Chapter Two

Pale, lavender eyes scrunched tightly before slowly opening as Neji Hyuuga naturally woke up from his sleep, the light smell of pine and fresh, early morning air filling his nostrils as he allowed more and more of his senses to come to.

After blinking a few times, Neji tiredly sat up from his lying position, the dewy atmosphere almost chilly within the plain room and the long-haired man was quickly able to assess that it had to just barely be after sunrise.

However, upon sitting up and forcing his dry throat to swallow down some spit, Neji's jaw locked in place, his eyes growing wide with shock, as he took in the sight of Sasuke Uchiha and a large, orange-haired man sleeping soundly in their own futons to his left.

The serene atmosphere that such an early hour often brings was absolutely annihilated for the Leaf ninja as he moved his eyes away from their sleeping, criminal forms, running his tongue around the inside his mouth, while his semi-fuzzy brain recollected the events of the previous day which had landed him in this very situation.

Neji licked the front of his teeth as his jumbled thoughts remembered his battle with the four, brown-dressed enemy, the pain he had felt when some shuriken had caught his arm, and these eyes…these dark, endless eyes that had held his own with such confidence, such ethereal beauty, before the Hyuuga had lost consciousness.

Neji swallowed again, realizing darkly that those piercing black eyes had been those of the notorious Uchiha whom he was now with, along with his team, he supposed.

"I've got to get out of here," Neji mentally panicked, completely ignoring that he could already feel his newly-recovered body protesting him being up and about, as the determined Hyuuga made as little sound as possible while he pushed his blanket away and silently got to his feet.

Neji's lovely eyes never left the two slumbering men's faces for any signs of disturbance while he took slow, measured footsteps towards the opened window, identifying that that had been the reason for the coolness in the room, and dared to put his hands gingerly along the panes of glass.

The Hyuuga held his breath as he now had to focus his attention on the small window that was about at eye-level with him, as he steadied his shaking hands on the frame, ready to slip outside with as much speed as he could muster.

Chancing one, last glance back to his resting captors and being satisfied when he had seen that neither man had moved in the least bit upon him maneuvering around the room, Neji gripped the wooden frame tightly and dove out of the window, landing on the awning outside soundlessly before leaping onto the roof, the long-haired shinobi completely unaware of the bright red Sharingan eyes that had snapped open.

Within mere seconds, Neji was racing across the roof of the inn, purposefully running away from the currently desolate city streets since he knew that he would be too easy to spot that way, should Sasuke and his team try to come after him.

Instead, the Hyuuga had specifically chosen to run back towards the forest, knowing that the tightly-packed trees would serve as his allies at such a time; his bare feet and partially exposed chest already feeling the biting cold from rushing against so much crisp, morning air as he jumped from the roof of the inn towards another, lower roof so he could gradually descend to the ground.

Only a couple of birds chirped from somewhere up above the Hyuuga's head as he forced his breathing to remain regular within his lungs while his keen eyes darted in all directions, quickly processing possible routes that he could take that would keep him adequately hidden until he reached the tall trees a little ways ahead.

"There!" Neji internally proclaimed as he fluidly ducked into an alleyway, landing on the dusty ground in a small crouch until he straightened back up and sprinted towards the trees that were now on all sides of him, totally engulfing him in a rich, cedar aroma along with a dense fog that reached his waist on all sides.

However, despite having successfully blocked out his overall sluggishness from, no doubt, the adrenaline that had overcome him with the initial need to escape that suite at the inn, Neji could not deny that his body was simply not fully recovered from the poison, and that he was still feeling some of the residual effects.

That being said, the Hyuuga cursed his unfortunate luck underneath his breath as he slowed down his hurried running pace, now quite a ways into the forest, until he came to a stop and had to reach out a hand to steady his panting frame against a nearby tree trunk.

The long-haired shinobi's breathing was a bit haggard and painful inside his chest for the frigid air was difficult to continue breathing deeply and Neji noticed that he was shivering from the surrounding chill, especially considering that he did not have on all of his proper Anbu attire and was now only wearing his black pants and a grayish-blue kimono that reached his thighs.

Neji's thin, dark-brown eyebrows were knit together in woeful concentration as the Konoha officer tried desperately to refuse his own bodily problems and protests so he may look at the bigger picture and figure out a way how to safely contact his Anbu comrades and, hopefully, return to the village.

Lifting his free hand to his brow to merely smooth out the lines there and rub at his aching temple, Neji immediately gasped out loud and placed all of his fingers across his forehead, his eyes wide and unbelieving that he was not wearing his forehead protector as the Byakugan user could not help but be stunned silent and fearful.

Suddenly, rendering the Hyuuga even more speechless and frightened, a larger hand was harshly pressed flat against the back of his own that was still holding onto the tree at his side, his other hand seized as well and wrestled behind his back, instantly making the Hyuuga grit his teeth in discomfort as he tried to move his captured arms from the person he knew was holding him.

"Where do you think you're going…?" Sasuke asked cockily with a tilt of his head as he stood behind the Anbu officer and held fast onto both of his hands so that he had no choice but to stay in place.

Neji frowned at the Uchiha's contemptuous words, his eyes still expressing his abundant worry over his dire situation, as he turned his head away from where Sasuke was, feeling massive amounts of shame as a high-ranking Leaf shinobi piling on top of his shoulders as he ruefully swallowed the fact that he had been easily captured on the Uchiha's part and was still not completely able to fight to the best of his abilities.

"You know, Neji, you would have died if I hadn't found you…"Sasuke prompted with a bit more weight in his words as he hastily spun the Hyuuga around in his place so that they could face each other, Neji refusing to meet the raven's dark gaze while he added, "…or do you not care?"

"I…please…give me my headband," Neji began with uncertainty thick in his pleasantly raspy voice before sighing out the rest of his request as he continued to look off to a side even though he could feel Sasuke's heated stare on his face just as clearly as he could feel the raven's hands gripping either of his upper arms.

Now wise to the reason why the usually proud Hyuuga was now bowing his chocolate head in shame and not even looking him in the eye, Sasuke stilled his features for a second before smirking coolly, freeing a hand from Neji's arm and bringing it up to the Hyuuga's rounded, small chin.

Neji gasped quietly as Sasuke lifted his head with his fingers holding securely onto his chin, the Uchiha's expression surprisingly patient and understanding as the latter briefly licked his supple lips before speaking to the long-haired shinobi.

"Foolish Hyuuga…" Sasuke spoke to the distraught young man before him meaningfully, purposefully echoing someone close to his heart, as he took his fingers away from Neji's pointed chin and then lightly jabbed them against Neji's forehead.

Neji's very resolve as an elite Konoha ninja totally wavered as his porcelain features betrayed his adorable befuddlement as the Hyuuga reached up a hand and rubbed the spot on his forehead that Sasuke had just poked, mumbling a rather comical '…ow' as he did so.

"Don't you know that you have nothing to hide…not from me," Sasuke said solemnly as he watched the gorgeous Hyuuga try to put the pieces of everything that was happening together as he lowered his hand from his brow, still with his lips slightly parted and eyebrows knit, almost as if he was having trouble solving a math problem.

"Oh…well, I uh…"Neji began shyly, still keeping his eyes trained on one particular crease in Sasuke's white, high-collared shirt before the Hyuuga visibly sighed out his tension and realized that he did, in fact, owe the raven-haired, S-ranked criminal his gratitude as he finally lifted is gaze and locked it directly on the Uchiha's handsome face, "…I suppose I should thank you for saving my life, Sasuke. I realize that I would have died…if you hadn't been there."

Pleased with Neji's words of appreciation, Sasuke smirked as he cocked his head over to a side while he considered the serious Hyuuga for a moment, loving how he was finally able to look into those luminous, light-colored eyes that so greatly contrasted with his own.

"Prove it," Sasuke suddenly chimed in a cold, no-nonsense tone which instantly made Neji confused all over again.

"Prove…what?" Neji asked as he unconsciously took a small step away from the broader, stronger Uchiha, suddenly extremely mindful of their proximity now that Sasuke was speaking to him with unreadable ice in his words that made the Hyuuga feel chills.

"Prove to me…just how grateful you really are that I saved your life, Neji," Sasuke clarified darkly but just as serenely, his words sounding like an illegal business proposition and the Leaf ninja's face transitioned smoothly back into apprehensive melancholy.

"W-what?! " Neji choked out despite his head-splitting bewilderment of everything that had been and was still transpiring between the both of them as he took another, bigger step away from the black-and-white-clad Sasuke, "…what nonsense are you saying? I don't even know what you…"

"Relax, Hyuuga;" Sasuke cut Neji's racing, defensive words off sternly as he held up a hand and bore his steady, charcoal gaze into Neji's dread-filled eyes, "all I am suggesting is that you stay with me and my team for a little while. We won't be leaving again until a few days. Besides, your injuries are not even completely healed, so it might even do you some good to say in one place."

Neji frowned at Sasuke's reasonable logic as he dropped their gaze to look off somewhere in the forest as he ran the Uchiha's words over again inside his head, finding no catches, no drawbacks, no tricks, just plain, simple sense that his idea made to him.

Neji sighed before pressing his lips together in deep concentration, his impeccably strategic thought processes swiftly surmising that Sasuke Uchiha, a wanted criminal from Konoha, was standing right in front of him with his guard completely down. The Hyuuga had lost count of how many times the Uzumaki and his team had gone after the man and had come back empty-handed, but now here Sasuke was, requesting that Neji stay with him for a while.

His instincts told him that, by referring to the indisputable fact that the Uchiha had had a hand in saving his life the previous day, he should trust him and go along with his wishes.

Neji's long years of intense training as a shinobi, as a member of an aristocratic family, as an Anbu black ops officer, told him that he needed to fight Sasuke for the wrong-doer that he was; fight for the sake of Konoha.

Neji swallowed down the lump in his throat before softly nodding his head at the Uchiha, seemingly agreeing to his terms without question as he took a step towards him so that it would appear that he was ready to go back to the inn with the slowly smirking raven.

"Gentle Fist!" Neji abruptly called out before thrusting out his outstretched palm directly at Sasuke's abdomen, his light-blue chakra appearing like smoke wafting off of his hands as the long-haired Anbu had obviously chosen to try to defeat Sasuke despite his debilitating condition.

"Damn…"Sasuke growled as he had to hurriedly twist his body away from the Hyuuga's deadly hands, knowing full well that should he take even one of those Gentle Fist blows, his internal organs would be targeted and his chakra totally depleted.

Another palm came speeding towards the evading Sharingan user, Neji's long, untamed hair swirling along with his maneuvering body as the Hyuuga dove again at Sasuke who raised both of his fists so he may use his strong forearms to knock the blow away and take the offensive.

The counter-block to his wrist propelled Neji forward a bit as Sasuke obviously tried to get behind him, but the Hyuuga had silently activated his Byakugan, and could see the stone-faced Uchiha clearly within his line of sight, so he ducked down low to sweep his leg out.

Sasuke easily leapt away from the attack that would have taken his legs out from under him; the pale-eyed young man utilizing the fact that his bare feet were on slick, soft grass to make his moves faster, sharper, as Neji quickly recovered from not making contact as he leaned his weight back heavily on the ground.

"Haah!" Neji voiced strongly as he used his palms and feet on the ground to suddenly launch himself at Sasuke with expert speed and knowing precision, his body seeming to slowly twist whilst in the air as he threw his leg out and kept one of his chakra-enhanced fists outstretched to receive the Uchiha along with his kick.

Sharingan activated, Sasuke smirked at Neji's classic flying kick, chocolate brown locks curling and flowing away from the Hyuuga's slender back in an almost artistic manner, before the battle-hardened Uchiha coolly licked the front of his teeth before suddenly disappearing from view.

Utilizing his x-ray vision, Neji grunted low in his throat as he could see the Uchiha maneuvering quickly to his side just as he was about land back on the ground from his failed kicked, but could not react fast enough to avoid being caught by the spiky-haired raven who easily tackled him down onto the ground on his stomach.

"Ugh!"Neji groaned in pain through grit teeth, Sasuke's larger frame practically crushing his own as the Uchiha led his eyes fade to his natural black before seizing both of the Anbu's wrists and pinning them to the mossy forest floor above his head.

Neji's body shuddered from the pain of having his injured arm handled so roughly, but found that he could not make himself stop shivering on account of how utterly frigid he was being pressed against the dewy grass and still able to feel the cool air nipping at his cheeks and flesh.

Sasuke had been a second away from making a snarky comment about Neji's fighting not being all that bad for someone who still had poison working inside his body, but quickly shoved the idea away as the quiet, collected Uchiha observed something crucial about his lovely prey as he continued to straddle his lower back.

"You're trembling," Sasuke said simply, asking without actually doing so of if Neji was really that frightened of him.

"I'm…f-freezing…"Neji murmured honestly, prompting Sasuke to slowly remove his gripping hand from the backs of Neji's wrists as he carefully got to his feet, knowing that the shivering Hyuuga would not try to fight him again.

Further proving his assumption correct, Sasuke reached down towards the long-haired but still not well ninja, and effortlessly picked him up from the chilly ground, now noticing just how icy Neji's smooth skin was as he ran his hands up the Hyuuga's arms and back down again, the Uchiha also tediously aware of the fact that Neji was not trying to push him away or cease his touches.

Sighing quietly out of his nose, Sasuke placed his hands on each of the Anbu officer's narrow hips before hoisting him up and then wrapping his long, well-muscled arms around Neji's back, the Hyuuga naturally circling his legs around Sasuke's waist so he would be an easier carry.

Just as Sasuke was about to make his first dash through the trees to head back the way he came, the stoic Uchiha hesitated as he felt Neji tiredly lay down his head on top of his shoulder as he placed both of his hands on either of the raven's thick biceps for support, the Hyuuga obviously feeling much more ill than he had previously let on.

"Let's get you back and warm," Sasuke said to the shivering bundle in his arms with unpredictable tenderness before finally executing his initial wishes and racing back to the inn where he knew the others would have loads of questions for him.

A few minutes later, Sasuke arrived back at his team's suite, the fatigued and generally downtrodden Hyuuga holding him securely as he had not moved his head from that spot on Sasuke's broad shoulder, and the Uchiha was relieved to learn that most of his teammates were still sleeping during this early morning hour.

Sasuke spotted Juugo by the balcony again as he walked nonchalantly passed him and into the far bathroom, one green bird and one blue bird perched merrily inside of his huge, extended palm, as the kind-eyed giant watched them with a certain fondness that the Uchiha knew he would never completely understand about the bi-polar man.

"Neji, I'm going to run you a bath," Sasuke informed the long-haired ninja as he carefully slid his hands down Neji's thighs, prompting the latter to remove them from around his waist so he could stand up on his own while the raven turned towards the tub.

Neji blinked his heavy-feeling eyes at the small but adequately-sized bathroom he was now in, finding the neutral beige color of the walls, white trim, and wooden floors rather comforting and homely before he turned his gaze back to the raven-haired man's back.

"I'd rather have a shower," Neji said in his pleasant, raspy voice as he watched the Sharingan user calmly straighten his spine from bending over the tub and turn to face him as well.

"If you'd rather shower, then I'm showering with you," Sasuke replied stone-cold seriously to the slightly unsteady Hyuuga who looked as if he might collapse any given moment from, Sasuke knew, overexerting his weakened body when he should have been resting all this time…not challenging him and trying to escape.

"Fine, whatever; I don't care," Neji replied with a sleepy roll of his eyes, his voice lightly exasperated with the Uchiha's consequences that did not particularly upset his mindless, worn-out state.

Sasuke almost smiled at Neji's delightful indifference to the idea of them showering together, as he quirked up a light-hearted eyebrow of the Hyuuga bringing his hands to the folds of his kimono and shamelessly pulling the fabric off of his pale shoulders and down his lean, trim arms.

Sasuke wet the inside of his mouth, a smile practically pleading to be set on the Uchiha's stony, beautiful face, as he instead leaned back over the large, silver knobs above the tub and turned on the shower for them both.

As soon as Sasuke looked back to his Konoha captive, Neji was already walking the few, remaining feet passed him, close enough that the raven's clothed body and the mocha-haired boy's naked body touched longingly, as Neji stepped into the shower ahead of him and closed his eyes underneath the soothing, hot spray of water.

"Not exactly shy, are you…?"Sasuke joked in spite of himself as he slowly began removing his own clothes, unzipping his high-collared shirt before stripping it and his baggy, black pants off of his rougher, larger frame, his onyx eyes still glued onto Neji's exposed, stretching form that was now getting soaked from the raining water.

Sasuke smiled softly at how Neji was too caught up in enjoying the hot water warming up his previously cooled flesh to respond to his cheeky statement, as the Uchiha carefully stepped into the shower behind the Hyuuga, thoroughly taking in the sinfully arousing view before him as he did.

His slender hands combing through his wetted down locks of chocolate hair that contrasted enticingly so with the fine, carved-out-of-heaven flesh that sculpt Neji's firm, taut body, Sasuke groaned softly at the extraordinary, unforgivable sight before him as his eyes trailed lower and lower until they rested on the Hyuuga's perfect, supple ass and lean thighs.

Unable to stop himself, as his recurring thoughts that warned him about how pursuing the Hyuuga Anbu was anything but wise were quite fleeting, Sasuke stepped forward and instantly felt Neji's alluring frame melt against his own; the Leaf ninja dropping his hands down to his sides as he breathed through his mouth and let Sasuke's wide, chiseled chest cradle his shoulder blades.

Damp, raven locks of hair hung heavily around Sasuke's strong features as he watched keenly as Neji turned his head to a side to further enjoy the Uchiha's solid form behind his own, providing support and comfort, as the avenger carefully brought his hands around to Neji's trim, smooth stomach.

Like a man inebriated in his own thoughts, his own whims, the Sharingan user used only his calloused fingertips to trail teasingly up the Hyuuga's flexing abdomen, involuntarily making the responsive Anbu press his back even harder against Sasuke's powerful frame.

Sasuke caught his bottom lip in between his immaculate, white teeth, finding such a bittersweet moment of Neji's flawless body adhering to his own, digging his ass unknowingly against the younger man's groin, as serving as pure, jagged torture that felt absolutely amazing.

His earlier discomfort long forgotten now that he had been soaking in steaming hot water for a little while now, his drowsiness seeming to leave him while a certain peace and tranquility instead took its place, Neji felt at harmony with himself, his situation, and all the people involved in it, as his mind was pleasantly empty for perhaps the first time in his life.

Not having to think of strategies for teams, execute maneuvers, engage in fighting, of survive impossible outcomes, the Hyuuga relished in the fact that all he had to do at this serene, quiet moment was feel – feel Sasuke's impressive body behind his own, feel his hands become heavier upon his own skin as they explored, feel every kind of intrinsic good course through him as a result.

"Sasuke…"Neji purred thoughtlessly, merely needing to voice the forbidden name as he slowly reached his hands up before he could comb his fingers back through short, raven-colored bangs, sliding his hands easily into the drenched locks of silken hair as he pushed them out of the Uchiha's equally dark eyes and away from his astoundingly attractive face.

Sasuke, in turn, could feel his barriers falling, the sheer, raw sensuality that the Hyuuga male seemed to effortlessly exemplify having almost wholly crumbled his every defensive nature, as the avenger had savored exactly how Neji had cooed his name before reaching back to play with his wet hair, the Anbu giving the criminal a truly mind-breaking view of his partially arching body as he did so.

The raven slid his hands to either of Neji's sides before trailing them up his ribs, wickedly delighted when he heard the Hyuuga's breath stutter as a result, before continuing upwards over his outstretched arms until his own hands located Neji's fingers and intertwined them together.

Neji hummed low in his throat as he turned his head to the other side against Sasuke's chest, cotton-soft pleasure flittering across his senses, as he felt the sultry Uchiha mindfully usher his hands down with his own as Sasuke also lowered his face down to one of Neji's slick, pallid shoulders.

Letting his warm breath ghost over Neji's flesh for a moment, Sasuke leisurely brushed his luscious lips across the porcelain skin there, enjoying how the simplest of touches were making the Hyuuga's lips part even more as he took in shaky breaths, before slowly bringing out his pink tongue to gently run across the soft, intoxicating skin, tasting him gently.

Neji gasped upon feeling Sasuke's warm, velvety tongue on the junction between his neck and shoulder, the simple, single act in itself acting like some sort of official signal to them both that everything they had known up until now, all of their hard-earned knowledge and learnt rules, no longer applied.

Sasuke opened his mouth a bit wider as the avenger sensually closed his teeth around the slippery patch of skin, lightly biting Neji's shoulder as he sucked on the warm skin, simultaneously freeing his dripping fingers from the Hyuuga's hands but only so he could run his fingertips up and down Neji's palms.

The Byakugan user groaned in approval as he craned his neck slightly over to the opposite side, allowing Sasuke more access to his sensitive flesh while also showing him just how much he liked what the Uchiha was doing, as his hands tingled from the raven tickling his palms, the mixture of slow pleasure and teasing gestures all but making the elite Leaf ninja shudder uncontrollably and demand rougher treatment.

Smoothly closing his fingers around Neji's wrists, Sasuke wrapped their joined arms around the Hyuuga, the Uchiha purposefully holding him in a tight embrace, as the raven released Neji's flesh from his teeth so he may lick heavily around the worried area before turning his face more towards the side of the Anbu's long, graceful neck.

"Sasuke, w-wait…"Neji breathed, his stricter senses starting to come back to him, fighting against everything he was positively losing himself in at the moment, as he felt the bold Uchiha press his moist lips against his neck, having to nuzzle through some of his long, mocha-brown hair in the process as the Hyuuga remained trapped inside the avenger's arms around his own.

The more Neji realized that he loved everything Sasuke was doing to him, the careful touches and surprisingly soft kisses as the Uchiha worshipped his skin with even the tiniest of ministrations, the more Neji was prompted to end it, his guarded instincts flooding back to him in toppling waves the more he felt Sasuke getting comfortable around him.

"Sasuke, let go of me. I…we have to hurry before the water gets cold," Neji said with moment-shattering gravel in his voice as he forced himself out of Sasuke's strong, tattooed arms as the Hyuuga hastily grabbed a small, cream-colored bottle of shampoo from the shallow ledge in front of him and squeezed some of its shiny, white contents into his hand.

Purposefully keeping his eyes straight and forward, Neji obligingly turned around in his spot and unceremoniously squirted some of the shampoo on top of Sasuke's head as well, the entire act insufferably stubborn as well as impossibly adorable to the Uchiha as he watched the Hyuuga almost punish him with putting the gel in his hair for him.

Setting down the courtesy inn shampoo, Neji faced forward once again as he furiously scrubbed the gel against his scalp, creating a dense, bubbly lather that he hurriedly worked down his long, chocolate locks of hair, obviously ignoring the Uchiha in every sense of the word as he went about his business and assumed Sasuke was as well.

Sasuke had never seen someone rush through bathing quite like the Hyuuga was now, as he quirked up an inquisitive eyebrow at the Anbu who was already occupied with gathering a large mass of regular soap into his hands so he could wash the rest of his body, as the Uchiha took his time shampooing his black hair.

Sasuke knew the reason why Neji was hurrying his bathing tasks in the manner he was, however, and the fact did sting the stoic avenger as he considered calmly how the Hyuuga might be wholly regretting how close they had gotten before, how frightened he may have become because he really was afraid of the raven, or how nervous he had been due to the fact that he had wanted it as well.

The last option made Sasuke smirk as he watched Neji practically break a record in showering speed as he rinsed his soapy body and long tresses under the spray of water and then promptly bolted out of the tub.

Sasuke took a step forward now that he had the shower to himself, letting the fast-running streams of warm water rinse away his shampoo, as he turned his amused expression towards the elite Anbu who had a large, green towel wrapped around his waist and another one on top of his head as he hastily dried his hair.

"I always thought you'd be kinder to your hair, Neji," Sasuke prodded playfully, still a bit perturbed that the lovely Hyuuga was now acting like he had some sort of flesh-eating disease when they had been so painfully close and intimate just moments ago, as the raven began soaping his own strong, broad body.

"Oh…yeah…"Neji replied lamely as he finished towel drying his hair before draping the item across the appropriate metal rack, the other, bigger towel kept around his waist he all but bustled out of the small bathroom, pure nervousness having laced his few words to the observing Uchiha who immediately traced back to his cognizant list of reasons why Neji was behaving like this.

"Hmph…"Sasuke snorted with a smirk as he focused back on his own shower, his thoughts still on the enigmatic, enthralling Hyuuga, however, as his genius mind put two and two together about what had just happened between them, "…if his nerves are they only thing holding him back…I'll just have to remedy that."

Pleased with his line of reasoning, his previous self-proclaimed warnings about being with the long-haired ninja all but a distant memory to him now, Sasuke finished his shower no longer feeling agitated about what had transpired between them and the undeniable effects of steep, burning want that it all had rooted firmly within him, for now the Uchiha realized that he had needed this particular clue to know how to better go about pursuing such a untouchable, proud creature that practically begged to be broken by his own hands.

X

Meanwhile, Suigetsu had been the first one to intercept Neji when he had walked out of the bathroom and into the long, simple room where he had slept last night; the futons already put away for now all the other members were awake and about; as the sharp-toothed young man greeted the Hyuuga kindly.

"Hey there! You're Neji, right?" the white-haired man spoke casually as he flashed Neji his wide, razor-sharp smile, seemingly oblivious or uncaring to the fact that the Hyuuga was already made alert and on his guard due to his friendly advances.

"Yes," Neji replied back curtly, still eyeing the purple-and-grey-clad ninja with slightly narrowed eyes and a defensive set of his feet as he waited for the young man to get to his point.

"I'm Suigetsu. If you see this dog-faced woman around, that's Karin. The big guy over there is Juugo," Suigetsu offered merrily, pointing a finger over at the large, orange-haired man who was watching them disinterestedly from across the room, his huge arms folded over his chest.

Neji had looked over to Juugo upon hearing Suigetsu introduce him, but snapped his eyes back on the white-haired man's smiling face upon realizing that he may as well utilize this man's initial friendliness.

"Suigetsu, could I possibly borrow some clothes, or do you have my Anbu gear?" Neji asked seriously, getting straight to the point as he realized mentally that he needed as least that much in order to feel a bit more grounded in his current, awkward situation of being with such a group.

"Hmm, let's see," the sharp-toothed man seemed to have to remember a few things before answering Neji's question, "…I know we had to toss your sleeve-things out because they were totally shredded and bloody, but…oh, yeah! I remember where we put your shirt and stuff! I'll be right back."

Neji blinked as Suigetsu strolled out of the room, his smile appearing to never leave his youthful face, as he went to retrieve the Hyuuga's outfit for him, Juugo staying as still as a piece of furniture behind him.

Just when the Hyuuga was about to chance another look at the silent, orange-haired man out of pure curiosity, he heard the door to the bathroom open, followed quickly by Sasuke walking into the room, a small towel hanging around his bared neck as the Uchiha only sported his loose-fitting black pants, the tauntingly erotic sight instantly making the long-haired Anbu blush hotly.

Sasuke smirked at Neji's blush before the Byakugan user averted his eyes, still able to cleanly catch his own straight-legged black pants that the Uchiha had chucked at him before smoothly exiting that room and entering into the next one over.

With lightening fast movements, Neji stepped into his Anbu pants and pulled them up his long, taut legs, letting the towel around his waist plummet to the floor as he fastened the familiar fabric together, immediately feeling some sort of connection to something he knew which, ultimately, made the Hyuuga begin to feel a little more at ease.

"Neji, I found your shirt and I also have this for you if you want it!" came a pleasantly upbeat, charismatic voice as Suigetsu appeared before him again, his bared arms full of a few garments for the Hyuuga.

"Thank you, Suigetsu," Neji said with a charming, informal smirk at the grinning, white-haired man as he first took his sleeveless, black shirt from the latter and slipped in on over his head and down his chest and abdomen, the fabric fitting to him like a second skin as the article clearly highlighted his slender form and shape.

"Not a problem, sweetheart," Suigetsu replied sweetly with a playful wink at the Leaf ninja as he also held out another garment, this one larger and white in color.

"What is this?" Neji asked politely, choosing to shake off the fact that Suigetsu had called him 'sweetheart,' as he took the soft but durable, white fabric from the sharp-toothed man's outstretched hands.

"It's one of Sasuke's old shirts," Suigetsu explained nonchalantly as he merely watched Neji running his hands over the folds of the waist-length yukata, "…he said you could have it if you wanted it."

"That's very kind," Neji replied a bit distantly before making up his mind and drawing the long, white garment over his shoulders so he could slip his arms through the wide sleeves and pull the folds tightly around his body, tying them simply at the sides versus using an obi.

"Wow, you look great!" Suigetsu chimed positively, flashing another one of his bright, toothy smiles at the Hyuuga as the latter smoothed out the wrinkles in the fabric and straightened his long sleeves, looking down at his own black-and-white-clad form.

"Will you leave him alone, already?!" came a booming, feminine voice from the doorway, quickly prompting everyone in the room to jerk their attention that way as Karin adjusted her glasses before entering, "…he's been through enough; he doesn't need you pestering him, Suigetsu."

"You're the pest, Karin;" Suigetsu shot back defensively as the red-haired woman joined them, eyeing Neji a bit too long to be considered innocent, before the white-haired man snapped again, "We were perfectly fine until you showed up. You're probably scaring him with that ugly face of yours."

"That does it!" Karin bellowed loudly, not for the first time proclaiming such a statement of finality, as she balled up her fists and advanced towards Suigetsu's uncaring form.

"Excuse me, Karin, is it?" Neji spoke in his effortlessly pleasant voice that seemed to tame the wild beast as Karin immediately stopped walking towards Suigetsu and instead fixed her wide, awestruck stare on the patient, knowing Hyuuga.

"Y-yes, it is! I'm flattered you know my name, Neji," Karin flushed as she batted her eyes a bit at the striking, long-haired young man before her.

Neji softened his hauntingly beautiful eyes at the stammering woman, knowing that he had just prevented another Great Ninja War by interceding her and Suigetsu's fight, as he purposefully distracted the love-struck female with simple charm and a task that did need to get done.

"Forgive me for imposing, but I was wondering if you could help me with my hair, Karin," Neji practically made love to the words as he spoke them to the flabbergasted female who looked like she had just been given a gift from God as her face burned an embarrassing scarlet color.

"O-oh…! Of course, Neji! I would…I would be happy to do that for you," Karin practically gushed at the elite Leaf shinobi's idea, possibly due in large part that, since she was constantly surrounded by three, short-tempered men, she was never able to really pamper anyone or see to such needs as taking care of their hair.

Neji sat down on the floor, already bringing all of his damp, mocha locks to lie flat down his back, as he somewhat heard Suigetsu say 'thank God that's over…' before moving out of the room, Karin quickly rushing back in with a few items in her hands that she knew she would need.

"Thank you for everything you've done for me, Karin. I really appreciate it," Neji confessed earnestly as he felt the fiery but tamable woman settle on the floor behind him and set down some of her items next to her.

Karin smiled as she brought up her large, silver hairbrush to Neji's head and carefully ran the bristles down the lengthy mane that touched the floor, finding herself favoring the respectful, polite Anbu more and more with each passing second as he showed her nothing but kindness and consideration, virtues that were particularly hard to come by those days.

"It was really no trouble at all, Neji. I'm just glad you're okay," Karin replied with sugar in her words as she tended to the Hyuuga's thick, soft hair, brushing the moist locks straight and away from his face before doing anything else.

Neji allowed himself to fully relax as his hair was fixed for him, his eyes slipping closed in utter relaxation, as he heard Karin set aside her hairbrush before reaching back into his hair, gathering the strands at the base of his neck before braiding his hair all the way down his back.

The notion of his long hair being braided did not bother the Hyuuga in the least as he felt Karin secure the ends of his hair with a small, elastic band of her own before the red-haired young lady took his braid and draped it over one of his shoulders so that he may see it.

"There. I'm finished. Do you like it, Neji?" Karin asked with a smile at the Leaf ninja who ran his fingers over the soft texture of his braided hair that felt like silk made solid before answering.

"I like it," Neji replied honestly before standing up on his feet, turning towards the glasses-wearing kunoichi, and offering his hand to help her up as well, his disciplined upbringing in the Hyuuga household still guiding his every action even in the face of one of his potential enemies.

"Oh!" Karin blundered for a moment before placing her hand inside the Hyuuga's palm which lifted her courteously to her feet before letting go, Karin's face relentlessly pink as she cast her panicked eyes to the floor as they were still standing fairly close to one another.

"What's going on in here?" a low, baritone cut through the air flatly, prompting Karin and Neji to snap their gazes towards the doorway where the avenging Uchiha leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed.

"Karin braided my hair for me," Neji answered truthfully, the transaction between him and the female having not been such an outstanding, scandalous moment that Karin was obviously taking it to be.

"I see…"Sasuke commented icily before uncrossing his arms and pushing his weight off of the doorframe so he may stride into the space, Karin's wide eyes darting from Hyuuga to Uchiha as her fragile, female mind could not settle on which one she thought was better looking, even if by a little, as she dared not utter a word.

"Come with me," the raven said curtly to Neji as he seized one of his wrists in a no-nonsense grip and pulled him away from Karin and out of the room, not even allowing the Hyuuga a chance to express any words of gratitude or closure to the red-haired woman as he was made to abruptly leave her sight.

Having sent Juugo and Suigetsu on a small errand to fetch supplies, and ready to finally murder the lone kunoichi of his group, Sasuke lead Neji to a separate, smaller room of their suite and practically slammed the sliding doors shut behind him.

Neji would have stumbled into the room due to the brute force with which the Uchiha had used to shove him inside, but the Hyuuga's unparallel stability as a first-class fighter enabled him to keep his balance as he attempted to turn around his spot to face the noticeably fuming avenger.

"What…the hell…"Neji only managed to say before the Uchiha's solid, stern words hushed him in an instant.

"Do you like her?" Sasuke asked simply, his words not allowing for any argument or rebuttal as he posed them to the slightly bemused Hyuuga.

"What are you talking about, Sasuke?" Neji answered his question with one of his own, narrowing his light-colored eyes at the glaring raven as if he was trying to speak with a child.

"Do you like her; Karin…?"Sasuke asked frigidly again, not budging an inch on his strict, frosty questions to the Hyuuga whose features were beginning to smooth out as he pieced together his honest answer.

"I…think she's okay," Neji answered, his puzzlement over the Uchiha's sudden fury still evident in his voice as he continued speaking, "...I was acting nice to her because she was about to kill Suigetsu, and then she braided my hair for me. It really wasn't…a big deal…?"

Despite having briefly fought in hand-to-hand combat with the avenger, Neji could not help but feel a little intimidated with how heated and focused Sasuke's glare seemed to be at solely him, almost as if he was silently furious at him for reasons unknown, before the Hyuuga dared to pose another question of his own to him.

"Why…are you even asking me about something like that in the first place…?" Neji asked, increasingly feeling the urge to put some distance between them as he spoke his words in a small, unsure voice.

Sasuke licked his lips as he finally lowered his intense gaze in thought, the Uchiha pondering quickly on how to put his rather personal, straightforward reasons into an answer the Hyuuga would accept.

"You're beautiful…"Sasuke began in such a tone that sounded like Neji should have already known as much, like it was the most obvious thing in the world, before adding seriously, "…and it…bothers me…when other people look at you the same way I do."

"What way is that, Sasuke?" Neji asked before really thinking about it, his heart beating at an uncomfortably rapid pace inside his chest as he felt himself tapping into something meaningful, something forbidden and beautiful and real, deep within the incomprehensible Uchiha before him and the thought alone was enough to make him say things before truly considering the consequences.

Sasuke snorted softly as he curved his lips up into his classic smirk, his gaze becoming slightly narrowed and unpredictably passionate as soon as he opened his eyes from his thoughtful blink, before said raven began taking slow, measured steps towards the Hyuuga trapped by his features and waiting for his reply.

"…like…they want to possess you…"Sasuke purred seductively as he closed the distance in between them, the Hyuuga's initial upset and defensive nature having dropped completely the more their heart-felt conversation had went on as Neji mindlessly welcomed the Uchiha into his personal space while he continued to peer into smoldering, onyx eyes, "…like they want you and nothing else."

Neji gulped down the lump that had formed in his throat, letting the Uchiha's words soothe over his very skin and soul, as the Anbu also quickly surmising that, according to Sasuke, that was exactly how he felt about him as well, and the Hyuuga was barely cognizant of the fact that Sasuke was now standing directly in front of him, looking fondly over his speechless, exquisite features.

"Sasuke, I…mmph…!"Neji began a bit sheepishly but was instantly silenced as Sasuke crushed their lips together, the raw, blinding need behind the force he had used to kiss the Hyuuga immediately melting whatever had been left of his reservations, his concerns as the Anbu easily reciprocated the lustful kiss that had come at last.

The Uchiha felt as if a tangible weight had been lifted off of his shoulders, reprieved from his very, tainted existence, as he felt the Hyuuga's soft, supple lips move confidently but lingeringly over his own, sending him mind-warping tingles of cloud-like sensations to wash over him, cleansing him of harsh reality, and replacing it with something wonderful, something divine.

Sasuke and Neji naturally parted their lips to breathe; their warm breath mixing sensually in between them, before both men simultaneously tilted their heads in opposite directions so they may have better access to the other man's lips, the other man's everything, as they kept their eyes closed and wholly gave into just feeling the other's skin against their own.

Abruptly overcome with the imperative need to touch Neji more, feel more of his heavenly body along with his soul to adhere to his own, Sasuke lifted his deadly hands up to gently slide across the Hyuuga's pale, smooth cheeks until he could effectively cradle the long-haired young man's face against his palms.

Using his leverage on the almost painfully willing Hyuuga, the avenger stroked his calloused thumbs across Neji's high cheekbones in a loving, appreciative gesture as he carefully parted Neji's lips with his own and slowly eased his tongue inside his mouth.

Much to his accumulating approval, Sasuke felt Neji place his hands on either of his shoulders, giving his rugged flesh a slight squeeze in encouragement, as the Hyuuga obligingly met Sasuke's tongue with his own, giving the highly-receptive muscle a slight flick before making a long, slow sweep against the warm, moist texture that instantly made the Uchiha shiver.

Their kisses becoming exponentially more heated, Sasuke and Neji swirled their sensitive tongues together, each thoroughly enjoying the simmering pleasure that was wrapping around their genius minds, as Sasuke could not help but lean Neji backwards a little bit to show his dominance, his pressing desire for none other than the Hyuuga inside his embrace as he kissed him forcefully, passionately.

Neji hummed low in his throat, loving exactly how Sasuke's fingers were buried in his hair above the braid, as the Uchiha tasted every corner of his mouth as if it was his sole purpose on this planet, every, subtle stroke of his tongue and puff of air from his lips serving to drive the Hyuuga absolutely mad as he clung to the raven's shoulders and shuddered in unfathomable lust; the thought vaguely occurring to the Leaf ninja that he did not want this seemingly time-defying moment to end for them.

That thought in mind, the long-haired shinobi hurriedly broke off their wanton kiss with a gasp for air escaping him, before the Hyuuga fluidly brought his hands to Sasuke's short, raven spikes and gripped hard, all of his building sensations and hints at unbelievable pleasure desperately trying to overwhelm the Anbu, as he used his hold in the Uchiha's soft hair to guide his head in the other direction before attacking his mouth once again.

Sasuke had growled in white-hot ecstasy the moment Neji had pulled his hair, his charcoal eyes having barely made in open in time to see the Hyuuga's nearly savage expression, before their lips were smashed together once again, their tongues not hesitant in the least of joining back together to try to wring out as many needy huffs and noises from the other as possible.

After only another moment of their intense battle for dominance, the skillful maneuvers of lips and tongues and teeth serving as a cruel taunt of their sex as their kisses only made them ultimately want more from the other, Neji, however, slowly slid his fingers out of Sasuke's midnight-colored hair until he could rest them on the back of his neck while he lingeringly separated their tingling, yearns lips.

"S-Sasuke…" Neji said a bit weakly, feeling his resolve to say what he knew he needed to say trying to diminish within him as the aforementioned avenger only used their separation so he could nip teasingly at Nejis's enticing lips, "…hold on, there's…we'll…we'll continue this later, I promise, Sasuke."

Sasuke placed one, last nip to the corner of Neji's mouth, the Hyuuga's hands having comfortably moved down from his neck to the tops of his shoulders as they looked pleasantly upon one another as they finished catching their breath, both still internally refusing to fully acknowledge the real world around them as they could still feel the other's lips and breath against their own flesh.

"What's the matter?" Sasuke asked curiously, not even a trace of harshness present in his low, quiet voice, as he observed the Hyuuga's angelic features and relished in their close proximity where he could feel Neji's kind warmth and slender body pressed up against his own, as if he had always been meant to be in that position with the Uchiha.

"Oh, well…because I haven't really eaten anything since early yesterday, I'm kind of…starving," Neji admitted bashfully, feeling his stomach rumble disturbingly at the mere prospect of food since what he had said had been absolutely true.

As much as the disciplined, decorated Anbu officer had positively adored kissing and being kissed by the elusive Uchiha, Neji knew that he had certain limits; coupled with the situation of him still recovering from his previous poisoning, the Hyuuga needed to eat no matter how much he did want to move from his spot.

Amused, Sasuke smirked at Neji's common problem, immediately favoring the idea of sharing a meal with him and, perhaps, getting to know him better, as the Uchiha honestly did have a few questions for the Hyuuga to answer and he was not at all opposed to the idea of having the elite Leaf ninja start to trust him implicitly with his needs.

No one had ever accused Sasuke of being a selfless man, for the handsome avenger had meant every word that he had told the Hyuuga when he had proclaimed that he wanted to possess him, have Neji only look at him the same way he did him, and that he only wanted the rare, noble beauty that was Neji Hyuuga.

More than a conquest bred of simple infatuation, Sasuke had long realized that there was evident, common ground between himself and the Hyuuga, things that only one man could possibly understand about the other, and the raven-haired ninja could also not deny his tedious, mounting longing for Neji to succumb to him completely, not out of coercion but out of the wonderful simplicity that they wanted each other, belonged with each other.

"Then, I suggest we go into town and get some breakfast," Sasuke offered sincerely to the Byakugan user in his arms, enchanted straight away when he saw Neji smile warmly at him and his idea.

"Thank you; that…sounds like an excellent idea," Neji replied sweetly, genuinely as he retracted his hands from Sasuke's shoulders and licked his semi-swollen lips while taking a polite step away from the Uchiha, allowing him some space so he may take the lead and show the Anbu where to go from their place at the inn.

Sasuke smirked affectionately at the endearing sight before him, the Hyuuga radiant and charming in his eyes as the Anbu officer respectfully awaited Sasuke's first move towards their destination as the raven had obviously pleased Neji greatly by offering for them to go out straight away to get whatever food the Hyuuga desired for them both to eat up on the balcony over the city.

Author's Note: Okay. All the ideas I've had on how to ultimately end this story…they're all effing depressing as hell. I am now officially open to ideas for how you would like to see this story end after a few more chapters of Sasu and Nej getting closer and whatever. POST 'EM WITH YOUR REVIEWS!