Hey everyone!

Chapter Two is out, as you all can see. I've decided that my updates for Why the Caged Bird Sings will be every Thursday-Saturday starting next week. Today is Wednesday, so I'm updating a little early, but you can expect Chapter Three to be out sometime next week, again, between Thursday and Saturday.

For all of you who know The Kill in its original form, a few things you should note: 1) This story has already veered off in a different but similar direction, as you can tell from this newest chapter, and 2) It will still have many of the same themes, facts, and events, although not all the same, or in the same order, and not all for the same reason. The story is also moving at a much slower pace to flesh out the characters and make the entire thing more realistic...as well as more of a romance than a rapefic.

Anyways, don't bother yourself with all that if you haven't read the first one! On to the story!

2

-Price Tags-

Haruno Sakura was a lot of things, but she wasn't a fangirl.

Yes, perhaps she had been at one point. Her friend Uchiha Sasuke had had many in high school and until sophomore year, she would have qualified as one. She'd felt she had an advantage being best friends with his best friend and that maybe her crush had a chance.

Then disaster struck—she didn't have a crush anymore. She'd gotten to know the real Sasuke and it had gone from attraction for his mysterious personality and uncannily good looks to actual love.

And when she realized that it was real, that she was wholly and irrevocably in love with him, she'd stopped obsessing, stopped pushing herself on him. She decided to just be friends with him and she'd told him that—she'd promised that she wouldn't treat him like an object anymore and that she cared for him really and truly as a person. He'd responded in his typical noncommittal fashion, but their relationship had improved from that point on and now she considered him one of her closer friends.

Haruno Sakura wasn't a fangirl anymore—she was his friend, even if she loved him as more—so she really, really hated girls who fancied Sasuke as a prize to be obtained and not as a person.

It was just a shame that she shared a class with Sasuke at Tokyo University and she had to endure jealous glares and spiteful words from girls who clearly hadn't grown up at all since high school. To make it worse, it was her third year in college!

"Sasuke-kun," she murmured softly as the English literature professor droned on, "you need to sit somewhere else next time. I think I'm going to get jumped after class."

Sasuke grunted, equally softly. "Better you than me."

Sakura scowled and turned back to the professor. She wasn't sure why Tokyo U insisted that all majors continue to study English culture and language even after the core classes in high school, but she knew that it was beyond irritating. As a premed student, she'd focused on her sciences and mathematics the first two years, but before she could get her Bachelor's, she had to take this class.

At first she'd been glad that she was in a class with Sasuke, both because he was her friend and because of her secret love for him. However, after realizing that Sasuke and fangirls were a package deal, she quickly began to regret the decision.

"…and for next time, make sure you've written the four-page essay due on the cultural impact Shakespeare's MacBeth had in the early 1600's. Class dismissed."

Sakura sighed and began to pack up her things. English Culture and Literature, or ECL as it was referred to by the student population, was probably the most tedious and useless class she would ever have to take.

By the time she had adjusted her backpack and was looking towards Sasuke, she realized that he was already halfway out the door. Frowning, she hurried to catch up to him, trying to ignore the vicious glares she was getting.

"Slut can't go anywhere without trailing after him like a puppy," hissed one of the particularly worse fans, a purple-haired girl name Hakabi Ami.

Another girl, one of Ami's veritable henchmen, whispered loudly, "I wonder how much she pays him to be that close to him all the time."

Sakura's eyebrow twitched as she caught up to Sasuke and fell in step with him, away from the envious and rude gossip. You'll get suspended if you beat the shit out of them, you'll get suspended if you beat the shit out of them was a constant mantra in her mind.

"I'm never going to be in the same class as you again," she informed her friend coolly as they stepped out into the courtyard. It was particularly gray out and it felt like it had been consistently overcast for months now. She knew that it was possibly true because, as they say, April showers bring May flowers, but it was getting irritating. Sakura was impatient for some sun.

Sasuke snorted. "It's not my fault they're like vultures."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "It so is. Just get a girlfriend already, will you? Then I won't have to put up with this crap and she can deal with it."

Inwardly, Sakura was wincing at saying things that so viciously tore at her heart, but she had come to terms with the fact that Sasuke would never feel for her the way she felt about him. If nothing else, at least she could be his friend. It had to be enough—it was enough.

At least, that was what she told herself.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she missed the flash of a scowl that passed over Sasuke's normally stoic face. By the time she looked back at him, it was gone.

"If there was someone I could stand that long, maybe I'd consider it," he said emotionlessly. Despite herself, Sakura felt a wave of relief. Even if it was just for a little while longer, she was still the only girl other than his mother in his life.

She made sure not to let that relief show on her face, but she gladly changed the topic.

"When is Naruto supposed to get here?" she wondered aloud. They had reached the cafeteria, where they always met up with their blond best friend after class was over on Thursdays before heading to the café down the street for coffee.

"Incoming," was all Sasuke said, and then there was the telltale commotion as the boy arrived.

"Sakura-chan! Sasuke-teme!" came the loud exclamation that had the entire cafeteria turning to look in irritation.

Sakura's eye twitched in irritation. "Baka," she muttered as the blond rushed up to them.

"Hey," Sasuke said, echoing her annoyance. "Think you could be any louder next time?"

Naruto gave a thumbs up and winked. "I can try!"

"That was sarcasm, dobe."

"I know, teme!"

"Then maybe take the hint…"

"Hey, at least I know how to express myself!"

"Yeah, and the whole world knows it when you do."

"Listen, asshole-"

"Naruto, stop!" Sakura said loudly. "And you!" she turned to Sasuke. "Stop antagonizing him! Can we please just get along for five minutes?"

"Teme started it."

"The dobe can't even comprehend a simple request. How it is my fault?"

"You-!"

Sakura could only sigh in exasperation, but she was fighting down a smile.

They would always be her boys.

The time she spent with Naruto and Sasuke would never be a quiet affair, Sakura mused as the trio made their way down the busy sidewalk towards Akebikuro's Café. The boys' bantering was like a comforting buzz in the background as she walked in front of them towards their destination and she wondered vaguely if her life might possibly always be this comfortable. Sure, she and her otou-san sometimes struggled to make ends meet with enormous debt accrued by hospital bills, and it was hard with the death of her okaa-san five years ago—sometimes it still felt like yesterday—but with her okaa-san's spirit guiding her and her otou-san's loving devotion to her and her future, Sakura felt like things might actually turn out okay.

They walked into Akebikuro's and the manager and owner, Osachi-san, greeted them.

"Konnichiwa, minna!" called the older man. His son, Kurou, waved shyly at her and grinned at the boys.

"Konnichiwa, Sakura-chan," Kuro said with light pink dusting his cheeks. Sakura knew that Kurou had a crush on her, but even if she wasn't in love with Sasuke, there would be no chance; Kurou was only sixteen and she preferred older…even though technically she'd never dated at all. Sasuke had had that effect on her.

And even though technically Sasuke was younger than her, he certainly acted older than his age. It was all the justification she needed.

"Kurou-kun," Sakura said with a nod and a smile.

"Oi, Kurou!" Naruto said cheerfully. "Have you seen Hinata recently? She said she comes here sometimes, but I've never seen her…"

Kurou looked thoughtful for a moment. "No, I don't think I've seen her. She's the one with the really pretty white eyes, right?"

"Yep!" Naruto said, oblivious to the secretive glance Sakura and Osachi shared. It was no secret that Hyuuga Hinata was head-over-heels in love with Naruto and would probably frequent Akebikuro's if only to have a chance to see the blond.

Apparently, though, the timid girl hadn't quite mustered the courage to do so just yet.

Sakura liked to think that Naruto and Hinata would make an adorable couple if only they were pushed in the right direction a little. Unfortunately, she didn't know Hinata very well and it would be embarrassing and probably futile to try to convince her to approach Naruto with her feelings at this point in time.

Sasuke, ever the curt one, suddenly said, "I'll have the jasmine green tea and two tomato onigiri."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "As usual," she muttered. Sasuke handed Kurou his credit card as payment and then Naruto was up.

He glanced at the menu posted above the counter and frowned. "You guys still haven't added ramen to the menu…"

"Naruto-kun," Osachi said, sighing good-naturedly, "There's not really much demand for ramen with Ichiraku's trailer just down the street. I can't hope to compete with Teuchi-san's recipe."

Before Naruto could object and make a further fuss, Sakura elbowed him in the ribs. "We go there almost every Monday for lunch, baka. Your body could use something with actual nutrients."

The blond grumbled, running a hand through his hair. "Fine, fine." And then, like magic, he was cheerful again. "Oolong iced tea, sweetened, and four sticks of takoyaki!"

"You can't eat that much, dobe," Sasuke said, but it lacked any real irritation.

Naruto, for once, ignored him, passing over the yen in exact change. Kurou turned to Sakura.

"Water and just one salted salmon onigiri, please." She, too, handed Kurou exact change in cash. In all honesty, Sasuke was the only one of them out of the three to have enough money to actually need a credit card.

Osachi promised the food out in five minutes and with a quick farewell, the three went to sit in their usual booth in the back corner of the café. The place was a small but light and cheerful place; lamps hung from the ceilings to illuminate the many tables and booths and the place had large potted plants everywhere. The tile on the floor was checkered black and white and with the paintings done by local artists on the walls, it almost felt like a second home to Sakura.

As the boys argued back and forth constantly, Sakura's mind wandered to her current endeavor to volunteer at a few hospitals in the surrounding area. She had applied to the main hospital in Tokyo even though it was a bit of a walk from home, but she doubted that she'd get in without having finished premed school. There were a couple other hospitals that she had a better chance of getting into, but so far she hadn't heard back from them. She greatly hoped to start getting actual experience in doctoring, but she had to admit she was a little disappointed.

Soon, she was sucked out of her thoughts and back into conversation with Naruto and Sasuke. When the food arrived, there was a momentary pause and then conversation continued. Naruto brought up that his foster father, Umino Iruka, had landed a job at Konoha, Inc. and Sakura was overjoyed. Iruka and Kakashi had been friends for a long time and that was how she'd met Naruto in the first place—they hadn't gotten along at first, mainly because they were children and Naruto was a boy and Sakura was a girl. However, come secondary school, they'd put their differences aside and become very close. Sakura wasn't exactly sure how Naruto had become such good friends with Sasuke, but they were now an inseparable trio—at least she liked to think so.

"Hey, Sakura," Sasuke said during a lull. "Do you need any help with that dumb paper?"

It took Sakura a moment to recall what Sasuke was talking about—the paper on the cultural influence of MacBeth on 17th century Europe—and then another that was spent staring at him dumbly when she realized he was actually offering to spend time with her outside of necessity.

It wasn't like she and Sasuke didn't spend time together, but it was usually for a purpose that neither could avoid or that Sakura proposed herself. Or, for times that were purely for fun, Naruto was usually involved. Therefore it was more than a little surprising that the Uchiha was actually wanting to see her of his own volition, even if it was only for schoolwork.

"Well…" she said uncertainly. She wanted to scream 'Yes! Yes!' but it wouldn't do to be that obvious. Stuffing down her excitement—she wasn't exactly happy that she was reacting so strongly to this strange but totally awesome idea—she pretended to think.

"Face it. You suck at English," Sasuke went on.

Sakura glowered at him. "Whatever. I totally started university a year before you!"

Sasuke snorted, but raised an eyebrow questioningly…challengingly?

"Fine. Actually, I really wasn't looking forward to that paper at all."

"Meet up tomorrow? My place?"

"…Sure." Sakura didn't trust her traitorous voice to say anything else lest she give away how baffled—and happy—she was that this was happening.

"Oi, teme!" Naruto protested. "You can't hog Sakura-chan all to yourself!"

"Shut up, dobe. It's just for school."

A part of Sakura wilted at that. Just for school. Of course. However, she showed no reaction to his comment outwardly.

Just then, her cellphone went off. "Konnichiwa, papa!" Sakura said cheerfully upon seeing the caller ID.

"Sakura-chan," came Kakashi's voice. "When will you be home? I have a surprise for you."

Sakura immediately lit up. "I was just with Sasuke and Naruto at Akebikuro's. I can be home in fifteen or so?"

"Perfect," Kakashi replied. "See you then."

"Love you, papa."

"Love you too, Sakura-chan."

Sakura hung up and turned to her friends. "I have to get home now," she told them. "My otou-san has a surprise for me!"

"Okay, Sakura-chan! You'd better call me and tell me what it is!"

"Of course, Naruto."

"Ja ne, Sakura."

"Bye, Sasuke." Waving at her friends, she grabbed her backpack from the floor beside the booth and stood up. She also waved goodbye to Osachi and Kurou before heading out into the busy street.

It was a short walk back to her apartment where she and Kakashi lived, having downsized after her okaa-san's illness and death. It was a quick walk up to the second story and she was glad to be greeted when she walked in.

"Tadaima!" she called, removing her shoes in the foyer before walking further into the home.

It was a very comfortable, lived-in apartment. The walls were full of pictures of her, Rin, and Kakashi as a family, from the moment Sakura had been brought into the family as a newborn to now, although now her okaa-san wasn't in the photos anymore. To make up for it, there were many pictures of her parents before she had been adopted. There were a few bonsai trees scattered around the small living room, which attached directly to the kitchen and dining room. There was a bedroom for her otou-san and then her own bedroom across the way. They'd gotten lucky and there were two bathrooms—it would have been awkward to share one with her father.

"Okaeri, Sakura-chan," Kakashi called back. "I hope you're not too full; I have a reservation for Akimichi Bistro downtown."

Sakura's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "Akimichi? But that's so expensive…!"

"It's a special occasion, Sakura-chan," Kakashi said, smiling. For once, he wasn't wearing the usual scarf that he used to cover the bottom half of his face. "Remember how I told you Konoha was merged with Uchiha Corp.?"

Sakura nodded, not understanding.

"Apparently, the new CEO decided that I deserved a promotion. I'm now the division manager of Marketing."

There was a moment of silence, and then-

"Oh my gods! Oh my gods! Congratulations, papa!" She ran up to him and he caught her small form in a tight hug.

"With my new raise, we won't have to rely on loans so much for Tokyo University anymore and I can telecommute more often. We'll be able to go on that vacation to Hawaii this summer, too."

Sakura felt tears sting her eyes. Her otou-san worked so hard for Konoha and even though she had nothing against Tsunade, she was very happy that whoever this new CEO was had recognized Kakashi's hard work and had seen fit to give him something he had deserved for a long time. He had wanted this job for years.

"I'm so happy!" Sakura said joyfully as she and her father let go of each other. "But I don't think I have anything nice enough for Akimichi."

"The reservation isn't until eight." Kakashi smiled and handed her his rarely-used credit card. "Buy something nice, alright?"

Now, the tears spilled. "Thank you so much, papa. I have to call Ino right away. She'll know exactly where to go."

Kakashi smiled and ruffled her hair. "Have fun, but don't be late. 7:30 should give us enough time to get there."

Sakura checked the clock on her phone. "Oh, that's like two hours. If I hurry, I can definitely get it done!" She turned to him again. "Thank you so much papa, and congratulations again!"

Kakashi only smiled and waved her away. "Go get ready."

The pinkette smiled, wiped her eyes, and ran to her bedroom, already dialing her best female friend, Yamanaka Ino.

"Ino-pig, you'll never guess what happened today…"

"Hatake has been promoted just as you ordered," Ume said after bowing as she entered his office. "And the three others were let go, also as ordered."

Madara glanced up from his paperwork. "Good. And the raise was…?"

"3,000,000 yen."

He nodded. "That should be enough. Very well. And the reservation?"

"It was as you predicted; Akimichi's at eight. I have already reserved a table for you in the adjacent area."

"Well done, Takahashi-san. You are dismissed."

Ume hesitated and Madara rolled his eyes.

"I understand you are not comfortable with your part in this," he said exasperatedly. "Must I give you a photocopy of your pay stub? It's been raised 5,100,000 yen, as you requested."

The woman straightened and nodded. "Thank you, Madara-sama."

Madara simply waved towards the door and Ume thankfully excused herself at last.

Everything was falling into place perfectly. Soon, after Hatake had grown comfortable in his position—Madara estimated about a month—and he had reintroduced himself into Sakura's life, it would be a simple matter of luring Sakura in. If she refused…well, her dear otou-san, who had just gotten his dream job, would soon find himself entirely jobless. And, with any luck, they would have already starting spending as though the promotion would be permanent…there was nothing like financial distress to motivate someone into doing what you wanted them to do.

She might be unhappy with the situation at first, he was aware, but he would make her his queen; she would want for nothing. She would get over his brat of a great-nephew and she would come to love him in time. Sakura would see that life was him was perfect and then—then everything would be right in the world.

Because the truth was that everything in this world had a price-tag. Ume could be bought into cooperation even when it was for something that she found morally wrong with a simple raise. Kakashi could now buy his way to happiness and contentment with the new, much larger paycheck he was receiving. And Sakura...well, she was too good of a person to be bought with money.

But she could be bought with the promise of her friend and family's happiness and that was a price he was more than willing to pay. Everything had a price-tag and as a man who had more money than he could ever hope to spend in his lifetime, it was a simple matter of pulling the strings to get what he wanted. He wanted for nothing except Haruno Sakura.

And soon, he would have her.

Japanese Translations:

teme - bastard

dobe - idiot

baka - fool

konnichiwa - good afternoon

minna - everyone

ja ne - see you later, informal

tadaima/okaeri - I'm home/welcome back

otou-san - father

papa - believe it or not, this means 'daddy' in Japanese. Sakura refers to Kakashi as papa in dialogue, but in thoughts it's otou-san

okaa-san - mother

Note: 3,000,000 yen = roughly $30,000

5,100,000 yen = roughly $50,000

If there are any I missed, please let me know! I know that probably a lot of you already know these, but for those who don't, I figured I'll fill you in. :) Trying not to use too much Japanese, but some just fit. Sorry!

And...that's Chapter Two. I hope you all enjoyed and please review! On a side note:

To Entropy Fans: This weekend should have an update. No promises, but be on the lookout!

Reviews are food for my brain! Feed me and more chapters shall be the result!