When Kakashi asked Sakura to meet him for lunch at the Ramen place, she was more than a little surprised, not to mention suspicious. First of all, she had been back from the Snow Country almost a week and it was the first contact she had had with him. Secondly, she didn't mean to put her teacher down, but quite frankly he was cheap and there he was offering to pay. That alone was enough to set off warning bells in her head. But the most bizarre of all was what she saw when she entered the Ramen place.
There, seated at the counter with his nose buried in a perverted book and an empty ramen bowl in front of him was Kakashi.
"Kakashi-sensei what are you doing here?" She asked, quite literally shocked that he was there first.
"Aside from catching up on some reading," he said, his eye never leaving the page, "I was waiting for you. You're late."
Inner Sakura exploded. You show up on time once in the four years I've known you and you have the nerve to tell me I'm late? For all the hours you've kept me waiting I could have written a hundred of those perverted books you like so much!
Beneath his mask, the corners of Kakashi's mouth twitched in a smile at her expression. "Don't worry, you still beat Naruto here," he said to her, closing his book.
Sakura turned around to see the spiky-haired blond stroll into the Ramen place.
"Hey, how come you didn't tell me Sakura-chan was going to be here?" Naruto wanted to know.
"I didn't? I must have forgotten about that," Kakashi said, his tone indicating it was an obvious lie.
Naruto, not seeming to offended by it, went and ordered a large bowl of pork ramen.
"I thought now that Sakura isn't away on any missions and that you've had some time to re-adjust to Konoha life," he added, looking at Naruto, "that it was time we discussed reforming Team 7."
"Finally!" Naruto exclaimed, launching a triumphant fist into the air. "I've been asking Granny Tsunade since I've been back to send me on a mission and she always scowls and says no."
Kakashi looked over at Sakura to gauge her reaction to the news but her face was expressionless. If Kakashi didn't know better he would say she was less than pleased by his announcement.
"I've talked this over with Tsunade," Kakashi went on as Naruto's order arrived, "and she agrees. Although we have recovered our numbers somewhat since Orochimaru's attack, we are still short ninja teams with skills above the Genin level. Sakura, I know you've worked closely with Gai's team but now that the option is open to create another three man team, you must understand why it's necessary," said Kakashi, his voice softening. "Tsunade tells me that Tenten's healing skills have improved significantly, and with her passing the first of her medical exams, having two medic-nins on one team is not practical."
"I understand, Kakashi-sensei."
It didn't escape Kakashi the reluctance in her voice when she spoke.
"So what's our first mission?" Naruto asked excitedly.
"I'll tell you that tomorrow when we meet at the bridge for nine o'clock."
"Do Lee, Tenten and Neji already know?" Sakura asked.
"I've talked with Gai, but I thought I'd leave the rest up to you," Kakashi said. "Well, I have to get going," he said, standing up. "I'll see you two tomorrow."
"Wait! You said you'd treat us to lunch," Naruto cried, already on his third bowl.
Kakashi scratched the back of his head. "I did? I must have forgotten about that."
He vanished in a cloud of white smoke, leaving a scowling Sakura to cover Naruto's meal.
One couldn't help but feel a little intimated by the towering Hyuuga mansion. At the same time it was an impressive site that took Sakura's breath away. All the time she had spent with Neji, he had never once mentioned the place, and Hinata never talked about her home either.
Still, Sakura felt more awkward than anything else when she banged the Hyuuga family crest knocker against the front door.
The knocking was answered promptly by a middle-aged woman who looked to be a servant.
She shot Sakura a skeptical look. "May I help you?"
"Is Hinata home?"
The woman slightly bowed her head and left Sakura standing there while she went in search of the younger Hyuuga.
A few minutes later Hinata appeared in the doorway, looking thoroughly surprised to see Sakura standing there. The shock faded quickly and she smiled at the other girl. "Would you like to come in?"
"No, that's okay. I just had something I wanted to ask you," Sakura said, feeling more uncomfortable by the second.
Hinata stepped outside and shut the front door behind her. "What is troubling you, Sakura-chan?"
Hinata blushed immediately and Sakura smiled despite herself. "It sounds like you and Naruto have been spending time together since he got back," she teased.
"We – I – perhaps…" Hinata trailed off embarrassedly, her index fingers pressed together.
Sakura decided to spare the other girl any more humiliation – she would save that for Naruto. All that time he spent sticking his nose into her love life she planned on giving it right back to him. "I'm here because I need to ask you something personal."
Hinata regarded her carefully for a moment before saying, "let's go to the garden. There's less chance of us being overheard there."
Surrounded by the lush foliage of exotic plants and flowers, made Sakura feel less exposed than when they had been out in the open for anyone to see them. Before she lost her nerve, she started talking. "I know there are secrets of the Hyuuga clan that you can't reveal to non-family members, but since some of your traits are common knowledge I figured you would be the best person to ask." The last part wasn't exactly true, but there was no way she could talk to the other person about this."
"What is it you wish to know?"
"I know the Byakugan is primarily used for scouting or for sensing attacks, but is there maybe another use for it?" Now it was Sakura's turn to blush.
Hinata's brows knitted together. "What do you mean?"
Inner Sakura cursed. Hinata was going to make her say it out loud. "Can it be used to transmit feelings or emotions?"
"It is possible. When the Byakugan is activated, the chakra of the body is released. The more intense the feelings the more likely they will be transmitted with a simple touch. Sometimes this can happen unconsciously. It's normally an intimate thing shared between two people. Why do you ask? I was unaware you even knew – oh." Comprehension suddenly dawned on Hinata and she stared at Sakura. There was really only one person the pink-haired shinobi could have experienced that with. "I had no idea you and Neji-nii-san were like that."
"No, we are most certainly not like that," Sakura said instantly. "It was an accident. I don't think he even realized what he was doing."
If it were anyone else, they probably wouldn't have believed her, but the Hyuuga took her words as the truth. "You were just curious and wanted to know more about the powers of the Byakugan, correct?"
Sakura nodded. More than ever, she was grateful Hinata was not the type of person to tease excessively.
"There is a book that explains in detail the uses of the Byakugan," Hinata began in a shy voice.
Sakura blinked. "There's a book on it?"
Hinata nodded. "You could borrow it if you like. I doubt my father or anyone else would notice its absence."
Sakura felt her face grow redder as Hinata led her back to the house. She quickly reminded herself that it was out of curiousity only. She repeated that thought over and over as Hinata re-emerged from the house with a book tucked inside her jacket.
"It would probably be best if Neji-nii-san did not know you had this," she said handing the book over. "He's on the other side of the house right now, training with my father – "
"He's training?" Sakura cut in, all embarrassment forgotten. "He's supposed to be resting. Tsunade isn't reevaluating his condition for a few more days." She was going to give him hell later. She hadn't wasted all those hours making sure he didn't die of blood loss so he could carelessly die out of stupidity.
As she tucked the book inside her Chuunin jacket, Hinata said, "I will not speak of this conversation to anyone. Not even Naruto," she said with a shy smile.
Sakura left, feeling less humiliated than she thought she would at speaking to Hinata. At least there was one Hyuuga she could converse with without losing her temper or making a fool of herself.
Neji looked at himself in the mirror and grimaced. Though any external markings of the injury were gone, his muscles had yet to recover fully. After his sparring session with Hiashi, he could barely lift his arm up past his elbow. Tsunade had warned him of what would happen if he pushed himself too far too soon. She had even gone so far as to warn about the lasting damage using the Byakugan or Jyuuken fighting style would cause without allowing his chakra paths to fully heal. But Neji found it disagreeable to sit around and pretend to be weak. Perhaps, he had over done it with Hiashi though…
From the washroom he heard a knock sound from his door. He frowned. He rarely had visitors and no one from the main house tended to come to his door, except for Hiashi. But he knew Hiashi to be in a closed-door negotiation between Hyuuga and other prominent clan in Konoha. When the knocking persisted, he went to answer it.
Only years of learning to hide his true feelings allowed him to hide his surprise at seeing Haruno Sakura on his doorstep.
"What are you doing here?" He said, his voice coming out harsher than he had intended.
Sakura was not intimated. "I just thought I'd stop by and see if you were still in one piece after your training."
Neji's eyes widened and then narrowed. Sakura had been there in the hospital room when Tsunade had ordered him to refrain from any physical training until she reexamined him. Though he was curious as to how she had found out about his activities. Had she been spying on him? He quickly discarded that absurd thought. However, it was not her business what he did and he was certainly not going to lie about what he had been doing.
"Obviously, you've wasted your time coming here," he said coldly.
She matched his tone. "I don't think so. Show me your arm."
Neji refused, his eyes narrowing dangerously at her.
Sakura smirked. "I could always drop by and tell Tsunade about how you disobeyed a direct order to rest."
Inner Sakura whooped in triumph as Neji desisted, knowing the Hokage would pull him off active duty longer if need be. Ignoring his cold stare, she rolled up the sleeve on his arm. With her palms down she let her hands hover above his arm. Then she placed her palms over his chest and repeated the same examination.
Frowning, she looked up at him and said, "for someone who's supposed to be a genius you really are stupid."
"For someone who's supposed to be a medic-nin, you treat your patients horribly," he shot back.
"No, just you," she said smugly.
"Are you finished?" He said, with an air of impatience. He could feel the muscles inside his arm twitching and moving as she worked.
"Almost," she responded, serious again. "You strained some of the tissue that was newly healed." She didn't know how he was standing there without grimacing in pain. "How does it feel now?"
"Fine."
She sighed. She should have known better than to expect any sort of human response from him. He would probably die before admitting he was in pain.
He watched her as she worked. He could see how frustrated he had made her and again it made him wonder why she had been occupying his thoughts much more than he liked. She was over emotional and tended to say what was on her mind without holding back. She was by far the most annoying person he had ever met. It was amazing how they were able to get along long enough to complete a mission. He did not feel indebted to her because she had likely saved his life in the Snow Country, but he also could not deny the emotions she stirred within him when he allowed it. Damn it, what was wrong with him anyways?
She removed her hands from his arm and was speaking to him but he couldn't hear a single word she was saying. Ignoring the rational voice inside his head, he acted impulsively for one of the few times in his life. Before the reality of his actions could sink in, he pressed his lips against Sakura's. He could feel her resistance and surprise before responding to the kiss, her lips pressing back against his.
When Neji's rational side finally kicked in and he understood what was happening, he grabbed her arms and pushed her away. Of course she would be horrified by what he had done, Neji was sure of that. If anything, she had never tried to hide her dislike of him. It was confirmed when she ran out of there without looking back.