Chapter 22 – On the loose
"Believe me yet?" He asked, face flat. "Last chance," he growled into her ear, grinding his length against her inner thigh as he showed his knee in between her legs aggressively. His actions provoking her, as if trying to prove a point, "Hate me, curse me, I don't care. But swear to me that you will never get close to me and that you will leave me alone." He was on the verge of losing the last bit of sanity he possessed, when it came to this sinful creature of a woman, he lost his control completely, his mind was hazed.
He didn't want to be the cause of her distress. But what was this compared to the possibility of her torture or even possible death? People who got close to him always got hurt one way or another. He steeled himself. He had to make it clear.
And maybe this is how it ends, his eyes crimson against the scars of his broken-hearted lover. His world was fading out with each word that left his mouth, his lips fell hot and heavy against the invisible scars she carried, as if he was trying to sooth them.
He knew the feeling of rejection way too well.
Sakura's eyes slowly flickered from dreaminess to confusion, her lips wet and swollen. Shisui sucked in a breath as his dick twitched at the dizzying sight before him.
"No." She said, tongue running along her lower lip, licking away some of the redness from her mouth. "Not like this." She recollected herself, green eyes flickered, all the dullness that was clouding her gaze gone, only to be replaced by that emerald fire of hers.
"I won't leave." She huffed, as he tugged her hair sharp enough to hurt. She merely swayed with it, scrunching up her face at him. "Instead, I will fight."
His eyes flew open.
He looked at Sakura with the wildest eyes she had ever seen, a look of absolute confusion growing on his face as his fingers loosened their hold on her exposed body and hair. His mouth opened and closed; lips pursed in a delicate frown; he couldn't find a suitable answer. Shisui could have screamed out loud. Why she was refusing to let him go?
"So, shut up for once." She growled. "You don't need to explain, I know. I understand." She looked directly into his eyes, dainty arms grabbing his handsome face, pulling him closer. In the low light she couldn't distinguish between his blown pupils and his dark, dark irises.
"You're right," she breathed, voice breaking the silence again. "I shouldn't get close to you…but," she bit her lip, the swollen piece of flesh plump against her white teeth. "Just this once let me be greedy. No need to answer, no need to think. Just feel. Let me show you." Her voice came out almost breathless, yet undeniably determined.
He could barely recognize the woman that stood in front of him, her whole attitude completely changed, no, it was different, it was like she switched off and when she was switched back on again, she was a completely different person. One minute she flickered and moved like a faint candlelight, ready to be extinguished with the smallest gush of wind and within the next she was roaring like a wildfire, confident and alluring, strong and mesmerizing.
In an almost dead silence, she reached between the two of them and before he could answer she brought her lips onto his, screwing her eyes shut as she kissed him. His eyes widened at the unexpected bit of affection that she threw his way.
She put everything into that kiss, all of her messed up emotions, her greedy feelings that consumed her inside out, burning her whole body uncontrollably, her whole frustration, anger, sadness and fear. She hummed happily, another glorious ripple of sensation that tightened in his gut. She was nearly shaking in his arms, overwhelmed by her own actions and words as he pressed her harder into the wall, his body flush against hers, her forehead throbbed, dull pain spreading all over, making her head feel heavy.
He left off, sliding his long fingers through the silk of her hair only to touch her throat instead. Her skin was terribly soft just below her chin. As her tongue slowly slid back into his mouth, he ran his fingers along it to feel as she sucked at his bottom lip, his fingers grasped her throat lightly, earning him a soft vibration. His mind was lost in the sweetness of her lips, in the softness of her skin, in the image of her exposed body.
He was greedy as well, so before he even knew it himself, he already gave in to the temptation that was Haruno Sakura.
If he was going to throw her off for straying from the path he set, it'd better be now. Instead, she felt him exhale through his nose and saw his eyes close as she worked him closer and closer, inch by inch pulling him out of this whole complicated and hot mess. Pulling him back to her.
He shuddered, barely aware of the broken noise that slipped from his own mouth, swallowed by her perfectly ruined lips. He leaned closer over her, gut tensing and out of breath as heated nerves coursed under his crumbling skin, under the scrape of the rough clothing he still wore.
For the first time in weeks she felt like there might've been a lingering piece of Shisui that she once knew and maybe, just maybe she could get to him.
Their lips clashed and overlapped, each side fighting for dominance, the sweet, emotional kiss she gave him earlier only grew in power as it became messy, rough and almost sloppy as they were nearly desperate to feel more of each other's skin.
It was like her smooth voice quieted the storm in his mind, while her lingering, feathery touch filled him with pleasure and brought his body back to the present.
Their kiss broke as they both panted just inches away from each other, both flushed, eyes half-lidded.
"Sakura," he breathed, voice breaking the heavy silence. She grasped a black curl between her fingers, pulling gently at the silky strand, humming in response. "Why?" he let out a heavy sigh, his eyes peering into hers as she saw a glint of concern in that dark, charcoal gaze of his.
"I know that you were never meant to be mine. I was never meant to keep you. However…" she whispered, her voice barely audible over the thumping of her own heart. "Even if I've known that for quite some time, I always knew what your choice would be. Still, this was my choice too. So please don't burden yourself with blame. You could even say that I requested this time together; this promise with you. It is all my fault anyways." She smiled bitterly, averting her eyes to the side almost shyly. "Even so, if you feel at least something towards me, don't push me away, Shisui."
His eyes flashed, a realization hitting him quickly, one that he failed to think of before. Shisui's answer posed at the edge of his lips, ready to spill over, before Sakura interrupted him.
"So just this once, can I be greedy with you? I won't ask for much, just don't push me away, at least until the end of the mission…that is until we find her." She bit her lip nervously, her eyes closing briefly as she contemplated her next set of words. "I want to choose this as the best way I could imagine to say goodbye, so let's make a deal." She looked up, facing his confused gaze.
He nodded almost unsurely, letting her proceed further as his delicate, dark brows furrowed intensely.
She cleared her throat, swallowing a few times, almost nervously. "If you will agree to this, then at the end of this mission you can use your sharingan on me. Take away all my memories of you. This will ensure, that I will never approach you again and no one will be aware of what happened between us." She sighed softly, her head suddenly felt like it was filled with bricks, her vision almost swimming.
"Sakura do you understand what you are asking for?" Shisui released a shaky breath the moment the entirety of her idea crossed his mind fully, not realizing that he was even holding it in.
"Ah, well, think of it this way. This little treatment is my way of being selfish." Sakura answered pulling his attention back to her face, her face looked serene if not for the fact that he could see a glint of sadness that flickered within the depth of her eyes.
"It would be hard for me to continue living my life as usual with those memories. Every day would be a battle to not obsess about you and our time together, and that isn't fair to either one of us. Don't get me wrong, I have no regrets regarding us, but I think it would be easier for me to focus, as well as for you and Izumi to move forward in your lives together, that is if you will erase the entirety of my memories."
After all of the selfish, self-serving things he has done, Shisui could understand her reasoning behind this decision. The least he could do is allow her this one small thing, and he knew in his soul that if it gave her even one ounce of comfort and peace, it would be worth it tenfold. Her deal was tempting, it would allow him to feel happy even if just for a few days, free of any restrains, without overthinking.
Maybe it was the better decision out of the two he had, this way he wouldn't cause her any further distress, it was the most logical solution, truly. However, logic didn't stop his heart from being ripped into shreds.
The thick silence in the room made him realize that Sakura was looking at him expectedly, wanting him to say something in response to her wish. Why? Why was she willing to go that far for someone like him? At this point Shisui was sure there was something more than just attraction that lingered between the two of them. It was something more, it was something that he couldn't grasp yet, even if he wanted to.
His hands reached behind her back, tracing indescribable patterns into her flesh, causing Sakura to shiver. Their hearts were currently screaming, a hurricane contained within their rib cages, that told them that they are facing a certain despair; that they are being pulled apart.
Sakura's body slumped towards him, her hand grasping Shisui around his waist. Her face pressed into his chest and she inhaled deeply, trying to imprint his scent to her soul, not wanting to forget a single thing. Sakura was not sure how long she stayed like that, pressed into his body, breathing him in.
"If so, I have another request to make, if I may," he finally murmured against her hair, his voice low, reverberating through her entire body. She nodded softly against his broad chest; afraid her voice would break if she would attempt to speak another sentence.
"It's selfish of me to ask you for something like this… but after all of this is over, would you consider staying in my life? I would take all of your memories of me away, as promised, but could we start anew, just as friends?" It was a selfish thing to ask, but Shisui figured that he wanted her in his life no matter what, because he felt like she became someone that was precious to him, someone that brought light into his life, someone that overlooked his darkness and demons.
Her eyes widened, lips falling open at Shisui's words as her lithe form stiffened. She couldn't have predicted this. She wasn't planning on any of this happening. Her heart skipped a beat. Her hold over him tightened as she grasped the rough material of his black shirt, her knuckles were almost white as she clutched the basic piece of fabric in between her long fingers.
"That's okay…" she murmured silently into his chiseled chest, her voice almost a whisper and if it weren't for the close proximity they were in, he would've missed her silent answer. But was she really okay? Did she really want this? A silent voice in her mind told her that she was okay with this, that she would still get to keep him in her life in some type of form, but a darker, more sinister voice told her that she would get hurt again, that she would remain in this never ending circle of despair.
A small pang in her wretched heart told her she was happy, happy that he wanted her in his life, in a way this should be more than enough, she would get more than she ever asked for. But was it really okay for her to feel like this? Was it really okay to feel happy even if the feeling was only temporarily? She felt that if she were to give in truly, her own messed up feelings would make her crumble from the inside.
"It's more than I could've ever asked for." The corners of her lips tugged upwards; the smallest of smiles graced her soft features as she gave him an honest answer.
He knew the minute one of them would pull away, reality would come crashing down. The reasonable part of his brain, now tiny and cowering to his raging emotions, reminded him that he wouldn't be losing her permanently – she would still be in his life, he would still get to see and talk to her. They would still be friends, and it's more than he deserved. He should've been counting his blessings, praising the Gods above that he even got a chance to keep her in his life, regardless of the capacity.
"Sakura even if this would last just for a few days, I want to make one thing clear. You know I'm dangerous. You know that if you're with me things aren't going to be safe or normal, right?" He asked her finally, tone serious.
"I'm aware, but I'm not weak Shisui, I had to put up with a lot of shit through my life." She pursed her lips, her eyes shut, embracing the heavy darkness beneath her lids.
"And you still want me? Not anyone else, actually me?" His question came out nearly breathless, a glint of anxiousness laced his voice as he grabbed her by her shoulders, pulling her back from him, looking down as he peered straight into her unfocused eyes.
"…Only you, Shisui." She reassured him with the softness of her voice, her answer was fast, almost too fast as if she answered without even thinking twice. She was kind, far too kind. And he was undeserving of everything she gave him.
Shisui knew that if he were to agree to her offer, only one thing would heavily linger in his heart. He hurt her. Someone that was precious to him - he hurt her, and she was going to forget all about him because the pain was too much. It was all too much, all his fault, too much.
He didn't know what he was expecting; he knew that this would be difficult for her but picturing the pain as a hypothetical what if and seeing it bared before him, raw and aching, was a completely different story. Hasn't he done enough damage already? Was it really alright to just agree to her offer so easily?
More than anything he felt conflicted, lost in the sea of self-accusations.
He couldn't help but let his mind wander, guilt of his own bubbling to the surface, however she wasn't able to witness it as he wore that stoic mask of his. How could something causing her this much pain be the right choice? He was selfish. Fuck, he was so, so selfish.
He sighed deeply, averting his eyes as he cuddled her into his chest, pulling her closer, pressing her head just below his jaw. He rested his head on top of Sakura's, closing his eyes as he tried to calm his own storm. He could've sworn she could hear the way his heart was beating, a rapid rhythm caused by her presence and his own thoughts.
There were so many things Shisui wanted to tell her – how he wasn't fully honest in his explanation of things, how while he tried to forget most of their time together, he still remembered bits and pieces that haunted him deep into the night. How he knew he was pathetic and didn't deserve any kind of happiness.
She came to him so many times, and then most of the times he acted like a total fucking moron. Pushing her away, shutting her out, trying to convince himself that he didn't have any type of feelings for her, that he was too dangerous and complicated.
"Then I'll think about it…" he said, the roughness he held in his voice previously now dissipating, replaced by a gentle, careful tone, as if he was afraid of saying something wrong, as if he was afraid of damaging her further.
Sakura's breath nearly hitched as she was still pressed into Shisui's chest, his arms crossed against her back, pulling her flush against him, soft breaths ruffling her hair and tickling her forehead.
A random thought bubbled to the forefront of her mind without any prompting.
"Don't think for too long." She responded, her muscles relaxing into his embrace. "Time is not our friend." The vice around her loosened, and she felt herself pulling in the most solid breath she had taken in hours before releasing it slowly.
"I know." He mumbled quietly, slowly releasing her from his embrace. He pulled away to look at her, as he took in her half-exposed form, his fingers rising to press onto one of the love bites he left on her swan-like neck earlier. The constellation of red and violet bruises dipped lower, past her neck, down her small shoulders reaching as far and wide as her chest area.
"You know, you should probably heal those…" he said, his tone almost playful as his lips curled into a small smirk, the darkness of his gaze sliding over her flesh as his fingers brushed past her collarbone before his hand fell to his side completely, abandoning the exposed piece of skin.
Sakura felt the blush creeping up her neck, her cheeks turning rosy at his words. "Fair enough," she muttered, trying to hide how frazzled this man made her feel.
The small, barely there smirk still played around the edges of his lips. "I should get going, Itachi should be back from town soon, I have some things to discuss with him." He looked at Sakura expectantly, silently asking for her to move out of the way as she stood in-between him and the wooden door.
Sakura felt like this was the most normal conversation they had in ages, no tension, no thickness in the air, just simple words that were void of any negative consequences.
"That's fine." She swiftly moved away from the door and as he was about to leave, she spoke out again, her face facing his broad, tall back. "By the way, I have my first shift today."
His eyes widened. This soon?
"You ready for this?" Shisui asked, pausing with his hold on the smooth metallic surface of the doorknob.
"Even if I'm not, it's too late to turn back now." Sakura said with a sigh.
"We'll be there then."
Even though the club wouldn't be open until nightfall, which was still a couple of hours away, Sakura was there already, as per instructions given by Mr. Li.
She carefully approached one of the rooms where she had seen the club owner appear previously, noting that more than likely it was his office area. She softly knocked, the wooden surface of the door smooth against her knuckles.
"Come in." She heard a low voice from the other side of the door, and she did as she was told, entering without any doubts.
Upon entering the room her green eyes fell onto the dark man, his stormy eyes scanned some of the documents he had lying on a dark brown desk. She noticed some seltzer water with a lemon in it tucked into a wooden coaster on his desk. He didn't even look up as she entered. A pair of clear glasses hung over the bridge of his nose and dare she say, Sakura thought the whole image was kind of alluring.
Flashbacks of her dance audition from earlier filled her mind as she recalled herself writhing around the pole and then the next thing, she knew she was already giving a lap dance to the very same man that was sitting in front of her.
She quickly shook those thoughts away.
"I came in just as per your instructions, Mr. Li." She moved a bit closer to his dark table, but not close enough to actually see him up close.
"Harumi was it?" he asked, and she nodded. "Such a pretty name," he mused. "It suits you." His eyes finally met hers as he looked up from one of the papers, he was holding in between his long fingers, stormy eyes fell over Sakura's form.
"Thank you, Mr. Li, but I think it would be best if we would move onto the different matters."
"Pity," he said with a shrug. "Is there anything you want to know before we scout around the place?"
Sakura was thoughtful for a moment before answering.
"No sir, although I would be more than happy to get a tour of the place." She said, her gaze falling around the large office space. Mr. Li's office stood off the back of the bar, the windows tinted black, presumably so that he could see out, but no one could see in. Sakura knew for a fact that the club owner did this more than likely for intimidation purposes.
"Quite eager I see." Mr. Li chuckled as he stood up from his expensive looking black leather chair, motioning for her to follow him.
"Most of the private party booths are upstairs, but I don't think there is a point of showing them to you now, unless someone will ask for you specifically."
Sakura followed him as he expertly wove his way between the tables even in the near darkness until they reached a long narrow platform on the side of the room opposite the bar that looked like three of the mini stages pushed together. Deep red curtains made the perfect backdrop and Sakura saw they actually made up the wings. She followed the tall man behind them into what must be a dressing room and saw that there was a narrow staircase nearly obscured by makeup mirrors that led to the second floor.
"However, if someone will request you, use these stairs to access the second floor, more than likely you will have at least a few girls going with you as well."
Sakura nodded softly, eyes observing her surroundings as she took in the older man's words.
Sakura's eyes flickered to his hand as he lifted his arm elegantly, violet eyes scanning over the expensive watch that glinted in the brightly lit room, gold and black adorned his wrist. Sakura almost wondered just how expensive that thing was.
"The girls should be coming in soon; I'd say in about ten minutes." He said. "Also, we have the lockers as well, yours is number seven. If you look over your side, you will see them lined up." Mr. Li tossed a pair of keys straight into Sakura's hands as she caught them swiftly.
"Thank you, Mr. Li." Sakura said, almost indifferently, however she couldn't help but feel somewhat nervous.
"One more thing." He cleared his throat, facing the pink haired woman. "Have this as well." He said, taking out a masquerade mask from the inner pocket of his jacket, giving it to Sakura.
"With this you are officially part of the club, however I expect nothing but a good entry performance tonight, Bubble-gum Bitch." He said, his lip curled up on the left side as he used her stage name.
Sakura looked at the black, lacy mask in her hands, some rhinestones adorned the nearly see-through mask, that in reality wasn't meant to cover up anything, it was just for the show. That's why the small piece of fabric was meant to go around her eyes, giving off an illusion of an alluring, masked woman, a fantasy premise that the club was meant to deliver given its name.
"You won't be disappointed Mr. Li, if anything my performance earlier should've been more than enough of a proof." The pink haired woman cocked her head to the side lightly, a small smile playing on her lips as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"Very well then." He nodded, his expression now stoic, however something deep flickered within his velvety eyes, his gaze falling to the love bite he left on her neck earlier.
"Make sure you mask this." He continued, leagues calmer than Sakura as his gaze returned to her face again.
"Don't worry Mr. Li, it won't be visible after I will be done with all the preparations." She brushed over the mark playfully, although she felt anything but playful at this very moment. "I trust you to do that then, I'll get going since I have a lot of work to do and girls should be coming in at any moment now." He sighed, long fingers running through the black locks, however his voice remained professional compared to the tone he used previously, when she was giving him a lap dance.
"I believe you have an outfit?" He asked, his tall form nearly reaching the door frame as he looked at her over his shoulder, his face sharp.
"I wouldn't dream of coming unprepared, Mr. Li." She said, her voice held the same level of professionalism, however the sly smirk she had on her face told him otherwise.
He left the makeup room without another word.
Sakura released a sigh of relief, it seemed like she was in for a long night.
Sakura deposited her purse into the small locker that belonged to her, the one with the dark orange lock and number seven on it. Just a moment later she noticed a soft rustle behind her and when she turned around, she saw girls strut around in their thongs, high heels, tiny tank tops and some of them, nothing at all. Sakura fought a blush that was threatening to creep onto her face.
"Oh, we have a new girl!" One of them shouted cheerfully. Sakura stepped away from the locker, pulling her body closer into the brightly lit room, allowing them all to see her better.
"A new addition to the family, huh?" Said another woman, long burgundy hair fell over her shoulder as she looked at Sakura with her aquamarine blue eyes.
After those words, nobody spoke at all and just continued to stare quietly, and Sakura was beginning to feel a tad bit uncomfortable. Maybe they weren't really receptive to newcomers?
However, one of the girls at the table finally shattered the silence. "Oh wow! You're so pretty! No wonder Mr. Li took you in! He has a good eye. What's your name by the way?" said a brown-haired girl with shoulder length hair.
The other girls murmured their agreements while the speaker hopped up from her chair and trotted over. She was a few inches smaller than Sakura, but her confidence made up for it as she approached the pink haired woman swiftly.
"I'm Harumi, nice to meet you all." She smiled softly, albeit a bit uncomfortably.
"I'm Touka," she said, offering a hand for Sakura to shake. "If you ever need anything just let me know and I'll be happy to help!"
"Thank you," Sakura replied, a little surprised at such a warm welcome.
"Well let's not leave her standing in the doorway," the burgundy haired woman spoke up quietly as she sat up near one of the vanity mirrors.
"Yes, yes! Come, have a seat!" Touka said enthusiastically, grabbing Sakura's hand and practically dragging her to one of the vanity mirrors where she suddenly found herself sitting between the short haired brunette and the redhead woman.
"Your name is Harumi, right?" the redhead said in her quiet, gentle voice.
"Ah, yes." Sakura answered, nodding softly.
"I won't ask for the details, but I'm happy we have a newcomer." The redhead spoke again. "My name is Hina by the way." She smiled softly as she faced Sakura.
"My name is Yuna." Said another girl as she approached Sakura from the back, one of her hands falling over her shoulder as she looked at her through the mirror. Yuna had long, violet hair that cascaded in waves over her back, glistening in the bright lights. Her eyes were the same color, although a bit darker than her hair.
Another girl spoke up from another corner of the room, black, spiky hair reached her up to shoulder blades, big brown eyes crinkled as she looked over to Sakura, full lips formed into a smile.
"I'm Mei. Nice to meet you, Harumi." She grinned.
"Nice to meet you all." Sakura gave a soft smile in return, facing all of the women in the room. Sakura did her best to look at each of them as they spoke, making a mental note of their names. They were all so unique and breathtakingly beautiful in their own way that she almost felt out of place.
"There's only a few of us now, but other girls should come in soon." Said Yuna, whose hand was still resting on Sakura's shoulder, long manicured fingers picked up a stray piece of Sakura's hair.
"I've never seen pink hair before," Yuna mused as she examined her long pink tresses, folding the silky strand in between her fingers.
"And those big green eyes," Mei added. "Honey, you're gorgeous! You'll fit right in." The group giggled and agreed, and Sakura was beginning to wonder if perhaps this mission wouldn't be so bad if she got to spend it in the company of these women who seemed so kind and cheerful. Half of her stress seemed to have melted away.
She brought her stuff back from the locker, flopping boneless into one of the spinning chairs between Touka and Hina as she peered at herself in the mirror for a moment before she began to get ready. The girls around her were chatting, trying to get to know her better and she did her best to come up with some random answers that would satisfy their curiosity.
She left her clothes on until the very last moment, instead she took to teasing her hair, spraying it with the water bottle and scrunching it with some mousse until it she was satisfied with the results. Long waves of voluminous and pink wavy hair fell over her shoulders and back. Sakura was thankful that the girls were kind enough to share their hair and makeup products as she didn't have nearly enough stuff with her. Alone in her thoughts Sakura tried not to let herself feel shame as she rubbed golden eyeshadow on her lids, thankful that Ino forced her to learn how to apply makeup, saying that Sakura would never find a man if she would continue looking like an exhausted ghost all the time. She swiped some dark, red lipstick on, the very same shade she wore earlier.
Soon enough she slipped off her underwear and pulled on the bottom of the body suit. It was a black lace ensemble that she had picked out at one of the closing sales back in Konoha. The bottoms looking like regular bikini's – running a little short on her ass, causing a good amount of it to spill out. The suit went over her stomach, the deep V exposing the insides of her breasts and navel. The straps went under the breasts and shoulders causing a bondage look that was done up in lace.
The last thing she had to do was pull on the black lace mask over her face and with that she was done getting ready.
"Mr. Li told me that he has set you up on pole five, it should still get pretty busy over there but its far enough, you will be away from most of those thirsty bastards. All you should have to worry about are the yuppy frat guys, alright sweets?" Yuna asked, as she was pulling her robe off, having just came back from what Sakura assumed was Mr. Li's office. Touka had already disrobed, showing off her light pink bra and panty set as she swivelled around in her chair.
"Sounds good, thank you, Yuna." She smiled at the violet haired woman.
"I love your outfit. Are you off to steal all of our customers tonight?" Touka grinned as she rose up from her chair, observing the rose haired woman closely.
"I can only hope so." Sakura grinned in return; red, glossy lips glinted in the bright light, contrasting heavily against her white teeth. Her make-up was dark and thick.
"I can't wait for you to perform; you must be really good since Mr. Li took you right on the spot!" Sakura nearly flushed at the statement, but bit down the feeling, realizing she had to act confident, after all she had to feign being experienced.
"I hope I won't disappoint you then." She winked at the brown-haired woman, feeling far more comfortable in her presence, however she couldn't lie, she was nervous as hell about her performance.
She could do just fine by her own, but having dozens of eyes follow her each movement was nerve wrecking, even during her audition she had to concentrate hard to make sure her show was believable enough to persuade Mr. Li to take her in.
"5 minutes!" She heard Hina's voice as she peeked through the thick, red curtain.
Sakura's heart nearly dropped as she squeezed one of her hands into a fist, she closed her eyes briefly, trying to breathe in and out.
She'll dance in the dark
A real work of art
Her eyes could burn down the room
So, get out while you can
You don't understand
She doesn't know how to lose
"Let's go." Said Touka. Holding Touka's hand she made her way out into the crowd, before she hit the stage she slipped on her trusty pair of black heels and tried to contort her face into the picture of serenity.
The music took a darker turn after she came out, heavy thumping base that would be easy to swing to played, and the dance floor was already pretty much full. However, it was mostly men in suits, taking up booths around the club. Smoke heavily permeated the air.
As soon as Sakura stepped in, she was immersed into this sinful world. The place was light up by different shades of red that slowly morphed into pink and then purple, giving the club a sexy kind of vibe. There were tables on the sides along with some black U-shaped couches and some coffee tables with red couches in the middle of the room, further away from the booths. The place itself created two paths, one of them took Sakura off to the pole five. The main stage was decorated with expensive looking hand-shaped statues and right across from it, there was a bar with at least ten stools, she briefly glanced at the black tinted window, wondering if Mr. Li cared enough to be watching.
She had already started to sweat due to nervousness or fear she didn't know.
Pole five was a bit out of the way, farther from the bar and the main stage where she could see Hina preparing for her big act. Sakura climbed the stairs quickly, up to the protection of the little rounded stage. She could already feel the eyes on her, crawling over her skin like bugs, from what the girls have told her, on the stage they weren't allowed to touch her, but on the floor, they were given free reign.
She could see more men in suits pouring into the building and finding booths, however it seemed that there were some shinobi as well. Sakura looked at the booth that was in front of her own pole, mostly empty besides two men in frat shirts nursing beers, leering at her. She could handle them; however, they clearly weren't her targets and they weren't the two men from her anbu team whose eyes she searched for expectantly. Are they inside the building already? She couldn't tell.
Sakura sashayed fluidly, and confidently as she made her way to the pole in the center of the upraised platform. A sexy, inviting look accented by painted, pouty lips and half-lidded eyes of mesmerizing emerald green adorned by gold eyeshadow that peeked through even as she wore a mask around her eyes. She had a serene and almost innocent look about her, even with that alluring face of hers.
She gave a few loose swings around the pole, the music picked up as the clock struck midnight and she began her night. She allowed her body to swing around the pole in its normal sway, body grinding upon the unforgiving metal surface.
She twirled and bounced, running her hands slowly and surely along the front of her own taut, young physique, in a path which more than one man in attendance surely wanted to travel himself.
Her meagre coverings barely contained her assets, and what little they 'concealed' were completely visible as it was even if she wore a lace up bodysuit. She didn't have to take anything off to give an unobstructed view of her fit, tempting body, and that was more than enough.
A small crowd had gathered in front of pole five, but Sakura steadily ignored them as she continuously moved. She wouldn't go seeking them for lap dances until after her first break. Instead, she took to dancing, swinging her hair and opening her legs teasingly. She could see money gathering on the pole platform and she did her best to ignore the paper bills that continuously increased.
Sakura tried her best to focus on the loud music, as she twirled around, body rubbing against the metal pole, red shadows fell over her face and body sensually, long waves of voluminous hair fell over her shoulders and back delicately. The pink color of her dragon fruit locks peeked through despite the dim hot lights that painted her creamy skin.
She quickly climbed up the cold metal, her eyes intent on finding either a suspicious target that she could later invite for a lap dance or the two-familiar set of eyes that set her body on fire every time she met them. The crowd only grew bigger as she span around, rubbing her body intimately, doing her best to focus on the task and mission she had ahead of her.
When she couldn't locate neither of her targets, she slowly slid down the pole, her legs and butt flush against the chilling marble floor, causing goose bumps to appear on her skin. Given that, she immediately lifted her ass off the floor as she thrusted up into the air in rolling, adding more suggestive movements into her sinful dance.
She lifted her long, shapely legs; stretching them upward and bending them to show more of her shaped ass, before resuming her attention onto the valley of her own breasts; hips still in motion. She ran her fingers through her hair, smoothing the long silky waves over her body despite the lace bodysuit that stuck to her like a second skin. She arched her back, feigning a breathless moan through her cherry red lips as she closed her eyes briefly.
The strobing lights above bounced off her cleavage, pulling the crowds focus there until Sakura's hips started moving like a wave against the cold metal again. Her hands travelled along the inside of her thighs, flickering over her waist, and then stopping only for a moment to cup her covered breast before coming back to threading through her hair.
Midway through an upside-down spin, Sakura heard a small commotion break out in the easy corner, by pole seven. She gracefully came down to a crouch and looked through the corner of her dark lashes, checking to see if something had happened. Touka was up there on the pole. Her brown hair curled around her shoulders as she rolled around in her pink thong, and she hadn't stopped dancing, but Sakura could see the shadows of a scuffle happening. But none of the girls stopped moving, so she didn't either.
Long hair dangled over her form, separated by big chunky strands, making her look almost celestial in the dim lightning, despite her revealing outfit or her naughty movements. She tried her best to imagine she was dancing alone, trying her best to forget the big crowd that gathered around the club. She felt eyes prying from every corner, grazing her skin from below.
However, she decided that she should push herself further to investigate whatever that was happening near pole seven, so she swiftly climbed up the metal pole. Rotating from above, high in the air she scanned the crowd again, her eyes heavily focused around the area where she saw Touka dancing. Her eyes caught a glimpse of three men that were moving directly to what appeared to be the second floor of the club. She already knew that the second floor was confirmed to be a place where the club hosted their private parties.
The three men wore long, black cloaks, but she couldn't see anything further besides the tops of their bright colored hair, the tallest one of them had longer silver hair, the man next to him had red curly hair while the shortest man out of the three had long blond hair. She couldn't make out their faces, but something about them just didn't sit right with Sakura.
She continued dancing, spinning her body around the silver pole, trying her best to find either Shisui or Itachi alongside the crowd as smoke heavily obscured her view.
She met a gaze. She tried her best to avoid the lecherous gazes' other men spared her with, but in this instance, she was trapped, frozen upside down on the pole like a beckon the darkest pair of eyes she had ever seen were glowering back at her. Smoldering her. She knew both of those gazes.
Sakura didn't know if she could call this lust, but she didn't know what else to call it. It bloomed up into her stomach from the pits of her core, warm and slow it set her veins on fire like lava, slowly moving up until she felt it in her throat. Spinning down and ending her dance, Sakura swiftly grabbed her money and doing what she had seen other dancers do, she blew kisses at her audience in a hasty manner and beat retreat for the side door that led to the dressing rooms, skin on fire the whole way there, burning black eyes tracking her movements.
They were there the whole time.
Yeah, she loves when everybody's watching
She knows the way her body moves
She loves the way they all crawl back when she says
That she loves nobody else but you
His eyes scanned the crowd for a place to sit. He just wanted a nice corner to watch a couple of dancers for a few hours and keep a watch on any suspicious individuals that entered the club. Itachi came to his side holding a drink, Shisui took it, knowing Itachi didn't drink often. As he searched for a place to sit, his eyes found a dark corner near the bar and he settled himself in one of the stools, having Itachi do the same.
The club slowly filled up with people as it was nearing midnight already, his eyes briefly flickered over a few exotic dancers that were already dancing, warming up the stage, however he hasn't met the person he was anticipating just yet. He figured she would probably come out within the next set of dancers, taking up their place.
His fingers tapped onto the sticky bar as he pressed his back against it, facing the stage completely, noting that Itachi did the same thing, his gaze intent on finding a certain someone.
He couldn't really blame him, he was stuck in the same situation, anticipating the entrance of one special pink haired woman. They didn't have to wait for a long time as a new set of dancers came out into the bright lights. The dancers came out one by one and although their figures were alluring and he was pretty sure they were beautiful women he couldn't care less to spare a moment looking at their faces, that was until she came out.
His breath hitched, as his eyes widened slightly overtaken by surprise, Shisui didn't know what he was expecting but his fantasies were nowhere close to the real thing that was already on the stage, further away from the main crowd.
Itachi pursed his lips, although he had a stoic look on his face, he couldn't deny that he was surprised with Sakura's appearance, excitement rushed into his veins as he grazed the curves of her body lightly.
By the time both cousins were done looking at her body she was already swaying her hips along to the beat. Long, gleaming dragon fruit colored hair waved and curled down to the small of her back as she moved fluidly about, heels enhancing her already long legs. Her body was encased in some kind of a black lacy do up and Shisui sucked in a breath, it barely covered anything.
Her green cat-like shaped eyes gleamed in the darkness as she threw sultry smiles at the audience that quickly gathered around her, but upon another glance more than so it seemed that she ignored most of the men, even after they threw thick bills directly at her.
Itachi swallowed thickly. Lacy mask on her face did little to hide her unholy facial expressions, as it was laced around her eyes carefully, only bringing them out. Her eyelids were covered in gold eyeshadow, lined by a thick black line along her lash line. The amount of makeup she had on made her eyes look as if they were sparkling. The color scheme on her face only enhanced the vivid color of her already sultry gaze.
Her body was like waves, hips rounding and arms going above her head, following the beat of the music. Her eyes were now closed as she danced, as if she was lost in her own world. Her skin was pale and creamy, covered in dark, purple, red and hot pink shadows that almost morphed into one flat color given all the smoke and heat that covered the entire building from the inside.
Both men wordlessly agreed that she was beautiful, mesmerizing even, however the shared thought only lingered within the depths of their minds.
Shisui's eyes lingered on her body more than necessary, his earlier thoughts rushed into his mind with vivid images of their time together and his pants tightened significantly. She wouldn't stop crossing and un-crossing her legs. It was fucking maddening. It was like she was sitting right in front of him, clad in that skin-tight, black, lacy bodysuit and she wouldn't stop crossing and un-crossing her legs. Fucking infuriating. Like, where else was he supposed to look?
Not that he really minded. It's just… well, it was hard to be discreet about looking. She was right fucking there, writhing her body like a fucking siren to whoever that happened to spare her a second look.
And sure, neither Shisui nor Itachi were proud of their hungry gazes, but she was a model in a fucking darker than midnight lace bodysuit. Like— shit. That's not something you normally got to see in person. And on Sakura? Never in his wildest fantasies had they managed to dream that up. Now, on the other hand…
Rounded thighs and bottom tantalized them; her long torso was emphasized by her more-than-a-handful breasts that dipped down tantalizingly into her lingerie. As she came up from another graceful move Itachi felt a rush of heat coiling at the bottom of his belly and fuck, he almost wished she could spare him with that alluring, cat-like gaze of hers.
And it wasn't just her set of lingerie that brought their eyes to her body. Like, yeah, obviously it was sexy as hell. It emphasized all of those delicious looking curves, making their fingers twitch in anticipation, but it wasn't just that.
It was the confidence. The fierceness. The go-getter attitude. All traits Sakura already had unknowingly to her, but the outfit just seemed to emphasize them. Shisui dared to think that just maybe she felt more self-assured to take action wearing it.
Itachi grit his teeth and forced himself too look away. Why was she torturing him like this?! Was it on purpose? Agitatedly, he began tapping his foot. From the corner of his dark eyes he saw her flip the wavy strands of pink hair over her shoulder, the image whether he wanted to or not was already fucking engrained into his brain.
Shisui couldn't keep from glancing at the movement, inadvertently watching her lean back on her hands and she crossed her legs again. Her chest was pushed out in this position, the perkiness of her breasts straining the delicate lace. He sucked in a breath and closed his eyes, crossing his own legs at the feeling of his pants tightening. He began drumming his fingers on the long table even faster, mentally reciting multiplication tables to give him something to focus on. He had to calm down.
Still, even with his eyes closed Shisui could still see the shadowy hollow of her breasts all the way from where she was dancing on the stage, as her body rubbed against the stainless steel mercilessly.
Sakura's heeled foot made a little restless motion. It reminded Itachi of a cat's tail flicking back and forth as it surveyed its prey. He wanted to think she had done this while looking at him, but the reality was different, the whole goddamn club was watching her do this.
Itachi and Shisui noticed three men that were already there, leaning against the bar, and soon they were joined by two other men – giants by the look of them. Both of them tall and wide backed, seated already in the plush seats holding deep mugs of local on tap brew.
The group of men were chatting, and Shisui couldn't really care less if not for the fact that they were talking about her.
"Fuck, have you seen the new girl? That bastard Li keeps bringing in fuckin' models into this place. A fuckin' bomb I'm tellin' ya!" Said one of the men, his skin had a blueish tint to it and Shisui felt like he recognized the rough voice from somewhere, however his concentration was quickly lost after he heard the next sentence that came out from the blue man's mouth
"I'd have that pink haired whore on her knees in no time and straight around my cock with that pretty red mouth of hers, she looks like the type to like it rough." He laughed to the other man that only nodded in agreement, his face hidden from the view.
Shisui gripped his cup of sake tightly, the glass around his fingers cracking slightly. His eyes nearly flashed red until he felt Itachi's hand on his shoulder, he turned around giving him an annoyed look.
"Not now." He said quietly as he shook his head, but Shisui could tell that his younger cousin was just as frustrated by the way his fingers dug into his shoulder.
Shisui had to stop himself from flaring his chakra at the shark-faced-looking guy, his killing intent deadly, but hidden.
"I'd fucking kill that bastard." Shisui murmured to Itachi who sighed in return. "I know, but don't." He shook his head again, lecturing his older cousin, being the more level-headed out of two.
Their conversation was quickly interrupted as they swiftly noticed a small commotion break out in the east corner, by what they assumed was pole seven. A short haired brunette spun around in circles around the pole, pink lingerie adorned her body, but that wasn't important, as they noticed a small group of men moving and maneuvering around the tiny stage quickly.
Itachi threw a quick look at Sakura, noticing her stop just for a second as she observed the same scene, however she still proceeded moving her body almost mindlessly. His eyes narrowed as he noticed the three men moving near the staircase which Itachi assumed more than likely led to the second floor. However, what caught his eyes was a redheaded man that followed the other two in the group.
Shisui seemingly noticed the same scene as he griped the bar table behind him with force, his knuckles white against the dark wood. He knew him very well, this poisonous puppet bastard. He suppressed a growl in his throat.
Itachi looked through the corner of his dark lashes, his eyes reading the shark-man's lips intently.
"Where did those three go? I can't believe those bastards just left us here by the bar and went to fuck some expensive whores upstairs!" The bulky man complained.
"Kisame, I can't believe you sometimes." The other man next to him spoke out, groaning out loud. "They went to discuss some private matters with that Li guy, I think he promised us a private party or something like that. You think we have enough money to splurge it on some whores? Expensive ones nonetheless? Even if we would, I wouldn't allow that." The same man deadpanned annoyingly.
"Since when we are having a private party, Kakuzu?" the shark-faced man asked curiously.
"I think the club owner owes one to Hidan, but it's not happening today." Kakuzu stated disinterestedly.
"If we are havin' a private party…then does that mean I'll get to fuck that pink haired bitch?" Kisame exclaimed, excitement rushing into his veins as he eyed the pink haired woman spinning around the pole effortlessly, his beady eyes glinting with something feral in them.
"Don't know, the guest list is on Hidan, so ask him, you horny shark-faced fuck." Itachi heard another groan from the man who he presumed was called Kakuzu.
"Fine, I'll let him know that I'll kill any bastard who gets to that bitch before me." Kisame laughed out loud, pointy teeth forming a grin.
"Let's go. I don't have the time of the day to listen to your horny fantasies. I'm not your fuckin wet-dream diary, Kisame."
The other man huffed but moved away from the bar as he followed his partner into the crowd.
Shisui's eyes widened as he looked over to Itachi, his own usually stoic expression full of dread.
Fuck it wasn't supposed to go like that. Fuck, fuck this was bad.
"I need to find Sakura." Shisui muttered nervously, drowning the rest of the sake in his cup.
Both pairs of dark eyes fell onto Sakura's body just as she was about to end her performance, her body slowing down as she crouched down, giving one last spin around the pole before coming down completely. She hastily sent some coy looks to her audience, bending down seductively as she tried her best to collect the crushed paper bills from the ground around the metal pole.
She'll run with your mind and pull you in tight
Then trade you in for something new
I know what it's like, I fell for it twice
And now I'm just warning you
Author's note
As always, I would like to say big thank you to my beta-reader Ellen (4miez), who is doing her best to proof-read my work as I'm blind enough to not spot my own mistakes and bad writing…lol.
This is the longest chapter I've written to date, nearly 10k words…a bit crazy, I know, but I hope you enjoyed it! There were lots of feelings and some important scenes. The scene between Shisui and Sakura was supposed to be fluffy/angsty so I'm not sure, did I reach my goal? How did you find Sakura's dancing? Were you satisfied with the boys reactions lmao? I had to put so much stuff together in this chapter…and I think the next one won't be any better I'm afraid haha. I wrote 3k words the other day and smashed another 6k words in one sitting, god help my beta-reader with these chapters lool, poor Ellen (if not for her I wouldn't be able to upload today)…
Anyways what do you think about the deal? Should they do it? How did you find the Akatsuki interactions? I hope I did them justice, so let me know in the comments! Also did you like the girls at the club? I really wasn't sure how to introduce them, but I did my best. Eh, I'm not sure what else to say regarding the chapter, I guess I will just have to wait and see what you guys think.
Oh yeah her locker is number 7 as in team seven or seven from mystic messenger cause im obsessed. SOMEONE SEND HELP. OTOME GAMES ARE KILLING ME, blame all the angst on Mystic Messenger and Mr Love: Queens Choice it's all their doing, these games are throwing me bad ideas haha.
Moving on. For those who are interested in my update schedule, please make sure to check out my tumblr Dijayeah. I post sneak peeks of the chapters, ideas for new WIP's and information regarding the new chapters of SOAN and you can also ask me any kind of questions (especially if it concerns the story!).
Speaking of a discord group! I am a part of fanfiction friends discord group, where everyone discusses and shares fanfic recommendations (not only for naruto fandom). I am a part of it as well, the server is by no means big, but the people we have there already feel like a small family, so if any of you are interested I will leave the link for the invite, all you have to do is remove the space and you should be able to access the server! Please come hang out with us, everyone is welcome!
The invitation link: discord . gg / b7sdGRU
As always, thank you for reading guys, you are all amazing! This month I'm celebrating my birthday, so hopefully we can reach 300 followers on the story by the end of it (not hopeful but might happen, who knows?), it would honestly be the best gift for me.
I plan to post another 3 chapters this month so wish me luck, because I either write a dissertation in one sitting or 500 words and then go to sleep, there's no in-between, I swear. Its tough being a writer, I'm just over here trying to finish my fic but other ideas keep disturbing me when I already have two more WIP's that need to be updated ASAP…but my focus is SOAN right now lol.
Okay I need to stop rambling because as of lately my author's notes are getting annoyingly long because I keep talking nonsense.
Anyways, see you all very soon (and hopefully in the comment section 😉).