After the steaming hot bath, Sasuke fell on cloud nine as soon as she walked out the bathroom. In a way, the shower did her good, washing away the moodiness of her.

Pleasantness and a summertime atmosphere Tobirama's house had, reminding Sasuke of her High School days where she along with the Konoha gang would go camping in the woods, lighting up a fire, telling spooky stories in the dead of the night.

Long days gone by.

Sasuke went to the room, putting on the borrowed pajamas of the Senju, which was rather large, making her look like a tinker bell in a giant's clothes.

Sasuke didn't give a damn what she looked like in front of Tobirama, it was no Senju business to judge her. Heading to go to the kitchen, she walked along the wooden hallway that let the living room that faced the shady backyard.

The backyard was a mossy forest that looked like it was an entrance to a fairy realm where the human world met.

What a weird place to live. What a creepy old fart. - thought Sasuke.

Sasuke knocked the creamy wall before entering the kitchen, finding Tobirama cooking vegetables and a beef soup.

The smell wasn't bad as Sasuke's empty belly growled in hunger.

Tobirama who was concentrating on chopping the vegetables, eyes fixed on the knife, upcasted his chilly eyes at her, getting caught off guard, almost chuckling.

"You look ridiculous, Uchiha."

Actually, the truth was that she looked cute and inoffensive.

"You were born ridiculous, Senju."

Damn, that was mean. - Thought Tobirama.

Well what can he say or complain about, when he also finds faults in her?

"Sasuke, can we just stop jumping down on each other's throat?"

" Hn."

That Hn again, so annoying.- Tobirama thought, weary.

" Just for today?"

Maybe if we stop this fuckery, I could get to know him more. This is not so bad, actually, it's a good idea. -Thought Sasuke, feeling her chest soften a bit.

" I really don't care."

" Suit yourself."

" Oi, Tobirama."

"What now?"

" Why did you do it?"

" Do what?"

" Agreed in the Senju-Uchiha partnership?"

Tobirama remembered Hashirama saying: "Instead of us, Senjus, being rivals to the Uchihas in the business, why don't we become partners?"

" It just happened."

" Hn."

" At that time, it was good business that's all."

" Hn."

" You?"

" Dad wanted my brother and I to work together like he did it with his brother."

But not with the Senjus. - Thought Sasuke.

Tobirama didn't have fond memories of Fugaku Uchiha. A very conceited and secretive man. No one knew what happened in the Uchiha household back in the days when Fugaku was alive. Some say he was a loving doting father, others say he ruled the house with iron hands.

Sasuke and Itachi didn't talk about it, so no one asked.

Actually, no one in town dared to ask the Uchihas because they knew they weren't getting any answers from the siblings.

Tobirama was always curious to know what happened behind the closed doors of the Uchiha household. " So you just agreed with your daddy?"

His red eyes were cautious, monitoring Sasuke's behavior and expressions, grabbing all the tiny and visible details he could get by looking at her. He was pro in reading people's facial expressions.

" Hn."

" It runs in the family, then?"

" Family tradition."

" You never opposed?"

" No. I never disobeyed my parents."

Dutiful daughter. Never would have guessed. - thought Tobirama.

" You don't look like the devotee type."

" I get that a lot." Sasuke said, bluntly.

" Really?"

" Hn."

Well, I wasn't expecting it. - Tobirama thought.

"Do you miss your folks?"

" Hn."

" The dead don't bite, you know."

" My parents were everything to me."

" Your daddy wasn't the nicest person."

" Dad and mom were the best parents a child could ever have."

Your old man was a racist son of a gun, always looking down on everybody and I can see you took that after him. If the Devil had a right-hand-man, it would definitely be Fugaku Uchiha. - thought Tobirama.

" I highly doubt it."

" Look, Tobirama, my family wasn't perfect and neither were yours."

" Your family looked down on my folks."

That was true. Dad didn't like the Senjus.- thought Sasuke.

" You just can't handle ugly stares being casted down at your direction."

" You know nothing about me."

" You were always sniffing at me too when I passed by or was around you. I remember once when I was at Naruto's house along with Sakura, Hinata, Shikamaru and Choji when you arrived there to help Minato with something. You said hi to everybody, speaking to all of them, I mean like EVERYONE, and except me, you just passed over me like I was a disease."

Touché, Tobirama.

Tobirama didn't say a damn thing because he wasn't expecting that from Sasuke. He felt defensive all over and disturbed, but hesitated to speak. He wanted to see where this was going before opening his mouth to say anything.

So Sasuke Uchiha was human after all. The woman had emotions and feelings. -Thought Tobirama.

Sasuke continued, irritated: "My point is why is it only me that needs to cope with shitty comments and loathsome stares coming from you while you can still treat me like shit?"

Didn't know you liked to be treated like a fucking Saint, you even aren't one.-Thought Sasuke. As Sasuke's granduncle Madara used to say when he was alive: an Uchiha eye for a Senju eye, a Uchiha tooth for a Senju tooth.

" Sasuke."

" Hn."

" You are a pain in the ass."

" You are worse."

Tobirama smirked.

Sasuke seems like the kind of girl that stood for herself. Not taking shit from anybody. - Thought Tobirama, curious, wanting to dwell in Sasuke's emo mind.

" Entertain me." He said.

" Hn?"

Let's boil and heat things up. I want to see where this conversation with this emo punk goes. I want to see if this goes beyond my expectations.- thought Tobirama.

" Do you sleep with your clients?"

" Why do you think so low of me?"

This is an valuable information. Check.- Thought Tobirama.

" So you do?"

" Never needed too."

How do I get him to see me in a new light? Know what? fuck this shit, I am done, I will not hide anything from him. Let him make up his mind about me. I don't give a damn. - Thought Sasuke, nervous.

" Would you?"

" I never thought about it."

" Really?"

" May God strike me down if I am not telling the truth, Senju."

" With your boss?"

" Never."

" With your colleagues?"

" Why?"

" Did you?"

" Nope."

" Would you?" Asked Tobirama.

Would you go to bed with me?- Thought Tobirama, feeling shame and disgust with himself.

One night stand they say.

" Would you?" Snapped Sasuke back. Show me what you got, Senju. I can handle all of the intrusive and indelicate questions you throw at me with smoothness and style. - Thought Sasuke, dead set.

" No." Tobirama replied.

" Look, I never slept my way through and I am not planning on doing it. I worked from sunup to sundown to get where I am in the Akatsuki firm. I didn't fuck anybody. Nobody there asked me. Never needed too and I never will. If they did ask, I wouldn't do it. I am my own lady."

"What if you wanted too?" Tobirama asked, curiously.

Now that's a whole nother department. -Thought Sasuke.

" That's nobody's business."

" Let's change the subject, shall we? Why do you defend the bad guys in court?"

" Why wouldn't I?"

" Is it because of the megabucks?"

" Someone needs to defend those sons of a bitches at court and that fucker is me."

" So you consider yourself the defender of criminals and mafiosos?"

" Damn right I do."

" Not an honest way to earn a living, though."

" Yes it is. It is in the law."

" It is WRITTEN in the law but it is not honorable so to speak."

" Hn."

" Your clientele must be lucky to have such a dedicated lawyer who knows the drill."

" Most of them are high life: politicians, superstars, tycoons, and VIP players. they know the memo and who to go to."

" A mercenary lawyer, then."

" Hn."

" Why did you leave Konoha?"

" The corridors of life made me leave this town: my parent's death made me see things in a whole new perspective and before you say anything I turned out fine, despite what you think."

"In what way do you think I care about you and about your shitty life? You were never on my mind."

" If I am not on your mind, then why do you keep asking all these creepy questions as if I 'm hiding an esoteric secret or some bullshit of the sort. I feel like i'm being interrogated by the Spanish inquisition."

" You are just so different from what I expected, that's all."

" That's a good thing or a bad thing?"

" A Good thing."

" Tell me Senju, what game are we playing here? This feels like a game? A cat and mouse game. What do you want? What do you want to get from this? Let me guess, you are going to gossip about my life to the whole town? Senju, if it's this what you are looking for then it is a waste of time and of effort because you are the living proof that I don't have a skeleton in the closet. I have nothing to hide."

Tobirama was taken by surprise, feeling ambushed in all angles and corners.

" It's my gusto to talk to people. To get to know them. In a way, curiosity is my Achilles' heel."

" Senju dog, you had like all those years to get to know me when I lived here, having like millions of chances to clear things out with me. Then why are you doing this now? Speak up."

" Or what?"

" Wrong answer, Senju dog. I am the most cold-hearted motherfucker bastard that you ever met, capisce? So think twice in answering again. You got 5 seconds. Do it." Sasuke's voice was harsh and serious.

" Spend the night with me."

Sasuke backed away from the Tobirama, feeling nauseated.

" No one needs to know."

" What the hell?" Screamed Sasuke.

" No one needs to know that we did it." Tobirama felt embarrassed by wanting to sleep with Sasuke, even if he is starting to enjoy getting to know her and discover a whole new, brighter side of that punk with a heart of gold.

"Are you out of your mind?"

" Is that a no?"

" TELL ME."

" Regardless of you being an Uchiha, I find you remarkable and breathtaking."

I am blown away. - Thought Tobirama, spellbound.

" I am not a cheap woman and I am no whore."

" That's why I want to. You are not these things."

" Father was right, Senju's are dirty dogs."

" What did you just say?"

" I said SENJUS ARE DIRTY DOGS!"

" You are asking for it."

" And you think I am just some fuckable thing, huh?"

" No, Sasuke. What I meant is that I have never met someone like you."

" The irony is that I am an Uchiha filth in your eyes! Which means you will have to lower yourself to such a degree just to fuck me!"

" Life's irony. A bittersweet irony that left a bad taste in my mouth, Sasuke." Tobirama went over to her, after resting the knife and the herbs on the brawl.

A fool's paradise, they say.- Thought Tobirama.

" Stand back."

He grabbed her by the wrist so hard that it hurt like iron on the skin, pulling Sasuke closer to him.

" Or what?"

" Let me go."

" And where would you go?"

" Home."

" Where's that?"

" Certainly not here in this town."

" What about the storm?"

" A can face the storm."

" But you can't face me? Why do Uchihas have a habit of running away from things instead of facing them."

" You got some nerves, Senju dog."

" And you are a Uchiha coward."

That's it. THIS SENJU IS GOING TO DIE RIGHT THE FUCK NOW! FUCKING ANIMAL! WHO DOES THIS FUCKER THINK HE IS? WHAT AN SNOB AND DIRTY OLD FART!!

" Sasuke, stay with me just for tonight. Let me comfort you in my arms. Let me hold you just this once and when it's over we will never see each other again. No tears and no promises." Tobirama murmured in his Sasuke's ears, caressing Sasuke's raven locks.

" You want something that I can't give you, Senju." Sasuke replied with watery eyes of ebony that made Tobirama wanting to dive in that fountain of mystery like right the fuck now, like they say, the eyes are the windows of the soul, right? And Tobirama wanted to get hold of that.

" Yes you can but you don't want to give in."

" In the next day, when the morning comes it will be time for us to say goodbye and I don't think I would like that to happen, Tobirama."

" Let's enjoy it while we can, while time allows us to."

"I don't want you to be the one that stole my heart away."

" I will give it back."

" But it will be broken."

" And what makes you think you won't break mine too?"

Sasuke stopped there, still.

" Why me? I need to know that truth."

" I already told you."

" No. I don't think you did."

" Am I lying then?"

" Yes."

" I am not."

" Prove it."

" There is only one way to prove it."

To be continued! Stay tuned.