His generation made another party. Another? Yes. Why? Because they were celebrating that finally there was a week in which EVERYONE was there. Gaara had been visiting with his siblings, and was expected to stay for another couple of days (he and his siblings were considered part of their group). Sasuke had returned to the village nearly three yeas ago, Naruto was there because he was already being trained by Tsunade in order to take his place as the Sixth Hokage, since Sakura had already finished her training with the blond woman.
His cousin Hinata was now a worthy rival, although she hadn't overpowered him yet. She was dating Sakura. Hiashi wasn't so sure at first, but since Neji had came out too, he really couldn't forbid love between them. Neji looked around again.
Ino was dating Tenten. A really odd couple, if someone asked him. Then again, his crush wasn't going to be considered as a normal couple. Chouji was still single, while Shikamaru was dating Asuma, his ex-sensei. One could see them playing shogi in the middle of the day in a park picnic table. Shino was somehow (or he really couldn't tell if he was) flirting with Chouji. Odd couples. Really. Sai and Naruto... well, at first everyone was shocked that Sai could feel such an intense love towards the blond, but then not even a soul doubted that Sai loved Naruto deeply and dearly. Naruto, of course, loved him back with the same intensity. That left Lee, who was getting really annoying with all the youthful couples he saw... and was hitting on Gai. Seriously, what the hell with these people? Anyway.
He took a sip of his .sake. and then resumed observing his generation. His crush and himself were virtually the only single males left. Tenten had told him about some guys that wanted a date with him, to be his boyfriend. Neji really wasn't interested in anyone but that tanned man whose hair looked as messy as it could be. He glanced at him and then took another sip of his .sake..
"Sorry, Naruto, I'm really tired, I got back from a mission two days ago and I still haven't slept yet", he overheard his crush excuse himself from being any longer in the party. The blond future Hokage sighed.
"Okay, Kiba, but don't go home by yourself, it's really late", he answered.
"But everyone is..."
"Let Neji take you home, okay? I'm sure he'll agree", Sai interrupted. The pearl-eyed man looked at Kiba with apparent carelessness, left the money and the tips for the barman and then waited for Kiba to start walking by his side.
"Hyuuga-san, you don't have to do this, I can protect myself...", someone could rarely describe Kiba as shy. No one ever really had called him that. But he was nervous and felt awkward. But just when Neji Hyuuga was around. He really suddenly was kind of clumsy, or forgot what he was doing before he came into his sight. He cursed himself in his mind.
"You're right. I don't have to do this", Kiba felt his heart hurt a bit, expecting the Hyuuga to leave him in the middle of the street at almost midnight. But Neji didn't stop or change the direction in which he was walking, "I want to", the brown-haired man added, almost muttering under his breath. With Kiba's keen senses, however, anyone could've heard it. And with an eye with half the sight of a Hyuuga's, anyone could've seen Kiba's deep blush. They got to the Inuzuka's territories, and Neji then stopped.
"Goodnight, Hyuuga-san", Kiba muttered, with traces of his earlier blushing still in his cheeks. Neji leaned down and gave him a sweet and soft kiss in his cheek. Kiba froze.
"Goodnight, Kiba-kun", he smiled a bit, and headed back home. He really didn't feel like going back to the party. He had a personal party in his head.
Next morning, Neji woke up to find a couple of big dogs watching carefully at him. They were definitely from de Inuzuka clan, but he still didn't understand what they were doing in his room in the bouke house. He sat in his bed's edge, the dogs retreated a bit, and a little more when Neji stood up.
"You're awake! Finally!", what in the world was Tsume Inuzuka doing in his house? The dogs seemed to relax when she entered Neji's room, "Do you want to have lunch and dinner with us today?", she asked. Neji blinked way more than usual, was she serious?
"Eh... I would love to...", he said, not really sure of what was going on.
"Perfect! Don't be late", Tsume hugged him and disappeared in a poof with her dogs. Late? Neji was NEVER late. Even if he were late sometimes, he would certainly be on time for something involving Kiba.
The Hyuuga didn't complicate his life to choose his clothes. Simple clothes as his everyday clothes, but they looked nicer. Some light-green-colored long-sleeved shirt, the usual cream pants, just not as loose (they adjusted to his ass cheeks a little, showing he had a really nice ass). Instead of sandals he wore some simple light grey slip-ons. And he was done. He didn't wear the apron-like thing.
He waited in the front door after he knocked. He knew he was about ten minutes early. Hana opened the door, and grinned at him.
"Hello, Neji-san. I'm glad you came", she said. Neji lifted the chocolate box, the flowers and the sake bottle he brought, everything from the Hyuuga compound. He had made the chocolates, though. Hana's eyes widened, "Oh, Neji-san! You really didn't have to bring something! I take the flowers are for my mother, the sake is mine and Kiba gets the chocolates..."
"I thought about the sake for Tsume-san, actually", Neji said. Hana smiled.
"Come in, lunch is going to be served soon", she invited. The Hyuuga removed his slip-ons and put the slippers he was being offered on. Kiba came down running, only with his jeans on, with his hair still damp and some droplets in his tanned and toned chest. Neji resisted the urge to kiss the adorable sight before him.
"Hana, I can't find my green t-shirt anywhere, and...", he interrupted himself abruptly when he noticed Neji was standing besides his sister. Crap, "Nevermind... hey, Neji"
"Hi, Kiba", the Hyuuga smirked. Kiba blushed and rushed back to his room in order to calm himself down. Kami, seeing Neji in those clothes was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. Neji smiled in his mind. He loved to see Kiba blush. He looked even cuter than he already was.
"So... Neji-kun, what have you been up too?", Tsume asked. Neji swallowed his food properly before answering.
"Not too much. Couple of missions here and there, training", he said casually. Tsume nodded.
"And... any relationships?", Kiba suddenly began to choke on his water. Neji helped him out, and got the Inuzuka to breathe normally. He then looked at Tsume, "Girls? Boys?"
"I'm really into guys, but I haven't had a serious relationship in a really long time", he answered.
"Anyone you like?", Hana asked, "Because I know some co-workers that would love to go out with you..."
"I'm not really interested, thank you. I actually have this crush... but... well...", before he could say anything else, an ANBU appeared in a poof, and turned to face the Hyuuga.
"The Hokage requires Hyuuga-san right away", he announced. Neji sighed.
"Sorry, Tsume-san, Hana-san, Kiba-kun. The food was delicious", he bowed and after the ANBU poofed away he made his way to the door, cursing in his mind the fact of being a high-ranked ninja that had to obey all those orders and to fulfill all those missions and to give most of his free time up. Seriously talking, this rarely bothered him, but he was having lunch with Kiba, his mother and his sister. When he was already walking at normal pace towards the tower, he felt someone holding his sleeve. He turned and saw Kiba, trying to recover his breath and with a slight blush. Kami, couldn't he help anymore?
"You owe us a dinner...", the dog boy finally said. Neji thought about it.
"Really?"
"Yes! Mom and Hana said it was okay, that they understand. But you owe me", Kiba spat out. Neji raised an eyebrow. Kiba blushed deeply, realizing that the Hyuuga didn't owe him crap, and expected the long-haired man to say something rude in return.
"Okay. When my mission is over, I'll take you out. See you later, Kiba", he leaned and kissed Kiba's forehead. He ignored the girls screaming in excitement, he ignored the shocked and frozen Kiba, and kept walking. A faint but real smile began to form in his thin lips. Today was a good day, after all.
Neji was breathing heavily. He had been a bit distracted, but that little distraction almost cost him his life. For once, he thought that maybe fate didn't control everything. If he had realized the danger he was in two seconds later than he did, he would've been dead in the middle of nowhere. And it would've been his fault, not fate's. It would be his fault that Kiba would keep waiting for him to take him out for dinner.
Just a few more meters, and he would be in Konoha's gates. He wished for someone to take him to the hospital as soon as possible. He was suffering of chakra depletion, not to mention the insane amount of blood he had lost. He felt like a walking corpse. If he could see himself, he also would think he looked like one. He was considering to give up, until someone found him in the edge of the forest, half dead. Then again, he remembered the warm forehead he had kissed two weeks ago before starting this stupid mission. He had to make it. He just had to.
Genma and Asuma happened to be chatting with Izumo and Kotetsu on the gates when they heard a really unusual noise. Footsteps and someone grunting in pain. They paid closer attention, and finally saw an ANBU figure coming out of the bushes, barely keeping his balance. His mask fell down, and the almost dead pearled eyes looked at them.
"Hospital", he muttered weakly.
"Take him with Tsunade-sama!", Kotetsu said, and Genma approached Neji. Carefully, he lifted him in bridal style. He almost dropped him, though, because Neji screamed in pain. For Neji to scream like this, it had to be bad. Asuma ran behind him.
Tsunade had really had a calm day. He saw Kiba approaching her. Again.
"Kiba, I already told you he'll be fine"
"He was supposed to return two days ago, it's odd that he arrives late... really odd", the Inuzuka whined. Tsunade sighed. She knew it. Neji never arrived late to turn in his missions' reports. On exceptions, but really few ones and it only was because someone on his team overslept or something ridiculous. On solo missions, however, it was worrying. Neji could return even before the due date of his missions. She was feeling a bit worried, but she knew that if she told Kiba that, the dog boy would go into a panic attack or even depression. Kiba cared that much about the Hyuuga. Oh, she knew.
The doors suddenly threw open, with an unconscious ANBU in Genma's arms. The blond woman realized who it was. She made some doctors take Kiba away while she arranged everything to heal him. She also sensed it. Chakra depletion. Crap, this was going to be hard...
In three days, Neji finally woke up. He felt exhausted. What was this place? Oh, the hospital he barely visited when someone in his life was stuck there. It smelled rather nice. Probably they had cinammon or apple disinfectant, because it smelled like that. He sniffed and turned his face to see a silver tray full of food. It looked delicious, almost precious. He suddenly realized how hungry he was.
Bacon, eggs, oatmeal with cinammon, pancakes with maple syrup, more bacon, one big glass of milk, another one of orange juice, a coffee cup filled with what smelled like roasted coffee grains, some sweet-looking pineapple and canteloupe, not to mention those red (really red) strawberries and the bananas. Kami, this was just paradise.
He immediately tried to reach something, anything, to calm his stomach down. But as soon as he tried, he realized he couldn't reach, it hurt. And he had serum connected to his arm, and in the other arm he had a tube that brought a red substance... blood transfusion. He sighed, defeated. Just perfect.
"I'm sure he's okay, Hana. Go back to work...", he heard Tsunade outside his room, "Kiba should be here shortly...", she sighed and entered the room, just to meat two light eyes staring at her, "Neji!"
"Tsunade-sama, the mission report...", he started.
"I already have checked it. I'm glad you could manage, but you didn't put why you were so injured", she said. Neji sighed.
"It was my fault. I got... distracted. There was one with a bit of life left, and while I was collecting the scroll... the axe cut my body like butter...", he explained, "Talking of which, I'm starving, woman, and all this delicious-looking food is just out of my reach!", he complained, a bit angry. The blond woman rolled her eyes, but the door opened and a worried Kiba emerged from it. Neji's upset face drastically changed into a slight smile. Tsunade left, closing the door behind her.
"Hey, Neji...", Kiba muttered. Neji smirked.
"Come closer, Kiba, please...", Kiba approached him, Neji managed to lift his head just enough to give Kiba a chaste kiss on his lips. He then retreated back to the pillow, where he was more comfortable. The Inuzuka blushed violently, but said nothing. He took the food tray and began feeding Neji.
"Tsunade said your arms would hurt. So I practiced by feeding Akamaru...", he admitted sheepishly.
"And how am I doing as a food receptor?", Neji asked, amused.
"Way better behaved than him", Kiba snorted, and both of them laughed. Kiba stopped when he heard Neji laugh. It was the sweetest and yet sexiest he had ever heard. The Hyuuga looked at him.
"Is something wrong?", he asked.
"Your laugh... is... beautiful", Kiba blushed again, but Neji managed to stroke softly his cheek.
"You are beautiful", he muttered. They kept in silence while Kiba fed him with what he thought was life. He was beginning to feel tired again, "Kiba... sleep with me...", the younger man nodded, made himself comfortable by Neji's side, and hugged him.
"When Genma brought you... I was scared", he confessed.
"Why?"
"I thought... I might lose you...", his voice trembled.
"Kiba..."
"I couldn't bear the thought. If you had died... I would've died too, Neji. Perhaps on the inside. My mother and my sister kept everything hurtful away from me for the last couple of days. I just can't live without you anymore... I love you, Neji Hyuuga", Kiba said. Neji kissed the top of the head of the smaller man.
"I just made it for you... I owe you a dinner, remember?", he chuckled a bit, "I love you so much, Kiba Inuzuka, I could not stand seeing you upset about something... let alone it being my fault"
"This breakfast makes up for the dinner", he muttered. He felt Neji's smile as he pulled him closer. "Sleep, love...", and both fell in deep sleep.