Hey peeps! SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT! I know, I suck! But I have an excuse; I've been bloody busy with school and shit, doing tonnes of work and having no time whatsoever to write nor upload. Blame my teachers. THANK YOU ANYWAY to all of you who faved, reviewed, subscribed...etc. :DDDD I appreciate it greatly! Anyway, chapter 7 is here!

Don't ask me how many chaps this will have XD I HAVE NO IDEA! It's no where near end really...I think... ;D

ENJOY! 3

Chapter 7: Devastations

A flash of light, and chuckle, "Good" and the light flashed another couple of times in a disjointed beat, doing the work it was made for doing.

"Where the hell is she!" Ino's hands were waving around with glittering fingernails that were painted in all kind of flashy colours, with flashy patterns and diamonds.

The models grimaced at her, rolling their eyes in discomfort as they had been disrupted from their work. Miguel looked up, stopping the process of taking photos as he was directed to do by Sasuke, who supervised him.

"Calm down woman, you're scaring the people off." Sasuke directed a hand towards the models, who weren't pleased at all that the blond designer was calling around, shouting her lungs to destruction as she inquired about a specific pink haired woman.

"That's no answer!" She huffed, two hands placed on her hips in displeasure, "This is not funny Uchiha, I've been calling her for the billionth time and she is not answering!"

"Maybe her phone's turned off?" He suggested in a cool manner, "She's not been having much of a good time lately, leave her to rest, Tsunade has excused her already."

"Yes but she hasn't told me what's going on!" Her eyes went wide and her mouth fell open in sudden disbelief, "I'm her best friend!"

"Go complain to her." The raven haired man had no patients left for Ino and turned away.

"It's your fault!" Her presence was right beside him now, her baby blue eyes glaring deeply into his skull, trying to burn him with them.

But seeing as laser eyes aren't realistic, it didn't work.

"She's been not well ever since you interfere! What the hell is going on detective boy?"

And then it happened. This strange thing that Sasuke immediately recorded, at first not taking serious, but soon sparking his suspicion.

Miguel's eyes went all dark, in a strange manner that minimized his view field, his lids slightly dropping. The grip on the camera was tight and seemingly merciless, and his orbs were focused on Sasuke in a manner of fear and shock.

Sasuke couldn't quite concentrate on his actions as Ino continued her complaints, "We all know now you're back into old business, but for what reason do you have to pull poor old Sakura into this shit? She's got enough trouble of her own!"

Sasuke lolled his eyes in distress, "Ino, look, can we stop this? Whatever business it is that concerns her, it's none of yours except Sakura wishes to share it, okay? Now can we finally continue, I don't wanna spend all night doing this shit, seriously, I have a life to catch up with, thank you very much, get back behind those drawing boards."

She looked very shocked, very aggravated, and by jolly, with that big gob she owned she was very close to spewing some incoherent words at the Uchiha in front of her, if it weren't for a specific someone coming through the doors.

"Hey all…" Sakura muttered, touching her head in a sign of having a headache, and tiredly throwing her bag to the floor, "Sorry for not turning up earlier, had a hard night…"

Ino spun on her heel and was about to shout again, but Sasuke's hand was faster, pressed against her lips, "Good you've come at all, some models are waiting in the make-up room, if you'd please tend them, otherwise we'll be stuck here until midnight."

The pinkette nodded tiredly, grasping her bag after having dismantled her coat, trotting over to the room.

"Ouch!" Sasuke grasped his hand as he felt a sharp solid trying to bite through his flesh. His deadly glare fell upon Ino, who grimaced in an angry manner and turned away with a huff, walking off.

The Uchiha sighed in frustration, and then he remembered, turning around and staring at his new co-worker. Miguel seemed quite normal, smiling and holding the camera up. But the tension never left his visage.

"It is type of urgent." He muttered, leaning back in his seat and checking the clock once more. Four in the morning, Christ, he couldn't believe it.

"I'm having a dinner in a sec, bro, it's important too."

"The chick can wait."

"Ey, how d'you wanna know I'm going out with a girl, it might be a business dinner."

"Yeah right, you decline every time."

"Not if it helps me to establish business, fool." Itachi sighed at his brother's blunt attitude.

"Look, it's four O'clock in the morning here, and I know over there in America it is much more earlier, but I am wasting my sleeping time to contact you so that you're free and actually pick up the phone, not your secretary, who, by the way, has changed again." Sasuke rolled his eyes at his brothers tendency's to change his young, sexy secretary every two odd weeks.

"Alright, what's the matter that you need advice from your so wise big brother?" The business man smirked on the other line, collapsing onto his sofa and switching on the television.

"Pfft, not advice, rather your connections. You've got some mates within the police's data handling system, right?"

"Well, yeah…why?"

"What can those guys tell me about the Japanese mafia organisation roaming about LA?"

There was a moment of silence from the other line, and Sasuke knew some interrogations would come up soon.

It didn't take long for Itachi's master brain to add one and one together to get the situation, "You're back into your old skin?"

"Type of…yeah." Another glance at the clock told him six minutes had passed.

"What the hell happened? Did they drug you? You were so over with it when I last saw you, nothing could have changed your mind."

"Things change, okay? This is a big fish, and a strong one, I need your help. I don't like asking, but this case is really getting me going."

"What about Ruka?"

Another moment of silence, a stiffening silence, and Itachi knew he had prodded an arrow somewhere in the side of Sasuke's body, "Are you really going to solve this one despite…you know yourself…"

There was a sigh that followed after a few seconds of no sound, "Yes, I don't know why, but I've got the push, and now I'm in it and can't get out without solving it."

"Always the same" Itachi smirked again with some hidden pride, "alright boy, explain to me where it's itching and I'll see what I can do."

The older Uchiha listened with interested intensity as Sasuke described the scenario and mentioned any necessary details. Sakura also popped up in the discussion, of course, but any intimidate specifics where left out, obviously.

Cold air vibrated with moisture around the sizzling night lamp. The streets were empty, life was fading into hidden night activity and mainly dead roads. The small beach-bar throbbed with life and very much to Sasuke's dislike, stank of it too. Alcoholic beverages and smoke clogged the small building. Despite these unpleasant factors, the raven haired man entered, pushing his way through the blinding crowds of cheering, red-cheeked people and reaching his destination at the bar.

Behind the wooden counter stood the tall woman with short blond hair that Sasuke had been searching for. A simple dark glance of his and she signalised, using her thumb, to the small section of the bar that could the flapped back.

He went there and entered the back room of the small pub. There stood a table with four chairs, a coffee machine, some papers, files, food reserves, dirty plates, and otherwise just belongings of the woman and other people.

Legs on the table, Shikamaru occupied one of the chairs, hands behind his head and a dying cigarette stuck between his teeth.

"So, what's the plan." He mumbled with the small stick in his mouth, "Did you succeed?"

Sasuke slumped down on a chair, a heavy sigh escaping his lips, soon adorned by a smirk, "Sure was."

Shikamaru grinned, "So your bro is prepared to help?"

"Mhm…we'll have direct contact to some of his mates who work right at the data handling offices of residents of the Nation. He'll search about for that…Seth guy, and he may find some old deleted files. Anyway, he's arranging a flight for me to go to LA some time soon."

"Some follow up work or what? You sure about this. The police forces we alarmed in LA had two of their men shot when they haunted them down a highway."

Sasuke gave him an unbothered look, "I'm not a fool like them am I? I know well enough how to look after myself." He chuckled at the sound of his words.

There was a nod from the pineapple head, "Well, and what are we going to do in the meantime?"

"That is the question…we can't do nothing much without finding out more about that Seth…and once we've analysed him, we might find connections. He was the only one who was bruised – he must have known it was soon going to be over with him."

"Maybe, or it was an accident."

The morbid eyes sparked for a second at this thought, "You mean…a sudden fight and an accidental death? That depends on how deep Seth was intertwined into this whole shit. And we don't know that bit…how significant was his role?"

"According to the descriptions Sakura has given us…he might have been one of the leading factors. Or just a simple worker easily inspired."

"I doubt he was that thick, not after all Sakura told me." Sasuke's hands were clasped together in front of his mouth as he leaned onto the table, his eyes staring into nothingness, "There is more to it than we believe…"

A sudden blur of memories rushed to his brain in an instant, and fled the second after. He remembered the strange look on Miguel's face at work, after Ino had called him 'detective boy'. Didn't he know he had been one? His name was quite known, he was sure of it. What was that sudden rash of nervousness? But the thought left Sasuke soon. Miguel was a simple man, so he seemed, one of quiet status, Tsunade hat told him, not come around the world much. What would you expect in such a place as Javea? He probably hadn't heard of such names too much, and if, maybe it was the sheer surprise of working together with a well known detective that caused this inexplicable reaction.

She heard a ring at her door and took no great notice of it until it repeated again, making her stand up in a depressive manner and opening the door.

The sight in front of her slightly cheered her heart.

"Sunflowers…" She couldn't bite back the giggle and the small smile as Sasuke shrugged in an unknowing manner.

"It's type of Spanish; sunny." He smirked, and she took the bunch of sunflowers, letting the Uchiha enter.

"Is there anything you still need to know?" She asked, wandering off to the kitchen wearing nothing more but a tank top and hot pants.

"What you mean?" Sasuke studied a portrait of her in younger age, accompanied by a small dog, which he guessed was a terrier.

"About the case…" Her voice took a more sombre tone as she stared up into emptiness, the bunch of flowers still present in her arms.

Such an innocent view caused Sasuke to approach her, "I was wandering how you're doing. You weren't too good the other day."

"It's…the memory, the knowledge that someone, who I was supposed to marry, is now dead. And not just dead but murdered…and…and…I saw him…like that…dead…it's…." she couldn't figure out the correct words, and she felt speechless.

He had a weird feeling she would cry again, but Sakura surprised him when she turned around and smiled, simply, yet sweetly.

And it felt so weird. Strange in Sasuke's mind. How his heart twisted comfortably and his stomach felt light. His lips took a new direction upwards and he just felt…relieved at her sight. He didn't like this feeling. So confusing, so new, irritating, he didn't know how to react. So he stayed positioned there, trying to figure out what to do.

"Sonny?"

He blinked a couple of times, "Y-Yeah?"

"Do you want anything to drink?" She smiled, presenting pearl white teeth with a mocking look on her face.

"Yeah…"

She marched towards the kitchen, and he guessed he had to follow her, and so did.

"Coffee, Tea, water, coke…?"

"Water will do."

There was a pulsating silence as she poured the gurgling water into the glass, presenting it to the Uchiha with another of her smiles and watching as he took a sip.

Sakura couldn't help but get lost in a fit stare, ignoring his inquiring quirks of an eyebrow as he saw her glistening eyes, and those rosy cheeks, and something sly behind her look.

"Is there…something?" He asked, confused, and somehow drunk in the strange feeling from before.

Sakura didn't answer. He was about to repeat his words when she came closer to him, standing on her tiptoes and all of a sudden grabbed his collar, if softy, pulling him down.

He obliged and felt soft lips graze his, feeling her smile against his skin. She kissed him properly and there was a small eruption of fireworks going on inside Sasuke's head at her tenderness. He craved for more, but he didn't intend on deepening the kiss. Instead, he buried his hands into her hair and began tickling her lips once more with his. What was this strange feeling? Why did he feel like melting to the ground, as if he were in a relaxing bath he didn't want to leave, so drowsy, so ecstatic yet powerlessly under her will.

She seemed to enjoy his paralyzed attitude. A sudden rush of her scent intoxicated his nostrils. He couldn't have described the aroma even if the words existed, which he doubted.

Her lips travelled to his ear, "Your phone…" she whispered delicately, packing him by surprise.

Now he got why his bloody chest vibrated! He took out the small electronic apparatus, still trying to land on earth, "What…" He answered in a tired tone.

"Yo bro."

Sasuke's brain took some seconds before it made click, "Erm, what's up?"

"I could ask you the same, you sound pretty weirded out." Itachi couldn't help a chuckle.

"Get to the point." The raven haired man leaned against the cooker and watched as Sakura played with the sunflowers in the vase.

"Well, I've got celebrating news; I'm coming over!"

"What! That's nothing to celebrate, what're you coming over for!"

"Thanks for the ecstasy, I'm glad to see you soon again as well," The older Uchiha smirked, "Well, I have a few meetings to attend over there, and I might as well meet up and discuss things with you, right? Before you take off to LA, that is. It wont do, our phone conversations, I mean. And I have a feeling I must be worried."

Sasuke sighed exhaustedly, "Worried?" He mumbled, driving his fingers through his black locks.

"You're back into your old business, and you sound like a sweet little school kid right now. May a bolt strike me if something's not up with you right now."

Sasuke's brain went off at that moment. Good question, what was actually wrong with him? Why the hell was he digging into this case, no matter how interesting it was, when he knew what had happened last time? He knew the risk too.

Sakura gave him a worried side glance, inquiring his confusion.

He blinked a few times. Was it for her? For Sakura? She had been helping him quite a bit, even Jingles smelt she knew more than one could expect. And it was her words that got Sasuke closer to a type-of solution, or just deeper into some shit he may not want to be in.

"Otouto! Wake up!"

"W-What sorry, what've you been saying?"

"I said I'll see you in about two to three days time, okay? And we talk things through there. I have no new information at the moment, however, so you best try what you can about that case until something pops up."

"You know I don't like wasting time, things could happen in the meantime."

"Yeah, and time means money too, so now shut up."

Funnily enough, Sasuke did just close his gob, but then, "You're such a brat."

"Needs one to know one." He smirked again, "See you bro."

"Bye…" And the other end went dead.

"Everything cool Sonny? Who was that?" She grinned at him.

"An annoying person who sadly enough shares the same blood as me."

"Ah, your brother?" Her grin widened.

"Yep…" Sasuke scratched the back of his head, "He wants to pay a visit soon."

"Wow, I meet some of your family" Her eyes flashed in expectations, "interesting to find out what your sibling is like."

"You better carry a gun around with you, the guy is quite a flirt, and he never gives up."

Sakura giggled, "Wow, two good looking Uchiha's? And he's a flirt…sounds like fun." She winked to annoy the raven head, who indeed grimaced.

"Well, I don't wanna stop you, but he's a heartbreaker, so don't get lost in too much hope." He sneered.

"Nah, I don't hope for him. I've got enough of men for a while I believe."

His eyes went slightly wider and he smirked, "Right? And what was that then." His thumb pointed to the side, aiming at the spot where both of them had last stood.

"Well…." Sakura smiled, biting her lower lip, "May I not kiss a guy and still not want anything?"

That got the detective to think, "Hmm, true, so now you're being a flirt?"

She shrugged, pretending to be as blunt as ever, "Well, may the flirty girl ask you out to a drink or something?"

"As long as you don't drink yourself drunk out of depression." He smirked his famous smirk again.

"Well, you can make sure of that."

"Fine, I know a place to go, too."

"You seriously come here more often?" Sakura laughed at the amount of people who were dancing and cheering around her.

"Not really, but it's the Chiringuito* of a mate's wife. You know, the pineapple head."

"Wow, sounds not too bad." Sakura glanced interestedly at the orangey red drink with the lemon sticking at the side that the blond woman behind the bar presented to her.

"May I introduce you," she heard Sasuke's deep, strangely enough comforting voice speak, "That is Temari, Shikamaru's wife."

Sakura looked up into dark blue eyes that gazed kindly into her shimmering green ones.

"Nice to meet you…" she mumbled in Spanish.

"Don't worry, I understand Japanese, have my roots there." She winked, pouring a beer in for Sasuke.

"So," She glanced over at Sasuke, "you're into another case then, boy, ey?" Temari grinned, "how's it going?"

The man shrugged, tired, "I guess I'm getting somewhere."

"Make sure it doesn't stress you too much, Tsunade may not like it."

"She doesn't, and she's already employed a temporary co-worker."

"She wouldn't kick ya out that quick, after all, the models love you." Sasuke grunted at that remark. She turned over to look at Sakura, who's view was flashing outside into the darkening horizon, "So, Sakura-chan, what is it that makes the Uchiha so fond of you?"

The onyx eyed man glared at her, and Sakura couldn't help a surprised look, "Fond of me?"

"I see you together more often here. Very sweet to tell the truth." She winked again, grinning.

Sakura shrugged with a wicked smile, "I don't know, Sasuke, what makes you so fond of me?"

He huffed in response, not answering nor showing any expression whatsoever.

Both women giggled at his blunt attitude.

As the clock stroke eleven, Sasuke decided to take Sakura home safely, even though she refused and insisted on finding her way on her own, as she was a 'big girl'.

"It's my duty." He said, walking up the stairs to her door.

"What duty?" She laughed.

"As a man."

"Right, Sonny, I don't think so." She walked past him with a smile and then dug into her bag for the keys. Whilst doing so, her other hand frowned at the weird letter without address that she found in her post box.

"Well, you never know what folk wanders around at night. Javea can be a rough area, y'know."

She turned, "Thanks sweetie, if I ever have fears, I'll know whom to call."

The lock turned and she entered her apartment. Sasuke had spun on his heels and wandered off to the road.

However, the evening wasn't going to end so easily.

A scream called for his attention and he legged it back to the door, "Sakura!" He called, his voice clogged with immediate worry.

And was followed by a moment of shock.

What had been a normal, pleasant apartment just mere hours ago turned into a chaotic scenery of destruction. The sofa was torn, feathers swaying around, white ones scattered around the floor, fluff thrown in the edges. The wardrobe and cupboards in Sakura's bedroom where knocked over, their contents poured all over the room, her bedding torn and severed as if a wild tiger had been playing around. One of the wooden doors had a large crack through the middle, zigzagging its way to the ground, the handle screwed off and chucked on the ground. Glasses were broken in the kitchen, knives and forks scattered everywhere. A few fruits had fallen to the ground and smeared the tiles, making it slippery and sticky. The fridge's doors were wide open, it's contents strewn throughout the room. To summarise, it seemed a bomb had blown up in every part of the house.

"What the hell…" Sasuke muttered, watching as Sakura angrily, and unbelievingly marched through the house.

She turned to Sasuke, her eyes wide and questioning his. Yet he knew no answers to her worries.

"Has anything been stolen? I guess whoever did this was searching for something specific."

For an answer to be found to his question, Sakura had to storm through the house another few times before she came back and muttered a 'no', all of a sudden grasping her hair in frustration, "WHAT THE FUCK-!"

She was speechless, accurately stabbed in the stomach, not knowing what to say, think or do.

As she wandered through the house again, Sasuke glanced at the spotless letter, without any kind of address on it, and opened it, ignoring the fact that he was intruding into Sakura's privacy. After all, he was a detective and it was part of his job to do so.

And as his wondering went on, he was proven correct.

The pinkette stumbled towards him, about to say something, but he blocked her words by holding the piece of folded paper in front of her face.

"I know where you live" was what the paper presented, "I want the money"

Her eyebrows formed into a serious frown of increasing confusion, "What money!" She shouted.

Sasuke sighed, "Sakura, I have a weird feeling you're deeper in this shit than you'd like to be."

The Uchiha did have some worries that the pinkette was somehow more deeply involved than just being the fiancé. After all he heard, Seth had been very sincerely in love with her.

He could see the tears forming at the corner of her eyes, stinging her cheeks. This was just too much for her to take in, too much to cope with, too much to accept.

She fell onto the devastated sofa, head in her hands, silence echoing through the house.

Sasuke stood still for some seconds, "We need to get you somewhere safe."

She looked up, sniffing, "I can ask Ino-"

"No" The onyx eyed man interrupted her immediately, his face stern and full of concern, "I don't like this one bit, Sakura, I'm very certain that whoever done this is intertwined with the current case I'm muddled up in. And this is just a warning, there's more to come. You're not safe with Ino, nor in a hotel or anywhere."

"So what do you want me to do?" she whispered.

"You'll stay around mine."

Preview:

He heard the balcony door being slid open, and he took quick steps to said place. The Uchiha watched as a silhouette stood at the balcony, leaning against the wall sideways.

At first he frowned, but then he realised that the figure was Sakura.

"Sakura…" he whispered, hoping not to scare her, yet she didn't nudge at his words, even though he was barely 2 metres at a distance.

"Sakura?" His voice was a little more loudly, yet the woman didn't turn, as if she didn't hear him.

Then, unexpectedly Sakura leaned over the balcony, as if to grasp something floating in front of her, nearly losing her balance whilst doing so.

"Sakura!"

Javea: Town in Spain at the east Coast, "Costa Blanca" (literally meaning "white coast").
Chiringuito: Beach bars right at the beach.

Any other words? Sorry for any mistakes, I do check these but I'm not perfect =)

This is the end of chapter 7! PLEASE REVIEEEWWWW 333 I have chapter 8 nearly done, so, if you review lots, I finish lots and try my best, as I have 5 days off next week ;D SPREAD THE LOVE, SPREAD THE COOKIES!

Oh yeah, Sakura calling Sasuke "Sonny" and "Sweetie" - she's doing it to mock him XD To make him sound more child-like as he sees himself as such a cool adult. Yes, he has a stick up his ass sometimes, it has to be said ;D

Sooo, Miguel getting freaky? Maybe it's just wrong suspicion, who knows...EXCEPT FOR MEEEEEE

R&R 333