Author's note: Awww! You guys are too sweet. Thank you. Wow. I'm still impressed that you managed to stay faithful fans. Really, I thought you'd all ditch this story by now. But thank you for remaining faithful all the same. sniff I LOVE YOU ALL!

sobs

Ok. As much as we all love Lee, here's the Neji/Saku stuff as promised.

Enjoy.

Oh, by the way… I have given it muchhhhhhhhh thought, and I have decided that after I complete this story… I will continue Serendipity. I will push to make it better, and I hope you guys don't mind the wait.

Thanks again to EVERYONE who reviewed.

zarrah-chan

Day Twenty-eight

White eyes stared blankly at the item clasped tightly in the kunoichi's graceful arms.

"No. Fricken. Way."

Once was barely tolerable… not to mention disastrous… but a second time?

"Forget it, woman. I'm NOT going."

Sakura barely managed to stifle a laugh.

"Why, Hyuuga Neji. Whatever are you talking about?" she sweetly chimed, cradling the object of Neji's irritation in her arms.

She took a step towards him and he took a step back.

"That thing is an article of Hell. Don't drag me into any more of your moronic adventures. I refuse." He said with mixed anger and fear.

It was quite amusing to see the Hyuuga as flustered as he was that very moment. Who knew the no fun stick-in-the-mud could actually do fearful. That word did not seem like it would register in the Hyuuga's vast and intelligent vocabulary.

There were only two things in the world that scared him most. One, being Lee and Gai sobbing and embracing each other in one of their rants about the springtime of youthfulness.

…The other being the unpredictable schemes the pink-haired kunoichi had up her sleeves.

Since the ice-cream escapade two weeks before, Neji had made it a personal goal to keep his distance from the girl, for Lee's sake, and for his own. The Hyuuga had pledged that he would refuse every excursion the girl would offer to take him on, no matter how hard she begged.

And so far he was successful.

It wasn't as if Neji was afraid of any of the things she had planned. Ice fishing had sounded harmless enough, and target archery tempted him a great deal.

No, those things would have been perfectly fine if he were to do them alone.

Doing them alone WITH Sakura… now that was a different story.

He had been embarrassed enough when his former teammate, Ten Ten, had approached him a few days prior, with a smirk on her face, and questioning as to why she saw him at the ice cream parlor alone with the Haruno two weeks before. Since then, Ten Ten informed that faint clouds of gossip had been passed around Konoha of the Hyuuga and Sakura, and possible sparks of romance between them.

Neji had been infuriated at his discovery and thus decided that public displays of his and Sakura's acquaintance should be avoided at all costs. If word got out to Lee that the mere interview turned into something more personal, Neji would forever be shamed.

Which was why he was coldly brushing off the kunoichi before she had even said anything that day for their appointment.

Hyuuga Super Plan A: Nip it in the bud.

"Forget it."

"Neji, I didn't even say anything yet." Sakura chuckled, unfazed by his rudeness.

Neji crossed his arms.

"Woman, as of now, I know you better than anyone else. I know you have something planned, so I am telling you now, that if you drop it and just cooperate like you should, your life may be spared."

Sakura's tranquil laughter filled the room, obviously untouched by his empty threats. She had grown too fond of his adorable character and knew that he was speaking the truth when he said he knew her the most. Compliments of their twenty-eight-day-old interview, Hyuuga Neji knew more about her than even Ino, Kakashi, or Naruto.

Strangely enough, she would not want it any other way.

The kunoichi crossed her arms.

"Please, Hyuuga." She said amused and highly unimpressed. "You couldn't beat me if your life depended on it."

She struck a nerve and Neji angrily reacted.

"Is that a challenge?"

"Oh, it's a promise."

A silly grin plastered itself on Sakura's graceful face and she burst out and laughed some more at the Hyuuga's serious intent.

A part of Neji was stunned that the girl could laugh so freely and genuinely around him.

…Correction…

The girl could laugh so freely and genuinely because of him.

If it weren't for his duty as an interviewer and a best friend, he probably would have surrendered to the achingly colossal desire to smile back at her cheerful and contagious spirit. A tiny part of him liked how he could unconsciously make her laugh at the smallest things they said or did together.

And that tiny part of him was quickly smothered by the larger part of him who placed duty over selfishness. Weakness was foreign to him. He shouldn't even know how to surrender to the human weakness of the heart.

Regaining his aloof composure, he turned his back on the girl and stuck his hands in his sleeves.

"Question twenty-eight." He recited bitterly.

But Sakura was not finished with him yet.

"It's just a basket, Neji." She incoherently spoke of the so-called 'object from hell' as she held it inches from his face.

Neji's eyebrow twitched with impatience.

"Precisely."

"Precisely what?"

She was interested in what he thought she wanted to do.

Neji kissed his teeth.

"It is an item that will somehow leave me to make a complete fool of myself by the end of the day. I don't care how innocent you think your plan is. I want no part of it."

Another grin.

"You're too dramatic, Neji. May I remind you that it was I who was embarrassed last time by having the red syrup sloshed on me, not you. Relax, popsicle man. This won't make an idiot of you. You do that on your own." She teased.

Neji cringed.

"Excuse me?"

"You're excused."

The Hyuuga tightened his fist at the girl's growing smile.

"Woman, I don't think you know who you're speaking to." He growled trying to keep his cool, calm demeanor, and failing miserably at it. Obviously his vicious threats weren't getting through to her. It was as impossible as scolding a child who assumes that you are still playing.

Sakura walked in front of him so that he could see her face.

"Oh yeah? And who exactly are you?"

Angry eyebrows creased his forehead.

"The Hyuuga prodigy, soon-to-be Head of the Hyuuga family estate. Valuable captain of the top ANBU squad." He said arrogantly, as if he were pronounced king, and she was merely a passing commoner.

The Kunoichi raised an eyebrow in her highly amused state.

"And I am Haruno Sakura, honored apprentice of the current Hokage, top medical ninja in all of Konoha." She competitively matched his tone. "I don't think YOU know who YOU are speaking to."

For a moment, they stared at each other, soon realizing just how close their faces had gotten in their competition for each other's recognition.

Then, Sakura's fierce look melted into a soft innocent smile and she laughed some more.

Neji couldn't help but notice the innocence in her features and the brightness of her personality. Although she was constantly bombarded with heartache, loneliness, and neglect, she made a lightness of everything that did not allow her heart to be corrupted by the worries of the world.

For a while, Neji was speechless.

Twenty-eight days together, and he was still discovering new things about her.

…Things that he unconsciously admired a great deal.

When her laughter had faded, the kunoichi moved to the front of the door to put on her shoes and winter jacket. Neji immediately returned to protest mode.

"Where do you think you're going?" he demanded.

"I'm low on groceries. I need to pick up a couple of things in the market before it starts to snow again." She simply replied, putting on her mittens.

"We have unfinished business."

Sakura smiled.

"Precisely." She beamed at Neji's irritation.

"Precisely what?"

The kunoichi tossed the Hyuuga a white scarf, which he instinctively caught.

"Precisely why you are coming with me."

THIS was the trap. This was the excursion he had trained too hard to refuse. He had been able to squirm out of her ridiculous adventures for two weeks. He would NOT back down now.

He just knew that basket was an object from Hell...

"No. Way."

Sakura began brushing off the lint on her jacket, purposefully stalling.

"Oh that's too bad. Guess I won't have an answer for your question today then…" she trailed.

Neji merely scoffed.

"Keh. Nice try, woman. I'm not moving an inch from here until you get back." He stubbornly replied.

The kunoichi shrugged.

"Alright… But if you must know, I might be late because I might impulsively decide to have dinner with Kakashi and Naruto after I am finished. I'm sure they'd love to hear how I can't go home because of a crazed Hyuuga caged in my house, threatening to take my life when I return."

Neji's ears perked in horror at her words. But she was not finished yet…

"Besides, I think Ino and Ten Ten are dropping by here to pick up the diet pills I stashed from the medicinal supply at the hospital. They have keys…"

Neji froze as an image of Ten Ten walking in on him pacing back in forth in Haruno Sakura's house popped into his head.

"Hmmm…" Sakura tapped her finger on her chin, trying to smother a grin. "I wonder how they'll react to seeing you here…"

Holy freakin crap. If Ten Ten discovered he was there of all places… All hell would break loose and the world would never shut up about himself and the Haruno.

Rumors of him dating the pink-haired kunoichi were one thing…

…Rumors of him LIVING with her…

WELL.

That would simply ruin him as a Hyuuga for all time, forever and ever amen.

God PLEASE forbid.

What would Hiashi say?

Or worse…

What would Lee say?

Neji's eyes narrowed at the girl who beamed innocently at him. This was far too well planned. It reeked of suspicion.

He knew the girl was smart…

…But not that smart…

"Woman. You are lying." He stated matter-of-factly.

No way she was telling the truth.

Sakura simply shrugged as her eyes moved slowly to a pile of small white boxes neatly laid on her coffee table. When Neji's pearl eyes followed, his keen vision caught the label and the yellow sticky note placed on the side.

TrilliumStar Diet Pills, 100 percent organic natural ingredients.

Take care with these pills, ladies!

Keep up the figures!

-Sakura

NO fricken WAY.

Neji's eyes returned to stare dangerously at the kunoichi who was slowly opening the door with a satisfied smile painted on her rosy lips.

"Let's see… if I'm spending dinner with Naruto, I should probably pick up some ramen… Make that five, since I have a funny story about a certain Hyuuga he would want to know…" she trailed off in a voice that was trying to suppress a gigantic laugh.

Haruno Sakura was out to ruin him.

The Hyuuga gritted his teeth in anger, bitterness, frustration, and irritation.

Then, between low grumbles and annoyed mutters under his breath, he wrapped the scarf around his neck and went for his shoes.

"Woman? Damn. You."

…

Moments later, the Hyuuga prodigy found himself walking side-by-side with the overly enthusiastic kunoichi swinging the basket like a little flower girl. He had cursed himself a billion times over for going back on his pledge, but what choice was there? The girl had it planned well, and she attacked him from the angles it hurt the most: His pride and dignity.

In the midst of his bitter resentment towards her, there was one thing that baffled him most.

Sakura had planned that so carefully. But WHY did she want him to join her so badly? Did she actually LIKE being with him? Even when he was purposefully being so difficult?

No matter how big of an ass he made himself to be, the girl was always there smiling back at him like nothing fazed her. She was a stubborn spirit, and a difficult one at that, but she genuinely seemed to enjoy the Hyuuga's presence. Did he honestly impact her as much as she had impacted him?

The two definitely had their differences, but Neji soon concluded and admitted to himself that with the girl… He felt comfortable. He was himself. Not the obedient, well-raised Hyuuga he had always known. With her, there were no sama's or sensei's, senpai's or san's. There were no bows, no formal asking for permission to enter her house, no apologizing for rude or improper behavior. There were only a few occasional awkward silent moments, but most of the time they talked as if they had known each other for ages. With her, he ate ice cream and drank hot chocolate instead of the tradition green tea with vegetable wonton soup his strict Hyuuga diet would allow. With her, he had actual intelligent conversations in which he enjoyed quite a deal. There were no stupid wishy washy talks of unfulfilled dreams or declarations of moronic goals to be accomplished. With her, there was a sense of practicality and realism.

…With her…

…He actually wanted to smile.

Be that as it may, he could barely admit that to himself, much less to her. Wanting to smile was not necessarily being able to actually do it. Years of putting up a heartless front made smiling difficult for him to perform, and difficult for others to envision. Smiling meant a weakness in his heart, and an opening to emotion, something that would ruin the years of the intimidating proud mask that had taken him so long to carve.

Nothing was worth that.

…Or was it?

It had taken Neji quite a bit of ego to admit that he liked being with her. That was only half the problem.

His problem was that the more time he spent with her, the harder it was to focus on his duty as a best friend. As hard as it was to confess, he was actually starting to develop some feelings of envy and resentment that in the end, Sakura would be promised to Lee. All that time would be spent just for Lee, and as guilty as he felt for being disappointed… That's what he felt.

This would be the millionth time he convinced himself that no feelings of more than friendship were ever built during their interview.

Quite frankly, that excuse was becoming duller and duller to him by the moment.

"Quit sulking, Hyuuga, we're almost there." A feminine voice spoke, interrupting his deepened thoughts. He looked coolly at the pink-haired kunoichi who frowned at his distance.

Sulking? Neji thought in an inward panic. Was I sulking?

Sakura's frown deepened.

"Look. If you're so embarrassed to be seen with me, then why don't you ask your question now so you can leave?" she said in mixed disappointment and hurt. She turned her eyes away from him so that he couldn't see she had felt clearly guilty for dragging him along unwillingly. The joke had long subsided. "I don't see why you're so determined on pestering me with these daily questions. You won't even tell me who you're asking for."

Now, Neji felt bad. His face refused to show it, but she managed to chastise him quite effectively.

"I'm not embarrassed." He shot back at her with emotionless eyes. Sakura seemed unconvinced.

LIE! His inner mind screamed, but he managed to shove it back into dormant state.

Neji gruffly sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck in frustration.

"I'll help you with your groceries if you promise that you answer my question as soon as we reach your house. No coasting." He compromised, not really answering her question.

Despite having his eyes off her, he could still catch the slight look of surprise at his offer and the fading of her angry glare.

"Really?" she asked staring deeply at his profile. But Neji kept his gaze averted.

"Hn."

In all honesty, the Hyuuga could not figure out why he insisted on following her, when all he needed to do was ask his stupid question, get her answer, and leave. He had ample opportunity to. Why didn't he?

Deep down…

Deep, DEEP down…

The Hyuuga knew…

He had wanted to stay.

"Neji-kun?" Sakura once more interrupted his thoughts with a noticeably nicer tone of voice.

This time, Neji's head slightly turned her direction.

"Hn?"

Sakura's head tilted innocently.

"Who is asking all these questions?"

Neji was a bit taken back. His white eyes moved to meet emerald ones in silent conversation as the two traveled towards the market place.

It wasn't the first time she asked the identity of the one who forced them together in a month's long interview, but there was a deeper meaning to her asking.

When Neji looked at her, the kunoichi's face seemed to ask a different question. One that said "Are YOU the one asking these questions?" instead.

The Hyuuga blinked, and then resumed his staring contest with oblivion.

"None of your business, woman."

Sakura smiled and faced front wards once again. That response also wasn't the first time he had spoken that, but this time there was a much kinder intent and tone in it. He retorted in a way that said "You will find out sooner or later" instead.

The two walked in silence as they neared the village market place that was relatively deserted due to the cold weather. Sakura opened her basket and immediately began searching for the items on her list.

Just then, Neji's keen Hyuuga senses felt a distinct aura draw nearer to them and instant panic was aroused in his nerves.

"SAKURA-SAN!"

The no-mistaking bowl-headed figure ran towards the unsuspecting kunoichi carrying a bundle in his arms.

Emerald eyes widened in surprise.

"Lee-san?"

There, standing before her was Konoha's greatest taijutsu master with the same hair, eyes and shining teeth as she remembered from when they were twelve.

Funny, though.

He looked different.

Today, instead of the usual green body suit the guy wore daily…

Rock Lee was wearing white.

Sakura nearly fainted in stifling a laugh.

Minus the sword and mask…

…He looked like an Asian fencer.

"Lee-san, what are you doing here?" she asked with a bright smile. As goofy as he looked, it was a nice change. He actually looked… quite dashing in comparison to his old uniform…

…Or as dashing as he could get, dressed in her favorite color.

"Sakura-san, you look beautiful as always." Lee winked with a thumbs up, totally disregarding her question. "You truly look like a cherry blossom in snow."

Sakura blushed and uncomfortably smiled. As adorable as Lee was, he still always had the cheesiest lines, probably studied, copied, and repeated from Gai's book of apparent 'hipness'. She would have probably laughed in his face at those lines if she didn't owe him so much already. As cheesy as he was, he was a giver, and she was indebted to him with more than her life.

Because of that, she respected him…

… and all the idiotic lines that came with the package.

"Sakura-san." Lee began with a distinct pink hue washing over his face. "I bought these for you. Call it a late Christmas present."

He bowed as he stretched out his hands that carried a very large bamboo basket. Sakura rubbed the back of her neck before receiving it.

"Oh. Lee. You shouldn't have…" she said in both hesitation and surprise.

When her green eyes peered into the basket, they widened.

"Wow, Lee. Fruits."

It was incredible. Never, in her life, had she seen so many fruits during the winter at one time. Ranging from watermelons to mangoes, passionfruit to kiwi, it was all there, neatly packaged in the basket. It certainly would help with her grocery bill, since most of her diet was composed of fruits anyway.

"You are as sweet as the sweetest mango, Sakura. I just thought of you when I bought this." He winked again.

Sakura crinkled her nose when she smiled.

Yet another lame line inherited from Gai.

"Thank you, Lee. I don't know what to say." She bowed trying to fight the awkward moment she felt coming with meaningless conversation. "Fruits are my favorite food."

Lee blushed.

"I know."

"You know?"

She had not remembered telling him that fact…

Lee squirmed a bit before drastically changing the subject.

"So, are you here alone? If no one will help you carry that heavy basket home, I will offer my assistance."

Sakura shook her head.

"No, actually I was here with…" she began, but trailed off in discovery of her empty surrounding. The sight of the Hyuuga had completely vanished and in that Sakura became quite irritated.

The kunoichi stared hard into the distance before realizing the reason for his disappearance. She kissed her teeth and resumed to pick up the heavy basket with fake enthusiasm.

"Nope… I'm here alone, but it's alright. I can manage on my own. Not like anyone important was with me." She said, enunciating every last word and speaking them loudly into the distance, as if purposefully allowing a passing shopper to hear.

That liar. She fumed inwardly.

Lee stared blankly at Sakura's growing impatience and decided to part ways.

"Well, Sakura-san. I'm afraid I must leave you to carry that burden alone. Gai will never forgive me if I am late. But I will be with you always, dear cherry blossom."

And with that, he vanished, leaving the cheesy line drifting in the air, only to fall on deaf ears.

Sakura tapped her foot in annoyance before dropping the basket into snow and crossing her arms.

"Alright, liar. You can come out of hiding now. I didn't give away your position." She spoke to the air.

She felt a breeze behind her a voice near the back of her ear.

"Are you calling me a coward?" he said deeply, matching her anger.

Sakura kept her back towards him.

"Hey, if the shoe fits…"

It was quiet a moment before the kunoichi heard the crunch of the snow, a definite sign that he was walking away. Sakura's anger boiled another level up.

How dare he!

"So that's what cowards do, right? Walk away?" she spoke bitterly.

The crunching stopped.

"You don't understand." His voice spoke, nearly resembling a growl. He was desperately trying to weasel his way out of her discovery of the truth with idiotic excuses. "I have a reputation to uphold."

It was a pathetic excuse, really, and no where near the truth, but the girl was deeply buying it.

"And you think being seen with me will ruin that? Am I that looked-down-upon? Do I embarrass you?" This time she turned around to face him with a look on her face that was more than just hurt.

It looked confused.

"Why exactly are you here? Why exactly to come to me day after day with pointless question, trying to discover things about me? Tell me who is asking." She demanded with some level of authority. What she really wanted to know was if he was the one asking all those questions. What she really wanted was for him to BE the one asking all those questions…

Neji felt breathless and lost for words for the first time in his life. If telling her the entire truth was easy for him, he would do it with no hesitation whatsoever.

His ego, however, stood in the way, as it did for many things.

Including romance.

At that moment, he felt like the biggest ass-hole in the entire world. What was worse, was that he couldn't do a single thing to change it…

…Not without her discovering the truth.

When he couldn't answer her, he did the only thing that registered in his flustered head at the moment. And as idiotic and jerk-like that move was, he couldn't think of anything else.

Hyuuga Neji began to walk away.

He walked long and slowly, knowing full well that she was quite hurt, but choosing not to apologize. His pride, after all, was one thing he could not so easily destroy.

However…

In that day, there was one thing he admitted to himself, even with his unshakable pride.

Twenty-eight days, and twenty-eight questions, and already he had discovered something that he wasn't able to discover in the entire span of his life.

Hyuuga Neji was, for once, crazy jealous of his best friend.

…

Hyuuga Neji had, for once, wanted something other than power.

…

And for once…

Hyuuga Neji had surrendered to that achingly colossal desire to admit defeat.

He had fallen…

…deeply and hard into the one thing gravity did not cause:

The four letter word even he dared not to say.

The thing he had thought was so foreign to him.

The thing that came from the heart.

…

As he began to walk away wallowing in his pride, Hyuuga Neji realized one more thing. .

He had forgotten to ask his daily question.

Author's note: Holy cow that was long. I hope that should suffice for the wait. Things are unraveling now.

That chapter was a bit more serious than previous ones. I mean, it had some comedy, but I really wanted to establish the climax point when our favorite little Hyuuga discovers how he feels. I'll have maybe two or three chapters and then I'll tie this off. Hope you liked!

The Review Button is winking at you…

Zarrah-chan