Vindicated
Chapter 21: Brother's Stand
Sorry this took me so long I was in a state of depression...but JUNSUI KAGESU'S back! (glomps midori) yay! thank you all for your reviews, I dont think I've gotten this many reviews for one chapter before...21 for one chaptermwah! I love u all
Ebony: yes Gaara's arm was broken. they didn't need to go to the hospital, you can set the bone urself it just hurts REALLY bad
Dazja: hee! tell mike I'm glad he likes the fic. (I'd make a smily face but doesn't let u) YES! I stalk u! BWAHAHAHAHA! (shifty eyes) lol
Isis-amataeru:glomp: hee! I'm so glad u came and read this fic! heh...jabs ur heart..u should see me when I'm writing it...I'm a mess
The Troublesome Twins: nyoh? the link didn't work? hm...hold on...I'll send it to u through email or something
PsychoticDeath: moosh I think I confused a bunch of people heh...it's not my bday...its just a special day cause it's finally completely new chapters for everyone to read...my bdays not till the end of this month...sadly...I love long chapters short chapters dont seem to have enough information in them...and I love writing details and information...if u cant tell...
Shinobi Gaara: (tackle glomps) where have u been honey? I've been waiting and waiting and you haven't been on and I've been SAD...actually I have no idea how I'm gonna get rid of kazebastard...but oh yes...he shall be got rid of...bwahahaha
Narroch06: yes sadly...that is the policy in my district. 9 excused absences and u fail, 5 unexcused and u fail...per quarter. it sucks I almost failed my senior year because of it...I was so mad...but my teachers miraculously loved my that year...and I make really good cookies...
Junsui Kegasu: ...YOU'RE BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK! I SO HAPPY! moosh and u just finished reading this chapter and I've giving u another...gomen...chapter 20 was NEVER up before yay! I'm sad...ur like hardly on since u got back so all this is new for u too except that one part. can't tell u about tsunade...gotta tell u through IM if I do hee!
Gaara saw Neji watching him keenly as he stepped into the art room for 2nd period. He was staring at him with an intense look that made Gaaralook at him questionally, thenNeji made a funny face that caused Gaara to giggle a little behind his hand. He gave his absent note to his art teacher then stumbled over to sit down next to Neji.
"Everything ok?"
"Yes," Gaara replied.
Neji glared at him.
"…no?" Gaara said in a tiny voice.
Neji reached over and dragged Gaara, sitting in his chair over to his desk. "What's going on?" he asked.
Gaara gave him a brief summary of the happenings from the office. Neji listened intently. So intently, in fact, he didn't hear anything else around him. Gaara did though and instantly stopped talking, blushing darkly and staring at the floor. Neji blinked and asked what was wrong.
"Oh, my god, look at those two."
"Fags."
"That kid is like hardly ever in school. Why do you think?"
"I donno, but he always looks so dead and all beat up."
"What does Neji-kun see in him?"
"They're both weird."
"That kid's got bruises all over him."
"Hyuga's fault?"
"No! Neji-kun wouldn't do that!"
"He looks like one of those freaks that like self mutilation."
"Oh, my god, what a freak."
"You think he really hurts himself?"
"Shut up!" Neji shouted suddenly, slamming his fists down on his desk.
The whole class that was currently present (the bells hadn't wrung yet) jumped and fell instantly silent. Gaara had jumped too and wasnervously looking up at Neji in question. He hated seeing Neji mad and right now he look livid.
"You all got something intelligent to say, go ahead, but it sounds like fucking crap coming out of your mouths. In that case, shut the fuck up and leave us alone," Neji sat back, his arms crossed, and glared at them all, daring them to talk against his words. No one spoke. They weren't that stupid.
Neji and Gaara didn't say anything to each other the rest of the class period. Neji looked very angry and Gaara couldn't think of anything to say and was worried Neji would snap at him if he spoke. Gaara's pass allowed him and Neji to leave the class a few minutes early so Gaara made it down to his next class before the rushing crowds started. Neji leaned against the lockers as they waited for the bell to ring, looking deep in thought.
"Hey, Gaara?"
"Hm?"
"You wanna go somewhere tomorrow?" Neji asked casually, finding fascination in the ceiling tiles. "Like…maybe an all day thing?"
Gaara's face brightened a little. "Where?"
Neji grinned. "Secret," he told him. "But what do ya think?"
He saw Gaara's smile and returned it as Gaara replied, "Yes!"
"Alright," Neji said, reaching out a hand for Gaara to take.
"Where are we going?"
"Secret."
"But—"
"Se-cret."
Gaara slumped his shoulders a little then started chewing on his fingernail. "I'm sorry, Neji," he said quietly.
Neji started in surprise and turned to stare at him. "What for?" he cried, barely holding back the 'now what' in his voice.
"I—I …you were angry…"
"Not at you!" Neji insisted.
"But it's my fault," Gaara said, hanging his head. "I make you look bad."
"Oh, my god, Gaara, no!" Neji said quietly, reaching out and pulling him closer. "No, you don't! And even if you did, I wouldn't care!"
Gaara sighed slightly then looked up as the bell rang. Neji leaned down and kissed his forehead.
"I wont be able to come get you from this class, will you be ok?" he asked.
Gaara nodded and smiled as Nejihanded himhis bag then waved as he walked towards his own class on the other end of the school. When Neji was out of sight, lost in the mess of people and teachers moving to their classes, Gaara's smile dropped and he slowly reached down to pick up his bag.
He had tried not to let it show, but every time he moved something else hurt. His left side screamed in agony as he stood back up, but he ignored it and started for the door of his class.
Getting to class without anyone's help was more of a difficult task then Gaara had thought it would be. Though he left five minutes early, he had barely gotten down the stairs and stepped out into the hall way before the bell to let classes out rang. Frightened of the possible bumping and jostling, he pushed himself against the lockers and tried to move as fast as he could, but he was still bumped and jostled and was left with a biting pain and tears in his eyes.
A hand reached out and landed heavily on his shoulder from behind. Gaara's knees bucked and he nearly fell.
"Hello there," said the familiar smooth talking voice that made Gaara's skin crawl.
"N—no…please….leave me alone, I d—don't feel g—good and I n—need to g—get to class," he whimpered out as the hand turned him around slowly.
"Nope, not right now you don't," Itachi said with a grin. He reached out and let his hand trail from Gaara's cheek, down his chest and around to his lower back to pull him closer.
Gaara's eyes widened and a dark blush crept across his cheeks. This was the middle of the hallway! People were starting to stare at them, pausing to whisper, or watching over their shoulders. The late bell was going to ring any minute, he was going to be late for sure now, but Itachi didn't seem to care as he began letting his hands roam around Gaara's waist, bringing his face closer.
"S—stop Itachi…please…I—I'm going to be—be late for class a—and Neji—"
"Is no where in sight," Itachi finished. "I don't like not getting what I want," he purred, "and I want you…and I'll get you. You're skipping class today."
"N—no I'm not!" Gaara cried, frightened. "I—"
Itachi stopped the beginnings of his ramble by pressing him against the lockers and connecting their waists like he had at the mall, grinning immensely at Gaara's whimpers and embarrassment. He ran his tongue from Gaara's neck to his ear then whispered softly.
"You're class has been moved to the bathroom today," he said. He jerked Gaara away from the locker wall and started maneuvering him towards the bathrooms on that floor. He laughed at Gaara's pathetic attempts to get away then suddenly leaned down to kiss him.
"No!" Gaara cried, forcefully, putting his good hand over Itachi's mouth as he was about to kiss him.
"Move your hand," Itachi commanded, holding Gaara still with one hand, the other going up to carry out his order.
"No! I don't want you to kiss me! I don't want to go with you! I don't like you! Leave me alone!" Gaara said angrily, not caring or thinking about the stares or watching eyes, or the fact that Itachi was getting more and more frustrated. He was not going to let him do this to him.
Gaara suddenly fell back as Itachi's grasp was suddenly pulled away. He fell against the lockers and slid to the floor, wincing in a horrible pain and wrapping his arms around himself to help bite back the cries that rose in his throat. Swallowing he looked up to see what had happened.
People were shouting and the crowd that had been staring was now cheering and jeering at something else. Teachers were trying to break through the crowd, quite unsuccessfully. Gaara felt panic rising in him as he suddenly felt caged and cornered but the people and noise, unable to get away. He stared at the floor along with everyone else, though he kept silent, shrinking against the lockers in fear.
Itachi and Kankurou were locked in a battle on the floor that could quite easily be labeled as a fight to the death. Bother were kicking, hitting and throwing each other around, yelling angry words and obscene names. Teachers were desperately trying to get in and break them up, but the crowd wouldn't let them anywhere near the bloody battle.
It was broken up, however, when Ukon and Sakkon decided they'd seen enough and rushed in and pulled the two apart. It was a harder task then it appeared, Itachi was angry and did not want to be beaten in a fist fight, however Kankurou was in a blinded rage and honestly looked like he would kill Itachi if Sakkon let go. In fact he was yelling at the younger twin to do so, his face was so scary looking that Gaara shrunk in terror. He hadn't even seen his father that angry before.
"Uchiha! ENOUGH!"
Itachi suddenly froze and backed off as Genma forced himself through the crowd, not caring if he knocked a few people down in the process. With his hold now under control, Ukon let go of Itachi and went to help his brother hold Kankurou back.
"Geez, man!" Ukon cried, his voice strained. "Chill out!"
"Let go of me! I'll fucking kill him!" Kankurou shouted, pulling against the twins.
Genma was yelling at Itachi as the teachers began ordering the students back to their classes. A few teachers went to Kankurou and began trying to get him calm. One went over to Gaara and began to tell him to get to class, then realized that he was 'involved' with the fight and ordered him to the office.
"No!" Kankurou cried suddenly, his attention pulled away from his anger at Itachi. "He didn't do anything!"
"He was involve—"
"No, he wasn't! Itachi was bothering him. I stopped him. End of Gaara's involvement!"
"I'm sorry, but he still needs to come down to the office with you and Uchiha," the teacher said apologetically.
Kankurou glanced down at his younger brother and saw the fear in his face. Fear of Itachi, fear of the teachers…fear of him. Kankurou relaxed so that the twins felt they could let go with out their friend making a dive for Itachi again. He went over to his brother and knelt down in front of him. He watched Gaara swallow hard and try to not look frightened.
"You ok?" he asked softly.
Gaara made a tiny jerking nod, then was helped up by the twins. The five students were escorted down to the office. Tsunade looked mildly surprised to see Kankurou and Gaara back and looked at them in curiosity as the five of them sat down (Sakkon and Ukon in the middle of the opposing sides). The two teachers that escorted them down explained that Kankurou and Itachi were fighting and Gaara was somehow involved and Ukon and Sakkon had pulled them apart.
Tsunade's eye brow raised and she sat back, surveying them calmly.
"The four of you please wait outside," she said finally. "I'd like to speak with Gaara."
Gaara started and shrank into his chair, looking wildly at his brother for any means of comfort or assurance, but Kankurou had none to give. He still looked angry and didn't seem to like the fact that Gaara was going to be alone. Gaara watched them get up and file out of the room to stand outside and wait.
When Tsunade came back after giving a few orders and shutting the door, Gaara was shaking horribly, he knees drawn up to his chest. She smiled at him and sat down on a chair in front of her desk. She folded her hands in her lap and watched him still smiling, as his eyes darted around the room, pausing briefly and nervously at her before darting to the floor.
"Your brother really cares about you doesn't he?" she asked softly.
Gaara nodded slightly, eyes focused on the floor.
"Are you afraid of me?"
Gaara paused, then slowly nodded again.
"Am I scary looking?"
Gaara's response was a small shaking of the head to indicate 'no'.
"You are afraid of grown ups?"
Gaara nodded slowly. Tsunade smile and nodded in an understanding manner, crossing her legs and reaching behind her to pull out a lollipop from her jar and sticking it in her mouth. She offered Gaara one, but he shook his head. He wasn't allowed to have sweets. If he was already in trouble, he didn't want to get in more.
"Itachi's a bully isn't he?" Tsunade asked after a moment's silence.
Gaara glanced up at her then looked down again, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with her.
"You can tell me if you think so," she said. "Hell, I'll tell you something," she said, dropping the professional sound in her voice to try and make the small boy more comfortable. She leaned forward as if telling him a secret only he could hear. "You know Ibiki? I think he's your science teacher; well…he's a right annoying bastard. All military and stuff. He's a nice guy, but he's horrible to hang out with. I'll ask him a question and he's like 'yes, ma'am'…'no ma'am'…. 'I must disagree ma'am'….I got a name, don't you think he could use it? The bald Bigfoot…"
Gaara stifled a tiny laugh behind his hand. Tsunade smiled happily, and watched as he fiddled with his fingers behind his knees.
"I—Itachi…likes m—me…" Gaara said slowly, in a quiet voice, trying to keep his stutter minimum, but failing miserably. "B—but I d—don't like him a—and—and he tries t—to get me t—to l—like him t—too…"
"Ah…" Tsunade said slowly. "Itachi is jealous of Mr. Hyuga isn't he?"
With his face erupting in blush, Gaara hid his face in his hands and nodding slightly.
Tsunade sighed suddenly. "Listen to me for a minute, because this is very important. In the past I have gotten complaints about Uchiha Itachi, saying he forces people to date him and does what ever he wants to get his way. There's a rumor that Itachi's even hurt a few girls and boys…sexually. However, it's just a rumor and I can't prove it." She sat back and looked at him evenly.
Gaara's nervousness turned into contained panic right before her eyes. His trembling turned to the shakings of a small earthquake and he looked to be on the verge of a panic attack. He tried to say something, but the only think that came out were merely the first words in his sentence before he stammered into the next one, his breathing becoming uneven.
"Gaara, it's ok, it's ok," she said softly, placing a gently hand on his shoulder. "Please tell me, what happened upstairs?"
"I—I was going t—to class…and I—Itachi stopped m—me," Gaara said after a moment's silence. "He…he wanted m—me t—to sk—skip class and g—go w—with him in—in the bathroom. Then K—Kankurou came a—and saw him and...he fought Itachi…"
"I see…" she said slowly. "Have you had any…other confrontations with Itachi?"
Gaara nodded slightly.
"What happened?"
Gaara told her about the trip to the mall and the happenings there. Tsunade listened intently, not saying anything and not bothered at all by his mumbles and stutter. She smiled when he told her what Haku did, then he got very quiet and began shifting nervously.
"Gaara, what Itachi did—or tried to do—was very wrong. I'm very sorry this happened to you," Tsunade said, closing her eyes.
"Um…w—will Kankurou get in trouble?" he asked in a tiny voice.
"Unfortunately, yes he will," Tsunade said sadly. "Fighting, no matter what the reason, is not allowed in this school. He will be suspended for a while. However, Itachi…" she stood and went back around to sit in her desk chair again, Gaara's eyes following her movements, "…Itachi will be expelled, for more then one reason. This fell out of his pocket when he got up," she said, holding up a piece of paper folded many times so that it was the shape of a small triangle. Gaara had seen Sakura and Ino writing and folding notes like that, but he didn't understand why it was bad to have one. "Do you know what this is?"
Gaara shook his head.
Tsunade laid it down and carefully unfolded it. inside was a small pile of white powder, that Tsunade seemed determined not to touch.
"Do you know what this is?" she asked. At Gaara's repeated shake, she stood and began pacing the room. "This is cocaine. It's a drug. A very bad drug and you know drugs are illegal in school, right?"
Gaara nodded, lost in thought as he suddenly remembered something. Kankurou went to school once or twice a week with at least five of those packets in his pockets. He stared at the creased paper and swallowed.
"Gaara?" Tsunade said quietly. "Would you sit outside with Ukon and Sakkon so that I can speak with your brother now?"
Gaara jumped up, glad to be out of the room and with someone he knew, and hurried to the door. The four boys were leaning, or sitting against the wall and all four pairs of eyes turned towards him as he stepped out.
"She wants to talk to you Kankurou," he said quietly as he shut the door.
Kankurou nodded and straightened from when he had been leaning and walked passed him, but not before pausing and looking at him up and down for signs of anything wrong. He gave Gaara a smile then slipped inside and shut the door.
Gaara swallowed and glanced at the three older boys he was now alone with. Itachi gave him a sly grin and nodded his head for Gaara to come over by him. Gaara swallowed and backed away, which didn't account formuch since he was already against the wall. Sakkon tugged Gaara's sleeve to pull him away from the Uchiha. The two twins had a long glaring contest with Itachi while Gaara hid behind Sakkon.
"Itachi, come in too please."
At Tsunade's voice Itachi also straightened and walked into the office. Kankurou didn't come out though and Gaara began shifting nervously, glancing up at the twins. Sliding down the wall, he met the floor and shifted, wincing slightly, until he found a comfortable position. He curled himself up in a ball and held hisbroken arm.
He wanted Kankurou to come out; he wanted Neji to be there; he wanted to go home.
Flashback
"You greedy little brat!" his father screamed at him.
Gaara cringed and coward away from his father's shouts, no longer wanting another cookie from the large plate on the counter.
"You just want to eat everything in sight don't you? You think everything belongs to you! Don't you? ANSWER ME!"
"N—no! I'm sorry…I don't want a cookie anymore."
"Of course you don't! and you're not getting another one ever again! Understand?"
"No…" he replied honestly.
"What?"
"Why can't I get a cookie ever?"
"Because you're greedy! You're too bad to have a cookie. Get out of the kitchen now!"
End Flashback
He was being greedy again. He shouldn't want so much. Wanting was bad. He should just accept what he had. What did he have? Not much…
Gaara rested his head on his knees and sighed, waiting for Kankurou to come back out.
Ukon and Sakkon exchanged glances then looked down at Gaara.
Kankurou hadn't told them what happened to Gaara, but they now saw that he was really hurt. He didn't seem worried about his brother being in the office, Tsunade must have told him the outcome already, but he looked upset and in pain. Neither of them were very good at comforting anyone other then each other and their own way was strange and abnormal. They also knew that Gaara was prone to freak out when touched by someone that wasn't very close to him, and was even more nervous then usual when he was deprived of his comfort factor.
Ukon stood back, quite satisfied with his twin telepathy. Sakkon knelt down next to Gaara and placed a hand on his back. Gaara flinched and jerked away nervously, watching the younger twin from behind the bangs that were falling in his face.
"Ukon and I don't have to stay here," Sakkon told him, his monotone voice a great contrast from Ukon's hyperactive one. "We can leave if you—"
"No!" Gaara cried in a sudden panic. "Don't—don't leave me…alone…please…"
"Ok, ok, we'll stay," Sakkon assured him. "Do you want anything? A drink or something to eat?"
Gaara shook his head, once again resting on his knees. Ukon frowned slightly, fully aware of Gaara's bad eating habits. At the moment he didn't look as thin as he usually did, Kankurou must have been giving him a lot to eat when he was out, but he was still to thin to feel comfortable.
Ukon knelt down as well, on Gaara's other side, and also placed a hand on Gaara's back. "How about, when Kankurou comes out, we ditch school for the day?" he suggested.
Gaara's head snapped up, eyes wide. "Sk—skip school?" he asked, fear present on his face. "B—but that's bad…"
"So? Lots of kids skip school," Ukon told him.
"B—b—but…" Gaara stopped, unable to put into words what he wanted to say.
He was spared the chance though, as the office door opened and Itachi and Kankurou stepped out, Kankurou looking slightly pleased while Itachi looked livid, glaring daggers at the taller boy then down at Gaara. Gaara flinched and inched closer to Ukon, Itachi's smooth sly grin was gone, replaced by a monstrous glare.
It's your fault.
Gaara swallowed and stared down at the floor as Kankurou helped him stand. Itachi walked down the hall to sit in the chairs outside the school officer's office. The four of them left the office and walked down the hallways together. Ukon and Sakkon were giving Kankurou sideways looks of curiosity the entire time. Kankurou didn't say anything as they stepped out of the building and out onto the school grounds.
"Oh, come on!" Ukon finally cried. "What happened?"
Kankurou laughed a little, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Suspended. Two weeks. Fighting's bad," he said in a mock voice.
"And Itachi?" Sakkon asked.
"Expelled," Kankurou replied, quite pleased with the fact.
Ukon cheered and Sakkon nodded with a small grin. Kankurou turned to Gaara who was trailing directly behind the three and put his arm around his shoulders.
"Good job, Gaara, I'm proud of you," he said, giving his shoulders a squeeze.
"What did I do?" Gaara asked looking up at him.
"You told Principle Tsunade what happened with you and Itachi," Kankurou told him, steering him onto the sidewalk. "Because of that, Itachi's in an enormous amount of trouble and the families of the other people he's bothered can press charges against him."
Ukon gave a low whistle. "That bastard's been terrorizing the student body since he was in middle school. It's about time he's got what's coming to him."
"B—but Kankurou…" Gaara said slowly as they crossed a street and continued down the sidewalk. "You got suspended…Dad…"
"Don't worry about it, Gaara," Kankurou said assuringly. "You wont get in trouble—"
"But you will!" he cried moving out from under Kankurou's arm. "He's gonna find out and you'll get in trouble and it's my fault!"
"It's not your fault," Kankurou said sternly, stopping as Gaara stopped.
"Yes, it is!"
"No, it's NOT!" Kankurou shouted, causing Gaara to cringe and Ukon and Sakkon to look slightly uncomfortable with the argument. "It is not your fault! Stop saying stupid shit like that!"
Gaara hung his head and stared at the ground. Kankurou sighed and started walking again.
"We're going home, I don't feel like hanging out," he said to Ukon and Sakkon, who nodded and crossed the street, somewhat glad to be away from the embarrassing silence. Kankurou turned away from his brother and started for their house.
"K—Kankurou—" Gaara stopped, but Kankurou didn't stop or say anything. "Kankurou!" he tried to hurry after him, but his stomach wrenched and he doubled over in pain. "Ow…" he murmured, clutching his stomach.
Kankurou got a full two blocks before he realized Gaara wasn't with him. Turning, he saw Gaara stumbling towards him, a hand on the fences that lined the yards at the edge of the sidewalk. Kankurou crossed him arms and tapped his foot impatiently.
"Hurry up!" he called.
"I can't!" Gaara said, his expression showing how upset he was.
"I'm not waiting for you!"
"B-but Kankurou—"
"Hurry up!"
"Why are you being so mean to me?" he cried, slumping down to his knees.
"Why are you whining so—" Kankurou stopped, hearing himself. Sighing, he stopped tapping his foot and waited for Gaara to come to him. His patience with his brother was dying, but he didn't want to be a complete arrogant bastard.
Gaara didn't look at him when he finally caught up with his brother. Kankurou didn't say anything either as they continued at a much smaller pace back to their house. When they got there, they both froze and stared at the parked car in the driveway. Kankurou automatically reached for his phone to check the time.
Their father was home nearly five hours early.
Swallowing he lead Gaara up the driveway and quietly opened the door. Gaara saw him first and automatically ducked behind his brother. Their father was sitting in the overstuffed chair in the living room looking thoroughly pissed.
"Suspended, Kankurou?" he said, angrily. "Suspended?"
"Sorry," Kankurou mumbled, shrugging slightly.
"And you were fighting again!" his father said standing.
"Look, I'm sorry!" Kankurou said, frustration from before leaking out in his words. "This bastard was hurting Gaara, what'd you expect me to do?"
Their father's eyes darted to the redhead peeking out from behind his brother. "That little shit needs to learn to take care of himself," he snapped angrily. "You spoil him! And look where it's got you!"
Kankurou glared at him. "He's got a name! You gave it to him! Don't fucking call him that!"
"I'll call him whatever I want. It suits him," was the calm, yet snobbish reply. "Doesn't it? Little shit?"
Gaara cringed and gave a tiny nod, scared to do anything else.
"Kankurou, you better get your ass down stairs now."
Kankurou stood back a little and sighed as a way to calm him self. He knew this would happen. He didn't really care though. A beating he could take. It was worth it to see Itachi's face when Tsunade held out the cocaine Itachi had bought from him that very morning.
Turning, he pushed past a horrified looking Gaara and went through the kitchen to the basement stairs. He paused when he heard Gaara start to say something, but his father told him to be quiet and go upstairs, then start for the basement himself.
Neji frowned slightly looking around the cafeteria. Kankurou was no where to be seen and Neji was sure he was here today; they had walked to school together. But the cafeteria was devoid of Kankurous at the moment. Neji sat down and opened his lunch bag, still looking around.
"Hey Neji!"
Neji glanced over as Sasuke came over to sit as his table. He gave him a suspicious look. Sasuke rarely talked to anyone in school, but right now he looked ecstatic.
"Guess what happened!"
"What?" Neji asked humoring him.
"Itachi got expelled!"
Neji blinked. "What? What'd he do?"
"Got in a fight on the second floor," Sasuke told him, sitting back. "Dad's gonna be so mad! Ha! The other guy only got suspended!"
"Who?"
"That redhead kid—you're boyfriend's brother."
"Oh, my God! Are you serious? Over what?"
"I heard Itachi was messing with that kid…what's his name?"
Neji's eyes widened. "Gaara?"
"Yeah, Gaara, anyway, he was messing with him and all and Gaara's brother came around the corner and freaked. Started beating him up and you know how Itachi can't stand being bested in a fist fight," Sasuke said smugly.
"Is Gaara alright?" Neji asked.
"How should I know? Itachi's real messed up though," Sasuke said, happily. "He's got a busted lip and a blood nose and a black eye. Ha! I can't wait to go home!"
Neji gave him a small smile, then excused himself and left the cafeteria, heading towards the office. He went to the principle's office and knocked. The voices on the inside hushed a moment and he heard Tsunade's voice call for him to come in.
Upon entering, Neji saw three officers and Genma standing in the room and Itachi sitting in a chair in front of Tsunade. Itachi turned and saw him, having the nerve to crack a smirk.
"Well, well, well," he said smugly. "Too bad. You're bitch boy ain't here."
Neji stormed up to him and punched him in the face, knocking him off the chair and onto the floor. Genma groaned andplaced a hand over his eyes while thetwoofficers ran to hold Neji back.
"You fucking bastard!" Neji said angrily. "Keep your goddamn hands off my boyfriend!"
Itachi wisely stayed where he was, as Tsunade stood, trying not to laugh and came around to Neji.
"Can I help you Hyuga Neji?" she asked.
Neji took several quick breathes to calm himself down. "Is Gaara ok?" he asked, unable to look her in the face.
Tsunade smiled. "Yes, he's fine," she assured him. "So is Kankurou, but I believe the two of them skipped school after they left, which is understandable, but they are both fine."
"He didn't hurt Gaara?" Neji asked, glaring at Itachi.
"Not that I could tell," Tsunade said shaking her head. "Go back to lunch please, I still have issues to discuss here."
Neji nodded and bowed slightly, then turned and left, feeling much better then he did a few minutes ago.
Kankurou winced at the tightness of the twine around his wrists. He hated this. He would have just held still, but his father seemed to enjoy seeing someone completely at his mercy. Sadistic bastard. Kankurou refused to look up as his father came towards him with a cord ready to strike. He was stopped though.
"No! Please dad! Stop!"
Kankurou's head snapped up in alarm as Gaara came rushing down the stairs and grabbed their shocked father's arm.
"It's not Kankurou's fault! It's my fault! I was bad, but Kankurou got in trouble! Please don't punish him!" Gaara cried tugging on their father's arm, trying to get him away from his older brother.
"No! Gaara, get upstairs!" Kankurou ordered angrily, panic rising quickly. "It's not your fault! Stop lying!"
"I'm not! I'm not lying! Please, daddy, don't hurt Kankurou!"
"Get off, you little shit," his father snapped, shaking Gaara off him. "Now you're both getting punished. You," he pointed at Gaara, "I told you to stay upstairs! You're not allowed to eat unless I decide you can have something. It's not like you need to eat anyway, fatass. You," he turned to Kankurou, "for making me come home from work and causing trouble." A nasty grin spread across his face. "This is your punishment."
In a sudden movement, he grabbed the back of Gaara's neck and shoved him against the wall. He grabbed his good arm and tied it to the high strap there. Gaara looked startled as he turned in confusion, but Kankurou looked horrified.
"What are you doing?" panic was evident in Kankurou's voice now. "You said you were punishing me!"
"I am," he replied, snapping the cord at the air. "Don't you move," he ordered Gaara before snapping the cord down on Gaara's back.
Haku fell in pace with Neji as they walked to class. Neji looked mildly surprised to see him, but Haku wouldn't look at him. he was content to stare at the floor.
"You knew about Gaara?" Haku asked quietly.
"Yes..."
"When?"
"Gaara's birthday party...I sorta dragged it out of Kankurou..." Neji said quietly.
"Why haven't you done anything?" Haku cried, angrily.
"Because Gaara askedme not too," Neji said quietly. "I do what I can, but I don't want to betray Gaara's trust...he asked me not to tell anyone," Neji said, still in a quiet voice.
"Gaara never asked me to be quiet!" Haku said, suddenly excited. "I could tell someone! I could get him he--"
"No! Haku you don't get it!" Neji cried stopping. "If you tell some one, yes, they'll stop Gaara's dad...but they like proof!"
"Neji, Gaara looks horrible! They just have to take one look at the poor thing and they'll know!"
"Haku...the thing that Gaara is scared of most is showing anyone those scars...you've never seen them before..." Neji started walking again. "I love Gaara. I can't stand to see him like this, but..." Neji just shook his head and darted into his class room.
Haku sighed and continued walking down the hall. There had to be something!
Kankurou strained against his bonds; so much so that they were cutting into his wrists, coating his hands in blood. His throat hurt from sobbing and screaming at his father to stop. His breath would catch in his throat and escape in short ragged breaths.
"Please," he gasped out, exhausted from an emotional pain. "Please dad, stop hurting him…please."
A tiny whimper escaped Gaara's lips as the cord snapped across his back again. He had lost count of the snaps. It hurt horribly, but he refused to let the pained tears in his eyes fall, only letting small cries and whimpers slip through. His knees were starting to give way, but the tight strap around his wrist prevented him from falling. He gave a whimpering 'ow' as the man behind him raked his fingers up into his hair, letting them catch and lift him up a little.
Their father turned back to Kankurou, an evil grin plastured on his face as though he were thoroughly enjoying Kankurou's pain. Kankurou had never hated the man in front of him like he hated him now.
"Yes, I suppose you've learned your lesson, haven't you?" he said, letting go of Gaara's hair.
Gaara lost the dying strength in his legs and slumped down against the wall, held up by the strap. Their father grabbed his suspended arm and lifted him up to better get his hand out of it's bondage.
Kankurou watched in horror as his little brother was tossed on the floor like a child would throw a broken toy. His back was shining with blood from where the cord had cut through his skin. The pained cry from the impact with the floor from his brother caused tears to fall fresh down Kankurou's face. It tore him up inside and left him with thousands of broken pieces that could fit through a needle's eye, and his father knew it too. As he stepped over his trembling son on the floor, Kankurou looked up at him with pleading eyes.
"Don't leave him like that…please," he begged, pride gone, fully expecting to be left there.
His father didn't answer, but he reached out and untied the binds on Kankurou's wrists. As Kankurou slumped forward, the awkward position leaving him sore, the man turned and walked up the stairs, shutting the door as he did.
Kankurou crawled over to Gaara, not having much strength himself and ending up falling down next to him. He called his name in a desperate whispered and reached out to touch his head. Gaara slowly turned his head to him, a small smile on his face. This caused the older boy to burst into tears again and he pulled himself over so that their foreheads were touch, the only means of comfort Kankurou could manage at the moment.
"You…stupid idiot! What the fuck are you smiling about?" he demanded.
"I'm happy," Gaara whispered, closing his eyes. "He didn't hurt you."
"You….stupid, stupid idiotic fool!" Kankurou cried. "Stupid…stupid…oh my god…"
Mustering some of his strength, he reached out and pulled Gaara over to him, rolling himself onto his back so that Gaara could lay on top of him instead of the icy cold cement floor. He hugged him tightly, one hand on Gaara's head, the other on his lower back where there were no cuts or welts. Kankurou felt Gaara relax against him and they laid like that for a very long time in silence.
"Gaara…there are other ways…to hurt someone. You know that," Kankurou said quietly.
"I know…but I didn't want you to get hurt."
"Gaara…I don't understand why you did that…I had just yelled at you…I made you walk home by yourself! You were hurt!" Kankurou waited for an explanation, but Gaara was silent, seeming to be at a loss for what to say. "Gaara…."
"You're my brother…I love you…" Gaara answered quietly. "That's all…"
"I would have preferred getting hit…it hurts more to see you get hurt instead."
Gaara didn't answer. He could feel how hurt Kankurou was to see him take his punishment, but he didn't care. It made him feel good to have done it, proud of himself. He had never felt that before.
They stayed like that for a while longer. Kankurou was beginning to think of ways to get Gaara out of the cold basement with out hurting him more. Gaara just laid there, very still and quiet. The screaming pain in his back refused to die down, but he didn't want Kankurou to know.
"Gaara?"
"Hm?"
"I'm gonna try to move you now, ok? I'll try to be gentle." Gaara winced at his words. He didn't want to move yet, he still hurt.
Kankurou wrapped Gaara's arms around his neck and slowly sat up, placing his hands underneath Gaara's thighs. He stood up slowly and carefully, but still he couldn't avoid everything and more then once Gaara let out an involuntary whimper of pain. Kankurou gently carried him up the stairs, but the motion of his steps soon reduced Gaara into whimpering sobs of pain and he begged him to stop. Kankurou laid him face down on the sofa and carefully pulled away the remains of his brother's shirt. Hurrying upstairs, he got a wet cloth and the hydrogen peroxide from the bathroom along with a large handful of cotton balls.
He cleaned Gaara's back until the whole cloth was bright red, then he dipped a cotton balls in the peroxide. Gaara glanced over at what he was doing.
"No!" he whined. "Not that! Please Kankurou, no! It hurts, it stings!"
"Sh…I know, I'm sorry," Kankurou said softly. "But I need to put it on. You'll get infected if I don't."
There weren't as many cuts as the blood had made it seem. There were mostly just long thin welts while only three or four open cuts were present. Starting with a cut on his shoulder, Kankurou began dabbing the peroxide around. Gaara had used up all his willpower to not cry in the basement, leaving him with none now. He cried and sobbed, begging Kankurou to stop, but he didn't, knowing it was better to just get it over with.
Their father came down a few minutes later and looked into the living room with pure disgust.
"Would you shut UP?" he snapped, causing them both to jump. "My GOD!"
Gaara bit his lip, shaking as Kankurou silently continued his work. Desperately, Gaara tried to keep his voice silent, but it became too much and he burst out in short sobbing cries.
Their father stormed over to the sofa. "I said shut up, you little fuck!" he shouted.
Gaara watched him approach with terrified eyes, but Kankurou quickly stood and blocked his path glaring. His father ordered him to move, but Kankurou refused.
"You'll fucking kill him!" Kankurou said angrily.
"One less mouth to feed," was the reply.
"You barely give him anything to begin with!"
"He doesn't deserve it, the fucking fag!"
Kankurou glared at his father and pointed behind him at his brother. "Gaara does everything you tell him to do," his voice was low and restrained. "Everything! It's never been enough for you! Why can't you just leavehim alone?"
"Who wouldn't want to get rid of a thorn in their side?"
"He's your son! He's MY brother!"
"That doesn't mean I have to look at him like one," his father replied calmly.
Kankurou stared as the man turned and went to the front door, putting his coat on as he did so.
"No one comes into this house while I'm gone," he said before he shut the door. "Especially not that long haired bastard."
Kankurou sighed angrily, then turned to kneel back down next to Gaara and continued working. Gaara had turned his face away from him and he heard small sniffs coming from the small body. Kankurou placed a hand on Gaara's head and rubbed his head.
"I'm sorry Gaara…"
Dinner that night was completely silent. Temari hadn't been informed of what had happened earlier yet and didn't understand why Gaara wasn't allowed at the table. As they were sitting down, their father ordered Gaara to stand in the living room where he could see him while they ate. Kankurou was glaring the whole time, only picking at his food. When they were finished, their father called Gaara in and told him to do the dishes.
"You two go upstairs."
"But Dad, I usually do the dishes," Temari said softly.
"Not tonight."
Temari and Kankurou exchanged glances then stood, leaving the dining room to go up the stairs. They stopped on the fourth step though and sat down to listen. Kankurou told her about Gaara's punishment and she hung her head.
"It's the week end too," she said softly. "It'll be harder to get him food."
The listened carefully for any happening in the kitchen that they might want to intervene, but their father seemed to only want to make sure Gaara didn't eat any leftovers. When he was finished, his father shoved him out of the kitchen and told him to go upstairs. Gaara looked mildly surprised to see them on the stairs and gave them a small smile which they found difficult to return.
That night as he laid next to Kankurou on the bed, Gaara couldn't help but smile again. He closed his eyes, wishing for tomorrow to comes sooner.
H-R feels like a horrible person...her chest hurt so much when she was writing this...and she's so sorry! this chapter was supposed to be a funny one! but it took an nasty turn to depressing...the next will have some funniness in it I promise!