Sorry for the wait... I'll try to make it to the end if you'll bare with me :s

Sakura leaned heavily against a blank wooden wall, waiting impatiently for Kakashi to catch up. She was glad for her former teacher's passive existence; he didn't question her random burst of anger. However, he was now taking his sweet time wandering through the village, pausing at every turn to either gaze at merchandise or to chat with colleagues.

The weather forecast for the day predicted heavy rains in the late afternoon. Sakura didn't much like the rain and would prefer to be finished her task by that time. It was still early in the day, so she had little to fear, still, she would rather finish things sooner rather than later.

Also the task at hand weighed heavily on her conscience. In order to properly convince Neji that Itachi should not be killed by Sasuke, or that accompanying that group was unnecessary, she needed a story. She had previously decided that claiming that Sasuke wasn't right in the head would work, seeing as Neji disliked the Uchiha already. She had also contemplated telling him that Itachi had valuable information and could not be killed. Whatever her choice, she had to make it a seamless lie, for Neji would pick up on her even slightest unease.

Sakura sighed heavily, her increasing impatience causing unnecessary anger. Kakashi was meandering towards her, book in hand and humming a merry tune. When he finally, much to Sakura's delight, reached her, he didn't continue walking, but he paused and lowered his book.

Peering at her with his one visible eye, he gave her a stern look. "You had better come to terms with your situation soon, Sakura. You're obviously unhappy and you aren't going to make any friends with an attitude like that, are you?" He added a little wink and patted her on the shoulder, continuing his stroll.

Sakura stuck out her bottom lip a little, preparing to retort, but held her tongue, caught on something Kakashi had said.

"You aren't going to make any friends with an attitude like that..."

Friends? What was he talking about? She had plenty of friends. Stupid Kakashi and his discreet mind games. But this did give Sakura a strange thought. If Neji hated Sasuke, calling him a traitorous miscreant, what would he think of Sakura?

"So was there somewhere you wanted to go in particular, Sakura?" asked Kakashi, "Tsunade-sama told me to take you wherever you wished for today. She wants you to take your time to reacquaint yourself with Konoha; You know, enjoy the sights and sounds you must have missed while on your... mission."

Sakura looked up from what appeared to be her studying her feet very carefully, to looking at Kakashi, but still avoiding eye contact. She couldn't bring herself to see his caring eyes and knew she was going to do something terrible. "Can we go around and speak with the friends I've missed?"

Kakashi nodded, then yawned loudly, stretching his arms out. "Of course, Sakura. Where were you thinking first? Wait, let me guess... the Hyuuga compound, right?"

Sakura glanced quickly to the left. "And If I said no?"

"I'd say you were a liar, come on, let's go."

Sakura sighed, beyond confused over Kakashi's actions. She flipped her hair out of her eyes and looked to the sky. Maybe she was hoping for a sign, maybe she was hoping for something to smack her unconscious, either way she found no solace in the blue, cloudless skies.

They arrived at the Hyuuga compound ten minutes later, by that point the sun was nearly directly overhead and causing Sakura some serious discomfort. 'I can deal with the cold, but it's the heat that really gets to me.' 'Wow, you must have been having a party in the snow country.' Sakura really laid on the sarcasm thick, really not in the mood for such exchanges. In truth, she thought the sweating was just a side-effect of the stress she was dealing with. Apparently not.

Kakashi leaned comfortably against one of the majestic pillars that framed the entrance to the main courtyard. His arms were crossed loosely with a wistful expression to animate the visible parts of his face. Over the years, Sakura had come to be able to read his expressions quite easily, whether he was angry, happy, sad or otherwise. It was rather unusual to see anything other than a complacent boredom.

Sakura took a step beyond the gates, and paused. "Are you coming in?" she asked carefully, checking to make sure she didn't give anything away with the tone of her voice. Kakashi shook his head slowly, his slight grimace turning into a fake half-smile.

"No thanks, I've had my share of run-ins with that family, you go ahead and have your fun."

Sakura nodded slightly, a feeling of chagrin seeping through her. She didn't think it was possible to hate what she was doing with such ferocity, but she did. As it was, she felt the absence of her most loved one daily, like a stab to the heart, or a slow burning emanating throughout her.

She had literally gone through this scenario thousands of times in her mind, and now that the moment was actually here, she had to put on a good show. As she slowly made her way inward to the heart of the complex, a cold wind blew at her from behind. Definitely not a good omen. Sub-consciously, she focused her chakra to various parts of her body. It was considered a bad habit, once fueled by an old chakra control exercise, that she had been trying to stop.

It only took her a moment to notice Neji watching her calmly from a doorway a few steps to her left. His expression wasn't quite a frown, but it wasn't anywhere near a smile. He simply observed her with a blank curiosity, as if he were only staring at a worthless object.

Sakura turned and stared at him as well, but her expression was much more open. Her eyes lit up and widened. Neji had aged quite a bit in her time of absence. How old was he now? Probably eighteen at this point... he still wore the same traditional attire, and same hairstyle, but his face was much more angular, and his whole physique much more masculine than the teenage body he used to have. He also grew a fair bit as well, if he didn't tower over her before, he sure did now.

After a few agonizing seconds of observation by both parties, Sakura lifted her hand in a quick and informal greeting. He didn't respond, only held her eye contact. He reminded her of a wild dog, challenging authority.

She cleared her throat quietly and took a hesitant step towards him. "What do you want?" His voice cut into the silent air like a newly sharpened katana blade. Inner Sakura winced, but Sakura could not lose control of the situation. She took a breath in and raised her eyes to meet his.

"Can we talk? I have some qualms about Sasuke's plans," she asked, deciding to act as a diplomat for this situation. Neji didn't answer right away, but furrowed his brow slightly. He pushed himself off the door frame and slowly made his way down the steps to approach her.

"You do not want me to accompany them. You couldn't have your precious Akatsuki harmed, now could u?" he nearly spat at her, fists clenched. It seemed apparent that Tsunade had only informed the council of her 'espionage' mission.

"It isn't anything like what you've been told, Neji-san," she said quietly, her cheeks flaming up. In an instant, he was uncomfortably close to her.

Pushing his face close to hers, he growled, "I didn't have to be told anything. You not only abandoned the village once, but twice. Even if I don't agree to most of anything that Uchiha says, I agree that Akatsuki have to be taken down."

"I was only following orders, Neji-san. If you give me the time to explain, I will. I'll also explain exactly what Sasuke is doing back in Konoha as well." Sakura slipped that last part in without even thinking. However, it caught Neji's attention nicely. He took a step back and looked at her, considering.

"I'll give you a minute to convince my you aren't the enemy, then we'll see from there," he said, his curiosity winning him over. He gestured towards the house he just recently exited. "Go ahead..."

How was it?