Gaara frowned, head bowed as he walked down the hall. The other students watched him, he could hear their whispers, feel their glares. They didn't want him at their school, they wanted him to leave. He gladly would if he could.

"Get out of my way faggot."

The red head fell to the ground as he was pushed and growled.He looked up and saw Neji. The boy stood up and stared at the Hyuuga then pushed him hard.

"Don't touch me Hyuuga, I'll kick your ass."

Neji smirked. The Sabaku was so small, he would never Neji's ass. The Hyuuga looked him over. Gaara was just a couple inches shorter then himself, with messy red hair and a pale complexion. He wasn't very muscular like his brother, he was skinny and wore baggy pants and tight shirts. Neji was tallerand more muscular. He was the top student at Konoha high. The strongest and the smartest.

The Hyuuga walked by the other boy, deciding he didn't fee like wasting his time on the little shit.

Gaara watched Neji walk away. 'Fucking asshole,' he thought. 'Thinks he's all that. Just because him and every other kid in this school is rich and I'm not doesn't meant a thing.'

The red head leaned against the wall beside his first period class. The door was still locked, as always. The teacher was late all the time so the door was locked until half an hour after the bell rang. Every student knew this. Gaara was the only student in the class who was there when the bell rang. Then he stayed there until the teacher arrived and opened the door. Anything that kept him out of the house was a good thing, even if it meant coming to THIS hell hole.

"Hey Gaara. why do you always get here so early?"

Gaara looked at his friend and smiled a little. Lee was the only one who could get a positive reaction out of him.

"Your teacher is always late. I don't get why you always come to school an hour before the bell rings when your teacher doesn't come until half an hour after the bell rings.

"I prefer to be here then at home. My dad is a fucking asshole."

Lee frowned. He knew that Gaara's father was a jerk but he had never actually met the guy. Temari had dropped out of school and left home. Gaara's brother was a drug dealer. Everyone knew this. It was also rumoured that Gaara's mother had been murdered but no one knew about his father.

"What did he do Gaara?"

"Nothing Lee. Don't worry about it. Class starts in five minute. You should get going or you'll get into shit for being late."

Lee smiled.

"It's ok if I'm a few minutes late. I've got gym with Gai-sensei."

Lee quickly hugged Gaara (going against Gaara's -don't touch me- rule) and ran off to class.

Gaara shook his head at the strange boy's actions. His obsession with Gai sensei was unhealthy. Oh well as least the red head had been able to get Lee to stop talking about youth. That had been really annoying.

The Sabaku closed his eyes and tapped his fingers to a song only he could hear. He felt a vibration in his pocket and took out his cell. A text from Temari.

Temari: do u have $40 u can lend me?

Gaara frowned. Hadn't he jsut given her $40 yesterday? He was sure he had. He texted her back.

Gaara: wut do u need it for?

The red head knew his sister sold her body for money and lived in a really small apartment but sometimes she was short for money. She probably needed to get something fro her apartment. Still...it never hurt to ask, just to make sure she wasn't getting into drugs.

Temari: Groceries. I'm out of food.

Gaara: Ok. Stop by during lunch.

He put his cell phone away and looked up just as his brother pinned a guy against the wall. He was pissed.

"Where's my money asshole."

"I don't have it..."

Gaara's brother punched the guy in the face and Gaara stared at the ground. What had happened to his family? Brother was a dealer, sister was a prostitute, he was suicidal. He wasn't even going to start with his dad

Gaara glared at the ground as he walked slowly down the street. The longer it took him to get home the better. It was 4pm...his father would be completely wasted by now, waiting for Gaara to get home. The red head stopped and shudeered, thinking of what his father might have in mind this time.

He stopped at the park near his house and leaned against a tree. he closed his eyes and smiled a little, remember the way it used to be 4 years ago, when he was 12...whenhis mother was still alive.

Flashback

"Smile Gaara."

The red head boy smiled at the camera as his mother took a picture. It was his 12th birthday, Temari hugged him and laughed.

"Happy birthday baby brother!"

Gaara hugged her back and Kankuro came to hug them both. Their mother laughed and took a picture of the three siblings.

The youngest boy looked up and saw his father at the other side of the backyard, glaring at him. The boy quickly looked at the gorund to avoid his fathers gaze.

Few House Later

Gaara layed on his bed staring at the ceiling. His father seemed so angry lately. Why?

"STOP IT!"

The red head boy sat up quickly. That was his mothers voice.

"Mom?"

The boy went to his parents room and his eyes went wide at thge sight in front of him.

His father stood there looking proud, covered in blood. The boy stared at his mother with tears in his eyes. She hung from the ceiling, barely breathing, arms sliced on the inside, to the bone, from the elbows to her wrists. Her stomach was sliced open. It was a miracle she wasn't screaming in pain.

"Mommy...."

"Gaara...g.go...to...you room..I...I l.love y.you baby."

She smiled at her youngest son and closed her eyes. The read head stood there, then ran and hugged her dead body.

"MOM!"

His father grabbed him by the hair, pulling him away from the body. The boy was thrown on the bed and his clothes were ripped off.

"Dad what are you doing?!?!"

End of Flashback

Gaara wiped the tears from his eyes. That's when his father had raped him for the first time. The boys siblings couldn't save him because they had been locked in their own rooms. The man had planned everything.

That was when everything went downhill. Only Gaara's finger prints were found on the body, there were investigations and it was concluded that Gaara wasn't the murderer. They had never found out who had killed her.

The red head boys father stopped working and began drinking instead. A year later Temari got sick of it and left home. Kankuro started selling drugs because they had no money. Gaara had begun cutting himself just to feel something. He had tried to commit suicide many times but Kankuro always got him to the hospital.

The only friend Gaara had was Lee but the read head had to be careful with him, he couldn't let Lee meet his father. He frowned. He also had to get rid of these growing feelings for Lee. Yes they were friends...best friends, but Gaara didn't want to risk more heartache. Friendship could change...a lot. If they got together Lee could hurt him.

"I'm not ready for that. I'm not ready to risk losing him."

Gaara sighed and went home.

"LEE TURN YOUR DAMN MUSIC DOWN!"

"SORRY TEN TEN!"

Lee rolled his eyes at his step-sister's yell and turned the music down. He went to his computer and turned on his msn.

*Rock Lee has signed on*

The short haired boy smiled and clicked one of the names.

Rock Lee Says:
Heyy Gaara! Wut sup?

Sandman Says:
Gaara's busy fuck off

*Sandman has signed off*

Lee stared at the message. Who had written that? He sighed and layed on his bed thinking of the red head. Most of the kids hated Gaara but Lee didn't. Though he couldn't admit it to the Sabaku, Lee was in love with him, would do anything for him.

----------------------------------------------------------

Gaara closed his eyes tight as his father rammed into him on last time. It hurt...everything hurt. Most people thought the pain went away after awhile, after the first time. It never went away...it only got worse.

"Poor Gaara, you didn't get off."

The man laughed, mocking his son. He pushed the boy away and got dressed as Gaara just layed there, the way he always did after sex. He laughed again and grabbed Gaara by the hair, groaning a little in pleasure as he heard the red head gasp and whimper in pain.

'Don't encourage him,' the boy thought to himself. 'The more he hears you in pain the more he wants.' He bit his lip to hold in a cry as his father threw him to the ground and kicked him.

"What's wrong Gaara, cat got your tongue?"

He kicked his son again, grabbed him by the shirt and smasshed the boys head off the ground. Gaara cried out and his father kept hitting him. Beating him until he couldn't move.

The man laughed again and left the room to get a beer.

Gaara stayed on the ground staring at the ceiling, trying to hold in whimpers of pain. Slowly he stood and surveyed the damage in the bathroom mirror. Busted lip, black eye, gash on his forehead and blood going down his face. His chest covered in dark welts, turning into bruises...it hurt to breath. He took a shoewr, gasping in pain as the hot water his his open wounds.

The boy got dressed and went to his room, grabbed his cellphone and called Lee.

"Yellow?"

"Red."

"Hey Gaara! What's up? I tried to talk to you on msn but somebody told me to fuck off."

"I'll explain. Can you pick me up? I'd walk but I can barely move."

"Alright. I'll be right there."

Half an hour later Gaara was at Lee's house. Lee was dressing his wounds, He had needed stitches for the gash on his forehead, it had been deeper then it looked.

"Gaara what happened? Please tell me. I know you don't like talking about these things but I want to help you Don't you realize whoever did this could go to jail?"

Gaara stared at the ground and didn't answer. Of course Lee was right, that was the problem. If he sent his father to jail the man would get angry. He'd break out of prison and go after Gaara and his brother and sister.

"No Lee. I don't want to have to tell the police about my father."

"Your father did this?!?!?!?!?!"

Gaara tensed as he realized what he had just said. He quickly looked at Lee with wide eyes.

"You can't tell anyone Lee. Please don't say anything! I don't care if he hurts me but if he gets angry enough he can hurt Kankuro and he can find Temari and kill her. Promise me you won't tell anyone. Please Lee!"

The dark haired boy nodded and looked at his friend with worry. He had seen Gaara angry, happy, sad, hell even hyper and cry...but not plead. Never plead.

"I promise."

Lee hugged the red head close as the boy cried. 'Gaara's been through a lo, that much is obvious.' Thought Lee as Gaara began falling asleep, tears still going down his face, against the black haired boys chest. 'I have to help him...but how without telling anyone.'

He layed Gaara down on the bed, changed his own clothes and layed beside his friend.

"I'll find a way to help you Gaara. I'll save you from your father even if it kills me."

With that said Lee wrapped his arms around Gaara so his head was on Lee's chest and fell asleep. They'd figure things out in the morning.

Gaara woke up and looked around, disoriented at first before remembering where he was. His eyes stopped on Lee and he smiled a little. The black haired boy was beautiful when he was sleeping. Gaara frowned, he shouldn't be thinking that, they were just friends, nothing more. The red head gapsed in pain as he tried to get up and Lee woke up.

"Don't Gaara, you're still hurt."

"And apparently still in pain, FUCK."

"I'll get my sister, relax Gaara, I won't tell her anything."

Gaara sat up, glaring, ignoring the seering pain.

"What are you going to say Lee. I got attacked by a big puppy???"

Lee frowned at him, it wasn't cool when Gaara was sarcastic.

"No...I'm going to tell her you got into another fight Don't worry she won't bite. Jeeze. You get so nervous around her, do you like her or something?"

He tensed up at the thought. Gaara didn't like Ten Ten...did he??? He shook his head. It was up to Gaara who he went out with. He ignored the fact that if Gaara chose Ten Ten, Lee would have to see them together all the time.

Gaara watched the taller boy leave and looked down at his chest. It was hard to tell where one bruise ended and the other started. It still hurt to breathe and he hoped he didn't have any cracked or broken ribs. He though of Lee and smiled a little, then scowled. 'Bad Gaara, He's your best friend, you cna't have feelings for him.' He thought of the look on Lee's face when he asked the red head if he liked Ten Ten. Had he looked disappointed? Sad? Worried? 'Yea worried that his sister will go out with me. No guy wants his best friend dating his sister.'

Ten Ten jumped onto the bed beside the red head, making him jump in surprise and gasp in pain from moving too quickly.

"Oh sorry Gaara. Jeeze you really gotta stop getting into fights, you're going to get yourself killed! Lay down so I can help you."

Gaara closed his eyes and laid down, trying to ignore the pain going through his body. Ten Ten carefully put disenfectant on the cuts and put bandages on them.

"Lee while I finish here take the bandage off his head so I can check that too. No offence but I want to make sure you did it properly."

"Alright."

Gaara blushed a little as he felt Lee's hands on his head, near his face, to take the bandage off. The phone range and Ten Ten left to get it.

"Gaara you're blushing."

"No I'm not."

"Yea you are...it's cute." ^_^

Gaara looked at Lee and leaned up a little, kissing him on the lips. The dark haired boy kissed him back without hesitation and pulled away a little, smiling at Gaara. The boys face went as red as his hair and he looked away.

"I thought you liked Ten Ten."

Gaara's blush faded and he frowned.

"Lee that's growss. Ten Ten's ok but she's a girl."

Lee laughed. To think he had thought Gaara was the straightest guy in school.

"Gaara...how long have you liked me."

"Past you years. What about you?"

"I've liked you for the past year. Was too freaked to say anything though."

"I'm a litle mad I let you know. If my father finds out...well Temari's boyfriend ended up dead and she's my dad's favorite. He hates me so imagine what he would do to you."

Lee frowned.

"That isn't the only reason though, is it Gaara."

"......"

"Gaara?"

"I didn't know you liked me. I thought you liked Sakura. I was scared that if I told you the truth I'd lose you. I didn't want to risk going through more heartache then I already have."

Lee held Gaara close, being careful with his wounds and kissed him.

"You won't lose me Gaara. I'm not going anywhere."

Gaara smiled, an actual real smile and put his head on Lee's chest.

They both looked up when Ten Ten came in the room.

"Gaara your dad is on his way here. He sounded really angry on the phone. It was scary."

Lee looked at Gaara, their eyes wide.

"How did he find out I was here I never told him about you."

"We have to get out of here."

Suddenly they heard banging on the door and Gaara began shaking in fear.