Finally onto the chapter where the NejixSakura fluff really gets going! I also really wanted to introduce Sasuke somewhere in this story because I wanted to write him where he's not an arsehole. So many stories have him being this nasty piece of work, which is fair enough because he was for the majority of the manga, but I much preferred how his personality turned out in the end once the characters have all grown up and so I was trying to portray that a bit here.

Hopefully it worked…

Anyway, Enjoy!

xox

The library was a lot different to what Sakura had first thought.

It was huge.

She felt her mouth drop open slightly in awe as she gazed around the large space, her eyes roaming over scroll after scroll and book after book on everything and anything she could possibly imagine. She padded softly further into the cavernous room, running a hand over the back of a chair as she admired her new surroundings. How had the Hyuuga's kept this quiet? She glanced over her shoulder at the man who stood quietly behind her as the question bounced off the walls of her mind, wondering why Neji had never mentioned this before. It truly was a magnificent piece of art; not as tall as the library in sand, nor was it as cluttered as the library in Konoha, but it could rival both in size and quantity.

"Do you like it?" Neji asked conversationally.

She spun to face him, a grin stretching her cheeks, "I love it! How come you've never mentioned it before?" She asked as he padded over the carpet to the first lot of books on display, admiring their bindings to see what was on offer.

"It never came up, I suppose. I don't come in here often, it's used more by the butlers and maids of the main household."

The way he said it made her ponder that perhaps he didn't feel comfortable being in here; the way he was lingering by the doorway spoke volumes too, "Ah."

"Here, I'll show you where the medical section is. It wont be busy today as everyone is still on their visit to sand. You'll have it mostly to yourself."

She followed him quietly, finding her gaze fixing solidly onto the planes of his back as she watched the fabric move over the taut muscles beneath his skin. She flushed slightly at the random thought and immediately turned her attention elsewhere, admiring a shelf of old scrolls that they wandered past as she struggled to keep her attention on anything but him. She had wondered on whether or not their close proximity would have a profound affect on their future friendship; would she feel less like she was treading on egg shells around him and more like she was actually enjoying his company? She glanced up again to watch the sway of his high ponytail as he walked and she found herself getting lost in its repetitive motion as she thought about their current relationship. Did she harbour feelings for him? Or was it just her childish imagination getting the better of her because she had nothing else to pre-occupy her mind with. Either way she was enjoying his company very much and-

"-Oof!"

Neji caught her with both hands, wrapping them tightly around her arms as he righted her balance and gazed down at her concerned, "Are you alright?"

In her dazed state she had crashed straight into him where he had stopped, bumping into his chest just as he turned around to present to her the shelves of medical records and files on the Hyuuga household.

"G-Gomen," She shook her head, trying to ignore the skin on skin contact from his rough hands across her shoulders, "I was miles away!" She laughed nervously, feeling her nerves peak slightly at this new chemistry.

He removed his fingers, feeling her tense slightly at his touch and he immediately retreated, keen to not make her uncomfortable.

"Well," he coughed, trying to disperse the awkwardness, "Feel free to stay here as long as you like."

She blinked, "Wont you stay?"

"I can't I'am afraid, I must go see Kakashi. But you will be safe here don't worry."

She felt slightly strange at her sudden admission to him leaving her alone, "I'm sure I'll survive," She grinned.

He smiled in return, "The shelves behind you is the medical section, as promised. I wont be long."

She nodded, watching him take his leave quickly as he disappeared through the large double doors across the room, leaving her alone with the handful of maids that were clearly off duty and enjoying the peace and quiet of the Hyuuga library. Not being completely alone in the cavernous space made her nerves soften slightly and she felt her emotions simmer as a maid across the room from her looked up and smiled politely in greeting, before going back to her writing. Sakura gave her a small smile back and a nod, before she turned and stared at the mass of new information at her eager fingertips. The woman's smile stayed with her as she grabbed the first few scrolls off the top shelf; it was uncommon for Hyuuga's to greet her, even when she walked past them in the halls or said hello herself, she never got anything in response.

She turned to find rows and rows of empty tables awaiting her arrival and yet she found her feet padding over to where the young woman sat; perhaps it was her need for human company to comfort her woes that led her way, the younger woman looked up slightly surprised at her arrival and she shifted as if embarrassed, a flush roasting her cheeks. Sakura wondered whether or not she had judged the situation right and tried to resolve it by smiling warmly.

"Is this seat taken?" She joked, grinning as she sat opposite the woman and lay the pile of scrolls she had clutched in her hands on the table in front of her.

The woman shook her head, averting her gaze as she smiled too, "N-no."

"I'm Haruno Sakura by the way. Nice to meet you!"

"Yes I know..."

Sakura blinked, "Eh?"

"Oh I didn't mean any offence! I just meant that I know who you are as I have heard of you before. I've followed your work for a while..."

It was Sakura''s turn to flush at the woman's display of admiration and she felt herself stammer slightly, "A-ah. Sorry I didn't catch your name?"

The woman looked up properly this time and smiled warmly, "I'm Mia, it's lovely to meet you!"

It was only then that Sakura noticed the one striking feature that had probably caused her to gravitate towards this woman in the first place and she cant believe it had taken her this long to notice it.

The woman wasn't a Hyuuga.

xox

Neji stared at the dank space that filled the gap between him and the thick iron bars, the stench of stale food and sweat made his nostrils flare slightly and he wondered whether it was from the woman sat in front of him or if it was just the general stench of the jail cells. He glanced at the open cells next to her and wondered briefly whether or not she had been heckled to the point of silence. She was hunched over, her beige overalls dirty and ripped from where she had refused to clean. She currently had her back turned to him, but he was almost certain she knew he was there, but was choosing to ignore him. Kakashi had called for him to go see her because she was refusing most meals but also refusing to talk, causing concern amongst the jail staff.

Neji had known Amaya long enough, to know that this wasn't attention seeking.

He cleared his throat, hoping to catch her gaze but she continued to ignore him, staring off at the corner of the cell in what appeared to be a protest.

"Amaya."

She turned every so slightly, as if the sound of his voice was breaking through her stubbornness. Her eyes flickered over her shoulder and he finally caught her gaze.

"I've brought you some food." He held out the small brown paper bag through the bars, waiting patiently for her to move.

She didn't.

"It's from that cafe that you like. You know the one around the corner from Fumio's place?"

She turned again, this time moving fully so that she was facing him, her bright midnight eyes hadn't lost their flare and she was now staring intently at the bag hanging from his fingertips, as if wondering whether breaking her silence would be worth the taste of her favourite dango.

"I don't know why you like it in there," Neji sniffed, "it's so small and claustrophobic."

He watched contented as she stood and moved slowly over to wear he held out his hand, taking the bag gently from him and moving to sit back on her small wooden chair, keeping it facing him and she gingerly opened the bag and let her face light up at the sight of the sweet treats. A cup of miso soup also sat next to it along with a bottle of water and a bag of dried seaweed. She lifted her hand grabbed the soup, letting the polystyrene cup warm her cold fingers.

"I like it because of that."

Neji raised an eyebrow, "You like feeling claustrophobic?"

She took a sip, "I like it because it is the complete opposite of everything I've ever been used to."

Neji remained silent, willing her to continue.

"I don't think you fully appreciated that me leaving home was me getting my freedom." Her voice was croaky, "Sure I entered the life of a nin, but I left the life of arranged marriages and formal dinners where my father was constantly over my shoulder."

"I understand the life of a noble can be a lonely one. The Hyuuga clan is not ignorant to that."

"I never said you were, I'm saying that we have that in common. We are both trying to be free of a clan that we didn't want to be a part of in the first place."

Neji scowled ,"That is where you are wrong. I have never not wanted to be a Hyuuga."

She held her tongue, taking another sip of soup again. Why was she trying to justify herself to him? Now that he stood here in front of her, she didn't feel the usual flush of her cheeks or swell of her chest. She didn't owe him her feelings, she owed him apology after apology for the pain she had caused. But her feelings were behind closed doors, licking their wounds and they would stay that way until she felt her guard could be lowered.

"I never meant to hurt her. I'm sorry." Embarrassment was not an emotion that Amaya was familiar with and she decided then and there that she didn't like it.

"I know." Neji sighed, "I accept your apology. But theres nothing I can do to get you out of here."

"I don't want to get out. I have to serve my time for what I did and I'm ok with that. Even if it means staying in here for four weeks."

Neji admired her for a moment, "I'm sorry for how I acted." He started, "I didn't take your feelings into consideration."

She stopped eating, her head shooting up to only be met with empty space and the residual energy from his sudden burst of chakra. She sighed, smiling to herself as she stared down at her reflection in the murky broth.

Perhaps the future would not be as bad as she had first thought.

xox

"Your eyes?..." The words were out before Sakura could stop them.

"Oh, right," Mia felt her smiled falter slightly, "I'm not a Hyuuga."

"If you don't mind me asking," Sakura started, suddenly finding the scrolls in front of her not as interesting, "What are you doing here?"

Mia glanced down at her hands, "It's rather a long story im afraid, but the short version is that Hiashi took me in when I was young, and I've been living and working here ever since."

"Wow..." Sakura mumbled, "I must admit the Hiashi I have met over the years doesn't strike me as the compassionate type."

"He's soured over the years, I'm afraid."

"You must get all the gossip from in here" Sakura gestured to the walls around her, "Anything to share?" She wriggled her eyebrows dramatically.

"Well," Mia leant over dramatically, lowering the tone of her voice to a whisper, "What they say about the Gardner is true."

"What do they say about the Gardner?!"

"I don't know, but it sounds like something that would be said!"

Sakura barked a laugh, "I bet this place is squeaky clean right?"

"Afraid so," Mia nodded, moving to pick up her pen again as she twiddled it between her fingers. "You are friendly with Master Neji?"

Sakura snorted, "I'm totally calling him that from now on."

Mia flushed, "Sorry, force of habit."

Sakura started to roll out the first few scrolls, "I grew up with Neji, he was in the year above me at school and also part of the Konoha twelve so we've spent a lot of time together." For some reason that didn't seem enough in Sakura's mind.

"I guess what I'm trying to ask, is what are you doing here?"

Sakura blinked slightly taken aback, but just as she was about to answer another voice interrupted.

"Mia!", another maid called from the doorway gesturing for the young woman to follow her, "Can you come help me with the laundry?"

Mia smiled apologetically at Sakura, "Sorry, I must go back to work. It was lovely to meet you though, maybe I'll see you around?"

Sakura nodded, "Hai!"

The library soon fell quiet again as the pinkette turned her attention back to the scrolls in front of her, casting her gaze across the writing on its surface as she started to study their contents. Her meeting with Mia played on her mind for a while and she found herself smiling occasionally; she was a people person and being locked up in the Hyuuga compound didn't allow for many opportunities to meet new and interesting faces.

The day soon wore on and Sakura found herself getting lost amongst the scrolls and books of the Hyuuga library, her mind staring to spin into work mode as she came across an in-depth scroll on the curse seal. She paused as she started to unroll it further, wondering whether Neji would be bothered that she had found interest in something that caused her so much pain. Her hesitation continued as she imagined the look on the older man's face if he found out. But if the information was private than they wouldn't be on display for anyone to see in the library, surely? Neji must have known the scrolls were there.

Or did he?

The hair on the back of her neck stood on end and she suddenly noticed how deathly quiet the library had become as her sixth sense kicked in. She remained where she was, pretending to continue to study but was aware of the shadow that was lurking in the corner behind her. His chakra was instantly recognisable and she felt her nerves rise a little in response. What was he doing here?!

"Sasuke," She murmured, "You're trespassing."

He stepped out of the shadows of the dying sun, coming into full view as he moved towards her, "I could say the same for you."

She turned to face him completely, seeing him properly for the first time since he had left and broken her heart, "I've been invited. You can get into trouble if you're not careful." She tried to not sound patronising.

He moved again, sitting in the same seat that Mia had sat in earlier that day, "I know the Hyuuga's are away in Sand on business. Besides, Naruto wouldn't let them charge me."

"Naruto is not a Hyuuga." Sakura ground her teeth, struggling to reign in her temper at his blatant disrespect.

"I also know that Neji isn't here either." Silence greeted him this time, "He's visiting that woman in jail."

Sakura's heart lurched at the new information. Hadn't he said he was visiting Kakashi

She sighed heavily, "It doesn't make a difference, If one of the staff catches you here-"

"They wont."

He had a nasty habit of interrupting when he was always being right.

She crossed her arms defiantly, "What do you want, Uchiha?"

The use of his last name made his eyes widen slightly and she felt a small bit of satisfaction at his reaction; she wasn't the spiteful type and that jab would probably be her only one against him. She wasn't out to hurt him, but his presence here was making her nerves grate painfully.

"I wanted to see how you were doing..."

She blinked in surprise at the sincerity in his voice, "Oh..."

Sasuke averted his gaze, his hair falling into his face slightly as he shifted uncomfortably, "Naruto said you hadn't been … well."

She felt her mouth twist slightly, "Unwell, is a loose term I suppose. Mission gone wrong with a few unwanted … side effects."

He raised an eyebrow, "Side effects?"

It was her turn to shift uncomfortably, "Mental side effects."

"Ah..."

Silence engulfed the pair as Sakura struggled to find the words to continue the conversation. She looked up as Sasuke suddenly stood to take his leave.

"I'm sorry to have bothered you. But ... you are ok though, right?"

There was that look in his gaze that she had so badly missed over the past six months, the look that had made her fall in love with him in the first place; it was the look of someone who cared about her, who loved her. She felt her heart constrict painfully at the sight and her eyes watered slightly as she averted her eyes to look behind him and nodded her head, avoiding speaking incase the tears escaped.

Sasuke moved to stand next to her, his hand lingering near hers on the wood of the table top before he nodded in return and disappeared into the shadows.

Tears were the least of her worries as a pair of bright lavender eyes watched on.

xox

Neji growled in annoyance as he watched the Uchiha leave, scaling the wall close to him as he went undetected by the sharigan user, masking his chakra expertly as he quietly activated his Byuukagen and waited for the male to get at least a mile away before he emerged from his hiding place and moved towards the library. The setting sun cast a yellow hue across the wooden decking of the balcony doors and he blinked slightly as the bright rays hit his eyes as he walked up the steps quietly and gazed through the glass at the now down trodden woman. She sat slumped over the desk, her face in her hands as she consoled herself. He took some mild comfort in the fact that she wasn't crying but she was visibly upset as she suddenly started pushing the books aside and rolling up the scrolls carefully, gathering them into her arms as she turned back towards the book case.

He stepped away from the glass and hid from view, wondering whether he should go see her or wait until she emerged later back in his apartment.

His question was answered for him when he heard the slam of a door and glanced back into the library to see the room now empty. He sighed gently, rubbing his temples as he made his way slowly back through the Hyuuga gardens and in the general direction of his rooms.

He wondered if Kakashi was aware that he was nurturing her broken heart as well as her broken mind?

xox

Neji watched from the edge of his bed as she slept peacefully beneath her own sheets. He had arrived back to find her already tucked in and falling into a deep slumber. He had crept around for the rest of the evening, choosing to cook his dinner in the branch members kitchen, much to their enjoyment as they hadn't seen him in a while, before returning to read over some work sent by a fellow Anbu member.

It was late into the night now and yet he found himself unable to sleep, restless and fitful under the sheets making him hot to the point where he would kick them off in defiance, only to feel the chill of the night creep across his bare chest forcing him to wrap himself up in the blankets again.

He sighed heavily as he fell back onto his mattress, staring at the cotton sheets surrounding his large bed frame as they fluttered in the light breeze that swept through the room from his open window.

What was he doing?

The mattress on the bed dipped next to him and he instantly froze.

Silence battled amongst the tense atmosphere of his room as he glanced down to see a pink mop of hair close to his chest and surrounding the vivid green eyes of his current room mate as she stared up at him as if expecting him to throw her off of his sheets any minutes. He didn't of course, but merely stared back, hoping that she would say something, anything, to save him the embarrassment of having to.

"Have I failed?" She murmured, the question almost getting missed amongst his jumbled thoughts.

He raised an eyebrow at her, still not daring to move an inch, "Failed?"

"At this life, this career. Have I failed?"

It suddenly dawned on him that she was talking about her life as a nin and how the recent failed mission had obviously struck a nerve with her confidence.

"No," He started, quick to ease her conscience, "Quite the opposite actually."

"What do you mean?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Life is difficult Sakura, and rightly so; it isn't supposed to be easy," He started carefully, "unfortunately, we will all at some point be tested in both physicality and mentality, that is the nature of our work. This has been a test of mentality, of how you cope under the stress of 'failing'. Yet here you are, alive and kicking and very much on the mend. You got kicked down and still managed to pick yourself up again and keep going. Not a lot of people can say that. In my eyes, that is a success, not a failure."

Her eyes were wide with surprise as she gazed up at him, a new found admiration for the man swelled deep within her chest and she felt her heart flutter as he smiled at her, its erratic beats playing havoc with her emotions.

"No ones ever said that to me before…"

He blinked, "No ones ever complimented your success?"

She shook her head.

"You are one of the most successful nin still working in Konoha. Don't belittle your self-worth. You sound like Hanabi…" He sniffed defiantly at the last part, averting his gaze to stare back out at the dark shadows of the Hyuuga gardens.

She chuckled softly, but said no more and the pair stayed where they were, both quietly enjoying the peace and serenity that now dissipated the previous tension. She suddenly felt incredibly uncomfortable being so close to him; he was just a hand widths away from her and she could easily shift her weight and be up against within seconds, but her better judgement ruled over and she merely wriggled slightly to alleviate some of the tension building in her tense muscles.

Her mind played on her meeting with Sasuke as she settled once again into his sheets and the smell of Neji drifted through her senses, calming her nerves and allowing her to think through her encounter properly for the first time since it had happened.

Neji desperately tried to keep his focus on the gardens and not on the current view down Sakura's shirt that had now fallen open slightly and was revealing slightly more than he thought she was aware of. He swallowed thickly, calming his racing heart beat as he thought on everything but the curve of her hips and the smell of her perfume that was now wafting through his nose.

Should he ask her about Sasuke's visit?

"Sasuke came to see me today."

It seemed that he wouldn't have to after all, "I know," He muttered, "he doesn't do much to cover his chakra trails."

"Oh," Sakura flushed, "I did tell him he would get into trouble if-"

"It's all right, I'm not going to do anything. No one got hurt so thats the main thing."

He turned his head to stare down at her as he said the last few words, trying to gauge her reactions as all Hyuuga's do so well to see if any stray emotions were there; had he hurt her?

She remained silent, staring back up at him with large forest orbs that seemed to hold a whole universe within them at times. She looked distant and forlorn, as if the memory of Sasuke was playing on her mind and she was merely day dreaming in his direction.

"Im ok," She finally said, relieving his worry, "It's just been such long time since I've felt any compassion so it was a shock to see him again."

Neji turned his head away, pondering over his next move carefully as he wondered on whether it was a good idea or not. He wasn't the spontaneous type and he didn't like much human contact unless it was family, but he felt so drawn to the pinkette that he almost acted without thinking; very un-Hyuuga of him.

He shifted his weight so that he was laying on his back, propping his head up on the plush pillows behind him before he looked down at Sakura once again and opened up his arm to her.

She froze, her mouth opening slightly in shock.

Was he inviting her in for a hug?

Never in a million years did she think that she would be able to say that she had received a hug from the stoic Hyuuga. The man who hated invasions of his personal space, hated any form of emotional contact and who made his life's work to ignore anyones attempts at connecting with him.

And yet here she was, on the receiving end of his affection.

He growled in annoyance at her, "Do you want the compassion or not?"

She jumped out of her thoughts, "Hai! Sorry…"

She crawled towards him on the bed and gently lay next to him, resting her head between his shoulder and chest as she wrapped her arms around her self and tensed her muscles in anticipation. A moment of silence passed before she felt the warm envelope of his skin around hers as he wrapped his arm across her shoulder and around her back, letting his hand rest gently against the curve of her hip.

She breathed.

Relax, She thought to herself, letting her eyes flutter closed slightly as his warmth penetrated her own and she found herself falling ever more comfortable within his grasp with each passing minute.

The beautiful silence was broken by his nervous cough, trying to catch her attention.

Green met lilac.

"If you tell Ino about this, you can start sleeping outside."

xox

R+R!