I both love and hate this chapter. On one hand, Neji's a wuss and his OOC has reached maximum altitude (let's blame it on delusional pneumonia or something, shall we?). There also seem to be things that don't seem to run smoothly in this chapter or that I find don't make a whole lot of sense. Neji blames himself way too much, when I think it's almost completely Sasuke who is to blame. Not to mention that Neji has about a gazillion different mood swings in this chapter. On the other hand, the thought of a wet Neji and Sasuke in the same room is pretty hot. Oh well, I'll let you guys decide whether it's worth it or not.

Oh, and if you still don't like YAOI, why are you reading this story? Slight yaoi in here, not as much as chapter four, but I thought I'd mention it.

Laurenyelle the Silver – Mehehehe, the plot is about to get very thick due to a brainstorm I had last night after a panic (since I didn't know where I was taking the story). I'll be updating as soon as possible, perhaps a chapter every day or couple of days, though on weekdays I'm busier and it's less likely I'll have time to write.

aura-chan the neko-jin – Yeah, Sasuke is a jerk. But that's why I love him, lol.

Chapter 17: Caught in the Rain

The rain fell heavily, cloaking everything with its icy wetness. Neji shivered and wrapped his arms around himself as he became thoroughly drenched. He shut his eyes, the conversation he overheard playing in his head over and over like a broken record. This was all his fault? He was the reason Sasuke had broken up with Naruto; that was why Naruto hated him so much. He should've tried harder to resist Sasuke when the nin had seduced him at his house. Neji squeezed his eyes shut, not caring anymore as the downpour did a good job of masking the tears that began to pour from his eyes.

"Neji! Neji!"

The nin turned to see Sasuke bolting through the trees towards him. The dark-haired nin was completely soaked by the time the caught up to Neji. He took a few moments to catch his breath before trying to speak again.

"Neji, listen, it's not—"

Neji turned away from the pleading eyes of the other boy. "It is my fault Sasuke." He was surprised when he was grabbed by the shoulders and whirled around. Sasuke shook him, not once breaking gaze.

"This is my fault Neji, mine! Don't go blaming yourself. It was me who broke up with Naruto. Don't take responsibility for my actions."

"But I'm the reason you did it!" Neji protested, trying to squirm out of Sasuke's grip.

"I did it to keep Naruto from getting hurt." Sasuke's voice was as hard as the rain that pelted down on them from overhead. "I did it because I was attracted to you, and I didn't want to hurt him anymore like I did before. So if you're so desperate to blame it on yourself, then yes, you were indirectly involved. But I was the one who made the decision, not you. So stop with this bullshit!" Sasuke shook him firmly once more to emphasize his point.

Neji couldn't look into the dark-haired boy's eyes. He trembled in his hold and closed his pale eyes as the rain poured down harder.

"Come with me. You'll catch a death out here," Sasuke said, feeling Neji shivering beneath his fingertips.

Neji nodded and Sasuke raised his arm over the nin's head, using his jacket to keep the rain off the pale and shivering boy. They slowly made their way to Sasuke's house. As soon as they got in, Sasuke walked to the bathroom and got a bundle of towels. His clothes felt five pounds heavier with all the water that had soaked through. He found Neji still standing on the doorstep, water dripping in a puddle under him.

"Get in Neji and shut the door!" he ordered. He could see Neji shaking even from this distance. Neji hesitantly walked in, not making eye contact with Sasuke. Sasuke dumped the towels onto the table. "Get out of those damp clothes and dry yourself off. It's not healthy to stand there, soaked to the skin in icy water."

As the brunette began to fumble with his shirt buttons, Sasuke headed to his room and grabbed some old clothes out of the drawers. They would do for now. He returned and threw them on the table with the towels.

"You can change into these once you dry off." Sasuke grabbed a towel for himself and walked into his room, getting out of his own soaked clothes. After changing he waited for a moment and headed back into the living room. Neji was sitting on the couch, a towel around his shoulders absorbing the wetness of his hair.

Sasuke grabbed his discarded clothes and hung all of them over the radiator. He then went into the kitchen and took the kettle, filling it with water and then putting it on the stove to boil. Sasuke grabbed the towel in both hands and rubbed it back and forth against his hair to dry it. Neji was still sitting on the couch when he walked in.

Sasuke sat down next to him. "I'll have some tea ready soon."

Neji nodded silently.

"You feel a little warmer?"

"Yes, thank you." So formal and distant. Sasuke hated that tone.

He wanted to say something, but was interrupted by the whistle of the kettle. He excused himself and went to go take it off the burner.

Neji sat, lost in thought over all he had heard. Sasuke had been attracted to him? And that's why he left Naruto. He left because of Neji. It wasn't Neji's fault that Sasuke was interested in him, right? Then why did he feel so responsible for what happened? He was the one who had been unfairly used. Words flowed back from Neji's memory and dance around his head. "And what if I'm doing it because I'm sincerely interested?" It had all been a game back then, right? Neji wasn't sure what to think anymore.

Neji's thoughts were interrupted as Sasuke returned with two steaming mugs. "Careful, it's hot," he warned, handing Neji his mug carefully before sitting beside him.

The two boys sat there staring straight ahead, neither wanting to be the first to speak. If Neji had overheard a majority of the fight, as Sasuke suspected he did, it was all out in the open now. The hard part was waiting for the reaction. Neji sipped his tea, but otherwise was silent. Finally Sasuke could stand it not more.

"Neji, about what you heard—" he began, but was cut off.

"Was it true Uchiha?" Neji still stared straight in front of him at the coffee table.

Sasuke sighed and nodded, then said "Yes," when he realized that the Hyuuga would not have seen the nod.

"So you felt this way and it justified you using me like you did?" Still so distant. Sasuke wanted to grab him by the shoulders again and throttle him, just so he could at least get a direct, if not angry, emotion from the nin.

"Nothing justified what I did. I admit that my prime objective was to get Naruto back for a while."

"And I was just the sideorder, hm?"

Sasuke gritted his teeth. If Neji kept this up he was either going to kiss him or punch him. Most likely punch him, apologize, then kiss him. "You're more than a sideorder. I don't get attracted to mere a sideorder and break up with my boyfriend because of it. You mean more to me than that."

"So you're saying I outshone Naruto."

Sasuke sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. Definitely punch. "Neji, you're making this difficult."

"Well, fuck, Uchiha, you made this difficult first!" Neji was finally looking at the nin, his pale eyes cold and accusing.

"I don't know whether to say you outshone Naruto. That's a trick question, and you know it. What I do know is that even if I had stayed with Naruto, then it wouldn't be long before I went after you again. I wouldn't be able to stay away."

Neji rolled his eyes but said nothing. The only sound for a while was the clock ticking on the wall. Sasuke cautiously wove his arm around the nin's shoulders. Neji stiffened but didn't resist.

"Don't tell me you weren't affected by that night."

The brunette was silent, but Sasuke saw Neji's eyes soften before he shut them.

"I want to have more nights like that."

Now Neji stiffened again, and Sasuke regretted being so open with his statement. He wasn't going to be as bold as to ask whether Neji felt the same way. Not yet. He had messed things up enough for one night. Instead he sat, arm still resting across Neji's shoulders, and waited for the tenseness in the muscles to fade. Still the Hyuuga said nothing. Knowing that he was taking a risk, but going ahead anyway, Sasuke rested his head on Neji's shoulder, burying his face in the boy's sensitive neck. Once again the nin went rigid.

Sasuke nuzzled him lightly, bringing his other arm around Neji's chest, completing his hold and pulled the nin slightly closer.

"My drink…"

Sasuke gave a small smile. "Yeah, I know. It's going to spill."

The brunette turned and gave Sasuke an agonized look. Too many highly charged and conflicting emotions were whirling around inside of him. He remembered the sweet taste of Sasuke's lips, the cold blue eyes of Naruto glaring at him, the helplessness he had felt when he had been used. It all felt like he was being pulled apart in all different directions. His mind screamed that Sasuke was a manipulative bastard while his heart begged to feel that comforting warm presence again.

His heart must have won over, because he felt himself leaning towards the dark-haired boy and caressing his lips against his own. Sasuke's arms moved up and his hands and cradled the back of Neji's head, pulling the brunette into a deeper kiss. Neji felt a rush of warmth wash over him, and was bringing his arms around the Uchiha's waist when there was a sharp knock on the door. The two of them froze, all of a sudden aware of what they were doing.

"Who would come here in this weather?" Neji asked, quickly pulling away from Sasuke's hold and focusing his eyes on the floor. More importantly, how did he loose control so easily?

Sasuke stood up and walked to the door. He opened it and slammed the door shut when he saw who was on the other side.

"Who is it?"

The black-haired nin mentally cursed. He didn't want to answer that question, and he wasn't going to open the door again. He instead stomped angrily back to the couch.

Neji gave him a look of confusion and got up to answer the door by himself. He found a very wet Gaara on the other side. "Gaara!" he exclaimed in shock, "What are you doing out in this weather! It's pouring!"

"You never returned so I went looking for you."

The brunette's hand flew to his mouth. "I'm so sorry Gaara! I got completely sidetracked." He felt really bad for having forgotten about the redhead at the party.

Sasuke was scowling on the couch with his arms folded as Neji let the sand-nin inside. Sasuke wanted Neji to leave Gaara out in the rain. The rat could just find another hole to crawl into until the storm stopped. Of all the nerve to just barge into Sasuke's own house when he wanted to be alone with Neji. The Uchiha even suspected Gaara had somehow planned this.

"Sasuke, can you just grab some towels and perhaps more clothes for Gaara please?" Neji asked, bringing Gaara into the living room.

Sasuke folded his arms and gave a nasty look to Gaara before getting up, wanting the soaked redhead to know that he was only doing this because Neji had asked. The sand-nin appeared unaffected and nodded his thanks. Sasuke returned with the towels and clothes only to find Neji fussing over the intruder. Anger and jealously welled inside Sasuke, and he had half a mind to physically haul Gaara out of the room and kick him out of the house into a nice, big mud puddle.

Neji took the towel and clothes from Sasuke and handed them to Gaara. "We'll just leave you to get changed," he said, walking to Sasuke's room. The dark-haired nin followed. The moment they were in, Sasuke shut the door and pulled Neji close by his shoulders.

"Sasuke, Gaara's in the living roo—" The boy was cut off as Sasuke pulled him into a deep kiss. He was not going to allow the sand-nin to ruin everything for him, especially in his own house. He would tolerate the redhead there for a while because of Neji, but that was as far as he would go. "Sas—" The nin didn't give Neji a chance to protest as he lightly pushed him onto the bed, continuing to kiss him.

Neji squirmed under Sasuke, but his arms wrapped around the Uchiha's back and pulled him closer. Sasuke deepened the kiss even more, getting a satisfying moan from the boy underneath him. Neji was his, and there was no way Sasuke was going to let that creepy twisted nin lay a finger on him.

He ignored it when the door opened, and continued to make out with the brunette. Unfortunately, Neji noticed Gaara standing in the doorway and pushed Sasuke away, with a little resistance. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Gaara, his red sharigan visible.

"You can wait in the living room until the rain stops. That's as generous as I'm going to get," he hissed menacingly.

"Sasuke! What is your problem?" Neji slid away from him and removed Sasuke's arms from around his waist. "We can go sit out with him, or if you don't want to, then I can."

The black-haired boy's eyes flashed. It was a horrible choice he had been given: to sit in the same room with Gaara without killing him, or to leave Gaara in a room with Neji alone. No, he decided to stay right here with Neji and let Gaara entertain himself in the other room. Sasuke acted out his decision by rewrapping his arms around Neji's waist and pulling him back onto the bed with him.

"Sasuke!" the brunette declared in annoyance, standing up again. I'll be sitting in the living room with Gaara. You can either stay here or join us." With that, Neji walked off with Gaara out the door.

Only Neji and possibly Naruto could get away with ordering Sasuke in his own house. With a snarl, the nin got off the bed and stalked into the living room. The redhead had ruined the entire night, and Sasuke was not going to forgive that. Fully aware of how rude he was being, Sasuke wormed his way in between Neji and Gaara so that he sat in the middle on the couch. The two nin had to move to either side to let him sit. Neji's face clearly showed his disapproval for the way the black-haired boy was acting, but Sasuke didn't care. He was not going to give Gaara the satisfaction of sitting next to Neji, if anything.

Gaara didn't verbally protest being shoved aside, but Sasuke could feel the same mutual hatred emanating from the nin. Neji shifted uncomfortably on Sasuke's left. It was clear that he could feel the tension as well. Sasuke prayed that the rain would end soon so he could be rid of his new rival. He didn't want Neji to leave, though, and was half afraid he might.

Neji attempted to strike up a conversation with the two nin, but it proved ineffective. Gaara and Sasuke just spent the entire time glaring daggers at each other. Sasuke's sharigan eyes were still activated, and Neji put a hand on his shoulder, for fear that Sasuke might go for Gaara's throat at any moment. That only resulted in Sasuke wrapping one arm around Neji's waist and shooting a possessive look at Gaara. The Hyuuga sighed and rolled his eyes. Things were not going well.

Gaara's fingers were twitching, and his emerald eyes were hard and cold. Sasuke sneered at him.

"What? Forget something at home?"

Gaara ignored the question and instead leaned over with an iron grip on the black-haired boy's arm, removing it from Neji. Sasuke was surprised at the amount of force that came from what appeared to be a rather pale and scrawny arm. He had thought the redhead was weak without his sand, but he wasn't going to underestimate Gaara anymore.

Neji looked surprised at Gaara's action and looked at him questioningly. The nin didn't meet his gaze and instead began tightening his fist around Sasuke's wrist. The Uchiha hissed through his teeth as the redhead squeezed harder and harder, and latched his hand onto Gaara's wrist to try and pry him off.

"Gaara! Stop it!" Neji was horrified with the boy's sudden menacing behaviour.

Gaara paused and slowly released his grip, placing his hand back on his lap as if nothing had happened. Sasuke drew back his wrist and clutched it, glaring at the sand-nin. Gaara's handprint was imprinted in Sasuke's wrist. Neji took the nin's wrist and examined it, concerned.

"What is wrong with the two of you?"

Really, Neji couldn't be that dense. Sasuke was surprised that he hadn't caught on that this whole dispute was over him, as well as a natural hatred that Sasuke couldn't repress when he saw the redhead. Or maybe the brunette wasn't oblivious and just didn't want to face the facts. Regardless, Sasuke was not going to have the sand-nin bossing him around in his own house, especially when he wanted to be with Neji. Sasuke stood up and glared down at Gaara.

"I've had enough of this crap. Rain or no rain: get out."

"Sasuke!"

"No, Neji, I want him out." Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Gaara, and the redhead just smirked and stood up.

"Very well." He had begun to walk towards the door when Neji flew up out of his seat.

"You are not kicking him out into that storm, Sasuke!"

"Oh, I am," Sasuke said coldly, folding his arms. "We're not far from other houses. He can go bug the crap out of Shikamaru or Chouji or someone. He doesn't need my roof to stay dry."

"Then maybe I don't either." Sasuke winced at the hardness in Neji's tone and whirled around to face the brunette and keep from seeing the smugness that grew across Gaara's face.

The dark-haired nin took Neji's hands and pulled him closer. "You don't have to leave. I don't want you to leave." He caressed his fingers through the boy's brown hair.

Neji's voice was still distant and cold. "When you treat my friend like crap, you treat me like crap as well. When you're through with being a selfish egotistical jerk, call me."

Sasuke gritted his teeth. Things were getting difficult. He didn't want Neji to leave; if he did, he wasn't sure he'd be able to get him back. Desperately, he flailed for an excuse. "Your clothes are still wet."

"I have others at home. And I can give you your clothes back tomorrow." The verbal spar was on.

"What if I need them tonight?"

Neji stared at him and then shrugged. "Fine. Take them." Sasuke had to keep from tackling the brunette to the floor as he slid off his shirt and threw it sexily at Sasuke's feet. The shorts soon followed, hitting Sasuke in the head. "I believe that is everything. Come on Gaara, we can camp out at Shikamaru's." Neji turned and headed towards the door, stubborn to the last.

The hell Sasuke was going to let a Neji only in boxers walk out his door with Gaara. He finally let go of his restraints and tackled Neji to the ground with a soft growl, pulling Neji face to face. "If you think you're leaving, you are seriously mistaken, Hyuuga."

Neji narrowed his eyes. "And just how do you plan to stop me, Uchiha?"

Sasuke leaned down to kiss Neji, but the boy saw it coming and stopped the nin's lips with his fingers.

"Nice try. Now get off me. I'm going to Shikamaru's."

The Uchiha scoffed. "What? Are you going to show up in your boxers?"

Neji smirked cockily. "I don't see a problem with that. If all else fails, Gaara has already seen me in my boxers and we can just head over to his place."

That stung. Neji had hit a weak spot. Sasuke was not going to show how much that casual statement bothered him, especially with Gaara standing right there. Speaking of the redhead, he was standing by the door, arms folded, with one foot lightly pawing the ground as if he was tempted to kick Sasuke hard off Neji. Sasuke was not going to loose Neji, not to him.

"Neji, you know I can't allow that," he growled under his breath to the Hyuuga under him.

Neji's eyes were cold and unforgiving. "Gaara, could you please help me up?"

Oh, Neji knew how to fight dirty. Sasuke tensed as the sand-nin approached. "Not a step closer," he snarled. He refocused his gaze back onto Neji. "You know I want you. Why are you doing this to me?"

"Because you're an ass, Uchiha," Neji said defiantly.

"Only because I hate that sand-spitting bastard." Sasuke looked up and glared at Gaara, who was curiously watching.

The brunette shook his head. "No, Uchiha. You were an ass to me. You were an ass for the way you treated me during your fight with Naruto, and you were an ass to Naruto after your fight. And now you're being an ass to Gaara. It just seems that you can't teach an old dog new tricks."

Sasuke gripped his hands onto Neji's arms. He was not going to give up Neji without a fight. "You are not leaving with him."

"You have no right to order me, Uchiha."

"I have every right!" Sasuke stated.

"You do not, now get off me!" Sasuke was roughly shoved off and Neji stood up. "Don't even try and stop me Sasuke, I'm not in the mood." The brunette's face was dead serious. It was clear that he had had enough, and to not back off was potentially fatal to Sasuke's future relations with the boy.

The Uchiha sighed and looked down. "At least get dressed." He couldn't believe he was letting Neji go with such a creep. But he knew the Hyuuga was stubborn, and resisting would only lead to disaster.

Neji sighed in relief and went to the clothes he had thrown on the floor, getting redressed. "I'll see you later, Sasuke."

Sasuke grabbed Neji by the shoulders before he could reach the door. The Hyuuga stiffened, thinking that the nin was just trying to hold him back still. "You be careful." It was Sasuke's turn to be serious. "Don't do anything you'd regret." The black-haired nin stroked Neji's cheek.

Neji smiled. "I'll be fine."

"And don't let him touch you!" Sasuke hissed in Neji's ear, pulling the nin close.

The brunette smirked. "Yes, and try not to let your jealousy overwhelm you." He pulled away. "I'm a Hyuuga, Sasuke. This is my life, and you've got to let go and let me live it. I'll do what is right for me."

Sasuke did not like that vague answer. He didn't want anyone else touching his Neji. The nin pulled the Hyuuga into a long deep kiss. Neji was his, and no one was going to take that away. Slowly, he broke away, reluctant to release his hold on Neji.

Neji smiled and slowly pulled away from the arms wrapped around him. "I'll see you later."

Sasuke watched as the nin walked to Gaara, anger and jealousy welling inside him once again. Before they could walk out, Sasuke quickly ran up.

"At least take an umbrella, Neji." Sasuke dug through the closet and pulled one out.

Neji smiled and took it. "Thanks. Bye."

Sasuke stood in his doorway as the two figures disappeared off into the gray downpour. 'I shouldn't have let him go…not in this weather,' the nin thought, his stomach twisting with worry. He shouldn't have to, after all, Neji was nearly Sasuke's match. He was tough, and Gaara's house was not far away. In fact, Sasuke found he was more concerned about what would happen when Gaara and Neji arrived at that place. Mentally kicking himself for not being able to control his temper and causing Neji to leave, Sasuke slammed the door to the wild gale outside.

'sigh' So many things messed up in this chapter. I think Sasu let Neji go way too easily, but I wrote the ending at midnight, so my brain was a little fried and I needed the chapter to end soon. So please just shut your eyes to all those blatant OOC's within OOC's and just other stuff that wouldn't happen. Yeah. It'll get better soon, I promise. :)