Author's notes: Omg, RoCkeRShiKO28, you are too cool. You and I are TOTALLY alike. Your comment made me HAPPY. Seriously, we share the EXACT same views. I'm not too crazy about the ever-so-popular pairing of Sakura/Sasuke. I mean, it's totally expected, but I'm not a roaring fan anymore. I really like Neji/Saku much better than Neji/Ten, and I agree that there are not enough good Neji/Saku fics out there. For some reason, Neji/Ten didn't click, even from the beginning for me. So I hope that I do my best in impressing you with this fic. And Sakura bashers are NOT COOL. Hahaha. Oh, hunnie YOU ARE MY BEST FRIEND. Hahahhaa. Crazy cool. By far, MY FAVOURITE REVIEWER. (I still LOVE everyone as much!)
Anyway, thanks for the positive feedback, everyone. I'm not even sure which pairing will reign supreme in the end… Maybe if I hold an unofficial POLL, I can get ideas on how to end this story.
Gaara/Saku?
Or
Neji/Saku?
Lemme know what you guys think!
Oh, by the way, I probably haven't mentioned this, but Sakura is still a med-nin. She just does nurse work on the days she isn't called out for missions. Medic-nin does NOT translate into just nurse. Haha thanks anonymous reviewer for pointing that out.
Anyway. Well let's see where my keyboard takes our little couple.
Zarrah-chan
Chapter 7
"Oi, Neji. You're late."
Irritation began to grit its teeth around the Hyuuga's last string of patience and it took him all his energy to resist from striking at the nearest guy in the face.
"I apologize." came his bored response. "It won't happen again."
Neji crossed his arms and stood in his rightful position between the other ANBU trainees. Closing his eyes, the Hyuuga chose to ignore the series of wide eyes that stared him down condescendingly at his delay in attendance.
Five minutes and thirty-two seconds.
Neji was tardy by that much.
Now, if it had been just anyone, that small amount of time wouldn't have mattered very much. But this was a VERY big deal; one, because he was supposedly a future ANBU member, and two, because it was HYUUGA NEJI! Tardiness was not enlisted in his rather large vocabulary. Never, in his entire career as a shinobi had he been anything other than early for training drills and examinations.
Until that morning.
At that shocking fact, the rest of the team gawked at him in speechlessness.
Neji remained unmoved, despite his inner ignition of annoyance. ONE fricken time he was late and they acted as if the world had ended.
...Well, that fact rang rather true in Neji's case. Neji's world HAD ended, the moment he had lied to his uncle.
The Hyuuga shoved clenched fists into his pockets as the ANBU commander paced back and forth, inspecting the line of trainees. When the commander passed by him, he grunted.
"Zip your vest up, Hyuuga." He dictated strictly. "You're quite sloppy today."
That comment gnawed deeply into Neji's high ego. Normally, he wouldn't be so easily fazed by such remarks about his appearance as what his superior said, but for some reason today, it greatly bothered him. To the Hyuuga, nothing was more appreciated than complete honesty, but his commander's comment was just being rude.
Neji bitterly nodded and did as he was instructed. Zipping up his vibrant green jounin vest, the white-eyed shinobi noticed that he actually WAS rather sloppy. His black turtleneck was creased and wrinkly, his vest collar was carelessly tucked in, and his hair was still dripping wet from his bath. It was the terrible aftermath of his panic and dismay at the realization of his belatedness.
Neji attempted to straighten out his rugged mess in great humiliation. Ten seconds flat was a new record for him in getting dressed, and it reflected quite vividly on his exterior. Doing this caused more eyes and stifled giggles to fall on him at his utmost vexation.
Second worst day of his life.
The ANBU commander and his comrades ignored the massive burning that the Hyuuga was receiving, and proceeded with the agenda for their training.
"As you know," a tall bulky ninja began, "We've been studying the anatomy of a human for several weeks now and I do realize that it has become quite a boring subject."
The group nodded in unison.
"However, it was indeed a vital part of your training. You may already be aware that the common ANBU mission is to simply assassinate in TOTAL silence and stealth. Today, you will be applying your anatomy study with the ANBU fighting method."
The man signaled for the other ANBU assistants to allocate the weapon of choice for that particular session. Immediately, the assistants had dispersed to follow directions.
When the distribution was completed, each of the trainees found themselves carrying a pouch full of long, slender, and extremely sharp needles. The trainees took out the weapon to examine it, while the commander continued his explanation.
"As a team, you have learned the absolute critical points of the human body. You've assessed pressure points, and chakra pore points, as well as open nerves, vulnerable muscles, and precise locations of the vital organs. Also, you have been taught the art of breaking the paralysis if ever you are hit in any of these spots.
"Today, you will have the opportunity to practice the art of silent assassination with the use of these simple needles. This will also allow you to work on aim as well as competence on how to foil another's attempt to kill you if they use this method."
The line of trainees peered at one another and then back at their weapons. A tingle of nervousness crept into each and every one of their systems. The task sounded simple, but they knew that it was far harder than any jounin could handle, which was exactly why the kind of assassination was assigned for ANBU only. The difficulty level was ranked a sky-rocketing 9.5, and almost all of them had high doubts.
When the commander stepped out, the team returned their attention back to him.
"Finally," he said, tossing the group a handful of trademark ANBU masks, "You will be using this tactic on each other, to practice both attack and defense."
In the midst of the silence, Neji was sure to have heard a gulp of anxiety in everyone's heads. He too, had felt the dread of doubt in the session. Although he had the assistance and upper hand of the Byaakugan, shooting the slender needles from far distances into exact pinpoint locations was difficult even for the Hyuuga. He, after all, was a short-ranged fighter. On top of that, he was still iffy on how to break the paralysis, should he ever be caught in one. It suddenly occurred to him that he was completely distracted and had not been paying attention (due to his marriage dilemma) when they were studying the paralysis release unit.
Neji fidgeted.
He would simply not get caught.
The team was led to an area overflowing with old trees, thick moss, and choking vines. The sunlight almost seemed to vanish under the cavern of old oaks hovering over them. The scenery was dark, eerie, and utterly perfect for their training session.
When the trainees had lined up again for final instructions, the commander signaled for them to mask their identity. Respectfully, each one slipped on colorful faces of animals ranging in variety.
Neji fingered his mask delicately before covering his face with the plastic-like material. The wolf seemed to compliment his character well and he grew rather accustomed to it. It was much lighter than he had anticipated and it almost seemed to latch onto his face, as if it was exactly who he was. The strong and mighty northern White Wolf.
The commander lifted his wrist to adjust a button on his digital watch.
"This session will be quick. Forty minutes should suffice, as that is approximately the amount of time a normal assassination should take, minus the hours of prep work. You will be evaluated on speed, stealth, and skill. Deductions will occur if you are hit, but a point will be added if you are able to break the effect in five seconds or less. If you are hit and are unable to reverse the paralysis in the allotted time, there is a flare in your pouches that you should ignite. It will signal your elimination as well as a need for help. Anything past ten seconds is severely dangerous and should be treated right away. A team of medic nins are dispatched in this forest and will come to your aid if needed."
The commander's long-winded speech was broken for a moment by the lighting of a cigarette. He took a smoke and then immediately tossed it away, as if the one puff was all he needed to satisfy. He then proceeded to begin the session. A finger hovered above the watch timer and the trainees bent low to prepare for the sound-off.
Neji felt the adrenaline pump excited pulses through his veins. This was exhilarating. Nothing made his heart thump faster than the danger of shinobi work. This was what he woke every morning for. He ate, slept, and breathed shinobi life, and it was enough to keep him sustained through the hour long uncle-lectures, or the burden of being a branch-off curse. This was what he TRULY lived for.
The line of nine trainees shuffled in anxiety, eagerly awaiting the cue to begin.
"By the way," the commander snorted, "If you shoot one of the medics, accident or not, you automatically fail. That's a no brainer."
The team deflated in the exhaustion of prolonged adrenaline rush and the commander almost chuckled. But he needn't torture them longer. They'd find that they were capable of doing that themselves later on.
"Hajimete." He said sharply.
Faster than the blink of an eye, they all vanished...
Neji crouched low on a high branch and let out a sigh. He was bored. He thought that this would have been a far greater challenge, but the circumstances proved him wrong. It was already thirty-five minutes into the session and he had only spotted three others. He'd managed to eliminate two men by locking the ankles of one, and exploding the chakra system of another. Both had been rushed to by Konoha medical nins due to their delay in breaking the attack. By the readings of the computer signs marked on the trees, there were only three left. Him included.
Although the Hyuuga wasn't entertained, he still kept his guard up. He admitted, he hadn't even broken into a sweat or rapid panting, but he couldn't take his chances. There were still two stubborn ones in the group and he was determined on bringing them all down.
Neji peered into his pouch and found that four needles were left, along with the green emergency flare. Two needles per ninja, he calculated, and smiled upon his good luck. That was more than enough. He'd only need one shot.
In disappointment, the Hyuuga looked at the computer clock. Three minutes were remaining and he doubted anyone would stumble his way in that little time. At this, he frowned and tucked his pouch away. He had wanted to be the only one who passed the session so that the others could glower in his glory, a repayment of his embarrassment prior to the start of the session. But by the looks of it, Neji knew that the other two men would pass by default.
Neji laid back and allowed himself to relax a while, still wishing to unfurl like he did in the hot springs. His time was cut terribly short and it wasn't nearly enough to relieve him of the building stress in his genius head. Adding to that, his solitude was disrupted by an unwelcome intruder.
The white-eyed shinobi's thoughts were strangely led to the pink-haired kunoichi who had found her way onto the discreet Hyuuga property. It pissed him off slightly, that she had trespassed. Had she no respect for another's privacy?
He thought back to her tears and wondered what had been upsetting her to the point of crying. She had been known in his mind as the excessively cheerful, Uchiha-loving girl of team seven. Tears were not common to her bright face, other than the ones weeping foolishly over the Uchiha prodigy.
Neji shuddered. Uchiha Sasuke was NOT a pleasant thought. The bastard was a stupid man, leaving behind what anyone would so deeply cling to, for the sake of an evil and dark power that would eventually corrode his entire being. Sasuke had it all: A best friend, a faithful teacher, and a girl who loved him more than the sunshine itself.
The Hyuuga was baffled. In all his geniuses, he could not comprehend how ANY girl could fall for Sasuke. He sure didn't know Sakura very well, but he knew her well enough to know that she deserved far better than the Uchiha prodigy. The guy didn't even have the desire in returning to her open arms.
Neji paused a while. Was that the reason why the girl still had no boyfriend? Was she still waiting for him to return out of oblivion and suddenly find the passion to be with her?
Neji snorted. If that was the case, then the girl was stupider than everyone was led to believe. If she was clinging onto a hopeless fantasy, then she would be doomed to die an old and lonely hag.
The slight tang of bitterness crept into the Hyuuga thoughts unnoticed. It wasn't as if he cared about what happened to the girl or her delicate feelings. He just felt that it was useless to waste such precious emotions on a heartless, sharingan-eyed bastard who would NEVER return her feelings in a billion and one years. Such tender sentiments were needed to be nurtured by one who shared the same passion. Her romantic fantasies shouldn't have been about the Uchiha, only to have it crushed at his disappearance.
Perchance, it was the fact that Neji had declared her his fiancée to his uncle, but he suddenly felt a surge of possessiveness over her.
She was a stupid girl. Neji thought, dismissing the topic. A Stupid, stupid girl.
Neji was broken from the subject, and turned his attention to his keen eyes, detecting the presence of someone nearby. In his excitement, the Hyuuga loaded two needles between his knuckles. Perhaps he WOULD get some stimulation in the final moments of the session.
Straining chakra into his pear orbs, he focused his energy on the figure behind a tree. He would fire in three…two…
One…
Neji froze when the figure stepped out from the shadows, and he nearly fell off the tree.
"Dammit." He cursed upon seeing the white-hooded shinobi standing beneath him. The Konoha leaf and red-cross symbol indicated that the person was a med-nin, who was NOT to be shot.
It was a terribly close call on Neji's behalf and he detested his carelessness. Elimination for him was not so far after all.
The Hyuuga breathed to get his cold blood pumping again. The blasted medic shinobis had almost cost him his victory… And it was so close too…
Neji peered down at the medic who seemed oblivious of his presence. Out of sheer boredom, he cloaked himself in illusive chakra, to disguise any traces of his presence. He didn't want it to be reported that he had almost shot down a medic.
Impatience fatigued him as he glanced at the timer. Still one minute to go. This would be the longest session he could remember.
Suddenly, Neji was greeted by the figure of a clearly identified ANBU trainee in the tree across from him. The Hyuuga smiled at his good fortune. Lady Luck seemed to have been giving him another chance.
Remaining his cover, Neji prepared to fire his weapons.
Surprise had caught him when the medic nin reappeared in a flash before him, surprising both himself, and the shinobi across from him. In panic, the other ANBU trainee instinctively shot a needle into the direction of the sudden commotion.
Neji's actions were quick.
With perfect accuracy, the Hyuuga shot one of his needles to flick the other needle out of the target range of the Medic-nin.
What the hell is he thinking? Neji thought, as a strange protectiveness for the Medic-nin engulfed him. The idiot's gonna get himself eliminated.
Neji had not calculated the consequences of his actions, and before long, his position was revealed.
The other ANBU trainee was swift to disappear from Neji's range of vision.
Too quick for comprehension, Neji found himself on the forest floor, completely paralyzed. Even his breathing had been cut off. DAMMIT. His compassion had just cost him a couple of points.
One second.
Neji tried squirming but to no avail, nothing moved.
Three seconds.
Neji located the needle was in the exact radius of his Byaakugan blind spot, and in the EXACT location of a pressure nerve that paralyzed his whole body.
Five seconds.
Neji was completely rendered useless. On top of that, panic had caused him to use the little oxygen his lungs had left.
Seven seconds.
Neji hated the thought of being eliminated. His eyes had just gotten a glimpse of the computer screen that crossed his name out.
Nine seconds.
The Hyuuga's vision became a blur, and spots of black began blotching around him, igniting another panic flag in his mind. He was on the edge of danger. Just about to tip over…
…
A wind of fresh air exploded in Neji's lungs as the black spots evaporated. Slowly pivoting his head, the Hyuuga met eyes with his savior who had granted him ability to move again.
Emerald eyes caught his winded gaze.
"You okay?"
Oh, the fates, no doubt, had something to do with the turn of events in the Hyuuga's world.
"Haruno." Came his weak, yet dark reply.
It was the second time he was fazed by her appearance.
The two were quiet a moment, simply staring at each other in silence. Then, a small smile crept over the kunoichi's lips.
"You're okay." She said, before the loud foghorn sounded, indicating the end of the session. Immediately, medic-nins, and ANBU trainees sprang out from the tangle of trees to gather in their lecture field.
Neji was stunned, back glued to the ground, and eyes stuck on the girl who had just rescued him. He did NOT know what had hit him, and it took a while for him to piece himself together. My God, it was as if the girl followed him like a shadow…
Why was she here?
The Hyuuga, in an enraged state of embarrassment, tried to get up from his position. To his surprise, he fell back limply. The pink-haired kunoichi luckily had held him by the shoulders and moved behind his head to support it with her lap.
"Whoopsie." She laughed, as if a mother coaxing her two-year-old son to get up after learning to walk. "You're still a bit woozy from the paralysis. Give yourself a bit more time to recover." She forcefully placed his head down to rest on her thighs and Neji instantly obeyed. The paralysis had stripped buckets of energy out of him and he felt exhausted. He had not experienced such a weakened state ever since his battle with Naruto years ago. In his weakness, he felt terribly ashamed, and a hell of a lot pissed.
Neji inwardly glowered at the girl above him. It seemed recently that everywhere she went would mean a long night of sleepless migraines for him. Two days had passed and he was already sick of her. Now the question REALLY rattled his mind. Of all girls, WHY HAD HE LIED ABOUT HER?
In Sakura's oblivion to his growing hate for her, she patted his head and absently began stroking his chestnut locks. This caught Neji by utmost surprise. Her petite fingers fondled his hair like it was a work of art she was affectionately admiring. The Hyuuga's breath caught in his throat.
"Don't beat yourself up." She suddenly said, as if sensing his tension. "I've monitored a lot of ANBU training sessions like these and many people don't make it as far as you did. Just try your best tomorrow."
It must have been the lightness and carelessness of her tone, but Neji actually started believing her. For once, he did not feel so terrible about messing up his perfect record of Shinobi work. Sure, it tore him up inside that he did not pass, but it WAS after all training. Mistakes existed for learning experiences.
Neji shoved that thought off his mental cliff at his stubborn will to return to bitterness.
Ahh, what the hell did SHE know? As far as he knew, she was a lower-ranked jounin than he. No wonder she had been the shadow of Team Seven. With the kind of thinking she had, the girl would get absolutely nowhere in life. She had CLEARLY been immune to disappointment. The pressure of defeat was what kept a ninja in high ranks. She did not have what it took to be a successful ninja.
Neji said nothing and shrugged her off his shoulders while forcing himself up. It exerted far more energy than he had, but he would do ANYTHING to get away from the girl who tormented his genius intellect.
Sakura retracted her hands and allowed him to clumsily get up. She watched in defeat as his footwork wavered a bit before smoothening out. Neji pounded his stiff shoulder and then proceeded to meet the rest of his trainee colleagues.
"Thanks." He grunted and then left her to stare at him in pity.
It seemed that no matter how rude he tried to be with her, he'd always manage to blurt out something polite in the end...
Neji had managed to blow off some steam before retiring home late that night. He was still pretty upset at the three-hour long lecture he had received from the ANBU trainers at how disappointed they was at the low scores. Nevertheless, it wasn't something that a good hour of a hard work-out wouldn't cure. It seemed to the Hyuuga that his two greatest stress-relievers were training, and bathing in the springs. And if anything disrupted that, Neji was sure that he'd officially go insane.
The Hyuuga allowed himself to walk slower to his home, not wanting to discover what sort of trouble awaited him there. It had been a long day and Neji was not in the mood for another one of his uncle's ramblings.
It was rare, but Neji willed himself to actually enjoy the moonlight scenery of Konoha. The vision was really spectacular. Pink, Spring cherry blossoms were painted a creamy shade of blue in the light of the star-filled sky, and the air was refreshingly cool. For once, he rid himself of the constant problems that showered his mind, and compelled himself to breathe. Solitude was definitely best for him. Neji didn't need to marry to find comfort. He was perfectly contented on being alone if his days were as peaceful as the moment he held then. If only it wasn't so easily rippled by the concerns of the world that revolved around him…
Much to his dismay, Neji finally found his way up the Hyuuga mansion steps to enter the enormous household. It surprised him that at the particular hour, all the lights were still lit. The young Hyuuga didn't dwell on that fact long and shifted his focus to his desired bed. It was probably another late night Hyuuga elder meeting discussing his future in which he did not want to come. Drowning away the weight of his duties was best done in the comfort of clean white sheets draped over a soft futon. That, for the moment, was his mission.
Sliding the door closed, Neji soundlessly glided over the polished wooden floors, careful not to disturb the meeting across the hall. Stealth was definitely vital for him even at home. If he were caught, he'd be forced to sit through another hour of useless harangues about his failure as a Hyuuga male.
Neji made it past the first door unseen, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Three more sliding doors and he'd make it safely to his room.
Three…Two…
"NEJI!"
A booming voice startled the half-awake young shinobi to near death.
Ah crap. He was caught.
Neji straightened up and solemnly turned his body to face his uncle before bowing respectively. He would speak as calmly as his impatience could handle.
"Forgive me for disturbing you, Hiashi-sama. Please proceed with your meeting."
Neji was about to dismiss himself into his chambers when an intimidating laugh echoed from his uncle's firm gut. Neji wasn't sure what was so amusing and was slightly irritated at Hiashi's insensitivity.
"Nonsense, nephew! You will join us! We were having a delightful meeting." He chuckled while engulfing the reluctant Neji into his muscular arms. The young Hyuuga cringed at the painful insisting of his uncle and silently cursed himself for not being discreet enough. This would be a terribly long night after all…
Neji was dumbfounded upon meeting with pink hair and emerald eyes…
…The third time that day.
"Sakura?" Neji breathed, unable to hide the utter shock in his voice. His blood ran cold. She was HERE? With HIS uncle? Now the world had definitely ended.
"Neji-san." Sakura nodded with a smile, ignoring his obvious sour astonishment. She moved her eyes to the elaborate cup she held in her small hands, and sipped some of the steaming hot tea in it.
Neji was still a manikin. He analyzed the situation and tried with all his might to predict what had been happening prior to his arrival. There, Sakura sat politely, in between his noble uncle, and timid cousin, sipping tea and looking as if they had been engaged in wonderful small talk.
The conclusions Neji was drawing in his head were not favorable in his pearl eyes. What if Hiashi had discovered his secret? Or worse, what if it was actually coming true!
Staring at the delicate china that was being used for the tea, Neji nearly fainted. Of all the thousands of tea sets that their family had owned, his uncle had undoubtedly chosen the wedding set. And COMPLETELY contrary to Neji's predictions, Hiashi was enjoying the pair more and more.
"You are quite late today in returning home, Neji. Were you training?" his uncle suddenly spoke, after another swag of green tea. Unfortunately, Neji had not been paying attention and kept his suspicious gaze on the pink-haired kunoichi.
"Ah." He exhaled absently after the question had registered into his brain. His pearl eyes made its way to give Hinata a long stare, in hopes to try to read the signals she was giving him.
His cousin spoke to him with her Byaakugan eyes, silently saying "I had no choice."
"Hinata was with me at the market-place," his uncle began explaining, upon catching the cousins' eye-talk. "I overheard her talking with a young woman named Haruno Sakura and I remembered that you had mentioned her. I asked Hinata to invite her over for tea after she finished her shinobi duties." Hiashi winked at his nephew. "She's quite the medical ninja. The Hokage herself has been tutoring her."
Neji would have slapped his head in utter embarrassment, had he not been in the stressful situation he was in now. He could tell that his uncle was TERRIBLY impressed with the pink-haired kunoichi, and Neji would not be so easily let off the hook. All he could do was shift his gaze from his uncle to Sakura and back. What exactly had he told her?
Hiashi gestured for Neji to sit in the tight spot between himself and Sakura and the young Hyuuga immediately felt his cheeks go red. His uncle was out to destroy him… And it was working like HELL.
Neji uncomfortably sat next to the kunoichi and inwardly grimaced when their shoulders and thighs touched. Gritting his teeth, he vowed that one day, he would SLAUGHTER his uncle in a slow and agonizing death.
Sakura was unaware of the risen tension as well as the close contact between them and continued her bubbly façade.
"The tea is delicious, Hiasha-sama. Thank you for inviting me here." She said, elaborately but genuinely. Hiashi beamed at her charm.
"My pleasure, child. You can come any time you want."
Neji felt like pinching himself. None of this was real. None of this made sense. Had Sakura accepted his "proposal" without his knowing? She was being far too kind…
Neji kept his gaze fixed on her eyes, waiting for her to break…waiting for her to burst out in laughter and tell them all that it was a cruel joke. To no avail, the young Hyuuga saw that the girl was serious. WHAT THE HELL WAS GOING ON!
Hiashi cleared his throat, attempting to ruffle the wave of silence that drifted over them.
"You've had your eyes fixed on Sakura since you got back, Neji. Something on your mind?" There was a slight tone of amusement in his voice.
Now THAT was a comment to slap a dark red across Neji's stern face. His uncle had caught him staring and had interpreted it in the totally wrong way. THIS WAS A BIG MESS… and Neji wasn't sure how to clean it.
Saying nothing, the young Hyuuga immediately averted his gaze from the kunoichi to prevent any future embarrassing events from happening. Anytime he was going to wake up now…
…Anytime…
Hiashi's grin deepened as he saw the two with their faces painted in scarlet. So his nephew had FINALLY fallen in love, and his choice was not so bad after all. Sakura would make an excellent addition to the Hyuuga family…
"Oh how rude." Hiashi said after remember something. "I completely forgot to congratulate you, Haruno Sakura."
Neji could have ripped his eyes out at the mental suffering he was enduring at the moment. That was if Sakura didn't beat him to it. In a nervous wreck, Neji poured himself a cub of tea and chugged it down like sake, hoping to relieve some of the stress overloading his circuits. He closed his eyes at the heat of the tea but continued to slide it down his throat nonetheless.
Sakura blushed more and touched her cheek at the warmth building in her face.
"A-arigato, Hiashi-sama." She said, a bit confused at his knowledge. Is he talking about my engagement with Gaara? She thought.
Neji kept pouring himself more tea, refusing to say anything.
It's a dream… It's a dream…
"When is the ceremony set?" Hiashi asked, and Neji was suddenly certain that Sakura still wasn't aware of his lie. She was innocently dragged here without the slightest clue of what was going on. The anxiety exploded in him. Sakura was sure to reveal the truth in any moment and at any second his life was sure to end…
Sakura crunched her eyebrows in confusion and Neji prepared for his elimination. Taking his last cup of tea, he guzzled it down drunkenly.
"Two weeks..." Came her baffled reply.
Neji nearly choked and spit on the tea that had so rapidly slithered down his throat. Was she SERIOUS? Had she KNOWN? Was she agreeing to the marriage then?
A billion and a half questions raced through Neji's mind and he wondered if Sakura and Hiashi were talking about the same thing. Was she honestly accepting his unofficial proposal? His mind swarmed. He wasn't sure if he liked that fact of spending the rest of his life with her! She was only BAIT! For him to get his beloved SUCCESSION TECHNIQUE!
Hiashi beamed even more.
"WONDERFUL! Then lost of planning must be done!" he exclaimed excitedly and Sakura nodded.
Neji let out a muffled groan. This was one HELL of a HELL he had built for himself.
While the young Hyuuga thought about his endless misery days, Sakura placed down her cup and motioned to get up.
"I'm terribly sorry to cut our fellowship short, but it really is very late and I have an examination to prepare for." She said, politely stacking the cups together and piling them on the tray. A firm hand stopped her when she attempted to bring the tray to the kitchen.
"I will not allow you to insult me by doing maid chores!" Hiashi smiled and placed the china down again. "Get some rest. You will need the strength in the next two weeks."
Sakura blushed again and then reluctantly nodded. She stood up and bowed once to Hinata, once to Neji, and a final one to Hiashi.
"Sumimasen." She pardoned.
Hiashi held up a hand.
"There's no need to be so polite in front of one another." He said. Neji winced at the expected instruction to come from his uncle's mouth. "Neji, it's quite dangerous for such a lovely young lady to walk alone by herself. Will you escort her back to her house?"
The question was more of a no-choice demand and Neji had no option but to follow orders. He sighed and stood up as Sakura headed for her shoes near the main doorway.
"Thank you." She bowed again before exiting through the sliding doors. Neji grudgingly was about to follow when Hiashi called for him again. Neji's patience was wearing thin.
"Yes, Hiashi-sama?" he said, not even attempting to hide his frustration. Hiashi ignored his nephew's bad mood and tossed him a light robe with the Hyuuga symbol stitched into the back. His uncle winked.
"It's cold out tonight. She'll need this." He said and then disappeared behind the sliding door.
Neji could see his silhouette hovering at the door frame's opening and he could just read the smug look in his uncle's eyes.
"And Neji? Try not to stay up TOO Late."
With the playful tone left to linger in Neji's tortured mind, Hiashi sauntered off into his chambers.
Neji angrily huffed into the night, joining the kunoichi in their moonlight stroll.
It was cold after all.
Author's Note: AIYA! Poor little Neji-kun.
HAhahahahha. I LOVE this.
Btw, it's really late and I haven't the strength to proofread so if there are mistakes, please know that I was half-asleep when writing this.
Update should be soon.
Zarrah-chan