Chapter 2

Sakura didn't know what to do. She had spent the entire morning staring blankly at the wall, trying to find a way out of this mess. Now that she was sober, things were even more complicated. Why had she let this happen? Neji kissed her. She should have pushed him away or at least show him that she didn't enjoy that kiss at all. She sighed. No, that would have been a lie. The kiss had been so sweet and wonderful, even now she couldn't convince herself that she didn't like it.

But what was going to happen now? What if Neji tried something like that again? She liked him, even more so now that he had shown her a part of his true self, a gentle and good-hearted young man, but that was not the problem. He wasn't. The problem was Sasuke. She was still waiting for his return to the hidden leaf village. She had saved herself for him, and for the past three years she had blocked out any attempt of the boys in the village to get close to her. She'd always felt like she was meant to belong to Sasuke and no one else.

Now she wasn't so sure of that any more.

Sakura sighed and leaned her head against the wall. She was still in love with Sasuke and she was so worried about him. There was a part of her that belonged only to him and getting close to anyone would have been unfair. She decided to avoid Neji for the next few weeks, just to make sure. She wouldn't go to the Hyuga house any more and she would ask Tsunade for missions out of the village.

***

Days passed and nothing happened. As she had planned, Sakura applied for longer missions that would keep her away from the Hidden Leaf. They wouldn't start before the new year, but she was positive that wouldn't meet Neji until then. He hadn't tried to contact her so she assumed that the kiss was meaningless to him and there was no need to worry. Ino and Hinata – of course – loved the idea of her and Neji becoming a couple. Ino spent hours talking to her, trying to convince her to call Neji or visit him and see if he was interested in her at all. But Sakura refused to do so. She wasn't ready. And he had probably already forgotten about that meaningless kiss and she would just make a fool out of herself if she tried to contact him.

On december 29th, something happened that ruined her plans. She received a call from Ino, who was currently at the Hyuga house. An unknown Shinobi had entered the Hyuga estate and tried to assassinate Hinata. Her worries for Hinata made her forget about her plan to avoid Neji and she came over to the Hyuga home as fast as she could.

When she arrived, a lot of Hyuga family members were gathered up in the living room discussing the situation. Sakura was relieved to see that her friend was alright. She rushed over to Hinatas side and embraced her. "I was really worried, Hinata-chan. What happened?"

Hinata was uncharacteristically depressed. Ino, who was sitting right beside her, comforted her but she looked disstressed. "Sakura-chan, I… I couldn't…" she whispered.

Sakura looked over to Ino and asked: "What happened?"

"She got attacked by a still unidentified shinobi," Ino replied slowly. "He was killed, but it still worries me that he managed to get this far. I cannot believe someone was able to enter the village with all the Anbu around."

"Did anyone get hurt? Are you alright, Hinata?"

"The heiress is unharmed, thank god. Hiashi-sama would have killed us if anything had happened to her," she heard someone say.

"But the one who protected her got hurt," Ino said gravely. "I think that's why she is so distressed."

"It's just a member of the branch house. His wounds will heal," one of the Hyugas said.

Sakura searched the room until she found Neji standing in the corner. Her apprehension was confirmed when she noticed the bandage on his left wrist and the bruise on his lower lip. No doubt that it was him who had protected Hinata. Sakuras brows furrowed in anger. Just a member of the branch house? Was that how they treated him? Just a servant who's only purpose was to protect the main family? It wasn't fair. His eyes narrowed, but she could see no hatred in his eyes. There was only anger, but not against the main house.

While everyone else seemed to completely ignore him, she stood up and walked over to him. "Neji-san," she said politely. "You were the one who protected her, right?" He made no attempt to answer her question, but his injuries spoke for themselves. She bowed before him slightly and calmly said: "Thank you very much. Hinata is one of my dearest friends."

He seemed slightly surprised, but the look quickly disappeared from his features to be replaced with his usual, expressionless face. "It's my duty to protect the Hyuga heiress."

Sakura smiled sadly at him. She reached out as if to touch his injured hand, but then she changed her mind and just nodded briefly. She returned to Hinata's side, comforting her friend while the adults were still debating what to do next. Hinata was awfully quiet.

"Maybe we should bring her to her room," Ino suggested.

Sakura nodded. They took Hinata to her room, leaving the adults and Neji behind to discuss whatever there was to discuss. When they were alone, Hinata finally said something. "Sakura-chan… thank you. For saying such a nice thing to Neji-niisan."

"It's the truth. I don't ever want you to get hurt."

"I do not deserve this," Hinata muttered. "I wasn't strong enough to defend myself. Because of me, Neji-niisan got hurt." She shook her head, tears threatening to fall. "I don't understand why everyone is protecting me. I'm useless as a Shinobi. They would be better off without me."

"Don't say such things," Ino said, hugging Hinata worriedly. "Neji is okay, it's just a scratch."

They tried to comfort Hinata, but the Hyuga heiress was too depressed to listen to them. Minutes passed, then the door opened and Neji entered the room. Sakura had a hard time trying to avoid his gaze, while Ino asked sharply: "Has the family decided what to do about this?"

"Yes. Members of the branch family will watch over her until Hiashi-sama returns."

"Neji-niisan," Hinata said almost inaudibly. "I'm sorry. It's all my fault."

His brows furrowed. "Then stop crying and become stronger. The next assassin probably won't be just on Chuunin-Level."

"Yes, Neji-niisan."

Since Hinata had her head bent down anyway, Neji was now staring at Sakura. She could not stand these eyes upon her, not even in this situation. "Ino… will you stay with Hinata tonight? I have to leave…"

"Sure," Ino said with a grin. She probably knew why Sakura was so uncomfortable in this house. Her face grew serious quickly though. "But be careful. Today's events proved that the hidden leaf village isn't as safe as it used to be and it's dark outside."

"I will walk her home." Everyone in the room, even Hinata, stared at Neji. He pretended not to notice and left the room with a sharp "Are you coming or not?"

Sakura looked at Ino for help, but her friend just grinned. She accepted her fate and followed Neji who was waiting for her at the front door. She was thankful for his offer, but to her apartment it was a 10 minutes walk and she didn't know what to talk about with someone like him. "I really appreciate that you want to walk me home, Neji-san, but you don't have to."

"I don't want another kunoichi attacked tonight," he simply said.

Sakura sighed inwardly. So it was settled. They spend the first few minutes in silence. Strangely enough, Neji was adjusting his pace to hers, but probably it was just because he didn't know where she lived. Just to break the silence, Sakura eventually asked: "Does it hurt?"

"What?"

"That wound on your arm."

He briefly shook his head. "I've had worse."

"I… I'm really glad Hinata has someone like you to watch over her. Without you, she might be dead." He turned his head to stare at her angrily. She wondered if she had said something wrong. "Why are you looking at me like that? I just meant…"

"I wasn't strong enough," he hissed. "He was so close to killing her… if I had sensed his presence just a few seconds later, Hinata-sama would be dead for sure. Hiashi-sama is not going to like that."

"But it wasn't your fault! You did your best to protect her and she is unharmed!"

"That's not the point! Hiashi is going to punish me for sure."

She couldn't believe her ears. "Punish you? But for what?"

"For not being there sooner. I was the one who was supposed to take care of her," he snapped. What surprised her the most was that he wasn't angry at Hiashi for being unfair, but he was angry at himself.

"You could not know that something like that was going to happen! You're not a servant with only a purpose to protect…"

He stopped and growled furiously: "That's exactly what I am!"

Once again she could sense his good heart and it made her happy. "To Hiashi-san, maybe. But not to Hinata. And not to me." She took a step forward and placed her hand against his chest. "I know you have a kind heart, that's why I like you so much. Don't be so harsh on yourself. You protected my friend and that's what counts for me." She wasn't sure where these words were coming from, but it was what she truly felt. Yes, she liked him, a lot. She cared for him.

She took his hand into hers and placed it against her cheek. "Please, Neji-san. Promise me one thing. Take care of yourself too. I don't want either of you to get hurt."

He stared at her in awe, obviously at a complete loss of words.

He was so attractive at this moment, that the urge to step forward and kiss him was almost overwhelming. The sweet memory of their previous kiss was still on her mind and a part of her longed to feel these lips on hers again. To get to know the real Neji, to see the kindness he tried not to show.

But there was something that kept her from letting these feelings take control over her. It was a memory of a dark-eyed boy who's last words to her had been "Thank you", before turning his back on the hidden leaf village.

With a soft sigh, she let go of Neji's hand. "We should pick up the pace. I'm getting cold." She couldn't allow herself to get attached to Neji when Sasuke was still on her mind. It wouldn't be fair. It wouldn't work. She didn't want to forget Sasuke. She didn't want to stop loving him. Not now, not ever.

The rest of the walk was spent in silence once again, each of them was caught in their own thoughts. When they finally arrived, Sakura wasn't even sure if she was relieved or disappointed. She fumbled with her keys and he patiently waited until she had opened the door. Before he could leave, she heard herself ask: "You're going to come for Kakashi's new years party, right? I mean, Hinata will be there too and you could come too and… uhh… I would be happy if you came too …" She had whispered that last part as if she didn't want anyone to hear it.

He shrugged. "I don't know." Probably he hadn't wasted a thought on how to spend new years eve yet. Sakura was so going to make Hinata drag him along!

"Well, think about it. Good night, Neji-ku… Neji-san."

Much to her surprise he said softly: "Call me Neji-kun if you like. I don't mind. Good night." He turned around and she watched him leave. There was again this tight feeling in her chest. He was dangerous. Not to her of course, but to her feelings for Sasuke. She clutched the fabric of her jacket and sighed. Why did he have to be so damn nice to her?

…tbc…