"So," Shisui grinned at Sakura as she drove down the main road of Konoha enjoying her new car. "I hear you went on a date with Akasuna no Sasori last night." Shisui teased her.
"I did, it was...it was like something out of a movie Shisui." She smiled dreamily.
Shisui lifted his brows high above his eyes, he hadn't expected that.
"So he took you to the gallery, what else?" Shisui really wanted to know now, Sakura was kinda hard to impress with grand gestures.
"We left the gallery soon after we arrived, he took me to a tower his family owns and after a million stairs, he had dinner laid out on a glass table, music in the background, wine on ice and candles everywhere." She turned to look at him since they were at a stoplight.
Shisui had to admit that it was pretty sly. He took in the blush on her cheeks, the glow in her eyes...she was falling, hard.
Shisui cleared his throat.
"I know what Sasuke did, he is an idiot, but Sasori, I know Sasuke told you and Madara told you but hear me out. He is a killer Sakura, that is a fact. He might not be a part of everything his father is, he might want to run things differently than him but Sakura, he is part of our world, not yours." Shisui said kindly.
"Your world." She hit the accelerator when the light turned green.
"I'm not a little girl anymore Shisui, nor am I a stupid one. I know your family, you, Itachi and Sasuke, all of you have tried to shield me, tried to keep me from hearing, seeing and knowing what it is your family does, who you are. I know." She gripped the wheel and turned into a park.
"I know about the gun running, the torture, the money laundering. I know about the casinos, the hotels, the properties around the world. I'm not blind and I'm not deaf." She parked the car away from the others in the parking lot.
"Let's go for a walk." She unbuckled her belt and got out of the car.
Shisui sighed and followed her.
"Tell me I'm wrong Shisui, tell me you and Itachi didn't assassinate the elder Hyuga last year on his birthday, in front of his family." She glared at him.
"How did you…" He started
"I told you, I know!" She raised her voice as they walked alone down an empty trail.
"I know that it was you who took me home after beating all those bums up at the bar two months ago after I passed out from the drug they slipped me, I know it was Itachi who set the bar on fire as we drove away." She kept going.
"I know more than you or your family think Shisui, stop treating me like a child. I'm not a little girl anymore.
She stood before him, her hands on her hips glaring up at him.
"No, you're not. I didn't know you knew so much though." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and watched her.
"There are still a lot of things you don't know Sakura." He said slowly.
"I'm sure there is but I don't care, I love you guys and I know you love me. I don't care about that stuff, just like I don't care that Sasori is part of your world, that world. I can be part of both of your worlds and mine at the same time." She looked up at him with confident green eyes.
Shisui looked down at her, took her hand and kissed her. "Did you know I have wanted you to be mine since before you ever fell in love with Sasuke but you were too young for me so I waited, then you and Sasuke started dating, did you know it killed me to see you with him? Now you're broken up, and I thought, now I can tell her, but then I hear you are dating Sasori, Sasori who killed our uncle Izuna Sakura. He maybe be everything we are but Sakura, he is also the one who killed our uncle." Shisui kissed her again hard.
"Shisui!" She pushed him away.
"You just met him, give me a chance to show you how much I care about you. We have known one another for years, that has to count for something." Shisui still had her hand in his and was trying to pull her into another kiss.
"He asked me to be his girlfriend this morning Shisui before we left for Konoha." She felt terrible telling him.
Shisui sighed. "You're loyal, I get it." He dropped her hand and grinned at her.
"If it doesn't work out though?" He winked at her and she laughed.
"You'll be the first person I call." She promised.
Shisui nodded. "Good. Still, think about what I said Sakura."
"Who have we killed Shisui, how many have we killed of his family?" She was trying to make a point he knew, just as he heard her say "we" and not "your family".
"Too many." He admitted openly.
"When does it end?" She asked them resuming their walk.
"Who knows, I don't. Neither does Itachi." Shisui hated the violence, hated the clan wars. Both he and Itachi hated killing, no matter how good they were at it...and they were the best.
"It's so strange, both of you, even Obito. You are so sweet and kind to me, you laugh all the time and it's just, so strange to me to know, what you do, all of you, even Madara." She said as they circled back tot he parking lot.
"Madara is the most ruthless of all of us, remember that Sakura," Shisui told her, but it sounded more like a warning in her ears.
Shisui opened the door to her car for her, "This was from Madara, the car, not the family. Didn't you notice the look on Fugaku's face? He didn't know."
Sakura watched Shisui walk around to his door, "What?" She asked him confused.
"Sasuke told me it was from his parents." She frowned at Shisui.
"Madara probably told him to lie. This car is from Madara Sakura, I'm not the only Uchiha who adores you." He grinned at her.
"But he is like, he is so old! Oh, this is going to make everything awkward." She groaned as she started the car and drove back tot he Uchiha compound.
"I would have bought you a car too if I thought it would make you want me...but I know things like that don't matter to you, it is what makes you so appealing." Shisui slipped his large hand over her thigh and squeezed making her squeak. He laughed.
Sasuke was outside of the main house waiting for them when they got back. Shisui met Sakura by the door of her car as she got out and pulled her into a swift hug then kissed her innocently on the mouth before turning and winking at Sasuke who was glaring at him.
"She isn't yours any more kid." Shisui tapped him lightly on the head as he passed by.
Sasuke resisted the urge to punch the older man. He knew he would be on the ground and hurting before he could blink.
"How do you like the new car?" Sasuke asked Sakura as she walked up to him.
"It's fast and too expensive, and not from your parents. Sasuke, why did you lie to me...again?" She cocked her head to the side considering him.
"I knew you wouldn't take it otherwise and you need a car." He didn't even try to deny that he had lied, there wasn't any point, she knew already.
"Why would your uncle buy me something so expensive?" She asked him
He shrugged," You're part of the family, he wanted you to have a car and you needed one."
Itachi appeared at the door to the house, "Mom made Dango." He said and took one look at her car in the drive before he shook his head and went back inside.
"Yum." Sakura followed him inside and after a moment Sasuke followed.
"Here is all the paperwork for your new car Sakura." Obito handed her a folder.
"Keep the registration and proof of Insurance in the glove box dear," Mikoto told her.
"Don't drive too fast and please don't get into any accidents." Fugaku smiled at her fake clenching his heart.
Sakura smiled at them, they were all such wonderful people, sometimes it was hard to see what the rest of the world saw in them. Criminals, opportunists, killers, corrupt Police.
"I promise." she smiled at them.
"Sakura dear, may I speak with you please?" Madara gestured her out of the room.
Itachi looked up to see them walk out of the room together, Madara taking her hand and tucking it into her arm. He looked to his father, who was also watching.
Madara led her to the second living room and sat down on the couch beside her. "Sasuke tells me you are dating Sasori. I know Shisui probably told you already but, Sakura, he is a bad person."
"I already told Shisui I know what kind of a person he is, he is no different than the Uchiha, who are also assassins, who are also murderers, criminals." She pushed the hair back from her face as she talked.
"I know a lot more about the family than anyone thought, more than what you tried and failed to shield me from Madara." She looked him in the eye, she refused to back down.
Madara took in her defiant tilt of the head, her set jaw, her clenched fists in her lap and burst out laughing.
"It seems we failed to shield you, my dear, if, in fact, you know so much. So tell me then, do you know that Sasori not only killed my little brother Izuna, he gutted him, hung his entrails on the wall like Christmas lights, cut his limps off and arranged them pointedly around the room...wrote my name in blood, in Izuna's blood on the wall mocking me with his death?" He leaned in close to her face so his breath was hot over her ear
"Did you know that...love?"
"No." Her voice came out small.
Madara sat back on the couch away from her satisfied he had proved his point.
"He is not the man you think he is." He said quietly watching her reaction.
"Neither are you." She got up and left him there chuckling to himself.
"No, I'm not." He watched her walk away with a predatory gleam in his eye.
Sakura leaned her back and head up against the wall and took a deep breath. She would be lying if she said what Madara had told her hadn't bothered her. Sasori was kind to her, treated her like a lady, was interested in her, what she liked, disliked her art, her interests. She really liked him, a lot.
Thier world, she had never been too bothered by it. She knew about it, knew more than they had wanted her to but it had never touched her personally. They protected her, kept her safe and hadn't let that part of thier lives interfere with hers. Perhaps she was being a little ungrateful, perhaps she did owe them more than she thought.
The problem was, she wasn't willing to give Sasori up for them and she knew, it would eventually cause problems. Sasori had told her he would try to keep the animosity of the Akasuna and the Uchiha from interfering in thier relationship but it wasn't that easy. It was already interfering and she hadn't even met his father yet. Sakura blushed, maybe she was getting to far ahead of herself. They had just been on one date after all.
His wrist flicked effortlessly as the brush laid down his lines. Brilliant cobalt blue met stunning viridian to make a dense sea green with turquoise underlayers.
Arcangelo Corelli played in the background.
Sasori's phone dinged.
Text message: From Sakura: I won't be back till late Sunday. Thank you again for the flowers. See you in art class Monday, have a good weekend.
Reply message: From Sasori: You're welcome. Be safe. Tell the Uchiha I say hello. I miss you.
Sasori smiled and put his phone back in his pocket. She had felt the need to let him know where she was. She was loyal. He had chosen wisely.
Sakura heard her phone ding and looked down, she laughed as she read his message. "Yeah tell them you say hello," she laughed to herself.
"Everything alright Sakura?" Itachi was walking down the hall toward her and stopped inclining his head to her like he always did.
"I'm fine, just fine." She sighed.
Itachi leaned up against the wall on his shoulder waiting. He knew she would continue if he was patient.
"Sasori, he...he is different with me. Like you are, like all the Uchiha. He is kind to me Itachi. To me, he isn't that murderer, no more than you are, or Shisui." She touched her lips after saying his cousin's name and Itachi's eye twitched.
"The face we show the world is often much different than the one we show our family, or people we care about. I'm sure that Sasori is the same way." Itachi said slowly as he thought.
Sakura waited.
"Are you happy, does he make you smile?" Itachi asked her.
She smiled, "He does, he is..wonderful. He makes me feel special." She smiled at the taller man.
Itachi inclined his head to her, "Then that's all that matters."
She looked up at him then in surprise and he pushed off from the wall.
"I won't deny that he is a murderer, but as you said, so am I, so is Shisui. It doesn't mean we can't love someone, we do, we love each other, special people in our lives. Just remember, with people like us, when we do love, we hold them that much closer to our hearts. We don't let go easily. Sometimes it turns to obsession, like a curse." He left her then, humming as he walked to his room on the other side of the hall.
"A curse." She pushed off from the wall tucking her phone in her back pocket and made her way back to the kitchen.
Madara hadn't returned to the kitchen she noticed as she sat down next to Sasuke smiling at Mikoto as she set a small plate of Dango down in front of her.
"You okay?" Sasuke asked her when she didn't pick up a stick of her favorite treat right away.
"Fine." She replied and picked up her Dango and took a ball from the end closing her eyes in bliss.
"Dango fixes everything." She took another bite and almost moaned.
Sasuke shifted in his seat and Shisui grinned across from them.
Obito's phone dinged and he stood motioning to Shisui, "Grab Itachi and meet me out front, it's time." Obito bowed politely to Fugaku and Mikoto and left the room heading to the front door.
"Duty calls." He bowed to Fugaku and Mikoto, smiled at Sakura and winked then left to get Itachi from his room.
Madara entered the kitchen shortly after. "We will e back later tonight, keep your phone on you and have a unit standing by Fugaku." Madara nodded to Mikoto and left as well.
"A unit standing by?" Sasuke asked his father.
"It's none of your concern, you're not old enough yet," Fugaku spoke harshly to his son.
"Itachi was helping the family when he was 16!" Sasuke protested.
"Itachi is Itachi, you are you, you're not ready yet. Your brother is a prodigy, you aren't." Fugaku rose from the table and headed for the front door his phone already pulled from his pocket.
Sakura's phone dinged. She pulled it from her back pocket and smiled at the picture. Sasuke leaned over to look.
"What's that?" He asked her.
It was a painting, it was her and Sasori's silhouette looking over the city of Konoha from the tower that they had thier first date on top of.
"A painting." She smiled down at the picture.
Ding
Text message: From Sasori: I won't keep bothering you. I wanted you to see it. You're my muse.
Reply message: From Sakura: It's beautiful.
Text message: From Sasori: I'll hang it in your bedroom after it dries.
Reply message: From Sakura: How will you get in.
Text message: From Sasori: ;)
Sakura laughed out loud drawing the attention of Mikoto and a scowl from Sasuke.
"Oh yeah, breaking and entering are hilarious." He frowned at her phone as if it had disappointed him.
"Speaking of which, give me my key back." She held her hand out to him and he grumbled as he pulled his keys from his pocket taking her key off and handing it to her.
"I texted Naruto, he will be over soon, want to go pick out a movie with me int he living room?" Sasuke rose from the table and headed out of the room.
"Take the Dango with you, dear." Mikoto smiled at her.
"Thanks!" Sakura followed Sasuke out of the room.
Naruto came, they hugged, laughed and settled down to an afternoon of movie watching and popcorn.
Later after dinner, they decided to go out to the bar. Naruto's choice. Obito went with them at the request of Madara who was not thrilled with the idea of them going, to begin with.
Obito sighed into his whiskey bored out of his mind as he watched Sakura beat the shit out of the boys in a game of pool. Sasuke was such a fool he thought, to cheat on her with that whore, that ugly whore. The boy really needed to grow up. Madara didn't trust the kid not to shoot himself in the foot much less to shoot who he needed to shoot without breaking down. He was too weak, he didn't have the heart for thier line of work, the family's.
Sakura jumped up and down and crowed her victory again...her boys frowning and arguing who's fault it was that they had lost to her again. Obito smiled into his glass as he ordered them another round and had it sent to them.
Sasuke grabbed the beer and downed it in his annoyance. Naruto nodded his thanks to Obito before downing his and Sakura came to sit by him leaving her boys at the pool table to play by themselves this time.
"Thanks, Obito, this will be my last one if that's okay." She took a drink of her beer and set it on the bar in front of her.
"Always the responsible one flower." Obito smiled at her.
"I was thinking whiskey after this actually." She laughed at him.
"You could put a man to shame Sakura." He grinned at her.
"What do you think I've been doing for the last two hours Obito?" She nodded tot he pool table where Naruto and Sasuke were arguing over who's ball was who's.
"Indeed." He raised his glass to hers and she downed her beer setting the glass back on the bar and pushing it away.
Obito signaled the bartender, "Whiskey, straight up no rocks." He tilted his head to Sakura.
She took her drink and slammed it. "Another?" She smiled.
Obito gestured to the wide eyed bartender. She took the drink and slammed it.
"Another?" The bartender grinned at her but she shook her head.
"I'm good." She fell back onto the stool in a slight slump.
"Good thing I'm driving," Obito mumbled.
Sakura reached over and ruffled his short spikey hair. "Oh Obito you're such a good man, thank you for driving us kids around." She slurred at him.
He laughed and took her hand from his head putting it in her lap. "Someone had to do it."
"Let's get them home before they get us kicked out. I like this bar, I want to be able to come back." He threw a fifty down on the counter with a wave to the bartender and took her by the hand, "Come on kids, we're going home." He called to Naruto and Sasuke.
They argued the whole ride home.