Author's Notes: (IMPORTANT) I'd like to get one thing off my chest before I begin, and I know who will have read this by the reviews I get. If there isn't romance in every chapter, don't flip out. If there was no kissing in the chapter, I don't want to hear in the review "I want more FLUFF! Where's the FLUFF?" Calm down. See, there's this thing called character and story development. Speaking of getting impatient, authors on have real lives. We can't just dish out a chapter-per-day to appease you guys. I write whenever I can, but I can't write all the time. Reviews like "update soon!" are fine, but when I start getting reviews like "can u write the rest of it as soon as possible. i am getting impatient" and "aargh are you gonna update??" and "update already! it's been a month and a half!". All of those are real reviews, too. It's frustrating! Some of the people who've criticized my updating schedule are "authors" who don't even have any stories themselves. I thought about not updating at all, but then that wouldn't be fair to the people who have actually given me nice reviews. I'm saying it has to stop.

Title Reference for Chapter Six: "I've Got No Strings" from Pinocchio

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Title: Laying Claim

Rating: T (or PG-13)

Summary: (SasuSaku) An ancient law in Konoha permits people from prominent clans to buy people who aren't from clans at all. Unfortunately, Sakura just refused to believe it until her mentor confirmed that, yes, she was now owned by Uchiha Sasuke.

Pairings: SasuSaku

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but the plot is mine!

Chapter 6: I've Got No Strings

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The lights were blinding and the noise was at a steady din. They hadn't even stepped inside the club yet, but the two women knew that it would be the highlight of their night.

Ino and Sakura stood in a line that was waiting to get in. They held their ID in their hand, to make sure they were of legal age, and they managed to talk aimlessly about boys. Surprisingly, their conversation could be heard at a normal level, and they didn't have to shout everything. As of this moment, Sakura was telling her tale about getting Sasuke so drunk that he took what was obviously a sleeping pill without suspicion. The only thing Sakura regretted doing was putting on such a revealing outfit. Ino had cornered her in her now unused apartment before they had left and forced her into it.

A small, blood red spaghetti-strap top that showed her bellybutton and shorts she was almost afraid to bend over in. They weren't quite as bad as some of the pants of the drag queens, which disgustingly rode up their cracks, and they thankfully could not be considered as "hot pants", it was just discomforting to wear something shorter than usual. She had blatantly refused to put on a skirt of any kind. They had pockets in the back, which she had slipped her ID and a few twenties into. Sakura was not going to be burdened by a purse tonight.

Ino, however, seemed very comfortable in her outfit. Deep purple halter-top with a black mini-skirt. Since she was more accustomed to heels, the blonde had sexy stilettos that wound about halfway up her leg. Sakura had opted white and red Converse boots that didn't quite reach her knee. They were practical and framed her legs better.

When they finally got to the front of the line, all the bouncer took was one glance at the both of them before stepping aside to let them in. Apparently, the two kunoichi's, famous in their own respect, were known even around these parts.

Eclipse was everything a nightclub was supposed to be. Blaring music, fancy drinks, drag queens, the works. There was a pristine granite topped bar that stretched half the length of one of the walls, and high tables and chairs were scattered off of the dance area. From the looks of it, there was another story in addition to this one, connected by a rod-iron staircase. The second floor was a mock story, and Sakura had seen a balcony when they walked in.

A bar it might have been, but it sure was a classy one.

Deciding they should get tipsy later, the two kunoichi's shot over to the dance floor. The music was upbeat and loud, perfect for a carefree night. It was just what Sakura needed to get Sasuke off of her mind.

Soon, she found herself separated from Ino, but still having the time of her life. The pink haired medic was dancing as wild as she dared, earning looks from single men and making jealous girlfriends smack their ogling boyfriends. Haruno Sakura was going to be wild tonight, and there wasn't a person who would stop her.

The song ended, and there was hardly a pause before the next one began. The guitar was strong, and it was like the DJ knew exactly what she wanted tonight. Except dancing in the same spot was becoming monotonous. Boring, almost.

That was when she spotted the cage.

Spiral stairs led up to a dancing cage that overlooked the dance floor. She walked to it and practically hopped up the stairs in her haste. Licking her lips, she shut the metal door behind her, and began her dance once again.

She sensed movement beside her, and a dark haired man she didn't recognize stepped into the cage with her. Even in the strange lighting in the club, she could see he was a very attractive male. Feeling brave, she beckoned him closer with a finger and a wink. He smirked what he thought must have been sexily, but Sakura thought it wasn't anything impressive. Compared to Sasuke's very male smirk, this guy's was plain and unoriginal.

He danced as close as he could, the cage was only just big enough for two.

He didn't stay for long though, once he was bored he left.

However, Sakura didn't have time to be disappointed. Numerous songs came with numerous men who dared to join her. All of them were relatively good-looking too. Who knew Konoha had such hot guys?

One, however, left an impression.

Sakura thought he'd be just another guy coming to dance. She had boredly looked around after the last song ended to find Ino dancing with a few men of her own. The medic spotted him when his foot hit the last step and he stepped in the cage confidently. The next song began and his hands were on her waist in an instant. He was good, and he knew it too.

"Meet me on the balcony in fifteen minutes, I'll buy you a drink." He told her. Sakura smiled and agreed. A drink sounded good right about now.

About fifteen minutes later, Sakura stood on the balcony, which had a good view of the Hokage Mountain. She leaned against the railing and waited. A minute passed, and then three. She was sure the vein on her head was visible, and she had to resist crumpling the metal in front of her. She had given up her cage, her perfect spot, to be stood up? Not Haruno Sakura!

She was this close to stomping back into the building and giving him a piece of her mind, when she felt someone coming up behind her. It was almost cute the way he thought he could sneak up on her. Only one person could do that to her, and she knew that person was drugged up in bed.

The tan-haired boy took her shoulders, as she knew he would, and spun her around. He held her against him and tried to swoop his head down for a kiss, but she put a finger to them and tutted, signaling not yet. He grinned and kissed her finger instead, leading her by the waist to the bar.

He ordered a Hazelnut Breeze, a drink that sounded fancy but had barely an alcohol, and then looked at her. She placed her order as a Kryptonite. She'd never had it before, but it sounded strong, just what she needed. Malibu rum, vodka, pineapple juice, and something called madori, which she had never heard of before.

Her "date" raised a brow at her, and she winked back at him.

They talked about nothing in particular until their drinks came. She grabbed hers and took a sip…or maybe a few sips. It was good. The man beside her suggested they sit over at one of the more secluded tables. Suspicious. This man definitely had something planned for the night, and Sakura was pretty sure she was included.

"Alex! What the hell are you doing?"

The tan-haired boy—Alex, she presumed—jumped and jostled her drink in the process. The contents of her drink went crashing into the front of her blouse, staining it a dark reddish/brown color. She knew she should have opted for black.

"Ami, really, it isn't what it looks like!"

At the name, Sakura looked around to find a mousy-haired girl with promiscuous clothes and a weak glare. The nin sighed, it was her (other) archrival from back at the academy. She'd flunked out because she was really only there because Sasuke was enrolled as well. Ami Wantanabe would have never made a very good kunoichi anyway, she was afraid of anything that crawled. The medic smiled at the thought of her and Shino in the same vicinity. Sweet bliss.

Currently, said dropout was coddling her boyfriend, arm looped through his, saying something that sounded suspiciously like "…not as good as Sasuke…but whatever."

Her attention cut over to the pink-haired girl, and Ami narrowed her eyes in confusion for a moment. "Forehead-bitch?"

So she still remembered. Damn.

"So you dropped out too?" She laughed. "I hated the academy, waste of my life." Was this girl not up-to-date with anything? Not only didn't she know that Sakura had passed the academy with flying colors, but she was now Jounin, head medic, and Hokage's apprentice. "You're still the same slut as back then, too."

Sakura's jaw dropped. This girl was unbelievable.

"Trying to steal my Alex, just like you tried to steal my Sasuke-kun. Don't worry though, I'll take good care of Sasuke-kun for you." She licked her lips. "Really good care."

It took all of the pink-haired woman's self-control not to smack her forehead.

"Did she hurt you Alex-kun?" Ami sweet-talked.

"She tried to get me to go home with her, but she couldn't hurt me if she tried."

"That's a lie!" Sakura blurted. "He was the one all up on me!"

Ami glared. "That's it." She said, disentangling herself from Alex. "You and me. I'm going to kick your ass for spouting such lies."

By now, a crowd had gathered and they were chanting "fight, fight, fight!"

Ami rushed at the girl she used to pick on, fist raised. Sakura simply sidestepped her when she got too close. Now as mad as a bull, Ami turned and rushed at her again. Sakura's back was turned, so Ami thought she had the upper hand.

She turned out to be wrong, of course. Later, Sakura would blame it on the alcohol, but at the moment it was frustration with more than a few hints of anger. She turned, grabbed the other girl's wrist, bent it around her back, and pinned her to the stone floor. If any of the spectators blinked, they would have missed it.

"Don't you ever, ever, doubt that I am a ninja, you lowlife." Sakura hissed.

Since the brown haired girl was dazed and not likely to want to punch her lights out anymore, Sakura walked calmly but dangerously towards Alex. He began to back up, the crowd parting, and she could see his eyes darting around looking for an escape.

Sakura stopped in front of him, and he straightened slightly, thinking that she was only a girl. Men shouldn't lose to women, right?

"By the way, sorry about the problem with your face and all." She brought a finger towards his face. Alex let his guard down, she couldn't do anything with a finger! Ha! He put his hands in his pockets and slouched casually.

"What problem?" He looked cocky. Sakura hated it.

"This one." With that she flicked his nose and heard a distinct crunching sound as he flew to the other side of the balcony. Sakura was vaguely reminded of the time that Tsunade told her she did the same thing to Naruto, only without breaking his nose.

Alex was now writhing and whimpering in pain near the bar, and the bartender whispered something like "finally."

The medic nin walked off the balcony and back into the building. She managed to make it through the door before a tingling went through her body. Her eyes, once shining in confidence, were now wide in horror.

Sasuke was waking up.

She ran around the entire club looking for Ino, but there was no sign of the blonde.

How could she have been so stupid? Of all the times to be careless, it just had to be now. Sasuke was practically immune to alcohol, and if by chance he actually got drunk, he got sober in nothing flat. Sleeping pills were probably nothing to him either. ANBU could sniff out any drug that might hurt them or poison them or, say, put them to sleep. They were insusceptible to simple sleeping pills like she had given him.

When she found Ino, she found her a bit tipsy and chatting up some guy at the bar. Sakura pulled her away, and told her she'd explain on the way home. Ino waved a "bye, bye!" to the guy she'd just left, and followed her out the door.

The bouncer stopped Sakura and thanked her for taking care of the idiot upstairs.

Sakura explained the situation to the blonde, while jumping across rooftops as fast as she could. They parted ways, and Sakura pumped chakra into her feet once she hit the ground.

She sped into the Uchiha compound and skidded sideways once she reached the front door. She ran through the house.

Need to burn or wash clothes. Former was faster, the latter was preferable. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she opened the door to the laundry. She stripped herself of everything and stuffed it in the washer before turning it on. She sighed, thankful she had gotten away with her little plan, when she heard Sasuke coming downstairs. Her heart sped up again when she realized she was naked.

She harshly opened the door to the dryer, and managed, on some stroke of luck, to find one of her nightgowns inside. She slipped it on and slipped out of her boots just as Sasuke stopped in the doorway. He leaned against the frame, blocking her only escape route, and folded his arms across his chest.

"What are you doing up?" He asked her.

Excuse! Excuse! Excuse!

He sniffed. "Is that alcohol?"

Excuse! Excuse! Excuse!

His eyes narrowed dangerously. "Sakura…"

"Ino went to this new bar and the bartender called and wanted me to make sure she got home safe."

…where had that come from again?

"And the alcohol?"

"She spilled her drink on me, so I came home and did a load of laundry while I was at it. Couldn't sleep."

Thank you, complete and total bullshit. We tip our hats.

"Are you feeling better?" Sakura changed the subject.

"Much." He raised an eyebrow. "What did you give me?"

The Uchiha didn't miss the nanosecond of panic in her green eyes, but let it go after she held a finger to her mouth and whispered, "It's a secret." Which was the truth.

Sasuke clucked his tongue once. "Go get some sleep, I need to see the Hokage about something."

Sakura blinked, just now noticing he was in full ANBU getup. "Okay."

He walked towards her and touched her forehead, something she knew to be a gesture of affection from his past. She was surprised he did it, seeing how the gesture came from Itachi. "Don't do anything wild while I'm gone, yeah?" He turned.

Sakura's voice hitched. "Okay."

Sasuke turned his head and raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. He just walked away.

Sakura breathed a heavy sigh and walked to his room. She felt a flutter go through her at the thought that she really had gotten away with drugging him and disrupting the whole owner/possession system. Not only had she flirted, quite a lot actually, she had lied her heart out without being caught. It felt good to escape her restrictions once in awhile. Lying down on the bed, she switched off the lamp before unknowingly snuggling into the place her owner had just vacated, feeling the intense warmth that radiated there.

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Author's Notes: Terribly sorry for the long wait, hope this chapter was up to your expectations. As always reviews are always appreciated, suggestions for the plotline are welcomed as well. I actually use some of the advice that comes into my e-mail. Not much fluff in this chapter, I know, but that's because Sasuke is drugged. Poor Sasuke (not really).