*Disclaimer: All Naruto characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. The song and the relevant characters belong to Disney…I think. I own nothing, except for the story idea.*

This story takes place sometime in the future when Neji is 19 and Naruto is 18.

'Italics in single quotation marks' are thoughts.

Bold italics are lyrics.

I Won't Say
Chapter 1

Lee and Tenten looked at each other, then back to their teammate. In uncharacteristic fashion, Neji was spacing out…AGAIN. If one looked hard enough, one would notice that his lips were turned up slightly in a faint, goofy smile. This odd behaviour had started happening about two weeks ago, and such occurrences had been happening with drastically increased frequency since then. Funny thing was that nobody knew what had caused the usually stoic teen to start behaving this way.

"Neji…NEJI!!" Upon receiving no response, Tenten sighed and smacked Neji on the back of his head, sending him crashing face-first onto the table they were sitting at.

"You didn't have to resort to physical violence, you know," White eyes were glaring pointedly up at the girl who had caused him such pain. "We were asking if you wanted to continue training after this, and you didn't seem to hear us. Anyway, what's got you acting weirdly? Are you in LOOOVE??" Tenten said the last sentence with a perverted raise of her eyebrows.

Upon hearing that, Neji's face took on a brief, blink-and-you-miss-it blush before regaining its usual colour. His own eyebrow twitching in irritation, he replied, "No…I think I'll take the day off from training today. We've been training hard for the past month. Both of you should consider doing the same." With that, he got up and left the teahouse, ignoring Lee's comments about his "un-youthful behaviour".

Unbeknownst to the three members of Team Gai, an orange-clad figure was hiding in the shadows, watching the whole episode transpire. He sprung into action as soon as he saw Neji depart.

Time to execute his plan.

Neji ran a hand through his hair as he walked down the empty street. This behaviour was unacceptable! He was supposed to be one of the top ninja in the village, and no self-respecting top ninja would just zone out like that. Problem was that he had difficulty controlling his train of thought once it turned towards a certain someone. A certain loud, hyperactive someone. A certain cute, blonde, foxy, loud, hyperactive someone… 'No! I can't possibly be in love with him! He's just a friend. Get a grip, Neji!' he thought to himself, frowning in annoyance. Sure, his friendship with Naruto had been getting stronger over the past few years, but there was no indication that Naruto regarded him as anything more than just a friend.

Giving in to his frustration, Neji aimed a swift kick at the bright orange crate in front of him. It was only after his foot connected with the object when he realized that crates generally did not come in that bright a shade of orange. True enough, the crate sailed into the air, disappearing in a puff of smoke as it completed its arc of flight. A blonde teenager sat on the ground where the crate would have landed, gingerly rubbing his side. Neji's first impulse was to worry, but he knew from experience that Naruto could take more damage than just one kick. So, he ultimately settled for an apology.

"Don't sweat it, Neji. Damn, those training sessions with Lee must be paying off," Naruto had got to his feet after making sure nothing was broken. The trademark grin reappeared on his face. "I just got back from the LONGEST, most BORING mission EVER! So, are we on for tonight?" "Yes, as usual," Neji replied, the barest hint of a smile on his face. Ever since they had successfully completed an especially challenging mission together almost a year ago, it had been their tradition to meet every Friday night at one of their homes just to hang out. This week, it would be Naruto's turn to host their little gathering. "All right then, don't be late!" Neji couldn't help but roll his eyes at the other teen's parting words.

'A Hyuuga, showing up late? As if.'

At precisely 6:00pm, the chime of the doorbell rang through Naruto's apartment. Unfortunately, the owner of the apartment was unable to answer the door at that time. "Come on in!" he hollered, "I'm in the shower!" Letting himself into the house, Neji found a convenient table to dump the five containers of take-out ramen and the drinks which he had brought, then promptly made himself comfortable on the couch. Moments later, Naruto walked into the living room, rubbing his hair dry with a towel. "Man, I'm starved! Let's eat!" he exclaimed before attacking the ramen. Fortunately, Neji had the presence of mind and quick enough reflexes to salvage a container for himself before they all fell prey to the Orange Ramen Monster.

Dinner passed relatively uneventfully, with both of them making small talk about the weather, recent missions, and their teammates, all between Naruto's ferocious devouring of the ramen. Both of them finished their dinners at the same time, which was slightly odd since Naruto had four times as much to eat as Neji. Finally, everything had been cleared, and the rubbish had been disposed of. Neji was comfortably settled on the couch, while Naruto was presently rummaging about in his DVD collection, trying to find suitable entertainment for the night.

"How about Saw?"

"No, too creepy."

"The Eye?"

"Is that supposed to be a joke!?"

"Sorry...Alvin and the Chipmunks?"

"Too cute."

"Madagascar?"

"Too happy."

"The Lake House?"

"Too sappy."

"Star Trek?"

"Too loud."

"Well, get over here and decide what you want to watch then!"

Sighing in mild irritation, Neji threw the bottlecap of his drink in the general direction of the DVD drawer. "What did it land on?" Naruto turned back to face him, grin wider than ever, holding up a particular DVD case.

"Wouldn't you know it? This is my favourite movie!"

'Oh no.'

"…and you are wearing his merchandise!??" Hades screamed from the TV screen.

'Of all places that damned piece of metal had to land, it had to land on *Hercules*,' Neji thought to himself. 'Oh well…it could be worse,' he repressed a shudder, remembering the time Naruto practically forced him to watch The Muppet Movie. In all fairness, Hercules wasn't that bad. The plot was fairly interesting and easy to follow, and there were enough funny and dramatic moments to maintain his interest. That was more than could be said for Naruto, however, as he was dozing off between scenes. He had also attached himself firmly to Neji's left arm, and was leaning heavily on it.

'That mission must have taken a lot out of him…'

As much as Neji enjoyed the closeness, his sense of propriety compelled him to do something about the current situation.

"You know, Naruto, we can call it a night if you're tired."

"…'s ok. Want to watch it…with…you…" the younger teen managed to get that out despite being occupied by a giant, jaw-cracking yawn. Stretching out lengthwise on the couch, he moved even closer to the nearest available source of warmth, which – as you might have already guessed – was an increasingly flustered Neji. Of course, years of strict upbringing meant that no sign of emotion was displayed externally. Settling for a compromise, Neji turned back towards the TV, trying to get comfortable. A while later, he saw some of the female characters break into song:

"…Who'd'ya think you're kiddin'
He's the Earth and heaven to you
Try to keep it hidden
Honey, we can see right through you
Girl, ya can't conceal it
We know how ya feel and
Who you're thinking of…"

Aside from the "girl" part, Neji thought it summed up his feelings for Naruto quite accurately. He wasn't quite comfortable admitting that he liked the latter due to a number of reasons, primarily clan politics. Who knew what his uncle would do to him, or worse, to Naruto? Besides, he was supposed to accept his fate, which was to marry some nice girl from another branch family. They would have children, who would grow up serving the main house, like he was doing now, and would do for the rest of his life. Being involved in a romantic relationship with a non-branch house member, and a male one no less, was a preposterous thought. Neji thought that it was best that he tried to bury these feelings for good.

"No chance, no way,
I won't say it, no, no"

He thought back to the time when he had first met Naruto. The loud, idiotic boy had been labelled dead-last of his class, and the result of their match in the exams was…unexpected, to say the least. In that match, Naruto had shown Neji that there was no such thing as "fate". People were in control of their own destinies, and could work towards a better future. He could choose his path in life, and he wanted Naruto to be a part of it.

"Give up, give in,
Check the grin – you're in love"

But what if Naruto didn't want to be a part of his life? Would he not be fighting for nothing, then? He realized that it was Naruto's nature to be friendly and affectionate to all his friends, so why should he think that he was being treated specially? Naruto would probably be nice enough to let him down as gently as possible, but Neji knew that once that had happened, their friendship – whatever little that was left of it by that time – would never be the same again. Was he prepared to risk losing Naruto as a friend, without a definite guarantee that their relationship would become something more than that?

"You're way off base;
I won't say it
Get off my case;
I won't say it"

As if on cue, Naruto snuggled closer to Neji, his face practically pressed against Neji's stomach. "mmm…Neji. Love you…lots…" Neji held his breath, hardly daring to believe his ears. Tangling his fingers in the blonde spikes in his lap, he allowed himself a gentle smile. He had decided. He would be in for a hell of a battle working the clan elders over, and it would all be worth it if he succeeded. But for now, he would keep this matter his – no, their – little secret.

"At least…out loud,
I won't say I'm in love."

-End of Chapter-

Notes: That's one more story idea down! Personally, I'm still not too happy with this piece of work…as in; it came out different from how I had envisioned it. Blame my odd need to put the song in, I guess.

In case you're wondering, the song is "I Won't Say I'm in Love", from Disney's Hercules.

Please review! =)