A/N- (stretches) Ah, it's great to finally get out of that bunker. My apologies for the extended delay in this update, but I couldn't give you guys less than a finely combed chapter and my recently purchased brain replacement is still on back order, so it took a while to smooth it out. I haven't written a thing in two weeks either. How depressing.

Anyway, enjoy the fuzziness.

Standard Disclaimer Applies.

Love and Honor

Chapter 38

Sorano shook out her freshly washed hair as she padded into her little kitchen to fix some tea. It felt great to be clean again and back in a cotton tank and pajama pants, but despite the late hour and her undeniable exhaustion, she felt the need to wind down a bit before falling into bed. Adrenaline still thrummed through her veins from the eagerness to see an end to her journey and now that she was finally here, it showed no real signs of quelling. Her body needed relief, but her mind remained annoyingly alert. One could never truly rest when running about the wilderness alone and her senses had yet to accept the fact that it was now safe to shut down and relax.

So Sorano filled the teakettle with water and set it on the stove, her body moving on autopilot as lethargy started to set in. Just as she was about to light it, she felt a surge of chakra behind her and froze.

Closing her eyes for a moment to steel herself, she slowly turned to meet his burning gaze. Her Anbu escorts must have told him she was back. There was no other way he could have known. The only reason she hadn't gone looking for him herself so soon was because she was afraid of his reaction.

Leaving him as he slept unknowingly a month ago had been the hardest thing she had ever done in her entire life. She wanted nothing more than to stay in his arms, warm and safe…loved. But it wasn't safe for her or for him, not for as long as Nogitarou continued to covet her power and she would have done anything, made any sacrifice to protect this village that had become her home and these people that had become her family. She still felt raw from the force with which she tore herself away from Neji that day but she vented her pain on the Land of Earth and finally severed her past with cold steel.

This man is too beautiful for the good of my heart. His hair fell long and loose about him, his clothes slightly rumpled as if he had thrown them on in a rush, and his hitai-ate was absent, revealing the curse mark of the Hyuuga branch family. She had seen it twice before and asked Hinata about it once. Despite what it stood for, she could not help think it added to his lethal beauty.

Smoldering, silver eyes slowly raked her over from head to toe, lingering on a scratch here, a bruise there, evidence of her reckless pace to get home. When an Anbu popped into his room to tell him Sorano had returned, his heart stopped beating for several seconds. He couldn't fault her for leaving as she had done. If he were in her place, he too would have done anything to ensure the safety of his friends and family. But neither could he help fear for her life. So many times he woke up sweating from nightmares, visions of her broken, bleeding body dancing through his mind.

Each day that passed without her return was another stab to his heart. He obsessively checked the scouting reports for any hints of a sighting every day and found no consolation. He refused to believe that she would abandon them and fervently clung to the hope of her return.

Seeing her now in a white tank top and mint green pajama pants puttering around her kitchen as if she had always been there made him wonder if he was still dreaming. There was a faint scratch on her neck and a small bruise forming on one shoulder that she had neglected to heal, but nothing severe. She watched him with wide, wary eyes, but there was a peace about her that had never been present before. Whatever she had intended to do had been done.

The silence was becoming too great for her and she opened her mouth to speak when he strode decisively across the room, grabbed her by the shoulders and kissed her fiercely.

A startled squeak died in her throat as he possessively claimed her lips. His kisses had always been gentle, tender, but this was demanding and primal. He was fire and ice and she trembled as he aggressively stole her breath. Only when she felt faint did he break away to pull her firmly against him, wrapping his arms tightly around her as if he would never let go.

With her cheek pressed against his chest, she marveled at the furious beating of his heart in pace with her own.

"Don't ever leave like that again," he hissed fiercely, his voice strangled with pent up fear and frustration.

Sorano's fingers curled in his shirt and she closed her eyes, breathing deeply of the scent that was so uniquely him. She wouldn't. She couldn't.

Neji feared that this was only a dream and he would wake once more to find her gone. But with each passing minute of having her pressed tightly against him, the memory of the kiss he had forcefully taken still lingering on his lips, his heart slowly began to calm.

Sighing softly, he pulled back to see her face once more only to find she had fallen fast asleep, standing up, in his arms.

"Some things will never change," he murmured with amused exasperation. The poor thing must have been running non-stop to get back to them, to him.

Careful so not to wake her, he picked her up and carried her to her turned down bed. He had no intention of leaving her tonight and apparently she agreed because her hand was still clinging tightly to his shirt.

Pulling the blankets over them both, Neji shifted her to rest on his chest since the bed was a tight fit and she snuggled into his embrace, murmuring his name with a contented sigh. Smiling softly, he kissed her tenderly on the crown of her head and closed his eyes to find pleasant dreams for the first time in a month.

He probably should have left her sleep longer, but with the morning light falling across her face she was a vision and he was but a man whose will had suffered from deprivation. Gently brushing a lock of snow white aside, Neji leaned down and kissed her softly. When she didn't stir, he kissed her again and lingered longer. She smiled into the third.

"Morning," she whispered. Brilliant cerulean eyes opened to find him smirking impishly.

"I have decided you owe me recompense to satisfy my honor."

Sorano raised a brow at that. "Your honor?"

"Mmhm," he murmured as he leaned over her, trapping her with his stronger body. She really was in no position to argue, but he wouldn't mind if she did. This was one battle he would not lose.

The corner of her mouth twitched enticingly towards a smile but she managed to contain it. "And how did I insult your honor, Hyuuga-san?"

His expression schooled into one of aloof arrogance, but his eyes held a teasing glint. "You rejected my offered protection."

"Ah," she murmured. "It was not my intention to insult the honorable Hyuuga clan."

All humor vanished from his expression and she felt her heart skip a beat. "Intention or not, the damage has been done."

He had been hurt, she knew that, but hearing him say it nearly brought tears to her eyes. The last thing she ever wanted to do was hurt him.

"Neji—."

"I demand compensation," he said, eyes narrowing sharply, "to restore my honor."

Sorano bit her lip nervously. He was deadly serious and it frightened her. "What is it you wish?" she asked softly.

Neji held her gaze silently for a moment before leaning closer. "Marry me."

Cerulean eyes blinked at him in shock and for a moment he feared he might have spoken too soon. It didn't matter. The words could not be taken back and he didn't want to take them back, and he wouldn't take no for an answer.

Her eyes softened then and he felt some of the fear subside as she reached up and took a thick lock of his hair in hand, twirling it absently around her fingers.

"Will you forsake your clan for me?"

Neji stiffened. "What?"

Seeing the sudden wariness in his eyes, she decided she had better clarify. His proposal had been sincere and sweet, but she needed him to know exactly what he was asking for.

"Will you forsake the laws and traditions of your clan to be with me?" she asked gently and he relaxed minutely.

He should have known it wouldn't be so simple, being who he was. Sighing wearily, he closed his eyes in resignation. "As a member of the Branch family, I am bound to serve the Main House. My life belongs to them as will that of my children."

Sorano reached up to run her fingers through his long, sleek hair, reveling in its softness. "As my husband, your life would belong to me."

Neji opened his eyes and stared at her sadly. "It is not that simple, Sorano."

"Hinata has told me of this," her fingers brushed gently against the curse mark, "what it does, what it means. Such things are forbidden within my clan."

His eyes widened slightly. "Forbidden?"

"I am the Wind and the Wind cannot be controlled. When my forefathers made a blood-pact with the Clan Guardian, it was the Guardian's stipulation that the children of the Wind were to remain free and in possession of their own will. We share in his power and it is too great to risk falling under the control of one who would use it wrongly. It was the envy of this power that tore my clan apart."

She stared at the lock of hair in her hand, watching the strands slip through her fingers. "After they killed my parents, they tried to brand me with a curse seal not unlike your own." Her eyes snapped back up to his. "My elemental chakra rejected it. The backlash killed the one trying to brand me and I escaped during the confusion."

Neji stared in stunned silence. Sorano was resistant to curse sealing? Then, if they had children, would they also be resistant to the curse seal? He would forever be a slave to the Main House even after Hinata became Head and put an end to the tradition because his seal could not be removed, but was there a chance that his children, their children could be free?

Sorano smiled at his shocked expression. "So I ask again, Hyuuga Neji, will you forsake the laws and traditions of your clan to be with me?"

When she offered such hope, how could he not? "Yes."

Her eyes softened, knowing there was still so much he didn't understand. "Then, yes, I will marry you."

Neji kissed her soundly, feeling as if his heart might burst. There were still so many unknowns between them, but he was willing to face them as she was. Wherever the future would take them, they would go together and he would support her in all her hopes and dreams, give her everything she had once lost.

The significance of the conflict of their clans' traditions was not lost on him, but he would stand beside her and fight for her, even against the will of the Hyuuga Council. She would be his.

He reveled in the feeling of her hands buried in his hair, the softness of her curves beneath him, and the soft mewling sigh whispering through her lips when he parted from them to trail slow kisses down her throat. Nothing could shatter the euphoria in his soul at having her so responsive in his arms, his bride to be…

…except the maniac pounding on the door.

"Open up, Sorano-chan!"

Neji groaned into the curve of her neck. "Maybe if we ignore him, he'll go away," he muttered.

"I know you're in there and I'm not leaving until you come out!"

Sorano's efforts to contain her laughter failed and Neji shot her a disgruntled glare before climbing off of her. Running an absent hand through his hair to push it back into some semblance of order, he stalked up to the door and ripped it open. Sorano was only a few steps behind him when an orange blur shot through the door and swept her up. She shrieked as Naruto swung her around and then proceeded to squeeze the breath from her body.

"I knew you would come back!" he said happily, then held her back from him by the shoulders and fixed her with a stern glare. "What were you thinking going off on your own like that?"

Instantly sobering, she met his glare with contrite eyes. "I'm sorry."

He glared at her for a few more seconds for good measure before a sunny grin swept it all away. "I forgive you. But you own me some breakfast after making me worry so much."

Sorano laughed softly. "That's fair."

Despite being irritated with the interruption, Neji could not help smile at her laughter. That painful feeling in his chest whenever another man got close to her was surprisingly absent and he realized it was because she truly was his. Seeing her laugh so freely with Naruto only confirmed the fact that she was well and truly home.

"So…" Naruto's voice took on a decidedly sly tone and Neji narrowed his eyes at the mischievous blonde. "Did I interrupt something?" He twitched his eyebrows in suggestion and Sorano bit her lip to hold her laughter.

"How's Hinata," she asked in return and he looked at once startled by the question and wary of the narrowing of Neji's eyes.

"Ah ha ha," he laughed nervously as he scratched his head. "Hinata's fine…"

Instantly feeling pity for the poor blonde, she smiled gently. "I'm glad. I wonder if she's made much progress at the library in my absence."

"She's been spending most of her time at the hospital studying knew techniques," Naruto said with the confident authority of an attentive boyfriend. "She wants to get back in the field more."

"You'll have to tell me all about it over breakfast. Let me throw some clothes on, kay?"

"Sure," he agreed happily. Once she was ensconced in the bathroom and the two jonin were alone, Naruto turned serious eyes to the quiet Hyuuga. "When did she get in?"

"Pretty late," Neji said, oddly enough not feeling quite so tired as he expected from being awoken in the middle of the night.

"She seems different," Naruto observed, looking towards the bathroom.

"She's at peace," Neji said, following his glance. "We didn't really talk much last night. She was beyond exhausted."

"I can imagine." Naruto murmured. "Tohru said she was dead on her feet when they found her, but she refused to stop. She just wanted to get home."

Both men smiled at that thought.

Oblivious to the sentimental exchange, Sorano fairly bounced out of the bathroom feeling unusually energized. Sweeping up the kunai pouch from her desk, she propped her leg up on the chair to strap it on. "So where should we eat?" she asked as she looked over at Naruto who grinned broadly. "On second thought, forget I asked."

Naruto laughed. "We can go anywhere you want, Sorano-chan."

Finishing with the kunai pouch, she picked up her Konoha hitai-ate and tied it securely around her thigh. "I can't imagine anything else that I want more right now," she admitted with her own grin.

Dropping her leg down, she turned to face them and froze at their wide-eyed stares. "What?" she asked warily.

Both men blinked in unison before another grin broke out on Naruto's face and Neji's eyes softened, a small smirk curling his lips.

"When is it?" Naruto asked as he crossed his arms.

"When is what?"

Neji gestured towards her leg and she glanced down at the engraved metal plate that boldly declared her allegiance. She had grown so used to wearing it over the last three weeks that it had become a part of her. She forgot no one had ever seen her with it until last night.

"Your placement exam," Neji clarified Naruto's question.

Oh, that. She hadn't given it much thought since speaking with Tsunade the night before. Seeing Neji again had swept everything else from her mind and the two of them still had a great many things to talk about, but that could wait for now. Tsunade wasn't giving her much time to prepare for the exam so she needed to give it her full focus.

"Next week," she said. "Any suggestions?"

"Train hard," Naruto said.

"But not the day before," Neji warned.

"Eat lots of ramen to keep up your strength."

"Hold nothing back."

Sorano smiled at them, feeling reassured by the absolute confidence in their eyes. "I'll try to remember that."

Naruto gave her a thumbs up in imitation of Lee and bounded to the door. "Let's go, Sorano-chan! I'm starved!"

Sorano shook her head and looked up at Neji.

"I have to get to HQ, but I will see you tonight," he assured her, his eyes conveying understanding that there was still more to discuss.

"See you then," she said and kissed him quickly on the lips before running out to catch Naruto who was bouncing like an excited child in the street below.

With a pleased smirk, Neji closed the door and transported himself home to change.

To my (hopefully still alive) readers:

Lil'rockgirl - Naruto's superior sense of smell is not my own creation but a fact from the manga/anime. Because of being the Kyuubi container, Naruto has subconsciously adapted animal like tendencies. One example is that when he runs through the trees, he sometimes does it on all fours. I believe Jiraiya was the first to remark on Naruto's developing sense of smell but I can't be sure. I do know that in the first Naruto movie that he tells the Princess he found her by following her scent. In the English dub version they totally screwed up this part by having him tell her that she shouldn't run from her fate which is so not what Naruto would say because he doesn't believe in fate.

Just One- We won't be physically seeing the Guardian, but his existence gives Sorano some serious leverage that she is going to need. One of her clan secrets was mentioned in this chapter and will be fully addressed later and yes, I did make up the legend of the Wind in a bottle. I really like that little story.

Sangodemonslayer250- The "Wind in the Bottle" story was specifically about the Ryuusen Wind branch of the Ryuusen Clan. Nogitarou's grandfather who told him the story was warning him against trying to exert control over this portion of the Ryuusen Clan having experienced himself the futility of doing so. When Sorano said, "no man can keep me" she did mean that no one could control her. Her will is her own. At least one of the scrolls Sorano retrieved will come into play soon and yes, obviously now, she intends her future to be with Neji.

Also thanks to ValiantToasters, lovefatedestiny, Sesshy'sChic23, Princesa de la luna, SETxMExFREE, Mistress Persephone, reader ninja, Thunder Ring, loveable-M, Neji4me, SilverMononoke, Lobo-Chan, FoxLuvr, arrowgirl23, Space Jam Sandwitch, , TeenAnimeLover, Aisuhana, and sampsongirl for your lovely and fun reviews.