Author/Artist: HarmonyRose
Claim: Neji Hyuuga and Sakura Haruno
Theme: # 42 Panic button
Rating: K
A/N: So yeah. Just a little short story that hit me yesterday, it's really just a bunch of fluff there really isn't any romance to it, but it's very cute. I promise. It's not exactly like my usually style, but I hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer: Umm, yeah I'm pretty sure if the author of Naruto read this- he'd kill me. Meaning of course that there is no way I own Naruto, I just like to malign the cast's characters.
Song Recommendation: I Love my Lips- Silly Songs with Larry (Yes, from Veggie tales- which I don't own either.)
The Devil's Tool
Hyuuga Neji was a completely macho man. He had the imposing height, undeniably fit body, an icy stare, and a defined face. None of these traits were what he was most proud of though. No, the one trait Hyuuga Neji was most prideful about and spent the most time perfecting, was his long, luxurious, coffee-colored tresses. Neji took great care to keep his hair in pristine condition, it was always smooth, glossy, trimmed, and there was never a single hair out of place. So, anyone can understand the man's frustration after he towel-dried his hair and the bottom part of it was indisputably frizzed. The branch child frowned, slightly aghast. His hair had never been frizzed before and as such he did the only thing he could think of and he wet just the ends.
The water made it worse.
Neji's eyes widened. That was not supposed to happen! Neji picked up a simple black comb and frantically, but gently ran the comb through the now wet frizzy ends. Neji watched himself run the comb through his chestnut hair, heaving a small relieved sigh when it flattened out. Neji blinked and in that instant the ends of his coffee colored locks were again frizzy and in addition to being frizzy the bottom six inches were poofy. Simply put, Neji flipped. He stilled and he didn't breathe for an entire minute before his heartbeat sped up. What was he supposed to do now! Combing it didn't work and neither did wetting it. After his minor hyperventilation session Neji decided he would check the nearest grocery store, sure that they would have some sort of hair product to fix this, though of course he didn't know since, he had never needed such a thing before.
Neji lunged frantically for the door, he needed to figure out this issue quickly. He had a team meeting in forty-five minutes! He paused like a deer caught in the headlights. He couldn't go out in his regular training clothes; people would recognize him and he couldn't be caught dead buying hair care products! He turned and commanded his legs to move swiftly toward his closest. Digging all the way to the back of his closest he found the only outfit that wasn't a training outfit, a formal clan robe, or part of that hideous collection of awful green spandex (that he really should have burned already) Gai-sensei and Lee thought was essential for every ninja and civilian alike to wear. He donned on a medium blue civilian shirt that he was fairly certain was called a t-shirt and a pair of loose-fitting black sweatpants. He glanced around the room when his eyes found the item he was looking for, a straw hat that that idiot Naruto had brought back from wave country for him. He had no idea why Naruto had given it to him, but it was going to come in handy now. Carefully Neji gathered his hair, put it atop his head and placed the wide-brimmed hat over it.
Feeling adequately disguised,Neji navigated out of the Hyuuga clan complex with his byakugan scanning his surroundings. Once out of the compound he turned off his kekki genkki; he couldn't risk someone, more specifically a ninja, realizing he was using chakra. Calmly he walked toward the large grocery store, he couldn't give any indication of who he was. This was just like a mission he told himself. He considered the mission to be going well when he passed Lee and Tenten and they didn't even acknowledge him. He considered the mission a success when the legendary copy-ninja, who missed nothing, Kakashi Hatake walked past him with his head in one of those adult books of his and continued on his way not realizing he had walked past another ninja. Neji relaxed his shoulders a little, if the copy ninja couldn't tell who he was then his disguise was fine and there was no way any one would be able to tell it was him.
He finally reached the clear glass doors of the grocery store. Keeping his wide brimmed hat tilted slighty down to cover his face he walked with long strides into the store. Skirting down an isle a few away from the isle he needed he walked slowly down that one all the way to the end and turned toward the correct isle he needed and started toward it. No way could he be seen walking directly into the hair care section, no self-respecting man would do that. When he got to the isle full of hair care products his lavender-tinted eyes glanced discretely down it and was relieved to see that there wasn't anyone there.
He began to look for the product her would need. He was appalled to see such girly looking bottles. At least ninety percent of the bottles were hot pink or purple. Mousse for curly hair- No. Mousse that held better than hairspray-Not what he needed. Mousse guaranteed not to make hair crispy- How in the world did one make their hair crispy Neji stared puzzled at that bottle for a moment…Maybe with a fire-jutsu? Heh he bet the Uchiha clan had to use a ton of that type of mousse. Suddenly, Neji had a vision in his mind, a very disturbing vision. He imagined that Itachi Uchiha, the clan-killing, S-class criminal had one of these atrociously pink cans of Mousse guaranteed not to make one's hair crispy and that the Uchiha actually stood in front of a mirror and used this type of mousse to make his hair less crispy. Neji stared horrified at the bottle, like it was the devil's tool itself. At least before he assured himself that Uchiha Itachi would at least have a more manly colored bottle. He moved onto the other bottles slowly roaming his eyes over the other numerous bottles. He scrunched his brow and pursed his lips, he was growing frustrated there was serums, hair sprays, mousse (of course), heat tamers, and leave-in conditioners. He had no idea what he needed to use. Narrowing pale eyes at the bottles Neji glared. He was completely oblivious that someone had come to stand next to him until he heard, "Hi Neji, whatcha looking for?"
Neji tensed all his muscles and turned to face a familiar person or rather a familiar ninja. Sakura Haruno, student of Kakashi Hatake and Tsunade, medical ninja, and pink haired. Neji wondered how she got stuck with such a weird abnormality but, figured it was just a bad hair life for her. He felt for her, really he did. He was sorry that she had such a dreadfully awful hair color, but seriously, better her than him.
"Sooo Neji, I didn't know you used hair product before. Actually, I suppose I just never thought about it, but it makes sense. Your hair is always so smooth," Sakura said conversationally.
"I do not use hair products!" he whispered indignantly, still trying to keep his identity secret. Sakura merely raised her brow, "Then you are in the hair care product isle because you want to…glare at the bottles?"
"No."
"Then what are you here to do if it's not buying or glaring at hairspray?" Sakura questioned skeptically. She looked at the shelf and grabbed the bright pink bottle of Mousse guaranteed to decrease the crispiness of one's hair. That woman was going to buy that…that thing? Neji twitched a little before he gave his mumbled answer. His words were barely discernable, but Sakura still caught them, "My ends are frizzy. I thought there might be something here to fix it."
Sakura lit up and happy to suggest one of her favorite hair care products, she grabbed a plain white bottle from the self, "Use this. It's amazing."
Neji eyed the bottle's title: smoothing serum for frizzy or poofy hair. It looked credible enough.
Sakura, seeing that Neji was hesitant about the product said, "It works wonders. Here give me your hand." She reached for his hand and wrapped her thin fingers around his wrist. She then ran his hand down the length of her hair.
Neji inwardly marveled, Sakura's pink hair was incredibly soft. Softer than his tresses were. Perhaps her pink hair wasn't a curse, he noticed that it wasn't quite as unsightly as those garish hot pink bottles, it was straight and though it was short, it looked quite good on her and best of all it was wonderfully soft.
His mind made up, Neji delicately pulled his appendage away from Sakura, grabbed the thin bottle from her hand and darted toward the check-out counter.
Three days later Sakura received a note in the mail from a one Neji Hyuuga. It simply read: Thanks… but, if you tell anyone I might have to inform the entire population of Konoha that you use the same mousse as Itachi Uchiha.
Sakura had never been more confused. This of course started a long string of thoughts and began quite a puzzling mystery for Sakura. Did Itachi Uchiha use Mousse? Well she supposed that if Neji Hyuuga used serum it could happen…
A/N So, this is pretty different from anything I think I've ever characterized Neji or Sakura as and if you wouldn't mind I would love it if you would review and tell me how it was. I was also thinking about a sequel, but I don't know would anyone be interested in that?