Blurred Lines
part ii

A trail of sweat dripped down the back of Sakura's neck as she climbed the steps to her apartment. Her calves and thighs ached, and she was still panting for breath but she was satisfied with her run and happy that Naruto, her best friend and partner, had agreed to only challenging her three miles rather than the normal five he usually pressed her into doing after work.

It had been a long, stressful week and she was glad to see it finally end. Right now, all she wanted was a shower, followed by a glass of wine and her newest novel before she parked herself in bed for the night.

Closing the door behind her, Sakura slid the deadbolt into place before she kicked off her shoes, letting them fall haphazardly in the entryway, before she made her way through her small apartment. She unclipped her gun from her waist and laid it and her badge on the dry sink just outside her bedroom. Having lived alone for so long, she didn't bother closing her bedroom door before she pulled her shirt and sports bra over her head as she made her way into the connected bathroom.

A sigh of relief passed between her lips as she stepped into the shower and allowed the heat to wash her aches away. She was content to just stand under the stream for a few moments and let the water soothe her stressed body and mind, but eventually she forced herself to go through the motions of scrubbing the dirt and sweat from her body.

By the time Sakura stepped out of the shower, steam was clinging to the mirror and swirling through the air. She dried herself quickly before she wrapped the towel around her body and ran a brush through her wet locks. The pink strands stuck to the skin between her shoulder blades as she finished applying her nightly face cream before she swept her tresses into a towel and returned to her bedroom.

After dressing herself in her favorite pair of shorts and night shirt, Sakura left her room and returned to the main area of her apartment to collect her novel. She spotted it where she had last left it on the table in front of the TV and started towards it just as a smooth voice reached her ears: "Hello, Sakura."

Stopping dead in her tracks, her head snapped in the direction of the kitchen. On the other side of the counter stood the one man she never wished to see again: Madara.

Her heart jumped hard enough to make her chest ache and without second thought, Sakura lunged for her gun where she had left it on the dry sink and leveled it at Madara's head. He didn't move to protect himself nor did he make any attempt to disarm her. The only change was the small smile that curved the corner of his mouth upwards.

Past the sights of her weapon, Sakura saw he looked no different than the last time she had seen him six months ago. His wild mane of hair framed his handsome face as he regarded her silently with that hint of amusement that always seemed to be flickering behind his dark eyes as if he found everything about the situation entertaining. He was dressed just as richly as before with expensive silks and costly cufflinks, not a wrinkle or loose thread to blemish his flawless style. She tried to ignore how exposed she felt standing before him in her nightwear.

His hands were resting on the edge of the counter, a bottle of wine unopened and untouched between them, but it gave her little relief to know that he was unarmed. With her gun still aimed at him, her eyes swept across her apartment as she searched for any signs of his bodyguards and any signs of how the hell he had gotten in.

"We are alone," he assured her.

Sakura didn't relax as her gaze returned to him. "What the hell are you doing in my apartment?"

"I believe 'hello' is the usual greeting one gives," Madara said, the corner of his mouth twitching in his effort to suppress his smile.

His nonchalance at invading her privacy made her anger flare and begin to simmer in her chest, and she tightened her grip on her weapon. "How do you know where I live? How did you get in here?"

"I am an international criminal," he murmured offhandedly. "I will let you draw your own conclusions."

"Get out."

Madara gestured towards the counter, not even remotely fazed by the position he was in, prompting her irritation to further boil. "Put the gun down."

"Fuck you," she spat before she pulled the trigger.

Her weapon dry fired. The soft click felt deafening as it echoed loudly in her mind, the full weight of the situation settling heavily upon her. It no longer confused her as to why Madara was so calm and collected as she openly threatened him; he had already unloaded her weapon. She understood now why it had felt so light.

With wide eyes, Sakura stared at him as she silently waited for his next move, waited to see the consequences of what her actions had brought her; but he merely turned away to open her cabinet. "Now that we have gotten the pleasantries out of the way, would you care for a glass of wine?"

She eyed him as he set two glasses on the counter before he pulled a bottle opener from the inside of his suit jacket and proceeded to uncork the wine. It nearly slipped off her tongue to ask who the hell carried a bottle opener with them, but there were more pressing issues she wanted answers to first.

After setting her gun back down on the dry sink, Sakura slowly approached the counter as she watched Madara closely, searching for any signs of aggression or manipulation from him. However, she found none as he filled the glasses.

"I thought I told you to leave me alone."

His smirk returned as he held a glass out to her. "You only told me to leave your team alone. You never said anything about yourself, darling."

"My mistake," Sakura said dryly as she accepted the crystal.

With a proud smile, Madara raised his glass in a silent cheer before he sipped delicately. He took his time to enjoy the taste, rolling it around his tongue and licking the traces from his lips before he examined the pale liquid. "I always love a good Chardonnay. Especially when shared with good company."

She matched his smile with a flat look. "What do you want?"

"Nothing. In fact, I have something for you," he said as he set his glass back down on the counter. "A present, if you will, for your exemplary work."

She didn't have to inquire to know he was referring to her arrest and successful conviction of his brother. It made her desires to get him out of her personal living space that much more pressing. "I don't want it."

"You are not very good at accepting gifts, are you?"

"Not when the person offering is you."

"Even so, I believe you will find this of interest."

Sakura eyed the male across from her as he reached into his suit again and withdrew a single piece of paper. He passed it across the counter to her and for a moment, she debated pushing it back and ordering him once more to leave; but she knew Madara wouldn't have made the effort to track her down and break in for nothing - or perhaps he would if only to amuse himself, she didn't know. Eventually her curiosity got the best of her and after another minute of mental debate, she picked it up and unfolded it.

Inside contained limited but thorough information about an internationally known weapons dealer. It was someone her agency had been hunting for decades but remained unable to catch – much like Madara himself. However, she felt herself grow warily almost immediately. This was someone Madara worked with frequently.

"You're giving him to me?" she asked, her voice reflecting her distrust of the male across from her.

"On one condition, yes."

Sakura huffed humorlessly. "Let's say I agree to your condition. Do you actually expect me to believe that you are going to betray one of your oldest known associates and just hand him over to the police?"

Madara chuckled before he sipped his wine again. "Hand over? No. I will give you the information to find him, but you will have to do the rest of the work." Then his smile faded as he set his glass down. "You are correct in that I worked with the man known as 'A' for some years. But since his passing some months ago, his partner, known only as 'Killer B', has taken over and changed the manner of his dealings. My association with him has become…bad for business and I need him removed."

An airy laugh escaped her as she shook her head. "I am a federal agent. You don't get to just hand me criminals when their worth to you is finished."

"Why not?"

Her smile faded. "Because my team's objective is to take you and your entire operation down."

He smirked. "As I said before, I admire your spirit." Then it faded as he regarded her. "But let's agree now not to lie to each other. I can help you capture some of the most wanted criminals in the world. Do you really want to turn down such an opportunity?"

Her expression darkened into a glare. If she said 'no', they would both know she was lying. But if she said 'yes' then she would be agreeing to work with Madara, even to a limited extent, and she hated that fact almost as much as she hated that they had yet to capture the bastard.

As much as she wanted to deny him, order him one more time to get out of her apartment before she called for backup, she found herself hesitating. Because the truth was, she had created quite a name for herself by arresting Izuna and it had been thrilling to get such an infamous criminal behind bars.

Against her better judgement, she began to seriously consider his offer. "Don't think for one minute that I won't stop hunting you down."

Madara's smile returned. "I expect no less."

She ignored the genuine pleasure that passed his face as she crossed her arms. "And don't think I won't shoot you given the chance."

"You have already proven that fact multiple times."

Sakura wanted nothing more than to swipe that smile off his face, but she restrained herself as she made her decision. No one had to know and it was possible that this new opportunity could get her closer to Madara – close enough to capture or kill – and she would take it.

"Fine," she finally relented. "Where is this 'Killer B'?"

"He's currently in the South," Madara informed her. "And I will tell you how to find him after my one condition is met."

She suppressed her sigh. "Which is?"

"The restaurant on 11th and Broadway, you know of it?"

"I do."

"Excellent," he smiled. With one final sip, he finished his glass of wine and set the crystal on the counter. "We can discuss the details of Killer B and his business over dinner. Say Friday at 8pm?"

"No," Sakura said so quickly she nearly over stepped him.

He merely sighed. "You enjoy rejecting me, don't you? Very well, I wish you luck with your investigation."

With a respectful nod in her direction, Madara stepped around her counter to make for the front door. She knew if she let him go now, Killer B would slip through her agency's grasp again and the opportunity to arrest him may not come again soon, if ever. She knew Madara was manipulating her, making her play right into his hand but there was no avoiding it.

"Wait," Sakura said, stopping him before he could make it across the room. She nearly cringed, hating herself for falling for his ploy so easily. She could already see him inwardly gloating as he turned to face her, but she refused to acknowledge it. "I'll be there."

"I look forward to it," Madara murmured, his smirk obvious.

He turned to take his leave again, but Sakura delayed him once more: "Madara, my bullets."

"They're in the drawer to your left."

With a glare already settling over her features, Sakura opened the only drawer within reach to find her agency-issued bullets hidden within. She didn't have to count to know all eighteen were there and she chewed the inside of her cheek to keep from sighing in annoyance. Leave it to Uchiha Madara to hide them within her reach. She briefly considering reloading her gun and going after him, but if she did that, she knew he would be out the door by the time she was finished. She ground her teeth together as she acknowledged he had won – if only for this round.

"Although," Madara continued, drawing her attention, "I request that you do please try to keep your weapon holstered during dinner, darling. I would hate to disrupt the other patrons."

Sakura matched his self-satisfied smirk with a glare.

"Enjoy the wine."

Then he turned away as he finally exited her apartment.

Her fingers itched to reach for her weapon, but she refrained as she continued to scowl at the place she had last seen Madara. Besides, if he was being true to his word, this wouldn't be their last meeting. She would have plenty of opportunities to shoot him in the future.

tbc...


Thanks for all the amazing reviews! I was surprised at how well received part one was. Hope you guys enjoyed part two - it was entertaining to write ha