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? PAIRINGS: Sasuke/Sakura with an equal share of Neji/Tenten. More pairings are included.
WARNING: This Fan-fiction contains VERY explicit content in later chapters. If sexual content, mild violence and aggressive language bother 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 & Flashbacks)
Narrator's POV
CHAPTER TWENTY
Choice…
Previously…
Before retreating to the bathroom to take a shower, his phone vibrated in his pocket and he answered, seeing that it was Naruto.
"What is it Naruto?" Neji asked.
"Neji, it's Hinata," Naruto began, gravely but could not say anymore as he was cut off by Neji in mid-sentence.
"Where is she?!" he nearly shouted.
"She's fine and she's here at the manor…but earlier today, she was attacked, man!" Naruto explained.
"How did this happen! I thought I told you to keep a keen eye on her!" Neji argued.
"I did man! I just thought they wouldn't go as far as to wait for her in the ladies bathroom!" Naruto shouted.
"Hn, so it seems they're hasty. When this mission is over, I'll show them what happens when they mess with the Hyuuga," Neji said, "Naruto, did you inform Sasuke?"
"Yeah…"
"Good. Be sure that Sakura accompanies Hinata wherever she goes," Neji replied.
"You know, Neji, if you wanted a bodyguard to accompany her to the ladies' room, I wouldn't mind! Believe it!" Naruto exclaimed.
"I have no business with those acts you both indulge yourselves in anymore. But make this clear – if anything happens to her, you are partially one to blame, Naruto," Neji said in a serious tone before disconnecting the call.
'The sooner this mission is over, the sooner I can sever the dealings the Hyuuga gang had with Kabuto,' Neji thought…
Presently…
Tenten wanted to get off the bed and indulge herself in a nice, warm bath so badly. She felt sticky and dirty. By now, Tenten was feeling better. She was able to move about on the bed and figured that maybe she would be able to walk. Neji was not in the room, no. He had left to get breakfast for both of them. It still surprised her how much he had been caring for her. But she was unsure if he would still turn her and Sakura in to Sasuke for attempted treachery. For that, she was scared. She was not scared for herself though. Tenten felt more afraid for Sakura. Sakura's relationship with Sasuke would definitely go downhill. She did not want to imagine the events that would occur between the husband and wife.
Tenten threw the coverlet off her and put her feet on the carpeted floor. Then she walked over to the bed-side table and grabbed her towel and fresh change of clothes. She held on to many still objects to keep her balance as she made her way to the bathroom. As she reached out for the doorknob, Tenten lost her footing and prepared herself to hit the floor. But before such event could occur, a pair of arms held her, hoisting her onto her feet once more.
"You should be more careful," said the familiar voice behind her.
"Thank you…Neji," Tenten said to him without making eye contact.
"I can see you wish to take a bath," Neji said, "Would you like me to get a nurse from the hospital to assist you?"
"No…I'll be fine," Tenten said truthfully. With that acknowledged, Neji led to the bathroom before giving her some privacy in the tub…
Sasuke tossed his jacket on the passenger's seat and locked the car doors. He was frustrated but he kept it hidden. Sakura had not spoken to him since he told her the truth about his relationship with Karin. He did not blame her but he also did not blame himself. She was avoiding him by spending all of the time she had with Temari, pretending to be occupied with minor things. He could not deny the fact that Sakura's movement angered him beyond his limit. Thankfully he was able to keep his anger under the hood as he dropped Kagerou off to Daycare.
Sasuke walked down the hall to the kitchen where he found Sakura. She was in a deep conversation with Temari but both ladies became silent when he entered the room.
Taking the silence as an opportunity, Sasuke said to Sakura, "I need to speak with you…in private."
"Oh…can't we talk later Temari and I –"
"Now Sakura," Sasuke cut her off, raising his voice a little and scaring Sakura a bit at the same time. His onyx eyes were piercing but his face remained emotionless.
He looked beautiful – that was Sakura's first thought when he spoke to her. He looked dangerously beautiful.
"Okay…" Sakura said, "Temari, I'll chat with you later…"
Temari nodded and watched as Sakura followed Sasuke out of the kitchen…
Both Neji and Tenten ate in silence. It was uncomfortable to Tenten but there was nothing she could do about it. After all, there was nothing to be said. She continued to eat until a thought came to her head. She took a quick glance at the lavender eyed man sitting next to her; quick enough for him not to notice. Then after rethinking what concerned her, Tenten decided to voice her thought.
"Neji…" she began and Neji averted his attention toward her.
"I know you're going to tell Sasuke about the plan Sakura and I had to steal the disk…and…well…I just…please don't tell on Sakura. If you have to say anything, tell Sasuke that it was my plan all along. Please…Sakura doesn't deserve this…I –"
"Stop…" Neji cut her off, "What I have planned to say to Sasuke should be none of your concern…" Neji's words sounded gentle yet icy at the same time. Tenten did not know what to make of it. She could not argue with him and instead, she remained silent and tried her very best to force the rest of her breakfast down. At this point she felt like breaking down, but inwardly tried to sooth herself in order will the tears away. Then suddenly the Hyuuga spoke again.
"I have no intention of informing Uchiha about your foolish plans. Though, I will see to it that it never happens again. You cannot prevent Onikage's intentions, Tenten. Understand that."
And with that said, Neji got up and left the bedroom.
Tenten was relieved that Neji decided to leave the situation in the dark. Now all she had to worry about was getting Sakura to understand what could not be done; to understand that they had to make a choice – good or bad; peace or war; justice or prejudice…
Sasuke had taken Sakura to their bedroom. Truthfully, Sakura was afraid to hear what Sasuke wanted to say. He closed the door behind her and locked it. On noticing what Sasuke did, Sakura became more worried. Her heart began to race.
'What is he planning to do?!' she asked herself. She tried her very best to avoid meeting his gaze; his deathly gaze.
Sasuke wondered why his gaze troubled her so much. It made one thing clearer to him – she was definitely hiding something. And he was about to find out what it was…
But to his surprise, Sakura was the one to break the awkward silence in the atmosphere.
"What did you need to talk about, Sasuke?" she asked bravely.
"You can drop the act now, Sakura. I know you're hiding something," Sasuke said to her in monotone while glaring daggers at her.
"I don't know what you're talking about…" Sakura said, trying to sound as innocent as possible.
"Hn…" Sasuke said, and paced towards her, his back still facing the door.
Sakura knew that if she showed any sign of guilt, Sasuke would figure out everything. It was just as Tenten cautioned her before departing with Neji. Inwardly she cursed herself for not being precautious about the way she acted. Her mind was working fast, trying to formulate an excuse. Her heart kept racing as she found it hard to do so.
'A heart attack would be on cue,' Sakura thought sarcastically in contemplation of her heart rate at the moment.
"What makes you think that I'm hiding something from you, huh? I'm tired of saying this – I don't have anything to hide! If I said I did then I'd be lying to you. Get that through your thick skull, Sasuke!" Sakura spat. Thankfully her tone did not falter in any way.
She squinted as her back made firm contact with the wall.
"I will not have you speak to me in such manner!" Sasuke growled. Their faces were very close together; their lips almost touching. Their breathing became hoarse.
"Don't ever speak to me like that again," Sasuke repeated. Sakura did not respond. His tone of voice had actually shaken her up a bit. She merely waited on him to continue. She figured that if he elaborated, she would be able to devise a believable excuse.
"When I touch you, you become tense; when I question you about certain topics, you fumble for answers and avoid eye contact. Care to tell me why?" Sasuke said into her ear, his breath tickling her earlobe, sending electrifying chills throughout her body.
Then, she found it – her answer. Only that her response was no excuse. It was the truth…
"How can I feel the pleasure in your ministrations when I know that your hands weren't for me and me only? How can I think straight when I know that the man I love has given himself to another woman willfully? How can I look into your eyes when I KNOW THAT YOU SLEPT WITH KARIN?" Sakura screamed to his face. Her vision became burred by the tears welling up in her eyes.
Sasuke's eyes widened a fraction at Sakura's outburst and also because of her answer.
How could he have been so stupid? It was no wonder Sakura acted differently. But as always, he did not feel the need to blame himself. No words were said; his actions spoke for him. Slowly, Sasuke pulled Sakura into a gentle embrace.
The teary Sakura did not return the hug. But she knew that Sasuke was truthfully sorry and a part of her was also thankful that Sasuke would no longer press her on her behavior. She was safe, for now at least.
She sniffled.
"Sasuke…" she mumbled and then his arms tightened around her…
Sasuke realized how much his actions hurt her – his own wife. He hurt her so bad and yet he did not have the strength to apologize…verbally that is…
ONE WEEK LATER…
Sakura helped Tenten offload her luggage from the car and into her room. This was the first time the sisters had gotten to spend time together alone since Tenten's trip. Sakura still had not known of the incident which occurred with Orochimaru in Japan. And Tenten had not plan on telling her.
"How were things while I was away?" Tenten asked Sakura.
"There was a little mishap between Sasuke and I but now everything's fine. He's been spending more time with me, so it was hard to continue secretly searching for Orochimaru's subordinates. And before, I encountered Ino during the night of the race. She tried to call me about a week ago but since then, there was no sign of her," Sakura explained.
"I see," Tenten said.
"What about you? I lost contact with you for a week as well. Surely something must have happened…" Sakura pressed.
"Well…I know one thing for sure – I think I'm in love with Neji and –"
"Wait – did I just hear you say that you're in love with Neji Hyuuga?" Sakura asked.
"Yes I did. But I doubt very much that he feels the same about me so…let's just forget it…" Tenten continued, "Nothing exciting happened really…Japan was only boring because I didn't get to leave the hotel as much due to the mission." Tenten was sure to leave out her encounter with Orochimaru and Kabuto.
She was aching to mention the fact that Neji found out about the disk. She wanted to change Sakura's mind so badly for fear of the consequences they would have to face should anything go wrong. Then…she gave in…
"Sakura," Tenten began her voice wavering a bit, "Something else happened during my stay in Japan…"
"What was that? Tenten, I don't like the tone of your voice…" Sakura said.
"Sakura…Neji found out about our plan to steal the disk and discard the bomb…" Tenten finished without making eye contact.
"What?! How did you let that happen?" Sakura asked, furiously.
"I'm sorry…I was careless. But Neji said he won't tell Sasuke. Sakura, you have to understand the consequences that would befall if we try such a thing again! Think about your relationship with Sasuke! It will end! Think about your daughter! She'll be taken away from you! Sakura…you lost your family two times already – your real father neglected you; Tsunade and the others are gone! Don't you see?! You've been given a second chance to live your life with a real family! Please…don't let that get taken away from you anymore, Sakura. It's not about what's right and wrong anymore, Sakura. It's about the people you care for and love. We can still continue our secret search for Orochimaru, though. I don't see what's wrong with that…"
"Yeah…I guess you're right…thanks…"Sakura said. The reason for their search for Orochimaru being a secret was mainly because Sasuke would not have allowed it.
"Tenten…" Sakura began, "are you sure that was all? Did anything else happen?"
Sakura just could not help but notice the strangeness in Tenten's voice and expression. She could tell that something was bothering her greatly. But why did Tenten not tell her? After all, they both trusted each other greatly and equally…
"What? Oh…it's nothing. I'm fine," Tenten said, shooting the most beautiful smile at Sakura. It was too beautiful; too beautiful to be true…
"No, Tenten," Sakura said to her sister, "You should know better than to lie to me. Wipe that fake smile off your face and start explaining."
"Sakura…I don't know what you're talking about!" Tenten countered.
"I know you're not fine, so stop saying that!" Sakura snapped. Sakura walked over to the bedroom door and locked it. Then she turned to Tenten and said, "Start talking…"
Neji gazed outside the window of Sasuke's office. The two had been discussing important matters related to Onikage. However, as promised, Neji failed to mention Sakura and Tenten's plan to steal the disk. All that mattered was that the disk was safely handed over to its rightful gang owner.
"Since this mission was a success, I take it that I'm permitted to proceed with my very own mission," Neji said to Sasuke.
"Hn…do as you please as long as it has no relation to Onikage or Uchiha in any way," Sasuke responded dully.
"Hn," Neji responded before exiting the office.
There was someone he had been meaning to meet since he returned to the manor. Within five minutes, Neji found himself standing at Hinata Hyuuga's door. He knocked.
The door opened to reveal a surprised, pale young woman.
"B-Brother! You're back!" Hinata greeted her cousin.
"Hn…where's Naruto?" Neji asked.
"H-He went out to buy Ramen," Hinata replied.
"And Hanabi?" Neji questioned.
"She's at school," she replied.
"Good. I just needed to check in on you. Naruto told me what happened at the pharmacy. I wanted to inform you that as of tomorrow night, I shall begin my mission to silence Kabuto and his gang," Neji stated, "That is all."
Hinata nodded before Neji left. It was expected of Neji to do such a thing – go after the enemy who posed as a threat. By doing so, he would honor the Hyuuga Clan which he thought very highly of…
Sakura walked into her bedroom and closed the door before making her way over to the bed and let her body fall backwards onto the soft mattress. After hearing what Tenten had to go through with Sakura became bothered a great deal. Once again, she found that she needed to get away from this world – too much was on her mind. First Tenten's lecture on forgetting about the bomb; and then the pain and suffering caused by the snake, Orochimaru…
Why did it always have to be this way for her?
Not even she knew the answer to that. Maybe it was a curse; maybe she was bad luck to the people around her. Sakura could not tell if that was the case or if the events were coincident. But she was certain of one thing – there was no way she could just stand by and let Onikage go one with their plans…
Okay! Chapter 20 is the end of the 2nd Arc of the story!! Chapter 21 shall be the start of a new arc…
ANNOUNCEMENT: Due to the reopening of school and my studies, I will not be able to update until my Christmas vacations (which go on for 3 weeks). Note that this story is NOT discontinued. I shall update around 11th December 2009. Thank you to those who reviewed and to those who have supported me until this day!
--Iz.
P.S – I'm sorry this chapter was short – it was meant to be short because the major events occur in the later chapters. I promise that the others will be a lot longer! Good luck with the new school year! Bye!