From Orphans to Thieves

Chapter 2: The Authorities, One More Promise, and Konoha

By Kikoru Sijan


Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. I don't own The Thief Lord either.

"Regular speech"

'Thoughts'

'Sounds'

"Inner thoughts"


A/N: Hello! I'm very happy that I had people reading the fanfic! Yays! I'm actually very happy to write this one, though I think it won't be as humorous and light-hearted as High School Life. Okay, I guess I have to major announcements. Just that I'm not going to preview chapters here. I want the suspense for this fanfic. Muahahaha! Sorry, I'm being evil! Beware, there is SasuSaku fluffiness! xD
Recap

"I need you all to make a promise…" the mood became serious.

"And what might that be?" Sasuke said, leaning back on his chair, one delicate eyebrow raised.

"…Don't leave each other until every last one of you turns eighteen."

"Why?" Naruto asked, being a bit confused. "Didn't you say that we could just do whatever when we turned eighteen?"

"…Because…they'll get you…"

"And?" Neji asked.

"…They'll kill you."

End recap


"How could the authorities do this?" Sakura exclaimed angrily, slamming her hands hard on the table.

"Whoa…Sakura, calm down," Sasuke said, pulling her back into the chair. Sakura's face possessed a look of shock and anger.

"They can't do this!" Ino exclaimed with as much anger as Sakura. "I heard they'd take us to the orphanage, but kill us?! When did this happen?!" Kakashi sighed.

"I don't really know…I just found out today, so it must have been recently. The authorities are being corrupted by a man named Orochimaru. Rumors say that he's really after Sasuke's sharingan, and he managed to convince the head of authorities to hire him and allow him to track you down, basically capture you. He also convinced them that assassination of any of you would be better for Venice, for after all, you are thieves." The eight's eyes widened and Sakura turned to Sasuke, giving him a very worried look. She got closest to him for the past few years, since they were partners for a long time. Tears began to form in her eyes, so she turned away. Sasuke was shocked beyond belief. Somebody wanted control over him. How much more twisted could this get?

"Is he in Venice now?" Sasuke asked. Kakashi shook his head.

"No, but he left some of his subordinates behind. He's in Germany currently, tending to some business. What the authorities don't know is that he is an assassin. He kills for no reason sometimes, just to see blood. I know some people that may be able to help, but I'll only contact them when I'm sure they're after you. For now, don't worry about it too much, just keep alert for anything. Most people in Venice don't know that you guys are the thieves; they just know thieves are out there. Orochimaru provided the authorities with the information of you eight. I have no idea how. I'll be dropping by less frequently, though."

"You'll still come on holidays and birthdays right?" Naruto asked hopefully. Kakashi's black eye crinkled.

"Sure. Well, ja! See you soon! Thanks for the lunch and coffee!" 'Poof' Kakashi was gone. The eight sat in silence for a moment, before Tenten tried to cheer everyone up again.

"Um…let's think about what we can spend the money on. We might need some new appliances right?"

"Tenten's right. So let's see how much everyone got. Bring out your money, guys," Neji said. Everyone began to make suggestions after the money was counted.


A few hours later…

"How the hell do you and Sasuke debate this long on what to buy?!" Tenten exclaimed.

"Yea! Teme, can't you at least let Sakura win once! You guys are both really good at debating!" Naruto said. Sakura glared at Sasuke before turning away. Sasuke just smirked.

"Looks like I'm still better, Sa-ku-ra!" Everyone sighed. Those two bickered like there was no tomorrow.

"Candy hater," Sakura said.

"Tomato hater."

"I don't hate them, chicken hair!"

"Well you don't love them, Pinky!"

"Asshole." Sakura turned away again. It seemed all the remnants of sadness and worry from an hour ago had disappeared from Sakura.

"Um…could you guys help me with dinner?" Hinata asked. Everyone nodded. Sakura pointed a finger at Sasuke.

"Just don't let him work with the tomatoes!" Everyone else laughed. "What?! I'm dead serious! We won't have any tomato sauce if he does it!"

"Fine, I'll do it then," Tenten said. Hinata began to wash the linguine as the others chopped and washed the vegetables. Dinner was ready soon. There was tomato soup with carrots and potatoes, linguine with some ham and tomato sauce, and some hot chocolate (and black coffee for Sasuke and Neji).

"Itadakimasu!" everyone exclaimed before digging into their food.


The eight had just finished playing several games of poker in the attic after dinner.

"Ha! I win again!" Sakura exclaimed, extremely happy. The others grumbled.

"You just had luck this night, forehead girl!" Ino said. Sakura grinned.

"I still won!"

"Sakura-chan, that's no fair! Are you cheating?!" Naruto whined.

"How could you accuse me of cheating?!" Sasuke smirked.

"Because…we're all thieves aren't we. We're bound to cheat at one point." Sakura glared.

"I'm gonna kill you one day…just not now," Sakura said, yawning and stretching. "I'm too tired."

"Yea, me too. I think we're all tired. Let's go to sleep," Ino said. Everyone murmured in agreement. The partners would sleep next to each other, since if there was any trouble, they could work together efficiently.

"Good night," Hinata said.

"Night," the others replied. Sakura faced the ceiling of the attic. She closed her green eyes and listened until everyone's breathing was even. She then turned to Sasuke and poked him.

"Ne, Sasuke-kun, you still awake?" Sakura whispered. One of Sasuke's eyes opened halfway.

"Uhm…"

"C-can you promise me something?" Sakura asked, voice trembling.

"Uhm…why are you crying?"

"I-I'm not crying!...Am I?" Sakura said softly. Sasuke's hand wiped a tear away from her cheek.

"See? What's wrong?" Sakura shook her head a little and wiped her tears away.

"I'm s-scared."

"Of what?"

"Of losing you…" Sasuke's eyes widened a bit before they softened and he smiled.

"Don't worry…I won't die in that bastard's hands. All he wants to do is use me…" Sakura nodded. "So…what was the promise that you wanted to make?"

"P-promise me that you won't die…even if you get captured…and we'll stick together no matter what. P-Please?"

"Sure…are you that scared?" Sakura nodded. "Okay then….if I promise will it make you feel better?"

"Uhm."

"Okay then, promise."

"Pinky swear." Sakura stuck out her pinky. Sasuke rolled his eyes but he locked his pinky with hers.

"Pinky swear. Now, go to sleep Sakura…I thought you were tired."

"Okay…just give me a hug so I know your there." Sasuke smirked.

"You love me that much?" Sakura mock glared before half closing her eyes.

"I hate you…"

"Fine, then." He hugged her anyway, though. After a few moments, Sakura's breathing became even, so Sasuke let go, careful not to disturb her sleep.

'To tell you the truth, Sakura, I'm scared too…' With that, Sasuke lowered his eyes and fell asleep.


The next morning…

"Hey, Sakura, get up…" Sasuke whispered to his pink haired partner.

"Hm…one more minute…" Sasuke sighed.

"I already gave you an extra minute…come on…"

"Hm…five more minutes," Sakura whined, covering her head with a pillow.

"I'll buy you some sweets…" Sakura's ears perked up as Sasuke smirked.

'Mission accomplished.'

"Okay, fine…you have to, though, okay?"

"Sure…come on…we have to go. We're late. It's been dawn for a while…"

"Why do we have to wake up so early?"

"To get a head start. Now come on." Sakura got up and followed Sasuke down from the attic. At the door she grabbed her pink cloak as Sasuke waited for her in his black one. "Got your communicator?" Sakura dug through her pockets and pulled it out to put on. "Let's go." The two stepped out as the crisp, winter morning air greeted them. There was a light fog all around, but it was thin enough to see through clearly. Sakura was now fully awake. Behind them, the door clicked closed.

"'Kay…so where do we start today, Sasuke-kun?" White flakes began to fall. "Whoa! It's snowing today…so rare in Venice, don't ya think?" Sasuke nodded, enchanted by the snow for a moment.

"We should get moving. Hm…start in the market as usual. I'll probably go to a café nearby…There should be some people to steal from there. I'll buy you something sweet after our mission, okay?" Sasuke said, not forgetting the promise. Sakura smiled brightly and nodded. The two jumped into the fog and made their way to the market. Around three-quarters there, Sasuke split with Sakura.

"Careful not to slip on ice, Cherry," Sasuke called as he left her side. She glared.

"I won't! I'm not as clumsy as before!" Sasuke smirked before he was completely out of sight.

"That asshole…gr…but I hope he's safe…" Sakura said as she ran into the marketplace. Shops were just beginning to open, and the boats were getting ready to take people along the waterways. She sat at the fountain, waiting for the streets to get livelier. The usually busy streets were quiet, and the square only had a few people. The buzz of Christmas was over, though many were still out for New Year. Some tourists were seen 'oohing' and 'ahing' as they passed by monuments and such. Some people were beginning to realize it was snowing, and the amazement became more and more realized.

"Ah! It's snowing!" a man cried in Italian for everyone to hear. People that were too busy at work to realize looked up into the sky and smiled. Snow was definitely a beautiful thing to see in Venice.

"Ne, Sharingan, you hear me?" Sakura said softly through her communicator.

"What is it, Cherry?" Sasuke said after a few moments. "I'm trying to do my job." Sakura laughed.

"Oh, sorry…I'm just so dazzled by the snow…"

"Aa…is that all, Cherry? You should be getting back to work soon. The markets are getting busier…"

"Mm…gomen. Ja! Speak with you later," Sakura said.

"Hn." Sasuke clicked off and sighed. Really, sometimes his partner got distracted so easily. He walked back to the table where two girls were sitting.

"Sorry, girls…I had to speak to one of my friends…" Sasuke said in his smooth Italian. One girl batted her eyelashes with fake teary eyes.

"It wasn't another girl, was it?" Sasuke smirked and put his hand on one of the girl's hands. He swiftly used the other one to grab from the purse, since they seemed too entranced by his dark eyes.

'They fall for me too easily sometimes…'

"Of course not." Both girls sighed in relief. Sakura, who just happened to be passing by after grabbing some things in her cloak, saw this happening. Sakura grinned.

'Hm…I guess I could test how obsessive these people actually are about my dear partner.'

"Muahahaha, this'll be fun." In the corner of Sasuke's eye, he saw Sakura with her pink hair walk over.

'What the?'

"Ohayo, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura said happily in Japanese, so the two girls wouldn't understand. They looked at Sasuke with confusion in their eyes.

"Who is this?" they both said simultaneously. Sasuke looked at Sakura and mouthed something along the lines of, "What the hell are you doing here?" Sakura just smiled her brightest smile. She turned to the two girls.

"When you ask who somebody is, you really should be more polite. Next time, just try asking the person maybe," Sakura said in the language the two girls could understand, still smiling. They stared at her, awed. One narrowed her eyes.

"Well we just thought that maybe you couldn't speak Italian!" Sakura kept smiling.

"Oh, of course! That's what they all think…but what do you think now? My Italian is completely fluent."

"Why are you here?" one snapped. Sakura shrugged.

"Is it illegal to walk into a café and try to get some breakfast?"

"Urm…Sakura…really what are you doing here?" Sasuke hissed lowly. Sakura smiled and mouthed, "Just messing around, Sasu-chan!" Sasuke glared at her.

"I'm just here to see my friend..." Sakura said aloud instead.

"Why don't you just leave than, since he obviously doesn't want you here anymore!" the girl shouted. Sakura turned to her and grinned. She began walking towards the girls, who had their purses on the table.

"I'm really sorry that I interrupted. I really didn't mean to…sorry about my comments and things…it's just kind of a reaction since I've been really lonely since I was little…" The other two girls couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for her.

"We're sorry…" Sakura just gave a small smile before she clasped one person's hand with one of her own.

"It's alright…I have to go…See you!" The other two girls stared at her retreating back. One took a handkerchief out and began to wipe some tears in her eyes.

"Why didn't you tell us your friend had such a sad past?" Sasuke just looked at the girls and back to Sakura, who was walking among the crowd. She turned around, waved, grinned, and stuck her tongue out.

'Because I didn't know that this was her act to help her rob you guys…'

"Oh, it was unexpected…and you guys were…debating I suppose…" One girl smiled a real smile; not the flirty type. Sasuke almost felt bad for robbing this person. Almost.

"Well, we should get going. It was nice seeing you this morning!" The two girls walked off into the snow, a white umbrella above their heads. When they were far enough, Sasuke spoke into his communicator.

"Damn you! What the hell were you thinking?" Sakura on the other line was heard giggling.

"I was thinking that it would be fun messing with you! I got some money anyway!" Sasuke sighed.

"Whatever…meet at the fountain today…"

"Ha! Got there first!" Sasuke sweat dropped and he jumped the rooftops.

"That's probably because your already there…."

"….How'd you know?" Sasuke smirked.

"I'm psychic, Cherry."

"I am to, so wipe that smirk off your face!"

"See…we're both psychic." Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Right." Sasuke chuckled from behind her, and she, once again, jumped. "WHAT THE HE-" Sasuke clasped a hand over her mouth.

"You don't want to make a scene now, Sakura…" Sasuke whispered in her ear. Sakura nodded slowly, feeling his hot breath fan her face. He stood up to his full height again. "Sadly, people are after us…and we have to get back now…Even Naruto knows better than to scream this morning."

"But get me some candy please? You promised, Sasuke-kun!" Sasuke sighed and took out a few coins. He bought a small bag of sweets and tossed them to Sakura.

"There. Can we head back now?" Sakura nodded happily. The two traveled to their home to find everyone at the house, in the dining room already. With Kakashi. Wait, Kakashi?!

"What are you doing here?!" Sakura yelled. Kakashi's face, though, was serious, so Sakura stopped. "Really, what is it?" Kakashi sighed as the others just stared out into space, save Sasuke that is, who was also as confused as Sakura, but stayed impassive.

"You might have to join our organization to be safe…" Kakashi said.

"What organization? You were working for an organization?" Kakashi nodded.

"I never knew that bringing you up would get this hard, when you're so close. Orochimaru...he's manipulating the authorities to an unimaginable extent, and we, as in the organization, believe it is best if you actually join us…We can train you and things like that…though I doubt you really do need training. The organization is called Konoha, and the leader is actually one of Orochimaru's fellow colleagues, Tsunade. Her grandfather founded the organization, and after the assassination of the previous leader, who was her sensei, she took over. The organization is actually Japanese, and has been trying to track down Orochimaru for years. He is, after all, an S-rank criminal in Japan. He fled to Italy, where people did not know him, since Japan decided to keep this criminal unknown to the rest of the world…Konoha, though, is thought to be dead, after Orochimaru killed the former leader in Japan." Sakura's eyes widened and she turned to her friends.

"What? Do you guys want to do this? What is this?!" Sakura screamed, being one to break down easily. The others at the table just stared blankly at her. How did her world get so twisted?!

"Also…all of your parents were in it." This stunned them all completely. "They kept it a secret…they were all loyal and extraordinary agents. That's why I took you all in…Ever wondered why you guys were all together? By some fate, you just happened to end up with each other…Orochimaru…he killed them all, one by one. Sasuke, yours were first…Sakura, yours were last. The killing kept going…but you probably weren't aware of what was happening. This happened when the agents had to move to Venice because of a change of headquarters."

"Than why did you take care of us?! WHY?! Why couldn't you be our guardian?! Why couldn't we be legal?! WHY?!" Sakura yelled, sobbing in Sasuke's grip because he had grabbed her to stop her constant trembling. Kakashi looked up at her from his seat in the chair.

"Because…I'm…I'm dead." Sakura stopped crying. She didn't understand. Kakashi was…dead? But how could that be? He was sitting on their dining table, right in front of her. "You all have to understand that because Konoha is believed dead. All their agents are too…They're marked dead, every single one of them. If not, they're MIA, missing in action. That's why I could not be your guardians…I'm not even legally alive…"

"Then why didn't our parents tell us?" Sakura said, speaking no louder than a whisper. She bit her lip, trying to swallow down her sobs. "Why didn't they say anything? Why didn't you say anything until now?"

"They didn't say anything to protect you. They didn't want you to join. It was a dangerous job…I didn't say anything either, until now…it's never been too important for you to know...You all really have to join…Otherwise, you're in a very bad position. You can still live here in this house…it's just you'll be able to contact Konoha if there's any trouble. And we…we can train you…You can go far beyond your current abilities. So far you don't even know it…" Sasuke let go of Sakura, who stopped trembling and had begun to think deeply.

"So…do you guys want to join?" Sasuke said, speaking for the very first time since he entered the house that morning. "Do you guys…think this is right?" After a moment of silence and thought, they all nodded their heads slightly. Kakashi sighed in relief.

"Come with me…" They all stepped out of the door, following the Konoha agent through alleyways. They went through twists and turns that seemed impossible to memorize. Finally, in one alleyway, they stopped at a rusted, iron door. Kakashi took out a key and opened it, with little difficulty. 'Screech' All you could hear after entering the hallway was the clicking of shoes. The place was dimly lit by white light, flickering ever so slightly. Kakashi stopped at a wooden door and knocked.

"Uhm…come in," a female voice recited. Kakashi opened the door.

"Tsunade-sama…I've brought them." The blond haired woman looked up, brown eyes scanning each of the eight, examining them. Her pink lips formed in a slight smile.

"They seem much like their parents…" Kakashi nodded. "Thank you for coming. I hope Kakashi has explained most of these things to you. Just fill out these forms one by one, and you should be fine." She handed them each a form that read:

Name:

Date of Birth:

Gender:

Blood Type:

Closest family relations (please specify if deceased):

Hair color:

Eye color:

Occupation (or former):

Signature:

They were each handed pens and quickly scribbled down their information. They each handed it to Tsunade. As she shuffled through the papers, and her brown eyes examined each paper, she stopped at one specific one and raised an eyebrow before laughing a bit. She quickly stopped, her gaze now serious. She turned to face Sasuke.

"Uchiha Sasuke?"

"Aa…"

"Are you absolutely sure your brother is dead?" Sasuke thought for a moment.

"He wasn't home that day…when they died…" Tsunade grinned with a twinkle in her eyes as Sasuke raised an eyebrow and glared. This was not a laughing matter. Or was it?

"Please come in." A dark eyed man with long raven hair entered, hair tied back in a lose ponytail. He grinned upon seeing Sasuke stare at him in awe.

"Hello, otouto."

"Itachi?...A-aniki?" Itachi grinned.

"Yes, Sasuke, it is I." Sasuke just kept staring at his older brother.

"But aren't you dead?"


A/N: Well, here's the chapter! I don't know if the ending was really much of a cliffy though…well, at least I updated, ne? I finally hit 50 reviews on "High School Life!: Year 1"! Yay! I'm so happy.

Well, review please!

Kikoru x3