Chapter 8

Warmth. It was the first conscious sensation. Everything was warm. She remembered being so very cold, thinking that she could never feel warm again. But she was now. It was warm and safe and comfortable. Slowly, she opened her eyes, not because she wanted to wake up, but out of curiousity.

What she saw was rather unexpected. It was bare flesh. She blunk unbelievingly, but the sight wouldn't go away. She was staring at a man's naked chest. Hesitantly she raised her head to see his face. Neji. She was lying in a small bed with Neji Hyuga. One of her hands was touching his skin lightly, as if to make sure he was there. Neji was still asleep. For some reason, he was not only stripped of his clothes but also his forehead protector. His black hair fell upon his shoulders openly, making his flawless face even more handsome.

Why was he here? She remembered his voice, screaming at her not to fall asleep. He had been there, out in the snow. Carried her in his arms. More memories returned and she realized why she felt so… happy.

She had met Itachi and he had given her an answer. Sasuke was alive. A grateful smile crossed her lips. To know he was alive was all she needed. Now she was able to let go. He had chosen a path different from hers. He was with Orochimaru, still seeking revenge. And Sakura realized astonishedly, that it was no longer hurtful to think of him. Something was gone. Her love for him had faded into something else. She still thought of him with regret and the faint wish that she could have been with him. But she was no longer in love with Sasuke.

When she looked at Neji now, she felt a blush on her cheeks. He was handsome. And he had come to rescue her. He had almost died trying to help her. Sakura couldn't help it when she shuffled closer to him and placed a soft kiss on his lips. "Thank you, Neji-kun. Thank you so much." After being face to face with Itachi, after getting the long desired answer, she had been willing to die. But now she was nothing but graceful that Neji had been there to save her.

He moved in his sleep and placed an arm around her, pulling her closer to him. And when her chest touched his, she realized that she was naked too. Completely naked. Her breasts touched his bare chest and a deep blush colored her cheeks. She tried to escape from his strong arms, but even in his sleep he wouldn't let her go.

So she eventually shrugged and gave in to his embrace, enjoying the warmth emitting from his body. When she thought about it, Neji had been there to save her. She had always dreamed of a man who would come and save her life. Now that she was no longer fixed on Sasuke, she could finally see what she had. He was handsome, she adored the contrast of his pale skin and the long, black hair. With her left hand she stroke a strand of his hair out of his face. He was not only handsome, he was also intelligent, strong and kind. And he wasn't hiding his kindness as well as Sasuke always had. It shone through his beautiful silver eyes whenever he would look at her.

Her face darkened when she realized that she could have been with him. But she had ruined it. She had broken the fragile bond between them for someone who had never returned her feelings. For someone who had left her, abandoned her. Who had never cared.

Neji was a proud man. He wouldn't give her a second chance.

"I'm such an idiot," she whispered. "I turned you down, I ran away from my feelings just because I thought I had to wait for Sasuke. If I had the choice now, I would choose you, Neji. You mean so much more to me than he does. I… I think I love you." She broke down with a sob, crying silently against his chest.

His breathing became unregular as he woke up. His arm around her loosened and then he asked softly: "Why are you crying, woman?"

"N-Neji…", she muttered, not daring to look into his eyes. "It's nothing. Nothing." She wiped her eyes angrily.

"Don't lie to me, woman." He lifted his arm and his fingers encircled her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes. "What's wrong, woman? You found your answer, didn't you?"

"Yes. Yes, I did," she whispered. "Sasuke-kun is still alive."

"Then why are you crying?"

"I'm not crying," she replied stubbornly. She grabbed the blanket and clutched it in front of her chest, sitting up in the small bed. Now that she had realized her feelings for him, she didn't want to be so close to him any more.

He sat up as well, and when he spoke up she was taken aback by the angry tone of his voice. "So this is it? After all that has happened I don't even deserve an answer? You're a selfish person."

He had never talked to her like that before. She had seen him angry, but never had his anger been directed towards her. It hurt, it hurt enough to bring fresh tears to her eyes. "Neji, I was just…"

"Spare me, Sakura!", he interrupted her. "I've had enough of your self-pity. Sasuke is GONE, but instead if dealing with it you run away from home and make your friends worried. You got yourself in danger and now you're drowning in self-pity again. I'm fed up with this." He grabbed her by her upper arm and shook her as if he tried to bring some sense into her. "You could've died, Sakura! Do you understand that?"

That was enough to make her cry and there was nothing she could do about it. "I'm sorry," she stammered. He was right. If it hadn't been for him, she'd be dead, frozen to death out there in the snow. The thought scared her. Why had she been willing to risk her life just for a piece of information that hadn't brought her closer to Sasuke? She tried to free her arm but he wouldn't let go. She felt like a child being scolded by its parents, but at this moment it was his right to be angry. He had saved her life.

"Is that what you wanted, Sakura? To die for a guy who left you?"

"No… No!", she whimpered. "I didn't want to die. I just wanted peace after three years of uncertainty." His brows furrowed and he stared at her angrily. "Don't hate me, Neji. I'm grateful that you saved me, I never intended to die." His features softened a little and she let go of the blanket to embrace him and press herself tightly against his bare chest. "Forgive me for being so selfish," she whispered. She didn't mind that they were both naked. She was agitated and she could do nothing but pour her heart out to him. "I regret what I did, Neji. I had the chance to be with you but I wasted it, just to run after someone who didn't even care for me. But I had to hear what Itachi told me, to be free. Neji-kun, I'm in love with you."

They both fell silent and the only sound that filled the room were her sobs, which turned into hiccups over time.

Eventually, he said softly: "I don't hate you, Sakura." His strong fingers stroke her back and she felt so warm and secure in his arms. It was wonderful and for the first time she was really able to enjoy this feeling without guilt. He would not confess his undying love for her. He never would because she had hurt him once. But he didn't hate her and for today, that was enough. She was exhausted from crying and the warmth of his body relaxed her. He pulled the blanket over both of them and leaned back. "Get some sleep, okay?"

Her hand searched his and their fingers intertwined. "Promise me that you'll be there when I wake up," she muttered, trying to fight back sleep.

"I promise."

His regular breathing and the faint touch of his fingertips soothed her back to sleep.

***

As soon as he was sure she had fallen asleep, Neji crawled out of the bed. He would have liked to stay there with her and get some sleep as well, but he had to find out if they were safe here. He searched the room until he found their clothes, now clean and dry. He slipped into his black pants, not bothering to put on his shirt for now.

Then he inspected the room. It was small and the cupboards and cabinets contained medicine and other stuff that led to the conclusion that they were in a hospital. His last memory was collapsing in front of the villagers. They must have brought them both to this place. He went over to the window and shoved the curtains aside. They were approximately on the second or third floor of a huge building. And from up here he had a good view on the village. The storm was over. The sky was bright and the sun was shining on a village that was practically drowning in tons of snow. Probably it wasn't any better at the hidden leaf village.

There was a faint knock on the door and then an elder woman in a nurse's uniform entered the room. "So you're finally awake. We were wondering for how much longer you two were going to sleep." Her smile was warm and he could tell that they were currently not in danger. "

"Where are we? Is this a hospital?"

The nurse nodded. "Of course it is, dear. You were completely exhausted and the girl was half frozen. You can be glad that we found you so quickly or else she might not be here right now. What were you doing out in the snow anyways?"

"That's not important any more," he said impatiently. He didn't feel like answering some womans questions. Not after what Sakura had just told him and not after what they'd been through. "This room is a little weird. What's with the pills and everything. And why do we have only one bed?"

"We were short of beds after the storm. We figured that you guys were a couple, we gave you one bed together. She doesn't look like she didn't enjoy it, honey."

Neji resisted the urge to make a face. Stupid woman. "Very well. Is she ready to leave the hospital?"

"We'd rather watch over her for a few more days, but if it's important you can take her with you."

"We will leave as soon as she wakes up," he stated matter-of-factly.

The nurse smiled. "But before you leave you should eat something. I'll bring you something."

Neji nodded. "Thank you."

The door closed and he walked over to the bed. Sakura was still exhausted enough that she hadn't woken up during his talk to that annoying woman. He'd let her sleep for a while. But he didn't plan on staying in this village for any longer than necessary. These people had saved them and he hated being in someone's debt.

...tbc...