DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto or any other characters belonging to the Anime series. However, I do own the characters that were created by me – they will make their appearances in the later chapters.

Summary:Sakura and Tenten – both FBI Agents – are on a vital mission to eradicate one of America's largest and most feared Mafia Gangs. Sakura has no memory of her past. What happens as she finds the missing pieces when she encounters the mesmerizing, drop-dead attractive, Sasuke Uchiha, leader of the gang?

WARNING: This Fan-fiction contains VERY explicit content in later chapters. If sexual content and mild violence bothers you, then it is advised that you discontinue reading this fiction immediately.

NOTE: 'Inner Sakura

'Thoughts' (Except for the short preface at the beginning of each chapter)

Narrator's POV

CHAPTER TEN

A Pillar of Secrets

Sakura's body jolted upwards, shaking and drenched with her sweat. She hated this – all she wanted was to forget, but no matter how hard she tried, the gruesome images of her family kept flashing in her memory; even when she did not think about it; even when she was asleep – nightmares. She saw that Kagerou was still asleep. It was weekend, so there was no need for her to go to Day Care. Sasuke was on the futon. Sakura made a mental note to talk to him about that. She did not like the idea of him sleeping on the floor; deprived of his own comfort in his own house. Once again, the visions of the blood and brutal wounds came into view in her mind and Sakura sprang out of the bed, and raced into the bathroom, accidentally slamming the door. She bent her head over the sink, barfing uncontrollably. The door clicked open.

"What's wrong?" Sasuke's voice asked from behind her.

"Nothing…I just can't seem to get rid of those images… they make me sick…" Sakura replied dully.

"Hn," was all he said before following Sakura out of the bathroom. Sasuke was not blind, no. He noticed just how much Sakura had changed – mentally, that is. And because of that, there was a change in Sakura's personality. The Sakura who took a life yesterday was different from the internee Sakura he had known before. The Sakura back then was too innocent to commit such an act. But even though, to him, Sakura was always Sakura. Sasuke liked that change; no matter how much she would change, to him, she was the same Sakura. He saw something in her that no one else could; something that only he could identify her by.

Sakura walked over to the calendar. There was so much on her mind at the moment, that she had completely forgotten the date. She yawned before getting a look at the date. It was highlighted by a circle. Underneath it was a tiny scribble which read 'Anniversary'. Sakura turned to Sasuke.

"Today's the anniversary of what?" she asked the man curiously.

Sasuke did not answer.

Sakura decided not to bother wasting anymore time waiting for an answer he would not give, and proceeded to the shower. She undressed and put her clothes on the counter before stepping inside and turning on the shower. Her hands were still bandaged; her cut hands were protected from the water. The splashing of the water on the tiles made it impossible for her to perceive sound. The water felt good. But it was not enough to make her forget the things she wanted to erase from her mind. Sakura did not hear the door to the shower open, but she did hear the male voice that said, "Today is…"

Sakura's head snapped around, while unconsciously grabbing the towel and wrapping it around her exposed body.

"Wha-what?" Sakura stuttered, confused.

"Our wedding Anniversary," Sasuke explained.

"Oh," Sakura said, "Wait…hold on a second! Could you at least knock?!"

"Hn."

But Sasuke did not leave. Instead, proceeded toward her and said, "Your hands are still injured."

"I can handle bathing myself, Sas-" Sakura began, but was cut off by the clash of Sasuke's lips on hers, meeting forcibly in a searing kiss. Sasuke's hands began trailing down her back and stopped at her ass, groping it through the soft fabric of her towel. Sakura moaned in his mouth which was still locked with hers. 'So my injuries weren't the case,' Sakura said inwardly, not caring that her towel and dropped onto the counter. Sakura's hand was on Sasuke's bare chest. He only had his pants on. Their tongues glided over each other in a wrestling motion. Sakura eventually broke the kiss.

"We-we can't do anything now," Sakura said to him, "Kagerou's in the next room."

"We'll be quiet," Sasuke said huskily into her ear before leaning her back onto the counter and kissing her stomach. Sakura stiffened at his actions and Sasuke stopped his ministrations abruptly. Sakura grew nervous at his sudden halt. If Sasuke analyzed Sakura's secrecy, then carrying out her intentions would be impossible. Sakura inwardly thought that she was naturally unlucky when she found out some troubling news last night; news that added to her misery, causing her to make one of the hardest decisions in her life.

"Why are you so tense?" Sasuke asked her. Sakura sighed in relief. No, Sasuke did not read her.

"I don't know," she lied. Sasuke handed her the towel and proceeded to leave the bathroom. Now Sakura felt guilty; for many reasons. So, she decided to remove a portion of guilt from her shoulders.

"Sasuke, why don't we go out somewhere tonight since it's our anniversary?" Sakura suggested. Sasuke did not turn around to meet her gaze. Instead he glanced over her shoulder and said, "Hn, be ready by 8:00."

"Where will we be going?" she asked.

"At the Oasis," he answered before leaving.

Sakura nodded and carried on with what she was doing previously. The Oasis was one of the most affluent restaurants in Oakwood Canyon. Sakura sighed. Right now, food was the last thing on her mind.

Tenten carried the pile of clothes over to her traveling suitcase while Neji sorted his belongings as well. They were both to leave for Tokyo, Japan at seven the next morning. Not too long ago Neji had explained everything she needed to know about the mission. Since that it was more than likely that Orochimaru had dealings with Doragon, it was presumable that that Mafia was already aware of her and Sakura – which was why she was provided with an alias. Unfortunately for her, she was expected to go by the name of 'Hanako Hyuuga'; she had to pose as Neji Hyuuga's wife. The information on her passport had been changed already, so it was too late to protest against that now. The time limit for the mission was set such that that they would return after retrieving what was rightfully theirs as soon as possible. Sasuke understood that anything was possible during this kind of mission which was why he issued no fixed allotment of time. Sasuke had already scoped out the Mafia's exact location. Hotel reservations were already made for Neji and Tenten by Sasuke as well. The flight was supposed to be thirteen hours long. Tenten fussed about that – she was going to spend thirteen long ours in an uncomfortable silence with Neji Hyuuga. Tenten sighed and zipped her suitcase shut. Then, she remembered something…

Neji watched as the woman got up from the bed's edge and walked out the room in a hurry, slamming the door shut. He did not question any concern as to why she did that because it was none of his business.

Tenten had stayed up for most of the night, thinking of Sakura's decision to hunt down Orochimaru. She reflected on Neji's point on Sakura's decision. After much studying of the matter, Tenten concluded too agree with her sister. They could not run forever; Orochimaru would find them sooner or later. She pushed the door to Karin's room open. The gang left everything that belonged to Karin in her room to further investigate – she could have many links to Orochimaru; and that was precisely what Tenten was looking for. In a box at the corner of the deceased woman's room, Tenten found Karin's cellular phone. And as she predicted, Tenten managed to find the Orochimaru's cell number in the phone's phone book. Tenten breathed in deeply, and then exhaled before dialing the number…

Sakura watched as the wind bestowed motion to the flowers; but not absent mindedly, though. No, being absent minded was impossible for Sakura at the moment. She wished that she could be; just for a little. Why was it that everything she did just complicated her life even more? She knew that it would count as a betrayal towards Sasuke, if he found out. She would feel like a traitor. But no matter what, she knew that this would have to go through in order to get what she wanted; even if it meant losing Sasuke's trust. The results of her selfishness would be for the greater good. Or at least, that is what she believed. Sakura promised to be very careful; she knew nothing would happen to her; not while Tenten was around. Or was Tenten going to take a back seat on this one? No, she could not possibly do that. Tenten had promised her that she would support Sakura no matter what the issue was. It never suited Tenten to go back on her word.

The air tangled Sakura's long, pink, silken hair, but she did not mind. She enjoyed the feeling of cool breeze. It definitely was a long while since she visited gardens. The liveliness of the wind blowing freely, gave Sakura hope. It made her feel brave; it made her, for once, calmed; it made her believe that relief exists. But then, as the thunder shook the heavens, Sakura was brought back to her distressing reality. Still, she was content with the small ounce of peacefulness that she was able to feel for a second or two. Sakura looked above, towards the skies. The clouds were growing darker and bunching together, angrily. It was going to rain. Slowly, Sakura got up from the bench and retreated into the manor before she could get drenched.

The rain suddenly came pouring from the gloomy skies, pattering heavily on the roof of the porch. It was as if the clouds had awaited her to be under the shelters before down pouring. Sakura never liked the rain. It reminded her of sadness; it reminded her of tears that still dripped sore – her tears. Sakura crossed her arms over her chest, rubbing her bandaged hands on her bare skin up and down. Then, she made her way inside. Later she would speak with Tenten about her secrecy; after the anniversary dinner. When she got into her room, she made sure that Sasuke was no where near and then she wrote a short note to her sister even if the attempt to hold the pen was painful. Ignoring the pain in her palms, Sakura sealed the little white envelope and headed to the Hyuuga's bedroom…

Orochimaru saw the box in the corner of the old shack. It was quite a surprise to him when Tenten gave him a call. She seemed brave enough to boldly contact her huntsman. But what was more surprising was that she used Karin's phone to do so. It was safe to assume that Karin had been caught. Tenten told him that there was a package for him in a box – the box he was now starring at. Slowly, he opened the lid. His eyes widened by a fraction at the spectacle before him. The sides of the box were bloodied, matching the color of the red-headed woman. Karin's glasses were broken. Her skin was pale – as of a dead person's. The barbed wire was still embedded in the flesh of Karin's cut-off neck. He noted that there was different shade of red as well – someone else's blood. Orochimaru analyzed immediately, that Karin's murderer used his/her bare hands to conduct the slaughter. Orochimaru touched the blood of the killer. It was still fresh. Then, he brought the red substance to his nose and inhaled deeply. A broad and wicked smile curved across his face. He would recognize that smell anywhere…

"It seems that they are no longer afraid," he said slyly, "Well, I'll just have to fix that…Sakura…"

Sai was the last to enter the Assembly Suite. Sasuke had called everyone in for an important meeting. Sakura was also present – Sasuke had not mentioned what the gathering would be about in detail, so she did not know if the matter dealt with Orochimaru or the disk. Most likely it did – or so she thought. Her wonderings were broken when Sasuke spoke up.

"As you know, annually, the Underground Race is held and this year, the other Mafia requested for permission to let it be held in our territory," Sasuke announced and Sakura and Tenten were more confused than ever. Sakura turned to Shikamaru and asked, "What's he talking about?"

"What – the Underground Race? It's an illegal street race that only Mafia part take in. It's highly dangerous and usually involves the police if too much attention is aroused – well, the racing is enough attention. There's something called the Black List. That list contains the top ten most feared Mafia teams that are successful in the race. Number one on the list is – obviously- Onikage. Each ten Mafia teams owns a territory; Oakwood Canyon is Onikage's Territory. But we don't race with our aims set on just earning the territory. No, we race for the money as well…" Shikamaru explained. Tenten and Sakura looked at each other.

"Before I continue, I'd just acknowledge Hyuuga Neji who maintained our ranking on the list last year," Sasuke said, his gaze meeting the pale, lavender eyes; Tenten blushed at the thought of Neji behind the wheel of a hot car – which reminded her that her Audi R8 was parked in the garage, safely. No one could ever touch her car and if Orochimaru got his hands on it, Tenten would risk her life to get it back. She had worked extremely hard to get that car and there was no way she was just going to let it wash away down the drain. Then Sai asked, "What kind of cash are we looking at?"

"Two million," Sasuke replied.

"Who are the additional racers?" Shikamaru asked.

"That will be revealed on the night of the race," Sasuke replied.

"I find that to be the wrong question to ask, Nara," Neji spoke up.

"Then what is the right one, Hyuuga?" Shikamaru bit back, but in a dead and lazy tone. Neji ignored Shikamaru and turned to Sasuke.

"Who's racing for Onikage," Neji stated.

Everyone's gazes were now fixed upon Sasuke. Sasuke knew that everyone in his Mafia was capable of winning; including Naruto. But it had been two years since Sasuke had the pleasures of illegal street racing. Then with the infamous 'Uchiha smirk' adorning his godly face, he said, "I will."

"Hn," Neji said, smirking slightly. He knew that Sasuke, like him, was a prodigy. There was no doubt that Sasuke would be capable of keeping Onikage at the number spot on the black list – that was what Neji believed.

"Hyuuga," Sasuke called, "I trust that you and Tenten are already prepared for flight."

"Yes, we are. Has it been transported to Tokyo?" Neji asked Sasuke who simply nodded in reply. Then slowly, Neji turned around, and took his leave just as everyone else was at the moment. Tenten, however, managed hear Neji's inquiry as she made her way to the exit. Curiosity accompanied her as she left the room but nonetheless, she had no intensions of asking Neji what that was about. She knew she would find out sooner or later…in time. When she returned to her room, Tenten's eyes caught sight of the noticeable, white envelope which rested on the right side table by the bed's head. It was sealed and addressed to her. She recognized the handwriting to be Sakura's. Instantly, she tore it open and read every word, ensuring to take in everything that was written. Tenten could not keep the feeling of utter shock at bay. She read over the letter twice to be sure that she was seeing correctly and took note of the last few lines.

"…I know that you think that this act is considered betrayal, but I want to further discuss the matter with you face to face. Meet me in the gardens at eleven, tonight. But until then, please take into consideration what I'm trying to say. Sasuke cannot know of this plan, nor can he know of our meeting tonight.

--Sakura"

LATER…

Sakura applied the only form of makeup to her face – lipstick – lastly before leaving her and Sasuke's room. She never liked makeup but only wore lipstick whenever there was a special function which she was expected to attend. She was already wearing a dress – something she detested very much. But at least it was black; it was a black Matte Jersey dress. The Spaghetti halter straps were holding up the V-neck bodice and the waistline was shaped fittingly as the material gathered at the center, in front, with a beautiful, sparkling group of rhinestones in an upside down U-shape. The dress flowed to her knees – simple enough for her. Sakura chose to wear her pair of Sarah Black high heels which, in detail, was an elegant ankle strap pair of sandals with sequenced small diamantes on 3 inch diamante encrusted metal heels. She took off her bandages as it would only be a nuisance and ruin her outfit. Sasuke had told her to meet him outside the house, by the driveway.

Sakura found that it took her longer to reach outside due to her heals; but she did not show any struggles, walking in them. But when she got out to the driveway, Sasuke was waiting, leaning his back on the passenger's door. He could not help but get lost in a trance at the beauty before him; even if it was only for a second. Sakura did not bother to inquire how she looked for she knew that it might be an awkward thing for him and he probably might not have answered. Sasuke was wearing a black tuxedo with a black, silk shirt; without a tie. Like a gentleman, he opened the car door for her to get in before making his way around to the driver's side.

The couple drove to the restaurant in the familiar silence. Sasuke said nothing at all to Sakura, making her think for a second that he was angry for some reason. His eyes were always fixed on the road and his expression was serious. Sakura felt awkward. This was something she had not yet adjusted to. Silence usually killed her; she hated it and only loved the peacefulness whenever she was stressed or whenever she needed to concentrate deeply. Strangely, silence annoyed her. She was worried that the fact that she abruptly stopped him from having his way this morning triggered Sasuke's anger.

"Sasuke, I'm sorry abo-" Sakura began, but was cut off at mid-sentence when Sasuke said; "There's nothing to apologize for."

Judging by his tone of voice, it was safe to say that Sasuke was not angry; he was just grumpy, for some reason. Thankfully they arrived at the Oasis a few minutes after. She hoped that Sasuke would lighten up. As they entered, Sasuke and Sakura were greeted by one of the awaiting hosts. He was an old man who looked as if he was around the age of sixty.

"Good evening. I'm Kaname, your host. How may I help you wonderful guests this evening?" the elderly man greeted politely.

"A table for two under reservations made by Uchiha Sasuke," Sasuke said firmly to the man who ignored the seriousness on Sasuke's face and looked at the list of names on his book.

"Right this way, Mr. and Mrs. Uchiha," the host said, guiding Sasuke and Sakura to their table and Sasuke escorted Sakura arm in arm. When they were both seated the host ensured that a waitress or waiter would attend to them shortly. While waiting, Sakura happened to remember what Karin told her – about Sasuke sleeping with Karin. The thought of that woman and Sasuke in bed disgusted Sakura, causing her to make a face; Sasuke noticed. Then, Sakura felt the urge to ask him about it; but held the words in her throat so there was no chance that they would escape her lips. Why was her mind thinking of that now? Sakura grunted inwardly.

"What do you want to ask?" Sasuke said. He had read her clearly. It was impossible for her to keep secrets from him – or so he thought.

"It's nothing," she lied.

"Sakura…" he said in a warning tone and Sakura had to comply.

"When I interrogated Karin, she mentioned that you both-"

"That was a mistake. I was…not in the right state of mind," Sasuke interrupted with truth in his voice. Sakura took his word for it. She knew that Sasuke's pride mattered a lot to him and to cheat on his wife was very much unlike him. However, she intended to get further details on that. But she would wait for the right time. Sakura nodded and looked down at her menu. She was debating on what to pick. And to make matters worse, Sakura ended up having to decide with her Inner contradicting with whatever Sakura's decision was.

"Good evening. Can I take your order?" said a small but audible voice. Sasuke and Sakura looked up.

Sasuke just simply ordered a tomato based meal and water with no desert.

"And you, Ma'am?" the waitress asked Sakura.

"I'll have the Spaghetti with Sausage and Peppers," Sakura replied.

"Desert?" the waitress asked.

"The Frozen Chocolate Meringata and the Chocolate Sandwich Cookies; as for the drinks – a bottle of coke would do fine, thanks," Sakura stated and when the waitress was gone, she noticed Sasuke's slightly widened, onyx eyes looking at her.

"I'm sorry…I'll help with the bill…it's just that I didn't have lunch today. I was a bit upset," Sakura explained.

"It's fine," Sasuke replied. The dinner turned out to be nice after all. And yes, Sakura did eat everything she ordered. Again, their travel home was in silence. But then Sakura broke it.

"Sasuke, I'm sorry for calling you the selfish one…I was-" "Hn, you're really annoying," Sasuke said, cutting her off. She smiled. That was his most comfortable way of telling her 'you don't need to apologize.' When they arrived at the manor, Sakura realized that Sasuke drove to the Eastern Entrance rather than the Western one. That seemed a bit odd to her. The car came to a complete halt. Without making eye contact, Sasuke said, "Come." Then he got out of the car and began to walk.

Sakura did the same, following his orders and managed to catch up with him.

"Where are we going?" she asked, walking behind him, trying to keep up with his pace. 'Damn heals,' she cursed mentally.

Sasuke did not answer and instead, he just kept walking. Then suddenly, he stopped and said, "Wait here." Sakura was confused, but waited. She loved this part of the manor. There was a beautiful fountain with the sculpture of a female angle in the middle. The lawn was perfectly cut and there were also other statues in different, isolated places. The way everything looked, it gave Sakura the feeling that she was in Athens, Greece. Then Sakura's gaze adverted to the direction Sasuke had gone off to when she saw the reflections of light coming from that location. It took Sakura a few seconds to realize what she was starring at – M light-alloy wheels; prestigious Upholstery; Sapphire Black paint finishes. The spectacle before her was a high-status, Sapphire Black, BMW M6 Convertible – a very posh car.

Sasuke got out of the convertible with a smirk on his face.

"Wow…is this yours?" Sakura asked, walking over to the car and inspecting its features.

"No," he said from behind her. She felt something cold against her neck and only recognized what it was when she saw the pendant which was a ring – a white-gold, diamond wedding ring kept in a necklace. Sasuke placed a kiss on Sakura's neck and snaked his arms around her waist before saying into her ear, "They're both yours."

"What! Sasuke…you…why did you…y-you didn't have to do this…"

"Hn"

"Okay, now you're making feel guilty – I didn't get you anything," Sakura said truthfully.

"Doesn't matter," Sasuke said before passionately kissing his wife in the tender embrace under the moonlight. Sakura's heart began to race. Sasuke could be so affectionate sometimes that it was impossible to hate him. Sasuke nipped her bottom lip, imploring for entrance and she instantly complied, allowing his tongue to explore every inch of her mouth. Very soon, they broke away, panting slightly for oxygen.

"Kagerou's having a sleepover with Hanabi. Let's go to our bedroom and finish what we started this morning," Sasuke said into her ear, huskily. Sakura chuckled before answering, "Don't you mean 'what you started this morning'?"

"Hn"

"Hm…I'll meet you there in ten minutes. I need to give Tenten a message," Sakura half lied.

"Hn," Sasuke said before walking off to the manor's entrance.

Sakura sighed. It had been a long night. Now, it was time to get over the hard part. Sakura walked into the direction of the gardens. But when she got there, Tenten was not there. What did that mean? Did it mean that there was nothing to discuss; that she had chosen not to help Sakura? Sakura's heart sank low, draining the color from her face.

"I didn't think that you'd actually be here on time," said a voice behind Sakura. She turned to see Tenten standing with her arms folded across her chest, wearing a stern expression on her face.

"Good night," Sakura greeted.

"Right back at yuh," Tenten said, "There's no need to explain what happened. The letter said everything. I must say, Sakura, I'm quite disappointed in you."

Sakura hung her head in shame.

"Sasuke will not like this," Tenten continued.

"I know," Sakura replied.

There was a long pause.

"How long do we have to accomplish this?" Tenten inquired.

Sakura looked up at her sister with wide eyes. Had Tenten just indirectly state that she would work by her side?

"Yo, Earth to Sakura!" Tenten said, snapping her fingers in front of Sakura's face.

"Sorry. We need to get this done a little before three months from now," Sakura replied.

"I see," Tenten said, "If Uchiha finds out about our plans, he'll have our necks; no matter if you're his wife or not. I've learnt that Mafia gangsters hate to be deceived."

Sakura said nothing and Tenten continued. "While I'm away on the mission, you and Temari can devise a plan. And remember – Sasuke is not stupid, so don't formulate anything that would seem too obvious." Sakura nodded before asking, "What made you decide to help me with such an insane aim?" Tenten turned to leave before giving an answer.

"The fact that I too believe that Tsunade would want us to finish this mission – our original goal…"

A/N: I know the last part of the chapter was confusing, but you'll need to bear with that – it was meant to confuse you. Don't get worried – that part won't get you confused in the later chapters neither will it with the plot.

Thanks to all of my reviewers. Without your comments, this chapter would not have been successful.

Special thanks go out to Freaky for helping when I had that writer's block. You're a really great friend.

NOTE TO GARIB: Please review!!! I reminded you about three times last week at school.

NOTE TO ALL MY READERS: Please be careful out there – the Influenza H1N1 virus is deadly (the swine flu).

AND REMEMBER: 15 reviews or nothing…

-- Izzie