CHAPTER 6

10 a. m Japan, Tokyo

Sakura was walking on the street, thinking. After she left the hair salon she started her hunting for clothes. She needed to hurry up, for she didn't know how much time would it take for her to buy clothes, go home (how did she travel so far from Sasuke`s home was a mystery to Sakura. She should have taken the metro…or not), install her equipment and start investigating Sasuke`s contacts and surroundings.

And that Konan woman was a genius, she decided. Sakura was now wearing probably the most stylish hairstyle around. And that was not good. She had a middle cut bob, just like Konan told her, with a gorgeous looking color: Konan kept her natural color on the roots and dyed the length pastel pink. The result was incredible, the color was not ugly nor weird or eccentric looking, it was so classy one would have sworn it was made in a high class salon. Sakura wanted to ask Konan why was she working in such an obscure salon when she was qualified to lead any other luxury salon she wanted, but a quick glance told her the woman was independent and free. She wouldn't have accepted limitations and bindings in her work. Sakura envied her for that…

Actually if Sakura was to look closely, the length was just like the wig's, only the shape was definitely more stylish, but considering the circumstances she met Sasuke (messy hair, wet to the bones, dirty), he wouldn't be able to tell the difference, nor in color or length. He was a man after all, they don't pay attention to this kind of stuff, do they? And the color was a lighter shade as well. But the way Konan has stylized it and the cut itself was a work of art. It was modern and classy, asymmetric and curly, it enhanced her face perfectly.

Now Sakura looked even hotter than before…and considering the fact that she had to keep a low profile and more importantly keep away from Sasuke…it was a disaster. And Konan has put hair styling gel. All the passer byes were gawking at her. She had to take a shower quick. But for now…shopping…and maybe Tiramisu (she didn't have her daily Tiramisu cake and she was already getting frustrated, for Sakura Tiramisu was a must! Sakura worshiped Tiramisu just like Naruto worshiped his ramen).

She spotted something that looked painfully like a mall, she couldn't tell exactly because she didn't speak Japanese, so she went with the instinct. And when she went inside, she was suddenly surrounded by lights and glitter and a sea of smiling beautiful people. She stopped for a moment. It was the same atmosphere similar to the one on the metro station. People of all the ages were rushing, trying clothes or eating. The mall was big indeed. At least 3 floors and all the shops you could think of. There were many food stands with different cuisine: French, Italian, traditional, Chinese, Korean, Mexican, and even German. Sakura was glad for this, she was a fan of Italian food (duh, she was from Italy after all) and her stomach was angry. It was more than a day since she last ate, and although she was a thin girl she was not on diets on something. She had an appetite all right.

Then there were many young girls trying different sorts of jewelry. Not the expensive type, but the cute ones, they were watching shiny necklaces, glitter and pink feather adorning hair bands and they were adorable. Sakura smiled sadly at this, she has always wanted to do this with her friends as well when she was at that age. Unfortunately she didn't have any friends…or money for the matter, and when she joined CIA she didn't have time. Of course she and Karin were always shopping in their free time, buying all the expensive rings or earrings or necklaces they wanted and Sakura was having a lot of fun, but it was the simplicity of action that Sakura was secretly missing…but she wasn't going back now. She was a grown up, the child days were long gone.

Oh, she spotted a casual looking shop. She could hear Karin screaming at the top of her lungs at the abnormality of wearing that kind of clothes. She walked in and started to look for plain looking t-shirts, Jeans (she hoped that she won't encounter any more furious dogs from now on, maybe that Pitbull worked for fashion police and chased her to fine her) and she decided for sports wear as well. But she knew she should avoid the branded ones. As she was roaming through the shells, Sakura saw a weird looking shop, on the windows.

It had a sign in English as well and it stated: Cosplay world. Sakura started to laugh like crazy. Wouldn't it be funny as hell to go there and purchase some costumes? She was sure Sasuke would just love to see her dressed like some anime character all right. Maybe they had some adult types as well. Karin was a fan of manga and anime. Sakura was sure the woman had all the collection of manga, even the ones that weren't released yet (knowing Karin, she probably threatened the writer to give her a copy in advance).

And almost all the times, Karin spoke about her favorite characters, who was hotter, who was stronger, who had the ability to cut down mountains or knew body transfer techniques (what was this shit anyways, do kids really read something like this? Sakura knew they were crazy…) or who had the most impressive death (and all of them were about one sacrificing for the others that apparently had godlike powers, but for some reason their powers didn't work in that exact moment). She called Sakura whenever a new manga release happened, and considering the time zone it was almost always during the nights. God sometimes Sakura really felt like chocking Karin in her sleep, with her favorite pillow (Pink, fluffy with some emo looking dude with a weird sword from Shaman King).

So being Karin's best friend, Sakura, although she loathed those things, knew quite a lot of manga characters. And she knew for a fact that parading in front of Sasuke dressed like Valentine from Cowboy Bebop or Boa Hancock from One Piece, while doing laundry or cooking would make quite and impression. Sakura truly wanted to see Sasuke`s face when he realized he wasn't going to get any…because she didn't have a crush on him nor did she find his body to be the hottest she has ever seen…she was that delusional.

Oh well…she carried on with picking clothes. It was not like she was that kind of girl anyways. Seduction was for women like Karin, who carried an aura of sensuality like second nature. Sakura was more of a refined and classic beauty; also she was not initiated in the art of luring men. Sure she was a goddess, but she didn't know how to make good use of those qualities nor did she ever feel the need to do so.

It was always the men who kept chasing after her and tried to gain her attention at parties or clubs or the ones that were more daring tried to flirt openly with her in coffee bars or even malls. She purposely avoided thinking about that perverted category of deprived postmen or electricians or plumbers. They were the worst. Trying to barge into a single decent woman's home under the pretense of hearing the pipes leak somewhere in the bedroom was the lowest behavior. They wanted to check some pipes all right, but not the ones from the house…Sakura promptly beat the hell out off them…and then called the police.

After she found the clothes she needed, Sakura paid for them with her credit card (oh well, she didn't have any cash left, she should look for an ATM) and this time the cashier wasn't rudely glaring at her. She liked Japanese people, period! But just when she exited the door and wanted to go and eat something (she was so hungry she could dig in a horse) she spotted something that made her stop dead in her track. And some customers that wanted to exit the shop as well, collided with her back, successfully pushing her two steps forward. Of course the said people fell directly on their asses, successfully creating a commotion and gaining the attention of the very people she didn't want to spot her.

So Sakura, like a true agent she was (screw the cover, she was now fuming, she was going to beat something or someone or both soon), quickly gained her equilibrium and barged into a shop that was the closest and hid behind some shelves that were the farthest. And when she threw a quick glance around, she saw exactly what kind of shop she entered: a sex shop. WTF?!

"Oh, freaking amazing, from all the shops around, it was this kind of shop that was the closest…just my luck…" Sakura cursed her bad luck all right.

Again it was a difficult situation for Sakura. She was a virgin for God's sake, she hasn't even had her first kiss and she was honest when admitting she hasn't seen a naked man before. She hasn't even had a boyfriend! And she was surrounded by the strangest things ever. What were they anyways? She spotted some weird looking toys (were people playing with Barbie or something in bed? She thought they were having sex…), some apparently torture devices (was that a whip? What could people possible do with a freaking whip? She didn't want to think they were shipping each other during…omg the mental images…and there were pink feather cuffs in a box…was it even legal to sell cuffs to civilians? ) and…was that what she thought it was?

"Holly shit…You have to be kidding me…"

That was not happening…that was not happening…that was not happening…they were heading her way! From all the shops they could have entered, they had to pick this particular one. Sakura really thought there was some really bored God that has picked an interesting hobby: making her life more miserable. But as she was about to take a quick turn in a vain attempt to get out of the shop as fast as she could without being seen, Sakura lost her balance for a moment, and grabbed the closest thing to her, and that meaning a box full of toys, in all their glorious shape of men parts, successfully making it fall with a THUD!

Oh God, she really attracted a lot of trouble whenever she went, and she was supposed to take care of Sasuke, when she needed special attention herself. It was too late to turn back now, so she grabbed a box of what she really hoped were condoms and not some fancy looking Swiss candy, straighten her pose acting like she didn't have the "beware of the clumsy virgin" sign glued on her forehead, took down her ugly glasses, her emerald eyes fully uncovered to the world to see, now glistening with confidence, and she was in full agent mode. No trance of faltering and no sign to show how embarrassed she really was. The perfect doll façade, just like she did so many times before.

After all, wasn't this what everyone wanted to see from her? Who wanted to see a poor suffering lonely girl Sakura (except Karin, when they were crying their eyes out while watching Lion King or a really sad Latin soap opera, stuffing their mouths with butter pop corn, coffee and caramel ice cream or Tiramisu) at her lowest, everyone wanted to see the mighty killer Athena, the woman everyone desired and adored and were secretly jealous of (Sakura knew the way other female agents were watching her and she also knew the things they said behind her back, when they thought she wasn't hearing them. And she sure as hell was not the agency's whore that bedded all the higher ups and agents in order to gain their trust and use it in her benefit), the woman that succeeded in almost every mission and had no remorse in following every order. After all, the scars she had were for her to see, not for the others to know.

And she was the perfect picture of calmness and composure when she took her time to go to the cash register and pay for what she took from the shameful shelves. People that saw her little incident with the toys (Sakura was sure she was never going to look at toys the way she did anymore. Children had no idea how corrupted they were, really they should play Lego or something more brain challenging) and were laughing like crazy, were now silently ogling her, when they have realized she was not a crazy Goth in the wrong section of the universe, but a godlike looking young woman, that was walking with so much sensuality and grace like she wasn't even aware of (and she wasn't, Sakura didn't have much self confidence to begin with).

This was the exact attitude Sakura had when she promptly stopped in front of Naruto and Ten Ten, head raised, her chin upwards, a mixture of bitter and irony in her voice, her staring the very embodiment of iron, like she demanded an explanation and she was entitled to get one all right.

"It is always such a pleasure to see Akatsuki around, and it is always under the most interesting circumstances we always meet. But this time, I don't spot any emergency situation; at least, not coming from a third unwanted party".

Sakura was angry and she wasn't in the mood to hide it from this people. So Akatsuki, like the monkeys there were, came here after she has just started her mission and had the guts to show their faces in front of her, like she needed babysitting or something. Were they following her or what? They should go and die for all that she cared. Sakura was given this taught mission because she was one of the best agents, and she sure as hell didn't need backup from this pathetic excuse of CIA branch, that almost always needed cover or help, for they weren't able to solve a case themselves.

Ten Ten really hated this woman in front of her and watching her annoying piercing emerald eyes, told her she was having the same feelings. Who didn't know the famous Sakura Haruno of the Sound? And Ten Ten was well aware of all the rumors circulating around her and they weren't pleasant in the slightest. Now Ten Ten wasn't the kind of woman to listen to what the others said, but seeing Sakura acting like a total bitch was telling her that there might be some truth behind the whisperings and jalousie that surrounded her.

But what really threw Ten Ten off, was the arrogance Sakura was sporting when addressing them like they were some kind of pests, that didn't have the right to coexist with her in her little princess castle. And she had the guts to point out the fact that the Sound came to their rescue as if they weren't colleagues working for the CIA.

"Trust me, the pleasure is all mine and I am surprised that we manage to bump into each other under this really interesting circumstances. I didn't know the mighty Athena of the Sound was given such a challenging mission, but I am sure is a walk in the park for a woman with your skills"

So Sakura wanted to play the dominatrix here? No problem, Ten Ten was not the one to back away from a challenge. She and Naruto, after the blackout passed, were so late that the meeting was almost over, so they decided to meet with Neji here at the mall to talk about the recent events. And when they spotted this shop it was Ten Ten who dragged Naruto inside (he refused to be seen alive in those kind of shops, for he wasn't into that kind of stuff when it came to being intimate with someone), because she wanted to surprise Neji for his birthday party (Ten Ten and Neji were really creepy and sadistic in bed). But the world promptly fell apart when they spotted Sakura here from all the people. What was she doing there anyways?

"My skills are more than enough to help me complete a mission successfully, unlike other people who need to be watched closely because their incompetence gets the best of them all the times. Or maybe it is their incompetence that helped them survive until now."

Deep down Sakura was hurt. So this is exactly how everyone viewed her. A whore that was seducing her way to success, not the little naïve girl that worked her ass ten times more that all the others to rise from the misery she sank and become the best. She knew that hardworking was the key to succeed and so she did. She didn't have time to play around and make little friends, she was aware of all the hate she got from the others that thought she only acted this way, because she thought she was better than them, and Sakura was anything but.

It was not like she thought low of them, even if she was practically throwing their failures on their faces, but she had always been alone, so she wasn't used to people around her. Human contact was something still new to her. She lost the ability to feel connected to people since she left the orphanage and found out Isaribi died at a short time after. Bonds were only making one weak, this is what life has taught her. And she learned the painful truth the hard way.

Karin and her were a special case, Karin was just like her she understood her. She was also an orphan searching for salvation and shelter from CIA, even though she was Naruto`s distant relative. They weren't close, they never were, Karin was considered to be the black sheep on the Uzumaki family, her family has disowned her before her parents died and she basically grew alone in a private all girls' school. But unlike Sakura, Karin was strong, wild and rebel. She had power, both mentally and physically and that was reflected in her attitude. She was exactly like Sakura used to be, but the struggles of life didn't make Karin weak, on the contrary, she grew stronger all the times. And she tried her best to make Sakura be aware of her own value.

"Really now? And I suppose the fact that you are in such a shop, working on your hobbies, has nothing to do with such a crucial mission that was given to you?"

"On the contrary my dear, I am currently working on my mission and me being here is exactly for this particular reason. Now if you will excuse me, I don't have time to wonder, messing with other's lives. If you will excuse me."

Sakura turned her back and proceeded to the cashier. She couldn't stand being in the proximity of such people. They had everything they wanted; they didn't know the meaning of striving to make a living. And they had the audacity to criticize her whenever they met, and now they probably thought that she was going to lure Sasuke and seduce him as well, under the pretense of keeping an eye on him. She saw it in Ten Ten`s eyes like she saw it so many times before.

The way she looked at her, like accusing her of having something that didn't belong to her. It was not like Sakura stole the glory under their feet, it was only her dedication and endless hours of training that ensured her path. She wasn't going to ask for forgiveness for something that rightfully belonged to her. And that pained her and made her have even less confident. But she wasn't going to show it. Not in front of them.

Naruto, from his part, choose not to say anything. And he wasn't goofing either, like he would normally do. He watched Sakura`s retrieving back intently. He was more than surprised to meet her here from all the places, he was expecting to see her at Sasuke`s, when he went to visit him, and he saw what she bought as well.

Naruto was not a fool like everyone thought, he knew what kind of man Sasuke was and he secretly didn't trust him around a woman like Sakura. And the fact that he had a little crush on her didn't help the nagging feeling in his stomach. But Naruto really didn't think Sakura was the woman everyone said. He saw it in her eyes: deep inside she was lonely, hurt, fragile and breakable and she lacked the self confidence she was showing on the outside. He was able to read it all in her very soul, because she was just like him. Sakura was a lonely soul that didn't find someone to raise a hand towards her and pull her out from the endless darkness that was caused by loneliness.

"Huh, I cannot stand that woman, she is so rude. I don't see why anyone is praising her, she is not that great."

"She is not a bad woman Tennie, she is just misunderstood. I am sure she is nice and has a good heart."

"I don't understand why you defend her Naruto, she doesn't deserve to have a good man like you praising her, she is just a mediocre woman, with a nasty attitude and an arrogance that is only topped by her whorish behavior. I bet she throws herself at every good looking man that crosses her way. This is why she is here, isn't she?"

"You don't know her Ten Ten. I see it in her eyes. She is not a whore like you or anyone says. I bet she doesn't even want to be here, she is not that confident like she wants us to believe."

"Oh, so she is not only utterly annoying, but she is a poser as well? This is even worse, it means there is nothing real at that woman, not even her bad attitude."

"No…it is not the way things are. She has a wall around her heart; she is just like the Teme from this point of view. She won't break in front of the others, her guts tell her to stay strong, she needs to be strong because this is a face she thinks she must show to the world. But…I know this is a lie."

"Since when have you become an expert in Sakura? How do you know she isn't faking? Isn't this what the Sound are best at? Deceiving people?"

"It is in every move she makes, even in the way she walks: her hands on each side of her, fists slightly clenched, like she feels the heaviness of not having someone to hold her hand. And I know what is like to feel like that…"

"?Like what?"

"Alone."

12 a.m Japan, Tokyo, mall

Sakura was tired…and angry. After her little encounter with Ten Ten and Naruto, she paid for that goddamn condoms (god the cashier was a young man and was winking suggestively in her direction when he saw what she has bought, not only that but he offered to help her pick some lubricants from the same brand, to go better with the condoms and "increase the friction and intensify the pleasure" like he told her, in what he expected it was a seductive tone, but it came like the voice of a puberty hit teenager that discovered the wonders of being a man and have two hands at his disposal.

She promptly told him to take the products and shove them down his perverted ass, but the man only seemed to grin and wink more. Apparently it was not the most appropriate thing to say to a sex shop cashier, whose voice was nothing like the low husky and sexy baritone Sasuke used when he asked her where was she from.

Sakura stopped her train of thoughts after that, she was again thinking of her boss and it was bad and unhealthy…and arousing and she was stupid as hell), then went to buy some toiletries ( mainly hair mousse, she needed to mess her hair a bit and make it look ugly and ridiculous, instead of catwalk like) and food (she saw Sasuke`s fridge and it was like a black hole: nothing came from there, except from some tomatoes and water, there was nothing in there, maybe he was eating space food stored in toothpaste-type tubes, like Yuri Gagarin).

Now, she was sitting on a two people table at an Italian restaurant from the mall. There were many people out there, talking, laughing and eating pizza (without using forks and knives, but with their hands instead, Sakura thought the bacteria were having a party), and they were still gawking in her direction whenever they were sure she wasn't watching. Idiots…

Sakura had her fair share of Spaghetti Carbonara (she loved spaghetti all right) and now she was taking her time in savoring a mothering Tiramisu cake. Man, wasn't it good? She felt refreshed in an instant, the moment the cocoa feeling invaded her tongue. She was certain Tiramisu could cure any illness, it was that amazing. And it calmed her away.

Not only did she have so many incidents and the day has only began, but she encountered Akatsuki as well. Sakura knew she had to have a long talk with Orochimaru about this. Akatsuki were interfering in her work and she didn't need them. She could watch Sasuke alone without any help. Sakura knew that Naruto was Sasuke`s best friend and the fact that he was in Tokyo only meant he was sent here to keep an eye on Sasuke as well and find information about Lorane. But the idea of having a constant flooding of Akatsuki members at Sasuke`s house whenever she was around was pissing her off. She took another big bite of Tiramisu cake.

"Those annoying motherfuckers…always nagging into our business. They should pick up another hobby instead. Fishing would be good for parasites like them…"

She was going to question Naruto on this matter as well, the moment she was going to meet him (she was certain the blonde idiot was going to sprint into Sasuke`s direction the moment he finishes his business with Ten Ten-why were they there anyways, Sakura knew that Ten Ten was engaged to Neji, so they weren't there as a couple…maybe they were buying Sasuke a present, he was a player after all), but for now she was going to enjoy her cake in silence. Her "mascarpone covered lover" was begging for her attention.

Meantime, same mall, bistro café

Naruto, Neji and Ten Ten were currently at a small café, in the same mall, talking. After they encountered Sakura (to Naruto`s dismay, Ten Ten was still cursing Sakura and called her names), Ten Ten quickly picked some alien looking accessories for Neji (Naruto wasn't even paying attention, he was already having mental images invading his brain, and non of them were pleasant) and called him to meet them at the said mall.

Naruto was slightly disappointed that Sasuke didn't come along, but when he asked Neji about him, he said that he wanted to talk to Sasuke as well, but as soon as the boring meeting was over, Sasuke left abruptly with some hot looking chick from Venezuela that ogled him the entire meeting (she thought she was discreet, but half of the people there saw it). No one questioned Neji any further; they all knew what kind of man Sasuke was. He was probably at some expensive hotel room, fucking the woman's brains out.

So they were currently talking about the meeting and the upcoming main event: the charity Ball. It was indeed a problem, the event was huge, a lot of important people were going to be there, as well as target number one, their friend Sasuke. And then there was the problem with Sakura. She has already found out they were in Tokyo and sure the woman put two and two together. She was not in the slightest content with them tailing Sasuke as well.

"So the annual Ball is in like what…3 weeks from now?"

"Yes, this is the required amount of time for everything to be prepared. There are still many things to be dealt with and so many other details to discuss. It was a miracle Sasuke managed to solve some of the main problems, otherwise we would have been in serious trouble."

"HAHAHAHA I wished I was there to hear Teme making a fool of the other businessmen and heir weirdoes there."

"Well I am sure you will have plenty of that at the Ball, you know how Sasuke is, he hates this kind of stuff and he isn't afraid to show it. I am sure you do remember the last year's Ball, don't you Naruto?"

"Awww man that was epic ness in the purest form, the way Sasuke punched that Gorilla man in the face and shoved his head in the punch was epic as fuck BWHAHAHAHAHAHA"

It was indeed a Ball that no one was going to forget. Everyone who was close to Sasuke knew that he absolutely loathed every kind of public events, for they always included a sea of idiots that were annoying the hell out of him. And there was this particular tall and bulky man tha, at the age of 26, was a rich as hell young Hotel Chain heir, that still believed in Santa and Fairy Tooth and found it funny to make fun of Sasuke, for being only a trainee in his father's company, because he "was too much of a dumb idiot to be a heir like himself" and his hair (no one exactly remembered what the man said, he was stupid as hell and talked in an alien language that was nor English or Japanese or anything known for the matter, the man was probably having too much fat in his throat to talk properly).

And Sasuke, being the generous man he was (and a little too drunk from all the Whiskey-that ball was indeed boring), he granted the poor man's killer wish (no one in their right mind was making fun of Sasuke Uchiha if they wanted to still have all the parts of their bodies in their rightful places) and as bulky as the man was (he was still smaller than Sasuke, although he looked like an air balloon), Sasuke punched the man straight in his ugly face, with so much force that the man flied straight in the giant bowl of punch. It was amazing how he managed to cross such a distance at such speed. He looked like the Hubble Satellite when hit by a meteor. Naruto couldn't remember when he laughed more than that day. He was right behind Sasuke, as well as Suigetsu who, sensing Sasuke`s murderous aura, took his Smartphone and recorded the event. Naruto was still having that recording and watched it whenever he was down. It was the best way to cure depression.

Everyone was left mouth agape, but they knew better than to mess with the younger Uchiha. And the women present seemed to be even more attracted by his bad boy attitude. Naruto was chocking on air laughing, Suigetsu had a hand on hir phone and the other on his stomach, tears in his eyes, and the others were trying to stifle their laughter, but fell miserably. Even his brother Itachi laughed. The only ones that weren't impressed nor laughing were his father Fugaku and Neji`s uncle, Hiashi. They only looked bored, like they were used to see heirs being punched at public events by their shitfaced children, on daily basis. And Uchiha Mikoto looked like she was about to faint. This or die of embarrassment.

As for Sasuke, he didn't have any reaction whatsoever. Even drunk as he was, he was keeping the same cold and collected façade, like nothing even happened. After he gained his senses back, the said punched man (he really thought high of himself and had a confidence boost for he was an amateur boxer of something) wanted to take revenge and started to march into Sasuke`s direction with a clear intent, but a glare from Sasuke, that was glaring daggers at the said man told him he should back the fuck off and run for his life, if he knew what was good for him. The man was avoiding Sasuke at public gatherings like plague since then, saying that he didn't want to harm the Uchiha, but everyone knew he was just scared of him.

"Yes, you don't get any other form of entertainment from such events. They are just a waste of time and money. I understand Sasuke`s aversion towards this Balls."

"Oh, c`mon Neji, they are fun and you get to know a lot of classy people, they are not so bad, half of us met at this kind of gatherings, remember?" Ten Ten loved the Balls, they were so much fun and she got to wear her beautiful night gown (she has already decided for one) and force Neji (every time, the man has no say in this) into dancing with her. And she was enjoying being there with her funny clown friends from Akatsuki, they were almost always causing troubles and Ten Ten laughed at them all the times. It was the most fun you would get when being rich and a CIA agent.

"Yeah, not to count the amount of beautiful women present. By the way Neji, your gorgeous and I hope still single cousin Hinata is going to be there as well, right?"

Besides Sakura, Naruto had a crush on Hinata Hyuga as well. Neji didn't really care for he really hated his family members and didn't have much contact with them. He didn't loathe Hinata anymore since he was made the head of the family and the rightful heir of the Byakugan (it was his father who created the company), but nonetheless they weren't best friends either. He didn't care that Naruto was ogling her, so he promptly told him that she was probably going to be there, hiding in some corners. Forget Sakura, this girl had serious self confidence troubles. She was scared by everything that moved.

"Hinata? I thought you liked Athena. Are you changing sides or something? Not that I mind, Hinata is cool, I prefer her better." Ten Ten liked Hinata, they were really good friends and even though the Hyuga girl was a little shy sometimes, she was smart and trustworthy and had the most embarrassing stories of Neji. This is where Ten Ten took her Neji blackmail. Not forget the pictures of Neji when he was a child: at the playground with his head in the sand, in the snow, on the toilet or her favorite, in the bath tub playing with his blue ship and golden duck. Neji didn't have any reputation left in front of Ten Ten.

"Well I like Sakura-chan as well, but she is for people like the Bastard, Hinata-chan is cuter and not so scary and sweet and knows how to cook, especially ramen and those adorable heart shaped butter and cocoa cakes that taste like home and love and she is soooooooo adorable when…"

"Naruto shut the hell up already you are giving me a headache. You are more annoying than the two people that were arguing over food at the meeting." Neji didn't need to hear Naruto`s ranting about his lame crush on his lame cousin. He was always the poor star struck idiot that went after every good looking woman that looked in hir direction. Neji was really lucky to find Ten Ten, he was pitying his best friends: Naruto, Kiba, Suigetsu and especially Sasuke, were womanizers, that had a reputation as players and it was embarrassing for Neji really. They had no restraint when it came to ladies.

"Anyways, we have a lot of work to do. It was not going to be just a fun party where we go, dance, drink and pretend we like the people around us. Many heirs are going to be there, and where heirs are, Lorane is there as well. Not to count other assassins that want to target particular businessmen. We are going to be very busy, because keeping an eye on everyone on such a large place was going to be handful. Not to mention Sasuke is going to be there. We all know who is Lorane`s first target. We can't afford to have him shot or kidnapped. We have to pay attention."

"I agree with you Ten Ten, we are going to prepare the equipment as well as secure the area. I am going to talk to Itachi and ask for his advice as well. Even if he is not going to be there, he can still help us. I am going to unpack the device we got from Shino as well. He said he has new prototypes we can try that are really useful and smaller, make it more difficult to be tracked."

"And don't forget Sakura-chan is going to keep an eye on Sasuke as well."

"Athena is working as his private maid, I really doubt she will take the risk of participating to the Ball undercover. But I am sure she is going to keep an eye on the event from the shadows. It is a good thing that the Sound is going to be there as well, we need as much help as we can get when it comes to Lorane."

"Yeah, but the little encounter from earlier threw me off. Can we really trust the Sound?" There was absolutely no way Ten Ten is going to rely on Sakura or anyone from the Sound, except for lady Tsunade. They were too trapped on their mission and too committed to their work to risk a failure. They came to their rescue many times all right, but they were too selfish and too dark too be trusted.

"That my dear, we are going to find out."

After Sakura finished her meal she took her bags (god she had 6 of them and only 2 hands, why was life so unfair? She wished she was born a spider) and got out of the mall. She had already spent too much time there and she didn't want to risk any more unpleasant meetings (she spotted the little Akatsuki gang on a nearby café and that annoyed her to no end), so she promptly dashed out on the streets, straight into Sasuke`s house direction. She was tired as hell, her feet hurt, she had a headache and she still had a whole luggage to unpack. Not to mention install her tracking devices and act as the capable maid she wasn't.

Now Sakura was not a snobby rich woman, she knew some recipes she used to prepare for herself and cleansed her house. But when it came to properly clean a house, prepare god only knows what kind of food Sasuke wanted, prepare him tea and coffee (she had to call Karin for some techniques and recipes on this too) or ironing and cleaning men clothing, she had no idea what to do.

Oh well…how hard could it be anyways. From what she was able to see, Sasuke didn't have any other maids around, she was sure there were only the two of them living in the house, but everything was sparkling clean. No spot whatsoever. And his back garden and pool looked really good as well. Maybe they were coming once or twice a week, who knew, she was going to ask him about this as soon as he came home.

Sakura decided to make the journey faster. She spotted some buildings that have narrower and darker streets passing in between them, and knew that she was going to be there in no time if she takes the shortcut. She wasn't afraid of gangs or perverts, Japan was one of the safest countries with one of the lowest criminal rate and besides…they were unlucky if they were to step her way. Sakura had her ninja Bo and some poisoned senbon needles.

She wasn't too much of a fire guns fan. She took them only when on a mission. The Sound agents were specialists in ninja arts and weapons, the ones that used guns more often were the Akatsuki. Plus Lorane were fans of ancient weapons as well (they found fire guns the most insulting thing for the disasters they caused and viewed them as a main reason why people couldn't find peace), mainly swords as well, so the Sound were preferred when it came to dealing with them.

But just as she was about to pass the said streets (damn were they narrow and there were many windows on all sides of the buildings. They looked more like catacombs than streets honestly, the kind of places where bad things happen, Sakura was not going to be surprised if a zombie was to appear from the garbage and demand a piece of her head) she heard some strange noises coming from one of the apparently opened ground floor window.

Now Sakura knew better than to go and peep on other people's windows, she had more class than to barge into their privacy but there was something particularly strange about that kind of noise that caught her attention. It was a feminine voice that was for sure, but it sounded strangled and low and…it was a moan. And it was not only one, but the said unknown woman seemed to be in some sort of pleasurable torture, because she was louder and louder and her moans were coming faster with each passing moment and uncontrollably. There was a thin white window curtain that was not promptly pulled and was barely covering the window, basically giving free access for every curious eye to see what was happening inside. And the slight breeze was making it easier to see through. Sakura was having the perfect view on the intimate couple.

And it was in that particular moment she was sure her heart rate was going to make her whole body explode. Her shopping bags fell from her now trembling hands, but she hasn't even realized. Her eyes were staring straight ahead, her own posture rigid. She didn't even know if she was on Earth or Moon, because her feet didn't feel the gravity pulling her on the ground. Her bones turned to jelly in an instant. And the million of invisible needles that were piercing her every pore took hear breath away. She was sure she has just found out that physical pain…was not the worst of them.

There, in that little room, in front of her was a couple all right. And the fact that she recognized the male was making it all the worse. Jet black raven spiky hair, flawless face, muscular body, godlike features, the unmistakable strong and manly aura belonged to only one particular man: her boss, Sasuke Uchiha. And he was in a very heated make out session with a woman whose face Sakura wasn't able to see, but she looked really good, her body toned and curvy, she was taller than Sakura and had a skimpy looking outfit…or what was left from it, for she was barely dressed anymore.

Sasuke had the said woman pressed with her back on the wall, his right hand was pinning her own on the side of her head, and his left one was massaging her uncovered breast, his mouth on her neck, nibbling and biting the soft skin, making the woman moan even more. She had one of her long legs on his waist and they were both rolling their hips in the same time, successfully increasing the friction between them. The said woman was only in her lace panties and a pair of black leather boots and her boss was still dressed, but his white shirt was unbuttoned giving a profile view of his delicious torso. They seemed lost in their own lust, no one being aware of a pair of emerald eyes watching them.

Sakura was glued to the ground. She was silently praying for someone to come and pull her out of there. She couldn't move she didn't want to see this; she wanted to turn around and run. She was shocked but she couldn't move her eyes from the scene. It was the most sensual thing she has ever seen and it was certainly not the said now almost screaming whore that was making it this way, but her sexy boss Sasuke. They way he moved his hands, his body language was so full of sexiness it was almost painful to watch, he knew exactly what to do to make the woman scream his name, it was like he was able to put a part of him in every touch. He didn't seem like the block of ice she has met this morning, he was rising the air temperature with his hotness.

Just when Sasuke abruptly pulled the woman from the wall and threw her on the bed, successfully removing the last article she wore, Sakura was able to come into her senses, take her discarded bags and leave. She wasn't supposed to whiteness that, she wasn't supposed to be there and she should have taken the long way, she realized she was really stupid and…it pained her. What was she feeling she wasn't able to put it into words. What did she just saw? She knew it, she knew Sasuke was a player but she wasn't ready to see him doing what he did. She wanted to take a stone, throw it at the window and break along with the glass, taking a part of their little love shelter with her.

Sakura didn't have a name for what she was feeling, it was not anger, anger was something she felt when she realized Akatsuki was involved in the same mission, and the fact that she didn't know what she was feeling was making her nervous and out of her element. Sakura wanted control in her life, she was certain she knew her feelings and soul and the fact that a man she has just met was stirring feelings in her she shouldn't feel was…painful.

This indescribable disappointment Sakura felt was immense, she was stupid she realized, stupid because she projected an image of her ideal man, on a godlike body that was nothing like that. She didn't want to cry, she had absolutely no reason to cry and it was not burning jealousy she was feeling. But the salty liquid she felt in the corner of her eyes was a sign her heart was betraying her. And for the first moment since she came in Tokyo, she realized that while she was surrounded by an ocean of people…she was alone. She was in the land of the rising sun, but her heart was sinking in darkness. Her very soul was the core of her own version of Paradise Lost. She was surrounded by happy people and she was crying alone. She was pathetic.

Sakura didn't remember how she got at Sasuke`s house. Nor did she remember how she took a really hot shower (she wanted to burn the nagging feeling in her mind), unpacked her things (namely took the clothes from the bags and shoved them in the dresser with the help of her trained legs), but she did remember the scene of her boss` hand pleasuring a woman he has probably met. Her mind was playing the events like a broken tape. And it was exactly the reason why she grabbed her phone and typed the number she knew by heart. The only person she was able to give her some answers. God gives you a heart, but you don't get an instruction book for it.

"Hey sunshine, Karin here, what is new?"

"`Rin thanks God you answered it!"

"Cherry? OMG Cherry is that you? Fuck my head is throbbing, I had the worst night ever I swear…honey are you ok, are you crying?"

Now Karin was panicked. She had a mission that was a pain in the ass, for she needed to seduce a young mafia heir that was drunk and made her do things that made even Karin ashamed of and she almost missed killing him on time. And she had to dispose of the dead body as well, meaning taking him in the middle of the night, in her red convertible and being dressed in only her lingerie. It was a handful and she was tired as hell. She was sleeping and she almost hasn't recognized her best friend's voice. But to hear Sakura crying on the other side of the line and her voice almost whispering like she was chased by demons was something new. And Karin was sound awake in an instant.

"No Karin I am not crying and I am not jealous because Sasuke was intently making out with that whore and I hate him for making me feel uncomfortable and…I feel alone and like shit and I WANT TEQUILA AND GIN AND TIRAMISU AND I WANT TO HUG SOMEONE AND…"

"Sakura dear, stop screaming into my poor ear, it has suffered enough. Take a deep breathe and tell Karin everything, from the beginning with details, because I need a full image of the situation before I take the first plane to Tokyo and beak somebody's balls with a meat cleaver."

So Sakura did as she was told. She took a deep breath in a vain attempt to calm herself and told her everything that happened from the moment she left Italy until then. And Karin did surprise her, because Sakura was expecting her to die of laughter when she told about her luggage experience or her disastrous encounter with her boss, but Karin was not laughing. She listened to whatever Sakura had to say, without interrupting her. And when she was finished, Karin asked her the one question that turned Sakura`s world upside down in a second:

"Sakura, are you in love with Sasuke Uchiha?"

And for the first time in a while, Sakura found out that not even a single world left her mouth. Like she was in a comatose state, when she was able to see a pale light and hear people surrounding her, but she couldn't communicate. And she knew what exactly was the cause of this: her mind and body were not one anymore. Sakura realized that there was no zen meditation to balance the feelings with the rational part of her. She was thorn in a half and she didn't have a name for the overwhelming heat that she felt inside whenever she thought of her boss, nor did she knew why was she feeling like she was riding a rollercoaster.

"I…I hate him…I don't want to be close to him and it angers me. I have a mission to fulfill and my brain hurts and it is only the first day. I don't know how to act around him Karin…"

"Sakura listen to me, if this was only a little crush then there was no problem, but you act like you lost a member of your family and it is not a normal thing honey."

"I know `Rin and this is why I called you, because this…things I feel are completely new and make no sense to me. I am here to protect him and what do I do instead? Fantasize about his body and follow him from the shadows, I am worse than Lorane."

"C`mon Sakura is not that bad. Look, you had a really difficult day and what you feel it is only normal for a person that had changed environments. You know how all of us act when given a mission that requires moving another country and work undercover. As for Sasuke thing, don't give too much thinking about it. You are just disappointed that you have seen such an important man acting like a horny teenager fucking women in dark corners. I would have been pissed myself if I were you."

"You really think there is no problem then? Should I carry on like that didn't happen?"

"Of course, it is not like you could go and ask him if he needed condoms for another round. Ignore it, they guy doesn't deserve it, he is a player and everyone knows it. Besides, who would want a guy that has touch more women that one can count in a lifetime? PFFFLEASE You deserve better Cherry trust me."

"Gosh Karin I love you, I love you so much you know that don't you?"

"Duh, how can you not love me dear, I am adorable and we both know it."

"HEHE you're right `Rin, you are truly adorable, you are so adorable that I feel like hugging you."

"I know Cherry, I love you too. Listen I need to go, I have an entire mission report to do and explaining why were you driving at nighttime, with a dead mafia heir, half naked and slightly drunk, looking like Frankenstein's bride on her period, requires a lot of talent and patience I don't really have. But I will give you a call tomorrow and we can bash your manwhore of a boss until we run out of curses, ok?"

"Yeah, I am going to wait for your call then. Thank you Karin."

"I love you dear, bye."

"Bye."

And Karin knew that the things were not that simple. Her best friend was falling in love with the only man that she wasn't supposed to have romantic feelings for. She was Eve getting a taste of the forbidden fruit. And Karin knew that everything was not going to be alright, her friend was falling hard and it was going to be a disaster. Sakura was mistaking love for hate and the poor girl was not even aware of what she was feeling. Karin got a handful of her red hair and pulled. This had disaster written all over it. She had to be prepared. Karin knew for a fact that from now on, she was going to get more late night calls from Tokyo. And it will not going to be any soap opera or teary Disney Movie involved this time.

Sakura was not feeling better. The confusion was more present than never. And what Karin asked first, if she was in love with Sasuke made her really scared. Love was a strong thing, it couldn't be this the thing she was feeling. One cannot get in love with a person on the first sight. That was only happening in movies, but this was real life and she has thrown her sanity right on the window the moment she saw him for the first time.

That night, Sakura fell asleep with the in ear stereos and music blasting into her tormented brain. And she had the playlist of sad love songs on repeat. And for the first time in what seemed like forever, she had the same nightmare she had over and over again when she was a teenager: white snakes covering her body trying to steal it and her soul leaving her body.

Sasuke was not going to be at home that night. He called her and told he was having an urgent business related problem to solve. And Sakura knew for a fact that it was definitely not the alcohol speaking for him.