Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I make any profit from this fanfiction.
A/N: Yatta! I'm updating! (Guardian and Joy of a Child are next, I believe).
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"What have you found?" Hiashi asked the Hyuuga branch member he had assigned to find and bring back Neji.
"I have found your nephew, Hiashi-sama. He is with Sabaku Gaara, as expected, and…" Here the branch member paused, wondering if Hiashi-sama would be offended by what he said next.
"And?" The Hyuuga Head of House prompted.
"And they seem to be very much in love." The branch member concluded.
"A charade, I presume." Hiashi-sama said dryly. "I have heard it said that Sabaku Gaara cannot love anyone except himself."
"Uh…I suppose that is true, Hiashi-sama." But the unfortunate branch member could not help fidgeting. He had tailed the Sabaku and Neji for a week, and to his eyes they were madly in love, so much that they had been careless. Or foolish. One or the other, because, although Neji had canceled all his previous credit cards, the ones Hiashi-sama had helped to pay for, the young Hyuuga had also made new credit card accounts with his real name, not a fake one. This had made it extraordinarily simple to find the two lovers, and the branch member had wondered if they had wanted to be found, or if they had actually thought that they wouldn't be followed.
Both of the choices pointed to a mind addled by love and optimism, but hey, if Hiashi-sama was going to adamantly deny the fact that his nephew was in love with Sabaku Gaara, then the branch member was going to too. He didn't want to jeopardize Neji's position as heir to the Hyuuga Head of House, because this was a huge chance for the branch family.
Neji would take care of the branch family, because he was from the branch family too. His father, Hyuuga Hizashi, had been the twin brother of Hiashi-sama, born second by only a couple of seconds. With that gap of five seconds, Hizashi had been demoted to the branch family, while Hiashi was in the main family, the royalty of the Hyuuga clan.
So Hyuuga Neji, who had been called genius and had by far surpassed his cousin Hyuuga Hinata, the former heir to the Hyuuga clan, was the branch family member who had fallen the most at the expense of the traditions of the Hyuuga clan. He knew how crippling a blow it was to be in the branch family, to always be looked down as inferior by the main family, and Neji was sure to lessen that pain for the branch family. He would be a good leader.
And if to make him that leader the family had to rip him away from his true love, then so be it. Neji was the hope of the branch family, and they weren't about to let him throw it away for some Sabaku. He should've known better than to fall in love with someone in that trash of a family anyway.
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The branch member made investigator walked out of the room after Hiashi-sama was done with him, only to be surprised by the sight of Hyuuga Hinata, who had apparently waited just outside the room for him to finish. The branch member smiled at the former heir. "Hello, Hinata-sama. Was there something you wanted to talk about with your father?"
She shook her head, before asking, timidly, "Um…may I ask you some things about Neji nii-san? You were supposed to find him, weren't you?"
The branch member nodded. "I was. And ask away, Hinata-sama." Everybody liked Hinata. She was polite, if a little bit shy, and very likable. But she wasn't a good leader, or so the branch family thought. They wouldn't like sacrificing their lives for her.
"Thank you. Neji nii-san has married Sabaku-san, correct?"
The branch member nodded. The two had married the day they had settled into their new apartment, the day he had first started tailing them.
"Oh. And also, I was wondering…does Neji nii-san seem happy with Sabaku-san?"
This question was surprising to the branch member. Why would Hinata-sama care if Neji was happy or not? He knew the two had a friendship of some sort, but still, they were from different sides of the family, and Neji had usurped Hinata's rightful place as heir. Their friendship should have deteriorated after that, and the branch member tried to decipher the ulterior motives behind Hinata's question.
Then he got it. Hinata had reasoned that if Neji was happy with Sabaku Gaara, he would be less tempted to come back and become the heir. Then maybe she could get into Hiashi-sama's good graces again. The branch member, having figured that out, now knew how to answer. "Yes, Hinata-sama. Neji-san seemed to me to be very happy and in love with Sabaku-san."
As Hinata smiled in relief and whispered, "I'm glad", the branch member knew he had done the right thing. If Hinata was comfortable in her conviction that Neji would now not want to leave Gaara in order to become heir (everyone could guess that Hiashi-sama would make him choose one or the other sometime in the future), then she would let down her guard. Maybe make a few mistakes. But no matter what, the branch family would insure that Neji would be the one to lead the Hyuuga, not Hinata. And so the branch member walked away from Hinata feeling smug in his certainly that at least this once, the branch family would one-up the main.
It was time for payback.
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Temari peeked into her father's study after the private investigator, a close friend of the Sabaku family, left, and went in after seeing him sitting at his desk, apparently thinking.
"Father?" she called, not wanting to startle him.
He looked up and smiled. Perhaps a good sign? "Ah, Temari. Was there something you wanted?"
She chewed her lip in apprehension. "Did Baki-san find Gaara?"
"Why yes. He took some pictures too. Would you like to see them?" The way her father's smile widened at the mention of the pictures scared Temari a little. She loved her father at least a little, but it wasn't at all advisable to let him know of her love, lest he would manipulate it to his means. He'd manipulate any weakness, really. It didn't have to be love. But she moved closer to his desk and looked down at the pictures he pushed at her.
Her eyes widened in shock at what she saw. In the picture on top, her little brother, Sabaku Gaara, was leaning against someone who was probably Hyuuga Neji, and they were both smiling! It looked as if they were walking down a public street and holding hands, and at that Temari was even more startled. Gaara never showed happiness or attachment in public. Not too much in private either, but not once since Gaara had started growing up had Temari ever seen him smile in public.
She quickly flipped through the rest of the photos, each one bringing a new surprise. Gaara laughing. Gaara kissing Hyuuga Neji in public. Holding hands again, then the last photo, a photo of Gaara alone, but this one struck Temari the most. Gaara had looked so happy in the other photos with Neji, but now, while alone, he had this look on his face that looked positively…forlorn. He missed the Hyuuga, that was for sure, and he was attached to the brunette in a way he had never felt about anyone else.
Temari was stunned. Her little brother, her little Gaara…was in love.
Her father's deep laugh drew Temari out of her surprise.
"He seems very much in love, doesn't he?" he asked her, and Temari nodded enthusiastically.
"Hyuuga Neji seems to love him back too. They should be very happy together." She observed, but then thought of something and frowned. "Father, you're not thinking of separating them, are you?"
He laughed again. "Of course not! The Hyuuga family will do the separating for me. I'll just hold Gaara here for a few days, just until he's good and bloodthirsty, and then I'll unleash him so that he can get his precious Neji back. And I'm sure his lover won't be able to resist them." His eyes glinted with ambition. "With the two of them married and tied together, I can manipulate the Hyuugas into giving me whatever I want. I need to congratulate Gaara on a job well done once he comes back."
"You…you ordered him to seduce Hyuuga Neji?"
Her father's smile was definitely creepy, Temari thought. "Of course not, but I suppose Gaara saw an opportunity and took it. I would've liked if he had come to consult me before doing this, but what's done is done. Now Hyuuga Neji is very artfully snared, and who knows? If our little Gaara is actually in love, maybe he'll get a happy ending!" Sabaku Kaze laughed, and Temari quickly bowed and ran out, not wanting to attract attention to herself. But she couldn't help but worry about Gaara. Who knew what would happen in the future?
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Halfway through the afternoon Sabaku Kaze received a phone call from Hyuuga Hiashi, which he took with something akin to malicious delight. So the Hyuugas had found their precious nephew too, hmm?
"Sabaku-san. This is Hyuuga Hiashi. I have already found my nephew. He is in-"
"The city of Sand. Yes, my people have found them too. Are you planning to bring them in?"
"Yes. Tomorrow. We will shelter Neji in our house, and of course you are taking back Gaara?"
"Oh yes. I doubt he would get reasonable treatment in your household."
Hiashi gave in to a somewhat-undignified snort. "After running off with Neji? He would get mauled. Where are you planning to pick Gaara up? I will warn you, he will be unconscious."
"My close friend, Suna Baki, will pick him up from the Konoha Airport when you arrive."
"Tell him to be there at 7 pm." And then Hiashi hung up.
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"Neji. Neji!" Gaara called frantically. His husband was tossing and turning beside him, and Gaara knew it was a nightmare. The redhead shook Neji's shoulder wildly as Neji began to softly cry in his sleep.
Neji came awake with a sniff, and his eyes widened when he saw Gaara over him and the light on. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry to wake you up…"
"No, it's fine, Neji. It's fine. Just tell me what's wrong, and how I can fix it. Please…" Gaara pleaded when Neji closed his eyes, a sign that he didn't want to talk.
"It was nothing, Gaara. Just a nightmare. Don't worry about me." Neji refused to look at Gaara, refused to admit he had a weakness that could give him nightmares. Gaara sighed, but didn't blame him for being tight-lipped. He would probably be like that too with anyone but Neji.
Instead, the redhead moved closer to his lover, head against shoulder, arms around chest, and everything under the covers twining and touching. They had made love before going to sleep, so now Gaara's embrace was made even more intimate by the lack of any clothes coming between their skin-to-skin touch.
"Neji." Gaara whispered into his husband's ear. "Of course I worry. I love you, you're my husband. I worry about how you're coping in Sand, about whether you miss your family, about if one day you'll wake up, see me sleeping beside you, and realize I'm not good enough for you."
"No, no! You're perfect for me, absolutely perfect."
Gaara subconsciously clenched his jaw. "I don't appreciate lies, Neji. From the time I could understand, everybody has told me that I was poor and ugly, and the only thing I can change is my poverty. I can't change my ugliness, and even though I appreciate your try to make me feel better, you don't have to lie." Gaara stroked Neji's perfect face.
"But I'm not lying, Gaara! They were the ones lying! You're not ugly at all. You're so handsome and beautiful and good-looking that they probably had to put you down to make themselves feel better. Otherwise you would've-"
"Drop it, Neji." Gaara's eyes were hard and cold, born from a life of pain. "I'm not as sentimental as you are, and what you're saying isn't true, so it isn't making me feel better. I don't care if you have good intentions, just please drop it."
A silence descended on the two, and Gaara felt remorse creeping through his veins. Damn, he was doing it again. He was reverting back to his old hurtful self, something he had promised to himself that he would never do in Neji's presence. "I'm sorry." Gaara whispered. "Just tell me about your nightmare, ok? You were crying, and I just want to make you feel better."
Neji didn't answer.
"Neji, Neji, you're not mad at me, are you? I'm sorry, I'm really sorry. Please forgive me." Gaara had stopped apologizing before he had met Neji. His father called it weak, pathetic. He had told Gaara never to worry about other people's feelings, because they could be easily brushed aside. And now Gaara was apologizing like a child, because he didn't know how else to say sorry. How else could he show Neji that he didn't mean his words a second before? That he loved Neji, that he'd do anything for his love, his husband?
"Neji, you know when I told you I would kill anyone who tried to take you away?"
Gaara craned his head up to look at Neji's face and saw him nod. But Neji still didn't say anything, and Gaara rushed to explain.
"I still would, you know. I'll kill our families if they try to separate us. But Neji, if you just tell me that you don't want me anymore, that you want to leave me, I'll let you. I just want to see you happy, ok Neji? I know I'm ugly." Gaara shook his head when Neji moved to protest. "Even if you say that I'm not on the outside, inside I am just ugly. I'm cruel and unfeeling, and I can ruin anyone's life without even a twitch of my conscience. Anyone, that is, but you."
Gaara smiled. "You know what I wanted to do the first time I saw you, Neji? I couldn't believe I was attracted to someone physically. I saw you at that party and I just wanted to drag you home and fuck you until you screamed. I didn't care that you were a guy. I didn't care that you were the heir to the Hyuuga family Head. I just…oh God, I didn't care about anything else except to tie you down and make you mine. I never thought that you would come to me.
"And when you did…" Gaara moaned with happiness at that memory. "I was yours forever. You were the first person to want me for me, to love me. I vowed to myself that I would never hurt you, you know. I hurt everybody else around me, but that was because I didn't care. I cared about you. I'm trying not to hurt you."
Gaara's arm tightened around Neji. "But I know I'm going to hurt you. I'm just like that. My life is just like that. But I'm going to push you away before I hurt you, ok? I just want you to know that. I won't let myself hurt you."
Neji drew in a ragged breath. "Where do you get all this?" he asked breathlessly.
"What do you mean?" Gaara asked with a frown. "Get what?"
"You tell me it's the first time you've been loved, yet you're making me feel…" Neji groaned. "Oh Gaara, I love you. I know you're not going to hurt me. Don't push me away."
Gaara sighed and changed the subject. "I've seen them tailing us. Have you?"
"…Yes." Neji admitted. "Two of them, weren't they? But they don't seem to know each other. I suppose that's natural. Our families still don't want to work together…"
"Yeah. But they weren't here today. I suppose they were reporting back to our families?"
"…You think they're planning to do something now?"
"I'm pretty sure of it." Gaara answered. "They'll separate us, of course. I can't wait to find out what they've got planned for us back home."
"We'll get through it." Neji's voice was sure, but Gaara looked up into those eyes and saw the fear. "We have to get through it. And then we can be together again, forever. That's what we planned, right?"
Gaara closed his eyes. "Yes. We know we can't run from them, so we'll let them capture us. They have to accept our love sometime."
"Hey, is it all right for us to talk like this? I know the past few weeks we've been trying to deceive them into thinking, that, well, we don't want them to catch us. Is this ok now?"
"Well, what else are they going to do except to catch us? Even if they hear this they can't let us stay together, and unless they tie us down we'll keep trying to get to each other. So this'll do no harm." Gaara sat up a little, turned off the light, and snuggled back with Neji. "Goodnight. I love you."
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Thanks for reading. Please review. -smile-