DISCLAIMER: THIS STORY IS ENTIRELY FICTION AND WILL NEVER EVER HAPPEN JUST LIKE THE OTHER FANFICTIONS ON THIS SITE. STILL, ONE CAN ONLY HOPE...

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She had done it now. Landed on a member of the fucking Uchiha clan, the most respected (and feared) clan in Konoha. And she couldn't just land on a member of the Uchiha clan, oh no, she had to land on the heir of the clan.

Of all the stupid things she had done in her life-a dark alley floated to the surface of her mind, and a man, holding her-

She slapped herself mentally and knelt at his feet and kissed the hem of his pants before bowing deeply at his feet, forehead resting on the gritty cobblestones of the alley.

"I'm so sorry. Really, but I can't die. I can't." Sakura begged.

Not yet. Not until I've killed the bastard who ruined me. Not until then.

"I'll let this slide. But-" he halted deliberately, and she lifted her head, not liking the sound of the 'but' yet still hopeful that she could make a bargain that was to her advantage.

She saw the smirk slide onto his face as she heard the words that would change her life permanently issue forth from his lips.

"You have to be my slave. Permanently."

Her mind reeled at the thought of having to serve a member of the clan who had ruined her own clan's standing in the village.

The name Haruno had once brought to mind trade and wealth, now it simply meant 'trash' and was scorned among the villagers. The Uchihas had risen quickly with their own trading business and had sabotaged her family's caravans. Within a year, her family had gone bankrupt and her father had been assassinated.

It was just after that, that she had been ruined herself.

The upshot of it all was that it had been a member of a clan connected to the Uchihas that had helped them spy on her family and ruined her.

Still... If she could get close to the Uchiha's heir, she could get closer to him.

Best to act grateful for the bastard.

She raised her head a little bit higher and, with her best tear-choked voice, answered.

"I w-will. I'll do anyth-thing. Thank you! Thank you!"

Her acting had always been her best trait. She'd learned to cry on cue when a customer of her father's was around to manipulate them into making a deal with her father. Now she sobbed her hardest, fake tears streaming down her slightly grimy cheeks.

"Good, good." she heard him say. "Now, take me away from here and give me a tour of the city." he pulled her to her feet roughly.

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Sasuke looked left, and right alternately so fast he swore he'd have a sore neck come sundown. He couldn't help himself though, the commoners' market was bursting with vigor. Vendors hawked their wares, some shoving them so close to his face he nearly inhaled them. Jewelers kept a wary eye on passerby, guarding their precious gems as a dragon would. He didn't blame them. The colorful stones caught the eye and were almost hypnotic when the sunlight hit them. Food merchants yelled loudly about having 'the best bread in the village' or 'the freshest produce around'. Other vendors called attention to themselves with brightly colored awnings and cries of 'best quality cloth, straight from the deserts of Suna,' 'finest pottery for leagues, it's even been sold to the queen of...'.

"Please quit staring like that, you look like a tourist, and pickpockets-" Sakura smacked the hand of a boy only 5 years of age as he reached out for the full leather pouch on Sasuke's belt "-love tourists. Shoo, you pest!" she snapped at the boy, who ducked into a cluster of people and disappeared.

After that, Sasuke limited his sightseeing to occasional peeks with his peripheral vision.

They stopped at a stall selling tarts filled with jelly and Sasuke bought a couple with Sakura's urging.

They ate the tarts while they walked, Sakura wolfing hers down and Sasuke savoring his.

"That was really good. Do you know how to make those?"

"Yes, but I don't often have the right ingredients. I'm not exactly swimming in cash."

"I can't help what family I was born into, thank you." he replied coldly, feeling insulted.

"Neither can I." she huffed.

For a few minutes they walked without speaking.

"We need to clean you up." Sakura told him finally, glancing meaningfully at the cut on his cheek. It had scabbed over since their meeting and apparently was not endearing him to anybody around him. They stopped at a large public fountain, made entirely of granite that his family had imported from the land of Earth. Sakura held out a hand, clearly expecting something.

"What?" Now he was puzzled. Surely she couldn't be asking for...

"I need one ryou please."

"What for? I don't need to pay you." he said, indignant.

"I need to pay the rag man to buy a rag to clean your face with. Or would you prefer to get your cut infected?" She waggled her fingers, indicating that he should just hurry up and hand her the money.

Sasuke grumbled but withdrew the sum she'd asked and she bustled off into the crowd. He sat himself on the broad rim of the fountain, one ankle resting on the opposite knee.

Such a bossy girl... he sighed, biting the inside of his cheek in boredom.

Behind him, the fountain splashed and gurgled merrily, contrasting with his bad mood. Children splashed in the fountain, cooling themselves off from the noonday heat.

He wished he could join them, but he was too old to engage in such pastimes.

Even if they did look like fun.

"Sasuke! Oh, Sasuke, there you are!"

Fuck. He found me. He'd been separated from his brother for only two hours. Now he watched in horror as his brother trotted across the central plaza, followed by three Uchiha guards.

"What happened to your face??" Itachi demanded, grabbing his chin to angle the cut at him. "Who did this to you? Tell me now."

"Noone, I fell and hit my face on an upraised corner of a rock." Sasuke lied smoothly, jerking his head free. He stood and folded his arms, angry at having been found so soon.

"We need to get that looked at, it wouldn't do for the heir to get a scar." Itachi said, lightly touching the scab that had formed. His face twisted in anger when Sasuke winced and pulled away. Though he knew it wasn't allowed, he grabbed Sasuke's forearm and towed him quickly through the crowd. Out of the corner of his eye, Sasuke caught sight of Sakura holding a dirty looking gray rag in one hand and made a jerking motion with his head that meant "Follow us but don't you dare get caught."

Sakura nodded so he could see and he smiled.

Yes, it was going to be useful to keep her after all, he decided as he was yanked along.

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A/N: Short chap, sort of a filler, but I had to let you know some of the situation. Especially regarding Sakura. R&R Please and Thank you.