Cliché
By anna
All general disclaimers apply
two
--
"I love you enough to let you, but do you love me enough to stop,"
--
Sakura was lying on her bed and staring at the ceiling. Not far from her, Neji was doing his usual roundup of work. The medic bore holes into his back and sighed when she found that, contrary to the rumors from love-struck nurses, despite all the defined lines of muscle, his back was uninteresting. She tilted her head, letting the pink strands fall over her shoulder sensuously.
"Hey Neji, guess what?" she asked, a sense of urgency laced in her voice.
"What?" came a listless reply.
"Tomorrow is the grand opening of that pastries store down the street,"
"Oh?"
Sakura rolled her eyes and turned her body away from him when she realized that Neji had refused to be her source of entertainment. Sensing his wife's boredom and her need for small talk, the Hyuuga tried to muster up a few tidbits of news.
"A Mist village kunoichi was transferred into our Anbu," he said, hoping that it would entertain her enough to leave him alone for his work.
"I heard she was gorgeous," Sakura said, her fingers playing with her hair absentmindedly, "And that she has taken a liking to you,"
"Naruto suggested that I should disappoint her,"
"That shouldn't be hard, just marry her,"
--
Sakura sighed and realized she had forgotten her lunchbox again. The medic shook her head and averted her attention back to the paperwork in front of her. The name Misao Sakana written in perfect handwriting glared back at her. Sakura picked up her pen and scribbled a few notes, and as if on cue aforementioned woman entered the medic's office.
"Sakana-san," Sakura acknowledged.
"Shizune said that you wanted to see me," the Anbu said, her sapphire eyes met emerald.
Sakura nodded and gestured to the paperwork passively, "I finished documenting your medical records, the only thing left is for your officer in charge's signature,"
The pretty woman's lips curved into a delicious smile, "I'll make sure to give it to Neji-kun,"
The minute the Anbu left, a young intern entered and notified Sakura about a case awaiting her attention. For the nth time that day, Sakura sighed when she realized that she wasn't going to eat anytime soon. She held the folder loosely in her hand and glided over the name of a certain silver haired ninja. Sakura grumbled when she opened the door and looked at the man who was waiting for her on the hospital bed.
"It's nice to see you still manage to flirt with my interns even while wearing hospital gown," the medic said as she looked over his chart.
"This gown is a chick magnet!" Kakashi grinned as he fingered the thin fabric.
"You've landed yourself in the hospital for the third time this month," the medic said.
The silver haired man shrugged, "Tell that to the old lady, she's working me harder than a mule,"
"At least take care of yourself," she chastised, waving a finger at him.
Sakura sighed, "So I'm guessing you want me to heal you quickly so you can bury yourself with more missions?"
Kakashi shook his head, his face scrunched in distaste, "Oh God no! I want you to recommend me a one month recuperation period,"
Sakura nodded knowingly and proceeded to transfer him to one of the prettiest new intern. She knew Kakashi would be pleased.
--
That night, after a hard day at work, the medic went back home to a freshly cooked meal. Looking at the clock, she reached for the apron and put it on. There was insitent knocking on the door, and the all the maids had disappeared. Sighing, she walked toward the large mahogany door. Sakura was taken back by surprise when she saw a pretty blonde standing in front of her. She could feel the woman's eyes on her, scrutinizing her every move. Misao scrunched her nose, and lifted her eyebrows when she noticed the frilly pink apron Sakura was wearing.
"What are you doing here?" the Anbu asked.
The medic noticed the subtle change of expression and smirked. She pulled back a few strands of loose pink hair and straightened the apron.
"Can't you tell? I'm the maid," she answered, gesturing slightly at her appearance.
Sakura tempted to scoff when Misao automatically breathed out a sigh of relief. The blond straightened herself up and the haughty smirk returned to her beautiful face.
"And here I thought you were my rival, that was a silly idea,"
"You don't have to worry, Hyuuga-sama would never give me a second glance. Especially not when you're there," Sakura reassured.
Misao nodded, she laughed as though the whole situation was utterly ridiculous, "And here I was, worried about you, when you're nothing but the help,"
Sakura looked after the Anbu as she exited through the Hyuuga gate. The medic shook her head but then ambled back into the kitchen when she realized that Neji was due to come home.
--
That morning, Misao entered the Academy grounds and as she looked around on the desk, her eyes fell on an interesting piece of paper. As she drew closer, her eyes widened when she realized what it was. It was the scroll Neji had been working on the past few days, and it held all the information of an upcoming recon mission. Curiosity overcame her and the pretty woman inched closer. Her fingers traced along the delicate paper and lifted it up enough to see the names written on it. Sapphire eyes shot up when they saw her name written in perfect hand writing. Next to her name were a few others, including of one Sakura Hyuuga.
Misao drew back, now that she thought about it, she had never once asked about the medic's last name. The Anbu shook her head slightly and laughed at her own indiscretion. It was silly of her for not having seen it sooner.
"What are you doing here?"
Misao turned around, finding herself face to face with the Hyuuga. A head taller than her, he exuded an air of authority. Cool silver eyes looked at her with indifference. The Hyuuga's eyes narrowed in irritation and walked past her when he decided that she wasn't worth his attention.
"Aren't you going to tell me that I'm annoying?" Misao inquired.
"That would mean I see you on the same standard as Sakura," Neji answered simply.
"Why do you care for her so much?" she asked.
"Because she can easily take me for everything I'm worth,"
Upon seeing him leaving, the pretty woman called after the Hyuuga.
"Neji-kun, where are you going?"
"I need to buy some pastries,"
--
Sakura rubbed her eyes and opted to lay her head down on the table. A wave of nausea washed over her, and once again, she realized that she had forgotten to eat. She could clearly feel the aching of her muscles and for the first time in months, finally knew how overworked she was. The throbbing joints and the nausea all served to lull her into some attainable oblivion, and Sakura didn't want to fight it anymore, she closed her eyes.
Shizune knocked on the Hyuuga office and entered when she got no answer. Her dark eyes widened when she saw the pink haired woman slumped over the desk like a broken branch. The medic rushed over to her colleague and proceeded to call for help.
--
The handsome Hyuuga scrunched his nose in distaste when he saw the array of brightly colored cakes and pies. The entire shop was filled with women and he could feel their stares on every part of his being. Never had Neji felt more violated. Biting onto his shreds of dignity, he moved to the front counter where the owner had been eyeing him since the moment of his entrance. She was a fresh young woman, and her lips immediately curved into a smile.
"What can I get you today?" she purred, earning some jealous stares from the surrounding women.
"That," he pointed to a ridiculously decorated multi-layered, pink cake.
"For your mother perhaps?" the brown haired woman asked slyly.
Neji fought a nagging temptation to roll his eyes; instead he opted to tell her flatly, "For my wife,"
An emission of disappointed sighs filled the shop simultaneously but he ignored it and paid for the piece of pastry, which he found to be absurdly expensive. He exited the shop and made his way down the street. The handsome Anbu clicked his tongue in annoyance when he found himself lodged behind a group of Genins on a narrow road.
"How was your medical check up today?" one chubby looking kid said to another.
"Oh it was cancelled," a green haired boy answered, not caring about the note of irritation in his voice.
"What happened?"
"The hospital has been in chaos since this afternoon, after the head medical examiner collapsed,"
They turned around when a loud splattering noise emitted from behind them. The children from the Academy inched closer to the pink substance on the floor.
"What are you doing? Don't eat it," the green haired boy scolded.
"It's cake," his friend answered, and continued after some forethought, "Really good cake."
--
Looking at a small, decrepit old woman looking back at him hopefully, Neji closed the door without an ounce of etiquette. The Anbu cursed under his breath when he realized that the front desk had given him direction to the wrong room. After that, no door was left unopened, and no patient left unseen, the Hyuuga check every single room and back again. The sense of urgency in him did not allow him to slow down for even a nanosecond.
His fingers clasped on the last door and laughed sardonically at the irony fate had bestowed upon him. Neji scoffed; of course she would be behind the last door. The window was open and he could see the silhouette of a woman beneath a thin white sheet. Her pink hair was disheveled and her skin was unnaturally pale.
He came in closer, and as if on cue, emerald eyes fluttered opened and focused on him.
"Aren't you supposed to be planning some upcoming mission?" the medic asked with an air of passiveness.
"Yes," Neji answered quietly, his eyes scanned her face, watching with care for any discomfort that might surface.
"People's lives depend on how well you do your job," she was baiting him; it was a game they would play. But at that particular moment, she knew that victory would feel empty.
"I know," he said submissively.
The Hyuuga mistress widened her green eyes at the docile tone in his voice. It was a turn of event she did not foresee.
"Then what are you doing here?"
"Because you're the only one worth caring for," he answered quickly, half irritated at how far she was pushing.
Sakura looked at the man whom she called her husband. She had prodded him, pushed him, and through some twisted turn of event, she now had the control. She could continue, just to see how far he would go, and watch in perverted mirth at how far he would fall as a result. But she was yellow. Quietly, and with a lack of grace, Sakura withdrew.
"Get out," she said, knowing full well that he would comply.
Without another word, Neji stood up and left the room. When she was finally alone, Sakura laughed bitterly.
Who ever said Sakura Hyuuga didn't understand her husband?
--
tbc-