Fox Bait

by zenhir

To lure a kyuubi, one must have the right pink haired bait.

To lure a kyuubi, one must have the right pink-haired bait.
I disclaim Naruto.

Haruno Sakura
Chapter one

Dear Sakura,
I've been doing fine, thanks for wondering. You shouldn't worry about me. Though it's questionable how long I can stay sane with Gai arriving in four days. I received word from the Godaime that you'll be retained from the border soon. The mission has overworked you Sakura, I can see it on your face.

Best of Health,
Hatake Kakashi

Hey Forehead!
Guess how long it's been? One freaking year, you IDIOT. Don't you keep track of time at the border? You had BETTER get your big fat forehead back home before our wedding. I've been growing hair like an old lady, not that you would care, I'm sure that'd make you happier. Soon I'll look like Kakashi, and that'd be great. There isn't any female support here. Tenten and Hinata were dispatched a month ago, so I'm stuck planning this thing with Chouji who's already maxed out the budget with food. I can't believe I'm saying this, but you need to get back here or I fear I might do something regrettable to Shikamaru before we get married.

Is desperate,
Ino

My lovely cherry blossom!
Don't give up! Your fiery youth will keep you safe and return you home! If not, just say the word and I'll abandon my mission to aid your every need!

The Konoha's Rock Lee

Haruno,
Come back to the village. Ino is driving me insane.
Shikamaru

Haruno Sakura,
Come home. Ino is driving us insane.
Kiba

Hare,
There has not been enough information at our sector to confirm your suspicions. There has only been a rumor around the village that they are traveling north, towards your border. Stay on alert, and we'll inform you on any new information. Hinata thanks you for taking care of Hawk. If he annoys you in anyway, just threaten him with that I know where his weakness is.

Thank you and best of luck,
Weasel

Hare,
Nothing new.

Beetle

HEY SAKURA!
When are you coming back? This place is boring me to my grave. You haven't sent me a letter in a while. Is this all part of the security and secrecy thing cause that's just crap. I'm having a talk with Tsunade about this, I'm getting impatient and I want to get out of this village. Maybe I'll find a way to see you if you can't come back. It's been an entire year Sakura, and I'm going to explode with all this caged energy. You know that I can take care of myself, Akatsuki or not, I don't care. If you don't write me back after this, I'm going after you myself. And if you're hurt, somebody's going to pay hell. Neji had better be taking care of you. If he doesn't I'll just have to kick his ass one more time. Anyways, Hinata says that their team is returning in a week. So it shouldn't be too long before your mission's over too right? By the way, did you know that Shikamaru and Ino are getting married? Oh crap, I think someone's at the door. And I'm not even allowed to write any freaking letters.

Naruto

Sakura,
It has come to my attention that we need you here in the village more than the border. Once you receive this letter, pack your bags, and return immediately.

Godaime

Small agile hands folded the last letter and traced a finger across the Hokage seal. On the table were an array of papers of all different shapes and sizes. The receiver of all these messages gently pushed the pile aside and laid her head across folded arms. She was tired and weary from a full day's work. Her energy had been completely depleted from healing wounds and mending bones. It'd take a night to recover.

Sakura yawned as she stretched out her tired limbs. Nobody was making her go anywhere. She had a mission to finish and one that she'd complete at all expense and costs. Tsunade had at first been reluctant to grant her permission to work at the border. For one reason only, it had to do with the Akatsuki. The Akatsuki had to do with, Sakura shook her head, angry at herself for thinking that far. It was for Naruto, she couldn't bear to stay home with all the memories of years ago. So she packed her bags one day and left for the border much to the disappointment of her teacher who was left with no choice but to let her reside there permanently.

However apparently, she had recently changed her mind.

Recent Akatsuki activity scared her sensei. She was worried. And Sakura knew why, anything that had to do with a certain raven-haired individual hung at a strand of her emotional resistance. It was for her own good but she refused to believe it.

The tent door fluttered opened suddenly. She smiled briefly.

"Its rather late to chat," She said frankly and turned to see a hawk mask peering down at her, "Neji."

He slid the porcelain painted face to one side and Sakura looked deep in to his piercing white glare, "Rough day?" She asked, amused at his seriousness.

"We were ambushed."

"Casualties?"

"We got away with minor injuries." He said flatly.

Sakura chuckled, "The last time you had a minor injury…" She paused to let it sink in, his expression was unreadable, "Let me be the judge of it, where?"

His face visibly relaxed and brought his right arm up towards the candlelight. Sakura grimaced at the clotted blood. She couldn't measure how deep of a wound it was with all the blood.

"How long – "

"Three hours."

"Will you drop the act already?"

There was a small break inside the tent before Neji smiled, "Rough day."

"I can see that," Sakura grinned and made to move the bandages around his injury, "You've used Kaiten too many times in one go, there's chakra depletion."

"I'll be better by morning."

"Good, we need all the energy we have tomorrow. Are we leaving at dawn?"

"Before."

Sakura rolled her eyes and carefully peeled off the remaining bandages around the wound. It was nothing serious, but if she didn't heal it immediately, it might get infected and then it would get ugly.

"This might sting."

"You say that every time."

"Just hoping one day you might be manly enough to admit it does."

Silence.

"Okay, I guess I can still dream."

Neji chuckled lightly. They had resided at the same camp for well over a year now. And the man that once intimidated her to no end with his flawless reputation and merciless attitude had become her one and only companion.

"Done, just let me bandage it tonight and you can rewrap them later in the morning."

"I can do it."

Sakura was already pulling at a fresh roll of clean bandages, "Don't even think about it, and instead tell me who could've possibly ambushed the great Hyuuga Neji today."

He ignored her sarcasm, "Rogue shinobi, no specific intentions." He lifted his arm so she could get a better grip.

"You sure?"

"Have I ever been wrong?"

"Don't answer a question with a question, and okay I guess you have a point mister my pride is even bigger than my degree of vision."

He was wearing a smug look that Sakura loved and hated. It reminded her of somebody else.

"You're tired."

She laughed at that one, it had been days since she had last laughed, Neji had been on a scouting mission for a week and she realized how much she missed a friend to laugh with.

"I am, there were other attacks in various teams that were dispatched. They all decided to return all on the same day. How can you tell?"

"I don't need Byakugan to feel the hallow chakra in your hands."

"Well I just had enough left to heal your injury so I wouldn't be cocky if I were you," She patted his bandaged arm a little harder than usual but he didn't even wince, "You're all set."

He stretched out his arm to test the bandages and gave a satisfied noise before looking at the medical ninja, "You need rest."

"Well, you're welcome."

"Thanks" He replied without skipping a single beat, "We have an even longer day tomorrow, after that; I'll give you a day off to reminiscence Konoha in peace."

Sakura stopped smiling.

"I don't need a bloodline limit, like I said, to know what you're thinking about. Sleep, Haruno."

She gave an exasperated sigh, "Sakura, being so formal wounds me, Hyuuga."

He ignored her, "I'm keeping watch tonight, so you can sleep at rest."

"Oh, now I must stay awake." She smiled at his bemused expression and waved her goodbye as he disappeared in a wisp of smoke.

Sakura found herself by her bed suddenly wanting sleep. Neji was right, tomorrow was going to be a long strenuous day. She couldn't afford to waste her time thinking about home. Sakura cursed her own exhaustion. She was too worn to change so she collapsed across the makeshift mattress and felt her eyes grow heavy of desperate rest.

A strand of wind brushed across the bridge of her nose.

She was annoyed, "What is it, Neji?"

There was no answer. She sighed in irritation.

Why hadn't Neji told her there were others she had to see to? She barely could scrape up enough chakra to mend a paper cut unless she cut into her own self reserves.

Sakura rolled on to her side towards the door and that's when everything happened at once. She was suddenly heavily pinned to the ground, a kunai grazing at her throat. She had barely enough time to catch her breath before the intruder yanked her hair back, forcing her neck even closer to the dangerous blade of a foreign kunai. She gasped at how painful it was and swore at her own carelessness.

"Who are you?" She gasped.

In the darkness she could only make out a faint outline. The intruder was male, which was all she could figure out. Big help that was, she had freedom of her arms but her legs were pinned under his weight. She felt the rush of adrenaline of a fight right before it begins. She had forgotten how it felt; being cooped up inside a medical tent for months on end drugged her senses. But she was feeling it now, it was the simplest thing, she forgot how it made her heart race.

She smiled dangerously, "Either you're too sure of yourself or you've made a deadly mistake leaving my arms free."

The ground beneath her right elbow exploded and she freed herself from his weight. She was a master at controlling chakra, it was her specialty. She had to take from her last reserves of chakra; it just meant she'd have to pay for it later.

The intruder was too quick to get caught in the explosion but Sakura was already on him. He missed her fist by a hair but within that distance there was confidence that she couldn't lay a finger on him. Sakura used the movement to follow through with her left leg that swept through nothing but air. Too fast. He was behind her in an instant and she had to throw herself on the ground to dodge the kunai, but he was already there and she threw up her arms to block the impact of his leg. She was thrown against the bed and she had to call upon everything in her to roll to one side. The kunai sliced through her hair and she had a second to thank whoever was watching over her. She was tired, she had little chakra left, and there was nowhere to run. Where was Neji? Damn it. I'm on my own. I can take care of it. Sakura swept up besides the stranger and yanked a fistful of his robe, she slammed her other hand down on to his neck. To her utter shock and amazement it contacted completely and he crumpled to the floor. Too easy. But even as the body disintegrated in to a splash of water she was still dazed.

And as the intruder twister her arms behind her back and slammed her against the cold dirt ground she could barely will herself to resist.

"Who are you…" She breathed. The man pulled her head up so she was staring at his shadowed face. His breath was light and easy, she hadn't stood a chance against him in the very beginning. She was close to losing conscious from complete chakra depletion. But she wasn't sure that was the only reason she blacked out. She could've sworn his pupils had started spinning.