Prompt # 24

City

"Building is evacuated and secure." Sasuke Uchiha spoke in to the radio on his shoulder. "Last of the civilians should be making their way to you now."

"Copy that." The voice of their commanding officer, Kakashi Hatake crackled through the radio, filling the otherwise empty hallway with noise.

Sasuke released his hand from his hand from the radio and glanced over at his partner. Naruto Uzumaki was staring out of a nearby window, one hand resting lightly on the rifle strapped across his body. They were part of the special ops force, dealing with hostage situations, serial killers, and the more exotic side of weapon based crimes. As it stood, today they had been called in to deal with a bomb threat.

The CEO of one of Japan's central banks had arrived to work that morning and found an unusual item sat on his desk. The glowing circuit board and timer had clued him in that he was facing some serious trouble – the wads of C 4 attached to the circuit probably helped matters too.

Kakashi 's team had arrived soon after the alarm was raised and the towering building had been evacuated and surrounding streets cordoned off. The fact that the bomb had been placed in one of the penthouse offices pointed to a personal vendetta against the CEO – an explosive would always do much more damage if placed towards the centre of the building, and the basement? Well that was a gold mine – electrics, gas mains, the heart of the building as it were.

A thorough sweep of the building let the team know that that their perpetrator was not hanging around, and all that was left to deal with in the meantime was the explosive itself. Kakashi had called back the rest of the team while Sasuke and Naruto volunteered to stay behind and keep a cautionary watch over things. Kakashi had not fought them, knowing there was a very good reason as to why the two boys wanted to stay.

Sasuke whistled lowly, gaining Naruto's attention. "I'm going to go in and check how things are coming along."

Naruto rolled his eyes but didn't say anything, instead going back to looking out the window. It was only the slight tightening of his fingers on his gun that let Sasuke know the blonde man was feeling tense.

Pushing the office door open slowly and gently, Sasuke was greeted with a panoramic view of the Tokyo skyline, numerous potted plants and a large ebony desk. On top of the desk was the troublesome device in question, the silver casing gleaming innocently in the fluorescent lights.

Behind the desk, kneeling on the floor he could just make out a head of unusual pink hair. He slipped in to the room fully, closing the door with a click. Bright green eyes peered around the side of the desk before turning upward in exasperation and focusing back on the bomb.

Sasuke rounded the desk, and took a seat in the plush leather desk chair so that he was viewing the woman on the floor in profile. Her hair was pulled in to a high ponytail, a few wisps escaping and sticking to the perspiration gathering at the back of her neck. Her eyes were focused on her task, and her small hands held a pair of wire strippers in the right and a blue wire in the left.

"What are you doing in here?" Her voice was barely a whisper as she stripped back the blue plastic covering the wire.

"Just came to see how things were going."

"You'll get yourself blown up."

"No." Sasuke shook his head. "You'll blow us up, you're the one with the wire cutters."

"Sasuke." Her voice was full of warning.

"Sakura." He mimicked. "It's hardly fair that you are sat in here on your own facing the danger is it?"

"It's my job."

"And right now my job is security detail, so here I am making sure you're secure."

Sakura shook her head and picked a red wire lightly between her fingers, beginning the delicate task of stripping that wire too.

"Hey."

Sakura flinched, teeth gritting in frustration as Sasuke spoke suddenly. "Damn it Sasuke! I almost cut through the wire!"

Sasuke did not speak again until the wire was uncovered and the stripper was back on the floor. "I heard you went out with Inuzuka."

Sakura froze and blinked at him in disbelief. "What?"

"Yeah, I heard him talking to Aburame in the locker rooms."

"Sasuke I really don't think now it the time or place!"

"Stop avoiding the issue, Sakura."

"What issue!? And I'm not avoiding anything. In case you haven't noticed I have my hands inside a bomb armed with a motion sensor. One slip and the whole bloody roof will be gone."

"Did you go out with him?"

Sakura let out a strangled cry. "So help me Sasuke, if you don't shut up I'll castrate you with these wire cutters."

Sasuke raised his hands in a pacifying gesture and sat back in his seat, his intense gaze burning in to the side of Sakura's head.

Sakura let out an angry breath and pushed back the loose strands of her hair before returning her hands back to her task. There was silence for a while as Sakura worked, clipping an external battery on to the exposed wires she had been working on. Once the wires had the battery attached she sat back on her knees and picked up her wire clippers. Keeping her eyes on the instrument in her hands she broke the silence.

"Yes, I went out with Kiba."

"Why?" Sasuke murmured, eyes never leaving her face.

She gave a half-shrug. "He asked. Sometimes it's nice to feel wanted as a woman."

Sasuke folded his arms and frowned. "You know I want you."

Sakura huffed out a mirthless laugh. "But you never ask."

"Excuse me?" Sasuke scoffed. "I think I asked you to dinner last Friday."

"No." Sakura disagreed, clipping through the red wire. "Your exact words were 'I've booked a table for eight o'clock. Wear something pretty.'" She threw Sasuke a dirty look. "Not exactly romance personified."

"So was Kiba a way to get back at me?"

"Damn it , Sasuke!" Sakura snapped. "It isn't always about you, you know? This male bravado thing you have doesn't wash with me. Working in spec ops means I'm used to putting up with stifling macho pig-headedness at work, but in my free time I want nothing to do with it."

Sakura sighed sadly and Sasuke remained frozen as she composed herself. "I know you tried to look like a tough guy when you asked me out because Naruto and the others were nearby but it really hurt me. If you're serious about wanting to take me out then you have to mean, it."

Sasuke waited for her to cut another wire before replying. "I do want you. And to be honest with you, Naruto punched me for asking you out how I did." He saw Sakura's lips twitch at that and he continued. "You're a pretty intimidating woman, Sakura."

"Hm?" She glanced at him.

"You're the only girl I know who dismantles explosives for a living."

"It's a niche market." She deadpanned, her finger poised over a button on the bomb.

"Before you touch that button and potentially kill us, let me finish." Sasuke said.

Sakura sighed and quirked an eyebrow impatiently.

"I've been an idiot. I do like you, but I thought being a testosterone-fuelled bonehead would impress you." Sakura opened her mouth and Sasuke hurried to finish. "But I know now it doesn't so let me try again.

"Sakura, would you please do me the honour of going to dinner with me tonight?"

Sakura observed him for a moment, face blank before she turned back to the explosive on the desk. Her finger jabbed in to the button and the timer on the bomb rapidly decreased. Sasuke lurched forward in his seat, heart in his throat and no real plan other than the urge to cover Sakura's body with his own. Sakura held up a hand to him and he paused, awkwardly hovering in a crouched position as the numbers hit zero and a light on the battery Sakura had attached flickered to life.

Sakura nodded in satisfaction and her fingers slipped round the back of the battery pack, finding a switch there.

Sasuke watched as the battery powered down, and with it the bomb was safely neutralised. When there were no lights on either of the devices on the desk he sagged to the floor and shook his head at Sakura.

"Crazy woman."

She smirked at him and shrugged. "I was just doing my job. But now that that's over I will accept your invitation to dinner."

"You will?" Sasuke perked up.

"Yes." Sakura nodded. "But any more of that chauvinistic crap and you will find out first-hand why it's a bad idea to get on the wrong side of an explosives expert."

Sasuke's lips twitched. "Duly noted."

He stood from his kneeling position and helped Sakura up. He radioed Kakashi to inform him of the success of their mission as they left the room to join Naruto in the corridor. The blonde man grinned widely at Sakura and hugged her tightly, congratulating her on a job well done. Sasuke barely even noticed the wink Naruto gave him as he noticed Sasuke and Sakura's entwined hands.

So I watched Speed again recently…

I've got like 3 other chapters ready to upload for this story, including a couple more parts to the Arabia timeline. I thought it was best to start uploading them – no idea why they've just been sitting on my laptop unedited!