"Anyway, thanks again for this opportunity" She said as she stood up with the bag containing her money.
"Let me know if I can do something in exchange" She continued, looking sincere. This money meant the world for her, Sasuke realized.
"Actually…" He smirked, still seated on the empty box.
"As long as it's within limits" She replied.
Despite the fact that he considered many things, Sasuke had something else to propose.
Danzo was still a threat for her life. He was scared that something could happen to her. No matter what was the solution he found, it always came down to one thing: Sakura had to leave. It was the only way she'd be safe.
"Can you study abroad next year…and leave Japan?"
His voice lingered in the dark alley as his words collided on the walls. Despite the echo, she couldn't make sense of this request.
"Is it because of your boss? He's acting like a drama queen. I'm not a threat to national security, I just saw briefly some pills, why does he care so much!" She screamed as her words poured out in a torrent.
"No, now it's not just about that. I feel that if I make a single mistake from now on, you'll be his first victim."
Sakura stared at him blankly. Once again, she didn't understand, her green eyes looked confused.
"In other words, if I slip, you'll slip too" He said.
Slowly, the situation was starting to make sense but not in a real way. She tried to figure out where she saw this classic pattern. In a movie maybe? She felt like the weak woman the mafia uses as a bail bond when the lead male acts out. But that would be pathetic.
"We're not in a symbiosis, why would he be under that impression?" She asked, refusing to be the actress in distress.
"Because he never had a weak spot against me. Now that he has, I feel I can't make any mistakes"
"And how is this weak spot related to me?" She wondered, oblivious.
His eyes flickered toward her and she couldn't explain the enigmatic look he had. His stunning face was unexpectedly vulnerable.
"You aremy weak spot" He whispered, putting the emphasis on the two first words.
Sakura shivered to the pronunciation he used. She felt uncomfortable, because someway she believethat,especially after everything that has happened between them.
"O-Ok Romeo, take the drama down a notch" She joked, trying to ease the atmosphere, she didn't want to make things awkward... again. Despite the embarrassment, she secretly wanted him to be serious. Did she want to be his weak spot? She blushed when she figured out the answer, she had dreamed about that a lot when she was younger and now she doesn't know how to react behind the meaning of those words.
"I don't know what imaginary world he's skipping in right now, but you have to lead him to think otherwise…" She continued, but her voice choked at the last words "…a-about you and m-me"
A long pause intensified the significance of the "you and me". She never thought of them as a package deal, neither as a couple. So why those two pronouns, now joined together, sounded offbeat and yet so pleasing.
"The only way it could worked will be if I would actually ignored you" He said with indifference but she saw the way his face fell down.
She didn't have time to process her feelings about this strategy. Will it be okay if he would ignore her from now on? There was a time when she would have said yes. But now, she wasn't so sure.
"But I tried, and I can't" He replied with gaze grim. Those words made her heart lurched against her ribs.
Of course she didn't want him to ignore her. Despite her façade, a part of her felt like she needed him. But she didn't want to be his weak spot if it meant to put them both at risk.
Everyone has their weak spot. This one thing, or this one person that, despite your best efforts, will always bring you to your knees, regardless of how brave and strong you are. It's not something you could fight over. But a weakness is also synonym of irrational decisions and, ultimately, what can destructs you. She didn't want this role. She didn't want to be responsible for his self-destruction.
"Try harder"
Her words weren't as loud as she meant them to be but enough to be heard. She always felt like an open book, unable to fake sincerity. But seeing the blank look on Sasuke's face, she felt like it worked.
She immediately wanted to take back those words, but that would have been stupid. She didn't want to be a burden to him. The further away she could be, the better.
With that said, she turned her heels because her acting skills were slowly fading away. She just had time to hear three words before she turned the street's corner. Three words that sounded firm, precise and admitted no reply.
"I will"
He moved his glass in a circular motion and gazed at the ice cubes melting in the brown whiskey. He then swallowed the liquor in one gulp.
"I'm disappointed, Sasuke" Pain pronounced, his voice feverish from the alcohol.
"I learned that you sell your recipe in the Philippines…I thought we had the monopoly" Danzo continued as he poured himself another drink.
"The exclusivity clause didn't extend to past the borders" Sasuke replied, calm.
"That's why I said that I thought,but now that I see where your loyalty is…" Danzo threatened.
"My loyalty has always been with you… I just needed money" Sasuke said with unreadable dark eyes.
"If your loyalty is with me, then you won't mind selling me your recipe"
He swallowed slowly his second glass, still holding Sasuke's gaze, Pain was half present aware of what was going on, too drunk to care.
"I said I was loyal, not short-sighted" Sasuke answered, his lips curled into a sly smile.
Pain silently laughed and put down his glass. Danzo then stood up, took a few steps and sat on the top of his desk to be closer to Sasuke.
"Now that I have leverage, I wouldn't feel so sure if I were you"
Sasuke knew exactly what he meant by leverage.His expression turned hard.
"If you kill her, you will never have my recipe" He exhaled, a howl of rage strangled on his lips.
"Who said anything about killing her?"
Profound madness flashed in Sasuke's eyes as Danzo took a step closer.
"Hurting is not killing…" He whispered softly.
"Touching is not killing"
Sasuke's face twisted at the thought of Sakura being either hurt or touch by this demented man.
"And with a mixture of both, I swear that you'll spit your recipe, ingredient by ingredient"
His palms tingled; he wanted desperately to hit him but knew that it wasn't the smartest plan.
"Now, this was the difficult option. There's also the stupid option, but I don't recommend it. It would imply a scenario where you refuse to give me your recipe, and where I would have to kill your girlfriend"
Sasuke bit his lip and clasped his hands together, preventing him to jump and choke him.
"But with this plan, there's a strong possibility that you would want to commit a crime of passion in order to avenge her. You first aim would be me, of course. But you wouldn't succeed to get past my security at the entrance of the mansion and they would be force to kill you. So your girlfriend dies, you die and I don't get your recipe. From my point of you, it would be the most stupid option. Now, may I suggest you our special agreement" Danzo explained, completely emotionally detached.
"You give me your recipe and you have my words that we'll leave your girlfriend out of it."
Sasuke knew that this option would come eventually. But if he gave the recipe, he knew Danzo wouldn't have any more reasons to keep him alive. In this business, anyone that comes to be useless will be killed, no questions asked.
"And will you leave me out of it?" Sasuke asked but knew already the answer.
"You have 48 hours to let me know what you decide"
Once again, Sasuke found himself wandering around Sakura's house. He knew he promised her to leave her alone, but it was stronger than him. He had to see her. He felt like he was running out of time, and of options.
Without sounding melodramatic: he had to see her, even if it meant for the last time.
He leaned back in his car's seat when he noticed another car coming from behind. He watched it as the driver parked it right in front of Sakura's house, which made him curious.
Judging by the luxury of the car, it couldn't be her grandmother's car. Could it be…
No. He folded his arms across his chest, refusing to admit that it was another one of her customers. He gave her enough money so that she wouldn't have to work as an escort and as a stripper.
The passenger's door opened. It was Sakura, just like he guessed. But the driver's identity remained unknown.
Just when he prepared to drive past them to unveil the stranger's identity, the driver's door opened at the same time. Despite the darkness, the street's lights were enough for him to observe the stranger.
Stranger wasn't the correct word. Because he knew the guy. Haunted, Sasuke's eyes went blank, curiously dead.
He sat in the dusty darkness oh his car for a long, frozen space: like the universe had stopped. His head was screaming him to intervene, but his leg's muscles refused to collaborate. His thoughts raged at the sight of the man who was now walking towards Sakura. The same man who gave him a 48 hours delay to think about the course of events: Danzo Shimura.
We are reaching the climax, and I really appreciate all the review and that's all, I guess