An Indecent Affair

Muchos thankos to my wonderful Beta, Chaos for making this update possible. I also want to thank all of the reviewers who have encouraged me to actually get this chapter finished today. Sorry all my updates keep taking so long.

Chapter 11
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The drive to Neji’s apartment was a quiet one, but Sasuke didn’t mind. He was sure the other man needed the silence, so he didn’t even turn on the radio and only interrupted his inner musings to ask for directions. The parking spaces available for the building were very few, and very narrow, but most of the tenants did not own vehicles, and the Landlord figured that the meager, twelve lots were more than sufficient. Sasuke guided his car away from the others to prevent anyone scraping his while wildly opening their car doors and among the second hand Suzuki Swifts and ’67 Chevys, his stood out like a rose among thorns.

“Mind if I use your washroom?” he asked after Neji unclipped his seat belt and thanked him for the lift.

The Hyuuga tensed at the question and lifted his head to look him in the eyes. Neji knew Sasuke was the type that liked to have his own way and did whatever he wanted whenever he wanted, and he could have just as easily demanded he was going up with him, but here he was, asking for him permission and giving him the option to say no, as was seen by the fact that he left his car and his seat belt on. He wanted to say ‘No’, the voices in his head told him to say ‘No’, even his gut instinct warned him not to let Sasuke upstairs, but the part of him that Sasuke saved begged him to give the other man the benefit of the doubt and he nodded slowly.

Sasuke turned off the ignition and removed his seat belt before getting out of the vehicle with Neji and stuffing his car key in his pocket after activating the alarm, and Neji led the way up many flights of stairs. The six-tiered complex did not have an elevator, but the tenants didn’t complain about that either, because they knew that if it did, in fact, have one then it would constantly be down for repairs and only the gutsiest (or more suicidal) of men would be brave enough to even use it.

They reached the fourth floor, and Sasuke had to squint a bit to see where he was going since a few of the overhead bulbs had blown, and it was already dark out by the time they’d left the gun club even though they hadn’t been there for very long, but it was that time of the year when the darkness settled in earlier and was usually the time of year Sasuke got the least sleep.

Neji stopped in the middle of the hallway, right before his door, and the dark man behind him peered around to see what caused his hesitation and his eyes rested on a large box that was dumped in front of the apartment.

“What’s that?” he asked rather curiously, and Neji sighed through his nose and got down on his haunches to sift through its contents.

“These are… things I gave my ex-girlfriend,” he disclosed on a sad tone, and his heart ached all over again when he fingered the photograph of himself that was housed in an identical frame to the one he had of Ten-Ten. She had even returned his love letters and little trinkets he’d bought for her while they were dating and the notes he used to pass to her during classes… She’d kept them all.

“Hn! At least they’re not on fire or covered with dog shit,” and the way he said that made Neji feel as if he was speaking from experience.

He unlocked the door and stepped back to let Sasuke enter first then carried the box inside, and after giving his guest the directions to the bathroom, he left the box in the middle of the living room. Neji didn’t know what he was thinking or what perverse entity took over him, but he found himself compelled to stand outside the bathroom door and listen to see if its occupant was really utilizing it, and he blushed slightly when he heard the tinkling sound of water hitting water. Neji cursed himself for eavesdropping on Sasuke taking a piss, but he only did it to make sure that he hadn’t been lying when he said he’d wanted to. Well, he hadn’t, because no one could fake noises like that!

The toilet flushed and the sink turned on and Neji wondered why he was still standing there once his suspicions had been unfounded, but before he turned to leave he heard a cupboard door open and realized that Sasuke didn’t emerge even though he’d answered nature’s call. “Sasuke, what are you doing in there?” Neji asked with a soft knock against the door.

“You shouldn’t use roll-on,” came his muffled answer. “The spray’s better.”

“Sasuke, are you going through my medicine cabinet?” Neji asked with incredulity and went to turn the knob to open the door but couldn’t because it was locked.

“Yeah, and by the way, these aspirin are past their expiration date.” Neji sighed in defeat and knocked his head against the door.

“Sasuke, could you please not go through my stuff?” but he already knew it was a lost battle because the Uchiha went through every item therein, and whenever he didn’t approve of something, the other man would hear the hollow sound of it being tossed in the trash.

The door clicked and opened, almost causing Neji, who was still leaning against it, to stumble into the room. Sasuke looked surprised to see him there and walked around him to head into the living-room.

Neji assumed he was going to let himself out and went about the task of returning everything to their rightful places in the cabinet, but when he closed it and saw his reflection in the built-in mirror he stared in dumbfounded horror at the bizarre drawing on his forehead. Neji was actually glad Sasuke hadn’t left because when he found him, sitting on his couch, with a slice of cold, white, bread between his teeth and the television remote in his hand, he approached him and pointed at the blue drawing as if asking him, by any chance, did he have something to do with it.

The other man gave him an incredibly innocent look that even God could not fault him for, and Neji sighed in exasperation and wiped his face with both hands at having to deal with such a delinquent individual.

He took a seat next to him and frowned when he saw the bread hanging from his mouth, and he knew that he’d been in the fridge and hoped he hadn’t gone throwing out any of his food as well. “If you want, I can make you a sandwich,” Neji suggested, feeling like a terrible host even though Sasuke was being the impossible guest.

“Would you? Thanks,” he said and took the half eaten slice from his lips and gave it to Neji, and as the Hyuuga rose from the sofa he wanted to kick himself for volunteering in the first place.

“What kind of sandwich do you want?” he yelled from the kitchen after taking the loaf and mustard from the fridge.

“Whatever you make is fine,” he answered back, and he had to speak up over the noise of the television set. “Do you have any beer?” he asked a few seconds later.

“No, I don’t keep things like that,” he admitted dejectedly, and he couldn’t explain why he felt that way about not having any available even though he didn’t like alcohol that much.

“Then I’ll just have some apple juice.”

Neji frowned and paused in the middle of cutting a slice of tomato. “I don’t have apple juice.”

“Yes, you do,” he retorted and turned the volume down a bit to make the conversation easier. “In your fridge, second shelf from the top.”

He followed the instructions and retrieved the bottle marked ‘Mott’s’, but even though it was labeled as an apple juice container, its contents were not made from apples. “This isn’t apple juice, Sasuke. It’s lemonade,” he explained and poured one glass before deciding to pour another for himself.

“They make lemonade now?”

Neji chuckled. “No, I made it… I just reused the bottle.”

He heard a noise like the other man saying ‘Oh’ before the volume went back up again.

He served Sasuke’s order on a plastic tray with a horrendously painted, floral design and balanced it on one palm while holding his cup in the other, and he set the tray on the coffee table before reclaiming his previous seat.

Sasuke thanked him before attacking his sandwich, and he realized that it was the same sandwich Neji had made for himself for lunch today… the same one that Sasuke had eaten. It was good, and he made sure to give his compliments to the chef, but when he took a swig of the beverage his eyes almost rolled up in the back of his head, and he found it hard to stop drinking once he’d started. “Damn… that’s good,” he said breathlessly since he’d finished the whole thing in one chug.

Neji smiled from behind his glass, a little embarrassed by the praise, and Sasuke revealed the adorable expression when he snatched Neji’s own and downed his drink too. He should have been upset, and he should have expected he’d do something like that but he didn’t care that much at all because, like Ten-Ten, he loved to watch people enjoy the fruits of his labor. He suddenly frowned when he thought about her, and he reached over to pull the box closer so he could reminisce on each object.

Sasuke noticed this and turned off the television and put his empty plate and Neji’s half empty cup aside and watched, disquieted, as Neji’s countenance changed with each object. He would always smile softly at first and his violet eyes would seem to laugh at the happy memories, but they would then become downcast when he was faced with the harsh reality that they would remain as only memories. Sasuke turned off the television and brought him back to the present when he asked, “You really miss her, huh?” and Neji nodded before returning the brown teddy bear he’d won for her at a carnival to the box of memorabilia.

He scanned the objects, not really looking for anything in particular then sat up and turned to face the man next to him. “Have you ever ended a relationship with someone then regretted it afterwards because you were sure that person was the one you were destined to be with?”

He’d already told Neji that if he and that girl were meant to be together then they would still be together, but Sasuke didn’t remind him about it because he really couldn’t relate to what he was going through right now. “No,” he said and leaned back against the couch, throwing one arm over the back as he brought that depressed face under close scrutiny. “Could you tell me why you broke up with her if you didn’t even want to?” he asked, needing to satisfy his curiosity over Hyuuga’s sanity.

He didn’t want to tell him the real reason, it sounded rather foolish now that it was hanging there on the tip of his tongue, but if anyone could sympathize with him, he imagined it would be Sasuke since he was among the few that actually knew what he’d been through. Neji took a deep breath and turned his head, slightly ashamed to look him square in the eyes as he made his quiet confession. “One evening, we were kissing and… I saw him, and every time I looked at her after that, I kept seeing his face.”

The room fell silent, and for a moment Neji believed that he was talking to himself until he felt the cushions on the couch shift so he knew he wasn’t alone.

Sasuke leaned forward then and cocked his head so he could see Neji’s face, but his hair was in the way. He reached out a hand to dispel the ebony curtain, and Neji’s head snapped around and he raised a defensive arm between them but just before recognition and relief claimed his face, Sasuke saw fear in his panicked eyes for that brief moment. “What did he do to you?” he frowned and dropped his hand back to his side.

Neji’s brow crinkled as he pondered that question. “Wh-What do you mean?”

“What did Orochimaru do to you in his office?”

He felt sick, and Sasuke witnessed all the color drain from his already pale face. “What kind of question is that?” he snapped suddenly feeling anger towards this person, who was obviously being inconsiderate about his ordeal. “I was raped by your step-father. If you want the details just watch the damned tape.”

“I don’t want to watch the damned tape, Neji,” he snapped back, his tone just as harsh, maybe even more so, “I want to hear it from your own mouth, in your own words, what Orochimaru did to you.”

Had this been a session with a professional psychiatrist then Neji would have had to relive those horrible minutes within that man’s arms; retelling, in sordid detail, how he was defiled and stripped of his dignity. Sasuke did say he wanted to help, and he’d proven his integrity time and time again, and if he was going to talk about it with anyone he was the most likely candidate. “Why?” Neji asked, his suspicions winning out over his naïveté.

It was a fair enough question to ask, and it wasn’t that he was trying to be nosy or make the other man uncomfortable, so Sasuke was honest when he explained the purpose behind his unreasonable request. “I don’t know what the scientific term is, but you seem to be associating any kind of physical contact with that rape. To get over a fear of heights, you have to fly in a plane; to get over a fear of spiders, you keep one as a pet; to get over your fear of touching… you have to be touched.”

Neji’s body tensed and he shook his head, his mouth opened to voice any kind of protest but he stammered unintelligibly instead.

“I know it sounds hard, Neji and I’d be lying if I said I knew what you were going through, but we’ll go at your own pace, and I won’t make you do anything you’re not comfortable with and when you want me to stop, all you have to do is say ‘Stop’.”

The alarms were going off inside his head again, but louder than ever before. His inner voices told him that this was the Uchiha’s perverted plan all along, no matter how conveniently intuitive it all sounded. But Sasuke’s appeal of trust came back to him, and as much as he didn’t want to go through with it, he wanted to use this as a test, to see if he was really being sincere or if he had thought this all up just to use it as an excuse to molest him.

Sasuke knew this was going to be a test for him as well and probably one of the hardest ones he’d ever taken. It was going to take every ounce of self-control he possessed to make sure he didn’t force Neji into a situation he couldn’t handle, just to satisfy his desire for the other man, and he was going to have to keep his ears opened for that magic word, and Sasuke knew it was going to be very difficult to actually stop rather than to just hear him say stop.

Neji bit his lip and nodded slowly, relinquishing himself to the other man to do with as he liked, and Sasuke got up and pulled him to his feet as well.

“Tell me what happened.”

He dredged up those painful memories that he’d shelved at the back of his mind, and they came rushing out like a tidal wave. Neji found it hard to focus, not wanting to look at the images for a second longer than he had to, rewinding to that first fateful day, when Orochimaru summoned him into his office regarding the promotion. He heard Sasuke tell him to take his time and he hesitated, wishing that time would stop interminably. “Uhh… he called me into his office and told me I was considered for a promotion…”

“Mm-hm,” Sasuke hummed, letting him know he had his full attention and encouraging him to continue.

Neji put his hand to his forehead and closed his eyes, trying to relive that moment and recall what happened next, and he swallowed hard then shook his head before exhaling on a shaky breath. “Umm… he had papers… on his desk and told me it was a contract and to read it then sign and… Oh God!” his voice became weak and it quivered slightly, and Neji’s eyes flew open frantically, confirming that he was not standing in that office and that Orochimaru was no where around. “I leaned over… but only to look at the documents,” he added quickly, defending the innocent gesture that he sorely regretted making. “And that was when… that was when he touched me.”

“Where?” Sasuke asked in that low, deep voice of his, and Neji’s stomach lurched when he felt that ghost-like hand accost him again.

“My leg.”

Sasuke walked around him, disappearing from his view and Neji held his breath, knowing what was coming next but could not prepare himself for it, and when gentle fingers were laid on both of his outer thighs, he stifled a cry at the back of his throat. “Here?” Sasuke asked, lightly caressing him through the coarse material of his jeans.

Neji swallowed again and shook his head. “N-No. On… the inside.”

One hand raised to plant itself firmly against his shoulder to offer comfort and to keep him in place while the other began a slow journey around the back of one thigh and Neji shivered at the touch, and he gasped on a ragged breath when it reached its destination and began stoking his inner thigh.

“Like that?”

He winced at the touch and tried to step away but Sasuke held him firmly by the shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “Talk to me, Neji,” he said above a whisper, neither of his hands moving from where they were without the other man’s consent. “What else happened?”

He didn’t want to remember what happened next, there was already too much to bring up, too much to tell him, and he couldn’t describe the things that man did to him, not out loud, and Neji shook his head, feeling his resolve breaking, and he was sorry to disappoint Sasuke, but he couldn’t do it. “I-I can’t tell you,” and he drew his legs closer together to keep that hand locked in place.

“Then I’ll improvise,” and he slipped his hand from between Neji’s legs and brought it a little higher to cup one, round ass-cheek.

The long-haired brunette gave a startled cry and reached behind him, grabbing Sasuke’s wrist with both hands and tried to push it away, but it wouldn’t budge and the fingers began to knead his flesh and the ones on his shoulder did the same.

He was tense; Sasuke could feel it in the muscles bunched beneath his shoulders, and he could hear his breath escaping through his nose in quick, short puffs, but Neji wasn’t the only one affected by this. Sasuke’s body temperature began to rise significantly, along with a certain part of him that he wished would remain disinterested, just this once, but it was damn near impossible for it and he couldn’t fault it because Neji had a really nice ass.

It didn’t have that flat, almost oblong shape that most men had, actually it was a little rounder but not too high that it appeared as a bubble butt. It wasn’t too hard or overly muscular, which wasn’t surprising since Neji was of a slim, yet well-defined build, but it didn’t sag either, and was actually very firm even though his fingers dipped into the flesh like downy pillows.

Sasuke paid attention to all of these little details as he caressed the soft mound through the jeans pants, and he found it rather surprising since he wasn’t even an ass-man to begin with. Maybe this was another fixation he was rapidly beginning to develop since meeting Neji, but it wasn’t going to help either of them if he allowed his new fetish to take reign of his libido right now. “Is this too much?” he asked, needing to keep this on a purely experimental level because he knew he was ready to take this into the bedroom if Neji didn’t tell him to stop.

He sighed with both relief and disappointment when the other man nodded his head, and he released him then and turned him around so he could cup his face in his hands. “Then let’s go at a slower pace,” was his suggestion before dipping his head to lightly graze his lips across the ones below him. It was just a light peck, nothing too suggestive, but Neji flinched all the same and brought his hands up to place them on the broad chest before him. He didn’t push him away, there was no need, since Sasuke was already leaning back to look into his face to gauge his reaction to it. He could tell he hadn’t liked it. “Did you hate that?”

Neji shook his head and avoided those intense, black eyes as he stammered, “I-I didn’t… No… I didn’t.” That much was true, but while he didn’t hate it, he couldn’t say that he enjoyed it either.

Sasuke nodded as if he’d somehow heard the last part even though those words went unspoken, and he told the other man to close his eyes, and Neji obeyed.

He wished he hadn’t. The second he was shrouded in darkness, his imagination took over, and since he could no longer see Sasuke, he was uncertain that he was still standing there even though he knew he was. He was afraid, but tried not to show it and clamped his eyes closer together until little creases appeared on his lids as he tried to concentrate deeply on the Uchiha before him and not on the Uchiha in his mind’s eye. His hands were warm, not at all cold and clammy like Orochimaru’s, but the human conscious was a funny thing, and now he wasn’t even sure whose those fingers felt like anymore. All he knew was that they made his cheeks tingle, and he wanted them gone.

Sasuke’s breathing was deep and controlled, and he felt his heart beating against the palms that were still pressed against the other man’s torso as a defensive maneuver. He was slow and tender with him and didn’t rush or force any advances upon him, and a tiny whimper lodged itself in Neji’s throat when bold lips ghosted over his cheek, forehead and closed eyelids. “How do you feel?” he whispered, his warm breath tickling Hyuuga’s flushed ear.

“I-I don’t know.” It was hard to discern fear from accedence; desire from disgust; Sasuke from Orochimaru, but when strong arms wrapped themselves around his waist to pull him closer and caress the small of his back, he panicked, and with a strangled cry, yelled stop and pushed against the firm barrier as hard as he could.

Sasuke staggered backwards, a little too disoriented after having been shoved out of his lust so suddenly, but he wasn’t at all irritated by the interruption, and he frowned as he watched Hyuuga’s shoulders shake as he gasped for breath and wrapped his arms protectively about his shoulders. “What happened Neji? Did you see him?” he asked, and as much as he wanted to approach the man he stood right where he was to give him time to compose himself, and he made no sudden moves either.

“Uh…yeah,” he nodded with an awkward chuckle, trying to make light of his cowardice, but seeing those eyes--his eyes--had filled him with an indescribable terror that threatened to asphyxiate him.

Sasuke thought back to what he had done just before he got that reaction out of Neji, and he asked, “When I hugged you, did it trigger something… a thought, a vision, a painful memory?” and Neji confirmed his speculation with two quick bobs of his head.

“I… It’s hard to explain, but… when you… when you put your hands around me, I just--I just felt trapped, and I… I wanted to get away.” Neji bit his lip and forced his eyes to meet Sasuke’s, and when he saw the flat expression there, he felt like an idiot. “It’s stupid, I know,” he sighed and lowered his head again.

“It’s not stupid, Neji,” Sasuke amended and took slow, cautious steps towards him. “It’s normal.” He reached out for him then and saw the other man shy away from him, but he coaxed him with encouraging words and told him it was going to be alright. “Keep your eyes open this time,” instructed Sasuke and he pulled Neji towards his chest before slowly slipping his arms around him.

Hyuuga tensed and jerked away reflexively. Sasuke loosened his hold to give all the space he needed to make his retreat, but he didn’t, and instead, he returned to those outstretched arms and laid his head against a welcoming shoulder. It felt so good to just hold him like that; breathing in his scent and basking in his body heat, and Sasuke couldn’t remember the last time he enjoyed physical contact with another human being that required they both be naked in bed.

It felt so good to just be held like that; depending on another person for support and being the one on the receiving end of comfort for a change and having someone come to your rescue instead of playing the superhero. They didn’t know how long they stood there; to Neji it was an eternity, but to Sasuke, not nearly long enough, but he was the one that broke their hold, and he was certain he heard Neji make a sound of protest.

“Feeling better?” he asked with a lop-sided smile.

“Umm… yeah I feel a lot better, thanks.”

“That was your first lesson,” he said and cupped Neji’s face in his hands while stroking his slightly pink cheeks with calloused thumbs. “We’ll take it slow and go in stages, okay?”

Neji nodded with a somewhat forced smile, but when the Uchiha released him and turned to walk back towards the front door, his shoulders sagged, and he wanted to beg him to extend this lesson, or ask to begin lesson number two. “You’re… leaving already?” he asked instead, and Sasuke turned and gave him that arrogant smirk.

“Yeah. Why? Did you want me to stay?” and he waggled his eyebrows. That cocky gesture helped to break the sentimental intensity between them, and it had been the younger man’s intention in the first place because he knew that if Neji asked him to stay he wouldn’t have enough will power to say no and only God knew what kinds of situations they’d end up in, but he knew he’d regret them later.

“No, it’s just that you didn’t let me say good night,” and he knew his excuse was lame, but Sasuke didn’t tease him about it.

“Sorry! I think I left my manners at home.”

“Hm. Thanks for the lift, Sasuke.”

“Anytime,” he grinned with a wink before pivoting on his heel and letting himself out.

Neji stood there, watching the door, hoping he would return, but knowing he wouldn’t, and after standing there and feeling like he’d made a big enough ass out of himself, he cleaned up the dishes and went to wash them in the sink. However, they just laid there, unclean, as water trickled over them and disappeared down the drain. It was hard to forget that embrace, and the feel of Sasuke’s arms around him hadn’t dissipated yet, so much so that, occasionally, he would shiver as if he half-expected him to creep up behind him to hold him again.

Neji turned off the tap. He was only wasting water anyway, and the dishes could wait until tomorrow. He went to get ready for bed, but it felt much larger and a lot emptier than before even though it was a single-sized bed. He couldn’t sleep, but this time it wasn’t because he was afraid to close his eyes. The young man made an exasperated noise in his throat and threw off his covers, climbing off the mattress and went back into the kitchen to wash up. He restlessly padded around the small apartment, looking for something to keep him occupied or at least bore him enough until he felt sleepy, but he found nothing that offered such entertainment or lassitude.

After turning on and off his television set for the fifth time, hoping that that would somehow, miraculously change tonight’s line up of celebrity reality shows, he dropped his remote to the floor and stretched out on the couch, and the fridge chose that moment to defrost, filling the entire front room with its obnoxious hum. It wasn’t too bad this time, and Neji managed to ignore as he wondered what Sasuke was doing right now, and the many possibilities he mulled over were the last things he thought about as he laid there on the sofa until he awoke the next morning.

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Okay on with the replies to reviews since I didn’t have one last time and I promised to make up for it:

Tyra 2007-06-24 Yes!
Great chapter once again! And it wasn't that short.
Ha! Finally Neji broke up with Ten-ten! ..Umm.. Heh.. Somehow I don't feel bad for her anymore.
Neji, indeed, belongs to Sasuke and he knows it himself! :D

And I must say, I LOVE Orochimaru's new plan!
''…when he was lulled into a false sense of security, just when he thought he was finally safe, Orochimaru would strike and destroy him all over again'' -droooooool-
Awesome.
I hope you update soon again. I wanna see what happens next!!
Is Neji going to tell Sasuke about Orochimaru? (He did touch Neji's cheek!) And poor Neji passed out, I wonder is he going to wake up, I mean, is he going to make to work in time? :DD
UPDATE SOON AND KEEP WRITIING! LOVE YA!

ClaireBear Yeah, it’s been long in coming but they’ve finally split and now there’s no chance of them getting back together again. That gives Sasuke a clear playing field.

Orochimaru’s plan is pretty malevolent, I must say, and if I were a criminal mastermind that would be my plan too. A friend of mine and I actually planned on taking over Canada once and we’d end up controlling the world’s supply of bacon. *insert maniacal evil laughter*

Thanks for reading Tyra. You’ve been a dedicated reviewer since day 1 and I appreciate it.


soft_touches honeybumblebee5@yahoo.com 2007-06-24 Yo, I'M SO PROUD OF YOU (statement coming from the bottom of my heart) and i'm glad your proud of yourself. i woke up this morning already late for work and i was excited to read your email and i was happy the whole day even though it sucked. finally i get around to reading this, it really made my day. remeber this your story so steer where ever you want i'll be passenger. thanks for the dedication, it kept me smilling all day.*stands and claps for you* soft_touches

ClaireBear Thanks! *stands and takes a bow* I really appreciate your support soft_touches and I haven’t forgotten your Kakshi x Iruka request. Unfortunately I said I was going to do it after I finished Inbred and only God knows how long that’s going to take now >.< So I’ll work on that for you in between, just let me know what you want to be in it and if you want it to be AU or based in the Konoha-verse.


Chaos 2007-06-25 Oh. My. God.
I love your writing so much that it's not even funny! xD (Your fic "Inbred" had fifty chapters when I started it and I read it all in one day. >>) Anyway, I love the way your portray all of the characters, and I love that Neji and TenTen finally broke up. TenTen = cool; TenTen + Neji = LAME. Orochimaru is such a creepy SOB, which you recreate so well that it makes me believe that he's gonna rape Neji on the show or something. xD I can't wait to see what happens next. Keep up your amazing writing for it makes me so happy. Good fics can be really hard to find.
By the way, you say that you need a beta? I wouldn't call myself any sort of professional, but I'm very good with grammatics and making suggestions in writing. I can always be a back up help if you want it. Just contact me! :3

ClaireBear So sorry for subjecting you to the grueling task of reading fifty chapters in one day, I know how taxing that can be on one’s eyes x_x

Y’know. I never did like the Neji x Ten Ten pairings and I’d much prefer Neji x Lee anyday. Thanks for liking my fics (It’s funny but they seem to get harder to write as time goes on). Anywho, thanks for volunteering to beta. I appreciate it.


Yersi Fanel 2007-06-25 Hooray!! You're back again!
I liked this chapter, was nice to see the impact of Neji's change in his life and then how Orochimaru shows up being all evil and stuff (nice, really) and his new EVIL plan, hooo, you just write him so nice, I like it!.
Well, even if the chapter was short, the point was clear, so it's okay!

Now. you are correct, English is not my mother language, It's Spanish. But I'm doing better and I founf a nice and really nice BETA, so I'll be fine.

Thanks for the update!!, keep going.

ClaireBear Yay! I’m back again but I can never seem to stay around long enough. Sorry.

I love writing Orochimaru (not as much as I love writing Neji). I had another fic I started with him in it and I loved him in that too. Too bad he doesn’t stay around for very long.

You are also another reader that has stuck around since time immemorial and I hearts you for being so supportive. :) I’m glad to hear you found another beta. I now know how invaluable they can be when you’re too anal to reread what you’ve just typed.


inuyashalove 2007-07-01 Good story so far. I just found it and decided to check it out. I love how you have everyone acting. It's different, but nothing outlandish. Good work with this chapter too. You could have made the break-up longer and drawn out; but I like it short and sweet. I can't wait to read what happens next.

ClaireBear Thanks for the compliment. I know it’s an AU fic and it would be impossible for things to occur exactly as they did in the manga but I tried very hard not to make the characters too OOC. I do think Sasuke’s a bit…happy-go-lucky for lack of a better term. He’s not as angsty as he should be. Neji’s a bit wimpy but that’s how I like my ukes. Gaara’s a slut and Itachi and Orochimaru make me smile everytime I think about them. Actually this reminds me of another fic I was working on but scrapped because the characters were WAY OOC. *reminisces*


Anon 2007-07-08 DOING GREAT, I LOVE YOUR STORIES HOPE YOU UPDATE SOON. IS THERE GOING TO BE ANOTHER NEJI RAPE SCENE WITH OROCHIMARU THAT WOULD BE COOL.

ClaireBear Err…I don’t want to confirm or deny anything that might ruin the plot but Orochimaru and Neji will be alone at some point again in the story and that’s all I’m saying.


Chaos 2007-07-10 Yay, I'm wonderful. :D
But anyway, I'm glad to beta for you anytime you want! I had a fun time being able to look it over, and it's a great chapter! You already got my compliments, though. x3 Actually, I'm sorry it took me a few days because my grandfather had a heart attack, so I wasn't able to access a computer due to being quite occupied with my family. I actually the editing in an hour or two. xD

ClaireBear Yes darling you are WONDEFUL! *gives Chaos a round of applause* Yes I did get your responses and you got mine. Don’t want to discuss anything here though, sorry.


Tyra 2007-07-10 Oh, this chapter was so cool! It really was. The guns and all.

Awh, poor Neji, sleeping at work! xD Sasuke was really nice to him, letting him sleep the day away ^^
And then the shooting. I loved the way you wrote about Neji and Sasuke, especially about their feeling and all.
I hope you update soon again!
Neji's beginning to trust Sasuke, eh? That's a good thing too.
Now that Sasuke's taking Neji home (to Neji's home, I mean!), is he going to.. Well, obviously he's going to find out where Neji lives, but is he going inside or does he just drop him off there? xD Or maybe he's going to just visit him some weekend? xDD

Well, we'll see, ne? I hope you update soon again! Keep writing! Loved the long chapter! -hearts- xD

ClaireBear Yeah, I like guns but my relationship with guns is like my relationship with fire. I like to look but I don’t like to touch. Yes, Neji is *finally* trusting Sasuke and Sasuke did go into his apartment but I don’t think he’ll be going back there after tonight though…no I don’t think so. What? They can have sex in other places besides Neji’s apartment, right?


Yersi Fanel 2007-07-10 This chapter was truly amazing.

It's nice to see that Neji is somehow trusting Sasuke and how Sasuke wants to protect Neji (along with Itachi, for what I can see).

I liked this chapter a lot for the great interaction and details, it was too much fun to read (and Sasuke doodling on Neji's forehead, I was all "ROFL" jiji)

I'm glad you are continuing this story, I liked it a lot, and to be honest, I just can't wait for more.

See you soon!

ClaireBear Yes, the Uchiha brothers are Neji’s body guards or guardian angels (more like demons though XD) Doodling on people while they sleep is lots of fun. I’ve done it to my cousin and my brother’s friend once…heh. Good times! I’m glad you liked that chapter and I hope you enjoyed this one.

Thanks, I hope to be back again soon.


soft_touches 2007-07-12 *starts singing some song from the Lion King* 'can you feel the love tonight blah blah blaaah blah blaaahhh' ok i'm done singing and i'll be serious now. this is my favorite chapter, its cute sweet and funny, lol i woke my roomate up just to read 'peanut m&m' part and then she was like "wtf its 3 a.m." started laughing and then she went back to bed. it reminded me of Big Balls by AC/DC. the only thing that kinda weird is when sasuke doodles on neji's forehead, before waking him up to go to the shooting range. i assumed neji wiped it of but... its like he its still there. undonno.
chicken n' gravy
soft_touches

ClaireBear Ha ha ha. I love that song and it suits those two. Something is definitely starting to bloom between them. I’m glad you liked this chapter too. Apparently a lot of people did. I liked writing it, especially the shooting range bit and I thought the M & M bit was a bit corny but I guess I’m the minority. I’ve never heard that song but I’ll listen for it if it ever plays on the radio or just look it up online.

Yeah the doodle was still there, Neji only noticed it when he got home and saw it in the mirror but you know that by now >.< I forgot to make the lady at the range look at him funny now that you mention it.

Well that’s all for now. Until next time.