blk-flame - ok, so yeah. alook! im updating again! instead of studying for finals! haha, ok, but here ya go! hope you like it

Chapter 12: Late

It was Sunday night and Neji and Gaara had just gotten back from hanging out with their friends again. They had seen 10000 B.C. Gaara quickly brushed his teeth, then let Neji use the bathroom to shower. Walking back out to Neji's room he lay on the bed and started to flip through channels. They had gotten so used to being together, in Neji's house, but Gaara hadn't told Neji that he might be leaving yet. He felt safe in the apartment and he knew Neji wouldn't hurt him. He trusted Neji. Gaara laughed a little at himself, Lee and Naruto had been teasing them about dating.

He settled on an episode of the Discovery channel, when he felt Neji climb on the bed next to him. Neji looked over at Gaara's profile; it was illuminated from the TV, giving his pale skin a blue tint to it. Sensing Neji's eyes on him, Gaara turned to face him. He smiled a little, looking down for a moment before leaning over and giving Neji a gentle kiss, which Neji returned gladly. Neji deepened the kiss and their tongues started battling, before they had to break for air. He had been surprised that Gaara started the kiss, but he wasn't going to complain. Neji rolled over onto Gaara as they continued their feverish kiss. His wet hair covered both of their faces, as Neji started pushing Gaara's shirt higher and higher.

He pressed his body against Gaara's stomach, then broke the kiss, to quickly remove his own shirt, before going back to kissing his angel. He could feel Gaara running his hands over his stomach and back, while Neji lightly ran his fingers over Gaara's stomach. God, he loved Gaara, Neji ran his hands over Gaara's nipples, then helped the boy take his shirt off entirely. The brunette stopped kissing the red-head and instead moved down to his neck, making his way slowly to Gaara's right nipple.

Placing his mouth over the nipple, he started sucking on it, causing Gaara to squirm and groan slightly. Neji smiled, before Gaara leaned down to kiss him again, Neji couldn't stop his hips from grinding against Gaara's, as his hands slowly reached beneath Gaara's pants and slowly pulled them down, them removing his own pants. The red-head quickly put his hands around Neji's neck and pulled him back into another kiss. The young boy ran his hands over Neji's nipples, sending a shiver down his body. Neji's arms snaked around Gaara's waist, as they pressed their bodies closer together. There was only one piece of clothing holding the two apart, as Neji slid his hands into Gaara's boxers, placing them on Gaara's hips. He then proceeded to suck on the younger boy's neck.

Suddenly, everything came flooding back to Gaara, everything he had been trying to ignore, because it was Neji and he trusted Neji, he loved Neji. His hands tightened to fists, as he squeezed his eyes shut and squeaked out, "N-Neji!"

The Hyuuga didn't stop and Gaara gasped when his hands lightly grazed his jewels, he squeezed his eyes shut tighter and gasped out, "N-Neji! St-Stop!" Suddenly, Neji stopped; he looked up at Gaara, concern written on his face. He immediately stopped when he saw Gaara's expression. The boy looked to be in almost physical pain, and he was grasping some of Neji's still wet hair a little harder than he should have.

Quickly, Neji removed his hands, "Gaara-Gaara, I'm sorry...I-I thought...I thought you were okay, I thought you wanted to-" Gaara vigorously shook his head, sending his short hair flying. Suddenly he couldn't breathe he clutched onto Neji, pressing his face against Neji's bare chest. Neji held him, "Shh, its okay, Gaara. I'll never force you to if you don't want to. Just take a deep breathe." Neji slowly sat them both down on the bed, never letting go of Gaara as he did so. They sat there on the bed, Neji tried to wait calmly as Gaara calmed down. Five minutes later, they were lying on the bed, Gaara in Neji's arms, the sound of the Discovery Channel in the background. Neither of them had bothered getting dressed, so they were both still dressed in only their boxers.

"I'm sorry, Neji."

Neji had almost missed it, Gaara had whispered so quietly, "Don't be, Gaara. It's my fault, I shouldn't have..."

He could feel Gaara shake his head, "No, I wanted to...but I can't."

Neji rested his head on Gaara's, breathing in the scent, "Gaara why can't you?"

Gaara took a deep breathe; he knew that Neji was being gentle with him, both of their voices were soft, but he was grateful towards Neji, "My Dad..."

"What about your Dad?"

"He...He..."

Neji felt Gaara's grip on his arms tighten, and he slid Gaara's hand into his, "Gaara, I want to know."

Taking a deep breathe and closing his eyes, Gaara started, "He...He says I'm a monster because I killed our mom. I-I didn't mean to, she just...she died in child birth. H-He hates me, a-and...hi-hits me sometimes...b-but I know. I know you a-already know. A-And he c-calls me a wh-whore," Gaara bit his lip as hard as he could, he never told anybody this and what if Neji didn't like him anymore? "H-He...ca-came home when we-we fir-first moved h-here..." Gaara couldn't stop his body from shaking from sobs that he was holding back.

Neji gently turned Gaara around, so that they were facing each other, he nodded a little, meaning for Gaara to continue. "H-He ra-raped me," Gaara couldn't stop the sobs from coming out this time. Neji could feel his breathe hitch, as Gaara started sobbing into his chest. Neji could feel the hatred he had for Gaara's father increase even more, he wanted this man to pay for ever laying a finger on his Gaara. The brunette did his best to comfort Gaara, ignoring his own pain and hatred. Gaara looked up at Neji, his sea-foam green eyes glossy from the tears, "Do...Do you still like me, Neji?"

Neji watched sadly as tears fell down Gaara's pale cheeks, "Gaara, of course I still like you, I would never stop just because of something your father did to you. Why wouldn't I?"

Gaara looked down, staring at Neji's chest, "Because He's right."

"He's..." Neji's eyes widened as he realized what Gaara meant, "No, Gaara! No, you're not a monster; you could never be a monster, why would you say that?"

"I-I let him hurt K-Kankurou."

"What do you mean?"

"I l-left...so he's hu-hurting Kank-Kankurou."

Neji gently kissed Gaara's cheek, "Gaara, you have to listen. You're not a monster; Kankurou can take care of himself." He gently lifted Gaara's face and locked eyes with him, "You're not a monster, never let anyone convince you of that. And you're definitely not a whore." Slowly Gaara nodded. They both sat in silence, each consumed by worry and thought.

"N-Neji? ...Don't tell Kankurou or Temari. I don't want them to know."

Neji sighed a little; he knew he would feel bad keeping this from Kankurou, but Gaara had asked, "Okay." Once again, it was silent except for the still playing TV.

"Gaara?"

"Yes," As most of what the boy had been saying, this came out as a whisper.

"I love you, Gaara."

The small red-head smiled, that was the first time Neji said that, and he believed him, "I love you too, Neji." And somehow that made it a little bit better.

blak-flame - i was really tempted to end the chapter there, but that would be way too short...so onward!! ...and sorry if that whole make out thing sucked, but i've never even been kissed, so i wouldn't really know...yeah...

Gaara sat in the chair; he had gotten into a habit of reading in Neji's miniature library, or going on the computer. Monday morning and it was currently four a.m. glancing down at the book he was currently reading, he set it aside and logged onto his screen name. He scanned through his buddy list, nobody was really on. All of a sudden an IM popped up onto the screen.

Uknowho: hey

Gaara stared at his screen for a minute, did he know this person? ChildoftheDesert: ...umm, hey? ...do I know you?

Uknowho: not likely, in fact its very doubtful

Uknowho: y? u dont like talking to strangers?

Gaara gave the computer a look, not sure how he was supposed to say to that.

Uknowho: .we should introduce ourselves

ChildoftheDesert: umm...okay?

Uknowho: don't b shy, hun. wats ur name?

ChildoftheDesert: Gaara

Uknowho: c u later, Gaara

Gaara sat their, bewildered, he didn't think he knew anyone by that screen name, so how would he see him later? He gently shook his head, then signed back off, going back into Neji's room. He watched the boy sleep for a while, before quietly turning the TV on.

:...later?:

Neji sighed, slouching a little. He really didn't like school too much, or atleast today he didn't, the people were fine enough, but the teachers...they were a different story. They always expected him to be 'the prodigy he was'. He sat down at one of the tables; at least the day was over. Gaara was going to the library to study, or something, then he was supposed to pick him up.

"N-Neji?"

The Hyuuga looked up warily, he knew that soft-spoken studder. "Hey, Hinata."

The short-haired girl looked down and played with her sleeves, reminding Neji a little of Gaara. "Umm...Fa-Father wanted t-to kn-know when you w-were c-coming?"

He frowned slightly, that was right. A new week, a new visit. Maybe he should go and visit them. He was sure Hiashi wouldn't approve of him living with Gaara. "Oh, yeah...could I just call him?"

"Umm...s-sure." And with that the shy girl walked away, Neji shook his head slightly; his Uncle could be a pain in the ass sometimes. He put his head down on the table and then started to bang his head several times.

"Keep that up and you'll destroy the image you have going for you, or at least you'll prove teachers wrong about how smart you are."

The brunette looked up slowly, only to see a smirking Uchiha. "I think I can afford to be a little less smart."

Shrugging Sasuke replied, "You're choice."

"Yes, it is my choice," He then slammed his head on the table again. They sat in silence for a while, Neji wasn't even sure if Sasuke had left or not. "My Uncle."

"So, that's what Hinata wanted. What'd he do?"

Neji shrugged, "Nothing, it's just with Gaara..."

Sasuke nodded, even though Neji couldn't see, "It gets complicated."

Neji nodded, "Like with Naruto."

Once again they settled into a silence, before Neji heard Sasuke get up and leave. He sat there for another half hour, before getting up and going to his car. He was in a funk and he knew it, normally his Uncle didn't affect him this much. When he got to his apartment, the cleaner was still there. He tossed his stuff in the hallway and went up to his room. He looked around. It was four and Gaara didn't need to be picked up until five-thirty.

The pale-eyed Hyuuga jumped a little when he felt his phone vibrate, looking at his collar ID he groaned. He flipped the phone open, "Hello?"

"Neji, how are you, nephew?"

"I'm good, Uncle, thank you," Neji rolled his eyes; he really couldn't stand this man.

"Well, I was just calling to see if you could come over, I haven't seen you in a long time."

"Right now?"

"Yes, why not? Do you have a guest?"

Neji scowled, Hiashi's voice had a dangerous tone to it, "No, I can come now; I'll be there in a couple of minutes." He flipped the phone shut and shoved it back into his pocket. He quickly switched into a nice dress shirt and got back into his car to visit his beloved family. What was his uncle planning? He pulled into the impressively large estate, he rang the doorbell and smoothed his face over into a polite-enough expression. A young maid came to the door, "Good evening, you must be Hyuuga Neji. You're Uncle's waiting for you."

He gave her one of his polite smiles, as she let him in, "Thank you."

She gave him another smile, her face gaining a little color. She led him into a large room, with an entirely unnecessarily long table, especially considering it was only Neji and his Uncle. His Uncle smiled, "Neji, have a seat."

"Hello, Uncle," Neji replied as he walked to the other end of the table. He cleared his throat a little, "So, is there a reason I'm here?"

Hiashi gave a little chuckle, "You never did like beating around the bush. Well, alright, then, I won't lie to you." Neji leaned forward; he couldn't really hear what Hiashi was saying. "My resources tell me that you're living with another young man. Is this true?"

Neji snorted, "Your resources? And who exactly are your resources?"

"Neji, I want a straight answer," The familiar dangerous tone had entered the man's voice.

Neji smirked, "You want a straight answer? Fine, then yes. I am living 'with another young man'"

Hiashi sighed, "As I thought, well this is unacceptable. He can't stay with you anymore."

"He can't stay with me? How does this concern you?" Neji was trying to make it clear that he was very annoyed with the man.

Hiashi gave a small laugh, "How does this concern me? I pay for all of your expenses, so, yes. It concerns me."

Suddenly, the younger Hyuuga slammed his fists on the table, rising a little, "Dammit, Uncle! I'll be dammed before I make Gaara leave; he's got nowhere to go!"

Hiashi rose a little too, "Don't speak to me that way! It doesn't matter! He can't live with you! It's completely inappropriate! Don't think I don't know about you two!"

Neji glared at Hiashi, whose face was getting redder by now, "Why? You had that maid of yours spying on me again!? Well, fine, then! You want to know what's going on between Gaara and me?! We're dating! Gaara's my friggin' boyfriend!"

"Neji, I will not allow you to do this. You're ruining your future and I will not allow that kind of behavior in that house," His voice was now getting a deadly calm, Neji had stood up to him before.

The younger boy was practically gaping at his relative, "You think I'm having sex with him?!"

"Of course, why else would he be there? You obviously don't want to use a condom, or get a girl pregnant."

The matter-of-fact tone was seriously pissing Neji off by now, how dare his Uncle talk about Gaara like that! "I would never do that to Gaara! I would never just use him like a toy! I love him! I am not you, Hiashi!! And you know what?! I'M FUCKIN' GAY!" Neji started walking away, when he heard a crash next to him. He slowly turned around, only to see a very peeved and red-faced Hyuuga Hiashi.

"DON'T YOU TALK TO ME THAT WAY!"

Neji plastered a smile on his face, then putting all the venom he could muster into his voice, "Thanks for inviting me, Uncle, but I have to go and pick Gaara up now." Hiashi's eyes almost bugged out of his head, "You will not see that god-forsaken faggot of a boy."

Fists clenched and narrow-eyed, "Don't you ever refer to Gaara that way." Neji had to duck, as his Uncle threw another plate at his head, having better aim this time. He could hear his blood pumping in his ears, and it took all he had not to seriously injure the man now throwing things at him. He opened the door to the room, glanced back and muttered a "Goodbye, Uncle," on his way out.

On his way out he saw the maid who had let him in, she had a sad smile on her face, and wasn't nearly as friendly. 'Oh god, she was flirting with me?' Neji flashed her an apologetic smile and left the Hyuuga estate. He sat in his car for ten minutes, before he even started to calm down, all the while muttering obscenities about Hiashi. Taking a deep breathe, he started his car, he almost felt relieved; he had finally stood up to Hiashi and told him the truth. He had even expected the man to react in such a way. He shook his head slightly, "Looks like I've been disowned." Glancing at the clock for the first time, he realized he was an hour late picking up Gaara, "Shit."

He drove the rest of the way to the library, pushing the speed limit the entire way. He pulled into the parking lot, Gaara wasn't waiting outside, so he turned off the engine and walked inside. He walked up to the front counter, where a blonde-haired lady sat, "Excuse me, have you seen a red-haired boy around?"

She smiled up pleasantly at him, "Oh, yes, I believe I saw him leave with another young man already...I believe that the other young man had blonde hair."

Neji smiled, "Okay, thank you." Neji walked out, dialing Naruto's number as he did so.

"Neji?"

"Hey, Naruto, is Gaara with you?" Neji slid into the car, it was getting cloudy and it looked as if a storm was about to start.

"Gaara? No, should he be? I haven't seen him since I left the library."

Neji scowled, "He didn't go with you?"

"No."

"Umm...okay, never mind, Naruto."

"Hey, wait; you don't know where Gaara is? Should-"

Neji flipped his phone shut; he didn't feel like listening to Naruto's rambling, even if he was concerned. Where had Gaara gone? He shrugged; maybe he had walked back to the apartment. Neji drove slowly; he was in no rush in case the maid was still there cleaning or something. When he got back to his apartment, Gaara was nowhere to be found. He waited around the house for another hour, maybe he had gone to someone else's house?

All the while, the brunette sat trying to ease feeling that something was wrong. He shook his head after an hour and a half, he dialed Kankurou's number, "Come on, Kankurou, pick up..."

"What is it, Hyuuga?"

"Umm...is Gaara with you?"

"What do you mean? Of course, he's not with me. You know that, why?"

"Nothing...I was supposed to pick him up at the library, but he wasn't there."

"You lost my brother? What the hell, Hyuuga!? You can't just no know where he is!"

"Kankurou, I'm sorry, but I don't. I had to go to Hiashi's house and I was late and I have no idea where he is."

Sighing, Kankurou said, "Alright, just drive around and look for him, I'll look to."

They both hung up, and as Neji once again left, he couldn't ease the feeling he had that something was wrong. On top of that, he knew that Kankurou was mad at him, he had trusted him. He took a deep breathe as he pulled up to a stop sign. "Gaara, where are you?

blak-flame: ok, i know its short. and i think the next one's gonna be short too. but i wanted to stop here cause the next chapters gonna be with gaara. and stuff. so i hope you liked it, and everythings getting serious now and haha, i had a lot eof fillers, but whatever, right? so, serious time! code for: let the shit begin! haha i hope you liked it, and review please!