I just can't believe how popular this is. I never knew I was such a good writer . It makes me so happy! I'm so happy you are all enjoying this. I just hope you don't hate me later in the story. Not now, but later.
My disclaimer will never change.
Sakura tugged at the hem of the black dress and looked at her self unsettlingly one last time. The dress fit her snuggly, prefect for showing off what figure she had. Her hair was nice and straight. Her make-up was as close to perfect as she could get it. Overall, she looked conspicuously pretty. Not beautiful, she thought as she looked herself over. She had never thought herself beautiful, but a simple pretty. A unique pretty many would say with her dazzling eyes and peerless hair. Something many people couldn't say they were. Eh, it was something to be thankful for.
She stepped out of the bathroom and made sure she could walk properly in her heels. How she loathed the things. What did they do anyways? Make you taller and 'accentuate' your legs? Psh, big deal. They were a pain in the ass to walk in and she avoided them at all costs. Even the ninja heels that Tsunade, Shizune, and Hinata wore. There was just no way she could do it. She would fall most of the time. And she didn't even want to go into tree-hoping.
Sakura touched her leg to make sure her hidden kunai was secure. All set there. She had another one on the other leg as well. She had plenty of hidden tricks with her. Tsunade had trained her well in hiding weapons. She had her two kunai. She bore clip on earrings (since her ears weren't pierced) that held a pepper spray within them. Her hair pins (two delicate sakura flowers) could be pulled out and transmitted into poison senbon with one touch. In the bottom of her heels were small smoke bombs in case she needed a quick escape. Sakura peered down the top of her dress and noticed that the paralysis charms were still there. She would have to be careful of them. There was also a small bottle of a tasteless, colorless, powder that she had developed herself. Another poison. Not one that killed, but one that gave the same affect as a large amount of alcohol. It was really just more of a drug than a poison. She planned on slipping some of that in Akito's drink before she lured him away from the bar.
Next to the kunai on her right leg was a capped syringe. It was filled with lavender liquid. Another poison that would quickly kill the man. She just had to be quick with her actions and everything would run smoothly. He would be dead within a matter of seconds and she would be free to steal the scrolls and flee without anyone knowing a thing. And lastly, her final weapon. She glanced down at her now dry, scarlet nails. A special nail polish that Tsunade had developed for all shinobi. The polish held very special toxins that, if they came in contact with an open wound regardless if the nail polish was dry or not, it would release a very harmful poison that could kill a person in minutes without the appropriate antidote. It was just something that had to be handled carefully. The Godaime was very proud of her new product and it was a big hit with the ninja. It came in shades of red, black, blue, and green. More colors were being developed.
Deciding she was all set, Sakura locked up her room and walked over to her teammate's room next door. She didn't even bother knocking and barged right in as if she owned the place.
"Whoa. It would be nice if you knocked." Naruto announced. He stood in only his boxers, about to pull his cargo pants on. Sai was beginning to button up his shirt (giving her a very nice view of his abs) and Sasuke was already dressed in a deep blue button up shirt and nice street pants. (A.K.A Jeans.)
"Nothing I haven't seen." She mumbled neglectfully and continued in. She sat on the edge of the closest bed (which happened to be Kakashi and Sasuke's) and continued to pull at the dress. The thing fit her nicely, but she wasn't used to wearing tight clothes at all. She always wore something nice and loose aside from her undershirt and tank-tops. She felt eyes bore into her and became conscious of the looks she was receiving.
"What?" she snapped and gave each of them a glare. Naruto settled for his silly grin and answered for all of them.
"It's just different Sakura-chan. A good different, to see you in something nice. Instead of ninja clothes." He told her. Her look softened at his words. "And you do look beautiful." He added in all honesty.
Fighting back a blush, she bowed her head. "Where's Kakashi?" she asked quietly.
"He went out quick." Sai informed her. He finished the last button on his shirt and tugged on it to pull it straight. The deep black was just his choice of color and stood out drastically against his near white skin.
"He wanted to make sure this guy is at the right place." Sasuke completed. He looked awfully bored lying back on the bed. He must have wanted to do some actual fighting on this mission. Tsunade must have known that there was a good chance that he wouldn't see too much action. She was the lucky one. Although she didn't consider herself to be at all.
The door opened and in stepped their team leader. If Sakura didn't know the man like she did today, it wouldn't seem like him at all. Him, Kakashi, wearing a normal white t-shirt and normal pants. No bandages, no gloves, no hitai-ate. He still bore the mask, but that was him. The mask was Kakashi. The new getup made the man look years younger. His messy silver hair fell over and framed his face from lack of something to hold it in place. His headband usually did that. It was just completely different.
"You people have no consideration to knock huh?" Naruto asked, now only half naked and pulling on a bright red shirt. For his own amusement the older man went back and knocked on the door, much to an annoyed Naruto. He only smiled and continued in the room, taking a seat by Sakura.
"My, my doesn't someone look lovely." He commented. The kunoichi cheeks tinged red.
"I should be saying that to you. It's weird seeing you in…non ratty clothes." She said. Kakashi placed a hand over his heart in dramatic affect.
"Your words hurt me. Ratty clothes?" he questioned.
"Yes." The girl replied with an air of sternness. "Why don't you buy new clothes anyways? Instead of wearing the same thing over and over?"
Kakashi thought for a moment then shrugged his shoulders. With his eyes closed he answered absently, "As long as they stay on and function right my clothes are just fine. I don't need to waste money on new ones just so I can destroy them."
Sakura 'tsked'. "You have plenty of money I'm sure. Since you get paid enough, I've seen some of your checks, and you always coaxed Genma into buying groceries. Are you still doing that?"
Kakashi didn't reply and Sakura assumed that it was true. "If you are all ready then we should get going." He started. "Sakura, if I could make a suggestion." He said. The girl looked up at him with curious eyes. "Would you be able to use a genjutsu on yourself? Just for the night?" he propounded.
"I could. Why?" she retorted.
"Well, if you are able to lure Akito in, then I assume he's going to take you back to the place he's staying. If he disappears the next day, and people saw you with him, they will report your description to the police. And since Akito is one hot-shot guy, there may be searches in every country for suspects. If people see you with him…well you kind of stick out if you know what I mean."
He meant her hair. The bright, bubble gum pink. She stuck out in a crowd like Naruto in a mud pit. He was right. She could hold a genjutsu for one night. She knew how to preserve and stabilize her chakra well. "Alright." She agreed. She thought of an image in her head and closed her eyes. After a quick performance of hand seals, her body began to transform itself into what she wanted.
Her pink hair darkened to a caramel brown and grew longer. It stopped as it reached her lower back. Her face morphed as her cheek bones grew more into shape and formed out, giving her face perfect angles. Her nose seemed to shrink slightly and her lips plumped up more. She even converted her skin color to give herself a nice even tan, instead of her milky, pale skin.
She finished her jutsu and opened her eyes. They were no longer striking emerald, but a tender shade of dark rose. They were a very soft colored red.
"Is this alright?" she asked, having no mirror to check herself. Naruto was on the verge of falling over. His friend was just too amazing. Transforming from one beautiful girl, into another beautiful girl. He only had three alterations on his sexy jutsu. It was a wonder how many Sakura could come up with.
"Perfect." Kakashi assured her. "We really should get going, before he picks up another girl." The rest nodded and headed for the door. Sakura was about to move forward, but Kakashi took hold of her wrist and waited for the others to pass first.
Kakashi leaned down by Sakura. "I want to warn you." He said. "Don't be surprised if Akito does something before you get to his place. If he gets flirty, just go along with it. I don't care what you may be feeling at that moment. Just go along with him or you may blow your whole cover. Don't let your emotions get in the way of this mission. It's too important." Sakura looked almost unsure as he said "does something" but nodded anyways. Kakashi didn't look at all happy with what he said, but what had to be done, had to be done.
"R-right." She said. Sakura knew she had to be strong and confident. This whole mission depended on her. And she could do this. It shouldn't be too hard. Not at all. She was a strong kunoichi. She took down one of the Akatsuki! With help from Chiyo-baa-sama. But she played a major role in Sasori's destruction. This would be easy for her.
"Good. Let's go." Kakashi said and guided her out of the room.
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Sakura never was a seducer. She was always the seduced. She could easily fall for a guy's charm, but most of the time she would pull herself together and notice that he was just a lowlife that she had to stay away from at all costs. So it was only natural that she had a hard time forcing herself to advance over to Akito who was smiling and talking to another girl some four seats away from her. The seat next to him was vacant. All she had to do was pop in and force his attention away right? And just make it sound like she was interested in a little fun for one night and nothing more.
The four men that made up her team watched from two different tables. Naruto and Kakashi sat at one table at the far end of the bar. Naruto had insisted that they buy something to drink so they don't look too suspicious and was happily guzzling down the vodka while avoiding the menacing looks from Kakashi who wasn't drinking at all.
"If you get drunk while we're here you know I'll note it on the mission report?"
It had been five minutes later and Naruto hadn't touched his glass at all.
At the other end of the bar, Sai and Sasuke sat in near silence. The two didn't talk to each other, but were instead turning down the large sum of girls that kept on approaching them, asking the boys to join them. Sai looked totally blank as he flat out refused and Sasuke glared at each and every one of them, warning them to back off and stay away.
"What is she doing?" Naruto asked into the headset Kakashi had handed out to them. The bar was building up with customers and it made more sense if they had an easy way to communicate. The headsets they had were completely invisible to the eye. In the past years Konoha had developed better technology and had wireless earpieces and microphones that could be easily hidden and were small, so they couldn't be seen easily. All you had to do was hit the small button on the equally small microphone and bada bing! Your teammates would all hear you.
"Not much obviously." Sasuke answered as he watched the brunette sit and stare nervously towards Akito. She had to move over there and put on some moves if this mission was to be a success. And if she wasn't even near him, then it wouldn't work.
"Sasuke get over there and tell her to get over to Akito. But don't make it look so obvious." Kakashi instructed. Sasuke let out an annoyed sigh and stood up abruptly from the table. He approached the rose eyed girl and touched her shoulder, causing her to gasp and turn sharply.
"Oh, it's you." She whispered and looked relieved.
Sasuke's arm gently wrapped around her waist. "Just play long. What are you doing? You're supposed to be over there." He said. They were just lucky that there were so many people there and that the music was loud enough that people couldn't hear them. Sasuke leaned in towards her, their faces only centimeters apart.
"I know." She whispered back. She added on a slight smirk to play along with his act that she though she got. He was a terribly good actor. Not so great with the real thing. "I just can't think of how to approach him." She admitted.
The dark haired boy smoothed back her bangs and matched her smirk. "Just be blunt. Send that other chick away and do your job." He said. He really didn't like what he was telling her. He was primarily telling his girlfriend to go flirt with another guy. Yeah that sounded right.
Sakura in return, rolled her eyes in an attempt to tell him it wasn't that easy. But she knew he wouldn't listen. So instead she nodded.
"Sasuke you do realize that Akito might think she's your woman now?" Kakashi voice rang. Sasuke scowled. "I know." He said without hitting the button.
"What'd he say?" Sakura asked.
"Nothing. Wait a little bit, then go over to him. And don't let him do anything to you." Sasuke said and turned away quickly, returning to the table to see three girls surrounding a very perplexed Sai. The poor artist looked uncomfortable and Sasuke pushed through to sit down.
"Oh is he a friend of yours?" One girl asked as she winked at Sasuke who sneered at her.
"I'm taken and he's not interested so beat it." He hissed. The girls looked offended, and took their leave. Someone has a stick shoved up a very unpleasant place. Oh well, they could try for that cute blonde and his silver haired friend. They looked cute.
Sasuke looked up in time to see the long curtain of chocolate locks swish around as Sakura advanced over to Akito. She wobbled only slightly on her heels and made it to the stool next to the dark red haired man.
When she was next to him, Sakura now had a good chance to observe him. His hair fell down in a sheet of deep scarlet that covered his forehead and the tops of his eyes. His face was perfectly shaped from his jaw line right down to his nose. His body seemed to well taken care of as well. His muscle practically jumped out of his white button up shirt (the tops few buttons were undone of course). And his eyes. The dazzling mixture of midnight blue and deep indigo were a chick magnet by themselves.
Sakura leaned up into the bar table and gave a little cough, but paid no mind when Akito stopped talking to the blonde girl and looked at her. A lecherous smile formed on his lips and he dismissed the other girl with a quick flip of his wrist. The other girl looked affronted and left without hesitation.
"Hm she's good." Kakashi said over the headpiece. He watched her as Akito began to introduce himself. Sakura put on a seductive, yet cutely innocent smile and gently placed her chin on her closed fist. "A natural really."
Naruto, who had settled with taking small occasional sips of his drink, nodded his head. "That's our Sakura-chan. Best kunoichi ever." He smiled in her direction and watched as she carried on the conversation.
"Well. I don't think I've seen you here before." Akito said in a flirty tone. Sakura fought down the urge to roll her eyes and instead batted her eyelashes a few times.
"Mm." she hummed. "No I'm a newcomer. Just a traveler." She said in an equally flirtatious tone and twirled her hair. Flirty girls did that right? She hoped so. Actually she just hoped she looked cute and not bored.
"Really. Where are you coming in from?" he asked and leaned in towards her. Lifting his glass of unrecognizable alcohol to his lips he took a large drink. Sakura then thought that she may not have to use her powder after all.
'Think quickly.' She told herself. "Oh, it's just a small village in Fire country. It's nothing huge or anything. I'm just a small town girl." She said. Sakura leaned back in her seat a bit. "I was really just looking for a good time tonight."
Blue eyes now were sparked with interest. "I could help you." He took another drink. "I was looking for the same thing." Sakura tried her hardest to make herself look interested as she placed a seductive smirk on her face.
On the outside she looked like any other woman that was trying to seduce a man. Flirty, calm, alluring, and ready for anything. But on the inside she was desperately holding herself together and fighting off twitch after twitch. Her stomach was twisting and lurching at the sight of the man. Even if he was good looking, just the thought of what he had to so many girls just put her off and made her want to either run away or beat the living hell out of him. Her hair on the back on her neck was standing on end as its own natural warning that this guy was a danger. But this was her mission. She was strong and she could do this.
"Convenient." It was the only thing she could think to say. The whole thing seemed rushed. He didn't even ask for her name. Was that how one night stands were these days? You don't even bother to know the person. It reminded her of take out food. Pick up and go. The easier it was to get the better. Sick in her opinion.
"I have a place not far from here." He said. Sakura leaned back a bit more. She wanted to rush back over to her old seat. That or kill this guy right now, hope no one saw, steal the scrolls and take off. That would be awesome. But she wasn't that lucky.
She simply nodded. "We should have a few drinks first." She negotiated. She wanted a chance to get the drug in his drink before they left. That way she would feel just a tad safer. Kakashi hadn't said if he was a ninja or not and if he was, she didn't know what skill level he possessed. She was an exquisite ninja, but there were people out there that were better than her. And she wanted to get the job done without the aid of her teammates.
"Alright then. Hey buddy, can I get something for my little lady." Akito said. He turned around, fully away from Sakura and stood up to go grab her a drink. His drink sat right in front of her. She thanked all gods for her luck and hunched over as she reached down the dress she retrieved the small bottle of powder.
"She just got a golden opportunity." Naruto commented. "Is she taking her chance Sasuke?" Naruto asked, not having a clear view of what the girl was doing.
Sasuke was stiff in his seat, not liking what he had been witnessing. He replied with a short, rigid, "Aa." He glared in Akito's direction and clenched his own drink tightly in his fist. He watched as Sakura pulled the bottle and sneakily poured a liberal amount in the drink. Out of the corner of her eyes she noticed Akito turn and advance back. She stuffed the empty bottle back down her dress and smiled sweetly.
"Thanks." She applauded and took the drink. She brought it straight to her lips, but didn't allow the contents to enter her mouth. She wasn't going to drink. Sakura wasn't one to drink on a mission in the first place. And she didn't exactly have good memories, or any memories really of the last time she had drank.
Sakura's pale red eyes focused on Akito, waiting for him to take a drink from his cup. But he never did. He smiled as he looked her over with his tainted eyes. She could tell he just wanted to get her out of this place. She just wanted him to drink from his damn cup. But as the kunoichi observed him more, she noticed he wasn't perfectly steady on his stool. He swayed only very slightly. Maybe he was already feeling the affects of the drinks he's already had? Possibly. It all depended on how many he had.
"Why don't you tell me about yourself?" Akito said, much to Sakura's surprise. Did a man, this man no less, just say he wanted to get to know her? That was a huge shock. "What your name cutie?" he asked.
Sakura wanted to scowl at the nickname, but at the same time continued to smile as she forged a plan in her head. Names…names….just one name Sakura. One name. "Shira." She blurted out. Oh yeah, that was genius. She just named herself after her cat. Real clever Sakura. Man, a monkey could have done better. Hell, Naruto could have done better. Sai even.
"Cute. But doesn't that mean white? And…I don't see a trace of white on you." He said, noting her dark skin and hair. His brows were scrunched up in confusion.
Sakura giggled nervously and shrugged her slender shoulders. "Oh my mother really was a goofball. She loved names that didn't make sense at all." She covered horribly. That made less sense than the name, but hopefully he would buy it.
"Yeah parents could be like that." Akito picked the glass and brought it to his lips. Right before it touched his lips he stopped when he noticed Sakura looked away and at the bartender instead in a quick motion. That was odd. Oh well, strange girl.
Setting the glass back down he wiped his lips and smiled an almost dazed expression on his face. His hand stretched out and rested it on Sakura's knee, much to her discomfort. But she couldn't move it. Like Kakashi said, she had to play along and just act with him. One false move and this would all be over.
Back with Sasuke and Sai, the boys watched as Akito began to get touchier with Sakura. Sai was more mystified than ever because he had a strange sensation come over him. Something he had never felt before. It was like a hot flash of rage, but he didn't know that. He didn't know what it was like to be angry or protective. It was all new to him, and personally he didn't like it.
Sasuke on the other hand didn't like what he was seeing at all. His cheeks burned with anger. That man was touching his woman. Sakura was no one else's to touch. But he had to control himself. This is what the mission called for. He should have expected something like this to happen. He just didn't think it would happen before his eyes. He wanted to rip that man apart. It wasn't jealousy he was feeling. It was a wild possessiveness and need to keep Sakura all to himself.
"Your bleeding." Came the blunt voice of Sai who was looking over Sasuke's hand. Sure enough as Sasuke looked down he too noticed that his hand was dripping with his own crimson blood. The cup in his hand had been crushed by himself unknowingly though his fit of anger. He glared down at the wound and leg go of the shattered glass pieces, and brought his hand closer. There didn't seem to be any glass pieces deeply embedded in his hand.
Looking up, the raven haired avenger noticed one thing that really made his blood boil. Akito was leaning right up against the disguised Sakura, whispering things into her. Sakura in returned giggled, whether it was her bit of acting or not, Sasuke wasn't impressed. Akito's hand was running along Sakura's leg, running up and down her smooth shins and back over her calves. Oh what he would give to break that hand right now.
Sasuke stood from his seat slowly, and picked up the broken pieces of glass. He advanced up to the bar, ignoring the questions and commands being spilt out by Kakashi over the radio in his ear. He growled and shut the head piece off. He leaned against the table, right next to where Akito was sitting and waited for the bartender to attend to him. Sasuke took a few napkins from a nearby dispenser and dapped up his dripping blood and wrapped his hand.
"What can I get for ya?" the older man asked. He stood tall behind the bar and waited for an answer.
"I kind of had an accident." Sasuke said and motioned from his injured hand to the cup. "Mind if I get a new round? Just some straight whiskey."
The bartender nodded and turned off to fetch the order. Sasuke stood there, his head lowered between his arms so he could look at the pair next to him without being caught. He heard Sakura's fake giggles and mumbles from Akito. Man he wanted to tear that man apart. It was strange because he was usually a calm and collected guy. And now he was having a fit because of a mission? Pathetic really. It was damaging the affect the girl had to him. And Sasuke was certain he didn't have feelings for her.
The boy was able to hear a few words here and there and he disliked most of them. His stomach burned with pure hatred.
"One kiss? Before we leave?" Akito said.
He heard that clearly and it didn't seem like Sakura was given much of a choice before the red head swooped in a captured her unsteady lips in a messy kiss. Sakura nearly fell off the back of her stool and wanted nothing more but for her to drop dead at the moment. Sasuke had to be standing behind them because? Aw damn. This whole thing was just a disaster. She should have refused the mission. Then she wouldn't be caught in this mess.
Akito's lips moved against hers. She felt sick to her stomach all of a sudden. She didn't respond. When he moved in closer, she knew he wanted her to do something in return. "I don't care what you may be feeling at that moment. Just go along with him or you may blow your whole cover." Kakashi's words ran through her head. She began to kiss back, very slowly and not much at all. She wanted nothing to do with this man at all.
Sakura couldn't take it then. She pulled away and stopped herself from wiping her lips on the back of her hand. She was disgusted and freaked out. She prayed she wouldn't have to do that again. "I think we should head out." She said breathlessly, trying to lure him away. She wanted this man dead. Just get it over with. She would just kill him quickly and everything would be settled. With any luck at least.
"Eager now huh?" Akito asked with a defiant smirk. He wouldn't wait if she didn't want to, that was for sure.
"Something like that." Sakura mumbled quietly and stood up. Akito did too, and the moment he stepped away from the stool he tripped over something. Looking down he noticed a foot. Sasuke's foot.
"What the hell?" he asked annoyed.
Sasuke turned and raised an eyebrow. "What?" he bit out venomously. The two glared at each other, seemingly ready for a good fist fight. Their heated glares seemed to be equally matched, both cold and filled with emptiness.
"Fucking prick." Akito grumbled in Sasuke's direction. He turned and took hold of Sakura's arm. "Let's go sweets." He said and pulled away and out of the bar.
The three other teammates surrounded Sasuke then. "We'll follow them in a minute. We're going to stay in a close proximity to her, but not too close to raise an alarm." Kakashi said. He then turned to Sasuke. "And get over yourself. If you pull any more stunts like that you can kiss you mission privileges goodbye." He threatened.
Sasuke shook his head and glared around the room. He was pissed at this feeling he was having. No it wasn't jealousy. It was possession. It was anger. It was hatred. All because she was with someone else. It was hatred for that other man. He wanted to rip him apart for touching her like that. Sakura was his. No one else's. If his plans were too run smoothly, she was needed. And she was his girlfriend. His girlfriend.
"Let's go." Kakashi said and lead the others out of the now crowded bar.
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The door swung open to reveal a small, bare room. There wasn't anything more than what Sakura had in her motel room. Akito held the door open and motioned for her to enter before him. She walked in and he staggered behind her, wobbling on his feet slightly.
Sakura remained on guard, ready for whatever was coming and waited for Akito to make the first move. She wanted him to initiate the whole thing, just to make it easier on herself. Once he made a stupid move, it would be all over for him and she would be free to hunt for the scrolls and take off. She let her guard drop what seemed like a fraction of an inch as she turned around quickly and touched her thigh. She made sure that the syringe was in place and ready for use. But that was her greatest mistake.
The next moment she was roughly pushed back and slammed into the back wall, being pinned there by her throat. She gasped out loud. The wind was forced from her lungs and she began to choke for oxygen. Akito leered up at her.
"Thought you could pull one over on me huh?" he said menacingly as she tightened his hold around her neck. He pushed her further up the wall. Sakura wasn't able to respond. "I know you were assigned to come after me." He said.
His assumptions were then proven correct when Sakura's genjutsu began to fall and his triumphant look only grew. Her hair transformed back to its slightly shorter and lighter self. Her face morphed back into her normal face and her skin began to lighten terribly. It was all over for her now.
"That's what I thought." He said in a smug tone. His grip didn't loosen but it was at the point where Sakura could breathe. She was trying to formulate a plan in her mind, and cursed herself for not having brains like Shikamaru. His quick thinking could sure come in handy right now. Or her teammates. One or the other. Where were they anyways? Weren't they supposed to zoom in and save her? No. She didn't want them to anyways. She wanted to do this herself and prove she could.
"How?" she gasped out.
"Oh it wasn't that hard. You were different than the other girls I've been with this week." He said that so casually and it made her so sick. "You were…smart. The others were just uneducated brats looking for a one night stand. You seemed slightly intelligent. That just separated you from the rest of the other bar rats." He said. Sakura wanted to scowl at being called 'slightly intelligent' but had to keep her temper under control.
"And besides. When I went to take a drink, after you put only God knows what in it, I noticed you look away quickly. It made me all the more curious. So I didn't drink it. I faked it." He explained smartly. Sakura inwardly groaned, beating herself over because her plan failed so easily. "And just now when I slammed you into this wall, it was all to see if I was right. And since your genjutsu fell I guess I was." He said complacently. Sakura felt his free hand roam over her body. It gave her tingles. Bad tingles. Not the exciting tingles she got like when she was around Sasuke. She was disgusted and started to struggle. 'Make him stop!' She screamed in her head. She could feel his warm breath on her neck and it made her twitch and writhe with abhorrence.
In a swift movement he pulled away from her quickly and brought his arm wiping through across her face. Sakura was caught off guard by the sudden attack and was sent backwards by the harsh blow.
The kunoichi fell onto the floor and started to pick herself up, avoiding the pain in her cheek. She glared up at the evil man and stood getting herself ready for a fight. She didn't even want weapons now. She wanted to beat this man to death. She didn't care if she was supposed to make this look 'accidental.' He pissed her off so badly. She wanted to send this man to hell with her own two hands.
So Sakura charged. She went after him with chakra pumping with rage in her clenched fist. She wanted nothing more than to break this man. She wanted him hurt in the worst way possible. She wanted him begging for mercy, in a bloody heap, just so she could refuse to give it to him. He was the prime example of what every man shouldn't be. A disgusting pig.
Her fist made contact with his face and a sickening crack echoed in the room. She could feel his bones break beneath her knuckles but didn't feel satisfied. By the force of her punch, Akito was rendered helpless as he fell to the floor, his broken nose spilling blood everywhere. Sakura continued to throw her punched to random points of his body. All of her weapons she prepared were pointless now. There were two weapons she had now. She had the polish on her nail if she were able to cause an open wound, and there was also herself. Her brute force could bring anyone down.
The man was completely feeble, unable to move as he was beaten. Sakura was in a fury. Her temper and wrath overtook her and made her body move on its own. Her brain didn't think and her body just responded to her anger. People like this man didn't need to be here…using people…killing them for no reason. No, no, NO!
With her final blow Sakura used her chakra induced palm and struck his chest. She used a technique that would surly bring him down. The force of the attack sent her chakra through his torso and into a vital organ of his. A strangled gasp escaped Akito's mouth when the blow came. He coughed blood as his vision began to haze. The affect was almost instantaneous as his heartbeat began to become faint. Sakura had stopped his heart.
Within a matter of minutes there was near silence. Akito continued to cough up his own life supporting substance in the final moments of his life. His eyes were rolling around lazily in his sockets as his lids began to droop down. He was gasping with every breath he took as his life began to slip away.
Sakura on the other hand was panting for breath as she leaned over him. Akito was lying on his back, Sakura on her hands and knees over his body, glaring down at the fading soul. Her heart swelled at the sight. She didn't know what she was feeling then. Her anger dissipated but didn't disappear completely. But it struck her then.
She hadn't seen many people die. Her number count was less than five at the most. And she had only killed one of them, that person being the ex member of the Akatsuki, Sasori. She hadn't killed anyone else, but she had seen death at times. Many would think the numbers would be higher seeing that she was a ninja and head nurse, but that wasn't true. She had heard of more deaths than she could ever remember, but hadn't been there to witness them and she was glad that she didn't see them.
But even in that one time she killed someone, it wasn't because of overwhelming anguish and anger. It was because she was instructed to do so. And even now, she was instructed to kill this man. But she was supposed to make it look like he did it himself, or like some accident had occurred. She was taken over and her self control was lost as she beat on this man. It scared her to think that she could loose control so quickly.
She had to get out. But she had to do something here first. Sakura shivered as she watched Akito's eyes shut. His chest fell one last time and didn't rise again. Coldness ran down her back as chills erupted along her spine. It was strange how affected she was by this one death. Maybe it was because she watched it. She watched the light die from his eyes. Those magnetic eyes that were deep and dangerous. They were now dead and lifeless. She almost couldn't believe what she had done.
Slowly Sakura moved away and kneeled at his side. Her raged breathing had calmed down and she willed herself to stay calm. In all honesty she had never done an assassination before but was well trained in them. And she wasn't doing anything right. So she would right now. With quick hand seals, Sakura's hands began to glow a bright green. She began to heal the corpse. She fixed the broken bones and such. She cleaned up the blood form his face and observed him. He looked alright. Almost like he fell and never got back up. Now if people came in and doctors examined him, it will look like he had a heart attack instead of some girl pounding on him.
Sakura stood up on shaky legs and looked around the room. Now all she needed were the scrolls. Where would they be? Ah! There was a bag stuffed in the corner of the room. Looks like something he kept his belongings in. He seemed like he would have been the stupid one to foolishly leave things important like secret scrolls in his pack. She advanced over and began to shuffle through the bag.
After pushing aside various clothes and hygienic products, Sakura spotted two things that she needed. There sat two scrolls at the bottom of the bag, both tied up with a complex sealing charm around them. She snatched them up. They looked important and she was confident that they were what she needed. Now she just wanted to leave. Desperately.
The medic stood and briskly walked to the door where she rushed along, never looking back. She hurried out of the building in hopes that no one had seen her emerge from the room. Once she was on the streets, Sakura looked around. She didn't have a clear picture of where to find the motel. And at the moment she didn't have intentions of going back. She felt dejected for some reason. Her mind buzzed with thoughts that she wanted to set straight. For some reason Sasuke kept flashing through her mind.
Picking a random direction she began to walk down one of the streets. She didn't get far when footsteps were heard from behind her. "Sakura-chan!"
She almost wanted to tell them to go away. She stopped but didn't turn around and felt the presence of all four of her teammates behind her. She wanted nothing to do with them at the moment. She wanted to be alone so she could think about things. You never did feel quite right after killing someone.
"Sakura-chan are you alright?" the question came out a shriek. Her face was grabbed as Naruto forced her to turn so he could examine her swollen cheek. She pushed him off and healed her injury with what chakra she had left.
"I'm fine." She assured him.
Naruto gave her a skeptical look. "How'd it go? We couldn't get a good look. Are you sure you're alright? Is Akito dead? Did you get the scrolls?" Naruto rambled on. Sakrua quickly grew annoyed and frowned.
"He's dead." She growled. "Here's your damn scrolls." She took the two items they were after and shoved them non to nicely in Kakashi's un-expecting hands. He seemed puzzled by her rash movements and gave her a suspicious look. She wasn't telling them something obviously. He watched her begin to walk away.
"Where do you think you're going?" the leader asked as she stuffed the scrolls in a pocket of his jeans for safe keeping.
"For a walk." Was his short reply.
"I think it would be best if you come back with us. You look exhausted and it's late. There are weirdoes out here late at night." Kakashi warned as he attempted to get her back to them. She seemed to have not heard him. "Sakura come back with us. You can do all the walking you want tomorrow when we go back home." He said in a firmer tone of voice. He really meant for her to come back. She didn't need to be out wandering around by herself this late at night. Kakashi didn't care how strong of a kunoichi she was. Her chakra levels were down from sustaining the genjutsu for so long and having to heal Akito's body. He wanted to know that she was safe. She could clear her mind in her own room.
"I'll be fine alright." She said with a bite. She turned and sneered at her leader and instantly regretted her actions. She could see the bitter look through his mask. Her brows scrunched up and she frowned mainly to herself as she turned away and walked quickly to avoid being called back.
Kakashi, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sai watched as she walked away from them. They were all confused by her actions and why she was suddenly so cranky. Her snippy attitude was awfully unusual and they didn't have a clear explanation as to what could be wrong with her.
"What do you think is wrong with Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked as he watched the retreating figure with concerned blue eyes. His mind was telling him to run after her, but his heart and instincts were instructing him to leave her be. He knew she would be alright. He hoped at least.
"She must be stressed." Kakashi assumed. "Assassinations do funny things to people. If she's not back soon we'll search for her." He concluded. "Now let's get out of here. We shouldn't hang around near the crime scene."
0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0
As Sakura walked around the empty streets, her head hung low, her mind was busy processing all the thoughts she was thinking. She looked down at her hands. The hands that had just killed a man no more than twenty minute ago. It was hard for her to believe. It seemed surreal and she had no idea why she was so shaken by this event.
She had to put the whole thing aside. That's all, and she knew she could do it. Just forget about everything. Although, she would start after telling everything to her team. They would bombard her with questions no doubt and she would be willing to tell them. But not at the moment or tonight.
Sakura was lost. She didn't know what brought on her sudden depressed mood. Whether it was what she had just done or something else. She had been through a lot, and everything seemed to be just terribly screwed up. She was pregnant for Gods sake!
Oh dear. The baby….was it alright?
When Akito hit her. She fell to the ground pretty hard. Sakura began to inwardly panic as she forced her healing chakra to her hands. She brought them down to her lower stomach and waited a few seconds to feel it.
And it was like a sigh of relief when she felt the baby's heartbeat. That was a lucky break. She didn't loose her baby. She honestly didn't know what she would do if she did.
What would Sasuke have thought? No, she couldn't think about that. She still had to tell him of this whole ordeal, but she didn't know when. She still didn't feel like it was the right time. Maybe she should wait a bit longer.
It made her think of her relationship with Sasuke. What were they to him? Nothing much, she was sure. She was also sure that she didn't mean a whole lot to him either. She highly doubted that he had real, true feelings for him. But what could she do?
In all reality Sakura was tired. Tired of everything she was put through. She just wanted to settle down now and have everything be normal (or as close as she could get it). But besides that, she was tired of being alone. She had only had one boyfriend and that relationship was ruined because her heart was and still is set on one person. And she had him; she finally had the person she always wanted. Sakura felt nearly complete. There were still things in life she wanted, but overall…just having Sasuke is all she ever wanted.
But now she had a new goal. Teach him to love. Show him the fundamentals and help him re-learn the emotion. The green eyed girl had a good impression that he lost the feeling of love the night of the Uchiha massacre. And if she could show him how wonderful it felt to love someone, maybe he would in turn love her. She could start out slow and show him how to work a relationship. She didn't want this one to crumble. She had waited for so long, she didn't want it to end. If it was possible to get Sasuke to return some kind of feelings for her, then maybe she could live on being an Uchiha. Uchiha Sakura. It had a nice ring to it.
Looking forward, Sakura noticed she was near the front of the village where she entered with Pakuun. She didn't realize she traveled so far and was grateful that her feet led the way back to the motel. She didn't have to suffer getting lost or anything. And she got to clear her head. Now all she wanted was to sleep.
Walking up the stairs, she entered her room and debated changing or not while stripping from her heels. Yeah, she might as well. The dress wasn't something to sleep in, plus she didn't want to ruin any way. After changing into her night clothes and taking off all of her weaponry, Sakura stepped into the bathroom and washed her face, grateful to have the make-up off. She pulled the covers of her bed back and sank in, lying on her back, staring at the ceiling.
It had been close to an hour later and Sakura turned over once more. She couldn't get comfortable at all. The bed was too big and something was missing. Someone actually. She felt more content with the warmth Sasuke had provided and the non lonely feeling she had when he was next to her. She needed sleep too. She needed energy for tomorrow's travel back to the village. There was one solution.
Picking her dreary body up, she advanced to the door and exited the room. She went to the door next to hers and pulled on the door handle. It was unlocked to her surprise. Maybe the guys were hoping she would check in with them before she went to bed. Or maybe they knew she would come wandering into their room late at night as she was right at this moment. Either way she was thankful and she entered the room.
It was dark in the room and Sakura could barely make out the lumps of her teammates sleeping. She didn't know if they were really sleeping, or just dozing a bit. Though, she could tell Naruto was asleep by his loud snores that seemed to shake the room. Maybe the others weren't asleep because of him.
Sakura walked over to Kakashi and Sasuke's bed and stood at the end, hesitating for only a moment. There was a small space in between the men which seemed to scream 'Sakura size!' She inwardly smiled and set her knee on the bed and began to crawl up.
Sasuke, who was in a slight slumber, felt the shifting of the bed. It felt like someone else was crawling up the bed between him and Kakashi. Oh hell, it better not be Naruto. He would kick his damn…
Sasuke turned over slightly. "Sasuke." Sakura whispered. "Did I wake you?"
Thank Kami it was Sakura. He shook his head no and turned all the way over. Kakashi kept on sleeping, and it didn't seem like he even noticed the girl.
"I couldn't sleep." Sakura informed him and sank down by him. "So I came to join you. And Kakashi too I guess." She said and looked over her shoulder at the father figure in her life. She settled down into Sasuke's front and wrapped an arm around his chest, brining herself in closer. The man seemed puzzled by her actions.
"I thought you were mad at me." He stated in a quizzical whisper.
"I'm not really." Sakura replied quietly. "I did some thinking while I was out walking. I really want to…" her words were cut off as Naruto let out a loud snort and rolled over, smacking his lips and scratching his stomach.
Sasuke sat up and pulled the covers back slowly. Sakura sat up as well and Sasuke pointed at the wall. She cocked her head in a confused manor and he shook his slightly. "Your room." He whispered. Sakura nodded in return and stood up, bringing the covers back down and tucking them around Kakashi while placing a light kiss on the man's uncovered forehead. She followed Sasuke out of the room and back into her own.
The pair climbed into Sakura's large bed. The girl sank down with a wide yawn, her head falling into the pillow. Sasuke settled down on his back. "We stayed up for a while just waiting for you. Then we heard you in here, so we figured you were back and didn't want to talk to us." He said.
"How do you know it was me and not a burglar or something?" she noted smartly.
"Hn."
The kunoichi yawned again and scooted closer to her koibito. "I did a lot of thinking." She started. "And I think we both have to put in a lot of effort to make this relationship work." Sasuke gave her a look. She put a hand up indicating that she wasn't finished. "I told you that I loved you. And I do love you Sasuke. But I also know that you hold no special feelings for me in return." She said, her voice in a steady tone. "I've come to accept that. But I also thought that…maybe I could help in some way. Teach you to love again. I don't know, maybe I'm just being stupid with the whole idea. Maybe you won't ever hold any kind of feelings for me besides being your teammate. I guess I have to get over that." She confessed. Sasuke never replied, and didn't look as though he was going to talk.
"I know why you asked me out. I'm not happy with the reason. I don't know why I agreed." She indicated. Sakura could feel her stomach do flip flops as she said these words. She had been nervous at first, but was now becoming more confident of her speech. "But I just hope that at some point, you can develop feelings for me. Because if not…" she took in a deep breath. "I honestly don't know what to do."
A silence hung in the air and for the next few minutes as neither of them said a word. Neither knew what to say after Sakura's speech. She was right. There was no point in proving her wrong.
"You're right." Sasuke finally said. Sakura was afraid of hearing the words, yet was expecting them all the same. She didn't feel horrible, and she didn't feel like anything was wrong with her. There wasn't anything wrong with her. The problem resided in Sasuke, and she just wanted to help fix it. "I don't possess any feelings for you. I do want you to bear the next heir. We can start the new Uchiha clan together." He said. Sakura sat back and listened to the words he had to say, taking them all in like a sponge. It was rare for him to talk like this.
"Your prefect chakra control is phenomenal and would benefit any child we would have." He said. Sakura's brows knitted together. He just wanted a more efficient kid. That's what it sounded like. It didn't seem like he cared at all about having a family. She was confused. What were his real intentions? Just build the strongest clan out there? Or raise a nice family, and restore the clan in a nice manner?
"Right." She said in a quiet voice. Now she really didn't know what to do. She couldn't do anything if she didn't know his motives. The whole situation sucked.
Sakura yawned for the ninth time. "Sleep now. You need rest." Sasuke said. Sakura nodded and decided to continue her investigation later. She relaxed her body and inched forward. She wanted to be close to Sasuke at the moment. She cuddled into him, taking in his warmth and smiling at the comfort he gave her. Why couldn't everything be as simple as just being with someone for one reason. Because you love them. That would be perfect.
0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0
Konoha…a few hours previous…
"Do you think it was smart to send Team Kakashi on that mission?" a voice said from the open window. Tsunade picked her head up from her desk so fast she experienced a massive headache. With a groan, she placed her aching head in her palm and sent some of her soothing chakra in it.
"You could give me a warning before you wake me up." She growled. Jiraiya stepped through the window.
"Now that wouldn't be fun would it?" he said, obviously amused. The toad sage advanced to the front of her desk and sat on top, turned so he could face her as they talked. "You work yourself oh so hard Tsunade." He said as he noticed the stack of unsigned papers.
"Oh shut it you troll." She mouthed back and glared. "And I didn't have many other choices." She told him.
"What about Asuma's team?" Jiraiya asked as he picked up one of the documents and looked it over. New vending machines in the jounin lounge? Jiraiya laughed to himself as he thought of how Naruto would have reacted if it were him in the office signing important documents. He'd probably run around exclaiming that it was about time that they got new vending machines. And of course he'd be the first to find one that held little cups of ramen in them.
"No, no I couldn't send them. If my guess I correct, Inoichi and Tsumi are going grandparents." She held a small smirk on her face. Jiraiya looked shocked.
"Inoichi? His kid?" Jiraiya asked in disbelief. Tsunade nodded lazily.
"And if I'm correct. It should be Shikamaru's." The Godaime watched as her old teammates jaw fell even further.
"How do you figure? Did she tell you?" He asked.
Tsunade shook her head. "No I could just tell. I'm not a superb medic for any reason. I can tell. For one thing, I've never seen a girl of that size eat as much ramen as Chouji." She said with a chuckle. Jiraiya smirked. "And two you can tell she put on some amount of weight." Tsunade remembered back when she saw Ino not too long ago with her team at Ichiraku. She heeded the small pouch the girl was developing. "And that girl would never let herself go out of shape. Never."
Jiraiya nodded. "But there were other choices. Better choices." He said with a serious face. Tsunade matched his serious face.
"I know. But I know they can handle themselves. This mission wasn't anything they couldn't handle. My apprentice is very well trained." She said. Tsunade's only concern was that Sakura had never done a mission like this before. She hoped that the girl was making out alright.
"No, I mean…"
"I know what you mean." Tsunade said, now annoyed. She was just as amazed and frustrated as Jiraiya about the condition and what was happening. She knew it might have been a mistake to let the team out there without good knowledge of what was happening on the outside world of Fire country, but she wanted to prove that she could trust Sasuke and the mission just popped up. She never really thought before she called for Team Kakashi. But she didn't regret her decision.
A silence fell upon the room before the toad sage broke it. "You should get some rest." He spoke.
"I'm fine." Tsunade said grumpily. She scowled and slumped down onto her desk. Jiraiya didn't laugh, or chuckle. He stood up and tugged on her arm.
"I'll bring you to your room." He said. Tsunade gruelingly stood. She didn't object this time. "You really should stop overworking yourself. They better make Naruto Hokage soon so that you can rest like you should be." He said.
"How do you know that Naruto's going to even get the title?" Tsunade asked as she and Jiraiya walked from the office and down the hall of the Hokage mansion.
"Oh I've got a good felling. I mean you can't keep a kid like that from being Hokage can you? No. He's as determined as Minato was, so I'm sure they'll appoint him as the Rokudaime." Jiraiya said, confidence leaking with each syllable he spoke.
A small chuckle fell from Tsunade's lips. They reached her room and she opened the door slightly, but she didn't enter. "Do you think they're alright?" she asked.
The white haired man rubbed his chin. "Of course. They've got Kakashi and the four others are strong. They'll be fine." He said. Tsunade gave a small jerk of her head.
"You're right. I'm worrying over nothing." She said.
"I wouldn't say that. You have every right to worry Tsunade." Jiraiya said. He leaned against the wall. "You've got two kids on that squad that you care about as if they were your own children. That's a reason to worry."
Tsunade didn't feel better by his words. She felt as though she shouldn't feel all panicky. She had to have confidence in them, just like Jiraiya did. "When are you leaving?" she asked in a whispered tone.
Jiraiya looked down. "Now don't tell me you're getting all upset because I'm leaving again. That's not the Tsunade I know." He said. Tsunade frowned. "I leave in two days. I want to get as much information on him and the rest of Akatsuki as I can." He said. "I think they're on the move again, so I have to act quickly."
Tsunade just nodded solemnly. She didn't want him to go, but they needed as much information as they could get, and Jiraiya was the best man to get that information. "Just come back. Soon. Don't take too long." She whispered. The man before her looked to be in shock at her sudden down mood.
"I'm not going to die. I'm just getting info." he joked. Tsunade sent him a nasty glare. He stopped his laughter but continued to smile. "Look, Tsunade. You have to stop worrying about loosing everyone. We're all fine aren't we? I can't say that nothing will happen to us. We're all ninja. Ninja get killed."
"Just come back." Tsunade said. She opened the door further and began to step into her room.
"I promise alright?" he said with a roll of his eyes. Before the Godaime could shut the door, Jiraiya stopped her. "One more thing." She turned around. "Are you going to tell Sasuke?" he asked.
With a pause and a deep breath Tsunade answered. "No." with that she closed the door behind her.
…TBC…
Oh! I know you are all confused now! Um….don't think too much about the thing Tsunade and Jiraiya were talking about. That will be mentioned periodically throughout the story, then it will be revealed what that is. So…did you like it? Or did you hate it? Be honest now! Please tell me!