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The Thin Line Between Truth and Insanity by baldragnarok16

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Chapter 2: Do Not Worry, For I Will Always Be There to Comfort You

“Wake up,” commanded the voice from above her bed as the down comforter was pulled off of her sleeping form, revealing a half-asleep Hinata sleeping in bunny pajamas, looking a mess.

“Five more minutes,” she grumbled as she pulled one of her spare pillows over her eyes to block out the harsh rays of sunlight coming in from her slanted window shades.

“Is that any way to treat your beloved cousin who drove for four hours last night just to see his family?” teasingly asked the figure above Hinata’s bed. Instantly Hinata was wide awake and sitting up in her bed to face the new arrival.

“Neji, you’re back!” excitedly proclaimed Hinata as she wrapped her arms around Neji’s neck in a hug. To say that he was surprised was an understatement; never before had his cousin been so affectionate when she greeted him. He began to suspect that something was not quite right with the girl.

“You’re excited today,” blandly said Neji, but a small smile was on his face, to indicate that he too was glad to see his cousin. “Oh, and you should get dressed; the village idiot just pulled his car up the driveway.” Neji then left the room as his cousin started to blush madly and try to find something suitable to wear.

It was just as he reached the front door that the yelling began.

“Hey, Hinata; open up, I’ve been waiting out her forever!!” whined a voice from outside as the doorbell was rung repeatedly.

“Hold on Naruto, she’s getting dressed,” said Neji as he opened the door to face a pouting Naruto, who brightened up at the sight of the university student.

“Ah Neji you’re back!” piped up Naruto.

“Hand over the keys fox boy; I’m driving,” Neji demanded as he held out his palm.

“But it’s my brand new car!” Naruto whined, reverting back to his pouting self.

“Yeah, but do you remember the last time I let you drive?” Neji questioned as rushed footsteps echoed throughout the corridors of the Hyūga manor. Naruto had not forgotten the last time he had driven with Neji; he had just gotten his permit and drove his aunt’s brand new Chrysler into a tree at thirty miles an hour. Luckily, it was only Neji, Sasuke, and him in the car and nobody was seriously hurt, until Naruto gave the unwelcome news to his aunt, that is.

“But I can drive way better now that I’m a senior!” protested Naruto as he protectively held his keys in his hands. “And anyways, I need to pick up some other people that you don’t know,” Naruto said. Neji only sighed in response; he should have known that the blond would come up with some excuse to get his way.

“Fine, but I swear you’ll regret it if we end up hitting another tree,” Neji vowed. “So how far away are these “other people’s” houses?” he asked.

“Uhm…not too far,” Naruto answered slowly.

“Alright then, let’s go pick up this other guy and we’ll swing back and pick up Hinata,” declared Neji as he walked over to Naruto’s car and opened the passenger door. “Would you want Hinata to rush just so that she doesn’t make you wait?” Neji asked as he saw the bewildered look on Naruto’s face.

‘Alright let’s go!” Naruto yelled as he ran to his car and practically jumped into driver’s seat. He then jammed the key into the ignition and drove away from the Hyūga household as if the devil itself was after him.

“Even after two years you’re still as stupid as always,” muttered Neji as he took out his cell phone and told one of the servants that he would be right back to pick up Hinata.

“So how’s life on campus Neji? Been to a lot of parties, got drunk, stoned, bang anyone?” Naruto asked as Neji put his phone into his jeans pocket. He was answered by a death glare from the twenty year old, scaring the crap out of Naruto. “I was only kidding about the sex; I swear!” quickly shouted Naruto to avoid being murdered in his car, his brand new car that had cost him most of his savings from the past five years.

“No, Naruto; I did not get drunk, stoned, nor did I have sex with anyone. This may be hard for you to understand but I actually work so that I don’t end up working some shitass job,” Neji retorted. “It’s been hard as hell: classes are tough, I get loads of homework, get three hours of sleep a night, and there’s this bitch who’s trying to steal my spot as first in the class,” he fumed as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“What’s her name?” Naruto asked as he took a sharp right turn, unsettling both of the car’s occupants.

“I don’t know; I haven’t bothered to learn it,” he confessed.

“Is she hot?” Naruto asked with an ear to ear grin spread out on his face.

“You are so lucky that you’re best friends with my cousin,” stated Neji darkly.

“Not anymore,” the senior sighed as he slowed down his car so that he wouldn’t be ticked for speeding by the cop car sitting several meters away.

“What are you talking about? You’ve been her best friend since we moved here two years ago,” questioned Neji.

“So she didn’t tell you?” asked Naruto, the slightest hint of sadness playing out on his face. Neji shook his head. “She and Sasuke are dating,” Naruto said flatly, and quickly braced himself for the worst.

“I’m sorry Naruto; I think I heard you wrong. Did you just say that my cousin and Sasuke are dating?” incredulously asked Neji. Naruto slowly nodded in the affirmative. Neji took a deep breath, attempting to calm himself after what he had just heard. One of his best friends was dating his cousin; he never would have imagined that it would be Sasuke of all people to ask her out. Secretly, he had been putting his money on Naruto, but fate, it seemed, conspired against him.

“So what else have I missed since I’ve been at college?” Neji asked as they pulled into the driveway of a small house that seemed to be barely standing. He couldn’t imagine who lived here, as all of their friends were in the upper middle classat least.

“Lots,” Naruto vaguely said.

“Like?” goaded Neji.

“I hooked up with Sakura, Sasuke was offered a soccer scholarship to some fancy school halfway across the country, and a lot of other stuff,” Naruto mumbled.

“Naruto, are you alright?” Neji asked concernedly. He saw that there was something he was hiding, and it was hurting him to do so, a lot.

“Yeah I’m…fine,” he said unconvincingly.

“Naruto, something’s wrong, I know it. Now stop being a goddamned idiot and tell me,” Neji commanded harshly. He hated being kept in the dark, especially about his friends.

“My dad died alright!” shouted Naruto. “I just found out last night; he had been shot in the head while trying to help out an injured comrade. He’s been awarded the highest honor, and his funeral’s a week after tomorrow,” Naruto confessed, doing his best to hold back tears.

“Cry if you want to Naruto; the only people that would know are you and me,” Neji told the younger blond. For the first time in his life he had seen the blond boy cry; and he had to admit, it was a disheartening sight, especially on the morning of Christmas Eve.

“I didn’t mean it Neji! I didn’t mean to say all of those horrible things to him! I didn’t I swear! I was only afraid for him; afraid that he might…might…might…” sobbed Naruto, tears pouring down his cheeks. He then found himself in Neji’s embrace, something that he had never done before, for anyone.

“It’s alright Naruto; Hinata and me, we’re here for you. We’ll help you get through this,” Neji comforted as the blond boy sobbed into his shoulders.

“I didn’t even say goodbye to him! That’s how horrible a son I am! I couldn’t even say two simple words to him; and now…now I’m never gonna see him again!” he cried as he wrapped his own arms around Neji. “I’m so fucked up,” he sobbed.

“You’re not fucked up Naruto; if you were you wouldn’t be my friend,” assured Neji. Naruto cried like this for the next several minutes, and in between sobs he would scold himself for something bad he did to his father while he was still alive.

“Are you sure you’re up for today Naruto?” Neji asked as Naruto began to calm down.

“Yeah…I’m better now. After all, I can’t let my friends down,” he sniffled with a false smile. Neji would have argued, but he knew that it was only futile to argue with the boy when he had his mind set on something.“Do you want to stay in the car while I go get him?” asked Naruto as he let go of Neji and wiped his red rimmed eyes with the sleeve of his jacket.

“Sure,” Neji said as Naruto left the car and went to go pick up the mysterious new person. He watched as Naruto rang the doorbell and someone answered the door.

‘No, it couldn’t be,’ Neji thought as he blinked several times. The person was still there, talking with Naruto as he waited for someone to come to the door.

‘Damn it; why does she have to ruin my winter break too?’ thought Neji as he sighed heavily. His dreams of a great day with his friends began to fall apart piece by piece.

“Neji, this is Gaara, he just moved here from Suna this year; he’s a sophomore,” introduced Naruto with a grin on his face as he started the ignition and pulled out of the sophmore’s driveway slowly, not forgetting about that pesky cop car parked nearby.

They drove in an awkward silence for several minutes, that is until Naruto decided turn on some music; instantly getting remarks from the two.

“Turn this shit off Naruto,” Neji said as he tried to block out the music. He was usually very tolerant with what other people listened to, but he took a stand once Naruto put on hip-hop.

“My car, my music,” snapped Naruto uncharacteristically, effectively ending the argument over the music.

Even though he had his iPod in, he was only half listening to it, instead focusing on Naruto. For the four months that Gaara had known the senior, he had never acted like this. Even though he would never show it, he was scared for his friend for one simple reason; that was how he himself acted: irate, annoyed, snapping at everyone, not giving a crap about what other people want. And the last thing he wanted was for anyone, Naruto especially, to feel like he did.

But that wasn’t the only reason he wasn’t truly listening to music pulsing out of his earphones; it was the song that Naruto had put on the radio.

“Step by step, heart to heart, left right left


We all fall down like toy soldiers


Bit by bit, torn apart, we never win


But the battle wages on for toy soldiers”

He remembered hearing three months ago, on the day that his father had died from alcohol poisoning. No one had been that surprised when he died, nor was anyone truly sad; he had not been the best of fathers. But they cried anyway, because they knew that their entire way of life was about to change.

Gaara was proud to admit that he would be the first to mock any hip-hop fan and completely degrade them; but this was different. This song reminded him of all the battles that he lived through everyday; struggling to pay the rent of the shoddy house that his family temporarily lived in, graduating high school, fighting off the nightmarish thoughts that plagued his thoughts every second, and, of course, making friends.

“I'm supposed to be the soldier who never blows his composure


Even though I hold the weight of the whole world on my shoulders


I am never supposed to show it, my crew ain't supposed to know it”

Gaara smirked as he listened to the opening of the first verse; it even sounded like

Naruto. Not once had Gaara ever seen Naruto truly angry or sad; he always kept that look on, the one that told the world “I’m happy, you can’t do anything about it so fuck off.” Not for the first time Gaara wondered just how happy the blond was.

“Naruto, where are we going?” Gaara asked, breaking the tense silence that had settled in the car.

“Here,” Naruto said as they pulled in to the driveway familiar to the sophomore; the residence of Hyūga Hinata. “I’m just gonna go get Hinata, you can stay in the car.” Naruto parked the car and then threw the door opening and ran to the front door of the estate.

“So, Gaara, how long have known Naruto far?” Neji asked casually to the boy in the seat behind him.

“Four months,” Gaara answered flatly. A short, awkward silence settled between the two. “Why is he upset?” he asked stoically, not bothering to specify who “he” was.

“It’s none of my business to tell you that,” Neji replied just as emotionlessly as Gaara did. It was then that Naruto and a showered and clothed Hinata returned to the car.

“Hinata, this is Gaara; Gaara, Hinata,” Naruto said as he climbed in to the car.

“We’ve met,” Gaara responded, not meeting the girl’s eyes. It was then that he saw Neji glaring at him.

“Oh, and I forgot to mention; Neji’s Hinata’s older cousin but he treats her like a sister, so don’t mess with her,” Naruto remarked as he pulled out of the driveway.

‘Does he go for runs on the highway in the middle of the night like her?’ thought Gaara sarcastically as he raised the volume of the iPod to drown out the rapper known as 50 Cent.

“Alright, let’s hit the movies!” Naruto shouted as he pumped his fist up into the ceiling of the car, muttering obscenities to himself as he slowly retracted it. “Oh, don’t worry Hinata; we’re gonna meet up with Sasuke and Sakura at the theater,” assured Naruto as he smiled at the girl.

“Naruto keep your goddamn eyes on the road!” barked Neji as they once again almost hit a tree. Naruto quickly swerved away from it and Neji sardonically sighed.

“That’s good,” Hinata answered timidly. But she still had the memory of the previous night stuck in her head, along with that primordial fear that controlled her.

“We’ll have a perfect Christmas Eve, like two years ago, I promise,” Naruto vowed to the girl.

Naruto never had grasped the fact that promises, especially those involving perfection, were always incredibly hard to keep.
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