A Stranger Called 'No One'
Blinking her eyes rapidly to adjust to the sunlight shining through her window, Sakura yawned loudly and attempted to stretch. She was, however, prevented to do as such due to a furry obstacle lying on her left arm.
Sasuke-junior had not moved from where she placed him last night, and that made her happy. Normally cats wouldn't be so trusting to their owner (as far as she knew), but hey, Sakura wasn't complaining. She was slowly getting to love the feel of his soft purrs lulling her to sleep.
She cuddled him closer, allowing just a moment of weakness before she had to get up. He was nestled against her chest with his small head tucked in the space between her neck and her shoulder.
'It's nice to be cuddled.' She mused.
Not only was he snuggling into her tightly, still purring in his slumber, his tail was wrapped around her torso. She peered down, careful not to wake him, and gazed at the silky hair framing his face. His fur was clean cut, not too long and not too short, his little button nose twitched ever so slightly with awareness.
One of the small diamonds on his brand new collar shined, creating sort of a rainbow of colours effect on a patch of her ceiling.
A crash sounded outside of her apartment, somewhat a hundred metres away, it sounded like a roof had just fallen down. Sakura frowned and craned her neck upwards to hear more.
"-And then Neji got punched in the face, so me being the hero, I jumped in and-OW! Neji, stop throwing stuff at me!"
Instantly, a beaming smile consumed Sakura's face.
"…He's back."
::XxX::
Sasuke woke up alone, even if he'd been sleeping that way all his life; he was disappointed. Since he fell asleep in a warm embrace, he expected most definitely to wake up the same way. No such thing occurred.
The bed was empty and the sheets were rumpled into a pile at the bottom of the bed. Sasuke stretched and wandered off the bed to jump onto the wooden floor. From what he could sense, Sakura wasn't in her apartment.
Thankfully, his 'collar' didn't have a bell attached to it so he could remain inconspicuous. He didn't mind when Sakura had placed the leather strap around his neck, after all, there was really nothing he could do about it. If he wanted to figure out what that damned hag was on about, then he might as well pose as a cat in Sakura's home.
He trudged out of the bedroom, his mood still sour, searching for something to eat. Again, Sakura had left out a plate of tuna for him, for which he was thankful.
Sasuke briefly wondered where she had gone; she said she had a week off, didn't she? He shrugged off the matter, he didn't care anyway.
Looking about, everything was the same as he'd left it last night. Apart from Sakura's coat slung over the sofa which was now missing, it was peaceful. It was the first time Sasuke had ever been in a 'peaceful' place for a very long time. During his time with Akatsuki, he'd always had to be on his guard. The members were not to be trusted, even his own team. If Suigutsu came to aid him in a fight, he'd be wary. If Juugo was quiet, he'd brace himself in case the man became crazed. If Karin healed him, he'd inch ever so slightly away from her. Not that he was fearful she'd whip out a kunai, but her healing was never the most pleasant. It sent a cold chill down his spine. He'd tolerated her only because of her abilities.
Sasuke shook his head, an attempt to rid his thoughts of his renegade team. They were necessities, nothing more.
A knock sounded at the apartment door and Sasuke could see a shadow under the gap. Sasuke ignored it, turning to jump onto the kitchen counter at the open window.
The knocking got louder, and then the person obviously got weary and began to bang on the door.
Sasuke's upper lip curled, what would someone want with Sakura at this time?
"Sakura! I know you're in there, so quit hiding!" A rough voice called out.
Sasuke recognized the deep voice, it was Iruka.
"Tsunade has ordered me to remind you about your appointment with Takashi's son, Hitoshi!" Iruka bellowed, "She said that you have to use your 'female charm' on him, whatever that is." He muttered the last part.
'Female charm?' Sasuke wondered, then his brain seemed to click, '…It's that type of mission.'
"Yeah, so I'm gonna go now; you have to be at the café round the corner from Yamanaka's flower shop." There was a soft whistle as he disappeared.
Sasuke's tail was swishing about wildly, whacking off the tea kettle and thumping the counter top. Tsunade expected him to do something. Sasuke knew the Hokage was betting on his reaction. The thing is, Sasuke couldn't stop to even think it out about what he'd do. Sakura was the only girl in his former team, the one who had a crush on himand came to him for attention. She could have refused that type of mission, but she didn't. Why?
No, he couldn't do anything. He was a cat! And turning human would mean she would see him, and then finding the information he needed would be lost. He couldn't attack Konoha in this predicament, not only because Tsunade knows, but if it were to rain during the attack, he'd change form immediately. Although, there was the chance that he found out how to stay human, contact Madara, launch an attack, with himself right in the centre of Konoha. It would be a risk-
MEOW!
Sasuke's head snapped to glance outside the open window, a brown cat strolled along the tall fence below. Since her apartment was on the second floor, the fence was a couple of feet away and beneath him. The jump would be short, but he'd go for it.
Sasuke let his back legs loosen, flexing the new muscles. He bent down low, judging the distance with sharp eyes, before leaping into the air for a second before grappling hold of the fence. The brown cat hissed in annoyance and turned to bear its teeth at him. Once Sasuke got a tight hold of the fence, he raised to his full (cat) height, obviously intimidated, the other cat jumped from the fence onto a dust bin.
'Hn.'
The village hadn't changed much since he'd left; a couple of shops were replaced but not many. The villagers ignored him as he slinked along the roof edges, peering at their everyday actions. Hokage probably had told no one about the Takatsuki's threatening advances. So as not to get everyone in frenzy. The members would most likely slaughter everyone in sight; Sasuke only had a couple of targets. Those who got in his way, Naruto, and the council. He'd make sure they could never rise up again.
Sasuke strolled about for a while until he got bored. He hadn't seen Sakura anywhere, he'd seen a flash of pink but that was just some dress or other type of clothing. She should be back home by now, if she wasn't then he'd go out again. He traced his steps back to the house, climbing in the window and searching for Sakura. It occurred to him that he'd gone out just to look for her.
A thud interrupted Sasuke's inner battle of why he'd gone out.
"Sakuraaaaaa! I just wanted another hug!"
Sasuke's fur rose, straightening until they were prickling spikes. His ears shot up and tensed, his tail stopped moving. Yes, he knew it was Naruto Uzumaki, his persistent idiotic ex-team mate that had shouted at the top of his lungs. But it was what he said that sent Sasuke's senses to full alert.
'Another…hug? She had…hugged him?'
Sasuke spun around, giving Sakura just an instant glare before settling on his rival. Things may have changed when Sasuke had left, but never had he thought that Sakura would so much as tolerate the idiot hugging her.
Naruto was rubbing his head; a large hand mark covered half of his face. At that, Sasuke smirked. But then Naruto smiled and called behind him, "Sai! Hurry it up with the presents!"
Sasuke heard a muted reply of "Dickless" before a pale man entered Sakura's apartment with a bundle of bags containing the presumed presents. Sasuke barely remembered the emotionless ANBU; he wasn't interested back then who or what he was. He had more important things to take care of.
'They brought presents back from a mission,' Sasuke scowled in his mind, 'Stupid idiot-'
"Oh, tell me! Tell me what you got!" Sakura squealed.
'…Hn'
Sasuke ducked under the bookcase when the trio closed the door and settled themselves on the sofa.
"Here, Sakura-chan! I picked it out myself!" Naruto declared proudly, handing over a small box.
Sasuke watched as Sakura excitedly opened the present with a grin on her face. Though, he could see her eyes flickering over to Naruto and the other one, as if that smile was for them and not the present. Her smile held hidden affection, like his mother's once was. Tender and small as if she knew a secret. Would she have smiled like that if he'd returned?
No, Sasuke concluded, she wouldn't have a smile like that.
Sakura gasped and held up a broach shaped like a blossom, "Naruto, it's beautiful."
"Open mine," The ANBU-Sai, if he remembered correctly-elbowed Naruto out of the way to reach and give Sakura a decorated bag, "Mine is more useful-"
"WHAT! No it isn't! I've got Sakura-chan another pre-"
"You got ugly a fox teddy, which is hardly useful."
"It will remind Sakura-chan of me!"
"Like I said, hardly useful."
Sasuke had enough; it was like listening to Karin and Suigutsu bicker over some stupid thing. He crawled out from under the bookcase with ease.
"Ah, what were you doing under there?" Sakura asked, her eyes wide in curiosity. Not waiting for an answer, she gently put down the broach and strode to him. He let her pick him up, even though it hurt his pride, but he would not let Naruto look down at him.
"Is this the cat Ino was talking about?" Naruto asked from his place on the sofa.
"Yup, this is him." Sakura said.
Sasuke was barely listening to them, how could he when he was pressed once again to Sakura's chest. When she spoke, he felt it.
Absently, his uncontrollable tail whipped around to curl at Sakura's side. Sasuke scowled, the tail was annoying.
"What's his name?" Naruto asked, standing up to examine him further.
Sasuke's ears whipped back to flatten against his head and a hiss was ripped from him. Naruto jumped back and nearly stumbled over Sai's legs.
"His name?" Sakura repeated. However, she did not proceed to tell them his name.
"Ugly? What is the cat's name, or should we call him Dickless Number 2?" Sai said, locking eyes with Sasuke.
"His name is Lee-junior!" Sakura rushed out.
"HAHA! You named the cat after Lee? Wait, did you lose a bet to Ino again?" Naruto asked, still grinning like an idiot.
Sasuke swung his head up to pin Sakura a look of shock but she refused to look down at him.
"Yeah, that's it. Lost a bet again." Sakura said awkwardly, trying her best to plaster a smile on her face.
Sasuke didn't know what to think, Sakura was not telling them his real name.
"Hey, Sakura-chan. You look a bit…funny." Naruto pointed out.
She gave a week laugh, "Who's for tea?" She asked before promptly shoving him into Naruto.
"I don't want to hold him! He hates me!" The kyuubi whined.
Sasuke scowled and jumped out of Naruto's loose grasp, following Sakura into the kitchen.
::XxX::
'That was too close.' Sakura sighed, leaning on her counter top.
If Naruto had heard any indication that the cat was called Sasuke he'd surely tell the whole village and she'd be chucked into the nearest mental institution. Being depressed after he left was one thing, but naming her cat after him was just taking it to extremes. She couldn't call him that anymore, shouldn't call him that name. What was she thinking? It was completely out of order; she should get rid of the furball before it did any more damage to her head.
Sakura heard a soft thump behind her and saw Sasuke-junior sitting on the table, staring at her.
She sighed again, "Let's get that collar off; you won't be staying here anymore." She said, walking towards him.
Something flashed in those dark eyes before quickly being blinked away. Did a cat really care who its owner was?
She reached for his collar but he pulled back and let out a sharp hiss. Sakura gritted her teeth; this cat was annoying her greatly.
She reached again only for Sasuke-junior to jump from the table and sprint to her room.
'Naruto is just sitting right there, if you asked, then he'd gladly make the cat disappear.'
No, she'd have to show the cat that he's not welcome anymore. She'd give him to Ino and say that caring for a pet was too much, which it was. Especially when its name is Sasuke-freaking-junior!
"Sakura, do you have any ramen?" Naruto's head popped up beside her.
"In the top cupboard." Sakura absently said, striding past him, down the hall and into her room.
He was stretched out on the foot of her bed, tangled with the bed sheets. Who was he to think that he could lounge about anywhere he wanted? Sakura let out the third sigh that day and grabbed the loose skin on his back. Sasuke-junior jumped and hissed, his eyes piercing right through her. She narrowed her eyes in return. Sakura yanked him up off the bed, ignoring his constant hisses of dismay.
"I can't deal with you right now." Sakura muttered, gripping him tighter when she neared her apartment door.
"Ugly, what are you doing?" Sai asked, not looking up from the magazine he was reading.
"Uh, just some stuff." She murmured.
Throwing open her door, Sakura attempted to throw the cat out, but it grasped her shirt frantically with tiny claws.
"Try to understand, will you? I have a reputation to uphold and naming a cat after that jackass is not helping."
The cat stopped struggling to get back in her apartment, his claws retracting. It seemed as if he'd freeze in her arms, and Sakura took that as an opportunity. She bent down quickly and set him on the landing, hurrying back inside and closing the door.
"Did you just throw your cat out?" Naruto queried, his mouth full of instant ramen.
"Yeah, I guess I did." Sakura said, smiling half-heartedly, "I'll give Ino a call and see if she can find him a new home."
5 minutes later
"You did what?" Ino screeched into the phone.
Sakura winced, "I threw him out, and I can't keep him."
"But why?"
Sakura whispered harshly into the phone, "I called him Sasuke-junior. Therefore, I'm acting like an obsessed fangirl!"
"But…I bought that collar and everything."
"…What do you mean everything?"
"Well, I got him one of those scratch posts, and a little blanket for him-"
"Ino!" Sakura barked into the phone, "I thought you hated him."
"Yeah, but seeing how he didn't seem to mind when you put that collar on him I figured that he liked you and you were going to keep him. You'd maybe eventually venture out of your little hermit abode and become one with nature." Ino reasoned.
"That sounded so wrong," Sakura muttered, rubbing her forehead with her hand, "If you see him, try and find a new home for him before Tsunade hears that I chucked him out."
"Will do, but naming a cat after Sasuke-" Sakura heard Ino snicker, "-isn't so bad. It just means you still care."
"That's the thing, I don't care! I don't want any connection whatsoever, I'm done, end of, live happily ever after with some Jounin who adores the ground I walk on."
"Maybe change that to a hot S-classed criminal, who happens to sport a dazzling torso-"
"Goodbye, Ino." Sakura clicked the phone off.
Naruto and Sai stayed for a while after her call, producing more presents for her. She was sure she was glowing by the time they hugged her goodbye, well, Naruto squeezed the life out of her and she received a pat on the head from Sai, which was quite impressive.
She thought no more of her former pet; after all, her 'appointment' with Hitoshi was in half an hour. Carefully picking out a light green summer dress and tying her hair in a loose bun, leaving her bangs and a couple of tendrils of hair down. She looked…nice. Simple, plain, but her toned ivory legs made up for the loss of makeup. Although, there was the problem with her eyes looking like she was going to kill someone. Which she probably was if her mission dared lay a hand on her.
She locked up her apartment and saw no sign of the cat, for which she was grateful. If he pulled that cute face again she'd surely crumble into a sobbing heap shouting out how cruel she was. It had happened before, when she accidently killed a mouse. Emphasis on the accidently part.
"S-Sakura-san?"
Sakura turned her head to the call of her name and saw Hinata running to catch up to her. Sakura knew even before Hinata opened her mouth to speak what she wanted to know.
"Naruto just left my apartment, he's got presents and he'll probably be looking for you now."
Hinata blushed and looked down at her feet, shuffling them. "Thank you, Sakura-san!" She said excitedly, heading off in another direction.
'I don't know how someone as timid as Hinata can put up with Naruto.'
She honestly didn't, she'd heard that opposites attract but…it was like Naruto was a completely different species from Hinata. Not that she doubted their love for each other, to be honest Sakura had never thought there could be a couple more in love. They held hands at every opportunity, Naruto would hug her constantly and after returning from a mission it was like a light shining on both of their heads! Yeah, Sakura was jealous. She'd never have that with anyone, it would simply not work. Tsunade had often told her that she was too independent, that she needed her privacy more than constant attention all the time. To put it simply, Sakura loved being single. But a cuddle now and then wouldn't hurt.
"Excuse me, miss? But are you Haruno Sakura?"
Jumping, Sakura blushed in embarrassment at being caught day-dreaming. A calloused hand was placed on her bare shoulder and a face appeared in front of her.
Tsunade didn't mention anything about her mission being a total hottie. Damn that witch!
Sakura knew it was Hitoshi because he wore the same necklace around his neck as his father. Though Sakura's treacherous eyes travelled down, then back up in an I'm-checking-you-out manner. Thick brown hair framed a masculine face and a jaw she'd kill to run her finger tips across. Hazel eyes and a tiny smirk at his mouth sent Sakura reeling.
"Yeah, I'm Sakura. You're Hitoshi, right?" Sakura asked, pretending that she had not been ogling him.
He nodded, "I've got a table and some drinks for us." He took her hand and led her to the table. Kami knows what else he could do with those big hands-
"I hope you don't mind but I got a table outside, there was none left inside." He explained, pulling her chair out for her to sit down.
'What a sweetheart!'
Sakura was all for being single, but a little booty on the side wouldn't hurt.
"So, Hitoshi, I've heard about you from Tsunade, she seems to think you're my type." Sakura fluttered her eyelashes innocently.
Playing the sweet and innocent act was too easy, men always went for a girl who didn't have a backbone.
"I've heard a lot about you from my father, he says you're a wild one." Hitoshi said.
Well there goes the sweet and innocent, can't defend herself look. No doubt Takashi's told him of her merciless nature.
"I'm wild only when the time calls for it," Could she sound anymore flirty than that? "Tell me about yourself since this is a date."
So they got talking, all the while Sakura was luring him in with her charm. She was sure he was unleashing his own charm because damn, Sakura was drawn to him. He was smart, sarcastic, funny, didn't take life to seriously, and the vibe she got from his was that he was a romantic.
Tsunade might've just did Sakura a favour by giving her this mission, if Hitoshi happened to ask to see her again, then his father would see that they were getting close and sign the form for his assistance in the hospital. Takashi knew various plant breeds, even the extinct ones. His knowledge of them could help medics with new cures.
Suddenly, a shadow descended over their table. Sakura frowned and turned in her seat, only to be met with a hooded figure. He looked like an ordinary citizen, but his stance…made him look more threatening. The head turned towards her. Sakura was bothered by how close he was standing next to their table, scratch bothered, she was annoyed. Sakura felt that the man was sizing her up under his hood, Sakura had an urge to slap him.
"Do you know him?" Hitoshi asked, taking a sip of his drink.
"Um, no." Sakura answered, "Sorry, but who are you?" She asked the stranger.
His body visibly tensed under her questioning gaze, "…No one."
"Then I'd appreciate it if you stop staring at me, no one." And she turned around to give Hitoshi an apologetic smile.
The man did not balk as she'd expected, instead he folded his arms and leaned his shoulder on the pillar. Right behind her.
Sakura spun around on her seat again and narrowed her eyes, "There are other seats, you know." She said irritably.
"I know." He replied, hardly ruffled by her tone of voice.
Hitoshi cleared his throat, "Listen, I think it's obvious you're not wanted here so why don't you just-!"
Sakura barely had time to blink before the man stretched over her and grabbed Hitoshi's shirt in one hand and hauled him across the table, right up to his hooded face.
"Back off." He whispered in a reaper's voice.
Sakura watched as her 'mission' scurried away down the street, pushing past villagers in his haste to get away. She looked up, the man looked down.
"You…are going to pay for that." She growled, slamming her hand on the table and standing up.
The hooded figure did not move back, didn't even flinch when she filled her hand with chakra.
'Dear kami, he's tall!'
His face was still shadowed, but dear lord she could see a smirk forming in the little glimpse she got under the hood.
"Argh! You," She poked his chest, "Just cost me a deal that I was supposed to get, and that was my first mission-however crap it is-in ages. Who are you?" Another poke. "And don't even think of saying you're no one because-" Another poke. "-I can track your records and find out exactly who-" Poke. "-You-" Poke. "-Are."
The man grabbed her finger, but when she attempted to pull it back, his grip tightened.
"I don't doubt that-" He began, but abruptly cut off when a rain drop hit Sakura's cheek and slid down her neck.
More rain drops continued to fall and she heard the man utter a curse before sprinting away from her.
It took Sakura a few minutes-and a nice shower of rain on her head-for her to realise she was getting soaked.
She let out her own curse, threw a couple of yen on the table and hurried back home. Sakura rinsed out her hair and changed into something more comfortable, it was nearing sundown.
That man, that cursed, tall man! How dare he just interrupt her date, and grab her finger like that! She should have right-hooked him in that hooded face of his.
Sakura looked down at her hand, more specifically her fingers. He'd held her…delicately.
::XxX::
Sasuke hid under a jutting out ledge in an alley way. The rain had just soaked the clothes so he retained his human form. He pulled down his hood, glaring at nothing in particular. He stood there after the darkness settled over the streets, way into the night. Pulling the hood over his head once again, Sasuke jumped onto a roof then darted atop houses and shops. Tsunade had said Sasuke's chakra was locked, Sasuke had found a gap in that lock. Just a slight weakness was all he needed to retain his speed. Sasuke kept his head down, letting the hood cover the top half of his face. He was closing in on Sakura's apartment.
::XxX::
Review!