Oh my GAWD! 38 reviews! I absolutely LOVE YOU GUYS! Keep it up! (gives cookies and chocolate to reviewers) hehehe...
Results of the poll:
SasuNaru: 22
NejiNaru: 10
Share: 6
I don't think this was fair though...since people are starting to dislike Neji now that he's chosen Sakura, so after I get rid of the troublesome bitch and render both Sasuke and Neji available, I'll ask you guys to vote again.
Man, people are starting to hate Neji now that I've married him to Sakura. Try to understand the situation he's in. He's the only heir to the Hyuuga line of business, and needs to produce another heir to succeed him. He's really stressed with the combinedpressure Hiashi's been putting on him about marriage to another woman of his choiceor an arranged marriage and bearing the full weight of the Hyuuga business on his shoulders. And then he finds his feelings about Naruto...loving the cute little Uzumaki is absolutely forbidden lest Hiashi disown him completely for loving another person of the same gender. So he has to marry Sakura...and Sakura won't want to marry him unless he shows some sort of love towards her...you get what I'm saying? Andeven if hethrows away all of his fortune, money, and such andruns off with Naruto,knowing the extent of Hiashi's anger, the older man would probably hunt him down and gut him like a fish.Sasuke is an orphan and runs the whole entire Uchiha mansion with only the help of Kabuto, so he can love as freely as he wants to. So after hearing my argument, I hope people will try to sympathize withmy sweet littleHyuuga.
Chapter 11: Long-Hidden Feelings
Neji sprinted blindly to a nearby phone booth, gasping for breath. Leaning against the booth, he panted wildly, trying to recall the whereabouts of the Uchiha's mansion. It wasn't hard really—it was the second largest structure in Tokyo save for his own—but Tokyo was an extremely large city, and consequently the Uchiha's estate was a long ways away. Hailing a nearby cab, Neji wrenched open the door and thrust a few yen at the surprised driver.
"Get me to the Uchiha estate, and if you make it there in five minutes, I'll pay you double." The eager driver nodded and artfully maneuvered the vehicle through the busy traffic, darting in and out of the cars that lined the streets. Three minutes later, he stopped at the front door of the Uchiha.
"Thank you."
Flinging a few more coins at the driver, Neji ran up the steps and pounded on the door. Shoving aside the servants that answered his knock, the Hyuuga made for the staircase that lead to Sasuke's study, halting at the sight of the Uchiha himself on the stairs. Sasuke descended slowly, a grim look on his finely chiseled features.
"What is the means of this unexpected visit, Hyuuga?" Neji snarled at him.
"Don't act like you don't know, Uchiha, give him back." Sasuke smiled silkily.
"Why who?"
"Don't you DARE act like you don't know, you bastard!" Neji spat furiously. Sasuke merely smiled.
"Are you always so cynical, Hyuuga?" Neji scowled heavily.
"Only when I'm around bastards like you. Now give him back." The sweet smirk still stayed pasted on the Uchiha's face.
"Oh, if you mean your….precious….blonde, he's in good condition so you needn't worry." The Hyuuga growled menacingly.
"Why did you wound him in the alleyway?" Sasuke tilted his head to the side, a mocking expression on his face.
"I merely disposed of his attacker and brought him here. I did nothing to harm him; quite the contrary, if I hadn't found him lying more dead than alive on the streets, he would've died quite some time ago." Neji gasped.
"Is this true?" Sasuke chuckled.
"He's upstairs; why don't you ask him yourself?"
Needing no further invitation, Neji dashed up the stairs, taking them by four and hurling himself into the Uchiha's bedroom. Naruto sat up, startled by the noise, then froze as he witnessed Neji standing before him. Sasuke came up behind the Hyuuga.
"You see? He's in good condition." Naruto smiled, though it was plainly forced.
"Hello, Neji. Don't worry, Sasuke took good care of me." Neji's lip trembled dangerously at the sight of his friend. It pained him greatly to see Naruto in his mental condition, so broken, so worn.
"Naruto…" He was stopped by a hand.
"No…don't speak." The blonde's features contorted into an expression of desperate sadness.
"I can't bear it if you speak." Neji's shell-shocked form witnessed the blonde in his loneliness. What had he done….what had he done to this pure, innocent boy? The light in Naruto's sparkling blue eyes had long since gone out, leaving only false joy.
"Do you see what you've done?" Long gone was the bemused tone in the Uchiha's voice, only to be replaced by a look dripping of pure belligerence. Sasuke positively spat daggers at the Hyuuga with his words, each syllable dripping with steel and ice.
"How dare you knowingly break this pure creature? You, of all people, who possess a bloodline able to see right through each and every emotion, how dare you break his heart so cruelly?" Neji bit his lip.
"Naruto….I'm sorry…I….I didn't know…"
"You knew full well he was in love with you!" Sasuke barked.
"You knew full well he would go to the ends of the earth and back for you, why he would do so for a bastard like you I will never understand, but how could you be so blind as to not realize and accept his feelings for you?" Sasuke circled Neji much like a tiger would its prey.
"You realized he loved you, you knew full well that he loved you, and yet you wed yourself to that….that whore, and in doing so, breaking his heart! Had you not ever felt that feeling of guilt down in the bottom of your abysmally small mind?" Sasuke continued, eyes blazing furiously. Neji bent his head, doubled over with wave after wave of overwhelming guilt, regret, and anger towards his actions.
"Naruto….I'm sorry….I truly am sorry…it's just that—"
"—you didn't want to ruin your position in society and risk your honor as heir to the Hyuuga line of business? I quite understand." Naruto spoke up, his voice soft. Neji winced.
"I'm sorry Naruto…will you ever forgive me?" Naruto sighed. Slowly the ice wore away from his eyes, and his features softened visibly. Suddenly the blonde looked immensely old and weary, almost as if he tired of his life.
"I forgive you. There's nothing I can do now, you're wed to Sakura. You've chosen your path and I've chosen mine. Sometimes Neji….you have to say goodbye." Neji's head shot up in horror.
"You mean…you mean you're not coming back?" Naruto shook his head sadly.
"Why not?" The blonde sighed.
"Because I still love you even if you broke my heart. Seeing you with Sakura and your future children will kill me. Besides, you seem to fare just fine without a personal servant." Neji stood, a wild, pleading look in his eyes, and made his way over to Naruto's side, grasping the blonde's hand with both of his own.
"What if I told you…that I loved you in return?" Naruto smiled sadly, eyes downcast.
"It's no use. You're married to Sakura. Nothing can change that now." He gasped softly as he felt wetness drip onto his palm. Shocked, Naruto looked up. Neji…Neji was….Neji was crying…?
Tears flowed freely down the Hyuuga's cheeks, dripping slowly onto the bedsheets. Head bowed, Neji was sobbing quietly, an expression of utter self-contempt, regret, and sadness carved onto his face. Naruto inhaled sharply. Never before had Neji cried so openly….perhaps his feelings ran deeper than the blonde had suspected. A huge torrent of emotions ran their way across Naruto's mind, accompanied by an extremely crucial thought.
"Sasuke….Sasuke, doesn't it say that if one chooses, one can divorce oneself of one's spouse if one wishes?" The Hyuuga's and the Uchiha's head snapped up in unison.
"I cannot do that, Naruto. It would be dishonorable." For once, Naruto's face showed disgust.
"Honor, honor, is that all you ever think about? Listen to me Neji, Sakura didn't marry you for love. She's participating heavily in a drug-ring and her sole purpose of wedding you is to use her gained social status to manipulate the accommodation of her drugs." Neji gasped.
"Are you positive?" Naruto nodded.
"I'm positive. I've never told you this, but she called at one in the morning a few months back, sounding completely stoned. I'm telling you she's involved in some serious issues with drugs." Neji looked grim.
"We have to stop her then. But how?" Naruto smiled.
"Act naturally around her, Neji, and leave the rest to me and Sasuke. We'll handle it." Neji smiled.
"Very well then, I leave it up to you." Naruto grinned and bounded out of the bed in one leap, heading out of the room. Neji made as if to leave, then turned to Sasuke.
"My deepest apologies, Uchiha. Thank you for taking care of Naruto. I'm greatly indebted to you." Sasuke waved off the thanks rather impatiently.
"As long as you now see sense, Hyuuga. But mind you, if you dare try to hurt Naruto again, I won't hesitate from stealing him from you." Neji nodded.
"And even if you don't hurt him, I'll still provide you with ample competition." The Hyuuga smirked.
"Such a foolish thing to say out loud, Uchiha." Sasuke countered Neji's remark with one of his own.
"Naruto knows, Hyuuga. It's up to him to decide which one of us to choose." With one last passing smirk, Sasuke glided out of the room. Neji sighed and followed, suddenly feeling extremely exhausted.
"Kabuto-san, will you lend me your computer?" The older man smiled.
"I have already gathered information on the young miss Haruno." He slid a sheaf of paper over to Naruto's waiting hands. The blonde pored over the information sheet by sheet, saving the important documents and throwing out others. He stopped on a particular page.
"Well, well, well. It seems she visits a particular restaurant every Tuesday at nine. How did you figure that out, Kabuto-san?" The older man smiled.
"My ways of gathering data have a wide, wide range. Not to mention the fact that I have…sources…as well." Naruto smirked.
"Visits a restaurant every Tuesday now does she? Which restaurant is that, may I ask?" Kabuto pointed to the bottom of the paper.
"The Bleeding Sun? That sounds intriguing. Very well then, we shall follow her to the restaurant and keep an eye on her movements." Naruto yawned.
"Tuesday is two days from now, so we can prepare. We'll have to look extremely inconspicuous, and with your obvious air of regal, elegant stature, Neji, Sasuke, there is absolutely no way you can blend in with a crowd of normal people."
"Well there is absolutely no way you can blend in with a crowd of normal people with those eyes of yours." Naruto scowled at Sasuke.
"Very funny, people have seen blue eyes before. Anyhow, you can borrow a few of my father's clothes, I'm sure Iruka wouldn't mind." They both nodded.
"I think I may be able to lend you my overcoat, Sasuke-san." Kabuto spoke up.
"And as for this one…I'll lend him a pair of my old trousers. They'll have to dress in shades of brown or grey; those are the only colors one should wear if one wishes to look inconspicuous." Naruto nodded.
"Very well then. We'll track her to find out if she really is into drug dealing." Winking at the two, Naruto snatched a pair of sunglasses and perched them jauntily on his nose.
"And as for my eyes, I think these will do." Smirking seductively at the pair, he stood and sauntered out of the room.
Two Days Later
Sakura hummed tunelessly as she brushed her pink locks, running them through with a fine-toothed comb. Smiling, she winked at herself in the mirror before turning and walking to her closet, throwing open the doors to reveal a wide array of clothing. Still humming, she picked a maroon suit and put it on, surveying herself in the mirror. A sound was heard, and she turned to view Neji's lanky form sliding itself in her room. Neji closed the door quietly, making his way over to the Haruno.
"Going somewhere, are we?" Sakura giggled.
"I'm off to meet my friends at a restaurant." Neji quirked an eyebrow.
"Which one?" Sakura laughed.
"Must you be so inquisitive, Neji? It's just a ragtag restaurant down the street. I haven't seen my friends since the wedding, and I do hope to catch up with all the gossip." Neji tweaked her nose gently.
"Very well then dear," he nuzzled her neck gently, planting soft kisses down her jawline. Sakura sighed happily as he continued down her neck, nibbling gently at the skin. She halted, momentarily confused. She could've sworn Neji had spat on her neck. It certainly felt like he spat on her neck….what doubts she had disappeared as he nipped again at the junction of her shoulder, sliding his tongue over her collarbone.
"No more now…you mustn't be late for your meeting, mmm?" Sakura drooped.
"But—" she was stopped by a finger on her lips. Neji steered her towards the door and pushed her out, following.
"Have a good time." Sakura kissed him briefly on the lips before walking out into the night.
Neji smirked as he watched her go. Never had she noticed the little gem planted on the lapel of her blouse; Kabuto's little recording devices came in handy when used at the right moments. Chuckling to himself, Neji turned and made his way down to the servant's quarters, entering to find Naruto and Sasuke seated on a bed. Standing, the Uchiha handed Neji a long, flowing coat with a high collar, a jacket of similar kind already in his hand. Naruto had already put on his sunglasses, dressed in a brown pair of slacks and a hat that sunk over his eyes. His normally wheat-blonde hair was now a muddy brown, results of the walnut dye the blonde had concocted earlier. Smiling suavely at the Hyuuga, Naruto twirled and sauntered sassily towards the door, letting himself out.
Quickly but efficiently, the three piled into Neji's sedan and rolled off to the restaurant Kabuto had mentioned. Parking in a secluded spot, Sasuke, Naruto, and Neji stepped out of the car, walking up the steps to the restaurant. The building looked remotely decent on the outside, but on the inside…
All three shivered in unison as they stepped inside the restaurant. Smoke billowed in hazy wisps around the room, practically choking what little oxygen there was in the atmosphere. Half the people were passed out, either drunk or stoned on the floor, and few surly-looking men played poker in a corner. There were quite a number of prostitutes as well, draping their bodies like sacks of potatoes over their clients. Naruto shuddered. Bad vibe. Extremely bad vibe.
Neji swallowed and tried his hardest not to turn tail and run. The people in here were extremely dangerous. Slender fingers found the butterfly knife in his coat pocket and closed around the handle, gripping it tightly. The grip somewhat relieved the Hyuuga; one never knew what one could encounter in such dicey places. He looked at Naruto and saw the blonde do the same, grasping the black handle of the blade he'd brought with him as well. The Hyuuga let out a small breath, thankful for Naruto's careful thinking. Neji abruptly stiffened as he felt a hand slide seductively across his backside, squeezing it gently. He turned to see a wispy blonde smiling up at him, a sultry look on her dolled-up features. Neji's lip curled disdainfully.
"Hey darling, you must have a fine piece of equipment to go with that firm little ass of yours. Would you allow me to test it? I'm curious to find out; we don't get many guys around here with such a fine piece of flesh."
Neji twitched. Naruto jabbed him sharply in the ribs, smirking impishly at the Hyuuga. Mentally vowing to thrash the blonde within an inch of his life after the whole scenario was over, Neji decided to play along and smiled seductively at the blonde, bending over so his lips were hovering right near her mouth.
"My dear….I would love to." He purred seductively. Leaning the rest of the way, he crushed his lips against those of the woman, catching them in a hot, passionate kiss. The blonde smiled and leaned into the kiss, parting her lips to give Neji access to her mouth. That was all the Hyuuga needed.
The woman's eyes widened in shock and she screamed, the sound muffled against Neji's mouth. Biting down hard on her lower lip, Neji clamped his teeth firmly over the appendage and wrenched his head sharply to the side. A sickening rip was heard, and blood immediately blossomed from the woman's lip, running in rivulets down her chin. She opened her mouth and tried to scream, but nothing came out save for a few garbles and gasps. Grabbing a nearby cigarette, the Hyuuga cauterized the wound as well, smashing the smoldering embers of the butt deeply into the wound. As the woman unclosed her lips to scream again, Neji deftly jammed a nearby ashtray into her open mouth, cutting off the scream and sending the woman flying off her chair. The rest of the bar seemed not to notice, glancing disinterestedly at the woman before dozing off once more.
Naruto promptly dissolved into a fit of barely restrained sniggers, hiding them desperately behind his gloved hand. Sasuke tried his best to keep a straight face as the woman flailed her legs in the air, groping frantically for support. Neji turned and tugged them sharply on the sleeves, leading them towards the curtains in which Sakura had disappeared.
"Come, we mustn't draw too much attention to ourselves." Naruto snickered.
"I'd say you drew plenty of it." Neji smirked.
"Half of the people are passed out on the ground, while the other half are either too drunk or stoned to even care. We have to keep an eye on Sakura." Turning around, the Hyuuga led the blonde and the Uchiha to the curtain. Peeling back an inch of the blood-red fabric, Neji peered cautiously inside. He quickly withdrew his vision, a scandalized look on his face. Naruto perked up.
"What is it?" Neji grimaced.
"It reeks of opium in there. Behind this curtain is where the prostitutes oblige their clients, and Sakura," he jabbed a thumb at the curtain. "is the prime candidate. I'd suspected as much; with a body like hers, it's not a wonder she's a harlot." Naruto wrinkled his nose.
"So much for the innocent act. So how does it feel now that you know you've married a prostitute?" Neji flinched.
"Don't remind me." He turned to the Uchiha.
"You've been quiet lately. Is something wrong?" Sasuke shook his head, gazing intensely at the minute screen he held in his palm.
"Look, I've captured a recording of everything Sakura has done, thanks to the camera you planted on her collar. It seems she's a drug dealer as well as a prostitute." Naruto looked grim.
"Did you get the type of drug she's smuggling?" Sasuke nodded.
"Opium. Extremely potent and highly addictive. It seems she uses her charm to con people into selling her the drug at lower prices if they screw her first." The Uchiha spat, a disgusted look on his face.
"We should go back to your place and see if Kabuto has any information on opium trades. Neji, could you check in Sakura's room and see if she's hidden any drugs anywhere?" Naruto asked. Neji nodded.
"I will try." With a parting glance at the blonde, the Hyuuga departed.
Maa...I dunno...still debating on SasuNaru or NejiNaru...READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTES AT THE BEGINNING OF THE CHAPTER IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY. EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.