Back to Gaara and Neji! Yay! If you can't tell, I'll be switching the focus between Sasuke and Naruto to Gaara and Neji between chapters.

kawaii kitsune-kun – There is going to probably be hints of SasuNaru as they continue to travel together. I don't want to promise anything because then the story just proves me wrong later when I write it, but there's a good chance.

Hurricane-rider – Lol, why did Gaara do it? And Gaara and Neji are in this chapter; fear not. And I started to read the fanfiction. Lol, I actually think I read one of the later chapters a little while ago by accident. I was over at a friend's house and she was reading fanfiction so I just leapt in and started reading what she was. I'm pretty sure it's the same fic, but I'll have to read a few more chapters to be sure. I love it so far. And I didn't realize I update that quickly until I realized how slow some updates were coming for other fics I want to read.

aura-chan the neko-jin – Yeah, he is.

Yaoilover S- Bad Gaara! You were supposed to at least attempt to 'beep' Neji while he was out!

coriander – I know what you mean. I couldn't do it. Naruto's more going for Sasuke's sake than Neji. He doesn't really care if they find Neji or not, he just doesn't want Sasuke to run off alone and end up getting badly injured. It'd by harder on him to stay at home after Sasuke left and then deal with the guilt if Sasuke never returned.

Kali Swifteye – Aww…don't worry, there's still hope. The guilt's eating away at me.

Chapter 22: Caged Bird

"Eat it."

"No."

"You're going to be hungry."

"So?"

"I said eat."

Neji shook his head. "If you don't eat then I don't see why I sho—" The brunette quickly clamped his mouth down before Gaara could shove the spoon in while he was talking.

"Don't make me force it down." The sand-nin was fed-up with Neji's stubborn behaviour. He had spent the past half hour trying to get some sort of food into the boy. Kanaroe specifically told him to make sure that Neji ate. So here he was, shoving a spoon into the Hyuuga's face as if he was feeding some overgrown child. Neither he nor Neji were enjoying themselves.

The nin still kept his mouth firmly clamped shut, glaring at Gaara stubbornly.

Gaara rolled his eyes. Neji had left him no choice. He moved in behind the boy and kneeled down, pulling the Hyuuga towards himself.

Neji involuntarily turned red. "What are you doing?" He struggled a little.

Gaara moved his hand up to Neji's face. "This." He leaned Neji's head back and plugged his nose, angling the spoon so that it would be prepared to shovel food into Neji when the brunette opened his mouth to breath.

Neji squirmed in Gaara's grasp, but was unable to break the nin's iron grip. The redhead hoped Neji wouldn't hold his breath until he passed out. Then they'd just have to start all over again, and this was already turning out to be a pain in the neck. Luckily, the brunette didn't make it that long. He opened his mouth a crack to sneak a breath, but Gaara was prepared for this and drove the spoon with the food into Neji's mouth. He kept the boy's head tilted back so that he was forced to swallow it.

After accomplishing one mouthful in half an hour, Gaara scowled down at the still full dish. Neji was also looking bitter and glared at the sand-nin. Thankfully, Kanaroe walked in and prevented any more attempts to feed.

"So has he said anything of importance?" Kanaroe inquired standing in front of the two with his arms folded.

Gaara shook his head.

"I see. You know, you can make this a whole lot easier on yourself," he directed at Neji.

Neji just gave him a dirty look.

Kanaroe shrugged. "Very well. Come with me, Gaara. I'm sure he'll get hungry later after he sits for a bit."

Gaara followed the man to another portion of the house that looked like it once held an office. The desk was still there and Kanaroe took a seat at it. He didn't bother to invite Gaara to sit down, since the redhead never did. The only light in the room was that of a candle, and a small bit of sun that penetrated through a tiny crack in the upper wall. The sand-nin regarded his boss.

Kanaroe was only slightly middle-aged, but the start of some premature wrinkles around his eyes made him appear much older than he was. This was a man who had been thrust out into a merciless world and had to use every ounce of strength and cunning to fight his way to the top in order to survive. The band tied around his upper arm revealed that he had originally come from the sand-village, but the fine slash across the metal showed that he was not welcome there anymore.

He wasn't a very tall man, even though he was taller than Gaara, but his broad shoulders and posture created a much more intimidating appearance. Kanaroe had dirty brown hair that fell messily every which way. It was clear that he had little concern for his looks. His eyes were a light brown, almost an amber, but the dull faded appearance of the right one established that it was no longer of any use.

Kanaroe wove his fingers together and regarded Gaara. "I want that Hyuuga to talk."

"You know he wont."

"He will," Kanaroe said with determination, "Because I'm not giving him another choice. I want to know as much about the Byakugen beforehand as I can. Dead boys cannot reveal their secrets afterwards."

"So you expect the surgery to kill him?"

Kanaroe leaned back in his chair and shrugged. "I'm keeping all options and consequences in mind. If it doesn't, then that's all the better. However, if it does, I don't want to have the power but not the information to use it."

Gaara nodded to show he was listening.

"That's why I want you to get him to talk."

The redhead sighed and rolled his eyes. "Look, I brought him to you, I watched him, and I force-fed him. I think I've done quite enough."

"You are not finished yet. I want you to make him talk in any way you can. He has a better chance of revealing himself to you than he does to me." Kanaroe smirked. "I'm sure you have your ways. You got him here after all."

Gaara shook his head. "He will not talk to me. The second we get on the topic of the Byakugen, then he'll know what is going on. The Hyuuga is not stupid."

"Neither are you." Kanaroe stood up. "I'll expect a status report tomorrow. You'll be spending the night watching him."

"What?" Gaara folded his arms. "I've done enough for you. There is no reason I should still have to do anything. You owe me!"

"You want a rather large and risky thing, Gaara. When I say you're finished working, then you are finished. That is all. I'll see you in the morning." With that, Kanaroe walked out.

Gaara scowled at the door. He was sick of working for Kanaroe, but what other choice did he have? Bitterly, he walked back to Neji.

Neji looked as thrilled as he was to see him. "I'm not eating."

Gaara shrugged and sat next to him on the floor. "Suit yourself."

The brunette bristled at the redhead, but couldn't lash out at him because he was tied. His ponytail had come loose and his hair now fell around his face. Gaara leaned forward and removed the leaf headband from Neji's forehead. He then had to remove Neji's teeth from his wrist.

"Give that back!" the nin snarled, struggling against his bindings.

Gaara ignored him and started to remove the bandages from around Neji's forehead. Again, the brunette resisted. When he had managed to unravel it, he ran his thumb over the mark on Neji's brow.

Neji stiffened and flinched away. "Don't touch me."

The sand-nin removed his hand and examined the headband instead. Neji glowered at him angrily.

"Are you loyal to your village?" Gaara suddenly asked.

Neji blinked. Again with the unexpected questions. "Of course I am. That's partially what that headband symbolizes."

"Does it?" the sand-nin stated, turning the headband lazily in his hand.

"Just what are you getting at?" Neji did not attempt to mask his annoyance.

Gaara looked at him. "Nothing." He placed the headband on the floor by the nin, but Neji couldn't put it back on since his hands were tied behind him.

A moment of silence and then, "Is your village loyal to you?"

Where was Gaara coming from? His inquiries made no sense and the sounded rather rhetorical. So Neji simply stayed silent.

The redhead didn't press for any answers and he lapsed into silence. The tranquil quiet was broken by the sound of Neji's stomach growling.

Gaara raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not hungry."

"Of course," the sand-nin smirked. He picked up Neji's food. "And if that's the case, I'll just finish this off so it wont go to waste." He picked up the spoon and began to eat slowly from the bowl. Neji looked longingly at the food that disappeared into other nin's mouth. Gaara smirked and took his time. He wasn't hungry at all, but he knew that Neji was. After a few more mouthfuls, Gaara scooped up some potato and offered it to Neji.

He watched the brunette's bottom lip tremble ever so slightly as the spoon pressed against it. Neji was starving, but his pride prevented him from accepting the food.

"We can do this the hard way again if you'd like," Gaara warned.

Neji gave in and allowed the spoon to enter his mouth. Slowly he chewed, savouring the taste, before swallowing. How long had he been here? How long had it been since he had last eaten? He never thought that regular, plain, and rather dry potatoes could taste so good. He finished the meal without another complaint. He'd need the strength anyway to get out of this.

Gaara smirked, pleased that his plan had worked. Mind you, he was still feeding the boy, but at least Neji was doing it willingly. It made it so much easier when he didn't spit the food back into the redhead's face. Neji finished everything and even drank the water that Gaara had offered him. Kanaroe would be happy to know that his specimen was being well taken care of, at least nutritionally.

Neji spent the rest of his time fidgeting against his bonds. The redhead rolled his eyes.

"You're only going to tighten them."

Neji scowled but sat still. Light began to fade in the room around them as nightfall approached. Gaara got up and lit a few candles before retaking his seat beside Neji. The brunette was again reminded of the day on the hill. Gaara still sat in his same unmoving position, staring straight ahead. The only difference was that Kohana wasn't spread underneath them, and Neji was tied up in some dirty dark house.

Neji slowly felt his eyelids become heavy. He hadn't slept the last time it was dark, because Kanaroe was there, watching him. Neji was afraid he wouldn't be able to open his eyes again if he slept in that man's presence. There was no reason he should trust Gaara either; after all, he apparently worked for the creep. Still, as time dragged on, Neji found it harder and harder to keep his eyes open. He had to stay awake…he could last one more night…

Gaara turned his head slightly as Neji's fell lightly against his shoulder. He wasn't sure how to react, so he just sat there unmoving as usual. The redhead watched Neji enviously. How nice it must be to have the luxury of sleeping. Gaara had gotten used to the long nights, he didn't even remember what it felt like to dream. He had even forgotten what it felt like to be tired. That had faded away into a dull continuous ache that Gaara had adapted to.

Seeing Neji sleep reminded the sand-nin as to why he was in this dump. To gain something, something else had to be sacrificed. Gaara had run out of options and this was his final hope.

Neji's face contorted and he began to toss in his sleep. The redhead watched him curiously. The Hyuuga seemed to be having some sort of nightmare. Again, Gaara was at a loss for what to do as Neji began to softly cry out and struggle more. Hesitantly, he brought his arm around Neji and stroked his head. That still seemed to do nothing, and only caused the brunette to fall sideways into Gaara's arms with his head on his chest.

Gaara froze, once again unsure of a course of action. Neji's squirming made him uncomfortable, and he wanted it to stop. The nin's cries were becoming louder and more panicked now. Gaara brought his other arm around Neji and slowly rocked him back and forth, once again petting his hair and thinking of how stupid he looked. At least Kanaroe wasn't there. He'd eat this up and Gaara did not want any more of his mockery.

Thankfully, it worked and Neji's face and body began to relax. Unfortunately, the brunette was still lying over Gaara's chest and resting his head on the sand-nin's opposite shoulder. Gaara's arms were still wrapped around him and with the angle Neji was laying, it was difficult to remove one of his arms without them both toppling over.

A small part of Gaara didn't mind the situation. He had certainly gained an interest in Neji while he was luring him away from the village, but a larger part of him demanded that he crush that attraction before it could be used against him. Neji was not here for a joyride. Gaara could not let himself fall for him, because he'd only have to watch as Neji got hurt, and perhaps even killed. Gaara had made it this far by taking protection behind his cold and emotionless exterior. He'd have to do so again if he wanted to accomplish his goal. Sacrifices had to be made.

Gaara was broken out of his train of thought when Neji began to shift in his arms. The brunette's eyes fluttered open, full of disorientation and confusion. He looked around and then turned slightly red.

"You fell onto me in your sleep," Gaara explained before the nin could speak.

"……sorry." Neji tried unsuccessfully to right himself. Gaara watched him for a moment before shifting his arms and helping him. Neji stared at the floor then looked up at the sand-nin. "You can sleep if you want. These ropes are so tight now I doubt I'll be able to go anywhere anyway."

Gaara smirked. "Nice try. I was told to watch you tonight."

"I was just offering," Neji shrugged. He had highly doubted he would be able to escape anyway. "How long have I been here?" he asked curiously.

The redhead shrugged. "Does it matter?"

"I guess not…" Neji still wanted to know. Did people know he was missing now? Would they come looking? The nin didn't even know how far from Kohana he was. It wasn't like Gaara would tell him anyway, especially if he wouldn't even disclose the length of time Neji had been here.

It had to be at least a few days, but Neji wasn't sure how long he was unconscious and with all the stress he found that he couldn't remember all that many details since he got here. Just the talk of his Byakugan and dissecting him. Which would not happen. Neji had to keep telling himself this to keep up his hope. The rest of the night passed quietly, and this time Neji was able to stay awake. The light of a new day brought a grinning Kanaroe to check on his prized catch.

'groans' Sorry it took me so long to update guys. I had this chapter mostly written out a few days ago, but couldn't find a way to end it. So it does kind of have a hasty ending because it was starting to drag on and go nowhere.