"I want answers!"

Sarutobi raised a hand to Tsunade to stop her from speaking.

"Clearly," he spoke, turning to Sasuke who stood before his seated form. "The Assassin guild had seen this coming, and your Master has asked all of you Assassins to protect me, correct?"

"Yes sir."

"Are you allowed to speak of the details?"

He didn't answer for a moment, since he had glanced at the other Assassins who were on the side. "Our guild Master has given me the authority to decide for myself whether to tell you or not," he looked back at Sarutobi. "Not letting you know will endanger you further, so it's better to inform you who exactly we're dealing with."

"Hold it, we can't disobey the Master's orders!"

"I think I made it clear what he has granted me." Sasuke said to the female Assassin who spoke. "This mission to protect the king is under my authority, and he has stated in the meeting earlier that I can opt to tell or not."

"...So be it."

"Geez. Assassins have so many protocols." Tsunade murmured to the Biochemist next to her, Orochimaru. "And to think that they didn't have so many rules…"

"Procedures are needed to keep them in line."

"Sir," Sasuke began once more, looking at Sarutobi's expectant eyes. "My search for my brother is a cover-up story just to keep my real mission hidden. The Master has personally requested that I lead a team of Assassins to keep an eye out on Midgard," when the King nodded, he proceeded. "The Ninja guild has given us news that there is someone who wants you dead." He stopped to apologize for being blunt, but Sarutobi just nodded after getting over the shock. "The Crusader and Knight guilds are unaware of this because it will alert the suspect of our awareness, so we had to take the risk and do the job to keep you safe."

"If you ask me," a representative of the Knight guild said. "Your class didn't do a pretty good job in keeping an eye out."

Close Proximity
"Siege Breakers"

For harmony to be attained, the barrier between good and evil must fall to unite opposing forces
For peace to be gained, the Siege Breakers must live up to their name to destroy walls that divide

"I'm sorry if I'll be straightforward with you, but," he looked at the Knight. "You don't have any right to talk that way since you weren't the one who just saved Sarutobi-sama's life."

The Knight clenched his fists as he glared at the younger Assassin. "Perhaps I could have if we were informed."

"Heh." He smirked. "You were about eighty-feet or so away from the king, would you have gotten to him in time to stop the arrow?"

The Knight flushed and shut his mouth, his eyes asking how the computations were known.

Orochimaru chuckled. "Your highness, if I may speak," he continued when Sarutobi nodded. "Please let them know who our Assassin here is to get rid of confusions."

"Oh, of course." Sarutobi stood up at this. "The Assassin standing before you is one of the few favored members of the Assassin guild. His name is Uchiha Sasuke, and I've heard a lot about him from the guild Master himself." He coughed to clear his throat before continuing. "He is a very talented Assassin with the intelligence of Biochemists (next class of Alchemists) and Professors (higher class of Sages; they are known for their high intelligence) alike. So it isn't a surprise to those who know him that he was able to tell how far apart you were from me. His training and experience makes him able to scan his surroundings in just one glance." he told the Knight. "And also, well... the rest is better to see when he's in action; and I have seen him in action more than twice."

"Anyway, Uchiha, please continue with your story." Tsunade said.

"Hn. A fellow Assassin of mine was responsible in signaling me that something wasn't right, so I went to look for you, Sarutobi-sama, with the intention of hiding you. Unfortunately, the arrow was shot and I had to push you down to prevent the sharp point from colliding with your head."

"Please spare me the details of gore." He gave a nervous smile. "However, I thank you and the Assassin guild for prioritizing my safety."

"Sir, it's not over." He narrowed his eyes. "We can't relax just yet, not until the killers are dead."

"Killers?" Tsunade echoed.

"It's better to assume that we are dealing with more than one suspect." He said. "An Archer class may or may have fired that shot, but we can't forget that Rogues or Stalkers are capable of wielding bows and arrows just as well as Archers do."

"Are those the only job classes we have to be careful of?"

"No sir." Sasuke lowered his head a bit. "This will be hard for me to admit, but I have to."

"What is it?"

"When I asked Sakura to use Ruwach, I detected an Assassin Cross in the area with the intention to kill you."

"Which is why you asked Naruto to get help with crowd control?"

"Yes sir." He nodded. "You may have heard a lot about me, but I am also prone to failures and weaknesses. The Sin-X was hard to track down due to so many people panicking. As soon as the crowd had calmed down, he was gone."

"What do you suggest then?"

"Sir?"

"You're still leading this mission – and until I am killed or a hundred percent safe, what do you propose we do?"

"I have boundaries that I can't cross."

"Consider my question as something… out of curiosity."

He picked up the parcel that was clearly stomped on by a lot of people, afterwards, shook it and grinned when the object still seemed intact. "How much would this baby sell, eh?"

"Put it down you idiot! We're here to look for clues!"

"No, you're here for that, not me." He chuckled and unwrapped the out-of-shape box, afterwards, pulled off the lid and looked inside. "Heeeeey! It's a rare Alice doll!"

"Any rich person can afford that Suigetsu, now please, stop clowning around!"

"Chill," he sighed. "I'm a Gunslinger, I'm told to shoot, not to investigate!" he took notice of a girl checking the area. "And I'm about to shoot at that babe over there."

"Ugh! You pervert!"

Suigetsu scoffed. "Don't act innocent, Karin, you have more erotic thoughts of Sasuke in your head than I do with women."

Karin had blushed. "T-That's not true!"

"Uh-huh…" Suigetsu walked off while carrying the Alice doll and smirked at the girl who just arrived. "Yo, I'm a Gunslinger and I like shooting," he leaned closer to her and winked. "If you know what I mean."

She glared. "Can't you see that what happened is something serious?"

"Okay, I dig the whole celibacy thing with you Priests, but come on, this is the modern times now!" he shut his mouth when the Priest took out her staff and threatened him with it. "Alright, alright!"

She watched the Gunslinger walk away before hiding her staff again and look at the wreck before her. "Who would want to assassinate the King?"

"Any luck?"

"Oh, hey Sasuke."

He raised a brow at her. "You don't seem… lively."

"Who would at a time like this?"

He shrugged. "Idiots like Suigetsu?" he pointed at the Gunslinger from earlier when she gave a questioning look.

"And how is it that you know the pervert?"

"I've met a lot of perverts." He picked something up from the ground. "Though I only know a few who aren't," he handed the item to her. "And they give out dating tips."

She smiled at the Witherless Rose he gave her, said to symbolize undying or eternal love. "And do you have any idea that what you did means something?"

"Yeah, but I think you're smart enough to know how my language differs from others."

She rolled her eyes but laughed. "Next time, don't give me anything related to love if you're not confessing."

"I'll keep that in mind." He eyed her dress which had a couple of mud here and there. "That's gonna stain."

"I know…" she sighed. "It cost me about a thousand zenies or more."

"Then get someone to buy you a dress next time," he smirked. "That way, you wouldn't regret what you paid."

"And who the heck would be dumb enough to buy me a dress?"

"The dead last will yield after a few threats from you, and Lee is pretty much hell bent on giving you the world."

Sakura giggled. "I wouldn't want to keep killing off what's left of Naruto's brain cells, and I'd rather not get Lee's hopes up."

"Your loss." He shrugged.

She just shook her head and walked next to him as they checked other areas that might have left some clues. "So who was that Rogue who pestered you earlier? Your mood changed all of a sudden."

"Didn't know you can be a mood reader," he commented before answering her question. "Her name's Karin," he gestured at the girl next to Suigetsu with his head. "Self-proclaimed girlfriend of mine."

"I figured that part out, but how did you two meet if you avoid her type?"

"She's a Rogue, I'm an Assassin – we both come from the Thief class, therefore, our paths are likely to cross."

"It must be hard to be you."

"Very." He pulled out the arrow that embed itself against the pole. "And how many perverts have you come across with?"

"Suigetsu would have been the sixteenth."

"Also the one who got away easily, I presume?"

"You presume correctly." She smiled. "The others were not very lucky."

"I'll take your word for it." He checked the tip of the arrow. "Hm… poison."

"How'd you know?"

"We're experts with regards to poisons or venoms – this one came from a Wraith Dead's Envenom."

"How can the poison skill be taken and coated on the arrow's tip?"

"A Hunter or Sniper trapped the monster, successfully managing to immobilize it, and as soon as it attacked with Envenom," he looked at Sakura. "The arrow was most likely receiving the splash of the poison."

"If it was targeting the King's head and failed to kill him, the poison will immediately finish the job." She furrowed her brows. "But how can a Hunter or Sniper be able to deal with the poison without getting affected?"

"Thief Class skill: Detoxify – much reliable than Green herbs." He frowned. "I'm already sure an Assassin Cross is involved, and to get a Wraith Dead immobilized, a skilled Hunter or Sniper is needed."

"Do you know any Assassin Cross who wasn't present during your meeting for today's party?"

"The meeting was meant for Assassin classes only, so Sin-X's weren't supposed to be there; however, since they were once Assassins, they were entitled to come."

"So..?"

"Everyone was present in the meeting – save for those who had missions." He narrowed his eyes at the arrow. "There were two people missing today who didn't have a mission, and one of them is my brother, but he already is missing."

"Didn't you just tell the King that that mission was a cover-up?"

"It still is, but it's not stopping me from doing both my current assignment and that mock one."

"Who's the other Assassin?"

He gripped at the arrow's body tightly, causing it to snap into two. "Momochi Zabuza."

The flame that lit the candle flickered from time to time as the person next to it had a grim look in his face.

"The mere sight of his brother stopped you," he scoffed. "An Assassin was able to make you, an Assassin Cross, experience cold feet?"

"Trust me, that kid can match a Sin-X's level. The only reason why he still can't move on to the transcendent class of a Sin-X is because he needs more experience to learn some skills."

"You and Zetsu are our best bet to finish the job! Yet he missed the shot and you failed to kill Sarutobi!"

"What's the rush? It's not like there's a deadline."

"Our guild's name is at stake here Zabuza," he frowned. "Don't take the mission too lightly. By now, that Uchiha must have figured out who you are."

"Most likely, since Itachi and I aren't present during the Assassin guild meeting."

"You're now a wanted criminal. I won't take any chances by having you deal with the job." He turned his back to the Sin-X. "Send someone who can do the inside job."

"I already have two people in mind, but don't you think we should have someone who is an expert in poison to tag along?"

"See to it then." He walked off as soon as the flame died down. "We have enough minions to spare."

"Yes sir."

"You said that yesterday!"

"I know, but I'm on a mission right now."

"How can sitting on a roof and staring at people be a mission?!"

He sighed and took out an apple from his pack around his waist and handed the fruit to the child.

"Wow! An apple! My favorite!" he took it with a grateful smile and bit the fruit. "But seriously, how can this be a mission?"

"Surveillance."

"Sounds cool…" the child said with a mouthful of apple bits. "Yet I see you eyeing only one person." He gave a provoking grin. "You dig her, huh Sasuke-nii?"

"No." He answered almost immediately.

He truly lives up to the Assassin name due to his lack of emotion or reaction.

"So why do you keep looking at her then?"

"She's a possible target of the suspect."

The young boy didn't seem to believe it at first after sensing how intent the Assassin's gaze was on the pink-haired Priestess, but he shrugged none the less. "Whatever you say…" he finished the apple and grinned upon seeing a familiar blonde head. Next thing he did was to throw the apple core onto said blonde and hid behind Sasuke.

"Ow! Who did- oh, very mature teme!"

His eyes looked from Sakura to Naruto. "Kishiro." He glanced at the child hiding behind him. "Go home."

"I don't want to!" he stuck his tongue out. "I want to stay with you a bit longer!"

"You'd rather sit here and do nothing than train?"

"You're training me! No one at home can!"

They seem to have forgotten the ranting Naruto on the ground who was catching a lot of people's attention – including Sakura.

"If you find a loudmouth, you also find the opposite." She exclaimed upon reaching the Crusader's side. "What's up Sasuke?"

The dark-haired Assassin just grunted and got up from his seat. "I don't see anything so far." He turned to Kishiro. "As for you, go home. Now."

Kishiro pouted.

"I'm not buying that." Sasuke picked up the boy and jumped down in front of his former teammates, afterwards, set Kishiro back on the ground. "I'll tank you when I'm not busy."

"Bah! You're always busy even if you're just sitting up there on a roof and watching the people!"

"I already told you that it's surveillance duty."

"That's a Swordie class job!" Kishiro looked at Naruto. "Something you're supposed to be doing right now!"

"Why you little-"

"Naruto, shut up." Sasuke said, and turned to Kishiro. "Swordsman classes can't get up on roofs; why else would Ninjas or Assassins be in-charge of that?"

"…You're the only one watching."

"This area, yes, but if you circle the whole town of Prontera, you'll see more Sins." He ruffled the child's hair. "Now, go home."

"Oh fine! But you owe me twice now!" he then took off without looking back.

"How the heck do you get him to listen to you whereas he just disrespects me?!"

"Kishiro is aspiring to be an Assassin like me, not a Crusader like you." He started to walk off. "And he's rivals with Inari, in case you're forgetting."

"Shit. Inari!" Naruto looked at Sakura. "Can you warp me to Izlude?!"

Sakura twitched. "Naruto, Izlude is a field away from Prontera! Walk to it! Use your peco-peco!"

"Oh, right!"

"Sasuke's right, you are an idiot."

"Yeah sure, side with him!" he grunted. "And I was the one who stuck with you during those three years!"

Sakura sighed. "Geez Naruto…" she ignored the ranting blonde and looked at Sasuke's retreating form. "It's just like that time…" she absently placed a hand onto the cross pendant around her neck. "When you were leaving to become an Assassin," she tried to not frown, but couldn't help it. "Why is it that whenever I see your back, I feel… lonely?"

"Sakura? Hey! You're not listening!"

"Aren't you supposed to be forming a guild?"

He kept his eyes on the townspeople of Prontera.

"I mean, Sarutobi-sama did give you an order."

"It was a suggestion he granted me."

"Yet you're not doing so." The long-haired Monk kept the small knife he had picked up earlier and tossed the Dead Branch item he was carving onto the ground. It activated and summoned forth a Nightmare – a ghostly horse that looked like it was on fire – purple flames to be exact.

It grunted a few times and turned its glare to its summoner, who smirked and pushed himself off of the wall he leaned on.

"Vigor Condensation." The skill the Monk used summoned forth five spirit spheres that surrounded him, meaning that the skill was at its maximum level to have been able to acquire five spheres in one skill. Next, he said out loud: "Vigor Explosion", which resulted to the spheres exploding to increase his critical attack. As soon as the Nightmare charged, he smirked and readied his right fist. "Extremity…" he punched the ground beneath him. "Fist!" and killed the monster he summoned once it was in the range of his attack.

"Nice." His companion commented sarcastically. "Don't you have anything better to do?"

"Not really." He chuckled and looked at the Assassin sitting on the rooftop. "Are you going to tell me about this guild the King wants you to form yet or not?"

"Hn." He jumped off of the roof and landed next to the Monk. "The guild's name is Siege Breakers, and Sarutobi-sama wants me to find members for it."

"So how come you're not?"

"I don't want to be a guild leader." He muttered. "It's bad enough that I have to lead the Assassins in locating our suspects."

"That Master of yours has high regards for you, what do you expect?"

"Good point." He sighed and started walking off. "Come on, I did ask for your help with regards to recruitment."

"Lee and Tenten are in too, how about Naruto and Sakura?"

"I haven't asked them yet."

"I should probably feel honored that I'm the first one you recruited then."

"Hn. Zip it Neji."

"Right. So, where exactly do you have in mind to search?"

"Downtown."

"What?!"

The crowd and noise were unbearable, and he was tempted to back out from helping Sasuke because of the annoying people around them.

"Why..?"

"Easy," Sasuke answered. "Most people who hang out here are looking for guilds to join in."

"So you just randomly accept them?"

"I haven't formed the guild yet, I'm only recruiting people who want to."

"Feh. Do you have any proof of this… guild?"

Sasuke sighed and pulled out a small scroll from his small pack strapped around his waist. "Sarutobi-sama made sure of it."

"So, who will be our guild leader then?"

"Someone you know, I assure you."

"Oh boy! Is this for real?!"

"Yes."

"Wow! He really said I should take the job?!"

"He has his hands full, so he told me to assign someone." He sighed. "A Crusader like you should be able to handle it."

"Of course I can!"

"Good. Go meet him downtown. He's with Neji, and they're recruiting members."

"YES!!" he started running off while carrying the Emperium, a golden crystal-like object that enables the bearer to create a guild. Not many people have this object, for only the worthiest are able to attain such an item. In this case, the King has granted the crystal to the soon to form Siege Breakers.

"Did he really..?"

"Yes Sakura, as impossible as it sounds, he did."

"Wow… I never thought I'd live to see the day that Sasuke would ask Naruto to take his place."

"Shocking, I know."

"Well, I wouldn't want to miss this." She grinned, bowed down to the King, and then ran after Naruto. "Hey Naruto! Wait up!"

Sarutobi just smiled at them before glancing behind him. "As for you, shouldn't you be out there..?"

"They're on the move, your Highness, I suggest you be more careful."

"I am aware," he chuckled. "Sasuke made sure I know every detail."

"He's doing a pretty good job with his assignment."

"Not so much for the mock one, I assume."

"Yes sir."

"Well then, see to it that the other Paladins and Lord Knights are ready for what is to come."

"Yes sir."

"You're kidding."

"I wish I was…"

"This is Naruto, damn it! Who, in their right mind, would join Siege Breakers (SB) if they find out he's the leader?!"

He smirked. "You, Tenten, and Lee."

"…Oh funny, I didn't know it would be Naruto."

"Suck it up."

"So long as you're second-in-command."

"That depends on the idiot, don't you think?"

Neji rolled his eyes and slapped his forehead. "You set me up, I can't believe it… you set me up."

"Just taking advantage of our… friendship."

"Damn it Uchiha."

"Look," he turned from the blonde Crusader to the long-haired Monk. "Sarutobi-sama believes he can do well as a Guild Leader, so if he thinks so, then I'm fine with it."

"It's not good to lie, Sasuke."

"Your class is not allowed to lie."

"Do they teach you to kill or to retort?"

"Kill; retorting is just an art you need to learn the hang of."

Naruto kept grinning as he held the Emperium in his hands, whereas Neji sighed and plopped onto the ground.

"Anyway, dead last, just create the guild, name it Siege Breakers, and then invite some people." He narrowed his eyes at the blonde. "People who would be active, got it?"

"Hey, I'm going to be the leader! Don't boss me around!"

"I have the right, because I was the one who referred you as my replacement."

"...I'm with Neji, I think you're taught to retort and not to kill."

"Don't tempt me." He glanced at Sakura. "What are you smiling about?"

She grinned further. "I just miss seeing and hearing you two squabble like kids."

He twitched. "Better to be kids than to be a Baphomet."

She glared. "What?"

He smirked. "Baphomet."

"You are so dead this time!"

"Like you can hit me."

"Arrogant bastard!!"

"GUYS!" Naruto yelled. "Just accept the guild invitation first and then take your lover's spat elsewhere!"

Neji smirked at that as the two teens blushed and glared at Naruto, but accepted the invitation none the less.

Sasuke muttered an "I'm out" before taking his leave, whereas Sakura called him and ran after him, saying she wasn't done with him yet.

"You did notice that they didn't deny it, right?"

"Yeah," Neji chuckled. "I did."

"Uchihaaaaa!"

"For crying out loud!" he turned to her. "Will you stop it?!"

She blinked, and then smirked. "Stop what?"

He twitched. "Your annoyance."

"Which is..?"

"What you're doing!"

"What am I doing?"

He caught on to what she was leading him to, and somehow, that made him much more irritated – but…

"Hn." He smirked and leaned forward, making her blink and take a step back, until she hit a wall.

"Shit…" she cursed and looked up at him, blushing when he was barely half an inch away from her face. "I need breathing space Uchiha!"

"Do you?" he leaned an arm against the wall over her head, while his other hand was pressed next to her body. "Want some of mine?"

She flushed.

"Or would you rather just let my lips touch yours?"

She could feel his breath on her face, could feel just how close her lips and his were, but damn, she couldn't look away – not when she's caught in his gaze.

"Heh." He stopped his advances and pulled away. "You are too innocent."

She blinked and saw his back, watching it walk away, and for some strange reason, her right hand reached out and grabbed onto the scarf around his neck, using that to pull him back.

He felt the material around his neck tighten, and he choked, afterwards, turned around to glare and prepare himself to lash out at Sakura, but he stopped when he saw her eyes.

He stared at her with wide onyx orbs, unsure of what to do or say when he saw how she was looking so afraid – of what, he didn't know.

Her left hand was fisted just before her chest where her heart was, and her grip onto his scarf tightened. Her eyes were glossy and directed at him, and her cheeks were slightly red, but she didn't look embarrassed – she looked like she was about to cry.

"Sakura?" he finally found his voice, and his brows furrowed in concern.

Her eyes blinked a few times, and from that action, he noticed the small tears that fell down her cheeks.

"I… I'm sorry I…" she let his scarf go, and took a step back. "I didn't know why I did that…" she immediately wiped her tears and forced a grin. "Sorry, really. I must have… choked you, ne?"

This situation was awkward, and that included what he was seeing, and what he was currently feeling.

"Yeah…" he answered in a soft voice while looking away.

"Sorry, I just…" she forced a small laugh. "I guess I'm… still a bit affected when I see your back, when I see you walking away."

His eyes widened as he looked at her sharply.

"I mean…" she lowered her gaze. "I still can't get over that incident, when you left us to train to become an Assassin…"

He remembered that – of how she called him back and gave him that rosary necklace which would bring him luck.

It did bring him luck during his training and exam. He passed all of the tests without difficulty, and somehow, he believed it had something to do with what Sakura had given him.

In return, he told her to take care of the scarf his brother had given him, and told her that it would at least help her keep warm on cold nights, since she was pretty much prone to the cold season. It did keep her warm, and that included security too, because somehow, during those times they've trained as a team, having him around made her feel mush safer. Having Kakashi and Naruto also made her feel secure, but not as much as Sasuke does.

She didn't know why, maybe because she could completely entrust her life to him, or maybe because he was just that reliable and dependable.

So when he left, and along with Kakashi too, she felt a bit lonely, even with Naruto there, she felt incomplete.

"You're crying again…" he stated, and she placed a hand on her cheek to feel the tears.

"I… I don't know why…" she tried to wipe them off, but they just kept coming. "Maybe I'm just happy that you're back, maybe I'm still affected by the past, maybe… maybe…"

His mind told him to comfort her, to embrace her, or let her lean onto him, but his body wasn't trained for physical affection. His emotions are unable to feel properly, because they're trained to lean towards calmness, they're trained to feel nothing.

"I'm just… really… glad you're here…" she continued to cry with a smile, and this time, he can tell it wasn't a forced one. "I just… missed you that much or I'm just… relieved to have you around because…" his eyes narrowed slightly while his fists clenched - his resolve was breaking, he knew it. "Because… I feel safer when you're around, just like the old days."

"Truth is…" he finally spoke as he unclenched his fists and turned around. "I… only came back because of the mission." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Even back then, Sakura was the only person who has ever made him feel nervous, or even a little bit of worry. "I wasn't planning on heading back at all…" he glanced at her over his shoulder. "At least, not until I find my brother."

Siege Breakers meant destroying the wall that divides and Sasuke knows that Sarutobi had meant something else besides forming the guild.

Maybe Sasuke knew from the back of his mind that the formation of the guild was also for him. It was meant to get him to tear down those walls he's surrounded himself with when he was still in Morroc.

And for some strange reason, the hardest wall to break was the one between him and Sakura.

Why? He wasn't entirely sure, but he had a good guess that it was because without that wall, she'd be open to more possible danger.

Being an Assassin with a name of Uchiha, he has enemies; most of which are successfully killed, while some still remain walking on the face of the earth, waiting to get to him.

Why else would Assassins be trained to remain emotionless? It's not only because they're supposed to kill and not feel guilt, but it's mostly for them to not fall for someone, to not let their emotions out of control – especially if they lose someone dear to them.

"But even then, I never thought of going back, even if…" again, his fists clenched.

It was hard to break those walls he's worked so hard to put up.

"Even if… I…" his voice got softer and softer, and she could barely hear what he said next. "…missed you too."

While she felt complete and much more secure and safe with him around, he felt more at ease and relaxed with her being next to him.

He couldn't call these feelings as something more than friendship, because it wasn't.

She was someone special to him, like Itachi and Naruto.

Even Kakashi would fall under that category.

It just so happens that he had a softer spot for the Priestess.

He sees her as someone easy to break, easy to hurt…

More importantly, he sees her as someone easy to fall in love with.

"You… came back because of your mission to protect the King."

He nodded once.

"So, if it wasn't for the mission," he heard her choke on a sob. "You wouldn't even come back; you wouldn't even bother to visit…"

That wasn't entirely true, but in all honesty, he wasn't really planning on going back to Prontera.

For one thing, it distracted him from finding his only missing family.

His parents are gone, and Madara wasn't much of a family, just someone he was related to by family name.

"All this time," she continued. "Did you even think about coming back here?"

He couldn't answer because he was trying to choose his words carefully.

Being trained as an Assassin had disadvantages too.

For one thing, it was harder to communicate in terms of sentimental feelings, or just basically socializing. Assassins only talk or speak when it's about a mission, or something purely business-related. Sometimes, they even joke around or tend to retort, even carry important conversations related to politics or combat. But throw them in a discussion about love and feelings and they'll surely clam up or just stammer.

He couldn't really find the right words, so he turned to face her, but he was taken aback to see her crying.

Before he could even say something or make a move, she ran off.

That was another reason why he didn't want to break that wall between them, because he knew that compared to the other walls, the one he had for Sakura was just glass – something easy to break, yet would hurt so much due to the fragments. And since he was the one who broke through that barrier, the sharp projectiles were launched towards her, and he was the cause of it.

"Why is it that when I see a lady crying, you're always at the other end?"

He sighed silently and turned to meet an old Blacksmith.

"Did you reject another pretty face, Sasuke?"

"Tazuna-san," he bowed down slightly. "No, it wasn't rejection."

"I've never seen a girl cry like that because of you unless it's rejection…" he rubbed his chin. "So what was that all about?"

"Telling the truth." He said, glancing at the direction where Sakura took off. "Anyway, do you have it?"

"Yeah," he pulled out two newly refined Jurs. "It was tough to have this refined, you know?" he grinned. "What made you change your weapon from Katars to Jurs? And slotted none the less! Why do you need three cards for each?"

"I think it's about time I put the cards the clan has stored in our basement to good use." He answered, testing out the Jurs. "Anyway, I'm getting close to the Sin-X level; I may as well increase the variety of weapons I can use."

"You're a Crit type Sasuke, you can't use daggers properly."

"Yeah, but I'm pretty flexible about that." He pulled back the blades with one swift movement of his arms, retracting the sharp ends to avoid unnecessary harm. "And the other one?"

"Hm? Oh, right, I almost forgot." He pulled a package out of his cart. "Here, Tsunami says it was hard to find, but hey, you did say that money is-" he stopped. "Wait a minute; you aren't that much of a spender!"

Sasuke took the parcel and looked at Tazuna.

"You usually just have me refine your weapons and armor! And you don't really spend too much on items and accessories, so why the sudden change, eh?"

He looked back down at the item in his hands. "I guess I'm just… dumb enough."

Day or night, Prontera still remains to be the outstanding town of Midgard.

Still, even if the happy faces on each person passing by, or every vendor who is eager to make a sale, the sadness she felt just won't go away.

"Sakura-nechan, you really should just forget about it."

"Yeah ne-chan, maybe there's a reason."

She looked down at the Takezawa twins she helped in training. Seiko, the younger of the two and also the male twin, would become an Archer starting tomorrow, but he has to submit the items he was required to gather first. Seika, the older and female twin, was pretty much excited to become an acolyte soon, but since the Church closes early on weekdays, she has to wait for tomorrow to come.

"Seiko, I don't think there's an explanation for Sasuke-nii to say such things."

"Yeah but…" he quieted down for a bit. "I don't think he'd do or say anything just like that without a valid reason."

"Oh well!" Seika looked back up at Sakura. "Cheer up ne-chan, it's not like it's the end, right?"

She forced a smile at the two children. "Yeah, but still… I don't think we'll be the same again."

"I hope that's not true."

The two kids yelped as Sakura jumped in surprise when Sasuke landed just a few feet away from them.

"Will you not do that?!" She yelled, breathing a sigh of relief. "That scared me!"

He got up and gave a small smirk.

"Don't even say it, I know what you're gonna say!" she pointed. "You're going to call me a Baphomet again, and then you'd say you didn't think Baphomets would be easy to surprise, and then the whole thing just goes on and on and on and-" she got cut off when he threw her something. "What the-?!"

"Hn. Guild meeting tomorrow morning, 0700H, at Sarutobi-sama's throne room," Instead of turning to leave, he decided to jump towards the roof of a nearby house. "Don't be late." And he soon left.

It took a while for Sakura to realize that he didn't turn his back to her, and for that, she somewhat smiled.

"Ne-chan, what did he give you?" Seika asked, her younger brother scolding her for being nosy.

"I don't know," she admitted while looking at the wrapped package. "It's light though."

"Open it!"

"Seika!" the boy yelled. "Don't force Sakura-nechan, let her open it when she wants to."

"But-"

"Sorry Seika," Sakura apologized. "I'll tell you what it is tomorrow." She gave a small smile. "Since this came from Sasuke, it must be a trick." She murmured.

For almost an hour, the package lay unopened on her bed, and she was still hesitant in opening it.

She did see the small note attached to it that told her to open it when she's alone, and that made her suspicious.

"I'm thinking too much…" she sighed and decided to take a bath first.

Her fingers found the zipped of her dress, and she pulled it off and let it fall onto the floor. Next, she stepped out of it and pulled off her stockings, underwear, and also removed her cross necklace. She tugged at the red ribbon that held her hair back into a half ponytail, the bells attached to it making ringing sounds.

"That idiot…" she thought as she stepped into the showers and switched on the showers, loving the feel of warm water touch her body, making her relax.

But the package she got still made her uneasy, and even if she kept convincing herself not to think negatively about it, she'd much rather be cautious.

She finished taking a bath fifteen minutes later, and after drying herself, she wrapped the towel around her body and left the bathroom.

Again, she eyed the parcel, debating whether to open it yet or not.

Her feet brought her closer to it, yet her hands wouldn't move to undo the knot.

Due to her preoccupied state, she failed to sense a pair of eyes watching her every move from the opposite roof of her home.

"Just open it." He sighed and gave a small smirk. "It would actually be a perfect fit though," he thought while glancing at her towel-clad form. "Geez, if someone else saw you like that, you'd be raped by now." He shook his head and continued to watch her pace around her room, and he was tempted to just go through her window and open it for her.

His communicator beeped, so he pressed the button on it and answered.

"Sasuke here."

"You're needed at the front of Prontera castle this instant."

"Hn. Give me five minutes."

"…Why?"

Sasuke held back a snort when he saw Sakura pull off her towel and get dressed. "I'm with someone right now," he said, turning away to give her a little privacy. "I just need to fix something guild-related."

"Alright, I'll inform the rest."

"Hn. Sasuke out." He pressed the button once more and then looked back at Sakura when she was finished. "If I didn't have enough self control, I could have probably been tempted to just have my way with you." He shook his head in amusement as she continued eyeing the package.

That dress shirt she wore suited her, but he would have preferred her to wear shorts underneath instead of just her underwear – it was too revealing, and he knew that just about any male Ninja or Sin could pass by while using the roofs as their road, and they could see her dressed like that.

He stopped his train of thoughts when he saw her pick it up and untie the thin rope that secured the packaging. He smirked at her reaction when she saw what was contained within it, and he saw her pick up the small note that fell when she held out the white off-shoulder dress before her.

He would have to thank Tsunami for picking that dress – it really lived up to his expectations.

It was smooth, no doubt, and it was silk on the inside, yet transparent cotton for the outer layer of the lower half of the dress.

"Hn. I better go." He stood up and gave her one last look, before jumping off towards Prontera castle.

He missed how Sakura's eyes had grown teary from reading his short note:

I guess I'm dumb enough to buy you this.

And for your unanswered question earlier…

She recalled what she asked him right before she ran off. She remembered that she asked him if he ever thought of coming back, and she had to smile at his answer, and she pulled the note close to her lips.

I did.

CrAzY-SiLLy-Me: Uh… last part was… weird, or rather, the whole exchange between Sakura's parents and Sasuke…

Apathetic Silence: Whatever works, I guess.

CrAzY-SiLLy-Me: I thought you won't be here?!

Apathetic Silence: I wanted to read chapter 2…