Hinata bent over the toilet seat. This morning vomiting thing, had started to subside slightly. It still wasn't pleasant. A rush of bile and food. Out it came. Coughing. Spitting. A sigh.

"? Are you alright?" Naruto slowly came through to their bathroom.

"As good as I could be."

Naruto smiled affectionately at her. She returned the gesture, if somewhat wearily.

"I'll leave you to it then shall I?"

Hinata nodded gratefully, happy at the prospect of a long bath.

"Naruto-kun.. Could you maybe.. Check up on Neji nii-sama? He's a bit.. distracted I think. Maybe it was just the shock of Shikamaru's wedding. You know." A meaningful look was directed towards the blond.

"Ahh. Right, of course I will love." Naruto quickly kissed her forehead, and marched purposefully out of the bathroom. Naruto had become a lot closer to Neji recently. The proud Hyuuga seemed to be everywhere. There in the morning, during training, lunch, relaxation, saunas, hot baths, and, now that Naruto knew about Neji's affections for Shikamaru, the seemed to become more and more obvious. They way Neji sometimes stuttered, or coloured when the oblivious Nara was around. They way Neji would drop everything just to watch those bloody clouds with Shikamaru. They way Neji was sometimes prone to gazing out of the window during a storm, just watching the clouds billowing, watching the clouds turn slowly albescent as they reached the horizon, or just as they rolled in, bruised purple from the rain they carried.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

"Neji~!" Oh lord.

Neji slowly got up, and walked over to his door, where he opened it a tiny crack.

"Neji!" Naruto boomed, opening the door wide, and striding in to the Hyuuga's room, much to Neji's annoyance.

"Yes Naruto?" Neji said testily.

"How are you doing today?" Then, without waiting for a reply, "Hinata's suffering from morning sickness again, you know, and we were thinking that you've been at the wine yesterday, seeing as it's eight seventeen A.M and, my goodness, you haven't surfaced at your usual seven twenty-eight A.M so you know."

Naruto paused for breath and Neji took the opportunity to butt in.

"No, I haven't drunken anything. I've just been a bit tired lately that's all." THe black hole in Neji's stomach seemed to re-open at the reminder of yesterday.

Naruto sighed.

Neji could tell Naruto had sat down by the sudden weight at the end of his bed. His father used to sit there, and that weight had been Neji's rock once. Had been where Neji placed all his hope, all his emotions, his hurt, his disappointment, his frustration, but most of all he had placed his trust and love, trust that his father would always be there, and the love for him and sometimes his mother. He didn't know his mother. Not really. She was dead. Six feet under. She had died shortly after giving birth. Cancer of the womb, Neji thought it was. How ironic.

"Neji." Naruto interrupted his thoughts, slightly rudely.

"Yes?"

"I know. I know about Shikamaru. I know. And my god, Neji I am so sorry. I am. But please, don't let this ruin your life. You just can't. You're an amazing man, you're darn gorgeous, and believe me if I were gay, you'd be in trouble, but you have to understand... There are so many men here. So many gay men who'd love to take care of you. It's just unfortunate that you fell in love with a straight man."

"Shut up, please. I can't bear talking about it. And it's not as though when Sakura rejected you, you wanted to talk to me either. Actually, you know what, you didn't really give one flying shit about me before you married Hinata-sama. You said you'd change this clan, but all you've done is get Hinata pregnant.. And... And..." Neji's shoulders shook. It was only slight. Only slight. But one tear had fallen on to Neji's bed sheets. Naruto did not fail to notice it.

Naruto gingerly put his arm around Neji's shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I'm not going to neglect you anymore. OK?"

Neji hiccuped slightly.

"Naruto... How did it feel... How did it feel when you saw Sakura following Uchiha around like a dog?"

Naruto paused, wondering how to express it.

Slowly, Naruto put his hands to Neji's face.

"It felt like this."

...

Neji stood on a hill. The wind was biting at his cheeks, and the cold was slowly numbing his finger tips.

This was where Shikamaru and Neji had often played Shougi during the summer, had just lain here doing... Nothing. Had talked. Talk about everything. Talked about nothing at all. Yet.. It had been special. A place where Neji could just forget the world. A place of security. A haven. A place where Neji had gone after missions that had been particularly trying, and emotionally battering. A place where Shikamaru had gone to wait for Neji after these missions. A place where Shikamaru had given Neji tea for his nerves and a blanket for them to lie on. A place where Neji could hold on.

"Good bye. Halcyon days."

Neji slowly bent down, and placed one single chess piece upon a small near-by rock. Methodically, Neji carved his initial in to the stone.

...

Shikamaru sat up violently. The sheets around him were drenched with cold sweat. Neji.

"Neji?" He asked aloud to the darkness. His nose was still filled with the scent of Neji. That pink-cedar scent. Or sometimes it was Jasmine. Such a familiar smell. Neji had been walking. Walking towards the edge of something. Walking so slowly. Yet as Shikamaru had run to greet him... Neji's swaying hair, his slightly small frame seemed to recede in to the distance. Then Neji had turned. And Shikamaru could see cloudy eyes.

He waved.

Then...

A fall.

And Neji was falling, and suddenly Shikamaru could run as fast as he liked, and he watched as he reached the edge of that... thing too late. Watched as Neji's graceful figure receded in to... clouds.

Temari stirred.

"Hello lover. You're up bloody early. You do realize it's two twenty-six in the morning right?"

Shikamaru grinned down at Temari, her hair was messy, and her bare shoulders were illuminated sweetly by the moonlight.

He bent down and placed a kiss on her lips.

"Sorry for waking you." He whispered slowly in her ear.

This caused her to shiver with pleasure.

"I think I'll forgive you..." She bit his lip playfully.

...

Uchiha Sasuke, grinned manically.

It was perfect. This, was perfect. There could be no errors. For what woman in her right mind could refuse him? Nobody.

Not even a woman, who had just been married. She couldn't escape him now.

She was already stuck in his web of lies.

But it was perfect, you see?

An Uchiha heir.. Would be born.

Do you understand now, that it was perfect?

...

The hot water poured down Nejis back. He had just returned from a rather trying mission.

The bodies.. The bodies... So many bodies. That village... Had been slaughtered. His mission; Dispose of the criminals who had killed it.

That baby..

Just lying on heap of rubbish. Neji had been so very, sick.

He couldn't help thinking of Hinata's swollen stomach.

And Shikamaru...

Shikamaru had not been there, to take all the pain way, to give Neji something to hold on to, to look forward to, when he got back from that revolting, foul mission. The Hokage, sympathetic eyes, Naruto holding Neji's hair back when Neji was, once again sick when he got home, Hinata rubbing soothing circles on his back. Yet Shikamaru, the person who had once promised he would protect him from everything, once upon time when they were young, he, had not been there. And all Neji had wanted was for him to be there.

Maybe.. Just maybe, Neji thought, he was being selfish.

AN: Hehe... I bet you thought this fic had died. SO did I =D But then today I found myself at a loose end, and here I am, typing away =) Yuhuh.

Sooo... You've probably all forgotten me, but it would be nice if you gave me some constructive criticism please? =)