Courting

Chapter One: A Failed Attempt and a Growing Friendship

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled as he raced into the hospital.

Sakura sighed and paused from inserting the needle into her patient's flesh. It was a simple stitching, so it was taking place out in the hall. The man was sweating slightly from nerves and the needle, making his skin slightly slippery and harder to hold onto. A little bit of chakra would have cleared this up, but the man was a civilian and had the right to refuse any chakra treatments. So, it came down to archaic needle and thread to sew up the gash running from his knee to the middle of his shin.

After Naruto's shocking first outburst, she shook her head, steadied her hand and poised herself to enter the man's flesh.

"Naruto!" screamed a deep voice, also bursting into the hospital.

Naruto squealed and raced for Sakura. Just as she was about to insert the needle, he bumped into her, jarring her arms and shoulders. Luckily for both her patient and her incident record, she managed to move her arm enough to not stick the patient. The man was sweating up a storm now.

Naruto dashed behind Sakura as a familiar shinobi with dark, flowing locks of long hair tried to get at him. He paused for a moment at the obstacle of Sakura, but was soon turning around her and grabbing for her blonde friend. If looks could kill, she would have had to resuscitate Naruto by now. Naruto dodged Neji's arms and the two began to play ring-around-the-Sakura, just without the hand holding.

Sakura growled and tried her best to ignore them, once again steadying her head as best she could. Her poor patient was just dripping in sweat now. Her face was stuck in a concentrating frown as she slowly brought the needle closer to the cut.

"Stop hiding behind the woman's skirts, coward!" Neji yelled in agitation.

"Save me, Sakura-chan!" Neji had managed to grab a hold of Naruto's shirt and in retaliation Naruto had grabbed hold of Sakura and pushed her in between them, making her drop her needle in frustration. Sakura saw red.

"Narutooooo!" she bellowed. Naruto screamed as she threw a chakra laced punch in the man's face.

Neji was out like a rock.

"Goodnight, Neji," she said sweetly.

His face slowly slid off of her fist and he fell back to hit the floor hard. She winced slightly at the hard crack to his head. She would have to heal that after she was done with Civilian-san.

Then she rounded on the slyly grinning Naruto. "What the hell did you do now?"

"Sakura-chan," he simpered, "why do you always assume that it's my fault?"

She gave a flat look to his innocent expression. "Because it usually is. Now what did you say to make Neji want to hurt you?"

"I only said that I wanted to ask Hinata out to dinner," he pouted. "He went ballistic! I thought he was going to kill me! Thank you, Sakura-chan! You saved my life."

He started hugging her leg and she sighed in exasperation. "Naruto, as much as I don't mind saving you, you can't keep doing this while I'm working." She waved her hand absently to indicate her terrified patient who was shaking on the gurney.

"But, Sakura-chan, I usually don't mess you up. It's been a long time since any of them had the nerve to come in the hospital after me," he pouted. "Ever since you decked Sai that one time, no one's had the balls to come past the doors."

It was true. Whenever Naruto mouthed off and then ran for his life from various people, he would always come running to her. And they were usually so scared of her protective nature for the blonde and her chakra laden fists that came along with her protection that they usually remained outside the hospital. Naruto wasn't much of a disturbance then, but on occasion there was the oddball who either didn't know or wasn't intimidated enough to stop pursuit. Either way, they usually ended up with a knock out punch to the face, as was deserving of anyone who tried to hurt one of her boys (yes, Sai was one of her boys, but she liked punching him too much to stop). Neji had just learned that the hard way.

"Whatever, Naruto. Just be more careful about what you say to people, especially anything about Hinata around Neji. The first one's free, but you'll have to start paying me if you want me to punch anyone out twice."

"Right, Sakura-chan," he laughed, letting go of her leg and standing. "Have lunch with me tomorrow?"

How could she resist that sweet, foxy grin? Very easily, in fact, but she would rather enjoy spending some time with her long-time friend.

"Sure thing," she smiled as he waved and practically skipped out of the hospital.

She sighed when the doors closed behind him and turned to survey the damage. Neji was out cold on the floor, nurses stepping over him easily, and she was pretty sure her patient was in shock. She sighed again and picked up her needle, running some chakra over it to sterilize it before trying to stitch up the gash on her patient's leg.

"Sure, you don't want the chakra treatment, Himura-san?"

That snapped him out of his daze and he shook his head emphatically no. She shrugged and got to stitching. It took less than a minute with her skilled hands. She put some ointment over the newly closed flesh and then wrapped it to prevent infection. She patted the patient's knee happily.

"All done, Himura-san. You be careful of those shears from now on, ne?"

The man nodded absently and jumped off the gurney.

"Arigatou, Sakura-sama," he said and left as quickly as he could, probably still shaken from his experience with shinobi. Sakura didn't notice. She was too busy dealing with Neji.

She walked over to the prone male and lifted him up under the shoulders.

"Come on, big boy," she said, using her super strength to lift him and sit him on the unoccupied gurney. She lightly slapped him to wake him and he groaned. "Woohoo, Neji. Wakey, wakey."

He opened his eyes and gazed dazedly at her. "Sakura-san? What…"

His eyes closed and Sakura tapped his cheek again. "Whoa, Neji, look at me," she said, holding up her index and middle fingers and pointing from his eyes to hers.

He groaned and looked at her. She smiled. "Neji-san, does your head hurt?"

He looked like he was about to shake his head no, but the pain hit him as he took a moment to wonder if he had any pain. He shook his head yes, moving it as little as possible.

"Right. Neji-san, I'm going to need to-yikes!"

Neji moaned and slumped forward, his head landing on her shoulder. She gingerly set him back up and he opened his eyes, blearily staring at the wall behind her.

"Whoa, whoa, Neji, eyes on me," she said, again using her index and middle fingers to motion between their eyes. When he focused on her, she continued. "I'm going to need to remove your hitai-ate and anything else under there. You want to go to a private room?"

He nodded as little as possible and she smiled reassuringly at him. She picked him up, one arm under his knees and the other around his shoulders and carried him into a room close by. His cheeks turned faintly pink. Her happy smile beamed down at him.

"Ugh. This is so embarrassing," he moaned. Being carried like a blushing bride by a pink-haired girl was not the manliest way to get to a room. "Drag me instead."

"Oh, come on. I do this with Naruto and Kakashi all the time and they don't complain. Much. Be a man! Suck it up!"

He sighed thankfully when she put him down on the bed. He didn't have much time or want to think at the moment as she quickly removed his hitai-ate and bandages, revealing the curse mark on his forehead. He was faintly touched when she didn't even glance at it, instead putting both hands in his hair and tenderly feeling the back of his skull. Had they not been in the hospital and had his head not felt like one half of his brain was trying kill the other, Neji would have thought she was coming on to him. The strange part was that he couldn't seem to mind if that were the case. Damn. He must have hit his head pretty hard.

He felt her warm chakra enter him and felt instant relief. He left out an appreciative sigh. He looked up to see her moving her hands to the front of his face. It was then that he noticed his lip was swollen and his nose hurt like hell. Oh, yeah. He remembered now. She had punched his lights out.

He scowled at her furiously, but she didn't notice. Her eyes were closed and she was frowning with intense focus on healing him. He smirked as the pain instantly went away and his lip went back to its normal size. Her chakra was scanning everywhere now and she opened her eyes to glare at his curse mark. She lifted her hands to rest on either side of his head and yanked his head down to stare at, turning him this way and then that.

"Hey!" he protested.

She ignored him. "I really hate this thing. It goes against all my beliefs in family and keeping people healthy. Do you have a lot of headaches, Neji?"

His cheeks were the faintest pink from her treatment and her observation. The curse mark was always a sensitive subject for him. "Aa, how did you know?"

"There's a slight build up of fluids and a little swelling in the front part of your brain. I imagine that most of the time you feel like you have a mini-hangover, ne?"

He nodded.

"No moving," she scolded. "And I can also tell that it's never been activated, correct?"

"Aa, but how…"

"I have examined a Hyuuga before, Neji-san. After the curse mark's been activated, it knows how to act and only causes swelling occasionally instead of frequently as I'm sure yours does. However, the occasional side-effects are more severe than the frequent ones. I can get rid of the swelling now if you want. I also have some natural remedies that work pretty well for hangovers. They might work for you. Would you like them?"

His eyes were wide with surprise. She was essentially telling him that she could make his headaches stop and leave the only sign of his sorry fate be the green mark. He could kiss her right now if he didn't have a reputation to protect. She was indeed the top medic-nin next to Shizune and Tsunade. His stoic face showed nothing, but his eyes were full of admiration. She noticed and scoffed at him.

"Please, Neji-san. Wipe that look out of your eyes. Any half-way decent medic-nin worth his salt would be able to do what I just did." At her words, he noticed his head felt wonderfully, blissfully pain-free. It was like a miracle. "I'd actually like to know who's been treating you all this time. They deserve a sharp reprimand for not doing this in the first place."

"Usually my medic-nin are always treating me during a crisis. This is my first time seeing a medic-nin in a vocational setting. What?"

Her eyes had narrowed at him angrily and now she slapped him upside the head as if he were Naruto.

"What was that for?" he demanded, rubbing his newly sore cranium with a scowl.

"You know, Neji, for someone who is supposed to be a genius, you sure are stupid sometimes."

He frowned down at her. That was no reason to slap him. She was always so violent, even when she was being caring.

"So, why are you so against Hinata and Naruto going to dinner together?" she asked, deftly changing the subject.

Neji's demeanor instantly changed. His fist clenched and his eyes shut. His head dropped and his entire face got hard and foreboding. "I would rather die before I let that… that…that moron get anywhere near my cousin."

Sakura frowned and put her hands on her hips. "Even if she likes him?"

"Even if she likes him. She's too good for him." He glared at her, as if challenging her to say otherwise.

"While I totally approve of the protective big brother bit, I have to say that Naruto is actually quite a catch."

He gaped at her. Could she…

"Don't misunderstand. He's like a brother to me. As such, I want nothing but the best for him. If he's finally, the thick-headed moron that he is, noticed Hinata's affection for him, then I'm happy for the both of them. Actually, I'm ecstatic right now. It's about damn time."

Her bright smile attested to her joy and Neji's face lost some of its scowl in response.

"Now, the only obstacle between their happiness is you. You have to realize that Naruto is a good man and a good shinobi." She wagged her finger at him as if reprimanding him. "He is the next in line for Hokage, he has stamina coming out of his ass, and he hasn't failed a mission in years. He's loyal to a fault, entirely too happy for his own good, and always manages to change those around him for the better. Face it, Neji-san. He's probably the perfect match for Hinata."

"I refuse to face it!" Although, she was right. "I still won't give them my blessing."

"Neji-san, you wouldn't give your blessing to anyone, even if he was a saint and your best friend. Look, you don't have to approve. Just stay out of their way."

He frowned at her pleading look. He sighed and she took that as an agreement.

"Okay. Now for that hangover cure. What you do is mix bananas in with some dark chocolate. None of that silly milk chocolate, now. That stuff's just bad for you. It's got to be nice dark chocolate."

"But that stuff's bitter," he complained, glad to get off the subject of his cousin and what he was pretty sure would be his cousin-in-law if Sakura had her way.

"It may be bitter, but it has the correct amount of caffeine in it to jump start your brain. The bananas help with the swelling and also help with the production of serotonin and everybody loves serotonin."

At her happy smile, he wondered if she was finished.

"That's it?"

"That's it. Helps Tsunade-shishou every time. It tastes pretty good, too."

He hummed and nodded. He looked at her bright smile and couldn't help the small tilt of his own lips. Suddenly, he was very aware that she was very close to him, standing in between his knees in fact. The pink was back on his cheeks. It didn't help any that she took his hands and pulled him off the hospital bed to stand right next to her. Any closer and they would be touching.

"Now, if that's all, Neji-san, I have some rounds to make."

She hadn't even noticed their proximity and he was a little disappointed at her obliviousness. Yes, he had definitely hit his head harder than he thought. Maybe she should take another look at it.

He shook the thoughts away. "Arigatou, Sakura-san," he said with feeling.

She nodded and smiled, her green eyes shining brightly. "My pleasure, Neji-san. Take care!"

With that simple goodbye, she left him to himself and went to do her rounds around the hospital. He watched her go with a very sharp sense of disappoint.

He scoffed at himself and then left the hospital, intent to get some training in and then hunt down Naruto. Maybe she would reprimand him some more if he caused living hell for the loud-mouth blonde.

His genius brain was running away with him as he thought about the various ways in which to torture Naruto, both physically and mentally. Then his lips curled into a sly smirk. Maybe what Naruto needed was a good taste of his own medicine. Let's see how he liked someone trying to woo his sister figure.

---

Neji held the bouquet of pink stargazer lilies out to her with a debonair smile. They were her favorite. She gazed at them with suspicion plainly written in her eyes.

"What are you up to, Neji-san?"

He had the decency to blush. The pink on his cheeks confirmed her suspicion. There was no way Hyuuga Neji would ever be caught dead blushing. He watched the realization click into place in her mind that this was all an act.

"Trying to give Naruto a taste of his own medicine?"

How is it that she has no Byakugan, yet she can see right through me?

She looked around at all the cooing nurses and gave a great sigh before pulling him into her office. She shut the door and locked it. She must have thought of something to say to the gossiping gaggle, because she decided to unlock the door and stick her head out the window.

"This is just sorting out a family problem. I am not involved with Hyuuga Neji and if I hear anything to the contrary I will personally vivisect the idiot spreading slander and lies!"

Somehow, Neji didn't think her threat was idle. He winced. She could be very scary sometimes.

Despite her threats, she turned to him with a neutral look. She glanced at the flowers he was still holding and flinched.

"Please tell me those aren't from Yamanaka Flower Shop."

He nodded. "Aa, they are."

She looked like she wanted to bang her head against the wall.

"Please tell me that you got lucky and chose my favorite flower because they looked nice and not because you told Ino they were for me."

"Sorry," he said, affirming her worst fear.

She sighed and collapsed onto her rolling chair and desk. She waved for him to sit in the chair across from her and he sat. She put a hand in her hair and gripped it hard. It made her hair stick up in a way that was not unattractive.

She gave him a concerned glare. "Neji-san, do you have any idea what you've just done?"

"Yes. I have bought flowers for a woman I wish to show romantic interest in. I hear this is standard procedure. Was I wrong to assume you would appreciate something such as this?"

"If you had just bought me flowers, no. I would appreciate. But you bought flowers from Ino's."

He frowned at her frustration. "I fail to see the distinction."

"Don't play coy with me, Hyuuga-san. I know you're not stupid. Ino will be all over me now trying to find out why Hyuuga Neji, the ANBU captain and all around human ice cube, is buying me flowers."

Had Neji been more expressive, he would have pouted. He settled for simply furrowing his brows. "I don't think I'm a human ice cube."

She ignored him. "And knowing Ino, she will be unimpressed with the truth and continually harass me until I reveal a sordid affair fit to rival Kakashi's silly romance novels. I refuse to do that, Hyuuga-san. Do you know what that means?"

"That we will have to make it true so she will leave you alone?"

"Nice try, Neji-san, but drop the seduction act. You'll just end up with cramps. No, it means that until she finds some other sorry sap to bother, she will call me when I least expect it, most likely at ungodly hours in the night when I'm trying to sleep. She will really and truthfully force sake down my throat until I'm drunk enough to tell her everything she wants to hear, regardless of the hangover I'm sure to have. Everywhere I turn, she'll be there. When I try to eat, she'll be there. When I try to sleep, she'll be calling me on the phone. When I go to the bathroom, she'll be knocking on the door! There's only so much of Ino a person can take!"

She started banging her head on her desk. Neji frowned.

"Really, Sakura-san. I think you are overreacting."

She glared at him then with righteous fury just begging him to self-implode. He wanted to flinch, but his pride allowed him only to blink. A Hyuuga shows no fear.

"Overreacting? Do you know what she did to me when she saw Kiba and I having lunch together? When I wouldn't tell her that the two of us were madly, passionately in love instead of the truth that it was just friends having lunch, she actually shot me with a dart laced with one of my own strongest truth serums. She was sitting two feet away. It hurt like hell! Thankfully, after the truth serum gave her the same story, she gave up."

Neji shifted uncomfortably. It had nothing to do with the plush chair.

"Gomen?"

Sakura sighed and flopped her head down on her desk once more. "Don't worry about it." She then lifted her head when an idea struck her. Hope shone in her bright eyes. "Hey, would you mind if I just tell her some nonsense about how we're madly, passionately in love, but our relationship is strictly on a need to know basis because your clan doesn't approve of my wild nature?"

"Aren't the flowers kind of obvious?" he wondered.

She waved him off. "Please, flowers are such a platonic form of expression nowadays that they could mean anything. It's the only way you can show affection without attracting too much attention."

"Would she really believe such a…outlandish tale?"

"Ino's a romantic at heart," she answered with tight lips that were neither smile nor frown. "She'll eat that story up like chocolate. So, would you mind?"

"If you say it is a secret, why would I mind?"

She frowned and then gave a pleading smile. "Because if Ino thinks it's a secret, it'll be all over Konoha within the hour?"

He thought about it for a moment. If it would be all over Konoha that would mean Naruto would hear. This could serve his purposes quite nicely.

"No."

She gaped at him. "You mean you really wouldn't mind?"

"No, I wouldn't mind."

"Um. Alright then. Then I guess, thank you for the flowers. Now, where in all the seven hells did you come up with the idea to use me to get back at Naruto?"

He frowned. "Why is it so unbelievable that I would be attracted to you?"

She scowled at him and crossed her arms. "Neji-san, I don't assume you're stupid. Please show the same amount of courtesy towards me."

"Ouch. And you call me cold?"

"Ah, there's the Neji-san I know." She smiled warmly at him. "All pricks, wit, and sarcasm. It's nice to see you again, Neji-san."

He smirked and gave her his look of demand, the no nonsense frown that demanded nothing but complete obedience now. "Now, tell me. Is it really so unbelievable."

She fidgeted cutely under his gaze and avoided his eyes. "Well, I suppose it's not completely unbelievable. I mean, I am quite a catch. But, knowing what I know, I can see you're just trying to provoke Naruto and in some twisted way hopefully take his attention away from Hinata for good. I refuse to be a part of that, Neji-san. Please, don't do anything like this again. I really don't like being gossiped about."

He frowned as she was talking. His plan seemed to have been shot to hell and then resurrected just to be horribly maimed and torn into a hundred pieces. But Hyuuga Neji was nothing if not persistent. If she didn't like the gentlemanly approach, maybe he could seduce her.

"How are your headaches by the way?"

He smirked. Perfect.

"Practically non-existent," he purred. He set the flowers on her desk and picked up her hand instead, rubbing sensual circles on sensitive flesh where her thumb connected with her hand (he knew a tenketsu to be there), and did his best to exude masculine sexuality. "I really must thank you, Sakura-chan," he muttered huskily.

Her wide-eyed, glowing gaze and slight blush told him he had caught her off guard. That was good. He was affecting her at least. For good measure, he applied chakra to her tenketsu to relax and please. He heard her sigh and thought she was enjoying herself until he felt her chakra reach back out and sting. He pulled his hand back with a yelp, shaking it to get feeling back in it. He scowled at her. She ignored him to rub over the tenketsu he had just stimulated.

"Man, Neji-san," she said with surprise. "I envy your future wife. I didn't know you could use chakra like that. Do it again and I'll severe the tendon," she smiled sweetly at him.

He glared at her. Sure he deserved it, but did she have to be so harsh? He nursed his hand childishly, hoping to get sympathy.

"Now, are you going to play nice or am I going to have to send you to your room, you big baby? Stop acting, Neji-san. I like you better the way you are."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Human ice cube and all?" he asked callously.

"Human ice cube and all," she smiled, her eyes filled with mirth.

So she likes me the way I am? Hm.

"So, really. The headaches are gone?"

"Aa. I was surprised how well your hangover cure worked."

"Of course it worked. I'm not one of the best medic-nin in the world for nothing," she replied arrogantly. "How do you think I got to be where I am today?"

"Slept with someone on the hospital board?"

"No, I think that was you. I did hear that the men in ANBU tended to be a little sketchy."

"And how would my sleeping with someone on the hospital board get you your job?"

"I didn't hear a denial in there. Could it be I found the identity to whoever put in a good word for me?"

"If I had slept with a board member, you can be assured that I would not recommend you."

"Oh yes, I forgot. Stick-up-his-ass Hyuuga never pays anyone compliments."

"I do not have a stick up my ass."

"I don't know. That could explain why you sit up so straight all the time."

"Would like to check to be sure? Perhaps you could kiss my ass while you're down there."

"No, thank you. I have no idea where your ass has been. Or what's been it."

"Was that a poorly veiled insult regarding my sexual orientation?"

"I wouldn't know. My mind doesn't fall directly to the gutter every time a double meaning is implied."

"No, it only falls to the gutter most of the time."

"Unlike yours, which is permanently gutter-washed?"

"Falling to insults, now are we?"

"If you haven't noticed, we've been insulting each other. Really, Neji-san, is your intellect slipping?"

"Only when I'm around a certain annoying woman. Her shrill voice makes it hard to concentrate."

"What happened to that exalted Hyuuga concentration? Or are you just trying to say that my charming personality and general sexiness make it hard for you to think?"

"It is the exalted Hyuuga attention to detail that you mean. The day I am attracted to one such as you is the day Naruto hates ramen."

"Aw, do you promise, Neji-kun?"

"With all my heart, Sakura-chan."

They were interrupted by a knock at the door and the rattling of the knob.

"Sakura-sensei! Sakura-sensei! I can't find Higurashi-san. He just wandered off on me! I don't know what-why is your door locked? And why is everyone pressing their ears against it? There's something you're all not telling me!"

Neji scowled at the door. Their banter was just getting good. Sakura sighed and spoke to the apparently inept and tactless intern.

"Calm down, Kimi-chan. I'm talking to a friend, that's all. Have you checked the cafeteria?"

"Honestly, Sakura-sensei! That was the… third place I checked!"

"Knowing her, she probably checked under the bed first and the closet second," Sakura mumbled to herself. Neji smiled his little half-smile at the expense of the intern.

Sakura looked to be thinking of how to find the missing patient. Her eyes fell on him. More particularly, her eyes fell on his eyes. She smiled like a cat that caught the mouse.

"Oh, Neji-san," she sang, "would you mind doing me a favor?"

Neji sighed. "What does he look like?"

Her smile was worth the hassle. "He's eighty-two, has a broken leg, a long beard, and hair that only grows like a bush around his ears."

Neji activated his Byakugan and took a look around. "He's in the lobby."

"Check in the lobby, Kimi-chan," she yelled through the door.

"Sakura-sensei, how do you…"

"Just trust me," she said.

Neji was glad when the crazy intern left. He heard Sakura chuckle. He raised an eyebrow in question.

"I just knew they would try to listen through the door," she replied. "And here I was going on as if the walls didn't have ears. Now they'll think we have tension in our relationship."

"And we don't?"

"Don't you start too, Hyuuga Neji-san," she warned.

He chuckled and held his hands up defensively. He glanced at the time and realized he was going to be late for a training session with Lee and Tenten. He picked up the forgotten flowers and handed them to her. This time she accepted them and walked him to the door. The nurses must have had lots of practice listening through doors, because when Sakura opened the door, they were all standing around a little too nonchalantly pretending to do work.

"Ja, Sakura-san."

"Ja, Neji-san. Oh, and Neji-san…"

He turned from walking away and was graced with a warm smile.

"Next time, get potted plants. They last longer."

He smirked and nodded before he left for training and she went back to healing.

---

"Sakura-sama," one of the nurses called as she entered the operating room. The honorific was always disconcerting to the pink-haired medic considering most who addressed her as such were older than her. Sakura put held her scalpel above the unconscious patient and gave her attention to the nurse.

"Hai, what is it Yumi-chan?"

"Sakura-sama, there is…" The older woman blushed. "There is a man here to see you."

"Couldn't this have waited until I'm out of OR?"

"Gomen nasai, Sakura-sama, but he didn't seem like the type to be kept waiting."

"Was he blonde with a loud mouth?"

"Ano, no…"

"Silver-haired with a mask on his face?"

"No…

"Dark-haired with a fake smile?"

"I don't think so…

"Short-haired with a dull mug?"

"No, he…"

"Just stick him in my office and tell him to wait until I'm done here. Arigatou, Yumi-chan."

The woman looked displeased by the dismissal and her new task to instruct the intimidating man to wait. Sakura didn't care. She returned to the chakra-free operation every medic-nin had to complete from time to time. It was a piece of cake for Sakura, but still very messy. She finished the operation without incident and left the interns to stitch the patient up. She removed her mask, cap, and bloody gloves and overcoat in the scrub room.

She walked happily to her office, glad to be done with the operation and that it had gone well. Her step faltered when she remembered that there was someone waiting for her in her office. A man, the nurse had said. The way she said it, the man had to be attractive and inspired the nurse to think romantic thoughts involving the two of them. She new a lot of males like that. Oh well, she would find out who it was when she got there.

When she opened her office door, she was a little surprised to see Neji on the other side. When the nurse had said that he didn't look like the type to be kept waiting, she thought the nurse meant that the man was impatient. She now realized that the nurse was speaking about Neji's high-class demeanor. Being a part of the Hyuuga clan had left the young ANBU with superior airs, airs which she delighted in wafting away.

As she walked in, she was mildly surprised to see that he was holding a potted hibiscus. It was gorgeous, a double blue. Very rare. She smiled and cooed over the plant.

"Oh, Neji-san! It's beautiful! But it must have cost a fortune! Where did you get it?"

"At the nursery close to Ichiraku," he smirked. He was letting her praise go to his head.

She took the plant from him gently and set it lovingly on her desk, appraising its health and beauty appreciatively. His smirk only widened as he saw how pleased she was with his gift. His smirk faded a little when her excitement over the little treasure stopped blocking her suspicious tendencies toward him.

"Why are you doing this, Neji-san? I already told you I wouldn't help you get back at Naruto."

"Would you rather I took it back?" he asked nonchalantly.

"No!" she said and hastily pulled the plant to her protectively.

He smirked again. Yes, he had done well with this gift.

"I had thought that I should apologize for my previous behavior," he said simply to her continued suspiciously raised eyebrow.

"Oh. Well, okay then," she smiled brightly. She couldn't stop looking at her beautiful new hibiscus lovingly. But then, she frowned.

"What?"

"I can't accept it," she said sadly.

He scowled. "Why not?"

"It's too expensive! It probably cost a month of mission salary. That's just too mush for a simple apology."

"I should have known you would be incapable of accepting gifts gracefully," he antagonized.

She frowned at him and stuck her cute, pink tongue out at him. "I am being graceful! I'm just also being practical."

"Just accept the damn gift, woman," he grumbled.

She continued to frown, not saying a word. He sighed in aggravation.

"I'm a Hyuuga, Sakura-san. I can afford things like this easily."

She pouted at him and he wondered what he had said to elicit that response.

"Rub it my face why don't you," she grumbled.

He couldn't deny that her pout was one of the cutest things he had ever seen. Of course, acknowledging was not the same as not denying.

"Just be happy about it," he half demanded. "You know you want to."

She gave an uncertain frown to the plant, as if deciding to keep it or not. She must have decided to keep it, because her next expression was a smile fit to rival the sun.

"Arigatou, Neji-san!"

He smirked with self-satisfaction. His attention turned to the kunoichi now that the mission to get on Sakura's good side again was complete.

"Sakura-san?"

"Hm?" she asked, looking up from the plant.

"Is that blood?" he questioned, pointing to her beige skirt.

She looked down at her skirt and then growled. There was indeed a dark splotch of blood on the corner of her otherwise pristine skirt.

"Damn it! That's the third time this month!" she yelled, angrily unzipping one of the sides and taking it off, leaving only her dark, form-fitting shorts.

Neji blushed as she undressed in front of him. True, she hadn't shown any more skin taking it off than when it had been on, but it was the idea that she was taking her clothes off in his presence. As she went to a cabinet and took out a fresh skirt identical to the one she was wearing, he tried to suppress the dusting of pink across his nose and cheeks. He was successful until she put on the new skirt, drawing his attention to her curvy hips. He hastily looked away from her and took measures to rein in his thoughts. Thankfully, he had his usual stoic face in place when she turned around.

She sat down at her desk and sighed. "I ruin more skirts that way. Why does heart surgery have to include so much blood?"

Neji sat down across from her. "You were performing heart surgery?"

"Yep!" she cheered. "The man had a clot in his left ventricle. It would have been easier to use chakra to diffuse the platelets, but Tsunade-shishou doesn't like us infusing chakra through the heart if it can be avoided. For some reason, it tends to throw off the chakra system slightly and can lead to temporary changes in personality."

He nodded. There were two tenketsu in that area and an over-stimulation of chakra could lead to changes in chakra flow.

"So, how have you been, Neji-san?" she asked, fiddling with her hibiscus.

"I've been well."

"I hear Naruto and Hinata are going on their first date." She looked up at him to gage his reaction.

His jaw tightened and his hands clenched into fists. "Yes, today at seven."

"You won't try to sabotage them, will you?" she asked, leaning on the arm she propped on her desk, and leaned a little further over her desk.

"I was thinking about it,' he ground out.

She gave him a disappointed look. "Please don't, Neji-san. At let least let their first date go off without a hitch."

"Does that mean you won't mind if I sabotage any of their other dates?" He hoped so.

"In my experience, all subsequent dates involve something that goes horribly wrong, sometimes for the better I might add, and that while I definitely will mind, I think it will be unavoidable."

"'In your experience?' And just when have you dated?"

She frowned at him. "I've dated! It just so happens that I prefer to keep such things private! I don't believe all of Konoha should know about my personal life."

"So who have you dated?" he asked skeptically. He doubted that with Ino as one of her best friends that she would be able to keep such knowledge of her romantic life secret. "And how did you keep Yamanaka from telling all of Konoha?"

She blushed prettily and wouldn't look him in the eye. "Well, in all three instances, the relationship ended before Ino had the chance to be interested."

He raised his eyebrow.

"Well, the first guy was Izumo. The first date was wonderful. He was such a gentleman the whole night. The second date was horrible. We went to a theme park when we had some free time during a mission to the capital. He got food poisoning from the food from the concession stands and threw up on me. Then it started to rain. We still managed to laugh about it though, which led to date three. Date three took place at a haunted house. It was fun until a runaway serial killer hiding in a haunted house of all things decided to try and make me his next victim. Safe to say, I beat his ass into the ground and got arrested for assault and battery. They wouldn't believe me when I told them the guy was a serial killer. I think they just wanted to keep in jail as eye candy. Izumo lost his wallet somewhere and didn't have enough money to bail me out. He had to call the hokage to get me out. The fourth date was supposed to be an apology for the second, but Tsunade-shishou let it slip to Kakashi-sempai that I was dating Izumo. Izumo wound up in the hospital before he could even meet me to go on the date and I spent the rest of the date healing him as an apology. Understandably, we called the whole thing off."

Neji was laughing hysterically on the inside. This woman had no luck when it came to dating. "So who was the second guy?"

"The second guy was a visiting medic from Suna, Daisuke-san. Like the last time, the first date was wonderful. He was smart and funny and took me to a nice restaurant. The second date was terrible. He was in town for the winter festival, so we went together. I spent the whole night trying to keep him from getting killed. Kakashi-sempai seems to have a penchant for dart games, but was aiming for Daisuke-san's forehead. I finally had to threaten Kakashi to get him to stop. He promised he wouldn't interfere again. Daisuke laughed it off and asked me out to another date to make up for it. The third date started out nice. We went to the planetarium and then we went to a picnic next to the lake. There were lots of people there, mostly couple making-out. Daisuke tried to kiss me, but Naruto jumped him. Apparently, Kakashi mentioned to Naruto that I was dating. I had to drag Naruto off of him before any lasting damage was done. Daisuke laughed it off and asked me out again, but I could tell he was no match for keeping up with Naruto and Kakashi. I told him we should just be friends and he agreed.

Neji chuckled. "And the third?"

"I tried my damnedest to keep the third one secret. The first date was exceptional. It was actually Kankurou-kun who took me out. I was on a training mission in Suna, so there would be no one to beat up my date. He took me to a lovely oasis and we star-gazed. He had set up a spectacular picnic and he made wonderful conversation. I was thoroughly impressed. Our second date was to a big party to celebrate the start of the rainy season. Apparently, Gaara-kun now considers me as one of his siblings. When he saw the two us together, he decided to accompany us everywhere. Every time Kankurou-kun came within two feet of me, a wall of sand would come up and push him back. Kankurou-kun got fed up with it and yelled at Gaara-kun. Naturally, I defended Gaara-kun. He was only looking out for me and it was kind of sweet. Then Kakashi showed up. I don't know how and I didn't ask why. He basically threatened Kankurou on pain of death to stay away from me. Kankurou and I decided it wasn't worth it."

Neji chuckled from deep within his chest. It was the closest he would ever get to laughing outright.

"That's when I figured out the pattern," she said listlessly, ignoring Neji's infuriating laughter at her expense. "The first date is the grace period. All subsequent date are trials of fortitude and emotional attachment to see if the two people are meant to stay together. That's when I decided to give up on dating altogether until I could find a man I felt was worth and who could stand up to Naruto and Kakashi."

He frowned at that. It could pose a problem. "And you haven't found one yet?"

"Well, there are a couple of likely men, but I know none of them would ever be interested in me."

Could he be one? Even though he was interested, she had made it blaringly obvious she thought the idea absolutely absurd. "And who are they?"

She shook her finger at him. "Uh-uh. That's a se-cr-et."

Her smile was sly. He frowned. "You just told me more about yourself than you ever had, yet you refuse to tell me the rest of it."

"You used up your personal question quota for the day. Three questions a day outside of banter."

"Does that mean you will answer me tomorrow?"

"Nope. I get one rebuttal each day."

So, if he asked her that question, she would have to answer any other three questions he asked her.

"Are those the only rules for this little game?" he asked.

She thought for a second and then nodded. "Oh! There is one more rule. No asking about things that require the removal of clothing."

He smirked. He wanted to watch her squirm. "Such as?"

"Sex and my measurements," she said without missing a beat.

"You just informed me that you have trouble getting a kiss on dates. Forget sex. Have you even been kissed yet?"

There it was. She blushed darkly and fidgeted. "I…that is…that's another personal question and I don't have to answer."

He smirked. "That's a no, then."

"Oh, just shut up, Neji-san!"

He chuckled and rose from his chair. She rose with him. He approved of her manners. She scowled at him as she walked him to the door.

"So you're leaving just like that?" she asked angrily.

He smirked down at her. The blush was still on her cheeks.

"I have training with Lee and Tenten. And then I have to spy on the moron and my cousin." At her glare, he made to reassure her. "I will not interfere. I will merely be gathering information to use against him later on."

That mollified her, but she still frowned at him. "Tell Lee-kun and Tenten-chan I said hello."

He nodded. "Ja, Sakura-san."

"Ja," she responded.

As he walked away, he activated the Byakugan and watched her go back to her new hibiscus and fiddle with it lovingly. The smirk did not leave his face for the rest of the day.

---

"Neji-oniisan, did something happen?" Hinata asked her cousin.

"No, Hinata-sama. Why do you ask?"

"You've seemed happier since you got home from training. T-the smirk hasn't left your face."

He repressed the urge to smirk and presented his stony face to his cousin.

"Is this better, Hinata-sama?"

"N-no! I-I didn't mean it as a…bad thing," she stuttered with a cute blush. "I-I was just curious about what made you so h-happy."

He let the smirk spread across his face. "It's nothing, Hinata-sama. Are you leaving?"

"Aa. I'm supposed to meet N-Naruto-kun at the restaurant."

"It isn't Ichiraku, is it?"

"O-oh no. He's taking me to that new restaurant just before the residential district," she blushed darkly.

Neji nodded. That restaurant was not only new, it was expensive. It supposedly had the best tempura in the village. He just new it was Sakura's idea. He would have to find a way to distract that woman from helping her moronic friend. He smirked as he thought of just how he could distract her.

"Have fun, Hinata-sama," he said.

"A-arigatou, Neji-oniisan. I-I will. Ja ne."

"Ja ne."

As soon as Hinata was out of the compound, he slipped into his ANBU gear, replacing the hard white mask with a cloth one similar to Kakashi's. He imperceptibly followed his cousin as she went on her date.

---

"Sakura-chan, I'm nervous," whined the blonde.

"Naruto," she chided as she tied his tie for him. "There is no need to be nervous. Just do everything I told you and you'll do fine."

"But what if she doesn't like me?" he cried.

She scoffed. "Trust me, Naruto. She likes you. Now, let's go over it one more time. What do you so when she gets to the restaurant?"

"I smile at her," he responded feebly.

"And?"

"And I give her a compliment?"

"Yes. Good. What else?"

"I-I stay close, but not too close to show I'm interested, but polite. When she goes to sit, I pull her chair out for her."

"And you won't?"

"I won't slurp my food down like a pig and I won't talk about ramen the whole night," he recited.

"Exactly. Now, the tempura there is excellent, but the ramen is also very tasty. There sushi is wonderful and all their seafood dinners are exquisite. Chose from one of those and you can't go wrong. Don't be nervous and fidget the whole night. Just be your lackadaisical self. That's who she likes and who she is interested in. Not a nervous little school girl pretending to be Naruto. Understand?"

"You're so harsh, Sakura-chan," he complained softly.

"Well, someone has to keep you in line," she said as she dusted off any lint on his shoulders and straightened his overcoat. "Remember that this is sweet little Hinata-chan we're talking about. There's no reason to be nervous. You two have known each other for years. If you're nervous, she'll be nervous. Act natural! And for the love of Kami, stop fidgeting!"

He gave her an apologetic smile and stopped bouncing on the balls of his feet and shifting this way and that.

She sighed. "Naruto, why do you like Hinata-chan?"

"Ano…she's sweet. And pretty. And nice. And she laughs at all my jokes. And she's an excellent fighter. And she can cheer me up when I'm feeling down. And she smells nice."

"Now, would that Hinata-chan ever be impolite enough to reject you to your face?"

"No," he said grudgingly.

She smiled at him lovingly. "So what are you so nervous about?"

"Um…nothing I guess," he said with surprise written all over his face.

"Exactly. Now, go! Or you're going to be late."

"Arigatou, Sakura-chan," he said and placed a kiss on her cheek.

She smiled indulgently and saw him out of his apartment. He was considerably less nervous and that pleased her. She watched his black suit with orange cummerbund bounce away. He would do just fine.

---

Neji was thoroughly displeased. As night had fallen, he had settled onto a rooftop across from the restaurant. His Byakugan showed him all his fears come to life. Naruto was being the perfect gentleman. It was impossible. He stayed a distance close enough to her to imply interest, but far enough away that Neji couldn't seriously complain about it. He had even pulled her chair out for her. They were talking comfortably and he was making her laugh. It was disgusting. As they finished dinner, they came out of the restaurant and started to walk down the street. Neji growled and followed over the rooftops.

They headed to the best ice cream stand in the village. Damn that woman and her excellent coaching. So far it looked like Sakura had been right about the first date being a grace period. How annoying!

"How's he doing?" he heard her whisper behind him.

Neji turned to look at the woman he had just been silently cursing and almost got a nose bleed. She was in her own ANBU uniform, which covered everything, but left nothing to the imagination. He quickly turned back to the object of his ire and growled.

"Oh, good," she cooed. "I was a little worried about him there."

She crawled up and lay next to him, peeking over the roof. He blushed slightly as his mind brought up the image her in the skintight uniform, but he quickly banished both thought and blush.

"This is all your fault," he accused angrily.

"I know. Isn't it wonderful?" she said happily.

"That is a matter of opinion."

They continued to quietly spy on the two sitting on the bench eating ice cream and watching people pass by. Neji looked over when he her heard sigh.

He turned and almost blushed again. She was smiling happily and looking at the couple with a dreamy, faraway look. Her eyes were bright even with the shadows of the night all around them, so bright he wondered how she managed to stay hidden on missions. Her pink hair looked almost red in the night and her eyes had turned a deep green. She was beautiful.

Neji quickly turned away. "Quit sighing, woman. You'll give us away."

"Aw, but Neji-san, I just can't help it. They're just so cute together!" She sighed again. "You know, sometimes I wish I could have that?"

"Have what? You've been on first dates before."

She smiled indulgently for him and shook her head. "You'll see, Neji-san. They were meant for each other."

Her voice was quiet and filled with promise. Her eyes were longing, though. Neji felt the need to comfort her, even though he was hoping to Kami that she was wrong.

"Hmph. What makes you think you won't find the someone you were meant for?"

Her smiled turned sad.

"I thought I did once. He wanted no part of me and left to find power. I realized then that I didn't know what the hell I was looking for."

"Uchiha," he growled. "How could you ever think you were meant for that traitor?"

She ignored him. "That was your first question for tomorrow by the way."

He thought maybe the reason she didn't answer was because she didn't know, but he didn't want to waste another of his limited questions forcing it out of her.

"It's not even tomorrow yet," he pointed out.

"Well, I would hope not! That would make it today wouldn't it?"

"Ha. Ha. You're hilarious," he said sarcastically.

"Glad you think so. Oh, look she spilled her ice cream on him."

Neji turned back to the scene from one of his nightmares to see Hinata apologizing profusely and Naruto trying to calm her down while quickly trying to clean up the ice cream. Neji saw him laugh it off, but Hinata continued to look worried. Naruto just stared at her with a smile on his face.

"Go for it, Naruto," Sakura whispered encouragingly.

Go for wha-NO! The bastard had kissed her on the cheek! He was a dead man!

Hinata's whole face turned red and she looked about ready to faint.

"Don't faint. Don't faint," Sakura chanted.

"Faint. Faint." Then the date would be over.

"He'll have to carry her home if she does, you know."

Damn! "Don't faint. Don't faint," he chanted with Sakura.

"Yes!" she hissed as Hinata's redness abated and Naruto apologized with a smile and a hand on the back of his neck.

Neji was hoping Hinata would start yelling or be too embarrassed to talk, but she smiled and said what Neji suspected was a phrase that would lead to more cheek kissing in the future. He beat his head on the tiles of the roof and Sakura patted his back consolingly.

The couple below finished their ice cream and Naruto walked her home. Neji and Sakura followed in the shadow of the rooftops. The two of them watched as Naruto and Hinata approached the entrance to the Hyuuga compound.

Naruto took Hinata's hand and kissed it. Neji activated his Byakugan and saw him ask her out to another date next Friday. She blushed and stuttered a yes. Naruto said that was great, he would see her later, and then bounced off far too joyously. Hinata watched him until he turned the corner and then giggled madly to herself before heading into the compound. Neji hung his head.

"So what did he say?" his partner in spying asked.

"They have another date next Friday," he growled.

She laughed lightly and patted him on the back comfortingly.

"Don't worry, Neji-san. You can pick on them all you want on their next date."

The thought cheered him up wonderfully. He smirked at her. "I thought you were on his side."

She smiled. "I am. I just happen to know that I'm right about them. I want you try to break them up so you can see how futile it will be."

He frowned. "How do you know you're right?"

She smirked. "Women's intuition."

He sighed. He was starting to believe she knew what she was talking about when it came to relationships. He really hoped she was wrong.

"Come on, Neji-san. I'll walk you home."

He raised one eyebrow and just jumped down to the ground with her. He walked a few paces next to her and stopped in front of the compound. There positions were vaguely familiar of Naruto and Hinata's from a moment ago.

"My! What a long walk!" he said, voice dripping sarcasm.

"It was, wasn't it?" she smiled.

He watched with trepidation as the mischievous look flickered in her eyes. He felt her pick up his hand, but couldn't look as he was caught by the smoldering look of her bright eyes. She started rubbing the sensitive area of his hand where the thumb attached to the rest of his fingers.

"I had a wonderful time with you, Neji-san. I simply must thank you."

He couldn't look away from her fiery eyes. They were so intense and beautiful. He felt the heat in her eyes slowly spreading throughout him. He gasped when her chakra touched his tenketsu and he jerked his hand away, breaking the spell.

She laughed at him. She had just tried his own seduction tricks against him and now she was laughing at him. So hard, she was bent over and gasping for air. He thought he heard her snort every now and then.

He growled and tackled her to the ground, sitting on her so she couldn't laugh. She still managed somehow, despite his efforts to stop the annoying, bell-like sound.

"Payback's a bitch, huh Neji-san?" she laughed.

He blushed and huffed at her, glaring with every once of Hyuuga intimidation he could muster. Her laughter died somewhat, but then she just smiled winningly at him.

"Guess this means I have to get you something as an apology, ne? What would you like?"

He continued glaring and she pouted and glared back mockingly. She couldn't hold it though and was soon chuckling.

He sighed. He just couldn't win with this woman. Maybe that was a good thing. What could he ask from her? He smirked.

"Help me break Hinata and the moron up."

"No," she refused flatly.

He growled.

"It has to be a tangible object," she responded.

He thought about that. There wasn't anything he really wanted. His hobby was meditating and he had numerous places to do that. Anything material he wanted, he could just buy. What could she give him that he didn't already have? His thinking brought up an old memory. Vaguely he recalled one of Lee's rants about the wonderful Sakura-chan. He had said something along the lines of Sakura-chan was a wonderful chef, fit to rival even the master chefs of the village.

"Dinner," he decided.

"What?"

He smirked at her cutely furrowed eyebrows. "I want you to make me dinner. A full course meal."

"That's it?"

He nodded.

"But that's easy! I thought I would at least get to pay you back for the hibiscus!"

So that was what she had been planning when she took his hand like that. He smirked. She may not be able to accept a gift gracefully, but she would accept it without recompense. The score: Neji-1, Sakura-0.

"Fine. Stupid Hyuuga," she pouted. "Can you get off of me now?"

He sat and thought about it.

"Neji-san!"

He smirked and stood. She picked herself up with the controlled grace befitting a kunoichi.

"I hope you don't mind tempura," she added sourly.

"Not at all."

She dusted off her butt. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Aa."

"Okay. Later, Neji-san,"

"Later," he said, the slang sounding a little strained coming from his mouth.

She smiled and waved as she walked away. Neji watched her go until she turned the corner. He smirked and then entered the compound, looking forward to a good night's rest.

---

The next morning found him in the hokage's office, calmly standing next to his two teammates and the pink-haired medic.

"I have a mission for you all," Tsunade said, sipping a yellow concoction that looked like it had dark chocolate swirled in. "It's a two week long mission to the Land of Tea. You are to provide security for the Lord at the capital while he holds his annual Tea Festival. And before you ask, Sakura," she said as she gave a pointed look to the sheepish girl who had opened her mouth for a question, "he's received some anonymous death threats and wanted to be sure he would be protected. That's why he paid for jounin, two of them ANBU rank. Now, are there any other questions?"

Neji merely stood there as his teammates shook their heads. Sakura looked like she wanted to ask something, but at Tsunade's glare she held her tongue.

"Good. This mission is A rank. You will leave tomorrow at dawn. Now, get out of my office."

The godaime put her head in her hand and took another sip of her drink. His teammates and Sakura left her office, Sakura the last one out behind him after giving her shishou a worried look. The godaime just waved her out with a sigh.

"Was that your hangover cure?" he asked Sakura when the doors closed.

She nodded and smiled. "Yep. Shishou spent a wild night at the pachinko parlor and drank herself stupid. Every time that happens, she orders me to make her my famous Choco-banana Swirl, guaranteed to cure what's ailing ya!"

"I was wondering if that was it. Do you think you could make us some on the mission?" Tenten asked hopefully.

"I don't see why not," Sakura answered happily.

"Wonderful, Sakura-san! I will be looking forward to your excellent creation!" Lee exclaimed, pumping a fist in the air.

Sakura smiled at him.

"Am I the only one who has not experienced this Choco-banana Swirl?" Neji asked.

His two teammates gaped at him.

"You've never had Sakura's Choco-banana Swirl, Neji-kun?" Lee asked with astonishment.

"Man, you don't know what you're missing!" Tenten declared. Sakura blushed modestly. "Didn't you try it at Naruto's birthday party last year? Sakura made enough for almost the whole village special for the party."

"No, Neji-san was finishing a mission and got there late, remember?" Sakura pointed out. "By the time he got there, they were all gone."

"Oh yeah," Tenten said, putting a finger to her chin and looking at the ceiling. "Man, that's tough luck, Neji-kun."

Neji didn't know what the feeling was that made his chest tighten. Could it be jealousy? He shook it off before the feeling could reach his face.

"So we'll be gone two whole weeks," mused Sakura. "I'll have to tell Izumo and Kotetsu to water my plants."

Neji thought about it, ignoring the slight tight feeling in his chest when she mentioned her former boyfriend and colleague.

"That's why all my plants are plastic," Tenten said. "I wish we didn't have to be gone so long."

He would miss Naruto and Hinata's second date! There would be no one to make sure it went completely awry!

"Tenten-chan, we must not think that way! It is an honor to take on such a mission for our grand village of Konoha!" Lee emphasized, shaking his clenched fist with raw emotion.

Tenten just sighed and ignored the beetle-browed youth.

Sakura noticed Neji's stricken look and chuckled.

"Just noticed that you'd miss Naruto and Hinata's second date?" she asked the Hyuuga.

He nodded, the disappointment clear on his face.

Tenten perked up immediately at what Sakura had said. "What? Naruto and Hinata are going out?! That's great! When did it happen?"

Sakura smiled and the two girls immediately went into an ecstatic, giggly gossip session.

"Last night! Naruto had wanted to ask her, and he finally got the chance when Neji was stuck in the hospital after I punched him for chasing Naruto. You should have seen him, Tenten! He was the perfect gentleman. I was so proud of him! They grow up so fast!"

Neji frowned. Naruto had asked her while he was left unconscious at the hospital? It seemed Naruto was more cunning than he could have believed.

Tenten smiled eagerly. "So where did he take her? How was it? Was there a kiss? I want all the gory, romantic details!"

"Well, he took her to Kata no Kookingu."

"Oh, I heard that place was excellent! So, what did he do in the restaurant? Did her stare into her eyes lovingly or did he talk about ramen the whole night?"

"I don't know. I showed up as they were coming out. You'll have to ask Neji if you want to know that."

Tenten lanced at the scowling Hyuuga and quickly turned back to Sakura.

"So what did they do after?"

"He took her out for ice cream. She accidentally spilled some on him, and she got flustered and he kissed her cheek to calm her down," she gushed.

"Wow, did she faint?!"

"I thought she was going to, but she didn't. I think Naruto apologized, but Hinata said it was okay. Then he walked her home. When they got there, he took her hand and stared into her eyes and kissed it. He asked her out again and she said yes. He bounced off and she watched him until he was out of sight. It was so romantic," she sighed.

"It sounds like it," Tenten sighed with her.

Neji snorted. The two girls ignored him.

"Yes, the burning passion of young love is always breathtaking to witness. I wish the two of them all the great happiness such brilliant and youthful people deserve. This is truly the best part of the springtime of youth!" The boy's enthusiastic tears ran like rivers down his face and the three other people in the hallway could have sworn they saw a radiating sun rising behind him.

They were walking down the hall as they were talking and they had almost reached the lobby. Suddenly, Sai appeared at the end of the hallway. His gaze fixed upon Sakura and he strode to her with the directness of a man of a mission. Neji and his team looked on in confusion as the expressionless man stopped in front of the pink-haired woman.

Sakura raised her eyebrow at him. The man said nothing and merely grabbed her face. He then closed his eyes, brought his head down to hers, and kissed her.

Lee sputtered in shock. Tenten looked just plain dumbstruck. Neji's jaw clenched and his hands formed fists at his side. Sakura blinked with surprise at the man who was kissing her.

It only took a second for the surprise to wear off and Sakura quickly pushed Sai away.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Neji and Sakura yelled at the same time.

The artist's eyebrow twitched in the slightest frown. "I read that a kiss was one of the most intimate signs of affection and one of the easiest ways to strengthen a relationship and get closer to another person. Was it wrong?"

Sakura's eyebrow twitched with controlled anger. "Oh, Kami. Not again," she muttered.

She sighed and closed her eyes while her misguided teammate waited to hear what she had to say about his newest endeavor with forming close relationships with others. "Sai, have you kissed anyone else yet?"

"No. I could not locate Naruto and I have not tried to locate Kakashi yet."

"Thank Kami for small favors," she said. She turned to her friends, who were staring at the two of them uncomfortably. "Ah, could you excuse us while I straighten this out?"

"A-aa, Sakura-san. Are you sure you would not like one of us to stay?" Lee asked with a worried glance at Sai.

"C'mon, Lee," Tenten said as she dragged the green glad shinobi away. "Let's leave it to Neji."

"But, Tenten-chan…"

The two were gone before Sakura could say anything.

Neji glared at the dark-haired artist. The man in question raised an eyebrow in a gesture he had most likely learned from a book.

"Okay, Sai," Sakura started, one look at a glaring Neji telling her that she should just deal with his presence. "Now what exactly have you been reading?"

"The Guide to Personal and Intimate Relationships, Expression of the Self, Touching: The Way to Get Closer, and How to Make Him or Her Smile."

She hadn't read any of those. She would just have to explain why kissing was wrong for people with their type of relationship.

"Sai, you should only kiss someone like that if you like them."

"I like you."

"No, I mean someone you want to be with."

"I do want to be with you."

"No," she said with frustration. "I mean someone you want as more than your friend."

"I see. So kisses are wrong between just friends?"

"Well, not exactly…"

"I have seen Naruto kiss you. Does that mean he wants you for a lover?"

Neji growled. Naruto had been kissing Sakura and yet was dating Hinata.

"No!" she said quickly. "Naruto only kisses me on the cheek. Kissing on the cheek is okay between close friends."

"So kissing on the cheek is right, but kissing on the lips is wrong?"

"Yes. For someone with our type of relationship."

"I see. And what type of relationship would this be appropriate for?"

He hugged her and she smiled, hugging back.

"This type is also good for close friends, but is used between lovers as well," she said, using the man's own language patterns to be clearer.

Neji's chest tightened as he watched the other man hold Sakura.

"And what relationship is this behavior fit for?"

Sakura squeaked when Sai reached one had down to grab her butt and pulled the other around to grab one of her breasts. Neji and Sakura both punched him in the face. He staggered back slightly.

"Strictly for lovers!" Sakura squeaked. There was a deep blush across her cheeks.

"I see," Sai said, unfazed by his swelling cheeks. "And what about sex?"

Neji immediately moved in between Sakura and Sai, making absolutely sure the other man didn't try anything.

Sakura blushed madly. "I would think that would be obviously restricted to lovers."

"I had read it was the most intimate contact between two people," he affirmed.

"Yes, well that's a little too intimate for close friends," she said over Neji's shoulder.

"I know," he said, no expression on his face. "How was my teasing? Did it bring us closer?"

Sakura's face fell. Neji was confused.

"Wait. So that entire time you were just teasing me?"

"Aa. Couldn't you tell?"

Sakura smiled nervously, showing all of her teeth. "Heh. No. Not really."

"I see. I still have much training to do it seems," he said, blank-faced. "Ja ne, Sakura."

Sai leaned around Neji and kissed her cheek before walking away with a purposeful stride.

Sakura laughed at the situation with little humor and then rested her head on Neji's shoulder. "Ugh. It's always so exhausting dealing with him. I can't believe he did that. In front of you and Lee and Tenten no less!"

"Does he do things like that often," Neji wondered.

"Aa. All the time. Worse, he has no sense of impropriety, so he says and does things at the most inopportune moment."

She lifted her head, shaking off her encounter with her emotionally challenged teammate.

"Sorry about that, Neji-san," she smiled apologetically.

"Don't worry about it," Neji said, his usual calm demeanor back in place.

"Thank you for defending my honor like that. You're a good friend."

Her bright smile almost made his cheeks pink again. Almost.

"It was nothing. Should we go now?"

She nodded. "I'm going to go talk to Izumo and Kotetsu about my plants and then I'm going to have lunch at Kata no Kookingu. Want to come?"

He nodded. He had nothing better to do.

---

"How did you ever date that?!" he asked on their way to KaKoo (the nickname for the popular restaurant).

Sakura laughed. "He's actually really sweet if you can get him away from Kotetsu. I swear the two of them think they're still fifteen."

The two of them had just come from the gate entrance, where the two swordsmen had been on guard duty. Neji was sorely disappointed by the two's juvenile teasing and crass comments. While they were on duty, they had been playing a crude game of word associations before he and Sakura had showed up. Neji had a feeling most of the words included references to either excrement, women, or parts of the body, maybe even all three at once. These were supposed to be the shinobi genin could take as role models. At the moment, he was wishing those two would never be allowed within twenty feet of any child. He hoped to Kami they never procreated.

While he worried there might have been something between Izumo and Sakura still, he now knew he had nothing to be concerned about. The other man flirted with her, but she had blown him off expertly. He was starting to believe she was a master at seeming oblivious to the advances of men. He didn't know why he felt both relieved and disappointed at that thought. However, he did know that, as always, he was enjoying his time with Sakura, despite the company they were in. She had given Izumo and Kotetsu an enormous guilt trip with just a glance and he had been silently chuckling at their cowed looks ever since.

"So you end up playing mother?" he teased with a smirk.

"More often than I want to," she said with a sigh. "Although, the godaime usually does a good job of keeping those two in line."

Neji nodded.

"Ah, look! We're here," she said.

He did look up and saw the electric blue and fluorescent green sign above the entrance of the restaurant. As bright and attention-grabbing as the sign was, he decided that the color combination was not altogether displeasing. In fact, as he stared, the place began to grow on him, even though it had born witness and shelter to the horrible event of last night. The restaurant was quaint while retaining an air of sophistication and chic.

"Come on," she said, motioning for him to follow her around to the back.

"We're going in through the back?!" He was appalled. Servants came in through the back. The Hyuuga did not go into any establishment through the back.

Sakura turned to give him a curious look for his tone. She scoffed and just grabbed his hand, pulling him down the narrow alley.

"Yes, oh great Hyuuga-sama. You're going in through the back. My, how humiliating! Maybe some humility will rub off on you."

He winced at her blatant sarcasm and scathing tone, glad for the dim light. Wonderful. Now she was mad at him.

"You know, Hyuuga-sama. Some of the best people I know are those that come to work everyday through the back entrance. Those people happen to be my friends. And I would appreciate it if you wouldn't embarrass me in front of them with all your high airs."

He figured it would be best to apologize now if he planned on having a civil lunch with her.

"Sakura-san…"

"Yes, Hyuuga-sama?"

He scowled. "My name is Neji."

"What?" she asked belligerently.

""My name is Neji, Sakura-san. Not Hyuuga-sama. It was a reflex. I didn't mean to offend you."

They came out in a brightly lit alleyway at the back of the restaurant and she turned to stare him in the eyes angrily. Her searching gaze must have found a pleasing answer because she didn't scold him anymore. She merely huffed and turned away from him.

She had let go of his hand though, choosing to cross her arms instead.

"Don't worry about it. Now, you better prepare yourself for the excellent lunch I promised."

He didn't remember any such promise, but before he could tell her so, she had walked through a large, swinging metal door, leaving him to follow on his own. He sighed, took a moment to prepare himself for whatever he might find on the other side, and followed her through the door. What he found surprised him. After walking down a short corridor, he came upon a large kitchen where fifteen chefs were bustling this way and that preparing large amounts of succulent meals. He could see one chef preparing the dinner plates to be taken to the tables and placing the finished ones in ordered groups on a table near another swinging door.

He came to stand beside Sakura and simply watched the impressive work.

"Yo, Sakura-chan," said one chef as she passed by the two of them.

"Konnichiwa, Rei-san," Sakura called back.

"Ohayou, Sakura-chan," another chef said as he scurried into the short corridor and then into what looked to be a storage area branching off of it.

"Ohayou, Moichi-kun," she called after the chef. "Do you know where Tsuzu-kaa-san is?"

The chef stuck his head out of the storage room. "She's experimenting today, Sakura-chan, but she's still giving us orders as usual. Just call for her. She'll come for you."

Sakura nodded and the man went back to whatever he was doing.

"Tsuzu-kaa-san!" she yelled. Had Neji been a cat, he would be on the ceiling right now.

"Kya!" he heard from across the room. The chef in the far corner raised her head, making herself stand out from the rest of the uniformed chefs.

"That's my Sakura-chan if I know a voice anywhere! Come over here, ko-chan! Let Tsuzu-kaa-san see that angelic face!"

Neji wasn't so sure about this anymore. He really didn't want to get in the way of the steady work of the chefs.

"Follow my lead, Neji-san. You'll be just fine. Just watch out for Tsume-kun. He likes to drop knives sometimes."

"Wait. Which one is…?"

She took off before he could finish and he was too out of place not to blindly follow.

It was apparent Sakura had done this before. She maneuvered herself as well as him through the breaks expertly, not even disturbing the workers. She even caught the knife the chef Neji assumed to be Tsume had dropped before it hit the floor, placing it on the counter instead.

When they reached the corner this Tsuzu-kaa-san was working in, he was thoroughly impressed.

"Ah, Sakura-chan!" The older woman gushed, giving the pink-haired girl a mighty hug and shaking her from side to side. "Angel, sweetie, how have you been? I haven't seen you in weeks!"

Sakura laughed and patted the woman on the back. "I'm fine, Tsuzu-kaa-san. There's someone…"

Before she could say another word, the woman had popped a spoon full of something into Sakura's mouth.

"Tell me quick. How's it taste."

Sakura voiced something through her closed mouth that Neji could not understand. The woman seemed to comprehend though.

"Yes, I thought it needed more lemon juice," she said and pulled the spoon back out. The woman hastily squeezed a lemon over the pasta.

"Trying Italian now are we?" Sakura asked with amusement.

"Yes! It's all the rage and you know how I simply adore Italian."

"How can anyone not? Oh, Tsuzu-kaa-san, this is my friend, Hyuuga Neji."

Neji bowed to the woman as she cast a reprising eye over him. Somehow, he felt it was important to impress her.

"Hm. A Hyuuga, eh? But he seems alright. Much better than that loudmouth Naruto you insist on being friends with. I approve. Have you taken him to see Monbaa or Danbaa yet?"

"No, Tsuzu-kaa-san. He's only a friend," she said, fidgeting slightly.

The woman pierced her with a knowing look. "Have it your way, then," she said with a shrug. "Take him out front and I'll have this out to you within ten minutes. I'll send it to your usual table. Go, my child," she said with a kiss to Sakura's forehead. "And don't wait so long to visit next time."

"Hai!" Sakura said as she pulled Neji away and back through the maze of chefs. They went through the swinging door all the filled plates were sitting by and came out into a small lounge where a few waiters were standing around talking.

They all greeted Sakura warmly and she identified as Souchiro showed them to their table even though he was sure Sakura knew where it was. Neji had a feeling she did it for his pride, so they at least looked like normal customers who had not just come from the kitchen. Neji wasn't sure how he felt about that.

He was proud of himself though. The only time his calm demeanor had slipped was when he realized the knife Tsume had dropped had fallen straight for his foot.

He was surprised when they were led to one of the tables in a room he was sure was reserved for VIPs. He wondered if it was for his benefit or Sakura's. No, it had to be for hers if this was her usual table.

Souchiro took their orders and left. Oddly enough, he didn't ask them what they wanted for lunch, only their drinks. Neji dismissed it and turned to ask a question that had burning to get out since they had met the strange chef.

"Is that woman really your mother?"

Sakura was floored. She got over her shock soon enough and was then laughing hysterically. Neji frowned and waited for her to control herself.

She wiped away a couple of tears and smiled at him. "No, no. Tsuzu-kaa-san is…an old friend. She's actually the owner of this restaurant."

Neji was surprised and his eyes widened in response. Before he could ask her how she knew the owner of this popular restaurant, the waiter, Souchiro he remembered now, arrived with their drinks.

"I guess you want to know how I know her, right?" she asked before he could.

He nodded. How did she keep doing that? It was like she could read his mind.

"I guess you could say Tsuzu-kaa-san helped raise me. Whenever my parents were on a mission, she would take care of me and run the bakery my parents keep up as a cover when they are home."

"Cover?"

"They're ANBU and they specialize in long-term infiltration," she said as she shifted uncomfortably.

So Sakura's parents were spies. That had to make for an interesting childhood.

"You have one more personal question left for the day, by the way, since I asked the last one for you," she said and calmly took a sip of her water.

Damn. He had forgotten about her limit. They were talking so comfortably, he hadn't noticed he'd used one.

"What was your childhood like?" he asked.

"Ooh, a broad topic with lots of room for lots of information. Well played, Neji-san. My childhood was okay. I was teased a lot about my big forehead." She unconsciously rubbed it with a pouting frown.

"It's not that big. It only serves to accentuate your eyes," he comforted.

"Thanks, Neji-san," she smiled.

"Is that all you have to say about your childhood?"

"That depends," she said cryptically.

"On what?"

"On what you would rather not here and what I'd rather not tell. You'll simply have to be more specific."

He thought about it. "Where did you live?"

"I spent half the year at my clan's home in the capital and half the year here with Tsuzu-kaa-san and my parents until I started at the academy. After that, I just stayed in Konoha. Well, except for that one year when I was ten, but that had to be done."

"Wait. You're part of a clan? And they have a home at the capital? This capital?"

She smirked and wagged a finger at him. "Nope. It's got to fall within the topic of childhood or else I don't answer."

He scowled at her, but let it be.

"Fine then. What happened the year you were ten?"

"I returned to the clan home to complete my training and become a full-fledged Haruno."

"What type of training?"

"I'm not sure that falls into the category of childhood," she said with a thoughtful frown.

He growled, but dropped it anyway.

"Alright. When did you enter the academy?"

"When I was six."

He nodded. The usual age to enter was six. There was something he really wanted to know. "When did the Sasuke obsession start?"

She fidgeted and would not look at him. "By my definition, childhood stopped after I turned eleven, so I don't have to answer that one."

That told him all he needed to know. It wasn't as bad as he had feared. Her silly crush on Sasuke couldn't have gone on for more than a year or two. He had worried that it might have gone as far back as when they were children. He did have one more question though.

"Was it happy?"

"Was what happy?"

He rolled his eyes. "Your childhood."

She had to think about that for a moment. As he watched the memories flicker past her bright eyes, he saw a slight smile grace her features.

"I guess you could say that."

He didn't have anymore time for questions because the waiter had brought their food. They both said their thanks and eagerly dug in to the delicious looking Italian food.

As they were eating the amazingly delicious meal and lazily thinking their own thoughts, he heard Sakura giggle.

"What?"

She giggled again and smiled warmly at him. "I told you they were meant to be together."

He scowled. He did not want to be reminded of his lost opportunity to assault his cousin's budding relationship.

"You keep saying that," he accused as if it were a heinous act. He took the opportunity to ask something he had been wondering about. "Do you believe in fate?"

"That's another personal question, Neji-san," she teased.

"Humor me. Just this once," he said with as close to a smile as he had ever come in her presence.

She gave him a shrewd look. "Hm. I suppose I could humor you. Just this once, though."

Yes! The almost smile worked every time.

Her eyes took on a faraway look as she formulated her response.

"I guess you could say I believe in fate. But it's different from what you used to believe. I believe that there are some things that are simply destiny and some things that are laid out by fate and are unchangeable. But I also believe in choice. I believe that if you wish hard enough and you fight hard enough, you can change your fate, any fate. I believe in fate, but I believe it only goes so far. It's ruled by our choices. If it wasn't that way, there'd be no reason to try to do anything. Fate would rule everything and all you would have to do is sit back and watch the world go by." She frowned at the thought. "It would be boring and the world would never change."

He munched thoughtfully on some pasta and admired the fierce passion that made her green eyes shine. She was so sincere and her intensity really came through when she was speaking about something she really believed in. He really liked that about her.

"But, life's not like that, thank goodness," she continued. "It's full of surprises and twists and nothing's for certain. No matter how you're born, you can always change, if you fight for it enough, if your will is strong enough, if you believe in it hard enough. Just look at you," she said with a dazzling smile. "You changed your fate."

He smirked. She was right. Instead of being relegated to the lower branch of the family, he now stood to become the next head of the Hyuuga Clan and was recognized as a member of the main branch. Also, the curse mark was no longer used and after Neji's generation all Hyuuga were to be one family.

"Eat before it gets cold, Sakura-san," he said simply, returning to his calm demeanor.

Sakura frowned. "Hey, I told you mine when you were out of questions! Now you tell me yours."

"The same as you," he said simply, taking another bite of dinner.

She frowned at him. "Care to elaborate on that, Mr. It Was Fate for You to Lose to Me, You'll Never Be Hokage?"

He frowned at the reference to his first chunin exam when he had been young and stupid.

"Naruto's words made me rethink my belief about fate. What I came up with was exactly the same as what you just said."

"Oh," she said, for once looking like she had nothing more to say.

"Eat your lunch, Sakura-san," Neji told her.

She sulked at his demanding tone and he smirked at how easy it was to get a reaction from her. "Yes, kaa-san," she threw back.

Neji ignored her snide comment and she let it drop as well. The two spent the rest of their lunch in companionable silence.

When they were done eating, Neji offered to pay for the both of them, but Sakura told him it wasn't necessary. The meals were on the house if they went back to the kitchen and reported how well they liked the new dish to Tsuzu.

Neji wasn't so sure he wanted to see the overly affectionate woman again, especially when his toes would be in danger again, but he was not going to pass up the chance for a free meal in exchange for a few words of deserving praise.

Sakura grabbed his elbow and led him back to the kitchen. He was slightly surprised to hear yelling even before the door swung open.

"Flip that chicken like you mean it! Tsuzu-kaa-chan did not teach you to flip a chicken like it was rolling over. That bird should be in the air! Yes, chop! Chop! Chop! A little thinner there, Mizu-chan! More salt than that, Shuichi-kun! Yes! Good!"

The spry and loud woman seemed to be everywhere at once, shouting orders left and right while working on her own sizzling entrée. When he saw Sakura open her mouth to call the woman's attention, he almost stopped her. He had a bad feeling about this.

"Tsuzu-kaa-san!"

Oh, no.

"Sakura-chan!" the woman called over the noise of various cooking.

She handed the pan she was working on over to another chef and walked over to the two of them. The woman then stared them down. Sakura wasn't fazed at all, but Neji had to put effort into maintaining his blank face.

"So," the woman began ominously. "How was it?" she asked, immediately loosing all intimidating aura and clasping her hands together in front of her with a hopeful smile. She reminded Neji of a wife eagerly awaiting her husband's approval of a new dish. It was slightly unnerving considering she was directing most of her attention to Sakura.

"The meal was wonderful! The taste was superb, intense without overwhelming. The texture was perfect, everything feeling as it should. Italian food definitely suits you, Tsuzu-kaa-chan. I was a little disappointed in your presentation, though. The placing was a little lackluster and lacked the certain verve."

Placement? Texture? Was he supposed to be paying attention to those things? Oh, no.

"Yes, that's understandable. I had Tsume-kun prepare the actual plate. He's good, but he still needs more training."

Sakura nodded. Then the worst thing happened. Both women turned to him, expecting his review. He froze for a moment. There was no point in trying to seem like he knew what Sakura was talking about. He would only end up looking like a fool in front of the woman who had helped raise Sakura. Damn.

"It was delicious," he said, settling on flattery.

Tsuzu beamed at him, said her thanks to the both of them for being guinea pigs for her new recipe and pushed them all the way out into the alley.

She was gone before he could tell her thanks for the meal. What a disconcerting woman. He glanced at Sakura and saw her smiling at him proudly.

"What?" he asked, trying to keep the blush off his cheeks.

"Good job, Neji-san," she said, linking his arm with hers and pulling him down the back alleys.

He smirked at her praise and let her lead him since he would be lost by himself in this unknown land of backstreets and alleyways.

"Where are we going?" he asked as she led him down another turn.

"I'm walking you home. That is where you want to go, right?"

He nodded. She smiled winningly at him.

"So, Neji-san, what did you think of your first time going in through the back?"

"It was…different."

Sakura laughed. "Yeah, Tsuzu-kaa-chan has that effect on a lot of people. But did you have fun at least?"

"Aa."

He meant it, too. Sakura must have known that because she smiled wider. She took him around a corner and he saw a large amount of light at the end of this street. Most of the streets they had been winding through had a dim twilight effect due to the closely built structures and the height of some of the buildings.

As they walked out into the bright light, he was surprised to see the start of the residential district. He turned in confusion to Sakura.

"How did we…"

"End up here?" she finished for him.

He nodded.

Sakura chuckled. "Those streets lead all over Konoha. If you know which ones to take, you can get to any district of the village with only crossing a few roads with heavy traffic."

"How do you…"

"Know about the right roads?"

He nodded. Her finishing his sentences was getting annoying. Then he realized that his sentences were questions of a personal nature. If he had finished, she wouldn't have been able to answer by the rules of her own game. She was actually being courteous and making small talk on the way to his home without breaking any rules.

"I practically grew up in the market district. You learn how to navigate real quick like if you're running errands for someone. I used to help out a lot at some of the shops in market district. Well, and I was naturally curious about them when I was younger. Ino and I used to go exploring all the time."

He could see the Hyuuga compound coming up. He was almost sad to see it. He was enjoying talking to Sakura. She always had something interesting to say or an interesting take on things. She made him want to talk back. Not many people could do that.

"Well," she said as they came to stand in front of the large gates, "I guess this is you."

He watched her stare up at the building with her hands behind her back and her head tilted slightly to the side. He realized he liked watching her reactions as much as he liked talking to her.

"So, Hyuuga-sama, do you ever get lost in that big place?" she teased.

He frowned. "I told you before that it's Neji."

She smirked. He scowled. She had called him that just to get on his nerves, hadn't she?

"So?" she prompted.

"So what?"

"Have you ever gotten lost?"

He looked away from her.

"Once," he mumbled under his breath, cheeks turning the faintest pink.

"What was that?" she asked, tilting her head to the side cutely in question.

"Once," he muttered.

She chuckled and he frowned at her.

"Well, it's better than what I probably would have done, so I guess I have no room to laugh," she said with a smile that melted his frown away. "I just know I would have been lost more times than I can count."

He smirked. "Yes, it does take a higher sense of direction and intelligence to do as well as I have."

"Whatever, Neji-san," she said to his veiled insult. "See you tomorrow."

She slugged him lightly on the shoulder with a smile and walked off with a wave. He watched with his calm, blank expression until she had turned the corner. Then he reached up and rubbed the tingle bordering on a sting her punch had left. She really was very violent. But, oddly enough, that part of her was beginning to grow on him as well.

He shook that silly thought out of his head and went inside to prepare for the mission.