Disclaimer: ...No. We don't own these characters. Obviously.
A/N: Well to begin with we're to authors who basically feed and thrive off of one another, constantly flinging ideas at each other. Brothel came about because we wanted to reverse ( Yes yes, REVERSE) the old "Sakura's a whore" scenario...and well, this is what it came to. There are a few interesting twists which I have hidden up my sleeve...lets see if anyone can clue in before we get there! hope you all enjoy.
Brothel
By: Tsukiko Hoshino & The Red Harlequin On The Luna
"Put a birdcage near a window so that the bird can see the sky?
It's much better to look than not to, even if it hurts."
-Klaus Kinski
For her 21st birthday, Sakura had expected a lot of things. She expected to be happily in love and on her way to getting married to her childhood crush. She expected to get totally, hopelessly, and completely drunk (legally) for the first time. She expected, but did not want, a huge overwhelming party whose whole purpose was to showcase the Haruno family grandeur to their friends and enemies alike.
What she actually ended up with was not what she expected at all. The only good news was that the huge, overwhelming party had been pushed back a few weeks; the bad news was she was officially single. As for her third expectation of getting hammered…well, there was no way that wasn't going to happen. Even if she had to stick up a liquor store to get it done, consequences be damned.
Sakura sighed, looking through the darkly tinted windows of the limousine she'd all but been shoved into. "Where exactly are we going?" The whole situation gave off the strong vibe of a kidnapping and reeked of something sneaky. In her lap, a bright red clutch rested, big enough to hold her cellphone and a few other necessities but not much else. For a moment, she felt the bag tremor and bit the inside of her cheek. 'Just give up already, I'm not going to answer.'
"Out." Ino stated with an artful smile as she applied a thin film of peach lip gloss over her lips. The dark purple of her dress looked black in the dim lighting. "Are you gonna answer that?" She arched a perfectly plucked eyebrow encouragingly.
"Nope- and thank you, that was oh-so very helpful." Sakura huffed, shaking her foot anxiously, the modest heels she wore dangled precariously from her toes with the repetitive motion. She hadn't been out of her apartment in two weeks, not since the breakup, and she really didn't want her first night out to turn into a huge fiasco. 'That's asking for too much and you know it.' She thought, aiming a suspicious look at the blonde.
If Sakura had her way she wouldn't have left her posh apartment at all- ever really, if possible. The media had made a huge spectacle of the whole situation and it was embarrassing, not to mention her heart and feminine pride smarted from the mark he'd left behind. No, she would much rather lay on the couch watching reruns of legal drama's and eating cake. She really wanted that cake right now.
Unfortunately for her, Ino was known for her outlandish party ideas, so a nice quiet, uneventful evening was out of the question. For Sakura's twentieth birthday she'd taken them to India and while the sari she'd been wearing was beautiful and the landscape simply stunning, things had, for lack of a better word, gotten pretty wild between the elephant riding, cobra fights, and the near mauling she'd received from a Bengal tiger.
The raised flesh on her stomach was a testament to how close she came to death that day. 'Thank god for the Hyuuga secret service.' Sakura mused. If it hadn't been for those insanely devoted bodyguards of Hinata's she'd be dead. In short, Sakura had learned to be weary of Ino's so called 'adventurous spirit'.
'Sometimes I think she's trying to kill me…' The dress Ino had bought and forced her into seemed to further the idea. It was pretty to be sure. Mainly white with red and pink accents, the qipao held an air of innocence to it at first glance, but it was tight- hugging every curve she possessed and cut to her knees with a slit nearly up to her hip bone. The open back was by far the worst, disallowing the use of a bra which left her feeling a little too bare for her liking but she toughed it out. 'It's only once a year.' Sakura thought in amusement. 'But it feels like a triathlon.'
Sitting across from her, Ino couldn't help but admire her swagger. In her life she'd been called many things by many people, the worst of which were often by people who only cared to glance at the surface of things. Sure, she was smoking hot, but that didn't mean she was shallow, and just because she was blonde didn't mean she was vapid. As for being self-centered? She was far from it! If she were, she wouldn't have planned such a spectacular birthday celebration for her best friend of all time! The lengths she went through to provide Sakura with the best birthday experience every year could alone attest to her generosity.
"All I know is that wherever we're going has tons of alcohol." Tenten supplied, holding her hands up in surrender when Sakura fixed her with an inquisitive look. "That, or I was lied to. Because to be honest Ino hasn't really told me much of anything either. Which is scary."
"You and Hinata can't even drink." 'Legally' was the unspoken word, they wouldn't turn twenty one until September and December respectively. That didn't mean they hadn't gone to other countries where it was legal to get drunk, because they had. Having money to burn and then some certainly led to interesting situations.
"Oh don't worry, we'll find some way to amuse ourselves besides watching you and Tenten get unbelievably smashed." Ino stated with a sigh, it was such a shame she was months younger then Sakura. 'But then, alcohol's not really the main attraction, now is it?' It was a small consolation.
"I'm only here for moral support." Hinata chimed, hands folded daintily in her lap. She was also there to make sure things didn't get too out of hand. 'But knowing Ino…' There was no telling what the blonde had planned for the night; she'd been unusually hush-hush about the whole situation. The pale eyed girl thought on the subject worriedly, wondering if she'd made a mistake by leaving behind her bodyguards after all. If Ino was being quiet about something, it did not bode well for anyone.
Crossing her arms, her foot's nervous movements sped up. "Ino…." Sakura began threateningly just as the vehicle came to a stop.
"Oh, here we are!" The blonde chirped, climbing over Tenten's lap much to the brunette's annoyance. "You're going to enjoy this, trust me!"
"Famous last words." Sakura mumbled under her breath as the Yamanaka employed chauffeur opened the doors for them.
"This place?" Sakura wondered, staring up at the large, black varnished gate that curved over them imposingly. The entrance alone was very traditional, looking like something that belonged outside one of the old palace estates dotted throughout the country, but the noren curtain that hung from it marked it as a business. The split cloth dangled low, only a foot off the ground as it proudly displayed a red cloud outlined in white.
Hinata's pace completely stilled after getting a good view of the entry way Sakura had been admiring. "That's…" she floundered for a moment, realizing that Tenten and Sakura probably had no idea what was staring them in the face. "Ino, we can't go to a place like this!"
"You took us to Akatsuki." Tenten whispered. 'Neji is going to kill us all.' Even though her family had humble origins in the growing steel industry, she knew about the phantom establishment in passing. Prostitution was legal in specific zones throughout the country called red light districts, and out of all those areas the Akatsuki was the most notorious establishment by far in the fact that it was one of the few that catered exclusively to women.
Given the recent events in Sakura's life, Hinata really didn't find the current venue appropriate, nor did she look forward to being at such a place. Already her cheeks were heating up as she covered her face both in embarrassment and frustration. She should never have allowed herself to be convinced by Ino to give her bodyguards the slip.
Neji was going to be very unhappy when he figured out where they were, not to mention now she had no way of escaping the situation car had already pulled away from the curb, and her cellphone had been left behind because of the tracking device inside of it. It would take some time for them to be found.
"It is." Ino conceded, eyes gleaming back in the same bold manner she did everything else in her life. "And you're welcome for getting the three of you into one of the most exclusive places in the world."
"I'm confused…what's the big deal, I thought we were just going drinking…" Sakura interjected, looking around curiously. Tension's seemed to be rising and the feeling of being left in the dark picked at her unpleasantly.
Her concerns were brushed aside as Tenten looked at Ino in something both resembling respect and disgruntlement. "How did you get an invite?" You had to know somebody who knew somebody to even have a chance of getting entry.
The Akatsuki was notoriously exclusive in their clientele. The fact that Ino had never once mentioned having been to such a place was strange. It was the sort of thing she'd love to rub in the faces of noble women she was particularly spiteful towards. Not to mention she was always the first one to blab about when she'd been with a particularly skilled and good looking guy.
"I've been coming since I was sixteen," Ino remarked, sighing in annoyance once she realized they weren't just going to give up and follow her into the unknown like good, trusting little ducklings did with their mothers. "For my seduction training." The last part was coughed out rather awkwardly.
Of all the houses, the Yamanaka were the only ones who still clung to such a practice but given the duties they had been tasked with Sakura supposed in its own way it was necessary.
Hundreds of years ago when the country had still been called Japan, the political powers of the time had relied heavily on the employment of Shinobi, which had been known to use some of the most unscrupulous means necessary to complete their objective- including sending young girls or women out to seduce targets to either kill or extract information out of them.
Most of the main houses were in fact derived from ninja clans, compared to the major houses like the Uchiha, Hyuuga, Nara, and Yamanaka the Haruno's had been a rather inconsequential clan. The country of fire's government was run on a rather arcane system, but for the most part it worked like a well-oiled machine. The Hokage stood at the top of everyone and delegated tasks and agency's to particular families or individuals of exceptional prowess.
For example, the Yamanaka family ran what was termed as Konoha's interrogation and torture force, often quoted as being the Hokage's ears. They were experts at interrogation both the unsavory backroom with a pair of pliers sort and the kind that was by far less invasive, such as seduction. As the only child of the current Yamanaka head it was certainly expected that Ino would someday take her father's place and that meant she underwent whatever training was necessary to prepare her for what was to come.
'Out of the four of us, Tenten and I are the most average.' Sakura didn't have much of a problem with it either. Coming from a relatively upstart clan gave her more freedom. Besides his work as an archaeologist and the discovery of whirlpool's ruins several years ago, her father was a virtual no one in high society and he liked it that way.
Kizashi would much rather be traveling around the world discovering new things than hobnobbing with people he considered boring and trivial. It was her mother who held ties to the Senju, being one of the last remaining direct descendants to the blood line other than the current Hokage Tsunade.
Sakura's face darkened at her current line of thought, something that was not lost on her companions. Quickly, she interjected the question that she could see brewing behind their eyes by changing the subject. "Wait a second! You told me that you lost your virginity to Shikamaru!" Sakura cried, mouth falling open. It wasn't difficult to act scandalized, because in a way she was.
Ino wasn't supposed to lie to her about anything, it went against the code. The code was very, very important. "Speaking of which aren't the two of you dating right now…?" They were constantly breaking up and getting back together so fast it gave her whiplash.
"I did and technically we're on break right now, so there's nothing to worry about." Ino looked at Sakura's offended expression in amusement. "Just because I lost it to him doesn't mean I didn't learn other things before that." She rolled her eyes at Sakura's horrified look.
"So…to be perfectly clear this isn't a bar?" Sakura's voice grew meek as realization dawned on her. 'Oh my god…there's no way she would take us to a place like that.' Ino would be completely suicidal to do so. 'Maybe all the break ups with Shikamaru finally threw her over the deep end…'
"Well, it HAS a bar." Ino defended. "…Among other things…" "Ino, please tell me this place isn't what I think it is." Sakura begged, hands digging into her hair. How much more ammo could the paparazzi possibly be given against her?
"You'll ruin my work if you do that!" Ino snapped, dragging her hands down as she pulled Sakura through the curtains. She'd spent an hour perfectly curling and pulling the rosette strands into a half up-do before pinning a bright red silk camellia into the locks.
Beyond the curtain a group of men glanced up from the rather tense conversation they'd been embroiled in to study the rather dramatic entry occurring before them. The three men who had been facing off against a rather scantily clad silver haired man turned to glance at them.
Sakura tried to pay very little attention to the albino looking man who was wearing a studded dog collar, a speedo, and not much else. By comparison, besides the strange facial markings two of them carried and the sunglasses the third one wore in the middle of the night, the other three looked relatively normal. "You brought me to a whore house!" Sakura snapped, slapping the girl's hands away. "What the hell were you thinking?!"
"I was thinking that you seriously needed to get laid. You're twenty one and still a virgin." Came the unruffled response as Ino had the gall to come off looking guiltless. "And it's not just a brothel- think of it as more like a host club, plus there's a casino, a pool, an Onsen and even a teahouse! All filled with really hot guys willing to do just about anything you like." She nudged the girl with her elbow in a bawdy manner. "Plus if we're really lucky we'll get a glimpse of their Oiran. I hear he's something to behold!"
Snarling, Sakura lunged after the blond threateningly only to be curbed by Tenten's grip on her upper arms. "I swear when I get my hands on you, I'll make your torture tactics look like child's play!" The cold air ghosting over her back was forgotten in her fury. "You do this sort of thing every year!"
"What sort of thing?" Ino batted her sparkly eyes in the face of her companions all around deadpan expressions.
Last year it was India and a tiger, and the year before that they'd been jetted away to Bangkok where they'd nearly become victims of the human trafficking trade. The Hyuuga's were once again to the rescue and had gotten them out of their predicament before anything too terrible occurred.
Every year without fail, Ino caused birthday madness. It'd been happening since Sakura was seven and the blonde decided to throw her a circus themed party. To this day Sakura couldn't look at a clown without bursting into tears. Enough was enough.
"From here on out, you won't be planning anymore birthday surprises!" Sakura announced, crossing her arms over her chest furiously. "You, Ino are off the Sakura birthday planning committee." She declared, refusing to be moved by the blonde's crestfallen expression.
"B-but I've always planned your parties…" Ino began piteously, only to be cut off when Sakura held a hand up.
"Well, from here on out I'm putting Tenten in charge of the birthday party committee! Consider yourself sacked." She jabbed a thumb in the brunette's direction. "Is everyone in favor of this motion?" She didn't bother waiting for an answer, and quickly cut Ino's brewing argument off at the head. "Good, glad we've settled that."
"Fine! But since this is my last stint as the head of the Sakura party committee, I think it would only be fair of you to see the night through as planned." Ino lobbied with a pout. It was unlikely she would be giving her position up without a fight, but for now she'd let them think they'd won.
"Fine then." Sakura agreed coolly, brushing off her dress as Tenten slowly released her arms. "Now take me to the bar." Her imperious command would have left Tsunade feeling proud.
Their plans were waylaid as the guy who looked one step short of being a nudist sauntered his way towards them with a broad smile stretched across his lips. "Well, if it isn't the little Yamanaka bitch, been a while since we've been graced with your presence." The BDSM poster boy sneered, slinking his way in their direction. "Come crawling back after your boyfriend dropped you?" Tenten glanced between Ino and the strange man curiously. "You know this guy?"
"Barely," Ino responded back with an eye roll. "But even that's too well for my liking." Even in anger, Ino's face was flawless as her eyes flashed and her lips pursed in displeasure. It was a trait she possessed that Sakura deeply envied due to the fact that when she looked angry all she achieved was a new level of ugly.
"Hidan." Ino scoffed the name, eying him like a wad of bubble gum that somehow got stuck to the bottom of her twelve thousand dollar custom made shoes. "Shouldn't you be in a dark hole being whipped by someone about now?"
"Mm…you offering?" Hidan purred. "As much as I'm sure you'd love that, I'm more interested in your friend." His violet eyes slide down Sakura's form in sensuous grace. "Been a while since I've had a virgin... Whadd'ya say bitch, wanna have a good fuck? I promise to do it rough, you look like the type who likes pain."
"Not interested." Sakura flinched when he came even closer. 'This guy…' he gave her the creeps, with his slicked back hair, crazy smile, and lewd mouth. "And don't touch me." She snapped, slapping his hand away when he trailed it over her arm.
"That's what they all say at first." He laughed, throwing his head back as he reached out and gripped her by the waist roughly. "They change their tune pretty fast though."
"Hidan!" One of the boys who had been hanging back from the situation called out, his teeth bared angrily. His blonde hair was unkempt and his eyes blue. "Leave them alone. They're not interested in sick freaks like you, dattebayo!"
"Shut the fuck up you dipshit!" Hidan fired back fiercely, head flying in the direction of the speaker. "You cocksuckers need to mind your own damn business." The dog that had been standing by snarled threateningly, pacing behind its master's legs anxiously.
"Akamaru, relax." Triangle cheeks mumbled, patting the animal on the head.
Scowling something fierce, Sakura swiftly brought an end to his manhandling by allowing her knee to greet his groin with a sickening squelch. "Sorry but I don't think you'll be fucking anybody anytime soon." She stated all too sweetly, her smug confidence wiped away when she realized he wasn't just rolling on the ground in pain and regret, but in pleasure. His face was twisted in it as he writhed, a lusty moan filtered past his lips.
"I guess I was wrong, you don't like receiving, you like giving." Hidan laughed, cupping his aching groin.
'Oh. My. God.' Sakura blanched as she whipped her head around to look at Ino, horror painted on her face. "What sort of freak show did you take me to!?" She shrieked. 'This guy…what is he, a sadist or a masochist?!' Either way it was completely disturbing watching him have what seemed like a near orgasm from being kneed in the nuts.
"Ah, sorry about him ladies. He's a creep; don't pay him too much attention." The blonde called not bothering to step over the albino to reach them, instead he stepped directly on the man's back rather harshly and then off. "I'm Naruto." He explained, waving a hand good naturedly as he gave them a sunny smile. "The boss sent us up here to escort you, but Hidan kinda caught wind and he's never been good at following orders." He patted Sakura on the back in a hearty manner. "Nice moves by the way."
"Thanks." Sakura stated dryly, busying herself with pulling on the skirt of her dress nervously. 'What would be considered proper behavior towards a male prostitute?' That certain social etiquette had not been covered by her tutor at any point in time.
Sakura squealed loudly when she felt Hidan's cool hand creep up the back of her leg, caressing the sensitive skin hidden at the back of her knee. Her leg lashed out in pure reflex and caught him in forehead just as he was lifting his head up. The resounding thunk wasn't what caused her to wince, but the moan of pleasure that followed the hit. "Can we please, please get away from him?" She begged. Shuddering as she spoke.
"Oh right! Well first off, lemme introduce everybody… That dude there is Kiba. And the other one is Shino- Say hi, Shino." Naruto called, pointing at the man with the dog enthusiastically, before waving a hand at their third, silent party who raised his hand lazily in greeting. "Ne, Sakura-chan right?" He asked, glancing at the pink haired girl as his head cocked to the side adorably.
"Uhm, right." Sakura confirmed with a brief nod. "The hair gave me away huh?"
"You know it! It's hard not to make the connection when you look just like a flower! Happy 21st birthday." He congratulated, quickly pecking her on the cheek. "Hope it's a good one."
"Hey!" Sakura snapped, whacking him in the head even as her face tinged a delicate pink. "You want some of what I gave that weirdo?" She asked jerking her head towards Hidan who was blissfully unconscious for the moment.
"Definitely not, dattebayo." The blonde boy mumbled, cowering only briefly before shaking his head and greeting the rest of the group. He wrapped an arm around Hinata's shoulders after noticing her nervous posture. "Hey relax, we're going to take good care of you guys, just follow us!" he called, turning his back and darting down the pathway with more energy than Sakura could muster on the best of days.
Hinata blushed, mumbling a quick greeting in turn as she focused her eyes on the ground in front of her. Naruto was incredibly handsome, and not at all like the rigid, social elite men she was used to dealing with. His casual way of dress caught her off guard, clad in a pair of bright orange athletic pants and a black tank top, feet geared into black sneakers with neon orange laces.
Kiba laughed, grinning slyly as he leaned in close to Hinata's flushed face. "Don't mind Naruto too much, he's kinda retarded when it comes to girls. Which is what makes his popularity with the ladies so...unexpected." He explained making his way towards Ino.
"Good to see you again babe." Kiba greeted, sidling up to the blonde's side easily.
"You too." Ino flashing him a coy smile as she slid her arm through one of his. "Anything interesting happening tonight?"
"Well, we've got a break dance show in about two hours, hope you'll be there…you know where the stage is, so there's no excuse not to come" Kiba cajoled.
"Yea, yea." Ino rolled her eyes. "I'll go watch, you attention whore."
With Ino's back turned to her Sakura released a sigh and ran her hands through her hair tensely, quickly stepping away from Hidan's still form. 'This is going to be a looong night.' She thought, shaking her head tersely. Beside her Tenten was busily thinking of a way to explain to her boyfriend why she allowed herself to be taken to a brothel and not get an hour long lecture from him
Ino paused, hanging back for a moment so that she could converse with Sakura, her perfectly manicured hand swept over the scenery as she spoke. "The main club is this way to the left, along with all the rest of the attractions. To the right are the living quarters. That's where the Oiran's estate is, he's got a whole building to himself, or so I hear." Sometimes she wondered if the mythical man even existed, she'd never even caught a glimpse of him in all the years she'd attended.
"Blah, blah, blah." Sakura mumbled uninterested, although her eyes glanced in the direction Ino had pointed out curiously. To the right although the path was long and narrow, her line of sight was blocked by another gate that was swallowed in shadow. If it weren't for the lanterns lighting their way they'd be totally lost in darkness.
"Pfft. He ain't anything special." Naruto complained, back tracking towards them after hearing the interesting turn their conversation. "I could beat him six ways to Sunday and then some!" He slid an arm around Sakura's waist cheekily. "He's stuffy and old fashioned."
"You've met him?!" Ino's attention was captured immediately by what she deemed as easy prey. There was an unspoken rule among the staff about being too chatty about their personal lives.
Naruto's nose wrinkled and his lip curled derisively. "Yep. But I can't say more than that, 'cause the rules. Anemone and all."
A moment of confused silence followed before Sakura shook her head. "Anonymity," she corrected with a pensive expression settling on her features as she looked up at him thoughtfully. "Why all the secrecy? I mean by a business stand point the more people that know about him, the more business he'd get and therefore the more money your….establishment gets."
"True," Naruto conceded. But we- and by we I don't mean ME, seem to think otherwise. The less people he sees, the less people who know who he is, the more people seem to be interested in him. People are twisted like that. Besides, it's against the rules to talk about what happens here on the outside anyways."
Sakura pondered briefly on what happened to those who broke their silence.
It wasn't surprising that Ino had never seen the Oiran, they were known to be highly secretive. It would be easy to label them as prostitutes, but they were so much more. They were courtesans of the highest degree. Informed about politics, finances, and gossip and they spent years and years of back breaking and mind numbing training to become what was considered ideal. They became experts in the art of conversation and wit, well informed of the latest happenings, talented in music, well read and fashionable…and of course they were said to be very skilled in the bedroom.
They chose who they served, and refuted those they didn't like with impudence- regardless of said persons position or wealth. It was considered one of the highest honors to be chosen to be serviced by an Oiran.
"Here we are!" Naruto announced, opening the door to the multi-storied building without much preamble. The sound of music flowed out immediately, accompanied by the thrush of voices coiling together. The first floor was a lounge where women and men milled about, giggling and flirting amongst themselves.
"Well, this is where we part." Kiba stated with a woeful sigh, gripping Ino's hand in his own briefly as he laid a kiss on it. Ino took it in stride, yawning playfully as she gave him a wink.
"Hey, how would you guys like to see us practice?" Naruto suggested, slinging his arm over Sakura's shoulder.
"Thanks for the offer, but that bar's calling my name." Sakura stated with a wan smile. "Thanks for helping us out earlier." Naruto had been an excellent tour guide pointing out numerous areas of interest and sharing amusing anecdotes of some of the men they passed along the way to the club, but she just wasn't interested in doing much of anything, even if she enjoyed his company. Her usual luster was missing, but she hoped that no one noticed.
"Ah, that's too bad." Naruto pouted. "Well, if you change your mind, just ask anybody, they'll tell you where the stage is, we'll be right behind the curtain."
"Thanks for the offer." Sakura stated gratefully.
"How about you Hinata? I bet the Hyuuga's don't do much street dancing, we could give you a few lessons!" Naruto grinned, grabbing the dark haired girl's hand eagerly. "What do you think?"
"Oh, uhm…" The heiress floundered, face turning a brilliant red. "I uh…"
"Great!" Naruto laughed, dragging her along through the crowds. "See ya Sakura-chan!" He really hoped her spirits improved, the sad look lingering in her eyes just didn't sit right with him, but he knew sometimes people just needed to sort things out on their own.
"Shit!- gotta go Ino! You idiot, wait up!" Kiba complained storming after Naruto. "Don't just go randomly inviting people back stage without asking permission!" Akamaru followed loyally, yipping his own complaints right along with his master's as they went barreling their way through the masses.
Shino sighed, shoulders slumping as he broke his silence for the first time. "That guy…he never thinks before he acts." He swiftly turned and bowed, towards the remaining women. "Don't worry; I won't let anything happen to Hyuuga-san. Please enjoy your night." And then he was gone.
"Ah, is it such a good idea to separate?" Tenten wondered, eyes widening. 'If something happens to her, Neji''s gonna throttle me!' she shook her head worriedly. "I'll go with them, Ino stay with Sakura!" She demanded, jogging after her hopefully future cousin-in-law, even though Shino had promised to watch over Hinata she'd feel a lot better if she were there herself.
"Right, right." Ino mumbled, never taking her eyes off Sakura's back. "See ya guys in a bit." As soon as they were all out of sight, she swiftly caught up the rosette haired girl. "Alright missy, you have stuff to spill." She huffed, hands on her hips. In the two weeks following Sakura and Sasuke's break up the girl had not said a word on the subject. Not when the papers printed outrageous rumors or even when gossip ran rampant from the mouths of everyone they knew, Sakura remained quiet on the subject.
It drove her absolutely crazy, but she'd kept her mouth respectfully shut until tonight.
Sakura groaned, head lolling back as she made her way to the long stretch of bar, picking the farthest, darkest corner she could. "Can you wait for me to get at least one drink in me?" She begged, hoisting herself onto the bar stool as she set her purse on the counter in front of her, ignoring the near incessant buzzing that came from the red clutch.
"Alright, one drink!" Ino was not known for her patience, but she swallowed her complaints and turned her attention to the bartender. "Bring her some sake right now!" She demanded, slamming the palms of her hands against the bar top.
"Ino, don't be rude!" Sakura chided, voice hissing through her teeth as she smiled apologetically at the bartender. "I'm really sorry about her, she's just crazy, was dropped on her head as an infant and what not. Don't listen to her. Ever." She advised good naturedly, shooting a glare towards her purse as the vibration of her phone continued.
The long dark hair that had been pulled into a sleek ponytail was brushed off of a broad shoulder by an elegant, long fingered hand. "It's alright." The low, dusky tenor of his voice caught her off guard for a moment. "Sweet or sour?"
"Sweet preferably…whatever's most expensive since she's paying." Sakura remarked offhandedly, motioning towards her companion. She didn't need any more sour in her life then she already had.
The enigmatic smile he gave as he placed a choko cup on the shiny surface of the bar caught her eye, a sharp wave of nostalgia ran through her leaving her bemused. There was something familiar about his face that she could not appropriately place. Maybe it was the regal slope of his nose, or the shape of his jaw. Either way she simply could not tear her eyes away from him until his face was out of sight.
Ino herself looked rather conflicted as she watched the bartender's graceful movements; wrinkles that if she knew were there she would have flipped began forming on her forehead as she thought. "I've never seen you here before."
"I'm rather new." He explained, pulling a bottle from the confines of a well concealed fridge.
"What, do you know everyone in this place?" Sakura asked with a roll of her eyes.
"Only the best looking ones." Ino teased with a pout, gazing at the bartender's black clothed backside with a sly smile. "And he is very good looking."
"And he can also hear you." Sakura spoke, pressing her head to the counter in embarrassment. "Do you even know what shame is?" She wondered, though silently agreeing wholeheartedly with Ino's assessment.
"Shame? Never heard of it." Ino laughed. "So…what's your name?" She asked voice trailing off in a sultry manner that did not seem to catch his eye whatsoever; her blue eyes studied the bartender's face as he poured the cup full of an amber liquid.
As Ino's eyes took in his appearance, the bartender seemed more concerned with glancing at Sakura through his thick black lashes, the strange way he looked at her wasn't something she was used to, so she quickly tore her own eyes away to stare into her cup.
"Koshu?" Sakura murmured to herself, lifting the cup to her lips. It was rare to find aged sake. The taste of it was full bodied, and burned like bourbon but had a honeyed taste as it slid down her throat, leaving her limbs feeling pleasantly warm as the liquid pooled into her stomach.
"Yes. Aged ten years." The bartender explained, his dark eyes shifting towards Ino. "Itachi." He greeted, answering Ino's question as he bowed his head politely. The long strands of hair that escaped the grasp of his hair tie slid into his face like a silk curtain. "It's a pleasure to meet you Yamanaka-san, you as well Haruno-san." He smiled at her surprised gasp. "I hope your birthday has been satisfactory so far?"
"How did you know about that?" Sakura arched a brow. "Was a notice sent around or something?" She asked, shooting Ino a dirty look.
"Or something." Itachi responded unhelpfully as he topped her cup off with a deft tilt of his wrist. He glanced up at her, amusement gleaming in his dark eyes as her bag slid across the table from the multiple messages that were being left, one right after the other. With the sweep of his hand he caught the bag just as it tumbled off the edge of the counter.
"Thank you." Sakura laughed accepting it as it was held out to her, although she found herself half wishing he'd just let it hit the floor and then stomp on it for good measure.
"You're welcome." Itachi's voice was pleasant to her ears, somehow rising over the loud clamor around them. His eyes drifted over her face for a moment, before they were pulled in the direction of a large blue man waving him over. "Excuse me." He swiftly walked away, both girls tilting their head appreciatively as they watched him go.
'Ino was right. That guy's ass is pretty amazing….and holy cow that guy is seriously blue.' Sakura mused shaking her head as she attempted not to stare. Her phone buzzed again.
"Okay, seriously, who the fuck is calling you?" Ino screeched, throwing her hands up. "And would you just answer it already for the love of smoking hot guys?!" It was getting on her nerves.
"It's probably Sasuke, or Shisui, or any number of other Uchiha's attempting to get a hold of me." Sakura's voice came out rather blithely. "Last I checked, there were 23 messages and missed calls from Sasuke, 56 from Shisui and an infinite amount from unrecognized numbers." She didn't even have to look up from her cup to know the expression Ino was making.
It was no doubt bewilderment.
"Okay, seriously, please explain to me what the hell happened between the two of you?" Ino groaned in frustration. "Two weeks ago everyone was sure the two of you were going to get married, and now…"
"And now it's all over." Sakura responded, running a finger over the porcelain cups rim deftly. A heavy sigh filtering through her lips as she glanced up at the brightly colored lanterns hanging over head. 'This is not the night I wanted to go over this…' But one look at Ino told her the blonde was through ignoring the elephant in the room.
"But why?!" Ino asked the same question she'd been asking for the last two weeks, the same question everyone had been asking, her voice sharp in total vexation as her hair whipped furiously with the sharp jerk of her head. She absolutely hated it when Sakura refused to be completely open with her of all people! It was true that Sasuke had never been perfect by any means, he was cold, distant, and arrogant, but Sakura had seemed content with him and that had been enough for her to accept and even root for them. "Is he gay, did he cheat on you, hit you!? "
If he did, she'd put the Yamanaka skills to good use on his frigid ass, she'd take over his mind and force him to go through with a sex change operation. 'That'll show him…' A malicious smile crossed her features. True, she often picked on Sakura and teased her, but since they were small she had always been the one to stand by Sakura's side through everything. Nobody, absolutely no one, messed with Sakura without getting recompense from Ino Yamanaka for their trespass.
"Hit me? Never! The other two? Dunno." Sakura laughed briefly, turning her chair to face her friend as she placed a comforting hand on the blonde's knee. "Gee Ino, I know that this is hard for you, but trust me it's going to be okay. You'll get over my relationship with Sasuke." She joked. "Before you know it you'll be in a new relationship with my relationship with someone else and it'll be way better than the old one."
"Ha. Ha. Very funny, but don't try to change the subject," Ino huffed, crossing her arms. "Besides nothing will ever be like the old relationship was."
Sakura shrugged. "Who knows?" She gasped when Ino charley horsed her leg with a swift, unapologetic jab. "Ouch, okay, okay!" She whined, rubbing her aching thigh. Taking a deep breath, she was glad for what little courage the minimal alcohol she had consumed so far offered her. "So, a few weeks ago, I heard Sasuke and Shisui talking." She began fiddling with a few strands of hair nervously. Glancing up, she noticed Itachi had returned to his post accompanied by his big blue companion. Her voice lowered along with her eyes as she studied the floral pattern of her dress idly.
The roses made her sick to her stomach, and she really wished Ino had chosen any other flower to decorate her in. "Let's just put it simply; To Sasuke I was nothing more than a ladder." An exposition for her words was unneeded because she knew Ino would understand.
If Sasuke dated her, he would be closer to the woman running the show, and if he married her and the position was passed to Sakura, the better for him and his family. He'd been looking for a political connection the entire time he'd been with her and she'd never even suspected it.
The shocked gasp that Ino took in was almost theatrical. "Those rotten little Uchiha rats!" Ino's mouth dropped open, a fact that she quickly concealed behind her hands. "I know they've always been ambitious, but that's a little much!" She frowned, studying the withdrawn look on her friends face. "How can you act so unaffected?"
"Would it be better if I keyed his favorite car? Sucker punched him in the nose, ran to the tabloids and told them every little thing he ever did wrong?" Sakura laugh at the thought. "Trust me; I've considered it all." She admitted wistfully, pressing a finger to her lips thoughtfully.
"But…The Uchiha have been through a lot the last thirteen years. No one's suffered more than Sasuke has." One tragedy after another had left him the shell of the little boy she had spent a summer with so long ago.
Sakura didn't have it in herself to hate him, but she couldn't allow herself to be his pawn either. 'I'm sorry Sasuke-kun, but I'm not going to let you use me as a means to an end.' She filled her cup for the fifth time, the scorch of the alcohol against her taste buds made it easy to ignore the sting behind her eyes. "To be honest with you, even if I hadn't have found that out, things weren't going to last." It was the first time she admitted the possibility, even to herself. "Ino, don't be mad at Sasuke." She begged, taking the other girl's hands into her own.
It was funny to hear herself pleading on his behalf when part of her really just wanted to stomp-kick him in the kidney repeatedly.
The compassion in Sakura's eyes made her sick. "Ugh! Forehead, how can you be so forgiving?" Ino breathed, making an unlady-like gagging noise in the back of her throat. "It makes me want to vomit." She groaned jokingly. But truthfully, at that moment, in her eyes Sakura had never looked more beautiful. 'I guess that little sprout really did bloom after all.' She thought in admiration.
It was too bad that Sakura never seemed to notice how beautiful she really was. Instead she only focused on her faults, too busy comparing herself to others to see that she was just as splendid as those she held above herself. 'What a pity.' The blonde thought sadly.
"It's not only Sasuke-ku-" She shook her head and fixed her mistake. There was no need to call him that anymore. "It's not just his fault. I wasn't seeing him for who he was, but who he used to be. How long can you keep loving a memory? I just didn't know who he was anymore…or better yet, I never knew who he was to begin with." Sakura explained, lips twisting into a pensive frown as she waved her hand as if to clear a cloud of smoke.
Not as forgiving as her friend, Ino wrinkled her nose and filled her cup. "I'll never know what you saw in him anyways…well besides his looks." She joked. "Even in Kindergarten he was an arrogant prick." He had been the crown jewel of all the boys in their grade. Everyone wanted to be on good terms with him back then, even herself. He'd been like a star that they followed, pulled in by his gravitation, helpless to look away. Before she could even bring the alcohol to her lips Sakura stole the small vessel away and downed it.
"Still not legal." Sakura cooed vindictively, fluttering her eye lashes.
"Cheeky." Ino huffed, the past laying heavily on her mind.
All the girls had fawned over him, to the point where it had driven a rift between herself and Sakura for a total of three weeks before they both broke down crying and swore to never let a man come between them again- and one hadn't since and never would. "So seriously…I've been wondering what exactly it is that Sasuke did to make you so enamored with him. Besides look hot as hell."
"I've told you this story before, and you always laugh at me." Sakura huffed, pink tinting her cheeks as she fingered a few strands of hair idly. 'It's a bit silly to get worked up over something from so long ago.'
"Yea, but you tell it so cutely!" Ino laughed, pinching Sakura's cheek playfully as she went on to mimic the story she knew by heart. "Oh Ino," She sighed wistfully, voice taking on a crooning quality. "Sasuke was the first boy to ever say something nice about my forehead, said it was cute to be exact." She patted the pink haired girl's temple softly, fingers brushing the long strands that framed her face away tenderly. "Which, I would like to point out is wrong. I was the first one to say I liked your forehead. So you should worship me more!"
"No chance of that, Mrs. Piggy." Sakura scoffed, her eyes drifted away to stare at the extensive collection of bottles behind the bar as she thought about the turn of their conversation. It was true that her feelings for Sasuke stemmed from a dim memory she had from early childhood. She rolled her eyes at Ino's dramatic proclamation. "You love yourself enough for both of us." Maybe it was foolish, but the boy who had liked the thing she hated most about herself would always have a place in her heart.
Although the memory was fuzzy she could still recall the tenderness of his dark eyes and the feel of his hand brushing the hair from her face. 'It's hard to believe how different he is now.' She sighed regretfully.
"I still maintain that it doesn't sound like something Sasuke'd do, or say, at all." Ino snorted, smiling cheekily. "So what's up with him and his flunkies calling so much?"
"He wasn't so bad when he was little." Sakura defended him more by habit than desire, cringing as she moved onto the next question. "Ah…well, he doesn't really know that I heard him hashing things out with Shisui…" In retrospect, breaking up with him through text message had been a bit lame. 'I just didn't want to see his face.' Because if she had there was no telling how things would have gone. She might have lost her nerve; she might have gone nuclear on his ass. So she took the safe route and avoided the unknown variable all together.
"You have got to be joking me!" Ino yelled hands fisting into her hair as she glared at Sakura. "Soooo disappointed in you! He used you and you just turn the other cheek."
"I thought turning the other cheek was a good thing...and I just didn't want to cause a spectacle…so much for that though." Sakura explained, sighing at her companion's melodramatic display.
"It's not being the bigger person, it's being a doormat!" Ino howled in the background dropping her head on the counter.
"I thought turning the other cheek was a good thing...and I just didn't want to cause a spectacle…so much for that though." Sakura explained, sighing at her companion's melodramatic display.
Itachi had returned to his position behind the bar by now, followed by the strange blue guy he'd been talking to.
'Looks like a shark…' Sakura thought once again trying to pull her eyes away, it proved to be more daunting then she originally thought because her eyes kept roaming. He even had marks across his cheeks that reminded her of gills, and his eyes were strangely colored. Still, despite his peculiar looks he was well built and only wearing a pair of swim trunks and flip flops as he grabbed a tray and loaded it with shot glasses.
His abs were incredibly well sculpted. 'Hell, his whole body looks like it was carved from rock.' He was muscular to say the least, but not to the point where it seemed like he was missing a neck.
"You can ask you know." A grin stretched across his face, as his eyes caught hers.
"Ask what?" Sakura flushed; embarrassed that she'd been caught staring so blatantly. She diverted her eyes to stare at a bottle of imported vodka. 'Good job, way to go on making someone feel insecure.' She hated it when people stared at her, yet she'd done the exact same thing to him.
"Come'on…don't be shy, I know you're dying of curiosity." He set the bottle of whiskey he'd been pouring to the side as he leaned against the counter, chin propped on the back of his hand lazily. "I know I am…Is that hair for real?"
"Kisame…" Itachi cut in, inclining his head towards the tray. "Aren't there people waiting for you by the pool? Suigetsu's probably being mauled without you there…"
Feeling insulted Sakura's nose wrinkled as she glared at the fish-like man. "Of course it is!" Why did everyone have to ask that? "And if you ask me if the curtains match the drapes I swear to the gods…" She trailed off threateningly raising a fist to eye level.
"You'll do to me what you did to Hidan? I'd like to see it." Kisame chortled, waving a hand at Itachi dismissively. "That squirt'll be fine on his own for a bit…now to answer your burning curiosity, I happen to be one of those lucky poor sods blessed with a kekkai genkei."
"How'd you know about that?" Sakura's green eyes squinted suspiciously. "A kekkai genkei…" The genetic traits were increasingly rare these days, more so than they had been even in the past. Some were more visible then others, such as the Hyuuga's. Ino's only telling feature was the lack of pupil within her eyes. The entire time that she had known the Uchiha's she had never once seen the fabled sharingan.
"Word travels fast." Itachi's dark eyes consumed her attention as they peered at her, fathomless orbs studying her intently. "I hope he didn't make you horribly uncomfortable..." The way he was looking at Kisame gave Sakura the feeling he wasn't just talking about Hidan.
"A little, but I've been groped worse before." Sakura shrugged, amusement gleaming in her eyes.
"Or better." Kisame suggesting wiggling his eyebrows teasingly. "There are actually quite a few men here with kekkai genkei, they make for interesting experiences…If ya know what I mean." It took everything he had not to leer at Itachi suggestively, but he really didn't want to suffer the fallout from such an action.
"Not really." Ino stated with a grin. "Sakura's a vir-OW! " She yelped, clutching her abused left side.
Sakura smiled innocently and batted her eyes at the gentlemen in front of her. "Ignore her." She demanded.
"A virgin?" Kisame's head tilted to the side as if studying something particularly interesting, like he'd caught a glimpse of a unicorn or something as equally mythical. "What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?"
Sakura made an noticeable effort to stare pointedly at Ino. "It wasn't by choice, I can tell you that, and I have no intention of...of...you know." she coughed, ignoring the way her cheeks heated up.
Kisame's grin only grew, showing off their sharpness. "Having sex?" he offered without shame.
At his words the red of her cheeks grew darker, and she quickly knocked back another drink, causing him to laugh raucously.
'Damnit.' Sakura slammed her head against the counter. "I hate you Ino." She proclaimed glaring at the woman sitting next to her who was still nursing her aching ribs.
"Did you have to hit me so hard?" Ino whined, not taking a word to heart.
"Well, I guess it's true." Kisame mused; thumb brushing over one of the groves slashed across his cheek in the mimicry of a gill as he thought. "But you must have had boyfriends before…m'surprised they didn't take care of that for you. Must not have been very skilled."
The impulse to flinch was strong, but she fought it back. "Yea, I guess." She wanted that to be the end of it because it was killing the mild buzz she was finally feeling from the alcohol.
"Hey, you, little boy blue! Make me a drink!" Ino groused, hoping to distract him from inciting any more of Sakura's wrath before it was redirected at her again.
Itachi, as he always did when faced with Kisame's idiosyncrasies simply shook his head. "You are being embarrassing." His concern was not for his own sensibilities. The quietly uttered words were lost on the two women in front of them as they henpecked one another. "Stop."
Kisame's curiosity was peaked at the rare show of protectiveness the man he'd known for years displayed. "I'm not sure I know what you mean..." He was never good at acting innocent. 'Well, isn't that interesting.' He thought, a predatory gleam flashing across his face. It was rare to find a weak spot in Itachi's serene mask, and he couldn't resist prodding at it, even if by the end of it all he'd be regretting it.
"Little? Anything but. You want a drink huh?" He asked, glancing at Ino. "How about a show to go along with it." He suggested, nudging Itachi into action with his elbow.
"Yamanaka-san is underage." Itachi didn't even twitch when the elbow prodded his ribs in a manner that was rougher than necessary.
"She can have a smoothie then." Kisame shrugged, eyeing Sakura thoughtfully. "You look like you like strawberries, so let's make it a daiquiri…."
"Sure, why not." Sakura huffed. "Just make sure it has lots of liquor in it…I wanna be so drunk that by the end of the night I could do the Harlem Shake on the bar and not feel embarrassed with myself."
A quiet huff of air escaped Itachi, almost lost to her as amusement flitted across his face. He turned his head glancing at the long row of bottles behind him. "I don't think we have enough alcohol for that."
Sakura giggled quietly, surprised at the show of humor. To her, he'd seemed too serious and out of place in such an establishment. "To be honest, I don't think so either…but one can hope."
"I find it funny that I'm old enough to smoke, pay for sex, brutally interrogate people to the point where they're on the verge of death, but I can't drink alcohol." Ino scowled, lips twisting angrily. "I call bullshit on that one."
"We don't make the laws Blondie." Kisame consoled with the shrug of his broad shoulder as he finished filling the blender with ice and fruit before turning it on. It was surprisingly silent as it crushed the ice into pieces. He grabbed a bottle from the shelf, flicking it over the back of his hand expertly as he tossed it to Itachi with the snap of his wrist. It was caught easily and bounced back into the air as Itachi poured a small amount of the thick red liquid into the two glasses he'd been busy with before.
The motions were quick and fluid, one bottle falling and being caught as the other flicked into the air, until Kisame threw a third one into the fray which Itachi promptly sprang into the air with his elbow, not even sparing the blue man a glance as he carried on with his task. The other two bottles were poured into the second cup, denoting them as the actual alcohol.
"Great reflexes, huh?" Kisame questioned, turning on the blender he'd been messing with to crush the ice and fruit inside.
Ino gave a sharp appreciative whistle. "Yea, great reflexes…" She grinned, tilting her head towards Sakura. "Among other things." She hummed suggestively.
The necks of the bottles were caught between his long fingers, and she couldn't help but admire his skill. He hadn't even shed a bead of sweat, meanwhile she felt overheated just from watching him. 'Or maybe that's from something else…' she thought, thinking of the way his lean body twisted fluidly.
Kisame chortled quietly, as though he was privy to something particularly interesting. He turned the blender off and removed the cap, slinging the pink tinted slurry into the air for Itachi to catch in a large metal tumbler. Not a single drop was spilled much to the girls' surprise, and Sakura couldn't bite back her startled gasp.
Itachi glanced up at the sound, offering her a small pleased smile as he mixed half of what was in the tumbler into Ino's glass before slipping a straw into it and sliding it across the bar to settle in front of the blonde.
Kisame, being the ever helpful fellow that he was, dropped a purple umbrella into the drink. "You're welcome." He said, looking quite proud of himself.
"Yea, you did an awful lot of work there, didn't you?" Sakura huffed, rolling her eyes.
"Tons. Those little umbrellas are hard to open without breaking them. I've got huge hands." The shark like man sighed, holding up the appendages. Compared to her own hands, they were three times as big.
"You know what they say about guys with big hands." Ino purred glancing at Sakura as she gracefully sipped at her drink.
"And you can bet that it's true. Goes double if the feet are big too." Kisame chimed suggestively.
Ino leaned over the bar, and giggled to herself. "Is that so? You must be huge then." And from what she was seeing, Itachi must have been packing pretty well too and she said so out loud.
Sakura groaned. "Does nearly everything you two say have to lead back to sex?" The dubious looks they gave her seemed to say yes.
Itachi shook his head, clearly unperturbed about the turn in conversation before turning his attention to the second glass passing the contents of the two containers back and forth to ensure they were properly mixed before dropping a lime green umbrella into it.
"Thank you." Sakura offered him a grateful smile, wondering not for the first or even the last time why she was friends with such a shameless woman.
"It's my pleasure to serve you." He held the bright red straw out to her, grasped between his thumb and forefinger. When she reached for it, their hands and fingers brushed sending a shock through her. Sakura's heart fluttered rebelliously at his words, but it paled in comparison to the foreign warmth that pooled in her stomach.
'It's the alcohol.' Sakura told herself, dropping the straw into her drink. The flavor was phenomenal, the alcohol not terribly overpowering but easily tasted.
"You know what you should have next?" Kisame questioned, leaning across the table so closely that he could whisper in Sakura's ear. "An orgasm…" His lips brushed against the sensitive shell of her ear, causing her to choke on the liquid sliding down her throat. "I meant the drink!" He threw his head back and laughed.
Sakura continued coughing, sputtering out strangled threats against his person. "Damn it!" She wheezed, wondering if she would at any point in the night get a break from all the teasing. Her forehead pressed against the counter as she struggled to clear her airway.
Itachi reached across the counter not quite patting her back so much as stroking it, which only seemed to cause her even more difficulty as her face heated up. Her head popped up quickly, only to find that he was startlingly close. So close her nose bumped against his cheek and she could make out the individual strands of his dense lashes. The color of his eyes suddenly reminded her of the shiny black stones often found in river beds.
"Don't mind Kisame. He likes to tease." Itachi the murmured words sounding husky as they ghosted along her flesh. It seemed as if he was in no hurry to put distance between the two of them. Instead he tilted his head back a fraction, the edge of his nose brushing against her temple as he pulled away languidly. "If you act affected, it only feeds his bad behavior."
"That's cold, treating me like I'm some school yard bully…" Kisame huffed, finally returning to filling the shot glasses he'd set before. "Anyways, you should come out to the pool when you get a chance pinky."
She hadn't brought a bathing suit, and frankly the idea of swimming in water with someone who seemed so sharky sort of scared her. "Maybe some other time."
"Your loss." Kisame shrugged, turning to Itachi. "Well anyways, see ya later…and don't do anything I wouldn't." He whispered to him as he swept by.
Annoyance overtook Itachi's face as he watched Kisame's departure. Retaliation was inevitable; he only hoped the other man was prepared for when the hammer came down. Either way he would feel no remorse.
"Oh!" Ino hissed, glancing at her platinum wrist watch. "We've got to get to the stage." She threw some money on the counter, before grabbing Sakura's arm. "Hurry hurry!" She sang eagerly, picking her way through the crowd.
By the time he'd turned back they were almost swallowed by the crowd. He could see Sakura's unimpressed face as she took long sips from the drink in her hand. Her eyes met his briefly, and she gave him a hesitant smile, followed by a jaunty wave.
The lazy, almost dream like set of her eyes told him the alcohol was kicking in, and it worried him. There was no telling who would attempt to take advantage of her. 'Everything will be fine…' He'd already decided before she'd even arrived to keep an eye on her.
Itachi suddenly had the distinct feeling it would be more challenging than he had imagined.
TBC...