"I told you it would work perfectly!" Tenten, Kiba and Konohamaru were gathered once again, in the bush nearest Sakura and Neji. Instead of leaving for Konoha, they had remained to observe upon Tenten's handiwork.
"Be quiet. One more outburst and Neji will have his Byakugan on us."
"Yes, but look at how well it worked." Konohamaru interrupted.
"Oh right. Now they're even more awkward with each other."
"Well genius, what's your plan?" He smirked at her.
"Glad you asked. This cannot be done by such subtle methods, they are both too proud. They need a little err...encouragement. I have a real plan..."
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Sakura fiddled anxiously with her sieve. She and Neji were presently waiting for their rice to cook and...Not a lot else. Still, she was only a squirrel's distance from being able to sufficiently claim the title ownership over him, and was not about to give up.
"Do you think it's cooked yet?" Oh, what a killer pickup line. She slapped herself mentally.
"No I do not. It has been three minutes. From my experience, it usually takes a greater length of time to-"
"Yes! I get the general idea!"
"..."
"..." That had defiantly been a success. As she resumed her plotting, she heard running and looked up. It was Konohamaru.
"Sakura! Tenten fell from a tree!"
"What?" She stood up hurriedly "How is she?"
"I'm not sure, maybe unconscious?"
"How far back is she?" Sakura began to gather the medic equipment Neji was handing to her.
"Not far. We have spent most of the day trying to lower her down. She was stuck."
"Oh! I will go immediately!"
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Neji watched her run and admired the control she held over the situation. Konohamaru remained next to him and spoke the second Sakura was out of sight.
"I hope Tenten is okay."
"Hm..." He was sure Sakura would do an excellent job at successfully reviving her and was entirely unconcerned.
"Thinking of Sakura, isn't she going to get a shock when she gets back." Neji narrowed his eyes.
"Why?"
"Haven't you heard the rumors?"
"Yes, I'm asking because I feel like listening to your voice." Neji 'death glared' him.
"Um..." He gulped. "Well, I heard Shino will be waiting at the gates."
"Shino?" Neji busied himself with the rice.
"The bug guy."
"Aburame. Why would he be waiting?"
"From what I have heard, he is planning to propose." Neji flinched as half a pot of boiling water spilt onto his foot.
"What?"
"Yes, turns out he's actually quite the charmer and has shown quite a lot of interest in Sakura. It appears he wants to keep it all quiet and they may be eloping."
"Eloping? You believe Sakura will accept?" It was hard to sound casual when you were being told the potential love of your life could be eloping in the next few days.
"I'm not sure...She hasn't exactly had a lot of other offers and he's a nice person. I don't see why not...unless she has interest elsewhere..."
"I have to go." If he hadn't been panicking he may have noticed Konohamaru smiling. All he knew was he only had a matter of time before Shino stole Sakura from him...presuming he had ever had her.
"So do I. I need to meet up with-"Neji had left already having decided that confessing his love to Sakura was more important than listening to Konohamaru's life story. Hardly paying attention to his surroundings he shot forward. He did however glance up in time to see Sakura heading towards him...straight towards him. They collided midair and Neji was just able to grab hold of her and attach himself to the underside of a branch with chakra. That had to have been one of the most romantic moments recorded in history. So much for his plan.
"Sakura?" She did not reply and was looking unusually limp. Damn it. He shook her a little, to no positive effect. With a sigh that sounded remarkably like an angry bear, he made his way back to the camp. He passed Konohamaru who looked surprised and went to say something. Neji chose to ignore him.
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She woke with a pounding headache. It felt like she had rammed into a brick wall. A brick wall with pointy bits and an ambushing mob of angry beavers. She surveyed her surroundings without moving her head. She concluded, several seconds later, that she was in her tent back in camp. Several seconds after that she had concluded nothing more, except she wanted chocolate and badly. She had no idea how long she had been out cold but however long it was, was apparently too long to go without cocoa bean and sugar.
"Neji?" She was impressed at how loudly she had been able to rasp out. Neji had apparently been waiting in a clear rasping distance for her as he was outside her tent in a matter of seconds.
"Yes? How's Tenten?"
"She was perfectly fine actually."
"Oh, how are you?"
"I have a headache!" Perhaps he had thought she would say she was fine as he always did. If he had, he had been wrong.
"Oh...Is there anything I can do for you?"
"Yes. Get me my small, green bag."
"Okay, where is it?"
"Here, at the end of my tent."
"What! Can't you get it?"
"Of course I can but I'm injured so get it for me!" That was perfect reasoning in her eyes. She was ill so he became her slave until she felt better.
"No!" Hm. He wasn't getting out of it that easily.
"Neeeeeji..." she whimpered afterwards for effect.
"Saaaaaakura..." She was mad now. Refusing was one thing but patronizing was another.
"Fine I'll get it myself." She made a small rustling sound as though she had sat up. "Owww!" she rustled her blanket a bit more. Then she moaned and squeaked a little until he finally gave in.
"Alright! I'll get it!" He unzipped the door peered in carefully. "You don't have another encyclopedia do you?"
"No. It's safe." He looked in properly and spotted the bag. He picked it up.
"Why do you want it?"
"It has my chocolate in it. Hand it here." She reached out for it.
"Chocolate? That's all?"
"Yes." She waved her hand about limply trying to gesture she wanted it now as it appeared to be beyond his understanding.
"Hm." He stood and walked away...with her bag.
"Neji!" He ignored her or was out of hearing distance. She stood and ran after him. "NEJI!"
"I thought you were too sick to move." She had run right past him. He stood beside her tents entrance eating her sacred chocolate supply.
"Stop eating that!" He continued to eat, moving towards the central fire. There, he sat and placed the chocolate bag beside him. She joined him and unwrapped a bar. "That was mean."
"Sorry."
"That sounded sincere."
"Hm." That sat in silence for several more seconds before Neji put his chocolate down. "I don't think you should marry him."
"Who?"
"I just thought it's a bit early for these sorts of things. You have your whole life ahead of you and what if you meet someone...What do you mean 'who'?" She was baffled to say the least.
"Who shouldn't I marry?"
"Shino...I thought..."
"Shino? The bug one?
"Yes, err never mind I made a mistake ...I just heard that...I was mistakenly told that..."
"What's going on? You're not trying to set me up with Shino are you?"
"What? No! I just heard that um...you were supposed to be getting married."
"Oh, am I?" Her headache was coming back.
"No! I don't think...It was a rumor. Shino was going to propose to you."
"Shino? Propose? Me?" She shook her head.
"Right, sorry." He resumed his chocolate eating looking pensive. "Butyouwouldn'tsayyes."
"Sorry?"
"You wouldn't accept it, if he did."
"No."
"Okay. Erm..." He coughed. Sakura was feeling unexplainably nervous. No, that was a lie. She knew exactly why she felt nervous. "So...Would you...are you um...you know...with anyone?"
"Err, no." He was tearing at his chocolate wrapper, shredding it and letting it fall in front of him. She was trying not to hyperventilate.
"Oh, well then...I was thinking that..."
"What?" Damn squeaky nervous voice. If he didn't say something soon she was going to explode.
"Maybe..." He glanced at her quickly then looked away again. There she was thinking Neji was afraid of nothing. "Never mind." She couldn't believe it and her heart sank.
"What do you mean 'never mind'?"
"Don't worry; I wasn't going to say anything important..."
"NOT IMPORTANT?" Like she was going to put up with this anymore. "HURRY UP AND CONFESS YOUR LOVE OR I REALLY WILL GO AND MARRY SHINO!" Oops. Where had that come from? Neji stared at her, blinked and opened his mouth.
"DON'T MARRY SHINO! I LOVE YOU SAKURA!" He grinned at her. "Was that okay?"
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Well, he had decided he wouldn't have minded being tackled by Sakura again.
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"I cannot believe it." Tenten stared at the scene unfolding in absolute disbelief.
"I can." Konohamaru smiled broadly and thrust his hands out in Kiba's direction. Kiba was already fishing around for the money he now owed him.
"I don't understand why Neji didn't see you were lying about Tenten falling out of the tree."
"He wasn't lying about it. I did fall out of a tree, when I was six."
"Oh...clever."
"You owe me more than that." Konohamaru added pointing to the money in his hands.
Nut2: There we are! Finally, some uninterrupted discussion between Sakura and Neji. Well, I hope you enjoyed and thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter. Please review again! To anyone who didn't review...Please review! Especially those of you who keep coming back and reading my new chapters but have never reviewed. Grrrr...
If you are wondering, Neji was busy or looking away most of the time Konohamaru was speaking to him. That's probably why he didn't catch on...
Hm, should I leave it here?
Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me...at present.