Back from work and here to deliver another chapter.

Hurricane-rider - Yeah, I wanted to shove in an extra chapter before I left since I had it written anyway. I know what you mean about action scenes that are just movement and not words. I can see it all in my head, but when it comes to writing it I either don't know how to write it or it comes out rather stupid. And yes, I did blatantly ignore some stuff to suit my plot needs. I don't want Neji suddenly dropping dead, lol.

kawaii kitsune-kun – Gaara does have a twisted confusing mind, and that only becomes more apparent in this chapter. And Sasuke's certainly going to get injured, but so are some other people… And how can I be tired of long reviews? I love them. :)

Yaoilover S – I hate writing fight scenes. But yeah, this isn't exactly going to be an easy fight. Kanaroe is not a pushover.

Bitenshi – Thank you. :) I'll keep practicing.

ruby-sama aura-chan the neji-jin's yami – I'm so proud of Naruto. 'sniff'

Chapter 26: Choices

Gaara was oddly quiet during the morning. Well, it wasn't all that strange since the redhead seemed to be silent most of the time anyway, but there was something different about this. Neji watched him curiously as the boy fed him some berries for breakfast. Everything that Gaara had said the previous night was swirling around in his head. Neji wasn't even sure if it was worth trying to understand the nin.

After Neji had finished eating, the Gaara watched him for a while, and his unwavering gaze soon made the brunette uncomfortable. "What?"

The redhead looked away, and seemed to be debating with himself mentally. Neji's eyes widened as Gaara's hand cupped his chin. Expecting another assault of unwelcome kisses, Neji squirmed in his grasp. What Gaara said next completely surprised the brunette.

"If I were to free you, would you stay with me?"

"What do you mean?" Neji asked. Surely Gaara wasn't suggesting what he thought he was.

Gaara didn't break his powerful gaze. "Would you travel with me and stay by my side?"

Neji was speechless. Gaara had some nerve to suggest such a thing after the treatment he had given the Hyuuga. "So you're going to give up on getting rid of your demon?"

The sand-nin shook his head. "If I can, I will try and trick Kanaroe into doing it anyway. With the help of my brother and sister it may be done. If not, there will be other chances for me to find a way to get rid of the demon. There will be other opportunities, but there is only one of you."

Neji stared at Gaara as he spoke. "And you expect me to believe all this after the crap you've put me through?"

Gaara sighed. "I realized last night that even if I were to become free of this curse, I wouldn't be happy if it was at the expense of you. You've really grown on me."

"So you'd set me free?"

"If you agreed to come and stay with me," the sand-nin confirmed.

Neji narrowed his eyes. "If you truly cared, you'd let me go regardless."

"I'm sorry. I can't give up everything for nothing. That's just the way I am. I want you to be with me, and when the demon is destroyed, we can find somewhere nice to live."

"I'm not abandoning my village," Neji said.

"And what has your village ever done for you?"

"It's my home."

Gaara sneered and looked away. "I wouldn't put so much faith in it."

"I have more faith in it than I do for you. So far, it hasn't stabbed me in the back."

"Give it time," said Gaara, standing. "I assure you that soon enough it will, one way or another." His eyes were hard and cold. Neji wondered about what had happened to cause Gaara to have such an intense hatred of his home. Was it the sand-village that had trapped the demon inside of Gaara in the first place?

"So have you decided?"

"I have no reason left to trust anything you say," Neji said bitterly.

"Fair enough. But you'll have to believe that I want to reclaim that trust."

Neji shut his eyes, ignoring Gaara. To his surprise, he felt the ropes around him loosen. He opened his eyes to see them slip away and fall to the ground. Two strong arms wrapped around him, pulling him up. Neji felt the pressure on his wrists lighten, and those ropes slid to the earth as well.

Gaara stepped back and regarded him with his arms folded. "There. No restraints. Your choice."

Neji had to keep his jaw from dropping. Just what was Gaara thinking? Neji tensed as he approached. The sand-nin wrapped his arms around Neji gently, pulling him close.

"I can get you out of this," he murmured into his hair.

Was this some sort of trick? Neji didn't know if Gaara was just playing with him or if he was serious about freeing the Hyuuga.

"When I was young, I was told I was only capable of loving myself. But you proved that wrong."

Neji didn't want to hear this. Gaara sounded sincere, but did he really mean what he said? After all he had done, was he really willing to throw it all away for the brunette? He had already said that it wasn't like him to do such a thing. Love itself was a big word to toss around, and all of a sudden and Neji felt even more trapped than he had when the ropes were bound around him.

"Don't leave me here with nothing." Gaara pulled the Hyuuga close, cradling him in his arms. Neji could feel the nin's heart beat against him. Part of him wanted to curse Gaara for coming into his life, and run as fast and as far from the sand-nin as he could. Still another was drawn towards Gaara, like a neglected dog always returning to its owner.

Gaara had done what he had to do in order to finally become free of his curse. Now, when he was so close to his goal, he was suggesting that he was willing to postpone it or find a way to accomplish it in a way that would save Neji. All he wanted in return was the Hyuuga's acceptance and affection.

Neji would have lied if he claimed he didn't feel anything for Gaara. Even through all the betrayals and hardships, he was attached to the side of Gaara that had been kind to him. It was the same side that was holding Neji in his arms at that moment, offering Neji a chance of freedom at the expense of his own. Perhaps it wasn't Gaara's fault that he had become the way he was. Neji couldn't even imagine what the sand-nin had been through during his life, and the demon writhing inside of him was probably partially to blame for Gaara's unstable nature.

"Gaara…I-I…" Neji found himself having difficulty speaking. Just what did he want to say?

The sand-nin waited patiently, running his fingers lightly through the Hyuuga's hair.

"Gaara…" Neji squeezed his eyes shut tightly and buried his face in the redhead's chest. What did he want? Did he really trust Gaara after everything that had happened? Could he walk away without looking back, leaving the nin with nothing but to start over again hopelessly? And what about Sasuke, and his home? This was too much for the Hyuuga to handle all at once.

Lips covered his own, and Neji wrapped his arms around the back of Gaara's neck, allowing it to clear out all the thoughts in his head. The redhead pulled away first, resting his forehead against Neji's. Neji felt himself getting lost in the dark green depths of the boy's eyes.

He looked up at the tattoo on the nin's brow once again. Love. It really wasn't as simple as it was made out to be. It involved sacrifice, risk, pain, and even hatred; all things that often weren't associated with such an emotion. The real determinant was whether all the hard effort was worth the true reward in the end.

Neji sighed and looked back at Gaara's waiting eyes. He squeezed the nin's hands lightly. "I don't know if I can leave my home. It still is very much a part of me. But I don't want to loose you either. I don't know if we could become more, Gaara, but if we didn't, I'd still regard you as my friend."

Gaara was silent, and leaned forward, kissing Neji chastely on the forehead. "Perhaps you may change your mind. And if you don't, then I would be happy to have someone to consider my friend." Despite Gaara's words, Neji could see the pain reflected in Gaara's eyes.

Neji felt a pain in his chest looking at the sand-nin, so he had to turn away. "So where do we go from here?"

Gaara shrugged and released his hold. "That is now up to you to decide."

"Why did you bring me out here anyway?"

"I was ordered by Kanaroe. Two ninjas from your village were spotted trailing my brother and sister. I was to get you out of the way so that they could be dealt with."

"What?" Neji's heart began to race. "What did they look like?"

Gaara shrugged. "I don't ask questions."

"Gaara." Neji's eyes were pleading as he looked at the sand-nin.

The redhead sighed and gestured. "The town is this way."

Neji raced after Gaara, praying that they wouldn't be too late. He was somehow certain that one of the leaf-nin had to be Sasuke. If he were killed, Neji would never be able to forgive himself. With that worry in mind, Neji urged Gaara to move faster. They had to make it in time.

Um…yeah…lots of sentimental stuff, not enough physical yaoi. Lol. Gaara's really spontaneous, but the thought of taking Neji away with him has been stewing in his mind for a while. It's just now he's finally decided to listen to it. Get prepared for a crappy fight scene next chapter…ugh…