Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto - he belongs to Kishimoto-sama.

A/N: So, this is the first part of a two-shot that's background for Guardian of My Heart, though it can stand on its own too. I had lots of fun writing it.

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First Kiss - Part 1

The date was September 21, when I got off work at 8:30 and drove to a restaurant near my apartment, where I knew the barkeeper. She was a pretty nice girl, and often flavored my supposedly "non-alcoholic" beverages with alcohol when she saw that I was stressed (which I always was when I came to this restaurant for drinks), and I always thanked her with a large tip.

So on this day, I reasoned to myself that Sasuke would be able to take care of himself (he'd probably be off partying somewhere anyways) and that I owed myself a little something to take my mind off of life in general. I walked in, and though their were many empty seats besides the one I chose, I sat next to a stunning long-haired brunette apparently drinking through a bottle of extremely expensive red wine. I didn't even know the restaurant carried that brand…

I mean, I could've sat several seats away from the aforementioned stunning brunette, but she really was beautiful, and I appreciate beauty. Besides the (long, black, silky looking) hair, she had pale skin, long fingers (no wedding ring or any other jewelry visible), and although she was plastered, her posture was straight, not slouched. It served to make her look elegant somehow, coupled with the wine glass she was gently holding in her fingers, even if she wasn't wearing a long slinky black velvet dress and high heels (God she would look good in that) like seductresses are supposed to do in movies. No, she was only wearing a light peach t-shirt (though was that fishnet I saw peeking out under it?) and a pair of dark pants, and the sneakers she was wearing were nowhere close to heels. But she was beautiful, and I tried to make conversation as I signaled the barkeeper for a drink.

"What's a beautiful girl like you doing here and alone tonight? Did you just break up with someone?" It was an extremely valid question. I mean, who wouldn't want a girlfriend like her? And if you think my question was personal, well, you haven't been to any bars. You can ask just about anything to a person who's drunk and they'll answer, and I've received many proposals in the year I've been coming here. Most of them have been met with a 'No, thanks.' or something pretty gentle (It takes a lot of guts to propose marriage to anyone, even if you're both drunk), though I did reprimand a girl pretty harshly when she kept coming back night after night with different propositions. I know I'm not a virgin or anything, but still, I can't just screw anyone that asks. If I did, I wouldn't have time to do anything else.

But I've gotten off topic. After I asked the question, the girl turned to me as if this was the first time she'd actually seen me (probably was, if she was that drunk) and opened her eyes fully (they had been covered by exquisitely long eyelashes a moment before). I gulped and reached for my newly-come drink, swallowing a mouthful as I stared into her unnervingly white pupil-less eyes.

"A Hyuuga, eh?" I commented, trying not to show my turmoil. People say it's disturbing looking into Sharingan eyes, but I say Byakugan is much worse. You get the feeling that they can see everything about you in a single glance, no matter if they're inebriated or not. "I didn't know there were any living near here. Do you go to the university?" Now, it's not like I'm a stalker or anything of the Hyuuga clan, but I do like to keep tabs on how many Byakugans could be within a certain radius of where I live and study. It's like keeping track of distant relatives.

The girl nodded, before turning back to her wine, and I thought of what I knew about the Hyuuga clan and who would be in a university at the moment. She would probably be a freshman, since I'm in my second year of university and as of last year there were no Hyuugas in my university. Oh, I haven't fully introduced myself, have I? Well, I suppose I should.

I'm Uchiha Itachi, older brother of Uchiha Sasuke, and we're the two last genuine Uchihas in this world (the only family we have is connected by marriage, not by direct blood). I'm in my second year of university, as I said, while Sasuke's a junior in high school. We live together in an apartment on 2nd street, with a pretty nice view of the Sound skyline if we ever cared to look. I work as a waiter in another restaurant on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday nights, where the tips are good and the flirting drives me nuts, but I need this money if I'm going to pay for Sasuke's university tuition, which is coming pretty quickly now. Our day-to-day living is pretty good, backed by weekly installments of the remnants of the Uchiha fortune. Our lifestyle isn't lavish or anything, but we don't deny ourselves any necessary comforts, and sometimes we can afford to pamper ourselves.

The Uchiha business empire collapsed when I was 11 and Sasuke 8, when most of our family was murdered. Our (very distant) uncle Obito took care of us for a few years, but when I got into college I insisted that we move out and put no more of a burden on him. After I finish college, I plan to revive the Uchiha Corporation. All of my professors have called me a genius, but I believe that it's only because I have a goal I want to accomplish. I want to gain back the power and prestige the Uchiha name used to have. I want to make my way in the world with confidence. And most of all, I want Sasuke to have a good life, to not have to worry about the things I think about on a daily basis. Most people call this spoiling, but why shouldn't I spoil my beloved little brother? He's an image of what I could never be – carefree and innocent of the world's woes.

I sound so mature, don't I? Well, now I'll ruin the image by saying that at that moment, as I was sitting beside the still-unnamed Hyuuga girl, all I was worrying about was how to get her in my apartment and keep Sasuke out. Need I go on? I thought not.

But I was also trying to figure out just who she was. The only distinguished Hyuuga that I knew of who would be around this age was Hyuuga Neji, and, well, he was a guy. There was also Hyuuga Hinata, but I knew for sure that she was still a senior at Konoha High.

"You must be part of a distant branch family…" I speculated, knowing the girl was probably only half-listening. "What's your name, beautiful Hyuuga? I'm Uchiha Itachi." No reason not to give my name. Some of the Hyuuga clan might know the significance of it (they had offered to take in me and Sasuke after our family's massacre, but I had chosen Obito over them. Even related-by-marriage distant uncles were better than living in a sea of Byakugans), but definitely not someone in a distant branch family. And if she actually processed the name, I was still somewhat famous despite (or perhaps because of) my family's downfall, and she might have heard of me.

I turned toward her, waiting for an answer, and something amazingly lucky happened. All her poise abandoned her at that moment, her drunken sense of balance caught up to her, and she tipped towards me. For the next few blessed seconds, our lips were locked together in a (somewhat sloppy but nevertheless great) kiss. Her lips were soft and a little bit chapped, and I found out that she wasn't wearing any lipstick or lip gloss.

After a few moments, the Hyuuga snapped back, white eyes wide in realization of what she had just done, but before she could say anything her eyes closed and she fell unconscious, once again falling towards me. I caught her, of course, and wondered what I should do for a few seconds.

I could leave her here, but I didn't know when she'd wake up and it'd be ungentlemanly. I also could look in her wallet, find her student ID and keys, and drop her off in her dorm room, but if she had driven here (which was most likely), tomorrow she'd be wondering where her car was. And as for the last choice, I could drive her back to my apartment, where tomorrow morning (after she would most likely throw a fit on how she had gotten in my apartment in the first place) we could talk and get to know each other better, and I'd probably look in her wallet anyways just to know her name.

Well, that was settled. I looked down to her sleeping face and smiled, her features were open now, and relaxed, and I realized just now how stressed she had been a few moments ago. Again, I wondered why she was drinking, and what had gotten her worried.

"Hey Mitsuka-chan," I called to the barkeeper, opening my wallet with one hand as I balanced the sleeping Hyuuga with the other. "Here's my tab," I handed her a 10$ bill, which was over the top even for me, but I was feeling generous. "How much for her's?"

"Who?" I looked at her weirdly, had she been struck momentarily blind or something?

"Her." I motioned to the brunette currently resting against my arm. "I don't know her name, but I feel responsible for her, and I'm going to bring her back to my apartment."

"Oh," Mitsuka-chan replied, her eyes full of suppressed laughter. "Let me tell you now, don't try anything with her, ok? You might be in for a surprise."

"I won't." I replied. "Now, how much was her wine?"

"No charge."

"What? No charge? But that's obviously expensive…" This restaurant didn't sell cheap wine.

Now Mitsuka-chan actually laughed. "Yeah, but she was the one that brought it in. She told me if I gave her a clean glass, I could keep whatever was left of the wine after she passed out. Which is almost half the bottle, so I'm getting a good deal, 'cause you're right; it is an expensive brand of wine. Now scat. I need to get busy." More customers had come, so I gave her a small smile and took her advice. Now, since this girl was thoroughly passed out, and I didn't want to wake her, I had to carry her in both my arms. It was tricky getting through the restaurant door and unlocking my car door, and I breathed a sigh of relief as I buckled her seatbelt.

I closed her door, went over to the driver's side, and in a few minutes I was carrying her into my apartment building. There was a doorman there, I'm happy to say. Now, as I carried her into the elevator, I began to notice something. It wasn't as if I was groping/staring at her, but she seemed to have a really flat chest. I don't suppose you've had experience carrying a beautiful girl in your arms, but trust me, it's just something you notice. I walked to my room (not telling you the number, I've got stalkers, ok?), and seeing the light under the door, knew that Sasuke was home. So I knocked. It's much easier than trying to unlock the door with one hand while you can't see the doorknob.

Sasuke opened the door promptly (thankfully none of his friends were over tonight) and stared unabashedly at my burden. And then smirked. "This is new, aniki." he commented. "I thought you told me I shouldn't take advantage of beautiful drunk girls." I mock-glared and motioned for him to get out of the way as I carried the Hyuuga to my room before (finally!) setting her carefully down on my bed. Sasuke followed a few steps behind me, turning on the light when he stepped in my room. "What's her name?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"I don't know."

I turned in time to see Sasuke's eyebrows go up, and heard him ask, "You seriously didn't take advantage of her, right aniki?"

I sighed. "No, I didn't, Sasuke, and I'm beginning to wonder if she's a girl at all. Now help me get her shoes off." I started working on her left sneaker as Sasuke came over and untied the right.

"What do you mean, you're beginning to wonder? She's gotta be a girl."

"Hey, that's what you said when you met Haku, remember?" I chuckled slightly at the memory, as Sasuke glared down at the bedspread, trying to hide his embarrassment.

"But Haku's one-of-a-kind, right? I mean, he's…"

"What your exact words were, if I remember correctly, is that he's 'prettier than any boy had a right to be'." Sasuke sulked.

"Shut up about it, aniki. But why shouldn't this girl be, ah, a girl? I mean, she's got the looks and the hair seems decidedly feminine, though she does have quite a flat chest."

"Yeah," I agreed as I pulled the sneaker off of the Hyuuga's foot, taking off her sock too. She…had really small feet. "And she kisses like a girl too," I remarked off-handedly.

"Wait, you've kissed her? Not what you usually do on first dates, is it aniki? And…that means, if she's actually a guy, then you've kissed…" He burst out in giggles, something you don't usually hear from my little brother that often. Actually, you shouldn't have heard it at all. He doesn't giggle in front of strangers.

"Hey hey!" I defended myself. "You seemed to have liked it when I kissed you!"

Sasuke fumed. Yeah, back to his old self again now. "I was 5, aniki, 5! I didn't know!"

I smirked. "But you still thought I was pretty at age 10, now didn't you? I'd say by then you would have had the necessary knowledge."

My otouto huffed and crossed his arms, but didn't deny it. "So now what do we do?" He waved a hand at the sleeping girl…guy…Hyuuga. There, that's gender-neutral.

"Err, look in the pockets and try to find her…his…wallet, and I'll see if I recognize the name or not." We shuffled around for a bit, searching through the pockets, and I finally found it. I flipped it open, saw the student ID, and almost fell unconscious myself. In the glaring fluorescent light, the little piece of plastic read, to my horror: Hyuuga Neji.

"Why did you just go pale, aniki?" Sasuke inquired, and I showed him the card. He didn't recognize the name, so I explained it.

"Hyuuga Neji, well, first of all, Hyuuga Neji is a he. And he's a very important part of the Hyuuga clan. His father was Hyuuga Hiashi's twin brother, and so Hyuuga Neji is the current clan head's beloved genius nephew, second only to Hyuuga Hinata and Hyuuga Hanabi, his own daughters. I had thought that he was the only Hyuuga in this vicinity, and…I was right. But how does he look so damn feminine!?" I stared down at the features of the Hyuuga on my bed and resisted the urge to pat his hair.

My little brother stayed silent for a few seconds after this. "So…this means…?"

"This means I shall be sleeping on the couch tonight, and that come tomorrow morning I shall explain to Hyuuga Neji just why and how he ended up in my bed and hope that he isn't a prissy stuck-up bastard, because that could mean a falling out with the Hyuuga clan."

"Oh." Sasuke digested this for a few moments. "Make sure he doesn't vomit all over your bed then, aniki. And since I hate seeing extremely hung-over people in the mornings, as you know, I'm going to leave it all in your capable hands, hmm?"

"Sure…" I agreed, distracted by the conundrum of whether to undress the Hyuuga more or not, and didn't look up as my brother left the room.

Now, this decision was just based off of how I thought Hyuuga Neji was going to react to it. I'd only undress him a little more, since he'd be much more comfortable in only boxers and a shirt. But then, I really didn't want him to freak out in the morning. So…between prissy bastard and somewhat nice guy, which did Hyuuga Neji seem more of? Well, if he was a prissy bastard, he certainly wouldn't be depressed enough to get drunk on a school night and ruin his image. Oh, and that reminded me. He might have morning classes, and so I'd have to wake him up relatively early anyways…I winced at the thought of what an early morning hung-over Hyuuga would be like. Better to make him feel slightly more comfortable now, since he'd probably freak no matter what I did.

So I undressed him quickly, folding the clothes in a neat pile next to his shoes and socks, and tucked him in under my covers. He really did look like a girl, strands of hair framing her – right, his pale face in a dark halo, eyes closed, mouth slightly open as he breathed in his sleep. I looked away suddenly, blushing slightly at my thoughts while turning out the light and walking quickly out of my room (closing the door quietly) to a closet, where I got out some blankets and then went into our living room. A night of sleeping on our couch. Joy.

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I woke up before everybody else, as per usual. I was the one who made breakfast, packed lunch, etc. Did all the mother (and father, I suppose) things for Sasuke. Around 6:50, my little brother woke up, grabbed a cup of coffee, and retreated back into his room to fully wake up. It was his little morning ritual, and I always watched it with amusement. Sasuke without coffee was purely entertaining, seeing at any time he could crash into a wall/some other inanimate object and then blame it on said object. I told him he was addicted. He told me he was merely enjoying a staple of life. Hah, as if.

After making breakfast (just microwaved pop-tarts for the two of us, I was lazy, don't blame me), I took a quick shower before driving Sasuke to school. I had promised him that I'd get him his own car sometime, since he could now drive, but for now he was stuck with me driving him to school everyday. I wondered if he actually minded at all…

Anyways, when I got back, it was around 7:30, and since morning classes started at 9, I decided to let the Hyuuga sleep a while more. I puttered around the house, washing dishes, doing laundry (hey, someone needed to do it, and I was not going to hire a maid) until 8 o'clock came around. Then, I gathered enough courage to peek within my bedroom. The Hyuuga was still sleeping. Well, of course I knew that already, since I probably would have heard him wake up.

I advanced quietly, wondering if I should turn on the light. I decided not, since the light coming in from the hallway and from behind my curtains was enough to see by. Fluorescent light was killer combined with a hangover – I knew that from experience. I tiptoed closer until I could make out the Hyuuga's profile, and I saw that his hair (did he keep it long out of vanity?) was a dark tangled mess, and that he was twisted within my covers. I made a mental note to myself that I was going to have to change those covers today. I was not going to fall asleep every night breathing in the smell of alcohol.

Quietly, I edged even closer, until I hovered over the Hyuuga's form, still except for the barely noticeable (but still there) rise and fall of the covers in time with his breathing. After a moment of thought, I nudged his shoulder, wondering how light of a sleeper he was. I mean, last night he didn't wake up through the whole way to my apartment, but that might've just been the alcohol-passing-out thing. And it might have worn out by now. I hoped so. I really didn't want to take drastic measures just to wake him up. But my worry was for nothing. Hyuuga Neji stirred, letting out a quiet groan. I sympathized with him, but I nudged him a little more until I was sure he was going to wake up. He made more incoherent noises, and then his eyes opened.

I waited a bit longer, allowing him to take in his surroundings. I watched as he brushed the hair away from his face, groaned a bit more, and then sat up, clutching his (most likely throbbing in pain) head with his hands. He murmured something indistinguishable, and then turned his head toward the door (and me). He froze, eyes wide in surprise. "Who…who are you?" His voice was unmistakably male, if I had heard it last night I would've known in a moment that he was not a 'she'. But I hadn't. Was that a good thing or a bad thing?

"I'm Uchiha Itachi." I had decided sometime during the night that telling the truth would be the best tactic in dealing with a hung-over Hyuuga Neji. Even though Byakugan couldn't distinguish a liar and a truth-teller, lying to a Hyuuga still got to someone's conscience, 'cause those eyes made it look they knew the truth no matter what you said, and it made you feel guilty. I already felt guilty enough, and I didn't need any more, thank you very much.

Hyuuga Neji slumped back onto my pillow, though turning onto his side so that he still faced me. He was shading his eyes as he looked at me, and I guessed that the light of the hallway was difficult to bear. I closed the door, so we were encased in semi-darkness, and he let out a sigh of relief. "So…you're from the distinguished Uchiha family, I take it? Your first name seems familiar…but I can't place it right now, forgive me. Where am I?"

The abrupt change of topic I put down to a sluggish mind, and could deal with. Hey, anything was better than screaming. That would've given me a headache to match his own. "You're at my apartment." I explained. "I…picked you up at a restaurant last night. Little Sicily, do you remember?" This honesty thing was going to get harder, wasn't it?

The Hyuuga blinked slowly, gathering his wits, as I assumed. "I…think I do. A little bit, at least. Though…by picking me up…do you mean that literally? Like…did you think I was a girl and flirt with me?"

Yeah, knew it. I cursed my morals as I ground out the truth. "Uh, yeah, I did. We, um, kissed."

I watched him touch his lips, and then look down at himself. "…And when did you discover I was not of the female sex?" I heard the unstated but still clear question: 'How far did we go and why am I half-naked on your bed?'. Well, I had known it was coming. Though that didn't really make it any better.

"I was, um, carrying you up to my apartment when I noticed that you had a really flat chest…and then I searched through your pockets and found your student ID and saw your were Hyuuga Neji, 18 years old, and definitely male!" The last part was said in a hurry, because I wanted those Hyuuga eyes to stop staring at me, but they didn't. I gulped at the accusing glare, and went on defending myself. Quietly but vehemently, of course. Loud voices didn't go well with hangovers. "Really! We didn't have sex. We didn't come anything close to it at all! Well, except for that kiss, but that was back at the restaurant." His eyebrows furrowed at the mention of the kiss and I moved on. "I only took your clothes off so you'd be more comfortable when you woke up! Seriously! I don't molest and or rape people when they're sleeping!" Finally the eyes softened, and he turned his gaze away.

"I believe you…" he whispered softly. And then there was silence. Deep, uncomfortable silence. I twitched a bit, and finally blurted something out.

"So, you want some aspirin or something? 'Cause that hangover must hurt."

I forgot the no-loud-voices thing this time, and Hyuuga Neji winced before he replied. "Yeah, that would be nice…and could I perhaps take a shower? I mean, I know I'm invading your privacy-"

I shook my head quickly, gesturing to the bathroom door. "It's fine, the bathroom's over there, and I'll get a towel and leave it here for you along with aspirin and water. Your clothes are on the floor beside the bed." I turned to go away and leave him to his shower, but then turned back for one last question. "By the way, do you have any morning classes?"

"No, not today." he replied. "What…what time is it?"

"Around eight-thirty, so take your time. I was afraid that you had morning classes, so I woke you up a bit early. Sorry 'bout that." I opened the door and started to walk out, but I heard his reply even so.

"No…thank you for your consideration." I nodded in acknowledgement, and then closed the door. There was a moment then where I paused with one hand on the doorknob, thinking about what had just occurred, and then I thanked my luck that there had been no screaming involved. It seemed that Hyuuga Neji was as normal as the rest of us, and did not resemble a prissy bastard in any aspect. I grinned, before going off to search for a towel and the aspirin bottle.

After I had found both and acquired a glass of water, I balanced all three within my arms, opened my bedroom door again and left them on top of my dresser. Then I went back to the kitchen, and poured myself a cup of piping hot tea. However much Sasuke was addicted to coffee, I was addicted to tea. It was interesting (and somewhat weird) how we were so much the same and yet so different.

I stewed along with my tea for about 20 minutes, before I was abruptly shaken out of my reverie by the sound of a door being thrown open and slammed shut. In a second Hyuuga Neji was in front of me, dripping wet and only wearing a towel. My god, did he want me to pass out in a nosebleed or something?

He was pointing a shaking finger at me, his eyes wide with surprise. "You're…you're Uchiha Itachi!"

I blinked. I supposed he had just registered my name, but what was I supposed to say to that? "Uh, yes. I am Uchiha Itachi…is…there a problem…with that?" My mind flew through the possibilities. I didn't think I had offended the Hyuuga family, least of all Hyuuga Neji…had I even met him before this?

I watched as Hyuuga Neji slapped his forehead and sat down, still clutching his towel against himself tightly. I waited for his explanation, and he stayed silent for a few seconds, before looking up at me and asking, "So you're the genius of the Uchiha clan?"

"Well, I'm sure Sasuke is a genius too, except that he doesn't want to expend any energy on school. But yes, I am the genius of the remaining Uchiha clan, which isn't saying much."

"Hmm…" I noticed his hair, when coated with water, gleamed in the light. "I idolized you these past few years."

I looked up, surprised. "What?"

"Yeah…through high school there were so many news articles praising your accomplishments, and Hiashi-sama talked about you a lot too, so I made you my goal and all that. And now I'm here at this university because you're here too, and in our first meeting you thought I was a girl and kissed me! And then I passed out…ugh." He hung his head, in what I figured was embarrassment and shame. I sympathized, thinking about his situation, but then stretched out a hand and patted his hair.

"I've heard about you too, you know." He looked up, surprised too.

"What did you hear?" He asked, when he saw I wasn't going to elaborate.

I smiled comfortingly. "That you're the genius of the Hyuuga clan, and the pride and joy of your uncle. That you could rival me in intelligence and size of fanclub, and that you apparently don't date. There's been rumors that you're asexual, you know."

He blushed. "You're right, I don't date. That's not the reason though…"

"You can tell me later, k?" I asked. "You might want to put on your clothes right now…"

"Aa, right…" He sprang up and ran into my bedroom again. A few minutes later he came out again, fully dressed and trying to towel dry his hair. "Do you have a spare comb I could use?"

I nodded, went past him into my bedroom, and shuffled through some drawers before finding one. I tossed it to him, and he caught it smoothly. Nice reflexes. We then went back to the kitchen, sitting down opposite each other.

"So…" he started. "Should I go now?" I noticed he was shuffling uncomfortably, and I wondered if he wanted to go, but then his stomach growled. Perfect timing.

"No," I answered. "Let me make you breakfast, and we can talk. Geniuses should stick together, don't you think?" He looked as if he was going to refuse, but then I pushed a mug of hot tea in his face. "Drink this while waiting." I told him, and he meekly obeyed, brushing out his hair in the middle of sips.

"By the way," I said, "you aren't allergic to anything, are you?"

He shook his head. "No. And I'm not picky about what I eat."

"Ok, good." I turned my back to him as I stuck two halves of a bagel into the toaster and started it, before getting out butter and jam and two muffins. I could still feel his eyes on me, of course, since Byakugan does that to a person. I put the muffins and spreads down on the table, and got out eating utensils while waiting for the bagel to toast. It finally finished, and I set it down on a plate and put it in front of Hyuuga Neji, before sitting down and starting on my muffin. He also started on his food, and we shared several minutes of companionable silence.

This was what breakfast was like with Sasuke, too, so I was used to it. But I finally broke the silence with, "You get over hangovers fast, Neji-san."

He finished swallowing, put down his bagel, and rummaged in his pockets before coming out with a small vial, half-empty. "This is my solution." he told me. "My doctor's assistant, a woman named Shizune, taught me how to make this hangover cure. It works every time."

"Oh really?" I held out my hand and he dropped the vial into it, and looked on as I inspected the liquid within. It was clear, and looked just like water, but when I sniffed it there was the definite smell of strawberries. "Can I have the recipe sometime? A hangover cure that works this fast is very rare."

Neji smiled. "I know. I treasure it. And of course you can have the recipe. I owe you one for giving me a bed to sleep in for the night."

"No problem, but I need to ask, why were you at the bar? You certainly did not seem happy, and…well, don't take this the wrong way, but you're beautiful, smart, and by all means you shouldn't be depressed in this college. So why are you?"

Neji looked away, and Itachi added, "I know you've idolized me, Neji, and I know you don't want me to think you're weak, but I'm just asking as a friend. I want to help."

"Are we friends?"

Itachi frowned. "What does that mean? Of course we're friends. Why should we not be?"

"…You picked me up in a bar last night. Does that really make us friends?"

"Well, if I wanted a relationship with you, we'd start out friends before moving on to something stronger." Itachi rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't just want to screw you Neji, I'd want to get to know you too."

"Oh." He paused, still not answering my question, until, "You really think I'm beautiful?"

I blinked at the unusual question and the soft tone it was spoken in. Was Neji insecure about his looks or something? He had no reason to be, that was for sure. "Of course you're beautiful. I've never seen a Hyuuga that wasn't."

He looked down at the table. "I don't want to be beautiful."

I started, surprised by his answer. "Why not? I know girls that would kill for beauty like yours."

When I realized just what I had said, I added on, "Not to say you're a girl or anything, of course."

He showed me a sad smile. "But that's exactly what you're saying, and that's what I hate about myself. I look too much like a girl…" I waited for him to go on, and he did after another hesitation. "I'm being sexually harassed."

"WHAT?"