When Sasuke got back to his car, he sat in the cold, dark silence for awhile.
What am I doing? He thought, pinching the bridge of his nose, she called me but… I got carried away. Now that he had some distance from the brightness of her eyes and the charm of her laugh, uneasiness settled within him. Things were beginning to heat up, and Sakura definitely did not need to be in between him and the bullshit he was getting into now, courtesy of his father and brother. But the thought of letting her go was too painful, and although the guilt lingered, it was better than having to say goodbye.
I can be careful.
He started the car.
It took him some time to gather what he needed, give or take 8 hours. Between Shikamaru and Kakashi, he had all the information he needed to get started. He began by talking to some of the strippers of the clubs Homura frequented, which proved to be a very useful endeavor. Sasuke found that, as Itachi had mentioned before, Homura was a pervert.
He'd learned this all in a very enlightening conversation with a woman named Karin. She was nearly as tall as he was, partly due to the black leather heels she wore. Her hair was bright red, which complimented the crimson lipstick she chose to wear on her full lips. She wasn't his type, but Sasuke could understand the attraction. She was pretty, and with a forthcoming personality someone like Homura was sure to enjoy.
"Homura? Why are you asking me?"
"Just need to know, is all."
"Well," she said, looking him up and down as she circled him like a shark, "I don't kiss and tell. What do they say, attorney-client privilege?" They were standing in the middle of a strip club, where Sasuke was the only customer. It was around noon, and they'd only just opened. Music played, but there were no girls on the stage, and the bartender was hanging up Christmas decorations with a ladder. Karin's heels scraped on the red carpet below as she circled him, eyes roaming up and down his body. After a few seconds, she settled for adjusting his shirt and smoothing over invisible wrinkles. "What if I said I'd never even met the guy?"
"You're not an attorney, and I know you were with him last night, so let's get on the same page," Sasuke said, unperturbed by her touch.
"I'm with a lot of guys every night."
"Yes," Sasuke seethed, trying to keep his temper at bay, "but you're with him most nights."
She stopped then, arms crossing in front of her scantily clad breasts.
"How would you know, you a fan or something? You stalking me?"
Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows. This was wearing on his patience. Clearly she needs more motivation, he thought.
"No. Sorry. But I do have a business proposition," he said, reaching into his pocket to pull out a piece of paper, handing it to her. "I'm going to need to catch Homura in the act and blackmail him. You will lose him as a customer, obviously, but what you will receive in compensation is much more worth your time than that old man, I can promise you that." Sasuke watched her flip open the note, eyes widening at the figure written there. "Bonus if you can get him to talk, anything about what he does with his board position. But it has to be useful. Otherwise," Sasuke gestured towards the piece of paper she clutched in her hands, "just the original amount for doing your job and keeping quiet."
Karin didn't even pretend to think about it. "I'm sure we can make something happen" she said, all semblance of defensive tactics evaporating as her eyes flickered back and forth from the piece of paper to Sasuke.
"Good, when do you see him next?"
"I don't know, he usually comes in once every few days. I can call him, though. He'll come."
"Perfect. Do that. And this stays between us," he said, plucking the piece of paper from her hand, "Or you will be very broke and very, very sorry. And not just about the money." He layered his voice with authority, hoping she understood the unsaid notion of don't fuck with me or I will ruin your life. He always hoped that people got the gist so he didn't have to say it out loud. It made him feel like a bully.
She smiled. "Don't you worry about me, sweetheart. Whatever you want," she purred as she trailed a singular finger down his chest and stomach, flicking a finger at his navel, "I can deliver on it. Let me show you the rooms."
And deliver, she did.
It was one of the more awkward times in Sasuke's life. He wished he could have made Naruto take care of it, or Shikamaru, but it was just too important of a task to delegate.
The club had private rooms, lined with red velvet curtains that draped around the walls. It couldn't be more perfect for him to hide behind. He thought he may have to plant a camera and hope that the audio and video quality was good enough to identify him, but he could just plant himself there instead. It seemed like a really great idea until he was there and it was happening.
"Homura!" Karin said, giggling and pulling him through the curtain and into the room. Sasuke couldn't see them, nor would he adjust himself until he knew he was in their blind spot. He heard Homura laugh and mumble.
"Karin… I'm so glad you called."
"Yeah, baby…" she cooed, "I had someone cancel and figured, why not?" Sasuke heard the sound of fabric shifting, and he moved the curtain slowly, creating a break to peek out of. There was one, large couch that covered half of the room in a U shape, and a small table in the middle that held an ice bucket with champagne in it, complete with two glasses.
He shifted the curtain slowly once again, revealing more of the room. Homura sat near the opposite wall, farthest away from where Sasuke was. By the way he landed, it looked as if Karin had pushed him down onto the sofa. Perfect, he thought, she remembered.
He was pretty old, Sasuke could see his grey hair and thick glasses through the dim lighting. He noticed next that Karin had changed into a black latex bodysuit, which covered everything up to her neck. What the fuck is she wearing? He thought, isn't the point to show…more?
"I was thinking about this all day, since you called me," Homura said, loosening his tie. Karin bent over to help him with his shirt, and Sasuke pulled his phone from his pocket, unlocked it, and began to record.
"Things going okay?"
"Yes, yes… Just stressful."
Karin pouted, pushing his dress shirt away from his chest with her latex-clad fingers.
"You're not gonna get fired and lose all your money, right, darling?" She said, drawing circles on his chest. Homura laughed and Karin laughed too.
"There's some problems… we're taking care of it though."
Mm, almost useful. Try harder, Karin, Sasuke thought.
"Oh?" Was all she said, and she threw one leg over, straddling him. She reached back, ghosting his crotch with her fingers, "You seem pretty bummed, hon. Wanna talk about it?"
"No," Homura said, cutting himself short to let out a groan as Karin squeezed his midsection with her legs.
Good try.
"No, what?" She growled, squeezing his groin with a strength Sasuke could see from across the room. Homura cried out, the groan becoming a fervid, repetitive chant: "No, mistress, no mistress, no mistress…"
Sasuke felt his face screw up into a confused grimace and Karin stepped away, patting Homura on the head like a dog. She bent down to open a box that sat on the floor and threw something that landed on the couch next to Homura. At first Sasuke didn't see it, and it wasn't until Homura grabbed it and pulled it over his head did Sasuke really understand what was going on.
Oh, he thought.
Oh my god.
And all of the sudden Karin had a whip in her hand, and she stood over Homura, who hadn't moved since he sat down. Unfurling the whip, Karin brushed the leather lightly on the old man's bare chest. He groaned, voice muffled by the gag he'd put on.
"Soft first, but then I'll go hard every third, or fourth. 'Kay?"
Homura didn't have time to react before she pulled her arm back, flicking the whip so it landed behind her.
"One…" She hit him lightly, not even enough to hurt. "Two…" Again, a soft hit. "Three…" crack! Sasuke was forced to bite the fist of his free hand as Homura cried out. Sasuke was trying desperately not to laugh, because this was easily the most ridiculous thing he'd ever done.
To each their own, Sasuke leveled with himself, trying to quell the laughter that threatened to erupt, but he couldn't help thinking, has my whole life led up to me watching and old man get off to a BDSM session with a stripper?
All in all, if there were a yelp dedicated to dominatrixes, Sasuke would give Karin a 5 star rating. And Homura, he was loving it. Things had gone on for awhile, and Sasuke definitely had what he needed between the whipping, bondage, and eventual pegging. He met up with Karin afterwards, ears red from what he swore was the chilly night air.
"You know, if you wanted to get off by watching, you didn't have to pay me this much" she teased, putting the stuffed envelope into her purse.
"That's not what I'm here for" Sasuke grumbled, "you know that."
"I don't know anything" she said, giving him a playful wink, "right?"
He chuckled, turning away to walk out from the alleyway they stood in.
"Thanks Karin. I'll send any perverts I find your way."
"You're too sweet, baby!" She yelled, voice amplified by the brick walls.
On his way to his car, parked several blocks down, Sasuke called his brother. He tried to be nonchalant about it, but Itachi laughed anyway.
"You were there? The whole time?" He hated the way he can hear his brother try to level his voice out.
"I couldn't leave while he was there, he would have seen me and probably called for the club security" Sasuke seethed, temper flaring. "I'm going to make you look at everything if you don't stop laughing, Itachi."
Sasuke's anger dissipated on the walk to his car, and he figured that if Itachi found it funny, Naruto may laugh to death. Naruto had been ignoring him since they'd fought the day before, but he always came around eventually, so, despite the late hour, Sasuke found himself dialing his number.
"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled into the phone, "what do you want?"
"You will not believe what I just went through."
About thirty seconds into the conversation, Naruto was laughing so hard he couldn't even speak.
"You fucking—Sasuke, you—" Naruto laughed, "You watched an old man get dicked down by a stripper!" He laughed into the phone in an effort to be as irritating as possible. "I don't know what they're paying you, but—" he doesn't finish the sentence, bursting out into laughter once again.
Sasuke ended the call after that, not sure that the conversation would progress at all. Naruto was probably foaming at the mouth at the opportunity of making fun of him for at least the next month. Whatever, Sasuke thought, at least he won't act like a bitch anymore.
Once he slid into his car, he paused only to put an address into his phone before he was driving away. Just one more thing to do.
.
.
.
Homura had a nice house. It was a part of a row, like Tsunade's, so he figured he needed to be careful. Any loud or prolonged screaming may cause unwanted attention from neighbors. Sasuke put his faith in Homura anyway, feeling confident that this would all remain a reasonable conversation between adults. Sasuke had all the leverage, and he would make sure that Homura knew that if this video leaked he'd probably be better off dead. There was really no argument to be had.
Sasuke came prepared regardless. After all, nothing shut someone up faster than a gun pointed at their face.
The old man had come home and gone to bed by the time Sasuke arrived, so, after breaking in, Sasuke sat himself at the kitchen table, placed his glock in front of him with a gloved hand, and waited. It was still early, nearly 4 in the morning, and in his boredom he played around with the idea of texting Sakura. For a moment he was caught up in whether or not she'd find it odd, a message at such an early hour of the morning. Like a booty call, he thought as he rolled his eyes. He swallowed his trepidation, figuring that a simple text, regardless of the hour, was probably the most normal interaction he'd have with her so far.
Out of all the things he'd set out to do tonight, it was the thought of texting Sakura that sent his heart rate soaring. He never really cared about what people thought of him, only extending his charm just far enough to keep himself from danger, like with Tsunade. She hated him, yes, but not enough to go through with most of what she threatened him with. She may use larger needles than necessary, or 'forget' to warn him before doing something extraordinarily painful, nevertheless, he always left her house in better shape than he'd arrived— no matter the cost, or in his case, no matter how painful it ended up being.
But with Sakura, it was different. He liked her, and he wanted her to like him too. Sasuke stared at his phone. He didn't need Sakura for anything, and wondered what it is he should say to her if it wasn't to give an order or ask a favor. He couldn't help it. He pulled off his gloves to type out a quick message before he had the time to re-think it, then, the phone was out of his hands, sitting screen-down on the table. He pulled his gloves back on and forced himself to pay attention to anything else.
There was hardly much to distract himself with, the old man had a nice house in a quiet neighborhood. the crackle of the baseboard heating and the occasional car coming down the street were the only sounds that disturbed the peace. He couldn't help the way his mind drifted back to the night before, the possibilities, what might have happened if they'd not been interrupted by her roommate or his brother. All he had were the memories; the feeling of her hair, her breath, her lips… the soft looking skin of her neck he'd desperately wanted to test his teeth on—Sasuke's hand clenched in front of him—Christ, he thought, take her out to dinner or something first, you animal.
He drummed his fingers on the table, anything to fill the silence of the morning. His phone was silent. Is she awake? he thought. Her schedule is as unpredictable as mine is.
Not long passed until Sasuke couldn't possibly be alone with his thoughts anymore. He got up to look around out of curiosity, taking feather light steps around the house. It was one of those downtown town homes with the floor to ceiling windows, which in Homura's case, were covered by thick cream colored curtains. There was a fireplace in front of some leather furniture, which was surrounded by an elegant bookcase. It looked nice, Sasuke supposed, even though it felt like the absolute worst place to put books.
There were some pictures of Homura's family and some accomplishments. He recognized a plaque that sat on the wall.
Homura Mitokado - 30 year service award - Thank you for your many valuable contributions over the past thirty years. Your loyal and dedicated service played an integral role in our success.
- Hyuuga Corporation 2007 -
Sasuke gazed at the picture attached to the award. There were several people in a row smiling, a few of them he recognized from the signature long hair. Hiashi was there, next to Homura, and a nearly identical man stood on the opposite side. Must be his dead brother, Sasuke thought. There were three children crowded into the corner of the picture, two girls with dark black, almost purple hair, and a young boy. They were all smiling, except for the girl with the short hair, who was attempting to hide behind her mother's sleeve. The Hyuuga children…
Sasuke gazed at the display a little longer before moving on to examine some of the titles on the bookshelf. After that, he quietly opened the small drawers located in the end table, but found nothing of interest. All in all, Sasuke supposed, it was a nice house. The expensive furnishings and grandiose architecture was very fitting for someone of his income bracket and social level, and anyone might dream to live here.
Sasuke hated it, though. He thought back to Sakura's apartment. He liked that the paint chipped off the front door, and that the numbers were rusty, and that the kitchen was small and that Sakura probably never freed the coffee table from her books and papers. He liked the plants that hung from the windows, and the rounding archway from her living room to the hallway. It felt lived in, warm, and like a real home. This felt… fake.
Sasuke returned to his original position at the kitchen table, tracing idle patterns on the tabletop while green eyes and pink hair danced across his mind's eye. It was still dark outside when Homura's coffee maker went off on the counter behind Sasuke, startling him. He'd reached for the gun on the table, then, he heard the sound of the old man's alarm upstairs. Ah, he thought, finally. He tucked the glock back into the back of his pants, and listened to footsteps upstairs for several minutes, stomach growling as the scent of coffee filled the kitchen. Just as the pot finished brewing, Homura came down the stairs, the wood creaking slightly under his weight. He was looking at his phone when he stepped through the threshold, and Sasuke, wanting his presence to be known immediately, cleared his throat.
"Good morning," Sasuke said, and watched as Homura shouted in surprise and stumbled backwards, phone clattering to the floor. He dropped to his knees and scrambled to grab the device, presumably to call the police. Sasuke brought up his phone, put the volume all the way up, and pressed play, facing the screen towards the old man, who looked at him first in confusion, then in realization, and finally horror.
"If you call anyone, or send anyone after me, I'll release all of this, so do yourself a favor and listen to what I have to say," Sasuke said, tone level. All motion stopped, and for a moment lewd sounds bounced off the walls as Homura sat frozen in place.
"Wh-what do you want?" He said, voice strained with shock.
Sasuke smiled, straight to the point, he thought, thank god. He shoved his phone in his pocket and walked over to Homura, squatting down so he was eye-to-eye. At first Homura looked terrified, but then his face twisted up into an ugly grimace as he looked Sasuke up and down.
"Wait a minute… you're—"
Sasuke reached his hand forwards, "Sasuke Uchiha—" He started, interrupted when Homura slapped his gloved hand away to scramble upwards.
His face was red now, and Sasuke watched in amusement as his temper flared.
"I knew you rats would come around sooner or later" the old man spat, looking like a wounded animal backed into a corner as Sasuke stood up, towering over his figure. "How dare you—"
"Look," Sasuke started, putting his hands up, "I don't beat up old dudes, so just relax, okay?"
"Fuck you!" Homura shouted. He turned to leave but Sasuke was fast, gripping the front of his shirt to wrench him back.
"You're not focused on the problem here," Sasuke said, voice sharp. "I'm not like Kakashi, or my dad, or my brother. I'm going to ruin your fucking life if you don't listen to me right now. I'm pretty sure prostitution is illegal in New York, and I'll find a way to take down your sister while I'm ruining your life. Do you want that?" When Homura answered with a huff and a glare, Sasuke gripped his shirt tighter, shaking him once, "Do you?"
Homura croaked a short "No," and Sasuke let him go.
"Good," Sasuke said, and then he let Homura have it.
On New Years day, there was to be a vote to accept the Uchiha's generous offer for their shares, and he, his sister, and five other people would vote to accept. After that, anybody would be powerless to stop the majority vote. And, most importantly…
"If you snitch to the cops, or Neji, or Hiashi, I will release that video, and your life will probably be over. Your sister's too, I'll find something to put in the news. Do you know the Nara family?" When Sasuke was met with a glare, he continued, "Yeah, they own a few of those news outlets. We're all good friends."
Homura was silent while he glared, like he wasn't sure what his next words should be. Sasuke could see the sweat glisten on his hairline—He's nervous. He knows he's trapped.
"You have no shame, you, your brother, your grandfather, all of you, the same disgusting humans, just like your mother…blackmail!" He spat, "really? What kind of—"
"Oh, just fucking stop, will you?" Sasuke interrupted, "Stop acting like you're the victim here. Neji sent three dudes to kick my shit in. Three. They fucked up my tattoo," Sasuke said, tone getting more annoyed as he wrenched his sleeve up to show his still healing scar. "And I got a concussion, haven't slept right since. And don't even get me started on what they did to my car.
"You and your sister will vote yes, the vote will succeed, and you'll get a very nice, very generous severance package. The faster you accept it," he said as he tucked the glock into the back of his pants, "the better. Early retirement and all that, right? Spend some more time with Karin or whatever, I really don't care."
Homura fumed and glared daggers at Sasuke, who only turned away to pull his jacket from the back the chair he'd sat on in the kitchen.
"Your brother was lucky enough to make it out!" Homura laughed as Sasuke stepped towards the door, "And it looks like your father has sent you to meet the same fate as your mother, though, can't say she didn't deserve it."
Sasuke shrugged on his jacket and felt his temper bubble up into his throat. He knew he had two paths forwards, either lose his temper to put Homura in his place, which may cause other, more annoying problems… or, he could choose to not lose his cool, and get back at Homura in a less satisfying but pettier fashion. He pulled his phone from his pocket, and, not wanting to delay a potential meeting with Sakura, chose the latter.
"You know, I said I don't beat up old dudes, but I do beat up people who talk shit about my mom, and you're dangerously close to falling into that category," Sasuke warned, eyes locked on his cellphone.
"Well, anyone that knew her would agree, but I guess you were too young to remember… What a shame."
"Didn't you ever learn to not speak ill of the dead?" Sasuke shot back, advancing on Homura who had moved to grab the lukewarm coffee that sat on the counter. The old man stood his ground, staring up at Sasuke with a burning defiance and a smile that screamed 'Gotcha!'
"It's not so easy when her spawn comes back to haunt you" Homura said, feigning surprise when Sasuke moved to grip the front of his shirt. "One thing about her, though," Homura continued, "having kids made her weak. Weak enough to get wacked."
He's sure making this hard, he thought, am I really going to have to…? Sasuke sighed again. It seemed like Homura was welcoming the violence, perhaps trying to manipulate Sasuke into a situation where he would be at some kind of a disadvantage. Whatever it was Homura was trying, Sasuke didn't feel like sticking around to see where things were headed.
"Enough," Sasuke said, knocking the cup of coffee from his hands,"Do as I said, or expect another visit."
Sasuke pushed him away hard. He'd delivered the message, and at this point, there was really no reason to stay and compete in whatever pissing match Homura had started.
The old man was still talking as Sasuke walked out the side door and into the dark. The insults were met with deaf ears however, because as Sasuke walked through the threshold, his phone buzzed in his hand.
It was a text from Sakura.
.
.
.
Sakura was lucky to have avoided Ino for some time after she'd so gracefully stumbled into their apartment, ruining whatever atmosphere Sasuke and Sakura had going on. It wasn't long before the calls started, endless vibrations in Sakura's pocket as she worked. She ignored all of them, and eventually her roommate got the hint. When Sakura sat down in her office to take a break a few hours later, she took the time to read the slew of messages.
[Ino] 6:11 PM
OMFG
SAKURA!
[Ino] 6:26 PM
Dont ignore me
Who was that guy
Tell meeeeeeeeeeeee
He looked toughhhhh
[Ino] 6:54 PM
Sakura
Im coming down to the hospital
Im on my way now
Pick up
[Ino] 6:55 PM
Just kidding
Seriously tho
Sakura sighed and stared at the screen before typing out a response. She really didn't feel like telling her roommate about this right now, at work, over text.
[Sakura] 8:12 PM
Such a busy night! Going into surgery, ttyl
Total lie, Sakura thought. It was not a busy night, and Tsunade had sent Sakura to complete some administrative tasks. Her phone went into her desk after that, and Sakura was surprised at her self control a few hours later when her phone remained in the drawer, face down and untouched.
She was called down to the emergency department to take on a few patients, and lost track of time as she threw herself into the busier swing of the night. Much of what she saw was quick. Broken limbs, dehydration, STD's, shallow cuts, and at most a 2nd degree burn.
One of the more interesting patients she had that night was a drugged out body builder, who had ingested one too many mystery pills at the club. When Sakura got to him, his eyes were rolling back into his head, drooling and mumbling nonsense. After they'd pumped his stomach, he was a little bit more lively, still spouting nonsense though, which got progressively louder.
"Right, doc? Don't you think? Don't y-you think so?"
Sakura hummed a light noise of affirmation, anything to placate his rambling while she wrote a few things down on his chart.
"It's insane in here. Insane. God! This is—" He started laughing hysterically, and kicking his legs out, which worried Sakura, but he got himself under control after a minute or so. Something in his demeanor changed when she began to check the fluids connected to his IV, which disturbed the needle connected to his arm.
"Ow, that hurt!" he said, grabbing at the tape holding the IV into his arm. "Why are you hurting me?"
"Don't touch that, if you move it it'll hurt more," Sakura warned. She reached over to stop him, but he was quick and strong, and grabbed her wrist. She tried pulling away, but he tightened his grip with all his strength. Pain shot up Sakura's arm and she swore that if he squeezed any harder, he might break her bone.
"Ah! Hey, let go!" She yelled, grabbing the man by the hand, trying desperately to pull him off. Her clipboard clattered to the floor and two nurses came scrambling over to help, prying the mans bruising grip from Sakura's wrist.
"God—" she said as she stepped away to watch the nurses strap the man down, holding her sore wrist against her chest. He screamed and yelled, and only when he nearly broke the restraints did they sedate him. Sakura didn't treat him after that, Tsunade sent in one of the male doctors to handle his treatment.
It shook her a little bit, it was a scary moment, but she reasoned that the patient was on drugs and didn't know what he was doing, and that he didn't actually want to hurt her. He was probably just scared due to whatever mixture of chemicals had permeated his brain at that time. That didn't change the growing bruise on her arm though, and she watched as it got more visible by the hour, making it a habit to pull up her sleeve to check when nobody was looking. After treating a few more patients, she headed back to her office to ice her wrist.
Her office chair creaked as she sank into it, a dull pain crawling its way from the bottom to her feet up to her shins. Violence…drugs…if there were neither my job would be much easier, she thought. She sighed for the millionth time, shifting the ice pack on her skin. Her wrist was ice cold when Tsunade emailed her, lighting up her desktop with a notification.
Tsunade Senju (no subject) come to my office [3:26 AM]
"Ugh" Sakura grumbled and threw her ice pack onto the desk. It clattered on the glass top and she stood, straightened out her scrubs, grabbed her phone from her drawer, and shoved it into her pocket without looking at it.
She dragged her feet on her way to Tsunade's office, taking extra time to notice the decor and plaques that decorated the halls. She really hoped that this wouldn't turn out to be some kind of lecture, a list of things Sakura did wrong and what she could have done instead. She'd been called to Tsunade's office many times when she first started, but as the months and years went on, those meetings got less frequent.
After about 15 minutes it was inevitable, and Sakura was standing outside Tsunade's expansive office. Sakura knocked on her glass office door, and when she heard Tsunade bark "Come in!", she fixed her posture and pushed the door open.
"Sakura," Tsunade said, looking away from her computer screen. Her desk was crowded with papers, pens, and books, much like Sakura's coffee table at home. The office was dimly lit, with just one lamp and the light coming from the computer monitor. Tsunade looked tired, and Sakura realized it was the first time she'd been alone in a room with Tsunade since the night she'd shown up at her door with Sasuke and Naruto. They were always surrounded by patients, nurses, or other doctors, or just too focused on their work to have a private conversation.
"Hi" Sakura said as she wandered over to one of the cushiony chairs in front of the wooden desk. She decided to get right to it, since Tsunade had always been a straight shooter who hates to waste time.
"I'm sorry," she said, "I guess I shouldn't have reached for his arm when—"
"What?" Tsunade interrupted, face screwed up in confusion, "why are you apologizing?"
"Is that not… what you wanted to meet about?"
"No," Tsunade declared, "He's discharged. We took care of it. It wasn't your fault."
"Oh, alright then," Sakura breathed, waiting for Tsunade to get to the point. What is she thinking? Oh god, this can't be about… Anxiety crawled up her throat, making her ears hot. I haven't properly talked to her since… Does she want to talk about it? Does she know something… About me and Sasuke?
As Sakura's mind puttered along, she searched Tsunade's expression for any sign of negative emotion. She was met with a blank, neutral countenance, which did nothing to soothe Sakura's nerves. Finally, Tsunade spoke.
"I was wondering what you were thinking for your schedule over the holidays. They're coming up."
The blush that was beginning to creep across Sakura's cheeks stilled it's advance. "Do you have a preference?" Tsunade asked when she was met with silence, and Sakura blinked, surprised at the question. Tsunade must have picked up the slight hesitation because she chucked lightly. "You are technically a senior resident, so choose your preference. Christmas, or New Years?"
"Christmas," Sakura answered, not even taking the time to think about it, "I'll work the 25th at night if you let me have the night on the 23rd, and the 24th."
Tsunade made a short humming noise, turning her attention back to her monitor as she clicked around. She was silent for a beat too long, and Sakura felt awkward as she sat too-straight in the chair.
"I'll take it," She said finally, and typed a few notes into the computer. Sakura smiled. That was too easy, she thought, relieved after only expecting to be disappointed. Every other year Tsunade had made her work over Christmas and New Years, giving her a 2 day break in between. They also always ended up being the worst shifts ever, leaving her much too exhausted to actually enjoy the holidays.
"Thank you, Dr. Senju, I really appreciate it," Sakura said, standing to leave.
"Sakura," Tsunade said, and Sakura froze in place in the seriousness of her tone. "I'm sorry we never got the chance to talk about the other night… I realize that it couldn't have seemed normal for someone like me to be acquainted with those two. But our families… It's complicated. You get it, right?"
I knew it, she thought. I have to tread carefully. Sasuke asked me more than once not to say anything, if she finds out… Sakura shivered internally, she'll be so fucking pissed!
"It's okay, I mean, just a crazy coincidence, right?" Sakura said, choosing to play dumb.
"He hasn't bothered you since, has he?"
Oh god, Sakura thought, don't be obvious!
"Um, no, I haven't heard from him at all. He was nice and he dropped me off, and that was it."
"And the blonde, you haven't seen him?"
"No, no, is he doing okay, then? I didn't want to ask, before…" She said, although she already knew the answer.
"Yes" Tsunade said, exasperated, "Those bastards always manage to get lucky" she said, chuckling slightly. Sakura laughed along with her, trying not to be awkward or show any signs of nervousness.
"Seriously though, don't let him come bothering you when I'm not around, now that he knows you're useful. He's manipulative and very dangerous. He'll do whatever it takes to get what he wants, so the second you see him or hear from him, you come straight to me. I'll set things right. Got it?"
"Yes, of course," Sakura responded, eyebrows furrowing and the words dangerous and manipulative bouncing around her brain. Dangerous seemed probable, considering the predicaments he seemed to get himself into. But he didn't seem like the manipulative type, to her, anyway.
Sakura left Tsunade's office feeling a range of emotions. Happy, because she was able to finally set her schedule for the holidays, but also confused at the nature of Tsunade and Sasuke's relationship. Asking about it would have been a glaring red flag, so Sakura made a mental note to remain as disinterested and nonchalant as possible around the subject while she was here.
The hallways were endless on the way back to her office. The buzzing of the fluorescent lights and the washed out color of the tiles did little to help her from running away with her thoughts. Extremely dangerous. Manipulative. Sakura frowned, taking the time to think back on Sasuke's behavior. It was harder than Sakura had anticipated to remove the rose-colored glasses, because all her mind could wander to were his dark eyes, strong hands, and penchant to make her stomach do flips just from proximity. Sasuke made everything look good, even when he was concussed and barely standing, dripping in his own blood.
Sakura rubbed her eyes harshly, trying to dispel the images painted in her mind. You're so stupid Sakura, she thought, start using your head, and stop thinking about…! She rubbed harder then, pausing to take in a deep breath before turning the corner to sit on a random bench in an empty hallway. Extremely dangerous. Manipulative. What do I think about him, anyway? She stared at the patterned linoleum below her feet, twisting her fingers while she counted the tiles. We kissed, but I barely know him. Tsunade seems to know him really well… Is there something I'm not seeing? Did something bad happen between them? I feel like she's trying to tell me something without actually telling me.
She remembered the way Tsunade had said 'Those bastards always manage to get lucky', probably because this had not been the first time either of them had dragged themselves, hurt, bleeding, dying, or all three, to Tsunade's very nice townhome. What is he doing for his family that makes him end up in such a state? Sakura thought. Her phone weighed heavily in her coat.
One Google search later, and Sakura learned several things about Sasuke Uchiha. The first thing she saw was an article in the news column with his name in it. Sakura opened it, and found the article included tons of much personal information about him. The charges brought against him, assault and trespassing, pictures of him with his family, Itachi, his brother, Fugaku, his father, Mikoto, his mother, the manner of his mother's death, gunshot wound to the chest, it made her blush and close the browser all together. It feels like an invasion of privacy, she thought, holding her cool fingers to her cheek to still the heat that rose there. I'll wait… for him to tell me. That's the right way.
Her phone buzzed with a notification then. Not Ino… again? she thought, wondering why on earth the blonde would be up at this hour, as stubborn as she was.
[Sasuke Uchiha] 4:03 AM
Breakfast?
Sakura nearly dropped her phone, feeling like she'd been caught doing something wrong. It was a simple enough request, he was clearly just following up on his intentions from their last meeting, and definitely was not trying to catch her as she stalked him.
I'll let you know when I'm free… We could do this again.
The words rung in her skull, velvety sweet, and the rose colored glasses were back on as Sakura thought about the different ways she might reply. She swore the the universe was conspiring against her when her pager went off and she was called back down to the floor.
In a lull between patients, she applied more ice to her wrist while her phone burned a hole in her pocket. I should probably answer him, she thought, sliding the ice pack over her skin. The bruises were ugly and distinctly finger-shaped, and Sakura pulled the sleeve of her white doctors coat down to conceal it for the millionth time that night before she tossed the pack into the waste bin.
Her shift was close to being over, so if she had any chance in making plans with Sasuke, she figured she'd better answer him while she had the chance.
[Sakura] 5:15 AM
I know a place and I get off at 6, is that ok?
[Sasuke] 5:15 AM
Perfect
Sakura's eyebrow shot up at his immediate response, and after trying to temper her smile while texting him the details of the restaurant, she worked on getting out of the hospital as quickly as possible.
.
.
.
She ended up being late anyway. The deli was walkable from the hospital, and Sakura rushed from her office nonetheless, offering hurried goodbyes to her coworkers as she rushed out the holly and tinsel decorated hospital entrance. She'd had a change of clothes in her office, just a simple pair of jeans and a thick turtleneck knit sweater, but it was better than the scrubs she was wearing. It was one of those unusually warm days in the winter, so the wool sweater was all she needed.
The dawn was still beginning as she left, and she inhaled the crisp city air as she stood on the curb, waiting to cross. Cars and people whizzed by while she speed walked, Sakura fussed over the wrinkles in her sweater, and thought about what things she might bring up in conversation. Not like she'd ever had an issue speaking to him, except for when he left her breathless with his touch or his gaze.
Butterflies erupted in her stomach when she saw the deli just ahead of here, and she contemplated stopping in a nearby alleyway to fix her hair and compose herself, but then she spotted Sasuke waiting outside, standing tall and dressed in his usual dark clothing. They shared a smile when he spotted her waiting to cross the street, and he never took his eyes off of her even as the cars and trucks passed between them.
Sakura's stomach did flips. Really? she thought, he's only looked at me… Get it together!
By the time she crossed the street, she was already blushing. "Sorry, I'm so late," she started as she approached, "I wasn't trying to be rude, I just never get out of work on time. I probably should have said something."
"It's okay," he said, "I was Uptown, so I only got here a few minutes ago."
"Oh, good, I was worried," she said, and Sasuke pressed a strong hand on the small of her back as they walked inside the deli.
"Ah, you don't have to worry about me" he said, opening the door for her. The bells attached to the door rang as they walked inside. Even though it was was warmer than usual outside, Sakura was thankful for the warmth of the deli, feeling the chill slowly fade from her fingertips. The inside was brightly lit, a stark contrast to the darkness of the streets, even at dawn. The inside was packed with as many tables and chairs that could possibly fit, and there were many customers there already. Blinking, multi-colored lights adorned the already heavily decorated walls, and mistletoe hung all over. Noise bounced off the walls despite the amount of decorations. People talked, glasses clinked, chairs scraped, and Sakura glanced back at Sasuke as he followed her towards an empty table, wondering if the atmosphere of the deli was affecting his concussion, or if he was feeling better by now.
"You're still doing it," Sasuke said as they slid into the white metal chairs across from each other.
"Huh?" Sakura said, pushing her bag onto the chair next to her.
"Worrying about me."
"That so?" She asked, putting on her best poker face. How can he tell from just a glance? Sakura panicked internally, either I'm an open book or he's unusually perceptive.
"The way you look, trying to figure something out," he said, trying his best to mirror her contemplative expression, "You looked at me like that all night, when I got jumped."
Sakura wanted to cover her face with her hands, keenly aware of the blush that rose from her neck. Panic settled in her stomach. She'd been feeling more than worried around Sasuke. What else has he noticed? she thought.
"I didn't know you were so focused on my face, that's really embarrassing" she said. He looked away then, caught off guard by her statement.
"It was hard not to be."
Sakura laughed for lack of a better response. She recalled that night in the bathroom, specifically the way his black eyebrows scrunched in pain while she picked the glass out of his face. The memories swirled around with Tsunade's warnings, her own self doubt, and that article she wished she'd never read. She was thankful that the waiter came in that moment to give them menus, giving her a slight break from her thoughts.
"Have you been here before?" Sasuke asked when Sakura doesn't open her menu.
"Yeah, actually, the owner had a heart attack a few months ago and I treated him. He offered me a free meal and I kept coming back because it was the best breakfast I'd ever had. I mean look at it in here," Sakura said. She tilted her head and he took a look around the small deli. All the seats were full now, and it wasn't even 7 in the morning yet.
"Wow," Sasuke said, "on a Monday, too."
"Yeah, it's really popular. We got here just in time."
It takes a while for the waiter to get back for their orders, but Sakura doesn't mind, because even though she was hungry, it gives them a chance to idly chat without interruption. Despite the red flags, there were a lot of things Sakura liked about him. Why does he have to be so perfect? The way his mouth moved over perfect teeth, his soft demeanor contrasted by his strength, the way he treated her like she deserved the world… Sakura decided that despite the alarm bells, she'd release her inhibitions for now. After all, she thought, it's just breakfast.
The waiter came back eventually, interrupting their conversation about their favorite city restaurant spots.
"Ladies first," Sasuke said. Sakura smiled.
"I'll have the eggs and bacon combo, can I add pancakes?" The waiter nodded. "Great. Over medium for the eggs, with hash browns too, please. And a coffee. Thanks!" She said, closing her menu and handing it to the waiter. He was writing for a bit after she finished, and Sakura turned her attention to Sasuke, who was staring at her with an indiscernible expression.
"I'll have a bagel and a coffee, thanks." He said. Sakura cocked her head at Sasuke has he gave his order.
"That's it? A bagel?" Sakura said, incredulous as the waiter walked away. "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. If this is how you eat, it's no wonder you're always so tired."
"You're such a shit talker for someone who just ordered enough food for an army," he retorted, flashing a wry smile.
"Rude!" Sakura said, narrowing her gaze, "I burn a lot of calories at work. And hospital food sucks, there's a reason everyone says it, it's really not satisfying. Eating an old egg salad sandwich in my crummy office hardly suffices as nutrition."
"You don't have to justify your eating habits to me" he said, leaning back in the booth, "I just didn't expect someone so small to eat so much."
Sakura gave him the finger in response, and Sasuke pretended to be offended when their waiter brought their coffees. She smiled. There was something about diner coffee that was just awesome. She wasn't sure if it was the slight burnt taste or the always clean white mugs, or maybe the fact that she was always just getting off of work, whatever it was, diner coffee was unbeaten. She peeked at Sasuke from under her eyelashes when she swore he wasn't looking, too consumed in putting sugar in his coffee. Sugar but no cream, Sakura noted to herself.
She reached over for the mini-cups of creamer and noticed her mistake too late when the sleeve of her sweater rode up on her wrist, exposing the light purple and blue bruises on her arm. He was too perceptive, and the way his demeanor changed when he spotted the discoloration on her skin sent alarm bells ringing in Sakura's head.
"What happened?" He asked, and Sakura was surprised, because he didn't sound angry like she thought he might. His tone was cool with a hint of concern.
Sakura clicked her tongue in annoyance, "You wouldn't believe it, I treated this huge guy, I think he was a bodybuilder or a personal trainer or something, he was on drugs and got scared and grabbed me. He didn't mean it though, I think he was just tripping. He thought I was hurting him."
"Hard enough to leave a bruise? Sounds like he meant it to me," Sasuke said, and he was crossing his arms again. His eyes gave him away, inky irises pools of steel as he stared at her arm.
"Are you pouting?" She asked, a little amused with his reaction. She tugged her sleeve down before putting the cream in her coffee, staring at the brown swirls as she stirred it with a well-used spoon.
"I'm not a good person, but I would never hurt you," he said.
"Why do you say that?" She asked immediately as she sat down her coffee cup to look at him.
"What? That I'd never hurt you, or that I'm not a good person?" Sasuke asked, sipping his coffee in thought.
"The second part. Or both, I don't know," Sakura said, meeting his gaze. What a cryptic answer, she thought, aren't women usually the ones with low self image?
"Well, the first is obvious," he said, reaching with his hand to pull at her fingers, and then her hand, lifting the sleeve of her sweater gently with his other hand to expose the bruises once more. In a smaller, gentler voice, he added: "But if something did happen, I'm not saying I don't have the ability to bring serious harm to anyone who hurt you."
Sakura almost didn't hear him, the way his long, cool fingers caressed her skin made her brain fill with static, and to her surprise, his words sent flames through her blood, sending her pulse into a light frenzy.
"I, um—" she stutters, trying to scrape a sentence together, "that's probably not needed in this case, he really wasn't—"
Sasuke interrupted her with a laugh, pulling her sleeve back down and releasing her fingers. "I'm not insane, but the thought of someone hurting you…" Sasuke trailed off and shrugged, looking away.
Sakura nodded, pulling her arm back to her chest to still the tingling set off by the ghost of his touch. She filled in the gaps of his ambiguous responses, not sure what information he was keeping from her, but regardless, she had enough information from what he'd alluded to these last few weeks to imagine that his lifestyle involved something dangerous and probably violent, and god knows what else. Sakura sipped her coffee, thoughts suddenly struck by her conversation with Tsunade earlier that morning. He already knows she doesn't like him, Sakura thought, I don't think I'd be stirring the pot too much if I mentioned something.
"Sakura," he said, causing her green eyes to snap up. He was imitating that same furrowed eyebrow and pursed lips look from earlier. "You're worrying about me."
Sakura scoffed, her cover was blown but she trying in earnest to be nonchalant.
"I wasn't," she said, "I was just thinking about something Tsunade mentioned earlier."
"Oh?" he said, pointing to himself, "about me?"
"I'll tell you, but don't snitch on me, or I'll be seriously mad."
"Seriously mad? That's it?"
Sakura shot him an incredulous look. "What do you want me to say, that I'll poison your morning coffee or something?"
"Yes," he responded, not taking any time to think about it, and Sakura tried to hide the smile that was beginning to bloom on her face.
"God, fine," Sakura said, turning her head away to hide her small grin. "I'll poison you," she said in a smaller, quieter voice.
"Okay, I won't say anything," he said as he flashed a charming smile.
She laughed and kicked him under the table lightly, a punishment for teasing her. He responded with an overdramatic flinch and a laugh of his own.
"Well," Sakura said, sending one last kick his way, "she was asking me all these questions about you. I thought she suspected something. She said that you always manage to get lucky. And that you were manipulative. And," Sakura paused, throwing up air quotes, "extremely dangerous."
Sasuke's scowl got more serous as she continued to talk, and Sakura wondered about whether it was a good idea to say anything at all.
"Tsunade called me extremely dangerous?" He said, scoffing, "that's rich, coming from her. She's threatened to kill me more times than I can count. With details. And saying I'm manipulative isn't fair. I make deals with people. I don't manipulate them." Sasuke crossed his arms, clearly feeling confident in his defense, and although Sakura had a million more burning questions like why does Tsunade want to kill you, and what kinds of deals are you making with people that get you jumped? Despite her curiosity, she decided to leave the subject to rest for now.
"I don't know why she said that," she replied, "she just called me into the office to talk about my schedule for the holidays at first. I was about to leave when she brought it up."
Sasuke paused then to take a sip of his coffee. "The holidays," he echoed after a moment, "I guess they're not far."
"Yeah," Sakura said, "they're not. A week and a half, I think."
Something unknown flashed in his eyes, but before Sakura could make it out, the waiter came back with their food, distracting them both. It had been a long day and an even longer shift, and so when the waiter set down the savory smelling bacon in front of her, she got sidetracked.
She ate in silence, too hungry to speak between bites, but once her hunger was sated, she picked idly at her food, having gotten through all of it except the pancakes, which sat partially eaten, drenched in butter and syrup.
"Damn," she said "I was hungry. I was going to come here by myself, actually, so I'm glad you texted me."
Sasuke smiled, watching her as she stacked her empty places and shoved them to the side of the table.
"So," Sasuke started, "Now that you're finished inhaling food—" He was interrupted when Sakura kicked him from under the table, landing spot on his shin this time.
"I do not inhale food" Sakura said while Sasuke groaned and rubbed his leg under the table.
"That one hurt," he said, looking at her from under his eyelashes. "I was just going to ask what you were doing with your time off."
"Oh, well, nothing really," She said, "My roommate is throwing a party, but other than that," she shrugged, "I haven't made any plans yet."
"Let's do something," he said abruptly, catching Sakura off guard. She nearly choked on her coffee. Every other meeting they'd had been spontaneous, spur of the moment decisions. But this, this was planned, like a—
"Like a date," he added hesitantly after she hadn't answered after a beat. She offered him a small, shy smile, thinking fuck it, why not?
"Yeah," she said, trying not to look like a blushing idiot, "that sounds nice. We can do whatever."
"Whatever?"
"Yeah, I mean, you asked," she said, quirking an eyebrow, "I assumed you had an idea."
"No, but I'll figure it out. Any requests?"
"No," Sakura said, lips shifting into a mischievous grin, "I trust you."
"Ah," Sasuke said, and he laughed into his nearly empty coffee cup. "That's your mistake."
It wasn't long until they were walking up to the register to pay, and although Sakura fought valiantly for the check, she was overpowered, and pouted behind Sasuke as he swiped his card.
They stepped out into the chilly brightness of the early morning hand in hand. Sakura stole a few glances at his countenance as they walked together, to what Sakura figured was his car. She realized then that she'd never seen him in the daylight before. The cut on his cheek she'd patched up so many nights ago was nearly healed now, a small pink line now just under the bruise of his eye. She blushed when he sensed her gaze, turning her head back to the sparkling concrete ahead of them, wondering why on earth she found that small scar so interesting.
Sakura had no idea where she was going, so she was glad that they were holding hands, both enjoying the atmosphere of the bustling city around them. Sasuke looked behind his shoulder a few times while they walked, and Sakura wondered if he'd forgotten where he parked. They were only walking for a short while before Sakura was tugged towards an old looking silver coupe.
"Oh," she said as she stopped besides him. It was a cute car—a very old model Audi, obviously refurbished with nice looking rims and tinted windows. He dug into his pockets to pull out his key, unlocking the door. It was such an old car the doors had to be unlocked manually. "You have a different car than last time" she said.
Sasuke put his hand on the small of her back again, guiding her into the car as he pulled open the passenger side door for her, "I like to mix it up," he said, and she stepped inside. Sakura sat, waiting for him to start the car and begin their routine of him turning on the heat on full blast so she could warm her hands. But when he got inside, he didn't start the car right away, and when Sakura looked over to give him an inquisitive gaze, she saw that he was staring at her, eyes dark and unfathomable.
The atmosphere in the car became doused with exciting tension, and Sakura smiled and bit her lip.
"There was a lot of mistletoe in that diner," he said, gaze as unrelenting as ever.
"Yeah?" She challenged, and then he was on her.
It caught her off guard. Her gasp is swallowed by his searing kiss, and although his lips were cold against hers, the surprise of the action brought much needed warmth to her cheeks and lips. Heat began to build from the way he was palming the side of her throat and stroking her jawline with a rough thumb, and Sakura had to stifle a sigh.
After a bit Sakura was forced to inhale, feeling short of breath, and it was all him, coffee, earthy cologne and laundry detergent. He broke away for just a moment, like he might say something, and Sakura's eyes fluttered open halfway before his lips were on hers again, this time more fervent, which she met with equal enthusiasm.
Sakura's mind was numb and her arms moved on their own accord, sliding along Sasuke's strong forearm with one hand, and the other rested on his jacket, gripping the collar there.
Sasuke took advantage of Sakura's next breath and slid his tongue across her top lip, and when Sakura tightened her grip on his collar and pulled him closer, he responded by pushing his tongue past her teeth and gripping the back of her neck just like he had before Ino had walked in the night before. His touch, the delicious pressure of his lips, the desperate way he tasted her made Sakura forget where she was. He disconnected their lips to plant a series of burning kisses down the side of her cheek, her jaw, and finally her neck.
"M'sorry," he said, and she felt him press his lips to the corner of hers before turning his attention back to the section of skin where her jaw met her neck, "you're just so…"
"So…?" Sakura prompted, breathless, and her eyes fluttered closed at the sensation of his lips, tongue, and teeth, particularly enthusiastic on the pulse in her neck. Lighting shot through her veins at the realization that he could probably feel her frenzied heartbeat, something she noticed he had a habit of searching for in her neck or wrist.
"You're everything," He said, claiming her lips again.
She wanted more of him, wanted to start a competition of who could touch and kiss the most. Her hands roamed, slipping down from his collar to the hem of his shirt, playing with the fabric there before pushing a few tentative fingers underneath the garment. Sasuke steeled immediately, flinching from her touch and pulling away just slightly. Sakura attempted to chase his lips with hers, but the hand gripping her neck prevented her from moving.
"F-fuck, Sakura," Sasuke groaned, lips brushing lightly against hers as she breathed deeply, "Your hands are freezing."
All she can do is let out a breathy laugh as he teased her, keeping close enough to feel his warmth but not close enough to be able to close the gap. The hand not occupied with her neck was sliding at her back and waist, and Sakura touched Sasuke's sides fully with her icy digits. In response, he kissed her and bit her lip in retribution. She gasped and laughed again. His skin was hot, and she wasn't surprised to find that he was muscular underneath, just like his forearms and pretty much everywhere else she'd touched him so far.
"Sorry," she said, swollen lips smirking sheepishly, "I have doctors' hands." Daylight filtered through the murky clouds, and Sakura watched as his dark eyes, smoldering with fire, traced her face like he never wanted to forget it.
"I'm getting you a pair of gloves," he said, planting one more sweet kiss on her lips before turning away to start the car. Sakura's brain was fuzzy, and the whole ordeal left her lightheaded and hot as he finally turned the car on, lukewarm air blasting out of the vents. Her face was ridiculously red, and she felt the way her lips were swollen and how the skin on her neck was particularly sensitive to the rush of air. The inside of the car was nice, the seats were a light tan color and the tinted windows muted the brightness of the morning.
Sasuke placed one hand on the steering wheel and the other on the stick shift, and oh my god it's a manual car I'm going to melt, she thought.
"So," he said, adjusting the stick shift. The sound of the engine dropped an octave, shaking the car slightly, "mine or yours?"
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Huzzah! As a celebration for having over 100 favs & follows, I cranked out this monster chapter for you all sitting at just under 11k words. I hope it turned out okay. Really putting the 'slow' into 'slow burn' here :) Happy July to all, and I'll see you again soon. Check out my prof to follow me on tumblr for my recent hyperfixations :) xoxo