Summary: (Oneshot) (NejiHinaSasu) He takes from her and he gives back to her.

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This Lie

He tends to the bruise on her cheek with medicine coated finger tips.

She lowers her gaze and feels his angry glare boring into her.

"…why do you let him do this to you?" She wished he hadn't broken the silence.

"B-b-because…" The Hyuuga Heiress mentally beats herself for letting old speaking habits come up again. "I…I love him, Neji-niisan…"

He leans in close to her ear, hands dropped down from her cheek to wrap around her middle. "He doesn't love you."

Her eyes open wide, but she looks away quickly, "No. H-he does. He…"

Neji presses his lips to hers, and slowly pulls away, using one hand to pull her head onto his shoulder, "Until you open your eyes," he whispers softly. "I'll be your sight."

This time, she doesn't pull away but leans against his body and let hers eyelids fall.

'He's only afraid of losing me.'

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She lets out a whimper as he slaps her. "Stay away from him." He grabs her shuddering body and pins her to the wall by her shoulders. "All of them. Kiba, Naruto, Shino…Neji."

He shakes her again, "Do you understand?!" She's shaking, her head lowered, and when Sasuke looks down he realizes her cheeks glisten with tears.

He loosens his grip, and pulls her close to him. Eyes glazing over with insecurity and regret, he whispers close to her ear, "I don't want to do this to you…"

She sobs and he leans down to brush his lips to her tears, murmuring. "I love you, I love you…they'll only hurt you more…you need to stay close to me…please…"

His demands suddenly become desperate pleas, and he kisses her as she nods.

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Neji looks forlornly at the photo he had worked so hard to keep. Hiashi had demanded all the others to be destroyed.

Slowly, he traces a finger over the curve of her cheek and he grins solemnly in reply to her own smile.

He wishes he could see her again.

And he wishes that Sasuke had never taken her away from him; away from Konoha. Without her smile the sun seemed colder.

"He loves you," the prodigy admits quietly. "But…"

"I love you more…"

-End-

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A/N: A short one-shot while building up on the second chapter of "What You Don't Know". Please tell me what you think.

PS. In case you're confused: The second scene is Sasuke being overprotective…and the last scene implies that Sasuke and Hinata had eloped and ran away from Konoha.