I am simply astounded by the amount of reviews this story hasa gotten. 13 reviews in just the last chapter! I'm so glad that people are enjoying this, and I've gotten such great reviews! Thanks so much to everyone who reviewes, I love you all!!!

I'm really sorry that the update is a day late... I forgot to edit the chapter last night and I ended up doing it late at night and I had to go to bed before I finished... So here it is, a day late!

Disclaimer: Naruto isn't mine, and I don't make any money off of this.

Piano

After being dragged past shops, office buildings, and houses, Gaara was sure that he was going to die of cold any moment now. They had been running for over five minutes, and Neji's surprisingly warm hand had slid up a bit and was now clenched tightly around his slender wrist, leading him to some unknown place.

Snow was still falling in flakes, coming down even harder now in a steady rhythm. Everything was covered under a half inch thick blanket of white, but still Neji kept going. He weaved expertly through streets and down an alley to two, and it was obvious to the redhead that his roommate really knew what he was doing. Gaara was following blindly, concentrating on keeping the feeling in his body when then they stopped abruptly.

Neji looked back at the redhead and smiled softly. Gaara looked around himself in amazement. He hadn't even noticed that they had gone uphill! But here they were, surrounded by trees overlooking the school campus from maybe a mile away, on a ledge of dirt carved into the side of a big hill and surrounded on three sides by dense trees. There was a small dirt path leading up, two pairs of footsteps disturbing the clean white. There was some trash strewn on the ground, visible still under the snow, but something as insignificant as that couldn't take away from the beauty of the moment.

Shining crystals fell through the darkening sky, and a breathtaking sunset was the only light as pastel colors spread quickly across the vastness in every shade of red, orange, pink and yellow. The cold air hit Gaara's wrist as Neji released him and walked over to the ledge, sitting down gracefully dangling his legs over the end. Had Gaara been able to see his face, he would have seen a rare faraway and detached look in those mysterious pearly eyes.

Of course, Neji never let anyone see him vulnerable or afraid.

After recovering from the initial surprise, Gaara walked over to the brunette slowly, hearing the unfamiliar yet pleasant crunch of snow beneath his sneakers. He looked down at the school, and realized just how vast the campus really was. He wondered if he would ever really be able to find his way around it. He flopped down on the dirt, not nearly as graceful as the older boy, and looked down. Even though the vantage point wasn't that high, everything looked so much smaller and less terrifying from up here. He felt bigger, like all his problems were much less significant.

He looked again at Neji's sharp profile. He was just as stunning as every, but his eyes though were different though. It was as if he wasn't really there. Like his mind was in some far off place, and only his body was left, an empty shell, stranded by its wandering soul.

An empty cage, whose bird had finally managed to escape. (Is that too weird and "philosophical" sounding?)

But Gaara could understand how Neji could loose himself in a place like this. The whole atmosphere just lent itself to relaxation and understanding. A great realization donned on him then, and he began to wonder if maybe Neji wasn't always as composed as he looked. Perhaps there was a softer, more vulnerable side to everyone, even his stoic roommate.

Gaara was thinking about his new theory when he felt a warm weight over his shoulders. Neji had draped his left arm over the smaller boy's back, hand resting on the top of his thin left arm. They turned to face each other, and their noses were less than an inch apart. Gaara could feel the blush rushing to his cheeks and he was sure that his face must be the same color as his hair. Neji on the other hand, looked as calm and cool as ever, but there was something in his eyes that Gaara couldn't quite place. It wasn't sad or detached like before, but happier and more playful… was it perhaps lust? Maybe Gaara had been wrong earlier. Apparently Neji was always as composed as he seemed.

"It's getting late." The taller boy whispered, so soft it was almost inaudible. Gaara nodded meekly, not liking the thought of leaving this nice place, this nice position, this nice feeling, even though it was cold.

"We should go." Again, the brunette's voice was no more than a whisper on the wind.

Neji leaned forward excruciatingly slowly, and closed the distance between them, placing his warm lips on Gaara's cold ones for just a moment before breaking all contact and standing up. He held his hand out to Gaara who was still sitting and blushing madly. Neji smirked mentally and leaned down, grabbing the hand that had been supporting him on the snow, causing him to almost fall flat on his back. Luckily, Neji caught him at the last second and hoisted him up.

The two began their silent walk back to campus.

When they got back, Neji let go of Gaara's hand and led him back to their building. They walked up the stairs in a comfortable quiet, and Neji opened the door, holding it open for the smaller boy who shuffled in quickly, just glad to be back and out of the cold.

They changed, Gaara in the room and Neji in the bathroom because he took longer. He pulled the hair tie out and let his brown hair hang free before brushing it out carefully. One hundred strokes exactly. It was a bad habit that he had picked up from his family members, since most Hyuugas, even the men, had long hair. He was a perfectionist.

Changing into a pair of loose black pants and a baggy white shirt, he stepped out of the bathroom. Gaara was already sitting in his bed, huddled up under the covers wearing the hoodie he had bought earlier that day. Neji could see that it was still a bit wet from the snow and that even wearing the jacket, the younger boy was shivering a bit. He really wasn't good with the cold. Neji went into his dresser and pulled out a white fleece blanket. He tossed it carefully, and it landed perfectly on the end of Gaara's bed. The redhead looked up in surprise from the book he was reading.

"Thanks." He said as he grabbed it and wrapped it over his shoulders, hugging it tight around his small frame.

"You're welcome." Neji said before crawling into his own bed. He needed to get a lot of sleep tonight to make up for the fact that he was going to a concert on a Sunday night. He knew it wasn't smart, he had classes on Monday, but he absolutely loved Papa Roach. Another one of the few irrational things in his life, like his strange fascination with the peaceful redhead a few feet away who was currently engrossed in whatever novel he was reading.

He turned over onto his right side so he could sneak a glance at Gaara, who didn't notice because his attention was focused on the book in his hands. A small smile spread across his face before he shut his white eyes and fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.

Okay, so there's chapter seven for ya!! Please R&R, I lurv getting shameless praise, questions, comments, suggestions, ideas and if you hate it, please say so!!!

Shameless advertising: I posted a new fic! It's called The Last Time Coming Home, and so far it's a oneshot. But if you like it, please review and I might continue it! It's also a GaaNeji, but there's characterdeath and it's kind of sad. If you want to know more, you're going to have to read it!!! I'm so evil.