A slightly longer one-shot today for Lives of the Elite! I love writing these shorter types of stories and having a place to upload them! I hope you enjoy – more to come soon!


A strong gust of wind swept her pink locks across her face as she ran through the streets of Konoha, a sheet of rain chasing close behind her. Thunder rumbled across the sky and bellowed out above the buildings, making her clutch her shopping closer to her chest. A storm was currently closing in on the residents of the leaf village. Not the average storm that might occasionally pass through Sound, but a deep, rolling beast that battered everything in its path. There had been warnings on the news that morning about it and yet still, she wasn't fully prepared, having just come off of a week long mission in Suna.

She could see her apartment building in the distance and if she could just make it before the rain caught up to her then she could save her fresh meat and vegetables from falling through the bottom of her brown bag.

Just as she was about to grab her keys and make a mad dash for her front door, ignoring the stairs and choosing a chakra laden jump instead, a dark figure rounded the corner and immediately caught her attention – well, shit. Of all the dam people to run into -

Neji came to a halt with a skid of his heels as he took in the sheet of rain that only gave him a chance to blink before showering over him in a torrid of water. He ducked into the nearest dry space beneath the stairs of an apartment building and cursed his bad luck as he tried to shake some of the water off his clothing, one hand still clutching his damaged arm tightly to his chest. A rustle of paper caught his attention and he glanced up to see Sakura staring at him with wide green eyes.

"Neji-san!"

He blinked, taking in her damp appearance as she desperately tried to salvage the last remnants of the bag holding her groceries together. The last time he had seen her was two months ago, the morning after spending the night tangled in her sheets before he got called in to the Hokage's office and sent on the mission he was now just returning from. He had every intention of coming to see her after he had been to the hospital to get his injuries looked over, but it seemed that the weather had other plans.

Her shock quickly wore off and a frown marred her features as she took in his appearance. Blood had dried onto the fabric of his arm that he was clutching tightly, his hair that he had taken to placing in a high ponytail had come somewhat loose from its bindings and was now sticking to the sides of his pale face. His eyes were tired and worn, exhaustion clearly seeping into his muscles and she could all but sense his depleted chakra stores.

She placed her groceries down to lean against the wall before stepping towards him, "You're hurt."

He nodded, grimacing slightly as her gentle hands removed his larger ones so she could assess the damage. "You'll never make it to the hospital in this weather. Come inside and I can treat you from home."

She placed his good arm around her shoulders and helped him up the steps, all six foot three of him, shoving her keys into his palm she motioned for him to open the door before heading back down to retrieve her food. He stumbled forwards and struggled to slide the key in the lock, his vision slightly blurry from the overuse of his Byakugan and the rainwater currently dripping down his forehead and into his eyes.

A small hand wrapped around his and he glanced down as she guided the key in and turned, pushing the door open with a kick of her foot and all but shoving him inside as she juggled to keep a hold of her groceries, the brown bag now a forgotten commodity beneath the stairs. He staggered forwards, the scent of freshly washed laundry washed over him as he leant against the wall, careful not to drag mud or blood across its surface.

"Here, come sit on the sofa." She murmured, guiding him slowly into the small living room. Her apartment was cosy, odds and ends cobbled together to create a warm and welcoming space. One large room made up the hallway and the living room, with a door off to the right that led to her bedroom and adjacent bathroom. Another door to the left housed what looked like the kitchen.

He didn't remember any of these details after they'd stumbled in here in the dark that evening. Clothes being discarded as she led him through onto her large king size bed. His trailing thoughts were immediately interrupted by her hands ripping through the fabric of his sleeve and he grit his teeth as a spasm of pain shot up into his neck.

"Gomen," She muttered, her hands now glowing green as she got to work, "What happened?"

He shifted uncomfortably at the sensation of his bone stretching back together, "We were ambushed outside Rain on the way home. Rogue nin by the looks of it."

"Ah," Her brows knotted, concentration taking over her features, "Bingo book?"

He nodded, grimacing again as nausea rolled in his stomach. It took a while for healing chakra to soothe aches and pains and the first few minutes were usually the worst. Not to mention the fact that he had little to no chakra left in his system. He turned his attention back on her to distract himself, getting a good look at her now after what felt so long. Her long lashes cast a shadow against her cheeks as she shut her eyes to concentrate, her pink hair was now sopping wet from the rain and stuck to her face at various angles, the rest of it was pulled back into a clipped bun. Her pale skin was smooth and unmarred, apart from the small diamond that sat in the centre of her forehead.

She was beautiful, he thought, as an unwelcome blush dusted his cheeks. The cherry blossom of Konoha.

Sakura ignored the slight shake of her hands as she worked on his arm, stretching her chakra into the rest of his body to also heal any small cuts or bruises. It had been so long since she had been this close to him. She had dreamed of the day he would return, giggling like a school girl after receiving her first messenger hawk from him, clutching the note close to her chest as she flushed at the memories it dragged up of their night together. But now, to be completely enveloped in his presence was overwhelming. There was an intimacy to this closeness, and you could currently cut the tension in the room with a knife. She didn't necessarily need to close her eyes to concentrate, but she did so anyway to avoid the penetrating gaze of his lilac orbs. She could feel them, roaming over her in a way that made her think he was thinking about their night together just as much as she was and dammit Hyuuga Neji was going to be the death of her-

The sudden rattling of her door broke her trance.

"Ah crap," She muttered under her breath as she quickly ran over to it, creating a few hand signs and placing a barricade across it to keep the weather out. She proceeded to do the same to each window in her apartment as Neji watched quietly from afar, gingerly rolling his shoulder out. He tracked her movements, his eyes trained on the way her muscles gently flexed and contracted beneath her clothes. He cleared his throat gently as she made her way back over to him, averting his gaze away from her body.

"Here," She murmured, handing him a towel, "I figured you'd probably want to shower. You can use it first! I don't think we're going to be able to leave anytime soon…"

He smiled softly, "Arigatou, Sakura-san. For the healing too."


He sighed deeply, his hand leaning against the white tiles of her shower room as hot water cascaded down his bare back. His hair, now scrubbed clean, hung down over his shoulder and across one side of his face. His vision was starting to return to normal and he could just feel the bubble of his chakra beginning to replenish deep in his core. He breathed another heavy sigh of relief and rested his forehead onto the cool white tiles.

The last time he had been in here was after that night, where they had gotten only slightly tipsy in a local bar downtown and stumbled home, crashing into her apartment with little to no patience and throwing each other's clothes in a trail to her bedroom until they came together in the most animalistic way. Her nails scratching his back as his hips rocked relentlessly into hers and her cries of pleasure were being swallowed by his lips and – oh god, he needed to stop thinking about it.

He glanced down at the rather obvious reaction to his current train of thoughts and grit his teeth in frustration.

He sighed, "Fuck."


Neji looked up from where he was placing her discarded groceries onto the kitchen table as Sakura padded back into the room, towelling her hair dry.

She smiled warmly at him, "Ah, thank you! I had almost forgotten about those."

Neji took in her appearance. Soft cotton pyjama shorts in a dusty pink left her strong legs bare, an oversized white t-shirt tucked into the front of them and soft, wool lined slippers adorned her feet. Her cheeks were rosy from the hot shower and she smelled like wildflowers and vanilla. He felt a tension rise between them before he quickly broke it by looking away, turning his attention back to piling fruit into her bowl.

"I should probably make us something to eat, huh? You must be starving after your mission."

She wandered over to the fridge and hummed as she perused its contents, pulling out spring onions, root vegetables, fresh beef and ginger root. She dumped them on the counter and grabbed some garlic from the windowsill before padding over to another cupboard that housed sauces and condiments.

"Luckily, I also have some of this!" She grinned, waving a bottle of Sake around with two small glasses.

She set them down on the table that Neji had now sat at, "Here, help yourself!"

"Would you like any help with the food?"

"No It's okay, I think I can-"

A loud bang vibrated throughout the apartment followed by a flash of blue before the lights blew out and they were plunged into instant darkness.

"Shit!" Sakura cursed, her hand clutching her chest, "That made me jump…" She laughed nervously.

Neji immediately activated his Byakugan and took in their surroundings. It looked like the entire building was out of power and the backup generators had been struck with lightening. He could give them a jump start but they would have to wait until morning to even attempt it. He watched as Sakura padded carefully over to him, her hands outstretched until they bumped into his shoulder.

"How bad is it?" She murmured, obviously aware that he had his bloodline activated.

"Looks like we'll be living off fruit and dried snacks for the evening."

There was a pause, "And Sake." She finished with a sigh.

He chuckled, "Yes, that too." He wrapped a large hand around hers, "Sakura, where do you keep your candles and torches?"

Thank god for the dark so he couldn't see the red flush that was creeping into her cheeks, "Third cupboard on the right. There should be matches there too."

He nodded, taking her waist and carefully guiding her into the chair he was just sat in, "I'll only a be a moment and then we'll have some light, at least."


Two hours had passed and they were currently sat with blankets on their laps on the floor of her living room, surrounded by candles and with torches at their sides just in case anything else happened. Between them sat most of the food Sakura could find that didn't need cooking which consisted mostly of rice cakes and nut butters, dried fruits and even some dried meats and cheeses she'd been storing for future missions.

She sipped on her third glass of Sake and took in Neji's form over the rim of her glass. He looked god like bathed in the glow of the candle flames, his piercing silver eyes tracking her green ones with interest.

"What?" He asked, bemused.

She smiled slyly, the alcohol in her system giving her a new boost of confidence, "Nothing. Just thinking about… things."

He raised a brow, "Things that include me?"

She grinned, "Maybe."

He regarded her for a moment, bringing his own cup to his lips, "Do you think about it often, Sakura?" He murmured quietly.

She stumbled over her words slightly, caught off guard by his forwardness, "As often as you probably do."

He smiled, the hint of white pearly teeth showing, as he lent forwards, "Every day, then?"

Without a second thought, she placed her glass down and crawled forwards, pushing food and wrappers out of the way until she was climbing up into his lap, straddling his hips with her legs and pressing herself up against him. He wrapped an arm around her waist to steady her before leaning forwards and nuzzling the side of her neck, his other hand still loosely gripping his sake.

She gasped at the attention, wrapping her arms around his neck and pushing her fingers into the back of his head.

"Do you remember what you did to me?" She hushed, "The way you felt inside of me?"

He groaned into her skin, kissing the soft curve her neck as she ground her hips down into his.

"I can't stop thinking about it," She gasped, "You felt amazing."

His resolved snapped as he dropped his glass, gripped the back of her head with a fierce tug and pushed his lips into hers. She felt incredible sat above him, her hips grinding into his as her hands wandered over his shoulders, back and torso. She was kissing him back with equal passion and he found he could hardly control himself as she moved her hands to the hem of her t-shirt and removed it in one swift movement.

"Sakura…" He groaned, kissing her naked chest as she arched into him.

"I need you…" she moaned; her hands frantic as she fiddled with the hem of his jogging bottoms he had borrowed from her stash of Kakashi's old clothes.

He growled softly, gripping her hips tightly and throwing her back onto the floor. He wasted no time in removing the last of his clothes, parting her legs with his thighs and settling on top of her. He kept his eyes glued to her green orbs as he gently entered her and watched as he lips parted and a gasp of breath left her. Her back arched off the ground and pushed into his chest where he buried his head.

This, he had decided, was what he wanted. Nights like this where she warmed his heart and soul. He wanted her around and only her when he got back from relentless missions and clan meetings. He wanted her laughter to fill his home and her moans of pleasure to fill his bed. He wanted his vision to be of pink hair and rough hands that healed his broken bones and soothed his back when asleep.

He wanted her. And he came to this decision right here, making love to her beneath the soft glow of the candlelight.


"Ehhhhh Sakura-chan! Are you okay?"

An insistent pounding on her door awoke her from the deep sleep she was currently enjoying, tangled beneath a bed of blankets on the living room floor with a halo of brown hair surrounding her. She smiled softly as the memories of the night before flooded her vision and she turned her head back over her shoulder to see Neji sleeping soundly, his mouth slightly parted as soft, quiet snores filled the little space there was between them.

The knocking started again and she growled slightly, moving to grab Neji's t-shirt to throw on over her naked torso before starting to rise to give that dam stupid blonde knucklehead a piece of her mind.

She had barely gotten the t-shirt over her head when her door was suddenly kicked in with a force strong enough to almost tear it off its hinges. The wind blew through the apartment and took the layer of blankets clean off both Sakura and Neji's naked bodies. Said man was currently up on his feet in his fighting stance, his hair slightly messed from sleep and blinking quickly as he took in where he was and what was happening.

"….Ah. Er. Hi, Neji…" Naruto grinned sheepishly, averting his gaze as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I just came to make sure Sakura was okay after-"

"Na-ru-to!" Sakura screeched, hiding her body behind a cushion, and holding one in front of Neji, her face a steaming red with an expression that promised blood.

She hoped Hinata would give birth soon because that baby was the only dam thing that was going to stop her from murdering its father one of these days.

Xox

R+R!