Archive of Our Own

The journey back home was a dull affair. News of the high school student who had been stabbed to death by a random nobody hung over her somber mood like a grey cloud. The road was empty with barely any lights yet she wasn't concerned with herself. Rather, she had failed her end of term exams. She had missed out on school for the first week because her father couldn't afford to pay school fees as such she wasn't permitted to enter school at school at all.

After a week of patiently waiting for her father to scrap together some money, Sakura made her way to Konoha Academy. However, almost all classes had written revision exams of last term's work. They didn't write anymore exams until the end of the term except for a few tests which helped move her grade from ungraded to a D. Still, the red marks contrasted with the usual As and Bs found in her report book. She had ranked thirty three out of forty five and in the last fifty of her entire stream. She knew her father would understand but he would make a disappointed face he failed to hide whenever she failed at school. They both understood that it wasn't her fault since she was a very bright student but it stung nonetheless.

Sakura pressed her bag closer to herself as another sigh passed through her lips. Born as the only daughter of Kizashi and Mebuki Haruno, Sakura didn't have a golden spoon in her mouth. Or even iron. She had none at all. Her parents worked day and night to make ends meet yet they never managed to be more than a lower income family. Most of their money went to school and paying rent. She attended a government school so her fees weren't that high but for her parents, it was a mountain. Sometimes, they asked for help from their relatives. Her father didn't like it one bit.

The pink haired girl neared the market district of their high density suburb. It was brightly lit as vendors sold whatever to get a few yen to use for tomorrow. The buzzy chatter of the vendors eased the melancholy a little bit. Having grown up here, nostalgia hit her frequently whenever she was feeling down. She imagined herself living her for the rest of her life. Now, she was seventeen and tired of everything. She didn't want her parents to struggle every single day just so that she could go to school. Many times, she had argued with them to drop out. She could help out her mother with her housecleaning duties. She was surprised when Mebuki had slapped her for it.

It had been the first and last time. There was no way that she would be reduced to a housecleaner. Not as long as both her parents were alive. 

There was a loud commotion near Fusertech. They sold gadgets and stationery there. She went over to see what was happening. "The nerve of him. Kids these days really have no shame," one of the ladies beside her clicked her tongue. "What happened?" she asked her. The older woman turned to look at her with a disdainful frown. She waited expectantly for her to reply. "He tried to steal a phone but he was caught and beaten. He just took the phone and ran. Stupid boy," she clicked her tongue again. Sakura walked forward to see the boy in question. He was roughly around her age with long dirty brown hair. There was a white rag wrapped around his forehead. 

His lip was busted and his nose was heavily bleeding. She had expected to find a look of defiance but what she saw caught her completely off guard. He had the look of someone who had given up on life. Defeated. He looked thoroughly ashamed of what he had done. It wasn’t as though it was about the phone but something much deeper. She remained rooted to her spot as the crows gradually began to disperse. It was night and most people would be on their way home for dinner. 

For whatever reason unknown to her, her feet refused to move. The boy finally caught sight of her when everyone had left. He had unusually coloured eyes. They were pale lavender, almost white. Instead of being freaked out, she found herself almost appreciating his eye colour. It wasn’t everyday she met people with unique features. She was an example with natural pink hair. So far, no one in existence had naturally pink hair. It was always dyed. Naruto was another example. He had whisker marks on his cheeks. He said they were birth marks. She believed him.

“What are you staring at?” 

The delivery was flat and unamused. He was glaring at her. She cleared her throat awkwardly. “Sorry, I was looking at your eyes,” she spoke as she gestured to her face. He was unimpressed. An uncomfortable silence settled between them. “Why’d you do it?” she asked. “What’s it to you?” he retorted. He wasn’t rude, just straight to the point. Not quite like Sasuke, rather toned down. She had no answer as to why she wanted to know. “My name is Sakura. What’s yours?” she tried again. He gave a long stare. “Neji,” he said. “That’s a nice name,” she commented. “Yeah,” he was almost sarcastic. 

“Where do you live?” she asked. Neji have her an incredulous look. “I look plenty homeless,” he said with an unamused frown. He spoke as if he were simply telling facts, which he was. Sakura doubted he would be pleased if she pitied him. “What are you still doing here?” he said with a raised eyebrow. Sakura took in his appearance. He was wearing a black t-shirt with holes and brown sweatpants, or black, she wasn’t too sure. He had no shoes on. “I don’t have a reason. I just wanted to talk to you,” she replied. She hoped she didn’t sound too cheesy. He looked at her expressionlessly. 

“I’ll be going then,” she said. He nodded his head. “See you later,” she spoke, waving at him.

It wasn’t until halfway into the second term that Sakura saw him again. She was coming from school, having just parted ways with Karin when she saw him picking up plastic bottles. His clothes were the same from last time. He had a big sack he was filling with the bottles. It was late afternoon and not many people were out. It was hot. She walked over to him. “Hey,” she tried to sound casual. “I was hoping for you to ignore me,” he announced. “Too bad,” she said, an involuntary smile on her face. “What are you doing?” Sakura asked him. He gave her an unimpressed glare. “I-I mean you are picking up plastic bottles. I want to know why,” she explained.

“Has anyone told you how annoying you are?” he stated. “Yes. Now answer the question,” she remarked. Sasuke told her he was annoying. It was only two times in total but it had stuck to her. He was one of Naruto’s friends. He didn’t learn at her school. He went to a private academy along with Naruto. His monthly fees was enough to cover all her past years school fees. They had met through Naruto since Sakura’s mother once worked for the Uzumaki family.

“Has anyone told you how nosy you are?” he repeated. That was new. “No. I’m curious. It’s different. If you’re not going to answer me, I’m going to keep pestering you,” she said as she crossed her arms in defiance. He rolled his eyes in annoyance. “I don’t have a choice,” he stated in a matter of fact tone. “Glad to know where we stand,” she said smugly. He sighed in exasperation. “In case you didn’t notice, being homeless isn’t exactly how I want to spend the rest of my days. And I’m too dirty to get a decent job so I’m collecting plastic bottles to sell the recycle center,” he explained. “You actually get paid?” she asked in wonder. If that had been the case, she would’ve started collecting too. It would’ve made life a lot easier for her parents. 

“No. I don’t get paid that’s why I’m collecting dirt on a very hot day,” he spoke, sarcasm dripping from his tone. “Right. Sorry,” she apologized. She probably was annoying. “Well, I’ll leave you to it,” she said. She didn’t want to bother him anymore than she had already done. He was obviously busy.

A month passed and she saw him again. He was dressed differently. He had obviously gotten the clothes from thrift bales. He was dressed in a faded blue tshirt and black cargo pants. He had a pair of off-white sneakers. He was holding a plastic bag, probably with food. He was talking to a woman who was selling tomatoes. She ran over to him. “That’ll be fifty cents,” she heard the woman tell him. He finished for something in his pocket then handed her the coins. The woman handed him a small plastic with five tomatoes. 

“Ah, if it isn’t Mebuki’s girl.”

She recognized her as one of her mother’s friends. She had a daughter by the name Moegi. They both had auburn hair and green eyes. “Good afternoon ma’am,” Sakura said politely. She tended to forget her name. “You still haven’t remembered my name,” she laughed. Sakura’s face warmed in embarrassment. “Don’t sorry about it. Tell your mother that I’m expecting her tomorrow,” the woman said kindly. Sakura nodded her head.

Neji was already walking away as she finished talking to the woman. “Hey wait up,” she called as she ran after him. “You know very well I went there because of you,” she accused as she caught up to him. “It’s not like I asked you to come,” he replied nonchalantly. “You could pretend to be excited to see me,” she grumbled. Why was she the only one happy to see him not looking like a homeless nobody? “Oh boo. I hurt your feelings. Deal with it,” he scoffed. A surge of anger welled up inside her. “You know what? Maybe I should leave you alone,” she snapped irritably before taking off.

At the end of the second term, Sakura got a part time job. It didn’t pay much but it would help her with extra lessons. Her final exams were coming up in the third term. They only had a month to prepare before they started. Her Biology teacher, Ms Tsunade, lived with her younger brother and sister in law. Her husband had died three years into their marriage. They didn’t have children. She hadn’t remarried even when the literature teacher, Mr Jiraiya made very clear that he was interested in her. They placed bets at school on whether the two would end up together. Sakura always bet against and she won every single time. The older woman clearly hadn’t moved on from her husband.

She was going to visit some of her relatives in another city. She was going with Nawaki and Shizune. She needed someone to look after the house. She asked Sakura and the younger girl agreed instantly. The offer came with free Biology lessons for the rest of the holiday. She wanted to be a doctor and she had to ace Biology if she wanted her advanced level subject combinations to include it. Her house had five rooms, a bathroom, lounge and kitchen. It was big. It was to be expected since she had extended her house from the usual two rooms that most houses had. As such, her yard was rather small. 

Most houses had fences. Tsunade’s house was walled with a large black gate that left nothing to see inside. She was a little envious of her house. Her parents rented two rooms at the new stands. Tsunade’s house was old and by default, much better. That’s how their district was. The older houses were better designed with bigger yards. The new stands were still in development after the Government decided to start a rehabilitation program to curb squatters. Tsunade’s house had electricity. Their side didn’t. Others relied on solar panels. Sakura’s parents couldn’t afford it.

Tsunade would be gone for a week and half. Sakura could eat all the food in the fridge. She just had to remember to put aside a single person’s portion in the microwave. Her teacher had a tenant. He rarely came out of his room. It was at the end of the hall. It was kind of creepy. The lights were turned off during the day and the end of the hall was always dark. She wasn’t scared of the dark per se. The corner was eerie, even though the room was opposite to the bathroom.

The first day, the tenant didn’t come out. Neither the second nor the third day. The food was always eaten and the plates washed. By the fourth day, Sakura swore she would get him to come out. She knocked on his door. Either he was asleep or simply ignored her, she didn’t know. She did the same thing on the fifth day. She gave up on the sixth day.

On the seventh day, the tenant came out of his room. Sakura was in the lounge doing her mathematics homework. She didn’t hear him enter until he was kneeling beside her. She was seated on the carpet, using the coffee table as her desk. “You’re doing it wrong,” he spoke into her ear. She jumped and slammed her knee into the table in a haste to get up. She turned to face the unknown person to berate him for sneaking up on her. 

“Neji?” 

In the flesh and blood.

For the first time, his face was clean. He clearly had good genes because there wasn’t a single spot or blemish on his face. His eyes seemed even darker than usual, a light purple. He still had a white cloth tied around his forehead. 

“Are you done staring?”

With a huff of annoyance, she went back to her work, taking pleasure when her hair slapped his face. He moved to sit opposite her on the other side of the table. “I want to apologize for how I treated you last time,” he spoke awkwardly. A single apology wouldn’t suffice. Her eyes remained stubbornly fixed onto the paper though the equations looked like a jumbled mess. 

“Sakura.”

It was the first time he had called her name. Reluctantly, she looked up from the paper to stare at him. “You don’t have to look at me like a kicked puppy,” he stated sympathetically. “That’s what it felt like. I was just happy that you were…” she let her words hang in the air. “It’s been awhile since I’ve had someone care about me. I quickly went on defense,” he told her. “It was my first time seeing you dressed in something other than rags. I got overexcited and I shouldn’t have forced myself on you as I have been doing many other times,” she said somewhat apologetically.

“I didn’t mind,” he spoke quietly. An awkward silence settled between them. “So you live here now?” she asked. She could at least make small talk. “Yeah. Tsunade rented me one of her rooms at a pretty decent fee,” he replied. “Did you get enough money from collecting plastics?” she said. His hair was glossy, obviously well kept. Her hair was a bird’s nest compared to him. “Yeah. I got enough. Tsunade is working on getting me a job at her school,” he retorted. She often didn’t dwell on it because most of the times she had seen him, he was dirty and dressed poorly. Now that he had cleaned up, Sakura could very say that he was a very attractive person.

He had quite a muscular body. The short sleeve t-shirt he was wearing showed thick forearms and biceps. Was he always this packed?

“I’d pay to see you working at our school,” she snickered. “I wanted to ask how you two know each other,” he spoke as he put his elbow on the table, leaning onto his palm. His muscles flexed a bit with the action. “She’s my Biology teacher,” she stated, her eyes on his arms. He hummed thoughtfully. “Do you need help with that?” he asked her. She looked down at her paper. “You know math?” she asked incredulously. “I used to go to school,” he stated smugly. She wanted to ask what happened but refrained. She didn’t want to ruin the budding friendship she had with him because of her nosiness.

“How old are you?” she asked instead. He rolled his eyes, a smile playing on his lips. “Why do you want to know?” he replied as he scooted over to sit beside her. “Curiosity,” she stated. Why was his face so clear? She could feel the jealousy claw its way into her stomach. “I’ll tell you if you stop staring at me like you want to murder me. I already apologized,” he said in a teasing tone, taking the pen from her hand and the book as well. She pointed ignored the burning sensation in her fingers when they made contact.

Neji was eighteen years old. And he was a genius. The first few lessons had been hard because she was distracted by his face and clear skin. She regularly battled with acne and blemishes. It didn’t help that she felt a goblin standing next to him. He was a literal Adonis.

Sakura continued to come over to Tsunade’s house even when she returned. She would have Biology lessons in the morning with her teacher then Math and Physics with Neji in the afternoon. They rarely made small talk even Sakura made it clear that she didn’t want to just talk about Newton’s law or Pythagoras theorem. He was strict, maybe even stricter than Tsunade. Their lessons ended at exactly four in the afternoon. He didn’t accompany her home even the one time she had asked him to. She never brought it up again.

The new term opened with anticipation of the upcoming exams. These exams would determine her career. She didn’t want to fail. Neji was hired as a janitor. He cleaned the school hallways and sweeped the yard. He also made sure the bins were emptied. He had a fanclub.

Sakura absolutely hated it. She had known Neji before all of them. If they had seen him six months ago, they wouldn’t even want to be within a metre of him. She had approached him first. He had taught her first. Why was he suddenly giving extra lessons after school? Sure, he needed the money. He had three different classes, Math, Physics and English, which were filled with boys and girls of all ages. Most of them were writing candidates and senior students.

Tsunade had asked Headmaster Hiruzen on his behalf to use the classrooms after school hours. She also explained his current situation. The old man was kind and promptly agreed that he would allow it if Neji made sure that his lessons were done by six. They started at four. He had two classes a day and alternated to fit everyone.

Sakura had initially refused to join his lessons. One, because she didn’t have the money to pay. Two, even if she did, she was not going to be reduced to be just another person. She was first. Still, Tsunade ordered her to attend the lessons free of charge. Neji had probably reported her to the older woman. He knew would’ve refused. She begrudgingly agreed.

Their final exams came and went. It was anxious month for her. She had barely managed to register all her subjects. Her parents had to loan some money from their neighbors. She registered nine subjects out of the thirteen she did. After writing exams, there was no longer any need for them to go to school. They could resume next year February after their results were released meaning she had four months of doing absolutely nothing.

Part time jobs were hard to get those days. With nothing to do, Sakura spent her days home. Her phone was an outdated Samsung with a cracked screen. She didn’t have access to WiFi, obviously, and internet data bundles were just as expensive. She asked Tsunade to go through her library because there was nothing else better to do. Neji would be away with work. She was bummed. Schools had a month and a half before closing for the holidays. 

Neji always came home late, usually by the time she would be back home. They met on weekends but he would be locked inside his room. It hurt Sakura, immensely. They were friends or so she thought. He wasn’t putting any effort into even talking to her. She had asked Tsunade why he was so withdrawn. The blonde told her that she would ban her from coming to her house if she continued to be her nosy self. 

The first week of December, Sakura stopped going to Tsunade’s house. She was tired of reading books. Neji was still a ghost. Her phone was half dead and she wasn’t in the mood of pretending that everything was great. She met Naruto at the community hall on weekends. They talked for hours before Naruto to go home. He was the Mayor’s son and he lived on the other side of town. He was her only friend. She was one of his many friends. A lot of them were rich, their parents were politicians and businessmen. Nepo babies was the right word. She had met his male best friend, Sasuke Uchiha. His father was Chief of the Police in the whole country. His brother was part of the presidential guard.

Sasuke had taken an instant dislike towards her the same way she had taken an instant liking to him. It was fruitless, having a crush on him. He was way above her league. Her clothes spoke as much. She wasn’t the only one eyeballing him for a romantic relationship. Ino Yamanaka, the daughter of a man who worked in the President’s office, had made it clear on social media that she had a thing for the dark haired boy. She posted pictures of the two of them on Instagram.

Sakura had met Naruto through Karin. They were cousins except Karin’s parents weren’t as important. Naruto’s mother was a niece to the former President’s wife. She and Karin were interested in medicine. Karin told her that her cousin had access to the town’s library, free of charge. That’s when she had met the blonde. He made it very obvious that he liked her. Sakura entertained the idea of dating him for a short time before throwing it out the window. She would never fit into Naruto’s circle. There was no point in trying to. It also didn’t help matters that she liked Sasuke. There was never a place for Naruto in her heart in the romantic sense.

Today was just like every other day.

Christmas was tomorrow. Her parents had gone to visit their relatives in the countryside. Sakura had opted to stay behind. She really wasn’t in the mood for festivities and she didn’t want to tell Temari about her pathetic love life.

She was a light eater so the food would last for the two weeks her parents were away. Her dad had found a new job. He was a mechanic and had managed to have a contract with a big company. They would move to the better parts of their district. There would be enough money to pay for her final two years of high school.

“Sakura!”

She snapped out of her momentary doze. The voice was familiar but she couldn’t place it. She left her bedroom, passed her parents room into the tiny living room and kitchen. The kitchen was even smaller but for their family of three, it was decent. She went outside. Their house was half the size of Tsunade’s. The yard was even smaller. 

“Sakura!”

“I’m here.”

It was Moegi. She was three years younger than Sakura. She had just started high school. “What’s up?” Sakura asked as she opened the gate for her. “Do you know that long haired janitor from your school?” the auburn haired girl asked. Neji. “Yeah. Why?” she said. “Mother told me to tell you he’s looking for you. He has been for almost a week,” Moegi told her. Neji didn’t know where she lived. “Thanks for telling me. I’ll pay him a visit later,” she said coolly. Later meant as soon as Moegi left. “Are you guys an item?” the younger girl asked. She kept her face expressionless. “No,” she replied. 

“That’s a bummer. I thought you two look good together. You’re the only person he talks to,” Moegi commented. Sakura hummed noncommittally. “I have to go. See you around,” the girl said as she began to walk away with a wave. Sakura watched her walk until she was out of sight.

She immediately ran back inside and took a quick shower. She brushed her hair. It looked better than a decently made bird’s nest. She changed into a maroon dress that grazed her knees. She wasn’t bold enough to wear something short and Mebuki wouldn’t allow it. Her Adidas crocs were worn but she washed them. They looked better. With a happy wink at her reflection in the mirror, Sakura left the house.

Nawaki was just leaving the house when she arrived. “Hey Sakura,” he said with a grin. “Hey. I haven’t seen you in awhile,” she said with a genuine smile. He was in his late twenties and a wickedly handsome brunette. “Family business,” he replied. He promised to catch up with her when he wasn’t busy.

She went inside to find Neji sitting on the couch. He was reading a book with his legs stretched out in front of him. His legs were undeniably long. Just how tall was he?

“I heard you were looking for me,” she said as she took a seat on the sofa opposite him. He looked up from his book. His eyes roamed her quick before returning back to the book. “Yeah,” he spoke as he closed the book and set it beside him. They looked at each other. “I’m here now,” she stated. He continued staring at her. It was getting uncomfortable. “Aren’t you mad at me?” he asked. She gave him puzzled look. “Why would I be mad at you?” she spoke.

“For not being there for you,” he said a bit awkwardly. “I thought you were busy with work,” she replied. “Well, I was. I thought you’d throw a fuss about it,” he remarked. “It’s not my place to pry so I can’t be mad about it,” she told him. He looked as if someone had slapped him. “I feel really guilty now,” he said with a sigh. Sakura remained silent. “What are you doing tomorrow?” he asked. “Nothing. My parents went to the countryside for the holidays,” she told him. “Why didn’t you go with them?” he questioned. “I wasn’t in the mood for travelling,” she replied. “Plus I was hoping that you wouldn’t be too busy to hang out during the holidays,” she added softly.

Neji gazed at her. She fidgeted in her seat. “I made some money and I wanted to take you out somewhere if you don’t mind,” he said in an unusually shy tone. “Where did you want to go?” she asked as she struggled to contain her racing heart. “I heard there’s a new Avengers movie and you’ve been complaining wanting to see one. So I thought if you weren’t too busy, we could watch a movie together,” he said. “Oh.”

She had wanted to see the movie. She wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity. “I want to go with you. Even if I was busy, I’d make time. It’s not everyday I get to go to the movies especially with you,” she said, her cheeks flaming up involuntarily. “Thank you,” he said in a relieved tone. “Did you think I was going to say no?” she asked, mirth in her tone. “I was under the assumption that you were mad at me since you weren’t coming here anymore,” he told her.

“Well, it was getting boring reading books everyday without anyone to talk to. Not to mention, I had to walk every day,” she said with a chuckle. “Plus Tsunade told me I was being nosy. I didn’t want to impose myself on you,” she added. “I told you I don’t mind,” he stated. Sakura kept her mouth shut because she was sure she was going to say something stupid to ruin the moment, whatever was happening between them.

“I’ll pick you up tomorrow in the morning,” he said as he stood up. Sakura did the same. “You don’t know where I live,” she pointed out. “I’ll walk you home,” he said as he went to the door. Sakura followed him to the door at a much slower pace, trying to keep the goofy smile off her face.

They walked to bus station and boarded a bus that would taken them to town. The conversation consisted of Sakura talking about something and Neji nodding along to it. She did it to distract herself. Neji was undeniably attractive. He was dressed in dark grey cargo pants, a white shirt and a black jean jacket. A pair of white sneakers finished the attire. He looked undeniably good. Sakura felt like a wallflower beside him. She was wearing light blue jeans, a white camisole and a cream cardigan. Cream flats and a sling bag she had received from her aunt finished the attire.

She looked cute but cute and hot didn’t mix. Neji was hot. 

She pretended not to notice the leering looks sent his way when they arrived at the movie house. He bought popcorn, drinks and their tickets. Sakura repaid him by keeping the conversation going. 

When the movie started, she almost forgot about Neji. She was deeply engrossed from start to finish. They watched Avengers: Endgame. She cried when Natasha Romanoff died. She also cried for Tony Stark and Steve Rogers. She watched the ending credits. They were the last to leave the theatre.

Neji took her to the restaurant a few blocks from the movie house. They ate with Sakura still chattering. Neji contributed to the conversation. They made conspiracy theories about Black Widow and Captain America. After that, they took the bus back home. Sakura couldn’t stop smiling the entire way. Neji had a new phone, second hand but new, and they took a few pictures together. The rest of his gallery was Sakura taking pictures of herself and whatever she found interesting.

They walked back to her house in comfortable silence. When they arrived, Sakura invited him inside so that she could send the pictures to her phone. It was surprisingly still working. The screen was about to fall off. Since they didn’t have electricity, they often used electric lamps and candles. After Sakura sent the pictures, she accompanied him to the gate. 

“I had a really good time today,” she told him. “I did too. I feared for your throat though. How could you spend the entire day talking?” he teased. “I was quiet during the movie,” she huffed with an eye roll. “So I’ll see you tomorrow?” she asked hopefully. He nodded. “I don’t have work. Plus Tsunade was talking about going on a vacation with Shizune. Nawaki won’t be coming back for awhile. I’ll be all alone,” he said, adding a sigh for a dramatic effect. Sakura snorted as she rolled her eyes.

A sudden thought came to her.

“Can I hug you?” she asked. He looked at her incredulously. “You want to hug me?” he stated with an alarmed expression. “It’s not like I’m forcing you to agree to it. I won’t do it if you don’t want me to,” she said with a casual wave though he could tell that she was hurt. “I didn’t say no. You can hug me. I was just surprised,” he said in a placating tone. The girl gave him an unsure look. He gave her a confident smile.

She closed the distance between them, wrapping her arms around his neck. His arms remained rooted to his side. He wasn’t sure what to do. “You have to hug me back, dummy. Put your arms around me,” she stated. He wasn’t sure where to put them so he settled on her waist. He could feel her settling into his arms and he pressed her closer to him. She was undeniably shorter than him and could feel her breath fanning his neck.

“Are you sniffing me?” he chuckled humorously. “Yes. I’m trying to commit you to memory,” she said unashamedly. “You don’t smell anything special,” she commented as she pressed her nose to his neck. Something stirred inside him. “Are you saying I smell bad?” he said, sniffing her hair instead. He was quite sure she didn’t use shampoo. “No. But you smell like you,” she said as she hugged him tighter. He could feel her womanly objects pressing into his chest. He wasn’t supposed to feel that. A lot of things were wrong with what they were doing, with this hug where they were pressing together as if they were going to mold into one thing, taking in each other’ scents. It was too much. Intimate was the right word for it.

“Your mosquito bites are probing me,” he said. The spell was immediately broken. She shrieked in indignation as she jumped away from him, putting her arms over chest. “You’re pervert,” she hissed at him. “Plus I’m not that small,” she added defensively. “Sure,” he said with a smirk. She was certainly no Tsunade or even a Hinata. “It doesn’t matter what size I am. Even if I’m very small,” she sniffed. “It doesn’t matter,” he said honestly. He liked any size. Sakura wasn’t small, she was medium.

“I’m going back inside. I hope you trip on your way back,” she snapped as she made her way back inside, though it lacked any venom. 

“Sweet dreams Sakura.”

They spent the entire holiday at Tsunade’s house. Sakura slept over. There was no need to go back to her lonely house without electricity. They spent most of their time together doing school work. Neji had access to the internet since he bought internet data bundles, as little as they were. He quizzed her thoroughly without the pressure of exams. Idle chat made up the most of it since Sakura telling Neji about herself and every other thing. She figured he was uncomfortable talking about himself and she respected that. There was nothing special about her to hide so she told him everything.

Maybe except the part that she had teeny weeny crush on him. 

By the fifth of January, Neji had to go back to work. Schools were opening on the thirteenth and he had to clean the school. First year students were coming on the eleventh for introductions. Her parents came back from the holidays on the sixth, there wasn’t much to do except wait for her results which would be released end of January. She had visited Karin to connect to the internet and back up the photos she had taken with Neji into her Google drive so that she wouldn’t lose them. It was only a matter of time before her phone gave out. She doubted Neji was the type of keep pictures.

Their results were released on a Friday, last week of January. She had scored all As on her exams. Her father had been ecstatic. He gave her money to buy whatever she wanted. She had refused but he was adamant. His job gave him enough money to indulge themselves a little bit. Sakura kept the money. She wanted to share with Neji. They had both earned it. He had helped her with schoolwork. 

There wasn’t much that the money could do so she decided they would go shopping at the thrift bales in their district. There was no need to dress up since it was home. Sakura went late afternoon because that was the time that the vendors put out the best clothes. Most people would be coming from and they would be no doubt loaded. 

She bought him a jacket. It was denim with a thick fleece inside. Winter was coming soon. He needed to keep warm. For herself, she bought a dress. It was long, grazing her calves and exactly how she liked it. It was green with short sleeves and a high collar. Neji said that the colour matched her eyes. She did not turn red but her face was hot at the comment nonetheless.

They walked back to Sakura’s house. It was a longer route. The tower lights were on, signifying that electricity was there. They emitted an orange colour. Sakura thought it was romantic especially since the object of her affections was walking beside her. She had since come to terms with it. It was better than being in denial. It was easier with Neji. He was there, in her league plus he tolerated her presence. Sasuke acted as if he hated her. She wasn’t comparing the two of them to see who was the better option, it was just obvious. She no longer thought about Sasuke. That had to count for something.

“Have you applied for advanced classes?” Neji asked her. “Not yet. My parents were discussing about me changing schools. I don’t want to transfer,” she replied. “Why? No offense but your school is old and not the most academically advanced. If you go to a better school, you’ll learn more things, plus you might a scholarship and-“ “I won’t transfer as long as you’re there,” she cut him off. Did he think that she was shallow? “You don’t have to miss out on better opportunities because of me,” he said with a disappointed frown. “You’re more important to me than any opportunity,” she stated firmly. Neji looked ready to argue but her glare shut him up.

“Well well well, would you look at that? The slave lives after all.”

Sakura couldn’t make out the face in the dim lit but the voice was oddly familiar. “What do you want want?” Neji growled. In all the days she had known him, Neji never lost his temper. Not even once. “You got yourself a new girlfriend? TenTen won’t be pleased,” the other boy barked out a laugh. She was tempted to ask who TenTen was but it wasn’t the time. There were clearly pressing issues. Still, her curiosity was untamed.

“You’re supposed to be dead,” the boy sneered. “Too bad he’s alive,” Sakura snapped. The other boy was rubbing off on her wrongly. She didn’t like a way he was speaking to Neji. And she wasn’t going to stand around when someone angered her friend. “I thought I recognised you. It’s Spitfire, or should I say Billboard Brow?” Her entire body felt cold. This wasn’t happening. Not him of all people. “Too bad Ami isn’t here. She would’ve loved to catch up with you,” he said. “Go away Kiba. You smell like dog breath,” she griped.

“You better watch that pretty mouth of yours if you want to walk away unharmed,” Kiba warned her. “He could hurt you,” Neji spoke beside her. “Not if I get to him first,” she snarled as she took a step forward. She didn’t care whether you were a boy or girl. She didn’t back down from a fight. “Please. Let me handle this,” he said as he placed a placating hand on her shoulder. She wanted to argue. She could take Kiba on any single day, even if it left her with a dozen bruises.

She crossed her arms as he moved to stand in front of her. The gesture was almost protective. Sakura did not think too much about it. “Did Hiashi put you up to this?” he asked the boy. She wondered how these two boys knew each other. Kiba and Ami were her childhood bullies. Ami made fun of her forehead and Kiba supported her because they were insufferable lovers since primary school. Sakura was pretty sure the other girl had lost her virginity before she turned thirteen.

“No but I wish he did. I would’ve loved to take the light out of your eyes,” Kiba said, a smile in his voice. Sakura was disgusted. She was tempted to punch him for the sake of it. “What do you want then?” he asked. “Somebody told me you were cozy with Nawaki and his aunt these days. I wanted to see for myself. Guess the rumors are true after all. Not of mention, you even got a babe to boot,” Kiba spoke. “Hiashi will come for you. He hasn’t forgotten what you did,” he added. “I went away on his own terms. What does he want now?” Neji was thoroughly annoyed. 

Kiba laughed out loud. “It’s easy. A life for a life. He wants you dead,” he said. Sakura was gaping at him in shock but she seemed ignored in this conversation. “Wasn’t my father’s life enough?” Neji growled. Kiba shrugged nonchalantly. “I don’t care honestly. Personally, I want to see you dead just as much,” the tanned boy snickered.

“Over my dead body,” Sakura snapped as she took a step forward. “If you want to die alongside him, I’ll happily oblige,” Kiba said. Sakura was about to shoot back a reply but Neji sent her a scathing look. “Hinata misses you. Though I wish she didn’t, she could spend her time doing much more useful,” he said. “Actually, she sent me here to warn you alongside her father’s warning. She says you have to run away if you want to stay alive. Her father said he wants you gone,” Kiba explained. 

“You can do whatever. When we meet next time, I won’t be so placid,” he said before he waved. Soon enough, he was gone.

Sakura turned to Neji as soon as Kiba was out of sight. “You’re not leaving, are you?” she asked. He didn’t reply and her eyes teared up immediately. “You’re not going anywhere. I’ll help you deal with Hiashi or whatever,” she said as she took hold of his hands. “It’s not your problem to deal with,” he told her as he made to remove his hands but Sakura held firm. “So you’re going to leave just like that? I never pegged you for a coward,” she accused. Neji scoffed coldly. It sounded so wrong coming from him. Whilst he wasn’t the sunniest person, he also wasn’t the darkest person around. “You think I’m a coward?” he stated. Sakura let go of his hands.

“I didn’t mean it like that. I just-“ “Go home Sakura,” he cut her off as he turned away from her. “Will I see you tomorrow?” she called after him. He didn’t stop neither did he reply.

When schools opened on Monday, there was a new janitor. Most of the senior classes were disappointed that Neji would no longer be joining them. Sakura visited Tsunade’s house to inquire about Neji but she found different people living there. The blonde woman had rented the house to another family. She transferred to another school in the city. Sakura tried not to let it get to her but it did either way. She missed him, terribly. She was a few steps away from pulling a Bella Swan in Twilight part 2.

She was still the dutiful daughter of Kizashi and Haruno Mebuki. She had to attend school. Failure meant wasting all of her parents’ money and efforts. She had to get on with life. She had terrible attachment issues towards people she liked. It was hard to let go someone who had integrated into her life to that extent. She wondered if he too missed her as much as she did. Neji had never been really open about how he felt towards her. He was openly annoyed with her in the beginning but he warmed up to her eventually. His eyes held a lot of secrets that she was too sacred to ask, knowing that even if she found the guts to ask, Neji wouldn’t tell her.

Time seemed to move slowly yet two years passed before she even realized it. She had taken up a part time job at her new school, teaching the younger students who were about to write their Ordinary Level finals. They had moved to a part of the city, it wasn’t low density but it wasn’t high density. It was a mixture of the two. She didn’t have friends even when almost every boy she met wanted to befriend her. The one who stood out to her the most was Lee. Not because she liked him but he had a funny looking hairstyle and bushy eyebrows. His guardian was even more weirder. They managed to talk about youth in almost every conversation. 

Lee was a karateka. He was about to become a black belt holder. He asked Sakura to join them at their dojo but she refused. She didn’t have money to pay for the lessons. He offered to teach her for free but she remained firm. It was unfair since everyone else paid. He too also needed to use the money. She passed her Advanced Level exams with flying colors but she couldn’t afford to go to college. University wasn’t even an option. She decided to take a two-year break to save up money so that she could take a nursing course. She wanted to become a doctor but tuition was expensive no matter which school she went to. The closest she could get to achieving her dream was become a nurse.

At nineteen years of age, she still gave extra lessons to struggling students such that she saved enough money to buy herself a new phone. Not a second hand but brand new. Karin had a contact who sourced phones directly from Samsung. She negotiated for him to sell the phone at a factory price because she was broke. Suigetsu agreed though it had conditions. There was a party coming in a few months time and he didn’t have an escort. He would only sell the phone to her if she went with him. He didn’t threaten her per se but she felt guilty that she had managed to buy a phone which cost a lot more at a very cheap price. Suigetsu didn’t seem like the type of person to do something fishy with her. He had insane sexual tension with Karin. She was sure he wouldn’t try anything.

Since getting her phone, she downloaded a lot of books whenever she connected to the free Wi-fi at the market. She wanted to become a entrepreneur. With how her life was currently, she could only hope to take care of her parents. As time went on, she knew it was an unrealistic dream to go to college. Her parents were still healthy but Sakura didn’t want them to spend every waking second of theirs working. And so she researched. With all the knowledge that she had, she didn’t have a place to actually put it into practice.

The party with Suigetsu was on a Saturday. She had told her parents that she was going out with Karin and Suigetsu though in reality, the redhead would not be joining them. He picked her up at six and promised to return the next day since she would be sleeping over at Karin’s. Earlier that morning, she had woken up in a somber mood. The reality of her situation was weighing down on her heavily. Suigetsu quickly picked up on her as soon as he started driving to the venue. “Why are you looking so down? Is it really that bad to hang out with me?” he asked. “Oh no, it’s not that. I feel like I’m stuck in between a hard place and a rock,” she admitted. “Talk to me then. What’s bugging ya?” he said. “I’ve always wanted to become a doctor but I don’t have the money so I thought I should wait to get more money. But that seems impossible too so I settled on becoming a nurse but I don’t know how much longer I can go to school. I want to take care my parents starting now,” she told him.

“How are you going to do that?” he asked in a genuinely curious tone. “I’ve researched a bit. My only option would be drop shipping but I don’t have the money to join the sites. Or become a reseller. There’s just so many things but I need at least a bit of money,” she said. Suigetsu was silent as he stared ahead at the road, his face pulled in thought. “I can help you. Actually, you can help me but it’ll also help you,” he stated. “How so?” she asked with a raised eyebrow. “Apart from gadgets, I do a lot of things. Some of it is mining. I’m not always free to go to meetings or do site visits. But you seem to be free enough to do so. You’re not working right?” he spoke. “Yeah. I didn’t get job even with my good results,” she grumbled. “Well, not everything is about good grades. The most important thing you can have is people. People have money. People have connections. They have knowledge and products. If you befriend the right person, you can become rich easily,” he spoke smugly.

“Lucky for you, you have Karin. And Karin has me. And I like you enough to introduce you to those people,” he said with a grin. “The party?” she asked, her heart rate picking up with excitement. He nodded as he turned into a corner. “Some of them you might know, the others you won’t. But they’re rich kids. Some of them are stupid, some of them are smart. If you play your cards right, you could land yourself a decent job,” he told her. They had arrived in low density neighborhood with double story houses and floodlights. It felt entirely different from their side of the city.

“I won’t be delivering drugs, right?” she asked in a slightly concerned voice. “Nah. You’re too sweet for that,” he said with a grin. She relaxed a little at that. They entered a triple story house with dim lights though she could hear the sounds coming from inside. The party has already started. The guard let them through and Suigetsu drove to the parking lot which was filled with different cars she had only ever seen on a magazine. “Woah,” she breathed out as she got out of the car. “Stick close to me,” he instructed as he pocketed his keys. Sakura nodded and followed after him.

The interior was expensive. The air smelt expensive. She couldn’t describe it because she was awestruck. Suigetsu took her hand as he led her inside. In the dim light, she caught site of a certain blonde. “Oh my- Is that Ino flippin Yamanaka?!” she whispered harshly. As if hearing her name, the blonde turned to face them. A smirk immediately broke out on her face. “You finally got a new play toy,” she said as she nursed the drink in her glass. Her hair was platinum blonde and held in tight ponytail with a fringe over her left eye. Her eyes were an electric blue as her mother wasn’t Japanese. She was dressed in a deep purple crop top with a mini skirt and fishnet stockings. Knee high boots finished the attire. Sakura felt like a wallflower next to her. It was probably Louis Vuitton or Bvlgaria. She was a brand ambassador after all.

“I might think you’re jealous with the way you’re talking,” he shot back with a smirk of his own. “Oh please. I can’t do anything with Karin breathing down your neck. Heaven knows that Naruto wouldn’t leave me alone if I meddled with his cousin,” she drawled with an eyeroll. Of course she knew Naruto. He was the Mayor’s kid. She was tempted to ask if he was here but remained silent. Ino turned her attention to the pinkette. “Who are you?” she asked.

“I’m no one,” she replied quickly. “Humble or stupid. Not so bad. What’s your name?” Ino asked again. “My name is Sakura Haruno,” she replied. The blonde’s eyes roamed over her figure with a calculated interest. “Did you dye your hair?” she asked. Sakura shook her head. “I’m naturally pink," she said as she held out her arm which was covered with tiny pink body hairs. Ino nodded her head impressively. “If you ever want to become a model, hit me up. He can give you my number. See you around,” she said before sashaying away. Sakura turned to Suigetsu with an excited grin. “I told you so,” he said smugly. “I don’t think I’m ever going to become a model but it would be nice to talk to her. Do you think she’d mind?” she asked nervously. “Only one way to find out,” he retorted.

They walked around some more, meeting knew people who took an interest in Suigetsu’s ‘girlfriend’ before Suigetsu left her to visit the restroom. She sat in a corner, drinking the juice with a curious expression. It didn’t taste any different. It was supposed to be spiked, right? In all the days she had drunk alcohol, she had never gotten once even though it was three times in total. She was on her third glass when a certain familiar voice called her name.

“Sakura?! Is that you?!”

She turned to the sound of Naruto’s voice, standing up immediately. His voice had caught the attention of bystanders. Behind him, Sasuke was trailing albeit slowly. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming here? I would’ve picked you up! It’s been so long! I missed you,” he said in one breath, enveloping her in a bear hug that left her breathless. “You’re gonna squeeze her to death, you numbskull,” Sasuke commented. He immediately let go and apologised profusely. “Hello Sasuke,” she said, trying to sound casual but failing miserably. She had gotten over her crush but it was still awkward even though they hadn’t really talked about it. He nodded in reply.

“We should share contacts before we forget. Pass me your phone,” he said as he took out his iPhone. She took out her Samsung and passed it to him. She wrote down her number in his phone as he did the same. “Guess what? I have a girlfriend now,” he beamed proudly. “Are you sure you didn’t force her to date you?” she teased but he took it seriously. “What? No. I mean, she said she had always liked me,” he said unsurely as he scratched his head. He turned to Sasuke. “I didn’t force her, right?” he asked. Sasuke rolled his eyes. “Obviously no otherwise Hiashi would have your head on your platter,” he stated. “That’s if her cousin doesn’t get to me first,” the blonde cried.

“Anyways, let me introduce you to Hinata before you leave,” he said as he took her arm and dragged her through the crowd. “How did you get here anyways?” Naruto asked. “Suigetsu invited me. He’s a friend of Karin,” Sakura replied. “Oh, the white haired dude with those sharp teeth? He seems pretty chill,” he abruptly stopped. “You’re not dating him, are you?” he asked with a pinched face. Even Sasuke had stopped to stare at her intently. “He isn’t all that bad,” she found herself defending him. Why did they act like he was a terrible person?

“I won’t judge you for your taste but be careful,” he said as he continued walking, their hands now held together. “I appreciate your concern but I can take care of myself,” she snapped. “Besides, we’re not dating. He has a thing going on with Karin,” she added. He gave her hand an apologetic squeeze. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. No one should tell her who she wanted to date, even if the only person she ever wanted to date was out of her reach for good.

“Hinata! Sakura’s here!”

Sitting on the leather couch was a petite dark haired girl with a fringe and a faint blush to her cheeks. She was dressed modestly in a white jacket with pale lavender pants and slippers. Everything about her screamed royalty. “Have you been drinking?” Naruto asked as he let go of Sakura to take a seat beside his slightly drunk girlfriend. “I drank only a few cups,” she mumbled shyly. What caught her attention the most were her eyes. They were familiar, too familiar lavender shade. She had seen these exact eyes somewhere. Before she could think further, a voice spoke behind her.

“I brought you water Lady Hinata.”

She felt immediately chilled to the bone. It was a voice she hadn’t heard in almost three years. A voice she only dreamt about, a voice which was now speaking behind her. “Oh you’re here too Neji? I haven’t seen you in a while,” Naruto said as he stood up, taking the outstretched hand with the glass above her shoulder. Her body refused to move. Out of fear and excitement. Was this really Neji?

She turned around to face him. She was sure her eyes were almost bulging out of her eyes. He was there in the flesh. Neji. Though she had only known him for less than year but it felt as if she had known him all her life. Her heart swelled with affection. He was really here, dressed in a white shirt and black pants. His hair was tied into low ponytail with a black headband around his forehead. He was still ridiculously attractive as ever with his skin glowing in the near darkness. Just what was his skincare routine? Her nose caught his scent, a combination of expensive perfume and something else which was entirely unique to him. 

He had been broad shouldered before but he was now a hulking giant. He towered over her by a head that she had to look up into his face. He seemed to take up a lot of space despite being very subdued. Before she could open her mouth to speak, a pair of arms wrapped around his neck. “Neji,” the young woman seemed to moan. She was a brunette with her hair in two buns on either sides of her head. She was dressed in a white body top with loose navy shorts and sneakers. “I’m hungry,” she said. “We’ll go get food after I attend Lady Hinata,” he replied in an oddly affectionate tone. Her heart clenched. He had never spoken to her like that. He still didn’t register her presence even though she was standing in front of him. How could he though, when such a beautiful woman was draped over him?

Her eyes teared up involuntarily. He had been very reserved around her, not wanting to touch her or go the extra mile. “I’d like you guys to meet Sakura. We knew each other through Karin and we’ve been friends since primary school,” Naruto spoke behind her. She forced herself to turn back to Hinata, hoping she didn’t have a mental breakdown. “It’s nice to finally meet you. Naruto speaks a lot about you,” Hinata spoke softly as she stood up. “I hope it wasn’t anything too bad,” she forced a laugh. “Nothing bad, I promise. We should go out sometimes. He said that you want to be a doctor,” she said. Sakura nodded. Behind her, she could feel Neji’s heat against her back. 

“Neji,” the girl groaned again. “TenTen, get a room,” Naruto said with an eyeroll. TenTen ignored him. “Neji please. I’m dying here,” she complained. Her heart clenched as her tears became too heavy in her eyes. It was only a matter of time before she started crying. “I need to get some fresh air. I’ll be outside,” she said hurriedly, turning to move around Neji, heading towards the nearest exit. She needed air. She needed to breath. Her breath was coming out in short gasps. Her arms were trembling and everything felt too loud. She ignored Naruto’s call after her. She just needed to get out.

She finally found a door that led to what seemed to be a garden of sorts. It was deserted with a lone bench near the flowers. She took a seat and closed her eyes tightly. ‘Breathe in, breathe out,’ she told herself as her heart began to calm down. She was beginning to regain control of herself.

“Sakura.”

Her head snapped up and her tears came immediately. Neji was standing in front of her with a clearly guilty expression. She stood up abruptly and moved to stand behind the bench. “Leave,” she forced out. “Let me explain,” he said. “I don’t want to hear it,” she shot him down. “Please,” he pressed as he took a step forward. “Don’t,” she said, her gasps coming out in short gasps. It was difficult to breathe. Her tears were cold on her cheeks. She hasn’t gotten an anxiety attack since she was in primary school. “Sakura, I didn’t mean to leave-“

“You left me!” she cried.

“You just left me, without saying anything……like I didn’t matter,” she accused. “Even though you knew that I liked you. Even though I made it very obvious that I loved you!” she shouted. “Did my feelings not matter to you?!? Even if you didn’t like me back, I get why you wouldn’t but still. I tried very hard for you and you just left anyways. I knew nothing about you yet I told you everything about me. Did you think I would just forget you?!” she added. He had the decency to look guilty. 

Her arms and legs were trembling. She was going to fall to her knees any second. Just as her feet gave out, Neji wrapped his arms around her. “Don’t touch me,” she snarled as she attempted to push him away but he held firm. “I’m sorry,” he whispered as he held her closer. “No you’re not. I don’t want to hear it. Let me go otherwise I’m going to scream,” she warned as she struggled out of his grasp. Reluctantly, he let her go. “I’m leaving. Don’t try to follow me,” she said as she regained the strength in her legs.

She brushed past him and went inside. She immediately caught sight of Suigetsu amongst the crowd with the brown haired girl from earlier. TenTen. She walked over to him. “Suigetsu,” she called. He turned around with a grin on his face which promptly fell when he saw her tear stained face. The concern on his face made her tear up again. “Can we leave? I’d like to go home,” she said thickly, trying not to cry. “I’ll see you later,” he said to TenTen before wrapping around her shoulder and ushering her to the door. “Do you wanna talk about it?” he asked as they walked to his car. “Just give me a moment,” she replied as he opened the door and she went inside.

She told him everything that happened between her and Neji. By the time she was done talking, she was feeling a bit better. She showed him the photos they had taken two years ago. He dropped her off at Karin’s house and promised to return tomorrow to check upon her. She was grateful for his understanding. Karin didn’t ask her questions when she noticed her disheveled appearance. She only handed her pajamas and they had a marathon on a sappy romance kdrama they had been planning to watch. She fell asleep halfway through the series. She woke up around five in the morning with a slight headache and a dull ache in her chest. 

The previous day’s events made her gloomy. She still felt betrayed. She was hurt. The way he had been close to TenTen. It felt unfair. Why didn’t she get the same grace? She took a bath, ate some breakfast then booked a cab home. Her parents had probably gone to work since they weren’t there when she arrived. Now that her mind has cleared, she began to think a bit better. 

There was technically no reason for her to be mad at him. He had technically done nothing wrong. He hadn’t been in a relationship with her and wasn’t obliged to tell her about himself. They were technically strangers. What he did during his spare time was none of her business. If he wanted to date TenTen, he was allowed to. Or any other girl in fact. She was the one who was hung up on him, not wanting to move forward despite having many chances to do so. But even now, after clearly seeing that Neji had moved on from her, or maybe there hadn’t been anything in the first place, her heart still went out to him. She craved more. 

She was pathetic. “I have to apologize to him,” she told herself. She took a deep sigh. Most of the students were during the final week of the holidays as such she didn’t have any lessons. She could ask Naruto or even Suigetsu for his number so that she can apologize to him. As if sensing her, her phone rang with her favorite ringing tone, Magnetic by ILLIT. It was a kpop song she absolutely loved. It was an unfamiliar number. She picked it up. 

“Hello?”

“Is this Sakura Haruno?”

“Yes.”

“It’s Ino, the blonde girl from the party yesterday.”

Her heart picked up. Where had she gotten her number? Nevermind that, what did she want from Sakura?

“I got your number from Suigetsu. I’m feeling bored and you seemed interesting. Wanna hang out?”

“Uh, sure. If you don’t mind.”

“I’m the one asking. Of course I don’t mind.”

“….right.”

“Send me your address. I’ll come pick you up.”

Sakura didn’t send the exact adrdress. She went to the shopping district then sent the address. Ino arrived in the latest Audi, one that Sakura knew and swore she would drive if she wasn’t so broke. Ino caught her ogling at the car and threw her keys. Sakura was torn between horror and excitement. She was scared of crashing her car but she also wanted to drive it. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity. The blonde told her that she had insurance and her father could easily buy her another one if it crashed or she could buy herself. Sakura wanted to tell her that you can’t buy your way out of death but restrained herself.

They drove to one of the secluded parks at the edge of the city where rich people frequently visited. Ino explained that she loved the privacy and quiet it provided. And it was true. There was a small lake with a meadow and green grass. There were a lot of flowers. As they walked around, Ino told her the names of almost every flower they passed and what it meant. Sakura was fascinated. Her respect for the blonde girl increased even more. Ino looked like she never worked for anything in her life but Sakura was having doubts. Though her parents were rich, the girl was a personality on her own.

They sat on a mat that Sakura had carried which had been in Ino’s car. Ino had also brought a picnic basket and Sakura was starving. She greedily took in the sight of the rice balls, dumplings, sushi and natto. “I made it myself,” Ino preened as Sakura took a rice ball with her chopsticks. She moaned as she chewed the food. “I don’t know if it’s the hunger but this tastes divine,” the pinkette spoke as she took another rice ball.

Ino cleared her throat. “The reason why I called you was because of how you left yesterday,” she spoke. Sakura was too hungry to stop eating but she stiffened slightly. “You seem like a very expressive person who feels a lot. I was kinda worried what made you cry. I spent the whole night thinking about it then I thought I could just ask,” the blonde said as she played with her dumpling. Sakura swallowed and pursed her lips. “You don’t have to tell me though. I really want to be friends with you,” she said, a light pink dusting her cheeks. 

“If you blush like that, it’ll make me think you have a crush on me,” Sakura teased. “I so do not!” Ino exclaimed in pure horror. “I’ll have you know I have my sights set on someone,” she sniffed defensively. “Right. Sasuke,” Sakura replied as she took a piece of sushi. “Actually no. I outgrew my crush on Sasuke. His name is Sai. He’s an artist. I met him at a studio which wanted me as their muse,” Ino spoke. Her face was blazing red right now. Sakrua immediately felt guilty. Ino had opened up to her. She could at least do the same.

“I used to have a crush on Sasuke too. He called me annoying though,” she told her. “You know Sasuke?” Ino asked curiously. “Yes. Through Naruto whom I met through his cousin Karin who’s my friend. We went to the same primary and high school,” she explained. “The crazy redhead?” she was genuinely surprised. “She’s not crazy….maybe a little bit but she’s the closest thing to a friend I have right now. And Suigetsu. Oh, and Naruto too. He’d probably throw a fuss if I didn’t say he’s my friend,” Sakura spoke. “And now me,” Ino declared.

“And now you,” she said with a smile. “But we’ll be best friends. You’ll see. I have a good feeling about this,” the blonde returned her smile. Sakura averted her eyes. “About that thing which made me leave yesterday. Do you know Neji?” she asked. “The Hyuga?” Ino said. “I don’t know his surname but I think he’s Naruto’s girlfriend’s cousin,” she explained. “Hinata’s cousin,” Ino supplied. 

“Right. So two years ago, I met him as a homeless person. He wasn’t a beggar though because he worked to get off the streets. When I met him, he had stolen a phone and he was caught. He seemed really guilty and worn out with life. That caught my attention. I saw him picking up litter a month later. He called me annoying and nosy-“ “He did not!” Ino cackled. “I was pestering him to talk to me but he didn’t want to,” she explained. “What happened next?” the blonde asked. “I later saw him at my biology teacher’s house. He lived there and Ms Tsunade even helped him get a job as a janitor at our school,” she spoke.

“Wait a minute, he really lived with the Tsunade?!” Ino gasped in shock. “Is something wrong with that?” she asked in confusion. “Heck yeah. The Senju are old money, same with the Hyuga. But they don’t see eye to eye. I’m surprised she actually took him in since she had left the family business long back,” Ino told her. “I’m kind of lost,” she admitted. “Listen carefully. There are certain families who were very influential in Japan especially during the feudal era. They’re not the yakuza but they were all connected to the imperial family. So when the country rebranded, so did they. They held a socio-political influence over everyone since people back then lived in clans. They served in the imperial army and held important positions in administration. Living in clans helped them influence the civilians to avoid situations such as civil wars and to ensure loyalty to the royal family.”

“A lot of time has passed since then especially with modernization but these families are still there. We call them old money because they’re ridiculously rich. Some of them own the biggest companies, others are in real estate, others in medicine. All of that boring stuff that rich people do,” Ino explained. “Which families are they?” Sakura asked, her eyes shining with curiosity as she devoured the information. “There’s a hierarchy. At the very top, we have the founding clans. They were as good as the royal family. They’re the Uchiha and Senju clans. They helped rebrand Japan with all the new policies, laws and whatnot. Then we have the Uzumaki. They’re not as influential because they’re not that many plus they’re not originally from Japan. We have the Hyuga, same category as the Uzumaki but we’ll get back to them later.”

“We have the infamous Yamanaka, Nara and the Akimichi-“ “The Ino-Shika-Cho? That’s real?!” Sakura exclaimed gleefully. Ino nodded her head proudly. “I only read about it in the books. I didn’t know it was actually real,” she stated in awe. “They also worked in administration but in military and intelligence. I’ll introduce you to Shikamaru and Chouji. We grew up together,” Ino spoke. “Back to our story. We have minor clans like the Inuzuka, Aburame, Sarutobi. Oh, we also have the Hatake. They were samurai. I don’t now what happened to them though. I only know Kakashi-“ “You know Kakashi Hatake?!” Sakura cut her off. “Of course I do. I really have to introduce you to everyone though I don’t know why you’re so excited about them,” she said. “I read a lot of history. I would just like to see them since we’re living in different times.”

“I’ll arrange it. Anyways, all the other clans are pretty much unimportant. Back to the Hyuga. Their setting is different from all others. They’re divided into two, the main house and the branch house,” Ino told her. “Basically, the branch house serves the main house. It’s just straight up slavery,” she said. “How can they do that? Shouldn’t it be illegal?” Sakura asked uneasily. “It’s hard to control these families because of how old they are. Neji’s father and Hinata’s father were twin brothers. Because Hinata’s father, Hiashi, was older, he was the clan leader which automatically meant that Hizashu, Neji’s dad, was bound to serve him for the rest of his life,” she spoke. “That’s horrible,” Sakura gasped. 

“That’s just the beginning. All branch house members are branded. They’re given tattoos at the age of five on their foreheads,” Ino explained. “They’re too young for that,” Sakura said. “I heard the process is very painful. It serves as a permanent reminder to the branch house that they’ll serve the main house,” she said grimly. “Does that mean Neji…..” she trailed. He always had a headband across his forehead. That explained it. “Yes. He serves Hinata and her younger sister Hanabi,” she stated. “You wanna know how Hizashi died?” Ino asked. Sakura nodded though her head was starting to hurt.

“Hinata was kidnapped as a kid. Hizashi was her bodyguard. Though they managed to retrieve her but Hiashi wasn’t pleased. It didn’t help that she had been somewhat tortured because she was blind when she returned. Her cornea was damaged. She needed a corneal transplant. Because Hinata had been hurt under Hizashi’s watch, Hiashi ordered Hizashi to be her donor,” she explained. “No!” Sakura gasped. But Ino continued. “You have to be dead to be a donor. And Hiashi being the sick, twisted bastard he is, didn’t even try to hide it from Neji. His mother died when he was young so his only family was his dad, uncle and cousins. Before Hizashi took his life, he told Neji to always protect Hinata and Hanabi because if he didn’t then he would die just like he did. So Hizashi took pills and died due to overdose. Not even twelve hours after his death, Hinata had the transplant and now she can see.”

“You know what the worst part is? Hiashi didn’t even try to hide it. Everyone knows. It’s sick but no one called him out because that’s the way of the main house. Neji had recently gotten his tattoo so it was worse. He didn’t have a chance to grieve because it was his duty to look after his cousins. He went to school early, he skipped grades and even practised martial arts. It didn’t help that Hiashi did whatever he wanted he wanted with Neji, sometimes he slept outside. Other times he didn’t eat. He faced off with older, more experienced fighters. Some training regime that was. He usually did that when Neji rebelled or tried to anyways. It didn’t help that Hanabi always provoked him and Hinata was a danger magnet.”

Sakura hadn’t realized she was crying. The wind blew, cooling the tears on her face. “He was fed up with it when he was seventeen. He asked to be disowned otherwise he would take his own life. Neji was too good at everything he did. Having him dead was a big loss especially after Hiashi had invested so much in him. And so Hiashi told him that he could go away for a year but he had to come back otherwise he would kill TenTen and her family.” 

Sakura wiped her face. “The bun-haired girl from the party?” she asked, her stomach clenching uncomfortably. Ino nodded. “TenTen is the only person that Neji cares about. They went to the same martial arts academy together. They dated before he left but it never got serious. I don’t know where they’re standing now,” she told her. “They seemed pretty close,” Sakura stated, her stomach queasy with the memory from yesterday. She didn’t mean to be jealous but she couldn’t help herself. TenTen was deeply integrated into Neji’s life that he was willing to go back to his psycho uncle to protect her. She could never measure up to her. She now understood why Kiba mentioned TenTen. Killing her would destroy Neji.

“That’s his story. It’s not much of a secret but only those in our world would now,” Ino spoke. Sakura sniffed as she wiped her face again. “I guess he lived with Tsunade during that time. She must’ve took him in,” she remarked. “We met Kiba and he said Hiashi was looking for him. He told him that TenTen missed him and that Hinata wanted him back. I didn’t know it was this serious,” she stated. “What’s your relationship with Neji?” Ino asked her. Her throat clogged up uncomfortably. “I lik- no. I love him. With all my heart. We had something or at least I thought so,” Sakura replied, her appetite gone.

“Aww, you poor girl,” Ino said as she went over to her and hugged her. For the first time, she allowed herself to really cry over her unrequited feelings. “It’s okay,” the blonde whispered comfortingly. “I just wish I didn’t feel so much. It hurts so bad. And after hearing his story, I feel so bad and I want to make him feel better but I know it’s impossible. No one ever heals from that,” Sakura sobbed. After a good five minutes, she removed herself from Ino. “Feel better?” the blonde asked. She nodded. “Thanks for telling me. He wouldn’t have told me. I doubt he wanted anyone to know,” she said.

Ino handed her a handkerchief and Sakura blew her nose. “You should talk to him though. Normal stuff, even if you don’t tell him you know. I doubt he forgot about you,” the blonde said. “I hope so,” Sakura sighed.

Throughout the rest of the week, Sakura spent her time running errands for Suigetsu. She talked to Ino over the phone since the blonde was busy with opening her new flower shop. She was an aspiring event coordinator and flowers were her speciality. Another week passed and the blonde called her offering her a job at the flower shop. She would be a sales attendant or ‘the face of the flower shop’ as Ino had put it. Sakura promptly agreed since she didn’t have any other job. Doing Suigetsu’s errands was boring and she had to deal with stinky men even though he paid. Working at the flower shop was a bonus because she could also spend time with Ino who would be talking with the clients in explicit detail about her services.

They never talked about Neji though Ino bugged her about their love story. They were both suckers for romance soapies and so Sakura indulged her even though she exaggerated a little. Karin eventually got together with Suigetsu and they moved to another city since Karin was attending university. They kept in touch over the phone.

Her job was exciting because she got to see a lot of people, some of them celebrities. She met Shikamaru and Chouji. They weren’t celebrities per se but they were pretty well known. She took an instant liking to Shikamaru because he was very smart. They would discussions about their country’s history, dissecting policies. Chouji loved to eat and she enjoyed going out with him. Naruto often visited the flower shop with Sasuke. Hinata never came with him. Sakura wondered if it was because Hiashi didn’t want anything to happen to her. She got along with Sasuke almost as good as Shikamaru, even more. He complained a lot about his older brother Itachi though she could hear an underlying fondness. They discussed war strategies or gossiped about celebrities.

Two months had passed since she had started working here. Her twentieth birthday was just around the corner. Her parents anniversary was coming too. Since she had started working, her mother no longer had to work as a maid since her job paid really well. Her father’s job paid but he had to retire soon. She had to make a plan to start her own business. It was almost eight and she was doom scrolling on her phone when the bell chimed that someone had entered the flower shop. Ino had left early because she had a photoshoot at the studio were Sai worked. She pocketed her phone as the customer walked to the reception.

She cleared the desk of her books and turned just as he arrived at the reception. It was Neji. Immediately, her conversation with Ino that fateful day resurfaced in her mind. He had a headband over his forehead. She noticed the faint scars on his exposed forearms. He was wearing a white golf t-shirt. She blinked furiously, willing her tears to go away and forced a smile on her face. “Hello. How can I help you today?” she asked. Play it cool.

He stared long at her face before speaking. “I’d like some flowers,” he spoke, his voice even deeper than she remembered. He had placed his hands on the desk and she noted the hardened skin of his knuckles which stood out from the rest of his hands. Spending some much time with Lee, she knew that only seasoned fighters had those type of knuckles. She forced herself to breath calmly. “What kind of flowers?” she asked. He was silent for a beat. “The kind you want to give someone when you’re really sorry,” he replied. The smile slipped on her face but returned just as quickly. “Are they for TenTen?” she asked as she turned away from him, heading to the flowers nearest to her. 

Sakura didn’t wait for him to reply. “I’ll put in white tulips. They represent forgiveness and a fresh start. Some white orchids for deep sincerity and respect. A few blue hyacinths which technically mean ‘please forgive me.’ Oh, and lastly pink roses for deep regret and pardoning. They’re very romantic too. I’m not as good as Ino but this should work well enough,” she said as she picked out the flowers, tying them together. Her hands trembled a little as she went to the computer and typed in the amount. “Your total fifteen dollars. I’m not sure if I have change though,” she said as she rummaged through the cashier. There weren’t any five dollar bills. She frowned and turned back to him. “I don’t have-“ He had placed a ten dollar and five dollar bill on the counter. 

With a burning face, she processed his receipt and handed him the slip. He took it soundlessly. She took the flowers and stretched them out towards him but he made no effort to take them. “I’m sure TenTen will like them. I can call Ino and ask if I did them correctly. Or maybe you want me to change them. Or they’re too few? I can-“

"They’re for you.”

She stopped mid rant, her eyes widening comically. Her hands felt weak and she placed the bouquet back on the counter. “F-For me?” she stammered. He nodded. Suddenly, he didn’t look as scary as he usually did. “I want to apologize for how I left things with you,” he spoke. “You don’t have to apologize. I understand why you had to,” she replied. A confused frown formed on his face. “Ino told me about it. The thing with the Hyuga clan, the duty of the branch house. I understand why you had to leave. I understand why Ms Tsunade didn’t want poking around. I know it’s hard to talk about it. It was hard enough hearing it from Ino. I doubt you’d have wanted to tell anyone, much less me,” her eyes focused on a spot on the counter. “Maybe she didn’t tell me the full story or she exaggerated. But I know enough. Everything makes sense now,” she spoke, her attention turning back to him. She gave him a watery smile. “You don’t have to apologize for anything. I shouldn’t have said all of that. I shouldn’t have used my feelings against you as if there was something……when there wasn’t anything to begin with in the first place. You’re not entitled to return my feelings,” she spoke, her eyes heavy with unshed tears.

“Don’t apologize. If you felt guilty then don’t be. I’m okay. You should be too. You already have someone and I……” she let her words hang in the air, blinking furiously at the tears. ‘Do not betray me!’ she admonished her eyes. “Sakura, I need you to listen carefully to what I’m about to say,” he spoke, his eyes hardening. She nodded, mentally preparing herself for the rejection. ‘I can do this. It’ll be over in a bit,’ she told her.

“Whatever we had back then, whatever you felt, I felt it too. It wasn’t one sided. It was there. It didn’t have a name but it was there,” he spoke. She opened her mouth to speak but he raised his hand to silence her. “You were the only person to reach out to me at my lowest. When Hiashi sent me away, he ordered that I should be left alone. He sent the message to everyone. All of them knew what had happened. Naruto, Sasuke, Ino, Shikamaru, Hinata, TenTen. My uncle never hid it. That day when you stayed behind after everyone left me, after I tried to steal a phone, I wanted to call someone for help. But there wasn’t a way. You stayed even when you didn’t have to. You didn’t mock me or pity me. When we met when I was picking up litter, I was still confused. What did you want from me? There was nothing remotely desirable about me. That day at the market, you were so happy to see me not grovelling in the streets. I didn’t understand what I felt back then but now I do. I was happy that you were happy for me, that you cared enough about my wellbeing even though we were technically strangers.”

“Ms Tsunade took me in because she heard you talking about me to someone. She told me that she wouldn’t have known if it weren’t for you. I would’ve spent the entire year still on the streets. But she warned me not to get too close. In our world, bonds make us weaker. There is no such thing as family, only alliances. She had left her family for the very same reason because her husband died during a civil war between the clans. I was afraid of getting too close to you coz I knew if I indulged myself, I wouldn’t stop. If Hiashi ever found out then you were at risk.”

“It didn’t help myself that I didn’t know exactly what I was feeling. Was it happiness? Admiration? Longing? I didn’t know. But I enjoyed every moment I spent with you. I wanted to do something for you which is why I started working extra hard to save up money. But it wasn’t enough for me though you were certainly pleased with any little attention I gave you. I hated myself for it. When we met Kiba that day, I knew my time was up so I had to go back.”

Her eyes were glossy with unshed tears. “What about TenTen?” she asked. “What about her?” he replied. “You guys seemed close plus Ino said you dated,” she spoke, her hands playing her apron. “We didn’t date. We were very close. She’s like a sister to me,” he explained. “So you guys are not dating?” she asked hopefully. “No. Is that the only question you have after everything I’ve said?” he asked incredulously. She shook her head. “No but I don’t want to have hope. I don’t want to get hurt. So what now then?” she asked. Neji looked at her quizzically. Did she just brush over his confession which he had been mentally practicing for at least month? He supposed he deserved it. If he were Sakura, he would’ve smacked himself but Sakura was too kind for her own good.

“We’ll be girlfriend and boyfriend?”

It sounded more like a question than a statement. He didn’t know if that’s what they were. “What about your uncle? Won’t he use me against you? I don’t want to die,” she spoke, her lips wobbling. He resisted her urge to embrace her. He needed her full trust before he would try anything. “He’s no longer the clan head,” he replied. “Who is it then?” she asked. “It’s Hanabi but she’s still too young so I’m the clan head in her place,” he stated. Her eyes widened in shock. “But you’re not part of the main house,” she spoke unapologetically. “The clans have a council and my uncle had a lot of issues going on. In order to avoid a civil war, he had to step down. No one was allying with him. They suggested me as the new clan leader. He agreed on the condition that Hanabi would take over,” he explained. “I doubt she will. Neither of the girls are interested in clan business,” he added.

“So if we start dating, does that mean I have to be included in the family business?” she asked. “No. I don’t know what Ino told you but it’s not that serious. It’s just taking over the clan business and handling clan politics. Nothing like the yakuza or mafia gangs,” he explained. She pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Are there any more questions?” he asked in a teasing tone. “Yes. Is this thing casual or you’re serious?” she spoke. “Before you answer, I need you to know something. You’re it for me Neji. I won’t be in a relationship that doesn’t lead to marriage,” she said firmly. “Aren’t we a little too young to be talking about marriage?” he spoke awkwardly. At her unamused glare, he let out a chuckle. 

“I didn’t want to rush you into anything you don’t want to do. You’re it for me too,” he stated. “You mean it? That you really love me?” she asked in a small voice. “I think I’ve made myself very clear,” he spoke. “I’m finding it hard to believe. It feels like a dream,” she spoke, more to herself. “Let me prove it to you then,” he said as he walked around the counter to come over to her “It’s illegal to come to this side,” she commented as he arrived in front of her. He placed his hands on either sides of the counter, pinning her against him. “Is this okay?” he murmured. “I’m not daydreaming, right?” she spoke, her hands coming up to wrap around his neck.

“You’re awfully confident for someone in delirium,” he teased, leaning down to her. Their noses touched. “I’m just making sure coz I’ve imagined this for a very long time,” she whispered back to him, her breath ghosting over his lips. 

“May I?”

She gulped, nodding her head. He pressed his lips against her, testing the waters. She squeezed her eyes shut and tightened her hold around him. “Are you just going to freeze like that or do I have to do all the work?” she muttered against lips. He chuckled, the sound vibrating in their bodies as they pressed themselves closer. His tongue pried her mouth open as he devoured her. She let out a moan, pressing herself ever closer as if to merge with him. He removed his hands from the counter, wrapping them around her waist. She shivered as his fingers ghosted the slip of bare skin between her t-shirt and jeans. 

He deepened the kiss, his hands moving from her waist to her rear, giving her a squeeze that made her groan. “Neji,” she whispered his name as he removed his lips from her mouth, moving to kiss the corner of her eyes which were wet with tears. “I’m sorry I made you cry,” he murmured, kissing the side of her face. Sakura turned her face upwards as he pressed a kiss to her neck. “You better be, you jerk,” she snapped though her words lacked any real bite. He kissed her jawline as his hands moved to the small of her back, moving under her t-shirt to circle her torso. 

“I imagined myself touching you. I didn’t think you’d want me back after everything I did,” he spoke into her ear. “I shouldn’t want you,” she said as she drew back a little, giving him a small glare. “But I can’t stop myself from falling in love with you. I can’t do anything about what happened to you. I can’t erase the pain of your past but I can give you what I have. Myself. All of me. You can have all of me. I don’t want you to suffer anymore. I want you to feel just as happy as I do when I’m with you,” she told him, a soft look on her face.

“I feel just as happy. I want you to give you everything you want in a partner. You deserve it. I promise you,” he said, kissing the tip of her nose. “Besides, if I ever do something stupid, I’ll have to watch out for Ino, Naruto, Shikamaru and Sasuke not to kill me,” he joked. “That’s if I don’t get to you first,” she warned. “It won’t happen. It’s a promise of a lifetime,” he vowed. “I trust you not to break my heart,” she spoke. “I won’t,” he said firmly. “Let’s continue where we left off,” she giggled before attacking his lips again.

Nothing else mattered in that moment where it was just the two of them. For all the things to come, they had themselves to keep other happy.