He turned around and headed off into Konoha Forest. He walked slowly down the path, enjoying the sight of the green trees and the glimmers of sun filtering through their branches that cast fleeting patches of light on the dirt path. Neji sighed contentedly. He was gradually growing on this place. This Konoha. It was beginning to feel slightly normal for him. However, it didn't feel like home. Not yet. Despite the fact that his life seemed to be looking up for the first time in a long time, Neji was still a pessimist, and that, at least was there to stay.

The Hyuuga closed his eyes, momentarily stopping, and breathed in the fresh forest air he enjoyed so much. Before he knew it, he was turning off the path and into the dense forest trees. He wasn't afraid of being alone, nor of getting lost. He had remembered the twists and turns of this forest on his morning walks to school with Hinata and on his frequent trips to the sakura tree. He had a good sense of direction and always was able to find a way out of a bad situation, if it was direction oriented. For a while, he walked randomly, with no destination in mind. But then, as he walked into unfamiliar territory, he became a little more alert, memorizing each and every turn he took. He made note of everything he saw, every flower, every plant, every creature; mostly birds and flowers. He found a beautiful bunch of red begonias and bent down to examine them. They were truly a spectacular sight; the light pink color of the petals fading into a darker red, and the yellow center standing out and drawing the most attention to itself. Neji looked on, enchanted. He knew that these flowers meant fanciful nature, and the Hyuuga blushed, thinking of Sasuke.

Then he heard a noise, and it alarmed him. It was a faint shout. A shout that seemed to demand attention. His head snapped up and he looked around, trying to trace the source of the cry. He stood up, abandoning the flowers and began to walk quickly forward, slightly unsure if that was the correct direction. He heard the shout again and his pace quickened. It sounded as though a desperate cry; a call for help. And Neji needed to answer it. His quick walk turned to a jog as he heard the cry again, this time loud enough to give him a vague idea of where it was. He continued to follow, a feeling of foreboding spreading throughout him like a fire spreading throughout a forest.

He reached a small slightly clearer area of the secluded forest and his eyes widened. A boy; a teenage boy was being chased by three very strong looking boys. They looked to be seniors while the other boy looked to be a sophomore. He had sandy blonde hair and a very angry yet frightened look on his face. The boys chasing him looked very amused and one of them shouted out in a jeering, mocking tone, "Hey, faggot, where's your boyfriend?" Another laughed.

"Yeah, why isn't he coming to save your ass?" Neji raised his eyebrow and decided that that was all the motivation he needed. He quickly stepped in between the one being harassed and the ones doing the harassing. He looked hard at them, his normally calm pearlescent eyes, now clouded with cold anger. He stood coolly and glared at the offending party.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. The boys looked back at him and one of them smiled.

"You the fag's bastard boyfriend?" he sneered. Neji shook his head.

"No," he replied emotionlessly, his stoic voice ringing throughout the forest, filling the air with a chill. The boys looked at him rather stupidly.

"Then why're you here?" one challenged. Neji looked back at him coldly.

"Why shouldn't I be here?" he countered. "Are you doing something you shouldn't be doing?" Of course he knew very well what was going on, the situation and how it appeared made everything obvious, but a little mock patronization never hurt anyone. The boy looked angry and his hands clenched into tight fists, his muscles making themselves apparent. Neji watched him warily.

"You're starting to annoy me," the brute said. Neji only stretched his neck up slightly, putting the most patronizing, superior look on his face that he could muster, and stared at the boy.

"Well then, why don't you leave and then I won't be annoying you anymore," he said. The boy's eyes narrowed and he scowled at Neji, assessing his strength.

"I have a better idea," he growled. "Why don't you leave?" Neji raised both of his elegant brows.

"That sounds swell," he said. "I'll leave and I'll take this boy with me." He indicated to the slightly confused blonde boy behind him and watched as the muscled boy smirked.

"Nice try, but no go," he said. "Just get the hell out of here and maybe you won't get hurt." Neji looked hard at him.

"Is that a serious threat or are you just posturing?" he inquired sarcastically. The boy glared at him.

"That's a serious threat, dumb ass!" he said, his voice rising angrily. "Now what's it going to be?" Neji looked at the boy behind him and then at the three boys in front of him. He turned back to the sandy haired boy. He silently mouthed the word, "Run." The boy nodded, turned and bolted. The three brutes all blinked stupidly for a moment and then the one closest Neji made an angry noise and charged after the blonde. Neji stuck his foot out and gritted his teeth as he jerked backwards, a result of the heavy boy falling over him. The Hyuuga quickly recovered himself and turned to the others, who were all slightly surprised by this sudden attack. They soon regained the ability to move and glared angrily at Neji. The brunette's fight or flight reaction kicked in and soon, the Hyuuga was sprinting after the blonde boy. He caught up fairly quickly and grabbed the boy's hand, not daring to look behind him, and pulled in the direction of his uncle's house; the safety zone. As Neji ran he heard angry shouts behind him and he sped up, spacing out his breathing and pushing his hair out of his face. Years of playing soccer and tennis had done him well. As he ran further, the boy's panting growing louder and shaper, Neji began to recognize his surroundings. He felt slightly relieved. Almost there.

He sped up a little more, the boy stumbling and tripping behind him, now clutching at a sharp pain in his side.

"Keep going," Neji said back to him, his voice surprisingly even. The boy nodded and stopped stumbling, attempting to keep up with Neji. The shouts were getting closer and Neji felt worried. If they caught up to them, then he and the boy were done. He couldn't fight off three teenage boys as muscular as the ones chasing them were. The only chance he and the boy had was to outrun them. They were doing fairly well, too.

Neji finally reached the dirt pathway that, right now, he loved more than anything, and he turned onto it. The boy let out a relieved sigh that turned into a cough. Neji knew where to go now. He kept running, not faltering, nor allowing the boy to falter. Finally, and not a moment too soon, his uncle's driveway was in sight. Neji couldn't help the grateful smile from gracing his lips as he turned onto the driveway, the shouts and yells behind him now very close behind them. Neji charged up the stairs onto the porch and burst through the door, pulling the boy behind him into the house and slamming and locking the door behind him. The sandy haired boy leaned over, his hands on his knees, breathing hard, sweat falling from his brow. He stood, wiping it away and turned to Neji.

"Arigato," he gasped. Neji nodded, breathing heavily but not panting. The boy smiled at him.

"You're a really good runner," he said. Neji nodded.

"Arigato," he replied. "Are you alright?" The boy nodded.

"Hai, I think so," he said. Neji nodded, but inspected him anyway. Aside from being exhausted, sweaty and extremely nervous the boy had a very red and rapidly swelling ankle. Neji knelt down and lightly placed his hands on the red and slightly puffy area. He heard a sharp intake of breath and looked up to see the boy biting his lip in an effort to prevent himself from wincing again.

"This happened when you were running from those boys, didn't it?" he asked. The boy nodded shakily. Neji stood up. He took the boy's arm and draped it over his shoulder.

"Lean on me," he said. "It must hurt." The boy complied, and shifted his weight so that most of it was on the Hyuuga. A slight blush crept into his cheeks. Neji led the boy over to the couch and sat him down.

"Stay here," he said. "I'll be right back." The boy nodded and examined his ankle, grimacing as he did so. Neji walked into the kitchen and found Hanabi sitting at the counter, eating an apple and reading. She didn't look up as he approached her.

"You shouldn't slam the door," she said huffily. "It's rude." Neji looked at her.

"Well, I'll try to remember that," he said. "But, I need your help now. Do you know how to treat injuries?" Hanabi looked up and nodded slowly.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because there is a boy in the other room who needs that kind of treatment," he replied. Hanabi raised her eyebrow and her look became skeptical.

"So, you're bringing home boys instead of girls?" she teased. "I never thought you were that way." Neji shrugged.

"I never thought I was that way either," he said, and felt rather satisfied at Hanabi's look of disappointment. "But he needs help regardless of that." Hanabi nodded and got down from the stool she was sitting on. She followed Neji into the living room and stopped when she saw the boy sitting on the couch. Neji beckoned her over and she came, taking in the sight of him. She knelt in front of him and her eyes were drawn to the boy's injured ankle.

"How did this happen?" she asked. The boy looked at her.

"I was running," he replied carefully. Hanabi's piercing gaze fell on him.

"From what?" she asked. The boy looked pointedly away. Neji sighed and shook his head.

"He was being chased, Hanabi-san," he said. "I stepped in and helped him, and that's how he ended up here." Hanabi nodded.

"What's your name?" she asked the boy. He looked at her.

"Takeda Soichiro," he replied. She nodded.

"It's nice to meet you, Takeda-san," she said politely. "Though the circumstances under which we meet are certainly unfavorable." Soichiro chuckled slightly.

"I need to get some ice," Hanabi said, standing and heading to the kitchen. Neji sat next to Soichiro and looked seriously at him.

"Why were they chasing you?" he asked. Soichiro flinched slightly at the question. He took a breath and then closed his eyes.

"Because I'm gay," he said quietly. Neji's look softened.

"I'm not surprised," he said. "The way they were talking to you it certainly sounded as though you were gay." Soichiro nodded. He looked at Neji.

"You didn't need to help me, you know," he said. Neji shrugged.

"You didn't need to let me," he replied. Soichiro reddened and nodded. Neji looked forward and stopped a sigh.

"Is homophobia a huge problem here?" he asked. Soichiro shook his head.

"To the extent of my knowledge, they're the only ones with a problem with homosexuals," he said. "But they're pretty influential." Neji nodded.

"Are they senior?" he asked. The boy nodded.

"They've never done anything like this before," he said. "Until now it's just been threats and taunts. But I think that was because I'm dating a tough guy." Neji nodded and remained silent. The boy continued.

"He was always around me, and I think that's what stopped them from physically hurting me," he said. Neji nodded and turned to the boy.

"You should call your parents," he said. "I think they should know about this." Soichiro nodded.

"They know," he said. "They know all about it. But, you're right. I should call them." He started to stand but Neji gently pushed him back down.

"I'll get the phone for you," he said. He turned and headed into the kitchen as Hanabi came out, a bag of ice wrapped in a towel in her hands. She gave Neji a brief nod when she passed him and kneeled down in front of Soichiro, carefully applying the ice.

Neji found the phone in the kitchen but, as he reached out to take it, paused. He thought about the event for the first time since it happened. A boy was being chased because he was gay. The boys chasing him seemed pretty intent on hurting him. If Neji ever got up the courage to tell Sasuke how he felt would this be how he was treated? All of a sudden Neji became afraid of his feelings. If they got him or Sasuke hurt it would be his fault. Sighing, the Hyuuga took the phone and went back to the living room, making the ultimate decision that he'd keep everything he felt to himself. For his sake and for Sasuke's.


Gasp!! Oh my god, I just distanced the two protagonists and made their quest for love all the more difficult!

I have to admit, I was unsure at first about putting this chapter in. I wasn't sure if I wanted to deepen the plot this much more, so I need everyone reading this to tell me what they thought and whether I should take this out and just have Sasuke and Neji get together sooner. I need REVIEWS!! Please! ;)