There was an almost weird sensation of once again walking around these familiar perimeters. Ino had been to Europe for over a year, Paris to be exact, and now her French was flawless. Or at least she believed it to be. She should’ve been back by the beginning of summer, but not knowing when, or even if, she was ever going to meet her new European friends had made her stay the summer as well. Her student apartment had been free of rent during the summer months, so it really made no difference there, and she’s managed to get a job at a coffee shop to support herself. But she had at least applied for the same college all her friends back home went to, and she had been accepted into the Dramatic Arts class.

Still, a part of her wished she was in Paris even now as she walked towards the park where Sakura had promised to meet her. Though they had been best friends forever, Ino really couldn’t remember a time when she didn’t know the girl with the huge forehead, they had hardly spoken at all over the past year. Alright, so phone calls across the world were a bit too expensive, but there were those little things called the web, e-mail and AIM. The truth was that Ino was the one who had rarely or ever responded to Sakura’s mails, she had just been too occupied in her own adventures. Perhaps that was why she was so nervous now. Really, what reason did Sakura have to treat her like a best friend when she had been more or less ignored for a year? What if she, and the rule was that if you lost your best friend you lost the gang, didn’t want to hang out with her anymore? What if Ino had managed to lose the people she had known since kindergarten in just little over a year…?

Her pace had slowed more and more the closer she came to the park, the regular spot or call it whatever you want, and the pretty blonde stopped altogether just inside the gates. There was the pond where they had bathed as kids, a disgusting thing to do considering the amount of ducks living in it, and there were the swings and the slide and the seesaw they had all played at while one parent or another watched over all fourteen kids. There was the almost invisible path leading into the bushes, the one they had discovered somewhere in junior high and where they had snuck off to when school became too annoying. If she followed it now she would find Sakura sitting under the cherry tree, ironical that Sakura was the one always occupying the place beneath the tree whose blossoms she was named from. But she couldn’t move, she just didn’t dare to find out how she would be treated after such a long absence. Ino cursed herself, since when was she such a pussy?!

“Ino? Damn it, it really is you!” a voice said behind her suddenly, and she turned around. Not that she needed to look to know who it was; such a loud voice could only belong to one person. True enough, Uzumaki Naruto was standing before her once again. He hadn’t changed much, not more than that his clothes seemed cleaner than usual. Perhaps he had finally gotten a grip on himself, living alone had not done him any good during high school.

“Hello Naruto,” she said and hugged him back as he flung himself around her neck in typical Naruto style. It felt good to be greeted the same way as always, only with a little more enthusiasm. But then again, not seeing someone as beautiful as herself in a year had to be hard. Ino was so full of herself sometimes it was hard to understand how she didn’t blow up. She smiled towards the slightly hyper boy who was jumping up and down in front of her, amazing how much of a confidence boost he could be. “I didn’t know you were gonna be here, thought I was meeting Sakura…”

“You kidding me?!” he exclaimed and laughed. While he continued talking he took her by the wrist and started dragging her along the path. Sometimes it really was hard to believe someone like Naruto was in college, and starting his second year to that. At least she assumed so. “Sakura called me yesterday after she talked to you, said you were finally home and she was meeting you here.” He turned around and crystal blue eyes met hers, the smile on Naruto’s lips never failing to reach them. “The chain was started and within ten minutes everyone knew.” He laughed, and Ino couldn’t help but to join in. It seemed nothing had changed after all. It seemed like she was still wanted in the gang, and that she had actually been missed by her friends. The feeling was greater than she would’ve expected it to be…

A couple of minutes later the two blondes, one female and with a more white nuance to her hair than the golden one of the male, managed to entangle themselves from the branches of the bushes. “That was easier when we were kids,” Naruto mumbled. Though he seemed slightly upset, the smile returned to his face seconds later. “But we’re out now!” He grinned as he scratched his neck, something he had done for as long as Ino could remember. “How does my hair look?” she asked and tried to feel for twigs in the ponytail. “Has any strands come out of the ponytail? Oh why did I forget my mirror?!” Naruto chuckled and walked over to her. Pulling a few strands that stood out in weird angles out of the pony tail, he tucked them behind one of her ears. “Now you’re as pretty as ever,” he promised. “Come an, the other’s should be waiting on the other side.” ‘Duh,’ Ino thought and rolled as she followed him up the steep hill in front of them. It wasn’t like she had forgotten how to get to their favorite meeting spot just because she hadn’t been there in a year.

The sun was shining from a clear blue sky this August afternoon, thus it was pretty hot to climb up the hill even on this shadowy side. It wasn’t like they were rock climbing, but the hill was steep as said and Ino knew from experience that it was hard to get up this way if the grass was wet. Today it wasn’t though, but she still would’ve liked to take the slightly longer way around the hill. Her feet were melting inside her sneakers and she definitely didn’t want to look all sweaty when she was to meet up with the gang for the first time in months and months. Ino was constantly nagging on Naruto for never growing up, she failed to see that she often behaved like a childish fourteen-year-old herself.

Ino had to shield her eyes from the sun as they finally reached the top of the hill. It really wasn’t that high, but it had seemed like the top of the world to them all when they were kids. The way Ino and Naruto had come up was steep and in shadow most of the day, seeing how the forest was behind it. ‘The forest’ wasn’t deep either, fifty meters of it or so to separate it from the official park. This side of the hill, on the other hand, was more stretched and less steep. Green grass decorated with daisies covered it, even if it turned slightly yellow now towards the end of summer, and at the top was the cherry tree that Sakura always sat beneath. There were a few more trees and bushes on the hillside, but none was as big or beautiful as the cherry tree on the top. Especially not in the spring, when the pink blossoms decorated it.

The first impression she got was that nothing had changed since she left. Sakura was seated with her back towards the cherry tree. Lee hung from by his knees from one of its lower branches, doing some weird form of upside-down sit-ups. Tenten was dancing around in one of her I’m-bored-so-I’ll-perform-some-kind-of-martial-art like dances, and Shikamaru was lying flat on his back watching the sky. Ino would never understand how he could stare into the sky constantly without going blind; her eyes were tearing now even though she was shielding them. But when she took a closer look, behind the first impression, Ino started seeing changes in the picture she’d thought would never change.

As Lee, why couldn’t he ever relax from his constant training spree?, came down from a sit-up he was holding a tiny twig with a single cherry on it. With a smile on his lips he offered it to Sakura who carefully took it into her mouth with a soft chuckle. Her green eyes were constantly watching the young man with the ridiculous haircut, and had he ever heard of plucking one’s eyebrows?!, and the two of them were smiling at each other. Shikamaru had his hands folded behind his neck as always, but Temari was resting her head on his shoulder. Her right hand was lazily caressing his stomach. They almost seemed to be…in love! But that couldn’t be, why would they risk lifelong friendship by going out with each other?

Tenten finished off her performance with a backflip, and wiped the sweat from her forehead while walking over to the shadow of a small juniper. Throwing herself down on the ground she smiled. “How did I look?” A hand came out of the shadows, which made Ino aware of Shino sitting there in his long-sleeved hooded sweater, and lovingly pat her on the forehead. “Great,” he answered in his one syllable kind of way. The gesture was so far from what Shino would usually do; Shino wasn’t exactly the physical type…

“Ino-san!” a sweet and familiar voice said behind them. Ino turned around too see four other friends join the group. Well five, if you counted a dog as a friend. Akamaru was the first one to come skipping over to her, he’d grown over the past year but he was still adorable. Even Ino, who wasn’t the biggest of animal fans, had to love the little thing. Kiba followed shortly after…holding Hinata’s hand! Before Ino had the chance to ask what was going on around here though, Naruto darted past her and all but knocked her to the ground. He completely ignored Kiba and Hinata, instead running straight up to Gaara who just so nearly fell back down the hill as the blonde jumped him. Wrapping his arms around the redhead’s neck and his legs around the waist, Naruto shocked the life out of Ino by kissing the pale boy. It didn’t seem to shock anyone else though, not even as Gaara placed his arms around Naruto to hold him up and responded the kiss. It all became too much for poor Ino, she felt so left out and unknowing.

“What the fuck is going on here?!” she exclaimed.

Everyone else had reacted to Hinata’s mentioning of Ino’s name, but no one had had the time to react before Naruto’s little escapade. Now they all broke down in laughter, the volume and amount depended on personality. Even Chouji chuckled with his mouth full of potato chips as he finally made his way over the top of the hill. An arm was draped over Ino’s delicate shoulders. Looking to her side she saw sparkling green eyes, pink hair and a smile so bright it could cause anyone to forget that the girl had a broad forehead. “Welcome home Ino.”

The blonde, and by the hugging and laughing and kissing of cheeks also missed, member of the gang was lead over to the cherry tree and everyone had a seat around it. Well most of them were lying in some kind of way, but they were all more gathered than just a minute earlier. Ino felt like nothing had changed, the spirit and friendliness was still the same, but she could see that her year of absence had clearly made a difference. Kiba was lying on his side, head in Hinata’s lap as she was sitting on her knees. Gaara sat sturdily and straight-backed, legs crossed and picking with Naruto’s blonde hair as the other boy rested his head towards his thigh. Lee had jumped down from the tree, for once being still, and had one arm gently around Sakura’s waist as she had retaken her seat against the stem. Shikamaru was half-sitting and counting on Temari to hold him up as she sat almost as sturdily, but more relaxed, as her redheaded brother. In the same way, though no one could ever look as lazy as Shikamaru, Tenten sat between Shino’s outstretched legs while he held his arms around her. Had it been any other group of people Ino would not have reacted the slightest, cause it all looked relaxed and comfortable. But these were her friends, and they weren’t supposed to act like this!

Everyone was looking at her, and she could tell that they were all enjoying themselves immensely. Alright, so she must look completely dumbfounded, but how much could seriously happen in a year?! Had she taken a look back at all her adventures in France she might’ve realized that the answer was ‘a lot’. But Ino wasn’t really in a state where she could think too much at the moment. The visual impressions all around her seemed to block out most of her brain capacity, and some jokes could definitely have been made about the amount she possessed from the beginning. Ino wasn’t dumb, but she wasn’t the smartest member of the gang either.

“Could someone please fill me in a bit here?” she asked, as the soul sound of Chouji’s munching became too much for her. The fat boy, though in all honesty he had grown more into his body during all the years the friends had been hanging out, was seated not too far from her. Ino herself had been placed next to Sakura, but unfortunately she had no tree trunk to rest her back against. It could’ve been needed.

“What?” Kiba asked, that amused smirk of his never leaving his face. “Don’t be mean,” Hinata said and smacked him lightly over the head. For once Akamaru seemed to be on someone else’s than Kiba’s side, because he gave an annoyed bark at his master’s words as well. “We just,” Sakura said and turned her brilliant green eyes towards her oldest friend again, “realized we had some feelings we weren’t expecting.” Ino shook her head and looked around at the others. “So what? You just all went and started dating because you felt like it?” “It’s the springtime of youth, Ino,” Lee said and leaned forward a bit so that he could see her from the other side of what seemed to be his pink haired girlfriend. “When you realize you love someone, you can’t just ignore it. Besides, it’s not a secret that I liked Sakura for years and years.”

Now that was true, the athlete hadn’t exactly been discrete with his feelings. On the other hand, neither had Sakura. “Since when did you change your mind?” Ino asked her best friend, and the look she delivered was almost accusingly. Though Lee was a member of the ground and a friend Ino would always love to have, he wasn’t exactly boyfriend material. He was a school athlete, but it wasn’t like he was one of the hot shots that all girls wanted. None of them here were among the hot shots at school, part from Ino herself though who was the prettiest of all girls. The reason she didn’t date constantly was, of course, because so few guys could reach her standards.

“I don’t know,” Sakura confessed and smiled lovingly towards Lee. “Six months ago I figured I might as well go on a date, then maybe he’d stop asking me all the bloody time.” She laughed and several others fell into it. Turning back towards Ino, she rested her pink head on Lee’s muscular shoulder. “But as we got alone, I realized he has qualities I definitely want in a boyfriend.” Ino’s eyes had grown huge, causing more laughter from Kiba and Naruto joined in. Even Gaara smirked visibly, a certain proof that he was amused by the situation. “You’ve been dating for six months?!” she finally exclaimed, the shock and almost horror of the idea obvious.

“Calm down,” Naruto mumbled and rubbed his ear as if Ino’s high pitched voice was hurting it. “Coming from the right person,” Gaara mumbled even lower than usual, but it still earned him a smack on the other thigh from the usually hyperactive blonde. “What’d you think?” Tenten asked amused. “That we all started seeing each other yesterday just to piss you off?” She let out a lovable chuckle and grabbed hold of Shino’s arms. “Me and Shino’ve been seeing each other since Christmas.” A small nod, something sounding like a ‘hm’ and a light squeeze of the ninja-wannabe was Shino’s confirming of the statement. Ino just shook her head. Shino and Tenten was perhaps the biggest shock, mostly because she’d thought Shino to be asexual and Tenten to be lesbian. Why? Ino just had such ideas inside her head from time to time.

One by one, or two by two depending on how you wanted to see it, the couples told their story of how and when they got together. Kiba and Hinata was the most recent adding, seeing how Hinata had been too shy to admit she was actually in love with someone as…eccentric as Kiba. But the two months together had obviously been good for both of them, seeing how Kiba was still and Hinata had actually smacked him when he was being an ass. Gaara had all but gotten himself excluded from the gang in his attempts to make Naruto accept that he was gay, but once the blonde had too much to drink around Easter he learned just how good a boy could be in bed. It really wasn’t that strange that the two of them would get along, both being orphans and both having been bullied by it when younger. But it was still shocking to find out that they were gay, or at least that Naruto was. Gaara…it seemed nothing could surprise Ino when it came to Gaara.

The only couple Ino was not too shocked about, the one she had actually expected would’ve happened a long time ago, was Shikamaru and Temari. There had been chemistry between the two of them ever since junior high, but there had just been too many obstacles between them they said. Shikamaru was too lazy to get his act together and ask someone out, plus the fact that he sort of disliked strong females because of how his own mother behaved around the house. And Temari was definitely a strong female, plus she was three years older than him. But it seemed springtime, the season and not the springtime of youth that Lee and his father kept gagging about, had gotten to both of them and finally they’d gotten their act together.

“Seems like there’s only four single people left, huh,” Ino said with a smile towards Chouji. The worst shock had cooled down, by now she could at least pretend she was alright with it. These people were still her best friends and if they were happy with their arrangements, though Ino would never go out with any of the present boys, she would be happy for them. Her statement seemed to bring awkwardness back though, and as she looked around there was clearly something else she didn’t know. Even Chouji, who had never lied or kept anything from her (at least as far as she knew), avoided eye contact. “What?” she asked. “What?!” Then she got it.

“Oh. My. God.” Ino’s eyes were practically shooting fire. “Who is she? Who is the bitch I’m gonna have to kick the life out of for stealing Sasuke?” If Lee had been obvious about his feelings for Sakura, Ino just might’ve been even more so with her feelings for Sasuke. Not so strange though, where Ino merely wished she was the most popular girl in school, Sasuke probably was the most popular boy. Or at least one of them. No one said anything still, if anything they seemed to crumble. Even Akamaru hid behind Kiba’s body, as if he too knew how flaming Ino’s temper could be. “Oh boy,” the dog owner mumbled and looked up at his pale eyed girlfriend. “Can we go now?”

Ino shot him a death glare, which he luckily didn’t see or he just might’ve jumped straight out of his clothes. “What is it you’re not telling me?!” she demanded. Sakura was twiddling her fingers nervously. “Well…Ino…you see…” “Spit it out, who is she?!” The pink haired looked down nervously. “It’s not a girl…”

Ino stared at her best friend dumbfounded. “What?” she asked, the anger in her voice replaced with doubt. Sakura finally dared to look up and meet her eyes, but unfortunately they held no trace of the statement being a joke in them. The blonde looked around at her friends, but all she could see were little nods. Or in the case of Naruto and Gaara, contained laughter form the first and rolling eyes from the second. It was true Gaara had mumbled about Sasuke’s sexuality for years, but they’d all waived it away.

“What?” Ino repeated. “Sasuke can’t be…gay…” A snort was heard from Gaara. Though the blonde couldn’t know, he was the only one who hadn’t been either shocked or even surprised when the truth came out. “Tell that to Neji,” he said and shrugged casually. Ino’s eyes grew even wider. “Neji?! You’re telling me Sasuke and Neji are…that they’re…” The redhead nodded. “The fact that they’re not here is quite tingling, could produce great pictures if I allowed my imagination to roam.”

“Gaara!” came the common cry from the rest of them. Though in all honesty, Temari and Tenten did exchange a look that said they weren’t completely repulsed by the idea of such imagery. At least not if it was in one of Gaara’s paintings. “Neji called and said they’d be late,” Hinata informed the others. They were cousins, so it was usually she who received news from the pale-eyed boy. “He was gonna help Sasuke with an essay…” “Oh come an, Hina,” Kiba said and looked up at her with a loving laughter. “Not even you can buy that one. They’re gonna fuck each other senseless, that’s what’s keeping them!” Hinata glared at him, not blushing and stuttering like she would’ve back in the days. “Had I been allowed to finish, I would’ve said that I believe the essay I know Sasuke has to write will have to wait until tonight. Or possibly tomorrow.” That caused everyone but Ino to laugh.

“But,” she said and tried to make herself heard over the laughter and many small comments that followed. “But…since when?” Chouji was the only one who seemed to pay attention to her. “About a month after you left,” he said. “I’m sorry Ino, but they seem pretty serious about each other.” The others had fallen silent and were now watching the two talkers. Ino looked overdramatically depressed, like she’d lost the love of her life or something. Sure she’d known Sasuke since forever, just like the rest of them, but they hadn’t even been the closest of friends in the group. In fact, several of the occupants at the hill had heard Sasuke say Ino was one of the people he liked the least. Not that he, or they, would ever tell her, but in some tragic way it was almost amusing to see how she could believe he was actually attracted to her.

The chirping of lark was heard, but it took a while for them to realize that it was Hinata’s cell phone ringing. Even Hinata missed it at first, because she didn’t feel it vibrating in the pocket of her loose fitted shirt. Pulling it out she managed to flip it open right before the answer machine kicked in. “Hinata. … Oh hi. … Yeah. … Yeah. … Alright, see ya.” The call was over almost before it began, and she smiled towards Ino. “Even if he’s taken, you’re about to see Sasuke soon. He and Neji just left, they’ll be here in ten minutes.” The others nodded, but Ino’s smile was not quite as bright as you would’ve expected it to be. The news of Sasuke being out of her range it had…shocked her. Then again, he was only out of her reach if she allowed him to be. Who better to convince a boy he wasn’t actually gay, bi possibly but definitely not gay, than Yamanaka Ino?

True to their words, the two gorgeous boys came climbing over the hill nine minutes later. Hyuuga Neji was in his third year of business studies, and like with every other level of education he was a straight A student. He’d also been the most popular guy until his current boyfriend entered business studies a year later and taken over that position. For some reason his pale skin, raven hair and almost black eyes went well with the girls. Well, Neji wasn’t late to agree with them. Uchiha Sasuke was also the only one who could rival Neji’s position as a top student, and it was only due to the fact that they were in different years that the two of them could both be at the top of their classes.

Unlike with the other couples seated on the slope, nothing told of a relationship going on between the two boys as they came walking. Both had their hands tucked into the pockets of their jeans, and they hardly looked at each other. Ino started to think it had been a joke after all, that they were late because Neji really had helped Sasuke with an essay. “You can skip the act,” Naruto informed them as if to deprive Ino of her last piece of hope. “We already told her about you.” Neji’s pale eyes fluttered over to her, and when she forced a smile towards him his shoulders actually fell down a bit. It seemed like he’d been tensed about the meeting. And it wasn’t that strange really; all of them figured Ino would go after Neji before Sasuke. She couldn’t risk giving her loved one a bruise, could she?

“Hey Ino,” Sasuke said with that askew smile he’d had ever since they first met him. “How was France?” Getting a grip of herself, deciding to go ahead with the plan of turning the raven boy back to the right side of the game, Ino tossed her hair and smiled brightly back at him. “Salut Sasuke, il était merveilleux.” He raised a brow and laughed shortly. “Means…it was great?” She nodded and laughed softly. “I missed you though; the Frenchmen aren’t nearly as cute.” Neji stepped up behind his boyfriend and placed his arms around Sasuke’s waist. He was slightly taller, which allowed him to place his chin on Sasuke’s shoulder. “Ino, as happy as I am to see you, and as much as I welcome you home, I won’t take you hitting on my boyfriend.” His voice sounded casual and almost joking, but those seated so that they could see his pale eyes could clearly tell they held a warning to them. “Of course not Neji,” Ino answered sweetly, but her eyes spoke a different language. “It’s nice to see you again.”

Sasuke felt he was the reason tension was building up, and carefully released Neji’s grip around him. “Come an, let’s have a seat,” he said. Neji nodded and let go of Ino’s eyes. The boy who was third in age, only Temari and Tenten were older than him, took a seat on the opposite side of the circle from Ino. Spreading his legs he invited Sasuke to sit down between them, and once his lover did so he pulled them up on either side of him to balance himself. Sasuke leaned back against him and Neji leaned forward slightly, placing his arms loosely over Sasuke’s shoulders. That way neither of them had to support the weight of the other, but they instead supported each other.

“So how was the sex?” Gaara asked. He’d meant to break the tensed and awkward atmosphere, and he certainly made it. “Gaara!” people screamed again. Akamaru jumped the redhead and jokingly threatened to bite him while someone, most likely Tenten since the aim was good, threw a loose piece of dirt at him. “Like your best fantasy,” Sasuke answered coolly, which earned him more or less the same treatment as Gaara had received seconds earlier. Meanwhile Neji and Ino kept glancing at each other, eyes telling they were now more rivals than friends.

“Oh God… Ngn. Neji…Neji…yes, right there…”

Sasuke clenched his fingers around the sheet, one hand leaving it only to entangle itself in the mess of Neji’s dark hair as the older boy was sucking him. Two fingers were inside of him, grazing that wonderful spot and preparing him for the pleasure that followed the inevitable pain. The Uchiha had never experienced pleasure like the kind Neji brought him. Sex with Neji was never bad; it was more or less good. With his hands and fingers, tongue and teeth, the one year older boy could do miracles.

Just as the heat in his stomach was coming dangerously close to what he could take, Neji pulled back. Crawling up he kissed his lover, and Sasuke cravingly opened his mouth to greet the tongue that slipped between his lips. Tasting himself he eagerly spread his legs wider, causing Neji’s erection to brush against his own aching one. The pale eyed boy moaned deep in his throat and retreated from the kiss. Lifting Sasuke’s hips he positioned himself and hungrily pushed into the waiting heat. Sasuke arched his back and gasped at the sweet pain as Neji pushed all the way in at once. They were a bit rough in their sex life, but it was the way they both wanted it. Wrapping his legs around Neji’s toned body he caused the boy to hit his prostate with the first thrust and he cried out in pleasure.

According to Sasuke pain and pleasure went hand in hand, at least in bed. He’d heard about couples that didn’t do this, who stopped at oral sex and fingers brushing the holy spot in order to avoid the pain. But he wanted it, needed it and craved it, for after the pain came pleasure like no other. His hands came up to caress the torso above him, play with erect nipples and scratch skin that wasn’t quite as pale as his own. Opening his black eyes he watched his lover, eyes closed and mouth open, gasping with the thrusts as pleasure held him in a firm grip. As he held him in a firm grip. Neji always said he was so tight it almost hurt, another proof pain walked hand in hand with pleasure.

Neji thrust deeper and harder each time, efficiently hitting the spot that had his lover gasping and groaning with pleasure. The muscles were easing up around his arousal, causing the slight pain to disappear and leave full way to the incredible pleasure. Sasuke met him every time he plunged in; they were like two pieces of a puzzle that fit perfectly together. Opening his pale eyes he met the black ones beneath him, a throaty moan escaping him at the sight of love and desire in them. Leaning down he caught the lips in a soft kiss, allowing Sasuke to dominate it for once as the boy pushed him tongue hungrily into his mouth. A pale hand caught his neck as he tried to retreat.

“Don’t,” Sasuke panted. “I want you as close to me as possible.” Shifting his position slightly Neji had his chest brush Sasuke’s along with the thrusts, and his pale lover arched his back to gain even more contact. Their foreheads rested against each other, sweat covering both their bodies making them slick, as Neji felt himself nearing his limit. Somehow he managed to sneak a hand down between their bodies and grasp Sasuke’s erection, causing him to cry out in pleasure and hug Neji’s body tighter with his legs. Their final thrusts were hard and fast, until Neji spent himself deep inside his lover, crying out his name as blazing white blinded him. Sasuke followed seconds later, arching his back violently and shaking with pleasure until the white faded away into a comforting darkness.

Neji pulled out of him and discarded the condom before falling down on the bed, satisfied and exhausted. Sasuke laid on his back, panting and riding out the aftermath of his orgasm. His throat was dry, but he was too worn out to go up and get some water at the moment. Instead he rolled to the side, gasping through smiling lips at the sharp pain in his lower back. It would pass in an hour or so, it always did. He liked it, it was Neji’s mark on him and the proof that they were doing was not a mere dream. Mother Nature knew it was good enough to be a dream; he hadn’t lied to Gaara when he said their sex was like his best fantasy.

Nestling up next to his lover, he felt Neji warp his arms around him. The long dark brown hair stuck to his back and forehead, as soaked with sweat as the sheets beneath them. But he was beautiful, so damn beautiful. And, even more important, he understood him. Sasuke had always been seen as…strange. He wasn’t as quick to open up, meaning he wasn’t as social as others. The gang was one thing, they’d known him long enough to force him pass that asocial state, but there were still few of them who knew him straight through. Neji was the same. He too wanted to do things himself rather than rely on others to do it for him, like Sasuke he was held back by a conservative family who expected him to stand up to the standards of several previous successful family members. They were alike, and they fit together perfectly. At least that was what Sasuke wanted to think.

“Don’t fall into her traps.”

Sasuke looked up at his lover, and found that he was staring out the window. Despite the pain in his muscles, he pushed up until he rested on an elbow. “What are you talking about?” he asked and stroke a few strands of hair away from Neji’s face. There was something in those pale eyes that was worried, but Sasuke had a hard time figuring out what. “Are you talking about Ino?” It was a ridiculous thought, not something his lover should worry about. “She wants you,” Neji said and met his eyes. “And she’s willing to fight for you. Her eyes said so, there on the hill.” Tilting Neji’s head slightly with his fingers, Sasuke kissed him. “She always wanted me, I never wanted her. I hardly even like her as a friend, she’s too…overdramatic.” He paused; waited until he was certain Neji looked him in the eyes again. “I love you, you and only you. I don’t want anyone else. Besides, she’s been home for three weeks and hasn’t made a single move at me…” Neji smiled back at him. “I love you too, which is exactly why I’m afraid of loosing you. She wants to be a drama student after all, presumably she’s got some acting skills to bring out in her hunt for you.” A snort escaped the raven boy. “Don’t worry, she has nothing on you.”

The Hyuuga seemed satisfied with such a reply and rolled onto his back. A smile decorated his lips as he dried his forehead with his lower arm. “I could use a shower,” he said and glanced at his lover. A sparkle was lit in his eyes again. “Wanna join me?” Sasuke rolled his eyes. “You gotta be kidding me, you just banged my back out.” To prove his point he placed a hand at the small of his back and arched backwards slightly, grimacing a little at the pain. This was the side of him no one but Neji got to see, the vulnerable side that could admit to being tired or in pain. “Sex in the shower is always hot…” Sitting up he grazed Sasuke’s toned torso with two fingers. He loved the one year younger boy for whom he was, because they were alike and understood each other in ways no others did. But the fact that he had an amazing body, one Neji couldn’t get enough of, wasn’t exactly something he was going to complain about. Looking back at the face he knew so well, he could see the desire returning to the dark eyes. “Go easy on me,” Sasuke demanded as he got out of bed and headed towards the bathroom. He wasn’t limping, never, but his movement still told Neji his muscles were complaining about having to work.

It only took him a few seconds to get out of bed and up behind his lover. Wrapping his arms around the naked body he pressed himself up next to it, walking slowly and staggering right behind his lover. “I’ll treat you like a porcelain doll for once,” he purred into his ear before kissing the slender neck tenderly. “You’ll forget the pain, I promise.” Sasuke moan low at the soft touches, all ideas of not going through with this blown away. “I hope so,” he said as he dragged Neji into the shower and set the water on lukewarm. As the water started to wash away the salty sweat of their last coupling, half-hard members were already brushing against each other again.

The sun dazzled her, blinding her for a few seconds even, as Ino walked around the corner of the school building to the spot where the others had told her to meet them. It was almost ridiculous, how all of them attended the same college. Well, not Gaara and Kiba of course, since the two of them didn’t attend school at all. At least Kiba had a job though; Gaara was living off of his parents. At least that was what Ino assumed. She’d been told he’d found some new way to make paintings, the redhead had painted pictures everywhere and nowhere for as long as she could remember, but she doubted he could support himself by that. It’d be too good to be true if a college dropout made it as a painter at such a young age. No, if anyone was going to be a star, it was Yamanaka Ino – the world famous actress. Now didn’t that have a nice ring to it…

She found herself facing a corner of the school yard, a fence shielding the school perimeters from the outside world. Though she’d been in school for almost two weeks this was the first time the entire gang had met up at school, usually it simply didn’t work with their various schedules and homework and all the butterflies in the world didn’t know what. But today they were all gonna meet for lunch, even Gaara and Kiba were gonna drop by. And Ino would bet her pretty face on the fact that Kiba was going to smuggle Akamaru in with him, that boy never went anywhere without his dog. True enough; the white cutie pie was curled up next to Hinata. It seemed they were all already present, even Gaara had arrived and Naruto curled up next to him in a perfect Akamaru imitation.

“Fashionably late?” the redhead asked as she waved at them with a perfect smile decorating her lips. She giggled slightly. “It’s a bit hard finding this place,” she admitted. “I had no one to show me, you know.” Sakura blushed slightly, as if she was embarrassed. “Don’t worry,” Ino quickly and heartily said, placing a hand with manicured nails on her best friend’s knee. “I’m managing just fine on my own.” Crossing her legs, the blonde began unpacking the lunch she’d brought with her. The others followed her example, and a broad variety of food was soon display before the group of friends. Just as they had done when they were kids on a school trips they shared everything, creating a buffet rather than just a boring school lunch. But unlike when they were kids on a school trip, there were now couples feeding each other and looking all ooey gooey wherever Ino looked. It made her jealous, but since she could never admit to such a feeling she pretended it made her feel sick instead. For once she did, however –miracle of all miracles–, shut up about it.

If it was due to that fact, the nice weather, the food or simply the company of good friends was hard to tell, but the lunch hour passed way too fast. There were many displays of affection, mainly from Naruto and Kiba, but Temari surprisingly attacked her boyfriend when he called too many things troublesome in a row and shut him up efficiently by sticking her tongue down his throat. Supposedly Gaara didn’t want to be worse than his sister, so he pulled Naruto to him and kissed him leisurely but with a passion no one could deny. When the two broke apart, everyone else was very glad Naruto always wore such loose-fitted pants, for his eyes spoke of what they thankfully couldn’t see in the lower regions…

Ino cleared her throat to get the attention away from Naruto’s assumed erection, and to tear her own eyes away from Gaara’s intense eyes who pretty much told her everything he wanted to do to his boyfriend even as they weren’t meeting hers. The sound she made seemed to break the atmosphere though, even if Shikamaru looked ridiculously pleased where he was laying flat on his back with Temari’s head resting on his chest. An image of herself resting on Sasuke’s chest flashed before Ino’s inner eye, but she quickly pushed it aside before anyone could see even the slightest trace of such thoughts on her face.

“Hey, wait a minute!” she said as Shino and Tenten got up, closely followed by Neji and Sasuke who both hated being late for classes. All four of them turned to look at her, Neji with something suspicious in his pale eyes. Ino knew he didn’t believe her when she said she’d admit the pretty boy got to her Sasuke first, he didn’t trust her even though she did her best to make everything alright. Ignoring the one year older boy’s gaze she turned to look at the others, making sure to look at everyone of them as she spoke. “You know it’s my birthday in two weeks, right. I was thinking of having a big party, inviting friends from my new class as well as those who want to fly over from France. And you of course, you’ve got a standing invitation to any party I’ll ever throw.”

To no one’s surprise Naruto was the first one to jump up and do some kind of happy dance. “Woohoo, party!” he yelled at the top of his lungs. “Bring the booze and I’ll bring the pretty redhead.” He grinned from ear to ear, always as eager as he continued to jump around on the lawn. “You haven’t considered that doctors appointment I got you?” Gaara wondered. “He’s said to be a great ADD doctor, could give you some medication I really need you to take…” The last part was only a mumble, but those closest to him had to suppress the giggles that threatened to escape them all. Gaara loved Naruto, no one doubted that in the slightest, but they could definitely believe that the golden blonde boy could be quite hard to live with at times.

“Invitations will be sent out, I assume,” Sakura said with a bright smile as Lee helped her to her feet. She brushed off her skirt, and laughed brightly at the memory of Ino’s homemade birthday invitation cards that had arrived every year. Her mother had them saved in some box somewhere; Sakura would have to ask her to get them out for her. They’d make a nice collage to hang on the wall. “You bet!” Ino laughed and got up too, having picked her things together. “It’s a tradition, can’t break traditions like that one.” Everyone had to laugh at that one, in their own way and volume meaning Naruto laughed louder than the rest of them together. And with that they concluded that lunch was over. Naruto was already late for his class, but no one would be surprised at such a thing. The rest of them liked to be on time, some more that others, so they said their goodbyes, hugged their hugs and kissed their kisses before scattering to their various classes. Naruto slammed the door to his class open and stormed in with a big grin on his face, Hinata bowed apologetically when she arrived too late, Shikamaru hauled himself into class and managed to find his seat just before the professor entered, and Ino was already planning how the invitations were going to look this year.

“So, do they look alright?” Ino was speaking French, since she was speaking to her best friend from her year back in France. Aimee was the only one who had had time and money to come over, but if anyone was to pay a visit, Ino was sure glad it was the dark haired beauty. Not only was she the nicest person Ino had gotten to know, nicest in the sense of Ino anyhow, but she was loyal to her friends and perfect for what Ino had in mind. “Alright? Alright! Ino, they’re gorgeous!” Aimee answered. She studied the invitation card in her hand. It was the shape of a flag, and colored like the French one. As decorations Ino had added her favorite sights from Paris; the Eiffel Tower, The Triumphal Arc and a few others as shadow figures. “I wish I was as creative as you,” Aimee sighed. “I can’t even draw a straight line…” “So make it a bent one,” Ino said and caused both girls to giggle.

They were making the final preparations for the big party. Aimee had arrived last night, and Ino couldn’t think of a better helper with the decorations. And last night they’d had times to make some other preparations as well. “You do remember now, right Aimee?” The dark haired, pale skinned girl looked up. “Of course I do, what do you take me for Ino?” It always made Ino smile, the way the French woman pronounced her name. The first time she saw Aimee, Ino couldn’t believe she was really French. True she had the dark hair, almost black in color, and deep brown eyes, but her skin was way paler than Ino had expected from a French woman. It didn’t take the blonde, who could be pretty blonde in the head as well at times, to realize the women in Paris and the women at the Riviera didn’t look very much alike…

Their private time was announced over by the doorbell, and Ino immediately went to open for whoever had decided to show up first. It was a few friends from her class, probably concerned about arriving too late since it wasn’t even time for the party to start just yet. Not that Ino said anything about it, she introduced Aimee and handed them some drinks. After that people just dropped in one by one, or two by two in the case of her best friends. Sasuke and Neji came early, as did Shino and Tenten. Kiba and Hinata showed up not too long after, looking happy and carrying chocolate. Hinata announced that she didn’t dare bring flowers, seeing how Ino’s parents run a flower shop and she always read things into flowers that were unknown to the shy Hyuuga. It seemed Sakura and Lee were aiming for a fashionably late arrival, but they blew it by coming too early. Temari and Shikamaru were almost late though, and Temari downed the first drink handed to her to forget her irritation with her sometimes too lazy boyfriend. And, to no ones surprise, Naruto and Gaara came last of all. Why no one dared to ask, Gaara was way too outspoken sometimes.

Ino played the role of hostess very well, introducing Aimee to everyone and telling her who belonged to the gang. She made sure everyone had something to drink, and that the music was changed regularly. In the meantime Aimee was doing exactly what she had been told to do; she stuck with the gang and made sure she always knew where two boys in particular were…

Chouji had arrived together with Shikamaru and Temari, but he had lost them somewhere along the way. The blonde feminist had gotten rather drunk last time he saw her, and now he wasn’t sure he wanted to know where the two of them had snuck off to. As Shikamaru’s best friend he’d learned first hand that Temari could get rather…horny when there was alcohol involved, and as lazy as he was Shikamaru simply couldn’t resist his girlfriend. It was a good party though, or perhaps that should be an obviously. Chouji really didn’t mind sitting alone in the sofa, just watching people. It was getting rather late, and several of Ino’s classmates had gone home. Gaara and Naruto were making out in the corner; Chouji hurriedly turned his eyes away at the sight of exactly where the redhead’s hands seemed to be. The two of them really ought to get a room, something it seemed like they got since Gaara retrieved their jackets and Naruto kissed Ino on the cheek as goodbye.

From the kitchen Tenten’s unique voice could be heard, but the music drowned the words so Chouji couldn’t tell what she was discussion or with whom. Where Shino was he didn’t know, but he was probably lurking around in some dark hideaway. That boy was…peculiar, a good and loyal friend no doubt, but still peculiar. Sasuke was trapped in the corridor, surrounded by girls who wanted to talk to him and probably hoped to turn him straight again. Good luck with that one, Chouji though to himself and stuffed another handful of snacks into his mouth. He looked around to try and catch a glimpse of Neji, hoping he could send the pale-eyed genius over to save his boyfriend from the undesired ladies, but the older boy was nowhere to be seen.

A hand softly touched his shoulder, and Chouji looked up to see the same kind of pale eyes he’d been looking for. But this pair belonged to Hinata, and they looked rather tired to that. Perhaps there was a tiny bit of drunkenness in them too, but she was definitely way more sober than her boyfriend who was practically sleeping in a standing position. “We were thinking of taking a taxi home,” she said in her soft voice, and the slightly overweight boy could hardly hear her over the music. “Well, I was thinking of taking a taxi home since I don’t feel like dragging this…thing I call a boyfriend all the way back to my place!” It was refreshing really, the way Kiba had actually manage to influence the Hyuuga in a good way. “Then I figured you live just a block away, so do you wanna go together? It’s cheaper that way…” Chouji nodded and stood up, brushing crumbs off of him seeing how Ino still would have to vacuum clean in the morning. “Sounds good to me,” he said and smiled. “I was getting rather tired.”

Together they found Ino and said goodbye to her, before getting their jackets and heading out the door. Ino had offered them to use the phone and call a cab, but Chouji’d said he’d call one from his cell phone once they were outside. Both he and Hinata figured Kiba could use the fresh air he’d get while waiting for the taxi to arrive. The last thing Chouji saw of the party was Sasuke’s desperate face still surrounded by the girls who didn’t want to let him go find his boyfriend. Smiling to himself, the boy who had once been teased for his weight closed the door to Ino’s house and picked up his cell.

It was a good party, Ino always threw good parties. Sasuke had enjoyed himself all evening, make that night, long. The only thing forming clouds on an otherwise clear sky was these female drama students who had followed him around since he set foot inside Ino’s house. His relationship with Neji was very official, had been ever since they hand in hand proclaimed it to their respective families. A marriage between an Uchiha and a Hyuuga was a bit of a dream in both families, but the plans had been for Sasuke, or maybe his older brother Itachi, and Hinata. A homosexual relationship was not looked lightly upon in either family; Itachi and Hinata were pretty much the only ones who had fully accepted that Sasuke and Neji were in love. But they had stood fast, refused to back down and had in the end gotten a small apartment to share, since neither family would allow the other one to stay under their roof.

But these girls, wearing too much makeup and too little clothes to be out in public, just wouldn’t accept that the prettiest boy in school was gay. Each and every one of them was confident she could turn him straight again. Not happening. He had Neji now, those pale eyes combined with the dark hair was more beautiful than any picture Sasuke’s mind could ever paint. Not to mention that Neji got him. That boy was just perfect in every sense of the word, what chance did a dickless girl stand then?

“Excuse me…Lea, was it?” Sasuke shrugged apologetically, it was too hard to keep track of all the names at a place like this, and pushed his way past a blonde girl with hideous green eye shadow. “Did you hear that?!” she squealed behind his back. “He knows my name! I said I had a shot at him.” Sasuke rolled his onyx eyes, but he didn’t reply. It just wasn’t worth it. Someone had named him the most desirable student at school; the fact that he was in a relationship, and a gay one to that, only seemed to make him more desirable. He’d never get females, better stick with the males then. Or the male rather.

Speaking of which, where was his male? Looking around Sasuke couldn’t seem to find those pale eyes anywhere. He did, however, spot a certain blonde dressed in purple. Ino was, as said, a good hostess, and she usually kept track of where her guest disappeared off to. With some trouble, due to that girl with the hideous eye shadow –what was her name again?–, Sasuke made his way over to her. “Ino, have you seen Neji around?” Ino looked up, a bright smile on her lips and a slight case of drunkenness in her eyes. “Why? You’re not thinking of leaving, are you Sasuke? The night is still young!” She laughed, quite a beautiful laughter actually. He’d half expected it to be high-pitched and annoying. “It’s almost five in the morning Ino,” he said with a smile. Yes, since he got together with Neji, Uchiha Sasuke actually smiled in public every once in a while. “No way! When did it get so late? Or…early.” She looked around, probably trying to spot the Hyuuga. “Last time I saw Neji he was going out to get some air, the porch in the back.” Sasuke nodded. “Thanks Ino.” She smiled and took another sip of her drink. “You’re welcome.”

It took him almost fifteen minutes to cross the room and reach the backdoor. First there were the girls, then he met Shikamaru and Temari coming out of Ino’s parents’ bedroom. “That’s bold,” he said with an amused smile. The genius merely shrugged, doing his best to support the weight of a very tired girlfriend. Temari rarely got drunk, but her policy seemed to be something in the line of ‘If you’re gonna drink – drink a lot!’. “Too troublesome to get home first,” he said with a slanting smile and draped Temari’s arm around his neck to better hold her. “Just tell Ino to change the sheet before you leave,” Sasuke said and shook his head, but there was a rather amused smile on his lips that he tried to hide by lowering his eyes to the floor. “See ya.”

Continuing out the door he stopped to take a breath of fresh air. He hadn’t realized how bad the air was inside, there was barely no oxygen at all compared to out here. And they were in the middle of town. The sky had started to turn pink at the eastern horizon; somewhere close by a bird was singing the first tunes of the day. Sasuke wasn’t usually the sentimental type, but at that moment he was taken by the stillness and beauty of the moment. The long night was getting to him and all he wanted was to find his boyfriend, go home and fall asleep with his arms wrapped around him. Looking around he tried to catch sight of Neji, since he hadn’t been inside he had to be ought here. With the t-shirt he was wearing he ought to be cold by now, since it seemed Ino had seen him walk out a little while ago.

On silent feet, and he could be almost completely quiet when he wanted to, Sasuke walked around the corner. If he didn’t remember wrong there was a bench there, Ino’d said something about her parents having early breakfasts in the sunrise there, so perhaps Neji had taken a seat there. But as the bench came into sight, Sasuke was met with a sight he was not prepared for.

Neji was seated on the bench alright. As was Ino’s French friend. Now it would’ve been alright, had they been seated next to each other. As it was, Aimee was currently straddling Neji’s thighs, with her arms around his neck and her lips pressed to his. Sasuke might’ve accepted the situation, with a lot of anger naturally, had it not been for the fact that Neji’s hands were holding her wais and that he was eagerly responding the kiss. It wasn’t overly passionate, no it was way worse. The whole scene displayed before the unbelieving Uchiha had a feeling of intimacy to it.

Sasuke could do nothing but watch, way longer than he’d liked to. His breath had stuck in his throat the second he saw the pair, and for the time it took his body to realize he needed oxygen to live he did absolutely nothing. His brain was completely blank, no feelings whatsoever filled him. But as his lungs took the first painful gasp of air, the sound of that loud inhale broke the spell of disbelief. His knees threatened to give in under him, the sharp pain that pierced his heart was the worst he’d felt in his life. And as if the situation wasn’t bad enough, his loud gasp was heard by the couple. Neji broke away from the kiss and turned to look at him, shock and grief and desperation filled his pale eyes at the sight of his lover. He tossed Aimee to the side, neither of the boys registering that she fell hard to the ground.

“Sasuke, Sasuke please,” Neji pleaded as tears filled the onyx eyes. The Uchiha didn’t look overly sad at the moment; it was anger that turned his dark grey eyes completely black. He couldn’t stop the tears from coming; they flowed down his face as Neji came towards him with arms stretched out. “Don’t touch me!” he burst out and fiercely pushed the arms away from him. “How dare you? How dare you!” Without waiting for an answer he turned his back to his lover and rushed back into the house. Neji followed close behind, but luckily Sasuke had the car keys in the pocket of his jeans. He didn’t even stop to pick up his jacket, much less say goodbye to Ino or anyone else, as he sprinted through the house and out the front door. By the time Neji exited the house he was already driving off.

Neji pulled his fingers through his long hair, tears filling his own pale eyes. “Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK!” He bent down, pulled out strands of hair without even noticing the pain, sat down on his heels, and pulled his hands over his face as the tears spilled softly down his face. “Fuck, what have I done?”

Through the window Ino watched him, a satisfied smile on her lips. Aimee came in the backdoor and walked up to her. Had the blonde paid attention she’d seen that her friend was limping slightly, she’d hit her hip when the pretty Hyuuga threw her aside. He was a good kisser though, so she could take a little pain. Holding the curtain aside she almost felt sorry for the brunette, but she shrugged it off at the sight of Ino’s satisfied smile. “Mission accomplished,” she said in French. Ino bit her tongue to silent the chuckle that threatened to escape her.

It was lucky no police cars saw him rushing through the streets, for Sasuke sure as hell wasn’t driving legally. He probably shouldn’t be driving at all, for he could hardly see anything through the tears. He hadn’t cried in forever, wasn’t big on showing emotions, but now he couldn’t seem to stop. It hurt; it hurt senselessly to know that Neji had cheated on him. Before tonight, this morning, whatever, Sasuke had looked down on people who got upset for a kiss. Cheating had, in his eyes, meant that you had sex with someone else. Now he knew better, now he knew exactly how bad it hurt to see your lover kiss someone else. Every beat his heart made hurt beyond understanding, for the person it was meant to beat for had given himself up for someone else.

What was he to do now? Where was he to go? He couldn’t go home; everything at home was Neji’s as much as his and he couldn’t stand the sight of anything connected to Neji at the moment. It was bad enough to drive this car, for it was Neji’s and not his own. He definitely wouldn’t go home to his parents; they’d merely smirk at him and say something in the line of ‘Oh good, you’re done with those ridiculous ideas’ or ‘Told you so’. But what other options did he have? He was a student; it wasn’t like he could afford a hotel. And besides, all his stuff was at the apartment, his and Neji’s apartment…

“Fuuuuuuuck!” he screamed at the top of his lungs and was forced to pull over as fresh tears flowed down his face. Leaning his arms on the steering wheel and his forehead on the arms, unable to hold himself up as heavy sobs shook his body. For a split second he wanted Neji to be there, hold him and comfort him, but then he remembered Neji was the reason he felt like this. Fishing his cell phone out of his jeans pocket he called the second number on his speed dial list, making a mental note to delete the first one when this call was ended.

Several rings later a very sleepy voice mumbled some kind of reply at the other end. “Itachi?” Sasuke wasn’t sure if it was his brother or not, he hadn’t even thought about the time. The clock in the car showed half past five. “Sasuke?” Itachi was suddenly wide awake. “What’s wrong? Are you crying?” Sasuke couldn’t do anything but sob. “Where are you?” Itachi demanded to know. “In the car outside the mall,” came the stuttering answer. There was some noise on the other end, as if Itachi was getting out of bed. “Stay there, I’ll come get you,” he said. “It’s only a block from here, I’ll be there in five minutes. Wait for me, you hear that?” Somehow Sasuke managed to get a reply through before they hung up. Five minutes later Itachi picked his little brother up and took him home to his apartment.

~~~

Neji took a taxi home, having grabbed both his own and Sasuke’s jacket. Ino had come up to him, asking what was wrong and he’d acted like a jerk towards her. But he didn’t care, at the moment the only thing he cared about was seeing Sasuke. He needed to explain himself, tell him that it was just a mistake and that the other boy was the only person he cared about. Why had he done it? Why had he kissed Aimee? Or allowed her to kiss him, more like it. No, that wasn’t true, even if she had taken the initiative he had responded to the kiss when he should’ve pushed her away. What was he thinking, risking everything he had for something as trivial as a kiss. And with a girl to that, he hadn’t been interested in girls since the beginning of high school. Sasuke was the first man he’d been with sexually, but the Hyuuga had kissed other boys and he had looked at them rather than girls ever since he was sixteen.

He hardly took the time to pay the driver before he jumped out of the taxi. His heart froze at the sight of the apartment; all lights were out. Hurriedly he made his way up. The door was locked, which only made his heart sink lower. “Sasuke!” he called the minute he got inside, ignoring the early hour and that he might disturb the neighbors. “Answer me Sasuke!” But there was no answer being given, the apartment was as empty as it appeared from outside. Neji sunk down on the sofa and breathed heavily, feeling sick because of himself and what he’d done.

Picking his cell phone up, he speed dialed Sasuke’s phone. The call was disconnected and the voice mail kicked in. Ignoring it he called again; same procedure. “Sasuke, talk to me,” he said, and tried not to sob, after the beep. “Please, just tell me where you are and that you’re okay. I’m so sorry, so, so sorry. I need to talk to you, please just pick up the phone.” Hanging up he gave it five minutes before calling again; voice mail. “Don’t do this Sasuke! Please, I need to talk to you! I need to tell you that I love you and that I’m sorry. Please, just pick up the phone!” Tears were running down his face now. Hanging up he immediately called again, ignoring the fact that his lover would have no time to listen to the voice mail.

“Sasuke?” he said as someone picked up.

“No. Neji, don’t call today,” a voice said on the other end.

“Itachi? Itachi is that you? Is Sasuke with you? Please put him on, I need to talk to him.”

Itachi seemed to hesitate for a moment, and a faint sparkle of hope was lit inside Neji’s arching chest. “I…I don’t know what happen tonight,” came Itachi’s voice again. “But Sasuke was really upset, I just got him into bed, and I just don’t think you should talk to him right now. I didn’t get anything from him, more than that it involved you and that he didn’t wish to see you…” The more the older Uchiha spoke, the colder his voice turned, and an angry Uchiha was not a funny thing. “What did you do, Neji?”

Normally Neji wouldn’t allow anyone to talk to him like that, look down on him verbally, but he was a complete mess himself at the moment. “I messed up,” he said with a sob and leaned back in the couch. “I messed up bad, Itachi.” Closing his eyes he wanted nothing more than to hold his lover, tell him that he was the only one who mattered. “Just…just tell him I love him, okay?”

“You’ll have to tell him that yourself.”

“Then at least have him call me.”

“I’ll try, but it’s his call. You’ll just have to wait, Neji.”

There was a big lump in Neji’s throat; it felt like he couldn’t breathe. But there was simply no arguing with Itachi, who knew the Uchiha stubbornness better than Neji. Up till two hours ago he’d lived with one. Fresh tears gushed down his face as the meaning of that thought stuck him like a fist to the face. “I’ll wait,” he said, though it was hardly more than a whisper. “I’ll wait, you tell him that. Tell him to take the time he needs, and then he can call me. But please, tell him I really do need to speak to him as soon as he feels he can handle it. Please Itachi, I beg you…”

“I’ll tell him,” the older Uchiha said, and Neji knew he’d keep his word. It wasn’t another family trait. “Take care, and don’t mess up anymore. If you do, if you hurt my brother again, I’ll kill you myself.”

Neji swallowed, not doubting for a second that Itachi was capable of such a thing. He was even colder than his father when he let that side show, even if he was a really nice guy most of the time. But before he had the time to say anything more Itachi hung up. The Hyuuga closed the cell and looked around the apartment; it suddenly felt terribly empty. Everything reminded him of Sasuke and he felt like screaming in pain over the fact that the other man wasn’t there. However, the only thing he could was to wait. Everything was in the hands of Sasuke now.