Blood and tuxedoes
CHAPTER 1
Sauntering into the club with people mumbling curses behind her back Sakura flipped red streaked black hair over her shoulder. She loved New York to death but clubbers were a pain. She preferred her natural color but the agency insisted it was necessary for this specific mission. She had to look like she belonged there though her deep set emerald eyes were carefully scoping the crowd searching for her target. Finding him seated at the bar with women who were barely dressed gathered around him vying for his attention she moved slowly but surely toward him. As she walked she speculated him from afar, short unruly red hair, cold and calculating sea green eyes and a muscular build. Standing beside him Sakura ordered straight vodka with no twist. He turned to her "You sure about that?" She looked at him with a sly smile. "I can handle my liquor where as you don't seem to be able to handle your floozies." What was surprising was that he smiled. "Touché." He mumbled indicating towards the alcohol next to her as he stood. "You coming?" he asked moving from the bar. Grabbing her glass she moved to stand beside him as he held her hand and led her to a table. "Why are you really here." he asked pulling her chair out. Sitting and straightening her skintight black dress Sakura took a sip of her drink and strew her leg over the other. "Cuz I'm pretty sure you didn't come in here to stand around looking pretty with you liquor, unlike a few girls in here." He mumbled taking a seat beside her. Leaning towards him she whispered in his ear "This looks like we are together and that's what I'm going for. Don't look around but you are in danger." Keeping his hand on the small of her back he whispered back "This I know but I don't know why or by whom." To everyone else it seemed as if they were having a private moment. Gunshots exploding across the room had everyone scrambling toward the exits in a panic. "That will have to be answered later." She mumbled pulling him toward an exit. "What the hell is going on?!" he shouted to her over the screams of the other patrons. "Um we're being shot at. Try to keep up." She mumbled as she pushed through the crowd and to a deep midnight blue Porsche. Opening the door she sat behind the wheel and watched him sit slowly and wince. Looking over at him Sakura noticed what was affecting his movement. Two bloody spots on his shirt chest alerted her of how dire their situation was getting. "You've been shot." She mumbled putting the car into gear. "Oh really I didn't notice." He drawled sarcastically. Speeding away from the club Sakura drove straight to the remote location that was her home. Honking her horn loudly Sakura stepped out and opened his door slinging one arm around her shoulder. "What the hell Saki you promised no more shots." A tall blue eyed blond growled stepping out of the house. "Yeah but I promised the bullet wouldn't be in me, didn't I Naruto." She quipped to the young man. "Now would you quit getting your panties in a bunch and help me?" she said indication towards her bleeding companion. "Why does this always happen to me?" Naruto mumbled under his breath as he slung the guy's arm over his shoulder and hauled him into the mansion only to drop him ungracefully on the couch. "Who is this guy anyway?" her best friend asked as the aforementioned young man turned so his back was pressing against the couch to look at them both. "Sabaku no Gaara and this is Naruto Uzumaki." She said pulling of the wig and casting it in a wastebasket. "That's wonderful now would you mind getting these bullets out of my chest then maybe telling me who you are and what the hell is going on?" Gaara said a bit breathlessly. Sakura reappeared with a small rolled up white bag and seeing as he was occupying the couch she merely sat on him. "Don't move." She said unfolding the bag. "Ha-ha very funny." He grounded out trying to block out the pain. She pulled out small silver scissors but was stopped by him holding her hand away from him. "Do you want the bullets to stay there and kill you or do you want me to take them out?" she asked dead serious. Slowly letting go of her arm he allowed her to tear his shirt in half "And by the way name's Sakura Haruno and the idiot over there is my best friend." she mumbled almost as if she wasn't searching for a bullet. She stayed focused though she couldn't help notice that he was much more muscular than she thought, he could probably lift the couch without breaking a sweat. Pulling the first one out quickly emitted a curse from Gaara who had a tight grip on her waist. Throwing the bullet into a small silver dish she searched for the other. "How they found us so quickly is what I want to know." She said glancing at Naruto. Though she had just yanked the last bullet free Gaara's grip on her waist hadn't budged an inch. "You mind letting me go?" she asked raising bloody fingers and indicating toward the kitchen. With narrowed eyes he slowly let go and watched as she walked toward the kitchen. "She's a piece of work isn't she?" he asked looking over at Naruto who was smiling from ear to ear. "Like fire in a bottle but Saki's like family to me." He said as she walked back into the room. Sitting back in her previous position she re-opened the white bag and pulled out a small bottle of alcohol. "Hell no!" he said backing up with a wince. "A minute ago you almost died on my couch and now you're running from rubbing alcohol." She said with a raised eyebrow. Gripping her waist firmly he squeezed slightly emitting a gasp. "If it hurts you're going to feel it too." He growled.
CHAPTER 2
She had already patched him up and Gaara stayed true to his promise doubling his grip on her when she went over the wounds with alcohol. He needed drinking alcohol now more than ever. Passing a glass of brandy to Gaara Naruto watched as he downed it in seconds. "It hurts that much eh?" Naruto asked looking at the covered wounds. "You could say that." The twenty four year old said pushing himself up to a sitting position. "The people who attacked us were identified as Sasuke Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha, the Uchiha brothers. They're basically henchmen for someone considering none of their previous criminal activity has anything to do with you. We'll start narrowing down the suspect pool as soon as you get some rest." Sakura filled him in. Naruto helped her carry him to her room and rested him on the bed. "Who are you people?" he asked looking at them with untapped curiosity. "We are a part of a black opps organization. I'm their technical/computer analyst and Saki here is one of our best field agents." Naruto explained. He had grown up hearing silly stories but never expected that it was actually real. "So you're kind of like spies." Sitting on the edge of the bed Sakura checked his bandages. "Kind of, but our jobs are more exciting, we get more action and we are real." She mumbled. Dragging Sakura out the door Naruto paused before closing it. "You'll get to meet everyone else tomorrow but for now just rest, you've just been shot…twice." Sakura had not long ago gone back into the room after changing and fallen asleep beside Gaara while Naruto sat in the window seat all night until he himself had fallen asleep there. He awoke to a sight that had him blushing madly. Sakura's head lay on Gaara's chest splaying masses of vibrant, curly pink hair across slightly bronzed skin with his arm around her waist, her body pressed to his and their feet coiled around each other's. Tip toeing across the room Naruto successfully exited the room without waking the sleeping pair. Slipping into his room he threw himself on the bed and exploded into laughter with his face buried in a pile of pillows. The rest of the team began to arrive and as Naruto walked down the stairs he shushed them pointing towards Sakura's room. A blue eyed blond who looked shockingly like Naruto ran past him to see what her friend was up to followed by the rest of the team. Opening the door slowly she halted in shock with the others following suite. It would have been the first time they had seen Sakura so…intimate. Closing the door the blond looked at her speechless companions and turned to Naruto. "Who's the hottie?" she asked eyeing the door. "Paws off Ino your boyfriend is standing right there and anyways I get the feeling Sakura has already staked her claim." Naruto said pushing them away from the door, down the stairs and into the kitchen. They seemed to have left at the right time for not a minute later the pair woke up. Removing Gaara's arm Sakura stood slowly and walked to the bathroom deciding that it was better if neither of them said anything about it. The entire time he lay watching her with his face revealing no emotion though they were crashing around in his head. Little did he know she was having the same problem. She exited after a quick shower, brushing her teeth and washing her face. Pulling on black skinny jeans, a skintight black tube top and a pair of suede black heels she towel dried her hair and dug around her closet. Producing a black T shirt she threw it at Gaara who caught it effortlessly and pulled it on, his gaze on her unmoving. Pulling her waist length hair into a tight ponytail she applied red lipstick and stepped out of the room with him not far behind. Everyone sat in the kitchen talking animatedly and looking fiercely guilty. "Really guys? A trained team of assassins couldn't pretend they didn't sneak into my room while I was asleep. Wow, Bravo." She said walking towards the refrigerator to cook the breakfast she knew all of them were expecting. Sakura piled plates with steaming pancakes, bacon and eggs, filled glasses with orange juice and allowed everyone to take their plates and glasses. She sat between Gaara and her teammate Neji Hyyuga. "You're almost twenty three Saki, It's about time." He whispered drowning his pancakes with syrup. Shaking her head slightly Sakura ate as if she heard nothing. Everyone had been gathered in the study as Sakura filled them in on the situation. "Tsunade had insisted I go to club Midnight to seek out our target for the night Gaara…" she began but was interrupted by the young man seated with a fierce looking German shepherd at his feet. "Gaara as in Gaara Sabaku?!" he said loudly. "Say it a bit louder why don't you I don't think Africa heard you!" Ino yelled slapping him in the back of his head. "Yes Kiba." Sakura stated with a smile. Gaara sat next to her not hiding a small smirk. Another teammate spoke up though Gaara could barely see his face for he wore a grey hood and sunglasses under. "Gaara Sabaku, multi billionaire and owner of the chain of Sabaku industries all over the world." He said his voice low and ominous. "Geez Shino could you be any creepier?" Tenten said breaking the silence though she was coiling her hair into a bun. Smiling slightly Shino pulled down his sunglasses showcasing beautiful icy blue eyes and winked at her "I try." Rolling his eyes Neji sought to get back on track "But why would she send you alone?" Shrugging slightly Sakura looked at her teammates "I have no idea. All she had said was that I needed to get down there pronto. I guess she had a hunch about the attack." She said absentmindedly. "Attack?!" a quiet voice shrieked. Hinata Hyyuga she was Neji's cousin and the silent but deadly type in the team. Sure she was sweet and innocent but when it came to work she was ruthless. "It's cool Hinata nobody got hurt…much." Naruto said glancing in Gaara's direction. "If by nobody got hurt you mean Gaara got shot then yes Naruto nobody got hurt." Sakura quipped.
CHAPTER 3
The rest of the meeting was spent going through everyone who might have had a motive for wanting Gaara dead and why. A small introduction was in order and Sakura intended to give it. "The team consists of Shino Aburame: Technical analyst/Interrogator, Kiba Inuzuka: Tracker/Assassin, Shikamaru Nara: Behavior analyst/Counter Intelligence Expert, Neji Hyyuga: Behavior analyst, Naruto Uzumaki: Technical analyst, Sakura Haruno: Field Agent/Assassin, Ino Yamanaka: Field Agent/Assassin, Tenten: Weapons Mistress and Hinata Hyyuga: Behavior analyst/Torture interrogator." She said pointing to each. Naruto had opened his mouth to speak when a phone in the room began to ring loudly. It seemed to be of some importance as everyone became silent and stared in the direction of the landline. Pressing the speaker button Sakura seated herself beside Gaara once more with a blank look on her face though she was dreading bad news. "Haruno!" a feminine voice barked. "Yes mam." She responded on cue like a soldier to his commander Gaara noticed. "Good work." The woman was purposely getting Sakura riled. She let out a sigh unseen by all but one "Thank you Tsunade sama." She said with a smile lighting up her face. "You and your team will need to keep close tabs on Mr. Sabaku and you need to stay by him at all times." She ordered. "We will Tsunade sama." She said shifting in the couch. "Now in the meantime go forth and multiply!" she shouted surprising them all. They all sat holding in their laughter except Naruto who looked at the phone as if it had grown arms and legs and was tap dancing on the table with a hat and cane. "Granny...are you drunk again?" he asked slowly. "Boy if you don't stop calling me granny…" she began. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, you'll knock my teeth in. I know." He said shaking his head. A long sequence of earsplitting mispronounced Italian opera followed until Shikamaru stood and presses the end button allowing everyone to let out the laughter they had been holding in. "And she expects us to take her seriously." Shikamaru mumbled shaking his head. Loud banging on the door sent everyone into attack mode as they ran down the stairs and waited at the door with a little surprise for their visitors. The door flew open and a shrill scream echoed down the hall but it did not come from the female in the doorway. A dusty blond haired, blue eyed girl and a brunette man with brown eyes stood in front of the group frozen in fear. Gaara did not envy them they had opened the door to have nine guns of different varieties pointed at them but the people at the other end of them were much scarier. The team stood with looks on their faces that said everything about the next two minutes. If they moved they were dead. Getting annoyed with the anxiety Gaara stepped out from behind the team and held on to Sakura from behind. "It's ok." He whispered. The two seemed shocked into oblivion. Raising her index and middle finger Sakura signaled the team to stand down and back away from the door. Pointing his gun down Shikamaru held the girl by her arm and pulled her into the house where as Shino merely snarled slightly scaring the brunette in behind the girl. Shino shook his head with a smirk as he closed the door behind the two. Throwing her arms around Gaara the blond seemed overjoyed where as Gaara did not pushing her off him. "Where the hell were you?" she fussed looking him over. "Temari I'm fine and I'm not your pet now quit it. How the hell did you find me?" He said batting her hands away. "Telepathy. I'm kidding Tem has a G.P.S. in your phone." The brunette said "Sorry am I missing something?" Kiba asked stepping forward. "You're missing something?!" the brunette yelled using his hands to indicate to Sakura who sat on the stair case polishing her gun. Looking up Sakura walked to stand next to Gaara holstering her gun. "Sabaku no Temari and Kankuro. Sister and brother of Sabaku no Gaara. You both work in the family business and Kankuro has an infatuation with cats even though for some reason they hate him." She said looking at her team. "Freaky." Kankuro whispered in Naruto's direction. "W-Wait if you knew who we were then what's with the gun barrage?" Temari asked with a slight shudder. Sakura walked up the stairs with a smirk "Fill them in there's no way I'm explaining that thing thrice." She mumbled. Walking with the team to the kitchen Shikamaru patted her on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it; you guys are fresh blood Saki just likes to scare people senseless. If you want to see horrifying you should watch Hinata work. Gave me nightmares the first two weeks." He said walking away with a shudder. "I think Hinata chan has fingers under her pillow." He whispered to himself though it sent shivers down the girl's spine. Surprisingly Shikamaru spoke more than to say "Troublesome" or "what a drag." As he filled the two in on the whole situation he put up with gasps and pauses to let the information settle in. "So you guys don't know who is behind all this?" she asked looking around at them all. The question was given no time to be answered as glass shattering was heard. Everyone rushed up the stairs with the team pulling their guns. Opening the doors to the medical ward guns were holstered and smug smiles were splayed across most people's faces where as Temari and Kankuro looked as if they were about to faint. Gaara sat shirtless on the bed with Sakura on him with her hands on his chest. "Sorry Kura but it's going to take a while for me to get used to this." Naruto said using his hands to indicate toward their position. "Don't get any ideas. I was checking his injuries when the moron walked in and dropped his glass as if he hadn't seen this before." She said hopping off him. "That's happened before?" Temari whispered to Kiba. "Just picture it lying down with her head on his chest and his hand around her waist." Shikamaru mumbled walking away. "This is so unfair." Kankuro sighed. "What?" Naruto asked walking out with a dust pan filled with glass. "He doesn't have to try to get a hot chick."
CHAPTER 4
The siblings had been brought up to speed on the situation and they still hadn't heard anything from Tsunade on what to do next. Sitting in the couch the team stared out into space having nothing to do. Pushing herself up from the couch Ino marched up the stairs. "Where are you going?" Kiba asked. "Swimming duh." She said as if it was completely obvious. "There's something I can agree with." Naruto said running up the stairs behind her. Rolling her eyes Sakura walked behind them with Temari and Kankuro by her side. They had all changed except the Sabaku siblings and were frolicking in the pool out back. Stepping out and drying himself Shikamaru sat beside Temari looking out at the only family any of them had. "It's hard to grasp." She said her voice barely above a whisper. Looking in Hinata's direction a smile tugged at his lips "What? That the purple haired girl who's giggling like a school girl and flashing water on people can decapitate you in seconds, not blink and sleep like a baby?" he asked. Nodding she looked out at everyone "Yeah and the fact that its official, my little brother has hormones." She said this staring intently at Sakura. Chuckling he looked at Temari who was somewhere off in space. She was really pretty but he couldn't let feelings interfere with his work. It wasn't that he didn't want to have a relationship with her it was just that if he got too close it could get her in danger and he would never want that for her. Purging his mind of all doubt he opened his mouth to say something when Sakura's cell phone began to ring. Getting out quickly she grabbed it and answered. The conversation couldn't be heard but from Sakura reactions and answers they could tell it was a mission. Sakura hanging up the phone with a grim face did not send the right signal to the team. She gathered the girls including Temari, stood them in a circle to discuss secretly what the phone call was about. "Tsunade wants us to check out a suspect of hers but we're going to do it in a certain high end club that takes months to even get a chance to be on their list." She said dropping hints for one of them to pick up on. "Oh my God she's talking about Orchid's Ecstasy!" Ino squealed jumping up and down attracting the guys' attention. "Shhh!" Sakura warned. Walking past the guys and as if it wasn't a mission the girls entered the house leaving Sakura behind. She paused before entering the house to address the guys. "Dress…classy and be ready in three hours." She said before disappearing inside. Looking at each other a bit confused the guys shrugged they had no idea what they were in for. "Three hours? We're getting dressed not starting a circus." Shino mumbled. The girls were all in Sakura's room and the guys in Naruto's. In the first hour all the guys were seated downstairs talking animatedly all dressed in tuxes. Pulling at his tie Naruto shifted uncomfortably in the chair. He had worn a tuxedo before just not the tie. The girls on the other hand were only half ready. Some were applying makeup and frankly it looked like the remnants of world war two, others were still picking out what to wear while others were occupied with their hair. Holding on to Tenten's hand Sakura stopped her from continuing with her makeup. Using makeup wipes she removed all trace of the horror show Tenten was conducting. After an hour and a half the door opened and the guys stood at attention. Hinata was the first down the stairs in a flowing lavender dress that shimmered when she moved with her hair flowing over her shoulder in thick curls next was Tenten who wore a snug green dress that flared out at the bottom with her brown hair straightened and flowing down her back, Temari who wore a flattering strapless purple dress that flowed behind her with her hair pulled into a bun with a curled blond bang then there was Ino who wore an aqua dress with a purple jewel where the two cups of the dress met, a crescent moon and star symbol in the middle and flowed behind her with her blond hair in a tight ponytail and a shadow over one eye. Lastly was Sakura who wore a form fitting black dress that flowed smoothly with pink cherry blossom designs on the bottom and midriff with her long pink hair combed over to one side, curled and held neatly by a cherry blossom pin. A split in the dress that ran up to her thigh caught Gaara's eye. Standing speechless the guys could barely get a grip on themselves until the door was opened and the girls began to exit. "Mind telling us where we are going?" Shikamaru said securing a gun behind his jacket. "Just let the girls drive." Sakura said sitting in her car beside Gaara. Closing the door she pulled a gun from under her seat, checked if it was loaded, closed it and placed it in a leg holder just above the beginning of the split. She drove off noticing the group driving behind her and smiled slightly. "What's with all the mystery?" Gaara asked pulling out a gun himself. With a raised eyebrow she looked at him. "What this?" he mumbled "This is just one of the many guns I have on me right now." He said with a smirk. Rolling her eyes she turned a sharp corner. "You'll find out when you get there and do you need someone to show you how to shoot that thing?" she asked. "Are we going to talk about what happened when we were 'asleep'?" he asked knowing that even though she wouldn't say it what the answer was. Blushing slightly Sakura wouldn't answer the question. 'So what if it didn't happen by accident? It doesn't mean anything.' She thought. Pulling up in front of the club Sakura took in the environment. A long line of people stood outside grumbling and shouting but none daring to oppose the bouncer. She stepped out and made sure the car was closed and secure. Holding out his arm Gaara allowed Sakura to link her arm in his. What looked like a kiss on the cheek was actually him whispering in her ear. "You need to not only dress the part but look the part. No one goes into one of these places without a date." Nodding slightly she led him to where the others stood and filled them in. Shikamaru was with Temari, Naruto with Hinata, Kiba with Ino, Sakura with Gaara, Neji with Tenten and Shino and Kankuro stood alone. Everyone looked at them suggestively until they got the hint. "No way in hell." Kankuro ground out backing away from Shino. Grabbing him by the arm Shino linked them "You owe me big time Haruno." He mumbled. Giggling slightly Sakura walked up to the bouncer and cleared their names and faces for entry. "This is so awesome." Tenten squealed. "I wonder how Tsunade got us in." Ino mumbled holding on to Kiba. "Who knows she probably held a gun to the owner's head. God knows that woman's nuts." Naruto said pushing open the door.
CHAPTER 5
They all stood on the other side of the door taking in the amazing layout. Kankuro reached up and pulled off Shino sunglasses earning him a slap. Pulling them back on Shino's grip on the sunglasses was released as Kankuro grabbed them from him and shoved them inside his jacket. "I need those." Shino whined. "You're not getting it back yet." Kankuro said sternly. Unknown to a pouting Shino and victorious Kankuro the team was cracking up. "They're just like a married couple." Temari whispered. "I think we missed the wedding." Shikamaru mumbled back. Shaking her head Sakura hurried them away from the door and to a table in the far corner of the overly large room. "I need you to keep a look out for this man. His name his Orochimaru." Sakura said sending a picture around. "Stay in your pair at all times remember we want this to look like a night out with your girlfriend or in your case Kankuro boyfriend" she said with a smile. "Why am I the girl?" Kankuro demanded. "I wasn't the one who screamed like a little girl because of a forty two caliber." Shino reminded with a shrug. "Spread out but stay in the dimly lit areas." She mumbled linking her arm in Gaara's and walking away. Looking over his shoulder he noticed everyone do the same but they all walked off in different directions. Seating himself in a dark corner Gaara allowed Sakura to sit beside him. "We need to be alone right?" he finally asked keeping his eyes trained on one spot. "Yup." She mumbled absentmindedly. "That's what I thought." He ground out grabbing her and spinning her around. Holding her tightly he kissed her. It only supposed to be to keep the drunken pair who were staggering towards them away but he soon found himself doing it for another reason. It shocked him to some amount that she had kissed back but he found no need to care. Pulling away Sakura held on to his shoulder as she tried to regain her breath. "Why?" she questioned. Resting his head on her shoulder he whispered between breaths "Look behind me." Glancing up she noticed a girl who could barely stand up in her heels frozen in place with her date trying to pull her way from them but was tripping over himself laughing. "And I've been contemplating doing that for a while now." He said with a smirk. With a small gasp Sakura stood with a start looking out at the dance floor. "What?" he asked fully alert. "Stay down." She whispered walking forward. Completely ignoring her request he stood and moved swiftly to stand beside her. "It's like whatever I say just falls off before it reaches your ears." She growled still scoping the crowd. "What happened back there?" he asked searching for the cause of her panic. "Other than you stealing my first kiss, I saw Sasuke Uchiha." She said walking away from him. Grabbing on to her he could only look into her teary green eyes but couldn't utter a word. "Yes Gaara you were my first kiss. Happy now? I'm twenty two and you're my first kiss." She said as a tear slid down her face. Holding her face in his hand Gaara wiped the tear away with his thumb. "I'm twenty four and you were mine." He said his voice just above a whisper. This shocked Sakura more than the kiss but their silent moment was short lived as Hinata ran up them and pulled them back to the seat. "The Uchihas are here so I suggest we either get the hell out of here or stay out of sight." She whispered. Shots firing sent the crowd into chaos. They looked out at the dance floor and noticed Naruto pursuing Itachi Uchiha with his gun drawn. "So much for staying out of sight." Sakura said drawing her gun and running down the stairs. Not far behind her Gaara drew his gun wondering why Hinata didn't carry a gun. His question was soon answered as she threw something swiftly earning an agonized groan. Upon closer inspection he saw that she had thrown a slim dagger straight into the man's knee. "Why didn't you kill him?" he asked inspecting the fallen man. Whoever he was Gaara had no idea why he wanted him dead hell, he didn't even look older than him by much. "I only immobilized him, we need him alive to talk and trust me…I can make him talk." She said harshly yanking the knife out. With a slight shudder Gaara walked around the corner but dropped to the floor quickly as a shot was fired at him. Looking up he let down his guard, it was only Sakura. "Trigger happy today aren't we." He said pushing himself up and brushing the dust off his jacket. "Do you look for them or do the bullets just have a way of finding you?" she quipped reloading the gun. "It's not the bullets I'm afraid of. It's the beautiful woman who wants to put them in me." He said straightening his tie. "Are you always this neat when you're about to die?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. "Are you always this cute when you're annoyed?" he replied. Their endless battle of wits was interrupted as shots were fired at them rapidly. Grabbing her Gaara pressed her to him holding himself and her against the wall. "Wonderful, the bad guys have machine guns. Could it get any worse?" she growled. Gripping her tightly Gaara peered around the wall but his sight was blocked by with dust build up. "It always does." Gaara whispered. A tall, slim man with snake like yellowish brown eyes stepped out from behind the dust cloud. He was so skinny Gaara wondered how he still had a grip on the machine gun. "Come out, come out wherever you are." He taunted with gleeful eyes. Sakura wore a disturbing look of complete horror mixed with eerie dread. "What is it?" Gaara asked. "Orochimaru." Was all she could say.
CHAPTER 6
So this was the man who wanted him dead. There was only one problem, Gaara had no idea why. He had never seen that man in his life. "I know you're here." He said softly looking around. Cocking his gun Gaara pointed it around the wall but was held back by Sakura. "Don't, if you do and hit him they'll start firing and we'll most likely get shot. Even if you miss they will get an idea of where we are and start firing." She warned looking around. Running up to them Shikamaru grabbed them by the arm and pulled them around the corner. "We need to get out of here." He whispered. "Thanks for the bright idea Einstein but how about telling us how we go about doing that." She grumbled with narrowed eyes. "There are four exits, two are blocked. Shino and Kankuro are checking out the third and Neji and Tenten are on the fourth." He explained pulling out his phone and showing them the blue print of the place. "Where are Temari, Naruto, Hinata, Kiba and Ino?" she asked putting a silencer on her gun. "Tem's taking out Orochimaru's men like she's been doing it all her life, Naruto and Hinata have one of the Uchihas and Kiba and Ino are nowhere to be seen." He filled her in. Nodding she pointed him to where some of Orochimaru's men were walking along upstairs searching for them. Putting a finger over her lip she indicated to him that he should use a silencer as to not make the others aware of their position. "I'll take out the snipers you work on the ground men." She said disappearing around the corner with Gaara. Quickly and silently she dealt with men who looked twice her age. Coming to a sharp halt Sakura narrowly avoided Gaara slamming into her as he skidded to a halt. "We need to split up. That way we'll cover more ground." she explained turning to face him. Though she couldn't see Gaara could, a man stood upstairs training his gun on her. Grabbing the gun out of her hand Gaara quickly aimed and shot the man squarely between the eyes. Turning around she saw the man fall with blood trailing down his face. "Still think we should split up?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. Shaking her head she retrieved her gun. "Why so violent Mr. Sabaku?" she teased reloading it. "It's in my nature." He said holding her to him against the wall as he had noticed a shooter walking towards them. Trailing his hand up the split in her dress slowly he heard her gasp softly. Grabbing the gun he knew she kept in a leg holder at the end of the split he quickly shot the incoming man. Walking towards the man and away from Sakura who stood completely frozen Gaara dug around in the man's jacket and pulled out a cell phone. It seemed Kankuro and Shino arrived at the right time and bearing good news. "The third exit is open. Naruto and Hinata have gone through with one of the Uchihas, Tenten and Neji are also though, Temari and Shika are out and you guys are next." Shino informed leading them towards an exit. "Any news on Ino and Kiba?" she queried. Shaking his head Kankuro opened the door "None." He said. Everyone stood at their cars except Kiba and Ino and the team was getting worried. In the dead silence Tenten's phone ringing gave everyone a heart attack. "It's Kiba." She said a bit overly excited. Answering and putting the phone on speaker Tenten and the group waited anxiously. Ino's cheery voice floated out relieving everyone. "Where are you guys?" she asked. "Where are we?!" Tenten yelled. "I could ask you the same thing." Neji mumbled. "We're in some office in the club but here's the thing the place is full of newspaper clippings." She said. "Yeah so?" Temari asked. "And they all have something to do with the Sabaku family." She continued. "We can't take the clippings so I want you to take pictures as clear as they can get of everything there. That might help us know what we're dealing with." Sakura ordered. "I found something even better, Files. Loads and loads of files." Ino said gleefully. "Ino no we can't take those." Sakura said. "A-no-you're-breaking." Ino pretended the call was breaking up and hung up quickly as though she hadn't heard anything. Sighing Tenten quickly sent a text for Ino and Kiba to meet them at Sakura's house. Opening the car door Sakura noticed that Gaara was already seated in the car. She sat quickly and slammed the door behind her. "You ok?" he asked genuinely interested in finding out. "No Gaara, I'm not Ok. Do you want to know why? Because of you." She said with a firm grip on the steering wheel though she was driving. "Me?" he asked a bit shocked. "Yes you. I'm a good agent and a hell of a captain but I can't deal with you screwing with my head." She said exasperated to no end. "I'm screwing with your head?! I had a normal enough life until you came along!" he shouted. "That's not my fault. I didn't ask for this mission!" she exploded stomping on the brake at a stop light. Breathing harshly Sakura placed her head on the steering wheel and tried to calm down. "I've never had anything like what I have with you." He mumbled almost to himself. Turning her head to look at him she let out a small sigh. "What do we have Gaara?" she asked driving off. "As I said before I've never had this before and I have no idea what to do about it." He said his eyes piercing into her. The rest of the trip was spent in silence as neither wanted to break the already quivering peace. Even in the house the group sensed the tense silence between the two and stayed silent themselves. For Naruto that was an oddity. Exiting the bathroom after changing into a black silk top and shorts Sakura barely glanced at Gaara who laid staring up in the ceiling. Lying on her side of the bed Sakura didn't say there long as Gaara liked his arm around her waist and pulled her to him. Sighing Sakura laid her head on his bare chest and silently reveled in the well needed heat. "When will you stop doing this to me?" she asked with closed eyes. "Doing what?" he asked. "Messing with my already mixed up emotions." She mumbled opening her eyes. "I'm not trying to. I'm just trying to understand my own." He whispered. "You know there's a reason you have a closet full of clothes which includes shirts." She mumbled throwing her arm around him. "And there's a reason I don't wear them at night." He said still staring in the ceiling. She looked up at him a bit confused "And that is?" she questioned. "If I wore a shirt what would you hold on to for dear life?" he said with a smirk. Smacking his chest she rolled her eyes. "Right cuz I'm the one holding on for dear life." She said closing her eyes. Hearing her breathing become even he knew she was asleep and soon fell asleep himself.
CHAPTER 7
The cuddling pair was interrupted by Ino yanking open the curtains and letting the bright sun filter in but she was blocked out by Gaara burying his face in Sakura's hair and Sakura burying her face in a pillow. Huffing she stomped out of the room. Five minutes later Shino barely opened the door when Sakura threw her pillow at him slamming the door in his face. Temari and Kankuro had a similar reaction as Gaara and Sakura yelled together "Get out!" The team stood outside the bedroom door some laughing while others wondered what the hell was happening in there. Sakura stood digging through her closet in only a towel while Gaara was in the shower. Pulling on her clothes she smiled slightly when the shower stopped. Stepping out with only the towel wrapped around his waist and his hair dripping wet Gaara stopped short as Sakura was standing right in front of him. Nodding towards the bed she mumbled "Get dressed." before walking around him and into the bathroom. He looked at the black work suit and crisp button down white shirt with a raised eyebrow. "You're just full of surprises aren't you?" he mumbled towel drying his hair. Minutes later Sakura exited the bathroom and froze giggling slightly. Gaara stood fumbling with the tie and not being able to stand and watch anymore she stopped him and unraveled the tie. "You look really nice." He said looking down at her. She wore straight black pants with a white button up blouse tucked into it, a tight black vest over it and black pumps. What really caught his eye was how tight the blouse was and how everything stuck to her shapely figure. Finishing with the tie she pulled at it slightly for good measure. "You don't look too bad yourself." She said walking up to the full body mirror to do her hair. She began to pull it into a ponytail when he stopped her" Don't. It looks better when it's out." He said lowly as he ran his fingers through her hair. Seeing that it was already straightened she simply brushed it and let it flow down her back. She stood looking in the mirror at herself when he placed his hands on her hips. "Please say I'm allowed to because I really want to kiss you right now." He said with pleading eyes. Turning she looked up at him and spoke so softly it almost went unheard. Holding her to him he wasted no time in making up for the club. This time it felt more natural and not just from adrenaline. Their kiss was cut short as the door knob began to turn and Sakura quickly pushed him on the bed and proceeded to put on red lipstick. Sticking his head past the door Naruto looked around as if waiting for an attack and when none came he entered slowly. "Where you going?" he asked looking them both over. Walking out of the room Sakura left the door open "You'll see eventually won't you?" she quipped. Giving an exasperated sigh Gaara flopped down on the bed. "Why do I get the feeling I interrupted something?" Naruto asked, as usual being his oblivious self. Mumbling all the gruesome and bloody ways in which he would murder Naruto Gaara followed behind Sakura leaving Naruto standing confused. In the living room everyone sat talking idly but when Sakura entered the room fell silent except for Kankuro who was laughing until Shino smacked him upside the head. "Thank you Shino." She mumbled walking up to the front of the room. "Ino the files." Was all she said as Ino handed her a large stack of papers all in yellow file jackets. "Where are you guys going?" Kiba asked indicating what Gaara was wearing. "I was thinking. Orochimaru wants Gaara dead that we know but we don't know why." She said sitting on the handle of the chair that Gaara was seated in. "The files might tell us that." Hinata said. "But you're not looking for the files to help are you?" Shikamaru asked already knowing the answer. A smile lit up her face "Exactly I was more looking along the lines of the fact that Orochimaru wouldn't be able to do any of this without an insight on Gaara's every move. His plan can't function without a mole of some sort in his life. Someone who is close to him not necessarily relationship it could even be business wise but this person has to have some motive for doing this." She said pausing. "So you mean someone who's close to him but hates his guts?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow. "Basically anyone who you might have stepped on to get where you are." Shikamaru mumbled. Fire crackling in his eyes Gaara didn't move but simply stared long and hard at Shikamaru. "I've never stepped on anyone to get where I am because it's a family business and I don't believe in playing dirty to get what I want." He said a matter of factly. "So where do the suits fit into any of this?" Tenten asked. "Where does the most hatred build up for someone who's higher up than you?" Sakura asked. "Work." Gaara mumbled. Sakura had gotten up and was halfway to the front door when she paused. "What did you guys do with Sasuke Uchiha?" she asked looking at the team. "Little bastard who almost scratched my car? He's in interrogation 1." Naruto grumbled. "And he's damn lucky I didn't let Hinata get a hold of him too." He continued. Blushing hotly Hinata huffed. "I'm not that bad." She said softly. "Yeah right. If you had gotten to him last night there wouldn't be anything recognizable to interrogate." Neji mumbled. "He wouldn't be dead!" she said loudly then quieted down. "He would just be starved and missing a few fingers." She said under her breath though everyone else heard it.
CHAPTER 8
It seemed Gaara was missed immensely at work as people wouldn't stop asking if he was ok and where he was until he basically locked himself in his office. Sakura was out in the car as she needed to make sure everything at the house was under control. Ending the call she grabbed the files and stored them in her laptop bag as she couldn't just saunter into the building with a stack of files. Slinging the strap over her shoulder she walked into the building and into an empty elevator. Arriving at the top floor she walked straight past the blond receptionist who called for her though she was ignored. "Are you deaf? You can't be up here!" she shouted after Sakura but she paid her no mind. Opening the door to Gaara's office Sakura stepped in but was grabbed by the receptionist who seemed out of breath. "I'm sorry Mr. Sabaku. I'll get this menace out of your office." She said attempting to pull Sakura out. Looking at them both Gaara wore a small smirk from Sakura's facial expression. "I suggest you get your hand off my girlfriend if you plan on keeping it." He said catching Sakura's eye widening slightly then going back to normal. The girl stood with wide eyes and shock written all over her face. "I think you killed her honey." Sakura said using her thumb and index finger to pick the girl's hand off her shoulder, move it and drop it. Standing from his desk he ushered her out the door and closed it in her face. "Do you normally hire bubbly, brainless blondes?" she asked sitting in the couch facing the city view. Shaking his head he sat and pulled up his computer "I swear that girl has more hot air in her head than brain cells, if any even exist in there." He grumbled. "And girlfriend really?" she said pulling out the files. "What did you want me to say? Wife? And anyways she's been staring holes in my door like I'm the only man on earth." He mumbled with a shrug. Rolling her eyes Sakura began to read the files while Gaara worked. Half an hour later she closed the second file, threw her head back with a sigh and opened the third of many. "Good stuff?" Gaara teased looking at her. Still reading she didn't lose focus. "From what I've seen so far it's the opposite." She mumbled absentmindedly. Getting up from his chair and sitting on the far end of the couch Gaara looked at her. "Why?" was all he said before she turned and lay in the chair with her head in his lap. Resting one hand around her mid drift he used the other to twirl her hair between his fingers. "Apparently your father had some business going with Orochimaru and I mean illegal business." She began when the door opened. Turning slightly Gaara looked who was at the door. "Can I help you with anything Mr. Sabaku?" she said twirling brown hair around her index finger. "No. I'm fine." He said. "I mean anything like ANYTHING at all." She said sultrily. Raising her eyebrow Sakura decided she'd had enough and wanted to rain on this little princess's parade. Turning slightly she caught Gaara's attention. She pressed her index finger to her lips effectively silencing him as she rose quickly capturing him in a kiss he happily responded to. Completely ignoring the enraged brunette who had slammed the door after a minute of staring in shock the pair picked up from where they had left off. Pulling away for the need of air they both sat staring at each other breathing harshly. "What was that for?" he finally asked. With a small smirk she raked her fingers through his surprisingly soft hair "She was getting annoying and I've been contemplating doing that for a while." She said completely enthralled with his hair. "I think I need to start calling more people into my office." He said lacing his arms around her waist. Pulling slightly on his hair Sakura heard Gaara give a small growling sound. "So that's what makes you tick." She mumbled to herself. She pulled again only this time harder and the growl that ripped through his chest could probably scare a grizzly bear into hiding.