The song used is For Your Eyes Only by Sheena Easton. Once again the song was used in a James Bond film.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or the song or James Bond (not that he shows up here :)).

Enjoy the grand finale!


It didn't matter if Haruno Sakura was planning on what to have for lunch or planning how she was going to die.

She was always thorough.

And that was why as Nara Shikamaru was examining the remains of the burnt medical research lab and watching the somber faced medics remove the equally burnt remains of the only body recovered from among the newly formed ashes, he had no doubt in his mind that the body belonged to Haruno Sakura and that is was not an accident.

It was a suicide.

After all, everyone knew that she'd been very unhappy for the last couple of years and every single time that someone had tried to reach out to help her she had simply withdrawn away more which would explain the lack of any sort of note left behind.

Who would care enough to read it? Even Naruto had long since given up on bringing Sakura back herself and had instead began to focus more on his missions and courting Hinata.

All of the pieces of the puzzle fit into place just how he liked it.

At least all of the puzzle pieces fit into place until he saw an unknown red head walking away with a twisted look of pride on her face as she disappeared into the rapidly growing crowd that was gathering on the other side of the bright yellow tape.

For a split second he wondered if he could actually be wrong but then he was called over by another member of his team to sign the final report that would be delivered to the Hokage and all such thoughts were lost.

The Hokage needed to be informed that Haruno Sakura was dead and then he needed to go meet Ino for lunch.

How troublesome.

For your eyes only, can see me through the night
For your eyes only, I never need to hide
You can see so much in me
So much in me that's new
I never felt, until I looked at you

The first four parts of her plan had finally been completed. First was finding a new job,

Second, a new apartment.

Third, obtaining a birth certificate and photo identification for the newly created Katsu Sakura

Fourth, finally killing Haruno Sakura off for good.

It was the fifth and final part of the plan that was going to be the hardest: waiting for him to return.

Fortunately there were other things to keep her occupied while he was away. The new job was going to be a breeze and ensure that she never ran into another ninja while at work. After all, the only florist that ninjas went to was the one owned by the Yamanaka's in which she'd had plenty of training regarding the trade.

The new apartment on the fourth floor was also going to take a while to get into shape. After all, the furniture, linens, dishes, photographs and other assorted nick-knacks from Haruno Sakura's world had no place in hers.

Gone was the favorite yellow chipped mug that always held the morning tea, the comforting green fleece blanket that had spent half of its life on packed dirt and dead foliage, the picture of the young Team 7 thinking the future would be simple, and of course every weapon she had ever owned except for mundane plastic box cutter that would most likely lose a fight to a box, let alone a ninja.

There would be no mistakes for him to pick up on, no locked boxes just inviting a peek that would give her past identity away to him. No small inconsistencies to be connected.

That would end her life more permanently than the fire had.

That would make it impossible for her to help him in every way possible.

And so the days passed by and the civilians with which Katsu now lived found her to be one of the most charming girls they had ever met.

Interacting with customers gained her invitations to parties, lunches and afternoon teas. More than one person had even politely asked her out on a date which she had of course promptly declined with a practiced blush.

In just three short months she had built the life for herself that she would have had owned if she had never become a ninja. Instead of being isolated from the rest of the village and taught how to survive and fight, she saw a life filled with colors other than red and metallic shine of newly sharpened steel blades.

A life where you could love and be loved without fearing for your life, even though it meant giving up using her chakra.

Of course, every person emitted some chakra. It was one of the first things they had learned at the academy. The difference between the civilian and the ninja was that that civilian did not store or control their chakra. They just let nature take care of it in its endless cycle.

All she had to do was learn to continuously release her chakra which wasn't hard.

After all, Haruno Sakura was dead and Katsu didn't know how to control hers.

Katsu was lucky if she didn't cut herself slicing up an onion.

Sakura had also begun to learn all of Katsu's little quirks. She always lightly jumped down from the last step leading up to the apartment and smiled up at the sky when she closed the door behind her.

She preferred summery blues and greens to the springs pinks and yellows.

She also enjoyed walking down one particular cherry blossom covered path every day even if the flowers were not in bloom.

Most importantly she always jumped up to answer a knock on the door hoping that the day had arrived where it would finally be him.

But the months continued to fly by and she knew for a fact that he was back, his mission a success. New honors bestowed on him from some distant village she would never see. Yet still there was no knock on the door, no ringing of the phone or shouts down the sidewalk.

Why not? This was all for him and she had said she would wait.

Month after month passed before she finally gave into the temptation to plan a spontaneous run in with him. Preferably on that same sidewalk, both walking in the same direction this time.

That was why Katsu found herself sitting on a cold wooden bench just after the first snow trying to warm her hands with her quickly cooling paper cup of tea. The little warmth it had offered, transferred into her knitted mittens and lost in a matter of minutes.

It was when Katsu finally decided that it was necessary to hide her nose in the elegant folds of her freshly pressed white scarf that his slouched form could be seen walking down their sidewalk. Once again in his uniform and with a pack strapped to his strong back.

She held her breathe as he slowly passed, his gaze not once meeting her unblinking eyes and never giving any sign that she was noticed until he suddenly plopped down on her left with a sigh.

Excitement began to build in her chest as her moment to join his life finally approached. The feeling swelled inside her until it finally reached its breaking point-

And then it burst as he suddenly stood to embrace a girl who appeared to literally fly into his arms out of nowhere to pepper his mask covered face with kisses.

Medium length, dark brown hair, big brown eyes, and just a few inches shorter than Katsu. Wider hips and fuller breasts clearly visible in her tight jeans and V-necked sweater.

Clearly a civilian just as he preferred.

It was at the precise moment between kiss seven and kiss eight that Sakura discovered another one of Katsu's tiny quirks from some place in the back of what was once her own mind.

Anyone who decided to interfere with her carefully laid plans wouldn't be around for very long.

For your eyes only, only for you
You'll see what no one else can see, and now I'm breaking free
For your eyes only, only for you
The love I know you need in me, the fantasy you've freed in me
Only for you, only for you

The newspaper that was delivered to the front door of every home in Konoha the next day had an extremely sad, tear jerking story on the front page.

The beloved brown haired girl who served tea in one of the larger houses had been discovered dead in her tub shortly after wishing her fiancé good luck on his mission. The story was everywhere as a warning to girls- never try to curl your hair while you're relaxing in the tub.

One Nara Shikamaru gave an official press release announcing that the investigation was complete and it had been determined an accident. But as he left the front door, bright red hair was reflected in the glass bringing forward a long forgotten memory of another crime scene and case.

For your eyes only, only for you
You see what no one else can see, and now I'm breaking free
For your eyes only, only for you
The passions that collide in me, the wild abandoned side of me
Only for you, for your eyes only

He was understandably upset when he returned much to Katsu's excitement.

He also understandably wanted to be alone, much to Katsu's disappointment.

After what she felt the proper amount of time for mourning had passed, Katsu once again began to plan, knowing in the back of her mind that even as she planned, he was already lost.

He had no interest in anyone or anything. Especially not in a charming red head. And as the thought became fully realized in her mind that Katsu came to a bone chilling decision, if she couldn't have him then no one would ever be able to.

For your eyes only, only for you
The love I know you need in me, the fantasy you've freed in me
Only for you, only for you

Nara Shikamaru and his complicated mind had reached the conclusion that for some reason he needed to find that red head with the twisted look of pride. She was the missing link to some unknown puzzle.

It was frighteningly easy to locate her. Her name was Katsu Sakura according to the tag neatly tied with a bow to her toe.

She was his next case, murdered in cold blood by one of the most legendary ninja in Konoha who was at this moment being sedated in a well-padded room. She didn't stand a chance against him; she wasn't even at the level of a genin.

The neighbors had called the authorities when the yelling first started. According to witnesses the man had begun pounding on her door around six p.m. shouting about the young woman stalking him.

The neighbors couldn't believe such a thing. She was the most charming girl they had ever meet, so full of life.

It was around six-fifteen p.m. that Katsu Sakura entered her hallway to find him still shouting.

It was at six-twenty p.m., after a long moment of silence that the authorities finally arrived at the building to find the crumpled body at the bottom of the stairs.

With a sigh Nara Shikamaru left the morgue to go home. This case could wait for anther day.


This is the end. Thanks for patiently waiting and reading.

-Ranna