Disclaimer: The Naruto characters are property of Masashi Kishimoto.

After Tonight

Chapter Two: Dreaming...

Something was keeping Sakura up at night. Or rather, someone was. It was the strangest thing. Of course, she didn't find these dreams entirely unpleasant, but they worried and flustered her. She'd imagined his long, graceful fingers on her skin, his intense black eyes gazing into hers, and those lips, so perfectly soft, kissing her. She didn't dare tell Tenten, for fear of scolding. And she certainly couldn't tell Ino, who had recently discovered her talent and passion (or so she called it) for gossiping.

Sakura sat up, frustrated as she glanced at the clock. It's four in the morning. The young woman sighed and collapsed back onto her soft mattress. Glaring up at the ceiling, she tried, though it was in vain, to push that face out of her mind.

Over and over, she'd told herself that that Saturday night meant nothing, and that she'd never see him again.

As a result of these restless hours of darkness, Sakura developed a new love for tea. After all, being apprentice to a prominent lawyer like Kakashi Hatake was not easy; she needed to be fully awake at all times during the day.

She didn't realize that, in a city as large as this, one could always find others in a similar predicament as hers...

As of recent, Sasuke Uchiha had not been able to sleep well. Not even once. The notion absolutely aggravated him; he'd always slept soundly. He didn't understand why, all of a sudden, his king-sized bed began to feel so empty and cold. And it was more puzzling that she sometimes came in dreams, with her feathery light touches and butterfly kisses, tempting him until he caved in and woke up hot and bothered. After that, of course, he had trouble falling back into slumber. Not even Saturday nights had their intended effects anymore. And so, coffee had become a necessity in the mornings.

Naruto had two theories: either he was falling for the stranger from two Saturday nights ago, or he was going through puberty once again. Though both sounded equally preposterous and moronic, Sasuke preferred the second.

"You know, you could do a little digging on her."

"Go away." He snapped.

"Oh come on," the blonde was groaned; he'd been at this for an hour, "After building a multi-million business empire, how hard is it to admit that you like someone?"

No answer was given, the man in the office chair simply decided to ignore the question entirely. Naruto sighed as he looked at his best friend; this new operation might require some extra help.

"Well, whatever, Sasuke," he shrugged, leaving, "I'll leave you to wallow in your own misery, then."

As soon as he was back in his own office, Naruto locked the door, made sure no one was around, and made a phone call. And it was a very, very diabolical phone call indeed.

"Hey, Shizune, could you put Granny on the phone?"

Moments later, Naruto Uzumaki, second-in-command to the powerful Sasuke Uchiha, walked out of his own office looking beyond happy with himself.

Don't say I never did anything for you, teme.

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"I'm being sold?" Sakura asked, staring incredulously at her mentor.

"Auctioned," the man with silver hair said matter-of-factly, "Calm down, now. It's just a date; you'll be free in no time."

She groaned, "But that's so shallow. I hate those kinds of events. Don't those idiots have anything better to do with their time and money?"

"Those idiots," he chuckled, "can open up doors for you. With that sharp mind, you're not going to be an apprentice lawyer for much longer."

"I don't need their help," she said stubbornly.

"Did I mention that all proceeds from this silent auction go to charity?"

Suddenly, Sakura's ears perked up.

"Just imagine how much money you could raise. You wouldn't want those underprivileged children to starve and go into the world without education, would you?"

"No..." she was wavering.

"All you have to do is appear at Lady Tsunade's soiree, and then go have dinner with a rich stranger the week later. It wouldn't be so bad, would it?"

"Guess not..." her defences were tumbling down; it really was no one's fault that Sakura had such a soft spot in her heart for charity work.

"Unless," Kakashi's soft, coaxing tone suddenly changed into a sharp, accusing one, "you want those poor, sick children to—"

"Okay, I'll do it!" Finally, she gave in.

"Good. Here's the invitation; dress formally." He was so very proud of himself.

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"Hey, Sasuke," Naruto rushed into the office on the top floor, "You're going to Granny's annual party-thing on Sunday night, right?"

"No." The answer was flat.

"Why not? You got time; you only 'hunt' on Saturdays."

Onyx eyes narrowed in annoyance, "I didn't go last time; what makes you think that I'd be more willing this year?"

"Because," the blonde began with an air of mystery, "there's a silent auction this year."

One eyebrow raised in scepticism, "Great."

"Oh." He groaned, "Just go...for me?"

"No." Flat as ever.

And that was when Naruto made Sasuke an offer he couldn't refuse.

"If you regret it afterwards, I'll never bring up Number 72 again."

"Deal." Anything to get away from all that chatter about her; he'd already had to endure it for sixteen days now.

The blond smirked, like taking candy from a baby, a really vicious baby.

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Before he even entered the grand ballroom, Sasuke already smelled the pretentious women who no doubt drowned themselves in expensive perfume before coming here. More than anything else at that moment, he dreaded going in and talking to a room full of vultures.

He heard a familiar laugh, "You're so not going to regret this."

Rolling his eyes, Sasuke walked in. As soon as he did, though, he knew that—despite himself—Naruto was right.

There she stood, like a breath of pure oxygen in this suffocating place. In a pristine white gown, which flowed down her body all the way to the floor, she resembled a goddess among mortals, composed and graceful. When he caught her sea-foam green eyes, her face gave away shock and she quickly looked away.

At that moment, he had to admit he was, perhaps, somewhat interested in her.

"Sakura-chan!" In complete disregard for the elegance of the occasion, the blonde called out.

In an instant, he was by her side, pushing away the crowd of men around her and lifting "Sakura" up into the air. The pink-haired young woman gave a delighted laugh, and was let down, her ballet slippers touching the marble floor. Mustering all the self-control he had, Sasuke beat down the urge to pull Naruto out by his ear and interrogate him until morning. Instead, he nonchalantly walked away, as if unmoved by the scene.

Not too far away, Naruto shuddered as he felt a pair of eyes bore into the back of his skull. He'll thank me later, he comforted himself, when they're married and live on a potato farm with their twelve children. Looking to his right, the blonde was pleased to see Sakura looking across the room.

If he could, Naruto would have liked to laugh like those villains do on TV.

Sakura couldn't help herself. She knew she shouldn't look, but her eyes found him on their own accord. He managed to stand out in a simple black suit, with his handsome features and tall stature. She still remembered the way her heart pounded when he first walked into the room, his burning stare leaving her short of breath. Stop, she told herself. This was the man that took advantage of her vulnerability.

"Miss Haruno?" a man's voice brought Sakura out of her daze, and she found herself surrounded by well-dressed gentlemen.

For the children, she told herself, taking a deep breath. Turning to her bidders, she managed a smile and let them bury her in questions.

At least Naruto was near.

Sasuke didn't like the view from across the room; he felt nameless irritation, watching as she talked with the men around her. At the moment, however, what angered him more was the vulgar conversation going on close by.

"Makes you want to rough her up, doesn't it?" the man said.

His friend laughed, "Word is, she's a virgin."

"You can't be serious."

"Oh, yes."

"Never had one of those before; maybe I should bid on that date, too."

More lewd laughter followed, and Sasuke Uchiha unconsciously clenched his hand around the delicate wineglass, nearly shattering it. Ignoring the mass of colourful gowns around him, he poured the cool drink down his throat, hoping it would calm down all the unreasonable, irrational emotions welling up in him. Around her, he was feeling too strange. They hadn't even spoken that evening, but he felt drawn to her, as a moth is drawn to a flame.

And so, at the risk of burning himself, his feet moved towards her.

The men around her dispersed as he walked closer, intimidated. He saw the look on her face: surprise mixed with anticipation and fear, and, without ever uttering a word, took her away from the crowd and into the middle of the room.

Sakura didn't know what to expect, but certainly, this had her at a loss for words. The piano melody began, joined by vocals and strings. With his arms wrapped around her waist, and hers around his neck, they were swaying to the music. She was thoroughly confused.

Sasuke Uchiha enjoyed the moment, paying no attention to the stares and whispers around them. His head knew how wrong this show of weakness was, but the rest of him didn't care. This close up, he smelled only her faint fragrance.

For the moment, they were the only two people in the world.

A hand left her waist, and two fingers tilted her head up by the chin. Slowly, he leaned down until their breaths were mingling. Her heart was going a mile a minute, and she felt her face growing hot. At that moment, just as Sakura was about to lean in, she remembered that this was a all a game to him. Angrily, with all her strength, she pushed him away.

"I don't make the same mistake twice," After taking a long, calming breath, she resolutely told him, "It doesn't matter who you are."

As she left Sasuke Uchiha on the dancefloor, the song was just ending.

All of your love

Was all that I needed...

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To be continued.

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