Lost and Found

By: Junsui Kegasu

A/N: I'm on like…a role here. Updating, updating, updating!

Disclaimer: I own nada!

The next morning came very quickly, Gaara noted, even though he hadn't slept at all. Sometime through the night, he had slipped on the pants Neji had loaned to him. He couldn't find a belt nearby, and he didn't feel like snooping, so the pants would slip down if he stood up, but he had rolled up the legs so they dangled at a good length for him.

It was now 4:30, and he was wondering when Neji got up. He knew that Temari usually woke up at five and Kankurou around six thirty, but he hadn't bothered to ask Neji.

Neji…there were a lot of things he had never bothered to tell Neji…

He shook his head to clear it. He couldn't like Neji like that…his father would kill him. He knew for a fact that he was extremely homophobic, and he was, if possible, worse when he was freaked out than when he was drunk.

But, still, he couldn't help himself. Deep down inside, he knew that he liked Neji…like that. The only thing was, he was sure Neji didn't feel the same. That was a big factor in all of this.

In all truth, he couldn't really be absolutely sure that what he had for Neji was something like a crush. He had never had a crush on anyone before. The only people he really loved were Kankurou, Temari, his mother, and his father.

Kankurou said it wasn't right to love him anymore, after all he had done, but Gaara couldn't help it. Those three years of perfection and ecstasy had stuck with him. He didn't think he could ever forget the kind-hearted, loving father he had used to have. Deep down, he hoped that man was still there, covered up by years of hatred, anguish, and alcohol.

If he knew how to fish him out, he would. For anything, he would.

Just like he would give anything at the moment to know how Neji felt. It was kind of nerve-wracking, not knowing if Neji was gay or not, and a lot of possibilities pointed to him being straight. Normally, he'd be able to let go and live on. Hadn't he been able to deal with rejection most of his life? But for some reason, he thought that to have Neji reject him and brand him a freak, the fact that he was one not being that point, could be the final straw. He didn't know what he would do then.

Suicide sure as hell isn't an option.

Gaara jumped. He hadn't been expecting the demon to be snooping into his musings.

'I know…please…just go away…'

Hn. You sure sound a lot more confident in your head than you do when you talk.

Thankfully, these were the sand-incarnate's last words, and he left Gaara alone.

Someone stirred on the floor next to him, and Gaara jumped, expecting to be hit.

"Relax, kid…jeez…"

Gaara blinked. It was only Kankurou. Suddenly, a florescent light filled the room (Kanky-chan knows what I'm talking about XDD) and Gaara had to squint from the brightness of it.

"Ahhh…dammit, it's only five…I'm not gonna be able to get back to sleep…" Kankurou muttered, sitting up and stretching. The light had completely faded now, and the room seemed darker than before.

"D-do you know what t-time Neji g-gets up?" Gaara asked, wondering if he had just zoned out and missed something.

"Nah, he didn't say anything." The older teen was never really a morning person, but he did tend to become fully awake quickly with someone to talk to. "I guess there's nothing really to do except get dressed."

He got up, made his way over to where a small pile of clothing was, and picked up the pants, cringing. "Something tells me that these are gonna be really short…" he mused aloud, but slipped off his pants (RELAX, PEOPLE, he's wearing boxers!) and put on Neji's pair.

He was correct, the pants didn't even make it to his ankles, but they fit fine around the waist. Gaara had a feeling that would happen. Because of their father, all three of them were hardly fat; Kankurou was just barely a medium build, Temari a slim, and Gaara beyond that.

"I think I might just need to make it through with a pair of shorts…they can't really be too short…" he muttered, sliding on Neji's borrowed shirt.

It was then Gaara remembered that he hadn't asked Neji for a shirt, and as it was, people were beginning to note that he had worn the same shirt to school every day for three days, now. It was kind of hard to forget, now that he thought about it, since it was emblazoned in large, shiny, eye-catching font:

"Do you have ADD?"

Kankurou had laughed when he saw it, and immediately purchased it. They more or less shared shirts, even though most of Kankurou's hung off Gaara like he was draped in a large, usually black sheet.

"H-hey…K-kankurou?" he started, very shy.

"Mm?" The older boy was currently preoccupied with trying to find a way to yank the pants down his hips and not make himself look extremely ghetto.

"U-um…I…ah…I…I…-"

"You can tell me. Jeez, I'm not gonna like…kill you for saying something 'selfish' in your book."

"I…" Gaara sighed. He could do this. He knew he could. "I…I need a-a shirt…" he mumbled finally, looking at the ground.

Kankurou blinked. "You do? Well…actually, come to think of it, you haven't changed your shirt in days, have you? God, you hardly smell at all! Amazing, kid," he complemented. "But, yeah, that thing is very eye-catching. You're gonna want to change…my shirt probably isn't better, I've been wearing this thing since last Friday…"

Gaara blinked. "A week?"

"Yeah, what can I say? Laundry never gets done at home."

"That's because we don't have a washer or a dryer and no one ever has money for the cleaners," Gaara remarked matter-of-factly.

"Meh. Either way, I'm sure we can get Neji to lend you a shirt."

At this, Gaara flushed darkly. Neji was really doing too much for him, way too much, considering he was absolutely worthless. "It's okay…if he doesn't…. you've gone a week, I've gone three days…"

"Yeah, well mine's very black and yours tests for ADD," Kankurou retorted. "You need another shirt."

"…Fine…" Gaara gave up his steam in an argument very quickly, and this time was no exception.

Nearby, they could hear Neji stirring and decided to keep their mouths shut until he woke up.

"You really should've woken me up!" Neji exclaimed, not really angry with either of the two teenagers, but being very hurried. This had been the second day in a row he had woken up late – he needed to get back on schedule.

"Now," he muttered, mostly to himself, "a shirt…" he dug through the drawers, pretending to not notice Gaara, who was freaking out and trying to assure him that it was okay.

"No, no, you need a shirt. The authorities at school will start suspecting shit," he said simply, not meaning it to be a threat, but Gaara took it as one. His face went white and rigid, his hands going to his face and pressing themselves against his mouth.

"Oh, god…oh, no…oh, no, no, no, no, NO!" he whispered at first, his voice getting increasingly louder until it was nearly a scream, tears filling his eyes, then he started rambling, his breath hitching.

"Wh-what if they've al-already figured it o-out, I m-mean I've g-gone to sc-school we-wearing the s-same clothes f-for a w-w-week on-once, an-and I-Iruka-sensei, oh G-god, I-iruka-se-sensei is s-so worried al-already-"

He broke off into a violent coughing fit that made him double over with the force. Neji's eyes widened, and he quickly tossed aside the shirt he was going to give the younger teen.

"Breathe, Gaara!" he cried, embracing him and pulling him tight against his chest.

Gaara shook his head, his petite frame wracking from the force of his coughs, trying to force some air into his lungs.

"K-KANKUROU!" Neji shouted, rubbing circles on the redhead's back. He inwardly winced when he could feel his ribs and his spine all-too clearly.

Kankurou rushed in. "What's wro-" he spotted Gaara, obviously having some kind of attack and swore loudly.

"Temari!" He called. "Temari, do you carry your inhaler with you everywhere?"

He could hear Temari's voice from down the hall. "No…why?"

"He's flippin' out!" Kankurou called, panicked. "What other methods are there?"

"Um…um…if it's not too bad an attack, try to get through to him and get him to calm down!" she called back, sounding worried, now.

Kankurou took a few nervous steps, then bent down and started whispering things into the redhead's ear. Neji caught things like '…won't hurt…' '… Neji, Temari…' and '…it's okay…'. After a few, long moments, Gaara took one shallow, shuddery breath, clutching his chest and leaning fully against Neji.

"A-are you okay…?" The raven-haired teen asked tentatively, keeping a hand resting gently on the redhead's back.

"I'm…fine…" Gaara managed between pants. After another minute of regaining his breath, he pushed off of Neji and instead sat on the bed. The older boy handed him the shirt he'd be loaning him.

"It'll probably be huge on you, but it's somewhat small on me, so there you go."

Gaara nervously fidgeted on the bed while eyeing the tee shirt. Neji thought for a moment why he was getting so twitchy, and then a light bulb went off. "If you don't want to change in here, the bathroom is open," he offered, going back to rummaging in his drawers, though he had found everything he needed.

They were just about ready to go to school before Temari remembered that their books and such were still at their house.

"Kankurou, what if he's still home?" she asked, biting her lip.

"He shouldn't be," Kankurou told her, knowingly. "He always leaves the house around 7, and it's 7:30, now."

Gaara nodded in agreement, and the four of them set off for the house, pretty much carefree about the moment. When they turned the corner, however, they stopped dead when they saw their father's car inhabiting the driveway.

Neji noticed the effects of this immediately. Gaara gasped loudly and started shaking. Kankurou had to put a hand on his shoulder and tell him to calm down, but Neji noticed there was a nervous edge to his voice. Temari had swallowed nervously, and suddenly, her shoes were extremely interesting.

"Are you guys gonna be okay?" Neji asked after a moment. None of them looked particularly ready to go inside and retrieve their after-school stuff, at least, not with their father home.

After a moment, Kankurou swallowed and glared at the house. "I'll go in and get them. They're all in our rooms, aren't they?"

"M-mine's in yours…" Gaara told him quietly. "A-and…isn't D-dad mad at you for c-cussing him out on th-the phone?"

Kankurou felt himself losing his nerve. He had forgotten about that. "Hey, if you go in there, then he'll probably hurt you worse than he'd hurt me."

Temari gasped. "Well, if he's gonna hurt you, then why can't I go in?"

He gave her a stern look. "I'm not risking that."

"But he won't hurt me! He's mad at you, he'll hurt you!"

"He's probably drunk!" Kankurou declared, and both his siblings looked down, knowing it was true. "He'll probably hurt you just for staying over there with us! Temari, you're his favorite, but he's not afraid to hurt any one of us. You know that," he told her. "I'm going in to get them, and if he tries anything, I'll toss the bags out the nearest window. If I don't come with them, then whatever, I'll be fine."

Gaara gasped loudly, eyes wide. "B-but…" he knew from experience that staying home with their father all day when he was drunk could likely get you killed. The last time he had had to was when he had gotten pneumonia when he was 12. For a while, their dad had taken care of him, and it had gotten his hopes up, but as soon as it looked like he'd be okay, he started up again.

"Don't worry. I fight back," Kankurou said, grinning. "Now, you just wait here, and I'll be back, I swear." He tried not to make it look like he was scared; he needed to be strong for his little brother, and even though Temari had nine months on him, she was still his sister, and he'd protect her, too.

He made his was to the doorway of the house, squaring his shoulders, and yanked open the door, stepping inside. As quietly as he closed the door, he still heard a shout from upstairs.

"WHO'S THERE?"

Kankurou winced. He was awake, pissed, and drunk. He needed to get upstairs to grab their bags…but avoiding his father would be impossible.

Quietly, he snuck up the stairs, being sure to avoid any creaky areas. He had been here long enough to know exactly where they were in the house. The hallway was going to be a trickier feat to accomplish unnoticed, however. Temari's room was first, the first room on the left, so he silently went in and scooped up her bag. Shouldering it, he made his way back out the hallway, and gulped.

His father's room was open, and he hadn't noticed him yet, but he would unless he timed it so that he wasn't looking as he passed by. Taking one tiptoed step, Kankurou gulped, considering his options. He heard another empty bottle crash to the floor, shattering upon contact, and his father got up to get another one.

Now was his chance.

Sneaking quickly and silently over, he was right in front of his room. He remembered only a second too late that there was a loud creak right in front of it, and in his hurry, he stepped on it. He took a sharp intake of breath; his father had good hearing and would've heard that. He dashed into the room, scooped up his and Gaara's bags, and ran for it.

His father, although drunk, was fast, and Kankurou was weighed down by the combined weight of three high school students' bags.

'Shit, I'm not gonna make this!' he thought, thinking fast and dashing into Temari's room. He heard a crash that sounded like his father hadn't had the quick thinking or coordination to follow him and went flying down the stairs. He heaved the window open and tossed out all three bags, then caught his breath, his heart racing.

He only took a couple seconds of leisure before standing up again, peeking around the corner of Temari's room. The coast looked clear, so he turned to go down the stairs.

"Thought you could get 'way?" Came a slurred voice from his left. Kankurou gasped and spun around. There, right in front of him, was his father, his eyes glazed from alcohol and his breath reeking of the stuff.

"Thought you coul'…could do an'thing…ya wanted…dintcha? DINTCHA?" he reached over and grabbed Kankurou's chin, forcing him to look him strait in the eye. "ANSWER ME WHEN I SPEAK TO YOU, UNGRA'FUL BAST'RD!" he screeched, spraying Kankurou with spit.

Well now, two could play at that game.

Calling a large wad of mucus to his mouth, Kankurou took aim and fired, hitting the drunken man right in the face.

"Yeah, I did." And he ran.

He could hear his father screaming curses at him as he dashed down the stairs, jumping the last five, but he didn't care. He'd deal with it later. He wrenched open the front door and bolted outside, slamming it behind him. He ran around the side of the house and retrieved his own bag, noting that Temari and Gaara's were gone. That meant they had already left.

He didn't stop running until he saw a very familiar pinprick of red, and even then, he just sped up to a sprint. None of them noticed him at all, even though he was only a good 10 feet behind him, where he could hear the conversation. Temari was in tears.

"H-h-he got caught! G-gaara, we have to go back! We have t-to go back!" she was protesting, burying her head in her hands.

"Nii-chan s-said he'd be okay…" Gaara whispered. "I…I b-believe him…"

"H-he's gonna kill him! H-he's go-gonna be mad at him f-from last n-night a-and-" Kankurou decided it was a good moment to come in. He was only five feet behind them, now.

"Temari, do you really have that little trust in your little brother?" he said, a note of teasing on his voice.

She gasped and spun around. Kankurou instantly felt bad when he saw the tears on her face shine in the morning sunlight. "KANKUROU!" she exclaimed, running over to hug him. He grinned wildly.

"You will never believe what I did to him!" he told them both, and then proceeded to tell his story the whole way to school.

Tah-dah! Chapter…FINISHED! Yep, I'm back from vacation, and I like how this one came out. It kinda seems like the ending to the story…but it's not, we still have some ways to go! Not A LOT a lot…but..you know!