A/N: Please REVIEW…. Your reviews inspire me to write. Sorry for the long wait. Hope you enjoy this chapter :))))

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IT STARTED WITH A NIGHT

By KeepMeInspired

Chapter III

"Damn it, Ino! I can't believe this is happening to me!" Sakura paced back and forth in her living room. "Damn! This is so….FRUSTRATING!"

Ino was lounging on the sofa, seemingly unflustered by her friend's rampage. She sighed. "Think about the positive side, Sakura. You're marrying into a prominent clan."

"Prominent clan, your face! I'm going to die spending more than a day with that cold-hearted bastard." She ran a hand roughly through her hair. This can't be happening. Absolutely not. She just doesn't have the heart to believe that she was now a few days away from being married. The past month had passed in a blur of meeting-the-parents bullshit and formal gatherings to announce their "engagement". Now, it was exactly one month, two days and 13 hours since Neji had broken that piece of surprise right in her face.

Sakura felt her knees weaken at the mere thought of changing her family name to Hyuuga. Her face twisted into a pained expression.

"Bear it, you idiot." Ino snapped at her. "You have to take responsibility, you know. If not, it's the baby who's going to suffer."

Sakura slumped down beside her best friend and buried her face in Ino's shoulders.

"Are you all right?" Ino took hold of Sakura's sweating hands.

"I—. I'm fine." Sakura took a deep breath and fixed her eyes on the full-length mirror in front of her. As much as she hated being married today, it would be too much of a shame for the bride to come out looking ragged and pale. She brought a smile to her face, trying to bring back the pink tinge which normally colors her cheek.

She twirled around and the majestic white flowing gown twirled with her.

"Do you, Haruno Sakura, take this man, Hyuuga Neji to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

She gulped.

Neji stared at her. She felt her heart thump nervously.

Shit. Don't stare at me. I'm melting.

Damn. So many people are staring. I can't believe I have to go through this this early in my life.

I'm never going to get married again after we divorce!

Stop staring at me with those eyes!

Sakura felt herself being pulled by Neji's gaze.

Shit! This is so embarrassing.

"Sakura-san?"

She jumped at the priest's voice. "H—Hai?"

"Yes or no?"

For a moment, she was lost. What the hell was Yes or No?

Then she caught sight of Ino, burning holes into her as she glared from her seat at the front.

"Uhh—Y--Yes?"

The priest's expression became puzzled. "With a question mark?"

"Yes with a question mark." She said. "I mean, yes with no question mark."

For some reason, there was weird silence.

"I mean…. That is… My answer is.." Oh fuck it. "YES, I'M MARRYING THIS ICE BLOCK IN FRONT OF ME!"

After that terribly embarrassing blunder, Sakura found herself totally humiliated to the core.

Right after the ceremony, Ino, being the best friend that she was started commenting loudly and purposefully how cute of Sakura to refer to Neji with his petname during the wedding.

Petname, my face. As if somebody would believe that. Sakura slumped on the sofa and rubbed her face with her palms. A feeling of frustration was gnawing viciously in her guts right now. She wanted to pummel someone, to vent her vexation on somebody worthy of it. Her eyes landed on the bastard. I mean, her husband.

"Don't you just stare at me like such a weirdo, Hyuuga." She seethed in between clenched teeth.

Neji fought the urge to roll his eyes at her. It would just be such a waste of effort. "You're forgetting, Sakura, you're already a Hyuuga too."

Sakura's eyes snapped to him. "Fine! I know! Stop rubbing it my face, will you?"

"Can we please stop our bickering? It would just exhaust us to no end."

"As if."

Twenty-four hours later, Sakura found herself in a totally unfamiliar place.

Where the hell are we?

As if sensing her question, Neji said. "This is the Hyuuga's ancestral manor."

She raised her eyebrows. "And what are we supposed to be doing here?" she asked suspiciously.

For the first time, Neji wondered if it would have been better if he just hadn't married her. "Hell, are you dumb or something?"

"No, I'm not. I just thought you would do me a favor by saying that this is not what I think it is."

"Well, you're off for a big surprise, Sakura."

Smirk.

Sakura felt her heart sink.

"Cause this surely is what you think it is."

That night,

"Great. Just great. You know that?" Sakura glowered at the receiver as if Ino could see that from the other end of the line.

"Shut up, pig. I heard you're now at the famous ancestral mansion of the Hyuugas." Ino's voice screamed. "I'm so jealoussssssss!" Sakura could almost picture Ino's expression dripping with envy. But still----------

"Fuck you, Yamanaka. Do you know how life terribly sucked here?" A steely edge crept into her voice.

"Stop cursing me or else I'm really going to desert you."

"Fine." Sakura's tone was defeated.

"Let's have an agreement, shall we?" Ino said.

"What now?"

"You. Are. Forbidden. To. Call. Me…… In the two weeks duration of your honeymoon." She rushed her string of words so as not to give Sakura any chance to protest.

"w-WHAT?!!" Sakura nearly dropped the phone in shock. "NO! You can't do this. Ino! You know you can't! I mean, what the hell then is going to happen to me here?"

"You should sort things out between you and Neji, you pig." Ino smirked. Yeah, this is cruel, she thought, but this is for the best. "And don't ever call me again unless you're already in fine terms with your husband."

Then the line went dead.

Totally hopeless, Sakura tried to give Ino's proposition a chance. She took in a very deep breath before entering the bedroom, (the where–she-was-sure-they-would-have-to-sleep-together bedroom, mind you) to find Neji seemingly asleep with his shirt off and one arm splayed over his eyes.

Gosh, was he hot was the first thought that crossed her mind and she mentally thought of banging her head against the wall. Hot, my face, she thought, That was the most absurd thing I've ever heard of.

Neji seemed to be sound asleep to her. But that can't be, she mused. He just came in 30 minutes ago. There's no way he could have fallen that deeply asleep within 30 minutes. Is there?

"Uhmm…. Neji?" she called tentatively. "

He moved neither muscle nor bone.

"Uhmm.. Neji..k-kun?" Might as well start playing my role of caring wife now.

Still, Neji didn't move.

She hesitated then stepped inside. She approached the bed and sneaked a peak at her, she hated to admit it, husband.

"Neji, dinner's ready."

Nothing. She rolled her eyes and fought the urge to strangle him. She knew her temper just wouldn't last with him involved.

"Neji." It started out as a growl. "If you don't listen to me right now, I'm. Going. To. Strangle. You. To. Death."

She shoved Neji hard enough to topple him off the bed. Sure enough, he slid over the edge. A loud crash echoed all throughout the house as Neji's hand came in contact with the vase on the bedside table and brought it with him on his fall. Sakura gasped in shock.

"N-Neji!" She ran over to the other side.

Neji released a bunch of gibberish sound.

"Oi!"she shook him. "Are you fine?"

He looked at her with glazed eyes.

Sakura frowned. "Are you drunk?"

He attempted to shake his head but found it required too much of an effort. He groaned.

She remembered who he went out with that day.

Naruto and Shikamaru.

After bringing her to the mansion and after she expressed her desire to be left alone, he went out saying the two other boys invited him over to drink.

Sakura snatched the telephone by the bed, started to dial Naruto's number, hesitated, and started calling Shikamaru instead.

"Hello?" A groggy voice sounded at the other end of the line. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT?"

They got drunk alright.

"You assholes." She wanted to scream back at him but knew that that would just be a pointless thing to do since drunk people usually find it hard to think rationally. But seeing as it was Shikamaru, she tried drumming some sense into his brain. "Are you nuts? I am freakin' livid right now! You know why? You just got Neji drunk when we all know that he has low alcohol tolerance!"

Silence issued at first as if Shikamaru was still processing what she had just said to him. "Low alcohol tolerance? Neji? Really?"

"Yes really. And now he's passed out drunk."

Manical laughter came from the other end. "Oh? Is that true? I never knew that. How do you know, Sakura-chan?" More ridiculous laughter.

Gosh, they really are drunk.

And, he asks, how did she know about his alcohol tolerance?

"Well, since that low alcohol tolerance of his is the primary reason why were all caught up in this jumble of secret and lies, then of course, I would know about it." She spat out sarcastically. "And since you have no sense of mind whatsoever right now, then good bye." And she slammed the receiver down so hard it rattled off its case.

She heard Neji moan. She glanced down at him and saw that she was cradling him in her lap. She rolled her eyes.

Oh you hot drunken bastard.

Sakura got up with more difficulty than she first thought. She hooked her arms under Neji's and proceeded in her attempt to drag him back up to bed.

"Damn you, Hyuuga." She gritted her teeth and said in between heaves.

If the clan so much as hears about this incident, he's surely going to be dead. What kind of clan heir is one who goes around drinking like some ordinary person?

Finally, with one final heave, she was able to place him back on the bed.

Gathering up the blankets, she wrapped them around Neji and tucked him in.

The moon rose and moonlight filtered through the open window. It hit Neji's sleeping face and Sakura noticed how it highlighted his peaceful expression.

She sat down at the edge of the bed and gazed at him. "It must be hard, right? To gain so many achievements just because you're expected to."

She sighed. "Who would have thought that an ice block like you would have such a peaceful expression while sleeping?" she whispered to nobody in particular.

She stared at him for the longest time.

She watched how the moonlight hit his face.

How his hair streamed out onto the pillow like smooth silk.

How his chest heaved up and down with every breath he takes.

How his mouth were perfect shapes of two elegantly-sculpted bows.

She thought of how he would have looked now with his eyes open, the silver of it glinting in the moonshine.

She would have stared at him much longer. She was perfectly comfortable watching him sleep. It was kind of nostalgic how she used to do this with Naruto or Sasuke when they got drunk, or worse, injured. Just like this, she would stare at them for hours and just contemplate. One would she was in love with those two. But no. She just enjoys watching over somebody. It gives her a way to relax.

Just like now.

She was peacefully watching Neji as he slept.

When he suddenly opened his eyes.

And found her staring at him.

He frowned.

She froze.

"S-Sak…..?"

WHAM!

Before he knew it, a pillow hit him hard in the face and a panic-stricken pink-haired woman dashed out of the room in total alarm.

Neji woke up with a splitting headache. It felt like somebody was opening it up in half. He sat upright and the blanket slid off his bare chest.

The smell of sausage and eggs wafted in through the half closed door.

Wondering what the hell that could be, he forced himself to go out to the kitchen. What he found there totally surprised him.

"Sakura?"

She whipped around to him, clad only in her pajamas and a sleeveless shirt which clearly accentuated her figures. He tore his gaze away from that part.

"What are you doing?"

"Uhmmm.."she hesitated. "Cooking?"

Neji raised his eyebrows.

"That's what a wife's supposed to do right?"

"Oh."Neji said. "Right." He pulled out a chair and sat down. "But we're only pretending. You don't have to force yourself to cook if you can't, you know."

Sakura's eyes widened. She went to him, hands on her hips, a defiant look on her face. "You did not just say I can't cook, Hyuuga Neji."

"Uhhmm.. What I said was if you don't want to." He almost cringed. She was the spitting image of an enraged dragon right now. Well, not really. Not yet. "I didn't say you can't. I just said if you don't want to", he clarified wisely.

She shook her head at him. "Oh no, you didn't. I heard it clearly with my own two ears."

Neji just rolled his eyes at her.

A spatula went flying at him.

Which he dodged easily of course, regardless of his dizzy state.

"Temper, Haruno." He glared.

She glared back.

He glowered.

She stared.

His stare pierced.

"Oh alright. Nothing's going to happen if we just keep on glaring at each other." She placed both hands on her hips again and pinned him with her gaze. "I'm going to cook here and you're going to be silently waiting there. Understood?"

He smirked. "My mother doesn't even talk to me that way, Haruno."

She turned her back to him and sighed. How the hell am I supposed to make this work, Ino?

"Where did you sleep last night?"

She froze.

For some reason, any topic involving sleep, bed and Neji makes her totally uncomfortable.

"Uhmm." She groped for words. "Somewhere?"

"Somewhere isn't a specific place."

"On the couch."

"And why did you sleep on the couch?"

Because you were sleeping on the damn bed, that's why!

"Why not?" She raised both eyebrows at him.

Looking at her from across the table to where she stood beside the kitchen counter, he said. "You should've slept on the bed beside me."

"Are you freakin' crazy?!!"

"What?" He asked, sounding surprised. "If I recall correctly, that's the main purpose of a bed." It was now his turn to look at her quizzically.

"Uhmm.." She felt her cheeks start to flush.

Unfortunately, the damn bastard saw it and immediately caught on. Understanding dawned on him. "Oh." He chuckled, amused. "You didn't want to share the same bed did you?" He smirked. "And why is that?"

"It should be clear why." She said curtly as she turned abruptly away. Damn you, Neji Hyuuga and your annoying smirks.

"Oh. But it isn't." It was totally obvious that he just wanted to see her suffer from the blush that was now threatening to grow redder still.

When she didn't respond, he merely sneered. It was agonizing to see actually. Sakura had the urge to pummel him then and there.

"I dreamt about something." Neji said. "It was rather vague though. It was all fuzzy." He carefully watched her guarded expression. "I thought there was somebody there beside me on the bed."

"W-w-well.. I'm pretty sure that that was just your perverted subconscious mind hallucinating."

He raised both eyebrows. Hallucination, huh? "I remember seeing a blur of pink." He stated matter-of-factly.

She froze.

A gesture that didn't go unnoticed by the Hyuuga, of course.

"So, it was you, huh?" he smirked. "Sneaking up to me late at night, are you?"

"No, I was not." She murmured under her breath.

"You were."

"No."

"I bet you took off my shirt too."

Sakura's eyes bulged. This arrogant bastard! "YOU WERE DRUNK, DAMN YOU! YOU HAVE SOME NERVE ACCUSING ME OF BEING WHAT YOU ARE? PERVERT!"

"I am not, as you say, a pervert. And you would please stop shouting? It's making my head hurt all the more."

Sakura forced back her angry retort. She enforced herself to remain calm. "Really, Neji." She said, now in a pacified yet biting voice. "You think you can play with me by fooling around with my temper, don't you?"

Neji raised both eyebrows at her. A shadow of his typical smirk lurked near the edges of his lips.

Sakura narrowed both eyes at him dangerously. She placed both hands on her hips. "Well then." she said haughtingly. She brought her chin up another notch. "You're absolutely mistaken."

A/N: So, now what? What will happen now that Sakura and Neji are 'required' to spent two weeks together with each other? Will they be able to survive without blowing the roof of with their vicious tempers? What could possibly happen when you leave two newlyweds alone? just the two of them..

Find out next chapter! :)))

The more reviews I get for this chap, the faster I'll be able to upload the next one. :))) Take Care .