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Forgetting Sasuke	By : CutieSakura Category: Naruto > General Views: 1229 -:- 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
- 24
- 25
- 26
Disclaimer: Not mine.
~~~~~
Sakura stared at her mentor, wide eyed and gaping. �I�m sorry. I must not have heard you correctly. I thought you said-�
�Naruto�s alive?� Sasuke repeated quietly.
�Alive?� Kakashi echoed in the background.
�No�� Sakura said, shaking her head, �no� he� I saw� we all saw� it didn�t work!�
�It did, Sakura,� Tsunade reiterated, �it did. Naruto is alive!�
The room began spinning. She could feel arms encircle her as darkness overtook her.
* * * * *
�You were about to tell her, weren�t you?� Tenten said between small bites of sweet dango.
�Yeah,� Neji admitted. Since seeing Sakura and having been so unfortunately interrupted, he�d lost his appetite; he was glad however that Tenten was eating, even if only a little.
�She was warmer with you,� she commented.
�She wasn�t cold and hateful like she was last night. Not that I didn�t deserve it. But yeah, I guess that�s a good thing.�
Tenten nodded. �It wasn�t Sasuke�s fault. Izumo showed up just as the two of you got away. You just have no manner of luck when it comes to expressing your feelings to Sakura.�
Neji laughed bitterly, �No, I really don�t.�
�Neji�� Tenten said tentatively. He looked at her expectantly. �I know it�s not my business, but� I�m saying it anyway. She needs Sasuke right now. He�s her teammate and the person who can best understand how she feels.� Neji nodded sadly. �Just like you and me,� Tenten continued, �but that doesn�t mean you should give up on her. I think the two of you have something really special, and it�s worth fighting for.�
Neji looked up at her in surprise. �But-�
�There are no �buts� Neji. Fight for her. Don�t just let her walk out of your life.� Tenten smiled sadly. �I lost the love of my life,� she continued, inhaling deeply, �but that doesn�t mean that you should lose yours. You can do something about this. So do it.�
�Right now��
�You�ll know when the time is right.�
�Ten� you�re amazing,� Neji smiled at her genuinely. �You know that, right?�
�And so are you, my friend,� she smiled back, taking his hand in hers and squeezing. �So are you.�
* * * * *
Sakura opened her eyes, finding herself on the floor with three and a half pairs of concerned eyes looking at her. She sat up, shooing them away. She looked around, her eyes first meeting Sasuke�s and then Tsunade�s. She got to her feet.
�It�s true?� she asked her mentor, �He�s really alive?�
�Yes,� Tsunade nodded.
�I want to see him.�
�He�s a bit tired. He only just completely woke up about an hour ago.�
�I want to see him,� Sakura repeated.
�Sakura,� Jiraiya said gently, �you have to understand he�s been through a lot. He�s still a bit weak and-�
�I am going to see him, and you are not going to stop me,� Sakura ordered.
Jiraiya looked uncertainly to Tsunade, who only nodded, a smirk on her face. �The three of you may see him, for a short while.�
Tsunade led them through a small room off to the side of her office. Sakura knew they were going to the Hokage�s office�s sleeping quarters.
Her heart began beating rapidly in excited anticipation. �Can this really be true?� She could feel Sasuke�s fingers slide between hers. She met his gaze. He looked as shocked as she did.
Tsunade opened the door slowly. Sakura unconsciously squeezed Sasuke�s hand in hers, feeling him squeeze back. Her breath quickened.
Naruto was lying under the covers in the large bed, bare-chested and looking content, if a little tired.
�Sakura-chan!� he said happily, waving at her.
Sakura stood frozen to the spot. She could feel Kakashi slip in past her. Some part of her brain told her Sasuke�s hand had disengaged from hers, but she was unaware of it. She could only stare at him, lying there, healthy, happy, alive, right in front of her.
�We�d thought we�d lost you,� Kakashi said warmly, walking over to Naruto and patting his shoulder.
�Not me, Kakashi-sensei!� Naruto laughed, punching him in the arm. �You should know that! And how are you Sasuke?�
Sasuke approached cautiously, nodding. �We� you were� it was�� Sasuke�s words became jumbled as he started mumbling.
Naruto waved his hand, dismissing Sasuke�s incoherent rant as more of Sasuke�s usual muttering. �Sakura-chan?�
Sakura realized she hadn�t moved. She was still standing just inside the doorway, on the opposite end of the room from Naruto and the others. Her emerald eyes were fixed only on Naruto in an unblinking stare.
�Sakura-chan?� he repeated gently, his brilliant sapphire orbs full of concern for her.
Sakura glided across the room by some power not her own. She could feel her hand cock back and swing, smacking Naruto hard across the face.
�Sakura!� several people in the room shouted.
�Sakura-chan�� Naruto whispered, smiling lovingly at her, holding his arms open to her.
�Naruto!� Sakura threw herself into his embrace, crying uncontrollably.
Naruto pulled her up onto the bed with him, rubbing her back soothingly as he held her tightly to him. �I�m so sorry I hurt you, Sakura-chan,� he whispered to her, so softly only she could hear. �I�m so sorry you had to go through that. I love you. I love you so much, more than anything, Sakura-chan, more than anything. Sakura-chan, I love you.�
Sakura clung to him, crying her heart out in pure joy.
* * * * *
Kakashi and Sasuke had waited silently and patiently for Sakura to calm down. She was now leaning against him with his arm around her, looking at Sasuke, who was sitting on the bed next to Naruto, Kakashi just behind him. Tsunade and Jiraiya stood off to the side to give the team some room to breathe.
��some sort of trance,� Naruto continued, �like, I could feel what was happening to me, but wasn�t really aware of everything going on around me.
�I remember the seal,� he looked down to the dark black seal on his abdomen, �burning, like the fire would consume me whole. It felt like kyuubi was being ripped from my body, and yet he wouldn�t budge. Suddenly there was intense pain, unlike anything I had ever felt.
�I knew it was the end, and I was too weak to fight, so I just let the darkness come,� he finished.
Sasuke nodded then looked to Kakashi in hopes of an explanation. Kakashi remained silent a moment before saying, �If I�m correct, Kyuubi�s chakra pathways were completely merged with Naruto�s own.�
�Their chakra merged?� Sasuke asked skeptically.
�No, just the chakra pathways. Two chakras that run through the same path. Think of it like hot water and cold water running from the same faucet. There was no way Akatsuki could have extracted the demon. Kyuubi�s chakra ceases to exist without Naruto�s. So because there were two massive chakra forces running through one pathway, all it took was a charge to ignite one which in turn revived the other, bringing you back.�
Kakashi turned to Sakura, �When you performed the jutsu, you said it felt like it had worked, that you could feel the chakra drain from you, but then you were suddenly thrown back, regaining your own chakra and a hard knock from a foreign one. Kyuubi�s chakra, likely dormant as Naruto was, in fact, dead, sprang back to life from the charge of your jutsu, but didn�t need your chakra for Naruto or himself, so spat it back out at you.�
Naruto nodded, �That�s what Baa-chan said too, and Ero-sennin seemed to agree with her.�
�That�s exactly right,� Tsunade interjected.
Sasuke seemed satisfied with this explanation. Sakura however, was not. �There�s one thing I don�t get,� she said, looking at Tsunade. She turned and looked up at Naruto. �When I worked with Gaara, his chakra highways had holes. Granted, he�d died, and Chiyo-baa-sama was able to bring him back. But, point being, I could see where Shukaku�s chakra used to be, could see where the extraction had damaged Gaara�s own chakra system, but it hadn�t completely obliterated it.
�So the fact that Akatsuki was able to extract Shukaku from Gaara, to extract the demons from all these other Jinchuriki we know they have means that none of the other Jinchurikis merged.� She turned back to Kakashi, �So what makes Naruto different? Why would Kyuubi merge with Naruto when none of the other demons merged with their hosts?�
�Hmm�� Kakashi pondered a moment in his usual fashion. �Well, Jiraiya would probably be able to better answer your question.�
Jiraiya stepped up to the plate. �Naruto has always wanted to control Kyuubi, ever since he found out about it, to make sure he never got out.� Naruto nodded.
He continued, �Naruto has such vast amounts of chakra, his desire to contain Kyuubi probably led to an unconscious fusion of the chakra pathways, with Naruto�s chakra dominating Kyuubi�s as Yondaime intended. If the theory is correct, Kyuubi is still, and always will be, a separate entity from Naruto, but instead of two, individual chakra pathways for each entity, Naruto�s desire to protect others from the demon within him led to the merging of each separate chakra path into one central one. Kyuubi ceases to exist without Naruto, just as Naruto ceases to exist without Kyuubi.�
The four of them nodded, contemplating what he said in silence. Finally Naruto said, his tone mischievous and playful, �So really, if they were smart, they�d have wanted me and my chakra, since I�m the dominant one in our relationship. They were trying to extract the wrong guy.�
Sakura burst into giggles while Kakashi chuckled with Tsunade and Jiraiya. Sasuke merely smirked, shaking his head, muttering, �Idiot,� under his breath.
�Well it�s true! Right?� insisted Naruto.
�You can�t argue with logic like that,� Sakura laughed, hugging Naruto.
Naruto squeezed her back with all his strength, little though it was. He yawned. �You need some rest,� Kakashi stated, standing up. �I�m sure you�ll be in bed for a few days. We�ll see you tomorrow then, alright?�
Sasuke stood up as well, his eyes never leaving Naruto.
Naruto nodded, �Yeah, that�s okay.� He looked to Tsunade and Jiraiya, �I need just a minute with Sasuke and Sakura, and then I�ll kick them out, I promise.�
Kakashi smirked underneath his mask. �You do that.� He waved from behind as he followed Tsunade and Jiraiya out.
Naruto turned to Sakura, his eyes narrowing. �What you did was stupid, Sakura-chan.�
Sakura�s eyes widened in surprise; she was caught completely off guard by his remark.
Before she could say anything though, Sasuke jumped in, �Don�t you dare criticize her for doing the exact same thing you did, you stupid hypocrite!� he retorted. �You damn near killed yourself trying to bring me back, and you would�ve given your life happily if it meant success. She did nothing you haven�t already done!�
Naruto and Sasuke glared at one another furiously, Sasuke clearly angry at Naruto�s hypocrisy, Naruto angry at being told off, the electric negativity emanating between them.
�And what do you know of it, Sasuke? You�re always so full of yourself, and obviously care only about yourself,� Naruto replied angrily, �did you-�
�Stop it, please!� Sakura interrupted.
Naruto continued, �-even bother coming after me?�
�Naruto!� shouted Sakura, jumping up. She looked from Naruto�s angry face to Sasuke, who stood frozen to the spot, his face ashen. �Sasuke�� she said, rushing to him, wrapping her arm around him. She turned a hurt glare at Naruto. �How could you say that?�
Naruto�s sapphire eyes were wide. �Sasuke� I�m so sorry,� he apologized. �I-�
�Had every right to say it,� Sasuke replied, his obsidian eyes locked with Naruto�s. �I never gave you much reason to think I would go after you.�
Sakura quickly jumped in, �Sasuke, that�s not tr-�
�It is,� Sasuke replied gently, untangling himself from Sakura. �I did come after you, Naruto.� He approached Naruto. His voice dropped to a whisper, �I grieved for you.�
The two best friends stared at one another, a new understanding passing between them. �Sasuke�� Naruto whispered, �I never doubted you. I should never have let you think I did. I�m so sorry. You just seemed so� like you didn�t care.�
�I care.� Sakura watched in shock as Sasuke leaned down to Naruto, drawing him into a tight embrace. Naruto held Sasuke back, his eyes having softened and now glistening.
�The two of you are so stupid!� Sakura shouted, frustrated tears running down her cheeks.
The two of them drew apart a little, Sasuke giving her a look to join them. She ran into their arms, the three of them holding each other for long moments.
�I�m sorry for what I said to you too,� he sighed, looking at Sakura. �It�s just� the thought of losing you, Sakura-chan��
�I know�� she whispered, her voice catching in her throat as she bit back more tears, �believe me� I know.�
He grabbed her to him, pulling her over his body to set her down next to him on the bed, wrapping his arm around her. She put her head on Naruto�s shoulder. The sound of Naruto�s heart beating steadily in his chest was the most beautiful sound Sakura had heard in all her life.
Sakura could see Sasuke occasionally smiling over at Naruto, and at times at her. She motioned for him to come over and sit next to her; he surprised her by lying down, putting his head in her lap, looking up at both her and Naruto with a content smile. Naruto grabbed his hand and squeezed it.
The three of them sat there a long time, content to just be together after having endured so much. Sakura could never remember being happier.
Naruto yawned again, his eyes visibly starting to droop this time. �Sasuke�� Sakura said, tapping him gently, prying herself out of Naruto�s embrace, �we should��
�Sorry, guys,� Naruto murmured, �I�m just so tired,� he yawned again.
�It�s okay, you need your rest,� she smiled, �you�re still healing.�
�Thanks for coming to see me,� he said sleepily.
Sasuke and Sakura exchanged an incredulous look, both on the verge of laughing at Naruto�s sweet, sincere, and without his even realizing it, vastly understated, comment. �Idiot!� Sasuke exclaimed, rolling his eyes.
�Bastard,� Naruto replied, his eyes starting to close. �Sakura-chan?�
Sakura had to lean in to hear him. �Hm?�
�I love you.�
�I love you too, Naruto. More than anything, I love you.�
�Tell the� bastard� for me� love him too.�
Sakura smiled. �I will, I promise. Get some sleep.� She leaned forward, kissing his brow before walking out with Sasuke.
Tsunade and Jiraiya were drinking sake in her office, waiting for them. �He�s asleep,� Sakura informed them.
�Good,� Tsunade replied. �I know I don�t have to tell you to keep this information to yourselves. It will be made public tomorrow.� Sasuke and Sakura both nodded. �Why don�t you go home and get some as well. Tomorrow is still going to be a long day.�
Sakura nodded. �Good night then, Shishou, Jiraiya-sama.�
�Good night,� they replied in unison to both her and Sasuke. Sasuke nodded.
They walked out into the fresh air of the cool evening. Sakura stopped. Sasuke, realizing Sakura was no longer beside him, turned to her. She appeared lost in thought. �What is it?�
�Did that really just happen?�
He studied her expression, realizing she was still in total disbelief. �Yes. It really happened.�
�It�s not a dream,� she said, looking at him, �I�m not going to wake up and find out it�s not true? Naruto�s alive?�
�He�s alive,� Sasuke said, stepping towards her, uncertain of what she was thinking or how she might react.
�He�s alive,� Sakura echoed, nodding, as though trying to convince herself. �He�s really alive�� Her eyes met his, a brilliant smile creeping across her face, �Sasuke� he�s alive.�
Sasuke couldn�t contain the genuine wide smile that took over. �He�s alive,� he repeated.
�He�s alive!� Sakura threw herself into Sasuke�s arms, screaming joyfully. He picked her up, spinning her around as the two of them celebrated waking up from their nightmare and reveling in the reality of their one and only wish come true.
Sasuke finally set her down, pulling back to look at her. �Naruto�s alive.�
�Yeah,� she beamed, fighting back tears of joy. She embraced him, feeling his arms around her so tightly it almost hurt but she didn�t care. �Oh, Sasuke�� she whispered, �I�m so happy.�
Sasuke�s expression evidenced that he was too. Rather than voicing his true feelings of pure joy, he said in his usual subdued tone, �Let�s get you home.�
Sakura bit her lip, pausing before saying, �There�s something I need to do first.�
Sasuke raised an eyebrow, waiting for an explanation. �Sakura?�
�I know it might seem silly, but I just want some time to process everything, to get some fresh air and clear my head.�
He nodded, understanding exactly what she was saying. �And you�d like to do so alone.�
�If you don�t mind� it�s just��
�Sakura, you don�t need to explain,� Sasuke said gently. �It�s okay.�
�You can go back to my apartment if you�d like, or home if you�d rather, I mean I�ll be back shortly��
�Tell me what you want,� Sasuke said, �and I�ll do it.�
�Well,� she said thoughtfully, aware of the fact that in the last week and a half, he�d only slept in his own bed once or twice, spending most of his evenings at her house, and then yesterday� �You haven�t really been home at all lately,� she noticed his expression change just slightly, �but if you�d rather go to my place� Sasuke, it�s up to you. Where would you be more comfortable?�
�That�s not what I asked, Sakura,� he replied calmly, his black eyes studying her.
�Sasuke,� she said with a little laugh, �stop making this so difficult! Where do you want to go?�
�Wherever you want me to go,� he said evenly.
Sakura suddenly realized what he was doing. He was trying to get her to make a decision that would, in no uncertain terms, imply something in or about their relationship. �I'm not ready for this�she realized, panic hitting her.
�Sasuke� it�s been a long few days,� she started, trying to buy herself some time. �If I tell him to go home, he�ll get upset because he�ll think I�m being callous with him, but if I tell him to go to my apartment, he�s going to think that we�re something more than we are, and I don�t know what we are, or how I feel about Neji� damn!� she ruminated, feeling as though he could see right through her, into her thoughts.
�I know that I�m going to be most comfortable in my bed tonight, and it�ll probably be the first time in the last three days that I get any decent sleep. If you�ll sleep better in your own bed, you should go home, because you need the rest. If you�ll sleep better at my place, that�s fine, just� know that when I get home, I�m just going to sleep.�
�There, that sounded good,� she thought, �it leaves the ball in his court, and if he chooses to stay with me, I�ve been upfront that nothing is going to happen.�
Sasuke studied her, sizing her up. Finally he nodded. �I�ll wait for you at your place.�
�That�s what he wanted. He wanted me to say I wanted him to stay�� Despite the situation having now been resolved, Sakura couldn�t help but feel a little disappointed that he wasn�t just going to go home.
She fished her key out of her pouch, handing it to Sasuke. �I should be there shortly.�
He nodded. Sakura turned, about to head off, but Sasuke grabbed her arm, stopping her.
�Sakura, I�m not trying to pressure you into making any decisions about anything, least of all your� issue� with me, and Neji. Right now my concern is just that you�re okay� that Naruto�s okay, that we, all three of us, Team 7, are okay. The rest of it� we�ll deal with as it comes, okay?�
She nodded. Sasuke pulled her into his arms, embracing her. She could feel his bangs on her cheek as he whispered into her ear, �All that matters right now is that Naruto�s come back to us.�
He kissed her lips very softly as he pulled away. �See you soon,� and then he disappeared down the street.
Sakura nodded, heading off toward her favorite destination.
* * * * *
Neji was meditating in the garden, clad only in his hakama, the juin jutsu on his bare forehead gleaming in the moonlight.
His conversation with Tenten over dinner had left his head filled with thoughts of Sakura, leaving him feeling conflicted and guilty.
�I should be thinking about burying two of my good friends in the morning, not worrying about the hundreds of issues between Sakura and me��
And yet every time he tried to force himself to think about Lee, about Naruto, he found his thoughts returning to the pink haired, green eyed kunoichi. �She�s the only one I can do anything about,� Neji realized. Three people had him more upset and emotional than he had ever been in his life, but he could only seek to resolve the cause of his distress with one of them.
Tenten had been right that Sakura had been receptive to him when they had met earlier; she hadn�t been cold and hostile, just incredibly sad. It was the first time however, since they�d found Naruto, that she hadn�t pushed him away.
�Maybe she does still care�� he hoped.
But perhaps, even if she did still care, it was already too late. From the looks of it, Sasuke had not left her side at all, and was using the opportunity to win her heart back. �I am not this petty, am I?� Neji thought, dismayed at the possibility, �Sasuke is just as devastated by the loss of Naruto as Sakura is��
He lay back onto the ground, looking up at the stars. �Everything will be different now�� he whispered into the night, realizing as soon as the words escaped his lips where he had heard them before. �Uchiha.�
He rolled his eyes, sighing. The stars twinkled obliviously in the heavens, bringing Neji no peace.
In one fluid motion, he was up on his feet, pacing through the garden, which had suddenly become quite small. Sighing in frustration, he went into the house, dressing quickly, and left.
* * * * *
Sakura�s mind felt clouded, as though there was suddenly far too much information in her head to properly fit within the constraints of her skull. �Lee-san is dead. Naruto�s alive. Sasuke wants a relationship and I don�t know where I stand with Neji.�
Her immediate feeling on anything was total relief. It was hard to believe that only three hours ago, she and Sasuke had been talking about how heartbroken they both were that they would never see Naruto laughing and joking with them ever again, and yet by some miracle, a miracle Sakura didn�t even realize she�d achieved, he had come back to them, laughing and joking and telling them he loved them. It was all too much to hope for.
Sasuke�s entire demeanor had changed in the moment he realized Naruto was alive. He lit up, becoming human again. Sakura envied his quick uptake, his ability to process everything and not be overwhelmed by it.
She smirked, remembering that her first reaction had been to hug Naruto fiercely, but instead she had slapped him, and then fell into his arms crying. �I guess that�s just us,� she mused. �I hit him, and he hugs me. That�s the way it�s always been.�
Tears began to fill her eyes once more, blurring her vision as her destination came into sight. �To think it was almost all lost�� but it wasn�t, and her heart soared.
Her footsteps echoed on the wood of the red bridge as she went to its center, looking down into the stream. �Where we all began,� she said silently. She could remember all the countless times she, Naruto and Sasuke had met here, waiting for Kakashi to show up, infernally late as usual. All the times she clung desperately, �pathetically,� to Sasuke�s arm, begging him for a date while getting so annoyed at Naruto for doing the exact same thing to her.
She smiled at the memories. Naruto had always had such a crush on her, but it had developed into such an amazing, beautiful friendship, and one that Sakura now knew, having thought she�d lost him, she could never live without.
But another man had entered her heart on this bridge as well. Her eyes shifted to the mismatched paint on the railing of the place she and Neji had broken, �God, that night seems lifetimes ago��
Sakura sighed, �And so much has happened�� Yet for as hurt as she had been at his rejection, he reached out to her in her time of need, �only to be an ass and say something hateful� which he apologized for, profusely.�
The water running beneath the bridge reflected the moonlight, just as the water from the same river had done the night before, but Sakura�s heart interpreted it in a vastly different way. Last night had been Sasuke. She�d needed him. Her thoughts drifted back to earlier in the afternoon, having slept with him.
�I don�t regret it�� she told herself, �I don�t. I love Sasuke, and we needed each other through all of this��
Yet seeing Neji tonight had changed everything. It was true that Sasuke knew her better, understood her better; he would never question her judgment when it came to her teammates, her friends. But when Neji had touched her tonight, ever so gently, her heart had fluttered.
She had been cautious, restrained, and yet something was there, something she remembered with him, something she missed more than she could ever have realized.
�So what does it mean?�
�Sakura��
Sakura chided herself, having been so lost in her thoughts she never even noticed the approaching chakra presence. She spun around startled, her eyes widening at the intruder. �Neji!�
Neji walked over to her, keeping a careful distance. �I didn�t mean to intrude; I� didn�t realize you�d be here.�
�You�re not intruding,� she said softly. His dark hair fanned around his shoulders, framing his face which looked translucent in the moonlight. His white eyes looked brighter than she�d ever remembered seeing. Her heart ached.
�Was everything okay?� he asked tentatively.
Sakura shook her head, �What do you mean?�
�You were summoned to Hokage-sama�s earlier��
�Oh, yes.� She was torn, wanting to share with him her news, her unbelievable news that would take away part of his pain as well, but she couldn�t. �It� um� Tsunade-sama is handling the situation.�
�I see,� Neji replied. He studied her, noticing how different she seemed from when he�d last seen her just a few hours earlier. �But you� you�re alright?�
Sakura�s eyes locked on Neji�s. �Yes,� she replied, realizing her voice was barely a whisper. �And you?�
Neji turned away, looking into the water, his hands lightly gripping the rail. Sakura felt disappointment when he turned from her. Neji replied, �I�m�� his voice trailed off. He turned his head, his eyes meeting hers, �trying to be.� Sakura nodded. Neji turned back to the water.
Sakura walked over to the railing, standing beside him, looking down in the running water as well. They stood together in silence for a long while before Neji, still focused on the river, softly said, �I miss you.�
�Neji�� she slid her hand onto his. He looked at her. �I�� She could see the pain in his eyes, and didn�t want to add to it, only to alleviate it, only to take him in her arms and take his pain away- �I miss you too.�
Neji turned to her, gently grabbing her biceps, pulling her to him in an embrace. �Sakura�� he sighed.
�Neji�� Sakura rested her head on his shoulder, warmth filling her. She could breathe in his scent, so masculine and familiar. She could feel his heart beating against hers, filling her with peace.
As much as she didn�t want it to, she realized the moment had to end. There were too many issues that needed dealing with, and theirs would have to wait. In the morning, Lee-san would be buried along with several other fine shinobi who deserved to have their memories honored. Neji and the rest of the village would learn that despite their grief, there was cause for celebration because Naruto had risen from the dead. The state of their relationship was secondary to all that.
Sakura pulled away, looking at Neji. �I really am sorry, Neji, but I have to go.�
Neji�s white eyes scanned hers, and Sakura hoped that her own eyes conveyed her feelings to him. �I understand. Tomorrow will be� difficult, for all of us.�
�Yes,� she replied quietly, feeling guilty she couldn�t tell him about Naruto. She reached her hand up to his cheek, and found herself leaning forward, kissing him very softly on his lips.
�Good night, Neji-kun,� she whispered, pulling away and taking off into the darkness before he could say anything to stop her.
~~~~~

A/N: There you are� commence drilling� ^__^
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Forgetting Sasuke