Chapter Nine
There's nothing but the rain

"Anything new?" Sakura asked.

She stretched her arms over her head, loosening up her tense muscles before her late afternoon run. On the other end, she heard the rapid clicking of keys as someone typed away.

"Not really. I've been searching the past few days, but there isn't much known about Uchiha Itachi," Shikamaru answered. His voice echoed slightly like he was speaking to her through speaker phone. "He normally works deep undercover. Nearly two-thirds of his file is blacked out. If he's the one who approached you, the CIA is definitely watching you. They'll either bring you down to get to Madara or they're going to do everything in their power to make you side with them."

That news made her frown. "Do you have anything on Itachi I can use? Just to give myself time to figure out how to shake him," Sakura asked. She braced her hand on the kitchen table and used the other to pull her foot back towards her lower back, careful not to tangle the headphones connected to her cell.

"Not really," Shikamaru sighed through the ear piece. "All of his family works for the CIA. His mom, his dad. Even his cousin."

"Cousin?" she repeated. She recalled the friendly officer that had sat beside Itachi in that Israeli interview room. His hair had been shaved shorter than Itachi's but she still remembered his similar eyes and charming smile.

"Uchiha Shisui," Shikamaru provided. "I haven't read up on him but he's pretty close to Itachi. Most of their assignments are together."

"So if I'm being tailed by Itachi, there's a good chance Shisui is nearby," she said more to herself. Switching legs, Sakura continued, "Have you figured out Itachi's relationship to Madara?"

"They're definitely related, I can tell you that," he told her. "Even when I was in the CIA, all information regarding Madara was kept under close wrap. Mostly because the CIA is embarrassed they haven't been able to apprehend him yet. If the information I'm digging up is correct, Madara is the son of Itachi's grandfather's half-brother."

Sakura blinked, trying to follow that in her head. "So...what does that make him?"

"Uhh…" Shikamaru muttered. On the other end of the line, he typed on his computer. Likely into Google. "His first half-cousin, once removed. Maybe?"

Sakura couldn't help but laugh a little at that. She and Shikamaru chatted a little longer until Sakura heard Ino's distant shout through the phone, calling for him. Sakura headed out into the city after that, setting her phone to her favorite run playlist before she jogged through the downtown streets towards the nearby park. The only green inside the grey, concrete maze.

She jogged an easy pace around the paved trail, relieved to breathe air untainted by smog or pollution. The constant stink of trash and garbage didn't quite reach this far into the greenery. Above her, the sky continued to darken. The rain the weatherman had predicted still to come.

After closing her second circuit around the park, Sakura headed back into the city. She weaved her way through the tourists and businessmen and personal aides grabbing their bosses an afternoon coffee.

Less than two blocks down the streets, she realized she had a shadow. She paused on the corner, waiting for the walk signal to change. Shuffling with her phone, she pretended to switch tracks only to mute her music completely. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted him. The same male that had been circling the park path with her and the other handful runners looking for a mid-afternoon workout.

He wasn't terribly obvious. He had kept his distance. Which really was his only tell. He was a man. And a fit one at that. He should have passed her at least once. But he never did. Always just keeping his distance amongst the other runners.

As soon as the light changed, Sakura began jogging again. She ran the long way home, going north two blocks before hanging a left. It wasn't the most unusual route - she didn't want to raise his suspicions. He followed every turn she took, blending into the crowd. Never once drawing attention to himself.

Sakura considered her options carefully. She didn't want him to follow her home, but she also didn't want to kill him. For as dangerous as her work was, she always chose death as the last options. Perhaps that made her a bit soft, but it also prevented her from drawing the watchful eyes of the government. More than she already did anyway.

It left her two choices: lose him or confrontation.

Another block down, Sakura saw her opportunity. Between two businesses was a newspaper stand. Behind it a narrow alleyway. Perfectly hidden and out of the eye of those wandering down the city streets.

Like a bolt of lightning, Sakura flickered slipped between businessmen buying their daily papers and cigarettes, and slipped into the alleyway. The instant her tail followed, she grabbed him, swinging him hard enough to knock the breath from his lungs. He wheezed as she pressed him harder into the wall, all without pulling her headphones from her ears.

A wide smile spread across her mouth as they came face-to-face. "Hello, Shisui."

Surprise flickered across his face but he didn't struggle to break her hold, only fought to reclaim his breath.

"Sakura," he said once he was able to draw air again. He reached up to wrap his fingers around her wrist. His grip light, nonthreatening.

She eyed him purposefully. From his broad shoulders to his angular jaw and black eyes. He and Itachi really did look alike, didn't they. With one hand still fisting the front of his damp shirt, she reached up with the other to brush a stray curl out of his eyes. It suited him much better than the buzz cut.

"I have to say I like the hair," she told him.

His mouth stretched into that familiar grin, those small dimples appearing in the corners of his mouth.

Sakura stepped closer, her own lips pulling into a smile. "You know, it's rude to follow a woman home uninvited."

"So invite me," he said. Flirted.

"And why would I do that?" she asked, unfazed by his boldness. "Last time I saw you, I was handcuffed to a table."

"If you recall, I was the one to un-cuff you," he reminded her, his fingers tightening around her wrist minutely. "And you still managed to slip away."

Sakura couldn't resist smirking at that. "Implying you want to catch me?" she murmured half-teasing, half-curious.

Shisui's grin widened briefly before it fell, his mood sobering. "Implying I want a word with you. Alone."

"We are alone."

His eyes flickered down both directions of the alley. She could see that he would rather have this conversation somewhere they couldn't be seen, but her hand was unmoving.

"You should reconsider Itachi's offer," he told her solemnly, his eyes returning to hers. "Our company is offering you an olive branch, but it won't be there forever."

Sakura's smile faded, all her earlier humor gone. "Tell Itachi if he wants to speak to me, he can do it himself," she told him.

She released Shisui and stepped away then. He let her go without resistance, his eyes tracking her movements. Sakura turned back towards the street, intending to end their conversation there. Only before she could make her escape, Shisui spoke again.

"You can only run for so long, Sakura," he said quietly but with the utmost certainty. "Eventually you will be caught. And every contact and connection you have will be worthless. You want our protection."

Slowing to a stop, she half-turned back to him, her brow cocked. "I didn't take you for such a pessimist."

"I am just stating the facts."

"No, your agency is looking to exploit me for information in exchange for things I don't need. Those are the facts. Don't for an instant believe that you are doing me a favor," Sakura countered, her tone light and airy as though they were discussing the weather.

Shisui considered her silently. In that moment, he looked guilty. As though he was actually sorry for having spoken those words to her.

His unexpected sincerity took her by surprise. She couldn't help but smile fleetingly. "Things are not always what they seem, Shisui," she murmured.

Before he could answer, a back door slammed open nearby drawing their gazes to the other end of the alley. It was just a restaurant worker taking out the trash. Shisui watched him dump a white bag in the trash before he turned back to Sakura.

Only to find she was gone. No trace that she had ever been there. Like a ghost.

xx

The large penthouse was empty when Sakura arrived. She used the handheld device Shikamaru had given her on the electronic lock, her brow arching with interest when the light on the little computer blinked red half a dozen times before turning green. A second later, the lock made an audible click, indicating it was open.

Impressed, Sakura eyed the device before she stored it in the inside pocket of her jacket.

The entryway of the multimillion dollar home was surprisingly small. Just a short, narrow hallway that led to the rest of the living space. Her boots echoed faintly against the pristine marble floor, the kind that cost too much and shined a little too brightly in the sun.

At the end of the entrance hall, the rest of the penthouse opened up to the large living room and kitchen, but she made no immediate move to explore. Instead, Sakura looked up, her eyes flickering to the corner of the room. Up on the high ceiling was a camera, pointing down the hall she had just come, towards the front door.

Smiling at it, Sakura turned away to wander into the kitchen. In the first cabinet, she found the security system, exactly where Shikamaru had suspected she would find it - someplace it wouldn't be in the way, someplace with easy access. With a push of a single button, she shut it off.

No longer under surveillance, Sakura's gaze swept across the suite. Her fingertips trailed over the dark granite countertops as she walked around the island counter. Everything was just a little too clean, a little too sterile. She briefly wondered exactly how much cooking Tobirama actually did there.

The rest of the condo was much the same. Clean and crisp. With white furniture and grey rugs. Modern, like something out of a magazine. Ino would love to live in a place like this.

Not Sakura though. It was all just a little too lacking in personality for her. The view was the only thing worth looking at. She paused in front of the large, glass walls lining the sitting area. The city stretched out before her, the New York skyline bold and eye-drawing against the late afternoon sun like sharp, steel mountains.

Tobirama had certainly spent a pretty penny on this place. Perhaps to compensate for what he hadn't had when he was younger. Or perhaps he just had more money than he knew what to do with.

Sakura stood there for a long while, watching the everyday bustle unfold below. The rain clouds that had been rolling in all day finally unleashed their misery, drenching the city. Taxis and black town cars moved through the concrete maze in a circle of organized chaos. From this high up, the businessmen and women just leaving the office looked like miniature figurines. Like she could pick them up and place them where she wanted. Pretend she was God for a while.

Tobirama wouldn't be a part of that rush until later this evening. He always worked late when he drove to the Senju Enterprises building. Or at least that's what Kakashi told her on the days he followed the Senju brothers.

Eventually, Sakura turned her back to the slowly sinking sun to gaze about the rest of the penthouse. On the far end of the suite was another hallway with two doors. The first she opened was the bedroom.

It was surprisingly plain. The closet filled with nothing but clothes and the bathroom containing only basic necessities. Sakura didn't linger there long, finding the other door of much more interest. Tobirama's office.

It was full of personal effects. From the bookcases lining the walls to the records organized neatly on shelves. The room itself was almost as large as the sitting area. Big enough to hold both a desk and to her surprise, a grand piano.

Sakura couldn't resist. She did a lap around the office, reading the various book titles and glimpsing over the insignificant paperwork on his desk, but in the end she wandered over to the instrument. Her hands traced the intricate, gold design etched into the black wood, her touch light as if she might mar the craftsmanship if she pressed too hard.

When she made it around to the soundboard, she raised it delicately before her fingers lightly danced over the keys until a familiar melody began to take hold. Her pressure on the keys slowly increased note by note until she lowered herself onto the bench before the beautiful instrument. A haunting tone settled over the den, wrapping around her body and soul.

It was another hour before Tobirama came home. The instant the door unlocked, he knew something was wrong. The alarm was off, as were all his security cameras. With his adrenaline pumping, he drew his gun from the inside of his jacket before he entered the suite silently.

Tobirama was barely past the entrance hall when the faint sound of piano keys reached his ears. Confused, he followed the music all the way to his office.

Sakura didn't look up when he entered. She was standing at the far wall where he had filled the shelves with thousands of vinyl records. In the corner, his record player spun, blasting out the smooth notes of a practiced composer.

If Sakura noticed him or felt the gun trained on her back, she gave no hint. She just continued to look through the record labels curiously as that haunting melody filled every corner of the office. Never once touching, always just observing with her eyes.

Only once the song faded did she finally speak. "Your piano need tuning."

Tobirama glanced at the large instrument. It appeared untouched. Not that he would really know; he didn't know how to play. In all honesty, he didn't even know why he had the thing anymore. Just something he had purchased on a whim.

When Tobirama turned back at Sakura, he found she was looking at him now. Her brow arched at the gun in his hand. "Well are you going to shoot me or not?"

A scowl formed on his face as he shoved the weapon back in his jacket. "How did you get in here?"

"I came down the chimney," she told him. "Ho, ho, ho."

"That's not funny."

She smirked. "It's a little funny."

Tobirama glared in response before he left the den. Sakura followed a few paces behind, pausing in the doorway of the bedroom as he hung his jacket in the closet. She held hers out to him and continued to do so even when he just looked at it. Eventually he took it with an annoyed sigh and a complaint muttered under his breath before he led the way back out into the sitting room.

Sakura wandered to the large, floor-to-ceiling windows again as Tobirama retreated into the kitchen.

"Fancy place you have here," she said insignificantly.

The clinking of glasses reached her ears as he replied, "It's alright."

Curious, Sakura turned towards Tobirama as he joined her, two crystal cups in hand, each filled with an amber liquid. She considered his answer quietly, only to grow more confused when she didn't sense any sarcasm or arrogance from him. Just simple truth.

Tobirama didn't offer her anything further on the subject as he passed her one glass, drinking half his down in one gulp, and she didn't press for more. Sakura studied the whiskey, her nose scrunching up at the potent scent. Poison was her first thought. But if he wanted her dead, he would have just shot her. Unless that was too messy...

Exhaling, Sakura tipped her glass back. It burned. From her tongue all the way down to the pit of her stomach where it settled warmly. They didn't speak again until they had both drained their cups.

Tobirama went back to the kitchen only to return with the entire bottle of whiskey. He topped his drink off before filling hers with a little more liquor than before. The bottle clinked as he set it down on the glass table.

"You going to tell me why you came?" he asked in a tone she couldn't quite tell if he cared what the answer was or not.

Sakura sipped her whiskey, not entirely sure what to say. In the few hours she had been here, she thought she would have come up with something by now. Truth was, she didn't really know why she was here. All she knew was she didn't want to be alone tonight.

In the end, Sakura shrugged. "How's your shoulder doing?"

With his opposite hand, Tobirama ran his thumb across the fabric on the outside of his shoulder. Where Sakura knew those stitches lingered just beneath. "It's healing," he told her. Then he turned to face her, his brow arching. "But I know you didn't come here to ask me that. So, what do you want?"

Smirking faintly, she sipped her whiskey again. In all honesty, it was awful. This is why she preferred the sweeter drinks. If she was going to get drunk, she might as well do it with something with a little more enjoyment.

"You took a hard hit last week. How are you and Hashirama doing with men?" Sakura asked.

If Tobirama was surprised at her line of questioning, he didn't show it. "Why do you ask?"

She smiled as she leaned back to half-sit on the armrest of the chair behind her. "Because I know Hashirama is regrouping his resources and he's going to need more weapons soon. I may be good at what I do but even I have limitations," she said. "I was able to get Hashirama his shipment this time, but normally I need a little more notice." Especially now that she had the CIA on her ass.

His gaze never left hers as he sipped his whiskey. He took his time. So much so that Sakura wondered if he would say anything at all.

Eventually he lowered his glass. "I'll have a word with Hashirama."

"Thank you." But her tone made it sound like she was doing him the favor rather than the other way around.

Faint amusement danced behind his dark eyes. Only to fade the longer he eyed her. She could feel a question burning on his tongue long before he opened his mouth. "Are you ever going to tell me what the deal is with you and Hashirama?"

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I mean, why did you leave Israel to come work for Hashirama?"

Sakura studied her whiskey, weighing whether to dodge his question again or not. She supposed the answer didn't really matter.

"Yours and Hashirama's niece, Tsunade, is my adopted mother," she told him, not really sure if he was aware of the fact or not. "She used to deal arms for your brother a while back. They were close, he was more like a brother than an uncle really. Tsunade never told me, but I think Hashirama was the only reason she dealt for so long."

Tobirama's brows furrowed minutely. "What do you mean?"

"Tsunade hated trading in the black market," Sakura admitted after a slight pause. She didn't think the information mattered much anymore. "She never really liked it. She only shipped Hashirama weapons at first because of the money and then later because of her loyalty to him."

"I don't know Tsunade that well. She's the daughter of one of younger brother's. I'm not even sure which one. Hashirama always operated with her directly. She stepped down around the time my brother began working with Madara," Tobirama said, like someone who had information but not really what it meant.

Sakura nodded. "She figured Madara's connection would be enough to keep Hashirama comfortable so she left to continue her medical career and I was allowed to roam free in Israel."

"At least until Akatsuki moved in."

A little surprised Tobirama had put the pieces together, she glanced at him. When he said nothing more, she inclined her head. "Tsunade's a kind woman. Generous. She's never asked me for anything, so when she called and asked me to help Hashirama, I took the next flight out."

Perhaps only half of that was true, but that was where Sakura left the story. They lapsed into brief silence as they stared out the window. Tobirama drained his whiskey while she babied hers.

Eventually, he looked at her out of the corner of his eyes. "If Tsunade hated dealing so much, why did she teach you?"

Someone was rather talkative tonight. This must have been the longest either of them had kept their clothes on, Sakura realized with faint amusement. She didn't mention either of these things as she sipped from her own glass, wincing slightly again at the burn. This stuff really was gross.

"Because even as the daughter of an arms trader, you're still in danger," Sakura told him. "She taught me so I could protect myself. So I knew how to get myself out of danger."

"Are you happy working for Hashirama?" he asked. There was no concern laced in his question. Just simple curiosity.

She couldn't help but smirk a little at that, already feeling the affects of the whiskey. "Just because Tsunade didn't enjoy arms dealing, doesn't mean I feel the same," she said slyly. Because it was a dangerous and risky business. And she couldn't think of else she would rather do.

"Although there may be one thing I enjoy more," Sakura said, suddenly bored with their conversation.

He turned his head to eye her as she set her half-full glass aside, his brow cocked knowingly. "And what might that be?"

With a playful smile, she took a purposeful step towards Tobirama, pulling the crystal from his fingers to set it on the glass table beside her own. He didn't speak, feeling the shift in her mood. Only watched her as she pressed a gentle hand to his chest and pushed him back until he fell into one of the wide-set chairs. Sakura climbed into his lap, her promiscuous smile still lingering in the corners of her mouth.

"Let me show you," she murmured.

They didn't speak again. Only the beat of the rain on the window and pleasured sighs punctuated the silence. They wrapped around each other, bodies melting together as one as the sun finally disappeared behind those steel mountains. Polluted stars twinkling at her back.

In the dark, Sakura could pretend anything. That she was the face she wore for the rest of the world. That she wasn't still that abandoned little girl in an orphanage that had always been just a little too cold. As Tobirama twisted his fingers into her hair, she reminded herself she wasn't alone. Even if she had never felt more lonely.

At some point, he grew bored of their position. They finished in the bedroom and dozed between his sheets, only to rouse again an hour later and do it all over.

It was still the dead of night when Sakura woke again. This time alone. The other side of the bed cold and empty. She wrapped herself up in the sheet and ventured out into the hall, pausing where the room opened up. The lights were off, but the room well illuminated by the nightlife outside.

Tobirama was in the same chair dressed in boxers and a white, wife beater, his back to her as he gazed out into the night. The crystal glass beside him was mostly full but the whiskey remained untouched. If he knew she was there, he gave no indication. Just continued to stare out through the rain and into the twinkling lights of the sleepless city. Lost in thought. Or perhaps lost in general.

And as Sakura stood there, she wondered if they were more alike than she realized. Just lonely people. Who really didn't know one another at all. Looking for some warmth in this cold, unwanted world.

to be continued...

I can't say this enough: thank you to those who reviewed! Chapters will continue to post as long as feedback continues.