Disclaimer: If you think I own any of these characters, you're about as bright as a broken light bulb.

Sakura tread quietly through the corridors of the Hokage tower with little thought as to where she was going. She'd been training with the Hokage herself for nearly three years now and she'd been through these same halls countless times. This time was different though. She had a mission. That in and of itself wasn't unusual. She was a kunoichi after all and missions were part of her life. The unusual part was that she was alone. No more than an hour ago, a small dove landed on the windowsill of her bedroom window and caught her attention with its soft coos. The note tied to its leg was straight to the point.

Sakura,

Report to my office once you receive this for a solo mission.

Tsunade

That was all the note said, and the signature left Sakura rather curious. Her sensei always signed formal orders with the seal of the Hokage but there was no seal on this page, just a signature. That told the kunoichi that something was up, but the biggest shock was that this would be a solo mission. She hadn't been on a single solo mission that was over D-class in her entire career and those missions were delivered by courier and not messenger birds. Messenger birds were used to issue orders to ANBU, or for more secretive documents than normal. The informality of the note, coupled with the bird was entirely too confusing.

Her footsteps had never sounded as loud as they did right now. Normally, she would see someone walking the halls at some point but they seemed rather empty today. Even Shizune wasn't there to greet her when she finally reached the doors to the Hokage's office. She brought her hands to the heavy wood of the door and hesitated before knocking. She knew nothing of what was going on, a dangerous place for any ninja to be; yet she would have to continue anyway. And so, she did.

Her gentle knocking nearly went unnoticed by the two women inside the office but Tsunade's head lifted in the direction of the door and called for her to come in.

Sakura entered the office quietly, closing the door behind her, "You called for me, Tsunade-shishou?"

Tsunade sat at her desk and folded her hands in front of her face in a way that was just so… Tsunade. It was her business pose and one Sakura had seen enough times to know that her suspicions on the seriousness of this matter were well founded.

"Yes, Sakura, I did. I have a mission to brief you on."

Shizune, Tsunade's ever present right-hand stood just behind her and, ironically enough, to her right. Even Shizune had a rather serious countenance and that unnerved Sakura all the more.

Sakura approached the Hokage's desk and stood at attention. The Hokage was treating this formally and so would she. "Hai, Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade sighed and pushed an envelope toward Sakura, "This is your advance for the mission, as you will need to acquire some things before you start." Before Sakura could say anything, Tsunade continued on, "Your mission is an infiltration mission. You will leave in three days for the Tea country to meet your contact. Her name is Midori Kida. At least, that's her professional name. She runs an establishment called Summer's Breath in a town called Jiro's Pass."

Sakura took the offered envelope and noted its weight. If this was just an advance, the pay for the mission must be huge. Pay like this only went to A-rank or above. "Tsunade-sama? What is the rank of this mission?"

"This is a B-rank mission, Sakura. You're to infiltrate this woman's business and find out who is selling her clients' secrets to the highest bidder and then eliminate the threat by whatever means you deem necessary."

Sakura tilted her head curiously and looked down in thought. It sounded way too easy for the amount of the pay, so what was the catch? Then it hit her like one of her sensei's punches. The Hokage had never once mentioned the type of business this Midori person ran. "Tsunade-sama? What kind of place is Summer's Breath?"

Tsunade sighed, knowing she couldn't keep it from Sakura any longer. Shizune looked down at the Hokage and almost cringed along with her. "Summer's Breath is a brothel, frequented by some rather high class clientele. You will be expected to act as one of the working girls there."

Sakura felt like she'd been doused by a bucket of ice water. She was supposed to infiltrate a brothel as a what? "E-excuse me? I'm supposed to, to work at a brothel? As a 'working girl'?"

She'd expected this reaction from her pupil and she really couldn't blame her. No girl looked forward to this part of her kunoichi duties, let alone a girl as young as Sakura. Truth was, there were no others left of the older women and the only one Midori had deemed acceptable for her establishment was Sakura. Tsunade had even tried to steer the woman towards Ino who seemed more inclined to using her body, but the client would only have Sakura.

"Yes, Sakura. You will be working at a brothel to resolve this situation. Now, as I said, you will leave in three days for Jiro's pass and arrive as quickly as possible. Only Mirdori-san will-"

"But Hokage-sama! I can't work at a brothel! I'm only 16! I haven't even had a boyfriend yet!"

"Quiet!" the Hokage roared, putting an end to Sakura's tirade. "You are a kunoichi of the Leaf! This is your duty as a ninja and you will take this mission or you will be demoted back to genin!"

That had the desired effect of shutting Sakura up and leaving her looking like a fish; opening and closing her mouth with no sound coming out. Then, the tears pooled in her eyes, distorting her vision behind a wall of water. Still, she didn't let them fall; she just stood there with a hurt look on her face.

Sighing, Tsunade stood and walked up to Sakura, "Sakura, you are a kunoichi and as such, you have a powerful weapon against the dimmer sex and you must use it from time to time. The client chose you from all of the other girls in the age range she required. I tried to talk her out of it, Sakura, I really did. She wouldn't hear of it though. She said your pink hair would get you more clients and thus get you better access." That bit was true. Midori had eyed all of the ninja as potential workers for her establishment first and shinobi second.

"You were added to the list, only because you are single and of age and now, there's no going back. We've accepted the contract and if we fail, we will lose face in a country known to house our enemies from time to time. We need this, Sakura."

Logic had always been one of Sakura's strong points but it escaped her now. All she could see, all she could think about was that she would have to do things with strangers she'd never even done with anyone she wanted to. "B-but Tsunade-shishou….Hokage-sama…" she stuttered, "I haven't- I mean I'm-" She couldn't even say it without being consumed with dread and embarrassment.

"Yes, I expected as much, Sakura and gods know I wouldn't ask this of you if it weren't dire, but we need this client." Tsunade rested a hand on Sakura's shoulder and looked down on her with motherly eyes, "Sakura, use these three days to prepare. I know what you have is something you don't want to give to a stranger and I also know that there must be someone in this village worthy of that gift. Do what you feel is necessary, but be ready in three days regardless."

Sakura looked up into the eyes of her sensei and nodded, speaking with a weak voice reminiscent of Hinata, "Hai, Hokage-sama." With that, she left the office, headed for the only person she knew she could talk to at the moment.

Once the door had closed, Tsunade dropped her calm façade and slammed a bottle of sake on her desk after retrieving is from its hiding spot in a drawer. "God dammit! Why the hell did I have to take this job?" Two saucers of the sweet plum sake was gone as fast as she could pour them, "Here I am sending a little girl off to play a slut to some horny old men and I have to tell her its for the good of her village!"

Shizune, the one rock Tsunade could always count on in times of trouble was silent for once. Instead, she decided to snake the bottle from Tsunade and take a few long draws from it.

Tsunade looked on in shock for a moment before retrieving another bottle from the drawer, "Yeah, you said it, Shizune."

----

The bell rang, signaling yet another entrant into the Yamanaka Flower Shop. This, of course, meant that Ino was once again forced to put on her best smile and greet the new customer, even though she wanted nothing more to pound them for disrupting the delightful little daydream she'd been having.

"Welcome to the Yamanaka Flower Shop! How may I help-" Ino trailed off as she saw Sakura standing before her, looking, well, like shit. Her eyes were puffy and he hands were shaking. Ino had no idea why she looked like this, but she knew the only thing that could help would be a best friend. So, she did what she always did when someone worthwhile dragged her away from her job. She yelled upstairs that she would be back later and that her mother should watch the shop. Somehow, it always seemed to work.

Ino grabbed Sakura's hand and led her from the store without a word, dragging her off to one of the more quiet parks a few blocks from her house. It was a park they'd played at more often that either of them could remember when they were younger and in a time before Sasuke caused a rift in their friendship. Now, all thoughts of a feud between them were left behind for a friend in need.

It took a long time of silence on their old favorite bench before Sakura could even bring herself to tell Ino what had happened. Of course, she left out the more vital information but Ino would never hold that against her. They were ninja after all and secrets were their livelihood. Finally, at the end, Sakura broke down and cried again, this time in Ino's arms.

"Well, forehead, it looks like you're stuck. Either you take the demotion or you take the mission."

Sakura sniffled again, finally regaining enough composure to speak, "I know. It's just…I made a promise that I can't go back on."

Ino nodded, knowing of Sakura's promise since she'd made a similar one all that time ago in the chuunin exams, "Yeah. We can't just watch their backs as they keep growing anymore and a genin can't keep up with him."

Sakura, too, nodded, "With either of them."

Looking over at her friend, Ino sighed, "Then I guess there's only one choice left, isn't there?"

Looking down at the ground, Sakura nodded dejectedly, "Yeah. I'll have to do it."

"Come on," Ino said, getting up and offering her hand to Sakura, "We're going to have to get you some new clothes for this mission. You don't want to take anything you care about to a place like that, do you?"

Taking the offered hand, Sakura shook her head, "You're right. Now I know why the advance was so large." She smiled in a humorless way, the light all but absent from her usually vibrant, green eyes. "At least I can finally get those clothes my mother would kill me for."

---

"No way, Sakura! You're not wearing that! It's hideous! Try the blue one." They'd been shopping for hours now, with Ino as Sakura's personal fashion consultant. Despite what it was for, Sakura couldn't help but enjoy the day just a little. Here she was, doing things she'd missed out on with her best friend for the last few years because of their stupid rivalry. She stepped back into the changing room and tossed the offending garment to the floor before grabbing the blue dress Ino suggested and sliding it on.

"You know, Sakura," Ino called from the other side of the door while thumbing through another rack of dresses, "it's too bad Sasuke-kun isn't around. You could take the Hokage's suggestion and make him your first. That way this wouldn't be so bad."

Sakura froze at the mention of Sasuke's name. She always did these days, especially after seeing him the last time, at Orochimaru's side. It was odd, though. When Tsunade had suggested the idea, Sasuke hadn't even crossed her mind. In fact, she never thought of him once during this whole thing.

"Come on, Sakura! Let's see it!" came Ino's impatient call from outside. When Sakura stepped out, she was met by a nod, "That'll do. It's not great, but it's good enough. Here, try these."

Once again, in the changing room, Sakura's thoughts drifted, this time trying to figure out who could possibly be someone she'd be willing to spend a night with. Immediately, the grinning idiot she called a teammate popped into her head. She furrowed her brow a moment before sitting on the bench and staring at herself in the mirror. She pushed him aside for just a moment and tried to see someone, anyone, other than Naruto. It was useless though. She knew she had been growing more and more attached to him day by day, even before his return. She'd written it off at first as loneliness due to Sasuke's betrayal but now that he was back, she had noticed it growing faster than before. It felt nothing like she felt for Sasuke though. She was head over heels for the Uchiha boy, but her feelings for Naruto were completely different. He was different.

Without Sasuke around to distract her, she had come to see just what Naruto meant to her and she finally understood what she meant to him. Now, she couldn't see herself without him. He was the one remaining piece of her life that made her feel like everything would be just fine.

But was that enough? Was his friendship enough that it could evolve into something more or had it already reached a point that it was only a matter of time? Sakura's musings were cut short when she noticed two ice-blue eyes staring at her and shrieked.

Ino fell back from the sheer volume of Sakura's voice and groaned, "Damnit, forehead! That hurt!"

"Oh! Sorry, Ino. I guess I was spacing out pretty bad, huh?" Sakura asked, embarrassed.

"You could say that," said Ino, rubbing her sore bottom, "I just came in to bring you some more dresses. What had you so spacey? It wasn't what I said about Sasuke, was it? I mean, you gotta move on. He's a traitor and no good for you. Besides, he wouldn't have done it even if he were here."

Sakura shook her head and got that faraway look in her eyes again, "No, it wasn't him I was thinking about."

Ino turned to her, rather shocked. This was the first she'd ever heard Sakura admit that Sasuke wasn't perfect. "Oh really now? And just who were you thinking about?"

Sakura blushed ten shades of red, looking everywhere but Ino, "If I tell you this, it never leaves the changing room, ok?"

Again, Ino was surprised. She'd just intended to tease Sakura a bit, but now her plans seemed pointless in the light of the chance to find out something really juicy. "You got it, forehead. So who is it? Lee? You know he's still crazy about you. Or maybe it's Neji. He's really sexy when his eyes aren't bulging but I heard he had a wife chosen for him or something. Or maybe it's-"

"Ino! It's none of them, now shut up or I won't tell you!"

That stopped Ino in mid sentence who sat down next to Sakura and leaned in close, "So who is it?"

Sakura looked around as if the walls themselves had ears before leaning to Ino again and whispering in her ear, "Naruto."

It was Ino's turn to shriek this time, or it would have been if Sakura hadn't had the foresight to cover the blonde's mouth. When Ino was finally calm enough, Sakura took her hand away and nodded, "Yeah. It kind of surprised me too."

"Surprised?" Ino asked incredulously. "No, that's just flat out mind blowing! I mean, the little twerp spent all of his time in the academy trying to get you to notice him and it pays off 5 years later!"

Sakura raised an eyebrow at her but let it go. She knew it was true, even though she never noticed back then. He'd followed her like a lost puppy all those years ago but she'd been too distracted by Sasuke. Now, he had her attention and probably didn't know it. "I really don't know how I feel about him right now, Ino, but there might be something there."

Ino nodded slowly, "Yeah, I can see how that might be. I mean everything's kind of been forced into high gear, hasn't it? Maybe you should let him take you out on a date or something. See if there's something there." She smiled and looked at Sakura, "Maybe he can be the one but even if he isn't, you know he'll be there for you."

"Yeah," Sakura smiled, "you're right. I'll ask him tonight."

Ino stood up and clapped her hands, "That means we have to find you something to wear for tonight too then!" Sakura just laughed and nodded.

---

Naruto dismissed his last clone and breathed a heavy sigh. He'd been training for six hours today and he still felt like he was at a dead end. He'd been suppressing the kyuubi's influence so hard since the last retrieval mission that he had even started suppressing his own chakra to an extent. It was almost like he was afraid of his own power now, a fact that hadn't escaped him at all. His last few days of training were spent trying to balance on that razor-thin line between too much and too little.

Today, however, he'd had enough. He was dirty, smelly and tired and wanted nothing more than a long soak in the shower to relax his screaming muscles and wash away the grime. All thoughts left him though when he saw a certain pink-haired girl picking her way through his training ground.

Sakura hopped over a few small craters and nearly tripped a few times on jutting roots before she reached the boy that was her destination, "Looks like you've been working hard, Naruto."

He grinned in that way only he knew and rubbed the back of his head, "Yeah. Gotta keep the bastard fox in check, you know. Especially if I want to get stronger."

The shiver that went up Sakura's spine at the unbidden memory of Naruto's occupant didn't go unnoticed by the blonde shinobi. "I'm sorry, Sakura. I never meant to hurt you and if I have my way, he'll never hurt anybody ever again."

She sighed and bopped Naruto gently on the head, "How many times do I have to tell you to stop apologizing? I know you didn't have any control and I know you would never hurt me intentionally." Her words didn't seem to have any affect on her teammate though, as he just looked down with that sad, determined stare of his. She knew he was beating himself up inside and making another promise that he would have to keep. So, she decided to take his mind off of it instead of trying to make him see logic. "Hey, Naruto? You want to go out tonight?" She blushed hard, unable to believe she just came out and said it like that, but now, it was out there and there was no need to try and take it back.

Naruto just stared at her and then smiled, "Sure, Sakura-chan! What's the plan? We gonna meet up with everyone at Ichiraku again? Oh! Maybe we can meet up at that karaoke place again!"

Sakura shook her head and sighed. She would have to be even more direct it seemed. Still blushing, she raised her hand to stop Naruto's yammering. "No, Naruto. I was thinking that it could be just the two of us. You know, a date?"

Again, he just looked at her for a long time and then tilted his head, "Is this another date like before Sasuke left?"

"No!" she yelled, reaching forward and pressing a hand against his shoulder, "No, Naruto. This is a real date. I'm asking you out for real now. Do you want to go with me tonight?" Sakura had never considered the fact that he'd turn her down but now, doubt crept is way into her mind as he stood there looking at her blankly.

The soft, genuine smile that spread across Naruto's face erased the doubt even before he nodded, "Of course, Sakura-chan. Where do you want to go?"

She shook her head and smiled, "You're taking me out so you'd better think of something good, ok?"

"Aww! But you asked me out! That's not fair, Sakura-chan!" he whined.

"Does that mean the date's off then? I mean, I'm sure Lee would be a gentleman and agree to take me out tonight…"

"No, no, no! I'll do it, Sakura-chan!" he yelled, waving his arms like he was still a child.

Sakura laughed "I'm just kidding, Naruto-kun. Meet me at the bridge tomorrow night at six, ok? I'll see you there!" She left with a wink and a puff of smoke, though inside she was as nervous as she'd ever been. This was a real date, a honest-to-goodness date with Naruto.

Naruto stood in the middle of his training grounds for several minutes after the smoke had cleared, just staring straight ahead. He had a date with Sakura, a real date this time. She'd even said so! It was then that the wind changed and reminded him just how much he needed a shower and the fact that he had only one day to show her the best night of her life.

----

Sakura sat before her mirror, staring at her reflection. She rarely wore makeup like this but the occasion certainly called for it. She didn't know anything about where Naruto would take her, but she was going to look her best even if they went to Ichiraku. Her hair was done up beautifully in a causal sort of elegance thanks to Ino and she wore a red dress that fit her like a glove. This would be a very memorable day for her, and if everything fell into place, perhaps one of the most memorable days of her life. She was nervous beyond words. Not only was she going on a date with Naruto, but she may end up giving him something she never considered. Tonight would decide if he was indeed the one she wanted.

She looked at her clock and realized just how long she'd taken to get ready. Naruto would be there in five minutes if she knew him. He was only a few minutes late now, but he always seemed to show up a little late these days. He'd been training with Kakashi lately too so it couldn't have been coincidence.

She made her way downstairs just in time to hear the knock at the door. She smiled and opened the door to her guest before he could even knock again. She was pleasantly surprised to see him in something that didn't make her feel over dressed. He'd taken this as seriously as she had apparently. He wore dressy black pants with well-shined, black dress shoes and a vibrant orange dress shirt. She supposed it was too much to expect for him to dress in another color but it did work well on him.

If Sakura had been surprised, Naruto was shocked. He always knew she was beautiful but she stood before him, a vision unlike any other. In his travels with Jiraya, he'd been exposed to the old pervert's ways and seen many beautiful women, but in that moment, none could ever hold a candle to his Sakura-chan. He regained his senses long enough to speak, though it didn't come out as intelligible as he'd hope. "You look…I mean you're…it's…wow."

Sakura just giggled at his reaction and bowed slightly, "Thank you, Naruto-kun. You look pretty good yourself. Shall we go?"

It was all he could do to remember that he held something in his hand for her, "Here, Sakura-chan. I got these for you." He held out a beautiful bouquet of red roses and carnations to his date and smiled as wide as he could. At least he could get this part right.

She smiled and took the flowers from him, "Thank you, Naruto. They're gorgeous. Let me put them in some water." She walked into her house and grabbed a vase from the cabinet. As she went to place the flowers inside, a small note fell out of the bottom addressed to her.

Hey forehead,

This date had better go well. That twerp was in here for almost two hours making sure every flower was just right! We used up almost all of the roses on him! At least he tips well. You'd better give me every last detail, Sakura. Leave nothing out!

Ino

Sakura giggled at the note and set it aside before filling the vase with water and setting it on the table. Her mother would find a good place for it later. Finally, she returned to Naruto who had stood in the door waiting the entire time. She gave him a soft smile and hooked her arm through his, "Let's go, Naruto." He just smiled back and the two left to begin their date.

---

Much to Sakura's delight, dinner was nowhere near Ichiraku. In fact, they sat in a posh little restaurant on Konoha's east side overlooking the river. In the distance, the Hokage monument sat, keeping their vigilant eyes on Konoha, including the newly added fifth set. Apparently Naruto had set this up ahead of time and their entry into the restaurant was without a hitch. The waiters seemed extremely attentive the whole time; knowing just when to butt out to let the couple enjoy each other's company and when to do their job. It was no wonder it was as packed as it was. Sakura couldn't help but wonder just how Naruto had gotten a table here at the last minute. When she asked, he just shrugged and smiled, "Just lucky I guess."

The meal was amazing and the company even more so. Naruto kept his manners completely, even while eating and Sakura found herself enjoying his company immensely. He had grown up so much in the time he was gone and not just in power. He was gentlemanly the entire evening and held intelligent conversations with Sakura the entire time. The date had started just perfect and, according to Naruto, it was only the beginning.

As they left the restaurant, Sakura noticed that Naruto hadn't been given a bill, nor did he offer to pay. "Do we pay a cashier or something, Naruto?"

He chuckled and shook his head, "Nah. I took care of the bill earlier." That was all she could get out of him and, truth be told, she didn't care that much. As long as nothing ruined their evening, she was happy to let everything go.

They walked along the river, letting their meals digest and their conversations continue in the moonlit night. It was a beautiful evening and perfect for just such a walk. Their feet brought them to the familiar bridge once more where they decided to stop for a little while.

"Naruto?" Sakura asked, leaning on the railing and looking down at the water.

He leaned his back against the railing right next to her and looked over at her, "Hmm?"

"Thank you for tonight. It's been wonderful. Better than I could have ever hoped for." She looked up at him with a soft smile and took his hand in hers, letting their fingers intertwine.

He just smiled back at her and gave her hand a squeeze, "It's the best I could do on short notice, Sakura-chan. I'm glad you like it."

Positioned as they were, their faces had become close; dangerously close. Green eyes met blue and Sakura felt her world shrink. The only thing remaining was the two of them and she knew, she knew that he was the one. Not only was he worthy, but she wanted him to be the one as well. Soon, the gap between them closed and their lips met in a shy, hesitant, first kiss.

For both of them, it was everything they thought it would be and more. A feeling of contentment washed over them as the kiss deepened to something guided only by their instincts. There was no frantic mashing of lips and no tongues banging into teeth. It was a tender, loving kiss that conveyed what they both felt; nervous, shy, but still wanting the other to know that they were loved.

Sakura was the first to reluctantly break the kiss, "Naruto, take me home."

He looked at her confused for a moment, wondering what he could have done wrong. She seemed to have enjoyed it as much as he did. Still, he could deny her nothing at this point. He nodded with a sigh and began toward her house, only to have her pull him back, "No, Naruto. I meant to your home."

She looked down at the ground, a blush on her face bright enough to be seen even in the moonlight. Still, Naruto had to make sure he heard her right, "M-my apartment?"

He walked up to him and put on what she hoped was a seductive smile, "Yes, Naruto-kun. It's getting late but I'm nowhere near ready to go home."

It took great effort for any teenager to rein in their hormones long enough to make an intelligent decision and Naruto was no exception. Had he been thinking properly, he would have realized that Sakura was never this forward in anything she did, yet she had already asked him out and was now asking to come over to his place. Had he thought about it, he would have tried to get to the bottom of things. Too bad he was never good at reining in his hormones. He just smiled nervously and began walking toward his apartment, Sakura by his side.

----

The door shut behind them and Sakura jumped. She was so sure back on the bridge, but every step toward Naruto's apartment increased her nervousness until it was enough to almost leave her shaking. Still, she managed to look confident as she looked around his apartment. It was cleaner than expected actually. It wasn't tidy but it wasn't a pit either. Things were in their place except for what had obviously been used recently. Turning back to Naruto she smiled as sexily as she could, "Give me a minute to freshen up, ok?"

He nodded dumbly, pointing down the hall where the bathroom lay and she headed down that way, closing the door behind her. Immediately, she closed the lid and sat on the toilet, staring at her shaking hands. She was terrified now. It was too real; too close. She knew that she cared deeply for Naruto now and, had the relationship been allowed to develop on its own, she may have ended up here anyway but that wasn't the case. Now, it was do or die. She thought she'd made up her mind earlier but second, third and fourth thoughts bombarded her all at once. Would he even be ready for this? She'd never even really thought of that. Hell, Naruto had traveled with Jiraya for a couple years. He definitely would have picked up a few pointers from the perverted Sannin. But what if he thought she was a slut or something? She was being incredibly forward. She doubted many women she knew would sleep with anyone on their first date, even if they had known the guy for years and years. What if…

No! She refused to let her doubts interfere with this. It was either give it to a boy she almost certainly loved or give it to a man who didn't care about her more than what she could do to him. Naruto won hands down. She stood and looked at herself in the mirror, carefully rearranging her hair and checking her makeup. At least she looked good for him. Finally, with steely resolve, she left the bathroom and returned to the living room. What she found was unexpected. There on the couch sat Naruto with a blanket in his lap and two cups of tea on the table before him.

"Come sit with me, Sakura-chan," he said, a gentle smile on his face.

She looked at him curiously before doing as he asked and sitting next to him on the couch. Once they were comfortable, he wrapped the blanket around the both of them and gave her a soft kiss, which Sakura deepened almost immediately. This time though, she was more interested in the lustful feelings the kiss brought out in her and tried to elicit them from Naruto. If his groaning was any indication, she was successful. She broke the kiss and rested her forehead against his, staring into his eyes as he hands shakily reached for the buttons of his shirt. Before they could even unfasten one button, Naruto had taken her hands in his own and held them gently, "Stop, Sakura-chan."

She looked up at him in shock, "What? Why?"

He shook his head and leaned back so he could look at her, "Believe me, Sakura-chan, I don't want to stop you at all, but I have to. You're not yourself tonight." He rubbed his thumbs across the back of her hands, "As much as I love you, I know this isn't like you. Please, tell me what's going on."

She stared into his eyes for the longest time before the tears began to spill over from her own. He was stopping her, yet he'd said he loved her. He'd said it so easily; like it was second nature to him and he'd even said he didn't want to stop but he was. She leaned into him and let the tears flow, even as he wrapped his arms around her comfortingly.

"Please, Sakura-chan. Tell me what's going on," he pleaded, rubbing her back softly as she cried. He always felt so helpless when she cried.

"It's-it's a mission, Naruto-kun. I have to go tomorrow to someplace called Jiro's pass."

That didn't sound so bad, but he knew better than to interrupt right now. Once in a while, his mind worked with his heart.

"They w-want me to work at a…a…." she sniffled, "a brothel! I have to play the whore just so we can have good relations with a tiny little town in Tea country!"

He pulled her into his embrace and held her while she sobbed. He still wasn't entirely certain what was going on, but he had an idea. First though, he needed Sakura to stop crying.

When finally her sobs had died down again, she looked up at him with a sad smile, "If I didn't take the mission, I would be demoted back to genin so, Tsunade gave me three days to find someone to give myself to; someone that could love me so that I wouldn't have to give myself to a total stranger." Reaching up, she caressed his face, "You were the only one I could think of Naruto. The only one in this entire village that could love me that much and…and that I could feel the same way about."

Finally he understood and he was no happier for it. Well, that was a lie. Sakura had all but said that she loved him as much as he loved her but the circumstances were all wrong. No girl should ever be forced into this. When he was Hokage, he'd make sure something like this would never happen again. He pulled Sakura into his lap and kissed her forehead, "Then refuse the mission, Sakura-chan. They can't keep you at genin for very long. You're too strong to be a genin and they know it."

Sakura shook her head as she looked up at him, "No, I can't do that, Naruto. I made my own promise. I won't let myself be a burden to you ever again."

He shook his head and actually laughed at that. "Burden? You really think you're a burden, Sakura-chan? You're my most precious person. You're why I can fight after I can't fight anymore. You're the reason I train myself that much harder. You are anything but a burden."

She stared up into his deep, blue eyes for a long time before leaning up and kissing him again, "You know what, Naruto-kun? I didn't know how I felt about you a few hours ago, but now I'm certain." She wrapped her arms around his neck and continued to look into his eyes, "I love you, Naruto."

He smiled and nodded, "I love you too, Sakura-chan." They sealed the words with a kiss that expressed the emotions that went along with them.

---

A knock on her office door brought Tsunade's attention from the stack of papers, "Come in." She was immensely grateful for the distraction. Paperwork was the worst part of the job. When she saw Sakura pass through the door, she was quickly reminded that certain things would make even paperwork seem desirable.

"Tsunade-sama, I've come to give you my answer for this mission," she stated from before the Hokage's desk.

Tsunade steepled her hands in front of her face and got into her business pose, "Continue."

"I'm afraid I must refuse, Hokage-sama. Such a mission goes against my word and my word is precious to me. I will take the demotion."

Tsunade sighed and looked up at Sakura, "And to whom have you given your word, Sakura, that it would be worth a demotion?"

Sakura smiled, "To Naruto-kun. He promised me that he was mine and only mine and I promised him that I was all his."

"Are you saying that you now have a boyfriend, Sakura?" Tsunade couldn't keep the grin from her face, or her voice.

Sakura didn't even blush, she just smiled a little wider, "Yes, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade sighed and shuffled through some papers before finding Sakura's orders and ripping them up, "Well, if you're not single, you no longer meet the parameters of our client. I guess the only thing you have to worry about is paying back the advance we gave you,"

Having foreseen this, Sakura set the envelope she had been given the day before on the desk, "It's all there, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade looked down at the envelope and nodded, "You are dismissed then. I'll see you tomorrow for training."

Sakura bowed and left the office, walking past Shizune who was just bringing a new stack of papers for the Hokage. The Hokage's assistant set the paperwork on the desk and looked back in time to see Sakura rounding a corner on her way out. "Tsunade-sama? Is it just me or was she glowing?"

Tsunade just smirked and stamped her seal on another document "Wasn't just you, Shizune."

Whew. Longest thing I've ever written I think. First one-shot ever too. Hopefully this does well and I get a high place in the Heaven and Earth contest.( w w w . n a r u s a k u . c o m ) Regardless, I want as much feedback as possible. Remember, vote early, vote often, and vote for me!