To all my readers: Thank you so much for your comments and faving my story and putting A Change of Pace on your story alert list. I am honored. I apologize that it took SO long to update. The holidays, end of the year inventory at the warehouse I work at, and a BUTTLOAD of overtime, plus finals and registration for the new semester kept me plenty busy. I hope you enjoy it, as I enjoyed writing it. Again, please read and review. I wake up in the mornings wondering what you guys are thinking about the story. It keeps me going. Please don't stop! Oh and btw sorry about any mistakes, don't have a beta yet and the 7th chap will be coming much quicker than this one.

Now without further ado, I give you a disclaimer and the sixth installment of the story…

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I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. IF I DID, I WOULD BE DRINKING MARTINIS SITTING IN A LIMOUSINE NEXT TO AN AMAZINGLY HANDSOME MAN, WEARING A DAMN SEXY DRESS, GETTING READY TO GO TO OUR PENT HOUSE AFTER SEEING SOME ASTRONOMICALLY EXPENSIVE CONCERT FROM A PRIVATE BOOTH… *SIGH, I DIGRESS, BUT ALL THIS TO SAY, I DO NOT OWN IT, AND NEVER WILL…*

THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SOME ADULT LANGUAGE AND SOME SEXUAL CONTENT…BE WARNED :)

A CHANGE OF PACE

CHAPTER 6: DISTRACTIONS

Sakura stood in the doorway of a dimly lit room. The air around her felt cool, and it smelled strongly of earth and pine. She felt the slight chill of early morning caress her bare skin. It permeated her pores, and like feather touches, it sent shivers up and down the whole of her. She looked down at her own body, milky and smooth. There was a slight rose kissed color flushing through her chest, and she could feel the tingle; completely comfortable in her own skin. She sighed an audible "hnn" as she gazed from under tilted eyebrows towards the man sitting upright on the bed across the room. He wore only an expression of excitement and awe, as he gazed upon her every curve, and his eyes lingered on the perfect mounds of her breasts and the planes of her stomach. Sakura felt amused; pleased in fact, that the man, who licked his lips expectantly in blatant awe and anticipation, couldn't keep his hands from twitching and his body from shifting nervously under the heavy weight of desire. Sakura placed one foot in front of the other—slowly she calculated each movement and she moved purposefully and sultrily. She let her hips sway—left foot, heel to toe, to the left. The pendulum swayed back—right foot, heel to toe. Each movement took her full weight as she shifted for each sensual, lust filled step. She closed the distance between the anxious man and herself slowly; aching more, with each step, for his touch. It felt as though decades had passed through the ether, between each breath—now hastened with dripping desire, before she finally reached her destination. Her safe harbor, her port of refuge, her anchor reached out his trembling hand unable to wait any longer to feel her skin against his, and a loud noise, much like that of a bell, blasted annoyingly loud from his slightly parted lips.

Sakura sat straight up in the bed, hair disheveled, and eyes still hazed from the sleep she had just been thoroughly enjoying. The ringing spilled from the apparatus next to Neji's side of the bed, which still felt warm where he had lain just moments ago. Sakura leaned across the heated sheets, and placed a lazy finger on the knob protruding from the annoying clock and she plopped all her weight onto her chest. It was a dream? Only a dream. Sakura lied in that position for a few moments to allow her head to clear and her breath to slow. She couldn't quite recall everything from the dream she had been so rudely ripped from, but she definitely still felt the effects that it had on her body. She could feel the heat set low in her abdomen, and the throbbing between her thighs. Her face heated madly at the connotations of the dream, and she buried her face in the sheets beneath her. They smelled of sage, citrus, and earth. They smelled of Neji. She breathed the heady aroma in deeply, much like she had done the night before, and a flutter skipped in her chest, and a ripple of desire pricked at her core. She rolled over quickly back to her side of the bed and pulled the blankets over her head. Her face was heated now more fierce than ever, and her thighs squeezed tightly together as though she were trying to snuff out a candle between her knees and her hands squeezed tightly against the covers. Sakura let her mind wander again, and her body responded quickly to the thoughts that danced through her head and projected pictures against the screen of her mind's eye. Her breath quickened again, and her pulse matched the pace. Her mouth went dry, and she licked her lips with a sticky tongue, barely moistening them. Hands that had once desperately clung to cloth began to make their way, reluctantly at first and then urgently toward her silk covered breasts. She cupped them softly, imagining another's hands, his hands, moving over them masterfully. Her sensitive peaks throbbed against the fabric of her top, erect and needy. Her fingers, instruments of relief, frustratingly moved over her hardened pebbles, pink and flushed with the tingle of arousal. She gasped lightly and arched her back against her touch, taking in every sensation greedily. She began to run her hand, slowly, down the plane of her stomach and landing at the intersection of her thighs. Her eyes widened in surprise when she noticed the amount of heat and moisture she felt under her fingers. She heard a thud in the shower and a muffled string of obscenities. Her hands shot above the covers, clutching them tightly. She blinked hard and willed her feet and legs to hang off the side of the bed. She threw the blankets off and hissed at the sudden rush of cool air from the room that slid under the covers that she lifted. She shook off the chill and slid forward until her bare feet touched the rough carpet. She sighed, exasperated and embarrassed, and rubbed her eyes. I can't believe I was about to do that, with him in the other room. She shook her head incredulously and walked to her suitcase. She pulled out the necessities—shirt, bra, panties, pants, etc., and waited patiently on the end of the bed for Neji to finish his shower. She could still feel her blood pulsing through her body from her aroused state, however; she willed herself to calm down, breathe deeply, and break it down rationally.

Neji stood in the shower, facing the wall that lay flush against the bed in the adjacent room. His dreams had been feverish, forbidden, and completely satisfying the night before. He thought it a cheap trick that his mind played on him when he wanted so badly to not let his thoughts wander. Even now, separated by tile, sheetrock, and paint, the sleeping Sakura invaded his thoughts. The images from his dreams and the thought of the object of his desire sleeping in the other room caused his better judgement to fly out the window. He needed the barrier to be gone. He needed to see her, sleeping, peaceful, unaware.

"Byakugan" he whispered, and immediately his eyes began to pulse with chakra. The wall fell away, and he could see her chakra system clearly. The intricately woven system of energy pulsed with life. He saw the bluish strands of light in each of her extremities. He could make out her legs, and her arms. He saw the beautiful patterns pulse through her abdomen and chest. He felt like he was seeing her for the first time. He gasped as she shifted positions. He held his breath, hoping she was still asleep. She settled again, but her chakra began pulsing more powerfully and erratically. He watched as the blue light began to concentrate in her lower abdomen, and he heard a breathy mewl through the invisible wall. His eyes grew wide in realization. She was dreaming something that she liked very much. Neji smirked as he watched more intently now. Sakura's head rolled side to side, slowly, as even more chakra built up in her core, like a tightly coiled snake preparing to strike. Then a loud bell broke the sound of his breathing, and nearly sent him through the roof. He regained his composure as he watched the blue lighted Sakura move to silence the annoying clock, and rolled back over on her side of the bed after a long pause on his. He nearly fell when he saw her hands begin to wander over her body; slowly, deliberately they moved until they found the point of the coiled chakra. He disabled his ability and stepped backwards. His elbow swung to his side and caught the shampoo bottle, sending it slamming into his foot. "Shit!" he yelled out, and immediately grimaced at his sudden outburst. He bent down to rub his foot, throbbing from the impact of the half full bottle, and gingerly picked up the missile and placed it back on the small ledge. He closed his eyes and shook his head, cursing under his breath at his distasteful lapse of judgment, and twisted the shower knob to the cut off the flow of water. He stepped out of the shower, grabbed a towel, and finished his preparation for the day ahead, still unable to wipe the images of his partner from his mind.

Sakura laid there for a few moments, allowing her thoughts to gather, and began to rationalize her present state of arousal, and the guilt that followed. The dream had enhanced her senses above what would be called 'normal' and when she had awakened, with her senses still intensely pricked, her nose in his sheets sent her over the edge. It wasn't her fault she faltered, only her body's natural response. She knew all of this, and played the monologue over and over in her head on how it was just human nature, and she was doing nothing wrong. But a sense of embarrassment still resided in her mind, and she buried her face in the ball of clothes clutched in her arms. She whimpered softly in the cloth, and rocked back and forth unconsciously. Her insecureties and doubts flooded her head, and she felt lost; utterly and solitarily. Not necessarily did she feel doubt about the morning so far, but about her feelings all together; of Sasuke, of Neji, of the Konoha Hospital. Every stray thought racked her brain, and she fell backwards on the bed, clothes clutched to her breasts. She exhaled loudly, closed her eyes, and let herself fall deeper and deeper into the dark pool of her mind; much like a meditating monk, she remained absolutely still. She became completely unaware of anything outside of herself just as Neji opened the door.

Neji stepped through the doorway, gingerly, carefully, and quietly. Of course Sakura couldn't see him yet, but he definitely saw her, and he stared.

She looked like a doll, thrown carelessly on the edge of the bed by a selfish child. Legs dangled from the edge, and clothes were strewn across her chest beneath folded arms. He looked carefully, and he saw light dance at the corner of her eye. Was she crying? He felt the urge to rush to her side and comfort her, but the desire to observe her for a moment longer reigned at the moment. He watched the rhythmic ascent and descent of her chest, and a tiny streak shimmer down the side of her face. Her lips moved nearly unnoticeably, as though her mind was in another world, and her body lay unconsciously responding to her thoughts. He had enough of watching, he needed to be near her. He walked slowly toward the rag-doll Sakura, and now stood beside the bed, looming over her like a shade tree on a hot day. Sakura slowly opened her eyes, and gazed up into his, searching for something, it seemed. Her eyes glistened with new moisture, and they darted between both of Neji's eyes with a look that Neji couldn't quite define. Confusion, anxiety, fear? No, none of those. Her brow furrowed a bit, and she swallowed. She released the clothes at her bosom, and slowly began to reach a hand towards Neji's face, now bent forward observing her. His eyes focused on her hand and apprehension began to well up in his chest. Before he could pull away, or say anything, the knuckles of the back of her hand caressed a few strands of hair that had rebelliously fallen from behind his ear. At the feel of the strands on her skin, it was as if something snapped within her mind, and her eyes widened. She drew her hand back to her chest, and just as quickly drew in a hissing breath. Her face flooded with heat and blood, and she sat up hastily, and jumped off the end of the bed, muttered a quick apology and ran to the bathroom. She slammed the door.

Neji stood there with a gaping mouth. What just happened. Did I miss something. He shook his head and stood there for a few beats still dumbfounded. Does she know I was watching her? He clenched his teeth, and shook his head. There was no way she would know that he was watching her. Maybe she could have sensed the chakra usage, but he could have been looking around town as far as she would know. He settled on that reasoning, sighed, and walked over to the luggage and rummaged around his suit case for a suitable romp-around-town-like-a-tourist shirt. He found what he needed, a blue shirt with white and tan floral print all over. They were large flowers, and despite the cliché that all flowers are 'girly' this shirt exuded a bit of funloving cockiness that Neji thought would fit the role perfectly. He pulled a white ribbed tank over his head, and slid the silky shirt over his back and arms, leaving it unbuttoned. He looked in the mirror, his giveaway mark was covered well by the prosthetics he painstakingly reapplied this morning. He looked closer in the mirror, and gazed at the white eyes staring back at him. He felt a little uneasy about going out without some kind of eyewear, or something. Maybe Shizune packed something for him since she seemed to be so well prepared. How could she possibly overlook this detail? How could any of them for that matter? He was so used to it, having the pupil-less eyes inherited by all Hyuuga, that it didn't cross his mind at all that it would be a problem. Obviously it would be a problem here, and he began to feel panic slither up his spine. Of course he never panicked, never. He frowned, pursed his lips together, and swallowed the fear like he has done so many times before, making him look quite angry and sincerely unapproachable at the same time. Is that how I look when I am freaking out? Damn, I am scary. His eyes dropped to his thin line mouth, and his lips curled up slightly at the thought of everyone at home acting like he was some bastard all the time. So they think I am some unsympathetic prick who doesn't care about anything but himself, huh? What a shame, they don't know that I am scared shitless at that moment. He chuckled inwardly at the irony of it all. Is that what Sakura thinks? His countenance fell at the thought of his lovely partner thinking such nonsense about him. But he shook his head and realized that she showed no signs of irritation or discomfort thus far, and there isn't any reason why she should now. He recalled the receptionist and the young man who helped with their bags. They didn't seem to notice. But then with the face he made when he is nervous, it seems no one wanted to look him in the eyes. He recalled that they never did. Well, I need a nicer face to get people to talk to me if I'm going to get answers later, and I need not-white eyes so when they search my eyes, I can be confident. I sure as hell am not going to act like a blind man the whole time. The thought of a 'nicer' face made him feel a bit hypocritical. Being it was for the mission, the feeling fled as quickly as it came. Neji moved to kneel at his luggage and carefully began to feel around for anything that might have been something for his eyes. He resorted to pulling clothes out and spilling them on the floor. He was amazed, truly amazed, at how much Shizune really had packed in the meager case. He finally found something. It was a small package, much like a packet of sugar, but larger, and plastic. He felt it between his fingers, and pulled it out from the bottom of the bag. Once he fully set his eyes upon the square pack, and the raised circle at its center, he immediately gasped, quite loudly; so much that he shot his eyes toward the bathroom door and held his breath for fear of being discovered. He blushed madly and fervently set the package back underneath the sty that was now his suitcase. He hung his head and felt his pulse beating at his temples, in his chest, and in his fingertips resting lightly on the leather edge. He struggled to regain his composure, and with a final deep breath he dove back in to find a more appropriate form of protection; as in something to protect his identity. He felt a little irritated at Shizune's planning ahead and her inability to properly prioritize. Finally he found a zipper in the fabric of the case, and quickly unzipped the pocket, hesitatingly. He reached into the pocket and found a plastic bag, and an attached envelope that you would normally see on a gift plant. This he quickly opened and read its contents. It was a letter from Shizune.

I had almost forgot about your eyes, and you were already nearly at the gates when I realized… well in a nut shell I slipped this to your driver and had him hide it in your luggage, just for kicks.

Shizune

Neji frowned and grunted irritably. For kicks? He could imagine her sitting next to the Hokage, giggling like little girls at the image of him, panicking, which he never did; never.

Neji disdainfully tossed the letter and envelope aside, and reached for the small plastic bag. Upon opening the bag, he sighed relief and pulled out the small box. This has got to be it. He then proceeded to clumsily open the box, and pulled out a pair of sleek sunglasses. Sunglasses?! Still clutching the eyewear in his fist, he raised both hands to his head and raked angrily across his scalp.

"Ahh!" he growled, and reared his hand back to throw the contraptions across the room, and thought better of it being that it was his only option as of now. Shit. He didn't like the thought of having to hide behind lenses everytime he went out, but knew he had no choice. Blind man it is, dammit. Now he could see Hokage and apprentice snickering in delight at this new development. He obviously couldn't rely on them solely as sun protection. How would he explain wearing them at night? He went through different scenarios in his head trying to rationalize why he didn't have to wear them constantly. But he fell short on excuses, sighed, and tried them on for size. The room suddenly went darker, and tinted slightly green. He stood and moved toward the mirror, admiring how they didn't look half bad. The lenses curved slightly upward at the outer edges and the stem from earhook to frame was thick and gave the illusion of wrapping around his head, completely covering his temples. Nice. Neji began to think a little more clearly, and decided that glasses were the better choice for the mission, regardless of what they did for his ego, or rather didn't do. He could easily use Byakugan and not freak anyone out by bulging veins and pulsing eyes. He thought about using his special abilities in public places and in crowds. He imagined the bustling people bumping shoulder to shoulder, exchanging smiles and sometimes scowls, and couples holding hands or walking arm in arm. He knew that Kabuto was among the plethora of warm bodies and most likely he would be incognito. The last thing Neji needed was a cornered medic nin spying him from across a cobblestone way while activating his not-so-subtle ability. He was going to have to be careful. Very careful. The glasses would help, tremendously. He hoped that was all he had to worry about, but somewhere deep in his gut he worried. Ah! But who would suspect a helpless blind man? A blind man led by the hand by his lovely pink haired wife. Neji smirked at the thought of having to say that loud enough for people to hear.

"Wife," he said just above a whisper. He felt a tingle in his cheeks and didn't have to see a mirror to know that his face was a shade redder. This frustrated him. If he was to undergo the scrutiny of the general public, he needed to pull off the role of blind husband without having to act like a prepubescent teen who just heard someone say sex out loud. He needed to focus. He needed to center himself.

Neji flew to the window and threw the curtains open and swung open the shutters, letting the morning light free to enter the room where he stood. He dropped to his knees and assumed a proper kneeling position taught to him by his uncle. He closed his eyes, only seeing flecks of orange and pink against the blackness of his lids with every shimmer of the dew damp leaves across the way. He laid his hands, palm down, atop his thigh—barely grazing his knee with his long fingers. He inhaled the warm air rushing in to meet him. He exhaled slowly, allowing his entire body to feel the emptiness of his lungs. Air once again rushed heavily through his throat, and into the hollow of his heaving chest. The peace, with every controlled breath, that trickled into his consciousness, first by tiny drops—cooling his flustered inner self, then slowly increasing its pace to a drizzle, felt like a powerful, soothing attar to his soul. He was aware of everything around him, and everything within him. He sensed the way his breath reverberated off the walls with a hollow timbre, and off the carpet and bed like wind through a chick's downy fluff. He could hear the steady, strong, powerful rhythm of his own heart. Each thump and thrum sending oxygenated peace to every cell of his body, relaxing him steadily but slowly. He pulled his shoulders back and expanded his chest to take another draught of the cleansing air, allowing his lungs to sting from the overextension. He held it, drinking in the sensation of the now numbing pain. Slowly; deliberately he exhaled. Too slowly, in fact; any ordinary, untrained eye could barely see the progression of such a stretched form return to its normal shape. My how his lungs screamed for quick release—ached, begged, writhed. But his heart maintained its hoof-beat rhythm, like warhorses beating out the thick loam of the battlefield beneath them; controlled by the will of another. He listened intently to the beat, letting it be the only sensation he allowed himself the luxury of experiencing. The screaming lungs, the diamond shards of light against his closed eyes, the feel and sound of the room around him—all irrevocably absorbed into the one vital sensation. He withdrew himself completely from any extrinsic awareness; all that existed now was the very first sign of life he ever experienced: pulse; life sustaining pulse.

All anxiety, fear, and stress fell away from him like shackles. The simplicity and insurmountable power of a function most take for granted converted Neji into liquid serenity, rather than the jumbled maze of nerves he had carelessly allowed himself to morph into these past couple of days.

Like a hypnotist's snap, Sakura's presence in the room pulled him from his purchase on stillness, and he sighed in resignation.

"You ok?" Sakura prodded, barely above a whisper. She wore a concerned look on her face.

Neji nodded a reply, effortlessly lifted himself off the floor, and silently walked past her at a brisk pace. Her eyes followed him intently; guardedly, but completely in control of her thoughts—much to her delight.

An unbearably hot shower always provided her the tranquility she required at the end of a day, and it did wonders for her now. The boiling heat and the billowing steam, therapeutic sedations, hushed her errant thoughts and reigned in her emotional wanderlust. Sakura couldn't quite put a finger on exactly what it was about burning heat rushing over the surface of her skin that calmed everything else; she was thankful regardless. The voice of searing heat drowned out the voice of indiscretion. She could still feel the heat from her extended shower emanating from her silk skin, but the close proximity of Neji's hurried pass caused tiny air currents to swirl over her exposed areas; cooling her to a faint shiver—a response she let go unnoticed.

"Found something." Neji stated not looking up from the dark contraption he held in his steady hands.

Sakura shifted her weight slightly and unconsciously cocked her head to one side effecting curiosity.

Neji turned his back to Sakura and began to fidget. He put the contraptions to his face and adjusted them to fit properly. Sakura waited impatiently, lightly tapping her foot in anticipation.

"Don't laugh, but this is all I have for now. Just…don't…laugh." Neji affected.

Neji turned around, facing Sakura fully and sighed. Sakura's eyes went wide, and a Cheshire grin splayed across her steam heated face.

"Wow." She breathed. "I like them. They look really good on you. Where'd you get them?"

"Just something I found in the luggage, after much searching." Neji nodded to the mess he had left from the scavenger hunt Shizune had sent him on. Neji continued, "well, I realized that your pink hair could be passed off as a great dye job, while my eyes can only be categorized as two things: Hyuuga or blind. Being that I am not blind, the only obvioius answer would be Hyuuga. But I understand that not many people know who we are, but the ones that count, such as our elusive Kabuto, would recognize me at once. So," Neji held up the sunglasses in his hand, "these are the best Shizune could come up with, and I will have to act blind." He said this with a slight pout, and it made the corners of Sakura's mouth turn up slightly.

Sakura placed a delicate finger on her bottom lip in contemplation.

"What are you thinking?" Neji asked.

"I might be able to help you out dear." She said emphasizing the last word.

Neji raised his eyebrows in impatient curiosity at her playful look.

"And how is that?" Neji said, unconsciously twirling the glasses around his index finger.

"Do you remember when I had to go incognito over to Kakashi's place for a mock mission for the Hokage? The one where I had to stealthfully sneak out his Juunin vest?" Sakura didn't wait for Neji's answering nod.

"Well, not only did I have to disguise my smell, but also my look—just in case he got a glimpse of me. I used my medical abilities to change, temporarily, the pigmentation in my eyes to turn them from green to brown. It's a very tricky procedure, and I've never tried it on anyone but myself, but if you are willing I can see what I can do to add some color to yours." She smiled in triumph.

"I don't know" Neji began, "Will it affect my ability? Or will it make me blind, for real?" Neji worried his bottom lip.

"There is a small chance that you could feel some pain but definitely not chance of blindness. The only pain would be temporary, being that I am not touching the nerves, just the pigmentation of the irises, or in your case, the lack thereof. It would be much like a tan, but instead of the skin, it's the eyes." She kept her smile, relishing in her spectacular abilities being of use in this mission.

Neji considered the option, and felt that it would bemuse him to see his eyes in a different shade, if not color. "Hmm, I'm still unconvinced." He mumbled.

Sakura gave an exasperated sigh. "You want me to do it to myself first so you can see there isn't any danger, only a chance that it wouldn't work. What's the problem. Don't you trust your partner?" She asked, with a tilt of her head forward, and the widest puppy-dog eyes.

"Don't look at me that way?" He said with a scrunch of the skin of his brow.

"Well?" she began, "do you?"

Neji nodded in resignation, and spoke softly. "Be gentle, I pride in my eyes."

"Gentle as a dove, darling." She replied.

Sakura walked over to the bed and quickly smoothed the bedclothes so that Neji could lie comfortable atop the soft platform. She motioned for him to follow, and reluctantly, he moved toward her direction.

"Lie down, face up." She instructed.

Neji knelt on the edge of the bed and slowly rested horizontally across the bed, head comfortably nestled in a pillow. He could not relax. He stiffened, like a wooden plank, and balled his hands in tight fists.

"Relax," Sakura breathed, "No need to worry."

"I can't." Neji growled through clenched teeth.

"You asked for it." Sakura sighed through a half smile.

Neji's eyes went wide as sakura lifted a leg over his torso and straddled him setting her weight on his stomach. He felt hot under her warm body and the heat flooded through his entire body, collecting in his face. He looked away not wanting her to see his slight flush.

Sakura grabbed his wrists, seeming not to notice his coy behavior, and lifted them above his head. Neji complied, wordless, at her smooth movements. She reached down to where her thighs were and lifted the hem of his tank, and with a liquid movement pulled it from under his weight, slid it up his body and over his head, removing it and it's overshirt counterpart completely. Neji's chest heaved in heavy breathing and pounding pulse.

"Sakura, wait" Neji began.

Sakura breathily shushed him and placed a warm finger to his pink lips with a gentle shake of her head and a sly smile. "Trust me" she whispered, letting her finger linger on his parted lips longer than needed.

Sakura looked down the length of his torso and took in the beautiful landscape of every plane and dip of his well defined chest and torso. She stifled a shudder, and focused again on his face. A face that looked into her own with a look of bewilderment and expectation. She placed her open hands, palms flat, over his chest and concentrated closing her eyes.

She collected warm green chakra in her palms and fingertips, and pressed her hands firmly into his muscles.

The heat was excruciatingly inviting, and Neji wanted to lean into her hands to feel the comforting flow more fully. But he couldn't move. He had no control of his motor functions, and a slight panic began to race through his mind. "shhh" Sakura whispered again, pressing deeper, and spreading her fingers wider, sending the heat further through his trunk and into his back and neck. The chakra wove through every muscle fiber, like a thread, created a tapestry of heat and relaxation.

Neji's panic abated as he felt the tension in his back and chest flow out of him like a bucket too full of water. He sighed, and as he exhaled he felt his entire body fall into a deep uselessness, as though it was asleep while he was yet fully aware. "That's it" Sakura encouraged, "Let it go."

She lessened the pressure and amount of chakra being administered and removed her hands completely from his skin. She rubbed her fingers together in preparation of her next procedure, and moved slowly to his face.

Neji, at this point, was unable to move, but he was so relaxed now that he really didn't care. He was totally at ease now, and she could pull out a kunai and aim it at his heart and it wouldn't phase him in the slightest.

Sakura placed her hands in his hair, and raked them gently across his scalp allowing his strands to carress her fingers and between them as she brushed the chocolate locks away from his face. She pressed her fingers beneath his eyes, triggereing his tear ducts, causing them to secrete saline. His eyes maintained a constant glisten with moisture rich protectant necessary for the impending procedure. He eyes remained open, so relaxed and moistened that there wasn't a need to blink. She then cupped the sides of his head in her hands, her thumbs hovering over his wide eyes. She concentrated chakra again into her thumb pads and narrowed the distance between them and his irises.

The heat on Neji's eyes was nearly unbearable, but in his relaxed state, he couldn't bring himself to be anything but at peace and complete putty in her hands. He was thankful for the moisture continually flowing over his hot eyes cooling where the chakra heat had evaporated the pool previously collected there. The urge to blink was replaced by a spurt of fluid again and again.

Sakura's lips pursed, and her brow furrowed in intense consentration as her chakra flowed without break or fluctuation. She remained that way for what seemed like ages, but lasted only a few moments. She slowly decreased the flow, as she lifted her thumbs away, at a snail's pace. She moved her thumbs below his eyes again, and gave a quick shot of chakra again to return his tear ducts to normal operation once more. She looked into his eyes, and smiled enthusiastically at her handiwork.

Neji watched her expressions, and could only guess by the expressions flitting across her countenance that there was some measure of success in the procedure. Relaxation slowly began to morph into excitement, and though his body was reluctant to move—at his command he forced it into submission and brought his hands to his eyes, feeling for any damage. There was none, and he sighed in relief.

He blinked a few times, residual moisture rolling over the lip of his closed eyelids, and felt the sandpapery discomfort.

"It's going to be uncomfortable for about twenty minutes, but eventually you'll forget you even had anything done. So don't jump when you look in the mirror. That would make you look crazy." Sakura explained with a light giggle, shaking her body still straddling him.

Neji looked down at her clothed legs and back up to her awaiting gaze.

"I would say it is a success, but I'll let you be the judge of that." She smiled in reply to his questioning look, and she lifted herself from her position, kneeling beside him.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Go see, go see." She said excitedly.

Neji swung his legs over the edge of the bed, and with a grunt pushed his weight onto his legs. He faltered a bit under the strain, and drunkenly staggered to the bathroom. He felt along the wall, maintaining his balance as he flicked on the light, and found himself centered at the sink, facing the mirror. Sakura had followed him, and stood a good couple of paces behind him, anticipating his reaction.

"Open your eyes, silly" Sakura urged.

Neji complied, slowly, not sure what to expect. He pried his eyes open, millimeter by millimeter until they were staring back at him.

"Oh my god, Sakura, how did you…" Neji began, touching the skin below his eyes, as though he couldn't take in the unbelievable sight without an affirming feel.

Sakura leaned against the wall opposite the gaping Neji. Arms crossed and mouth set in a confident smile, she watched as he stared in disbelief. She could hardly believe it worked so well herself. Sure, she had success before, but that was with her own eyes, and she had color to work with. Neji had zero pigment in his eyes, and she was not fully confident it would work. Obviously it did, otherwise the normally stoic Neji wouldn't be so out of character at the moment.

Sakura walked toward the preoccupied man before her and placed a hand, gently, on his shoulder. She squeezed and pulled down slightly and toward her so that he would turn around. Someone had to distract him from his stupor.

"I take it that you like the results." She giggled as Neji reluctantly tore his eyes away from his reflection to look at her. She looked back into his now tawny eyes. They were still slightly red around the edges from the irritation, but full of life and absolutely beautiful. She thought his milk white eyes were bottomless, but the burnt gold irises held her gaze unlike any other's eyes could. She had been afraid that it would accentuate the lack of a pupil, but the pigment spread over the entire iris-pupil area and the color deepened at the center, creating an illusion of pupils. It was truly an amazing sight, and she had created it.

"I…uh…" Neji tried to speak, but resigned to just nodding his head.

Sakura, still lost in his eyes, smiled weakly and attempted to put some space between them. She stepped backwards and caught her heel on the bathroom rug, tumbling backwards. She winced and braced herself for a rough landing but gasped in surprise as two warm arms wrapped themselves around her and pulled her upright.

She opened her eyes and tawny eyes were inches from her emeralds. She felt his light warm breath on her face, and it smelled of vanilla and mint. Her heart raced within her, and her eyes couldn't look away. Her arms, pinned to her sides by Neji's firm hold on her body, felt like useless strands of twine—unable to move. She didn't want to move. She wanted to lay her face against his chest and breathe in his scent and soak up his warmth. She had never felt so safe, and she didn't want to be let go. She didn't want to be let down, not again.

Neji stared into her green eyes, wide and bewildered. He acted out of instinct when she fell backwards, and, at the moment, he was glad he did. He held her tightly, not wanting to let her go. He felt her heat against his arms and pulled her tightly against his chest. She felt so limp in his grip that he was afraid that if he did let her go, she would fall into a puddle on the ground. This powerful ninja, this talented ninja; how did she appear to be so frail? How did she affect him so powerfully? These were questions he could not answer himself, and just let himself fall into her. He pulled her fully against him, and she buried her face into his bare chest, and inhaled deeply. She hummed as she exhaled and he could feel the vibrations against the hollow of his ribcage. Shivers, tiny shivers, wormed their way up the backs of his legs and arms settling in his spine. Sakura laid her full weight into him, and rested her ear flush against his racing heartbeat.

"Don't let me go." Sakura mumbled as she closed her eyes and focused on Neji's steady beating heart. She heard his heart burst into a rhythmic drumming on her ear as she said this, and his arms constricted tighter around her, nearly crushing her. She exhaled against his warm skin and closed her eyes, soaking in the safety. The safety she craved from another. The safety he refused to give, instead desired the companionship of revenge. She remembered the tears of that night he left her; alone and cold, in order to pursue a dream, a nightmare. She inhaled the comfort of the arms around her now, and choked back the tears, a futile attempt. The tears spilled out of her tightly squeezed eyelids and fell like broken glass against the heaving chest beneath her hot cheek.

"I won't. I promise that I won't until you ask me to." Neji's face was now buried in Sakura's still damp locks as he spoke those words. The feeling of her hair against his face, the warmth of her scalp, and the smell of the rich vanilla mingled with the lingering scent of lavender relaxed his hold a bit and she shifted against him more fully. Her head pressed deeper into his chest, and her hands slipped from under his clutch and she rested her palms against his stomach. The pressure she placed against him nearly sent him backwards. He was thankful that the sink and counter were there behind him to support his weight as he supported hers. Her hands scorched his skin, leaving him feeling the heat clear through his core to his back. He looked down and saw the green light emanating from them, and he scrunched his brow wondering why she would feel the need to administer medical jutsu at that moment.

Sakura heard Neji's promise, and felt his hot breath against her scalp. She pushed harder into his chest, not wanting the moment to end, and she felt him shift backwards and his grip loosen. She took the chance and placed her hands against his stomach. She nearly gasped when she felt the scar. The battle with that sound ninja that left Neji writhing nearly three years ago; she wasn't as talented then and the wound left scarring. She placed her hands on the scar and focused all her concentration on the rough tissue, searching for any lingering pain. She found no internal damage, and inwardly thanked herself for being good enough to at least leave him in working order back then. She also found confused eyes looking down at her when she chose to look up from her concentration. Beautiful, searching, and bewildered eyes stared deep into her soul. She knew why they were questioning her, but she could feel so many deeper, underlying questions bleeding through the surface.

"I'm sorry I couldn't make the scar go away. I just wasn't ready to fully heal you when you came to me those years ago." Sakura explained, locked in his gaze.

Neji's eyes softened, and creased slightly with a barely recognizable smile.

"Oh, that? It doesn't even hurt." He nonchalantly brushed the subject away. Then recognition hit him like a ton of bricks.

"Wait, it was you that patched me up that day I nearly died?" He asked, his eyes once soft now wide and searching again.

Sakura nodded.

"When they told me that it was you who had been there to help with the process, I only guessed that you were there just handing tools and fetching water and…" he didn't finish, but instead he pushed her weight away from his body. He grabbed her shoulders and turned her around to face the mirror, and he stood behind her facing the same mirror. He gazed at her reflection, and her reflection gazed at his. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and rested his chin on her head. His golden eyes locked with her green and he spoke, barely above a breathy whisper.

"Thank you."

Sakura's eyes widened in shock. The way that Neji had spoken those words, those two words…

Sakura had heard those words so many times working at the hospital and she always replied with a simple nod or a heartfelt you're welcome. But there was only one time that the words were spoken that left her feeling empty. Those words meant good-bye and I don't ever want to see you again when they were spoken by…him. Now; now they were spoken to her by someone who made her feel so safe and warm and full. Now those words were spoken; instead of feeling empty and afraid, she felt grateful and appreciated and not alone.

She stared into Neji's eyes, and began to cry all over again.

Neji moved one of his encircling arms and rested his hand on her wet cheek, and brushed away a rolling tear from her chin before it fell. He watched as the wounded kunoichi leaned back into his torso and rolled her head onto his open palm. Her sobs had quelled to mere sniffles now, and she breathed more evenly into his tear soaked hand. Her hand covered the back of his and held it to her face. She pressed it firmly against her heated cheek and inhaled deeply only to let out a massive sigh. He could hear the relief in her release, and it irked him to no end that she had been so constricted up to this point. She had been in so much pain. He hated that Sasuke even more now, seeing the effects of his immaturity and selfishness on his cherry blossom, on his partner. He hated him already for creating such havoc among the teams and panic in the city at his sudden abandonment. Because of that bastard, he was part of a rescue mission with a team that suffered at the hands of rogue ninjas that Sasuke entered allegiance with willingly. Now, his partner, his sweet vanilla and lavender scented Sakura, his tear soaked and frail cherry blossom was falling apart at the mere memory of his betrayal. He would never forgive him. He would never forgive him for hurting his friends and his city. He was glad that he was chosen for this mission, now more than ever. He had a chance to chase after a man who was pivotal to Sasuke's treason. He would exact justice, and he would make Sakura a part of it instead of alienating her for the sake of it. He wouldn't hurt her like that idiot did. He swore to himself at that moment—where two bodies stood gazing at their reflections, basking in comfort, solace, and concideration—that he would never leave her bereft of safety and acceptance. From that point on, he would be her partner—on and off of the mission field. She gained a lifelong guard and confidant, and she didn't even realize it yet. He looked back at the reflection and his eyes fell upon questioning teary eyes.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked.

"I am trying to rationalize how anyone could treat you so poorly." Neji replied, turning her around again to face him.

He embraced her in a heartfelt hug, and this time she returned the motion. She wrapped her arms around his muscular torso and squeezed so that her body molded against his. He gave one final reassuring squeeze and pushed her away gently. He looked into her eyes and spoke firmly and gently.

"We need to complete our mission, and we can't as long as we are standing in this bathroom." He brushed a few strands of rebellious hair away from her disappointed eyes. Her pout was adorable, and he wanted to touch the bottom lip she was now worrying with her teeth. Instead he turned away, grabbed her hand and walked her back to the bedroom. She followed reluctantly at first, but eventually she let go of his light grip and took the hint.

"Indeed. We have a ninja to spy on and we can't as long as we're holed up in here, lovely as it may be." She spoke with a sigh and a squaring of her shoulders.

She glanced at the clock, and she was amazed that three hours had passed since her rude awakening that morning.

At that, they both busied themselves with accessorizing and make-up and scrutinizing themselves in the mirror.

Neji re-clothed himself with his tank and floral print shirt. He slicked his hair back into a low pony-tail and put on his fashionable sunglasses. His jeans and sandals (which he had found only moments ago while trying to tidy up the mess he made of his suitcase) looked surprisingly convincing. He looked like a tourist, and he had Shizune and Sakura to thank for it. He smiled, faintly, and Sakura caught it.

"You like it don't you?" Sakura asked, but made it sound more like a statement of fact rather than an inquiry.

Neji didn't reply, but merely cleared his throat and managed a characteristic smirk in her direction.

"Well, I like it." She stated, and moved beside him to do a last minute assessment of herself in the mirror he was using.

She brushed the fabric of her bright green sleeveless shirt smooth against her stomach, and made sure the tail of it lay properly against the seat of her khaki capris. She shook her head lightly to make sure her hair wouldn't fall out of its messy bun of pink curls. Satisfied that her tresses were locked into place, and her garb and make-up were up to par, she walked away from the mirror, and smiled that she her sandals matched Neji's. She had rummaged in her luggage once she saw that Neji had found some in hopes of finding her own pair. Obviously she found a pair, and it thrilled her that she wouldn't have to endure any more pain from those evil stilettos. As a finishing touch, she placed the gold and diamond ring on her left hand and tucked a fake I.D. and a credit card in her back pocket.

Neji watched as Sakura made her last few preparations and a lump rose in his throat as he placed the gold band on his left hand after being reminded to do so by watching her do it. He shoved a wallet containing his I.D., credit cards, beautiful photographs of Sakura and some loose cash into his back pocket. He cracked his neck by tilting his head to one side swiftly, he shook the anticipation off through his hands, and walked over to the prepared kunoichi and grabbed her hand.

"Are you ready?" he asked as they stood in front of the door, key in hand.

Sakura nodded, and both ninjas, now husband and wife to the outside world, walked through the doors and into the hallway.