Title Promises
Author Uozumi
Genre Drama/Romance
Rating PG-13
Disclaimer I do not own nor claim to own this. The characters, ect...contained within are not my property. This is an act of fandom and I do not make a profit from this endeavor.
Summary Sakura never remembered Lee’s promise because who would actually keep such a promise made when they were thirteen? Before the battle, Lee asked Neiji to promise him something, and the Hyûga genius kept it. NeijiSaku.
Chapter Prologue, Chapter One
Note Naturally, this will start off LeeSaku, but the main pairing will be NeijiSaku once it gets rolling.

Promises
Prologue

It was the kiss of doom. Sakura cringed and bent so far back she could have touched the floor as she avoided it. Lee, who was across the room, didn’t seem phased by her blatant disgust. He told her that he would protect her even with his life.

She was thirteen and he was almost fourteen. She only clung to Sasuke to assure herself that she could make it with someone less scary looking.

~*~

Lee was in the hospital after being brought back by Gaara. Sakura walked in and put a new flower in his vase after changing the water. She felt oddly compelled to visit the boy with the freaky eyebrows. He thanked her and gave her that smile he always gave. She didn’t understand how he could possibly smile at her. All she ever did was tell him that he was a freak and brush him away.

“Thank you, Sakura-san, for visiting me,” he said as she went to leave. He also told her she was very special to him.

She was thirteen and he was fourteen. She only gave him a weak smile and left the room.

~*~

Sakura was alone. Two years had passed since Naruto and Sasuke left her and Kakashi was never around, not that they had ever been close. Standing on the bridge that they met on so many times, Sakura looked down at the water under it. She looked worn and tired, indicative of why Tsunade had given her a day off. She didn’t jump when she saw a figure beside her in the reflection. “Good morning, Lee-san,” she said as cheerfully as she could manage.

“Good morning,” he returned. They talked for a while and took a walk around the village. When they reached her house, he told her that she was special to him and if she needed anything, she could always come to him. “I promised to protect you,” he told her, “and not just from enemies.”

She was almost fifteen and he was fifteen. She only gave him a smile and thanked him for spending time with her before she disappeared into her house.

~*~

It was beginning to go drastically, horribly wrong. It was only supposed to be a simple reconnaissance mission. Sakura was the decoy, and she had insisted that she could hold her own if it went wrong. Yet, here she was on the floor, four large men surrounding her. ‘Dammit,’ she cursed and tried to kick out, but two of them were holding her down. Her mind raced for a solution, but just as she was about to implement a hasty plan, a green blur leapt into the room.

Lee made quick work of the large men through speed and strength. He looked down at her as he held out a hand to help her up. “I promised to protect you, Sakura-san,” was all the explanation he gave, “even with my life.”

They were eighteen and nineteen. Sakura only took his hand and thanked him with a very tired expression.

~*~

Sakura was crying. Nothing was working, everything was the worst it had ever been. They were at the end of a battle in a wooded area days from Konoha. “You idiot,” she said as she looked down at him from where she was trying to heal him. “Why did you do that?! You know that it can kill you!”

“I promised you,” Lee said slowly, blood trickling down his chin, “that I would protect you,” he paused to take in a gurgled breath, “even with my life.”

Sakura froze and looked down at him in horror. He had said it so many times. She never thought that he would actually follow all the way through.

She was nineteen and he was almost twenty. She only tried harder to heal him, but he died soon after.

Chapter One

Sakura stared numbly at the memorial stone and said nothing. She felt Naruto stir by her side. He looked like he was trying to figure out how to comfort her, but he just didn’t know how. Ten-Ten stood on her other side, eyes closed and head bowed. Sakura had been powerless. It wasn’t the first time she had lost someone she was trying to heal, but this patient was Lee. This patient had given up his life for her. Sakura bit her bottom lip from the inside of her mouth until blood ran.

On the other side of Ten-Ten Neiji stood, his eyes looking at the memorial stone, a conversation flowing through his mind.

“Neiji,” Lee’s voice came back to him, “I need you to promise me something.”

“What?” Neiji had asked. It was odd for Lee to ask something like that of him.

“I know that it’s selfish,” the young man had said, “but if I die on this mission, will you take care of Sakura-san?”

Neiji remembered the silence that followed.

“Alright,” he had said, “I promise.”

Neiji looked at the name on the memorial stone and frowned inwardly. Had Lee known that he was going to die? Neiji didn’t know the exact circumstances that went into that battle, but from the description, he knew that the foe had been too strong. It had been a mission between Sakura and Lee with no one else. It wasn’t the first time the pair had such a mission. Neiji’s eyes glanced over at Sakura. She was biting her lip to the point it was most likely bleeding, he noted. Neiji rarely spoke to Sakura, even on joint missions. Frowning inwardly, he kept from sighing out loud.

~*~

Sakura felt a hand on her shoulder. People had cleared out and only a few were left. Looking up, she met Tsunde’s gaze and then looked away. Tsunade didn’t say anything but simply moved on when it looked like her student didn’t want to say anything. Walking over to the memorial, Tsunade stood near Kakashi and scanned the names, her head bowed.

Sakura observed her two mentors and turned away. Would that become her? Someone who scanned the names at the memorial and regretted? Putting her hands into the pockets of the black uniform for funerals, she ran a hand through her hair and sighed. Taking a few steps forward, she paused and then raised an eyebrow. “Neiji-san…?” she asked. He was standing a bit away and was leaning against a nearby tree, clearly waiting for someone.

The older Jônin stood up and walked over to her. “Ten-Ten and Naruto went to get something to eat,” he told her.

Sakura only nodded. She didn’t want to test her voice. Also, she was sure her teeth were hideous. She was still swallowing blood from the large sore in her mouth.

Neiji put his hands deeper into his pockets and looked her over. She was very pale and her hair was slightly stringy. This was hitting her quite hard. “Let’s go,” he said. He didn’t know what else to say to her. He promised that he would bring her back with him after all.

Sakura shook her head. “I…” she started and then closed her mouth.

“Want time alone?” Neiji asked. He watched her nod, but she didn’t leave. “You really don’t, do you?”

Sakura didn’t look at him. Neiji always seemed to be able to read people. Opening her mouth she said, “I just don’t know.” She shifted her weight, Neiji’s eyes still on her.

“Ten-Ten and Naruto are waiting for us,” he said after a while.

“Yeah,” was all Sakura said before she took a step forward and followed Neiji down the street.

~*~

“Do you think they’re going to come?” Ten-Ten asked after a while. She and Naruto were in her apartment and she was making a very simple and light lunch. First thing a shinobi learned was even if you don’t feel like eating, it is important to get your meals when you can.

“I don’t know,” Naruto murmured from where he was helping.

“I was thinking,” Ten-Ten began and then she shook her head. “Sorry, I just babble when things like this happen.” She rested her knife down as she spoke. “If it bothers you – “

“No, it’s okay,” Naruto interrupted. He went to say something more, but there was a knock at the door.

“I’ll get it,” Ten-Ten said, walking past Naruto and disappearing around a corner. She appeared again with Neiji and Sakura in tow. “Naruto and I almost have lunch together,” she said as she guided Sakura into a nearby chair. “It won’t be too long now.” Exchanging a look with Neiji, she quickly returned to where she had been working on lunch.

Soon Naruto and Ten-Ten brought out a simple lunch of various things from Ten-Ten’s refrigerator and cabinets. The group ate in silence, but all four ate something, even if it might taste like cardboard. After they were done, Ten-Ten stood up and began clearing the table. Sakura soon stood up as well and said, “I should get home. I promised.”

Naruto looked over his shoulder from where he was putting something back in the refrigerator. “Can I walk you?”

Sakura shook her head. “I’ll be fine, and Neiji offered before we got here.” She motioned in the direction of the tall ninja. Naruto stared a moment and looked over at Ten-Ten who was busying herself with putting plastic wrap over a bowl. “Bye. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” Ten-Ten replied and heard her apartment door closed. Running her hand over the top of the container, she made sure that it was sealed properly and sighed inwardly. Something was amiss.

~*~

“You didn’t have to walk me,” Sakura said as she and Neiji neared her street. Neiji didn’t say anything. Sakura looked down at the houses on her block and sighed inwardly. Stopping in the middle of the sidewalk, she turned around to face him and asked, “Do you pity me?”

Neiji held her gaze and then he shook his head. “No.”

“Then why are you…” she waved a hand through the air looking for a good description, “doing all this? You take me home – you took me to the memorial this morning.” She kept his gaze. “Why?”

Neiji debated whether to tell her or not. “Because,” was all he said. He watched her narrow her eyes, but she merely deflated.

“I’m too tired to pursue this,” she sighed. “Bye.” Then she walked down the street and to her house. The instant she was gone, Neiji turned away and headed off towards his own home.

To be continued…

Title Promises
Author Uozumi
Genre Drama/Romance
Rating PG-13
Disclaimer I do not own nor claim to own this. The characters, ect...contained within are not my property. This is an act of fandom and I do not make a profit from this endeavor.
Summary Sakura never remembered Lee’s promise because who would actually keep such a promise made when they were thirteen? Before the battle, Lee asked Neiji to promise him something, and the Hyûga genius kept it. NeijiSaku.
Chapter Two
Note Don’t expect such a speedy update next time I don’t think, or at least coming up real quick. I go back to college on Sunday ^^

Promises
Chapter Two

To Maito Gai, Rock Lee had been like a little brother. He was always enthusiastic and always wanted to be just like Gai. It had hurt when Lee died, but the boy had made him promise to live even if he died. Pushing his thoughts aside, the instructor nodded as Tsunade handed him the papers for his new mission. With a quiet farewell, the Jônin left the room, holding the door open for Sakura as she walked into the room. It had been a week since Lee’s funeral and everyone had moved on to their own degree. Sakura gave her mentor a smile as she entered. The guilt was still there, especially whenever she saw Gai, but she pushed it away. Shinobi couldn’t dwell on such things too long. It wasn’t healthy.

“You wanted to see me, Tsunade-shishô?” Sakura asked.

“Yes,” Tsunade said as she leaned forward in her seat. “I have a mission that needs a medic nin on it. I think that you should be able to perform well on this mission, but if you think you aren’t ready to go back out, I will give you a few more days’ time.”

Sakura shook her head. “I’m ready. I’m okay.”

Tsunade’s eyes held Sakura’s gaze and then she nodded. “It’s going to be a rescue mission,” she handed Sakura some papers. “Hyûga Neiji will be the instructor. Can you deliver these to him?”

Sakura opened her mouth and then closed it again as she took the papers. “I will,” she said after a moment.

“Good,” Tsunade said. “You are dismissed.”

~*~

Neiji glanced over at his door when the knock came at it. He could tell it was Sakura, which was very interesting. He knew that when he talked to her, she wasn’t sure what to make of it, but it was intriguing that she had come to him. It was most likely a message from the Hokage or something like that. Sakura didn’t seem the type to corner him at his home and demand an explanation, at least not from what he had seen of her.

Sure enough the nineteen-year-old was standing on his doorstep. Her appearance was better than he had last seen her. “I have an assignment from Tsunade-shishô,” she told Neiji.

Neiji nodded and stepped out of his room, looking down the hallway. Sometimes the servants of the branch house had a tendency to eavesdrop, and this would definitely be a time one of them would be he was sure. Casting a rather dangerous look down the hall to his left, his eyes returned to Sakura. “Thanks,” he said and took the folder. The teenager didn’t leave as he opened it and scanned the contents. Glancing at Sakura, he knew she hadn’t read the contents by the curiosity in her eyes. He wondered how much she did know since Tsunade had a way of summarizing the mission if a person on it was the one delivering the mission to the leader.

Neiji held back a smirk. Tsunade was always careful in her groupings for missions. She tended to put people together who she knew would work well together. She also tended to repeat some group dynamics for some missions if they worked. She was one who would keep Genin teams together more than separate them when handing out missions. The woman was very interesting indeed.

“Go and find Naruto,” he said to Sakura, “and I will find Ten-Ten. We will meet on the bridge near the gates.”

~*~

Ten-Ten’s hair was wet and clinging to her shoulders when she opened the door to her apartment. Seeing Neiji, she didn’t even blink even though she was still in her pajamas. “A mission?” she asked as she let him in. Neiji only nodded. “I’ll be ready in five,” Ten-Ten said and disappeared into her room. When she came back out, she was in normal pink top and black pants with her sandals. One hair tie in her mouth, she was using the other one to fix a bun in place. “Who’s coming with us?” It was a bit muffled by the hair tie, but Neiji understood the question.

“Sakura and Naruto,” he answered and watched her eyes narrow slightly. After she secured the first bun and began making the second, he asked, “What’s wrong with it?”

“Nothing,” Ten-Ten said, “I just pulled my hair slightly.”

Neiji glanced at her. It was a lie. He knew her well enough to know she wasn’t happy about the set up for some reason. He considered prying, but he decided against it and watched as she checked her buns in a mirror before slipping her Hitae-Ate around her forehead. “You know, if you have a problem, you should say it now so it doesn’t ruin the mission.”

Ten-Ten glanced at him and his choice of words. “I’m not going to ruin the mission.” She held his gaze and then she said, “Let’s go.”

~*~

Naruto gave Sakura and bleary look and then yawned. “Good morning.”

“You mean afternoon,” Sakura corrected. “We have a mission.”

That seemed to wake the younger ninja up. “What is it?”

“I’ll tell you once you get dressed. We have to meet Ten-Ten and Neiji at the bridge soon.” Sakura looked out Naruto’s window as he dressed, neither disturbed by her staying in the room. They had been going on missions together for far too long to be embarrassed over some things.

“Okay,” Naruto tightened the Hitae-Ate around his forehead. “What is it?”

Sakura smiled slightly at the enthusiasm in his eyes. It wasn’t as fiery as it had been when they started as Genin, but it was still there. “I’ll let Neiji explain,” she said and the pair left the apartment.

~*~

The two Jônin and two Chûnin hurried in the direction of their client. According to the mission statement, there the wife of a nobleman in the Northlands had been kidnapped and there were scant clues along with a ransom note. It was labeled a B-rank mission and the group was quickly approaching the village where the nobleman lived.

They slowed as they entered the village, producing their papers for the guards. The guards let them through with a nod and gave them directions to the nobleman’s home. The village was just slightly smaller than Konoha and ruled over the Northern area of the Fire Country. There were other such villages scattered throughout and all of their leaders answered to the Hokage. The man they were visiting was one of the upper class, but not the man in charge of the Northlands. The group soon arrived at the gate to the manor and watched as a woman in her forties hurried out of the house towards them.

“Oh good, you’re here!” She undid the lock on the gate and pulled it back for the ninja to enter. “Papa was starting to say you wouldn’t come, but I told him that you would.” She motioned for them to follow her. “This way. I’m glad that you came. We’re really worried about Mother.”

Naruto simply followed her, Ten-Ten not far behind, both paying attention to the house and layout. Sakura glanced at the woman suspiciously. From what Neiji had told them, the woman missing was in her late thirties, but this woman had to be older than that. Neiji was watching the woman impassively, his brain working. The woman they were looking for was thirty-seven, but this woman had to be forty-two. He considered that the mission sheet might have had a misprint, but it might not have.

“Papa,” the woman said as they entered a room, “these are the ninja from Konoha.” The four young adults watched as a man in his sixties rose from the chair to observe them.

“What rank are you?” he asked, scrutinizing them.

“We are Jônin and they are Chûnin,” Neiji replied. He was the leader; thusly he would answer the questions unless the situation called for someone else to.

The man’s eyes shifted to Ten-Ten and Naruto. “How long have you been Chûnin?”

“Six years,” Ten-Ten replied.

“One year,” Naruto replied, shifting his weight. He still wasn’t sure how it happened yet. The council had blocked him one year, failed him the next, and then let him pass.

The man’s eyes narrowed at Naruto. “How old are you?”

“Eighteen,” Naruto said, keeping his voice steady. He didn’t need to alienate their charge.

“Interesting,” the man commented and then took the group in as a whole. “Alright,” he nodded his head, “I accept you. Now, I’ll hand over what we know and you can go from there.” He looked to his daughter. “Give them the files, Kyoko.”

Kyoko nodded and retrieved a folder from inside a nearby desk. Handing it to Neiji, she said, “Papa has gone to rest. Here is what you need. I’ll show you to your rooms and you can start work there.” She let go of the file and turned to leave in the direction that her father had left in. “Follow me, please.”

She led them down a long hallway and down another shorter one. “Here are the guest rooms. You can decide who sleeps where of course,” her eyes flickered between the group as though she had picked out two couples. “There is a connecting door between them, it slides closed and does lock.” Again came another flicker of the eyes. Sakura subconsciously took a step away from Neiji. She didn’t like the way this woman was sizing them up.

“Well, good luck in finding Mother,” the woman bowed. “I will be in the garden if you need anything. Dinner will be served in about two hours.” Then she left them.

“That was interesting,” Ten-Ten mused as she watched the woman disappear.

“Why does everyone have to ask how old I am?” Naruto grumbled as the four entered the first of the two bedrooms. “So I’ve been Chûnin a year, so what?” He flopped down on the bed and then sat up. “What do the files say?”

Sakura soon took a seat by Naruto on the bed and Ten-Ten took one on the other side of the youngest ninja, Neiji taking a seat to Ten-Ten’s other side after he closed the bedroom door. Spreading the files out on the fancy bedcover, Neiji began picking through them, the others soon following his lead.

“So she’s thirty-seven?” Naruto asked after a while. He was holding up the file on the woman missing. Making a face, he looked over at the others. It didn’t make any sense. Certainly one of them could explain how she could be younger than her daughter.

“It must be a second marriage,” Sakura answered. “The daughter has to be in her forties. I could tell by the way her neck looked and other things.” She was sifting through the files she had. “Here!” Setting one of the papers down, her finger pointed to the date on the certificate. “They were married two years ago.”

Neiji’s eyes narrowed and Ten-Ten picked the certificate up for a closer look. Sakura went back to looking through the paper she had been reading when Naruto interrupted her thoughts. There wasn’t too much to go on. Mostly, the missing woman was born a farm girl in the most northern part of the Northlands. She married another farmer when she was young but the man died and left her nothing. Her farm failed and she moved into town where she ran a very small shop that sold odds and ends of things. Three years ago, she met the nobleman and they got married only ten months later.

“Where’s the ransom note?” Naruto asked after exchanging papers with Ten-Ten.

“Here,” Neiji said from where he was studying it carefully. After a time, he handed it to Naruto.

Naruto’s eyes scanned the letter and he felt Sakura shift so she could read over his shoulder. Then Ten-Ten came around the bed to read over both their shoulders.

“This isn’t really helping,” Sakura noted. “It talks about ransom, but doesn’t mention where to drop it off at or if another note is coming.” She let Ten-Ten take the letter so she could analyze it.

“We should question Daidôji-dono,” Neiji decided, “and his daughter.”

“When?” Sakura asked as she began stacking the files neatly.

Neiji wasn’t sure yet. He thought about perhaps later that evening, but they could also do it tomorrow. “If we don’t get the chance tonight, we’ll interview them tomorrow,” he decided.

The group agreed on the assessment and then decided the room arrangements. The boys would take the room next door and the girls would take this room. The boys left to dump their stuff off in their room. Ten-Ten set her bag in a place where it was out of the way but in a good place if they had to grab their things and run in the middle of the night. Glancing over at Sakura, she opened her mouth and then closed it again. Neiji would be the better one to ask.

~*~

“It would be best if you started your investigation right away,” the nobleman stated as supper drew to a close.

“We were thinking of doing so,” Neiji replied. “We would like to ask you and your daughter some questions first.”

“Why would you ask us questions?” Daidôji asked. “That won’t help you find my wife.”

“Actually it will,” Neiji kept his voice calm and respectful. “The ransom note didn’t give many clues. Most likely, you will be able to help us by answering questions.”

Daidôji set his chopsticks aside. “Do you think that I am making this up? My wife could be anywhere right now. You are a Jônin; you should be able to find her.”

Neiji considered his response before speaking. “Perhaps now is not the time.” Turning his eyes to Kyoko, he asked, “Are you open to answering some questions?”

“Of course,” Kyoko said, “but perhaps tomorrow. I have some things I need to attend to tonight.”

“Of course,” Neiji returned politely as servants began to clear away the table.

~*~

“Neiji,” Ten-Ten looked to her teammate, “what is going on with you and Sakura?”

Neiji raised an eyebrow mentally. The pair was inspecting the grounds while Sakura and Naruto were interrogating Kyoko. “What do you mean?” he asked. He wanted Ten-Ten to tell him what she was thinking, but he already knew.

“You never really talked to her before,” Ten-Ten noted.

“Jealous?” Neiji asked as he reached up to touch the branch of a fruit tree.

“No.” Ten-Ten shook her head. It was the truth. “Just…I thought you would honor Lee more than this,” she said quietly as her brown eyes looked to the fence around the yard.

“I am,” Neiji said after a time. He looked in the opposite direction of Ten-Ten to assess the other side of the yard. Reconnaissance and canalization of areas were more their forte whereas personal relations was Sakura’s arena. Naruto had tagged along with Sakura to gain more experience in that area.

Ten-Ten narrowed her eyes. “How?” This would be an interesting explanation she was sure.

Neiji debated whether he should tell her or not. Ten-Ten would keep it to herself, but he wanted to tell Sakura before others, if he ever fully explained it at all. “It was a promise,” Neiji didn’t go into details.

It satisfied Ten-Ten. If there had been more explanation, it would have worried her more. She knew that promises were very important to Lee, so it was a plausible answer. Not only that, but Neiji wasn’t one to lie, and she always knew if he was lying when he did it. She gave him a once-over just in case and then she asked, “Do you think we should look for her alive or dead?”

“I’m not sure yet, it will depend on Sakura’s analysis,” Neiji said. “I might even ask Kyoko-dono some questions. I also want to ask Daidôji-dono some things as well.” His eyes searched the yard. He wasn’t sure how he would get the man to talk yet. He wasn’t even sure if the man could supply information that would lead them to whoever kidnapped his wife.

Ten-Ten nodded and the pair continued to make their way through the yard.

~*~

The day was overcast and even the open shutters left the room somewhat dark. Sakura gently placed her teacup back on its saucer and continued with her questioning. Naruto was sitting on the other side of her, Kyoko in front of them. Sakura had asked him to be quiet and just observe. As they got older, Naruto’s impulsive outbursts were more under control, but if he got mad enough, he would loudly proclaim whatever he was thinking much like he used to do when they were Genin.

“So, she owned the fruit stand down the street?” Sakura asked conversationally. She had learned many things and had filed them away. Naruto’s attention seemed to be drifting now. The conversation had mostly revolved around how the missing woman entered the household and what she had been doing prior to that.

“Yes,” Kyoko replied. “I sometimes would go down to buy the fruit for a chance to get out. One day I was sick, so Papa went to get the fruit – we had been encouraging him to get out of the house for his health – and he came back with her.”

“The day he met her?” Sakura asked.

“Oh yes,” Kyoko replied.

Sakura considered how to word her next question or what it should be. “How much longer was it until they started courting?” She opted for courting over dating since the idea of a man over sixty dating seemed stupid.

“About a month later,” Kyoko said as she picked her tea back up. “We were encouraging Papa to get out, but after he met her, he was out of the house more than once a week.”

Sakura watched Kyoko carefully as the woman answered the questions. Typically, Neiji was the interrogator of witnesses and such during missions, however, he had handed this over to her. Sipping her tea, Sakura regarded the woman covertly but didn’t stay silent too long.

“Kyoko, are you keeping those ninja from doing their job?”

The three in the small room looked to the doorway where Daidôji was scowling at them. “Finish the tea and let them go on their way. Their companions have already searched the back yard.” Then the man left the three to their tea.

Naruto took this moment to down the rest of his. He had been turning the cup around in circles trying to keep his mind on the conversation. Sakura had already finished her cup. “Thank you for your time, Kyoko-dono,” she said.

“It was my pleasure,” the woman replied, smiling. “If you ever want to ask anything else, you know where to find me.”

The group rose and bowed to each other before Naruto and Sakura left to find Neiji and Ten-Ten.

To be continued…

Promises
Chapter Three

“So, why are we out here again?” Naruto looked to Ten-Ten. They were scouring the backyard while Neiji and Sakura were questioning Daidôji.

“Daidôji will most likely respond to two Jônin better than to one of them,” Ten-Ten replied, her brown eyes searching in the dark. It was past supper and the group had made a quick plan after Sakura and Naruto reported their findings. “That and you have the best nose of all of us.” Like Kiba, Naruto was known for his heightened senses; however, Naruto wasn’t color blind like the Inuzuka clan. He also only recently began training to be able to use them easily, but he wasn’t near the level of an Inuzuka.

Naruto gave her an affronted look and then looked out at the gardens to the back of the yard. “What are we looking for?” He had only been half listening when Sakura recounted the really boring tale Kyoko had told them.

“A possible grave or place to put one,” Ten-Ten responded.

Perhaps Daidôji could clear some of this up, but gut reasoning was leading the group towards a possible murder. It could have been from within the family or from without, but there was reasonable cause to justify either case. As they neared the back of the gardens, both paused. Someone was already back there inspecting one of the trees.

“Oh,” Kyoko blinked and then smiled, “come to admire the gardens?”

Naruto and Ten-Ten ignored her look. They weren’t like that and neither was compatible with the other enough to even consider dating. Reflexively the pair stepped a bit away from each other.

“Yeah,” Ten-Ten replied. Naruto let her handle the woman. The girls were better at it anyway.

“When I was younger, I used to climb up there,” Kyoko wistfully looked up at an old tree house above them in a sturdy willow tree. “I would sit amongst the branches and watch the Black Forest beyond our walls.” Her eyes shifted towards the very back of the yard. “I always wanted to go out to the forest, but Papa kept me here. He had a servant construct the tree house so that I could watch the forest.”

The man smiled slightly and then said, “Don’t stay out too long. You don’t want to get sick.” Then she left them.

After she was gone, Naruto looked up at the tree house. “I wonder what you can see up there.” Instantly he was up on the old boards. Ten-Ten stayed bellow watching the area for people. Naruto peered into the darkness and then blinked.

“What do you see?” Ten-Ten looked up at him, gauging his expression.

“Graves,” Naruto replied. “They go way back in there too.”

Ten-Ten raised an eyebrow. Why would a young girl be fascinated with a graveyard?

~*~

“That was near pointless,” Sakura murmured as Neiji and she walked through the large house. They had spent an hour trying to get something out of Daidôji, but it had been excruciating. All they came out with was that the woman loved apples and cooking.

“It gives us a place to start,” Neiji reasoned. They would go into town and see what the townspeople had to say starting with the fruit vendor. The man had seemed clearly shaken by his wife’s disappearance and if they tried to weed out the possibility of murder, the man had driven them from the library.

Sakura considered asking why someone would bother to ask for help if they were so against it, but didn’t. Looking out the large windows at the backyard, she said, “We should go and find Ten-Ten and Naruto.”

“They’ll come in when they’re ready,” Neiji said. He didn’t mention that it would seem suspicious for the four of them to all be out in the backyard in the dark.

Sakura sighed inwardly. So it was going to continue to just be Neiji and her. She could feel his eyes watching her sometimes. Looking over at him, she watched as he started down the hallway again a few paces in front of her. “Neiji, why –“ before she could finish, they heard the door to the backyard open.

“Good evening,” Sakura greeted Kyoko.

The woman smiled back. “Good evening. Did Papa talk with you?”

“Yeah,” Neiji said but offered no details. His white eyes surveyed her as he spoke.

“Good,” Kyoko replied. “I am turning in now. Good night and good luck.” Then the woman continued down the hallway towards her room.

~*~

“What do you think they’re doing?” Sakura was sitting in the chair of the boys’ room, her legs crossed, medical book open on her lap.

“They must have found something,” Neiji looked out the window from where he was sitting cross-legged on the bed.

Sakura watched him a moment. Neiji’s hair was out of its ponytail, some strands over his shoulders but the majority of it hung down his back. He wasn’t looking at her but outside, most likely worried. When they were younger, she would have thought Neiji worried about anything was ludicrous, but now it made a bit of sense. Who wouldn’t be worried about a teammate after the death of one of them? Sakura knew that she was a bit worried for Naruto, but she also knew he was capable and would be all right. Yet, the worry was always there.

“Why are you always watching me?” It came out before she could retract the question. Sometimes her curiosity was as bad as Naruto’s impulse control from years ago. If she wanted to know something hard enough, she would simply ask without thinking.

Neiji looked away from the window and over at her. She had asked and she did have the right to know. He considered his words. He knew from observation that she wouldn’t take anything watered down, and to give her only part of it would be insulting to her. “I – “

There was a knock at the door, cutting the Hyûga short. “Come in,” he said. As the pair expected, Ten-Ten and Naruto were standing in the doorway.

“We found something,” Naruto announced. He and Ten-Ten had considered exploring the graveyard, but decided to get Neiji and Sakura first.

“What?” Sakura closed her medical book after marking her place.

“What looks like the towns’ graveyard,” Ten-Ten replied, “but the towns’ graveyard is located on the way here from the entrance.” She folded her arms. “From what we could tell, the graveyard looks fairly old, but,” she went on to explain their encounter with Kyoko, Naruto supplying explanation every so often.

“So, if we go off of one of the theories from last night, we might want to check on this graveyard,” Ten-Ten finished.

Neiji considered this. They could go out now, but that could also wait. They had yet to confirm if the woman was dead or alive. No other notes had arrived since the ransom note. All the note had said was “I have taken your precious. I will make demands later.” So far, “later” had yet to happen.

“We should go ahead with what we have planned, and if death seems like a high possibility, then we will search the graveyard tomorrow,” Neiji decided after a bit.

“What’s the plan?” Naruto asked. This was the first time he heard that they were certain about what they were doing tomorrow.

“We will talk to the townspeople,” Neiji explained, “and see what information we can gather about threats.”

Naruto went to point out that they had done some of that, but he decided not to start something. Sakura and Neiji were more experienced at these things than he was and he was too tired to argue anything. Growth spurts could go to hell.

~*~

They were getting repeat information and some villagers were less than willing to talk with the ninja. The boys had gone one way and the girls another, the group meeting back up later for a late lunch.

“Anything new?” Ten-Ten asked as the group exited one of the shops to eat outside. The day was cloudy but pleasant.

“No,” Neiji replied as they group grabbed a nearby bench.

“We didn’t get anything new either,” Sakura said. “They just talked about how everything was perfect except for one fight. No one knew anything about her before she came to the Northlands. She apparently kept things to herself.” Blinking, Sakura looked over to her left. “Naruto…?”

The youngest of the group nodded his head imperceptibly to their left. One of the Daidôji servants were walking towards them looking at everything but them. Finally the young woman got to them and casually sat down on a bench next to them. Speaking quietly, she kept her eyes downward, her hair obscuring her face like a veil.

“I have information.”

The group looked over at her covertly.

“Mistress was taken away,” the woman continued, “on her own free will.”

There was a pregnant pause and then the woman stood up, dusting off her skirt. “A woman took her away,” she didn’t look at the group, “to the Black Forest.” Then the servant left the way she came, looking at no one.

To be continued…

Title Promises
Author Uozumi
Genre Drama/Romance
Rating PG-13
Disclaimer I do not own nor claim to own this. The characters, ect...contained within are not my property. This is an act of fandom and I do not make a profit from this endeavor.
Summary Sakura never remembered Lee’s promise because who would actually keep such a promise made when they were thirteen? Before the battle, Lee asked Neiji to promise him something, and the Hyûga genius kept it. NeijiSaku.
Chapter Four
Note I had a bit written of this but it was embarrassingly horrendously horrible o_o Thusly, I scrapped it and started over. Sorry for the wait!

Promises
Chapter Four

Sakura could feel eyes on her. Looking over her shoulder, she met Neji’s eyes. The four ninja were in Naruto and Neji’s room discussing their next move. After some discussion, they had fallen into silence, only broken by Sakura absently humming. “What is it?”

“Nothing,” Neji said. He thought he recognized the tune, but he wasn’t sure. It was from a mission long ago in the Northlands back when he was a Genin. If he remembered, it was in one of the dead languages from centuries ago.

Ten-Ten began to quietly add lyrics without thinking as she looked out the window. In the academy, the girls were encouraged to learn certain things about the dead languages. Some songs and customs were rooted in them. Then she changed the words back into Japanese, singing softly about a boy who knows nothing and a grandfather who lives in a black forest. Pausing, she looked at the others in the room, “We should go into the Black Forest tonight.”

“But,” Naruto began and then shut his mouth. That wasn’t where they were going with the previous conversation, but he really couldn’t object. Neji was the leader after all and along with Ten-Ten had the most experience out in the field.

“Our lights normally go out around this time,” Sakura looked at a clock on the wall. “But, should we go into the forest at night?” She wasn’t scared, just wondering how smart it would be to go into a graveyard where any of them could accidentally break their leg if they couldn’t see anything.

“We shouldn’t rush,” Neji replied, “but it would be better to go at night during the day so that we can return before people wake.” Standing, he said, “Get what you need together. We will meet by the largest oak tree behind the manor.”

~*~

“It looks like a normal graveyard,” Naruto noted as the group made their way deeper into the forest. Tall trees were packed in, their almost-black colored bark making everything bleed together as though the trunks didn’t exist.

Sakura carefully stepped over one of the gravestones. Shuffle walking kept her from taking nasty tumbles. The tombstones were carved out of dark stone keeping with the feel of the forest. Turning her head slightly, she soon looked back in front of her. “What exactly are we looking for? A formal grave? A dumping area?”

“I think I smell something.” Naruto made a motion with his hand as he moved to his right. It was hard to tell depth in the lack of light, but they could see each other’s motions as though they were standing shadows.

With one step forward, Sakura instantly ducked swiftly as Neji brought his hand up grasping onto the rod of a shovel. Sakura ducked under his arm and then with a fluid motion, she had a kunai right on her attacker’s neck by the jugular. Her grip stayed tight as her eyes narrowed. It was just as she had suspected.

“Don’t…I thought I saw shadows and I was…” the attacker swallowed, “…I thought that…”

“Where is the body, Kyoko-dono?” Sakura asked, Neji easing the shovel out of the woman’s hands.

Kyoko looked over her shoulder, but Ten-Ten was there to keep her from running. Naruto was nowhere to be seen.

“We have evidence that you were the last person seen with the mistress of the household,” Sakura stated, her eyes locked onto Kyoko’s. “You were taking her into this forest. What happened after that?”

~*~

Naruto wasn’t sure what he smelled, but it smelled rotten. There were smells over it – tilled soil, wet moss and grass. Kneeling yards away from everyone else, he put a hand down on the ground. It had been weeks since the disappearance, so just touching the soil wouldn’t help discern if it had been someone dug a hole recently.

Looking over his shoulder, Naruto made a face. No one had followed him here, but that would make sense. His senses were heightened and he was working at making them stronger, so he could see most of what was going on around him in the forest. He knew that with the Byakugen, Neji could see for long distances in the dark as well. He knew that Neji wasn’t using the jutsu at the moment though.

Standing up, Naruto looked down at the ground and back over his shoulder. He had a feeling he found something.

~*~

“I have nothing to tell you,” Kyoko said. Her resolve seemed to be flooding back into her and her worried expression soon transformed into an indignant countenance.

Neji looked to Sakura, but had Kyoko in his sight as well. “Go find Naruto and continue searching for the body. Ten-Ten and I will take Kyoko-dono back to the manor and question her.”

Sakura slowly removed her kunai, but the woman did not fight back. Without elements of concealment and surprise, she knew that she had no hope against two experienced ninja.

~*~

Naruto could make Sakura out. She was heading away from him. Quickly he brought a hand up to his mouth and made a shrill noise. Sakura paused in her tracks and then repeated the sound before turning in his direction.

“I think I found it,” Naruto said in a low voice once he caught up to her.

“Good,” Sakura replied.

“Where’s Neji and Ten-Ten?” Naruto looked around.

“I’ll explain after we see what you found,” Sakura said.

Naruto grabbed her hand and helped her through the maze of graves and roots so Sakura wouldn’t trip and they could move quickly. He led her three yards past the graveyard and knelt down by the area of dirt he ran across earlier. “I think it’s here.” Naruto began digging with his hands and soon Sakura was kneeling with him digging as well.

~*~

There was no tea or polite conversation in this interview. Again Kyoko was in the front room seated across from two ninja. The woman kept their eye contact this time, her confidence growing the closer they came to the manor.

No one said anything, but simply stared at each other. Finally, Neji spoke. “As Sakura said, from the information we have gathered, you were the last person seen with the mistress of the household the day before she was reported missing.” He paused, noting that the woman didn’t blink as she held his gaze. “What happened that day?” It was less accusing.

“I don’t have to tell you,” Kyoko said in her typical voice.

“That is true,” Neji replied evenly. According to the mission report, once they rooted out suspects they were to turn them over to the local authority for further investigation. That wasn’t odd. In many high profile cases, ninja were called in first just in case the culprits had been ninja as well. Neji didn’t want to tip this, but he knew that Kyoko most likely knew of the typical policies.

“You have no evidence,” Kyoko continued. “No matter who you accuse in Mother’s disappearance, in the end, no one can hold them anywhere.”

Neji didn’t take the bait. Keeping his face the same, he said, “If you do not cooperate with us, we will have to turn you over to the local authorities.” It wasn’t a threat, just a way to smoke her out or at least give her a chance to cover her ass.

“I know,” was all Kyoko said.

~*~

“The ants got to her,” Sakura murmured as they surveyed the remains in the grave.

“How can you tell it’s a her?” Naruto asked. He knew that no one could assume anything about such things.

“The curvature and positioning of the pelvis,” Sakura said. “It’s dark, but I can make enough out to tell that it’s female. She’s probably about…five feet tall, maybe a bit over. I’m not sure if she was thin or not, but I don’t think she was overweight.”

“So we turn this over to who?” Naruto figured that it wouldn’t be right to move the remains yet. There had to be documentation or some other paper-involving thing most likely.

“I’m not sure, but we’ll find out soon enough,” Sakura said. “According to the report, we are to gather evidence, find a suspect, and determine if there were any ninja involved.”

“Do you think there was?” Naruto asked as Sakura began covering the body again.

“I don’t know. Someone’s going to have to do an autopsy, and we don’t know if this is her body at all.”

~*~

They turned Kyoko over and showed the gravesite to the authorities soon after Naruto and Sakura returned to the Daidôji residence. Their mission complete, the group left for Konoha, arriving two days after leaving the Northlands.

A day later, Sakura walked into an open-air café walking over to a table far from the main counter but not close to the street. Neji looked up from his seat as she slid into the one across from him.

“Thanks for meeting me. I hope you weren’t waiting long,” Sakura said as she accepted tea from the waitress. The café had a policy that you could order ahead for your guests, but the drink wouldn’t come to the table until they arrived. They said it kept drinks from growing cold, but many knew it was more likely to keep the drinks safe and not tampered with.

“I wanted to ask you about Lee,” Sakura went straight to the point. Neji wasn’t someone who wanted to play around before getting to points.

Neji wasn’t surprised, but he remained quiet. He would let her ask whatever she wanted to ask when she was ready.

“What did he ask you to do?” Sakura met his eyes. “I know he asked you to do something.” Her features were set and her voice quiet. No one bothered to look at them or listen in.

Neji took a sip of his drink and then set it down. She had the right to know. “He asked me to take care of you for the rest of your life,” Neji answered with no flourishes. It was the truth. “I agreed.”

Sakura stared. It hurt, but at the same time a small part of her was angry. It hurt that she had been so callous to Lee in the beginning and the fact that people thought she needed to be protected made Inner Sakura wake from her dormant state to say a few choice words. Looking down into her tea, Sakura tried to think of what she was supposed to say to that. “Neji, I really don’t know you at all. It’s a lot to ask you to watch over me until one of us dies.”

Neji nodded. “Lee asked me to promise, and so I did. If it bothers you, I won’t do it so openly.”

“No – No, it’s not that,” Sakura replied. “No, it’s that, but it’s…” She tried to find the words she wanted. Sighing, she said, “I wanted to say that you don’t have to do this. I don’t need protection.” She wasn’t the weak Sasuke-obsessed Genin anymore after all, and could hold her own quite effectively she thought.

Neji considered his response. “It was a promise to be honored after death,” he said. He didn’t explain the weight such things carried. They both knew Sakura was too familiar with promises after deaths since her profession brought her in contact with many people who did such things on the cusp of death.

Sakura looked down at her tea. “Then you will keep it.”

“Yeah.”

To be continued…