Author's Note (really long XD):

Gosh! This was sooo much fun to write! Chapter 1 was at first going to be part of the prologue, but I decided to split it. I'll upload it soon after I get a couple of reviews. I didn't think I'd be able to put multiple characters in a story, and still make it look good . I really hope I managed alright. I'd really like some feedback. So please please Review.

I was inspired by one of my favourite romance novels. Its an old old one - I still adore it though. ~ ' The Magic Of You' ~ by Johanna Lindsey. It's nothing special, but I find the heroine extremely endearing.

I tend to really love my heroine's bold, determined and in reckless pursuit of their men, despite all of their insecurities, while being mindful of reality of course. (There are a few exceptions). I love that they are doing something to grasp hold of their happiness.

Anyways, Sakura really fit's the bill of the heroine a lot, doesn't she? Gah, it must be why I love her so much3.

Disclaimer: I miss the good old, fun, sweet and light-hearted SasuSaku/Team 7 like crazy! T_T. I wouldn't be missing them this much, if they belonged to me! T_T L

Prologue : Worlds Apart

'A whiff of mystery, dark and foreboding

Clinging wearily to painfully stubborn pieces of locked-up emotions

Heart of suppressed fire, discarded desires and cautious freedom

Camouflaged by breathtaking beauty and blank, uptight indifference

Abrasive and distrusting of all that is genuine and good.'

' A breath of fresh air, warm, spirited and inviting

Unguarded, and openly baring the full vulnerable depths of her soul

Heart of unrestricted fire, strong desires, and reckless abandon

Wrought with painful insecurities and yet so willing to brave his soul

Through raging storms and unearth the treasure burried underneath.'

Temari's breath caught unexpectedly, as her vigilant eyes strayed to the entrance of the tavern.

Her composure hadn't quite settled, when two other gorgeous men trailed in right after 'he-who-made-her-breathing-unsteady-for-the-first-freaking-time-in-her-23-yeas-of-life'.

She shook her head to drive away the silly effect he had on her.

She turned around and proceeded to pour more whiskey into eager, rapidly emptying mugs, and rolled her eyes at the other barmaids who had begun to shamelessly swoon over the three attractive specimens that had just walked in.

Hastily sashaying over to serve them, and wantonly wondering aloud which of them will be lucky enough to be bedded by one of them sexy arses tonight. 'How vulgar!' she thought derisively.

She continued to silently work while keeping a discreet eye on them.

On second, fourth and many glances after, she concluded that he was not the most attractive one of the trio. That would be the guy with the unusually pale eyes, and beautiful dark hair pulled back in a loose ponytail, long strands framing the strikingly feminine features becomingly. The other one had untidy just-out-of-bed-hair, with mischievous brown eyes, weird red triangular cheek tattoos and the most appealing grin she'd ever seen, even if it was slightly cocky.

And Drat it! Why were her eyes repeatedly drawn to him then?

It was strange that he was the only one that made her heart beat a little faster.

He wasn't even as attractive as the other two, and yet, he was the one that elicited the strongest reaction in her.

Something about those lazy dark eyes, the bored nonchalance in his demeanor, the casual elegance with which he carried himself, the . .

Shut up, Temari! Focus!She was not a swoony barmaid or a horny doxy like the rest of the sad women that worked here.

Oh No! She was not. She was a 'lady', cleverly disguised and stationed at 'The Hells Hound' tavern as a barmaid on purpose.

Hanging around in vulgar shady areas like these, was merely part of her job description. She had a mission to complete; important intelligence to gather. And taverns were always the best place when it came to acquiring information.

Her agenda for this particular mission? Find a certain man, alert interested party and get the hell out of there. Period.

Temari was on the look-out for a 'Captain Uchiha Sasuke' , a man, who apparently was 'The Ultimate God's Gift' to women, with raging bottomless midnight eyes and midnight hair to match, rebellious dark hair that defied gravity, and stubbornly stood out at the back . . . . Wait a minute!

Sultry teal hues narrowed in concentration to mentally ascertain.. Could it be?... No way.

Even if he did have dark eyes and hair that did, somewhat fit the exaggerated criteria…

She had to remind herself. He was not the most attractive man here. Uchiha Sasuke was supposed to be exceptionally attractive. Only he somewhat fit the description, but the other men were even better-looking than he was.

She couldn't conclude 'he' was the man she was looking for, merely because he made her want to kiss the daylights off of him, just so she could make his heart thud as abnormally fast as hers did whenever she looked at him. Right. So that ruled all of them out.

Dammit. She needed more information, though, she was irrationally relieved. This meant her dark-eyed stranger was safe. Whenever she managed to relay information about a target, they never managed to survive. For some strange reason, she didn't want him to die.

She absently wondered how attractive Uchiha Sasuke might be, given that the men before her were all rather exceptional looking too, as she too, sashayed over to the trio, and began to sweetly serve the drunk men around them, while covertly eavesdropping on the gentlemen's conversation at the same time.

She didn't want to draw attention to herself by serving them directly, and besides, there were plenty of other barmaids more than willing to do the honours. She was, also quite afraid she might pour her drink into their food or heaven forbid, on their person, if she had to directly look into those dark eyes of his. They had a strange effect on her.

She'd rather not risk it This mission was important to her family.

************************************************************************ ********* .

Oblivious to the racy thoughts coming their way, the trio was concentrated on a drinking game of sorts.

'Appealing grin' and ' pale eyes' were attempting to discern who could hold their liquor better, while 'he' seemed to be lazily watching the byplay between the other two.

"Dammit, Inuzuka! This is the one thing you always manage to best me at. How do you do it?" demanded 'pale eyes', as he narrowed his striking eyes and glared unsteadily at Inuzuka.

"Practice, Hyuga" remarked a still sober Inuzuka smugly, cocky grin in place, "Just get out, and socialize more often like I do. You'll develop a high tolerance for alcohol in no time, trust me. It's a skill worth possessing."

Hyuga made a disgruntled noise in his throat in response.

"What do you say, Nara? Comes in handy in our line of work, doesn't it? I may be the best at holding my drink, but Nara here is not too bad himself." as he gestured to 'her' dark-eyed stranger.

Nara. That was his name. Nara, Hyuga and Inuzuka.. First names or last names? She would have to ask the other barmaids later. She was sure one of them would know.

Until then, she would continue to eavesdrop. They weren't who she was looking for, but they might still know who Uchiha Sasuke was. After all, this was where Uchiha Sasuke was born and bred. Members of the aristocracy were almost always acquainted with each other. And this one had scandal after scandal attached to his name….

"Anyway, now that we're all properly foxed, well, atleast the two of you are, I'm going to propose a toast to the cause of my celebration tonight." Inuzuka casually raised his glass, tilting it towards the other two.

'Oh?'

"To the coming of age of Lady Haruno and her long awaited debut into society."