Chapter 1

Later that night, after a relatively quiet supper, Ino and Sakura decided to take a break from the hostile calm and talk together out on the porch. The sat looking up at the few stars they could see and waiting for one of them to break the quiet.

"Does it bug you, Sakura? Is that why you keep putting off this fitting?"

"Does what bother me? You wanting to put me into a highlighter yellow dress that makes me practically glow in the dark? Of course that bugs me! I'd have to be insane to want to look like a highlighter."

Ino laughed half heartedly but the carefree sound didn't have any affect on her eyes, which still looked at Sakura with worry.

"No Sakura, you know what I mean. I'm the first of us to get married, it's like a chapter of our life is changing. I mean, we're still best friends, other wise I wouldn't want your large forehead walking down my aisle, but I'm worried that.. Well maybe things are going to change between us."

Sakura smiled softly and patted Ino's shoulder. She decided to let the forehead jibe slide, and just reassure her friend.

"I knew what you meant Ino, I just wanted to remind you again that I hate that dress color. I look terrible in it and you know it."

"Yes ha-ha you do look terrible in it."

"Thank you, and don't even ruin this sappy moment pig. And things are going to change, you're going to be married for crying out loud! But it's a wonderful change that is going to happen, you love him and just because you're married doesn't mean that we can't stay the friends that we are. Regardless, I don't do baby sitting."

Ino wrinkled her nose in a mock display of disgust at the thought of Sakura watching over her children.

"I wouldn't trust you with a plant let alone a living thing… So tomorrow, will you go with me to get that dress fitted? I really need you to just get it done, I'm stressed enough with seating arrangements and the like, I don't need to worry about you too!"

Sakura sighed and turned her gaze back up to the stars, going over her no empty schedule.

"I was going to look for a job you know… But I don't want to do something annoying like that job my cousin has, you know, at the sanitary product plant? I couldn't stand watching a machine pack tampons into a box all day!"

Ino and Sakura fell into giggles for a few seconds, leaning on each other to keep themselves up right. They stopped laughing as Hana walked out the door and sat down on the stoop next to them. Her happily aged face was set somberly and she avoided direct eye contact with her daughter.

"Sakura, your father thinks that I was out of line yelling at you like I did and not helping at all with the situation. So I'm apologizing."

"It's fine mom, really, though I really did have no control over the situation. The letter just appeared there!"

"That aside, I think you'd best get a new job as soon as possible. No man will want to marry a woman who is just going to mooch off of him."

Sakura sighed. Ever sine Ino announced her engagement, Hana had been bothering her daughter about getting married. Sakura, however, felt that marriage was something for those a little older then her, and no way would she have kids before she was thirty…

"You know my brother in law, Kakashi, might have an opening for you at his bonds office. I remember him saying awhile back that one of his people quit. I don't know the job specifics, but I'm sure it's probably just secretary business or something."

Sakura blanched. Kakashi was Hana's younger sister's husband and a well known pervert. He regularly frequented porn shops and host clubs, and there was even a rumor about him and something kinky to do with a sheep. No one was able to justify that though. The only reason he got away with what he did was that his wife, Anko, was just as much a pervert as he. Hana liked to say that they had an 'open' relationship. Sakura liked to say they were both sex addicts.

"Secretary for a bonds office huh? Ohhh Sakura that sounds like fun! I bet you meet a lot of interesting people that way! Much better then the tampon factory right?"

Glaring at Ino, Sakura sighed then turned to her mother.

"Alright, I'll go down there tomorrow and talk to him. But I swear if he has that book in his hand I'm going to smack him!"

Hana nodded her approval and stood up, heading back inside with content plastered all over her face.

"I'll just go pack up some leftovers for you girls, Sakura your apartment is always empty and I'm sure Shikamaru will love not having to do something as troublesome as cook after he gets back from work."

Ino and Sakura shared a glance, snickering to each other. Shikamaru would rather go days without eating then go through the trouble of making himself a meal. The reason why his checks disappeared so quickly was because he ate out almost every night.

"Thanks you Mrs. Haruno."

"Thanks mom."

As the round shape of her mother disappeared back into the house, Sakura again brought up the subject of the ugly dress.

"So when do you want to meet for the fitting tomorrow?"

Ino practically squealed.

"Wonderful! How about three at that little coffee house in down town that we love! We can get a coffee then head over!"

Sakura nodded in agreement, her thoughts once again returning to money and her job.

I just wont take no for an answer from Kakashi! I will get that job tomorrow!

The next morning Sakura woke up relatively early and proceeded into the shower, where she officially woke up as a blast of cold water hit her even though she had the tap turned all the way to hot. She swore and waited it out. Forty five minutes later found Sakura in a neat business skirt with a professional blouse and jacket, panty hose and pumps, and a little lip gloss was smeared on her lips. She felt confident and strong and she was not going to leave that place without a job!

All of that conviction left her twenty minutes later as she was standing outside the office. The building was located right next to an adult store, no doubt a plus for Kakashi, and a noodle shop, and there was a particularly nasty looking group of young men hanging around smoking at the end of the street. Sakura made sure her car was locked for the third time, then squared her shoulders and marched into the darkened office. She fully expected to see something out of a movie, chains whips and anything else that was usually present in a horror film, but not the headstrong woman sitting behind a desk staring at her expectantly.

The woman was blonde and young, from what Sakura could gather and had her hair pulled back in two low ponytails. Sakura didn't notice any of this until after the second take, however, being as she was distracted by the two enormous breasts practically staring at her from that desk. The women cleared her throat but Sakura didn't hear it.

"Hey numbskull! Look up here! What are you, a man?"

Sakura's sea green eyes immediately met the set of pissed off brown ones the lady had locked on her.

"Oh, uh I'm sorry it's just, well, Hi, I'm Haruno Sakura. Kakashi told my Mom that he might have a job for me."

The woman raised an eyebrow and gave her a once over glance.

"You look pretty scrawny for this job, are you sure you want it?"

Sakura's hackles rose instantly. She was not one to take criticism from anyone, let alone a bimbo at a desk.

"I may be short but I am not at all scrawny! I'll have you know that when I was in tenth grade I beat up the captain of the football team who, by the way, happened to be a senior! My father is Haruno Kyo and he taught me how to throw one nasty right hook! And what does my size have to do at all with this job?! How big do you have to be to be a secretary?"

The woman gave Sakura another look, then smirked for a second and started to say something.

"Haruno Kyo huh? I saw one of his matches when I was younger, maybe twenty, but-"

Kakashi decided to waltz into the room at that moment, and whatever the woman had left to say was finished after taking one look at the man. Obviously, he had been at the adult themed store, since he was currently holding what looked like a box of handcuffs, normal and fuzzy from what Sakura could see, and he had a set of books thrown in there lovingly as well, eight orange books with bright red circles on them warning the reader of the content. Kakashi himself was dressed in a suit, with no tie and the first two buttons undone. His hair fell lazily over one eye, blocking it from sight and he had a peculiar mask on. He glanced at the women before his eye settled on Sakura and crinkled in a way she wanted to assume was a smile.

"Ahh Sakura! I haven't you in awhile, how you've grown. Now your mother tells me you're interested in the job? Ok then it's yours! You'll have to excuse me however, I'm afraid I'm late for an appointment. Tsunade will fill you in on the details, I really must go. I'm counting on you, and by the way, if you loose me any money, you won't get your paycheck, understand? Good. I'll see you later then, probably tomorrow. Bye!"

And after setting down the box and grabbing the books he left the office just like that, leaving Sakura bewildered and the women she now knew as Tsunade fuming. She turned to Tsunade and frowned.

"How old are you if you saw my father fight?"

Tsunade looked at her incredulously and just shook her head.

"Welcome to Hatake bonds, you are now a fugitive apprehension agent. What we do here is we bail minor criminals out of jail and take something of theirs as compensation for the money we give to get them out of jail. Most people show up to their court date and we get a cut of the money the originally put up and the rest goes back to them. Your job is to pick up the losers who don't show up to court and put them back in jail, or else we fore go the bond and loose all the money. Of course we do get some pretty nasty people, and like I said earlier, you're pretty scrawny for the job.'

Sakura glared at the woman again, and practically snarled at her.

"Well I'll just have to show you wrong, wont I? Give me a case or whatever and I'll have him back here by tomorrow morning!"

Tsunade smirked and tossed a couple files over the desk to her. Sakura picked up the first one and read the reason behind him being sent to jail in the first place. Drunken assault this should be fantastic. She picked up the other one. Indecent exposure in a public place? Where does this stuff happen, I never see it! Sakura looked at the mug that was attached to the folder. Well actually that would be a good thing. She glanced back up at Tsunade and growled at the smug grin that was directed at Sakura.

"I'll have this one, uh Rock, in by tomorrow morning! Count on it! "

And with that she stormed out of the office, or at least she tried to. The body of a god blocked the way between her and the door. Sakura had to gulp to keep herself from drooling at the sight of the dark haired dark eyed man that she had run into. He stepped back from her eliminating the contact that Sakura embarrassingly had drawn out without realizing. He smirked at her and walked over to Tsunade's desk where he dropped what looked like a carbon copy receipt on the pile of paper work that made up the desk. Tsunade smiled.

"Turning in Murasaki eh Sasuke? That was fast. I thought you would have more trouble with him."

Sasuke merely shrugged and cast a wondering glance at Sakura.

"Who's the pink haired chick?"

Sakura didn't know weather to swoon at the music like baritone of his voice or be royally pissed off at his tone directed to the word 'chick'. She settled on frowning at him and trying to glare. The man just smirked and turned to Tsunade for an answer.

"Her name is Haruno, Sakura. She's the new agent here."

Sakura had a feeling that this man didn't laugh much, but she guessed that if he did he would be right now. He took the check Tsunade had stretched out towards him he turned and started to walk out of the building, pausing at Sakura's side.

"Be sure not to get yourself killed, it would be a shame to hear such a cute little thing like you died."

Sakura blushed and her back stiffened at the proximity that was shared between them. Less then a second later he was out the door and in his car and two seconds after that Sakura started to breath again. She glanced at Tsunade who out right laughed.

"That was Uchiha Sasuke. Sexy, young, strong, and a bastard. He's our best agent here. He owns a local company that does some bouncing and other security things. He works for Kakashi as a favor. Other then that, I don't know anything so don't ask."

Sakura nodded and went out to her car. She looked down at the clock, twenty minutes till she had to meet Ino. She shrugged and decided to just head over early. It wasn't till she pulled into the parking lot that she had an epiphany.

"Wait a minute, I'M A BOUNTY HUNTER?!"

( I know that I said there would only be one author's note, but I was wrong sorry. So, here is chapter one and I know in the prologue I made Naruto sound out of character, but he will be back in character as the story progresses, but since it is fiction some things will be different. Like Sasuke calling Sakura cute. And I thought it was funny to have Kakashi be Tsunade's boss. Cheers)