A/N: Hello again!

I've read all the suggestions in the reviews and of course, I'm considering them. But since the next two or three chapters are actually already written, you probably won't see any of them until later, haha, sorry.

I hope you enjoy this chapter though!

Rich Boy, Poor Heart II

Chapter Twelve

000

"Mikoto-san, what's Karin's address? I'm going to go visit her," Sakura declared.

Iko, who was standing next to Mikoto, dropped her mixing spoon and looked at Sakura in shock.

"What?" Both Iko and Mikoto said together.

000

CONTINUING JULY 19

"S…say that again?" Mikoto asked, clearly surprised. Sakura sucked in a quick breath.

"Please give me Karin's address. I'm…going to go visit her," She repeated. Mikoto shook her head.

"Sakura, nothing you do can change her mind," She told her. Sakura frowned.

"I just…I just need to speak with her," The pink-haired girl replied. Mikoto looked over at Iko uncertainly, who was at loss for words.

"Iko-chan, please hand me a piece of paper," She requested. Iko looked at her with wide eyes, but quickly obeyed.

Iko came back with a blank, white sheet of paper. Mikoto pulled the pen that was holding her hair bun out. Slowly, her dark blue hair cascaded down her back as she began writing on the paper.

Mikoto gave the paper to Sakura with a slightly serious face that the pink-haired girl didn't expect.

"I want you to take someone with you, Sakura. And when they ask who you are at the gate, say that Uchiha Fugaku sent you to…clarify things. They won't let you in if you just say your name," She explained sternly.

Sakura nodded slowly.

"T…thank you, Mikoto-san!" She said gratefully.

"And…please don't tell anyone about this…" Sakura told Iko and Mikoto. The two exchanged reluctant looks, but agreed.

Mikoto looked over at Iko, who was stirring the mixture she was working on before, with a regretful face.

Meanwhile, Sakura was slowly walking up the stairs of the summer home, wondering who she should take with her. Though she hated to say it, Ino was an instant no. The blonde was way too talkative and she didn't want her accidentally blurting out that they had gone to visit Karin.

Sakura didn't want anyone, especially Sasuke, to find out. Naruto, like Ino, was also an instant no. She needed someone who couldn't be interrogated easily, just in case. This meant Hinata was also off the list.

She needed someone who wouldn't tell Sasuke. Itachi was off. And because of that, Rain was off too. She would definitely tell Itachi and then he would tell Sasuke.

Neji was off the list. He was pretty close to Sasuke, and she couldn't risk it. That also meant Ten Ten didn't qualify.

Sakura sighed heavily as she stopped trudging up the steps. She was thinking too hard. Everyone was bound to find out anyway, since Iko and Mikoto knew. But she didn't want to have everyone know too soon.

"I'm sorry…Sasuke-kun…" Sakura muttered.

"Talking to yourself now, huh?" A voice asked her, quite amused. Sakura looked up to see Shikamaru at the top of the steps, looking down curiously at her.

"Something up?" He asked as he crossed his arms. Then, it hit her.

'Shikamaru! He's not that close with Sasuke, and I know I can trust him not to tell Ino! And anyone else for that matter.'

"Shikamaru…ano…you want to play some shougi?" She asked with a small smile. He cocked up an eyebrow at her, but motioned for her to follow him and led her to his room.

"You know…I'm not saying this to offend you or anything…but I'm glad my relationship with Ino is a lot less complicated than yours and Sasuke's," Shikamaru told her as he set up the board and pieces.

Sakura giggled at his comment.

"It's fine…It's really a hassle…but I'm glad you and Ino have a nice relationship," She replied. Shikamaru snorted.

"Nice? She hits me at least twenty times a day," He joked. Sakura smiled.

Then, she decided to finally go for it.

"Hey, Shikamaru. Can I make a request?" She asked him.

Shikamaru gave her a confused look, but nodded. "Shoot."

"If I win, grant me one…no, two wishes," The pink-haired girl said. Shikamaru's confused expression didn't disappear.

"I'm not sure where you're going here…but sure," He answered back. Sakura grinned.

"Then I won't hold back!"

Shikamaru merely smirked as he made his first move.

000

"Ah…you definitely got better…but…" Shikamaru smirked as Sakura sighed.

"Not good enough," He finished.

"However," He started again and Sakura looked up at him hopefully.

"I'll still grant those two wishes. You know, you didn't really have to use this to try and get those requests. I'm you friend, Sakura. You could've just asked," He pointed out and she grinned back at him.

"They're not just any ordinary requests though," Sakura told him. He cocked up an eyebrow.

"And how so?" He questioned. Sakura took in a deep breath.

"One, I need you to accompany me to Karin's house. And two, you can't tell anybody," The pink-haired girl said. He widened his eyes slightly, but he nodded.

"I see…" Shikamaru muttered. Sakura looked at him carefully.

"Will you…?" She asked. He sighed heavily.

"It's troublesome, but I'll do it. Why me though?" He asked.

"You're…trustworthy. And I know you can't be interrogated easily. Plus, you're pretty clever. You can probably come up with really good excuses," Sakura explained. Shikamaru smirked.

"You flatter me too much," He commented. "But, we should go soon before anyone notices," He told her. She nodded without another word.

000

"I can't believe you made us walk here…" Sakura muttered when they finally reached Karin's neighborhood.

"If we took the limo, they could just ask the driver where we went," Shikamaru pointed out. Sakura sighed.

"Right…at least we're almost there," She replied, looking down at the address. Shikamaru glanced over at her.

"304, right?" He asked. She nodded and began searching for the house.

"Let's see…300…302…304," Shikamaru counted. Sakura felt her breath catch up in her throat.

"Mikoto told me what to say at the front gate, so I'll take care of this part," The pink-haired girl told him, trying her best to act a bit bold. The two walked up to the gates and Sakura pressed the button with a slightly trembling finger.

Shikamaru put a hand on her shoulder and she smiled back at him.

"Hello? How may I help you?" An unfamiliar voice said. Sakura gulped nervously before talking.

"Uchiha Fugaku sent us here to clarify certain things with Karin-san," She responded. There was a pause and some whispering. Sakura and Shikamaru exchanged looks.

"The gate will open. Please continue on to the front door," The voice told them. Sakura let out a sigh of relief, glad that they did not ask her any other questions.

Shikamaru kept a steady, comforting hold on Sakura's shoulder until they were finally in front of the front door. Immediately, the door swung open, revealing Karin wearing nothing but a wet, white towel.

Shikamaru cringed and looked away while Sakura stared at Karin's face with wide eyes. Karin rolled her eyes at the man.

"What? Never seen a beautiful body like mine? Because you know, my body is so much more better than Ino's," She told him. He merely sent her a small glare, but said nothing.

"Anyway…" Karin leaned against the door frame as she flipped back her long, wet hair.

"Why are you two here? Especially you," She pointed at Sakura. Sakura looked up at her nervously.

"I…want to talk to you about Sasuke-kun," She declared and Karin lifted up one eyebrow. She stepped to the side.

"Whatever. Get in and sit somewhere; I don't care where," The red head motioned over to the expensive looking arm chairs and couches.

Sakura sat down in the middle of couch uncertainly and Shikamaru joined her, sitting at the end of the couch. He plopped his elbow down on the arm rest and rested his head in his hand.

Karin sank down into an arm chair and looked over at Sakura.

"So? Talk," She said rudely. Sakura took in a deep breath and Shikamaru glanced over at her.

"I already told you this but…I'm not giving up on Sasuke for you," She started. Karin nodded slowly, bored.

"Karin…I've found that in some ways…" Sakura trailed off as she looked down at her hands.

"We're alike," She told her. Karin made a disgusted face.

"Alike? You're kidding. We're not even anything close to being alike," She replied. Sakura smiled slightly.

"Well…in appearance we're really different. But there are some things about us that are the same," She pointed out.

"We'll both fight for the person we like," Sakura started. Karin scoffed.

"As much as I hate to say it…we're both stubborn," The pink-haired girl continued. Shikamaru was now looking at her, listening intently.

"We…won't give up that easily," Sakura told her. Karin glanced down at the floor, a bit annoyed.

"I understand your feelings, Karin. I've been through a lot with Sasuke. I become worried and jealous easily. He kind of…disliked me at first. But I guess I did certain things that grew on him. And now…"

"You don't have to tell me how happy you and Sasuke are together. Are you trying to make me even angrier?" Karin asked. Sakura shook her head.

"Sorry," She said quickly.

"The things you said are a bit true. That's why I won't back down that easily," Karin replied, surprising Sakura and Shikamaru. Sakura smiled.

"That's okay. I wasn't here to stop you anyway," The pink-haired girl pointed out. Karin smirked.

"But I guess I should really stop playing dirty. It's not getting me anywhere with Sasuke-kun," Karin told, sighing dramatically. Sakura gave her a confused look.

"I won't threaten you, the Uchiha company, or anything else for that matter," She explained. Sakura turned to look at Shikamaru's reaction, but he was frowning.

"I don't know if we can take your word on that," He told Karin. Karin sighed.

"I'll make a contract for it. If I break the contract, you guys can make legal action," The red head replied. Shikamaru narrowed his eyes.

"And why are you doing this?" He asked. Karin flipped back her hair.

"I want to win Sasuke-kun back in a fair way. I won't gain any satisfaction at all by taking him away too easily. Trust me, geez," She answered back. Sakura titled her head to the side.

"Win Sasuke-kun…back…?" Sakura asked. Karin grinned.

"You didn't know? We used to be together. A couple years before you met him," She replied. Sakura looked to Shikamaru for an explanation.

"…Yeah," He merely said with a sigh.

"You can ask Sasuke-kun for the story," Karin said happily.

"Well…I've got other things to do now. So I'd appreciate it if you two went somewhere else," The red head said.

Sakura nodded slowly.

"Thank you for your time," She said quietly before taking Shikamaru's arm and walking out the front door. He looked at her uncertainly.

Once they had silently gone down one block of the neighborhood, Sakura turned around to face Shikamaru.

"Why didn't anyone tell me about them?" She asked. Shikamaru didn't need to ask who 'them' were. He glanced away guiltily.

"It's something Sasuke made us all agree to. He didn't want to hurt your feelings…and the rest of us don't want to either," Shikamaru admitted. Sakura frowned.

"But I'm more hurt right now…" She muttered. Shikamaru sighed.

"Sakura, I'm really sorry for not telling you. I…actually didn't think you'd find out from Karin," He said truthfully. Sakura gave him a small smile.

"Yeah…it's okay…" She replied reluctantly.

"Anyway!" She grinned while Shikamaru gave her a worried look.

"Let's start heading home!"

000

"Hey, Sakura," Shikamaru glanced over at Sakura. She looked at him in question.

"Hey did you and Ino become friends?" He asked. She smiled warmly at the memories.

"It started way back in elementary," She started. Shikamaru gave a seemingly surprised look.

"You guys have been friends for that long?" He asked. Sakura grinned.

"Yup! I was always being bullied because of my forehead. But…Ino stood up for me one day. And she started talking to me more…giving me small gifts…sharing her lunch with me…she was my first real friend," Sakura explained with a distant smile.

"We've had a few good fights in middle school and high school. But once we got into college, we just ended up being really good friends again," She finished.

"Ino…" Shikamaru started.

"She's always talking and worrying about you, you know that? And during the most random times too," He told Sakura.

"One time, we were…kissing. And all of a sudden she pulls back and starts talking about you," He joked, causing the pink-haired girl to giggle.

"Ino always talks about you too," Sakura pointed out as he widened his eyes slightly. His cheeks turned light pink and he looked away.

"Heh…" He muttered.

A raindrop hit Shikamaru's cheek and looked up at the sky, murmuring a few curses. Sakura also felt a raindrop and looked up curiously.

"Damn…we should hurry up before the rain pours too hard," He told her. Sakura nodded and the two quickened their slow walk into nearly a jog.

After about ten minutes, Sakura's pace began to decrease.

"…Tired…" She breathed out when she nearly stumbled to the floor. Shikamaru stopped and looks back at her.

"It's troublesome but…" He bent down and stretched his arms out.

"Don't tell Ino," He said with a smirk.

"Are you sure"—

"Like I said, it's troublesome…but I suppose it needs to be done now," Shikamaru cut her off. She nodded with a smile and hopped onto his back. He lifted her up in a piggy back style and continued his fast paced walk.

"After a few minutes…I think I'll be okay," Sakura told him. He shrugged.

"We only have about a quarter of a mile anyway," He replied as he started to dash.

000

"S…Sakura-chan? Shikamaru?" Naruto yelled as the two came into the house, soaking wet. Sakura gave Naruto an uncertain smile and Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

"T…there you are…!" Ino yelled as she hugged Shikamaru tightly.

"Sakura-chan, where'd you guys go?" Naruto asked curiously. Sakura quickly looked over at Shikamaru and he nodded in understanding.

"We went to catch a bite, since I owed her for beating me at shougi, but got caught up along the way," He explained. Ino rose an eyebrow.

"Caught up by what?" She asked, almost suspiciously. Shikamaru made no hesitation to answer.

"Karin. We saw her while walking there. She stopped her car just to bother us. Troublesome…" He replied and Sakura blinked in surprise at his story.

"Sakura," The said girl turned around to see Sasuke right next to the stairs.

"Wait here," He sighed before going up the stairs again.

He came back down with two towels. Sasuke handed one of them to Shikamaru, who thanked him. Sasuke took the other towel and began drying Sakura's hair. She blushed.

"I can dry my own hair, you know," She muttered, gently taking the towel from him.

"You guys could've just taken a limo or a car," Sasuke pointed out. Shikamaru smirked.

"Sakura really wanted to walk because it looked like a nice day," He replied. Sakura nodded quickly.

"I didn't know it would rain," She added. Sasuke shook his head.

"And next time, tell me when you're going out somewhere," He told her. She rolled her eyes.

"Yes, mom," Sakura teased. He merely smirked back.

000

"Shikamaru, thanks so much for today!" Sakura said gratefully.

"Yeah, yeah. It's okay," He replied. She smiled at him happily before leaving his room.

Now, she was heading for Naruto's room. She stood in front of his door and knocked quietly.

"Yeah! Who is it?" He yelled back.

"Sakura," Sakura called out. There was a rush of footsteps and door swung open. There was Naruto, wearing loose sweat pants, no shirt, and eating a cup of instant ramen. He grinned at her.

"What's up?" He asked. Sakura invited herself inside the room and sat down on the floor, sitting criss-crossed. Naruto looked over at her curiously as he plopped down onto the bed.

"You can sit here on the bed, you know. It's comfier," He told her. She smiled and took his request, sitting herself on the edge of his messy, undone bed.

"Naruto, tell me about Sasuke and Karin," Sakura told him, going straight to the point. Naruto gulped down a whole bunch of noodles, and nearly choked.

"W…what do you mean? Sasuke hates Karin. End of story," He replied, a little uncertainly. Sakura frowned.

"Someone told me they used to be together…" She said. Naruto glanced away from her, then looked back.

"Who told you that?" He asked.

"I can't tell you right now. But…can't you tell me about Sasuke and Karin?" She questioned. Naruto sighed heavily and placed his half cup of ramen down on the bedside table.

"Sakura-chan, I'd really like to. But Sasuke made me promise not to tell," The blonde told her truthfully.

"When?" Sakura asked. Naruto looked up at the ceiling, thinking.

"Um…I think it was right after Karin first came over here. You know, when she threatened the company and stuff. He…made all of us promise," He replied. Sakura nodded.

'Then…I'll just have to talk to the one person who wasn't here yet during Karin's first visit…'

"Oh…well, thanks anyway," Sakura said sadly as she stood up. Naruto frowned.

"Sorry, Sakura-chan," He told her sincerely. She smiled as she approached the door.

"It's okay," She replied before leaving.

000

'There's only one person in this house that wasn't here yet when Karin threatened the company…'

She approached a certain door and made no hesitation to knock. To her surprise, the door immediately swung open.

'The only person that wasn't forced into the promise by Sasuke…'

"Sai-san, I'd like to ask you something."

He simply regarded her with a smile as he let her into his room.

A/N: ShikaSaku moments? Teehee. I shouldn't pair Sakura with every guy, haha. But yeah, now she's going to ask Sai about Sasuke and Karin. You think he'll tell her? And eh, just realized there were hardly any SasuSaku moments…sorry...

Thanks for reading!