Theme 8. - Sleeping habits

A most revealing thought struck the Hyuuga prodigy when he lay down in his childhood bed the night he and his life partner had to stay over at the Hyuuga Compound for a very early meeting with the Clan Elders.

He just couldn't sleep without her at his side.

Mentally groaning, Neji turned on his side, remembering the time they had been almost caught by the patrolling chuunin in the Hokage Mountain. They had been making love on the top of the Shodai's head, as they liked to have the stars over them as they reinforced their bond through their bodies. Sakura had thrown a genjutsu at the poor chuunin, allowing both ANBU-ranked ninja to flee the site without being spotted.

It had been a good adventure but much too dangerous, she pointed out with a laugh in their warm bed that night.

Now, knowing that she was sleeping in Hinata's room while he had to stay in his former quarters, he simply couldn't catch any sleep. Their liaison had bloomed into love on the night she almost lost her life bringing him back to the world of the living at the hospital, and he found out that he could only relax –sleep was overrated when the body couldn't rest, he pondered once– at her side. It didn't matter if they were sleeping on a tree branch, the hard floor or even in a dingy cave. The thing was that his body just knew when she was there, soothing his muscles into a good night's respite.

Neji knew that his attachment to the pink-haired kunoichi was seen as a weakness by many relatives, as they liked to criticize their decision to live together without a marriage contract. The ANBU Captain had no qualms about this, and Sakura had cleverly pointed out that she didn't have the intention to allow the Hyuuga Clan to have a say in their relationship.

It worked for a while but later on, the very Hokage, supported by the Clan Head, his uncle, had dunked their professional aspirations to the ground because they just didn't understand Neji and Sakura's reasons to live in a free union, without a signed paper.

The silvery-eyed shinobi knew that it took a very stressful time for his life partner and a near breakup to make her shishou and his uncle understand how deep their bond was; finally achieving the positions they wanted and rapidly escalating into the Ten Top Ranked Ninja in the whole Konohagakure no Sato.

As an ANBU Captain, his tactics were rather rigorous, but effective, earning him the title of Iceman, while Sakura earned the title of Tigress because of one incident in which she went berserk in an S-Class mission with her former teammates, pummeling the missing-nin into the next century because he dared to call her weak.

Therefore, they had walked half of their professional life together, and they simply didn't care whatever a bunch of stuck-up Clan Elders and old-fashioned Hyuuga maidens had to say about their rather satisfactory relationship.

Turning on his other side, he regarded the moon that filtered through the blinds of his window as he kept going over the days he had spent with his lover. Sakura was moody but sweet, intelligent but innocent in some matters, quick to anger but also quick to understand and to heal; she had a mean hook but her hands were gentle when she touched him, she had a gleeful laugh and an amazing sense of humor, but she also had a wicked side that made all the people who knew her blanch and recoil in her presence. She was witty and expressive, wearing her emotions on her sleeve and had a soothing manner that brought him peace and serenity when he most needed it.

All in all, she was perfect for him, in his opinion.

Neji was so distracted with his thoughts that he failed to perceive a hand that slid open the shoji door noiselessly, and a figure that slipped into his bedroom stealthily. But he did notice the warm body that lay down next to him, breaking him out of his reverie when a pair of arms wrapped around his waist.

Turning back, his pearly eyes met emerald colored ones that glittered in the moonlight.

"I can't sleep," she whispered, bringing her face to his chest, reveling in his scent –forest, wind and cinnamon–, while he breathed into her hair, enjoying the vanilla and cinnamon fragrances that mixed together into her unique aroma made him forget everything.

"I'm sure the Clan Elders will throw a fit if they find out you're here," he murmured in her ear, his tone amused enough for her to let out a soft laugh.

"Hinata promised to wake us up before everybody rises in order to get me back to her room," she said softly, trailing the tip of her nose down his neck and delivering a little kiss on his skin. "She said I was tossing and turning too much."

"I can picture that," he retorted with a little smirk. "I couldn't catch any sleep either."

Sakura smiled into his neck, as he arranged the covers around their bodies.

"Rest, love," she whispered, as his strong arms returned the embrace, feeling his relaxed body press into hers and his beautiful face buried into her neck.

It was only after a few minutes that she realized that he was slumbering deeply, the stress and tiredness finally taking a toll on him.

Sakura knew that he couldn't sleep without her; he had confessed it one morning when she returned from a night shift at the hospital and noticed the bags under his gorgeous eyes. It was a wonder that he could get some sleep while he was away on a mission, but she perfectly knew that those little breaks were catnaps, and he only allowed himself to get a proper rest only when she was there with him.

She also was aware that the Clan Elders were about to give their verdict about his choosing to court someone outside the Hyuuga Family. This made her nervous when Hiashi had told her about the meeting that was about to take place in a few hours, but Neji had assured her that, even if they had to elope or exile, no one was going to interfere with their love. They had proven themselves enough to the village and it was better for everyone else to understand that, her onyx-haired Hyuuga prodigy had stated with a resolute tone.

Sakura had the feeling that Tsunade had relayed to Hiashi all about her last reckless maneuver, when she saved Neji's life by pouring half of her essential energy into his dying body, almost losing her own in the process. She cut her shishou's berating off with the confidence that she simply couldn't let him go, not like that.

Tsunade realized then how deeply in love her protégé was with the hard-ass Hyuuga, and judging by the way he gave a tender smile –a real smile!– to the emerald-eyed medic when he regained consciousness, he returned her feelings with the same intensity.

Sakura was no fool. She had earned that Tigress nickname by sheer strength and hard work; everybody at headquarters knew that she didn't take shit from anyone, not even from her teammates, her family or her life partner. Everyone knew about the time she punched her old love Sasuke into three walls when Naruto finally managed to bring him back, not speaking to him until a whole year had passed. She had grown into a fine kunoichi, a kunoichi that was listed in two Bingo Books as the one that had defeated a bunch of missing-nins, including one of Akatsuki's members.

But that didn't mean anything to her. It was just statistics, as she had told her future lover once when they were coming back from a mission to Sand, the very same mission that demonstrated how much she had achieved over the years and made him realize that she was indeed a force to be reckoned with, admitting some respect to her as a fellow ninja.

But respect had evolved into friendship, and friendship into longing, and longing into fondness, and she realized one day that she was doomed, for she had fallen in love with the infamous Konoha's Ice Prince. She wanted to take the next mission to Suna and stay there until she crushed all those feelings she shouldn't have for her snowy-eyed friend –her friend!–, but destiny and fate teamed up against her, throwing her balance off when he shielded her against an enemy's katana.

She had used the release jutsu when he finally told her how special she was for him, because it was an outrageous dream and she was sure that someone out there just knew how to mess with her paranoid and divided mind. Even now, a couple of years later, he liked to tease her about that decisive moment when she showed him how very cat-like she was when she almost jumped out of her skin when he stole her first kiss.

Sakura knew that she should be resting, gathering energy and patience to deal with his family the next morning, but for the life of her she couldn't catch any sleep.

"Your thoughts are so loud that they don't let me sleep," Neji murmured, startling her. He was indeed awake, but his deep breathing had fooled her. Opening a pearly eye to regard her two distracted viridian ones, he added, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong..." she trailed off in a whisper. "I just can't sleep, and I don't know why."

He let out a sigh. "Turn around," he requested softly, changing their position until her back was pressed into his chest and he encased her body within his arms.

Breathing deeply, knowing that no one could reach her while she was protected by her love, Sakura finally drifted off into the realm of dreams.

--

Neji woke up first to the slight rasp on the door. Slipping from Sakura's grasp, he nodded at a sleepy Hinata and allowed her entrance into his room. Going back to the bed, he noticed his pink-haired medic's curious position while slumbering: both hands fisted, one cradled into her chest, as the other was draped on her face, shielding her eyes from view.

"She looks like a sleeping cat," Hinata whispered, making him let out a low chuckle.

Indeed, that Tigress nickname suited her beautifully, he thought with a little smile as Hinata called to her softly. Neji marveled at the beauty of her emerald eyes when she opened them and yawned lazily, earning a giggle from the Hyuuga Heiress and an amused chuckle from the ANBU Captain.

"What time is it?" she asked in a husky murmur. Hinata lifted a hand, showing her five stretched fingers. With a groan, Sakura got up, accompanying the purple-haired young woman back to her quarters in order to get prepared for the meeting, but not before trailing her fingers on Neji's waist after a quick embrace.

A while later, Neji saw her entering the room where breakfast was being served. Her eyes were now alert and a bit apprehensive, but they softened when they encountered his pearly colored ones. She was a walking contradiction, his uncle had said to him when he finally broke the news to him about his moving out of the Compound to join his life to the one of the Godaime's protégé, and he had to agree as she threw him a smile as she took her place beside him.

And now, seeing his fiery Tigress in that gorgeous red kimono, her hair piled up into a classy bun and a bit of color touching her cheeks, he simply couldn't understand how he had spent half of his life without her.

Linking his fingers with hers, he gave her a hidden, reassuring smile as they waited, not so patiently, for the meeting to commence.

But unsurprisingly, Neji's mind was still reveling at the remembered picture of a certain slumbering pink-haired kunoichi, resembling a lazy cat enjoying an afternoon nap.

- Tenna' ento lye omenta -