Thank you to everyone who’s been so wonderfully patient in waiting for an update to this story. I apologize for taking so very long with it.

Holy long time to update, NejiSaku fans—it’s a fluffy lemon!! And no, this chapter’s content isn’t a payback for taking so long to update, just that once my ‘NejiSaku Writer’s Block’ broke this was where the chapter ended up going.

For those interested, kindly check out my latest NejiSaku AU fic, “Honor Among Thieves.”

Chapter Ten

A Little Bit of Truth

She kissed him . . . she kissed him . . . she kissed him

No matter how many times Neji ran those words over in his head- no matter how many times he told himself that it had been the other way around- it didn’t seem to sink in. He felt sick, he felt angry, he felt betrayed, he felt . . . responsible.

His heel tapped impatiently against the carpeted floor in Sakura’s living room as he stared at the front door, unable to help the scowl marring his features. If he’d simply said he didn’t want her to go, she wouldn’t have- hell, he wouldn’t even have had to tell her the truth; how easily he could have covered it up by simply saying that as her ‘boyfriend’ he’d feel threatened by her history with the Uchiha and therefore would naturally be completely uncomfortable with her going.

Digging his nails purposefully into his palms, his scowl darkened- where had this oh-so-insightful line of thinking been an hour ago? How was he going to face her without letting her know he’d seen the whole thing . . . ? But . . . he couldn’t let her know, he had to wait it out, had to see if she would come clean with him. Only then could he make a decision. He wanted to believe in Sakura, even if he meant nothing to her; he wanted to know that she would do the right thing no matter what. Yes, that seemed important somehow.

Neji’s gaze snapped up to focus on the front door as he heard the key turning in the lock. Instantly he was on his feet as it opened, a thousand emotions washing through him all at once, but the sight of her- her reddened eyes, her tear-dampened cheeks, her little, rounded shoulders slumping- looking so small and broken as she raised those jade eyes slowly to his erased it all and before he could stop himself, Neji was closing the distance between them.

oOoOoOo

Sakura allowed it as she felt Neji’s hand cupping the back of her head, ever so gently yet hurriedly guiding her face into the hollow of his shoulder. Her arms slid around him, gripping into his shirt as she broke down into quiet sobs, the sound muffled against the fabric. His arms just felt so gentle and perfect and safe as they held her tightly against him and she knew- swallowing around a hard, painful lump in her throat, she knew- things simply couldn’t go on like this.

Suddenly she felt his lips by her ear as he spoke softly through the veil of her hair, “Do you want to talk about it?”

Sniffling Sakura raised her head, uncertain of exactly why, but knowing that she wanted to look him in the eyes as she nodded, “Yeah, Neji, I . . . I want to tell you what . . . what happened.”

Grasping her hand delicately, he led her to the sofa and they took their seats before a long, quiet moment stretched out between them. Chewing on her lower lip as she thought out just how to start, she found herself suddenly lying on her side, her head resting in his lap. Yes, this was how to begin; she wanted this from him- this closeness that had developed between them so easily- wanted to be close to him, but knew that if she looked him in the eyes just now, she might not have the courage to say what she needed to.

“So, Sakura,” he began in a murmur as his fingers stroked gently through her hair, pushing it behind her ear, “what has you so upset?”

oOoOoOo

He was trying his damnedest to be comforting, to not jump to any conclusions about what she would or wouldn’t tell him, but even so, his heart felt a bit lighter as he heard the words, “It’s that idiot Sasuke,” escape her lips.

Of course, even with her tiny declaration, this brought an entirely new outburst of tears to soak through his pant leg, but he couldn’t help the half-smile tugging at his lips as he responded, “And you had to go for a private chat with him to figure out he’s an idiot?”

She giggled just a little at this. “He just . . . Naruto told him about you and me, so he came tearing back to Konoha like a mad man . . . and thinks,” Sakura paused, drawing in a long, shuddering breath, “thinks that he can just tell me all this crap about why he did what he did when we were kids and- and I’ll just drop you and go running into his arms. He still . . . it just feels like he still sees me as that love-struck thirteen year old who put him before everything else in her life. I think . . . .”

Her voice trailed off and for a long time, she sobbed quietly against his leg and it seemed she would make no attempt to continue- one thing was still certain, he still wanted to beat Uchiha Sasuke within an inch of his life- so he ventured, “You think what?”

“I think he tried- he tried to use that against me.”

Neji bit deep into his lower lip for a solid minute before allowing his voice to escape tonelessly, “What do you mean?”

“He . . . he kissed me Neji.”

Shock at how easily she’d come out with it stilled the fingers that had been ceaselessly stroking her hair all the while.

oOoOoOo

The hand that had been giving her so much comfort with its simple, gentle ministrations had stopped moving and Sakura suddenly feared that she’d said too much already. Was Neji angry? But then . . . after telling him everything, he had to know this had been a possibility all along. It . . . it didn’t matter if this angered him, she thought suddenly, it didn’t matter because even if he turned away from her, she was still going to be honest with him in this moment.

“He, he told me all these things and then . . . he- he asked me if I was in love with you and I ran out and he followed me- the stupid bastard followed me! And,” she knew that she’d crumbled into a gibbering mess, that her words were running together, but if she didn’t get them out now, all in one, un-stoppable rush, she might never say them at all, “and so I told him- I- I told him that I couldn’t give him an answer ‘cause I don’t know how I feel- and that’s the truth, Neji, I swear it is, I just don’t know how I feel about you- and so he said he’s still got a chance and then he- he- he kissed me and I didn’t want to, but then . . . but then I started to kiss him back and then I just, I don’t know, I think I came to my senses and I pushed him away. I really did, you have to believe me, Neji.”

Suddenly she felt his hands on her shoulders and he was pulling her to sit up. “Sakura,” he asked quietly as he stared unblinkingly into her eyes, “what are you talking about? Why . . . why is it so important I believe you about this?”

She closed her eyes, her head shaking mutely for a long moment as she bit into her lip. “Because, um . . .” she kept them shut as she spoke, knowing that if she looked into his eyes right now, her already wavering courage would vanish entirely, “because I’ve . . . I’ve started to like you, Neji.”

oOoOoOo

Her words hit Neji like a brick colliding with his temple, but she rushed on, clearly unaware of their impact.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to and I tried, I mean, I really- really- tried not to like you Neji. I honestly tried, but I just I can’t help it, that’s just how I feel and I’m sorry! I’ve ruined everything, haven’t I?”

Suddenly she was sobbing hysterically and Neji’s bewildered gaze darted helplessly about the room for a moment as he felt himself trapped somewhere between elation and utter confusion. “Sakura, I- I don’t . . . um, why are you crying again?”

She rubbed eyes with her fists and the adorable, childlike quality of the gesture almost made him smile . . . if the woman of his dreams wasn’t bawling in front of him, of course. “Because things were going so- so great and our plan was working and now I’ve gone and messed it all up. I didn’t mean to like you, Neji, and I understand if you want to- to call this whole thing off now, I mean I-”

“Sakura!”

Watery green eyes snapped open and locked immediately on his and he couldn’t stop himself- simply could not stop himself- from reaching up to wipe the tears from her cheeks with the tips of his fingers. “It’s okay, Sakura.”

Her gaze lowered, following the movements of his hands as they hovered around her face before meeting his once more. “It,” she sniffled again, “it is?”

He watched his own fingers moving over her skin, her question echoing in his head as he allowed one fingertip to trail away, tenderly tracing her lips for a long, breathless moment. His hand circled around, cupping the back of her head as he looked into her eyes.

“Yes, Sakura, it really is.”

He lowered his mouth toward hers, but was stopped instantly by a little finger pressing to his lips. His shoulders slumped in defeat as he lifted his eyebrows in question.

“You, um . . . you should know that as I was leaving Sasuke said that he’s going to be around and if he even thinks you’re messing up he’s going to be there to swoop in.”

Tilting his head to one side, he simply ran the statement over in his mind a few times. “Well,” he smirked as her finger fell away, “it seems things just keep popping up to tell me to try harder with you, don’t they?”

“Neji does this . . .” he could hear the tiny gulp she forced down her throat before she continued, “does this mean . . . you like me, too?”

His mouth was lowering once more and he spoke with his lips brushing over hers, “Yes, it does.”

oOoOoOo

A pleading whimper escaped her throat as his tongue plunged into her mouth. The knowledge that this was real- the confirmation at last that there was something genuine beneath the act for both of them- brought her right back to the verge of tears, but for an entirely different reason. Sighing into his mouth, she kissed him back, eagerly caressing his invading tongue with her own and almost before she realized it, she brought her hands to the front of his shirt, her little fingers fumbling blindly with his buttons.

Neji broke the kiss, his lips trailing across her cheek to her throat as he assisted her in removing his shirt before grasping the hem of her blouse and whipping it off over her head. She whispered his name in a rush of breathless giggles as he cupped her bottom, pulling her roughly into his lap. The feel of him so quickly hardened beneath her through their clothes sent that same, sweet little thrill through her that it always did. That her heartache could be so easily washed away, yes, that was something only Hyuuga Neji could do for her. And this time . . . this time she wouldn’t turn him away.

Lowering her head, she slid out of his lap to kneel before him on the floor as she trailed her lips and tongue along his throat, down his chest as her hands went to the top of his slacks. She wrestled with the opening for a moment, teasingly lapping her tongue in warm, wet circles around his navel as she did so, before finally winning and beginning to push the fabric down over his hips. He lifted himself to aid her in undressing him, his hands falling to gently cup the back of her head and she could feel his gaze on her.

Lifting her eyes to his she saw an uncharacteristic awestruck look in them. “Neji,” she said softly, “why are you looking at me like that?”

oOoOoOo

What, was she stupid? “Because you’re beautiful,” he replied with a half-smile.

Smiling in return, she quipped softly, “Hmm, doesn’t a man always say that kind of thing to a woman who’s got her head in his lap?”

He laughed, “Well, seeing as you’re the first woman whose head has ever been anywhere near my lap, I honestly couldn’t tell you.”

Nodding, she stood and removed her bra, her suddenly serious eyes not once leaving his even as she pushed her skirt down over her thighs and allowed it to fall to the floor, taking her panties with them. All was forgotten as he simply stared at her standing naked before him for a long moment. Well, almost all . . . .

“Sakura,” he said, his brow furrowing lightly as she grasped his hands and delicately positioned herself to straddle his lap.

“Yes, Neji?”

“Did we lock all the doors?”

She giggled softly and his breath escaped him in a rush at the feel of her hand gently grasping his hardened length as she raised herself over him. “I don’t care if all of Konoha busts in on us right now.”

He gave a shocked gasp of delight as she finally lowered her body and he slid slow and deep into that tight, moist warmth. Sakura’s head dropped forward, her hands gripping almost painfully into his shoulders. Crooking a finger under her chin, he raised her face to see a fresh tear trickle down her cheek and her little teeth biting deep into her lower lip.

“Are you okay?”

She nodded, sniffling. “Yeah, it’s um, not as bad as I thought. If we keep going my body will forget the pain. Please, Neji, make me forget.”

Nodding as well he slid his arms tightly around her waist, holding her to him as he slowly, gently turned to lay her on the sofa. He may not have told her the full truth about his feelings, but he now knew he could someday and right now he was going to make her forget everything before this moment.

He moved to balance his body above hers on his elbows and withdrew slowly, lowering his head, his mouth capturing hers in a long, gentle kiss as he slid into her again. Another tear trickled and he released her lips to chase it with the very tip of his tongue.

oOoOoOo

The pain from the second stroke wasn’t as fierce and Sakura rolled her hips, moving against him, surprised to find that meeting his thrusts lessened it even further. His head dipped lower still, drawing one already tightened nipple into his mouth and she let out a small moan; now she could feel it- could feel a steadily growing hint of the pleasure this was supposed to bring through the quickly easing pain. But, boy, am I gonna be sore tomorrow . . . .

His teeth scraped and grazed delicately as his tongue flicked in teasing motions, drawing a contented sigh from her as she raised her legs, locking her ankles behind his waist. Yes, all of Konoha really could run in the front door right now and she wouldn’t give a damn. He raised his head suddenly, hazy silver-lavender eyes meeting hers and, even as he continued moving into her slow and deep, the look in them stole her breath.

“Is it better now?” he asked, his voice barely a whisper.

She nodded quickly, his body pressing tight against hers with each thrust was pushing her- pain completely forgotten now as the rhythm was inching her slowly, steadily toward an orgasm. “Yeah, Neji,” she murmured softly, surprised she could speak at all, “in fact . . . a little faster would be okay.”

A triumphant half-smile played on his lips. “You’re sure?”

Biting deep into her bottom lip she nodded again, unable to stop her eyes from drifting closed as she pushed herself a little harder against his strokes. “I’m positive.”

“Good,” he was cupping his hands suddenly around her face, sweeping her hair delicately away from her skin and waited for her eyes to open again- waited for her to meet his gaze once more before he said, “I don’t ever want to do anything to hurt you.”

oOoOoOo

Neji quickened his pace, groaning behind clenched teeth at the feel of her body- already so perfectly tight and warm and moist- tightening even further around him. She giggled softly, a sound so foreign to this heated moment that it forced him to look at her again.

“I don’t think . . . you could . . . help it this . . . first time a- around.”

He could hear it in the halting of her words, in the trembling of her voice and he knew that she was already close. Knowing made it harder for him to hold on. Forgetting entirely about his wanting to be gentle, his hips jerked sharply as his thrusts became steadily faster and harder. Sakura’s arms slipped around him, her nails digging deep into his shoulder as her body began to go taut around his.

“Neji . . . Neji . . .” she whispered breathlessly, “I’m- I’m almost . . . .”

He buried his face against her neck, thrusting into her almost savagely, his lips moving against her ear as he grunted the words, “It’s okay, Sakura . . . me, too . . . . You- you can come.”

oOoOoOo

Allowing her muscles to tighten that last little bit, Sakura threw her head back, all but screaming his name as the orgasm tore through her. It wasn’t the same as those she’d felt before; every motion of Neji sliding into her forcing another warm, tingling ripple to wash over her, intensifying that delicious pleasure even as it slowly, regrettably began to fade.

Her orgasm was ending just as Neji’s was starting and strangely- as she was wondering how to make it better for him- advice dispensed to her years earlier by Sunshine ran instantly through her mind. Whatever you do, when the guy is coming do not stop moving! His hips were jerking even more sharply, uncontrollably in frenzied thrusting, sending sweet little aftershocks through her and scraping his teeth almost hard enough to hurt along the side of her throat. Forcing her body- deliciously lethargic though it suddenly was- into motion, she pushed against his thrusts once more, sliding herself slow and deep around him.

He surged forward in one final, violent stroke and froze, little grunting, groaning breaths escaping him as Sakura continued working her body in timed rhythm over the length of him. She felt him slowly relaxing against her, moving into her one more time- just once- gently again before withdrawing and nearly collapsing on top of her.

Holding him to her, he turned them so that he lay on his side with her snuggled between his body and the back of the sofa. For a long quiet moment neither spoke a word, the only sound in the room their slowly steadying breaths. Finally, she lifted her head, meeting his eyes and- for no reason whatsoever- the couple burst out laughing.

“Well,” Neji began with a smirk, still catching his breath, “if we ever decide to retire from being shinobi I have a pretty good idea what we could do to stay in shape.”

Giggling, Sakura playfully slapped his chest before a terrible thought struck her. “Oh my gods, Neji,” she said, gasping, “we forgot to use a condom!”

Dark eyebrows lifted fractionally in shock as he drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Well . . . I guess we keep our fingers crossed for the next month until we can find out whether or not we have to worry and in the mean time make sure we keep some stocked in, I don’t know, say every room of the house. You know, just to be safe.”

Grin broadening, she sighed. “Sure of yourself, aren’t you?”

Neji shrugged, “Hard for a guy not to be when only a few minutes earlier you had a beautiful woman screaming your name. Um . . . Sakura . . . ?”

“Hmm?”

“Speaking of things we’ve forgotten, you never did tell me what that incident with Naruto and Ino was.”

Her jaw dropped just a little as she gaped up at him. “You’re really thinking about something like that now?”

“Well it’s not like that- you give me too much credit. I’m just like everyone else, completely unrelated thoughts do pop into my head from time to time.”

“Okay, I’ll tell you, but you have to promise not to tell Ino or Naruto that I said anything.”

Neji smirked again. “First you praise me, now you insult me. What is a man to think?”

Scowling, she pinched his nipple, forcing a surprised ow out of him. “Promise, Neji!”

“Okay, okay, I promise I won’t say a word,” he replied with a laugh, covering the tender skin with a feigned wounded look in his eyes.

She snuggled more securely against him, resting her head against his arm. “Alright, so what happened was Shikamaru got it in his head to play a trick on Ino- Naruto was just, well . . . let’s call him a casualty. Anyway, Ino wasn’t there when Sasuke and I had that talk in front of Hokage Mountain that day, so she didn’t know what had really happened. Shikamaru, apparently sick to death after years of listening to her pining over Sasuke tells her that what really happened was that he turned me down because he realized that he was actually in love with her.”

“This doesn’t end well, does it?”

“No, not really. And Naruto had no clue why I turned my back on Sasuke, so Shikamaru- apparently to make more fun for himself- told him that he overheard me telling Ino that it was because I’d realized that it was him I was in love with, not Sasuke.”

He chuckled, “Bit of a mean streak he has, huh?”

“Yeah, wouldn’t think it, would you? Well, you know Shikamaru always plots out everything like, ten steps ahead, so I think he’d already had plans in mind before he mentioned anything to Ino. So he tells both of them he’ll talk to the other and make arrangements. So, one night while Ino was staying at my place because her flat was being renovated and you know what it’s like here at night- the street lights are so far away that when the lights are off, you can’t see your hand in front of your face.”

“Oh, no . . . .”

Giggling maniacally, Sakura went on, “So Shikamaru tells Naruto to surprise me and that he can find me sleeping on the couch because of some other such thing that was wrong with my bed- don’t really remember what it was- so he should sneak in through the back door. I was working the late shift, so I got home to find Shikamaru waiting outside my house. He whispers to me about what he did and I swear it was all I could do not to burst out laughing and ruin the whole thing. And we creep onto the porch and apparently he’d opened the living room window before hand, so we hear everything.”

Squeezing his eyes tightly shut with a pain expression, Neji ventured, “I’m not sure I want to hear anymore.”

“You asked, so you’re stuck!”

“Me and my big mouth,” he grumbled.

“I’m sure I could think of a few ways to shut you up.”

He grinned suggestively at her and Sakura felt her heart skip a bit . . . along with myriad other problems such a look caused within her. “Well, then you’ll never get to finish the story.”

“Alright, no more distractions from you,” she declared, shaking her head before rushing on. “Now, apparently, Shikamaru had told him not to say anything, just to jump right into things, something stupid like, ‘yeah, I heard her say she always wanted a guy to do something spontaneous like that’. So, not saying a word to eachother, they get into it in the blinding darkness- and I mean they get into it. At this point, I’m trying so hard not to giggle that Shikamaru has to literally hold me up. Eventually Naruto says my name and Ino shrieks, ‘I’m not Sakura!’ And then it was all, ‘Ino?’ ‘Naruto?’ ‘Oh, gods’, ‘what the hell’, ‘ew’, ‘how did this happen?’ And Shikamaru and I just lose it, like laughing so hard we fell on the floor.”

Neji covered his mouth with one hand, his eyes closing again as he shook his head several times. “Now . . . let me get this straight . . . Shikamaru was the mastermind behind that whole thing, but it’s Ino and Naruto that haven’t spoken in years because of it?”

Sakura nodded with a puzzled look. “Yeah, apparently they were both traumatized by the fact that they were enjoying it.”

“I suddenly wish I hadn’t asked . . . I don’t think I can look at either of them the same way again.”

“Oh, c’mon; they’re only human, Neji.”

“Mm hmm . . . Sakura?”

“Yes, Neji?”

“Do you think . . . if we remember . . . ?”

A mischievous note in his voice made Sakura meet his gaze . . . and the glint in them had her suddenly aching for him in a way she’d never experienced before. “Yes, Neji?”

He quirked an eyebrow at her. “That you’d be ready to go again?”

“Ya know, I don’t think I can say no to you, Hyuuga Neji.”

Suddenly he was on his feet, scooping her into his arms and carrying her toward the bedroom. “That’s my girl.”

Unable to stop herself from smiling, Sakura twined her arms around his neck, burying her face in the side of his throat, her heart beating a bit faster. That’s me, she thought giddily, Hyuuga Neji’s girl!

I did not do any rereading for typos and for once I actually don't care to hear if there are any. Hope you guys enjoyed this one.