Authors note: Please try not to throw things at me. I know this post has been a time coming. I'll admit it; I got stuck. I had no idea where this was going or how to get from point a to b and I think I finally figured it out… just in time to get a fervent plea from a reader who wants the remainder of the tale. Now that I know what I'm doing with this story and how I get from here to the end I had in mind we can move forwards (if anyone is still reading). So thank you for those that are. I can now say that I plan on having the next chapter up in 2 weeks.

Disclaimer: I dont own Naruto or the characters.

"Saaaaaaaaaakuuuuuuuuuuuraaaaaaaaaaa!" The shout jolted Neji from his sleep. He blearily looked over to the clock wall and found that it wasn't early per say. Half past seven wasn't early for a workday but even so people were meant to be resting here. Neji went to go rest his head back down and attempt to go back to sleep until it was closer to lunch. It wasn't often he was awarded such opportunities and he intended to make the most of it. The bustling noise got louder and the sound of things crashing echoed from the lobby. He did his best to ignore it. He wasn't allowed to get up yet so there wasn't much he could do. Besides, he was sure that whatever was going on could be taken care of by the nurses on duty.

He closed his eyes but furrowed his brows. That shout had sounded an awful lot like 'Sakura'. There must have been another emergency, which required her expertise. Another resounding crash was heard but this time much closer to the room.

"Sakura!" This time he was sure that the person shouting was calling for the world renown medic. And that person sounded awfully familiar…

The sound of a nurse yelping in surprise informed him that the man, a fact he'd confirmed from the second shout, was just outside his door. The door swung open and Naruto rushed inside. He slammed the door behind him and smiled over at Neji with a foxy grin.

"Hiya Neji!" The joyful greeting was diminished by the slam of another person into the divider. The frame rattled as the individual continued to slam into it. Naruto's foxy grin quickly turned bashful. "Sakura's going to kill us," he said bracing the door as best he could. Naruto quickly moved after the door was hit and rushed to the far side of the bed.

A second later the divide flew open and much to Neji's surprise another head of blonde hair stumbled into the room. The man stood up and a terse greeting was on the tip of Neji's tongue until the man turned around. A growl came from the intruder as he began to stalk towards Naruto while the jinchurikki held his hands up in amused defense. The pacification only riled up the infuriated man even more. Neji sat staring at the two of them with no idea how to rectify the situation and admittedly unable to say a single thing due to shock.

"What the hell are you two doing?" The intruders flinched at the rumble that came from the door. They both turned to look at the woman who blackened aura would have frightened the most hardened warriors.

Sasuke pointed to his neon colored hair with slanted eyes hoping to find Sakura on his side. Sadly when he pointed it out Sakura's mouth opened and closed a few times before she looked over to Neji and Naruto. Naruto for his part was already snickering at his handy work and Neji looked lost for words.

It started with the subtle twist of her features and then it escalated. They were distorted somewhere between a smile and a frown as she did her best to keep a straight face. It didn't last long. A sputtering cough turned quickly into gales of laughter.

Naruto was laughing right along with her and before Neji knew it Naruto was doubled over in a fit of joviality. "It's good right?" Naruto asked the medic which only made her laugh harder.

Sasuke was none too pleased. He stood in the center of the room with his arms crossed over his chest waiting for them to stop. When it didn't stop Sasuke cleared his throat. Sakura, who seemed able to speak for the first time in minutes looked at Sasuke and then at Naruto devilishly only to start giggling again. "Panties in a twist Sasuke?"

Sasuke's outraged expression coupled with the new hair made a chuckle bubble from Neji's chest and before he knew it he had joined in the laughter, albeit very quietly.

Sasuke let out an exasperated sigh, realizing he wasn't going to win this one, looked to Sakura and in a small voice said, "I need to fix this."

Her brows rose up and slowly her laughter faded completely. "Is that your way of asking for help?" He nodded in response to her question. She stood up straight and crossed her arms over her chest. "Don't think I forgot about the racket you two caused." The two men flinched and the whole thing reminded Neji of a mother scolding her children. "You will go around this hospital and apologize to everyone you disturbed, especially the nurse you ran over." When she received nods from both men in agreement she continued. "As for your hair, I will call Ino and see what she can do" she said with merriment floating in the words.

Both men looked to Neji who had now erased the hint of a smile from his face, and mumbled, "sorry," before making their way out into the hall to find the nurse they had stampeded over just a few minutes before.

Sakura looked at the doorframe appraising it before she moved away towards his bed. She sat on the small sliver of open space next to him. "They didn't jump on your knee or anything, did they?" she asked running her eyes over him for further injuries.

His straight face was back but the light in his eyes gave away his good humor concerning the situation on the whole. "No, they just woke me up before my breakfast."

She allowed a bemused smirk to sneak its way onto her features. "Well, we can't have that." Hqer light sarcasm quickly turned serious as she got down to the business at hand. "I know you like privacy and that door isn't going to be closing any time soon so I think we should move your room. Do you think you could give me a few minutes to arrange it?" she asked knowing his answer already but asking for the sake of courtesy anyway.

He took a good look at the door and realized that her fore sight would probably save him a great deal of annoyance in the near future. "I'd appreciate it."

She patted the bed frame once then headed out to make the arrangements. "Good. I'll be back in a few!" she couldn't help herself. she covered her hand over her mouth to stop another barrel of laughs form spilling out as she rounded the door frame. He heard what she said all the same. "I don't think I'll ever be able to look at his hair with out laughing again."

It was some time before she arrived again and this time she did not seem herself. He could see something was niggling the back of her mind and she was doing her best not to show it. He would wait. If she wanted to talk about she surely would eventually. "Are you ready?"

Her question was met with a fervent nod. "Yes," he said eyeing the empty doorframe suspiciously. "Not having a door is very unnerving." Too many prying eyes had passed by already, some by accident others were purposeful. A few had even tried to enter the room but were stopped by his ever-faithful nurse Udon who had been busying himself with organizing the room. Many acted as though he couldn't see them, which was absurd. Gawking at ones doorway inevitably brought attention. Neji found he'd had quite enough of that for one day and was eagerly anticipating the move.

"I had a feeling it would be." She signaled to the boy who had begun picking up the odds and ends that Neji had been using for his stay. "Anyway, I am here to help with the transfer."

The elegant arch of his brow rose ever the tiniest bit, slightly proud of himself for some reason he couldn't be sure of. "I didn't think moving me would require your undivided attention."

Hearing the teasing in his tone despite how miniscule the hint was made her want grin though she didn't, which puzzled him. Normally she would have. She shot him a side glace before returning to the checklist that was on his hospital clipboard. "It doesn't but starting your physical therapy does." The papers were set down on the pile that Udon was carrying and Sakura rubbed her hands together making them warmer before moving towards his slightly elevated leg. "Ready?" she asked with her hands hovering over his kneecap.

"Yes." The word was no sooner out of his mouth then her palms were on his leg. She helped him swing his legs around so he could touch the ground. "Good. We're going to stretch your legs first so you don't seize up." Using a little chakra to help the process she began helping him stretch out his unused muscles, which had tightened up over the days with out their usual training. "Does that hurt at all?"

There was soreness, but that was to be expected. He focused in to see if anything felt out of place, eyes keenly watching the movements of her hands curiously. "No it feels fine. No strain," he said as she put a tiny bit of pressure above the rounded bone. He was being truthful; he could detect no pain only the aches of keeping ones body in the same position for a time.

Each leg was bend and then straightened a number of times in a long striding motion before she set them down. She moved his feet in circular motions to help get the blood moving again and then sent warm chakra into his system to heat up the muscles to make them more limber. When she was done his legs were set down again and the cold linoleum sent a shiver up his long legs. She held out an arm for him to take. "Excellent. Now I want to you put all your weight on me," she said, tucking her shoulder under him armpit to give support with out disturbing his injuries. "We're going to take a few very careful steps with almost al of your weight on me. Your muscles need to move but your bones can't take the pressure yet so this is the best way." He nodded and placed most of his weight on her feeling the strain on his bone the second he pushed off of the bed. After a moment of getting accustomed to the unsteady feel of his limb he carefully edged his leg forward. It was an odd experience having the majority of his weight being held by another so completely. Usually in such situations the supporter looked burdened or could not take the full weight of the injured party alone. With Sakura he could tell she was hardly using her full strength to keep him upright. Additionally with the use of one arm wrapped around his waist she could have easily lifted his whole weight with out restricting her own movements much at all.

They walked for a relatively short distance out into the hallway before he felt his muscle cramp up. He pushed through it, determined to walk further. Working through the cramp he managed to get to get the majority of the way to the stairs past the eyes of the passing nurses and patients and onto a quieter side of the hall. It was then that she stopped him lifting his full weight and height with her left arm.

"That was really good," she praised opening the door to the stair and proceeding to carry him up to his new room in the hall above, which admittedly made him a little uncomfortable. He was thankful she had sped him the embarrassment of being thrown over her shoulder or being scooped up like a bride. The new room was the first door when they exited the stairs and he wondered if there would be more traffic passing by. He supposed it didn't matter so long as there was a working door to separate him from the rest of the hospital.

She sat him on his new bed while Udon tried his best to replicate the conditions and placement of the old room. "Is this my new routine?" She moved his legs about stretching the muscle gently to assure they wouldn't freeze up. Udon was also keeping a close eye on her actions so as to replicate them later should he need to.

"Only if Naruto and Sasuke break down your door every morning in which case their asses will be mine." The humorous yet dark words that were full of promise fell away and a much softer controlled voice replaced it. "Yes, the walking and stretching therapy will be your new routine until everything returns to normal. In fact Udon has agreed to help me with your morning and evening sessions. You will be seeing us pre-breakfast and pre-dinner every day."

He nodded thinking about the timing of such visitations and came to a conclusion. "Just before your break?" he asked, fairly positive that was the reason the times had been chosen.

She tilted her head to the side with a small smile. "How very perceptive. And be ready to see me a little less, Tsunade-sama has had a complaint from someone concerning my professionalism." Ah, so that is what was bothering her, he thought, frowning profusely.

"You've been nothing but professional." He stated with a bit of a bite on the end. Confused and angry he didn't know how else to react except put her ind at ease until he could think of a way to help. One question stood out to him. Who had the nerve to make such an outrageous complaint? Her behavior was no less professional than any other staff member and in many cases significantly more so. Excluding all of that, they went a long way back. He had known her since the chunin exams. They had fought together in their teens and been on the same teams. There was no reason for her to stand on ceremony with him. Other nins in their situation at the facility regarded each other as old friends rather than doctor and patient.

Sakura let out a long-winded sigh that blew an errant strand of pink hair from her face. "Well apparently it is my break time that was the problem."

"During a break a hospital employee is on their own time and may treat it as such." Came the wizened words of Udon, quoted straight from the manual Neji was positive the boy had memorized from front to back.

Sakura chuckled and ruffled the boy's sandy brown hair as she walked past him, putting on a brave face for her charge. Her words trailed behind her as she moved to exit giving them a small and slightly diminished smile. "Thank you Udon, that is exactly what Tsunade-sama quoted to the individual, straight from the handbook. But it means that Udon will be taking over your non-therapy related check ups."

When her shoulder was equal with the door Neji quietly asked, "Do you know who it was?"

The bleach white jacket she preferred to wear on her rounds brushed against her hair when her shoulders rose. "No idea and I don't really want to find out. It's been some time since anyone complained about my care… in fact it's never happened before and the likely hood of them walking away right now with out a scratch is slim no none so I'd rather not know." The darkened sadness in her tone worried him as did the brewing anger. It wasn't something he hadn't seen since the days of Sasuke's defection. This version was far less encompassing but the complaint obviously weighted heavy on her mind. Soon enough she pushed through it and put on a bright smile once more and waved to them. "Anyway, Udon I will leave Hyuuga-san in your care until this evening."

Udon waited until he was sure she was far enough away not to hear busying himself with minor tasks. When the extra sheets were folded and the pillows fluffed he looked up a Neji form under the rim of his glasses. "Sakura-sama was very upset about it."

Neji frowned thinking back on their exchange. Sakura took her job very seriously and such a thing would trouble her. "I can imagine," he said, the wheels in his brain turning the situation over. "Any ideas?" Who better than Udon to know who might be behind it? During his analysis it occurred to him that too many options existed. Between jealous teenage nurses and hospital guests who just wanted to complain about something he wasn't sure who it could have been.

Udon leaned in to quietly relay his thoughts on the situation. "I thought it may have been a nurse but they all like her and respect her too much. And they were as surprised as she was. Tsunade-sama was furious… not with Sakura–sama; with the complainant. "

Thankful for the revelation Neji nodded in going through the remaining options of people that would have complained about how had been spending her break time in the previous days. "So it came from outside the hospital." White eyes locked onto the nurse's reassuringly. "I will look into it. It was an unfair accusation."

Udon bowed removing the empty canister next to the bed to fill it up with water. "Thank you Hyuuga-san." The boy left Neji to contemplate his next course of action.

Neji waited patiently all afternoon for someone to visit. He had sent a note to the main house via Udon on his break. He'd given him a little cash to get a nice lunch after making him go out of his way and the boy seemed to have an appreciation for the thought. Either way it had been some time since he had requested their presence. Surely not every member of his family was so busy?

Then the familiar presence of a family members chi rounded the corner of the hall and soon enough a sharp wrap at the door announced her. She didn't wait for an answer. They both knew she could see through the door if she chose to and that he could see her too.

"Neji-nii, you wanted to see me?" Her small frame propped itself up against the entrance arms crossed mirroring her legs. Her long black hair was pulled back away from lightly tanned skin and she had a small quirk to her lips that spelled trouble.

"Not you specifically, though I am glad you're here."

She let out a short snort that made him shake his head. For all of her physical grace Hanabi was determined to undermine it was her sharp wit and tongue. "I know. And you should be. I had to fight off Auntie Hisko for that note. I recognized your hand writing." She pulled the note out f her pocket so that he could see it then quietly placed it back in.

The thought of his aunt fussing over him and smothering him with food and constantly pinching the skin of his cheeks as though he still has the rounded features of his youth and not the chiseled bone structure he sported was enough to make him shudder. "Well, in that case I'm doubly glad it was you."

She smiled taking the few steps it took to get to his bed side chair with long strides. "So tell me nii-san what is it you need?" she asked plunking down and crossing one leg over the other. She scrutinized the room from corner to corner looking for a hint as to what it was he must have wanted.

He drew back away from her looking off towards the wall annoyed at himself for having been so transparent. "Who said I needed anything?'

She rolled her eyes and began examining the scrolls on his bedside table with a knowing eye. "You wouldn't have asked for a visit if you didn't need something. It's alright, you can tell me. I can get anything. Lunch, booze, dirty magazines…"

"Hanabi," he scolded, not terribly surprised by her candor. She had been like that for some time and he found that as his two cousins got older their personalities developed quite differently. The shy and gentle Hinata was contrasted and complimented by her straight shooting sassy sister. He found it to be a rather delightful manner of being most of the time. It would certainly give the Hyuuga council a few things to mull over on late nights and quite a lot of trouble in the future. At the moment it was not her most prized quality.

"What?" she challenged belligerently then waved him off with a mocking element to her words. "Oh yes, I forgot. Geniuses do not need such things."

"Behave yourself please. Didn't you have your lessons in etiquette today?"

Her grin was sly as she leaned back into the chair lounging as though the room belonged to her. "Why do you think I'm talking about improper things. Hell, I haven't even gotten started yet." She joked giving him a saucy grin full of devilry and mischief.

He crossed his arms and returned her gaze with a pointed one. "Stop before you scar the innocent image I have of you in my minds eye."

She laughed giving in to his request. When pushed there wasn't much she wouldn't do for him even if it meant giving up on making him feel uncomfortable. There was only one other person in their family that was better to tease and they had enough to deal with today. She would have to find the Uchiha later and see if teasing him would prove to be as entertaining. "Okay, so what do you need?"

He paused for a moment, assuring there was no one around to hear them and then leaned in. He didn't realize it but all of his secrecy was very intriguing and Hanabi was even more interested in what it was that had her usually apathetic cousin so animated. "Are you still in the habit of eavesdropping?"

She raised her brow and Neji wondered if that was what it looked like when he did the same. "It passes the time," she said with a shrug. He really need to start training with her more if that was her means of passing time. For now it served his purpose.

"Good. I need you to find something out for me." She pushed away from the back of the chair to listen in to what he had to say. His deepening frown was not an image she was unaccustomed to but the severity of it was certainly new. "Someone made a complaint concerning the behavior of my doctor, which I have to say is ludicrous."

There was that grin again, and he knew he wouldn't be escaping her deductions, no doubt made from the tiniest hints he'd left strung though his actions and visage. "Ludicrous because she's pretty and you don't care if she's improper or ludicrous because she is actually very professional?"

"It's Sakura," he said bluntly, as though the reasons were obvious and to Hanabi they certainly were. For her it was nice to see him so involved in another's circumstances. It was so unlike him… that was where a sliver of concern came from. She knew via Hinata how clueless Sakura could be. Would the medic notice the effect she was having no matter how small it seemed? And Neji wasn't exactly known for being forthcoming with emotional issues. If she was seeing what she thought she was then it could be difficult for both parties. On the other hand Neji was very logical. Perhaps the situation could be resolved without incident one way or the other.

Deciding to bring it out in the open she called it how she saw it. "So it's both," she said earning a glare from her beloved cousin. "What? Go ahead and deny it but I can tell." She was chastising him for hiding such things, of that they were both aware. "You wouldn't be making a fuss if you didn't like her," she reminded him, teasing to get a reaction out of him that was not hostile and remind him that above all she was not here because she wanted to rebuke him. Actually she was proud if a little surprised.

He took a deep breath and admitted once more that he needed her help, a feat that was not easy for him. He knew he had pride, often too much of it and to ask his little cousin for help was a difficult task that rubbed against his sense of self-decorum. "I need you to find out who made the complaint."

"As it happens I already know." She giggled behind a closed fist and the twinkle in her eye hinted that what she was about to pass on had an element of humor to it somewhere. "Outoo-sam passed by the hospital yesterday and saw you eating dango."

"He was upset over dango?" he deadpanned, though he guessed it was less about the desert and more about the company he was keeping whilst eating it.

His flat grudging eyes made her laugh fully this time from deep within her belly at his apparent and possibly purposeful misunderstanding. "He was upset because he thought your nurse was taking advantage of your gentlemanly manners."

Neji snorted, immediately regretting the reaction. He was beginning to wonder if some of Hanabi's less than ladies like qualities had been picked up from him, even if it was only the minute ones. The eye roll and snort were hitting very close to home. He had to endeavor to be a better example around her. In the mean time it took admitting another fault he found within himself in hopes it would be relayed back to Hiashi. "I'm not that polite."

"Which is what Hinata pointed out when he said it, but he was convinced," she said popping a bit of pastry that Udon had left near by in her mouth. Her comment both concerned and pleased him. It pleased him that his shy cousin had stood up for him and more importantly her friend. Hinata was getting bolder. On the other hand was he known for being impolite? He would have to do something about that.

Then a word Hanabi used flickered in his mind that he found even more unpleasant. "And she's not my nurse.'

In the next moment he realized exactly what she found so funny. "Trust me, that was the one thing father left Tsunade-sama's office fully aware of. I though she was going to flatten him when she realized the 'trollop nurse' was her Sakura-chan." The smile on her face spread from ear to ear and her eyes were lit up again at her father's expense. Both daughters loved him dearly but neither would deny that seeing Hiashi humbled was a family guilty pleasure. As it didn't happen often they took advantage of it when it did and this one would have been a dozy. No doubt Neji would have found pleasure in seeing it, as only two men in Konoha had pride that outdid his own. Sasuke was bad but Hiashi was worse. More often than not it was Hiashi's pride coupled with his arrogance that got him in hot water and this time had been no different.

"He called her a trollop?" He would have thought his uncle would have had more sense than to jump straight into the vipers nest or in the way of a rampaging bull, the later being a more accurate description of the beast he had chosen to tangle with. Tsunade-sama was not one to anger without serious consideration for ones health. And to use such a demeaning word in regards to her prized student? That might as well have been a death wish. He was amazed Hiashi made it out of the room alive or at the very least wasn't in the room next door nursing a litany of broken bones.

"In his usual condescending manner. You know how he is," she explained waving her hands dismissively. "Anyway after about 30 mins of being shouted at he finally left looking more humble than I've ever seen him. Either way the complaint had been officially made and some action had to be taken… though I would hardly call being told to see you less is a punishment." He heard the last comment for what it was, a job at his pride, which admittedly could have done with being brought down a few pegs. No need to turn into his Uncle or Sasuke.

"Hn. Tell him I would like for him to stop by during my evening or morning therapy session. He need not come in, just observe. I will not tell her he is there." That, he thought, would set his uncles fears to rest for a time at least. Hanabi sensed the conversation was over when Neji picked up one of the many scrolls that had been left on the side table and began reading through it with great focus.

"Ok. Be careful nii-san," she said, serious for the first time since she'd arrived and regarding his figure with a calm sobriety as though she could see in him something he had yet to see for himself. She got off the chair and swiftly turned on her heel to exit the room. The door closed behind her leaving her words to echo in his mind.

Careful of what, he wondered, before getting back to his reading.

End comments: So I have never had a physical therapy session and I only know a little of what it involves therefore if there are any inconsistencies please excuse them… and any grammatical/spelling errors you may find, I will go back and edit again as I always miss something or a couple somethings. And I realize this is not the most action packed chapter but never fear I am leading up to it. So, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. See you in 2 weeks (promise!)