went along with it, having to act like nothing was wrong"

Hinata finally broke down, muttering through her tears how sorry she was. Haku
was staring at him in horror while Zabuza tried to comfort the crying girl. Gaara
took another bite of the brownie, he was feeling sick, but he wanted something in
his stomach.

Haku had stood up and sat next to him on the couch, "I'm sorry," he whispered,
sorrowful tears evident in his voice, "I'm so sorry that happened to you..." He
reached out awkwardly and Gaara felt himself be pulled into a shakey hug. He
shook his head, "Hm, someone actually feels there is something wrong with what
happened. How new"

"I'm so sorry!" sobbed Hinata catching his attention, "I-I, he told m-me... I never
w-wanted to believe th-they were t-true. I-I never thought h-he would d-do
something like th-that after what h-happened!" Her speech was impaired by
hiccups, sobs and sniffles.

Haku released Gaara, so that the redhead could go stand over her, "What do you
mean? What happened?"

Hinata froze, "um..."

"Come on!" Said Zabuza standing up, "What are you talking about Hinata?"

She looked down, "I wasn't ever s-supposed to tell anyone... When h-he was t-
twelve, N-Neji was r-raped"

Haku and Zabuza gasped in shock and Gaara stared at her, "What?"

"N-Neji was r-raped four years a-ago," She stuttered, sobs wracking her petite
body as she tried to speak. "He m-made me p-promise never to tell, b-but he
promised m-me he didn't d-do anything like th-that!"

Gaara stared hard the Hyuuga, "What do you mean? Who raped him?"

"I-I... You h-have to promise n-not to t-tell anyone"

He rolled his eyes, "Who am I going to tell? In case you forgot, as of tonight, I
don't have any friends"

Hinata looked down guiltily, "Ah, u-um, I'm s-sorry"

Haku stood up and walked around the other two to hug her, "just tell him what
happened Hinata"

She nodded and he took a step away. Hinata took a big breath of air and looked
at Gaara, who had backed up and sat on the couch. "My f-father was t-trying to
make Neji f-feel like p-part of the family. H-He took him t-to a b-business p-party
and let him w-wander around the o-office building. I was there t-too, b-but I didn't
want t-to annoy N-Neji, so I-I followed h-him f-from a distance.

"W-We g-got kind of f-far away, w-when suddenly Neji g-got yanked into a-a
door, then it s-slammed shut. I r-ran and t-tried t-to open it, but i-it was locked. I r-
ran around to a-another d-door and went o-out through th-the window o-onto the
l-ledge. I-I climbed to th-the other w-window a-and looked in, th-there was a m-
man..." She began crying again, but continued, "H-He had N-Neji pinned on the
c-couch in the room, h-he was t-taking off Neji's p-pants and N-Neji was sitting
there, c-crying and b-begging him to stop, b-but the m-man told him to sh-shut
up,"

She sniffed, "I r-recognized him, h-he was m-my f-father's business p-partner. I-I
sat th-there, I c-couldn't move, i-if... If I had j-just done s-something... I sat there
th-the entire time, he r-raped N-Neji, and h-hit him when he scr-screamed. Then,
he t-took out his c-cellphone and made N-Neji...S-S- Suck on him, while he t-took
pictures. I-I was o-out on th-the ledge f-for an hour a-and a h-half, I r-remember, I
got a b-bad cold a-after th-that night. W-When f-father's business partner f-finally
left, h-he told N-Neji not t-to tell a-anyone, or h-he would r-ruin our f-family"
She choked on a sob and wrapped her arms around herself, "Neji p-put his c-
clothes back on, and th-then he s-saw me. H-He opened th-the window and p-
pulled me i-inside, he m-made me s-swear not t-to tell father, n-not to t-tell
anyone"

Hinata finally broke down, crying her frail, little heart out, while Haku held her
gently. Zabuza had sat on the love seat, his hand over his mouth while he stared
at the ground. Gaara licked his lips and then focused on the embroidery; he
never would have pegged Neji as a rape victim.

The Hyuuga girl's hiccups caught his attention and he turned to see her staring at
him, "I'm s-sorry," She whispered, "I-I remember w-when he s-started going th-
through so m-many lovers... I-I asked him w-why and i-if he was o-ok. H-He told
m-me not to w-worry about it and th-that h-he didn't h-hurt them" She bit her lip,
tears smudging the little bit of mascara she wore and causing black streaks to
run down her face, "A-After the f-fourth person d-disappeared f-from school, I-I
asked him a-again what w-was going on... H-he got offended a-and yelled a-at
me, s-saying he couldn't b-believe w-what I was i-insinuating. I f-felt so bad, th-
that I n-never brought it u-up again. I-I just d-didn't want t-to believe th-those
rumors a-at school, I-I didn't w-want to believe th-that he was c-capable of such a
thing"

Gaara frowned, "What your cousin did to the people he hurt, is no fault of your
own," He said, "What happened to me, is nothing that you should be apologizing
for, so stop feeling guilty for him"

Haku and Zabuza nodded in agreement and Hinata wiped her eyes, "He is m-my
cousin," she whispered, "a-almost a brother... H-How can I n-not w-wish for
things t-to have b-been different?"

"Wish all you want," Said Gaara, "But that won't do anything. Your jerk off cousin
obviously needs professional help"

"Tell me," Said Zabuza, "Who was this guy? What became of him?"

"Have you ever heard of Hiroshi Akira?"

Haku gasped, "Him!"

"Who is that?" Asked Gaara frowning at the shocked looks Haku and Zabuza
shared.

"He was murdered brutally two years ago," Said Haku, "They never found out
who did it"

"So?"
"Two y-years ago..." Said Hinata, "Is when m-my c-cousin first m-met his f-friend,
Orochimaru"

Gaara glared at the passing cars, he and Zabuza were on his way to his house
so that he could pick up Shukaku. After a long conversation about his situation,
Zabuza and Haku asked him if he would like to stay with them for a while.

"Remember," Said Zabuza, looking away from the road briefly to glance at him,
"We are giving you a place to rest. We are not going to shelter you from your
problems or help you run from them"

He nodded, "I know"

"And also you're just visiting us. The last thing we need is to be harboring
runaways"

The other nodded.

Haku had insisted that he would buy everything else the redhead would need. So
Gaara didn't have to stay any longer than necessary, this he was thankful for. He
really didn't want to be around his siblings, no doubt they would want to talk, or
they would want an explanation for his actions, or want to know where he was
staying. This he would refuse to tell them of course.

"Listen, my brother and sister might be there... So..."

"You want me to come with you and prevent any conversation from starting?"

"Yeah"

Zabuza clicked his tongue, "What did I just say about sheltering from problems?"

Gaara smirked, "I just need a rest"

They pulled up into the driveway. There was no car, so the redhead felt hopeful
that Temari and Kankurou weren't home. He climbed out of the truck and walked
up to the door with Zabuza in tow. The next thing he knew, the door flew open
and Kankurou stormed down the walkway to stand in front of him, not noticing
Zabuza, who was getting out of the truck.

"Where the hell have you been Gaara!" He exclaimed, trying to grab the
redhead's shoulders, but failing when the younger boy flinched away, "We've
been worried sick!"

"Sure you have," he muttered, "Zabuza?"

The brunette looked behind his younger brother and noticed the large man
behind him for the first time, "Who are you?"

Gaara ran passed him and into the house, while Kankurou was met with Zabuza
who had moved to block his path. The redhead ran up the stairs, hoping to not
encounter Temari, he threw open the door to his room and saw his book bag
sitting at the foot of his bed where he had left it. He grabbed it and ran down
stairs to see Kankurou yelling at Zabuza to move and the other merely ignoring
him. He bolted for the truck and Zabuza followed, they were gone before
Kankurou could get a good look at the license plate.

The youngest Sabaku pulled Shukaku out of the bag and held it to his chest,
sighing with relief, "Thanks" he muttered to the man driving.

Zabuza shrugged, "As long as he doesn't ID my car it's not a problem. Are you
sure you want to stay away from home? He seemed worried"

"My brother seems to want to convince himself that he cares, trust me, he
doesn't"

The older just shrugged, "Your call"

They had been driving for a few minutes, nearly half way back to the apartment,
when they stopped at a stop sign on a street with houses lined up and down the
block, then sidewalks in from of the yards, then more grass and large, old trees
between the cement and the asphalt. Suddenly, something caught the redhead's
eye. He turned his head and saw Kiba and Shino, the Inuzuka was jumping up
and down, flailing his arms, trying to get Gaara's attention. He frowned, but
Zabuza saw, "Friends of yours?"

"I don't have any friends"

"Don't let Haku hear you say that," He smirked at the other's puzzled expression,
but gestured to the two brunettes, one of which who was knocking on the
window, "You wanna talk to them?"

"Fine"

Zabuza pulled off the side of the road and got out, as did Gaara. They were
immediately swooped down upon by Kiba, "Who is that? Gaara we have to talk!
Look I don't know what is going on or why everything is so peachy but come on
dude! You went to the dance with Neji? I'm sorry me and Shino didn't show up,
but we just couldn't do it! Seriously, who is that guy?"

Gaara blinked, "What?"

"Who-"

"No, I mean, you didn't go to the dance?"

"No..." Kiba looked a bit miffed, "You didn't even notice we weren't there?"

"He didn't even go," interjected Zabuza, "He decided he would rather almost get
hit by my truck and then eat my brownies"

"I didn't eat any damn brownies" Growled Gaara

"Who are you?" Asked Shino, staring at the large man from behind his glasses,
"What do you mean 'almost get hit by your truck'?"

"What do you think I meant? I'm Momochi Zabuza, I found our little deranged
raccoon last night. My good hearted boyfriend decided to drag him home to eat
my brownies"

"I didn't eat any goddam brownies!"

"You had one! Don't deny it!"

"I'm not denying anything"

"Another denial!" Cried Kiba throwing his right arm in the air with a bit of triumph

Shino raised an eyebrow, "What happened?"

The redhead turned to him and shrugged, "I decided that I didn't want to be
around the douche bag and I told him and everyone else off. I mean fuck! My
own brother and sister were doting all over him, same with Naruto," He scowled,
"I guess they just didn't see anything wrong with the situation"

"Like the fact that the asshole kind of..." Kiba's angry voice trailed off and he
stared at the ground, unsure if it would be ok to mention that.

Shino frowned, "So what happened? Where did you go that you almost got hit by
a car?"

"He was all the way on the other side of town," Said Zabuza, "Running down the
middle of the road"

"It wasn't the other side of town"

"It was pretty damn far from where you lived"

Gaara rolled his eyes, "Well, I don't exactly live right next to my school"

"So... You just kind of took him home?" Asked Kiba, then he seemed to have a
thought and turned to the redhead, "You just went home with strangers!"

The other shrugged, "Hinata was there"

"Oh... But still"

"Look," said Zabuza glancing at his watch, "I'm kind of in a hurry right now, so
you think you kids can just catch up at school or something?"

Kiba frowned, "I guess. Yeah sorry, but," He looked at his friend, "Are you ok? I
mean, shit dude, having to put up with that asshole and like... I mean, Naruto
couldn't have-"

"He was acting all surprised when I said something, just like everyone else"
growled Gaara, "Don't even bother trying to defend him. He obviously isn't my
friend"

He and Zabuza got back into the truck, and the ignition started, Kiba grabbed the
door before Gaara could close it.

"What about us?"

The redhead pulled the door shut, but rolled down the window as Zabuza started
to pull away from the curb, "Maybe we are still friends" He said with a small
smile, and then he was gone.

Kiba grinned like an idiot and then turned to Shino, "We're still his friends!"

"You shouldn't smile about this. He just implied that he wasn't friends with
anyone else, and he is now with some stranger, apparently staying at his
house..." The Aburame frowned, "What if we're supposed to choose between
them?"

"Would Naruto or Gaara do that?" The Inuzuka frowned at the newly discovered,
for him anyway, seriousness of the situation.

"I don't know..."

Neji stared at the wall ahead of him, his family was out at the moment, and
Orochimaru had showed up unannounced. They were now sitting in his living
room, the TV was on, but neither were watching it.

"So what's been going on?"

Neji smirked, "Since last night?"

"... Yeah"

The Hyuuga sighed and leaned his head back against the wall, "Not much, my
temper got the best of me... I went and broke all my mirrors"

Orochimaru frowned, "Again? You haven't done that since..." He trailed off and
glanced at the TV, "Since that night"

They sat on the same couch, which was against the wall, facing another wall.
One had to turn their head while on that couch in order to look at the TV. The
couch Kyo had burned had already been replaced with another just like it, though
Hiashi had not spared Neji a long and annoying lecture.

The brunette shrugged, "Happy Anniversary by the way. It's officially been two
years that the bastard left this world... Well, it will be in two days"

Orochimaru nodded, "How do you live with it?"

"You mean what happened?"

"Yeah, I mean, I don't know if I could"

Neji smiled, "Well I can," He said scooting closer to his friend and pulling him into
a quick hug, "I know you killed Akira because you cared about me"

The older sighed, "I know you know. Still, being friends with a murderer?"

"He deserved to die, I'm glad you did it"

Neji leaned back against the couch again, his white, long sleeve, thermal shirt
riding up slightly as he stretched, "Besides, you were probably the first person I
could trust since my dad died. You think I would just ditch you, after you
protected me?"

A smile, "True, but I did it illegally"

"Hehe, yeah, you were so in love with me, you'd kill for me" He chuckled, "Not
many have such conviction, call it a good point"

The other's smile shrank a bit, "You knew all that time... How I felt. Why didn't
you ever say anything?"

The Hyuuga's laughing expression turned a bit nostalgic, "Like I said, you were
the only person I trusted, I didn't want to ruin it..."
They were looking at each other, leaning closer and closer. Orochimaru cupped
Neji's cheek and just before their lips met, there was a crash outside, a cat had
tried to jump on a garbage can, but it fell over, narrowly missing the poor feline.
They snapped out of their daze and jerked away from each other, and to
opposite sides of the couch.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Neji smirked, "Listen up, you wanna
know why I introduced you to Itachi? Because he is way better for then I will ever
be, got it?"

Orochimaru blinked, then nodded slowly.

"Good. You love him now, don't you?"

At this he blushed slightly, then smiled, "I do"

Neji returned the smile, "Then be cool to him"

"I will"

"Now take me to the mall"

"Ok... Wait, what?"

The brunette stood up smirking, "Too late you already agreed"

The senior stood up as well, raising an eyebrow as he followed the junior outside,
"What about that redhead?"

Neji's eyes flashed momentarily, and Orochimaru caught a glance of the molten
rage that was secretly boiling in his friend's soul, before the Hyuuga answered in
a voice not his own, "That little bitch isn't worth my time"

"I hate that one"

Haku frowned, "You hate it because of the price, or because you don't like how it
looks?"

"... I hate this store"

The black haired boy groaned. They had come to the mall once Gaara had put
his bag in the room Haku had set up for him. They were there to get him some
more clothes, despite the redhead arguing he would rather go to a thrift store.

"Why don't we go to Anchor Blue?"

"No"

"How about... Zumies?"

"How about not"

"Hm... Hot Topic?"

"..." Gaara looked at him and then said, "I would rather rot in the deepest pits of
Hell"

Haku sighed, "You're hard to please"

"I'm easy to please, now take me to a Good Will"

The older boy thought for a second before sighing, "Fine. But can't we at least
get you new boxers from here?"

Gaara rolled his eyes, "Whatever," He muttered, walking towards the food court,
intending to buy something with caffeine, "I'm thirsty, if you really want to buy me
something over priced, I want a mocha frappacino, three extra shots and two
double shot espressos" ((Cor: XD My usual at the local Starbucks... Well, the four
local Starbucks))

"You want to kill yourself!"

The redhead glared at him, "That's not a lethal dose of caffeine and you know it"

Haku giggled slightly as they reached the food court. Then he turned to search
for the Starbucks, when they heard a voice, "Well look who it is..."

They glanced in the direction that the deep voice came from and saw Neji and
Orochimaru. Haku frowned, "Who are you?" He turned to the scowling Sabaku,
"Do you know them Gaara?"

The redhead did not answer though, for he was trapped in a death glare of doom
battle with the Hyuuga. Haku shook the boy's shoulder, breaking his
concentration, "What?" He snapped

"Who are they?"

"Find a new master already did you" Commented Neji with a smirk, "What a little
prostitute"
"Wrong," smirked Orochimaru, "Prostitutes get paid" While his younger friend
laughed, the snake man frowned inwardly at the rapid change Neji went through
when around Gaara.

As Gaara said something, Haku couldn't help but notice the white eyed one's
beauty. 'But... He seems so broken... He is not as cruel as he would have one
think...' His thoughts were interrupted as the subject of his musings jumped up,
his teeth clenched and his eyes burning.

"You had it coming you little-"

"I didn't have anything coming you fucking psycho!"

Neji's pale friend seemed to be trying to calm him down but without much
success. Haku scowled, this must be Hyuuga Neji. It would explain how worked
up Gaara seemed to be...

"YOU FUCKING LUNATIC! YOU SHOULD HAVE JUST LEFT ME ALONE!"

"YOU FUCKING STABBED ME YOU BITCH!"

"I WENT EASY ON YOU DOUCHE BAG!"

By this time they were straight yelling in each other's face. A large crowd was
pretending to pass by, though it was still obvious that they were watching to see
what would happen. And indeed it was obvious they were close to getting
physical. Haku frowned, this had gone far enough.

"Come on Gaara," He said, pulling the redhead's arm and stepping between the
two angry teens, "Let's go to Good Will"

The Sabaku looked like he wanted to start a fight, but nodded slightly before
giving the Hyuuga one last death glare. Haku pulled him out of the food court and
they left the mall, both silently agreeing not to tell Zabuza.

Naruto's room was dark, the curtains were drawn, the lights were off, and there
was a towel in front of the door to keep light from coming in underneath it. The
blond himself lay in his bed, where he had been all night, and all morning,
sobbing into his pillow. Iruka and Kakashi had tried to come in, but he had locked
the door, wishing to be alone in his misery. His parents had finally resorted to
calling his new boyfriend, who came over promptly accompanied by his older
brother. This was who Naruto was currently crying at from the other side of the
door.

"I can't believe I did that to him! Gaara was one of my best friends and I totally
forgot all about him! I deserve to die! What if he never forgives me! I just want to
tell him how sorry I am!" His broken speech was clear enough for Sasuke to
understand. Itachi was downstairs in the living room making up some story for
Kakashi and Iruka.

Sasuke scowled at the door, "Let me in dobe," He said calmly, not showing his
frustration, "I can barely hear you"

"I BETRAYED GAARA!"

The Uchiha sighed, "He didn't say anything"

"He shouldn't have to! I should have known! It's obvious he wouldn't want to be
around them!"

"But he didn't say anything, you're not a mind reader. If you want to blame
someone..." He paused, he didn't want the blond blaming him, "Blame his brother
and sister. They're supposed to be his family, but they went and subjected him to
that without a second thought"

... Ok, he wasn't proud of that. But it all just sort of came out, he was trying to
make Naruto feel better after all. Still, he wasn't one to place the blame on
someone else, but was it even his fault? To be honest he had been completely
distracted by his own love interest...

"B-BUT I STILL SHOULDN'T HAVE JUST GONE ALONG WITH IT! GAARA
WILL NEVER TALK TO ME AGAIN!"

He frowned, "Please let me in... Naruto, please" He was an Uchiha, he did not
beg, but he could use simple words to persuade a person, "Please Naruto, let me
in, please..." Ok fine, he was begging, but just this once.

He waited in silence for what seemed like forever, when the door clicked and
then opened, revealing a puffy eyed, sorrowful fox. Sasuke stood still to let the
blond's eyes adjust to the light, then pulled him into a hug.

Naruto returned the embrace and began to cry softly into the Uchiha's chest.

"What am I going to do?"

"You can talk to him tomorrow"

Neji got out of the car and slammed the door shut, "Thanks for the ride"

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, "Did red upset you that much?"

"I'm not upset!" The Hyuuga stormed into his house and slammed his own door
shut. Orochimaru sighed; his dear friend really had anger problems. He pulled
out and started driving; then again Gaara seemed to get on his case more than
Hiashi.

He jumped when his cell phone rang and looked down at the caller ID which
read:

Itachi

He smiled softly; he owed the Uchiha an apology.

Neji stormed up to his room, shouting all the swear words and profanity he knew.
By the time he reached his room, his uncle, aunt, youngest cousin, the butler and
the family dog were at his door.

"NEJI!" yelled his uncle, "HOW DARE YOU SAY SUCH FILTH!"

"NEJI!" cried his aunt, "WHAT'S WRONG!"

"MASTER NEJI!" exclaimed the butler, "I AM SURPRISED AT YOU!"

"WOOF WOOF WOOF!" Barked the dog

NEJI!" called his cousin, "WHAT IS A MOTHER FUCK COCK SUCK-"

"Hanabi!" the three adults hollered, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Their yells was joined with a loud howl.

The brunette inside the room twitched in annoyance. This was not a good day for
him; he just needed to hurt someone emotionally. Screw his therapist, that bitch
didn't help any at all. He flopped down in his bed, staring at the ceiling, no longer
paying any attention to the yelling outside his door, his unlocked door.

Was there no stress relief? No nothing? Who could he mess with? He frowned,
who was that guy that Gaara had been with?

He sat up and popped his knuckles. Had Gaara really gone and gotten someone
else? He growled when the pounding at the door wormed its way into his
musings, "MY DOOR IS NOT LOCKED!" He shouted, wishing he had something
to throw.

The welcomed silence finally came and he continued in his thoughts. Why...?
Why had Gaara been so different? Why wasn't he broken? Why was he still
fighting?
Everything Neji had done, had been perfectly laid out, perfectly executed. But
somehow, for some reason, Gaara hadn't been fooled. Now Neji could only
ponder, why?
The door opened and his uncle walked in. Neji barely glanced up at him, before
trying to space out again.

"Neji," Said Hiashi, "What was that? Are you ok? Did something happen at the
mall?"

"No"

"Please just tell me. We can't help if we don't know what's wrong"

"I'm fine, nothing happened"

"Neji..."

"I'M FINE!" yelled Neji standing up to the same height as Hiashi, "THERE'S
NOTHING WRONG! SO LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Hiashi stared at him, but fell silent. After a moment, he took a deep breath to
calm himself and said, "I will give you a little space for right now Neji. But I will
never leave you alone." Then he left, with his nephew glaring after him.

Neji's hands shook as he sat on the ground, his head and stomach felt like he
was spinning around as fast as he could. The way Hiashi had said it, meant
something else. He scowled; it suddenly became clear to him, why it upset him
so much that Gaara still stood his ground.

"That would mean..." He began to brutally rub his eyes, making sure that
absolutely no moisture would come out of them. "He can't be! HE ISN'T
STRONGER THAN ME! HE'S JUST A LITTLE FREAK!"

Gaara sneezed while he and Haku made their way up the steps to their
apartment. He took a moment to wipe his nose and ran a little to catch up to the
black haired boy. Haku opened the door and the sound of the shower running
met their ears.

"I guess Zabuza wants to be clean for work" Giggled Haku, placing one of the
two bags on the counter.

"What does he do?" asked Gaara, mimicking his actions.

"He's a bouncer some night and a security guard other nights"

Gaara nodded, "He doesn't work during the day?"

"No. It's ok though, I take night classes at college, so that way we can just spend
the day together" He smiled lightly, beginning to pull the clothes out the bags and
pulling the tags off.

Gaara frowned, "Isn't he in college?"

"No"

"Did he drop out?"

"No"

The redhead frowned at the playful tone, "How old are you two?"

Haku giggled once again, "I'm 18 and he's 26. We met when I was a freshman in
high school and he was just graduating high school"

"... You didn't..."

"He was my first"

"That's statutory rape"

"We were both consenting"

Gaara shook his head, "I don't really care anyway"

"Care about what?"

They both looked towards the doorway and there stood Zabuza, in a robe and
drying his hair with a towel. Gaara shrugged and turned to examine the contents
of the Kiss N Tell bag that Haku had snuck across the street too, while Gaara
was in the changing room.

He glanced at the couple and frowned at the boxers Haku picked out for him.
They were black with sparkly, red lips all over them. He scowled in disdain, "I
hope you don't expect me to not burn these"

Zabuza took one look at them and then turned away to start pretending to cough
into his hand. Haku just giggled, "Come on! It's not like anyone will see them!"

"Nope, because they will be reduced to ashes"

Their little episode was cut short by a knock at the door. The three froze and
Zabuza went to stand in front of Gaara, while Haku answered it.
Hinata stood there, twiddling her fingers and shyly holding a box under her right
arm. "H-Hello Haku" She whispered, smiling slightly, "Is G-Gaara still here?"
The redhead peeks from around Zabuza, and cocked his head to the side.
"What?"

"Come in, Hinata! Come in!" exclaimed Haku, ushering the Hyuuga into the
apartment. He shut the door and led her to the living room, Gaara and Zabuza
following.
They sat in the living room, well Haku and Hinata sat, while Zabuza and Gaara
stood. The redhead stared at Hinata intently; she was so different from Neji...

"I, um, f-felt bad..." She blushed, "I wanted t-to apologize, so... I made y-you
something" She held out the box, her face going bright red and her hands were
trembling. Haku raised an eyebrow and took it. He tossed it to Zabuza who
handed it to Gaara.

The redhead frowned, but opened it carefully. He nearly smirked when he pulled
out an oversized dark blue sweater. He looked up at Hinata and gave her a
questioning look.

"I m-made it for you" She said looking everywhere but at him, "I-I hope it fits, um
I'm learning t-to knit and... I had j-just finished i-it so..." She looked down,
seemingly unable to say more.

Zabuza leaned over Gaara's shoulder to examine it, "Hmph," He muttered,

"Pretty bad ass"

Haku laughed, "That's so sweet of you Hinata!" He gave her a hug, "But... How
are things at home?"

The other two paused in the adoring of the sweater and looked at her also.
Hinata looked down, "N-Neji has been so a-angry lately. I-I mean, it was common
knowledge b-before that he has a h-horrible t-temper... but he y-yelled at f-father
yesterday. He s-swore at him, until f-father left h-his room" She began to shake
as tears filled her eyes, "H-He's getting w-worse"

"Or maybe he's getting better," Said Gaara who had put on the sweater. Haku
frowned, "What do you mean?"

"Well, it seems like he's so used to everyone walking on eggshells around him.
Plus, he has to use his little charm to get everyone on his side. Wouldn't that
mean he'd have to bottle a lot of stuff up? I mean, he couldn't just go around
speaking his mind whole heartedly and not have been shot" Gaara frowned,
remembering the look in Neji's eye when he was talking to Sasuke. When they
had hugged, the expression on Neji's face, had clearly said he wanted blood.
Hinata thought for a moment, "That... M-might be..."

"It is. Look... Maybe if people didn't baby him and condone his actions the way
they do..."

Zabuza smirked, "This is also good for you, because in a way..."

"His friends would have to turn against him" Finished Haku with a grin. "You're so
evil"

"It's not like I want anything to do with that bastard" He said, "I'm just dropping a
few hints for those of you who... Might want to do something"
Hinata stood up, "W-What do you m-mean? What a-are y-you planning?"

"Me" Said Gaara, "I'm not planning on doing anything, but if someone were to
try... They would want to call his closest friends and tell them. Then maybe
mention that his world of self pity is trapping him in his anger, therefore, there is
no way he could get better. That world would need to be broken"

Haku smirked, "My, my, aren't you the little psychologist"

"I've dabbled. Look, I'm going to take a shower so... Yeah" He grabbed the
boxers from the table and walked into the bathroom.

Hinata blushed again, "Um... What d-did he mean?"

Well," Said Zabuza, "I think he came up with a way to help your cousin..."

"The most hurtful way to help your cousin" Added Haku

"S-so are y-you going to do it?"

The two males looked at each other for a moment, "We don't really have any
business in the situation," Said the Momochi, "Other than some pity for the kid"
"Maybe so," replied Haku, "But something bothers me… not only for Gaara, but...
Well... Let's just say I think he is right about Neji being really crazy"

"Soooo...?"

Haku looked at Hinata, "Do you think you could get the numbers of Neji's closest
friends?"

Naruto moped silently around his house. He paused to see Sasuke was still
there, sitting in the living room with Kakashi and Iruka. Itachi had left hours
before after calling his boyfriend and deciding to go to the movies.
The blond frowned at the notion as he curled up against the youngest Uchiha's
side, "You think he will talk to me?"

Sasuke only stared at him, more than a little annoyed at all the thought Naruto
was giving the redhead. Iruka smiled softly though, "Don't worry Naruto. If he is
really as great a friend as you think he is, then of course he will forgive you"

'Yeah right,' Naruto growled to himself, 'If you just knew the truth...'

He mustered up a fake grin for his caring guardian and the other was satisfied
enough.
"Ne, Sasuke? Carry me upstairs"

The raven hair looked at the two adults and was given twins nods of consent. He
picked the blond up bridal style and carried him up the stairs. "Open your door for
me dobe. My hands are full"

The Uzumaki reached out and twisted the knob and the door swung open.
Sasuke carried him in, kicking the door closed behind him, and set Naruto gently
on the bed. He raised an eyebrow, "Tired?"

"Don't you see what's going on?"

The Uchiha blinked at the angry question, "What are you talking about?"

"Neji! Your precious friend! What he did to Gaara!"

Now glares were facing off, "Would you get over that! Gaara said he didn't care"

Their voices were harsh whispers, so that Naruto's parents would not hear them.
However the intensity could still be detected.

"Because!" he whispered in an irritated voice, "everyone expected him not to! He

finally says something and all we can do is think he is crazy! That isn't right,
Sasuke!"
"So there's something wrong with Neji! He's my best friend!"

"He's insane! You know what he does, how can you possibly not think something
is wrong?"

Sasuke stood at full height, towering over the laying blond, "You don't even know
what you're talking about! Just lay off Neji already! You have no idea what he's
been through!"

"No, but I know what Gaara has been through"

The Uchiha glared at him evilly, "I can't believe you. I've known Neji for years;
you just met that brat a few months ago. How can you place him above Neji?"

"Because I know what they're both like. Gaara maybe be kind of rough around
the edges, but he's sincere and smart and a good guy. You know what your
precious Neji does to people who never did anything to him. How can you keep
defending him like this!"

Sasuke shook his head, "I'm too upset to talk to you right now," He walked away
from the blond and opened the door, "I'll see you tomorrow" And he left Naruto
staring out the empty doorway.

Itachi sighed, "you should get home"

"I know... You go to school too often"

The Uchiha smirked at Orochimaru, "I already have more absences than you"

"... That's true. You're such a slacker"

This only earned him a playful yet painful punch in the arm. The elder pouted
slightly, but did not receive any consolation. He had arrived a couple of hours
before, after getting off the phone with Itachi. He had run through the events of
the day, not skipping the small episode with Neji. Itachi had been, shocked to say
the least. But with Orochimaru on his knees begging for forgiveness, no blood
had been shed... Well, maybe a little, when Itachi saw fit to punch him into the
wall.

They jumped when they heard the slamming of the door. The pair ran out of
Itachi's room and to the foot of the stairs to see Sasuke storming towards them.
The younger Uchiha shoved them aside and went to his room, slamming the
door shut behind him.

"What was that?"

Itachi frowned, "Worse then his usual fits"

"Huh?"

"Something's wrong..." He frowned, "I wonder if he came home from Naruto's"

"Ah... Should I stay or go?"

They jumped again at the sound of dry wall breaking. Orochimaru stood up,
"Right, I'll be leaving"

Itachi nodded and gave him a quick kiss before going to Sasuke's door.
"Sasuke? What happened?"
He received no reply and tried the door knob. It was unlocked, so he slowly
pushed it open, "Sasuke? What's going on? Did something happen with Naruto?"

His younger brother was sitting against the opposite wall, with his tilted to the
side, staring blankly at him. Itachi returned the stare as he took a few cautious
steps forward, "So, something did happen?"

The younger Uchiha looked at him, "Do you think something is wrong with Neji?"

Itachi frowned, "What? Did your little boyfriend say that?"

"Yeah... But he sort of... sort of made sense. I mean, everything just seemed fine
when Neji did it" Sasuke looked as though he felt like standing up, so Itachi held
out his hand which was promptly taken. Once standing he continued, "Do you
think there is something wrong with him? Naruto called his crazy," He stared at
his brother, "What do you think?"

"I think its bullshit"

"Is it?"

"..." The elder repeated the question to himself in his head. Was it? Or was
something wrong with Neji... He didn't want to believe it, not after all the Hyuuga
had done for all of them. But, Sasuke seemed like he was questioning
something. "What are you trying to say?"

"Is Neji insane?"

"No!" He wasn't trying to convince Sasuke though; he was trying to convince

himself. He glared at the wall behind his brother's head, trying to form words, but
feeling unable. No one had ever brought this subject up before, it was a taboo.
He sighed in defeat to his own conclusions, "So what if something is a little
wrong?"

"So what are we going to do?" Sasuke could feel himself getting frustrated,
'Stupid dobe, having to freak out like that' Then he said, "We can't just... Isn't
there something wrong with what he does to people?"
"You're referring to Gaara and the others?"

"Yeah..."

Itachi sighed, "I don't know... Probably" He scowled and moved to sit on
Sasuke's bed, "What if I do? What would say to him? 'Hey Neji, we have been
talking about you behind your back and now we demand you change you ways'?"
Sasuke growled at the sarcasm, "I don't know, but it seems like we should do
something! What if he gets worse? What if he starts killing people?"

"It won't escalate to that"

"How do you know?"

They stared at each other solemnly, when the ringing of the phone startled them
both. Sasuke was the first to break his gaze, when a maid entered, "There is
someone asking for one of you"

Itachi scowled and took the phone, "This is Uchiha Itachi" He snapped rudely into
the mouth piece.

"Hello Mr. Uchiha, my name is Haku"

She hadn't been to see her two friends and their new house guest in a couple
days. Hinata grew worried with each passing minute, ever since she found out
that Gaara had dropped out of Konoha High. She wasn't sure how he had
convinced Zabuza and Haku to allow him to do it, but apparently he had.

The shy Hyuuga placed her pencil on her desk, forgetting her homework for the
time being. Things had not been going well for her cousin; she had witnessed the
start first hand.

((Flashback))

Hinata stepped was just about to leave the school library, when a familiar voice
caught her ears. She followed the sound too far in the back, where Neji was
talking to Itachi and Sasuke, and he looked angry. Far angrier than he had ever
shown any of his close friends.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Growled Neji, "After all these years,
you're suddenly going to freak out and call me 'insane'?"

"Neji," whispered Itachi, "It's not like that. Look, this guy called our house and... I
don't even know why I talked to him, but I did. We're not trying to accuse you,
we're just worried"

The Hyuuga didn't seem convinced, "Bull shit. So suddenly you're allowed to
play the high and mighty act? I don't recall you stepping in at any time in the past
couple years... In fact, I recall certain amounts of participation" His tone was
dangerous, "I can't believe some stranger calls you and suddenly he can change
everything!"
"Just listen!" Said Sasuke, "We know what we did was wrong, but that's not
enough. Neji, we have to stop, you have to stop!"

Hinata turned and walked away quickly, she hadn't given much thought to it, but
apparently Haku hadn't been kidding about calling his friends. She turned the
corner of the books and ran into someone. She looked up and met narrow,
golden eyes.

"O-Orochimaru!" She took a step back and bowed, "I-I'm sorry!"

The elder nodded then breezed past her, headed towards the direction of the
other three voices. She stood frozen for a moment, before her will finally reached
her legs and she bolted for the exit. Just before she was out the door, Neji's
voice rang throughout the library, "YOU'RE AGAINST ME TOO!"

((End Flashback))

Hinata frowned slightly, while she had wanted Neji to be helped, it seemed that in
the past couple days, things had gotten worse. He had stopped going to his
therapist, never went out, when Itachi or anyone called, he would yell and swear
and hang up on them.

'Tomorrow is Friday, then he will have a whole weekend to vent, I hope you get
better cousin...'

She picked up her pencil and began to work on her homework again, half
heartedly.

Friday

Shukaku,

I dropped out of school, Haku wants Zabuza to apply for a Appa David so I can
technically still be in school, just a home school where they don't have to prove
anything about me or them. I've been living with them for nearly a week, looking
for a job and basically working around the apartment when they're both at work
during the night.

Moving in with them was a major culture shock for me. When I lived at my dad's
house, everything was so incredibly tense, but here. . . I mean Zabuza will get
disgruntled from time to time, but Haku always sends me to the library or to hunt
for a job. I'm not worried or anything, he sends me away so I won't have to listen
to them fuck. Zabuza would never hit Haku.
I'm actually in the library right now; I even spotted someone from school, no one
important though. I haven't seen Kiba or Shino since I went to get you from my
old house; I guess I'll go see them some time.

I haven't seen any of the back-stabbers, other than Kankurou, since that night.
Not that I mind, they can all go burn in Hell.

I was quite happy to hear about Haku totally fucking Neji over. He said that Itachi
and Sasuke had yelled at him at first, but they got quiet pretty fast. Apparently
they had been easier to convince than he had expected.

I'm going to go see him, when this is all nearly over, right before he manages to
reach some resolution, if any. That way, I can see him wallowing in misery and
utter hopelessness. It's only fair, after the way he has seen me that I get to watch
him suffer. . . Or maybe I'm looking at this the wrong way. . .Although I highly
doubt it. .

Oh well, I've been able to be straight with myself, I did and most likely still do,
have feelings for Neji, but I won't allow that to hinder my revenge. It's true,
nothing I said of his little world or whatever was for his own good, I just hoped
that Haku would be intrigued and then turn all his friends against him. It seems
like that plan worked swimmingly too.

I feel that the best thing to do right now, myself, is to just keep a cool head and
not let anything get to me. The last thing I need is to run on emotions. Horrible
stuff, they. . . Does that even work as a sentence?

Anyway, I think Haku wanted me to get some bread and milk tonight, so I will be
heading out. Bye.

Gaara nearly floated through the store, his clothing had diminished to things far
less likely to make him stand out in a crowd. He wore black pants that were
slightly big on him but didn't require a belt, and a gray thermal shirt. He didn't
bother dressing for cold weather, because it didn't matter if he got sick, because
he was home-schooled.

He examined the milk off handedly, it hadn't been very long since he had begun
to call the apartment with Haku and Zabuza home, but he felt more at home
there than he ever had living with his so-called family. Gaara glanced over his
shoulder at a loud crash and saw Kiba trying to follow him discreetly.

"What do you want?"

The Inuzuka looked nearly offended, "I thought we were still friends!" He cried.
"You're practically stalking me" He chose a jug of milk and turned to them, "I'll
say again, what do you want from me?" He began walking towards the bread
aisle, expecting the other to follow.

"You haven't been at school; no one knows where you went, not even your
brother and sister. I was just kind of worried about you, because that guy was a
stranger and. . . ."

Gaara nodded and stopped to examine the bread, "I didn't want to go back to
that school. I'm still living with Zabuza and Haku, so don't bother worrying about
me"

He turned to leave, but Kiba followed him, "Are you sure? I mean, well. . . You
know, Naruto feels really bad about everything, um. . ."

The redhead kept walking, without missing a beat, "I'm sure he does"

Kiba frowned, "Look, I know things got. . . Crazy fucked up, but can't we put this
behind us? I mean, of course we're going to get back at that bastard Hyuuga,
but-"

"Kiba," Said Gaara, approaching a line in front of a cash register, "I'm already
getting back at him. And we will see how I feel after a long time spent apart from
everyone" He ignored the smile and polite greeting from the cashier and began to
dig around in his pocket for money, "Tell me something though"

"What?"

"How is Royal Corner faring?"

The brunette's eyes widened in realization, "You-"

"Answer the question"

Kiba blinked, "Not very good. They're starting to talk; apparently someone called
Uchiha Itachi and got him thinking. Now almost the whole school is in an uproar. .
. Was it you?"

If Gaara hadn't such a sly look on his face, he would have looked offended,
"Please. As if I would sink to the level of caring about him and his lifeIt was Haku,
one of my roommates," He leaned closer, handing the money to the cashier, "But
let's keeps that on a down low, savvy?"

"Y-yeah"
Gaara smirked and took his receipt and groceries and left. Kiba stared after him
blankly, '. . . Dang'

Neji stared at the ceiling, having just sent away the maid who came to tell him he
had a visitor. He didn't need to see any of those backstabbing traitors at the
moment. After everything he had done for them, they were just going to turn on
him like that? Even Orochimaru! Fine, he didn't need anyone, he never did. From
years of practice he knew how to wrap everyone perfectly around his finger, he
would do it again.

For good measure, Neji growled once again at the audacity of his friends, after
everything, EVERYTHING! He scowled, everything could have been perfect, but
that. . . That. . .

He grit his teeth and rolled over onto his stomach, Gaara was the cause of all
this, he just knew it. Everything that was happening, his friends turning on him,
his emotions going out of whack, his fucking life falling apart! He made it all
happen! But he would pay, Neji only needed time to re-group, he could convince
his uncle everything was fine, get a new group of people and then everything
would be just fine again!

He smirked to himself at the thought, then he would get revenge on Gaara. . . For
everything.

He winced as someone knocked at the door, "I'm busy!" He growled.

Hiashi opened the door anyway, "Neji, what's going on? You need to tell me if
you need help!" He walked in and kneeled down next to the bed, "If things are
getting to be too much, a friend of Tsunade's, Shizune, runs a. . . Hospital"

"You want to put me in an asylum?" Neji was sitting up and staring at him with a
deadly look on his face, "Am I too much trouble now? It's not my fault you know. .
. IT'S HIM! IT'S HIS FAULT!" He stood up, towering over his uncle. The elder
Hyuuga stood as well as Neji began to pace the room.

"Neji, please calm down, I'm on you side"

"NO ONE IS ON MY SIDE!" He grabbed the nearest chair and threw it against
the wall near Hiashi. "Now get out!"

"Neji,"

"I SAID GET OUT! NOW! GET OUT!" He kept yelling this, over and over again,
stepping closer and closer and backing Hiashi out the door.
"I HATE YOU! YOU DON'T HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT'S GOING ON OR HOW
MUCH I'VE DONE FOR YOUR PRECIOUS FAMILY!" He screamed before
slamming the door shut. Hiashi stared at it, wide eyed, from the sound of it, Neji
was still throwing things, but now they were all directed at the door.

"FINE! SEND ME AWAY! I DON'T FUCKING CARE ANYMORE! I HATE YOU!"

The elder Hyuuga stared at the ground, small tears blurring his vision. He turned
and headed towards his office, now knowing that there was nothing he could do
for his nephew.

Naruto flopped down at the table, ignoring his other friends that were there as
well. This was how things had been for a while. They would all get there, himself,
Sasuke, Shikamaru, Chouji and Ino. Kiba and Shino had stopped going to the
table and were now found up on the roof at lunch. Royal Corner had gone back
to their regular place, as had Temari and Kankurou.

They hadn't really spoken together for about a week, except asking what each
other wanted, or Ino talking about how her day had been so far and asking
everyone else.

Sasuke stared at the blond; he silently wondered if this was how it was always
going to be. Everything was... Just a mess. The school was buzzing about
Hyuuga Neji, who hadn't come to school that Monday. Normally it wouldn't be like
this, only some disappointed fangirls, complaining that he wasn't there to dote on.
But from his younger cousin, Hinata's red puffy eyes, there was gossip brewing.

From what Deidara had been able to gather from his phone call with Hanabi,
things were going very bad. He had only shared the information with five of them.
What Hanabi had told him, was that over the weekend; Neji had a serious break
down and was now confined to his room.

Hiashi was getting in touch with Sutter, an asylum run by a friend of Tsunade's.
Neji would be a few hundred miles away by the Wednesday evening.

The Uchiha had not seen fit to share the news of his friend to anyone at Toy
Corner, because of their hatred for the Hyuuga they would no doubt be in the
highest of spirits. He only watched as his forlorn lover sank into despair over the
redhead, Gaara.

Yes, Gaara had apparently been missing since the night he ran off. Kankurou
said he had come by the house the following day with some big guy and took his
book bag, but that was last the red head had been seen. Temari and Kankurou
weren't sure what to do exactly, and their father refused to file a missing person's
report, claiming it was just one brat he didn't have to feed.
At least, that was what Kankurou had said happened.

"Sasuke…"

"What?"

Naruto brushed some of his blond hair out of his eyes, "Will you go with me to
see Kiba and Shino?"

Sasuke's eyes softened, "Sure"

They stood up and bed farewell to their other friends, know that they would not
see them again before the end of lunch.

They walked in silence, avoiding anyone who happened to look their way.
Sasuke glanced continuously at younger boy walking next to him, Naruto hadn't
smiled very often since the night Gaara freaked out, and even then, it was
usually forced. He scowled, of course he couldn't be mad at Gaara, and it wasn't
as if the redhead had done anything wrong. In fact, he had done well to manage
to see through Neji's lies.

The thought brought a bitter taste to the Uchiha's mouth, but he knew it was a
truth he had to admit to himself. After holding something in denial for so long, he
couldn't help but have difficulty with it though. Neji was sick, very sick, and
Sasuke and his older brother and their friends were powerless to help.

They reached the roof and Naruto pushed the door open. Bright sunshine,
grayed by over-cast sky caused them to squint, and Kiba's voice reached their
ears, "I know he had something to do with it! He's so evil!"

Shino and Kiba were sitting near the edge; their backs were facing the newly
arrived pair. Naruto took a few steps forward and reached out to touch Kiba's
shoulder, when the brunette continued, "But anyway, he basically said he'd
forgive Naruto in a little while, so I think we just need to give Gaara some space"

Sasuke blinked and Naruto gasped, effectively catching their attention.

The Inuzuka stared at the blond in near horror, "N-Naruto!" He gulped and stood
up, "Uh… Hey man, what are you," He took notice of Sasuke, "You two doing up
here"

Naruto stared at him, fresh tears were working their way to his eyes, "Kiba you…
You know where Gaara is!" He grabbed Kiba's collar, "Where is he? Is he ok?"

Shino stood up, "Calm down Naruto"

"No! Where is he? I need to talk to him!"

"If he wanted to talk to you, he would have contacted you," said Shino, gently
prying the blonde's hands off his boyfriend, "Kiba is right, give him his space"

Sasuke scowled, "What were saying earlier?"

Kiba blinked, realizing the question had been directed at him, "What do you
mean?"

"What did Gaara have something to do with?"

He bit his lip and looked at the ground, "Nothing important" He murmured back
up to hide behind Shino.

The Uchiha was already lost, "Was he the one who called my house? What is he
trying to pull?"

"IT WAS JUST AN ASSUMPTION!" Yelled Kiba

Sasuke's narrowed, "He's trying to get back at Neji"

"Even if he is, he has a good a reason!" Growled Naruto next to him, he turned
Kiba, "If you see Gaara… Please tell him I'm sorry," he looked down and his hair
fell into his face "and that I never meant to betray him"

Kiba nodded slowly and the bell rang.

"You'll be proud of me"

Gaara looked away from his math book and up at Haku, "Why?"

Haku giggled and sat down at the dinner table that the redhead was currently
occupying, "As it would happen, having his friends confront him, seems to have
done more harm then good" Now he had Gaara's full attention, so he continued
with a much less mirthful look on his face, "I found out earlier, his uncle is going
to send him to a mental asylum"

Gaara smirked quietly, "You don't say"

"I do"

Haku raised an eyebrow as Gaara set down his pencil and stood up, "Could you
give me a ride somewhere?"

((Chapter 24))
Naruto's eyes narrowed as he watched the pair walk away. So, more people
knew than he thought.

He had been on his way out to the parking lot to meet Sasuke, when he saw Kiba
and Shino talking to Hinata. Naturally, his first inclination was to stop and say hi.
But when he got closer, he had heard some of their conversation.

Kiba had been asking Hinata to go talk to Gaara. Apparently she knew where he
was staying, while the Inuzuka and his boyfriend did not.

The Hyuuga had agreed and then they had bid farewell.

Naruto stepped out of his hiding spot and walked up behind her, "Hey Hinata!"
He said, faking a smile.

She jumped and turned around, "N-Naruto! Hello, how are you?"

The blond's smile faded, he didn't have time to beat around the bush, "You know
where Gaara is" He didn't state it as a question, because he knew already that
she did. Hinata looked down, "I…"

"Please Hinata! You have to take me to him!" He grabbed her shoulders and
looked into her eyes pleadingly, "I need to know he's ok, I need to talk to him for
myself!"

Hinata looked away, "K-Kiba told me not to tell anyone" She whispered

Naruto scowled, "I'm not just anyone! I won't tell, but I have to see him, please
Hinata! He probably hates me right now!"

Tears were beginning to fill her eyes as Naruto pulled her into a tight hug, crying
softly on her shoulder, "I'm sorry to ask this of you," He said weakly, "But please
Hinata, please just do this for me"

Her small shaking form was racked by a sob, but she nodded, "O… Ok"

He sighed and leaned back a little to smile at her, "Thank you Hinata," He said,
"So… We'll meet at It's a Grind?"

"Y-yeah"

They both were startled at the honking of a horn and looked to the street to see
Itachi and Sasuke staring at the coldly from the older Uchiha's car. Naruto
grinned sheepishly at Hinata and hugged her once more before climbing into the
backseat of the car with Sasuke.
"What the fuck was that?"

The Uzumaki blinked at his boyfriend's tone, "What do you mean?"

Sasuke's arm around his waist tightened as the Uchiha scowled, "You were
pretty much draped on her and I was wondering if you had a damn good
explanation!"

Naruto winced, "Calm down, I was just talking to her!"

"That close? DAMMIT NARUTO! DO YOU THINK I'M SOME KIND OF MORON!"

Naruto began trying to pull away, "on occasions like this, yeah!" He growled
when Sasuke held him tighter, "Calm down teme! Nothing was going on! Why
don't you trust me?"

Sasuke pulled him closer still and Naruto stopped, "Sasuke…" Sighed the blond
wrapping his arms around the Uchiha's neck, "Come on teme, you know you're
the only one for me" To his relief Sasuke seemed comforted, "Fine"

Naruto chuckled and the Uchiha smirked, "So what were you talking about?"

"Oh, I was just convincing her to take me to see…" He shut his mouth and looked
out the window, but it was too late.

The car had stopped abruptly and he was now faced with two Uchiha death
glares of doom. He gulped, and Itachi spoke up for the first time, "The redhead?
She knows where that conniving little redhead is?" His face was deadly calm,
though his voice was dangerous. Naruto didn't want to answer, he didn't want to
get anyone in trouble, "I… I don't know"

Itachi unbuckled his seatbelt and turned around fully, he and Sasuke shared a
look. At this point, the blond was wishing that Sasuke wasn't holding onto him, so
that he might escape. "Come on you guys, calm down"

"We're going too" Stated Sasuke

"What?"

Itachi pulled away from the side of the road and continued on as if nothing had
happened. Sasuke smirked at the bewildered blond, who was trying to sputter
out a sentence, "W-w-w-what do you mean? WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU GUYS
TALKING ABOUT?"

"We want to talk to Gaara," Said Itachi, "There are a few questions we'd like to
ask him"
"No! Please leave him alone! Hasn't he been through enough?"

Sasuke sighed, "We just want to talk to him"

Naruto looked down, "Fine…"

Gaara listened happily to the song that he had chosen to blast in Haku's car on
the drive to the Hyuuga mansion. Haku only stared ahead at the road, mumbling
the words every now and then.

Things were going perfectly, according to plan right down to the last detail. He
wondered if this was how Neji had felt on the drive to the November Ball.

He touched Haku's shoulder as they neared a gate, "Here is fine," he said, "I
don't think they would let us in"

The other raised an eyebrow, "You're sneaking in? That's breaking and entering"

Gaara smirked, "Only if I get caught"

Haku pulled to a stop and he got out, "I can walk home, so don't bother waiting
for me"

The brunette stared at him, "Are you serious? That's six miles! How long are you
going to be?"

Gaara shook his head, "Don't wait" He turned around, shutting the door in the
process and disappeared into the shadows created by the ivy covered wall near
the main entrance gate. Haku stared where he had once been and sighed, there
really wasn't any reasoning with the redhead sometimes.

Gaara smirked as he heard the car drive away, and he climbed up the ivy,
ignoring the feel of spider webs and thorns. He reached the top, only to find
barbed wire. With a sigh he removed his coat and laid it over the wire. Carefully,
he moved over, to the other side of the large white bricked fence. He didn't
bother with his coat as he jumped down.

Once on the other side, he could see the house on top of a small hill. There was
an expanse of green grass and various trees in his wake, but Gaara took hardly
any notice of them. He was unsure of which window was Neji's, and even then,
he wanted to sneak in through the window and if Neji lived on the third floor, then
that could prove a bit difficult.

He ran through the yard, hoping to stay more in the shadows, lest he be caught
and kicked off the property, not that he couldn't easily get back on, but it was a
set back he'd like to avoid. Gaara paused for a moment to catch his breath, when
he suddenly froze.

There was something touching his hand… Something wet. With a deadly scowl
he looked down to see a long haired German shepherd licking his hand. It looked
up at him with round brown eyes and pushed his head into his hand with a whine.

Gaara twitched, but cautiously pet the dog to keep it from barking. Then he got
an idea, "Say Scooby…" He said in a low voice to keep from alarming it, "I don't
suppose you have a doggie door?"

The dog tilted its head to the side, obviously not understanding. Gaara scowled,
"Fuck it"

The dog perked up and began barking and running in circles. The redhead stared
at it confused, before grimacing at the noise, "Shut the Hell up!"

He blinked in confusion as the canine ran around to the side of the house and
started barking again. Deciding to take a chance he ran to the dog and grinned, a
doggie door, perfect. He shooed the dog away and examined it. It was just big
enough.

He turned onto his side and carefully pushed himself through the door, becoming
slightly annoyed when his belt got caught and the dog began sniffing around his
crotch. "Damn thing takes too much after its master" He kicked at it slightly and
managed to get himself through. He stood up in a room, with a circular shape.
There was a table in the center with four chairs at it. He looked to his left and saw
a large oak door that he assumed was his exit out of the room.

He cautiously he pushed the door open and looked around. There was a short
hall way with two closed doors on the left and right, and then it opened into a
large room. He walked into it, now confident that he would not be caught.

Gaara smirked, this room was familiar, it was one of the few rooms he had
actually been in the time before. Just to make sure he checked through a door to
his left and smirked again as he found the kitchen. Now he knew what he was
doing.

As quickly and as quietly as he could, he began his trek through the house,
narrowly avoiding a sad eyed man with long dark hair, and a few servants.

Finally, he reached the door that led to the third story.

Neji sat on his floor in front of his bed. He was not allowed to leave his room, not
that he had planned to anyway. Hiashi was probably still hoping that he would
accept visitors, probably hoping that there was someone who could do some
good. He sneered down at the picture of himself and his father from many years
ago, no one could help him, because there wasn't anything wrong.

He hugged the picture and slipped it under his bed, where he had kept it ever
since it had been given to him.

Neji stood, glancing around his room; he knew he wasn't going to be there much
longer. He had heard servants talking about Hiashi sending him away some day
that week, but he didn't know when. Not that it mattered; he didn't care, because
it would be the same anywhere he went, that was his fate. He wasn't allowed to
be happy; it had been proved to him before. So he wanted to drag everyone
down with him.

The door creaked open, but Neji didn't bother turning around, "Get out"

The intruder merely stepped in and closed the door. Neji sighed and turned to
award a verbal thrashing to whoever was stupid enough to invade upon him, but
his words died in his throat. He raised an eyebrow in surprise, "Gaara"

The redhead smirked and sauntered over to sit on the bed, "Hello Neji, I heard
you were leaving tomorrow, so I came to say my farewells"

The Hyuuga towered over him staring down at him with glazed over white eyes,
"Bull shit, what do you want?"

Gaara chuckled and patted next to him on the bed; Neji took the invitation and
soon found himself tackled backwards. He glared up at the boy who was now
straddling his hips, though it only resulted in Gaara laughing again.

"I came because I wanted to see you," He leaned forward nearly laying flat on
top of him, "I wanted to see you wallowing in your self pity and misery… Knowing
that all your friends are gone and that you are all alone" Two large hands gripped
his wrists that were playing with the long dark hair, and he smirked, "I'll be
honest, I'm a bit disappointed"

Neji frowned as Gaara began to rotate his hips, "I don't think you're in a very
good position to be saying something like that," He growled, "After all, I could
easily flip us over and strangle you right now"

The redhead chuckled and began to kiss his neck softly, "You aren't going to do
that," he murmured, "Because we're going to play a game before you leave"

"And what's that?"

After giving his ear a small nibble, Gaara leaned back, "20 questions, a modified
version if you will"
Neji rolled his eyes, "Hn, childish. But whatever, let me get in a better position"
He sat up and wrapped an arm around Gaara's waist and then began scooting
up the bed till he could recline against his pillows. "Now… How is it modified?"

"I ask you some questions, and you answer them"

"Doesn't sound like much fun to me, how about we make an adjustment?"

"Which would be?"

"I get to ask questions too," Neji pulled Gaara down for a kiss and stared at him,
"Or is that against the rules?"

"If I refused, then you wouldn't answer any questions either" His eyes slipped
shut as Neji began to suck on his neck, "Isn't that right? You sick fuck"

"Mmhmm," answered Neji with a chuckle, "So hostile, can't we just get along?"
His tone was sarcastic and scathing, Gaara expected nothing less, but he asked
his first question.

"Are you angry with me?"

Neji pulled away from his neck and trailed a hand down to the hem of his shirt
and lightly touched his stomach, "I could slit your throat I'm so pissed"

"Hn" Gaara smiled secretly and began unbuttoning the brunette's shirt, "Your
turn"

"When did you meet Susan?"

"Ah Susan, Shino and Shikamaru took me to see her in the very beginning. The
day you first kissed me"

"Go on"

Gaara frowned, "I answered your question" He flinched as Neji's softly caressed
his stomach, "It's my turn"

"Fine" The hand trailed lower.

"Did you read my note book?"

The shirt was open and Gaara leaned down to take one of his nipples between
his teeth. Neji exhaled and put one of his hands in the red hair, "You mean
Shukaku?"
He winced as Gaara bit him rather painfully and smirked as he slid up so that
they were facing eye to eye. The Sabaku licked his lips and looked thoughtful,
"Hmph" He began to move his hips again, rougher this time. Neji closed his eyes,
moving as well and enjoying the friction, but he also spoke, "Of course I read it,
very interesting if I do say so myself"

Gaara scowled and moved faster, but Neji kept going, "I especially liked the part,
where you claimed me as yours, even after that night. Now it's my turn"

He pulled the redhead's shirt off over his head and rolled him onto his back,
"Why did you do that?"

"Because"

Neji scowled, "That's not a real answer"

"It's still an answer" Gaara smirked as Neji resumed their previous motions, "Why
me?"

"What?" Neji unzipped Gaara's pants and was attempting to pull them down. The
redhead lifted his hips to help and elaborated, "Why did you choose me?"

Neji thought for a moment as he pulled off his own pajama pants and boxers,
"Because, you were the only person to get in my face in the last few years and
also" He grabbed Gaara thighs and pulled his legs apart, "You're just so damn
cute"

"Stop!" Neji paused, having just positioned himself to thrust in. Gaara pushed on
his chest, "You can't do it dry"

Neji rolled his eyes in annoyance and rolled off of him and stood up. He walked
over to his dresser and was rummaging through the top drawer while Gaara sat
up, "Your turn"

Neji returned with the lube and pushed Gaara onto his back. The Sabaku glared
at him impatiently, but Neji ignored it and shoved the tube into his hand. Gaara
looked at it and then back at him, "Just do it Gaara" Purred Neji, "I know you like
to"

With a scowl Gaara squeezed some onto his hand and coated Neji's erection,
"It's your damn turn Hyuuga"

Said Hyuuga only smirked; "In good time" He pulled Gaara hands away and
thrust in. Gaara winced and arched his back, trying not to cry out.

"Do you still love me?"

Green eyes flew open and stared into silvery white ones, "What?" Another thrust,
harder and much more painful. Gaara grit his teeth but a small whimper of pain
came out, "Stop"

Neji didn't stop though; he repeated the question over and over again, pounding
into Gaara as the redhead continually refused to answer. Gaara cried out, feeling
both pain and pleasure as brunette pushed him up against the headboard, still
demanding an answer. He turned his head to the side and Neji bit his neck hard.

"Answer" The Hyuuga growled into his ear. His movements were slowed down
as he was now staring at Gaara's face, though his movements were not stopped.
Gaara whimpered with pleasure as Neji's stomach rubbed against his hard on.
"Gaara"

Gaara bit his lip and closed his eyes, while Neji gripped his hips and began to
blow into his ear, "answer me Gaara"

"uhhmm, nnnn"

Neji sighed and turned them around yet again. He pushed the redhead back onto
the bed and pulled halfway out. He gulped as Gaara whined and bucked his hips,
"Answer me, and I'll give you what you want"

God he looked so good. Gaara on his back, with his legs open, wanting, no,
needing him, he was in control. Just as this thought crossed his mind, Gaara's
hazy eyes cleared and he began to laugh, "You think you're so damn irresistible!"
He was laughing loudly, his head thrown back, his body no longer tense.

He could only stare as Gaara pushed himself up to look him straight in the eye, "I
answered"

Neji frowned; "No you didn't" He shoved the younger boy down once again and
began to thrust violently, angry that Gaara was not as affected as he thought.
The redhead was finally screaming; Neji was sure he heard his name in there,
but he didn't pay enough attention. He just wanted Gaara underneath him,
helpless and vulnerable as he had been caused to feel.

Their mouths met and there was a battle for dominance amidst the heavy panting
and muffled screams and moans. Neji pulled away before a victor was decided,
"Answer!"

Those green eyes were shut as Gaara shook his head. The Hyuuga growled and
pulled the redhead's legs up so he could thrust deeper. Gaara choked on some
saliva that had gone down his throat as he took a breath, angry sex was
definitely good sex. "Do you love me?"
Neji wasn't sure who came first, all that his mind registered was Gaara screaming
'yes' over and over again.

Haku frowned when he heard stomping feet coming up the stairs. He was
gathering up his books and Zabuza was getting ready to go to work. He had just
gotten back from dropping Gaara off and now, he had a baaaaaaad feeling.

Zabuza opened the door, "Hinata? Strange, angry looking people?"

Haku looked around the older man to see their little friend Hinata, with a blond
boy and two glaring brunettes.

"We're here to see Gaara" Said the tallest one

The Momochi frowned and looked at Hinata, "Who are they?" He pulled her
inside and behind him, but left the others in the doorway.

"Th-they are Uchiha Itachi and Sasuke, and Uzumaki Naruto" Said Hinata as
Haku pulled her into a hug.

Zabuza smirked, "Oh, them" He looked down at the blond, figuring him to be
Naruto, "You really pissed ol' brownie eater off" (AN: He's not obsessed with
brownies) He said leaning against the doorframe, then to the other two he said,
"What business do you have with him?"

Itachi raised an eyebrow, "I don't see how it is any of your concern"

"We just want to talk to him," Said Sasuke, "Is he here?"

"No" Said Haku, "You'll have to come back later"

Itachi scowled, "You won't mind if we have a look around then, do you? ... Wait a
second, You!"

Haku smiled innocently, "Me?"

"I know that voice…" Sasuke bristled with his older brother as they recognized
the voice of who they had originally thought was a girl, "You were the one…"

Naruto blinked, "What's going on? If Gaara's not here then where is he?" He held
onto Zabuza's arm pleadingly, "Where is he?"

Haku let go of Hinata, ignoring the dirty looks from the Uchiha and took Naruto's
hand off his lover and held onto it, "If you want you can wait here for him"

"Haku, he can't-"
"I'll stay with him" Said Haku firmly

"But where is Gaara?" Growled Sasuke, still outside with Itachi and damn pissed
about it. Zabuza scowled, "Rude little brat aren't yah? Gaara is at-"

"Zabuza!" Hissed Haku warningly

"Where?"

The man just shrugged and made to close the door, but Itachi moved so that he
was in the way, "Where is he?"

"Don't tell me…" They all looked at Naruto who was staring at Hinata, "He didn't
go to see… Neji…?"

Haku's eyes narrowed and Itachi and Sasuke were running down the apartment
stairs in a flash with the other four right behind them.

Gaara growled to himself as Neji pulled out of him, no doubt pleased as Hell. He
had let himself get carried away, a-damn-gain and now what could he do? While
a list of possibilities to regain the upper hand ran through his mind, the Hyuuga
spoke, "I guess it's your turn again"

The exhaustion was gone from his voice and it once again took the malevolent,
sneering tone.

Suddenly, Gaara smirked, "Indeed. Now tell me, did you enjoy it?"

Neji chuckled began to kiss his shoulder, "Not as much as I'd enjoy another
round"

Gaara shook his head, "No, I mean, did you enjoy what Hiroshi Akira did to you?"

Neji stiffened, then pulled back to look Gaara straight in the eye. His face was
cold, colder than the time at Tayuya's. And there was something else in his
expression, that told Gaara he was about to win.

"Well, can you answer me? Did you enjoy sucking on his cock, or taking it up
your-"

He was silenced as Neji shoved a pillow into his face, so hard that he couldn't
breath. Gaara began to struggle against him, trying to land a punch on the
Hyuuga rather than get the pillow off. He managed to hit Neji in the ribs so he
faltered enough for Gaara to throw the pillow off the bed.
Gaara sat up and found himself face to face with Neji, who was looking far more
frightening than he had ever encountered.

"How do you know that?" He snarled into the Sabaku's face. Gaara stared right
back, not even wincing when Neji grabbed his hair, "ANSWER ME!"

"You haven't answered me, although I guess you don't have to" Gaara forced a
smirk, "But I have to wonder Neji, was what Hinata saw the only time?"

From the narrowed eyes he knew he had hit a nerve, "ahh, so it wasn't"

"Hinata-"

"How many times was it?" Gaara shoved him away and sat up fully, "How many
business trips or faked meetings did he take you at? Hmm? How long did you
have it?"

Neji only growled, though his anger seemed to be weakening to something else.
Shame.

"I see. He made you sleep with him, just to keep your family safe. But what could
he have on your family? Why did you have to protect them?"

"Shut up"

"I couldn't venture a guess," Purred Gaara, "But I suppose I can deal with that,
after all, I've figured everything else out. You like to feel power, after being so
helpless don't you?"

"Shut up!"

"With everything going your way, you thought you could do whatever you wanted.
And when I was difficult, you thought up such an elaborate plan that you thought
no one would figure out" Gaara laughed, "But I did, didn't I? After you realized
just how pissed I was after Tayuya's you decided on a different approach. You
even had your own friends convinced that you were… Remorseful about what
you had done. You acted as though you were missing me horribly when I was
ignoring you, but you barely gave a shit, huh? You just wanted to get me back,
and then abandon me"

"SHUT UP"

"And it almost worked, you almost got me to the place where you had something
planned, didn't you? What were you going to do Neji? Sweep me off my feet? Or
maybe into the Janitor's closet?"
"I said, SHUT UP!"

"You're fucking sick and you know it, because you enjoyed it didn't you?" Gaara
suddenly saw stars and it took him a moment to register Neji hitting him so hard
he fell off the bed. But all he did was stand up and continue, "You think you can
drag everyone down with you?"

"You don't know fucking anything!" Yelled Neji standing up as well, "Just because
you were a fun little toy doesn't mean you figured me out"

"I've figured plenty out," Chuckled Gaara, "You realized you were starting to like
it. So you had Orochimaru kill him, under the guise of, 'He raped you and now
you were scared he'd do I again' right? Then, you wanted more sex, but this time,
you'd be the perpetrator, and it worked didn't it?"

"Shut up!" Neji advanced on him, "Every night with that disgusting old man was
Hell!"

Gaara paused and a large smile appeared, "So I was right"

Neji stared at him in horror, "What?"

"You were raped repeatedly; you really do need professional help"

"You…" He clenched his fists, "You little…"

"Oh Neji, I think it's time I go, but…" He pushed the Hyuuga back onto the bed
and straddled his lap, "I want you to think of me," He pushed against the
brunette's groin and kissed him roughly, "While you're rotting in that asylum," He
kissed him again and this time Neji opened his mouth and pulled him closer, "Tell
me something…"

He pushed the other back and stared down at him, knowing that the older was in
such a mental state, that he was at the redhead's mercy, "How does it feel to
lose control?"

With a snarl Neji tried to swing at him, but Gaara jumped back and off him. He
began to pull on his clothes and Neji grabbed his collar, "Give me this back"

Gaara pouted, "But I like it"

Neji glared at him further, "I want it back! You're not mine anymore!"

"No…" Murmured Gaara leaning close and kissing him, "But you're mine" He
shoved Neji back and pulled on his shoes before going to the window and
opening it.
"Where the fuck do you think you're going?"

Gaara sighed and leaned against the window seal, dangling one of his legs out,
"I'm tired of Konoha, so I'm not going to stay here anymore"

Neji growled, "Get back here right now"

"When you're in the hospital, think of me. Because I'm the one that put you there"

"You don't know when to quit do you"

Gaara could tell the brunette was slowly breaking, he could see the fear in his
eyes, he was coming to grips with where he was going, so he continued,
"Hopefully your family will still see fit to visit you, after everything you put them
through"

"Gaara…"

"Goodbye Neji"

"GAARA!"

"HAVE FUN IN HELL!" The redhead dropped himself out the window and Neji
ran over to it. He couldn't see the Sabaku in the shadows of the trees beneath.

I put you there… Have fun in Hell!

He began to feel sick, "YOU LITTLE BASTARD!" He was actually… Going there,
"I HATE YOU!"

"Neji what's going on?"

Hiashi had come in just after Gaara had disappeared out the window. He put a
robe around Neji's naked form and began questioning him, "What happened?
Who was here?"

His nephew paid no attention as he continued to scream out the window. The
older Hyuuga began to panic, Neji was starting to pull at his hair and throw things
out as well. He grimaced at the smell of sweat and sex in the room and barely
noticed when a group of teenagers, including his own daughter ran in.

The flashback is Haku's.

Kyo: (sob) Corvin does not own Naruto, it is the property of MK, and she doesn't
own this song either.
Neji stared blankly ahead of him as the men in white assisted him into the back
of the truck. They were stern looking men, who were following the orders of a
large man in black.

Behind him, he could hear his friend's sorrowful goodbyes and the promises of
them and his family to come and see him as often as they could.

The noise barely registered in his mind.

It is so that my transgressions have born a withered fruit,

the sun has scorched the rising plants; alas they have no root.

The bleached bones of animals bound by leather strips,

dance through the air with laughter as I wield this wicked whip.

Hiashi stared at his nephew in the white room as he crawled under his bed to
escape the sight of his family, muttering that he wanted them to go away.

The nurse informed him that he did this anytime anyone came to see him. At
night he barely slept and had often been sobbing and clawing at his face until he
was sedated. He was now required to wear soft gloves for his own protection.

"Cheer up…" She said, "It's only been two weeks"

Hinata couldn't heed these words, as her older cousin curled up into a ball and
began to cry.

As you did warn me carpenter, this world has weakened my heart,

so easily I disparage, self-seeking the work of my art,
and there you have come to me at the moment I bathe in my sorrow,
so in love with myself, sought after avoiding tomorrow.

Neji sat at the table not bothering to look at anyone. Itachi looked from Sasuke to
Orochimaru, "Neji... How are you feeling?"

The Hyuuga's red puffy eyes were wetted again as tears fell down his much
paler and sunken in cheeks. His hair was messed up and looked as though it
hadn't been properly brushed in a while.

Sasuke reached out and tried to touch Neji's shoulder, though he only flinched
away, crying harder.

"Neji?" Orochimaru said softly, "Me and Itachi are graduating next week… Um…
Shizune said that, if you wanted to come" He frowned sadly as the Hyuuga
began to shake his head frantically, "No… No… No… Don't wanna go"
He bent over sobbing onto the table, his once beautiful silky hair pooling around
him.

Where do you find the love to offer he who betrays you?

And offer to wash my feet as I offer to disobey you,
your beauty does bereave me, and how my words do fail,
so faithfully and dutifully I award you with betrayal.

Six months later, Hinata looked upon her cousin, nibbling delicately on some
bread. Shizune seem especially happy about it as she explained, "This is the first
time he's eaten by himself rather than force feeding or the drip. It means he's
progressing"

Hinata nodded and opened the door. Neji looked up at her, and she fought back
tears. He was nearly skeletal in his white pants and long sleeve shirt. The gloves
had been removed from his hands in the previous month when he stopped trying
to claw at himself.

He stared at her as she tried to approach, "N-Neji? How are you?"

"Go away" He murmured weakly throwing his bread at her, "No! I don't want to,
don't tell anyone! STOP!"

She stopped advancing and crouched down, "I s-swear, I'll never tell" She
whispered, sure he knew what he meant.

"No, you told HIM! He knew!" Neji snarled at her and hid under his blanket, "Go
away! Get out"

A nurse came in just as he started screaming and pulled the blanket off to find
him trying to stuff the pillow in his mouth. She pulled a syringe out of her pocket
and filled it with a clear liquid. Hinata began to cry as the nurse tranquilized her
cousin. "I'm sorry!"

"Don't worry, he's just not ready for contact"

The weak and the down trodden fall on broken legs,

as I walk past a smile I cast, fervor in my stead,
but my bones like plastic, do buckle backward now,
I lay in this field by Judas' bowels and anticipate the plow.

Naruto frowned as Neji was led in. His hair looked better, though he was still
painfully skinny and ashen white. He sat down at the table, looking twitching
between the blond and Sasuke.
The Uchiha spoke first, "How're things going Neji? You look like you've been
crying" He had been there for year and he still cried…

"… Sasuke"

They both perked up at the hoarse voice that sounded as though it hadn't been
used enough in a long time. The junior stared at his friend, "What is it?"

"It happened a lot… Not only once" He began to cry, "But I didn't like it… I really
didn't" He reached out for his younger friend who readily accepted him.

Naruto watched helplessly as the once ever popular, ever powerful, ever princely
Hyuuga Neji sobbed brokenly on his boyfriend's shoulder.

I can not be forgiven; my wages will be paid,

for those more lovely and admirable is least among the saved,
and where would I fit Jesus? What place is left for me?
The price of atonement is more than I've found to offer up as my plea.

"Two years has made him comfortable enough with Dr. Morino He's been put
into counseling, we can be glad that he is willing to share with us" Said Shizune,
turning away from the window where Neji sat, playing with a few blocks, "Mr.
Hyuuga… Were you aware that your nephew had been raped repeatedly?"

The elder Hyuuga stared at her in horror, "What?"

"I see. This may explain his behavior. Do you remember Hiroshi Akira?" At his
nod she continued, "Neji informs us that the late Mr. Hiroshi first raped him when
he was 12 and continued to do so until his death when he was 14"

Hiashi staggered backwards, feeling bile rising up, "No…" He placed his hand
over his mouth and looked over the woman's shoulder at Neji who was making a
block he had painted with a yellow eye and a purple eye attack a block he had
painted with two black eyes. "Why… Why didn't he tell me? I would not have let it
continue!"

"Apparently he was threatened to keep quiet, only Hinata knew of one incident"

"Hinata?"

"We would like for you to bring her in next week"

Jesus my heart is all I have to give to you, so weak and so unworthy,

this simply will not do, no alabaster jar, no diamond in the rough,
for your body that was broken, how can this be enough?
By me you were abandoned, by me you were betrayed,
yet in your arms and in your heart forever I have stayed.
Your glory illuminates my life, and no darkness will descend,
for you have loved me forever, and your love will never end.

"Neji, do you know why you are here?"

"Yes Uncle"

"Would you like to come home with me?"

A small sob racked the skinny, but plumping body, "Yes please Uncle"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX Doctor's Statement

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I hereby certify Hyuuga Neji cured. He will live with his Uncle and Aunt, who
are certified in CPR, and fingerprinted by the hospital. Their home has
passed inspection, and been deemed fit for the patient as long as he is
boarded on the same floor as the parent or guardian.

The patient is no longer in need of medication, so prescription will not be

given. Licensed councilor and medical officer Morino Ibiki will make monthly
visits to the home to see upon the progress of patient Hyuuga Neji

Name: Hyuuga Neji

Age: 20

Hair: brown

Eyes: White

Height: 6'3190 cm)

Weight: 178 lbs (80.91 kg)

((Flashback))

"He wasn't there…"

"I noticed"

Haku frowned, "you don't think that he actually… Went there, do you?"

Zabuza shrugged as he pulled into the parking lot of their apartment complex,
"We'll find out. He probably just headed home"
They got out of the car and walked up to find their door unlocked. Haku raised an
eyebrow as he entered, "Gaara?"

Zabuza came in and shut the door behind them. The lights were still on, but it
was still quiet. He began to examine the contents of the fridge, thinking it seemed
oddly empty, when he heard a gasp from the redhead's room and ran in there to
find Haku staring at the inside back of a notebook. "What's that?"

Haku sniffed and read out loud, "Shukaku, December 12th… That's today. I'm
going to the Hyuuga's in a second. I can't wait to see his face; I finally get to get
back at him, for all that time. I know I always loved him and will love him, but that
doesn't mean I'm not going to teach him a lesson.

"I'm going to leave after that, and I'm going to disappear. I know that I will miss
Haku and Zabuza, it was awesome of them to let me stay with them, and I hope I
wasn't too much of a burden.

"Goodbye and Thank you" Haku closed it, "That was the last page in his little
notebook"

Zabuza stared at him, "He's gone?"

"…Yes"

((End Flashback))

"Neji! Are you ok?"

The young man looked up and nodded, at twenty years old his uncle would rush
into his room at the slightest sound. Neji didn't mind very much, it meant that he
cared.

He had come home from the hospital to find his room had been moved to the
second floor and all his friends were in there waiting for him. The reunion had
been a tearful one, and he had apologized so many times, that he wasn't sure in
there was anything else in his vocabulary.

After that, he had gone to bed and slept late the next day. Upon waking he found
his uncle in his room, asking him to get showered, but to be quick because they
had to be down town.

It turned out, after Neji went to the hospital, Susan and several others of his pets
had come forward to their parents or loved ones. The school had been in an
uproar with people calling them liars, though they all knew it was the truth.
Four years later, after being declared insane, the now cured Neji had been on his
way to have his consequences decided.

To his luck, seven who were there had pleaded for his mercy, one boy in
particular, who Neji hadn't even recognized, had gone so far as to say that
everyone was to blame. In the end, the parents and families got over their
demands on incarceration, after all, any sex that was admitted had been
consensual. Neji had been sentenced to 100 hours of community service.

This was where he happened to be at the moment.

"I never would have guessed that a soup kitchen owned by some snobby family
who be the best in the country"

Neji smiled at the old man as he served him some hot stew, "It will be the best in
the world soon enough Itachi, the jury is just still out right now"

The Uchiha snorted, wondering how he got roped into serving mashed potatoes
for six hours. Neji had been working in the soup kitchen his family opened for two
weeks ago, and every day someone from the group that had once populated
Royal Corner would join him. This time it had been Itachi, who had volunteered,
he had felt a bit left out, being the only one hadn't been there.

"It must be nice getting to do all your community service hours here" He chided,
earning a cackle from the lady who was getting some rice from the man next to
him.

Neji shrugged, "It certainly is more convenient"

"Yeah…"

Itachi watched his friend's face and felt both marvel and a small sense of
something he couldn't quite identify. The Hyuuga's face seemed to have lost a
dark cloud that hung around it; he could finally see that beauty of his friend which
he had never known was so hidden. The Neji he knew was gone, but the Neji
that was with him now, was so much more healthy, honest and happy.

Once he had been taken away, Itachi and the others had learned a great deal
about Neji that none of them would have guessed. The thing that shocked him,
and the others the most, was the boxes of hair dye found hidden in the bathroom.
Neji had been growing grey hair since he was twelve and had been using brown
dye to cover it up. To his relief, the silver color was now gone naturally.

Neji was just Neji; Dressed in a white T shirt and stone washed jeans, with a
white paper apron and a loose pony tail.
"What are you smiling at?"

Itachi rolled his eyes, "Oh nothing, nothing at-" He stopped when Neji gasped.

He had been on the road for a long time, always moving to make sure he
wouldn't be found and dragged back. To say his life had been easy would have
been a lie, but to say that it had been hard… Might have been overstating the
case, just a little. The blackness around his eyes had grown from his near
constant lack of sleep, due to his unease of sleeping on the streets.

He had found a partner to wander with him, a girl by the name of Rai, who was
five years younger than himself. (AN: Yes, yet another OC, get the Hell over it)
He had met her near Sunaga and had since then had traveled with her. Together
they had toured the whole country, living off of what they could steal and find.

Now here they were, back to the place he had run away from for four years.

"So this is Konoha, it's prettier than you described it big brother"

He glared at Rai, "I described it to you in the winter. Now shut up, supposedly the
best soup kitchen ever is around here and I want to see it"

Rai brushed some dark green out of her brown eyes, "Do you know where it is?"

"Supposedly in up town area, where all the rich people live" Gaara started
walking; ignoring the stares he and his companion were receiving.

Running away with almost no money had not been the smartest idea he ever
had. He had managed to sell some things for food money, thus he ran out of his
nicer clothes quickly. Now he had a very faded coat that had once been too big
for him, but fit nicely now, a grey thermal shirt and a pair of black pants, he had
gotten some shoes from a garage sale and had given his converse to Rai who
now wore them, though they barely covered her feet at all.

The girl looked around at all the little shops with clothes and jewelry of the most
expensive quality in the windows, "Wow," she whistled at one of the windows
showing several necklaces, "We could make a pretty penny pawning any one of
those little gems"

Gaara smirked, "Later, I'm hungry"

"Sorry big brother"

They walked around town for another half hour, Gaara stomach growling angrily,
until they finally reached their destination.
It was a tall building, most likely two stories, unless the ceiling was just
ridiculously high. The outside was white and the glass doors were so clean one
could hardly tell there was glass. Gaara snorted, "How useless"

Rai shrugged, "Seems nice to me"

"I believe I told you to shut up"

"Sorry again big brother"

They went inside and both nearly gasped. The inside was a huge room, with
several tables set up like a restaurant. There was a cafeteria like set up, where
people took their trays to get food served to them, and then two large doors that
most likely led to the kitchen.

"Come on"

Rai followed Gaara to get a plate and they both got in line with her in front. She
looked ahead to see what they had and noticed someone staring at her big
brother. She frowned, "Hey, there's a Hyuuga"

Gaara looked up and followed her gaze. His eyes narrowed and he smirked,
"You've got to be smurfin' me"

"What?"

"Come on" He grabbed her arm and dragged her up to Neji's station, where the
brunette was eyeing him. Gaara looked through the glass window to see what he
was serving and then looked up, "I want some stew"

Neji seemed so different, like he had been peaceful. The glint of his eyes was
gone and there was no air of superiority that would be the envy of any king… Or
peacock.

The Hyuuga frowned, "You need a bowl"

"Rai, go get me a bowl"

"K" She went back in the line while Neji looked after her.

"You can't do that, go to the back of the line" He said as Itachi glared at the
redhead from behind him.

"No, I didn't leave the line, I'm merely thinking about the stew" Gaara smiled
sweetly at Itachi and gave him a little wave. Rai returned and gave him a bowl
and spoon, "Now if you don't mind. Some stew, please"
"Who is she?" Asked Neji, looking at the girl curiously, and ignoring the 'request'

"This is Rai, I travel with her"

"She looks young"

"I'm 13" Piped Rai

"Don't worry Neji, I haven't touched her, I'm not like you"

The brunette flinched and Itachi stepped in, "We're out of stew, so get moving"
He growled

Gaara ignored him and looked at Neji, "Awh, no more fight in you? How do you
expect to get me hot with such a docile attitude?"

Neji raised an eyebrow, "It would seem that one of us is still sick" He sneered,
"You had a grudge four years ago and then you got your revenge," He grabbed
the bowl and filled it, "I'm finally about to be better and I don't need trash like you
fucking it up!"

The redhead barely flinched, but took the bowl. He was going to walk away but
Rai spoke up, "Hey! I don't care if you're giving us free food! You can't talk to my
big brother like that!"

"Shut up kid" Hissed Itachi, "There's ancient history here that you don't know
anything about"

The green haired girl scowled but Gaara touched her shoulder, "Come on, they
don't want to talk to 'trash' like us" She felt tears when she saw the almost
masked hurt in his eyes, but nodded.

They went to a far table and began to eat the bit of food that they got.

Neji watched them, first the little girl, who he felt a bit of sympathy for and then
Gaara… "I don't know whether he helped me or hurt me" He said to Itachi,
though still not looking away from the pair.

The Uchiha looked at them as well, thinking. After a moment he answered, "He
helped you in the most hurtful way," He said, "Because he loved you no matter
how much he also hated you"

Neji nodded, "Sasuke told me that Gaara left town after… That night"

Itachi nodded, "He did, but I guess he's back"

"She shouldn't have to sleep on the streets"

Gaara and Rai finished their meals fast enough and were headed towards the
door when someone came running behind them, calling for them to wait.

Gaara sighed, "What do you want Hyuuga?"

The Hyuuga approached them; he looked down now near towering over Gaara
who had barely grown from the lack of nutrition, "Do you guys have anywhere to
stay?"

"We're staying at the Palace Hotel; what do you think?" He snapped

Neji merely flicked his nose, "I'm offering to let you stay here over night, if you
guys are interested"

"What's the catch?"

"No catch; it's what the second story is for. Someone has kids or a kid; we let
them stay over night"

Rai looked up at Gaara hopefully, but the wounded pride was enough answer for
her, she looked down as her big brother answered exactly what she had
expected, "No thanks, we don't need help from you"

Neji frowned, "Don't be difficult Gaara"

Rai sighed, 'it's no use'

"Thanks, but no thanks" Gaara left with Rai in tow.

Orochimaru looked up from his book and smiled as Itachi and Neji entered his
apartment, "Hey"

Neji nodded and sat down while Itachi walked over and gave him a peck on the
lips. (AN: Orochimaru! Not Neji! You silly guys! XD) "Guess who we saw today"

"Man or woman?"

"Hm… A little bit of both I'd say"

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, "Naughty or nice?"

"Naughty"

"… How naughty?"

"Evil"

"Redhead?"

"You bet"

Orochimaru's frown grew, "So he's back in town then…" He looked over at Neji
with a small amount of concern.

The Hyuuga just sighed, "He had a little girl with him who called him big
brother… But they wouldn't stay at the kitchen to sleep"

"At least Gaara wouldn't" Added Itachi

Neji only shook his head, "I don't even know if I'm actually angry at him, should I
be?"

"Like I said," Sighed Itachi, "He helped you in the most hurtful way"

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, "Who are you Bill Shakespeare?"

"SCREW YOU!"

Neji checked his watch, "I'll see you kids later, I have to get back"

Gaara leaned back and sighed, he hated this park, but it was where he had
ended up. He didn't want to go see anyone; at least, he didn't want them to see
him. He looked down at Rai as she shivered and pulled her little sweatshirt
tighter around herself. He wasn't in much better condition, no matter what the
season, nights were still plenty cold.

The girl looked up at him as he put his coat over her, teeth chattering, "Say big
brother… That Neji guy, who is he?"

"No one"

"Really? But… He and that other guy knew your name and everything"

Gaara glared down at her, "Shut up or I'll take my coat back"

Rai looked down and Gaara looked up at the sky, they had decided to sleep on
the playground, huddled in the little compartment at the top of the highest slide. It
helped, though very little.

"… Is he the reason you left Konoha?"

Gaara scowled but didn't reply. Rai bit her lip as her stomach growled, their meal
at the soup kitchen had been around 2 o'clock, now around 10 at night it wasn't
helping much. She only pulled her sweatshirt tighter around herself, "Sorry again
big brother"

The redhead sighed; he was hungry too and cold and uncomfortable. But this
had to be better than being near him again… Didn't it?

Rai coughed before snuggling back into her shirt and Gaara sighed, "Get up" He
said sliding down the slide with her behind him.

"Where are we going?"

"To mooch"

"Really?" Rai didn't hide the glee in her voice at the thought of a hot meal and a
soft warm bed. She stared at him, "You really don't mind big brother? Don't if it's
on my account"

The Sabaku started walking, shrugging as he went, "I could go for a nice bed and
a shower anyway. We'll just not make satisfying us easy for him"

Rai giggled, "Ok big brother!"

It had taken them a whole hour to make it all the way back to the soup kitchen.
When they got there, none other than Neji outside, just exiting the door, Gaara
frowned, "Hey!"

Neji turned around and blinked, "Oh! You came back" He put his keys in his
pocket and walked to where they were standing on the sidewalk.

Rai stares up at him, "We came for that place to sleep and maybe some food"
She says with a grin.

Gaara crossed his arms when the other bit his lip, "Ah, about that… We're filled
up now"

"WHAT?" Exclaimed the younger two

Neji sighed, "We only have limited space, and we fill up fast" He ran a hand
through his hair, and looked mostly at Gaara, "Would you accept plan B?"

"Which would be?"

"If you guys don't mind," Neji started walking down the sidewalk and they
followed, "You could come stay at my house for a night"
"No fucking way" Growled Gaara bristling at the thought

The Hyuuga shrugged, "If you don't want to, fine"

Rai sighed and looked at Gaara, "Come on big brother," She whispered, "We
could always go and then leave a big mess" She didn't know what happened
between Gaara and Neji, but she did know that she was cold and hadn't slept in
a bed for a long time.

Gaara looked up at Neji's retreating back, "Wait up!" He hissed, running up

beside him, "We'll be waiting right here, bring your car back to come get us"

Neji raised an eyebrow at the order, but behind the redhead Rai mouthed 'please'
He chewed his lip, "Fine"

He turned around and walked away this again, this time Gaara stayed behind.

They waited for about five minutes, when headlights appeared and a silver
Saturn pulled up next to them. Gaara opened the door and climbed into the front
seat, while Rai got into the back. He eyed the car from the inside, "You got rid of
the Monte Carlo?"

"Yeah"

"Hmph"

"Jake says this car is better"

Neji looked in the rear view mirror at Rai who was holding a metal pipe to her ear
and raised an eyebrow, "Jake?"

"She and I are the only people who can understand him" Said Gaara

Neji stared at the pipe, "That's not… That pipe is it?"

Gaara smirked out the window, "Why yes it is. I once vowed to kill everyone at
Royal Corner with that pipe"

The rest of the drive was in silence. Until Gaara saw fit to reach over and punch
Neji in the shoulder. They drove for a few more seconds when Neji punched him
back. They kept at this until the Hyuuga Mansion was in sight. Neji pulled the car
to a stop and punched Gaara one last time before getting out of the car.

The redhead followed with a pout and the girl with a small smile.
Neji opened the front door and was greeted by a maid, "Mr. Hyuuga, who are
your guests?"

"They are friends of mine," He said, "Do you think you could get two guest rooms
ready for them and find some clothes?"

"Of course" She bowed and disappeared through a door.

Neji turned to them, "you may sit down while you wait," He said, "I'll be upstairs in
my room"

"Do you think I could shower?" Asked Rai taking a step forward, "I haven't been
clean in a couple weeks and…" She trailed off and Neji nodded, "Sure, follow
me"

Gaara stood and went with them, glaring at Neji's back with distrust. He led them
up a flight of stairs and down a hall that Gaara recognized from years ago. He
opened a door and revealed a large, sparkling white bathroom with a large
Jacuzzi tub. He gestured for Rai to go in, "I'll send for someone to bring you a
change of clothes and a towel for when you are done"

She looked around, clearly awed and nodded mutely. Neji closed the door and
turned around. He jumped when he noticed Gaara for the first time and sighed,
"What?"

"I want to take a shower as well"

Neji scowled, "Gaara, I invited you into my home, after you sent me to rot in an
asylum for four years, the least you could do is say please"

"I didn't send you, your uncle did" Said Gaara and he turned and started peaking
in all the doors. "Show me to another bathroom"

Neji stared and him blankly and Gaara scowled, "Please" He spat.

The Hyuuga nodded and walked to the end of the hall. He opened a door to a
bathroom with marble floors and carved stone basins. Gaara tilted his head to
the side and stared up at him, "Do I get a change of clothes too?"

Neji leaned over him, placing his arm on the side of Gaara's head, "Depends,
can you stop being a little douche to your host?"

Gaara sneered, "Please dear sweet Neji?"

The brunette scowled and leaned away, "You always were a brat"
Gaara stepped inside and the door slammed shut behind him.

Neji stormed down to his room, after telling a passing servant to take clothes to
the two bathrooms and to see that their rooms were prepared on the second
floor. He closed the door and leaned back against it. That redhead, why did he
bring him back to his home.

Neji ran his hands over his shaking arms, he had felt weak from being near him,
the memories of the last night, and others had flooded into his mind and nearly
over whelmed him. The countless nights, he had sobbed under his bed at Sutter
felt like they were happening all at once. Neji slid down to the floor, and sighed,
'Why did I have to bring him back here?'

Slowly, he slipped into a sleep that had become a habit after so many drug-
induced slumbers after having such memories.

He awoke with a jolt, when someone began pounding on his door. Neji heavily
picked himself up and leaned against the doorknob, "Who is it?"

"Your uncle" Came the gruff voice

Neji opened his door and there stood Hiashi, "Yes uncle?"

"Neji, did you bring to people into our house?"

"Yes uncle, one of them was a… An old friend, and he and his little sister showed
up unexpectedly at the soup kitchen-"

"The soup kitchen?"

"Yes," Said Neji, "The girl is only 13, and we were filled up down at the kitchen…
I couldn't just leave them"

Hiashi stared at him and chewed his lip slightly, "I see. Well then, they may stay,
but from now on I would appreciate it if you would consult with me before you
bring someone home"

"Of course"

Hiashi nodded and gave Neji a small hug before going back downstairs. Neji shut
the door and sighed. He went over and dressed in pajama pants before getting
into bed. He was tired, and he needed to curl up with a good book.

He crawled into his bed, under the blanket and grabbed his book off the
nightstand next to him. He began to read, just long enough that his eyelids
started to droop. However, before he could fall asleep the door opened. Neji
didn't bother to look up, "Yes uncle?"

There was no response and he looked up to see Gaara leaning in his doorway,
wearing some dark green pajamas. He frowned, "What is it Gaara?"

The redhead shrugged and sauntered into the room, kicking the door shut behind
him. He looked around, "So they moved you eh? Hn, I guess you could do less
damage when they can keep a closer eye on you" He looked at Neji and smirked,
"So how long ago did you get out again?"

"A few weeks ago" Replied Neji, marking his page and setting the book down.

Gaara thought this over and gave a snort. He sat down at the foot of the bed and
stretched, "Tell me honestly Hyuuga, do you think you're better"

"I'd like to think so," said Neji shortly, "Now do you want something? Because if
not I'm very tired"

"Why did you bring us back here?"

Neji paused and frowned, "… I'm not sure, but I am starting to regret it"

Gaara faced him, "There are questions that I never got the chance to ask," He
said, "I want to ask them now"

The brunette sighed and leaned back against the headboard, "Why should I
answer anything you ask?"

"Because you know I won't leave you alone until you do"

"I could have you kicked out"

"I could burn your house down"

Neji's eyes narrowed, "Are you threatening me?"

Gaara smiled innocently, "Of course not, I'm merely informing you"

"Hn, what are your questions?"

The redhead smiled, "Were you planning on doing something at the November
Ball?"

"Yes"
"What?"

"I…" Neji scowled and looked at the rug next to his bed, "I was going to sing"

Gaara threw his head back and laughed, "Sing? Is that it?"

"Then I had figured I would drag you outside while you were still stunned and
fuck you on a car"

Gaara stopped laughing, "Sounds like you"

"The old me"

"I'm sure" Gaara looked down and began tracing over the pattern of the blanket,
"My last question is…" He frowned, "Why? Why did you do it?"

"Rape you on the pool table?"

"Yeah"

Their voices had become whispers and they were avoiding eye contact. Neji
sighed, "To be honest, I normally would have just let them have at you. I wasn't
sure why I did it, or why I was going to tell them you were mine when I was done"
Gaara looked up at him at this, though he did not notice, "Years later… I figured,
in my own way, I was trying to protect you"

"Protect me? PROTECT ME! YOU HURT ME AND YOU'RE TRYING TO SAY
YOU WERE TRYING TO PROTECT ME?"

Neji twitched as his long dormant temper flared, "IT WAS FOUR AND A HALF
FUCKING YEARS AGO! GET OVER IT ALREADY!"

"GET OVER IT? YOU DON'T JUST GET OVER SOMETHING LIKE THAT!"

"YOU'VE HAD YOUR REVENGE GAARA! I'VE SAID IT BEFORE! YOU

FUCKED WITH MY HEAD RIGHT BEFORE I WENT TO FESTER IN AN
ASYLUM AND NOW WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?"

Gaara was glaring at him, and if Neji hadn't been so angry as well, he would
have noticed the more hurt and sorrowful look on the redhead's face behind the
thin veil of anger, "Did you ever care about me?" He whispered

Neji stopped his yelling and stared at him, "What?"

Gaara pulled the blanket up and crawled underneath it. Neji watched, unable to
move as the lump under his comforter moved up until it revealed a green eyed
redhead straddling his hips.

Gaara leaned forward and pushed his lips against his. They stayed like that for a
moment, until one of them ventured to open his mouth a little. Soon their tongues
were moving softly against each other's. Gaara arms were around Neji's neck
and Neji's hands were tangled in his red hair.

They broke apart for air, only to meet once again, this time ending with Gaara
tackling Neji to lie on his back.

Neji wrapped one arm around Gaara's waist, while the other stayed in his hair.
They broke apart again, panting and blushing.

They stared at each other, unsure of what should happen next. Neji felt he was in
a state of shock, Gaara was looking at him, with those same big green eyes he
realized he had come to love. They were glistening with tears that were refusing
to fall, looking sad, lost… Vulnerable.

And then, he remembered the one other time he had seen that look, only once
that Gaara had ever been in a state even close to this one.

"… Neji please don't"

"Don't what?"

"Don't leave me alone"

Neji felt his breath become short; he truly had left him alone. He had abused him,
hurt him, and then left him. First to make a gap to manipulate for his own
purposes and then because he was sent away.

He hadn't just raped and humiliated Gaara, he had abandoned him.

"Gaara… I'm so sorry" He murmured hugging him tightly, "Never again; I'll never
leave you again"

The Sabaku sighed, stubbornly wiping the moisture away from his eyes, "Damn
straight you won't"

Outside the door, Hiashi, Hinata and Rai smiled at each other before heading off
to their respective rooms, they could leave the two alone until morning.

Owari