Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto Shippuuden.

Aside from the momentary guilt of having defaced the holy walls of her workplace, Sakura felt strangely elated. Having sent a very happy, punch-drunk Sai– who had showered her with kisses before he let her chase him away –before everybody came back from their break, she went about work with her head in the clouds, and it seemed like she was having a very hard time concentrating on alphabetizing the names of her patients in her card box.

Miya caught on to her mood almost instantly.

"Did something happen that I should know of?" the receptionist had asked her curiously when she returned to her desk.

Sakura could only give her a knowing grin as she deposited a few unused ball-point pens on the counter. "Now, whatever do you mean?" And she went about her work clumsily with a smile on her face and a song on her lips.

She was slightly distracted from her daydreams about Sai's broad back and hard abs when Captain Yamato suddenly walked in by late evening. She had not caught up with him for quite a while now since Tsunade had sent him to the Sand to lead the renovations of the Kazekage Tower. Finally catching up on things somehow made her smile even more.

"Welcome home, Captain! How long have you been back?" she asked as she set a cup of tea in front of the man and sat opposite him in her office.

"I got back with Temari and the Hidden Sand scribe four days ago, but Tsunade had me on my toes the whole time on reports and – " his almond-shaped eyes shifted slightly. " – stuff."

Sakura frowned. "You could have at least said hello. Naruto was back a few days and helped out on a mission while you were away. He's as energetic as ever."

Yamato's face brightened at the mention of Naruto's name. "Where is he now?"

"Back in Myobokuzan, training. He's doing well, though." She motioned at the tea and Yamato accepted gratefully. "You've missed quite a lot when you were away."

This made Yamato smile widely. "I heard about Naruto and Hinata, if that's what you mean."

Sakura could only laugh at her captain's funny expression, like a very proud parent. "He's smitten. Have you heard of his stunt with the midnight tulips? The Hokage nearly had a fit with the disruption at that hour. The civilians thought the village was under attack."

"And here I thought getting himself a girl would have calmed him down."

"Naruto? Never."

It was Yamato's turn to laugh. "So tell me. How's Sai? I haven't seen him since he was brought to the Hokage for scolding."

Sakura, fighting the urge to blush at the mention of the name, nodded and said, "Doing well than expected. There are times when he would end up confused with certain emotions introduced to him, but remarkably, there are things he masters on his own." She shook her head. "He was, in fact, here a while ago. Getting – uh – "

Getting laid.

"Getting his cast off," Sakura said quickly. "His arm's healed. No worries."

Yamato eyed her wearily. "I heard from the Lady Tsunade. She left out some details, though."

"It was a fight with Lee."

Yamato was amused. "With Gai's pupil? What does Sai have against Rock Lee? I hardly even see them looking at each other."

Sakura coughed. "A mission. Had something to do with a mission."

Yamato raised an eyebrow. "Funny. I thought I heard it had something to do with you?" There was a small smile tugging on his lips.

Sakura felt the muscle on her left cheek twitch, and her face flushed in quiet dignity. "Well… I may have had something to do with it, yes..."

Her captain, having sensed her discomfort, cleared his throat and drained his tea. "Anyway, I came here to relay an upcoming mission for the both of us in a week's time."

This caught Sakura's attention. "A mission?"

"Lady Tsunade briefed me about it yesterday. She wants us to deliver a certain amount of money to the country of Water."

Sakura felt uneasy. While missions outside the country of Fire usually required all the team members to be present during briefing, here was Yamato passing her second-hand information. "Money?" she asked.

Yamato could only grin crookedly. "Apparently, she's finally decided to pay debts to an old friend over there, And she wants us to deliver the money safely."

Sakura narrowed her eyes at him. "A delivery mission? For a Jounin like you?"

"It's the sum of money that makes it a problem, really. The Hokage's friend happens to be an owner of a Pachinko to which she lost a great amount of ryo."

"How much are we actually talking about?"

"Fifty million."

Sakura's eyes nearly popped out of her head. That's already fifty S-rank missions in total! "She… lost that much…?" she asked weakly,

Yamato let out a nervous giggle. "She was in the Water Country for two years at one point, or so Shizune says." It was a feeble excuse, but Sakura knew that this was most probably accurate. This was not the first time she had sent nin for delivery missions to pay off her debts. But still, a jounin and a chuunin for the job?

"A common crook could just be as dangerous as a shinobi when driven by money," Yamato said when he saw Sakura's doubtful expression.

"So, do we need to call Naruto back for the mission?"

"Naruto isn't necessary. Let him train."

"Then I'll just tell Sai later about it."

"Nope. This mission is just for the two of us."

Sakura's eyes narrowed. "But Sai – "

"Sai will be going on a different mission."

That made Sakura feel somehow a bit empty. "What kind of – ?"

Yamato suddenly stood up. "I'll have to cut this meeting short. The Hokage is waiting for me for more briefings. But I'll be in the village all week until the delivery mission, so if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

And he left with an unnecessary flourish of smoke and shadows.

Sakura bit the inside of her mouth, suppressing a groan. "Great, just what I needed…"

The elation that Sai brought her earlier had been completely wiped away by Yamato's weird behavior, and Sakura hardly got any work done after his visit.

By the time she finished scheduling tomorrow's patients, it was already eleven in the evening and she was tired. So very tired.

Stuffing her work shoes into her locker and grabbing her bag, she just couldn't wait to get home.

The one thing that puzzled her was that the couch was empty when she entered the living room, which most nights were usually occupied by a sleeping Sai. Right now, Sakura could only frown at his absence. Dropping her bag on the floor, she wondered if Sai had finally decided to use the bed she had provided him when he first moved in. Stealthily, she made her way up the stairs, and knocked on Sai's door. No one answered. She slowly twisted the doorknob, opened the door a fraction of an inch and looked inside. The bed was empty, and an abandoned easel was sitting in the middle of the room. The canvas was an abstract swirl of pinks, purples and blacks that made little sense to Sakura. Come to think of it, many of Sai's paintings made little sense to her. He seldom showed her his works, and Sakura never did demand he share his hobby. Admittedly, there were times she was curious about it, but being nosy was never her strong point.

Closing the door silently, she sighed and did a one-hundred eighty degree turn to face her door.

And frowned.

Her door was slightly ajar, and Sakura could only suspect that Sai was going to ambush her the moment she entered her room.

Deciding that she was just too tired to care, she pushed the door open and braced herself, but was slightly surprised to find the room dimly lit, and Sai was on her bed, fast asleep. He was still in his day clothes, as if he did not plan to fall asleep at all, one hand on his chest, the other stretched over his head. His skin looked extremely pale against her pink sheets, and his mouth, half-open, was frozen into a tiny smile, as if he were dreaming about something very amusing.

Closing the door behind her, she untied her forehead protector from her hair, placed it on her dresser and kneeled by her bed, examining her boyfriend's face. She felt her face break into a smile as she leaned her face closer to his.

Who would have thought that she could actually appreciate him like this, sleeping on her bed, waiting for her to come home in her house, after making sweet, passionate love to her in her workplace?

Blushing slightly at the memory of having had him in that moment, being one with him, she reached out to the hand stretched over his head, hoping to tuck his arm into the comforter covering him chest-down, but was surprised to find something clutched between his fingers.

It was the photograph of the original Team Seven. Quite unsure of why Sai had decided to bring the picture to bed, she plucked the said thing from his hand, gave it one lasting look, and replaced it on her dresser.

Sai moaned silently, and shifted his head to the side, causing locks of pitch-black hair to spill over his porcelain-white face.

Sakura still not get over the fact that she found satisfaction in just staring at him, and she wondered how such a beautiful face could have been hidden behind an ANBU mask all this time. Reaching out to touch his face, she froze in mid-action when Sai's eyes fluttered open. Fingers poised a few inches away, Sakura dropped her hand on the pillow. "Hi there," she whispered.

Sai blinked once, twice then reached for her hand with his. "Hello," he greeted back, giving her palm a loving squeeze. "How was work?"

Sakura shrugged. "It couldn't end fast enough. I'm going to go get changed," she said and was about to shake her hand free from Sai's grip when he suddenly pulled her to him, once again surprising her with how strong he was. In all the years she had known Sai, it was only that time – in the hospital when he had trapped her against the sliding door – that he decided to impress upon her his strength. In the past, she had always thought herself stronger than he, and she took pride on that fact that she could put him in his place with just one smack in the jaw.

But it was only today did she realize that her punches were effective on him only because he had let her. The fact was proven with how easily he had flipped her over the bed, and when she opened her eyes – she did not even realize she had closed them – she was sprawled on top of him in such an obscene position that she felt even her hair roots blush.

"I've missed you," he murmured as he buried his face into her neck. "You smell of sweat and disinfectant. Have you always smelled this nice after work?"

Sakura tried to squirm off him. Sai trapped her in a tight embrace. "I usually stink more on busy days. Look forward to it."

"Oh, I am," he drawled sleepily, sliding her gently beside him and pulling her against him.

Sakura poked his cheek with her nose. "So who gave you permission to take over my bed?"

"I took the liberty in conquering your sleeping quarters while you weren't here. Because I knew that if you were here, you would have tried to defend what's yours and I would have been banished from this house for all eternity."

Sakura laughed dryly. "Ha-ha. Yeah, and then where would I be?"

Sai pulled back and looked at her. "Will you miss me?"

Sakura shook her head. "Not one bit."

That made him frown. "Really?"

Sakura grinned. "I was kidding. I just saw you this lunch but I couldn't wait to come home to you."

That got his good mood back, and he powdered her neck with kisses.

Nothing could have felt better than his mouth on her skin.

So good that she forgot to ask him if he knew about the mission he was going to be assigned to in a week's time.

It was a wonder how two very different people could fit so perfectly well in so many different aspects in such a short period of time. Sai had not really thought much about how physical contact contributed to a relationship, but for the first time, he had concluded that the mere touching of skin sometimes spoke louder than words. And this was true now, with Sakura sleeping soundly beside him, her arms draped loosely around his torso, legs slightly touching his, head of pink hair resting on his shoulder. He could stay like this forever, if it meant being able to watch her without her knowing.

She had been tired from work, and had been quite complacent with his need to cuddle, but was only awake for a few minutes before she finally ended up falling asleep with Sai still exploring her throat with his mouth. Sai didn't care. It only meant he would be able to look at Sakura all he wanted without her being too self-conscious.

He rubbed his forehead against hers, and was about to abuse her neck once more when he heard a sudden noise from the window. One moment and he had a kunai which was handily tucked under Sakura's pillow in his left hand, and the next second, the weapon was airborne.

Sakura let out a loud gasp as both of them jumped out of bed, onto the floor.

Much to their horror, a boy toppled from the window into Sakura's room, unharmed but very, very frightened.

"Naruto?" Sakura exclaimed as she relaxed her fighting stance as they watched their orange-clad teammate scramble on all fours to face them.

His blue eyes were round as he looked from Sakura to Sai, then back again. "Oh, my god! So it's true!"

It took Sai a while to regain composure. This was the first time anyone has walked in on him when he was with a girl. Well, simply because Sakura was the only girl he's actually ever considered his. He thanked his lucky stars they weren't naked. He did not know what he would have done had Naruto seen his girl unclothed. The mere thought made him jealous already. And to think this was Naruto!

Sakura, as if finding Naruto snooping at her bedroom window one of the most natural things in the world, crawled back in bed with her back to the blonde, and pulled the covers over her. "Naruto, how many times do I have to tell you to use the freaking door when you visit?"

Naruto was shocked. "Don't change the subject! I didn't know you two were… were…!"

Sakura looked over her shoulder with one blood-shot green eye, and Naruto nearly shrank against the wall. "Were what, Naruto?"

"I didn't know you were bed buddies!" Naruto said loudly, pointing an accusing finger at the two of them.

Sai had no idea what his teammate was talking about. Reaching out to the window and retrieving the kunai he had thrown to knock Naruto down, he slipped it under the pillow, climbed back into bed and spooned Sakura, comfortably wrapping his arms around her.

Naruto screamed something that sounded like 'mghragh!', and the next thing Sai saw was Naruto looming over their heads with a dark expression on his whiskered face.

Sakura, who seemed to care little of what Naruto was doing, turned over and buried her face against Sai's chest. "Sai, can you take care of this for me? I'm too tired. And when he leaves, make sure to lock the window. All right?"

Sai, quite unsure if this was how normal people reacted towards their friends when they walk in on you sleeping with your partner, nodded, then turned to Naruto. "I would appreciate it a lot if you don't raise your voice too much. She's had a long day," Sai whispered calmly.

Naruto looked like he was going to explode. "How did this happen?" Naruto hissed at him between gritted teeth.

"What do you mean?" Sai whispered back.

"This!" Naruto gestured wildly with his hands. "I heard from Hinata, who heard it from Kiba, who heard it from Chouji, who heard it from Ino, that you two were dating, and that you sleep in Sakura's house! But I didn't know you were freaking sleeping with her!"

Sai pressed a finger on his lips when Sakura grumbled something incoherent, snuggling closer to him. "Shh! Let her sleep." He stroked at Sakura's hair, and then turned to Naruto suspiciously. "I thought you were training."

Naruto was shaking now. "I stationed a messenger frog in the Hyuuga Manor. That's how I communicate with Hinata while I'm away." He frowned grudgingly. "I'm a bit mad at you guys."

Sai returned his gaze at the blonde. "Are you jealous?" He had somehow thought that Naruto had a little crush on Sakura before.

Naruto sniffed, but shook his head. "I feel a bit left out… I'm your teammate, and I had to hear it from other people who knew it faster than I did." He blushed a bit, and Sai tilted his head to examine him.

He did not know how to react to Naruto's complaints. He did not mean to betray Naruto's trust, and most certainly did not want him to 'feel left out' from the two of them. "It's not as if we planned this. It just happened," he explained silently.

"I know that," Naruto said, somewhat sulkily as he stopped looming over them and settled on the floor, his back to the bed, as if looking at them any more than necessary was a crime. "I'm… happy for you guys."

Sai, who was afraid to move because Sakura herself was not moving, listened to Naruto intently. "I know the feeling. I felt happy for you and Hinata when you started going out." He risked moving his head to look at him. "Have you two had sex yet?"

Naruto nearly jumped out of his skin at the question. Sai could see his ears were turning red. "That's a p-personal question!"

Sai shrugged. "You're right. I'm sorry. I don't want to be like Ino who pries too much on other people's businesses." He nodded and rested his head back on the pillow, placing his lips on top of Sakura's head. "So… is there anything I can do for you? You still seem a bit tense…"

Sai could hear Naruto shuffling on the floor, coughed then said in a very low voice, "Sakura is like a sister to me. We never did get along well when we first started out as Team Seven, and there were times when I thought she hated me." He suddenly laughed mirthlessly. "Who could blame her? We had Sasuke to compare me to."

Sai did not know what to say at this comment. The name of the Uchiha being brought up made his stomach do flip-flops. In a bad way. His mind drifted back to the picture Sakura had on her dresser, of the original Team Seven. In that picture, Sakura was the only one who was smiling. And Sai noticed that those childlike smiles, those smiles he never got to share with Sakura then, were smiles that were not for him, but for the Uchiha.

Sai heard Naruto getting to his feet. "I promised Sakura I'd bring him back. And I never go back on my word. But – " he made his way to the window. " – I'm glad, that she's found someone who can appreciate her being her. It was kind of hard, having to witness her cry because of rejection. And I'm just too stupid to say the right words to make things better for her. I'm just glad that at least it got to be you."

Sai blinked. "Naruto…"

Naruto laughed. "Because you say stupider things than I do, and now Sakura has a new punching bag." His laughter died. "Take care of her, Sai. Or you answer to me."

And with a swift sound, Naruto was gone out the window where he came.

Sai could only hold on to Sakura, not caring if he did not lock the window as she had ordered him to do so.

Because Sakura had latched her arms around him so tight, and she was now sobbing in his chest like a new-born baby.

The next day when he was out to get new art supplies in the market place and Sakura was back in the Hospital for the day, Sai ran into Captain Yamato who informed him that he was to report at the Hokage Tower as soon as possible. He stayed a bit for small talk, then went straight for the tower, curiosity getting the best of him.

He was quite surprised to see Hinata Hyuuga, Kiba Inuzuka and Akamaru in a row in front of the Hokage. They all looked up when he entered the room.

"You didn't answer to my summons yesterday," Tsunade said accusingly, those golden eyes piercing his very skull.

Sai, of course, was unaware of her death glare. "Summons, my Lady?"

"I sent you a messenger pigeon at your house yesterday."

Hinata and Kiba suddenly coughed uncomfortably.

Sai thought for a moment, then brightened. "It's probably because I've been at Sakura's house. If you are to send me more messenger pigeons, please send it to Sakura's house instead. We are bed buddies now." He felt quite proud to be able to use the term Naruto used last night on them.

Tsunade was watching him with now renewed curiosity. "Are you two… dating?"

Sai nodded. "Yes."

Hinata, who was standing next to Sai, blushed even more, and Akamaru started to wag his tail.

Tsunade's sharp eyes narrowed. "I… see…" She started to read the folder in her hands. "Hmm. That's something I wasn't expecting. And this mission…"

Sai frowned. "Is something wrong with me now that I have a girlfriend?"

Tsunade sighed. "There's something wrong with you, because your girlfriend's name is Sakura Haruno."

"I don't understand."

The Hokage tapped a sharp red nail on the folder. "I was expecting a full report from Kakashi in a week or so, but it seemed like this very precious intelligence couldn't wait for long." She looked up at the three of them. "Listen well. In the span of two years, Sasuke Uchiha killed Orochimaru and his older brother, Itachi. Along the way –either before or after these killings – he was able to activate his mangekyo sharingan. All of you are familiar with this kekkei genkai, right?"

All three of them nodded. Sai was all too familiar with this bloodline limit, as Danzo had once shown quite an interest in the Uchiha legacy back then. The mangekyou sharingan, although with heightened capability than that of a normal sharingan, deteriorates the user's eyesight little by little until he goes blind.

Tsunade closed the file. "A month ago I've ordered Kakashi to go alone in the Hidden Sound Village to investigate on rumors that have been spreading about the sightings of Sasuke Uchiha's group, called Taka. Team Ten was also able to get a visual on the group when they went on a different mission in a village near the Fire Country boarder. Shikamaru was not able to see Sasuke along with the group, but stated that the three members of Taka were in the village to gather provisions." Tsunade gestured at the folder she just closed. "And then Kakashi's report came as to why Taka had been spotted many times by other shinobi."

It was Sai's turn to narrow his eyes. "Without their leader, they're becoming sloppy."

"Correct. And you know the only reason why and how Sasuke could be incapacitated at the moment, I presume?" she asked them.

"If he's acquired the mangekyo sharingan, the only thing I can deduct from this is that… " Sai started.

Kiba let out a low growl. "He's blind… "

Hinata started to twiddle her thumbs nervously. "And this mission, is to track him down and capture him?"

Tsunade nodded. "The three of you will rendezvous with Kakasi to form a team designated to track the Uchiha down. And to bring him back. Right now, we are just waiting for further information from Kakashi, but whether or not his message comes, I would like you to be ready to set out in a week's time. I do not know how long this mission will take, so I suggest you prepare yourselves to be away from the village as long as it takes to succeed in this mission."

Sai did not know what to say. His leader, the Hokage, had just ordered him to bring back to the village the only person who he could associate to violent emotions. He nodded. "Understood."

Hinata saluted. "Understood."

Kiba smirked. "Leave it to us."

Tsunade gave the team one final stare, then suddenly pointed at Hinata. "You."

Hinata was taken aback. "Yes, my Lady?"

"You will not tell Naruto about this mission."

Hinata nodded, determined. "I know."

Tsunade's finger shifted from Hinata to Sai. "And you, I hope you know well enough that if this reaches your girlfriend's ears, things could get ugly. I don't know how far you've gone with your emotional training, but I sure hope to god that you've trained enough to know how one small mistake here could tip the balance. I'm counting on you, Sai, not to let Sakura down."

Sai recognized the warning in the Hokage's voice. But deep down, he knew that Tsunade did not even need to say it. Because he knew it already. "If we are not able to capture the target…?"

Tsunade's face was grave. "Then you are ordered to kill. I don't want you underestimating this boy. He was able to kill one of the Sannin, and an Akatsuki member single-handedly. Do not take his handicap lightly, and his underlings."

Sai nodded. "And the rendezvous point?"

Tsunade dug up a wad of papers from her desk drawer and handed it to the former ROOT member. "Team Ten had gotten quite friendly with a man named Yue Matsunaga in the village by the boarder. You may find it ironic, Sai, that the boy Team Seven saved in the ravine, belonged in that Orphanage. Hand this to Yue when you get there, in exchange for making their shelters a sort of secret base."

Sai looked at the papers in his hands. Hinata and Kiba crowded around him. "These are?"

"Bank notes. They can be exchanged for money. Team Ten was so persistent and insisted that we help the orphanage. Take care of those bank notes. It's the only thing we can spare at the moment, but when things stabilize with the funding, we'll send more help to the village when we can."

Sai nodded in understanding, pocketed the wad of bank notes. "All right. Is there anything we need to know?"

"I will summon you again when Kakashi sends word, but if not, I expect to see you three here in a week."

The three saluted. "Yes ma'am." And they were dismissed.

On the way home, Sai felt his heart getting heavier and heavier by the moment. Why was he feeling a bad feeling about this mission?

To all those who reviewed and added the story to their faves and alerts, thank you so much! XD I had to stay home today because I had my wisdom tooth extracted and it hurts like hell, but yeah, I took the time to write the update.

Anyway, the plot thickens! Dundundun!

Will they be able to bring Sasuke Uchiha back?

And if they did, how will Sakura react?

How will Naruto react?

If you review, I'll try to update faster. XD Pwetty please?