figment; fragment (is this really all you can be?)

.

It is a warm autumn afternoon, and Neji still has not found the courage to propose.

With what happened last time, he decided that he needed something much bigger, much more elaborate for Sakura—something much more special—something similar, but not as ridiculous as Lee's proposal to Tenten.

And it was on that fateful spring day that Neji began planning.

He and Sakura have just delivered their most recent mission report to the Hokage, and are returning to their respective homes for a shower before meeting up again for a late lunch with some other friends. Neither of them are injured, but they are grimy and tired—and the last thing he wants is another white hair from the stress of being grimy and tired.

(He has not discovered more white hairs since that incident, thankfully.)

Sakura's apartment is the closest, so he walks her there before returning to his own. However, when they reach her door, she doesn't enter—she wrings her hands behind her back and shift uncomfortably on her feet.

"Is something the matter?" he asks, the back of his hand immediately flying to her forehead. "You didn't catch a cold with the last rainstorm, did you?"

She laughs. "No, I'm fine. Actually, um…well. You see." She starts playing with her hair—a definite sign that she's uncomfortable. "We've been going out for a while now…actually, how long has it been? Two years and half?"

"Almost three," he clarifies.

"Right. Almost three. It kind of feels like…you know me inside out, you know? And I really hope I know you really well too, because, well…the thing is, Neji…" He has a sneaking suspicion that she's confessing her love to him—she's never formally done that—and he feels a little pleased with himself. He's tired and his skin is caked with sweat and dirt, but still, pleased. "Um…will you marry me?"

Silence.

"Huh?"

"…Whoa, that's like, the most unintelligent response I've ever heard you make. Oh, wait! I don't have a ring, but I do have something! Just one sec!" She turns on her heels and races into her apartment, and within seconds, she's returned with a long box. Before he can accept it, she falls onto one knee. "Hyuuga Neji, will you marry me?"

This cannot be happening. He looks around desperately—what if someone sees—

She opens the box, and he stares at it. It's a kunai. From afar, it almost looks like a regular kunai, when he takes it out of the box to inspect it further, Neji notices that there are words engraved on the flat side of the blade.

Of baths, silk boxers, and white hairs.
Forever.

And he actually feels the sting of tears in his eyes.

…Tears of humiliation, that is.

His girlfriend cannot—will not—be the one proposing to him. He will not accept being proposed to. Absolutely not. Unacceptable.

"This is preposterous," he says shortly, having it sound much angrier than intended. Sakura's eyes widen by a fraction, and she even looks a little let down—but she knows him better than this—she knows he wouldn't accept being proposed to!

"Oh." She stands up again, staring at her feet. "Sorry. I guessed I…popped the question too soon." He gapes at her. Has she been planning this from the start? Did he give her the impression that she wore the pants in this relationship? (Well, actually, she sometimes did—but everyone would agree with Neji when he says that she is a frightening woman when she wants to be. A very frightening woman.) "I suppose you won't want the kunai…"

"I will keep the kunai," he says, holding it out of her reach, "if you keep the ring." She blinks and stares at him as he pulls the box out of his pocket, opening it and presenting it to her.

Her smile is soft. "I'll keep the ring."

He slips it onto her finger, and everything feels right.

royalty (smothered by luxury)

.

The wedding is grand. The color scheme is alabaster and lavender—something that he and Sakura have argued over several times before coming to an agreement. Lee is made into a very proud and weeping best man, and Ino is most likely the most beautiful maid of honor he has ever seen—but, of course, is nothing compared to the blushing bride herself.

Today, Neji deems, is the happiest day of his life.

When the ceremony is over and they move out of the chapel to take pictures, he is swarmed with people and unable to speak to Sakura. She seems quite alright, though—she is surrounded by her female friends, and smiling much brighter than he has ever seen—and he glows, taking pride in the fact that he is the reason why she is so happy.

They return to the Hyuuga compound that night for a brief visit to his family before staying the night at Sakura's. (There is always more privacy there.) They receive several congratulations, and Hiashi even asks about their plans for children. Sakura is reduced to a spluttering mess, so Neji does her the favor and tells him that they do plan on having children one day (not that they've discussed it or anything, but they're married now, and they'll have to make compromises—even if it's a child or two).

"You're willing to settle down with a family?" Sakura asks as they slowly walk home, hand in hand.

"I have always wanted to settle down with a family," he corrects. "I have just never emphasized on it, in fear that it will frighten you."

"I thought you realized by now that out of the both of us, you're the one who gets frightened the most." She giggles, and he fights the urge to roll his eyes. "I mean, the silk boxers—"

"I thought we agreed that the silk boxers will never be mentioned again." He sounds strained.

"Right, right. Sorry, Neji-kun." She pecks him on the cheek, and they continue on their way. He looks up at the sky, and wonders what caused fate to give him such a good wife that could be so fierce sometimes.

.

"Okay, now, sit on the bed." She places her hands on her hips.

He smirks. "Instead of being subtle, you can just tell me you feel like dominating tonight—"

"No, seriously, I'm worried for your health. Sit on the bed." He sits.

(Naruto's said that within a month of being married, Sakura would have him whipped. It hasn't been six hours yet, and she's already succeeded.)

"I'm not feeling particularly warm—"

"It's not that," she says, cutting him off again. He frowns. He doesn't like being cut off. "Just…sit. You might need the soft padding underneath you." He raises an eyebrow in question—she looks nervous again, like when she proposed. (It is a bitter memory that he refuses to acknowledge.)

"Is something the matter?" he asks, concerned.

She takes his hands in hers. "Well, you see, Neji—um, well…I might be kind of…maybe…pregnant."

And Neji deduces that his wife is a very smart woman, because, at the very least, fainting on a bed won't have him waking up feeling sore anywhere.

breath; footfall (the only sound in the world)

.

"Neji?"

"Sakura? You said you didn't like using the telephone—is something the matter? Is the baby coming early?"

"No! Actually, since these things are kind of new, I figured I'd try it out—and you're at Lee's and all, and I didn't really want to waddle all the way over to his place just to talk. I'm not interrupting anything, am I? You guys aren't having some man-talk?"

"No—Lee is making some tea right now."

"Oh. Okay. Say, I was wondering—what should we name our child?"

"I thought we agreed to name it Hizashi."

"But what if it's a girl? It's a girl, Neji—I can feel it. Right now, it just kicked—it was such a gentle kick. Hey, what are we going to name it if it's a girl?"

"You can decide—after all, I decided the name for the boy."

"Aw, you're so sweet. Let's name it…Dango!"

"…"

"…Neji? Did you just choke?"

"…Asdfghjkl."

"I was just joking, y'know. I was thinking of Shizuka—she seems like the quiet type. It'd be nice if she was a quiet little girl, wouldn't she? I think we make enough noise without anyone else's help."

"We are a dignified couple, Sakura."

"You're dignified. Sometimes. Let's be honest—I come from a civilian family—I wasn't brought up specially like you. Did you see the looks on my parents' faces when they realized that everyone in your family doesn't have pupils?"

"The Byakugan is one of the best doujutsu techniques that only exists in Konoha—"

"Yeah, yeah—don't get all stingy on me. Oh—got to go—I'm going to get my ultrasound from Tsunade-sama. Come to think of it, my stomach's been hurting a bit lately…"

"Hurting? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Well, anyway, I'll see you tonight! Love you!"

"Sakura? Make sure to get yourself checked with Hokage-sama while you're at it—any pains other than contractions are a bad sign—"

"Y'know, I think I need to fake contractions one day, just to see how you'll freak out."

"…Just get yourself checked."

"Oh, ow—I think it's starting to come right now—"

"…Don't go anywhere—I'll be there immediately—"

"Just joking! Bye, husband dearest!" Click.

"Sakura? So you're fine? Sakura?"

create (anyone can destroy but this is far harder)

.

Uchiha Itachi is killed exactly one week before Neji's first child is born—but of course, he doesn't know that yet.

Akatsuki has begun to move again, and Tsunade dispatches her best team one week after the news has spread—Kakashi, Neji, Shikamaru, and Naruto—but only the latter, because he would've thrown a fit otherwise—in hopes of breaking apart the organization at its weakest. When Neji bid Sakura goodbye, she was upset over having to stay home—but nevertheless, saw him off with a smile.

"You'd better come back safe, because I swear to God, if our child is born fatherless, I'm going to marry some civilian!"

"Of course." He kisses her, and disappears in a flurry of leaves.

.

It is about two hours into the mission when Kakashi signals for them to stop. "Someone's following us."

Neji immediately activates the Byakugan. "It's Aburame Shino." They wait, and after a few minutes, their fellow shinobi catches up to them.

"Neji." He nods in greeting. "Hokage-sama has ordered me to take your place on this mission—Sakura has begun having contractions." Neji is so startled, his Byakugan deactivates and he nearly falls off of the branch he's standing on.

"Congrats, man!" Naruto laughs, clapping him on the back.

Shikamaru smirks—and Neji is forever grateful to this man, because without him, he would never be where he is now. "You should go."

A small, but sincere smile involuntarily spreads across his lips. "I'll leave it to you," he tells Shino, before taking off at full speed back to Konoha.

Back home, and straight into her open arms.

.

It is a boy. He refrains from telling Sakura I told you so, but really, he told her so. Of course it's a boy—his hunch told him it would be a boy.

Sakura is sleeping soundly in the hospital bed, so he takes her baby—their baby—from her arms and cradles him. There are soft, dark hairs on his head, and at the small shuffle, he yawns his little mouth widely before snuggling into his chest. He would weep from happiness, if it weren't so shameful.

He is so delicate and perfect—and despite his wedding, Neji thinks, today is the happiest day of his life.

"Mm? Neji?" Sakura stretches and rolls over so she faces him. "Why are you here?"

"Where else would I be when our child is being born?" he asks softly. It's a shame he isn't able to participate in that mission—it certainly seemed interesting—but this—this is much better. He leans down and kisses her forehead. "Meet Hyuuga Hizashi."

Her smile is soft. "It turned out to be a boy after all, huh? I kind of fell asleep right after he came out."

"The next one will be a girl," he promises.

She laughs, sounding tired. "The next one? I have to go through all of that again?" He frowns when she stretches and winces. "Ow. I'm sore."

He doesn't want to think how much pain it must have been, for something as big as their child to come out of something as small as—well, that. So he merely smiles softly and places Hizashi in her arms. "I'll get some water for you."

"That'd be nice. Thanks."

And when he returns to the room with a cup of water in his hand, he sees Sakura nuzzling their son's head, cooing softly, "You're the cutest thing ever, did you know? Your daddy might even smile because of you!"

And surprisingly, he is smiling—widely and wholeheartedly—and when his wife looks up at him, she blinks in surprise, and then:

"Neji…you have dimples?"

.

The day Neji's first child is born is the same day Uchiha Sasuke steps back into Konoha, a free man—but of course, he doesn't know that yet.

notes: only four prompts this time because i needed the cliffie. :P but that means the next chapter will have six!

have you guys read we'll be a dream by me? yeah, actually, the idea of the girl proposing instead of the guy originated here, not there. i wrote this chapter before i wrote we'll be a dream.