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Chapter 6
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It was not a busy night and an hour was only left before closing time. It was almost one in the morning and all that were left were two ladies at one table with Kiba's arms both around them. He was nearly as drunk as the two. The rest of the tables have been cleaned and were now vacant.
The room was more mollified now than a few hours before. It was a slow weeknight and there was a soft background music playing in the air.
Gaara was occupied in one of the curtained rooms in the back with his usual guest and Sasuke was left alone at the bar station, trying to arrange back the alcohol bottles. He was putting back a bottle of brandy when he heard the door chimes.
"Well. Such a place you got here."
Sasuke turned his head around when he heard that familiar provoking voice.
Hidan stood inside the café, wearing his pale gray suit almost the same color as his shoulder-length hair. His hands were in his pockets as the corners of his mouth curled in a devious grin. A pair of his bodyguards in black suits stood at the door.
"What do you want?" Sasuke said in a hard tone.
Hidan's eyes wandered around the room as he slowly approached the counter between them, as if inspecting each crevices and displays. Kiba and the others were too drunk to even notice. They were hunched together and giggling to themselves.
Somehow, Sasuke wasn't all that surprised to see him there. He had a feeling it was bound to cross.
"Is that a way to greet your guest?" Hidan pestered, sitting on one of the elevated chairs and resting his hands on the counter. "One whiskey on the rocks, please."
It took a whole minute for Sasuke to move as he glared at him. The two guards near the door kept lingering their eyes on them. He held out a bottle and a glass and started preparing the drink without a word. He slid it across the counter to him after he was done.
Hidan picked it up and pretended to look at the ice in the liquid. All the while the small fallacious gleam remained on his face.
"Looks like your visitors are really enjoying this place, huh?" He watched the two women playing with Kiba across the room.
"Don't you have other high-end bars to go to?" Sasuke said, his face stoical.
Hidan started sniggering. He took a sip from the glass.
"I must say, you almost fooled me." He chuckled darkly.
Sasuke remained expressionless as he stood at the other side of the counter.
"Who knew she could come up with a clever idea to get someone like you pretend to be with her?" Hidan said with a twisted grin. "It can be pretty convincing. But she forgot who she's dealing with."
His smile suddenly disappeared and his brown eyes glowered at Sasuke. He looked a lot older and menacing now. The yellow light on top of them created hollows under his eyes.
"The joke's over, pretty boy." He said dangerously.
"Hm. Looks like you're losing it. Yeah, too much paranoia can drive a man crazy." Sasuke quipped composedly.
Hidan tightened his hold on the glass. "Cut the pretense. We both know you've been found out. I know what you are. She came here asking for your service, didn't she?"
Sasuke remained unresponsive.
Hidan continued. "And it must be all easy for you. After all it's just business, right? You can take her out, bang her lights out or whatever you may wish to and you get paid for it, right? You don't have anything to lose."
Sasuke's arm was resting at the side of the counter and his fist balled as he tried not to say anything. Hidan noticed it.
"Oh, I hit a nerve, didn't I?" He mocked. "It's the truth and we both know it. I must also say she's changed a lot. I didn't expect she'd be thinking something like this nor she'd be capable of coming to such a place all for the sake of keeping a distance from me. It's quite a scene really."
"What do you care about what she does?" Sasuke said coldly.
"I've known her for years. You can't blame me for not caring about what she does." Hidan replied sourly. "And what about you? What makes you think you really do care about Ino? Because you're claiming to be dating her? You've known her for a minute and that's it."
Something inside Sasuke stirred. He didn't like where it was going. He suddenly realized he was starting to get stuck in a problem he wasn't supposed to be a part of. He had dealt with angry men associated with their customers in the past but this is quite different. He tried to maintain his distant demeanor and didn't utter anything.
He was right about this creep all along.
Hidan took another sip of whiskey calmly. He looked at the array of bottles behind Sasuke.
"So how much do you actually make bartending in a place like this?" He asked, looking uninterested.
"That's none of your biz." Sasuke replied and tried to mock him. "Care for another shot?"
"And how much did she pay you?"
"I can recommend you the screaming orgasm. It's a hit with the ladies but you're free to try. You look like you need it." Sasuke continued.
Hidan gave another insidious smirk as he sat there tolerantly. "You're a fucking smartass, aren't you? That's why she picked you."
The light background music merely filled the atmosphere as they silently weighed in each other from each side of the counter.
"Don't see her again." Hidan spoke to him in a deep voice. "You don't want to spend the rest of your life in this rotting bar, do you? I came here to strike you a deal. I'll pay you a thousand fold than what she does. Take it and disappear."
Sasuke was taken off guard by his remark. He looked puzzled and taken aback.
"Leave her and all this shitty nonsense. I can make her happy. What's in it for you in the long run? I can pay you a large, hefty sum and you can have your early retirement. Go some place else—buy a house or move to another city. You don't have to care for anything and just do all that you please."
"What the fuck are you saying?"
Hidan took a white envelope from his suit and held it between them. "I'll pay you a big sum in trade of you leaving this dump and never come back nor see Ino again. Isn't that why you're working for in the first place? You don't have to do it anymore."
Sasuke stared at the white envelope between them.
"Just imagine a life of freedom. You can do all the things you've always wanted to do—buy a yacht and sail the world, put up your own bar, fuck the rich and famous. Think about it. You don't have any feelings for her, right? And she sure hell does feel the same way. Nobody's going to get hurt. This'll just make things simpler. You don't have to spend the rest of your life bartending the night away and pleasing other women you really don't want to be with. I'll forget this even happened. It's a one way ticket to freedom and bliss."
Sasuke was about to say something when Hidan stood up from his seat. He paused and faced Sasuke without a word before sliding the envelope into the pocket of the black apron tied around his waist.
"We're just both after our own happiness, right? I'm just making it uncomplicated. You don't have to bother with anything anymore." Hidan said collectedly.
He drank the last of the liquor, left some bills on the counter and walked out in his refined strides without another word. The two body guards followed him out of the café and into the late, hushed night.
Sasuke looked down at the envelope in his pocket. He could hear the small laughs Kiba and his guests were making, still too entertained with each other's companies to even realize a thing.
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Karaoke night was supposed to be fun. Yet Sakura was on her third bottle of beer that night and her head was starting to float. She would usually sing a loud or sexy song with Naruto but she was letting the blonde idiot have all the mic that night and his roaring voice vibrated around the KTV room.
Sakura, in her fitted yellow dress and her pink locks draping her shoulders, sat on the long couch and watched Naruto dance and sing a trot song as Rock Lee and her friend Ten Ten chortled side by side. The dim colorful lights surrounded them and half-finished dishes sat on the square table. Lee joined Naruto in front of the screen and they were soon singing and dancing, an arm around the other. Both of them wore glowing headbands.
Sakura's eyes drifted to Sasuke, who was rested two feet away from her and was simply watching the two goofs trying to kill the stereo, nibbling chocolate-coated candies he took from one of the bowls on the table. He was wearing a black and white checkered blouse over a printed shirt, a gray beanie covered his usual spiky hair.
She could only look at him in silence, trying not to feel anything as she did. She's been feeling somewhat annoyed that they haven't spent some time lately. She tried calling and getting him over to her house or any private place this past several days but failed. That's never happened before. She had visited Gam's and he'd been too busy serving drinks and catering the night away.
She was supposed to be special. She could feel there was something going on with him. He was good at hiding his feelings and pretending things were normal.
"This next song goes to the lovely ladies with us here tonight. A round of hoots please for Sakura-chan and Ten Ten-chan!" Naruto hollered at the mic as everyone clapped and cheered.
Rock Lee blushed at the sight of Sakura clapping at them as the next rowdy song started playing.
They were singing out of tune once again when Sakura noticed Sasuke getting up from the couch and leaving the room. After a minute, Sakura followed him, leaving the three in the room.
She passed by the other occupied rooms and could hear the muffled music from each until she reached the dingy corridor leading to the washroom. She leaned her back against the cold wall in the shadows and waited for Sasuke to pass on his way back.
He looked like he just splashed water on his face for a moment since the hairs on his forehead looked damp when he came out from the washroom and found his way to the corridor. He didn't notice her right away until she grabbed his arm and pulled him against hers in the darkness.
"Oh hey—" Was all he was able to grunt before Sakura's red lips found his as she pulled him against her body, pinning herself between him and the wall.
There was a sense of hunger in her searing kiss and Sasuke felt her dainty hands making their way around his body, sliding across his chest, his back, his thighs. He felt her mouth opening and her hot tongue parted his lips. He could taste the beer from her mouth. She was kissing him ferociously and he knew she was getting wet in an instant. She was clearly in the mood for a rough one tonight.
Sakura loves it when he's taken a bit by surprise. It would usually turn him on and he loves playing around even in the unusual places. She could smell his familiar fragrance as she pulled his face against hers. His hand found her curvy buttocks and the other was raised against the wall, trying to keep them balanced.
"I want you right now." Sakura moaned against his ear.
She knew he loves the intrigue of having intercourse in public as much as she does. She likes the feeling of the rushing blood, knowing they might get caught.
She moved her hands over his rear, pressing him closer. She caressed his crotch and could feel him hardening under her palms. She raised her skirt above her thighs and started unbuckling his belt.
He dropped his arms and clasped her hands together with his. He broke the kiss but their nose were still touching.
"I'm too tired tonight, Sakura." He whispered to her gently.
Sakura's stimulated expression turned flat. Her body was still pressed against his.
"You're saying something otherwise." She hummed, setting a hand free and fondling his arousal.
He tried to hold back his smile, an expression she always find captivating of him. He gave her another kiss on the lips before tenderly pulling her hand away.
"Let's go back." He said, taking her hand as he began moving back.
Sakura didn't fight it anymore and just let him lead on as they made their way back to the room. He walked ahead, gently towing her. She could only watch the back of his head as they did.
She couldn't help but feel being rejected a bit. She didn't want to take it personal but… She wanted to react but reminded herself that she's not some attached, cheap girl. She could feel there was really something going on about him. His mind looked flustered and he was trying to conceal it. His attention was being diverted away.
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Sasuke's been projecting different kinds of images of him in public that it was no effort for him tucking away his feelings anymore. He's warm yet outright most of the time, but in truth, he feels numb inside. Sometimes he feels like he's nothing but a plain organism existing. He knew every human being in the planet must've felt the same way at some point but it felt like he was getting reeled in deeper and deeper.
Truthfully, he hasn't seen Ino since the night Hidan came trudging in Gam's with his shiny, branded shoes. He hadn't mentioned this to anyone. It wasn't that he was avoiding her because of the deal he rendered. It's just she seemed preoccupied with orders these days and he didn't make any effort in seeing her either. She would just contact him whenever she needs him anyhow.
But that day he found himself strolling towards the Yamanaka Flower Shop after his shift ended in the early afternoon. He could see the store at the next block as he did and he wasn't sure what he was doing there in the first place. Perhaps to clear up his mind?
Naruto, who had just downed a few cups of coffee during the shift and was too active to go home himself, followed him. He said he wanted to say hello to Ino and he was yapping some random stuff behind him. Sasuke was too engrossed with his thoughts to listen.
He saw Ino outside the store, adorned in a stained apron with her bright hair pulled up in a bun. She was painting the rest of the wall exterior they weren't able to finish a couple of weeks ago. Naruto saw her and skipped towards her, leaving Sasuke behind.
"Konnichiwa, Ino-chaaan!" He hopped beside her.
She jumped in surprise after hearing his booming, obnoxious voice next to her ear. There was a white paint smudged on her forehead.
"Oi, Naruto! What're you doing here?" She said in a startled manner. She saw Sasuke behind him right away.
"I told Sasuke I wanted to see your shop. It looks really nice." Naruto beamed, scanning the façade.
"Isn't it? That's my masterpiece right there." Ino said proudly. She brushed the last parts at the bottom of the wall before standing and placing her hands on her hips. "There. That's done! I've finished re-painting it. Looks new, right?"
The new vivid colors of striped yellow and white gave more spright to the shop, making it stand up more than before. Sasuke barely did a quarter of the work. She made it almost all by herself.
"It sure does! You did all this?" Naruto regarded.
"Sasuke did a wee bit but I had to redo it since it was overlapping with the lines I made."
"That's because you and your visitor was getting on my nerve." Sasuke said.
"Anyway, you two are out for the day? Why don't you come in for a sec—we just ordered some donuts." Ino said, rubbing her hands on the apron and stepping inside the store.
The smell of fresh flowers hit Sasuke's nostrils as they entered. It was reviving and summer-like compared to the suffocating daily smell of bread, coffee and alcohol back in the café.
Hinata was behind a desk wearing the company apron and was trimming some leaves of roses. She gave a casual bow after seeing them.
Naruto, on the other hand, froze on the spot upon landing his blue eyes on her.
"Oh. Hello." His loud voice suddenly went puny like a kitten.
"Ah, that's right—you two haven't met, have you? Hinata-chan this is Naruto." Ino said as she took her apron off and headed to the back room without looking at them.
"Hajimimashite." Hinata smiled timidly.
"H-Hi!" Naruto replied, suddenly looking conscious and started scratching his head.
Ino came back and plopped a box of assorted donuts on the desk. She took one and gave one big bite.
"Hef summ." She tried to say with a full mouth. She hopped and sat on the desk tiredly beside the box.
"Thanks, Ino-pig. Not yet starving." Sasuke teased. His eyes glanced around and tried to see what else she might have fixed in the place.
"Don't mind if I do." Naruto took a nutty donut. It was left in half after taking a big chomp. Sasuke could notice him peering at Hinata as he ate. "So where do you get all these florals?" He turned to the array of roses, sunflowers and irises displayed on a long table when he realized Sasuke saw what he was doing.
"I grow most of them but I also order some from suppliers." Ino answered, chewing like a camel.
"Where do you grow them?" Sasuke asked curiously.
"My folks left me with a small flower field just a few kilometers outside the city. I'm trying to keep it alive."
"Wow, you do? That must be cool." Naruto expressed.
"Yeah, it is." Ino grinned, looking proud yet again. "I go there from time to time. My grandma's the one looking after it most days. We have an old house there where I grew up. You should see it some time."
"I bet it's spectacular." Naruto said. "We should come by and see it one of these days, neh, Sasuke?"
Sasuke looked at the sunflower nearest to him.
"I haven't seen a flower field before." He said and thought to himself.
Japan has tons of beautiful flower fields but he never got the chance to really take a break and see them, like the amusement rides he had gone before. Deep inside him at that moment, he doubt he would ever get to see hers in the future.
"Oh by the way—" Ino hopped off the desk. She grabbed some leaflets under the counter, marched toward Sasuke and shoved them on his chest. "Here, I found these. Some staff were handing them out the other day."
Sasuke took them in his hand and read down. They were random flyers of colleges and universities.
"What're these?" He asked despite him knowing.
"Scholarship programs. I thought you might be interested. Those are for the coming semesters and some are for the next school year." Ino said.
"You're planning to go to school?" Naruto turned his head to him and almost laugh at the idea.
All Sasuke was able to do was stare down at it without a word. There were tuition prices and courses listed. Most of them advertised requirements and discounts for scholars. He rolled them and tucked in his back pocket hurriedly, as if getting rid of it.
"No. I was just thinking about it." He mumbled.
Naruto started snickering at him like he was some kind of a crazy idiot while grabbing another donut.
Sasuke didn't expect Ino would be remembering something about it. He never mentioned it to anyone. It wasn't like a big deal. She wasn't supposed to be thoughtful.
"So what brings you two here?" She asked, hopping back on the desk and eating again.
"I wanted to see where you're working. I didn't know you have a pretty staff." It was Naruto who answered.
Hinata heard him and blushed.
"Eyy—she's not like one of those girls you're seeing, you goofball." Ino immediately reacted.
She and Naruto started bantering and Sasuke was glad he was not the one talking. He wasn't himself today and it was bothering him. He could barely say anything. He was trying his best to be himself and does his usual pretense.
Why was he there that day?
To be certain about something?
His eyes landed back to Ino's face as she was ridiculing Naruto and putting herself between him and Hinata, unaware of his distant gaze.
Is it maybe because he wanted to see her one last time?
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That night Sasuke stood at the small balcony of his apartment. Five empty bottles of beer were left on a glass table at the corner, another one was still half full. He stood soundlessly, resting his elbows against the railings, wearing a plain shirt and pajama pants.
It was late and he couldn't get himself to sleep. He watched the lights below him and the placid night around. There weren't much stars tonight and he could barely hear anything from here except for the tame wind.
Whenever he's at work, being surrounded by people and doing his job, he didn't have the time to think about other things. But when he's alone, it creeps up inside him like a sickness. It had been bothering him in the past days and he was trying to pretend like nothing was wrong. As if he never had that conversation with Hidan in the first place and it was no big deal if he'd choose it.
Lying on the glass table underneath an empty ash tray was an opened envelope and the check from Hidan. His full name was written on it. He knew he shouldn't be surprised anymore of how he found out his name nor where he was working. What distracted him more was the amount written on it.
Scrolled in suave lettering were the numbers of 30 Million yen.
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