University of Konoha (Modern Naruto Various)

Chapter 19

Neji's POV

I saw Asami just as she went under. "Asami!" I called out. She wasn't coming back up. This isn't good. I swam over to where I last saw her and dove under the water. I spotted her sinking in the water and grabbed her wrist right as her eyelids fluttered closed. Asami! I pulled her with me to the surface. My heart nearly stopped when I saw her pale face and I realized she wasn't breathing. I smacked her back a couple times to try to help get the water out of her lungs and shock her into breathing again. Relief washed through me when she started coughing and gasping. "Hang on Asami. We're almost to the beach." I pulled her with me through the water. The others noticed I had her and started gathering on the beach. When the water was shallow enough for me to walk, I picked Asami up bridal style and carried her onto the beach. The others started crowding around me, asking if she was okay. She started shivering slightly and I cradled her to my chest to try to keep her warm. I noticed her eyes open as she came to. "Asami," I breathed in relief.

Asami's POV

I woke to the sound of several voices talking over each other. I took in a deep breath and felt my throat and lungs burn. An uncontrollable shiver overtook me and I felt someone press me close to them. What's going on? Confusion swirled in my brain as I opened my eyes. The first face I saw was Neji's. He seemed concerned for just a second before his expression was filled with relief. "Asami," he said gently. I looked around to see that I was on the beach and everybody was crowding around me. I turned my eyes back to Neji and realized he was the one who was carrying me. "Wh-what-" I tried to talk but my throat burned too much. I immediately started coughing. Someone handed me a bottle of water. "Try not to talk too much. You swallowed a lot of sea water there. I'm sure your throat must feel like it's on fire," Neji said. I nodded and took a couple gulps of water. "Neji was the one who found you," Sakura said. "When I pulled you out of the water, you weren't breathing for a second. You nearly scared me to death Asami. Don't do that again." I saw the fear in Neji's expression and looked around to see that everybody had the same fear in their eyes. "You really had us worried there," Ino said. There were nods of agreement all around. I mouthed 'sorry'. Another shiver wracked my body. "Alright, we should get you into some real clothes," Neji said. "She'll probably want to wash up first," Hinata suggested gently. I nodded at her words. My eyes met Neji's lavender ones. "I can take you back to your room. Do you want Hinata to help you wash up?" I shook my head. He stared at me for a second before he looked back towards the hotel. "Okay, let's go."

He had set me down on the edge of the bathtub in the girls bathroom and turned the water on. He knelt so that he was eye level with me. "I'll be just outside the bathroom door so if you need anything, just shout." I nodded. He reached up and brushed a stray strand of hair away from my face. He followed that movement with putting his hand on my cheek so he was cupping my face. "When I pulled you out of the water and you weren't breathing, I was terrified that I had lost you. That was the longest second of my life." His thumb stroked my cheek and he spoke softly. "That was way too close." I reached up and put my hand over his. I gave him a small smile and whispered my words. "I'm okay, thanks to you." I saw a swirl of emotions in his pale eyes. Pain, fear, relief.... and something else that shined in the depths. His face seemed to be leaning closer and I held my breath. He slowly kept leaning closer when... I felt a strong shiver wrack my body. He stopped and we both blinked. He seemed to realize what he was doing and leaned back. The moment was shattered. He took his hand away from my cheek and I released my pent up breath. Was he just about to kiss me? He avoided my gaze as he turned off the water and stood up. He disappeared for a second and came back with a set of clean clothes for me. He set them on the counter and reached for the door. "I'll be just outside," he reminded me. I nodded. The door closed with a soft click.

Neji's POV

I ran a hand through my still damp hair. What was I thinking? Asami just had a near death experience and I just tried to kiss her. I leaned against the wall and pinched the bridge of my nose. What is wrong with me? That was completely out of bounds. I heard the sliding glass door open and I looked up to see Shikamaru standing there. He had a towel and a shirt in his hand. He handed them to me and I nodded appreciatively. He looked towards the bathroom. "How is she?" "She's still fairly weak and shook up but that's to be expected. She's handling the whole thing pretty well." Shikamaru nodded. I dried off with the towel and pulled the shirt on. "We decided to go ahead and go through with the bonfire. Will she be able to come?" I shrugged. "It's up to her but I'm sure she'll be fine if we keep it calm." "Alright, I'll let the others know." Shikamaru left the room and I was left alone with my thoughts. Not long after I heard the bathroom door open. Asami was in the doorway and she was obviously struggling to stand. I went over to her and picked her up again. She blushed and murmured, "That's not necessary." I shook my head at her. "You've had a rough day. You shouldn't be doing any walking around." She stared at her hands and bit her lip. "Apparently the bonfire is still on. Do you still feel up to going?" She looked up at me and gave me a slight nod. I smiled at her. "Alright but no moving around for you. You're going to sit by the fire and stay there the whole time."

Asami's POV

Neji was true to his word. When he carried me back outside, there was already a fold up chair set up for me by the fire. Neji sat by me and stayed near me the entire time. Everytime I needed something, somebody was quick to grab it for me. I was partially embarrassed to be babied so but a part of me was also relieved. I was still extremely weak and tired. After we had dinner and smores, I felt my eyelids get heavy. I yawned a couple times but my body was determined to fall asleep. I drifted off to the sound of low voices and the crackling of the fire.

Choji's POV

I had walked over to where Asami was sitting to check up on her when I saw that she had fallen asleep. Neji was talking with Naruto at the moment so I don't think he noticed her fall asleep. I smiled gently at her sleeping form. She really was quite kind and beautiful. She was always super nice to me and never once did I hear her call me that detestable f word. I gently picked her up into my arms. Before anyone could ask what I was doing, I announced my intentions. "Asami has fallen asleep so I'm taking her back to her room." Ino spoke up. "Aww, that's sweet of you Choji. You always were a kind guy." Temari stood up as well. "I'll go with you. I think I'm going to call it a night." Temari followed me to the hotel room. She opened the door for me and pointed to the correct bed. I set Asami down and covered her with the blankets. She snuggled into the sheets and murmured a 'thank you'. I smiled and said, "Good night Asami. Sweet dreams."