A/N This is my first fanfiction. I'm a sasusaku fan, too, but I'm a sucker for nejisaku stories. And since I don't think a lot has been written about them recently, which really makes me sad, I thought of coming up with my own. A family fic. because, heck, there may not be a Sarada had Neji lived! haha. In a different universe, I think that it is really sakura and neji that ended up together (even though there is nothing in the manga that suggests that they could be an item. hehe) because why not? They are both beautiful people, and they are just perfect for each other! And I don't understand why Kishi kills off the perfect men in the manga!
Gosh. A week after Naruto was finally concluded, I still can't figure out how I'm supposed to feel. Haha. I guess, I'm feeling kind of empty now. Don't get me wrong, I love the ending, especially since my OTP became canon, but now there's a small void in my cold, cold heart that may not be replaced by any other manga. :')
The mandatory disclaimer, I guess: Naruto is not mine, of course! It is the creation of Kishimoto-sensei. But if it were mine, I would definitely ship NejiSaku, no offense Sasuke-kun. :3
Soul Vacation
How long has it been?
A month?
No, a week?
It's been three weeks, but to Neji, it feels like she has been gone for a very long time-seems like forever. He is not used to sleeping alone anymore. He misses her warmth at night and her soft caresses first thing in the morning.
"Sakura," he whispers to no one as he takes a final look around their bedroom—ah, yes, his favorite part of their new house—after gathering what he needs for the night. "Please wake up, love."
It will be another night at the hospital to look after his beautiful wife. Hyuuga Neji will never complain about the sleepless nights or the long hours of sitting on a very uncomfortable chair if it means he could stay by her side to make sure she's alright. He also wants to be the first person she sees and smiles to when she regains consciousness.
He walks past the nursery and noted that he felt no one in the room. He thought that Shiro must not have fallen asleep yet and is probably giving the Hanabi a hard time right now. That little brat. He smirks. But, soon, his fond thoughts about his little three-year-old turned a little sad. Shiro must miss his mama as much as he does. He noted that Shiro only ever falls asleep when his mama would sing to him about the brave fox and his loyal friends. He must see Shiro first before he leaves again. He feels a pang of guilt whenever he thinks that he hasn't been spending time with his son as much as he used to.
There's a little ruckus in the kitchen. "Shiro-kun, no. Your mama will not like it if she finds out that you've been tricking your babysitter into giving you cookies so that you'd peacefully go to bed."
"But Auntie Hanabi. I am going to bed. Just one more cookie." Neji can hear the mischief in his cute baby voice. He sounds just as cunning as Sakura that it scares him sometimes.
Neji sighs. "Giving Auntie Hanabi a hard time again, Shiro?"
"Papa! You're back!" Shiro notes the pack on his father's shoulder.
"Oh. You're going to see mama again. Please take me with you! Please, please, papa!" Neji finds that Shiro is trying to keep his tears from falling. He loves his son so much that he'd rather see him misbehaving than see him crying.
"I'll take you to see her tomorrow. The hospital is no place for children."
"But I miss her so much. And I can't sleep because I only want my mama!" Tears start streaming down his chubby face. Neji wipes the fresh tears from Shiro's face and holds him.
"We all miss her, son. I promise I will take care of her so that she can come back home soon." He nods at Hanabi. "Now be a good boy and listen to Auntie Hanabi, okay?" He smiles at his toddler.
"And no more cookies for you, little man." He ruffles his chocolate-colored hair and touches his forehead with his own and closes his eyes. "Mama won't be too happy to know that you are disobeying her order about eating cookies before bed." Neji gives him an amused look. "You wouldn't want mama to be angry, would you?" His son pouts at his question and then sighs.
"Alright. I promise not to ask for anymore cookie, papa," Shiro says meekly, all while looking at his bare feet. Such a well-manned kid, Neji thought, but that was before his son looks up, and he sees that familiar glint in his emerald-colored eyes that says that he is on to something.
"But only if you really take me to see mama tomorrow!"
Shiro was tucked into bed by his father a few minutes after reading him a bedtime story. Evidently, the strong-willed child was fighting the spell of sleep, savoring the moment with his papa. But sleep won in the end.
"Thank you for doing this, Hanabi. And I'm sorry for all the trouble." He glanced at his cousin who is leaning on the door frame, with her arms crossed.
"Don't worry about it, nii-san. We've all been worried about you two. Tou-san asks about you every time, you know? Besides, that's the least I can do for you and Sakura onee-san," she pauses. She observes as Neji lovingly looks at his little boy, caressing his face, and then leans down to kiss his head. She can't help but smile at the sight of his infamous stoic cousin's affectionate side. But soon her smile fades as she recalls how Neji has that same look whenever he is with Sakura.
"How is she anyway? The compound hasn't been the same without her. Even our grumpy father lightens up with her around, and he's been brooding ever since her accident." She chuckles a bit, remembering his father's disposition during council meetings when his thoughts lead him to his nephew and his wife. Knowing that Neji and Sakura are in an unfortunate situation makes him take out his frustration at the council. He avoids pleasantries before meetings, gets down to business right away, and then dismisses meetings earlier than usual, with or without resolving any Hyuuga clan issues.
"Her minor wounds have completely healed," Neji answers. "Tsunade-sama has done a good work in patching her up. She almost never leaves the hospital as well." Neji shows a hint of smile in gratitude to Tsunade.
"She'll be alright now, nii-san. So when is she—"
"We don't know yet, Hanabi. Tsunade-sama says that her head injuries were severe," he pauses, still looking at Shiro. "It's a miracle that she survived them at all," his tone suddenly dark and serious. He doesn't want to say it. He doesn't want to think that she could have died during her last mission, and that he'll never see her again. Never hold her again? That would be unacceptable. He is fighting a dreadful thought. No. He will never think that he'll lose her.
"She's a strong person, nii-san. I know for sure that she hangs on to be with you and Shiro-kun again. She loves you very much." Neji faces Hanabi now, and she offers him a smile. Neji is glad that his usually reserved cousin is talking about Sakura like that. The two women have formed some sort of a sisterly bond since Sakura became part of the Hyuuga household. It is also not a surprise that Sakura's cheerful disposition has somehow rubbed off on Hanabi in all those years, and Neji can tell that she longs for Sakura as much as everyone does.
"She does, doesn't she?" He chuckles. "Well, I better get going now. I thank you again, cousin. Please take care of Shiro." He touches his son's head one last time and then bows to Hanabi before leaving the room. He won't be sleeping at the compound again. Just like what he has been doing since Sakura was admitted to the hospital. Neji will only be found by his wife's side at night.
Hanabi takes a final look at her nephew. He smiles in his sleep. "Well, at least one of them is having a pleasant sleep."
To be continued...if I don't get lazy.
