I don't own Naruto…

Author's Note: Chapter 9. Sorry for such the long wait, but this was 11 pages but not beta-ed so yeah…xD

Pairings: Neji/Gaara, Naruto/Sasuke…

Warnings: Violence, asshole-dad, guy and guy loving, self inflicted violence, crazyness, OCCness

A Dangerous Game: Bruise and Abused

By: Dead Walking Raccoon

Mondays were no longer Gaara's least favorite day of the week. Sunday was.

His father took off the day, complaining he was under to much 'stress' to go to work. Gaara was the one truly under to much stress. Sundays were reserved for cleaning the house. While going threw out the day their father would be looking over their shoulders, mainly Gaara's. If something wasn't to his liking, he'd hit Gaara and demanded he do everything over.

"You missed a spot." His father's growled and grabbed his neck roughly, forcing him back to where Gaara had been previously been working.

"S-sorry." Grabbing the sponge he'd been using to wash the kitchen counter. He dunked it into the soapy bucket, and then scrubbed over the stop again. After seeing nothing there, he again made to get up.

"Are you fuckin' blind?" The elder man asked. A sharp jerk back down to the counter, which if Gaara would have hit his nose would have broken it, and he was again looking at the stop he'd cleaned twice. "You can't see what's right in front of you or something? I'm not wasting my money to get you glasses if you are. It's bad enough those 'friends' of yours you're always with are wasting their time to be with you."

Gaara shuddered at his father's harsh words, but they didn't stop.

"I don't know why they tolerate being around you, the gods know I'm not paying them. Maybe they're just using you; I know you're too much of a bitch to see too much into that though." The man smiled, feeding off of the tears in the corners of Gaara's eyes. "I've seen that Hyuga pick you up several times, are you his bitch? Have you let him get into your pants, have you let him fu-"

"Shut up! You don't know anything about Neji!" Gaara shouted before he could fully realize what he'd said.

A well aimed punch and Gaara was thrown off balance with a throbbing head on the ground. "Did you just fucking talk back to me, you little shit?"

"Dad? Dad!" Temari ran into the room, having heard shouts from up stairs where she'd been cleaning. "Gaara are you-"

"Get the fuck up stairs!" Their father yelled still standing over his youngest son. Temari jumped at the terrifying commanded, and rushed to get Kankuro.

Gaara looked up at his enraged father. The man was clearly pissed beyond belief. Gaara never talked back to his father, probably the only one that did was Kankuro. He was the only one that could match their father in strength.

"You didn't fuckin' answer me." Gaara's father grabbed the front of his shirt, punching him in the stomach before throwing him to the ground.

The redhead coughed, spitting up the salty taste in his mouth. He didn't answer, angering his father more, and the man moved to hit him again. At that time Kankuro ran into the kitchen, stepping in between his fallen brother and pissed of father.

"Get out of my way, boy." Their father threatened.

"Why don't you leave Gaara alone, asshole?" Kankuro shot back. The two stared each other down, neither even blinking in their silent battle.

In the end, their father grabbed a beer and headed for the door. "Clean up that fuckin' mess before I get back." He yelled over his shoulder before slamming the door closed.

"Asshole…" Kankuro mumbled under his breath. Turning around he picked up Gaara from the ground. "You ok?"

"Y-yeah." Gaara coughed a few more times, small bits of blood coming up.

"Liar."

Before the brothers had their own small fight Temari intervened. "You take Gaara to your room and I'll clean up."

"I can do it." Gaara tried to pick up the fallen sponge but failed and only caused more unsympathetic coughing.

"Like hell you can." Kankuro scowled but helped his brother up the stairs and into their room.

Gaara sighed and allowed his brother to help him. If he'd just kept his mouth shut none of it would have happened. But, he felt a small ping of pride. He'd spoken against his father. He'd yelled at his father and stood up for Neji; for his friends. He knew what his father was saying was a lie. They weren't using him, they cared for him. He could tell.

"What are you smilin' about? You just got your ass kicked." Leave it to Kankuro to state the obvious.

Grinning even more, Gaara looked up at his brother. "I yelled at dad."

Such a simple thing might have been normal for normal teenagers. But this was a huge step for Gaara; one Kankuro didn't know his brother would ever take. As much pain as it had caused him, he knew Gaara was proud of him self. Ruffling the tuff of red hair, he grinned at his younger brother.

Gaara rubbed his blurry eyes and turned on the stairs light. His stomach rumbled miserably and he moved zombie like to the kitchen. His limbs were stiff and hurt still from a few nights ago. But when your stomach calls, you are useless to ignore it.

Gradually more when Kankuro pushed him off the bed with a command to get something to eat.

So Gaara padded his way into the dimly lit kitchen and opened a cupboard to find himself something to eat. There were a few things, crackers, cookies, and other food. He pushed a few of the foods around, looking for something to sustain his hunger.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

Gaara didn't even get a chance to turn around before he was punched to the side. His father stood over him, a not yet opened beer can in one hand and the other raised. "You think you can just come down here and eat my food when ever you feel like it?"

"I-I'm sorry d-dad. I-I was h-hungry-" Gaara stammered only to get kicked in his abdomen. Blood spattered the floor, turning the once white tile to become red.

"You little shit! Now look at the mess you made!" His father pushed his head into the ground. His head throbbed, hair now caked with blood but not very noticeable.

Gaara tried to apologize but the older man would have nothing of it. A chunk of hair was ripped upward and Gaara had no choice but to fallow. He had to stand on the tips of his toes to lessen at least some of the pain.

His father spit in his face. "Get the fuck out of my house!" He roared before flinging the boy into the wall. Gaara didn't move, not sure exactly what to do despite the order. Did the man simply want him to go back to is room or actually leave the house?

Crossed, his father slapped him across the face. "Are you deft? I said get the fuck out of my house you piece of shit!"

Frightened beyond belief, Gaara ran.

He ran out of his house and onto the calm streets of Konoha. He had neither shoes nor jacket from the rain crashing down like small frozen daggers. The leaves were starting to change as well as the sunny weather it had been like the past few months. Now, fall was showing its face and winter not long behind it. Fallen trees limbs and leaves were on the ground and scratched his bare feet.

He didn't know where he was going, he was just running. Running from his father and what his father had done to him. He was running again, but this time he didn't know where he was going.

Gaara ran through the middle class neighborhoods. He looked for anything he recognized but saw nothing. He kept running, through a small farm separating the inner city from the rich house a few minutes away. By bus it would take the same as walking if you cut through people's yard.

His feet hurt, his stomach and head hurt, and even if he was running he was getting chills all up and down his spine. If he stopped he'd be shaking like a leaf in the wind.

The houses continued to get larger and larger the farther he got away from his house's direction. He knew where he was, but not deliberately, and ran to the front's large door. He knocked until he thought his knuckles would bleed. The quick rapping would wake some one, and they would help.

The door opened, and an annoyed looking Hyuga was standing in front of Gaara. Neji looked very surprised after noticing who it was at his door at such a late hour.

Gaara was standing in front of him, drenched to the bone, bloody, white shirt sticking to his chest and a dark bruise showing through, and the bags under his eyes looking worse then ever. "Gaara…What happened?"

The red haired boy looked up at him and pleaded with mint green eyes to not leave him now. To stay with him even now that he'd seen Gaara bruise and abused. He shook; a violent wave of shudders and coughs at the same time. His stomach hurt even more.

"You're cold." Neji said and pulled the younger boy into the house and shutting the door. He surprised Gaara by lifting him into his arms bridal style and walking toward his bedroom. "You shouldn't be out in weather like this. You might have a cold." It was a scolding, but only a small attempt.

Gaara just shivered again and rested his head against Neji's chest. He was warm, and Gaara stole that warmth with little unwillingness.

When the two were in Neji's room he set the younger down, rubbing his hands on Gaara's arms and trying to warm him. "I'll get you new clothing."

Nodding, Gaara waited for the Hyuga. His body was racked with shivers in hopes of warming his body. When Neji came back he was carrying a set of pajamas in one hand and a wash cloth in the other. He handed the clothes to Gaara. "Put these on while I get something for your wounds."

"T-t-thank you…" To tired to argue Gaara simply took the clothes and started to put them on. Neji turned and headed for the bathroom and he took advantage of his time alone to un-dress and re-dress. It wasn't that he was embarrassed; he was too tired for that.

His limbs felt like lead and he was unbalanced. His feet hurt from running all the way there and had taken on more then a few deep gashes on his souls.

Neji came back with a few more supplies. "Sit on the bed and I'll start with your feet." Getting a nod from the other and lazily walking over to the bed, Gaara laid on it. His feet dangled over the side and Neji sat beside him.

While the Hyuga worked on his newest job at hand Gaara's eyes drifted close. The slight tingle of the anti-bacteria was the only thing keeping him awake.

"What happened?"

Gaara sighed, knowing the question would be asked. What could be expected? He'd come in the middle of the night to the older boy's house looking like he'd just been in a gang fight. Now he had to decide whether or not to tell him or make up something.

If it had been anyone else he could have lied and gotten away with it. But this was Hyuga Neji, he could pick up anything.

"My dad…" Gaara stopped, his stomach crunching into its self. Neji waited patiently and finished on Gaara's feet and started to look over his arms. "…he has a d-drinking problem…" Neji made a small noise in the back of his throat to inform that he was still listening. "He doesn't like me very much and…and…"

"He's abusive." Neji almost hissed, glaring at the bed.

Sitting up sharply and mistaking Neji's glare being directed at him, he tensed. "Please don't get mad at me! I didn't know where to go! I-I can go now…I can go back home or someth-"

Neji pulled Gaara to be face to face with him. "You are not going home." There was no room for argument in his voice. Gaara stared into his intense eyes and was pushed back into a laying position.

There was a long and extremely edgy silence that fallowed. Gaara fidgeted with the hem of his barrowed shirt and Neji was kept busy with cleaning Gaara's wounds. The red head's feet were scratched, but his arms and stomach found were the worst. Dark blotches littered where pale skin should have been. Dried blood was caked onto his skin and his lip had spilt from being slapped so hard.

Gaara didn't know what to think. Why was it that once you got something so good in life, it turned horrible?

"I thought it was Kankuro or Temari at first." Neji said out of the blue. The others eye's widened at even the thought of it. "But the night I came to pick you up for our date and saw your father with a beer, it all clicked into place."

Neji stood then, leaving the room for a minute to rinse the bloodied wash cloth. When he came back he had left and was carrying a paper cup and pain killers. "Takes these, it will help the pain."

Gaara nodded and took the small pills, not looking at the Hyuga as he washed them down with the water. "Thanks." He murmured and stiffened when he felt the bed beside him sink.

"What he's doing isn't right." The dark haired boy stated with unwavering eyes. "You can't just let him do this to you."

"I don't want to talk about this…" Gaara mumbled. He hated talking about his family life at home. He had never before let any one know what his father did to him. Temari and Kankuro were the only two that had ever seen their father and Gaara suspected Naruto thought something was up.

The Hyuga sighed. "Fine, we wont talk about this anymore…for now." He added as an afterthought and got up form the bed and disappeared out of the bedroom.

Gaara didn't know where he was going or what he was doing, but he also didn't really care. He only cared about at the moment the huge, soft bed under him. It was much more comfortable then his bed, and better then Kankuro's.

The bed sunk next to him and Neji laid another blanket on top of his cold body. The blankets Gaara had slid under before as well as the added one made his body warm up slowly, but to slowly for Gaara's liking. The body next to him shifted under the blankets, causing Gaara to freeze any movement. Neji was behind him, chest to the redhead's back and an arm wrapping around his slim waist. Breath tickled his neck where a kiss was placed.

"Go to sleep. You'll be safe here." Neji promised, pulling Gaara closer to illustrate his point. Gaara nodded weekly, not being able to stay asleep much longer.

Gaara was in heaven, he knew he had to be.

Kankuro's annoying alarm clock hadn't woken him up, one of the greatest things in the world. The older boy wasn't there, since he always made noise in some way, but the bed was warm. Warm like their dad actually gave a damn about them and bought more blankets.

Which would be as likely as their father giving up alcohol and going to church. It just didn't happen.

The bed felt like clouds under him, not springs didn't into his sides and back. It had to be heaven because his house sure didn't feel like this. This…protected feeling Gaara felt. But, it was soon overrun by something else. Pain.

His whole body hurt, his legs felt like they were going to fall off if he tried to stand or make any moves at all. What had he done, run across town? Next was his arms and stomach, hurting more then he thought they would.

Gaara opened his eyes to see what the cause of such a thing was. His foggy mind slowly coming into the land of the wakefulness. His eyes snapped open, knowing something was diffidently wrong.

His heart beet sped up; pumping blood threw his veins quickly. He wasn't home, his room wasn't this big. Where was Kankuro, why hadn't they woken up for school? Had they already left-

School. Why wasn't he at school, he could tell from the lighting out side that it was fare past the starting time of school. Why hadn't they woken him? What had happened last night? Where was he!

Closing his eyes and counting down from ten in his head he forced himself to calm down. He was fine, at least, he was still alive and in a warm place for the moment. Nothing seemed to be about to hurt him. Gaara had to calm down and evaluate his situation.

Reopening his eyes, Gaara looked around. Space-ish room, huge, a door leading into a bath room, a closet door, a large and comfortable bed…

Gaara smacked his forehead, then winced at the pain. How could he be so stupid! He could remember parts from last night, foggy in the beginning, but becoming more and more clearer. He'd run out of his house after his father had yelled. He'd run, not knowing where, and ended up at the Hyuga's house. Neji had taken him in cleaned and bandaged his wounds.

A smile lightened Gaara's features when he remembered Neji's soft kisses and protectiveness. Speaking of Neji, where was he? He'd been there when Gaara he fallen asleep, but he was gone now. Had Neji… abandon him?

He didn't know what to do with the time he had, and he had no idea what time it was. There were no clocks in the room to tell. He could only guess that if he went to school, it'd be close to ending. So Gaara did the only thing he could. Laid down and looked out the window, hoping to fall asleep in the warm bed once again.

Birds flew by the window, singing happy tunes and filling the outside world with music. The Hyuga house had one of the few homes with large back yards filled with trees. He could even see a small pond from where he was sitting. It was so different from his old hometown, Suna, where water was scarce.

Sleep had almost taken him when the door opened quietly. Stiffening and trying to seem asleep Gaara waited to until the person came into his line of vision.

The person slid the door close again. Walking on quiet feet they headed to where Gaara knew Neji's desk was. There was a clutter, and then the quiet sound of socked feet came toward his resting place. Pale eyes met black covered.

"Neji!" Gaara tried to sit up but hurt himself in the process.

The Hyuga boy smiled, sitting next to Gaara on the bed while holding a glass of water. "I'm sure you're still not feeling well, so I brought painkillers."

Nodding, Gaara took them with great relief. He was thankful that he had such a caring boyfriend, and pain killers. He put them in his mouth, drank some water and swallowed them. Upon remembering that he hadn't gone to school, he asked. "Why didn't you wake me for school?"

"You didn't look able to go to school. I had my uncle call in for you and I got your homework. Temari said to give you these if you sleep over again." Neji held up a small white boodle, the same one he'd seen when dealing with Gaara's second self.

"I c-could have gone! I'm f-fine!" Gaara protested.

Neji stared at him and Gaara knew he didn't believe him. He took the bottle none the less and put them in his pocket. Leaning forward, Neji pressed his lips over Gaara's. "You never welcomed me home." His voice was breathy, almost like he'd run a lap around the Hyuga residence.

"Welcome hom-" Neji's mouth covered Gaara's. The red head's face flushed, but he slowly moved his mouth against Neji's. His lips were just as warm as he'd remembered them to be.

The Hyuga's hands gently moved up his sides, the shirt hooking on his thumbs and being pulled up. Gaara opened his eyes and pulled back to watch his shirt be lifted over his head.

Neji pushed him to lie down, looking over the younger boy with a heated gaze. Gaara felt like a book that Neji was reading, memorizing every detail and putting it in the back of his mind until later use.

Neji leaned down again, brushing their lips together and pulling back. He moved their lips closer again but stopped just enough to talk. "I'm going to re-bandage your wounds then get you something to eat." He kissed Gaara's frowning lips and sat up before the redhead could kiss back.

Gaara watched with slightly narrowed eyes as he walked away from him. He'd thought they would have another nice like kiss like they'd had several times before. But before anything could really happen the Hyuga pulled away, as if teasing him.

He could say he was a little… annoyed. He wanted Neji to kiss him again.

Neji returned with some anti-bacteria and bandages. He rechecked all his wounds, even ones Gaara considered to small too, and went to get something for Gaara to eat. It was only a few minutes that he came back with a tray of all different kinds of food. Gaara never ate much all his life, so he was used to having small meals. He knew he wouldn't be able to eat all the food being given to him.

"The maids went a little..." Neji paused, setting the tray down on the bed next to Gaara. "Overboard. Don't worry if you can't eat everything."

Nodding Gaara took a boll of tasty smelling soup. While he ate the two had a few small conversations. Neji was doing some homework, or studying, but every few minutes would look up to see if Gaara was alright.

"When did you see Temari?" Gaara asked when he was done with the soup and onto eating a sandwich.

"Kankuro came to my class and said he needed to talk to me about a project. He didn't, Temari was waiting outside the class room and they demanded I tell them if they knew where you were." Neji had been looking at the book on his desk when he looked at Gaara. "They were worried your dad had done something…worse then usual."

Not liking when the conversation was likely to end up Gaara nodded and took a big bite of the sandwich. If he had a mouth full of food he couldn't talk. Right?

When Gaara was finished he put the dishes back on the tray and looked at the homework Neji had picked. He didn't have much, vocabulary to copy from the book in English, and a sheet for math. He sighed, taking the pencil Neji left for him and tackling the first.

An hour had gone by when Gaara noticed Neji staring at him. He didn't do anything at first. Ignoring the Hyuga after not kissing him more was a small way to get back at him. Gaara knew it was childish, but it had been really annoying!

It was becoming very difficult to do his math with Neji staring at him so intensely. How did he expect Gaara to finish if he kept it up? Just when he was about to look up and ask what the matter was, Neji stood. He walked over lazily, but still as gracefully, to Gaara's side. Attention being driven other places the younger boy looked up from the paper.

"Is everything alright?" Gaara asked uncertainly.

Neji didn't respond. Gaara twirled the pencil in his fingers, looking from Neji to something else, and back. He had an impulse to rub his tattoo but reframed from it.

Lips were pressed against his before Gaara knew what happened. Neji's hand tilted his head up and kept their lips together. When he sat down on the bed his hand moved into his hair, running threw the short locks. Gaara's eyes had closed, mouth opening to the probing tongue. He still wasn't sure about to how it all went, but Neji was more then willing to teach.

The Hyuga nudged him back, laying down with him over Gaara. Their lips didn't disconnect through to process of it. Gaara's slim hips between his thighs. When they broke apart it was only for a moment before the Hyuga's lips were attached to his neck. Wet trails were left where his tough slid out to taste the sweet skin.

Gaara's throat tightened, then vibrated into a moan when Neji sucked on the junction between his neck and shoulder. A hicky, if he remembered the word correctly, was what his brother and siblings had called it. It was lower this time so it would be covered by a shirt. Neji bit the skin, lapping it with his tough in apology when Gaara mewled.

His body felt like it was on fire, small but getting bigger and bigger with each kiss, each touch, Neji gave. "Neji…" He breathed out the name.

Neji placed kisses lightly on Gaara's neck until he reached his ear. There, he took the lobe of his ear into his mouth, nibbling on it softly. Gaara's mind spun and he tangled his fingers in the Hyuga's hair to try and stop the spinning. His stomach felt weird, like there was a butterfly flying around. Something was happening even lower but he didn't know what to make of it.

"You should get some sleep." Neji sat up. He looked down with a smirk at seeing Gaara panting.

Gaara's brows frowned. He didn't want to stop. He like when they were this close, when he could smell Neji's scent of him hours after he'd been near the older boy.

Fisting his hands in Neji's shirt and pulling him down again, Gaara kissed Neji. It was the first time he'd been the one to start a kiss. He was nervous because it had always been Neji to start something like this. But he also felt proud of himself that he was, even the smallest bit, taking a stand and breaking out of his shy little shell.

Neji didn't mind though and moved his lips perfectly against Gaara's. The boy under him mewled, wrapping his arms around Neji's neck in an effort to bring him closer.

Across the room, the door was thrust open.

"Neji! Hinata said…" Hanabi stopped her screaming, looking at the two.

Gaara's head snapped back and looked at the younger girl. Neji though seemed annoyed if anything and slowly turned his head to glare at the younger girl. Gaara knew Neji didn't like the girl, probably for hitting on him at the dinner party a few days ago. He leaned down again, kissing Gaara's lips and trying to get back to what they'd been doing.

Hanabi's eyes widened, and she covered them quickly. "Dad! Neji and his boy friend are having sex in Neji's room!" The little girl yelled while running down the hallway. "He and Gaara are doing naughty things in front of me! Dad!" There was a 'thud', which Gaara guessed was her running into a wall, before she continued down the hallway.

Above Gaara, he heard Neji chuckle. "She knows, and is yelling it in the middle of the Hyuga house, and you're laughing?"

Smiling down at the red head, Neji kissed his forehead. "Now she knows who you belong to."

Gaara smiled, taking to heart what Neji said.

Nah ha! Stupid little kids mess up everything! And mean authors…but we won't go there.

And thank you all once again for the reviews, and also to those who don't review but read the story. Hopefully next chapter will have some Sasuke/Naruto moments if everyone's ok with it.

Oh and Lee! I love Lee so of course he's gunna be in at least a few of the chapters. He and Gaara are the best…and Neji…and Naruto and Sasuke…and Kakashi and Iruka…ok yeah you get the point. (Laughs)