Love is War

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Chapter Five

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DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO

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The Uchiha didn't bat an eye but he seemed to understand the depth of everything. He seemed smart enough and even rebels knew how gangs worked, at least when it came to loyalty. Maybe he was tired of being a loner, I didn't know, but I knew he wouldn't be joining us carelessly. I didn't feel as if he had any ulterior motives. If he wanted to turn against me, he would have done it when we were alone today. I had him at my back and not once did I fear he'd turn his gun on me.

"This is great. A fucking load of my back." Naruto sighed happily. He threw his hands behind his head and interlocked his fingers together, grinning broadly. "We should celebrate before we do the inventory."

"Fine." I agreed because celebrating meant drinks and I could use a few of those. "We'll patch his vest too."

"Alright, I'll go round the guys up." Naruto jumped up and ran out of the room without another word.

"I didn't think he was always like this…" Sasuke muttered and I scoffed.

"Well he is, trust me." I rolled my eyes. "Annoying, but reliable."

I got up from my seat and leaned over my desk, peering down at him as he still sat there, my hands resting on my desk. I wondered briefly how this would end, because I felt like he was definitely going to be making things interesting around here. It disappointed me to know just how eager I was to get to know him. Unlike I'd ever wanted to know anyone.

He stood up slowly, coming up to tower over me and leaning over the other side of my desk so that our faces were merely inches apart. I couldn't ignore the way my heart pounded as I stared into those dark, heated eyes.

"Keep looking at me like that, and I just might do something about it."

My lips parted in surprise. More-so from the things his words did to my body, than the words themselves. I was rendered speechless as he backed up away from me and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans, that devilish smirk in place. The look was strangely appealing.

"Come on," I finally snapped at him after a long moment and he followed me out of my study.

I was fuming with embarrassment as I lead the way down to the bar. It wouldn't take Naruto long to have everyone gathered there and I needed to get us around more people, quickly. I didn't need to be with the Uchiha alone, when I couldn't even collect myself enough to talk.

Distance was a good thing.

He needed to get in good with the guys and I was sure he'd fit in perfectly. They were more welcoming than me most of the time and they'd be the ones showing him the ropes from now on. It wasn't something I done. Now that I had an idea of his skills and was willing to let him join, my job was done. Now he could become a part of the family just like all the others, and he wouldn't be having the chance to bother me anymore.

Annoyingly enough, this disappointed me. But, that's how things were and they had to stay that way. I didn't need him distracting me anyway. I had to keep my wits like I always did. I'd steer clear of that guy and things could remain as they always had.

Simple.

It would probably be best if I stuck completely to myself for a while. I obviously needed some time alone to clear my head if this newbie could get to me so easily. I'd have to talk to Naruto about holding things down for a few days, at least once the inventory was done, they could all work on the drops themselves and leave me to my study for a while. Apparently I needed it.

Most of the guys were in the bar, but Naruto was absent, along with the others so I assumed he was gathering those last few members. It was deathly quiet in the bar, more-so than it ever had been before as I walked in with the Uchiha right behind me. Everyone knew exactly what they were here for, what he was here for.

I took a seat at one of the tables and Sasuke joined me. Everyone was gathered around, sitting at the tables around us, looking to us expectantly. Naruto came in a second later, with the last few members following him. He had his usual cheeky grin on his face as he joined me and Sasuke, taking his seat beside me as he always did. A deep frown set on my lips when I noticed the door open and Ino helping Sai into the room. Instantly I was on my feet, pissed.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing, Sai?" I hissed. I knew he'd want to be here. He didn't miss any clan gatherings, he never had. But he was injured badly and I didn't want him dying on me just because he wouldn't stay in bed.

"I… I tried to stop him." Ino told me apologetically, but I knew as well as she did just how difficult he was.

I glared at him, even more pissed when I saw how he couldn't even keep his eyes open. "Dumbass!" I seethed, backing my chair out of my way and storming over to him. They'd barely made it through the door, poor Ino carrying most of his weight for him.

"Don't." He pleaded weakly, wincing as he tried to straighten himself to face my wrath.

"Sai, you know I don't want you here in this condition, because I need you better as soon as possible. The more mobile you are, the longer it will take before you can be of use to us and that puts a burden on the entire clan."

"But-"

"No fucking buts." I growled, raising a hand and waving some of the guys over to me. Neji, Gaara and Kakashi were at my side instantly. "Get Sai back to the infirmary."

"Come on," Gaara took his arm, the guys swarming him and forcing Ino aside. She frowned but she knew better than to argue.

"No!" Sai hissed before groaning in pain and my hand twitched. I had half a mind to put another bullet through the idiot.

"Who the fuck are you telling no?" I spat. "This isn't a request, it's an order."

"You heard her." Kakashi told him, with warning and as reluctant as Sai was, with the three of them carrying him off in his weakened state, there was nothing he could do to stop them.

I watched them go, so pissed that I didn't move for a long moment. I'd still been standing there, glaring at the now closed door when someone placed their hand on my shoulder. This only worsened my foul mood and I turned my glare to the person next to me.

"Relax," It was Shikamaru, regarding me calmly. "you know how Sai is, he's been around longer than most of us. Cut him some slack."

I sighed and forced myself to calm. He was right. I had to respect Sai for his loyalty to the family. "Shit." I cursed and ran a hand through my hair in annoyance before returning to my seat.

"Don't be so mad at him, I would have done the same thing." Naruto mused and I rolled my eyes because I knew it was true.

"You two are the most difficult bastards I know."

"We're also your favorites." He countered smugly and I shook my head, unsure what I'd ever do with him, Sai or any of the rest of these fuckers.

"Somebody bring me a fucking drink." I barked out, holding my now aching head. These bastards would surely be the death of me.

Neji brought over a bottle of liquor and Tenten met him at my table with a glass of ice for me. I thanked them both before waving them off and pouring myself a drink. I took a much needed sip before addressing the group.

"As I'm sure you've all realized, we're here to welcome our newest recruit. Sasuke Uchiha came to me, highly recommended by Naruto, and even Kakashi had good things to say about him, but today during our drop, he proved himself more than worthy of joining us. Singlehandedly, he took out more than a dozen Akatsuki bitches."

I had to pause there because the whole room erupted in surprised chatter. This annoyed me because I didn't want to be interrupted until I was finished.

"Quiet!" I hissed, silencing the room effectively before going on. "I'll be the first to admit how amazing it was for him to get us out of that situation so easily, but more than that, I know that somehow, someway, the Akatsuki is keeping tabs on us. That means from here on out, we'll be having to take extra precautions with all our jobs, even if they are down several members now. We all know how quickly and carelessly they recruit. I want you all to be ready for anything, any time. With that being said, Uchiha is now one of us. To make it official, we'll all have a drink as we brand his vest."

A round of excitement filled the room and everyone seemed pleased enough with their loud shouting. For the next hour or so, we drank and everyone introduced themselves to our newest member. Knowing he'd stood up against so many Akatsuki members at once earned him a lot of respect, especially since neither of us had come back with any injuries.

The best part was branding his vest. Though this was something Naruto took care of, I couldn't help thinking that this didn't just make him ours, but mine. As Naruto made quick work with the vest, I glanced over at the Uchiha, expecting to have a moment to admire him as he watched the vest be branded, but instead I found his eyes on me.

Damn.

Did he never stop watching me? I narrowed my eyes on him, but I didn't mind it at all. Sure, it infuriated me, but only because I liked it so much. I wondered if it would always be this way, him watching me so intently. Either way, he was stuck with me forever. I just didn't know if I could be stuck with him, even if I had to be.

Even if I wanted to be…

"All set!" Naruto held up the branded vest and the whole bar erupted in cheers once more.

Sasuke finally looked away from me, to take the vest back from Naruto and put it on. Fuck. I was certain he'd never been sexier than he was then and I said nothing as I sat there, watching him. He took his seat back next to me and gave me a smirk. I bit my lip to keep from saying something I'd regret, what with everyone around to witness it.

"One more round of drinks before we get started with the inventory!" Naruto announced and the girls served up more drinks for everyone. "To Sasuke, for protecting our Sakura and joining our family!" Naruto proposed a toast and everyone raised their glasses, me and Sasuke as well and then we drank.

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"Time to get to work." I muttered, cutting the party short.

Everyone knew we had to get to get to work but the longer we drank, the more we wanted to drink. Nobody argued as they dispersed, some of them going to bed for the night, the others heading for the garage. Only a few of us did the inventory. Tonight it was me, Naruto, Gaara, Neji, Shikamaru, Kakashi, Lee and Sasuke.

It was a lot of work to do and truth be told we could use every hand we had to get the work done quicker, but with a limited amount of space, only so many could join us. Though, if things took too long, we'd work it out in shifts. The guys who were in the garage would be bringing in more goods for the next half an hour or so. For now, only a small percentage had been brought in.

Naruto was in front of me, leading the way as we went to the furthest table in the back, where all the weapons brought in so far sat. Everything was disassembled. After the inventory was done, Gaara had the fun job of piecing everything together. It took him a while, but he was faster than any of us. It was a job, but he never complained and he was rewarded greatly.

Nobody knew the weapons like he did, Naruto was a close second but Gaara just had a skill that none of us could rival. There was nothing he didn't know and so he always took the initiative when it came to the inventory. Gaara was an irreplaceable part of the family. Even though he was an idiot at times, I respected him greatly.

As soon as we stood before the loaded table, he handed me my book. I'd write everything down and check it off once I went back to my study where I already had a list of everything we should have. One weapon short would be enough to piss me off. Any more than that and I'd have the bastard's heads for thinking they could get one up on me.

I raised a suspicious brow when Gaara pushed by Naruto and then me to stand between me and the Uchiha. He thought he was slick and he may have been for the most part, but I didn't miss much. He stood close, hovering over me unlike he ever usually did. Sometimes he'd get close but not often, and never when we were in the middle of inventory.

"Let me help you," He grumbled, obviously sensing my discomfort. My hands gripped tightly to the book as I fought the urge to pull my gun and make a few threats. I knew he meant well, but I didn't like it.

"Dumbass." Naruto chuckled under his breath. He knew better than anyone why Gaara acted as he did but he knew I'd put him in his place so he said nothing further.

"We'll start on the left. I'll call everything we have and the others can recheck while you write them down."

"Fine, but back the fuck up." I growled and he only barely stepped away, remaining close enough that we were almost touching. Room was scarce, but not that much.

Rolling my eyes, I said nothing else as he started naming each weapon in order and the guys double checked that everything was there, each piece to each gun. It was the most annoying part of the job, but they worked quickly, even Sasuke. I was surprised when we made it through the first table in only a few short minutes. It usually took much longer but Gaara was on a roll tonight.

It got harder when we went to the next table, where those weapons had just been brought in, but still Gaara showed off his skills well. One glance and he knew the weapon and all it contained, down to every last piece. He called them out so fast, it took all the other guys to keep up with checking them and being sure Gaara was right. He always was.

After a couple hours, the entire room was filled with weapons, everything off the truck had been brought in. Gaara was so fast, I could barely keep up with him myself, and a couple times, I even had to tell him to slow down so I wouldn't miss writing anything down. When I did he'd stop completely, looking over my notes and making sure I did indeed have everything. He stayed close. Too close. Unfortunately, we were so busy I didn't take the time to scold him.

It was nearing dawn before we'd finished, but nobody was complaining. We'd worked quickly and for the large load, I couldn't believe we'd gone through it all in one night. I wrote down so much my hand ached and my mind couldn't follow. I'd long since needed a drink and once we were finally finished, that was all I could think about.

"Alright, I'm out of here." Shikamaru called. I glanced over at him where he stood at the door, Kakashi, Lee and Neji were with him.

"Get some rest guys." I nodded at them and they all left happily.

I sighed, feeling quite tired myself as I skimmed over my book before glancing around the room. It was a mess. There were so many weapons I wasn't sure how Gaara would manage taking care of it all himself.

"Shit, I'm beat." Naruto yawned and stretched. "I think I'll have to take a breather myself."

I nodded, looking over at him. I knew he had to be exhausted, we all were. "Get to bed then."

"Yes ma'am." He laughed before looking suggestively at Gaara and then Sasuke. I hadn't realized they were both standing on either side of me now. He was still laughing when he finally left me alone with them.

I glanced over at the Uchiha thoughtfully and was surprised to find that he didn't look tired at all, much like Gaara. Gaara wouldn't be tired, anytime new weapons came he got so excited, sometimes he didn't sleep for days. "Not tired?" I asked, thought I already knew how he'd answer.

"No, I'm good." He answered flatly, but I was surprised that instead of looking at me, his eyes were on Gaara.

I chose not to think much of it as I turned to look at Gaara, right beside me. "You're not calling it a night either, are you?"

"Hell no. You know I wouldn't dream of it."

Smirking slightly, I shook my head at him. He was impossible. "Still, seems like the job would be easier after some rest." I shrugged.

"Not for me." Gaara laughed. "I'm pumped and ready to get this over with."

I nodded understandingly. "Alright."

"Don't you want to hang around and watch?" He teased.

"Not on your life." I snorted, but he knew how much I valued his expertise. "Good luck though, I may even check in on you before I go to bed. Maybe."

"Maybe means you will." He smirked. "I'll be here."

I turned away from him, rolling my eyes. He didn't have to seem so excited about it. Cursing him for being such an imbecile, I took a few steps until I was closer to Sasuke, but only because I had to walk that way to leave. "We can leave him to it." I explained and having no arguments, Sasuke stepped aside so I could walk past him. I stiffened.

Telling myself to get it together and think nothing of it, I straightened and brushed past him, but the contact was as infectious as I feared it would be. My whole body crawled with chills. Even after I was out of them room with him behind me, I could still feel him against me. The slightest touch and I was this uneasy.

What the hell?

It wasn't until I made it to my study that I realized he was still with me, just behind me. I'd been so distracted I hadn't even sent him on his way. Shit. I cursed myself for being such a fool as I unlocked the door and let him in without a word. He took a seat just before I did and I refused to allow myself even the slightest glance in his direction.

As soon as I had my bottle, I poured us both a drink but I was almost instantly refilling my glass. I sighed after my second glass, feeling much more relaxed then. I was effectively ignoring my guest as I went about pulling out my other book so I could check everything off. Only a couple more hours and I could head to bed myself.

"That was a load of guns…" Sasuke commented, making sure I didn't forget I had company.

Chancing a glance over at him, I bit my lip. He was leaned back quite cozily in the chair, one hand holding his drink, the other absentmindedly stroking his chin. Everything about him was so alluring, I forgot what I was even doing as I admired him for far too long.

He smirked. "See something you like, princess?"

His words taking me completely by surprise, I sat there for a moment, dumfounded and shocked. Not only because of his words, though they were the main reason, but also because he hit the nail on the head. I certainly did see something I liked. But, nobody- and I mean nobody, called me princess.

"Watch it." I told him icily, my eyes narrowed on him in my annoyance. How he could look so good even while pissing me off, I'd never know.

He laughed then, sighing once he finally got over his amusement but by then, I was ignoring him as best I could, and working with my books. Like I'd ever get anything done with him being around and distracted me though.

"Not into pet names?" He mused.

I leaned back in my chair, books forgotten as I glared at him. After an intense moment of staring into those eyes, I had to just look away. Grumbling under my breath, I lifted my feet to rest them on my desk and started drinking straight out of my bottle. This guy… I had no idea what to do with him… what to do about my attraction to him. He made me turn into a mess that wasn't me.

I fucking hated it.

"Do I look like a fucking pet to you?" I finally asked after calming down a bit. If I got too out of control, I might accidentally, or not so accidentally end up shooting his ass.

With a smirk, his hand dropped away from his face to rest in his lap and unthinking, I let my eyes follow. Every inch of him looked absolutely delicious. His hand moved, suddenly resting right over his crotch and my cheeks heated. Embarrassed, I looked away towards the wall, anywhere but at that damned Uchiha.

"Naruto says you're not into guys… not that you're into girls, but… supposedly you're not into fucking around with anyone. That's not the impression I'm getting."

"Well you can't believe everything Naruto says." I spat with a scoff. "That bastard also told me that you don't fuck… at all… But it's becoming more and more obvious to me that you do. Cocky as you are, it's probably the only thing on your mind." I rolled my eyes, taking another swig out of my bottle and refusing to look at him.

He was chuckling heartily. "We did have a conversation once, not too long ago and I admitted to him that I didn't entertain women anymore. They're annoying, emotional and tend to get in the fucking way of business, so going without them seemed to be in my best interest."

"Oh, so you have fucked around then?" I ask, far more curious than I should be. I couldn't help but look over at him, but regretted instantly when I saw the devilish smirk on his sinfully beautiful face.

"Did you think I was a virgin?"

Being that I was in the middle of taking a drink, I wasn't prepared for that question. I choked on my liquor, coughing profusely once I pulled the bottle away in that instant, face beet red. "I… I never said that!"

"Okay…" His smug laugh made me want to unload a whole round in that gorgeous face of his. "Well, I used to fuck around, a lot… but it's been a long time since then. Women are nuisances that I'd rather not deal with."

I glared at him then, but he quickly continued.

"Don't worry… I don't see you that way at all. You aren't any ordinary woman."

He had no idea how right he was, but still I didn't like what he was implying. Was it because of my status that he had taken some strange interest in me? Did he hope to break down my barriers and use his good looks to woe me into doing something I'd definitely regret? Was he planning to try and fuck me, just to get a fix and mess with my head?

It would never happen. I wouldn't let it, even if the idea wasn't so appalling. It would be a betrayal to my men, to myself. My life, my family, there were too many things I had to worry about and deal with on a daily basis for me to be letting some newbie get to me so strongly.

"Just to set a few things straight here, I'm going to be completely honest with you." I told him with a sigh, though I couldn't face him as I did so. "I really don't fuck around. With anyone. Ask around and you'll see. You might look good as hell, you might even make me wish I could look at this differently, but I can't. I won't. Get it the fuck out of your head, because no matter how good you look, or what you do, you will never have me."

I meant every word. I was so serious about it that I surprised myself but Sasuke seemed unbothered, in fact, he was still smirking. "We'll see about that."

So cocky. So infuriating. So. Damn. Sexy. I clenched my fists as I watched him get up and leave my study without another word, cursing him with every perfect step he took. How dare he think he could ever have me, especially after I so seriously told him it would never happen. I'd do anything to keep it from happening, to keep myself from falling for a guy like him. He might have truly been sexy as fuck, but that would never be enough to change my ideals. Not even his abilities. Not even his cocky words.

No, I was sure if he kept that up, I may just have to end him… because there was no way I could eat my words on this situation. He couldn't have me, nobody could, and if by some miracle somebody could, it damn sure wouldn't be him.

Angry with myself for letting him get to me like this, I forced myself to get back into my books though my mind wasn't in it at all, and in the end, I was skimming over the notes absentmindedly, not even paying attention in the least and then I decided I couldn't do it right then, and so… I'd go check on Gaara and hope that he'd piss me off instead, or distract me from my thoughts of that damn Uchiha.

Maybe then I could actually get some work done.

A/N:

Thanks for reading!

This fic is just so fun to me.

HEHE