I don't own Naruto, there that's my disclaimer.

Waking early the next morning, Sakura moved from her roll. Noticing that they were in a three-bedroom apartment. Wanting to get to the hospital, she changed quickly wanting to make a quick breakfast. With her pack ready, she went out to the common area expecting it to be empty.

"Naruto? What are you doing up?" Surprised to see him up

"Gaara starts his day at 630." He grumbled, drinking what appeared to be coffee

"Ah. It is part of the job description." Sakura joined him with a cup of coffee herself

"Why are you up?"

"I want to start the day early, then I can have some free time to go read."

"What are you looking for?"

"I don't know, there might be something Lady Chiyo wrote down that she didn't mention to anyone."

Watching him nod, going back to his coffee. "I didn't mean to be a jerk yesterday."

"I know. It sucks being left out, this time it's a must. If something happened to you, I might just finish cracking." Sakura pointed out

"You've got Neji to help you, he's become part of the group."

"Yeah, I know."

"Sakura?"

"Hm?"

"What is going on between you two? I don't want to see you hurt again, he's part of Hinata's family and I don't want to have to kill him."

Laughing at him, "You don't have to worry about that."

"Avoiding questions now?" Naruto joked

Rolling her eyes, "We- I… We're dating, it's something recent. Please don't go blabbering it about, with us on a mission-."

"Don't worry Sakura-chan, my lips are sealed. Plus, I want Hiashi to hear it from you two!"

Watching his sister's eyes go big, "You forgot that bit, didn't you?"

"Yeah, maybe." Both laughing

"He enjoys your company. When Hinata and I have our weekly tea with him, he praises you. He likes to hear stories from our younger years."

"That is reassuring. At least I've saved most of their asses a time or two lately."

"You have done that. Enjoy it Sakura, I know you think you don't deserve your own happiness. That you need to train and become strong, you are strong. You're the strongest person I know, your life has been hell like mine. Don't let that stop you from adding some light to your life. Neji seems to do that really good."

"He's pretty great."

"Who's pretty great?" Turning their heads, they spotted Neji ready for the day

"No one in particular," Sakura smirked turning back to her coffee

"Oh- don't be bashful Sakura. It's just you." Naruto smiled, throwing his hands behind his head.

Basking in the glare his sister was giving him, knowing she wouldn't hit him this time around

Watching Neji join them with his own cup of coffee, "You know?"

"Yeah, I extracted it from her." Naruto bragged

"Because it was so hard to do." Sakura rolled her eyes

Laughing, "It could have been!"

Shaking her head, "He's not going to say anything."

"That was you who thought we should keep it to ourselves." Neji shrugged, "I am just following your wishes."

"At least I don't have to tell you to listen to her. I will tell you not to hurt her." Growing serious

Smirking, "Not on my agenda."

"You have an agenda with her?!"

Rolling their eyes, "Naruto- take a chill pill. We're taking it slow, it's nothing that's going to fly by."

"Alright. If I don't like anything-."

"You'll be the first one to throw out your two senses."

Watching Naruto smile proud, "Alright, I've already eaten. Will you be back for dinner?"

"Yeah, why don't we try for around 5? I can cook or we can go out?"

"We can go out tonight! Meet me at the tower! We can get Gaara and Temari to go with us- will Kankurō be able to join us?"

"I'll check on him this morning. He should be healing up nicely. If he is, I won't make a guarantee but maybe."

Feeling him wrap his arms around her, "You're the best Sakura-chan!"

"Alright, it's too early morning for this. You also need to get a move on, it's almost time to start following Gaara around."

"Oh shit! See you later!" Naruto picked up his cloak, running out the door

"Have you eaten yet?" Neji asked, going to the fridge

"Not yet, I was getting some coffee in me. It makes dealing with him more barrable." Sakura laughed

"Do we have time for me to make us something?"

"Yeah. What can I do to help?"

"I've got it, relax some. You can cook tomorrow."

Nodding, Sakura watched him. Amazed that he was such a good cook. He was just as precise with his cooking as he was in battle, with the same focused attention. Not long after he started, he was done plating the food. Digging in, it tasted as good as it looked. Eating it quickly, Sakura wanted to get going on their day.

"What's your plan for the day?" Neji questioned, curious about her schedule

"Go help out at the hospital where I can. Then after that, I'll probably go to the library for a couple of hours." Standing to rid them of the dirty dishes, "As you can tell, we should be ready for dinner at 5."

"Are you sure it's dinner, all I heard was go out?" Neji clarified

"I thought I said for dinner we can eat in or out." Sakura thought back to the conversation

"If we see Naruto today, we'll figure it out. I'm just assuming it's dinner, that way I can dress casually. Not in my Jōnin outfit."

"Tired of it already?"

"It's bulky, I like my other outfit better."

"We're not going to encounter any enemies here, why not change?"

Offering him an annoyed look, "I'm team captain, I have to look presentable."

"But you should also be comfortable."

"You are in rare form." Sakura turned, leaning against the counter. Seeing his smirking face, "You're joking, real funny."

"I know that this is your first mission as a captain, but you can't let that ruin all the work you've made." Neji got up, moving to stand beside her

"You know that this is important."

"As it should be. Right now, Gaara is letting you do as you want. The actual mission that we will have to deal with will start when we leave. With that, if you want to be as serious as possible, that's fine. Right now, enjoy some of the perks."

"Fine. I thought you were a hard ass?"

"If we started our second mission first, I would be taking it seriously. Sakura, my main job right now is to help a medic." Watching her think about that and then laugh

"You're right. I will try to unwind some, but it's still a mission."

"The only time that you've thought that I was in rare form was when we were alone," Neji smirked, grabbing her waist

Blushing at the foreign contact, "I do recall that." Watching him bend down, his lips near her ear

"Now that we're official, I cannot wait for all the time that were alone. Being close to you is what I want, knowing that I have to be good when in public."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I enjoy your company greatly. Now, that I can bask in it openly- I want as much as I can."

Smiling broadly, "We'll have to make sure we have that time."

"Hai."

Enjoying their moment, Sakura took notice of the time. "Unfortunately, it is time to get going. Patients aren't going to heal themselves."

"Hai, Captain."

Pulling him in for a hug, loving the feeling of him slipping his arms around her. Taking this time to actually enjoy it, past times seemed to be under duress. "I thought we were getting ready to go?"

"I was just thinking, whenever we have hugged in the past. Most of the time it wasn't under the best circumstances." Feeling him chuckle at her thoughts "Alright, let me grab my stuff."

Pulling away, she hurried to grab her pack. Coming back out, they put their cloaks on hurrying to start their day. Getting to the hospital, Sakura found the head medic working with her to help patients heal. There weren't many, the ones that were there were serious. Helping mend some of the ones with poison, then start to heal them. They worked in the direction of Kankurō's room. Sakura wanted him to have as much sleep as possible. Knowing that once she woke him, he'd be up and going. Working through the morning, they ended up at their last patient.

"I'd like to thank you before we wake him. He'll be a rowdy mess."

"I know, he does this every time he's poisoned."

"How many times have you done this for him?" The other medic asked, it was clear that she was new

"This will be the fifth time I've come to heal his dumbass. How long have you had this post?"

"It's been six months now; I've just begun studying poisons. I'm hoping that by the end of these next months I can deal with the poison cases. It is a good thing he has a friend such as you."

"Oh yeah, he would have been gone long before this." Sakura laughed, walking into the room

Taking her time to look over him, making sure the poison was gone. Not only gone, but it didn't do any other damage before it was wiped out. Instructing the other two occupants to stand back, Sakura removed the jutsu on the sleeping man. Waiting just a moment, Sakura placed her hands that had chakra in them on his shoulders. Feeling him tense, she was ready this time around. Feeling him start to have a breakdown in his sleep, she held him tight to the bed. Whispering soothing words to him, before he finally calmed and woke.

"Sakura?" His voice cracked

"Hey Kankurō, how do you feel?" Sakura let go of him, stepping back to her clipboard

"Like I was hit by you."

"Good news, I didn't do it this time!"

"I at least don't have to ask what I did. I'm assuming poison?"

"You'd assume right." Turning back to him, watching him dress. "Do you have no decency?"

Watching him smile, he continued what he was doing. Sakura looked to Neji and the other medic, both looking at an opposing wall. "I'm good folks."

"Kankurō-san, are you sure you're ready to leave?" The other medic joined Sakura

"Hell yeah, Sakura you did one hell of a job again! Tell Gaara to pay you well, don't take no shit."

"Kankurō, I'll take what I deserve," Sakura spoke annoyed

"Oh Sakura, don't get mad." Moving to pat her head. Grabbing the intruding hand, moving it behind his back, and him on the bed. "Getting kinky in your old age?"

"Touch me, I'll put the poison back in."

"Okay, okay, okay. Still a no- got it." Sakura moved away from him. "You just don't take jokes, do you?"

"You just don't take hints do you?"

"Ooh, that burns."

"Anyways, I'm taken. So, really Kankurō please stop?"

"Oh! Alright, I'll move on. It'll be hard for me."

Rolling her eyes, "You're free to go. Naruto and Gaara-san will be looking for you."

"Naruto is here? Gotta go!" Watching him run out the door

"You're letting him go?"

"Yeah, it's safer for him to leave." Sakura handed over the paperwork, hearing thanks she left annoyed

"Has he always been like that?"

"Oh yeah. Pain in my ass."

"Does he mean it?"

"I don't know, he's never actually done anything. I've always made sure to stop any of his advances." Sakura cleaned up what she could, leading the way out of the room

Saying her goodbyes, Sakura led them to a small food stand. The wind had finally died down enough to walk around to enjoy the city and food, paying for the food. Neji led them to a small table, it was off the pathway.

"What are we doing?" Sakura asked

"I wanted to have a quiet lunch with my girlfriend." Neji gave a half smile

"Oh, that's so sweet." Sakura smiled, starting to eat

Allowing for small talk, they ate, and people watched. Glad that nothing seemed to have changed between them, well besides that Neji was opening up to her. Showing her his playful side, one that was reserved for her. Feeling privileged, she took these moments to enjoy it. Once they finished their lunch, they headed for the library. Sakura reading up on medical journals, Neji found a book to keep him content.

Sakura browsed the scrolls and books, skimming each one. If she found something that was interesting, she made notes. That way she could focus on it later in the week. Doing this until it was closing in on dinner, Sakura picked up her mess. When she returned to the corner they'd occupied, Neji was picked up as well. Moving back through the library hand and hand, making their way back to the tower. Before entering view, they dropped each other's hands. Seeing the few people waiting for them. Approaching them, Temari was standing off. Clear that one of them had pissed her off.

"Sakura! What are you wearing?" Temari asked

"I'm in my mission clothes," Sakura answered, wondering what the point of her conversation

"We're going out or did you forget?"

Turning to Naruto, "I thought it was just a dinner?" Sakura asked Naruto

"Oh. Well, you said we could go out."

"Fine, I'll go get into something else. Where should we meet you?" Sakura asked

"It's just a small club, they have great food! Just continue to pass the restaurant you went to yesterday and I'll be waiting outside for you." Temari explained

"Okay, I'll see you in a bit. You should probably get into something other than that Neji."

"Yeah, no shinobi shit. We're going to enjoy the night!" Temari shouted, leading the others away

Hearing Neji mutter under his breath, he moved to head to their rental. Sakura caught up to him, his long strides taking him to their place in a hurried manner. Once back to their place, they went their separate ways. Going through what she packed, she didn't have that many clothes with her. What she did have, wasn't something she normally went out in. Sakura changed quickly; however, she did leave her hidden stash of weapons on her. Looking in the mirror, taking in her appearance. The crop top was shorter than she'd like, but it was what it was. Her black pants worked with it, leaving her with doing something with her hair. It had grown out again, deciding to throw it up in a half-up style. Walking out, she found Neji ready. He had a tighter shirt on, one that he wore when he was being lazy at home with her. His pants remained the same, his headband still on his forehead.

"You ready?" Sakura asked

"Yeah," Neji smirked at her outfit

"Let's get going. I'm starved." Sakura smiled grabbing his hand, taking their leave

Hurrying to their destination, they followed the brief route. Spotting Temari standing outside, they didn't bother dropping their hands. The lighting wasn't the best, plus she seemed to be in her own thoughts. Temari ushered them, it was a club. Ending up having to drop their hands to get through the people, just to get to their table. Spotting their table, Gaara had his arms crossed sitting beside Naruto and his brother. Sakura could see that they were already drinking, taking the seat next to Gaara.

"How many so far?"

"Four."

"Oh, not bad," Sakura commented

"You haven't been here while they started," Gaara spoke annoyed

"Fair. Did you order food?"

"The owner is sending their menu to us. He was nice enough to pay for the food, while I pay for the drinks."

"That will come back to bite you in the ass!" Sakura laughed

"Naruto can handle his liquor well," Neji spoke, taking one of the drinks

"Except when I have to save his ass, damn demon in him lets him almost die from the alcohol poisoning," Sakura replied

"Sakura-chan! You made it! Take a drink!" Naruto gave her one of the many on the table

"Thanks, Naruto, I'll just take a water." Sakura pushed it back, taking the water pitcher and pouring herself a glass

"I can ensure you that everyone will make it home," Gaara spoke just loud enough for her

"It's okay, I don't tend to drink much anymore."

Watching him nod his response, Sakura turned to watch the people in the club. Temari was heading back in their direction with people following her with food. Digging in when it got there, it wasn't bad for club food. Kankurō got up, heading to a group of girls who giggled at him. One leading him to the dance floor.

"He is such a man-." Temari began

"Leave him be." Gaara being the one to cut her off

Glaring at her brother, she finished her food. "Sakura want to go and dance? Before you say no, your mission is complete for the day."

"How did you know I was going to say that?"

"Every time I try to do something fun with you, that's your excuse. Gaara tells her she's free for the moment!"

"You do have some leisure time to take."

Frustrated at the siblings, Sakura stood walking with Temari out to the dance floor. Feeling Temari grabbed her hands, starting to dance. Joining her, trying to relax some. By the end of the song, Sakura finally relaxed. Moving into the next song, Sakura was laughing and fooling around with Temari. Once the song ended, Sakura headed back to the table. Taking her seat between Gaara and Neji, feeling Neji's arm go around her.

Temari finally returned with a drink in her hand. "Was that so bad?"

"No, it did feel good to relax." Sakura smiled

"You should try it more often," Temari spoke, turning to watch Naruto and Kankurō downing another drink

"It's number 11," Gaara spoke up

"Talk about relaxing." Sakura joked, earning an eye roll

"Someone has to take care of them when this is all done. Better to know how many they've had." Gaara made his point

"Not to change this conversation, it's so interesting." Temari smirked, "How long have you two been dating?"

Sakura's eyes went wide, Temari reading them. "Well, that's the thing."

"Oh! You're not a couple!" Temari announced, "I just assumed by how close you two seemed to be."

"We're really good friends." Sakura countered

"I gave you those stubs to that restaurant. That must have been embarrassing!"

"We handled it." Neji shrugged, taking another drink

"You two had me fooled," Gaara announced

"What?" Sakura blushed, the surprised look on her face giving them away

Giving them both a look, "You are dating!" Temari spoke sliding into the chair a cross from them

"What gave you that idea?" Sakura tried her best to brush it off

"Oh please, your blush is giving it away."

"You can't see it."

"No, but you just confirmed it." Temari sat back, proud of herself

"Fuck." Sakura spoke annoyed with herself, "Not everyone knows yet. It's still new."

"Your secret is safe with me! I think you two are cute together." Temari gave the girl her best smile

"Thank you." Sakura smiled back

"Most couples cannot work together. You two have done well at that."

"You haven't seen us work together." Sakura looked at Gaara confused

"I gave Naruto a tour of the Hospital while you were there assisting. I would have never known."

"Then how did you assume we were a couple?" Sakura asked intrigued

"It was hard to see at first, whenever you had a free moment the interaction was a giveaway."

"So, you didn't know either." Sakura drawled on

"I wasn't positive," Gaara smirked

"Uhg, both of you are jerks." Sakura crossed her arms, glaring at the siblings

"Oh, get over it pinky," Kankurō smirked sitting back down at the table with Naruto

Sticking her tongue out at him, "You don't know anything."

"Oh, I know a lot."

"Like what?"

"For me to know and for you to find out."

"Why are you such an ass?" Temari asked

"It's one of my shining qualities, didn't you know?"

"It will be shining when Sak and I kick your ass to the sun." Temari downed the rest of her drink

"That hurts sister. I should ask why you're such a bitch too."

"Enough." Gaara spoke, ending their bickering

"I'm heading home." Temari stood

"Already?" Surprised that the only other girl was leaving her

"Yeah, I've got an early morning. I've got some work left to do and Shika is going to get a hold of me tonight."

"You realize it's almost midnight, right?" Kankurō spoke

"Yeah, that's when he's getting done. You have a problem with it?"

"Oh no, sis! None at all."

"Sak, why don't you walk out with me for a second?"

Skeptical about the reasoning behind Temari's want, "Sure." Agreeing to it nevertheless and followed her

Once outside, taking in a breath of fresh air. "Thanks, he's unbearable once he gets taken care of. He'll stop being a prick after the antidote is out of his system."

"He's like this after I heal him?"

"Every time. It's like he's had a reaction to whatever you had to do."

"I thought that was just his natural being, I'm usually never here long after." Sakura started to think

"Whatever it is, he'll be back to his normal self tomorrow. That's not why I brought you out with me."

"I didn't think so." Following her to a nearby bench

"Shika commented on the mission that you two are going on. He doesn't like it, says that it is a stupid and reckless decision."

"I can say I don't disagree with him. We're heading into something that is unknown, hell we hardly have any information."

"What do you have then?"

"We're meeting someone that we're supposed to help. They apparently know the details; something seems fishy about working with them."

"No shit." Temari muttered, "Watch your back, I wouldn't trust them."

"No shit!" Sakura laughed, mimicking her. "I know what I'm doing, I'm not that young naïve genin anymore."

"I know. You're one tough Kunoichi, doesn't mean that I can't give a friend advice."

"Thanks, we'll be fine."

"What's the longest you've been away from home?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe a month or two at the most?" Sakura couldn't remember

"How long will this one last?"

"Kakashi-senpai said maybe six months or more."

"If you need somewhere to retreat too, you're welcome to come here."

"Thanks, I'm sure we'll be fine," Sakura stressed

"Okay, okay. Just remember to know your limits." Temari stood, "See you in the morning, Sak."

"Night Temari." Sakura stood, shaking her head. Wondering where the sand siblings came up with the nicknames for her. Turning, heading back into the club.

Walking back to their table there were a couple of girls surrounding Kankurō. Neji and Gaara had been pushed to other chairs, with Naruto at the bar drinking. Walking up beside Neji, Sakura could tell that he was annoyed.

"How bad now?" Sakura asked Gaara who was glaring at his brother

"At least 20 for Kankurō, Naruto has slowed down with only 17."

"Only?" Sakura laughed, feeling Neji's arms wrap around her waist

"Better than what they normally consume when we go out."

Laughing, Sakura was tired of the club setting. Understanding why Temari left. "I think I'm going to head back; I have an early morning. I told your head medic that I'd show her a couple of things, maybe get her up to speed and up to par for poisons."

"That's fine," Gaara spoke

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I promise that Naruto will either get back there or will at least make it to a bed somewhere safe."

"Thank you, Gaara. Have a goodnight." Sakura smiled

"I'll take my leave with you. It's been- an interesting night." Neji announced, standing to join Sakura

"That it has. Goodnight Hyuga, Sakura."

Giving a small smile, Sakura left with Neji. Walking in the cool air, felt refreshing compared to the stale air of the club. Both finally relaxed, away from the crowd of people. Neither felt the need to talk. Heading up to their apartment, they bid each other a good night. Sakura smiled at the feathered kiss Neji laid on her forehead, leaving her with butterflies.

Waking up early, glad for not drinking. Sakura moved to dress before heading out to make breakfast. Checking to see if Naruto made it back, which he didn't. Hoping that Gaara kept his promise, it could be difficult to handle a drunk Naruto. Starting with breakfast, it had been a long time since Sakura got to cook anything for someone other than herself. By the time Neji was out to the common room, Sakura was platting the food. Tea ready for the two of them.

"Morning." Neji spoke, surprised at what Sakura had cooked

"Good Morning." Sakura smiled, going to sit down

Neji followed her, digging into the food. It was surprisingly good, from the stories Naruto spoke it wouldn't be good. Bringing that up made Sakura laugh. She began talking about a mission from years ago that she ended up burning food over the campfire. This resulted in Naruto not trusting her cooking skills. Talking about past missions was the topic for the breakfast and clean up. Grabbing their things, they started to the hospital to start the day.

Meeting with Gaara and Naruto for lunch, Naruto clearly having a rough day. Sakura was nice enough to help with the headache, commenting on how his abilities failed him when fixing a hangover. Laughing at his failed attempt at trying to justify his drinking. However, by the end of lunch, he was back to his normal self. Naruto asked how helping the other medic was going, she was stuck in some of her ways. Doing her best to help her, it wasn't going to be an easy two weeks. It wasn't anything she hadn't dealt with; it was something she had to do with Ino. Deciding on an actual restaurant for dinner, they parted ways.

With this new routine, was how the rest of their stay went. Sakura would help to try and teach the medics tricks that she'd learned and what worked for what. She even accomplished teaching the head medic how to diagnose and treat poisons, even if she disliked her method. It was quick and efficient. Something that the other medic couldn't argue with too much.

It was closing in on their last day, spending time with Naruto in the common room. "Are you excited? Nervous?" Naruto asked

"I'm not sure what I'm feeling." Sakura chuckled

"What do you think you'll be doing for them?"

"I don't know. Gathering information? Giving information?" Sakura answered truthfully

"I don't like it. There shouldn't be only two people going into a mission that have so many unknowns. It's asking for problems to happen, what if one of you gets hurt?"

"Then I'll heal our asses."

"What if it's you that gets hurt?"

"Naruto, one way or another we'll be fine. If we have to, we'll get a hold of Kaka and figure it out."

"They're asking me to stay here, for the time being, Hinata and her team will be joining me. It's like Kaka is thinking something is going to go wrong."

"You're our backup if something goes wrong. Not when something goes wrong." Neji tried to ease his friend's thoughts

Watching him sigh, slumping into his chair. "I'm just worried."

Moving to grab her friend's hand, "I know Naruto. We're not genin to worry about though, there are numerous missions that come when you become ANBU and a Jōnin that we won't like. We have to do what we must to keep our village safe."

"When are you two leaving in the morning?"

Sakura looked to Neji; they hadn't really discussed what they were doing. "We'll probably leave when you go to work with Gaara."

"Can we do breakfast in the morning?"

"Of course." Watching her friend nod, they sat in silence. Sakura didn't want to stress her friend out any more than this mission seemed to be doing. She was nervous, heading into the unknown was terrifying. The only benefit was Neji was going into this with her. She trusted him, just as much if not more than Naruto. The more time they spent together, the more they bonded and the more they shared with one another.

"Alright, what are we doing for dinner?" Sakura stood suddenly, tired of the sullen mood

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto questioned

"We cannot change our mission, sulking and being miserable isn't going to stop the inevitable."

"Let's cook something here!" Agreeing, Sakura smiled heading to the kitchenette

Neji joined the duo, following Sakura's lead this time around. Enjoying being a part of Sakura's life and her friends. Granted he got Naruto no matter what, but it was different when he accepted them being together. It made it a lot simpler. The two males seemed to stand around more, rather than help. Sakura seemed to enjoy cooking, rather than standing around or giving orders.

Naruto watched on, watching his sister interact with the Hyuga male. Her smile seemed to be brighter than talking to anyone else, the same could be said for the Hyuga's eyes. He wanted her to be happy, if that meant it was with Neji so be it.

With dinner complete, they went back to the couches. Sakura sitting with Naruto, and Neji wanting them to have this time together. Talking until Sakura and Naruto were both yawning, they picked up their mess before heading to their rooms. Finally, settled into bed. Sakura heard the door to her room open. Moving to see who it was, she spotted Naruto walking in with his cot.

"What are you doing?" Sakura asked, already knowing the answer

"What I used to do before missions." Naruto laid his roll next to hers

"Aren't we a bit old for that now?" Sakura laughed moving over

Naruto wrapped his arm around her "Not when it comes to these missions."

Sighing at his stubborn nature, along with not wanting to deal with this. "Alright, how 'bout this? We're both dating people."

"If Neji doesn't like it I'll punch him in the face."

Rolling her eyes, "Fine, this is the last time. Okay?"

"Whatever you say. Goodnight Sakura-chan."

"Goodnight Naruto."

(We're getting closer to the big mission! I hope you're enjoying up to this point, my schedule is opening up a little more so I'm thinking of finishing this up. Please leave it some love if you are enjoying it ~DQ)