Explanations

Author's Note: Neji blows up. Not literally. Then he explains a lot of stuff to his genin. Literally.

Also: Since the last chapter was so short, here's the second one on the same day. I might actually keep to the two a week (same day) when I do update because this thing is so stinking long. Anyway...

Rated M for sexy scenes between men, swearing, and some blood and guts.

I don't own the characters but I am taking liberties with them and their universe.

Neji had spent the rest of his evening in a foul mood. Thankfully his family chalked it up to being on a mission which could have gone horribly wrong. Neji was able to unpack his vest and put all his tools away without being disturbed. He took a long bath in his personal bathroom, soaking in hot water scented with vanilla and bubbles.

He leisurely brushed out his hair, put away his clothing, and selected an outfit to wear tomorrow for a fairly relaxed day. Neji made sure the copy of his mission reports were near his outfit. Neji set his alarm for 7AM and went to bed, not bothering to put on clothing. His eyes closed but after five minutes he did not fall asleep.

Neji sighed and rolled onto his side, curling up half-way, and snuggled into the blankets. Ten minutes passed and his left arm started to go numb. He rolled onto his other side, still wide awake and tried a new position. Nothing.

Neji rolled onto his stomach next and made sure he was extra comfortable. He always woke up on his stomach so knew his body preferred spending its rest on his belly. After a long while Neji sighed and looked at his clock. 10:32PM. Neji rolled onto his back before sitting up in bed. The covers were all ready mused around him and his hair hung down his back in a tangled mess.

Neji threw back his covers and went to his closet. Loose black pants and a black vest were tugged onto his frame. He pulled on his sandals but left off his gloves, arm wraps, and choker. Neji frowned. He picked up all the collars before stuffing them into bag, grabbing a box of matches, and his metal garbage can. Neji took off out his window and jumped onto the closest roof. He needed to do something about his thoughts.

Neji ran through the cool night towards the Nara forest. No one got in his way and no one stopped him once he slipped into the forest. He kept moving, all the way to the special clearing but stopped a few branches before jumping into the clearing. Someone was giggling up ahead. Neji activated his Byakugan and focused.

Shikamaru sat in the middle of the clearing with Temari at his side. Their clothes were scattered through the immediate area and they shared a fluffy, soft, blue blanket. Neji knew how comfortable and warm the blanket was. Shikamaru had wrapped it around his naked body after having sex in this same clearing.

"So there aren't any cameras here?" Temari asked.

"Nope," Shikamaru said.

"Aw, we can be all adventurous and not be caught,"

Temari gigged. Neji scowled. All he had wanted to do was burn all the collars Shikamaru suggested he wear in a ritualistic fashion in a place he and Shikamaru had claimed as theirs. But no, the asshole had to bring Temari here tonight. Damn Nara.

"So, am I the only one who knows about this place?" Temari questioned.

"No," Neji muttered to himself.

"Yeah," Shikamaru said.

Neji almost fell out of the tree he was in. Neji gritted his teeth and saw red, not literally, but he had no other explanation for his next actions. Neji landed on the ground silently and left his metal garbage can with its bag of collars by the tree. He strode out of the clearing not even bothering to mask his chakra or his Byakugan.

Temari saw him first and gasped, pulling the blanket higher to cover her breasts. Shikamaru saw her reaction and turned. Neji did not bother to stop his smirk (both Temari and Shikamaru would later think of it as sadistic) as Shikamaru went pale then an interesting shade of green as if he was about to throw up.

"He's lying you know," Neji said.

Temari gave Neji a glare. Her embarrassment at being caught was gone and replaced by anger. Neji stood a few feet from Shikamaru and knew the shadow-nin was screwed. The moon was not bright enough to provide adequate shadows for Shikamaru's technique and Neji had made a living off his close range attacks.

"You're not the only one who knows about this place, obviously. Shikamaru and I had sex in that exact spot, what, two and a half months ago? Yeah, probably about a week before you two became exclusive," Neji said.

Temari's eyes went wide and she stared at Shikamaru. Her eyes narrowed, her lips turned down into a snarl and Shikamaru gulped. Neji knew Shikamaru would have run if Temari did not have one of Shikamaru's hands in a death-grip.

"What are you? Some jealous friend-with-benefits?" Temari asked after a moment.

Neji chuckled. He ran a hand through his hair as he threaded one thumb from his free hand through his belt loop. The pose was seductive, dangerous, and Temari could not help but gape. Shikamaru gulped.

"I wouldn't be so angry if Shikamaru had told me about you. But no, he said nothing. He just became exclusive with you then avoided me in private, no explanation, nothing. You know what really sucks though?" Neji questioned.

The grin stuck to his face. For some reason this was fun. It was horrible of him to think that and he knew it but he could not help it. Seeing Shikamaru pleading for Neji to stop talking with his eyes and knowing Neji had no intention to stop made Neji want to laugh with glee.

"What?" Temari demanded.

Neji shifted until he was squatting in front of them with that smile on his face, white eyes glowing eerily in the moonlight. His long hair fell forward, free from the bandana and Neji caught Temari swallow hard.

"I had, still have, feelings deeper than friendship for him, have for months now. It was part of the reason I was so okay with Kiba leaving our bed," Neji said.

Temari's eyes went wide and her mouth dropped.

"You? Kiba?" Temari got out.

Neji chuckled again, low in his throat. Shikamaru's eyes were begging him to stop talking but Neji gleefully grinned. Temari still gaped at him but her grip had come loose on the blanket. Neji did not lower his eyes. He had never been interested in breasts.

"And what does he do after five years of friendship, taking my first kiss, my virginity, my first everything? He fucks me while being with you then up and ignores me for a month when you two become an item. Doesn't even tell me anything, no reason, not even asking if I care about him or if I'd be upset if he dated you: nothing. Let's me find out by sneaking in through his sunroof so I can tell him how I feel only to see you two kissing on the couch."

Shikamaru was moments away from being sick. Temari's eyes went wider and her mouth dropped fully open. She was stunned.

"And even after I come back and he knows I've somehow found out because I'm pissed at him, does he try to seek me out? Does he try to smooth things over? Send me a note? Nope. Just pretends nothing is wrong and continues on fucking you and saying no one's ever been to this secret spot before."

Shikamaru lowered his head a bit and rubbed the back of his head, scowling. Temari stared at Shikamaru and his downcast expression gave her all the confirmation she needed. Neji wasn't done.

"I know how soft and warm that blanket is, Temari, he's wrapped me up in it the same way on this grass. He's whispered sweet nothing in my ears and hugged me close, letting me cuddle into him all the while saying its troublesome but keeping that cute little smile on his face. Well, you enjoy. And Shikamaru?"

Temari looked ready to throw up, scream, cry or a combination of all three. Neji found he did not care. He met Shikamaru's eyes and saw despair there, worry, but not anger which was odd. That emotion would come later, Neji was sure.

"If you ever come within two feet of me for anything besides professional shinobi business I will disable a certain tenketsu point in your body. Permanently. Have a nice night,"

Neji stood up, turned on his heel, and strode out of the clearing the same way he had come in. He picked up his bucket of collars and took to the trees again, not bothering to stay for the aftermath. He did hear a scream, Temari, but ignored it.

Soon he was out of the Nara forest and heading towards the first cloud-watching spot Shikamaru had brought him to. Neji set his bucket where Shikamaru normally laid out and let out a breath. It took one try for him to strike the first match and Neji took this as a good sign before dropping the match into the bucket.

The lace collars went up first followed by the velvet ones then the leather ones. The one metal collar he had would not melt but it would be tarnished. Neji watched the flames rising from the bucket, ignoring the smell of burning material. The light wind that washed over him felt nice and Neji smiled.

The tears rolling down his cheeks did not bother him so much. He could pretend they were from the sting of the fire even though he was standing and the bucket was on the ground. Neji watched his collars burn for several long minutes. The fire ebbed and swayed in the bucket and eventually started to die down.

Neji sat beside his bucket and stretched his legs out in front of him, crossing his arms over his chest. He felt cool but did not want to get up. He was exhausted even though he had not done much. It was not a physical exhaustion, no, his heart hurt.

He had not been lying to Temari about anything. Shikamaru had been and had taken all of Neji's first: hug, kiss, crush, sex, blow-job, French kiss, and everything in between. Neji sighed and looked towards the cloudless night sky. Their first kiss had been six months after their first shoji game. Neji had been fifteen, Shikamaru fourteen and they had been caught in a torrential downpour.

They had found shelter in one of Shikamaru's cloud watching spots but had to sit close, so close when Neji turned his head to ask Shikamaru a question, his lips had ghosted across Shikamaru's ear. Neji had apologized and drew back but Shikamaru had turned his head, grabbed the back of Neji's head, and kissed him chastely on the lips.

Neji had been stunned and at first had no idea how to respond. He began kissing back before Shikamaru could pull away and they had made out until they heard the familiar sound of Choji and Kiba arguing as they came up the steps. The sun had come out, most of the cement around them had dried, and Neji had not even noticed. Five months after that, Shikamaru had walked in on Neji after Neji had taken a shower.

Shikamaru had smirked, pulled off the towel around Neji's waist and grabbed Neji's half-hard cock in one hand. Neji had nearly come right there but Shikamaru started pumping, that lazy grin never leaving his face as Neji almost fell over. Shikamaru had guided him to the bed, finished the hand job then helped Neji clean up.

Then came the sex. Neji had not asked for it but he had been dirty, tired, and did not want to go home to the Hyuuga Compound. So, Neji had gone to Shikamaru's house, sneaking through his bedroom window (the one at the Nara home, not the apartment) to find Shikamaru napping ass naked on the bed. Neji had gulped, said something, and Shikamaru had said something about getting Neji out of his dirty clothes.

Rough touching and kissing had led to more intimate touches and Neji begging for more. A hand-job had been aborted and Shikamaru had asked if Neji wanted to do it. Neji had simply nodded, heart pattering so quick in his chest he thought he would collapse. Shikamaru had brought out the lubrication and it had been wonderful.

It got addictive, them sneaking around and having sex. Shikamaru had asked if Kiba could join and Neji figured it would be fun. It had been fun, amazing really, and somewhere along the line Neji had started feeling more for Shikamaru. It was over now.

Neji rubbed his eyes and looked towards his trash bucket. The fire had burned itself out. The sky was still dark but it would be starting to gain color soon, in an hour or two. Neji sighed but did not get up. He brought his knees to his chest and hugged his legs to his body, resting his head on his knees and letting his hair flutter over his bare arms.

Shoji, light conversations, philosophical conversations, jokes, errant musings, wishes, dreams, discussions of friends' antics, comfortable silence, tears, secrets, sex, and love had all been part of his and Shikamaru's relationship such as it was. Now it was gone. Neji had lost a friend, a potential lover, all because the bastard did not have the balls to ask if Neji would be mad if Shikamaru started dating someone else.

"The fuck did you do?"

Neji sighed and closed his eyes. He recognized the voice. There was one other thing Shikamaru had ruined without even realizing it.

"Neji, I asked you a fucking question. What the FUCK did you do?"

Kankuro was pissed and had every right to be. Neji lifted his head from his knees and looked up at the puppet master. Kankuro's hands were clenched into fists at his sides, his eyes narrowed, his lips turned down into a snarl and his entire posture ready to fight.

"I went to burn the collars in a spot in the forest Shikamaru and I shared and found him there lying to your sister. So I told her everything," Neji said flatly.

Kankuro blinked. The rage in that delectable body did not subside. Neji found he did not care.

"You told her how Shikamaru kept fucking you while seeing her, how he said nothing to you after they became exclusive, how you liked him, and how he didn't even bother to talk to you?"

Neji nodded. Kankuro let out a long breath and ran a hand through his hair. His body somewhat relaxed but his shoulders remained tensed and a frown stayed on his face. Neji said nothing as Kankuro sat beside him.

"She came and found me in tears, babbling about how Shikamaru had been a jerk to you. I didn't know he took your virginity," Kankuro said.

Neji shrugged and put his head back onto his knees. His heart hurt. No, his heart did not hurt. It had exploded into a million pieces and Neji did not want to put them back together again. He did not even have the strength to cry.

"She's pissed at him for being such a jerk," Kankuro said.

Neji kept his mouth shut. Maybe being friends with people had been a bad idea. He had never hurt this much before the chunin exams. Sure, he had been an angry twat, but at least he didn't feel like he wanted to go to sleep and not wake up for a while.

"Are you okay?"

Neji sighed. Kankuro laid a hand on his back but Neji decided not to lean into it. He didn't want comfort, not from the man who had admitted to crushing on him for a year or more. It wouldn't be fair to Kankuro. Besides, they would never be able to stay together. Love was over-rated. It just made a person hurt.

"Kankuro," Neji said.

"Yeah?"

"I don't think I'll ever be ready to be with you," Neji said.

Kankuro took his hand back. Neji did not turn to face him but did not have a choice. Kankuro knocked him onto his back and Neji gaped as his hands were forced above his head before he could think of lashing out. Neji's eyes went wide when he realized Kankuro was holding both of Neji's wrists in one hand above his head. Neji could not escape or look anywhere but Kankuro's hurt face. Kankuro looked how Neji felt.

"Don't you dare say that again," Kankuro said.

"But we—"

"I know we can't be together permanently," Kankuro said. "But I want to try for a little while."

Neji frowned.

"Won't it just hurt more if we find out we want to stay together but can't?" Neji asked. "I don't want to feel like this again, so broken and empty. I don't want to hurt anymore Kankuro, not like this, not,"

Neji hated the tears running down his cheeks and clogging up his throat. He hated he could not keep talking because damn it, he wasn't done explaining. Neji closed his eyes and kept crying. His body was shaking and Kankuro let go of his wrists. Strong arms wrapped around Neji's body and Neji clung to Kankuro desperately.

"Don't let go,"

Neji did not even realize he had whispered the words until Kankuro promised he would not let go until Neji wanted him to. Neji cried into Kankuro's shoulder, arms wrapped around the puppet master's back and hands clinging to the loose shirt. His legs closed over Kankuro's hips as Neji buried his head into the crook of Kankuro's neck and shoulder.

Kankuro kept hushing at him, rubbing his back with both hands, kissing the side of his head gently. Kankuro's body was solid, warm, comfortable, and Neji did not want to ever stop hugging him. These feelings were dangerous though. His heart wasn't ready for something like this so soon. Neji did not care, not in this moment.

Neji did not know how long he lay under Kankuro but his tears dried up. Even so he did not lift his head from Kankuro's neck or let go of the fierce hug he had wrapped the man in. Kankuro did not let him go either and they did not speak. Neji closed his eyes and let out a long breath. He did not even realize when he fell asleep but would have never cared.

"Hey, wake up,"

Neji opened his eyes to see Kankuro smiling at him. Neji shifted until he could raise his head. He laid half atop of Kankuro, his left arm flung over Kankuro's body, both his legs tangled in Kankuro's. His right arm was under Kankuro's neck and had gone numb. Kankuro was on his back, his right arm wrapped around Neji's waist and his left arm up to hold Neji's left hand. Neji's head had been on Kankuro's bicep. They were still on the hill.

"Morning sleepy head," Kankuro said.

Neji looked around the hill and saw it empty besides his waste bucket with the burned collars. He looked up at the sun and saw it was after 8AM. Shit. He had to go over how to write a mission report, go over the physicals process, and book appointments so he and his team could have physicals. He was easily half an hour late. He did not care as much as he should.

"You have somewhere to be, don't you?" Kankuro said.

"Team. Mission reports. Physicals. Eight," Neji said.

Kankuro chuckled then shook his head. This was all kinds of fucked up. Neji let out a breath then flushed when Kankuro kissed his cheek.

"You're so damned cute when you're disoriented from waking up," Kankuro said.

Neji had no idea what to say to that so said nothing. He grunted when Kankuro began helping him up and within moments they were on their feet. Kankuro grinned and Neji simply stared up at him while Kankuro ran his hands through Neji's hair.

"Go home, straighten up. I'll go deal with your genin. What training field?" Kankuro asked.

"Twenty-seven," Neji replied automatically.

His brain had not caught up to the situation. Kankuro nodded, kissed Neji on the mouth chastely and held his shoulders.

"Go home and clean up. The kids'll be okay," Kankuro said with a grin.

Neji nodded. Kankuro headed towards the training fields and Neji watched him go. He picked up his waste bucket then teleported into his room. After a cold shower, Neji could think. He did not bother drying or brushing his hair, simply slinging it into a low pony tail and tucking a brush into his vest pocket. He dressed, grabbed the mission report he had copied then teleported half-way across Konoha. He went from that spot to the training fields then ran the rest of the way to training field twenty-seven.

He heard voices and flushed when he got into the field. Kuma, Tora, and Akino were sitting in front of the training posts with notebooks, pens, paper, and canteens of water. Kankuro sat in front of them, hair rumpled from sleeping in the grass with Neji, no paint on his face, wearing black pants and a black no-sleeved shirt that showed off tanned muscles wonderfully.

Kankuro was describing what happened during a physical. Neji let out a breath before walking the rest of the way from the edge of the training field to the posts. Tora spotted him first and blinked.

"You're late Neji-sensei," Tora said.

"Ah, yes," Neji muttered.

Kankuro smirked. Kuma and Akino looked up at him. Neji sat beside Kankuro and cleared his throat.

"He missed his alarm," Kankuro said.

Neji flushed as all three looked to Kankuro.

"How do you know?" Akino asked.

"We had a sleep-over to talk about the mission," Kankuro lied smoothly.

Neji nodded when his students looked at him. Technically it wasn't a lie. It kind of had been about the mission, the more intimate parts of it anyway. And they had a sleep-over just not in anyone's home. They had talked about things too.

"Oh-kay then," Akino muttered.

"What, sleep-overs are fun," Tora said.

Kuma shrugged. Akino muttered his word.

"Mission reports," Neji said.

All three prepared their pens. Kankuro chuckled. Neji let out a breath and set his on the ground in front of his students. They looked at it with wide eyes.

"Typical format is the name of the mission, the rank of the mission, the difficulty, and description. After that you summarize each day even with something as simple as "patrol complete, nothing suspicious found." It's nice to put something like "Day One," describe the day then put a brief synopsis," Neji said.

Tora examined the first page of Neji's mission report with a critical eye. She handed the page to Kuma who read it over with wide eyes. Akino frowned when he got it.

"Wow, you have a really good memory," Akino mumbled.

"You begin to remember more as you do more missions," Kankuro said. "That and a lot of shinobi like to take some time during their watches to mark down any points on some paper before giving the watch to someone else."

Neji inclined his head in agreement then showed his students the notes he had taken during his watches. Tora thumbed through them first while Kuma read the second page of Neji's mission report. The report had been a lengthy one: three pages which was a lot for him and his small writing. Kuma giggled at something on the top of page three.

"You actually wrote down that you fainted?" Kuma asked.

Neji inclined his head. Tora grinned as Akino snorted. Tora passed the notes to Akino and he read them while Tora started writing her mission report. Neji smiled at his three genin. Kuma tapped her lips with her pen and began scribbling notes. Akino muttered his word before beginning to write.

Neji almost yelled when Kankuro placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head instead and raised an eyebrow at Kankuro. Neji flushed when his stomach rumbled. His students looked up at him, Tora and Kuma giggling and Akino smirking. Kankuro chuckled.

"I'm going to go get dressed properly and find some breakfast," Kankuro said.

Neji thanked him and Kankuro winked before walking off. His three genin were staring at him. Tora and Kuma were grinning and Akino had a look on his face as if he could not believe the troubling situation he was in.

"Are you two dating?" Tora questioned.

Neji gulped and felt the heat come to his cheeks. He went to answer but spit flew down the wrong pipe and he ended up coughing. This made Kuma and Tora chuckle at him. Neji got a hold of his coughing fit and huffed.

"No, we're not dating," Neji said.

Tora rolled her eyes and adjusted her glasses. Kuma kept snickering. Akino said his word and went back to his report.

"He likes touching you, he put up your hair, slept next to you, came to keep us busy until you got ready, and now he's going to get you breakfast. And you had a sleep over last night. You guys must like each other," Tora said.

She counted off all these points on her fingers. Neji had not realized they had been so obvious. He let out a breath and ran a hand through his hair. God how to explain the complication of Neji's "love" life to three twelve year olds?

"We care for each other yes but it's complicated," Neji said.

Akino looked up from his mission report and stared. Mission reports.

"But, finish your reports and if you finish before lunch then I'll see what I can do about explaining," Neji said.

All three stared at him in wonder. Tora grinned but nodded. She attacked her notebook with a flourish. Kuma smiled and spread out a bunch of papers with various notes, writing furiously. Akino huffed then looked at the girls. He grumbled his word because he seemed to know his teammates would kill him if he slacked and went about working on his reports. Neji let out a breath and decided to mediate.

He sunk into mediation easily, legs crossed in lotus position, and arms resting comfortably on his knees. He inhaled smoothly and exhaled softly. All he could hear was the scribbling of pen over paper and the light questions his students asked back and forth. His mission report was passed around along with his notes. Neji inwardly smirked and kept up his meditative state. He came out of it when he felt someone coming towards them.

Neji turned to see Kankuro back in his normal attire complete with face-paint and hood. Kankuro also carried a bag and had a smile on his face. Neji said nothing as Kankuro sat beside him with a little sigh of happiness.

"She's okay, by the way," Kankuro said.

"Who?" Kuma asked.

Kankuro looked at her and smirked.

"Not your business pipsqueak," Kankuro said.

Kuma huffed and pouted.

"Neji-sensei said he's going to explain your relationship with him if we finish our mission reports before lunch," Tora said.

Kankuro raised an eyebrow at this as Neji flushed. He nodded when Kankuro looked at him. Kankuro chuckled.

"Oh, I'd like to hear that," Kankuro said.

Neji gave him a look and Kankuro winked. Neji hummed then grinned as Kankuro opened up the bag and handed Neji a plastic bento box full of steamed rice, miso soup, broiled salmon, a large rolled omelet, natto, nori, and pickles. There was even a cup of green tea and a cup of mixed fruit. Neji smiled softly, thanked Kankuro, and dug in.

Kankuro said nothing as they ate but he kept a smile on his face. They finished easily enough and Neji sipped his tea. He enjoyed the warmth of the tea seeping into his body and licked his lips. He stiffened marginally when Kankuro wiped a thumb over the corner of Neji's lips.

"Rice," Kankuro said.

Neji heard Tora giggle. Kuma kept her lips pursed and had a flush on her cheeks. Akino rolled his eyes. Neji held down his blush and sipped his tea. He said nothing when Kankuro licked the stray piece of rice off his thumb.

"Oh, my mom and I made a bunch of maki rolls last night: spicy salmon, mango, banana, crab and cucumber, dragon rolls, shrimp, pickle and mushroom, sweet potato, deep fried tuna and salmon, foto rolls, tiger rolls, and rainbow rolls. There's enough for everyone," Tora said.

Kankuro's eyes had gone wide and his lips had parted. Kuma gaped. Akino smirked. Neji chuckled but nodded.

"By the way, I'm done. Here," Tora said with a grin.

Neji blinked. It was barely 10:30. Neji took Tora's report and began reading it over. Her writing was neat, small, and perfectly executed. She had done exactly as Neji had said with the Mission Name, rank, difficulty, her name, rank and registration number then went on to summarize each day perfectly. She had even detailed their training in Suna and some of the meals she had with Gaara and Kankuro, taking in the culture and not adding anything frivolous. Neji wanted to find a mistake but it was perfect.

"Well done," Neji said.

"Are there any corrections, Neji-sensei?" Tora asked.

She had a little smirk on her face, knowing he had no complaints. Neji was caught between wanting to laugh and wanting to find something to nitpick. There was nothing though.

"No, but it doesn't mean you get to know alone. You have to wait for Kuma and Akino to finish," Neji said.

Tora grinned.

"No problem," Tora said.

Neji gulped when the girl turned to face the two and began helping them with what they all ready had. Kankuro began chuckling and Neji rubbed his forehead. He wanted to call an early lunch when 11AM came around but did not. Neji fixed his hair, whacking Kankuro away with his brush until the puppet master stopped trying to help him, pouting.

Kuma and Akino handed in their finished mission reports at 11:30AM and Neji read them over. Hell, the two had re-written the reports so they were neat and tidy. Thanks to Tora there were no mistakes.

Neji let out a breath and nodded to his students. Tora grinned as she untied the knot on a massive box. The cloth covering the box was spread over the grass as Tora separated the box into three sections to reveal delicious maki rolls on beds of lettuce.

"These are the spicy salmon rolls, Neji-sensei," Tora pointed out.

Neji made a note of where they were in the box and almost laughed when plates, wrapped chopsticks, tea cups, and a thermos came out of Tora's bag. Neji managed to keep back his laugh when he noted there was five of everything, not four. Kankuro noticed this as well and smirked.

Tora handed around the plates, with a set of wrapped chopsticks atop a napkin, and a tea cup atop the chopsticks. Akino had his eyebrows raised. Kuma had a grin on her face and Neji realized this was Kuma's first tea-like-party. Neji accepted his utensils with a nod. Tora poured the all ready steeped tea from her thermos, still hot, and Neji grinned. The girl was better than he had thought.

Once they were all served and gave thanks, they began selecting rolls under Tora's helpful hand. Only when they each had some rolls on their plate did Tora grin at Neji. He huffed as she gave him a gesture as if to say "get on with it."

"Kankuro and I are, well, friends," Neji said.

Kankuro coughed and had a grin on his face. Neji glared at him but Kankuro winked. Damn Gaara and having a demon sealed inside him making Kankuro immune to glares. Hm. That was unfair to Gaara. Neji decided to damn the Kazekage anyway. He ran his hand through his hair.

"You'll learn as you get a little older there are certain, issues, with being a shinobi," Neji said.

Kankuro nodded.

"You never know when you're gunna die on a mission so you're not so picky with who you're close to," Kankuro added.

The three stared in wonder. Neji nodded at Kankuro's words.

"There are a lot of relationships you can be in with the shinobi around you," Neji went on.

"The concept of "teammate" can mean a lot of different things to different shinobi. The first year I was on my genin team, Lee and Tenten were simply people who I was forced to be around. I did not get to know them, pushed them away when they tried to know me, but we did train and I considered them little more than punching bags."

Even Kankuro winced at this.

"After Naruto beat me towards the right path (laughter here from all four), my teammates became more than punching bags. I learned who they were, what they liked, and now I'll always protect them so long as I'm breathing. They're my friends, my closest confidents, and the people I know will protect me just as I will protect them. My precious people, as Naruto would say."

This made Tora and Kuma teary eyed. Akino smiled fondly. Kankuro hummed and nodded.

"I was teamed with my siblings but back then Gaara had a demon inside him," Kankuro said.

"For me, teammate was nothing more than "killer." Family was just a word. We didn't so much protect Gaara and he didn't go out of his way to protect us. Naruto changed that for us too. After Gaara realized he had a choice in whether he wanted to be a monster or not, we kind of bonded. Temari and I had been close, being the typical brother and sister but when we were on missions we were different people. It wasn't like that after. We were a family off and on the field which made us stronger."

The three nodded in awe. Neji smiled.

"Friends can mean different things too," Neji went on. "Some people you know in passing. You talk to them, you share one or two common interests, and you wish them a happy birthday. Do you go out of your way to comfort them when they're down? Not really. Then there are good friends. The people you laugh with, joke with, show a kind of softer side with. These are the ones you comfort but there are still secrets between you and some things you would never share with them.

"There are best friends: the people you share your hopes, dreams, and wishes with, all those deep dark secrets because no matter what you know they won't tell anyone. They're the ones you have a lot in common with, the ones you can sit with quietly for hours and not feel the need to fill the silence with conversation. You can have light conversations with them and heavy ones. They usually turn out to be the same people as your teammates but sometimes a person sneaks in when you least expect it."

Neji stopped here and let out a breath. Kankuro laid a hand on his shoulder and Neji snorted at him. He ate a mango roll and sipped some tea. His students hadn't eaten anything either, so enthralled they were with his words.

"Then there's a sort of next level of friendship, the kind of person you trust not only with your soul and mind but with your heart, emotions, and body," Neji said.

Tora and Kuma flushed. Akino's eyes went wide and his jaw dropped.

"A lot of shinobi have what's called a friend with benefits," Kankuro said. "A good friend, not even a best friend, just someone they're comfortable with and know, who they kiss and touch. Sometimes the kissing and touching goes to full blown sex but there aren't any romantic feelings attached. It's just release because again, as a shinobi you never know when you'll not come back from a mission."

Neji inclined his head in agreement when his genin looked at him. He had a bit more tea and sighed.

"Those kinds of relationships are complex," Neji said. "Sometimes a person can start having stronger feelings for the friend but the friend might not notice or feel anything at all. No matter what kind of relationship you have with a person be it friends or more: communication is always key. If something bothers you about their actions then speak up.

"If they're an understanding friend, they'll discuss the issue with you. And if you are in a friend with benefits relationship and find that you're having feelings for the person then let them know as soon as you've figured it out so it doesn't get awkward."

The three were nodding, eyes wide, blushing, and lips parted.

"Neji and I are, well," Kankuro said.

He stopped with a cough. Neji smirked.

"Kankuro has feelings for me as more than a friend and has for a while but," Neji started and stopped.

They looked at each other. Kankuro laughed. Neji flushed.

"Neji was in a friend with benefits relationship, started having feelings for his friend but then his friend started ignoring him and dating someone else without letting him know," Kankuro explained.

All three gaped. Kuma put her plate down before hugging him. Tora joined after a moment and the girls pulled Akino in. Neji chuckled and held his students close for a minute and they sat back.

"Who is it? Can we kick his butt?" Kuma asked.

"No, Neji did that pretty good last night," Kankuro replied.

Neji flushed. Kankuro laughed. Kuma offered a fist-bumped and Neji smirked before fist-bumping her. Kuma grinned.

"Anyway, Neji's still kind of upset about being rejected like that, I mean it only happed two weeks ago so we're, well, kind of taking it slow," Kankuro said.

"Something like that," Neji muttered.

"Yeah," Kankuro said with a blush.

The three looked at each other then at Kankuro and Neji. Akino hummed and frowned.

"So, you're friends with benefits but thinking of dating?" Akino questioned.

"Yes but it's more complex than that," Neji said.

All three deadpanned. Neji chuckled. Kankuro let out a breath.

"Neji's a Hyuuga, big predominate clan that usually marries off its members to distant relatives to keep the blood line strong and the Byakugan predominate," Kankuro explained. "Neji's also one of the few jonin in the clan so he's pretty much stuck living in the Hyuuga compound his whole life.

"I live in Suna working as Gaara's main body-guard and Leader for the certain organizations. I'm also his brother and we're trying to be the family we never had because again, demon living in Gaara his entire life. Neither of us can move and Suna's a three-day journey away if you're good, and I'm pretty sure the Hyuuga elders want Neji to marry some distant female cousin because his eyes are so powerful."

Tora's eyes widened behind her glasses and she gasped. Kuma pouted and Akino muttered his favorite word.

"So you're doomed from the start?" Akino enquired.

Neji smirked but nodded. Kankuro hummed in agreement.

"Like I said: complex," Neji said.

"Yeah, no kidding," Kuma said.

"I don't want to grow up anymore," Akino said. "Being a kid is way easier."

Kankuro started laughing and Neji grinned.

"You got that right, kid. Now, let's eat, this food looks great and we've been sitting here staring at it for who knows how long," Kankuro said.

Neji's students agreed. They gave thanks again and began digging into the delicious maki rolls. Neji steered clear from the spicy salmon and ate more than he probably should have. When the meal began to wind down he noticed Kuma twitching but not because she had not been moving. She was biting her lip and twirling her chopsticks.

"Why are you nervous, Kuma?" Neji asked.

She jumped then blushed.

"Um, about the, er, physical," Kuma said.

Neji inclined his head and her blush deepened.

"Can I have a female doctor?" Kuma questioned.

Neji blinked then nodded. Tora looked relieved. Akino frowned.

"I don't know if it'd be worse being poked at by a guy or a girl," Akino said.

Neji chuckled and shook his head. They helped Tora pack up and gathered their reports. Neji jolted when Kankuro kissed him on the cheek. He flushed when the girls giggled and Akino made throwing up sounds.

"What? They know," Kankuro said.

Neji huffed and turned his back to Kankuro.

"You're so not getting any tonight," Akino said.

Tora and Kuma almost fell over from laughing but Neji offered Akino a fist-bump. Akino smirked and took it. Neji heard Kankuro whine.

"Let's go deliver these mission reports then head to the hospital," Neji said.

His students agreed. Neji walked away and ignored the fact Kankuro followed. Tora and Kuma giggled and Akino snorted. Neji chuckled inwardly. At least his week of rest would be interesting.

Reviews welcome, next chapter coming soon.