My next oneshot NejiSaku fic. What is this, the twelfth, thirteenth NejiSaku story I've written...?? XD
Summary: Neji is a boxer, and likes to go to this one bar every night. One night, he notices that the people who own the bar hired a girl to sing; a girl who seems to unintentionally see his personal problems and draw them to the surface and ease them through singing.
Disclaimer: ...Does anyone have an ice pack? Anyone??
--Sanded Silk-- ♥
This was a bad day.
Neji closed his eyes as he leaned back in his bar stool, visions of his earlier match- which ended in him loosing- replaying in his head against his will. Stupid Uzumaki Naruto...
The loss that Neji suffered not only soiled his reputation; it also slightly damaged his self-confidence. Uzumaki Naruto was a short, insanely-perky blonde, with an annoyingly-large amount of confidence and optimism. Neji was completely sure that he would pummel Naruto within five minutes.
Of course, that was until Naruto ended up triumphant.
Neji raised his hand to take another sip of his drink, eyes closed despite the fact that it was already quite dark in the room.
Suddenly, a random, loud-mouth voice blared into an invisible microphone; "And now, please welcome our newest singer; Haruno Sakura!!!" Pause. "I did mention that we were recruiting a new singer for the bar yesterday to you all, didn't I...?" The crowd responded with various grunts of annoyance. The loud-mouth guy quickly handed the microphone- which Neji could see perfectly clearly now- to a young woman that Neji hadn't recognized earlier, who could only have been the Haruno Sakura that the announcer had referred to.
She was wearing a midnight-blue, sleevless turtleneck that stretched tightly over her hips and came to a lacy stop a few inches above her knees. A long strip of skin showed between the hem of the belted turtleneck and the tall pair of black, leathery boots that she wore. Her hair, which brushed her slim shoulders and was parted down the middle, was a vibrant cherry-pink, and her eyes an equally-vibrant emerald green.
As she held her microphone to her petite mouth, she smiled serenely at the crowd. The loudness of the room went down a notch.
The piano music started. At first, Neji didn't know what the song was, but as the music progressed, he realized that the pianist was playing a different, piano-only version of the song "Bad Day" by Daniel Powter.
This version was actually more likable than the blaring, original version of the song. This song was calmer, more controlled, almost softer. Unlike the original song, this version also recquired a larger variety of piano notes to be used, which Neji liked. He disliked how modern singers reserved their music to one portion of the piano.
The young woman parted her rosy lips and began to sing.
Where is the moment we needed the most
You kick up the leaves and the magic is lost
They tell me your blue skies fade to grey
They tell me your passion's gone away
And I don't need no carrying on
You stand in the line just to hit a new low
You're faking a smile with the coffee to go
You tell me your life's been way off line
You're falling to pieces everytime
And I don't need no carrying on
Neji sat up straighter, and felt his spirits lift slightly, though his face probably didn't show any sign of the change.
Cause you had a bad day
You're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don't know
You tell me don't lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride
You had a bad day
The camera don't lie
You're coming back down and you really don't mind
You had a bad day
Neji was dimly aware of the fact that he was losing himself in the voice of this mysterious young woman. Her voice was amazing; not too loud and not too soft, and crystal clear, yet humble and unobstrusive. As she swept her eyes over the crowd, smiling a sweet, innocent smile, her emerald eyes caught Neji's pearl ones for a split second.
As she continued singing, Neji realized that her words had strengthened him; not physically, but more in a spiritual way. Her words helped him lift his chin slightly higher, and he listened intently to every word of the song as she sang to the end, voicing her comfort to him subconsciously.
---
The next day arrived and slipped away. Neji spent the morning training. In the afternoon, he had a match with a fighter who greatly resembled a dog name Inzuka Kiba. Kiba, however, had insanely deceptive tricks up his sleeve, and Neji came very close to loosing at various times during the match. He pulled out triumphant, however.
He headed towards the bar after a quick shower, more eager to listen to Sakura's alluring voice than to drink. He wondered what she would sing about today as he walked in and settled down in his usual seat, waiting.
This time, she was wearing a long, simple, strapless gown with a long slit down one side. It was wine-red, and set off her green eyes nicely. Her heels, strappy and thin-heeled, matched the hue of her dress.
She held the microphone to her mouth and, after the introduction, began to sing, in a stubborn voice to show emphasis.
Well you think that you can take me on
You must be crazy
There ain't a single thing you've done
That's gonna phase me
Oh, but if you want to have a go
I just want to let you know...
The music suddenly began to blare, but Neji barely noticed. This was almost exactly what dog-boy had said before and while they were fighting; taunting him, telling Neji off, trying to hurt Neji's confidence, even bringing up the fact that Neji had lost to Uzumaki Naruto the other day.
Sakura stomped a heeled foot and threw her head stubbornly and sexily, a glint appearing in her eyes. Her very soul poured into the song as she competed with the volume of the music to make herself heard as she continued singing.
Get off my back and into my game
Get out of my way and out of my brain
Get outta my face or give it you best shot
I think it's time you better face the fact
Get off my back
She half-shouted, half-sang the last phrase, making a lasting impact on Neji. As he listened to her sing, almost in a daze, he realized with a small jolt that...well, he may have been just a little cocky about his triumph when he was throwing fighting words at dog-boy afterwards. Just a little. Nevertheless, the defeat was probably something that hurt Kiba deeply, because Kiba had beaten Naruto in previous matches.
Neji felt a twist of guilt knot in his stomach as he listened to the rest of the song, slightly disturbed.
---
The next day, there were no matches for Neji to participate in. He spent the whole day training, and returned to his apartment promptly after the training session was over. He took a long hot shower, wondering what Sakura would sing about today.
As he stepped outside the apartment building, he noticed a flash of pink hair and looked up. Sakura was walking by him, wearing a jacket over a blouse and a pair of black sacks, probably heading for the bar.
Uncertain, Neji slowly walked toward her. How was he going to present himself?
The chance presented itself almost immediately after this thought crossed his mind. She tripped over a piece of lingering trash on the ground. Instinctively, Neji reached out and caught her around her slim hips, easily setting her back onto her feet.
She looked slightly shaken at being helped up by a stranger, before she squinted slightly at him with her big emerald eyes.
"You..." She stepped back from him, tapping her chin. "I've seen you before."
"Hyuuga Neji."
She snapped her fingers. "Oh! You're that famous fighter dude guy thing... the one that lost to loud-mouthed Naruto, then beat dog-boy Kiba..." She looked sheepish at her outburst.
He mockingly snapped his fingers. "And you're that Haruno Sakura singer person from the bar around the corner from here that I go to every night to unwind!"
Her eyes widened. "Oh," She mouthed. "That's where I remember seeing you." She smiled up at him. "You're hard to forget, with those silver eyes of yours."
Neji shrugged. It was too easy to make friends with strangers nowadays, he thought to himself.
"Well, I'm heading over right now. Do you want to come, or do you have something else to do?"
Neji shrugged again, looking away slightly. "Nah, I'll come with you."
She smiled again, and turned to head for the bar.
He easily caught up with her. "So, what song are you singing tonight?"
"I Hope You Dance."
"...Huh?"
Sigh. "If you've never head of it, then you'll hear it tonight."
"...Ah. Ok."
---
When they finally got to the bar, Sakura waved at Neji, unable to speak above the noise, and headed for the stage. He sat down in his usual seat and stared at the stage, ready.
She stepped onto the stage, and gave Neji a small smile before waiting for the introduction to begin.
I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat
But always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed
I hope you still feel small
When you stand by the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance...
I hope you dance,
I hope you dance...
Neji held his breath. She was singing this song specifically for him.
I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Living might mean taking chances
But they're worth taking
Lovin' might be a mistake
But it's worth making
Don't let some hell bent heart
Leave you bitter
When you come close to selling out
Reconsider
Give the heavens above
More than just a passing glance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance...
She glanced at Neji and smiled into the microphone.
I hope you dance
(Time is a real and constant motion always)
I hope you dance
(Rolling us along)
I hope you dance
(Tell me who)
I hope you dance
(Wants to look back on their youth and wonder)
(Where those years have gone)
The music came to a close. People around Neji clapped loudly, some cheering. Neji sat back, and smiled up at Sakura. She just smiled back. He didn't need to clap to let her know how much he appreciated her making his day.
A/N: Argh!!! Choppy ending again, choppy ending again... ARGH, WHY DO I SUCK AT ENDINGS SO MUCH!!!???
...Oh. --ahem--
--Attempts to smile camly-- YAY!! I finished this in time for Valentine's Day! Even though it's, like, ten o'clock at night!!! --sarcastically happy-- Please tell me what you think! (ducks from tomatoes)
--Sanded Silk-- ♥