Forgetting Sasuke

A/N: Sorry I was late in getting this chapter up! I've been mad busy... *sighs*

Much to my everlasting disappointment, I do not own Naruto. Unless you count my cute plushie that cuddles with me. Um... yeah...

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It was the second day in Suna. Neji spent a good part of the morning in his quarters, going over scrolls and other various information he had taken from Tsunade regarding the mission objectives. He began writing a report of his own findings, journaling each detail to be presented to Hokage-sama upon return to Konoha. There was something fishy about the whole affair, and he had a feeling Konohagakure was going to be pulled into the mess no matter what. He hadn’t seen Sakura all day, assuming she must have been busy working with the Kazekage most of the morning and afternoon.

Kiba did a few walkthroughs with Kankurou, leaving Neji time to go over everything. What Sakura had said yesterday about the Kazekage’s ailment did not sit well with him. It had, in fact, been preying on his mind the better portion of the day. Was the Kazekage at the heart of his?

Sakura was in the best position to know one way or another. Neji left his own room, walking down the hall and stepping into hers, gazing at the sleeping kunoichi curled up on the bed. She looked lovely, peaceful. It seemed a crime to disturb her.

He sat down next to her, still struggling with whether to wake her. His weight shifted the bed and she moaned, rolling over and forcing her heavy eyelids open. “Neji-kun?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you. I know you must be exhausted, but I wanted to ask you something.”

“What is it?” she asked, sitting up.

“How bad is he?”

Sakura looked caught off guard by the question. “Kazekage-sama?” Neji nodded. “He’s very weak, but it’s not like it’s a poison. It’s almost as though his body is destroying itself. I’ve never seen anything like it. Shishou said she thought maybe it was from the jutsu Chiyoba used to resuscitate him, but she used the same jutsu on me. Granted, I wasn’t fully dead, but I would think if there was a complication in the jutsu then I would have been affected by it as well.” Sakura shook her head in frustration. “I just don’t know.”

Neji stared into her eyes, finding himself sinking deeper into her. “Something about this whole situation doesn’t make sense.”

“I agree,” she said softly, “although I have no idea what. What I do know is that Kazekage-sama is in bad shape and I’m going to do everything in my power to help him.”

Neji nodded. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

Sakura stared at him for a moment, the wheels in her head obviously turning. “You can see the entire chakra circulatory system with Byakugan, right?” He nodded.

“Yes, that’s how I was able to assess your injury that day,” Neji said slowly, beginning to see where she was going. “You want me to take a look at his circulatory system and see if his chakra patterns are regular.”

Sakura nodded. “It would give me a good starting point,” she stated, getting up. Neji grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down gently. “Wha-“

His lips gently grazed hers in a sweet kiss. Her hand slid to cup his face as she leaned into him, pressing her chest against his. “Neji-kun…”

“Sakura,” he moaned softly. They pulled apart, Sakura’s eyes wide. Neji smiled at her. “I’ve wanted to do that all day.”

She smiled. “Me too.”

“Let’s go.”

* * * * *

“Kazekage-sama?” Sakura said gently after knocking lightly on his door. She’d expected him to be sleeping in bed, but instead he was sitting on the window sill looking out over Sunagakure.

“Sakura-san,” he said, turning to her. His face registered surprise at seeing Neji. He immediately stiffened. “Hyuuga-san.”

“Kazekage-sama,” Neji said, bowing slightly. Gaara returned the formality.

“Kazekage-sama, you know that Neji has Byakugan. If it’s alright with you, I would like him to take a look at your chakra circulatory system to see if everything is functioning regularly.”

Gaara did not take his eyes off of Sakura. He nodded his consent. “Must I undress?” he asked blandly.

“No,” Neji replied tersely. “Byakugan.” His beautiful face was suddenly etched with veins and lines around his eyes. Gaara watched in curious fascination. Neji started his exam at Gaara’s center, the abdomen before working out around the entire body.

“There are holes in the chakra system,” Neji said, his voice giving away his surprise. “It’s like there is supposed to be another chakra system in conjunction and is no longer there, rendering the original system crippled. The chakra is exhausting itself trying to fill in the gaps.”

Gaara shifted his gaze from the Hyuuga to the medic, whose eyes were wide in fascination. She suddenly began scribbling in her notebook. Gaara swooned a little, and walked to a chair to sit down.

Neji’s face went smooth once more. “Sakura, is there anything else you need?”

“No, thank you, Neji,” she said absently, continuing to write furiously in the notebook.

“Kazekage-sama,” Neji said once more before bowing and turning to walk out. Sakura gave him a quick glance and a smile as he walked out.

Gaara turned to her. “Gaping holes in my chakra circulatory system…”

Sakura looked up at him and said, “It makes a great deal of sense actually. The jutsu Chiyoba-sama used to save your life was really only a reanimator. It gave you your life essence back, and replaced your chakra, but did not repair the damaged system.”

Gaara nodded. Sakura absently filled a glass of water and handed it to him. He drank obediently. “Can it be repaired?” he asked quietly.

“I think so,” she replied slowly. “But I must be honest with you, Kazekage-sama-”

“Gaara, please.”

“Gaara-sama, that an undertaking of this magnitude has never been attempted before. You are an anomaly; you should be dead. The fact that you are not gives way to an entirely new and uncharted set of problems.”

“But you think it can be done,” he stated.

“I do. I will have to infuse my own chakra into your chakra pathways to seal the holes. This will require a great deal of time and work. I do not know the full extent of the damage and I can only do so much at a given time.”

Gaara nodded, contemplating her words. His pensive gaze met hers. “Then let us begin.”

* * * * *

Sakura collapsed in a heap on her bed, completely exhausted. She did not hear the door open or close, only becoming aware of the presence in her room when her bed shifted with the additional weight of another person.

“Neji-kun,” she said, rolling over and smiling up at him. She took his hand into hers.

“You’re exhausted,” he observed.

“We laid the groundwork to begin repairing his chakra system. It took a bit longer than I thought, but I wanted to make sure I had a good foundation before starting the real work tomorrow morning,” she explained, stifling a yawn.

“Don’t overdo it, Sakura,” Neji warned softly. She was too tired to argue; she simply nodded.

Neji bent down and kissed her lightly before standing up to leave. She gently squeezed his hand, tugging him back down to her. He lay down next to her, propping himself up on his elbow. His other hand went to her face, his fingers running ever so lightly over her cheeks, her forehead, her eyebrows, her lips. Her eyes were closed and a soft smile played at her lips.

He lowered his lips to hers once more, meeting her in a sweet kiss. She responded unhurriedly. Her hand slid up into his loose hair, tangling her fingers in it. Neji leaned into her, feeling her warmth on his chest. He kissed his way up her shoulder, her clavicle, her throat. “Nej-” she whispered, her voice trailing off.

He paused, noticing her breathing becoming more even, her fingers relaxing in his hair. She’d fallen asleep. He smiled, rolling back over to get himself into a comfortable position so he could hold her, even if only for a little while.

* * * * *

Neji woke with a start, his byakugan eyes scanning the room. The sleeping figure in his arms shifted slightly but remained asleep. Slowly his breath returned to him.

Something wasn’t right. Something was out of place. It was something he had heard from someone upon arriving, a crucial piece of information that at the time seemed insignificant. He couldn’t remember what it was, and it was plaguing him. And then it hit him. ‘Damn it!’

Sakura rolled over, throwing her arm over Neji’s chest as she curled up on his shoulder. Her breathing was steady and regular. Still asleep.

Slowly, very carefully, he wrenched out from Sakura’s grasp, kissing her lightly on the cheek before slipping out the door.

He quietly rapped on Kiba’s door, hearing Akamaru growl. His bloodline limit activated, he slid the door open and entered. Akamaru sniffed, then let him enter. He gave the dog an absent pat on the head then walked over to the sleeping man on the bed.

“Kiba!” he whispered, grabbing his shoulder and shaking him. Before Neji could react, Kiba held a kunai at his throat, his eyes wide.

“Neji! What are you doing here?” he hissed angrily.

“We need to talk, now. Get up,” Neji ordered. The serious tone in his voice was not lost on Kiba. He threw a shirt on over his bare chest and followed Neji out, Akamaru at his heels.

The two men walked in silence to the rooftop of Suna’s shinobi headquarters. Kiba waited patiently for Neji to speak.

“You need to leave tonight,” Neji said quietly.

“What?” Kiba asked, shocked. “Why?”

“Something Temari said, about the attackers seeming to have intimate knowledge of Suna shinobi. It didn’t sit with me well, but I couldn’t figure out why. There have been so many attacks, and really they only know who has been killed or injured. But there’s nothing to say that Sand-nin presumed injured had in fact been killed and the attackers gained entry to Suna using a henge to transform into the now dead shinobi.”

Kiba took the information in slowly, nodding. “And since that was our plan, using Sand-nin to transform into you and Sakura, there’s a good chance we could be taking double crossers straight into Konoha.” Neji nodded. “What about Kankurou or Temari? They’re not… I know...”

“It would be too suspicious to have them leave now. They’re too close to the kazekage. You have to go alone. Tonight. We can’t wait another three days. Things are simmering; we don’t know when it will boil over. There’s no time to lose.”

“You and Sakura?” Kiba asked. “What about you two?”

“Sakura can’t leave until the Kazekage’s better. I’m going to stay here to keep an eye on things. Use the carrier hawks to get a hold of me, encrypted only, and make sure you speak to no one other than Hokage-sama.”

Kiba simply nodded. Akamaru growled, alerting them to a sentry nearby, watching them. “I’ll let you know when I arrive in Konoha. Come on, Akamaru!” Kiba sprinted off the roof and out of sight.

Neji stared back at the sentry with Byakugan eyes, a hard, intense gaze which held for long moments before the sentry turned away and continued about his business. He turned his eyes to the city, dark save for a few sparse lights. The moonlight dimly peeked through thick clouds, signifying a gathering storm. A sinking feeling overtook him. ‘This is going to be bad.’

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A/N: I'm sorry, I know this chapter is a little on the short side, but it's gearing up for the next chapter (which is well under way) which I promise will be *really* good. *wink, wink* ^__^

Thanks!