A/N: Happy birthday, Caitlyn!! chu 3

Dislaimer: I don't own Naruto.

It was only a few inches, but to Neji, it could seem like several feet at times. Uchiha Itachi was a tall man, no doubt about it, and broader in the shoulders than it first appeared. But Neji was tall, too. Not over six feet, like Itachi, but closer to it than most people. He wasn't broader than he seemed, however – in fact, he was slimmer.

Neji didn't think it made much of a difference either way, though.

There was just something about Itachi that made him seem larger than life; a force that couldn't be reckoned with. Maybe it was his unwavering confidence in own ability.

Maybe it was just the shadow of his lethal infamy.

Either way, it could leave Neji feeling as though he were thirteen again, standing in the shade of his uncle's towering stature for the first time. It was unsettling. He hadn't been in anyone's shadow for a very, very long time.

An arm slipped around Neji's waist. The Hyuuga pulled from his musing, looking at Itachi in askance. Paranoia, well earned over the years, usually kept both of the Uchiha's hands free in public. Neji didn't mind. PDA wasn't really his thing.

He was glaring fiercely at someone, onyx eyes narrowed and intense. Neji looked across the crowded marketplace, following the hostile gaze. Subaku no Gaara stood at the stall across the way, watching the pair as his brother and sister spoke with the stand's clerk. Neji nodded at the Suna shinobi politely in greeting. Itachi's arm tightened as Gaara returned the gesture.

Neji ignored the urge to roll his eyes, smirking up at Itachi, "Possessive bastard."

Itachi shifted his gaze to Neji, the hostility gone but no less intense.

"Yes," he agreed, voice mild, then pulled Neji even closer to prove the statement.

Itachi was taller then he was, but not by much. It wasn't so horrible, Neji had decided. It certainly made kisses like this easier.