Helping Hands

nejisaku

Prologue

If Neji Hyuuga had been more careful in his last ANBU mission, he would not be in the predicament he would soon be in. Although his last assignment was successful (as always) he almost never returns home unscathed. This time, both arms were badly broken and some of his internal organs were directly injured. He suffered mild cuts and bruises, and his body was in constant pain; however, it wasn't anything he couldn't stand. Just a couple of hits would have probably ended his life sooner, but he managed to destroy the enemy at the last minute.

After a couple weeks of healing at the hospital, Hyuuga Hiashi decided that Neji should finish the rest of the healing process at home. Of course, being the good nephew that he is, he agreed without putting up a fight. The relationship between himself and his uncle had gotten far better than it used to be, and he even considered Hiashi to be his father figure.

If healing at home meant that he would not have to deal with other people, preferably the head medic herself, then he would rather be in the comfort of his own home than in the hands of the hospital. Hiashi offered to come and retrieve his nephew, but Neji would not have any of it. He refused to be a burden to his uncle, or anyone for that matter.

Much to Neji's distaste, the ever so cheerful teammate of his coincidentally stopped by just as he was preparing to leave his hospital room. Lee, the ever-so-happy shinobi, decided against the Hyuuga's will to help him pack.

"Where do you want me to put your underwear?"

Neji growled irritably in response. "Don't touch my undergarments Lee." How the hell did he find it anyway? Neji shook his head, disgruntled.

The spandex clad man dropped the said piece of clothing onto the bed, only to come up with another stupendously annoying question.

"Your arms are badly injured! Would you like for me to do your hair? I bet I can tie the most dazzling ponytail in Konoha in the record time of thirty seconds-"

"No thank you," Neji drawled out the admission.

"Are you sure you don't want me to carry you home? It would be utterly beneficial to my training!" Lee declared, swinging the thumps up sign towards himself. Neji frowned disbelievingly.

"For your information, my legs are perfectly fine," the ANBU captain grumbled in a highly agitated manner .

"Well then," Lee said hesitantly. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"No."

Konoha's handsome devil resembled that of a lost puppy left out in the rain at such a cold hearted reply, which caused for the Hyuuga prodigy to immediately regret his harsh words. It wasn't like Lee was doing anything that certainly wasn't advantageous to him, but his proud Hyuuga pride refused to accept assistance as long as he can help it.

But with both arms encased in a cast, it was impossible for him to carry his own belongings home.

Dammit.

Neji Hyuuga had no choice but to ask Lee for his help, and instantly, the taijutsu user's eyes brightened like an easily excitable child. Lee slung Neji's drawstring bag over his shoulder and his lips curled into his trademark grin. He was always happy to be of help, especially towards his teammate who never asked for anything.

"Do not fret Neji! No matter what, I will send you home safely and soundly."

Neji fought the urge to roll his eyes.

At the same time, the young men heard the click of the door opening. The head medic, the last person Neji wanted to see, entered his room with a clipboard in her arm. Slender fingers brushed a strand of pink hair behind her ear, and emerald eyes shone with pride and confidence. The white lab coat she wore was a bit too large for her petite frame, but it does not seem to faze her in the least. Her black boots protruded underneath the hem of the coat, and a stethoscope hung loosely upon her long, pale neck. Her heels tapped the tiled floor as she walk towards the two male shinobi.

Neji frowned distastefully. Sakura met his displeased expression with a bright smile, which only succeeded to irk him more. She looked away from him and her gaze settled on Lee.

"What a nice surprise! I'm glad to see you here, Lee san!" Sakura Haruno said as she uncapped a pen. "Are you here to send Neji home?"

"Y-yes! Nice to see you here too Sakura-chan. I have the privilege to be of use to Neji today!"

Rock Lee saluted in a goofy manner, and in returned, she rewarded him with a pretty bubble of laughter.

"That's very honorable of you! You're a great friend!" Sakura condoled in a friendly manner. "It's too bad that Neji san doesn't have the same enthusiasm you have."

The man in question raised an elegant brow at the statement. Emerald eyes averted to her solemn and ever so difficult patient.

"That expression of yours is very welcoming, Hyuuga san. Was asking for a sample of your urine that much of a humiliation?" She asked sweetly, but there was nothing sugary behind her true incentive.

If looks can kill, then Sakura would have been a victim of Neji's resentful glare. He couldn't help reddening at such a ridiculous articulation. When he said nothing, Sakura sighed and looked down at her clipboard.

Lee's eyes widened with disbelief at what had just happened. Sakura actually dared to speak of a proud mighty Hyuuga in such a fashion! The student of the fifth Hokage was truly an amazing woman. The look on Neji's face was priceless. He made a mental note to himself to laugh at his teammate in secret when he's no longer around.

"Well, because Hiashi san specifically requested that you leave early, I really don't have the authority to say no since the worst of your injuries have already healed. And broken bones can mend themselves after a couple weeks or so. In about four weeks, I will be able to take them off your arms."

Just as Neji opened his mouth to speak, Lee beat him to it.

"Yes," he answered cheerfully. "I will especially send Neji here myself!"

"That will not be necessary," Neji said with a suspicious calm. "I'd like to request another doctor the next time I should feel the need to come here."

The pinkette smirked. The prodigy's silver eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"You're right, Hyuuga san. A hospital visit won't be necessary," Sakura mentioned. "But as for your request for a change of a doctor, I'm afraid it cannot be done."

"And why not?" He dared to ask.

In return, Sakura walked towards the door and looked behind her lithe shoulder mischeviously.

"The reason is simple. Hiashi san has asked me to take care of you in your home until you're fully recovered. He was even kind enough to send a fellow Hyuuga to retrieve my toiletries and clothing," Sakura explained, enjoying the color drain from Neji's face a lot more than she should. "So in the next couple of weeks, you will be in my intensive care. I hope you would recover quickly. The sooner you heal, the sooner you are able to bid me farewell."

Her smile widened at Neji's laughable facial features. He appeared to be mortified and greatly disturbed by the news.

"Why did you agree to it, Haruno?" Neji spat in a highly irritated manner.

Sakura shrugged in response. "I'm a nice person by nature Neji." She smiled a deadly smile.

Bullshit, Neji thought incredulously. Being nice is totally out of this woman's range. Ever since he had set foot into this hospital, she has done nothing but humiliate him in ways he never thought possible.

Having both his arms broken had made him completely vulnerable. He was not able to use the bathroom without Sakura ordering someone else to pull down his pants for him, and to his horror, the said person was a gay medic nurse who always eyed his buttocks as he pissed. When Neji informed the pink haired medic of the issue, she laughed him off and told him to "calm his tits" and that "Wakaoji is an extremely straight man." Neji begged to differ.

He could not eat without someone feeding him. Sakura usually sent one of the staff members to do the job, and to his utter mortification, the young nurse , Saori was her name, had a huge undeniable crush on him. She always lingers too near and oh-so-accidentally brush her hands against him inappropriately at his lower regions when she was supposed to be focusing on what's above that level. The thought made him a tad bit angry.

There was also a worst situation. An older woman named Reira used to help him dress, but she was always trying too hard to flirt with him. Not to mention the fact that she took advantage of his helplessness once and almost raped him at one time. To say that Neji was terrified was an understatement. It was something he could not forget even if he tried, and he even had plenty of nightmares about Reira. He shuddered at the thought. That was definitely the last time she dressed and undressed him. Neji had argued long and hard with Sakura about replacing the person who dresses him, and for a while, Sakura refused. In the end, she relented because Neji was becoming an increasingly stubborn patient and refused to allow anyone to touch him if Reira was not replaced as soon as possible.

Then just the other day, she wanted a sample of his urine. Neji could not and would not forgive her. The said woman's voice broke through his thoughts.

"And Hiashi san has agreed to help me pay rent for the rest of the year, so I could not resist the offer of course."

Neji glowered at the medic nin in response. How dare she take advantage of the Hiashi so disrespectfully? This woman was the devil!

Seeing is obvious look of distress, she chuckled and planted a hand on his shoulder.

"Relax! I was only kidding," Sakura said, laughing mirthfully. She blinked, suddenly remembering something.

"Oh! I almost forgot! I came by to tell you that your medication is at the pharmacy window on your way out. Please do not forget to take two pills a day. One in the morning and one at night. It's to reduce pain. I'll come by and visit you later when my work here is done, since Lee is kind enough to accompany you home. Right Lee?"

Lee flinched, standing tall with both arms down his side. "Yes ma'am! I will take Neji home safely and soundly! Just count on it!"

"And Neji. Don't you worry. I won't stare at you while you pee, I won't touch you while you eat, and I will not rape you. So just relax!"

Before Sakura had the chance to admire Neji's adamantly red face, she stepped out of the room and closed the door. Lee's jaw dropped to the floor, and Neji cursed inwardly.

"That is not true," the silver eyed man muttered to his teammate spitefully.

"R-right," Lee agreed, swallowing the strong urge to giggle. He had never seen Neji so flushed, embarrassed out of his mind and angry.

This was certainly an amusing story to tell Tenten. He will definitely laugh in secret later.

a/n: Hello there! I thought I'd give NejiSaku a try since I'm quite fond of this pairing, and there's never enough of it! Hopefully I will be inspired to write some more, because I have already have a feeling where this is heading. I apologize for such a short chapter, or prologue, but it is necessary in order to jump start the story! This is un-beta'd, so all mistakes are mine. :) Thanks...and the best thing you can leave for me is constructional criticism or an inspirational word of kindness!