Itonami: Back with another chapter! Whew! Hope this isn't too rushed. I kinda want to get this over with. Thank you for all of your reviews! This is dedicated to all of you.

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Naruto.

Chapter 4

Hyuuga Neji was finally allowed to be back on A-class missions and the ANBU force. He was quite joyful about it, as joyful as a Hyuuga could get at least, but right at that moment, he was trying to catch a long-desired nap after a morning of brutal ANBU training. If it wasn't for the incessant and extremely annoying knocking at the front door, he would have fallen asleep rather easily.

But, as Fate would have it, the nap would have to be delayed.

The grumpy Hyuuga threw opened the door and found his eyes staring into green ones. "Haruno…" He grunted out, his voice box seemed to not want to function.

The said kunoichi smiled. "Are we suddenly on last name bases, Hyuuga-san?"

He hated that teasing tone.

He shook his head and welcomed her in. "Iie, I was tired."

A look of pity settled on her face. "I'm sorry, Neji-san, this could wait if you'd like."

Neji shook his head once more and gestured with his hand for her to continue. Sakura held out a folder to him. "It's a mission folder. B-class. You'd already left the jounin area and Naruto was looking for you. He asked me to deliver it to you."

He took it with gratitude and looked through it. "I see you're not on this list, Sakura."

She giggled. "I'm assigned a different mission. I go wherever there is a spot open for a medic."

Of course, he knew this fact, and could guess that her valuable status as the top medic gave her a hard time. She would be on constant high level missions because of her skill; he was a witness to her proficiency.

"Ano, Neji-san, what are you thinking about?" The medic glanced around nervously at his inattentiveness.

The Hyuuga looked at her and smiled a little to put her at ease. "Nothing. As I said, I'm tired."

Sakura stood as she smiled. "I'll leave you to rest, Neji-san."

"Thank you." He said as he walked her to the door. "Should I walk with you?" He offered. This caught the pink-haired woman blushed prettily while grinning.

"I'm a big girl, Neji-san. Thank you for being such a gentleman."

Neji watched her walk down the stone path away from the complex until she was completely out of sight. He went to his room to take his nap, but frowned with his eyes closed as he lay there wondering why sleep suddenly refused to come.

After a few minutes of muttering something under his breath, he put away his futon and simply sat in his meditating position. His senses heightened considerably enough to be able to be aware of everything in his room. He increased his chakra and he was able to see the area around the Hyuuga manor which was why he was able to spot a certain rosy haired kunoichi running up the path again. Neji watched her hesitate before knocking.

The Hyuuga pretended nothing was wrong as he slid open the door again. Sakura stood flushed and embarrassed in front of him. "I'm sorry for bothering you from your rest, but I thought you'd like to know that….that Tenten-san liked you….a lot…." She trailed off which left a very amused Neji smirking.

"I know, Sakura. She told me before she died."

The medic ninja looked up in surprised. "She did? She was too shy to say anything before…."

"Is this why you came back?" He asked, a smirk playing on his lips.

"N—"

"I decided on training rather than sleeping. Will you join me?" He interrupted and watched her reaction.

Her face broke into that teasing grin. "As long as you don't kill me, Neji-san."

He scoffed. "Hardly, Sakura, if what I have heard about you are true."

Sakura's grin turned into a proud one as they walked to the public training grounds. They exchanged a bout of sarcastic words before they arrived. She pulled down her metal protector over her forehead and stretched out her arms.

"Ready for warm up?" She grinned in return of his arrogant smirk.

Green eyes hardened and in a flash, she disappeared and reappeared behind him with a kunai in hand. Sakura swung her arm and the kunai's blade whispered through the air where Neji once had been. She whirled around to have her weapon clash against with another metal.

"Not bad, Haruno, not bad at all." He said, amusement twinkling in his eyes. "Byakugan!" Chakra veins became visible on either side of his eyes.

Sakura's face was written with surprise as she jumped away quickly.

Byakugan already?

Doing a series of flips, she landed solidly a few meters away from him. Neji didn't give her a chance to rest. He immediately went into his Gentle Fist technique stance and Sakura could feel the massive chakra flowing to his hands.

"I've heard your chakra control is perfect. Care to show me?" A challenge.

She grinned again and got ready to launch herself at him with her arm pulled back. "Under one condition, Neji-san. Just answer this question for me." He nodded for her to continue. "If you could be born again, what would you want to be born as?"

He looked slightly confused, but he had understood the question. "A bird." He replied simply. Obviously, the answer was unexpected.

Sakura puckered out her bottom lip. "A bird? The great Hyuuga Neji would want to be a bird?"

"A free bird. Without restraints, without boundaries."

She laughed. "Of course, Neji-san. There's no stopping a bird when it flies."

The Hyuuga was surprised that she understood so easily. Out of sheer curiosity and a strange desire to keep the conversation going, he asked, "What about you?"

"If you can dodge this, I'll answer." She teased and then disappeared.

Neji was able to see clearly from which side she was coming and accordingly ducked, his cheek brushing the ground and kicked upwards, which the skilled kunoichi dodged by catching his sandal and pushing against it.

Sakura readied herself again. "I want to become a tree."

Now, the Hyuuga really had to raise one of his perfect brows. "A tree."

She nodded vigorously. "A tree that will never move from my emotions and feelings. I can be strong and just simply stay in one place."

He half-smiled. "I see."

She kicked off the ground and came at the Hyuuga again. He jumped out of the way and witnessed a stunning sight. The impact of her punch sent the ground breaking into bits as if an earthquake at struck. With his Byakugan still activated, he was able to see a sharp release of huge chakra at the precise moment she punched something.

"Impressive." He said while he stood on top of a branch above her. "Warm up is over. This is for real now, Sakura. No more questions."

Before Sakura could even register that he was gone from the tree, she felt him behind her. Neji thrust a palm full of chakra at her abdomen and she had to flip backwards in order to avoid it. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion, even the light drizzle which had begun.

Thunder cracked above them, but it only signaled the continuance in their battle. Sakura and Neji both launched at each other with kunai using chakra beneath them to make their jump faster and harder. The male shinobi overpowered her outrageously in strength as they pushed against the other's weapon. The kunoichi leapt away, realizing her disadvantage. She threw three kunai at him and then three shuriken followed.

The Hyuuga deflected all of them easily and cocked his head sideways to dodge the last weapon thrown at him. He noticed that Sakura was panting lightly and they were both getting a little damp from the light rain.

"I've always wondered how it would turn out if I ever battled the great Hyuuga Neji." She said with a smile as she made some seals.

"And?"

The light smile turned into a boyish smirk that seemed misplaced on her pretty face. "I don't think I'll be disappointed with the result."

"Arrogance, Haruno," Neji warned in a pleased tone, "is what will be your downfall."

Without another word, he increased his already incredible speed by tenfold to evade a large fire stream and get closer for an attack. Easily, he tapped two of her chakra holes closed. Sakura gasped at the pain and sudden lack of flow in her chakra system.

Rain came more heavily now but neither of them seemed to notice the cold. They were absorbed in their fight. Sakura armed herself with a kunai in each hand as she leapt high into the air and threw them both. While Neji was busy blocking them, she took out a fumma shuriken and launched it as it spun parallel to the ground. He twisted to get out of the way and mostly succeeded except for the arm it grazed.

"I should end this before you decide to kill me." Neji said as she stuck out her tongue in response.

Finish it he did, with some tricky taijutsu maneuvers and a kunai thrown within a centimeter of her neck, Hyuuga Neji was declared the winner by pinning the medic on the muddy ground with his body. Sakura felt the wind knocked out of her as she hit the mud hard with Neji on top of her, his hands restraining her wrists.

The pair of ninja was breathing heavily, their breaths becoming visible in white clouds, while they were entranced by each other's eyes. Nothing seemed to matter anymore. The world and time had halted, the rain being the only thing moving. The warmth of their bodies radiated freely. Neji could feel her rapid heartbeat.

Sakura, without even thinking, raised her head to brush his lips lightly with her own, sending electrical currents through both of them. He did not react to her feather-light kiss except for the tightening of his hand around her wrists. The Hyuuga's wet bangs tickled her cheek as they kept staring at each other, vaguely aware of their closeness.

"You win, Neji-san." She whispered his name, her tone dazed and dreamy, but they did not break eye contact.

What have you done to me? They both mentally asked the other in confusion and pain, a pain not of the physical but of the unknown.

Hyuuga Neji let go of one her wrists and he brushed away a strand of her rosy hair from her pale face. Startled green eyes followed the graceful movement of his hands.

No…I can't. Sakura thought wildly as her eyes filled with recognition and realization. Half panicked, she forcibly rolled to put Neji at the bottom with her on top. Gasping, Sakura scrambled off of him, trying to piece together what dignity she had left, while her mind raced.

"I'm so sorry, Neji-san. I don't know what I was thinking….so sorry…." She mumbled.

The Hyuuga got up cleanly, brushing off the mud from his clothes. He was resisting the urge to show the confusion on his face. "Iie, there was no intention. Things merely got out of hand." A horribly lame excuse, but it would suffice for them both. Sakura nodded at his words absently.

"I should go." She said softly. "Thank you for the training." She left quickly.

In her wake, she left behind a severely displeased Hyuuga behind, who was more mad at himself than anything else. Neji wondered what had caused him to act, to brush away her hair from her face, hoping to restore some substance in her emptiness. Why did he hope, anyway? Why did those haunting emerald eyes bother him so much?

Angrily, he spun on his heel and headed directly for the manor. The eerie silence of the house left him unfazed as he threw off his dirty shirt and replaced with a clean one. If he knew what was good for him, he would have to avoid that pink-haired kunoichi. If there was one thing that he hated, it would have to be awkward moments.

Haruno Sakura walked to her apartment very slowly, unknowing what to think or do. She had just kissed Neji and then felt good after doing so! She didn't understand herself. No, not at all. She was being so stupid. She could never show her face to Hyuuga Neji as long as she would live.

The two shinobi lived as though they never knew each other. If there was the potential danger of them being alone together, either or would leave awfully quickly. They would breathe a sigh of relief if one of them had to go to a mission.

If, for some reason, they were forced to acknowledge each other, they did it in a curt manner, not caring what others thought of their terseness.

"Ne, Sakura-chan, what's up between you and Neji all of a sudden?" Naruto asked, genuinely confused about the pair.

The kunoichi glared. "There has never been a 'me-and-Neji,' Naruto."

"Did something happen?" He asked, prodding her arm.

A vein appeared at her temple. "Naruto, stop that!" She barked, slapping his hand away. "Nothing happened! You're so nosy!"

But Naruto wouldn't give. "You guys were on nice terms a few weeks ago! I heard you guys even trained with each other sometimes."

"So?" She asked, suddenly tired and defeated.

Her friend patted her shoulder. "I'm sure whatever happened was probably a misunderstanding. Why don't you go talk to him?"

Sakura shook her head. "It's just better this way, Naruto. You don't need to worry." She tried smiling and failed horribly.

Naruto looked disappointed. "You sure?"

"Yeah," the pink-haired jounin sighed, "and thanks for worrying, Naruto."

The Rokudaime grinned broadly. "That's what I'm here for."

"Call me if Hinata is having trouble. I need to get back to the hospital."

"Will do, Sakura-chan!" He saluted lazily and watched her go.

It was sunny and Sakura was able to figure out that Neji and she always had a meaningful meeting on rainy days. She prayed that the pattern would continue.

When the medical ninja arrived at the hospital, a nurse came up to her rather nervously. "A Hyuuga Neji is here to see you, Haruno-san."

"Hyuuga Neji? Did he say why?" She asked, her stomach doing somersaults.

"N-No, he just said he wanted to see you." The nurse's voice dropped lower as if to tell a secret. "He's not really the talkative type."

Sakura had to smile at that. "No, he isn't."

The nurse told her that he was waiting in the reception area and so the kunoichi headed directly there, measuring her steps.

"Sakura," A deep voice greeted her immediately as she stepped into the reception area. She looked up and couldn't help but be a little embarrassed. He didn't seem affected by her at all.

"It's been awhile, Neji-san."

The Hyuuga nodded curtly. "Perhaps it's best to keep it like the way things have been."

"The way things…have been?" She asked, beginning to dread what he really came to say.

"Our lives shouldn't have intersected. It's my fault things have gotten out of control. As the leader of the Hyuuga clan, I ask for you to accept my apology. It would do me a favor if we remained apart." White eyes betrayed nothing.

Sakura felt a stinging sensation behind her eyes but she smiled through it brightly. "I understand, Neji-san. Well, a patient needs my care. Maybe I'll see you around." She turned away from him quickly, a tear flung from the corner of her eye.

Haruno Sakura didn't understand this pain but realized that this was the same kind of pain she experience as a young girl. It was just magnified a thousand times and made it agonizing. Why? Why did one man affect her like this? A man she barely knew? But she barely knew Sasuke, and still he had been able to cause this kind of pain with a harsh word or his silence.

Hyuuga Neji just succeeded in making her feel the worst she had ever felt since 12 years ago.

Neji exited the hospital into the warm air, but felt like thick smog just covered his soul and prevented sunlight from coming in. He repeatedly convinced himself it was for the better. He would just hurt Sakura later on. He couldn't let himself become too attached. What would his clan say? As patriarch, he needed to set a good example.

An example for what? On how to be single?

The Byakugan wielder shook away distracting thoughts. The days had reversed themselves. Sunny days seemed to darken his mood now. He now had too many fond memories in the rain.

I want to be a bird. A bird that knows no restraints or boundaries and is able to choose for itself and be able to make its own destiny….Haruno Sakura.

It was night before Sakura was able to retire to her cozy apartment. The weight of Neji's words hung on her like a lack of boulders. Sighing, she continued her way with her head down in shame and slight depression until her head connected with something firm and hard. Her eyes saw black ninja sandals. Dully and uninterestedly, she slowly raised her head up to look at the person's face.

"You usually excuse yourself when you bump into someone."

His voice was deeper. The boyishness mixed with intellect and coldness. Sakura stood blankly looking at his face, a face not seen for twelve years.

"Uchiha….Sasuke…." She breathed, barely registering her own recognition.

A familiar smirk.

"Yo."

A familiar greeting.

I want to be a tree. A tree that will never move from my emotions and feelings. I can be strong and just simply stay in one place…Neji-san.

Author's notes: A cliff hanger. Makes things more mysterious. Neji x Sakura in trouble now…. Hope you enjoyed it!

Sakura's ultimate conflict arises between Neji and Sasuke. I didn't think Neji's sudden break up was too abrupt. Tell me what you think. I will definitely consider revising if you didn't like it.

Thanks.