A/N: I was driving to work, when I was hit with this idea for a story and knew I had to write it. For a while now, I've been trying to think of a different concept, one which hadn't been used before and I came up with this. There will be several pairings in the story, but I'm going to pay more attention to one couple, out of the rest. This will be my first official Sakura and Kakashi coupling. To be honest, in the beginning, I wasn't too fond of putting these two together, but after reading several really good stories about them, I was forced to think differently.

Please keep in mind that there will be times when I stick to cannon, how the characters are actually presented in the Naruto series, but significant changes will be required as we move further into the story. You can assume this story is an A/U if you want…

I hope you like it!

Seven days of Seduction – Chapter 1 – A Surprising Turn of Events!

Pursuit and seduction are the essence of sexuality. It's part of the sizzle…

They sat around the table at Ino's house, eying each other warily. Most were nervous, while the rest were plainly anticipating the events to occur that night. The day that they'd been looking forward to, as well as dreading, had finally come. What'd started as a silly idea was about to be put to the test, one each of them had been unable to resist. After all, it was, to some extent, for the sake of their comrades, as well as their own curiosity.

"So, is everyone here?" Ino asked, entering the room, carrying the necessities needed for what they were about to do.

"Yeah…" replied Sakura.

"Great! So, girls, are you excited? Although, I have to say, I'm really impressed by your guts," Ino said, admiration in her voice, as she eyed each of them. Sakura, Tenten and Hinata looked back, unwavering, making her smirk in sheer delight.

"This will be done entirely for the experience, nothing more. But, there're three things I have to point out and they are: one – once you agree, you can't back out, two – you have to stick with the person you pick, without argument, and three – you have to complete the mission, seeing it to the very end. We'll have seven days to seduce the person we pick, getting them to fall for us by any means necessary, including sex. If you're not comfortable continuing this, speak up now," Ino finished and waited. Shockingly, no one backed out.

"Okay. Since no one has refused, when they had the chance, I take it you all accept the terms and conditions, which is great" she continued, with a smile.

Settling onto a floor cushion, she placed her burden in front of her, on the table. It consisted of several pens, little squares of cut paper and an empty tissue box. Without another word, she handed each girl a pen and five pieces of paper.

"Okay, this is what we're going to do. Each of us will write the names of five unattached males, putting them in a pile, in the middle of the table, when done. I'll go through them, getting rid of any doubles, so none of us get the same name. Once that's done, I'll fold them, placing them into the box, so we can pick them out," Ino explained.

"A-are you s-sure about this?" questioned Hinata, her voice trembling slightly from anxiety.

"Of course! You were all given a choice, no one was forced into this," Ino replied firmly. Hinata sighed in despair, her head dropping.

"Hinata, if you're not sure, then don't do it," suggested Sakura, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. Hinata's head quickly shot up, as she shook it instantly.

"N-no I'm fine. I want to do this," she answered resolutely and the other girls smiled.

"Atta girl! I knew you could do it," Tenten gave her an approving grin, before she picked up her pen and started to write. The other girls also started, looking thoughtful as each selected the names of five single men in the village. It didn't necessarily have to be men they knew, but it had to be their choice, entirely, at the end. That much had been stated clearly at the beginning.

Sakura closed her eyes, sighing inwardly, thinking about that awful day, only a few days ago…

They'd gathered for a girl's night out, deciding to go to a new bar, which had opened recently in the Hidden Village. Supposedly, it was good, according to Naruto, who'd gone there a few nights previously, with Sasuke, Sai, Kiba, Shikamaru, Choji, Shino, Neji and Lee.

Upon arriving, they saw it was, indeed, very popular, the place packed with locals, both civilians and ninja. After waiting impatiently, for at least half an hour, they finally found an empty table and sat down.

"Finally! These heels are killing me," Ino moaned with loud exaggeration, making Sakura immediately roll her eyes. The girl was beyond annoying, with her constant immature whining and it was a miracle she could hang out with her, without giving in to the temptation to wring her pretty neck.

"Maybe you should've settled for shoes with a smaller heel," Sakura couldn't help pointing out, as Ino replied by shooting her a look of disdain.

"You'll never learn Sakura," she replied snootily, which Sakura chose to ignore, confident she had nothing to prove to Ino the Pig.

"Now, now, you two…calm down. No fighting tonight!" Tenten told them, Hinata nodding in agreement.

"We weren't fight…oh, my! He's so gorgeous," Ino paused in mid sentence, her eyes landing on another allegedly good looking guy. Obviously, they all turned to look, Sakura snorting at what she saw.

"I've seen better!" she said indifferently, earning a glare with Ino.

"Oh really, Sakura? According to you it's all about Sasuke, like he's the only male left in the world. Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but he isn't and unlike you, I'm not going to waste my time running after some guy who's clearly not interested in me. You really should get over it, Sakura and find a date. There are plenty of hot guys to pick from," Ino pointedly gestured at the gorgeous guy she'd spotted. Sakura sighed in annoyance, at hearing the familiar speech again, for what seemed the thousandth time, but decided she'd brought it upon herself

"I'm over Sasuke, Ino," she mumbled grumpily, to which Ino snorted in return.

"No, you're not. You haven't even looked at other guys since your obsession with him started. I admit, I was floored by him, at one point, but that's past. I've moved on, but you haven't and it's about time you did. So, tonight, we're going to find you a date!" she said, a dangerous gleam in her eye, as she turned to scan the bar for possible date material for her.

"Want to get another drink?" Sakura asked Hinata and Tenten. Hinata held up her half glass of sake, while Tenten nodded eagerly, so they headed for the bar together. As they waited to be served, Sakura considered, not for the first time, what Ino had said. Deep down, she knew Ino was right and she'd tried many times, but couldn't. It was like thoughts of another male was off limits to her and she wasn't even sure if it was true love she felt for Sasuke or just a stupid, undying obsession.

As the night passed, the pile of empty glasses increased and before they knew it, all four girls were drunken messes.

"…and then he looked at me and I forgot how to even speak! Why do I do that every time I'm around Naruto? Why can't I tell him how I feel?" moaned Hinata, close to tears. Ino and Sakura sighed, while Tenten suppressed a giggle. This always happened at some point, whenever they were out, as bottled feelings, inside, leaked out, to leave each of them in an emotional state.

"You know something? I'm sick of this! Why should we cry buckets over guys who don't notice us, wasting our precious time, when we could just go out there and take control?" said Ino, out of the blue, placing her empty glass on the table with a bang. Her outburst surprised the others, including Hinata, who looked up from where she sat, with her head down over her crossed arms.

"Uh…what exactly do you mean, Ino?" questioned Tenten, puzzled. Ino eyed each, with what seemed like disapproval, before raising her eyes heavenward.

"Don't you get it? We need to stop this sulking and dominate. Why should it always be us worrying about rejection or suffering heartache? We need to show them there's more to us than meets the eye, that we're not so weak and fragile. It's time we pay them back, show them who's really running the show," she said firmly. The worrying looks the other three exchanged didn't go unmissed by Ino.

"Ino, are you feeling okay?" worried Sakura, wondering if Ino, as predicted, had finally lost it.

"Of course I am!" Ino shot back, surprising them by not slurring her words.

"I think I need another drink," Hinata groaned, causing Tenten to laugh out loud.

"No, I think we've had enough. Maybe we should head back home, it's getting late" responded Sakura, glancing at her wrist watch.

"Okay, we're leaving, but we're going to take a walk. You lot need to hear what I have to say. I think I just got an idea!" Ino's voice was filled with excitement and urgency, causing Sakura to sigh wearily.

"Fine. Let's get going, then," she replied in surrender, as they all got up, moving to pay the bill, before making their way outside. Upon exiting the bar, the first thing they noticed was the night had turned chilly, the cold breeze nipping at any exposed skin on their bodies.

"Maybe we should reschedule the walk?" Tenten drunkenly mumbled, until Ino harshly elbowed her arm. She winced at the pain, shooting daggers at Ino with her eyes.

"Look, this is important, so just hear me out," Ino's voice was firm.

"I think we should listen to what she has to say," Hinata's quiet voice said, and Ino instantly brightened.

"I don't think we really have a choice," Tenten added, still rubbing where Ino's elbow had connected.

"Okay, let's just get this over with quickly…I'm ready to drop" Sakura responded, her eyelids only half opened. The need to get out of her clingy red dress, to jump into bed, was quite intense. As they started walking, following Ino's lead, she couldn't help glancing above her, into the beautiful, clear night sky. The moon, even half full, shone brightly, the stars vibrantly twinkling around it, causing a smile to come to her lips. Even in her drunken state, she couldn't help feeling at ease in scenery so peaceful.

But the tranquillity was soon shattered by Ino's annoying voice and, with a grimace; she shifted her gaze back to her.

"I think we all need a change and this idea would be the perfect way to do it. Just think of it as a way to build our confidence, to help us achieve our heart's desires," said Ino, looking remarkably calm for someone who, just minutes ago, had been considerably drunk. Nevertheless, Sakura couldn't help the slight peak of interest she felt, and listened intently to her words, all thoughts of her bed and sleep gone. Hinata and Tenten seemed intrigued as well, waiting for her to continue talking.

"We'll play a game. We'll call it a game of seduction. It'll be a way to experiment, to help us gain power over our victim. In preparation, to help us, we'll work together to gain insight and knowledge on everything there is to know about men. We'll each randomly pick a guy to work on and have seven days to do it. What do you say? Are you in?" Ino asked her face hopeful as she looked at each of them.

"Are you crazy?" cried Sakura, perturbed. Hinata's and Tenten's faces had similar looks, but Ino wasn't put off in the least.

"Look, what do we have to lose? Absolutely nothing. Just look at it as an S Rank mission, if that makes things easier," Ino continued, completely ignoring Sakura's outburst.

This is stupid…" Sakura started saying, before Ino cut her off.

"What's wrong with it? It's not like anything exciting is happening in our lives. We're all single, no boyfriends, and the guys we do want show no interest or are completely clueless. It's time we entertained ourselves. This time, we won't be alone, because we'll have each other's help and, together, I know we can do it. At least think about it. If you decide you want to go for it, come around to my place, Saturday night at 7pm. I'll be waiting." she said, turning to leave. They watched as she walked away before turning to face each other.

"Um…so, are you going to go?" asked Hinata, her voice distracted. Sakura observed how her eyes tensely shifted, left to right repeatedly, clearly showing she was worried, as she thought about Ino's words.

"I'm going to go," Tenten suddenly spoke, surprising them.

"Are you really? But why…?" Sakura questioned, but Tenten merely shrugged in an offhand manner.

"She's right. Nothing exciting is happening in our lives, so what's the harm in seeing where this leads us? Maybe we need this and to just refuse would make us cowards. We're ninja, after all. Taking challenges in our stride is what being a ninja is about. That's why I'm going for it; treat it like a personal S Rank mission. Although, I'd feel much better if my comrades were with me," she said, looking directly at both of them.

"I guess, if you put it like that...I don't think we really have a choice. There's no way we're letting a comrade attempt this stupid mission alone, right Hinata?" Sakura smiled at Hinata, who nodded in agreement.

I knew I could count on both of you!" Tenten wrapped her arms around them, a huge smile on her face…

Sakura's thoughts returned to the present, as she pondered over the five names she'd write. Turning her attention to the other girls, she saw they were in a similar predicament and had to close her eyes, to block out the image. Even if Tenten hadn't literally blackmailed them into this, she realized she'd eventually have given in to her curiosity to come. After finally reaching home, and her bed, that night, she'd lain awake, thinking repeatedly about what Ino had said. In the end, she'd come to the conclusion that she was right.

Her life was going nowhere. Sasuke, clearly not caring two hoots for her, not in the way she wanted, seemed to prefer Naruto's company to hers. Between the occasional mission, and her work at the hospital, she didn't really have a life. Even the girl nights out were rare, the days they were all free limited, so they had to grasp the chance, once or twice a month, when it presented itself.

She knew the others felt similar and, deep down, it was the reason they were here, today, to do the unthinkable. Knowing they were with her, that they'd work together, was really comforting, and it was with that reassurance that she opened her eyes to write the first five names that came to her, before placing them, face down, in a neat pile in the middle of the table. Soon, the other girls placed their on top of hers. When everyone was done, they waited for Ino to look through them.

They watched carefully, as she slowly looked through the names, disposing of a few, here and there. She had, Sakura noted, disposed of seven, leaving only thirteen remaining, when she was done. When she was satisfied none were alike, she folded each paper twice, before placing them in the box. Then, covering the opening with her hand, she firmly shook it several times to mix the pieces of paper inside.

With a smile, she paused, holding the box out to Hinata first, who visibly flinched, swallowing nervously. She moved forward to put her shaking hand into the box, pulling out a slip of paper. Next, Ino offered the box to Tenten, who also took a piece and then it was Sakura's turn. Silently praying she wouldn't pick either Lee or Naruto, she let her hand move forward to wander aimlessly inside the box. After several long seconds, she pulled one out, gripping it tightly in her hand. They watched Ino pick hers, and then silently traded nervous looks with each other.

"We'll open them together, on the count of three…one…" started Ino, anxiously…

A/N: I hope you enjoyed reading the first chapter. So, what did you think? Is it unique? It's obvious who Sakura's going to pick, but I'm leaving the choice of who the other girls pick to you!

I like to give my readers a chance to have a say in the story, so please feel free to make a request. It would be interesting to see what feed back I get, if I get any at all…

Please review, and many thanks for sparing the time to read this. ^_^