The Crying Game

By: Vampire Toy

Disclaimer: Me no own (sadness)

"Talking"

(Innermost thoughts)

:Sound effect:

Summary: When Neji has to find Sakura after she 'got lost' he finds that being lost is the last thing either of them has to worry about (Childhood on-shot) Well, you wanted it so here's a follow up to 'The Poking Game'

…

Neji walked calmly away from the group of children he was with. Today was a school field trip to a rural area of the Hidden Leaf where the teachers would help the students individually with techniques they were having trouble with, or in Neji's case, they could go off and train on their own. The white-eyed boy finally found a spot that looked suitable for training but found it already occupied by a small pink haired girl. He made and angry face and walked closer, she looked as if she were asleep, contently snuggled on the grassy hill.

"Hey!" he stood over her squinting down at her. At first there was no reply and then a yawn accompanied by stretching confirmed Neji's suspicions.

"What?" she asked sleepily looking up, tensing in surprise when she saw someone looming over her.

"Hey…your that girl…" Neji muttered. Sakura's ten-year-old face twisted into annoyance when she realized that he was 'that boy'.

"What are YOU doing here?" she huffed sitting up as he moved to stand next to her (still looming).

"I'm here with my ninja class, what are YOU doing here?"

"I'm here with MY ninja class!" she said proudly.

"Well how old are you anyway?"

"Ten and a half!"

"Good, you're younger than me, get off the hill."

"What? No!"

"I'm older than you so you have to do what I say!"

"No I don't! Says who?"

"Says the ninja law!"

"They never taught us that!"

"Because your too little!"

"I'm not leaving!"

"You have to! I could always go to your teacher, she knows the law too and then you'll get in trouble." Neji crossed his arms.

"No…no I wont…." Sakura said slightly unsure.

"Yes you will, and you're not even training! You're sleeping!"

Sakura frowned slightly, trying to think of a way she could not get in trouble and still stay on the hill, but she had been defeated.

"Go sleep somewhere else, or go play or something." Neji pointed off in a random direction and Sakura reluctantly got up and wandered off. Neji waited until he saw her disappear into a wooded area and commenced his long awaited training. It had only been an hour or two when a blonde girl approached the black haired Hyuuga.

"Excuse me, you!"

"What do you want?" Neji huffed pausing in his training to give an annoyed glance to the intruding blonde girl.

"My friend was up here a while ago, have you seen her?"

"What? Sakura? A pink haired girl right?"

"Yeah! Where is she?"

"I don't know." Neji muttered.

"You have to know! I looked over here once and she was talking to you!"

"Well where were you?"

"My sensei was helping me with a move, Sakura was already finished and was waiting for me here!"

"She went in there!" Neji pointed to the forest obviously annoyed with the continuing questions.

"WHAT! She's not supposed to go in there!"

"Why not?"

"Because its dangerous!"

"It's a forest, it has birds and trees and rabbits, the worst that could happen is a tree falls on her."

"NO! We're supposed to leave now because the sensei's just found out a really bad ninja was hiding out here!" Ino screeched angrily.

Neji felt a pang of guilt go down his spine and made a face at the blonde.

"Er.. well….go get a teacher you ditz!" he cried.

"Grr…I'm telling them it was your fault!" she screamed and ran off in the direction of the other children and teachers. Neji waited only a second for her to get half way down the hill before he turned and ran as quickly as he could in the direction he'd last seen the annoying pink haired girl go.

(I can't believe this! She's so stupid! Why would she go in there alone anyway? Doesn't she remember what happened last time! What kind of 'bad ninja' escaped anyway? Grr! I can't believe this!)

He ran as quickly as he could through all the trees and shrubs until he heard what sounded like crying.

"Sakura!" He yelled out. There was abrupt silence and then a loud wail.

"Sakura!" he ran towards the crying until he could see the girl standing in a clearing, her crying turning into soft sniffles as she stared at her feet.

"Sakura! You dolt, I can't believe you'd scare me like that, you're an idiot!" Neji crossed his arms trying to catch his breath. Sakura didn't look up and only stood completely still as her crying continued.

"Come on dobe we gotta go or we'll both get in trouble!" Neji said turning to go. There was another long silence and Neji twitched slightly, "I said come on! Fine, stay here, get kidnapped for all I care, you know there's a bad ninja that broke out and he's around here somewhere…if you don-"

Sakura let out a louder sob and Neji turned to her curiously, walking slowly towards her.

"Sakura?"

"Alright, you had your chance kid." A gruff voice snarled. Neji turned in time to see kunai fly his way and he quickly dove towards Sakura to get out of the way, ramming into her and falling to the ground. He looked up in amazement to see Sakura still standing and finally realized the man who'd attacked him must be holding her in place with some type of technique.

(Is this the bad ninja? Oh great, what skill level is he? I dunno if I can fight him and win….)

Neji dove behind a tree as more kunai flew at him. (But he doesn't have what I have…) Neji thought with a smirk.

"Byakugan!" he said making quick hand motions as veins appeared around his eyes.

"Come on kiddie, there's no way someone as little as you can beat me, your not even a ninja yet." The man grinned. Neji looked through the tree to get a better look at the man, he was tall and had the look of a criminal, scars over her face and a five o'clock shadow bristling from his large jaw. He continued to watch and saw the man walking over to Sakura, one of his hands in the same position the entire time.

(So one of his hands is busy, and he probably needs to stay close to her or the technique won't work…)

Neji quickly ran out from behind the tree and easily dodged the kunai that the man threw with his free hand. While the man reached more Neji made a few more motions with his hands as he ran towards the man and began using his clan's technique as quickly as he could, jumping around spastically so the man couldn't grab at him. Neji jabbed at the arm holding Sakura in place and almost wasn't able to dodge a kick.

The man was obviously furious by now and let go of Sakura so he could focus his attacks on Neji instead. He grabbed Neji by the throat lifting him off the ground and the boy tried to use his Byakugan, but he wasn't able to concentrate as the man squeezed his throat harder.

"Well look at this, you're a little Hyuuga brat! What a shame you have to die this wa-" the man's eyes dilated and he dropped the boy. Neji looked up to see Sakura had taken one of the mans earlier thrown kunai and stabbed his foot.

"You little bitch!" he snarled kicking her into a tree. Neji took the opportunity and jumped up, poking the mans eyes.

"Gya! You little brat! I'll rip you and your girlfriend apart!" the man screeched rubbing his eyes furiously.

Neji rushed over to Sakura who hadn't moved since the man had kicked her.

(She doesn't look too good) he shook her shoulder glancing at the man then back at her.

"Hmm." She murmured.

"Climb on my back! Wake up at least enough to do that! Come on!" he spun around and lowered himself so Sakura could wearily climb on his back. He stood up shakily and ran as quickly as he could away from the man whose eyesight was returning.

"Come back here! Your only making this harder for yourself, you can't outrun me!" he yelled rushing after them.

"Neji….where are you going?" Sakura asked recovering form the kick.

"I…" (I don't know! We could be going further away from the senseis! I don't have enough energy to fight him and Sakura clearly isn't in any condition to fight!) "Er…we're……-" "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" both Neji and, the now wide awake, Sakura screamed as Neji tripped and went flying down a hill. Both children shrieked as they rolled and bumbled down the hill. They finally landed with a hard thud, struggling to move when they heard the man behind them yelling.

"There you two are! Oh my God we were so worried!" a woman's voice cried out. Neji struggled to lift his head and looked up to see a few of the senseis rushing over while the others tried to calm the rest of their classmates.

"Don't EVER do that again! You don't EVER go somewhere without a teacher! Understand?" one of the teachers said, frantically checking Neji for wounds. The white-eyed boy side glanced to see the blond girl from earlier and another teacher checking over and comforting Sakura. Neji panted lightly and watched as an ANBU brought the man down the hill, his hands behind his back and his eyes red and pained from Neji's poking. When he saw Sakura and Neji he growled and tried to lunge at them, making Sakura cry. The ANBU held the man back and dragged him away but Neji decided he wasn't through with revenge and picked up a nearby rock, chucking it angrily at the man's forehead and easily hitting it before the ANBU and the furious man disappeared in a poof of smoke.

"Neji! Just calm down, come on, we'll all go home alright?" the teacher said about to pick him up.

"I can walk." Neji huffed, standing up and brushing himself off. The woman gave a sigh and smiled, "Alright then….how are you doing Sakura dear?" she turned to the pink haired girl who had calmed down after Neji had thrown the rock.

"I'm ok." she murmured, sitting contently in her teacher's arms while Ino walked next to her.

Neji walked on the other side of the teacher, his arms crossed and his eyes ahead of him the entire trip back to school.

…

Once they got back to school both children were treated for their wounds and asked many questions about what happened to them to make sure nothing 'too' severe had occurred. They were finally let out a while after school had been dismissed.

Sakura scampered after Neji when she saw him walking down the hall and slowed next to him.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing."

"Why are you walking with me?"

"Cause I feel like it." She huffed.

"Whatever." Neji mumbled, too tired from the days events to continue an argument. They got to the door that led outside and Neji could see the blonde again waiting for her pink haired friend.

"What is she, your dog?"

"Huh?" Sakura peeked outside and shook her head; "She's my best friend! Her name's Ino."

"Hnn."

They stood in silence for a moment by the doors. Neji looked outside, his mind off somewhere else, so Sakura quickly stood on her toes and kissed his cheek, then burst out the door in full speed, grabbing her friends hand and dragging Ino behind her as she ran.

"…..HEY!" Neji cried after a delayed reaction, but she was already gone. He sighed and walked outside also, putting his hands in his pockets and he strolled home.

(Girls are weird)

…

A/N: Whelp, you asked for it so here it is! I hope you guys enjoyed it! I'll try make a doujinshi out of this like I did for 'The Poking Game' XD well that was kidna weird eh? At least it's a step up from 'girls are evil!' X3 R & R PLEASE!