Author's Note: I AM SO SORRY! I wanted to do this before Christmas but I was completely swamped and then I got back and had no time again. Then when I did have enough time I had no inspiration and every thing I wrote was crap. But then I got back in the swing of things. It a week before the wedding and things are kicking off.

Summary: When dealing with the mystery that is life Sakura finds that it is best to experiment with what you have and look forward to the gifts that lie ahead. NejiXSakura.

Disclaimer: I own nothing pertaining to Naruto.

Weeks had gone by and he was beginning to worry. His fiancé had taken to locking her self up in her lab completely focused on work. She hadn't come home for days he noted as he scanned her apartment for any sign of recent activity. There was none.

The scowl he had been sporting deepened as he moved to check the bedroom. Everything was the same as it had been yesterday and the day before that. She hadn't come home and it was high time we went and got her.

When he confronted her days before she told him that she wanted to finish the research before they got married. And the big day was coming up soon. With the rest of the Hyuuga preparing for the wedding Sakura wasn't planning anything and so all of her time was focused on unraveling the mystery set before her.

He turned to leave but something caught his eye. There was a faintly muddy footprint on her windowsill and it wasn't his. Eyes narrowed and byakugan activated he raced through the apartment and out the front door heading straight for the lab.

"Sakura-hime." His voice was deep and direct but it seemed to have no effect on the woman currently bent over her microscope. Itachi's sightless eyes narrowed. He was not used to being ignored.

"Sakura-" he was interrupted by a kunai imbedding itself next to his ear. Deidara, who had replaced Kakashi's when the older man was needed for another mission, opened his eyes from his place in the corner only to close them again. The guard on Itachi had been relaxed to one person when they realized that he could not be contained in a cell for very long and that if anyone needed to find him they only needed to look for Sakura. It was just as he'd said; if Sakura remained in Konoha then he would too.

Unfortunately for Deidara there were only a few active nins that could keep up with Itachi completely; Kakashi, Sakura, Neji, Naruto and Gai. Kakashi had been called away on a mission that, allegedly, only he could complete 2 weeks ago. Neji was taking care of any and all political matters affiliated with his upcoming wedding and inauguration as clan leader. Naruto was busy. And everyone was afraid that Itachi would gut Gai if left with Konoha's green beast for too long. So that left him and a very agitated Sakura.

"I've almost got it. Shut up for just a more few minutes and then you can talk till pigs fly." Itachi could tell from her chakra signature that she wasn't joking.

She had healed his eyes just enough for him to see fuzzy outlines of chakra. The nerve damage had not been isolated to his eyes. She refused to fix his sight for now but she had fixed his ability to sense even the slightest changes in chakra. She had tried to explain to him the connection that had with the nerves in his eyes but it was far to medical and he had given up half way through the explanation.

After a few minutes of silence he heard a pen scribbling frantically. He wasn't sure exactly what she was writing but he knew it was important. She had been on the brink of solving this problem for days. She must have found the solution.

The door burst open and he recognized the young Hyuuga's chakra signature… what was his name again? Neji. His bait's fiancé. The young man moved towards him.

"Uchiha. Still here I see." Itachi looked towards Neji. He knew that on some level it was a comfort for Neji, knowing that Sakura was being watched over by two ex- Akatsuki members constantly, unless Neji himself was with her. And even then Itachi insisted on staying near by.

A sigh came from Sakura as she set down her pen. "I figured it out," she said as she moved to hug her lover.

Neji smiled and kissed her forehead. "Then you're coming home. Food, shower, and sleep. And when you wake, I want to hear all about how brilliant you are." She smiled and went into the locker room to remove her lab gear. Neji turned to face Itachi.

"Uchiha, have you been near her apartment's bed room window in the last day?" Those black eyes looked up at him and stared directly into his own pearly orbs.

"No." The response was slow and drawn out, almost as if the traitor was teasing him. But somehow Neji doubted that. Itachi didn't seem like the type to joke around, though over the weeks Neji had noticed that the man enjoyed making people squirm.

"Well, someone has been. And it wasn't you or me." Neji heard Sakura's locker close shut and so he walked out the door to escort her home.

Itachi waited until he knew they had left before he allowed himself the satisfaction of a smirk. His eyes turned predatory, focusing to the prey that he hoped would be drawing close soon.

"Hmm, things might be getting interesting." He said before heading to the hokage's office to jumpstart the real plan.

Neji and Sakura made their way home. Sakura was exhausted and so they decided it would be best for her to rest a bit and then when it was time for diner he would go out and get something for the two of them.

He was half holding her up as they entered the house and she didn't bother to undress when she collapsed on the bed. The bottoms of her boots were just over the edge of her bed, keeping the sheets clean.

He sighed and went to take off her boots when he sensed the presence of an ANBU member at the front door. The boots would have to wait.

Upon seeing Neji at the door the masked man handed him a note with the familiar scribble of the hokage on it. What the hell could Naruto possibly want now?

The note said it was urgent and so both Neji and the ANBU took off but not before Neji locked the door behind him. As he jumped from rooftop to rooftop he realized that if someone was going to come for Sakura her flimsy door bold was not going to stop them. But he was sure that since he was now gone, Deidara and Itachi were within striking distance from the house and would be able to stop anyone or anything from getting inside the house.

He was brought out of his thoughts by the sight of the Hokage's office door. He entered and as soon as he was over the threshold the fortified door was bolted and sealed behind him, as was the window. When he looked around he realized why.

Deidara looked shocked to see him standing there and Itachi was visibly aggravated. Neji didn't even want to know what his face looked like because he emotions were a jumbled of anger, surprise, and panic.

Naruto, for his part, was looking quite calmly at his desk. Neji approached his friend and leader clearly looking for an explanation.

"Who's with Sakura?"

The hokage shrugged his broad shoulders and put on his official hat. "As far as I know, no one." So, he wanted to be treated like the hokage and not like Neji's friend. Which meant that the blonde had done something that he knew Neji wouldn't like; and if he was honest with himself, he would have admitted that he wasn't really alright with it either. But it wasn't Neji who objected right away.

"What do you mean no one, un?" Deidara's indignant voice filled the office. While technically he was still doing his duty (Itachi was standing a few feet away), he had come to see Sakura as a friend and he knew how he would have reacted if he was in Neji's shoes and Tenten was being used to lure in a dangerous missing nin.

Naruto let out a sigh and looked out the window before turning to watch the two clearly uncomfortable men standing in front of his desk.

"He'll never get close enough for us to catch him if she's constantly surrounded by you three. He can't take you on all at once and he doesn't want to. And she agreed to it." Naruto said reminding them of what they already knew. When the plan had been finalized they had all been in the room and Sakura had agreed that the next time Sasuke was sighted near the village she would dangle on the end of the hook waiting for Naruto and Itachi to reel in the elusive fish.

"She hast been home or slept in days. She's exhausted. Now isn't the time to be doing this, un." Deidara crossed his arms over his chest and stared at Naruto only to find that the man wasn't watching him anymore.

"Don't you have any faith in Sakura-chan?" Naruto addressed Neji, who was anxiously watching the window. The man who was normally cool as a cucumber was agitatedly fidgeting with his pant leg. Byakugan activated, it was obvious that he was focused on Sakura's apartment in the distance.

"Of course I do. She can hold her own in any fight. But I promised to protect her and because of you, if something happens, I'll have broken that promise. And if that happens and she is taken away, I will bring her back and you will have to answer to me." Naruto had the decency to look slightly frightened and he gave his friend a nervous smile.

"Don't worry, I won't let him get out of the city if Sakura-chan looses." Naruto shrunk back into his chair when the activated byakugan narrowed and the man wielding it leaned on the desk to stare into his blue eyes. The voice that Naruto heard was deep and sharp and it was not the first time that the jinchuriki realized how menacing his friend could truly be.

"I'm holding you to that, and if something goes wrong don't expect me to forgive you Hokage-sama". Naruto nodded and gave Neji a small reassuring smile.

"I wouldn't expect you to and I wouldn't be able to forgive myself either," Naruto looked to where the Uchiha had been standing, proceeded to scan the room, and then furrowed his brow. "Where's Itachi?"

She had only been sleeping for a short while when here survival instincts insisted that she take in her surroundings. Sakura could feel the presence of someone in her room. She kept her chakra calm, the same as if she had still been sleeping.

She knew that chakra. He had come for her. His tall frame was leaning against her dresser with all the ease of a coiled snake.

She remained still as he strode quietly across the room to stand next to her. Thank the heavens Neji hadn't undressed her. She always felt more vulnerable when she wasn't decked out in her gear. Unfortunately her kodachi had been dumped near the door but that was of little consequence.

Sasuke approached her back and Sakura resisted the urge to grin. He was making this too easy.

Sasuke kneeled down to look at the girl he had cared for as a child and that he desired now. Glancing over her figure he realized that the term girl was now out dated. Woman was far more appropriate.

He had no intention of hurting her unless she fought him as she did the day of the battle. But he knew she would give in eventually. She needed him. She had always said so.

He remembered the Hyuuga and a scowl formed on his features. So maybe Sakura didn't need him anymore. But he wanted to be needed and it was because of this that he intended to make her totally dependent on him. And yes, he realized that it would be like clipping a beautiful bird's wings but over the years something in him had changed.

Just as Naruto and Sakura resembled their respective mentors within the legendary sannin, so too did he. He had inherited some of Orochimaru's sadistic tendencies. Perhaps they had always been there. In either case he was greatly looking forward to watching Sakura struggle within the cage he built for her. The anticipation of watching her fiery spirit break and give into him would be worth waiting for. Of this he had no doubt.

She was going to be his. And he might only get one shot at this so he had to move quickly, but more importantly, quietly while the idiots guarding her were preoccupied.

Moving to sit on the bed he reached out to brush her hair away from her face eyes focused on her creamy skin and her striking pink locks. Her eyes were still closed in sleep and he marveled at the way her lashes caressed the tops of her cheeks. He moved to stroke her cheek when he realized which hand he was using.

He hated that hand. It didn't work as well as it used to. After the Hyuuga removed it there had been a short wait for the reattachment process while Orochimaru retrieved a competent doctor. Apparently the medic wasn't competent enough because the hand was still experiencing occasional shaking and spasms. They said it was from the trauma of being detached and the damage it suffered during the wait.

She would be able to fix it when they got to Oto. And until then he would refrain from touching her perfect face with his unworthy appendage.

He slid his hand down her arm to the tips of her fingers that were resting on her mattress near her chest. Her other hand was loosely fisted near her waist.

It was then that he noted that she still had weapons on her person. He was going to have to do something about those before she woke up.

Then there was a sharp pain in his hand. Those green eyes that had enchanted him while he had been away were staring back at him with all hell fire blazing in their depths. A senbon from her belt had impaled his already damaged right hand.

He jumped back and pulled the needle from his palm only find that she had moved behind him. Before he could turn something thin and sharp bite into the skin of his neck. He realized she was seriously attempting to kill him as the metal wire that was completely wrapped around his neck crossed in front of his vocal cords and threatened to slice clean through him.

He reached up and sent an electrical shock through her hand. She let go of the wire and flew backwards into the wall. She scrabbled out the bedroom door and shot through the apartment. She felt his fingers brush against her black shirt fingers almost catching her belt. She substituted herself and landed in a crouch on the railing just outside her front door.

The door slammed open and Sasuke came running after her. Placing her weight on her arms she crossed her right leg to her left side and then arched it across her body hoping to catch Sasuke with the long thin razor blade imbedded down the length of her thick high-healed kunoichi boot. She felt her heal connect with some fleshy part of his face and continued the arch until her boot was free. Before she could see the full extent of the damage, she placed both legs on the rail and pushed backwards into a flip, landing in a kneeling position on the street below.

Sasuke appeared before her a moment later, his face sporting a long, bleeding cut that started near his ear and continued down to the edge of his nose. She stood tall as he activated his sharingan.

A broad shouldered back suddenly blocked her view and she knew who it was immediately.

"Have you missed me little bother?"

"Neji, we can't leave! It will ruin everything if he hasn't showed up already." Naruto was refusing to open the sealed door and every second that passed was making Neji more irritable.

"He has. Sakura is already fighting him and Itachi already left. If the plan hasn't succeeded it will be because the Uchiha scared off the little shit. Now let me out." Neji leaned on the desk with both hands.

"No." Naruto remained firm but he knew that even he couldn't last long if Neji decided to force him to open the door. He was already fighting his nature in letting Sakura fight Sasuke alone. He had to hold out just a little bit longer.

"I wasn't asking." The growl in Neji's voice was unmistakable and Naruto gripped the plush handles of his chair waiting for Neji to launch over the desk and strangle him. Then a voice distracted Neji from his intent.

"Fuck this, un." With a quick flick of his wrist a small white bug crawled towards the door. Neji recognize it from long ago as a specialty bomb in Deidara's collection. It must have taken a few minutes to make from scratch. The self-proclaimed artist must have started making it as soon as he realized that Sakura was, for the moment, at the mercy of Sasuke and Itachi.

The office door blew up a minute later in a small but powerful contained explosion.

"Thanks Deidara." Neji said as they waited the few seconds it took for the dust to clear.

"No problem. Let's go, un." They took off through what had been the door and was now a pile of rubble. Naruto tossed his hat into the corner and threw his hands up in the air.

"God damn it, you two! The one time I bother to plan something you go blow up my door and wreck the whole thing! I give up!" Naruto chased after them, though the relief in his voice gave him away. He'd been at the end of his rope too.

Sasuke started at his brother and sneered. He wasn't here for him today. He needed to be at his best to kill Itachi. And he still didn't have the completed mangeyko sharingan. He was well on his way, in fact his vision was getting progressively worse the more he experimented with his sharingan. But his technique was not on par with Itachi's yet.

Sasuke waited for the attack but it never came. Then again, it wasn't really like Itachi to physically attack first.

For a moment they just stood there watching each other. And then Sasuke ran forward drawing his sword. Itachi blocked the swing and grasped his forearm holding him in place.

It was then that Sasuke noticed his vision beginning to blur and a sudden feeling of dizziness. His hands began to shake and his knees grew weak.

"So it finally kicked in. I'm surprised he lasted this long." Sasuke looked up sharply at Sakura who was twirling a senbon in between her fingers. And realization hit him like a brick wall. She'd had him out maneuvered from the start.

"Poison…" Sasuke clutched his face with his free hand as another strong wave of dizziness hit him.

"I'll make you a deal, foolish little brother," Itachi said as he raised the youngest Uchiha up to eye level. "We will have our fight when you wake up and if you win Sakura will heal your arm properly and you may have my eyes."

"I want Sakura as my prize."

"That I cannot grant you. She is to be wedded to another and it is her choice who she will be with."

"Fine, and what happens if you win?"

"In that case I will tell you and everyone in this village about the vile secret that has been kept from them concerning the Uchihas. And I will bring forth the witnesses to prove it. This will give me a pardon and I will be free to live in my home." There was a lingering thought in the air and Sasuke's scowl deepened.

"And?" Itachi smiled as if the answer was obvious.

"And you will give me my spare set of eyes. Agreed?" Sasuke looked around and noticed that others had arrived, namely one man in particular who he had come to hate; the man who stole away his Sakura.

He could feel his body giving into the poison. He would not be scared away from his prize by his brother nor did he intend to appear frightened in front of his Sakura. Just before he passed out he managed to utter one word.

"Agreed."

End Note: Review of you want to. I would appreciate it. I think it's obvious what's coming next but I'll do my best to surprise you. And again I'm sorry about the wait. So I'll make no promise as to when the next chapter is coming out but I'll do my best to get it out soon. The action starts now. And I'll try to add in as much cute and cuddly stuff as I can manage to fit in.