A/N: Sorry I'm late, I got lost on the road of life. I also got stuck in a pothole of dj, but that's besides the point. This story is developing a mind of its own I tell you. Satisfying, yet irritating, the plot is curving a path from passable fiction to crackpot humour. But do not be afraid, for as the author, I shall not let it fall (entirely) to ruin.

A translation to those of you who can't read my mind: I just reread the last chappie and now I think it sucks. So here I am to write something (hopefully) good for you all. All of my lovely reviewers make me extremely happy and grateful, thankee!

Ps, some one asked a very good question: who is to be uke? I would prefer Sasuke since he has that adorable just-throw-me-down-and-fuck-me-silly-'til-I-forget-my-emo-angst think going for him usually, but Neji is just being too clueless right now for me to make a final decision. Also, I thought I said already that this story will probably stay T rated, so no yaoi. Shounnen-ai definitely, but I'm no good at writing lemons.

So, after such a huge A/N, Chapter Two!

Hanabi's Dare

Chapter Two: Awkward Silences

That night Neji dreamt of a boy who had no face. His hair was dark and all stuck up like he'd slept on it funny, and although he seemed eerily familiar, Neji couldn't place him. This put Neji in a bad mood during breakfast, and the dramatic entrance of both of his cousins did nothing for his somber condition.

"Good morning Neji-kun! Did you have any dreams? That's nice, I just wanted to know if you'd put any thought towards your mission. So?"

"You know I don't have any missions right…" Somewhere in the boy's head something clicked. "It was him! That bastard had no right to be in my dreams, in fact I think I'll have to go-"

"Ask him out?" She promptly stopped the genius' rant.

He looked down at his NinjaChow. Think cereal but for ninjas. "Just to be sure," he started tentatively. "You're never going to tell me how you know if I'm lying otherwise?"

"No chance." Hanabi smiled sweetly.

Neji thought it over. If an enemy nin figured out his weakness, it could be fatal. So for the sake of his growth as a shinobi as well as his life, he would comply with the dare. Then he could train himself out of his fault and be a better ninja. It had absolutely nothing to do with liking Sasuke. At all.

"Like I said last night, I accept."

Hanabi smiled and exited, telling him to do it within a week, leaving a thoughtful Neji and a dumbfounded Hinata.

"So what are you up to today Hinata?" He asked.

"I'm g-going shopping with T-ten-ten today um, after training."

"Ah. Well have fun. I'm off now." And with that he jumped out the window and headed for his training grounds.

Upon reaching them, he spied a familiar face that ought not to be there. None other than the great invader of dreams, Uchiha Sasuke.

"Wh-what are you doing h-here?" Great, now he was stuttering like Hinata-sama.

"Wuh what do you think I'm doing huh here?" The Uchiha mocked. Neji winced visibly as he continued. "Do you think I'm here to ask you on a date?"

"Well about that… um-"

"Neji-kun! Sasuke-kun! Are you having lovely youthful mornings? I really hope you are from the bottom of my heart! We should do five thousand pushups to celebrate the youthful morning and the beautiful- Wait one second!" Lee pointed a finger at Sasuke accusingly. You aren't here to steal the heart of Neji-kun are you? Because it belongs firmly to- Tenten-chan! It's so nice to see you here! How is your youth treating you?"

With that, the two normally-browed boys were left to themselves once again.

"What was he going on about?" Sasuke asked.

"I'm not sure, he was speaking even faster than usual. So, why are you here?"

"To train with the only worthy opponent I can find right now."

"Oh, who?"

"…" Wow, Sasuke had thought that this boy was a genius, guess he was wrong. Oh well, he was still too damned hot for his own good. So he grabbed the confused bishounnen's hand and pulled him off into the forest.

Like last time, they were each distracted by each other, although they were both trying too hide this weakness so much that they didn't notice their opponent doing the same. Finally, after grueling hours in the heat of going at each other with increasing passion (A/n: ninja lay traps, authors lay innuendo. So far only a certain silver haired jounin can do both at the same time), the two well matched boys collapsed at each other's sides.

"I'm ravished."

Sasuke looked at the boy oppositely strangely. Neji was sprawled on the ground with his arm hung delicately over his gorgeous eyes to block the light and his other hand fanning his face gracefully. Did he know how delicious he looked? Or sounded for that matter… Then he clued in.

"Do you mean famished?"

Neji blushed at his slip of the tongue, but it was lost in the flush heat and training had caused. Was it hunger and tiredness that made him say it, or his nasty little subconscious just waiting to be let out?

Neji sighed. Then realized that here was Sasuke, lying next to him in the middle of nowhere. He emitted a deeper sigh thinking hopeless ecchi thoughts when Sasuke poked his side.

"Eeep! What was that for?" And how did Sasuke know of his one and only ticklish spot?

"Stop being perverted. And it was a lucky guess."

"Oh." Neji thought for awhile before responding properly.

"What? How did you- I mean- I wasn't- ugh… But I didn't say that out loud did- Can you read my mind?"

Sasuke smirked. He knew his smirk was irresistible, the fangirls told him so everyday. Of course they used words like 'your stunning smile fills my heart with love and sorrow as I feel your pain…' He knew it had to be mostly a load of shit, but they did always come back to the smirk. Or in their rose coloured glasses, smile of utter sexiness.

"Maybe."

"Wha… Oh my goodness! There can be no other explanation! You are in league with her! Noooooo! I'll kill her I will, baka cousin, she's gonna get it!"

"I told you before Neji, I hardly know your cousin at all."

Neji calmed down enough to catch the hook in Sasuke's otherwise soothing words.

"Hardly?" He raised an exquisite eyebrow to accentuate his words. Or word as the case may be.

"So the genius exists after all…" Sasuke seemed to be talking to himself. Suddenly he turned back to Neji. "So are you going to ask me anytime soon? I can't wait all my life, even if it is you."

"I was right! I knew it! It's true you've joined the ark side! You are lost unto me! Why does the world inflict such great misery upon my shoulders!" He went on, apparently years spent with Lee had rubbed off on him after all.

Sasuke however had spent years with an equally, if not louder, dobe. He had his ways of silencing people.

He took Neji's ears in his hands and pulled his face roughly forward and closer to his own. The melodramatics did not stop however, until he planted a chaste kiss on Neji's ranting lips. He pulled away when Neji finally stopped, biting the long haired boy's lip as he drew back.

The longhaired boy jumped at the pain, turned a bright pink and stuttered while blood started to swell like a dewdrop on his pouty bottom lip.

"Is, is this another d-dream?"

'Another?' Sasuke thought. He said, "If it were a dream would I kiss you again?"

"N-no, you always walk away before I see your face…"

Sasuke ignored the potency of the older by's remark and slid his hands back to Neji's neck, pulling him in again. Neji's eyes were wide, they were so close that he thought he could count each of his arched and fluttering eyelashes.

"I guess it really is a dream then." And with that Sasuke quickly performed the hand seals for transportation jutsu behind Neji's back. Poof. Gone, Just like that.

Neji's head hit the forest floor without Sasuke's milky white hands supporting it.

"Ow…"

From the tree branch far above, Sasuke pondered the intelligence of what he'd just done. Oh well, it was worth being the gossip of all Konoha just to see the object of his lust lying like that with his lips slightly parted and his hair fanned around him like a halo. A beautiful silky dark halo.

A/n: Yay, I finally finished this chapter! It was going to be settup-ish for the next chapter, but I guess I got a little carried away. Hope you like it, I'm already writing the next chapter: Down to Business. Gomenasai for the wait, but I can only write at my dad's house (about every other week).