Breathe in, breathe out.

Neji sat perfectly still on the tatami mat and focused. He'd been meditating since he was young, but he still had to clear his mind at the beginning, especially now… He resisted the urge to open an eye and peek at Hinata sitting next to him.

This all started when she asked if she could join him during his daily meditation.

"You're always doing what I like to do. I want to try one of your hobbies for a change."

He'd been flattered and agreed, not entirely comprehending how difficult this would turn out to be.

To the untrained observer, Hinata was sitting still, but Neji could hear her fidgeting and the uneven restlessness of her breathing. He didn't use mantras, preferring to truly free his mind from thought, but he'd given one to her, and occasionally she would mutter the words under her breath, then her hair would rustle as she turned to see if she'd disturbed him.

Neji sighed, then berated himself for disrupting his breathing.

Inhale, exhale. Hinata-sama's presence shouldn't be affecting me, he thought. I'm just not concentrating hard enough. Focus.

He was starting to slip into the proper mental state when Hinata coughed and shifted.

Neji frowned, but kept his eyes shut, tried to ignore the footsteps moving from his left to directly in front of him. He kept his eyes closed only for another minute, before snapping them open to see Hinata peering intently into his face.

"Oh!" She was so startled, she actually fell backwards and would have hit the floor if Neji hadn't reached out to steady her. "I didn't…I didn't think you'd realize…"

"I could feel your breath on my cheek," he said. "It's a little distracting…"

Hinata looked crestfallen. "I thought maybe you were already past the point of distraction."

"Obviously not." Neji shifted to a more comfortable sitting position. With Hinata here, he was beginning to believe that there was no point beyond distraction. Everything about her grabbed his attention—her voice, her scent, the almost electric space between them.

"Do you want me to leave?" she asked. She was twisting her fingers together, a sure sign of nervousness. Was she that uncomfortable with this activity?

"There's no need to continue if you don't have the desire," he conceded. "Meditation isn't for everyone."

Hinata frowned. "I'm sorry; I just wanted to do something you enjoyed."

"That you were willing to try is enough for me, Hinata-sama." He smiled, genuinely touched by her enthusiasm.

"I don't really want to leave though; can I try it one more time?" she asked.

"Feel free." At that, Neji closed his eyes again, focused his breathing.

Just breathe. In and out.

A naughty thought involving a very different context popped up in his mind; he hastily pushed it away.

Nothing. Focus on nothing. Concentrate.

He felt Hinata move to kneel in front of him again. She's so close…

Then he felt something barely graze his cheek, something almost like hair.

What is she doing? She's…no! Concentrate!

He squeezed his eyes shut, trying his best to ignore her breathing and focus on his own when her lips touched his, and his mind finally went blank.

"I couldn't help it," Hinata apologized when he pulled away. "When you're meditating, you look so…well…" She flushed. "I'm sorry. I ruined it."

Neji stared at her a long time before responding. "I wouldn't say that," he said, taking her hand and pulling her into his arms.

"But we aren't meditating anymore," she said, her breath catching as Neji trailed kisses down her neck. "Are we?"

"Same concept, different execution."

All right, Neji, he thought, running his hand along the curve of Hinata's hip. Concentrate.