Your Heart in My Hand

A/N: Thank you for your patience! A huge thank you for all your reviews. I appreciate them and they make me very happy.

A little warning: This fic is an AU so characters will definitely be OOC.

Without further ado, enjoy the fourth chapter of Your Heart in My Hand.

Inspired by Fujiwara Kiyo's Wild Ones.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 4: The Others

Sakura knew Sasuke was angry. She just didn't know why. He had dragged her out of school and had not let go of her hand. He had stopped the pulling and was now walking at a normal pace.

After what felt like an eternity, he spoke.

"Sakura-sama, I want you to stop going for Art Club."

Sakura tried withdrawing her hand from Sasuke's but he only gripped it even more firmly.

"Why?"

Sasuke shook his head.

"You don't need to know why. Just listen to me," Sasuke said, looking into her eyes.

Sakura looked away and frowned. She liked the Art Club. She wasn't going to stop just because Sasuke told her to.

"I'm sorry Sasuke-kun but I really like the Art Club so I'll have to disregard what you just told me to do," Sakura said, trying her best to sound equally as determined as when Sasuke told her to quit.

"Sakura-sama…" Sasuke warned.

"I think I can make my own decisions. I'm still going for Art Club. And, I don't have to listen to you. You're just… just my bodyguard," Sakura said.

Sasuke smirked.

"Really? As I recalled, that bastard called me your boyfriend."

Sakura blushed. She had expected Sasuke to get angry when she had said whatever she said.

"I didn't tell him anything. And, you should very well know you're not… my boyfriend."

Sasuke had already let go of her hand so she turned away from him. She didn't want him to see how red her face was.

"So if I were your boyfriend, you would stop going for the Art Club?"

Huh? Sakura turned slowly to face a now expressionless Sasuke.

"What?" Sakura asked.

"You would stop going for Art Club, if I were your boyfriend?" Sasuke repeated, softly this time.

Sakura bit her lip. She didn't know what to say. Sakura decided to do the only thing she felt was right.

She ran.

Sakura couldn't sleep. She couldn't stop thinking about what had happened a few hours ago. She had run from where they had been to their home and had not spoken to anyone except her ji-chan who had come into her room to ask her about her first day. She hadn't seen Sasuke since.

She groaned into her pillow. She needed to sleep- she had school tomorrow. She decided to close her eyes and relax. A knock on her door jolted her awake. It was already past midnight and she was pretty sure everyone was asleep. The knock came again and Sakura got up to answer it.

"Who's there?" she asked softly, cracking the door just a little.

The voice who answered her made her heart stop.

"Sakura-sama. It's me, Sasuke. Can I please come in?"

Before Sakura could answer however, Sasuke pushed her in. He locked the door and covered her mouth.

A few minutes passed before Sasuke dropped his hand from Sakura's mouth.

"I'm sorry, Sakura-sama. I thought I heard someone. We're not allowed near your room," he whispered. "Can we talk?"

Sakura nodded and sat down on her futon. Sasuke did the same. Sakura hoped that Sasuke wouldn't be able to hear the loud beating of her heart.

"Sakura-sama, I wanted to apologise for what I said today," Sasuke started.

Sakura kept quiet but nodded to show him she was listening.

"I shouldn't have teased you about becoming your boyfriend. I'm sorry, I was out of line. You deserve better than me."

Huh? Sakura turned to Sasuke slowly. Both his eyes were closed. He was sitting cross legged and was wearing a simple white and blue yukata- standard sleep wear for most of her ji-chan's men- which he had tied loosely. The front of his yukata hung inches from his body as he leaned forward, exposing his well-toned chest. Sakura averted her eyes, her cheeks burning.

Sasuke's voice snapped her back to reality.

"What did you say?" Sakura asked, turning her head away.

"I said I was sorry. Forgive me, Sakura-sama," Sasuke said softly.

Sakura felt her chest tighten. She hadn't expected Sasuke to have even apologised for what happened.

When Sakura said nothing, Sasuke grabbed her hands. She gasped from the sudden contact.

"Forgive me, please?" Sasuke pleaded, squeezing her hands.

Sakura resisted the urge to hug him. She knew he was only apologising because he didn't want her to tell her ji-chan. But she would never. She knew if she did, her ji-chan would probably punish Sasuke and ensured that he never sees her again and she couldn't have that. She would never want that.

"Sasuke-kun… I'm not mad," Sakura said, gently.

Sasuke's eyes lit up. He smiled a little before heaving a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, Sakura-sama. But… I still stand by what I said. I do not want you to attend the Art Club. Sasori isn't… He isn't what you think he is," Sasuke said, his voice turning cold when he spoke about Sasori.

Sakura looked down and bit her lip.

"Could you at least tell me why you don't want me to go?" Sakura asked, hoping.

Sasuke closed his eyes once again and sighed. He was hoping Sakura would have just agreed to stop but he should have known. She was Hashirama's granddaughter after all.

When Sasuke opened his eyes, he turned to look at Sakura. She was pouting at him, her eyebrows furrowed, a look of determination in her emerald eyes. He turned away, resisting. He heard Sakura sigh and he felt her hand grab his arm, pulling it.

"Sasuke-kun, please?" she said, puppy eyes forming.

Sasuke rolls his eyes and Sakura smiles because she knows she's won.

"Fine," he said, groaning.

Sakura released her hand from Sasuke's and grinned.

"Go on," Sakura said.

Sasuke shook his head and began.

"Well, to put it simply, Sasori is from a rival gang."

Sakura frowned. Hadn't her ji-chan retired from the life of a criminal? Why were there still rival gangs to worry about?

"Was this why Sai left the club?"

Sasuke nodded and continued.

"The founder of that gang was a friend of Hashirama-sama. The both of them had started this gang, our gang, together but… But after a while, things went awry. Both of them started to have differing opinions and well, the other guy left. He started a new gang and we've been rivals ever since."

Sakura nodded. She hadn't heard of a rival gang. Of course, she hadn't known she had any living relatives that were yakuza previously.

"Who was this other guy? My ji-chan's friend."

Sasuke's eyes hardened.

"It's not any of your business," he replied coldly.

Sakura flinched. She hadn't expected for Sasuke to react to her question so negatively.

"I'm sorry," Sakura said, inching a little further from the black haired male.

Sasuke sighed.

"Look, Sakura-sama. The thing is, both gangs have retired from their criminal activities and technically, we're at peace now but, the younger members of Akatsuki have always been… They don't keep to their promises and their leader is always away on business so no one is there to watch over whatever they do. Just a few weeks ago, we found one of our dojos splashed with red and black paint- it was like they wanted us to know they did it. We wanted to retaliate but of course, Hashirama-sama forbade us to. They don't honour the peace treaty and this is exactly why you need to stay away from Sasori and the Art Club. I… We don't want to see you hurt."

When he finished, Sasuke looked up to meet Sakura's emerald eyes. He could see the conflict in her eyes.

After a while, Sakura spoke.

"I understand your concern for me, Sasuke-kun and I think I might have to think about this."

Sasuke opened his mouth to speak but Sakura cut him off.

"I know, I know. It's just… I really like art and the Art Club is something I see myself enjoying. I promise I'll think about it carefully," Sakura said. "It's late. We should sleep, we have school tomorrow."

Sasuke stared at Sakura and nodded after a while. When he stood to leave, she followed him to the door. Before he pulled the door open, he felt her tug on his sleeve.

"Thank you for being honest with me, Sasuke-kun," she whispered. "Good night."

Sasuke gave her a small smile and poked her forehead. Sakura turned crimson.

"Think about it carefully, okay? Good night, Sakura-sama," Sasuke whispered back before turning and opening the door.

When Sasuke got back to his room, he was glad to see that his roommates had all fallen asleep. Naruto was snoring loudly, a manga over his face. Suigetsu had rolled over to Sai's futon and Neji had his back turned away from the door.

Sasuke made his way slowly towards his futon next to Neji. It had only been 5 minutes since Sasuke climbed in when he was awoken.

"Sasuke," came Neji's voice.

Sasuke opened an eye and rolled over to face the long haired male.

"Hmm?"

"How did it go? Did she agree to quit the Art Club?" Neji asked.

Sasuke groaned and Neji chuckled.

"I'm guessing it didn't go well?" Neji said, softly.

Sasuke ran a hand through his hair.

"No. Well, she said she'll think about it. I had to tell her about Akatsuki and him."

Neji raised an eyebrow.

"You didn't tell her who he was, did you?"

Sasuke growled.

"Of course not. She doesn't need to know."

Neji sighed internally. Sasuke was always jumpy when talk turned to that guy. But Neji understood how he felt. He had things he didn't like talking about as well.

"Well, she said she'll think about it, didn't she? That's a good sign. I think Sakura-sama's sensible," Neji said, eyes closed.

"Well, she's Hashirama-sama's granddaughter so it's no doubt she'll be a tough nut to crack... But that's what I like about her I guess," Sasuke said, his eyes closed as he slowly drifted to sleep.

Huh? Neji opened his eyes and turned to Sasuke. The black haired male was smiling to himself, probably already asleep. Neji narrowed his eyes. He had never heard of Sasuke admitting that he liked any girl, ever. He had joined the gang slightly a few months before Sasuke and when Sasuke first arrived, he was a sullen, pessimistic 9-year-old. He had refused to speak and it wasn't till a certain loud mouthed blonde arrived that Sasuke began to open up.

Neji looked over at a snoring Naruto. He wasn't sure why but Naruto had that certain something about him. He was always the first one that younger members went up to when they first join and was always the peace maker during fights. Once, a few years ago, Suigetsu and Sai had almost killed each other because Suigetsu had torn one of Sai's treasured paintings and refused to apologise. Neji and Sasuke had tried reasoning with the two but to no avail. It wasn't till Naruto had spoken to the both of them privately that the matter had been settled.

When Naruto had started seeing Hinata, he had objected because he didn't want Hinata dating a member of the yakuza. However, he eventually learned to accept their relationship.

Throughout the years that the 5 of them had known each other, only Sai and Naruto had found love. Suigetsu was too much of a casanova to settle down and Neji simply didn't have any interest in love whatsoever. As for Sasuke… Well, like Neji, he had never been interested in the opposite gender. Sure, he had throngs of girls vying for his attention but he only thought of them as nothing more than nuisances.

But with Sakura, however, Sasuke had showed her much more interest than Neji thought was possible. When Hashirama had announced that he was bringing his only granddaughter back, Neji had noticed that Sasuke had been in brighter spirits. Whenever conversation turned to her, Sasuke wouldn't say a thing but Neji had seen him smiling to himself whenever he thought no one was looking.

As Neji slowly drifted to sleep, he thought he heard Sasuke whisper her name in his sleep.

When her alarm rang, Sakura almost couldn't get up. It was the knock to her door that made her open her eyes.

She opened the door groggily.

"Huh?" she said, sleepy.

The sight she saw before her woke her straight up.

His hair was damp; he had obviously just come out of the bath. His upper half was bare, his lower half wrapped in a long towel.

"Good morning Sakura-sama. It's time for breakfast," Sasuke said, running his hand through his wet hair.

"Ah…" Sakura tried not to let her eyes wonder any lower than his eyes.

Sasuke frowned and leaned in to her ear.

"It's because I made you stay up so late to talk, isn't it?"

Sakura quickly stepped back and shook head, blushing furiously.

"No, Sasuke-kun. Well, yes. I'm sorry I'll get ready now."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"Alright. I'll see you at the dining hall," Sasuke said.

Sakura swore her cheeks had never been hotter.

The walk-in to school was the same as yesterday; tons of screaming girls. Ino and Hinata were waiting for them at the usual spot and Sakura happily waved at them.

Her first class was Japanese and as expected, Sasuke had walked her to class.

"Ah! Sasuke darling! I… Oh," came Karin's voice. She glared at Sakura before turning her attention to the black haired male.

"Sasuke,' Karin purred, pushing Sakura away. "The summer holidays are coming and wouldn't it be great if we went together? We could kiss as the fireworks light the sky."

Sakura felt a stab to her heart. She had imagined Karin and Sasuke kissing. She started to walk into class but Sasuke grabbed her hand. He turned to Karin, expressionless.

"No, I don't think so. I'll be away on holiday with Sakura during the holidays. Also, I don't have the slightest interest in going anywhere with you," Sasuke replied coldly.

Sakura gasped and looked between Sasuke and Karin.

"I see. I don't get what you see in her but I won't give up," Karin said before walking into the classroom.

Sakura stared wide-eyed at Sasuke.

Sakura hadn't expected him to reveal that information to anyone. She hadn't expected him to even put Karin down. It wasn't that Sakura liked that Sasuke had put Karin in her place. It was something else and she was confused… Sakura noted that he hadn't let go of her hand.

"I'll see you later during break. I have to stay back in class for a few minutes later because it's my turn to collect homework so I'll see you at the cafeteria. Just look for Naruto." Sasuke said, squeezing her hand before letting go.

Sakura nodded and went into the classroom, not noticing that Karin was smirking evilly at her.

"Alright class. Please remember to read up on today's topic- there'll be a quiz on it next week. If there are no further questions, class is dismissed," Yamato said.

Sakura hurriedly got up and exited the class. She wanted to get away from sitting next to Karin as soon as possible. Also, she needed to go to the toilet urgently.

When Sakura stepped into the toilet, it had been empty. As she went on with her business, she thought about how surprisingly quiet Karin had been. She had thought the red head would taunt her to no end because of what had happened in the morning. Sakura sighed. She was glad. Maybe Karin had finally got it into her head that Sakura wasn't worth her time.

Sakura heard the door to the toilet swing open but strangely, no sound followed. When she was done, she flushed and opened the door. Sakura flinched.

Standing in front of her was Karin, smiling like she had just won the lottery. Flanking her were a few girls Sakura had seen snickering at her and fawning over Sasuke.

Sakura cautiously side stepped them in an attempt to get out but one of the girls blocked her.

"Where do you think you're going?" The girl sneered.

Sakura gulped.

"Erm, I… I'm sorry but could you move aside?"

Karin and the other girls laughed.

"I told you to stay away from him. You didn't heed my warning so now you're going to suffer the consequences," Karin spat. Her red eyes glinted with malice.

The girls grabbed Sakura roughly and Karin turned to a girl in long black hair.

"Kin. Check if the halls are empty so that we can give this bitch what she deserves."

Kin nodded with a smirk.

"Karin, it's clear. Let's go before break ends!"

Karin smiled.

"Girls, you know where to bring her."

Everyone nodded and began to drag a struggling Sakura out.

"Let me go! Please! Help!" Sakura screamed.

Karin swore as Kin proceeded to place her hand over Sakura's mouth.

"Fuck. I almost forgot. Gag her. Here, the tape," Karin said.

After gagging her, they began dragging her out. Sakura struggled but she was no match for the 5 girls who were holding her. Tears began streaming down her face as she tried to shout through the masking tape across her face.

The girls headed to the courtyard and Sakura knew exactly what they planned to do. She began thrashing harder, hoping to get away.

Karin laughed loudly.

"There's no one here to save you. You can try all you want to hope for someone to come. I still don't know how you managed to capture the attention of 5 of the hottest guys in school but it doesn't matter now. They won't need to pay any attention to you any longer, you bitch!" Karin said while grinning evilly.

Sakura's eyes widened as they slammed her against the concrete of the fountain. Two of the girls then grabbed her legs and threw her in.

"I think you need to wake up. Trying to steal Sasuke from me… Dream on!" Karin growled and pushed Sakura's head under the water. "The water should help."

Sakura's nose burned as water went in. She wanted to fight back but she couldn't. The fountain wasn't deep but she didn't have the strength to push off the hands that were now keeping her submerged. Just when she thought she was going to lose consciousness, Karin pulled her up by her hair.

"I don't think she looks any different from before. Maybe another round should do it, don't you think girls?" She said, looking at the other girls who were smiling.

Sakura knew to hold her breath this time as they plunged her into the water once again. She had stopped struggling, defeated.

Sasuke-kun…

It was then she heard a deep voice shout angrily.

"What the fuck do you bitches think you're doing? Stop!"

Sakura felt the hands previously holding her down, release their grasp and she surfaced immediately. She peeled off the masking tape and began to cough violently. She looked up, eyes stinging and that was when she saw the 5 of them, glaring at Karin and her lackeys.

The one who had shouted ran to her and carried her out of the fountain. She hadn't realised she had been shivering. The man immediately took off his gakuran and wrapped it around her.

Brown eyes met her emerald ones and Sasori spoke.

"Sakura, are you okay?"

A/N: Well this is it for chapter 4. I'm sorry it took so long. The writer's block was real. I have no plans on stopping this fan fic so please don't worry everyone. But please forgive me if I take a little longer to update. I'll see you guys soon!