Summary: Unlike my other stories, the main pairing for this story is Nejisasu, with some light Narusasu and Sakusasu. This is my first true Nejisasu story, so please review and comment! Okay, anyway…this story is about two families illegal selling the bodies of their children. Two of these unfortunate children are Neji and Sasuke. When Sasuke finally falls apart, Neji has to piece him back together again. Note: Naruto, Sai and most of Rookie Nine except Sakura are bullies who like to pick on Sasuke, but they turn good eventually, don't worry!
Right, on with the story! Please don't forget to review and comment!
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"Neji…itai yo…itai yo…"
"…forgive me…I can't…can't…"
I can't help you, Sasuke.
Chapter 1: Neji - This Cruel World
My name is Hyuuga Neji, and I just turned sixteen one month ago. If you look at it from a certain point of view, I rank under the category of 'normal'. I am a straight-A student, very serious-looking, and have a large, well-known family who are fairly wealthy. My life is full of everything this world has to offer – if I want something, I ask for it. If I demand something, I get it. This is the simple system of my life.
Simplicity is what everyone wants, but few truly get. There is always some lie between the monotonous routine of your life – some hidden deception. People look at you as normal, but in truth, you aren't really that. It is fascinating to think how easily people are tricked, deceived.
Looking at Uzumaki Naruto…a boy with the face of a punk, the kind of guy who looks like he's never going to make it to college, let alone university, is actually always, undoubtedly, ranked fifth in class. Is five his number? I never really bother to ask. He does all of this while still being a punk.
A boy an intimidating six feet and still growing, he looks like the leader of a gang. He has spiky blond hair that juts out at random corners, gently tanned skin, and what look like six whiskers on his cheeks. He tells us all he got them from shaving, but the truth is that his father did that to him. I won't get into details, no…Uzumaki Naruto is complex, when he looks simple. His brilliant blue eyes awe you, keeping you entranced in the very depths of their blues…but in them are a thousand different emotions swirling.
The polar opposite of Uzumaki Naruto would be Uchiha Sasuke. He will be turning sixteen in two months, and he's a whole head shorter than Uzumaki, and thus, shorter than me by half a head. He is easily found at the top of the class ranking list. He is a serious, college-bound student who looks like he has no sense of humor. His silky, shiny coal-black hair reach his shoulders, and are spiked gently upwards (what's it with spiky hairstyles these days anyway?) and his errant side-bangs frame his face softly. His eyes are of a hue so black it can match that of his eyes. His eyes are usually vacant, empty – but if you look closely, you can see that emotion swimming around, calling out for help – hurt.
Yes…Uchiha Sasuke feels hurt. I know. Him and I have been friends since kindergarten, and I am almost proud to say I am the only person he trusts, since we have been in trouble together, gotten out of trouble together, suffered together, enjoyed together and did practically everything together. When he suffered, I suffered, too. Again, I will not go into details. Uchiha Sasuke looks easy to read – like an open book – but he is even more complicated than Uzumaki.
Life is deception. Deception is life.
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"Sasuke, are you ready now?" I ask, a little impatiently, as I wait for the younger boy to finish tying his shoelaces.
"Yes," comes his reply softly. His voice is always almost like a whisper. The teachers at school have some problem about it whenever he has to recite something, but they usually don't say anything against their top student. Having such a trivial flaw is nothing to them. "I'm sorry…Neji."
My expression softens, like it always does whenever he says my name. I love the soft, gentle sound of it leaving his pale lips – so quiet you can barely hear it over the wind.
"No, it's alright," I say. "Do you think we can go now?"
Sasuke looks up at me, his beautiful onyx eyes behind those irritating spectacles consenting.
The problem with Uchiha Sasuke is that he enjoys looking like a nerd. 'Enjoy', of course, wouldn't be the verb I'd use, but judging from past incidents, I'd say he's in love with those spectacles. Of course, this is not true. Sasuke, in fact, looks much cuter and sweeter without his spectacles. He would be on top of the dating list and have a female fan club of his own. But he insists on wearing spectacles. They're not dork spectacles, of course. I'd have protested against that no matter what.
The first time I asked him why, his eyes darkened and he looked at his hands, fidgeting slowly. "W-whenever…t…t-t-they do t-that…they always…a-always say I'm…I'm beautiful…" he leaned into my shoulder, searching for comfort. I responded by wrapping my arms gently around his too-slim frame. "I-I don't want to be beautiful, Neji! I don't…I don't…"
I avoided the topic of that from then on. But a month later, I asked Sasuke if he was shortsighted. He then took off his slim metal-framed glasses and passed it to me. I picked up the light instrument and tried it on.
Everything looked unchanged.
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In school, people give Sasuke a somewhat different treatment because of his 'top student' title. Nobody really wants to befriend him, though – lots of people think he's an arrogant, rich bastard. In truth, Sasuke has a living father and mother, he may be somewhat wealthy because of his parents and certified genius of a brother, but he is definitely not arrogant.
He doesn't enjoy conversation, so he usually brushes people off quickly whenever they try their communication etiquette skills with him. This action of this is due to his overwhelming sense of insecurity, where he cannot take being with somebody unknown, or rather, in such a case, somebody he's never talked with before. It took me months to get his friendship. But not everyone has the same persistence and determination as me.
Sasuke sits on the other corner of the classroom at the back, while I am at the opposite corner. In front of him is Inuzuka Kiba, a lazy bastard who is usually found somewhere at the bottom of the dog. As far as I know, he is a maniac for the certain existence we humans call 'canines'. He is as much a punk as Uzumaki is. Next to Sasuke on his left is Uzumaki Naruto himself, usually chatting with Nara Shikamaru on his left and passing notes with Sabaku Gaara in front. Nobody speaks with Sasuke, for as far as I know. But anyway, even if they did try, he probably wouldn't respond. School is always his first priority, second priority and third priority. Of course, this is not his choice. He's still only a boy, after all.
He actually enjoys going out and walking in parks and the like, but even I sicken at the very thought of the punishment he receives if he does not maintain his stand at the top of the class.
On my own right is Haruno Sakura, a rather sweet, mature girl with strange pink hair, but lovely green eyes. She is extremely gentle, kind and quite smart. She is somebody I enjoy sharing intelligent conversations with.
In front of me is Hyuuga Hinata who is, ironically, my cousin. She does her best to ignore me most of the time, because she is terrified of me – always have been since the tender age of six. This is mainly due to my habit of staring at her for long periods of time with my white eyes.
"Neji-kun?" Sakura has arrived, and she's smiling at me with her usual smile. "Good morning!"
"Good morning, Sakura," I reply. "Did you enjoy your group date?"
"It was too cool," Sakura grins, seating herself down and telling me all about her group date last night. I smiled and nodded occasionally, but I wasn't really registering to the conversation. My eyes kept darting over to Sasuke, who's checking his homework papers expertly, running his alert eyes down the lines of neat words, searching for mistakes.
"Neji-kun? Neji-kun? Are you listening?" Sakura waves her hand in front of my face and I jerked a little.
"Oh, forgive me, Sakura," I say, almost absently.
"Neji-kun, you seem a little out of it today," Sakura frowns.
"Do I?" I question, absent-mindedly reaching into my bag for the books I would need.
"Yes, you do," then a glint appears in Sakura's eyes that causes me to be back into full alertness. "You can't be lovesick, can you, Hyuuga Neji-kun?" she smirks in a way that would make a lesser man shiver and spurt out the truth in a matter of seconds.
"Wh…what rubbish are you talking about?" I say, admittedly too quickly. "I can't be lovesick. I don't even like anyone."
"Well, obviously you do like someone, right?" Sakura pulls her chair closely to me. "Come on, Neji-kun. Spill it – who's the lucky girl?"
Lucky guy, you mean, I think neglectfully. My eyes drift to Sasuke again. He's still running through his homework. I can still hear Sakura's persuading chatter in the background. My eyes narrow when I see the notorious Sai walk towards the unconscious boy, a rather disturbing smirk on his face.
"Sakura…Sakura…look," I say, pointing at Sai. Sakura understands my care and concern for Sasuke. She is one of the few I have complete faith and trust in. Sakura isn't as close to Sasuke as I am, because he's just starting to get used to her, since we only met her in this high school, but she is always concerned for his safety…especially against the school bullies, one of the most popular of them being that bastard, Sai. He is the leader of a gang, too. But unlike Uzumaki Naruto, he can't keep up with his schoolwork at the same time.
"Neji-kun…what do you think he's going to do?" Sakura asks warily. "Class doesn't start until ten minutes."
"I don't know what's he going to do, but hell, if he tries anything, I'll kill him," my voice is laced with violence, and Sakura's gaze intensifies on Sai.
"Uchiha," we hear him drawl. Sasuke looks up immediately, shrinking into his chair in fear. I tighten my grip on my chair, and let out a growl as he nears Sasuke.
"…w-what do you w-w-want, S-Sai?" Sasuke stutters, his voice louder than usual. He's terrified of Sai, and Sai always demands he speaks louder.
"Hmm," Sai smirks. "I love it when you speak like that, Uchiha. Now, to add to my pleasurable mood today, how about giving me some extra bonus cash for my arcade rumble today?"
Sasuke is shaking visibly. I stand up at once. Conveniently enough, Sakura is class president. She calls the shots. Nobody else really cares about Sai bullying Sasuke, but at least two people do. That's enough for me.
"Sai, back off," Sakura says loudly walking over, causing a number of people to stare at the upcoming confrontation. Uzumaki and Inuzaka both turn in their chairs to watch the entertaining 'show'. "Before I report you to Umino-sensei," Sakura adds. Umino Iruka-sensei is our form teacher and he has a thing against bullying so we have some form of advantage. Moreover, Sakura is extremely intimidating when she glares. Did I mention she has out-of-this-world, monstrous strength?
"Look at her go," I hear Uzumaki whisper to Inuzuka. "She's really a feisty one. No wonder Sai can't get enough of her." I growl inwardly.
"Haruno," Sai greets, smiling a fake grin. I walk over to Sasuke and put my hand on his trembling shoulder. "What brings you here? You want to interfere with me? You should learn your place, Haruno. You are a significant woman in my life, and the girl of my dreams, so I don't want to have a grudge against you."
"Sai, you're cutting off your chances of getting her for your date," Uzumaki smirks.
"Yeah, totally," Kiba agrees. Those bastards. I will never forgive them. Never. For all the pain they've caused to Sasuke as a gang…I will never forgive them. And I won't forgive them for harassing Sakura all the time, either.
"Like I will ever go with this hell-town bastard for a date," Sakura growls. "The both of you better shut up." Uzumaki and Inuzuka know their places well enough, and they zip up.
"Back off, Sai," Sakura puts her hand on Sasuke's table for emphasis. "Now."
I know that as much as Sai wants to have a go at Sasuke and Sakura, now's not the time. Class is starting, and he might get reported if Sakura blows her top completely. Verbal quarrel like this is fine, but if they actually went into physical quarrel, it might not be pretty, since Sakura's punch is almost lethal.
I gently stroke Sasuke's hair and whisper into his ear, "You'll be fine. After class…we'll go for lunch together, okay?" Sasuke nods. He's still trembling. I want to stay with him, but Umino-sensei is going to come along soon, and the one thing he hates is seeing people standing about when he comes into the classroom.
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During lunch period, I grab Sasuke's hand immediately and drag him out of the classroom, with Sakura following us behind. Each of us are holding a bento box. Hopefully we can make it out of the school without any harassment. Lady Luck doesn't seem to be with us today, since we can easily find Sai, Naruto, Kiba, Gaara and Ino blocking our way soon enough.
"Yo, Haruno," Sai grins.
"Oh, Forehead-girl!" Ino squeals. "Neji-kuuuuuuun! Will you go on a date with me today?"
"Clear out, before I make you," I growl. For the moment I am thankful I take Aikido lessons. Sasuke is pressing close to me from behind. I hold his hand tightly. As if our situation couldn't get any worse, Sannin Orochimaru-sensei chose to approach the group of us at this untimely moment.
"My, my – must I remind all of you that no fighting is permitted on school grounds?" Orochimaru said in his snakelike, slithery voice. I hate the vile man. Every fiber of my body burns with hate at the sight of him. Sasuke is shaking more than ever, his eyes staring up at Orochimaru in nothing but terror.
Ino grabs the boys away, while I give Sakura a gentle nudge, informing her it's time for her to go. She gives me a pained look. As much as she doesn't want to leave Sasuke and I to our fates, she's going to get involved in this soon if she doesn't leave. Orochimaru pushes us into his private office, and locks the door behind him.
Sasuke hides behind me, clutching my arm in terror. I stand protectively in front of him, glaring up at Orochimaru. "Yes?" I break the silence first. I shiver at the hungry, lusty look in his eyes.
"I'm feeling very frustrated now," Orochimaru smiles widely, twisting his long tongue about. I groan inwardly in disgust. Sasuke's grip on my arm tightens, probably enough to leave red marks. Orochimaru's smile widens even more. "I need refreshment."
Before I can even react, he grabs Sasuke roughly by the arm and pulls Sasuke against his body, starting to rip off Sasuke's clothes. I stare in horror and raged frustration as Sasuke cries, protesting weakly as the man starts to ravish him. I know I can do nothing. If I want Sasuke back alive, I must do nothing. Sasuke is small and fragile, his life easily taken. The older man already has him pinned on the ground. He takes off Sasuke's glasses and whispers sweet nonsense into the trembling boy's ear, while caressing his pale, tearstained cheek.
Sasuke looks up at me pleadingly, reaching out for me with a shaking hand. Orochimaru backhands him across the face and I clenched my fist. "Can't you not hit him for once?" I shout out before I can stop myself. I mentally hit myself for that. Orochimaru just grins and takes out a pocketknife, adding to the number of scars that mars Sasuke's perfect skin. I wince as the bloody trickles out from the crevice of broken skin, and Sasuke cries out in pain once again.
"You, get out," Orochimaru gestures to the door, all the while looking at me. "You'll see him after lunch."
"He hasn't even eaten breakfast!" I protest.
"He'll get a much nicer brunch," Orochimaru cuts me off. I rush out of the office before he further elaborates. I find Sakura standing outside, looking at me willfully. I can feel tears pricking the corners of my eyes. Without saying a word to her, I leave the school building and walk to the back of it. Sakura follows.
I lean against the wall and slowly slide down to the ground, drawing my knees to my chest and burying my face in my hands and start to cry. I'm so weak. I can't even protect that one precious person in my life.
Sakura knowingly puts her hand on my shoulder. She tries to offer me comfort.
But the comfort I seek can never be found in this cruel world.
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Was that okay? I'm sorry it was quite vague and wordy in the front part, but the last part was action, right? This is the first time I've written anything like the Orochimaru scene so don't expect much from this amateur mind…anyway…since I simply cannot bear typing this kind of stuff…
Who wants to write the rape scene in the next chapter between Orochimaru and Sasuke in the office? If there are no offers, I will just do something like the Orochimaru scene and then dot, dot, dot…
Think about it! In future…there are more explicit scenes so…yeah…I won't type it, of course…somebody else will…maybe…oh, and for those of you who don't know, Aikido is a type of Japanese martial arts! I used to take it in Akita.
I hope you've enjoyed this chapter!
Please review and comment! FLAMES IGNORED
Ja na!