Sakura rushed into the room and saw Neji curled up on his bed, an auditable groan escaping his lips. She saw that the bandage was a violent red. She screamed for a nurse and started to peel away as gently as she could the old bandages.

'Damn! The stitching has come undone! If I don't get him back to surgery…' She gulped and removed the rest of the bandages and saw the wound taunting her nursing abilities. It seemed like years more than seconds for a nurse to arrive with a stretcher. The two gently loaded up the battle scared ninja and rushed him to the emergency area.

-----

Naruto turned to Kiba with a genuine hurt look on his face. "What happened?"

Kiba recalled on how Neji was acting weird. He kept repeating over and over how he has fallen for Sakura, and the pain was just too much to bear.

"The pain…of his back," Naruto cringed when he asked that. He knew the answer. The pain in his heart was what Neji felt too. They both loved Sakura Haruno. Kiba just shrugged.

"That is what I'm guessing. I mean, after the rant about Sakura, he started to bleed out bad." Naruto gave him a disgusted look and ran to the emergency room.

-----

Neji could barely open his eyes from exhaustion. He sat up and felt his back was stiffer than before. A wave of panic flooded him as he remembered the pain from before.

"Does it hurt? Do you need medication?" He turned and saw Sakura sitting in a chair next to his bed, a small black medical bag sitting in her lap.

"Sakura, what are you doing here?"

"Neji, you're under a 24 hour watch since the incident a few days ago…" Neji shook his head.

'A few days ago…? But it was just yesterday…'

"Sakura I don't understand." She stood from the chair and shifted in the medical bag and handed him a pill bottle.

"Here, if you're in any pain, it will help." She calmly sat back down, but Neji could sense uneasiness about her.

"Will it keep me out?" She shook her head and he gave her a funny look.

"You weren't sleeping Neji…just heavily sedated. You gave m…us quiet a scare the other day." She gave him a saddened look and he raised an eyebrow.

"Explain."

----- (Emergency Room)

Sakura quickly injected him with narcotics and began to work on his limp body. He gave her a lazy look as she flipped him on his stomach, the medicine already taking effect. She quickly cleaned the wound and started to stitch when he spoke.

"Sakura….why doesn't it hurt anymore? Is it gone?" She hesitated with the stitching. Never did she think that someone like Neji Hyuga would be so calm and frail.

"I made it so Neji." She continued the stitching, afraid she would fail again.

"Sakura, can I ask you a question," He asked, uncaring about the needle constantly piercing his skin. She grunted in response as she cut the lose thread and went to wash her hands clean of his blood.

"Stay by my side, please?" She turned and looked at him. She saw compassion and lust in his eyes. She longed for him after that kiss, but had no idea how to approach him. She wanted him to hold her and protect her, but it seemed she was doing the protecting. His words caught her off guard, and some how it felt right. When she didn't answer right away, Neji gotten louder.

"Please Sakura! I want to be with you!" He spouted out, and in a whisper added, "Don't leave me…" Sakura walked over to him and brushed some hair from his face before leaning down and giving him a kiss.

"I promise I won't."

-----

She looked down at her bag. She couldn't tell him what happened. She couldn't be sure if it was his real emotions or just the drugs talking.

'Stay by my side, please?'

She wasn't one to break promises. She stayed no matter if it was just a fantasy or reality talking. Neji popped the lid off the pill bottle and sighed before taking a few. She looked over at him and he was giving her a stern look.

"Neji, how do you feel?" She asked trying to look away, but his gaze held her there. She shifted in her seat. Neji blinked and shook his head.

"Sakura, you're uneasy, tell me what troubles you." Her heart skipped a beat and she looked at him with saddened eyes.

"Neji… how do you feel about me…?" She asked abruptly. Suddenly he realized that something must have happened while he was out.

"Did I say anything to make you think this way?" Sakura told him everything that had happened in the emergency room, including the kiss. She looked down ashamed.

"Neji…is that how you really feel about me?" She asked never looking him in the eyes. He nodded.

"Yes Sakura, I haven't gained the courage to tell you myself. I guess I'm weak."

"No Neji! You're strong," She countered and he shook his head.

"Strength means nothing if you won't act on it." She looked over to him with sad and loving eyes. He couldn't understand why those eyes drove him crazy.

"I guess I still need to learn…" she spoke and placed her bag on the floor. She walked over to him as he followed her with his eyes. It was like he was in a trance as she walked, and his eyes grew heavy. She was next to him now and was speaking but he couldn't comprehend what she was saying.

"Sakura…I'm tired." She looked hurt but nodded and gave him a swift kiss before he dozed off.