For Better or Worse

Part 3

Reading guide

Italic - thoughts

"Normal speech"

'Quoted speech, words etc.'

Neji watched as Sasuke opened his door and closed it behind him. He sighed and drove off to his place.

When he got to his place, he made for the bed immediately. The heaviness in his heart was not fading. What was Sasuke thinking? What was going to happen on Monday? And how was he going to face Sasuke? All these questions kept running in his head again and again until sleep took him.

Neji was scared of how Sasuke was going to act even though he was quite uncertain of how Sasuke was going to act when they meet at work on Monday. Was he going to act as if nothing had happened? Again?

The depressing weekend was soon over and so it was Monday morning.

Neji got out of his car and walked towards the entrance to the building; now his work place. At the reception desk, he was greeted by the pink haired receptionist who had welcomed him the first time he had been here. With all that had been on his mind that first time, he had completely forgotten about her even her unusual hair colour; it made him wonder how he could have forgotten about that.

"Good morning Hyuuga-san." She greeted cheerily.

Oh, so she already knows my name. He thought.

"Good morning…" oh great I don't know her name.

"Haruno Sakura. My name is Haruno Sakura." She provided helpfully.

"Right. Good morning Haruno san." So her name is literal to her hair colour; pink like the spring cherry blossoms.

"Please, just Sakura is fine. Haruno makes me feel like my mother." She giggled while twirling the pen she had between her fingers.

"I see, well then Sakura-san, you can just call me Neji." He said and walked away.

If he had stayed a minute longer, he would have noticed love hearts replacing the irises of the young lady and her pale cheeks swapped to rosy ones; she was falling. Hopefully not too deeply.

As he retraced his footsteps from the last time he had been here, to Sasuke's office, he felt his feet become weaker with each step he took. Why was he feeling worse than the last time he was here? Well because this time he had an inkling of what was to come…

Sasuke sat in his desk chair waiting for Neji. Speaking of whom, last Friday hadn't gone well; he had nearly given in into temptation. Neji had gotten him by surprise. Guess it was his own fault for starting it.

'Just to prove that we are not going to have any problems between us, let's test this out.'

God! What was he thinking? He should have known that Neji would have reacted the way he did. Heck anyone would have reacted in any way possible.

The way Neji had kissed him had put him on the edge the whole weekend. The familiar taste of Neji's lips had him wanting more. The sudden electrifying rush of desire throughout his body had filled him with desperation that without realising it, he had clung onto Neji's shirt shamelessly.

Damn it that guy still annoyed him like hell!

It had been a shock that he could still react that way towards the bastard. That is why he had walked out of the car the way he had done. He had no idea what to say to Neji. What if the bastard was here just to see him lose his cool again? Sasuke was not going to let that happen. The answer 'None' to Neji's question had formed on his tongue without much thought.

Sasuke had made mind his up over the weekend on how to act towards Neji.

His brother hadn't contacted him all weekend. It was as if he knew something between Sasuke and Neji.

Did he?

What had really happened between them in high school? Better yet what had really happened that night at their graduation ball?

High school.

Young love.

Shouldn't that say it all?

High school, a place where old friendships are rekindled and new ones are kindled; where old love is carried on or reawakened.

It is an initiation headquarters for young love; A place where heartbreak is not a scarce case.

Like falling under a spell, love comes without knocking; along with it joy, heartbreak and whatever that love hauls along with it.

Hyuuga Neji and Uchiha Sasuke had fallen under the spell right at the moment they had met. Despite that, they had had no idea. Hence the emotion roller coaster they had gone through.

Neji sat on one of the chairs in the headmaster's office; Sarutobi-sensei. Across from him sat a dark haired boy dressed in the school uniform. A pretty boy. The boy looked bored out of his mind. It was as if the sensei wasn't even there. He looked like one of those rich brats.

"Neji-kun, I have called you here because we have a new student joining us today. This is Uchiha Sasuke. He will be in all of your classes. I put him in your care. Because you are the school president, you know more about the school than anyone."

"Sensei, you give me too much credit." He said with forged modesty while looking at the Uchiha pointedly. To establish his power to the Uchiha.

Just from that, Sasuke decided he didn't like this guy at all. His arrogance didn't sit well with Sasuke.

Neji led the way out of the office. Sasuke walked about two steps behind him. Noticing this, Neji slowed to Sasuke's pace, utterly oblivious to Sasuke's need to distance himself from him.

"So you are the Uchiha. Even though I have heard that your older brother came to this school, I never could have imagined the little brother coming here too." he said this as if just the name Uchiha gave him a bitter taste on his tongue.

Sasuke just ignored him. Neji felt inferior to him; it made him furious. Who did this Uchiha think he is, just because he was a rich kid didn't mean that he could look down on everyone? Never mind that that was exactly what he himself was doing to Sasuke.

Damn it! No one ignores me! Even the teachers! I hate rich brats. I will show him who is boss around here. Neji thought bitterly.

"What is a rich brat doing here anyway! Tired of the rich kids' schools? You think you can just waltz here and expect everyone to bow down to you just because your family funds this school! You Uchiha's are despicable!"

"hn." that was Sasuke's response as he carried on walking. It wasn't the first time that someone started a fight with him because of his family name. So it didn't faze him the least bit.

Really now, right on his first day he had to encounter such a person? How annoying.

"You don't belong here!" Neji said brutally.

This is so annoying. Brother is sure going to kill me for this. But come on now, even I got better self-control than him. He would have killed the guy on the first comment. Oh well…

Thought Sasuke as he turned around and landed a punch right onto Neji's cheek followed by a double knee kick to the stomach.

Neji tumbled to the floor onto his knees while clutching his stomach. He felt dizzy and his eyes were becoming heavy suddenly. He distantly heard his culprit's voice say:

"I'm not here to make friends with anyone nor am I here to prove anything to anyone. Belong or don't belong, I don't care. Just remember this; I hate annoying people like you."

Sasuke reached for his knocked out victim and slung him on his shoulder and made for the Nurse's office; thank god he knew where he was headed; Itachi had given him the school tour a week before.

Seriously, Sasuke didn't like this guy.

He reached the Nurse's office and irritably, he twisted the door knob and walked in. The nurse wasn't in. so Sasuke laid Neji on one of the beds and found the right materials and patched up Neji's cheek and stomach bruises.

Sasuke walked out and went to find the class for his next lesson.

It was the end of school.

It had been a long painful day to say the least; the moment Sasuke had walked into his first lesson which was history, he had felt like he had entered hell. The girls had love hearts in their eyes. And the guys… well… Sasuke didn't want to know what was cooking in their heads. But he could guess that it was nothing good from all the glares he was receiving.

Sasuke had wanted to walk back out of the classroom when he had noticed the teacher with his nose in a book. He didn't have to ask what type of book it was; there was a red stamp at the front of the book that said "mature contents"

Great. His teacher was a pervert. Speaking of perverts, his brother had a perverted acquaintance with exactly the same haircut and colour as this teacher…

Hell no!

"Hello Sasuke-kun. It's nice to see you again after so long. How have you been." the teacher had greeted him, all the while his face was still in the book.

Damn it, it's him. I have a feeling brother knew that he worked here. This guy; Hatake Kakashi, hits on practically everything that has legs.

"Kakashi-san, are you really interested to know about my life?" Sasuke forwned at the teacher.

"Mah mah, Sasuke-kun, that's Sensei to you. And I am not interested about what you have been up to while abroad."

"Sigh. 'Sensei' where can I sit?" Sasuke asked with an emphasis on 'Sensei'

"You can sit there" Kakashi had showed him his seat which he had later found out that the seat next to it belonged to none other than the student president.

Besides his history lesson's problem, every lesson had been a stroll in the park; that is if you ignore the fact that everyone had been asking where their beloved student president was. And the girls were giving him the once over.

Sasuke opened the door to the nurse's office and walked in. Like before, the nurse wasn't in; it made Sasuke wonder if she was ever in. His gaze landed on the bed he had laid his victim earlier. He sighed when he realised that the said victim was still fast asleep; maybe he had hit him a bit too hard or it could be that the guy was just tired from the start. He did look like one of those guys who work hard to please everyone.

Nevertheless, Sasuke had hoped that the bastard would have woken up by now; it was the end of school!

Sasuke sat on one of the chairs in the room facing the bed.

What am I doing here? He asked himself. Well the answer to that question would be that, the guy hadn't turn up to the classes. So he had decided to check up on him; in simple terms, Sasuke felt responsible even though he still stood his ground that the bastard had it coming.

Oh yeah, what's his name? Sasuke realised that he didn't even know the name of his victim. Not that it mattered; he was just curious.

Suddenly, his mobile phone began ringing. Sasuke got up quickly and stood by the window looking outside to where the caller was; it was his driver, here to pick him up.

"I will be there in a moment." Sasuke said into the phone as quietly as possible so not to wake the student president.

Neji heard an unfamiliar voice in the distance. He slowly opened his eyes. Then he turned to where the voice was coming from.

"Who are you?" he blurted while sitting up from the bed.

And where the hell am I?

"Oh? Forgotten me already after how you had greeted me, the new student? Maybe I didn't kick you enough to make you remember your manners." Sasuke responded coolly while turning around to face the bed occupier.

"You! I will make you pay for this." Threatened Neji upon recalling what had happened for him to end up here for the first time.

"I would like to see you try." Countered Sasuke.

Neji glared at him. Sasuke glared back.

"What are you doing here?" Neji suddenly asked.

"Huh?" was Sasuke's response. Then he realised that Neji was asking about him being in the nurse's office and answered:

"You didn't turn up to all your lessons. I thought I had killed you. So I came to make sure no one finds your body." He smirked.

"You." Growled Neji. "Wait… you said all the lessons right?"

"Yeah."

"So you mean I have been in here all day! Then I have to go do my work." he said while getting up from the bed. Then he quickly sat back down, his hand clutching his middle; his stomach hurt like hell.

Sasuke just looked on. He didn't know what to say because he had never been in a situation where he had to comfort someone before.

Neji tried getting up again. This time though slowly. He walked out of the room without another word; the humiliation he felt, was enough to kill him. He couldn't believe someone had seen him in a vulnerable state. He had to get away from the bastard.

He promised himself to make the Uchiha pay for this.

Sasuke sighed and walked out of the room to his car. He was glad he hadn't hurt him that much and he just hoped that the bastard wouldn't report to the headmaster because then Sasuke would have to face his brother for causing trouble on his very first day in a new school.

The next day.

Sasuke got out of his car and he was greeted by Neji who after a while of thinking about what to do to exact his revenge on Sasuke, had come up with one thing; get close to Sasuke and find his weakness and get him when he least expects it.

"Good morning Sasu-chan." He greeted with a smile that promised hell for Sasuke.

"You. Do you want to die?" warned Sasuke. What was this idiot up to? Yesterday, he appeared to hate his guts, today he is all smiley with him?

And the annoying nickname!

"Oww come on, don't be so uptight. Oh by the way I forgot to introduce myself. The name is Hyuuga Neji. It's nice to meet you."

"I am not interested." Sasuke said and walked passed Neji.

"Sasu-chan wai-"

"Drop it." Growled Sasuke, pausing in his steps.

Neji was about to respond when,

"Neji-kun. What are you doing here when you are supposed to be in the meeting? Everyone is waiting in the council room." said a blonde, light blue eyed girl.

Using the disturbance as a means to shake off the Hyuuga, Sasuke began walking away.

Unexpectedly, there was a blonde clinging onto his arm.

"Sasuke-kun, it's very nice to meet you, I'm Yamanaka Ino. But you can call me Ino. So what classes do you have this morning?"

Sasuke felt like screaming to the gods; he had completely forgotten about her. She was so annoying. The day before, she had clung to him like a leech.

"Ino-chan, let go of Sasu-chan, and let's go to the meeting." Neji grabbed her by the hand and made for the student council room. However before he disappeared around the corner, he called out to Sasuke.

"I will see you in class."

Will I have to be going through this every day from now own? Sasuke groaned knowing the answer to that.

And so, Neji, Sasuke and Ino's school routine commenced.

Sasuke would be dropped off by car; the car which he had complained to his brother that he didn't want to use when going to school because it attracted so much attention. His brother had told him it was for his own safety. So he still came to school by car.

Neji, being the president, and Ino being the vice president meant that they would both be in the brief morning meeting in the student council room before classes.

They would meet Sasuke in the class. And at lunch time, Ino would drag Neji and Sasuke out for lunch. After school, Neji and Ino would stay for some student council duties whereas Sasuke would go to his waiting car and head home.

A week had passed with nothing suspicious happening between them. Sasuke got used to the life at school and he no longer found Neji and Ino's company annoying.

Without realising it, Sasuke grew less sceptical of Neji having ulterior motives in befriending him, considering what had happened when they had first met.

As for Neji, things became complicated. He began feeling anxious whenever he was around Sasuke. The feeling of hatred he had felt for Sasuke from the start had vanished. And the need to exact revenge on Sasuke had transformed to the need to protect him; Neji begun longing to see Sasuke smile, to see him happy. His eyes began following Sasuke's every move; be it the way his lips moved when talking or the way Sasuke carried himself when walking.

He longed to feel Sasuke's lips against his. To taste him. To careless his skin. Neji wondered how Sasuke's skin would feel against his.

He wondered what sounds Sasuke would make if he were to...

Wait a damn minute! What am I thinking about? Sasuke is guy damn it!

And with my situation at home… this is not good. Neji Screamed in his head.

He glanced at Sasuke who was sitting on a one sitter sofa across from him with a coffee table in between them. It was Friday after school and they were in the student council room. Neji had invited Sasuke to come and wait in the student council room while he was waiting for his driver to come and pick him up; the driver had rang up to say that he was going to be slightly late.

Ino had abandoned her duties to go shopping with some girls. So it was just the two of them.

Without thinking about it, Neji got up from his chair and walked to Sasuke's chair. He sat on the armrest.

What was he feeling for Sasuke? Was it just curiosity? But why Sasuke? Was it because he was cute?

Wait. Cute? Since when did he start thinking that Sasuke was cute?

"Sasuke" Neji called to get Sasuke's attention from the book he was reading.

Sasuke turned to face him when abruptly Neji was so close to his face. Before he could pull back, Neji grabbed his chin and tilted his head up. Then he pressed his lips to his.

Sasuke gasped in shock and Neji took the opportunity to slide his wet tongue into Sasuke's mouth.

Neji's mind was filled with nothing but Sasuke. The image of his fiancée quickly morphed into that of Sasuke.