A/N:

Hi guys, I know I'm a horrible person who just stopped writing for 3 years. I'm so sorry life got hectic and I just couldn't keep up, but my major exams are over, and now I have a lot of time to burn. This story is going to be the start of my whole spam of fics! I have a lot in store, and many many plans to write fics. Don't worry about A Kunoichi's Power, that will take a while for me to actually get back on track. It's been quite long after all. If NejiNaru isn't your cup of tea, I've got a lot of plans for ShikaNaru, GaaNaru will probably come up too! If you're an old reader, thank you for sticking around!

I think this is quite an AU, I pushed in some time for Naru to drop by to visit Neji between matches and may have tweaked things here and there, so sorry for the inconsistencies. There isn't much spoilers because I like Neji quite a lot and this is a Neji x Fem!Naru fic and I like writing angst but like not so much well you know (if you actually know what happened you'll know what I'm talking about), so forgive any discrepancies. This is gonna be a happy ending because Neji deserves a happy ending yeah (Also I've been writing an overload of angst lately so)? Anyway, enjoy! No flames please!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I receive any profits from it.

Warning: Unedited

She had entered his life without warning, crashing in like the high-speed bundle of energy she was. She had barged into his world and destroyed all his beliefs. At the chunnin exams, she had proved everyone wrong. Everyone had been doubting her, the girl who had so much trouble even passing the Genin exam. No one had believed she could beat him, the genius of his generation. Even after everything had happened, he could not believe that she had defeated him. He was a Hyuuga genius, he was supposed to be undefeatable in his age group. Yet the blonde kunoichi had somehow won.

Her most striking feature was her brilliant blonde hair. It was always tied up in twin pigtails. One of the rare times she let it down was when she was dared to on one of the rare nights the Konoha 11 met together, and she was breathtakingly beautiful.

Fate was a funny thing sometimes. She would probably knock his head into the ground if she thought he was believing in any of the "fate crap" again. Still, what else could it be but fate that he met her? She was what Lee dubbed "a genius of hard work". Yet he had realised that for her, she was not only hardworking. She was a genius in her own right. A genius on the battlefield whose instincts led her to make the best choices. He did not care for that however. Because while talent was to be admired, he only cared for the blonde girl who spent most of her life hated by the villagers, yet still loved them with all of her heart. He cared for the girl long before she had saved the village time and time again. She never really needed to prove herself to him, afterall, her large heart was what attracted him to her in the first place.

The next thing you would notice was her orange kunoichi outfit. It was a bit of a kimono style outfit, somehow looking hideous and elegant at the same time. Yet it looked right on her, it fit her perfectly.

She had visited him in the hospital immediately after the fight, her clothes a little torn and her hair a mess. Yet she had looked beautiful all the same. She had stayed for five minutes or so before she returned back to the arena to watch the other fights. She had no time to grab flowers or anything, she had rushed there right after the match ended. She had a slightly guilty look in her eye, and Neji wanted to reach out and stroke her cheek and tell her that he deserved it. She had made some small talk, but after affirming he was okay, she had shunshined away, leaving the faint scent of lilies behind.

Then you would notice the scars on her cheek. Three lines on each side. It made her look exotic. She looked every bit of a fierce kunoichi, beautiful and daring, the scars seemed to fit her perfectly. He thought she was perfect with those whisker marks, it didn't matter what anyone said.

It was at the funeral when he met her again. The invasion had taken away the Hokage, who had been one of the few nice people to her, as he found out later on. She was crying, her eyes were watery with tears, looking like she barely had enough energy to keep standing. Iruka-sensei stood beside her, trying to comfort her. She wiped away her tears, forcing a smile. He thought that that smile seemed to hold all her sadness at once and he found it heart-wrenching. He opened his mouth and he wanted to walk forward to comfort her, but something stopped him. Perhaps it was the look on Sasuke's face. Sasuke looked distraught, his usually emotionless eyes seemed to hold pain as he looked at Naru's upset face. That was when Neji knew Sasuke liked Naru. He could respect that. It wasn't the right time to be fighting over her, and if Sasuke was the one who could comfort her better, so be it. Naru also had Iruka-sensei comforting her, and he supposed at times like this, it would be strange for someone like him, someone who barely knew her to try to comfort her. Anyway, as long as she was taken care of, it was enough for him.

When you look past her whisker marks on her cheeks, you would be met with big blue eyes. Her eyes were the most beautiful shade of blue he had ever seen. Bluer than the sky. Her eyes seemed to hold all her emotions. She had this mischievous look in her eyes practically all the time, yet sometimes, she would slip up and he would notice her eyes seemed to be so old. Like she had seen the cruelties of the world already, like she was not twelve but actually a fifty-year-old woman.

He wanted to protect her from the cruelties of the world. Sasuke was one of her closest people, and yet he had betrayed the village. But as he stayed behind to fight an enemy and she continued on her quest to retrieve Sasuke, he knew he could do nothing but win this fight before him. He knew that he did not have the capability to protect her. He was a genius, but it did not mean that he had the right or the ability to protect her. She was a free spirit who cared too much about her comrades that she would risk her life time and time again to help them. It was what Neji loved about her, yet he hated it too, because he knew that he was just one of the ones she helped. He knew she helped him not because she liked him any more than the people around her. She helped him see the light because he too was a Konoha ninja, because he was Hinata's cousin.

She had the personality of a free spirit. She lived by her own rules, she was always excited, she was fun-loving. She was like a wild spirit that you tried to cage up because it looked beautiful, but you soon realise that she'll always leave the cage. She was like air, or perhaps water, you can't grasp it in your hands. It will always slip away.

The mission failed, and Neji watched by the sidelines as tears streamed down Naru's face, her eyes spoke of hurt and pain he could not comprehend. Then Naru left the village. She left on a training trip to get stronger, and Neji felt a bit like Hinata while hiding behind a wall and watching her step out of the village main gates with Jiraiya of the Sannin. He looked on as she slowly grew smaller into the distance, his lilac eyes following her orange figure. He wanted to step out and properly send her off, but what was he to her that he thought he could send her off? They had barely talked much, and he had not known her for very long. So he stayed where he was, praying for her safe return. He knows would miss her quite a bit, having grown too used to looking out for her yellow hair in the streets of Konoha, but he could not mope. He had to get stronger and perhaps one day, she would allow him to repay her for setting him free from his cage of self-inflicted hurt.

She was the sky. Wide and full of possibilities. She seemed to have endless potential. Everywhere she went, she influenced people. It was not too long after Neji started admiring her did he realise he was only one of the many birds she had set free from their restricting cages. It took a while for him to finally admit perhaps he was not so special and Naru just liked to help people.

When he heard from Tsunade-sama Naru had left on a rescue mission as soon as she had come back into the village, he felt an indescribable feeling in his chest. Was she taller now? Is she still the same odd-ball? All those questions started coming up, and he longed to see her. Yet he remained expressionless on the outside. When Lee and Gai-sensei started on one of their long emotional speeches, he simply ran off towards Sunagakure, not waiting for his teammates. He wanted to see her as soon as he could, afterall, it had been a long time since he had seen her, and nothing was going to stop him, not even the pair of green monsters hugging each other.

She had changed throughout the years. She had grown taller and now had some feminine charm she never had before. Yet despite the amount time passing, she still had the same big grin, she still had the same laughter and her nindo had never once wavered or changed. She was still warm and reminded him of sunshine. It did not matter how many time she was beat down or hurt or insulted, she sprang back up. He found that especially endearing.

When the Konoha Eleven finally met up again as a full group at one of the Akimichi-owned barbeque restaurants, he did not miss the strange looks from the guys of the group towards Naru. He pushed down the uncomfortable feeling and resisted the urge to glare. She did not notice the slight tension, and instead talked about all her adventures while she was away. Her laugh that sounded like wind chimes filled any awkward silence there was. It took a while for Neji to notice, but she had grown to become a stunning kunoichi the time she was away. She had grown taller, and her face thinner. Her hair was still long, and she had grown from a girl into a woman, but some things had not changed. She still had the same bubbly personality, her smile was still as bright as before, and she still had the same hero personality, always trying to save everyone. Yet she was different too, in ways beyond appearances. She was more jaded, her eyes hiding shadows that were never there before, but he supposed it was normal, after all, being too trusting was something dangerous in a world like theirs.

It took awhile for him to admit, but he was in love with her. He loved her as more than a friend. He didn't know when it happened, but it felt so natural falling for her.

They grew closer, and he got to know her better. She asked him for spare, and he often tagged along with Hinata to meet her. Hinata knew of his slight obsession for her, and how his bravery fell short in matters of the heart. So she often took the step forward to call Naru out for drinks or ramen or spars, and had Neji tag along to 'supervise' and help in their training. And he was grateful for that, because he saw sides of her he had only every dreamed about. For a time, while she was away, he wondered if he had fallen for the idea of her and not her person, because he hadn't known her for very long after all, and for all his thoughts about love, it could be merely admiration for her and not so much love. Yet when she came back to Konoha, he realised, in these things, his heart knew much more than his mind, and love was never so rational. When he talked to her, he found himself falling for her more and more, because she was beautiful both inside and out in ways he could only long to be. He could never be as selfless as her after all.

He loved her and all her quirks, he loved her fragile side, and he loved how she tried to be strong for everyone else. For her, everyone else was more important to her than herself. She threw herself in front of comrades to save them. But he realised he wanted to protect her. She was a strong kunoichi, she did not need protection, but yet he still wanted to save her every time she needed saving, he wanted to be strong enough that she could rely on him. He wanted to protect her.

He wondered if one day, Naru would turn around to see all those she had saved and helped in one way or another and understand her impact on the world. He wondered if she knew all those years ago, his heart had been captured by her. He wondered if she would ever find out that among the many she had saved, he was there. He wondered if she would remember Neji, the boy she fought and changed in the Chuunin exams, or if he was just one face in the crowd of the many people she had saved before.

Sometimes, he wanted to tell her that she did not need to save the world alone, that he would willingly help her save the world. Sometimes, he wanted to tell her to stay and rest for a while, because she was always moving on so fast and he could only see her go further and further, and no matter how hard he ran, he could never manage to catch up.

Neji had finally gained the courage to ask Naru out on a date. Granted, Naru probably thought she was just spending time with Neji as friends, the thick-headed girl she was, and granted his 'courage' was gained after Hinata got tired of his moping and purposefully talked to him about the flowers Naru was receiving from a multitude of people, but minor details have to be ignored in the grand scheme of things. He had worn his nicest set of shinobi outfit which Hinata had frowned in disapproval at, and had spent a very long time combing his hair to perfection that day, before he was finally satisfied with his appearance. Only then did he finally make his way to Naru's apartment to pick her up.

One day, she had suddenly disappeared from his view, and he wondered if she had finally left him behind. If he had been too slow all along, and she was no longer going to wait for him.

It had been a great first date, and after dinner, he had brought her to the top of the Hokage mountain, grabbed her hands, and with a blush that rivalled Hinata's yelled that he loved her. And she had blushed, a pretty dark red, and as the last rays of the sun shone on her, her golden hair shiny and her blue eyes wide, she had looked so beautiful that Neji wondered if an angel had descended. And when she pulled him down for a kiss, he knew that if he had died there and then, he would die a happy man.

It was when a tanned hand reached for his right hand, the grip firm and warm, that he had turned his head and saw that she was by his side all along. She was smiling widely at him, and he too, found himself smiling back at her, a rare, genuine smile.

That had been the start to their many dates, each one as memorable as the last. His proposal had been thoroughly planned out. He had been saving for months, taking well-paying missions as often as he could, before he had saved enough to pay for the downpayment for a spacious apartment facing the Hokage monument. He had saved for another two to three months before he managed to save enough to renovate the flat and buy furnishing. He wanted to give Naru a home that she never had in her childhood. He could not promise riches nor could he promise to always know what she wants or the most romantic dates, but he could promise her that he would always be there for her, that with him, she could feel safe and at home. He had blindfolded her, leading her to their apartment, and when he told her to take off her blindfold, he had been on one knee, and he had promised her that he would always take care of her. Neji was worried at first because she was silent for the longest time, but when she sunk down to her knees and pulled him in for a hug, he knew everything would be alright.

Their wedding was in spring, the sun high in the sky and the birds chirping. She had been beautiful in her white wedding dress, and Neji almost forgot his vows, but like the composed Hyuuga he was, he managed to go through with the ceremony perfectly. And when he had grabbed her in a princess carry to leave the chapel, the weight in his arms had never felt more real, and he wondered how he ever got so lucky. It had to be fate, he thought, and for once, he was thankful for 'fate' (although if Naru knew he still believed in fate, she would probably punch him really hard, but there had to be some higher power somewhere that brought him to her, and he was so very grateful for that), because he was now married to the woman of his dreams.

The End!

A/N:

Just a little note about the whole premise of the story (so you can understand a bit of why I wrote Neji and Naru and Hinata like that):

I just figured Neji would be the mature kind? Like he's older for one, and graduated earlier, so he probably has seen more, and his upbringing and everything, so in some ways, I find him like Hinata, always the proper Hyuuga, more of the kind to hide his emotions. Like for example in some scenes any other guy would have went up to say something, but he won't, because that's how he is. Also, he's not known Naru for long at the start, so he won't approach her overtly so, because he believes it's improper, and my idea of him is that he is the mature type right, so he'll consider what's the best for her at that time. Also, he might be confident in his abilities but I think he was pretty sheltered in the romance side of things, so he comes off as more shy and stuff.

And for Naru, I believe that as a girl, she's likely to be more sensitive and nurturing? Because of the difference in academy lessons and everything. For Hinata, she's not in love with Naru here, and Naru is likely to be a great friend to Hinata, so she's the go-between.