Author's randomness: Woo hoo. After MUCH thought, I have finally uploaded some of my fanart of this lovely couple on both my own server and DeviantART. I'm totally a beginner though, and if you say I suck to the core, I will totally not be offended. I drew all of these, I HATE COPYING, colored, and edited them myself…If you can tell. Haha let's just hope they're as good as my stories.
It's not a lot, but I still hope you enjoy. If you guys wanna comment on any of them, either do it in this chapter's review, or in DeviantART itself!
you can find the link on my profiles page or you can go to and look for zarrah-chan. (no duh!)
a totally SIDE TRACKED note, I've been searching on for ideas and it sickens me to the core that for the sake of romance, some people'll be willing to put the Hyuuga cousins together. I mean, ARE YOU NUTS! I've got nothing against Hinata AT all, and this is certainly no BASHING of her. I just DO NOT approve of incest. That's just nasty. Yeah, um, hi buddy. They're fathers are FREAKING TWIN BROTHERS. That means their bloody children will come out with tumors or five eyes if they get together. Gross. Sorry, if that offended you Neji/Hina fans, but man, that's just sick. I know people used to marry their cousins and stuff wayyyy back in the olden times, but things have CHANGED. Welcome to the modern days, folks. I don't think Kishimoto intended any incest in his story. I'd rather die or have Neji with TEN TEN then with Hinata, and we're all sure how unlikely I'd want that. Put Hinata with Naruto, Shino, or Kiba… and heck, even SASUKE for all I care. cringes
Just not Neji.
NOT NEJI.
Guy, he's just nice to her because they're FAMILY. You incest sickos.
Gaiden episodes! WHEN WILST THOU COME!
Gaiden and part 2 better be FREAKIN INSANE to pay up for all this moronic filler episodes which we by the way spent the entire SUMMER trying to get past.
Ok, ok.. breathe. Just think… Part 2… Sakura is kick ass. Neji is hot. And they share at least ONE frame together.
smiles
Much better.
Zarrah-chan
Brace yourselves…
This is quite long, it's split into two parts. This chapter and the next is still on the same day.
Day Twenty-nine- PART 1
Lee was in an especially good mood that morning.
It was sickening.
"Gai-sensei! Your training is excellent as always! Please grant us permission to run three more laps around Konoha!"
The rest of the team groaned.
"We don't run on the same battery you do, Lee. Give us a break." Ten Ten panted, wiping the sweat that bordered her pale worn out face.
It was certainly clear that the work-out had drained even the passionate Gai, who had begun to regret giving his pupils such a tiresome training exercise. Despite the frosty winter air, all of them were showing signs of fatigue and exhaustion, by the buckets of perspiration that were streaming down their faces.
All but Lee's.
The bowl-headed mongrel placed his hands on his hips, while striking the unforgettable pose in his now white skin-tight uniform.
"You can't give up now. We're at the---"
"Spring time of our youth." Ten Ten interrupted, mildly annoyed. "We know. If you don't shut up, you won't live to see the next spring time PERIOD."
Neji would have grunted a noise of amusement, had it not been that his genius mind was clouded that morning with unpleasantness and negativity.
Apparently, it was quite obviously written all over his face.
"See?" Ten Ten continued. "Even Neji's tired. Give it a rest, Lee. We're done for today."
Gai managed to chuckle, even in his tired state.
"I'm afraid I must agree with Ten Ten on this one, Lee. Although I would gladly and energetically join you on the exercise, it would only be fair if we call it quits for the day." Gai said, attempting to slow down his breath in a casual manner. "For Neji's sake."
Neji cringed. What was this all of a sudden? Pity hour for poor unfortunate Hyuuga Neji? He could easily run the next three laps if it were any other day.
Today…was a different story…
"Alright!" Lee winked, giving a thumbs up and a cheesy grin, despite the lack of everyone's zeal. It occurred to them, not for the first time, that Lee had incredibly white teeth. "We'll definitely waste no time tomorrow! Youthfulness waits for no one, so we must train harder than ever before!"
His enthusiasm was utterly disgusting.
"Yeah, whatever, snowman." Ten Ten shot back, rolling her hazel eyes. The sentence was actually a laughable one, considering that Lee's outfit, in comparison to the snow, really did make him look like a snowman.
…An incredibly muscular snowman…
…With a bowl for a head.
As the taijutsu master crouched to unhook his layers of body weights, Gai shifted towards the distant and (more than usual) brooding Hyuuga prodigy.
Despite being aware of his teacher's nearing presence, Neji made no movements to acknowledge his existence.
Instead, he simply slumped against the frame of a large cherry blossom tree located near the training grounds. A sour look was chiseled on his fine features at what he anticipated would come out of Gai's mouth.
His teacher confirmed his very suspicion.
"It's not like my dark-but-cute little student to retire so easily from training." Gai said, crouching to get in eye level with the Hyuuga. "You're not your hip self today."
Neji grimaced at his teacher's ridiculous words. It was a sure beating Gai wanted for having addressed him so inappropriately.
Lee rejoiced at these phrases.
Hyuuga Neji most certainly could not.
Keeping his white eyes on anything but his teacher, Neji made no sound, no noise, and no movements, other than the ones indicating that he had no patience for fuzzy sharing time that day.
Or any day for that matter.
MOST ESPECIALLY not with Gai.
"You could have run perhaps another five laps, Neji." His teacher pointed out, ignoring the Hyuuga's silent and vivid attempts to brush him off like a fly. "Would you like to discuss your sluggishness with your hipper-than-Kakashi sensei?"
If wishing the ground could swallow him up would make things better, Neji would have wished for the world's biggest quick-sand hole to form right underneath him. The prodigy had never in a million years opened up to the eccentric Gai. No way would he start now.
"You stopped because you were tired and were afraid to admit it." Neji bitter spat. "Don't ever use me as an excuse again."
Gai frowned at the disrespect his pupil had regarded him with. Working with the boy and his tough-guy façade was always so utterly difficult in the past. It seemed that even after the years, he was still facing that problem.
"True, I was quite tired and I didn't want to disappoint my beloved Lee." Gai said, sending googly eyes to his favorite student, before turning back to the prodigy. "And true, I had used you as an excuse…"
"Keh." Neji grunted, interrupting Gai's speech. He had no tolerance for this today.
The sensei, however, was obliged to continue.
"But, it's also true, Neji, that I find you quite distracted today. And more angry than you have been lately. I am quite observant, and these last few days you seemed to be happier. Today was quite the contrast. I don't have to be a Hyuuga genius to figure out that something must have happened in the time frame between yesterday and today."
For a while, Neji barely breathed as his hard white eyes softened.
Happier? Days prior, Hyuuga Neji seemed happier?
Recollecting his fragmented memories, Neji recalled the interviews of last week and how pleasant the time was. He was more likely to swallow a handful of Shino's bugs before admitting it, but deep down, he knew that he was growing quite fond of his pink-haired interviewee. Blame her for the intimacy, but Neji had actually found her presence soothing, addicting, and terribly irresistible. Her tolerance for his dry wit caught him off guard, and her intelligence to match his was astonishingly impressive. Discovering all those things about her made him breathless at how much he actually shared in common with the girl. It scared him a bit to know that there was another person in the world actually worth getting to know, and despite his mind's strongest protests and deliberate listing of cons to his emotions…
He fell for her.
Haruno Sakura had so swiftly stolen his heart, leaving him vulnerable and completely frightened at treading in unfamiliar waters.
Neji scowled all the more at his poker-face let down, and at Gai's discovery.
Truth be told, Neji was happier those past weeks because of the time slot devoted to the pink-haired kunoichi in his daily schedule. He hated himself for admitting it, but being with her brought as much enthusiasm to his dark soul, just as much as fighting gave him that sudden rush of adrenaline. He realized then, that when he was with her…
…He was his happiest.
Hyuuga Neji's life had never been a fairy tale moment from a story book, and he definitely counted more pain than joy. Which was why it was so easy to notice his happiness level was at its peak when he was with her.
For the first time in his life…
Neji was perfectly content.
That of course had drastically changed when Lee had almost caught the two in more intimacy than he had signed for at the beginning of this month's interview. Knowing how Lee would react to seeing them together, Neji had hidden, just so that his friend would not get hurt.
Sakura, however, had interpreted his disappearance in the wrong way, and in turn, was hurt instead.
If indirectly telling her that she was an embarrassment to his reputation (just to cover the real truth) wasn't bad enough, it was worse that all he could do was walk away, knowing full well that it hurt her terribly.
After all, it wasn't the first time someone had rudely walked away from her without saying anything. The Uchiha had scarred her heart with that simple gesture alone.
The Hyuuga had attempted to convince himself over a thousand times that walking away from the pink-haired kunoichi was the wisest thing he did yesterday. As cruel and heartless as that seemed, it was only for the benefit of himself and of course Lee. Hyuuga Neji's role was only supposed to have been an interviewer, a mere pawn in Lee's idiotic attempt to win Sakura's affection.
He hadn't in a million years expected himself to want to win it too.
As much as he felt it was the right thing to do by walking away, he still felt like an ass-hole for causing old wounds to surface again in her repairing heart. He'd said many things during their interview to ease her pain of past loneliness and neglect, only to have hurt her again in the end.
The Hyuuga had exhausted much of his energy that night contemplating whether or not his actions were just, or whether or not he'd just made a huge mistake. It was the reason to his sluggishness that day, and ultimately the spark to Gai's suspicion.
…But of course, being the stubborn Hyuuga he was…
He'd never admit that in the open.
Neji shifted as the cold from the snow beneath him seeped into his pants. With dangerous white eyes, he never let it fail to be known that he was irritated, and vastly uninterested in lingering the conversation. His genius mind had tired from the subject, and he was wondering how much more he could take before he would snap, and perhaps inflict someone with the pain of Divine punishment, just to relieve his accumulating stress.
Sighing, Gai decided that the continuation of pestering the Hyuuga about his problems would lead to nowhere, and that Neji was in no mood to talk. As much as it was important to lighten a burden by sharing, Gai would certainly not risk his life to try to pry it out of the hindering Hyuga.
Instead, Gai converted to a much lighter subject, to brush away the awkward silence.
Turning to admire his prized student from afar, Gai smiled goofily.
"Lee's in quite the good mood today, wouldn't you agree?" he beamed, trying to make light of the situation. Neji continued brooding, barely paying attention to his teacher.
Gai ignored Neji's negativity, and continued to praise his adored pupil.
"My cute student seems to be smitten hard with love." He grinned, quite proud of this declaration. "Must be that attractive kunoichi with the pink hair."
Immediately, Neji felt a terrible twinge of guilt in his gut and he flinched. He turned his white eyes to the side, catching a slight view of Lee chatting happily with himself, laughing at his own jokes, and staring off into the sky, all while blushing madly.
Remembering the events of yesterday, Neji understood and deduced that Lee was overly energetic due to his encounter with Sakura in the marketplace.
Neji had been watching from a distance, and saw how the very presence of the Haruno left the taijutsu master melting in his emotions that he so strongly felt for the girl. That simple moment was able to carry out enough energy even to that day, making him enthusiastic enough to request three more gruesome laps around Konoha.
It irritated Neji because in the past, he would have been appalled at Lee's stupidity.
…Now, experiencing it first-hand…
He understood EXACTLY how the bowl-head felt.
Tightening his fist, Neji was flooded again with emotions of guilt, resentment, and self-disgust.
Why?
Why did Lee just happen to be his best friend?
Why did things take a sharp turn in his life?
Why was it Sakura of all people?
Desperately searching for something to blame, he inwardly pointed fingers at a number of things.
If it weren't for Lee and his moronic fool-hearty plans…
For himself, loosing the wager…
…For that STUPID Question Game…
He would have NEVER been as trapped as he felt that moment.
What a mistake it was to underestimate the power of his male teammate…
Gai frowned at Neji's furrowing eyebrows, misinterpreting the boy's intentions.
"Yes, Neji. Love. You may find it utterly disgusting now, but someday you'll find love and will understand exactly how Lee feels." Gai said, before closing his eyes and grinning. "Ahhh, the beauty of youthful romance…Someday, you'll find someone like Sakura, Neji. Then you'll know what all the fuss is about."
With that, Gai stood up and skipped over to pat Lee on the shoulder, before disappearing in a green tornado.
Neji gulped slightly when his teacher was out of view.
Someone like Sakura? If only that had been the case.
The problem was that he fell for Sakura, and it killed him with jealousy to know that she so-rightly deserved to be with Lee.
…That she would be promised to Lee, after all this was over.
Neji rubbed the back of his neck, a habit he developed when he was overly frustrated. He'd never been well in touch with his emotions, and now that they swarmed his mind, he had no way of dealing with it, other than being an ass to innocent people…
Including his teammates.
After receiving the honored tap on the shoulder from Gai, Lee happily moved to where Neji sat to ask him the matter.
"My eternal rival seems gloomy today. Please tell me what is wrong." Lee said politely, making Neji cringe upon hearing the words 'Eternal Rival'.
Apparently it applied to things OTHER than combat…
Neji took in a deep controlled breath as Ten Ten made her way to complete the trio.
"Ahh, don't worry about him. He's just tired. Probably from eating too much ice cream." Ten Ten retorted with a wink, before vanishing quicker than that Hyuuga had time to react.
For a split second, a horrified look was found on Neji's face, but it was swiftly replaced by an angry glare. She too had figured him out so easily…
What had happened to his great and unfailing Hyuuga poker face?
Lee gave Neji a look that silently questioned Ten Ten's meaning, but it soon evaporated. A look of concern was erected instead.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
Neji gritted his teeth.
"I'm fine."
Being the naive man that he was, Lee instantly radiated at his response.
"That's good to hear."
It was quiet as Lee took a seat next to the Hyuuga. The bowl-head, unable to detect Neji's dropping comfortability level, simply dazed off at the bare branches of the cherry blossom tree.
"Spring time does not come soon enough. I wish these branches would bloom already." He hazily smiled. "They remind me of Sakura."
Neji kept quiet, silently hoping that this 'best friend bonding moment' would fade, so that the remorse wouldn't tear him up inside.
Lee continued to rant, much to the Hyuuga's disappointment.
"I'm sure you find my love sickness completely revolting, but I really think you'll find a special someone someday. Then you'll understand my happiness. And when that day comes, I'll be just as happy for you."
Again, the nice guy pose.
If Neji knew how to cry, this probably would have been the best moment to shed the tears of disgrace of his undeserving friendship with the bowl-head.
Unfortunately for Neji, tears had not been present in his white eyes since the death of his father years ago…
"I also want to thank you, Neji-san, for being so patient with me. I know how annoyed you must be to have to wait on her answers for me ever day. I really appreciate what you're doing for me. I sure hope it pays off. "
Neji continued sinking into the ocean of hopelessness at his predicament.
Truth? Truth? Should he tell the truth?
"Lee…" Neji began harshly, and trailed off, not knowing how to continue. It wasn't exactly the greatest way to save a friendship by adding the lines "Oh by the way, I, Hyuuga Neji, your apparent best friend, have fallen in love with your girl."
Inwardly grumbling when Lee turned his direction, Neji fidgeted in search for words to proceed.
"Yes?"
Neji shrunk in confidence.
"Nothing. I wanted to apologize."
Lee's caterpillar eyebrows shot up.
"Oh? For what?"
This was it. This confession would mark the end of Neji's finely established dignity.
"I…failed to ask Sakura your question yesterday. It skipped my memory."
Neji inwardly shot himself in the head at his lie.
Well, it had not exactly been a lie. He HAD forgotten to ask, at his recollection of yesterday's events.
But those weren't exactly the words he wanted to confess…
Lee smiled, despite Neji's inner turmoil.
"I knew you were a loyal friend, despite what everyone thinks." He said, giving the Hyuuga a teeth-twinkling grin. "I forgive you."
Disgusted by his own selfishness, Neji cringed at Lee's words. The bowl-head was making this harder than anything Neji had ever done before. Certainly no jutsu technique had been this difficult…
Before Neji could continue, Lee broke his sentence by fumbling in his pocket and pulling out two lovely white, silky hair ribbons.
"I want to ask you another favor, Neji-san. I know you're still finishing up the last of the questions, but could you do one thing for me?" he asked.
Neji was speechless.
Nevertheless, he nodded slowly and Lee continued his request.
"Can you accompany me to Sakura's house? I wanted to give her these." He said, waving the ribbons. "I want to start dropping hints that it's me who's been asking all these questions. She will look gorgeous as always in these hair ribbons."
Neji froze at his teammate's invitation when Lee had tuned out momentarily to drift into fantasy mode.
Sakura's house?
After yesterday's incident, he wasn't sure if an encounter with her was the wisest thing to do. He wouldn't blame her one bit if she totally gave him the silent treatment. Seeing her right after their argument would be as folly as a divorced man visiting his ex-wife after the separation.
It wasn't that he didn't want to see her.
He just didn't know if he could take getting cold shoulder from her.
Even though he deserved every bit of it.
Neji quickly began balancing out his choices and his genius intellect automatically wished to settle for declining Lee's offer.
But there was something in the taijutsu master's bulging eyes that pleaded for his accompaniment, and Neji's gut lurched.
The bowl-head had done so much for him in the past, and he looked up to him so respectively.
And even though Neji felt like the scum of the earth, Lee still considered him a good friend.
The LEAST he could do was follow this request, since he pretty much failed at the last one…
Much to Lee's delight, Neji reluctantly nodded after some time.
"Alright." He said, considering it too late to feel regret for his words. "I'll go."
Green eyes fazed him for more time than he would have liked.
"Lee-san. Hyuuga-san. What brings you here?"
Neji felt his ego crumbling with every word that slipped through Sakura's lips, as she stood at her doorway, confused, and inches before them.
Hyuuga-san. He muttered at the thought. Degraded from the high kun pedestal.
She had definitely remembered yesterday's event.
Bringing himself to her doorway took the Hyuuga much more effort than he had thought. Milliseconds from her doorstep, Neji had suddenly felt a creeping timid side to him, a side that was ashamed to be even NEAR her abode. It was ridiculous, really, since he had spent almost an entire MONTH at her doorway, on her couch, and a hair's width from her face without feeling anything.
This visit was different because it would be the first time seeing her after admitting his own feelings.
And it would be the first time he saw her after insulting her reputation.
Awkwardness was sure to surface, and at that, Neji glowered.
Lee, however, remained enthusiastic as ever, oblivious to his teammate's eroding confidence.
"Sakura-san! You look even lovelier each and every time we meet! It's as if spring is still preserved in your eyes!" he preached.
A small, but genuine smile lit up the kunoichi's face.
"Thank you, Lee." Came her light response. "I'm always honored to be graced by your presence."
A dark red flooded the taijutsu master's cheeks and he stuttered for words to respond.
Meanwhile, Neji kept his numb fingers in his sleeves, and his white eyes averted from her piercing gaze. He was suddenly finding it quite difficult to meet her in the eye…
"What honor do you bestow on me by having you fine gentlemen at my door today?" Sakura beamed and inwardly Neji was stunned. Her tone didn't seem as if she were upset at all. Was she pretending?
Lee's face grew hotter as he fumbled his pockets for the prize he was sure would win her affection.
Reaching out, he bowed so that his eyes met his own feet.
"A present for Sakura-san. To help her show off the attractive and NOT overly-sized, beautiful forehead, her finest physical feature. I, Rock Lee, with the accompaniment of Hyuuga Neji, present this gift to you."
Sakura, for a while, was speechless.
Delicate hands fingered the ribbons before taking them from his outstretched palms.
The kunoichi examined the fine hair accessories all while contemplating on the reason behind Lee's sudden acts of generosity.
"It's the most elegant silk in all of Konoha." Lee explained in Sakura's mesmerized state. "I asked Shino to collect it from his father's silk worn farm. Custom made. No other like it."
The taijutsu master's voice reeked of pride for his originality and smooth charm. Gai would certainly be proud enough to add that to his HIP book…
Sakura's mouth was unable to express her thoughts as she silently adored her new possession. These were no ordinary pieces of fabric. The ribbons clearly screamed quality, and the workmanship behind their creation was majestic. It moved beyond her understanding at how something so small and simple could carry such elegance and beauty.
Her green eyes noticed an embossed pattern of tiny kanji characters, repetitively stitching the words Haruno Sakura on one side of the ribbons
They were enchanting.
Realizing that she had been gawking for a full five minutes and that they were still standing out in the cold, Sakura immediately began apologizing for her indecency.
"How rude of me. Please come in, it's kinda cold." She bowed, slightly making way for them to pass through her door.
Lee instantly refused.
"We would dare not impose! You are in the middle of something, and we owe you an apology for disturbing you, dear Sakura-san!" he said, nearly smacking her head in yet another quick bow.
Neji analyzed.
Come to think of it, it was as if they were imposing. Sakura was dressed in an apron and her smooth face was lightly dusted in flour. Her pink hair had been messily spun in two chopsticks with stray hairs framing her innocence, and one hand was gloved in an over-sized baking mitt.
She was in mid-cooking state.
"With fine-looking gentlemen like you at my door, there's no such thing as imposing." she winked at the madly-blushing Lee, who the Hyuuga knew was inwardly fainting at her affectionate gesture. "Please. I would be more offended if you deny my offer."
The door was pushed open further to signal their awaited entry.
"I have hot-chocolate and cookies, too much for a girl like me to binge on alone. Please come in." she pleaded once again, beaming like her usual cheery self.
Neji gave a sideways glance at Lee who made no more oppositions. The Hyuuga had known that his best friend wasn't intending on staying long, but couldn't turn down an offer of being close with the Kunoichi. Her instincts for generous hospitality were surfacing again, and instantly the prodigy was reminded of the very beginning of their month-long interview…
Neji sighed, forcing the thoughts out of his head, and proceeded through the door, the last to enter.
When the door was shut, he moved to the ever-so-familiar living room, where he found Lee politely sitting on the one half of the loveseat, beside Sakura.
…His half.
Desperately trying to smother all accumulating feelings of envy, Neji made his way to sit on the lonely larger couch across the two.
Sakura immediately let her host-instincts immerge, and she began serving the promised hot-chocolate.
Both gratefully accepted, much to her delight.
"I thought you didn't drink hot-chocolate?" Lee suddenly asked his male teammate when he took a long sip.
Neji's first reaction was the throw the mug out the window in shame for being caught in unhealthy eating…
…the second time…
But the calmer side of him kept the mug tucked peacefully in his palms.
"I found reason to like it." He emotionlessly replied, taking another forced sip. His white eyes managed to briefly catch Sakura's green orbs resting on him now, in confusion to his response.
It was either the hot chocolate or his own emotions that let a discomfited heat rise to his face, and the Hyuuga immediately wished to change the subject.
"What do you think of Lee's present?" he blurted out, a tad quicker than his mind could refuse. Truthfully, he wished not to hear of how utterly ecstatic it made her, or how she would treasure it forever. Call it jealousy, but the Hyuuga was honestly not interested.
Sakura's eyes moved back to the lovely ribbons she clutched delicately in her hand. She couldn't put into words how wonderful they were, and how undeserving she was of such a gift. Lee did so much for her, and at random times, it still rained guilt on her for rejecting him so many times before. This was no exception.
She also couldn't understand why Lee would give her such a gift…
…And with Neji, of all people.
"You don't like it?" Lee frowned at Sakura's silence. His bowl head drooped low. "You hate it."
Sakura was on immediate protest.
"No, no, that's not it at all!" she exclaimed. "It's just…"
"Just?"
Sakura paused. She didn't exactly know how to put into words that she felt bad for rejecting him all these years. She didn't want it to seem that she was accepting him now, just because of some elaborate gift.
The kunoichi looked sideways to determine the right words to say.
Instead, she gave a nervous laugh.
"I haven't worn hair ribbons since I was twelve." She smiled. "My big forehead would reflect the sun and blind everyone."
She laughed at her own joke, and stopped when she realized she was the only who was amused.
"You've grown into your forehead, Sakura-san. It's not big anymore. And even when you were twelve, it wasn't THAT big. You're as beautiful as you were then, if not even more gorgeous." Lee winked.
For a brief moment, Neji shot the kunoichi a look that read "I told you so.", but he instantly straightened his face and glanced away. Now was not the time to be smug about his correctness.
As he recovered his aloofness, Lee continued to banter sweet praises of her exquisiteness.
"You have a lovely forehead, Sakura-san and you shouldn't be ashamed of it. It should be your most prized feature!"
Sakura blushed and Neji was sure that she had probably pieced together Lee's part in the entire question game.
Surprise, and more envy, hit him when Sakura handed the ribbons to Lee and smiled instead.
"Will you, then, do the honors of lacing up my hair? My gratitude is forever yours." she chimed, as if officially dubbing a knight.
Neji's breath dropped as Lee excitedly jumped behind the couch for easier access to her hair. A fire burned in his eyes as he struck a preposterous pose.
"I shall do my best to expose Sakura-san's wonderful forehead for the world to fall in love with!" he declared, scooping up the ribbons in his hands and immediately getting to work.
Sakura sat contentedly and patiently on the couch, purposefully keeping her eyes away from the ominous Hyuuga across her, all while Lee ferociously played with her hair. With the same speed as some of his taijutsu techniques, his fingers removed the chopsticks, and pulled her loose bangs back.
Contrary to his goofiness, he was actually quite good.
While Lee worked, Neji shot his eyes away. It was rather childish of him, but seeing the way his best friend touched Sakura made a deep gut-wrenching hole in him that forced him to no longer control his feelings of covetousness. He suddenly began to understand why Naruto had been so jealous of Sasuke.
Get a hold of yourself, Hyuuga… Neji inwardly scolded. They deserve each other.
After what seemed to be an eternity of hell for the Hyuuga, Lee finally finished.
The bowl-head touched Sakura's shoulders, making Neji flinch.
"See how beautiful you look in the mirror."
Following his instructions, Sakura got up and peered at her reflection. A smile lit up her face.
"Wow, Lee. It looks…good."
She turned her head from side to side, as if examining an extravagant hairdo for a festival or wedding, all while letting a satisfied grin plaster itself on her face. After moments of admiration, she turned to approvingly beam at Lee.
"I like it."
His knees nearly buckled and he was instantly pumped with more energy, perhaps enough to run Konoha's power generators for months. He turned to Neji to flash yet another blinding smile.
"Tell her how pretty she looks!" Lee shouted in all his excitement at the flat Hyuuga.
Neji inwardly grumbled at what his best friend had indirectly forced him to do.
Reluctant to meet her gaze, Neji unwillingly took a glance at the pink-haired kunoichi, at Lee's instruction.
It wasn't like a movie, where cheesy stars and roses hovered in the background, while everything slowed down upon their eye contact. It wasn't like his jaw dropped to the floor at how stunning she looked.
Everything was normal.
Except, he really did think she looked gorgeous.
But of course, who was HE to say that?
"It's nice." He said dully, forcing his eyes back on his mug.
Lee frowned, and for the thousandth time, Neji wanted to drown his head in a sewer.
The second major blow to Sakura's ego.
Ouch.
Before any of them could speak, a dominant DING was heard in Sakura's kitchen. She wiped her hands on her apron in remembrance of her prior duties.
"Oh, I'm sorry. That's my food calling me. Hinata asked me to be in charge of food for her New Year's party and I have a lot to cook. So I'm prepping early." She bowed before rushing into the kitchen.
Lee followed like a lovesick puppy.
"Well, I guess this should be our cue to leave, Sakura-san. I'm sure you are quite irritated of us already." He said, nodding at her. She shook her head.
"No way. You two made my day. Thank you very much."
As Sakura escorted them all to the door, Lee began to take notice of his fellow teammate's lethargy.
"Neji-san. Aren't you coming?"
Sakura let her gaze fall upon the hesitating Hyuuga who remained quietly leaning against a wall. She too was curious at his insistence on staying.
As both the bowl-head and the kunoichi waited on Neji's reluctant answer, Lee finally began to clue in.
"Oh, I understand." Lee spoke, turning around to face the door.
Neji froze and slightly took a breath, preparing himself for the long explanation of the rather complex situation. Telling Lee about his feelings for the girl he loved dearly wouldn't exactly be such a walk in the park…
"Lee…" he began, almost collapsing at his light-headedness. There were just too many things to be said, and if he said them all, Sakura too would discover his feelings.
Was he ready for that?
To his utmost relief, the taijutusu master cut him off and spun around, blinding his Byaakugan eyes with another toothy grin and a bushy-browed wink.
"You have an appointment with Sakura-san, remember! Neji-san! I can't believe how forgetful you are becoming! Springtime youthfulness certainly does not come to last very long!" he chuckled, making the Hyuuga discover his mistake. Lee had been referring to the question that Neji had forgotten to ask yesterday, and was politely and discreetly reminding him to do so.
Neji was a hair's width of blurting the unnecessary truth.
Grateful for keeping his mouth shut, Neji shifted his eyes to his bowlheaded teammate.
It was true.
Lee was a naïve, naïve little man.
Love had struck him rather hard.
Before Neji could further explain himself to the expectant kunoichi, Lee saluted (quite loudly) his departure.
"Sakura-san!" he pledged, taking her hand and pecking a tiny kiss. "I shall cherish this moment until we meet again!"
With that, he vanished in a whirlwind of pure white.
"Lee knows?" Sakura asked suddenly, after the bowl-head's departure. "About our interview?"
She attempted to sound bored, but the Hyuuga could read that it surprised her more than ever. Especially since Neji had, from the beginning, tried to cover the fact that he had been secretly seeing the girl for the past month.
Neji was quiet before replying dully. It was high time he started cluing the girl in on the big picture of the plan, since she was bound to find out in two days anyway.
"I have nothing to hide."
A silent moment drifted over the two remaining shinobis, before Sakura finally made her nervous movements to close the door. She moved slowly, and for a long while, Neji's view of her face was obstructed.
However, when she fully turned to face him, the Hyuuga was rendered breathless.
She was smiling.
"Your question today, Neji-kun. What would you like to know?"
With wide white eyes, Neji failed to hide that he was quite stunned at her kindness…
… and sudden affection.
Kun?
He lingered in shock as she brushed past him towards the couches, their normal interview office.
It was as if nothing had changed.
At least, on her part.
Composing himself, he turned to find her sitting patiently, hands folded, knees together, and apron mounted neatly beside her. Green eyes stared at him with an unreadable aura.
Sakura?
It was difficult, for the Hyuuga, to determine the true atmosphere at the moment, despite his excellent analysis skills. The emotion Sakura radiated wasn't angry, or resentful, but rather quiet, content, and serene.
Was this perhaps the calm before the storm she would break out into?
Neji didn't know why, but he couldn't speak.
Instead, he intently stared.
And quite surprisingly, she stared back.
Stop gawking at her, moron. Neji reprimanded himself. Apologize for yesterday…
"I'd like to apologize for how I reacted yesterday." Sakura suddenly spoke, catching the Hyuuga off guard.
What? She had beat him to it?
Unable to respond, he allowed time for the girl to continue.
"I'm sorry. I haven't acted that way since I was twelve. It's not the first time I was told that I was annoying or an embarrassment. People told me I was an embarrassment to team seven all the time." She said, her voice growing softer as her head came down. "I guess, when I knew that you were thinking that, I got scared. I didn't want people to think that way of me anymore, especially you. I got defensive, and I wasn't sensitive to pick up that perhaps I was embarrassing you. I mean, who am I to be hanging around an honorable Hyuuga…"
It was slight, and if Neji hadn't paid attention, he would have missed the fact that Sakura's voice had began to tremble. He lost all sight of her eyes as they hid beneath the shadows of her hung head.
"I don't blame you for being ashamed to be seen with me. I've just… forgotten how it was like to have close company from someone as close as a teammate. If I seemed clingy or needy, it's just because I missed having someone to talk to. I didn't like to pry about the identity of the person responsible for this question game, simply because I enjoyed your company too much. I was afraid that if I found out who was asking the questions, the game would be over, and I wouldn't see you again. You just being there everyday made me happy. If I seemed annoying with my answers, it's only because I wanted to prolong the interaction between us. For that, I'm sorry."
Neji was winded for words as he was engulfed with aching guilt. It gnarled at his insides, making him regret the day he had ever come to her door.
He couldn't imagine how lonely the girl must have been. To his recollection, she was probably one of the only few ninjas without such a tragic childhood. Others shunned her, because of the mentality that pain made a person strong. Since she was a happy child, with both loving parents and no problems, everyone assumed she would be destined weak.
But like the late bloomer that she was, pain surfaced later on in life, rather than childhood.
Team seven had died the moment Sasuke stepped foot outside of Konoha territory. With his departure, Naruto soon followed, hoping to obtain enough power to retrieve the missing nin. After that, everything fell apart for the girl. Kakashi began receiving ANBU missions, seeing as how one person hardly qualified as a team for him to tutor. Tsunade was far too busy with Hokage work, and everyone else seemed too preoccupied with the burdens of Shinobi life with their team.
Neji never realized this…
…But she was alone.
For several long years, she had no constant. There wasn't even a SINGLE person she saw on a regular basis, no one relatively close enough call a teammate. Even though Tsunade had been mentoring her, requested tasks by the Hokage would take days. The duo only met when a task was complete and when a new task would be presented.
For Sakura, there was no one.
He suddenly began to sympathize with her. She had it far worse than anyone else. For the tragedies of his own father, Sasuke's family, Kakashi's past… The beloved people had not chosen to leave. If given the alternative, they would have lived in happiness with the ones who loved them…
But for Sakura, ALL her loved ones had chosen to be away from her. They had deliberately chosen to leave, and in that, Sakura's tragedy far exceeded the pain of them all.
Amazed, Neji glanced from afar.
This young woman had managed to overcome her wounds with no affect on her character at all. Like so many years ago…
She still had that smile on her face.
Damning himself, it occurred to Neji that to her, this interview was far more significant than a silly question game. It meant far greater than smart comebacks, witty remarks, and dry sarcasm. She valued this time for more than just the flattery of knowing another person had an interest in her…
This interview?
It was Sakura, making up for lost time.
Neji inwardly sighed.
This too, had become so much more meaningful to him than a mere game.
This interview?
It was Neji, discovering himself, far more than any self-assessment test or peer evaluations.
Neji was just as grateful for the question game as she.
Masking his sensitivity, the prodigy grunted.
Being the guy that he was, the Hyuuga, unable to carry on the atmospheric moment, retorted in the only way he knew how.
Sarcasm.
"Stupid woman." He spoke, though with no venom at all. "If you were afraid that you wouldn't be able to see me after this idiotic interview is over, then you're wrong as usual."
The kunoichi's emerald eyes enlarged as she looked up to see him smirking…
The first thing she saw in him that was relative to smile.
"Who else is intelligent enough to carry on a decent conversation with me?" he said, turning around so that she wouldn't see the madd red hue slapped over his cheeks.
What am I saying?
Sakura barely blinked. Was she hearing this correctly? Was it some sort of genjutsu? Hyuuga Neji had indirectly informed her that their friendship would go past the borderlines of the question game time frame.
She stuttered for words to clarify her thinking.
"Neji-kun… Then…" she began but was interrupted by his irritated sigh.
"Woman, you were the academy's second graduating top rookie. Don't make me spell it out for you."
Sakura forced a satisfied breath.
Hyuuga Neji had just accepted the formality of their official friendship and that he was willing to see her even after their game was over.
Forgetting everything that had plagued her mind moments before, she smiled that oh-so-familiar smile, in silent gratitude for his character.
Perhaps she wasn't so alone anymore.
Neji rubbed the back of his neck as the smile faded from his lips, regaining the serious atmosphere.
"Look, if we forget the whole thing yesterday, can we still continue like nothing happened?"
For some unknown reason, when Neji had asked, his voice made him appear to be pleading. He had seriously wanted to maintain this friendship, knowing full well that it would be the closest he would ever be able to get with the girl.
As much as he hated to admit it, in his book, she belonged with Lee.
It would take some adjusting, but he could live with that. It was only right.
Neji realized then that he loved the girl a deal and was willing to let her go to be with the person he competed with most.
It was stupid, really, especially for the Hyuuga who had tried all his life to get everything he wanted.
But sacrifice was real love.
And love made people do crazy things.
So Neji decided then and there that he would leave Sakura for Lee.
However…
For the time remaining, he would cherish it for what it would be worth.
And for Neji…
It was worth everything.
After all of Neji's roaming thoughts, Sakura spoke in all her gentleness, responding to his request.
"Quit coasting, Hyuuga, and ask your question already." She slyly remarked. "I have things to do."
Author's stuff: Yeah, long. And the day's not even over. Man, I was stuck on THE BIGGEST WRITER'S BLOCK ever. I was unclear about what I'd write in the details but I had the main gist of what was going on. The main things I wanted to cover in this chapter was a)Some Lee/Saku stuff as promised (hey I felt bad for the guy! Give me a break!) b)Neji's growing envy with Lee. c)Neji's acceptance of having 'lost' Sakura. d)Sakura's painful past. e)Their mutual understanding of friendship. And f)The agreement that he would still see her after the game ended, so that she wouldn't feel lonely anymore.
The next chap should be the actual ASKING of the 2 questions he has now.
And it should be a little less intense than this.
Zarrah-chan
Reviews please!