Chapter 2
The next morning came with a bright and hopeful beginning, a ray of light lingering on Sakura's cheek; urging her to wake up.
She was soo sleepy after the night ahead, but thinking back to it, she felt a lot more relaxed now that she had 'talked' to Neji about her feelings and so; she was happy to know that he actually felt the same. Even though it was actually what Sakura had feared the most… falling in love all over again.
Sakura was a bit worried about how Naruto would react if he'd found out… Sasuke had seen them, but he isn't the type to chat and gossip with everyone so Sakura didn't really care; until it hit her again.
Last night… when she and Neji passed by Sasuke, she heard a whisper.
'Don't play with fire . . . '
"I wonder what he meant by that..." Sakura told herself that maybe it was her emotions or the wind, but it really seemed like it came from Sasuke's mouth because she almost heard his displeasure in his voice.
"Still, no matter what; I won't let anything hurt me again. That's for sure, CHA!" she said as she energetically jumped from the bed and went straight for the bathroom to take a quick bath so she could go to the hospital.
"What are you up to Neji?" Lord Hiashi asked facing his nephew with the coldest look he could manage. "Why did you not tell me that you had a romantic interest in the Hokage's apprentice?"
"Forgive me Lord Hiashi, but not even she knew that I was suiting her until late last night; when I had met her on her way home from the hospital." Neji told his uncle with his honest face, looking straight into his uncle's eyes.
"You should have told me sooner Neji. At least, you should have mentioned your interest in her; I would have approved." His uncle told him, a slight frown followed by his head going down in deep thinking, his gestures telling Neji that his uncle was concerned about his personal life as well as his shinobi one.
"Pardon my question, but would you really have approved of her?" Neji asked with a straight face, façade tightly in place as his heart skipped a beat.
"Of course, she is a fine young woman, strong and intelligent; she is a formidable kunoichi, first in Konoha if I recall and she would be a prefect…" he stopped before finishing his sentence, looking at Neji, a spark of pride shining in his eyes. "She is perfect for our Hyuuga prodigy." He said, looking straight into Neji's eyes.
"Thank you Lord Hiashi." Neji said with a bow, slight frown darkening his face as he fell into deep thought.
"Is there something troubling you Neji?"
"I believe the Uchiha has more-than-friend like feelings toward her, and since she was known to be his number one woman…" Neji stopped looking at the floor, frustration covering his face.
"I see, and if he has feelings toward her?" His uncle said, rough tone addressing the younger man. "Are you telling me that you are to give her up if the Uchiha wants to claim her as his own?"
Neji's face quickly came up, fire burning in his silvery eyes as he replied harshly.
"No, I shall never give her up to such a man, I rather her marry Lee than go to Sasuke Uchiha again." Neji said, looking at his uncle with his determined stare.
"Then stop thinking about 'what if's' and go to the battlefield like a real Hyuuga man. Claim her as your own." His uncle told him, an almost scary grin lightning his still beautiful Hyuuga features.
"You are right uncle, thank you." Neji said bowing and getting up to his feet.
"Also, bring her here for dinner Neji, tonight, I want to know her better." Hiashi said before waving Neji a sign that he's free to leave.
Sakura was shining brighter than the sun as she skipped the streets of Konoha, to the hospital. Even the nurses were stunned by her enthusiasm, she wouldn't stop smiling; not even when the annoying old Lady Buga would scream at her to move faster. Sakura was so happy she just couldn't let anything ruin her day. It was too perfect to let it be crapped at by the grumpy world around her.
Sakura's shift finally ended at 13:00 p.m. and she was free to do whatever she wanted, so she decided to go to the training grounds.
As she rushed there, she had found that she wasn't the only one who wanted to train today; from the distance, she could distinguish Naruto's blond hair and Sasuke's raven like hair.
She approached them with a happy 'Hello' followed by a smile and a wave of her hand; to which the replies were a 'Hn' from Sasuke and from Naruto…
"Sakura-chan!!! How could you not tell me that you've hooked up with NEJI?!?" Naruto complained running toward her with waterfalls of tears in his blue eyes.
Sakura was taken aback by Naruto's question/reaction and so it was all she could do not to let her mouth fall to the ground.
"W- Who told you that?" She said as a nervous smile covered her face; her long, soft pink hair electrified at the taught in mind.
"Teme mentioned when we met this morning for breakfast." Naruto said, pointing toward the Uchiha.
"Oh, so it was Sasuke-kun huh?" She said, giving Sasuke a slight sore eye. "Do you mind if I steal Sasuke-kun just a little Naruto?" Sakura asked grabbing Sasuke's hand and already running toward the woods.
"Did you have to tell Naruto? He's a babble-mouth, he's going to tell everyone." Sakura said as she let out a frustrated sigh.
"So? Is your relationship with the Hyuuga a secret affair?" Sasuke said bluntly, his cold eyes striking her like spears.
"No! of course not. It's just that it's all too new, I don't know if Neji-san wants everyone to know that we're together…" She said, lowering her head, looking at her feet.
"Why, is he ashamed of being together with you? Or maybe it is vice versa." Sasuke said, now his look penetrating through her every defense, making her look into his eyes.
"No… I… think not." Sakura said now gazing into his dark, pearly eyes.
"I don't like the proximity between the two of you, I don't like him touching you at all." Sasuke said, a frown breaking the perfectness of his façade.
Waking up from her 'trans' Sakura's eyes quickly grew wider and angrier. "Why? Why don't you like us being so close to one-another?" she said questioning him, her beautiful features growing more frustrated by the minute.
"Because your are not supposed to be anyone's but mine." He said, making one step closer to her as she made one back; forcing herself into a tree.
"Wha, what is this? Is it one of your stupid whims?" she said, her mouth agape, brows deeply furrowed and chakra unconsciously filling her clenched fists.
"Do you see it as one?" he said, on a serious tone, coming one more step closer.
Sakura snapped, she punched as hard as she could into the tree behind her, then into the ground, she damaged everything in her path and Sasuke knew he would end up like the trees if he wouldn't do one of two things… he could have either stopped her from this dangerous outburst, or he could flee and let her calm herself.
Before he could chose either of those, he'd found out she had stopped punching; he felt a bit relieved until he saw why.
Hyuuga Neji was pressing her up against his chest, arms holding her as tight as he could; preventing her from hitting anything anymore.
Sasuke felt his blood boiling inside of him and soon his Chidori charged sword was flying toward Neji's chest. Neji easily repelled his attack with his Kaiten but was stopped from going any further by the woman who now held him tight, whispering in from behind him.
"Don't fight with him… please."
Neji looked back at her and regaining his calm, he stopped from any taught of going onward with the battle that just seemed to start.
Sasuke, who didn't even realize what he had done until his attack was actually stopped, regained his calm composure even faster than Neji; and after giving the two one of his characteristic angry looks and a slight 'Hn' he left into a puff of smoke.
"I'm sorry Sasuke-kun lashed out like that… I'm sorry I too; had lashed out. I killed almost half a forest…" Sakura said lowering her head and looking at her hands.
"The trees will grow once more, there is no need to worry Sakura." Neji said staring blankly at the woman in front of him. "Sakura, I have to ask a favor of you, or maybe two."
"Yes? Tell me." She said, looking up into his pearly white eyes.
"First, can you please stop using the appellative 'kun' with the Uchiha?"
"I… I'll try, but that's how I call him since I was little. Would 'san' work with you? Or maybe just 'Sasuke'?
"Yes, and second; my uncle wants you to come tonight for dinner at the Hyuuga Compound. I hope you don't have other plans."
"No, I'm free, I'll come gladly." Sakura said smiling brightly at Neji. "Let me just take a shower, I'm a bit dirty since… you know what." She said innocently pulling out her tongue as she rushed toward her bathroom.
Neji let out a sigh as he made himself comfortable on the couch from Sakura's apartment.
'This can't keep happening, Sakura is strong, but the Uchiha is stubborn; he will destroy her if I don't do something.' Neji taught placing his right hand on his forehead falling deeply in taught.
He stood like that for about fifteen minutes, his brows furrowed and his eyes closed. For the first time, he wasn't sure about what to do to keep her fragile heart from breaking all over again; how to keep it together, untouched by the hands of the destroyer.
A soft hand on his cheek urged him to open his eyes and look at the petite form in front of him.
"Is something wrong Neji--s . . . Neji-kun?" Sakura said placing a gentle smile on her face, which worked perfectly with the softness of her hand.
She was only wearing her white, silken bathrobe; water still dripping from her wet hair, onto his left hand placed on his knee.
She was kneeling in front of him, almost between his legs; with him on the couch and she on the floor. Her left hand was placed on his right knee for balance, while her right hand caressed his face.
"It's nothing, you should get dressed so we could leave soon." He said taking her left hand along with her right one and giving them both a gentle kiss.
Sakura was surprised a bit about how he could turn from ice cold to so gentle, but she was starting to get used to it. Such a big change in only two days…
"Mhm, I'm going right now." She said giving him another reassuring smile before going to her room to change into a traditional white yukata covered with cherry flowers and petals at the extremities.
She tied her hair up in a bun, leaving two locks loose to frame her face; from Neji's point of view she was absolutely gorgeous, but he found it improper to enthuse all over her beauty and so he kept it to himself.
They left Sakura's apartment for the dinner with Hiashi and it all went stunningly well. Sakura had a certain way of talking because even the non-conversational Lord Hiashi started talking with a smile on his face.
"Neji, might I steal Sakura for a few words?" Lord Hiashi asked glancing toward Neji's direction with his 'I-so-have-everything-under-control' face.
"Of course uncle." Neji said looking at Sakura, who was sitting beside him.
"Sakura, being part of Neji's life means that you will also be part of the Hyuuga Clan's life as well, I do hope you realize that." The old man told her as they strolled down through the most beautiful garden that the Hyuuga Compound had.
"Yes Lord Hiashi, I know, but I don't have a problem with that." The girl answered with an innocent smile.
"Hn. Well then, let us talk about my nephew." The older man said, straightening his back once more, looking as the imposing clan head that he was.
"What should we talk about him? Is there something I should know?" The girl asked, looking straight into the older man's eyes.
"Yes, there are many things to say, but I rather you talk to him about them; what I want you to know is that you are the first woman he has ever courted." Said the older man now returning Sakura's stare.
"I… I see…" Sakura said almost like whisper, her wide jade eyes now paying complete attention to the Hyuuga Clan Lord.
"He may not look it, but he is very inexperienced when it comes to courtship and women; and even though he had been interested in one or two women before, you are the first one he seems so intense on winning." The old man took a slight break and taught about how to put out his next question. "Are your intentions as serious as my nephew's Miss Sakura?" he asked sending cold shivers down Sakura's spine.
It took Sakura about 5 seconds to come back to the real world before confidently answering: "Yes Lord Hiashi, I am not a child anymore and this is a serious relationship which I plan on keeping."
"Then your feelings regarding the Uchiha boy are not as they had been when you were a child, right?"
"Right, I still love Sasuke-k… Sasuke. But it's not in that way, more brother-sister like I could say." The girl answered with a serious but honest face.
"I see, well I am glad you think that way." The old man pondered on his next question, it was pretty obvious he wanted to squeeze every doubt out of her, even though it meant going through the most horrible questions to ask. It was more like an interrogation than a chit-chat. "Hmm"
"Is something troubling you Lord Hiashi?" Sakura asked a bit concerned about his silence.
"There have been women who only wanted to take advantage of the members of the Hyuuga Clan's social status, for making themselves more popular between the Konoha high-ups." Hiashi said, serious expression never leaving his face.
Sakura looked at him in shock, how could he possibly think that she would do that… "I would never do such a stupid things, besides, I myself am a respected kunoichi in Konoha." She said with outrage coloring her flawless features.
Her slightly angered face made Hiashi smile, Neji was right, she was adorable when she huffed and puffed like that and it almost remembered Hiashi of… "I see." Hiashi said, obviously pleased with Sakura's 'answer'.
"Lord Hiashi…" She stopped thinking better about what she was going to ask, pondering between good or bad.
"Yes? Speak up child." The old man gave her an interested look.
"My, mother said she knew you and Neji-kuns father, she said that along with Fugaku-san and Mikoto-san… you were all friends; and as time passed…" she had trailed off again, looking into the bright reflection of the moon on the surface of the lake.
"I, along with Hizashi and Fukagu became your mothers suitors. I am not ashamed to admit it, she was a wonderful woman." Hiashi said, a warm smile illuminating his face.
Sakura gazed up in amazement at the older man's words; but somehow she knew.
"Though I don't and never will regret what happened." Sakura looked a bid confused at the older man's new sentence and so he was forced to explain. "If destiny wouldn't have brought your mother and your father together, Neji, Hinata, Hanabi, or even the Uchiha boy; they wouldn't probably be here today." He said, looking warmly at her, a pat on the head signaling her that their walk was about to end.
"I understand", she said warmly, smiling and making a deep bow before asking for permission to leave and go to Neji who was waiting patiently near a big cherry tree – the only cherry tree in the Grand Hyuuga Garden.
As Hiashi watched Sakura's gentle walk turn into a slight run toward Neji, he remembered something he'd once taught forgotten…
'The day we planted that tree, was the happiest and saddest day of my life' Hiashi taught before leaving Neji and Sakura alone. 'Maybe our children will be what we never could, Yuna'…
A/N : Hey everyone :3 I'm really glad that my first chapter was liked between readers and so :3 2nd chapter as promised 3
I just want you to do me 2 favors:
1 Sorry for Sasuke's slight OOC ^^;
2 ENJOY READING!!!!