The Art of Deception

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Author's Note: Thanks again for the wonderful reviews! I'm so happy (eh, I'm always happy, but still...) that you like this story that much! I hope you enjoy this new chapter, even if it is kind of short. I had major writer's block. (P.S.-- Sorry for the long wait!)

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Scroll III: Symphony of Sound

Where are you now?
As I'm swimming through the stereo,
I'm writing you a symphony of sound...

-- Jack's Mannequin; The Mixed Tape

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Wham!

Sakura burst into laughter as Neji broke the tree limb he'd run into in half with an angry growl. Damn thing. In my way. He reached up to gingerly feel the growing bruise on his cheekbone. It hurt, damn it all. Worse, he'd looked like a complete fool in front of Sakura, who was still throwing her head back in throes of mirth. It wasn't his fault, exactly; they were walking along the path normally (they were inside Lightning, and their act had officially begun, so they couldn't act like shinobi) and he had casually glanced at his companion. Her eyes had been closed as she inhaled the scent of the clearing around them, and her silky pink hair had a sunlit sheen to it from the rays peeking from the leaves of the trees above them. To put it simply, she'd looked gorgeous, and as a typical male, he'd gotten distracted, and, well…

Fucking tree.

Sakura's laughter dissolved into giggles. "N-Natsu-kun, I didn't know you c-could be that c-c-clumsy," she stuttered, laughing more than talking, eyes alight with humor.

He grimaced. "It was an accident."

"But s-still… y-you should never be so unobservant!" she nearly shrieked with another bout of giggles, putting an affectionate hand on his arm. Her touch, though mostly to steady herself than comfort him, was warm and friendly, and he relaxed slightly.

"Ano, at least I didn't trip over a pebble," he countered with a smirk, remembering her klutzy fall from a couple hours back.

She tried to scowl at him, but her happiness interrupted the would-be-anger. "Oh, whatever. We're almost atLightning anyway, and we shouldn't disrupt the villagers with our lover's quarrels, should we?" She smiled at him easily, reminding him of the mission.

He sighed. "Hai. There's the town square, over there." They were already passing lines of houses and hotels, and even the occasional shop or grocery. People were traveling down the streets happily, normal citizens and shinobi alike. He grabbed her hand and entwined his fingers with hers, reminding himself forcefully that it was for the mission. She didn't seem to flinch at his touch, and even squeezed his hand slightly. "Where are we staying again, Kane-chan?"

Sakura took a typed paper out of her pocket and unfolded it with one hand, the other one still laced with Neji's. "Ano… the Mizu Inn. It's not too far from here, I think." She pointed to an attractive-looking building a little ways away. "That's it."

"Doesn't look too bad," Neji replied, looking around at the people. The two weren't really attracting any unusual attention, except for Sakura. Guys their age (and even older and younger, which made Neji both gag and fume) were eyeing her with nothing short of want. Neji growled for the second time in ten minutes, drawing his 'engaged' closer to him and wrapping an arm around her waist with a possessive smirk to the onlookers, who scowled and rolled their eyes and mumbled to themselves angrily.

Sakura gave a small squeak at their closeness. Well, we are supposed to be engaged, I guess… With that thought in mind and a light blush on her cheeks, she laced his fingers with her own, squeezing his hand with a radiant smile. "Come on, Natsu-kun, I want to see our hotel!" Still smiling, she tugged on his hand and started running towards the inn, dragging him behind her.

The stiff Hyuuga couldn't help but grin at her obvious excitement. This girl was a walking oxymoron… bright and happy with a quick temper; fierce and powerful with love and caring instincts and a heart on her sleeve. He shook his head in amusement as they neared the building, noticing that many were stopping and smiling with murmurs of 'young love' and 'isn't it wonderful?', and looked at his companion, the small smile still on his face. She was beautiful, and with the ecstatic smiles they had on their faces, it was an amazingly good act that they were performing.

Unless it isn't an act, Neji mused with a twinge of disbelief. No, no, it is an act. At least, it is for me. And it is for her, too. He frowned slightly. Damn it, Haruno Sakura, what are you doing to me?

Breathless and happy, Sakura entered the inn, still towing Neji along like a faithful dog. They walked up to a mahogany desk with an old woman in a beautiful but casual kimono behind it. "Konnichiwa. Can I help you?"

"Ano… hai," Sakura answered, panting slightly. The elderly woman smiled at the red in their cheeks and their heaving chests. "We have a reservation, I think… under Watanabe Kane?"

The woman behind the desk flipped through a folder and smiled. "Ah, ah, hai. You reserved a premium, single-bed room with a balcony."

Sakura and Neji were struck dumb. Tsunade had gotten them a premium room? A single-bed room? "Aa," Neji recovered swiftly, "that must be right. My aunt reserved it for us to celebrate our engagement." He put a hand on Sakura's shoulder and squeezed it gently. The pink kunoichi nearly growled. I am going to kill Tsunade-shishou...

"Oh, how sweet!" the woman exclaimed. "I'll have someone escort you to your room, shall I? Ano… Keichi!" She motioned to a man a little older than them with black hair drawn into a ponytail and square reading glasses tucked in his pocket, wearing a plain white yukata.

He nodded to them pleasantly and took their cases, leading them up the stairs of the old-fashioned inn. "You are in room 308," he announced, taking two keys from his pocket. "Here you are," he said, giving one to each of them and opening the door with his own key.

"Domo arigato," Sakura replied gratefully, taking her key and her case and entering the room. Neji followed, but his ivory eyes were fixed on Keichi. He seemed… familiar. Something nagged at his mind, fighting to take shape, but Keichi closed the door with a cheerful smile, leaving him staring at wood.

"Natsu-kun, isn't this beautiful?" Sakura exclaimed, flopping down on the plush bed. The room was tastefully decorated and colored. The walls were a light gold with shining gold sponge-painted in places. The furniture was the same rich color as the front desk had been, and the huge bed was swathed in a thick blanket of emerald, gold, red, pink, and silver designs of a sunset at sea. The balcony overlooked the forest they had come from and the mountains behind it. The view was magnificent, especially when the sun was setting like it was now. Sakura looked at the clock and rubbed her stomach in hunger. It was nearly eight o'clock.

"It's nice," Neji admitted, putting down his case. He chuckled slightly at Sakura's obvious hunger. "Do you want to get dinner?"

"Aa," she said enthusiastically, getting off the bed. One look at her dusty attire, though, and she was forced to sigh. "We'd better change, though."

Neji glanced at his own dirty clothes and nodded his agreement. "I'm going to take a shower," he said. "Are you?"

Sakura looked at her dirt-encrusted fingernails, then at her stomach, and sighed again. "I guess I'd better. You go first, you'll probably be faster."

The dark-haired man nodded and carelessly took off his shirt, leaving Sakura with a perfect view of his well-toned muscles, and grabbed a towel from the rack by the bathroom, entering and closing the door behind him.

Sakura stared after him. Kami-sama… he is fit Inner Sakura decided to poke in with her input, voicing a forceful: Hell yes! And looking good when he's sweaty, too! Sakura blushed at her own ribald mental comments and shook her head forcefully, taking out her ponytail. No, Sakura, don't go thinking that… he's a friend and teammate… no thinking about him that way. We're done with human ice cubes. Inside, she knew that Neji was nothing like Sasuke… Neji was so, so much better a friend and confidante. She could tell him anything, and he'd usually give advice.

She remembered with a small smile how he had coached her to let Rock Lee know that she just wasn't interested with him in that way, and that she just wanted to be friends. He'd been right in saying that it wasn't fair to either of them, and so she'd let the 'Green Beast' of Konoha know the next day. A couple hours later, she'd spotted him in Ichiraku with Tenten and had laughed out loud.

Neji's calm efficiency had helped her in many other occasions, too… he always managed to calm her down when she was angry at Tsunade-sama for betting on her success rate or something stupid like that. He was always, he realized with a sudden start, there for her, and she'd never really noticed it. Ino had dropped huge hints, of course, saying things like, 'I saw you talking to Neji-san today' or 'have you heard from Neji-san lately?' or whatever. Sakura had dismissed it as wishful thinking, but now…

She was different now, she reminded herself. She didn't want to fall for any other unfeeling guys that would most likely reject her. And although Neji wasn't Sasuke, the way they 'hn'-ed and crossed their arms when Ino was being annoying was so similar that it almost made her cry. This probably would have made Sasuke snort and say that she was even more annoying than Ino, but anyway…

The thought of Sasuke right now was more than she could bear, and she tried to force it out of her mind. That traitor Uchiha wasn't worth her thinking about, especially during an important mission that required all her thought and wit just to play the part required of her. But Kami-sama, why did she still miss him? Maybe she really didn't miss him, just the fun times she'd had with Team 7 when it was still Team 7. But in any case, things couldn't be the same (for better or for worse) and she had always been slightly hostile to change.

She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't notice Neji walking out of the shower with only a towel around his waist. She didn't see his Byakugan eyes soften at her pitiful state. She had subconsciously drawn her knees to her chest and was burying her face in them, a curtain of cherry blossom hair sweeping over her face.

She must be thinking about Team 7 and that Uchiha again… Neji thought with a silent groan, well-versed in Sakura's rare bouts of depression. Not really thinking about what he was doing, he crossed to the bed and sat next to her, gently stroking her hair. "Kane-chan?" he asked softly. Sakura looked up and sniffed lightly before throwing her arms around his chest. Neji was taken aback, but she wasn't crying. She was just… looking for comfort. Relaxing slightly (but with a blush on his cheeks that would rival the color of her old dress), he put an arm around Sakura's waist and continued stroking her hair with his other hand.

Sakura took a deep breath after a moment and released him, sitting up and smiling apologetically. "Gomen, Natsu-kun," she said in a small voice, a tint to her cheeks when she realized what he was wearing… or rather, the lack of things he was wearing. "I was just… remembering."

Neji put a hand on hers and looked at her seriously. "Don't think about it, Kane-chan. What happened, happened. There's no changing it." His voice was calm and reasonable, but with a hint of concern that had never been there before. "Concentrate instead on what will happen." He gave her a reassuring half-smile and squeezed her hand before pushing her towards the bathroom. "Now, go take a shower. You're not exactly the best-smelling…"

Sakura stuck her tongue out at him but went inside the bathroom. With the hot water clearing her senses, she was able to think more rationally. He was right, of course… when was he not? But still, that touch of emotion that had been in his speech… it was something she'd never expected. This new feeling she was getting was totally new with Neji, but she knew exactly what it felt like. That burning, rising feeling in her chest that she'd always gotten with Sasuke.

It scared her.

Snorting at her melodramatics and nearly inhaling water, she turned off the shower. I probably just imagined it. After all, we're friends, aren't we? He can't be a human ice block all the time…She reached for a towel, but her hands felt soft flesh. She gave a little yelp and looked out, covering herself with the shower curtain. "Ne-- Natsu-kun?"

He smirked slightly at her obvious embarrassment. "Just getting a brush," he defended, holding up said object with an amused look in his silver eyes. "It's not like I was looking or anything… who do you think I am, Jiraiya or something? Besides, if I was, why would I want to look at you?"

Even with all his reflexes, the Byakugan-wielder barely dodged the bottle of shampoo chucked at his head.

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Uchiha Sasuke entered the inn as a man with brown hair and blue eyes, his Henge no Jutsu impeccable. For anyone that knew him, however, the cold look behind those eyes, the carefully-hidden loneliness and calculation, were all evident. He gave Keichi a nod, and the employee slid a copy of Neji and Sakura's room key into his hand. "Kabuto."

The disguised man didn't look at Sasuke, merely browsed through papers on the desk. "Hai?"

"Watch them. I don't want the pink-haired one hurt, but feel free to dispose of the Hyuuga. Once he's gone, get her."

Kabuto-as-Keichi nodded in affirmation, still not meeting the prodigy's eye. "Hai," he repeated. "And where should we take her?"

"Just keep her in the room, but seal it effectively. She's weak… you most likely won't have any problems." Sasuke smirked knowingly.

Kabuto looked at his companion for the first time. "Sasuke-kun… it wouldn't do to underestimate her. I've heard that she's gro-"

"There's nothing to estimate with her, under or over," he interrupted, examining the key. "Here they come." He turned his Sharingan off and watched as the two descended the stairs. The kunoichi seemed to be blushing and arguing with the long-haired boy next to her as they walked. They were, he noticed, in casual wear: both wearing jeans, with Sakura in a tight white T-shirt and her hair loose and flowing, and Neji in a T-shirt/over-shirt combo in varying shades of blue. His hearing caught the words "bathroom", "brush", and "pervert." As they neared, he heard Sakura protest huffily, "There is so something to see, you hentai, not that I'd let you. Maybe someone nicer, like… Kiba-kun, or Gaara-san…"

She grinned triumphantly at his indignant, "nani?" as they passed the desk, unaware of two pairs of eyes following them. "Jealous, Natsu-kun?" she cooed, relishing his acute irritation.

He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, catching her off guard as he stopped her movement right behind the disguised Sasuke and Kabuto. "Of course," he said silkily into her ear. "You're my future wife, after all."

Sakura shivered slightly and looked at Neji with wide eyes. She had no idea he could be this… this… seductive. "L-let's go to dinner, ne?" she said quickly, narrowing her eyes at his smirk.

"Whatever you say, Kane-chan." He kissed her lightly on the temple and released her, the two walking out the doors of the inn. Behind them, Sasuke narrowed his eyes. Was the Hyuuga… flirting with her? Even if it was just part of the mission, he felt a twinge of annoyance. How dare he? She was his, respectively, and one foolish mission wasn't going to change that.

He remembered when he'd last seen her. She had been so angry at her teammate… what was his name? Sigh? Slay? Ah, no, it was Sai, the once-betrayer. She had practically strangled him, but (and here he shook his head with the confidence that nothing had changed) when he'd said her name, she had looked up at him with such wide eyes of fear and relief and anger all at once… then the dobe had come and stared at him for a moment, too.

She had reveled in his power, he knew that, but she was too shell-shocked to do anything other than heal her teammates with a couple simple jutsus that he himself knew from Kabuto's small bit of medic training. She was still weak. She would always be weak.

"Sasuke-kun."

Kabuto himself interrupted his reverie, raising an eyebrow at the glaring Uchiha before him. "What do you want to do now?"

Sasuke looked at the happy 'couple' on their way and smirked. "I'm going to dinner."