A/N- I wrote a companion one-shot titled "À La Mode" that you all might want to read after reading this chapter. There is a scene in here where Naruto and Hinata disappear for a little while, so if you want to know what happened with them while they were gone, you'll have to read the one-shot. ;-)

Also, I gotta say the one thing I love the most about the Naruto world is the unique mix of feudal society and modern convenience. They travel by foot but they have electricity. Go figure.

This chapter is dedicated to everyone pining for more Neji/Sorano fluff.

Enjoy!

Standard Disclaimers Apply.

Moments Like This

Chapter 21

"But why Sasuke?" Naruto whined for the eighth time since he arrived. "The guy is seriously disturbed!"

"Pass the butter," Sorano said.

"He could kill you in the blink of an eye!" The blonde exclaimed as he handed over the dish.

Sorano sliced off a slab and dropped it into the pan. "He's not going to kill me, Naruto," she said calmly. "Could you fluff the rice?"

"But why didn't you ask me instead?" he pouted as he attacked the rice with a wooden spoon.

"Because he offered first and," she paused for a moment then looked up into his big baby blue eyes. "Because he doesn't pull his punches. I can't get stronger if my opponent holds back."

Naruto blinked and then sighed. "I guess."

Sorano reached up and patted his cheek. "I've survived the week so far, haven't I?"

He snorted and crossed his arms. "You're obviously as deranged as he is."

She laughed softly as she started frying the tempura. "Perhaps. Between him and Lee it's a wonder I can move at all."

Naruto fished out the dishes to set the table. "You are very determined, Sorano-chan."

"So is the enemy," she said quietly, prodding the fish and vegetables.

"You're certain they will come," he asked as he arranged the plates and glasses.

She silently turned off the stove and arranged the food onto a serving plate.

"Sorano-chan," Naruto cautiously touched her elbow.

"They will come," she said as she carried the plate to the table. Turning back to face him, she smiled with a confidence she only half felt. "And I will be ready."

Naruto leaned against the counter, his arms crossed and a slight smile curling his lips. He was a fine specimen of masculinity in his orange dress shirt and black slacks. She had told him to dress nice since she was expecting other company and he had pulled through admirably. The top two buttons of his shirt were left open offering a teasing sight of bronzed skin.

Poor Hinata might not survive the night.

"You know we won't let you face this on your own, right?" he said.

She walked around him to dish the rice into a bowl. "I'm counting on it," she said and met his smiling eyes. "Will you get the door?"

His eyes squinted in confusion and he opened his mouth to question her when there was a sharp knock on the door. She laughed at his wide startled expression.

"How did you do that?" he asked.

"It's six o'clock. Neji is always punctual," she said with a laugh as she pushed him towards the door.

"Neji, huh?" he grinned wickedly.

"Oh, hush," she said and he just laughed.

Sorano shook her head and turned back to arranging the rest of the meal and filling the glasses with iced tea. Naruto continued to chuckle as he opened the door to greet her guests. His mirth froze as he stared into shy, lavender shaded eyes.

"Hinata-chan!" His wide eyes swept over her petite form, from the pretty lilac printed dress to the adorable blush dusting her porcelain cheeks.

Sorano had conveniently refused to tell him who she had invited to dinner and he suddenly felt the oddest urge to straighten his obstinate hair.

"G-good evening, Naruto-kun," Hinata said with a shy smile. "I brought pie."

He managed to pull his gaze from her deepening blush to the dessert she held out.

"Cool," he said. "Come on in." He stepped back from the door. "Sorano-chan made tempura!"

"It smells wonderful," Hinata said as she walked in and offered her pie to Sorano, entirely unaware of the wide blue eyes that followed her.

"Thank you, Hinata," Sorano smiled. "This looks great. And you look lovely," she whispered and winked to which Hinata blushed again.

Naruto continued to stare in muddled confusion. When did Hinata get so…wow!?

"Close your mouth, Naruto."

His jaw snapped shut and he met Neji's intimidating gaze. Swallowing hard, Naruto blushed and scratched self-consciously at the back of his head. "Uh, h-hey, Neji. How's it going?"

Neji watched the blonde fidget nervously with carefully concealed amusement. Honestly, it was refreshing to see the clueless idiot finally notice his helplessly adoring cousin.

"It's been quiet enough," he said as he pushed the door closed.

Naruto nearly sighed in relief at the obvious escape he was offered. "Tell me about it. Missions have been scarce."

The two men turned to watch the girls put the finishing touches on the table.

"We should enjoy it while it lasts," Neji murmured.

Naruto smiled. "Yeah."

If Naruto was hoping for leftovers, he was sadly disappointed. Every last bite was swallowed up with great appreciation and compliments abounded. Hinata had ceased to stutter near the beginning of dinner though Naruto only had to look at her to make her blush. Their interaction was truly precious.

Hinata helped clear the plates and get smaller saucers for the pie. Watching Naruto's eyes follow the heiress' every move prodded another idea to life. Opening the freezer, Sorano glanced in and frowned.

"Hinata," she said as she closed the freezer. "I bet ice cream would go really great with your pie, but I'm all out."

"Oh," the girl blinked at her.

Sorano smiled as she walked over to her desk and fished out some money. "Naruto, why don't you take Hinata to get some ice cream?"

"Okay," the clueless blonde agreed, always eager to help. Poor Hinata looked uncertain as to whether she should faint or grin.

Sorano gave him the money and he nearly dragged Hinata out of the apartment, chattering excitedly all the way.

Take the long route, Hinata.

"Never figured you for a matchmaker," Neji said with amusement.

"Just giving the poor girl a hand," Sorano said with a careless shrug as she filled the teakettle and set it to heat on the stove.

"Are Sakura and Sasuke next?"

"That man is an incurable idiot," she said as she started washing some of the dishes. Now that she was alone with him, she was beginning to doubt her decision to send Naruto and Hinata out. The man made her eyes hurt because she didn't want to blink and miss a whole second's worth of observation. He was dressed simply like Naruto except all in black, making his silvery eyes intensely impossible to avoid. Beauty was such a lethal package and Hyuuga Neji wore it well.

Neji watched her move about her small kitchen, his eyes lingering on her gentle curves. Her red blouse and short black skirt were very conservative, and probably borrowed, but they showed off her feminine features kindly. He was really enjoying the view of her shapely legs. It wasn't all together gentlemanly to be eyeing her up, but he was a man in every sense of the word and had no intention of denying his attraction to her. But she was flighty and any advances on his part would scare her off…or piss her off. He hadn't forgotten her reaction to the Daimyo's attention.

Yet despite her opposition to pursuing deeper personal relationships, she was eager to clue Naruto in to Hinata's affection. The lie about the ice cream was a clever move. He had seen two cartons in her freezer when she glanced in. And judging from how she was adamantly avoiding his gaze, she was hyper-aware of the fact that they were alone together for the first time since the mission.

"So the Uchiha is hopeless," he mused as he watched her washing dishes. Sorano was surprisingly domestic for having been a wanderer most of her life.

"Not hopeless," she said. "Just an idiot. He'll figure it out eventually."

"Why is it so important to you?"

Sorano kept her eyes on the dish she was washing. "They should enjoy what they have while they have it. It never lasts."

She froze when she felt his warmth brush against her, his chin resting on her shoulder while his hands gripped the sink on either side of her.

"Do you intend to take your own advice," he asked, his breath caressing her cheek, sending tiny shivers down her spine.

A part of her wanted to lean back into him and feel those strong arms wrap around her, but another part was terrified of feeling too strongly about anyone. She had lost too much and didn't know if she could open herself up again to that pain.

"Neji," her voice trembled with internal confusion.

He leaned against her as he reached for a dishtowel and smirked at her sharp intake of breath.

"You should," he said as he stepped back and started drying the plates in the dish rack.

Sorano stared at him for a moment, eyes wide as the intent behind his words and actions sunk in. Does he feel something for me?

She turned back to the few remaining dishes in the sink. "I…don't know how," she admitted quietly.

Neji blinked in surprise, never having expected her to respond. Usually at this point she would dance around the subject. An odd tension threaded through her body as she braced for emotional impact. She was offering him a vulnerable target freely, and knew it.

"What are you afraid of?" he asked gently.

She tucked the last dish into the dry rack and stared at her soapy hands. "If I had to right now, I could walk away from this. It would hurt, but I could do it and still wake up each day and…breathe."

"You're assuming we would let you go."

Sorano blinked uncertainly and reached for another drying towel, twisting it gently in her hands. "Why do you have so much faith in me," she whispered.

Neji dropped his towel on the counter and reached out to grasp her hands, encompassing them both with one of his. She's so small. "Because you've had more than enough chances to run away and didn't. Like it or not, you have made attachments and just because you let go, it doesn't mean we will."

He was right, damn it, and she didn't want to let go. To laugh and smile again was divine, to know that someone worried and cared, would hold her when she fell apart…those things were priceless.

Warm fingers curled under her chin, lifting her face towards him. That unease was still there each time he touched her. Instinct was telling her to flinch, but she fought it. His heart twisted painfully at her courage. It must have been agony to bear the Daimyo's constant, unwanted touches. The look in her ocean blue eyes was at once trusting and wary, cutting him deeply.

She didn't like to be touched with intimate intent, but he would break her of that unease in time. He was a patient man and he knew what he wanted. If he could break through the confines of his clan, then he could break through the walls she had built to protect her injured heart. Once he did, he would find out who hurt her, hunt him down, and castrate him.

His fingers grazed softly up her cheek and tucked a loose strand behind her ear, lingering on the curve of her jaw. Her hair was adorable pulled up and away from her face, but he preferred it down. It gave her such a carefree air.

"I would never hurt you, Sorano," he said.

Something flickered in her eyes too quickly for him to catch and she abruptly pulled away. The teakettle chose that moment to whistle, giving her an excuse to avoid his gaze. But he didn't miss the words she whispered under her breath, words he wasn't meant to hear.

"I've been told that before."

An uncomfortable knot of mixed emotion clenched in his stomach. Maybe he pushed a bit too hard, too soon, but apart from blatantly stating his intentions, it was the wiser choice. There was a level of trust uniquely offered to him alone that he would not risk damaging. Sorano trusted him to watch her back in battle, give silent comfort in darkness, and keep those moments of weakness to himself.

But to trust him with her heart was something he would have to carefully earn. Memory was too vivid and unrelenting for her to forget previous betrayal easily. He would have to give her new memories, better ones, just as he had done during the mission.

She poured the steaming water into a teapot with considerable less grace than she was capable of. Her hands were shaking and some of the water spilled over the side of the teapot. A muttered curse was her verbal acknowledgement of her anxiety and he suppressed a smile. Sorano was hardly an easy woman to fluster, but he seemed to have a gift for it.

Brushing aside his unseemly amusement, he handed her a towel. "I heard you've been training with Sasuke," he said and she looked up at him, startled by the unexpected change in conversation, her hand frozen mid-reach for the towel.

"Yes," she said warily.

"How is it working out?"

Suddenly she rolled her eyes and the strain between them evaporated. "You're not going to whine too, are you?"

"Naruto didn't take it well, then," he chuckled.

Sorano just shook her head as she toweled up the mess she made. "My ears are still ringing. It's not like I begged Sasuke to train with me."

"He offered?" Neji was surprised.

"He didn't think I would accept."

"Why did you?"

Sorano moved the teapot to the table. She would wait for Naruto and Hinata to return before pouring. "Because he offered."

Neji's eye twitched in annoyance. "Such perfect logic," he muttered and she couldn't withhold a smile.

"It was, actually," she leaned against the table and crossed her legs at the ankles, drawing his attention for a moment to the long lithe limbs.

"My chakra control is still weak and practicing ninjutsu will enhance my limits. He didn't say it quite so kindly, but," she shrugged, "he's still right."

"He probably just wants to satisfy his curiosity," Neji said with not a little envy.

"And he remains curious," she said with a teasing smirk. "Honestly, I'm just a novelty to the lot of you, aren't I?"

He didn't get a chance to reply because Naruto and Hinata returned. Both were flushed and Neji and Sorano exchanged amused glances. Apparently Naruto wasn't as dense as they thought. Neji, being the heiress' cousin and guardian, felt torn between giving Naruto an obligatory beating for getting fresh with his charge and being happy for Hinata. Her eyes had never sparkled so brightly before.

"Relax," Sorano whispered as she handed him two teacups. "He probably just asked her out or something."

"Hn, maybe," he took the cups to the table.

"Here's the ice cream, Sorano-chan."

"Thanks, Naruto," she gave him two cups in exchange for the ice cream. "Vanilla, perfect."

"Hinata-chan said it would go best with her pie," he beamed proudly as he took the cups back to the table.

Sorano smiled as she watched the quaint little picture play out. Hinata gingerly sliced and served the pie to the two men she loved. They made it look so easy, all the stings of the past momentarily forgotten. There was only homemade pie, hot tea, sweet ice cream, and good company. It was for moments like this they lived, fought, and died. She wanted that. More than anything, she wanted more moments like this.

Silver eyes looked up at her then, smiling and tempting her to take that chance, to accept what he offered despite her fears, despite the past. But that was asking too much, wasn't it?

The turmoil must have showed in her eyes and his fine brows dipped slightly. Neji was looking at her now as he had done the day they met, as if he could see straight into her heart, all her soul an open book, naked and exposed to his pearlescent gaze. That's why she had tried so desperately to avoid him from the start. She didn't want anyone to see the jagged, glued together pieces that barely made a whole. But he had seen, more than once, and he never mocked her or turned away. Instead he drew closer and for the life of her, she couldn't understand why.

Resigning herself to the inevitable stubbornness of the man, she joined them at the table. She offered him a timid smile and his gaze softened in silent reassurance.

"Sorano," he said.

"Hm?"

"You left the ice cream on the counter."

She blinked, and to her utter horror, blushed for the first time in four years.

A/N- Make sure you check out my one-shot À La Mode!

Huggy- Actually, they meant that Sasuke was acting weird in a suspicious way, like "what is he up to?" I'm relieved you think I write him well. The soft moments are hard to write, but if you pick the timing right and balance it with the right words and actions…okay it isn't easy. But if you study how they do it with the anime (both Neji and Sasuke do have kind moments in the anime), it helps.

ElfPrincessKitty- Hm, I never considered doing a one-shot about Sorano meeting Itachi. I don't think I could cause it was a traumatic experience for her and I tend to write more on the fluffy side of things than the scary side. Anyway, I wrote the one-shot about Naruto and Hinata going for ice cream because after I first wrote this chapter and was rereading it, I couldn't help wonder what happened that made both Naruto and Hinata blush. Plus it was a little necessary to explain how the two became closer as they are romantically involved in later chapters and yet the one-shot itself didn't really fit in the sequence of chapters in Ryukaze, so I made it a separate one-shot. It's a cute little story. I hope you enjoy it.

Thank you for all your wonderful and entertaining reviews and for reading. (puts on night vision goggles to see Chibi Shadow Readers) Eh heh heh, um these are prescription. Seriously!

Don't forget to check out À La Mode! What are you waiting for? Hey! Do you hear me? Why are you still reading this? Go! Clickity Click! Yeesh.