The Crane Machine

Summary: A new machine in town is causing quite the fuss. Can you figure out the legend two unlikely ninja created with the harmless prizes the machine had to offer?

This story contains: Fluff, medical check-ups, meddling kids, blushing Shinobi, jealousy and dancing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or its characters, believe it or not. Yes, it took me some time to get over the emotional trauma caused by this unexpected fact.

Part I

There was no reasonable explanation for it. It was an abomination through her eyes and the nervous disposition she felt would never be disposed of so long as she remained in the open. It was as if they had been stalked or put in the limelight without their consent… heck, without their knowledge.

It stood there in all its glory, shining glass windows surrounding the tall, blue machine. Its very cleanliness taunted her; provoked her even.

Eyebrows furrowed and a look of determination flashed in her eyes; rising to the challenge the child's attraction posted. With fierce, determined steps, she advanced towards the newly fitted arcade, crane machine.

Nearby kids stared at the machine in awe, eyes sparkling at the gifts inside. When a dangerous aura was felt from behind, they turned around slowly, teeth clenched in fear; until they identified a familiar looking person.

"I have two of you!" One boy yelled clutching the young woman's arm.

"Well I won three, but mama said I had to give it to my sister!" Another whined, clutching her other arm. The anger inside of her died down, knowing it wasn't the children's fault.

"Eh? Wow, you must be good, huh?" She asked, bending down to her knees, to reach them in height.

"I'm the best, but… nobody has ever been able to get some of them…" He admitted shyly.

"Eh? Which ones haven't been won yet?" She asked in wonder, seeing if there were an inside joke between the true personalities of the plushies within the machine.

"Uchiha Sasuke's hasn't!" The little girl with pigtails piped up with a pout.

'Jeez, they start out young when it come to Sasuke, huh?' She thought in humour. Just like his plush, Sasuke was also quite stubborn. She found herself laughing.

"Keep it up, you could get him!" She cheered them on, even though she was secretly fuming about the whole plush thing. She would get to the bottom of this.

"Couldn't you get him for me, nee-chan?!" The little girl pleaded with puppy eyes.

Sakura sighed, flicking the pastel pink strands from her face. She knew this would happen. "I could try, but I don't know if I'm so good at this…"

What the hell, she was on her break from the hospital, wanting to go grab some coffee from the nearby café. Then, the scandalous piece of junk storing soft, button faced plushes of herself and other famous ninja around Konoha popped up out of nowhere. Wasn't this a breach of their safety? Some of these 'harmless' teddies were wearing little Jounin vests. Wouldn't outsiders know and risk their safety?

Famous ninjas… did that mean the village seen Sakura as famous? Since there was, undoubtedly, a plush of herself, which seemed to have little red circles resting under the stitched green eyes. It kinda looked cute if she admitted it, though the forehead was a little big.

Curse the makers…

Sighing, whilst stepping up to the tall, glassed machine, she inserted a round coin hearing a clatter of change ring from inside the machine. A small blue light signalled her ability to move the hanging claw and she began to experiment with the buttons and levers until her teammate's doll was beneath it. Pressing the large red button in the middle, she lowered the metallic object to grab the Uchiha's leg, which she had to hold in a chuckle at.

It was as if her younger self was prying the Uchiha himself by the leg, dragging him into her clutches. She had to find the humorous side of things, since the moment her friend had came back to the village, she felt no more than relief and care for the Uchiha… no love was in the mixture of feelings, aside for the love of his friendship. Strange, what growing up can do to you.

At the last second, the plush loosened from the machine's hold and she found herself staring angrily at the child's attraction. The faces of the children, who had been pressed against the glass with wide grins, soon dropped watching the soft toy fall back into the mountains of similar figures.

Curse this machine… and the makers.

Looking down at the kids, she felt a pang in her chest when they sadly looked at the toy, and began to insert another coin to lighten their expression. Working at the hospital had her used to the thankful smiles from children just like the three who stood by her.

Curse her job… and the Uchiha plush, which most likely had Sasuke's personality hidden within the secure stitches… and this machine… let's not forget the makers, too.

The lights began to glow for a second time and she pressed the buttons to move the claw in the new position of the Uchiha plush. As it lowered, the faces of the kids were gently being pressed further into the glass, leaving greasy forehead marks on the flawless glass. She inwardly congratulated them as part of her revenge on the machine… and those makers.

As the claw took a grip around the plush, the purple sash was hooked on one of the metal pincers, sealing her victory against the soft toy. As it dropped into the collection bin, Sakura reached in and grabbed the surprisingly soft toy, and held it up to inspect if it were a perfect image of her friend.

It had short, straw like hair flicked backwards, and hanging on either side of his face. A little white shirt was tucked beneath the black trousers and purple, kimono bottom, which was tied with the rope-like sash. A little wooden sword rested in the back of th sash, and as she turned it over, she laughed out loud looking at the Uchiha like glare, even set on the plush. It was just angry about being won…

The children beside her gasped, turning wide-eyed and she waved the plush at them as if to show them her victory. When she noticed they weren't looking towards her, she froze feeling her worst nightmare coming true. Turning around slowly, she noticed a familiar face standing behind her with a raised eyebrow and curios eyes.

"S-Sasuke?" She asked in disbelief as she hid the toy behind her back. It was obvious he had seen it when she waved it around like a trophy. Great, he's going to think her feelings were still roaming around.

"Sakura" He replied in acknowledgment as he sussed her out with his stare. "What's behind your back?" He asked, knowing exactly what she held.

She let out a high pitched, nervous laugh as her other hand raised to scratch her 'itchy' head.

"It's Sasuke!" One of the kids, who had snapped out of his trance yelled in awe.

"WOW! Sasuke!" The other shouted running in front of the broody Uchiha, who didn't know what to do.

Sakura chuckled, and just as the little girl ran past her, she caught her in time, using Sasuke's distraction to her advantage. "Here you go" She said handing over the plush.

"Wa! Thank you!" She said with a sweet smile before running over to touch the edgy Sasuke.

"Sakura… we'll talk later" He said before disappearing in a cloud of smoke. Sakura chuckled, watching the children run back over to her with grins.

"Can I have Kakashi's plush next?" The boy with a bright, yellow t-shirt yelled.

"No, I wanna Gai plush!" The boy in a, surprisingly, green t-shirt yelled. Sakura shivered. Another candidate… Even the plushes of Kakashi and Gai were in competition.

"Kakashi is way cooler!" The boy in yellow defended with an angry snarl.

"Gai is so much better! He can circle Konoha five hundred times on his hands!"

'Actually, his new record is seven hundred' Sakura thought grimacing. Shaking those thoughts she continued to listen to the requests.

"Fine… choose another…" The girl interrupted with an annoyed expression.

"Fine" The boy in green pouted looking within the machine's mountain of look-a-likes. "I want the Hokage!" He yelled pointing in at the blonde plush with abnormally large breasts. Sakura's eye twitched looking at the teddy which shouldn't be sold to children.

"Okay…" Inserting another coin, the claw began to dance once more around the glass container. When it lowered, it clamped onto the Tsunade plush's breasts, successfully getting a firm grip on the large, mounds of material. Sakura shivered as the plush dropped and she picked it out of the bin, inspecting it like the other.

The long, green coat flapped below the plush's butt, meaning it was either glued or stitched onto the back perfectly. It even had high heeled ninja boots. Inspecting the face, Sakura seen a confident grin plastered on this plush, while a small bottle of sake was sewed to one of the hands.

"Whoa, great likeliness!" Sakura congratulated the plush, staring at the sake bottle, before handing it over to the boy in green, who ogled the teddy and its breasts.

"Me next, me next!"

Sakura repeated the process, feeling proud she had a knack for these machines and hooked the second boy a Naruto figure. Sakura smiled as he looked happily at the small, blonde doll. Finally, Naruto got some fans he deserves. After all, word had spread fast on Tsunade's lessons with Naruto. Everyone assumed they were training of some kind and Sakura began to panic that he would come challenging her with her own strength technique. She had the technique, but he had the chakra supplies. With his stubbornness combined, she wouldn't be surprised if he did learn too.

But when witnesses confirmed he attended several business meetings and parties, Sakura knew immediately what Tsunade was training him for.

"Ne, Can I have the Hyuuga Neji one next!" The little boy in green yelled in delight.

Sakura's eyes widened at his question and she looked up at the sun's position before squealing. "Eh! I was supposed to be back ten minutes ago! Sorry kids, bye!"

Turning around and sprinting back with chakra enhanced legs, Sakura made it to the hospital in one minute flat, showing the surroundings which passed in a blur of hazy colours. She didn't get a chance to grab her coffee or anything to eat, for that matter.

Sighing, she opened the nurse's station window and sneakily grabbed her hair tie and white jacket. With all the stealth she could muster, she managed to make it down the corridor and into the waiting room, seeking out which room her patient was waiting in..

"I'm sorry I'm-!" She paused in mid sentence when she noticed her patient wasn't there. She had rushed back to find he hadn't even showed up, or was running late himself. Anger rose in her and she sat down on the bed, catching her breath from the frantic run she had just taken.

Damn him. Damn those kids. Damn that machine… and its makers…

With a click, the door opened swiftly, and in came her patient. The very man who made her remember she was running late. Forgetting who she was dealing with, she stood up angrily and pointed a finger at the insufferable male.

"You asshole! I rush back and you don't even show up on time!" She yelled before her eyes widened a little, remembering the situation. Not only was she a doctor, who should treat her patient's with respect, she was yelling at him.

A thin eyebrow rose, daring her to say anything else and his pearly eyes looked on in amusement. She certainly was riled up today. What refreshment from a family of straight-faced seriousness and a team full of 'youthfulness'. "Haruno" He greeted before walking into the room and standing with his arms crossed. He watched her curiously and for a moment, he thought he saw a vein burst in her head.

"What?" She snapped, not used to having silver eyes stare intently at her. As much as she respected him and his friendship, she could really become annoyed with the stoic male.

"I'm waiting for my check-up" He answered, stopping himself from raising the smirk she would surely punch him for.

Sakura felt herself blush at her mistake before rising off the white-sheeted bed and walking over to the table of equipment. "Asshole" and "Jerk" were just two words of the pretty vocabulary she was muttering under her breath.

Neji took a seat in the place she had only just been resting and continued to watch her, testing what he could get away with. As she was fiddling with the various small mechanisms, his gaze began to drift, taking in the full figure of Doctor Haruno Sakura.

Scanning downwards, he took in her small shoulders and her thin little arms. There was some morsel of muscle, but overall he was wondering how she could kick up the ground beneath somebody with such thin arms. Her back looked slender and he could see the slender groove running down beside her spine. Her figure dipped inwards coming at her waist and then swerved outwards again, making up for what she lacked on her chest. Her rounded ass led to toned legs, which were also quite small, and a soft, cream colour.

He snapped out of his gaze, mentally scolding his inability to take control over the very eyes he could use so efficiently. A Hyuuga never held such vulgar thoughts; they were a very direct clan, with exceptional manners. Then again; he always the black sheep among the white flock.

Staying focused, he looked up to see she had just turned around and was walking towards him, hair tucked back in that neat bun, aside from the loose strands framing her face. "I want you to blow into this very quickly, give it all you got"

Neji eyed the small, circular tube before blowing into it. He handed it back to her and she read the result with raised eyebrows, though she tried to keep her face unimpressed. Neji smirked as she turned, knowing she wasn't likely to compliment him about anything. She was too pissed off.

Disposing of the end piece of the small tube, she turned back around and stopped in front of him. "Stand up, lose the shirt" She ordered with a neutral face.

Raising his eyebrow in question, he made no attempt to move, and instead focused on embarrassing her for that statement. Only, she wasn't about to let him do that; clearly having experienced this little game before. Although, she wouldn't have expected it from a Hyuuga; especially this one.

Allowing a small, disapproving scowl, she answered his unspoken question. "Head out of the gutter Hyuuga, or else I'll throw you down one"

This time, he couldn't fight the smirk which crept up onto his face, or the chuckle which escaped his lips. Standing up, slower than she had wanted, he took his arms upwards, taking the shirt with him. The smell of sandalwood drifted into her senses from the white-eyed Jounin. It wasn't overpowering, yet it was irritatingly faint.

The kind of faint which had her wanting… no, needing to stand closer to fulfil her urges to become surrounded in his scent. It was taunting… enticing.

Cutting her thoughts in two, she switched back to medic mode and allowed her hand to glow with a faint green chakra. His eyes continued to watch her, which was making her job harder than usual.

A twenty year old, perfectly toned Jounin, who sent an irritatingly masculine scent her way, was standing watching her with those keen, silver eyes. A lesser woman would be a puddle of goo by now and, try as she may, she couldn't fight the faint blush gracing her cheeks.

And, being the outstanding Shinobi that he was, he couldn't not notice this little tell-tale sign of attraction. He did not expect he had grown that much on her this past year. His lips once again upturned, only when she next moved, he had to fight the same reaction away from his own cheeks.

She placed a hand firmly over his chest, sending her cool chakra into his system; she began to briskly explore his joints and organs looking for anything out of order. Eventually, she came up three locations which looked suspicious. It could just be a miscalculation, which happened every so often. None the less, she looked into each area more specifically and directly.

Grabbing his arm, without a second thought, she dragged him forwards, not noticing him avoiding eye contact. Every time she connected with his skin, the cooling chakra signal was still lingering on her hand, forcing him to control the little jolts he felt or his racing heartbeat.

Making space between him and the bed, she circled him and placed a hand on his lower back, to search for anything suspicious. When their skin connected, Neji couldn't control the unexpected hitch he gave. Sakura thought the worst.

"Does it hurt?"

"N-No!" He stuttered feeling like a fool.

"Eh? Oh, are my hand's cold?" She asked holding in her laughter.

"Hn" Now he was embarrassed, since the tide had turned, making him become quite irritable about his reactions, and Sakura find humour in the defensive wall he had put up.

"Are you embarrassed?" She teased allowing herself to laugh at him.

His eyebrow twitched and he made no attempt to answer the pink-haired woman in front of him. He should be used to her presence by now, since she had spent a couple of days a week in the Hyuuga estate with Hinata for the past year and a half.

Sensing him tense up, Sakura held back her laughter and turned serious. Slowly, she dragged her hand upward, roaming over the toned muscles in his back, to a recent scar. Neji hoped she couldn't feel his frantic heartbeat through his back; she was having some serious effects on his body with her touches.

A thin line showed the scar's exact location making Sakura frown. Someone hadn't healed him correctly.

"When did this happen?" She asked more seriously.

"Two days ago"

"Can you remember who did it?"

"Doctor Tomoya" That asshole had the ordasity to tamper with one of her friend's wounds?

Sakura groaned and stepped around Neji to walk over to the table.

"Something wrong?" He asked sensing her angry chakra signals.

"Don't go to that guy ever again… find me" She examined a needle from the counter-top and filled it with some clear liquid. "It seems like he has something against you… I don't know what you did to piss him off, but it has something to do with one of the nurses he was chatting up. Nurse Koyo I think…" She walked back over to him and stopped in front of where he stood. "We can do this standing up or sitting down"

His eyebrow raised again in amusement as he watched her filling the small syringe. As if sensing his reaction, she looked up to confirm the smirk he wore once more.

"What is it we are doing?" He asked, not knowing how else to word the question.

"I'm reopening your wound so I can fix it… properly" She answered with narrowed eyes. This was Hinata's cousin! He shouldn't be acting like this… it could almost be considered as indirect flirting! Flirting!

"I see, well since you lack the height, I should sit down" Bastard. He didn't know how to flirt.

"Hey! I'm a late bloomer!" She snapped as he sat down on the bed.

A deep chuckle ran through the room, making Sakura blush and follow his lead without making eye contact. After she sat next to him, she inserted the needle into his arm, expecting and receiving no reaction.

"Turn" She instructed making him turn around so one of his legs was bent upon the bed and the other dangled.

As she began cutting open the wound, with her glowing hand, she began to smell the familiar scent she had come across only moments before.

"So, what's up with Nurse Koyo?" Sakura asked to pass time. She wasn't interested, of course… just curious. She wouldn't have expected a Hyuuga to fall for such a nurse; since she had quite the reputation, which Neji's clan would rather avoid.

Neji turned with interest. "I don't even know who you mean" He answered honestly.

"Maybe she's attracted to you" Sakura replied before she could stop herself.

"Maybe"

Beginning to bite at her lips, she felt frustrated at his lack of response. Curiosity was getting the best of her. "Either that or she wants you dead"

"Why is that?" This woman amazed him; she could always grab hold of his attention in a heart beat.

"Well… I don't know why, but Doctor Tomoya could have made moving you shoulder and arm difficult. Slower, even. In the world of Shinobi, that alone could be fatal"

He stayed silent, secretly wishing to encounter the same doctor who did such a poor job. He would play some serious mind games on him which could make him loose several hours sleep with fright. He didn't have long to ponder his thoughts as her chakra began to near the end of its healing. His skin tingled when they made contact and he could feel the currents running and merging with his own.

He didn't wince once during her re-healing and once the bloody, deep cut was closed, he simply rolled his shoulder a few times and stood up once more. Grabbing his shirt, he replaced the garment before walking over to the door, feeling flustered by her touch.

"Goodbye Haruno" He said as a final farewell before he made his hasty retreat.

Sakura sighed before cleaning up the equipment and marking down his details and her findings. She would have to speak with Tsunade the following day. She had a pretty busy schedule with her ten minutes lateness and the unexpected healing for the Jounin prodigy.

oOo

It turns out, she had a longer day than she had imagined. It was only supposed to be a six hour shift today, since it was her day off. She also wanted to head over to the Hyuuga compound to see how Hinata had scored on her medical exams, after being recommended and tutored by Sakura for the last year and a half. It took Sakura, herself, around one year to complete her own studies and another learning her brutal strength.

The sun told her it was now around half three in the afternoon. After riding herself of the long medic coat and hair net, she allowed her hair to hang on her shoulders, despite the heat they were experiencing recently. She walked down the corridor with a spring in her step, already assuming how Hinata had faired. She had to have passed.

Two familiar, yet worrying, voices were heard to her left as she made her way towards the exit of the hospital. 'Looks like he found him' she thought wondering why the genius prodigy came back in the first place. Deciding she should head over there before one of their doctors went missing; she turned and walked over to the two. Her earlier patient didn't need to have him pinned physically; his aura alone seemed to do the trick.

"Neji?" Sakura asked realising how informal she had sounded, before she could take it back.

He turned around at his name, making his hair flick behind him and his pearl eyes focus on eighteen year old heading towards him. It made him a little stirred up to hear her casually call his name. More surprisingly, he didn't seem to mind. They had spent time together but never really changed their ways of speaking to one another.

He turned back to the man and shot him a smirk. She would surely side with him if he were to… play with him.

"What's going on here?" Sakura asked already assuming the answer.

"Good Sakura, you're here"

"That's Doctor Haruno to you" She shot back with a fiery glare.

"Eh, yes well I was about to call security but-."

"Security? Whatever is the problem?" She asked playing her role too well. Neji took the hint as her cooperation to messing with her colleague.

"I'm a patient Tomoya, I did no such threatening or physical abuse… and I thought we were having a nice chat" Neji said feeling his smirk growing wider.

"You were-!"

"Tomoya-san, I would like to hold a meeting concerning your ability as a doctor in this hospital" Sakura said a little too sweetly.

"A-A meeting?! With who?" He asked beginning to feel more nervous.

"Oh, just myself and Tsunade-Shishou. It is standard procedure should a doctor feel their associate hadn't done their job appropriately."

"I haven't done any-!"

"Did you know, the slightest feeling of tension or stiffness in a muscle could decide who lives or dies in battle? It could slow our reflexes. You are well aware which of our patients are Shinobi and of what calibre… why, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you had something against Neji-kun"

Neji's eyes carried on watching the man until those words came out. He looked over to her with no turn of the head and felt shocked. He began to recite a constant mantra in his head, reminding him she was playing along.

"Y-You're ganging up against me!" He said with a shaky tone to his voice. "You're threatening me! Wait until Tsunade-san hears about this!" He attempted to reverse their roles, but going up against two Shinobi like Hyuuga Neji and Haruno Sakura wasn't a wise choice. Especially for Tomoya, who had virtually no battle knowledge.

"Threatening? No threats passed out lips, did they Sakura-chan?" Neji asked back feeling the man growing wearier.

"Why of course not…" Sakura smiled feeling her heart flutter silently, "…if we were to threaten you, we would say something like…" She placed her hand to her lip in mock thought, stirring the man on. "…'if you even think about telling Tsunade-Shishou, you would be found dead in the most embarrassing, and painful way imaginable the following morning'."

"That wasn't very threatening Sakura-chan" Neji corrected looking the man in the eye. "Something more along the lines of, 'try affecting my reflexes one more time, and I'll personally rip off every one of your fingers, and let you dangle off a one hundred foot cliff with a thin piece of wire to grip onto'" He allowed a tiny smile, which looked more sinister than friendly and Sakura found herself congratulating him.

She leaned in to whisper loud enough for Tomoya to hear, "You've done that before?" She asked pretending she didn't know the shaking doctor was listening.

"Once or twice" He replied in the same tone, looking directly into her eyes. Sakura felt a lump in her throat but remembered they were intimidating somebody right now and looked back to see a large wet trail dampening the trousers the brunette male wore. Sakura looked up past his glasses to see true fear lurking in his eyes and she felt satisfied. She wouldn't report him for this mistake, but if he should be foolish enough a second time, she would have no other choice.

"Ah, is that the time? I've got to get going now!" Sakura almost sang, before heading down the corridor.

"Allow me to walk with you" Neji called, unsure of the reasons, while catching up to the young doctor.

The slight scurrying of feet made him aware of Doctor Tomoya's hasty retreat and how badly his legs must have been shaking to stumble all those times. Once he stumbled through the toilet doors, Sakura and Neji relaxed and walked out more comfortably.

"That was hilarious!" Sakura chuckled at how embarrassed Tomoya must have been and surprisingly, Neji too began to chuckle.

"You shouldn't laugh at a man's embarrassment" Neji replied with a smirk.

"Eh! You laughed too!" Sakura shouted at him, unable to control her laughter. As angry as she wanted that to sound, it didn't seem to have the correct tone.

"I was laughing at the situation"

"Liar!" She retorted still laughing.

They made it onto the colourful streets and walked down through the market of strange souvenirs and equipment. Behind each stall was a large window of a weapon's shop or fashion outlet, selling the new wares for the season. The occasional fruit stand was located with fussing old ladies haggling prices and shaking their heads at the middle-aged salesman.

"Why were you back at the hospital Neji-kun" She joked replaying on their previous success, while browsing the different items on sale today. "It wasn't purposely to find him was it? Because that's cruel"

He chuckled once more at her. "I was picking up Hinata-sama's exam results"

"What?! You didn't look did you?" Sakura warned in mid turn as she examined his eyes.

"No… she deserves to see first" He explained, searching rooftops and stalls suspiciously as if expecting an attack. His eyes would narrows every so often at any bystander who looked on for longer than necessary.

"Hm… maybe I should drop by later instead"

"Instead?"

"I was actually planning to go to your house to see how she did. But, she should be with family first. I'll find out later"

"I think she would want you there. You're her teacher after all"

"I dunno…" She said unsure on intruding into the Hyuuga household again in such a personal time. She decided on going home instead, wanting Hinata to share this moment with her family. "I think she should share this time with her family… will you pass on a message for me?"

"Hn"

Sakura rolled her eyes, already being used to this method of speaking after spending time with Sasuke and Neji at the Hyuuga place. "If your uncle doesn't plan anything surprising tonight, tell her to come out with me and the girls…"

Neji smiled from beside her, before looking up. "I understand"

"Nee-chan!" A loud, child's voice yelled from in front. Sakura snapped her head up to find the three children from before. Looking around briskly, she noticed they were standing in the same location as earlier that day; outside the large amusements, where several chakra-enhanced machines resided to gently rock children along to a theme tune of the figure they sat beside on the van, or car.

"Nii-chan!" Another yelled making Neji look towards the kid's and grimace.

"Are you on a date Nee-chan?" The little girl giggled cuddling her Sasuke plush.

"W-What? No!" Sakura defended feeling herself blush. Kids knew exactly when to make you feel embarrassed.

"Nee-chan's going to kiss Nii-chan!" The boy in yellow taunted holding a Neji plush. Sakura furrowed her eyebrows confusedly. He didn't say he had a plush of Neji and who is… Neji is Nii-chan? Maybe that's why he was late for his appointment; how unexpected.

Neji looked to Sakura strangely when she didn't protest. "No I'm not!" She argued childishly after a long pause. She treasured his friendship.

Neji felt a little disappointed that she had denied it after such a long, hopeful pause. He listened to what the kids he had helped earlier had to say. He felt bothered and grew aggressive when he noticed the machine full of soft toys resembling him and others he knew.

"Yes you are!" The boy in green yelled back holding up his Sakura-plush he claimed to have two of. The boy in yellow grabbed his own Neji plush and held it against Sakura's own, making sloppy kissing sounds as they laughed.

Sakura felt her face turning bright red at the childish act and she froze watching the plush dolls kiss. She suddenly felt three years old again.

Neji looked away when the dolls had touched like that but he kept sending nervous glances back at the spectacle which was attracting passer by's attention. His stomach began to flip nervously and he looked over to see a very embarrassed Sakura frozen on the spot. He almost laughed… almost.

"Nii-chan was just as good at getting them Nee-chan!" the little girl piped up, suddenly becoming Sakura's favourite. Not for what she said, but the fact she interrupted in a tense, silent moment.

"Hah! I'll bet I'm better!" Sakura stated proudly wanting to overcome what had just happened quickly. Neji took the hint, feeling a little riled up by her promise.

"Is that so? Care to take me up on that?" He asked with a challenging tone.

The kid's felt more plushes coming there way and smiled at each other for their tactics. It wasn't even planned out.

"Bring it on Neji-kun" She teased stepping up to the machine and inserting a coin from her pocket.

They all watched her in amazement as she successfully hooked her chosen plush. As it fell into the bin, she grabbed the doll and smiled sweetly at him, hugging the soft toy. "Aww, isn't he so cute!"She giggled holding the plush to her cheek.

Neji stopped himself from blushing as she hugged the plush of him, and dared to call it cute. He had to stay focused. She called the plush cute… not him right?

"Nee-chan!" The boy in green said hoping for the plush, since he didn't have the white-eyed prodigy's.

"No way punk! Serves you right! This ones mine!" She said with a cheeky grin. Neji felt his cheeks glow at the fact she wanted to keep the plush of him. "Besides… think of all the fun me and Mini-Neji are gonna have! Maybe I'll style his hair!" She laughed making Neji's eye twitch… visibly.

He pushed her aside with a smirk and inserted his own coin. Once the lights flashed, he positioned and swooped up his own doll, which was obviously a Mini-Sakura. Once it was dropped, he picked it out of the bin and held it up by its arm.

"Draw" He stated before turning and walking away.

"Hey!" Sakura waved at the kids and caught up with the smirking prodigy. "You can't handle Mini-Sakura so roughly!" She defended the doll he held by the arm.

He turned and stared at her strangely. She could be very weird at times yet he still found himself matching her every attitude. "Then you can't style Mini-Neji's hair" He shot back making Sakura pout.

"Mini-Neji wanted it… he told me" She stated childishly. Inside, she felt partially stupid for behaving like an idiot but she found it utterly amusing and even received a different reaction from Neji.

"Mini-Sakura told me she wanted to play with a dog" He replied wanting to laugh at her angry reaction.

"What was that!?"

"I'm sorry… will Mini-Sakura punch me through a wall if I say that?" He continued joking feeling his smirk growing wider. If this continued he would be smiling. He couldn't smile in public; people would mistake him for a push-over.

"That's it!" She yelled grabbing the Sakura plush from Neji and holding it protectively against her chest. Neji grabbed his own plush and held it in the air away from her. "Come on… you're messing up Mini-Neji's hair now" Sakura laughed seeing Neji's eyes narrow.

"You're making Mini-Neji lose some serious masculinity points" He replied examining the doll.

Sakura burst out laughing and inspected her own doll. Everything was cute, except the large forehead she wasn't too impressed about. She frowned at the doll and turned to Neji, feeling less embarrassed and uncomfortable. "Be honest with me. Is my forehead that big?" She pouted holding the doll up.

"Yes" He smirked getting a punch to the arm. However, it didn't have any signal of chakra pumped into the hit, making him feel more specially treated than Naruto would have been. He held his own doll up, level with her own, "Be honest with me. Have I ever had such an expression?"

Sakura laughed in reply, "Yes!" As he opened his eyes, his expression matched the same as the dolls. "You're doing it now!" She pointed at him.

From Neji's side, a passer-by pushed past him, nudging him closer to Sakura. When he turned around from inspecting who had pushed him, he seen Sakura's shocked face as she looked at the plush dolls with embarrassment. He had just repeated what the kids had done moment ago.

"Mini-Neji is a pervert! He stole her first kiss!" She said angrily, trying to hide her embarrassment by snatching the Mini-Neji plush and looking disapprovingly at Neji who found his lips were turning upward again, only this time he was smiling. "Eh! Are you smiling!?" Sakura asked Neji who chuckled and grabbed the plush from her outstretched hand, which had been pointing at him accussingly.

He looked down to find he, once again, held Sakura's plush. He looked over to see the pink-haired medic dangling his own plush by the arms and grinning like a maniac. The smile he held only a second ago was replaced as he looked down to his own plush.

"You should smile more often…" Sakura said quieter as she looked at the Neji plush she was bouncing up and down by the arms. Looking over to her, Neji felt his heart race as she looked over and smiled at him. 'Maybe… I've got more reason to'

"For the record… Mini-Sakura jumped Mini-Neji" He grinned feeling the fireworks coming on.

"What the hell! She did not! Mini-Sakura wouldn't someone!" She corrected. "She let's them make the first move!" She grinned not realising the thoughts she had triggered to go off in Neji's mind.

"Does she take after you?" He asked curiously, using her distraction against her. Oh, he had some not so innocent thoughts right now.

"Hell yeah!" Sakura announced feeling her boisterous inner providing her with thoughts.

In the next second, Neji turned Sakura by the arm and pressed his lips against hers. Emerald eyes widened and unconsciously, they began to droop to a close, as she wrapped her arms around the taller male's neck. Taking this as an invitation, he pulled her closer with the hand that held his plush while the other took hold of the back of her neck, eliminating any space between them.

She treasured his friendship… right? Then why did this feel so good? Why was she wanting so much more from him?

He bit her lower lip, enticing a little gasp from the pert, pink lips he tasted. But before it could deepen, he drew back and broke the kiss slowly, resting his headband against her forehead to stare into her hooded eyes. "You're right… it was his fault" He said referring to Mini-Neji, making Sakura smile slyly.

"He must take after you" She replied earning a tiny smirk from him before he drew away and turned down the cut she hadn't noticed they arrived at. Finding herself blushing, much like her own plush, she turned down the cut to her left with a slight skip and made her way back to her apartment… hand in hand, with Mini-Neji.

oOo

Arriving back at the estate, Neji's mind began to wonder over what he had just done.

Hyuuga's didn't act so boldly. Sure, he had stated they were direct, but not in such a personal manner. They were direct with their questions and statements. They asked before taking such risks. He come to trust Haruno as a friend and even allowed her to see him smile. Those were big steps for only associating with her around a year earlier. It took at least two years for his teammates.

However, the moment her lips responded and she wrapped her smaller arms around his neck; his stomach began to float in a welcoming, pleasurable way. He found himself acting so bold as to bite her bottom lip and rub her neck, as if he were a pro. Very big steps for him.

Walking into the compounds, he opened the front door of the household and stepped in, removing his boots at the door and stepping in. At the end of the first corridor, he noticed a maid almost running into him and stopped in time to see her stumble and bow politely.

"Neji-Sama" She greeted. In the grounds of the estate, greeting anybody by their last name was considered strange since every soul under the roof was a Hyuuga. "The head family are waiting for you." She stated as he followed her through the corridors and opened a sliding door for her.

The moment she noticed him, she cast a strange look at him making him feel uneasy. He dismissed it and as she turned around, began to rub his lips wondering if Sakura had worn something pink which had rubbed off. That would be embarrassing.

Though, not as embarrassing as the real reason she looked strangely at him.

She didn't realise the mistake until he made his way through the sliding door and bowed in respect towards Hyuuga Hiashi, Hinata and Hanabi, who had been waiting patiently for his return.

The moment his head lowered in respect, he looked down upon the bright pink doll he still held and his eyes widened. Staying down a little longer than necessary, he began to feel heat rushing to his face.

Almost hesitantly, he lifted his head to find Hanabi holding in her giggles, Hinata looking at the plush then at Neji, putting two and two together, and Hiashi, whose cheekbones had lifted, yet no smile was present as usual. His eyes held amusement yet, as head of the clan, his face remained as impassive as ever.

Oh, Neji knew he wanted to laugh so badly.

"We were wondering what had taken so long" The clan elder mused. They were sitting on top of plump cushions around the long table with herbal tea already poured in the sleek, black cups.

"I apologise for my late arrival" He began wondering how he could get out of this one. "I received unexpected treatment at the hospital" It wasn't a lie, only it happened a little earlier. They wouldn't know when it happened since he went out to train with his team before heading back to collect Hinata's results.

"Treatment? I was unaware of any injuries you possessed" He replied a little more seriously looking at his Nephew for more information.

Neji sat down on a cushion beside the giggling Hanabi. "My wound from the previous two days was treated by an incompetent doctor holding a grudge. The job was inadequate" He replied stuffing the pink plush under the table, out of sight. He retrieved the perfectly straight set of results in the brown, paper envelope and slid it across the table towards Hinata who looked scared.

Hiashi and Hanabi watched the envelope carefully as Hinata tore open the seal and lifted the document carefully, opening the sides with a deep breath. Her eyes widened reading the results and the table had to prevent themselves from activating their bloodline to see.

"How did you do Hinata-sama?" Neji asked eagerly.

"Hina, what's it say?!" Hanabi added a little less formerly.

"Hanabi… phrasing." Hiashi corrected before looking to Hinata. "Hinata?"

"I-I passed… with honours" she smiled willing herself to stay strong and stop the tears from falling down her cheeks.

Neji's eyes widened before he set a small smile on his lips. Looking around the table, he wasn't the only one who was proud of her. Hiashi's eyes were sparkling in happiness and Hanabi began ranting how she knew she could do it.

After spending time discussing Hinata's prosperous future they began talking about little things or topics of the day, as a family would, while drinking green tea. This was their bonding time.

Once they finished discussing about the newborn in the Inuzuka clan, who resided down the street and became very good friends thanks to Hinata's affiliation with Kiba, Hiashi sent a glance over to his Nephew who took the hint and met his gaze with a question.

"Is something wrong Hiashi-sama?" Neji asked politely setting his drink down upon the table.

"I was just curious about your new liking with soft toys…" He asked without expression as Hanabi began giggling again and Hinata watched his reactions carefully. She assumed it had something to do with her Medical tutor since the plush was designed after her.

Neji coughed and looked back up at the table. "I walked home with a friend and we ended up with these dolls designed of ourselves."

Hiashi continued to scan his face, yet he always remained stoic and nothing passed by for more than a second. He was good… insufferably good. He would have to just ask him straight out.

"May I see?" He asked making a faint blush light Neji's cheeks. Being a branch member, Neji couldn't exactly say no, and Hiashi knew it.

Bringing out the pink plush, he passed it over to Hiashi who took the doll carefully and inspected it properly for the first time. "This is your medical tutor Haruno Sakura?" He asked Hinata who nodded in reply.

Looking down at the doll, he was pleased the identity of the doll his Nephew possessed was the young doctor for several reasons. The first being, when Neji entered and he seen a bright pink plush, he began to worry he was turning soft and also had a liking for such a feminine colour or he was secretly… attracted to the same sex. This wouldn't produce strong descendants like his father would have wanted.

Another reason he was pleased was because he had a check performed on this girl before she entered the household. He couldn't have the family name endangered because of a criminal conviction she may have possessed. But, aside from letting her in the house, he wanted to see if she were worthy enough to teach his daughter and to make sure she, herself, didn't have a bad reputation his daughter may pick up on.

What he found out, instead, made his eyebrow rise with interest. Not only is she a beautiful young woman with an interesting hair colour, she worked under the Hokage as her second apprentice after Shizune. After two years of training with medical studies, with her natural ability at a precise chakra control with the Hyuuga clan also possessed, she had studied the effects of chakra enhancing, making her able to shatter rocks into pieces of any size she wished. She was a strong woman, and with exhausting hours at Konoha's hospital, she was a caring person, always putting others first. Not only that, but she was an accomplished ninja who looked out for her teammates, meaning she was dedicated.

Beautiful, strong, caring, selfless, dedicated, intelligent… if he worked things out correctly, that was quite a find. But also among these traits came the rumours of her inherited temper from her Sensei. That didn't matter so much… knowing she respected the clan, she wouldn't do anything to endanger its grounds or its inhabitants. Then again, his Nephew was agitating to those he didn't have a relationship with. He would have to dig deeper…

Looking back up to Neji, he searched his identical Pearl eyes for any signs of something… else. "How did you come across receiving the doll?"

Neji shifted in his seat unsure of how to answer. His Hyuuga pride refused him the chance to prove her wrong? No way. "We… were proving who was better at crane machines…" Was the honest, yet childish truth. Hiashi seemed more amused than annoyed though.

Hinata chuckled, imagining the scene being played out. It seemed believable. "Who won?" She asked with a smile.

"We drew" He replied wondering why it mattered either way. His family were becoming very interested in details.

"I see… did she also receive a plush?" Hiashi asked mindlessly taking a sip of his tea.

"Yes Hiashi-sama. Her own was modelled after me" Why he told him that was simple; why prolong the inevitable? Hiashi was a cunning man; if something sparked his interest, he would look into the matter.

Hiashi silently choked on his tea before patting his mouth dry with a napkin and looking up. "There are arcade dolls modelled after Hyuuga's?" He asked a little worried.

"I, too, was concerned about it. There were also dolls of the Uchiha, Kakashi and the hokage… some even wore Jounin vests."

"This isn't to be taken lightly." Hiashi said in thought. "I will investigate this matter with the hokage" He said remembering his need for more information about Neji's relationship with Haruno. "So you own dolls of one another?"

Neji blushed but didn't look away, "Yes Hiashi-sama"

"Are you… well acquainted?" He asked not wanting to dive in.

"…to a certain degree" Hinata and Hanabi looked between the males wondering why their father was getting into this information.

Hiashi seen the determination in his Nephew's eyes and knew he wouldn't get any information easily.

Remembering back quickly to his brief glimpse down the hallway, he remembered him rubbing his face… or his chin. Maybe, it was his lips? Taking a gamble at his own pride… Hiashi attempted to reveal something more personal.

"You have pink on your lower lip"

To Be Continued…

The first part of my two-shot.

The quicker the reviews, the quicker the next chapter.

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