Forgetting Sasuke

Disclaimer: Still don't own them!

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Chapter 3

Sakura gasped, pinned to a wall by Hyuuga Neji pressing firmly against her.

Her lips were parted slightly in shock; Neji stared at her lips, wanting to devour them.

Sakura stared at Neji’s majestic features, only inches from her face, his lips, so close, looking so soft, so kissable…

Their eyes locked. Neji leaned forward, Sakura leaned forward. The distance was closing.

“Sakura-chan!”

Neji released Sakura and pushed himself away, leaving a good distance between them. They both averted their eyes so as not to look guilty. ‘Guilty of what?’ Sakura thought silently.

Naruto walked up, bags in his hands. “Sakura-chan! I wanted to see how you were doing!”

Sakura laughed, reaching back to scratch her head. “Oh, I’m fine! Doing much better! Fresh air was all I needed.”

“That’s good. Old lady Tsunade usually knows what she’s doing, so I’m glad you’re feeling better.” Naruto turned as if seeing Neji for the first time. “Neji! What are you doing here?”

“Just leaving,” Sakura said quickly. “He was on his way home from an errand and we just happened to run into each other.”

Neji stared at Sakura, trying to size up her motives. He could’ve sworn she had been just about to kiss him too, but her behavior now with Naruto was, well, confusing. He turned to Naruto. “I thought you would be out with Hinata-sama.”

“She, Shino and Kiba got sent on a mission. They should be back in the morning,” he explained, turning back to Sakura and laughing, “so I’m coming over to keep you company!”

“Actually, Naruto, I’m pretty tired,” Sakura replied, feeling bad at seeing the crestfallen look on her friend’s face. “Well, you know, it’s been a really long day and I’m still not completely recovered…”

“Well that’s why I’m cooking for you!” he replied, holding up the grocery bags.

Sakura’s eyes widened. The last time Naruto tried to cook for her, she got food poisoning. “Naruto, really, I-”

“Hokage-sama actually sent me over to look after her this evening,” Neji interjected smoothly. “Since I was in the area and my mission was completed earlier.”

“Oh, that’s okay Neji,” Naruto replied easily, “Sakura-chan and I have some stuff we need to discuss, and besides, the old bag loves me, so I’m sure she won’t mind if I take your place.”

Neji turned from Naruto to Sakura, waiting for her reaction. Sakura stared at Naruto, concerned. “Is everything okay, Naruto?”

“Yep,” he smiled back, shielding his lips and lowering his voice so as to keep Hyuuga from overhearing, “I need a woman’s advice.”

“Oh,” Sakura replied, caught off guard. Suddenly she laughed. “Well then… of course.”

Neji kept his unreadable expression firmly in place, despite the disappointment he felt creeping up. Sakura’s green eyes met his and he nodded. “Then I will leave her in your care, Naruto,” he said, his eyes shifting to the blond’s. He vanished.

* * * * *

Sakura sat on her sofa on pins and needles while Naruto worked feverishly in her kitchen, just waiting for him to burn her apartment down. She ran her hands through her hair for the sixth time in nervousness. “How’s it coming?”

“Almost done!” he shouted happily, wiping beads of sweat from his forehead.

It had been half an hour, and she was fairly certain he’d made more than just ramen in that time period. ‘At least I hope.’

“Ready!” he called. She moved over to the small dining table which Naruto had set with chopsticks and two glasses of water. He brought out two plates with fish, rice and sprouts.

“Naruto!” she exclaimed, her eyes wide as he set his spread in front of her. “Wow.”

“Eat up, Sakura-chan! It’s the Uzumaki specialty.”

“I thought that was ramen.”

He grinned sheepishly, whispering, “Sometimes, I do eat something other than ramen, but don’t let that get out.”

She rolled her eyes at her companion. He truly was so thoughtful, to come over and do this. “Itadakimasu!” they said in unison, breaking their chopsticks and digging in.

Sakura’s mouth slowly puckered and went dry upon chewing. She tried to keep an even expression. She forced herself to swallow. “Um… Naruto, how much soy sauce did you use?”

Naruto’s blue eyes locked on hers as he struggled to swallow. “I wanted to make sure it had some flavor, and I wasn’t sure, so, um… the whole bottle.” He pointed to a large, empty soy sauce bottle on the counter.

Sakura could feel her eyebrows twitching before making a mad dive for the water glass in front of her, gulping in a frenzy. Naruto followed suit. “Don’t worry Sakura-chan, I brought cup ramens with me just in case.”

They waited the three minutes on the sofa in silence. Sakura drank down her fourth glass of water.

Naruto stared at Sakura, who had an unreadable expression on her face. ‘Is she angry with me?’ “I’m sorry I’m not good at cooking, Sakura-chan.”

Sakura turned at him and laughed. “It’s okay! I appreciate the gesture. I’m fine with cup ramen anyway.” She turned pensive again, but only fleetingly, shaking her head as if to shake her thoughts away. “What was it you wanted to talk about?”

The timer dinged and Naruto grabbed the cup ramens and handed her one. She crossed her legs and sat up straighter, her lower back twitching slightly. She grimaced. “Sakura-chan, are you okay?”

“Yep, just a little sore yet. Go on.”

“Well, Hinata-chan and I, well…” his voice trailed off. His eyes met Sakura’s, then averted. This continued for many moments. “Hinata-chan and I want to… no, she’s… no… I want… no… I… well…”

“Naruto, just spit it out!”

“What’s the best way to pleasure a woman!?”

Sakura’s jaw dropped. She swore she could feel the thud of it hitting the floor. She gaped at the blond man sitting in front of her for what felt like hours.

Naruto looked down, tried to shrink into the sofa, into the floor, wishing the earth would open and swallow him whole. Any moment now Sakura was going to beat him senseless.

“Well…” Sakura said thoughtfully. Naruto chanced a glance up at her. She seemed to be thinking, her gaze far off. “It’s really just a matter of being able to touch her intimately, without shyness. You need to feel confident in what you’re doing. That’s what really matters. Not the mechanics.”

Naruto stared at his teammate, wide eyed. He’d expected her to throw him out for asking what he was sure she would think an offensive question, and yet here she was, answering easily, unashamed.

“Of course, the mechanics are important too, but most of that’s common sense, and she’ll give you cues as to what she likes.” She finally turned to him, to meet his amazed expression. Suddenly she felt herself burning ten shades of red.

Naruto nodded at her in amazed deference. “Wow, you really know a lot, Sakura-chan.”

Sakura burned at what she knew was a compliment, although for such a topic it carried certain insinuations that were less than favorable. She knew she was certainly no expert. She was basing everything on a dream… a hot, erotic, steamy, arousal filled dream. / Hands roaming her most intimate places, taking, demanding…/

Removing herself from said dream and collecting her thoughts, she timidly turned to face her friend and asked, rather shyly, and clearly embarrassed after all that she’d just said, “Um, Naruto, why ask me?”

Naruto laughed nervously. “Because you’re the only woman I know who wouldn’t kill me right on the spot for asking.” He paused, watching her face for any sudden changes. “I hope.”

Sakura’s features relaxed. “No, I won’t kill you,” she said, a wicked grin playing at her features, “unless I hear you were horrible even after all my good advice.”

“Sakura-chan!” Naruto exclaimed, his cheeks flaming.

* * * * *


Neji sat completely still, meditating quietly in the moonlit bathed garden of the Hyuuga compound. His dark hair cascaded over bare shoulders, the light creating a translucent glow to his fair skin. He was perturbed, and did not relish the feeling.

The almost-kiss played back in his mind; him, holding Sakura down, feeling her heartbeat against his chest, her big green eyes looking up into his, their lips almost brushing…

Naruto. The boisterous blond was called the noisy ninja for a good reason, he mused. If only he had come a moment later, he could have captured those delicate lips in his.

Maybe it was a good thing he appeared when he did. He knew he wanted Sakura, more than he had ever wanted anything, but he didn’t want to rush things either. The worst possibility would be scaring her off in his haste.

‘She certainly wasn’t pulling away.’ So what did it mean? Was he reading too much into things? Not enough? For a man that believed largely in fate and probability, the uncertainty of the kunoichi’s feelings weighed heavily on his mind.

* * * * *

Sakura curled up under her blankets like a cat in the warm sun. Her lamps were out but her room was bright, flooded by moonlight. She loved the way it could make her sanctuary take on a peaceful, ethereal quality.

Neji crept into her mind, pinning her to the wall, his face inches from hers. She was sure he’d been about to kiss her, and then Naruto had shown up. What was it about Hyuuga Neji that made her heart beat just a little bit faster. It was unnerving. She wasn’t entirely sure she disliked the feelings or attention, but it was difficult to know exactly what her feelings were regarding both him and the situations with him she kept finding herself in.

Rolling over onto her back, she stared up at the ceiling. ‘What would have happened if Naruto hadn’t shown up earlier tonight?’ she questioned. Well, she’d never know.

Naruto had left a while ago after they’d spent hours talking about everything and nothing. She was still surprised at her own boldness in giving Naruto such straightforward answers regarding his completely unexpected question.

She had to wonder when it happened that she and Naruto had gotten so close. In the years he’d been gone, after Sasuke left, she’d thrown herself into her work with Tsunade, trying to dull the pain and loneliness in her heart. She wanted to become stronger for them, stronger for herself.

She understood why Naruto had to leave, but she’d missed him terribly. He was the only one who could understand her pain; he shared it. Being reunited with him had made her so happy, being reunited with Kakashi-sensei only reaffirmed their bond. They’d spent countless hours together, training, studying, comforting… She was happy when he finally began dating Hinata. It helped him fill, at least a little, the gaping hole created when Sasuke left. ‘At least Hinata’s well aware of our relationship and doesn’t get jealous,’ Sakura thought idly.

Hyuuga Neji fought his way back into her mind, his image floating convoluted with Naruto’s, Kakashi’s and Sasuke’s. Thoughts were taking hold of her, and she knew no matter how tired her body was, there was no chance of sleeping. Sighing, she tore the covers from her body and stood up, changing into a pair of pants and a light sweater before tying her short hair into a ponytail. She walked into the front hall, slipped on her shoes and walked out.

* * * * *

“Neji-nii-san.” A hand gently touched his shoulder.

Neji opened his eyes to look up at Hinata. It was not the first time he’d fallen asleep in the garden. When he had something on his mind, he could meditate there for hours, focusing all his chakra before fatigue would overtake him.

He blinked a few times to erase sleep from his eyes. “Hinata-sama,” he said, slowly sitting up. “I thought you weren’t going to be back until morning.”

“The mission was shorter than expected. Instead of making camp for a mere few hours, we decided to just head straight back.”

He nodded. Hinata extended her hand to help him to his feet, which he accepted. “What time is it?”

“Almost two. You look like you’ve been out here a while. You should get some sleep, nii-san,” she said, yawning.

“You should, Hinata-sama, you look like you’re about to drop.” Hinata nodded, letting his arm encircle her waist and lead her into the house.

Once Neji had Hinata tucked into bed, he walked back outside. In truth, he was surprised he’d fallen asleep. His head was still swimming with thoughts that needed dealing with.

Rather than wake anyone, he decided to go out for a walk.

* * * * *

The stars twinkled brightly in the moonlit sky, creating an eerie glow over the land. It was cool, but not cold. She inhaled deeply, the scent of Konoha at night, stirring her memories. It was as though everything in nature had conspired to bring it back, that fateful night her utter weakness was realized, the night Sasuke left.

She found herself walking along that familiar road which took her to that place. She’d begged Sasuke to stay, poured her heart and soul out to him. “I love you so much! We can definitely be happy! Stay with me!” she could still hear her twelve year old self calling. “If you can’t stay, then take me with you!” She’d been willing to betray her village, become a missing-nin, all for him, and all for what? He’d said ‘thank you,’ and rendered her unconscious.

She found herself walking past the bench he’d left her on, continuing absently on her way, too lost in her thoughts to care where her feet were taking her. ‘How could you, Sasuke?’ she’d asked herself a thousand times over. ‘Was it worth it? Are you happy?’ Rhetorical questions.

He’d tried to kill Naruto. Naruto hadn’t told her. Naruto couldn’t speak about it. It had been Kakashi that told her he’d found Naruto nearly dead at Valley of the End, no trace of Sasuke. Naruto’s injuries were consistent with chidori. Sasuke had meant to kill him.

Even in all their time together, in the close intimacy they shared as teammates and friends, betrayed, Naruto never spoke of that battle with her. She knew it was to protect her, to never tarnish Sasuke’s memory for her, to keep her hope alive. She supposed maybe it was also too painful for him to speak of as well. She knew he regarded it as the greatest failure of his life.

‘Sakura, thank you.’ She could still hear his voice softly whispering into her ear, still feel his breath warm on her neck.

She wasn’t aware of the tears that had sprung free. Her hands were balled once more into fists at her sides. “Damn you, damn you, damn you!” she said softly.

How was it possible that she could still both love and hate the Uchiha? She hated feeling inept, and her conflicting emotions regarding him made her feel weak.

‘No, I need to stop thinking about this,’ she chided, willing herself forcibly to stop thinking of Sasuke and his betrayal. Suddenly entering her mind was Neji, saying, ‘I find myself reacting very much to you.’ What was it about the Hyuuga that he kept entering her thoughts?

She stopped, suddenly aware of her surroundings. Without even having to look up, she knew where she was, team seven’s old meeting place.

Looking up, she saw someone else standing at the red bridge already. Coffee hair hung loosely over broad shoulders, the white and black ensemble… no doubt it was Neji.

Her breath hitched, her heart suddenly began beating faster. He leaned gracefully on the railing, looking out over the water, his back to her. Everything about him was sleek and stunning. He was breathtaking.

Was it only one random dream of him that had caused her head to fill with thoughts of him? Thoughts of him touching her, caressing her, desiring her… Only coincidence that she kept running into him? She no longer knew anything except that he was the most beautiful thing she had ever laid eyes on. She was smitten.

“Join me, Sakura,” she heard him say, his back to her.

“How did you-”

“I can see you,” he said simply.

Her brows furrowed in confusion before it hit her. ‘Of course. Byakugan.’ Suddenly another, terrifying thought hit her, ‘How long has he been watching me stare at him?’

She took tentative steps to the bridge. He stood up, turning to face her, all traces of his bloodline limit gone from his beautiful face. “You’ve been crying,” he noted softly, a hint of concern in his voice.

“I’m fine,” she replied quickly, not wanting to answer difficult questions.

“You shouldn’t be out so late. You still need rest.” It was a statement, not a reprimand.

“I couldn’t sleep.”

“Hn.” He studied her face, reaching up to wipe away the few remaining tears that clung to her eyelashes. Her green eyes intoxicated him, he was drunk on them. Her lips beckoned to him. He wanted desperately to taste them. His hand lightly brushed her cheek, his fingers running down her throat. Her breath hitched slightly.

“I… I find myself reacting… very much to… you…” she whispered, repeating his words from earlier.

His hand reached behind her neck, as her hands slipped around his waist. He pulled her to him and crushed her lips with his own.