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Forgetting Sasuke	By : CutieSakura Category: Naruto > General Views: 1230 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Disclaimer: *Cries* Not mine� not mine� Oh how unfair is the world!

A/N: I apologize it took me so long to get this chapter out! I was struggling with it for a long time, and honestly between a lot of personal stuff, I was inundated. But here it is. Hope you all enjoy!
~~~~~
�How is Kankurou doing?� Gaara asked Sakura as she walked in for their morning session.
�He�s doing considerably better, given the nature of his injuries,� Sakura said simply.
�Do not be so humble, Sakura-san. You accomplished no small thing in saving his life,� Gaara said pointedly, sizing her up. His eyes locked on hers.
Compliments were not given lightly by the Kazekage, and to receive such a compliment, Sakura knew, was an honor. She nodded, biting back her embarrassment and changing the subject, asking, �Are you feeling up to another session this morning?�
�Are you?� Gaara countered.
Sakura sighed. Gaara missed nothing. It was true, she was still exhausted from the chakra drain the night before. In truth, she wasn�t even sure how she managed to summon the chakra needed to repair the majority of the damage to Kankurou after depleting her reserves only hours before on the Kazekage. She didn�t even remember how she got to her bed.
Rather than arguing with him, which she knew would be an exercise in utter futility, she smiled and said, �Why don�t we work on some of those chakra building exercises?�
�That would be fine,� Gaara replied, standing up. �As I said yesterday, I have no intention of doing this out in the open for all the village to see, but having given it some thought, my office is quite large and should suffice for such rudimentary training.�
�Sounds perfect,� Sakura smiled. Gaara walked to the door and held it open, waiting for her to pass. �Thank you.�
He simply nodded, closing his own door shut behind him.
* * * * *
�I just can�t figure out where we went wrong,� Kankurou said, shaking his head. Temari looked from her brother to Neji and back again.
Neji nodded. He had, in fact, been over the details of the botched mission a hundred times in his head and could not come up with a single answer. How? Why? Where from? It was as though every single question only gave rise to new questions, never getting them any closer to the truth.
�Sakura should be stopping by in just a while to check on you,� Temari told Kankurou, �as soon as she finishes with Gaara-sama for the morning.�
Kankurou shook his head in amazement. �You know, Suna�s turned out some excellent medic-nins, but that Sakura� she really is amazing. That�s the second time she�s saved my life.�
�Yeah, well, keep it up and she�s going to start thinking you keep getting yourself into life-threatening situations just so she can save your ass and give you a chance to flirt with her,� Temari jibed.
�Well it�s kind of hard to flirt when you�re unconscious,� Kankurou argued.
�I should let you get some rest,� Neji said, standing. In truth, the interchange between the two siblings irked him, though he was loathe to admit it, and he wanted to get some fresh air.
�Thanks for stopping by Neji,� Kankurou said gratefully.
�I�ll come by later and let you know what�s going on,� Neji said, heading out.
* * * * *
Gaara sat, staring hard at Sakura. He was not winded, but clearly exhausted. �Excellent progress,� Sakura said, nodding. She jotted a few more notes into her composition book, before snapping it shut. �I guess that should do for today.�
�This shouldn�t tire me so much,� Gaara said, and if Sakura didn�t know better, she would�ve said there was the tiniest whine in his tone.
�This exercise molds chakra in a much more demanding way then your sand, which was exactly why I wanted to conduct this exercise. I needed to test your new limits to date. I�m actually amazed you�ve done so well, given the circumstances.�
�I admit I�m tired,� he replied blandly.
�You should be. You�ve done a lot today. I suggest you get some rest.�
�Sakura-san?� Gaara asked as Sakura stood up to leave.
�Yes?�
�Will my stamina and control return?�
She nodded, �I see no reason it shouldn�t. You need to understand, Gaara-sama, that you sustained an injury of sorts. Consider this your physical rehabilitation. It takes time to recover what you lost. You�ll be back to your old self in no time. Just don�t over exert yourself, and if you do, there will be hell to pay.�
Gaara�s lips curved into a slight smile at the threat. �Thank you.�
�Of course. I�m going to check on Kankurou now. I�ll be back in a few hours for another round,� she said, gathering her things and taking her leave of the Kazekage.
* * * * *
�Sakura!� Kankurou smiled pleasantly as she entered his room.
�How are you feeling today?�
�Sore, but surprisingly not terrible.�
�Good,� she said, unwrapping the bandages around his chest. She had not been able to heal him all the way through yesterday, but it looks like he was doing the rest on his own. �These can come off.�
�Excellent.�
She checked the rest of the wounds to find there were barely any marks even left. �You heal quite fast,� she commented.
�Only thanks to you,� he replied honestly.
Sakura smiled. �I�m still keeping you restricted to bed for the rest of the day. You can get up and start moving around tomorrow. In a day or two you should be able to start training.�
He frowned at this. �I�m not a genin.�
�No, you�re not, but that doesn�t change the fact that you sustained quite a severe injury and even though everything looks completely healed from the outside doesn�t mean it is. So if you don�t follow my orders, you�re going to find yourself in a world of pain, inflicted either by yourself or by me. Understood?� she said sternly.
Kankurou nodded slowly, wide eyed. �You speak to my brother that way too?�
�Oh, he gets worse yelling at then you do,� Sakura smirked.
�No wonder he speaks so highly of you. You challenge him.�
�Only because he needs challenging. But I can�t deal with both of you being babies and arguing with me. So take the higher ground and don�t become a pain in my ass. He�s enough of one as it is,� she laughed.
�I suppose I can manage staying out of trouble and following doctor�s orders for a few days,� he said, exaggerated.
�Suppose?� Temari asked, coming back in. �Suppose my ass. You won�t just have Sakura to contend with, you�ll have me if you don�t.�
�So nice to see you too.�
�Sakura, are you almost finished? I need a word with you,� she stated, ignoring her brother�s comment.
�Absolutely,� Sakura said. She wrapped up the remaining bandages into a ball and tossed them in the bin, following Temari out.
Temari led her to a small room which they entered, closing the door behind them. �Sakura, you�d better sit down.�
Sakura took a seat, her eyes locked with Temari�s. This was not a friendly chat, and she had a feeling this wasn�t going to be good news.
�I got a message from Shikamaru. Your friend Ino was hurt in a mission. It�s serious, but the Hokage has already begun surgery and thinks the prognosis will be good.�
Sakura paled at the news. �What happened? Does he know?�
�I don�t have all the details. All I was able to find out was that she and two other chuunin were sent in to Country of the Wave as further escort for some daimyo there. The other two chuunin were killed, and a jounin was injured as well.�
Sakura�s stomach sank. The room began spinning. She grabbed onto a table to brace herself. �Who?�
�Anomi Yuki and Numa Azuko.�
Sakura knew them by name and reputation only. She sighed her relief.
�And the jounin?�
�Hyuuga Hiashi,� Temari replied slowly. �Is that any relation to-�
�Neji�s uncle,� Sakura replied, her eyes wide. �How serious?�
�Not life threatening. That�s all I know.�
�Ino�� her voice trailed off.
�Shikamaru said she should be alright. Hokage-sama performed an operation to heal her. I don�t know what kind of damage she sustained, only that she should be fine in a few weeks.�
Sakura sat silently for a few moments, processing all the information she was given. �Thank God Ino is going to be alright��
�Have you told Neji yet?�
Temari shook her head. �I wanted to let you know first. I don�t know his relationship with his family, so I thought it best you give him the information.�
Sakura nodded absently in agreement. �Thank you.�
�I�ve got to go. I�ll meet up with you later,� Temari promised. She gave Sakura�s shoulder a squeeze before walking out.
* * * * *
Neji took long strides into Sand�s shinobi headquarters. A full day of nothing. Literally. No answers to be found anywhere. This puzzle was damn near impossible to solve, and the frustration was mounting.
He tore into his quarters, stripping off his yukata, hitai-ate and the bandages around his head. He rubbed his forehead then ran his fingers through his hair. He paced for a few moments before finally settling down on the bed, his legs crossed. He needed to meditate, to channel and focus his energies. If he could replay the events over the last two weeks, perhaps he could find the missing link.
He concentrated on his breathing, inhaling and exhaling in slow, controlled intervals. He willed the negativity to flow out of his body, cleansing his energy. Slowly he began to concentrate on images and interactions from the time he arrived.
A gentle knock pulled him out of his trance. �Damn it,� he muttered under his breath. He sighed. �Yes?�
Sakura slid the door open and walked in. �Oh, I�m sorry, Neji-kun, I didn�t mean to interrupt,� she apologized. Her eyes drank in the sight of him. It was the first time she had seen him without the usual adornments on his head. Her eyes flitted for only a second to the beautiful green-hued seal on his forehead before locking with his eyes. �I�m afraid I have some bad news.�
�Are you alright?� he asked immediately, standing and going to her side, pulling her into an embrace.
�I�m alright,� she assured him. �It�s Ino� and your uncle.�
�What?� Neji pulled away to look Sakura in the eye. They both sat down on the edge of his bed and over the next half hour, Sakura relayed the information Temari had shared with her, in addition to her own thoughts and opinions on the matter.
�Damn it!� Neji shouted, standing and pacing again. �Two chuunin dead, one and a jounin seriously injured? Who on earth would be after a daimyo to send such ninja as could take out an entire skilled cell?�
�I agree,� Sakura said quietly, �it doesn�t make sense. We don�t have all the details. I�ve already sent a message to Shishou requesting details.� She sighed. �I�m just so thankful Ino is alright. I don�t know what I�d do without�� Sakura paused, studying Neji carefully. �You think it�s related to what�s going on here, don�t you?� It was a statement, not a question.
Neji said nothing, his silence his answer. Sakura stood up, wrapping her arms around him from behind, stopping him in his tracks. He turned around to face her, his hair falling forward, obscuring his face. �Is he really� alright?�
Sakura reached up and brushed away the offending tresses, gently grazing his forehead with her fingertips. �Yes.�
Neji suddenly realized at her soft touch that he wasn�t wearing his hitai-ate or the bandages around his forehead, leaving the juin exposed. He turned away.
�Don�t,� Sakura whispered, cupping his cheek in her hand and turning him back to her.
�It�s a mark of shame, Sakura, of weakness. Of all the things I detest. No matter how strong or powerful I become, I will always be vulnerable. Someone will always have the power to hurt and control me,� he explained. He looked into her eyes, saying softly, desperately, �I don�t ever want you to see me as weak.�
�I never will,� she said simply. �You never could be weak, Neji. Strength is not the ability to not feel pain, it is the ability to rise above it. You should know this. And you should know that there is nothing in this world that would ever make me think less of you.�
Neji melted into Sakura�s embrace. She didn�t think less of him, wouldn�t think less of him, despite the seal, despite his vulnerability. It was a topic he never even considered an issue until faced with it. She still wanted him.
�Sakura�� he whispered, breathing her in. She held him tightly to her, allowing him this indulgence. She knew all too well his strained relationship with his family, with his uncle. That he would open up to her meant everything, and she wanted him to know that she would always be there for him, loving him.
She pulled away slowly, taking in his remarkable beauty, his white eyes staring desperately into hers as though trying to reach her soul. She ran her fingertips once more over the expanse of his forehead, down his cheek and finally slipping behind his neck, pulling him to her in a gentle kiss.
Neji responded hungrily, needing to feel her, to taste her, to wrap himself within her. His failures of the last few days and now news of Hiashi�s injuries only served to remind him of his own fallibility. He needed a respite, a sanctuary to escape from his own tumultuous thoughts and fears of the outside world. He needed her.
Sakura pulled away, looking into his deep eyes one long moment before kissing slowly down his neck, nibbling lightly on his ear, before trailing soft kisses back down his neck and across the expanse of his chest. Neji�s soft moan encouraged her to continue her delicate onslaught, teasing him gently as she kissed her way back up to his lips.
His fingers tangled into her hair, pulling her forcefully up to his lips once more, claiming her in a frenzied kiss. He grabbed her rear, picking her up; Sakura instinctively wrapped her legs around him. He carried her to the bed, setting her down roughly. He pulled away, both of them breathless. Frantically, he unzipped her shirt, pulling it away before attacking the buckles of her skirt and pulling away her shorts. Sakura completed undressing him with the same fervor. So much stress, so much worry� their need was great.
With the agile hands of a ninja, Neji made sure Sakura was wet and ready for him. Her green eyes met his, holding his gaze. She wanted him, needed him, he could see it in her eyes how much she loved him. He positioned himself between her thighs and pushed in. Sakura released a guttural moan as Neji slid into her; she wrapped her arms tightly around him, squeezing him possessively.
Before Neji could react, Sakura threw her weight into him, causing him to roll onto his back. She sat up straight, running her fingers down his chest, staring into his eyes as she raised and lowered her hips, riding him in a slow rhythm. Neji�s hands found her hips, grasping them tightly as he set their pace faster. He stared in fascination at Sakura�s beauty, her short pink hair disheveled and falling slightly into her face, her complexion flushed with desire, her petite, perfect breasts bouncing in time to the fast rhythm they set. Her green eyes burning, burning for him.
She bent forward at her waist, continuing the building pace, kissing him deeply. She ran her tongue along the outline of his lower lip, causing shivers to run down his back. �Sakura�� he moaned.
Her tongue licked from the hollow of his neck up to his earlobe, biting gently and planting a kiss before finding his lips once more. She could feel her climax near. She wrapped her legs around Neji�s for leverage and pushed herself onto him, forcing him to fill her.
�Neji!� she groaned as her climax hit. Neji could feel her walls convulsing around him, milking him, sending him over his own edge. His fingers dug into her as he clung desperately to her, whispering her name over and over into oblivion.
Spent, Sakura slowly rolled off of him, curling up in the crook of his shoulder, her leg thrown carelessly over him, her arm draped over him, fingers running up his chest, along his neck and finally tangling into his hair.
�Sakura��
�Hmm?�
�I��
She smiled softly. �Neji-kun, I know.�
~~~~~

A/N: The next chapter will be out much sooner than this one! I was really struggling with this, but the next one is underway! I promise! As always, please review! Thanks! ~Lils
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Forgetting Sasuke