Violence Stained Roses

AN: I forgot to update this here hahaha. Well here you go, and make sure you check out the sequel, Darkness Before Dawn

 

Part Two



The first recognizable sound to him was the beeping of machines annoyingly in his ears. It was like a rhythmic sound that would not allow him to drift fully back into that blissful darkness, but instead kept him anchored just short of full consciousness. Whispered voices reached him next and a soft and delicate hand cupped his and stroked lovingly over the calluses. Hinata? He tried to move, to speak, but not a sound escaped.



"How is he?" she whispered. "I've been so worried and Father is practically livid."



"Stable for now," answered a vaguely familiar voice. "Now that he's out of the woods, we're going to move him to the compound. Mr. Uchiha has ordered that he be transferred there. We can guarantee his safety there."



"What about sending him home to my father? Neji is a valued member of the Hyuuga family."



"Mr. Uchiha has gotten permission from Hiashi Hyuuga to take care of Neji's medical care in thank you for saving his son. He will have the best treatment money can buy and save Mr. Hyuuga the worry."



"I don't know..."



"Trust us, Ms. Hyuuga. He will be cared for as if he is a member of the family."



She sighed. "Please take care of him."



Neji wanted to call out to her, but his body felt like lead and his mind was fogged so that even composing words seemed to fail him. The monitor began beeping at a slightly faster pace and under great force of will; he was able to force the lids of his eyes to lift. The light, even dimmed, caused his eyes to ache and he was forced to fight to keep them open.



"You're awake?"



Neji looked at the young man seated at his bedside. He looked like Uchiha's head of security, just twenty years younger and devoid of scars. "Who are you?"



"Shikamaru Nara. My father asked me to sit as your guard while he deals with the blowback from the attempted murder. The troublesome tabloids have gotten a hold of the news of an attempt on the life of Itachi Uchiha and his fiancée and are making quite a nuisance of themselves."



The man stood and plucked a cup and straw from the table. He placed the straw to Neji's lips and he gratefully swallowed the cool water. He would have drunk more, but the straw was taken from him.



"You'll make yourself sick if you drink too much after surgery."



Neji closed his eyes. "Hinata wasn't hurt, was she?"



Shikamaru shook his head. "She's fine. Itachi has kept her close since the incident and her protection detail has doubled, especially since you're going to be out of the picture for a while. That bullet grazed an artery in your chest and just narrowly missed your heart."



"Damn it."



"You're damn lucky to be alive. I don't think I've ever seen my father so pissed. He barely blinked an eye when my mother slugged him one and then left a few years back, but when you were shot, it was different. He was ready to go on the rampage."



Neji couldn't believe that. What little he knew of Shikaku Nara was that he was quick witted but powerfully calm. It was a very desirable combination for one in their line of work. Being quick to anger could put the people they protected in danger.



"You should rest. There will move you back to the compound soon."



He couldn't have argued even if he wanted to. Whatever drugs there were in his system were keeping him from remaining awake.



He woke again when they transferred him to a stretcher and began wheeling him from the hospital. There were six guards surrounding him and if he had not been pumped so full of drugs, he might have laughed at how ludicrous it seemed. He was an expendable commodity and yet he was being treated like gold.



He was loaded into a waiting ambulance and driven quite roughly away from the hospital. An IV of saline was hung at his head along with several machines monitoring his heart, blood pressure, and respiration. A guard sat beside the person monitoring him. He wasn't dressed like a paramedic and Neji assumed he worked for the Uchihas.



"Who are you?"



The man looked down at him and smiled rather broadly. "It's impolite to ask someone's name without offering yours, or so I've been told."



"I don't care," growled Neji as the ambulance hit another bump and his body was jarred. If the ride didn't kill him, it would be a miracle.



The man grabbed a prefilled needle from a tray and plunged it into the IV hooked into Neji's arm. It burned as it entered his bloodstream, but soon brought welcome ease from the pain.



"I'm Sai, by the way. You and I are going to get to know each other really well."



The unknown guard in seated beside Sai narrowed his eyes, but said nothing. He looked as if he wanted to argue rather than hold his tongue. It caught Neji's attention because even through the haze of drugs, his training was shining through. He wondered what he had wanted to say.



As the ambulance pulled into the circle before the main house, several people were waiting, including Fugaku Uchiha, his son Itachi, and Hinata. Neji was relieved to see her alive and healthy with his own eyes instead of in a drug fogged half-dream.



"Neji!" She rushed forward and lifted his hand to her chest. "I've been so worried."



"I'm the one who's been worried."



Fugaku and Itachi approached. Both bowed to him. "You saved my son and his future bride. No words can express how grateful I am."



Neji chuckled weakly. "I only saved your son because Hinata was at his side."



Fugaku arched a brow before throwing back his head and laughing. "Then my son is doubly lucky to be marrying the beautiful Hinata for he gains your protection as well as her."



"Mr. Uchiha, we need to get him set up in a room. The ride here was not pleasant for him."



Fugaku nodded. "We'll talk more later."



Neji nodded and closed his eyes as the men moved him through the house and into a room that was much larger than the one he had previously inhabited. "This isn't my room."



"You're a guest of the Uchiha family," answered Sai calmly as he hung Neji's bag of fluids on a silver pole at the bedside. "You get the royal treatment. In case you didn't realize, you're in the residential wing of the family."



"At least it's not quite as gaudy as Hinata's rooms."



Sai snickered and checked the wound on Neji's chest. "I've seen those rooms, and they're pretty bad."



Neji chuckled only to wince and settle back on the pillows Sai shoved behind his back. "Yes, they are."



"I'll leave you to rest and check on you later. If you need anything, press that red button on the phone and someone will come in immediately."



Neji didn't bother to answer because his eyes were already sliding shut and his breath evening out. Exhaustion caused by his injury and by the trip from the hospital was finally taking their toll on him.



He figured he had not been asleep long when he heard the scrap of a chair across the plush carpet and opened his eyes to see Shikaku Nara seated at his bedside. "I don't know whether to call you brave or stupid."



"I don't think I'm either. I did what I had been trained to do. You would have done the same were you in my position."



Shikaku smiled bitterly. "You're probably right, so I guess that makes you stupid."



Neji scowled. "I will do the duty charged to me by the head of my house."



"If you were smart, you would have taken out the man before he had a chance to pull his gun."



"I wasn't sure he was carrying a gun," snapped Neji. "Your security should have picked up on any persons carrying a weapon."



"Touché."



Neji shook his head and collapsed against the pillows. "She's safe, that's all that matters to me."



"You're certainly devoted to Miss Hinata. Is there something I should inform Itachi about?"



A wave of disgust worked through Neji. Even if he did not already consider Hinata a sister, her relation to him by blood turned his stomach a little too much. "My father and her father were identical twins. Genetically speaking, we're half brother and sister. What you're suggesting is disgusting."



"I was just teasing you."



Neji growled a little in the back of his throat. The man seemed to enjoy riling him. "Just get the hell out of here."



"You'd better mind your temper or you'll undo all the work that went into sewing you back up."



With those words, Neji was left alone with his thoughts, traitorous though they were.

 

oOo

Neji eased open the door to his room and stepped into the carpeted hallway. This was his first chance to escape for a walk alone in two weeks. Sai always made a point of walking with him and as amusing as the man was, he was becoming a little too touchy for him.



As he walked down the hall, he passed by a half open door and saw what appeared to be a library. His own love of reading had him opening the door more fully and stepping inside. Sai had brought him several books to pass the time when he grew bored with television, but his interests were varied and he preferred to pick out his own books.



"Who the hell are you?"



Neji wheeled on his heels and grunted under the sharp pain that shot through his chest. The wound was still healing and sudden movements strained it. His eyes jerked to the man he had not known was in the room and was surprised at what he saw. It was like looking at nearly a mirror image of Itachi. There were the same up-tilted exotic eyes and same softly curved lips. His hair was worn short, but it was no deterrent from the similarities of their features. There was no denying some relation between the two.



Looks aside, the more shocking aspect of the man's appearance was that he was seated in a wheelchair and his eyes were cold, maybe even colder than Itachi's. "I asked you a question."



"My name is Neji Hyuuga and I was just exploring."



Realization spread across his face before even that expression was locked away. "Itachi told me of you. You jumped in front of a bullet for him. Bravo."



Hands were lifted and mock clapping echoed through the room. The bitterness in the man's tone was not lost on him and he sympathized. If he had to hazard a guess, he thought it likely that the bitterness stemmed from being in that wheelchair. And he could relate to a degree. Just the two weeks on mostly bed rest had nearly driven him crazy.



"I'm Sasuke Uchiha, secret son of the great Fugaku Uchiha." Sasuke lifted his arms and gestured about the room. "Welcome to the family's private library. Anything you could want to read and even some you wouldn't want to can be found here. Look until your heart is content."



"Sasuke?" He recalled his uncle speaking of the mysterious and unseen second son of Fugaku Uchiha. Itachi was always in view, but the other never seemed to be brought to light. Some even speculated that he might have died and been secretly buried, though no records were found.



"Ah, you're analyzing. What possible reason could my father have for hiding me away?" Sasuke curled his lips in a snarl. "I'll give you one guess."



Sasuke slapped his hands on the arm rests of the chair. His eyes were angry and his voice bitter.



"I'm sorry."



"And there it comes, the pity. You're following right along that natural track. First there is shock followed closely by pity. Well here's a novel concept, but I don't need your goddamn pity, so fuck off."



"Ah, there you are."



Neji turned and was surprised to see Shikaku Nara standing behind him. That was twice today that someone caught him by surprise. First Sasuke and now Shikaku, he really must be getting sloppy because one of them was in a wheelchair and he still missed him.



"You're looking chipper today, Sasuke."



Sasuke scowled and extended his middle finger toward Shikaku, to which the man began laughing. "Fuck off."



Shikaku merely shook his head. "I'll send Shikamaru up to play a game of chess with you. He said you were a worthy player though you liked to cheat when you think he isn't looking."



Sasuke snorted and plucked a book from a nearby shelf. He placed the book on his lap and began turning the wheels of his chair, passing by both men as he left the library. He stopped to glance at them before rolling his eyes and continuing down the hall.



They followed him into the hall where Shikaku shook his head and sighed. "Now you know the Uchiha's dirty little secret. Very few do and we would appreciate you not speaking of Sasuke to anyone not in the family. Fugaku is particularly protective of him."



"Protective?" Neji shifted his gaze to Shikaku. "How so?"



"Fugaku wasn't the best father to either of his sons. Itachi was the oldest and the one he spent the larger amount of time with. He planned to groom him from birth to take over from him. Sasuke was a bit more needy for attention. It made him reckless. When he was sixteen, he was given a car for his birthday. After that, he had his father's undivided attention."



Shikaku did not need to say anymore. Neji wondered for a moment if Sasuke had realized what it would cost to have his father's attention. He very much doubted it.



"He's angry at his father?"



"Hmmm," hummed Shikaku. "I think he is angry at himself more than his father. Of course, he is angry with Fugaku too. He has all but lost his independence due to his father's smothering. My men know not to help him unless he's really stuck. It's the least I can do to make him feel less like an invalid. It's been ten years. Fugaku is going to eventually have to loosen the leash or lose his son forever."



"I see."



"It's bad business all around." Shikaku glanced down at Neji. "Can I trust you not to speak of Sasuke?"



"I think speaking of him might be just what he needs, but I won't say anything. It's none of my business. My only concern is Hinata's safety."



Shikaku nodded and took Neji by the arm. "Let's take a stroll. You look like you could use some air."



Neji nodded and allowed Shikaku to lead him through the halls to a small enclosed garden. He had seen it from his window but had been unsure how to find it. He settled on a stone bench beside a small rock-lined koi pond.



"May I ask what caused you to go roaming when you're still injured?"



Neji rolled his eyes. "I got tired of Sai. He was getting a little too touchy for my tastes so I was looking for somewhere that I could hide from him."



"Touchy how?"



"If I have to tell you that, you're not as smart as you claim to be."



Shikaku frowned and leaned against the sole tree in the garden. "I see. You don't care for the advances of a homosexual man."



A snort escaped Neji before he could stop it. "I'm not exactly perfectly straight myself, I'm just not attracted to him. Don't fault me that. He's a bit too...something."



A relieved look flickered over Shikaku's face before he nodded. "He is something, but he's loyal to the family. I'll see to it that he stops with the unnecessary touching."



Neji nodded his thanks and closed his eyes beneath the warm beat of the sun on his face. One of his places of refuges in his uncle's house had been the intimate little family garden. There were many days he sought solace there from whatever troubled him.



"Have you spoken to Hyuuga?"



Neji's eyes fluttered open. "Several times. What about the gunman? Has he broken?"



"Far too easily. It really is a shame. And the men watching the doors were punished for their error as well. Quality subordinates are so hard to find these days."



He could agree with the statement. Those under his command in his uncle's house were handpicked by himself or his father before him. The price for betrayal of the family was a painful death.



"And what did he reveal?"



"A sad and bitter tale of how his brother was killed because of his involvement with the Uchiha family."



A familiar statement. "And was it true?"



Shikaku heaved a sigh. "Sad to say, every word. You should know better than most that our families are poison, even to the members of them. Take Sasuke for example. In the end, we'll all meet an unpleasant and early death."



Neji smiled bitterly and turned his gaze back to the lazily swimming fish in the pond. He had doubted Hinata was the mark, but it was better to be certain. He could better protect her if he knew she was an actively marked target. Being who she was and eventually being married into the Uchiha family, she would never have the quiet life he would have wished for her, but at least now he would be sure to protect her more diligently. This wound he carried was a wake-up call.



He glanced back to where Shikaku had stood and found him gone. In the calm silence of the garden, he allowed himself to feel that small tendril of regret. He enjoyed that man's company far too much. His thoughts drifted back to the night of the party and the feel of him completely dominating him on that balcony. His body shuddered and not completely unwelcome warmth began pooling in his gut. His last lover had been quite a while back, though he had never had one who was so much older than him. He wondered what sort of lover Shikaku would be. There were times when he came across as a considerate man and then others when he was violent and hard, such as that night on the balcony.



Neji was not sure which he would prefer and rather than dwell on it, pushed it to the back of his mind and stood. As he walked into the hall, he froze at the sight of Sai being press against the wall with Shikaku's hand wrapped tightly around his throat. Neji could not hear what he said, but he had a general idea. He watched as Sai nodded slowly and then moved smoothly away after the hand at his throat was removed.



Shikaku turned as Neji approached. "You won't have any more trouble with him."



"What did you say to him?"



"That's between him and me, just know he won't be touching you unless necessary anymore."



"That's a relief."



"He's loyal to the family and one of the best at what he does, but he's not the easiest to get along with. Trust me when I say, he has seen the light."



"Thank you," said Neji.



"The pleasure was mine," Shikaku acknowledged before cocking his head and grinning at Neji. "Since neither of us has anything pressing to do, could I interest you in a game of chess? I tend to prefer Go, but Chess is just as enjoyable with a skilled opponent."



Neji blinked and nodded. He often played chess with his uncle and missed those games and the mental challenge they presented. What could a game hurt?

 

oOo

Neji groaned and rubbed at the bridge of his nose. Shikaku had checkmated him again. During the last week since their daily games of chess began, he had his ass handed to him more times than he cared to admit. When he played with his uncle, more often their games ending in a stalemate than in a win for either side. Shikaku was another thing all together. It was like he had the entire game mapped out in his head before they even began.



There were times when they planned that he thought he may have initiated a move that caught Shikaku by surprise. In those times, his dark eyes became intense and the wheels in his head seemed to turn all the faster. It was those times when he was the most attractive. More often than not, Neji would have to shift in his chair to ease the sudden erection making its presence known. Chess was becoming a little like foreplay for him for after their games concluded and Shikaku left, he would end up taking matters in hand within his large shower adjacent to his bedroom.



"You're getting better. It took me quite a while to check your king that time."



"I know I'm no slouch in the game, but you make me seem like an untried youth challenging a grand master." Neji settled back in his chair and attempted to mentally push back the very hard erection tenting his pants. This particular game had lasted quite a bit longer than usual, with Shikaku being forced to give pause several times and take on that intense look of concentration.



"I've always had a head for strategy. You're better than most." Shikaku relaxed and began resetting the pieces into their starting blocks. "Another game?"



Neji almost paled. His cock was practically throbbing in his pants. Another game would literally kill him if he didn't end up coming just from watching Shikaku deliberate over his moves. There was no way he could survive it.



"I'll pass."



Shikaku arched a brow. "Really? It's still early."



"I don't think I have the mental strength for another game." And that was the honest to God truth.



"Are you alright?" Shikaku reached down to place a hand on Neji's leg as he shifted around the table.



No. No. No.



Neji shuddered at the touch of the hand as it accidentally brushed over the obvious tent in his loose trousers. Shikaku's eyes darkened a shade. "I see."



Neji shoved away from the table. It was almost painful to walk as he stalked toward the bathroom and hoped Shikaku would take the hint and leave him alone. His cock was excruciatingly painful tonight.



A hand latched onto his shoulder and took him by surprise. His elbow shot out on instinct and rammed into the torso behind him to cause Shikaku to release a satisfying grunt. The attack must not have been enough of a deterrent because he was twisted and pressed firmly into the wall beside the bathroom door.



"Stop fighting."



"Then leave," hissed Neji and lifted one of his hands to brace against Shikaku's chest.



Shikaku arched a brow and glanced down to the sharp bulge of Neji's trousers. "Is that what you really want?"



"Get out."



Shikaku brought a hand to Neji's cheek, trailing down to the long braid of hair that had fallen over his shoulder. "You know, I thought this hair of yours looked rather feminine when I first saw you. You're pretty enough to be a girl."



"Asshole."



"But then I met you and found out there is nothing feminine about you at all."



Neji's jaw tightened and the muscles there began to tick. "What do you want?"



"You know, I was curious why you seemed to be increasingly uncomfortable as our games progressed, but I assumed it was to do with you wound." Shikaku trailed his hand lower and pressed firmly into the hard flesh of Neji's abdomen just above his groin. "But now I know the real reason."



Neji bite back a groan at the press of those fingers into his stomach. Just a little bit lower and he might have some relief from the agony that was only growing more intense the longer Shikaku spent teasing him. This was not displaced foreplay like the games, this was actual teasing with the express intent to arouse.



"Stop," he whispered.



Shikaku paused in the descent of his fingers. "Is that what you want, Neji?"



The words gave him pause and he froze. The truth was easy to catch in Shikaku's words. If he answered yes, Shikaku would leave him for another beat off session in the shower. But was that what he wanted? He wasn't naive enough to think this was more than sex. He found Shikaku attractive and his mind intriguing, but in this moment, there was the promise of release and nothing more. Was that enough?



His body answered for him. For now, it was enough to take solace in each other's arms. What tomorrow offered him, he could not know, but tonight he could have the release he had been crying out for.



Shikaku smiled with a twisting of lips before smashing their mouths together. It was less a kiss and more of a clashing of teeth and dueling of tongues. Passion and desire was there between them. In a way, it had been like that since the day they met, a dark simmering beneath the surface.



Neji gasped into his mouth when he felt the coolness of a blade pressing to his skin moments before it was used to rip open his shirt. The tatters of what remained were tugged from his body and hands began to map out his skin, taking in the scars, old and new.



"A warrior in body and soul," murmured Shikaku as he lowered his lips to ghost them down the curve of Neji's neck and to the pink skin of the most recent injury.



When the warmth of a tongue began stroking the sensitive area of newly healed skin, Neji arched and whimpered out a needy sound. His blood felt like lava coursing through his veins and pooling with heated lust into his loins. Thinking was becoming increasingly over-rated. No amount of self-pleasure could compare to this.



His body felt trapped by Shikaku, pressed into the coolness of the wall behind him while callused hands left trails of fire across his skin. A dark flush spread across the creamy tone of his skin and his nipples perked up into diamond hardness. The tips of his fingers itched to reach and tug at the firm buds and add a dimension of pain to his pleasure.



He did not have to ask because an instant later, Shikaku's lips wrapped over the hard puckered flesh and gave a hard suck. Neji could not hold back the groan, which turned immediately into a needy keen when lips were replaced by teeth. The bite was just short of drawing blood, exactly how he liked it.



"Fuck," he groaned and lifted a leg to wrap around Shikaku's waist so to pull him close enough to press against his body.



"Been a long time, has it?"



Neji did not dignify the question with an answer. Yes, it had been a long time since his last lover, but all he could think about then was relieving the pressure in his body for the delicious satisfaction brought on by something other than his own hand.



Shikaku pulled back and tugged Neji from the wall. He was navigated backward toward the bed and grunted as he fell back on the flush surface. His hands reached for the buttons on his trousers while his eyes never left where Shikaku was tugging his green t-shirt from his body. The chest that was revealed was peppered with scars left by both bullets and knives. Instead of taking away from the hard beauty, the marks only added to it.



Shikaku only smirked down at Neji and dropped his hands to the button on his jeans. As he tugged down the zipper, the hardness that was freed was nothing to slouch at, a solid seven inches of hard flesh capped with an angry red head and leaking slit. For a man in his forties, Shikaku was in phenomenal shape all around.



Neji groaned when the large body descended on him. He had never had a lover so much older than himself. He almost felt as nervous as an untried youth considering his experience was limited to a handful of lovers. Those deliciously callused hands skimmed over his chest and them down to cup the hardness between his legs, and he lost all ability to even think of his past lovers.



He spread his thighs like a whore and growled low in his throat when Shikaku lined up their erections. The slickness of their flesh caused by pre-cum and sweat created a delicious glide of skin against skin. Shikaku seemed to know his way very well around a penis as his fingers tugged at the bit of loose foreskin, pulling it tight and causing Neji to cry out in pleasure.



Hips began grinding together and pleasure seemed to spark wherever their skin touched. Neji could do nothing but hold on as the pleasure spiked and Shikaku pressed aggressively against his groin. He panted and grunted as thrust after thrust sent him on a spiraling track until he tumbled harshly over the edge of reason.



He vaguely noticed Shikaku give a few hard thrusts against him before the wetness between their bodies doubled. The body above him collapsed to the side. They both panted as if just finishing a marathon.



"Fuck," groaned Neji and brought his palms to press against his eyes.



"It's been a while since I had a lay that nice," responded Shikaku.



Neji shot him an annoyed glance that only held a portion of actual annoyance. His body felt too good for him to be angry. It was just sex after all.



"What do you say to doing this again?"



Neji glanced over to Shikaku staring at him intently. "Fine."



"You start back to your duties soon."



A sigh escaped him. "I've taken too long to heal. I don't like leaving Hinata's security to men I don't know."



"They are trustworthy men. She has gotten the best of my men at Itachi's orders."



Neji smiled and sat up, using some tissue from the bedside to clean the cooling cum from his body. "Thank you."



Shikaku began moving and the sound clothes being tugged onto reached Neji's ears. He turned to see him dressed in his loose fitting jeans and tugging that green tee-shirt over his head. "I'll see you for our chess game tomorrow, Neji."



Neji nodded and watched him leave the room before groaning and heading to the bathroom. A standing date with a sex partner might not be so bad, even if he was head of security for Uchiha. At least the older son seemed to care, at least in passing, about Hinata's welfare.



Stepping beneath the spray of water, he smirked to himself. He was suddenly looking forward to their daily chess game even more than usually. Perhaps staying amongst the Uchiha would not be such a bad thing after all.



The End.