Chapter 13 – Reading Ahead of the Lines

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(AN) Sorry for the delay in updating this fic. My enthusiasm had dwindled, and I didn’t want to write solely for the sake of updating. I knew something would inspire me to write again, and I was right. This chapter is dedicated to the Naruto Shippuden movie! Yay for Neji and Sakura! (/AN)

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Despite the antics at the onsen, the hot water had done its job and Sakura’s body was beginning to feel like jello again. She said goodnight to the other teams and jogged off towards her house. Without missing a step, she kicked off her shoes by the door, made her way to her bedroom, and wiggled under the covers. Sleep came immediately.

Instinct more than anything else pulled Sakura from her dream. She was sitting up with a kunai in each hand before her eyes fully opened. Her intruder did not seem to care and pulled her back down under the covers.

“You know, I’m glad that you’re prepared at all times,” Neji said, kissing first her chin, then her nose, then her forehead. “But you should really defend yourself when the attacker first arrives, not hours later.”

She put the kunai back under her pillow and rubbed her eyes as she tried to comprehend the situation. “How long have you been here?” she asked sleepily.

“I gave you a 15 minute head start, but apparently that was too much,” Neji said wryly.

“You followed me home?” Sakura asked, rolling over to peer at him. “Was it anything important?”

“No, I just wanted to continue what I had started by the hot spring,” Neji told her. “But you were already sound asleep when I got here.”

“You should have woken me up!” she told him, her cheeks starting to flush at the thought.

“Next time,” he promised, tracing his fingertip down her neck and along her collarbone.

She was just about to point out that now was as good as any next time when there was a loud knocking at the door. “Sakura! Time to wake up!” her mother called. She felt her heart attempt to escape via her mouth as the doorknob rattled. “Why did you lock the door, honey?” came the voice through the door.

Neji was already on his feet and crossed the room to stand on one side of the doorframe. He flicked the lock and the door burst open. “My my, it must have been stuck,” her mother said cheerfully.

Sakura swung her legs out of bed and was struck by the bizarre sight of her mother standing in the doorway with an armful of nicely-folded laundry and Neji standing on the other side of the open door in black pants and no shirt and his hair loose and unkempt. He looked like he was amused by the situation, but Sakura had a damnable time trying to keep her eyes focused on her mother without letting them stray to the much more attractive sight on the other side of the door.

She hurried over to her mother before the woman could step further into the room. “Thanks, Mom,” she said, taking the folded clothes into her own arms.

“Breakfast will be ready in five minutes. Do you want your father and I to come with you today?” her mother asked with a worried frown.

“No, I’ll be fine on my own,” she assured her. “Let me get dressed, and I’ll come downstairs.”

She tried not to appear impatient as her mother turned and pulled the door closed, but there was no stopping her huge sigh when the latch finally clicked shut. Once she was sure the hallway was empty again, she jabbed her finger at Neji’s bare chest accusingly, “Thanks for giving me time to prepare.”

He grabbed the offending wrist and pinned it to the door over her head. “I thought it would be more suspicious if you had to fumble for the lock,” he said, leaning down to kiss her lightly on the lips. She saw him notice the clothing in her other hand, and suddenly he backed off across the room to sit on her bed.

“I’m sorry, Sakura. I shouldn’t be acting like this today of all days,” he apologized. She was amazed to see his cheeks color ever so slightly.

“Please don’t apologize,” Sakura said gently as she walked over to stand in front of him. “Actually, I think the Godaime would want us to be happy and together. And I’m sure Jiraiya-sama would approve 100 percent,” she added wryly.

Neji let out a dry chuckle as Sakura placed her hands on his shoulders and leaned down to meet his eyes. “Part of me felt guilty last night because I was so happy. My team was finally whole, you and I had worked things out, and I had even been promoted. I thought I was being selfish.”

She moved to her nightstand and took out the scroll that Kakashi had given her the night before. Turning it over in her hands, she decided it was perhaps the most treasured possession she owned. Handing it to Neji, she murmured, “I think this will help you understand.”

She took her black dress from the pile of clothes and stepped out into the hallway to head to the bathroom. While she brushed her teeth and combed her hair, she recited the scroll for seemingly the hundredth time in her head.

Dear Sakura,

I apologize for not being able to say goodbye in person, but time is of the essence and duty waits for no one. I must admit that I was hesitant when you first appeared in my office three years ago, but truly you are a diamond in the rough. You have grown into a beautiful young woman with talent that far surpasses my own. I have taught you everything I know, though now you will have to master it on your own. If there is but one lesson that you remember, however, I hope it is that we should not let the past affect our future. I ran from the painful times in my life and lived trying to avoid more. If it hadn’t been for Naruto, I would still be wandering from town to town with nothing left to live for. Now I am able to die in peace and with honor. There will always be heartache and hardships, especially for shinobi, but you must learn to embrace those times as a sign that something in your life was worth fighting for.

As you know by now, I have chosen you as my successor to the summoning scroll. Use it wisely, for the slugs are a great resource. You have mirrored my own spirit and fighting style much more than Shizune, and as a result I leave my combat legacy to you. My biggest regret as I write this is that I will not be able to watch your growth with my own eyes. You have a spectacular future ahead of you. Live, love, and let nothing stand in your way.

When she returned to her bedroom, Neji was sitting on her bed wearing his black shirt and his hitai-ate. Thankfully he did not mention the scroll – Sakura wasn’t sure if she was ready to talk about it yet. Instead, he just stood up and hugged her close. “I don’t know if you’ll want me around today or if you’ll want time alone,” he said awkwardly with his cheek pressed against her hair. “So you just tell me what I should do, and I will.”

“I… it would be nice if you stayed with me,” she said into his shirt. “At least until the ceremony is over.”

“Of course,” he whispered.

They stayed like that for a moment more before Sakura pulled away with a sigh. “I should go downstairs before they worry and come looking for me.”

Neji caught her chin before she could turn away and studied her jade eyes. “I love you, Sakura,” he said, giving her one last kiss.

“I love you too, Neji,” she told him. And perhaps for the first time, she really believed those words and felt the weight of their truth – both his and hers.

He opened the window, and with one last smile, he was gone.

The rest of the day passed in a blur to Sakura. The funeral service was hard for her, as expected, but the letter the Godaime had left her helped put her mind at ease. That the great Sannin had gone to her death at peace with herself and with honor was truly more than any shinobi can ask for, and Sakura decided that if the woman had been content, so would she.

Shizune likewise seemed calmer than Sakura would have predicted, and she supposed the older woman also drew strength from whatever the Godaime had written in her scroll. Shizune had been officially named the Director of the Konoha Hospital and was responsible for entire operation of the facility. It was an enormous responsibility, but the fact that the Godaime thought her capable was also an enormous compliment, and Shizune seemed eager to prove her worthiness.

True to his words, Neji stayed by her side most of the day. Sometimes he lingered in the distance while she spoke with people, sometimes he followed her around with her hand tightly secured in his own. It wasn’t until the crowds had thinned and the chairs and effects were broken down did she realize she had lost track of his whereabouts. The last she remembered was seeing him talking with Uzuki.

Naruto wanted to go meet Sasuke’s other teammates, who were still being held in one of the ANBU prisions, so she decided to tag along as well. The guy, Juugo, and the girl, Karin, had agreed to the terms arranged by Anko and Ibiki. Juugo was excited to hear that there were several sealing techniques that could potentially control his fits of rage, and he was willing to do whatever they asked of him. Karin had mentioned that they used to keep Juugo locked up at his own request.

As for Karin, the girl was a hot-tempered, foul-mouthed kunoichi with a giant crush on Sasuke. However, it definitely made the situation easier because she was willing to go along with whatever Sasuke wanted. Both she and Juugo would be on probation like Sasuke and forbidden to leave the village without escorts.

Overall, Sakura was glad to see the situation was under control and everyone seemed satisfied. At one point, she had expressed regret for her team killing the third member of their team, and Karin had gone so far as to laugh at her. “’Cause any of us really cared about him,” the dark-haired girl had scoffed.

Sakura had just smiled and nodded, but secretly she was wondering where the hell Sasuke had found these people.

Quietly, she said her goodbyes and left the building just as an argument was flaring up between Naruto and Karin. She stepped into the early evening sunlight and started walking home. She wasn’t sure where Neji had gone off to, but she figured that might be the first place he would look for her.

She was halfway down the block when she noticed the figure leaning next to her door. He was back in his ANBU uniform, and she paused mid-stride to admire the view.

Sensing her presence, he looked up and watched her approach. She dashed the rest of the way to the house and landed in front of him with a big smile. “Is Kakashi-sensei already preparing for the announcement tomorrow?” When he didn’t answer her right away, her smile quickly faded. “Is everything okay?”

“We need to talk,” he replied. Her stomach gave a quick flutter at his guarded expressions, and she hoped nothing terrible had happened while she was at the prison.

She examined him more closely and noticed that he had his full pack slung across his shoulder. “Neji, are…” she began questioningly.

“Sakura, my team has been given another mission,” he said looking out on the street. “We leave immediately.”

“What?! Immediately?! What the hell?!” she spluttered. Her stomach had decided that fluttering would not suffice and instead plummeted to her feet.

He turned slowly to face her, but didn’t quite meet her eyes. “Kakashi-sama is sending ANBU teams to all the Hidden Villages to officially announce the Godaime’s death and his own appointment as Hokage. He wants us to beat any other messengers that might also bear the news, so he is dispatching us tonight before the official proclamation.”

His words rolled around in her head before she actually digested them. “Which village are you going to?” she finally asked. Even Suna wouldn’t be too bad. He could be back within a week.

“We’re going to Earth Country,” he told her.

Cocking her head to one side, she considered that. “That’s not too bad. It should only take 4 or 5 days to get there, right?” Her optimism quickly died when she noticed he did not share her relief.

“Visiting the Hidden Villages is the main priority, and that is what we will be doing on the surface,” Neji began.

“But?” Sakura prompted.

“But secretly we will also be contacting all the agents and spies we have working in these countries,” he finished.

A hundred different thoughts exploded in Sakura’s brain, and only some managed to find their way to her lips, though in no particular order. “Why are you still with ANBU anyway? I thought we agreed that you don’t have to leave the village! How long will you be gone? How many agents are we talking about? All of Earth Country? Why can’t Kakashi-sensei send a different team? Can’t you just tell him no?”

As the last question slipped out of her mouth, she realized how childish she sounded. Slinging his pack to the ground, he reached out and pulled her against his chest. “I’m sorry. It’s my fault for joining ANBU in the first place, but this is my duty now,” he said into her hair.

Forcing a smile to her lips, she told him, “Don’t apologize. You belong in ANBU. Kakashi-sensei needs shinobi like you.”

He hugged her tighter before saying, “Since there are teams sent to each country, this mission shouldn’t take as long as my original mission where we had only one team covering several countries. If everything goes smoothly, we could be back in 4 months.”

Four months. That meant he would be gone for the holidays. Gone for most of winter. Anger and frustration warred with her inability to do anything. “Maybe I could go, too,” she whispered against his neck.

Instead of replying with the answer they both already knew, he leaned down and kissed her gently. It was much different from the kiss the night before. This one was sad and already carried a hint of longing. It made her want to cry.

“You’re needed here, Sakura,” he said as he pulled away slightly and rested his hands on her shoulders. “Kakashi-sama needs you. Your team needs you. Shizune-san needs you. Use this time to take care of them because when I return, I will be reclaiming what is mine.”

His voice became rough, and Sakura decided she was looking forward to being reclaimed. He seemed like a different person from the one who had quietly tried to slip away from her a week ago on this very spot.

This time, he at least seemed determined to make it a proper good-bye. “Remember I love you, Sakura-taichou,” he said with a final kiss. Picking up his pack, he stepped back onto the street with a smirk. “I’ll be back for you.”

Sakura was forced to crack a small smile as she called after him, “Take care, Neji-senpai. I’ll be waiting.”

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