Chapter 16: Numb

Gaara's POV

I could hardly move. I felt so disgusting as I lye there on the floor, naked, blood mixing with other fluids I didn't want to think about. My father stood up and looked at me.

"I have taken sin upon myself in hopes of casting you out," he spoke as if he were a hero. I heard a crash and my father looked to his side. I couldn't even move my head to see what made the noise. But I felt a blanket or something cover me and could see part of Temari's hair as she sat next to me. Her hand ran over my head as it shook. I though it shook because she was crying but soon found out otherwise.

"You'd do this to your own son? The one mother died for?" I could hear her getting to her feet, and she soon came into view as she stepped in front of my father.

"He isn't my son, not right now. He's a demon, the monster that invaded an infant and killed your mother."

"You know very well that's all bullshit! Mom knew she was going to die! The doctors told her it would be risky to go through with the pregnancy! She didn't care! She gave her life up for a new one! And this is how you honor her sacrifice?" Temari shook her head in disappointment. "I'm calling the police, you won't put him through this anymore," she explains headed to the phone. But she doesn't reach it as my father grabs her arm and pulls her to him.

"You are blind! What's happened to you, you used to be able to see."

"This is wrong, you're nuts!" My sister gets hit across the face, she falls hard onto the floor. She landed next to me. My father kicked her in her side.

"You'd help this demon?" Another kick to the side, "I won't let anyone interfere with me saving my sons soul! Not even my own daughter!" One last kick, and our Father leaves the living room. I try to move and manage to turn my head to look at my sister. She's pulled herself up, ignoring the pain in her side, she crawls toward me.

"Don't worry Gaara, I won't stand by anymore. I'll find a way out of here for us," she explains.

"Temari, just forget it," my sister raises an eyebrow at this. "I don't need your help. Just try and get back on dads good side."

"But—"

"No just stay the fuck out of this. I don't need your help, I can deal with this on my own. Just worry about yourself," I explain to her harshly. I don't understand why everyone wants to stick their nose into my business, into my problems. They don't need to worry about it. It doesn't concern them and I don't want their help. I've been fine without help for years. I can deal with this, I can ride this out. And once I'm eighteen I won't have to deal with it anymore. I don't see why no one has faith in me. I can handle this, I'm strong enough to put up with this for another couple of years. It stopped hurting a long time ago. And now I'm ready for anything that my dad can throw at me. I won't feel it, it wont bother me; I'm completely numb.

Naruto's POV

Monday at school, Sasuke and other people I knew asked me about my black eye. I didn't answer any of them, I was too concerned about Gaara. I had to see if he was here today. I was so afraid that his father had done something to him because he caught me.

"Naruto, what's wrong? Why are you in such a hurry?"

"Sorry man but I got to check on something. I'll see you later in class." With that I practically sprint the rest of the way to the classroom. I open the door, my heart pounding. But when I see Gaara sitting in his seat, reading a book like always, I let out a sigh of relief. I walk over to my little red head, so happy to see him ok. I hug him, he tenses up. I run my hand through his hair.

"Did he hurt you?" I ask looking him over.

He pushes me of off him. "I'm fine Naruto." he reassures me.

"I'm so glad," I sit in my own seat. "So what happened? I mean did you get in trouble?"

"No, I just got yelled at." I glare at Gaara. He turns the page of his book and then looks at me. "What?"

"You're lying aren't you? What did he do?" Gaara glared at me and made a noise that told me I had pissed him off. But I didn't care, I took his hand rolling up his sleeve to look for wounds. I looked everywhere, lifting his shirt, and even checked to see if he had been hurt on his legs. I find absolutely nothing.

"You need to stop worrying so much. I can take care of myself, like I've told you before." I could tell Gaara was pretty angry. The bell rang, announcing the start of the school day. At lunch after getting myself some food I ask Gaara some things. It wasn't anything he wouldn't want me to ask. I didn't want to bring up a subject he wouldn't talk about.

"So you don't want me coming over to your house, right?"

"No, you may be caught again…I don't want that to happen," He explains, looking straight into my eyes. "How is your eye?"

"Oh, it's fine!" I say happily. "And for the record I could so beat up your brother, but he took me by surprise." Gaara snorted, as if saying 'yeah sure'. I scoot closer to Gaara, taking his little hand in mine.

"So I'll only see you at school then," I state, disappointment in my voice. Playing with his rings like I always do.

"Yes." Gaara answers back plainly. Slipping his hand out of mine. I ignored it because usually Gaara doesn't like for me to show any kind of affection in public. The bell rings signaling lunch to be over. We both get up and head to our next class. I wish I hadn't got caught. Now I can't see Gaara on the weekends anymore, and even though he says he's fine, and I can't find anything wrong with him I still have a bad feeling. I don't know what, but I know his father did something. I meet Gaara at his locker, surprising him.

"What do you want?" He asks in his monotone voice.

"I want to spend as much time as possible with you, so I though we could walk out together."

"All right but only to the door. If my brother sees us together it'll be the same as if my dad caught us." He explains. We then walk to the door together, I stop and he exits the school building first. I then come out after a couple of minutes and go to Jiraiya who's waiting in the car. I get into the car and look out the window. My adoptive dad starts to pull out of the school and drive home. Once on the road he asks me.

"Is something bothering you?"

I shrug my shoulders. "I'll only see Gaara at school…it's kinda…not enough," I explain.

"So no more sneaking over, just cause you got caught once?"

"Gaara doesn't want me to."

"Ok, so he told you not to sneak over…" Jiraiya thinks for a little. "How about just ditching school all together?"

"What kinda parent wants their child to skip school?"

"The kind that probably skipped a hundred classes just to peek into the girls changing room," Jiraiya says a grin on his face as he thinks back.

"I don't know…doesn't the school send out a telephone call when you skip?"

"Yeah…well tell Gaara to fake being sick."

"I don't know if Gaara will be up for all that."

"Well just tell him tomorrow and see. You two deserve a day off." We pull up into our driveway. I look at Gaara's house, He's so close, but right now he's untouchable. I go upstairs to work on my homework like I always do. I then watch TV, though I'm thinking about Gaara rather than actually paying attention to the TV. It was getting dark and I looked out the window when I see Gaara's light come on in his room. I let out a sigh and rest my head on my hand. That's when I see something, right under Gaara's room, his brother was there. Like a guard making sure I won't be coming. I couldn't help but laugh at this.

I knew that it wasn't an accident that Kankuro beat the crap out of me. And his father hadn't done anything to stop it when he first came out. Not until Jiraiya went to investigate. I think that whole family's crazy except for Gaara. Kankuro gets up and seems to be heading into the house. The next thing I see is Gaara and his father leaving, in a car. Worry over comes me, but I know I won't be able to stay up to see the car come back. I go to bed, hoping that tomorrow I won't see Gaara with cuts and bruises all over. Though I know that's exactly what I'll see.

The next morning I wasn't in such a hurry, but I was worried about Gaara. Sasuke and me talk, and once I get to my classroom we separate, like usual. I go to Gaara, who is in his seat, for once not reading a book. He looked out of it. I touch his shoulder. He turns his attention to me and I almost wince when I look into his eyes, it's like he's not even there.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah," he rubs his eyes, and when he looks at me again there's life in them. But a life that had endured a horrible amount of pain. "I just zoned out I guess." He explains calmly.

"Um I was wondering. Well it's more like I have a plan, for us being together for just one day. You and me."

Gaara looks at me unbelieving. "I doubt that whatever you thought up will work."

"No, I mean it might work. Depends on how well you can act." Gaara lifts a non-existing eyebrow, in interest. "You can fake sick and then we can spend the day together. Either that or we skip. But you might get caught that way and I so don't want you to get into any trouble," I explain. A defiant gleam runs through Gaara's eyes. Soon followed by a hint of anger. That anger flooded into his voice, though it wasn't directed at me.

"Fuck the sick act," He says pulling me to my feet. Then he pulls me out of the empty classroom, sure to avoid any wondering teachers we sneak out of school.

A/N: Most likely next chapter will have a lemon.