I would like to make a point that THIS WAS DONE/TYPED TWO WEEKS AGO!!! I was totally within a good time frame!!! That is, until I began smelling this awful smell. Almost like something was burning. Then, my computer went black. When I tried to turn it back on, I got one of those lovely thing called a Blue Screen of Death which erased my hard drive, taking with it the typed out document which I had been saving periodically on the computer for fear of a power failure, but never got around to saving on my flashdrive. *Sigh* My little sob story is now complete.

On a happier note, I have recently been hooked on old music. Sinatra and Elvis are currently in rotation on my iPod. I've become addicted to old Hollywood. Turner Classic Movies channel is seriously a gift from God. I first became addicted when I saw that they were having a "Pirates of the Caribbean" special. Dashing pirates, swooning maidens. Oh, so amazing. The Black Swan and The Spanish Main were fantabulous. Singin' in the Rain is just one of those movies that makes you happy. Saw that for the first time on TCM. I also recommend Dragonwyck. I fell in love with Jeff :)

(This is turning into a long Author's Note. Oops.) If any of you guys are confused as to the perspective of this story, it's told in first person Sakura. There's also some Sakura/Sasuke action, which isn't in the summary of the story. So, if you don't like the coupling, I'm warning you now. I guess you could blame this chapter on all the classic novels I've been reading (again with the old stuff). This type of frame story is featured in Wuthering Heights, Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, as well as those ghastly long letters that everyone writes in every type of classic novel. The format is just stuck in my head.


Sakura began her tale…

I guess this all starts a little over five years ago. This was when I was still with you. When we were still working together on the streets. Remember we would take corners close to one another so we could be together all night long? Well, one night you were sick. That's the night you were bedridden. I knew "Father" would chew you out for not making any money, so I decided that I would rake in more than usual to compensate. Fate must have been smiling down on me, because not five minutes after my decision was made a sports car pulled up next to me.

'Oh God, yes!' I thought, knowing I could overcharge the fool in there. I imagined the man inside to be well past his prime. No rich, young millionaire would need the service of a prostitute. They could charm the pants off of any girl with either money or acquired good looks. I pulled some things up, pulled some things down, and strutted over to the passenger side window. I fully intended to get in, mind you.

The window started to lower and I mentally cheered inside. I knew I had gotten a good lead, if I hadn't full-on won already. I expected an old man, so I put on my best smile, intending to use every ounce of charm and flattery I possessed on him. You can imagine my surprise when the window rolled down to reveal a handsome guy, not much older than me. Actually, "handsome" wouldn't even begin to describe him. He looked, to me, like a film star. Or a prince. He was so gorgeous, with beautiful black hair and even darker, more beautiful black eyes. He looked somehow familiar to me, but I couldn't place him at the time. Of course, you'll recognize him as the man, named Sasuke, who led you to this room. For ease's sake I'll just refer to him by his name from now on, except I didn't know it at the time.

Even though I was taken aback by his appearance, I still had a mission to do. The only difference that his appearance made was now I didn't have to lie when I called him the "Most Gorgeous Man I Had Ever Seen." The annoying tick of recognition was still there, but I brushed it off, assuming that I had seen him pick up another girl before and now was just my turn.

He didn't say anything, just focused on my trademark pink hair. He seemed satisfied by my appearance, but then looked disgusted when he saw my cleavage. The look he gave me made me feel oddly shamed, so I shifted my shoulders to lessen the amount of skin shown. He seemed satisfied, which he must have been because he unlocked the door I was leaning on. "Get in" were the first words I heard from him, and the only words he said to me before arriving at the hotel.

Stepping into the room, I was all set to seduce him. I enjoyed that he was such a looker. The only thing about him that put me off was his arrogance, but I quickly got over that part. Any warm-blooded female would have gotten over that. If I was going to be forced to do this, I might as well have fun.

However, before the straps of my top had even fallen down my shoulders, he threw a ball of money at me and said, "Don't bother."

I was thoroughly confused at this point. Why give me the money and not want the service in return? It was a big wad of cash, too. At least triple my regular fee. Maybe he was repulsed by me? Oh, that thought riled me up. If he thought I was ugly, why pick me up? Did he think I was too unfortunate to get any business? Did he pity me?

By this point in my thinking, I had gotten so worked up over my thoughts that I acted impulsively. In a huff, I fixed my shirt and then viciously threw the bundle of money at his smug, handsome, face. From knowing my past history with sports, you can certainly tell that the bundle hit him right on his cheek. Pleased with myself, I turned and started walked towards the door, muttering "See you later, asshole," to him.

With speed I once thought impossible for humans, Sasuke circled around me, locked the door, and moved so that there was, at most, an inch of space between our chests. The close contact was obviously made to intimidate me by fully utilizing Sasuke's height, but I resisted. I resisted even when I saw that his eyes appeared to have little specks of blood-red in them. The combination of body heat and some sort of fabulous cologne made my head woozy, but I stood my ground.

I didn't waver until, in his richly deep voice, he said, "You sit down on that bed right now and don't move for the hour I am owed, or I swear I will tie you to the bedposts and gag you with this bundle of money. The money, which, by the way, you will be taking with no further complaints."

The image that came with his threat of tying me to the bed rattled even my street-hardened nerves, but I refused to relent. You know how stubborn I can be, and I saw something in Sasuke's eyes that told me he wouldn't have the guts to physically bully a woman. I decided that I would be the bully. I would bully him in ways only a woman can.

Using our close contact to my advantage, I looked up at him through my eyelashes. Remember the old tricks? The partially lowered eyelids, half open mouth framed by plump and inviting lips? Oh yeah, I used them all. The guy stood rigged as I slowly moved my lips toward him. I had to hold onto him so I could raise myself up to the perfect height, but I used this to my advantage and lightly rubbed my cheek up against his. I will admit I enjoyed this seduction way more than I should have. I had never willingly kissed a guy my own age at that point, let alone such a handsome one. Schoolgirl fantasies of stripping him down and having my way with him ran through my head, but I didn't let myself indulge. To be safe, I navigated my lips away from the course they were taking to his mouth. I chose to plant light, fleeting kisses up his jaw line and to his ear. I could feel his fingers gently gripping my sides. I felt my heart melt a little at the touch, but I pressed onward with my goal. When I got to his ear, I whispered in a husky voice (that was more involuntarily husky than I care to admit), "I said, 'See you later, asshole.'" Before he regained his senses, I grabbed the money from his hand, unlocked the door, and sped down the hallway, away from his room.

I stayed in the hotel that night. The warmth of the hallways and rooms was so much better than the chill of the sidewalk. I made a point to stay away from the floor where Sasuke was, even hours after he should have left. Luckily for me, there was a bachelor party in the basement, full of loud, horny slobs willing to pay big for sex. Some even passed out long enough for me to steal extra cash from their wallets. I knew "Father" was going to be mad at me for leaving my spot, but I also knew that the amount of profit I was making would be more than enough to lessen his rage.

I was at the bus stop, counting out my earnings, when a luxurious sports car pulled up in front of me. A very familiar-looking sports car. Indeed, when the window rolled down, I saw Sasuke. A very pissed Sasuke, to be exact. The rage on his face was somewhat akin to the desire that had been shown earlier. If anything, the look made him all the more handsome.

"Get in," he said. I had a moment of de-ja vu and wondered if those were the only words he knew to get a woman into his car.

"What if I refuse?" I said. To be honest, I really wanted to go into the car. It looked so warm and I had a weird desire to apologize to him. However, I knew what I had done could be the basis, in certain types of minds, to go all "serial killer" on someone's ass. Totally out there, I know, but Jack the Ripper liked prostitutes. I wasn't taking any chances. Sasuke had obviously stayed until I left. An action like that bordered on obsessive stalking.

Sasuke sighed, an obvious testament to my stubbornness. "The buses in this part of the city don't resume running until five a.m. tomorrow. You'll freeze to death waiting for one."

"Um, it's after midnight, so technically the buses don't resume until five a.m. today. I've done a lot worse for sleeping than a bus stop. Besides, if you're so worried about my health, I'm sure I can find a way to get a free hotel room. There's some party guys back there that would surely give me a room. I'd just have to-"

"Look," Sasuke had evidentially given up on being mad. He had now adopted some type of negotiation tone. The thought popped into my head that he used it to discuss details with businessmen, even though I didn't know if he was, indeed, a businessman. "I don't care if you end up frozen, but I know people who do. People who would end up killing me if you turned into a Bitchsicle. So, get in the car and don't complain."

Well the argument was interesting, even if the way in which he presented it wasn't too satisfactory. I wondered who these people were and why they cared so much about me. Maybe if I did get into the car, I could grill Sasuke for information. Even if he was a mass murderer, I could at least have an interesting close to my life. I figured that the Black Dahlia didn't get famous until after she was murdered. I could be just as (un)lucky.

I didn't find anything out during the trip, but I didn't die either. He dropped me off at the usual curb and drove away. I thought I'd never see him after that. I didn't mention him to you because, well, I was feeling a little selfish and possessive. Plus, I thought that the other girls might want to steal him away if he ever did come back. After a few of his visits, I began to feel guilty for not telling you. I'm now glad that I waited because of what eventually happened.

As you know, Sasuke came to visit me more than once. He began to come every week, exact same day, and exact same time. After some careful manipulation on my part, he told me that his name was Sasuke, but didn't give me a last name. I had to do some detective work for that part. I knew I had seen him somewhere, but it wasn't until my subscription for Medical Monthly arrived that I remembered exactly where. In an old copy of Medical Monthly, I found an article detailing a large donation made by the Uchiha family to the cancer wing of a hospital. Accompanying it was a picture showing Sasuke and another man, whom the caption identified as Itachi Uchiha. My mystery man was none other than Sasuke Uchiha.

Sasuke picked me up every week. I first found him to be cold, arrogant, and selfish, even if he was a babe. Over time, I don't know what happened, but I gradually began to fall in love with him. Under his arrogance, I discovered insecurity. His parents had died when he was very young and he was raised by an emotionally distant older brother. He was left to mature on his own with virtually no guidance, so it's no wonder some childish qualities got enhanced through adolescence.

My biggest mistake during all of this was talking about it to you. Not that I ever regret telling you, but some girl apparently overheard our conversations. One night, Sasuke told me that we had to leave right away. There was a danger in "Father" finding out and preventing the trip in a horrible way. Sasuke drove me to the house to get my stuff. You weren't there and I had only a few minutes to stay in the room, so I hastily scribbled out a note to you. I wish I could have said more, maybe explained every detail, but there was no way. I stuffed some things into a bag and ran out to the car.

Sasuke took me far away from Tokyo. We moved to Hong Kong, where he oversaw the start of a new branch of the Uchiha Corporation. A woman, named Tsunade, contacted me about a month or so after Sasuke and I moved. She said she had known my parents when I was little and wished to meet me. As it turns out, she was a highly skilled surgeon and began to tutor me after seeing my enthusiasm for her practice. With her help, and a lot of hard work, I was able to complete medical school in four years. She also revealed to me that she heard about my parents' deaths and set out to find me. She was the one who hired the organization to track me down. I couldn't believe her until the information was confirmed by Sasuke. I should maybe include that Sasuke proposed to me while we were living there.

About a month after graduation, Sasuke got a call from an informant back in Tokyo. One of the biggest names in prostitution had discovered a black market in Malaysia. This market paid for females to become a sort of "second wife" to customers. The positions would put any of the "wives" into dangerous positions, as they were usually kept so that no one knew they existed. It's a dangerous market, but it pays very well. The man got in touch with the other big names in Tokyo's red district, including "Father," and they figured out just how profitable selling some girls would be. The young, innocent, and hopeless ones were their first pick, but then they went on to talk about the older girls. The girls who had been in the business a long time. The worn out ones, the old ones.

I thought of you. How could I not? We were sisters in that horrible place, and it killed me to leave you. I knew that awful man would sell you, so I talked to Sasuke. I managed to convince him to move back to Japan. He was apprehensive, but I wore him down by saying that the situation was as awful as if I was the one back there. He went back to his company's headquarters and I was offered a prestigious residency at a hospital here. The outward appearance was made to be a couple moving back for business ventures.

We used this image to remain inconspicuous while getting back in touch with Sasuke's contacts. The organization really is an awesome thing. I don't know too many details on it, but I know that these agents have saved many a girl from dire situations. During our four year exile, Sasuke had told me that Naruto, his friend in the agency, had asked for the help of Sasuke, an ordinary citizen, for my case. The purpose of the "missions" was to gain our trust so that we would go with them when the time came.

Your case was going to be precarious. With me already scooped up, any mystery guy in your life would need to be clever and be able to finish it within a relatively short period of time. For that, we needed Shikamaru. Shikamaru is the agency's best strategist, and I'm pretty sure he's their best ever. I've seen him in action a bit. It's crazy, really. He is able to manipulate almost any situation to his advantage, but he does so in such an inconspicuous manner. Chouji said that Shikamaru's been this way ever since they were little. Seemingly a step behind everyone, but really three steps ahead. So, we coaxed him into taking on the case. He was reluctant at first-something about an old partner-but eventually agreed to do it. Strange thing was that he seemed to catch interest after hearing your last name. I never got the chance to ask him about that. Maybe he'll tell me later.

From this point on, your guess is as good as mine as to what came about. Sasuke, being the over-protective brute of a lover that he is, wouldn't let me get wrapped too much into the investigation. I fought him, obviously, but he said that Shikamaru was to be trusted and that the added stress would only harm me. I thought, 'What does he know? Sakura Haruno can take anything,' but Sasuke has this certain bastardly way of being good at persuasion, if you get my meaning. I, however, managed to fool him. Oh, yes. Before we left the agency, I slipped a note to Shikamaru containing my address and asking him to send my updates periodically. You know what I got? Absolutely nothing. The whole investigation period, not even a single scrap of paper was sent my way. I had thought that Sasuke was interfering, and bitched him out more than once about it, but I later found out from Chouji that Shikamaru's defining characteristic, well before his high IQ, was his overwhelming sense of laziness. The jerk hadn't even had enough energy to lift up a pen and send a letter my way! I was dead-set on beating his ass, but he got lucky. The hospital got super busy and I was either working my own ass off, or passed out from exhaustion.

The very first thing I heard about your case was when Sasuke called me from the road. He was driving to the agency and had gotten a call about you. They were taking you to the building. You were free. I couldn't believe it at first. I was running on roughly five hours of sleep in a thirty-six hour time period. I thought that I had just fallen asleep in the hospital and was having an amazing dream Sasuke had to spend a few minutes convincing me of the reality of his call. I quickly got over my shock and grabbed my coat, all senses intending to bolt out of the hospital. I would've made it too if there suddenly hadn't been a slew of patients coming in at precisely the moment I stepped into the hallway. An abundance of patients and a shortage of doctors meant there was no way I was sneaking out. I was pulled over to help with a victim of a knife attack. I was ready to stab someone except, you know, the kid had already been stabbed. Nine times. By a six-inch blade. Not my best thought of the moment, but desperate times…

I was finally able to escape FOUR hours after the call. I forced myself to stop by the market and pick up a sandwich, lest I die from starvation. A can of that horrible processed fruit you used to like caught my attention, so I figured to buy a can or two, along with a bowl and utensils.

I rushed into the agency, half a sandwich jammed into my mouth, and demanded to know where you were. What I got was my fiancée pushing me down onto an office chair and telling me to be patient. I became so mad, but then he told me that you were getting some well-deserved rest. I called down. He also told me that I should think about resting too, but my adrenaline had kicked in and I was way too jittery to rest. I obtained a cup of coffee and Sasuke's sweatshirt and continued to wait. Eventually, I couldn't be patient anymore. I (selfishly) decided to wake you up, regardless of how tired you were.

Nerves took over as I stood in front of your door. What if you hated me from what I did all those years ago? What if you hated the agency? Oh, it was too much to bear. I clutched onto the fruit as if my life depended on it. The door opened and, well, you know the story from there.


And the plot thickens (I hope)...For those of you who have asked me "Where's Shikamaru?!?!?!" (with every right to, of course!!!) I will promise you that he WILL be in the next chapter. Cross my heart, hope to die, if you catch me in a lie. I'll continue in my quest to answer every review. I managed to stick to it for last chapter! Woo! I love it when people write back. It makes my life a fraction of bit better. Haha. Also, I have thinking about getting a Beta. If anyone has any recommendations, please talk to me. I would prefer one who doesn't stick exclusively to Naruto, but also does some other major anime and branches out into Western cartoons. Thank you all!