Chapter Three
Light a fire in your soul, feel the flames consume you

Acrid smoke filled the air. It stung the back of Sakura's throat and burned her eyes. Flames were beginning to lap at the windows of the cargo storage warehouse, the golden haze bright and eye-drawing against the black, night sky. Soon enough the pier would be engulfed in a burning rage and all the trouble it had been causing her would turn to ashes with it.

The scream of approaching sirens was Sakura's cue to leave.

Turning her back, she slipped behind the wheel of the car she had found earlier that day. A nice little Honda. Nothing special, but it was new, reading only a few thousand miles on the odometer, and got her where she needed to go. Like to the thai place a few blocks from her apartment.

The waiter recognized Sakura when she entered. She didn't even order. He just brought out an order of potstickers and some chicken tom kha kai with a little bit of heat. She ate her soup alone. The television on the wall gave her more than enough company.

Sakura was barely halfway through her meal when her phone lit up with a text. It was from Hashirama. He wanted to meet.

That in and of itself was interesting. It had been a few weeks since she had last heard from him, even longer since the last time they had met face-to-face. She had assumed he had gotten busy with his shadow business. Which was fine. It had given her plenty of time to learn her way around the city. He must want something important to call upon her so late.

Sakura left her meal half-eaten as she threw some bills down onto the table to cover her tab. She slipped into the Honda again before she made her heading to Lower Manhattan where the tallest building reached for the sky like a needle piercing the heavens.

This late at night there was only a skeleton crew on the floor. She made her way towards the back door, using the security card Hashirama had given her. Up on the highest floor, Tobirama and Hashirama were waiting for her, their backs presented as they observed the large television on the far wall playing the evening news.

And they weren't alone. Uchiha Madara and Izuna were beside them.

They were all dark hair and aristocratic faces. She recognized both Uchiha brothers from their pictures but the images she had poured over failed to capture their sharp gazes and even sharper presences. They both demanded attention in a way Hashirama and Tobirama failed to. Like if she even turned her back for an instant, she was guaranteed a bullet in it. Whether it was deserved or not.

Heads turned as the door shut heavily behind her. Sakura smiled pleasantly. "You called for me?"

Hashirama muted the television. "We have a problem. We had a supplier coming in that was going to support our expansion next month. A few hours ago, the port they were operating out of caught fire."

Sakura nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, I'm aware."

"You are?" Tobirama asked, mildly surprised.

She nodded again. "Yes, I burnt it down."

There was a long, long pause. Then Hashirama asked sharply, "You did what?"

In the next instant, Sakura found herself pinned against the window, a hand wrapped tightly around her throat. The force of it expelled the air from her lungs and rattled the glass pane at her back. It was fortunate the floor-to-ceiling window was so thick.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you."

The initial shock wore off quickly. Sakura raised her gaze to meet the dark, angry stare of Izuna. His eyes were full of suffocating rage and menacing animosity. Adrenaline pulsed through her veins.

"Because if you do," Sakura wheezed around the hand gripping her airway, "I'll put two through your chest."

His eyes narrowed. Then he felt it. The solid, blunt end of her gun where it pressed between his ribs, directly over his heart. If possible, his face darkened. And for an instant, Sakura thought he might actually follow through with his threat anyway.

"Izuna," Hashirama said. His demand was only too clear.

The pressure on her throat briefly increased before Izuna released her and stepped away. Left to support herself, Sakura nearly dropped to her knees. She caught herself and coughed hard as the oxygen was allowed to flow freely back into her lungs. Her head swam, but her gaze never left Izuna.

"Who the fuck is she?" Izuna asked.

"This is Tsunade," Hashirama answered. "She's one of our arms suppliers. She controls a majority of the weapons coming into the East Coast out of the Middle East."

"She's just a kid," Izuna said. As if she wasn't standing right there. "Why the hell should we trust her?"

"I've known her for a number of years. She is close to someone I hold very dear."

Izuna scoffed. "Again, I repeat, why should we trust her?"

"I can explain if you'd give me longer than just two seconds," Sakura said, her voice a little hoarse. She hadn't moved her eyes or her gun from the younger Uchiha brother who was still watching her intently. It seemed her instincts were right. Given the chance, Izuna would likely off her the moment they were alone.

When no one in the room spoke, she continued, "Your supposedly 'trustful' supplier was cheating you."

"How do you know?" Izuna asked sharply. Like her next words decided whether or not his hands would find their way around her neck again.

She glared at him. "How many crates did they promise you on that ship?"

"Three," Tobirama answered when no one else offered the information.

"Exactly. There were twelve. The rest of which were being delivered directly to Akatsuki. He was using your conflict to exploit you for more money," Sakura explained. "You have more money, more men than Akatsuki. Your supplier was trying to build up their resources so an all out war would fall between you two."

There was a pause before Hashirama eventually asked, "How do you know all this?"

"I have my resources. You may think I'm just a kid," she said, her statement aimed directly at Izuna, "but there's a reason the Sand Siblings no longer hold power in the Middle East."

"You were the one to take down Gaara?"

It was the first Madara had spoken. There was no note of respect or curiosity in his tone or face. He was simply looking for a confirmation.

Sakura briefly looked away from Izuna to nod. "He tried to steal from me. And I don't take kindly to backstabbing."

"Put the gun away," Hashirama said quietly.

His voice was smooth and calm, cutting through the thick tension in the room. Sakura felt safer with her weapon still trained on the obviously hostile Uchiha, but this was Hashirama's territory and she would respect his wishes. Reluctantly.

Shooting Izuna one last glare, she lowered her gun but didn't holster it. Hashirama's gaze returned to the television. Madara turned away as well, but Tobirama was still watching her. Sakura avoided his gaze as she waited for Hashirama to decide their next move.

"It looks like we're going to need a new shipment. And a new port of entry to work out of," Hashirama finally murmured. He spoke so quietly one would think he was talking to himself.

But Sakura heard his indirect request. She nodded at his back. "I'll see what I can do."

xx

As soon as their business concluded, Sakura left the suite. She waited for the elevator silently, her arms crossed over her chest as she watched the numbers count the floors.

She was still waiting when the hairs on the back of her neck prickled uncomfortably. Her hands tightened around her biceps as Madara stopped beside her. Though he hadn't spoken more than one sentence to her the entire meeting, he still made her skin crawl and her senses go on high alert. Like he was one word, one movement away from igniting her fight or flight instincts. Her fingers itched to grab her weapon.

But Madara didn't speak. Even as they finally stepped into the elevator together and were well on their way down, he remained silent. She almost believed she would escape unscathed. Almost.

"We have been in league with that supplier for near that of five years. How were you so certain of his betrayal?" Madara murmured suddenly. His voice was smooth and low but in the silence, its abruptness was startling like a misfired gun.

Sakura's eyes flickered to his. He might as well have been standing over her, his presence took up so much of the elevator. There was no accusation, no anger, no...anything in his question. He was completely unreadable. Sakura didn't know if that made her more or less wary of him.

"I told you. I have my resources," she said.

"Yet you did this for us and asked for nothing in return."

He didn't ask a question and yet she knew he was waiting for an answer. She tried to make herself as unreadable as him. Hoped she wasn't failing miserably. "Perhaps I just like burning stuff down."

"Perhaps," Madara repeated, his voice light and airy. "Or perhaps you are waiting for the perfect opportunity to claim your favor."

He turned to face her then. Automatically Sakura tensed, her fingers twitching as she was reminded that her back was against the wall. Quite literally. Madara didn't miss any of this.

She held his gaze steadily, his dark eyes like a black hole, pulling her in and threatening to consume her very soul in their intensity.

"There are no favors you could grant me," she said.

The corner of his mouth twitched. Like he had heard some second meaning in her words. But then it was gone and the elevator pinged as they reached the garage. Madara stepped out first. He made his way towards a waiting, black town car and slipped inside, never once looking back at her.

It wasn't until the vehicle was around the corner and out of sight that Sakura released the breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. She headed to where she had parked her borrowed Honda before she headed back out into the city.

xx

Less than thirty minutes later, Sakura found herself outside of Ino's townhouse. She had parked her car a few blocks away, left the keys in the ignition with the doors unlocked. Walking had kept Sakura warm against the midnight air, but now that she was standing outside the blonde's home, Sakura wrapped her arms tightly around herself, the cold seeping into her skin.

An eternity passed before she finally heard the deadbolt slide out of place. Ino blinked in surprise. "Sakura, what're you doing here? Are you alright?"

Sakura let herself inside, brushing past her best friend. "Is your liquor cabinet stocked? I could use a drink."

"Yeah, why? What's going on?"

The creaking of the stairs drew Sakura's eye. She paused when she saw an attractive man about her age stop midway down the stairs. He was wearing sweats and a white wife beater that left the muscles of his chest and arms in plain view. And the hickeys around his clavicle.

"Oh, I'm interrupting," Sakura said, taking a step back towards the door. She had never once felt bad for dropping in on her friend until now. "I'll go-."

"What the hell happened to your neck?"

Before Sakura could move, Ino ripped her jacket away from her throat. Sakura hadn't seen the damage for herself yet, but she could feel the bruises with every swallow. She only hoped it didn't look nearly as bad as it felt. Judging by the look on Ino's face, it likely was.

"Who did this to you?" the blonde demanded. "Where was Kakashi?"

Sakura didn't answer. Instead her eyes travelled back to the unknown male. He was still standing on the stairs, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. He observed them with an unusual half-interested, half-bored stare.

Ino followed her gaze. "It's alright," she said. "This is Shikamaru. He's my contact."

And fuck buddy, Sakura wanted to add but she kept her mouth closed. "I met Madara," she said after a moment.

"And he strangled you?" Ino asked sharply.

"Well...Izuna did," she admitted. "After I said I burnt down Pier 76."

Ino nearly sighed. "I should have known that was you."

"It took Izuna three years to secure that port," Shikamaru spoke for the first time. There was a strange drawl to his voice, like someone who had been forced to retell the same story over and over again. "You're lucky he didn't kill you."

If there was one thing Sakura didn't feel right now, it was lucky. Frustrated, yes. Perhaps even a little frazzled. But definitely not lucky.

Sakura glanced back at Ino. "Tequila."

There was still a frown on Ino's face but she nodded towards the kitchen. "Usual place."

xx

The sun wasn't quite up yet. The horizon was only just becoming a less dark black, the telltale signs that morning would soon be upon them.

Sakura didn't notice though. She was far too drunk to notice anything but how good the cool window in the back of the cab felt pressed against her flushed cheek. It comforted her, grounded her. Enough that she was half-asleep when the bright, yellow car pulled up outside her apartment.

It took a minute or two for Sakura to gather herself. She had enough sense to double check that she had her phone and her keys - and her gun - before she threw the back door open. She headed towards the lobby without closing it, ignoring the shout from the driver. Her only focus was getting herself to the right floor and the right door.

It was a struggle fitting her key into the lock but eventually Sakura was able to slide the deadbolt out of place. She kicked off her boots haphazardly, cursing softly as she lost her balance and fell against the wall. She was going to climb into bed, curl up under her blankets and stay there until the sun had slipped below the opposite horizon.

At least that was her plan until Sakura realized she wasn't alone.

Pulling her gun, Sakura pointed it at the shadowed figure in front of the large windows overlooking the city. Only once they half turned towards her did Sakura recognize Tobirama. He was dressed - as always - in an expensive suit that emphasized his handsome, scowling face. The creeping morning light outlined his lean form. In front of the tall, narrow windows, he appeared broader. More intimidating.

Sakura lowered her gun slowly. Confused, she gazed around the living space. No, this was definitely her apartment.

So how the hell had he gotten in and more importantly, what was he doing here? No, that wasn't right. What was he doing here and more importantly, how had he gotten in? That was more accurate.

"Wha're you doing here?" she slurred. No wait, what was her other question?

Tobirama eyed her, as if measuring exactly how many shots were swimming through her system. "I texted you six hours ago," he said like it was obvious.

Sakura's brow furrowed. Where did she put her phone again? She ran her hands over her bra, down her front to the pockets of her pants and then the back. She pulled out her phone and hit the home screen button.

"It's dead," she said, tossing the useless device onto the table. "What'd you want?"

Tobirama simply watched her as she shrugged out of her jacket and tossed it on the table beside her cell. It landed half on the tabletop before it slid off onto the floor.

"You're really drunk," he said with amusement.

She missed the smirk curving the corner of his mouth as she wandered over to the fridge to find a water bottle. She was suddenly so thirsty.

Tobirama crossed the living area to come to a stop beside her, the wingtips on his shoes an obnoxious sound. "I came by to give you this," he said. "A gift from Hashirama for handling the incident for him yesterday."

Sakura set her water aside to accept whatever was in Tobirama's hand. She rolled it over in her palm. It was a car key. New and shiny. And a BMW.

She stared at Tobirama flatly. "A BMW? I can buy myself a BMW. Tell Hashirama if he really wants to say thanks, he can get me something that I can't get on my own."

Dropping the key back into his palm, Sakura swept past him. She heard Tobirama set it on the table. "I'll let you tell him that," he said, his voice rich with humor again. "Though I have to admit, it's a beautiful car."

"Then why don't you take it?" she asked.

"I don't have any more room in my garage," he said so offhandedly she didn't know if he was joking or not. "And Hashirama wants you to have it."

Sakura was quiet as she stored her gun in the nightstand beside her bed. So quiet he wondered if she was even listening to him.

"I'm surprised you're not jumping on this," Tobirama said when she didn't answer. "With how many cars you go through in a week, I would have thought-."

Whatever he was about to say fell forgotten as Sakura abruptly slipped out of her jeans. She bunched them up and threw them into the corner before she reached up to pull the studded earrings out of her ears.

"What're you doing?" he asked, his voice suddenly void of emotion.

"Getting comfortable," Sakura said nonchalantly. She set down one earring before moving onto the other.

"With me here?"

She shrugged. "It's my apartment."

"You aren't afraid I'll do something?"

Sakura stopped and turned her head towards him then. A small smile caressed her lips. He didn't know if it was more playful or challenging. "If there were ever a point in which I was afraid of you, it would have been long before I took my pants off."

When he didn't speak, she turned to face him fully. "Why? Do you want to do something?"

Tobirama didn't immediately answer. "You're drunk."

"I didn't know you were such a gentleman," Sakura laughed. She then grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head in one smooth, deliberate movement. It fell to the floor forgotten. Her eyes didn't waver from him as she swept her hair over her shoulder. "Don't you like what you see?"

Sakura didn't need to hear his answer. It was all over his face.

Tobirama raked his eyes over the lace of her simple bra and the exposed skin of her stomach before he eventually met her gaze. Neither of them spoke as he approached her, his steps slow and purposeful like a predator hunting its prey, until he was standing before her. He was a head taller than her, forcing her to tilt her head back to look up at him. His eyes were dark, smoldering pieces of coal in the semi-darkness. The obvious heat behind them did delicious, sinful things to her insides.

"Do not for an instant make the mistake of thinking that I'm a gentleman," Tobirama said at last. His mouth found hers before she could speak and together, they toppled onto the bed, his warmth and weight encompassing her until he was all she saw and felt.

And for the next hour, he showed her exactly how ungentlemanly he truly was.

to be continued...

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