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Chapter 14: With Your Fingertips

Disclaimer: Same as always.

Hand in hand.

And it was just that, fingers intertwining with another's, doing nothing but innocently touching, swinging back and forth a little if the owners were to walk.

It was not the hands themselves that everyone was looking at, no. Many people around the school yard held hands, be it of friendship, guardianship, or love. In this particular case, yes, it was love. It was Naruto and Sasuke standing with their usual circle.

It was Naruto and Sasuke.

A boy and a boy.

And that made all the difference.

No one dared come closer, or call out anything (though the whispers were loud enough), but the eyes, and the looks were hard to ignore. The group, which at the moment consisted of the usual people (sans Tenten, Sakura and Ino who had volleyball tryouts that morning) tried to act as if nothing was different, but it was. They didn't seem to care, but that didn't mean others didn't.

The morning bell struck the air harshly, and the crowds began to move inside. Within the rapid current and cacaphony of voices, the predators caught sight of their prey.

"Fags," came the sharp whisper, as a larger, black-haired boy shuffled past Naruto, purpousefully knocking him harshly to the side. Sasuke helped his boyfriend to regain balance, clenching his fist so tightly it hurt t. Not that his assistance was needed, as the assaulter found himself face to face with none other than Hyuuga Neji.

"What the Hell did you just say?" Neji growled into the boy's face.

"I said, 'fags'. As in I don't want any dirty fags like them in my school." the boy hissed back. By this time, some members of the crowd had stopped, including Gaara, but the redhead had unfortunately been pushed back by larger students.

"It's alright, Neji," Sasuke said, squeezing Naruto's hand. "This isn't your fight."

"That bastard isn't worth it!" Naruto added fiercely.

Neji didn't back down, though, and continued his eerie glare at the attacker. "I want you to aplogize."

"Apologize for what, freak?"

"Apologize for being such a disrespectful asshole," Neji answered.

And the boy's reply was simply a punch to Neji's face. The Hyuuga saw it coming, but didn't have enough time to dodge fully, knocked off-balance by the force. Naruto and Sasuke both rushed forwards, but members of the crowd pressed them back. The same went for Gaara, who had finally managed to push his way back to the front, unable to do anything but watch as Neji prevented his fall and rushed at the boy with his fists raised. He made contact with the other's boy jaw, and was about to send a kick to his stomach when a taller figure stepped in between them.

"Both of you, stop!" Iruka yelled, catching Neji's leg in midair. Slowly, Neji withdrew, still glaring sharply at his opponent, a small bit of blood smudged from his lip onto his cheek.

"Neji, Katsuya, you'll both report to Tsunade's office and have a nice little chat with her concerning why you were fighting in the hall. I don't want to hear excuses." He shook his head, then turned to the students milling around. "The rest of you, back to class! Nothing to see here!"

The mob reluctantlybegan to disperse, and Neji turned to go, but was stopped by a voice.

"Neji, wait!"

Gaara had found his way through the crowd to Neji, a worried look on his face. Neji gave him a reassuring smile, but it seemed to have no effect, as Gaara reached his hand up to Neji's cheek, fingertips lightly brushing the skin near to his mouth. Neji's lips parted, but he couldn't think of anything to say, watching Gaara's disheartened face.

"You-You have blood on your face," the redhead murmured, withdrawing his fingertips. Surely enough, just a bit of blood stained them, shocking red against white. Gaara stared at it a little, unsure what to do next.

"You should go to class," Neji said quietly. "I'll be fine."

Gaara shook his head. "You're bleeding. I'll help you clean up."

Neji didn't have the heart to protest, as Gaara clamped his hand around Neji's wrist pulled him into the washroom. The redhead quickly wet a little bit of paper towel, his actions quick but sure. Fluorescent light was cast down upon them, balls of paper towel stuck to the cielings, and a small passage of tasteless graffitti was scribbled beside the rectangular mirror. After a few breaths, Neji's pulse was completely back to normal, though it became erratic once more as he felt Gaara wipe at his lip, the blood mixing in with the droplets of tap water. The paper towel was rough, but Gaara's fingertips were smooth and uncalloused, dabbing at the torn flesh.

"I could've done it myself," Neji mentioned.

"I know." Gaara leaned in closer to inspect the small wound, coming up on his toes, a little unsteady. Back against the wall, Neji felt another warmness come over his cheeks as one of Gaara's hands rested on his chest as not to topple over. Neji felt impulse to lean forwards, just a little bit closer, and yet he found himself frozen. They stayed that way a few seconds, the distance between them tempting to close, until Gaara slowly let himself step away, suddenly all-too aware, and a little fearful.

"Does it hurt?"

Neji shook his head, trying to keep his face from falling. "Only a little."

Was that a lie? Not entirely; Gaara never specified what he was asking about. Neji's lip felt fine. The rest of him didn't. His body felt a little worn, afteraffects from Sunday's injection, and he regretted it, causing his insides to grow heavy with guilt.

Gaara gave a little nod, as they headed into the near-empty hall, dropping his hand to his side, fingertips prickling with the blood rushing through them. As he caught Neji's eye, his head moved upwards slightly, and Neji smiled widely.

"You did it again."

"What?"

"That head thing you do," Neji replied, and Gaara blushed slightly. "Alright, I'll see you later. Kay?"

Gaara nodded, heading down the hall towards class. Neji went the opposite, trying to shake Gaara's expression from his head. It was eerie, how sad and frightened the boy looked…

By just a little bit of blood.

o

After the dispute Monday morning, the ice seemed to have broken for everyone in the junior high school. Most students didn't give a damn if guys were dating other guys and minded their own business, but some others were strongly opposed to the issue.

And some were just waiting for broken hearts to heal.

The atmosphere at the lunchtable that Monday was a little tense, though most were ignoring it. Gaara was glad when Neji walked over to their table in the cafeteria, not having had much of a chance to talk to his friend since the morning.

"What happened in the office?" the redhead asked.

"Tsunade thought my reasons were 'almost justified', and decided not to give me harsh punishment. The other guy got suspended for a week, though, and has to do some community service. I have suspension for two days starting tommorow, and detention today. I was heading there now, but decided to let you know where I'd be. You know…"

"Alright," Gaara said with a shy smile. "Thank you for telling me. I'll see you next class."

As Neji turned to leave, he gently rested his hand on Gaara's shoulder, giving a little squeeze that made Gaara's insides tingle and his smile grow wider, though he tried to hide it.

Meanwhile, Ino stared at her yogurt when she wasn't being loud, and Sakura stuck her head into her history text book, reluctant to come out. However, Naruto insisted on interfering, reaching across the table and snatch it away, despite her protests.

"Why do you need to study?" he asked, holding it up in the air so she couldn't reach. "You already know this stuff forwards and backwards, and probably sideways!"

"Just give it back!" she insisted, standing up on the bench to extend her reach. Finally, after she almost falling on Hinata, Kiba snatched the book and tossed it to her, much to Naruto's annoyment. Ino ignored this, stabbing at her yogurt, mashing the chunks of strawberry within into pulp. Shikamaru met Chouji's eye, and both sighed. Everyone could tell.

Sasuke sighed, obviously annoyed. "Ino. Sakura."

"Hai?" Ino responded roughly, but Sakura was quiet.

"Are you two alright?" he asked in his steady voice.

Ino snorted. "Why the Hell wouldn't I be? Don't worry, I'll get over it."

Meaning no, Ino wasn't exactly okay. But she was dealing with it in her own way, and anyone who stepped onto her path would likely end up roadkill.

"Sakura?"

The pink-haired girl glanced up, aware of all eyes on her. "You don't need to be concerned about me… I'm fine, really."

She ducked her head, feeling Hinata pat her hand gently, giving a knowing smile. This only made Sakura grow more unstable, until finally she stood with her tray, heading for the garbage next to the door. No one was really surprised when she didn't come back. Hinata looked at the table, her fingers fidgeting in her lap, but she didn't seem to be too upset.

"Ino, maybe you should go check on Sakura," Chouji mumbled.

Shikamaru gave a little nod of agreement. "Yeah, don't women like to be consoled by their girlfriendsin times like this?"

Ino shrugged. "I know what Sakura's dealing with. I really don't think she wants to be around people now. I may sound insensitive, but you have to respect her wishes."

Naruto leaned his head on Sasuke's shoulder, guilt hidden in his half-smile. Sasuke looked at him through the corner of his eye, his look a little cat-like; mischeivious and clever. He leaned down a little, the tension building, though Naruto looked a little far-off.

TenTen rolled her eyes. "Don't get carried away, you two, or you'll just be asking for trouble. Geez, something interesting happens just as I'm moving."

Quite a few heads popped up at this, the most noticeable one being Lee (most likely because of his hair-cut).

"You're moving?" he asked loudly. "When?"

"At the end of this week…" TenTen replied dimly.

Ino seemed outraged. "And why didn't you tell us until now?"

"It was on pretty short notice, since it's just my mom's company that's moving us. Besides, I didn't want to have some big sappy good-bye party," TenTen explained.

"Good chance of that happening now," Shikamaru commented sarcastically as he saw the glint in Ino's eye.

"Dammit, TenTen, we're gonna throw you a party anways!" she yelled, and everyone gave a collective sigh, knowing they would all be pulled into helping, either by guilt or blackmail (and Ino knew quite a bit about both).

o

Row upon row of puke-green and beige lockers lined the empty hall, silent save for Gaara's light footsteps, following him as he headed back to the cafeteria. He had gone to his locker to get his history notesafter being reminded of thetest they had at the end of the day, taking a little detour past the detention room on the way, and had almost got caught waving coyly at Neji through the window. Suddenly, there was sound from up ahead of him, as a figure turned the corner, eyes following her feet. He stopped, seeing the tears on her cheeks.

Sakura looked up, then turned her face away. "Oh. Hi, Gaara."

"Hi…"

Sakura sniffled, using a nimble finger to catch any drips of mascara that might've been coming from her eyes. Her bangs were slightly wet, mostly likely from splashing her face with water, and her make-up looked as if it had been hastefully reapplied, though that didn't cover the red puffiness of her eyes. She blinked a few times, trying to calm herself.

"It hurts…very much, inside of you…doesn't it?" Gaara asked softly.

Sakura looked as if she had been caught off-guard for a second, before leaning against the lockers. "It does. More than I ever thought it would. I mean, it always hurt before, when Sasuke would ignore me, or call me annoying but…now that it's actually… He's completely out of my reach. Maybe he always was, but that doesn't make it any better."

Gaara seemed hesitant, taking a step or two towards her. "You cared for him."

"That was obvious," she said a little snarkily. "I loved him, if you can call it that. I know it sounds stupid, but I did! I…still do, I think. On some level. But maybe it was just a crush, who the Hell knows!"

A bang reverberated down the hall as she hit her fist against the metal, closing her eyes tightly. Gaara ventured just a little closer, eyes sympathetic.

"I'm not sure what to say to help you…" he murmured.

"It's alright. I mean, you're here. I suppose I wanted to be on my own, but I think it helps to talk to someone. I feel like such a fool. Everyone can see. I guess my special person just isn't Sasuke, and I can only hope things turn out. We're only thirteen, what do we know about this sort of thing? It felt so strong, though. Maybe I was imagining." Her eyes darkened once more. "Thank you…for listening to me. It means a lot."

He gave her a little nod, nervously shifting his eyes. "Wh-what does it feel like?"

"What does what feel like?"

"…love. If you don't mind me asking."

"No, it's okay. I guess… In a way it was the best thing I had ever felt," she told him softly, and they began to walk side by side back to the cafeteria. "Sometimes, when we met eyes, or were even close to eachother, I couldn't help but smile. It just made me feel so good inside, made me want to work hard to be there for him, and to make him notice me. It was horrible, other times. I hated myself for being so pathetic, and not meaning anything to him. But…" Her face took on her usual cheerful expression. "I don't regret it. Not at all."

Gaara gave a bit of a smile, thoughts hiding beneath the emerald of his eyes. Sakura definitely looked better, and he felt a little proud for helping her. As they came to the cafeteria table, a few eyebrows were raised.

"Were you two, like…doing something?" Kiba asked, and recieved three separate kicks from under the table.

Sakura shook her head. "I just met Gaara on the way back from the washroom. Nothing happened."

Kiba was tempted to continue his jesting, but decided his own personal safety was more important. Gaara immersed himself in his history notes, though it was hard to concentrate with all the buzz about TenTen's going-away party, and Sakura's words about love floating around his head.

It hurt…

And yet she had no regrets.

How could one believe so strongly in something that they weren't even sure existed?

o

Immediately after lunch, before the dreaded history test, came art. Kakashi set out some items for his students, letting them sit choose the groups they would sit in, then telling them to arrange the items in any way they pleased.

"Today's lesson is on still life," he announced, handing out paper. "You'll be drawing these objects from a few different angles. We're getting this curriculum stuff overwith so we can start doing some more interesting art later."

Lee raised his hand. "Um, Kakashi-sensei, what happened to our clay sculptures? Have you baked them yet?"

The art teacher looked puzzled for a second before putting back on a carefree guise. "Slipped my mind. I'll get them done for next week."

Which most likely meant never.

Gaara stared intently at the objects Neji and Lee had carefully arranged. He tried to draw them, outline first, then inside details; the way Kakashi had specified, but found himself drawing everything out of porportion. They'd gone over this techniquie endlessly at his old school, but he hadn't bothered to listen much, trying to get as far away from everyone as possible by burrowing into his head.

"Hey, Gaara…"

The redhead looked over at Neji lazily. "Mm-hm?"

Neji leaned in a little closer, eyes flitting anxiously around the room, resting finally on Gaara. "Um, I was just… I heard something from Kiba, and was wondering if it was true…" He paused, tapping his pencil a few times on the desk, before Gaara gave him an insistent nod and he found the words to continue. "Were you and Sakura…um, doing anything at lunch?"

Gaara gave an amused smile. "No, not at all. I just met her in the hall and we just talked a little."

"So nothing-"

"Nothing happened," Gaara said firmly, and Neji relaxed a little, letting his eyes run over the curves of a teacup before starting again on his sketch. Gaara took a little peek, surprised at how much Neji's sketch looked like the real thing.

"How did you get so good?"

Neji shrugged. "Hinata and I always had to go to business dinners with our father, dressed up all fancy. The adults didn't want to talk to us, though, so I started taking a sketch book and drawing the weird statues or people. There's one this weekend I'm dreading, but I have to go…" As his voice faded off, he grabbed his eraser, and carefully turned the opening of the vase leaned against a bottle back into white. "This looks weird from this angle, especially with the lighting." Neji wrinkled his nose, showing frustration. "How are you doing, Lee?"

Lee gave a thumbs up, concentrating too intensely to say anything.

Gaara veiwed his own work skeptically. "Looks like an earthquake hit it."

Neji gave it a look over, and shook his head. "It's not that bad, really. You're shading's pretty nice."

"Not really."

Neji ran his thumb over the slightly rough surface of the paper, still light enough that the lead didn't smudge.

"Yes really," he argued. "You're…a lot more…than you think you are. And even if you don't think so, I do."

Gaara's eyes flickered to the cut on Neji's lip, then up to courageously meet Neji's gaze. And Neji flinched just a little, as memories of yesterday flitted in. Would Gaara understand, just how much it was eating away at him? He didn't want to let it show, feeling filthy and ungood.

Still life is the art of capturing a moment, so you can return to it again and again, never letting yourself forget.

Ende Chapter 14