The day he had been waiting for had finally come and he felt empty. Sitting on a chair with his academic dress, next to his classmates. His face showed everything except joy. Everything that happened to him still hurt him. The things he had done hurt him. Coming back to his reality terrified him.

And now what? He couldn't stand this whole farce. He got up. He needed to splash a bit of water on his face. He entered the restroom and looked at himself through the mirror.

He was so pathetic. When just recently, he was a womanizing hunter and now he felt... used and dirty. Not to mention the cherry on top, he had fallen in love with a guy who didn't care one tiny bit about him. Surely, the man would forget all about him with his next conquest. He was utterly worthless.

At least, that's what he thought of himself as he hugged himself and cried. Maybe he really was a crybaby little girl. Maybe he didn't deserve to be loved by anyone? Maybe he should just die? Yes, that's it. He couldn't stand it any longer. The secret was such a heavy burden for him to carry but, he also didn't have enough bravery to confess. If he could do it, he would tell them and then he'd cut his own throat. Not his veins, his way, no one could save him.

"What are you doing here? They already started giving out the diplomas." An entering Gaara told him. "You have to try and get over it. I know it's easier said than done but, you must move on." Gaara hugged him. Trying to comfort him.

"He left." Menma whispered.

"That's a good thing. And get this through your head. He. Didn't. Love. You. And I'm sure that you don't love him either." A convinced Gaara told him.

"But when he held me in his arms, I..."

"That's not love! That's only desire. He didn't even like you."

Menma knew that that was true but, when Tobi touched him. How careful he was when he embraced him but, Gaara was right. Who could love someone as repulsive as him? He may be good looking on the outside but, in the inside he was empty.

"Wipe away those tears. Because, they're almost about to call out our names." Gaara rushed him while exiting the restroom. Not having the tiniest bit of idea about the enormous crisis that his best friend was about to face.

When he got out, Menma bumped into Ino.

"Hey, handsome. How are you?" The girl asked in a mocking tone.

"Good." The boy answered, not too sure.

"I thought you might've been jilted."

The boy opened his eyes wide in surprise. Did she know something? It didn't matter but, he had to tell her something he had stuck in his throat.

"Hey, I'm sorry how things ended between us. I shouldn't have treated you like that."

"Don't worry about it. I'll tell you what, just to show you how I don't hate you. I've got a surprise for you." Ino said as she smiled with malice. Then she made her way to her seat.

Menma sat down with his classmates, on the left side of the auditorium. The family members were seated on the right side. Usually, they only gave two tickets per student but, thanks to him being an Uchiha. They had given him 3. So there they were; Naruko, his Dad and Grandpa. They were all smiling.

The teacher called Gaara's name and gave him his diploma. Several names afterwards, it was his turn. He went up mechanically, received his diploma and took a photo. He put on a fake smile. Then he returned to his seat.

The Valedictorian went up to give her speech. Which, in this case, it turned out to be Ino Yamanaka. She gave out her speech. That turned out to be like all the cliché speeches you've heard on every High School graduation ever. About how they'll all be embarking on a new beginning. Yada Yada... Blah blah blah...

"Before I finish. I have a very special video about our very own dear school and students." She said while she smiled in a hypocritical way. "It's so that we take a good memory with us." She finished highlighting the last sentence.

Menma had a bad feeling about this, everyone thought that it would be some corny video about the students and teachers saying how great it was being from the Generation 2020.

But right before everyone's dumbfounded eyes, in the huge screen projector was the much feared video. Sai's bedroom could be seen. The worst part was that it wasn't starting from the very beginning. When it could be seen that Menma was fighting back and saying no. But no, it started off on the part when he was on all fours. When he had already lost his will and was moaning. No one was going to believe that he had been raped.

For, Menma... This moment seemed to have been frozen in time. He could see his classmates sneering at him and some staring at him with pity. He turned around and saw the shock look in Naruko's face. The deformed faces, caused by the wrath of his Dad and Grandad. Principal Tsunade trying to turn off the projector with clumsy hands. The stares full of rejection that the other parents sent him. He could hear at the far away corner, how Neji started shouting "Hey Menma! So you've been a cocksucker all this time?"

Then wolf-whistling started coming in. Followed by catcalling, the jokes and laughs. The most unpleasant and hurtful adjectives.

Words like "Faggot", "Bitch", "Sackless".

Phrases they yelled out like "And he seemed so manly" or "Such an embarrassing thing for all parents".

He heard how Gaara shouted threats at them from left to right. How he told everyone to shut up and how he started beating up more than one student.

He watched how his Dad walked closer to him. Turned into a venomous cobra. He grabbed him forcefully by the hair and he was surely hurting him. But he didn't feel any pain, he dragged him to the car and threw him to the back seat. His Dad was driving and his Granddad was sitting on the copilot's seat. The two of them were criticizing him but, he could only see their lips moving. In a taxi behind them, Naruko was following them.

Menma didn't react when they reached the house and his Granddad dragged him around the floor until they were in the living room.

"You're too soft on him, Sasuke. You've always been too soft on him. Here, let me show you how it's done."

He came to when he felt a heavy punch land on his face. A punch that broke his nose. Another one landed on his stomach and took all the air out. It caused him to fall on the floor, doubling over in pain. He didn't defend himself.

His Granddad beat him up mercilessly while his Dad just stood there and watched. The punches and kicks came down on him non-stop. It's not like he could defend himself but, he wasn't trying to either. Maybe this was just the thing he deserved? He thought. He felt his ribs cracking. The rage in the Uchiha patriarch didn't seem to ease up, on the contrary. It only seemed to increase. His Grandad appeared to be blinded by fury. He could taste the metallic of the blood from his mouth. He only prayed for his death to come quickly.

Naruko came in and started screaming and ran around in circles. Her cellphone wasn't working and she was looking for a telephone. Wishing that she could call someone so that they could call the police but, his Dad had prohibited any of the employees to intervene.

Suddenly the teenage boy felt a weight over him. Something warm that hugged him. He didn't feel any more hits and the last thing he heard before, passing out. Was the faraway sound of the siren from an ambulance.

He woke up in a hospital room. He felt his entire body numb and heavy. He must've been given a strong anesthetizing. When he turned around he saw someone sitting down on a sofa. It was... Naruko? She looked weird with all her hair down and with some loose jeans and baggy shirt. He stared at her fixedly and noticed that, even if his vision was a little blurry. She had her lip cut, bruises in all of her pretty face and a black eye. She had a bandage wrapped around her head and another one on her hand.

"Mo... mom." The boy said with difficulty.

She woke up and smiled weakly. She got up. It seemed that it was hard for her to hold her weight with her left leg. She reached the bed, where her son was laid on and stroked his hair lightly.

"How are you feeling?" She asked him.

"What happened?"

"Gaara called the police. He thought something like this might happen since he was at school. They were the ones that took your Granddad and Sasuke."

"Are they in jail?"

"They were in the police headquarters but, you know how powerful the Uchiha last name is. They were released almost immediately after. An ambulance brought you here. You've been unconscious for an entire day and a half."

"What happened to you? Why are you beaten up?" The young boy asked.

"I thought that your Granddad would kill you. No one wanted to help me. So I threw myself on top of you and shielded you. But, that didn't stop him from hitting me until Pein stepped in and defended me. The police came soon afterwards. But I'm fine. I'll heal in no time. They're only punches. You'll have to stay here longer so that they can run some tests on you. The first hours were critical. They even had to revive you but, don't worry. The doctor said that you were out of danger."

He felt terribly guilty.

"Naruko, I... I'm sorry... I didn't want to..."

"Relax, Gaara told me everything. Your Granddad doesn't want you in his house. Your bags are at Gaara's. Karura offered to let us stay at her house until we find some place to live."

"Until we?"

" I'm also going with you. If my son isn't welcomed than I'm not welcomed either. I'm getting a divorce."

"But what are we going to do with..."

"I have a few savings. You know that I've received a few or several checks from your Dad. Oh well, I thought about saving them for Naruko. Because, being completely honest with you, I always thought she would end up getting knocked up. And since your Dad is so tough on women and all. I also worried about you at first. With you being Intersexual and all. A lot of times I thought about running away with you somewhere. But, you grew up and looked so happy. I'm very sorry. I never stopped your Dad from making you or your siblings like this. This old fashioned way. I always wanted to say something but, I could never bring myself to do it. I thought that I loved your father above everyone else."