I'll Dance with you
Rating: M
Inspiration: "I'll dance with you" DJ S3RL feat. JessKah
Summary: She fell in love with a stranger on the dance floor. Night after night, he found her in secret to wrap his arms around her. Night after night, she peered up into his dark hood and...got a little more ticked off. How on earth can he still stay completely hidden after several months?! Time for desperate measures. KakaSaku/InoCho Rewritten
Thank you Elvira Rayne for your fantastic beta-ing skills.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the copy-written material here, nor am I making any kind of profit save for a sated imagination.
Hey everyone. I've fixed it and added quite a bit. Time to see where this takes us~
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I'll dance with you
Tonight
Under twinkling stars in the sky
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I'll dance with you
Keep on
Moving till morning sunlight
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Feel me tonight
Love me and hold me tight
Be always mine
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Konoha's night-life scene was never built for the ninja. With the crowded streets and beckoning whores calling from the alleyways to coax people in behind the red line, the ninja populace scarcely made an appearance among the civilians attempting to enjoy their weekend. This was one of the many divisions of Konoha. Though a hidden village where institutions often intermingled, some things just remained separate. It was safer that way.
High in the eaves of Konoha, in the back of the business district lie one of the very few places of entertainment that Shinobi felt safe in. A tall structure of mangled steel, entirely without decoration, the military forces of the village flocked here in the night, attempting to wash away the scars left behind during their thrice-damned missions. In this place there was no bloodshed. No enemy nin. Here there were no lost lives whispering over the shoulders of those who lived on. Nor were there ranks, military etiquette, or boundaries. Everything and anything could exist here, if only for a moment. Every Shinobi could come here and forget who they were; if only for a night.
The pulsing beat drew customers of all ages on the floor, coming together into one massive crowd, rippling under strobe lights and fog machines.
There stood no bouncers at the entryway, no guards by the barman. There was no need for petty civilian precautions. The sheer number of Chunin, Jounin, Elite, and Anbu in the crowd served as immediate discouragement for any sort of foul play. This place catered exclusively to Shinobi.
It was nine at night, just after the late night shift change and flocks of ninja desperate to escape their hellish occupations crept up the side of the structure in strings. The bottom of the structure had no doors or accessible windows. It was merely a column of steel to dissuade the curious and foil the genin who should be back in bed at home. Every once in a while, a younger member of society found his or her way into the club. No one really worried about it. If the patrons were old enough to die and skilled enough to climb the walls, they were old enough to bypass age checks and enjoy the dance floor and somewhat limited bar. So long as the ninja could finish the chakra climb all the way to the top, they were welcome. It was here in this tower of refuge that many Shinobi found a moment of peace.
"The Club" was a place of forgetting, both to forget and to be forgotten. Things that happened inside never made it out. It was a place of secrets in a place where there were none; and for a single, blissful moment, the ninja could be as free as they desired. Whatever happened here, stayed here. This was an unspoken code. The dance floor became a place where true emotions and not so good ideas could spring forth without judgment. Sacred, in an almost twisted way.
Many ninja arrived masked, making sure that already fragile relationships with their co-workers weren't damaged any further. Some were braver, openly show-casing their identities. Others really had no choice in making their presence known. A vivid mane of pink was difficult to mask and not at all difficult to figure out. Naruto had it just as bad, but the poor boy just gave up and stuck to the rafters.
Haruno Sakura's partner was masked- as he was every night since they met several months ago. A dark hood from a constricting jacket hid his hair in the black light and a plain mask shielded what little she could see of his face. The hood never seemed to slip or shift and it was almost impossible to peer through the fabric to catch a glimpse or clue of who had his fingers running down her lower back. He was good. Too good. Her only current lead was his height.
Every night, that masked figure carefully concealed his chakra, and approached the young medic. Each night he pulled her close, her perfect partner on the floor, scaring away any would-be suitors approaching for a taste of Tsunade's apprentice.
Every time he found her, he greedily kept her all to himself and refused to share no matter who attempted to brush up on Sakura's other side. When she was tired, he somehow knew. He'd hold her hand softly and walk her toward the exit, taking slow and gentle steps as if they hadn't had enough time. He'd say goodbye with a masked kiss on the back of her hand and a gentle swipe of his thumb across her jawline. Then he was just...gone. Just like that. Lead number two, he was an elite. He had to be. Sakura was no slacker, but she couldn't trace his departure and for Konoha ninja, that was almost unheard of. Everyone left a trail. Everyone.
Sakura thought her partner's obsession was sweet, though frustrating when she failed night after night to find out who he was. It had been quite a long time since she was a hopeless little girl and she refused to cave in to a situation simply because it was difficult. Unspoken code aside, the medic had more than enough determination to find out the identity of her weekly companion.
Konoha was misty and cool mid-morning; quiet and blackened as the village fell into stillness. Figures slipped in and out of the dark, dancing in the shadows, becoming invisible for seconds at a time. Ninja who became ghosts in the night perched in odd places, standing guard as everyone slept. It wasn't unusual to see a stranger push off of the railing on one's balcony in the middle of the night, attempting to step up to the rooftops. That is where Ino found herself, flaring a match and bringing the flame toward her lips.
The blond breathed in, closing her eyes at the sting of the cigarette perched at the edge of her mouth. She never enjoyed smoking, but this was her sensei's brand. A sick little ritual to remember him by. She breathed deeply, pulling the smoke into her lungs. Thick, like foreign chakra, it coated her throat, tickling and stinging her entire body. It burned, and she fought to cough, but the same impulse that drove the girl into dieting, to achieve control over her body, kicked in to force her quivering muscles into compliance. Just for a few seconds. Just a brief moment of silence for the fallen. A tiny little moment to let the poison sink in.
Exhale. Ino finally gave into the sensation and coughed, grimacing as she wondered how much tar she'd be spitting out later. She felt a hand run up her spine consolingly and visible relaxed, the last of the choking subsided. Sakura didn't approve of smoking to remember her beloved teacher, but she definitely understood Ino's need to pay him homage. Once a week, Ino stood out in the dark and lit up, watching the near invisible smoke waft up into the trees, caressing the feet of the wandering ninja who made their rounds. It was such a little moment for herself in this world. Asuma was contemplative like that.
They didn't speak during this time. It was almost taboo to do so. They simply watched the stars and pretended not to notice the shadows moving about in the dark. The less you noticed, the less you compromised your comrades. It was that simple.
Ino seemed to savor the last breath, though she honestly never got used to the taste. Deciding that she had plenty for the night, she reached down and rubbed the butt against the same point of metal on her balcony, listening to the burning leave finish singing off whatever paint used to cover the surface. Old ash and residue flaked away at the fresh heat and the remainder of her remembrance was crushed in her hand. Sakura visibly relaxed, before smiling and turning to her friend.
"Ready?" Sakura whispered softly, glowing green fingers pressing up against Ino's back. The blonde nodded, bracing herself against the rail.
She could technically do this herself, but Sakura was much better and faster with it. Sakura bit her lip and the green glow stretched from the tips of her fingers to her palm, carefully flooding Ino's system. She focused on all the chemicals and tar, draining the extra nicotine out of Ino's system before it changed the chemical flow to her brain. She scraped away dead material and pulled it all together in a little ball. Bit by bit, material flaked out of her lungs and rose in Ino's throat. She absolutely hated this, but it was part of her weekly routine. She could damage herself all she liked, but she owed a healthy body to the village. She couldn't do that if her lungs were damaged and scarred.
Once the glow dissipated, Ino fled indoors to the bathroom to hack up the excess chemical and bits and pieces of ruined lung tissue. It wasn't much as she was definitely not a dedicated smoker, but it was still enough to warrant a slightly sore throat. Sakura had regrown the important bits, that which would have been impossible for a regular doctor to do. Benefits of being friends with a medical genius, Ino supposed.
The blond sighed, delicate ears catching the echoing sounds of Sakura in the kitchen. The smell of cream and chocolate started wafting through the apartment. Ino looked at her reflection in the mirror and smiled. In these weekly rituals, she really liked to pretend that Asuma was standing behind her in his ethereal form, proud of the woman she had become. He'd smile that knowing grin around his cigarette and pat her shoulder awkwardly. He never knew how to handle Ino's outbursts or to calm her temper. Would he approve of the occasional smoking? Probably not. But Asuma was rather sentimental for a ninja and would most likely appreciate the gesture. A splash of water on her face, and Ino found herself following the soft enticing smell of chocolate.
Flopping down on the sofa, Ino reached under the coffee table for a worn out, paint splattered shoe-box. It was time for part two of their weekly ritual. She turned to Sakura and reached inside, rummaging around blindly.
"Hmm...It seems our choices for this week are... Posh Pink, Yellow Haze, Electric Blue, and some kind of resin-y brown color that the label peeled off of." Sakura wrinkled her nose at her options.
"At moments like this, I wish we had a re-roll option." The pinkette sighed and plucked the blue out of Ino's hands. The aforementioned variety of pink was a shade that was absolutely nauseous.
"Why do we even have that?" Sakura asked, Ino picking up what she meant before the question was even out there.
"Grandma."
"Ah." Sakura started to customarily tap the vial of nail-polish in circles, remixing the concoction that could probably knock out any Inuzuka within three miles from the smell alone. Sakura was quite accustomed to smelling like alcohol, whether she was covered in her shishou's booze or antiseptic.
"Toes." The medic demanded, waiting for Ino to turn sideways on the couch and fork over her feet.
"And so it begins!" Ino announced dramatically, wrapping her arms behind her head and gazing at the hot chocolate sitting at the end of the coffee table. She'd go get it later. If she kicked for any reason carting her cup, she'd be dredging chocolate out the carpet and couch for weeks.
"Update me, forehead!" Ino barked out in command, commencing the conversation that would hopefully ease some of her best friend's anxiety.
"Jacket of target shows absolutely no sign of Aburame influence. They are ruled out. It is also way too tight so the Inuzuka wouldn't feel comfortable with it either. That and the Inuzuka forever smell like dog, and this guy doesn't have a smell at all. I've checked the local shops, so this clothing is either off the shelves or not from the village. Cannot identify any weaknesses from his apparel." Ino nodded, digesting the pieces of evidence with ease. Ninja were equal parts determined and paranoid, so when it came to scoping out potential mates, well... all was fair in love and war. Ino put on her best Sherlock face and waited patiently, filling out mental memos to return to later.
"And the uh...totally-happened-but-didn't-happen Rhodopsin injection? How did that do?" Ino spoke quietly, as if Tsunade-hime could hear her from the Hokage Tower. Sakura visibly pouted.
"It was a bust. Even with the enhanced night-vision, I couldn't see shit." Sakura sighed, looking quite put out at her evasive little puzzle. Ino propped herself up on her elbows, surprised and at a complete loss.
"Are you fucking serious?" The girl was wide-eyed and astonished. In the ninja world, there were very few secrets. While each ninja specialized in different parts of ninja life, every single ninja was expected to be able to gather information and find clues to pick out the identity of another. Without that single ability, the village wouldn't survive. To be able to keep such complete anonymity among your fellow nin was next to impossible.
"My eyes lit up and all I could see was the black covering the lower side of his mouth. I couldn't see his eyes or even the shape of his hair under that hood. If he even has hair. But the only bald ninja I've ever met so far is Ibiki, and this guy isn't broad enough in the chest to be him. Damn...if I could only use chakra in there..but the second I start molding or reach out, the entire club would attack me. They're not very forgiving of these accidents and somehow know whether or not you did it on purpose."
"Damn Forehead...this guy is..."
"Good? Damn good. Too good. Which is why I HAVE to know who he is. I mean...he's gotta be among the best and more than likely knows me. I...think." Sakura carefully finished a fourth toe, able to stay perfectly in line even with the stressing conversation taking place between her and the person she considered a close sister.
"Normally, I'd add creepy to that list, but I'm all out of creepy after watching the Anbu wander about outside. I'm no longer concerned in that department."
Sakura chuckled. It was creepy, for a civilian. For a ninja? This was normal. Sadly.
"He's making it really difficult. When we dancing yesterday, I could feel his breath on my neck, so the black mask has to be some kind of fabric or contain some kind of opening. That or the upper mask that I could have sworn he was wearing doesn't fully cover the chin to permit some kind of air flow. That or he's changing things up to fuck with me." Ino snorted and removed one of her feet from Sakura's lap, shifting to give her friend a better angle for her last little toe.
"Probably that. Well! With that, we can definitely eliminate anyone Tokubetsu Jounin and below. That puts his potential age around thirty. You sure about this, forehead?"
"Absolutely. I know what I want. Don't tell Naruto that though. He wouldn't exactly react in a mature way." Ino giggled.
"No wonder you're chasing a stranger in the dark. Your team puts down anyone's attempt to get near you before they even think about it."
Sakura smirked. "Like you're one to talk."
Ino winced, "About that..."
Sakura's eyes grew wide. "Are you serious? I thought you two worked it out?"
Ino shook her head and sat up, propping her toes on the coffee table. "Sadly...no. Our working it out was more like pretending it never happened. I don't...I don't know what to say to him. Or how. Or what...or...god. I'm so lost." Sakura capped the electric blue polish and leaned over to pull her friend in a hug, sighing into her ponytail.
"Did you try the I-didn't-mean-to-get-that-drunk angle? Or I'd-never-do-that-normally approach?" Ino wrinkled her nose and shook her head, reaching across Sakura's lap for her mug of semi-warm glorified chocolate milk.
"Both are a no-go. But at least I know how Choji feels. And how bad I hurt him when I almost ended up as a notch on Genma's bedpost. And how adults do not over-indulge when the only way out is a chakra hike down a ten-story building in heels." The blonde sighed and took a long swig of cocoa, returning the mystery polish selections to the box before offering it to Sakura.
"As if heels even matter to Kunoichi...pick your poison!" Her tone changed, attempting to drag the subject away from her current strained team relationships. Sakura looked up toward the ceiling and giggled.
"We need new polish. I can tell what some of these are by the shape. I'm trying to go for colors I haven't memorized." Ino smiled and shook her head.
"Alright! Lets see...Fruit Sangria, Racing Green, Damsel in a Dress, and Bordeaux... Damn. How boring. We definitely need new polish."
Ino tapped her finger to her chin.
"It would be something new to put you in the green, but then Lee would get ideas and I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy so...lets put you in purple!" Ino quickly palmed the "Damsel in a Dress" and turned to figure out a seating position that wouldn't put her drying toes at risk.
"Back to the topic at hand! I wish I could be there, but as we both know- I can't. There has to be something we're missing. How tall is he again?" Ino furrowed her brows.
"Bout 180...ish. Can't be absolutely sure. We don't exactly have a medical exam out on the floor." Ino snickered at that.
"No. What you two do out there would have you banned from every clinic between here and the South gate." Sakura rolled her eyes and refused to blush about it. Girl has to get her fix somewhere. Taking a moment's rest to prop a painted foot over her knee to get it out of the way, a new idea slowly surfaced.
"What if...I could help solve both of our troubles in one move?" Ino looked up and frowned.
"I'd say that Shikamaru helped you cheat. And he didn't. In fact, he wouldn't touch this situation with a ten foot pole IF he weren't being too lazy to pick up the damn pole to begin with."
"Well..this is devious and you may not like it but...what if I talk to Choji and plead for him to come escort you to the club? I'll tell him about my stranger and how I need both of your eyes to help me figure out what I can't. No drinking. No worries. Just observation. A mission." Ino's brow furrowed, anxiety breaking in around the edges of her pretty mouth.
"I'm not sure that'll work. In fact, it might hurt him." Sakura made a twisted smile that somewhat channeled a little Uchiha. Or Anko. Both were exceptionally frightening in any case.
"I think I can convince him. But when the time comes, will you know what to say to him? I think I can give you a pretty big window here." Ino bit her lip and abandoned Sakura's pinky toe for a moment, not willing to mess up her friend's foot for the sake of complicated thoughts. Priorities, right?
"...okay..." She whispered, forcing herself to let go of her worries. "That is underhanded. Really fucking underhanded, but I'm sorta getting desperate. If you can convince him, I'll be there. But Sakura, I haven't been back there since that night, and I sure as hell wont drink anymore." Sakura pointedly looked down to her last, lonely little toe.
"Good. What do you say we finish up and then bake some cookies to help butter him up?" Ino grinned softly and dipped the brush back into the bottle of paint. Whatever happens, happens.
Choji groaned, unsure if he should have denied his friend's request. He loved Sakura like a sister and would do anything for her but this wasn't exactly the place he wanted to go.
Last time he was there, he pretty much confessed to Ino. Confessed. As in, declaring his affections. To a team-mate. And then got pissed at her, which Ino really doesn't appreciate to begin with. Damn it all.
It was hard to avoid a team-mate for a month. Really- it was.
Choji's poor heart thundered in his rotund chest. He wasn't as bad as Hinata, but he sure as hell wasn't as open as Naruto or as confident as Lee. He just couldn't handle what was sure to be an uncomfortable or even a guilty Ino. Seeing her miserable was almost as hard as rejection. It killed him inside.
"Please!" Sakura begged, tears in her antique jade eyes. Choji's heart dropped lower than his stomach. He couldn't handle a woman's crying face; he was simply too soft for that kind of foul-play. Where the hell was Shikamaru? The lazy boy was often Choji's only hope of rescue in situations like this.
"I can't see her like that again. I just can't…" If this kept up anymore, Choji might end up the one tearing up here. It was a huge relief that Sakura was so kind. The Akimichi knew that he could confide in the pinkette without worry. "I told her…and I can't face her right now…" His choice drifted into silence, leaning onto the table and running a hand through his long and spiky auburn hair.
Sakura fiddled with the napkin in front of her. This was bad. Really bad! The pinkette could tell that this topic was almost taboo just from watching.
That and there was barbecue on the table that she already paid for and he wasn't eating it.
A sure sign of danger.
"You know…" Sakura's mellow and gentle tone knocked the man out of his panicked trance. "I had to beg her like this. She hasn't gone since that night either..." She stopped to let Choji soak up the information. Sakura learned this tactic by manipulating the boys. She had to ever since Sasuke finally came home.
She continued, staring out of the window, "She wont go if it isn't you. You are the only person in the world that she wants there with her, even if it is a mission to help me..." Sakura smiled softly, looking back to the boy. "Thanks for considering, at least. Maybe I can convince Karin to help me…if she is done blaming me for how Sasuke and Naruto turned out. Hinata and Shino aren't permitted anywhere near that district so I can't ask them to come along. This should be a fun challenge, right?" The pinkette stood to leave and Choji was bathed in a wave of guilt. Shit…Sakura was just too good at this.
"I'll go…" he said weakly, staring at the food he couldn't bring himself to eat.
"Don't you dare." Sakura snapped.
"Huh?" Choji looked up from the table, genuinely confused now. Wasn't she begging him to go earlier?
"Do not hurt yourself on my account. If you don't really feel that way about Ino, then don't go." BAM. K.O.! The victim on the floor? Choji's honest feelings and conscience. Sakura grimaced deep inside. She was so going to hell for this.
Choji stared at the direction of her retreating form long after she left the doorway. The boy was about to give up on his food when a familiar Nara stepped out from behind the Akimichi's booth.
"Where the hell were you?" Choji grumbled.
Shikamaru wasn't about to interrupt Sakura. Saving Choji from her would earn him a sparring match with Tsunade's apprentice the following day and the poor strategist was simply not built to go through walls. Or trees. Or boulders!
The Nara yawned, "You should go."
"What?" Choji blinked. His friend had his odd moments. He was never inconsiderate of how Choji felt and would never push him into anything that he didn't want to do. So why now? Why push him into this?
"Think about what she said for a minute. Ino won't go without you. She still wants to go…but she's wrecked because of what happened and she wants you there. She trusts you and maybe even cares about you. You two can't avoid each other forever. You haven't even gone back to Mei's Grocery to pick out your favorite crisps because you think she'll be there. Keeping this up is too troublesome."
A tiny, rumbling feeling lurched through the Akimichi's stomach. It sure as hell wasn't hunger.
Nara leaned over onto the table and nabbed a little bit of food, lazily propping his head up on his arm.
"You know…I've been there a few times with Tem. Too troublesome to dance…but she enjoys herself. I've seen the guy Sakura dances with…" His voice droned off into the silence, glancing at his best friend. Seeing that Choji was finally relaxed enough to pick up a kebab, the Nara continued.
"She might need a little help. Its an interesting puzzle, but not interesting enough to get me there. Though they tried. Gotta give the troublesome girls a little credit."
Choji sighed and wrote Sakura a note on a some-how not greasy napkin saying that he'd meet them at Ino's house to discuss the game plan. Shikamaru refused to participate or show up. Temari wasn't visiting so he wasn't budging. Typical. Choji wouldn't be surprised if Shikamaru already knew the identity of Sakura's sorta-stalker, but when Shikamaru doesn't willingly hand over information, there is a decent reason for it.
Ino hid her face as usual, behind a layer of skillfully applied make-up. Choji frowned when he saw her, liking it better bare. With a face so pretty, why cover it up? Choji's own insecurities reflected back on his own appearance with a little bit of anxiety. Did he have the right to stand beside her on the floor? She was beautiful but he was...
"Let's go!" Sakura interrupted his train of thought and finished zipping her jacket into place. It was getting a little cold for typical club-wear, but it would be a little hot inside.
The trio silently approached the building and applied chakra to the bottom of their feet, rooting themselves to the metal exoskeleton that housed their destination. Some ninja stopped somewhere midway and reached into a little cracked window, dropping a ryo into a bucket. Next window up, they'd pull a pair of soft earplugs out the other. They were Shinobi and couldn't risk their hearing even if the club wasn't quite as loud as others. Some more sensitive ninja, usually Inuzuka, took it a step further and rubbed a small balm at the tips of their noses. Sakura and the others didn't bother. The medic could usually heal any accrued damage.
When Sakura approached, the surrounding nin welcomed her with soft smiles and nods of acknowledgment. She smiled back at them. These ninja were her family in this great big village and she had probably healed most of them at some point or another. They waved her trio up through the line, Sakura blushing and thanking each of them that insisted that she pass through.
A neon greeting sign glowed as the star-lit sky faded into black-lit depths.
"Hey! They finally named the place!" Ino shouted, already deafened by the music. She was pointing to a stylized sign on the far wall.
Pulse
"Catchy." Sakura commented before wandering to her usual table. She breathed out anxiously, nervous about the plan. IF her stranger even shows up. Then again, he's always shown up. Which was odd. If he were such a good ninja, shouldn't he have missions?
Moment of truth. She smiled and looked appreciatively at Choji and Ino, who grinned feebly back. She turned, and gazed out into the writhing crowd.
A/N: Chapter one of the re-write is up! Definite improvement over the last time, though the flavors are all the same. A bit more spice and depth this time, I think. Let me know what you all think! Ja!