Prompt: Helpless (97)
Date: June 23, 2013
Fandom: Naruto
Pairing: Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura
Note: Post-War

Helpless

"I swear, Sasuke-kun, if you interfere – I will kick your ass. Unless I give the signal – which I highly doubt I will – you don't move a single muscle to help me. I can take care of myself. Clear?"

Uchiha Sasuke scowled, bitterly recalling the specific directions ordered to him – directions he was required to follow since Haruno Sakura was the assigned captain to their A-Ranked Operation. His gloved fingers flexed around the glass of his amber-colored liquor, onyx irises observing beyond the hood that concealed the majority of his recognizable facial features – carefully tracking the movements of the people that were gathered inside the rowdy, old-fashioned tavern.

The pub was clearly a popular location where notorious bandits and dubious individuals congregated, clearly there to bask in the simple enjoyments of plentiful whiskey and the pleasures of intimate company. Tucked away between large forests near the western borders of Rain Country, Kōu Village was definitely a town that was easily overlooked, considering its diminutive, civilian population. This fact, unfortunately, made Kōu an easy victim of forceful occupation made by the selfish desires of wandering criminals and rogues.

Currently, the Matsudo Gang Leader was staying in Kōu Village, trying to make trade networking contracts with other black market dealers. It had taken a week for Sasuke and Sakura to track him down and tonight they were planning to finally end his dark business of continued human trafficking.

Or rather – Haruno Sakura was going to end it.

Sasuke's scowl returned, dark irises flickering crimson as he lowered his head, sitting silently and unobtrusively in a shadowed corner of the large room. His gaze shifted quickly, critically considering the amount of armed men that were present – though many were heavily inebriated – and distastefully listening to the loud and obnoxious chattering that echoed around the space.

A woman, dressed in a raunchily revealing kimono, gracefully walked up to his table – the third one since he sat down – and he barely spared her a glance. Sasuke dismissed her with an irritated flick of his wrist before bringing his drink up to his lips and allowing the liquid to burn down his throat.

His eyes, however, remained intensely focused on the bar across the room, towards the end – where two individuals, a man and a woman, were heavily flirting with each other between several empty shot glasses.

She wore a red kimono – the hem barely brushing against the middle of her thighs and the cut of her cleavage showing more than what she normally displayed – which was a very, very rare occurrence. However, she was still more presentable than the other women who lurked within the tavern, using a fishnet under shirt and fishnet leggings to give a little more coverage to her appeal.

If anything – it wasn't her state of dress that was turning heads – but the simple beauty of her natural features – as well as the lithe curves of her body. She had grown out her hair over the years and she had curled the soft strands for the specific occasion – the pink tresses fell in pretty waves down her back and ended just above her hips, framing her features perfectly. Her vibrant, green eyes had been replaced with light-blue contacts – a precaution to her renowned appearance – and she wore make-up that accentuated her features pleasingly.

All the men of the pub had eyed her at least once – the envious frowns on their faces always directed towards the lucky bastard who had captured her full attention.

Their target – Matsudo Hideki.

Sasuke's left hand, which was hidden in the confines of his dark cloak, gripped the hilt of his Kusanagi tightly when Hideki leaned forward, plucked a strand of pink from her shoulder, and brought it to his nose, to smell, before shifting it to his lips, to kiss. His Sharingan blazed brilliantly when Hideki released the pink locks, caressing his fingers against the smooth skin of her neck and across her jaw.

Sakura grinned lightly in response, leaning closer, her light-blue eyes shining with feigned adoration – her performance so flawless that Sasuke couldn't help but inwardly wonder how many of these seductionmissions she had already been involved in.

How far had she gone in each of them?

"…This is a bad idea. Tsunade-shishou shouldn't have assigned you to accompany me on this mission. Our…relationship…could detrimentally compromise us. Even Naruto wouldn't be able to handle being my partner for this. She should have picked someone else."

Sasuke remembered her muttered words. He remembered the way her brows had furrowed with concern. He remembered the way she immediately argued against Tsunade's decision for the Uchiha to be Sai's replacement for the job – Sai, who was apparently her usual partner for these particular ANBU missions, and who was recently confined to the hospital after being seriously injured.

He remembered being told by his girlfriend just hours before – thinking that prolonging the explanation would make the knowledge hurt less – that she had been participating in seduction missions for the past five years – since she reached the ripe age of fifteen – and that the only reason he was being assigned with her – was to offer her protection if – and only if – things went direly wrong. She was the main tool for the mission. He was only there if she failed.

Sai was the only one Sakura trusted to be her partner. His expressive limitations proved to be an advantage – to think logically of the situation instead of being guided by emotion or automatic reaction. Yes – Sai did care for Sakura's well-being: her state of mind and body, but he was highly aware of the fact that Sakura was a kunoichi who was assigned a job that needed to be accomplished – equipped with a particular set of skills.

Kakashi couldn't do it – and Sakura didn't want him to. Naruto and Sasuke were left in ignorant bliss.

"It doesn't happen often. A few times a year, maybe? When you came back to Konoha those assignments were given to me less and less. When we started dating – well, I requested that I only do it if it was absolutely necessary."

Since they started dating – two years after surviving the repercussions of the Fourth Ninja War; at seventeen years old – Sasuke remembered Sakura leaving on ANBU assignments with Sai at least six times.

Sasuke's jaw clenched, teeth grinding uncomfortably as he watched Hideki lean forward and press his nose against her bare collarbone. Sakura giggled, running a hand through his brown hair before her glossy lips whispered into his ear. A larger hand moved forward, gripping Sakura's slim waist and running his thumb along the underside of her breast.

The glass in Sasuke's hand cracked and he grunted, glaring at Hideki and willing him to lock stares with his crimson irises – fully intent on sending him into a Tsukuyomi-induced nightmare. However, the bastard didn't meet his gaze, too preoccupied with the gorgeous woman in front of him.

He watched Sakura – he knew Sakura – noticing the slight tension in her shoulders. She didn't play with Hideki's hair the way she trailed her fingers through his ebony locks. Her light-blue pupils were focused on the arch of Hideki's brows whereas Sasuke was privileged to stare straight into her striking emerald-green eyes. Sakura always blushed whenever Sasuke touched her skin while she only grinned wickedly in contrived flirtation when Hideki openly grasped her inner thigh.

Sasuke jerked in his seat, Kusanagi shifting away from the confines of its sheath a mere fraction when light-blue eyes darted in his direction with brief, but clear, warning.

"I'm not going to wear an ear-piece Sasuke-kun. It's already bad enough that you have to know – to watch – what I'm about to do, but I can't have you whispering in my ear either. I know it won't help saying this, but…I've done this before. I know what I'm doing. So, I'll need you to trust me. Please."

Sasuke trusted her. He did. It was Hideki he didn't trust.

Sasuke had no expectations of Sakura waiting for him. He knew kunoichi were likely to receive these types of assignments. And he was aware that, as ANBU, there were confidential regulations that needed to be followed. Sasuke would have never known anything about these missions if he hadn't been assigned with Sakura. If Sai hadn't been injured, he would have been completely oblivious to the darkness of a kunoichi's duty to her village – completely oblivious to the darkness of Sakura's duty to her village.

It didn't make it any less upsetting. This was the woman he would do anything for, to protect her, and yet he couldn't protect her from this. The fragile girl he grew up with using her evolved femininity to draw in targets and dispose of them during their weakest vulnerability. Sakura – who Sasuke was still having trouble showing any kind of physical affection towards – was now leaving the tavern and taking a man – that wasn't himself – to a squalid Inn where she would have her way with him – interrogation, intelligence gathering, assassination – and everything else in between.

How many times had she done this? With how many men?

Sasuke felt sick.

He watched with a numb detachment as Sakura linked her arm with Hideki's before bumping their way through the crowds and out of the tavern, his lips pressing against her shoulder and Sakura's fingers looping through the front of his belt. Sasuke took his glass and downed the rest of his liquor, savoring the uncomfortable burn that settled into his stomach.

He wouldn't drink himself into intoxication – Sakura's safety came first – but he allowed the numbness to slowly crawl throughout his body before standing from his seat and following after the duo with depressive ire.

He wanted to kill Hideki. He wanted Sakura to quit ANBU – her wanted her to quit being a kunoichi. He wanted…

"Sasuke-kun. When I'm in that Inn – don't follow me. Don't wait in the hall. Don't find our window. Just…stay outside. It'll take me twenty minutes – an hour at most. If I'm not out by then – then you'll know what to do."

…He wanted to be her only.

He can understand not being her first – even if he silently hoped that he would be, since she would undoubtedly be his.

But, if not that, then he would fight to be her very last.

Although, to have dated her for two years – to have yet to commit the act – and discovering that he was sharing someone whom he refused to lose – to men who definitely didn't deserve her, when he himself was still undeserving…

"Damn it!" His fingers clenched, the leather of his gloves tightening around his gripping fingers, standing in an alleyway across the street from the Inn Sakura had disappeared into. His dark eyes trailed the darkened windows, not daring to follow his traitorous thoughts of the deeds she might be performing – with another man that wasn't him.

Fuck this! Sasuke should just run in! Fuck the damn mission! Fuck everything. How could he stand idle when his girlfriend was–?

Sakura walked out of the Inn. His hands twitched as he watched her, dread filling his stomach as she looked around and carefully pulled her cloak around her shoulders before covering her petite head with the large hood. Her pink hair was disheveled and splotches of liquid scarlet stained her smooth skin and rumpled clothing. She stopped a foot away from him, her light-blue eyes tracking the empty streets before meeting his unwavering stare.

"It's done." Her voice was a whisper but her expression was reserved and professional – he didn't like seeing her with that look. "We should go."

She pulled her cloak tighter around her body, offering him one last glance before moving passed him, further down the alley towards one of Kōu Village's exits, clearly intent on reaching the neighboring village before midnight – which was another hour of travel away.

Sasuke swallowed, closing his eyes and feeling utter helplessness as he trailed after her, "…Aa."

A/N: This made its first appearance on my Tumblr. This is only Part One of the story. Part Two will be making an appearance in the future, when I find the time to write it. Hope you liked it!

Thank you for reading! Please let me know what you think in a review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Company.

Len~