Ch 3

Note….Life is miserable; allergies SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As the door opens she is hit with a fragrance akin to rain showers and forests. It couldn't possibly be cologne, which meant Neji smelled just as good, if not better, just being himself…and Sakura rather liked that- the smell of natural attraction.

Neji is standing there, with his hands in his pockets, a light gaze perusing her being while he takes in her appearance. She is doing the same, albeit, more obviously than he is. This is all new to her, this immediate and irrevocable attraction. He's wearing a simple black shirt with black slacks and somehow she manages to see all the contours of his body through his thin shirt as it hangs on him in just the right way, as if he's wearing the tight yet simple and elegant dress she is wearing.

Despite the beautiful body, he is entranced by her sparkling eyes and curly pink hair. It made the most striking combination he'd ever seen.

Clearing his throat, Neji sticks out an arm for her to take. As she links her arm in his, she turns behind her and waves goodbye to a little black kitten standing in the middle of the walkway. He just notices the kitten standing there but has not a chance to dwell on it as Sakura steps out into the hallway, closing and locking the door behind her.

As she registers his warm arm still wrapped together with her, she breaks the comfortable silence. Where are we going, she asks. He smiles a small yet gentle smile in response. It's a secret, he says.

When they get to Neji's car, he is a complete gentleman, opening the door and helping her with the seatbelt before gently closing the door. The car ride over is just like before, silent yet comfortable. No words are needed to pick up on the excitement emanating from the couple.

She watches as the street signs pass by, curious as to where they are going. This was, after all, their first date and her first real date in a while. She had been busy with the new business she'd opened with her partner and best friend (I put this in b/c I realized that no one knew what Sakura does for a living….and neither did I lol). Her efforts were fruitless as she decided that she would just have to wait to find out.

The car finally comes to a halt as Neji parks on the side of a street. Sakura still has no idea where they are going; the street they were on was littered with places to eat and drink.

As Neji comes around the car to help her out, he shields her from the side of the street with passing traffic. He cradles her back with his body as she straightens herself out. For a moment he is close enough to him to feel the heated fragrance exuding from his body. She's hit with memories of the day they first met and smiles. It seemed as thought it was just in his nature to be protective and careful.

I hope you like steak, he says, as he guides her down the street to the entrance of a fancy looking restaurant. He had put careful thought into where to take her, and decided that this steak house would be the best- not only was their steak fantastic, but their pasta and vegetarian dishes were great as well. This was just in case Sakura turned out to be a vegetarian. Once he found out what she liked to eat, he would take her to somewhere more specialized.

Next time…hmmm,….he muses to himself.

He really hoped to God that this would work out- this thing he was cultivating between himself and Sakura. Heavens knew he had lived the lonely bachelors life for many years now, despite his young age.

She is looking at the menu with the most adorable confusion and he takes full advantage of the moment to shamelessly stare at her. When the waiter comes to take the order, he s doesn't take his eyes off of her to order for the both of them . She is simply unable to decide what to eat.

When she finally notices his blatant stare, her cheeks flare a heated, pretty pink and she is unable to hold his gaze for so long. He clears his voice to speak when he has her attention all to himself. He takes a moment to make his intentions clear to her- to show her that he intended to take their relationship as far as she would allow and only with her consent, that this dinner wasn't just a dinner to thank her for taking care of him.

She calmly responds that she is delighted, that the feeling is mutual, a soft look in her big green eyes. As the food arrives, a happy silence once again blankets the atmosphere. They are enjoying the food with excitement renewed by their previous confessions when Neji's phone rings.

Apologizing for his rudeness, he takes the call because it is from the precinct and by the look on his face it is something that is pressing. As he throws down a hundred dollar bill, he quickly gets up and pulls Sakura gently out of her seat. He is torn for a second, because he is needed down at the local precinct but he is not willing to leave Sakura there.

As they take off in his car, his lights shining and siren blaring, he explains that an arrested suspect has somehow gotten loose and is causing a raucous. He expresses his unwillingness to just let her go by herself when she attests to her ability to catch a cab home but also explains that since it is dangerous for her to be inside the precinct with him, he is going to leave her in the car. He explains to her where all he gadgets are and in the case that she needs it, he also shows her where the extra gun is hidden.

When they arrive at the precinct, the noise is loud enough to be heard outside. He takes one last glance at her before he cautiously enters the building.

Sakura is left alone in the car and she wonders what is going on inside. She tells herself that she should be scared, or alarmed at the least, but she is unable to feel so. She does wonder how long he'll be.

Not 10 minutes after Neji went in, the precinct is finally silent. Curiosity getting the better of her, Sakura wonders for a second if it would be okay for her to step out before opens the door and gets out of the car. She takes all but 3 steps forward when the doors to the precinct burst open and a man runs out.

As the man runs out of the precinct, Neji along with a handful of officers chase after him. He runs straight towards her and shoves her out of his way hard against the car. In a split second reaction, she clings onto this shirt by the arm that just shoved her and topples over with him when the man trips and falls.

By now Neji and the other officers have arrived and taken over the situation. As Neji pulls Sakura from the ground, he shields her from the suspect who is now cursing profanities while he is handcuffed and taken back inside. Dusting her off, he thinks of giving her a piece of his mind for getting out of the car and putting herself in danger but stops when he sees the look on her face.

Dazedly, she looks up at him with a cheeky grin and asks, how did I do on my first day Lieutenant Hyuuga? He is too relieved to be upset with her. This woman seemed to have impeccable timing, both good and bad. What am I to ever do with you, he states more than asks.

Or, how about, I'm glad you're okay..she whispers, their faces inching closer. Brushing a stray hair from her face, Neji pushes her against his car. Neji whispers back, or how about…..and doesn't finish the sentence. He captures her lips in his instead, soft warm lips meeting together in heated bliss.

Suddenly, there are cat calls and whistles in the background as other officers watch from a distance. They knew all too well how Lieutenant Hyuuga had been long overdue for a bit of romance in his life. Actually, some of the officers had recognized the pink haired woman from previous events and wholeheartedly approved the coupling.

Embarrassed beyond viable relief, Sakura once again blushed a pretty pink and ducked her face into his chest to hide herself. She could feel the deep rumble in his chest as he chuckled with endearment at her actions.

_---__---___---_____-------_________-------------

A year later, soon to be Hyuuga Sakura stretches her arms and legs as the sun peeks through the curtains. This sunny Saturday morning she sleeps in and enjoys the sight of her lover sleeping soundly next to her when she wakes.

She thinks of a mischievous way to wake him but lets out a giggle that wakes him up instead. Sleep filled pearl eye slide open, taking in the disheveled look of his pink haired angel before he pulls her back down against him. Kissing her shoulder and neck from behind, he pulls the straps of her bra off of her before he takes one full breast into his hand.

Thinking of the activities from the previous night, Sakura lets out a slightly exasperated huff.

Neji kun! Again?

The end.

I had a bit of trouble in closing the story because the story kind of worked backwards. Due to the nature of the way Neji and Sakura met I didn't know how to finish the story off- I couldn't just make it like, hey nothing went wrong after that and they lived happily ever after!

Hope it wasn't too out there- the story line. I thought I would enjoy not writing a lemon but it made me think too hard otherwise.

Pulleeesseee review.

Oh, another thing-quick question. You guys know my first story, Little Green Dress? If someone reviews it in laughter.…..is said reviewer laughing at me? Or the story?