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Refraction	By : Zelha Category: Naruto > Het - Male/Female Views: 1308 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, duh. I only own a pair of sleepers, so obviously I don't make any profit with this story.

Chapter List
- 6
- 7
- 8
Chapter 7: Overcoming

The kiss
ended before she could process that she was responding to it with a fierceness
and abandon that stunned her.

Breathless,
she opened her eyes and looked at Neji, who was sporting a confused frown as he
stared back at her. She knitted her brows in response, only to feel the
prodigy�s hand cupping her cheek gently.

�Most...
interesting...� he whispered, taking her lips one more time.

This kiss
was very different than the first one, maybe because he was at his wit�s end
when he crashed against her mouth; this kiss, however, was slow and almost
lazy, thorough and moving. He took his time exploring her mouth, outlining her
lips with his tongue, asking her, almost pleading.

She opened
her lips, but she was not prepared for the onslaught of fire that ignited
between them as the kiss deepened. Sakura let out a sound from deep down her
throat, finding that Neji responded with a growl, now with both of his hands on
her face, his fingers entangling with the loose roseate tresses that escaped
from her short ponytail.

It was safe
to say that she was floating in the realm of paradise. Neji�s ministrations
were like numerous kisses combined in one big kiss, taking what she was
offering and tempting her with his tongue, coaxing her own to entwine in a
dance whose rhythm was known deep within their senses.

Sakura
didn�t notice when the onyx-haired Hyuuga reached for the ribbon that was
securing her hair and tugged gently, freeing her locks and sliding his digits
through them. The effect was almost immediate, as she mewled softly into his
mouth.

Neji, then,
became a predator.

He kissed
her hard, enjoying the way she seemed to melt into his embrace as his arms
surrounded her trembling form and her hands moved to cling to the front of his
kimono; her mouth complied with every single one of his demands and her chakra
seemed to pulsate with pleasure at his proximity.

It took a
long while for them to pull back, gasping for air.

A silence
hung between them, as both tried to assess the magnitude of their actions.
Sakura opened her eyes, finding that Neji was staring at her, his silvery gaze
darkened like a stormy afternoon cloud. She blushed furiously, making him
smirk.

�Sakura...�
he murmured, sliding his hands across her back as light as a lover�s caress.

The seal
reacted again, pushing his hands back with some kind of electrical shock.

His brows
shot up, to pull back down in a glare.

�You�re
sealed,� he said. �You have a seal.�

Sakura
looked down, trying to find some words. �I�I...�

�Look at
me,� he demanded in a whisper, grasping her chin and tilting her head. �Why?
Why are you sealed?�

�Neji...san,�
she began. �It was a gift...�

�A gift?� he scoffed sarcastically. �And
who was nice enough to put a juin on you?�

�Chiyo...
Chiyo-baa-sama,� she whispered, trying to pull back from his grasp. She felt
the same panic as before, when his chakra mingled with hers.

�The Suna
Elder?� he asked in shock. �Why did she do that to you?�

�I...� she
fumbled with her words under his haughty interrogation, only to have Inner
Sakura kicking at her wits. This seemed to pull herself together, as she tilted
her chin defiantly, effectively breaking from his hold.

�Sa-�

�I only
respond to my team, Captain,� she said in a hard voice. �If they don�t
complain, I fail to see why you should do so. Hokage-sama knows about my mark,
that�s all you need to know.�

And with
that, she hightailed out of the room and out of the Hyuuga Compound.

Shocked, to
say the least, Neji realized belatedly that she had addressed him as Captain.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Sakura�s
feet brought her to the training grounds, finding Sai, Yamato and Kakashi enjoying
the afternoon sun under a ferocious spar. It was one of their favored kinds of
practice, the battle royale, as they attacked one
another, not taking sides, nor holding back.

Naruto
wasn�t there, so she figured he was still with Hinata. Sitting under a tree,
she absently watched as Yamato�s Mokuton grew roots
under Kakashi�s feet, not being able to finish the jutsu
because Sai�s ink tiger pounced, almost mauling him.

It was kind
of fascinating watching the three shinobi engaged in combat, but Sakura�s
senses were still at the Hyuuga
Mansion, along with
Neji�s accusing questions.

Sakura
closed her eyes and pulled her legs to her chest, laying her forehead on her
knees. Something was off, as her inner persona nagged at her. Why had the
Hyuuga prodigy changed so suddenly, kissing her senseless and then almost
putting a lamp on her face, asking so many difficult questions?

And on top
of all, why did he care?

It wasn�t
as if she had a curse seal, she mentally pondered... only to groan loudly as
she realized finally why he had reacted in that particular manner.

Of course,
he was a genius regarding to chakra manipulations and the likes. Neji, being as
observant as he always was, would have noticed the unnatural gathering of
energy on her back. But that wasn�t all...

She was a
total moron. Why didn�t she remember that he had a curse seal of his own and he
had probably misunderstood the nature of her own mark?

�Sakura-chan?�

She lifted
her head, to find Naruto looking at her in obvious concern. The three
previously battling shinobi had disengaged, approaching them. Kakashi�s
uncovered eyes showed puzzled concern, resembling Naruto�s own fa�ade.

�What�s the
matter?� asked Yamato, sitting next to her, while Naruto sat at her other side.

�I...� she
took a deep breath, steeling herself. �I have something to tell you, boys...�

�What�s
wrong, Hag?� Sai asked blandly, offering her one of his fake smiles but his
deep black eyes showed alertness towards her expression.

�Don�t call
her Ha-�

�Naruto,�
Kakashi admonished, cutting him off. There they were; sitting around her in the
same protective manner they did when she ran out of chakra after healing them
to the point of exhaustion.

�Remember
our Suna mission?� she asked, looking straight at Kakashi. He nodded. �Before
going to the rendezvous point with you and Naruto, Chiyo-baa-sama wanted to
give me a gift...�

A
sad-looking Hinata and a very disgruntled Neji, looking from afar with their
Byakugan activated, saw when Kakashi and Naruto embraced the pink-haired woman,
as she cried her miseries and all those years of lying, washing everything away
with her tears. Yamato looked thoughtful, Sai seemed indifferent; but Naruto
and Kakashi had such an understanding expression on their features that made both
Hyuuga ninja realize something.

They seemed
like a family.

Neji turned
his back on them, going back to his Clan Compound with a scowl marring his handsome
face.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

�Where is
Sakura-san this morning, Hikari?� asked the Hyuuga Patriarch. She pursed her
lips and shook her head slightly.

�She didn�t
come back to the Mansion last night,� she answered. Hinata gasped, looking
directly at Neji, who sported his best holier-than-thou expression.

�Neji, I
must ask you to check on our charge,� said Hiashi, but his elder daughter stood
up from the table, offering him a bow.

�I will do
it, Father,� she said demurely. �It�s the least I can do for the person that
nursed me back to health. Excuse me.�

The Hyuuga
Clan Head lifted his eyebrows minutely when he noted the hidden glower Hinata threw
at her cousin before leaving the dining room. Catching Hanabi�s
eyes, he took her silent advice and kept his mouth shut, only opening it to
shove more food in it.

Neji knew
that she hadn�t come back, after that cornering maneuver he pulled against her
it was to be expected. It didn�t matter that he had spent most of the night
waiting for her.

Excusing
himself with cold politeness, he sauntered towards his room, glowering at every
white wall and every floorboard.

I�ll be damned, he thought, sitting on the tatami mat in his standard meditation position. Something
tugged inside of him when Kakashi engulfed the emerald-eyed medic in a strong
embrace. Somehow, the scene was kind of heartbreaking, but the atmosphere
transpired on the group was placid, serene... almost comforting to watch.

Neji didn�t
need his Kekkei Genkai to
read her lips asking for forgiveness frantically, while Naruto stroked her arm
in a soothing manner and Kakashi held her, showing mute support, as Yamato
murmured the right words to calm her poor anguished soul.

The Hyuuga
prodigy knew about benign seals, of course. But right there, in the middle of
the daze provoked by her heated mouth and low mewls and soft limbs embracing
him back, his old rage towards everything drawn on skin came back with a
vengeance.

The mere
thought of her having a curse seal made sick to his stomach. But,
why?

That was
the crux of the question. Why did he care? Why was he so interested in whatever
she had on her back?

The ANBU
Captain had no qualms in accepting his attraction towards Haruno Sakura, since
he had felt how she complied with his silent coaxing when he kissed her. But
the matter regarding her seal and its interaction with him was... perplexing,
to say the least.

He pondered
about everything until late into the night, when he was summoned to ANBU
Headquarters.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

This is what I needed, Sakura thought as she stepped
inside another room, doing her rounds. Tsunade revoked her suspension, placing
her back in the Hospital, with the promise of not overdoing or draining herself
until exhaustion. These orders didn�t present a problem to Sakura, happy one
more time to go back to active duty.

Naruto had
accompanied her to the Hyuuga Mansion, where they were received politely as
usual by one Hikari who didn�t wait a second before berating
the medic for not letting them know about her not coming back to the house.
Deeply ashamed, she asked humbly for forgiveness as Hikari led them to the Clan
Head.

Sakura sat
while Hiashi addressed Naruto with his usual haughtiness, asking bluntly about
his intention with his elder daughter and making him promise he would protect
her. However, all his arrogance flew out of the window when the Uzumaki blond
with his usual spunk, countered back with a life promise, much like the one he
had made to her.

�I�ll
protect her with my own life!�

Suddenly,
she had to excuse herself as her throat knotted. Now it was just a matter of
time until he was officially accepted as Hinata�s formal suitor.

It wasn�t
as if she wasn�t happy for them, she was indeed, but seeing Naruto standing up
for his love and his relationship, made her feel hollow, defeated, lonely.

Sasuke was
a moron and Neji was a bastard, she counted mentally, who was left then? Sai?
Kiba? Shino? Lee? Oh, please.

�I knew I
would find you here,� a voice said, pulling her out of her miserable reverie.
�I had all your belongings packed, Sakura-san,� Hikari announced with a little
smile.

Following
back to the guest room that sheltered her during her rather long stay at the
Hyuuga�s, a sharp feeling took her breath away, forcing her to lean on the
wall.

�Sakura-san?� Hikari asked as she watched the pink-haired woman regain her breath.
�Are you alright?�

�I... yes,
yes, Hikari-san, I�m okay, I just felt faint for a moment,� she hurriedly
explained, as the older pearly-eyed woman lifted a brow. �Trust me, I�m fine.�

The feeling
didn�t leave her, as she bowed to Hiashi and thanked him for all his
benevolence in having her in his abode, saying the usual phrases to express
gratitude towards her former guardian and host. The Hyuuga Patriarch accepted
her words with a nod.

�I�ll relay
your appreciation to my nephew when he gets back from his mission, Sakura-san.�

And he
didn�t miss the sharp intake of breath and the widening of her eyes when he
spoke about Neji, only to see her lowering her head and nodding back.

�Sakura-chan?� Naruto asked, as they walked out of the Hyuuga Compound with him
carrying her pack. �What�s wrong?�

�I don�t
know, Naruto,� she sighed, feeling restless. �I don�t know...�

But the
feeling didn�t go away, as she walked in for her shift that night, and the night
after that, and the night after that.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

It was
almost a week later that Kotetsu barged through the Hokage�s office doors at
night, startling Shizune, Sakura and the Godaime herself.

�The ANBU
team is back,� he panted. �All of them are bleeding, they lost one.�

The feeling
of unease clenched Sakura�s heart. �Kami-sama...�

�Let�s go,
Shizune, Sakura!� Tsunade ordered, hurrying out of her office.

Running
after her mentor, she found herself chanting mentally for a specific someone�s
wellbeing.

And she was
quite right. The ANBU team sported several awful injuries, but due to their
seriousness they weren�t able to make it to the hospital. Two operatives had
passed out for blood loss, and one of them was entering into cardiac arrest as
Shizune treated his chest.

Sakura�s
operative was awake, but she shushed him as she worked on the deep slashes on
his chest, clotting the wound and closing it with a swirl of her chakra. She
had been focusing a lot of chakra on her seal, storing her energy for an
emergency like this.

The op
coughed, and under his mask she could see blood trickling from his mouth area.
�Don�t talk,� she said. �I�ll unblock your lungs in a minute. Take shallow
breaths�

Easier said
than done, she sneered mentally as she surveyed the lungs with her chakra,
grabbing one of her medical senbons from her pouch as she carefully removed the
tattered ANBU vest. Her medical needles were a random idea from Shizune, and
well received from the rest of the med-nin staff as they realized the huge purpose
they could serve in cases like this one.

Puncturing
the lung and releasing the constricted air, she held the needle as she moved
other senbon to the other lung, releasing the pressure inside it. This allowed her patient to breathe more freely,
but she wasn�t done just yet.

Moving her
hands carefully over the ANBU�s chest, she found three broken ribs, one of them
obstructing the diaphragm and perforating both respiratory organs. He should
have moved like a frantic bird, she mused internally, as she pulled the little
bone gently, reconstructing the ribcage and resealing the bones and gristle
with her chakra.

Only then
did she pull out the hollowed senbons, clotting the tiny wounds and bandaging
the whole area. Sakura sat back on her haunches, surveying her patient as two
male nurses were ready to move him to the hospital.

The ANBU�s
hand searched for hers, clasping it tightly. Sakura offered the masked man a
tiny smile.

�You�re
going to be okay,� she whispered. �On my count, one, two,
three! Good! Now you�re going to the hospital, I�ll see you there,
ANBU-san.�

�Haru--� the op choked out. �Haruno-san, check on them,
please,� he murmured as the meds carried them away. �The Captain...�

Sakura
blinked, turning her eyes to the man that Shizune was treating. Long, brilliant
onyx hair matted with dirt, leaves and blood were pillowing the Op�s head, as the brunette medic resorted to give him
cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Sakura
kneeled, cracking her knuckles as she clenched her fists. �Situation?�

�Cardiac
arrest, he�s not responding to usual pain stimuli,� replied Shizune. �One, two,
three, four, five... breathe! Damn it, he�s not reacting... Sakura, inject some
chakra in his pathways! Something is off!�

With two
fingers, she released several bursts of energy on the man�s body, exploring it
and having a full extension of his injuries. He had been poisoned, and his
organs were about to shut down.

�Fuck!�
Sakura exclaimed as she poured more chakra, making her hands glow. �I need the
antidote solution!�

As she
worked in a rush, she knew, just like Inner Sakura knew and was cheering her
outer persona, that she was not about to lose this patient, not this one.

Even if he was a cold, arrogant bastard.

-*-*-*-*-*-

Neji opened
his silver eyes when someone pulled open the room�s window curtains. It was
Tenten, who smiled at him while Lee was gushing silently over his prone form.

�You�re
awake, Neji! Thank goodness you�re okay!�

�Ugh...�
the Hyuuga replied wittily, as his former teammate sat next to the green-clad
man and patted his overexcited head.

�You have
six lives now, Neji,� she offered quietly, her tone still serious despite her
teasing words. �I bet this one was hard to pull?�

�What
happened?� he croaked. Lee jumped out of his seat and performed his
nice-guy-pose number forty-four.

�Let me get
you some water, my esteemed rival!�

Tenten
rolled her eyes at her partner�s antics, but continued to speak. �You�ve been
out like a light for two days, Neji,� she explained. �I won�t ask about your mission,
but I take it was a rough one, ne? You were poisoned,
or that�s what Sakura-chan said. It took a lot of work to clean your system,
though; Shizune just told me she had to put Sakura in one of the rest wards for
the medics.�

She
overexerted herself...?

The Weapon
Mistress seemed to notice the question in his eyes and nodded, frowning.
�Sakura-chan hadn�t left the hospital since your team got back... Neji, is
everything alright?�

Said Hyuuga
ANBU Captain closed his eyes, as Lee came back into the room, carrying a glass
of water. He drank it, while Lee�s cheerfulness seemed to have withdrawn into a
worried face.

�What�s
wrong?� asked Tenten to the Taijutsu Master.

�I asked
Shizune-san for Sakura-san,� he said. �Apparently, she was quite drained and
she hasn�t woken up yet. Too bad, though... I wanted to thank her for what she
did for Neji.�

Suddenly,
the pearly-eyed ninja had a recollection of their heated kiss and how well the
pink-haired medic had responded to his demands, yielding under his caresses and
lips and tongue and--

�Neji? Earth to Neji? Are you alright, you dimwitted Capt�n?�

�I�m...
fine, Tenten,� he sighed. �I think I need more rest.�

After the
brunette and her partner left, Neji shook his head, trying to clear up his
head. It was a routinely scouting mission, but with the Uchiha�s sudden
reappearance, Ibiki had the hunch to send an ANBU team to the Fire Country
borders, just in case.

And the
hunch was right, as his four man team was ambushed by a platoon of Sound nins,
with Uchiha Sasuke leading them.

They
fought, of course. Ninjat� versus katana.

Sasuke
didn�t have any qualms to send one of his men to kill his teammate -a good man,
married to a civilian school teacher who liked to send cookies with her husband
to his �ANBU buddies�-, and then summon two snakes, which bit deeply into his
skin, poisoning it.

It was
certainly not a regular scouting mission, not since he, Neji, had to flee the
scene with his team hot on his heels, after they tricked the Sound shinobi and
set up a bomb.

Maybe
Sasuke�s minions were dead, that was almost granted, but he had the knack to
assume that he was pretty much alive, leading that Team Hebi
of his back to Rice Country and Oto.

Why was
that Uchiha traitor in Fire Country, he didn�t know nor care; but he
undoubtedly wasn�t looking forward to seeing Naruto�s face when he found out
about the abrupt change his old teammate had undergone.

And, most
of all, he was not happy to rely this report to the Hokage, not with a certain
emerald-eyed woman that had a recent penchant of appearing in his dreams and
his thoughts lingering around.

�Damn it
all,� he murmured, sinking back upon his hospital pillow.

Whoever
said that being attracted to someone was simple was insanely wrong.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-

�I�m glad
you�re better, Sakura-sama,� a bored Neji heard a cheerful nurse say. �You gave
us quite a scare.�

�Maa, maa,
I�m fine, I just needed to sleep for a while,� she replied. Neji scowled at the
sudden tightening of his chest when he noticed the weariness in her voice.
�What�s new? Any changes in this shift?�

�Not that
I�ve noticed,� the nurse reported. �Hyuuga-san is awake, and the other two are
responding pretty well to the treatment that Shizune-sama ordered.�

�Good,
good. Please keep an eye on the old man in room sixty-two, he was about to
escape to the cafeteria again.�

�That Buchou-san...� the nurse laughed, as she retreated into the
hallway. A minute later, Sakura entered his room.

She looked
indeed pretty tired; circles under her eyes and a pale complexion that made her
eyes stand out more, even when she sported the undeniable evidence of a shower
in her hair but the cleanliness of her garments and skin didn�t change the fact
that she looked like a ghost.

�Hyuuga-san,�
she said in a cool voice. It was amazing how she could change her emotions,
from cheery and amused with the nurse outside to the hard, icy woman in front
of him. �I�m going to check on your condition. Please let me know if you feel
something.�

Her hands
were lukewarm, he noticed. But they were trembling when she placed them on his
bandaged chest.

�Sa--� he
tried to address her, but she waved her hand.

�Don�t
speak now, please,� she said. �I need to check your body for poison remnants.�

He obliged,
feeling the warmth of her chakra mingling with his, prodding gently and
checking his entire body, mending and soothing. Neji let out a relieved sigh
when he felt one of the snake bites disappear.

�Sasuke did
this to you,� Sakura whispered, opening her eyes but not looking at him. �Right? It was him...� Haunted emerald eyes fixed themselves
on his pearly ones. He had to nod. She deserved to know, in his personal
opinion.

�I knew
it,� she hissed angrily, fisting her hands. �I knew it! I can�t believe this!�

�Sakura,�
he murmured, but she was too pissed off to listen.

�I can�t
believe he almost killed you! This is outrageous! I�ll tell Tsunade-shishou, I
want to go and kick his ass into the next century!�

�Sakura.�

�I will
kick his sorry moronic ass and break every single of his stupid bones and I
won�t treat him--!� Sakura ranted, until a hand closed around her wrist,
snapping her into attention.

�Sakura,�
Neji said. �Everything will be okay.�

�How can you say that?! There�s a madman outside killing his own nakama!�

�I�m
telling you,� he cut her off softly. �Everything will be fine. Sasuke will be
defeated.�

�Why-...Why
are you so... so sure?� she stammered, blushing when she realized how his eyes
were looking at her so intently.

�Because,�
he whispered, �I just know it.�

Sakura
lowered her eyes. �Why?�

�Because
his curse seal will end up taking over his senses. He relies too much on it.
It�s not a good seal.�

Their eyes
met again. This wasn�t about the missing Uchiha anymore, but an indirect way of
offering an apology for his previous behavior.

Sakura
found that she couldn�t be mad at him when she was also partially to blame.

�It�s not a
good seal,� she repeated softly, tucking the sheet around Neji�s body. �He
doesn�t know how to use it to his own benefit...�

Neji�s lips
curved a little. �Yes,� he breathed, releasing her wrist and letting his hand
slide over hers. �That�s too bad for him.�

�Indeed,�
she agreed, with a little smile on her own features.
- 6
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Refraction