Sup! I recently tried out a "seven minutes in heaven with a Naruto boy" quiz and somehow got Neji, so I thought, "What the heck. Why not give Neji a little love?" Hence, this brain child is born! Meet Shizuka Uchiha, Sasuke's younger twin sister. Hope you guys like her!
Summary: Why did she have to play this stupid game? Now she was stuck in a closet with Neji Hyuuga for the next seven minutes. Oh boy.
Disclaimer:
Me: (scoots away from Sasuke a little bit) So, er, I don't have a choice, do I?
Sasuke: (glares at me) No, you don't. Now say it!
Me: (coughs) Okay… Sasuke's obviously not happy with Shizuka getting stuck in a closet with Neji, so I'll just get on with it. I don't own any recognizable Naruto characters. I do own Shizuka and pretty much anyone you don't know. (glances at Sasuke, who is still glaring at me) So, nice weather we're having, huh?
Sasuke: Hn.
Me: While Sasuke gets over the fact that his younger sister is stuck in a closet with Neji, I'll try and diffuse his anger while you guys read the story. Enjoy!
~SEVEN-MINUTES-IN-HEAVEN~
"Remind me again why I came?" Shizuka asked drily as she sat down next to Sakura.
"Because if you didn't, I would have dragged you kicking and screaming," the medic-nin answered, throwing a smile in her friend's direction.
Shizuka snorted with a slight smile on her face. "I would've liked to see you try."
She looked down at the drink in her hand, missing the soft smile her friend gave her. It had been a while since Sakura had seen Shizuka so carefree. The Uchiha was usually too busy worrying about her brothers to care about her own well-being. All she ever did anymore, it seemed, was train and worry. It didn't help that some of the villagers looked at her as if she was suddenly going to go into a killing rampage. Sakura sighed inwardly. She would have thought that knowing the Uchiha female for the past fifteen years, they would have known that she wouldn't do that. True, she was an awful lot like her brother, but they were very different as well. Yes, she trained so she could get stronger, but it was only because she wanted to be the one to fight her brother, whichever one that threatened to hurt Konoha. Not for revenge, not for her own gain, but for Konoha.
A smirk appeared on Sakura's face as she thought of what she and Ino had in store for the rest of the party goers. Maybe it would get Shizuka to relax a little…
Shizuka couldn't help but glance at her friend a little apprehensively. I have a feeling that smirk doesn't mean anything good for me, she thought, taking a sip of her drink.
"What are you thinking?" she asked, narrowing her onyx eyes at Sakura.
The smirk twisted into a deceptively innocent smile. "Oh, nothing," she said airily. "I'm just thinking about the next game we're playing." She smiled wider and Shizuka had to suppress a shudder. She had a feeling that couldn't mean anything good. "Actually, I have to find Ino."
She watched as the medic-nin disappeared into a room, dragging Ino along with her.
"What is she planning?" Shizuka muttered to herself, squinting at the closed door as if she could see through it.
At that moment, the two girls burst out of the room, holding two different bowls full of coloured paper.
"Guys, we're playing a game!" Ino yelled. Complaints filled the room, but they were silenced with a glare from the blonde. "We're playing Seven Minutes Of Heaven!"
Everyone groaned and Shizuka felt like ramming her head against the wall. She never liked that game. Oh great… now I'll have to be stuck in a closet with some guy who doesn't want to have anything to do with me, she thought, her eyes flicking around for some form of escape. Before she could move, an iron grip wrapped around her upper arm, causing her to wince slightly.
"Don't even think about it," Sakura hissed into her ear, setting her down onto the floor in a circle with everyone else.
"Sakura, I don't even like playing any of these games," the dark haired girl protested as she sat down between Naruto and Katsumi.
"Well, you're always either training or losing sleep over your brothers. Just try and have some fun," Sakura insisted softly. Shizuka pursed her lips, but nodded, exasperation evident on her features.
"Fine," she conceded, propping her chin in her hand.
Katsumi grinned at her, long canines flashing. "Well, don't you look excited?" the Inuzuka girl said sarcastically. Shizuka punched her in the shoulder lightly.
"Not all of us have a boyfriend to look forward to making out with," she countered as her friend turned red. Katsumi grinned, rolling her eyes.
"So you don't have any boy in particular in your mind?" Katsumi inquired, tilting her head to the side slightly as her hand went to the back of her head to ruffle her hair like Shizuka's teammate, Kiba often did.
Shizuka shook her head, a smirk playing on her glossed lips. "Do I look like the type to have a boy on my mind?"
"Do I?" Katsumi shot back, a smirk of her own curving her lips.
"Yes," the Uchiha replied cheekily. No more was said then as a box was shoved in front of Shizuka's face.
She looked up at Ino, raising an eyebrow. "What am I supposed to do?"
The blonde rolled her eyes a little. "Pick a piece of paper. Were you paying attention to my instructions at all just now?"
Shizuka and Katsumi shared a glance, struggling to keep their laughter under control. "Maybe," Shizuka replied nonchalantly, her face perfectly straight.
Ino rolled her eyes, this time more obviously. "Just pick a piece already."
Shizuka held up her hands in a placating gesture, picking up the first piece of paper she got. She raised an eyebrow as she snagged a light pink paper. She stared at it dubiously thinking, I really don't want to play this game…
"What am I supposed to do with it?" she asked, staring at the piece of paper as if it was going to blow up in her hands.
Ino looked disapprovingly at the Uchiha, arms on her hips. "You'd know if you had listened to my instructions earlier," the blonde ranted, clearly annoyed with her. "Just hold onto it and don't go anywhere." She punctuated the last three words with a glare.
With that, she shoved the box into Katsumi's face impatiently, causing the Inuzuka to pluck a piece from the box almost wearily. Then, Katsumi looked over at Shizuka, who wasn't even bothering to cover up the smirk on her face. She shook her head.
"You really shouldn't rile her up so much," she chided, an amused smile on her face. Shizuka grinned, shrugging a shoulder.
"Maybe," she admitted a glint in her eye. "But you have to admit, it's fun!"
Katsumi rolled her eyes good-naturedly as Sakura called for everyone's attention. "Okay, now that everyone's had their slips of paper, we can start the game. Okay, remember, if we call out the color of your slip of paper, you go in the closet. Okay, first color: purple!"
Shizuka and Katsumi both shared a giggle as Kiba and Hinata looked at each other a little awkwardly before entering the closet. Shizuka couldn't help but laugh at how awkward it must be for her teammate to get stuck in a closet with the ever-shy Hinata. She had a feeling Katsumi was grinning for a similar reason. If there were any two people that made a worse couple, Kiba and Hinata were it.
Katsumi couldn't help but glance at her friend. Yes, she was acting like everything was fine and dandy, but she knew better. Sasuke might have been her teammate, but Sasuke was Shizuka's brother. Her twin brother. Katsumi didn't know what she would have done if Kiba had tried anything like that. Probably break down or hunt down her brother and drag him back, kicking and screaming. She was impressed Shizuka did neither.
Then again, it might not have been by choice. Shizuka was probably ordered by Tsunade-sama herself to stay in the village. That was the only reason Katsumi would think of for the Uchiha to not go after her brother.
They were particularly close due to the fact that they knew what it felt like to be the youngest in their family, if only by a few minutes. They knew how over-protective older brothers could be, especially older twin brothers. They especially knew how hard it was to wait on the sidelines for them to come home, since their brothers were both on different teams.
It hurt that she couldn't do anything to help her. Shizuka was her friend, yet she couldn't relate. Not really. Kiba hadn't gone off and betrayed Konoha. He hadn't left her behind.
Shizuka wasn't the same. Not ever since Sasuke left. Admittedly, Katsumi was a little more weary herself, but the change in Shizuka was much more evident. She was almost withdrawn, but she hadn't pushed anyone away. She just wasn't herself.
Shizuka caught the look Katsumi was given her. "I'm fine," she reassured the Inuzuka, the words familiar on her tongue. It was such a well-told lie that Shizuka almost believed it. Almost.
She looked like she didn't believe her, but didn't press the issue. They were at a party, and this was no place to bring up such a solemn topic.
As the seven minutes were up, the two teammates of Team Eight walked out of the closet, cheeks a bright red. Well, Hinata's were bright red while Kiba's always were due to the marks on his cheeks, but you get the point. Shizuka eyed her teammates, resolving to pester them about what had happened in the seven minutes they were together in the closet when she heard her own color being called.
"Pink!" Ino called. Shizuka groaned, rolling her eyes slightly. She wrinkled her nose as Katsumi pushed her up, shoving her forward.
"Alright, alright, I'm going," she grumbled, throwing a smirk over her shoulder at her friend. She looked up to see who she would be sharing a closet with and stopped herself from cringing as she looked up into the pale, pupil less eyes of Neji Hyuuga.
The two shinobi stared at each other for a moment, unaware of the hush that had descended over those who were watching. It was a known fact that they had never really gotten along. The reason was unknown, but it didn't matter. They were just too different, or perhaps they were too alike.
Ino and Sakura shot each other a look as the two jounin didn't make a move toward the closet, only staring each other, rooted to their spots.
"Ne, Shizuka, you have to move," Kiba said, nudging the girl toward the closet. She shot her teammate a look, glaring at the grin he gave her. She could practically hear his taunting 'revenge is sweet' as she slowly made her way to the dark closet.
She leaned against the back wall, watching as the Hyuuga slowly made his way into the closet. They didn't make eye contact, looking at anywhere but each other. The moment he stepped in, Ino slammed the door, shouting, "Okay! You guys have seven minutes! Try not to kill each other!"
Ino looked over at Sakura, whispering, "You don't think they'll end up killing each other, do you?"
Sakura looked at the closet a little apprehensively, shrugging. "I… can't really say," she said slowly, shaking her head slightly.
They were on opposite sides of the closet, an invisible line drawn between the two of them. They never made any move to talk to each other or even turn on the light. Their eyes were slowly adjusting to the darkness, making it possible for them to see faint outlines of each other. Then again, they were shinobi, and shinobi relied on other senses to tell where a person is.
Shizuka suppressed a sigh, her onyx eyes flickering to the door. Why did she have to play this stupid game? Now she was stuck in a closet with Neji Hyuuga for the next seven minutes. Oh boy.
The air was tense and awkward between the both of them. It was no secret that the Hyuuga detested the Uchiha. Shizuka had no particular love for him either. He was arrogant, self-righteous and relied too much on destiny and fate and not enough on free will.
"Uchiha," he said tersely, his eyes never straying from her tense form.
"Hyuuga," she replied curtly. The closet was small, which meant if she reached out her arm, the two of them would be touching. Shizuka never liked small spaces, and she liked this even less since she was so close to the one person in the village she didn't like. She didn't know what power had caused the two of them to pick the same coloured paper, but she was sure they were having a real laugh right now. "What are you doing here? I didn't peg you for the type to go to parties."
"I suppose I could say the same for you," he retorted. "You're always training. Getting ready to fight that brother of yours?"
Her fists clenched at her sides as she forced herself to stay calm. She would not give him the satisfaction of being the first to break down. "No. I like to keep sharp. I don't get cocky like you do."
His eyes narrowed at her. She had a feeling it was the only sign of annoyance he would allow himself. "I don't get cocky."
"Could've fooled me. You sure seem to get cocky an awful lot. Or maybe that's just the way you act around me."
"Maybe it's because it's you. I suppose you have to be, being an Uchiha."
"Being an Uchiha has nothing to do with that. I'm not cocky."
He scoffed. "You are too much like your brother, Uchiha."
"I am not like him," she snarled softly, stepping closer to get in his face. "Don't compare me to someone you don't know."
"I don't need to know him to know that he betrayed his own village and his family and friends in his quest for power," he sneered.
"Watch what you say, Hyuuga, or you might not walk out of here," she threatened quietly, her voice soft yet deadly.
"I'm merely stating the truth. I didn't expect you to be able to face it."
She laughed lowly, her tone sarcastic when she spoke, masking her anger. "Your arrogance never ceases to amaze me."
"And your ability to deny your destiny never ceases to amaze me."
"There you go again, talking about destiny and fate and all that crap."
"When will you ever learn? Destiny isn't something you can fight."
"That's where you're wrong, as usual. You rule your own destiny; you rule your own fate. It isn't something that's planned. It just is."
"Why would you say that?" he asked. He sounded honestly curious and baffled, as though he didn't get why she would think that way.
"If it is true, according to destiny," scorn dripped off the word, "I would have – should have – followed my brother and gone to Orochimaru to get power and try to defeat Itachi. Well, I'm still here, aren't I?"
He was quiet. There was nothing he could say to that. It was true. Her destiny had been to follow after her brother. Yet, she didn't. All those years ago, it had been Naruto's destiny to be defeated, but it was Neji who was knocked unconscious instead. Perhaps they were right, but it went against everything he knew.
"You just don't know when to give up," he finally said. As they argued, they had moved closer to each other until they were inches away. He could see her much clearly now. Ser onyx eyes were flashing with a fire he often noticed appear whenever she was passionate about something. She truly believed her words. Then again, so did he.
"And you don't know when to admit you're wrong," she shot back. "Get off your high horse, Hyuuga. Not everyone can be right all the time."
"I hope you realise that applies to you too."
"Of course I do. My head's not as big as yours."
"My head isn't big. Not as big as your mouth, that is."
"If my mouth is so big, why don't you know when to shut yours?"
"Why don't you?"
"Who says I don't?"
"I do. I'm sure there are a few people who would agree."
"And I'm sure you'll be hard pressed to find any."
At this point, they were shooting responses back at each other without thinking. It came instinctively, the scathing retorts and biting remarks. Yet, there was something in the air that had changed as they were having this conversation. It wasn't that obvious a shift, but it certainly wasn't ignored.
They seemed to be gravitating towards each other against their own will. It was subconscious and instinctive. It wasn't unpleasant, but it wasn't the most wonderful thing in the world either. It made them feel like there was something itching under their skin, pushing them closer. It was out of control, and neither of them were used to that.
"How can you be so sure about that?" he queried, his voice uncharacteristically soft considering the argument they were having. Shizuka could detect the slightest note of anger simmering under the surface, in his gaze, his posture. She was getting under his skin, the same way he was getting under hers.
"I just am," she replied, the heat missing from her voice, but the anger underlying it prominent. Her voice was soft, like whipped cream or those white clouds Shikamaru liked to watch. "Unless you want to be the first to prove me wrong?"
He leaned forward slightly, his breath caressing her lips. His eyes were narrowed slightly as he whispered harshly, "I suppose that wouldn't be too hard."
"That's what you think," she breathed, her lips ghosting over his.
Without any warning, he leaned forward, his lips capturing hers in a heated, almost angry kiss. Her body tensed in shock before her lids slowly closed, her hands making their way to his shoulders as his wrapped around her waist.
Her thoughts were fuzzy and disjointed. She couldn't think beyond the feel of Neji's lips on hers and the feel of his hands on her waist, drawing small circles on the fabric.
She didn't understand. She didn't like him… right? It seemed so wrong, yet so right, the feel of his lips on hers and his hands on her sensitive body and just… everything. No, it didn't make any sense, but that didn't mean it didn't feel good. In fact, it felt too good.
She didn't realise he had been walking her backwards until her back hit the wall of the closet lightly. Her hands on his shoulders tightened slightly before she was distracted by his tongue sweeping across her lips, causing her to part them involuntarily. Their tongues tangled in a fierce battle for dominance. They were both stubborn, neither wanting to back down.
They were shinobi, however, and not all battles were won by fair means. He slipped his hands underneath her shirt, the feel of his hands on her bare skin a shock to her system. She gasped lightly, her lapse of concentration making it easy for him to slip into her mouth. His tongue swept across her mouth possessively. In the back of her mind, she couldn't help but think he had no such claim, but the rest of her felt a thrill that she could feel all the way to her toes.
Suddenly, his lips left hers as he jumped away, their heavy breathing filling the small closet. Shizuka leaned against the wall, lifting her heavy lids as her sluggish brain tried to comprehend his reason for his sudden release.
It was then that she felt Ino nearing the door, ready to open it. She inwardly cursed herself for not being the first to notice it. She prided herself in her uncanny awareness of her surroundings, yet one touch of his lips and her senses were scattered.
He shouldn't even have gotten in that close, Shizuka snapped at herself, frustrated at how easily she had gotten distracted.
She had just managed to regulate her erratic breaths when the door swung open, leaving both jounin to blink at the sudden brightness.
"Ha! I told you they'd be fine," Ino exclaimed, tugging Shizuka away from the wall she was leaning against. "See?"
Define fine, Shizuka thought distractedly as she gave Sakura a sarcastic smile. "I didn't know you guys were thinking we'd kill each other," she quipped, forcing herself not to look back. She could feel him walking out of the closet, heading off in a completely opposite direction.
Sakura laughed nervously. "Of course not," she scoffed, before scanning her face. "Are you okay? You look a little distracted."
Shizuka forced herself to focus on the present, not the way his lips had felt on hers, or the feel of his hands…
"I'm fine," she replied, keeping her tone light. "I'm just a little tired. I think I'll make my way home."
Without waiting for Sakura's reply, the jounin brushed past her friend, making her way out of the house. She took a deep breath of the cool air. It was autumn now, and the air had a biting chill to it, but she paid it no attention.
It was a lapse of judgment, she decided as she made her way to the Uchiha compound. It was probably nothing. All that anger had to go somewhere. True, it was an odd way for the anger to show itself, but that was all it was nonetheless.
She didn't like him, he didn't like her. It was that simple.
So why did it feel so right? They were so wrong for each other, but that minute they had spent so close to each other had felt so right.
Shizuka sighed, suppressing a groan. It was beginning to drive her crazy!
She shook her head. She wasn't going to think about this. Not now, not ever. Besides, she had bigger things to worry about. It was just a little bit crazy. It was nothing.
Even if it did feel good.
~SEVEN~MINUTES~IN~HEAVEN~
Me: Well, I guess the ending could have gone a bit better. Well, Sasuke and I look forward to your reviews!
Sasuke: (glares at me)
Me: (clears throat) I mean, I look forward to your reviews. (mutters to Sasuke) Please don't kill me.
Sasuke: Hn.
~Alex