Sorry for the late guys, but I was at a loss for what to put into this chapter. I know it is shorter than usual, but I like where I ended it...plus there is a surprise in the next chapter because you guys ROCK!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter Seven: Break Your Heart

Kakashi looked over the papers on his desk, most of it menial paper work. He heaved a heavy sigh and ran a hand through his hair. The last three days had been quiet and the tension in the building in the agency; he could feel the electricity in the air and he knew everyone else could feel it too…something big was going to happen. It didn't help that he hadn't gotten a call from Sakura or Naruto since they had left and he was beginning to worry. He also had the constant calls and meetings with the bank about selling his house and moving into his new one; he had more than enough money, but there had been issues with his own home and it was beginning to seem that it would never hit the market and he was stuck with it.

It was times like this that Kakashi wished he was at the bar instead of work.

Kakashi looked at the clock on the wall and groaned; it wasn't even noon yet.

A loud rumbling sound erupted from his phone and he looked at the small device without enthusiasm, that is, until he saw the caller id.

"You miss me already, huh?" He chuckled and his heart leapt when he heard her laugh too.

"Oh, Kakashi," Sakura's sweet voice cooed. "How is everything?"

He smiled slightly. "Dull since you left. Nothing has happened and we are stuck on the case."

"Ouch."

Kakashi leaned back in his chair and kicked his feet onto his desk. "How is everything going on your end?"

"Ugh." She groaned. "Kankurō brought out his puppets and freaked out Naruto. It's impossible to keep those two in line, I swear. Temari and I both are thinking of dropping them in a lake. And don't get me started on the drinking…"

"Sounds fun," he laughed again. "What about Sasuke?"

"Well…" Her voice trailed off for a moment. "He's been more withdrawn than usual."

"I find that hard to believe."

She huffed and continued. "He won't talk to either me or Naruto. He just remains silent, he doesn't even make his usual cocky remarks anymore. And when both he and Gaara are in the same room, you can literally feel the aggression. I'm worried…"

"Hmm, I wouldn't look too deeply into it." Kakashi reassured her. "They both seem to be competing for dominance. Sasuke is smart, and he knows better than to start a fight with someone as important as Gaara."

"You're right," she laughed, but it seemed forced. "I'm just over-analyzing it again."

He chuckled lightly, but straightened up and his voice was laced with concern. "So, besides that, how are you holding up?"

She sighed. "It's…kind of hard. I just want to go home. I don't know how much longer I can stand to be away for another four days."

"I'll tell you what," he piped up, "when you get back, the two of us can spend the day together."

"That would be nice," she said in a quiet tone.

There was a pause of silence before there was the sound of rustling and a door closing.

"Kakashi, there is something I need to tell," her voice was rushed and low.

Alarms were going off in his mind as he sat up straight and listened intently.

"That night, when my house was broken into," she took a deep breath. "Those people released information about Sasuke's brother…I think they are trying to get him to abandon us and join them."

Kakashi sighed and rubbed his head. "It sounds very likely."

"A couple days later Sasuke came to my house and told me not to tell anyone." Her voice cracked. "I told you because…I…I trust you. Please, Kakashi, help…"

His heart caught in his throat and his stomach sank.

"Alright," he croaked out, "I'll help."

She sighed in relief. "Thank you, Kakashi."

For some unknown reason, hearing those words warmed him. He heard her sigh again ad he closed his eyes, enjoying the sound; a small smile touched his lips.

"I have to go," she said in a hushed tone. "I'll call you later."

She hung up and Kakashi rubbed his eyes, the smile still present.

His head snapped up when he heard a cough in the doorway. Anko was watching him with an eyebrow raised up and a knowing smirk on her face. She walked up to his desk and slammed her hands on the surface, shaking the desks, a full out devious grin on her face.

"I haven't seen that look on your face for years," her voice was low and malicious. "Who could you have possibly been talking to?"

"Ugh," he groaned. "What do you want, Anko?"

She laughed. "I want to know who she is."

"It's none of your business," he snapped.

"I disagree," she stated firmly before snatching his cell phone out of his hand and instantly began searching for something. "Aaah, little Sakura Haruno. Sexy little thing, isn't she? Hmm, wasn't she your student? You dirty old man."

Kakashi stood up and grabbed his phone, an obvious scowl on his face.

Anko stood up and walked out of his office, but stopped and turned her head. "You have quite the competition for her."

Once she was gone, Kakashi sat down in his chair and sighed in frustration.

Great…

Sakura slipped her phone in her pocket and sank to the floor of the bathroom. She knew that Sasuke was going to be angry with her, and any chance of them getting together would be tossed out the window.

She heard Naruto's snore from the room beside hers and sighed. Even if Sasuke was listening to her, he wouldn't be able to hear her over Naruto. For once she thanked Naruto's extensive drinking and stood up. She crossed the room and opened the curtains of her room and was immediately blinded by the sun; she recovered quickly and looked down at the people walking the streets in traditional kimonos and yukatas.

Three days into the festival and Sakura was beginning to wish she had just stayed home. She had always wanted to attend this festival since she was a child, but now it just seemed hollow and boring. Perhaps it was because she was acting as a bodyguard to the Sabaku siblings and couldn't actually enjoy it, or maybe it was because Sasuke's behavior lately was frightening her. Sakura had attempted approaching Naruto about it, but didn't seem to notice a change. What was worse was that she kept catching scratching the area on his neck where the drug had been injected, leaving marks that looked as if they would get infected if went untreated.

Sakura sighed again and looked at the alarm clock on the nightstand. Soon, Temari would be knocking on her door to be ready for shopping…again. With a sad smile, she realized how much alike Temari and Ino were and it was comforting to be around her, even though she seemed distant and stiff at times. Kankurō was a different story; there were times when he was goofy and carefree, as if he hadn't a care in the world, but sometimes he would have a dark and shadowed look about him and that troubled Sakura. Gaara was a different story, there were moments she would catch him staring at her with such an intense gaze, Sakura feared that her clothes might set on fire from it; when he wasn't watching her, he and Sasuke would have their own glaring contests until something else interrupted them, which was usually Naruto.

Sakura looked over at the mirror on the dresser and adjusted her red baby tee so that it covered her stomach, but sighed when it just bounced back up. Her black jeans were a bit snug on her, but not enough to cut into her skin. She walked over to the dresser and clipped her hip holster to her belt and checked to make sure her pistol's sight was correctly aligned before slipping it into the holster.

A knock on the door startled her and she quickly made her way to the door. After unhooking the chain and opening the door, she stood back when she saw Sasuke standing before her, dressed in dark jeans and a plain black tee. The look on his face was that of confusion and pain, completely taking her by surprise; she lifted her hand to take his own, but he grabbed her wrist roughly, causing her to wince slightly. Sakura looked into his eyes and her breath hitched; his onyx eyes bled with intensity and a chill went down her spine.

With a rough tug, Sakura smacked into Sasuke's chest; his other hand lifted her chin and she soon found herself lost in a frenzy of shock, panic, and lust. The moment their eyes collided, Sakura's heart hammered in her chest and she went deaf to the world; all there was, in this moment, was the two of them. Sasuke brushed his thumb over her quivering bottom lip and a soft smile touched his lips; he inched his face closer to her own and Sakura could feel his hot breath wash over. Her eyes fluttered in anticipation and her stomach felt as if it were doing somersaults…

A cough nearby caused them both to freeze. Sasuke's gaze seemed locked onto something behind her and his grip loosened until his hands fell at his sides; in the blink of an eye, he was already walking down the hallway and turned the corner, leaving Sakura in a daze. She dared a look at the person who interrupted them and saw the Sabaku siblings standing in the hallway; Temari had a smug grin on her face, beside her Kankurō stood with his mouth wide open and a look of bewilderment on his face, while Gaara burned her with a smoldering gaze.

Sakura dropped her head and felt her face heat up. Why me…

A sinister grin touched his lips as he watched the citizens walk by him, completely ignoring his existence. The job was almost done and soon all of these unsuspecting people would be caught in a fury of chaos. He shifted uncomfortably in his position and growled; his partner was taking his sweet time, and he loathed being kept waiting…

A flash of pink hair froze his thoughts and he focused his eyes on the woman, his precious cherry blossom, laughing beside a blond woman. He cursed to himself silently; she was too close to the blasting area and could get seriously injured. It wouldn't be hard for him to catch her in his arms and disappear in the crowd without anyone even noticing, but he had a job to. He supposed his own personal need could wait just a little bit longer, after all, she will be coming for him shortly.

A presence at his side told him his companion was finished with it and a malicious chuckle escaped his lips.

It was time…

Sakura smiled, despite her annoyance. Temari had been playing some of the games at the festival and had won a few prizes; a fan made of a very fine lace, a giant stuffed panda, and a goldfish. Now, she refused to stop playing until she won the crystal necklace sitting in an open box.

She hadn't seen Naruto or Sasuke since they disappeared with Kankurō and Gaara, but she assumed they had gotten bored and went to a bar or something. She adjusted the panda in her arms and looked around; couples and families laughed among themselves as they enjoyed the festivities, but something in the air didn't feel right.

A series of loud explosions, followed by screams and the citizens running in terror, startled Sakura. A bored from a nearby stall struck Sakura with such force that she was positive her arm was broken, she fell to the ground and blinked frantically; lights danced in her eyes and a loud hum in her hears prevented her from hearing most of the cries from the people running around. Sakura bit her cheek as she forced herself to her knees, cradling her broken arm. Her head whipped around as she tried to spot Temari, but she must have run off. With a deep breath, Sakura pushed herself to her feet and looked at the pile of rubble that was once the statue of Japan's first Emperor.

In the distance, she could hear more explosions and screams, but the only thing on her mind was to get back up and medical attention for the poor souls who had fallen to the first bomb. She leaned against the nearest stall and pulled out her phone; as quickly as she could, she dialed Kakashi's number heard it ring a couple times before he answered.

"Well hello there," he said cheerfully.

With a shaky breath and unsteady voice, Sakura sighed into the phone. "We have a problem."

Random Skit:

With a heavy thud, the last body fell to the blood soaked ground. It was a long fight, but they had succeeded, as usual. They didn't have many loses on their side, which was do in partial to the fact that Silence wasn't allowed to kill anymore of her subordinates when they disobeyed her.

She scratched at the thick collar around her neck and pushed her long, blood matted black hair out of her face. With each intake of breath, she could taste the blood that stained the cloth mask covering part of her face and her boots her sinking into the soft ground. Thankfully, there weren't any scars on her bare legs and her skintight leather suit wasn't ripped.

Silence spun around, her waist-cloak whipping heavily, and observed the battleground; the injured were already being tended to and the dead were being piled up for burning. A soft smile touched her hidden lips; this is where she belonged, on the battlefront covered in blood.

On of her many subordinates came running up to her, his uniform tattered from the battle, with a small device in his hand. Once he got close enough, she rolled her eyes and snatched the phone from his grasp.

"Yes?" Silence asked, slightly irritated from the interruption.

"Ah, good, you're done." Embir's cheerful voice answered. "DerLaCroix has another job for you."

Silence heaved a sigh. "And here I thought I could enjoy my victory."

"Silence," she replied in a stern voice, "you always win."

"And?" Silence growled.

"Anyway," Embir ignored her. "You need to get your sexy little ass in gear and move to the valley. I'll be waiting for you there with some new recruits."

"Ooooh," Silence quivered at the idea of some new meat.

"And no killing them." Empir chastised her.

"Buzz kill," Silence muttered.

Thanks for reading guys. So, the skit is actually starring myself, embirsiphonelilathia, and DerLaCroix. If you don't know them, then go check out their stories...they effing ROCK!

So, any wild guesses as to who Sakura's stalker is? I kinda made it obvious lol

With love and Gratitude,

~Ell