One moment led to another and now, she was on top of him, pinning him down on the makeshift bed. Her eyes gleaming with mischief at the sight of Neji Hyuuga below her. He chuckles with a smile reserved only for her. They share dainty kisses and faint whispers into one another's ears, hands ghosting, roaming over each other, and sensual touching in secret. It was a quaint escape from the grim reality that lay outside the tent as they found solace in one another.

"Please" She quietly pleads and that was enough. She had always been enough for him.

-

And all of a sudden, Neji was in front of him, heaved over.

"Get the medical team!" Naruto yells out. "Hurry! There's a critical injury!" Hinata kneels in horror, it was supposed to be her, not Neji, not her dear cousin. "Hurry!" Naruto begs.

"No-" Neji drawls out, head on Narutos shoulder. "I think... I'm done." He manages to say. The blonde whispers his name and a quiet plea comes from Hinata across from him. "Hinata.. I'm willing to die for you." He says, "So, remember, you hold more than one life in your hands." He smiles at her. "..and it seems, that my life, may have also been, one of them." The heiress' eyes fill with tears.

"But, why? Why did you?" Naruto stammers, "You can't die here, you can't-" he begins to cry, "You were going to change the Hyuuga!"

"Long ago, those words of yours, freed me from the shackles of fate." Neji says, mind flashing back to his battle with Naruto during the Chuunin exams. "Why would you go so far for me?" Naruto asks, his throat heavy. "Even give up your life?" He gulps, "Why?"

"Because, you called me a genius."

'Because after all, unlike me, you're not a failure Neji.'

"Father... I finally understand, the freedom you felt, choosing to die, in order to protect your comrades." He speaks out and slowly begins to close his eyes.

"Tell Sakura-" he groans through the pain, "I love her."

"..and I'm sorry"

-

"Neji? Neji!" Sakura calls out, she sees Naruto and runs to him, "Naruto? Oh, thank Kami you're alright. Are you hurt anywhere? Are you okay?" She assesses him briefly with her chakra before knowing for certain he was alright. She gives her friend a small smile before asking, "Have you seen Neji?"

Naruto stands still before her, "Sakura-chan", he says lowly, eyes downcast. Her smile fades as she steps back, realization dawning upon her as she shakes her head, 'No, no." She rejects, "It can't be. It can't be! It just.." She cries quietly, shoulders heaving. She feels Naruto's arms wrap around her as they both mourn over a lost soul. "He told me.." Naruto gulps through the tears, as he places a hand behind Sakura’s head, stroking her hair, in an effort to calm her down. "To tell you that he loves you," Her cries only grow louder as her heart mourns, "and that he's sorry." Naruto finishes, continuing to do his best to help his friend through her grief.

"Naruto-" Sakura starts, "How am I... How am I going to.." Sakura whimpers through her tears. "Sakura?" He questions, and his only reply is her holding a hand over her stomach.

-

Sakura is in tears once more, as she heals the two idiots. "What were you two thinking?" She mutters quietly, yet loud enough for both boys to hear. They're silent as she berates them. "I-" She chokes through her tears, "I can't lose any more." She manages to say. All is silent until Naruto smiles up at her, "Sakura.."

"We wouldn't wanna miss the little guy." He grins then groans when Sakura puts more pressure on him than necessary. Sasuke frowns in confusion and Kakashi’s eyebrows raise. "Idiot!" Sakura says, but then smiles through her tears. "Maybe I'll just leave you here to bleed out then." She morbidly teases and Naruto tenses, making her laugh. "Besides, we can't even be sure about that yet."

"Sakura- are you?" Kakashi asks to confirm his suspicions. She's uncomfortable under his scrutiny. She nods, looking down, "Neji." She struggles to say. "Aa" Sasuke utters, as it dawns upon him as well.

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah," Her smile is bitter, "he was too."

-

Sakura waddles through her apartment, going over baby gifts her parents and Ino had just sent her, though very grateful, she wasn't even finished sorting through the last ones they had sent. She had just convinced Naruto and Kakashi to leave for their duties, assuring them that she could handle herself. She was now 5 months pregnant, and although moving around started becoming a bit of a problem, she didn't want to worry anyone. She smiles at the thought that the child growing inside her would never be alone, always sorrounded by those who care.

She plants a hand on top of her stomach, "My little bird." she cooes, and she feels a light kick to her hand. Those were the words that always caused her little one to stir, to practice taijutsu inside. She closes her eyes and thinks of the love she's lost and the love she has gained.

A knock on the door snaps her out of her trance as she glances towards the entrance of her home, thinking it was Shizune who promised to come by later that day. "Coming!" She announces, opening the door to greet her visitor. She pauses, her smile faltering, greeting dying down. "Hinata." She says.

The Hyuuga heiress shuffles on her feet and glances down. Only an idiot couldn't realize the slight disdain Sakura Haruno felt towards the other. The pinkette had placed the blame on her after Naruto had told Sakura why and how Neji had died.

Some would call it unfair, but Sakura thought of her hatred as justified.

"Sakura-" The Hyuuga started after a few seconds of tense silence, "What are you doing here?" Sakura asks. "I-I just.." Hinata stammered, "I just wanted to see...how you were doing.." She finishes quietly. Sakura closes her eyes, "I'm doing well, Hinata. We're both doing well."

"I-I'm glad." Hinata truthfully answers. "Is there anything else you wanted to tell me?" Sakura asks. Hinata flinches but says, "I-I just wanted to say that.."

"I'm sorry." She apologizes, looking down. Sakura shows no emotion but the grief she had kept in her heart was beggining to claw out. She stares at the woman in front of her, steps back, and closes the door.

She will never forget the nights she wakes with tears in her eyes, chest heaving from memories that she holds dear to her heart, and when her eyes flutter to sleep once again, she dreams of what could have been, yet cannot.

-

At 7 months, she has an audience with Hiashi Hyuuga. Her knees tucked and shuffling below her as she struggles to be comfortable, placing a hand on her stomach as she exhales. Hiashi pours the both of them tea. "Haruno-san" he starts, "I'm aware that you're carrying my nephews child." She nods and thinks to herself, 'I have. For the last 7 months to be exact' but she chooses to keep that to herself. A tense silence falls between them, as both try to find the right words.

"I've never..." He begins, "had the chance to be a better uncle towards my nephew." She glances up to meet the clan heads eyes, "I wish to make up for it through your child, Haruno-san." and he bows, shocking her. She contemplates for a moment, she thinks of her late lover's sentiments of his clan, his dream of reform and change. She gives a reluctant smile, but it's genuine. "It would be an honor, Hyuuga-sama" she bows as well, as much as she could.

Neji's dream would live on.

"Please, call me Hiashi." and the two bond over tea and the faint buzzing of cicadas.

-

"So, anyone lucky lately?" Sakura asks as she is checking over flowers with Ino in the Yamanaka shop. Her hand hovers above a pot of beautiful tulips, reminiscing over how Neji would leave a flower on her doorstep every time he would leave on a mission, flowers from the Hyuuga clan gardens. Her favorite had been the hyacinths which meant constancy. She manages a sad smile. She would constantly, patiently wait for him. Always.

Ino looks at her best friend, eyes softening. She remembers the morning Neji had come into her shop requesting for a bouquet of gardenias and purple asters before he left for a few months on a mission. She knew about the two and was ecstatic, surprised at how the man even knew what the flowers meant, most likely reading about them just for her.

"Well.." she says, diverting her friends attention, "I've been giving Sai some nudges and hints."

Sakura gapes, "No way, pig! Sai?" the pinkette chuckles, "Can't say I expected that." she mutters, a part of her evaluating her friends choices in men, not that she was one to judge either. "You seem to forget, billboard brow," Ino says, placing her arms on the desk, facing Sakura, "I can be pretty persuasive." she winks. Sakura breaks into laughter and the blonde follows suit.

Suddenly, Sakura feels something wet trickle down her legs. She looks down and so does her companion. They stare wide eyed at each other for a moment before they both simultaneously call one anothers names and Naruto suddenly barges in, rushing her to the hospital. Ino and Sakura have no time to dwell on the fact that Naruto was spying on them in case this happened, and it did.

Her hand clutches her stomach as Naruto races through the streets of Konoha. She sees her shishou at the hospital entrance and thanks the heavens.

-

When the contractions grow worse as she lays on the hospital bed, she grips Naruto's hand and he crumples to the ground, begging for mercy. Tsunade is in front of her and Ino is outside, pacing back and forth.

Soon afterwards, cries fill the room and everyone is struck with relief. Tsunade holds the newborn in her arms, "Congratulations, Sakura." she announces with a smile, "A healthy baby boy." Sakura’s response is a breathtaking smile as she reaches for her child.

"Hey, I knew it'd be a little guy! Dattebayo!" Naruto says, instantly recovered from his crushed hands. Tsunade is irked by the sudden mood switch in the room but softens when Sakura begins to laugh.

The Hokage proceeds to quickly clean him up and give him to his mother, congratulating her student once more with a kiss on the forehead, excusing herself to grab the necessary files to record the birth. Sakura cooes, and Naruto is beside her in an instant, eyes wide with wonder. The babe calms, slowly opening his eyes, and Sakura couldn't help the tears threatening to fall. "He looks just like him." Naruto whispers in awe before grinning and patting lightly at the tuft of pink hair on his head, "For the most part." Sakura chuckles at that, smacking him lightly on the arm then looking up at the ceiling to stop the waterworks, "Yeah" she sighs in contentment.

"Forehead!" Ino walks in and hurriedly paces to her best friend. She takes a seat on the bed, right beside Sakuras head, her reaction upon seeing the newborn is the same as Naruto's as she gently pokes his cheek. Soft whimpers come from the babe, "Ah, he's hungry." and Sakura proceeds to slide down her hospital gown strap. Naruto rapidly looks away and the two women share a laugh, wondering how his neck hadn't cracked while doing so. Only Naruto.

"So.." Ino began, "What's his name?" she asks. Sakura is in thought for a few seconds, as both of her closest friends stare at her. "Asahi" she says with a tone of finality,

"Hyuuga Asahi"

-

"I guess I'm starting to move on, I'm settling into the world as it is now. I'm getting used to it. I'm learning to live again."

-

Asahi
昇冴: Bright Rising
New beginnings
Rebirth

-

She lays her head on his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat, wishing the moment would last forever.

"I can't promise anything, Sakura." Neji says.

"I know." She answers, fingers fluttering over his closed eyelids, slowly tracing his features.

It is enough, more than enough.