Cliché

By anna

All general disclaimers apply

Experiment: None

one

--

"You know I'm in love with you, so it's difficult to watch you cry to me about another man, but for tonight, and tonight only, I'll be your friend,"

She scoffed, it was such a cliché.

--

Sakura gathered her belongings and waved good byes to a few of her patients. She looked up at the clock, noting that it was near dinner time, and she hadn't prepared dinner yet. Not that it mattered much; Sakura had not ventured in the kitchen for the last two years. It was a job that Mizuka had picked up ever since she started working for the pink haired medic. By the time Sakura got back to the Hyuuga residence, a hot dinner would be waiting; it was an arrangement that worked out fabulously well.

As she neared the household, the aroma of perfectly cooked fish entered her nostrils. The pretty woman smiled, Mizuka had certainly outdone herself this time. She slipped out of the white hospital coat and put on an apron that was too frilly for her tastes. A brilliant smile immediately plastered on her face when she heard footsteps on the porch.

"You're smiling," Neji said as he closed the door behind him.

"I thought you were the gardener," she said coldly, gesturing for him to sit down.

"A bit old don't you think? If you're going to conduct an affair behind my back, it would do my reputation well if you would find someone more fitting," he suggested indifferently, "the milkman is a better choice,"

"Been there, done that,"

Silence consumed them again as they sat down in front of their sumptuous repast. It was always like this, words were seldom exchanged during a meal and the heavy atmosphere wasn't foreign. Small clinks of the knives and forks echoed through the large room.

"I want you to come to the Anbu meeting next week," Neji said simply.

She nodded in understanding, it wasn't an unfamiliar request. As the Anbu Captain, Neji was expected to have a certain image, and married to one of the most beautiful women in the village was just part of the package. Their marital friction was irrelevant in this world full of bondage.

After their meal, Neji opted to start his paperwork; it was the most daunting task of being the captain. Inside the beautiful bedroom, he could clearly hear the maids bustling about, cleaning up the dining room table. He was finally able to concentrate on his work when they retired back to the maid's quarter. Half way through the report, the irritating sounds of knocking made him stop again. Neji waited impatiently when the door began to creak open tentatively.

"Neji-sama," a young maid said, her head bowed down.

"What is it," the Hyuuga asked curtly.

"It's your wife…"

"What about Sakura," he asked indifferently, although he already knew.

"She… she's drowning,"

He calmly got up to exit the room, brushing past the maid unsympathetically. Neji walked along the long corridor and stopped at a large door, he clasped his hand on the doorknob and entered. The bathroom was brightly lit with large candelabras, a painting of the Hyuuga estate hung firmly against the wall. His hand reached for a green towel and approached the bathtub.

The soft scent of blossoms filled the room, and small pink bubbles were still floating above the deep bathtub. Sakura was completely submerged and the water made her hair fan out like a beautiful pink halo. His eyes glided over her naked body and rested on the faint scar under her left breast. She had accumulated it during a mission with him two years ago, a few months after their wedding. Neji's hand reached for a low chair and sat beside the bathtub. He crouched down and slowly pulled his wife back up, he was used to this kind of scenario as it often happened. She would be utterly exhausted after a day at the hospital, and fall asleep during her bath.

"Get up, you're annoying," he commanded and lifted her upward until she was no longer underwater.

Neji clicked it tongue in irritation when his fingers came intertwined with her glorious pink hair. It was no longer spread around her face like a halo, but clung to his fingers messily. He sighed and reached for the shampoo nearby and squirted a generous amount onto his palm. The Anbu began to lather it onto her hair until the soapy liquid turned to bubbles.

"I thought you said I annoy you," Sakura opened her beautiful green eyes and whispered.

"You're my wife, I'm supposed to be annoyed by you, it's your job and I respect it," he muttered and opted to continue to work on her hair.

He proceeded to wash the soap, the warm water cascaded down her long hair and fell into his open palm. Neji reached for the green towel on his lap and began to squeeze out the water. Sakura played absentmindedly with the bubbles and began to scrutinize her small fingers in great details.

"They're pruny," she said simply.

"You've been in here for too long," her husband answered and with a quick movement of the arms, he scooped her up and carried her back to their bedroom effortlessly.

"You shouldn't be too good to me, I just might fall in love with you," she muttered as he lay her down on the soft comforter.

"You would never make a silly mistake like that," he said dryly and sat on his own bed.

Neji reached out for the lamp that was located in between their two beds, with a few hushed goodnights, the light vanished from the room. For two years, the Hyuuga couple never slept on the same bed.

--

The entire medical ward was buzzing with the news. Shizune rolled her eyes as she walked past the gossiping interns. The two nurses laughed carelessly as they whispered to each other about some new piece of rumor. Shizune had to push her way to her office and muttered hatefully, her eyebrows knotted with irritation.

"Sakura! Do you know what this hospital is becoming? A circus!" she screamed at the pink haired woman.

Sakura looked up from the paperwork she was working on and tilted her head in slight mystification.

Shizune sighed at the obvious confusion of her colleague. She ambled over to the desk and sat down on the edge.

"Anbu just received a new addition and the word on the street is that she is gorgeous,"

Sakura nodded passively and opted to pick up her pen again. The woman opposite of her groaned and forcibly withdrew the pen from her. Sakura looked up in astonishment.

"What do you want?" she sighed, and asked in resignation.

"Aren't you even a bit worried?"

"About what?" the pretty medic asked.

"Neji was specifically assigned as her guardian," Shizune said, her eyes widened as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"So?"

"Aren't you worried?"

"If you're talking about an affair, you don't have to worry. Neji can sleep with whomever he wants to," Sakura answered and withdrew another pen from her white coat.

Shizune slapped her forehead, her face distorted with both annoyance and frustration. But before she gave Sakura a piece of her mind, the door creaked opened. Shizune and Sakura both looked up, before them stood a beautiful woman. Her blue eyes scanned the office and landed on Sakura, whom she looked up and down with interest.

"May we help you?" Shizune asked, her arms placed securely against her waist.

"My name is Misao, I am here for my check up prior to entering the Anbu," she said

"So you're the newbie,"

Misao smiled haughtily, her red lips parted slightly to reveal her perfect white teeth.

"Hopefully I won't be once Neji-kun is through with me,"

Shizune lifted an eyebrow and stole a surreptitious glance at her colleague. She grumbled slightly in disappointment when Sakura's expressions appeared unchanged. The pink haired woman stood up and walked coolly to the Anbu.

"Why don't you wait for me in room 509, I'll be in for your check up shortly," Sakura said amiably and opened the door.

Once Misao exited, Shizune plopped herself down on the leather chair.

"I don't like her," she said simply.

Sakura nodded lightly, "I have a shovel,"

"I have a backyard," the dark haired medic nonchalantly.

With a small smile, Sakura exited the office and followed her patient to the aforementioned room.

--

All the attention was on her and she appeared to be bathing in pleasure. Misao stood close to Neji as he introduced her to the team, her hand brushed lightly on his.

"I would like to introduce you all to Misao Sakana, I ask you all to give her your guidance," he said stoically, and brushed her hand off of his coolly.

In the back row, Tenten scrunched her nose in disgust at the blatant display of seduction. This new woman was gorgeous and had legs that extended forever. Her dark blue eyes were fastened on the handsome Anbu, they scanned his body hungrily.

"Honestly, how can Sakura be so indifferent let that woman ogle or husband like so," Tenten muttered to Ino, who nodded in agreement.

Tenten muttered incoherently but opted to stop talking when people began to leave. She shot one last look at her former teammate and begrudging left the room. Neji was left behind to gather up his paperwork. The new woman lingered behind and she too, began helping him.

"Thank you Sakana-san, but I got it," Neji said politely.

The new Anbu laughed loudly, her body twisted strategically, giving the Hyuuga an eyeful of her delicious assets.

"Since you're supposed to help me adjust to life in the Anbu, how about giving me some advice over coffee?"

Neji lightly pushed the woman off of him and glanced at her coolly.

"I'll see you at the next meeting Sakana-san,"

She blew softly on her bangs in resignation, "You will see me Neji-kun,"

With a huff of indignation, Misao clutched her bag and left.

"And here I thought that you're only cold toward me,"

The Hyuuga lifted his head and noticed a pretty woman standing not far from him. The light shining through the glass landed on her hair, giving her an ethereal look. Sakura's lips were curved in a soft smirk.

"I don't discriminate," her husband answered simply, he walked briskly toward her and grasped her hand.

"You're such a heartbreaker," Sakura said as she allowed herself to be pulled along.

"Listen well woman, you're the only person I won't hurt. But that privileged does not extend to everybody else,"

"Be careful husband, lines like that could give people the wrong impression that you care about me," she warned, her hand instinctively squeezed his tighter.

"I can't let that happen," Neji smirked and let go of her hand.

tbc.