Thanks for your reviews, guys; it built up my confidence enough to publish the next chapter. We'll see how this goes. For some reason, this chapter felt a little awkward to write. I think it's because Sasuke's getting a little emotional. A very little.
Copyright and all that: I think I should probably mention that I really don't own Naruto. I'm not owner/creator/manga-author…but I am this fanfic's author. Now if I owned Naruto, we'd be seeing a lot more of Neji. And Sasuke too.
Notice: Yes, there is yaoi here. No, they shouldn't be acting OOC…besides the yaoi part, of course. No, they haven't even kissed yet.
sylver rain: My first reviewer! You need a badge. I was trying to make both as IC as possible, I'm glad it looked that way to you.
Rebel-blah-blah-blah: Thanks for the encouragement. SasuNeji is my favorite, and there's just not enough of it. Oh well…I'll just have to change that…
Midnight-Sunset: Thanks! I figured Neji would be more likely to initiate some interest…and I just like him. So hot.
Chapter 3- "Morning Light"
Sasuke ignored the many doctors and nurses running around through the Konoha hospital. Yesterday, when he had carried the unconscious Hyuuga into the hospital, the other boy had been snatched away by the doctors for medical treatment. Sasuke had nearly collapsed from chakra exhaustion and therefore been sent home. Early this morning, the doctors had refused to let Sasuke visit, but the Uchiha had not given up. He gone straight to Tsunade and demanded he be given visiting rights. For some reason, the Hokage had allowed him entrance. He walked down the sterile white halls of the hospital, checking the room numbers for Neji's. Upon finding it, he hesitated a moment, then pushed the door open.
What he saw did not comfort him. Neji was lying in the bed, bandages wrapped around his bare ribcage. The Hyuuga was tossing and turning, with sweat pouring down his face. Sasuke turned to get a doctor as the nurse entered the room.
"Has he been like this since yesterday?" Sasuke demanded.
"Yes, he got an infection from the wounds in his back. He's got a high fever."
Sasuke stood motionless in the room. Now that he was here, he didn't know what to do. Neji protected me. And now he's hurt. No one's ever protected me before. Last night, Sasuke had felt anger at Neji for endangering himself. Sasuke didn't need anyone to protect him! But then he realized, he'd have done the same for the white-eyed boy in front of him. The nurse looked busy and distracted while she wandered around Neji's room.
"If you need to go, I can stay with him," Sasuke heard himself offer.
The nurse stopped, looking back and forth between the Hyuuga and the Uchiha, "Well…alright. But if he changes at all, call me."
"Hn."
Sasuke seated himself in the uncomfortable chair at Neji's side as the nurse left hurriedly. Neji's forehead was dripping with sweat, and he tossed every now and again. Sasuke took a cloth lying beside the bed and mopped Neji's forehead. He noticed Neji's usually lustrous hair was dull and soaked. Sasuke just sat there, unsure of what to do, but not wanting to leave. He sat…and watched. The boy before him had annoyed him to no end for the last five days. He had flirted with him, teased him, and been generally infuriating. Sasuke felt his teeth grit again, Why did Neji have to take those hits? I'm just another shinobi. He leaned a little closer to the restless Hyuuga.
"Arigato, Neji-kun."
Sasuke awoke early on the third day after Neji's hospitalization. Tsunade had declared a free day for the Academy. Some jounin meeting or something. Sasuke stepped into the bath, letting the warm water enfold his limbs. He rested with his head on the back of the tub, letting his eyes close. An image of Neji rose unbidden, "I think you were enjoying it too much to continue it... So, only one so far, Sasuke-chan?...Are you alright, Sasuke?" Sasuke felt his lips quirk a bit; the picture of concern on Neji's face was…what? What am I thinking? Sitting up in the now lukewarm water, Sasuke's face was still frozen, but his mind scrambled for answers. Thinking about Neji had made him uneasy over the other boy's condition. He'd go see him. Sasuke stepped out of the bath and threw on some clothes, giving his hair a quick dry with the towel. He threw the towel to the side and left.
On his way over, Sakura appeared out of nowhere, "Hi, Sasuke-kun! Naruto and I are going to Ichiraku. Would you like to come? Lee, Hinata, and Tenten are coming too."
He kept walking, "No. I'm going to see Neji."
He could almost feel the surprise on Sakura's face, but he didn't turn around. At least she wasn't trying to beg him, as she would have not so long ago. He felt her chakra vanish, probably as she went back to Ichiraku.
As he opened the door to the hospital, the head nurse looked up. Seeing Sasuke, she smiled and motioned for him to go on. It had become a pattern. Every day after training, Sasuke would show up at the hospital. The head nurse would wave him on; Neji's nurse would leave to make her rounds, leaving the Uchiha with her patient. Yesterday, the nurse had asked him to stay a bit longer, since she had a patient with a bad case of…something. He just grunted; he didn't mind. It had been far past midnight before the nurse returned, and she'd found him resting with his head on Neji's bed.
Finding Neji's room, he simply walked in without knocking as he always did. The nurse stood up, smiled at him, and left to make her rounds. Sasuke settled himself into the chair, leaning back and resting. Why am I here? he asked himself. He moved the chair a little closer to Neji and looked. The Hyuuga seemed to be quieter and less restless than before. Sasuke leaned back once again.
The door opened slowly, and Sakura stuck her head in. Behind her appeared Naruto, Hinata, Lee, and Tenten.
"Konnichiwa, Sasuke-kun," Sakura whispered. "We thought since you wanted to see Neji, we'd stop by here as well. We brought you some ramen."
Sasuke crushed the irrational feeling of disappointment in his stomach. He hated to admit it, even to himself, but he enjoyed just staying in the room, just he and Neji. It was peaceful, something that Sasuke prized.
"Arigato," he mumbled, accepting the bowl they proffered.
"H-he looks so p-pale," Hinata whispered, going to her cousin's side.
Sasuke grunted, "It's an infection. He looks better today than he did yesterday."
Naruto turned and cocked an eye at him, "You were here yesterday, too?"
Sasuke shot him a silencing glare. The Kyuubi-holder, of course, ignored it.
"So that's where you've been getting off to every night," he continued.
"Visiting the brave boy who saved your life, Sasuke?" said Lee, dramatic as always. "It's a wonderful idea!"
Sasuke's eyes slitted at the Taijutsu master, "Well, since no one else was visiting him…"
The others blushed, looking away. Hinata seemed unsettled, seeing her cousin lying helpless in a hospital room. Sakura noticed she was starting to shake. Tenten moved to her other side, and the two kunoichi helped the Hyuuga girl into a chair.
"I-I haven't come b-because I didn't w-want to see him like this," she whispered, almost to herself.
Tenten and Sakura shot Sasuke angry looks. He felt a twinge of guilt but didn't say anything. He just sat back down in the chair and stayed silent. The rest of the hour was spent in uncomfortable silence or quiet whispers. Sasuke completely ignored any attempt to talk with him. He was feeling cheated out of his time with Neji, and he didn't want to have the others around then. When did I get so possessive? He's not even awake. And why should I care? Nevertheless, he couldn't shake the sullen mood that had overtaken him. Sakura looked around, realizing this was not turning out the way she had hoped.
"Come on, Hinata. We should get you home. Remember, you and Ino and I are going shopping later. You can come too, Tenten."
The weapon shinobi made a face, "No, thank you."
In some form or another, all of them made their way outside, leaving Sasuke alone with the still-sleeping Neji. Sasuke held in his sigh of relief, standing up and pacing.
What is going on? Why am I all of a sudden drawn to Neji? It's a day off, I could be anywhere. So why is here the only place I feel comfortable?
"Sas…uke?"
The Uchiha's dark eyes snapped open, and he looked over at the bed, "You're awake."
Neji nodded, still exhausted. His white eyes were heavy-lidded and almost fluttering. Sasuke laid his hand on Neji's forehead and then dropped it to the covers. His fever's broken.
"Why…are you here?" Neji asked, tiredly.
"Visiting."
"Arigato, Sasuke-kun," said the Hyuuga, and his eyes closed in sleep again.
Sasuke was about to stand up to get the nurse, when he realized Neji's hand had come out of the covers and grasped his own. His other hand lifted hesitantly and covered both.
"Sleep well, Neji-kun."