Authors note: This chapter was slow moving for me in terms of writing but I think I finally like it. I hope you enjoy it.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the characters.
He wasn't sure exactly why but when he had woken up this morning he was in a very good mood, despite the fact that his uncle had paid him a visit after his dinner the night before. The lengthy lecture on mission safety that his uncle so graciously bestowed upon him had not been appreciated.
At the time he had wanted to roll his eyes. Was safety ever truly relevant in a profession such as theirs? He didn't think so. One could only insure their safety with superior strength, which was not always possible, or the support of an extraordinary medic. Thankfully he had the best on his side.
Speaking of his medic, he'd been awake for some time and had yet to see her at all. Udon stopped by earlier with basic breakfast and tea. The young man had asked relevant questions about how he felt physically, scribbling down some notes as he went and left quickly, which Neji couldn't help but appreciate. For once he wasn't dreading the return of his nurse.
He reached over to grab some reading from the side table and decided to occupy the next hour. Udon's impending arrival with his lunch was greatly anticipated. Normally he would have blanched at the thought of eating at the hospital, but both his dinner the night before and his breakfast this morning were beyond reproach.
He suspected that it was Sakura's way of getting difficult patients to be more accepting of being bedridden under her care. He knew she must have had trouble with previous patients, some of whom had a notorious hatred for stays in medical facilities. He knew for a fact that Kakashi and Sasuke were both particularly stubborn in this way, always escaping only to be dragged back by an irate Sakura. It only made sense that she would have come up with some means of dealing with their childishness.
What troubled him was that she had seen fit to use such tactics on him. He knew he had previously expressed a vehement dislike for prolonged medical care, but that was mainly due to the attention he garnered from the female medical staff… and the food. Sakura had removed both of those issues in one fell swoop. Though he had no complaints about his accommodations or treatment, he had no intention of allowing Sakura to continue with the impression that he was going to be a difficult patient. He smirked to himself with pride. He had been nothing short of docile since she had entered into his room and he would continue to be the most compliant patient she'd ever had.
The reading, which up to this point he had only partly been paying attention to, caught his eye and the following minutes passed by quickly.
A passage on chakra sealing had his full attention when a particular smell drew close to the door and made him put down the scroll. The door slammed open and a pair of searching eyes locked on him.
"Looking for something Kiba?" his voice was dry, as was the look he was sure he sported. Kiba for his part came out of his search mode looking deflated, hunched his shoulders and ran his fingers through his hair.
"Sorry to barge in Neji. You haven't seen Sakura have you?" The Inu-nin was attempting to be casual but there was a strain in his voice and Neji could tell he was feeling quite anxious about something; most likely something to do with Sakura.
He looked at Kiba carefully and sat up fully in bed. "No. Why?" He tried to catch Kiba's eye but the other man was too busy looking around the room.
The brash nin must have taken it as an invitation to enter the room because before Neji knew what had hit him the man was sniffing around his room. "Well, I caught her scent and it led me here."
Neji rolled his eyes. Obviously it was the scent that he was tracking otherwise the man wouldn't be sniffing everything in sight. "I meant why are you looking for her."
Kiba heard the agitated sound of his voice and looked up from sniffing the pile of reading next to the bed. "Oh, right. I've been trying to convince her to go out with me again, " he said moving on the end of the bed.
Neji wanted to frown at the word 'again' but he wouldn't give Kiba the satisfaction. "I see." And then a thought occurred to him. "Having trouble?" he asked, with a hint of mischievousness laced in.
Kiba let out a long breath and scratched his chin. "Yeah, like you wouldn't believe. It's not that she's turned me down… I just can't seem to find her." The irony that the formidable tracker couldn't find the medic caused the corners of his lips to turn up ever so slightly. Though the thought probably had escaped Kiba's notice, if he hadn't found Sakura it was probably because she didn't want to be found. If it had dawned on the other man it would have answered the question he was seeking an answer to.
"Hn." Despite the knowing tone in his monosyllabic response Kiba continued in his search.
"You're in her care right?" he asked as he approached the window. What ever scent had been there must have dissipated because Kiba frowned and walked back towards the door. "When you see her, tell her I'm looking for her."
Neji allowed an amused smirk to grace his features for a split second, which caught Kiba's attention. "I'm sure she's aware," he said flatly.
Kiba locked eyes with him and the two stared each other down for a moment. Neji had never been one to loose a staring contest and soon enough Kiba's eyes began to waver. It became clear that he had no intention of holding out when his eyes shifted to the corner. "Tch. Later." He waved his hand behind his head on his way out.
Kiba had only been gone for a minute or two when a cloud of smoke formed in his room. When it cleared Sakura was left standing at the end of his bed. Neji activated his byakugan and saw that the reason for her unusual entrance was the man staking out the hospital lobby. "Good afternoon Neji-san!" she said cheerfully as she pulled the curtains further apart to let in the light and opened the window to let in some air. "Let's open the window. The smell of wet dog tends to be quite pungent." Neji nodded, having though of getting up to do so himself. Kiba had always had a signature smell and at times it could be overbearing.
"He seemed eager to see you," he said as he watched her walk around the bed and take his clip board off the hook, looking over Udon's notes quickly.
"Indeed." Her hand lit up with bright green chakra and she signaled for him to pull up his legs. "Let me see your knee."
He continued to stare at her but it didn't seem to dissuade her in the slightest. He was going to have to say something if he wanted any information. He did his best to sound as casual as possible, but it was apparent that he was intrigued and perhaps a little cross. "He said you'd been out before."
Her brow arched and she looked up from his leg with an impish smirk. "Curious?" she asked, in a teasing tone. She let out a small chuckle and shrugged before getting back to her examination. "It was very casual on my part. It turns out it wasn't on his," she said stressing the word 'very'.
The answer pleased him but he was having a hard time letting it go. There was still more he was curious about, such as when it happened and why. He was determined to find out a little more. The idea of her dating Kiba was new to him and frankly quite unexpected. Last he had been made aware, Sakura was more interested in the dark brooding types like the Uchiha. "I see." He watched her absentmindedly take down more notes on the clipboard.
She was still jotting things down when her voice carried over to him. "The healing process has started and looks like it will progress nicely."
"Hn." He fixed his eyes on her and waited for her to look up at him. He wasn't disappointed. A few seconds later she was staring back at him waiting for him to continue. "He seemed very anxious," he pushed gently, hoping she would indulge him with more information.
She smiled and sat on the doctor's stool next to his chair. She set the clipboard down and faced him fully. She leaned her elbow on his bedside table with her head in her hand. Her other hand absentmindedly twirled her pen as she began to explain. "We went on a few dates about a year ago but it didn't work out. I thought we were on the same page but apparently we weren't. A month ago he asked me out again, but I didn't think it would be a good idea. Ever since he's been trying to get me to change my mind." Her head sunk further into her hand in frustrated exhaustion.
Neji looked at her and a measure of sympathy crept onto his features. She had probably spent the better part of the month avoiding Kiba and the Inu-nin had made it clear she had been doing a very good job. While he wasn't overly fond of Kiba there was one department that the man could not be outdone in, not even by a Hyuuga. Kiba's nose was hardly ever wrong and to have outrun it for so long was incredibly impressive. "I see," he said catching her eye and showing her he fully understood the situation. "I'm sure he'll get over it eventually." He was hoping to assure her, but he was new at this and he wasn't positive it had come off the right way.
It seemed that his words had done the trick or at least that she had understood his intentions because a playful smile made her lips turn up delicately. "Sooner rather than later I hope," she said, then waved her hand dismissively as she continued. "We had some fun but I really didn't think he was that attached."
The sun peaked through the curtains and a ray caught the side of her face lighting up every strand of her pink hair and illuminating her porcelain skin. Her eyes, usually bright, seemed to glow from deep with in. The light also brought to his attention something he had never noticed before, but shed light on her time in the field. The lightest spattering of freckles graced the small portion of the top of her wrists that her combat gloves didn't conceal. The freckles faded out to a slight tan on her arms. Neji was hard pressed to think of any woman who was so uniquely beautiful. The contrasts of her delicate features to the evidence of her fieldwork was endearing and he found himself oddly fixated.
He had thought about his interest in Haruno Sakura for quite some time the night before and he had come to a startling conclusion that had just been further cemented into his awareness. He was attracted to her. She was refreshing, interesting, and surprising. Before her arrival the day before he thought he knew Haruno Sakura, or all the basic things, but she had surprised him a few times already. The girl he remembered was short tempered, constantly crying, starry eyed and completely focused on Sasuke. That description didn't suit the woman in front of him. He finally understood what had some of the other men in the rookie nine and team Gai so enamored of her. Now he wanted to discover exactly how far this attraction went. "It isn't hard to imagine."
The words were deliberate and took Sakura off guard. The obvious surprise shot through her eyes, which he was watching intently. "Oh, thank you Neji-san" she said with a tint of pink dusting her cheeks. It thrilled him, more than he had expected, to find that under her surprise she was very pleased and obviously flattered. She smiled and looked over to the charts, seemingly to stop blushing, and change the subject. "Well, everything seems to be going very well. You should be out of here in no time."
"Hn." That's wasn't something he really wanted to think about just now. As odd as it sounded leaving the hospital wasn't even close to his top priority at the moment. Of course he would take her advice and follow it to the letter but there was a small part of him hoping he would get to stay in recovery longer.
She spun the pen around a few times on her palm causing him to put his thoughts away for the time being. When he looked back to her it was obvious she had regained her composure, the tiny bit she had lost, and was back to her more professional outlook. He did notice that she was a little less formal in her posture. He wondered how much more he could push while still allowing her to keep up her professional demeanor. He didn't know she was going to give him the perfect opportunity.
"Do you need anything else? Have any other questions?" She teased gently, crossing one leg over the other.
One dark brown eyebrow raised and he found himself teasing her in return. "Kiba?"
She could hear the subtle humor laced into his question and took it in stride. "Well, I was attempting to go for a different kind of guy," she said with a shrug and an amused glint in her eye. "Why are you so curious anyway?" her question was suspicious but in an amused way.
He tried his best to sound casual but when the words came out he found that he needn't have worried. He usual calm demeanor was firmly in place. "No reason."
She chuckled before moving past it, but she knew he was aware that she didn't fully believe him. "Sure. Any questions about your recovery?" she asked, with an emphasis on the last word.
He paused for a moment thinking back to his earlier thought process concerning his stay. "How long to you think the re-knitting will take?"
"If I assist with chakra about a week. Longer if I don't. The best way is to do a bit of both. Plus it will give you some down time." Her last statement had an element of knowing to it, as if she wanted to tell him to take it easy and rest more often but she knew he wouldn't listen. After all he was Hyuuga Neji and even if she did tell him that it would have been a bit hypocritical seeing as though he was fully aware she worked just as much as he did.
He nodded lightly, assuring her with the tiny movement. "Whatever you think is best."
A flash of white teeth was all he needed to realize that she was immensely pleased with how accommodating he was being when it came to his condition and the treatment she was giving him. "Alright then. Udon will be round with your lunch in a few minutes and I'll be back later to help you keep your muscles moving." She stood quickly and stuck the pen she had been holding behind her ear.
"Hn."
She waved before she opened the door and began to step out. "See you in a bit," she called out brightly as the door slowly closed behind her.
When she had said she'd be back in a bit he hadn't expected her to be away until the sun had fallen. When he'd finished his reading he found himself lacking entertainment and was looking forward to her return. When it had become apparent that her visit was going to be later in the night he had called for Udon. The boy had been confused at first but after a few minutes he had started talking about how the hospital worked and the medical details of the recovery process that Neji was currently undergoing. When he had asked Udon how he knew so much about the microscopic attributes of his recovery the boy had stated that Sakura had gone over all of it with him when the boy received the appointment.
The intricate details fascinated Neji and he wondered how much knowledge had been packed into Sakura's head and how much of it she would explain to him over the next week. Thus when Udon left Neji was more eager than ever to see the medic and pick her brain. It had been a few hours since then and his disposition was becoming a bit sour.
He was tempted to get up and walk around when the increasingly familiar sound of her heals reached his ears. He straightened up in his bed and waited.
She knocked on the door and when she didn't enter he sent her a small grunt to show it was alright for her to come in.
The door opened and Sakura entered but something was different this time. The medical coat was gone. She was wearing what appeared to be one of her field uniforms without the flack jacket and without the skirt to cover her shorts. The dark long-sleeved shirt was tucked into the tight fitting but flexible shorts and Neji tried his best not to stare at her long legs as she made her way towards him.
"Hungry?" She asked with a smile. She held up a white paper bag and placed it down on the table next to his bed. She turned to get a chair but found only the examining stool she had used earlier in the day.
"Starved," he said, watching her pull the small seat over to the bed. He re-adjusted the pillows so he could sit up completely in the bed and by the time he was comfortable she was sitting with a bag on her lap.
She blew some hair out of her face and placed the bag she had been holding on the bed next to his legs. "I meant to come by earlier but things got hectic," she said, somewhat apologetically.
"I understand. An emergency?" He was somewhat concerned. An emergency that required her attention couldn't be a good thing. Most likely someone was gravely injured.
She let out a long breath, bent over, and he heard the sound of two zippers being pulled down. He saw a look of relief cross her features and heard the sound of something being pushed under the bed and came to the conclusion that her boots had become uncomfortable during the day and had found a new home for the moment. "Yeah. A jounin squad got ambushed by rouge nins. Only one serious case, but it took a while to bring him around. Sorry about the shoes, I'm breaking in a new pair." She smiled, reached over for some of the hand sanitizer on the bedside table, and pulled out two matching thermoses from the bag, oddly similar to the ones he'd been using previously.
He took them from her and placed both of them on the table and removing the tops to use as cups. He poured some tea into her thermos top before moving to his. "Are these yours?"
She was busy un-wrapping some containers that she pulled from inside the bag as she responded. "Yep. Tea helps me relax. And I've been told you enjoy tea as well so I figured you'd appreciate it." She cheerfully glanced at him out the corner of her eye while she began to open the containers. She handed him some utensils and signaled for him to start while she retrieved hers.
"I do," he said before taking a bite. He savored the taste making sure to not inhale the food in a manner that would be unsightly as he was so tempted to do. Years of Hyuuga manners hammered into his habits wouldn't allow that.
She seemed pleased as she nodded sharply. "Good. And Udon told me you liked the bento yesterday." She took a large mouthful and swallowed before continuing. "I either make them myself or get them from the store across the road."
He placed the bite he was about to take back down. "Which is this?" he asked before continuing with his meal.
"I made this one myself," she said watching him take in a mouthful, before asking, "What do you think?"
He was fairly sure that she knew how much he liked the food. Unless he was very much mistaken it was showing on his face. "Wonderful." Both bentos were delicious but they tasted different obviously the work of two different chefs who had slightly different preferences. "The one you gave me yesterday was meant to be yours," he said, matter of factly leaving no room for argument.
Sakura took a swig of her tea and shrugged her shoulders. "Well, the staff caught me as I was heading home from a mission with Kakashi-sensei's team," she explained with a cheerful tone. "Don't worry I got another one when I left."
He looked down at his food and remembered what an ass he'd been only just the day before and wondered why she had gone through the trouble. "You didn't have to do that."
She leaned back slightly and closed her eyes in an attempt to relax for a moment. "Seriously, don't let it bother you. I was happy to."
There was quiet for a few seconds while he thought of the best way to word his next question but it was something he was wondering about. "Do you share your dinner with all of your patients?"
Her eyes opened and she graced him with a look of mock outrage. "Most certainly not Hyuuga Neji. That is a privilege given to only a select few. To date, only Naruto, Kakashi and Sai."
"Not even the Uchiha?"
Sakura wrinkled her nose in apparent distaste. "Lord no. He is such a fussy eater. And besides, he's too busy having dinner with his potential brides to have dinner with an old friend," she explained in a slightly saddened tone. As he thought back he recalled Naruto in an angry huff about exactly the same thing. The conversation had something to do with the loud blonde being stood up by his old friend at Ichiraku's one too many times. Naruto was never at the ramen stand alone for long though; one of his friends would inevitably go there to find him, usually Sakura and Sai.
"You're not on that list?" he asked genuinely surprised. He had thought that she would be. She certainly fit the Uchiha's criteria, which was almost solely based on physical strength.
"Thank the heavens I'm not. Sasuke and I have very different views on the roles of women," she said with a dark grin, implying that the Uchiha had previously said or done something that had landed him on the wrong side of her fists.
The thought of Sasuke being punched out made him want to laugh but instead he opted for a more polite response. "I see."
Sakura's inane grin faded away, leaving the glimmer of gentle merriment behind in her eyes. She had let her guard down a bit more since the afternoon and he guessed it had a great deal to do with the fact that she was not currently working. "He's a good friend but we'd never be able to venture into that territory now, not after everything that happened. I wouldn't want to."
"That is understandable," he said before sipping at his tea. He understood exactly what she meant. It was apparent to him that this woman had changed a great deal since her teen years and admittedly independence was not high on Sasuke's list of qualities in a mate. But that particular quality made Neji respect her even more. He took a few bites of food and then decided to broach another subject. "I spoke with Udon this afternoon."
"Oh?" She asked, her hand covering her mouth and the food that was within it.
"Hn." He placed the top back on his bento and put it off to the side. "He explained some of the more intricate details of my recovery." He watched her finish off her bento and place the container next to his.
"I hope it was comprehensive," she said finishing off her tea and pouring herself another one. She allowed the steam to drift up to her nose and let the heat warm her hands on the cup.
"Very, but it did pique my curiosity." He didn't bother to mention that his curiosity had been piqued before that.
She looked down at her lap and smiled before looking up at him again. She pushed some air out of her face and tilted her head to the side. "I didn't know you were a such a curious individual Neji-san."
He let loose a deep almost inaudible chuckle. "When it comes to certain things."
She pulled her knees up and placed her feet on the metal border of his bed and while that might have normally bothered him, in this situation it made things feel more comfortable. She was clearly at ease in his presence and was making a point to be physically more relaxed. "Ask away. I was told to take a long break, so we have plenty of time to talk and when my break is over I will change your bandages. Oh, and I brought some dango."
He didn't think he'd ever told anyone but he had a weakness for that particular treat. But when he had the chance and knew no one was looking he would quickly drop by his favorite stall and pick some up. He looked down at the bag that still lay near his legs. "From the stall on Cherry Street?"
She grinned knowingly. "I wouldn't go anywhere else."
End comments: Don't worry Kiba is not going to form some sort of love triangle. I just wanted to make this version of Sakura a little less inexperienced then some of my other versions have been. Sasuke will make an appearance soon, as will Naruto, Hiashi, and Hinata. Thank you so much for reading. I'll try to make the next chapter longer.