Disclaimer: I do not, will not, have never, and shall never own Naruto. Nuff said.

Fair WARNING: Rated M. (Meaning mature content. Like- sex, drugs, cigarettes, alcohol and bad language.) Yaoi. (Meaning men sleeping with men) Possibly Yuri and good ol' hetero too.

Pairings: Neji/Gaara

A/N: Thank you for all of your lovely reviews—I love 'em with a bit of meat on their bones. Know that I take ideas and wishes into consideration if they don't clash with the plotbunnies (don't want that on my conscience).

Any-o-ways, I find it really entertaining that you're all assuming that it'll be SasuNaru further along. It is true that I am a faithful fan of the couple but it doesn't mean it's a given y'know. You'll just have to wait an' see what's in store for darling Naruto.

Here's the new chappie –enjoy and rejoice.

02
Points of Authority
"You live what you've learned"

Gaara grew up without a mother. Temari had explained to him as a child that their father had reacted to her death by immersing himself in his work. She had told him that was the way he dealt with the pain. Gaara wasn't sure if that was really the case, or if he had simply lost his will to be with and love the remains of his family. To just look at his children –the walking reminder of her –had always seemed to hurt him. Still, his father never neglected them –they'd always had food on the table and plenty of toys to play with.

When his father died he had been forced to see the school psychiatrist. His sister had told him it would do him good to work out his emotions and the school had more or less demanded it. Apparently it was standard procedure for 'children in emotionally or physically stressed environments. The psychiatrist –a boring woman with a false smile –had told him that all circumstances and experiences affects and forms the soul and mind. It was probably the only reasonably intelligent thing she'd ever said. A person's beliefs and talents, preferences and dislikes, are determined by two things. Their soul –the very core of their being –and their surroundings.

Naruto –an orphan who had been bullied and shunned most of his childhood –had become strong because he had to. Gaara knew better than most that underneath the happy exterior was a will of fire and a determination rivalled by very few.

In the same way, Gaara too had been shaped by his past. Growing up in a household where the only parent was nearly a stranger and your older siblings were always busy with their lives, friends and future, one became tough. Not in the way Naruto was –for Naruto had been loved as a child and he always sought to regain that love and respect. He wanted to be noticed and it made him loud and boisterous. But Gaara never needed love or comfort. He grew up learning that love was a feeling that existed but was never expressed. He never had the need to be surrounded by others, or to be liked by his peers. Only now he had started realising that friendship could be valuable and that there was a difference between solitude and loneliness. If Naruto had been shaped to become the social tornado he was today, Gaara had been shaped to be quiet, sharp and intelligent. And it was also through his past that he had learned to play the game.

The game. He had never talked to anyone about it. Nor had anyone ever told him. It was the sort of thing that couldn't be explained unless you had already discovered it. To know why people acted as they did, to realise that they are easily influenced and to learn how to manipulate them. It was an entire world of discoveries. He still remembered when he first started playing –carefully probing his classmates and watching the consequences –and he remembered when he first realised that there were others who knew how to play –the day he watched his father disintegrate a rival at work with a mere handful of words.

And he loved it. There were few things in the world he truly enjoyed, few things that he was naturally talented at, but he had always been brilliant at the game. He'd feel at home, safe, absolutely confident of what to do and when. And he had never been beaten –except by his father when he was still a child –not once in his life had someone outwitted him.

Until now.

He rested his head against the wall in the Sabaku household's hallway. He'd been sitting there for nearly half an hour now. He'd lost. Lost. He had been completely crushed by this –this-

'Neji'

He made a furious noise, fisting his crimson hair in his hands. No matter how he twisted and turned, mulled it over time and again, he couldn't come up with an alternative route that would have ended with him being the victor that afternoon. Rage blazed in his gut demanding him to take vengeance. –Still, what truly bothered him wasn't that he lost the battle of wits, but that deep down beneath the wrath and buzzing thoughts he was scared –truly, genuinely afraid. Frightened by mercury eyes and a confident smirk and the ruthless intelligence behind them. And even further down in the gutter of his mind he was sinfully attracted to the man. A man who could make him feel rage, fear and lust within a split second of one another –had he ever met such a man before?

No. Not even close.

'And now… he's taking me to dinner.'

Speaking of dinner –he hadn't eaten yet. Pushing himself off the floor he shuffled sullenly towards the kitchen for a snack, dinner would have to wait until his siblings came home since Temari was the only fair cook in the house. He stopped in his tracks.

'Temari… Kankuro…', the memory of a loud headline with a huge picture beneath it flashed through his mind, 'It was in Shinobi…' lights swam before his eyes. It would probably be on the cover of every damn paper in the city by now.

"Shit!"

Damned be that wretched, good-for-nothing, slinky bastard Neji! The logical part of his brain supplied –unhelpfully –that he had been equally at fault. He ignored it. Damn. Just… Damn. Life could hardly get any worse than this –having to explain to your siblings not only that you had fooled around with one of the most powerful men in the country, but that he wasn't the first nor the last man you'd be intimate with since you –quite obviously –batted for the other team.

'Damn'

Gaara was of half a mind to call the brunette and chew him out for good measure –son of a three-legged, drunken sea-whore.

'Is sea-whore even a word? Whatever, if it is, that's what he is.'

The red clock on the oven flashed brightly: 19:12, it wouldn't be long before his siblings got home, and he had no idea what to tell them, though it seemed the best option was to get it over with immediately –he had some damage control to do. He ignored the burning tension in his stomach and sat down to wait.

He'd just finished an apple when the front door slammed open, followed by Kankuro's muffled yell that he was home. Gaara steeled himself, pushing away the queasy feeling in his throat.

"Yo", Kankuro greeted as he entered the kitchen, "hungover?" he continued while rummaging through the fridge. Gaara hesitated –Kankuro was possibly the least cunning and secretive person he knew. If he had heard, or read, about Gaara's little adventure he would be for more obvious. The redhead grunted in reply, thoughts stirring. Was it possible to hide this from his siblings? The thought had barely formed in his mind when his sister stepped into the kitchen and quashed any chance of keeping the secret. She knew. He saw it on her face the moment she showed up in the doorway and focused in on him with piercing eyes.

"Hey Gaara", she said, and he knew it was trouble. Her voice was too silky and her eyes never left his, "Do anything... particular last night?" Kankuro looked up from the fridge, even he –thick-headed as he was –noticed the dangerous tone.

"Huh?", he said and closed the door, hands occupied by a carton of yogurt. Gaara swallowed, his tongue suddenly too large for his mouth.

"I was just wondering", Temari continued sweetly, "whether Gaara happened to… meet someone special yesterday." By now Gaara knew all blood had left his face and Kankuro stared quizzically at the two of them. His ability to speak finally returned to him, possibly because his insides felt too cold for his tongue to be swollen. He sighed, too worn out from a harsh day to play along with his sister's mind-games.

"Just get it over with Temari. I'm not up to this." Her eyes turned sharp and cold.

"Too tired from fucking Hyuuga Neji perhaps?"

Bam.

Kankuro's bowl of yogurt and cereal hit the floor and shattered. The tension was tangible. Hyuuga Neji was a name everyone knew, and Gaara had been asking himself time and again how he could have been so naïve? Still, he could always blame it on alcohol and a lapse of bad judgement. Only problem was that though Gaara sometimes drank too much it rarely affected his judgement at all.

"I didn't fuck him." He met his sisters glare steady on, ignoring Kankuro's stifled whine.

"Just snog him then?", the comeback was instantaneous, and he countered after a moment's hesitation:

"Yes." Kankuro was making small gurgling noises now.

"Fuck Gaara! Don't you think before you act?", his sister looked almost shocked at his idiocy and her speech was even cruder than usual, "Your face is in every fucking paper in the city! How could you even-"

"What?", Kankuro finally managed to choke out. Temari threw him a copy of Legendary –one of the most popular gossip tabloids –the now familiar image was plastered across the front. Kankuro stared at it, mouth hanging open. He looked up at Gaara with wide eyes; it seemed he was once again bereft of his speech as he looked at the cover, then at Gaara, then at the cover again.

"Look", Gaara started, "You think I'm happy about that?", he nodded towards the paper, "I'm not. I was drunk and stupid, ok?" hopefully, he thought, bashing himself would be good enough to get them off his case. Only problem was: hopefully doesn't cut it in the Sabaku household.

"You're gay?", Kankuro spluttered. Temari rolled her eyes:

"How in the name of god and all his creatures could you have missed that? You're too thick to be human Kankuro", She turned to Gaara, "and how could you be stupid enough to mess around with someone like Hyuuga Neji?" –Gaara cringed inwardly at the name that kept repeating itself in his head –"Can't you see he's just playing with you? And to have it all over the tabloids…"

Gaara swallowed. Might as well take the plunge and tell them everything in one go.

"He…", Gaara faltered when both his siblings stared at him, "he's taking me to dinner tomorrow."

If Temari had held a bowl of yogurt it would have hit the floor. The siblings stared at one another and Gaara could have sworn they all stopped breathing. The silence stretched while the minutes passed, until finally Temari seemed to collect herself:

"I think it's time for a cup of tea."

Tea was the general solution to any larger problem in the Sabaku home. Before their father died no one had really communicated, but after his passing when Temari had to take care of her brothers the tension had lessened. They still didn't talk or show care as much as other families –with the exception of Temari who could be a touch motherly at times –instead they had started the ritual of tea. Whenever an issue or fight came round, Temari would put the kettle on and all three of them would sit down and discuss it. Many were the times when Gaara had been glad that they handled things like this. No big fights, no awkward one-on-one's –just the three of them and a teapot.

Most of Gaara's friends were under the impression that he and his siblings were distanced from one another since they rarely spent time together. They ate dinner at the same time–and even then it was just because Temari was the only one who could cook –but otherwise they had little contact. They didn't watch TV, play games, go shopping or travel together. However, that was how the three of them wanted it. They were very different people with different friends, different tastes and different interests –it made no sense for them to try and socialise when they were always walking in opposite directions.

Still, when it really mattered they were always there. No matter if there was a really cool party down the block, or if there was a crisis at work or a test in school tomorrow they would drop it the moment one of them said 'let's have tea.'

Gaara watched as his sister readied the steaming cups. Kankuro already sat opposite him at the table, waiting. When they were all in place, a cup of tea in front of each of them and the pot on the table in case they needed a refill, Temari spoke again:

"From the beginning then, explain."

And he started, told them everything, from the club to the meeting at Akatsuki, and how weird Naruto acted and how he wasn't sure what Neji wanted at all. The only things he left out were his jealousy for Naruto and how he'd played the game with Neji. He had a feeling that Temari knew most of it anyway –she was quite receptive and even though they had never talked about it he knew she was a wicked player. When he had finished the cups were all empty. Gaara reached out to refill his when he was stopped by his sister's voice:

"I think this calls for something stronger. Hang on…", she rose from her chair and rummaged in one of the top cabinets, finally extracting two white bottles from behind a metal basin. She fished three small cups from a drawer and returned to the table- filling the cups with Sake and handing them out. Kankuro downed his in one go, holding it out for more.

"So", he said, focusing on Gaara, "What're you gonna do?"

"I don't know", the redhead admitted, staring into his cup, "it's…", he trailed off, not knowing how to end the sentence.

"Do you like him?", Temari inquired. Gaara hesitated; he didn't even know the answer to that question himself. Sure –he found Neji attractive, too attractive, and he still had the thrill of being in the brunettes company fresh in his mind. But he also knew that he was in deep waters and he wasn't sure if he could swim well enough.

"Even if you do", Kankuro's voice was grave, "I'm not sure I like it. Guys like Hyuuga are bad news if you ask me."

"I didn't", Temari shot back, "Gaara's nineteen, he can make his own choices." Gaara felt a wave of both gratitude and uncertainty at the words. It was true that he had to make up his own mind about Neji, but that also meant that he had to take full responsibility for the consequences.

"It's just a dinner", he found himself saying, "I'll make up my mind later, when I've heard what he wants." Kankuro snorted.

"It's obvious what he wants. He wants to fu-"

"Language", Temari snapped, which was ironic in its own right since she was by far the sibling with the filthiest mouth. Gaara studied the ceiling as she replenished their sake, searching himself. Would he really mind if Neji only wanted to fuck him?

'Yes and No.', A voice in his mind answered, 'I wouldn't mind having sex with him… but I'd be disappointed if that was all he wanted after all this.'

"I hardly think someone like Hyuuga Neji would go to such lengths just to get some", Temari said thoughtfully, "besides", she looked at Gaara who let his gaze fall from the ceiling to settle on her emerald eyes, "you said he drove you home, right?", he nodded, "if he just wanted to fuck-"

"Language", Kankuro barked.

"-why wouldn't he grab the opportunity when you were drunk?", she finished. She had a point and as much as he hated to admit it, it made a warm sensation spread in Gaara's limbs that had nothing to do with the alcohol. Kankuro scratched his chin, a frown in place on his tanned face.

"If we're gonna keep talking about my little brother's lovelife I'm gonna need something sturdier than this", he said glaring into the cup that he had drained for the third time. And with those words he left the kitchen, coming back with a bottle of Jack Daniels. Temari called for pizza –"We need food and I sure as hell aren't cooking tonight" –and they sat down once more. Normally Gaara disliked whisky and would never in his life drink it straight, but with a few mugs of sake already in his system and a troublesome issue at hand he found himself more than willing to break a few principles.

"Gaara", Kankuro started when they had taken the first shot, "there's something that's been botherin' me all evening", two pairs of green eyes watched him intently, "you're bent, right?" Temari sighed exasperatedly and Gaara was inclined to do the same.

"Your point?" he asked dryly. Kankuro narrowed his eyes to make them focus properly.

"My point is, why didn't I know?"

"Because you're denser than a muddy river Kankuro", Temari retorted. Kankuro shook his head.

"No, I mean, even I shouldn't be able to miss you fooling around with another man in the house", he clarified not seeming to realise he'd insulted himself in the process, "unless…", his eyes widened, "you and Naruto…?" Gaara had felt his insides go cold while his brother stumbled across his words –it was true he'd never fooled around in the house. And with good reason too –he'd never had a boyfriend, only the occasional make out whilst drunk –but it was too humiliating to say aloud even to his siblings. He pushed the embarrassment away, he didn't want to deal with it right now and he had spent too many hours of his life wallowing in it as it was. Instead he focused on the question Kankuro had finished his drunken mumble-jumble of words with. Naruto? He couldn't help it –not with alcohol in his blood and a hard day wearying him –he snorted and soon he was shaking with laughter.

"Me and Naruto?", he snickered, "that's wrong in so many ways I can't even…", he shook his head, still chuckling, "he's like my brother. What you thought gays just grabbed any other homosexual in the vicinity or somethin'? That's fucked up." Kankuro looked sullen.

"'t was just a thought…", he mumbled.

"Perhaps Gaara, unlike others", Temari said with a smirk, "actually know better than to fool about in the house."

"Like you're one to talk!", Kankuro pointed an accusing finger at her, "don't think I didn't hear you last night on the phone with that dude you fuck regular." Temari blanched and then turned red with anger:

"Well at least my men don't leave their skanky underwear all over the house –what'd you do –bang her under the piano?", she yelled back. Kankuro's face morphed into a disturbing grin:

"Do ya really wanna know?" Gaara's laughter had gone out of control by then, his eyes watering and arms curled around his stomach for support as his siblings continued to bicker. He felt better than he had all day.

Some pizza, a lot of whisky and nearly one hour of angry insults later Kankuro and Temari remembered the real origin of the argument and decided to resume discussing Gaara's Neji-issue. By then Gaara had settled for watching their squabbling with an amused fondness springing from the part of him that was still unused to seeing his sibling interact –albeit violently.

Temari and Kankuro had always been at each other's throats –even when they were young and their father was still alive. The two of them were both extrovert and strong-willed, and they usually harboured completely opposite beliefs, so it was natural that they would end up fighting. When they were younger these spats had been violent and cruel –Gaara still remembered the time that Temari threw a lamp across the living room, showering Kankuro and the sofa in thousands of ceramic shards –and little effort had been made to make up afterwards.

Gaara had not participated in any kind of contact willingly. Even though Kankuro most resembled their father in appearance, Gaara was very much like him in manner and attitude. He had been distant and cold, and preferred silent vigilance to meaningless rows. His siblings had soon learned to be careful around him and save their snide comments for each other. In a way this pattern had continued after the death of their father as well, Temari and Kankuro still fought –though they did it more carefully now, more like friendly bickering –and Gaara was still on the side-lines. But they had changed, Gaara knew it and his brother and sister knew it.

Temari had been 22 years old when she became the head and provider for their little family, from being a free-spirited university-student to shouldering the responsibility of taking care of and raising her brothers. Kankuro, still in high-school, had been a hormonal teenager with little consideration for others, used to taking care of himself, and Gaara… Gaara had been thirteen and already overwhelmed by the raging storm of puberty.

It had been tough; three kids who had learned not to depend on others suddenly had to collaborate to survive. Temari and Kankuro both started working part-time, and even then Temari would have had to drop out of university if it weren't for the money left by their father. Even when she graduated and started working full-time Kankuro kept on working. They both matured then, weighted down by obligation and necessity. That is also when they started acting like the parents Gaara never had. He didn't have the strength that they had –nor the maturity. He was little more than a boy, and it wore him down –deep into a darkness he'd rather forget. His siblings had reacted then, and their protectiveness had slowly morphed into the relationship they all shared now –a mutual respect and fondness.

He looked at them as they gathered themselves from the battle of wits –or more accurately battle of swearing and filthy-mouths –and felt warmth settle itself comfortably inside him. His siblings were probably more shocked and distressed than they wanted to let on, but they still acted as normal as they could to make him feel less intimidated and lost. Somehow his entire environment had been turned on its head recently, and watching them bicker made him feel that maybe –just maybe –it wasn't the end of the world.

"Back to the issue at hand", Temari declared, slightly out-of-breath from yelling too much, "Hyuuga Neji."

"I thought we'd covered this already?", Gaara replied dryly, he didn't really want to be reminded of the fact that there was nothing he could do at the moment but wait.

"The hell we have!", Kankuro growled, swaying slightly. The bottle of Jack was nearly empty, leaving them all fuzzy-headed a not very practical. Gaara could feel it wearing down on his mind, making his thoughts slow and sluggish.

"You think", Kankuro continued, "That 'm gonna let this dude get his paws on my little brother?" His face was set with a protective anger that Gaara recognised well. He couldn't help but smile a little at his brother's outburst. He knew he should be angry at him for trying to pry in matters he didn't have the right to stick his nose into, but he couldn't make himself bother. It felt good that someone was angry on his behalf.

"It's not any of your business, Kankuro. And he hasn't really done anything that bad…", Temari countered, her eyes slightly glazed over from the alcohol, "but I can't say I'm too happy 'bout it either." She tried to focus on Gaara but failed as her gaze slipped sideways.

"I'm jus' sayin'", Kankuro slurred, "if he ever hurts you", he thrust his glass of whisky pointedly at Gaara, "amma gonna kill 'im dead."

Gaara sniggered at his brother. Kankuro looked like might fall of his chair at any moment and he had fallen back into the fake-gangster slang he'd used when he was in high school and thought he and his friends were the most bad-ass guys who'd ever graced the city of Konohagakure. He'd talked like that constantly back then, and he still slipped back into the habit now and then. When he was anxious or angry –or drunk.

"Whatever." Gaara shot back. He glanced at the time display on the oven: 01:34. Damn.

'Perhaps it's time to go nighty night.' He giggled. Temari's eyelids were drooping dangerously low. 'Yeah. Definitely.'

When Gaara woke up the next day he was sweaty and uncomfortable. It felt stuffy in his room and the sun glared at him through the window. He groaned. The stale taste of alcohol still lingered in his mouth and he had a blistering headache to boot. The only actual comfort was the thought that at least he got to sleep late –his sister would have been up at seven to go to work. Stiff-legged and grumpy he descended the stairs and tumbled in to the kitchen to make some coffee. Kankuro was already there, head in his hands and hair still dripping wet from a shower. Gaara grunted in greeting. Kankuro mumbled something in reply without looking up. He made two cups of coffee, placing one in front of his brother who gave him a grateful glance and cradled it in his hands. They drank in silence as the minutes ticked by. Finally, Kankuro rose from his seat.

"I gotta go", he mumbled, "I promised I'd take the afternoon shift today." Gaara didn't reply. He just stared apathetically at the table while his head pounded uncomfortably. A hand passed his line of sight, dropping white pill in front of him. Kankuro turned to leave the kitchen.

"Gaara?", the redhead looked up with tired eyes, "'s alright y'know. Being… yeah." He waved his hand to empathise. Talkative as Kankuro was he had trouble expressing himself verbally when he had something important to say. But Gaara understood and it calmed a fear in him he never even knew existed. He smiled at his brother. Kankuro smiled back.

When his brother was out of the house he gathered his thoughts. He knew where he had to go today, but he also had a nagging feeling that confronting Naruto would not be as easy as facing his siblings. But a man's got to do what a man's got to do, so after downing the painkiller, eating a very small breakfast, taking a quick shower and throwing on some clean clothes he left the house.

Thirty minutes later he stood outside Naruto's building, a cigarette between his lips. The air was warm and heavy with a damp undertone which renewed his headache. His eyes trailed the sandy façade and settled on the fourth window from the right in the fifth row. Naruto's window. This wasn't the first time their friendship had been tested, but it was never pleasant. The issue this time was that he couldn't understand why Naruto had been so cold and distant. Or perhaps he didn't want to understand. Honestly he hadn't paid it much thought, primarily because some part of him knew he didn't want to know the answer. He sucked in one last breath of smoke and flipped the end of the cigarette to the side.

He'd memorised the gate-code years ago and as he climbed the stairs he recalled the chaos that had followed when the elevator broke down three months ago. It struck him that he knew Naruto's home as well as his own. And that the same was true for his friend.

'I hope he's gotten over whatever was bothering him yesterday.'

Naruto opened the door on the second knock, hair as unruly as ever and face flushed from the heat.

"Gaara!" With a bright smile Naruto ushered him into the apartment, "Want some iced tea?" Gaara nodded and sat down in the living room. He wasn't at all surprised that Naruto seemed to have forgotten about the day before; his friend was usually like that. One day it was a catastrophe, the next it was barely remembered. No matter the unresolved business, he was glad to have things back to normal. He still didn't feel completely comfortable though, and though he'd rather not drag the problem into the light, he needed to.

'Purify your life by cleansing out the lies and anger', his philosophy teacher had told the class in his second year of high school. Mad bitch.

"Hey Naruto", the blonde turned up in the doorway with a cup in each hand, "sorry about Wednesday. I should've told you earlier it just… kinda happened." Naruto smiled and shook his head.

"No sweat, I was just a little surprised is all", he sat down and handed a cup to Gaara, "about Wednesday, did I mention this guy I met?" Gaara shook his head, feeling content. Everything was as usual.

"Well he was at Yondaime right? And he was looking good enough and –well you know how I get when I'm drunk", he smiled sheepishly. Gaara laughed.

"Yeah. I do know how you get. So what happened?"

"Well we fooled around a bit", Naruto continued, this was far from the first time he'd told a story like this, "and then I left it at that." Seeing Gaara's raised eyebrows he continued, mock-affronted: "I really did! Honest!"

"If you say so", the redhead replied smugly. He sipped his tea, relishing in the cold and in listening to Naruto telling him of yet another one of his escapades.

"It's true! Oh well, anyway, he must've gotten my name from somewhere because he added me on Facebook", Naruto grimaced, "and now he won't stop PM-ing me!", the blonde paused to take a breath, "'hey handsome, what're you doing tonight?'", he imitated in a mock-deep voice. Gaara snorted with laughter and Naruto joined in.

"So…" Gaara asked slyly, "how will you handle it?" Naruto shrugged.

"Lead him on a bit", blue eyes glittered mischievously, "he was a bit too arrogant if you ask me."

They both humoured themselves with this for a while. Gaara didn't have it in his heart to feel sorry for the man –he sounded like an ass –and even if he did it wouldn't bother him. Naruto was devilish sometimes, but so was he. He had long since realised that he preferred his friends like that, self-confident and rather cruel, but loyal to their friends. It made for good company, and he wasn't keen to be over-sensitive.

"You wanna come over tonight?", Naruto asked suddenly, breaking the cosy illusion Gaara had constructed. He still had things to tell Naruto. "We could watch a movie, just the two of us.", the blonde continued with a smile. Gaara felt bad, it wasn't often that the two of them did things alone anymore and he would have to decline.

"I can't", he answered, suddenly tired. Naruto looked confused.

"Why not?", Gaara somehow knew that his news wouldn't be appreciated.

"I should have told you this yesterday", he started, "but I didn't have time to call you before Temari and Kankuro came home." Naruto's eyes widened.

"That's right! Have they seen it?" Gaara rolled his eyes.

"What do you think?", he answered, "Temari came home and was all… well you know how she gets", Naruto shuddered, "so I spent last night talking to them."

"How did they take it?", Naruto wondered, "you being gay I mean." It felt a bit strange, Gaara realised, that his siblings had known about Naruto's preferences but not his own. Or Kankuro anyway.

"Temari had it figured out", Naruto nodded unsurprised, "Kankuro was cool with it", he snorted, "they both want to kill Neji though." Naruto froze.

"You're calling him Neji now?" once more Gaara couldn't place the feeling in Naruto's voice and his eyes had become hard and distant. The redhead sighed.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Yesterday…", his lips had suddenly gone dry and he stopped to wet them, "yesterday I got a text from him."

"You gave him your number?" Naruto interrupted, his face was still unreadable.

"Not exactly", Gaara decided not to tell Naruto that Neji had grabbed his phone, "but he wanted to meet me for coffee. I figured it was about the press so I went." He studied Naruto's features.

"Was it? About the press I mean.", Naruto's expression had softened a little and he didn't look so far off anymore. Encouraged, Gaara continued:

"No. he said the press is of no consequence." Naruto's famous tempered blared to life.

"What? What a prick! No consequence? Doesn't he realise how much trouble he's caused you? I'm gonna kick his ass –sonovvabitch!" He actually made to rise from the sofa and Gaara stopped him with a gesture, smiling. This was the Naruto he knew, his loyal friend and fiery accomplice. The blonde fell back against the cushions again, but he still muttered darkly.

"So what did he want?", he asked sullenly, "and what does any of this have to do with tonight?"

"Well", Gaara started again, slowly, "he's taking me to dinner tonight."

Naruto's funny expression returned twice as bad. He almost looked constipated.

"You sure that's a good idea?", he asked in a strained voice. A chill passed through Gaara's body at the words.

"Why shouldn't it be?", he asked defensively. Naruto shrugged.

"I just… Guys like Hyuuga are bad news." Gaara felt a sliver of anger shoot through his mind.

"And you're one to talk? The guys you're fooling around with is hardly any better.", he glared at his friend. Why was he so opposed to Gaara having a bit of fun for once? He sure did –all the time. Naruto looked annoyed.

"Yeah, but I don't let my feelings get involved. I told you, I don't want to see you get hurt and Hyuuga is dangerous." Gaara was furious by now.

"Well maybe I like danger", he replied boldly, "and I don't have any feelings for him. Why are you acting like I'm a fragile little girl? I'm not gonna fall in love with him." Naruto looked livid.

"You don't know what you're dealing with! He's using you and you're falling for it", Gaara opened his mouth to answer but found the words stuck in his throat. Naruto calmed down and looked at him with concern playing across his face.

"I'm just worried for you."

Somehow Gaara knew that he wasn't satisfied with this explanation and that he was still angry, but the soft tone in Naruto's voice deflated his anger to resignation. Perhaps Naruto was worried about him; the blonde boy's temper had gotten the better of him before. He knew he should confront this while it was still fresh, but he couldn't bring himself to fight with his best friend. It would cost too much energy, and it wouldn't solve anything –not while they were both so rooted in their opinions. Instead he let his lips form a sly grin.

"Naruto –who's using who exactly? If he wants to take me out on a fancy dinner that's his decision, I don't have any obligations. I just wanna play around a bit alright?", he said lightly even though he felt heavy inside. Naruto gazed at him for the longest time –and then he grinned.

"Well as long as you know it's nothing serious", he said good-naturedly but it sounded a bit forced, "playing Hyuuga Neji, hm? Interesting."

They laughed again but both of them were still tense, the argument was put aside but not forgotten. Soon they had turned the discussion to safer subjects and were discussing his siblings' reaction. Naruto snorted into his tea when Gaara told him about the whisky and its after-effects, and the rest of his visit passed without any relapse into their disagreement.

'Playing Hyuuga Neji…', Gaara thought, 'I wonder if it's really that easy. Somehow I doubt it.'

He left Naruto's apartment at four in the afternoon, feeling both light and heavy. He knew that they would have to resolve their differences sooner or later, but for now he preferred later. At least he and Naruto were on good terms again, and he could focus on the night ahead of him.

The house was still empty when he returned, meaning he could blast music while he got ready. After showering again and spending a substantial amount of time on fixing his hair and carefully drawing kohl around his eyes he went through every drawer of clothes he owned, trying to construct an outfit that was both casual and eye-catching.

At a quarter past six he had finally decided on a pair of slim black jeans and a loose red t-shirt with a black print. The shirt revealed the thin black leatherstrap-necklace he always wore. Originally, a small silver orb had hung on it but he'd lost it the summer before his third year in high school. The necklace had been a Christmas-gift from Naruto and he still remembered they day he'd gotten it.

It was the Christmas of their first year in high-school. The winter had been terrible –the first snow had come in October and never disappeared. The chill froze anyone stupid enough to leave their toasty homes to the core and walking to the bus in the complete darkness of seven-thirty in the morning was nearly unbearable. But now winter-break was finally upon them and Christmas eve came round to warm even the coldest of people with hot chocolate and expectations for the next day.

Gaara had never had a Christmas gift from anyone but his family before. He stared at the parcel, Naruto smiling at him with rosy cheeks and holding his own gift –from Gaara –in hands neatly stuffed into a pair of wool mittens. Their breaths were visible clouds of steam in the air and the sky was dark even though it was only seven o'clock. Only the streetlamps gave them light enough to see one another.

"Don't open it until tomorrow alright?"

Extracting himself from the memory, he stepped outside for a smoke to calm his nerves. The air was still wet and warm and although the summer skies were clear he could sense rain in the distance. He was halfway through his cigarette when Temari's car pulled in to the driveway, emitting both of his siblings. He raised his thin eyebrows, they were both early… how convenient.

Kankuro and Temari made no effort to hide that they were both home early to see him go off on his date, and refused to promise to stay away. Gaara felt his temper flare –fuelled by anxiety. He vehemently refused to consider the nervous fluttering in his stomach or the constant doubts flooding his mind. 'Was he dressed too casually? Should he wait inside or on the front-steps of the house?' The latter would insure that his siblings had no chance of ambushing Neji, but it also made him seem eager and… kind of desperate.

Finally deciding on a compromise –standing outside with the excuse of having another smoke –he grabbed his jacket and stepped outside. He lounged against the wall of the house, smoke drifting from his lips into intricate swirls. No effort seemed to still his speeding nerves and his brain supplied plenty of unpleasant scenarios to make it worse. He hadn't considered that Neji wouldn't show up until that afternoon, and when he did panic had struck him. What if this was just a joke? He knew that the thought was irrational, but somehow the uneasiness of his abdomen and tension in his muscles told him otherwise. Suddenly it seemed perfectly logical for Hyuuga Neji to spend time and effort on tricking him.

Naturally, he was proved wrong, but as Neji's car –another sleek black Shukaku, but Gaara had no idea what model –slowed to a halt in front of his house, he couldn't help but feel relieved. Tossing the end of his cigarette aside he strolled over to the passenger seat and opened the door. Neji's half-smirk greeted him as he slid down on the black leather-seat. For once in his life Gaara wished he didn't nurse the habit of dressing himself in chains. The links of metal on his jacket and jeans jingled softly at every movement and made him even more self-conscious. Neji looked stunning as always and seemed –thankfully –no less casual than Gaara. His long legs were wrapped in dark-blue designer jeans and a white long-sleeved shirt was mostly covered by a light-brown leather-jacket. His mercury eyes were fixed on the road as he drove away from the Sabaku residence, but he'd certainly catch Gaara staring anyway if his gaze lingered. With effort the redhead managed to watch the road as well, but was assaulted instead by Neji's scent –a mixture of cologne, aloe vera–'perhaps his shampoo?' –and leather which probably came from the car's interior. He breathed in deeply and found a trace of a musky undertone which had to be the man's own fragrance. Tearing his mind out of the gutter before he sank too deep, he pondered where he actually stood with Neji. He had no chance of knowing how the other man considered things, but he could analyse himself. After their meeting at the café the day before he had been so upset with his loss and busy with his siblings and Naruto that he hadn't thought to form a strategy against the brunette. His first realisation was that he barely knew the man next to him. He didn't know anything about his family, friends, strengths or weaknesses –he had nothing to exploit but what he had grasped of Neji's personality. And, Neji barely knew him. This was a source of comfort as well as uncertainty. They were on even ground, but that also meant the man might tire of him when he got to know him better.

'Why does that bother me so much?'

Recognising that he didn't want to know the answer to that question, he moved on to analysing what he knew of Neji's skills in the game and of the brunette's signature plays. As in all other aspects of life, a player had certain ploys or tactics that they used more than others. Some moved in secret and had a set-up of puppets to manipulate when they so pleased, whilst others preferred to work alone and deal with the consequences. From what Gaara understood about Neji, the man used his different facades to allure and intimidate in perfect symbiosis. The result was terrifying, and Gaara still only had a first impression to work with. One could know a player for years and still not completely understand their game.

He found that he was still upset with himself for failing the last time he challenged the man. It made him tense, awkward and slightly panicked to face him again so soon and without figuring out a tactic beforehand. He smothered the unease –he'd never manage to win against Neji if he was afraid of losing.

'"He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat"'

"Where are we going?", he asked instead, watching as Neji cruised through central city. The corners of the Hyuuga's lips quirked upward.

"I hope you like Italian food", he answered, avoiding the question altogether. Gaara felt a small prickle of interest at this, some feeling he couldn't quite place. He did like Italian food –loved it actually. Next to traditional Asian courses it was his favourite –plus Italian espresso was the best of its kind. He didn't want to admit it and see Neji's smug expression at being right, but he couldn't very well hide it either –that would be childish and unproductive. Instead he smirked confidently –Neji would find that the victory would not come easy this time.

"I like good Italian food", he said smoothly. Neji's smirk grew more prominent.

"You won't be disappointed."

Neji took them from central city to the north district and then passed the river. Gaara was growing curious –the north area of the city was much too expensive for him and his friends so they rarely had any business there. If they were going to a restaurant in the north… then it would probably be ridiculously fancy and over-prized. He frowned. Maybe he had under-dressed after all.

As it turned out, that wasn't the case. Neji pulled into a small parking-lot beside the river and led him out unto a rather deserted street. Gaara blinked as he realised they were on one of the river-roads –streets running aligned with the waterway but which were rarely used since they disturbed those who fancied strolling along the riverside. Here, he noted, the side of the river had its own pathway to boot. A thin stretch of grass with perfectly pruned trees and a small footpath made of white stone framed the water.

Intrigued, he followed Neji around the corner to find a small –and very Italian –restaurant. The aroma of delicious Mediterranean cuisine wafted out through the open door from the lively rooms inside. They were immediately shown to a table, and from the behaviour of the employees Gaara guessed that Neji was a regular customer.

'Maybe this is where he takes all his dates'

He stopped the thought from causing a long and painful process of imagining Neji on a hundred other dates with more beautiful men and woman than he. The table they had been placed at was semi-private, secluded from the rest of the restaurant by a thick green bush adorned with white flowers that smelled exotic and intoxicating. They sat by a window with a view of the river which glittered in the light from the different cafes and eateries that flanked it on both sides in the approaching dusk. It was so cliché it made it charming.

A waiter appeared at their table; he was so distinctly Italian that it made Gaara smile –sweeping his hand in a grand gesture while he handed them their menus and greeted them in a thick accent. His nametag revealed that his name was Paolo.

"Mille Grazie", he thanked him as he accepted his menu. The waiter smiled widely at him.

"Parla Italiano?", he asked.

"Sí, un po'", Gaara answered, "ma, non parlo bene." Paolo laughed:

"You speak well for being Japanese", he assured him before he left them to wait on another table. Gaara turned back to his companion and found Neji watching him with raised eyebrows.

"You never cease to surprise me, Scarlet", he said lightly, "Italian?" Gaara shrugged.

"I read it in high school", he answered, "and the name is Gaara." Neji regarded him with a mixture between a smile and a smirk on his lips.

"Not fond of nicknames?"

"How would you feel if I called you auburn all the time? I have a name", he wasn't sure what the conversation had turned to, and he was pretty certain that they weren't playing, but he enjoyed it nonetheless. It felt like they were in a place that wasn't truly connected to the real world. Neji chuckled –a deep, vibrating sound which made a shiver run up Gaara's spine.

"Good point", he answered, "but at least I'm not calling you ginger." Gaara had to smile at that. Who knew Neji could joke anyway? He shook his head and returned to viewing the menu.

As the evening passed by he found that he enjoyed Neji's company. Not simply because he was gorgeous –Gaara had to stop himself several times from staring at the other man and forgetting to eat –or because he was a thrilling counterpart in the game, but because he was interesting and entertaining. A couple of times he had to interrupt Neji as he slipped into his polite-mask façade, and many more times they dedicated a few minutes to play against each-other, but mostly they just talked.

Neji was in his second year at university, studying law so he could join the section of Hyuuga Corp. which specialised in keeping the Uchiha and Hyuuga companies free from conviction. He had raised an eyebrow when Gaara told him he was nineteen and fresh out of high school, but didn't comment on the fact that the boy was too young to be out clubbing. The food was amazing –A smug smirk appeared on Neji's face when Gaara admitted this –which led them into a long talk about meals and wine, two subjects Neji was well-versed in. Half-way through dinner a soft rain started pitter-pattering against the window.

When the main course was finished it was nearly dark outside, the lingering summer-evening light shielded by the misty rain, and Gaara was itching for a smoke. Neji scrutinised him from across the table, a half-empty glass of Chianti in one hand.

"Perhaps we should get some air before dessert", he said with a knowing edge to his voice. Gaara cursed internally, was he that obvious?

"It's raining", he answered, gazing out the window. Neji chuckled again, he had done so several times during the meal and it always made the same tingling sensation spread in Gaara's bones.

"I think we'll be able to borrow an umbrella", his voice was slightly too humoured for Gaara not to spot a challenge in the words.

"You seem keen on this", he answered with a smirk, "are you thinking of leaving the bill?", Neji's eyes gleamed with dangerous excitement for a moment before turning back to the entertained glitter they had held previously.

"No, I simply wish to enjoy the last of our meal with a pleasant companion.", he raised an eyebrow, "though I must admire your discipline. Sasuke wouldn't have made it past the entrée", he looked a little too smug, "let's go outside." He rose from his chair, leaving Gaara no choice but to follow. Not that he would have put up much of a fight though, he did need nicotine.

The rain had grown from a steady drizzle to a downpour of heavy raindrops. They passed the now completely empty road to the lane on the other side, settling in under a large oak. Neji –being the tallest –held the umbrella over both of them while Gaara lit his cigarette and dragged the first breath of smoke into his lungs –releasing it with a content sigh.

They stood in silence as the rain pounded down on their protection, and Gaara found himself looking for something to inspect to avoid gazing at the brunette. He settled for the river, and the way the raindrops made it unrecognisable as they battered down on the surface. He fell into deep thought –something very hard for those who do not know how and very easy for those with years of practise.

'When it rains, it's because water gathers in the sky until the weight and density pulls it back down', he shrugged mentally, 'or something like that anyway.' His gaze wandered to the indiscernible sky instead. 'Maybe we humans are the same', he thought about Naruto, how the argument with him had weighed him the entire day, 'if something makes us upset, it weighs down on us until it's too heavy. And then the skies turn dark and we have to cry to lighten them. But unless we know that our tears will be well received it's useless. For they would just steam right up to the skies and reform the dark clouds.' He paused. 'Does that make sense?'

He returned to the moment to find Neji looking down on him with an unreadable expression on his face.

"What are you thinking about?", the brunette murmured. Gaara hade the answer at the tip of his tongue: 'Nothing'. The same answer he always provided for those who caught him in one of his contemplative moods –he had learned many years ago that people never understood the strange workings of his mind anyway. But something stopped him, and to his own amazement he found himself answering truthfully:

"I was thinking that humans aren't so different from Mother Nature after all. When something clouds our heart tears must fall for the sky to clear", He stared at the water, "and if there are no rivers to catch our tears they will simply rise again and turn to dark clouds." He didn't know why he'd said it. He could get those moments of sombre contemplation sometimes, without warning and with no regards to the situation. Once he'd considered the meaning of life and death's never-ending cycle when he and his friends were lost in Iwagakure and a group of dangerous-looking men were following them down a deserted street. Now, he felt his face heating in the silence following his little speech. Why had he verbalised his silly thoughts? Even he could hear how strange and illogical they sounded when spoken aloud.

Suddenly, warm lips covered his and his cigarette fell to the ground from limp fingers. Neji's kiss was nothing like the mad frenzy they had indulged in at Jinchuuriki, it was soft and careful. His eyes fluttered shut and his lips seemed to part automatically. Neji's tongue was almost tender when it searched his mouth, long fingers gently touching his right cheek. He could sense it stronger now, the musky scent that was Neji's own. It filled his senses and made him dizzy. And then the lips retreated and the hand left his face. Neji smiled at him. It was a small smile, but a real one. The first one he'd ever seen on the Hyuuga. Gaara still felt dazed and the smile made him feel safe and comfortable. Neji said something, but it was too soft to hear over the shower that still crashed down on the umbrella over their heads. They turned and walked back inside.

The amount of rain receded as they drew closer to Gaara's home and when they reached his street it had stopped completely. Neji's car came to a halt outside the Sabaku house and silence settled in the car. The evening had been surprisingly comfortable and nearly void of any embarrassing quiets –which Gaara was quite sure Neji was responsible for. The man smoothed over any tension or hesitation in a manner that suggested much practice.

Now, however, he was uncertain of what he was expected to do. In a lapse of old habit, he fell back to the almost non-verbal state he had been in before starting high school.

"Thank you", was all he managed to produce. Neji smirked and leaned closer to him- he stiffened, sure what would come next. Exhilarated anticipation filled him and he remembered he had to think about how much the other man affected him at a later time, for now though… but Neji weaved to the right and peered around Gaara instead to look out the window, and the redhead chided himself for getting so excited. The brunette was still very close, however, and his scent assaulted Gaara once more, a sliver of lust flaring to life in his chest.

"It seems someone is up waiting for you", Neji said casually and drew back a little so they were eye to eye. Gaara didn't dare breathe. They were mere centimetres apart.

"Temari", his voice was a low murmur, but Neji would hear every word, "my sister", he added. Neji's eyes were so close, his breath dancing across Gaara's lips. Without a thought, he gave in to temptation and closed the distance between them. The kiss was fiery and demanding, he buried one hand in silky, brown hair. Neji answered him with less careless lust and more dominance, sliding his tongue between Gaara's lips. He tasted faintly of the espresso he'd had after dinner, Gaara noted, and it was even more intoxicating than the drunken kisses in Jinchuuriki had been. When they parted, Neji had a smug expression on his face, barely noticeable if you hadn't watched him intently and knew the signs to look for. Gaara realised what it was.

'Damn. I lost again.', the defeat this time wasn't nearly as bitter as the last one, but it still soured his mood a little. Could he ever let his guard down around this man?

'No', he answered himself, 'I can't.'

"Goodnight Gaara", the redhead nodded with a smile, the least he could do was look good losing.

"Goodnight Neji", he answered before leaving the car. He though he heard a faint chuckle as he closed the door, and his own lips tugged upwards as he walked to the front door, careful not to look back –even once –at the black car.

Temari was in the living room when he arrived. She looked relieved to see him and rose from the armchair where she had been reading.

"You're home, good." She said, smothering a yawn. "Had fun?", he felt a wave of affection when he realised she had indeed been waiting for him to make sure he was alright. He nodded.

"Good", she smiled at him, "well I'm off to bed. Kankuro's out with those rascals he calls friends so he probably won't be home until morning. Goodnight."

"Goodnight", he echoed as she left the room. He should probably get some sleep too, but although he was tired he felt a strong urge not to go to bed yet. Instead, he shuffled back out of the house and lit another cigarette.

His house seemed to be caught between two thunderstorms. The rain that had poured over the city earlier had passed to the west, but new dark clouds were threatening over the city to the east. Lightning bolts illuminated the dark sky on both sides, followed by deep rumblings. He watched the show contently. It was a rare sight, like he stood in the eye of the storm, and it made him marvel at nature's own fireworks. The evening had been so different from what he had expected. Neji was different from what he had expected.

A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

'Maybe things aren't so bad after all'

A/N: I have a question that's been bugging me for weeks(but I'm too lazy to look it up) does tears have DNA? If I cry on a dead body will the police find my genetic code there then? Anyone listen in advanced biology?

About the story: In regards to Naruto and Gaara's friendship (of which many has questioned) I'd say that's probably my favourite part of this fic. In any normal relationship there are rough patches and jealousy is a natural element between two people who are so close yet so different. And nobody is perfect –Naruto might act like a bitch at times but that's just one of his negative sides, just like Gaara can be incredibly insensitive sometimes.

Chapter title: Points of Authority - Linkin Park

"He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat" – Napoleon Bonaparte (1769 - 1821)

Chianti – is an brand of Italian wine from Florence, Tuscany. (It's quite good)

Review my dears! Or Little Chibi Temari and Little Chibi Kankuro will have a fight in YOUR kitchen. (And that ain't a pretty sight)