Disclaimer: i do not own Naruto or any of its characters.
The redhead saw the sunset and sunrise, as he had discovered days before that he couldn't sleep more than 3 hours a day. It was odd, but he didn't have the need to sleep more than that.
The days seem endless, drifting apart with the death and rebirth of the sun; but when he saw the new sunlight streaming from the small window that day he decided that he needed to do something and get out of the room. So he had scrambled out of bed with the resolution clear in his mind, and with the delicacy and grace he didn't possess he peeled off the bandages and put on the clean clothes that were set on the desk previously by an ever reluctant Neji. Stretching and yawning was something he just didn't do, so after grimacing at his insomnia rimmed eyes on the mirror and trying to comb unsuccessfully his wild hair he opened the door to face a brand new day.
But what he didn't expect was to see so many pair of white eyes staring at him from the dining table, and the cheerful morning chatter exchanged between the family had died and being replaced by a sudden and uncomfortable silence. After some tense seconds, Hinata, the gentle young woman with short hair stood up from her chair and offered him a seat next to an unenthusiastic looking Neji. "Come and have breakfast with us" she said, her soft smile contrasting with the serious atmosphere; and he, who had looked as if he was a poor frightened dear, took hesitant steps until he was fully seated. A young girl with the same strange eyes was seating across from him and she was doing funny faces at him, a vain attempt to calm down the restless atmosphere while Hinata served him fresh bread, tea and oatmeal. The redhead said a feeble thank you and a few mechanical greetings to everyone and especially to the older man that he hadn't seen since his arrival in the house. Hinata and the other girl exchanged nervous glances while they ate silently, but when the redhead was about to give a bite Neji stood up from his chair violently, gaining the attention of everyone. Before excusing himself, he gave a disgusted look at the redhead and threw his napkin on the plate. A few minutes of silence and everyone exchanged looks, the man at the head of the table sighed before excusing himself too, leaving the two apologetic girls and the confused redhead alone.
Hinata and the other girl stood up and started to clean the table silently, as if nothing had happened, and the redhead, who was feeling out of place, decided to leave, but he stopped when he reached the door as he overheard the furious voice of Neji, talking heatedly with the older man. "I can't stand to eat in the same table as him and you should understand me" he cried hotly, and there was silence before the door was yanked open, revealing a furious looking Neji. Without much of a glare he stomped away to a room left of his own, and soon enough entered the older man, who gave him a blank stare before walking to his own bedroom.
The confused and embarrassed redhead directed a questioning look at Hinata, who tried to avoid eye contact at all costs.
After not a very good start of the day, the redhead went out of the house, for he couldn't stand the tense atmosphere and the nervous glances thrown at him by the only two females in the household, and now he was glaring at his own reflection in the clear lukewarm water of the pond, silently laying all faults on his poor mute twin who was looking just as disturbed as he was.
What had he done to Neji? He had been nothing but nice to the always aggravated teen, who, by some unknown reason avoided him as much as he could…but then again, there were those hidden glances he threw whenever he thought the redhead wasn't looking, glances that people only threw the ones they hate the most. The redhead frowned, throwing a flat rock on the pond and watching the ripples it created in the water. Something was amiss; he wasn't a fool or naïve; just because he had lost his memory didn't imply that his common sense had vanished along. That family was hiding something from him, but he was going to find out, even if they didn't want him to.
Throwing another rock into the pond, the redhead sighed as he thought about himself. What would he do if something wrong happened? Who will he turn into, where will he go and how will he survive in such a harsh world? He was so vulnerable in that state of memory loss that he was afraid that people would take advantage of it and use him to their advantage. He hoped he was just overreacting, but there was this uneasy feeling in his gut that told him to be alert and not trust those people.
Neji appeared out of nowhere, his eyes hard and distant and his beautiful face so immobile and graceful as a statue carved in marble by the expert hands of an artist. "Do you want to help me with some chores?" he asked nonchalantly in that cold, unfeeling voice, as if the tantrum he had just made didn't take place just a moment before. The redhead blinked, gave a fake smile and stood up; dusting off his dark leggings from any dirt and grass they had possibly caught. "Of course, Neji" he said, his deep voice pleasant and soft. Looking at the smiling redhead as if he was a rather nasty tarantula, he snorted. "It's Hyuuga for you" he hissed and the redhead cringed at the poison-loaded words. Noting that he had sounded rude, the brunette shook his head, his sleek braided hair falling over his shoulders limply and he tried to smile, but it looked fake and awkward to the eyes of the redhead. Turning on his heels, the brunette regarded Gaara with his ethereal almond shaped eyes. "Follow me"
The redhead frowned, yet again. He was apologizing too much for his own liking and he was growing frustrated, that damned brunette was never pleased, everything he did was never good enough and he had, at least, done three times each chore set to him because the Hyuuga had arched an elegant eyebrow at him crossly, telling him that it wasn't well done and that he should do it again.
He didn't know if Neji took a sick pleasure in enslaving him, but he was almost to the brink of insanity due to his 'inability to do things right'as Neji had kindly said.
His hands were dirty, he was sweating everywhere because of the immense heat provided by the ruthless sun, his obnoxiously long hair was matted to his head and attacking his eyes and his wounds prickled in protest with every movement he made. He wanted nothing more but to strip and dive in the pond, which appeared to be very tempting to his eyes at the moment.
"Are you even listening to me?" the brunette snapped angrily at the redhead in the middle of his rant of 'how to cut wood properly'. "As I was saying before you decided not to pay attention. Do you honestly believe that this is properly cut?" he asked while flinging what appeared to be a perfectly cut piece of lumber, emphasizing thickly the word 'This '. The redhead rolled his eyes, as much as he was attracted to the Hyuuga, at the moment he just wanted him to shut up and go away. He was provoking him a huge headache with his slightly feminine voice that was all but yelling at him.
"It looks perfect" he growled to the nagging brunette, his grip tightening on the axe until his knuckles paled. Narrowing his eyes, Neji threw the offending piece of wood to the floor and spat a "fine" before storming off to god knows where. The redhead couldn't be more thankful.
With a loud sigh he set down another piece of lumber and gave a powerful slash with the axe, cutting it in half. The redhead's eyes widened when images flew quickly inside his head, images triggered by the slashing sound.
Blood and shrilling screams, pleas and frightened eyes, a great sense of power, the metallic taste of blood, cold laughter and mutilated bodies lying on the ground, their blood tainting the earth in intricate designs
His eyes watered as a sharp headache attacked his head. He gasped; it was so intense that it blurred his vision, distorting everything around him until the only things he could see was nothing but shadows and spots. He faintly heard the clinking sound of the axe falling to the ground as his limps weakened and he fell down to his knees, clutching his head with both hands, his eyes wide and spilling tears. But everything happened too fast, the images fled away as soon and unpredicted as they had come to him. The redhead released shallow breaths, trying to compose himself, and when he made sure that no one had seen the spectacle he had made, he stood up and continued his task, trying to make the unpleasant images come back, even if they disturbed him. They were a key to his past and he had to see them. But they didn't come back again.
Three days had passed, three days in which the redhead had slaved doing chores, days in which he had tried and failed to please the Hyuuga, days in which he had tried to stark conversation and befriend Neji, but the cruel brunette had ignored him deliberately and he was being as insufferable as he could ever be, exploiting and bossing around the redhead to his liking.
Gaara had kept as a secret the dreadful images he had experienced three days ago, for he somehow couldn't trust any of the family members that were currently sheltering him. He still couldn't understand why, but he had the feeling of doubt that he couldn't get rid of.
Gaara wiped the sweat out of his forehead, pushing aside long lashes of blood hair out of his upset eyes in the process, a gentle smile stretching his rosy lips. "At last, I have finished" he exclaimed to himself, letting his exhausted body fall into a messy pile of straw inside the damp hot barn. He had done so many things he had already lost count, but he was happy to do as much chores as he could, because now he felt useful.
"I leave you just for a second and all you do is rest?" the familiar cold voice asked to the redhead, who in return flushed with embarrassment before jumping to his feet and muttered another "I'm sorry" to the ever graceful brunette. "I see you've fed the animals and worked with the crops as I requested, although they're not in the condition I think they should be…" he said, his pretty face examining the whole barn for any flaw. The redhead narrowed his eyes and his blush disappeared as quickly it had appeared. The prick, he was so goddamn perfectionist. What was wrong this time? The position of a straw?! "And seeing that it's still noon and you have finished, I suppose you can help me with my own chore…unless you're tired" the brunette mocked, his mauve eyes taunting turquoise ones. The redhead nodded immediately; there was no way he would refuse, he would not show weakness, not to the Hyuuga. "follow me, then" without no further ado, the brunette turned around and left the barn, the redhead following close behind.
"Where are we going?" the redhead asked, curiously gazing ahead as they entered the forest. "We're going to recollect medicinal herbs" the brunette replied quietly as they walked in a narrow dirt path among imposing oaks, weeping willow trees, shrubs and ancient ruins, the trees growing thicker as they got deeper into the heart of the forest.
They turned left, and then right, then around one characteristic tree, the brunette muttering something under his breath from time to time, counting shrubs, trees, looking at some markings he had left on the trees and stones, and finally they reached a clearing, filled with different kinds of plants and colorful flowers.
"you can recollect whatever plants you want except the ones that has purple flowers" the redhead wanted to ask why but the brunette walked away as soon as he had said those words, squatting in front of plain looking herbs, pulling them from the roots and putting them inside a sack. Somehow the redhead couldn't tear his eyes away from his body and specially his rear, which he had a pretty good view from where he was standing. Those dark trousers were way too tight for him to ignore.
"What are you waiting for?" the brunette asked, a delicate dark eyebrow raised, his hair pooling around his shoulders; oh what a very beautiful sight. The redhead tore his eyes away unwillingly and started his task, stealing glances at the oblivious Neji when he wasn't looking.
Pulling out plants was a rather tedious and tiring task and more if the brunette refused to start conversation or try to continue one. He was soon becoming absentminded, his mind floating away to his foggy memories, trying in vain to regain more information about himself, but a hand resting on his own made him land on earth quite too suddenly.
"I told you not to pull those ones" the brunette said, a frown marring his beautiful face. "Are you feeling alright?" the redhead's face dropped to stare at his hand being gripped by a pale and delicate one and he felt an uncharacteristic feeling of warmth and his heart started to beat fast against his ribcage.
"I…no…yes" he stammered, pulling his hand away as if it had been burned and he returned to his task, trying hard to ignore those bright eyes that were trying to figure out what was on the redhead's head. Yanking some plants with oval shaped leaves, the redhead decided to face the other, his hand gripping the plant idly. "Neji, I mean, Hyuuga…" said young man turned around, a quizzical look thrown at him. "Tell me something about yourself". Neji tossed the plant he had yanked from the ground inside the bag and closed it before turning around to face the redhead fully. "Well…I was born in this land, both my father and mother are dead, I have no siblings, my only family are the ones you've been living with the past couple of days, I help my uncle with the farm, selling curative plants and healing people. I think Hinata and Hanabi are annoying, I personally don't like you and I think I might as well die of boredom in this place if you don't do things faster"
The redhead frowned, a pretty tint of pink adorning his cheeks as the brunette sneered at him, standing up and dusting off his knees with the grace and eloquence that only he possessed. "Why?" Gaara stood up and clutched Neji's arm, his aquamarine eyes trying to find opalescent ones. "Why don't you like me?" he asked, but it sounded more like a pleading. The brunette yanked away his arm and stared at him harshly. "I just happen to not like you".
The redhead could simply throw away his attempt to make friends; he could walk away and pretend that nothing had happened or he simply could ignore him, but he wasn't like that. He didn't give up that easily, and to tell that he was annoyed would be the least.
"I've tried so hard…" he growled, pinning the surprised brunette against the nearest tree trunk. "To be your friend these past couple of days" he breathed, his sharp eyes fixed on the uncannily passive face that was slightly defiant, but still too cold, too unblemished and perfect to be real. "I've tried to stark conversation; I've tried to make anything you want without hesitation…" Neji's bold eyes found his and they locked gazes in a silent fight, both of them trying to win, but both being too proud for their own good neither wanted to lose. The redhead's grip tightened around that elegant swan-like neck, pushing the other boy harder against the tree, making him gasp in pain. "But it doesn't matter how hard I try because you won't ever even try hide your disgust" the redhead leaned over, trying to make his point clear, but then he noticed their dangerous proximity, and his eyes travelled from his aggressive almond shaped eyes to an aristocratic nose and then to a prominent chin and jaw line, his warm breath tickling the other's ethereal flesh and sending shivers down his spine. It was then that a pretty shade of pink tinted Neji's cheeks. He wouldn't admit that his eyes had wandered, trailed and examined from his handsome face to the redhead's toned and sculptural body and then to his shocking red tresses. Direfully immoral thoughts had managed to crawl inside his head, filling it with illicit images of the mad redhead that would kill him and his pride if he could read his mind. Afraid that he would lose his composure, he tried to push the redhead away, but he was way too strong for him, and he hated it.
Gaara was shocked to see that even at nose-to-nose proximity the Hyuuga's skin and features were flawless and ethereal, and god was that skin soft to the touch, putting the Neji from his dreams to shame.
Craving to feel more, the redhead threw away all pretenses and closed his eyes, burying his face on the column of Neji's neck, breathing in his insanely sweet scent. His hand was on his way, so he dropped it and let it wander and caress from that elegant neck to a slightly protuberant collarbone and throughout the clothed torso. The Hyuuga tensed, clearly confused by the redhead's actions and a feeling of trepidation invaded him, making him swallow the lump in his suddenly dried throat. "Gods, Hyuuga…one of these days you're going to be the death of me" the redhead whispered, nuzzling the warm flesh his head was resting on. "What a-are you try-trying to do?!" the brunette stuttered breathily, struggling to get free from the redhead's embrace, who ignored him pointedly as his shameless lips kissed hungrily from his neck to his jaw and collarbone. The Hyuuga's eyes widened and he gasped, his protest growing stronger. "Stop!" he cried, trying to push away the frightening redhead from him. With only a growl as a reply, Gaara pushed him harder against the three, rubbing his hips against the other's feminine ones, eliciting an unwanted moan from the brunette as a gorgeous blush made its way on Neji's cheeks. Taking his mouth away from that sinful flesh, the redhead stared directly into that cherry mouth. Oh how much he wanted to claim him. Driven by feral desire, Gaara attempted to kiss him, but Neji turned his face to the side at the last moment, making the redhead kiss his cheek instead, unpleased, he brought down the other's face and captured his lips into a searing kiss.
The brunette stayed still with his bright eyes wide and cheeks flushed as the smaller teen molested his mouth, his demanding tongue asking…no, ordering his tightly shut lips for entrance. The brunette declined, his hands persistently pushing the redhead, but to no avail. How the hell a smaller and seemingly younger boy could be stronger than him?
Gaara then entwined his hands on his hair, massaging his scalp before giving a violent tug, making the Hyuuga gasp in pain and open his mouth enough for his determined tongue to enter, but what Gaara didn't expect was for the brunette to bite his tongue hard as soon as it made its presence known.
Gaara growled and pulled away, spiting blood. The Hyuuga panted, breathing in the needed oxygen to his lungs and grimaced when he tasted blood on his mouth.
The redhead pulled away slightly to stare fully at the other breathless teen, but he wouldn't release him.
"What do you want from me?" Neji managed to ask meekly between raged breaths, bringing unwanted attention again to his sinfully delicious mouth that was now abused and raw, all thanks to Gaara.
The redhead traced the tense and well defined jaw line with his craving fingers, his lustful eyes devouring the other's mouth and making the other boy widen his eyes with dread when he felt something hard pressed against his thigh.
Was he hard?!
The redhead apologized when he saw the look of disgust and shock and he finally pulled away, his face bowed deeply. "I'm sorry" he whispered; the ghost of his hovering fingers on the other's taut flesh sending shivers down Neji's spine; leaving him panting and flushed against the tree bark.
Not daring to look back at the brunette, the redhead walked away as fast as he could, flinching when the material of his dark trousers constricted his painful arousal. It was too much for him to handle…all those mixed feelings and that strange attraction towards the other boy had sent him over the edge with desire, and all that he wanted for now was release.
AU: sorry for late update. i have no excuse but my laziness. I know you want to click the button and review :)