A/N: No lemons, but if you're really sensitive about such I suggest you avoid the first part. Nothing explicit. If the first bit in "Contact" bothered you, skip it.

---

eight
GAMES

well, I don't think you like me
well, I hate you as well
no one seems to like you
wish I couldn't tell

come on
abuse me more, I like it
come on
keep talking, 'cause it's true

Abuse Me, Silverchair

---

He notices the other doesn't just leave this time, not like before.

Strands of dark hair falls past his own eyes, plastered together from sweat, bringing memories of when the other had bitten off the band around his hair- like a hunter. Tearing into flesh.

He touches his arm and shudders- his skin was sweaty and a faint pain tingled from scratches and fresh shallow wounds, but he shivers because of the way he had been touched there just moments before. His fingers lightly traced the path cold hands had taken, his own hesitant touch so unlike the one before- fierce. Ravaging. Possessive.

He watches as black cloth was pulled over the silken sheen of black hair and bandages were wrapped around well-built arms, with painstaking slowness- or maybe it was his own imagination. His gaze lingers at the curve of the neck, the angle of the shoulders- those hips, he noted, were almost feminine, in their ability to entrance.

His hands continued to move, down his shoulder, across his bare chest- lingering there as the fingers before had, drawing patterns on his sweat-stained skin, slowly working their way...

He remembers those eyes- he could never forget them. He remembers the way they seemed to bleed crimson, how those markings swirled around- and with a weak memory he wonders if any of it, any of it at all, was real- if it wasn't just a well-crafted illusion- and his hands continued to move, at a faster pace, as though afraid to let the dream fade away.

He watches clothes being pulled on with agonizing slowness- watches the material stretch taut around muscles beneath pale, pale skin, the way the light and shadows played around the curve of the back as it twisted and turned.

He's not sure when they had moved, and was scarcely aware of it even now as his free hand grabbed at the bedsheets. He remembers and tries to imitate every agonizing stroke across his skin, every lick across his ear, every nail that clawed at his skin. Tries and fails- but keeps imagining, keeps thinking- and the memory may well have been enough.

He does not know why, but the other hadn't left at once- they had remained in silence he couldn't understand, listening to nothing but heartbeats and ragged breaths. He doesn't know what he expected, what he wanted, but there was no love from those arms, no gentleness in that grasp.

He had watched as the other rose after a long while- that seemed like nothing.

He watches, still vaguely following his memories, the silhouette at the window, a cold breeze blowing through soft black hair- ragged and untidy in places he remembered holding on to not long ago. He sees that glint in still-red eyes that faded to black. Both his hands were at work now, clumsily trying to follow the path set before them. He sees corners of lips turn up into a shameless smirk- and he never looked away, but when he looked again, it was gone- no shadow, no silhouette, no whisper that remained.

He closes his eyes- and holds in the image in his mind- leans back, his hands working faster...

---

Neji could scarcely believe what he was doing.

He stood awkwardly infront of the wooden door he knew belonged to the chuunin's home. Neji knew what was supposed to be done, of course- knock, and wait for an answer. Only somehow it felt intrusive and rude and- it was just something the born-and-bred Hyuuga had never really done before outside of his own household of strict adherence to tradition.

The night had long since gone, and Neji had thought better of bothering anyone in those late hours. But now the sun was early in the sky- he had come in the morning, just in case there were chuunin duties to be attended to, those exams so close at end- and in hindsight, even if there were duties, they were most likely being shamelessly avoided.

Were there any implications to coming in the morning? Would he be given breakfast? Should he refuse such hospitality? Should he go home?

Really, Tenten was right, he was hopeless at such things.

Neji decided that as a shinobi he had faced death without fear, and if he somehow couldn't so much as tap a door without hesitation he might have to rethink his career path.

The jounin knocked on the door gently but firmly (perhaps due to his training) – once, then twice, then three times, and waited.

---

Shikamaru stumbled upright, blinking through the morning fog of his haphazard thoughts. He was vaguely aware of what had happened, of what he had done, of the disgust that was welling in his stomach and rising to his throat- he knew why, but he would not address it. Not now.

He stumbled through what felt like a thick mist of confusion- a few times he chewed on his bottom lip (he tasted some blood) just to prove to himself that he hadn't gotten himself trapped in some well-crafted illusion. The cold morning air brushed past his bare skin, cold sweat only adding to his discomfort as he staggered towards his bathroom. He hung over the sink, blinking blearily at his reflection in the mirror, waiting to throw up- but even as the overwhelming feeling rose in his throat, nothing came, but he coughed and gagged. He refused to look down at his bare hands- he didn't want to be reminded why they felt that way- and pulled himself into the shower, hitting himself with a blast of ice-cold water.

He was scrubbed raw by the time he turned down the water- he had been so desperate to cleanse himself of... something. He was wide-awake, and the memory was well suppressed in the corner of his mind. Steadying himself on his feet he pulled on his pants and a fishnet shirt, forcefully drying his hair with a randomly grabbed towel while feeling around for the black band he used to tie his hair.

He heard the knocks, hurried down the stairs into his living room. Were his parents home early- ah, at least he had managed to clean himself in time. He paused at the doorway, taking a deep breath, readying himself to put on the exact same lie, but drew back slightly in surprise from the person standing at his doorstep.

---

They look strange,Kakashi noted, standing there like that.

One the Hyuuga genius, the other an unremarkable slacker. One with a stiff, formal and clearly uncomfortable body language, the other's weight leaned lazily to one side with a bored expression on his face. The silver-hair jounin watched as they stood there for a few awkward moments, staring at each other in mild surprise.

The Nara boy had not been cooperative, and a few hours before, Kakashi discovered, neither was the Hyuuga. Kakashi was both like and unlike Shikamaru in many ways- one of their similarities being their love of puzzles. But while Shikamaru could see when the game was up and new when to cut his losses, Kakashi knew no such inhibitions. He was a genius, a shinobi of great talent- and he knew it. Any challenge he did not take, any question he left unanswered, was a thorn in his side that bothered him until it was solved. He could hardly put aside the puzzle that was Sasuke's apparent interest in the slacker.

So, Kakashi stalked Neji.

The Hyuuga residence was a rather pleasant place, as he had discovered, and Kakashi planned to visit more often.

"I have nothing more to learn from you, Kakashi."

The jounin blinked. What had triggered the memory? The thought of Sasuke itself? The copy-nin remembered it clearly, when Sasuke had left the hospital's care and the cursed seal was dealt with- it could no longer function as a cursed seal, but the pain would never be gone from the boy. He remembered when Kakashi had casually probed about Sasuke rejoining Team 7 in missions and training. The response, of course, was... hardly enthusiastic.

"Chuunin? Forget that. I will be a jounin soon. I will surpass you before you know it. Learning from you will do nothing but limit my potential to yourboundaries."

Sasuke had made good on that promise- not a year after and he had attained jounin status. He never displayed any interest whatsoever in the ANBU- and Kakashi assumed that Sasuke saw no need for the protection of Konoha, not when he only had one task in life- and it was a task of destruction.

"I am tired of your games, Kakashi. I will not leave Konoha- but I will not be here. You will not find me."

Kakashi had always wondered just what games Sasuke was referring to then... but he knew that the Uchiha had meant it when he said he would not be found. The copy-nin occasionally stumbled into Sasuke more through luck than anything- and now and then it bothered him that he had been able to see Sasuke at all. Could he not flee if he sensed him approaching?

"Will you stop me?"

He remembered his own reply.

"I have already tried."

"Will you try again?"

"...No."

Maybe things would have been different, if he had answered yes. But then, what could he have done? Sasuke would've just laughed in his face and vanish into the forest anyway, like he had then. A different means, to a similar end...

They would enter the house soon, Kakashi noted, and he would wait here. From his chosen rooftop perch, he could see the door with ease, and could peer into certain windows from choice angles.

So what do you see in Shika-kun, Sasuke? Kakashi thought, his eye narrowing and returning to the scene. But while that is important...

Kakashi had been wondering about something else, too, ever since Shikamaru had bothered to look for him. It signalled something- simple, basic, that anyone could pick up if they tried, although the chuunin himself seemed completely unaware- perhaps from his lying capability, or perhaps he was lying to himself. To a keen observer like Kakashi... it was apparent.

And what do yousee in Sasuke, Shika-kun?

---

"Your hair is down," Neji said lamely.

"Ah, yeah. Come in?" Shikamaru stepped back, holding the door open. It wasn't as if he never had guests over before- it was just... Neji. It felt odd.

And Neji was aware of it, too. The jounin stepped through the doorframe and flinched ever-so-slightly when the door clicked shut behind him- he stood awkwardly infront of the door, just inside the house, his piercing eyes scanning what he could see of the well-kept house (that was just beginning to fall into disarray, Shikamaru's parents having left for awhile). Uncertain of what to do, he brushed dust off his sleeve absent-mindedly.

"...Shougi?" Shikamaru offered.

"Of course."

"Make yourself at home," the chuunin told his guest, fetching the board and pieces he kept in his room upstairs. He vaguely remembered, the day before, when he had asked Neji for a game and invited him over should he wish to. It was... it was because- those flowers. Oh shit... Ino. He had in all honestly nearly forgotten, and the memory left his throat dry from dread alone. He had effectively asked Neji for a distraction- and in an indirect way, for help. He walked into the kitchen, poking around his shelves- if Ino acted like she always did, she would've tried to hunt him down- and Neji would've been one of her first stops. Meaning... knowing Neji, the Hyuuga had probably guessed that Shikamaru was searching for both a distraction and a means of indirect advice- and had probably thought Shikamaru mad if he hazarded a guess at the reason. And really, Neji would'nt have been too far off.

He walked into the living room and sat down on a cushion, laying the board down across the table, placing down a plate with two loosely-made sandwiches ontop of it. He glanced up, with some amusement in his eyes, noticing that Neji had not left the spot infront of his door and was still staring around and blinking. He gestured towards the other side of the table with a small grin. "Sit down, Neji."

Neji complied, his stiff formal kneeling ever-contrasting with Shikamaru's sloppy cross-legged posture. He helped, somewhat awkwardly, as Shikamaru laid out the pieces, and studied the sandwich to some extent before picking it up, studying it some more, and taking a small bite.

It was Neji that brought up random conversation as the game began, not-so-casually bringing up Ino. Shikamaru replied casually to each and every probe- but not ten minutes later and the only thing between them was the sound of silence and shifting pieces, their gazes fixed intently on the board. Their thoughts were on the game, now.

Shikamaru realized that he was calm- far calmer than he had been, before. A thought appeared in his mind, that maybe he was... maybe he was accepting it.

The chuunin captured a piece calmly, remarking idly, "Neji- do you know who the king is?"

"Hm?" It was an automatic response, the kind of sound intended to sound like some kind of mild interest when really it was just a half-hearted reply- the Hyuuga was focused on the board.

"Asuma asked me that question, once," Shikamaru said quietly, his eyes growing cold.

Neji froze in his position, his blank gaze shifting to meet his opponent's. Shikamaru rarely spoke the name.

"He said I was like the knight," Shikamaru continued without so much as acknowledging the fact that his mention of his old sensei was unexpected, "That I was a valuable piece of played correctly- that I moved differently from the others... a highly tactical piece."

"It suits you," Neji said simply, advancing one of his own attackers.

The game continued in silence for the next few turns.

"The Hokage?" Neji asked finally.

"That was what I guessed... but I was wrong." Shikamaru paused briefly, brows knitting in concentration, before shifting something forward. "It was... the children of the present. The kings of the future- the future generation."

"The Will of Fire," the Hyuuga echoed thoughtfully.

Shikamaru nodded, studying Neji's response on the board with a thoughtful gaze. "But recently... I've been thinking differently. "

"Hm?"

"That while Konoha and the generation as a whole fights for their future," Shikamaru continued, "Everyone has their own king. Everyone has something worth protecting. Worth fighting for. Worth dying for... worth killing for."

Neji frowned slightly, nodding in silent agreement, working out his strategies on the board while contemplating Shikamaru's words. Why was he bringing them up now? The next few moves, the next minutes, passed in silence.

Shikamaru moved yet another attacker forward. "Why are you here, Neji?"

The appropriate defensive measure was obvious to both players, and Neji considered it for a moment before playing it quickly. "Shougi."

"You know as well as I- I wasn't asking for a game."

Shikamaru looked up after making his move, to find Neji staring back at him calmly. "If you didn't want me here, why did you ask?"

"I didn't think you'd come."

"I didn't think you'd ask."

They both glanced up suddenly. To trained shinobi, any sudden noise was worth alarm. Shikamaru frowned slightly, staring up the stairs- somewhere beyond the wall, where his room would be down the hall- that was where the sound came from-

He choked slightly. What he saw was entirely unexpected.

Sasuke calmly emerged from behind the wall- Shikamaru cursed quietly at himself, that the first thing he noticed had been that Sasuke was fully clothed- and the second, how the indoor light looked different on his hair than a moonlight sheen. The dark-haired jounin walked calmly down the stairs, unashamedly locking his gaze at a shocked Neji or a split second- but his eyes met with Shikamaru's. Shikamaru stared at him and made no secret of it- but Sasuke turned away. He paused briefly at the doorway, his hand on the doorknob, before leaving quietly and closing the door behind him.

Sasuke had paused just long enough for Shikamaru to see a familiar black-band around his wrist.

The game momentarily forgotten, Shikamaru and Neji merely gaped at the spot where Sasuke had been moments before- and the moment stretched for an eternity before the Hyuuga broke the silence.

"...ah."

The sound brought the chuunin back to Earth quickly. Neji was intelligent enough to fit two and two together- and by now probably knew more about his situation that he cared for anyone to know. He would deal with it. He supposed. Shikamaru made his move on the board pointedly.

"How long?" Neji probed, settling back down and returning his gaze calmly to the game board. Shikamaru knew what he was asking.

"Not very."

"And this was what you wanted help with."

Shikamaru didn't answer, watching as Neji made his move and replying quickly with his own.

Neji's white eyes narrowed dangerously. "He's using you."

"He can't use me," Shikamaru snapped- Neji flinched slightly, taken aback by his opponent's irritability. "I won't let him," the chuunin muttered darkly. He ran his fingers absent-mindedly through his hair, trying not to think of how Sasuke had done it mere hours before...

Neji raised an eyebrow and nudged a piece to his desired position on the board. "He's using you... and you're letting him."

"Fuck you," Shikamaru said quietly- in a soft, dangerous calm, a warning tone. Neji had never heard the chuunin use anything of the sort, and watched in apprehension as Shikamaru calmly moved the next piece.

"You're being defensive," Neji stated matter-of-factly. "You're in denial."

"Fuck you," Shikamaru repeated simply.

"He wants something from you, clearly. But you- what do you get from it? Nothing, I'd imagine. You're being used- and you're lying about it."

"Your move, Neji."

"To everyone."

"Neji-"

"Even yourself."

"Neji,"Shikamaru said sharply. His coughed slightly, and massaged his aching brow- god, did Neji really have to bring this all up now? He was avoiding everything. Avoiding everything for a reason. For his own protection. He didn't need to care about it. Didn't need to know why. What he needed was for it to vanish, to go away- so he needn't be bothered about it anymore. This whole thing was so damn troublesome...

He hated Neji right about now, the self-righteous bastard. Gritted his teeth as he watched the Hyuuga make his move. "Tried to find a distraction," the bastard said...

"Your move again... now-"

"Manipulated Ino, your friend-"

"-Don't fucking go there-"

"- in order to gain sympathy, and an outlet-"

"Neji-"

"She was nothing but a distraction, was she?"

"Neji, fuck you."

"But that's all she was," Neji said coldly, making his move. There was no pity or sympathy in his voice, only disgust. Shikamaru made his own quickly, but not before Neji continued. "Using her, as much as he's using you. As much as you tried to use me."

"You don't know anything," Shikamaru hissed warningly- there were no memories, no panic, consuming his brain now, only an anger- an undirected rage, at Neji, at Sasuke, at himself...

"I know that he raped you. Didn't he?" Blunt. Cold. Almost uncharacteristically so.

"...Fuck you-"

"Of course not... youlet him."

"You bastard, it wasnever-"

"Then why didn't you fight it?"

"I did-"

"Not enough!"

---

...Hm.

Kakashi hadn't quite expected Sasuke to walk calmly out the front door of Shikamaru's house, only to vanish without a trace.

What was he doing there? ...visiting? Did Neji see him? Was it an illusion? A trick of the mind? No, Kakashi reassured himself, the Uchiha had definitely been there mere moments before- and had probably been there since the night, judging by chakra trail that Kakashi was beginning to pick up.

And what had he been doing there?

...perhaps the pornography was getting to his aging mind, but- just what kind of irrational fascination did Uchiha Sasuke have for the Nara boy?

There was clearly something rather large on his hands- more so than he had imagined. Kakashi had thought that at most Sasuke had found an outlet for his anger and his hatred- nothing more. But if it was anything more... who was already involved? Shikamaru. Himself. Neji. Ino. Sasuke... Kakashi didn't know enough about his former student not anymore- but he knew who might.

He might just have to involve a few more people...

---

"Not enough!"

Shikamaru had stood up, instinctively leaping into a battle pose- not sure why. He had never lost control, not anywhere close to this- he felt so genuinely pissed at Neji right now that if it weren't for the fact that he had showered earlier and his weapons weren't at hand...

His anger-laden gaze found Neji's, and they flicked down to the game board. He processed it quickly. Neji... in the past few turns, Neji had earned himself a turnaround victory. A miraculous change of tides that Shikamaru might have applauded, if he didn't feel like stabbing the jounin square in the chest at the moment.

Neji's gaze was calm, steady- and completely unreadable, as distracted by his irrational anger as Shikamaru was. Their eye contact did not break even for a moment- as Shikamaru's ragged breaths slowed, his pulse steadied, and he slowly drew himself back into his calm, dismissive posture.

"You disgust me, Shikamaru," Neji said matter-of-factly, standing up to meet the chuunin's gaze.

Shikamaru froze.

"At the very least," the Hyuuga continued, "I am sorely disappointed. None of this will be what you want to hear. Most of it will be what you already know. All of it- what you need to hear.

"As I see it, he has continued to use you, and thus there are two possibilities. The first, being that you want him to stop, but you're too cowardly to stand up for yourself. It is fine to have your cowardly tendencies- it is fine to cut your losses... it is not fine to manipulate your friends to attempt to save your sorry self. If you need help, you ask for it. Twisting people's minds in your favor is nothing short of disgusting.

"The second- that you never wanted him to stop. That all you have been doing is lying to yourself, and making yourself miserable. Either way, you manipulated your friends- either way you despise him for doing this to you, but you have been doing the same all along- only lying to yourself about it. You despise me now- but only because I am tearing down your lies. No more lies. Face the truth. Of all people, I would not expect you to hide behind walls of false courage and self-pity.

"But you're right, I know nothing. I know nothing of what happened between you, of what still happens, or what it means. I know nothing of what he wants from you, or why, I know nothing of what you get from him. But I know that now, you are nothing but a coward.

"Cutting your losses is ideal in strategy- and is this what you're doing? Shutting yourself off so you won't have to deal with a thing when everything comes tumbling down? Manipulating your friends is creating losses, not causing them- and everything will crumble on your head.

"Enough of these games. You. Him. Both of us. Both of you."

They stood and continued staring- Shikamaru too bewildered to digest it all, too bewildered to attack. Neji stepped forward and grabbed the chuunin's hand, pressing into it the piece that he had taken to win the game.

"Hardly a knight, Shikamaru," Neji said coldly- he let himself out of the house, without another word.

Shikamaru opened his hand, staring at the piece.

It was a pawn.

---

A/N: This took awhile, and still didn't turn out quite as I wanted it to...

Wooh, over a thousand hits. Not much to celebrate, I guess, but it's a big deal for me! Yay, thank you people! Now if only more of you would send me feedback. XD

I got bitten by a billion random plotbunnies today, and dayum, them plotbunnies gotfangs. Including a weird NejiShika AU thing... hah! I'll think of that after I finish Reason and it's sequel, na?

Reason is drawing itself to a close...

Yeah, Neji is mean. D:

On to the next chapter, and thanks again for reading! Drop me a review. :D