A/N) I'm submitting this story again because i was asked to. It's still unfinished and on chapter 16. So for the next 15 days i'm going to submit one chapter as a kind of grand opening and celebration of the late chapter 16 I'm going to submit. Sorry for the mix-up and the deletion. Read about it on my Pro.
-Nik

Beated by: Nik

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these Naruto characters.

Zero Hour!

Chapter I
Forget This Now


The bells ring and the sound of lockers slam as students run through the halls to find their classes. There's shuffling and so much noise that it makes it seem like a lot more people go to the school then usual. The first day at Kage High is always a hustle. People were stupidly trying to find the friends they had been separated from all summer while still hurrying around the campus to find short cuts to classes they'd be doomed to sit in all year, or at least for the semester.

Grabbing his backpack from the floor Gaara stepped away from his newly assigned locker to head west down the hall and find his first period…Biology class? He suppressed a low growl in the back of his throat. Who would subject a student to take a Biology class so early in the morning? Of course with his insomnia he wasn't tired and didn't plan on sleeping through the class but still, biology as 7:25 in the morning was pushing it.

As Gaara stepped in his class he noted that apparently everyone had the same idea as he did. A portion of the class was knocked out while the other half busied themselves by talking to friends. Gaara mentally sighed and took a seat in the very back of the class. He sat back and counted the students who would probably be giving him problems later.

One, two. He glared in isolation from the back of the room at two particular brunettes.

Uchiha Itachi was the older of the two boys. He had dark hair that dared to hang down his back. His eyes were just as dark as his hair and they often seemed to change colors when he was mad, which was more often than never. This boy had a short temper and it was known all over school. Why he was in Gaara's junior biology class was beyond the redhead's comprehension. Itachi was a senior at Kage and had a very high reputation as one of the most gorgeous yet vicious bastards around. To his left sat the other heartthrob of the school…Haku.

This boy had long straight dark brown hair with chocolate eyes. His face was a smooth pale color and his lips were always such a faint pink. He was often mistaken for a girl but he loved the attention anyway it was tossed to him. He was tall -and for lack of a better word- beautiful. He was one out of a trio that broke that hearts of many fangirls at the school.

Gaara took a deep breath and hoped the bastards hadn't seen him enter and slump to the back. The last thing he needed was for them to go running off to their third party to tell him just who was apart of their morning bio class.

As the late bell rang and the teacher stepped in the room, Gaara took out his notebook and began copying his schedule down. He had five classes a day and a part time job as a sixth period absentee marker. He would be put on a computer in the office and then had to record students that were absent or tardy according to the roasters brought in. He only wanted/needed the job because of his current living situation. After having run away from home for the hundredth time he was currently crashing at his best friend's house and the needed money.

"All right everyone, listen up." The teacher began speaking. He turned around and wrote his name on the board. "I hope you're all writing or have written down your schedules. They need to be turned in to your sixth period teachers." He stood in front of his desk at the head of the class and leaned against the wood frame. "This class is an AP Biology combination class. That means, juniors who took half Chemistry, half Biology last year are advanced. Seniors who took Biology last year are planning to use this class for Senior Exhibition this year." The man picked up a stack of papers. "Here are your syllabuses and rubrics. If you'll all stand up and file this way you'll get one."

Gaara heard some people whining about how they had a lazy teacher but they quickly hushed when the man began talking again.

"The reason you are standing is because the majority of you decided the back was comfortable spot in the class. Well the great news I have for you is that this particular biology class is an all year partner class. Everyone needs to get up, and sit at a desk with another person." No one moved as the man talked. "Now." He said in a low voice. The class started moving and groaning. Gaara stayed in his seat. He and the teacher were going to have problems if he thought Gaara was going to work with any of the people in that room.

After everyone was seated and Gaara had been overlooked for not moving, a student sitting near the middle of the class decided to open her big mouth to ask a question.

"Hatake-sensei." A girl with a meek voice spoke up. Gaara knew her very well. In fact he often ate lunch with her at school. She had been annoying in the beginning but once she reached sophomore year she had calmed and matured. Her hair was short and pink with black tips. At times she claimed it was an accident but now she took full credit for doing it that way.

Her eyes were almost the same green as Gaara's and her style of dress was rather confusing. With combat boots and miniskirts, she always wore dark green shirts with a black skirt. How many of them she had was unknown to Gaara.

"If we're partnering this year then are we supposed to keep the same partner all year. I'll die if I have to be his partner all year." She pointed to a guy with spiky black hair that was sitting next to her. Gaara knew him too. He almost wanted to stick his tongue out at the disgusting boy that was dating his brother. Inuzuka Kiba was highly annoying and always wanted to throw his two sense into something. Hardly any social life since he was always home watching his dog, or at least that's what he would say when he was invited out.

Tuning everything out Gaara began focusing on more important things. Like how he was going to get through the year practically alone. His sister Temari had graduated and his brother Kankurou was going through that we're in the same school but I don't want people to know we're related phase. Gaara's two best friends weren't any help to the loneliness either. All they did was make it worse with their bickering. Being a junior sucked. And what sucked worse was that it had only been 10 minutes since class started.

(Lunch)

Gaara found himself sitting alone while he waited for his friends to show up. He prayed they had the same lunch as he did. He had been condemned to west campus lunch with the rest of the juniors and seniors of the school but that didn't mean all of them were in there. He'd had east campus lunch for the last two years and he didn't really like the feel of this cafeteria. Gaara looked around the room and spotted a table reserved for the Important Three -which was what the entire school basically called the three most popular guys around. Haku and Itachi already clouded the table that held well over ten people but only the three of them ever sat there.

The moment Gaara spotted the last member of the group he felt a smack on his back. He whirled around to see a smiling blond boy staring down at him. Gaara rolled his eyes as Naruto made it known that he had arrived.

"Hello West Kage! No need to keep your screams to yourself ladies. There's plenty of Uzumaki to go around."

Some people the cafeteria laughed but a pack of girls did fall out as they watched Naruto smile and show off his biceps, which weren't too much to look at, but fangirls will take anything. You see, Naruto is about as popular as the ever-glaring younger Uchiha. And Speaking of the devil-

"Quit clowning Naruto. You soak in that shit all year. Don't make this year just as annoying. Spare the world you entrances." Sasuke sat down next to Gaara on his left and slammed his tray down. Gaara noted that he didn't look like he was in a good mood but what was new about that? The brunette was hardly ever in a decent mood.

"Ha! Don't be mad because all the ladies want me, Sasuke." Naruto winked at a couple of the girls across the room and all anyone heard were heads cracking on the floor. Sasuke shrugged it off, he didn't have time to argue nor did he care to.

"First four?" Gaara asked Sasuke, narrowing his eyes like he was mad himself. Although he couldn't quite remember why.

"American Literature, World History, Algebra II, and fuckin' AP Bio with that annoying Hatake guy." Sasuke peeled his pizza box open and snagged off the pepperonis for later. "What'd they dish you?" He asked, not looking at Gaara.

"Nothing important. Got the Hatake first period," Gaara mentioned. Sasuke looked at him and tsk'ed.

"Talk about a headache in the morning. And I thought I had it bad with the guy fourth period." Sasuke looked to his left when Naruto finally sat down with his tray of food. "You get that Anko chick for Art History? She's fuckin' crazy too, I got her next."

"Same." Gaara watched the Trio as they laughed in their secluded area. "Guess who's taking my biology class?" Gaara said, a little too subconsciously. Sasuke looked over while using his left hand to push Naruto away from his food. Gaara jerked his head towards the Pretty Table.

"Your brother and the girly one." Gaara said with a smirk. All three of them were staring at the group of better boys. Last year they had been somewhat of friends but not the type to hang out all the time. Sasuke had liked hanging with his brother until the whole Gaara episode. Naruto and Haku had gotten along for whatever reason and Gaara, well Gaara was…was-

"They just had to have west campus lunch didn't they?" Naruto whined and groaned as he stared. "Would it kill the bastards to say hi once and awhile? I mean it's been like what, three months since he broke up with Gaara." Naruto clamped a hand over his mouth and the Sasuke smacked him in the back of the head.

"You've got a big mouth, Naruto." Sasuke raised his voice. Gaara paid no attention to them as he stood up and started walking over to the forbidden corner. The entire cafeteria seemed to be reading his mind as he moved slowly. Everyone stopped talking and watched with saucer-like eyes. Gaara reached the table and stood with his arms at his sides. He was standing behind the third party. Haku and Itachi paused from their talking and Haku pointed. The boy across from them turned around and glared his eyes at the unwanted company.

"Hey…Neji." Gaara found that the boy's name fell out of his mouth like dry hot beach sand. It had been caught in his throat but now it felt like he was throwing it up. Said boy looked at Gaara with his pearly hollow eyes and managed a small smile.

"Hey."

Hey…Hey! Was that all the boy was going to say to him after not having seen him for the entire summer break? Was that all he was going to say to him after a year of being together? Was that…all?

However, Gaara decided not to push his luck. At least Neji was speaking to him again.

"You look good," Neji added, after the silence in the room had gotten so thick that there wasn't anything else to possibly say. He hadn't been sure that was the right thing to say but didn't people say that after not seeing a person for a while? You're supposed to tell them they look good right? If Neji meant what he had said, there was no sign of it on his face.

"You got a reason to be over here…little baby." Itachi raised an eyebrow as he peeled his milk carton open. He probably wasn't going to drink that. Gaara judged but he ignored the elder Uchiha and turned back to his attention.

"You didn't call," Gaara said, sternly. He hadn't wanted to start anything with the boy on the first day back but that didn't change the fact that Neji hadn't called like he said he would. He had poor Gaara waiting by the phone almost everyday. He was almost too afraid to leave the house because he didn't want to miss the call. Not that he knew what would happen if the call came through anyway. What would he have said?

"You know how it goes. I was busy," Neji replied, turning his body around so he was full body facing Gaara. He was leaning against the table with his left foot resting atop his right knee. The particular redhead Neji was talking to looked like he wanted to chuck a car engine at his head but Neji remained cool.

"For three months! You couldn't pick up the phone once, at least to see how I was doing?" Gaara had shouted at first but remembered that the conversation wasn't directed to everyone else in the cafeteria.

"Are we a little upset?" Neji stood up and towered over him. He poked Gaara in the chest. "I'm not obligated to call you. I thought we made that clear when we split. You're not my problem anymore." He poked Gaara between almost every word. The redhead took a small step back so he could actually see Neji's eyes.

"That wasn't a mutual decision." Gaara muttered, looking at his clenching fist then back up at Neji.

"Mutual or not, it's not my job to keep checking up on you to make sure you don't run off and kill yourself or something. Or maybe you didn't hear me when I said I was tired of playing the father role, the brother role and the boyfriend roll all in one. Look at you-" Neji ruffled Gaara's course hair. "-you're in worse shape then when I was with you. It makes me almost sick to look at you." Neji gave him a little push back.

"Do I make you that sick?" Gaara whispered. "Is that why you begged to fuck me everyday!" He shouted and the observers in the cafeteria either released trademark oohs and ahs or were in shock. Neji himself seemed unfazed while Haku snickered behind him and Itachi just shook his head.

"You know me better than just about anyone. Had you called you would have learned the importance of what I needed to say. If you think I was going to beg for you back you're mistaken," Gaara growled. Neji had seen his fits before and he remembered how easy it was to set Gaara off. Hell, it was easy to make his own self mad. However, Neji didn't have time for confrontation. When Gaara started walking away Neji grabbed his arm so hard Gaara flinched. He pulled Gaara close and leaned close to his ear.

"I'm done helping you. If you don't get some help then maybe I won't have to see you around school, or ever for the matter. If you want it to end, by all means…end it." Neji let him go and turned to sit back down. Gaara glared ice daggers in the boy's back but stormed off in the other direction.

He grabbed his backpack from the table and headed for the rear exit of the cafeteria. He hadn't been gone two seconds before the room went back to talking loudly. Naruto was the first to get up. He threw his tray away and grabbed his backpack.

"Leave him alone, Naruto. You only make things worse for everyone." Sasuke laced his fingers and put his chin on top of his hands. He would have stayed comfortably that way if Naruto hadn't smacked him in the back of the head shortly after.

"If you wanna be all emo all the time then fine but I'm not gonna let Gaara go off and sulk behind that Hyuuga bastard. If you remember this passed summer for a second then you'll know that we can't just leave Gaara alone with his thoughts about that asshole. He's liable to burn the entire school down. Or did you forget he almost destroyed your room?" Naruto didn't look mad, it was hard for him not to smile all the time, which amazed Sasuke. Especially with all the rumors about Naruto's…sexuality.

Sasuke hung his head, Naruto had a point. "You're a moron," He decided to say, as he stood up and grabbed his bag as well.

"Yeah maybe, but you love me." Naruto smiled and threw a careless arm around Sasuke's neck as they followed Gaara.

Gaara was outside pacing in front of a tree. He was so pissed he could climb the damn tree and accidentally fall out. If he broke some bones then he could stay out of school long enough to forget what Neji's face looked like. Or at least that's what he wished. He couldn't forget that face no matter what he did. Neji had kept him awake for most of the summer so he could think about what his problems had caused him to lose.

"Nice way to embarrass yourself." A voice came off from his left. Gaara knew who it was so he stopped but never turned around until the person was right next to him.

"Fuck off Kankurou." He snapped and pushed his brother back before he could give him his usual pat on the head. Kankurou backed up a few steps and grinned. He knew Gaara's moods all too well.

"Whoa whoa whoa little bro. Chill all right. I'm only out here to see if you're okay, not to get my head bitten off." The boy put his hands in his pockets and shrugged a little. He didn't have to leave the safety of the lunch hall for this but he did anyway. Neji was pouring salt into Gaara's open sores. Kankurou couldn't sit back and watch no matter how much he refused to admit that Gaara was his brother after that…episode he'd had.

"Oh yeah? Did you have to bring your bitch too?" It was almost like Gaara could smell Kiba near. The dog boy held a growl back when Kankurou turned around and begged him not to flip out.

"Come on Gaara don't be so rude. I could just leave you out here to rot in your own brain," Kankurou paused, "It's your own fault anyway. Stop trying to blame other people for Neji leaving you. Any sane person can see you need help." He shuttered when Gaara glared. "By help I meant we just wanna see you okay and not drowning in your own living liquid."

"Fuck off Kankurou. You don't help anyone and you're not helping me."

"Apparently not." He sighed loudly and turned to go. "I take it you won't be back home this week?" Kankurou huffed when he didn't get an answer from the boy who had long since turned his back. Kankurou shrugged it off. "See ya Gaara." He threw his arm around Kiba and they walked away, running into Naruto and Sasuke.

"Be careful, he chewed my head off already. I'm sure there's still a few bones in his throat." The elder sibling of Gaara disappeared back into the lunchroom.

Sasuke and Naruto stopped as Gaara began pacing the tree again. He was muttering to himself and he looked just like people thought he did…unstable. Sasuke sighed and Naruto pointed an energetic finger towards his pacing friend.

"Time to go save Gaara! I Super Uzumaki and my accomplice Boy Uchiha are off to the rescue. Shall we fly Boy Uchiha?" Naruto grabbed Sasuke wrist and began making whistling sounds as he pretended to fly. Sasuke just shook his head as he was pulled down the stairs to the schoolyard where Gaara was being Gaara.

After the remaining half and hour of lunch was used to cool down. A calm Gaara and an annoyed Sasuke roamed the halls of the east campus to find their fifth period art class. They both stepped in the stadium seated classroom and looked around. It was full already. Art History was a combined class. Students from freshman all the way to seniors were in the class.

"Gaara-kun!"

The redhead wanted to shoot himself in the head at the sound of the voice. He couldn't believe he had such luck as to be stuck in the same art class with Lee…again. This was the third year in a row they'd had this class together and Gaara just knew it was because Lee worked in the office and revised schedules over the summer. He wanted Gaara in his class and he made it so. Being a junior sucked, but being with Lee again sucked even more.

Gaara looked up to the row Lee was sitting in and mentally rolled his eyes. Just his luck, not only was Lee in his class but so was that insensitive lunchroom jerk off, prissy priss, rich kid jock dilhole…Neji. Gaara glared at him but Neji had his eyes closed with his arms crossed at the first sight of the boy.

Sasuke touched Gaara's shoulder. "There's a plus. Now you have a reason for not wanting to sit next to the Green Loud Mouth Tree Frog." Sasuke nudged Gaara to the other side of the room. They walked up the stairs passed Neji and Lee's row to the very top, which somehow held three empty seats on the end. They sat, and Gaara waited, because he knew Lee would be up in three, two, one-

"Gaara-kun. It has been so long! You are looking Youthful as usual!" Lee put on his best smile and stepped across them to sit next to Gaara. "Sasuke! How is Naruto-kun holding up? I hope he took my advice and enjoyed his Youthful Summer break!"

"Why're you asking me? I only barely saw him over break." Sasuke threw his backpack on the floor and threw his legs over his desk, crossing them.

"Oh?" Lee scratched his head. "I thought the two of you would be spending more Youthful time together, since you two are an item!" Lee's voice was loud and several people in the class turned around to look at him and then at Sasuke, who was either red from being pissed or embarrassed. He choked on his own words.

"I-Item? Me and Naruto!" Sasuke stammered. The people in the class had apparently heard about it before he had and were looking at him to find out if it was true or not. Sasuke relaxed and leaned back in his chair. "Just because both of my best friends are gay doesn't mean I am." He sucked his teeth in anger. "Even if I were gay…Naruto, come on."

Ha! That would fix all those horrible rumors. There was no way Naruto was going to bring him down with all the homosexuality. Sasuke doubted Naruto was gay anyway. It was just a rumor the Important Three made up to start stuff.

"Lee-" Gaara began, changing the subject for Sasuke's sake. "-why am I in your class again?" He looked over at Lee and narrowed his eyes when the boy was looking up at the ceiling whistling. "Lee," Gaara glared, hard.

"Oh my! Do you see that glorious swan there, Gaara-kun!" Lee pointed to an imaginary bird, trying to get Gaara's mind off the fact that once again there were taking the same Art class, in the same room, during the same period. Gaara sighed and ignored the bird Lee was still marveling at.

"ALL RIGHT EVERYONE! In your seats!" Anko stormed in with a look of I'm going to put you brats to work on her face. She started writing the first project on the white board so Lee stood up.

"I was hoping that you would sit with me but Neji got here first. I heard about the two of you. What! A! Shame!" Lee said sarcastically. Gaara whined in his head. Lee was waiting for this type of thing to happen. He'd been furious when the two had started dating. He was probably trying to break them up the entire time. Great! This was all Gaara needed. Now he had to avoid Neji and avoid every little second he was with Lee so the latter wouldn't ask him out. Need I say that this day sucked?

As the class went by Gaara found himself staring at Neji. The boy was writing something on a paper and had been for the last half-hour. Gaara wanted to know what it was. Gaara knew Neji, the boy didn't like writing and he wouldn't unless he absolutely had to. Turning a paper in for English meant a night typing, but never a night spent writing. Gaara sat back, that had better not be a note to him because if it was he was sure his sixth period office duty had a fancy shredder.

Sasuke groaned next to him as he drew a stick figure with a blowtorch. Apparently blowing of the head of something that resembled Naruto. Gaara frowned, since when did Sasuke even think about Naruto? He sure did spend a lot of time trying to get the blonde's hair right. Gaara paid attention to the detail and glared. Sasuke was probably having withdrawals, since he'd also recently broken up with his girlfriend. Gaara didn't believe that Sasuke liked her at all. He was pretty positive that Sasuke was a swinger too but he never commented. The brunette would have just denied it either way.

The assignment was to draw something you loved or hated and then write a summary about it, which was due the next day. Gaara wasn't drawing, he was scribbling as he kept his eyes on Neji. Every so often Lee would turn around, bite the end of his pencil and then turn back around to draw the chicken scratch he called art. Gaara paid llittle his attention to Lee, some attention to Sasuke and the last half his attention to the back of Neji's head.

He couldn't focus on drawing when the damn Hyuuga was in his very grasp. Even with the way he felt about drawing he didn't feel like it. Usually when he had nothing to do he would draw little comics on the corners of his papers. The comics weren't very funny, commented Naruto on occasion. Gaara's sense of humor had probably been ran over by an 18-wheeler that did a jackknife in the middle of the freeway. Naruto was right, his comics weren't funny but Gaara hardly called them comics anyway.

"They're creatively scripted animated scenarios." He told Naruto when the blond had bugged him for an hour, saying that drawing a boy with a black eye crying on every page of his notebook wasn't funny. Gaara was reliving places he'd been through in his creatively scripted animated scenarios. They weren't meant to be funny, they were meant to tell stories. Stories that he didn't want to remember but if he had to remember them then they might as well be where he could reach them instead of pressing the rewind button in his head for flashbacks.

Gaara was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of the bell. The students started shuffling to put their things away but Gaara sat still. They were in the back and weren't going to get anywhere until everyone had left anyway.

"Remember you have two things due tomorrow!" Anko shouted as people began exiting. Neji for some reason raised his hand as class was over.

Here it goes, Gaara thought, as he began gathering his things. Anko didn't acknowledge Neji so he spoke, which he should have done in the first place.

"Hitarashi-sensei," He walked up to her and started talking softly. He pointed to the paper he was holding and shook his head, then shrugged. Anko nodded and put her hand on his shoulder. Was that legal? She pointed to the paper and then moved to her desk to write on a small pass.

By now Gaara was down the stairs and heading out the door. Neji hadn't looked at him and probably didn't care that he'd walked by. Gaara shook his head and grabbed his backpack tighter.

"Where you headed?" Sasuke brought him out of his own head. Gaara looked at him as if he didn't understand the question. He had a headache now and he still had to work for the next 55 minutes on a computer.

"Office. How I got scheduled to deal with the absentees is beyond me." Gaara thought about how many people in the entire school who wanted the job. "That was your last class right? You goin' home?" Gaara asked as he saw Lee heading his way.

"No. Naruto's trying out for varsity baseball sixth period. After listening to him beg all morning I think I'll be killed if I don't go watch. I've got practice after school anyway so I'll be around. You're riding with us downtown right?" Sasuke started walking off.

"Remind me why I have to go with you guys to buy something for Sakura when it's Shikamaru and Ino's party. Guys don't shop Sasuke." Gaara called down the hall.

"Yeah, trying telling that to Naruto!" Sasuke disappeared by the time Lee pulled to a screeching stop next to Gaara. The redhead growled in the back of his throat but the other boy didn't seem to care as he blinked his big eyes and stared at Gaara.

"Can I walk you to class Gaara-kun?" He asked, with a perky smile. Gaara wanted to rip his own eyes out so he wouldn't have to bother looking at the boy anymore but if he ripped them out then he couldn't very well look at Neji anymore, could he?

"I was born with legs but thank you." Gaara started walking to the office.

"Hahahaha! Oh Gaara-kun you are so funny! You are mistaken though. I merely wanted to walk with you to class. Not literally pick you up, silly!" Lee was always louder than he had to be and that clashed with Gaara's simply quiet talk. What would people think if they saw the two walking down the hall together? Gaara was fairly known around school. Mostly as the freak that hung out with the two junior heartthrobs Sasuke and Naruto but even Gaara himself was considered a heartthrob…by one person-

"You have office sixth period. Lucky you. I have office too but I have errands to run and that is for my fourth period class." Lee was staring so hard at Gaara the latter thought he would shatter into a thousand pieces if Lee looked any harder at him. Gaara tried to ignore him as he started walking without inviting Lee. The boy followed anyway.

"Aren't you on the track team?" Gaara asked as they left the building to walk up the ramp towards west campus.

"Yes! I! Am! I made varsity over the summer!" Lee was jumping up and down from being so excited. "Why do you ask? Do you plan on coming to see some of my meets?" Lee got happier, if that was possible. He did a cartwheel and a few jumping jacks.

"No."

Lee stopped moving.

"I was asking because the track is that way." Gaara pointed to his left. "You're heading in the wrong direction if you have track next period." Yes! Score one for Gaara. He was going to get Lee to leave him alone anyway he could possibly think of. He continued walking up the ramp and was taken aback when Lee was still at his side.

"Oh that is just fine. Gai-sensei knows I will be late today. I told him at lunch-training that I had something I needed to take care of in the office. He will not be too mad if I accomplish my goals and make it back within five minutes of the last bell. Otherwise I will have to do fifty laps!" Lee stuck his thumb out and nearly poked Gaara in the eye.

"Ever think you're working to harder?" Gaara asked, pushing Lee's hand away. The other boy literally stopped in his tracks and looked up at the sky as if the words were foreign to him. Gaara mentally smacked himself for waiting. When Lee looked back to see Gaara waiting, he sped up and fell into step with the boy again.

"Gai-sensei says that an athlete will beat his better opponent through sheer willpower and handwork!" Lee shouted. Gaara's ears were ringing by now. He had to get away. Why hadn't he made a run for it when Lee wasn't looking? He regretted it now.

Finally in the safety of a quiet, cool, air-conditioned room Gaara was set up at his computer in a small room with the Principals assistant. Gaara knew her since he'd been sent in there about a million times for fights when he first started in his ninth grade year.

Shizune told him what to do and gave him a manual just in case he forgot. She told him he probably wasn't going to be working hard the first few weeks because mostly people started missing school at least 5 weeks in. Gaara decided he would chill and sit back in his chair in that case. After all, none of the roasters for the sixth period classes had arrived yet anyway. He looked around.

On his left side was the principal's room and on his right was the counselor's. He only looked at the door because he heard shouting coming from the room. It was audible and besides the voice he knew to be Iruka's, the head counselor, there was another voice he knew.

"Just change the schedule and we won't have to have any problems." A boy raised his voice at the man. He was glaring and growling at the man to listen to what he was trying to tell him.

"Neji, it's the first day of school. You can't possible hate the class that bad. Stay there a week or two and then come back and see me. I'm not going to give you clearance to change just because you're having a bad day." The man was sitting in his chair shuffling papers.

"Why are you being so difficult? Have you ever seen me in here whining at you for a class change? I work hard for my grades and I simply don't need another year of pointless art history." The boy slammed a piece of paper down on Iruka's desk and snarled at him.

"Watch your tone with me!" Iruka shouted. "I'm the adult here. I don't care if you write me a four-page request, I'm not letting you change out. You have no valid reason and I don't have the time." The man was standing by now and leaning over his desk. Neji crossed his arms and took a few deeps breaths like he anger management professor had taught him to.

"My reason is valid enough. There is someone I truly don't care to be around in that class. He is the reason I will be missing school every Wednesday for my sessions. I can't be around him. If you leave me in that class than you are making a big mistake!" Neji was trying to stay calm but the last sentence came out so horribly wrong.

"You're trying my patience Neji. I cannot change you for a week and you know it. Grab your pass and head to your last period. I will schedule you an appointment to see me next Tuesday."

Neji glared at him and snatched the paper to stomp out. He was going to have to have Lee make some changes whether Iruka knew about it or not.

Outside the room Gaara wasn't laughing but he wanted to. This was almost comical. Neji was trying desperately to get away from him and it just so happened that they shared one measly little class together and he was having a fit.

When Neji walked passed him he was much more calm. The people in the room had obviously heard the entire fiasco. He was nearly startled to have a heart attack when he saw Gaara sitting behind the computer of the assistant's desk. Neji growled. Gaara had to sign his pass or he couldn't go anywhere. Gaara sat back in the chair and put his hands behind his head.

"Don't grin at me." Neji said almost too soft for Gaara to hear. The boy just held his facial expression as he looked at the pass in Neji's hand that was almost balled up. His mind was playing out a thousand things he could say to piss Neji off just a little more. He obviously didn't need another situation like the cafeteria though.

"So there's someone you truly don't care to be around in you fifth period art history class huh? And here I am thinking I'm the only."

"Don't fuck around Gaara." Neji slammed the pass down on the desk. "Just sign it so I can leave." He crossed his arms and waited as Gaara pulled out a pen and leaned up to sign it. However, he stopped just as he was about to.

"Dammit. I almost forgot, you're not my problem anymore. I probably can't sign this then. You'll have to wait until Shizune comes back. Although, I do believe she's gone for the day." Gaara smiled inwardly. The look on Neji's face was a mix of plastered hate and confusion. He closed his pale eye and balled his fists. Gaara quickly signed the pass while he was looking and sat back in the chair.

"You're beginning to annoy me to the point where I'm going to rip your head off. Jesus Christ you're a pig! The point of a break up is to get away from each other and yet here you are! For the third time today! Why can't you just fuck off!"

"Excuse me Mr. Hyuuga!"

Neji whirled around to see the principal in front of him. He gulped and exhaled. No way to talk his way out of this one. He'd been caught in the act. Tsunade walked over to the desk and looked at Gaara who was typing away like he'd heard nothing.

"What's the problem Neji?" She asked and turned to him. He looked like he really wanted to punch something but he held himself together until he could get outside and maybe kick a cat or set a bird on fire.

"Look Tsunade-san. I just wanna get my pass signed so I can get back to my miserable day. You're little bastard worker there won't sign it." Neji looked over at Gaara but by now he had his headphones on and wasn't listening to any of the conversation, or was he? Tsunade picked up the pass and looked it over, about ready to sign it herself. She tapped her foot and put her hand on her hip when she saw Gaara's signature already scribbled across the line.

"Is this some excuse to argue with your ex boyfriend Hyuuga?" The woman questioned.

"Excuse me?" He asked, nearly dropping his mouth open at the comment. How'd she know anything? Had she been listening? Dammit he hated people who were nosy.

"Gaara already signed this pass." She hissed. Neji looked confused as he snatched the pass from her and looked at it. When did he…? Neji growled to himself as Tsunade made it back to her office. She stood in the doorway and glared before she went back inside and shut the door. Neji looked at Gaara who was again staring at him. The Hyuuga stormed off towards the door.

"Later Neji." Gaara heard the door slam shut after Neji gave him a pretty little finger and cursed him roughly. Gaara leaned back and spun around in the computer chair. God it rocked being a junior.

(End Chapter)
Ciao!
-Nik