Yeah, yeah, it's been ages.

I saw before that this chapter only needed about three hundred more words, and I thought, easily done. But it annoyed me enough to change at least the previous fifty words. :(

Anyway, disclaimer, enjoy, and wish me luck on getting through all my other Naruto fics! I think I need it :'(

Chapter Two

He didn't really know when he decided that he would pursue her, he'd just woken up one morning and realised that he'd wanted to for some time. It hadn't been back when he was seventeen and she was sixteen, when she'd come to him to help relieve her of her virginity. She was just Hinata's friend and Naruto's team mate, he hadn't really thought of her that way. He'd just stopped dating Tenten back then, and he'd been glad that it had ended when the incident with his uncle made him realise that he'd really wanted him to find someone to marry. At seventeen, marriage wasn't something Neji'd even wanted to consider. A lot of Hyuuga were 'encouraged' to find someone around that age, though it wasn't an actual clan rule.

And so the years had passed, and any further interactions with Sakura had been with people around all the time, or just spotting her from a distance.

Perhaps it had been gradual, a combined effect of Lee's raving about her, and hearing of her progress as a kunoichi, both combat and medical. Neji had found himself remembering that night, how she'd been so vulnerable and innocent, yet strong and enduring as well. She'd hardly made any sound of pain at the time, but then, with her rather physical life as a kunoichi, he doubted that her hymen had been intact for years.

No one outside himself, Sakura and his uncle even knew about that night. Hinata had been out on a mission at the time, and Hanabi had been staying over at a cousin's house, so there had been no one around to witness Hiashi-sama's righteous tirade. Neji had been embarrassed, but as ever had retained his aloof expression. He knew Sakura had been mortified, she hadn't turned up at the compound to visit Hinata for months afterwards.

In any case, once he'd decided to focus his intentions on Sakura, Neji had been wondering how he was going to get the opportunity to do so, because even though they had mutual friends, they never really socialised in the same groups. Most of his free time was spent either in meditation and training, out with Tenten and Lee, or chaperoning Hinata-sama and Naruto. He knew Sakura frequently went out with Ino to the bars that most of the older jounin and ANBU liked to hang out. The only other ones of their friends who went to those places were Kiba and Chouji, neither of whom he was close enough to.

The most recent mission Neji went on was a retrieval mission to River Country, where a rogue leaf ninja had set up with a couple of others. He, Lee and Gai-sensei had gone without Tenten because she'd been sent out on a solo mission. She'd returned before they had, though, and he and Lee had met up with her later for lunch after reporting in. Missions were keeping him busy a lot lately, and he'd had to put the idea of wooing Sakura to the back of his mind.

But seeing Sakura in Hokage-sama's office had reaffirmed his personal interest regarding her, and the fact that she was to replace Ino on their mission made him wonder how best to accomplish it. The fact that it was a seduction mission had completely eluded him until Lee mentioned it, and even though he was glad to be getting close to her, he wasn't sure how he felt about it all, to be honest. What if she had to sleep with the target?

He was slightly mollified when he went to see her later to go over the mission, and she told him that she was good at getting out of the missions without sex, though not all the time. They'd talked awhile about missions, their life, before Neji had decided that he needed to get back home to get some sleep for tomorrow. That kiss as he left… He hadn't actually intended for it to happen, but there was no way he regretted it. Perhaps it might cause Sakura to consider him as more than just an acquaintance or friend?

Neji's thoughts were interrupted by a soft knocking on his door. "Enter," he said, and the shoji slid open to reveal Hinata. "What can I do for you, Hinata-sama?"

"Tenten and Lee are here," she told him. "They wanted to see you off for your mission apparently."

Neji nodded and stood. "Thank you, Hinata-sama," he said, and followed her out to meet with his team mates.

OoOoO

Sakura was waiting for Neji, though she'd arrived a tad early, for which she entirely blamed the Hyuuga prodigy. She hadn't really been able to get much sleep after he'd left, that kiss had been bugging her all night… Why had he done it? Before this, they didn't really interact much, hadn't really been in one another's presence for longer than an hour or two since her 'deflowering'. Excluding missions, though, as they were usually joint squad missions, with four or more others with them. This was going to be the first mission with just the two of them and no one else.

But then she forced it from her mind, she was going to need all of her faculties for this mission, and obsessing over a kiss wasn't going to help. Ignoring it was the only option, but maybe after the mission, she could analyse it.

Sakura had told her team mates that she was going on a mission an hour beforehand, or at least, she'd told Sasuke and Naruto, who'd turned up on time for their training, and had decided to go find somewhere for breakfast while they waited for Kakashi, who probably wouldn't even turn up for another hour or two. At least, Naruto would be having breakfast, since Sasuke would have eaten at home with his family. They'd tell Kakashi when he finally turned up for their training.

Sakura wasn't alone while she waited, since there was a chuunin on gate duty. Normally it would be Izumo and Kotetsu, but Sakura happened to know that they were out on a mission. It was another twenty minutes before Neji was due, though she wondered if he would be early as well. Her question was answered when he turned up only five minutes later, Tenten and Lee coming to see him off.

"Hey Sakura," Tenten greeted amicably. "Lee wanted to come see Neji off, though we made him promise to not try to talk you out of the mission, like he was planning."

Despite his promise, Lee looked like he wanted to protest anyway. Sakura sighed. "Everyone's required to go on one if assigned, Lee," she reminded him. "Even you."

"I know, Sakura-san," Lee said contritely. "Tenten and I talked it over… I accept that it is a necessary evil if one is to be a shinobi. I have to admit, Lady Hokage has yet to assign me one, though I have gone as backup for a few of Tenten's before."

Tenten looked a little embarrassed at that, and whispered to Sakura, "He almost botched the first one, trying to get the target to stop pawing me. Luckily the guy was too drunk and didn't realise what was going on…"

Sakura nodded knowingly, it sounded like something Lee would do.

A few moments later Sakura and Neji were on their way, leaping through the trees towards their destination. They should arrive in Fukui about mid afternoon, plenty of time to prepare. Tsunade had already sent someone ahead to secure lodgings for them, all they would need to do was show up and give their mission names, and the key to their room would be handed over. They would only get one room, that was all that their budget would allow for, but sharing a room with a fellow ninja was something you got used to, no matter their gender.

Neither of them spoke on their trip, each simply moving forward. Sakura found herself wondering what he was thinking, most likely he was going over the mission details. She knew she should too, and decided to mentally go over her inventory, even though she'd already done that several times. She had packed a few items of clothing reserved for seduction missions; dresses with slits all the way up to the hips and dangerously low neck-lines, as well as one that only just covered her bum. There was even a soft leather dress in there that was incredibly sexy, but extremely comfortable to wear.

The hair dye she'd packed was one that she'd used before, on a mission to Earth Country. It blended well with her pink locks, and there was even a solution she used that could rinse it out straight away. All in all, Sakura was well prepared, she was ready for anything that the target could throw at her. At least, she hoped so. She was just really hoping to avoid getting in too deep with the guy.

Fukui was just over half a day away from Konoha, and they reached it at almost midnight. The manager of the ryokán they were staying at was waiting for them, and he turned out to be an old friend of Tsunade's. He gave them the key with no fuss once they gave him their fake names, and he even offered to have a meal sent up to them, which they politely declined. The two of them needed to get some sleep to replenish their chakra reserves, for once the sun rose and the town woke up, Neji was going to be heading out to scout out Madoka's place.

The information they had said that he owned a local sakaba, and given Sakura's medical ninjutsu, she had decided that seemingly getting drunk would be the best way to get to Madoka. She would be able to use her chakra to speed up the metabolism of the alcohol she would undoubtedly have to consume, leaving her an 'easy' target for the perverted Madoka. But before that, she needed to dye her hair.

As soon as they got into their rooms, Sakura went straight into the bathroom to get working on that. Dyeing her hair didn't take long, and when she came out, Neji left to scout out the town. If Madoka was already here, then they would need to move straight away, though their intelligence had said he wouldn't be arriving until the following day.

Sighing, Sakura pulled out a book to read as she sat, letting her hair soak in the dye, and waiting for Neji to return with his report.

OoOoO

As he moved through the town, inconspicuous and supressing his chakra, Neji thought on the mission ahead. The safe that held the information their client needed would be under heavy guard, but that didn't really concern him. Only Hayagawa, who would have a chakra trigger on him that would render the mission invalid if he accidentally stumbled on Neji while he was breaking it open.

Which of course, was why Sakura was here, to get that trigger to him and keep their target otherwise occupied…

It didn't take long to locate the sakaba, which ended up being rather more like a baíshun-yadò. Hayagawa Madoka wasn't here yet, but then he wasn't expected until the following evening. Tomorrow and what was left of today was purely for reconnaissance. Neji still needed to get in to find where they were keeping the safe, and just how many guards he would need to go through.

Half an hour after the sun had set, and people began gravitating towards the sakaba, Neji headed back to the ryokán to prepare for the night ahead. Sakura was still in the bathroom, undoubtedly colouring her hair, and when he was ready to leave, he knocked on the door. When it opened, she emerged looking quite different, and the dress she was wearing looked incredibly indecent, making Neji's brain temporarily turn off, and his body to turn on.

"Are you going to the sakaba?" Sakura asked.

"Yes," Neji told her, managing to get control of his brain. "Are you? Hayagawa isn't going to be there tonight…"

"I know," she told him as she moved past him. "But I want to get a good look at the regular clientele."

"A sound idea," he agreed.

"You can hurry up and get ready too," she told him, "then you can escort me, alright?"

She smiled at him and pushed him into the bathroom, and Neji slowly smirked at the idea of being her 'escort' for the night.

Anyway, please review!

Ryokán: Inn.

Sakaba: Tavern, public house.

Baíshun-yadò: Brothel.