::A/N: There is a small dictionary at the end of the chapter for the Italian and Japanese phrases::
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"No."
"Why don't we try and talk this over, instead of rushing things?" Mikoto couldn't help but burst out, interfering and attempting to alleviate some of the stinging electrical charged thick tense atmosphere, lingering into the span of the vast living room. "Let the kids know each other better, first."
The fine Uchiha matriarch couldn't deny the whirlpool of disdain, hate and remorse that washed through her son`s onyx silvery steel hard orbs when his mind processed the implication of his father`s words.
And she was not oblivious to the beautiful romance in bloom transpiring between Sasuke and the mysterious Haruno Sakura, the woman who she has met and felt a mysterious unexplainable warm affinity and familiar closeness, as well as the astonishing beautiful Greek maiden in disguise that waltzed into the limbs of glamour, elegance and exquisiteness, stealing the people`s breaths with her cherub like appearance to the Charity Ball, mesmerizing everyone and beautifying the image of her in her son`s mind.
She has seen the undeniable vivid sparkling chemistry between the candid graceful touches, smiles and caressing whispers, and she has felt her heart warm in a motherly shielding way, sheltering the possible love between the pair, wanting nothing more than his son`s happiness and she knew how difficult for the young Uchiha was to bond with the idea of allowing someone else to step into his playground and wield his heart, when his character was the very epitome of self-control and hidden thoughts.
Of course, Sasuke was silently thanking his heaven sent angelic mother for the undivided and unconditional support, knowing it all too well that his mother was flirting with the idea of cheering for his eventual relationship with Sakura, one that he was yet to make it 'official' as in going into the public`s eye with her by his side. Something he was eagerly impatient to do and stop hiding like two underage teens with a crush, meeting in various dark and secluded places, without their parents to notice.
And there was his imbecile loathsome uncaring father, who didn't give a damn about the virtual cherished image of his son, and only thought of his own well-being, because it was that cursed company the thing that was occupying the emptiness of his dense skull, and not his son`s fortune and happiness.
Of course, Fugaku was not the stupid imbecile that Sasuke wanted to believe –he didn't- and he didn't overlook the reaction of his apparently stoic father, when he so openly displayed affection towards another woman that he was not acquainted or familiar with, but then again, the priceless view of Fugaku`s scowling disagreeing frown was worth all the drama.
Black bottomless obsidian abysses shifted from the worried reeling in anxiety mother, Mikoto, to her father and the two spunky blondes, who had the guts to try and corner him and trap him into their intricate net of wicked machination, trying to speculate a weakness in his defense and fructify the advantage they thought they had.
He marrying that Ino Yamanaka slut was definitely out of question, Sasuke has ignored her from the very beginning when she personally came to seek for his irresistible presence, and he was forward into his decision to send her back to the pits of hell, where her realm was.
"This is out of question. We are all busy people. I advise you to spend your time wiser." Sasuke`s velvet low alto voice rung like a roaring speeding train, making his auditorium`s skins crawl in dread.
It was just the apparently sanguine and unperturbed façade he dragged over the richness of his baritone voice the fragment of eeriness added to his growl, which was making the thatch at their sweating napes perk in fear and take an invisible step back.
There was malice and threat dancing on the low tune of his voice, as he was seeping venom to the people before him. "It means money we cannot afford to throw out on the window."
"Son, I am afraid that you have no say in this." Equally monolith unflappable silvery onyx orbs clashed with his scorching counterparts, while Fugaku locked gazes with his son, crossing his arms in front of his broad chest, being all demanding, controlling and imposing, but it did zero to make Sasuke quail or melt under the intensity of his argument.
It was exactly the opposite; it only made the purple thick halo of maze around his lean straight shoulders roar to another peak of ill intent. "I and Mr. Yamanaka here, have already agreed on this marriage. This is in the Mangekyou`s best interest. Our families have wealth and power."
"As fascinating as sacrificing your son's happiness for money might seem, my answer is as good as the hate and revolt I feel. No means no in my vocabulary."
If anything, Sasuke didn't even forced himself to be polite and sophisticated in the presence of a nest of poisonous snakes, which were crawling and writhing around his feet, trying to curl around his ankles and drag him into the lowest levels of human perverted ambitions, all but reeking with sarcasm and irony.
He couldn't care less about any partnership or God forbids, merger, with any Yamanaka incorporation, since he too had his back up plans, and even if he wasn't about to succeed, then it wouldn't be because of his inability and lack of managerial skills or business professionalism and intuition, no, it would be the natural and totally predictable consequence of a world in decline and an international market in regress and on the verge of collapse.
Of course that all the companies were cursed to fail like pieces of domino, if the national governments and economies would downturn, which consequently implied the fall of the Yamanaka Inc. along with them, so there was no real need for him to go as far as to become related to their slutty cheap heiress.
The mere thought was leaving him with a disgusting acid taste on his tongue. He wouldn't be caught dead touching that woman in any way, or sparring her his attention.
So finding it a total waste of precious time –that he could have fructified with some more intense moments with Sakura and rack his brain for the best solutions to save whatever was left to be saved from his sinking empire- Sasuke swiftly whirled on his heel to leave the place populated with people he despised, leaving their disbelieving eyes to gawk at his retracting proud and haughty back.
But of course, the ebony haired rebel Uchiha heir wouldn't forget about his father`s unbeatable ability to annoy the fuck with him and his patience, always interfering with his plans of flying away from the abode of his control, totally losing his signature Uchiha stoicism and tranquility. "Sasuke you will not walk away like a spoiled brat when the company could-"
But, if there was something that triggered the bullet of exploding fury churning into his clenching chest, ricocheting like a boomerang back to his whirling back head, it was his father`s eternal line of scolding that he used since forever, to point out to his inability to grow from the dangerous disheveled teen that he was into a responsible adult, basically never acknowledging his merits, as a proud wielder of his family name.
And a good part of his porcelain mask of tranquil and calm went flying on the window when he more than growled to his father. "Go to Hell for all it is worth it. If the odds are such, then who are we to fight against it?"
It was gone before he had the chance to blink once, but surely enough Sasuke has caught the ruffling flicker of his eyes, almost cringing at the vileness seeping from his son`s rude lips, clearly not expecting such wild rebellious and defying impolite attitude. "Your tongue is sharp Sasuke, but your actions are rush and clumsy."
"You stopped making decisions for the company the moment you stepped down and I have become the CEO. Same goes for my private life. You and all the..."
He shifted his eyes to the two blonde loathsome figures, his glare blazing with disdain and disgust, bullets shooting from his thin firm lips.
Said father and daughter took an invisible step back, feeling a lump escalate their throats at the intensity of that young Uchiha`s vile sinister demeanor. "...other things, should stay away from things that do not concern them."
"What are you trying to say with oth-" Inoichi, who has been busy gasping at the incredible scene unfolding before his eyes –since a potential argument between two latent volcanic tempers like Sasuke and Fugaku, were always blazing like funnels, since both were clearly hating each other- snapped of of his dumb idiotically stupor and decided to play the mighty influent businessman he was, straightened his curbed spine and tried an intimidating reverberating tone, similar to the Uchihas` but failed miserably,
The younger Uchiha didn't even flapped his stare from his loathsome father, to the blabbering blonde idiot, to inject to him, sharply cutting his irrelevant statement short, clearly not interested in anything he had to say. "This was a complete waste of my damn time. If there is nothing else you have to tell me father, one that would interest me, then I am leaving."
"Sasuke-"
"Mr. Uchih-"
"Honey!" It was his mother's voice that made him stop. He ignored every single eye in the room except from his mother's worried beautiful onyx eyes. "Why don't you join us for dinner? We can talk things over in a less hostile atmosphere."
He turned around racking a hand through his raven hair pulling it backwards. The gesture itself was so insanely sexy that Ino felt her throat dry.
Uchiha Sasuke was so goddamn irresistible, that she felt her insides burst in flames at the sight of him. He didn't want to stay; he didn't want to be in the vicinity of such disgusting people, who were ready to sell their souls to the Devil for a pile of such trivial low thing as money.
But for the female population, his inapproachable iron impenetrable sophisticated attitude, injected with just the right dosage of superior arrogance of a ridiculously wealthy successful shrewd businessman, turned him into the walking embodiment of dark sensuality and eternal endowed manhood.
Finesse and superior aesthetics have never been so flawlessly interlaced with rebel wild attitude, and conjured into one single dominant of character, like it was nesting inside that Uchiha`s drop dead gorgeous demeanor and looks.
"Please, honey." He exhaled deeply, visibly annoyed that he was forced into making such a compromise, racking his hand through his raven rebel locks in a gesture that was a solid proof of him trying to calm his nerves and control his temper, at the same time, being all too sexy, dark and alluring.
He followed his mother, father and the Yamanaka family into the dining room, wordlessly, calculating his next step and planning against his father`s ridiculous proposal.
Then Sakura`s vivacious enlighten emerald orbs and elicited face from that morning popped up his head, hitting him like a floral spring breeze in April morning, making him inwardly smirk. Like Hell he would agree with whatever pathetic lame joke of a fake marriage, just for the sake of saving the Mangekyou.
Fugaku had another thing coming if he thought that his younger son has remained the same oblivious naive fool who kept on chasing phantoms of his recognition, acknowledgement and praise.
As if on cue, a younger maid, who was probably eavesdropping at the heated conversation between the Uchiha family members and the Yamanaka representatives, popped up from the adjacent hall which led to the kitchen and shrieked in a stretched forced polite voice.
"Dinner is ready to be served, Mrs. Uchiha." Of course, she has addressed to the most pacifist and kind hearted person present, afraid to even breathe in the general direction of the two Uchiha males. The suffocating tension in the room throttled the poor maid and the beautiful Mikoto, but she did her best not to let it show.
She hated the deep crevice formed between her family, which got them far away from each other, to the point where they were only communicating through faxes, phones, emails and secretaries, not withstanding to breathe in the same room where the other was and it was making her poor motherly heart crumble.
She hated the drift between her family, she hated the disdain lingering between Fugaku and Sasuke, she was rotting in the grief that Itachi`s departure has caused and she was a hopeless pitiful dreamer of a day where her family would laugh again like one, standing united.
Or at least…she prayed for her sons to find that undying marvelous happiness that the Greek hymns and symphonies were praising, in the embrace of the women they loved and that was the reason why Fugaku`s declaration of a partnership between the two families has left her flabbergasted, immediately thinking of Sakura.
"Shall we go then?" Nonetheless, the jolly and exuberance in her Tinkerbelle suave tone hasn't cease away from her tiny smiling lips, taking the lead into inviting the other three occupants of the living room into the dining room and they followed her reluctantly, stepping in the direction of her son, coiling her hands around his arm as he followed her, not protesting.
If anything, her tender touch embellished with the eternal matriarchal warmth and love has spewed into his furious system, briefly calming him.
It was the very same sensation he had when Sakura touched him ,having the ethereal ability to take the demons out of the casket of his mind and relax him, but needless to say, the rosette`s touch was personal, intimate and romantic, unlike Mikoto`s motherly protective one.
The small group stepped into the light colored pleasant cozy room, each taking a strategically seat on the table, with Fugaku staying in the head, feeling the need to remind his guests that he was the king of his castle, Yamanaka Inoichi taking the seat on his left, with his over jolly flirtatious and lewd dressed daughter scooping right beside him, slightly disappointed of the fact that Sasuke has chosen the opposite side to sit, beside his mother, on his father`s right.
Oh well, at least she could have a constant vista of his handsome face and fantasize –delude- about how would he feel if she wore to touch him or kiss him.
Of course, Sasuke knew about what she was doing, but never once shifted his gaze on her, nor did had he addressed her any words. And that intangible regal aura only left her crave for him more.
Inwardly, the junior son of the Uchiha family sighed in annoyance. He only stayed because of his mother`s ardent begging –he could read her inner churning feelings in the same way she did with him, she didn't fool him- either ways, he would have already been on the way to his helicopter, wanting nothing more than to put as much distance as possible from him and his father.
He completely ignored the buffoonery of the Yamanakas.
That was going to be a torturous and long homecoming.
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::Japan, Tokyo, Uchiha Sasuke`s private mansion::
A happiness like the gentlest first snowflake fluttering on the embrace of the velvet wind has graced Sakura's sleepy beautiful face with the smile of the millennia. Her bare porcelain pristine skin was making a sensual contrast with the dark silk bed sheets as she laid spread on the middle of the king sized bed, on her tummy, giggling like a fifteen years old girl with a little crush.
Ever since she and Sasuke stopped hiding their romance, every moment of her life has been filled with sweet memories of their moments together and to her surprise they have grown up in number over the last weeks. For the first time since she has first set her feet on Sasuke's home, there was a pleasant warmth in the room.
Usually, Sasuke had his air conditioning set on a high level, hence the extreme coldness of his chamber and villa, but not then and her heart melt like a puddle of honey flavored hot caramel when she realized that he has turned it off intentionally, to make it more pleasant for her, who, in turn, was always freezing.
She rolled on her side, taking the bed sheets with her, wrapping her torso with the softness of the pampering fabric and the spicy scent of Sasuke's intoxicating perfume. God, she would go insane with desire.
Everything around her had the print of his fragrance. She could basically smell him on the bed cushions, his pillow -where she buried her nose into, sniffling to catch a stronger hint of his cologne, imbed with his fresh ocean shampoo and she noticed that she could catch a weaker scent of her floral fruity perfume as well.
And that brought a wide spread beam on her face and tinted the small high cheek pressed on the pillow, with a cute delicate red rose hue. It had a familiar cozy feeling and she couldn't help the invasion of fluttering chaste butterflies, which were bursting from the pits of her stomach, up to her chest.
Her mind which was usually filled with thoughts of indifference, boredom, solitude, disdain, hate and mistrust, was then occupied by deep rivers of sweet honey, milk and cinnamon and Sakura swore she was in the mood to do the craziest odd things, such as celebrating Christmas in advance, make herself a good hot hot chocolate, with oranges and dark cherries syrup or take a walk along the shoreline, under the starry night sky and admire the panoramic faraway city lights, while enjoying a fancy pistachio ice cream and the handsome company of the most mesmerizing black gleaming sapphire orbs.
Eyes that she grew to associate with love, care, protection and happiness, which was an oxymoron and a contradiction by nature. She trusted and adored his black bottomless eyes. Eyes of a dark sinful road to danger, swallowing the light and make one lose its very soul, were the ones to be her candle and her guide.
The charmed CIA agent knew that she has overslept after Sasuke's departure, but she wasn't worried. For the first time in what seemed like forever, she reeled in a lazy reverie of how Paradise should feel like and ah fructified each moment.
Sasuke was visiting his family and she knew he was there. The GPS signal was beeping softly steady and clear signalizing his unchanged position. He was safe, so that was the reason why she allowed herself a moment to take a gulp of fresh air.
What an enchanting...evening. A lazy emerald orb crocked open to look at the clock on the nightstand. It has been six hours since Sasuke has left to his parents` home and she knew it all too well that he absolutely loathed the idea of encountering his father and she couldn't help but feel bad for him, even though Sasuke was hardly someone who inspired pity, she couldn't help it.
Sakura has always been an orphan and seeing broken families and relatives who had bad blood, made her heart pang.
It was so unfair to have his parents and brothers safe and sound, yet they were so far away acting like strangers, going as far as to pretend they don't know each other if they could have made it look like they were busy and didn't see the other.
She knew Uchiha Itachi pretty well, since the older of the two Uchiha prodigies brothers were branch colleagues and, even if they didn't actually had much in common, they weren't hating on each other and even had some joined missions together, and Sakura always knew that he loved his little brother and always kept an eye on him, using his CIA connections, and the only thing that seemed to faze Itachi were bad news about Sasuke.
The way he would jump from his seat, storm to the HQ and demand to be informed about the latest news about his little brother, was enough to let anyone know that the apparently unflappable silvery onyx eyes set on the beeping monitor screens and GPS signals, were not just casually strolling over the maps and red dots out of boredom.
His care for his younger relative was the only genuine and easy to read thing about the mysterious Uchiha Itachi, whose manners, calculated almost exaggeratedly stoic, flawless and brilliant attitude and character were as hard to read as his puzzling double meaning phrases and vague replies were.
That was probably the main reason why he didn't even flinch when he has been entrusted the mission to work hand in hand with Orochimaru to solve the biggest mystery: who exactly was selling the Akatsuki`s technology and was destroying the CIA from inside out and was darker than a shadow, that no CCTV has once caught it.
But Sasuke didn't even mentioned his brother once, beside the times when he has confessed some parts of his secret past, silently let the rosette know that he would never forgive Itachi for pursuing his dream to become an agent, leaving a younger, disoriented and unprepared Sasuke behind to deal with both his father`s rejection and a company he loathed with burning passion.
Yes, Sakura too found it a little bit cynical and hypocrite, but then again, no one could blame Itachi for wanting to spread his wings free and escape his family`s clutch, striving for independency, like any other normal young adult.
Whatever happened after, was just an unfortunate miscalculated twist of fate and selfish ambitions.
Bare slender gazelle legs scurried to the edge of the bed as Sakura rolled on her side, throwing her hands in the air, yawning and stretching contently, a soft moan escaping her lips, as bright rays of the jolly shining sun caressed her squeezed green jadeite eyes, creeping from under the sprawled puffy clouds.
She got up and dragged her naked silhouette down, her mind set on one thing solely and that was hunting for food to eat, because God, her stomach was growling and clenching and she had no particle of energy left in her body, courtesy to Sasuke, who has kept her quite busy last night and that morning too, but it was for the first time in her life when over exhaustion felt so pleasant and she was keeping that angelic bathed in beatitude smile embellished on her face all the way down the kitchen.
She didn't care that she had no clothes wrapped around her shoulders, she didn't care about the pale fresh sun rays glowing on her porcelain skin, making her look as ethereal as a nymph of the forest, she didn't care about the 70 years old neighbors who were working in the garden at first hour in the morning, probably catching the sight of her exposed debauched self on the see-through glass walls ,she had no problem in the world.
Her mind was entirely occupied with the vivid images of an exuberant passionate Sasuke and his love making and dear Heavens, he was the embodiment of raw manhood and perennial sexiness. Hard, steady, precise, beautiful and appetizing, he got it all and his body was just as sublime as the rest of the man he was.
She was walking in a funny way and Sakura was mentally laughing like a mad woman thinking about that Karin would say if she was too see her once pure innocent friend do the walk of shame, naked in all her glory, parading in Sasuke Uchiha`s luxurious airy mansion.
Oh yeah, her best friend would bit her fancy colorful nails in jealousy if she were to hear. In fact, Sakura mentally decided to call her friend and make her suffer.
Then she should tell her friend to send her some of her clothes, since it was pointless to remain dressed like a beggar since Sasuke knew she was not what she lied she was, plus she had the feeling that Uchiha Fugaku, his terrible father, wasn't really impressed by her performance from the Ball, so she wouldn't embarrass Sasuke more by displaying herself beside him in the rippled clothes she had.
Sure, she could always go shopping, but shopping alone was not only utterly depressing, but a major sin. Shopping sessions were supposed to be done with girls, and Sakura vaguely considered calling Ten Ten and summon her for a round of hunting down for fancy clothes, but she decided against.
Fine coral eyebrows knotted together, while she turned the oven on, taking some fusilli pasta and mozzarella from the fridge, deciding to have a totally carb loaded Italian specialty, thinking about Neji Hyuga`s company downfall.
Ever since Naruto has called her to let her know that the Byakugan was in the verge of collapse and his friend has joined the drunkards` side, drinking his liver into oblivion, Sakura guessed that she should let her new friend stay by his side.
Akatsuki were having big problems, and not only Lorane and their economic and cyber-attacks affected them, but they couldn't find out the culprit and the traitor in their organization either, so she should just text Karin and have her pack a part of her vast wardrobe and send them to her via one of CIA`s private jets, whichever would fly to Tokyo in the following weeks.
While she was waiting for the food to be ready, Sakura decided to busy herself with some news, since she hasn't been following much of them from the past weeks, being all focused on taking care of Sasuke, so she dragged herself to the living room turning on the flat huge TV, flipping the channels absentmindedly, a glass of cold sparkling water with lemon on her left hand.
"We are streaming live from Wall Street, where hundreds of company owners are protesting against the shocking major drop of their stocks on the auction market, due to the unexpected appearance of an enormous incorporations chain, that bought the most of the stocks listed by this morning and gained control over the market."
Intrigued to the point of disbelief, Sakura propelled into the sofa, folding her legs beneath her, dragging a wool blanket around her shoulders, putting the volume up, following the big orgy in front of the stock markets, where various numbers were flashing in red and green colors, trying to decipher what the heck was going on.
She was no specialist, but by the looks of it, it was all around the news. The stocks market from New York looked like a battlefield, there were hundreds of men in suits, of all ages, sweating, foaming and shouting different slogans, each complaining about the same thing.
Apparently, there was someone who had this ridiculous amount of money and power to turn the tables in his favor, while the other corporations were collapsing and that was not a good sign at all. She could smell Lorane`s involvement into that, but she tried to be optimistically. Plus, her first instinct was to worry about Sasuke`s company.
The reporters were streaming live news from Wall Street were presenting lists of all the companies that suddenly went bankrupt or lost the majority of the social capital or the value of their stocks and Byakugan was, unfortunately, one of the most tragic cases, but she didn't –thanks God- see the Mangekyou among them.
A sign that Sasuke has managed to miraculously keep his company on the good track, even when there was a storm washing down the world of business at the moment.
"We are now live with the magnate that has bought stocks at the total value of 256$ billion dollars at the major world trusts and international companies, Mr. Nagato." A spray of water lemon burst from Sakura`s mouth when she caught the sight of the aforementioned person, forest green eyes going wide as plates, incredulous of what exactly she was seeing.
Those eyes…the bright vivid color of deep piercing lilac irises were flashing in all their terrific glory on the screen, dominating and promising apocalypse ,as the mysterious man spoke in a low menacing dull tone, words that made her blood freeze down her veins.
"Time for universal peace has finally come and I am here to make sure that I will lead this world to the peaks of glory and wealth and eliminate any threat that stays in between me and my dream."
She wasn't even following whatever the reporters had to say, dashing up to the stairs, basically flying to Sasuke`s room, where her phone was resting somewhere…under the bed. And it was beeping constantly, while Sakura plunged under the four posted huge piece of furniture, fingering over the fluffy carpet, until she took a hold of it, gluing it to her ear.
There was no such as Nagato –the insanely rich mystery businessman. That character was PEIN –the Lorane`s indomitable leader in persona and…he decided to go for the fire and step into the public's eye.
"Hello?"
"Sakura-chan, we are in big trouble! Turn on the TV and-"
"I have already seen the news, Naruto-kun."
"Is it them, Sakura-chan, isn't it? It`s Lorane!"
"Yes, that person…is their leader."
It was silent on the other line for a good whole minute, during which Sakura could only hear ragged breaths. "Call your snake-man boss. This is bad. This shit is streaming all over the world."
"You don't say?" She sneered at him ironically. She was on the verge of contacting Orochimaru, she flipped her laptop open, holding her phone in between her check and shoulder, however, her eyebrows furrowed when she dialed but got no answer. Orochimaru always answered her on the laptop, because it was the Sound`s secret lines for high top emergencies. "Call Itachi and inform the Hokage right this instant-"
"Can't do. Leader is in France, keeping his eyes on the G12."
She frowned at that. "Why the fuck are the world`s leaders meet up at such a damn time? Wait a second-"
"It`s not coincidental, Sakura-chan. They have carefully planned all of this. There are also your Sound colleagues on the special dispatched team to work with the Interpol, FBI and safeguard the Congress."
"I have heard about Neji Hyuga. Things are getting from bad to worse. I am not a damn specialist in stock markets, but according to all this news flashing on all the channels, Sasuke isn't in a much better predicament either."
"Tell me about it. Neji is ready to snap any times and he threatens to lash at our throats if we stop him. I think he is on the verge of losing it. His family is forced to leave the country by the end of this week because of the pressure from the reporters flying around their house like buzzes. They went bankrupt. I am not aware of all the details, he won't talk to us and he won't even give in to Ten Ten`s threats and tell her more."
"Shit. Wait until Sasuke comes back. He will know what to do. He always does…" She trusted him with every fiber; Sakura knew that Sasuke was not an average ordinary man. He was the biggest fish out of the tank. He had everything planned before hand, he was always ten steps before everyone and he managed to outsmart and escape Lorane for so long.
"Teme is gone? Where? Why haven't you followed him?!"
"He is in Hokkaido, by the call of his father. I think is company related. No, scratch that, I am sure is company related. I don't want to peep into their family affairs. It is not my place to barge in."
She knew it that the Uchiha didn't want to go there, he never hid it from her and she saw it in his after-sex glazed stare that his blood was boiling into his veins and he wanted nothing more than to decline, but knew he couldn't.
A father was a father and Sasuke respected Fugaku`s words, for some reasons that Sakura didn't understand, but then again, she didn't have a father and Orochimaru never in such a cold and distant disapproving way that Fugaku did. He was cruel and harsh when training her to hone her skills and polish her into a perfect striking emotionless assassin, but never acted like she was a nuisance or an enemy to her.
"Well fuck. That man scares me shitless and Sasuke-Teme hates to be in his father`s presence. You should have gone with him Sakura-chan, cos God only knows how much self-control does he have left in him to withstand whatever the shit that man wants to tell-"
"You should trust your friend more and stop worrying about it. Sasuke is not a damn child, he knows what he is doing and who he is dealing with, he has done it flawlessly for years and he sure as well ain`t losing his damn head at such a crucial moment. Meanwhile, we should focus on our task. I am trying to hack on the Televisions` systems and find the source of their signals. I will not stop until I find Lorane`s traces and hunt their asses down."
"And I will go to the Interpol and have Suigetsu help us try and take their prints as well. I will drag Tennie`s ass as well and leave Neji drown into the bottle of Scotch that he sleeps with.
The moment Itachi is done babysitting the Presidents; I will have him join as well. I will contact the Hokage and you do the same with Orochimaru. So far, that snake of your freak ass Boss has leaked nothing to us and neither did Itachi. I want to know about how their research went on. I want to catch the bloody motherfucker double agents, infiltrators and moles who helped them break our codes and steal all our weapons and skin them alive myself."
It was odd to hear Naruto`s ragged hoarse voice spurting profanities and snarl after those weeks that passed in a mild calm as they got together, but Sakura understood the edginess in his voice, for she too almost snapped at him , almost losing her cool.
They were cornered, Lorane was out shadowing the CIA, making them all look like amateurs, outsmarting them and when they thought they were going down, their freaking LEADER comes into the public`s eye, talking openly and serenely about brainwashing them, like he was trying to win elections.
Fucking Hell.
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::Somewhere above Japan, Sasuke`s private helicopter::
The strong cognac he was sipping hasn't been enough to wash away the bitter taste from his mouth, to alleviate the torturous rage which was churning into his temples. Never in his life has Sasuke felt more liberated from leaving a place, like he did in that moment.
For the entire lunch, he had to withstand two horrendous things and those were: Ino Yamanaka`s revolting, lecherous, indiscrete, obvious and disgusting flirt attempts and ogles and his father`s insane and bloody annoying rants and commends.
It took every inch of his willpower to not slit their throats right there and then, and get over with those bullshit, but he knew he had to play it cool and carry on with his plan. He has been ignoring his father for years, so definitely Fugaku won't get to him, nor would he dictate the course of his action.
Taking a generous gulp of the strong beverage, Sasuke let his thoughts drift to brighter horizons, where a pair of emerald orbs were definitely waiting and thinking of him. Sakura`s.
He was absolutely dying to see her, feel the touch of her skin against his, kisses her and make love to her, until their screams would perish with the first rays of the morning, because even if there have officially become a couple on the Ball, he felt an eternity since morning has tear her away from his arms.
He grew to find it utopic to imagine a life without Sakura. Her presence was tonic, radiating vivacious she gave color to the blank and white canvas of his life.
And definitely, NO imbecile incompetent and unimaginative father of his would tear her presence away from his life.
No. Hell NO! Sasuke was not the cliché spilled dumbass rich brat, who was bending to his father`s commands, dancing on the music he was playing and obey to his doctrines, like they were providential, just because he was afraid to lose his position and the wealth, and remain a puppet forever.
If that was the way Fugaku was viewing his son, then he was gravely mistaken him for someone else, and so was Inoichi Yamanaka. That man should have stayed the fuck away out of his life and catch it from the first time when he came to his office and propose a merger or an investment, that Sasuke wasn`t interested in his services.
The only regret he had was that he has left without spending more quality time with his mother and he was feeling regretful for the hostile atmosphere that he and his father has created, ruining the family reunion, but Mikoto understood him.
And the angelic Uchiha matriarch also knew that Sasuke would never give his family name to another woman, because there was already a mysterious woman who stunned the entire elite circle of billionaires, by making a ultra-shiny classy mind blowing appearance, on the Charity Ball and claim her son`s company, attention and ultimately, his heart.
So she won't be too upset.
While having those thoughts in mind, Sasuke vaguely wondered whether he should make a little escape with Sakura, somewhere where no one would nag them, refilling his glass with scotch, when his eyes flew on the beeping phone, narrowing his eyes at the ID.
He accepted the incoming call pressing the phone on his ear, letting his onyx orbs trail to the city they were flying above. "Juugo."
"Excuse me for interrupting you, Sir, but something happened."
"Speak."
.
.
.
::Hokkaido, Tokyo, Uchiha residence::
Back at the home, discussions were still going on and they were quite heated, since Sasuke has left the two Yamanaka representatives with their mouths agape, leaving like an Englishman, after throwing a smart insult of choice, kissing his mother`s cheek, throwing a glare that blazed like thousand suns, clearly warning him to stay the heck away from his life and company, and went straight to where his pilot was waiting for him.
"Fugaku, we had a deal and you are not honoring your part of it. You said that your son was going to play along and become the nice husband for my daughter so we can unite our fortunes and I will drag the Mangekyou from the misery it-"
"Don't you dare refer to my company in such a ridiculous way." The older Uchiha representative snarled back, dripping venom through his clenched teeth, fingers coiled around his fish fork and knuckles going purple.
His son has just defied him in front of such an important potential investor, who fit in the role of a lifesaver perfectly, but no. Sasuke just had to be the stubborn man he was and act funny.
"Sasuke will marry your daughter. He likes to rebel against me, he always did, and this is why he is thick headed and doesn't see the opportunity. I here to fix this mess."
Before Inoichi had the chance to inquire whether Fugaku clearly lost his hearing, since Sasuke has all but been adamant in his calloused refusal, the imposing Uchiha barked on his phone, ignoring his wife, who was muttering something to him, onyx orbs flickering worriedly to him. "Hatori, prepare the jet. I want you to take someone to Tokyo"
Fugaku all but knew that Sasuke has come with his private helicopter, so it was natural that Fugaku would call for his private jet, to send Ino Yamanaka`s expensive sultry ass back to Tokyo and stalk his disobedient sun. "I expect her to play her role as well." His unflappable hard stare flew on Ino`s widened baby blue eyes, resuming his meal. Damn, they cooked his favorite meal.
.
.
.
::Tokyo, Japan, Sasuke`s private villa::
Slim, fine digits were flying over the laptop, while digital encoded passwords and numbers were scrolling down, soft curses leaving her glossy lips, while her emerald orbs were focusing on the screen before her.
Sakura wasted no time. After Lorane`s leader had the guts to make such an arrogant appearance, as if he was daring the CIA to try and bring him down –it being even more difficult since he was becoming a public figure- she has been trying to hack into the system of any TV channel or radio station and try to pinpoint the location of the jamming signal, because she was certain that Lorane has hacked the satellites and streamed their own live transmission all around the world, brainwashing the people.
She only needed a trace, a ghost of a signal, anything she found as an intruder into the system, to lead her to where Lorane was having its nest of snakes, without any luck. No matter how many ultra-advanced high tech programs she used, she kept on getting blocked by a very strong malware which was messing her own programs, just before she was on the verge of decoding the binary codes and break the program.
What she has found out among the lines, was the fact that it was exactly the same frequency used at Shiseido Ginza and Granbell Hotel and the ones that Lorane used to jam their devices.
What was interesting was the fact that they were using the SAME signal for blocking and messing up their computers, but, since it was from different sources and locations, it was impossible to track, hence hack. Shikamaru and the IT department unsuccessfully broke into that system and they were the best of the best.
No luck.
No hacker that worked for the CIA or Interpol –they even sought help from the FBI- could break into that program. "Fuck…c`mon don't die on me now…no!"
She whined, letting her back fall on the bed, rubbing her blood shoot jade orbs with the palm of her hands.
Her eyes were killing her slowly and all she was seeing under her eyelashes were dancing dots, like she has been taken an overdose of some drug. It was ridiculous, because whenever she got close to break into that frequency and track the source of the signal; it was like the Lorane knew EXACTLY how to counter it, like they had access to their technology.
Sakura wasn't some stupid fool. She was aware that whoever was selling information to Lorane from the CIA has definitely leaked all their software and technology, developing programs to counter them. And that was why she was also suspecting the agents working in the department of IT and technology development. They were having access to both the guns and the programs.
Five hours…for five hours since she has seen PEIN making his glorious appearance on the TVs around the glove, having a hypocrite unrealistically speech sealed on his lips and ebbing it on the people`s minds, Sakura has been trying in vain to track Lorane.
And Orochimaru wasn't answering to any of her calls, but Sakura wasn't worried. Her Papa was working his ass trying to basically do what she was doing: decoding the keys used to unlock all the doors and sneak inside his lab and Akatsuki`s weapons base, as well as helping the Akatsuki to ensure the safety of the ones present at the G20 Summit.
She decided to check on something less depressing, while she gave her poor retina a short break, drinking from her green tea, which was steaming on the nightstand checking on Sasuke`s location, as a wide goofy smile bloomed on her lips, that were kissing the rim of her favorite English porcelain cup, seeing that he was on his helicopter, flying back to Tokyo.
Then a childish wild cliché romantic idea popped into her brain, as she was sipping her tea, crossing her legs under her silk night robe, trashing Sasuke`s king sized bed. But what the heck? How about instead of waiting for him to come home, like a depressive boring housewife, she went to pick him up from the airport instead?
Oh yeah, that would totally do. She eyed the car keys resting on the coffee table, that Sasuke has left for her to use his car if she wanted to, darting her hand to snatch them, then she rolled over, sliding from the bed and thumping towards the wardrobe, throwing the doors open, grinning at the clothes resting inside.
Since she didn't have to conceal the fact that she wasn't a poor woman, she has done 'some' shopping, and a very fitting vaporous light bright girlie red summer dress was flashing at her, begging for attention. Why the heck not?
And she even had matching lingerie…
Just in case….
And definitely NOT because she was some pervert or expected form something to happen!
Having those Karin-induced deprived thoughts in her cackling devilish mind, Sakura was already slipping the clothes on her naked form, thinking about where should she take Sasuke for dinner and help him alleviate some of his obvious stress.
Among OTHER very effective methods, of course.
"God! I am turning into Karin…"
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.
.
::Narita International Airport, Japan::
Sasuke thanked all the Heavens above –even if he hardly was a religious person- when Narita International Airport came into his field of view.
Sure, he could have landed straight on his yard or the Mangekyou's rooftop, but giving the latest –horrendous, disturbing- news, he would have rather not attract any more attention, so he merely landed on the airport, where he wouldn't get all the eyes on him, glad that his father and those pathetic blond idiots were far behind him and their imbecility wasn't reaching him because of the distance.
Fuck them all!
Minus Ino.
That was definitely a woman that he wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole.
He briefly instructed his pilot about where to leave his helicopter and when to contact him for further details, thanking him for not crushing him into the ocean and got off, with the sole intention of finding the closes taxi station, grab the first cab that looked decent enough and drive home to Sakura.
After the package of nerves that his father brought along with his ridiculous proposal and emphasized by the Yamanakas` horrible presence, Sasuke could find only one reliable source of comfort, and that was his bed, where he would hopefully find Sakura sleeping or reading or watching TV, pin her down, make love to her until he cleansed his mind of all the evil things that were running through his brain, mostly how to dispose of his father, Inoichi and Ino, in silence, without anyone to notice their absence, get her out somewhere to dinner, then come back home and rack his brain for a genius solution to counter that buffoon's demented presence on the stocks market, namely Mr. Nagato. The mere presence –not to mention his appearance- was making Sasuke laugh like crazy.
But of course, it just had to be SOMEONE there ruining his train of thoughts, just when he had a hand on the taxi`s door, preparing to enter, making him snap his neck in the process of whirling his head backwards, in the direction of the sultry banshee voice and the muffled sound of heels clicking on the concrete, like chalk on the blackboard, approaching him. "Sasuke!"
Oh God, please no…
Obsidian livid orbs narrowed into slits when they clashed with light azurite, as his low baritone voice rung like the engine of a locomotive. "Have you stalked me?"
He cursed his father to the Seven Pits of Hell, wishing him to burn into those endless steaming rivers of lava for pulling such a stunt on him, that ridiculous clown puppet bastard. The fool has given that Yamanaka diva slut his private jet to catch up to him.
Fugaku was being played by Yamanaka corp. and wasn't even aware of it and that angered and annoyed Sasuke even worse than his commending attitude. But Sasuke was no fool.
He glared at the platinum approaching blonde as she flipped her hair over her shoulder swaying her hips towards him, like a siren, drowning in salty water, strolling like she was cat walking for any stupid fashion presentation, making males swoon and fantasize at her curves, eyes which were mimicking sensuality, all set on his gorgeous features.
He felt all the he drinks he had coming whirling back on his throat, barely containing his puke. What a disgustingly fake woman. Probably, she would have been a pretty decent lay before, but after Sakura has shown him what a REAL woman should look like and behave, those types of glitter plastic divas were merely ridiculous, with their wannabe attitude.
"Jeez, stop making it sound like I am stalking you besides, you were such in a hurry to leave Tokyo and didn't wait for me." She totally spoke on a casual tone that was making Sasuke`s fingertips itch with the need to curl around her neck and choke her for claiming his presence so easily, like she possessed him.
So he merely spat back to her, turning to show her his lean back, intending to slip into the taxi and get his ass away of that place and her presence. "This is because i have no obligation regarding you."
But Ino wasn't having any of it. No man has ever turned her back on her, and she won't be humiliated, so she boldly grabbed his arm, preventing him to get inside. "Look, I am not content with our set up marriage either. But it doesn't mean I don't find the predicament convenient."
The Uchiha was well aware of all the paparazzi hiding in choice laughable places, reporters and the ogling people, who started to recognized them, having their eyes set on them, so he did his best to calm the fuck down and not create a scene, turning to look at her, as if he was listening to whatever she had to say, his gestures studied and collect and his pose elegant.
Although, the glare she took from him was enough to send both shivers of pleasure and pure dread down her spine. But then again, Ino was not just ANY other normal brainless top model, who was used to whirl men around her pinky, so she came closer to the hotness of his body, taking advantage of his inability to snap at her in public and him and placed a finger o his chest, purring seductively.
"If I get to personally reach to the man you are underneath, then us getting married is something we did on our own free will. You don't like to be played out and commended right? Neither do I. I prefer independency in my life."
Sasuke felt her touch stabbing him like a katana, so he gripped her wrist, and removed he finger from him, not too gently, but not fiercely enough to cause suspicious glares either, and make him look like he was being disrespectful towards women.
"You are seeking it in the wrong way. I am neither available nor willing to get to start anything with you. I suggest you chose wiser what you do in your spare time. You say you don't want to obey your father, but you followed me and played along instead of expressing your disagreement from the very first time, you remained silent. So don't try to serve me this lame excuses when in reality you are willing to kiss anyone's ass, just to get the chance to get close to me since you cannot do that on your own, even my father."
He turned to walk away to another taxi, since the one he attempted to take hasn't waited for him to make up his mind, having another client, but Ino wasn't having it. Unfortunately for him, she was on a very important mission and stubborn as Hell. Plus, that Uchiha Sasuke was one man worth fighting for, she knew it.
Every woman from the exclusivist society of billionaires, models, actresses and famous rich people were having his name on their rouged lips, fantasizing about spending time with that man, who was, not surprisingly, still single.
Or so they thought.
So, upon seeing the reporters who were stalking her every step, since she was so famous, she fructified the chance to corner him and push him into the edge. She placed a hand on his shoulder and made him turn to her only half, as words flew from his lips before Sasuke had the chance to stop them, but he was growing visibly annoyed. "I warned you to-"
"And consider this as my own approach, since you don't want to behave." Ino didn't let him finish whatever he had to say to shove her off, giving him no room to react.
She caught him halfway turning, totally not expecting her to be that blunt, as the golden haired Yamanaka heiress brought her hands into his hair and tucked his head down to slam their lips together, there, under everyone`s gasping scrutinizing gazes.
She kissed him hard, wet and spectacular, like they were filming a fulminant climax of a romance/tragedy movie.
Reporters, flashing cameras everywhere, their greediness and hunger for money meddling with their avid thirst for hot gossip and that was definitely something to make the headlines by the next day.
Ino on the other hand, lost the track of time and the place she was at, the moment she felt Sasuke`s lips –unresponsive- under her own, so soft, smooth, silk and moist and unconsciously, her body sought for more of him, more of his feel, taste, scent and hotness, so she forced her tongue inside his own, catching him out of guard, pressing fully into his chest.
Once
Twice
Thrice!
Her lips were stroking his own, urging him to respond, react, move along, play along and taste her back, and the moment Sasuke realized what exactly she was doing, his mind had a shutdown, while his hands roughly gripped her forearms, detaching her from him, but keeping her close enough to spit the words into her flushed face and widened orbs. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"
That slut hasn't just kissed him, did she?
Oh no…
Oh HELL NO!
He would…he would…
"Shhh. Don't talk. Just play along." She whispered to him, totally enjoying that FIRE in his eyes and even though she knew he was livid and barely preventing himself from murdering her –she knew he had it in him, judging by the way his smooth alto rich voice was slightly quivering with rage, but he had to cling on his public image- it was a major turn on that no sane woman could resist.
"That, if you don't want me to say about her." Good, if Sasuke wanted to play hard to get, then Ino had her own weapons and tricks under her sleeve. Ones that not even her father or Fugaku knew about, but she did.
She didn't miss the way Sasuke`s onyx orbs narrowed ever so slightly, confirming her the suspicion she needed to know, to get him on the palm of her hand and bent him to her commend.
That pink haired ugly spunky tomboy woe, which had the audacity to embarrass her once. That woman was the one Sasuke loved. And she needed to promptly and rapidly DIE. Ino totally fructified the opportunity she caused with her unexpected trump card, coiling a hand around his own, flipping her blond luscious ponytail over her shoulder, scoffing her nose and spinning around to gasp dramatically. "Is there any available cab in here?"
She looked around like a diva in the blitzes of the cameras, like posing for a cover magazine or a bikini pictorial, while Sasuke sighed and racked a hand through his disheveled hair, allowing that harlot to lead him towards the closest cab, while very bad things were running through his mind.
No need to fuel the gossip of the people and appear as a violent man in the public`s eye. He would find the opportunity to get rid of that rabid fangirl as soon as they got in to a damn cab. There were enough dark alleys to drop a skank like her and pretend they never met. Then he could go home and-
…looked in front of him, as if on cue, as a taxi parked close enough to where they were, and the Uchiha...
Froze.
Forest greet eyes lost the life within as they dropped to the ground, while her fingers benumbed on the door of his own car, as she seemed to have been forgotten how to breathe, exist, blink or stand.
Sakura has just arrived to the airport, after finding an available parking lot, just in time to see Sasuke kissing Ino Yamanaka, with a pathos that made her innards churn with an amalgamation of negative disgusting feelings, the same wench she threw off his office amidst a mass of reporters flying around taking pictures.
She felt like someone stabbed her in the heart and suddenly she hasped for air. She could think walk blink exist, her chest clenched and tears started to build up like the pain bubbling inside.
She felt strangled, suffocated, there was a bulled on her temples and her knees threatened to give away. Luckily for the door, either ways, she would have fell on her bare knees. She was paralyzed and unable to peel her orbs off the pair.
"Sa-su-ke?" She knew that even if she was slightly far from him, Sasuke could hear her, see her and understand everything about her. She couldn't believe that the man that she...has fallen in love with...was kissing another woman in the middle of an airport, full of people to see the spectacle.
Her world has shattered like fine porcelain in a heartbeat and the ground flied from under her feet. It was solely for her grip on the car's door the fact that her jittery knees didn't give away but her heart has stopped infusing life within her.
And the first thing that run through her mind was "Why?" she has whispered those words to him, to the skies above, to God and to...love.
And suddenly, her Papa's words have rung through her ears, like a sudden epiphany she had about the beautiful package of an empty gift, void of the happiness she expected to find inside.
"Trust is the only luxury that one cannot be bought with money and that is the reason why the richer you are, the less likely to be committed you are, since it doesn't come to you along with the sum in your bank account."
She had absolutely zero idea of what to do, her entire being stood frozen and locked within the radius of is equally stunned state -he was probably not expecting her to be there- unable to respond, to breath, to exist.
And a good part of her heart, the one she played her heart in his palm, has cut her into pieces and throw her into the realm of the sea, forever gone.
Never in her life has Sakura experienced such a tremendous level of pain, not even in her CIA trainee days. Her body jerked automatically, she slide into the driver's seat, turned the ignition and slammed the gas to the floor, black silver tires scratching, leaving a sinuous imprint in her way as she speeded down cutting the lines and taking the fastest route towards Sasuke`s home.
It was pure practice to self-restraint and assassin honed reflexes the reason why she held her ground and not drop on her knees and break into crocodile tears before him and the test.
She was way past crying. She was dead and rotting on the inside. She made it back home in record time, stopping the car and flee right inside and up into the room she shared with Sasuke and the first thing that slapped her face the moment she three the door open was their combined scent and the smell of hot sex lingering all around the room. And suddenly she felt cheap, used and dirty.
It was then when her tears began to overflow. Sobbing and cursing him for the fine mastery of the way he toyed wig her, she brought her luggage from her room getting into the adjacent closet room packing her stuff.
"Forgive me, Papa..." Sakura couldn't stay there anymore. No matter how much her mission would come first, it became unthinkable. That woman was Ino Yamanaka, the one she threw from Sasuke's room and now she sees the damned woman in the embrace of the man she thought he loved her.
She knew what her mission was and yet she has bound herself to the greatest sin and broke an elementary text book agent rule: she has become romantically attached to her client and she has gotten herself into one hell of a problem, namely jeopardize her mission and broke her heart.
She didn't have to live with him to protect him and Sasuke was definitely not the first person she had to protect, and definitely not the last one, but it was the first she felt any form of attachment towards.
The way she felt in that moment was an indescribable mixture of her most horrendous form of pain and suffering, equivalent to being drenched of life energy and tears. Heck she couldn't even cry because she had run out of tears on her way back, tears speeding down her damp cheeks.
She was pouring lava from her stinging eyes. Everything burned and ached into her body. The most awful sensation since Isaribi died and left her completely alone.
It took her two minutes flat to gather her belongings and tousle them into her bag, when her phone beeped frenetically. The ID of the caller had her suffocate and she felt the urge to throw it on the window, eyes filling with coils.
'Incoming call: Sasuke'
She flipped the phone open, declined his call, then removed the battery of the phone, tossing it into her bag, in between her lingerie and jumped with her butt on the bag pulling on the zipper. Why was he calking her? What for? Explaining? Explain what? That it was an accident?
She knew it from the books, Karin, Tsunade and the movies what kind of dumb excuses men had and no, she wasn't having the nerve to listen to that shit. He couldn't possibly be serious.
The blame was on her, the fact that she foolishly deluded herself into thinking that opening up her heart would automatically imply that happiness and love would interlace their hands with her.
The biggest mistake ever. Karin has been right to stay away from commitment, every time. She had her heart entombed in a casket of marble and cement and refused to share more than a bed and a condom with other men. That was why she was shielded from heartbroken.
She on the other hand, has put the bet on the biggest fish and lost, by burning her heart mind and soul. And the worst part was that he left her broken beyond repair. Oh, how life could flip from everything to nothing in the span of a heartbeat.
On her way down, she used the home phone to call for a cab and by the time she place the keys of the house under a pot of white roses, where Sasuke advised her to, she took once last peek through saline tears behind her before she threw herself on the back seat while the taxi driver placed her bag on the trunk, eying her in a funny way.
He probably thought that she was a tramp being chased away by a rich snob, judging from the famous neighborhood.
At the corner of her eye, she saw Sasuke's neighbors -the ones she drove insane and have witnessed glimpses of their love- eying her worried and pointing their fingers towards her, probably questioning about her sudden unforeseen decision.
"Imperial Hotel Tokyo, made onegaishimasu." It was not the fact that Sakura was just another rich snob, but it was the first hotel name that came to her mind through her tears, because Orochimaru checked him in whenever he went to Japan.
"Hai." Thanks God that the driver was polite and hasn't tried to engage her in any form of awkward conversations. So she could just focus on the feelings resurfacing slowly but steadily, trying to determine the chronological order from the journey of her feelings for Sasuke.
At first she hated the idea of being near to him.
Then she tolerated his presence getting more and more fascinated but the person he was.
Then she fell ardently for him.
Then she hated him.
Basically, she has been trapped into a Sisific circle of hate. She ended up in the same place as before.
The ride was tumultuous, the traffic was inferno but the people were polite. Had she been in Italy, she would probably go nuts with all the zealous cheerful people around.
Thanks God.
She couldn't have been anymore relieved the moment the taxi pulled in front of the hotel. Good think she has -ironically and foolishly- dressed up nicely to welcome Sasuke at the airport so that the guards didn't need to throw her ass outside even before she got the chance to shove her unlimited credit card from a Swiss bank account, under their scoffing noses.
She felt so goddamn imbecile. How could she think that Sasuke loved her? Every single thing he has disclosed about his past was probably a fine lie, and since no one knew, not even the CIA, she had no way to check on him and see if he told the truth.
Sakura stomped to the elevator, right after the blonde woman with a plastic grin gave her the key to the 8th floor. Sakura tried to ignore the lecherous winks she got from the libidinous fat rich men who were trying to hook up high class prostitutes, and slammed on third button, closing the doors before such a specimen cornered her inside.
And beating -or impaling- a pig into a luxury hotel's elevator was definitely not on her 'go unnoticed' list. And trust her instincts, the way her fists were jittering with unadulterated rage as tears were shimmering along her eyelashes, promised permanent damage. Sakura was in to kill someone and in a very painful way.
She got out of the elevator, slipping past the other guests -was some fancy snobbish party or social event that she had no idea of or something- she slid the pass card into the lock and when the doors opened, she discarded the bag on the hall and ignoring the glossy mouthwatering suit's charm she threw on the king sized bed and cried like she didn't remember to do before only discarding her heels on a corner when she head dipped flat on the luscious mattress.
God help her!
In her dazed grieving mind, Sakura didn't even realize that she has been dialed Karin`s number, doing on out on pure reflex, and Sakura was praying for her best friend to answer on her call because she needed a good advice. She needed someone to talk to and fast, either way, she was going to lose it.
Karin answered on her first call, of course. "R-Rin..."
"Cherry? What is wrong? Oh, mio Dio, cara mia, what happened? Are you held prisoner? Are you sick? Did Armani announce his retirement? What's wrong? Who do I need to brutally murder?" The immediate alert tone of Karin brought a new round of fresh tears cascading down Sakura`s cheeks, but she felt a gratitude like providence for hearing the red headed woman`s voice.
"H-He...Rin...he w-was...k-kissing her...a-after we...I r-run away of his home! I don't k-know what to do! Help...me! I f-feel so a-alone..."
Through her course of mumbles, sobs and stifling whimpers, Sakura had no idea if Karin understood her or talked gibberish, but all her coherence was diffusing into the mass of scattered pictures with her and Sasuke together.
It hurt so damn bad, that Sakura was positive that something might break into her heart.
"WHAT?!" Karin all but shrieked from the other part of the world, and Sakura had to unglue her ear from the phone, so that she won't go deaf.
Karin continued to roar profanities, being already in killing-bitches-who-fucked-with-my-friends mode engaged. "Oh my fucking Christ, I will bloody kill him, chop off his balls and feed him with them with Italian sauce! Who does he think he is to mess with my sister?! Boy, I'm riled up!"
"What do I do now, Rin?! I can't abandon my mission but I can't face him either, not now, I have fifty missed calls from him but I don't...I can't...it hurts so bad...I want to die Karin!"
Seriously, for the first time since she has joined CIA, Sakura was at loss of what to do and what her next steps should be, since the only tangible thing she had, was the dread of going back and see him. See THEM.
An icicle has stabbed Karin in the back when she heard exactly the reason why her self-proclaimed sister was crying with crocodile tears, making her sadness percolate on her own skin, through the phone. Her tone immediately grew steel, softer and more serious. "Where are you now?"
"Imperial Hotel Tokyo."
"Don't move, I'm coming to you." Having said that, Karin`s part of the line went silent as a grave, leaving a totally confused Sakura behind to gasp at the beeping steadily phone, emerald orbs luscious and bathed in tears.
"Wait- what? Rin? Rin- OMG."
.
.
.
::Ravenna, Italy, Karin`s personal villa::
It took Karin two minutes flat to pack her stuff, shove then into the first bag that came her way, dragging it from under the bed, take her personal belongings and, being this bundle of rampage nerves, she jumped three stairs at time, already calling for one of their available pilots, Orochimaru and CIA be damned.
She would do it. If Sakura was so down, Karin knew that her old fragile inner self might resurface and, she won't abandon her friend and leave her to go through another round of immensurable pain, without having support.
It was a mistake to send Sakura alone in Tokyo and if has been her biggest sin to fall in love with her 'mission', get personal and consequently, have her heart broken.
.
.
.
::Imperial Hotel Tokyo, Japan, Tokyo::
She couldn't possibly be found dead in her hotel room, drown in tears because that would not only be utter humiliating, but it only brought more tears and made her heart weep with blood tears, so Sakura tried another approach in order to alleviate those livid images from ricocheting and bouncing back to her mind, following Tsunade`s example and praying for her 'cure' to work in her case as well.
So that was why a Sakura, with bare feet, a ridiculously expensive dress cupping her limp body, a face flushed by angry burning tears and a face turning heads and stealing gasps, found herself down into the famous hotel`s Casino, avoiding lecherous lustful glares of the single and not only males of all ages, with a sole purpose on her mind: drink to oblivion, knock herself into an alcoholic comatose then wake up and drink more, until she became one with the numbness.
"Fuck, my friend is crazy!" Sakura couldn't believe that Karin has hung up on her, rambling such idiocies, but somehow, that made the emerald woman feel safer and slightly better.
At least, if she died of drinking too much alcohol, Karin would be there to pick up her cadaver and not leave her rot in her suite. Plus, she knew that if her Uzumaki friend with guts told her she would come, Karin would do that. "I need a goddamn drink."
She only took her phone and credit card and discarded the golden shoes going bare feet, but that unrestrained and ungracious savage attitude, which looked torn between succumbing into being heartbroken or punch the living daylights out of everything that moved, she rode the elevator down, avoiding the lustful thirsty open glances she took from a pig in a smoking, stopping only when she propelled herself on a stool to the bar.
Immediately the bartender was in front of her, singing. "And what would such a fine blossom like you like to drink for starters?" he even winked at her, trying to engage her into a conversation.
Sakura threw him a death glare that made him freeze. Heartbroken or not, she was still Athena of the Sound. Top CIA agent and she ain`t in the mood to take shit from anyone.
"One Rémy Martin and whip that flirting grin or I will cut down your face." She went straight for the cognac, avoiding wine, sake, beer or anything that might remind her of him.
She opted for Oro`s favorite cognac. He was the only one she trusted, beside Karin, Anko and Tsunade. She didn't want to see anyone that might have knotted with Sasuke`s threads of lies.
She totally ignored the glass and went for the bottle emptying half of it, her throat burning like the mind and the tears prickling along her curled rimmeled eyelashes, all the bitterness of the memory washing from her system, going down to her stomach along with the poisonous expensive fine liquor. She let her forehead drop on the counter, while the bartender worriedly told her. "You should take it easier with that, Miss."
"And when I will be in need of a damn priest, I will seek you out. Now piss off, do your damn job and stop acting like you fucking care."
In fact, she was having a very personal inner monologue with Sasuke. Sakura stopped trusting anyone, and for that particular reason, the feeling of alienation and desperation churning into the pits of her core, like an unleashed beastly hurricane, making her innards rip of her casket, along with her heart, a pure lust for blood possessed her dizzy mind and filled the emptiness that Sasuke`s thorn from her thoughts presence, with an untamed thirst for murder.
When she almost drank the entire bottle, Sakura wasn't even aware that she was crying her eyes out, sobbing, shoulders trembling, make up completely wasted, leaking down her flushed porcelain face in cascades of hurt, pain shame, agony and disbelief, swaying between that world and the realm of drunkards, being almost completely wasted.
She wanted to drink until she blinded the images of Sasuke kissing another woman –the same woman that she has thrown up from his office and consequently from his life- stopped ricocheting back on her retina, embed into her damn intoxicated mind and she cursed every deity known and karma for making her go through a suffering that was on par with the merciless sadistic cruel Death.
"Isn't it always such a pitiful sight to see such a fine lady grieving for no particular reason?" Vaguely she registered a fake low annoying voice breathing painfully close to her bare shoulder and ear and she removed her forehead from the bar to peek at the owner of a pair of coffee noir eyes, a large Fedora hat and a belly so fat, that it cascaded past the dark Versace pants that the men wore.
She vaguely realized that it was the same man from the elevator, whose salivating desperate and sultry wicked grin and meaningful wink, have been tailing her down into the Casino.
And Sakura did what she always did when facing creeps who tried to make their way under her skin and coax her into coming into their beds. The man was looking for a good lay and she was looking for someone to vent out all her frustration on.
Unfortunately for him, he landed on the wrong woman to try and seduce and picked on the wrong lady, because if anything, a helpless little caged lamb was something that Haruno Sakura was clearly not.
Oh, heck no! She had her ivory delicate hands, which were currently curling around the almost empty gleaming bottle of cognac, like it was a lifesaver –it was, in a deep, metaphorical way- stained with the rivulets of dark blood of the people he has reduced to silence and murdered, under the name of the Sound, as a memento of who she could always trust.
The only one that would never betray her and produce a pain that no ocean hurricane would be able to wash away, like pulverizing solitary cliffs and make sinking ships crumble under the terrific menacing monster that the infinite abysses of the waters were, and that was the assassin in her.
The ruthless, merciless, astonishingly beautiful and Godlike CIA assassin, who killed with the same casualty as the wind was dancing through the cherry blossom trees in April and had the nonchalance to bear Athena`s chimerical grace and Olympian wisdom and skill, in a way that placed her among the most fearsome and most indomitable righteous woman, was the only one she could rely on, either ways, Sakura was surely she would totally lose her sanity and end up in an Insane Asylum.
"Piss off." She slurred to the man beside her, bringing the bottle to her lips, already feeling like she has touched the chamber of numbness, when her moist luscious lips made contact with the glossy cold surface, letting the fine cognac overflow her mouth, as if she was trying to wash away Sasuke`s taste from her entire being and get exorcised.
She wasn't stupid. Even if she would have tried to succumb into the world of alcoholics, Sakura would never be able to erase the breathtaking presence of the man with the color of ebony sewed into the grace of his raven hair from her life, even if she was to slash her chest, rip off her poor shattered heart and break the pieces into stardust, letting it fly on the wings of the wind and dissipate to the azurite horizon, turning into nothingness and aligning herself with infinity.
In that moment, the sole chance she got in deleting her mind and alleviating the pain that Sasuke has caused, was to become nothing.
Stop existing, stop living, stop breathing, stop feeling, consequently, stop loving.
Stop loving him like she did, ardently, passionately like the sizzling fire of the ancient Greek sacred temples, a fire that she has ingrained within her, stirred by the sparkles of his touches and confession and nurtured by his presence in her life.
But all that crumbled away, walls crushing under the weight of horror and livid nightmares, making her fall on her knees, like an old decaying building of hope, and suddenly, there was no color to paint the rainbows on her sky, there was no taste of peaches heavenly ambrosia to melt into her mouth, there were no melodic poetical hymns of love and harps to play into the Heaven that has opened up inside her chest by the power of his kiss on her lips, and world has turned into a pile of ashes, as a melancholic dead wind has turned the painting of lights and iridescent colors, into a sepia portrait.
Never in her life has Sakura prayed inside for dead to come and swallow her into nothingness as a sole savior she could see under her lucent shimmering teary eyelids, than in that moment.
But apparently, someone didn't catch the meaning that she was half out of that world, than living. A hand went boldly under the sinuous lace hem of her knee length dress, latching on her porcelain creamy bare thigh and that electrical jolt of apprehension shot through her, making her intoxicated drunk senses go livid and grow alert, assassin instincts kicking in in the span of a heartbeat.
"No need to be so negativist, babe, I can be a good listener, you know?"
Immediately, her right hand, the one that has left the bottle, went flying on the man`s wrist, curling around his fat hand, right under the expensive Rolex decorating it and gripped it so hard that it prevented him from advancing along her toned leg, making him hiss once, not expecting a such a drunk delicate flower to be that strong and precise, pulse pumping down her palm, but Sakura only applied even more pressure when he wanted to retract his hand, almost feeling the bone crack under the mass of fat around his wrist.
"If you still want this filthy hand still attached on your disgusting body, stop touching me and fuck. off." She more than spat the word to him, not exactly conscious enough to bet on the coherence of them, but she didn't care.
Sakura hoped that the look in her eyes was enough to convey the threat behind her message, but unfortunately for her, a suave delicate swan looking young lady in her twenties, alone in a top luxury Casino, being dead drunk and helpless, wasn't the most menacing sinister thing in the world not even her firm grip, so there was no wonder than a deeply insulted filthy rich egoistical man, surrounded by his two loyal bulky bodyguards, viewed her more as insolent and sexy, than dangerous.
"You should watch that pretty mouth of yours darling, or some very bad things might happen to it."
He leaned almost entirely on her, before Sakura had the chance to straighten her pose, trapping her between his corpulent body and the bar, licking the shell of her ear, whispering, until her spine filled with cold shivers of disgust, adrenaline washing away the effect of the alcohol. "I hate it when woes disobey me. It makes me want to punish their pretty ass even more."
Did that man has just called her a slut?
Did that man –any other man- has touched her in places that only…one man was allowed to place his lips and hands on?
Before her mind conjured the reason and the judgment, her body has been quicker than a quiver of a rotten crimson lips in the wind blow, because next thing that Sakura registered in her intoxicating violent murderous state, was her right hand going under his chin, fist connecting with his maxillaries and a vicious calloused punch caught him with his guard dropped, successfully removing his body from hers and Sakura allowed him no time to adjust his pose and come out of his stupor, because her left hand thrust forward, carving into his nose, applying so much force that the fine bone cracked right away, blood spurting down his nostrils as the stranger went flying backwards, almost hitting a pair that was making out on the next high stool, landing on his back, arms cupped over his nose, rolling on his back and cursing viciously.
"And I hate it when…men take me for granted." She spit him in between his eyes, while a flicker of his hand had his two prominent robust guards help him up, then come to stand in front of Sakura, who didn't even manage to slide of the stool, feeling ten times dizzier, because she spun on the chair too fast.
Half clouded crystalline chartreuse orbs peeped to the two Gorillas before them, clad entirely in black luscious expensive suits, both having their heads shaved and dark Police sunglasses on their noses, looking imposing, tall and strong.
She snorted audibly, cursing them both viciously, not believing it how much have the tables turn in the span of few hours, her life swaying from a fairytale, to a cheap lascivious nightmare, before she had the chance to question the misery of her heart beating faster and faster with each passing day, for the man she…
Loved. Deeply. Every single drop of the velvet strong liquor had his imprint into the exquisite taste and had his name written on it, strengthening her convictions.
Sakura loved Sasuke so bad, that she didn't even think it was humanly possible to touch the swell of such a feeling without having her wings burned by flying too close to the sun, but it happened before she had the chance to draw a fine line between the mission and her feelings.
She got emotionally involved, she transgressed all the morals and the CIA codes by being romantically attached to her target, thus she was paying the ultimate price, namely she had to trade with the devil and sell her soul for atonement. She felt as empty as the bottle rolling down the counter, falling on the polished marble floor and shattering in billion pieces and, although there were deafening sexual music blasting through the stereos, going smoothly with the strong liquor and the rabid hormones, she heard it loud and clear, because it mirrored the shattering of her own heart. Sakura wasn't even sure that she was sane or judgmental anymore.
"Take this slut and bring her to my room!" The inebriated suffering laughing CIA agent vaguely caught the amusing command of the pig who had the audacity to mistaken her for a slut, barked to his clown bodyguards, her inquisitive sharp and trained emerald orbs never once leaving them, so when they tried to be menacing and take her by surprise, by darting their hands to impale her and grab her lean small shoulders, they moved in slow motion for her eye, so the jade eyed woman reacted accordingly.
"The only place that we will ever meet again, you motherfucking son of a bitch," Before any of the two men in black had the chance to register what was happening, Sakura gripped the edge of the bar with her hands for leverage and upshot her hips, legs stretching acrobatically like she was a gymnast, kicking both of the bodyguards in their chests with her bare heel, cursing the fact that she discarded her heels, because she would put two nice holes down their chests, but her kick has been strong and firm enough to send them both stumbling two steps backwards, gripping their ribs. "Is HELL!"
Because without Sasuke, there was no way she would be able to soar ever again. That was it. The ultimate blow that brought her to her knees, gripping her messy short chocolate light hair and laugh in desperation, defeated, empty and forfeiting in front of that void and sadness, being the nail in the coffin, was Sasuke`s betrayal.
She has survived the orphanage`s torture, she has grown to accept Isaribi`s death, she survived growing on the streets and finish high school, she came victorious in the battle of her inner and metamorphose into a fine eloquent lady of the highest society and a notorious assassin and CIA agent, but she would never be able to walk past Sasuke`s lying about his feelings.
Never, it was too much, too bad, she felt her mind losing the contact with sanity, the lifesaver was slipping from its desperate fluttering hands, leaving her in the middle of the storm to sink along with all the ration, she was so lost, that it was amazing she was still be able to stand let alone fight in that condition.
Madness
Insanity
Delirium
Hysteria!
There was not much that she remembered and Sakura was acting out of pure reflex, but she was aware of two very painful universal truths in the moment she literarily whipped the floor with three people who were thrice her size, weight and height, namely: she was laughing like a hurt beast, hard and loud, in the most sinister way, and her lustrous shimmering jadeite eyes have been seeping crocodile tears, crystal drops whirling around her spinning body, sewing into her soft hair, like sparkling diamonds.
If she wasn't looking like Chucky the killing doll, with her delicate bell flower body bending, contorting and stretching in those impossible, mind blowing and artistic insane ninja moves, then her graceful thin porcelain frame, the shining dress in the passionate color of expensive sparkling red wine cupping her siren curves, whirling like a rose`s petals whenever she landed a kick of a punch, following the speed of her flawless moves like a shadow sticking close to the light, would have make her look ethereal and breathtakingly beautiful.
But since Sakura was howling like a madwoman in her last supreme moment to let her insanity shine, before the curtain fell on her memory and name, with all the expensive makeup staining her ivory sinister grinning face as if it was a carbon copy of her grieving soul, mourning for the once swarm of butterflies that her heart was and leaking around her swollen crying eyes and the rim of her heart shaped lips, her overall outline was grotesque and gothic.
Once under the influence of the absurd chimerical power of the two demons, namely alcohol and heartbreak, Sakura clicked on the assassin that she thought she has tempered as her feelings for Sasuke was bringing to the light the gentle fragile woman inside her and let its undying insatiable lust for blood take over.
The three men, who were more like trying to run away for their lives than engage her into a pointless fight, didn't know what hit them.
Her bare, long, thin, creamy legs were flying, thrusting and round kicking in midair, her body defied gravity, gaining amplitude like a crane, her moves were striking like a Cobra`s, she was dancing on the air, her thrusts were coming from everywhere, her CIA moves shining in all their splendor.
Sakura impaled the two bodyguards, who had the nerves to even entertain the idea of comparing to the mighty Athena of the Sound, with two flying roundhouse kicks that left the spectators who were gasping at the scene before them, mouth agape and totally blown away in shock, sending them flying over the sickening green billiard table behind, billiard balls scattering in all possible directions.
"W-W-Who are y-you-" As for the man that touched her in a way that no one was allowed to do –no one, but one single person- jade orbs pinned him with a gaze that made his blood freeze into his veins, body bent slightly forward, shoulders stiff and rising with every harsh breath she took, fists dropped on her sides and her hair falling down her temples and forehead, like a curtain of pure malice, concealing her face from him, but he could see she was burning his skull with the intensity of her stare, as his stammering lips were mirroring the apprehension in his widened small olive dark eyes.
Sakura gave him no chance to question her identity –something he should have done prior to his lame flirt if he was smart, which he totally wasn't- for the next thing they both knew, she side stepped so as to have him in her field of view, lowered her stance, dropping almost all her weight on the leg in front, spread her hands in the air, like a Phoenix spreading its majestic wings to help her rotation gain the necessary speed, gyrated on her heel and unglued her heels from the ground, using her signature flying roundhouse kick to double hit him once in his chest, breaking his ribs and once in his jaw, making four teeth spring off his mouth, blood spraying of his mouth, while his head snapped over his shoulder, hair splashing over his face as he went flying over the bar, making all the bottles drop down and scatter.
The music stopped.
Her heart was racing like a horse, galloping down her chest while her emerald orbs spat venom around, glancing at anyone who had the audacity –or the suicidal thoughts- of coming to stop her, detain her or ogle her.
Knowing the procedures all too well since that wasn't definitely her first nor the most glorious display of her striking personality and skill, Sakura dug her quivering hand into her lace red Victoria`s Secret bra, stunned orbs following the heart shaped contour of her full delicious cleavage and the milky breast, as she extracted her pink wallet, taking out a thick pile of cash, throwing it in front of a gulping unresponsive and rooted in place pale bartender, muttering a 'keep the change' to him, clearly paying for the damage as well, dragging her stumbling body back to the front stairs –she didn't want to risk another similar episode, so she didn't take the elevator- stepping on the broken glass, with her bleeding scratched bare legs, feeling the adrenaline rush starting to rush off her system.
But the pain was back, bouncing into the tomb of her chest like a cursed boomerang, as more tears were pooling into her bottomless abysses of jade, as her hand was tucked into the corset of her dress, feeling a pang on bare chest, resembling a shower crossed by electricity, stabbing her heart, making her go numb and blind with pain.
She had no idea of how in the world she managed to step on each stair, up to her floor, she had no breaths to inhale to keep her heart pumping life through her system, there was a constricting throbbing pain in ever fiber and cell of her sweating body, her toes were scraped, fine lines of blood were adorning her heels and feet, yet Sakura was benumbed to any physical pain, because the bleeding injuries of her heart were life consuming.
Her inner spirit was howling and rolling in agony and suddenly, there was no viable option that she saw but to kick the door of her suite, after fumbling with sliding the card into the lock, go to the bathroom, break the huge crystal mirror hanging above the golden marble sink and stab her chest, to rip off her heart and stop that pain.
All she had managed to do after hearing the click of the door locking her inside, was to squirm to the mini bar she failed to notice from the first time, break the glass with her fist, grab the first Bacardi bottle that came her way, fall on her knees absolutely dejected and broken, pop it open and drag her to her quivering lips, taking a gulp, chocking on it.
"Fuck…FUCK! FUCK YOU, UCHIHA SASUKE!" The once rose haired CIA agent roared at the top of her lungs, cursing the very same man she had to protect, the man she loathed with burning passion but couldn't help to fall in love with, adoring him from the bottom of her very being and even beyond physical perception, while she drowned the falling traitorous animated livid tears into the alcohol that filled her throat, like gasoline, burning the pits of her stomach, as she tried to burn his memory from her mind. "CURSE YOU FOR MAKING ME FALL IN LOVE WITH YOU! DAMN YOU FOR BREAKING MY HEART, YOU LOWLIFE SON OF A BITCH! FUCK YOU AND YOUR SLUT!"
It might have been hours passing her by, but time has lost all its value when she lost herself in the tumult of his deceiving utopian love, the clock on the wall was ticking a meaningless tempo that she couldn't comprehend, empty bottles were rolling on the fluffy carpet, surrounding her limp sprawled body, while her emerald blood shot orbs were following the remains of the drops leaking on their crystal edges as the last tears fell of her system, percolating down her crimson cheeks, but Sakura was anesthetized.
Her system and the body`s natural defense mechanism has kicked in, making her mind shut in a desperate ultimate futile attempt to block away the pain and the harm, pumping endorphins through her, and suddenly, there was a calmness and a tranquility, devoid of any feelings and perceptions enveloping her beyond drunk and almost unconscious self and Sakura found the power to smile.
Even if she tried to drink away her sadness and pray for dead to come and pick her up bridal style and lead her to the boat that crossed the Styx river of the lost souls, the last image she was willing to take in her journey to forever…
Was his beautiful face.
Sa-Su-Ke.
She could still feel the syllables of his velvet name rolling on her burning finger tips, she felt the cashmere delicacy of his alabaster sweaty skin rippling under the ardor of her embrace when he loved her, and the craving came to her like an indefinite tango.
She wanted to touch him again, she yearned to kiss him again, she desired to intertwine her fingers into his raven locks as they kiss and, on the top of all, she wanted to sleep beside him, into the nest of his muscular arms, where she felt needed, loved, protected, cared for, understood and SAFE.
Sasuke was the only thing in the world that was making her feel alive and touching Paradise at the same time, he brought virtue and value to her world, he made her conscious and opened her eyes up to the wonderful magic of being a woman in love and in the arms of a man, he taught her about love, about blind trust, he played the passionate nocturnal hymn of adoration, on the strings for her heart and his sole touch had the power to make her body vibrate with the finesse of his kiss.
He gave her life a meaning, he touched her lifeless core and ingrained the seed of hope back into her chest, he nourished her body with the endless nights of passion and lust, until she was able to pronounce one single name and that was HIS.
How…how was she supposed to peel off his touch, his smell, his intoxicating butterfly touch off her persona, without skinning herself alive?
She couldn't. It was not humanly possible. It was either she had him, or died. There was not possible to move over and forget him, never.
He got closer to her than anyone, they were one for so much time, she could still feel him pulsate inside her, hard, fast, calloused yet soft and gentle, filling her, complete her missing pieces, pumping pleasure and reassurance inside her womb and mind, her tears have found a fresh pool to drain and rolled freely on her cheek and the carpet, as her vision was clouded, covered in a thick fog and dancing golden dots, she was unable to see anything, but she heard her mouth sobbing, weeping and crying.
After God only knew how many hours of cursing it out loud in the most vicious colorful ways possible, wishing him to rot in hell, she cried for his name and implored him to come back into her arms, because she couldn't go any single more moment without him.
Love…was such a funny mysterious things, for it had an unique way of evoking so many contradictions within a person. She hated and desired for him, at the same time.
When the first rays of the morning brushed past the velvet curtains, hanging on the huge windows, a dreamless slumber fell on Sakura`s eyelids, and she wished that she would never wake up anymore.
Never and nothing without him.
Sasuke…I still love you.
.
.
.
::Japan, Tokyo streets::
Full plum bright fuchsia lips were fluttering on the beat of the hot radio song blasting through her stereos, while auburn rimmeled orbs were jolly taking in the exquisite tall buildings enfolding before her amused stare, taking the pulse of the never sleeping busy jolly city and the twinkling lights of the sky scrapers and colorful panels.
She had this rented luscious silver Mercedes convert to open-air mode, while the rustling gentle wind was blowing through the curled retro curls as they brushed past her bare lean porcelain shoulders and collarbone, a red dotted silk scarf wrapped around her neck, half covering her head.
It has been quite a long time since Uzumaki Karin has been delighted with the fascination of driving through the streets of the sumptuous Tokyo, star lights twinkling into her orbs, behind the dark tinted Guess sunglasses. Eyes were staring, mouths were gasping, men were drooling over the rich fancy stunning young woman, her flirty feminine alluring being an eye magnet.
She knew and she didn't care. Yes, the beautiful Sound seductress was there on a mission –a really important vital mission- but it didn't mean that she could get upbeat, before stomping into one certain Uchiha hottie`s doorstep and pummel him into the next century for breaking Sakura`s heart. She had to get in the mood of beating up heartthrobs for messing with her self-proclaimed sister.
SLAM!
It happened so fast that she didn't even have the time to blink, when the airbag snapped in her face, making her body jerk and the force of the impact, but the seat belt that she miraculously decided to wear kept her in place.
The luxury convertible`s powerful engine came to an abrupt halt, while the sound of screeching wheels on the road blazed through her ears.
A vicious curse graced her glossy lips and she swore she would slit the throat of whoever idiot dared to crash on her glamorous rented car!
Karin quickly unbuckled her seat belt, not bothering to check if every bone was in its rightful place of if she was hurt in anyway –she failed to sense the fine line of crimson blood trailing down her temple- threw the bent door open and stormed in the direction of the car that hit her, said vehicle fuming from the engine. The force of the impact threw the rather suspicious dark tinted Jaguar few meters away from her car.
Her high leopard printed high heel kicked the door not so gently while she all but roared to the invisible driver: "You damn blind annoying fucker! Get your ass out here and admire your work, you moron!"
It could have been some sort of mafia monster or a gangster or a really bulky professional boxer, but Karin didn't give a damn. She would give him –her female intuition assured her it was a male driving that rather fancy car- a piece of her mind that he won`t forget. Heck, she was a CIA agent!
And the door cracked open. It was in that moment when her jaw virtually hit the floor, because the agent in her took her temper on a leash and she had a well-practiced stoic impenetrable façade, even though her insides squirmed in hotness and delight has pooled in the pits of her stomach.
It was a male all right. "Heh…touchy, aren't we?"
"What the heck…who is the idiot that gave you the driving license? That if you have one."
"I would advise you to keep your insults on a leash, love. Accidents can happen."
His smirk only deepen when he took in the woman before him in all the splendor of her mouthwatering curves and the fire in her eyes that made his pants tighten. He leaned in and breathed in her face. "Chance meetings as well."
"Give me your car insurance, so I can get the heck out of here, you shark faced moron."
Suigetsu couldn't help but grin wider in his own arrogant flirtatious way, revealing his distinctive sharp canine at the starting to get very pissed of red headed woman before him.
She was hot as the very scorching fire of Hell, and the Interpol agent vaguely wondered whether how much would she burn him if he were to-
"Na-ah. I wouldn't be so hasty, since you are the one to blame. See that STOP sign over there? It means you have to wait for me to pass."
"See that STOP on your side too, you asshole? It means priority to the right. Do I have to make a diagram for you to understand?"
"The traffic light was working and it was on the red color. Just like your hair."
Fury started to bubble inside Karin. He was mocking her big times and for a moment, she overlooked the hotness of that guy before her, succumbing into the hate for his smugness. "Say that again and your face is going to bright a darker shade for red than that broken traffic light."
"I wouldn't go as far as to threaten people like this, Miss."
"How would you know I am not a Mrs.? And there you were talking shit about politeness."
"Why, you ask? Because your eyes…wouldn't stop watching me hungrily."
"If you don't want to pay me, I am calling the Police." She grounded, well aware of the mini camera attached to the car. She was right and she knew it. That hateful person, with a God`s body and face, and with the attitude of a demented high and drunk donkey was probably some filthy rich scumbag, who thought that his father has bought him a street just for him to drive his ass on.
And she has left without informing Orochimaru…
Suigetsu`s smirk only widened. In his mind, that chick –really sexy ,totally his type- was probably a spoiled rich sole daughter of a rich businessman or a drug dealer who thought she was entitled to always have right and never pay for anything in her life.
Her attitude both pissed him off and excited him. "I totally advise you to do so." Working for the Interpol had its advantages. She would only make a fool of herself. He was sure he was right.
"Oh, don't misunderstand it, sugar, it is not for me, it is for you, because after I finish chopping you off to pieces and throw your cadaver into a lake, they will need the special troops to locate you."
"Careful to who you are flaunting those threats, love. It might become your worst enemy."
"I usually don't let my enemies alive, shark boy. But thank you for the sweet reminder. Now I have to make sure that I don't get into a sugar high." She felt him placing handcuffs the cold metal strangling her wrists but what fazed Suigetsu was the fact that the hot vixen before him didn't dropped down the wicked smirk.
"How about you accompany me to the Police station for threatening a police officer and explain that to them?" He hauled her into the back of his car and she didn't protest, not even if people were watching. She was already slipping a pin from under her wristwatch.
Oh God, she long lost the count of the handcuff situations she escaped from. The old cliché. Last time she has been in a similar situation was the mafia of drugs in Brazil. That weirdo shark looking sexy said police officer didn't know who he was dealing with.
"You are so unoriginal. Usually in the movies, police cars have bars."
"Don't get the wrong ideas. You will not get to pull a good one on me, love."
"Too bad, because in less than an hour, you will be in your knees, crawling at my feel and begging me for mercy." She hotly whispered down his ears and Suigetsu viciously cursed his dick from almost jumping out of his leather pants.
She was doing it so well, teasing and stirring him like she was a high class prostitute who knew exactly how to get under his skin and he had a soft spot for natural red haired women like her.
No matter how he looked at her, that mysterious stranger woman was a killer with her model flawless body, the striking siren ample curves, the swell of her breasts pressed on the back sit of his fucking leather chair, the insanity whirling into her crimson blood chocolate irises and the wicked smirk who never once ceased down, were making his blood boil and amass in dangerous anatomic places, which he would have rather keep cool.
"Careful, your list of penal offences is growing, love. And it is too bad for someone like you to spend her precious little time in a cold dirty cell, isn't it?"
"Are you going to cage me officer?" Oh the way she basically groaned those words hotly into his face almost had Suigetsu jump her.
Karin was mentally rolling on her tummy laughing her ass out loud. The reason why she wasn't escaping from that loathsome car and had that man beaten up to a bloody pulp, was because toying with him brought her a sadistic pleasure.
She had to kill a fat ass slick pig right in the moment she finished giving him his last mind blowing hand job, coaxing him into telling her where was he hiding his cocaine supplies and what and where was his next shipment before slitting his throat with her kunai, leaving him spray blood form his jugular, like a sacrificed pig on Christmas, jumping from his hotel room window, before his men burst inside to find their indomitable terrific Boss spilling blood like the fountains in Vegas.
So she deserved a little fun for such a successful mission.
He yanked her out of his car and she rolled her crimson orbs when she read the Tokyo Police Station, already snorting and imagining the face of Orochimaru when he would find out that another one of his demented agents has blown up his identity in front of the police and have him get her the heck out of there, before something very bad would l happen to someone and that someone was definitely not Karin.
He kicked the doors open with his feet making the other cops and prosecutors around whip their heads and take a double look, as Suigetsu stormed inside with a handcuffed hot as Hell woman with the hair like the sizzling Hell fire and a plastered bat shit sinful grin spread across her red wine blood rouged full lips, going down the halls.
"How manly. I wonder if your ego is just as big as your dick is, but you know what they say: Men act pompous to compensate for other...lacks."
She licked her lips and but the inside of her cheek when she heard him growl deep into his throat at the obvious insult, pushing her intertwined fists more on the swell of her back, visibly annoyed by the insult, but Karin only found his growl to be insanely sexy and something about him just coaxed the woman in her into hauling like a she wolf at the fool moon, before showing her claws and jump him.
Whoever that low excuse of a police officer was, the mysterious man, with lilac frozen eyes and sharky appearance, was gorgeous and incredible sexy. She wouldn't mind riding him into oblivion, before she impaled him for the guts to pick on Karin of the Sound, the 'bloody Seductress', as her nickname suggested.
"Woman, you are pushing limits I don't have."
"Whatever happened to love? Job made you touchy, hm? I might come up with some ways to alleviate the tension in your shoulders-"
Suigetsu cut her short, feeling his temples throb and explode, mentally cursing that damn interrogation room for being so fucking far from the main entrance. When the familiar sign came into his field of view, he mentally signed in relief.
That woman was pressing buttons that screamed danger and she knew exactly how to turn him on and badly.
When the familiar green painted door came into her field of view, Karin promptly burst out laughing, letting her head fall backwards to collide with his shoulder and it was in that moment when insanity took over her wild bloody nature, has Suigetsu been exposed to the intoxicating pungent floral scent of her perfume and her sweet shampoo, oozing from her rebel long curled locks, which were brushing over his jaw and tickling the lobe of his ears, a place he was extremely sensitive.
He froze for a moment, not expecting his body to react like that to her, before he pushed the door open and barked at two of his colleagues who were busy torturing an underage teen who were charged for smoking weed in the school grounds. "Out! Now!"
They looked at them through shocked hazel stares, before Suigetsu narrowed his dangerous lethal pearl eyes, making them scurry out of there, dragging the teen along and Karin had to hand it to him.
For a mere Tokyo Police Officer, he was good. And he has just gained two more points for being sexy. "You love power, don't you shark boy?"
He pushed her not so gently through the door of the interrogation room, with the familiar single bulb hanging over a table, shoving her into one of the chairs, before he took the other one, locking the door behind. "Smooth."
He put down his identification card and she couldn't help but smirk wider when her crimson wine orbs stroll over the words 'Tokyo Interpol Identification Card' and his name 'Hozuki Suigetsu'.
So he wasn't just an unimportant impotent police officer, huh? The Interpol? He was the bigger fish out of the tank, apparently. For some odd sick reason, it only turned Karin on even more. "Water moon?" She translated his name from Japanese, finding the resemblance of water and the celestial planet with his appearance funny. "Let me guess: your eyes?"
"Cut the crap. I can clearly see it that you are not a regular woman and you don't seem fazed to be approached by the police. So love, this is your only chance to talk and I advise you to not hide anything for me, because believe it or not, I will see right through it."
It was his turn to show her his sharp canine pressed down his lower lip and Karin swore it was the sexiest thing she has ever seen, eyeing her from head to the ample delicious cleavage popping up from the fine branded Armani blouse she wore.
That woman could as well as be part of a criminal organization, judging from her arrogant playful unfazed demeanor, luxury goods and sexual attitude. "Even if I have to peel every single layer all by myself."
"Now, now, shark boy," She started, squeezing her eyes shut defiantly, shaking her head slowly at him, pouting like a three years old, while she leaned further into her seat. "grown up men shouldn't hide behind their identity cards to prove themselves, don't they?"
When the familiar click has reached her ears, Karin couldn't help but lick her lips and grin at the man before her, before her crimson glossy orbs flew open again, eying him in a way that made Suigetsu almost lose it.
There was a fire blazing within the ring around her irises which he couldn't pinpoint, but before he got the chance to respond, she lunged forward like a Cobra, catching him totally out of guard, and in two seconds flat, she had him handcuffed by the leg of the back of his chair, slid on his lap, straddling his waist, pressing her bosom into the swell of his chiseled pectorals and had an identification card of her own shoved down his lilac pearl widened orbs, the grin of the century sprawled all over her lips.
"I am sorry to break it up to you, but you are definitely not the only one with tricks up his sleeves."
Lavender eyes narrowed dangerously at the woman before him, but there was also suspicion dancing over those incredibly fire cracking orbs of his as he pinned her with a glare of his own, before growling back to her. "What the fuck, woman? Unlock me right away, or else bad things are going to happen to you."
Karin faked a shocked offended expression, slipping her Identification Card from under her lace bra, giving him a peek on her bloody red lingerie, mentally holding her sides out of laughter.
The man called Suigetsu looked like torn between fucking snapping her throat and fucking her brains, lust and desperation gleaming into his eyes. Oh, he was so fucking gorgeous looking. It was exactly Karin`s type.
"Now now…what kind of man would threaten helpless innocent ladies? I might as well sue you for abusing me while detaining me."
"The fact that you have a fake CIA Identification Card doesn't mean shit to me." It was Karin`s turn to raise an eyebrow at him, not quite expecting him to not believe her.
Of course, that was understandable since she looked more like part of the mafia than the CIA, but she was used to that by now.
Truly, the Sound agents were anything but regular agents. Like those horrendous Akatsuki, for example. They were elite cruel stone hearted assassins, dancing on the peaks of glory and taking on the bloodiest and most lethal world criminal organizations.
"Fake, you say? I should be offended you know?"
"I hardly find it out how a woman like you can be offended…or innocent." He stole her breath away with a deadly gorgeous grin, before she heard the familiar click of cuffs coming loose before she found herself pinned down the table, with Suigetsu hovering over her, inches away from her face, breathing to her in a way that made her panties wet with desire and her innards to throb. "And you are definitely not going to teach this old shark new tricks…Uzumaki Karin."
He wasn't going to lie and admit it to himself that Suigetsu found the coincidence of the name to Naruto to be really funny and he was half tempted to ask her whether they were relatives, but found it pointless.
Though…there was a fragment of resemblance to Uzumaki Kushina in terms of the odd luscious –sensual and beautiful- long red rebel hair which triggered some questions down his shrewd mind but Suigetsu brushed it off for the moment.
"Still a non-believer, huh? You can always go and search for my file into the Database. That, if you are not a man enough to admit you were outsmarted."
She smirked and glued the tip of her nose to his own, mints fanning hotly into each other faces, before she took the chance to knee him in his groins making his grip on her hands come loose just enough to allow Karin to thrust her heel into his stomach and send him flying on the chair, then landing straight on his back, with a low thud echoing through the darkened small room.
She was atop of him in a nanosecond, like a lioness straddling her prey, fisting her hands into the rim of his collar, bringing her face impossible close to his, snarling upon his lips, while her red hair created a blood waterfall around his face, making Suigetsu sink into a maze of red, unable to look back from her lustrous sinfully glamorous sexy eyes, while his hues glared into slits, turning a darker shade of violet.
He was bloody furious and was not refraining from showing it. She was dangerous and he would admit that she might have as well be an assassin, because her reflexes were not human. In fact, they were sharper than his!
She was fast and precise, like a Cobra. And definitely, stronger than she looked. "Then let us properly introduce each other, officer Hozuki." Her voice was no louder than a caressing of the wind, amassing all the dark sensuality of the most debauched dark desires, while she spat venom upon his lips.
"Uzumaki Karin, of the Sound. Nice to meet your pathetic ass, loser. And there they were, always praising the Interpol branch in Japan. Though I should have known that it was all cheap bragging. No wonder you fuckards couldn`t properly handle the Shiseido Ginza case and needed us to come and clean the mess you couldn't handle."
He literarily froze on the spot and it was in the moment when Karin has finished her course of curses, the moment when Suigetsu came to realize that all the mocking, taunting, flirting smirking mood has wiped off her face and in turn, she had him pinned down with a star that he swore was coming straight from the core of the Devil`s realm.
She was deadly, lethal, striking, aggressive, strong, dominatrix and…fucking Jesus, she was damn sexy!
He flipped them over in an instant, being his turn to catch her out of guard and before Karin had the chance to kick him in choice sensitive places with her long creamy bare legs, as her back collided with the cold ground, Suigetsu pinned her hands down to rest on either sides of her head, getting comfortable in between her legs, successfully making her attempts to roll over futile and in less than a blink, his lips crushed over hers to meet in a feverous calloused kiss.
Holly damn, she was sweet like the finest Champagne, he felt desire bubbling into the hotness of her soft curvaceous body, her floral honey scent was conjuring the demon within him and he couldn't help but growl harshly when she bit on his lips, as he forced his tongue inside the caver of her mouth, where he ingrained his muscular organ, rolling it inside her, tracing her porcelain row of teeth, and battling her own tongue, which was swirling around his own.
She was responding to him.
Heavens, she was kissing him back with just as much ardor as he did, moaning when he suckled harshly on her lower lip, until the fine cashmere tissue of her mouth took a lighter shadow of his purple eyes.
She was wriggling and squirming under him, like a siren struggling to get free and take a dip into the ocean, rubbing and jerking her hips forward, making both moan at the sudden electrical discharge of their bodies. When the crimson haired CIA agent thrust her hips forward and rolled them under him, Suigetsu lost it completely.
Not so gently, he peeled her from the ground by slipping his hands under her shoulders, throwing her atop the desk, prying her legs open with a hand squeezing the inside of her exposed thigh under the electrical lemon mini skirt she wore, coming to rest in between her legs, as he hovered over her, lust and blazing passion bursting out of his intoxicating eyes.
Need and desire that mirrored her own, both panting harshly and not backing down from their gazes. Not even when his hand slid from her toned leg up to cup the front of her panties, feeling himself grow hard and hot at the wetness his hand has met.
He used his thumb to press against her core and she had to bit her lower lip to prevent a moan of pleasure at the contact. "Uzumaki…Karin." He growled her name in a way that almost had her come right on the sop before he leaned in and stole another passionate kiss from her and Karin couldn't help herself, as she indulged in the pleasure which was overwhelming her.
She winded her hands around his shoulders, fingers intertwining into his soft grey sex hair, pulling it backwards, as he deepened their maddening kiss, tongues meeting in a fit of fury, burning desire and rapturous carnal pleasure, suckling and exploring the catacombs of each other`s opened mouths, faces molding together.
"Hozuki Suigetsu. Mi piaci." He swore that never in his life has the Hozuki Interpol officer been more aroused and charmed by a woman as he has been in that very moment when he heard Karin breath those words in a sensual Italian and it was then when realization dawned upon him, as his lips froze on her chin, while he peeled them from her mouth to allow them both to catch their breaths, but refusing to lose the contact of her vanilla scented skin.
His intelligent trained mind was fast as lightening into connecting the dots. "You are an Italian CIA Sound agent and a red haired." His aquamarine orbs, as lustful and unleashed as they were, bore into her own as his eyebrows were drawn together. "You are Sakura`s bat shit crazy friend, aren't you?"
It was then when Karin realized that he was Sasuke`s friend from the Interpol that Sakura was talking about and even before she could stop herself, Karin threw her head backwards, arching her back, using his hold around his neck as a leverage and burst out in a maddening sinister laugh, finding the irony be at its epitome.
"No fucking way!" Destiny was a funny thing. "I swear that I don't believe in karma or shit, shark boy." She nodded once to him, as she straightened her pose, making her rebel disheveled long hair splash upon her face and shoulders in a hot sensual way. "But I might give the odds a chance and let it pass only for this time, since it is more than worth it."
"What the fuck are you-"
Even before Suigetsu had the chance to inquire what was probably pointless and not helping their case, Karin shoved her tongue back into the mouth that was getting even more and more addictive, kissing the very life out of him, getting familiar to the taste of his tongue and saliva on her own mouth, suckling greedily on his moist firm lips, as her expert digits worked on each button of his shirt, yanking it open to expose a mouthwatering chiseled broad chest, which gave another meaning to the word lust.
He stopped her with a firmly hold of her wrists when she was halfway in unbuckling the leather belt of his Jeans, eyes clashing with the need into her dark blood ones.
"Love, this is not going into the rightful way." How could he have said that while calling her like that was beyond Karin but she swore that something snapped into the casket of her chest when he told her 'love' and it was both scary and ravishing.
Yes, she was damn aware that they were in the interrogation room of the Tokyo Interpol and yes, she was aware that she was jumping an Interpol officer`s ass into the very same freaking room, but the point was that Karin didn't give a flying fuck about that.
"Only if you miss your way inside me, shark boy." That mischievous dark and alluring gleaming way in her widened dark wine eyes was something that no straight man with a functional dick would have been able to resist.
He was powerless in font of that and the way he basically invited him to feel free into screwing her against the table desk that he used to interrogate dangerous criminals, into the building of his working place –the Interpol`s building- was making his muscles charge with electricity and he lost it for good.
Suigetsu had his fair share of insanity and he has found himself a woman to add to it and create a dangerous ticking bomb of craziness, which had him nod once to him, grinning at her before his mouth latched to her arched neck, hands wandering to the outline of her siren waist, slipping his digits under the rim of the blouse she wore, rolling it up to her toned stomach as she stretched her limbs up to help him undress her.
"Hmm…you`re fucking good…" Kami, the way she was cursing at him while he suckled and grazed his canines all over the porcelain sweetness of her creamy newly exposed skin, left Suigetsu grow mad with need. He needed to be inside her before his mind would explode as his engorged member did inside his pants.
And Karin has boldly unzipped his Jeans and cupped him over the dark Calvin Klein boxers he wore underneath, rubbing him as he thrust his hips into her hand, rolling his tongue over the swell of her heart shaped cleavage, leaving a trace of hot saliva in between the apex of her full endowed breasts, getting hornier at the bright red lace bra she wore.
"Love, I am warning you…" He growled darkly into her earlobe, suckling on it while Karin squeezed her eyes shut, moaning softly at the sweet shivers running along her body, while he worked on the clasp of her bra, tossing it on the other side of the room. "I won`t be gentle."
When the heck did she begged for him to be?
By any means, Karin was not the kind of woman to need candles and chaste kisses and unnecessary foreplay or romantic lines whispered down her ear. That was Sakura! No, she wanted him rough and wild.
"I will cut down your dick if you go anything than hard." She shot to him just as darkly and it was the last thing that Suigetsu needed before he yanked the mini skirt she wore, along with her panties, leaving her stripped and bare in all the luscious naked glory of her Goddess splendor, while she jumped off the table, pulling down his pants and the boxers along with them, as he stepped on them.
Before he had the chance to protest, Karin was already on her knees, looking at him through her rimmeled curled velvet eyelashes, throwing him a glance so seductive and sinful that only made him even wilder and turned down, as her fingers coiled around his dick, giving him a teasing squeeze as he muttered a vicious throaty 'fuck' while she started to pump him.
"I told you that you will be at my mercy, haven't I? I tend to keep my promises." With that, her lips latched on his dripping tip, as he thrust forward, interlacing his fingers into her soft silk hair, thrusting inside her mouth, feeling his eyes roll at the back of his head as she was viciously sucking him with a passion that almost had him come, the knot on the pits of his stomach boiling inside his abdomen, like lava.
She wasn't good, she was fucking amazing! Her mouth helped him reach Paradise, as his toes were curling and his blood was pumping adrenaline through his veins. He had to be inside her, he wanted to feel her clasp around him, taste her wetness and her warmth on his own skin and damn right he would fuck her like she wished.
Wordlessly, he removed himself from her mouth as his juices were glistening down her lips along her chin as he flipped her over, bending her over the table as she gripped on the edges, turning her head to look into his beastly fierce eyes, as his nails dug into her hips as he thrust forward and filled her in one hard fluid motion, cursing loudly when her walls clasped around him.
She was fucking perfect, just as he imagined it.
"Ah! Fucking Hell Suigetsu!" She screamed at him when he started to fuck her ruthlessly against the table, making the pens roll down, and the wood was cracking and shaking as he rammed inside like a madman. Karin on the other hand was barely holding on her sanity, let alone the edge of the table.
She arched her back and brought her back into his sweating toned chest, curling her hands around his neck, while he attacked her neck, one hand massaging her breast and the other rubbing her dripping glistening core, as she started to meet his thrusts halfway, riding him.
Soon the room filled with their groans, screams and the sexual hot sweaty tension lingered like a thick fog.
And they were both oblivious to the pairs of eyes watching them from the other side of the tinted window, from the other side of the wall.
.
.
.
"What…the flying…fuck?!"
"Yeah, that is exactly the proper thing to say in this kind of situation, my friend."
Naruto Uzumaki was having his cerulean eyes popped out of their sockets, mouth cracked open while his jaw was busy hitting the ground. Ten Ten beside him was looking totally unruffled and if he hasn't known her better, she looked like she was casually watching the evening boring news about lost pets and sunny weather forecast.
And he knew it that the reason why she was being so untouched by the horrendous things unfolding before his eyes, was the fact that she was just as equally insane. Both of them have arrived to the Tokyo Police HQ to seek for Suigetsu and ask his help on a very delicate problem, namely get their hands on the most skilled hacker they had to help them get a track of the live broadcasting of the station where fucking Pein, the leader of Lorane was having his delirious disgusting speech from, when they caught the sight of the very same man storming down the said building, having the one and only Uzumaki Karin –his freaking girl cousin and the Sound agent- handcuffed and dragged along the halls to the interrogation room.
What the heck?!
As if that wasn't being enough to have both Ten Ten and Naruto exchange dumbfounded gazes, before they dashed in the same direction, sensing danger on a whole new other level arising, because nothing good could have come out of that situation, throwing the door open, just to find the very same people fucking their brains out in the same room, totally oblivious of their presence.
What was even more sickening, was the fact that the microphones were turned on so they could hear every moan, curse, groan or sound that their animalistic sex or the dirty talk and that almost had Naruto faint right on the spot.
"Care to explain it to me what the heck is Karin doing here in Tokyo and why is she screwing Suigetsu?!"
Ten Ten on the other hand, was busy laughing at the irony and inwardly cheering at their guts to go at it in such a place. She knew that the Sound`s seductress had no boundaries, nor any shame, but she didn't know that Suigetsu was living up to his reputation of a total manwhore who wouldn't be able to restrain himself to jump her.
And what was with the show from earlier? Were they roleplaying? God she vaguely wondered if Sakura knew about her arrival and what was her friend doing…or rather…who she was doing.
She was glad for the fun she has come to see because ever since Neji was basically grieving over his company, she wasn't able to shut her eyes and have a proper sleep. She swore she was in the verge of drugging him just to have him stop complaining.
"How should I know? It is destiny bringing two sluts together to keep each other entertained."
The mocha eyed agent flipped her hair over her shoulder, leaning against the office door, looking at her fresh manicured fingers, while Naruto was being hysteric and flailing in front of the glass that separated the two rooms, looking like torn between peeping at his cousin and his best friend, fucking each other`s brains, riding each other like rabbits, or throw up right on the spot.
Honestly, that was the funniest shit ever and God help her, she had enough problems at home, with Lorane, the Summit in France and her fiancé's company, so she was grateful for Karin`s mysterious and suspicions unexpected Tokyo visit, because, heck…wherever the Sound was, there lied all the fun. They were always the ones to stand out from the crowd and do the craziest things.
"This is not funny, Ten Ten, this is a disaster! Why is my cousin here?! To cut my balls down like she promised last time I saw her, probably!"
The blonde idiot was pacing through the room, driving Ten Ten crazy. They would finish soon and when they would come out, the two Akatsuki could interrogate them properly. What was the rush anyways? Oh yeah…they were kinda supposed to meet Suigetsu and discuss the latest events.
And that fucker was busy being the dickhead he was, meeting with the Sound`s top slut, making them wait. In all honesty, Ten Ten had no problem in barging inside, catching them in the act and give the Interpol manwhore a piece of her mind, for making a lady wait.
"Relax, you moron. She is either on a mission, or Sakura has called her here, for whatever reason they might have. My guesses are that she tries to hook them up. Which isn't such a bad idea. Suigetsu likes red haired women and he is totally her type."
"Well, shut that damn door at least. Last thing we need is someone to come here and catch their boss…doing my cousin. God damn it! I will throttle that person with my bare hands. Sasuke-Teme claimed that job first, but I don't care. When Suigetsu gets out, I will personally kill his ass."
"Oh, will you shut up already? I get enough bitching with Neji. So stop giving me headaches, sit down because you're squirming around makes me freaking dizzy and enjoy the show…in silence."
.
.
.
"You are crazy, bella." Suigetsu smirked at the red haired Italian gorgeous woman that he has just fucked merciless, buttoning up his shirt, as he took her in, very dangerous things running through his perverted mind and, for a moment, he even considered taking her again, but he remembered among the lines, that he had to meet Ten Ten and Naruto.
The Sound agent was busy fixing her hair, in the color of vivacious sparkling flames, having a small heart shaped mirror in her left hand, while the other was brushing through her long fancy cut hair, making herself look presentable again, totally ignoring his lascivious stare. "Your accent sucks. You sound like a porn star."
Inwardly, she was fighting her best to ignore the fire he stirred within her with that stare alone. Damn, she even smirked like him, his scent was embed into her hair and tattooed on her skin and it drove her insane. Karin never ever met a man to smile like danger, fire, craziness and ocean altogether and she absolutely loved it.
He was undeniable hot and unlike the other men she has been with, he was the one who dominated, and not the one to be submissive, allowing her to pleasure him.
Oh, definitely not! He was fierce, rough, his moves were calloused, unleashed, passionate and unrestrained, having no boundaries and that was setting her into fire. She was dying to have him again…and she will. Definitely!
True to her friend`s word, Suigetsu was definitely someone she would like to keep.
"I will take this as a compliment. Besides, you can play it hard to get, but I know you like me, love. And this amuses me. And turns me on." The cocky shark looking male was pinning her with as tare that was making Karin`s spine shiver in pleasure. Predatory, lustful, arrogant, daring and knowing.
Not good…not good at all…
"Keep your dick into your pants, shark boy. I am not a whore." She casually rolled a bloody red rouge, pouting and applying a fine layer, which was sensually clashing with the wine of her irises, aware that the man she was addressing, had his amethyst luscious eyes all on her.
And she smirked wickedly at him, letting one lock of hair fall tauntingly on her eye. "Usually, the males I grant the pleasure of having me, are one head shorter or drown in their own piss by now. So consider yourself lucky, shark boy."
She of course, emphasized her mission and the fact that she was an assassin, so she was playing men around her finger like a master puppeteer. But she had no idea of the sadistic side of Suigetsu and the fact that she has just earned herself a privileged place into his heart, but growling such threats to him.
His orbs were burning with the redness of her wyes, hair and lips. Everything about that woman was pure fire.
Damn…
He couldn't help himself, but to let his long legs stroll predatory towards her, planting his hands down the table, on each side of her, trapping her between the desk and his hard rock body, Ten Ten and Naruto be damned.
Like…what the fuck…they will have all the time in the world to freak out at the most recent news, but a woman like that would burn to ashes before he got to touch her once again, so he would take no risk.
"Feel free to use my body as you please, love, but don't you dare scream or cry when I am going to make you drop to your knees and beg me."
The fact that Karin was able to flawlessly fake boredom and the fact that his charms had put no spell on her, was only because of her years of practice and experience, because either ways, that Interpol officer would have already been jumped on and properly ride by then.
But she merely cocked her head on her side, so that she won't be tempted to feel the warmth of his lips fan over her face and bit back to him. "Your dumb annoying friends are on the other room."
She totally smirked wide at the way Suigetsu`s orbs went ten shades lighter, whipping them over her shoulder, to look into the huge one-way mirror, who was reflecting his dumbfounded stupid looking expression and Suigetsu was reminded of the dumb comics that he and Naruto were addicts of, envisioning him as a donkey, wearing the word 'stupid' tattooed on his forehead.
"Stop staring, you are being too obvious, jeez."
"How would you know that? You are bluffing." Suigetsu narrowed his orbs at the smirking woman before him, who simply rolled her orbs at him, and crossing her arms upon her full rounded half naked chest, like she was talking to a mentally deranged patient, explaining obvious things.
"Like hell I am. Are you truly working for the Interpol, or have you skipped your first three years of training? Or are you simply that retarded and only worth of a good lay-"
"Karin…"
"I suppose you do know the principle of the one-way mirrors in interrogation rooms and if you don't, then be my guest to do research and find out, but there is a simple way to see through it and it is just a simple physics principle of refraction of the light."
To emphasize her words, Karin stretched her hand behind Suigetsu, holding her mirror, while urging him to turn around and watch. "If you look into that mirror through this special custom made mirror, you can see into the other room. Fancy, huh?"
Oh no they didn't…
True to her word, Ten Ten and Naruto were having their orbs glued to the mirror, probably having witnessed EVERYTHING they did, watching them bang each other, on that freaking room, like they were the audience of a pornographic show.
Those major creeps…were going to pay for the crime.
"Heh…if they recorded us as well, you will be famous love."
"If I kill you now and chop off your cadaver, then I am going to top among the bloodiest assassins around the world and this is a better predicament to me, shark boy."
Oh, Suigetsu definitely enjoyed teasing that woman…among other things he enjoyed to do with her.
He smirked to her, darting forward before allowing her any moment to react or punch him, to place a quick kiss on her pulse, making her froze momentarily at the contact, then detached from her, racking a hand through his silvery luscious hair, heading to the door. "Let`s get the heck out of here and bloody beat those fucking creeps to a bloody pulp."
Karin rolled her wine orbs at him when Suigetsu allowed her to exit first, muttering a "what a gentleman…" while coming to face Naruto and Ten Ten, casually raising an eyebrow at them, like she was being surprised to find them there.
"How is it going? Are you two waiting in line?" She totally mocked the two of them, mentally laughing at the looks on their faces. "You can go in now. It`s empty."
Ten Ten was the first to shot up from the wall beside her, barely getting a hold of herself and not punch the woman before her, knowing it all too well that, somehow, that witch Uzumaki Karin has been aware of the fact that she was being watched, but she just didn't give a damn, proving how much of a slut she was.
Seriously, how could that woman be friends with Haruno Sakura? That emerald eyed Sound agent was so opposite to Karin and she was definitely not a major skank, being totally modest and rather shy when it came to expose herself like that.
One wouldn't even guess that she was killing people ruthlessly and without pulling a single muscle, judging from the introvert and laid back personality.
So she did what Ten Ten knew it would piss Karin off really bad, namely ignoring her. She let her mocha coffee orbs travel to Suigetsu, growling to him. "You're fucking late. We have been waiting for thirty minutes."
Seriously, they went at IT for half an hour…Ten Ten felt her temples explode. And Naruto like the proud student of Jirayia the ultimate manwhore alive that he was, after stopping freaking out and ask the most imbecile rhetorical questions, glued his eyes on the mirror and watched the spectacle, like he has been following a baseball game, having all sorts of perverted comments, mostly about his friend`s weak performance…
Good God, Ten Ten even entertained the idea of punching him few times and throw him outside the interrogation room.
"Well good for you. You had enough time to try and get the signal of that fucker out there," Suigetsu pointed towards the small TV which was on mute, but kept on showering the audience with live streaming from the stocks markets from all around the world, as well as Pein`s imposing proud figure. "So that we can go and kill the rats in their own holes."
"Really now? And what have YOU been doing in the meantime?" The spunky mocha eyed agent spat back to him. "If I am not being too indiscrete."
Karin snorted at that, letting her wine orbs fly towards Naruto`s azurite ones, who were having conflicting emotions and thoughts playing inside and the most dominant one, was guilt. Of course, he has been watching them the whole time.
That made Karin mentally roll on the floor laughing. "Interrogation." She spoke and three pairs of eyes widened at the way she could sound so innocent, even if she has done what she just did.
'Is that how you call IT in the Sound, huh?' Ten Ten couldn't help but mentally strangle that woman before her, while she simply patted Naruto`s shoulder, making him snap out of his reverie.
"Why hello, my dear cousin." Oh, the way she dripped venom from her wine lips has made Naruto`s spine crawl in dread.
She had a way to make that calloused husky rich voice sound robotically and fierce, pretty much like Tsunade Senju, and that made her freaking scary.
"It`s not that I won`t absolutely love to catch up with the latest news from your miserable life, but I need to make myself useful in some other place. Be good, ok?"
Without giving Naruto the chance to reply, she spun on her heel and headed towards the door, whispering at Suigetsu as she passed him. "Take care of my car, it was rented, and don't forget my luggage. I am DEFINITELY going to see you around, shark boy." And left three gasping people behind her back.
The first one to talk, was Naruto. "W-Where is she going?"
"Sakura, obviously, where else?"
"Back from where she has come to haunt us: Hell." Suigetsu exited the room after her, urging Naruto and Ten Ten to follow. "C`mon, let`s go into my office. This place is too depressing."
What truly bothered Suigetsu, was the fact that it absolutely reeked like sex. Good –mind blowing incredible steaming hot- sex, but it somehow…pissed him off.
.
.
.
::Imperial Hotel Tokyo, Japan, Tokyo, the lobby::
"C`mon Cherry, answer the damn phone already…" Karin was tapping her feet in the reception hall, glaring at the passerby's, who whirled their stupid heads around to take a double look at the woman, with such exotic looks, posing like a diva in the middle of the room and clad in revealing clothes, which did nothing to hid her flawless body structure, and she fought the urge to give all of them the finger. She didn't have time for that, because she was busy panicking and getting pissed off with Sakura`s lack of feedback.
After five times during which she kept on getting the robot`s annoying voice, Karin gave up and went for a bolder approach, namely stomping to the reception, planting her elbow at the counter, to attract a young dude`s attention and, fighting the urge to gauge off his hungry gleaming eyes, she kept her head askew and hard and arrogant, demanding.
"Haruno Sakura, which floor?" The man before her blinked twice, not uttering a single word, looking like he hasn't understood her.
"Excuse me?"
Karin rolled her eyes slowly so as to let him know she was already pissed off and spelled each syllable like mentally addressing mentally retarded kids. "Haruno Sakura, what room does she have?"
"I am sorry, Miss, but I am afraid that this is personal information that I cannot disclo-" She shot her arms to the other side of the marble counter, to fist her fingers into his neat white collar and jerked him towards her, making half of his body leak on the counter, eyes blazing like shooting meteors.
"Where exactly do you see it on my fucking face that I give a single damn about your stupid policies, hm? Tell. Me. The. Fucking. Room`s number, or else…"
The young receptionist, who couldn't be older than twenty two, gulped once visibly scared of that woman`s attitude but nodded twice, taking a large inhale of air after Karin freed him harshly, sending him back on his place, arms crossed upon her chest.
"O-Ok, Miss, let me check first." He quickly taped on his computer, while Karin was drumming her manicured fingers on the counter, letting him understand that she wasn't a patient woman. "I am afraid there is no one checked in her with this name, Miss."
"You are lying."
"I am afraid I do not, Miss. You can come and see for yourself." He turned the screen for her to have a look and Karin cursed under her breath. Sakura was not stupid. She didn't want him to follow her, not taking any chance. Truly an agent.
"Damn it. She has registered under another name."
"I am sorry Miss. I am afraid I cannot help you more." Karin fisted her hands down her auburn hair, prompting her elbows on the golden marble, scraping her scalp, thinking about her friend.
"Think Karin, think…a name…a name…" she would go with something familiar, dear and personal for Sakura, and something that Sasuke probably didn't know about. Sakura was Italian, so… "Try Cherry. She has come here the day before yesterday. "
"There is one single lady with this name who has checked herself in two days ago. Cherry Finelli Montesi - Olivero."
The receptionist spelled in a fluent surprisingly good accent Italian and Karin fought the urge to slap herself. Of course! She cursed her lack of inspiration for not catching it the very first time. Her friend has chosen Orochimaru`s family name –the one that only few knew- for her cover. "It`s her all right! Which room?"
"Room number…103 A, 8th floor, Miss."
"Thank you!" She hollered towards the sweat dropping young receptionist, dashing to the elevator, as her heels were clicking on the lustrous floor.
"God damn it, Cherry. Just hang on ,mia sorella. Just hang on there and don't do anything stupid." She prayed to Heavens she didn't, because Karin knew all about Sakura, the tone of her voice and the fact that for the past two days, she had all her phones and laptop shut off.
"C`mon, c`mon, damn, can this machine go any slower than this?!" Karin was tapping her heel, arms crossed before her full chest, fighting the urge to bit her freshly manicured nails in anxiety, Pinot Noir orbs following the flashing numbers of the floors she was passing.
When the familiar click, following the halt of the lift made the doors slide, Karin didn't even wait for them to fully open, sprinting outside, almost hitting a couple who was waiting to take the ride in the process, crimson loose hair fluttering behind her back as she rushed to Sakura`s hotel room, stopping right in front of the door.
It was not broken yet, which was a good sign. "Oh well, here we go…" She was mentally bracing herself for a hurricane of amassed negative emotions to splash into her face and throw her on the wall behind, the moment she would open the door, so she knocked –banged- on it three times, no reply.
"Cherry? Cherry, it is me, Karin, are you in there?" Karin tried to keep her voice as low as possible, not wanting to create a ruckus in the middle of the day and alert the other guests or the security and have an unnecessary circus going on, because she was there with another noble purpose, it being supporting her friend who was probably fighting a mental break down and plot a torturous way to dispose of Sasuke Uchiha, mission be damned.
Well, she has screw it up big times anyways, so what was worse that could have happened anyways?
She patiently waited for the housekeepers to pass her, trying to look like she was busy texting someone on her phone and then tried again, louder that time, bumping the door with her clenched fist.
"Cherry! Open up this door or so help me God I am going to break it! Cherry!" Though it wasn't the most fortunate outcome she has predicted, truth to be told, Karin started to panic a little inside.
She knew Sakura, she knew how emotionally unstable her friend could be and she knew how much she loved Sasuke and adding it to her barely healed wounds, it resulted in a lethal combination. She didn't want to start imagine the most horrendous scenarios for why wasn't Sakura answering her.
She knew that her friend with the emerald gleaming into her irises won`t push her back and not share her pain with the only person she viewed as her sister, not in the bit. Karin was her confident, she trusted her, that was why she has called her two days ago to confess.
And Karin also picked up another silent plea: keep an eye on Sasuke for me, until I am able to do, so that was exactly what Karin did, while she stormed to the CIA`s private airport and took one of Orochimaru`s exclusive jets to fly all the way, from Ravenna to Tokyo and make it as fast as possible.
She used the Sound`s special network and the link to their satellites to keep the tracks of the Uchiha heir –soon to be very dead- and pin-point his position. He was safe, probably trapped into a stale business meeting, because for two days straight, he never left that building, not even to go home.
Again, no reply.
"Ok, time for more dramatic measures." Swaying her head over her shoulder, so as to make sure that no one was able to see what she was doing, Karin unzipped her Vuitton bag, fingered her wallet and took out a card –a normal looking one- who was had a high Nano technology chip, able to break the most common locks, sliding it casually into the lock of Sakura`s door, smirking when the green flashing light beamed 'access', unlocking the door.
She quickly grabbed the know, twisting it once and let herself inside, quietly stepping into the luxurious darkened suite, and the first thing that made her nose crunch was the heavy reek of alcohol, lingering around the spacious room, like a fog.
The other noticeable thing, was the fact that all the curtains were covering the windows, successfully blocking any attempts of the sun rays to sneak inside. Even though it was midday, inside however, it was midnight.
Probably resembling Sakura`s soul right in that moment…
"Oh my fucking- Cherry!" And there was her sworn sister, in all her passed out glory, looking like a broken swan with bleeding wings, clad in an airy summer fine red dress, resting in the middle of the living room, on her side, with a hand snuck under her head and the other fallen on her tummy, encircled by more than seven bottles of strong liquor, looking dead, unmoving.
In an instant, Karin threw her bag on the armchair and, avoiding stripping on any bottle, went flying to an unresponsive Sakura, dropping on her knees beside her, placing a careful hand on her shoulder, while the other was feeling her pulse.
It was faint as a deity snowflake strolling down the sky, but she was clearly alive. Karin inwardly exhaled for a moment, while, gently, so as to not disturb her, rolled Sakura on her back, wine orbs going wide as saucers. "Mia sorella, va tutto bene?" She shook her gently, her own wine orbs pricking with burning tears upon seeing the state of Sakura`s beautiful face.
"Cherry? Cherry, wake up dear." She bad her gently, placing a hand on the rosette`s damp forehead, brushing away her chocolate locks, sticking into her eyes and temples.
"Fuck…" There were visible dry contours of tears rivers carved along her cheeks, her ivory porcelain face was pale as a ghost`s, her full lips were swollen and lilac, as if Sakura has been staying outside to the North Pole, freezing, there were angry panda purple huge bags under her almond eyes and her breaths were ragged.
Sakura has been clearly crying for hours, non-stop. And she was smelling heavily of poisonous liquor, probably it being the reason why she has been knocked out, unconscious and dead to the world, but to Karin, it was the embodiment of another more acerb representation of ultimate pain: her best friend has tried to kill herself, by drowning into alcohol, unsuccessfully.
Karin was already on the verge of shooting her arm to her purse, grab her phone and call the ambulance, when a weak grown made her stop dead, returning her attention to Sakura. She was stirring up, meaning that she wasn't in a comatose state, like Karin has suspected.
The Uzumaki agent swore that a heavy iron curtain has been lifted from her clasped chest when her friend`s emerald orbs quivered lazily, trying to unglue her tears washed eyelashes, mumbling weakly. "S-sa-s-uke…?"
Unbelievable! Blood rushed through Karin`s temples, making her head explode in fury, slipping a hand under Sakura`s head, placing it on her lap, not wanting to force her probably dizzy and sick friend up to stand and do more damage, while her right hand took the jadeite eyed sister`s left one, silently cursing at how cold and dry her skin felt, intertwining their fingers, usually commending hard voice being no loud than a caress.
Even after barely cheating on Death, Sakura was thinking about Sasuke. Her heart and mind were probably praying for it to have been a horrible nightmare, waking her up to a sweeter reality, natural instincts of self-preserve and survival kicking in.
She viewed a savior and a protector in the sole man who she decided to entrust her heart and he has betrayed her.
He shall pay dearly.
"Cherry, it is all right. I am here. You will be all right. Just…don't do this to you. Not again." Karin spoke softly, using an uncharacteristically suave tone, fighting back the betraying tears to spurt down her maroon orbs ,because that was definitely not the place to feel pity and be weak.
Sakura needed someone strong to support her, someone reliable and trustworthy, so she tightened her coil around Sakura`s hand, feeling the rosette reciprocating, meaning that she was starting to regain her consciousness.
Glossy chartreuse collided with worried soft wine red of her friend`s and Karin would never know the amount of relief that flooded Sakura`s system, like a crystal mountain spring infusing life onto the nature, when she felt the warmth of the one she considered a sister, so close to her. "R-Rin."
She wasn't able to voice her name out loud, because her bell nightingale voice was throaty, dry, hoarse and calloused for so many hours of crying and shouting, so that was no wonder. "You came."
"Of course I did. Did you really think that I will leave you alone in this? You are never alone Cherry, never! Not as long as I am still alive and breathing. Everything is going to be fine, we will go through this together, fight and win, no matter what. I promise you." Confidence and steel resolve were rolling from Karin`s red lips, as she helped Sakura up, the rosette squeezing her orbs shut, probably fighting dizziness and the heaviness of her poisoned body.
A hand went flying on her temples. "Damn it…I feel like I have billion needless shoved down my fucking head-"
She didn't even have the time to stammer her vicious curse, because next thing she knew, her stomach has been hit by a violent wave of nausea, making her drop on her left elbow, having he back on Karin and emptying the content of her stomach, throwing up on the uber expensive carpet, feeling all the drinks she had doming back to punish her.
She truly felt on the verge of dying, every fiber on her body hurt like a bitch, her feet were burning like her stomach, she couldn't keep her orbs open and her chest was clenching. A hand went to her hair, keeping the falling damp bangs back, while another went on her back, rubbing her spine gently.
"Don`t worry, it will be all right. Jeez, cara mia, just how much you drank? Take it easy, I will help you to the bathroom."
Sakura could only nod to her, not able to talk. She was limp and weak, wondering the same thing as Karin herself.
She had no idea how much she drank, all that she wanted was to stop feeling but karma was a bitch and one that had a dark sense of humor, because the more she drank, the more she would think on him. She forgot everything, but his name and his face.
When she was certain that she had nothing left on her system that needed to be evacuated, Sakura took the wet napkins that Karin has handed her, wiped her mouth and, using her crimson haired friend`s shoulder as support, she rose to her feet, fighting the harsh dizziness to regain balance, a hand going straight into her messy hair.
"If I am not dead, then it only means the alcohol was cheap. Fuck, I feel like I have been hit by a speeding train." Sakura groaned as Karin led her to the adjacent bathroom, turning the lights on.
"No, it only means that the reason why you want to die is not worth it."
"Just help me out of this." Ignoring her friend`s totally justifiable answer –that made no sense into her mind- Sakura gestured for Karin to unzip her dress, the beautiful tall red haired agent doing just as Sakura instructed, helping her out of the dress, turning the faucet of the shower on, as the jade eyed woman went under the hot stream, feeling her muscles tingle in delight at the contact. She was freezing.
"Do you need help?"
"No, grazie. Can you pass me the bathrobe, a towel and some clothes? Try into my bag, I think I have thrown it somewhere…"
"Sure thing." Karin lingered one more moment on the opened door to see if Sakura was able to stand, watching as she kept her back on her all the times, hiding her face and using half the bottle of shampoo to wash her hair, then spun on her heel to hunt for the bag, understanding that, in her rage and turmoil, Sakura had no idea where she has left her.
True to her friend`s word, it was tossed under the bed, so Karin dropped on her tummy, digging for it, bumping her head on the wooden rim.
"Fuck! Auch!" She dragged Sakura`s bag from under the bed, pulling on the zipper and when she opened it up, she felt her Pinot Noir orbs bleed at the messy clothes resting inside. "What the heck….is it even legal to wear something like this?" And to think that Sasuke Uchiha fell for someone who was wearing such things…
But then again, he was good at faking it and besides, he spent more time seeing her naked and fucking her, than seeing her dressed.
Oh, vile maleficent genius methods of torturous killing were showering Karin`s brain. No, if Sakura won`t plot her bloody revenge, Karin would happily do that for her, mission be damned. Every time she kept her eyes on the flashing dots on the GPS, she was envisioning a game of Darts, with her throwing kunais into his head.
She found something that she deemed as wearable, namely a simple light grey T-Shirt and a pair of Jeans, mentally cursing herself for not taking her bag with her and borrow Sakura some of her clothes, turning around just on time to see her naked friend emerging from the bathroom, with a towel wrapped around her hair, dipping down to grab the underwear that Karin handed her, dropping her butt on the bed, starting the dryer on, her short bob hair fluttering around her head.
"Do you have pills on you?" Karin inquired, referring to the strong ones to alleviate the after effects of the hangover. Sakura simply pointed to a small pocket at the bottom of her bag.
She gave Sakura one and a glass of water that was resting on the nightstand. "Thanks." She threw it on her opened mouth, drinking all the water in one gulp, feeling the cold liquid wash away her throat and suddenly, she craved for a bucket of cold water.
"Rin…" She looked straight into Karin`s serious yet soft eyes, not knowing what should she say to her.
She didn't need to, because, wordlessly, Karin took a sit on the bed beside her friend, coiling her arms around her shoulder, pulling her into a tight embrace, caressing her hair and Sakura immediately buried her face into the crook of her neck, returning it.
"I don't know what to…I am so glad you are here!" She broke again, nails digging into Karin`s bare forearms, said girl only tightening her embrace on her, letting her chin rest on the crown of her head.
"You don't have to say a word. I understand. I am not judging you Cherry, I will never. You know that no matter what you decide to do, you will always have my undying support. That until your Papa will kill me for taking his new private jet without asking first."
She actually managed to both laugh and cry upon hearing Karin`s straightforward confession. She knew that her wine eyed friend was bat shit crazy –probably crazier than Anko Mitarashi herself- but to have someone to fly from the other side of the world when she was in trouble, was something that only a sister would do. But just imagining the rage of Orochimaru upon hearing that Karin chose to disobey the agents` conduct –again- and break ANOTHER rule, was something dead funny.
Sakura couldn't help the pang on her chest when everything came bouncing back to her as a result of her desperate behavior. "Two days…I have cut all the contacts with…him for two fucking days, Karin." She whispered against her friend`s skin. "What am I going to tell to Papa? How can I face him and how can I call myself an agent? I failed everyone, Rin. Everyone."
"No. Stop it Cherry, you did absolutely nothing wrong. Agent or not, you are still human and people are not perfect. No one is blaming you for being human, for God`s sake. And heart cannot be commanded, no matter how much we delude ourselves that it can, because it doesn't." It didn't slip past Karin` s vigilance that Sakura clicked on her tongue just on time to not slip Sasuke`s name. It was that much it hurt her.
"Have you…did you do what I asked you to?"
"Yeah, of course. For the past two days I have kept my eyes on that Uchiha. He is at his company. In fact, he hasn't left that building ever since…" Ever since Sakura was gone and that didn't sit right with Karin.
Something that came painfully close to her female intuition alerted her that the situation was much more complicated that it appeared. Why would Sasuke not return to his home if everything was just a charade?
Was it because he expected Sakura to be there? He wasn't a pussy and a coward to run away of a woman, going as far as to stay away from his own home, so that was out of question. Was it because he felt guilty? Remorseful?
"Ok…" What could Sakura say? She untangled from Karin`s arms, weeping her newly filled with glistening blood tears from her orbs, with the back of her hand, dragging the T-shirt on her body. She was done.
Done crying, grieving, sobbing, weeping, wailing and screaming for him. It was as good as pointless. If she failed to serve her purpose as a woman, she still had the agent in her who hasn't failed her, not even once.
"Cherry, what are you planning on doing now?"
"Nothing I haven't done before." Karin felt something stab her heart upon seeing how Sakura masterfully put her mask over her grieving face, soft features turning steel hard and emotionless, totally succumbing –seeking help- from the merciless assassin she was, her tone turning professional and neutral, as her lustrous orbs getting colder than an arctic storm, combing her hair with her fingertips, as the runaway Uzumaki orphan woman handed Sakura her own GPS system, to convince herself that she has kept her word.
"Are you going to stay here? In this hotel?"
"For the moment, yes. This is exactly what I plan on doing and before you ask, yes, I have used Papa Oro`s last name as a cover, because I will not take any chance in…Sasuke to seek me out. I don't need a damn explanation from him. Not now and not ever." It wasn't that she wouldn't like to hear him serving her a skillful smart excuse, no, it was the fact that Sakura wasn't trusting herself that she won't broke at the sight of him.
His face was carved into her mind, it won't go away, HE will never leave her, she was cursed to bear his name into her mind and wear his silhouette for the rest of her life, so she would better stay away from him.
Even if it was more inconvenient and hard to keep an eye on him from afar, Sakura would do it no problem. She would never step into his way, live in his house and see his face. Looking at a small beeping green dot on a screen wasn't hurting her as much as seeing him in persona would do.
"Cherry, what happened between the two of you exactly?" Normally, Karin wouldn't venture asking something so sensitive to her hurt friend, knowing that her tears were still fresh, but seeing that face of Sakura assured her that at the moment, nothing would touch her.
She was back to her ruthless assassin, just like in her years of training, and consequently, golden viridian orbs shifted on her maroon ones, then flickered back on the coffee table, where the remote control was resting, turning the flat TV on.
Karin followed in horror and disbelief as Sakura has flipped the channels to the first gossip one she has found, where a huge paparazzi picture of Sasuke and a tall blonde woman with a long ponytail descending down her curved back was flashing before her eyes and Karin knew it was taken on the airport. "Uh-oh…"
She was unsure of what to say, because every single channel that Sakura was zipping through, pressing the buttons so hard that her sister was afraid it would crack under the pressure she was applying, was basically gossiping about the same thing:
'Uchiha Sasuke, one of the most wanted billionaire bachelors, has been caught by paparazzi while kissing the famous world model, Yamanaka Ino, right after he landed on Tokyo International airport, using his private helicopter, four days after he has been spotted in the company of a mysterious stunning woman at the annual charity Ball. Bad mouths and unreliable sources talk about the Uchiha being a double timer-'
"Anymore questions? I think it is pretty clear what is going on, Rin." Sakura didn't mean to be rude or harsh to her friend, but Karin would never hold her accountable for that, not in the bit, because she knew what fight was torturing her inner self and her heart.
Her red rose orbs simply held her friend`s intense knowing stare, allowing Karin to take a peek inside her consciousness and read every line embed inside.
For the past two days, the scandals were all revolving on that topic alone. If it was not related to the economic crisis and the sudden drop in the stocks` values of the biggest incorporations, Sasuke`s name was flashing everywhere.
Sakura even heard it on the halls, where women gossiped about the onyx eyed Uchiha and his player attitude, tarnishing his name and reputation, as he was dragged in another scandal involving women.
And, unfortunately for her, Sakura was one of them. Her stupid ironic luck was the fact that she wore a mask at the Ball, hence no one would be able to recognize her on the streets.
"Have you seen that Pein`s fucking ugly face on the TV?"
Sakura nodded once to her friend, being grateful that Karin dropped the subject –for the moment- understanding that she shouldn't scrape her wounds and make them bleed again. Who didn't?
"Yeah. Somehow, they hacked every channel, took control of all the satellites, disturbed the flow of the live streaming all over the world and held that disgusting speech."
"This is very bad Cherry but I am sure you don't need me to tell you this. Lorane is moving, but this time, they decided to play funny games and come to the light, stop hiding into the shadows or behind their lap dogs."
"I know and this new approach makes me edgy. It is more difficult to deal with them if they come into the public`s attention, without risking to jeopardize our own identities."
"Has it ever crossed your mind that all this nonsense with that slut and Uchiha, might be their set up to bring him down? You can see it yourself Cherry, he hasn't left the Mangekyou in two days. They can't kill him physically, but they can erase his presence socially, by fucking up not only his private life, but his company as well?"
It did cross Sakura`s mind, because what hasn't?
First instinct was to not doubt Sasuke, she trusted him, he trusted his declaration of love, heck he proved that he loved her so many times, so she tried to conjure all the possible explanations, but when the news filled her mind with the same pictures that she also took imprinted on her retina, before she left the airport, she lost it.
Pain won the battle with her reasoning.
"This changes nothing. That Yamanaka has sought him before and Sasuke went home, probably because his father wanted to talk about the Mangekyou. It is reasonable. A merger between the Mangekyou and Yamanaka corp. is beneficent to both of them. It matches. Sasuke and Ino have returned together in Tokyo. Sasuke probably left to meet her and her family and set up their…relationship."
"Is this what your heart tells you, Cherry? Why don't you call him, meet up and demand an explanation? Hear his own version of-"
"No. There is nothing to explain. In the end, he is responsible for that company`s well-being. If this is the safest way of saving it, then I don't want to be a bother."
There was a constricting lump down her throat while she let those words fly off her mouth, but Sakura had her hands tied up. She could do nothing.
She has seen Sasuke sacrificing his sleep to rack his brain for a genius solution to save his company, and if she truly loved him –which she did- she wouldn't be an inconvenience to him.
If she loved him, she would let him go.
Karin shook her head, but said nothing because Sakura was right and she knew how her friend was.
The jade eyed agent was a straightforward independent woman who loathed the idea of getting in the others` way, just as she hated to be bothered by the others.
But she also knew that those pressed quivery syllables rolling off Sakura`s tongue, were fragments of her shattered heart, which were rolling on the floor, like rusty pearls.
And the muffled sound was eerie, sinister and melancholic.
"Have you eaten something? Anything?" Sakura would never fool Karin, no matter how much she tried to hide behind that pretty mask and that was the reason why she was there: to support her.
Karin was the first one to barge into Orochimaru`s office and give him the lecture of the century –she had Anko`s support and back for that, duh!- when she found out that Sakura has been handed that mission and she was going alone and demand to accompany her, but the serpent resembling Sound leader flat out refused, because he has sent his best Sound agent so there was no need for a whole platoon to tail behind her, because he was a man and a very narrow minded socially and emotionally retarded one.
It proved that she was right, in the end.
"Yeah, because while I was busy turning into my shishou, Tsunade-sama, another limb that I grew miraculously overnight, kept on feeding my drinking mouth, food, Karin." The emerald eyed agent spat ironically to her friend, smirking at how Karin`s eyebrows furrowed together.
Truth to be told, the Uzumaki agent kind of hoped for Sakura to have been cleansed from all the misery and the dirt in her life and reveal her gentle and sensible side in all its shining glory, but she understood Sakura`s need to be tough, even if it meant to kill the sun on her velvet sky and let the shadows carry her to the meandering paths of solitude, introvert and acid.
She didn't have to mean to be strong, she HAD to be, or else, everything she has accomplished so far, would perish along with the tattered dreams she put in the palm of Sasuke`s hand.
"No need to play it cool, honey, this is my damn job." Karin pulled herself up, running a hand through her shining crimson hair and lowered her sunglasses on the bridge of her nose, swaying her hips towards the door, smirking at her friend, who mirrored her stance. "I suppose you still like Penne alla Bolognese, isn't it?"
The first impulse that Sakura had was to storm back into the bathroom and throw up again, at the mere thought of putting anything into her mouth, because her stomach was a scorching volcano but she knew she had to force herself to eat something, plus, who else knew it better what her favorite dishes were, if not Orochimaru and Karin?
She would have loved to sulk in the misery for the rest of her days, she would have loved to never get her foot outside that hotel room or answer to any of her calls –where the heck was her phone- and she would have loved to just stop breathing, but Sakura knew she couldn't.
No matter how much was tearing her heart in two and dematerialized her spirit from her body, she HAD to get herself together and finish her mission.
It was her job, it was her duty, the world was declining, the Governments were fragile, the political scene has just welcomed new mind blowing actors, the economy was frail as a snowflake, companies were falling like domino pieces, one after another, famous rich business people were committing suicide because of bankruptcy, the CIA itself has become quite instable because of the tensions and the hidden conspiracies and underneath secrecy and spies and Lorane was gaining more and more control.
Sakura had to once again prove herself worth of her reputation.
She has ripped off half of herself and divided in two personas: one was the breakable, lonely self she left carved into the memories of Sasuke`s ones, the one that loved him dearly to her last drop of tear and the other one, was her current tenacious, resolute Athena of the Sound, wielder of the title of CIA`s currently best agent.
"Indeed. But Tiramisu is on you, bella." And God only knew that Sakura needed an entire cake of her favorite dessert, not only a spoon. Scratch that, what she truly needed was chocolate, ice cream, sad music and Sasuke by her side.
Karin grinned down at her smaller best friend, opening up the door, exiting the hotel suite, with Sakura locking the door, linking her arm with Karin`s, strolling down the long honey painted hall, like they used to back in Italy.
She couldn't have been anymore grateful to Karin, because the red haired Uzumaki has risked it all, her job included, to defy orders and come to her, all the way to Japan. "Ah, your eternal addiction!"
"Give me a break, you Caffe latte Machiato freak!"
"Pfff, it is not my poor coffee that adds to the scales, bella." Karin was a tad surprised to see that Sakura has walked past the elevator, heading to the stairs.
"Why don't we ride the elevator?"
Instantly, images of herself kicking some pervert`s ass and his bodyguards kept flooding her mind. Sakura was that kind of helpless drunkard, who, no matter how much she has poisoned her liver the previous day, she was cursed to remember all, en detail.
"The fact that I beaten the crap out of a pig who tried to hook me up in the elevator yesterday, counts as a plausible excuse to you?"
Karin merely snorted, shaking her head, not in the bit fazed. Just how many times did Sakura, she and Anko, or occasionally Tsunade, when she tagged along, punched the living daylights off the creeps who tried to woo them in clubs and bars, anyways?
Like that was something new. They even made themselves quite the reputation on the underground nigh life, in Ravenna, much to Orochimaru`s horror, who had to clean up their mess and erase their traces. But that never stopped them!
Oh, hell no!
"Nope, but nice try. You have punched a dude in the elevator? Why didn't you wait until you got off and take the chance to throw his slutty ass in the lobby and save us from the horror of sweating all the way down to the restaurant?"
"Wait, you want me to eat in the hotel`s restaurant?" Sakura crept her eyebrows up to her auburn haired friend, stopping on the stairs, making two women who were walking behind them, almost collide with their backs, but not Karin nor Sakura gave a damn about anyone else. "As in, THIS hotel`s restaurant?"
"Nope. I want us to eat in this hotel`s Casino restaurant." Was Karin insane?
Well, duh!
"You want me to eat in the same Casino where I kicked asses yesterday? Karin, are you high again?"
"Wait a sec." It was then when everything fell into places for Karin and her beautiful face suddenly got illuminated. "You didn't beat that dude in the elevator. He chased your pretty ass down the Casino, where you were probably raiding the bar and got drunk, so he tried to grope you and hook you up, so you ever so politely vented your anger on his poor unfortunate ass, isn't it? And then his bodyguards came to the rescue and you put them into their places."
"Wow Rin, your intelligence never stops to amaze me." Sakura gasped dramatically, while Karin let out a full hearted cackle, not caring about the stares she got.
Seriously, it was in the moment she has seen Sakura playing the human carpet the moment when Karin realized just how damn much has she missed Sakura and their get-togethers and girls-night-outs.
Sakura on the other hand, was busy freaking out at the idea of screwing it up for creating a fuss into the Casino. How in the world didn't the security throw her outside, was a mystery to her. "Rin, I need to hack into the hotel`s system and erase the recording from the CCTV."
"Relax. Things like this happen everytime; this is the reason why no one paid it any mind. If you pay for the damage, they will totally overlook it. That, if the dude you punched doesn't sue you."
"Like I give a damn about that. I can always call it self-defense, for he tried to feel me up under my dress."
"Yuch! Disgusting. I would have ripped his limbs for that sin." As the two agents undercover were ready to enter the fancy restaurant, standing right in front of the golden and silver painted large front doors, one of the security stopped Sakura from stepping inside.
A furious fine eyebrow rose up to the guts of that man, while Karin muttered a 'What the fuck' to the said staring menacing dude, while she felt that Sakura has yanked her hand out of her own.
"I am sorry Miss, but this is a five stars restaurant, which has a certain dress code for its customers."
Karin crossed her arms over her chest, while her full rounded breasts were ready to budge out of her silk white half opened shirt, snorting at that imbecile and his audacity to not let Sakura enter, because she didn't wear insanely expensive clothes. "No shit."
She got an angry stare from the poor dude who was only doing his job, trying to be intimidating, while said man diverted his eyes to bow respectfully and open up the door for a pair of middle age fancy people to step inside, but she whirled her head around, crimson locks splashing over her forehead, to glare daggers at the hag who muttered a totally impolite 'the standards of this place have lowered, since they allow all sorts of women of the streets to enter' wanting to punch her in the face, but instead, she winked suggestively at her husband, who was busy ogling her incredibly toned supple legs on that killer lime short skirt she wore, while her spouse slapped his nape.
And they called themselves high society…
"I will say it this one time so make sure you ram it into your brain." Sakura spoke low, dark, calm and pressed each syllable, making said man gulp once, even if she was shorter than him with two heads, not expecting that short woman to have so much confidence.
Karin mentally decided that she picked that way of talking from Sasuke, but she kept her mouth shut and let Sakura handle it.
"You will open up this fucking door," She stretched her index, pointing to the fluttering honey and silver painted glass door. "Apologize to me for being rude to the paying customers and for being as dumb as a roundworm,"
By that time, she glued her chest to that security guard`s broad one, placing a finger on his chest, tapping it, applying enough strength to let that man know that she wasn't a weakling nor a tramp. "And let me pass."
And, then, just as her voice resembled a deadly hurricane, washing away the entire coastline, her mood swung with the easiness of a skilled gifted actor, and she put up her most angelic smile, that did highlighted her obvious stunning features and hummed to him.
"Have you understood, or do you want me to spell it to you in a different language?" And heck, she knew seven of them.
"Ahm…" That man was clearly taken by surprise, much to Karin`s amusement, who had a hand plastered upon her freshly rouged magenta lips, finding it even funnier as the minutes went by, because another security guard immediately came marching towards them, seeing as his colleague had problems in handling two innocent women.
"Miss, if you do not obey, I am afraid I will be forced to take drastic measures."
"Measures you say, huh?" The rosette grinned to the said man, totally feeling her assassin blood boil in fury and a sadistic irk to rip off his throat with the kunai she had concealed into her combat boots pooled inside her furious mind.
You know how sadness works: after the tears and regret, there comes hate.
"How about you say this once again," She spoke like velvet percolating on lave, much to the gulping man`s distress –he was getting a nasty vibe from that strange woman and her gleaming with wicked intent too bright emerald golden eyes- slipping a hand into her back pocket, revealing a simple black leather wallet, opened it wide open and shove it into the security`s nose, mocking him.
"To my superiors. But this time, use more pathos and stop acting like a fucking wet street scared rat. It gives this place a bad name. "
Karin was having serious troubles into containing her hysterical laughter at the way that dude`s color drained from his face. At first, she thought that Sakura would truly throw some bucks to him and bribe him, but no.
She was in for the kill, so her friend simply showed her the CIA ID card, and the man was so scared that he needed five minutes to come into his senses, read the name and the name of the 'job' written there and next thing the two agents undercover knew, he was bowing like a fountain sweep, opening up the doors, throwing all sorts of excuses and apologies, personally instructing a man in a polished dark suit, to accompany the two ladies to the 'best table'.
"This, mia cara, was too damn priceless. Though I admit I would have punched his face instead, but that totally worked out just fine."
No, Karin wasn't a modest woman. Heck no. she was working her ass off –literarily- to be as good as she could –and she was- in her profession, so she absolutely adored the power and the fright that simple luscious CIA ID did and the doors it opened.
"I am not in the mood to deal with such a thing. Normally, I would have paid them no mind. But not today." Because, normally, she would have been busy dining with Sasuke, in God only knew what places, having fun ,being airy as a school girl and happy as a sun flower.
Normally…
She fought back the repulsive acid coming down her throat and the knot constricting her windpipe, while the journey to a faraway table, placed strategically near the window to offer a panoramic view of the city and the outdoor swimming pool, reminded her of the time she dinned with Sasuke.
Damn it, why was everything reminded her of him?
When the two menus were placed before them, Karin wasted no more time in ordering their favorite dishes and she has especially instructed the man to bring two large plates of Tiramisu.
The moment he vanished from their field of view, Karin leaned forward, placing her elbows on the table, while Sakura did the same. "When did you arrive to Tokyo?" Sakura opened up her mouth, cutting Karin off.
To make it safer and more convenient to them, Sakura and Karin had a silent agreement to converse in Italian, so as the waiters and the customers around –mostly Asian- wouldn't peek into their conversation.
Plus, it was a mutual consensus of a familiarity that the language brought between them and that made Sakura feel less abandoned and in suddenly hostile and unfamiliar environment, since Karin brought the Latin European touch and vibe with her solar presence.
"I landed to Narita International Airport at 7 a.m., this morning." Karin simply answered her, involuntarily using a formal professional language, carefully into giving Sakura all the details she wanted to know.
She smiled softly at the young waiter who brought the two ladies their coffee and for once, Sakura was thankful to Karin that she ordered something strong, with a lot of milk and whipped cream, to alleviate the effects of the hangover.
Her temples were pulsating, her mind was not working properly and she was still seeing flying dots before her eyes, but the worst part was the smell of alcohol. She reeked of liquor from a mile away, and the fact that she brushed her teeth three times and scrubbed her sensitive skin until it reddened like a tomato, did nothing to help her.
Her freaking memories were poisoned and encrusted with alcohol and…Sasuke. She shook her head, sipping from the coffee, to alleviate the thoughts of him, letting the information sink in. "It was 10 a.m. when you came into my room."
It was a statement and Karin gulped once, trying to be subtle but Sakura caught it immediately. She knew where she was going with that one… "What have you been doing for three hours?" To her surprise, the rosette was winking at her.
Was she THAT obvious? But Karin wouldn't be the woman to back off from challenges and by any means, NOTHING in the world could make her feel flustered and embarrassed. She has seen and done too many to be fazed by anything. "Do you want the long version or the short one?"
Sakura was precise that Karin has run into some kind of trouble, because that woman was a troublemaker and she was also crack nuts and that was never a GOOD combination. Especially, not in her case.
"Shock me with the short one, then I will have you sing the rest of the details, if they are not outrageous enough to make me sick again."
"Well, long story short," The red haired Uzumaki woman coiled her bright full lips around the pink straw, sipping her coffee, nonchalantly rewinding that day`s insane events. "After I landed, I went straight to the car rental that is near the Narita Airport, because you know you will never catch me dead riding cabs,"
Sakura rolled her eyes at her friend`s horrified facial expression, knowing all too well about Karin`s aversion to taxis and they usually had something to do with the fact that she has once been kidnapped and nearly rapped by a fake taxi driver, who has been a wanted criminal in disguise and the fact that almost all of them tried to flirt with her kept on nourishing her dread.
"And rented this fancy sports car. As I was driving like a good polite driver, heading to you," Meaning that she was probably speeding on the fast line, driving like a manic. "This imbecile person has crashed my car."
"This sounds totally like something that would happen to you, Rin." Sakura let out a small giggle at her friend, already feeling better hearing about Karin`s adventures in Tokyo. That woman was so cheerful, vivacious and energetic, that she always managed to lift up her mood and the things coming out of her pretty mouth were something that Sakura only found in literature.
"Don't interrupt me, damn it! And so, this total asshole crashed my car and of course, I got off, marched to him to shout into his face to get his ass out of the car and pay for the damage, but he proved to be working for the Interpol,"
At that, Sakura almost spat and chocked on her coffee. "So he detained me under the pretense of verbally abusing a police officer, shoved me into the backseat of his car and drove to the Tokyo Police station. Then he not so gently dragged me to the interrogation room, demanding to know who I was. And, like the good civilian that I am, used a pin to free my hands, tied him off the chair, and told him I work for the CIA then we fucked like animals on the table, with those cretins from Akatsuki watching us through the tinted window."
Karin finished smoothly, flipping her auburn hair off her shoulder, finishing her coffee just in time to make place for the two waiters who came round the table to place the delicious smelling pasta before their eyes, thanking them, while Sakura was busy gasping like a fish out of the tank, blinking rapidly, not comprehending what she was hearing.
"Wha…WHAT?! Holly macaroni, Karin are you out of your mind?!" It took a lot of self-practiced control to not shout at her friend, because, seriously, Karin was…she didn't have words to describe her. What her friend has just disclosed to her was completely ridiculous.
"Are we here to state the obvious, or listen to my story? Want the detailed version of it?" She even winked at an astonished Sakura, who even managed to stop thinking of the damn hangover and Sasuke Uchiha, being too shocked to hear what Karin has just told her.
Was that the smell of mozzarella and hot pasta invading her nostrils? Emerald orbs widened at the huge plate of her favorite pasta leaving her mouth salivating.
Even her eyes were salivating. She shoved the fork inside, not giving a flying fuck about the manners, stuffing her face, while Karin was looking at her…with THAT stare.
"Oh, heck no, thank you, I already have enough reasons to be traumatized for life. Wait a minute,"
Truth to be told, another very disturbing thought crossed Sakura`s mind, but she had to be sure and it all started with the word 'Akatsuki' triggering something own her alertness. "What was the NAME of this Interpol dude you have…become very personal with?
Ok, time to reveal the skeleton in the closet, Karin inwardly sighed, knowing that what was about to be disclosed, will not be something that would be on Sakura`s liking, but she would never hide something like that from her.
"Hōzuki Suigetsu or something funny like that." It was in that exact moment when Sakura spit the past straight on the pure white tablecloth, while her poor mind couldn't take the amount of ridiculous information.
"Smooth." Was Karin`s reply, who was enjoying her past, totally unfazed. Truth to be told, she expected a worse reaction from Sakura.
Yes, she knew it all too well that the guy she fucked was Sasuke`s best friend, Suigetsu, but damn…there was just something in the way his eyes were gleaming that was making Karin…notice him and actually take her time to study him better.
He was intriguing, playful, straightforward, not too gentle, but not too vulgar either and that attracted her.
Plus, Sakura has told her about him liking red haired women –heck, he even confessed that to her, while he was busy doing her- and she found it funny how they met and it was not Sakura the one to introduce them.
"So let me get this straight," Sakura was half screaming, half whispering to her friend, ignoring the disgusted glares she got, using her napkin to brush off the leftovers of the sauce off her lips, eying her friend with an indecipherable expression waltzing on her face.
"You crashed the car of a police officer, then he detained you and brought you to the Tokyo Police Force, then you had sex into the interrogation room and that person just happens to be Uchiha fucking Sasuke`s best friend?! And…did you say something about Akatsuki being present?" What the heck happened to the world in the two days she was dead to the world?
Seriously, she fought the urge to storm up to her room and stroll through the messages of her inbox, because some really deep shit was going on around and she wasn't aware of it.
"Don't make that face, because I had no idea of who he was when he not so politely escorted me to the station and yes, I know that normal police officers show their ID cards first, but I just wanted to take the motherfucker for embarrassing me in the middle of the street and then come to you. I have been late because I was busy laughing at my retarded younger cousin Naruto and that Ten Ten slut for their dropped jaws when we came out of the room, sweaty and satisfied. Then I came here. Simple as that."
"Simple? Rin, this is not simple, this is a DISASTER! Sasuke doesn't know that Suigetsu works for the Interpol!"
"I can imagine that." Really, it didn't take a genius to deduce that Hozuki was keeping his secret identity undercover, but it was funny how everyone was deceiving Sasuke and he basically knew nothing about the closest to him people.
That big ass cheater and the total player, was being played big times by everyone and he was so oblivious to all of that.
And that made Karin laugh inside like a loon. How ironical. And the Uchiha actually deluded himself into thinking that he was the one in control.
The top dog, when in reality, he lived in such a fake world, no wonder that he was deceiving as well. She was willing to give him a chance to prove himself, since he was making Sakura happy, but he lost all the respect and credibility in the moment he broke her.
"Really Cherry, relax, it is not like we are married or something. Besides, he even landed me his own car to drive here, but of course, I left it in front of Hilton hotel, which is two streets far from here, so I won't disclose your location."
"Karin…you do realize that he most certainly put a secret GPS inside, right?"
"Duh, what kind of agent do you think I am? I jammed the signal. Plus, that smartass arrogant sharky boy has slipped one into my bra, when he thought I wasn't paying attention to him,"
Because he was busy thrusting inside her from the behind, but Sakura seriously didn't need to hear that particular detail, "but I put it on a stray dog before driving to you so now I assume that he chases a hoard of dogs, down the dark side alleys."
Sakura actually laughed at her friend, but it was kind of sinister and forced. Her voice was still cracked from all the crying. "You my sister…are crazy. I can't even…this is a mess Rin. A total mess. Now they know you are here."
"So what? Are you worried about Oro? Do you really think that he doesn't know I am here? As if. That man knows the location of each bug on this planet, but he conveniently ignores it, just like he does now."
"Rin, Papa hasn't demanded your head yet because he is busy with other more important stuff. It is not the fact that I am not grateful to you that you are here, but I don't want to give him anymore troubles, because he already has enough."
"Cherry, the fact that Akatsuki can't handle their own shit and find a spy among them, doesn't mean that is Oro`s fault. Or ours."
"Don't be unreasonable Rin, this also concerns us. If there is a spy working against the CIA, then it is all of us problem, hence we must respond. Itachi is doing his best and so does Papa and Tsunade-shishou."
"Spy? Do you think there is a single one?" Karin challenged and Sakura shook her head, confirming her suspicion.
Of course there wasn't just one single person, diverting their attention, while scheming and plotting behind their backs. It was stupid to venture into thinking like that, because it took a lot of fine skill and experience to trick Akatsuki.
"Of course not. My suspicion is that they all work for Lorane, but unlike what the Akatsuki think, my guesses are that they are spread all over the CIA, starting with the top."
At that, Karin`s wine orbs went slightly wide, because Sakura was making some very grave affirmations, but she was not the type to spurt careless crazy things out of her mouth if she didn't have solid grounds. "Do you suspect the Head of the CIA to be involved?"
"Who else could orchestrate such a robbery, without leaving any trace and have all the passcodes and the exact map of Akatsuki`s secret weapons base, as well as Papa Oro`s most hidden classified files about past crazy experiments, if not the man who pulls all the strings and filters all the information in the CIA, namely the Head? Think about it."
Yes, Sakura knew what she was talking about and she was ready to confront her suspicion with Orochimaru` s logic, but for some unknown reason, she lost the signal with the Sound`s HQ in Ravenna, in the moment Pein popped on all the screens, then she only got his voice message.
So far, the Otokage of the Sound NEVER ignored Sakura`s calls. Not even when he was buried under a mass of files did he not answer his phone or pager.
Never. But she also knew that there was also a badly synchronized crucial even going on right when the two of them were chattering, namely the world`s famous G20 Summit, consisting in the governments and central bank governors from 20 major economies, including the EU and, that year, it was taking place in Évian, France.
Practically, the most prominent world leaders would be present there and CIA was facing with the threat of Lorane, knocking on their door, because the security was insane there.
There were no less than 200 CIA, FBI and Interpol agents dispatched, grouped in platoons and spread all around the French city, from the airport to the building conference, covering the entire area.
Uchiha Itachi himself was among the elite platoons, which were securing the huge conference room, where the summit would take place, in the span of three days, as well as Tobirama.
Basically, they all knew that those important people being amassed in a single place, was making Lorane`s job too easy. Everything could go downhill from there, if something bad happened during the event.
Something inside Sakura`s spinning mind was telling her that it was indeed, an opportunity that won't escape Lorane.
It was a chance in a lifetime to get rid of all the heads of the Governments and grasp the sovereignty of the most prominent world countries, not to mention economies and banks.
So Sakura could quite understand Orochimaru`s choice of diverting his attention to the Summit, instead focusing on a sole heir, be it Uchiha or not and a tremendous role was hers, because Orochimaru trusted that his favorite Cherry blossom would flawlessly do her job and protect him.
Unfortunately, she had two days of flaw during which anything could have happened, even though Karin was keeping an eye on him, but what could she have done better than Sakura, except from alerting the Akatsuki gang in Tokyo?
"True, but don't forget, for the body to properly function, besides the head, limbs are also required. It is an entire intricate net and sadly, there are too many agents working for the CIA to tell the spies apart from the rest of the agents."
"Rin, I am adamant into stating that us, the Sound, don't have any spies among us. But I am not in the position to testify for the others, Akatsuki included, even though Papa Oro has been robbed as well."
"Those classified documents that are missing from your Papa`s office, were something that only him, Tsunade and the Head of the CIA know about, right?"
There was something that was constantly screaming and begging for Karin to turn her head around and give that tiny voice at the back of her sharp mind attention, but somehow, she was deaf to it.
Something wasn't right and didn't fall into places, but the red haired agent simply couldn't put her finger on it and sadly enough, Sakura couldn't either, though there were similar thoughts flooding her mind as well.
"Yeah, this is what Papa and Shishou told me, but I am afraid that things are much more complicated. Somehow, the information leaked to someone else and this is not all. I think that they are hiding the most crucial details from us, because I cannot stop the feeling that it has something to do with Sasuke`s LSD experience."
"What are you talking about, Cherry?"
"Think about it Rin. What if someone stole the information about those experiments from Papa, disclosed it to Lorane and then they tried to test it on Sasuke, because he has a record of doing drugs when younger?"
Sakura couldn't help it, it was sending constant alarming bells down her head. SOMEONE was there, knowing every single detail about the entire agency and the people related to the CIA –past and present- and there was nothing else that she couldn`t think about, beside the Head of the organization or the people from his Staff.
They knew when to strike, how and where, and that was definitely not a coincidence, but there were too many offices and people who could be a suspect.
"Then it also mean that there has to be someone who is close to Sasuke, or at least, gives off the impression that is close to Sasuke and is able to access his database and have such information, but I don't get it Cherry, why do you insist that Oro`s experiments have something to do with Sasuke? I have personally tried LSD in my trainee days and I know the symptoms. They are almost the same to anyone."
"You don't understand it Rin, I also know how people who have LSD trips act, but I also know that Tsunade-shishou hasn't lied to me and those were not regular symptoms. Those patients weren't just crack nuts, cara mia, they were acting entirely like different people! And so was Sasuke. I have seen his office walls myself Rin and Lorane even managed to trick me and erase everything because, miraculously, they knew about what happened to him, God only knows how. There were advanced formulas that you won't get from any library in the world!"
Even the most advanced book that she has found in an ancient geometry book, kept as a secret by Vatican, that CIA managed to get a copy of it, wasn't that detailed as Sasuke's formulas.
She couldn't decipher the hieroglyphs entirely and neither did Orochimaru, who has managed to translate thirty percent of the formulas, into modern equations, using complicated programs of astronomy, physics and advanced arithmetic and geometry.
"Sasuke doesn't know freaking hieroglyphs Rin, of that I am sure, yet he redecorated his office walls entirely! I haven't seen something scarier in my whole life."
"Don't try to convince me of the fact that Uchiha is having an outer body experience, because this is absurd. I know about Oro`s experiment, but that was a huge failure hence it has been jeopardized and let to fall among the rusty shelves of the CIA`s Archives. Those people were simply nuts and under the influence of heavy drugs. Of course they were starting to act like Napoleon, or King Arthur or Batman."
"Yeah, true, but then explain it to me how was that dude who was impersonating Napoleon himself, able to draw a detailed map of one of his most famous fights, that you won't find in any of the history books or records?"
"If you cannot find it anywhere, then how do you know it is original and not something his insane drugged mind has made up?"
It was a smart question that Karin has thrown and Sakura asked Tsunade the very same thing, because, surely enough, the wine eyed woman had all the rights to doubt Sakura`s words, but a small smirk grew on her friend`s lips.
"Because after he told them where one of his most trusted men was buried, he told them about every single hidden rooms into his home and also, he disclosed that he has drawn his last battle plan for his successors to see, while being exiled on Elba, but no one has discovered it until then, because he buried the bamboo papyrus he made with the supplies he had at his disposal and buried it into a bottle and under a certain palm tree, for it to not be damaged by wild animals or time. Only CIA has access to that map and it is placed under maximum security and hidden somewhere that only Papa and the Head know, not even Tsunade-shishou, because no one is to see that, either ways, this world is as good as over."
Sakura was basically breathing the words to Karin, while her friend looked ready to catch flies on her spread opened wide mouth.
What was Sakura telling her, was supposed to be a secret, but Karin was a Sound sister and she sworn secrecy, with her life. "Shit, Cherry, this is too fucked up."
"I know, this is what worries me. But now everything is twice as complicated, since I am not able to stand beside…him and dig into the story more to find a connection. The missing link. Something to lead me towards the light and make it all clear."
There was a sudden sadness washing through Sakura`s whispering voice and her jade orbs averted into her half empty plate when the realization that she won't be able to live with Sasuke, sleep into his arms and wake up with the serenity of his face gracing her view, slapped her cheek.
"All I can do now, is make sure that he stays safe. I cannot say the same about his company. Business is not my domain, but I trust him."
"What are you going to do next Cherry? I will help you with all I can but I must know what you have on mind."
"Nothing else than what I have done so far…as an agent. I will keep an eye on him, while I will help Papa and the Akatsuki. I will try to personally track Lorane`s steps, following the prints of the weak signal we managed to catch on the satellite, from Shiseido Ginza, our mountain trip and now this live broadcasting. Plus, I don't know if I told you Rin, but I have managed or at least, I think I managed to connect the missing dots from their previous stunt and they all lead to this certain area in Egypt, near the Grand Pyramids."
"Where the last massive attack was, where more CIA agents have been brutally murdered? This is no coincidence, someone has planned it carefully and caught us out of guard."
"I know. Plus…there is also something you must know and it involves Sasuke again." God, it hurt her tongue to roll his name, but Sakura found herself quite engulfed into the conversation with her friend, plus it was easier to put the pieces together if Karin was beside her, because the Uzumaki woman`s instincts and reason were flawless ad she knew more than the Akatsuki gang.
Some were secret information that belonged to the Sound, and she couldn't simply disclose them to Naruto or Suigetsu. "There is…I keep on feeling that he is much more than just a business man Rin, but I don't know what to make from this."
"What do you mean by more than a businessman? And a total player, don't forget this because it is important."
And by that, Karin wasn't simply referring to his passion of collecting hearts, breaking them and then feeding white sharks, but she smartly pin pointed of the fact that he came in contact to many people.
"Rin, I am pretty sure that Sasuke was the one to kill the two Lorane lap dogs that robbed his home and this is the reason why the special agent that Akatsuki has sent to investigate and help with the research, found nothing."
Karin already started to have troubles in following her friend, because those were serious accusations and one couldn't simply put those horrible crime –they went through all the CIA`s offices- past a certain someone, without solid evidence, especially after the culprit simply erased all the traces.
"What did they rob him off exactly?"
"I don't know it for sure, but I think there were the formulas he has copied down from the walls among his other things."
"You have no proof of that."
"You are right, I don't, but my instincts tell me it was HIM the one who did it. At least, I am pretty sure he has the ability to do it."
"You do realize that they were Lorane`s henchmen, right?" Both Karin knew that Lorane only trained the best of the best, in terms of handling weapons, fighting and brain, so her friend let Sakura know that one had to possess astonishing skills to outsmart them and take them all alone, and the jade eyed woman knew it as well.
"I know, but I have also seen him fight. Rin, I am going to be honest with you. If I were to engage Sasuke into a hand-to-hand combat now,"
Dead serious chartreuse orbs crashed with widened auburn ones. "I will lose. Badly. And not only that, but his aim is more accurate than mine. There are four people that I have seen in my life to shot like him and they are Naruto, his brother Itachi, Tobirama and papa Oro."
"No fucking way! Is he that good?"
Karin felt her temples burn. That was utterly ridiculous. They were not talking about amateurs or people who were practicing karate on their spare time.
Sakura was talking about insane fine skills and years of practice, because the aforementioned people were topping the all times CIA charts, each being a master and a jewel in their expertise.
To think that a single man was embodying all those qualities was ridiculous, but then again, Sakura wouldn't lie about such a thing.
The rosette will never forget the way Sasuke defended them from the bikers, when they had their short trip to the mountains.
"Good? That is hardly something that would come close to how fucking amazing he is. Those moves Rin…I myself have troubles in performing those mind blowing kicks, but he did it so naturally…like he has been doing it for years-"
A sudden striking thought has surged through bot Karin and Sakura`s minds, as they allowed themselves the necessary time for the craziness to sink in. "Holly damn…" Karin cursed softly, speaking no louder than a whisper.
"You don't think that-"
"No. No, never! This is ridiculous, Rin, c`mon, this is too unlikely to be taking into account, even by people like us."
"No, admit it Cherry, the same fucking thought is crossing through your mind as well, and don't deny it because I can see it in your own eyes!"
No, Karin would not let something like that pass, even if Sakura was the one to be in denial, but that was because she was emotionally attached.
"Rin," The rosette felt the entire space constrict and she placed a hand down her forehead, letting her emerald orbs squeeze shut. "Sasuke Uchiha….is not working for Lorane." She absolutely refused to think of something like that.
"He is not using us to get into our system and steal the information. No way, I would have realized it by now. His friends would have, remember, they are Akatsuki and the Interpol we are talking about-"
"Well duh! And all of them are swarming around him like buzzes, basically serving him the information he need! Cherry, this guy has the Sound, namely you, the Akatsuki, by befriending Naruto, Hyuga and Ten Ten and the Interpol, by being buddies with Suigetsu Hozuki, wrapped around his finger, while he plays this genius boring business man! He played everyone, Cherry! The Lorane has faked everything and they did it so freaking masterfully that he pulverized all our guards!"
"Stop it, please I-"
"No! Cherry, this is huge, you have to get a hold of yourself before he does more damage-"
"No!" Sakura shot up to her seat, making her chair fall backwards with a loud thud, attracting all the eyes on her, but her emerald orbs went more intense and scorching than the sun itself. "I will not believe it! This is ridiculous, don't put something like that into my damn mind!"
"Per l'amor di Dio, Cherry, calm your tits and sit the fuck down." Karin hissed at a totally dumbfounded enraged emerald eyed friend of hers, seeing that her small outburst of shooting up and planting her hands down the table, making the cutlery and the glasses quiver hasn't been well received by the other customers, plus they already created havoc at the entrance, but she was also that kind of forthright woman, who didn't like to take the long way, abruptly letting her honest thoughts slant down her tongue.
She did, grabbing the fork and the knife and gripping them like she was refraining from throwing them at her friend, gritting her teeth, narrowing her jade orbs to slits.
"Then don't say such shit and stir me up. Yes, Sasuke has a dark past that no one is aware of and yes, I can't find his record from that period in any CIA database, but I suspect that he used his connections to erase his drugs trips because he has been in some rehab and cleansed himself, before coming back to take over his father`s company. If it leaks into the media that the Mangekyou's CEO used to be a drugs addict and a gangster, imagine what it would do to the prestige of the company. Don't be stupid, this is not a child`s play."
"Forget it, Cherry. Something is fishy here and deep down, you know I am right even if you try to deny it because you have feelings for him, but for your sake and because I love you, I will drop the subject."
With that, Karin resumed her eating, while Sakura…simply let her darkened forest green orbs stroll to the window, looking at the rushing cars and wandering people, her mind fogged.
What if Karin has been right?
What if her guts –that never fooled her so far- were right?
What if Sasuke…
No.
Never. He had too many alibis playing in his favor, Sasuke wasn't part of the Lorane, no way.
But then again, a tiny part of her couldn't help but take Karin`s wild guess into account, because there were indeed many details that seemed to lead in that direction…
Then another thought hit her. She whipped her head over her shoulder, taking Karin by surprise, with her light caramel locks scattering over her forehead, emerald orbs illuminated with an iridescent golden beam, like she has just discovered another formula for the expansion of the universe.
"Rin, what have you told me earlier about it being someone from Sasuke`s entourage, the one who could be one of the spies that knows every single move he does?"
Karin shot a fine eyebrow up at her, sipping from her sparkling mineral water, letting her mind rewind their earlier conversation.
"I told you that if Lorane has such sensitive information about Sasuke, then it must be who is close to him, or at least, it appears to be close enough to him, in order to be able to access his hidden files. The ones that you don't have access too."
"Who could this person be? Or…whatever…people? Because I hardly doubt is just one single person behind these machinations."
"Are we counting his closest friends out?" Karin has seen and experienced many during her career as a secret agent, and it wouldn't be the first and definitely not the last time when she saw friends stabbing each other`s backs.
Heck, she even saw family members taking each other`s throats, without remorse, and she never trusted the Akatsuki, so she wouldn't exclude Naruto, Ten Ten, Neji Hyuga or that Suigetsu piece of meat yet.
"Definitely, yes. They aren't working for the Lorane, they have all been injured by them and almost in the verge of death, plus, they were with me at Shiseido Ginza and Suigetsu helped us out a lot lately. Of that I am sure. I asked Papa Oro to check for their record in his database and they are clean."
"Family members?"
It was Sakura`s turn to snort at that, as they made a short pause in their speech, to welcome the dessert, immediately emerald orbs turned in the shape of hearts, upon seeing the mouthwatering dessert.
"Pfff, yeah sure, I am positive that Mikoto-san is a Lorane assassin undercover and has tricked us all with her angelic smile. And Fugaku is a dog that barks, but doesn't bite. I checked on all of them and found nothing suspicious."
"What about Uchiha Itachi? He was the one to run away from home and join the CIA. He has the traits."
"Nah, he is one of the most devoted people, plus he wouldn't have been able to go unnoticed or hide something from Papa. It is not his family, either."
"Then who? His ex-sluts?"
Sakura mentally cringed at that thought, because no matter how much she tried to get engulfed and overwhelmed by her work, she couldn't get past the scars he left.
Those incredible steaming moments together were getting to her, knocking at the gates of her chest, to coax her into opening them up and let them get to her heart, where they belonged. She already missed him like crazy, she was going insane with every passing moment.
And Karin noticed the short stiffen of her shoulders and the way she dug the fork too dip into the Tiramisu cake, hitting the plate instead.
"Yeah, sure, now we only have to check on half of the damn female population and see who has a Lorane tattoo and likes to play the villain in disguise. Get serious Rin, Sasuke never stayed more than a week with a woman, he just fooled around with them, that`s all."
He also tricked me…
"Plus, you saw them. They were all actress, rich women from his social circle, family friends, singers, models, you name it."
Karin bit the inside of her check to prevent a 'you' to escape her lips, seeing how much was Sakura fighting with her inner self, for the battle of sanity. Of course she was talking to her about Lorane, since it was the only grave topic she had beside Sasuke, able to make her thoughts drift away and she felt so sorry for her friend. When Sakura seemed to have found happiness, it has been stolen away from her.
"So, who is it then? Because Cherry, you do realize that whoever that or those people are, they are good in deceiving and playing us all. Usually, it is the one you least expect it. The most innocent lamb. Or the dumber. This is why I am thinking about my cousin, Naruto."
"Get over that hate of yours, mia sorella, because Naruto is a good guy and he is a good friend. It`s not his friends and definitely not Naruto. My suspicion is that is someone who has been squirming around him recently-"
Viridian orbs widened in the same manner as Karin`s blood wine ones shot open like plates, both telepathically reaching the very same conclusion, a bulb in their brains turning on and both letting out a silent mirrored scream. "Yamanaka!"
"Holly shit! Yamanaka Inoichi`s company is among the few ones, beside Lorane`s, who doesn't seem to be affected by this soon to be economy crises, in fact, the value of their stocks have grown with 23% in the last five days and they are a serious threat to the Mangekyou, who lost 6% in the last week!"
No one who wasn't close to Karin was aware of the fact that the sultry CIA seductress was in fact, brilliant in economy and she has kept a close eye on the stocks markets all around the globe, as her resourceful astute mind absorbed every single information like a sponge, putting the pieces together, so she had no trouble in following the fulminant growth of the Yamanaka Inc. on the market.
"I know for a fact that Inoichi has personally sought Sasuke two weeks ago, at his company to propose a merger, but Sasuke flat out refused him because he said that his company would be in real disadvantage, even though Yamanaka stated that they would be equals. But Rin, if Sasuke refused his offer, then what other subtle method would Inoichi have to corner the heir of the Mangekyou into- oh, my GOD!"
"Exactly."
"His daughter! Ino Yamanaka…that slut!" Comprehension has awaken into Sakura`s mind, as that blonde`s face has popped up inside her mind, and, trying her best to ignore the scene of Ino kissing Sasuke, that was sticking to her retina like a photograph that she won't forget, Sakura slowly let the puzzles fall into places. "His father is using her to set Sasuke up. This is what you want to say, right, Rin?"
"I am not a hundred percent sure, bella, but I won't exclude this possibility. The fact that Sasuke is looking for a desperate fortunate merger to save his company doesn't mean we shall show clemency to his slutty attitude, but there is a heavy possibility of him being use, without realizing it."
"This is exactly the thing that doesn't click inside my head, mia amica. If you would know Sasuke," Like Sakura did –or at least, she thought she did- and that was making her even more puzzled, because if the jade eyed agent carried on with her guesses, she would get to the same point where she and Karin started arguing, realizing that maybe…just maybe there was a faint chance for her auburn friend to have been right.
"You would know immediately that he is not the man to be played by the others. Sasuke will predict your next ten steps accurately, even before you would be aware of it yourself."
Of course, her brisk friend hasn't shown amnesty to Sakura`s slip and her pointed it right away. "And this brings us one step closer to my first predicament, Cherry. Sasuke is working hand in hand with Lorane, just like Inoichi and that harlot. Although, my guesses are that the oblivious puppet who is in the shadow, in that equation, is Ino Yamanaka. She, is the one that doesn't know she is being used."
"This is even more unlikely than your first impulse, Rin."
"It's your mission, Cherry, so I will stay out of it. But you now know my opinion." Karin turned around to call for the waiter, not wanting to keep on arguing with Sakura, since she knew that, no matter how much she tried, her friend couldn't get completely detached and see the things more objectively, since she was involved on a more personal level.
Since Sakura loved Sasuke like she did, she would never doubt him, but for Karin, it made perfect sense.
"I will keep a close eye on Inoichi because I am sure we have found something that could lead us to Lorane. Where are you going?"
"Where are WE going, mia sorella, because like hell I am leaving you spend one more second dressed in those…rags. Seriously Cherry, to think that you are forbidden to enter restaurants because of your clothes…this is a sin."
Sakura rolled her eyes at her friend, smiling nonetheless, while Karin paid for the bill, true to her word, strolling to the exit, flatly refusing to take Suigetsu`s car, because she missed the days when she and Karin would venture to the crowded jolly streets, slipping past the people and going into every single shop they wanted.
"Rin, I think I should have gone upstairs and take my phone. Maybe Papa has tried to contact me and I wasn't there to answer."
"Just relax, if something would have happened he would have found another way to get to you. He hasn't contacted me either."
"Yeah, because he is busy working on your punishment. I think that this time, sister, he is going to send you to Siberia. For real."
"Don't even say that! They don't have a single mall in there, or a hair salon!" Sakura threw her head back and laughed at her friend, while snatching the phone out of her hands, to see the GPS signal showing Sasuke`s location, and, indeed, he was trapped somewhere on the third floor, in what looked like a giant conference room, probably being in the middle of a meeting, because there seemed to be more people around him.
"I told you, he is still there, probably plotting world domination, along with that blonde Yamanaka freak."
"Rin…"
"Ok, ok, Jeez, no need to glare at me like that. Is it something you have picked on from him among…other things?" Seriously, no matter how much Sakura loved Karin, the way she blazed lasers from her narrowed emerald orbs, let Karin know that her friend was ready to rip off her throat for that statement.
"But seriously, Cherry, aren't you going to…I dunno….talk to him? You really plan on not seeing him again? You can't just…vanish from his sight like that. If he is so resourceful, he would try to locate you and let`s face it, it is not that difficult to come to you. Sure, you did well in choosing a top hotel, since it is probably the last place he would seek for you, but sooner or later, he WILL find you." It was not that Karin tried to scare her friend, but it didn't sit right to her, the way Sakura simply run away, disappearing without a trace, not even if she has confessed that the onyx eyed Uchiha has told her some very personal secrets.
If Sasuke worked for the Lorane, like Karin suspected, then the one to be in danger, ironically enough, by a twisted reverse of the ridiculous situation, was Sakura and not the man she had to keep an eye of.
What if that was the plan from the very beginning and somehow, someone has fooled Orochimaru into sending his best agent and the most dangerous assassin, who was a pain in the ass for the Lorane, straight into the cluster of the enemy, so as to weaken their striking power?
It was a thought that Karin just couldn't brush away and she suddenly felt lucky to have met Suigetsu, because if that Interpol hot officer was a close friend, then she could get some more information and have a more solid ground for her affirmations.
.
.
.
::Tokyo, Japan, Mangekyou`s HQ, C.E.O Office::
Sasuke felt like every fiber of his brain was on the verge of collapsing and part of it was because of the zombie pale eyed man before him, who seemed to be trapped and lost in a world full of colors, harmonies and unicorns, being more like death than alive.
The Mangekyou's CEO fought against the impulse of throwing his tablet on his head to make him snap out of his imbecile stupor. He didn't have time for that, nor the patience. "Hyuga, for fuck`s sake, stop wasting my goddamn time and focus."
"What do you think I have been doing for the past few days? Plucking daisies? Drawing my own Manga?"
"Being sarcastic won`t bring the shareholders back, but it might help you lose the few ones you have left." Sasuke was slowly and surely losing it for real and Neji wasn't helping.
Two days. For two fucking days he has been committed as a prisoner in his own damn company –the one he wished to burn down from the very foundation- working nonstop, without resting his eyes for a single minute, working on caffeine just like the Hyuga- trying his best to get Sakura out of her mind.
Those eyes…green green eyes full of pain were crucified inside his mind, haunting and plaguing him, like a constant torture. For two days he tried to reach her in vain, she was gone from that world. "Check this out." Sasuke threw a file at Neji who didn't even bother to dodge it.
"What the hell is this?" For two days, Neji has been Sasuke's companion, in challenging the world`s record for the most workaholic men alive, racking his brain for a solution to save his company, without success.
Tons of torturous business meetings, full of greedy merciless men who wanted to skin him alive and banks which were demanding their money back, all leading to his downfall.
"Latest statistics from Saudi Arabia? Why would I be interested in the Saudi Arabia`s local market? It is not like I am going to invest in there."
"No, of course you will not make any investment there." Sasuke told him simply, drinking from his coffee, blinking rapidly to fight back the dancing luminous dots dancing under his eyelids, feeling his temples explode.
It was a miracle that they were still standing, let alone brainstorming. "You are going to move your HQ in there." The man with the onyx entrapped in his eyes told Neji casually, while the said Hyuga descendant almost choked on his energy drink.
"What?! Have you lost your mind, Sasuke?!"
"As much as I would like us to debate my mental sanity, Hyuga, you are still bound to take your toys and move your business to a country where the corporation taxes are zero. And if you don't like Saudi Arabia, which is what I would personally recommend, then you can always chose between Sark, Normandy, or Kuwait. The corporation taxes there are also zero for the foreign investors."
"This is fucked up. I can't just put a lock on our factory in New York and move to…" He threw a glance to the list of the lowest corporation taxes in the world, shaking his head in disbelief. Sasuke couldn't possibly be talking serious, could he? Maybe he truly lost his brilliant mind and went insane. "I have no idea where half of these cities are."
"The let the Uchiha corp. buy sixty percent of your remaining shares and save you from bankruptcy, but after I pay your debts, you will practically be swallowed by the Mangekyou and disappear from the stocks market. We are going to control the Byakugan entirely, which is a scenario that I presume you don't want to imagine for the future of your business, Hyuga."
As far as Sasuke was concerned, he had no idea what was so hard for Neji to understand. That Hyuga who should get his hair pruned already, or at least, go home and get a damn shower, was worse than Naruto in terms of grasping simple concepts.
At least, they made sense to him. Neji looked even more lost than two days ago when he stepped into his office, looking as bad as in that moment.
"Stop bragging, you don't have that much money to merge with a company that is already in insolvency. I have seen the statistics of the stock's price fluctuations. Your shares have lowered by 6% in three days. I don't know how you managed to keep their value so high in comparison to the other rivals, but whatever you do, is not going to keep your company run on the long term."
Sasuke brought his fish under his chin, looking to the pad before him, leaning further into his leather chair to stun the Hyuga once more, with his next line. "I kept on pumping money into the Mangekyou's stocks from one of my private bank accounts from Switzerland."
Neji dropped his jaw in shock, not even bothering to maintain any tranquil collected façade, since he and Sasuke have been friends for a long time ago, and in a very delicate situation.
They weren't talking about some cash there, they were talking about huge amounts of money. "Now stop catching flies and cooperate. It has been two days since I am pulling night standers to solve this mess." He threw the tab to his friend, hitting him square in his face, the Hyuga barely catching it and that time, it hurt.
"Are you nuts?! We are talking about a ridiculous sum of money here, you don't have this much, do you?"
"Apparently I do, but just like you have just said, it is only a desperate temporary solution that I could come up with."
"Well unlike you, I don't have so much money and three of my main shareholders have left. I lost five major contracts in Europe, China and Argentina and now I have four banks demanding for my head, expecting me to pay the debts."
Was that Uchiha so damn insane, or simply trolling him? Sasuke wasn't that rich and Neji was positive about it.
Yes, was there, fighting for the top of the Forbes list of billionaires, but heck, not even he could sustain an international mammoth company like the Mangekyou, for so long, in the top of the stocks market, by simply syphoning it with his own money and still be so rich. That was mind blowing.
It was simply impossible. Yet…there wasn't any fragment of hesitation in Sasuke`s eyes, nor any sign that he wasn't being serious.
"Then I would suggest you call your girlfriend and have her pack your stuff. Hurry up, the next plane to Riyadh takes off from Narita in three hours. I suggest you take sun screen lotion and cotton breathable clothes, until you get used to the climate."
"Is this funny to you?"
"What?" The Uchiha actually smirked at him as Neji felt the urge to splash his drink all over his arrogant smartass figure. "Have you chosen Normandy instead?"
"Fuck you, Sasuke! And fuck this economic shit!" He threw the pen on Sasuke`s office desk, but the Uchiha didn't even flinch, simply watching and studying ever reaction of Neji and see how a person lost his mind, step by step.
Because Neji was on the verge of insanity, it was just so visible. And that somehow, amused Sasuke. Maybe because he was looking like functioning on pills too. "I absolutely run out of any ideas. My family is moving to our home in Monte Carlo. They are leaving in two days with my uncle`s private jet."
He was serious, dejected and for the first time since they have first met, looking like on the verge of giving up and simply watching his precious ship sink.
Sasuke felt sorry for Neji, he looked even more horrible, he hasn't showered in a week, he was sweaty, smelly, his white shirt was somewhat a darker shade, three button unbuttoned, messy loose hair soaked in clay, huge purple bags under his lilac bloodshot eyes, he hasn't eaten in two days, he only drunk working on coffee –that Sasuke bought for him because money was not exactly Neji`s forte then- he hasn't left the Mangekyou and the shareholders almost eaten him alive if not for the Uchiha to back him up, silencing them, but he risked his own reputation and credibility, plus, Sasuke was still affected by the stunt from the Charity Ball and even if the money have miraculously appeared on the bank account, invoking a crack in the system, people were still whispering that Sasuke used the company`s money to cover for the loss, but it was gossip since they had no solid evidence, because Mangekyou's financial report hasn't shown any major loss, on the contrary, they were among the most stable on the market, so he was legally covered.
Neji thanked all the heavens for his savings and no one but his friends knew that he was living on his CIA salary.
"Do you need me to do anything?"
"No, thanks. Uncle Hiashi has already prepared everything. But I am here to deal with the Byakugan in his place." Not many knew that Hiashi was only the CEO honorific, because Neji was handling the corporation.
Sasuke knew as well that Hiashi was cardiac and had two infarcts. A third one would be lethal, so his family was moving far away from the stress and the pressure of the media, for his own good.
"Then don't lose your head now, Hyuga. Many depend on you." Just like they depended on the Mangekyou.
Plus, both have seen that character Nagato popping up on the TV and buying forty percent of the stocks, but he stood away from the Mangekyou and Sasuke knew it was not a coincidence, basically, someone wanted to take monopoly and hence, bury Sasuke`s rivals and form a coalition against him and he would be alone in front of a super corporation.
"Who is that fucker anyways? Where did he come from/? And where does he have those money from? Drugs? Prostitution? Weapons? Black market?"
"Probably all of the aforementioned. Remember, we don't actually know who has the majority of the stocks in the companies we trade with. There is no transparency in this field anymore."
"True. He didn't buy any of your stocks, but almost all of your main competitors` ones. He is clearly targeting you, Sasuke."
"I know. But I have taken countermeasures if it comes to that point where I would be forced to sell or trade with him, which is something that is unavoidable, seeing how things are rapidly degenerating."
"What countermeasures?"
"I will personally throw the Mangekyou into a virtual insolvency, so that he won`t get his hands on this corporation, or any Uchiha Inc."
Neji would have fainted if he didn't know how demented and wild Sasuke was, in both personal life and business, but he knew that whatever the heck had he planned, the Uchiha knew what he was doing.
"What the-" forget what I have said earlier Sasuke. Now I know that you have gone completely insane! Have you lost it for real?! You cannot fake a bankruptcy, because you are going to lose all the shareholders, hence you will indeed face a REAL insolvency! IT`s basically like winning the battle, but losing the war."
"At this, you are wrong my friend." Sasuke brought his hands over his head, stretching and straightening his spine, feeling every bone and joint in his body crack.
"Because I will be losing ALL the shareholders, hence lose ALL the battles, but in the end," A wicked smirk was playing on his lips, while Neji was fixing him with an indecipherable expression on his face. "I will be the winner of the war."
The Hyuga got enlightened, because somehow, he was able to read the gleam into Sasuke`s onyx orbs and hence, read what was on his mind. Lilac orbs nearly popped out of their sockets.
"Y-You want to…bloody hell, you want to fake an insolvency, make all of your shareholders take back their invested money and the shares, while you will virtually keep on showering your OWN money into the stocks to keep it running on the market, even if it would look like you lost all the investors, then after you declare the insolvency abruptly and make it vanish from Wall Street, this Nagato character will not be able to buy any of your shares, hence get his claws on parts of the Mangekyou! You basically want to retract from the main stocks market, temporary, pack your toys," he made the quotation mark in the air. "and move your HQ in a country with the corporation tax zero and start producing there, at ridiculously low prices to make up for the loss of the shareholders, by keeping your selling prices high, hence gain more than you do now!"
"Inspiration finally strike you, Neji. Yeah, this is the main idea, though you are well aware that things are not this simple."
Neji went silent for good five minutes, while his brilliant mind put the pieces together, imagining the future virtual scenario. He softly muttered.
"This is genius! You are a freaking genius!"
He was, and it was then when Neji truly realized Sasuke`s brilliance, not only did he have the craziness to personally bring his empire down, then building something even more astonishing from the ashes, because one had to be crazy to try something like that, but his mind was something bout of that world. He was truly what the others praised him for: a genius.
There were probably a handful of people in the world who could come up with something so good, giving the context, and Sasuke was one of them. "But then again…what would you do when Mr. Nagato will come and try to buy stocks form you in whatever country you chose to move your HQ?"
Sasuke gave him a dumbfounded stare like he couldn't believe that Hyuga thought he didn't think about that too, rising an eyebrow at him. Then he let a sinister wicked smirk grace his handsome tired features, cocking his head to let his bangs fall on his jet orbs.
"By the time he does that, I will already be controlling most of the entire stocks market of that country, so I cannot wait for him to try and outsmart me."
Neji truly doubted that there was someone alive to be able to outsmart Sasuke.
"This is insane, man. Pure insane. You are not sane, you know that, do you?"
"Business is not about being scrupulous or sober." Dark sapphire orbs were taking in the way Neji was scrubbing his blood shoot eyes with the back of his palms, stating bluntly. "You look like shit." It wasn't a retort meant to come as arrogant, but one which was conveying a very clear message: 'take it easy'.
The Hyuga heir actually found the strength to snort at him. "When was the last time you looked into a mirror?"
"You hungry?"
"No. I am dieting, because I plan on taking on modeling after I fail as a businessman." Truth to be told, Sasuke hasn't seen Neji touching food in the last three days, and he was probably filling his stomach with caffeine.
He himself hasn't eaten anything since yesterday and his mean consisted in two burgers he got from the vending machine that he hasn't touched in years.
Sasuke mentally cringed at the word 'model' and he felt that sudden irk to go and strangle Ino Yamanaka but he won`t be caught dead touching women. That is why he pressed the speed dial on the phone of his office. "Juugo, I want you to-"
Said man came barging inside his office, looking just as bad as the two CEOs before him, panting and having a pile of files, with sheets of papers flying from his hands.
"I am sorry to interrupt, Mr. Uchiha, but I am afraid there is something you have to see. "This has been spread into the media all over the world." He threw a newspaper on his desk with him and Ino and a smaller one with him and Sakura. Onyx orbs popped out of their sockets.
Shit!
"What is that?" Curious as in what could have made Sasuke react like…react, period, Neji stretched his hand and snatched the newspaper from his desk, margarite orbs flying over the poor quality paper, fixing on the huge photo on the middle and the suggestive message printed in sick yellow flashing words. "Damn, this doesn't look too good."
Inwardly, Neji has just felt his eyes pop out of their sockets. What the fuck was he looking at?! Of course, he played it cool and not let it see that he was being shocked to the core.
"You don't say?" Sasuke snarled at the Hyuga, after he threw the newspaper on his desk like it was filth –which it was- and barked at his secretary. "Handle this shit."
"We already did, Sir. It has been removed from the press, but we cannot stop the Internet."
"This nonsense is all my father`s doing." He racked a hand through his hair, muttering more to himself, than to anyone in particular, but knew that Juugo and Neji could hear him.
His head was spinning like a furious diesel engine and his heart was immerging into salty waters. Sakura was somewhere there, hiding from him and reading all that shit, foolishly mistaken that he cheated on her, but that was all his own gaffe.
He should have not allowed Ino to go that far, manners and public image be damned. It couldn't have been worse than that.
Neji remained silent. He didn't know about that huge scandal either, because he worked with Sasuke for the past two days and was engulfed in other problems than gossip. "And bring us something to eat."
"Yes Mr. Uchiha. Excuse me." Juugo left the office, as Sasuke let his head fall down, hands supporting his body weight leaning on the desk, looking like an emperor who was witnessing his own empire fell prey to the enemies.
And Neji felt bad for both Sasuke and Sakura. He quickly understood the predicament of their relationship and his silent wonder about Sasuke`s odd choice to not contact Sakura for the past days or vice versa.
They were separated. Sure, the Hyuga also knew that Sakura was still keeping a close eye on him, since she had to carry on with her mission, but she wasn't staying by his side anymore. So that was the reason for Sasuke`s denseness and sharper tone?
It was Sakura.
He currently lost her.
"Have you talked to her?" Neji asked cautiously not wanting to anno Sasuke even more. He too would have been outraged in his place, but he was also an old family friend, consequently, his voice was softer and more familiar than usual.
"No." Sasuke answered simply, then made a short pause, during which he turned around to his office and friend, encircled his office desk and went to the panoramic huge window, planting his elbow on it.
"For the past two days, I have tried to call her without success. She has disappeared, without leaving a trace."
She left me.
Neji doubted it was the case he was already tapping on his phone, being as discreet as possible, to his fiancé, because he was certain that Sakura was somewhere were Akatsuki knew.
Last time he remembered Sakura angry, it consisted in a gang that was involved with the mafia for guns trafficking, which was crushed down in the span of five minutes, by her alone. She has outgunned and outsmarted all of them, without breaking a sweat ad she had no scratch on her body. None.
"Big scandal involving Uchiha and Yamanaka. What about Sakura?"
Ten Ten`s reply came short after and Neji knew she was being sick worried for him, but his friends were sinking into their own problems.
"It`s complicated. We need to meet up. Get your ass here." As if. He didn't need to hear about romance, his corporation was important because Neji cared about his family, unlike Sasuke who was at war, not only with Lorane, but his father as well.
"And? What will you do about that? You are not with this…what the hell is this Playboy Bunny`s name?"
"Ino Yamanaka. Of course not. She has chase-"
A loud bang slammed his door open and a furious unleashed Naruto looking like a lion with blonde rebel hair stormed inside Sasuke`s very office, as an unleashed hurricane washing away rooftops and pulling trees from their roots.
"TEME! STOP HIDING YOUR SORRY ASS AND COME AND FACE ME LIKE A MAN, YOU LOWLIFE SON OF A-"
"Finish that sentence dobe and it is going to be your last statement, before you will leave this world in a brutal way." Sasuke locked gazes half turning around to roll his eyes at Naruto, who had a piece of the newspaper ruffled into his hand and a murderous expression.
"What are you waiting for? Shut that damn door and stop screaming in my company, you idiot. People are busy here, unlike others."
"Wha- are you shitting me?!" Naruto marched towards his raven haired friend and slammed his hand with the picture thorn from the paper on his desk. Olive dark orbs shifted from the table to Naruto's dead azurite ones, slightly surprised to see such a fierce blazing furious look on his usually solar and goofy friend.
"Is this what you are busying yourself with, lately?! Being a total manwhore and embarrass us all with your behavior and play Sakura-chan for a fool?!"
An electrical impulse shot through the column of his silhouette when Naruto dropped her name in such a name, as if it Naruto was making him know that she was forever out of his reach, and that was just a result of his own miscalculation.
He didn't need to take that shit from his friend, not then, not when his mind was going crazy and he was barely clinging on his sanity.
"Have you come all the way here to lecture me, Naruto?" Sasuke peeled his tired onyx orbs from his friend to let his gaze fly on the window, leaving Naruto to greet his teeth while looking at his profile. "Get out. You are wasting your time."
"Don't fuck with me Teme because I am in the mood to do some permanent damage on someone and that scum just happen to be you."
The Uzumaki was barely containing fury teeth clattering like jingling bells and maxillaries clench like a white shark`s, while feeding from its prey. "Look into my eyes and tell me once and for all."
The Uchiha didn't pull a muscle to look in his general direction, ignoring him and that only pissed off Naruto more. "Is this shit true? Are you engaged with this slut like everyone say?!"
What the fuck were they saying?!
The intense impulses and thirst for blood grew feral within Sasuke`s system. His left hand curled into a livid fist and he would have gladly punch the goddamn window he was gazing through, if he didn't know that the bitch was bulletproof and would only crack his knuckles in vain.
No answer. Sasuke was disappointed, to be honest, because no one believed in his honesty, not even the woman who claimed to have fallen in love with him.
Actually he was a fool for never telling her how much he loved her, but next time he got the chance –because he WILL find her, even if it meant to flip the word upside down and search for her on the bottom of the sea, he will find her mermaid- she would be showered with his most sincere feelings for her.
He HAD the power to look for her, he HAD the resources and the connections to find anyone and everywhere, no matter under what rocks they hid and Hell might swallow him first before he let her escape him, but he was also trapped into his company`s mess.
Naruto`s orbs went wide as UFOs, when he misinterpreted his friend`s sharp silence as a positive answer. "Holly fucking shit, is it true! Is it?! Teme! Answer my question you cheating bastard-"
"What the fuck do you want to hear from me, Naruto?!" Sasuke whirled his head around making his raven locks flutter like a veil, growling at his friend, making both Naruto and Neji flinch, not used to see Sasuke losing control and shout –howl like a beast- in the way he did then, letting them see fragments of his fury and take a peek into his heart.
"Do you really know so little about me to think that I would ever entangle into something that my father would force on me-"
The TV was working on mute because they were keeping an eye on the Financial news, but Neji has suddenly zapped to another channel, letting his elbow accidentally fall on the remote control, to a gossip TV channel and he saw a picture with him and Ino getting into a cab, and they did the photographs from tricky angles so as to make them appear as smiling to each other, plus the one where she came to his office first time.
Naruto and Neji too looked and even if it was on mute, pictures spoke more and cut than words. "Ahm..." Neji tucked on Naruto`s sleeve, trying futilely to steal a reaction of some sort, with no success, because his azurite orbs were impossibly wide and petrified in front of the screen. "I think you should turn that off before-"
SLAM
Both their eyes went on Sasuke who threw his phone straight on the flat huge LCD screen making it shatter and they were scared shitless. He was bent forward, raven locks splashed all over his face, concealed his eyes.
The pieces were detaching from the broken screen falling down. Each falling piece was like a bomb thrown in the middle of the huge see through office room, no one spoke for good five minutes, only Sasuke's ragged breaths were showing.
There were three times when anyone has seen Sasuke that angry. And the first two were in the moment when Itachi left home, giving up to his title and the other in high school, when he started to separate from the others.
"Where," His voice was beyond a whisper but it came as a trumpet in that dead grave silence. He sounded so broken that something ripped off Naruto and Neji`s hearts while the blonde got his answer.
"is she?" He asked the blonde and even though he couldn't see his face because of the hair that started to grow longer and messier, but Naruto knew that those eyes were piercing him.
He gulped once, his Adam apple bobbling once, while his mouth went dry.
He knew where she was from Karin, but the red headed Uzumaki cousin made him –threatened him with pulling out his tongue, cutting it with her sharpest kunai and shove it down his ass- swear that he won't say a word to Sasuke ,or Hell would broke loose and honestly, Naruto was torn between what to do.
Karin scared him –she scared anyone- shitless, because she was sadistic, strong, and cunning and totally bat shit insane, but Sasuke promised a more agonizing bloody torture, so he had no idea of what to do. Cerulean orbs flickered to Neji who fought the urge to slap his forehead at his imbecility but was beyond too tired for love wars.
If Sasuke saw- and he did- the way they were silently communicating he would realize they were both involved, consequently the Hyuga would be dragged into the mood and he preferred to stay clean, thank you very much.
"Answer me."
"Frankly, she hasn't contacted any of us, so I have no idea of whe-"
"Frankly," The Uchiha cut him short, but didn't move from that position. He was breathing laboriously like he was fighting himself for not strangling them right then with his bare hands. "You are flat out lying."
"Teme, I swear to you that I don't-"
SLAM
Before the Uzumaki had the chance to commit a sin and lie to his friend the door slammed on the wall beside ,almost flying of his hinges, at the force of the impact, while three pairs of eyes travelled to the newcomer and Naruto already felt the virtual thick rope enveloped around his neck.
Uh-Oh!
Uzumaki Karin , his beloved cousin has just stormed inside Sasuke`s office, like an unleashed ablaze volcano ready to burst in the flames of Hell, clicking on his polished floor with her heels digging into the ground, so bad, that she sounded like she were army boots, marching inside, eyes intertwined with Sasuke`s ones, who had troubles in comprehending who the fuck was that strange woman who had the guts to barge into HIS office with that attitude, begging to be murdered.
Though she had something utterly familiar that was clicking into his mind, while the sound of her five inch heels were reverberating through their minds, like pebbles thrown on the glassy surface of a lake, hands crossed above her chest, while her signature neon mini skirt rippled over her bare thighs.
But her stance and the way her eyes were dripping lethal poison, was anything but flirty, even if her attire was expensive, obviously branded, and slightly sultry, but not entirely.
Naruto and Neji were having their eyeballs rolling down the floor, trailing behind Karin`s back, while she didn't even breathe in their general direction, both wandering whether she has lost her goddamn mind for real.
Well, it was not like any of the Sound`s members were sane to begin with….
She stopped right in front of a statue rooted in place Uchiha Sasuke, until their chests were almost touching –at that Naruto and Neji fought the urge to shut their eyes, being certain that the Sound seductress was going to punch Sasuke in his jaw, but they simply stood petrified, holding their breaths in apprehension and anticipation- none speaking, breathing or backing of from their eye lock war and because Karin was already tall, adding her model like high to the heels she wore, brought her on the same eye level with Sasuke, playing in her favor.
The clock on the wall was counting down the dreading moments, ticking every breaths and prolonged anxious heartbeats of the four occupants of the room and, honestly, Naruto felt like suffocating inside.
What the heck was Karin doing there, for Christ`s sake?! The way she was looking at Sasuke, like she was ready to bloody cut his neck or stab him with something, was barbarian, cruel, mind blowing, insane and not to mention, brave and gritty, because like hell would anyone have the guts to stand THAT Uchiha Sasuke in the way she did, but Karin wasn't even flinching, or blinking.
And neither did Sasuke. If he wouldn't have known his onyx eyed friend like he did, Naruto would have entertained the thought that they either died or have found a way to telepathically communicate in a parallel dimension. How was someone able to impersonate a statue for such a long time? They didn't blink, move, or anything.
Although…there were those nasty pure malice vibes oozing off from both Karin and Sasuke`s bodies and the electrifying tension was so bad and evil, that it knocked Naruto`s wind pipe, cutting down his air supply.
He didn't have the courage to look away and peek at Neji, to seek for his reaction. He would have found none, because the Hyuga was already in his alert mode –as alert and tenacious as a man who went bankrupt, hasn't slept in almost three days or ate in two, living on cheap coffee could be- to strike and separate Karin and Sasuke, if they would have engaged into a violent altercation.
"Name one good damn reason for me not to kill you right this instant." Oh SHIT, the way Sasuke breathed the words in Karin`s face, like velvet percolating on dark chocolate, smooth, almost melodically low, rich and lethal, was pulverizing and both Naruto and Neji felt like someone has electrocuted their spines, getting chills all over their bodies.
It was one thing to witness Sasuke losing his restraint and discipline, probably fed up with all the shit that the media wrote about him, trying to survive and make a lot of money by tarnishing his name, but it was another to hear him speak in a fake apparent image of tranquil and serenity. They both knew what that meant to a member of the Uchiha clan: he was livid.
But what was even more cataclysmic and mind boggling, was Karin`s attitude. Slowly, Sasuke straightened his stance, letting his shadow grow around Karin`s almost equally tale silhouette, like a demon incarnated into the body of a deity.
And that didn't faze the Sound agent in the bit. She was absolutely unmoving, unflinching, unfaltering, there wasn't a single pore in her body trembling, her skin was its normal ivory porcelain pale and smooth, and not covered in cold shivers and she did what almost no one would have done in her place.
She smirked.
She was amused, when in reality, anyone in her place would have fainted at the way the Uchiha let his threat roll off his tongue, with the easiness of a dream chaser fluttering in the wind, sounding serious, menacing and totally having the potency to keep his promise.
But not Karin. She wouldn't lie and admit that all the rumors were true: Uchiha Sasuke has touched the supremacy of a deadly demon, coming straight from the pits of Hell, but then again, Karin wasn't just ANYONE, either.
She was a Sound agent, trained to kill without pulling a muscle and the number of times she has been threatened and on the verge of greeting the Grim Reaper, was higher than her shoes collection.
She merely trailed her tongue over her full rouged lips, and tapped a piece of paper that she held arrogantly in between her fingers, to his chest, spatting to him, while her usually obnoxious voice rung with a confidence that none of the three males present would lie and not admit that it wasn't very sexy.
"Right back to you, but I can't promise I will be this generous and offer you a chance to atone yourself."
She held the piece of paper between them, until Sasuke broke their fierce sizzling eye clock, letting his onyx orbs fall on her manicured fingers and the small piece of paper she was holding, silently urging him to take her, all the while his stance and his chin remained high and proud, only his eyes were the ones to lower down.
"What the fuck is she thinking about?" Neji dragged the Uzumaki down to whisper into his ear, coming out of his daze, seeing that Karin didn't pull out any concealed gun –he was a hundred percent sure that she had one- to kill Sasuke, not quite understanding what the heck was going on there and what was Karin doing in Tokyo. "What`s with that paper?"
"A death sentence, maybe?" Naruto had a tiny idea of what might have been written on that paper, though he was busy sighing in relief that he didn't need to produce a plausible excuse and not give Sasuke Sakura`s address, though he would have do that and allow his friend to redeem himself.
No, Naruto wasn't an oblivious imbecile fool and when he wanted to, he could be quite wise and sharp, especially when it came to unravel people`s mind and read what was written underneath their facades and see the real faces behind velvet masks they wore.
Sasuke wasn't lying about his feelings for Sakura and even though the circumstances were foster, his love was real and that was all that mattered to him.
He trusted Sasuke, even if the Uzumaki himself has been blinded by rage.
Onyx orbs narrowed at the words written on the blank sheet of paper, in a neat italic handwriting, travelling back to the wine sparkling ones of the spunky red haired woman before him, silently conveying the message that he didn't get the meaning of it, but Karin simply threw him another smirk and did another unexpected thing, namely whirled on her heels, with a perfect graceful balance, almost letting her auburn sizzling long locks splash his face, swaying her hips towards the exit, railing to him.
"Be the smart man that I know you are Uchiha and don't screw this up, for it is the sole compromise I am willing to make, before I come and hunt you down and skin you alive."
"Your name." He didn't inquired for her identity, he commended her to state who she was, ordering and demanding it, because Uchiha Sasuke would never beseech for anything, from anyone, if that person didn't happen to be Sakura, though he got to hand it to that mystery red haired lady with her flaring chutzpa and heavy Latin accent.
Wasn't that man absolutely ravishing with his possessive demanding fulminant ego and that fluctuating deep voice, which was percolating on every pore?
Karin got to hand it to him, the Uchiha was just as everyone was describing him: simply irresistible, but she wasn't there to flirt with him ,because he was someone else` s property and that happened to be her friend. She was there to try and solve the mess between them, because if there was a form of torture that Karin simply couldn't stand –she being a self-proclaimed sadist- was her to witness the suffering of her friends.
Never.
"You are in no position to ask for anything from me." Oh, the way those indomitable livid onyx eyes seemed to have been set on fire, blazing like charcoals, simply betraying the fact that Uchiha Sasuke didn't simply take a no for an answer, was making Karin inwardly roll on the floor, laughing her ass out loud. He was visibly thorn between being thanking her and murdering her.
Nonetheless, she had nothing to hide from him and if a name was what he wanted from her, she would give, so she kept her half naked flawless smooth back on him, lingering in the door frame for one more moment, breathing her name, using an amalgamation of seductiveness and a hard steel tone, that demanded respect and made men swoon at her feet, all around the world.
"But if you must know, Uzumaki Karin. She told you about me."
Of course that Karin knew, because Sakura has personally called her –squealed on the other side of the line- that she and Sasuke conjured up past memories and talked about their friends, so she has told him about her best friend from Italy.
And left three men summoning silence, following her retracting back, until the reverberation of the sound of her heels clicking on the luscious marble floor reached to the elevator. Neji and Naruto already had their jaws dropped, not actually believing the guts that Karin had. Not only she flat out defied Sasuke, coming as victorious from a battle with his impenetrable lethal self, but she has seemed to throw him off completely, with a simple paper, who had God only knew what scribbled on it.
Naruto was the one to break the tension, while Neji was busy twisting his mind into finding the meaning of the tattoo she had on her lower back, not actually having an explanation to why was he thinking about that white snake-dragon embed into her porcelain skin.
Probably, she it was one of her ways to steal men`s minds and play them on her finger, then strip them of valuable information.
That Snake, the symbol of regeneration, wealth and prosperity, was indeed, the last thing they saw before she killed them.
And then his pale eyes widened in shock, a sudden dread washing through his system. Karin couldn't have possible given Sasuke a-
"Teme," Naruto shattered that silence, whispering to his unresponsive midnight haired friend, who kept on looking at the sheet of paper unfolded on his left hand. "What is that-"
"Out. Both of you."
"What?"
"Are you deaf? Get out of my office." He pressed every menacing syllable, as Neji and Naruto both suppressed a shudder, at the sinister touch of his low almost not human baritone voice. "Now."
He went to his office desk, throwing himself on the leather chair that has become his favorite brooding and sleeping spot for the past two days, tossing the paper under a thick file, opening it up and studying it, marking the rate of the growths of his rival companies on the market, in black permanent marker.
But his mind couldn't peel off the contents of the paper and what was written on it, by no other than Sakura`s friend, who has probably flied all the way from Italy to Tokyo, by the probably desperate call of her friend.
'Imperial Hotel Tokyo, room 103 A , 8th floor.'
That Uzumaki Karin has wrote him the name and the room of the hotel that Sakura has checked herself in.
She was still in Tokyo. And she has chosen the most luxurious hotel, paying for it for herself, because she left all the checks with the money that he has paid her, while she used to pretense to be his…maid, on the nightstand of his room.
.
.
.
"Hello there, shark boy."
"Who is tha-" Suigetsu`s voice grew instantly alert as he recognized the unmistakable husky low and seductive voice of the beautiful Italian cousin of Naruto. "How did you get this number?"
"From my magic phone book, of course. Besides, don't act like you are not excited to hear from me again."
"What do you want?"
"Nah, nah, don't be so harsh, or you will force me to reciprocate. Care to meet again?"
"And why would I?"
"Because I might make things more interesting this time. Aren't you up for a challenge?"
"I don't have time to play games."
"And I am not the woman to play…games."
"I am busy, so find someone else to bitch at."
"I feel offended, you know? I am not that type of woman."
She heard him snort on the other side of the line, but somehow, Karin couldn't find it in her to be offended at the whimsical tone into his sexy voice. "Really now? Don't tell me you have decided to become a nun."
"That if you want to be a Pope then we can role play…"
"You are crazy."
"You like it."
"What goes through that mind of yours, bella?" Karin felt shivers doll down when he used that appellative.
"Why don't we meet and I might let you take a peek inside. Maybe even more. That if you behave."
"Where are you now?"
"I have just left the Mangekyou and I am currently passing Shiseido Ginza."
"Why did you go to Sasuke`s company?"
"That is not your business, shark boy. But it is one of the reasons why I need you…among other things." She purred and heard him gulp once. She knew the reactions she had on men and mentally smirked. Karin still could steal those reactions from men. She didn't lose her touch.
"Don't move. I will pick you up in ten."
"Make it in seven, or I will be gone with the wind and you will never see me again."
"That is exactly what I want you to do, bella."
"Don't lie. I know that I am already stuck on your mind. Ciao!" She hung on him –because no male alive hung up on Karin of the Sound, smirking and snickering, while flipping her auburn locks over her shoulder, catching the eyes of the passerbyes, men especially.
And she smirked while throwing a glance at the Longiness watch on her left wrist, the moment Suigetsu`s car wheels screeched on the road, leaving a thin layer of smoke behind, parking the car with effect.
He made it in six, wheels scratching on the road, as he pulled in front of her, the car burning on the road as he stopped abruptly, window rolling down. She already felt invigorated by his smirk and the canine, imagining those teeth puling her skin while he pleasured her with that wicked mouth of his.
She smirked right back at him, head slightly askew, making her look even more tempting, in those airy clothes she wore. "You," he growled to her in that sexy way she loved it. "have just run into danger."
"Bring it on, shark boy." She slide into his car, as Suigetsu slammed on the gas, speeding down the street, cutting the line and passing all the cars in the meantime, while Karin never removed her eyes off him not peeled her smirk of her lips.
She could see rivulets of sweat rolling down his temple, strolling inside the collar of his neck, a manicured palm skimming from his knee up, along his thigh.
When she got really close to the visible going bulge inside his dark uniform pants, her smirk intensified as he gulped once, gripping the steering wheel like a lifesaver. "Nervous? You should relax while driving, officer Hozuki."
She mewled like a content cat, sprawling her paws along the velvet pillow, letting her nail run down the inside of his thigh, avoiding touching him there on purpose, stirring him further.
Her soft touch was precise, heavily sexual, while the combination of her ravishing presence and the dark sensual tone of her voice, made Suigetsu go crazy.
When she let her palm slide upwards, boldly cupping him through his pants, Suigetsu hissed like a snake a vicious "Fuck!"
Feeling his mind explode, he harshly turned on the steering wheel, a hand coiling around her wrist, to make her froze midway, and stop touching him further, pulling his car on the parking lot of the first hotel that came their way –luckily enough, a 'Love Hotel'-, killed the engine of his car, and, never removing his harsh grip on a smirking red headed Uzumaki Karin, he dragged her out of the car and, ignoring the stupid flashing panel with cats and pink hearts from the entrance, he went straight to the reception of the hotel, demanding for an available room.
When the woman handed him the keys, Suigetsu didn't bother to leave a name or any other contacts, beside a pile of money that he threw on the counter, then pulled Karin towards the elevator, slamming his fist on the red arrow, waiting for the doors to open.
"I like that attitude, shark boy. It makes you even more desirable. And fuckable." The way she basically purred those words into his ear made all the temperature inside Suigetsu`s body rise to an alarming level and he cursed everything in that moment, her included.
He viciously damned her to all the seven pits of Hell where she came from –the little demon, dressed as a vixen, demanding for his poor soul- for being so fucking sexual, hot, daring and totally seductive and for whirling him on her pinky finger.
And when the damned doors slide open, Suigetsu twisted her wrist and threw her inside, as her naked back collided with the large mirror, making her shiver at the contact with the cold glossy surface and, not even waiting for the familiar 'ding' that signalized the closing of the door, Suigetsu lunged forward, pinned her hands above her head, intertwining their fingers, trapping her between his hard rock chiseled body and the mirror and plunged his tongue inside her mouth as she gladly opened up her mouth for him, happily entangling into his war of tongues, rolling over each other as their lips were suckling and pulling, tasting and fighting for dominance and alleviation.
He harshly bit on her lower lip, sucking greedily on it, as his hips grounded on hers, making Karin moan at the electrifying contact with the hardness and the radiating pleasure shooting along her spine and limbs, making her grow wet. "I am warning you, I will not be gentle with you, bella."
Like she ever begged him to be. The fire broiling into her claret vivid beautiful unique eyes, depicting every coffee brown line into the myriad of red wine around the ring of her irises, as a curtain of mist has dragged over her glossy eyes, made Suigetsu understand that Karin was exactly the woman to answer to the conjure of the beast within him.
"If you go anything but hard, fast and rough, shark boy," She lunged forward to bit down his lips, kissing him in a bruising way that stirred a bubbling mini pool of lave within the pits of their stomach, moaning upon his lips. "I will personally cut off your balls and mix them into my favorite Pasta."
She let the double meaning sink down into Suigetsu`s brain as his amethyst orbs burned into her coral crimson ones a wicked huge smirk that promised dirty things and a lot of pleasure crept upon his kissable slightly bruised lips.
"Feel free to put that pretty mouth of yours anywhere you want, on me." He growled darkly to her as Suigetsu`s lips went straight to her collarbone, nipping her with his canine and suckling on her skin, dragging his teeth and lips down the swell of her full round breast, as her nails dug into his scalp, pulling her hair, moaning loudly at the feeling.
"And I promise to fuck you so hard, that you won't be able to walk straight for a month, or dirty talk me like this."
When the elevator brought them to the fourth floor, where their room was, they were already half naked, stumbling and rolling their backs on the walls beside, kissing and groping each other, feeling and tasting skin, while Suigetsu fumbled with the key on the lock.
The rest could have been translated into an immixture between feral lustful touches, hard thrusts and slammed against each other`s bodies, cried in pure bliss names leaving their mouths, hungry kisses and blown up minds.
.
.
.
::Imperial Hotel Tokyo, Japan, Tokyo. Sakura`s Suite::
Sakura was panicking, pacing into her living room, eying the sun shaped clock hanging on the wall through the eerie dim illuminated spacious room, every ten seconds, while she fought the urge to snatch it from the wall and throw that ticking device on the window, feeling it ram inside her mind.
It was 10 p.m. and Karin was nowhere to be found and she got her damn voice mail ten times, before her battery went off.
"I am going to kill her." She kept on chanting, fisting her hands down her light chocolate and rose pink locks, messing her freshly washed hair, feeling her mind explode. "I am going to throttle her, using her red hair as a rope and hang her over this freaking chandelier-"
Knock knock
She stopped frozen in her tracks, when she heard someone softly knocking on the door, she immediately grew alert because she only told Karin her address.
Then she relaxed because she knew that her friend didn't have a spare access card, so she tiptoed to the door, already having a taunting smirk plastered all over her face, which froze midways when she opened up the door, ready to give her friend a piece of her mind.
Only…
Instead of colliding with wine red apologetically orbs…
She crashed with deep onyx.
Everything in her body felt like her every cell has been pulverized and someone has knocked the wind out of her lungs. It was not possible, it was a cruel joke, a chimera, and the skies were laughing at her, throwing mood on her pitiful state, while she was already dropped on her knees, crushed on the ground, while blood drops of rain were percolating down her shoulder.
Her hand froze on the knob and words refused to get out of her parted luscious lips.
"What…" Sakura couldn't even recognize her own strangled voice, amidst the amalgamation of broken stunned murmurs which were sliding past her widened lips.
"Are you." She couldn't look anywhere but into his eyes –those eyes which were roaring like a blizzard, animated, spirited and energized with his peculiar dominating radiating power- eyes she loved, eyes she longed and cried for, eyes that she couldn't forget or hate…eyes that have broken her heart. "Doing here?"
"I came for you, Sakura." The way he said her name made her heart sink and all the strength she was summoning was leaving her system ant the sound of his tongue rolling down words she longed to hear.
"Get…go away. I have nothing to tell you. Nothing at all. There is…" She had to look down so that the prickling tears won't sell the pain she was feeling, to the only man she has entrusted her heart and soul to, because Sakura refused to cry and be weak in front of him. "No words that come to my mind at the moment. Just…leave."
Go to her.
"I know you are hurt, but I didn't come here to watch you run away from me again. I am here to stay." Slowly, gently as if testing the sea with his toes, afraid she would perish, Sasuke placed his hand on the knob above hers, as he felt her flinch and shot her emerald orbs up at the electrical contact, immediately reacting in a way he expected it –but hurt him nonetheless- her palm away from his, making Sakura back away into the room as he pushed his shadow inside, shutting the door behind him, locking it, so as to successfully trapping both of them inside.
She won't escape him again, after he finally –and luckily- found her after three fucking days of absence, heck no!
"Of course, because everything you set your eyes on must be yours and everyone has to bent to your will and play by your rules, isn't it? You just don't know when to give up. You are so greedy…so fucking selfish, arrogant, chauvinistic, pompous and egoistical. I was a fool how fell for your stupid well placed lies!"
The acid tone she used was dripping acrimony and of course, she was hurt –her eyes that once sparkled like the finest jewels, child of pure emerald, filled with resentment, harshness, loneliness and disdain- it was just visible from her general aura, but she wouldn't know how bad was paining him to see that reaction from her, when Sasuke wanted nothing more than to kiss her and collect her into his arms and melt by her hotness.
"Sakura, you have to trust me, whatever is that you have seen there, is a completely fals-"
"I have not been entirely honest with you." She started on another bitter-pungent tone she never used before, with a touch of mocking and irony into it and she shocked him with being void of any emotion.
A glass doll she was and her words were sincere harsh and cut them like shattered glass puncturing his skin. "So it is just fair that I cannot get more than I have given."
He wanted to touch her, say something –anything- but her blazing emerald orbs had Sasuke pinned down and at loss of what was the best approach.
He just listened to her, trying his best to be calm and collected and not stir the already bubbling turbulent waters and mirror the churning emotions whirlpooling inside his heart. "But I would have never imagined that words I kept hidden in a golden chest down my heart..."
She lifted her jadeite eyes, locking gazes with him and allowing him to see another face o her that Sakura was keeping concealed, it being the other side of her –Athena of the Sound and her indomitable steel emerald orbs. "...would only mean so much for you to toss them aside...like garbage."
It stung him like a bees` needle and the numbing sensation of his chest decaying and peeling from his very life made Sasuke react before his Uchiha terrific self-control took over and words flew off his lips like white pearls sewed on lace. "You are mistaken. I would never-"
His tone has brought traitorous burning tears prickling at the corner of her eyes and she hated herself for the weakness displayed, but more like it she hated Sasuke for the way he made his voice even lower, bringing the silk tune to a honey coated murmur and she hates the fusing magnetizing effect he had on her heart.
Another lie from his was similar to pouring salt on the open bleeding wound. She won't be able to face another blow from the wielder of hear heart and happiness.
"No, just...don't serve me another lie. I thought that we had a deeper connection. You have said that there is something about of this world that makes us have a history together and part of me truly clings to those promises. They even do that now and fuck if I don't want them gone and away of my mind, but I cannot."
"You know that those are not empty feelings or empty words. You know because you have felt it too."
The obsidian Uchiha heir made a step towards her, damning that distance existing between them, for not permitting him to feel the honesty of his words veiling his fingertips as he would slide them along her skin, but Sakura kept on backing away from him, like he was something that disgusted her.
"You can feel them now as well." Bodies were only separated by small steps, but their hearts were million miles away.
"No. Do not say that you want to condone the feelings you have for me because I will not allow it."
Sakura was slowly but surely losing it. Even she could see the sincerity of his words, and taste the sweetness of the REAL nectar he was serving her –but she refused his cup- smell and touch the regret and the longing in his eyes, but her mind was blocking him to penetrate inside. She couldn't be fooled once again. Why was he seeking her again?
Why was he making it to be so complicated?
Why couldn't she just back away or throw him outside?
Why were tears amassing at the corners of her eyes?
"This isn't about what you want, Sasuke." First time she says his name and it comes out so astringent that it made his heart cringe. Sakura wasn't allowed so vinegary. She had to be sweet like honey not acerbic like she wanted to make him perish off her lips.
Lips he burned to kiss. To capture those soft petals which seemed to hold dudgeon and displeasure for him like never before. "And you have been quite clear in your intentions when she kissed you."
"Have you seen me kissing her back?" Sasuke threw it back at her, racking a hand through his raven locks, a signature familiar gesture he did whenever he grew insecure or on the verge of losing his self, and only the closest to him people have observed it –Sakura included.
"Do you think I had endured to witness the scene for all it lasted? My feet had something that I didn't want and that was power to decide for myself taking me the hell out of a place I didn't want to be at. Heh, how little you know me Sasuke. You could have rather chop off my heart, rip it from my chest and then feed the white sharks than making me go through all this pain and abasement."
"I have never flirted with the idea of toying with your feelings, Sakura." He didn't hold back anymore, simply because he couldn't, so his hand has softly, almost tentatively elevated towards her face and caressed her cheek, while Sakura was mentally committing suicide by fighting with her inner to slap his hand away.
She didn't respond to his touch –so soft, so gentle, so deceiving- even if her heart was trashing and fought to open the prison bars of her chest's cell and run to his expectant lifted warm hand.
"I find it hard to believe your words now Sasuke. They don't have the same resonance as before."
She knew she was lying to him and her and the heavens above which were witnessing their sudden break apart because his candor was streaming from his thin pulpy luscious lips and there was nothing else that Sakura wanted to do but to lean forward and capture every unspoken word from those lips, from his tongue and embed them into her heart which was withering and shriveling without his essence, in agony, torment and fever.
He was losing her like the solitary high oak trees were being slayed of the terracotta and golden decayed leaves of late October and the bricks of the thick impenetrable walls he had built around his heart crumbled and collapsed from their very foundation, at the desperation, desolation and the carnal torment that her stinging words were bringing with every line she was separating herself from him.
And desperation came over when Sasuke did voluntarily succumbed to his denied urge to speak what was on his mind and drop the velvet curtain of the perfect stoicism fall off his face when he came out as clean and told her the truth.
"Everything that you have seen transpiring between me and that woman has been orchestrated by my father and that rapacious for power and wealth imbecile of her father."
Sakura flinched and the shock of the newfound information hasn't escaped Sasuke's vigilant onyx orbs -eyes which never once filched from her emerald ones- and her lips created an almost inaudible broken murmur. "Y-You're lying. There is only deceiving into your words."
"Look into my eyes like you did before I have left, and see for yourself, whether I am telling you the truth or not."
She did and the moment their stares collided so where her feelings for him. She has found herself to peel her eyes from that lock of hearts and eyes, but she couldn't. They were candid, warm, gleaming, radiating love and passion, as well as desperation to be trusted, to believe his words and him and her heart knew exactly how to react.
The falls and rises of her chest were increasing, blood pumping, beating and making her dizzy, and her longing to touch him, feel him under the palm of her hand and taste him grew lupine.
"You are the finest liar. Maybe this is why your words cut deeper than swords. This world has only failed me so far… "
He knew it. Even before she has told him about her past, Sakura knew that the man she grew to know as the embodiment of perfection in the cherub face of a concealed Uchiha demon has always read through her loneliness and offered her, not a scar tissue, but a new perspective over life.
He gave her a heart to take care off, while he mended her torn own, in the meantime.
"Then don't believe anything from this reality. But believe this: I love you and this is the only reality that I will acknowledge."
Sasuke didn't talk beyond a susurration level, yet the words rumbled down her ears like thunder hitting the firm trunks of the trees. His frankness has stunned her more than the genuineness glitzing into his obsidian eyes.
"Please..." Sasuke NEVER used those words, but pleading with Sakura was natural and almost instinctual. She had to trust him because there was no way that Sasuke could find the calm within the hurricane without her in his life.
Eyes that were talking with more ardor than his lips, were looking at her in a way that made Sakura weak and feather like, floating like a spirit above her and watch them from above the clouds.
Eyes...she couldn't resist or turn her head away from. "Don't walk away again." She didn't flinch eschew from his tender touch when Sasuke cupped her cheeks, she didn't back away from his forehead when he leaned forward to repress upon hers, only her own lips quivered as soft sobs were escaping when he angled his chin and kissed her.
His aphrodisiac taste had invaded her mouth along with his tongue parting her rosy petals gently but steadily, and she let him kiss her with the same thirst and lust for him, like his own for her.
She welcomed him inside her hot cavern but he was delicate as a butterfly's wing touching the daisies in bloom, his muscular slick warm tongue felt like honey and he she was suckling his lip and the tip of his tongue freely, like she was satiating from rich nectar drinking from a golden goblet until the very last drop of his amrita taste entered her system.
Sakura still had to stay beside him, he was still her mission to carry on and she was in a loophole that she couldn't escape.
The problem was what her role would be in his life? A maid was a good trick to start with but was out of question.
Friends was not an option since the passion of their tongues whisking and twirling upon one another ever so feverously was the perfect contradiction with platonic and she needed to be with him like she needed oxygen.
"S-Sasuke-"
"I would never lie to you about my feelings, Sakura. You are far too precious for me to do so. I am a man of my words. What I give is truly yours and it is coming from my heart. Words I have never spilled to any woman before...they are all reserved for you. You can have all from me, but do not leave me void of your presence."
She broke like a crystal chandelier crushing on the luscious hard concrete and her feelings of disdain, mistrust, escalading sorrow and grief shattered along, at his sudden unanticipated confession. If anything, he was not toying with her.
His kiss, the image of his feelings whirling like comets around his silvery irises, the candid deep glassy black pearl eyes, they were all genuine. He was talking turkey and there was no way not to-
"C-Can I really trust you?"
"Yes." He brought her face closer than his, never once letting go of her cheeks and brushed his lips over hers lovingly, dearly just like a lover would do, and her heart busted out of her chest.
"No matter how much my father will try to take control over my life, I will allow nothing and no one to take you away from me. No matter what, I will find a way."
She started to get light headed, the bulbs or ration and control of her mind were slowly shutting down, as the world of senses and quintessence opened up for her to explore.
They were safe into each other's embrace, yet they were in so much trouble.
She openly let tears fall from her eyes, as her hands wrapped around his wrists, not allowing him to remove his hands from her face, getting inspirited by his warmth.
"I missed you like crazy, Sasuke. I don't know how to live without you anymore. I am afraid to be alone again."
"Every single second since you have been gone," Sasuke breathed to her in a way that she never heard before, as she couldn't recognize his voice.
He sounded so broken, so lonely and so much like her that it was scary. He was visibly exhausted, probably not sleeping just like she didn't either. "My mind wouldn't stop thinking about you, Sakura. Where you are, what you do, how will you react in front of all this bullshit they show everywhere and if you ever think of me. One more moment without you and I will have lost my mind entirely, love."
"Don't...leave me." She couldn't help it. The moment Sasuke dropped that word of endearment, Sakura threw her hands around his chest, embracing him and burying her face into the crook of his neck as his hands encircled her waist, possessively, placing a suave kiss on the crown of her head. It was her time to plead with him.
"Don't go! I don't want to be alone again! If it's not you...I don't want someone else."
"Say you want me to stay Sakura."
"Stay. Please, Sasuke."
"And say that you trust me."
"You know I do. Even if my mind doubted you, my heart has always trusted you." If only she would have the courage to trust that poor pumping organ more, they wouldn't have been in such a predicament.
For two days she felt worse than being dead, and look at her now, Sakura felt like ready to slide on the rainbow and succumb into a pool of chocolate.
"...say you love me." Sakura would never know but it was such an interesting alien concept to hear those words reverberating through his eardrums, escaping his own mouth, but he knew when a man should be a real man and admit his feelings.
Loving someone, taking care and wanting to protect the one he loved, has never been a weakness.
It was a gift of strength.
It was in that way when all those cliché idioms have come to fruition and unravel their meaning: feelings and bonds –unlike estrangement- made him stronger. It was the only feeling that empowered someone, because it provided a solid reason to want to fight for.
"...I love you. You know I do. I have always loved-" Sasuke didn't leave her finish, because the moment her confession flew from her lips and percolated on his skin, his smirk grew wide, almost turning into a full hearted smile and his body acted instinctual, when his finger found its way under her chin and brought her head up for him to kiss her.
And he only pulled apart when the need to breathe has burned their lungs, and Sasuke totally fructified the moment to let his obsidian orbs travel along her body, feeling his mind burn to ashes at the sight presented to him in all its grace.
Sakura was enveloped by a navy blue Chinese silk fine woman yukata, clashing with the porcelain of her skin, creating a breathtaking celestial view of her beauty.
His hand latched to the inside of her toned leg, tracing her thigh as he dragged his warm fingertips up under the folds of her short cloth, to palm the valley between her legs.
She lolled her head back biting her lower lip, moaning when his mouth glued to her long arched neck. She smelled his intoxicating scent and the spicy strong masculine fragrance was reminiscent to the golden autumn rich days in October. The scent of red sweet wine and honey golden apples was intoxicating her like the most forbidden sinfully addicting poisonous venom and she indulged.
He let his moist lips trail her pulse up to her jaw suckling and biting and kissing her skin, while his hand was stroking her pearl glistening erect clit, under the lace thong.
Sakura`s breath became sharp and erratic while Sasuke`s name was softly leaving her quivering lips touching him like lace on trembling sweaty skin.
A firm muscular hand wrapped around her slim waist pressing the curb of her lower spine bringing her flush into his chest and their worlds collided, while their breaths fused in a passionate kiss of pure lust, lips tasting enrapture and tongues playing the symphony of desire, in perfect rhythm and harmony.
Colors were bursting under Sakura's long curly eyelashes while Sasuke's mouth was writing their forbidden love story on her own hot cavern with his slick moist muscular organ rolling and tapping upon her own, changing rhythm, saliva and psassion.
Her fingers wandered through his hair, as she tucked him down to mold their features in harmony, adoring the feel of his wild disheveled rich silk raven hair, similar to the pamper of a rich mane pureblood Yemen horse, running freely towards the velvet blazing crimson dawn bleeding over the hot desert and his low feral growl broken at the back of his throat when she spread her unoccupied small warm palm over his chiseled marble lower abdomen letting it drag down slipping past his waist was reminding her of an imposing lion, roaring with the graceful royal wildness of the king of nature.
Her skin was fire under his lips, she was breathing for dear life, her plump lips were sensually bruised and partly opened, to welcome the much needed oxygen, emerald glass covered shimmering orbs were half opened watching him from behind the long rimmeled eyelashes, like an Egyptian cat standing on a golden sewed cushion beside the pharaoh, sweet crystal dew drops of sweat were slowly rolling along her slim swan neck on the valley between her full plump breasts, rising with every breath she took.
There was something in the out of that world sensuality and lure sexual divine moment that told Sasuke to take it baby steps and do not rush.
Take her slow, but hard, letting her feel everything -feel all of him and even more- over and over again until she wouldn't be able to scream his name to Heavens in ecstasy.
He was placing her among the sacred temple of his devotion, where the deepest delicate genuine emotions were kept hidden in the chest of his heart.
A long precise lazy finger came to press on her lips and the beautiful angel took the tip of his digit in between her pearl white teeth, suckling on it with sloppy slow moves like enjoying a candy, suckling on it and that small gesture was pure erotic.
He got instantly hard imagining those lips enfolded around his throbbing member while she would suck him until he saw stars, pleasuring him with that sweet hot mouth of hers. He removed his finger from her mouth, dragging it down her lower lip, throat and chest, sneaking under her kimono and taking the expensive silk material down her shoulder, uncovering a perfectly full round breast.
A perked up cotton looking proud nipple, in the color of timid pink rose, was begging for attention.
Sakura simply stared at the Uchiha before her, dancing on the edge of reality, lust and euphoria, as the sexy raven haired male leaned forward and brought his intoxicating wicked mouth upon her rosy bud, blowing on it and the warm breeze made the soft sensitive of her areola tingle and she shivered.
An eager tongue darted outside to embrace the erect bud, but he was so gentle that his feather like touch was like a cool snowflake dancing in the wind and she went crazy. Sasuke was teasing her but, he did it so well, that she wanted to kill somebody of both pleasure and pain.
His skilled hand was kneading and massaging the inside of her thigh and groins while his lips were planting soft kisses along the side of her breast.
The rhythmic clench of her inner muscles were making Sakura cry out in need. God, she wanted him so bad that it hurt physically, the front of her thong, that did nothing to hide her secret treasure and velvet porcelain skin, was sticking to her soaked dripping core while slick milky nectar was leaking from her body.
She was beyond wet with arousal and the need to feel him firmly planted inside her grew feral. The emerald eyed CIA agent wanted nothing more than to rip off the remaining clothes he wore, pin him down -on the floor, on the coffee table or the sofa, whichever came first- and push her hips on his own until they broke the laws of physics and they got united as one.
Man and woman. Adam and Eve riding their road from Paradise to insanity together. Like primal human beings indulging into the first pure instincts, waltzing on the wings of pure pleasure until their hot skins burned down like flaming charcoals and she would die with him planted inside her as far as he body would take him and even more.
"F-Fuck...me-h." She breathed to him between cat like prolonged soft mewls and she purred into his arms when Sasuke massaged her round firm mound with the palm of his hand, rolling it over her hardened nipple until it stood hard as translucent pearl while his tongue licked her shoulder and collarbone, unaffected by the way she melted like hot caramel into his arms.
She was begging him to take her and he knew she was barely standing, hence her sharp inhales and the fact that her hands went around his neck pressing her nails down his shoulder blades, grazing and leaving red nails marks on his marble skin.
"Touch me." He whispered huskily with his low alto sensual voice, down her ear while his naughty teeth were nibbling her ear shell and she almost jerked because of the electrical jolts shooting through her at the speed of lightening.
Sakura didn't need an invitation because her hands had strings attached to his lips as her eager slim small digits obediently and automatically followed the puppeteer's command, running along the ample planes of his lean perfectly sculpted protruding muscles, feeling his hard inhales and lupine thirsty growls whenever she hit a sensitive spot, feeling his body`s energy infusing her own body, through the fine clothes he wore.
Her mouth -that hung open forming a perfect o because of his ministrations- went dry when she felt those delicious hard rock muscles adorning Sasuke`s body and she wanted nothing more than to lick his Godlike body, every inch of it.
Sakura wasn't even ashamed to ask for it or do it, because that Uchiha was the textbook definition of masculinity, and the mother nature's epitome of seductive virility and rapturous manhood, him being handsome beyond human imagination.
He was just like the marble statue of a Roman deity or the most aesthetic representation of the proud Julius Caesar in the splendor of all his glory.
Perfection was at its apogee with every sharp, line and angle of that man's contour and his silhouette was a maddening combination of slim, slender details and luscious muscles glistening with sweat flowing like a mountain river washing the rocky solitary cliffs passing the bulky muscles of his broad chest and perfectly sculpted eight pack, down to his navel where a defined fibers were coming together in a mouthwatering defined V shape, starting from his strong hip bones.
"Heavens, you are k-killing me." She couldn't think straight, her eyes were sticky and clouded, her judgment was reeling in ecstasy just like her body and she saw stars twinkling before her snapped open jadeite orbs when he unexpectedly pressed his warm palm on her damp core, sneaking under her panties and the skin on skin contact left her breathless. "Oh!"
"How much?" He taunted her in a way so dark and sinful, that tugged on Sakura`s soul, stealing it from Heaven and brining it down to burn.
"I like it the best when you scream it." Sakura on the other hand, was being absolutely unable to mutter a single word to him.
The loose silk black belt that was keeping her kimono attached to her body and conceal her modesty, fell sensually along the glass wine of her slim curvy hips, unwrapping the ample folds of her night robe and leaving her naked before Sasuke`s eyes, hanging low on her shoulders.
The only thing that preserved her modesty, was her lace dark lingerie, but it only emphasized the porcelain of her snow white skin, two opposite colors clashing with each other, creating a perfect hymn of innocence and sensuality.
"Your…turn." Sakura`s gleaming emerald eyes became murk and full of need, as her digits interlaced into the hem of his shirt, hauling it off his pants, quickly unzipping every button, revealing the splendid view of his hard carved upper torso.
Her mind was spinning like a windmill, while her hands fastened into the luscious fabric, dragging him down to attach her lips to his own, kissing him hungrily and sloppy.
His hands were meandering along the curves of her body, his fingertips winded like sinuous rivers glistening into the sun, cooling and burning her altogether, touching her passionately and running over her neck, lacing into their hair, massaging her shoulders, dancing along the swell of her breasts, kneading her, then sliding down to her supple stomach, slipping past the elastic of her panties and seeking for the steaming pool within her core, rubbing her with the back of his palm.
"God, Sakura, you have no idea how much I want you."
If his touch alone wasn't enough to cause a rupture into her mewling voice, then his hot velvet voice and the promise behind did the trick.
She let her head loll backwards, to rest on the wall behind her, hips following the motion of his digits, as he was tickling her rose petals and the short puff of hair enveloping her lower lips, refraining from sliding inside, on purpose.
Her own hands have covered every fingerbreadth of his chiseled chest and those mouthwatering muscles embellishing his abdomen, fingering his belt, until it went untied. The metallic sound of a zipper yanked down immixed with their ragged breaths and the high temperature escalading into the room. "The feeling is m-mutual, Sasuke…"
Her attitude only made Sasuke smirk more, because even though his thumb and index were torturing her glistening clit, tantalizing it by pressing, rubbing and rolling the bundle of nerves, knowing that it was driving her crazy, but she was still ferocious and in control enough to fist her hands into the waistband of his pants and drag them down to his knees and ankles, while the Uchiha stepped on them, kicking them somewhere in a corner.
Sakura swore she was on the verge of having a standing orgasm, and it was not entirely because Sasuke knew exactly how to touch and where, freely massaging her navel and taunt her hot core, leaving her eager for more, but because the sight of him, being adorned with only a pair of black and navy blue boxers, was so sexy, that it was easily to slip to dementia and delirium.
How was it even possible for a businessman, who was working 25 hours per day and barely had time to breathe or eat or sleep, let alone train, to look like that was transcending Sakura`s humble understanding.
Sasuke was nowhere a bulky type of man, oh heck no! He was that kind of ridiculously tall and athletic type, with a slender delicate, yet sharp and masculine bone structure and long fibers, molding and rippling over his body in all the right angles.
His muscles were deep, hard, strong, defined, precise and sculpted, his entire constitution was slim, but at the same time, it only made him look even more imposing, striking, fast and definitely powerful.
Everything about that Uchiha Sasuke was masculine and oozed an indescribable irresistible virility that Sakura hasn't found in any man before. There was no curb to refine his body and make him effeminate him. He was cut in only sharp angles, and depicted by precise lines.
And those thighs protruding from under the short boxers he wore were doing funny things to Sakura, because, even though she wasn't adventurous and daring when being intimate to a man, she finding herself on the conservative and romantic type, Sakura couldn't help but feel dirty things fill up her mind to the hilt.
"Enjoying the view, Sakura?" Oh, that totally arrogant and brazen attitude was both annoying and her and turn her on even more.
Whoever thought that Sasuke wasn't being aware of his beauty and sexiness, was one big laughable fool.
That one Uchiha knew exactly who he was, what he was and what effect he had on the others and only used it in his advantage to twist their minds, without them realizing it, playing the game of inception like a pro, skillfully throwing all his weapons into the battle, along with his ager shrewd cunning mind.
That jerk.
A hot mouthwatering jerk, that was.
"Not more than you." She smirked at him, but it only took Sasuke a nanosecond to back her up against the wall behind –God only knew how they made it to one- and fully slam his body on hers, kissing her breathless, as he rolled his hips on hers, allowing her to feel the sparkles and electricity that their bodies were summoning.
He muffled a loud moan from her, when his hardened protruding bulkiness pressed against her core, knocking the wind out of her lungs.
He was already so ready for her, just as she was ready to welcome him inside her, physically and spiritually.
Surprisingly enough, it was Sakura the one to broke up from their lip lock as her jade eyes dipped down to where her right hand were curling into the elastic of his boxers. "I missed you this morning, Sasuke."
His onyx orbs narrowed for a bit, while trying to understand what was she talking about, since Sakura was nowhere the woman to sputter nonsense, but then they widened for a bit when he quickly caught it.
He cupped her cheeks and placed a kiss on each side of her faint blush, letting his lips trail along her racing pulse, softly and gently, returning the meaning behind.
Somehow, poetically and metaphorically, Sakura has made it sound like those two days during they haven't seen each other, have NEVER happened and they were back to the point of he was just visiting his parents, than come back to sleep beside her awaiting for him form, into his bed ad into his house, not a hotel room and clearing a grave misunderstanding.
Sasuke couldn't agree more. It wasn't like it didn't cross his mind to erase everything that physically and not only metaphorically, annoyed the hell out of him during those days, but he knew he couldn't.
Unfortunately.
"I promise to make it up for my absence." Sasuke breathed against her iridescent warm soft skin, planting showering her chest with kisses, softer than snowflakes. "Take everything you want from me tonight, Sakura."
He meant every single word of it, literarily. The midnight haired Uchiha had absolutely no problem in allowing her to do whatever she wanted.
As long as it was within his power, she shall have it all. Because it was exactly those dreadful days that let Sasuke realize that he might have the world, but it meant nothing without Sakura.
She would held him accountable for that, Sakura decided in her drunken mind, when she boldly let her palms slide under his boxers and kneed down in front of him, taking them down with her, itching to see him in all his splendor and discard the unnecessary barriers between them.
Sasuke swore that he almost lost it completely when, without even attempting to arouse him, during her dripping down to personally help him out of his last remaining clothes, her hot breath fanned over his sprung free from its bindings member, and, for only a moment, he truly thought that she was about to-
She interrupted his dangerous train of thoughts, but she slide up, winding her body like a snake, coiling her hands around his neck, and, bringing herself flush into his chest, she kissed him deeply, biting and licking his thin lips, at the content of her heart.
He would admit, it was even more sensual than what he had on mind. "I know what you want Sasuke, but I can't wait anymore." The tone she used was apologetically, innocent and extremely sexual. How she was able to bind all those personalities in a single soul was beyond Sasuke, but that represented her charm.
"All I want now, Sakura," He hoisted her up, with her back supported by the wall, ankles locked behind his back, dragging her panties along the valley of her thighs, tossing it behind him, aimlessly, as their hips aligned deliciously close together, whispering into her ear.
"Is to be inside you." And filled her in a single fluid motion, both moaning at the sizzling feeling of being one again.
"Sasuke…" Words have been knocked out of her throat, before she had the chance to utter them, the moment Sasuke pulled back just to slam her up to the hilt, until she swore she would fly, if not for his enclosure around her thighs.
"Scream it and plead with me..." He was growling against the opaline lucent skin of her chest and pulse, where he dug his teeth to leave small bite marks and nip on his, leaving her breathless.
"To take you harder..." To emphasize his point, Sasuke speeded up his pace, muffling her weak mewls of pleasure with his husky dirty words, as she dug her nails into his hair and back, holding tight, enjoying the warmth of his body against and inside her. "Faster and higher."
"Please…f-faster…I need…want…" What exactly, Sakura didn't know, because that moment was something she has fantasized about for the past few days. His electrical touches, the way he slide inside her, the feeling of him joined with her, as one single enamored soul, was just too perfect. He was perfect.
"But I want to give you more than that." He stopped her mindless rambling, when he brought his lips from her erect nipple that was caressing with his tongue, to fan upon her parted lips, words flying from his mouth like butterflies. "I will give you wings to fly."
"Fly? W-Where-hmm!" Sakura was barely keeping coherence, he was freely thrusting inside her, sneaking a hand around her waist to bring her further into his promising embrace so as to not let her delicate back slam and rub against the wall and hurt her, while he was maneuvering him firmly inside her, like a beast.
"Back into my arms." She leaned her head on the junction of his neck and shoulder, inhaling the scent of their love making and his unique spicy scent, which gave her so much comfort, gazing at him through murky fluttering eyelashes, listening and feeling everything. "You are the first and the only one I am giving my heart to, love."
For some reasons, lucent tears were pooling within her eyes like pearls, because his words were so candid, so profound and so suave, that she couldn't believe she was hearing them from Sasuke. She couldn't cry, but she couldn't contain all those emotions enraptured into her chest, either. It was too much.
"Never forget it..." He was sneaking into her heart, not only into her womb, where he was so deliciously reaching each time he pierced her deeply, swinging her, until the knot that was constricting the pits of her lower abdomen, as a swift impaling snake, steaming ablaze, immixed with adrenaline, chemistry and blood, exploded in a cosmic iridescent orgasm that sent her through the shooting stars, in Paradise.
"Sasuke!" She embed his name into the silent witnessing walls, on her mind and heart, into her steaming dripping body, while he ingrained his seed into her, finding his own release short after her, while her body was possessively wrapping around him, so as to keep him where he belonged forever, screaming at the top of her longs, mind spinning like a hurricane.
But there was no way that Sakura has missed the soft outspoken words whispered to her, beyond the frenetic electricity that their bodies were creating. Even if her mind and ears were deaf by pleasure, her heart has heard it sound and clear.
" I...have fallen in love with you." Sasuke embraced her fully, his palms were wrapped around her back and she pulled her on his chest, taking her into his arms and let them both slide down on the wall, lying on the carpet, still embracing her hovering atop of her, resting on his left knee aware not to knock the wind out of her lungs, but his strong arms never left her much smaller frames, mouths molding together lips trapped in a loving tango, hearts ticking like old pendulums running along the limbs of time to catch up with the present, pumping and ticking and she cried.
She was crying without realizing it, because that was splendid. The moment was too idyllic for her and it transcended every fairytale she has ever envisioned as a little child.
The mind blowing orgasm that washed through her system threw her in the core of a whirling hurricane and she was free falling, she forgot her name, the mission, the year they were in, the color of the sky and the name of the planet Earth, but she didn't forget to spell the three words in between the sweetest most Heavenly butterfly kisses he was giving her: I love you.
If he lied, he was the greatest sweetest and cruel pretender. But his heart wasn`t lying and neither were his eyes. Those orbs which have been watching her all the time, have stolen the most amazing gleam from the pure black sapphire and they were twinkling like shooting stars, fulfilling every wishes she threw in the starry night sky.
Sakura has never seen such intense emotion plating into Sasuke's eyes -or any other man before- and he was watching her like a prodigy sculptor admiring his most endearing seductive work of art.
His feelings were candid, pure, they were coming straight from his heart and she swore he stole her breath with how divine he looked like that.
He was washed by an ethereal unusual glow mirroring in the pale soft skin and his sensual raven hair and delicate eyes, in a way only the God's cherubs playing in the Eden Garden could be, he loved her.
There was no trace of mockery in the way he watched her. She froze on the spot watching that picture of him, with him firmly planted inside her, growing hard again trapped in between the pumping muscles of her slick hot passage, bathed in their mixed juices, not even realizing that he hasn't pull back and she couldn't blink or move.
He was too beautiful. The emotions he brought were too divine and never would have Sakura imagined how amazing it would feel to hear those words from a man.
A man who loved her. Her! A cold orphan CIA assassin who hasn't even been kissed before meeting him was having Uchiha Sasuke confessing that he loved her and love he did.
"You…love me?" It was not only her mouth asking him, it was her eyes.
Jade hues that sparkled with the intensity of billion gleaming gemstones, into the pits of the earth, shimmering with emotions, as he nodded and smiled to her in a way that made her heart burst out in euphoria.
"Yes. I love you. This is why I am here. For you. Only for you."
"You are not lying, are you?"
"No." She lifted a hand to brush off some rebel wet locks of his onyx hair away off his eyes, to look into those black pearl orbs she loved so much, and found no hesitation, only emotion in them. They weren't indomitable and cold. They were warm and blitzing.
In her comfortable fulfilling post-orgasmic state, Sakura almost missed him gliding into her again, but she felt his warmth filling her again, like a bird returning to the nest.
She arched her back against him, to take him all inside her, while all her fibers were trembling in delight, eyes fluttering.
"I-I…ahh-l-love you…too, S-sasuke…" She loathed the weak way she confessed to him, again, but it wasn't like she had a choice. The pace that Sasuke has set, was even more breathless than the previous one.
His hips started to move slowly as he led her into a soft waltz, not pounding or thrusting. He was dancing and rolling over her own, like delicate small waves rolling lazily over the calm sea, brushing past the shoreline and she gasped letting out an inaudible ah at the pace he set.
Slowly, he pumped her, his lean deliciously engorged throbbing length was gently penetrating her small core, pushing himself inside her to the hilt filling her while his rosy heart shaped tip was hitting her womb like an arrow, but he was so delicate and his moves were so intense that she couldn't stop sobbing. She was crying of emotion, she was weeping at how heavenly it felt whatever he was doing.
He took her right hand into his left one, letting their palms join together intertwining their fingers, holding her tight and placed their hands upon his chest on his maddening thumping heart and he beckoned her to open her eyes and watch him.
And she did. She was lucid, she was living the experience at its fullest she was seeing what was happening and it was too much.
That was the most sacred definition of making love to someone, just like the mother of time has blessed the human beings with the most sacred gift of being united so intimately in a sacred ancient waltz, which was as old as the beginning of history.
" I don't know when exactly you stepped into my heart, but I am going insane without seeing your smile everyday. Don't go. I gave you nothing in return, yet I am selfish. I want you to stay by my side. If there is anything you can take from me, you are free to do so. Just don't walk away again."
He whispered in a way that made her weak. She, Athena of the Sound, the best CIA agent, was weak for him and him only. "I will run from a world without your warm embrace."
The aureate shadows embroidered around the aquamarine jadeite myriad of her irises were twinkling like the fine crystals of luscious sand, bathed into the oasis of the gentle sun rays at dawn. Her skin was brocade under his fingertips and smooth as translucent pearls entombing the rare pearls in the abysses of the sea's core.
She was so exotic, so avant-garde, her sylph ethereal appearance was exotic and esoteric; an arcane fusion of evergreen femineity, solar joviality and intricate ineffable. Sasuke was convinced that she has entombed her cerulean appearance into the sepulture of his chest, waltzing on the limbs of his tickling madly heart in a symphony of undying devotion and yearn.
His finger was lazily twirling strands of her dripping wet cinnamon and honey cafe noir disheveled cashmere hair, lulling her to nest her temples into the grace of his touch, while she was eagerly responding to the grounds of his hips, swaying and rippling along, creating a superb friction between their rocking bodies, unhurried, lazily and very meaningful.
She was enveloping him with her glossy essences, leaking down from her core, making it easy for him to claim her slick abrasive inner passageway, over and over again.
But his gleaming onyx orbs never broke from hers, not even once. He was letting her know that he was fully conscious of their love making, the passion and the feelings, enjoying them, seeking and getting enraptured by them and her, and she did the same, clinging to him and playing into his hair.
That night, she was his and his only. There was no past, no present, no future, no impossible father and no economic crisis. The world consisted in only them. He had her in every ways he could and she let him love her with all the passion he concocted inside him and he was a wild lion.
Somehow, Sasuke managed to collect them from the carpet and bring them both to the king sized bed, which was resting solitarily before the huge window, which was reflecting the moon rays so scintillating and warm, loving her and entering her from all the angles and positions he could think of, and, for the first time in what seemed like ages, Sasuke allowed himself the privilege of not thinking, or reasoning. He was just feeling.
Feeling her.
Them united as one.
Us.
They had no boundaries and the only limit was Elysium. The place he kept on showing her whenever she came. Every orgasm sent her skyrocketing to the twinkling stars as she exploded like a supernova colliding.
She kept on milking him like a meteor shower, she cried out his name, she moaned the way he was making her feel, her hoarse guttural broken voice shouted to the skies above that she lost her mind because, and how much she loved him.
He was blind and deaf to anything. Heck, Sasuke didn't even think he could see her anymore, nor did he was aware of what he was doing. He forsaken any lucidity and self-control he possessed, in favor of beatitude, yearning and desire for her.
Sometimes, he would allow them time to catch their breathes, moving inside her unperturbed and slow, then he would get her surged by electric jolts, having a stamina that shocked her, and picked up his pace, fucking her senseless, merciless, hard, raw and with a savage that he only had when smelt the scent of blood on his stained hands, as he killed people.
Cadence heart was swaying like a clock in the caressing limbs of newfound feelings of amour and devotion. His scorching passion was ravaging her insides, his name on her lips and the touch of her fingertips all over his body, was a suave dance for amour.
In the light of the candelabra, her jade eyes grew veiled into the mystifying sensual dance of the moon waltzing on the glassy water surface.
One was the demon maneuvering the shadows nesting within the bottoms of my staggering long forgotten desires, entrapping them into the my abyss of his onyx eyes. The other was the angelic embodiment of my hearts most suave innocent emotion.
The threads of desire lust and carnal yearning have always tugged her on Sasuke's crafty irresistible hands as Sakura`s drunken desire for a man like him satiated from the idyllic image that her imaginative childish mind has depicted.
"I am tired of dancing the eternal illusory moons tango. I need a ray of light into my life.
You don't reflect the light of the sun, you swallow it."
Their heartbeats fused into a celestial symphony of ardent embraces of Paradise, breaths spanning upon their enclosing lips and ticking the staccato rhythm of their pulse.
Electricity like trumpets of a choir of cherubs echoed through Sakura's eardrums as a scorching passion made her mind sway in the span of the moment.
Inside the hollow of her chest there were intimate feelings conjuring perfection and the love for him.
Sasuke himself was framed by a savage sheer beauty, evoking the sublime virility of a vigorous man, conjuring husky sinful desires inside Sakura's mind.
Her breath was fluttering wanton desire to palpate the sublime contour of his manhood as his calloused palm slid under her own, fingers laced together as in a sinuous entrapping lustful exotic tango, meant to be danced together, leading her to the path of exploring both her own womanhood and unravel yearn to succumb into her body's dearest endeavors.
The tangible sexual sparkles whirlpooled into the pits of her lower abdomen where unlocked scorching sensations amassed to send tingling jolts of electricity sensually along her lower back, rippling through her every fiber all the way to her curled toes.
He tried to remain unfazed by the nature's most suave display of delicacy but his heart fluttered and soared.
He beautified the nymph Olympian image of her to the most sublime form of grace.
The lucid realization that the cruel life would one day manage to tear him away from her made Sakura's actions grow more frenzied and more carnal. She was wilder, her kisses, her touches and her passion and feelings flew unrestricted from the way she was diving into the infinite thick velvet ink bottomless ocean like orbs of Sasuke, drowning into his equally lupine ministrations.
Her soft throaty moans turned into low feral growls of a hurt lioness and unbeknownst to her, she was throwing coals on Sasuke's smoldering blazing fire urging him to lose tact, finesse, delicacy and precision, and touch her in a way that was leaving her skin tremble in delight, euphoria, beatitude, madness and agony and it was the level of ecstasy escalading to insanity the thing that made her cried break down her throat every time she writhe under him, like Nirvana has taken over her every fiber possessing her mind, body and soul.
The level of pleasure was translated into colliding supernovas and bursting into stardust fire ice and gave life to one single word that sin her lips and that was Sasuke.
She forgot the name of spring, she lost the subtle embrace of the time's flow, she had no other perception of any color of the rainbow, and she emptied her mind of anything besides Sasuke's face and the feel of his touch.
Every harsh fall of his broad slick cheat, each feral guttural growl whenever she kissed him or left deep nail scratchings down his back, or each time she arched her back and rocked her hips against his own were playing the most candid, erotic and sublime melody on her ears and Sakura swore that she has been dematerialized.
If there was such a thing as being high and fly on the sky it was Sasuke who put a pair of wide pristine wings behind her back and made it the angel of his Paradise.
She was floating on Heaven even if the bed they were occupying was burning with untamed flames.
Just like million ancient red and green Chinese dragons with red rubies sparkling in their eyes sockets, puffing their hot breaths over the skies the mattress burned her skin, the pillows were blazing like the sun in July and the silky bed sheets were boiling lava.
Everything was on fire and her mind was on fire too. She felt nothing because the intensity of the ecstasy spread from her core and the boiling puddle under her belly button to her brain, tongue, fingers and toes. It was beyond too much.
What she was feeling was an out body perception and desperation to never let go of the only wielder of her heartstrings and just like a helpless glass doll, she threw her hands around his damp neck, buried her fingers into those incredible cotton like pampering smoldering midnight locks and pulled him down for a maddening unity of their lips, kissing him with a ferocity she was discovering for the first time.
For the man she was supposed to protect. Uchiha Sasuke was the reason why she smiled heartedly for the first time in forever.
His kisses were sloppy, erratic and clumsily, he simply couldn't keep his mouth in one place, he had to taste her, breath her very being, and imprint her taste into his lips, mind, heart and soul, as his very spirit has memorized her imprint and the floral cherry blossom fruity feminine scent, like the paved path that has unfolded before him, the sinner, to Paradise.
Her body was the temple he grew thirsty to explore, his hands skimmed along her sides, sliding above her ribs, ticking her and burning her cashmere skin with the finesse of his fingertips, palms gliding over the swell of her plump supple mounds, making her arch like a swan into his touch, her breath turning blazing like a falling meteor, descending from the sky.
He curled his hand around her shoulders, like a swift serpent, locking her into his arms, her mouth seeking for her shoulders and the column of her pulse, as their intertwined joined hips were rhythmically dancing together, rolling, pounding and mirroring the frenzy of their hearts, he sanctified the nymph image he had on her writing and moaning into his arms, setting her body into an ethereal fire, lighting up all her senses and making her burn like a torch, with the pleasure he infused into her.
Every touch of his calloused palms against her sizzling sweating creamy opaline skin evoked indescribable pleasure, reaching the swell of pure beatitude everytime she felt his lips latch everywhere he could reach, in the same unsaturated manner as his engorged member was spanning along her slick tunnel, filling her up with the very quintessence of euphoria, each time he thursted forward, hitting spots inside her that she could only fantasize about, while her mind was shutting down from that world, to welcome the realm of bliss to awaken inside her.
The traces of her beatitude were fluttering along the rims of her delicate curled long eyelashes, while the color of emerald, shining from under her half shut intoxicated orbs, has been wrapped in a lustrous fog, being swallowed by the pure golden myriads of threads around the ring of her irises.
Her skin was elegant, delicate and lucent like fine polished diamond, and Sasuke swore that the taste of divine peaches nectar has never been so satiating.
He had to cover her entirely with his mark, until no one could differentiate his scent from hers, get united to her in the most primal and intimate way, make her feel the supremacy of his every word and feel his honesty, and have her in ways that no one did before, not in the past, present or future.
That was why, during their frenetic magnetizing dance of bodies and hearts, Sasuke allowed his emerald eyed lover switch positions, having her toned thighs straddle his waist as her body perfectly portrayed the sensual tango of the rippling foamy waves of the sea, above him, riding him ardently and savagely, following the same familiar sexual lustful motion, up and down, bobbling against his erect member, wrapping him in their combined sticky fluids, surging from her clasping core, while her palms span across his abdomen, petting those delicious rippling muscles, imprinting every protruding fiber on her fingertips.
She was his. His and only his. And he would damn right make her realize that she belonged to him and he could only breathe while she was around. Not Ino Yamanaka, not any other woman, no one, but her.
He didn't give a damn about who she really was and who was the person hiding under her mask, because, to him, she would forever be his Sakura, the woman to bring the colors of the rainbow back into his grey sky.
She was the ray of light that opened up his eyes to welcome the sun in his life again. And he could feel it in the way Sakura was pressing herself into his arms, like yearning to become even more laced together, assured the Uchiha that she was thinking in the same manner.
In fact, the CIA agent thought she would go insane if she didn't feel him on her mouth and that was the reason why she cupped his face with her quivering hands and forced his lips off the peak of her full breast to bring his head up and slam her lips on his own, moaning and suckling greedily on his succulent lips, like a thirsty man in the dessert.
Kissing Sasuke, all the while their naked bodies were rocking against each other, playing the lullaby of the sensual nocturne fantasy entrapping them into the realm of desire and sheer passion, was the most amazing thing and it brought tears of emotion playing and shimmering at the corners of her eyes.
Sensing the whimpers that oozed off the woman caged into his arms, as her lips were trembling while pulling at his own, Sasuke broke their kiss, furrowing his eyebrows, as he breathed against her face, onyx orbs boring into her viridian incandescent glaze ones, seeing that they were bathing in crystalline tears, which were slowly descending from the rim of her eyelashes, along the outline of her fine cheeks.
"What`s wrong, love?" He couldn't have been too rough and hurt her, was he?
He brought his palms from massaging her shoulder blades, to gently cup her cheeks, while the tip of his thumbs were weeping away her tears as she shook her head, looking deeply into his eyes, while she took him aback with the multitude of emotions that were bathing into her polished shimmering beautiful green eyes.
"N-Nothing I…I am so…so happy." Her voice was a stolen whisper from a bell flower, dancing into the wind, while she let her forehead lean on his own. "I don't know what happens, but I can't stop myself."
He flipped them so as he gently pressed her back against the silk bed sheets, slowly and carefully pressed on her left thigh, to spread her open, aligning himself with her glistening slick core and lowered himself inside her, while his left hand tucked a strand of her chocolate damp hair, behind her ear, pressing his lips against hers, kissing her with the delicacy of a butterfly, letting his lips tap on each of her own lips, massaging and licking her lips with the tip of his tongue.
His gentleness, the emotions he summoned inside her while he behaved like that, the grace of his touch and the meaning behind that delicacy only made her want to cry more. Her tears were flowing untamed as she arched her back, elevating her hips to take him all inside, her leg curling around his waist as her arms stroll from his back, to entangle into his rebel raven hair.
And she kissed him back with the same loving fluttering of his lips, tasting each other slowly, deeply and elegantly, like the first time they kissed, rediscovering the essence of the passion connecting them.
There were meandering bubbles of tingles migrating to the pits of her simmering stomach, her skin was trembling in delight at the feel of his carved valleys and peaks of divine body rippling above her own and her heart was soaring to intangible peaks of Nirvana, bathing into the love he was syphoning her with.
"A-AH!" She curbed like a siren, letting out an explosive erotic prolonged moan, when Sasuke slant inside her slowly, but deeply, changing the angle of his penetration, going further to tantalize a certain sweet spot inside her inner walls, that made every pore in her body jitter in raw bliss and tremble under him.
He connected them like a bridge over the time, conjoining their lives together, forming an intimate beautiful bond, which seemed to have defeated the rules of time and allowed them to come into each other`s worlds, finding solace in each other`s embrace, for once again.
His fingers were combing her hair, massaging her temple, while his lips were brushing over hers, being the dream lover of any woman.
He was soft, and then she realized the reason why she was crying and whimpering under his every touch: it was the way he was truly and beautiful making love to her. It was exactly that particular emotion.
That was not just a simple fuck between people who have made their bodies prisoners of lust and physical pleasure, no, it was the calling of two hearts seeking for synchronize of their beats and sing in canon, the same celestial melody, from the beginning of time.
And it was beautiful beyond words. The natural, simple, unadulterated and intimate moment, was showering the peak of sensuality, with unrestrained open ardent emotions.
Words that Sakura couldn't translate into words, were flooding Sasuke`s mind and heart, while they built up trust and love between them, from the very foundation, brick by brick, until they built their own temple of love. "You are so beautiful like this, love. So beautiful." His voice reverberated like the sweetest most musical nocturne symphony, caressing her eardrums.
The way he was moving inside her, like his every lunge against her, rinsed in their essences core were telling a story of their own, like she meant the world to him and he wanted to make sure he ingrained him with his quintessence, the power of his intoxicating kiss and the shimmering look into his silvery-obsidian gleaming diamond orbs, seemed like it was the last night she spent into his arms and that only made her tighten her embrace on him and whisper upon his lips. "This is not the last time…is it?"
And not surprisingly, Sasuke understood what she meant but no, he didn't come there to tell her goodbye because he chose to sway away from her, forever, no, he was not that much of a sadist and a hypocrite. He came there with a single thought in mind: to stay forever.
"Why makes you think like this?"
She let her head lean into his touch, feeling dizzy with everything that Sasuke represented, kissing the inside of his palm.
"You are being so gentle with me." He felt the tears that were embellishing her cheeks imprint on his hand and surprisingly, that moment felt even more intimate to Sasuke, than him sliding inside her passage.
"Sakura, I am not making love to you because I plan on leaving you afterwards. I am doing this because I love you."
It has been so long since Sasuke said those words to someone –and that person was his mother, but, of course, they were not romantic- and somehow, they rolled naturally and easily off his tongue, and admitting those feelings he had for Sakura was not making Sasuke feel week, on the contrary, he felt stronger.
Sakura`s presence was accompanied by a confidence and an invigorating new élan that Sasuke never felt before.
If she was by his side, he was positive and daring into presuming that he could do everything and anything, and nothing could be denied to him. She was amazing and so were the warm feelings that were tickling the casket of his chest.
Sakura…she was a soft happy melody that Sasuke would love sing forever. "Tomorrow, when you are going to wake up, you will have me by your side."
His knuckles brushed over the contour of her jaw, as his index was seeping past her lips and he actually smiled to her, a soft small smile that made him even more beautiful than he was.
"I love you, Sasuke."
"I know. This is why I am here. For you." Just like her, Sasuke was barely fighting off the dizziness and tiredness that washed through his system, not conscious of how much time has found them loving each other, but he couldn't brush away the guilt of hurting her like he did. "I am sorry. For hurting you."
"I`m sorry for leaving without giving you the chance to explain. I should have trusted you." Damn you Karin for making her doubt him, ingraining her with stupid nonsensical outrageous untruths.
He smirked at her, somehow trusting her that she won't refuse him, even if the facts were presenting a distorted image of him. "You did trust me, love. You didn't kick me outside like I have deserved." It would have been even more exciting for her to try…
"Wait a sec…how did you find me?" It was only then when it dawned to Sakura that Sasuke has managed to finally come to her, but she didn't see exactly how he did it.
Sasuke didn't know the name she used and he would have never guessed it, simply because he didn't know Orochimaru or her connection to him.
"You have quite interesting friends." Had it been in another context, with him not firmly pressing into her, lulling her core into giving up that building tension, rocking her, Sasuke would have laughed at the way her face turned from flushed, sweating and exuberant, to murderous.
At least, she tried to be, because the pout that bloomed on her lips, made him dip down and kiss her shortly. She mewled when he pulled back.
"Rin." Sakura frowned but she was so cute, because she was trying her best not to cry as he moved inside her, tightening her grip of his hair, very bad things running through that tiny portion of her mind –the one which was not engulfed into Sasuke and him alone.
"I will kill her." No kidding, that blabbermouth friend of hers was too much. How dare she give her away to Sasuke?
But then again, it was her the one to bring them back together and allow them to solve the little misunderstanding.
Ok, maybe not dispose of her…just beat her to a bloody pulp.
Where was that red haired volcanic crazy woman anyways?
She heard Sasuke chuckle darkly, as he was occupied with planting kisses down her throat and the crevice of her breasts, as she arched against him to give him more space.
"This is what I told her too after she stepped into my office uninvited and she has threatened me back. She is as crazy as the dobe."
No kidding, Sasuke would never admit it out loud, but Karin was scary as fuck. And that coming from him, was saying a lot. "But…she helped me find you, love. So the fact that she nearly broke my office door and cursed me is pardonable, because I know she cares deeply for you." Just like Naruto did for him.
"Mmm…she d-does…" He slide a hand under her ass, squeezing her and carry her closer to the much expecting release, as he speeded up, since the pace was killing him and her altogether. "Sas-uke…"
She saw stars when he piqued a steady faster pace, while his tongue was whirling around a perked up diamond hard nipple, lips taunting and massaging it, suckling like a newborn from her mother`s warmth.
"Hm?"
"Kiss me." She was close, she knew it. The knot tightening into an amassed ball of fire, electricity and adrenaline, was bubbling in effervescence into the pits of her abdomen, and she knew she wouldn't last longer, so she wanted to taste him when she screamed his name against his lips, sending each syllable of ecstasy deep into his mind and heart.
He smiled softly at her –something he found himself doing more and more often in her presence- and breathed against her lips.
"Always." And melted the air between them into a deep soft kiss that broke the darkness inside her heart in shattering pieces of light.
That night she belonged to him and they belonged to each other, to the night and the shining moon above.
The walls were embed with the desperate broken screams, whimpers, growls moans and cries of each other's ecstasy, the floor was burning with the passion of their intense lovemaking, the wooden slats of the bed cracked under their pressure fierce pumps, thrusts and shakes, unable to contain the unleashed display of need and savage want, while their names from their bruised trembling lips filled the emptiness of the luxurious room with the claim of their lover's heart, body and soul.
"Damn…" Sakura wasn't even sure of where she was, because every part of her body was dripping with his fragrance, his taste, his essences, his very soul and she loved every part of it. Even if she was beyond exhausted, feeling every inch of her muscles ache, there was immensurable warmth adding to the touch of fulfillment she felt and it was perfect.
Sasuke, who was barely keeping himself up to shadow her and keep her close, having only his forehead buried into the valley of her breasts, upon her heart, was just as exhausted, and she felt every hot pants fanning over her skin as he inhaled sharply.
She cupped his face with the hands, which she had entangled through his damp rebel locks, and brought it up to look at his face, brushing off the shorter strands of his raven hair, stuck into his obsidian eyes, frowning.
"You look tired." She felt truly sorry for him. Not only had he worried and tortured about her whereabouts, but he has been intently working, never leaving his office. She knew it from Karin`s tracking device.
The bags under his eyes and the pallor of his alabaster skin were solid proofs of that. She ventured into thinking that he hasn't eaten or slept in days, either.
Nonetheless, Sasuke still managed to smirk softly at her, not wanting to dwell on depressing things, since he finally found her, after going crazy counting the hours she has been gone from his life.
"Sleeping on your office desk does that to you." He didn't add the fact that Neji Hyuga`s nocturnal rambles about how he hated everyone –including Sasuke and their common friends- and snorts prevented him from stealing some hours of sleeping, since the desperate idiot has been with him, brainstorming for a genius solution to save the Byakugan. "I wasn't able to find you."
"Did you look for me?" For the past two days he has tried to reach her? Sakura was shocked to hear he did that despite the tons of work he had. She suddenly felt so stupid for making him do that since she knew how worried he was.
"Of course." He nodded once to her, as he pulled back from her, both missing that warmth their conjoined bodies produced, rolling on his side, taking her waist in the process with him, making her lie her back on his chest.
"You used a fake name to hide." Of course she did, he was sure that Sakura wouldn't use her own name –that wasn't even real to begin with- to hide from him. But nonetheless, he was curious.
"Yes."
"Does it mean anything to you?"
She didn't even blink when she muttered to him, while feeling her eyelids start to give off under the heaviness of tiredness, but she was telling him the truth. Papa Oro meant so much to her that it was impossible to Sakura to put it into words just how significant his paternal role in her life was. "A lot. That person is someone I care deeply for."
Sasuke grew really curious as in who that person might be, but he won't be dwelling on that fact right that moment. Sakura was his number one priority and so was the radiating warmth her body produced, engulfing him into her feminine scent and softness, and inviting him into a deep sweet slumber, beside her.
"I`m sorry. I added to your problems."
Sakura entangled their legs together, both exhausted and tried to go on another round, seeing that the moon has sunk in, and the damp morning air was blowing through the half opened window, while Sasuke tucked the blanket over them, as Sakura got comfortable into his chest.
He slipped a hand around her shoulders, brushing his fingertips over her shoulder.
"You are never a problem." He kissed her forehead softly, but the sneaky Sakura has been faster, lifting her chin to catch his lips midway and steal a kiss from him.
"Liar." She yawned and sprawled her hands upon his chest, like a cat, purring and nuzzling into him, letting her eyes close. She was exhausted and so was he, but that time, in a good way, since they have been having sex for hours.
In the brisk first glint of the sunrays of the velvet sunshine, she collapsed onto the embrace of her last boomerang bubbling orgasm, blasting within the core of her pleasure, making all her muscle convulse and her world to shatter in billions irradiating rainbows and stars, falling into slumber, in the secure cocoon of his strong herculean arms and ripped chest.
The words 'i love you' were sealed on her content smiling lips, when she tapped them on the column of his throat, falling asleep, with Sasuke gathering her into his arms, joining her in the realm of dreams.
Unbeknownst to her, he unconsciously breathed the very same words to her. Precious words that he kept bestowed within the den of his chest, sprung free for her to learn of their existence.
She didn't need to only heart them. He let her feel their meaning for as long as the night sealed their insane lovemaking over and over again like the chorus of the sweetest midnight symphony.
That was the home in the definition of his ontology. That was the place he would ever return to with the same passion no matter how much time he missed. She was the woman he wanted, no one else, but her. Just her.
And Hell might swallow him first, before Sasuke would let her go away from him. Why let the nightingale spread free from its golden cage, when the bars were the very barriers of his own heart? Why spread her wings when liberty and fulfillment where beside the captor of her voice and the wielder of her heart?
.
.
.
::Japan, Tokyo, random Love Hotel::
Red wine orbs squeezed and fluttered, while a throaty groan escaped her lips, as the first rays of morning sun were blazing through the window of the living room. Karin felt like she has been hit by a speeding truck, all her muscles were sore, she felt stingy down there, her temples were pounding and her throat was dry and burning her.
"…per l'amor di Dio..." she mumbled in Italian, speaking more gibberish than Italian while she got up but couldn't because something was keeping her down.
She looked at the hand curled around her waist. Suigetsu was having his head buried into her right breast and she rolled her eyes at him.
"What a major pervert." She kicked his leg not so gently, trying to have him stir. "Oi! Wake up, you snorting shark faced idiot!"
She kicked him again harder, while his amethyst orbs unglued as his grip around her waist tightened bringing her down.
"Hmnnnttoo…early…scream….stop." She rolled her eyes again at him, trying to pry his hand off her with no success.
"Suigetsu, I am going to stab you with something if you don't let me go." The worst part was that both knew she wasn't joking.
"Whatever happened to shark boy?" Karin turned to look at him. He was half awake and had that stupid mischievous –ridiculously sexy- grin and those eyes…gleaming, lusting, luscious and lavender aquamarine…Karin gulped once, feeling her mouth going dry. That was never a good sign.
"Get your ass up, I want to get a damn shower."
"Why in such a hurry?"
"I smell." She sniffled and crunched her nose in disgust. "And you reek like dead fish."
"Am I really now?" Suigetsu`s smirk grew wider, taking her all in as her opaline skin was shimmering into the morning light, not wasting time in rolling over and went above her pinning her hands down when she attempted to punch his face.
"So early in the morning, yet so violent." He taunted, pressing his equally naked body into her own, fanning over her lips. "You know I like it when you play hard to get."
He dropped the tip of his nose on hers and he actually managed to make her blush a little! There was just something about him…
She hissed in his face like a Python, firmly holding his stare. "You have three seconds to get off, you Moby Dick doppelganger, before I kick you in places that you will surely miss and make you one inch shorter."
"C`mon now, bella, we know that this is hardly the case." Suigetsu yanked the blanket between them slamming his hips into her own and let her feel him. Damn, he was already so hard and rubbing on her.
Not good. Definitely not good at all. "I didn't hear you complain when you were screaming me to take you hard or screaming my name as you came. How many times?" he rubbed his chin, aquamarine lavender orbs glancing sideways, faked like he was deep in thoughts. "Seven? Eight? Nine-"
Karin promptly leaned forward and thrust her forehead down his nose as he instinctively gripped his nose and she used the chance to swap positions and roll over, escaping from his clutch.
"I warned you, shark boy!" She bolted to the shower, giggling like a school girl and speeding down the hall of their hotel room, auburn untangled locks fluttering behind her naked back, brushing past her crevice of her toned ass.
However, before she had the chance to shut the door behind, Suigetsu was fast on her heel, sliding inside, slamming it shut and locking it.
"Hey, what are you-" Wine eyes widened in horror as Suigetsu locked the door and threw the key outside on the small round opened window.
"You demented shark faced asshole, you have just locked us in here, you maggot!" She hollered to him, as her wine orbs narrowed into slits, looking at the tiny window, taunting her as the metallic click of the key falling on the balcony rung through her eardrums.
He on the other hand, had a wicked smirk and predatory cut the distance, grabbing both her hands, turning her around and bending her over the sink, keeping her hands pinned on her back, on a grip he used to immobilize drug dealers or armed criminals.
"Good. Now you have one hell of an excuse to stop pretending to hate me and run. Not that I wouldn't find it sexy."
Suigetsu growled into her ear as he rubbed his engorged member against her ass, while he used his knee to part her legs, making Karin tremble in anticipation with the things he would soon do to her.
And mind telling you, Suigetsu was unleashed in the bed, having no pardon, shame or restrain.
She thanked her CIA training and high flexibility, because either ways, Karin was sure that, by the ways he bent her the night before, while he fucked her merciless, she wouldn't be able to walk without a cane.
She only smirked feeling hers leg growing more aroused at his attitude. That was crazy and new, she didn't stay with a man to sleep and definitely she was out in the morning but Suigetsu was…something else. "I have to text Cherry and tell her not to worry about me."
He briefly frowned at her choice of words, but realized that Cherry was Sakura. Inwardly, Suigetsu found their friendship between girls cute for two ruthless Sound assassins. "That…you don't know yet."
He licked her spine and nape, finding that sensitive spot behind her shoulder blades as she tried to arch against him, but he kept her straddled down on the sink, cursing the fact that he didn't have anything at his disposal to tie her hands.
"Mnnn…shark boy…" She mewled when his wicked tongue rolled over her nape, descending down the column of her shoulders, nipping and biting her soft skin. She had a natural vanilla and caramel scent that drove Suigetsu insane.
"That`s more like it, but you know when you are the sexiest, bella? When you scream it."
Not wasting time, he impaled himself inside her, making her break a scream, thrusting into her already aroused sipping core, ramming inside her passageway, hard, fast and ruthlessly, filling her up to the hilt. She had to bit her lip to stop screaming, but failing miserably.
"Fuck…you!" She cursed him between her moans as he only smirked, dipping his head down to cup her breasts and pinch her nipples, riding her hard against the bathtub, as he licked her throat and ear`s hell.
"Yeah, this is exactly what we are going to do, love…for the next few hours." The fact that they were locked inside and the hot steam from the shower was adding to their arousal.
Getting out wasn't to be a problem for a CIA and an Interpol agent, and maybe that was the reason why they found himself probing every single inch of the bathroom and satiate their growing thirst for each other, not giving a damn about anything else, but their locked slick mouths and their interlaced hips.
.
.
.
::Imperial Hotel Tokyo, Japan, Tokyo, Sakura`s Suite::
Sakura waked up with a familiar musk ocean strong masculine scent filling her nostrils and, unlike the past two days, she smiled widely at the warmth enveloping her.
For a moment…just a moment…her heart got scared that it would have been all a cruel humorless joke and a sweet dream that would perish with the first rays of the morning.
But that voice she adored so much, was definitely as real as his hard rock naked body pressed against her. "Morning." She squealed to him and she wanted to slap herself at how she sounded, but that only amused Sasuke more and made him chuckle.
Sasuke had one hand curled around her shoulders, keeping her on his chest, while the other was holding some files he was keeping close to his onyx eyes. "Not quite, but you are close." He was probably studying the latest company related business.
"What`s the time?"
"11: 25 a.m. Hungry?"
A deep rumble of her stomach and a blush, she buried her face under the blanket, getting lower to rest her head on his hard rock abdomen, making him chuckle.
She was tickling him with her hair - a funny thing she discovered in between the lines. "We should go down and eat. Then we can leave this place."
She popped from under the blanket grinning down at him, finding the prospect really inviting. "Where are we going?"
"Okinawa." He simply told her. "My grandparents live in Miyako Island. You will just love those beaches."
It was probably the double meaning behind his words and the small wicked smirk growing on his delicious lips the ones to sprawl a cute blush of red roses upon her cheeks, making her smile like an idiot.
Vaguely, Sakura wondered why would he want them to get there but she didn't care. As long as she was with him, they could go to the North Pole or the Jungle. "Are we starring in Blue Lagoon?"
He placed the files on the nightstand, sneaking his hands around her waist, pulling her to him and kissing her passionately. "You just say the name of the island, then I will buy it and we can live like shipwrecked people, without technology, till the end of our days."
"We`ll die of an infection in less than a month. Those movies are hardly realistic, but nice try."
The jade eyed woman rolled over her tummy, shivering as the cold air hit her naked skin, heading to the wardrobe, not bothering to hide from him.
Sasuke has already seen everything she had to conceal, minus her CIA identity, so why bother? She didn't feel as shy as before anymore, because he has given her a confidence in her womanhood like Sakura never had. "Should we call for room service?"
"No." But Hell might swallow her first, before she gave up the mouthwatering view she had, when she briefly turned around too looked at his toned naked ass, as he slide the pants over his toned legs.
"This hotel`s Casino restaurant has the best beef steak in Japan. We should give it a try."
Sasuke had absolutely zero idea of the reason why Sakura had an indecipherable expression on her face. Then she let her back loll backwards, as she burst out laughing. "You`re crazy, you know that?"
Sakura couldn't wait to pop in there again, after yesterday`s stunt, but that time, dressed flawlessly and in the company of Uchiha Sasuke, who has just hit the headlines with his latest scandal involving a rich model woman.
"So? When does our plane take off?"
"Who said something about planes?" The sexy Uchiha turned around to face her, buttoning up his shirt, as she couldn't help but stare at his chest.
Damn, Armani never looked better on someone that it fit on every peak and aperture of his ripped body.
He quickly dials a number on his phone, all the while smirking knowingly at the way her emerald orbs drooled over his body, lust present all over around the golden crown around her irises. "Juugo. I want the helicopter to be at Imperial Hotel Tokyo in an hour."
She rolled her eyes at him, but smiled nonetheless. Leave it to Sasuke to act like a total…Uchiha. High class to the end. "I assume you don't want to have dinner naked, though I know I wouldn't mind, but I would be troubled by the other men who would stare at what is mine."
"Yeah, well it`s your fault for distracting me." Sakura threw back to his possessive –she loved loved loved it- retort, dipping down to knee before her shopping bags, digging into them. She didn't have time to unpack. Karin was like a fortune teller for taking her to a round of raiding fancy shops.
The emerald eyed Sound agent quickly embellished her naked glorious siren curves with a silk long bright red skirt and a matching cute feminine chiffon white blouse, decorated with a red ribbon, fancily cupping her ghost of a tantalizing cleavage.
She combed her bob hair which started to grow and brush over her shoulders and tucked her left part around her ear, the other falling on her temple, in a sexy elegant way.
And of course, a pair of Jimmy Choo`s high heels molded perfectly around her feet, complementing the killer luxurious and refined image of her breathtaking killer view. So much for the tramp undercover, welcome the stylish filthy rich Athena of the Sound. Sasuke kept his eyes on her all the time and Sakura felt extremely proud for catching him openly ogle her, like she did to him seconds ago.
"See something you like?" She winked at him, while applying light pink pastel lipstick. The Uchiha was fast to cut the distance between them, coming to rest inches away from her, slowly encircling her petite waist, clashing her into his chest and kissed her hard and passionate, tasting the peaches lipstick she was busy applying, making her moan into his kiss.
"You were watching me as well."
"You were imagining it."
"Shall we go?" She nodded eagerly to him, as she took the access card out of her purse, to lock the door behind them, quickly curling her hand around his bent arm, strolling to the to the elevator.
She couldn't believe what was happening, being positive that she was still dreaming. Yesterday, Sakura has been complaining to Karin about Sasuke, and there she was, walking hand in hand with him.
There was no one inside the stuffed space when they walked in, but on the next floor, the elevator stopped to adjust the three men who stepped inside, while Sakura felt her mind explode.
"Mr. Uchiha, what a surprise!" The most prominent corpulent man greeted the Uchiha beside her, clearly not seeing the much smaller once rose haired woman and she was thankful he didn't.
"Mr. Nishiko." The Uchiha flatly saluted back, clearly not enjoying that man`s company too much, having his indomitable steel façade already dragged when in the public`s eyes, demanding respect and restraint from the others.
And fear!
That thought alone made Sakura laugh inside like her crazy bat shit insane friends Hidan and Anko, because she knew that people were scared shitless of Sasuke.
"Did you see the latest financial news about the sudden drop in the electronic-" He stopped ranting as the doors were closing with a click and it was too late to get off when his eyes landed on Sakura.
He was the man she punched when she went to the Casino to drink her liver into oblivion…accompanied by bodyguards, who both had bruises and stiches attached to their gasping stupid faces and he looked like he had problems breathing and standing. Of course, some broken ribs could do that for ya...
All stuffed into that tiny place with no escape route. No one talked for a good three seconds. Sasuke rose an eyebrow at Sakura, looking at the man whose stare froze on her –a stupid business partner an unimportant one- and his bodyguards…ogling Sakura.
He felt the need to punch their faces so hard, that they would be made human posters to decorate each side of the elevator, for their sin.
"Y-You?"
"You." Sakura simply stated, at the same time, but she was steady and unfaltering, unlike the sweating pig, who looked like on the verge of peeing on his pants.
It was pretty bad that he had to withstand the overwhelming presence of Sasuke Uchiha in such a tiny space, but he was accompanied –what the freaking HELL?!- by a killer ninja woman, who could slit their throats in a heartbeat and she was…smirking knowingly at him.
He gulped once and his bodyguards coughed awkwardly.
"Ahm…" he started to sweat seeing how she pressed into the Uchiha before him, while he curled a hand around her shoulders, silently letting them know that she was his company.
"A-Are y-you t-t-t-toghethe-" he asked the Uchiha before him, but the stare he got from Sasuke was enough to make him swallow his words and spit. Damn was that ride TOO slow for his liking. His bodyguards were scurrying on the farthest corner of the lift, far far far away from Sakura and her punches.
"Are you not feeling good, Sir?" Sakura faked a cat like purring worried tone, while on the inside she was laughing like a demented woman. "I think there is something on your upper lip. Is that a bruise?"
She remembered clearly kicking him there and she had so much fun when remembering the scene, minus the reason behind it. He had a stich on his nose, that, although it was transparent, it was still clearly visible.
"Car accident, maybe?" She mocked him while he sweat dropped, tugging on the collar of his white shirt, awkwardly, clearly bothered.
Sasuke remained silent all the times and confused as in why Sakura knew his business partners, but he knew that Sakura would fill him in pretty soon.
Somehow, he enjoyed and felt prideful at how Sakura managed to make three men, which were all shadowing her with their weight and height, scurry like rats.
"…" The man didn't know what to say, or how to react, he wanted to sue her for being violent and harming them, but seeing how she was accompanied by Uchiha Sasuke from all the people….words froze on his lips, along with all his plans to make her pay for meddling with him. He mumbled some gibberish, but no one actually managed to make out what the heck was he saying, though he was funny to see.
"I-I…y-you…yesterday…" as he was busy fluttering his finger in her direction, he got those nasty vibes from Sasuke, clearly sending him one precise message: 'Mess with my woman and you will soon be begging for dead to come and pick you up faster.'
He tucked on the collar of his shirt and when the ride stopped, he was the first to scurry outside, mumbling a "It was nice to meet you, Mr. Uchiha" and vanished from their sight of view.
"What was that about?" Sasuke asked Sakura, as they made their way through the hall, into the direction of the Casino Restaurant, getting heads whipped their way, clearly everybody finding out about that scandal with him and Ino and now he was being seen with another woman, which was even more stunning than the blonde.
"Let`s just say that I got a little…angry at you and that blonde chick," the tone of her voice assured Sasuke that she had a breakdown and he knew she was being depressive. His heart pang suddenly and his chest clasped painfully.
"and I went to drink something to the Casino`s bar. This duded that seems to know you simply tried to hook me up and flirted with me, but I didn't give him attention. He tried to feel me up under the dress and I…kind of kicked his sorry ass and beat up his bodyguards, when they tried to restrain me."
Sasuke snorted at that, totally imagining the scene, although it was nothing funny. "I think he wants to sue me, but got scared of you."
They made it to the entrance and the face of the guard who recognized the CIA agent from yesterday in the company of Sasuke gasped at them and froze. Sasuke glared at him, while Sakura gave him a small innocent –knowing suggestive- smile.
"What are you waiting for? Open this door." Sasuke growled at him while said man trembled and threw the door open.
"Thank you." She sang to him and Sasuke caught that fake taunting gesture too, creeping a fine eyebrow up at her. Just what the hell has Sakura do in those two days to get every single person in that hotel scared of her shitless?
"Hn. He is just a wannabe businessman, with no brain and a lot of money he got from having most of his stocks invested in Nano-technology and medical equipment. Do I want to know about the guard?"
"Let`s just say that Rin and I have been here yesterday and they demanded dress code." Sasuke could picture this and both snorted and she giggled at that.
The Uchiha has seen Karin and he imagined that Sakura wasn't at her finest there, either. They took the farthest table at the first floor and Sasuke took the lead into ordering for them, like a real gentleman, even before the menus have been placed on their tables.
The waiter answered him in Japanese, saying his name after bowing once, disappearing in the direction of the kitchen.
"Do you come here often?" Sakura inquired, as she let her stare drool to the sexy man before her, not bothered to look around and see the whispering and gossiping people. It was bad enough that she could hear them.
Ah, the need to kill something was growing feral into her assassin blood, that she had to keep on a leash and not expose her identity.
Sasuke simply shrugged, leaning further into the chair, like he owned the place, totally unfazed by the others around, focusing on the charming woman before his onyx eyes.
"Most of the international business related meetings and receptions are held in here." Meaning that he was a regular, but that was understandable. Sasuke was a millionaire, so it was only normal that he would fancy such exclusive places.
"Show off." She taunted, while seeping from the wine that was placed on their table, by a pretty young blonde waiter, enjoying the sweetness of the beverage. Liquor was so delicious when tasting in such a perfect context….and quantity.
"I do not intend to evoke unpleasant memories, because I know that what I did was unpardonable," Sasuke across her started and she got surprised by his remorseful serious tone. "But what is the deal with your friend?"
Sakura laughed softly at that one. Of course he would ask her about Karin, but judging about her totally distinctive, unique and blazing personality, who wouldn't?
"I called her after I checked myself in here and she took the first plane to Tokyo. Next thing I know, she is at my door, banging and dragging me to shopping."
In a way, because, first, she had to help her get a hold of herself and fight the killing hangover, but Sasuke didn't need to know that. He was probably imagining it anyways.
Sasuke found that information to be a little bit suspicious because of the great distance from Italy to Japan, and his sharp mind did few quick simple sums, taking into the account the time zone and adding it to the fact that he knew most of the planes` schedules, since he travelled a lot, but brushed it off for the moment, because he didn't want to ruin the moment with his paranoia and overanalyzing personality.
"She is an Uzumaki. Is she related to the dobe?" The food came to them and both shut up so as to not give anything away to the waiters to gossip about, letting the tasty aroma fill their hungry nostrils.
"Yes, they are cousins. But truth to be told, Rin doesn't get along with the rest of the family." Sakura took a bit of the beef and Sasuke was right, it was mouthwatering. She went on, not wanting to hide from him anymore.
"She is also an orphan, but instead of helping her, her relatives turned their back on her, took away most of her fortune and the only one to offer her a hand, was Naruto-kun`s mother, Kushina."
Involuntarily, she told Sasuke more than he had to know, but she couldn't take it back. The look in his eyes let her know that he did the right math: Sakura knew Naruto beforehand, or at least, she was acquainted to the Uzumaki family, hence the fact that she got to him wasn't just a fortunate coincidence, but it wasn't the place to inquire.
Truth to be told, Sakura was getting fed up with the net of lies around them and as soon as her mission was over, she has made up her mind last night when Sasuke confessed he loved her: she would tell him the truth.
All of it, starting with her real identity. If he was willing to accept her tainted past, then he wouldn't have any problems in accepting her as a CIA agent. It was not like she was a commoner selling donuts in front of Elementary schools.
She was someone who had a prodigious career–minus the assassination missions- just like him, was also rich and belonged into the same social circle as him, being, in a nutshell, fitted to be his girlfriend.
"So, you and the idiot knew each other from before."
"Actually, no." God, it was a lie, but not entirely. When she befriended Karin she didn't know any of the Akatsuki members, so from that point of view, she wasn't lying to him.
"She hardly speaks about them. To put it simply, she hates the Uzumaki family and cut all the connections. She doesn't like to talk about that, either."
Explains why she ignored Naruto entirely when she stomped into his office room, but still supported her friend. That woman was amazing.
And Suigetsu`s type, Sasuke mentally smirked. He wondered what would happen if they met, though knowing their personalities…
"That is quite the story. Dobe never told me he had a cousin, either."
"He doesn't hate her like she does and Mrs. Kushina Uzumaki tends to call her on holidays and her birthdays to check on her. She even flied to Italy a few times to see her and invite her to come and live with the rest of the family. Naruto-kun tried to get close to her many times before, but she pushed them all aside, though she is polite with her aunt, because she is honest and didn't try to steal from her or trick her."
"So? Where is she now?" He meant she wasn't living with her so he supposed she stayed at Naruto`s place.
"Frankly, I have no idea. She was supposed to come back to the hotel, but I see she didn't. I sent her a message, but I got no reply." And that started to worry her. Where in the name of Lord was Karin?!
A waiter came to their table bowed to Sakura and both she and Sasuke looked up. "Excuse me, Miss…Cherry Finelli Montesi – Olivero?" Sasuke shot an eyebrow up, looking at Sakura, who in turn, smiled softly to the woman before her and nodded once.
"Yes."
"There is a telegram for you." The woman gave her a white envelope with a magenta line on it, placing it on Sakura`s hand.
"A telegram…for me?" There was a cold chilling sensation bubbling into the pits of her stomach that Sakura simply couldn't brush off, when her hands touched the inanimate light object. "From who?"
Her eyebrows drew together ever so softly, but she tried to play it cool and be naturally surprised, not naturally inquisitive and edgy.
"I am afraid I do not know, Miss. Someone has left it to the reception earlier and I have been instructed to deliver it to the owner, which would be you, Miss. If you will excuse me..." She bowed again and left the surprised pair to look at the telegram.
"Strange." Sakura mumbled and a sudden queasiness in her chest rose inside her. She got a bad feeling like a premonition about that, studying the telegram. No name, no address, only her name written in a handwriting she didn't recognize.
"Your friend?" Sasuke inquired as he intently studied Sakura`s reaction like a hawk.
"I don't know." She opened it up and pulled the small note up, slowly, dragging it up to let her eyes travel on what was written inside. She has tapped it trying to feel if anything suspicious, but she was discrete so Sasuke won't notice. But when her jade orbs sucked every single word written on the luscious white paper, the CIA agent fought the urge to slam it on the table and march towards the reception and promptly murder a certain someone, having the wind knocked out of her lungs, as the words were making her brain`s wheels crack and gyrate.
~ Enjoy yourself while you still can, but know that we are watching you both, Athena of the Sound. P. E. I. N ~
PEIN…Lorane`s freaking leader! She felt suffocated and suddenly she couldn't help but wonder whether the food was poisoned. "Is everything all right?" Sasuke asked mildly surprised by her attitude, but she shook her head taking her phone out, forcing out a smile.
"Yes, it is…Karin. She thinks she is being funny, by playing hide-and-seek and make me worried." She looked at him apologetically, and he bought it because she was honest, but not because of Karin. Her FEAR was sincere. Pein…was somewhere near and watching them!
"About us…" she tapped intently on the screen, as she sharpened her senses, because her intuition has never wronged her. Something was off, she just knew it, felt it, tasted it and heard it. "I will send her a message and tell her I am eating and I cannot come to pay her back…yet. Excuse me."
"Take your time." Sasuke on the other hand didn't buy it like she thought he did, and his onyx orbs quickly scanned the surroundings. Something was off. They were being watched and probably targeted.
Obsidian orbs narrowed to a small gleam he caught on the window somewhere in the distance, refracting into his crystal glass, as he casually –faking it- bought it to his lips, sipping from it, senses high alert.
'Rin, I need help, Lorane is somewhere close. I got a message from Pein and they threated Sasuke and I. We are flying to Miyako Island. Check the CCTV and find out who delivered this message. HURRY! Tell Akatsuki as well. Cherry.'
Her heart was pumping like a drum, every bell into her brain was on high alert, Pein was there, the leader of the Lorane himself has personally threatened her into killing them both, she had to do something, they had to get out of the-
BAM!
"AAAAHHHHH!" The huge windows glasses shattered in billions of pieces as a rain of bullets pierced through them. Somebody was shooting inside, using an automatic rifle!
It took Sasuke and Sakura a heartbeat to jump off their chairs and fly down the floor and under the table, as a coverture of bullets enveloped the inside of the restaurant.
All the customers were screaming and hollering, and a waiter has been killed while he was serving a duck stew, flying onto the table, blood surging from his chest. An older woman fainted; there was a pregnant one who was screaming for help, while her husband was sheltering her.
"Sasuke, this is bad, we have to get out of he-" She was already pressed the CIA`s emergency button, spreading the signal to Akatsuki and the Sound, knowing that they would immediately interfere.
She was at loss of what to do, Pein did it on purpose to force her to expose her identity and take his agents down –she hardly believed that he would personally come- and if she shown Sasuke who she was in that moment, the shock would separate them, make them lose focus and get emotional and easily to be killed.
Her hand was on her thigh, where she had the Bo Staff concealed and she also had a gun into her purse, but that was resting on the fucking table. Before she debated what to do, Sasuke has staggered her once again, placing his hand above her own, preventing her from taking away her own gun. What was going on? Lorane didn't use firearms, so logically, Pein shouldn't either.
"Hold me tight and don't let go."
"Wha-" Next thing she knew, Sasuke rose from under the table pulling her up with him and, into the maze of bullets he sprinted to a side wall that was closer to them. She didn't even had time to blink. "Wait!"
Then she saw it. A man dressed entirely in a leather black lacquerer and silver assassin attire, had a gun –Akatsuki`s type of guns- pointed towards her head.
In the span of those milliseconds, her widened emerald orbs saw everything: the gleam of the gun pointing to her forehead, the way his finger pulled the trigger, the curbed trajectory of the bullet, aimed at her head, the lucent menacing crimson flicker of the Death`s eye, when she saw her life slipping past her fingers-
Her heart frozen and stopped beating for a moment. For a moment…she heard the gun discharge.
Stopping abruptly and making Sasuke halt and jerk as well.
She held in her breath-
BAM!
.
.
.
BAM!
.
.
.
Emerald orbs widened in shock as a bullet impaled into the masked men`s forehead and another went into his shoulder, where she knew that his bulletproof vest wouldn't protect him, sending him flying through the window, in the yard of the hotel.
Dead.
She whirled her head around to look at Sasuke, but he wasn't facing her. She looked in absolute horror as his perfectly stretched free left hand was gripping a handgun –where did that come from- firing two bullets at Lorane`s assassin, killing him without blinking, perfectly aiming in places that any respectable agent knew would instantly impale, but was absolutely difficult to aim that good.
His onyx orbs were set and blazing more than the arm, his stance was lean and sharp, ready to strike anytime, he…
Has SAVED her life!
"Come." Abruptly, he tucked her wrist and pulled her with him to a smaller door, behind a curtain that she hasn't observed. It wrote 'kitchen' in golden letter.
Without further notice, he slammed the door open and dragged her with him, running and slipping past the scared cooks, who were all scurrying under the table, no one paying attention to them.
"Where are we going?" She asked, already cursing her heels for preventing her to run. She was the damn CIA agent and Sasuke was the one to save her? What in the world was going on in there? How did Pein find her? How did he know the name she gave-
Eyes widened in realization. Shit!
Her phone was beeping, but she couldn't risk and answer. It was probably Karin or the Akatsuki, she only tapped the screen two times, which was a secret code to 'I can't speak' for them to understand. The phone stopped buzzing.
Without turning to her, Sasuke informed her. "The rooftop."
"Why there? Sasuke, if there is someone in here that wants to kill us, we should find a way out of here. We are going to be cornered if we run to the roof-"
"My helicopter is already there."
Perfect timing!
Did he plan all of that? Sakura felt her mind explode. What in the name of Lord was happening in there? She could already hear the alarms ringing and the electricity went off. "Shit!"
At least, the lack of electricity would make it difficult for them to shoot in the darkness, and Akatsuki`s riffles, which were having X ray sensors and could aim accurately incomplete blackout, were too big to be used in such narrow spaces like spiral stairs, because they were harder to maneuver.
"Keep running." Sasuke bad her, gently but firmly as they were ascending to the stairs. She did. They were flying. Then she felt a sudden shift into the air and the hair on her nape stood erect, all the assassin senses running high alert.
Without further notice, she yanked her hand out of Sasuke`s one as she let reflexes take control over her moves and she whirled around, balancing on her front leg, the one which was already stepping on the next stair and landed a strong fast kick, thrusting her heel straight into the mysterious man that snuck behind her back, aiming for his neck, breaking his windpipe and sending him rolling on the stairs. She also blasted a punch, gaining momentum and force by pushing her hip forward, catching him in mid flying, without allowing him the chance to land any kick on her. "Shannaro!"
Then she felt another one trying to jump on the railing, and she caught the gleam and the metallic sound of a dragged short sharp sword, but Sakura was faster than him, because she slipped a hand under her skirt, which was split on her leg, dragged a concealed kunai and threw it accurately on his chest, hearing his muffled scream and his body falling down, crashing on the floor. The sinister sound of bones smashing on the marble whirled into their ears.
"Sakura!" Sasuke`s rich voice blasted through her ears, while his hand was seeking for her own in the darkness, and she immediately grasped his fingers, intertwining their hands, holding him tight and darting upstairs.
"I`m fine, let`s go!" Sakura thanked all the Heavens for whoever cut down the electricity, because Sasuke hasn't seen her pulling ninja object from under her clothes and kill assassins. THAT, would have been quite the scene to explain to him and come up with a plausible explanation.
They run up until Sasuke kicked the door open, squeezing their eyes shut when the wind and the sun blinded them for a moment. "Fuck!"
The sound of whirling helicopter rotor blades was piercing the air around and was deafening. They run to it while looking all around to make sure that no one followed them and jumped inside the helicopter. "Go!" Sasuke barked at the pilot, who took off immediately, not even stopping the engine.
Sakura had her heart spinning like the propellers of the taking off machine. She almost lost her life –again- because she knew that they weren't targeting Sasuke. They wanted HER dead. And that made her understand a thing: Lorane never truly aimed to kill Sasuke.
Karin`s words came bouncing down her head: what if Sasuke works for the Lorane?
She could see the amassed police cars in surrounding the hotel. The Interpol cars. Suigetsu. They moved fast, she got to hand it to him. Sasuke`s voice has brought her out of her stupor.
He slipped a hand under her chin and made her turn her head over her shoulder and face him as he fisted his hands into her hair, cupping her jaw, obsidian orbs clashing with surprised emerald.
"Sakura, I am going to ask you this one time, please be honest with me."
She blinked once, foreseeing what he would have to ask, but she was just as confused as in why the heck was he so…so not panicked or fazed about what has just happened, like any other NORMAL man would have been in his place?!
How did he know what to do? Was his sudden trip something spontaneous? Was it something he had planned beforehand because he knew there were people wanting to kill him? "Sasuke-"
"You now have the evidence that staying by my side is not a safe place to be. There are people out there who want me dead and you have seen what they are capable off." Like that wasn't obvious.
So Sasuke knew that he was being targeted, she knew he did, judging by his past actions and suddenly, the scene and her suspicion with the people who robbed him by the writings on his wall, being killed by him, came ricocheting back to her.
Those eyes…his beautiful eyes…
…Were deceiving.
"I must know, Sakura. Do you still want to be with me, yes or no? I am giving you the opportunity to leave. I can tell the pilot to take you anywhere, even back to Italy, if your desires are so. I don't care about whatever might happen to me, but if something happens to you, then I will never forgive myself for that."
Seeing that his lips were parted and her emerald orbs were taking in the lustrous gleam into his silver iridescent irises, she got drown.
The reason why she wasn't answering was because she was busy seeking for answers that were torturing her, into his eyes.
"Answer me. Will you stay, or leave? I swear to God and on my mother`s soul that I will not judge you, nor will I hold a grudge if you run away from me. Just say the words, and you are free."
There was a heartbreaking silent plea within his black eyes and she felt like crying at his words. Even in that situation, he was thinking about her, instead of worrying about his own safety. How could he think that she would leave him?
Because any other NORMAL woman would have long done it…
That was the reason why Ino Yamanaka got close to him: because the jade eyed CIA agent has just figured out his traitorous father`s cheap scheme. Sakura was mentally plotting to corner those two and give them to the CIA. She already wrote a message and sent it to Orochimaru and the Akatsuki.
Blinking twice, she fisted her hands into his shirt and crushed her lips on his own, pulling back short after, not allowing him to deepen their kiss, vivid sparkling luscious jadeite eyes boring into his onyx ones.
"I am truly free…only when I am in your arms, Sasuke. I have told you before and I will keep on repeating it to you, until you will start to believe me. I. will. never. leave. you." She emphasized every syllable and he could see the way gold was mixing into her eyes, honesty springing with every word that left her mouth.
"As long as you don't want me to leave, I will stay by your side. I want to be with you and I don't care about anything else, or anyone who might want to harm you. I invite them to try, because if someone wants to lay a finger on you, they will first have to take me on."
There was a sudden change into her tone as her forest green eyes gotten two shades darker but they sparkled more with a confidence that took him by surprise, because he never seen or heard her talking like that.
"This is why I am staying right here, with you. Because I love you."
She didn't allow him to talk, because she aimed for his lips again, this time winding her hands around his neck, taking a hold of his hair, as his own hands went around her shoulders pulling her into his arms, until they run out of breaths.
"I don't know who you really are, Cherry," He spoke against her lips, letting their foreheads rest on each other as he placed another, breathing on each other`s faces.
The way he was rolling that name was sending shivers down her spine. And very personal, because only Papa Oro, Karin and Tsunade were calling her by that nickname. "But God has sent you to me."
Eh, not exactly God, but…
She kissed him again, letting her head fall on his shoulder, as she rolled over and got comfortable in his arms, knowing that they had an hour of flight. She wasn't exactly a fan of helicopters, but that time, she hoped she didn't have to jump off that as well, without using a parachute. Of course. "This is what I would call flying on the first class. Now I only need Champagne."
He smirked at her, letting their fingers intertwine and rest on her flat tummy. "I will make it up for the inconvenient flight." She fought the urge to purr into his arms. He smelled so divine and that danger they faced has conjured and howled for her assassin blood, making adrenaline pump through her muscles and get her aroused.
Seriously, if that pilot wouldn't have been there to witness too much of their sparkling affection…Sakura would have jumped him. She was sure he was thinking about that too.
"What about…that woman?" She asked as her emerald orbs were looking at the blue sky and the line of the horizon. She felt him stiffen shortly, but then relaxed. "She looks like the persistent type."
"Will you throw her outside again, if she seeks for me, like you did before?" He smirked at that. He saw the CCTV countless times and it was priceless.
"You bet I will." Oh, she would personally be the one to do the 'interrogation' after she would get detained by the CIA, using the Sound`s methods of…convincing their prisoners to talk, namely torturing them brutally if they refused to talk, and fuck if she wouldn't be so pleased.
Even if she had to fight Hidan for that privilege, it would be worth it.
"Then we have settled this." She knew he was mocking, but she was certain that Sasuke had a plan. He always seemed to have one.
"What about the company? I might not be a businesswoman and economy has never been my favorite subject, but I have a pair of functional eyes and watch the news, you know? And that character…Nagato or what`s his name…"
Fucking PEIN!
"Leave that to me."
"You do have a plan, don't you?" She lifter her eyes to look into his onyx eyes, as raven bangs fell on his face and caught a small smirk.
"Of course."
"It has to do with the fact that we are visiting your relatives, or that is solely for safety reasons?"
"Safety yes…among other things."
"As in?" She tilted her head to look at him, placing soft kisses along his jawline.
He captured her lips as she was busy trailing them along his chin, in a chaste kiss, simply telling her.
"Spending time with you." She was taking by surprise by that. "You do not want all the media on our heads, after the scandal with the Yamanaka`s daughter, do you? Plus, my home in Tokyo is not a safe place anymore."
She knew that much. No matter how much security did she planted inside, Lorane was able to sneak inside, no problem. "Sounds reasonable. Wait, did you plan all of this even before talking to me? Thinking that I will immediately accept?" She raised an eyebrow at his amused face. What an arrogant man. That jerk. He was precise she would forgive him.
And he actually smirked to her. "Love, I had no doubt that you will come with me. I would have never left without you."
"You`re so full of yourself."
"True. But," His orbs became predatory as his hand went under the skirt that was sliding high on her ivory silk leg, advancing upwards, brushing over her thigh, as he dropped his chocolate rich voice dangerously low.
"You still love me." And boldly stole her breath away when he cupped her through the lace lingerie she wore underneath and she had to bit her lip to prevent a moan to escape her lips.
"S-Sasuke, the pilot-"
"Can`t hear a thing." True, he was busy with making sure they won't crush into the ocean and talking to the Tower, plus he wore a helmet.
So, the Uchiha simply pressed a button that she failed to notice above his head, as a separating screen slide down, separating the cockpit from the rest of the plane, giving them privacy. "Now you just have to relax and…enjoy."
He whispered hotly into her ear, while nipping the shell of her ear, trailing kisses on the back of her neck, as he slipped his fingers into her panties, spreading her open while his unoccupied hand was massaging her breast.
"Aahhh…" She let her head roll on his shoulder, tingles pricking all over her body, feeling a knot form into the pits of her lower abdomen as he slide two fingers inside her, massaging the back of her inner muscles, going as deep as he could, pumping her.
Her breaths became ragged and she thrust her hips up to meet his pumps. He used his teeth to drag her blouse down her shoulder, while he grazed his teeth along her exposed porcelain shoulder.
"S-Sasuke…" She wanted something from him, though she couldn't voice it, her mind going blank and foggy as pleasure was nesting within her womb, making her muscles bubble with adrenaline.
But he seemed to know, because he let her slide from his arms, coming to lie on his side, while her back hit the white leather small sofa, sliding three fingers inside her, lazily pumping her at a slower pace, rubbing his inner slick passage, as his thumb was flickering over her clit, hungrily taking in the way her emerald orbs went wide and bathed in a curtain of fog, lust written all over her face, while her chest was rising and falling rapidly.
He discovered that Sakura particularly enjoyed to be fingered slow and deep, unlike the way he was inside her, when she wanted him to go fast and hard and that fascinating him, because Sasuke hardly pleasured women before, but she was another story.
He actually…enjoyed playing with her, having her under his possession, at his mercy, so vulnerable and exposed and that only made him want her more, painting her into his colors, bringing her pleasure, and that was making him…happy.
Plus, the way her face was gleaming and sparkling with the drops of sweats puncturing her skin, stealing the sun rays that crept through the windows and her full heart shaped rouged lips curled and muttering his name, were all adding to her beauty. She was so beautiful. "You like it when I go slower, don't you, love?"
When he pressed his thumb hard against her glistening bud, her hot soft body rewarded him with slick milky juices leaking down his wrist and she arched against him, emerald orbs squeezing shut, her hand curling into his shirt, tugging on it. "AH!"
She felt her muscles thump against his digits and damn if Sasuke wouldn't like to unzip his pants and slam inside her, but he knew that they didn't have so much time and Sakura wasn't the woman he would have liked to have quickies with.
No, if he took her, he damn right do it long and meaningful. After all, it was not just sex between them.
But he couldn't stop himself from dipping his head down and let his tongue lower inside her mouth, kissing her just as slow and passionate as his fingers moving inside her, and she immediately responded, moaning freely into his kiss, probably mentally feeling better like that, not being willing to scream in pleasure when there was anyone else in the plane, fisting her hand into his silk hair, pulling at it.
He could hear the sound of their slick tongues slide along their lips, rolling over one another, exchanging fire, unspoken words of passion and saliva, tasting each other.
"Sas-Sasuke I will…" God, he knew exactly where and how to touch her and it was almost incredible how deep could he read her body language and how it responded to his touch like having a mind of its own, waiting for him to come, touch and make that latent fire within her flame ablaze, for centuries.
From another time…
"I know." But it wasn't like he would just let her come without tasting her first. So he reluctantly detached their interlaced lips as he slide down, parting her thighs more, coming to rest in between her legs, as she opened up her clouded orbs, wanting to cry in frustration when she lost the contact with his fingers, peeping at the way he got comfortable in between her legs, dragging her skirt up to her waist, tracing his tongue along the inside of her toned thighs.
She let her head hit the sofa when he bit gently down the soft flesh, leaving a hickey, fisting her hands into his silk hair, to force his head in other throbbing places. And when his lips latched on her unfolded rose petals, her hips flied up like a rocket, electrical jolts of high voltages shot through her system, making her see stars. "OH!"
She heard him chuckle darkly, while his nose was buried into her inner lace moist folds, suckling and licking on her bundle of nerves, his slick tongue bringing her to places where she could walk on air and touch the sky in pure bliss. The tremble of his voice reverberated through all her body, making her grow limp.
"Sasuke, please…" Sakura lost it completely when she felt his slick abrasive tongue slide inside her, lips suckling her, jade orbs rolling inside her head at the feeling. She felt like floating over bubbles, there was electricity all around her and her body was trembling.
She had no control over her muscles, none. She couldn't even hear her heartbeats, anything, but his intoxicating touch.
That tongue which was curling and rolling inside her, tasting her and lapping the nectar seeping from her, like he was sipping sweet wine, growling deeply into his chest, enjoying her taste.
God, she went crazy! "AAHHH! Sasukeh!" She pulled so hard on his hair when a violent orgasm hit her spine, that Sakura was sure she ripped off his hair, feeling like washed by a hurricane, with all her muscles convulse.
And he drank all the quintessence that her pleased body praised him with, thirstily, lusting for the essence of her flower, feeling a feral beast howl inside him at how divine she was on his tongue.
Guess she couldn't quite keep silent after all, could she? The Uchiha felt so much pride bubble inside his chest, nourishing his ego at the way he could make her scream his name, even under such circumstances.
He clearly took advantage of the surge of adrenaline, but it wasn't like he could stop himself. Not after she made it clear that she stayed with him, even if they were on the verge of being killed, because she fell in love with him.
"My…God, Sasuke…" Sakura felt like she has just run for the marathon, while he licked her dry, enjoying the hotness radiating from her delicate petals, percolating on his lips, finishing just in time to hear the pilot addressing him.
'Mr. Uchiha, we will get to Miyako Airport in two minutes. Prepare for the landing."
"Heard the pilot, love. We are here. Just in time." Sasuke smirked at the flushed face of his favorite cherry blossom, as she mumbled a totally cute 'cocky jerk' to him, pulling her panties up on her legs, fixing her clothes and the hair, in the mirror above the two armchairs.
"This is all your fault. Now I look like I have jumped off the helicopter, not landed."
"Who cares?" he simply shrugged, watching her run her hands on her fancy stylish clothes and hair, fighting the urge to pin her against that armchair and help her out of them, but it was not the time…yet. "My grandma will adore you anyways. So will grandpa."
She frowned at the nonchalant tone of his voice, emerald orbs rolling at him.
"Rin was right, men are so dumb. I can't possibly meet your relatives, looking and smelling like I have just got laid." She couldn't believe how easy those words flew off his lips, plus, there was a certain pump that her heart did at the thought of meeting Sasuke`s grandparents.
She did not know why, but it felt so…familiar. Like he was introducing her to his world, step by step, after meeting his mother. "So what? It is nothing they haven't smelt or seen before. They are grown-ups, you know?" If only she could wipe off that arrogant –dead sexy- smirk off his lips…
He simply run a hand through his messy hair and the jade eyed agent fought against the need to brush her hands through those rich mane. Even when he wasn't trying, Uchiha Sasuke was such a lady killer.
They sat down, as the helicopter landed smoothly; waiting for the pilot to stop the engine and tell them it was ok to get off. He helped Sakura step on the two stairs, taking her waist and getting her into his arms as she giggled at him, aware of her high heels.
Inwardly, she was shaking her head, laughing as well. If only Sasuke would know that she used to jump off helicopters and land into greenhouses filled with cannabis and marijuana, on high heels, he wouldn't be so mindful, but he didn't need to know that.
He briefly instructed his pilot to go and sleep somewhere in the town, then he took Sakura`s hand taking, her with him.
She was stunned, it was a clear sunny day and she felt the breeze of the ocean calling her. There were couples, elders, families and people on vacation, dragging their bags on the airport. "Wow, Sasuke, this is so beautiful!" She couldn't help but smile when they took on the main street.
She wrapped both hands on his left one, clinging to him as her jade orbs were taking in the picturesque scenery. "I knew you will like it."
"Do your grandparents live far from here?"
"In the north, yes. They wanted a house far from the noise of the airport and close to the beach, but this island is not a big one. Fifteen minutes of walking."
He smirked at her while she was darting her head in all possible directions already pin pointing some fancy local shops with specialties and souvenirs.
Sakura has been to Japan before, but never in that region. Which was good, because she didn't have to fake her surprise and excitement in front of Sasuke, since she was there for the first time and new to the refreshing air and the solar energy. "I don't mind. I like this city."
I like us walking like this.
It seemed so far from the troubles from Tokyo and it was like travelling in another time, because even though it has been an hour or so since the attack, it felt like an eternity. Coming there was definitely a good thing.
Lorane probably didn't see that coming either, and once again, Sasuke has outsmarted them, like he did back on the mountains.
She doubted that it was a mere coincidence. "Do you always carry a gun on you?" She couldn't help but ask. "Don`t answer this if you don't want. I was just very surprised to see you aim at that…whoever that person was."
He didn't answer at first, but surprised her nonetheless. "I do."
"Who taught you to aim like that? Because, I might not be an expert, but even I can see that it was not that someone without training could do."
Sasuke debated whether to tell her or not. "I learned during high school and nailed my target ever since in the shooting range. I sometimes take the dobe or Suigetsu with me and practice together." If he were too look at her, Sasuke would have seen the disconcert look on Sakura`s face. Inside, she was laughing at the irony of it.
So, Naruto and Suigetsu were having guys-nights-outs, shooting guns, without Sasuke to know that it was not JUST fun for them, but the funniest shit was that he was a better gunner than both of them.
Gosh, that world was just so….
"And? Are they good of something?" She knew that the Akatsuki were fine in handling fire arms and Naruto was among the best, probably on par with Itachi. She giggled to make it look like she had no idea, liking the fact that Sasuke was slowly opening up to her more.
Surprisingly, he snorted to that and cocked his head to smirk at her. "My grandmother`s aim is more accurate and she has diabetes and severe myopia, so to put it bluntly, they both suck." She didn't know what to make out from that. Should she be amused or worried that in Sasuke`s view his friends were not good gunmen, even though she knew they were really skilled?
Plus… "You taught your grandmother how to fire a gun?"
"Grandpa did. He was ranked as an Air marshal during the World War II in the British Royal Air Force." Seeing how her emerald orbs nearly popped out of their sockets Sasuke explained.
"My grandpa is Japanese, but his family has immigrated to the UK even before his birth. He is British. I learned how to fly the helicopter from him." That would explain a lot. Sasuke`s family not only was it wealthy, but they had high ranked professions as well.
"Ok, now I am scared." Truly, a man who was part of the Royal Air Force was no joke. She envisioned a man like Tobirama and immediately she got chills down her spine.
They were Sasuke`s relatives so she kind of didn't want to embarrass him, but the Uchiha quickly picked on her distress, slipping a hand around her waist, bringing her closer into his chest as they crossed the zebra, heading closer to the ocean. She could already see the horizon melding with the ocean and it was beautiful.
"Don't be. He is one of the gentlest and friendliest people I have ever met. They will love you, of that I am positive." He tucked on her waist bringing her up to kiss her softly. "Like I do."
She wanted to melt right away. They looked so natural together. They WERE together. "You`re bluffing and now I am blushing. This is so impolite." He chuckled at her and she secretly loved that smooth voice of his when he laughed so heartedly.
"Whoa! Cosi bello!" There was a solar street with few small fancy villas, all traditional Japanese and other pure white like the sand and she could hear the ocean brushing the coastline.
Sasuke brought her along the street, up to the last one and she was stunned at how beautiful the house was. It was nothing flashy, just a one story villa, with a geometric modern and airy symmetry and a Japanese touch, embellished with subtle wooden decorations, painted in bright red and green and a large garden, with neatly cut lawn and exotic trees and a garden with interesting flowers in bloom, all making it look like a giant graceful dragonfly.
"We are here." He pressed on the ring bell. Two seconds after, two people appeared in the doorways and Sakura swore that those people didn't look in their sixties, in fact, she wouldn't have given them more than forty, they were so fit and young looking.
"Sasuke-kun!" A very solar woman, with a neat romantic bun, dark brown and golden hair and bright chocolate eyes run all the way from the house, to the front door as Sasuke pushed the door open, allowing Sakura to enter first, having one of the most radiating warm smiles she has ever seen.
It was the type of kind grandmother that kids fantasized to visit on Christmas Eve and place the presents under the Christmas tree, sweet as honey and graced by the noblesse of the passing years and wisdom, she was an angel.
"Oh, my, who is this beautiful blossom?" Immediately her shining eyes, shimmering behind the lens of her glass, fell on Sakura and the emerald eyed woman couldn't contain her own smile, she was contagious.
Sasuke kissed her on the cheeks, as his grandma tiptoed to place a peck on his forehead, embracing him dearly. "Grandma, she is Sakura, the one I have told you about." Sakura didn't know what exactly has Sasuke told about her, but instantly the woman looked like ready to eat her alive.
"My, you were not exaggerating at all, honey, look at her," She took her in the arms and embraced the puzzled CIA agent like she was her own daughter, which Sakura returned just as heartedly, as she bowed respectfully to the older woman –who was just as tall and slim as her. "Aren`t you a sight for sore eyes! Oh, you are just as gorgeous like Sasuke-kun said!"
"Thank you, Mrs. Uchiha." Sakura replied respectfully, while the woman took both their arms, as they stroll back to the front door, where a tall imposing but smiling man was waiting for them to come and Sakura swore he looked like a former President, by the level of respect his imposing aura was demanding.
He was not cocky looking, nor arrogant and his own small smile was honest, but it was in the attitude and probably his job` s formation the thing that made his spine so straight and his shoulders so proud.
"Oh, dear, you can call me Naori." The woman beamed to her, while her chocolate eyes couldn't stop beaming and darting from Sasuke to Sakura.
"How was your flight? I am glad you chose this period of the year to come, when the air is not too hot and not too humid either, and the beach is crowded with youngsters like you!" She laughed at her choice of word and Sakura couldn't help but laugh along.
That woman was like walking alongside Paradise, all smiles and so kind hearted. Sasuke was smirking at the two women and mostly the way Sakura`s own features have been delighted by a mysterious glow.
She wouldn't know, but his grandmother wasn't so shiny with just anyone and was quite inquisitive about what type of people she met, but she seemed to have liked Sakura immediately.
Something flickered inside his chest, like the two women projected their warmth into him as well. A feeling he hasn't had in a long long time. He even forgot how it felt and he found it beside Sakura.
Happiness. Pure and unadulterated happiness.
"It is good to know that your nephews didn't forget about their old boring grandparents." Said man exchanged a brief embrace with Sasuke, patting his back and Sakura found that scene oddly funny and the family touch overwhelmed an orphan like her.
Sasuke`s grandpa was not only a very handsome man for his age, but just as tall and fit as him. Indeed, what a beautiful family. "Welcome home, nephew."
"Thank you, grandpa." The Uchiha replied and she could easily depict how Sasuke`s usually cold and unflappable voice, the one he polished especially for business, the one who was keeping people at a certain distance from him, changed dramatically into a light warmer and colloquial one.
Then the former pilot in the Royal Air Force turned to Sakura, took her hand and shake it softly, smirking at the force she has applied and introduced himself. "Uchiha Tekka."
"Haruno Sakura. It`s a pleasure to meet you, Sir."
"Heavens took pity on us the elders and let us see that our dear nephew here," He patted Sasuke`s shoulder in a way that elders do, though Sakura was certain that he applied quite the pressure, but of course, Sasuke didn't even flinch, he only smirked at his grandpa. "Has decided to find himself a woman to love and take care of him. God only knows this boy cannot cook to save his life or do house chores."
Sakura burst out laughter, along with Sasuke`s relatives, because, seriously, the face and the look he had was pure epicness and they were right, Sasuke would have rather died than get into the kitchen or clean his house.
"Come, let`s get inside. I have prepared a lot of delicacies for you kids." They all got inside and Mrs. Naori lead them all into an adjacent dining room as they passed the living room, which had a panoramic view to the ocean. "Even my famous apple, honey and cinnamon special pie!"
"We have enough food to feed the entire island, for an entire month." They all sit down, with Sasuke staying beside Sasuke and the two elders in front.
"You shouldn't have bothered, grandma."
"Nonsense! How many times do we elders get visits from our nephews? Besides, I cooked your favorite beef with tomato sauce, honey!" She went to the kitchen as she brought plates and the food.
Sakura was stifling her giggles because she knew about his obsession. She whispered a 'tomato freak' to him and he smirked down at her. The grandpa followed their interaction smiling at them. That was one cute woman, unlike the ones from the scandal in the newspaper.
"Sakura-chan, I didn't know what would you like to have," the woman brought pasta, with chicken and parsley which smelled divine, taking a seat beside her. "but I hope you will find something here to have. My aren't you so thin?"
"Thank you, Naori-san, it looks appetizing. I will sure love it." Her stomach was grumbling, because she didn't have time to eat at the hotel.
Then she immediately panicked inside. Those people were amazing. She didn't want Lorane to come and destroy that Heaven
No! She swore to herself she would die and protect them before something happened. Lorane has gone too far.
They mustn't have been left to win no matter what. It was only when the light cheerful conversation went among the Uchiha members has she realized how many lives like that and how many broken laughters would happen if Lorane would win that war.
No.
They had to stop that, no matter how and no matter the cost. They managed to somehow slip past her vigilance in the hotel, but no more. "So, honey," She has been brought from her reverie by Sasuke`s grandma`s hand on her. She turned her head and smiled at the woman. "Sasuke-kun tells me you are from Italy."
"Yes. I live in Ravenna."
"Wonderful city." Mr. Uchiha told her. "I had a very good friend and a comrade from Ravenna. And what an amazing pilot he was, though he didn't quite enjoy my jokes and all that he ate, was salami pizza." They all laughed at his pronunciation. Sakura tasted from the dishes, they were beyond amazing, that woman was skilled. She truly hoped she didn't look impolite, but she was taking from everything.
And that cake looked so… "Your family also from Italy?" Sasuke mentally cursed himself from not announcing his grandparents that Sakura was an orphan because he saw the way her mood and stance dropped abruptly, but she forced herself to smile like she tried to brush it off, bringing the fork to her lips, blowing on the hot pasta.
"Actually…I wouldn't know Mr. Uchiha. I am an orphan. I have never met my family, nor did I ever hear from them." An odd silence fell among the members, and Sakura mentally committed suicide because she ruined the mood.
"I am sorry to hear this." Naori squeezed her hand sympathetically. "Don't you have any relatives that you know of?"
"I am sorry, no. I have spent a good part of my teenage days in orphanage. I used to ask myself the same thing, but no relative has ever come to ask for me."
Even if the idea of not having a family like Sasuke`s has torn her apart, those days have been long gone and forgotten.
She was a grown up woman, with a lot of close friends and she had Orochimaru, Tsunade and Anko to act like a family, not to mention her crazy Sound colleagues, Hidan, Karin, Sasori or Kisame and recently, Akatsuki.
She had nothing to regret and she even surprised anyone with never using her CIA connections to look for her family. She flatly refused to because, in her opinion, if they abandoned her like that and let her rot in an orphanage ever since she was a baby, then they didn't deserve her.
"Oh, poor thing, but now you don't have to worry anymore." The woman smiled to her in that way that reminded Sakura of the movies where Miss Clause saved the Christmas.
"You can consider all of us your family and mind telling you, the Uchihas have been really prolific, since we are so many." She couldn't help but laugh along at the innuendo, and fought back the tears.
They knew nothing about her, yet they were sincerely and heartedly welcoming her into their exclusive circle. "Thank you for the kindness, Naori-san."
"Thank you dear for making my nephew so happy. You just look at him, it has been so long since he was a little child, and my, he was a cute pie, when he would come here with Miko-chan and run into the ocean or play with our cats, smiling like that."
"Grandma…" Sasuke`s visibly embarrassed tone, the awkward fake cough and the visibly red hints on his earlobe brought tears of laughter into Sakura`s eyes. Seriously, elders were clearly resourceful in the department of embarrassing gossip about their younger relatives.
"Why, dear, you were so cute and remember when you used to steal my hair curlers and try to use it?" She leaned to whisper to Sakura, who tried her best not to laugh like a loon and choke on the food.
"He had such a rebel long hair and always cried when we tried to give him a haircut. Such a rebel cute kid he was." She used that mush way that only elders had and the look on his face was something indecipherable
He looked like he was doing his best not to snap. Basically, Sakura has teamed up with his grandparents to make fun of him. She kind of felt pity for him though, but when she threw a glance at him, aiming for the olive sauce, the jerk was smirking at her.
She gulped once, averting her eyes from him, because she was looking involuntarily at his hair since his grandmother has shared such an embarrassing secret, clearly remembering the way she was letting her fingers sink into that rebel unique patterned hair when they-
She got hot inside all of sudden. From there on out, only light conversation followed and Sakura was thankful for the wisdom of those people because they refrained from asking embarrassing questions, though she got troubles in coming up with a plausible excuse as in why was she in Tokyo and where was she working.
She told them she was in a short vacation, but she quickly stole their eyes when telling them about her dream to become a doctor.
And she was silently feeling her heart melt at all the warmth of those people. Sasuke`s grandfather shared his incredible stories from his days as a pilot and how they used to bombard enemy bases during the WW II, in that funny way that Sasuke told her about.
When they finished the delicious meal, Sasuke was the first one to talk. "We are going to the beach. I want to show her the cliffs."
"Oh, do that honey. Did you take any clothes with you?"
"No. We left in a hurry."
"Then come with me, Sakura-chan. Sasuke-kun, you can borrow something from your grandpa."
She leaned to whisper to Sakura. "God only knows how they have the same size." She laughed along, that woman was so open minded and so much like…she couldn't pin point what was that odd connection she felt, but they seemed to have known each other for much longer.
They got into her room and Naoki slide the door of her wardrobe, dipping inside, looking through her old fancy clothes.
"I am glad I didn't throw my old clothes from when I was of your age, though I am sure you will find them pretty retro."
She pulled out a soft white beach robe, embroidered with pink sea shells a pair of sandals embellished with flowers and a cute sun hat. Retro? Those clothes were totally modern, tasteful, expensive and feminine. That grandma HAD style!
"They are really beautiful, Naori-san." She took them from the lady, who cheerfully handed them to the girl, in that beaming way that elders did when youngsters paid them visits. Especially potential new relatives.
"I am sure they will look good on you, honey." She lingered one more moment before getting out and allow her some privacy to change. "Thank you."
Sakura placed the bathrobe on the bed, before turning to look at the woman. She had her back on her. "What for?"
"My nephew." She looked deep in thoughts. "It has been a while since I have seen him so…carefree. Light. Happy. He has a lot of problems on his back and I am sure you know he doesn't get along with his father. And even since Itachi chose to leave Japan…"
A moment of silence. Sakura knew what she meant, for Sasuke explained it to her, plus, she knew about Itachi, they were colleagues after all. Everyone knew about the Uchiha brothers and the Uchiha scandal, but his CIA colleagues politely refrained from bringing that subject up. At least, in his presence, because they were intently gossiping about it behind his back, but those suppositions and assumptions never reached his ear.
"But when he looks at you, I see the old Sasuke who used to enjoy life." She turned and Sakura saw her candid beautiful smiling profile.
"And I know that Sasuke-kun doesn't easily let anyone inside, but I see he has a special place in his heart reserved for you. Just don't hurt him."
"I will never. Thank you for…everything." For the TRUST.
She nodded at the rosette smiling at her softly. "Come on. Don't let him wait. You can catch the sunset together. They are the most beautiful here on Miyako." She left her, shutting the door behind.
Sakura sighed, placed a hand on her heart, overwhelmed and tapping to her friend, Karin. 'Before you freak out, we flied to Miyako. Go to the hotel and grab my stuff and take care of my laptop. Got something for me? Check the receptionist as well. I think he works for the Lorane.'
An immediate reply from Karin as Sakura undress and enveloped herself into the bath robe, seeing how it fit on her underwear as she didn't have a swimming suit, but it was not that transparent so she looked very stylish and feminine, without being vulgar.
Her heart was fluttering and her insides were jiggling and jolly. She was wearing Sasuke`s grandma`s clothes and it was a…that family atmosphere…the closeness she felt with him, the anticipation of walking together on the beach, it was amazing.
Surreal, even.
'Cherry, five people have been killed in the restaurant, one waiter and four important customers. The receptionist has disappeared and the CCTVS have all been erased before we hacked the system.
I went to your room, while Suigetsu and his colleagues have secured the hotel and your room has been devastated.
All your belongings have gone, your laptop included, but I have already erased everything from it. Just pray it hasn't been downloaded before I got the chance to do so. I tried to contact Orochimaru, but there is no signal.
Again, all the CIA lines are down. My dumb idiot cousin is in hysterics because he cannot get in touch with Itachi or their Hokage. We have no idea of what happens at the Summit in France at the moment.'
"Oh God…" Her laptop, she had files with names, a map with all Lorane`s tracks so far, the link to the CIA satellites and the paintings on Sasuke`s walls, along with his file, Orochimaru`s theory and his decrypts of the formulas, part of the files he lost with the secret experiment, the plans in his house and the Mangekyou's security system…it was a disaster. If Lorane gets his hands on that information….
But then again, they robbed Orochimaru and Akatsuki, so what more damage could it be, because everything she had stocked in there, the Otokage had it too and he sent it to Tobirama as well. Plus the Summit…all the world`s leaders were there and the system was jammed again.
She just had to trust the Akatsuki and she knew that Orochimaru has sent his Sound agents in a joined mission, to cooperate with the Akatsuki and the Interpol and secure the entire city and the location of the meeting.
She quickly texted her friend back, not wanting to let Sasuke wait and become suspicious. 'Rin, I will try to hack the system myself, from my phone.
As soon as we get in touch with the HQ, I am going to contact Shikamaru and ask for his help. Meanwhile, try to catch the receptionist and the guy that Sasuke has killed.'
She was already out when Karin replied. Sakura mentally rubbed her hands knowing that she would pester her friend into telling her where she was for the entire night, but then she dropped Suigetsu`s name and she kind of had an idea.
'Sasuke has killed one of Lorane`s henchmen? Again?! What the fuck Cherry? And, no, there was no one in there when the Police got there.
You know that Lorane leaves no trace, he was probably taken by one of them who was waiting outside.
That zombie Hyuga dude has managed to get in touch with your lover`s brother. Everything is under control there and so far, there has been nothing suspicious and the first day of meeting is almost over.
All right. That shark faced friend of his has let me use the Interpol`s computers and Naruto is also with me, we are trying to hack into the CCTVs of the hotel and rewind the recording to see who cross-dressed as one of the personnel.'
Those were good news and she had for one more thing to ask Karin. 'Good. You guys try to handle the mess there and Rin, please contact Papa for me. I couldn't get in touch with him and I am worried.'
She fought the urge to drool at Sasuke, who was waiting for her in the front alley, talking to his grandpa.
He was dressed so casual, with short navy pants and a simple white cotton beach shirt, which had the first three buttons loose, offering a generous view on his chiseled chest, making a fine contrast with his skin and navy blue sandals.
It was rare seeing him out of his formal flawless suits, but nonetheless, he looked incredibly hot.
Like those surfers you drool for in Miami, being in a league of their own, with his rebel hair, as wild as the foamy ocean waves.
As soon as she got closer, feeling weird for barging into their conversation, both men side smirked -in the same way which was funny and odd- at the approaching young woman.
"If I didn't know that I am still able to cheat on Alzheimer, I would have sworn that I have been thrown thirty years back in the past."
Mr. Uchiha said with a generous laugh as she blushed coming to coil her hand around Sasuke`s. She could feel every inch of his hot skin through that soft shirt and it was quite cute how they borrowed Sasuke`s grandparents` old clothes, like they were their mini version from the future.
"You are just as beautiful as my wife when she was younger. Though I must say you have already surpassed her."
"Thank you." She truly blushed at the light compliment.
"Do you want to take the car?" Mr. Uchiha asked as Sasuke shook his head.
"No. We will take a walk. The beach is nearby. See you later."
"Don't be late for dinner, kids. Your grandma is cooking her special noodles."
Sakura laughed as she waved back at the man and his wife as Sasuke had an expression that he looked like stricken by lightning thinking about Naruto.
They got to the street, among the other tourists and couples. "Haha, your grandparents are so awesome and kind, Sasuke."
"I know."
"How much do you plan on staying here?"
"I don't know for sure. Tokyo is not a safe place anymore. I wouldn't forgive myself if another incident like today`s one would repeat itself."
He looked at her and she peeped at him, holding on her hat, because of the wind blow as her hair was fluttering above her shoulders and clothes. "I almost lost you twice. This is something I cannot accept."
She felt so miserable. He was worried for her while in reality she had to protect him but Sakura soon came to the realization that Sasuke didn't need protection to begin with. He seemed to be two steps in front of anyone, Lorane included. Even drugged and in a club, they still couldn't shoot him.
"Sasuke…" She was so overwhelmed. He was doing that for her?
"I know it might be uncomfortable, but my grandparents are very hospitable and they like you. You can call your friend and invite her over, so you won't be impolite since she has travelled all the way from Italy."
Though he would rather not have another person he would have to share with her, because Sasuke wasn't a very generous person and when it came to Sakura, he could be really possessive.
Sakura shook her head and glued her temple on his shoulder, enjoying the warmth of his body, as they stroll alongside the street, already seeing the ocean. "It is all right, in fact, she won't mind it. Call it destiny or fate or a lucky coincidence but she has met your friend, Suigetsu."
Sasuke raised his eyebrows at her finding it indeed very coincidental. He knew his friend was in love with red haired women and Karin Uzumaki was his type and he wouldn't deny it, she was very hot. "No shit?"
"Hm." Sakura nodded once. "She rented a car from the airport because she has some unpleasant experiences with taxis, which she avoids like rabies, and they somehow crashed on each other`s cars in an intersection. She was supposed to come to the hotel yesterday but she called me today, saying that she was with him. I think they spent the night together." They both chuckled at that.
"Now that is some story. She is definitely his type of woman. I don't intend to be rude towards your friend."
"I know." She kissed his shoulder softly. "So don't worry about that. You don't have to share me with anyone."
She winked at him and Sasuke was stunned how could she look so innocent and sunny, while her smirk and darkened cat eyes were so seductive.
Their feet sunk into the crystal sand as he scooped her up as she let out a surprised cry, urging her to tiptoe and kissed her twice, playfully, his arm claiming her waist as she gripped the brim of her straw sun hat, giggling into his mouth.
"I don't want to share you with anyone else love, because you are mine." Her heart was rivaling the sunset`s glow at the way he growled the words to her.
"Possessive much, aren't we?"
"You have no idea…"
"If you want to claim me, you have to catch me first, Mr. Uchiha!" She sang to him already detaching from his arms, ,before he had the chance to grab her, taking off her shoes and running towards the inviting small rolling waves and when the crystal azurite sparkles of water rippled and brushed her ankles she threw her head backwards and let out a full hearted bell laughter.
She took off her heat, letting her hair, that was already reaching her shoulders, flutter in the wind. She felt like a child all over again. Lightheaded, happy and free.
Immediately a pair of strong arms brought her back to collide with a hard rock chest, as adrenaline made tingles surge all over her body. Sasuke lifted her up as she weighted nothing and spun her around as the water was splashing all around their feet. "AAH!"
He glued his lips on her ears hell whispering seductively. "I think I have just caught a mermaid. Can I keep her?"
She turned around into his arms, smiling to him in a way that made his heart soar with something he has never felt before for anyone, as her hands surrounded his neck. His hands slide around her waist, as she nuzzled into his arms.
"Thank you. For coming to look for me, Sasuke."
"Hn." He didn't smirk at her nor did he frowned, but instead leaned down, lacing his left hand into her hair and kissed her passionately, while the waves were caressing their love, making them float on the embrace of the lukewarm ocean water. "You were willing to let me explain myself. I should be the one to be grateful to you, Sakura."
She had a sadness into her eyes when the wind stirred and danced into their clothes and hair. "I was so sad when I saw the two of you. For two days…I couldn't even judge, think, breath, everything was so…much like before I met you."
Solitude.
She averted her eyes to the ocean, the waves were rolling and coming faster, there were surfers and jet skis and seagulls and the sun was setting. "I felt so empty. Like something was missing in my life…everything."
He let his head fell atop her head as she leaned her cheek on his chest, listening to his heartbeat as they stood embraced like that, not caring about the passerbyes, the other people, the laughters around, trapped into their own bubble.
She felt so good in his arms, so safe and felicity was at its peak. She…him…they…it was perfect. "You thought I played you."
"I was a fool. It was like my mind was clouded. I felt this stabbing in my heart and I wasn't prepared for this. I have never been like this, Sasuke…in love."
"Me neither. Who am I to judge you?" If only she knew…
"I-" She turned around when she felt a brush on her ankle. A beach ball in the colors of the rainbow floated on their legs. "Oh?"
She followed to see that it was a small boy, no older than six, flailing his hands and trying to approach them and get his ball back, but he seemed to be afraid of water.
He was shouting at them "Boru!" In Japanese, stretching his little hands and surprisingly enough, he was like a mini version of Sasuke. Same white skin, big olive eyes, but his were round and clear and thick short spiky raven hair.
"Is this yours?" Sakura took the ball, smiled to him and he nodded back to her.
"Onegai shimasu!"
"You want it back?" She approached the little boy understanding that the wind would prevent it from going back to him and Sasuke followed her suit. She threw it to him and he easily caught it in his small hands, covering his head.
"Here!" She was aware that he wouldn't speak English, but he seemed to be receptive. The main idea with kids was to openly communicate and be friendly, plus she was angelic, young and solar, so kids naturally liked her.
"Arigatou gozaimashita!" He told her as polite as he could, with his specific accent, since he wasn't having all his teeth in his mouth, but smiled to her.
She giggled at him and tried to make conversation, seeing that the boy wasn't playing with the other kids, who were swimming in the water or built sand castles.
"Namae wa?" She knew it wasn't probably correct, but then again, that kid wasn't a stylist of the Japanese language either.
"Inari-desu!" The boy replied and he was so cheerful and cute. It wasn't that Sakura was used to kids, but then again, she too found them adorable and the motherly instincts of any other woman weren't betraying her. "Anata no namae wa?"
She understood that he asked for it so she stretched her hand and sang to him. "Watashi wa…Sakura-desu."
Surprisingly, he carefully placed the ball under his armpit and took her hand and shook it cheerfully. Oh, that boy was too cute for his own good. "Anata wa...totemo utsukushii desu." Ok, he lost her there.
"Ahm…" She turned around to raise her eyebrows at Sasuke, who was having his hands slipped inside his pockets, looking at them and she silently let him know that she had no idea of what he asked or told her.
"He told you that you are very beautiful." Sasuke smirked to her, while the once rosette turned to look back to the boy.
"Arigatou!" She turned to the Uchiha again, who was looking past their shoulders, probably wondering the same thing as them. "Sasuke? Can you ask him why isn't he playing with the other children?"
The Uchiha shifted his gaze from her and surprisingly, came beside her, dipped down having his knee bent, probably not wanting to intimidate the kid who wasn't even reaching his waist and tried to be as gentle as possible with the tone he used. "Naze ikenai anata wa hako no kodomotachi to asobimasu?"
Sakura was too busy to look at the easy way Sasuke was interacting with a child so small, and studied that Sasuke, who was being outside the business sober environment of his office and not the one to talk to the richest people in the world.
It was so…refreshing to know of that side of his, because in moments like that, he was more human, he allowed himself to show more emotions. She had adjectives and metaphors to describe him that she wouldn't normally use.
Not elegant, not classy and stylish, not cold, calculated and intuitive and always on guard, not intimidating, frightening, royal and imposing and not harsh, ruthless, dominating and not the hot and sexy single billionaire.
He was being just Sasuke –one simple man talking to a sad child, trying to be gentle, delicate and step into his little world.
The boy turned his head to look at the kids who were swimming in the ocean and then he bowed his head dramatically at Sasuke, muttering a sad. "Karakatte iru…" Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows at him.
"Nande?" Sasuke asked back and Sakura interfered sensing that something was wrong.
"Sasuke, what does he say?"
The Uchiha didn't turn to look at her but answer nonetheless. "The other kids are making fun of him for a reason I don't know…yet."
Instead of answering, the boy simply turned around and at that, Sakura`s emerald eyes flew open while Sasuke simply frowned at that. "Oh my God! She breathed to Sasuke. "What happened to him? Sasuke?" The boy had deep scars of burn marks along his small back.
"Kore ga okotta no ka?" Sasuke asked the boy.
He shrugged and turned back to them, looking into Sasuke`s eyes a more mature version of his onyx ones. Sakura was darting her eyes from one to another cursing herself from not talking Papa Oro into teaching her. She knew he was fluent in Japanese. "Kasai…Mama to Papa…takai shimashita."
Sasuke brushed a hand through his hair and told to an alert inquisitive expecting Sakura. "Apparently, there has been a fire and his parents died. He is the only survivor."
"He is an orphan?" Just like her. Sakura felt her heart tear for the boy. "This is why the kids won't play with him? Because of the scar and the fact that he doesn't have parents?"
She also had scars, some from the orphanage when she and Isaribi misbehaved, some from high school and street fights and some from missions. She understood him.
Wordlessly, Sakura took the ball from him, took two steps back and sang to the boy, trying to keep the sadness away of her face.
"Here! I am going to throw it! Catch!" She gently hit the ball and sent it back to the boy, whose eyes have widened and he used his both hands to throw it back to her. She easily caught it and passed it back. They kept on passing back and forth for five times.
Then the boy unexpectedly threw it back to Sasuke and for a moment Sakura was scared that he won't cooperate, since it was totally not the way someone would picture Uchiha Sasuke, playing with an orphan kid on the beach, but he surprised her again, by easily hitting the ball with his left palm and passing it back to the kid, who in return, slapped it to Sakura.
And the jade eyed CIA assassin managed to trip on a small hole dug into the sand, which she failed to see, probably from a kid who built a sand fortress, and landed straight on her butt. The kid started to laugh at her and shout "Bakka!" The entire scene was pure comedy and Sasuke couldn't prevent his snorts, because she didn't understand that the kid was calling her 'stupid'.
They kept on playing with that kid for ten more minutes or so and Sakura fond that to be surreal.
Couple of hours ago, she and Sasuke were running from Lorane. And there they were, on the beach, playing with a child, like nothing ever happened, visiting his relatives.
But seeing that kid whose faith was so reminiscent to her own giggle at them, saying things that she couldn't comprehend –though Sasuke kept on smirking at him, then would smirk back to dumbfound lost expression, that jerk- was making her giggle like a child.
It was something so out of her character, that lazy nonchalance that only elders like Sasuke`s grandparents, who didn't have a care in the world could afford, a luxury that neither she or Sasuke could have so she enjoyed it for as long as it lasted.
"Inari-kun?" The voice of a woman made the three of them look in the direction of an elder, probably his grandmother, waiting for the kid, with a jacket in her hands.
"Obasan?" The boy shouted back to the smiling woman, then turned to them, bowed politely and then run to her.
But Sakura found herself following him as she helped her nephew into the warm clothes. Indeed, the sunset was close and the wind was colder.
She turned her head to look at Sasuke and he strolled to them, clearly understanding that she wanted him to translate.
The woman simply told her "Arigatou gozaimashita." And bowed humbly, but Sakura placed a hand on her shoulder, feeling stupid because that woman didn't have any reason to be so grateful after all, they did absolutely nothing to be of real help.
"I want to know what happened to the boy`s parents." She told Sasuke, who bowed to her curtly, but shortly and told her what Sakura wanted to know, letting her know that his company wasn't Japanese and she didn't speak the language.
Sakura waited patiently for the elder to tell him, while Sakura studied her deeply.
Her clothes were neat and clean, but old, simple and heavily traditional, her stance was very humble and introvert but her eyes were full of regret, love and kindness towards her nephew and she understood that they were probably very poor.
It stabbed her in the heart to see how many people in her situation were on the world and suddenly she felt so lucky to have met Orochimaru.
Without him, she would have probably been dead.
And found out something interesting about Sasuke, from the way he was talking and interacting to that woman.
There was no trace of authoritarian superior tone that he usually had with the others, that might make the woman feel inferior, humiliated and servile towards him and if she didn't know better, he wouldn't have strike like the famous man he was, and that easiness in changing his attitude was incredible. He was incredible and Sakura found out that she was helpless falling for him more and more, day by day.
Then he did something totallyunexpected that she didn't understand, because the woman`s eyes widened, the kid was looking in between them all, but Sakura was too lost in not understanding a thing, because the woman shook her head, then Sasuke left their group to approach a group of three young ladies who were gathering their stuff, dragging some clothes over their tanned bodies, and Sakura had no idea what did he asked for, but she instantly grew jealous and had a deep scowl and a glare when one of the girls was looking for something on her bag and the others were drooling and trying to be flirty to the hot man.
Oh, she so wanted to punch their faces and throw them on the ocean…she felt the small boy tug on her beach robe and she dipped her jade orbs to look at him.
Surprisingly, he was grinning at her, had his pinky raised and told her something that she clearly understood. "You like him!" She couldn't believe that a kid made her blush furiously.
She saw Sasuke turning on his heel, leaving the women ogling him, having a sheet of paper and a pen in his hands.
She watched him scroll on his phone`s agenda, noting a number and a name on the paper –in Hiragana- handing it to the woman who started to bow deeply to him, muttering a lot of 'arigatou' but Sasuke did just what Sakura did before, namely placing a hand on her shoulder, saying something to her then patted the boy`s head smirking at him.
They bowed for once more and Sakura did the same, leaving, while the woman was explaining something to her nephew, embracing and kissing him.
"Ok, you own me a translation." She wrapped her hands around Sasuke`s arm as they resumed their walking along the shoreline, close enough to the oceanso as to have their toes touch the water. "What was that about? What did she tell you?"
"She is Inari`s grandmother. His parents died when he was three years old in a plane crash, on their way to Taipei. The plane has burst into flames and crashed into the mountains. Miraculously, Inari was the only survivor, but he has those burns. The doctors didn't think he would make it, but he survived somehow, though the scars remained. His grandmother is selling flowers, but she is old and she barely has money to raise him and pay for his studies, so she doesn't have the necessary money to pay for a surgery. So I gave her the number of the best plastic surgeon in Japan and one of the best in the world, who happens to be a family friend. She doesn't need to pay a single penny for his surgery. The woman is an ikebana specialist, so I gave her the number of one of my grandma`s college friends who is an event planner, mostly weddings to help her find a high paid job."
She let her lips part, but no words came out of her mouth. He was so…she didn't have a word to describe him.
She knew that Sasuke and his mother –especially Mikoto- were involved in charity work, but they weren't the type to brag about it, though…seeing him do such a thing with her own eyes, was making those funny things with her heart and chest and she couldn't help but stare at him, as Sasuke simply gazed faraway to the vast shoreline, as they were heading towards the rocky cliffs, in a more secluded part of the beach.
She let her hands slide down, to intertwine their fingers, cupping his hand with her both hands as he tilted his head towards her. "I wish you were able to show this side of you more often, Sasuke." She meant that out of his business world, which demanded other skills and they weren't most of the time moral or noble.
"There are so many things that I could have done better." He cryptically told her while he had that indecipherable expression, not smiling, but not frowning or scowling either.
He was neutral, but his features were serene, he looked like smiling yet his lips were relaxed and drawn in a firm line, in that cryptically way that made many art critiques wonder about the mystery behind Mona Lisa`s mystique smile.
He was mystical, inviting her to throw a guess and understand what she wanted from there but Sakura couldn't think or try to decrypt him, because another feeling was overpowering her concerns and mistrusts and that was love.
The love she had for him blocked every insecurity she had. No matter how much her brain might have tried to shout at her that there was also the possibility for Sasuke to not be the charming prince she was making him be, instead of vacillation and skepticism, she got that tingling uplifting energy, which was making her spirit soar, whenever she would look into his deep onyx eyes.
She couldn't help but smile widely, biting her lower lip at the sight of the stunning man who was walking beside her, leisurely holding hands like two teens with an innocent romance. It was quite rare to see Sasuke so casually and simply dressed in a pair of short beach pants, a simple matching shirt with both the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and the first two buttons down, revealing a delicious tantalizing glimpse of his hard steel muscles.
His ruffled hair, which he didn't comb looked even messier and whimsically falling into his forehead temples and his onyx orbs, and he looked at least five years younger.
There was a youthful vigor surrounding his serene aura, there was not a single flinch of his muscles, his cherub like beautiful face was void of malice intent and anger and his strides were leisure, calm and almost airy.
His face was as serene as the sun caressing the luscious surface of the clear azure water and a gentle wind blew through his hair and soft clothes giving him an ethereal exotic touch. He didn't look like the stoic aloof hard steel businessman. He was just being the quiet Sasuke and he was a picture to die for.
"You seem to be enjoying the view quite a lot."
"I love the sight of the sea so calm."
"Hn. Careful Sakura." He tugged her hand and brought her flush into his chest making her do half of a pirouette, and a devious smirk that made her skin crawl in delight graced his features.
He was dressed in the colors of the sea, his marble skin was the embodiment of the sea foam brushing over the crystal honey sand of the shore line, yet his gleaming silvery black sapphire orbs were swallowing the light, reflecting its life force.
"You can never know of its force, until you get caught into the tsunami."
She stared at him in awe bring far enraptured by his glowing incredibly mesmerizing looks, her thoughts have metamorphosed into those of a skilled jeweler in front of his finest creation unaware of her parted sweet lips, curled in a cute 'o', all curtsy of the gorgeous man who held her hand the whole time from his grandparents` home.
Her thoughts have transformed into the love she felt for the man that she would never begin to comprehend and although their romance seemed to be built on a pyramid of lies, it wasn't the case, because the foundation of their relationship was based on mutual consensus, trust and ultimately, love.
When they found a more secluded place near some sharp tall and interesting cut sharp cliffs, Sasuke tugged her down to rest on his lap, lying on the soft crystal luscious sand, facing the rolling calm ocean waves, entangled into each other`s arms.
"Someone very dear to me has once told me that, beyond the horizon, every heart has a place within the sky's embrace, but first, we must spread our wings free to fly high and try to reach it, either ways we are bound to crawl on the ground forever." Sakura told her dreamily, remembering her Papa`s words, finding the context to be fitted for such an advice.
"A very wise person indeed."
"I feel that this world doesn't want us to be together." It didn't.
The context was foster to both of them, they had Lorane targeting both of them, there were lies and an unsolved puzzle between them and they could only entrust their love into the hands of the ardent feelings for each other. Love, had to be stronger than everything else, even the threat of death itself.
"I will find a way, for me and for you. Just don't leave my side again." Sasuke`s words were smooth, rich, promising and resolute. He took her hand into his own, following the outline of their intertwined palms shadowing the faraway sunset. "Do not leave me."
Alone again.
Sakura turned her head over her shoulder to place a steady kiss on his neck, inhaling his perfume that she loved so much, breathing to him, in the same soft way that a gentle breeze played into their loose clothes and hair.
"I am half naked on a beach, sprawled atop of a sexy man, which soon enough is going to fill with horny surfers. I can hardly do this."
"It is time for the sirens to go back into their realms and wait for the moon to rise." Smirking widely, Sasuke rolled them over, making her press her back onto the sand, shadowing her giggling petite frame while her hands winded around his neck playing into his hair.
He had tiny sparkling crustal of golden honey sand sewed into his raven hair and it was beyond tempting and luxurious. She brushed them off leisurely, following how they twinkled like gemstones and he was wild and fabulous and exotic as an Arab Prince. Sasuke reminded her of the savage splendid black pure blood Yemen horses, marked with a star.
"You want to see me drown? Death isn't going to keep me away from you, you know? I promise to make it back from Hell and haunt your pretty ass- mfhsnh-" Sasuke dipped down to kissed her passionately, muffling her rambling, making her giggle into their lip lock, as he licked her lips with the tip of his tongue.
"Two mistakes, first..." He let his thin lips drag down her throats collarbone, nipping on her skin, as her fingers sunk into his scalp, moaning softly. "...the realm of eternal flames belong to demons, not angels..."
He encircled his tongue over her exposed shoulder, then sliding along her collarbone, tantalizing her with his slick organ pampering her skin, arms filling with shivers. "and the second mistake..."
Sakura had to suppress a moan when he suckled on her pulse, pressing his tongue over the turning purple hickey he left as a mark on her porcelain soft skin. "I will defy anyone who attempts to take you away from me..." he whispered down her ear hotly. "Even death." She shuddered at the serious way and the astonishing implication.
His words certainty made her truly believe that he could do it. Fight his mortal condition and win the battle of time.
The aureate shadows embroidered around the aquamarine jadeite myriad of her irises were twinkling like the fine crystals of luscious sand, bathed into the oasis of the gentle sun rays at dawn.
Her skin was brocade under his fingertips and smooth as translucent shrills entombing the rare pearls in the abysses of the sea's core. She was so exotic, so avant-garde, her sylph ethereal appearance was exotic and esoteric; an arcane fusion of evergreen femineity, solar joviality and intricate ineffable.
Sasuke was convinced that Sakura has entombed her cerulean appearance into the sepulture of his chest, waltzing on the limbs of his tickling madly heart in a symphony of undying devotion and yearn.
His finger was lazily twirling strands of her silk cinnamon and honey cafe noir disheveled cashmere hair, lulling her to nest her temples into the grace of his touch, not believing how beautiful that woman was.
He didn't even care about who she truly was because the fact that she loved him back was everything he needed from her.
When loving someone like he grew to love her, he could easily accept that person entirely, even her dark past secrets and take the risk of adoring someone who was carrying on a secret that was probably unpleasant, but in the end, love was triumphant.
"What is going to happen now?" She whispered to him, like not wanting to clash with the comfortable silence lingering between them and perturb the lulling sound of the waves rolling upon the ocean.
"I honestly don't know." Sasuke told her honestly. There were just so many things that he could control. The rest…were mysterious like the vast ocean`s bottom they couldn't reach with their stare. But he was certain about one thing: he won't give up on Sakura. Never.
"I know you will figure something out eventually. You are a smart man. The smartest I have known."
Sakura tucked a hand around his neck to bring him down for a long lazy chaste kiss, frowning childishly at him, taunting. "Don't let it get to your head though." God only knew that his ego was cosmically high and resolute.
"Hn. I am hardly the one to be flattered."
"You could have fooled me."
"I thought we were over this." She rolled her eyes at him and Sasuke caught the deeper meaning, but somehow, neither found it uncomfortable to talk about that.
Sasuke didn't love Ino, he hated her, just like he personally stated and the stare in his obsidian orbs when he talked about that blond, was speaking more than words did.
"Can I really..." She bit her lower lip, not knowing how to voice out what was crushing her heart from the inside, and refrain from dropping the words 'mission' and 'end' to him. "...stay with you…like this? Won't it…affect you?"
He was combing her hair with his fingers, following the natural light chocolate roots, eyes lost deep in thoughts. "Do you want to stay?"
For a moment, Sakura had the feeling that Sasuke wasn't present there anymore, hence he was talking to her…but not her. It was both eerie and interesting, because she would never predict what things were running through his mind at the moment. Sasuke was impossible to read by nature, he was simply that intricate to decipher.
"Of course I do."
"Then there is no problem. Don't worry about anything else."
"I want to help you. Is there something I can do? Anything. Just...find a way for us." Her mission was to protect him. His mission was to protect their idyllic secret romance.
"Sakura, you do realize that no one can drag me down the aisle and force me to marry that woman against my will, right?"
For a moment, Sasuke mistook it and thought that Sakura was worried about Fugaku not accepting their relationship, without knowing that the things that truly frightened Sakura, was Lorane and her identity. "Needless to say that I will never consent to this."
"Yes I know, but your father and the company will-"
"-both be dealt with by me when the time comes." She didn't quite like how dealt with sounded, because, in a way, it felt like a cold breeze that announced an upcoming turbulent storm, mirroring into his tone.
It was darker, sharper and diverted to things that she felt she didn't have to know, even if Sasuke would have liked to mutter them.
She understood it then: it was linked to all the things he couldn't say. Just like her, he tried to convey a secret message, without voicing it out, hoping that she could understand and trust him, and she did. Always.
"Trust me."
Ah that was a luxury in Sakura`s profession, where everyone lied to each other and the only ones she could rely on, where the people that filled the links of her missing family. "I do trust you, Sasuke."
Even more than she trusted herself, and that was because she loved him so much. The emerald eyed beautiful agent leaned further into his chest, feeling like Adam and Eve seeking shelter from Poseidon after being chased down from Eden. The forbidden apple never tasted like more like nectar, than in that moment.
"There are two words in my mother language that I have never told to anyone." And that thought alone, made a dreamy Sakura`s hear jitter and tremble, in perfect harmony with the ripples of the ocean.
"Which would those be?"
"Amore mio." Seeing that Sasuke kept silent at her sudden burst, she suddenly grew worried and felt stupid.
The fact that he didn't react was because he wasn't used to someone be so sincere with stating she loved him, but of course, in her haste, Sakura has misinterpreted it for rejection, but lines she never told to anyone before just flew out of her lips without her consent. "Sorry, this was idiotic."
"No." Sasuke was submerged in the way it sounded and it was then when he realized just how sensual and romantic the Italian language and her flawless Latin accent truly was, focused on the meaning and finding himself not responding.
In fact, he didn't admit it to anyone that he loved her before, either, so he was still getting used to the feeling. A pleasant one, but an alien one. "Haven't you ever been in love with someone before?"
She was blazing crimson red like dawn. "...n-no. Never." Sure, she has met really handsome men, and the CIA agents who were taking turns in flirting with her were very fine attractive males, but it never went more than physical attraction, so Sakura hasn't ventured in any relationship.
"This is the...first time I..." Oh, in the name of all the Lords of the Sea, it was still so awkward to admit that she was pure when they met, but Sakura didn't know just how much if fused with Sasuke`s ego, the fact that she has given herself to him and him only. "but you can probably see that I am just like a schoolgirl."
"Has anyone told you before that he loved you?" He tucked her hair around her ear to look at the eyes he loved so much .
That face which was stamped onto his retina, face he dreamed about, face he remembered, a woman he has met before, someone from his past, someone who belonged to him because Heavens have destined her to him from the beginning of time, skin he could freely touch, lips he could kiss, a woman to make love to, someone so beautifully intimate, someone he could feel free to feel, someone who accepted him unconditionally and was interested in everything about him, and not his looks, name, money or a place in his bed.
"No, never." Sasuke was making her tremble in delight, while running his knuckles along her forearms, as the bathrobe has fallen from her unclad porcelain arms and she fought the urge to moan.
She was so beautiful, he breathed her in as the sun was setting behind her, she was glowing with blood red and pink behind, hair fluttering and emerald eyes were stunning, shimmering and writing a story inside of their own. She was gorgeous like a creature belonging to the sea, he felt the urge to collect her into his arms and give her back to the world of Gods where she belonged.
A nymph escaping from her sacred temple to meet him in secret.
"Sasuke..." She breathed like unsure whether to continue with her question or not, but the moment seemed appropriate for…confessions. It was knocking on the gates of her alertness for weeks and Sakura couldn't contain it anymore.
"...you are…not a businessman, are you?" By that, she meant not JUST a simple skilled businessman, because the fact that, on the surface, Sasuke was being the CEO of the Mangekyou, remained untouched, but she meant scraping the surface and reaching the underneath.
It took him some time to respond, and, for a moment, seeing that his thin lips were sealed together and his onyx orbs were travelling far away, she thought that he won't answer to her question.
"No."
"I figured this much." She was truly surprised that Sasuke has just confessed to her that there was something ELSE he was, which he wouldn't confess.
And the natural question of 'then WHAT are you?' immediately rose, but Sakura didn't venture on the turbulent waters, nuzzling closer into his arms because of the chilling wind scraping her bare skin, as he encircled his arms around her waist.
"You are something else, Sasuke. I always knew that you were more than the others could see. Something special. I can even feel it now…"
'Something I love.'
"I am sorry. This wasn't fair to ask since I too..." she trailed, not knowing how to fix her mistake.
By then, Sakura was trading on thin ice, walking on a rope. She knew it wasn't fair to inquire more, but the feeling was there, gawking at her.
She couldn't help but stick to it. Sasuke was someone that the others feared, his general aura just screamed that he had a huge mind-blowing secret, and, somehow, she felt like she was close to the answer, but she just couldn't put a finger on it.
A soft salty marine breeze blew through their hair, bringing on a melancholic heavy tension.
"It's ok." Sasuke find himself telling her and Sakura released a breath that she wasn't aware that she was holding, for any mysterious reason –but Sasuke did felt the tension amassing into her shoulders.
He wasn't angry that she asked him such a thing. It didn't bother him at all, so she shouldn't be so reticent in openly asking him such things. "Because I know that you didn't lie about the fact that you do have me in your heart and this is the only certitude I need from you, love."
"But…it is something…dangerous?"
He took some time to reply so as if pondering whether he should let her know and risk to scare her, or hide it from her, for her own safety, opting to be honest to her. "Yes."
There was an electrical feeling surging through her system and it wasn't anything too pleasant. She was getting intrigued ad there was a tension she couldn't alleviate.
His eyes…she turned to look into those incredibly beautiful almond shaped onyx eyes, which flickered to her emerald ones, as his palms slide to her hips, while her short hair was fluttering around her temples.
"Is it hurting you? Has it ever?" The thought that something was torturing Sasuke, like his vision, flashbacks and the drugs did, was making her grow worried and scared, not for her, but for him and it was painful.
The mere idea that she was unable to protect him from something else than the ones targeting her, left Sakura feel so powerless, small, oblivious, naïve, fool and teary.
"Yes." She bit her lower lip as he would look at her intently, chanting it into her mind that she won't cry for him or in front of him and show such a weakness, since Sasuke was telling her the truth, entrusting her such secrets to somehow alleviate some of his pain, and not to have her feel pity for him. She brushed a hand through her hair, turning her head towards the ocean, muttering.
"Will it…hurt…me?"
Sasuke himself felt like an idiot for not having the right words to say to her, but he couldn't help it. He was a blunt man by nature and gentility couldn't overshadow the truth.
So he let actions speak in place of words he couldn't say –nor have- slipping his hand under her jaw, angling her head to face him and cupped her cheek, getting up to be on the same level as her.
"I will never hurt you, love. Never." To emphasize his point, he leaned forward to kiss her deeply, and she immediately kissed him back, letting her back fall back on the sand, as he flipped them over, coming to lie atop of her, deepening their kiss, tongues caressing and dancing together, as he let his body rest mostly on his side so as not to crush her.
Sakura`s nails were grazing his back and shoulder blades, slipping under the airy material of his shirt, stopping to nestle into his rich hair, bringing him closer to her body.
His lips trailed to the column of her throat, collarbone and shoulders, showering her skin with whimsical butterfly kisses that made her skin slither in delight.
She forgot how to breathe when his lips latched on the swell of her breast, offering him every pump of her erratic heartbeats.
But he didn't go farther than that, much to her dismay, he stopped descending and only came back to kiss her lips softly, smirking when she pouted at him, pulling his hair. "I want you, Sasuke."
Public places be damned, there was hardly anyone around, except for some surfers faraway, enjoying and riding the waves, but they were living in their own world, not sparing them a single glance.
The sunset was glowing a red and pink hue spanning over the sky, the sun was descending into the ocean, the water was glowing bright orange, laced with red, the wind was blowing yet her skin was fire and starlight, stealing the sleeping sun`s warmth.
The onyx eyed Uchiha let his eyes lock on his emerald orbs, following the resolute gleam into the luscious aureate irises, placing another kiss over her lips, soft, innocent and pulled on her lower lip, nipping on it.
"I know, love. But not here." It was not like Sasuke wouldn't have loved to do her on the beach, the idea being more than arousing and inviting, but he would rather not risk another public scandal.
They had plenty of time for that later on, when his grandparents would fall into slumber. The night unfolding before their eyes, in all its starry splendor, was long.
"Scared?" She challenged him, but he was steady in his resolve. As tempting as it was to fuck her on that beach, Sasuke was still cautious about his surroundings and that was an open space. If there were assassins on their tail, they would be fresh meat in the roaring of their riffles, as sure targets.
"Only that you will be too vocal in screaming my name." She grew hotter upon hearing his sexual baritone voice echo not beyond whisper level.
She brushed off the crystal of golden sand embroidered into his raven hair, seeing as the going down sun was glowing behind him.
She rose up to see the sunset, leaning her head on his shoulder as his hand curled around her waist. She felt like crying in happiness, it was so perfect and so meant to be. "You are so full of yourself, you know that?"
"Aa."
"I can't believe you actually admit it."
"Why hide something obvious? Denial and modesty are the honor of the mediocre ones."
They stood silent to see the sun sink into the ocean, being replaced by a golden blazing crescent big moon, shining above their heads.
"This is so beautiful, Sasuke. Thank you for bringing me here. I feel like time doesn't pass in here. And we can stay forever like this."
He has been hit by another violent sudden memory, but he was getting used to it by then, since the occurrences were more frequent since Sakura`s arrival, and it didn't faze Sasuke anymore, because the overlapping memories were pleasant, soft and not intrusive.
'When we are together like this, I have the feeling that time stopped flowing. No past, no present and no future, but us and us only. And we can remain forever like this, trapped in our own version of eternity.'
"Nothing is impossible, Sakura. You just have to desire it." It was dusk in the realm of rolling foamy waves, seagulls and velvet horizon.
She saw some couples sneaking into the water in the distance or ones walking along the coastline, concealing their intimacy.
She instantly realized that she and Sasuke were a couple like that. She had someone to love her and sleep beside her, he took away the loneliness.
"I do. And I am going to fight for it." She told him cryptically, cocking her head to look at him. Into that dim suave lilac light, he was gorgeous.
Wind was blowing into the fine material of his loose shirt into a playful taunting way, his body was chiseled like the sharp cliffs around them and exposed, his skin was glowing like fine marble, his hair and hair were so striking and flawless and his face was tranquil and serene and so breathtaking.
He smirked at her, dipping his head to pull her into a hard hot kiss, catching her admiring him like she was breathing in a beautiful painting.
"This is something we both agree on." Somehow, that statement swayed to another deeper meaning and that time, Sakura caught it as well.
There was something connecting that affirmation, something that brought them instantly together as one, but she couldn't place it. "My grandma is waiting us for dinner."
"She is an amazing cook. That was the best pasta I had in a while. Are they your grandparents on your mother`s side or father`s side?" Though she got an idea of whose side, but he stunned her again.
"My father`s. My mother`s parents have both passed away a long time ago. You are surprised of the difference."
He gave her a small smirk as she nodded and buried her face into his shoulder, ashamed she disregarded his father like that, but who wouldn't?
"Yeah…sorry. I am surprised because their personalities are very different."
"Indeed. They are also hurt because of the rupture in our family and they have tried many times to reconcile us, but father`s steady indoctrinated stubbornness makes it impossible to do so and they simply gave up trying, and instead, they teamed up with their nephews and my mother."
"If Mikoto-san and your grandma team up in the kitchen, I know I will never leave that place again." He chuckled as she giggled at her own blunt confession and Sasuke nodded at her. He knew how good they were.
"Who knows, maybe you will have this chance someday. Because I intend to keep you." She giggled as he pressed a surprise kiss on her pulse, tickling her soft sensitive skin. "Have you ever looked for your parents?" He asked her put of pure curiosity. She never talked about them.
She grew serious at that and he almost regretted asking her. "No. I have never." He was surprised because he has seen how hurt was she to be an orphan and also he knew she has suffered. She hasn't lied to his grandparents.
"They left no name, no number, no address and no message. Nothing."
"Aren't you intrigued by who they are or why did they leave you to the orphanage? Or if you have living relatives?"
She simply shook her head. "No, I am not. If they loved me so much to leave without a trace, then they never loved me. I suspect I was one of the thousand cases where my birth hasn't been something planned, maybe an accident and my mother tried to hide the shame by abandoning me. I don't want to find out something like this, because I know I will be hurt, so I would rather never find out." She looked to the sea, deep in thoughts.
Orochimaru, Karin, Anko, Tsunade and even Hidan offered to help her find her parents and with the help of the CIA`s connection, that would have been a breeze, but truth was that she was afraid.
Afraid to meet people who would say they don't recognize her or acknowledge her and nothing was worse than being bluntly rejected by your family, so she would rather imagine them being dead, instead of being happy somewhere under the same sky, as she has suffered so much.
She was angry with them. Not hating, but hurt. Deeply hurt. She would never do that to her own kid.
"I, on the other hand, am grateful to your parents, whoever they might be." She stopped dead in her tracks, surprised to hear him saying something like that.
"Why- ah!" He scooped her up, bridal style as her hands immediately enfolded around his neck, smiling –not smirking- briefly to her, resuming his walking, marveling at how feather like she was. For him, it was like carrying a swan.
"Because if it wasn't for them giving birth to you, I would have never met you." Oh Kami-sama, the way he said that made her fingers dig into his skin, fisting into his shirt, her heart pounding like a drum.
She didn't know what to do and how to respond, Sasuke was not the man to show affection let alone say such things and it was so strange to hear him so romantic, but not unwelcomed.
So she simply let her head rest under his chin, molding perfectly into the crook of his neck, running a palm on his half exposed chest as he carried her back home and for the first time in her life, Sakura was not minding the people watching the beautiful idealistic young pair.
He only put it down in front of the gate and first thing that welcomed her was a delicious scent of honey and apples.
"Sasuke, can I eat your share of whatever dessert your grandma cooked?" He chuckled at her, because she was cute and innocent like a child, while he kept on being fascinated by that duality of her character, which she slayed so naturally.
How could she make those cute pouts while looking like a model for women swim wear, was beyond him.
He leaned forward to whisper against her nape, hotly and darkly, making her hair stand erect. "You can taste whatever you like." The double implication made her insides throb.
"Oh dear, you are back!" The grandma welcomed them cheerfully, already placing the cutlery on the table, while the grandpa was reading the newspaper.
"How did you enjoy the beach?" She asked the emerald eyed young woman, taking her head into her own, as the three of them headed into the kitchen and the first thing that came to Sakura along with a huge grin was. "It was perfect, Naori-san." It was, indeed.
.
.
.
"Thank you for the meal, grandma. It was delicious, just like I remember." Sasuke told the woman, while Sakura was helping her clean the dishes.
"Oh, you are exaggerating. I kept your old room just the way you left it. Even your favorite Teddy Bear. Eh…"
Sakura laughed softly at that, while the woman didn't know how to voice out those things without sounding embarrassing. "Will you kids forgive us the elders for being so old fashioned…ahm…I assume you wouldn't like a separate room?" It was Sasuke`s turn to smirk at Sakura who turned ten shades of tomato red.
Mr. Uchiha came to envelop her shoulders placing a kiss on her cheeks. "Haha, it seems like a hundred years since I gain the courage to ask her out and she was already twenty two."
It didn't help at all because Sakura hasn't been with anyone before Sasuke either, much to the Uchiha`s amusement. And he didn't stop. "We only kissed on the third date." By then, she was beat red.
"Come dear, stop teasing the youngsters. Who knew you were so afraid of my father?" They all headed into the living room, laughing, parting ways on the head of the stairs. "You kids can enjoy the pool if you want. We had the water changed yesterday."
"Good night dear." Naori kissed Sasuke on his forehead then turned to do the same to Sakura. "I am glad to have you here, Sakura-chan. Welcome to our home."
"Thank you. Have a good rest, Naori-san. Mr. Uchiha." When the elders got into their respective room, Sakura turned to look at Sasuke who was stifling his snorts.
"Why are you laughing at, you jerk?" She taunted.
"Well, who would have known that you and my grandmother had so many things in common?" He did the exact sin that Karin committed, namely teasing her about being a virgin in anything that meant romance and intimacy and immediately her blush turned into an angry flush.
Without warning, a well-aimed punch attached to Sasuke`s shoulder, but that only made him chuckle more at her, that ridiculously strong asshole, though he would never admit, she had strength.
"Don't you dare running away, Sasuke!" He was fast on the door before she got the chance to blink.
Fuming, she darted after him into the back yard, where the swimming pool was, throwing her shoes near a sun lounger, but when she saw him looking for her, having his back on her, she snuck behind his shadow –although she knew he could hear her- and jumped on his back, throwing her hands around his neck, lips latching to the shell of his ear, nipping on it.
His hands hooked around her thighs, trying to cock his head on his side because that little cherry blossom knew exactly how sensitive his ears were and she was doing it on purpose. "Gothcha!"
"Hn. Not quite." He spun on his heel as Sakura was crying and giggling, clinging to him so as she wouldn't fall, feeling like in a carousel ride. He slowly untangled his hands from around her legs letting her slide down with her tiptoes brushing the short grass, but Sakura let her hands rest around his chest and his cheek between his shoulder blades, looking at the stars above and the lights from the garden and pool.
The water was mirroring the sky and even though it didn't look deep, the swimming pool was taking almost the entire back yard and was quite big and L-shaped. It looked inviting and very appropriate for midnight fantasies.
Same thoughts were running through Sasuke`s mind as well. "I don't have a swimwear." She whispered to him so as to not disturb the peaceful serene atmosphere.
"Then your only options are to either swim dressed or naked." Of course he had to press the syllables of her last option in that dark alluring way and make her insides turn to jelly.
She detached from him, going around to face him, hands on the hem of her bath robe, smirking in a sensual wild way that he rarely saw on her.
"Like back into the mountains?" She whispered to him while she dragged the light article up to her legs, waist and head, letting it slide along her arms, slowly as she was dancing for him, and she didn't know where that bold seductiveness was coming from, but something changed between that romantic atmosphere from earlier, getting hotter, feral, thirstier and daring.
And the smirk blooming on Sasuke`s lips and the peculiar unique way of briefly narrowing his almond shaped onyx eyes, looking like a feline, assured her that he understood what she meant by that: their first time and the circumstances were somehow similar.
"Hn. Let`s make it better than then." He let his own shirt fell along his arms and Sakura felt her mouth going dry at the sight of his carved upper body, stealing the light of the moon and the mild light was falling graciously on the ample planes of his body.
Biting her lower lip, she brought her hands back to unclasp the lace bra she wore, without breaking the eye contact with a smirking at her Sasuke. Just what the heck were they doing, stripping off their clothes in the yard of his grandparents?
She threw it on the same sun longer where she discarded her shoes, mindful to not decorate the yard with their clothes. God only knew when they would need to grab them and hide the evidence…
The agent in her taught her that!
The fire in his eyes when his onyx eyes fell on her bare chest was enough to ignite her own. Sakura could see how much he desired her, but she wanted him just as bad. She saw him getting off the pants he wore, remaining in a pair of a navy Armani boxers and she could barely keep her focus. He was so damn hot that it should be illegal!
What stunned Sakura at Sasuke`s amazing body was the hard deep muscles of his thighs and, she had no idea when was he working –she never saw him going to the gym- or what kind of exercises he did to gain such muscles, but she knew from experience that they were hard to keep in such a flawless shape, plus every single inch of him looked fast, strong and lethal.
But she didn't have time to dwell on that one because the cocky Uchiha, who knew it all too well who he was and how did he look like in the eye of a woman, crossed his arms on his chest and tilted his head to mock her.
And when he did that, every fiber from his carved arms and chiseled chest protruded like sharp mountain peaks, making her barely prevent a smile to raise on her lips. "What`s the matter, Sakura? Grew scared?" She knew he was trying to coax into taking off her matching lace panties first. It was a game of who was to see the other completely naked under the moon first.
She smirked at him, turned around, slid her fingers under the elastic band of her lingerie and slowly let the fine expensive material slide down her ankles, stepping on it, whirling her head around and threw it towards a smirking at her Uchiha, who caught it easily.
Then she stepped to the edge of the swimming pool as she gave him an ample view on her siren back, letting him admire the exquisite contour of her slim long legs and her violin waist, until she touched the water with her toe, feeling how lukewarm was, stretching her hands above her head, leaning forward and just like a water Goddess head dipped and disappeared under the water, reappearing on the other side, brushing her damp hair over her head, turning around to look at Sasuke.
Only…she didn't have the chance to see him in his lean proud Adam form, because he dived right after her, and the only trace she had on him, was the music of shattered glass and the spiral crystalline water drops fluttering around the ripples his body created, before sliding inside.
He stroked the water with swift precise moves, gracefully sliding through the water coming to resurface in front of her while Sakura's gaze strolled along his breathtaking dripping wet form.
The simple nonchalance way of him fighting the water's pressure and defying gravity like a smooth yet striking unpredictable and fascinating white shark seemed like a sophisticated high cut of a commercial on a branded men perfume and she couldn't help but feel her jade orbs get glassy and clouded in lust.
His rippling muscular Herculean arms chose to rest soundly on the edge of the pool while creating a tempting seductive shield in between her and the rest of the world, as he shadowed her with his chiseled upper body.
Lazy glistening crystal lukewarm dews of water were sensually dragging along his lean protruding sculpted fiber on his magnificent body, rolling down the ample valley of his chest and down his abdomen, tantalizingly disappearing under the water, in the same manner as the other half of him.
His impossibly gleaming blue-ish luscious raven hair was blending into the starry midnight scenery, sticking to his temples and cascading down to poke on his shoulder blades and neck, half coveting those smoldering sapphire orbs and his high aristocratic check bones.
An irresistible glamorous flirtatious smile rose on his moist thin smooth lips and Sakura swore that her heart stopped pumping life through her for a nanosecond.
The sight of him in all the splendor of the epitome of cosmopolitan and intricate manhood, ensnarled her into a spellbound so sweet and ravishing that she felt her own persona being turned into a simple atom, bursting at the speed of light around his magnetizing orbit, being entirely shot by electrical impulses making her every pore charged with vigor energy and blazing chemistry.
She cupped his cheeks, brushing away the damp locks of hair sticking glued to his eyes and temples, as he pressed his lips along her pulse, kissing her neck.
"Hmmm...S-Sasuke!" Unlike couple of minutes ago on the beach, he was more sensual, his caresses were hot and sexual, he was using his teeth and tongue to pleasure her skin and his hands were dancing along the contours and swells of her curves, freely exploring and possessing her, dominating and demanding.
Her moist lips gasped for an inhale that she has missed, as he felt his hand glide along the valley of her thighs, rubbing her folds with his fingertips, feeling how slick and ready she was, even with all the rinse of the water.
"You will have to be as quiet and subtle as possible, love." He growled against her skin, while his lips were encircling a hardened jewel nipple. "Someone might walk into us and realize what we are doing."
"I can't…ah!…promise…anything." Sakura`s voice was trembling like a jelly fish, her heart sent jolts along her veins, adrenaline was fusing with the lukewarm water and the sizzle of his touch, and her whole system felt invigorated like a spring.
She curled her legs around his hard waistline, rubbing her locked ankles on the peak of his toned ass, while two fingers snuck past her lace folds, inside the caverns of her body, pumping her.
"Aren't you one naughty seeker for danger in Eden's Gardens?" Sasuke`s own voice turned into a predatory low baritone key, vibrating with anticipation to spurt inside her and replace his fingers with his own engorged hardness. His tongue was writing verses on her shoulders and the heart shaped aperture of her supple mounds.
The moon was mirrored into the luscious water, highlighting the brightens of her emerald-aureate eyes, bringing in the elegant ivory color of her skin.
She was a mesmerizing amalgamation of pastel rose, ivory and porcelain, her entire being was a vibrant playful game of nude colors and exotic features.
Sasuke swore that he never went so crazy over something or someone, not even when his blood pumped to kill the ones who trespassed his property to steal from him, or when he shoot another men hours ago.
"I-It...ahhh...only makes me...even more eager to take the risk and get burned if you would be my fire."
"I remind you that there is no fire into Paradise." Sakura would gladly jump into the Underworld and burn her fingers, by the fire of his touch, if it meant to be united to him forever.
She felt her body bubble like Champagne, anticipation was killing her worse than the bundle of nerves amassed into the pits of her stomach, begging to be hit and taunted.
"It might be true but..." She brought her head to the level of his eyes, as their lips aligned together, in the same manner as their hips. Jade orbs rolled into their sockets as Sasuke`s already eager rock hard manhood poked its head where her soft lace lips met into a heart shape, entering her with two steady thrusts inside her and Sakura felt an electrical chill roll over her lower back as he impaled himself fully inside her, being welcomed with no restriction, while words of love flew like butterflies from her widened lips.
"To me, whenever you are, there is Paradise." Just as her heart, her body was clinging to his own, wrapping around him in all its lucent softness and hotness, firm and tight, just as it always taunted him.
His hands cupped her ass, squeezing her mounds, while keeping her steady for him to plunge freely inside her, over and over again, pounding into a throbbing expecting sweet spot inside her, his zeal growing with each passing grunt, caress, kiss and moan passing her lips. "Ohhhh…s-so good!"
It was literarily the most upbeat experience for Sakura to feel his hot body pulsating and pervading life inside her, it was like a lighter igniting the fire within her, the gasoline her body needed to scorch like a torch, her fingers were tiptoeing along the jittering planes of his back muscles, nails imprinting him with sinuous lines, while her hips were winding in a tango they were dancing together, meeting his thrusts halfway, squeezing her eyes shut when he slant from another angle, reached her deeper.
The sound of their bodies grinding together, caressed and concealed by the water around, as passion filled the cool air with electricity and stars, reached their ears and intoxicated their senses. "Kiss me."
She heard the unmistakable voice of the obsidian eyed man she was enamored with, and she did just as so, tightening her embrace on him.
She let her lips reach for his own, tongues sloping upon one another, into their mouths, tasting the love on their lips.
"S-Sasu-ke! T-This is...not e-enough!"
Sakura whimpered to him, while her helpless limp body was desperately awaiting for release and she would literally kill for that knot under her belly button to explode in those pleasurable bubbles of spark and energy and send her to the world of colors and symphonies where time and perception had no meaning.
Sasuke knew exactly what the pleading rosy haired woman was talking about but there were not so many available helpful options to explore in that situation. He had to fight the urge to milk her hot cavern like his pouncing heavy balls were threatening to do and rack his clouded mind for a quick solution.
Had it been his own swimming pool in the intimacy of his villa, he would have hauled the almost crying pleading jadeite eyed angel by her waist, pull her from the mild blue water, glue her small back on the edge of the pool and ram into her like an unleashed hurt savage beast until she embed his name in ecstasy on the moon and every star above but that was out of question since there were elders probably taking a nap on their room which was inconveniently facing the pool they were using to fuse their steaming imagination with the fascination of experience the adrenaline rush of being in the verge of getting caught in the act and their hormones.
"Fuck..." He growled to her, sensing how she was desperately roll her hips against his, taking as much of him inside as she could, like trying to swallow him entirely, her back arching like a rainbow against him, to find release.
"There is not enough friction with all this water." Sasuke let his forehead rest on her own, stopping pounding inside her, and Sakura had to bit her lip to prevent herself from crying at the way the ball into her lower abdomen was tightening her. "Turn around." He bad her gently, while she fluttered her jade orbs open in puzzlement.
"Why?"
She liked to face him when they made love, but Sakura allowed him to take both to the other side of the pool, on the farthest place from the house, spinning her around and leading her to grip the edge of the pool and hold tight.
And although he didn't like to be the dominant raw and wild animal who hammered his woman treating her like a sex slave who grew aroused by being used and abused, he didn't have a choice since Sasuke knew from experience that the position he chose to bend her into, could -and he would make damn sure it will- send her body within a cataclysmic orgasm so he had to be sure.
His left hand wrapped around her shoulders, while she half turned her head on her side slightly confused but she quickly caught the apologetically yet sexy tone of his warning when his hand brushed past her ear and covered her mouth, gently so as to prove his point that he was not trying to coax her into something she wouldn't consent to, yet his mild pressure was firm enough to block any lascivious and euphoric noise that might come.
"I assure you it is something I would never do if not absolutely necessary, love."
She nodded once while her twinkling golden and viridian orbs thanked him for the obvious loving care and respect he showed.
Deep inside, what he didn't know, was the fact that the idea of being possessed and by that ravishing man whose manhood has pushed the of sex to its apotheosis, was turning her on even more than the idea of not knowing what to expect next, since she wasn't facing him so she could only guess how was he going to fuck her senseless.
Plus, if he was willing not to have her moan his name in pleasure promised an amalgamation of ecstasy and beatitude to its finest and that thought alone made her inner walls fuel with hot blood pulsating and spilling juices in anticipation.
"Lift your body up and wrap your legs around my waist." In all honesty Sasuke wasn't sure that he has ever tried such acrobatic positions, simply because they claimed a flexibility over the average and that was something that the majority of the women he had simply didn't have.
But not Sakura. For whatever the hell that girl might have been to possess such unusual abilities, Sasuke could freely explore the sublime depths of sex in all its darkness.
She eagerly and easily enough did just as he instructed, clasping her fingers on the edge of the pool, holding it tight since it was slippery and brought her knees to rest on his hips, clasping him with her firm toned thighs and he would have never guessed that the view might have been able to make his lower abdomen explode instantly at the vista he has been gifted with.
He could see all the fine delicate yet precise muscles of her toned firm round ass, which was half above the crystal glassy surface and half sexily concealed by it as well as a taunting glimpse of the lean muscles of her legs ripple as she hold him tighter.
He couldn`t wait to pound her like an animal and keep his eyes glued to her back while he did that. He was sure it was going to be all worth it.
Sakura felt his ripped toned hot chest pressing on her back, as he made her lie onto him, resting her head on his shoulder, while his hand pressed on her mouth tighter, not enough to be brutal and uncomfortable, but enough to make her hornier at the idea of being impaled and prevent her from screaming, as her fingers curled around the pole of the edge, holding tight.
She felt every fiber of her body stretched and challenged to the maximum, thanking all the Heavens for all the training and her assassin elastic body structure and flexibility, because that position would have been pretty uncomfortable.
But she came to realize that the stance was offering Sasuke the maximum angle of penetration, because she was on the same level with him and his hand, the one that wasn't supporting her body by wrapping around her waist, slide along the band of her navel and cupped her swollen clit, rubbing and pinching it.
Her cries of pleasure at the sudden contact made the skin under Sasuke`s palm vibrate. "Look at me and shake your head if it hurts."
He whispered into her ear, as she turned to look into his eyes, her silent look was inquisitive about why would he warn her about how he took her, since it wasn't the first time he took her from behind, but when she felt him fill her passageway in one swift fluid motion, her eyes widened like plates and for two good seconds, she didn't breathe, or move.
She stood frozen as a new electrical wave of sheer immensurable pleasure bolted along her body, discharging down her spine and soon enough, her cells were trembling in pleasure.
Sasuke was intently following the way her widened emerald orbs got veneered by a thick fog, making them ten shades darker, lust filling her body until it got saturated and overwhelmed.
Sakura didn't expect that sensation, it resembled nothing like she felt before while having sex with him, it was something else, something so powerful that she grew alarmed and even scared of what it would feel when he moved.
"I get it that you like this, hm?" Oh God, his delirious sexy voice was torn from that night`s aquatic fantasy, dripping with sensuality.
She didn't like that, she was loving it, lusting and begging for it as she went insane! And when he started to move inside her, he wasn't gentle.
He rammed inside her, while their bodies were grazing together, touching in all the right places, while he was doing his best to pull and flicker his thumb on her clit, pressing hard on it and Sakura was thankful that he had enough experience to cover her screams, because she knocked away all the air in her lungs at the way she was silently crying out in pure bliss.
Her entire body was jerking up like a rocket trying to reach the sky, while his firm hands and his spell were keeping her down to burn into the flames of passion, her bouncing breasts were breaking the glass surface of the water around her whenever he hit her hard, merciless, fast and indomitable, sending her body into a helpless tremble.
She even swore that her sanity was seeping from her, along with all the juices spraying from her body. It was too good, too amazing and too irresistible to be true.
She couldn't move, she couldn't fight with the pleasure spreading through her like ink, it was too much to handle such a level of painful pleasure, her entire body was paralyzed with an electrical euphoria, and Sakura had no control over herself, except from the helpless muffles cries that were escaping her lips.
The fact that her hands remained curled and frozen on the edge of the pool was a miracle. Sasuke on the other hand, was having just as many troubles into keeping his own feral growls at bay, letting his canines sink into her collarbone, and that made her grow even more aroused.
Adrenaline and endorphins were shooting like a drug towards her muscles and she swore she would explode like a meteorite.
She felt his hot slick flesh pounding inside her, sharing their juices and euphoria together like cosmic energy surging from the depths of an exploding supernova and so was her fogged intoxicated mind chanting his name in a sublime ecstasy.
Everytime he thrust into her ruthlessly, her inner muscles clenched, throbbed and pulsated violently.
Her squeezed eyelids were whimpering with every sharp thrust and she swore she has never felt the need to run from and withstand the torturous sweet enrapture at the same time. For her, Sasuke has always been too much of anything: too much of a suave enigma, too well gifted to accommodate from the first try, too savage when he had her, too eager to jump into the fire and never afraid to get burned and there she was sharing that emerging insanity with him, not afraid to announce it to the starry skies above, the crescent blazing golden moon and the scintillating frenetic lights of the faraway city, his elegant name.
It never left her mind, it was tattooed on her tongue, it was sealed on her lips and Sasuke felt it cry out of her mouth under his hot soft palm, sending a wave of magnetizing vibrations through his limbs, spine and lower back, making him grow wild and hard like a beast, urging his fast light jerks.
Shimmering crystal tiny drips of clear water were splashing and dancing around them, while their united bodies were rocking on the limbs of Nirvana, hitting the water each time they were getting one single breathing body, sending ripples on the glassy luscious surface.
The sound of pumped water splashing the hot slick lusted skin was echoing through the mild warm airy night, filling both Sasuke's and Sakura's mind with naughty thoughts.
His delicious incredibly proud standing lean member was constantly and restlessly aiming a sweet hot key spot inside her womb, just under her belly button and it send violent electric jolts along her spine and dripping throbbing core, and her nails mechanically flew on his rippling Herculean arms, digging into his biceps for both leverage in a desperate attempt to persuade her mind to not leave her for good and leave her reel there in bliss, wrapped within his arms and hard stone carved chest.
She felt him everywhere and Sakura swore that she could only perceive one single breath like Sasuke has finally managed to fully and steadily connect them, with his magically masterful undulating moves, touches, thirsty lupine kisses and caresses.
It was solely the grace of his finesse to be a petal of rose fluttering into her hair or ribs, occasionally tickling her with his pampering touches, while his member worked inside her like a hammer, ramming inside her clamping pumping thin passage, all the way to where she was able to nourish life, losing her sanity each time into his incredibly stamina and speed.
Hot, sensual, dark, yet refined, that was how much of a seductive contradiction that black sapphire eyed man was and it was beyond her physical and mental power to resist that passion he radiated. It was too indescribable good to be put into sentences, no, the way Sasuke was making her vibrate with celestial energy was poetic by essence and only worth of being found among verses, rhymes, canvas, colors, brushes or melodies.
A savage lust was pumping through his veins, sending his engorged member into frenzy and he was barely holding himself from spilling his seed inside his rose café noir haired lover's womb, but he would be damned before he stole the orgasm from her, coming before she did.
Sasuke`s only regret was that he couldn't see the momentum when he nested within her hot cavern, but he sharpened all of his senses to listen to her body's mewls, moans and response.
The creamy smooth blushing skin of her lace like inner folds were brushing past his foreskin each time his throbbing manhood was filling her with his warmth and her quintessence's were rewarding his every hard long steady thrust with long glistening milky juices leaking down his length, adding to the rise their frames got from all the lukewarm water around.
The emerald eyed woman's fragile elastic inner walls were deliciously clasping him within her core and Sasuke swore he saw stars twinkling under his fluttering eyelashes at the friction their bodies created.
He kept on bucking up his hips harder and wilder, spreading her folds and passage way more for him to claim her, going as deeper as his wickedest thoughts could reach.
Sakura cocked her head leaning on his left shoulder unable to keep herself steady, when her escalading orgasm was slowly but surely growing from its foundation, inside her belly, and reaching to the stars, creeping along her spine.
Even if she was unable to see his bathed in arousal damp face or take a peek at him fucking her senseless, Sakura felt him all breathing his life inside her body.
The rosy heart shaped tip of his thick head was piercing her sweet G point like the tip of an arrow, sending rolling jolts of washing waves along her body, and her pulse went ecstatic while she felt him growing steadier and firmer inside her and having another life pulsate through her was fantastic by its nature.
His soft fingers slide up to her sculpted abdomen, to attach to her breast, rubbing her rosy perked up silk nipple occasionally pulling at it, massaging her mound gently but sensually, aware not to produce unnecessary pain and she melted like chocolate under the blessing of his touch. He was so skilled and his maneuvers told the story of his personality: not rushed, patient, precise, elegant, exquisite and incredibly attractive.
He did nothing on vain and he was calculated and always in control even if he seemed to be just as loss into bliss and he was.
But Sasuke was also a man and it was in his responsibility to take the lead to their passionate tango. Plus, the woman whimpering and squirming into his embrace was unable to even respond. He couldn't help but smirk even if she couldn't see him.
Of course, if anything, he knew he was good and he was arrogant enough to praise himself for it.
And to add to his amusement, Sasuke couldn't resist the urge to taunt her and feel her even closer. Impossibly close until he wouldn't be able to make out where one's skin started and where it ended.
So he wrapped his left hand around her waist, tugging her up into his chest, with her shoulder blades pressed into his chest, gluing his lips on the shell of her ear, whispering hotly and darkly. "You have no idea how bad would I love to hear you scream my name, love."
If his smooth chocolate addictive voice hasn't been the catalyst to her release, then the new angle to hit her surely did its job and almost sent her to the half crescent moon if not for his firm solid protective grip on her and the feel of his heart running like million miles per hour did the trick and she came as a hurricane hitting the ocean with the nature`s full force, making her shot up like a siren emerging from the realm of the ocean and detach her hands from the edge of the pool, to wind around his neck and pull on his damp raven hair, that was sticking at his nape, hard, making him come after two more thrusts, unable to contain his own need to fill her with his essences, because her inner walls constricted him violently, caging him inside, with no chance to escape or move.
"Fuck, Sakura!" He had to encircle his hands around her waist and somehow support both of them and fight the water, even if his muscles grew instantly limp, because Sakura had no control over herself. For one good minute, she was trembling and moaning into his arms.
Never in her life has Sakura felt an orgasm like that and she swore she never heard Karin –and that woman DID talk non-stop- experience something on that level.
It was indescribable. Nothing that Sakura could put into words and before she knew, there were tears flowing from the corners of her eyes, while her heart was knocking on her chest, screaming to be set free and soar like a bird towards the sky.
The level of pleasure, intertwined with the connection she felt with him in that moment, while he gathered her greedily into his arms, breathing vicious words into her hair, kissing her neck, not pulling himself out of her, keeping them physically joined, was bringing tears into her eyes.
When he felt herself calm down he let his hand uncover her mouth and the first words that came in between her harsh pants and sobs, were "I-I love you so much, Sasuke."
She had no idea of what she was saying, her lips were translating words that her heart was whispering, but she couldn't help it. "Ti amo tanto, amore mio."
Even if she should hear bells of alertness in that moment, she didn't because she was being overwhelmed by his reply. Words he breathed into her ear, in fluent Italian. "Sei tutta per me, amore mio."
She turned on his arms and kissed him deeply, no other words spoken. There were crickets tickling their ears in a nocturne concerto all around the garden, creating a magical atmosphere.
The crescent shining moon above was flickering over their immersed bodies, making the water look like made of diamonds, gleaming and rippling around their molding silhouettes.
For the first time in forever, Sakura felt like having everything she has been looking for in her life. "It`s getting cold. Let`s go back inside."
"Ok." They swam back, getting out of the pool, both throwing weary glances around to see if someone has witnessed their intimate moments together, but the streets were empty, the beach became the realm of the waves and the stars above and there was no light turned on, inside the house.
"We sneak inside like teens with a secret affair." Sakura whispered to Sasuke, as they tiptoed towards the stairs, mindful not to wake the elders up and he smirked at her, even if she probably couldn't see him, because they were wandering into the darkness, tapping their hands on the wall and the railing, mindful not to trip on their own feet.
"Add it to the fact that we are also stark naked." Indeed, it hasn't crossed their thirsty minds that they should have at least gotten a towel to dry their dripping soaked bodies, before getting dressed, so they simply took their clothes and used them as towels, dressed in only their shoes –because what the fuck, they had THAT much of a DECENCY- and prayed to all the Heavens that Sasuke`s grandparents weren`t haunting the house, in the darkness, just to catch them in the act and laugh at them.
Because that would be utterly embarrassing and stupid. Sakura felt more scared than Lorane itself at the idea of being seen naked and sneaking inside his grandparents` home.
Good God, she felt like Karin! And that was never a compliment, if it involved sex. Never!
"Why thank you, Adam, for reminding me that we are trying to trespass into Paradise. At least, they had leaves to cover, unlike us, damn it!"
Sakura hissed to Sasuke, as the loving mind blowing exchange of romantic lines from moments ago, has been decades ago.
Inwardly, Sasuke was laughing like a madman, because, seriously, he could feel and hear Sakura tripping on every stair, and tugging on his arm, colliding with his back, mumbling Italian curses, mostly directed to him.
Seriously, she couldn't have been anymore funny than that. "Where is your room? You do know what room Naori-san has given you, right?"
He couldn't help himself. "No."
"What?!" She immediately grew alert. "And where are we going then?!"
"To ask her, where else?" He barely stifled his laughter, while taking it to the left, after climbing the spiral stairs, to the first floor, where his old room was, at the end of the wall.
He didn't even need to slide his hand along the wall to remember every step. He had beautiful memories as a child from there.
And Sakura has just slapped his shoulder, but that only managed to arouse him again, though he just had her moments ago, two times. If she went on cursing and slapping him like that… "-and oh my GOD, this is all your damn fault for making me lose my mind and forget to take a damn towe-"
The Uchiha had her slammed against the wall, with his equally bare body pressed flush into her own, entrapping her mumbling lips into a bruising harsh kiss, as he was keeping her hands pinned on each side of her head, rolling his hips against her own, silencing her and leaving her breathless, not stopping suckling on her lips until he felt her stopping trashing and squirming to get free.
"If you don't stop testing me…I will make it damn sure you are going to wake the whole island up with your screams…Sakura."
Sakura had no idea of why she shut up, gulped once and felt dizzy. It might have been his unique own masculine scent, the dark sexy threat, the implication behind it, the adrenaline rushing through her veins as the body was high alert not to be caught or his body pressed against hers, but she grew weak and hot.
"You know where to go, b-because you took the risk to turn around for three times and knew that there was a wall behind me."
She heard him chuckle darkly, reminding her of the horror movies where the lead actress was being chased by a demon, and he stole her lips for another quick hard kiss, making her moan hotly. "Clever, aren't we?"
He slide his palm under her own, intertwining their fingers as he lead her inside his room, pressing the knob and letting her enter first, while he fingered the switch on the wall, but she stopped his hand from turning the light on, while he locked the door behind.
"Don't."
"Is something the matter?" He uplifted an eyebrow at her choice to remain in the darkness, while she bit her lower lip and brushed her hair around her ear.
"No, no but…I find this to be quite…romantic. I want to keep this memory until morning." She immediately regretted what she has said, laughing awkwardly, rubbing her nape, while he briefly frowned at her, confused.
"Sorry, that was stupid." There was enough light coming from the outside to make out their features into the night.
He said nothing, but simply slide his hands around her waist and kissed her softly and tenderly, making her knees go weak. He could be so incredibly sweet when he actually wanted and the technique he had in rolling his tongue over her lips, was making her go crazy. "Add this to your grand finale, love."
He tucked on her waist, taking her to the king sized bed, both sliding under the satin sheets and Sakura wasted no time in scooping to his side of the bed, cuddling into his arms.
"Don't wake me up too early in the morning, Sasuke." She mewled to him as the Uchiha smirked at her, placing a soft kiss upon her lips, pulling her as close to him as possible, arms curled around her waist and shoulders, while her arm was straddling his chest and her head was resting on his chest, legs intertwined and hearts beating in unison.
"I will not. Good night, love."
"`night." She was fast asleep, being lulled by the sound of his heartbeats, relishing into his warmth and his presence.
.
.
.
'On a night like this, having you by my side and sleeping so peacefully into my arms, I would like for us to stay like this forever.'
'Then don't dream of tomorrow and it would never come to take you away from me. And we can dream like this for the rest of the eternity.'
'Will you still be here when I wake up?'
'One day, my love…one day, you will see me again. Because if I have to come back, it is you I will be returning to.'
'And what am I supposed to do while you are gone? And what if you never get back to me again?'
'Then continue to love me like never has changed. As long as you have me in your heart, it will be like I have never been gone.'
'I wish that sometime in the future, I will have everything I want in my life. And that everything, it is you.'
.
.
.
Onyx orbs flew to the numbers glowing in blue on the digital clock. It flashed 2:45 a.m. Sasuke was standing on the edge of the bed, looking at a sound asleep Sakura, following and imprinting on his retina, every inch of her skin, every rises and falls of her chest under the silk bed sheets in the color of violets, the shadows and the highlighted ivory hues of her porcelain skin, memorizing that celestial image of her sleeping form.
He couldn't help but brush his knuckles along the rim of her cheek, while she unconsciously nuzzled into his touch, smiling into her slumber, burying her nose into his pillow, trying to reach for his missing warmth.
The only woman that has been able to make his heart soft, was reaching for him through her slumber. It absolutely killed him inside to crush her heart by not being there in few hours when she would wake up, without him.
But he had no choice.
Things have went too far, the situation was degenerating right under his eyes and for the sake of everyone, he had to step in and stop that, before it was too late.
He couldn't ignore it anymore or try to find a desperate countermeasure, running in circles, until he would end up in the same place and realize he didn't have a place to return to, because everything has been turned into ashes.
He has been waiting for two hours for Sakura to fall asleep into his arms, and he embed the feelings of every second e felt her warmth combining with his own, because that mysterious woman ,with a mystery past, has been the one he entrusted his heart to.
He might have taken everything from her, leave without a trace, disappear into the horizon, be gone with the first rays of the morning, but his heart was hers to keep.
And that day prior, he has tried his best to show it to her how much he loved her. Because he did, he didn't lie about his feelings.
Sasuke Uchiha has truly and unconditionally fell in love with Haruno Sakura, whoever she might be. The woman sleeping on his side of the bed, looking so angelic and ethereal. He leaned forward to press a ghost of a kiss upon her lips, feeling the pain of not being able to wake her up and make her respond.
"Wait for me, love." He stood up, not taking the risk of her waking up, because it was being impossible to explain everything to her right then.
One day, he would tell her everything. Every single truth about him, but not then. It was not the right time. He stood up, taking his pitch black leather jacket, slipping it over his fitting slim equally black shirt, veneered with shark skin and silver reflection, taking four more accessories with him, along with the last memory of the woman he loved, sleeping soundly, gently pressing on the knob, turning his head to take one more peek at her. "Goodbye…Sakura. Arigatou, for everything."
'For loving me like you do.'
And left, quietly shutting the door behind him, descending the stairs. In his hand, there were they keys of his grandpa`s Jaguar, jittering as he pressed on the button of the remote to open up the front gate, trying to be as silent as possible.
He only took his wallet, the keys of his helicopter, as he speeded up into the empty deserted night streets, towards the Miyako airport and his phone, dialing as he casually drove with one hand.
"Juugo." His secretary was as prompt as ever, answering on his first call. "There is something I need you to do for me, regarding the discussion we had in my office."
"It is time already?"
"Yes. My house in Tokyo…" Onyx orbs were narrowed as he was already having the flashing red lights of the airport in his field of view, looking for an empty parking spot, close to where his helicopter was.
There was no trace of love and affection written into that pitch black of his eyes, because he left all his emotions back to Sakura.
"…I want you to burn. it. down." He emphasized every syllable and word, without feeling any emotional attachment, his voice low and robotic, so as to leave his secretary no room for interpretation.
After all, Juugo wasn't just his secretary. He was his most trusted henchmen.
"Of course, Sir. What about the company? Do we still stick to the original plan?"
"Of course. Don't forget, tomorrow, on the first hour, when they will list the stocks on the market…" He left the words trailing, because he has already briefed Juugo about their plan, even going through two simulations so as to make sure that it is bulletproof.
An evil dark smirk appeared on the Uchiha`s lips, as he killed the engine of the car, heading to the airport, as the wind was playing into his midnight hair, and his equally dark leather clothes were blending into the night. "Roger that. What do you want me to do next?"
"After you make sure you handle everything in Tokyo, I want you to disappear. Go to your family in Johannesburg and erase any trace of you, so that you won't be bothered by anyone, especially my father. But I want you to keep a close eye on my family and my grandparents in Miyako."
He made a short pause, while trying to kill that heartbeat that threatened to crush his resolve already having his ice steel shield rising around his poor organ –the one that was screaming for Sakura`s warmth- . "And her."
"I understand, Mr. Uchiha. Anything else?"
"No." Quickly parking the car to a faraway parking lot, Sasuke stroll to his helicopter, slipping inside. He started the engine, already having his left hand on the collective, slowly and skillfully raising it. "You did well. I`m hanging up."
"Good luck, Sir." It wasn't about luck, though he was grateful for his secretary`s years of devotion.
He could entrust anything to Juugo without being afraid that any information would leak and unlike the other imbecile business men who couldn't even pee without the help of the counselors who were almost always betraying them or change parties, to whoever paid most, Sasuke only had Juugo and no one else, because he handled everything alone.
And that was why he was a dark horse among the other businessmen, always reading all their moves, but being impossible to predict by the others.
He hung up on his secretary, while adjusting the throttle so as to smoothly gain speed, already rising above the airport, leaving the island behind, while he aimed for the dark sky, using his headsets for his next call, as he couldn't use his phone, because he was busy operating the cycling control as it was very sensitive to the moves and keep the helicopter steady, listening to the beep on the other side of the line, as his thoughts drifted to Sakura, once again.
He knew she loved him dearly and he would be damned if he didn't love her back. When he made love to her it was to most incredible thing he felt, to be inside her for as deep as she could take him, fall asleep with him firmly planted inside her, have her in his arms, with her check pressed on his heart, legs intertwined, arms caressing and embracing, hair entangling in a myriad of translucent chocolate-pink and midnight brunette, breaths ticking like running Swiss clock's, in perfect harmony.
Sakura was the only woman who decided to love him unconditionally, accepting a past he couldn't reveal and he won't deny his attraction towards her own past. She was willing to open up her heart even with the possibility of having a gun targeting her temple without her being aware of it.
He could very well be a drug dealer and she still chose to abandon the concept of freedom and security in lieu to her abandoned love for him. Her devotion was amazing, his heart swayed like the lazy steady pendulum swings in the blaze of infinity and it was all because she got under his skin, stretched her palm towards the hollow of his chest and seeded her heart beside his petrified one, until the seeds of the most ethereal feelings of amour, fulfillment and commitment bloomed into timid buds of the love for her.
He loved her.
Sasuke had no idea of when and how it happened, but the attraction for the fascination of her ineffable twinkling viridian aureate irises beaming with emotion when she looked at him, the concealed refinement of her gestures and shenanigans, the sylph suave contours and planes of her siren body, the gentle jovial bell like piano voice when she sung his name in rapture and passion, the way she has always stepped on the borderline of unconventional to be there when he needed her, the stubbornness to remain by his dark side, not reflecting upon the possible dangers lurking from behind the intricate net of lies and secrets, and definitely her way of sheltering into his arms and refusing to let go.
She never ceased to amuse him with her cute pouts and outbursts.
She even got along with his mismatched imbecile lunatic best friends and they seem to like her back. His mother's words about her were coated in motherly honey approval and he trusted the Uchiha matriarch's sharp female intuition and sparkling wisdom.
The way his heart yearned to be free from the sepulture of his petrified entombed chest, like a caged majestic Phoenix bird, spreading its wings towards eternity, begging to fly high, has been the unyielding proof of his adoration towards her.
He couldn't lose the only woman he ever loved in the most intimate ways possible. He shared secrets with her that were supposed to be buried in the baskets of his mind, he saw him in his weakest moments and never once blinked in fear or repulsion, she let him know about the bleeding scars of her injured soul and when he saw the look she gave him in the hospital, something inside him made three walls of concrete around his heart shatter like English porcelain at the intensity of her burning lining tears.
For once in his life Sasuke was allowing himself to be selfish and put his best interest first, deciding to conduct his own research and rack his brilliant brain to find a genius solution to the financial crisis that was slowly enveloping all the multi-national companies around the globe. He wasn't stupid.
He knew the waters he was swimming into like the back of his hand. It was their doing and for that, Sasuke knew he would once again strip of the facade he was wearing in lieu of the one that revealed his true identity, the one that was keeping Sakura -and anyone else for - in the shadows of his past and pluck the Devil from the roots.
Time to play has come to an end, for he had to eradicate those people once and for all. The entire world depended on it and for that single ultimate goal, he had to renew his alliance -that has never ceased away to begin with- with a not so pleasant figure.
Those things were sinking down his mind where a myriad of ideas were passing though his judgment, while he dialed the number he recited from the memory, on their personal private dial up connection. His interlocutor answered on the seventh call and am agonizingly long beep. "Let's meet."
The Uchiha injected, while his dropped low dangerous baritone rung through the phone. Be it anyone else on the other side, that person would have probably felt his blood freeze like caught in the arctic storm that Sasuke's tone produced.
"I am already on my way to Japan."
"Tell me when and where?"
"I am getting to Tokyo tomorrow at dawn. The usual place. I assume you still remember it."
A short silence. "Yes. I will be there."
"Make sure no one notices you, though I don't think that you from all the people should be remembered about such trivia."
"Don't insult me. Just don't make me wait."
"Always in such a hurry, aren't you, Sasuke?"
He hung up, not in the mood for cheap mockeries like they would meet at a glass of beer and a drunken chat. "Hn."
He hung up, letting his sharp mind develop a flawless plan, planning, plotting and connecting everything together, so as to make sure he won't be caught unprepared, while flying a helicopter was always making him calmer and helped him focus.
He wasn't as good as his grandpa, but he was not bad either and his reflexes were flawless, smooth and sharp.
The person he would meet soon was having the information he missed and together, they will take rid of everyone that had the guts to come their way and claim the supremacy over their world, in such a bold way, thinking that they went soft.
He almost smirked at that. What a bunch of idiots. He could bet that they had no idea of WHO has been trolling them and blocking them for so long.
Though he hated on the fact that he had to wait until dusk, but nonetheless, he could stay into the shadow, preparing for what would come, and watch the spectacle on the stocks market. It almost brought a sadistic satisfaction on his lips.
And he truly hoped that Neji Hyuga was smart enough to take his advice for granted and not be stupid, or else, he was going to sink like Titanic, along with the others and that would give him a good reason to freak out and become an alcoholic tramp.
Let the fun begin.
.
.
.
::Miyako Island, Japan, Uchiha villa, next day::
A soft moan escaped her lips, as her hands sprawled along the plump material –probably a pillow- that was caressing her fingertips and she yawned and stretched like a content lazy cat, purring at the warmth creeping from the morning sun rays, which were sneaking inside the room, past the windows.
"Mmmmnnn…" Emerald orbs welcomed the rush of light, opening up slowly, expecting to find the handsome sleeping face of Sasuke, resting beside her –she knew he was fancying oversleeping when he was not pulling overnights working his ass for his company- almost trembling in anticipation of kissing him good morning, only…she was met by the nightstand, with the clock revealing an unholy hour of the day, his pillow and his side of the bed empty. "Wha-"
She rubbed her jade orbs with the back of her palm, sitting and gripping the bed sheet against her bare chest, looking around and scraping her nape, confused. Damn, Sakura felt like she has been running to the marathon the night before. In a way, she did…
"Sasuke?" She called for him, surprised to see that he was nowhere to be seen. A quick glance to the clock assured her that, true to his promise, Sasuke hasn't wakened her up. It was already 13 p.m. What the heck?! She almost never slept that late, because her agent instincts were keeping her always alert.
No answer. "Sasuke, are you in the bathroom?" She let her tangled legs slip from under the sheets, lolling on the edge of the bed, as she took the bed sheet with her, wrapping her naked body with it, asking herself what the heck should she wear, until she spotted Sasuke`s –his grandfather`s- shirt neatly folded and placed on the armchair, like someone has purposely left it there.
"Hm? What a selfish bastard." She mumbled as she clasped her bra behind her back, smiling nonetheless. "He wants to see me wearing his clothes. That creep."
She guessed that he couldn't stay too long in the bed, and probably went down to work on his company`s files, knowing how many problems he had and what a workaholic freak he was.
Slipping her hands into the flip flops, she took a look at her phone, to check for any upcoming calls, emerald orbs narrowed while looking at the inbox.
"I have…56 missed calls from Rin?! And 100 from Naruto-kun? What the heck?!" She grew immediately alert. How in the world didn't she hear those calls? Oh yeah, she was that 'intelligent' so as to put her phone on silent, because she didn't want to be bothered while having fun with Sasuke.
Her heart started to pump faster and suddenly, she felt a wave of queasiness washing her off. Karin never ever call her so desperately for so many times, nor did Akatsuki.
Plus, Sasuke wasn't in the room… She quickly worked on the phone, scrolling for Karin`s contact, attempting to call. She felt like suffocating. Something wasn't right, she was feeling it, it was making a lump rest on her throat.
Knock knock
"Sasuke-kun?" She whipped her head towards the voice behind the door, while she headed to the other side of the room, to answer to Sasuke`s grandmother.
Karin could wait for a moment. She opened the door to come face to face to a sick worried relative to his and Mrs. Uchiha has successfully transmitted her panicked state to Sakura, even before opening up her mouth to talk. "Sakura dear! Is Sasuke-kun inside?"
"No, Naori-san. I have just woken up and he was already missing. I checked the bathroom and the balcony, but he is nowhere to be seen." Naori-san let her mocha eyes fly on the clothes that Sakura wore, understanding the silent message. "Is something wrong, Naori-san?"
"I am afraid it is, honey. Come with me, there is something I want you to know." Wordlessly, Sakura has followed the woman down, not even bothering to cover her bare legs and Sasuke's grandmother was being too distracted by something she didn't know yet, to even bother of such a thing.
Something was off, it was ticking her off, it was making every instinct of the CIA agent in her go high alert, it was knocking on her reeling mind and setting every alarm bell on, ringing and pounding into her ears. "What is it? Where is Sasuke, Naori-san?"
"This is exactly what we want to know as well, dear." She came into the living room, where Mr. Uchiha, Sasuke`s grandfather was staying glued to the huge flat TV screen, sunk into the armchair, with the remote control in his left hand, absorbing every word that a very distress Japanese woman, was rambling in a heavy Japanese accent, the latest news from New York.
"What is going on here-" She stopped dead in her tracks, somehow mirroring the image that Mr. Tekka had, as she felt her soul leaving her body.
"Oh, mio Dio!" She couldn't help but bring her hands on her mouth, not believing the crazy statistics and the words flashing on the screen on the news channel.
In fact, it was streaming live from all the important stock markets around the world, showing parallel smaller panels with different reporters, shouting and commenting, all having the same thing sealed on their lips.
'The entire Uchiha empire has collapsed overnight! The famous Mangekyou has gone BANKRUPT. The company has filled its bankruptcy at first hour in the morning.
All their stocks have been listed at ZERO value on the stocks markets.
The other companies are falling one by another, as the unexpected fall of the top company has officially thrown the entire business world into an economic crises.
Meanwhile, reporters are trying to get in touch with its representatives, but so far, there has been no communicate from the CEO, Uchiha Sasuke, who is nowhere to be found…'
What?! She couldn't believe what she was hearing; there was no way that could have happened, Mangekyou. Inc. was bankrupt?!
How was it possible, Sasuke assured her that he had a plan, he was still listed as the first on the stocks market yesterday, so how come was it possible for him to declare insolvency? Not insolvency per se, but bankruptcy, like he had no more money all of sudden.
Lorane.
No!
Did they manage to bring him down in a single night? It couldn't be …she refused to believe it, she refused to acknowledge the shake of her body and the burning tears in her eyes, she trusted Sasuke, he won't be fooled and played like that…
He was missing.
And then it hit her like a hurricane: did Sasuke abruptly flied to Tokyo when he got the news to fix the mess…or has he been kidnapped?
Oh GOD!
She flew back to her room, ignoring the calls of Naoki-san, while her husband was flipping thought the channels, popping in two pills for his weakened heart. His nephew has went bankrupt…his phone was beeping on the coffee table.
He mechanically brought it to his ear, while being welcomed with a harsh voice that he hasn't heard scream like that in ages.
Uchiha Fugaku was delirious on the other side of the line.
"Dad, where the fuck is my son?!"
Mr. Tekka wished he knew, but the only trace of his nephew leaving the house has been his missing car, which he has found on the airport. Sasuke`s helicopter was missing as well, so he left Miyako.
Destination unknown.
"That, my dear son…I am afraid I don't know." He was honest. Basically, currently no one knew where Sasuke was.
Of course he wasn't answering to any of his calls.
He left that house, he left his grandparents, his girlfriend, the young woman he brought with him was just as lost about his whereabouts, Naoki, his wife, has called his friends and family friends and they didn't have any idea either, his parents were on the verge of losing it, the media didn't get in touch with them, his subordinates were clueless and…his secretary, his most trusted men…
Was also gone.
To put it bluntly, Sasuke has disappeared without leaving a trace. Uchiha Tekka has been a pilot in the Regal Air Force, so he had connections everywhere. But his helicopter wasn't appearing on any flight trackers.
And that was impossible. Sasuke couldn't have flight without being tracked. He didn't have the secret technology to make himself invisible to radars. No way.
Yet…he took off from Miyako airport, without being detected.
Upstairs, Sakura stormed back into her room, already feeling her skin trembling as she fisted her right hand down her hair, gluing her phone to her ear. She couldn't believe what was happening, no way. "Rin?! Rin, what the fuck is-"
"Cherry!" An hysteric Uzumaki Karin has cut her short and judging from all the muffled sounds and buzzes around, she guessed she was somewhere in someone`s office. Probably Interpol`s. "I nearly died when you didn't answer to any of my calls! Have you heard the news?! What the fuck is going on there, where is Sasuke?"
"I don't know, Rin! He left somewhere during the night because no one saw him not me and not his grandparents! I have tried to track him using the software installed on his phone, the one from his laptop and helicopter, but nothing! Everything is jammed, hacked I don't know, I have no signal, it`s like there is nothing there! Rin, this is a disaster, the worst has happened, where is Papa? Have you got in touch with him?"
She was, for the first time in her CIA career, at loss of what to do. Sasuke was gone and so was Mangekyou, meaning that she failed her mission, totally!
"Cherry, Orochimaru is nowhere to be found, but I am afraid that this is not the only bad news. His entire office, including his main one from the HQ has been entirely destroyed! Every single document, file, computer and even his library and lab, have been burned to the ground!"
"What?! This is impossible, what about Papa?! And Anko? And what about Tsunade-shishou?!" What was going on there? How was it possible for everything to degenerate so badly?
That was all Lorane`s doing, those criminal who hid behind their so called Freemasonry organization were responsible for that, it was too obvious, they strike like snakes right after their leader`s blunt and glorious appearance, but how come they caught them out of guard so bad?
"Anko has been escorted to the hospital because she started to have bad cramps because of her pregnancy and she is dead worried, but she doesn't know a thing. She has called me earlier to ask about you and Orochimaru and Tsunade is missing as well. Jirayia said she hasn't returned home in five days. I called for Hidan and Sasori to come and join us. Cherry, this is a disaster, Suigetsu and I have been trying in vain to hack on the CCTVS from the hotel, as well as the ones from Shiseido Ginza and Shinjuku Granbell Hotel in Tokyo, but nothing! Everything is gone from the systems and some weird ass shit signal is blocking us constantly. In this moment, the Interpol`s lines are more efficient than ours! And this pisses me off-"
"Sakura?" A feminine voice has made the rosette snap her head backwards to come face to face to Sasuke`s grandmother, who was looking at her with a new hard stare that she didn't know the woman possessed, having her hands crossed above her chest, one leg resting in front of the other, pinning her with an intense stare worth of her nephew`s appreciation…
And the door to the room shut and locked!
Uh-oh…
She left her hand fall on her side, while Karin was rambling God only knew atrocities on the other side of the line, but that was the last of her problems in that moment.
"S-Since when…h-have you been staying there…Naoki-san?" It couldn't get any worse. Sasuke`s grandpa has basically overheard her entire conversation and it was not some casual chat among friends.
She has dropped off some very hard names and strong words…she basically gave off her-
"You are working for the CIA, right?" The woman bluntly asked her and Sakura`s jade orbs got wide as saucers. Her tone lost any trace of sweetness and got reminiscent to Tsunade`s, in a very foul mood.
She had no way out. The woman has figured her out. What was next? Pull out a gun and shoot her? Denying it would make her look bad.
So Sakura simply did what any elite agent like her would do, namely getting a hold of herself, conjured all her reason and logic back to her, straightening her pose, pressing on the 'end call' of her phone, maintaining the eye contact with Mrs. Uchiha all the time, and pinned her with an even more ferocious intent stare, forest green gleaming intently. "Yes."
And the woman managed to stun her so bad, that Sakura almost dropped her jaw to the ground and fought against fainting limp on the bed behind her, smirking and simply telling her, while advancing towards the unmoving once rose haired woman, stopping right in front of her. "Sound or the Akatsuki?"
"H-How did you-"
"I have worked for the CIA for thirteen years." It was in that moment when Sakura let her mouth spread wide and did nothing to conceal her shock.
For three good minutes, no one spoke a single word. One was smirking and one was busy catching flies.
That was impossible! That woman…Sasuke`s grandmother has been a WHAT?! An ex-CIA agent?! What in the name of Lord was going on in there?
Her mind was churning with puzzlement, and she felt like swimming in darkness. Suddenly, noting was tangible and nothing made sense anymore. The ground was shaking under her feet and she lost her touch.
"Naoki-san I-"
"You don't have to say a word, honey." Naoki`s hand stretched towards her, resting on her shoulder and gave it a little warm squeeze, like trying to silently offer support and encouragement "Are you here to protect him? Is this your secret mission?"
Sakura understood everything from that smart question: the woman has figured her out from the very beginning, connecting the dots from Sasuke`s story and phone call, when he talked about Sakura. The emerald eyed woman nodded once to her. "Yes. Does he know about you?"
"Does an agent ever reveal his identity under normal circumstances?" By that he meant no. He was oblivious. Her CIA senior has further explained to her.
"My husband is just as clueless. I could never get past the guilty feeling of having to lie to everyone about my secret job. In my friends` and family`s eyes, I have been working for the UN, in the Office of Legal Affairs. It was the perfect job to cover for my missions, because it required a lot of traveling abroad, so no one would question my departures."
Amidst all that mess she found herself into, Sakura felt like someone has lifted a weight off her heart and she was more than grateful to have found an unexpected friend. She understood her! That woman understood the pain she was going through daily, for having to hide it from Sasuke.
"I have been lying to your nephew that I wanted a job as his maid. But he didn't buy it. He found me out from the very beginning, but somehow…" She diverted her eyes to a beautiful painting with the sunset, behind Naori-san not able to face her as she spoke softly.
"…he fell in love with me, without minding me hiding my past from him and accepted me. He is beyond smart, Naori-san. Sasuke is a genius. He does things that puzzle me, he seems to be conscious of everything that happens around him and I am stunned that he didn't figure me out yet."
The much older beautiful woman smiled softly at her, as she nodded in agreement. "I know dear. And I know it is hard for you. You are so young, yet you have managed to be so strong."
"I failed, Naori-san. Everyone used to tell that I am the best CIA agent…Sound agent." She explained as the woman smirked and winked knowingly to her, letting Sakura know that she knew what she was talking about.
"But I couldn't protect Sasuke. I lost the track of him, my friends have no idea of his whereabouts, I have no signal from him…I lost the man I…love."
"It`s not your fault, dear. Trust me, if anyone would have kidnapped Sasuke, they wouldn't have left without a trace, plus the secret alarms I have installed into this house would have alerted us about intruders. They work over the night as well but…if Sasuke truly left this house…he somehow knew about them and deactivated everything. I have personally checked on them in the morning, as part of my routine and found the lock on place…but the system hacked with a virus I don't recognize and the CCTVs frozen at 2:45 a.m."
"Damn! That is the hour when Sasuke left but…how? How did he do that? How did he know about…" Suddenly, Sakura understood about the gravity of the situation and her mind started to work. The way her jade orbs narrowed, assured Mrs. Uchiha that she was starting to get the hang of whatever happened. "Naori-san…how much do you really know about your nephew?"
"Do you mean his high school years, his strange and surprising fighting abilities, the skill and talent on perfectly aiming or flying planes? His acknowledge of secret ancient languages, as Latin? The USA citizenship?"
Her tone dropped few octaves as the woman suddenly found it appropriate to whisper, probably mindful to her husband who was bound to come back to the realm of living and seek for them.
"His questionable paranormal abilities? Yes, I am aware of them, but judging from your reactions, dear, I am afraid I don't have additional information. No matter how much I have tried to dig into the problem, I wasn't able to find his old REAL records from that period."
Sakura brushed a nervous hand through her hair, feeling her mind spin like a watermill. She could then work with his grandmother and try to strip her of every precious information, plus, Naori Uchiha had the advantage of experience at her disposal. An ally…such a valuable unexpected ally has come her way. That was incredible.
"Naori-san, I am going to address you a question that you wouldn't like, which has been addressed to me by my best friend and agent, and I want to know your most honest opinion, because for the past two days, it has never left my brain and now it kills me on the inside, worse than ever."
"Of course, go ahead, honey."
"First of all, are you aware of the fact that Sasuke has killed people, multiple times before?"
The woman before her didn't even blink, nor did she panic. "Yes. I am aware of that."
"Do you know about…Lorane?"
Naori narrowed her eyes, holding Sakura`s gaze for two seconds before nodding twice. "The Freemasonry`s most exclusive leading branch. This PEIN character that hides behind his impressive wealth and a fake name and plans to gain control over the economy, causing havoc on the stocks market, is their secret leader. Their plot has started even before I have become an agent, but now they stand out more than ever." So she knew.
"Then I have to address you this one question, Naori-san."
"Go ahead, dear."
"Do you really think that Sasuke…" Oh Kami-sama, she didn't know how should she ask such a thing, her heart was being at a tug of war with her mind, it was crazy and stupid, but the facts were flashing before her eyes. "…is entangled with Lorane? Do you think that he is…part of the Freemasonry?"
Her heart went into a cardiac arrest when the woman simply dropped her smile and held her gaze, which turned intense, boring into her very soul, not saying a single word. Not confirming and…not infirming either.
No…
NO!
No! It wasn't possible!
She brought a hand on her forehead, letting her emerald orbs drop to the floor. No! Her mind was screaming at her to open up her eyes and WATCH! Look at what was happening, while her heart was begging and crying at her to trust him. She felt thorn and dematerialized.
Sasuke told her that he did bad things, but assured her that he won't hurt her…that was why he brought her there! With his grandparents to…protect her! Only her!
But his company went bankrupt and took all the other under him down, like domino pieces!
"Sakura-chan, I-"
"No…No! I refuse to believe this, Naori-san! Sasuke is NOT a bad guy, he isn't…he is…" WHO he was? Who was he, exactly?
"What do you know about Sasuke-kun, honey? How much of what he told you are real? Did he tell you about those dark years that no one knows what he did? He is my nephew and I love him beyond words, I will never do anything to hurt him…but I will forever be a CIA, Sakura-chan. An Akatsuki, to be more precise. So I will forever think like an agent. You wanted my personal opinion, honey. And you now know my answer. YES, I DO think that Sasuke-kun…is part of the Freemasonry. Whether you believe it or not…is it your own free will-"
"Wife! Wife! Sakura, are you ladies in there?!" Both the women snapped out of their traces, stepping outside of their bubble to whirl their heads towards the door, as Naori quickly opened the door to reveal a totally horrified looking husband of hers.
Uchiha Tekka has seen and lived the horrid and the nightmares of the WW II, yet…his figure was washed by panic and horror.
Never in her life has Naori seen her husband like that. He was sweating –he probably climbed the stairs like a bolt of lightning- and panting harshly. She came to encircle his waist, while her eyes filled with worry. "What is the matter, darling?"
Sakura was holding her breath for whatever more mind blowing news that man had to deliver.
And bad news he did.
"Sasuke…" The man barely found his voice, and it was so out of character, like there was someone else trapped into his body, talking in the place of the stoic ex-pilot in the army. "…my nephew`s…" He gripped his wife` shoulders, squeezing tight and shaking her, like he was on the verge of losing his damn mind.
"Darling, try to relax and tell us what-"
"…Sasuke`s home in Tokyo…" The terror was mixing with apprehension into his eyes as he darted his eyes between the two expecting women, shouting. "…his home is BURNING DOWN as we speak!"
"Oh, dear Kami-sama!" Naori`s hands flew on her mouth, her own heart thumping like a mad drum. And Sakura…the phone she was holding has slid from her hand, falling down…
While she let her own limp body drop on her knees, collapsing on the floor, a hand flying on the bed, like not even the ground was able to support her. She felt like someone has just kicked her in the chest, knocking the wind of her lungs.
That wasn't a just a disaster…
The only thing that has overcame the high pitched sound she heard in her roaring ears, was her own scream, which pierced through the walls of the room and tore her very self in half, beating any reaction of Naori, who was sobbing against her husband`s shirt, unable to contain herself.
It was the end.
The end of everything.
.
.
.
::Police Force Tokyo, Interpol office, Japan::
For the first time since he was working as an Interpol agent, Suigetsu`s office room from the Tokyo Police Force was packed of three sorts of people: people he has grown up with and knew for a lifetime, people he has just met and would have rather never met, but at the same time, lusting for them and people he hasn't seen in his fucking life.
His amethyst orbs were scouting every single one of them, peeping from between his spread wide legs, which were resting on his huge oak office desk, as his back was sunk into his leather chair, from the middle of the room, looking like a bored out of his mind king, trying to be intimidating to his subordinates, who were eying him intently.
He was anything but.
His mind was filled with emotions and feelings that Hozuki Suigetsu didn't ever dreamed of having, but they were there, knocking on his freaking worn out mind, meddling with the tones of caffeine he filled his system with.
A quick look on the mismatched people before him assured Suigetsu that they were all sharing bits of his emotions, each on the intensity and levels of their personalities.
Ten Ten, for instance, was trying to be the fanatic feminist she always was, fighting the alarm and revulsion rolling along her spine, and be rational.
Uzumaki Naruto was being his normal hyperactive overreacting self and Suigetsu was sure that the blond was coping quite well with all the delirious news floating from the TV which were all looking at, powerless in front of the hurricanes coming from the reporters` mouths, because he has only destroyed half of his office.
The moment the news flashed live from Sasuke`s mansion in Tokyo, showing the amount of police and fire trucks amassed in front of his house, which was burning completely like a huge torch, Naruto simply took a random laptop –which conveniently enough, just happened to be Karin`s, which swore she would kill him- and threw it on the window, but didn't put a single scratch on it, cos the bitch was bulletproof.
But the vase he threw, aiming at his head but missing him, and the punch into the smaller office desk before him, had the scouted effect.
Then he collapsed on the floor, muttering curses in a language that absolutely NO ONE understood, gripping his hair with both his hands, plucking his golden locks from his scalp, crying like a kid, who has been forgotten by Santa and no one dared to touch or address him.
That, until a very unexpected –shocking everyone- visitor has popped inside Suigetsu`s office –her personally threatened anyone who dared to interrupt that meeting with firing them- and wordlessly kneed beside Naruto, embracing him and letting him cry against her shoulder.
Hyuga HINATA knew about her friends` being CIA agents and when she heard the news, she was being among the FEW to keep her composure and provide support, driving straight to the Interpol, somehow guessing that it was Suigetsu the one she should look for and even offered them her own advice.
Soon after, Kushina called but she didn't come to the Tokyo Police Force, because she has taken one of the most difficult jobs and that was, flying right to Sasuke`s parents and take care of her fainting and hospitalized best friend, Uchiha MIKOTO.
When the sensitive Uchiha matriarch has heard about the company going bankrupt, Sasuke sending off Yamanaka Ino who tried to chase him to Tokyo, spent the night in a hotel with Sakura then flying with the same woman to his grandparents in Miyako, just to go MIA the next day, as his house burned down –no one knew what caused it- and the bomb with the Mangekyou going bankrupt, she had a myocardial infarction and has been immediately put on nitroglycerin.
Kushina has called them from hospital and told them that the doctors were running tests and they would soon announce her if Mrs. Uchiha Mikoto needed surgery or not. As for Fugaku, he left from the hospital right after he heard that his wife would make it somehow, he went straight to the airport, to his private jet. Kushina safely assumed that he was heading to Tokyo, because as soon as he heard about the Mangekyou, he looked like on the verge of having a heart attack himself.
Yamanaka Inoichi has vanished from the surface of that planet. Absolutely NO ONE has managed to find him, he disappeared without a trace, along with his slutty daughter, just like Uchiha Sasuke and not shockingly, Juugo.
There were also those Sound characters with very distinctive looks and overall appearances, namely Sasori and Hidan, from the Sound.
They were the first to fly to Japan, wasting no time into coming and help, understanding that there was nothing more they could do from Italy. All the mess was spreading from Japan to the entire world. Like a diseases that no one could stop. But it was an economic disease.
There was also Uzumaki Karin, the most puzzling character and woman that Suigetsu has ever met, because she hasn't even battled an eyelash when the horrifying news have started to leak, no, she was the first to slam her fist down the desk and shout at them to 'wake the fuck up, you fucked up ridiculous unresponsive clowns and fucking do something, instead of impersonating pieces of furniture', snatching his laptop and, trying in vain to hack into the systems and track Lorane, but she lost their trace somewhere in Egypt.
But the WORST of all of them…was Neji Hyuga. Never in his life has Suigetsu see such a ghost of the hard collected men that the pale eyed Hyuga once was, sinking on the leather sofa, looking no better than Uzumaki Naruto, as his fiancé was stroking his back, getting tired of shouting at him to get a hold of himself.
He was a mess. The Byakugan was already on the verge of sinking and when the Mangekyou collapsed, he lost his only pillar and support, so he was free falling and declared insolvency. The Hyuga family was already travelling to their home in Monte Carlo, as Neji was using Suigetsu`s office to hid from the banks and reporters, since they were forbidden to enter the Police`s building without permission.
The shark looking man sighed heavily to cut on that dreading silence, raking a hand through his hair, while his canine was pressing into his lower lip. "If any of you has a damn genius idea, say it now, of forever shut the fuck up, be pathetic and cry more, because as you probably know, it ain`t gonna do shit."
"Uchiha Sasuke is working for the Lorane." Seven pairs of eyes flew to the red haired Uzumaki Karin, who was leaning her back on Suigetsu`s office, facing everyone with a hard expression on her face, as if daring them to infirm what she has said.
She was fuming because Sakura, the equally dazzled Sound assassin has hung on her and never called back, for whatever the hell of a reason she might have.
Anyone feared that something bad really happened in Miyako.
"What?! Are you fucking serious?!" Hidan spoke from the other side of the room, sinking into a chair he was occupying, playing with that weird ass huge scythe he always carried, snorting at her. For him, everything felt like a wicked challenging fucked up game, because, seriously, Hidan was crack nuts.
Insanely skilled and a hacker that rivaled Nara Shikamaru, but totally insane. Karin threw him a glare that was melting rocks, but he only gave her the finger.
"What proofs do you have to accuse Sasuke of such a thing?" Suigetsu took the role of playing the intermediate between the CIA`s offices.
Yes, he knew about their rivalry though everyone seemed to have come to a mutual agreement and put their hate beside, to fight together for a better cause.
"Think about it. What do we know about Sasuke so far, according to what Cherry has told us about him?"
That was no time to hide anything and since it has become such a pressing problem, Karin has given him ALL the information that she had about Uchiha Sasuke and the Lorane.
"Dude has Marvel superpowers." Hidan grinned at them, dusting off his scythe, not bothering to look into their eyes. "He controls electromagnetic fields."
"How in the world is that relevant?" Ten Ten shot back, finding that piece of information totally unlikely to be true.
"He can turn your brain to jelly, give you headaches and turn you into a zombie, like that crying fucker over there." He pointed to Naruto, was having his eyes concealed by his hand, not responding.
"Fuck off, you are fucked up. And this is bullshit. I won't believe it."
"What else?" Suigetsu shut Karin up, who was having a nasty retort prepared for Ten Ten and Hidan, whipping her head over her shoulder, to glare at him. Normally, that would have turned him on badly, but he had to keep his dick into his pants and put his mind to work.
"If Sakura`s suspicions are true, he killed the ones to rob him of this weird files containing the drawings he did on his walls...with Egyptian stuff or hieroglyphs or whatever, and took down a gang of bikers, which nearly killed me and her, not breaking a sweat, when they went to the mountains."
"What were they doing there?" Hidan smirked at Ten Ten, who in turned cursed him viciously for interrupting her, with perverted accusations. Like that mattered anymore!
"They did your mom, you dickhead! So stop damn interrupting me! I have known Sasuke for ten years, but I had no idea that his fighting skills are better than ours, or that the fact that he is able to fire guns like he takes a walk in the park!"
"Me," Suigetsu started, understanding where Ten Ten was heading with those statements. "The number one hyperactive crybaby over there," He pointed the pan he was playing with to Naruto, who was busy wetting Hinata`s blouse, clinging to her like she was being his life saver. "And Sasuke, used to go to practice shooting. With all the admiration that I have for myself, as a police officer and for you, as trained professional CIA agents, I have no problem in admitting it out loud that…he totally eclipses every single one of us." Suigetsu simply stated and the room froze for a second, all letting the information sinking in.
"Are you sure about this?" Sasori inquired, finding it absurd. He knew how skilled the Akatsuki were and his auburn orbs fell on the spiky haired Uzumaki who was trying to get on his nerves. "Uzumaki? You are the best gunner among us and probably top among the five gunners in the entire CIA, so tell us honestly. Is Uchiha better than you, yes or not?"
No one in the room was convinced that by the way Naruto was trembling and weeping, the Uzumaki would even heard his colleague`s question but he made their eyes go wider when he breathed to them.
"Damn right he is. Out of all the targets…he never missed a single one. Not even I, am able to aim that perfectly every time."
"Me neither." Ten Ten injected bluntly, and she was praised for being one of the masters in weapons and shooter in the CIA. She was even better than Sasori and equal to Naruto himself.
"Cherry told me that, taking the yesterday`s events into account, Sasuke has managed to perfectly kill in complete darkness in a club and be faster than Lorane`s men, also, he knew where to aim to avoid the bulletproof vests, so he is familiar with secret equipment." Karin completed, while the other people in the room nodded to her in understanding.
Slowly, their suspicions were starting to amass and meet halfway as the fact they were discussing started to make sense.
"We don't have any information about his past. To be more precise, what in the world happened in the States, during high school? What did Sasuke do all those years and how come he came back being this insanely skilled business man and took Itachi`s place?"
It was Karin the one to turn to Suigetsu and Naruto, waiting for an answer. It was a question that has tortured their minds for years.
"I have no idea. There is nothing on his record. Everything is clean." Suigetsu told her, while throwing his pen at Naruto, hitting his head, barely avoiding a startled Hinata. He was getting sick of having two mopey bitches –Hyuga and he- in his office, grieving like widows, when it was crucial to stay level headed.
"Wake up you fucker and cooperate. You can mourn afterwards."
The Uzumaki shot his head up, rubbing his throbbing area and glared diggers to him, tightening his embrace around Hinata`s waist, howling at him.
"I HAVE NO FUCKING IDEA, YOU ASSHOLE! Teme never talks about that and you know it as well Suigetsu, because you have fucking been THERE! You know he did drugs and Sakura-chan confirmed he used LSD and even cocaine, and they trigger this weird shit ass dreams, vision or whatever the HECK they are, but this is all we know!"
"So his past consisting in the fact that he was a druggie?" Hidan stopped grinning and smirking, because he was secretly a specialist in drugs. "You do realize that normal people don't just go around, get their asses high and them come back to run successfully top international companies, right?"
"No shit Sherlock! We are talking about normal people there. What about Sasuke is normal?"
"The fact that he is a total manwhore." Hidan simply shrugged, while looking at Karin, who was shaking her head in disbelief. Was that funny to him?
"I will come and punch you in the face, I swear to God."
"I would rather fuck you too, but I don't want to give this fuckers a free show." At that Suigetsu, felt his blood pump into his veins, not believing that Karin and Hidan were fuck buddies and he found out that it bothered him, but he only growled low on his chest, not wanting to argue with those people, since they were there to collaborate.
Karin gave him the finger and cursed him in Italian. "Are you sure he didn't find Sakura out?" Surprisingly, Neji found his voice again, taking one painkiller for his throbbing head, not bothering to drink water. He hasn't eaten for two days and he was constantly feeling like throwing up.
"No. She told me he didn't, though he knows she is not a maid, but somehow, he chose to trust her and even told her he doesn't care about who she is."
"Let me get this straight, Karin. Are Sakura and Sasuke together, as in…a couple?"
"Yeah, they are. They spent the night together at the hotel, and left together to Miyako. I assume you don't think they played chess in there or solved crosswords, don't you, Ten Ten?"
"Teme loves Sakura-chan. He trusts her because he loves her."
"Get real Uzumaki, there is much more into that. How many of you would accept a woman or a man as lovers, if you don't know anything about them and they would admit they can't disclose who they are to you, but they turn to be filthy rich? Sakura could have worked for the mafia and Sasuke wouldn't know. Question is: why doesn't he care? Why isn't he worried?"
"Because when you love someone, you simply know these things?" Was Naruto delusional or the rage has washed away his brain? Ten Ten was blinking at him having a dumbfounded expression on her face, shaking her head like she wasn't comprehending what he was saying.
"Wha…are you fucking serious? This isn't a game of love nor a soap opera, for fuck`s sake!"
"What or who in the world has set his house on fire?"
Suigetsu was the one to answer, as they were looking at the news. "I have no idea. I keep on getting income calls from my colleagues and subordinates, but they found no trace of anyone who might barged inside, the lock isn't forced, the fire alarms didn't ring-"
"Meaning that someone has known the combination…"
"Yes, and there is no trace of oil or gasoline."
"How the fuck can you burn a house without anything to help you setting it on fire?"
"With a candle?"
"Shut up Hidan!"
"What about the Mangekyou? What do all the shareholders say? Neji, come on, you have been the last one who talked to him and has spent the week with him."
Ten Ten was so sorry for Neji and the state he was in, not even sleeping but spending the last two days on his side supporting him and his family. She knew he was barely focusing on their conversation.
Family was Neji`s top priority, he loved and respected them and was ready to die for them. They were utterly bankrupt. But he stunned them with his next line.
"Sasuke has warned me to move the Byakugan`s HQ to Saudi Arabia."
For one good minute, there was silent in the office. "What the flying fuck?! Saudi Arabia? Was he high?"
"Suigetsu, if you were a successful top insanely rich businessmen –which he, ironically enough, was- in the verge of bankruptcy, why would you set your HQ there?" Ten Ten turned to Suigetsu, as every eye went on the said police officer.
"Cheaper labor?"
"Corporation tax is zero there." Karin shot back, being totally updated with the subject economy. Not many people knew that she was good at it. Suigetsu raised an eyebrow at her. She also knew about business? Damn…
"And? What are you going to do next?"
"What do you think Ten Ten? It is not like I am going to pack my stuff and move there. This is insane."
"Wait a second…if he predicted such a thing, because that idea might seem suicidal, but shockingly brilliant," Karin locked gazes with the lavender eyed tired stressed Hyuga, as the others were following her. "Why didn't the do the same for his own company?"
"The bankruptcy was too sudden?"
"Pein managed to bring it down overnight?"
"You are making no sense, dear cousin."
"The worst has happened. Mangekyou is history now, in case you haven't observed."
"What if it is just a wicked twisted scheme to take over everyone, without making it look like Sasuke is involved? This way, he would look like a victim and come clean into the public`s eye, while in reality, he is staying with his butt on a chair, laughing at us from wherever he is, while this insanely sums of money which I can't even count, keep on flooding his bank accounts? Hm?"
Truth was, Karin was adamant and stubborn into accusing Sasuke, though the problem was not that there were still faithful people who were trusting him, but the fact that their counterarguments were weaker than hers.
And that was a real problem.
"You are wrong." Naruto sternly told her, looking like he was starting to get a hold of himself.
FINALLY!
"I know the Teme. He isn't working for Lorane. I don't care what you guys think about him, I know how this mess looks like and I know that if you think that he is working for the bad guys makes sense and would explain most of the weird shit that is happening but…remember this."
He let his azurite orbs travel to all the other occupants of the room, being bloody serious. "Always remember to read underneath the underneath. Because one`s reality…can be someone else`s illusion. Teme`s brother and Kakashi-sensei have taught us that, and damn right they proved to always be right. We miss something, we cannot see the obvious and consequently…we are wrong about everything."
"The situation is different." Neji interfered, seeing that Naruto was being delusional and helplessly optimistically, again.
"His company was doing good, unlike mine. They were nowhere near insolvency. Sasuke told me that he was secretly syphoning money from his OWN bank account, to keep the value of his shares as high as possible."
That information took everyone by surprise. Suigetsu narrowed his eyes at him, finding that extremely suspicious. He had a track of Sasuke`s bank accounts –most of them- and he had an idea of how much he had.
"Wait a second, we are talking about huge amounts of money there. Money that he, theoretically doesn't have. According to the data and the stats of his bank accounts, Sasuke`s wealth is estimated to $78.6 B dollars, in money and real estate and most of them are stocked into Swiss bank accounts."
There was a choir of whistles coming from Hidan and Ten Ten at the hear of how rich Sasuke truly was. "So that would put him like where? Top three Forbes billionaires, right?"
"Second, to be more precise. He lost the first position by $1, 5 billion dollars, but remember, we don't know the REAL amount of money he has."
"This is still not enough to cover for the Mangekyou's loss for so long and still top the first five among the Forbes billionaires." Karin concluded and everyone knew she was right.
"What do you really mean, Karin?"
"Someone is helping him." The red headed Uzumaki brushed a fallen lock from her temple, flipping it behind her shoulder, eying Ten Ten in the eyes. She was being dead serious. "Whatever is that he does, he is not doing it alone."
"I agree." Suigetsu nodded to her, accepting her explanation. It was very plausible.
"Good." Neji was also having same suspicions. "Who?"
She almost had half of the room bang their heads on the wall or the desks. "Lorane."
"Again with that shit…"
"Then tell me WHO is currently having so much money to help him with?"
"The ones who have always strived to bring him down?"
"How do you know that it was their REAL purpose? It is all just a well-planned smart act."
"Pfff, yeah, and he was generous enough to warn Neji beforehand. This is bullshit and you guys know it. If Sasuke is truly entangled with Lorane, then he wouldn't have warned Neji to move his HQ to a place it would be beneficent to him and save him. He would have tried to bring him down and follow their plan to dominate the world`s ecoomy!" While recovering from his shock, Naruto has been listening to the conversation floating around him and he felt the urge to bang his head on the walls.
The absurdity of the situation was making him go crazy, his best friend was somewhere that no one knew where, probably having a lot of trouble, or even worse, and they there were spitting such idiotic accusations about him.
"Teme doesn't work for the Freemasonry! Get that shit out of your damn heads and let`s do something more useful as trying to locate him."
"Huh…look who has decided to play the mighty boss and grow attitude, while he was being bawling his eyes for hours just minutes ago?" That was another strong reason for why Karin was loathing her relatives…and the Akatsuki in general.
They were so idealistic and idyllic that it made her puke into her mouth. As if scenarios like that weren't happening every day around the world.
Of course, it seemed more unlikely when it was happening in their own yard, but clearly not improbable.
So what was there to understand? Surprisingly, Suigetsu and Ten Ten were very level headed and more reasonable and she gave them credit for that.
"Then how do you explain the assassinations attempts?" Neji suggested, while getting up, detaching from his fiancé's hold, to pour himself some coffee and take some steps. His back muscles were killing him slowly.
"Murder attempts? Did they ever succeed? No, of course not, because he was never a real target. Lorane never attempted to truly kill Sasuke."
"Athena was with him all the times. Of course they didn't succeed."
"Really now? Then what about this: Sasuke was plotting with Lorane to make it look like they were targeting him, while in reality they were targeting my best friend, because they knew about who she was. Remember, Sasuke never believed she came to work as a maid and told her he doesn't care who she was. Moreover, no matter how good Cherry is as an assassin, she is hopeless as a woman, because she never had experience with men, so naturally his skills to play women and wrap them around his finger would trick her. He is even faking to be in love with her, if you are to ask me." Karin went on, and she could see it in the others` eyes that some were silently agreeing with her and the others kept on being skeptical.
In her mind, she had no doubt that Sasuke has tricked everyone, her sister included. So she didn't understand why they were wasting time instead of looking for him and consequently, get to Lorane.
"He brought her to his grandparents and didn't attempt to murder her. He could have done it while she was asleep, since she hasn't heard him leaving, but he didn't." Naruto smartly even her resolve, but Karin was being adamant in keeping her train of arguments rolling.
"Because his grandparents were also there. I don't think he wants to kill his entire family. He didn't even take down his father, who we all know he hates with burning passion. We know that the Masons are devoted to their families. They won't kill their family members unnecessarily."
"Of course not, because he needed a puppet to be tattered by the media and shareholders, when he brought Mangekyou down and vanished in thin air. The Mangekyou is Fugaku`s eye candy. His lifetime work. For him to have it going bankrupt is worse than being dead. His mother is on the hospital. What more do you want? And where the fuck are the Yamanakas? Cherry and I reached the conclusion that there is a connection between them and Lorane. See? They have all been working together the entire time. Ino and Sasuke are real. He only played his part as a repenting man who has made a mistake and came to atone to Cherry and she believed him, when in reality, they were plotting behind her back. Behind OUR backs and we have always ignored this possibility, because no one would suspect the men that looked like the number one target and victim."
"Sasuke-teme has saved our butts in the mountain trip."
"Yeah, and he also refused to enroll to the CIA`s trainee program and become part of the CIA, like the rest of us. I think the reason why he didn't is pretty clear: it was because he was already working for Lorane, hence the phantom records that no one can access. They have erased every trace and every link between them. Sasuke has been working for the Lorane all the times."
"Exactly! If Teme was indeed working for those bastards, then him pretending to join the CIA would have been a perfect plan to plant a spy among the organization, which he didn't."
"That was because probably Lorane already had assassins planted inside, so there was no need for unnecessary additional accomplices to compromise their identities."
"No…? It was because Sasuke-Teme doesn't work for the Lorane, damn it!"
"My point still stands. Of course we can't fully understand everything he did, because we don't know about the details of their fucked up plan, but you have the solid evidence right before your eyes."
Karin crossed her arms over her chest, red wine clashing with sparkling azurite, locking gazes for a whole good minute, neither backing away. In fact, they were two opposing voices, each taking the lead of either supporting or accusing the Uchiha heir, like they were lawyers in the Court of Justice.
"Time to wrap it up. Who thinks that Sasuke works for the Lorane or at least, is affiliated to the Freemasonry and everything he did was just an act, raise your hands now." The red haired beautiful Uzumaki female in the room inquired, while the others were looking like debating whose part to take.
Ten Ten was the first to rise up her hand, stunning everyone.
"I do." Neji and Naruto whipped their eyes to her, silently asking her if she lost her damn mind, but she simply shrugged her shoulders at them, not caring. Being friends and engaged to them, didn't mean she had to be on the same page as them all the times.
Sasori followed her, sipping from his can of energizing drink. "So am I. No matter how much you want to deny it, there are strong facts pointing in his direction."
And everyone who worked in the CIA knew that no matter the situation and no matter how bad it was, Sasori was always keeping his cool and was rational, cold and a hardcore realist. Pretty much like Shikamaru Nara, but he was blunter.
"Good. Who is against this predicament and thinks he is innocent?"
Naruto was quick in raising his hand, hissing through his clenched teeth. "I trust Sasuke-Teme with my life. He is my best friend and I consider him my brother. He ain`t a traitor."
Startlingly, Hidan had a notable intervention, puzzling everyone by joining Naruto`s side, by grinning at them and cackling.
"I agree with this dude here. Uchiha`s only sin is that he is a freaking atheist, but he is not working for the Lorane. And I will be staying in the sidelines to watch you fuckers pay him your lame excuses and kiss his ass when you meet him again and prove it to you that he isn't a spy or a conspirator."
"What about the others? And…Hidan, that was so lame dude." Ten Ten shook her head at the silver haired Hollywood looking actor, who in turn only smirked at her, shockingly giving Naruto a hy five. The chestnut haired woman meant the others who didn't take Sasuke`s part, nor did they accuse him.
"I abstain from voting." Neji simply said, seeping from the coffee which had the taste of sand mixed with coals, burning his throat. Damn he should eat soon or his stomach would eat itself from inside out, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Suigetsu?"
"I prefer to remain impartial."
"Well how about you try to be useful and not a freaking coward?" Karin shot to the shark looking man, totally annoyed.
Was he afraid to take his friend`s side, just because they were best buddies? She would personally castrate him –even if it would be such a pity- if odds were so. He only glared back at her, saying nothing.
He had nothing to say. In Suigetsu`s opinion, neither of them were right. He had the feeling that there was something MORE which they were overlooking.
But seeing that the others were somehow awaiting for his opinion like he was some kind of God, he let them know what he really thought. "My instincts tell me you are all wrong." Six pairs of eyes widened at him in surprise.
"What the heck are you talking about?"
"Your assumptions are wrong from the start, because you are being biased. If you want my honest opinion, Sasuke is neither bad, nor good. And this is me being objective, ignoring the fact that he is my friend."
A short silence cast upon the occupants of his office and Karin hasn't ventured to bring a counter argument.
She wasn't stupid or stubborn. She was just analytical and tad negativist. They let the information sink in because they had the unbiased opinion of the Interpol, which was not molded over the model of a regular CIA agent, who was viewing everything from another light and perspective.
"And where does this take us? This solves nothing. This isn't that kind of situation where one stays in the grey zone, especially not him."
Shockingly, Hinata opened up her mouth for the first time since she has entered Suigetsu`s office and, even if she wasn't part of the CIA or Interpol, hence not accredited to meddle with their work, she couldn't help herself, but her statement came as a blow.
"H-He means t-that maybe S-Sasuke tries t-to solve e-everything on h-his own, s-so this way, he isn't a b-bad guy, because h-he doesn't w-work for the s-secret criminal organization, b-but he isn't good either, s-since he does i-illegal things, l-like killing people."
Silence.
That until Suigetsu started to clap his hands slowly. "How come no one has seen that this beautiful lady here is a natural talent? Such a waste for the CIA, YES people, THIS is what I am trying to say."
"Are you guys serious?!" Ten Ten shot up an eyebrow, beating Karin and Sasori into voicing out what has crossed their minds. "You truly believe that Sasuke has a split personality and thinks he is Batman of the Gotham or Superman? Are you high or read too much comics and manga?"
"This is ridiculous and highly improbable. Even if he wants to do this and find out about who is after his head, he can't do this alone." Sasori smartly interjected and all the eyes went on his auburn inquisitive ones.
"We have already established that he isn't working alone."
"He doesn't have the proper technology to track Lorane. Even us, the CIA and the Interpol can't fully locate them and predict their next moves, so how could he do this?"
"Because that mysterious someone who is also helping him with his company`s stocks and secretly invested into the Mangekyou, is also helping him with Lorane."
"So there are two people now? People, we are straying from our conversation. This is leading from improbable to absurd. Be reasonable. If something was the matter, Cherry would have noticed it. She has connected her equipment to Sasuke's laptop, phones, cars, computers, tablets, security system, you name it."
"She also lost the track of him." Neji reminded her, feeling his temples explode. That entire situation was fucked up but what was ramming into his skull, was the fact that everything was flawlessly connected, even if it was intricate and highly absurd.
That was the reason why he took no one`s part. It was too early to throw such accusations. They lacked too much information.
"Because the entire CIA system is jammed. Remember, we cannot get in touch with the HQ ever since the Otokage`s office and the Hokage`s one have been destroyed."
"Wait a second…the two offices have been set on fire right? Just like the Teme`s home."
"Fuck me sideways," Hidan almost shot from his seat while hearing the surprisingly wise Uzumaki`s opinion. "How come we didn't notice this so far?"
"Maybe because we were busy being shocked about a possible kidnap of our Leader?"
"Yeah. Because a man like Orochimaru would be kidnapped from the Sound`s HQ, disappearing without a trace, without putting up at least a decent fight. Are you serious?"
Karin smartly shot to Neji, who shook his head, not finding the information and the comparison relevant.
Orochimaru hasn't been kidnapped, nor killed, period. He absolutely refused to believe it, he was among the best CIA agents all time, easily rivaling –and probably surpassing- Tobirama himself. That was ridiculous.
"Then where is he? And why hasn't he contacted us or his precious daughter until now?"
"Because he is busy tracking Lorane? Do you think that after what happens, Orochimaru would simply stay with his arms crossed on his sofa and watch the news or hide under the bed? Get real people, beside, he also keeps an eye on the Summit. What if he flied there to back you guys up?" Karin suggested, while Neji, Ten Ten, Naruto and Suigetsu let the information sink in.
"There are too many obscure things we don't know, so everything we have is just wild guesses and improbable assumptions. We need a link. Something to connect the dots we have."
"Orochimaru wouldn't have left to France without telling Tsunade-sama or his wife about that."
"How do you know he didn't do that, but he didn't tell us because he can't and because he suspects our line to have been hacked and listened to by Lorane? He wants to keep the element of surprise in his favor."
Sasori brought that fact before his small audience, while Naruto, Karin and Suigetsu nodded at him, agreeing.
"That is a high possibility. We have to get in touch with Teme`s brother and find out what the heck is going on to the Summit."
"I have been trying for the past half an hour, without success." Ten Ten shook her head, tapping on her tablet and phone, intently, while Suigetsu did the same, trying to connect to his Interpol and FBI colleagues present, but neither was answering to his call.
He recognized the pattern of the signal that was jamming their devices, hacking the satellite and making them 'blind': It was Lorane.
"Last time we talked to the Hokage, everything was going on smoothly and there has been no incident, but he is skeptical that things would remain the same till the end. Not with all that has been going on around."
"And that was like…when? Yesterday? We need to get in touch to him now, damn it!" Naruto hollered to the people around him, fighting the urge to take the first jet to France and check it on by himself.
He was dead worried for Itachi and his Leader, he was sick worried about his friend and his guts was telling him that they were overlooking something crucial, knocking on the doors of his brains, but he couldn't put his finger on it.
It was there, screaming it on his damn face, slapping him against his cheek, yet he couldn't clearly see it. Like a blurred shadow appearing into his dream, in the form of a face he couldn't remember, because he couldn't see it clearly, but it was still there.
"We need Athena here." Sasori cut the Uzumaki`s outburst short, attracting everyone`s attention.
"She is the one who knows Sasuke the best. Plus, she is the one who last saw Sasuke, has been there to witness his suspicious moves and she is the one who has figured it out that Lorane`s signal was coming from Egypt. We need to hear her opinion."
"Karin, call Sakura here. I can send a jet or a helicopter to bring her here or check if we have one available in Miyako." Suigetsu turned his amethyst orbs to the woman whose slim back was taunting him from the other side of his office desk. Sasori was right. They needed to hear what Sakura had to say.
"Impossible. Cherry has cut me short abruptly and hung up on me. She hasn't answered her damn phone after that. Something happened."
"What exactly?"
"I am not a fortune teller, so I have no fucking idea. Something serious probably, because she would have never stopped answering me. But I can see that she is still in Miyako, by the weak signal I have from her phone. This is the Sound`s secret line which Lorane can only weaken, but not neutralize and jam entirely."
"Wait a second…you guys DO have signal? Then why can't you contact the Otokage, exactly?"
"Because he is missing for whatever the fuck reason he has?" What was there that the Akatsuki weren't getting? Karin was at loss of what to say.
She was being just as confused, she was dead worried for Orochimaru and Sakura, and the only assumption that she had, was that Sasuke has betrayed everyone and managed to get close enough to them to incapacitate them. "Tsunade-sama is probably looking for him."
"Tsunade-baa-chan is probably in hospital with Anko-sensei."
"You don't know that."
"Guys we need to calm the fuck down and think this ove-"
"I have signal!" Naruto shot up from the floor he was occupying, startling Hinata by pulling her up with him, tapping on his phone intently.
"Redirect it to me." Suigetsu immediately instructed, while his fingers were flying on his computer, while the huge screen resting on the biggest wall, showing off the world`s map has turned into a mass of waves, flashing.
He was adjusting the signal that Naruto had, so that everyone could hear and ultimately see the exact location of Itachi.
"Leader, if you can hear me, answer this, this is urgent." Naruto tried, but he got no answer.
"Are you sure there is signal?"
"Itachi, give us a signal if you get this message." Neji tried and that time, the speaker filled with the Uchiha`s smooth voice.
Every eye went on the screen, like they were able to virtually see his face, while the blurred screen was slowly getting clearer and an amalgamation of differently colored flashing dots appeared on the map of the city where the Summit was taking place.
"Finally, I have been trying to contact you guys, but I had no signal. They jammed us again, didn't they? Everything is fine here, there has been no incident, nothing at all, no suspects and no killing attempts, but we have no idea of whatever happens outside. For some reason I don't know, they are keeping us trapped in a hermetic bubble. My suspicion is that something bad has happened there" The older from the Uchiha brothers smartly deduced. "What is it?"
How could they start to explain it to him? It was the thing that crossed everyone`s mind. Suigetsu was the first to talk. "First, tell us if your Hokage is there with you, as well as the Otokage."
"Hokage-sama is inside the commanding room, keeping an eye on the entire region, but why would Orochimaru-sama be here as well? Last time we spoke, which was yesterday, he was in his office, in Ravenna."
"Because he is currently missing, the CIA`s HQ in Ravenna has been destroyed, your younger brother`s house has been burned down to its foundation, he disappeared without a trace and his company has went bankrupt. And your mom is in the hospital with a heart attack."
Everyone turned to dead pan at Ten Ten who bluntly told him everything he needed to know, shrugging once. What was there to hide? He was the team leader of the Akatsuki. It was not like one would tell Uchiha Itachi fairytales. That was the truth, the man just needed to know what happened.
She has seen her fiancé simply and promptly slapping his forehead.
"What?!" He basically whispered to them, and they all know the reason why: Sasuke. When it came to his younger brother, Itachi was going crazy. "What did you just sa-"
BAM!
BAM!
BLAST!
Their hearts stopped beating and the blood has frozen down everyone`s veins. Two loud piercing gun shoots echoing from the other side of the line, followed by a blasting explosion that almost got them all deaf.
The line went dead silent and the signal has been lost.
For five good minutes…no one talked, but kept their eyes on the dark screen before them.
No reply.
No signal.
And no other words from Itachi.
Nothing, but dead silence on the other side of the blank line and the same silence fell over Suigetsu`s office.
No one uttered a single word.
.
.
.
::Japan, Tokyo, unknown location::
Swift steps were molding towards the dim lighted empty corridors, as his shadow was lurking and blending into the darkness around, but his aura was impregnated into the fading limbs of the unseen.
Fragments of the first and the last time he has been there were reverberating into his mind, bouncing from the words and fugitive images from the past, coming back to tail his silhouette, as he was advancing to the last door at the end of the long corridor.
Every single engine and wheel were working inside his mind, allowing him to devise and repeat the plan down his mind, as he was slowly and surely crushing, killing and pulverizing any weakness of remain of hesitation –or fright- from his heart, focusing and trying to predict the course of his next move. Because keeping his head and ration intact, were the key points of everything he was about to do.
To him, it meant the world. It was then or never. His left hand that was half concealed by a pair of black leather fingerless gloves, with silver irradiations pressed on the knob twisting it once, opening up the door in front of him, casually stepping inside the familiar office room and immediately, the person he was about to meet has welcomed him from the other side of the desk, resting his elbows on the armrests and his first reaction was to smirk.
"Took you long enough. What do they say in this kind of situation? Something along the lines of long time no see?"
Pitch black obsidian orbs blitzed whimsical amethyst as Sasuke let his impressive silhouette stroll inside the office, letting the door slam shut behind him, advancing towards the middle of the room, a deep frown decorating his face. Was he looking like someone that one should mock or taunt?
His acerb low baritone rung through the room, like a roaring jet engine, losing the velvet nonchalant and unperturbed touch he had for his normal interlocutors.
"If you want to be a clown, Orochimaru, I suggest you take a number and wait in line." Sasuke spat to the Sound leader, throwing himself into the only available chair, crossing his legs over his desk, head askew and a ghost of a dark smirk playing on his own lips.
"Always in such a foul mood, aren't you, Sasuke-kun? Even after all this years, you haven't changed at all." Orochimaru was intently studying the young Uchiha before him, not actually believing that it has been five years since he last saw him, but he wasn't in the bit shocked to notice the tremendous difference between who he was when they have been introduced for the first time, and that moment.
Sasuke has truly changed. He looked faster, stronger, sharper, darker, colder, more striking than ever, more confident, less arrogant, but more adventurous, zealous in letting blood slip past his fingers and maneuver weapons, but more calculate, inquisitive, analytical and smarter.
It was not only the visible physical change, the definite sharp hard bulking muscles, which were sinuous and protruding from the fitting slim clothes he were, but his general aura. Even the way he was breathing, smirking and pinning him with that signature stare that could make shells squirm back to the bottom of the ocean in fear, depicted another version of him, who was on the peak of his glory.
But the way he talked and the words that stung like a bee`s needle, defying and rude, has remained unchanged by the grace of years. "Which is for the better, I assume. I hope that paper work and marriage hasn't made you grow soft."
Even if he wasn't admitting it out loud, Sasuke felt something pang inside his veins when he came face to face with Orochimaru and he knew exactly what it was: anticipation.
He was so sick of having to hide who he really was and act like that stale regular high class businessman, who wasn't allowing the others to even step on his shadow, being used to use his wisdom and words as his weapons, becoming the supreme epitome of tact, finesse and eloquence.
When in reality, he was dying to rip off their throats, stab their hearts, gauge off their eyes and tongue and cut down their balls.
Orochimaru was the only person that Sasuke didn't need to pretend to be someone he was not. Like it or not, they have always been in contact for the past years, even if they didn't meet in person. It was too risky for both their close people and their enemies.
And the fact that no one knew about their affiliation, was giving them an upper hand and the element of surprise.
"Hardly. Though I must ask you the same thing. Has love been an epiphany to you, or made you weak?"
The way Sasuke`s onyx orbs narrowed until they looked completely dark, like two holes dug into his skull, reminded Orochimaru about the movies with people possessed by the Devil, but the Uchiha even had the ability to challenge the ruler of the Underworld himself, for the thrown of the darkness, being even more maleficent.
He touched a soft spot, he knew that. "Hn. Last time I checked, love has never made anyone weaker, Orochimaru."
Of course, the pale man with his porcelain skin reminding Sasuke of the scales of a white dragon snake –freaky- knew about his relationship with Sakura, but then again, Sasuke didn't hid anything from that man either.
And even if he did, Orochimaru would have found out anyways, since he was part of the CIA, but even though he absolutely loathed the man before him, Sasuke knew that their mismatched relationship was based on mutual trust.
Sasuke absolutely trusted Orochimaru and vice versa. It is how they always worked, even when Sasuke was running errands for him, he could always count on him. They weren't subordinates, they were partners, because never once Sasuke has considered himself under Orochimaru. Oh, heck no!
And they needed to put their brilliant minds to good use, decipher the entire plan of their enemies and crush them and burn their nest of snakes, up to its foundations, once and for all.
"Strange choice of words, judging from the fact that they come from you, Sasuke-kun." Normally, Sasuke would have slit the throat of whoever dared to call him by that appellative –minus Sakura- but Orochimaru wasn't just anyone, either. For the sake of all the things he did for him, the Uchiha chose to overlook it.
"Enough with the crappy shit reunions. It is not like you haven't heard from me, Orochimaru. I did my part of the job. It`s time for us to cut the crap and strike."
The playful smirk has vanished from Orochimaru`s face entirely and the light taunting atmosphere has turned cold ice and piercing. No more games.
The Sound leader leaned forward, intertwining his fingers on the desk and aligning them with his mouth, amber eyes locking with black sapphire. "I had my secretary destroy all the evidences from my home in Tokyo."
Orochimaru nodded at him, mentally laughing his ass out loud when he remembered the flashing news from that morning. "You could have done it without attracting so much attention. Burning down your own home? Come now Sasuke-kun…isn't this a little bit too flashy?"
"This is the main idea. I want them to think they got me down and I had run away like a coward."
"At least, you could have faked your own death and get over with it." He thought of that but honestly, the sole reason why Sasuke didn't do that was because of Sakura. He couldn't. He couldn't hurt her like that and pretend he died.
His heart wasn't allowing him to do that. He could kill every single feeling inside him, except for the love for her.
And of course, Orochimaru knew it as well, without him voicing it. But it was always entertaining to mock Sasuke. "What`s the fun in this? I want them to torture their little brains into thinking whether I am death or come from Hell to rip off their souls. Besides, you did just like me. Good job in burning down the CIA`s HQ in Ravenna and your lab. This way, you made it look like you have been kidnapped. It saves you from the shame of not being able to find the culprit."
"Culprits." Orochimaru corrected, opening up a black leather handbag he had on the desk and placing a file before Sasuke`s eyes. Onyx orbs narrowed dangerously as his teeth were gritting together.
"So these scums are the Lorane`s puppeteers, huh? Pathetic." His eyes then skimmed to the blonde haired man, whose photo was attached to his complete file. "Yamanaka Inoichi," Sasuke hissed the words like he was dripping venom straight on the man`s punctured neck, addressing Orochimaru. "He is not a puppeteer. He is a puppet. He is being controlled."
"I agree. But I doubt it that he realizes it."
"You should have left me kill his slut of a daughter. That would have made him vengeful and would create a rift on the Head of the Freemasonry. It could have played in our advantage." Oh, when Ino has kissed him on the airport, it was almost the nail on her coffin.
It took all the safe control he had, adding it to Sakura`s totally unforeseen presence there, to not pull out his gun, put on the suppressor and shoot her, while he dropped her on the other side of the town, leaving her on an empty alley, full of druggies and prostitutes, to find her way back home.
Any home, but his.
Fuck no!
He has been laughing like a madman all the way to his office, thinking about how much of an idiot Inoichi Yamanaka was to think that he could get to him and have him walk straight into the Lorane`s hands, by tricking his father into thinking that their corporation would save the Mangekyou.
As if!
"As much as I know how much pleasure that would have brought you, I couldn't have you kill Ino Yamanaka…yet. We need them to think that we are blind and oblivious and you are just a stubborn child who wouldn't bent to your father`s will. But I will grant you the pleasure of disposing of her father." Because Orochimaru had his fair share of people to personally kill. It has been such a long time since one of the Sannin have proven themselves on the battle.
He felt bad for having to disappear without a trace and not tell Tsunade or his wife, Anko, about his whereabouts, but he knew that secrecy was crucial. For them to take Lorane down and catch them out of guard, sacrifices might have been down by both.
"Besides, you have been careless in most of the cases, Sasuke-kun. You brutally murdered the Lorane`s henchmen for stealing from your own house, and raised too much suspicion around you and there are witnesses who have seen you shooting people in a club and now the restaurant of the Imperial Hotel Tokyo."
Orochimaru faked a pout, pretending to be hurt, while Sasuke rolled his onyx eyes at him, exasperated. "My favorite hotel in Japan." Was that man lecturing him now?
He could go fuck himself…after they took Lorane down first.
"Get real, I had to take back those writings. It was the single copy I had. Remember, we also don't have any idea of what the fuck do they represent, even if you deciphered half of it. Besides, I erased every trace that could have led them back to me. If we want to pinpoint their location exactly, we must know what their real purpose is and you know it all too well Orochimaru that the answer we are looking for, stays in the drawings I made."
"The formulas and the hieroglyphs are a detailed map of the Great Pyramid of Giza, as well as a weird machine of some sorts and the geography of the surrounding terrain. Yakushi Kabuto, the expert I had to decipher them entirely couldn't translate more."
"What is the connection between the Pyramid of Cheops and Lorane? Why Egypt? And why now? Does it have some sort of a hidden secret of that we aren't aware of it?"
"This is what we must find out, Sasuke-kun. And this leads us to the reason why you are here now." Orochimaru locked his gaze with Sasuke`s pearl black ones, silently letting him know that it was mandatory for them to recreate a past experiment that would trigger painful unpleasant memories, but they had no choice.
"I know. What is your honest opinion about this?"
"They are looking for a weapon that is somehow connected to the Great Pyramid of Giza."
"A weapon…what kind of weapon?"
"Probably one that allows him to take control over the world, once and for all." Normally, such science fiction scenarios would have seemed ridiculous to Sasuke, but they won't.
Having been trained by Orochimaru for such a long time and working with him has allowed him to see and witness many mind blowing things. Such a scenario hasn't been at all utopic.
He knew that before they took Orochimaru`s private supersonic invisible jet to Egypt, there was one more thing to do, namely trigger those flashbacks and find the truth. Find everything they needed to know about who was Sasuke, what was his role into that story, what were those weird writings on the walls about and ultimately, what was that Lorane was looking for.
The Otokage pulled out a vial with a light pink liquid inside, disinfectant, a syringe with a long needle and a tourniquet, standing up, while Sasuke dragged his chair back to make more space between him and the desk, already knowing about what was there to come.
He absolutely loathed the idea of going through that again. And it wasn't the immense physical pain that he was about to suffer, no, it was the emotional part the one that bothered him. Who knew what ridiculous things they would come across and…not even that scared him…
It was another set of memories, which have been the only pleasant ones, but somehow…he wasn't ready to learn the entire scenario, because it meant foreseeing and foreshadowing the end in his own reality and time.
The memories about Sakura. Their overlapping with the mysterious exotic Egyptian woman, Safiya. Sasuke was positive about a fact: in another past existence, Sakura from his time has been his love in the previous life as well. They were meant to be together from the very beginning. She…has once been his WIFE.
And the possibility that he might not survive the clashing with Lorane and never see her angelic beauty shine again, never feeling the softness of her body and make love to her and never kiss her lips again, created the aversion about the predicament of knowing whether they had a future together or not.
"Sasuke," Orochimaru encircled the office desk, coming to stand beside Sasuke, while he took out three sets of custom made titanium handcuffs, placing them before the unflappable Uchiha, a ghost of regret washing through his amber eyes. "Your mother is hospitalized. She couldn't take the shock from the news and had a myocardia infarct."
Black sapphire eyes widened ever so softly and his eyes pinned Orochimaru`s ones, demanding more information. It was crystal clear that Sasuke couldn't personally get in touch with his family, even if his first instinct was to grab his phone and call. "Is she-"
"No. She isn't dead. Don't worry, Uzumaki Kushina is with her and your father has been there as well, before rushing back to Tokyo. I personally contacted one of my friends who is an expert and one of the best surgeons in the world and had him check on your mother. Her condition is stable now. She will survive without surgery. They are keeping her on sedatives so that her worry for your wellbeing won`t trigger another attack."
"Fuck…FUCK!" Sasuke rubbed his face with his palms, feeling his temples explode. His mother…dear Heavens…the fact that he was being responsible of her pain was killing him.
And Sakura…if she reacted like that when she thought he has cheated on her, then what would she do in that situation?
His grandparents as well? "I will KILL every single of them and rip off every inch of their skin and have them all bleed to death, while watching me cut down every limb and torture them for what they did."
The way he spat the words, growling like a furious beast escaped from Hell, even had Orochimaru narrow his eyes at him. "Of course. But first, we have to find out the truth." The snake faced legendary Sannin filled the syringe with the familiar substance, while looking like he was debating over something.
"This won`t work. I don't want to take any risks. Not now and not with you. Go lie on the bed." He pointed to a bed on one of the corners of the office, big enough for a single person to adjust in it and similar to the ones that psychologists used during their therapy sessions.
No matter how much would have Sasuke loved to protest against that, he knew that Orochimaru was right.
Last time they have done the same experiment, he killed two people. One of them, has been Tsunade Senju`s younger brother. So he rose from the sit, unclad from his jacket, discarding it down the chair, remaining in his slim T-Shirt, exposing his muscular arms, while he lied onto the bed, just like Orochimaru instructed.
The Sound Leader followed him suit, having the handcuffs jittering in his arms. He came beside Sasuke, as the Uchiha silently crossed his arms allowing him to put them on. "I am sorry I have to hurt you like this, Sasuke."
He didn't even use the appellative 'kun' because the situation was horrifying and torturous. "If you wish, we can try to give you smaller dosages of LSD and see if it will trigger the-"
"No." Sasuke bluntly interrupted Orochimaru, while he handcuffed him, placing another set of handcuffs around his legs and then using a third set to tie his hands on the edge of the bed, which was entirely made of a strong alloy of steel, titanium and platinum, totally immobilizing him.
"A small LSD dosage won`t be effective. I already had fragments from the past, but not enough to connect the pieces. Give me the highest dosage and let`s get over with this. Lorane is not going to wait for us to be ready. We are running out of time."
He knew that. Orochimaru knew that Sasuke was right and the Uchiha also knew that his former sensei was refusing to see him hurt and wanted to protect him as much as he could, but there wasn't any other way.
It wasn't the first time when they did that experiment, but Sasuke knew it was the last. Even he…wouldn't be able to survive another one. "All right then." Orochimaru wrapped the tourniquet tight around Sasuke's let hand, palpating his protruding veins, to look for a visible one, noticing that the raven haired Uchiha had his small moon sign covered by his gloves…on purpose.
He was hiding it for the Lorane because even though they didn't know what that represented, the Uchiha was taking no risks, since it was probably something important. As cautious as ever, wasn't he? "I am injecting you the original substance with the highest LSD dosage. Are you ready?"
Sasuke nodded once to him, as Orochimaru let the long needle puncture his vein, injecting the substance into his system. The Uchiha didn't even flinch. "Done." He used disinfectant and placed an adhesive bandage over the stabbed vein, as Sasuke rolled his eyes at him. Like that would make any difference, but still…he knew that Orochimaru was always so strict and meticulous in what he did, so the Uchiha bit back a nasty smartass retort.
The Sound Leader dragged a chair beside Sasuke, who let his head rest on the small pillow conveniently placed on the bed, already feeling his mind going dizzy, although he was still conscious.
Even with that high dosage of the drug, his body was naturally fighting the harmful substance, adjusting to the intrusion and the damage it did, waiting for the LSD to throw him into the deepest corners of his mind and trigger those flashbacks.
Of course, as his mind would be bombarded with past memories which didn't belong there, and would connect him to a faraway time, it would damage the brain cells, his judgment and cause immense pain. It was a scary, agonizing and life threatening experiment, but it was the only chance they got.
They lacked what Lorane already had: a secret book which contained similar information about the secrets of the Pyramid of Cheops, but they had no idea about Sasuke`s involvement, because even though Lorane has found out about the experiments, Orochimaru smartly and conveniently didn't list Sasuke`s name nor his results among his files, journals and registers.
"Orochimaru, if I go violent like before, you have to stop me." No kidding, the fact that Sasuke was being immobilized by cuffs made of an impossible to break –theoretically- handcuffs, was nothing to the powers he got from a LSD trip, adding it to the mysterious ability to mold and control electromagnetic fields and Orochimaru knew it as well.
"This is why I am here, aren't I? Though I don't want to do that, Sasuke-kun, so keep your mind clear and don't focus on the hate and negative emotions. Try to empty your mind and heart of everything that hurts you, so that you won't interfere with the flashbacks and think about the things that make you happy."
That wasn't difficult, because the things that made him happy were all conjuring Sakura`s image. The memories from Miyako…how they walked together like a real couple, how he had her, their kisses and confessions, her touches, her perfume, her heartbeat…His onyx orbs were starting to flutter, barely keeping them open.
And Orochimaru caught the small drops of sweat prickling on his temples.
The drug was starting to take effect.
"And I want you to unlock my bank account from Italy." Sasuke found it difficult to stutter those words to Orochimaru, feeling his body get really hot. It was getting just as horrifying as he remembered.
"Run out of cash?"
He threw him a glance that said everything, even if he didn't voice it out loud, while Orochimaru chuckled at him. "Of course, of course. You have used almost all your savings to save your company. This is understandable."
To be honest, Sasuke used half of his money to keep the company on the right track and Orochimaru knew it all too well.
Sasuke found the power to throw a small smirk at Orochimaru, totally not bothered by the fact that he had to temporary lose his place among the first ten Forbes billionaires. He would soon enough pulverize that chart and top it, coming back stronger than ever.
Because he wasn't feeling like losing to Lorane and ultimately get himself killed. "Don't try to find your way out of this, Orochimaru. Half of the stocks behind the virtual ones I have created, are yours."
"And now I find myself investing in Saudi Arabia. How staggering." Indeed, the one who has been secretly buy stocks from the Mangekyou, and hid his identity, being the 'ghost' behind the Mangekyou's fake insolvency, was no other than Orochimaru, who was the third world`s billionaire, but that of course, was a well-kept secret.
"Hn. After this shit is over and Mangekyou starts to run there, you will gain more than you could count anyways. It is not like you are not aware of it."
It wasn't his shareholders the one that Sasuke has asked for an advice regarding that crazy suicidal plan to declare bankruptcy and move the HQ in another place. It was Orochimaru. Plus, Sasuke would not deny the Sound Leader`s astonishing genius.
That man was brilliant, and he had one hell of a mind, there was no doubt about that. If there was someone worth of counseling THE Uchiha Sasuke, it was Orochimaru.
"It is not like I wouldn't trust your vision and intelligence, Sasuke-kun."
"Stop faking damn modesty." The onyx eyed Uchiha mentally counted down two minutes and all that he felt, was the bed rippling like he was floating above the ocean and rainbows sparkle under his eyelids, but still no flashback and contrary to the regular druggies, he absolutely despised that loss of control and ration. "How much are you making me wait?"
"I don't know. We should see the results in the next five minutes, but it might get a little but more. Remember, it was hard to continue with the tests in secret, without alerting the Head. I thought patience was one of your virtues."
"As long as I might find myself flattered by you, you own me one last explanation, before we go out to hunt Lorane down."
"About what?" Orochimaru already had a recording tape working, waiting for the drug to take full effect.
They needed to analyze every single line of what Sasuke would have to confess, but it was time the thing that they lacked.
They would have to decipher everything while flying to Egypt and that meant they only had some hours to both put the pieces together and devise a flawless plan to counter Lorane`s one.
While his entire body started to sweat and tremble, muscles filling with an electrical throbbing energy, and his temples began to pound like low pitched drums, banging into his head, slowly making him lose the touch with that world, Sasuke let his onyx orbs squeeze shut, while his lips muttered words that briefly made Orochimaru freeze.
"The Dobe…Ten Ten…Neji Hyuga…my brother…Shikamaru Nara…Kiba, Suigetsu, Uzumaki Karin…" He made a short pause, wetting his quivering lips, like he was fighting against a tearing memory, his voice going softer. "Sakura..." Finelli Montesi – Olivero. It was in the moment that waiter came to bring her a telegram, did Sasuke confirm his suspicions. The Uchiha was among the few people who knew what was Orochimaru`s family name. It was easy to put two and two together afterwards, though he played cool in front of her. Sakura hasn't suspected a thing.
"What about them?" So far, Sasuke hasn't been interested in Orochimaru`s –or CIA`s- subordinates, since he had his own path to walk alone, but things have changed and their paths collided.
"Everything. I…want to…know…everything…about them."
Orochimaru nodded his head at the starting to lose consciousness Uchiha, being well aware of the fact that he couldn't hide the truth away from him anymore.
It wasn't necessary and it wasn't even fair, so naturally, he didn't refuse Sasuke`s request. "Of course."
"And then…we can finally stop Lorane once and for all."
.
.
.
::Author`s Note::
-dictionary-
Hai-yes
Oh, mio Dio, cara mia –Oh, my God, my dear
Mi piaci – I like you
mia sorella – my sister
Mia sorella, va tutto bene? – my sister, are you all righ?
cara mia- my dear
no, grazie – no, thank you
bella - beautiful
Per l'amor di Dio – for the love of God
mia amica – my friend
Cosi bello – so beautiful!
Boru! - ball
Onegai shimasu – a more polite/formal way of saying 'please'
Arigatou gozaimashita – polite form for 'thank you very much'
Anata no namae wa/ namae wa – what is your name?
Watashi wa…Sakura-desu – I am Sakura/ My name is Sakura
Anata wa...totemo utsukushii desu – you are beautiful
Arigatou – thank you
Naze ikenai anata wa hako no kodomotachi to asobimasu – why aren`t you plying with the other kids?
Karakatte iru – making fun of someone
Nande – why?
Kore ga okotta no ka
Kasai - fire
Mama to Papa…takai shimashita – my father and mother have passed away
Bakka - stupid
Obasan – grandmother (between members of the family)
Hiragana – Japanese alphabet
Ikebana – art of flower arrangement
amore mio – my love
Ti amo tanto, amore mio – I love you so much, my love
Sei tutta per me, amore mio – my love, you are everything to me
mio Dio – My God
Ok, I want it to be clear that I speak none of the aforementioned languages. I have taken some Japanese classes, but it has been four years since I last opened up a Japanese book, so if I didn't get it right, I will ask the natives to please do not be too angry with me.
While posting this chapter, I couldn`t help but laughing like crazy –not in the bad way- while remembering getting one review stating that my chapters are too long, because I kept on telling myself…wait until I post THIS chapter lol
Wow, I can`t believe that this story is coming to an end. It has been an year and a half since I first posted it –Yes, it is my very FIRST story- and I have many beautiful memories regarding it. Maybe this is the reason why I didn't want to rush things and worked on it, and, although it isn't my best story –grammar and vocabulary wise- I find it to be the most interesting, plot wise. I had done a lot of research in different domains, in order to make things as realistic as possible and I hope you found it challenging and interesting as well.
Personally, I consider this chapter to be the best I ever wrote, from everything I have posted here so far. Yes, I am positive that is really long, but everything written there was necessary.
My next update is going to be the LAST chapter of this story. There will also be a shorter Epilogue, containing a quick peek into the future of my characters, but next time I update, you know that it will be the grand finale.
Of course that I NEVER intended to have Sasuke marry Ino just because his family/father forced him into a relationship that would benefit their business, oh, definitely NOT! I also hate that stale and totally cliché approach and I didn't want it in my story. Like you guys said, Sasuke in my story is not someone to be manipulated. It doesn't fit his manga character and the man I wrote him in this story. I inserted a small dramatic moment into the story, by making Sakura misunderstand him and Ino in the airport, but that was only for the plot and to add to the drama. I felt they needed that moment of separation to strengthen their bond more.
See, I truly adore the idea of their romance being built on lies, deceivings and a lot of secrets, because, my point is to emphasize the power of TRUE love, which in the end, truly conquers it all. And I needed a good moment to introduce Karin. I don't know why, but I laugh whenever I write about her and her interaction with Suigetsu. Those two definitely MUST be together!
Congratulations for every one of you guys who figured it out that it was indeed Orochimaru, the one that Sasuke was talking to, though I am pretty sure you have suspected it from the very beginning. I am grateful for having such clever readers, because it just pushes me further to make this story more intricate and intriguing.
I intentionally ended this chapter here, with the last scene with Oro and Sasuke, because even though it was pointless to prolong one of the mysteries of the story unnecessarily, I want to keep the rest of their relationship and back story for the final chapter. But I will keep the Leaders of the Lorane in the shadows for now, sorry hehe.
So, the next LAST chapter, is going to be focused on two things: the much anticipated battle between Lorane and the CIA, including the whole mystery lingering upon the Grand Pyramid of Giza and world domination, and the time for revealing all the truths, including details about Sasuke`s past and Orochimaru`s involvement as well as Sakura`s past, the secret society that rules Lorane from the shadows and of course, Sasuke`s flashbacks, the inquiry into the Egyptian ancient time and his link to Sakura.
As I have said before, though I see that you guys liked it –many thanks for my new reader, Closet Pervfor praising it- my forte is definitely not battle scenes, simply because I lack vocabulary and I am not the one for bloody scenes, rather than romantic ones, but I will try my best to make the battle between the Lorane and the CIA as interesting and spectacular as I can. I know it is going to be really long and difficult to write, but I want to also focus on the psychological parts –which I assure you they will be pretty dramatic.
I see that the opinions about Sakura here are split. There are some of you guys who like her character –thanks a lot,itsbritneybitch – and some of you who find her moments of weakness annoying, which makes me sad, because you guys know that I don't like to write OP characters. Having a weak side is simply human and I don't want Sakura here –or any other of my stories- to be a ruthless 'Miss Perfection' because I find it extremely unrealistic and not to mention, overused, stale and boring. I think I have said it before, but I have read many stories with a savage dark Sakura, which made my eyes bleed and I simply couldn't read anymore because I hated that approach. But I also don't want to fall into the weakling emo extreme and have her weep for the entire series. You will see the true face of the strong 'Athena of the Sound' in the next last chapter and I promise she won't disappoint. I will focus on her battles and assassin attitude.
Having said that, I truly hope you guys enjoyed this chapter as much as I did. Sorry for making it too long, you know my style, you know about my tendency to write long chapters, but I love you guys too much to give you short –letter type- of updates. I respect you too much to do that. And there was no way I could have split it in smaller chapters, because you wouldn't have understood a thing from them.
Thank you a million times to all of you who read and follow my story and for your patience and devotion, you guys are the best.
Also, many special thanks to:
yamada. chibi
Memories. By .Moonlight
UMEE-chan29
ohsoblue
mixxymae59
agentM14
lovesasusakuforever
batmanaruto
Katherine
itsbritneybitch
Closet Perv
Rui
Kelly
Kiara Dragneel
chichivivas
.Didi
hifi
jazz
ElevatedJewel
Guests
You guys are amazing and you have no idea how happy you make me be for sharing your opinion about this story with me, in your reviews. It only encourages me and motivates me to keep on going and give it my best to make this story better and better. Thank you for all the support and beautiful thoughts and congratulations.
Lots of love!