Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!

Alright, here it is! The eleventh chapter of Sketches! Oh, yes, be happy! Lol. I'm sure you all just want to beat my head into the dirt, but read the chapter and see if you still wanna do that! Haha, you'll have to catch me first! (runs off)


Sketches
Chapter Eleven: Tangled Up In You


Slow your roll, Sakura. Just. Calm. Down!

But it was very hard to concentrate when one of the most attractive men she had ever laid eyes on was sitting across from her, smiling so gently it caused her heart to ache.

The two had set out a picnic blanket underneath a large tree, to give them shade. Neji then brought out several containers of food, setting them down a fair distance apart from each other, and opening each one before sticking a spoon in each. Sakura's eyes lit up as she saw several of her favorites - chicken, mashed potatoes, and several other vegetables.

The brunette Hyuuga jerked her out of her reverie over the food by smiling and saying, "I hope you like strawberries."

Sakura turned to face Neji, eyes alight with pleasure. "Strawberries?"

Neji nodded with a smile at the childlike wonder in the carnation haired girl's eyes, "Yeah," He said, taking out the box of fresh strawberries he had brought from the market earlier. He placed them on the little blanket the two were sitting on and leaned back, taking in the sight of the elated pink haired woman. Her hands were clasped in front of her chest, fingers intertwined. Her eyes were bright and glittering with happiness. Her short, pink hair was blowing slightly in the pleasant breeze that swirled around the both of them. He chuckled and pulled the plastic wrap from the top of the container, "I assume you like strawberries."

"Of course!" She all but shouted, emerald eyes boring holes into the package.

The Hyuuga smiled and pushed the strawberries toward her. "Here, take all you want."

"Heck yes!" Sakura said with an enthusiasm that Neji could only smile at. She grabbed a handful of the red fruit and began chowing down, before she stopped and looked at Neji guiltily, "Um...'re you...shure you don't wawnt anyy?" She said, her mouth full, the sticky juices dribbling down her chin, but she didn't seem to care.

Neji smiled gently as he reached out with his thumb and wiped away the sweet juice from her chin before putting it to his mouth and taking a taste. "Mm."

Sakura's face was as red as the strawberries as she sputtered out some incoherent words that Neji chuckled at.

"You're cute." He said, smiling at her with an expression that made her heart begin beating in miles per hour.

"Uh...agh..."

"You didn't like that?"

"Well, I...uh..."

"Worried about Tenten, ne?"

"I..."

Suddenly, the truths that had evaded Sakura for so long came shooting back to her. She shook her head, cotton candy locks blurring her vision for a second before she rose from the blanket and went racing to the pond, kicking her shoes off as she went. Sakura laughed, but she didn't know if it was due to happiness or just her being hysterical from all the things that were put on her back in the last few hours. She arrived at the bank of the pond and rolled up the legs of her pants to above her knees.

"S-Sakura," Neji called as he followed her, her shoes in his hands, a incredulous look on his features, "Have you lost your mind?"

The pink haired girl turned around just as she stepped into the pond water. "Oh, no, not at all!" She laughed nervously, scratching the back of her head and closing her eyes in a smile, much like Naruto often did.

She kicked her legs as she walked in deeper, causing a spray of water to fling from the appendages. She laughed as the cool water came into contact with her skin, causing chill bumps to cover them, as well as make the hair on her arms stand up slightly. Droplets of the cool substance flew and landed in her hair, lingering there like crystals.

Neji finally caught up with her and grasped her hand, "Sakura, what's the matter?"

"Nothing!" She chirped, keeping her back facing him, afraid that her eyes would betray her.

But also afraid of the searing electricity shooting through her body where he touched her. It was a pleasant burn, if that was even possible. His touch caused strange reactions within her chest, her heart jumping like it had been shocked to life once more after her breathing stopped.

"Sakura." He said her name seriously, using a tone that she had never heard him use before.

"What, can't a girl play in the water without being judged?" She chided back playfully, gently prying her wrist, but the effects of his touch still seared the skin where he had his hold.

"Sakura...something's wrong." Neji said, his eyes studying the back of her head. "I know you...I mean, I might not know you as well as some people do, but...I do know when something is bothering you."

She giggled cluelessly, copying all the times when Ino wanted to keep something from her. "Oh, no, I really don't - "

At that point, Neji spun her around to face him, strong hands on her shoulders, and again the scorching began. "Sakura, please."

She muttered something incoherently, ducking her head, keeping herself from meeting his ivory depths.

"What?" The brunette man asked urgently, concernedly, placing his finger underneath her chin.

Sighing, she raised her head to connect her eyes with his. Immediately, Neji was struck by the pained nature of her gaze. His eyebrows knitted together, confused, and he said, "Sakura..."

"It's not my secret to tell, Neji."

Neji's eyes softened, though his curiosity was killing him. She was such a sweet, selfless girl that his heart lurched just thinking about what she was going through. Just by looking at her tortured expression, he could see that it was a huge secret that threatened to swallow her whole. The brunette sighed in defeat and reached out a slender hand to brush at the stray strands of hair stuck to her cheek by the water that had settled there. The pads of his fingers brushed gently as a butterfly's wings against her skin, the flesh where he touched turned pink, something he pretended not to notice.

"Alright, Sakura," Neji said, giving her a smile. "Just relax. Everything will be fine, okay?" He cupped her cheek and it sent chills running up and down her spine.

"Y-Yeah..." She stumbled over the simplest of words. Damn that Hyuuga boy!

"Now, let's get you out of here before you catch a cold."

With that, Neji lifted Sakura up as if she were as light as a feather and cradled her in his arms like a new bride.

That most certainly didn't help her racing heart.

Or the guilt she felt at being with him.

She closed her emerald eyes and inhaled a shaky breath as he carried her slender form over to the picnic blanket and sat her down. "Now," He said finally with a crooked smile after he own heart, "Why don't we enjoy this lunch?"

"Of course."

"What would you like?" Neji asked, smiling at her flushed cheeks and deep breathing. "I've got - "

"Beep! Beep! Beep! Phone call! Pick up the phone! "

Sakura started at the noise and scrambled to find her cell phone. Flipping the device open, she was met with an odd number that she did not know. She gave Neji an embarrassed look and quirked a pale pink brow, "Hello?"

"Sakura?"

That voice sounded oddly familiar, "H-Hinata? How'd you get my number?"

Neji perked at the sound of his cousin's name.

"I-I...found Sasuke's phone and...got your number." She said, and Sakura's eyes widened. The navy haired girl on the other line sounded like she just got done bawling her eyes out. "Apparently, he hadn't deleted it after all this time, either."

"Hinata...is something wrong?"

"Well, I...hate to complain..."

"You can tell me, Hinata," Sakura encouraged, "We were best friends in high school, remember?"

"I just broke it off with Sasuke..." She said, then sniffled. Before Sakura could ask why, Hinata continued with, "...he was cheating on me." She said in such a bitter tone, full of resentment, that the pink haired girl hardly recognized the Hyuuga woman's voice.

"No...are you kidding?" Sakura felt rage build inside her and she subconsciously clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms. "Bastard."

"I-I'm serious..." Hinata said before taking in a deep, shaky breath. "With some brown haired woman...I am not really sure who she is, but I have seen her before. She wears her hair in buns..."

The pink haired woman felt her heart do a leap in nervousness at that, "Oh...really?"

"Yes," She replied, and Sakura heard a sigh over the phone, "I heard something vibrating in the house...it was his cell phone. Or one of his phones, I should say. The phone I heard was the one he used to talk to her. Then he had one for everyday purposes - the one he used when he talked to me. So I answered the phone and heard a woman ask where Sasuke was and...yeah...we got to talking. I think she said her name was Tenten - "

Sakura didn't say the name out loud, for Neji was looking at her intently, his ivory orbs boring a hole in her, "The same girl he cheated on me with." She clarified, not being surprised, just stating a fact.

"Oh...I'm so sorry, Sakura," Hinata said politely, "I am so stupid..."

"Aren't we all?" Sakura replied wryly with a scoffing laugh.

Hinata laughed at that too, "That's about right."

"Well, Hinata, I have to go. I'm hanging out at the park with your cousin..." She heard Hinata chuckle over the line at that, "So I will talk to you later. And, girl, don't worry. Sasuke is an asshole. There are so many other great guys out there. Sasuke's a stupid minnow in a world of colorful fish."

"Thank you, Sakura," Hinata said gratefully, "I will talk to you later as well. Have a good day."

"Thanks."

Before Sakura could press the end button, Hinata said, "Oh! And Sakura?"

"Yes?"

"You and Neji look wonderful together. I don't think I've seen him so happy in a long time."

Click.

The line went dead.

And Sakura's cheeks went from normal to red once again.

She hung up the phone and sighed, turning her head to Neji, who looked ready to kill the bastard who hurt his beloved cousin. His fists were clenched into tight balls, the tendons standing out among the pale flesh. He had heard the conversation on Sakura's part and that was enough - the words cheating and Sasuke were uttered from Sakura's pink lips and he knew what had happened. His eyebrows were pulled over his eyes, casting a deep frown across his handsome features. Sakura had to resist the urge to embrace him and tell him it was all okay.

"Do I even need to ask." Neji said, a statement more than a question, through clenched teeth.

"No," Sakura said in a soothing tone, and - by her imagination or otherwise - she saw a change in Neji's posture, his shoulders relaxed, and his eyes lightened somewhat. "Hinata broke it off with Sasuke. He was cheating on her with some...brown haired girl, she said. That's all she knew."

"Bastard." Neji snarled in an almost exact mimic of Sakura's voice from earlier. But...the way Sakura said brown haired girl made Neji wonder just who exactly Sasuke had cheated on her with. He shook his head, ignoring the sense of paranoia. No. It couldn't be his brown haired girl. No. Not a chance.

"That's what I said." Sakura giggled as she suddenly felt a chill go through her body. Looking down at her feet, she saw they were still wet and without her shoes. The breeze had gotten even chillier as the day had gone on, and she was beginning to think her little "distraction in the pond" would not go unpunished. Maybe Neji was right and she was going to catch a cold.

This did not go unnoticed by Neji, for he said, "Do you want my coat?"

Sakura didn't realize she had been trembling and she said, "No...then you'd get cold, stupid."

Neji chuckled at her comment and pulled his jacket off before slumping it across Sakura's back. She glared at him, not wanting him to catch cold, either, but when he looked at her pleadingly, she couldn't resist. The pink haired girl shoved her arms in the sleeves, finding them longer than her arms went. The coat was quite comfy and warm, and it smelled of the scent of pencil dust and the outdoors - so identifiably Hyuuga Neji. She secretly breathed in, wanting to commit his smell to memory.

Wow, Sakura, you got it bad.

Sakura smiled to herself as she added, "Oh, Hinata also said that we looked cute together."

No, that was not exactly what the Hyuuga woman said, but Sakura didn't feel to tell Neji every detail, afraid to scare him away from her.

"Well, of course," Neji teased smugly, "We both got the cute thing down pat."

Sakura laughed, and then sneezed several times in succession. "Oh...crap."

"See? What'd I tell you?" Neji scolded gently, bending down to tighten his jacket around Sakura's shoulders. "You're getting sick."

Sakura sniffed, her nose feeling like it was about to close up any second, and said, "Nuh uh."

The wind was picking up devilishly fast now, swirling around the two. It was much colder than what Sakura had dressed for. She gulped as she sneezed once more before groaning in distaste. "Oh...no..."

"Don't say I didn't tell you so."

"I didn't."

Neji smiled at her innocent expression and leaned forward, pressing the back of his hand to each of her cheeks and then the palm to her forhead. "You do feel warm, Sakura."

Sakura's heartbeat sped up onehundredfold and she could feel her blood pulsing, hot and fast, through her veins to coat her cheeks a pretty scarlet. She could feel the slight breaths coming from between Neji's slightly parted lips. Oh, how easy it would be to lean forward and capture his mouth with her own...

But she couldn't.

That might ruin their friendship. And, though she had only known him for a short while, she felt like they had built something real. Of value. And she didn't want to let that go by giving in to her desires.

So she didn't.

Even though Neji's eyes had caught hers, and she couldn't look away.

Even though he was giving her the most irresistibly caring look imaginable.

Even though she was...falling for him.

She didn't kiss him.

She wouldn't.

She couldn't.

Another sneeze interrupted her thoughts and suddenly made her feel like kissing him would be a very bad idea for another reason - being contagious.

"Ah, damn," Neji cursed, looking up to the sky. Small drops of rain had begun to fall gently down to the earth. The two hadn't noticed the clouds rolling in like ominous predictors of rain, neither had they noticed the fact that the other park-goers had long since cleared out of the once sunny little area.

Sakura realized with a grin that they had been too wrapped up in each other to pay the clouds any mind.

She suddenly saw Neji tossing everything into his pack in a haphazard manner, not caring about order or anything else. He slung his damp pack onto his shoulders and wrapped his arm around Sakura's thin waist, resting gently on her hips, his arm grazing gently against the small of her back. She took in a sharp inhalation of breath, hoping that Neji wouldn't notice the sound it made as it came through her clenched teeth.

Unfortunately, he did, "Sakura, did I hurt you?"

"N-No," Sakura smiled up at him as if nothing was wrong.

Which was a lie. Where he touched her, it was the same feeling as before, when his strong hand grasped her wrist, except more intensified. If that was even possible. His arm could have been a scorching, iron bar holding her in place, and she wouldn't have noticed. It sent the same sensations trembling through her form, causing her to get warmer, but still leaving goosebumps creeping along her arms and neck.

He held her close as the two strode quickly to get out of the rain, and she felt deja vu, since this was the second time the two had to do this. Neji's arm was strong around her, helping her when she stumbled over her feet, leading her through the rain as it got heavier. She didn't even realize when the two arrived at her apartment building until the rain had stopped from above her, and she noticed they were heading for her elevator, which had recently gotten repaired.

"Are you gonna be okay?" Neji said, looking at her concernedly. His arm had not loosened its grip, even though they were in the warm confines of the elevator. Maybe, Sakura hoped, he was reluctant to let go. But that may just be a part of her romantic delusions regarding this man.

She hadn't noticed she was still shivering, but she replied, "Yeah...I'm gonna be g-g-g-good."

Neji's arm tightened around her to calm her trembling form and clattering teeth. The elevator went ding! as the arrived at her floor. Sakura was surprised the brown haired man actually remembered what floor she lived on, but dismissed it as the two exited the elevator and walked down the stretch of hallway to Sakura's room. She coughed a bit - damn, she was getting sick rather fast! - and smiled up at Neji, who had not even budged his arm since they left the sliding doors of the apartment complex.

"Are you gonna be alright?" Neji asked, nodding his head toward her door as she fumbled for the keys. "Or do I need to unlock the door for you?" He smirked and Sakura felt her cheeks redden in embarrassment.

"N-No, I'm g-g-g-good."

"O-O-O-Okay." Neji teased, holding her closer.

Sakura stiffened slightly. Did he just press his cheek against the crown of her forhead?

She looked up.

Yes. Yes, he did.

She inhaled a shaky breath and opened the door to her apartment. Neji let go of her slowly, almost reluctantly, as if the bones in his arm were permanently secured around her slim waist. Sakura felt the heat of his touch even when he had let her go. It seared along her hips, her back, and even the place on her head where his cheek had rested for that one moment she wanted to keep in her mind. It was as if her very blood was burning underneath the skin, activated by his touch. Only his touch.

Smiling, she turned to face him, feeling her head getting stuffy as she did so, "Thank you for today, even though we got rained out."

Neji chuckled at this, "Well, that just means we have to make this up some other time."

Her heart leapt at that. So he was planning on seeing her again. She was so excited she couldn't bear it. "Of course."

Then, Neji moved in to her so swiftly it took her a while to realize what he was doing. Soft lips touched her forhead gently in a kiss. Sakura inhaled deeply, shakily, and froze, as if the water on her body had suddenly solidified. She gulped and Neji parted, giving her a fond smile at the red on her cheeks. "Till next time, Sakura."

"Y-Yes, till next time, Neji."

"Have a good one."

"You too."

With that, he turned and walked away, Sakura watching him until he was out of sight, then shutting the door behind him, her heart pounding furiously inside her chest, blood pulsing through every body part, breath coming out in flustered pants. Hyuuga Neji...damn you!

"Damn...it..."


"Neji, you're soaked!"

The water rolled off of Neji's body as he shook his head to and fro, making the water drops fling from his long, brunette mane and splatter onto the floor and walls. He then realized he left his coat with Sakura and sighed, remembering the look on the girl's face when he kissed her forhead. Stupid! Dumbass! Good-for-nothing...ugh!

He replied, "Ah, yeah. Me and my friend were having lunch in the park and we got caught in the storm." Neji laughed in a carefree manner, showing just how happy his day with Sakura had been, even though it hadn't ended like he planned.

"Oh, well, did you have fun?"

"Yes. Loads." You have no idea, dear.

Tenten smiled and walked to Neji before pressing her lips against his in a kiss filled with...something. Something he couldn't identify. She parted from him and gave him a seductive look, eyes smoldering like caramel gems, "Want to let me warm you up?"

The brown haired Hyuuga laughed, though he felt guilty for a reason beyond him.

Well, it wasn't so far beyond him.

It was because of Sakura, he knew.

Tenten didn't even wait for his answer, she was pulling him to the bedroom intent on no doubt wearing him out. He followed, not wanting to reject her and hurt her feelings. No matter what he felt for Sakura, he didn't want to harm Tenten in the process.

But as she pushed him down on the bed, he found his conscious telling him what Sakura had said off-handedly, in a strange tone, to him in the park.

"... He was cheating on her with some...brown haired girl, she said. That's all she knew."

The words repeated in his head, centering on one phrase in particular, and the connotations in Sakura's voice as she spoke.

Brown haired girl.

Brown haired girl.

No, he couldn't think that way. He couldn't actually believe that Tenten was cheating on him. He had no proof! So he sighed as the brunette straddled his waist and pulled his soaked shirt over his head, mouth working against the muscle of his neck. She giggled as she gave a playful nip to his collarbone before she removed her own shirt and his eyes travelled over her form.

No...he couldn't think that way. Not if...

His thoughts were interrupted as his eyes passed over something unfamiliar. A small, reddish purple bruise in the shape of a circle, just above her right breast, marred her otherwise perfect skin, except for the one right underneath her left breast. His eyes travelled upward, and saw one just beneath her ear. Hickeys? Neji thought, his eyes widening. He never made a love mark like that on Tenten. Ever. In fact, he didn't remember even kissing her there the last time they made love...

She obviously realized his eyes were lingering too long so she dove down to kiss his pectorals, steadily going lower, knowing her objective. Almost to make him forget what he just saw.

But, no, of course he could be mistaken.

"...some brown haired girl..."

Tenten wouldn't cheat. She loved him too much...but...

But, deep inside the back of Neji's skull, he wondered if he was kidding himself.


End Chapter Eleven.

Oh my gosh, it's done! Chapter eleven is DONE! I'm so happy! Like, I never thought I would get done with this chapter...I had a terrible case of writer's block and it was just awful! But I'm back now, hopefully for good. I hope I never get that bad of a writer's block again. I mean...GOSH!

Okay, so I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I think it wasn't too boring. In fact, quite a few things are presented in this chapter, and I hope you liked it, seeing as long as it took me to actually get this out! Gosh...I'm soooo incredibly sorry for making y'all wait!

Anyway, reviews are greatly appreciated and rewarded with candy and Neji plushies! Spread the NejiSaku love!

Arigato!