A/N: I don't own! But I wish I did!

CH. 9: Operatives

Gaara held her as the sand disappeared and they were on the roof of the academy. She rubbed her face into his shoulder, and heard him chuckle. She looked up at him as he stared down at her.

"I don't know what it is about you, Sakura, but since I met you, Shukaku has been unusually silent. He has not pestered me or tormented me like he normally would." Gaara whispered, knowing this was unusual behavior for himself, but he couldn't seem to grasp the icy indifference he felt around everyone else in her presence.

"So…you're saying that I rattle you, is that it, Gaara-kun?" she purred, smoothing out the folds that were on his shoulders. She could feel him tense ever so slightly, preparing for an attack. She wondered what had made him this jumpy.

"I have never been this open with anyone in my life, Sakura-chan." He tacked on the suffix to see if she would notice. She did. She smiled like the Cheshire cat.

"Do you like the feelings that I stir inside you?" she asked, pressing ever closer to him. She could feel his temperature rising and could sense his emotions becoming fuddled the closer she pressed to him. She just smiled even bigger.

"I'm not certain that me feeling this way is entirely safe for you, Sakura-chan. Shukaku is a creature of immense lust. Should he get the notion, he could use these unfamiliar emotions I am feeling against me and make me hurt you. I don't want that." he husked, not recognizing his own voice. He could not think straight with her this close to him.

"You can't hurt me Gaara. The sooner you learn that, the better." she whispered and closed the distance between their faces. She touched his lips with hers tentatively, testing his reaction.

Gaara froze as he felt her silky lips caress his. He had never allowed a woman this close to him, but somehow Sakura broke through all his defenses.

Sakura slid her hands up his shoulders and around his neck, still brushing her soft lips against his. She pressed closer to him with her body, then took his mouth is a gentle kiss. Gaara stared at her, wide eyed for a moment, then crushed her to him.

He pressed her head closer to his, kissing her voraciously. Every inch of their bodies was pressed tightly together, and their eyes were now shut. Sakura moaned and it sent Gaara's head spiraling.

He tugged on her bottom lip, then licked it to soothe the small bite. She opened her mouth to him and he dove in gleefully. Their kiss became more intense, each trying to dominate the other. When they finally, reluctantly, pulled apart, they could feel their lungs burning for air.

Gaara stared down at her, his normally frigid jade eyes burning with desire. Sparkling emerald stared back at him, glazed with desire and shining with trust. Gaara leaned his forehead against hers and just took deep breaths. Sakura followed his example and took deep breaths as well.

"Gaara…" she whispered, closing her eyes. He grunted, acknowledging he had heard her. "What was it you wanted to talk to me about?" she said, then chuckled when he arched the skin where an eyebrow should have been.

"Uhm…I honestly don't remember. Give me a second to recover, onna." he said the word teasingly, seeing mischief dance in her eyes. She noticed he was fighting a smile, and was barely winning.

"Well, do you want to come over for dinner tonight, with your siblings of course? I won't leave them out when it comes to my cooking." she giggled at the scowl that covered his face then.

"And just why would I bring those two to dinner with me when I could have you all to myself?" he said, a haughty look crossing his face. Sakura outright laughed at him.

"Because if you don't, they will just follow you over there and it will erupt into a huge mess that will end up with them eating with us anyway. Besides, I plan on inviting Naruto and Hinata as well. Dinner will be right after school. I have a race tonight, remember?" She gave him a wicked smiled and dug her hands into his thick red locks.

"Mmmmm…I love your hair. It's softer than it looks. You don't let anyone touch it, do you?" she asked, tugging on it lightly. She felt pleasure shoot through him at the act, and proceeded to do it again. He groaned and dipped his head to kiss her on the neck.

"You keep that up, onna, and I will fuck you right here, right now, even with the little spy hiding in the stairwell." he growled, nuzzling her neck. Sakura chuckled.

"Think we gave her enough of a show?" she purred, confirming his suspicions that she'd known the girl was there the whole time.

"Undoubtedly. She's probably ten shades of red by now and barely hanging on to consciousness." he whispered and licked her neck. She chuckled and released his hair. She stepped away from him and looked over at the door that led back down to the school.

"You can come out now Tenten. Don't worry, neither of us are angry with you, just a little embarrassed at being caught." there was a light blush staining her delicate face. Gaara smirked smugly, knowing he was the reason it was there.

The girl with twin buns atop her head slowly opened the door, not able to meet either one's gaze. Gaara had been right; she was blushing so badly Sakura feared she could pass out.

"I…I'm sorry that I spied, but…I was just wondering…what it was you did to Sasuke in the classroom today. I saw you grasp his head, then the next thing I know, he's disappeared and you were in your seat." she said quietly, much to the dismay of Sakura.

"You…you REMEMBER!? How is that possible…only people connected to me are immune to my memory jutsu…" she trailed off, eyeing the girl warily. She scrutinized the girl until the poor brunette shift uncomfortably. Sakura held out her hand.

"Would you allow me to try and find out how you will be connected to me? If it is bad, I would like to be able to save you from an ill fate." she said her eyes gentle and her tone soothing. Tenten hesitated, but then put her hand in Sakura's. Sakura's emerald eyes flashed silver and started glowing. Tenten gulped and stared.

Sakura chuckled and released the frightened girl. "Don't worry Tenten, there is no danger in your future. I would, however, like for you to join us for dinner at my house. Seems that you are destined to become part of our little anti-prick group." Sakura chuckled at the wide eyed brunette.

"You better believe I'll join that group. This place is full of people willing to take advantage of you first chance they get." Tenten shook Sakura's hand and smiled, for the first time since Sakura had met her.

"Well, ladies, I hate to break this up, but we have a class to attend, and I don't mean Kakashi's." Gaara's stoic façade was back, making both girls laugh. Tenten knew that it was a front, and that the jade eyed bad boy had a soft spot for the emerald eyed heiress.

"I…before we go…I would like to tell you something I have never told anyone after my grandmother died." Tenten looked away sadly, the memory of her grandmother hurting slightly. Sakura hugged the girl and whispered to her gently. Gaara watched the exchange with a growing respect for his woman.

"You don't have to tell us right now if the memory hurts you Ten-chan." Sakura whispered soothingly. Tenten gulped and squared her shoulders.

"If I don't tell you now, I may never find the courage again." she took a deep breath and sighed. "I…I have this…ability. I don't know where or how I came by it, but I seem to be able to control various types of weapons, without ever touching them. They just…respond to me. I know it's freaky, but I just wanted you to know…so, you know…" Sakura cut her off with a chuckle and a hand on her shoulder.

"Ever think about going into law enforcement? I could use someone like you on my PI team. I get so tired of being shot at." Sakura smiled, as if this unusual ability was not freaky or scary. Tenten gawked for a second, and then she beamed.

"THANK YOU!" she choked out, throwing her arms around Sakura, who continued to chuckle, then started rubbing the girl's back when she started sobbing.

"I'm serious about the law enforcement deal. I could really use someone with your skills on my PI team. As of right now, it's just me and a couple of friends from Kagure with some rather…unusual…abilities." she chuckled as she thought of her team. Gaara saw her looking at him from the corner of her eye and blushed, ever so lightly, when she winked at him.

"So…you need a ride to my place after school? Like I said, dinner will be around five so that I can make my race against Uchiha." she growled his name, her nose scrunched like she'd just come across a foul odor.

"Yeah…I'm going to need a ride. I usually take a bus from the boarding house I live at. The school gave me a scholarship that helps me pay to stay there, since I have no where else to go." Tenten's smile was strained, like she wasn't confessing to being lonely.

"Well, why don't you just move in with me? I could use some help for when I take Ino home. Besides, it would be nice to have some more people in the house that I can cook for on a regular basis." Sakura smiled, then outright laughed at the shocked expression on Tenten's face.

"Are…are you serious? You…wouldn't mind me living with you?" she asked carefully, hoping her ears hadn't deceived her.

"Why not? You shouldn't pay to live in a crappy boarding house when your new employer has a huge house in a nice neighborhood. Besides, I have like five bedrooms that need loving owners. You and Ino wouldn't be any trouble at all. Everything is paid for because of my inheritance money and the utilities bill isn't that high." She smiled at the girl again and looked back at Gaara.

"Besides…someone has to make sure that a certain red head isn't sneaking into my bedroom at night and ravishing me in my sleep." she winked at Gaara again, who blushed a dark crimson this time. He crossed his arms over his chest and scowled, glaring at something to his left.

"I don't make a habit of ravishing people, onna. You're the one that teased me. I was just responding to your invitation." he said, still not looking at her. He felt a gentle touch on his face and looked back at her, only to find her on her tip toes, smiling at him. she caressed his face with her soft hand and ran her forefinger over his lips.

She felt him shiver with desire and she chuckled. "If I send you any type of invitation, it won't be for a simple kiss, panda-chan." she whispered in his ear, making his eyes go wide and his blood rush to his 'little Gaara'. She gave him a Cheshire smile, and walked back over to Tenten, who was blushing lightly again at their display.

Gaara recovered as she was walking away and mock glared at her. "Panda-chan?" he asked his voice low and husky. He tried to sound threatening, like he would with anyone else if they dared to give him such a nickname.

"Yes…You look like a cute, cuddly panda. I just LOVE pandas. I especially like stroking the soft fur on their tummies." she said, her eyes twinkling. She looked back at Tenten as Gaara choked and his nose started bleeding ever so slightly. He disappeared with a whirl of sand, leaving the two women to walk to class alone.

Tenten laughed softly, looking at Sakura. "You surely got him in a tizzy. I've never seen Sabaku-san act this way. He's so cold to everyone, even with his siblings and his friends. With you, it's like he's a whole different person." Tenten was truly happy for the red head, who had been miserable the last three to four years she had been in his acquaintance.

Tenten and Sakura were heading down the stairs when Sakura tensed and held her hand out, stopping Tenten from advancing. "What's wrong Sakura-san?" she asked quietly, her body tensed and ready for action.

"Don't…move." She whispered as she moved herself closer to Tenten. Sakura acted, fast as lightening, grabbing Tenten and disappearing in a burst of cherry blossoms, as bullets embedded themselves in the wall where the two girls had previously been standing.

Tenten cried out as she was spilled onto the floor, Sakura kneeling beside her, in the Godaime's office. Tsunade saw the two girls and arched a brow in question. "Nee-san…we have trouble. There is an assassin on the school grounds. He just tried to kill Tenten and myself. If I hadn't felt his malicious glee and the thought of killing, we both would be dead." Sakura hissed, looking at her shoulder where one of the bullets had 'grazed' her.

In truth, the bullet had been aimed at Tenten's heart, but when Sakura grabbed her, the bullet had shattered, giving her what appeared to be a graze. Tsunade used their mental link to pick that fact out of her mind.

"That is no simple graze, joji. The bullet that did that would have killed Tenten had our unusual heritage not blocked it." Tsunade glared at her younger sister, who just looked away when Tenten looked at her, shocked.

"What can I say; I'm build like a tank. Literally…" she mumbled the last part, but Tenten caught it. She stepped closer to Sakura and put her hand to the shorter girl's forehead. Sakura gasped as she felt the blue diamond shaped crystal emerge on her forehead. Tsunade's did as well.

"I can't believe you've been right under their noses and they didn't even realize it…" Tenten laughed once, mirthlessly. She gave Sakura a sad look, then removed her hand.

"You are the child that my grandmother told me about. She had a vision that a child from another world would come and change the future of this one." Tenten sat down heavily in the chair, motioning Sakura to sit in the one next to her.

"There are several clans in this country that would like to control all the neighboring countries, as well as this one. They have named themselves the 'Shadow Council'. My parents, and my grandparents, were working for Hatori Hetoshi to discover the identity of the key members of this council. My parents and my grandfather were murdered one night during a steak out. My grandmother was murdered last year, when they tracked her down…using me." Tenten looked away as tears gathered in her eyes. Sakura held her hand and smiled at her.

"You don't need to say anything. It's probably best if I use my own methods to get the story." she smiled reassuringly, then leaned in and put her forehead against Tenten's, her crystal glowing warmly. Tenten relaxed and closed her eyes. When she felt Sakura move again, the girl's normally emerald eyes were a fetching sterling color.

"So…you've been moving around for the last year to try and elude the same council that had your family murdered?" Sakura asked, remembering all the things that had been running through Tenten's head. Tenten nodded and looked away.

"You are now under my protection Tenten. Everyone that works for me is under my protection. I will call one of my operatives to escort you until you are able to move in with me. Nee-san…I need you to give Tenten permission to leave school so that she can pack up her belongings and have them taken to this address." Sakura took a pen and paper and wrote down the address. Tsunade nodded in understanding and went about making it happen.

Meanwhile, Sakura closed her eyes and began speaking. "Neji…I need you to come to me immediately. We have a new operative…and I got shot at again." she added, with a smirk. A sudden burst of smoke appeared in front of Sakura and a young man with long chocolate hair and unusual pale lavender eyes stepped forward quickly, looking her over.

"Dammit, Hatori-sama, your Ji-chan would kill me if he knew you weren't being protected the way he wanted. As it is, I have the others bitching at me day in and day out about how I'm not doing my job and protecting you." the young man said, bandaging the graze for her. She smirked and motioned someone behind him forward.

"Neji, this is our new operative…Tenten. She gave me a new lead as to who could have been behind Ji-chan's murder. Seems there is an entire council that wanted him dead, not just his own sons." Neji looked the brunette over and scowled.

"A woman? You are going to have a woman on a team with six hormonally driven teenage guys? Kami-sama help me…" he grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. Tenten's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"What the fuck you got against women, Casper? I may be female, but I can still give you a run for your money." she hissed, her body tensed for battle. Neji stared at her in utter disbelief.

"Save sparring for after dinner. Neji, I need you to go get the others and bring them here. You, Shika and Sai are to escort Tenten to her home and help her pack up her things. Have them sent here." she said, handing the pupil-less man the paper she had written her address on.

"Nee-san…I need you to call Temari down here as well. I want her to go with Tenten and help her pack personal stuff, and Temari can show my boys where to crash until school lets out." With that said, Sakura started out the door. Neji looked at the blonde his boss had called sister. "And yes, Neji…she is my BLOOD relative. The only one I have left, so you better show her the same respect you show me." And then she was gone. Neji bowed to the blonde who was his boss's only living blood relative.

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Dun-Dun-Duuuunnnn! Neji done pissed Tenten off!! See what happens!