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-ONE
A Mind at Peace…
(Dedicated to thenote and Rebecca R.)
Matsuri almost stumbled as she made her way to Danzo's office. She had just arrived for her shift at the FBI Headquarters and was greeted by a message that she was to see the Acting Director immediately. She figured that Danzo wanted to have a word with her about her absence during the meeting with Gaara Suna of the CIA.
'Danzo must be angry,' Matsuri thought as she pushed the door to the office open.
"Good morning Sir," Matsuri greeted when she became face to face with her superior.
"Good morning," Danzo replied, "I was informed of your absence on the day the CIA Director joined alliances with the FBI. However, that is not the reason I summoned you. Gaara will be using one of our vacant offices during the case to find his sister. I presume that he'll be staying here in Washington for quite a while, so I'm putting you in charge of seeing to whatever he needs during his stay. If you don't follow his rules you shall be suspended and your salary will be cut short. Is that understood Ms. Matsuri Nakamura?" (A/N: Matsuri doesn't have a last name in the real Manga/Anime, so I made one for her.)
"I understand, Sir," Matsuri replied.
"Good. Now follow me. I'll introduce you to him," Danzo said, heading for the door. Matsuri followed.
Sakura tried her hardest not to move for fear of waking Sasuke. She was rather hungry but it seemed that going to the kitchen was not an option seeing as she was currently bounded to the bed by Sasuke's protective embrace. She could tell that he was still asleep just by how calm his breathing on her neck was. Sakura squinted as her stomach grumbled and hurt a bit.
'That does it!' She thought, and tried forcing her way out of Sasuke's hold.
The male Uchiha smirked; his eyes still shut, and tightened his grip around the petite, pink-haired woman. And by the change of his breathing, she knew that he had awoken.
"Sasuke, let go! I want to have breakfast!" Sakura complained.
Sasuke did not respond; nor did her let her go. Instead, he moved his body on top of hers and crashed his lips onto hers. Sakura's arms were pinned to the bed, still preventing her escape; but now, she did not feeling like escaping and she hated to admit that. Her belly let out a low growl once again, causing her to squirm a little. Sasuke broke their kiss. He did nothing but stare – stare into her dark, emerald orbs as if searching for something.
"Sasuke, can we please do this some other time? I'm really, really hungry," Sakura told him once again. Sasuke grunted before getting off her.
"Hn," he said, sounding very annoyed.
"You can't always have things your way, you know," Sakura said to him while she changed into some decent clothing. "Would you like something to eat?" she asked him as she made her way to the door.
"Tomato," Sasuke answered before heading into the bathroom.
Tenten closed the refrigerator and turned to the tea cup on the counter. There was still a faint pain present between her legs whenever she moved, but she was able to ignore it. Over the past few days, she seemed to be recuperating rather well. And the anti-depressants prescribed the doctor seemed to have been working as her breakdowns decreased. She still wore long-sleeved tops and long pants to cover the various bruises on her body. Those too had been healing well.
As she was about to take a sip of her coffee, Sakura walked in. They both said their greetings but other than that, nothing much was said between the two. Sakura decided to keep conversation at minimal for fear of absent-mindedly blurting out her secret intentions. But she knew that it would be unwise to stay silent – Tenten would suspect something was up.
"So how are your wounds?" Sakura started up the conversation.
"They're healing greatly. The meds actually work," Tenten replied and chuckled slightly.
"That's good to hear. And how are you feeling, otherwise?" Sakura questioned further.
"Well, the anti depressants are helping. I feel a lot better, thanks," Tenten answered as she stared out the kitchen window. Silence befell them once more.
Tenten sighed, breaking the awkward silence, not even paying heed to Sakura's strange behavior.
"I feel…disappointed…in myself. I mean, how could I let them do such a thing to me? Why did I let them violate me? I thought I was stronger than that…after all I was put through. But it turns out that I'm still that scared little girl as I was before. I thought I had killed her off…but it turns out that she was just a dormant part of me, locked up inside – locked up, but still present…"
Sakura said nothing at this. She really did not know what to say; she was afraid that whatever she said would come out the wrong way…
"Sakura," Tenten continued, "I'm not gonna let Orochimaru and Kabuto get away with this; especially Kabuto. When we find him, I wanna kill him with my bare hands; with my own strength in my own way…"
"I promise we'll find them," Sakura assured her sister. And nothing was said after that. Tenten finished her coffee and put the cup into the sink before turning to face Sakura once more. "How much more time do you have until a month is up?"
"One week and two days," Sakura answered.
"Okay," Tenten spoke, "let's try to track down Orochimaru and Kabuto within that time. If we don't, then you have to promise that you'll leave everything up to me, got that?" Sakura sighed before responding.
"I'm sorry…I don't think I wanna sit around and wait like that, so I'm determined to get this done within a week. However, I believe that you should get some rest – let your injuries heal properly –"
"You should be more concerned for things other than my injuries! As I said before – they're healing perfectly fine," Tenten cut her off, "We'll discuss this later. I need some fresh air."
Sakura was now beginning to understand Tenten's feelings. For the few years she had known Tenten, Sakura was able to analyze Tenten well. And Sakura knew that Tenten was never one to be humiliated; especially with her past situations. Sakura now wished she had not made that promise to Guren; she wished that she could have at least told Tenten about Guren's offer. But she always kept in mind that sometimes, in order to protect the ones you loved, one had to be selfish.
Ever since Tenten returned from her mission in Japan, she seemed so distant. And though that behavior was expected, considering what happened to Tenten, it still felt completely wrong to Sakura…
Matsuri knew that it was impolite to stare, but she just could not help doing that at the moment. She was in awe of the figure before her – dark red hair; emotionless, fearless mint green eyes lined by thick black eyeliner; and hidden under his red tresses was a tattoo printed in Kanji. Matsuri could not figure out what it meant. She was not expecting the CIA Director to be so…young. His young apparel made him seem as if he were in his early twenties – just around her age.
She was snapped out of her reverie at the sound of Danzo's elderly voice.
"Gaara Suna," Danzo began, "this is Agent Matsuri Nakamura. I've assigned her to help you during your stay here. Feel free to report her if she doesn't do the job right."
Gaara did not respond; he merely observed the brunette before him. Danzo had already taken his leave, leaving just the two of them together…alone.
"Um…what should I start off with first, Mr. Suna?" Matsuri finally spoke.
"There isn't anything I need right now. You may leave," Gaara dismissed her.
Suddenly Matsuri became stunned. She had never heard anyone with such a deadly, low tone of voice in her life. She somehow, longed to hear it again.
"Didn't you hear me? I said you may leave now," Gaara repeated, snapping Matsuri out of her chain of thoughts.
"Of course…forgive my absent-mindedness, "Matsuri apologized and headed towards the exit…
Tenten sighed as she entered the garage, her eyes set on her Audi – a gift given to her by Tsunade. How long had it been since she last drove it? But then something caught her attention. Parked beside her car was a brand new black Lamborghini Reventon. Was someone paying Onikage a visit? Who did it belong to?
"Like it?" she heard a familiar voice behind her ask.
"Neji…"
"It was delivered this morning – it's my new car. I was just about to take it out for a test drive. Care to join me?" Neji offered.
Tenten did not respond for a good few seconds, pondering on decision. Then…
"Sure…"
Naruto rushed upstairs with all the speed he could possibly muster. Sasuke had to be notified about the recent situation. Naruto had been told by Neji that Sasuke was in his room. Naruto banged on the door to his friend's bedroom.
"Sasuke-teme! SASUKE! Open up! Sas-"
"What is it now Naruto?" Sasuke said as the door opened.
"SOMETHING CAME UP AT THE CASINO BELIEVE IT!"
"What Casino?"
It was only then did Naruto and Sasuke realize Sakura's presence. In her right hand was an enticing, blood-red tomato. She moved closer and placed the tomato in her husband's hand in silence.
"You guys didn't answer me yet," she pressed.
Sasuke merely watched her; her beautiful emerald eyes. He felt Naruto's gaze on him. He could tell that Naruto's gaze implied whether or not Sakura was allowed to know of the casino. Saving him the trouble, Sasuke decided to answer.
"It appears that a problem has occurred at Black Spade – a casino that's owned and run by Onikage…"
"Onikage owns a casino?" Sakura repeated, sounding a little shocked.
"Sasuke…you want me to accompany you? Neji seems busy," Naruto offered.
"It's fine Naruto. Sai is already waiting," Sasuke refused with reason. Naruto nodded in understanding. He was quite content with Sasuke's choice of Sai over him as it allowed him to carry out his main task – to protect Hinata.
Sasuke turned to leave but was stopped when Sakura decided to speak. He did not turn around to face her, though.
"When will you be back?" she asked.
"I don't know," he answered dryly before continuing down the hall.
When Sasuke was out of sight, and out of earshot, Sakura turned to Naruto. There was so much she could find out from Naruto…it was all just too easy…
Ino yawned as she allowed her body to fall backwards onto the bed. The atmosphere was cold and she wondered why she had to even wake up when now seemed like the perfect time to be cuddling the pillows under the covers.
'No,' she thought confidently, 'I need to get Sakura and Tenten back…' And with that thought in mind, she brought herself to her feet and made her way into the bathroom. She needed to wake up fully as it would not be long before Kakashi decided to show up.
Ino did not bother to turn the heater on. She decided that cold water would be just right to wake her up. She closed her eyes and arched back as the water hit her face and trickle down her naked flesh. Her hands raked through her damp hair with the thick, strawberry scented liquid, massaging her head in the process. She enjoyed this; she enjoyed being able to forget what little troubles she had…even if it was only just for a little while. But then she wondered…was it the same for Sakura? How was she? Was she able to forget her troubles too?
Ino grunted when a knock at the bathroom door was sounded.
"Who is it?" she called.
"It's me," she heard Kakashi reply from the other side.
"What is it? I'll be out in a few you know. Can't you wait?!" Ino ranted.
"I think I've got a proper way to get to Sakura," was all Kakashi needed to say, and Ino was out and ready in no time.
Ino sat on the bed; Kakashi was leaning on the wall near the entrance to the bathroom.
"So? What have you got?" Ino pressed.
"I got a call from Genma this morning. It appears that Onikage owns and manages a casino by the name of the Black Spade. I've been told that their leader checks in every now and then to ensure that everything is being run properly. We'll be heading there now, so get dressed," Kakashi explained.
"What makes you think that the Uchiha is gonna be there now?" Ino asked, walking over to her suitcase.
"Oh he will be there. You see, a little incident happened at the Black Spade...I made sure of it…"
Ino's eyes narrowed. "What did you do, Kakashi?"
"I aroused a situation. It's nothing big, but certainly not trivial, so Sasuke Uchiha may be there," Kakashi replied.
Ino shared the same smirk which she was certain Kakashi had underneath that mask of his…
Tenten could not help but feel slightly worried. Neji had driven miles and miles already. The speed of his new car was incredible. It was certain that they were now out of Oakwood…and it was that which concerned her a little. After another fifteen minutes of driving, Neji brought the car to a complete halt. She had expected him to start reversing and head back the way they came from, but to her surprise, Neji was getting out of the car!
"Huh? Where are you going?" Tenten asked, following Neji.
Neji did not respond. This morning he noticed her behavior – the uneasy vibrations she seemed to exert into the atmosphere. Of course these things would not go unnoticed by him; after all, he was Neji Hyuuga.
"Neji…where are we?" Tenten asked. She was beginning to worry even more since he did not answer the first time. She continued to follow him as he led her further and further down the dirt trail. Tenten paid attention to her surroundings even if she did not take the time to admire the beauty surrounding her. The treetops canopied the pathway on which she and Neji walked. Her skin was sun kissed by the beams of sunlight that forced their way through the leaves of trees.
In the distance, she could hear the sound of running water – there was a river nearby.
"Neji…please…answer my question," Tenten repeated, firmer and this time, she ceased following him.
"Tenten," Neji began, turning to face her, "do you trust me?"
Tenten's eyes widened, surprised at Neji's sudden question. She said nothing. The truth was, she did not know the answer to that question; she never put any thought into it. But here they were – just the two of them, alone in some sort of park or forest; the question was asked, causing the concept to be thought of.
"I…" seemed to be the only thing that she could possibly say at the moment.
Did she trust Neji?
She asked herself the question repeatedly. She felt as if she was at war with her own mind as she searched for the answer.
Could she trust him enough with her life?
'I allowed myself to accompany him…'
She felt as if she trusted him.
'Are my feelings deceiving me?'
She loved him…but why?
'He came for me…'
He came for her when she was abducted by Orochimaru and Kabuto…even when she was about to betray Onikage…
'My guardian angel…'
But he said that he only did it for Onikage's safety…
"I…"
Sakura pushed the door to The Diner open, making her way in. Just after her little chat with Naruto, she received a call from Guren – perfect timing.
"Good morning," Sakura greeted Guren, taking a seat opposite her.
"Good morning. Cookie?" Guren offered. Sakura shook her head in polite refusal and smiled.
"So? What have you got? I have some info I'd like to share," Sakura began.
"Okay…why don't you tell first," Guren suggested. She took a bite of one of her chocolate chip cookies.
"I had a talk with one of the Onikage members earlier this morning. He doesn't know what I'm up to, but he's friendly, so the info wasn't hard to get by," Sakura began, "It appears that Onikage has a casino called The Black Spade. It's situated in the more populated part of Oakwood City. He told me the existence of the casino provides a great cover up for why Sasuke has so much wealth. The Black Spade has been in the Uchiha family for years. And when Itachi Uchiha used be the heir to Onikage (A/N: He's no longer the heir because of the fact that he's with a different Mafia Gang – Akatsuki), the casino was run by him."
"I see…I've heard of The Black Spade," Guren told Sakura.
"Some of my colleagues in the FBI have even been there when they worked on cases," Sakura added, "So do you think we can make our plans easier now that we know about the casino?"
"Hm…not really, but if anything comes up, it would be good to use the casino's existence in our plans," Guren explained.
"Okay, so was there something you wanted to tell me?" Sakura asked.
"Yeah…there is. I've found where Orochimaru's currently residing," Guren began. She noticed the way Sakura's head shot up, both eager to know more and glad that the info was being provided.
"Yes," Tenten answered, finally.
Lies…
It was a lie indeed. There was so much more she wanted to add to said statement, it pained.
Neji's unexpected response puzzled Tenten greatly.
"I think you, as an FBI agent, would agree that your choice was an unwise decision. You seem to trust people far too easily," Neji said to her.
Tenten wanted to ask why he said that, but she seemed to be unable to say anything, as if something inside was trying to say that it would be inappropriate.
"I'm the criminal, remember?" he continued. He sounded cold. Was this the Neji who asked her to accompany him before? No…definitely not… It could not be…
'I cannot love you…'
'What is he trying to say?' Tenten inwardly questioned.
'I cannot love you, Tenten…'
'Did he figure out her feelings? Or was this some form of threat? A warning, perhaps?' she pressed on and on.
Her thought was broken when Neji decided to continue walking down the pathway. She hesitated for a while before choosing to follow once again.
They stopped at a clearing where the river was.
Neji turned to face the flowing river.
"This is where I used to meditate with my father when he was alive," Neji began, catching Tenten's attention, "Every morning, he would bring me here and we'd clear our minds in silence. He told me that he'd always come here to take his mind off the Hyuuga Gang's matters; anything related to the family's gang…it was his way of escaping from his troubles. This morning when I met you the garage, I couldn't help but notice how disturbed you looked. So, I've brought you here to teach you how to meditate…"
Tenten then immediately shot him a look as if to say, "You're gonna do WHAT?!"
8:30 P.M, Same day…
Ino sighed as she entered the casino. The place was dark, and like a nightclub, it was only brightened by timed flashes of neon and party lights. Remembering what Kakashi said, she proceeded to the bar.
Ino let Kakashi fasten the necklace behind her neck. Its pendent was a mini video camera, disguised as a broad, rectangular shaped ruby. It matched well with her red dress. The gadget Ino wore would enable Kakashi to monitor what was going in the casino as she walked through it.
"Let me see the pictures of the main members of Onikage," Ino said to Kakashi, who immediately pulled out his file which contained the documents. She saw a picture of each member: Sasuke Uchiha; Naruto Uzumaki; Shikamaru Nara; Sai. Ino made sure to memorize her targets well incase of any encounter she may have with them in the casino.
"Okay…I'm going in. Be on the look out, Kakashi…"
Ino leaned on the counter of the bar. She thought that it would look less suspicious if she appeared to be ordering something from the bar as she scanned the place with her eyes for any sign of the Onikage members. In that process, she noticed the art pieces on the walls of the casino – paintings. They were beautiful, and must have cost thousands or even millions. Most of the art was Japanese-based – culture and arts. The others were gothic and dark, but beautiful nonetheless.
"Like what you see?" she heard a man beside her ask, referring to the paintings.
Ino turned her head quickly to the direction from which the voice came. As her cerulean eyes met his onyx ones, she felt both shocked and lucky at the same time. Things could not have gotten better than this. A smile crept across her face, knowing that luck was on her side – the man she was staring at just so happened to be Sai. And if she recalled correctly, Sai was one of the main members of Onikage.
"Actually, I'm impressed," Ino said, continuing the conversation. She could not be happier than she already was.
'I hope Kakashi is getting all this…'
"Did you paint all those art pieces?" Ino asked.
"Yeah, I did," Sai answered, smiling. And to be honest, Ino thought that it was the most fake smile she had ever seen.
'This guy is interesting…'
"Sai…"
Sai turned to his right, where Sasuke Uchiha stood. For a moment, Ino felt a hollow feeling in her stomach. Did they figure out that she was an undercover FBI Agent? She tried her hardest not to show it.
"I'm heading out. Itachi wants to see me," Sasuke continued. Sai nodded and watched Sasuke disappear into the crowd before turning back to Ino.
"I'm sorry about that," he apologized.
"It's okay," Ino assure him, "So…you're name is Sai?"
He nodded.
"I'm…Ino," she introduced, "it's nice to meet you."
"Likewise," he replied, "I noticed your facial reaction when my friend showed up a moment ago – you seemed scared. May I ask why?"
That was when the hollow pit in her stomach returned…
Sasuke closed the door after entering the house. Itachi had said to meet him in the living room of the Uchiha Manor. And there the elder brother was – standing by the window. He seemed to be interested with the sky. It was the peaceful things like this that seemed to catch Itachi's attention.
"What is it you wanted to discuss with me, Itachi?" Sasuke asked bluntly.
"Good evening to you too Sasuke," Itachi said in monotone. Sasuke glared; annoyed at the way Itachi was hesitating to answer.
"I wanted to talk with you about the new heir for the clan's gang, little brother," Itachi said to Sasuke, walking over to one of the sofas. "Surely you are aware that Kagerou will be unfitting for the position, even with her prodigious abilities to understand complicated situations and to reason with logic, are you not?" In fact, any daughter was not fit, as she would later get married and the gang would be taken over by another man. That was certainly not an option to Uchihas.
"Hn," Sasuke answered, "And I don't need you to tell me what needs to be done, Itachi. Why are you so interested in what goes on with my gang?! Shouldn't you concern yourself with Akatsuki?!"
"Hn…typical Sasuke – always hotheaded about everything like always," Itachi muttered, "You've changed. You hate more than you love…"
Sasuke shot Itachi another one of his death stares. There was silence between the two, and Itachi was the one to break it.
"You hatred makes you aware yet blind –"
"Don't try to analyze me Itachi. I don't need to be analyzed. Whose fault was it that father died? Yours. You; you were the death of our father Itachi…"
Itachi smirked. "And do I have any regrets, little brother? Didn't you benefit from it?"
Sasuke wanted to say something to Itachi so badly; to explode into argument, but stopped himself on releasing that what his brother said was true…
The brief meditation session with Neji was worthwhile, and certainly something to remember – the day the 'Ice King' taught her to meditate. She let out a small chuckle at the thought. For the few minutes she meditated, her mind felt at peace – something she had not felt since Tsunade, Kurenai and Hiroshi's deaths. Before, it was hard to accept, but now, she was able to do that, even if a part of her was still grieving.
She closed her eyes. Tonight she would get some genuine sleep – she was certain of that. She felt the left side of the bed sink, behind her. Tenten's newly attained peaceful expression was now replaced by a dumbfounded one. Since when did Neji sleep in a bed? He usually meditated throughout the night, or fell asleep doing so. Was he already asleep? Out of curiosity, Tenten turned on the bed, to face his sleeping form. His eyes were closed. He looked so peaceful; different from the way he usually looked whilst meditating.
'Is he dreaming?'
'What kind of dreams does he have?'
It was strange that she found these questions amusing. Did Neji Hyuuga ever have nightmares?
'Everyone has nightmares, Tenten,' she answered the question for herself.
The calm look on his face made her want to just reach out, and caress his face…or even trace his perfect jaw line with her finger.
"Go to sleep, Tenten," Neji said, his eyes still closed.
Tenten jumped a little at the sound of his voice. He definitely fooled her there. He did look as if he was fast asleep. Or did she wake him?
"I'm sorry if I waked you," she apologized immediately.
"Hn," he replied.
She closed her eyes, pretending to want to be asleep. Instead, she thought; she thought of just how weird the moment felt – she and Neji sharing a bed, there faces so close that they almost touched. She did not feel scared, no.
"At the hospital, in Japan, you told me that Orochimaru was working with someone. Who was it?"
Tenten opened her eyes to see Neji looking at her.
"I think his name was…Kabuto Yakushi," She replied.
And that was all he needed, to make his blood boil – the man behind the elimination of the Hyuuga gang had touched what was not his…
Sakura was startled when Sasuke suddenly barged into the bedroom, wearing an angered expression. She wondered what could have possibly happened to make him this way. Then without warning, she was pressed against the wall and Sasuke began to ravish her neck. It seemed so unlike him because he was being awkwardly rough with her.
"Sasuke?" she said, confused. He did not answer and merely continued with his ministrations. Sakura felt fear, slowly spreading inside her – she knew what the consequences of Sasuke's actions could lead to. And they were dire…
A/N: Okay! Surprise!! Yep, this was a surprise update. I was planning to do this sooner but then I got the flu which lasted for about two weeks.
Recently (before I got the flu), I posted up a new story called The Dark Coven. It's another SasuSaku/NejiTen etc. etc. It's a Dark, AU, Vampire Fic, so please go check it out and let me know if it's worth continuing. I've already started working on Chapter 2, but I won't post it up until I hear more from you guys!
Okay – so as mentioned at the top, this Chapter was dedicated to my NejiTen-lover friend, Rebecca and my Gaara/Matsuri friend, thenote. The REAL drama starts from the next chapter! And in this arc, there will be a lot of SasuSaku angst etc. I can't wait myself! (Chuckles).
Please review and MAYBE YOU'LL GET ANOTHER SURPRISE CHAPTER! Please excuse any errors..
--IzWinchesterDevil.
PS - What do you guys think about the Manga (in terms of SasuSaku; Sakura's intentions)?