A/N: Ri-chan is BACK! I'm certain that those reading this are largely unaware of how hard the last few months have been for me. I had some serious issues to address. (Itachi type issues. I'm not quite the stalker Pein is yet.) Seriously people those were dark days. So dark in fact that I actually DIDN'T want to write. For anyone who really knows me, you know that this is practically unheard of. (for me) I've had my share of not knowing what to write and being uncertain of the best way to say what I want to say. (You know, typical writer's block stuff However I have NEVER lacked the will to write until those dark days during the last month or three.) Here's a surprise treat for your patience! The night is done with the risen sun and I'm better than before. Rested and ready I'm solid and steady and now I'll write some more!

Chapter 8: Dueling Desires

When Sakura awoke the next morning it was to silver eyes with a purple tint, a smirk that was too beautiful to belong to a demon yet too dangerous to belong to an angel, and last but probably most important to the famished Sakura was the tray piled high with breakfast delights. As hungry as she was, she couldn't help blurting out the first thing that came to mind.

"You can cook?!" She breathed as if she had discovered the eighth wonder of the world. Neji Hyuuga, practically the god of the business world, and one of the top 30 sexiest men alive, could cook! What an incredible discovery!

He chuckled at her obvious wonder and delight. He practically preened as she dug in and sighed with pleasure. When Sakura let out a soft moan though, he had to put a stop to it, lest he lose his mind to desire.

Neji planted a quick kiss between bites, successfully stealing her attention from the food, for the moment anyway. He gave her a smirk that reminded her yes he was a fantastic businessman, but that wasn't all by a long shot. He knew what he had to work with and used every single weapon in his arsenal to get what he wanted. Sakura knew well enough that he'd wanted her for quite some time now.

-Flashback-

Neji had been attempting to seduce her for 4 months. Sakura had been in the mansion for that exact amount of time. She knew he was playing with her. She didn't respond the way he expected. She was just like a brand new toy to him and she knew that very well. He wanted to push different buttons to see what would happen when he did. That was all it was.

Until one day it escalated. Using the gentlemanly manners very nearly beaten into him (he opened every door, pulled out every chair, covered her with his jacket the minute she was too cold) he managed to find excuse after excuse to invade her bubble. After she tried to pay him back in kind with flirting and invading his personal space, hoping to drive him away, IT happened. She was reading over his shoulder to bug him so he stared hard at her to get back at her. Sakura was determined to not look at him until his fingers brushed some hair out of her eyes. She turned to look at him and was shocked at the look on his face. Neji had never expressed anything beyond mild amusement or annoyance. He looked at her now with stark lust combined with more passion than she thought him capable of. "Sweet, lovely Lamb, don't ever draw so close to a hungry wolf again, or you will be devoured." Sakura blushed so hard she would probably glow in the dark. Neji leaned towards her as if to emphasize his point and Sakura ran for dear life. She may as well be locking the barn door after every animal escaped.

Suggestive lines were the least of her worries. Neji appeared to enjoy a passive aggressive seduction. He never again touched her without permission, but he loved putting on shows for her. Whether it was eating, drinking, reading, typing, or even sleeping he turned it into something sexual. (The minute Neji decided to begin this game he took to sleeping anywhere in the mansion that Sakura might pass by.)

Neji always managed to find the right pose or angle to be seen from to look as sexy as possible. When reading he practically stroked the pages to turn them. When typing he would slow his fingers to soft rhythms that you could slow dance to, showing off the gentle, deft way he would push so softly that the keys seemed to yield to him of their own volition. He seemed to always manage a perfect profile when he tilted a glass to his lips, his head back just enough to emphasize the bob of his Adams apple, the width of his shoulders, the muscles of his chest. Eating was surprisingly the worst of it. The way his lips, teeth, tongue worked together to savor every morsel was pure sin. He made sure that she was more aware of his mouth than her own, as proven the time she fed a spoonful of ice cream to her cheek.

Then there was the time, after a long day of work, she was going to shower to unwind. Impatient and exhausted she failed to make certain the bathroom was vacant and when she opened the door she found herself face to face with Neji clad in nothing but a towel hanging loosely on his hips while he was tying his hair back.

"If I had known you were going to join me I would have prolonged my shower substantially." That was all he could get past his dark chuckle before she fled fearing more for her sanity and virtue than her life. As she made it halfway down the hall she skidded to a stop. Then she ran right back to him.

Neji lifted an eyebrow in a show of surprise. Then she shocked him by actually showing an entirely female and completely carnal appreciation of his display of skin. She raked her eyes down and up his form before her gaze met his again. Neji thought she was giving in. Sakura smirked knowing it was exactly the opposite.

"Neji would you be a dear and meet me down stairs once you are more," Her gaze slid to his chest and he was so aware of that look, it was nearly a caress. "Comfortable." She purred, actually purred at him, ending as she slowly turned and walked away. The purr wasn't husky or heavy with desire nor did it promise him anything. It was simply an intonation to express pure contentment at the sight. The word stretched like a cat scratched just right, arcing and delighting in the attention. Neji felt a similar delight at her sudden change in attitude which caught him off guard.

Neji frowned. He didn't want her to be content with just looking and he hated that he was surprised by his own feelings. He wanted her to crave his touch. He hadn't cared one way or the other about her at first, but he had been curious. After watching her reactions to his flirting and attempting to find something repulsive or at the very least unpleasant about her, he'd come to realize he did, in fact, find her attractive. He still didn't consider himself in love, but as time went by and he started actively attempting to seduce her he found his own desire growing in response to her increased attention towards him.

She knew he was deliberately driving her crazy. She never realized her desire fed his and he was being driven just as insane by her restraint. He had thought he could get it out of his system when he could have as much of her as he pleased. Now he wasn't sure he wanted to get it out of his system. He was already a fiancé candidate. He enjoyed her company and loved teasing her. He desired her and she obviously wanted him as well. Perhaps he should take her for his wife. The more Neji thought about it the more he realized that was exactly what he wanted to do. Even if they didn't love each other, a marriage with Sakura had a lot more than a political marriage could offer him. Marriages with less to build on had succeeded. They could make it work. With those pleasant thoughts in mind, Neji dressed slowly so as not to show Sakura just how eager he was to see what she had in mind for her surrender.

Sakura knew from the victorious gleam in Neji's eyes that he believed he had won. That was good. If he didn't believe that he would be too cautious and she would never be able to pull off the stunt that would turn the tables on him. Ever since his little game began she'd been too preoccupied with running away and controlling her hormones to actually fight back. He'd driven her to the brink, until for just a fraction of a second she thought about what it might be like to give into his seduction.

That was how her plan to retaliate started. It was a gamble. His attack had been brutal in every way but he had never touched her without permission. She was willing to bet every cent of her inheritance that he wouldn't touch her because his pride could never allow him to go where he wasn't wanted. That's why he did everything in his power to make her want that contact with him.

Her diabolical plot was to force him into an internal battle against himself. It was his pride vs. his desires, and Sakura would feed those desires while still betting on his pride to come out on top. She was done fighting herself over Neji's little games. She would make damn sure that he knew exactly what he had put her through. If all went well he would never try it again simply because the price to pay was just too high.

With those pleasant thoughts in mind she turned around only to find she was face to chest with the Hyuuga himself. He appeared very proud of himself and far too smug. She smirked, as her mind worked at light speed on how to set her plan in motion.

Neji had ideas of his own though and since she didn't move right away, he decided he would. Yet as he reached for her she practically danced away until she was close but still just out of reach. His shock was monumental when she lifted her eyes to glare at him.

"Neji, I know how to appreciate a good looking man, but that does not mean I've granted him permission to touch me. If that were the case this whole engagement plan of Grandma's would have torn me limb from limb by now. Therefore when I tell you not to touch me I expect you to be a gentleman about it." Sakura stated annunciating each word with precision to make certain there was no misunderstanding her words.

His eyes darkened with displeasure for a moment before his face turned to stone once more, carved by angels yet totally expressionless. He turned and Sakura thought for a moment he was trying to leave the room altogether. When instead he sat back in the most comfortable arm chair and gave her his full attention. She allowed relief to flash across her face momentarily.

As Neji continued to scowl Sakura prowled towards him. When he maintained his sullen expression perfectly she couldn't help but laugh. His mood darkened, but when she opened her mouth to speak again he couldn't help but give her his attention. As she'd stated earlier, he's a gentleman.

"Don't look so angry. If you want physical contact that badly you'll have it. It will simply be on my terms."

-End Flashback-

True to her word Sakura had allowed him to touch her but only in the places she touched him. She had not compromised her modesty in any way, but she had teased him. Her hands had traced his face until even the most invisible contours were made known to her, keeping her hands tender and allowing him a small taste of what he had denied himself by refusing to touch her.

As her courage and confidence grew she traced her hands down his sides allowing both their hands to slide to each other's waists then hips before pulling their hands back up angling towards the bellybutton. Hands slid apart circling around to the back until it looked as though they were holding one another. She shocked him when her hands slid under his shirt to touch the bare skin of his back pausing so he could copy the action. Every time his hands moved in some way that she had not permitted, she pulled out of his arms and glared the message she was sending registered loud and clear.

One cry of displeasure from her and the other candidates would fly to her side and end the little game. Neji resented having the power taken from him so completely, while at the same time part of him was thrilled by the simple mystery of what would happen next. The pattern of face, sides, waist, hips, back, face again began to slowly eat away at Neji's control. Patterns were typically boring to the young man as once you got past the third repetition it was simply getting old. With Sakura it was completely different. Despite their hands tracing the pattern over and over again, Sakura could still take him by surprise by suddenly switching the pressure of her caresses. One moment they were strong and certain and the next they would become so light and teasing it was almost a punishment.

If she got tired the speed she would simply go slower or faster. The slower movement of her hands allowed Neji to savor her touch and would allow him to really get to feel her as well. She was so damn soft he felt like his touch would leave an imprint but her body was tight and toned and no matter the pressure he applied it her body would push right back against his hand in the most gentle way. When the speed increased he wanted to purr under the quick caresses and the additional friction warming him even beneath his clothes. Though admittedly, some of the warmth was undoubtedly coming from the rush of pleasure from simply touching her.

It went on until Neji was solidly addicted to the shared contact between them. Her touch was both a comfort and a drug, and when she pulled away altogether Neji was horrified to find himself putty in her hands. The absence of her hands plunged his overly hot skin into ice cold clarity and for a moment he thought the abrupt change had stopped his heart.

He looked at her and he knew, he just knew, that she had successfully turned the results of his seduction back on him. While she had been so giving of her touch she was also taking her fill of him. Every visual he had teased her with may as well be null and void. He was putty in her hands. She had used the alternating pressures to mold and shape him. All the while she studied his reaction and made certain he received as much pleasure as humanly possible from such simple contact, and by doing so she had ruined him. No matter how many women threw themselves they would never be enough. They would never be Sakura.

Sakura had learned exactly what he liked and used every careful brush of skin to tie him to her. He was dismayed for the same clarity that brought him this realization brought two others. One was that he had fallen completely and irreversibly in love with Sakura Haruno. The second was that there were 13 other men who quite likely felt the same.

Despite the pain those facts brought him it had never slowed him down his pursuit of her. Be it anywhere from 13 to 100 other fiancé candidates Neji was determined and confident in his own abilities to emerge the victor. In his mind if he couldn't prove himself the best of the selection he was unworthy of her.

As she ate he filled the silence with talks of his beliefs and values, asking only that she offer her opinions and observations when she finished her meal. Then she surprised as she always did. He had just received a phone call from work telling him that he was needed. Her question was lightning out of the blue.

"Neji, you had no choice but to take over your uncle's company, right? I've always wondered what you would choose to do if you didn't have that obligation. What's your dream job?" She inquired with an innocent curiosity and adorable tilt of her head.

He hesitated. No one had ever asked the Hyuuga such a question. He'd inherited a massive fortune and multi-million dollar company. What right did he have to talk about a dream that had almost no chance of coming true? He looked at Sakura again. Her eyes held open curiosity over a layer of compassion. He could no longer focus on his hesitation.

It was a rare moment when her gorgeous eyes were so focused on him alone. He would give her anything she asked of him even when she wasn't concentrating the power of her gaze on him, but when directed at him he lost any and all will to even attempt to resist.

"I've always wanted to work with horses. I would love to make a living by breeding them, training them, showing them, and such." Neji explained with a light blush on his face.

"You're an animal lover?" Sakura felt such a mix of stunned compassion and resignation. A plan was already forming in her mind to help Neji with his dream, and she knew she would help him. Neji Hyuuga disliked many things but the one thing he hated more than anything in the world was showing his own vulnerability. If possible he would never allow anyone to see him in such a state, especially those he cared about. To show someone vulnerability gives them the power to wound your heart, and the more that person means to you the deeper the wound can be.

"Ugh, you make me sound like Kiba. I don't love animals but I do like horses." Neji snapped her out of her thoughts with his disgruntled reply. "Anyway it'll probably never happen so can we drop it?" He requested feigning anger just so she would comfort him. This was Sakura though, and one of the countless things he had come to love about her was that she never failed to surprise him.

"Don't close any doors Neji. Possibilities are as limitless as the sky and there is always a tomorrow." With that said she finished her breakfast and took the tray downstairs while Neji reeled from her revelation.