Oblivion

By Jasmine Starlight

Full Summary: It started out as a prank, but it ended as so much more. Hyuuga Neji's never really known a parent's love, his mother died and his father hates him. Sabaku Gaara's never really been happy; it's lonely at the top. Neji/Gaara. Naruto/Sasuke.

I've started another high school fic, shoot me.

Let me tell you, I'm fucking sick with all the fics that make Gaara the abused one. What did I do? I made Neji the fucked up abused one.

It's something that we haven't beaten to death yet, right?

I'm so fucking tired.

CHAPTER ONE

I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS

"Alright, everyone out of the water!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and pinched Neji's nose, who sputtered and went under the water in response, "What was that for?" he demanded crossly as he wrung out his hair.

"You fell asleep again." Sasuke said bluntly as he climbed out of the pool, running a hand through his hair to spike it up again; this time it was Neji who rolled his eyes.

Sasuke walked past Kakashi-sensei who was wearing a sweatshirt and swim trunks, his grey hair sticking up obstinately even though it seemed to be perpetually damp.

Neji followed him into the locker room, where humidity and steam prevailed.

Sasuke dumped his towel and duffel bag unceremoniously by the bench that was occupied by a dozing body. "Menduksee na." Shikamaru groaned as he sat up.

"Were you here the whole time?" Neji asked curiously as he fiddled with his lock.

"Iie, I swam 10 laps." Shikamaru said as he retied his drooping ponytail.

"The rest of us had to swim 100." Sasuke said wryly as he headed toward a shower stall.

"Swimming that much is too troublesome." Shikamaru muttered as he wrenched his locker open fluidly and took out his damp ponytail and extracted a towel.

"Everything is troublesome for you." Kimimaro said annoyedly as he slammed his own locker open.

"Saying the word 'troublesome' should be too troublesome for you." Neji remarked as he put on shoes.

"Bite me."

Fuck this. Fuck you. Fuck this. Fuck you.

"I'm telling you it's a good prank." Sakon said as he walked with Gaara toward their next class.

"A pyramid of desks?" Shino asked skeptically.

"Sounds retarded." Kiba put in.

"Why can't we do my idea again?"

"Because we can't buy that many eggs without looking suspicious." Gaara repeated annoyedly.

"Or that many bottles of cream soda." Ukon put in thoughtfully.

"Fine, gang up on me!" Naruto said as he pouted, but then he cheered up almost immediately when he spotted Sakura in the hallway.

"Sakura-chan!"

Gaara rolled his eyes, "Give it up." Kiba muttered.

Eventually the girls caught up to them, Ino twirled a strand of blonde hair around her finger in what was supposed to be an alluring gesture; it was lost on Gaara.

"Ne, Gaara-kun, what are you doing after school?" Ino said batting her eyelashes enticingly.

"Basketball practice." Gaara said in his usual monotone.

"I'm free, Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed loudly.

Sakura rolled her eyes, "No you're not, we have soccer practice." Kiba interrupted boredly.

"Shut up, Kiba."

"Make me."

Shino rolled his eyes, "How long is lacrosse today?" Ukon asked him supinely.

"Until 4." Shino replied boredly.

Fuck this. Fuck you. Fuck this. Fuck you.

Eventually they'd agreed on silly string, and a barricade of chairs, their mode of transportation was Sakon's monstrous silver SUV.

Gaara was supposed to silly string the pool area, but when he got there, the double doors were ajar. "No one is supposed to be here." He murmured to himself.

Quietly he slipped in and watched breathlessly as someone did laps in the football field sized pool, it was like watching a dolphin.

Streamline, graceful, swift.

Gaara stepped forward, entranced by the sight, but in his daze his sneaker made a slapping sound on the wet floor, and he was spotted.

Neji stopped in the middle of his lap and made his way over to Gaara, "What're you doing here?" he asked crossly.

Gaara blinked, "I could ask you the same; how'd you get in anyway?" He heard himself asking.

Neji held up a silver key hanging from his neck, "I have a key, what kind of prank involves silly string? Are you still in the third grade?"

Gaara felt his familiar sneer fall into place. "I'm not sure, why don't you tell me."

Neji remained silent and pulled himself out of the pool, "Whatever."

"How come you're here so late?" Gaara asked as he sat beside Neji at the edge of the

pool.

"Didn't you know? 12 AM is the best time to swim." Neji said slinging a towel over his shoulders.

"Right." Gaara said disbelievingly.

"No really."

"Gaara!" Naruto's voice rang out, clear as a bell.

Gaara's jade eyes widened slightly, "Quick! Hide!" Gaara exclaimed as he jumped to his feet, Neji rolled his eyes and yanked on Gaara's sweatshirt and pulled him into the water. Neji stood at waist deep.

"Hey, Neji." Naruto said, as if it were the most normal thing to sneak into your school to swim.

"Hey." Neji replied, wincing slightly as Gaara's fingernails dug into his ribs.

"Seen Gaara anywhere?"

"No."

"Okay, see you." Naruto said as he left the pool area, Neji could faintly make out the sound of him telling someone else that Gaara wasn't in there.

Sighing, Neji disentangled Gaara from his waist and pulled him to the surface, "What'd you do that for?" Gaara asked as he took off his heavy sweatshirt.

"You said to hide."

"You're fucking insane." Gaara remarked as he leant against the wall.

"Whatever." Neji said as he sunk deeper into the water.

Gaara surveyed him through the corner of his eye.

"Holy shit, you have big shoulders."

"What?"

"Did I just say that out loud?" Gaara asked dumbly.

"Yes." Neji said as he wrung his hair out.

"It's true." Gaara said.

"Really?" Neji said as he rotated his shoulder, Gaara found himself transfixed by the rippling muscles.

"Yeah." He said breathlessly.

Suddenly he could feel Neji's breath on his face, "Are you breathing?" Neji asked incredulously.

"Huh." Gaara said as he gazed into Neji's white eyes.

Neji poked him in the forehead and the moment was ruined.

Fuck this. Fuck you. Fuck this. Fuck you.

"So, where were you last night?" Sasuke asked Neji the next day as they walked toward swim practice, Sasuke's fan club following at a distance.

Neji looked over his shoulder, "Snuck out."

"Oooh, maybe there's hope for you yet." Sasuke remarked as he ran a hand through his hair, smirking as several fan girls fainted away.

"I still don't why you have to torture the poor schizoids like that." Neji said as he walked into the locker room.

"After years of that, it's hard not to develop a mean streak."

"Mean? Vindictive maybe, malicious, sadistic, maniacal. But not mean." Neji as he opened his locker.

"You used to have to deal with that too."

"Yeah, good times." He said wistfully as he draped a towel around his neck and walked out of the locker room.

"Hyuuga! You're on the board today!" Kakashi barked as he blew his whistle.

Neji sighed and climbed up to the diving board and dove in, twisting in the air as he did so. When he came out of the water, Kakashi remarked: "Getting fancy aren't we?"

"Nara! You're up next!"

"Awww, menduksee…"

"Keep it moving!"

"Swimming was supposed to be easy…" Shikamaru muttered darkly as he ambled toward the diving board, Neji dangled his feet pensively in the cool chlorine water.

"Going to the competition on Saturday?" Kimimaro asked as he climbed out of the pool just as Shikamaru hit the water.

"Maybe."

"…"

Fuck this. Fuck you. Fuck this. Fuck you.

"What happened to you yesterday?" Naruto asked as Gaara slammed his locker shut, the redheaded boy suddenly tensed up.

"Gaara?" Naruto asked cautiously.

"Nothing. I just had a project I flaked on."

"Was it for Mizuki-sensei?"

"No, why would it be Mizuki-sensei?"

"I was just tryin' to make conversation Gaara." Naruto said tearfully.

Gaara sighed and dug through his pockets, "Here." He said, pulling out a container of instant ramen.

"RAMEN! RAMEN! RAMEN! RAMEN!"

"Who gave Naruto ramen?"

Gaara slowly walked away.

Can I call this a teaser?