"SAKURA-CHAN, WAKE UP!!!" Naruto called from outside her apartment. It had only been a day since she had been out of the hospital had he was already bugging her.
"What does he want now." "WHAT?" sakura shouted from the third floor.
"COME GET RAMEN WITH ME."
"I'M NOT GOING, I'LL JUST END UP BUY---
"SHUT UP, SOME PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO SLEEP!!" an old man shouted from the floor below.
"IT'S 11:30 pm GET OFF YOUR LAZY ASS YOU OLD FART!!!" sakura yelled back and quickly called Naruto up to her apartment. She got ready while naruto waited in the kitchen.
"What's that guy's problem?"
"Don't ask me he's always like that in the mornings." Sakura responded.
The two friends made their way to the ramen stand and for some odd reason naruto wasn't taking much. "Did you just want me to get some ramen with you or is there something you wanted to talk about?" concern was written on sakura's face "I wonder what's wrong Naruto isn't usually like this", she thought.
"You know what happened to Hinata right, Sakura." Naruto was looking into his reflection in the miso flavoured ramen.
"I heard about it, I didn't operate on her it, it was Tsunade and some of the other medics. Hokage-sama said that if it had gotten worse she would have needed my assistance, why are you asking?"
"Sakura, I think I love her."
He loves her…he loves her… HE LOVES HER!!!! Sakura, there going to get together, YES YES YES, FINALLY!!!Inner sakura began to do her little dance.
"That's great, but why do you look so down." Sakura asked still seeing that he didn't look too happy.
"The thing is, I got so scared when I heard what had happened."
"How did you find out, because Hinata came in around 1am."
"I had training the next day with Neji, he told me what happened. I was shocked, things started running through my head, things that I had never said to her. That was when it clicked. I loved her and I thought I had lost her." Naruto finally looked up at Sakura. "So I wanted to ask you if that was okay."
"What, why wouldn't it be okay, you deserve to have happiness and I'll tell you one thing. She loves you too, haven't you ever realized that she always seems to pop up when you're around, how she blushes when you talk to her and for a while there she used to faint even if you touched her."
"Yeah, after I realized I loved her I figured it out, but I just wanted to ask you because…if I start seeing Hinata, I won't see you as much and sometimes I wonder if your okay."
Sakura was silent, she never knew that Naruto cared so much for her. Yeah she knew during their younger days that he had had a crush on her, but after the crush went away she didn't know that he still cared so much for her. "What are you talking about of course i'm okay, why wouldn't I be you baka." Sakura laughed, while punching him in the arm.
"OW!! Why did ya hit me, I didn't do anything." He rubbed his arm giving her a face.
Sakura just smiled at him. "Oh, hey I have to go to the hospital right now, if you want you can come and visit Hinata and even ask her if she wants to go to the festival tomorrow."
"Sure, but will she be out of the hospital by then?"
"Yeah, shes recovering pretty quickly so I think Tsunade will let her out. K so lets go" Sakura started dragging Naruto away from the stand.
"WAIT, Sakur-chan I have to finish my ramen, I only had three bowls, gotta have 6 more to boost my confi—
"You've had enough and your confidence is fine." She continued to drag the thrashing blonde away.
"Can you tell me what room Hinata Hyuga is in" Sakura asked the receptionist at the desk.
"oh, her father wanted her to rest at home. She was making good recovery so lady Tsunade allowed it."
"I guess she went home to rest, go ask her there. I'll see you later." Sakura told Naruto.
"oh, one more thing" the receptionist stopped sakura before she started heading to tsunade's office "you don't have to work your shift today, there haven't been many incidents so lady tsunade told me to tell you that. We'll call you if we need anything."
"Okay, then do you mind if I come with you Naruto."
"Nope, LETS GO!!"
Naruto knocked on the front gate of the Hyuga compound and waited for a maid to answer the door.
"Ohayo Naruto-san, Sakura-san, what can I help you with?"
"we came to see Hinata-chan." Naruto answered politely.
"Well, you can see her, but I think she might be sleeping." The maid led the two friends through the complex mansion to the head families side. "Here you go, if you need anything I'll be doing laundry right around the corner."
Naruto knocked on the door and they waited for a few seconds before they heard a soft voice say "come in". "Hi Hinata-chan" Sakura said politely. She didn't know Hinata very well. They had just gotten to know each other a bit better in the past two and a half years. After Naruto said hello she decided that she would give them a bit of time to talk by themselves. "I'm going to go to the washroom and then for a little walk." She slipped out of the room quietly and made her way down the hallway. She didn't have to go to the washroom so she decided to do a little exploring.
Sakura walked down a hallway and into a backyard. The backyard looked like it was a cross between a garden and training area. Around the garden/training area there were more doors probably leading to other parts of the mansion. Sakura was looking through the daffodils and lilies when,
"What are you doing?"
Sakura swung around when she heard the deep calm voice. There standing behind her a few feet away was Neji. "I'm looking at the flowers, isn't it obvious." Sakura answered his question.
"That's not what I meant, what are you doing here."
"Oh… well say it more specifically and for your information I'm visiting Hinata. Is that such a crime."
"Why aren't you visiting her then."
"Well, I decided to give them a bit of privacy time."
"Them?"
"Yeah, them meaning Naruto and Hinata."
"Hn."
"SAKURA, COME QUICK, HINATA FAINTED!!!" Naruto yelled from some where with a distressed voice.
Sakura walked casually into the room, already knowing she had fainted probably from Naruto asking her out. "I don't know what happened she just sort of fainted after I asked her out."
"You asked her out." Naruto turned around to meet the glaring eyes of Neji.
"Well your not goi—
"It's okay Neji-nisan, I accept your offer, Naruto-kun." Hinata said awakening from her small sleep.
"Hinata, you need to rest and besides uncle won't allow it." Neji said sternly
"I'm going and I don't care what father says." Hinata told her cousin quite confidently.
"Hn."
"Naruto, I'm going to go train. I'll talk to you later, k." Sakura walked out the door and started heading back the way she came. She saw Neji heading the opposite direction and had the most ridiculous idea ever. "Neji wanna train with me?" expecting a "no" she decided to start walking away.
"It's not polite to just walk away." Neji walked past Sakura and out the door.
Shrugging Sakura followed him to the training grounds.
Sakura breathed heavily but silently as she masked her chakra where she was hidden behind one of the trees in the training grounds. They had been sparing for hours on end, the training ground was a total disaster.
There were gaping holes from Neji's Hakke Shou Kaiten and deep long cracks, where earth was upturned from Sakura's monstrous chakra powered punches. Sakura made 3 clones of herself and pumped a little bit of chakra into two of them and a little bit more into the third one. It wouldn't fool Neji completely, but it might make him a little confused seeing 3 sakura's with hardly any chakra left one being the real one and then the fourth having more chakra, making him think the one with more chakra was the real.
Sakura jumped out from behind the tree with the other two clones that had a little bit of chakra. She had a kunai in her hand and was ready to strike if she got the chance. Neji hit one of the clones and it poofed, Sakura quickly punched the ground, he didn't lose his balance and shot a kunai in the second clones direction. That clone poofed too. He looked up to see the third clone with more chakra coming at him from above, he threw a kunai at her and was surprised to see it poof as well.
Quickly turning around he saw the real Sakura coming at him from behind with a chakra powered punch again, Neji took the chance at letting her get close. He was going to try and stop the punch by blocking some of her chakra channels, but he would only get one chance. Sakura got closer and at the last second he dodged it swinging around to strike her arm and block the chakra channels. He charged at her, sakura was caught off guard and was knocked up against a tree, hands above her head and a kunai to her neck.
"I win" Neji said with a small smirk on his lips.
"Don't be so sure." Sakura said with the same smirk on her lips.
Neji looked behind him and saw that there was another clone with a kunai to his back. Neji looked back at Sakura who was still pinned up against the tree. "You've gotten stronger over the past few years." Neji suddenly noticed how close they were, there lips were inches apart. He quickly let go of her and sidestepped the clone that poofed away a second later.
"Thanks, also thanks for coming to train with me. Usually I train by myself or with Tsunade-sama. I'll probably be training more with Naruto since he's back now, but who knows he'll probably be hanging out with Hinata-chan more once they start dating." Sakura looked onto the horizon and noticed that the sun was practically set already. "Wow, is that how late it is?" Sakura motioned her head towards the sun set. "well I better get going then, cya around."
"I'll walk you"
"No, it's okay." It doesn't look like he'll take no for an answer. Inner sakura stated referring to the Hyuga that was walking at a steady pace in the direction of Konoha.
Sakura and Neji were in there own little worlds walking back to the town, at one point Sakura had taken the lead, since Neji didn't know where she lived.
"What is up with me" Neji thought while looking straight ahead. "I don't need to notice compromising positions when I'm in battle, its insignificant. I've always pinned Tenten to a tree or underneath me and it's never seemed to bother either of us. Or maybe it did bother her. I should ask her. NO, bad idea she'd take it the wrong way. So why is it any different for Sak--"
"Cya Neji, maybe I'll see you at the festival tomorrow. I promised Naruto I'd be there for his first date with Hinata." Sakura shut the door, without hearing the small 'good night that had left Neji's mouth.
Next morning
"No…no…no…ughh,?" Hinata's frustrated voice reached his ears while he was walking past her room.
"Hinata, is there a problem?" Neji said from the hall.
Suddenly the door flew open and Hinata was standing there with two yukata's in her hand. One had an orange background with the sun and the moon etched on the front and back while the second had a background of purple with large blue lilies in random places. "Which one?" Hinata practically demanded of him.
"Why don't you ask Hanabi or something."
"Cause Hanabi has no fashion sense, and you're a guy so you'll know what Naruto will think will look good on me."
"Well, if I have to choose I'd say the purple one."
"Ok, that's the final decision, thanks neji."
"Hn."
"Hey neji, before you go I wanted to ask how your training went with Sakura-chan yesterday."
"It was a draw."
"SHE TIED WITH YOU!!" Hinata's face was full of shock.
"no, I was going easy on her."
"Better, not tell her that or she'll be mad."
"hn."
"Neji-sama" neji turned around to the maid that was addressing him. The maid realized that he wasn't going to answer but knew that he was listening. "Hiashi-sama has asked to meet with you right away, he is in the fourth training garden." Heading for the fourth training garden he wondered why his uncle wanted to talk to him.
"Hiashi-sama, I was told you wished to speak with me." Neji asked his uncle when he reached the training garden.
"Yes, were you aware of the festival tonight," Hiashi turned to his nephew and sat down on the foyer where a cup of tea had been poured for him.
"Yes,"
"Were you planning on going?"
"No,"
"Well I'd like you to escort Hinata, there are going to be some heads of different countries there and I would like the Hyuga clan to be present, I would send Hanabi but I have allowed her to go with Inuzuka-san."
"I thought Hinata had told you this but she is going with Uzumaki Naruto." Neji watched his uncle's face for any signs of anger but was surprised to see none.
"Well I guess that Naruto is fairly strong and he has been taught under the eyes of one of the three Sannins, right."
"Yes, and while we were on our mission I witnessed some very strong new techniques of his." Neji had never actually seen Naruto's new jutsu's but had heard that he hand almost mastered and improved a jutsu that the fourth hokage had created himself.
"Well, then if that's the case I would like you to find someone to go with."
"Yes, Hiashi-sama."
"That was the first thing I wished to talk to you about." Hiashi became more serious, his tone of voice changed from a business like manner to almost a fatherly/serious tone.
"Neji, for the past couple of years I have been trying to convince the elders into letting you be the next head of the family."
Neji couldn't believe what his uncle was telling him, he might become the head of the family even if he is from the branch family.
"I have talked to Hinata and to Hanabi about it and they both agreed to give the spot up to you if I ever won the elders over… Well after this last mission you were on I finally convinced them to let you lead the Hyuga family after me." Hiashi paused for a few seconds before continuing. "The only thing is that you have to find someone to be your wife within the next month, if you cannot find someone, the elders will find someone for you, either from the Hyuga family or someone suitable that is from a strong family. You don't have to take the position if you don't want."
"I'll take it."
"Very well then, you can go."
Neji walked down the streets of Konoha towards tenten's house, he knew that she would go with him to the festival, he could always count on her.
"Your going with Lee," Neji was staring at tenten straight in the eyes with the I-can't-believe-your-going-with-a-green-spandex-youth-loving-freak glare. "Tenten," Neji paused for an affect "…Lee"
"yeah I know, weird. It's just he was the first one to ask me and well you hadn't asked me yet so I just said…yes."
"but, LEE." Neji emphasized the name.
"yeah, yeah, just shut up."
"I thought he would ask Sakura."
"Me too, but he came up to me and said he felt bad for always asking Sakura out when I was the girl on the team. I don't know, it just happened"
"well who am I supposed to ask. You're the one that always comes with me on these things my uncle wants me to go to."
"Ask Sakura, bet ya she doesn't have anyone to go with."
"Hn, fine."
"BE ONE SECOND!!" Sakura called from inside her apartment. Sakura rushed to her doorway and opened the door.
"Neji, what are you doing here?" she asked slightly confused.
"Festival tonight, your coming with me." Neji told her bluntly.
"Okay, why?"
"Uncle wants me to go, tenten's going with lee, you were the only other person I could think of." Neji stated almost in point forms.
"What if I told you I was going with someone else."
Neji narrowed his eyes, "Who?"
"I'm just kidding this is obviously important to your uncle, so yeah sure I'll go with you. Pick me up at 7 that's what time Naruto's coming, we can go with them."
Neji stood by the door along with Naruto and Hinata, he had arrived only a few minutes and was now waiting for Sakura to finish up while, he listened to Naruto whine about how she was becoming more like Kakashi every day.
"Okay, I'm coming."
Neji stared at Sakura as she came down the hallway dressed in a white yukata with cherry blossoms covering the side and her hair was pulled up into a messy bun. She looked beautiful though Neji didn't show that he noticed.
"LET'S GO!!" Naruto shouted. Hinata quickly 'shussed' him and they made their way to the outskirts of Konoha where most of the festival was being festival. The festival was being held on a small open field that had a great view of the city and the Hokage Mountain. Tables were set up that had drinks and food, some people were entertaining and paper lanterns were decorated through the trees to give the place some light. Little children ran around playing tag with each other and heads of countries sat or stood around talking to each other.
"Naruto lets go over here for a bit." Hinata said quietly.
"Sure, cya later guys." Naruto called back to them.
Sakura and Neji watched the couple walk away to the other side of the hill where an entertainer was entertaining some of the rookie nine and jonins.
"Sakura,"
"Yeah?"
"One of the country leaders that my uncle wanted me to talk to is here, can I go speak to him quickly."
"Okay, do you want me to wait here?"
"No, come with me."
Sakura followed Neji over to who she recognized as the Grass leader. She listened to the two men speak a little bit about business until she heard him ask who she was.
"This is Haruno Sakura." Neji introduced her to the Grass leader.
"Well, well, are you the one who has been trained under Lady Tsunade?" he asked her, Sakura didn't know why but she was beginning to get a warning signal with this guy.
"Yes, I am."
"Well, we should get better acquainted sometime." Sakura understood what he meant and didn't answer.
Neji understood what he was referring to and instinctively but his arm around her waist, the grass leader noticed and turned to look Neji in the eye. He got Neji's message and quickly said it was nice to meet him, not mentioning Sakura again.
"Pervert," Sakura said once they were out of ear shot. Sakura noticed that Neji's hand was still around her waist and felt a little blush creep up onto her face. A second later Neji let is hand drop from her waist.
Sakura followed Neji around to the other leaders and waited patiently while they talked mostly about business. No other incidents happened, like the first one. "Sorry." Neji said suddenly.
Sakura turned to look at him, he was still looking straight ahead. "What?" she asked confused.
"You probably wanted to do something different." Neji still didn't turn to look at her and was talking in a relaxed almost monotone voice.
"Oh, no… I had nothing else to do tonight. So I'd rather be doing something, rather than nothing."
The sun had set and now people had begun to disperse. "Neji, Sakura!" Lee called from a nearby tree where several other rookie nine were standing. "Everyone's going to the bar for a bit, you coming?"
"I'm gonna go. You coming?"
"Hn,"
"don't know if that was a yes or no, but if your coming I guess I'll see you there." Sakura began walking towards the others.
Neji didn't really want to go but thinking of Sakura there with a bunch of drunk men didn't comfort him. He started walking beside Sakura.
"What am I doing here?" Neji thought to himself, he had been sitting at the bar for over an hour just watching the others have fun, Sakura hadn't been drinking too much, but now that Naruto had challenged her to a liquor contest she was well on her way to getting drunk. "Sakura can take care of herself, I don't need to be babysitting."
Neji downed whatever was left of his drink, he turned around to go tell Sakura he was leaving, but he couldn't find her. He looked to the corners of the room and finally he found Sakura with her tongue down the throat of some random guy. She was obviously drunk and he was obviously taking advantage of her.
"CRASH!" everyone turned towards the noise, some random guy was laying unconscious with a bloody nose. Neji had punched the guy in the face knocking him out and was standing in front of Sakura.
Most people were chanting 'fight, fight, fight' and most of them were piss drunk and wouldn't remember the incident the next day so neji didn't give a shit. He put his arm around Sakura's waist to support her while she put her arm around his shoulder. Sakura started blabbering about things that weren't important, of course neji wasn't listening he was back in his own mind.
"okay, I guess I can't deny it anymore. I care for Sakura. If I didn't I wouldn't have sent that guy to dreamland. But I hardly know Sakura it's just after that last mission that I started to care for her. Or maybe it was before that. When I saw her chakra system that day, she gave me a scare. I had always noticed her, but never thought of it." Neji was at Sakura's apartment door, I guess Sakura knew where she was too, even though she was drunk, and got out her key. Opening the door he led her to her room, she was practically sleeping. He set her on the bed and went to walk away but,
"Sasuke, stay please."
Neji was hurt, she still cared about that traitor, even after what he did to her. How could she still care that much about a person that was probably never coming back. He walked to her door when he heard a small sniff.
"Sasuke, why do you always leave. I'm so alone, Naruto's leaving me too and I have no one." Sakura started crying, but was so tired she fell asleep in an instant.
"Fuck," Neji swore hitting the stone wall on the side of the path. How could Sasuke do that to her, the sadness he had felt before and turned into anger. "How could that bastard be so cruel. She gave her heart to him and he smashed it into tiny pieces. Damn that traitor to hell." Neji stood with his fist still on the wall and his head looking to the ground.
Neji jumped from rooftop to rooftop the image of Sakura's tear stained face still fresh in his mind.
I think out of my two chapters this is the best one yet and it's definitely longer, so I hope you liked it, thanx and RxR. sorry if there are any errors, didn't have time tor proofread it.
Kasata-chan