Well, it's only taken me...almost a year to write this. Meh.
Title: And The World Continued To Turn
Author: creepycrawly
Requestor/Request: animethief92 for the request found here
Fandom/Pairing: Naruto…Neji/Sasuke
Warnings: SLASH. Also, a general amount of canon-abuse.
Rating: Mmm…R
Summary: A slice of life, though, admittedly, nin life. Sasuke and Neji are just going to have to get together some day. Even Hinata knows it.
"Nin coming in from Point 3-9!"
Gritting his teeth, Neji rolled his eyes. "Tetsu!" he snapped. "Bring me visuals and audio. Karin, get the nearest ANBU squad there to meet this nin. I want full contact! Eiki, find out if it's one of our own. If it's not, be sure to figure out who it is!"
"It's not one of ours," a young man said, looking over a scroll in front of him. "The target is wearing no identifying items."
"He's wearing an old ANBU uniform," Tetsu offered, blinking. "One of ours. Um, I'd say…it looks about five years old. Young, male…no immediate outward manifestations of a kekkei genkai," he added.
Imperiously, Neji snapped his fingers, indicating that the man should continue.
"Estimating his age, I'd say approximately eighteen to nineteen. Long black hair, braided and tied into a bun, bound off with what looks like a red ribbon—again, old ANBU issue. He's thin—maybe 95 pounds, if that."
Neji froze, staring at the image before him. "Bring that image in clearer!" he barked. "I want a clear shot of his face!"
Tetsu did as commanded, and Neji let out the breath he had been holding in a heavy sigh. "Alert Tsunade-sama," he said finally. "Karin, tell the ANBU squad to treat him as they would any other ANBU."
The woman looked up, startled, but nodded and dutifully reported the change in situation to the ANBU team she had deployed.
Neji sighed once more and began to pace, the wooden floors of the ANBU command tower not creaking in the slightest. He looked up as Tsunade entered the room, moving quickly towards her nineteen-year-old captain.
"Hyuuga!" the blonde woman demanded. "What in hell is going on?"
"Hokage-sama," he said, bowing. "This conversation might be best carried out in one of the debriefing rooms."
She narrowed her eyes. "Hyuuga! Report!"
Snapping to the proper reporting stance, Neji stared at the wall over her left shoulder. "Uchiha Sasuke has been seen returning to Konoha!" he barked. "His Sharingan is in a permanent state of activation, but the marks from the Seal of Heaven have faded!"
Tsunade bit her lip. "Might have been better to hear that in a debriefing room," she admitted. "Have him report straight to the debriefing room. I will stand in on the debriefing, and I want a full report. You," she snapped to Eiki, "open the scroll on the Twelve and mark the Phoenix as home."
"Yes ma'am!" he said, doing as commanded.
She turned to Neji with a half-smile. "Lead on, Hyuuga."
----
Sasuke paced tiredly around the debriefing room. Tradition dictated that he could not sit until he had made his report to his CO and that he couldn't go home until he had received an order of deactivation, but a combination of chakra drain and just plain old exhaustion was tempting him to break those rules of etiquette. He pushed his mask up with a trembling hand, closing his eyes in the bright room as he scrubbed a hand over them.
"Light sensitivity," a calm, familiar voice said dryly. "Chakra consumed below the base point, yet the feature continues to function. Increased blood pressure, raised heartrate. Hyperactive neurological activity. Fat deposits depleted as the body seeks to run without killing itself. Next go the muscles, and then the bones. Finally, this pattern results in death. Diagnosis, Uchiha-Specific Wasting Disease."
"Neji," Sasuke rasped, ducking his head in the other man's direction.
"Oh, sit down, Uchiha," the older man huffed, flicking the lights out as he entered the room completely.
"Etiquette dictates…" Sasuke began.
Neji snapped him a look that brooked no argument. "Etiquette dictates that you obey your commanding officer, and that any other rules of etiquette can be obliterated when the health of an operative is at risk. Sit down, shut up, and take that damn mask off."
With a tired laugh, Sasuke did as commanded. He could see perfectly in the darkness, his Sharingan adjusting to cast the room in a hazy red daylight. At the same time, he knew that Neji could see his brain lighting up as his body sought to draw enough chakra to keep his heart moving, his lungs working, and his eyes going. "So? How do I look?"
"Like hell," Neji said bluntly, sitting down next to him. He dropped the folders on the table, and then gently cupped Sasuke's thin face with one gloved hand. "How long…?" he asked, stroking gently at the corners of his eyes.
"Two months," Sasuke admitted, leaning into his touch. "I'm not sure why."
Gently, Neji stroked his face, eyes glowing slightly as he scanned the fine, delicate webs of the chakra networks surrounding Sasuke's eyes. "You're burning out the paths," he murmured finally. "There's too much chakra headed towards your eyes." Carefully, he closed off the minor pathways, forcing some of Sasuke's chakra back into a more normal pattern. Letting his hand slide down, he quickly undid the straps that held the chakra-blocking chestplate to the younger man's chest. He was gratified immediately, watching as the paths around Sasuke's lungs and heart dilated, finally getting more of the chakra they needed.
Sasuke didn't struggle as Neji worked at his uniform. Neji wasn't asking him to move all that much, and it would help him figure out what they could do. Besides, it felt nice to have the Hyuuga's hands on him again, even if they were doing something so medically impersonal as stripping him for an exam.
"When was the last time you shot up?" the older man inquired, his hands resting on Sasuke's chest.
The Uchiha laughed dryly, recognizing the old joke. "I haven't had an insulin shot in nine days," he yawned. "After I fled Otogakure, there was no way to get any."
"Stupid," Neji grunted, eyes rising to look at his face. "Your body's freaking out. It's using chakra like insulin, you retard. You're headed for a coma."
"Right now, sleep sounds good," Sasuke admitted.
"Yeah, well, I'll need to draw blood to test this," Tsunade snorted, entering the room, "but I do believe your blood sugars are off the charts. Neji, you know where the advanced med kits are?"
"I'll one up you," he said firmly. "I know where Sasuke's is."
"Even better," the blonde said, smirking. "I should have insulin in the fridge in my office." She turned her eyes to Sasuke as the other man disappeared, transporting away in a heartbeat. "You, on the other hand…if you weren't one of the last of the Twelve in the field, you'd be so dead right now. As it is…you're in deep shit. Really deep shit."
Sasuke closed his eyes. "Do your worst," he drawled tiredly. "Do you want me to report now, or later?"
Tsunade eyed him. His non-combativeness unnerved her. "Later," she decided. "Lower any blocks you have against medical and intrusive jutsu now. I'm going to knock you out and commence a full medical."
----
Sasuke woke up slowly, letting the small details of his environment confirm his suspicions. To his left, just beside his head, a crowd of machines chimed quietly, and beneath the steady beeps that let him know he was still alive, Sasuke could hear the busy whirring of their internal mechanisms. His nose easily recognized the sharp, acidic smell of antiseptics and the tang of illness and fear. More than that, he could recognize the change in the scent of his own perspiration—Tsunade had somehow readjusted his blood sugar, bringing it back into a safer range.
A warm weight on his legs, the steady buzz of a familiar chakra, and the warm scent he recognized from too many hand-offs all led to the conclusion that Sasuke was not alone.
"Neji," he hissed, stretching his leg slightly to wake the jounin.
The older man was awake in a flash, eyes meeting Sasuke's quickly. "You're alive."
"Yes," Sasuke whispered, slowly reaching down and stroking through Neji's soft hair with the hand that wasn't taped down. "I'm alive."
"You're here," Neji breathed. "You're here. Oh, Sasuke!" With a groan, he pushed himself to his feet and bent over to kiss Sasuke.
With a soft whimper, the Uchiha pressed himself closer, thankful that Tsunade didn't have him on an oxygen mask. At that point, there was nothing he needed more than Neji's lips on his, warming him and making him feel alive again. It had been so long since he had seen the older man—almost a year since Neji had been promoted so high in ANBU that he could no longer justify the risk of being Sasuke's contact and handler.
Neji shivered happily as Sasuke's arm—the one without all of the IVs and tape—wrapped around his back, a warm, gentle reminder that this one most important man was back, was home again. The ferocity of his own emotions as far as Sasuke was concerned had always scared Neji slightly, but right then, he couldn't have cared less.
Like most nin, Neji had been angry when Sasuke turned on Konoha and went rogue, all those years ago. He hadn't been shocked—no, having seen how Sasuke had grown up, and having a hint of the trauma the younger one suffered, Neji hadn't been shocked in the slightest—but he had been surprised that the kid would go through with it.
Still, when the previous Head of ANBU Operations had called Neji into his office, and told him of his promotion and revealed the identity of the Twelve, Neji had been shocked to see the last name on the list: Uchiha Sasuke—ANBU Phoenix. Almost as shocking had been the name above it and the name to the left. The one to the left, Umino Iruka, designated the undercover agent's handler. The one above it gave Neji an inkling about just how deep the corruption had run in Clan Uchiha.
That afternoon, he'd spent six hours in Ibiki's office, listening to the men and women attached to the Twelve explaining the missions they were on and how they got on them. Eight nin had already returned to the village or died in action, but their official deactivation depended upon when the remaining nin returned. Hatake Eloiha was embedded in Stone, reporting back on the movements of a dangerous cult growing in the village. Inuzuka Teimaru was in Mist, watching a section of rebellious nin. Uchiha Itachi was embedded with the Akatsuki, after having been forced to exterminate his own clan, leaving only his little brother. And Uchiha Sasuke had been sent after Orochimaru, with the most difficult task of all.
Sasuke had been told to leave his friends behind, to make his village hate him, to do what he had to do to make the act look real.
No matter what, Sasuke had been told, he had to kill Orochimaru.
"Stop thinking," Sasuke murmured, breaking their kiss. "I'm back. I'm never going back to Otogakure. Orochimaru's dead. Kabuto's dead. The organization is collapsed. I'm never going back."
"You don't get it!" Neji hissed. "I'm going to debrief you, Iruka and Tsunade will sit in on a second interview, and then you'll leave. We can't deactivate you until Itachi is back, and you can't stay in the village until we can let people know what happened. And it's too dangerous just to put you in another village. Don't you get it? Even I won't know where you are. Iruka will tell you where to go, and then wipe his own memory once you've left this room."
"How long?" Sasuke asked, struggling upright. "How long 'til Itachi's done?"
"I don't know," Neji whispered, clutching his hand tightly. "The most we know, we'll be ready to launch an attack in two years."
"Two years," Sasuke whispered.
"Two years," Neji confirmed bitterly. "Damn it, Sasuke! I spent a year waiting for you; I don't want to wait two more!"
Sasuke was silent, leaning against the pillows. "I can't go that far," he murmured. "Human insulin is almost impossible to find outside of Mist, Fire, and Sand. I can't stay in the village. I can't go to Sand—too many diplomatic missions, too many Fire-nin coming in and out. They'll send me to Mist."
"Are you sure?" Neji asked.
Sasuke nodded. "Have you ever been to Mist? No? I have. Orochimaru dragged us through, once, to this tiny little village in the Forest. When we were there, he dragged us all out to a tiny little village. There was this little old man named Daigan Kuhrincal who asked me if I was an Uchiha. I said I was, he wondered if I knew his grandson."
"Who…?" Neji asked, knowing he was going to have to memorise every little detail he could. Quite possibly, this would soon be his only possibility of finding Sasuke again.
"Umino Iruka, the son of Daigan Aniquecha and Umino Ryuusa, a citizen of Leaf," Sasuke told him, eyes dancing. "Iruka will send me to live in Qheachu, Neji, I know he will. They produce medicines there…including human insulin, and the drugs I'll need to regain my weight and fix all of the wasting. I speak all three of the official Mist languages fluently, and I've learned Qheachata, too.
"It's a beautiful village, Neji. It's in the middle of that huge rainforest, the one on the border with Fire. It's on a river, on the Hatqi, so all of the houses and buildings are built in the trees. There're these huge rope and plank bridges. During the summer, you can dive from them into the river below. It's so clear, you think you'll break your neck on the bottom, but really, it's thirty feet deep. There are these huge springs, deep inside some caves not too far away. It's where they do ritual cleansings and things of that nature. The shamans there use them to hide the village."
"To hide it?" Neji asked, ignoring the lump in his throat as he listened to Sasuke's wistful tone.
Sasuke nodded. "They have this barrier they anchor in the caves. It makes it so you can't find the village, unless you know someone inside it, and they want you to find them. It's the best safeguard there is…you can only find the village if you know it's there, you know someone in there, and they want to see you. Otherwise…"
"You'll want to see me, right?" Neji asked.
"Always," Sasuke promised him.
There was a knock on the door, and the two quickly broke apart. Tsunade entered the room, carrying a large folder marked with Sasuke's sign on it. Quietly, she handed it to Neji. "Hyuuga Neji, do your duty by your village," she whispered. "Protect your loved ones, and guard your home."
"Hokage-sama," Neji answered, bowing slightly. "I will."
As Tsunade turned and left, Neji opened the folder and began to debrief Sasuke.
----
"Are you sure about this?" Hinata asked, turning to look at her cousin. "I mean, only you know who all of the Twelve are. How do they know when they're all back?"
"They know," Neji told her quietly, eyes fixed on the path leading into Konoha. "And as tradition dictates, they will enter on that path."
Hinata started to open her mouth, and then gasped as she saw the first figure on the pathway. Neji merely smiled quietly, and in a flash, performed the jutsu that would take him out to join the twelve handlers on the path.
As tradition dictated, he stood in the very centre of the path, welcoming the operatives home one by one, starting with the last to return. Then the ninja would be gathered up by his or her handler, and transported by special jutsu into Neji's office in the ANBU control tower. From there, they would move to Tsunade's office, and she would officially pardon them of all crimes. Later, a ceremony would be performed in public, and they would be deactivated and publicly pardoned.
"ANBU Demon," Neji intoned, looking solemnly up at the older man who wore the Demon Crest. "May I be the first to welcome you home as Uchiha Itachi, son of Fugaku and Mikoto, brother of Sasuke."
"Thank you, Commander," Itachi said tiredly, bowing before turning to Kakashi. The silver-haired man held him close and rested his hands on his back, eye softening as he watched the young man struggling against falling asleep against his chest.
"ANBU Dragon," Neji said, watching the tall man with Kiba's fiery hair approach him. "May I be the first to welcome you home as Inuzuka Teimaru, son of Tsume and Kai, brother of Hana and Kiba."
"Thank you, Commander," the man answered, bowing quickly before joining his own handler.
Neji tried not to hurry through the rest of the welcomes, even knowing that he would have to welcome Sasuke last. Because Sasuke was officially his operative once again—Iruka had signed him over the first time when Neji was fifteen and the best nin in ANBU, and then Neji had signed him over to Iruka when he was seventeen and becoming the Head of ANBU Operations, and then Iruka had signed Sasuke over to him the second time shortly after the nin had left—Neji would introduce him at the end, instead of second.
"ANBU Chimaera," he said slowly, watching the ash-blonde woman approach him. "May I be the first to welcome you home as Hatake Eloiha, daughter of Eno and Tai-Shan, wife of Sakumo, mother of Kakashi."
"Thank you, Commander," she said, bowing before walking off to join a short, grey-haired man.
Slowly, Neji worked his way through the list. Over the years he had been the commander, he had had ample time to adjust to the names on the scroll. Still, many of them sent a small thrill down his spine, a "known-traitor" or "casualty" being welcomed home. It was also gratifying to see the shock on the faces of the Twelve. They themselves hadn't known who was who.
"ANBU Fox," he said, watching the tall, willowy blonde approach him. "May I be the first to welcome you home as Uzumaki Aniko, daughter of Rekiri and Anubi, wife of Arashi, mother of Naruto."
"Thank you, Commander," she murmured, bowing low before joining Ibiki on the side of the path and waiting.
Neji's hands trembled as he began the next welcome. "ANBU Serpent," he whispered, throat dry. "May I be the first to welcome you home as Hyuuga Ejiko, daughter of Akatsi and Eriko, wife of Hizashi, mother of Neji."
"Thank you, Commander," the short woman said warmly, bowing before him. Even though her eyes were suspiciously damp, a proud smile curled across her lips. She smiled at him once more before walking over to where Hiashi stood.
Finally, Neji drew a deep breath. "ANBU Phoenix," he said, "may I be the first to welcome you home as Uchiha Sasuke, son of Fugaku and Mikoto, brother of Itachi."
"Thank you, Commander," Sasuke said, smiling slightly as he bowed.
As he stood up, Neji opened his arms and pulled the younger man close. "Sasuke," he whispered, lips moving against the Uchiha's long hair. "Oh, gods, Sasuke."
Sasuke tucked his head against the taller man's chest, content to let Neji hold him.
"ANBU!" Neji barked, a smile still curling his lips as he cradled the younger man. "Report to my office, at once!"
"Sir!" the group answered. Each of the Twelve clung tightly to their handlers, the only ones who knew the seals to transfer straight into Neji's office. In interests of safety, all others who attempted it were shunted straight into the prison and interrogation cells beneath the building.
"Hokage-sama," Neji said firmly, eyes fixed on the blonde woman in his office. "May I introduce to you the ANBU Twelve?"
"There is no need, ANBU Hawk," she said, nodding to him. "Their names and deeds are well-known to me. Why do you welcome these men and women as brothers and sisters?"
"I welcome them as family because they are," Neji said simply. "They have fought for Konoha as greatly as any other, and have lost more than most. They have surrendered family, friends, lives, honour—all at the behest of their land. They have sacrificed everything, and still seek to serve Konohagakure. For this reason, I welcome them as family."
"They have sinned greatly," Tsunade intoned, "and have committed crimes that are never forgiven. However, they have sinned at the demand of their country, and have done all they can to protect her. They have hurt when they could have maimed, maimed when they should have killed, and killed when they had no choice."
"Hokage-sama, will you pardon these men and women of their crimes? Will you welcome them home? Will you thank them for their sacrifices?" Neji asked ritualistically.
"ANBU Hawk, I tell you thus: so long as I am Hokage of Konohagakure, the pardon of criminals is my jurisdiction, and their fate also. And so I tell you this." She took a deep breath. "Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Sasuke, Hyuuga Ejiko, Hatake Eloiha, Inuzuka Teimaru, Uzumaki Aniko, Nakamashi Hitaru, Eri Momon, Teijin Ganusu, Shitao Heitaru, Bamara Agui, and Kanuri Xiao are all pardoned of any crimes they have committed in the interest of serving Konoha, and are henceforth welcomed into the village."
She peered around at the gathered nin. "Handlers, report to your duty stations at this time. I'll have someone contact you shortly about details for the ceremony. I want both Uchihas and all three of the Hyuugas to remain here; all the rest of you are released to wherever you've been staying, pending contact from your handlers."
"Your Hokage has spoken," Neji said sharply. "Ninja, obey!"
As the smoke cleared from the office, Sasuke grinned against his chest. "Mmm…commanding…"
"Do you want me to command you?" Neji whispered dangerously, one finger teasing down Sasuke's neck.
"Please," the younger man hissed, leaning into his touch.
"Hyuuga, please," Tsunade growled, rolling her eyes. "Save it for your apartment. You can reunite all you want when I'm done."
"Then hurry up," Neji said lazily, looking at her from Sasuke's neck. Over the years, he'd gained such a hold and position in Tsunade's hierarchy that he could get away with quite a bit of mouthing-off. Truth be told, both of them enjoyed the verbal sparring.
"I'm trying, brat," she snarled. "Let go of the poor boy for two minutes, let me grope him while your mother tries not to die of pride and your uncle tries not to act too scandalized, and then he's free to go."
Kissing his neck softly, Neji gently pushed Sasuke towards the blonde woman. Tsunade easily grabbed his arm and hauled his sleeve up, a needle already in hand. While she drew his blood and tested it, Neji turned to his mother and uncle.
"Neji," she whispered, gently stroking the side of his face. "You're so beautiful now. So strong. You look just like your father."
"Kaasan," Neji whispered, eyes dampening swiftly. "Oh…I've missed you."
"And I you," she answered, her own voice shaking sharply. "Not a day went by that I didn't curse my fate…I missed seeing you grow up…my precious baby boy…I only got to see you every few years…"
"When…?" Neji asked, surprised.
"When your father died…that night…" she whispered. "I…I kept the vigil, and after you cried yourself to sleep…I watched you sleep all night. And then…your chuunin exam…I was so proud of you…so much like your father…" She smiled sadly. "And then, when you received your vest…I was in the crowd, watching. Those glass shuriken…they're specially made in Saitremeni, and I thought they'd be helpful."
"They are," he answered, holding her trembling hands in his own. "They've kept me alive more often than you know."
She tugged a hand loose to dash away her tears. "That night…when you were…in the hospital…I was there, every night, watching you sleep…praying you'd wake up…"
"Your mission…" Neji said numbly. "It finished…"
"When Sasuke left," she answered. "My final order was to get him properly undercover. I…I was three metres away when…" Unable to speak, she reached forward and gently stroked the scar on his shoulder, hidden by his clothing.
"Thank you," Neji whispered, hugging her carefully. "I…I thought I'd dreamt you being there…"
"She was there, though," Sasuke whispered to him, holding a piece of gauze to his arm. "We had to run like hell when the med-nin came, but she sat next to you, pumping you full of chakra, for every second we dared. And several we didn't, I might add."
Ejiko smiled up across at him. "I'm glad you're here, Sasuke," she said earnestly. "Someone needs to take care of Neji…"
"I take that to mean we have your blessing, then?" Neji asked, wrapping an arm around Sasuke's hips.
The short woman nodded. "I could never deny you anything that would make you happy, Neji," she said softly. "And your uncle will do anything I say…right, Hiashi?"
"Right, Ejiko," he sighed.
"And what if I disagree?" Itachi asked weakly.
"Shut up, Itachi," Tsunade snarled. "You need what little strength you've got left. Are all Uchihas suicidal, or just you two?"
"It's genetic," the brothers answered at once.
"Whatever it is, it's obnoxious," the blonde growled, injecting something blue into Itachi. "Hyuuga, track that, would you?"
Obediently, Neji watched the glowing liquid race around Itachi's body. "It's not Wasting," he said finally. "He's just burnt out."
Tsunade quickly injected something else. "Alright," she said to no-one in particular. "I'm taking him into the secure ward. You are dismissed, shinobi."
As she gathered up the limp, exhausted Uchiha, the rest of the nin quickly flashed out of the office, Neji holding Sasuke tightly to his chest.
----
"How long have you known that your mother was one of us?" Sasuke asked, watching Neji hang up his mask and katana.
The older man looked at him, then turned back to the blades. "Since two days after my seventeenth birthday," he admitted. "I saw the scroll…and I didn't believe it…so I asked my uncle." He smiled weakly at the younger jounin. "It's the only time I've ever seen my uncle drunk."
"So…a little over two years, then," Sasuke murmured, following him into the kitchen. "By the way…happy birthday."
"What?" Neji asked, twisting to look at his lover. "Who told?"
"Kakashi," Sasuke said simply. "You're twenty, now. You've reached your majority, then."
While nin were officially legal to vote, drink, smoke, and enter establishments of less-than-spectacular-repute by the time they were chuunin, legal majorities were still a big thing in Konohagakure, particularly among the clans. Each clan had its own age of legality, based on different principles. The Inuzuka were legal adult members of their clan at the tender age of twelve, and the Hyuuga stood at the other end of the scale, not considered adults until their twentieth birthday.
"Yeah," Neji murmured. "I'm an adult, then." Gently, he stroked a hand down Sasuke's face. "And you've been an adult for three years, now. Funny how life works."
"Isn't it?" Sasuke asked, reaching into the refrigerator and pulling out some vegetables and chicken. The Uchiha clan had a more normal age of majority, with their children coming of age at sixteen. Subsequently, he had been considered a true adult for several years before Neji, despite being a year younger.
"You were still in Otogakure when you came of age," Neji said softly, preparing the chicken and watching Sasuke out of the corner of his eye. "I didn't get to…celebrate with you."
Watching him move on to chopping vegetables, Sasuke snorted. "I don't know about that. I seem to remember that there was a pretty nice letter slipped into that scroll." He shot a grin at the other man, both of them thinking about the letter in question. "I mean, yeah, it had absolutely shit on actually having you, but…I do think someone would have noticed something."
"Something like you wearing a necklace of hickies?"
"Something like that, yeah," Sasuke agreed, watching him work on the chicken. "I mean, I wouldn't have minded, but…you know evil bastard geniuses. They can be so picky about small details."
"Mmmm…maybe if he'd known you liked it up the ass, we wouldn't have had to worry about Orochimaru actually taking your body," Neji shot back. "Get the wine, would you? I mean, really, sorry, but…your body or no, having sex with the snake bastard does nothing for me."
"Oh, gods, mental images!" Sasuke groaned. "Sheesus, Neji, don't do that to me!" Wincing, he put the bottle on the counter and began to rummage through the drawer for the corkscrew.
Working on turning raw ingredients into stir-fry, Neji just smirked. "I do my best, love," he teased. "Wine glasses are in the cabinet to your left."
They worked in a silence, a comfortable team. While Neji worked on the stir-fry, Sasuke easily poured the ruby-red wine into glasses. He handed one to his lover, leaning against the counter and cradling his own. Neji smiled at him, pale eyes easily noting the tracks of sweat and dirt on his skin.
"Why don't you go get a shower?" he suggested. "This'll take a while yet, and you'll probably be more comfortable."
Setting his wine glass down, Sasuke laughed. "Undoubtedly," he agreed, stretching his arms out over his head. "Can I cadge some clothes? Most of mine are still in Qheachu."
"Go down to the end of the hall, turn to the left. That's my room. Bottom drawer of the dresser is where my ANBU uniforms are. At the very bottom, there should be some ones with the green Tracker trim. Those should fit you. Use the bathroom attached to my room. It's nicer."
"Thanks!" Sasuke called over his shoulder, already stripping off his sweaty, dusty shirt. A short while later, Neji heard the water rushing through the pipes and smiled. It was nice to see Sasuke again—nice to touch him again. They'd never really had a chance just to…exist together. They hadn't even stumbled into this relationship until four months after Neji had become Sasuke's contact, his one and only connection to Konoha, the proof that he was still an honourable man.
They'd spent the two years that they had worked together constantly on the run; a second here or a minute there were all they really got. The risk of capture by Orochimaru, or Kabuto, or anyone else was just too high. And then, after Neji's promotion, they hadn't seen each other until the day Sasuke returned to Konoha. He had left two nights later, and that was the last Neji had known of him for seven months.
The water was still running when Neji lifted the wok from the stove and began to finish preparing the meal. Just as he was getting two plates out, Sasuke came padding back down the hallway, struggling to get the last of the knots out of his long hair. Neji watched him, noticing appreciatively how well his old uniform fit the younger man. The pants were a bit tight—okay, well, maybe a bit more than a bit—but Neji didn't exactly mind that.
"Want help with that?" he asked, indicating Sasuke's struggle with the brush. When Sasuke just shot him a Look, he just muffled his laughter and took the brush from his lover's hand. "Sit," he ordered, indicating a chair. After Sasuke was comfortably straddling it, he lifted a damp section of hair and began to work on it.
"How long has your hair been this long?"
"Grew it out in Qheachu," Sasuke sighed, relaxing. "They made me a shaman, so I had to."
"Oh?" Neji asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah. I had braids and beads and ribbons, the whole nine yards," Sasuke said with a small laugh. "I can tie it up in the ribbons, if you want."
"Do you have green ones?" Neji inquired, working through another hank of damp hair.
"Uh huh," Sasuke answered, grinning lazily. "Mmm…want me decorated in your colours, Commander?" he purred.
"Want you all tied up, all my own," Neji growled in his ear. "But not until after I've gotten some food into you."
"You dirty, rotten…" Sasuke groaned, flopping loosely over the chair. "I could seriously learn to hate you."
Neji chuckled. "Check your blood sugar," he said patiently. "I'll have dinner on the table in a second."
Muttering under his breath, Sasuke grabbed the small kit from where he had dropped it on the table, starting on a familiar ritual. Neji easily fixed the two plates, listening to the sounds of Sasuke stabbing himself and checking his sugars in the small handheld. When he turned back around, plates in hand, the younger jounin was dropping the used test-strip in the garbage, sucking on his finger absentmindedly.
"Dinner," Neji announced unnecessarily. He set the plates down, then turned back to the counter and grabbed the glasses of wine. Sasuke accepted his with a soft smile.
Feeling his breath catch in his throat, Neji swallowed. "Itadakimasu," he whispered, lifting his chopsticks.
"Itadakimasu," Sasuke echoed, eyes dancing as he watched him. Delicately lifting a piece of meat, he began to eat.
Neji swore he heard the younger man laugh when he suddenly had to lower his eyes.
----
"Gods, Sasuke," Neji groaned, burying a hand in his lover's long, silky hair. "Sasuke!"
Grinning, the Uchiha pushed him back against the wall, still nipping at his throat. His hair was loose around his face, falling in soft waves, twining with Neji's own loose hair. The smooth silk ribbon Neji used to hide the rough leather thong that held his hair back hissed its way to the floor.
Neji tugged imperiously at the hem of Sasuke's shirt, teeth digging sharply into his bottom lip as his back arched. "Shirt…" he managed. "Off!"
"Gods, yes," Sasuke agreed, pulling back and quickly yanking the clinging fabric off his body. While his own shirt fell to the floor, he reached forward and began to undo the toggles that held Neji's ANBU Commander shirt on, letting his fingers make quick work of them. Neji helped him, holding still until he could wriggle out of it.
"Bed, now," he panted, walking his lover backwards.
Sasuke went willingly, letting Neji eat him alive. The heat of his lover's lips was something he had been missing for too long. No matter how talented the creator, no bunshin could accurately recreate the touch of another human. More than that, though, the crackle of barely-restrained chakra beneath Neji's skin was something that couldn't be recreated at all, in any way, shape, or form.
"What you do to me," Neji groaned, pushing him against the bed. "Gods!" With that sharp cry, he lowered his head to Sasuke's nipples, tongue tracing ornate patterns over his skin before sucking on the thin ring through his right nipple. The raw contact of his lips to the energy-charged ring sent a thrill of starving energy shivering down Neji's spine and through Sasuke's body.
"Neji!" the Uchiha cried, head thrown back in pleasured abandon.
Rather than think about the rather confusing burst of energy—how had that happened?—Neji just shook his head and lowered himself on top of the younger man, grinning wickedly.
----
"So…where's the Uchiha?" Hinata asked quietly, cradling her tea in two hands.
Neji raised an amused eyebrow at his cousin. "What makes you think he'd be in my apartment, dear Hinata-chan?"
She shot him a look before rolling her eyes and stretching out her legs. "Don't give me that, Neji. You and I both know…"
"That he's my underling, and, lacking a house for the next few days, needed a room to sleep in?" Neji supplied, lifting his own tea.
"If that's what you want to call fucking him into the mattress, yeah, I suppose," she commented, totally nonplussed.
"Such foul language from the heir to the strongest clan in Konoha. What would the ancestors say?" Neji scolded sardonically, eyes dancing.
Hinata grinned. "Probably something along the lines of, 'about bloody time, girl.'…but that's not the issue. I notice you didn't deny it."
"Nor did I confirm it," he reminded her.
Hinata sent him another look. Finally, after a moment's pause, she spoke. "You never have to," she commented, amusement in her voice. "I can always tell…"
"Using the Byakuugan on an unsuspecting ANBU with chakra-sensitivity is a bad idea," he murmured, not looking at her.
"Ahh, so you can confirm it," she chuckled.
"Confirm what?" Neji asked, hiding his smile in his mug.
She stared at him for a moment. "Okay, now I know you're just jerking me around. So. How is he?"
"Better," Neji sighed, setting down his tea. "He'll be better when he's got a couple of full nights of sleep under his belt, mind…"
"So what's he doing staying with you?" Hinata shot at him, smirking.
"Shut up, you. Anyway. How are things going with blonde and obnoxious?"
She flushed. "I…I, um, well…"
A laugh at the top of the stairs caught both of their attention. "He's head over heels for you, Hyuuga-san."
"Good morning, Uchiha-san," Hinata murmured, bobbing her head at Sasuke as he came down the stairs.
"A good morning to you, as well," he answered politely, bowing back before opening the cabinet and pulling out a mug. "Green tea, as usual, Hyuuga?"
Neji smirked. "You know me."
"Unfortunately," Sasuke agreed dryly, pouring tea. "But back to your delightful cousin's boy troubles."
Hinata blushed.
"Really, Hyuuga-san, you should not worry," Sasuke purred, joining them at the table. "As I said, Naruto is completely head over heels for you."
"Are…are you sure?" she whispered.
He grinned. "Very. There are some things you just can't help but learn, particularly when you're forced to share a tent."
Hinata went her most brilliant shade of red yet.
Neji snickered.
Sasuke, sipping his tea, smirked.