Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Inukai: Alright it's been a while but Megumi won't stop bothering me about updating and she also disappeared so I'm gonna update as a Christmas present!
Naruto: Finally thank you!
Sasuke: About time women.
Inukai: Oh whatever assholes.
Chapter 20:
Haruno no Hana (The Blooming of Flowers)
He brushed away a stray chocolate strand as he watched the frail boy sleep. Gaara actually felt something for him. He actually worried for Neji. Hyuuga Neji not any normal Neji, he couldn't believe it. The last person in the whole world he'd actually give a second thought of.
"Gaara," Neji said in a soft voice startling the Kazekage a bit. His large white eyes showing much pain and vulnerability were amazing. He could do anything to him right now…Gaara quickly shook the thought. It must've just been something Shukaku rubbed off on him.
"Yes?" He said in the same voice that gave Neji butterflies. Gaara looked at the boys pale face light up a bit with a blush.
"I was just wondering…" Neji said not knowing how to say it.
"I have to do work Hyuuga please hurry up." He said. So coldly, Neji flinched.
"I—…never mind you can leave." He said and turned on his side. Gaara studied him before sighing.
Neji heard a chair move sliding towards the bed. He turned back around to see Gaara sitting there in his Kazekage robes, arms crossed staring at him with the same stony cold eyes. Neji smiled and then started to fall asleep facing him.
Maybe Gaara really did like him. He did brush away his hair and he did take him in. Just maybe…
Neji reached over and took the Suna leaders hand and laid it on his cheek with his own hand on top. He smiled even brighter and then went to sleep.
The sun shone brightly on a nicely framed Hyuuga's face. "Morning…" Neji said smiling. He felt something warm on his cheek but only found his hand. His face dropped and he was about to get off the bed when he heard,
"Good morning, did you know you mewl in your sleep?" A husky voice said and Neji's face was once again graced with a blush.
"You stayed?"
"Yes I did, but after around the 4th hour I had to take my hand back, sorry." Gaara said before getting up. "Breakfast will be ready soon. What would you like?"
"Gaara," Neji started off with a smile.
"Yes?"
"Thank you very much…" He said his eyes brimmed with tears.
"What's wrong?" Always so short and blunt, just like the Gaara he knew.
"N-nothing I'm just too happy!" Right then Gaara noted that he will never understand this Hyuuga. "Pancakes, do you have any pancakes?"
"Yes we do anything else?"
"Can I have pancakes, French toast, some scrambled eggs with salt, sausages and bacon? But only about two sausages and three slice of bacon." Neji said and Gaara stared at him for a while.
"You wanted pancakes and what?"
After breakfast Neji started off for the garden. It was truly beautiful. He expected cactus flowers and sand, a bit of grass here and there but no. There were fields upon fields of blooming apple trees and daffodils, jasmines, tulips, mango and star fruit trees, and last but not least the daisies. There were so many daisies! They were all different numbers of petals, even and odd. Some were pink other purple a few orange and then there was one white one in the middle of the fields. The color that really stood out was the blue daisies they were phenomenal. No one knew but blue was Neji's favorite color. People would think it was white or some type of earth tone but that was what the Hyuuga clan was made up of so he got sick and tired of those colors.
Neji ran into the field past the mango trees and the jasmine bunches. He went right through the orange daises and red daffodils and far beyond the peach and pear trees. Wait, he turned back, those were there before? Ah well…then he got to the white daisy. He smiled at it and bent down to pluck it and then stopped. No, let's start with the purple ones.
"He loves me, he loves me not, he loves me, he loves me not, he loves me, he loves me not, he loves me, he loves me not…" Neji blanched. "That was just practice…" Neji picked another. "Okay this is for real now. He loves me, he loves me not, he loves me, he loves me not, he loves me, he loves me not, he loves me, he loves me not…damn't!" He yelled and plucked another one. Once is a mistake, right?
"He loves me, he loves me not, he loves me, he loves me not, he loves me, he loves me not, he loves me, he loves me not…" Argh, twice a habit…
"He loves me, he loves me not, he loves me, he loves me not, he loves me, he loves me not, he loves me, he loves me not…" Shit! Three times a charm?
"He loves me, he loves me not, he loves me, he loves me not, he loves me, he loves me not, he loves me, he loves me not…" Four times…for the heck of it! "Screw this 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8! I have 8 petals he has to love me!" Poor Neji hadn't caught on to the pattern had he?
"He loves me, he loves me not, he loves me, he loves me not, he loves me, he loves me not, he loves me, and he loves me not! Yay he doesn't love me! Wait…WHAT?! Oh for the Hokage's Sake!"
By this time with poor Neji half the field of purple daises was gone and he was on his last one heart feeling extremely heavy. He sighed, "I'll try one more time…"
This was it…the last time…will Neji's love really love him? Who is Neji's love? And why the hell was he using daisies instead of just asking them?!
"Gaara loves me, Gaara loves me not, Gaara loves me, Gaara loves me not, Gaara loves me, Gaara loves me not, Gaara loves me, Gaara loves me not…he…h-he…H-HE!!! HE LOVES ME! HE ACTUALLY LOVES ME!"
"No I think at this point he'd probably get annoyed and love you too shut you up."
"Damn't you're probably right. Wait…what the hell. Who are you where'd you come from?!"
"I advise you be a bit nice I make your breakfast in the morning…" Neji observed the girl. She had sandy blonde hair that was obviously spiky and put in four ponytails. Pretty decent amount of cleavage…very decent. Nice fitting black dress and a large iron fan on her back. She had gloves a headband of sand on her forehead and regular black ninja sandals to top it off. He knew this girl. Those sharp blue eyes, his teammate Tenten fought her…
"Sabaku no Temari," Neji said answering his own question. "Ohayo, just in question how long have you been there?"
"Since you plucked the first one of my precious, hard to grow daisies." Neji paled.
"T-these were y-yours…?" He had learned to never anger Temari from what he heard from Gaara. Temari had reportedly done some nasty things to a fellow named Kankurou.
"Their okay, kid I'll just grow them back with lots of sun some water and nurturing they'll be back like nothin!" She said with a smile and a hard pat to the back. "So who do you have your eyes on?" She said and Neji blushed. "No you do not like Kankurou!"
"What no I like Gaara!"
"Really?"
"Yes! I mean—AH fuck!" Neji said defeated and caught red handed.
"Yes I know you want to do that with my Nii-san." Neji was inflamed. You'd wonder how long he would last with all that blood going to his head…
"Well good luck with winning his heart kid, it will be difficult." She said with a smile. Neji sighed he knew this was true. Putting down the de-petal-ed flower he adjusted himself so his aching legs were in front of him.
"It's nice to see you are so devoted that you took a whole field of flowers…" That same husky voice came. Neji stiffened. No way was he here the whole time!
"H-how long have you been sitting there?"
"Since you picked the first daisy." He said and stood next to Neji. He bent over and picked the lone white daisy.
"Neji loves me, Neji doesn't love me, Neji loves me, Neji doesn't love me, Neji loves me, Neji doesn't love me…hmm, interesting,"
"What?"
"Neji loves me…"
"How did you? That was your first flower!"
"I counted…"
"What?!"
"I'm kidding I'm kidding…"
If Neji had just used that flower he wouldn't have to have…DAMN'T! Now he officially hated the color white…
Gaara look at the flower in his hand. He didn't pluck the petals it was a pretty little innocent flower. Unlike Neji he respected it and didn't destroy about 500 of them.
Inukai: FIN! Beautifully...(sniff sniff) GaaNeji...