I See, I Want, I Need

Chapter Seven: She Sees


Sakura's temper had begun to eb by the time she finally reached the street he'd told her Sayuri lived on.

'Feel free to visit if you ever needed anything.'

Thats what both of them had said. But she didn't really need anything, her better half reminded her.

I don't think so, kiddo! Inner Sakura protested before putting on a obvious grin. You lookin for some lovin! Stop being such a baby and get on with it!

Her confidence boosted momentarily and she boldly knocked on the door. She waited for a couple minutes before knocking again. No answer came to the door. Sakura frowned, then pressed one ear to the door. There was a loud clattering sound, like cups on a counter. They were home alright, and the sounds were beggining to worry Sakura. She checked her surroundings. The second floor of the appartment complex wasn't much, only about four rooms in the front, and another four in the intersection. She hopped over the safety rail and tapped into her chakra, sticking to the building as she crawled to the window. It was the window to Sayuri's bathroom, she guessed as she opened it quietly and stepped onto the rug beside the toilet. Creeping along the wall, she assessed the living room. It appeared clean, no sign of struggle. The living room connected to the kitchen, where the sound appeared to be from. Sakura almost started when there was a loud crash from the kitchen and the sound of Ren cursing. Then Sayuri giggling, and more mumbling.

Giggling wasn't a sign of struggle either, unless Sayuri was some kind of super freak that was holding the ANBU translator captive. There was a sudden twist in her heart, a twinge of something that told her not to look. But there was also a desire to find closure that would not be ignored.

She slowly, carefully edged around the corner of the bathroom door, and went to the bedroom on the right in the small hall that came before the living room. She was easily able to spot them from there. The two were in the kitchen. Sayuri had been captured between the counter and Ren's arms, wriggling helplessly with delight as Ren sprayed kisses over her skin. She froze. Time slowed as the two continued their display of affection, and Sakura now understood the meaning of heartbreak. It wasn't until she heard Sayuri gasp in surprise that she realized they'd noticed her presence. Both of them looked embarassed.

"S-Sakura!" Ren stuttered. "W-what are you doing in here?!"

Sakura started out of her daze and shook her head, face beginning to flush with embaressment.

"Oh I.. I heard something break.. And I think. I mean, I thought you were.. I dunno?" She said breathlessly. She wasn't sure if the anguish in her heart showed in her voice. In fact, Sakura wasn't too sure she knew where she was anymore. Ren shook his head, anger beggining to show in his expression.

"Well, as you can see we're perfectly fine, Sakura."

"Yes, fine indeed. In fact, you look as healthy as a horse." Came a masculine voice Sakura took a moment to recognize.

X

By the time Kakashi swooped in for damage control, Sakura looked about as dazed as after being punched by Tsunade herself. Ren looked royally peeved, while Sayuri looked like a little kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

"I'm sorry to disturb you two, we were just checking up before we left, isn't that right?" He said, shaking her shoulder in hopes she would wake up from whatever stupidity that had led her to this. She nodded slowly, regaining a bit of her brain with the motion.

"Well, now that we know you're alright, we're just going to be off!" Kakashi said happily, heading for the front door. "Have fun, kiddies."

The moment Kakashi closed front door to their appartment with Sakura in hand he spun her around, grabbing her shoulders and shaking them roughly.

"What is wrong with you?" he hissed, his anger finally boiling over. "Breaking and entering into a place where we have no jurisdiction, or even a reason to be, using techniques outside the mission's scopes, not even bothering to let your teammate know what you're up to. Sakura, what is happening to you?!"

He couldn't help but notice her eyes looked emptier than before. Her will wasn't completely gone, but it had taken a bloody beating.

"I don't know." She answered tonelessly.

"I don't know doesn't cut it here, kunoichi." He growled quietly as he led her down the stairs and back onto the main streets. "I can't have a partner who is too hung up on personal business to try and complete this mission. If you knew you'd have a problem being here, you should've said something."

"I know. I'm sorry." She finished quietly. Kakashi wanted to give into his frustrations and just let her go off, feeling sorry for herself. He wanted to shake her, slap her, make her realize you didn't always get what you wanted. He knew. It was happening to him. Finally, Kakashi just let out a sigh and ran a hand through his spiked hair.

"Listen, lets just get this whole recon thing finished with and go home. We only have a couple more days of this, and we still have to figure out who it was that tried to kill you."

Sakura blinked a couple of times and walked for about three or four minutes before speaking up.

"We should problably go back to the teashop and ask a couple questions. The server didn't look familiar." She said softly.

This tense, quiet Sakura wasn't what he was accustomed to, and he wondered when the spunk would come back to her.

X

The throbbing pain wouldn't subside. The same thing had happened when the dawning that she and Sasuke would never be had hit her, so she did the only thing that had saved her in the past: Sakura focused on the mission. It was the only thing she could do to drown her sorrows without falling over drunk, and become herself for a little while during the day. It was the way she coped, and that didn't bother her. So she set on a grim face of determination and walked on with Kakashi.

"We should split up, just in case. You have your radio on, right?" She asked.

Kakashi hesitated before nodding.

"But no more surprise trips." He commented. Sakura kept her line of sight straight ahead and didn't answer as she fell away from his side to weave through the throng of the busy vendors and shops. The tea shop was only another ten minutes, and she was sure by the time they arrived, their assailant would be gone. She tapped on the front counter, drawing the attention of the young woman working inside.

"Excuse me, I've been here before, and I'd like to make a special request."

"Oh, please!" The girl answered pleasantly. "Anything for a good customer."

Sakura allowed a sweet smile on her face.

"An elderly woman served me the night I was here. I was wondering if it would be possible to designate her as my server today."

The girl frowned.

"What did she look like?"

Sakura described the woman. Heavy set, with white hair put into a braid on her back, wearing a blue kitchen apron, brown eyes, wrinkles. Again the girl frowned.

"I'm sorry, but we have noone here matching your description. Perhaps you have the wrong tea house?" The girl answered with an apologetic smile. Sakura let her smile drop.

"No, I'm positive this is where I was at when I met her."

"Well, I'm sorry. Whoever it is you are seeking does not work here." With that, the girl turned and went back to cleaning the small store. Sakura slumped against the counter. Kakashi raised a brow.

"It seems we've been had." Sakura glanced at him, but continued to frown.

"It makes me wonder though... She shows up when I'm there but dissapears the next day. Do you think she-"

"Whoever it was must have been using a cover-up technique. Sakura, you should problably do a checkup on yourself. Just in case." Kakashi warned.

She sighed. In her stupidity she hadn't remembered to cover up her chakra signature, thus giving birth to the old woman. Undoubtedly, someone knew something. She just wished she knew what. An idea sparked.

"Kakashi.. I'm about to do more recon. I just need you to stand off and watch, incase something happens."

Kakashi frowned beneath his mask, and she rolled her eyes.

"We're shinobi. This is our job. We don't pick safe missions, remember?" She said with an angry undertone. Kakashi sighed heavily for the second time that day, and then dissapeared into the crowd of faces. Sakura wasn't one for danger, and always prefered the safer route if there was one. However, today she wasn't really feeling the whole safe route. So here she was.

"Pardon! I changed my mind, would you mind bringing me a cup of your white lily tea?" She called to the young girl inside the shop. The girl positively beamed.

"Sure, just a moment!"

Sakura sat down, urging her tensing shoulders to relax and feel natural. She'd been in bait positions all the time, this was no different. Her chakra was a bright neon light that she was a ninja to any others around her, practically oozing for a fight. The waitress brought a small cup for tea when a voice startled the her.

"Bring an extra cup, I'll be drinking with her."

Sakura's face pinched tight in a withdrawn shout of anger before she wrapped her fingers around the top of the cup and took a sip, keeping it close to her mouth.

"I'm trying to do a covert mission, not put myself on the VIP list in Suna." Sakura said quietly from behind her cup. Gaara took a seat beside her, back to the crowd as the day wound down.

"I'm not putting you on any list, but you are rather noticable in a crowd of ninja." He offered, stopping and taking the cup the waitress brought over. "I was just wondering why you needed the sign overhead."

Sakura resisted the urge to slap him. That was the voice he used when he was pointing out a stupid mistake with one of his servants.

"Again. I'm on a mission and I happen to be the bait." She heard the Kazekage chuckle beside her.

"You don't need to try so hard." He said, offering a nod to the girl as she poured the tea. Sakura took another drink.

"What?"

"You're lonely again." Sakura stiffened at his nonchalant observation. Now she wanted to get up and leave.

"What, you miss me in bed?" She said sardonically. Gaara's eyes gleamed, but his face said nothing.

"Don't fool yourself, Sakura. Besides, someone else has their eyes on you."

The slight tone zapped her. He hadn't meant for it to sound so cruel, had he? Sakura let her eyes droop a bit.

"Good for them." She finally said softly. Gaara stared at her for a moment, then took her chin between his forefinger and thumb, turning her face up to him.

"Well this is no good." He said with a dark frown. "Sakura-san's light is going out. She'd better look carefully, or she'll miss the spark again."

With that, Gaara rose and left his half-filled cup behind, and Sakura pondering his meaning. She listened to the sound of his retreating footsteps, soon lost amongst the hundreds of other footfalls on the street.

Sakura couldn't help but wonder who Gaara was talking about. Unfortunately, she didn't have much time to ponder this before another person was at her back. It wasn't Gaara either.

"Hello, pretty kunoichi." The man was hovering right over her, and her instinct screamed for her to quickly pull some serious taijutsu on his butt.. Until he slid both hands down her forearms and over her hands, clasping them into fists before she got a chance to do anything. He then pulled her frame roughly into his body and she hissed as something sharp pierced through her clothing and into her back.

"We don't need to cause a scene." He growled huskily, holding tightly to her wrists on the pressure points to preserve their movement.

Crap, crap crap!! She thought nervously. There was problably a senbon hidden in the attacker's clothing covered with a poison or sedative. She needed her hands, and fast.

"Ka-"

Her plead was cut off quickly when the assalaint reached around, opened wide and bit down on her trachea. The world was beggining to fade from the lack of air and the toxins in her bloodstream.

C'mon, Sensei! You know I'm too lame to have a boyfriend! Raged Inner Sakura.

Such encouragement... she thought sourly in return, before passing out.

X


A/N: Y'know, some fans would beat me, and I'm pretty sure I have a big group that are cheering me on in my torture of Sakura. He he he, I almost feel sorry for her. It has also come to my attentions that I've been mooching off of Memoirs of a Geisha... o.o... kinda... (btw, on my homepage I've got a pic inspired by that movie). Welp, believe it or not, I have to r & r the next chapter for this! Whoo!

PS, Pirate... I'm working on HFT, but have run into a brick wall... he he he..

With love,

GS!