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An Interwoven Web Of Deceit	By : Kalariona Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 1232 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 15
- 16
- 17
Well, finally I have completed another chapter. If I moved any slower on them, I would be going backwards! I�m so sorry, but just to reassure all, I will finish this story if it kills me!
To:

Nocena T. Calamus Sailor Epyon makenzi Raixal Uchiha Kichi Hisaki chika Flaming Beauty ariana716 thuyhy-thuyhy YumiAngel j_narusasu_c Heidi rose wendyghost K_Sora rei mE losthimagain Jolene crazygrl3568 Mija and to everyone else who has reviewed this story. Thank you so much and please do not give up on this story. I will keep working on it until it is finished.
Okay, I should have wrote this a while ago, but this story is AP or alternative plotline. There will be no Sai, because I have yet to read about him.
I do not own Naruto. Do you think that publishers would accept my slacking off? I think not!

Okay:

AN INTERWOVERN WEB OF DECEIT

Chapter 16 - The Key To Understanding

�Why didn�t I evah realise it before? All boys �r pigs!�
The black haired girl staggered down the street, every now and then grabbing onto the walls for support. �I mean, he never noticed me. Not once.� She hiccupped. �S�not fair.�
Kiba sighed. He didn�t need this, not tonight. He and Shino had been training until late without Akimaru and on the way back, were called over by a slightly worried Tenten. She pulled them over to their slightly smaller team-mate who was sitting on the bridge in the hot spring district, six empty bottles of sake sitting around her. Alcohol, it seemed, brought out the worst in her. She had been muttering and cussing, calling Ino some atrocious names, then sobbed onto Kiba�s shoulder when he had lifted her up. Now he was escorting her home, (escorting being a loose definition of what he was actually doing. More like following her and making sure that she didn�t trip up and fall on her face,) with Shino on her other side, expressionless as usual.
�Kiba-kuuuuun,� Hinata whined out, twisting her staggering body around and throwing herself into Kiba�s path, forcing him to catch her before she fell onto the floor. �Why? M I not pretty enough? What�s wrong wiv me?�
Kiba winced. The girl stank of sake, overloading his sensitive nose and nearly making him gag.

At any other time, Kiba would have happily held the girl and comforted her, due to the crush he had on her. Even though, after he had blushingly confessed his feelings and she had gently let him down, explaining about her feelings for someone else, he had still cared for her.
�Note to self,� Kiba muttered as Shino helped pry the inebriated girl from him, �Hinata and alcohol do not mix.�
He heard a grunt from Shino, agreement Kiba figured. Hinata now had both arms draped around Shino and her face was nestled close to his neck. Kiba suddenly felt a pang of irrational jealousy.
�Why?� Hinata asked again, quieter this time. Kiba sighed again.
�I don�t know,� he loosened one of her arms from around Shino and placed it around his own neck. This way, they were practically carrying Hinata along the street between them, her feet only just touching the floor.
�So, what�s your plan when we get her home?� was Shino�s question when the Hyuuga residence came into view through the trees. Kiba stopped, pulling Shino and a now dozing Hinata to a halt as well.
�Erm, well,� Kiba looked away.
�You are going to take her in?�
�About that��
Kiba saw Shino�s eyebrows raise behind his glasses.
�Don�t tell me you were thinking of dumping her outside the door, then doing a runner?�
�Of course not,� he winced when he realised that his voice came out slightly louder that usual. Actually, that had been his plan. A kind of dump and run, but hearing it from Shino directly, made it sound slightly wrong.
�Why is it I do not believe that?�
�Believe what you want,� Kiba resumed his walking. �I just don�t want to be spotted by Hyuuga Neji and have him automatically think that it was us that caused her to be in this state.�
�A grunt came from Shino, then silence resumed between them.

The Hyuuga complex was very intimidating to say the least. The gates at the front of the estate were tall and were made of cast black iron with a slight verdigris finish. The gates were connected to a high wall with pedestal lanterns spaced out on certain pillars.
The unlocked gates were pushed open to a lush green lawn and a smooth path leading up to a largely imposing mansion house. That house, Kiba remembered, wasn�t where the main family lived. The branch family owned this place.
The House where Neji lived.
�Now look,� Kiba stopped a few yards away from the large double front doors. �It�s one thing letting Neji see the state of his cousin, but it�s entirely different when the rest of her family sees.�
�So what do you suggest?�
�Can�t we just creep around to the main house?�
Shino stared at him. �And get mistaken for trespassers, or worse, kidnappers?� His usually stoic voice sounded incredulous. �Don�t you remember that time years ago when someone tried to kidnap Hinata? No one has ever tried to creep into Hyuuga ground since. Well, except Naruto.�
�I guess,� Kiba agreed. He crossed his ankles and dropped onto the grass, his momentum pulling Hinata down onto his lap and out of Shino�s grasp. �Oh yeah, I remember that. I think Neji nearly had a heart attack when he discovered what Naruto had done, so Hinata said.�
�Pink right?�
�Pink and fluffy!�
Kiba covered his mouth when he felt laughter welling up.
The year before, on valentines day, Naruto had been feeling slightly vindictive.
Neji had been slightly condescending due to the fact he had received a lot of cards and chocolate a day early and twice as many on the dreaded day. It might have been because it happened every year that it became the norm. As such, he didn�t realise that his male friends supported the little green monster called jealousy. Naruto had never received anything from a girl. (Hinata�s disastrous home made chocolate poisoning the year before didn�t count.) Hanging around the Uchiha for so long had given him a hatred of dismissive attitudes towards presents. And so, in retaliation of Neji�s uncaring response for the gifts he had received, decided to take action. He had asked Hinata to help him and she had gladly purchased a few things that Naruto had been too embarrassed to buy. Naruto had gotten into Neji�s room by himself though and had decorated it in so many pink items, such as bears holding hearts, sparkly paper messages, fluffy ribbons and cards, that it would have made anyone gag in horror.
When Neji had entered his room with Hinata purposely in tow, he actually stopped and let out a gasp at the state his living space had become. Hinata had described his facial expression to a tee to Naruto, himself and Shino. Even Shino had cracked a smile.
Although Neji had known it was Naruto almost immediately, he hadn�t gotten angry with him, rather he cracked a small smile, shocking everyone that knew him well, especially Tenten and Lee. Naruto just grinned back at him and offered to spar with him and both of them had acted like nothing had happened. Kiba didn�t understand how Naruto could be so close to such a closed off guy, like Sasuke in that respect although Neji was slightly more sociable and could actually hold a conversation with you that involved words and not just grunts.
�Well, anyway,� Kiba composed himself and looked up at Shino, �what shall we do we do with this little problem?�
�Little problem?�
Kiba started, random swear words coming out of his mouth. Speak of the Devil! Neji had a way of just appearing which drove him up the wall. He turned his head to see Neji standing on the path behind them, arms folded and a questioning look on his face as he stared at his cousin sprawled over his lap. Kiba fought the urge to blush in embarrassment at Hinata�s position.
�Um, Neji hi.� Kiba shook himself, annoyed at the way his voice was shaking slightly
�Little problem?� Neji asked again. �What little problem?�
�Erm, well.� Kiba swallowed and decided to take the plunge. �We found Hinata, drunk in the hot spring district and brought her back, but we didn�t want her family seeing her in this state, just in case she got in trouble, hence, little problem.�
Neji just continued to stare at him, causing Kiba to shake with nervous tremors. They stopped immediately when he felt a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Shino.
Neji raised an eyebrow and Kiba watched as a corner of his mouth raised slightly into a smirk.
"So, you're saying that you have nothing to do with the state she's in?"
"Exactly that."
Hinata began moving in his arms, obviously waking up from her light sleep and she sat up, rubbing at her eyes.
"Neji-niisan?"
�Yes, it�s me.� To Kiba�s surprise, his voice gentled. �Are you okay?�
�I think I�m going to be sick!�
Kiba blanched and edged away from the kneeling girl, bumping into Shino�s legs in the process. Neji gave him a dark look, then hoisted Hinata to her feet, grasping her under her arms so that she was supported slightly, but swaying and holding onto his arm.
�Let�s get you cleaned up,� Neji muttered, pulling the half comatose girl with him down the path and past Shino and Kiba. He opened up the large front doors, pulled Hinata inside and then closed them firmly.
�Rude asshole,� Kiba muttered, standing up and brushing his knees with his hands. �We bring back his drunk cousin and all we got in thanks was a door slammed in our faces.�
�Did you really expect something else?� Shino asked with a surprised tone, �You, who was considering just leaving her on the porch.�
�Shut up,� was Kiba�s grumbling reply. He thrust his hands into his pockets and began walking up the drive back towards the gates, Shino a few steps behind him. Upon reaching said gates, he stopped and turned to his team-mate. �Hey Shino, I have a question.�
�Nice for you!�
Kiba scowled, but continued anyway. �Can cousins marry?�
Shino�s eyes raised behind his glasses at the strange question.
�I don�t think there is a problem with that. If you mean the Hyuuga�s, it�s likely they have in the past to keep the bloodlines strong. Why are you asking this?�
�No reason,� Kiba turned back around and opened the gate. �It just occurred to me. Neji is really close to Hinata. He might get forced to marry her in a few years.� He was surprised, but it didn�t actually bother him as much as he thought it would. He was jealous of Shino being close to Hinata, but not Neji, who was much closer to her than either of them. He wasn�t sure what that was about.
�Would that be a problem?�
�Only if it was something that Hinata didn�t want. If she did, I would be happy for her.�
Kiba held open the gate, letting Shino pass through the gap, then let it swing shut with a clang. Shino reached out a hand and patted him on the head.
�Awww, Kiba-kun is finally growing up!�
As Shino turned away and began moving down the street, Kiba felt his mouth drop in astonishment. Did Shino just tease him without any nasty comment? �Oi, Shino,� Kiba ran after the retreating boy, �wait up. What was that about? I am grown up you bastard!�
Shino didn�t acknowledge his yell, instead he just kept on walking. Letting Kiba flail behind him.

*****************

It wasn�t every day that you saw Uzumaki Naruto sprinting down the road as if the hounds of Hell were after him, but that was exactly what Neji saw as he was taking an early morning stroll through the village. As far as the Hyuuga could remember, he had never seen Naruto panic in such a fashion. From what he saw, before the orange blur was past him, Naruto�s face was pale and his eyes were in a shocked expression.

It was these reasons that Neji decided to follow the blonde�s chakra signature through the village to the other boys hiding place.
The sun was still rising, causing a bright golden glare to tickle the rocky ground at a slow and gentle pace. The light bounced off some of the jagged edges, reflecting into the eyes and restricted vision.
Neji was not so impaired, his eyes being some of the best in the village. Because of this fact, he was treated to a truly breathtaking sight.
The said blonde had perched himself on top of the Hokage monument at the edge of the cliff, one leg hanging over the precipice, the other perched next to him so that he was leaning his chin on his knee. He was staring out over the expanse of the village, looking lost in thought. The expression on his face was pensive and thoughtful instead of the beaming grin he always sported. The sunlight caught his hair, making the golden strands sparkle in the light.
Naruto looked ethereally beautiful.
�What is it Neji?� Naruto asked without turning his head.
Neji wasn�t surprised that he had been spotted. It wasn�t like he had crept after the other boy.
�I just wondered what the rush was.�
�I wasn�t rushing. I was just out for a morning jog.�
�Mmm hmm.� Neji wasn�t convinced.
�No, really.�
Naruto wouldn�t look at him. Even when Neji perched himself on the cliff edge next to the blonde, Naruto kept his eyes firmly averted.
�So, what�s the problem?� Neji edged himself closer to the other boy until his hip touched the side of Naruto�s leg, �and don�t say �nothing� and expect me to believe it,� he muttered when Naruto opened his mouth. �I know well enough to know when you are lying.�
Naruto sighed and ducked his head slightly.
�What would you do,� he began hesitantly, �If three people decided that they liked you? More that friends I mean.�
Neji raised an eyebrow. Three? Yamanaka Ino everyone knew about, but the other two�? �Who?�
Naruto waved a hand in dismissal. �That�s not important. What would you do? I mean, they�ve all confessed��
�Who?� Neji didn�t mean to growl it out. It just happened. Naruto finally looked up at him, a questioning expression on his face.
�Why, what�s wrong?�
Neji silently cussed himself for letting his emotions show so easily, but it always seemed to happen while around Naruto. �Nothing,� he replied shortly, �I was just curious. Why won�t you tell me?�
Naruto sighed and stared back out over the village. �Alright, I�ll tell you. It was Gaara and Sasuke.�
Neji nearly growled again. Gaara? Sasuke he had already guessed liked Naruto in more than a platonic way but Gaara. That was strange. The red haired ninja from Sand was, from what he had briefly seen, very introverted, so for him to voice emotions was too strange for him to comprehend.

Sasuke though, was quite problematic.
�I�m not sure what to think,� Naruto continued. �I mean, ever since I began getting headaches, everyone has been acting strange.�
�Strange?�
�Ino for starters.� Naruto leaned back on his hands and stared upwards at the sky. �I mean, since I�ve known her, at most, I�ve probably spoken no more than a handful of words to her and most of those words weren�t actually pleasant. Now, we�re dating on her request and I now have been introduced to her entire family.�
Neji started and stared at the other boy in shock. Wasn�t that a little fast?
�When I started dating her.� Naruto continued, �Sasuke began acting angry all of he time and also started to be a right asshole to Ino. Before, he practically ignored her existence. Then Gaara practically jumps me in an alley and tells me that he has liked me for ages.� Naruto groaned. �And what makes it worse is that they are both guys. Everyone�s gone potty!�
They sat silently. Naruto continued to stare out over the village. Neji stared down at his hands. It was obvious that Naruto wouldn�t appreciate another confession at this point in time and Neji was nothing but patient. He had waited since after the original Chunin exams so could wait longer.
Movement from the other boy made Neji look up again. Naruto had his hand on his forehead, above his right eye. No sounds were made but Neji could see the skin around his eye twitching in a spasm.
�Are you okay?� Neji asked, moving closer to Naruto. �Does your head hurt?� He was quite willing to change the subject after getting the answer of what was wrong with Naruto. The last thing he wanted was to be asked advice on how to deal with the problem, especially as it would be hard for him not to give negative advice.
Naruto made a small motion with his head in the form of a nod. �A bit. It began hurting again recently.�
�Is it in the same place as before?�
Another nod.
Slowly, cautiously, Neji raised his hand towards Naruto�s right temple and touched the skin above the eye, just under where Naruto had his own hand.
�Byakugan.�
As before, he used his ability to see Naruto�s chakra channels and as before, there was a leak of chakra above his eye, just between his fingers. The escaping stream was only a small trickle, nothing like the last time he had seen it, but the main fact was, it shouldn�t be there.
�Didn�t the Hokage heal you from the last time this happened? Neji circled his thumb over the area, trying to sooth the pain. He was so close to the other boy that his scent was strong. He smelt of the outdoors, a fresh woodsy smell with a hint of flora. A fragrance that begged you to draw nearer to sample it in more detail.
Naruto�s eyes were nearly closed, his head tilted sideways. His own hand had slipped from his forehead and now they both clenched each other in his lap. �I�m not sure why it�s hurting again. It just started up a few days ago.�
�Have you been feeling strangely tired recently.�
�No, not really.� Naruto moved his head away from Neji�s touch. �I feel the same, apart from the headaches. I think I�ll go and see Tsunade bachan later.�
Neji let his hand drop and turned his head away from the blonde boy. �I think that would be a good idea. It�s not a good thing to have a chakra leak.� He was grateful that Naruto had moved away on his own accord.
Naruto nodded, then stood up and stretched. �Thanks Neji. I feel better now that someone else knows what is going on, but I�m sorry to be lying it all down on you like that.�
�No problem. I did ask.�
Silence resumed for a few more moments before Naruto turned to Neji again, his arms crossed behind his head.
�I never asked, but how have you been lately? I�ve hardly seen you and I know that in some way, it�s been because of my dating Ino�
�Fine. I�ve done a lot of training. Both Hinata and I have been working hard.�
�How is Hinata?� A genuinely interested question.
�She�s suffering from a hangover at the moment.� Neji didn�t usually enjoy laughing at others misfortunes but he had to laugh at his cousin.
�Huh?�
A smirk appeared on Neji�s face.
�It seems she stole a couple of bottles of Sake from her father and drunk herself into a stupor. She was found on the bridge of the hot springs district, sobbing her woes. Kiba and Shino brought her back.� What he didn�t tell Naruto was that Hinata, after Neji had placed her into her room, had immediately gone to her dresser, grabbed her hairbrush and sat down in front of the mirror. The had then proceeded to talk to herself in a strangely flirty way, as if she was having a conversation with Naruto. The sight had been very amusing but also slightly scary.
Naruto stared back at him, a questioning look on his face. �Does Hinata usually drink that much?�
�Not at all, to be honest. She never touches the stuff,� Neji slowly stood up, his gaze fixed on the village. �That�s probably why it went straight to her head.�
Naruto stood up beside him and stretched, arms reaching upwards above his head. �Hmmm,� he mumbled, �maybe I should go and see how she is. I haven�t spoken to her in awhile.�
�I wouldn�t advise it at the moment,� Neji ever so slightly winced. �I�m sure she�s not up to receiving visitors at the moment. You�re best bet is to try later.� The last straw would be Naruto visiting Hinata when she felt like crap from over drinking, felt guilty for bad mouthing the blonde albeit not to his face and also when she felt confident enough to confess her feelings. The latter would just set Naruto off in a downward spiral. He had enough problems, it seemed, without the two Huuga adding to them at the worst possible time
�Hey Neji, wanna spar then?� Naruto leaned down from the waist so he was staring at Neji�s seated form, from a nearly upside down position. At that angle, Naruto�s orange jacket (he was wearing it open) had slid slightly off his shoulder, pulling his black t-shirt with it and exposing his neck. It was there that Neji spotted a light mark, almost a bruise, almost faded. �Neji?�
Neji blinked, then shook himself from his almost trance. �Sure.� He stood up.
�Great,� Naruto enthused, �I need to release a bit of tension you know.�
Naruto bounded back from the cliff edge, towards the path that led down the mountain. Neji stood for a moment, his gaze on the village.
�I will tell you how I�m feeling Naruto,� he murmured quietly. �Maybe not yet but I will.� He then followed after the loud blonde, a small smile on his lips.

�You moved out? What do you mean, you moved out?�
Ino took a sip of tea. �Exactly how it sounded.�
�But why?�
Sakura sounded confused, Ino decided. Confused and questioning. Beside her, Shikamaru leaned back into the cushions, arms behind his head but he was focused on her, instead of ignoring the conversation.
�Two reasons,� Ino put her cup down, �firstly my mother swallowed her idiotic reasoning and actually met Naruto. Secondly, I felt that I was taking up his space. He does, only have a small apartment you know. He needs his �alone� time just as much as I do.�
Sakura leaned back so that she was sitting shoulder to shoulder with Shikamaru. �So, you�re not drifting away from him?� Was her question.�
Ino stared back at her pink haired friend and the lazy boy opposite her. They were both totally engrossed in the conversation. Which was making her feel slightly suspicious.
�No, I�m not. If anything, I feel we�re closer, especially as my family have approved of him.�
�And did Naruto get on with them?�
Ino glared. �Yes he did, as a matter of fact. Why the twenty questions?�
�It�s just�� Sakura hesitated, looking at Shikamaru for a second before looking back at her. �I don�t want you to get hurt Ino. I want you to be happy.�
�And why would I get hurt exactly?� her glare intensified. �What aren�t you telling me?�
�Geez Ino, get a clue,� Shikamaru rolled his eyes at her. �Your best friend wants to make sure that everything is going right for you and you blow up at her.�
Ino dropped her gaze. Shikamaru was right, although she wasn�t about to admit to it.

�I guess it�s because I�m slightly insecure,� Ino stared past her two friends at a picture on the wall of a dancing couple. �I�ve never been in a relationship before so I�m not sure how I should at around Naruto. I mean, he�s not very affectionate and he doesn�t initiate anything more intimate than hugging.� Am I maybe trying to move too fast? Was her thought,.
�Ino,� Sakura spoke quietly. �Think about it carefully for a minuite. Naruto has lived alone for practically his whole life. He�s been starved of attention for most of that time. It�s only natural that he is unsure when actually given that attention. You, me and Sasuke-kun are the closest ones to him, oh and Iruka-sensei.�
Ino nodded in understanding. �I guess I hadn�t actually thought about that.�
Sakura smiled. �You don�t have to take any advice from me Ino, but can I give you some anyway?�
Ino nodded. �It doesn�t mean that I�ll take any of it to heart though,� she warned with a grin.
�Understandably,� Sakura�s smile turned into a returning grin. �Back off and watch him for a while Ino.� Her smile had faded and sow a solemn expression graced her features. �Learn to understand what he likes and dislikes. Watch how he interacts with others and how much of himself he show them.�
�Will that help our relationship?� Ino was confused.
�It will help you understand him,� Sakura corrected, resting her palms on the table. �Understanding each other is a good move in any relationship.�
Ino looked away from the picture of the dancing couple and stared back at the two sitting opposite her, suspicion in her eyes.
�Are you speaking from experience here?� was her question. �You two seem to be awfully close.�
Sakura gave her a sunny smile and Shikamaru stared back obstinately. They were siing very close together and Ino watched as Shikmaru�s hand slid over the table to grasp at one of Sakura�s. Her eyes widened.
�You�re together?�
Sakura nodded. Shikamaru said and did nothing but continued to stare at her. Ino smiled back hesitantly.
�Wow, I didn�t expect that.� She didn�t. Sakura�s Sasuke obsession had hit levels beyond other fan girls and had believed nothing would shake her of the belief that someday her affection would be returned. The relationship with Shikamaru. She hoped for both their sakes that the affection was real on both sides. �I�m happy for you both, really. When did it happen?�
�It was only last night,� Sakura�s smile widened and she saw Shikamaru�s grip on her hand tighten. �After we went out for dinner.�
They were a good match, Ino noted. Both were smart, sensible people but both held a mind that seemed to wander off in a tangent. Ino�s smile faded slightly. Were herself and Naruto a good match? They didn�t really have anything in common apart from both being incredibly stubborn (she wouldn�t deny that she was) and they were both good listeners. She wasn�t very good at sparing. The only people that Naruto enjoyed doing that with were Sasuke and Neji. Sasuke, Ino knew was the closest person to Naruto and even though he didn�t show it, did care for the blonde.
�I�ve decided to take your advice Sakura,� Ino broke out of her musings. �I�ll watch his interactions with others to help me understand him.�
Sakura nodded at her and Ino stood up with a grin. �I believe I�ll leave you with the bill, as a present of course. I hope you don�t mind!� As Sakura opened her mouth to protest, Ino spoke again. �I�m going to watch the interactions of Naruto!�
She left the café, intention spread across her face. Her first subject, Uchiha Sasuke!

********

Okay, there you are. I tried to make it a little longer and I think I succeeded in that.
As usual, please read and tell me what you think. Admittedly, most of these later chapters are the relationship side of the plot, but I promise I�ll get to the other side soon. Also, if you see errors, tell me. I know I�ve missed some.
Rie
xx
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An Interwoven Web Of Deceit