Miss Trouble Magnet

Chapter 15:

"… Me?" I asked, gaping at Itachi.

"Hn." Sasuke said, meaning I was correct.

I turned to Sasuke. "I-I thought… But that means… I was competing against myself?!" I asked.

Sasuke chuckled. "Yeah, that's right, Sakura." He said and smirked at me.

I blushed and looked down to the couch. "God, I feel really stupid right now." I said and put my hand against my heated forehead.

-

-

I said, "You think so?"

"Yes, I'm positive. You'll love it. You'll love it so much that… That you'll buy it right on the spot!" Hinata said excitedly, holding my arm tightly and shaking it.

I sighed and looked around the small dorm room. I might have felt a little claustrophobic in it at times, but it was still a cozy place to stay. The New Year had just started again, and we still had a few days left of vacation. Hinata had been hinting at a big surprise, but hadn't told me any details until now. It sounded quite exciting, so I decided to let her win, this time. "Alright, we'll go check it out, then." I told her.

She beamed and clapped her hands as she jumped up. "Alright!" She said, running to get a note.

I stretched my legs out and shook a bottle of nail polish. "So… When exactly are we going to see this awesome condo?" I asked, opening the bottle.

"Umm…" She checked her watch, "Right about now."

My jaw dropped. "You had already made an appointment in advance?" I asked. A drop of nail polish dropped onto the carpet.

She quickly stepped back and dug her toe into the ground. "W-Well…" She started, blushing, "I had a feeling you'd want to… Sometimes at night I see you staring off into space, it's as if you're getting annoyed with this place." She explained.

I frowned. "Hinata, I'm not annoyed with this place." I assured her.

She put on a silly smile. "You'd just rather be with Sasuke-kun!" She teased me.

I smiled, Hinata knew me too well.

-

-

"They said they had a model condo on the top floor. We're still a little early so I think you can check it out." Hinata told me.

"Aren't you coming?" I asked.

She smiled. "I'll wait here for the owner to arrive. Besides, I already saw it. I'm sure you'll love it! So much that…" She said.

"Yeah, yeah. I know. I'll love it so much that I'll buy it on the spot, right?" I asked.

She grinned, giving me a clear view of her pearly white teeth.

I turned around and walked towards the elevator, pressing the button. Everything seemed nice and clean so far. I looked up, and was informed that the elevator had just passed the third floor. As it continued downwards, I turned to Hinata, who gave me a thumbs-up.

The elevator door opened, and I walked in. I pressed the highest button and leaned against the elevator wall. There was a man beside me, but I hadn't even glanced at him.

"Hey." He suddenly said.

I did a double-take. Was he talking to me? He wasn't looking at me; he was just staring at the elevator door. I could only see one side of his face. "Uh… Hey." I mumbled.

"How was your day?" He asked, still not looking at me.

I gulped. "I-It was fine." I said quietly, holding my purse tightly, in case he was dangerous.

"What are you doing tonight?" He asked seductively.

Okay, this was really started to creep me out. Who the hell was this guy?! "That's none of your business!" I said, quite loudly.

Suddenly, his expression turned sour as he turned his head to me.

I nearly fainted, he was holding a cell phone in his hand, and I hadn't seen it because of his position.

"Do you mind?" He hissed.

I felt my face heat up and I couldn't close my mouth. I just kept gaping at him, like a dead fish. Finally, I shook my head, a fish coming back to life. "I-I-I'm so s-sorry!" I stuttered, waving my hands in front of me. I fidgeted on the spot, not sure whether to laugh or be embarrassed.

He kissed his teeth in annoyance and shook his head. Muttering something like, "Kids…"

The elevator suddenly stopped. The door opened. He walked out without looking at me. As soon as the door closed, I made my decision. I fell onto the floor, gasping my way through an amazingly long fit of laugher.

-

-

I let out a huge breath as I walked down the hall, my lips pressed tightly to avoid any more unnecessary laughter. My sneakers tapped lightly against the marble tile floor as I arrived at the right door.

I bit my lip and walked into the door slowly. The walls were painted in a warm beige color, with white ceilings. The white crown moulding and nicely finished hardwood floors were dazzling, to my unsuspecting eyes. I tried not to get ahead of myself, and walked towards the living room calmly.

The high ceilings were definitely something to gape at, but it didn't compare to massive size of the room. I immediately noticed the open kitchen, straight ahead. The granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances, definitely new ones at that, and the well polished cabinets were definitely something to admire. In fact, it reminded me of Sasuke's home, always so clean and perfect.

Hinata was right, I had fallen in love with the place, but one fearful thought just wouldn't leave my mind.

The cost.

I sighed. Typical Hinata was probably bribing the owner with her wads of cash, telling him she would pay for the whole thing, right now. And I thought Sasuke spoiled me too much. That damned car he bought me was beginning to be something to hate. It was greedy for gas and someone had stolen my stereo and airbag when I left it in that snow storm.

I shuddered at the thought of living in such a big place by myself. Not once had I ever lived by myself, and it definitely didn't look like such an inviting position. All alone in a big, big place couldn't possibly be healthy for me. The bathroom was miles away and if I ever chopped off my hand in the kitchen during an attempt at making a decent meal, I'd die of blood loss before I reached the phone.

I sighed.

I just couldn't imagine how disappointed Hinata would be though, if I had doubts about the place. I'd just have to come up with a really good lie, though she'd probably see right through it…

"Hello, Sakura." A haunting voice called.

I jumped in surprise, and looked around frantically. "Who is it?" I asked, though I had a pretty accurate guess in my head. No one answered, but I didn't bother looking for them anymore. I decided to stand still and wait.

"You shouldn't be all by yourself like this, you know." The voice chuckled.

I found myself inhaling quickly, realizing I hadn't been breathing for a while. I put my hand to my chest and felt my heart pumping as fast as that of an old man who had just run a marathon. "I-I know…" I whispered very quietly, but coherently.

"This is beginning to get amusing, oh dear… I shouldn't bee playing with you like this, it's against my orders." The voice admitted, echoing throughout the room clearly.

"… Your orders?" I choked out, my throat suddenly dry. "Why are you telling me this…?" I whispered.

The voice chuckled once more. "Yes, that's right… Would you like to hear a little story?" She ignored my latter question, and continued before I could speak again, "Around five – no, it's been six years now, your mother fell ill. Correct, am I not?" She told me.

I nodded my head quickly.

"You see, my orders came from someone who was very… close to your mother." The voice explained, "In fact this person was very, let's say… infatuated with her. Though he had never spoken to her in years, he simply watched her, as if she has a little experiment of his, slowly aging under his perceptive and watchful eyes."

"What are you talking about?" I demanded. "I don't understand what you mean!" I said loudly.

The voice sighed impatiently. "Your mother always had a secret admirer, so to speak…"

I paused. "A stalker?" I asked.

"Good, now you're catching on." I heard them chuckle, "When your mother fell ill he didn't understand why, he thought it was unfair for her to be the only one to suffer…"

My eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"Now, now, listen carefully. I'll only say this only once." They said slowly.

I waited patiently for them to continue, but the voice didn't reappear. "Hello?" I called. "Wait!" I shouted and ran around, looking frantically around. "Don't leave! I want to know what's happening! I don't understand!!" I shouted, tears sliding down my cheeks.

I heard footsteps behind me and whipped around. "S-Sakura?" A small voice asked.

I stood frozen on the spot as Hinata walked into view. "Hinata…" I mumbled. I quickly wiped away my tears before she could notice.

"What are you yelling at?" She asked me as she slowly approached, looking around the spacious room cautiously.

A small echoing laugh was heard, it sounded as though it were far away.

"Was that you laughing, Sakura?" Hinata asked in a frightened voice, stopping abruptly beside me and staring into my emerald orbs. "Eh?" She squeaked as I suddenly grabbed her arm and ran towards the exit.

We ran to the elevator - well, I ran, and she kind of flew - and I quickly pressed the button.

"Sakura, what's going on?" She asked me.

The hall was very silent, only the sound of our breathing was heard. A clicking noise made my head swing so fast, I had whiplash. With wide eyes and an aching neck, I studied the source of the noise, Hinata had merely dropped her keys.

She quickly noticed my fearful look and frowned in worry. "Sakura, are you okay?" She asked me, holding my hand in hers and looking me in the eye again.

I wanted to tell her, but I knew I couldn't get her into such a big problem. Then again, Hinata had many bodyguards that were more than ready to protect her… I sighed and, before Hinata could say anything more, the elevator door opened.

My breathing slowed down in relief; the elevator was empty. We walked in, Hinata still confused, and I pressed the button for the lobby. My back slid against the wall as I slowly fell to the ground.

Hinata kneeled down beside me as the elevator lowered, her hand on my shoulder, and was still looking horrified and confused. "Sakura, tell me what the hell is going on!" She said rather loudly.

I pressed my lips into a straight line and put my head between my knees, wrapping my arms around myself. "I'm sorry, I can't get you involved in anything..." I mumbled.

There was a short paused before I continued.

"Let's talk about something else… Distract me with something, please." I begged her.

She removed her shaky hand from my cold shoulder and stood up. "Well… It's your birthday soon." She said in a forced cheerful voice. "Sasuke and I are deciding whether or not to plan you something really big. Would you like something big or something small?" She turned her head and asked me.

I pondered for a moment. "How would you describe medium?" I asked with a half-smile on my hidden face.

Hinata seemed relieved that I had answered her, and the atmosphere began to feel a little less tense. "Hmm…. I would say it's roughly half way between big or small." She joked.

I couldn't help but giggle. "Are we almost there?" I asked. I lifted my head too quickly, and got a little dizzy.

Hinata glance up. "Yeah, come on." She said and helped me get up.

I stumbled a bit, before gaining my balance, and looked down to my feet.

Hinata stood calmly beside me, waiting for the elevator to stop.

"H-Hinata?" I asked.

She turned to me, her eyes and expression unreadable.

I felt my heart ache, knowing that I was the one causing her so much distress. "Thank you." I said.

The book of her eyes opened, and in it I read her sadness and pain. The ink was no longer smudged; I could finally read.

-

-

The following day was a Monday, and by five o'clock, I had to head to work. My unpleasant mood wasn't making me anymore excited than usual, but Sasuke had offered to drive me there, so I had started feeling much better. When his car parked in front of the sidewalk, I ran out of school, having decided not to wait out in the cold, and jumped into his warm car.

"Thanks Sasuke," I said and smiled.

"No problem." He said, and put his foot on the pedal.

I let him hold my hand in his as he drove with the other. "Hinata and I went to see a nice condo I could move into." I informed him.

He grip tightened involuntarily, he had already heard about the whole incident. When he had asked yesterday, I wouldn't tell him what exactly had happened before Hinata arrived. "Hn." He barely mumbled.

I looked down to my lap, where I had put my bag. "I'm sorry." I told him.

His grip seemed to loosen, only to tighten again. "Why didn't you tell her what happened Sakura?" He asked me, but it sounded more like: "Why didn't you tell me what happened, Sakura?"

I sighed and looked out the window. "Nothing happened." I lied, my hand cupping my cheek, and my elbow against the bottom of the window sill.

He let out a deep breath, turning onto another road. I glanced at my hand. He was gently massaging it, trying to relieve both of our stress. I then looked up to his face, he looked distracted. Soon, though, we arrived at the Konoha Café. He opened the door for me, and we walked inside, hand in hand.

We had entered from the back, and Itachi noticed us coming in rather quickly. "Good, you're here." He said. With Itachi back everything was fast paced again. The customers flew in and out constantly, yet we still managed to keep some consistent order in crowded kitchen.

Today it was my duty to take orders, along with Ino and Neji. It was definitely weird, having to talk to Neji, but I eventually got over my embarrassment. Ino was singing quietly as she listened to her music, headphones blasting with sound.

The customers had to repeat what they asked of her often, but she was quick at the job, "What would you like, sir?" She asked the chubby boy in front of her.

I yanked out one of her headphones so she could hear, she winced.

"Umm…" He mumbled, thinking, "Can I get a hot fudge sundae?" He asked, in a small, sweet voice.

She smiled and pressed some buttons on the cash register. "Of course," She told him, "Would you like some peanuts on that?" She asked him.

He pondered for a moment and shook his head no.

"Anything else?" She asked again.

He shook his head once more.

"Okay…" She mumbled as she pressed more buttons. "That'll be one dollar and seventy-five cents." She told him.

He rubbed his nose and reached into his pocket, pulling out some coins. He dumped them on the counter and waited patiently as Ino counted them.

I had to stop staring at the two, for a costumer had arrived. I felt my muscles tense, and my jaw was tight as I spoke. "What would you like today?" I asked in annoyance.

The girl standing before me, whose wild red hair was unkempt on one side and well combed on the other, smiled.

I was waiting for her answer, when a painful scream was suddenly heard. I jumped whilst Ino had hardly heard through her loud music and Neji looked around cautiously. Sasuke soon joined us from the kitchen, tomato smudged on his cheek.

"Did I just hear someone scream or was that my imagination?" Ino asked, looking around.

"What the hell was that…?" Neji and Sasuke muttered in unison.

Itachi suddenly appeared from the kitchen and began asking everyone to calm down. He quickly succeeded in calming the crowd. "Alright, what's going on?" He then asked loudly, everyone listened attentively.

One frightened little girl pointed to table 13, where a young woman with a large stomach was sitting on the floor, gasping for air. "She tolded us that she gonna' have a baby!" The tiny toddler announced.

I turned to look at Itachi, and his look was completely hysterical. I put my hand over my mouth, to try not to laugh, as he gaped at the woman.

He heard me giggle and quickly regained his composure before turning to me and putting his hands on my shoulders. "Sakura, I'm putting you in charge." He suddenly said.

"W-What?!" I yelled, but he was already running back to his office.

Ino, who had finally turned off her music, stared at me incredulously. "Well, what are we going to do, boss?" She asked.

I heard Karin snickering in front of me.