Love is War

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Chapter Three

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DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO

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The next morning, I woke up tired and with a migraine. My first thought was that I needed a drink, but the guys would kill me if they knew I had my liquor before breakfast. I showered first and thankfully by the time I was dressed, my head felt slightly better. Once my vest was on and I was ready for the day, I left my room. I knew it was early, and most of the guys would still be sleeping so the first thing I wanted to do was check on Sai.

I could hear him cursing through the door but I took it as a good sign, since he was conscious. I let myself in unannounced and found Ino re-dressing his wound. He was in a lot of pain, his whole body sweating and trembling. With a sigh, I walked over to the bed he was in and looked down at him. Ino kept working and Sai looked up at me weakly. I could tell he was struggling to remain awake.

"You should go get some morphine to help with his pain." I told Ino and she nodded her agreement just as she finished wrapping his wound. It didn't appear to be bleeding anymore, or at least not badly if it wasn't showing through the dressings, but he would be hurting either way.

"I'll find Naruto." She said before she hurried out of the infirmary. Naruto was my right hand, and so any product we had was safely under his lock and key, aside from the guns. Though he was my go-to, Gaara was my weapon specialist and nobody could handle the guns like he could. I sat down next to Sai on the bed and sighed. His eyes were barely open.

"Saku-ra…"

"Don't talk idiot, just rest and get better. I need you on your feet." Now more than ever. I sighed as I watched him lose his battle to fight his exhaustion and fall asleep. It wasn't as bad as it could have been, but it was still bad. I hated it happened to him at all, though there was nothing I could do about it now. I would however, get my revenge. Not only for Sai but for all my men lost to those fucking Akatsuki bastards.

I left the room, pissed at everything. I just wanted to get on the road, forget it all but there was work to be done and in just a few hours, I'd be making a drop with the Uchiha and then I'd know whether he was worth recruiting or not.

"Yo, Sakura." Naruto greeted me when he came through the hallway that went to the kitchen, he was with Ino and obviously they were on their way to the infirmary.

"Meet me in my study when you're finished." I told him as I walked by them and went through the hall into the kitchen.

I went to the fridge, grabbed a bottle of water and then a banana off the counter. I had to eat something at least so I wouldn't have to hear any shit and also, I could have a drink afterwards, and my headache would be gone for good. I wouldn't have but one, I didn't like drinking before a drop, but one never hurt anybody.

I just took a bite of my banana as I rounded the corner on my way to my study when I walked right into someone. They didn't budge, but I stumbled back a few steps and had to struggle to keep from choking on the bite of banana still in my mouth. I swallowed hard as I looked up to find it was the Uchiha. My eyes roamed over his body as I recalled just how strong it felt in that instant.

"My bad." I muttered after clearing my throat and looking away from those penetrating eyes.

"I was just looking for you. Naruto said you'd want to see me."

Damn that Naruto. I hadn't wanted to see him so soon. "Follow me."

"Gladly." He smirked as I went by him. I rolled my eyes and decided against barking back at his suggestive tone.

I led the way to my study, unlocked the door and walked in. Sasuke closed the door behind us and took a seat just after I took mine. I took one more bite of the banana before tossing it in the trash can and then I had some much needed water, though only enough to clear my throat. I couldn't even concentrate on my water with him staring at me and so I quickly discarded the water bottle in exchange for my liquor bottle.

As soon as I had my drink poured Naruto burst into the room without so much as a knock and I glared at him. He glared right back, his hand poking out to point at the drink in my hand.

"Sakura, what the fuck?"

"Shut up dumbass!" I hissed before taking a welcome sip. It tasted good. Perfectly strong, just like I liked it.

Naruto cursed under his breath before taking the seat next to Sasuke and I continued to glare at him. I'd wanted to speak with him privately about the business being that the Uchiha wasn't an official member yet, but I supposed it couldn't be helped. I wanted to keep an eye on him anyway.

"Well I won't waste any time. Lee and Neji will be heading out with me for our pickup. But you should be back from your drop before us."

"Are you sure the three of you are enough?" Sai would have been going with them and even though everyone else would have their own jobs to do, I didn't like the idea of them being short a man.

"We got it." Naruto waved me off and then grinned at the Uchiha. "I only wish I could go with you two instead."

Sasuke made no comment and I scowled at Naruto while I sipped on my drink. "There's no need for that." I grumbled. Even though I always had at least one of my men with me when I made drops, I could do it all on my own, even if someone did decide to turn against me. Unfortunately, the Akatsuki being on our backs made it more complicated. I was eager to see the Uchiha in action, but I wasn't hoping for anything to happen with our drop. "You will have your hands full."

The pickups were always more dangerous than the drops. There was more money involved with them, and more goods. Sometimes, it required almost all of us to complete the pickups, just because of the risks. We had the best products and therefore, our enemies were always trying to steal from us. They couldn't make money like us and it was why we had so many enemies, though the Akatsuki group was the worst. They never gave up.

"We will miss Sai, but we'll be fine without him."

"You have the money?" I asked, it was really the only thing I needed to have confirmed. Tonight, we'd have to do inventory and it would be a couple more days before the next drops were made.

Naruto nodded. "Fifty K. This pick up should last us the rest of the month."

"Good." We preferred to do things in bulk, but sometimes it didn't work out. Our distributors had a hard time keeping up with us most of the time. "You know what you're doing." I muttered as I absentmindedly went through my books. There was a lot of shit they were picking up today so they'd be taking the truck.

"Hell yeah, I do." Naruto snorted. "Me and Lee will be on our bikes, Neji's taking the truck."

I nodded to myself as I continued to skim over the papers. I already had assumed as much because Neji always drove the truck for the big pickups. You couldn't get Naruto on anything that had more than two wheels and Lee, well he just wasn't good with trucks.

"And everything's ready for the drop, correct?" I questioned him, meeting his eyes briefly before returning my attention to my books. I was trying like hell to ignore the other man in the room, but it was hard when I could feel him watching me.

"Gaara has it all bagged up for you and ready to go, I think he was down there checking your brakes."

"What?" I snapped, slamming my now empty glass down on my desk. Naruto jumped in his seat, but the Uchiha didn't flinch.

"Calm down, I know you don't like anyone working on your bike other than yourself, but you've been so busy lately and they've been acting up on you for weeks. I told him to do it, so if you're going to lose your shit, take it out on me."

"Fucking idiots." I hissed, unable to even look at him any longer, I held my head in my hands and groaned.

Gaara was one our best men and he was a damn good mechanic, he'd more than likely do a better job than I ever could but I didn't care. I was the only one who touched my bike, ever.

"You work on your own bike?"

I lifted my head from my hands and glanced at the Uchiha who'd finally spoken. His left brow was arched in surprise and I rolled my eyes. I hated when men thought less of women than their own selves. Sexism was one thing I would not tolerate and my men learned that quickly. I was an equal, no more, no less and I was tempted to punch his flawless face and knock the surprise right out of him.

"Damn right she does, always." Naruto slapped him on the shoulder and laughed. "That's why Gaara had to start without her knowing, because she would have never allowed it. She's a fucking handful, trust me. Tries to do all her shit by herself."

"Stop talking about me like I'm not around asshole." I seethed, my temper flaring.

"Okay, okay." Naruto got up, cackling and I rolled my eyes as he finally made his way to the door. "I call you once the pickup is complete."

"I'll have my cell." I muttered quietly, willing him to leave without another word.

"Watch out for our girl, Sasuke."

I watched the Uchiha give Naruto a firm nod and frowned as Naruto finally left. Why the fuck would he even say something like that? I didn't need anyone watching out for me, especially someone who wasn't even in the gang yet. If anything, I needed to be watching out for him.

Cursing under my breath, I closed my books and poured myself another drink. I'd only have one more, soon we'd have to get on the road and I hoped that would relax me a bit, that and the drink in my hand.

"We have a thirty mile ride, just out of the city. We'll meet at the designated location, which is different for every meet, exchange the goods for money and then come back." I explained, cutting straight to all that mattered. "We shouldn't have any trouble, but in this line of work…" I trailed off, knowing I shouldn't even have to finish that sentence or him to understand where it was going.

If he didn't, he had to business here.

He nodded, his eyes trained on mine. I hated how much I liked it. "Nothing I haven't done before."

Hopefully he would be a good addition to our group and everything would go peachy, but I still had to expect the worst and be prepared to handle any possible outcomes. I trusted Naruto with my life and if he trusted this guy, I felt as if I should trust him too. Though it had been many years ago now, he'd brought me many good men who I came to trust easily. Surely this guy would be no different.

"We should leave within the hour." I told him as I got up, watching him as he took a stand as well. He was tall and drop-dead gorgeous. I cursed him silently because of it. "If you haven't eaten you should have something now. I need to make sure Gaara didn't fuck up my bike."

I walked by him, ignoring the smirk that came to his lips. There was something undeniably sexy about it, but I would never tell him that. He followed me out of my study and I locked the door before heading towards the garage. The kitchen was on the way, where I'd ran into him this morning so I showed him back to it and was thankful to find Ino there.

"Hey, this one needs something to eat." I pointed my thumb behind me to the Uchiha and Ino nodded as she gave him a bright smile. She looked exhausted though and I was sure she hadn't slept a wink. I was surprised to find her away from Sai's side at all, but then again, she had always taken her duties seriously.

Tenten walked in a moment later, joining her. She was Lee's woman and I had always liked her. She was a part of the family, living in the club just like the rest of us. She smiled brightly at me and then gave the Uchiha behind me a curious look. I wouldn't have to explain that he wasn't official yet, his plain vest told that story all its own.

"I'll eat anything, as long as it's not sweet." Sasuke told Ino when she questioned him and I stepped away with a wave to the girls.

"Meet me in the garage when you're done, Uchiha."

I left them and hurried into the garage, hoping like hell I'd find Gaara there. I knew he'd already have the goods secured in my bike, but I wanted to give him a piece of my mind so I hoped he was still hanging around.

I grinned when I stepped down into the garage and saw him. I almost laughed when I saw the way his face fell. He was with a couple other guys, Genma and Shikamaru. They must have just gotten back themselves. Both of them looked tired and in desperate need of a drink.

"I wasn't expecting you back so soon." I admitted, looking to Shikamaru for report.

"It was a drag but everything went well. We decided to come straight back instead of getting a place for the night."

Well that explained things. "Good, but you know I prefer to keep to the daylight."

Shikamaru sighed. "I know you usually do, but I thought it best if we came on back after I heard about Sai."

He was smart and made his decisions wisely, so I respected the choice he made. "Get some sleep, we'll be up late tonight for inventory."

"You don't have to tell me twice." He muttered before taking his leave, Genma right behind him.

"Me either." Genma agreed on his way, he liked his sleep so I was sure he wasn't happy with Shikamaru's decision to ride all night, but then he had to obey whatever call was made.

I glared at Gaara now that we were finally alone. "Heard you fucked with my bike…"

He laughed. "Relax, I only fixed the breaks. Check it out for yourself."

He knew as well as anybody that I didn't allow anyone to work on my bike, but I would let him slide this once since Naruto was really behind it. I had been meaning to work on it for a while but with so much going on recently, I forgot. At least until I was riding. A few more weeks and they wouldn't have been working at all, so I was glad to have them fixed.

After taking a look for myself, I punched him in the arm and he winced. "Looks good."

He smirked. "Then why are you hitting me?"

"Because nobody touches my bike but me."

He shook his head and laughed, rubbing the place on his arm that I'd punched. "You're fucking impossible."

"You already knew that." I mumbled as I began checking my bike for the goods.

Gaara reached into the back compartment of my bike and pulled out the bag. "It's all in here."

I nodded and watched him put it back in place before closing the compartment securely. "Thanks."

"I thought you'd want it all on you, since you're rolling with the new guy."

"You thought correctly." I gave him a smug smile as I got on my bike. It was by far my favorite place in the world. Sometimes I wished I could ride forever.

Gaara leaned over me purposely to show me the machine gun hidden away in the side compartment. I gave him a sharp look when he turned to me so that his face was only an inch from mine. He grinned at me and I found myself frowning. He was hot and he smelled amazing. I had always liked him and I wanted to know why he didn't make me feel like that damn Uchiha did. Why none of them did. It pissed me off.

"Fuck off, Gaara."

I did smile at the way his face fell when Kakashi called him out. Gaara straightened himself and took a step away from me, giving Kakashi a cold look as he walked over to us. My stomach fluttered when I saw Sasuke walking up behind him. I was honestly surprised Kakashi was out of his hole at all. He handled most of his business at night, because he was one of my best men, he was good at numbers and reading people and he was the oldest of us all.

"You're lucky I said something before she took a shot at you." Kakashi grinned at him.

Gaara stuck his nose up and crossed his arms. "I was just showing her the new gun I put there."

"You could have walked around." Kakashi told him pointedly and then walked up to me. I looked up to him then. "I didn't know you were thinking about recruiting this guy."

"You know him?" I asked, glancing briefly at the Uchiha before looking back to Kakashi.

"Yes, I've known him for years now, but I didn't know he knew Naruto. I must say, you couldn't have found a better recruit."

My eyebrows rose in surprise. It was rare for Kakashi to praise anyone, so I became even more hopeful. "We'll see about that."

"Alright, Gaara." Kakashi called, waving him over. "Let's get going, we've got a hell of a lot of cleaning to do."

Gaara groaned and looked back to me before he moved. "The extra mags are in the back, and take it easy on the breaks, they'll be much tighter than before."

"I got it. Make sure the storage is perfect now, we'll need a lot of room. It's a big pickup."

"Don't worry."

I watched them walk off before glancing up at the Uchiha, wondering idly if he'd always watch me like he did. "We should go, and I'll probably have to gas up on the way back." I zipped up my vest and started up the bike.

He said nothing, but he got on his bike and together we pulled out of the garage. The ride would more than likely do me some good, I was pretty certain because I felt instantly better as soon as we were on the road. The wind and the sun felt amazing and I loved the sound of the bikes as we rode. It was peaceful, just as it always was and I even smiled at the Uchiha when he came up to ride next to me instead of behind me, and it wasn't my usual formation.

We made it to the rendezvous location about ten minutes early. It was a secluded area in the middle of nowhere. We parked under the lone tree to wait. It got quiet without our bike's running and I turned to look at the Uchiha while I had nothing better to do. The area was clear, no enemies in sight. It would still be a few minutes before the customer showed. This one was always right on time.

"How long have you been riding?" I asked curiously, although there were many other more important questions I should have been asking.

"As long as I can remember." He shrugged. "What about you?"

My lips set in a flat line as I stared at him. I was the one doing the questioning here, but for some reason I chose not to snap at him. "Same."

I'd been riding my whole life. My dad was the one who started this business and he had me on a bike as soon as I could walk. Of course, he never intended for me to get involved in his lifestyle but after he was killed, it just sort of… happened.

"You have your gun?" I asked, but I was deep in thought and barely paying attention.

"Yes."

"Check your bike, you should have more." Gaara took his job seriously, which involved stocking all bikes with necessities before a run. He knew who was going out and when and just what they needed and that's why he had that specific job. When he had no work, he piddled with the bikes and because of that they were always in top shape, except for mine.

I watched him check and raise his brows when he admired each gun. They were probably not the same as mine but they'd be just as efficient. There shouldn't be any need of them, but we were always prepared and so I needed him to know where to find the arms if we'd need them.

"Nice." He seemed impressed.

I smirked, amused by his reaction. "Of course they are." I'd like to see his face when we did the inventory.

Spotting something dark moving out of the corner of my eyes, I turned to see the sleek black SUV rolling up down the dirt road. It was a vehicle I'd seen many times, but I didn't trust a soul who wasn't a part of my gang. Anything could happen, anytime.

"Be ready for anything." I told my partner for the day, waiting for the SUV to park before I moved.

The two front doors opened and the customer and one of his security officers exited the vehicle before heading over to us. I knew there were more people with him, he always had a truck full, but he always had the same guy get out with him to make the transaction.

I got off my bike, signaling Sasuke to stay put. A new guy could also make the customers iffy and I didn't want any confrontation if it could be prevented. "Right on time, as always."

The man, known as Gatō was big in his own little business, but it couldn't compare to ours. He wasn't very trustworthy, but he didn't want to fuck with us because losing us meant he'd be losing business as well. He couldn't get our products anywhere else.

"Of course." He laughed as he made it up to me and I reached into the specific compartment to get the goods. Once I had the bag in my hand I showed it to him and he signaled for his tag along to show the money, same as always.

"This is five." The much taller man said, showing me a couple stacks of large bills that were inside a brown paper bag, as they were every time. I waited for him to count it, without batting an eye. The customer always had to show me the money was right, it didn't matter who they were.

I nodded, happy once the money was counted out one large bill at a time, it was honestly the most time consuming part of a drop. I handed over the bag and took the money, they never bothered checking the shit, or at least not in front of me, but I knew it was right. It always was. The second Gatō had it in his grasp, he began shifting his feet excitedly.

"Oh, I know this is the good shit." He laughed. "Thank you, Miss Haruno. It's been a pleasure, as always."

I nodded. "Sure."

I kept my eyes on them as they walked back to the SUV and got inside, getting on my bike only after they were inside the car. There was always a chance that they could try and take us out, and get their money back but with this specific client, that risk was slim to none. Thankfully, they pulled away without incident and only then did I relax and put the money away.

"Heads up." Sasuke hissed, his words catching my full attention immediately.

Looking up, I saw at least a dozen bikes heading our way down the dirt road. They'd only be coming down here for one reason and the adrenaline I felt coursing through my body came so fast and so hard that for a moment, I couldn't move.

A/N:

Thanks for reading!