A/N: Watched a movie, got obsessed, and this is what's produced. Hope you like it – cause I know that I will. Now for a little helpful information for the story. Because this is FANFICTION, I decide that a bunch of stuff in real Naruto never happened, like Sasuke and Neji never met Sakura; I'll also add a bunch of stuff, like Neji and Sasuke being best friends. By the way, it'd be nice if to know if any of you can guess what movie this story came from; there'll be a one-shot gift of your choice. I'm giving up on Author Notes after this chapter unless it's absolutely necessary. I've noticed that people don't read this stuff, so it may be f lost effort that I wrote this. So have fun reading and enjoy the voyage.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Rating: M

Summary: Sasuke and Neji were best friends since the beginning of time, and all they wanted to be when they grew up was two of the greatest ninjas. When one of them meet a girl, it's almost too good to be true – because it is. In the midst of war, what will happen when one of them doesn't come back and she falls in love with the other?

Pairing: Sasuke/Sakura; Neji/Sakura

Title: Let Me Love Again

~A Childhood Dream~

A paper shuriken whizzed past Neji's head, and he turned around to throw a plastic kunai at his best friend. It was easily blocked. Sasuke smiled at Neji, and he returned the grin. They met together after their spar and shook hands.

"Good job, Neji."

"Thanks. Sharp shooting, Sasuke."

Sasuke looked straight into lavender eyes, "Ready for another round?"

Best friends since birth, Sasuke and Neji grew up in a family of prodigies. Neji was first, and a year later, Sasuke was made. Their parents were very close, which is why these two acted like brothers.

Neji was born into a lower branch of the family, but because his uncle, Hiashi-san, loved his twin brother, even after he died, he treated Neji like one of his own. He believes that Neji would be a far superior Hyuga than his own daughter would ever be. Despite clan regulations, Neji was treated with the utmost respect that usually was only received by the main branch family.

Sasuke lived quite a tragic life. When he was very young, his mother and father died in a mission in Mist. The rest of his clan mysteriously disappeared. Some say they went MIA and others deem that they were murdered. All that was left of the Uchihas were Sasuke, and his older brother, Itachi. The Uchiha Brothers were always in silent competition, but in the end of it all, Itachi would always rule over. He was oldest, but he was not the most compassionate. After their family passed away, Itachi didn't care for his brother like he usually did. It was almost like he hated him. He never hurt Sasuke, but one-by-one, he'd pick at the things in his life that made Sasuke happy – and that included his best friend.

The Hyuga Clan took Itachi and Sasuke in until Itachi was old enough to fend for the both of them. They moved away from Neji, in request of Itachi, but Sasuke didn't want to leave Neji, so every day, when his brother went to do his duties, he'd sneak to the Hyuga Manor to play ninja with Neji. They both decided that one day, they'd be jounin – two of the best there is.

"Hey Sasuke, I think my uncle left the training field."

"How does that concern us?"

"Wanna go see if he left it open? We can be real ninjas!"

They started stalking over to the field, Neji leading Sasuke.

Neji looked around, "And if we're gonna be real ninjas, we're gonna need real weapons."

"Neji, you can't!"

It was too late. Neji ran over to one of the doors, assuming that the sign said 'weapons storage.' Sasuke opened his eyes in realization when the bombs started to go off.

"Neji, no! That's the mine field!"

Sasuke ran after his friend before someone's leg blew off. Poor Neji. He took two pouches filled with weapons from the real storage room and entered the mine field. He found Neji unresponsive on top of a boulder, the bottom of his shoulder-length hair slightly singed and his right leg suffering burns.

He furrowed his eyebrows, afraid to move. I am a ninja – a real ninja. He ran towards Neji, throwing the kunai at the bombs that were going to engage, which effectively stopped their timer. He made it to Neji and shook him.

"C'mon, Neji, wake up! I can't do this without you!"

Sasuke's eyes widened when he saw senbon coming out of the walls, aiming for them. He moved in front of Neji and took out a kunai to block the incoming throws.

A groan erupted from Neji's mouth, "What good are you without a right-hand man?"

"Neji!"

Sasuke turned around, allowing an opening for several senbon to cut through his pant sleeve.

"Pay attention, would you, Sasuke?" Neji smirked a bit, before yelling out, "Byakugan!"

Veins appeared around his eyes. Sasuke threw one of the pouches to him and stood on top of the boulder. He tried to clear a path for them to escape using shuriken. Neji was watching his back with his 360 vision, dodging and blocking every senbon that went their way.

"I've made a path! Let's go, Neji."

Sasuke started out first, Neji trailing close behind. They barged through the door and tumbled out onto the dirt.

They looked at each other and cheered screams of victory.

"Sasuke, we did it!"

He laughed, "We're ninja!"

They ran towards the outdoor garden to calm themselves down. Neji sat down on the stone bench, but just when Sasuke was going to follow suit, someone grabbed him by the ear.

"What have you been doing, Sasuke?!"

He looked up at red pupils, "Gomen, Itachi-san. Me and Neji were just playing nin-"

Slap. "What were you doing in Hiashi-san's mine field anyway?"

Neji stood up to defend his lifelong friend, "We were just training to be ninja!"

"Shut up, you worthless kid. Can't even read nothing," he changed his glance to Sasuke, "What are you doing hanging around with a stupid boy?"

Sasuke tried to resist as Itachi dragged him off by the neck of his shirt, "Let me go, brother. You're hurting me!"

Itachi raised a hand to slap him again, but was cut short when Neji ran towards him and pounded a plank of wood against his back.

As Itachi fell to the floor, Neji screamed at him, "Get away from us, you lousy rogue ninja!"

Itachi looked at him silently, "I fight rogue ninjas everyday to save your asses from death. And I pray to Kami that you don't ever have to see what I go through every day."

He stood up, wiping of the dust that settled on his pants and walked off.

Sasuke smiled solemnly at Neji, "You're my best friend."

Neji nodded in return as he watched Sasuke run towards his brother. Itachi flinched for a moment when Sasuke hugged him from the side as they were walking, but found his hand on his head to ruffle his little brother's hair in affection.

Watching them disappear from his manor, Neji whispered, to no one in particular, "You're my best friend, too, Sasuke."

(Ten years later)

Gai and Asuma called practice to be over and did a head count of the jounin falling under their rank.

"Where are Sasuke and Neji?"

The nineteen and twenty-year-old were found sparring against each other, but they weren't in a deadlock fight. It almost seemed like they were putting on a show for the other jounin.

"Kiba, flag down those two! We're reporting them to Kakashi the second they come back. Stupid prodigies."

-

Back to the stupid prodigies, a windmill shuriken was taken out from both sides of the fight.

"Neji, I think we should listen to them."

"C'mon, let's show them how real jounin fight!"

"But Kiba's sending us the red paper bomb. Our sensei are gonna send us to Kakashi-sensei!"

"You're either with me or not. Either way, I'm setting it up," Neji started to tie exploding pouches to the ends of the open windmill shuriken, "Up for a game of chicken, Sasuke?"

The raven haired boy smirked and began to set up, too. He added the kunai to each pouch and set up four senbon in his mouth. Neji did the same and counted off. 3.2.1. GO!

They both ran in opposite directions and sent chakra to the soles of their feet, running up fifty steps vertically on a tree.

Pushing off, Neji screamed out the direction, "We're aiming left."

"Left?"

"Right."

"Neji, wait! Right as in right or right as in left."

They were zooming in at each other head first, windmill shuriken ready in their right hand and senbon set in their mouths. It was only ten more yards until they'd collide.

"Right as in right..." Neji paused, "Right?"

"No, left!"

"So wait, are we going right or left?!" Neji screamed.

Only twenty more feet, and the two needed at least ten to successfully survive this game of chicken.

Sasuke started to panic, "Neji, which way!?"

It was now or never.

"Tighty righty, Sasuke!"

They both threw the windmill shuriken to the right and the opposite male spit out the senbon at great accuracy to puncture the bomb pouches, which erupted to send the kunai flying right at them. Each, with a last boost of chakra, sent themselves spiraling to walk on the flying kunai and land with their feet on the ground and their companion's windmill shuriken at hand.

Facing away from each other, they turned around to exchange smirks.

-

Kiba smacked Asuma on the back, "That was amazing! Did you see that, sensei?"

"What I saw was a termination of their headbands."

Kiba straightened his back, stammering, "R-r-right! What they did was a total reckless used of weaponry, uh, s-s-sir."

Seeing Sasuke and Neji come towards their group, Gai yelled, "To Kakashi's office... NOW!"

In a mock salute, they followed orders.

-

They waited outside the door until Kakashi called in Neji.

Kakashi sat back in his seat, leaving Neji to stand in front of his desk.

"Neji, what in the world were you doing out there?"

"Practicing. That is what you told us to do."

"Don't get smart with me Hyuga. You know that practicing does not entail the Kunmill Shuribon Bomb!"

"It is a difficult move, so Sasuke and I thought it would be a good idea to try it out."

Kakashi stood up, pounding his palms against the rook of his desk, "Move? That wasn't a move! That was a trick!"

"But, sen-"

"Don't 'sensei' me!" Kakashi sat down, fingering his temples away from headache, "Why'd you do it Hyuga?"

"To inspire the other jounin, Kakashi-sensei."

"To inspire them, rookie? To inspire them? To what? Kill themselves?! You know that trick is dangerous."

Neji hesitated, but then noticed a windmill shuriken hanging on a hook behind the desk, "Well, how about you, Kakashi-sensei? Why do you have the right to do the Kunmill Shrukibon Bomb and I don't? You were the one who invented the move anyway. Isn't that right?"

"Oh shut up, Neji."

"Yes, sensei."

Kakashi stood up and walked towards Neji, "You know, you remind me of myself when I was your age. Young and stupid-"

"But a damn good fighter."

He chuckled, "The Kazekage sent me a letter regarding a request. He's asking you to fight in Nature's Rock."

Neji's curiosity was peaked, "What's that?"

"It's a group of jounin from the Leaf Village that is secretly working with the Sand to fight in their war against Rain Country."

"I'll be right on it, sensei."

Kakashi looked up at him with strong intent, "You know, I'm supposed to try to make you reconsider."

"Why?"

"Well, Sand is complaining with Rock and Cloud that Leaf isn't doing anything about this war. Well, we're gonna be in this war whether we want to or not. There's no way to avoid it, and I'm going to need my best ninja if we're gonna win this war."

Neji thought for a second, "What would you do, Kakashi-sensei?"

-

Outside of the office, Sasuke heard the doorknob turn. He faced the threshold to see Kakashi-sensei pat Neji on the back.

"I'm glad you made the decision, Neji."

"It's only the smart thing to do, sensei."

They exchanged grins and turned their attention back towards Sasuke.

Kakashi waved them off, "I don't need to speak with you anymore, Sasuke. Just don't do it again."

The door closed behind them as they walked out of the building.

"Neji, what was that about?"

"Nothing, Sasuke. Don't worry. I just talked him out of placing blame on you."

"Haha, always watching over me. Ain't that right?" Sasuke mock-punched Neji's shoulder.

"If I won't, who else is going to?"