Author's Note: YESSSS! School is FINITO! HUZZAH! Man, I was sooo looking forward to getting out of that prison hole, and now the day has FINALLY COME! Hahaha well, to treat you guys to my overflowing happiness, here is another chapter to my multi-chapter one shot. Enjoy!
Oh and thanks for all the reviews! You guy ROCK!
Day Fourteen
"Ne, Neji-kun?"
Wide green eyes bore deeply into the Hyuuga's emotionless gaze. He'd barely been at the doorstep of her house for more than five minutes and already she was asking him silly questions.
"What?" he gruffly sighed as she led him into her abode, smiling gleefully.
Neji had been a tad flattered when she decided to call him Neji-kun a couple of days before. It was a quite a big step, really, one that proved the solidness of their… yes… 'friendship'.
Kun, huh? That put him on the same platform as Sasuke.
Quite high.
Come to think of it, Sakura had not called any other man by that suffix besides the Uchiha traitor…
…And now the Hyuuga.
…Gee. What would Lee say to that?
Immediately, Neji burned away those thoughts. This was NOT a time to think about pointless things like that, nor to ponder the reason as to WHY she had specifically chosen HIM of all people to add KUN to. That business was hers alone.
And his was to get these silly questions over with.
Day twelve, twelfth question, and nineteen days to go.
Oh joy.
Returning to the real world, Neji found himself staring at the pink-haired woman jingling pocket change with her ordinary grin.
"Let's go get ice-cream."
POW. That must have hit the Hyuuga harder than ANY jutsu technique.
What did she just say?
"I don't eat ice-cream." Neji flatly responded, trying to sound untouched by her offer. In reality, he was quite stunned by her question, and something in his insides jumbled. Now, where in God's name had THAT come from? Don't tell him that SHE was becoming fond of him? That would be ridiculous!... Because HE certainly wasn't becoming too attached…
…or so he thought.
"Come on. I bet even YOU have a favorite flavor…" she smied and Neji felt something inside him beat… if that was any way to describe it. The girl's smile had suddenly become a catalyst to his well-kept emotions in which he found that fact absolutely appalling…
…Despite how cute her smile really was…
Neji glanced away remembering his duty as a messenger, and a best friend.
"I told you before. I don't eat ice-cream." He replied, much to Sakura's disappointment.
"You mean, you don't eat it it, or you've never TRIED it?" she asked in curiosity.
Neji said nothing, not really knowing how to retort. As a child, his main objective was to surpass the main house Hyuugas, so he devoted every waking second to training. He hadn't time to waste on silly things like ice-cream.
Sakura's eyes widened all the more at his hesitation and the realization of the truth.
"Oh my gosh. You really HAVEN'T tried ice cream before?" she gasped, delicate fingers curtaining her rosy lips.
Neji's glare intensified at her surprised outburst. So WHAT if he hadn't tasted ice-cream before? He wasn't too fond of sweets, nor was he any interested in trying the cold dessert. It was merely a child's treat, one that no adult should be enjoying as well. He SHOULDN'T have felt embarrassed.
…And yet there he stood, reddening like a tomato.
Sakura grabbed her coat and ensemble scarf.
"That's it. We're going to the parlor. My treat." She beamed with a hint of authority.
Neji was taken back.
Going out? Her treat? As in… a date?
As tempting as that sounded, NO WAY was Neji willing to be seen in public, ESPECIALLY with the girl.
"Forget it." He grunted angrily. "I don't want it." He shrugged his shoulders stiffly and walked over to her couch where he plumped himself on the loveseat and glowered. "Now let's just get this over and done with."
At that moment, Neji reflected on just how comfortable he was with the kunoichi. NEVER before was he able to enter a woman's home like that, and rudely invite himself inside to sit, while she stood at the doorway wanting him to leave. Yet, there he was, in her home, on her couch, and she didn't seem to mind one bit.
He then concluded that he was becoming far more attached than he would have liked.
He needed to change that.
White eyes glanced over at the pink-haired kunoichi who still stood her ground at the doorway, tossing coins up and down.
She smirked, over-dramatically wiping her brow.
"I'm famished, Hyuuga."
A grunt.
"You'll survive."
She took a couple of steps toward his cross-armed figure.
"Yes, but I'm on a sugar-low. I don't have any energy left… Not even enough to answer your question." she said in a playful shaky voice, as if she were stifling a giant laugh.
Neji kept his eyes closed.
"You seem to have enough energy to tell me that you DON'T have enough energy. I'm sure you'll have enough energy to answer one lousy question." He reasoned. In honesty, her offer was getting harder and harder to resist.
PLEASE stop pestering me. The Hyuuga inwardly pleaded.
Sakura frowned and walked behind him to rest her elbows on the headrest, inches beside his head. Her breath was felt on Neji's neck.
"Come on, Neji. Just ONE cup. I promise I'll answer your question at the parlor. Deal?" she bargained in a sincere tone. Neji gritted his teeth, opening his eyes, and squinting them at her.
DAMN her. Damn her and those eyes.
"Woman, are you insane?" he barked, trying to reason out of the deal. "It's snowing outside."
Her grin only grew all the more.
"Cold days are the BEST days to eat ice cream. You can savor it longer, because you don't have to rush to eat it quickly. It doesn't melt as quickly as hot summer days."
Neji pondered this a moment, before inwardly (DEEPLY inwardly) applauding her logic. It made sense what she said, though he would probably date INO before actually admitting that, which was FAR from likely.
The Hyuuga tapped his teeth together impatiently, in obvious consideration for her offer. Sakura bit her lip to prevent her smile from growing. She knew she was slowly winning him over. He just needed one more motivating shove…
"Or, you can always, you know, tell your friend that I've refused to answer any more of his questions because of my lacking energy and bodily nutrients…" she said coyly, looking innocently at the ceiling and tapping her index finger on her chin.
Neji froze. THAT would mean he'd have to go back to Lee to tell her that she refused to answer, which would mean that Lee would tell everyone about his great big loss, which would mean that he would be forever disgraced and disowned as a Hyuuga!
…Ok, so perhaps not that drastic, but it was still utter embarrassment that he most preferably tried to avoid.
The Hyuuga tried to balance it out. Embarrassment in front of Konoha… Embarrassment in front of Sakura…
Dammit.
No choice.
Crap. The girl had him wrapped around her little finger.
Ah.
How bad could ONE cup of ice-cream with a female friend be?
Neji sighed and rubbed the back of his neck in frustration. He took another look at her beaming face.
"I hardly consider anything with a high sugar content to be very nutritious…" he trailed off, silently cluing that he surrendered to her offer. Sakura let out an excited squeal and wrapped her slender arms around his neck. Their cheeks met.
"Oh, you won't be disappointed!" she exclaimed, as if she were a child discovering a pony for a Christmas present.
Her grip around him tightened and Neji couldn't help but feel overwhelmed at her sudden act of affection.
She hugged him.
No FEMALE had the guts to touch him.
How could something as small as agreeing to go eat ice cream with her make her so overjoyed?
Before he could ponder on that any further, the girl was already at the door, engulfing her tiny body in the layers of down of her winter jacket. Her excitement made Neji half-smile, when she wasn't looking. Something about the simplicity in things that made her smile was so…refreshing to him… He couldn't quite put a finger on what he felt.
Sakura jingled her money while frequently flashing happy grins of "Thank you's" and "I owe you one!".
As she bolted out the door, Neji followed her, checking his pocket for his wallet, and being grateful for having brought it. Although the girl had said it was her treat, he wouldn't DARE make her pay for it. It was just not how a gentleman was raised in the Hyuuga family, so he was used to it.
He only hoped she wasn't a big or exotic eater.
"I DON'T want anything out of the ordinary." He roughly called out to her in a serious tone, despite the lightness he was feeling at the moment.
"That's fine."
Sakura smiled and tugged at his sleeve, and before they knew it, he was sitting across the girl in a cozy room much like a western diner.
He peered at the menu and instinctively looked at the prices.
Not too expensive. He thought. Good.
He had no idea such places like these existed in Konoha. The room was rather small, yet it radiated warmth, despite it being an ice cream restaurant. The style was very western, with booths, leather seats, and red-and-white checkered table clothes. The walls were painted a light yellow, and the furniture was a lighter shade of brown than the ones he was used to. Overall, it was a nice place with a good feel and Neji rather felt comfortable here.
Best of all, he recognized NO ONE.
While glancing at the choices, Sakura kept sneaking looks at him and smiling as if she were more than happy he decided to come. It was caught, of course, by his sharp white eyes, and he was a little surprised that his coming made her so ecstatic.
"I'm not too fond of sweets." Neji said after moments of skimming through the menu. "I'll just get a mango sherbet."
He folded the menu and crossed his arms.
Sakura widened her eyes.
"Wow, I was just going to order that. I'm not too big on sweets either." She admitted much to the Hyuuga's surprise.
"Why were you so set on getting ice cream then? You LOOKED like the sweet-loving type." He said flatly.
The kunoichi folded her menu.
"Yes, well, I HAD a big sweet tooth when I was younger." She started. "But, I gave that up when I found out that Sasuke didn't like them."
Neji scoffed.
"Stupid reason."
Another smile.
"Yes, I know. I was convinced that Sasuke was the love of my life so I had to do everything he liked, and avoid everything he didn't like. At first I went crazy when I sacrificed sweets, but after discovering how much pounds it kept off my hips, I learned not to miss it. Now I'm just a healthy eater." She explained.
Neji felt a little pang in his gut the way she mentioned Sasuke as if he were her ex-boyfriend, but he didn't let that linger enough to interpret what the feeling meant. He just convinced himself that his resentment for the Uchiha was because he betrayed Konoha.
"Two mango sherbet." The male waiter chimed after they had ordered. Two tall frosted glasses, filled with the tropical frozen delight, were gently placed on the table.
Sakura grinned.
"Go on, Hyuuga. Try it."
Much to his surprise, the dessert looked temptingly appealing.
But he managed to suppress his childish excitement that had suddenly desired to surface.
"Woman, you were the one who was so thrilled on coming here. You eat first." He dryly replied. Sakura made no oppositions, and went ahead to savor the delectable treat.
While she ate, Neji couldn't help but notice the male waiter eyeing the kunoichi from his corner. The young man was probably a jounin, who had light brown hair, blue eyes, and a lustful look on his face. The guy was completely checking Sakura out.
Feeling a sudden wash of protectiveness over her, Neji gave the young man a deadly look, before placing his clenched fist near her hand, so it would appear that they were dating. The young jounin gave a disappointed and irritated look, before resuming to his chores.
Unable to figure out why exactly he had done that, the Hyuuga decided to brush off the awkwardness in the moment by bringing up the daily question to the pink-haired kunoichi.
"Have you had enough nutrients yet, kunoichi? Or perhaps you would like me to add a giant chocolate cake to your healthy intake?" he retorted. Sakura gave a cute laugh and sighed with content.
"No. This should suffice. Ask away, mango man."
Neji paused a while, trying to recall the question that Lee had bugged him to ask that day. When he remembered, a SLIGHT blush crept onto his face.
This, he was INTRIGUED at what her answer would be… though he would NEVER admit it to himself, much less Sakura.
He cleared his throat.
"What do you look for in a potential… boyfriend…" He said the last word quite hushed, as if he were a third grader childishly discussing the word "sex" or "kissing".
At first, he thought that the girl was going to flat out stop everything she was doing to point and laugh at him. However, her serious look proved his predictions otherwise. He inwardly cursed Lee for making him ask such a stupid question, but deep, deep down, the Hyuuga was genuinely curious.
Sakura put her glass down and stirred her dessert with a straw.
"Hmm…" she pondered. "Let me think… That's not exactly your everyday 'what's your favorite' question…"
It was rather true. The question was quite a drastic turn from the usual favorites question, and the answer required a little more thinking than before.
Neji attempted to look bored, but in all honesty, the suspense was killing him. What DID she look for in a potential boyfriend? Part of him wouldn't be surprised if she said straight out "Uchiha Sasuke and everything about him". That part completely winced if she would say that. The other part, however, had a hunch that the girl would say a little more than the features of her almost-boyfriend. And THAT part felt a tad relieved.
Sakura gave him an almost sad look.
"I know what you're thinking. That I'm probably going to describe Sasuke, right?" she said and Neji was surprised. He had hoped she wouldn't be able to read that, but his eyes told more than he thought.
"Aren't you?" he said, sounding unsurprised, trying to smother any hints of jealousy that tried to snake its way into his voice. NOT that he felt it or anything…
The girl frowned.
"Everybody still thinks I'm still that same weak annoying twelve year old still awaiting for my beloved Sasuke to return into my open arms." She mumbled before looking down. "I've grown up, you know."
Neji didn't blink.
"I know."
He was surprised at his tone, at how his voice was softer than he would have liked. Sakura was surprised as well.
"You know?" she asked, a bit hopeful, a bit skeptical that he was just mocking her.
"You have grown up." Neji said sincerely, unable to harden his now soothing voice. "In more ways than you realize."
Sakura's eyes widened, and he had hoped that she didn't take it the wrong way. His comment wasn't meant to sound at ALL perverted, or that he was checking her out or anything. It WAS true. She had grown a bit taller, certainly more slender, outgrowing her large forehead, curvier, and if he must say…quite beautiful. Her pink hair grew glossier, and her eyes sparkled far more than he remembered when she was twelve…
…But Neji was referring to her character by his comment.
The Sakura before him was not at ALL like the one he recalled years ago. This Sakura, the new one, was stronger, more independent. She was fierce, yet soft, stubborn, yet yielding… An overall, a stunning person, quite prized, quite rare…Perfectly balanced…
Like the yin and yang itself.
Neji brushed off his silent admiration of her persona and quickly masked his softness.
"You still haven't answered my question." He said regaining his seriousness. "If your standards have changed, then what exactly do you look for in a husband now."
Sakura slightly smiled and Neji could tell that she was overjoyed that he thought she had truly matured.
…And if anyone could tell…
He was quite relieved himself that she had left Sasuke behind.
Haruno Sakura's heart was FINALLY open to new waters…
"You said boyfriend." Sakura said, breaking him from his thoughts. He gave her a look that silently said "Wha?" and she smiled. "You said boyfriend before. Now you're saying husband."
A slight panic arose in the Hyuuga that she had caught his mistake. She was quite observant, a keen listener, and a brilliant young lady…
Quickly, quickly, he needed to cover it up.
"Aren't they the same?" came his monotone reply. Her eyes gazed at his, hoping to push him to explain further. "Well," he began, "Dating is practice marriage, isn't it? When you agree to be courted by someone, you're basically making a commitment that you think this person could be your potential life partner. That's what makes a relationship stay long. I don't agree with all these short-term, one-week, dating services that people these days. Your heart is only worth something if it's been untainted by the scars of the previous person. Saving your heart for one person only makes it more worthwhile."
When he spoke, it was as if Sakura could not recognize him as the cold-hearted bastard Hyuuga. His words entranced her, and his wisdom astounded her. HOW was this young man NOT swarmed by an army of drooling girls?
One thing Sakura concluded that moment was that she would treasure the friendship she had with the man in front of her. He was something special alright…
There was a quiet moment between the two, although it was ANYTHING but awkward. They just stared, as if they understood exactly what they other was thinking. Then, as quick as the moment came, it left, and the awkwardness awoke once again.
Neji cleared his throat harshly and focused his eyes off of hers.
"So? What's the answer?"
Sakura, however, didn't take her eyes off him. She stared at him, unblinking, with a sincere smile on her lips.
"I look for someone who's mysterious." She said softly. "Someone who doesn't give himself away all at once, but rather bits and pieces at a time, allowing me to slowly try to understand him."
Neji didn't know why, but he gulped, ever so slightly.
She continued.
"Someone who genuinely cares about my well-being, both physically and mentally. Someone who is stronger than me, but not dominant. Someone who can protect me, but not suffocate me, who can do little things to please me. Someone who is patient with me, and who will boost up my confidence without lying to my face. Someone who, if had a choice, would not change a SINGLE thing about me."
Her description ended, and Neji somehow felt a tad breathless.
Was it just him, or was she describing him in every way?
No, impossible. That could mean a billion different guys. She was just being general.
…Still…
It was entirely opposite from Sasuke.
THAT was progress.
"So." Neji said, instantly pummeling any feelings of hopefulness he felt at the moment. "Is that all?"
His eyes were still averted, yet he managed to catch her growing smile, and her green eyes that never left his face.
"Yes."
Neji nodded and took out his pad of paper and a pen. When he brought up the pen to the blank page, he noticed that his hand was quivering. He quickly pretended to scribble a few things down so that she wouldn't get suspicious, and then clicked the pen and closed his pad. He hadn't really jotted her answer down. He didn't need to. Her answer seared itself deeply into his head. They were his characteristics, even if she didn't mean him at all.
The Hyuuga inwardly thanked the male waiter when he disrupted their awkwardness with a cluttering sound. Instinctively, the two looked up.
Behind Sakura's chair, the waiter had clumsily juggled the tray full of empty glasses while attempting to place a full glass on the table. He jumbled a bit, but despite his efforts, the baka's clumsiness dominated.
The glass came tumbling down…
…right on Sakura's white turtleneck.
Red syrup sloshed onto the brilliant white, and everything went quiet.
"Oh my gosh, I am SO SORRY." The waiter exclaimed as he put his juggling act down, and jumped behind the counter for rags and paper towels.
Sakura on the other hand, didn't seem shaken at all. She merely looked down at her shirt as if someone had told her she had a piece of lint hanging on it.
The waiter returned and first began cleaning the mess off the floor while Neji watched with deeply furrowed eyebrows.
The guy was a complete idiot and Neji couldn't understand how he could have ever received a job here. The Hyuuga's patience wore thin. First, the lustful looks.
Now, the gigantic spill.
If Neji didn't know any better, he'd say that the waiter was trying to get Sakura's attention.
Neji's brows furrowed deeper into a deadly look as the waiter got up to clean up Sakura.
Quit touching her hair. The Hyuuga inwardly barked at the jounin who was busily running fingers through Sakura's pink tresses. But he knew better than to yell, openly displaying his irritated jealousy he was feeling at the moment.
When the waiter's hands came near Sakura's chest with a towel, Neji snapped a grip around his wrist and grasped hard.
"I think you should get more towels." Neji spat, glaring daggers into the jounin's lustful eyes. "The floor's sticky."
Sakura was too occupied with damping her shirt to notice the electric sparks flying off of the two men hovering above her. They were as territorial as street dogs that were fighting over a piece of meat.
Finally, the waiter went back to behind the counter, still keeping his glare on the Hyuuga. Then, he vanished behind swinging doors (much to Neji's delight) to fetch a new pile of towels.
Neji turned his eyes back on the girl.
"You alright?" he asked gruffly, trying to suppress his vast irritation with the service at this restaurant.
Despite his seriousness, Sakura only smiled as her nose sniffed the stain on her shirt.
"Smells like watermelon." She laughed before fingering her collar. "Ahh… red NEVER washes off…"
Neji immediately went to his bag and pulled out a white shirt, the top of a traditional fighting gi.
"Here." He said. "Wear this."
But Sakura shook her head in protest.
"No way, it looks too nice. Besides, seeing how prone I am to accidents, I might just end up soiling it." She paused. "Why do you have that here anyway?"
Neji took out the belt, ignoring her refusal.
"I was training before I came to your house. I didn't have time to drop this off at home." He explained, and then shot her a serious look. "And judging by what happened now, it's a good thing I brought it."
He tried pushing it into her hands but she kept pushing it back.
"You were training in that? It still looks like it was freshly washed. Not a chance do I want to make a mess on that. I'll just go home and chance, no harm. I've answered your question now, haven't I?"
Neji's look turned angrier.
"Don't you dare go out in that weather like that." He threatened. "You'll turn into a popsicle."
Sakura's serene laughter filled up the room and almost everyone had paused their conversation to glance at the two.
"Well, Mr. Ice-cream man, I don't think that'll be a problem." She sighed a light sigh. "I only live a couple of minutes away. My chest will be popsicle-free, I guarantee you."
Neji was too infuriated to be embarrassed by his sudden concern for her. He shoved the kimono in her hands and pushed her to the bathroom.
"Change." He said sternly. "I'm not leaving until you're wearing the kimono."
A gentle surprised look lit up her face and for a moment, Neji regretted having been so protective over her. He wondered what she was thinking at the moment, then wondered what HE was thinking himself. The things she made him do…
Sakura smiled while clicking her tongue and shaking her head.
"You, Hyuuga Neji, are something else." She sighed and finally surrendered to his demand. She waved her hand before disappearing inside. "I'll be out in a sec."
Neji took the few minutes to deeply ponder what the hell had been wrong with him. Since when did HE do such nice things for people, especially girls? Had it possibly been because of their growing intimacy? Yes, they were officially friends… Was he looking for something more in her?
The girl had chiseled her way into his stone heart, whether he realized it or not. He hated being so possessive over her, yet that's exactly how he felt.
Geez, two weeks together and she had already deeply impacted him.
What was going to happen next?
Before he could answer that, Sakura came out of the ladies room wearing the kimono. It was a little baggy on her, acting more as a dress than a shirt, but at least it would keep her from freezing…
…and covered enough to keep the waiter's pervert eyes from wandering…
Sakura tied her wet hair (probably rinsed from the stickiness) up on a loose bun and tossed her stained turtleneck at the Hyuuga, who caught it.
"There, Popsicle man. Satisfied?" she winked, grinned a devious grin.
Neji folded the shirt, much to Sakura's surprise, and placed it in his bag.
"Hardly." He said honestly. He still wasn't sure if the waiter would be disappointed or more turned on. Sakura still looked quite nice in his gi uniform, he had to admit. It was possible for her to look good in anything.
Neji tied the laces on his bag so that the opening tightened.
"I might know how to get the stain out." He said as if he were bored and Sakura's ears perked.
"Really?"
"Yeah. I'll give it back tomorrow." He replied. Then, he moved back to the table before placing the exact change on their bill. Sakura's grin faded.
"Wait, I told you this is MY treat. I'll pay for it." She offered, taking out her money. But Neji only gave her a stern look.
"Forget it. I'll get pestered if my uncle found out I let a girl pay for my meal."
"Your uncle?"
"Yeah, forget it."
The subject was left dangling and the two simply stared at each other.
Then, Sakura's face lit up in the warmest smile he could ever imagine.
"Thank you." She spoke.
Neji nodded once, before forcing himself out of her gaze to lead the way out the restaurant.
He gave one last deadly look at the returning waiter before storming out, hands in his sleeves, as Sakura followed.
The Hyuuga kept a wide distance between himself and the kunoichi as they trotted through the thick layers of snow. With his Byaakugan eyes, he could see her following behind him, staring at the back of his head with a hazy smile.
Part of him melted.
Crap. He muttered to himself. What have I gotten myself into?
It was then that he realized that the more he was with her, the more he would find it harder and harder to do this task as a favor for Lee.
Lee… he inwardly spoke into the distance, redirecting the blame.
What have YOU gotten me into?
Author's Note: GOMEN for the delay. Seriously, I really wanted to finish this sooner but alas, I was swamped with many things to do. Anyway, this one was a bit longer, to make up for the delay. I hope you like!
I'll prolly pursue this for about…. Oh say… three or four more chapters…
What do you say?
Please Review!
Zarrah-chan