Neji was furious. Neji was livid. Neji was absolutely, positively, blood-boilingly angry!

It had just been established that Sasuke had come back to the village. Had been coming back to the village for several months now. Coming and going actually. As well as having a steady affair with Sakura, who had been, and was still playing the role of Naruto's girlfriend. Once he had been caught, he had been forced to remain in the village and had been put under the influence of seal upon seal upon seal. His body was now incredibly weak, much too weak to stand, much less take part in any sort of intercourse and Sakura had been constantly protesting to Tsunade that that was unnecessary and that she could keep the Uchiha under control.

Naruto had been brought into the whole conflict and had so far, been present at most of the shouting matches that took place between Sakura and the Hokage. He had been, though, unusually quiet and had only ever spoken when Tsunade had mentioned his name.

She had been shouting at Sakura that her actions have not only brought shame to her and her village (sleeping with a missing nin, that is), but have also hurt the one who cared about her most; Naruto. The Uzumaki had then jerked to attention and quickly shook his head, saying that he was happy Sasuke was back and that if Sakura was what it took to keep him there, then so be it. The Haruno had then turned to Tsunade, indicated to Naruto and shouted, "See!? Our relationship was never serious, and he's okay with me being with Sasuke! That's why he should be Hokage and not you!"

Naruto had never wanted to be Hokage less than he did right then.

Neji had been unable to ignore the conflict between mentor and protégé, just like no one else had been able to and, like everyone else, had seen fit to insert his two cents, no matter what Sakura, Tsunade, Sasuke or Naruto had to say about it.

He approached the Hokage's tower with his former Genin team, Tenten, Lee and Gai, all of whom, he knew were just as angry as he.

As they climbed the stairs, they began to hear little snippets of the fight that had already begun. Neji's eyes closed and he brought a hand to his temple, preparing himself for the headache to come. Lee's eyes were narrowed. Over the years he had gotten incredibly close to Naruto and had drifted further away from Sakura, surprisingly, so it was natural that he was loyal to the former. Tenten's breathing was quiet and controlled. Neji knew that she was angrier with Sakura than she was loyal to Naruto. She and the pink-haired girl had gotten quite close and the Hyuuga knew that such betrayal hurt and angered his brunette teammate.

As for himself, Neji could hardly deny that this was more personal than professional. Lately he had begun to develop his own special feelings for the blonde nin, but had managed to keep them to himself, convincing himself that if the blonde was happy, then he need not burden him with unnecessary confessions of feelings that even the Hyuuga himself was unsure of.

But now, he seemed surer of himself and his feelings than ever, as he approached the Hokage's office, in which he knew were Tsunade, Sakura and Naruto. The anger boiled within him, but he knew he had to keep a lid on it. It wasn't worth it to lose his composure due to the actions of a girl who hadn't even been that close to him to begin with.

Gai knocked firmly on the door and they waited, stiff and quiet, both he and Lee seeming to sense that this was not a time for youthful passion.

"Come in!" Tsunade bellowed, not bothering to hide the fury in her voice. Gai nodded and stood to the side of the door, allowing Tenten to enter first. Team Gai filed in without a word and stood to the side quietly. Sakura didn't even bother looking at them. Her chest was heaving and her face was an angry red. Naruto stood slightly away from her with his head bowed and his eyes closed. His breathing was controlled and Neji could see that he was trying to control his anger as well.

"So, now it's Team Gai's turn!?" she shrieked. "When will you learn, Tsunade, that I'm not going to give in, no matter who tries to talk to me!? Sasuke doesn't need to tell you anything! He's here and that should be enough for you and your dogs!" There was so much scorn in her voice that even Neji was slightly surprised. He felt her chakra flaring and he instinctively readied himself in case she snapped and attacked the Hokage, or anyone else there. Tsunade was on her feet and leaning angrily over her desk, glaring at Sakura.

"Well, we need to know everything he can tell us!" the Hokage bellowed back. "Where he went and with whom he was in contact! In case you haven't forgotten, he did try to destroy Konoha!" Sakura threw her hands up in exasperation and rolled her eyes, growling.

Neji inwardly sighed as Sakura shouted her answer. Next to him he felt Lee tense. Clearly her statement made him angry. Turning his head ever so slightly, Neji fixed his eyes on Lee, gauging his reaction. He was angry. That much was clear. He was angry because Sakura, the girl for whom he had romantic feelings, ultimately proved that she cared absolutely nothing for him, her village and all of the people she had once called and who called her 'friend' when she betrayed them in favor of an intimate relationship with Sasuke, the boy of her own dreams.

He was quivering. Neji slowly reached out and placed a hand over Lee's in warning. The boy jumped slightly and turned towards Neji, who gave a small smile and a discreet thumbs-up. Lee blinked, surprised, but returned the gesture, a little more whole-heartedly.

Allowing his hand to fall back to his side, the Hyuuga fixed his eyes on Naruto. The poor boy was in a far worse state than Lee. Lee only suffered from a small infatuation, but Naruto was actually in love with the girl. They had been on the same team for years now, and what had started out as a crush for Naruto had grown into something much larger, just as Sakura's feelings for Sasuke had. Neji's heart went out to the Uzumaki and he had to fight the urge to walk over to him and tell him that everything was going to be okay.

Neji was brought out of his musings by a very loud and shrill shriek that emanated from Sakura.

"I love him!"

Naruto tensed, Lee stiffened, Tenten scowled, Neji blinked, Tsunade glowered, Gai winced. There was a ringing silence in the room then, and perhaps it might've been more helpful to Sakura's cause to leave it at that, but the girl continued to rant.

Neji closed his eyes and released a heavy sigh, bringing his hand up to massage his temple. The headache was beginning already.

After a moment more of listening to Sakura and Tsunade (mostly Sakura) scream their lungs out, Neji calmly strode over to the pink-haired shinobi, ignoring the looks of confusion from Lee, Tenten, Gai and Naruto.

"Sakura," he said quietly but firmly. Sakura whirled around to glare at him.

"What!?" she snapped. The next event surprised everyone in the room.

Neji deftly lifted his hand, swung it back and let it fly.

SLAP!

Sakura's head snapped to the left. Her eyes widened, and her mouth fell open. The white spot on her cheek where Neji's hand connected with her face quickly darkened and she brought her hand slowly to her stinging cheek. Neji surveyed her calmly before giving an indifferent answer.

"Enough," he deadpanned. "I have a headache."

Naruto looked both surprised and indignant as Neji turned and walked smoothly away. Lee was grinning widely and Tenten's features were slowly morphing into a smirk of her own. Gai was shaking his head, the smallest hint of a smile crossing his face. Tsunade's face still held a look of shock, but she made no move to reprimand the Hyuuga and only watched as he stopped at the door.

"Tsunade-sama," he said seriously, without turning around. "May I request an audience with Sasuke? Perhaps a different approach might better loosen his tongue." Tsunade blinked, still recovering from her previous surprise, and didn't answer immediately. Sakura, however, took an aggressive step towards Neji.

"Don't you go near him, Hyuuga!" she spat icily. Neji chuckled derisively, not affected by her cruel tone. He was much more experienced with biting words than she, and now, perhaps was a time to show just how much of a lapse there was between them.

"Haruno," Neji hissed emotionlessly. "I will not be ordered around by a subordinate. You are a Chuunin, I am a Jounin. So far, I am a rank above you." Sakura almost took a step back at the authoritative tone to his voice, but managed to hold her ground. He continued.

"I speak to you now as a Jounin to a Chuunin," he said. "You are to stay away from Sasuke henceforth and you will not detain me any further. Hokage-sama, I ask once again, may I see Sasuke?" He still did not turn around, which angered Sakura further, but she was able to keep a hold on her temper, knowing what would happen if she snapped.

Tsunade, it seemed, was finally shaken out of her reverie and nodded.

"Fine, Hyuuga," she replied sternly. "But we need to have audio when you speak with him." Neji nodded and proceeded then to leave, poised and dignified, and rather smug. Lee chuckled softly and bowed to the Hokage, before following his long-haired teammate, and Tenten and Gai came soon after. Naruto, looking from Sakura to the door and then back again, finally settled with a hard stare in the Haruno's direction and a hasty yet very dramatic exit from the room.

Tsunade was left smirking and shaking her head. She turned to look at Sakura with raised brow.

"Tell me, Haruno," she said sarcastically. "Is the sex worth your friends?"

"Sasuke," Neji spoke softly as he entered the guarded hospital ward that held the barely conscious Uchiha. The addressed turned to face Neji and his face hardened.

"What do you want?" he asked coldly, no hint of trepidation in his voice. Neji moved to sit on the bed and Sasuke tried to sit up. Thinking quickly, Neji placed gentle hands on Sasuke's shoulders and forced him back down to the blankets. Sasuke's eyes never moved away from him. In them, Neji saw cold and icy anger, but also a sort of dead hollowness that made him seem older than he was. The Hyuuga met the dark obsidian orbs with his own light pearlescent ones. He tilted his head slightly to the side.

"Why do you come back?" he asked. Sasuke looked at him and closed his eyes, allowing his head to rest back on the bed. Neji arched a brow.

"Is it truly for Sakura?" he asked, ignoring Sasuke's silence and proceeding as though Sasuke had answered his first question. Again, the Uchiha did not answer. If Neji didn't know better, he'd say that Sasuke was acting almost childish.

"Do you love her?" the Hyuuga asked, his voice quiet and even. On the bed, he saw Sasuke stiffen slightly and he leaned back a little. He sat silently for a moment and then stood up, closing his own eyes in thought.

"Very well," he said firmly. Reaching out cautiously, he brushed his fingers over Sasuke's seal; the seal he received from Orochimaru; and offered the Uchiha a small empathetic smile when Sasuke's eyes snapped open and fixed themselves upon him.

Nothing more was said and Neji quietly left, leaving a very confused Sasuke in his wake. As soon as the door closed the Uchiha brought his hand up to the slightly tingling skin and brushed his fingers gently over his seal.

"Neji." Neji turned and saw Naruto walking towards him, a bittersweet look on his face. Neji's heart lurched as he saw those deep blue eyes, now so lifeless and cold, once so joyful and exuberant. He turned around fully and gave Naruto a slightly sheepish smile.

"I apologize, Naruto, for speaking down to and striking Sakura like that," he started sincerely, yet formally. "I was angry and I didn't think of--"

"Shut up," Naruto said forcefully. Neji blinked and shut his mouth mid-word. He surveyed Naruto seriously. The Uzumaki was looking at him intensely, his mouth in a straight line, his eyes hard and unreadable, and his posture straight and slightly tense. He paused for a moment, deciding what to say.

"That was insane!" he finally settled for shouting his thoughts, like he usually did. "I thought Sakura was gonna blow a fuse! What the hell was that!?" Neji could tell that Naruto was torn between anger and amusement. He sighed.

"If you're angry, Naruto, just say it," he said slightly dejectedly. Naruto shook his head.

"I'm angry as hell!" he admitted loudly. "You just told off one of my best friends who's also my former girlfriend! And you hit her! I think I deserve to be angry at you." Neji had the grace to look ashamed and avoided Naruto's eyes as he nodded. Naruto's face then softened and he smiled softly.

"But," he said seriously, smile still in place. Neji looked up at him timidly and Naruto wanted to laugh at the innocently adorable look of hopefulness on Neji's face. He continued, undeterred.

"But, I can't help but feel that you did that for me, and if that's the case, then I want to thank you," the Uzumaki finished. The Hyuuga slowly smiled and nodded.

"I'm sorry, Naruto," he repeated. "I never meant to offend you by hitting her or speaking like that to her. But--" He cut himself off and took a breath.

"But you deserve someone who really loves you," he continued, his eyes locked on Naruto's. "Someone who won't take your feelings and your love for granted. Someone better than Sakura." Naruto blinked, surprised, as he looked intensely at the Hyuuga. He had started out so quiet and then had ended up so impassioned. His white eyes were glowing with something that Naruto had never seen before. Some sort of fire that had been dormant for far too long.

And it was that fire that gave birth to a realization. Naruto's mouth parted and his eyes widened as he took a step towards the Hyuuga.

"Someone like you?" he whispered softly to the shorter nin. Neji winced slightly, but nodded, his own eyes never leaving Naruto's.

"Yes," he replied, just as soft. "Someone like me." He jerked, as though he wanted to move forward but thought better of it, and finally tore his eyes away from the deep blue pools on Naruto's face. The Uzumaki quickly took another step towards the Hyuuga, deftly reaching out and grasping Neji's chin. Neji's breath stopped as Naruto forced his face to turn, so that they were once again looking at each other. The white opals that were Neji's eyes widened as the blonde nin slowly moved towards him, brow furrowed, face slightly unsure, and gently touched his lips to the two on Neji's face.

There was a pause, as both men analyzed what they felt, but then Neji fell forward, by either accident or design, and deepened the kiss. He gasped and Naruto's tongue moved slowly into his mouth. Neji's eyes widened while Naruto's closed and the Hyuuga felt himself move forward as the Uzumaki's arms snaked around his waist.

After another moment of awkwardness, Neji's eyes finally closed and he sighed into the kiss. His arms, hesitantly, found their way to Naruto's shoulders, where his hands clung tightly.

His tongue reluctantly moved to meet Naruto's and the brunette gasped as the blonde's own skilled muscle moved slowly around his, experience showing in every flick, every caress, every fondle.

Damn, Sakura really made a mistake when she decided to give this up for some stupid Uchiha. Really, what was so good about him? Neji couldn't imagine that that traitor was any better than Naruto in any--

"Naruto!" Neji gasped as the Uzumaki's mouth left his and moved to nip at the shell of his ear. All form of coherent thought stopped. Naruto growled in Neji's ear as his lips moved down the Hyuuga's jawline, leaving in their wake a fiery heat that threatened to consume the prodigious virgin.

"Neji..." Naruto whispered huskily. He drew away reluctantly, eyes darkened with want and desire. Both he and Neji were left a panting, quivering mess. Neji's eyes, now a lusty shade of lavender, met Naruto's and they stood quietly, regaining composure, evening out their breaths.

After a moment, Neji looked down and spoke to Naruto.

"Is this a rebound thing?" he asked. Naruto shook his head and laughed, the haze of lust from before lifting slowly away. His arms still held Neji's lithe frame to his and he was surprised at how well the other seemed to fit.

"No," he replied seriously. "I like you, Hyuuga! I wouldn't a' kissed you if I didn't." Neji looked up at Naruto and his brow knitted together. The Uzumaki said it as though it was the most obvious thing in the world! As though Sakura had never been there to begin with and as though this whole messy business had never happened.

"But I don't want to move too fast," he said seriously. Neji looked at him, understanding and agreeing. The way Naruto meant 'not too fast' was translated roughly to, 'no sex, nothing more than casual dates, maybe some hand-holding and a few light kisses.' And then they would move from there. Neji was fine with this. After all, he had been dealing with his unrequited feelings for a few years now. He could wait longer before they became serious. At least he knew where Naruto stood now, right?

Slowly and hesitantly, the Hyuuga laid his head on Naruto's chest. The other stiffened, but Neji knew that that was only out of slight surprise and that the action was not necessarily unwanted. And when Naruto moved one of his arms from his waist to the back of his head, he immediately knew that not moving had been a good decision.

They stood there, silent and contemplative, trying to make some sort of prediction as to what this would bring about. Would things work out between them, would Naruto realize that he still wanted Sakura, would he want to put everything on hold until he got over her? The questions were endless and they were a plague to Neji's normally organized mind, but he supposed he'd have to deal with them for the time being. After all, now he was the one in the Uzumaki's arms. That had to be something.

"Sakura," Neji spoke calmly to the girl who sat silent and alone on top of the Hokage monument. She didn't turn as she answered.

"What, come to hit me again?" she snapped, trying to sound angry, but unable to fully hide the brokenness in her voice. Neji looked down for a moment, deciding on the best approach to the situation.

Really there was only one approach, and no matter how hard it might've been for Neji, he had to take it the way it was.

Slowly, he walked to Sakura and took a seat beside her, surprised when she didn't move away. With the same fluid motion, he reached out a placed a hand on her shoulder.

"First and foremost, Sakura," he said. "I would like to apologize for my actions back in the tower. I was angry and didn't think of the effect my words or my actions would have." Sakura scoffed at Neji's polite and obviously insincere tone and brought a hand up to wipe at her eyes. Neji's brow furrowed and he replaced his hand on her chin, forcing her to look at him.

"Please, Sakura," he said softly. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you." The pink-haired medic nin looked at him, new tears forming in her eyes, which she blinked away furiously.

"Everything you said," she started weakly. "I know you meant it all..." Neji shook his head and leaned away, turning to look up at the sky.

"People say things in passing that they don't really mean," he said wisely. Turning his head to her, he smiled.

"I'm sure you can relate?" he said slightly teasingly. Sakura looked down and chuckled softly.

"I guess so," she admitted quietly. She was silent for another moment, hesitant, and seemed to be debating over what to say next.

"I just," she spoke in a strained voice. "When he came back, I—I didn't think, I just...acted. I didn't want to hurt Naruto. That's the last thing I wanted to do. But, Sasuke, he—he came here and. It was just like when we were kids, he always was able to get me to do almost anything and I...I screwed up." Neji watched somberly as the Haruno began to shudder as the silent sobs shook her. Her face was buried in her knees and Neji was sure he had never seen anyone as vulnerable as she was right then.

Without another word to her, of her, or at her, the Hyuuga, reached out once more and hooked an arm around her shoulder. She hiccuped, surprised, as he pulled her against him and rested his chin on her head, allowing her to cry into him. After a moment of hesitance, Sakura brought her hands up to cling to his robes and buried her face in his chest, her cries becoming louder now.

"I'm sorry..!" she choked and Neji nodded, holding her tighter, assuring her that everything was going to be alright. His other arm moved to the small of her back and his hand moved in gentle soothing circles, which was met with a shuddering breath from Sakura, and then relative silence. But still, Neji did not let go. He knew that doing something like betraying Konoha was always something that Sakura had seen as impossible for her. Her decision to do this had been a spur of the moment and, even after she had made it, had been something she perhaps regretted.

"Th-thank you, Neji," Sakura whispered, still curled up against him, comforted by the soft and tender gestures that were rare for Hyuuga Neji. Neji nodded against her.

"It's alright," he replied softly.

"I—I wanted him to love me," she mumbled, her voice hoarse from the sobs that, only moments ago, had been called forth from her throat. "He never said it, though. The one time I." Gulp. "I asked him, he—didn't say anything. He just...left." She fell silent again and Neji let out a slow breath.

"Sakura," he said gently. "Listen to me." He paused and waited for her to look at him before he continued.

"I spoke with him earlier today," he said solemnly. "While he never answered my questions directly, his actions and mannerisms did indicate to me that he cared for you. Maybe he does not love you, but he does care for you, at the very least. I suspect, though, it might be more than that." Sakura looked at him hopefully, but he looked at her sternly.

"However," he said in a firm voice. "I do not think that you should forsake your friends for relations with a traitor to our village, which, I assure you, you are still a part of." Sakura nodded and sighed into the Hyuuga, not quite willing to let go yet. Neji tolerated it, and sat with her patiently and calmly, until she was confident enough to venture back to the village. Give it time, Sakura, he thought wisely. Give it time and you will be forgiven.

And it was so, a few years later, when Sasuke's body was able to function properly and the seals were removed, that he finally agreed to tell Tsunade of what he knew and of everything that had happened. Sakura had spoken with Naruto and, although their relationship had never quite been the same, they were slowly mending the friendship they once had. Sasuke had tentatively approached Naruto as well and apologized for everything and Naruto had forgiven him, however that took time as well. Over those years, Neji had grown quite close to both Sasuke and Sakura and had become something of a confident for both of them. Sakura had even been accused at one point of having fallen in love with the brunette Hyuuga, a rumor which Naruto had been quick to dispel.

And as to that, the Uzumaki and the Hyuuga had progressed slowly in their relationship, Neji being careful to never push Naruto into anything and always putting the blonde's feelings before his own. He was still cautious of Naruto's emotions after the incident with Sasuke and Sakura, which meant that many of his actions were the result of some form of paranoia.

Finally, as his friends described, Naruto realized how hard Neji was working to make their relationship work, and decided to give a little more himself. Exactly one year after they became an official couple, Naruto took Neji to a romantic dinner at Ichiraku Ramen and, in front of Teuchi and Ayame, declared his love for Neji.

Neji was absolutely stunned and momentarily rendered speechless before a blushing Ayame shouted loudly, "Well, what are you waiting for!? Kiss him!" Neji blinked and managed a small, yet bright smile before he leaned into Naruto and did just that. Naruto smiled into the kiss, took Neji into his arms and dipped him dramatically. Teuchi beamed, Ayame cooed, Neji blushed.

Sasuke and Sakura never really established anything serious. Sasuke had been far too affected by his experiences with Orochimaru, Akatsuki, and most of all, Itachi, to ever really commit himself to any serious relationship. Itachi had been his brother, no matter what he did, and when Sasuke had discovered Itachi's real motive, it had been too late. He had already died and Sasuke couldn't bring him back. And now, he just didn't have the energy that was required in a relationship.

But still, he remained friends with Sakura. Naruto and Neji as well. And as time slowly passed, he began to develop and redevelop other friendships with other shinobi.

And life slowly rebuilt itself in a way reminiscent of what it used to be for the Konoha shinobi. There was still tension at the beginning, but that slowly slipped away in the face of the intense emotional monsoon that had been Sasuke leaving Konoha, the murder of Asuma, the dealings with Akatsuki and the near deaths of many others. All that was left were the most powerful of bonds that held together the strongest of shinobi. Bonds like the extreme bond of love that Naruto and Neji shared. Bonds the like the unbreakable bond of friendship that Sasuke and Sakura and Naruto shared. Etcetera. Etcetera. Etcetera.

And so on and so forth.

Owari

...I wrote this in Math class when I finished my test with about twenty-five minutes to spare. The rest I finished over the rest of the week and edited in about fifteen minutes over te weekend.

The ending is shit and I was pretty pissed at Sakura when I did that. But I hate leaving things open ended with these sorts of issues and so I had to have a bit of closure between her and Neji. I put a little bit of SasuSaku, a bit of SasuNejiSasu (a very little and only if you squint, or want to interpret it that way), a bit of NejiSaku, which goes against EVERY single one of my morals when it comes to pairings. but mainly, it's NaruNeji, which I love. This pairing needs more love.

This has absolutely no relevence to any of my other stories and was just a spur of the moment thing. I might go back and re-edit that ending if I get the time though. Review, if you would please. Thank you, one and all! *bows*