Forgetting Sasuke

Disclaimer: Still don't own 'em. If I did... well my world would be a much happier place. ;)
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Neji’s lips crushed Sakura’s, his arms pulling her into him, pressing her firmly against him, kissing her deeply. He could feel her heart beat against his chest, its pace matching his own.

Sakura’s fingers entangled in Neji’s hair, delighting in the soft, silkiness of it. Her other hand ran down his back to his waist, resting on his hip.

“Sakura…” Neji whispered into her ear as he bit lightly on her earlobe.

Sakura could feel herself sinking into him. His lips assailed her, moving slowly down her neck, sending shivers down her spine. This was so much better than a dream could ever be.

His hands cupped her face gently as his lips found their way back up to hers, capturing them in a soft, delicate kiss.

He gently pulled away to look at her. Her green eyes were bright and vibrant, the moonlight filling them and reflecting off her hair, giving her the appearance of an angel. Her eyes looked up at him with great emotion. He could feel his own heart twisting at her beauty. She was everything he ever imagined he could want. “Sakura…”

Her hand gently reached up to touch his cheek and he pushed himself into her palm. She couldn’t describe the thousands of sensations and emotions running through her. She felt weightless, flying, falling, could feel desire building in her the likes of which she’d never even imagined. She stood up on her toes to reach his lips, kissing him again.

He drew her to him once more, wrapping his powerful arms around her, binding her to him. Her own wrapped tightly around his middle, one hand reaching down to grab his perfectly sculpted ass. She could hear Neji moan into their kiss as his own hands followed suit.

Suddenly he picked her up, setting her on the railing of the red bridge, spreading her legs apart and pushing himself in between, keeping his body firmly pressed against hers. Their lips never lost contact.

“Neji…” she moaned softly into his lips. His heart skipped a beat at the sound of his name, which had never sounded quite like that before. He pulled away and looked at her. Her eyes were full of desire, desire for him.

He leaned hard into her, kissing her fiercely, deeply, with all the passion that burned within him.

A small creaking noise interrupted the kiss. Their eyes locked in confusion.

Before either could react, the railing of the bridge gave way and both went tumbling the short distance into the stream below.

Neji, realizing there wasn’t enough time to catch himself, maneuvered himself underneath Sakura so she wouldn’t get injured again. His arms wrapped around her as they landed in the cold water.

Sakura turned her head to look at Neji in startled amazement before both turned their heads back to look at the busted red railing.

“Oops…” Sakura whispered. Neji found himself uncharacteristically grinning like an idiot. “Should we fix it?” she asked, turning herself around in his arms to face him.

“Let the genins do it in the morning. It’ll make a nice mission for the rookies.” Sakura suddenly shivered; the water was rather cold for that time of year. “Besides,” he said, taking note of the slight shudder through her body, “we should get you home and dry.”

She nodded, standing up and extending her hand to Neji, which he took but did not utilize in getting up. Like the gentleman he was, he helped her out of the water and onto the soft, grassy bank. It was considerably colder after their little swim. He wrapped his arm around her in a vain attempt at keeping her warm as they walked through the streets of Konoha, dripping water as they went.

They walked for a while in silence, just enjoying one another’s company. Her apartment was only a few more blocks away.

Thoughts were running through her mind at a rapid speed. ‘Do I invite him in? Do I kiss him goodnight and ask him to leave? If I do ask him to stay, what does that imply? Do I want him to stay?’ Sakura had never been at such a loss before. She knew she wanted him to stay, but what of…

It was stupid to think about. She wasn’t a young girl of twelve with delusions of capturing the cold heart of Uchiha Sasuke anymore. Here was something good and real and tangible right in front of her. Neji could give her everything she’d ever dreamed of with Sasuke, and he would never break her heart and leave her the way the unfeeling Uchiha did. But was she really ready for what she knew would inevitably happen? A dream was one thing, but reality quite another. So many consequences to ill thought out actions…

“Are you warm enough?” he asked, still holding her close.

She nodded. “I’m using my chakra to keep warm. You?”

He smiled slightly. ‘Of course she is,’ he thought to himself, ‘she’s a medic.’

“I’m fine.” In fact, he was freezing and despite excellent chakra control for juuken, he was nowhere near as adept at using chakra to heal or warm himself as she was.

“Liar,” she said, turning her head to him and finding his lips slightly blue. It looked like he was biting his tongue to keep his teeth from chattering.

She stopped in her tracks and turned to Neji, placing her hands close together on his chest. He instinctively wrapped his arms around her. She molded her chakra to her hands and Neji could feel her warmth wrap around his heart, spreading through his chest and body. She finally lifted her eyes to meet his. “Better?” she asked softly.

He nodded slowly, savoring the moment, her power, her strength, her beauty. She truly was an amazing woman.

“We should get going. That will only last so long before the chill cuts through again,” she said. She wrapped her arm around his waist as they walked side by side the rest of the distance to her apartment.

‘Well Sakura… moment of truth…’ she thought silently.

“Neji… I…”

He smiled serenely in understanding. “Good night, Sakura,” he whispered as he leaned in to kiss her lightly.

Her eyes were wide as he pulled away. ‘No, damn it! This isn’t how it’s supposed to go!’ screamed in her head.

“Neji…” she said desperately, “stay.”

He stared at her, studying her features, looking for a hint of hesitation. The lip she was furiously biting was a dead giveaway. “Sakura, I don’t want to rush things.”

Her eyes shifted down, away from his deep gaze. She nodded.

His fingers grazed her chin, pulling it up and forcing her to look at him. “I don’t want to hasten this and have it fall apart. I care a great deal for you, and I-“

Her finger touched his lip, silencing him. “I understand,” she whispered. She reached up to his neck, pulling him to her and kissed him, lightly at first. She escalated the kiss into something far deeper. Neji responded with his entire body, drawing her once more into him. After long moments, they pulled away, breathless. “Good night, Neji-kun.”

He smiled at the honorific, one he knew she would call him only in their private moments together. “Good night, Sakura.”

* * * * *

Neji lay in bed for hours, his arms wrapped behind his head lazily, replaying the events of the night in his mind. She truly was addicting. The way her hair fell lightly around her beautiful face, the way her skin glowed under the pale moonlight, the way her eyes looked up and seem to capture him, bringing him down to the center of her being…

His body had rebelled against his rationale with that last fiery kiss Sakura had given him.

Sakura. His Sakura. Her kisses, her soft caresses, the way she whispered his name… all his.

He felt a mild pang of guilt, reflecting on his actions of the other day, touching her so intimately, knowing she was incapacitated from the drug. And yet she’d reached for him. In her delirious state she’d seen him, felt him, whispered his name. He couldn’t help but feel that even though the initial action was wrong, it was bringing about something so great it would negate any ethical issues.

She cared for him, he was certain. She had to, with the way she spoke his name, the way she pulled him to her so possessively. ‘I am hers as she is mine,’ he mused, smirking at the recollection of her grabbing his ass. ‘At least she isn’t shy about what she wants.’

* * * * *

Sakura had a difficult time trying to fall asleep after the events that had transpired over the evening. If she thought she’d been wide awake before her walk, she was even more so now.

One thing was certain. Hyuuga Neji kissed like a god. He was, in a word, divine. His lips were soft, gentle yet fiercely possessive. His lips claimed hers passionately, his kiss claiming her as his own.

She kept replaying every single detail in her mind in an effort to relive each moment with him.

Sakura had never been affected in such a way by a man before. The last man she’d felt any attraction to had been Sasuke, who at the time really was no more than a boy. She knew she’d had strong feelings for him, feelings that she thought were real and deep and true, but now… had her love for Sasuke been nothing more than an infatuation?

Sasuke had never returned her affection, but she had also never felt quite this way with him before. There were a few times she’d come across the brooding Uchiha and admired him silently, but he had never taken her breath away the way Neji had done.

She closed her eyes, seeing him so clearly with his back to her, his dark hair hanging loosely around his broad, powerful shoulders, obscuring his face just slightly. His yukata fitting him tightly in some parts, loosely in others, accentuating each line and curve of his definitively masculine body… he truly was magnificent. Just thinking about it made her heart beat faster.

She sighed, finally feeling her weariness. She fought, wanting to savor over and over the warm feeling of Neji's lips on hers, the way he just glowed in the moonlight, but needed sleep finally overtook her, images of Neji weaving out of her consciousness and into her dreams.

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A/N: Sorry, I know this chapter's a bit short, but I'll be updating again really soon. Hope you all like it! And a big "thanks" again to all my reviewers!