Well, I'm back from where ever I was. I didn't know that I was addicted to smut, go figure. This was supposed to be a one shot , but I can already see it being a 4 chapters(ish). So… epic fail on my part. I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I definitely don't own Naruto. But, I would marry Kishimoto to get the rights to it…

" and what was said to the rose

to make it unfold?"

- David Crowder Band "Here is Our King"

I wish to find those words

and speak them to you,

in the hopes that your heart

will unfold for me.

A punch flew by Neji's head, lightly brushing against his soft current of chestnut hair. Neji winced, narrowing his eyes in mild frustration. If that punch had landed where it had been intended, Neji would probably be well on his way to unconsciousness and sporting a small, albeit painful black eye. He hadn't expected that attack, nor had he felt Sakuras' chakra. She'd crossed a distance of 10 feet in what had seemed like less than a millisecond. She was good. He already knew it, but every time he sparred with her, or fought alongside her in combat, he was reminded of just how deadly she was. Her beauty and grace could make anyone think other wise.

Neji took advantage of their sudden proximity to grab Sakuras' arm, stick out his leg –feeling almost childish in his antics- and use her own momentum to trip her. With a muted thud, she was laid out flat on the ground, back flush to the cool grass of the training field, looking up at Neji with a disoriented expression. They stared at one another for a moment; Sakuras' emerald orbs taking in Neji's widening grin and smug expression while Nejis' opal eyes watched for her next move.

"That was too easy Sakura. I don't know how you're going to pass the a ANBU Black Ops exam tomorrow," he began to say in his silk textured voice, but was cut off by a cold metal kunai being pressed against his throat. Sakura rolled over onto her stomach in the grass, stuck her pink tongue out at him, and disappeared in a puff teal smoke.

"I think I'll be okay," she coolly retorted. He could hear the chuckle in her voice next to his ear. Not one for dramatic pauses during battle, Neji sped things up by sending a backwards kick in the general direction of Sakuras' shin, unmoved when he felt nothing but air. He spun around to face her, already braced to catch her foot as it came hurtling toward his head. Sakuras' eyes widened when her kick hadn't landed. Instead, he had caught her by the ankle, and was preparing for an attack she knew all too well. She felt dread and apprehension creep over her skin like a spreading rash. She'd worked closely with him for two years on ANBU with him as her captain. She knew Neji was practically lethal at close range, and had witnessed exactly what happened to enemies who had managed to get themselves into the same predicament as her.

With blinding speed, before Sakura could extract her leg from his firm hold, Neji pulled Sakura forward by the ankle, and with precision, began to assault her pressure points. His fingers, like pale slender bullets shot into her skin. He was blocking her chakra. Every time his fingers made contact with her skin the area was left numb and cold.

" No way Hyuuga" , Sakura whispered to herself, and with great effort, kneed Neji in the stomach successfully dislodging him. Sakura could see Nejis' eyes widen to snow globe proportions. He wasn't often stopped mid assault; especially not when sealing chakra points. Unable to get his bearings, he fell to the ground. A chakra sealed, but content Sakura landing on top of him. She straddled his waist, pinning him to the ground, and pressed the kunai to his throat.

They stared at one another for a long moment. Neji watched the tension from their spar drain from Sakuras' face and body. Her lips coiled into a victorious grin, all traces of aggression gone.

"And this is when you die Neji," Sakura said smiling down at him playfully, "I win." She chuckled softly, enjoying Nejis' obvious frustration. His hair was splayed around his head like a creamy brown hallow. A few strands stuck to his flawlessly smooth skin. With his opals eyes peering up at her though his long, seemingly feminine eyelashes, and his neat eyebrows knitted together with indignation, Sakura concluded that he was the most beautiful albeit angry thing she'd ever seen.

"Whatever Haruno," Neji's said, every syllable drenched with apathy. His voice completely contradicted his annoyed expression. He could have continued the fight, flipped her over and been the one straddling her and threatening her with her own kunai, but personally, he liked where it had ended. He'd be a fool to try and forcefully remove such a beautiful woman from his person.

"Whatever?" Sakura asked incredulously with slight amusement in her voice, "whatever? That is so like you!" With an adept flicker of her wrist, Sakura thrust the kunai forward and anticlimactically into the ground next to Nejis' head. Neji, unmoved, shrugged- as nonchalantly as one could while pinned to the ground- and looked up at the graying sky, enjoying the feel of Sakuras' pressure against his hips.

"Wow. You're unbelievable!" She huffed.

"Thank you."

"Shut up. That's not what I meant." She crossed her arms. They liked to play fight. It was perhaps one of the most interesting parts of their relationship. Even though neither of them could define exactly what their relationship was. Presently, they hadn't moved from their position. Sakura was pretending that she hadn't gotten off of him because she was too busy ranting. She knew that wasn't the reason, and she knew he knew it too.

"Please elucidate yourself Sakura. Sarcasm is not my forte." Yes it was. Sakura fixed him with a glare. He enjoyed their game just as much a she did. Being jerk came naturally to him and that fact didn't bother him one bit.

Sakuras' angry façade was cracking as her frown began to turn reluctantly into a smile. With great effort and the help of a little bit of authentic frustration she managed to suppress it. It didn't vanish in the least however, it simply took the form of effervescent butterflies in her stomach.

"You kick my ass almost every time we spar Neji. I've come to terms with that fact. If that isn't bad enough, you always make a point of shoving it in my face every moment of every day. Now, when I finally win, all you have to say is whatever?"

"Yeah, pretty much, and what do you mean shove it in your face? I do no such thing," Neji briefly interjected, now completely amused. He met her frustrated gaze with one of mock innocence.

"Shut up! I'm not answering your question," she said, and then proceeded to answer his question.

"Lets see… how about, "'Hey Naruto, you better watch Sakura, she's a bit injured from our spar.', or 'Tsunade, I'll take the mission scroll, Sakura's a bit bruised from our spar earlier.' To make it worse, Tsunade laughed! She's like a mother to me, and you get her to laugh in my face! Not to mention, the campfire stories about you and a 'pink haired friend' sparring… as if they don't know it's me!" Sakura took a deep breath to continue her soap box rant, but Neji had to stop it. He was on the verge of laughter, and he couldn't have that. It would ruin his indifferent façade.

Neji sat up, using his arms to prop himself up, while drawing one of his knees up, and letting the other one remained languidly on the ground. This caused Sakura to slide a little bit close to him. Their chest almost touched.

"Okay okay okay," Neji sighed, suppressing a smirk. This sudden closeness had shut her up, and for obvious reasons he was satisfied. Sakura muttered something unintelligible. She was attracted to him. Her sudden inability to form coherent sentences affirmed that. He tucked a few strands of loose pink hair behind her ear.

"Sakura, you win. You are a worthy opponent," Neji said absentmindedly, too caught up in the feel of Sakuras' hair to care about his pride. She did that to him. He was used to feigning a sociopath-like emotionless faced around acquaintances and the Hyuuga elders. Only his friends knew that he was a witty and arrogant goof ball. However, only she knew his soft spots and his weaknesses. Only she could make his heart turn to mush and drive him crazy with a simple look.

As a medic, Sakura knew the signs of cardiac arrest. If she hadn't known better, Sakura would have thought she was in need of a defibrillator, or at least a strong jolt of charka. Not only had Nejis' sudden closeness stopped her rant, but it had sped up her heart rate to an unhealthy pace. She wondered to herself if he could hear it. It was louder than the cacophony of birds chirping around them and the clashing of metal in distant fields.

When Neji had touched her, it had felt as if her heart had stopped entirely. They locked eyes. The play fight was over, but something new was beginning. Neji and Sakura had been friends since she turned 17, and was legally allowed by Konoha law to out drink him. They'd crossed paths in the library, and had been thrown together on a sprinkling of missions, and seen each other occasionally at social events with mutual friends. It wasn't until two years ago, when they had been placed on the same ANBU squad, that they had grown close. Both were intellectual, and fostered a witty sarcastic sense of humor. Among other things, they were kindred souls. Their impressions of each other during their teenage years had been ill-conceived and completely inaccurate. They had known each other when they both were just Genins and felt indifferent toward each other. Now, tomorrow they were going to take the ANBU Special Ops examination, one of the most distinguishing exams a ninja could take, and they were-although neither one of them was anywhere near admitting it-falling in love. Yeah they had flirted in the past, but it had always been harmless, and sake does that to people. But today had been something entirely new, a definitely a surprise, and not at all unwelcome.

Neji caressed her cheek with his slender yet calloused fingers. Despite its roughness, his touch was oddly soothing. He gazed at her tenderly. Void of all thought, she brought her hand to his and intertwined their fingers.

"That's all I wanted to hear," she said softly, "was that…so …hard…" Sakura was loosing the ability to think, with each blissfully strange and intimate second.

" …no…," Nejis' voice trailed of as his eyes locked onto Sakura's perfectly shaped lips. Sakura's felt shock run through her and she watched his eyes fall from her own eyes to her lips. She bit her lips, something she didn't do often. She could have swore just now that she Neji had groaned. It had been so soft, though, maybe it was the warm breeze purring in her ear.

Before he knew what he was doing, Neji sat up fully, and lightly placed his hand on the small of Sakuras' back. He touched his forehead to hers and began to slowly trace patterns on her skin though the cloth of her shirt. He closed his eyes and lost himself in her scent. She always smelled like vanilla. Did she taste like it too?

"Sakura I…," Neji began in a soft voice, but was unable to find the words that could make sense of the delightful chaos that swelled inside of him. Their lips brushing lightly as he spoke.

"Yes Neji…?" She whispered breathlessly.

Sakura leaned in a little closer. She could smell the sandalwood scent of his skin. The muscles of his chest and abdomen pressed deliciously against her. Her heart was on the verge of explosion. She liked Neji, she really did. If only she wasn't…

Suddenly a cold, ice blue chakra signature flared in the forest around them. It was as if a current of painful electricity had run down her spine and shocked her. She tensed suddenly. The familiarity of that signature brought her back to reality She was reminded of who she was, who she was with, and who she was currently dating.

It wasn't Neji Hyuuga.

As quickly as it had appeared, the signature disappeared. They both were still for a while. The warm and soothing breeze that had been blowing could do nothing to thaw the chill Sakura was feeling. Sakura's frantic and hopeless eyes stared into Nejis'. His expression was unreadable, but not angry, or upset in the slightest bit.

Sakura closed her eyes and detangled herself from him. She opened them again, stood, and turned her back to him, feeling a strange barrier forming. Was she angry at him? He knew she was taken…but so did she. Sasuke had been watching. How could she have betrayed his trust? How could she have gotten carried away when she was already in a relationship, as tattered and complicated as it was?

She felt Nejis' presence behind her. His arms snaked around her waist in a familiar hug. It wasn't sensual nor did it carry any sort of seductive pretence. It was chaste; the hug of a friend. It was the very same hug that had gotten her through loss after battles, exhaustion from chaotic hospital duties and hopeless nights of worrying about her future with Sasuke. Although she never told him that issue in particular had bothered her, he had been there regardless. Beneath this new and somewhat frightening attraction, they were friends first. Perhaps, they would always be.

"I'm sorry Neji," Sakura whispered.

"There is no reason to be sorry."

It was true. She wasn't sorry that she had betrayed Sasuke. That was what she was sorry for.

"I have to go. Thank you."

For what exactly, she didn't know. It could be anything: the truth, the spar, or for making her feel loved. She just didn't know.

She was gone before Neji could question the unexpected gratitude. He was smart though. Even if couldn't put into words what she meant by it, he knew.