A/n: Oh, hey, look! A chapter!

Disclaimer: I own nothing, but the plot and dialogue. I do NOT own the Naruto franchise, nor am I making ANY money off of this story. Would be nice, though.

Sakura Haruno did not consider herself a gossip or a fangirl, yet she could not resist swapping pictures of Lee and Neji in various adorable poses with a small group of young women at dinner. She'd watched them carefully all evening; in the beginning, their smiles were strained and their intimacy stiff, but as the banquet continued, the two males relaxed with each other and withdrew into their own world. Sakura also did not consider herself a jealous person, but something about the Rock-Hyuuga pair still rubbed her raw. Neji was rich, intelligent, and gorgeous; Lee was...Lee. Admittedly, Sakura was a bit miffed; Lee had, once upon a time, expressed an interest in her. It was almost immediately following the fantastic end of he and Gaara's...whatever...but she had rejected him, knowing that her heart had belonged to Sasuke Uchiha.

Who happened to be locked in a life-long relationship with Naruto Uzumaki, the traitor. Sakura sniffed as she thought about the blond whom she'd thought was her friend. She rolled over in bed, the nagging feeling that had developed during dinner growing stronger.

Were any of them really her friends, or just people that she knew? She considered that she had not received a personal invite to Sasuke's annual shindig, but Sai had, as, presumably, every other member of their crew from college had. She thought of the way they had all told her to "leave it alone" when Neji announced to her that he was Lee's lover. She thought of the way that Sasuke had shattered the brittle hope that she'd carried in her heart. After so many years, Sakura was still treated as some kind of stranger, and she was sick of it.

So maybe, just maybe, she thought as she angrily punched her pillow, she wasn't totally innocent in all matters. She cringed as she remembered meeting Naruto recently at one of the places in Konoha that refused to serve him. And wasn't it her fault that they'd stopped serving him in the first place?

"So, Naruto," Sakura chirped as she slid into the booth. "No one's seen you in ages! What have you been doing?"

"Working the lab, trying to finish my senior project. I think I'm close the tru-a breakthrough," the blond-haired male mumbled, rubbing his face. He waved a hand, catching the attention of the waitress. "Coffee!" he shouted, holding his empty cup aloft, then sitting it back down with a thunk on the paper-strewn. He picked a small notebook up, seemingly at random, and began flipping through the pages, muttering to himself.

Sakura frowned, taking in his disheveled state. She parted her lips to lecture him on proper health and hygiene when the waitress arrived, carrying the half-full pot. Naruto had sat his cup down on the far side of the table, just out of the older woman's reach. Sakura, being the friend that she was, reached around Naruto's stacks of papers for the mug, accidentally knocking the glass pot from the waitress's hand and sending a stack of file folders fluttering to the floor.

"Oh!" they all exclaimed. Naruto jumped up, curses falling from his lips as he struggled to save his precious papers from the shower of coffee. Sakura, torn between helping their server and helping Naruto, scooped up a bunch of folders in with hand, and the now-empty pot with her other. She happened to glance down at the stack in her hand and blurted out, "What's Project Kyuubi?"

The entire diner froze. Naruto shifted nervously, then moved the snatch the folder from Sakura's hand. "S'nothing," he mumbled, shoving papers and notebooks and folders willy nilly into his thankfully dry bag. "You know what? I think I'm just gonna go…"

"Project Kyuubi?" The waitress shrieked, drawing more attention to them. She squinted at Naruto, and recognition darkened her eyes. "I knew you looked familiar! Demon spawn!" she spat. "Kushina's child, the devil in the flesh!" She shouted for help. "The Uzumaki brat is here. He's here!"

Naruto paled. Stuffing the rest of his belongings in his bag, he fumbled with the clasps. "Can you pay, Sakura? I'll pay you back. I have to go." He turned and ran from the diner, insults following him out of the door and into the parking lot.

"And it wasn't even Naruto who paid me back, but Sasuke," she mused to herself. "Should have known something was going on between them then. But what is 'Project Kyuubi'? Why'd she call him 'demon spawn'?" She eyed her computer, then sighed, burying her face into her abused pillow. There was too much going on, and no one would tell her anything.

Outside of her room, Sai stood holding two glasses and a bottle of cheap wine. It was Sakura's favorite, and Sai felt that he owed the woman some kind of reward for not losing her mind, along with half of the attendees, at the banquet. He also knew that seeing Lee and Neji together in what appeared to be harmony, may have been a shock for her. He didn't know why he cared enough to be makeshift cheerleader, just that he did. He plastered on a smile, and rapped on the closed door with his knuckles.

"What?" came the muffled reply.

"Drink."

"What?" Shuffling sounds, then the door was flung open. Sakura's eyebrows rose when she spotted the bottle and glasses in Sai's hand. "Oh. Thanks." She grabbed the bottle by it's long neck, wrenched off the cap, and took a long pull.

Sai glanced down at the unused glasses in his hand, then back up to the bottle Sakura was guzzling from. "Okay, then," he said, setting the glasses on the floor at his feet. "Care to share?"

Sakura giggled, already buzzed from the slew drinks she'd had at dinner; the high alcohol content of the wine Sai had given her only added to it. "It's got my cooties on it."

"I'll risk it."

Sai meet Sakura's gaze as he gently untangled her death grip from the bottle's neck. She stood silently, a flush rising in her face as she watched Sai drink deeply. Her eyes traveled down, past his lips, to watch his throat work as he swallowed. They both knew that the line between them was hazy, and dangerously easy to cross. Sai took another swig and sighed, hoping that the Uchiha and Hyuuga would be grateful for his sacrifice. He'd read about blurred lines between people who lived or worked closely, and how admiration and camaraderie could be mistaken for affection. He stared at the strawberry blond female, and flicked his gaze over her tousled, pinkish hair, her wide forehead, her nose, her lips, and felt a warm feeling spread across his gut. Passing her the bottle, they touched fingertips again.

"Are we going to consume this abhorrent drink the hallway, or may I come in?" he asked her.

Silently, her eyes never leaving his face, she backed into her room, and beckoned him.

Lee sat on the closed toilet lid, skin clammy and damp from a shower, clad only in a fluffy green towel. He was unsure why he was nervous; nothing was going to happen. He did feel, however, that he should throw Neji some kind of thanks for being understanding and agreeing to his terms. They were old friends, afterall; it was time to put the past behind them and rekindle the friendship they'd once had.

At least, that is what Lee was trying convince himself of, the reason why he was sitting on his toilet, shivering, with his head in his hands. Water from his hair trickled through his fingers and ran down his face, like tears.

"So how do we this?" Neji asked.

"Like we always have, just with...more."

With apprehension etched on his lovely face, Neji held up his hand, fingers splayed, to Lee. Lee schooled his features into a pleasant, peaceful look, wincing slightly at the pain in his face, and laced his fingers together with the other male's. "Let's go, lover of my youth," he said in a low voice. Not trusting himself to speak, Neji merely inclined his head, and the two made their way to the head table, joining Naruto and Sasuke at the front of the room.

"Lee?" Neji called through the closed door while knocking lightly. "Are you alright in there?"

Startled, Lee yelped and slipped off of toilet. He hissed as his back hit the porcelain, and had to roll sideways as the door flew open. Neji's form suddenly filled the small bathroom, concern drawing his features into a tight frown.

"Are you alright?"

"Haaa," Lee panted. "I-I am fine. I slipped. You startled me."

Concern was placed with chagrin at an alarming speed. "I am sorry. The water went off almost fifteen minutes ago, and you had yet to emerge, and I thought-I was worried." Biting his lip, Neji flicked his eyes away from his friend, turning his body in the same direction. "Excuse me. I will leave you alone to-"

"No."

"No?"

"If…" Lee hesitated, then sighed. "Would you be as kind as to make me a cup of tea while I get dressed?"

"Of course," Neji said. He dipped his head in a short bow and exited the bathroom, pulling the door shut behind him. Alone again, Lee drew his legs up to his chest and rested his forehead on his knees. He needed to get himself together, or he would not last through this experiment. Sucking in a breath, he got shakily to his feet. He cracked open the door as quietly as he could. He could hear sounds from the kitchen, signaling that Neji was occupied; he dashed to his bedroom and shut the door. Dropping the towel, he yanked open a drawer and pulled out boxer briefs and a t-shirt. After half a moment's thought, he opened another drawer and pulled out a worn, comfy pair of sweatpants. He dressed, sniffing twice at the dull throb in his nose, and hissing only once when he felt the scar tissue on his back pull. Leaving his feet bare, he slung the towel around his shoulders and ruffled his hair. He twisted his doorknob just as the kettle began to sing its siren song, the one that told him that tea was in his immediate future. A soft smile crossed Lee's lips, and he made his way down the hall and into the kitchen.

The sight that greeted him made him chuckle softly. Neji was humming and dancing as he moved around the room, swinging his hips suggestively to whatever song was playing in his head. His hair swayed in its loose braid as he nodded his head in time with the imaginary music. Lee did not have the heart to interrupt. This was the Neji that only he knew, the Neji that was carefree and unrestrained, the Neji that was not bogged down with family affairs and expectations. Unexpectedly, Lee felt warm, and slightly ashamed at the way he had reacted when his friend had first returned. But then he remembered the reason for the scars on his back and the end of his track career, and his smile faded.

Neji, reaching the big finish in his routine, spun around, and almost dropped the mug in his hand. "OH!" he exclaimed. "Lee. You surprised me." His cheeks flushed. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to know that you have not lost a bit of your youthful exuberance."

Neji's flush deepened. "Hn," he muttered, turning away to hide his cheeks. He cleared his throat. "I was just about to steep the leaves for you. Let me just...put this down…" The mug landed on the table with a clatter due to the tremble in Neji's hands. Lee came all the way into the kitchen, and covered Neji's hand with his own.

"A lot happened tonight."

"Yes."

"We have a lot to prepare for...this...thing," Lee said, faltering. Suddenly, the room felt too small, the air too stale. He lifted his hand and started to back away, but Neji spun around to face him.

"Do not run away from me, Lee. Please. I promise-"

"No, my friend. Do not make promises at a time like this."

"But-"

"Shh. Let us...just…"

Later, neither of them would remember who made the first move. They would only remember the feel of each other's lips as the boiling water cooled on the stove, forgotten.