It's always more fun writing for Neji I find. His P.O.V. seems to run smoother than it does for the others. That is especially true when comparing it to a Naruto chapter. I don't know why, but I don't write for Naruto well. It's a pity, because I love his character, but I always seem to get bogged down when it comes time to write for him. His point of view is important though, so I cannot ignore it.

SoaringDragon – Thanks for the encouragement. I actually get a little nervous when I see I got another review, because I'm still adjusting to the thought that other people are actually reading my stuff, but it's nice to hear that other people are getting entertainment from something I love doing for fun. And I hear you with regards to the use of grammar and complete sentences. Nothing turns me off a fanfiction faster than a blatant and outstanding ignorance of the English language. Thankfully I haven't run into any of those yet on this site, to which I'm grateful.

Chapter 6: The Aftermath

Neji stirred and opened his eyes. Sunlight was streaming through his window and landing onto his face. Neji rubbed his eyes with a small moan. Usually he slept on his opposite side so this wouldn't happen but….wait….he wasn't at home. That wasn't his window.

Neji opened his eyes wider, and as the unfamiliar objects in the room came into focus, so did the clarity of his remembrance of the events from last night. Oh god, he didn't… Neji quickly checked under the sheets. Good. Boxers were still accounted for. He didn't think he and Sasuke had gotten that far.

Speaking of the nin, he was still asleep since Neji was blocking all of the intruding sunlight. Neji eyed him critically. The boy was even more gorgeous in sleep than he was when he was awake. His dark eyelashes rested against pale cheeks while his hair fell in feather-like wisps around his face. Even how he slept, with one arm curled up under him and the other falling limply over his head, was cute. Neji snapped out of it. How did he become so intensely attracted to Sasuke after just one night? Just one bloody incredible night…

Neji drifted off, remembering the feeling of Sasuke's arms around him, touching him, claiming him. Neji kept reminding himself he was just being used, but if it felt so good he just wanted to be used more. No! It was bad what Sasuke was doing to him; it was degrading. Neji should not get any pleasure out of it. It should all be bittersweet at the least. As much as Neji kept telling himself this, he couldn't deny how much he liked it. As he wrestled with his conflicting thoughts, Sasuke's eyes slowly opened.

The nin sat up and smirked at Neji, leaning in to steal a kiss. Neji didn't resist, even as the kiss deepened. Sasuke smugly broke away and ran his fingers through the brunette's hair.

"Sleep well?" he asked, pulling Neji into his arms and nuzzling his face into his hair.

Neji silently nodded, staring off and thinking of how wrong this all was. After all, Naruto and Sasuke were just in a fight; they had technically not broken up. Neji was sickened by the thought that he wished they would so he could be with Sasuke. Not that Sasuke wanted to be with him.

Even while they were fighting, Sasuke made his affections of the blonde clear. Just the other day he had stared down another nin who had been flirting with Naruto. Naruto belonged to him, just as Neji did now but not in the same sense. The brunette was just a useful tool to regain what Sasuke truly wanted.

Neji quickly forced back the start of tears that threatened to make themselves visible in his eyes. It was bad enough without Uchiha seeing him cry. He sat up, moving slowly away from Sasuke's light hold.

"I had better head back. Everyone will be wondering where I am," he said, not looking at Sasuke.

Sasuke nodded, lying back with his arms supporting him up. "I'll see you around."

Inwardly, Neji felt let down. A small part of him had hoped that Sasuke would ask him to stay, or make him stay as he did last night. But it was obvious by the nin's nonchalant and casual dismissing of him that he was finished with his prisoner. Neji quickly walked out of the room and got his shoes on, making it out the door just as the first tears began to fall.

He could take the long way through the woods and avoid going through town. That way he could not be seen crying and he'd have quiet time to think. The woods were so peaceful in the morning.

Neji walked slowly, delaying the time he'd have to go home and explain where he had been all night. All a made up story of course, he would never tell them he had truthfully spent the evening making out passionately with Uchiha Sasuke. The sun dried his tears and he wiped his cheeks to make sure there were no tearstains to give him away. It was just in time too, because he heard a voice from above.

"So you stayed the night?"

Neji shut his eyes before looking up behind him. Of all the people he had to run into this morning, why oh why did it have to be him?

Naruto tilted his head to the side and regarded Neji. "Well? Answer me, Hyuuga."

Neji put on his stuck-up better-than-you face he wore so well. "Where I was last night is no business of yours."

Naruto jumped down from the tree. "I think it is." He folded his arms and stared defiantly at Neji.

The brunette turned and kept walking, hoping Naruto would just let off. Of course it wouldn't be that easy. Naruto sped up his pace and caught up to Neji.

"Don't ignore me," the fox-child said angrily.

"I wasn't," Neji stated, closing his eyes as he continued walking, "I just need to get back home soon."

"You're not going to go anywhere until you answer me." Suddenly Neji was stopped as thirty Narutos appeared and surrounded him, blocking his path. Each one wore a stubborn look that clearly stated that Neji was not going anywhere until questions were answered.

Neji sighed. "I don't want to fight, Naruto."

One of the Narutos folded his arms. "Why would you have to fight? I just want to talk."

"Well perhaps I do not want to," Neji said, somewhat surprised at his own nerve. He'd normally humor the nin, but right now he just wanted to get home and not think about Sasuke, Naruto, or anyone.

Naruto said nothing, but his duplicates did not move to let Neji go. Neji could not see an easy way out that wouldn't needlessly waste energy and cause a scene. He was just about to speak when the stomach of one of the doppelgangers growled.

"Come and get some ramen," Naruto said, his doppelgangers disappearing. "And we'll talk."

Neji's path was cleared and he could make a run for it, but he figured that if he tried he'd just end up surrounded again. He just nodded and followed the single Naruto as he led him to a ramen shop. Neji sat uncomfortably on the stool as the fox-child dug into his bowl of ramen. It wasn't long before he was on his second bowl, and then his third. Five bowls later, he turned and regarded the Hyuuga. Neji stared coolly back.

"So, explain yourself."

"What's there to explain?" Neji countered. He did not want to talk about last night, and was going to do anything in his power to avoid the subject.

"Did Sasuke have you camp out there to make it look like you were doing stuff and then let you out in the morning?" Naruto rolled his eyes.

Neji was about to tell Naruto what happened, but paused for a moment and just nodded. Unfortunately, Naruto had caught the reddening of the brunette's face.

"You didn't do anything, did you?" Naruto's face was now deadly serious, and he watched Neji closely as he answered.

"Not too much," was all the nin could get himself to say.

The blonde folded his arms and looked irritated. "Not too much? That jerk Sasuke…"

Neji couldn't disagree with that statement. Sasuke was a jerk. A sexy jerk who knew how to please, but still a jerk.

"So did you like it?"

Neji was completely caught off guard by that question. He wasn't sure exactly how to answer it. He found himself avoiding Naruto's gaze and fidgeting on the stool. The blonde nodded his head and took the nin's uncomfortable silence as his answer.

"Well then," Naruto said, standing, "it's payback time now, isn't it?"

"What?" Neji blinked in surprise and looked at Naruto. Wasn't he mad at him? Why were people not getting angry with him when they should? "What are you going to do Naruto?"

"That's a very good question, but whatever it is I'm going to do it!" the blonde said with determination. Typical Naruto. Not a plan in his head, but he was already resolved to go through with it.

Neji stood up. "Well, when you figure it out, you don't have to let me know. I've been away from home long enough and I better head back now."

Naruto folded his arms. "I'll see you back here in two hours."

"Excuse me?" Neji's pride flared up at the thought that Naruto was ordering him. The absolute nerve.

"You heard me Hyuuga. Be back here in two hours, or I'm sure I'll find a way to prank you in a way that you wont easily be able to forget."

And now threats? Naruto must have been serious. "And what if I'm busy?" Neji countered, also folding his arms and giving Naruto his classic cold glare.

"You heard my terms." Naruto matched the nin's glare, aggravating Neji even more.

Neji sighed. Naruto was so stubborn. He didn't know how Sasuke put up with it. The thought of Sasuke made Neji's stomach twist and a mix of emotions swirled inside him. "I've got to go." Neji turned around and began walking back to his home, not pausing to look back at the blonde once. He could feel the blue eyes watching him as he disappeared into the forest.

Hm…I don't know whether to wait until after Sunday to post more chapters (I have about three chapters written after this thus far), but my friend hasn't read them yet and I always like to run my chapters by her before I post. shrugs I'll see how far ahead I get, and I may actually post some chapters I wrote without a second person editing. If not, then I'll post a mass of chapters at once sometime after Sunday.