A/N: Sorry for the hella late update...there were just a lot of things going on hehe...so here's the next chappie :) I hope you all like it ^_^
Also, I would like to say thank you to all those who reviewed/followed/favourited this story. It means a lot to me so thank you again! Enjoy ! :p
Chapter 2
"Yamanaka-san, aren't you going to order anything?" Neji asked after they'd seated and he placed his order, causing Ino to cringe as she paled a little.
"E…Eh? Me? No thank you, I'm not hungry…" She insisted, but her stomach begged to differ when it growled, loud enough for the boy sitting next to her to hear. She flushed in embarrassment, sputtering something incomprehensible to her own ears. What was going on with her? She wanted to curse, but her muddled head faced with embarrassment couldn't form the words. The blonde's ears suddenly perked up when he heard a stifling sound coming from her companion and when she turned to look at him, it turned into a series of coughs.
"Neji? Are you alright?" She asked sincerely but then her brow twitched when she realized, though he hid it well, that he was laughing at her. How the hell could someone laugh while keeping a straight face? Ino idly wondered. Well…he wasn't called a genius for nothing.
"I'm fine…" He cleared his throat, taking a sip of water that he'd also ordered. Ino's stomach growled once more and she sighed, regretting the fact that she didn't pick up any money when she decided to roam the village earlier on, but how could she have known she would end up here…with Neji of all people.
"Do you not want me to pay for you so much that you'd go to the extent of not eating when you're clearly hungry?" He asked her, his tone even and serious and she was surprised that he read the situation so well, that he knew everything without her having to say a word. She smiled but then it slowly turned into a smirk; her bout of teasing wasn't over yet.
"And you said it wasn't a date…" She murmured as she turned her full profile to him, crossing her legs carefully, tapping a finger against her chin in playful thought.
"It's not…unless you want to pay for yourself?" It was his turn to smirk and Ino rolled her eyes with a chuckle.
"Fine, you got me there but don't think I take losing so easily…I don't like to lose so I'll have my revenge." She stated with vindication and she swore for the briefest moment that she saw a slight quirk of his lips. Then she mentally sighed, shaking her head because this was Neji and, the possibility of that happening was next to none. It was getting tiresome the way her brain played tricks with her when a certain Hyuuga was involved…she didn't like it. Not one bit.
"Hn…" He took another sip of his water-was it that tasty?-and then turned back to her. "So…what will you be having?"
"I'll have the same as you, if you please." Ino offered a smile his way but it went in vain since he turned away from her to order her meal. A little while after, their meals arrived and they sat in silence as they ate, the blonde taking swift glances at the brunet, admiring the contours of his perfectly sculpted face as he ate. Her pulse quickened as she stared, her cheeks getting more heated as the seconds ticked on. Neji couldn't possibly be the cause of this right? Ino thought but then she giggled. No way in hell. The weather was hot out so that had to be the cause.
"I feel very uncomfortable eating while you stare at me like that, if there's something on my face please let me know, Yamanaka-san," Neji turned to face her and their eyes caught, causing Ino's breath to get caught in her throat. She'd always known how pretty his eyes were, hell everyone in the Hyuuga clan had them so she was used to it by now, but seeing it so close up locked with her own pale blue ones had her trapped. The girl chuckled sheepishly.
"No it's not that, I just wanted to ask you a question but it's a stupid one," She said nervously, wracking her brain as much as she could for a question to ask.
"No question is a stupid question once you can learn from it," he deadpanned, a solemn expression covering his face.
"Oh? I wanted to ask what shampoo you use to get your hair looking so flawless. I mean, seriously…do you know how much I have to do to get this?" She pointed to her own hair with an exasperated sigh and then she noted that this was really the most she ever heard from Neji. They'd been on countless missions together, in a group of course, but aside from giving out orders, he was like a moving wall…He never said anything unless it was absolutely necessary, no matter how many times Ino tried to strike up conversations with him…and boy did she try. She might as well have been talking to herself. Maybe he just didn't like talking to other people? Or socializing on a whole? Why were genius' so aloof and anti-social? The questions bombarded her mind one after the other, Hyuuga Neji the center of them all.
"I don't use any in particular," He stated after a moment of thought, ripping her out of her own thoughts easily.
"Eh? Really? I'm envious…" Ino trailed off. It was really unfair though, Neji put little to no effort in his hair and yet it always looked so perfect but hers on the other hand… Suddenly there was a loud explosion like sound that rocked the village and at once, like clockwork, both Neji and Ino, as shinobis of Konoha, were on guard ramen forgotton.
"What do you think-"
"It came from the Intel Unit…" Neji stated abruptly, his byakugan activated, cutting her off but she didn't have time to get angry or retort, and instead her feet began to move of their own accord.
"Yamanaka-san, where do you think you're…?" The words got lost on his tongue, almost as if he'd read her mind. My dad.
"Wait. Yamanaka-san. You can't be hasty, you don't know what's going on," Neji spoke, keeping up with her pace.
"I don't care!" She yelled, but no sooner than she had said the words, she was hauled back by her hands by a rather composed looking Neji.
"I said don't be hasty, just calm down and let's assess the situation," He stated and she hesitated biting down on her lip so hard she was surprised she didn't taste any blood. Muttering an agreement, Ino took a deep breath in order to calm down and then she saw a flash of pink before her eyes on the ground below coming from the direction of the Intel Unit
"Sakura?" The blond called out questioningly and the pinkette looked up, smiling upon seeing her friend.
"Ino-Pig! I've been looking all over for you! Did you forget that you were supposed to help out at the hospital today?" Her friend reminded her not so gently and Ino muttered a few curses under her breath. How could she forget? And then she remembered why she did, turning around to glare at Neji; the Hyuuga quite unfazed by her act.
"Oh, Neji-san…Good Afternoon." Sakura greeted Neji as if she only just saw him there and he only nodded in response. Ino didn't fail to notice the loss of contact when Neji quickly let go of her hand upon Sakura's arrival and then her glare was directed at her friend instead.
"Sakura-san, we heard an explosion just a minute ago, I'm assuming nothing's wrong since you seem to be so calm?" Neji spoke, his voice authoritative.
"Oh that…Some academy kids were playing with some paper bombs they got their hands on. Iruka-sensei already caught up with them so there's nothing to worry about." Sakura informed and Neji nodded once more in understanding.
"No one was hurt right?" Ino asked tentatively, and the shake of Sakura's head had relief swarming over the blonde. She heard a scoff from behind her but quickly ignored it getting Neji's message loud and clear. You would've rushed there for nothing.
"Anyway, are you still coming Ino-pig? Or do you have more important things to do?" Sakura gave Ino a wink and the girl almost blushed. Almost. Instead she answered with a quick 'yeah'. She would not give the pinkette any sign or signal for her to read too much into her and Neji being together. Her and Neji being together…that sounded so intimate…Ino quickly scoffed, dismissing those horrendous thoughts from her head before turning to Neji, never missing a beat when it came to teasing him.
"So are you going to hold my hand once more and accompany me to the hospital?" She put on her most innocent face, batting her lashes in an exaggerated fashion, her hands clasped together under her chin as if to show that she was begging.
"Goodbye, Yamanaka-san…" he said bluntly, completely ignoring her previous question.
"Oh Neji…you just officially ruined our date," The blond pouted, faking a cry.
"It wasn't a date." His face was stoic but Ino didn't miss the slight twitch of his brow. Was he getting aggravated? Was he going to explode in her face and tell her off? As bad as it would be if he did, Ino couldn't help but want it to happen. At least he'd seem less of a wall if he did.
"So you keep saying but I'm afraid I beg to differ…"
"Hn…" Was his response and then he disappeared leaving the girl standing on the roof cursing his self-control and top notch composure. With a sigh, Ino leapt down to her friend's side.
"What was that all about?" Sakura gave her a knowing smile and Ino trying to mask her disappointment let out a loud bark of laughter.
"You're always reading too much into things Billboard-brow…" With that and the serious sound of her voice Sakura looked at her with a face filled with confusion.
"I was just teasing him like I do with everyone else…" The blonde's shoulders slouched a bit but it went unnoticed by her pink haired friend as they strolled to the hospital.
"You need to stop doing that Ino…or you'll never get a boyfriend. Or are you still pining after Sasuke?"
"Honestly Sakura…it's way too early for jokes and not because you and Lee are hitting it off well means that you're suddenly an expert in the love department…" Ino snorted, knocking shoulders with her friend before they broke out into a fit of giggles.
"Hey…I'm only trying to offer some friendly advice, you know…give you a push in the right direction." Sakura made a pushing motion with her hand and Ino smiled, but the smile didn't reach her eyes…it didn't reach anywhere as a matter of fact. It was just dry and albeit a bit lonely.
"Which is the right direction?" The girl muttered to herself.
"What did you say?" The pinkette asked and Ino shook her head maintain her composure.
"That's why you should've listened carefully the first time Billboard-Brow! What I said was…IF PATIENTS WERE WAITING ON US TO SAVE THEIR LIVES, THEY'D BE DEAD BY THE TIME WE REACHED WITH THE PACE WE'RE MOVING AT!" Ino shouted in her ears and soon both girls were running a mile a minute to get to the hospital, their laughter echoing behind them as they went.