"Kill the bitch?" Sasuke quirked an eyebrow. As fabulous as the idea sounded, how the hell were they going to get her to go into a room with them? Sierra was evil, not dumb. That isn't to say though that he wouldn't be the first one to stab her.

"Yes." Both Kages nodded seriously. Gaara continued, "She hates me with such passion that she'll come after me again. All I need is to set the scene for it." Gaara rubbed his eyes, and Sasuke could see the fatigue nagging at his red head. "And you are going to be the key to doing so."

"Oh of course, because that's going to be incredibly easy to do."

"It will actually."

"I'm inclined to disagree. She's not retarded. Walking into a room with not one but two Kages who want your head on a stick, that's stupid. Not only that but why the fuck would she trust me. Sasuke Uchiha! I'm the poster boy for distrust and most people know that! She won't trust Naruto because he's Hokage and she definitely won't trust you - you're you!"

Gaara was giving him that bored face that he usually gave to annoying council men.

"Don't give me that look when you know it's true. Naruto help me out here he's being a fool." Sasuke prayed the blond would come to his aid. Gaara couldn't possibly be thinking straight or he'd see just how reckless this move was. The raven was damn near panicked, he wasn't quite sure he could handle Gaara getting hurt again. Every time it did, it seemed to hurt far worse than any torture the last Uchiha had ever, would ever, receive.

"Sasuke-"

"Oh god."

"-he's right. This needs to be handled now. Sierra cannot be allowed to run rampant if she is this much of a threat to Gaara's health. She's tried to kill him twice-"

"Once. Laili tried to kill him - us - the first time."

"Sasuke." Naruto's tone turned warning, he obviously didn't appreciate Sasuke's interjections. Sasuke groaned and sat down on the bed with Gaara.

"Fine! What the hell is the plan?" Sasuke growled. He hated this, it put Gaara to close to the line of fire for Sasuke's tastes, but his opinion didn't mean much right now. As much as that pissed him off.

"Okay. First off...."

30 minutes later Sasuke couldn't quite believe what they were doing - what he was doing. Willingly. He opened the door to Gaara's new office and let the Kazekage walk in ahead of him.

"Gaara," the red head turned, "Please. Be careful. You need to be okay, promise me?"

The Kazekage smiled warmly and Sasuke drank in the sight. He wasn't quite sure that he'd ever be treated to it again. Gaara's pale hand caressed his cheek and the red head kissed him slowly. Sasuke took in everything and committed it to memory.

"I'll be okay. I'll see you later." No one should sound that confident when they're facing a life or death situation. Sasuke smiled softly and ran a hand through Gaara's crimson locks.

Then he turned and walked out leaving Gaara Sabaku, his lover, to the mercy of his crazy ex-fiancée. He'd be okay though. Sasuke had left a clone in with him, it split his chakra but it wasn't too much of a hindrance. Half his chakra was still thrice most people's 100%. Surely he could handle it.

Gaara has bad taste in women. He thought bitterly. He has bad taste in plans too.

The plan was this; Gaara would be in his office totally alone. Sierra wasn't so insane she'd attack immediately they hoped. Gaara would bide his time, build his chakra up and finally when Sierra struck all he had to do was capture her and kill her. Sasuke would get rid of the body, the desert hid many things. Including death. But Sasuke didn't trust it. The plan sounded too easy and he was certain that Sierra wouldn't strike at Gaara because of the clear threat towards her life.

Sasuke strolled down side streets as his thoughts enveloped him, he knew the way to his apartment so well that thought wasn't really required. Suna was set up like a kingdom. The Kage building at the center - the castle - and everything else branched out. He just had to follow the alleys.

Hell, Sasuke was 90% certain that Sierra Komo would be paying a visit to his apartment. So that's exactly where he was going. Naruto and Gaara were Kages, sure. They were good at making political problems go away. Political.

Sasuke was an ex-Akatsuki trained assassin. Getting rid of problem people was his area of expertise. Sierra Komo was dying tonight, that was for sure, but it wouldn't be by Gaara's hand nor Naruto's. Sasuke had every intention of being the man to murder his lover's ex. Shouldn't be too too hard. The question however was whether or not Sasuke would survive.

When he arrived at his place he cranked the volume on a stereo and put in the first CD he found. The music started blaring and Sasuke sat down to wait.

One hour.

Two hours. Sasuke stood and put his plan into motion, sliding his hand under the table and pressing upward against it. Ready. He sat back down and closed his eyes to focus only on vibrations.

Three.

Finally. He could feel the vibrations of someone in his bedroom. The only way into the apartment he couldn't see from his position. He kept himself completely stationary and merely put up a hand to prevent Sierra's blade from touching his neck.

"Sierra."

"Sasuke." She purred into his ear and he rose to his feet at the urging of her blade knocking against his chin. The feeling of total calm, total control. Every nerve ending in his body alight with the excitement of finally being put to the test again. That was a comforting, familar feeling. Totally unlike the nervous butterflies in his stomach at the idea that his own plan might kill him.

He turned to face her and she brought her knife down to rest on his belt, perfectly angled to jab right into his stomach if he moved wrong.

"Do you want a drink?" He offered and she nodded.

"Something strong." They walked to the kitchen and Sasuke ignored the chill of metal that was seeping through his shirt onto his back. He tongued the folding blade on the roof of his mouth. Essentially a razor blade that he could hide. At the bare minimum he was armed to the teeth. In the event that his plan failed, he could fight. "Ice no ice?"

"Ice." She sat on the counter and kept her blade level while she watched him make her drink. If it weren't for the knife Sasuke could almost call this a normal situation. Eerie.

He passed her her drink and they both took parallel seats at his dining room table. He glanced at the time and took a sip of his drink.

09:13:17

Sasuke smiled grudgingly. This had to end today. Sierra wouldn't have sent a clone, she was a good shinobi but Sasuke could feel a clone and she knew it. She wouldn't waste the energy.

"Sasuke, you know I'm only doing this because I love you right?" She smiled at him and sipped the vodka he'd poured her. "I mean you need my help. He had me under his spell once too however luckily I was set free. In return for my freedom thought, you got caged in." She paused and took another sip. "A man like you should never be caged, caging a tiger only makes it mad. You should be in charge of your own life. You know all this right?"

"I know. I've been told. Gaara thinks your doing this because you hate him, but I know you love me." Sasuke refused to gag on his own lies. He needed her to believe him. His plan was dangerous, but damn it, it would work. As long as she believed him for this moment.

"He's evil Sasuke, surely you of all people can tell." She met his gaze and Sasuke finally realized just how evil Sierra was. She sounded so sincere, seemed so genuine, but Sasuke knew the look of true evil. It was in their eyes. He saw it every day whenever he looked at his reflection. Gaara didn't have that look, he really had changed from who he used to be. She stood and leaned over him.

Perfect.

"I can tell evil when it's there. You are evil, Shukaku was evil," he paused and glanced into a mirror he kept hanging on a wall just outside the dining room," I'm evil. That's why this has to stop."

He reached under the table and grabbed a exploding tag. He slapped it to her chest, infused a bit of chakra to ignite it and a bit more to singe it to her flesh and then focused the rest of his chakra into trying to protect himself. She began slicing at him with her knife as the fire burned and Sasuke couldn't even feel it.

Gaara had set up a mental connection with him using Sasuke's chakra. Sasuke wondered if perhaps he could 'speak' with Gaara via said connection. He focused and thought three words. He kept his eyes on his reflection and tried to picture the last time he had looked into that mirror.

Gaara had been leaning his head on my shoulder. 3 days before the fire. We were so happy. I wonder if I'll ever see that smile of his again.

The world exploded into white and Sasuke's vision faded down to black. The warmth of blood was so different to the chill of his skin.

I doubt it.