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

QUANTUM OF MEMORY: PENDULUM ARC
CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

Burdens on His Shoulders…

Previously…

One of the questions that was running through her mind at the moment was 'What is Sasuke going to do when he finds out that Sakura had been pregnant?' Thinking about it created a pit in her stomach. It made her wish that she could rewind time.

She ran down another flight of stairs.

'If Sasuke wants to resent someone, he should resent me,' she thought, 'I should have advised against her decision…I'm the one to blame…'

Her stomach became more hollowed as she pushed the door to Sakura's ward open, slowly.

The image before her triggered so many emotions…it was hard to tell if Sasuke was angry or depressed; resentful or remorseful…

Sasuke was seated on a chair beside Sakura's bed, like Tenten was when Neji was asleep a few hours ago. His head was rested upon the place in which a child would have grown and been nourished…

His eyes were closed, holding back unwanted tears…

Presently…

On sensing her presence, Sasuke opened his eyes and looked directly at Tenten. The last thing he wanted to do, was recall what happened to Sakura by explaining the situation to anyone. He said nothing to Tenten, hoping that she would not ask anything.

Tenten stood in silence. Her gaze drifted onto the body lying on the hospital bed – her pale, fragile sister. How did this happen? Why did her life have to come to this? No one knew. Was Sakura destined to experience such calamities in her life?

Soundlessly, Tenten made her way closer to the bed, her vision now blurry by new born tears. As she knelt beside the bed, oppositely to Sasuke, she took Sakura's hand in hers, closed her eyes and said a silent prayer.

SIX YEARS AGO…

It had been nearly three months since Itachi left his family and things changed greatly between Mikoto and Fugaku Uchiha. They had not been talking; Mikoto refused to even look at her husband. Sasuke hardly ever spoke of the matter, which was expected of him. And all Sakura could do was adjust…or at least try to.

Most of the time, Mikoto would undergo depression leaving Sakura to do most of the house chores. In addition to that, she had to study her surgical procedures and everything else pertaining to her career. Life was stressful, but she kept going.

As usual, though, Sasuke continued to drop her to the hospital whenever her shift began and picked her up when it ended.

You know there are some days where you wake up with a different feeling than the usual mornings; a feeling as if to expect a something special during the course of the day, be it good or bad? Well, today was one of those days for Sakura, and it scared her to death.

She made her coffee as usual; tidied her bedroom; sorted her clothes and made breakfast for the family like she did on most mornings, before taking a warm bath. And a few minutes later, she met Sasuke in the garage.

The ride was quiet, except for minor statements such as, "Good morning," and "Your shift ends at 9:00 p.m., correct?" It was clear to Sakura that Sasuke had absolutely no interest in her. He barely even looked her in the eye. Whenever he spoke to her – which was very rare – he would either gaze elsewhere or close his eyes with his fingers interlocked in his other hand, elbows propped on a surface. But even so, she could not help but be drawn to him. He was physically flawless, after all.

There was nothing for them to talk about. Sasuke was never the type of person to small talk just for the sake of having conversation with anyone. Once an important matter was not involved, he did not feel the need to speak.

With nothing to do or say, Sakura gazed out the car window, her eyes falling on the citizens on the sidewalk, hurrying to get to work; the children walking to school. There was a couple walking arm-in-arm down the sidewalk, laughing and enjoying their time together. At that moment, Sakura wondered if her life would be like that one day. As a child growing up, her mother would show her pictures of her wedding day; the day she became Tomoe Haruno. She told Sakura of how she felt as her father walked her down the aisle, with everyone looking at her in awe; of her teary eyed mother.

Sakura sighed. It was sad to know that Riku Haruno would never walk her down the aisle. No, he considered her dead.

She continued to stare at the events on the streets, trying to hold back the tears that longed flow free from her eyes. Her eyes unconsciously fell on a crowd of people waiting to cross the street at the Pedestrian Crossing. Amongst the people, was a tall black-haired person that reminded her so much of Itachi Uchiha.

Sakura blinked twice before staring wide eyed at the figure in the crowd. 'Wait a minute…'

"That's –"

"What is it?" Sasuke asked her.

"Nothing, just an old friend," Sakura lied. After quickly thinking through, Sakura decided that it would be best if Sasuke was left in the dark.

'I'll handle this one on my own,' she decided and kept track of where Itachi was headed.

Sasuke turned the car into the compound and brought it to a halt at the building's entrance. She got out of the car, closed the door and bent over to see him through the window.

"See you later?" she asked and smiled. She did not want him to get suspicious and thought that if she annoyed him a bit, he would pay no attention to her.

He said nothing but the usual and annoying "Hn," and drove off.

She waited for his car to completely leave the hospital's grounds, and then pulled out her cell phone from one of the many pockets in her jacket. She dialed the numbers of the chief doctor of the hospital.

"Good morning Dr. Brad-Li, this is Sakura Haruno. How are you Sir?" she asked, "…I can't say the same for myself, actually…yes, yes…thank you very much Sir. I promise that I'll get well for tomorrow. Thanks once again…bye"

She hung up. Sakura always had a good relationship with Dr. Brad-Li, so it was no trouble, requesting a day off since she was 'ill'.

Stuffing the phone back into her pocket, she turned around and proceeded in the direction of Itachi – directly opposite St. Mary's Hospital.

She followed him through the crowds, concealing herself in the process until they entered a bar. But, as soon as Sakura stepped foot in there, Itachi seemed to have…disappeared. She looked around. There was hardly anyone at the tables. At the counter were a few old men having a beer or two. She did not understand how she could have lost sight of Itachi.

She walked past the counter and to a corridor that seemed to have led to the restrooms.

"I know I smelt roses," she heard a familiar voice behind her say and spun around quickly to see the very person she expected.

"Itachi!" she exclaimed with joy. She was genuinely glad to see him. He had always treated her kindly. He appeared to be a little bit softer towards her than his younger brother. Sakura believed that it was only out of pity considering what she had to go through in the past.

"Aren't you supposed to be at work?" he asked, leaning against the wall and folding his arms across his chest.

"I was heading there, but then I saw you. I didn't tell Sasuke, though."

"Speaking of Sasuke – how's he? And everyone at home?" Itachi questioned.

She told him everything; everything about Mikoto's depression and her relationship with her husband.

"They're falling apart Itachi. You have to come back," Sakura said lastly.

Itachi leaned off of the wall and put a hand on Sakura's shoulder and then spoke in an assuring tone. "Sakura, do you really believe that I'd do anything without reason?"

She shook her head.

"Hn…they lack faith. I did this for their own good. Sasuke of all people should know that. But then again, knowing his stubbornness, maybe not…"

Sakura chuckled. Itachi's deduction of his brother was very much correct.

He continued to speak.

"I'm counting on you, Sakura to keep my family together. Will you do that for me?" His tone was tender and not as stoic as Sasuke's.

She looked into his eyes. Did he really believe she was capable of doing such a thing? Did her really believe that she was that strong? Itachi…was the first person to ever acknowledge her as such a person; and for that…

"Yes…"

…For that, she was willing to fulfill his request.

Sakura had already requested a day off to 'recover', so it was no use going back to the hospital. Besides, the other interns must have already been assigned to their patients; her sudden arrival might have messed up the scheme. So instead, Sakura decided to pay a visit to the library in town until it was nine. It had been a while since she visited any library and it felt good to read a good book once again. She even took this opportunity to skim through some medical text books written by famous doctors.

She was so in to the books she found that she almost lost track of time.

The library clock read '8:45 P.M.'

'Time to go,' she thought and grabbed her bag and then bolted out the door.

When she arrived at the hospital, Sasuke's car was parked outside, in the parking lot. She could see him leaning on the driver's side, looking at his watch every five minutes.

'That's right,' she remembered, 'he hates it when I'm late…'

She snuck behind the hedges and went into the power room, then exited the building as if she was actually there for the entire day. She ran to the car like she usually would whenever she was late.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke…we had an emergen-"

"Don't think you can fool me, Sakura," he interrupted her, stoically.

"What…are you talking about, Sasuke?" Sakura asked, trying not to sound guilty. She tried to be surprised by his question…but she knew she was never a good actor.

"Your shift was supposed to end fifteen minutes ago. I know I never told you, but whenever you don't come out on time, I check with the receptionist to find the cause of you hindrance," Sasuke said to her. He was now walking towards her. "Do you know what I found out this time?"

Sakura did not answer.

"Dr. Sakura Haruno was ill and requested a day's leave to recover," Sasuke went ahead and answered for her.

Sakura gulped. Now she had done it. Sasuke hated being defied. She had seen what he did to Onikage members who defied the gang and now she feared for her own life. Surely he would not kill her, but she knew that there would be some form of punishment.

"Sasuke…I –"

"Save the apology and get in the car," he ordered as he turned his back to her and opened the driver's door.

Without hesitation, she complied.

Sasuke did not start the car when she got in. Instead, he questioned her actions and she had no choice but to tell him the truth. Matters only got worse when she did. He slammed his fist onto the steering wheel, honking the car horn in the process.

"Why the fuck would you want to meet up with a bastard like him?" he shouted at her; and she had never been more afraid in her life; so afraid that she had lost her sense of speech.

"Answer me!"

And out of fear, she said, "Because maybe Itachi knew what he was doing! He'd never do anything without a reason, Sasuke!" Her insides were screaming as well; screaming in rage, sorrow but mostly…in fear…

"The only reason Itachi left was because he's a coward! Get that through you're thick skull!" Sasuke said with much bitterness; enough to taint the world.

That was last thing said between the two of them. At the moment, Sakura was busy worrying about her life as Sasuke drove at a devastatingly fast speed. No, this was not Sasuke – this was his anger. He cared nothing for the other people on the road.

"P-please slow down," Sakura begged in a minute tone. She was sure he did not even hear that…but he did. Gradually Sasuke began to slow down; and Sakura's heart rate eventually returned to normal…

After that incident, Sakura avoided Sasuke as much as possible and he did the same. Yes, he still carried her to and from the hospital, but unlike before – when he said occasional things to her – he did not say even a word to her; not even his trademark, "hn," when she greeted him politely.

Mikoto happened to notice Sasuke's behavior and assured Sakura that it was because Fugaku told him something which he found to be a bit upsetting. She did not reveal what it was and instead said that she would know in due time.

A door in the house slammed, causing both women to jump at the sudden sound.

"Hm…that was Fugaku, I'm sure of it," Mikoto said in a low tone, "He's been leaving the house a lot lately."

Sakura got the hint in her statement – Mikoto suspected that Fugaku was being unfaithful in their marriage. Sakura pulled the woman into a hug. She had never face this type of situation before, but she knew that it was one of the hardest things a woman could go through in life.

Just then, Sasuke walked into the kitchen. His eyes fell on his mother who was close to tears.

"Mother?" he said, on seeing her tears. "What's the matter now?" he turned to Sakura.

Sakura did not explain anything to Sasuke. Instead she simply said, "Take Mikoto upstairs…she needs to rest. I'll finish making dinner…"

After making dinner, Sakura took a little of each thing she made, put them in plates and bowls and then put those onto a serving tray. She took it upstairs for Mikoto.

At the door of Mikoto's bedroom, Sakura could hear Sasuke and Mikoto talking.

"Are you aware of the people who have been contacting him?" Sasuke asked his mother.

"No…" Mikoto responded, "He tells me nothing related to the mafia world."

Sakura knocked on the door.

"What is it?" she heard Sasuke ask.

"Um…I have dinner for Mikoto."

The door opened. And for the first time; the first time in a long time, their gazes met. The first thing Sakura noticed was how much darker Sasuke's eyes were compared to Itachi. It was a beautiful kind of dark which held all the emotions that were never revealed in his façade. The second thing she noticed was that he never broke their gaze. It was as if he too, were making observations of his own.

"Sasuke, dear, let Sakura come in," Mikoto said suddenly, breaking the trance. While that little moment between them surprised Sakura a bit, it seemed to have no effect on Sasuke. He just simply stepped aside and allowed Sakura to come into the room.

She placed the tray of food on the bed beside Mikoto. "You need to eat."

"Sasuke, if you're –"

"I'm not hungry, Sakura," Sasuke interposed rudely and left the room.

He fell backwards onto his soft bed. What had happened just now? He had seen Sakura's eyes nearly a million times already, so why did they fascinate him just now? Then he remembered that those emerald orbs were the same ones that led him to notice her that night in the bar.

He sighed. For once, everything seemed to be coming down on his shoulders. And this time, he did not know how to handle it.

First, Itachi leaves. Coping with that little by little was easy. Then, his father and mother decide that he should marry Sakura. The last thing on his mind was marriage; but since his father claimed that it was for the benefit of the gang, Sasuke could not oppose him. And to make matters more difficult, Sasuke's father insisted that he should be the one to make the proposal to Sakura by himself.

Sasuke grunted.

And lastly, his father receives phone calls from unlisted associates; associates unknown to any Onikage member. It was strange of his father since he never acted without discussing the matter with him. And lately, Sasuke noticed, Fugaku seemed to be a bit worked up.

He sat up.

Currently, Sasuke had a trustworthy member tracing the calls Fugaku received on his phone.

Sasuke's cell phone rang.

"Did you get anything, Shikamaru?" Sasuke asked on answering the call.

"Yeah. I'll fax you the information right now…" Shikamaru informed on the other line. The call was disconnected.

In a matter of seconds, Sasuke got the information. It was detailed – containing names and addresses.

With the papers in his left hand, Sasuke dialed some numbers. It had been a while since he did, but nevertheless, he still remembered those familiar digits.

At the first ring, Itachi answered…

There was a knock at the door and Sasuke and Tenten turned to see that it was a nurse, holding a clipboard.

"I was told to inform you both that visiting hours are up. Please – Sir; Ma'am – kindly leave the ward," the nurse said to them both.

Tenten took one last look at her sister and then turned to Sasuke. She could see the hesitant look in his eyes. Then his reluctant gaze met her scrutinizing one unexpectedly.

"We need to talk," he said and then walked out of the room, without even looking back at Sakura.

Tenten followed and managed to exit before the door could even shut itself. Somehow she knew what he wanted to discuss; and that's where the guilt began to overtake her, making her heart heavy and her mouth dry. She was scared.

"I need to know everything; details, Tenten. I've heard the story from Guren…but I feel like some parts are missing," Sasuke said to her once the halls were free of people.

She took a moment to recollect everything; all the secrets – because that was what the whole situation was based on: lies; secrecy; betrayal.

"Okay," she began, "but first, I should warn you – you won't like any bit of what I'm about to tell you." She breathed in deeply…then exhaled. No, she was not ready to do this, but still, she told him anyway. She started telling him about the longing she and Sakura felt to avenge Tsunade's death; the fact that Sakura had knowledge about her pregnancy and how she willfully kept it hidden from Sasuke.

After hearing only half of the details, Tenten could see the daggers in Sasuke's eyes. But she continued to tell him that she was not aware of Sakura's cooperation with the woman called Guren. When she was finished, he said nothing. Tenten did not move from where she stood, fearing the look in his eyes.

Then, swallowing all the trepidation, she said to him, "What's done is done, Sasuke. You can't change the past. I for one should have known that Sakura would be stubborn and decide to do things on her own, so I blame myself greatly. But blaming myself won't wake Sakura up." Her voice was trembling now. "And you should think about what you're going to tell Kagerou…because it's highly…i-it…it's highly possible that…Sakura w-won't make it…"

With that said she stepped out into the hall…and headed toward the exit, quickening her paces, and then gradually moved into a run.

No looking back…

Before leaving the hospital, Sasuke assigned Itachi to wait at Sakura's ward in case she woke up. He also talked Neji's doctor into discharging him immediately as it was too much of a risk for an important person of Onikage of Neji's rank to be exposed in such a vulnerable condition. But honestly, a part of him did not even care anymore: the gang; Neji. And it was not a surprise that he was willing to let go of Sakura…

Sakura could not care less about him or anything regarding him, he realized. She was stubborn; she was stupid; she was selfish…

…And so easy to hate…

What had his father seen in Sakura? What convinced the great Fugaku Uchiha that Sakura Haruno was best suited to marry the heir of Onikage? Sasuke knew he would never find the answers to that question, for they were buried six feet beneath the earth's surface years ago, and had rotted away with his father's flesh.

Even with his mind full of thoughts, he never lost focus on the road. He glanced to his right; to the child buckled under the seatbelt; to the being he took all responsibility for. Tenten was right. How was he going to break the news to Kagerou?

Not long after, they arrived at the mansion. Tenten's Audi was parked outside the garage, so it appeared that she had already brought Neji home.

Sasuke pushed the entrance doors open and Kagerou flew in, eagerly. "I can't wait to tell mommy what I did today!" she exclaimed excitedly and ran up the stairs in pursuit for her mother.

After Sakura had dealt with Karin, Kagerou had become more outspoken and she was able to open up to the people around her…even Sakura. In fact she had developed a bond of trust with Sakura so strong that she quickly accepted her as her mother.

Sasuke grunted. This only made things difficult for Sasuke.

"Kagerou," he called.

The child stopped running up the stairs and turned to face her father.

"Yes father?" she answered.

"Your mother isn't home. Have your dinner and go to bed," he commanded sternly.

Kagerou hung her head as if she had been scolded for doing something wrong, her black locks covered her emerald eyes.

"Yes father," she responded in a small tone and made her way to the bathroom. She did not dare question about her mother's absence; not when her father was angry…

"How is she?" Ino asked a very weary Tenten.

"She's in a coma…" She heard Ino gasp. Then she looked up to her blonde friend and with a forced smile, she said, "We shouldn't give up on her so easily. She's a fighter…she's been through worse. We both have…"

TWENTY THREE YEARS AGO
1986

Misa offloaded the grocery bag. It had barely contained anything.

"Whatcha got there Misa?" the brunette on the sofa asked.

Misa swept back her brown hair into a tight ponytail and turned to the items she bought.

"With the money I got from my last client I managed to buy some tomatoes, a cabbage, two tins of tuna and some…bread," Misa answered, lining up the goods. It was hard for her to supply for a family of three when she was the only one working. Well, 'working' was not quite the fitting word to describe what she did for a living.

"That it?" the woman on the couch asked, almost in disbelief.

"Yes, Maia. I'm surprised you asked such a question. If you really want more then you should go back to Kaizen," Misa responded angrily, but then wished she had taken back what she said when she saw Maia's face tense slightly at the sound of Kaizen's name.

"Whatever," Maia said in a bored tone, "You remember what happened the last time Kaizen forced me to entertain a client when I couldn't afford the pills. So no, I'm not going back…and he can't force me to. Anyways, did you buy my smokes?"

Misa tossed a pack of cigarettes to Maia's waiting hands. And without hesitation Maia lit one of the cigarettes, slipped it through her red lips and indulged herself in pure nicotine bliss. Maia opened one tin of tuna and then shuffled the dishes around in the cabinet until she found a frying pan. It was old – the aluminum coating had already begun to flake out, revealing the rusty iron beneath.

She put the pan on the small stove to heat up while she tended to the vegetables.

Within a half an hour, dinner was finished.

"Maia," Misa began as she took her place at the table, "where's Tenten?"

Maia placed her cigarette on the holder on the table and bit into her sandwich. With her mouth filled, she answered, "Probably asleep…don't wanna wake her or she might start crying or something…"

"Maia she's three; she won't cry if you wake her anymore. Geez…what kind of mother are you?"

"Hey I didn't ask for that maggot!"

"Shh! Fine, I'll go get her. She needs to eat," Misa said in a hushed tone and stood up.

When she arrived at the bedroom – the only bedroom in the apartment – Tenten was wide awake, sitting near the windowsill. On hearing the footsteps, the child turned around to face Misa.

"Hey Ten, whatcha doing?" Misa asked, putting on a bubbly attitude.

"Watching the other kids outside with their mommies," the little three year old responded, pointing at the events outside the window.

Misa made her way to Tenten and looked through the window. Outside were a group of women with their kids, taking photos in the park under the dimming evening sky. Misa looked at Tenten's expression as she watched the families in the park. She was jealous and it was painted so vividly on her cute face. Misa knew that it was a hard thing for children to grow up without knowing warmth and affection from their parents.

Misa sighed. She loathed her irresponsible sister for that main reason.

"Why don't you come have some dinner with Auntie Misa and mommy?" Misa suggested kindly as she stroke the little girl's hair.

"Okay," Tenten said and took Misa's hand.

After Tenten fell asleep, Maia prepared for bed while Misa prepared for work. She packed her bag of extra clothes as well as her make-up kit. Just as she was fixing her hair, Maia walked into the bathroom to brush her teeth.

"I remember when I used to have to get ready too," Maia said, watching her sister's reflection in the mirror. "Remember when we used to do each other's hair?" Maia asked her sister.

Misa laughed and nodded. "Yeah, those were the simple joys in our pathetic lives," Misa said, taking up her hair-tie from the dresser.

"You know," she continued to speak; "you can at least try to find some other kind of job…for Tenten's sake instead of just depending on me. You know how little I get paid."

"Nah…who would want a former prostitute working in their shop or office?" Maia said.

"Well, I can speak with Kaizen so he can provide you with free birth control pills. I mean, he'd understand since you have a child to look after now," Misa suggested and turned to face Maia. But what she saw completely shocked her.

Maia let out a sob at the back of her throat.

"Oh my God…" Misa said, pulling her sister into an embrace, "Kaizen is Tenten's father, isn't he?"

Maia said nothing. The silence only meant one thing – Misa was correct…

Tenten leaned off of the wall. "I'd better go make sure Neji's okay. I'll be back," she said to Ino and then ran upstairs to her bedroom.

Ino slumped down onto the sofa. She wondered where Kakashi had gone to. He had left a bit earlier, only telling her that he needed to talk to Genma. She knew that there was no need to worry about whether or not he would sell out information about Sakura and Tenten to the FBI.

Right now, her mind was more focused on her best friend who was residing lifelessly in one of West Wing Hospital's wards.

Okay! I apologize for the long wait. It's summer time! So you know what that means? It means you guys will get frequent updates for BOTH of my stories.

I hope you didn't mind the minor errors in the chapter. I decided to reveal Tenten's past as well since many readers were requesting it. This minor change doesn't affect the plot negatively in any way, so I fulfilled your wishes.

AND as always, I'll be expecting reviews: 474 + 15 = 489 REVIEWS.

In the next Chapter, I'll reveal more on Tenten and Sakura; there'll be more NejiTen and SasuSaku; and what's going on with our favorite CIA agent, Gaara? Well, we'll see…

NEXT UPDATE: COMING SOON…(I don't have an exact date for that yet, but I promise it wouldn't take as long as this one).

-Izzie.