Don't own Naruto .o.o.

"talking"

'thinking'

'I hate tuxes... they're so damn constricting and I can't move as freely as I wish.' Sasuke pulled at the collar of his suit, trying to loosen the tight feeling. It also was keeping him busy so he didn't have to have a conversation with the prince, who was currently standing at the door.

Sakura wasn't kidding when she said it would take hours to get ready, it was around noon when she shooed him out of her room, it was now almost three-fifteen and she still hasn't appeared from upstairs.

"Hey Uchiha!" Sasuke left his outfit alone long enough to glance in the blonde's direction. "I know you're my sister's date tonight but let's get something straight... don't touch her. This is her first meeting, and she's going to be excited and a little reckless; I don't want you to think that's a free pass to do something to her... I'll be watching you."

"Hn." Sasuke looked back up the stairs praying Sakura would appear before he did something to her brother. He could understand Naruto being protective of his little sister; but accusing him of 'robbing the cradle' in a way was something Sasuke wouldn't stand for.

"Uchiha you're still her bodyguard... you packing?"

"If it is a concern for you, yes I am," Sasuke didn't miss when the other man quickly look him over, searching for the shape of his gun on his person.

"Where?"

"Isn't the fact that you know I am enough? I sugguest you take yours from your inner pocket and put it at the base of your spine in your belt loop; it will blend in better and you will have an easier access to in case it is needed." Naruto glared at being reprimanded like a child, but he did slip said gun into his pants at his back.

The clanking of something sharp on the stairs drew both mens' attention, but it wasn't the woman Sasuke was waiting for. Tsunade, dressed in a deep green ball grown that looked like silk, her hair was pinned up in a tight bun a top her head and a giant emerald studded necklace, with a matching set of of earings completed her elegant look. However, the scowl that marred her blood red glossed lips told them both she was pissed.

Jiraiya came down the stairs a short time later, in a slight panic, signaling that he was the cause of his wifes' current bad mood. "Honey you misunderstood what I meant."

"Oh no, I got it quite clearly Jiraiya! Just because I'm getting older, I'm losing my radiant looks. I've only giving you twenty-six years of my life, and two children, I should look good every damn day you see me! Which isn't much, do you have some little slut on the side I don't know about? If I find her, you know what I'll do to her, and the cops won't be able to put a thing on me... you know I can do it Jiraiya!"

"There isn't anyone else, I swear to you. But honey you do look radiant, gorgeous, absolutely beautiful... come on honey."

Both adults move into the kitchen, where a few crashes could be heard and the kitchen staff moved into the dinning room to get out the way of her wrath.

"They act like such children sometimes, no one would ever think they are in their golden years," Naruto shook his head in same at his parents' actions.

"I see they've moved into the kitchen now, at the rate we're going... we're not making it to the party on time," the soft, angelic voice of the youngest member of the royal family finally made her appearance... and slightly startled the two guys.

"What are they fighting about this time?"

"Daddy made a comment that mother looked the most radiant he's ever seen her... not his best moment."

"Maybe we should go ahead, I still have to go get Hinata-chan."

"Hn."

"As much as that sounds like that will be the only way to get there on time, I won't be able to get this puff ball of a dress in a car."

Sasuke finally set his eyes on the girl he would be accompany to this party. He was glad he looked at her after he responded to Naruto, because that was last 'hn' he'd be making for a while. His nickname of 'princess' fit her perfectly at the moment, but not in the derogatory way he normally met it to be. She looked like one of the princesses that came from the fairy tale books of knights and dragons his mother use to read him when he was a child.

The lights from ceiling bounced off the diamonds in the top of her dress and making an almost halo affect around her whole body. The tight tube top bodice hugged her curves, accentuated her already slim hour glass figure and gave a boost to her chest as it pushed her cleavage north. Under the corset, the bottom was loose and flared out to the floor, covering her dainty legs and small feet, but not dragging on the floor or making her look too short. All of her cotton candy colored hair was pulled up like her mother's, only not as tight a few pieces fell loose to frame her face.

She had a light dusting of make-up on, no doubt at the behest of her mother, and Sasuke could also smell a kiss of vanilla mixed with her natural scent. The only piece of jewelery on her body was a small tear drop diamond around her neck that again directed whoever was looking at her, which there was no doubt in Sasuke's mind that she wouldn't have all the eligible bachelors in the room staring at her, at her chest area.

Oh yeah, tonight was going to be the hardest night of his life, this was the first time in nearly seven years that he actually felt his hormones act up when around the oppsite sex on their own.

Sakura finally realized that someone, other than her brother was staring at her, she knew it was Sasuke and she liked the fact that she had his attention; but she didn't want to call him out on it, and embarrass him. "Uchiha-san... how do I look?" she did a small twirl with a light blush to her cheeks, awaiting his approval.

"... Hn," he was lucky that was all that came out, he couldn't trust his mind right at this moment.

Before she could ask anymore of him. Tsunade and Jiraiya rushed back into the room. "Why are you all standing here? We have to be at the hall in a half an hour, and we still have to stop and pick Hinata up! Let's go get in the limo... hurry!" The blonde mother raced over to grab her black heeled shoes.

"You hear your mother kids, into the car. You look beautiful by the way sweet heart."

"Thank you daddy."

"Yeah we heard her dad, and you're only agreeing with her because you're already in deep water with her."

"Naruto, we're not going discuss this right now."

'Yeah, cause you know I'm right!'

The grand design of the banquet hall didn't surprise the Uchiha one bit. The richest of the rich would be at this party, and they wouldn't settle for second rate anything. The hall itself was actually an old theater, but instead of a thousand some seats taking up the space; twenty or so tables were in their spots. Each held five family memebers of different clans that would be a potential candidates for election of the new councel. That's why this whole banquet was being held, Jiraiya would be scouting the men for their loyality to him.

Sasuke didn't like the set up of the table where his charge and her family would be sitting. The table was situated directly under the balcony of the theater, from their seats the family was able to see all the other occupants and the massive stage infront; however, they were in perfect range to be shot at from any direction. And directly next to their table, would be the second in comman's table, which meant Orochimaru would have every opportunity to try and kill Sakura. Not that he would out right pull a gun during dinner because that wasn't how he worked; why get his hands dirty when he had about twenty or so assassins and every drug user in the city that would work for him at his disposal.

Sasuke was on alert from the moment they stepped into the building, searching for any potential threat; he had a feeling however that someone would be hiding on the balcony above them and out of his line of sight for the time being.

"Wow... it's so pretty!"

Sasuke looked over to the princess as she was admiring the scenery on the ceiling. She looked like an angel that decided to grace this pitiful world with her presence for this one time, and that knot in his stomach tightened at his urge to protect her from the on coming danger to her life. But with every angel on earth, there's bound to be a devil hiding in the darkness somewhere; and said devil just so happened to walk through the door at that minute.

Sasuke had his back to the entrance everyone was required to come in from, keeping Sakura in front of him at the table; he knew he should have been watching the door as people walked in but he just couldn't take his eyes off Sakura. However he did feel when Orochimaru walked in, a shiver ran down his spine but he ignored it; even though the snake wasn't looking directly at him, he could still feel a pair of eyes at his back.

Sasuke heard Jiraiya greet him and his witty response in reply, he knew his boss wasn't the least bit happy about the situation as he played to be though. Out of the corner of his eye, Sasuke could see the man move from the door way and head to his table, those pair of eyes were still watching him, and when they made it to the table he was able to see just who they belonged to.

Karin, who was dressed in a long, black, spaghetti strap dress that barely was covering her breasts, had been watching him since she walked in. She had her arm laced with Orochimaru's as his date, and it only confirmed Sasuke's suspicions that she had been sleeping with their boss for quite some time now; the whole she latched onto the richest man in the room thing was coming back into play.

He cursed himself for looking her way, when their eyes met and she was smirking at him. She thought he had been missing her body and what he had been missing for two weeks, but he was just disgusted with her and couldn't believe he chose her to relieve his pent up rage from time to time... why did he sink so low? He knew the answer to that, because he thought that's he deserved. The death of his parents and the threat out on him in his teen years. Being pulled away from everything he knew to be locked away in darkness; only to embrace that darkness by taking the lives of others. Innocent people he now knew haunted his dreams at night, they may have been vein and piety, but aren't all humans in some way? Those he's killed had just as much right to live at the drug dealers and gun runners that littered the city's streets. He was no god, and didn't have the right to choose who lived or who died. So yes, he got what he deserved, a life that wasn't his to control; he sold his soul to the devil, or so he thought.

The girl standing before him had begun to change his mind; she shed a little bit of light on his dark heart... she gave him hope. But with this hope, despair also lurked because he knew he could never have her as his own. He couldn't touch a being as pure as she was, and that was all it took for the darkness to close in on him again. But he could protect her from the darkness that threatened her very life, he would give his life to save her the fate of being swallowed into the dark life her family lived in. After all, she was the first person to make him feel human again.

Said light hearted spirit was currently on her way over to him with a smile on her face. "Uchiha-san come sit down, dinner is about to start; and I won't take 'hn' for an answer, you're my date so you will eat with us," she was very forceful, just like the night when he first arrived, but the smile never left her lips. Knowing she was going to get her way, and not fighting her pull, Sasuke allowed her to drag him to the table. Before he sat, Sasuke looked over to the other table and he didn't miss the glare Karin was shooting at Sakura right now; something was definitely happening tonight.

Sasuke found it very hard to sit still during dinner, whatever was being planned he wished they would hurry up, he hated waiting for a job to get done. Sakura and the rest of the family were completely oblivious as to what was going on, although it seemed that Jiraiya and Naruto were also waiting for something to happen. After dinner was finished the older man got up from the table to go and address the other party guests.

"Uchiha-san?"

Sakura's gentle call drew Sasuke from his thoughts as he looked to the girl on his right. The seating arrangement was slightly odd at the large round table. Sasuke was seated facing the people and the stage, which should have been the seat that the head of the family sat in so he could watch the people that some day maybe on the councel. But instead Sasuke was sitting there, with Sakura on his right and her mother on his left... which he wasn't comfortable with. Next to Sakura sat the Hyuga heiress, and then the prince was sitting next to her directly across from Sasuke. Next to him his father, and both he and Tsunade had their backs to Orochimaru's table which he wasn't happy about for some reason; but again Sasuke refused to look in his direction.

"Yes Sakura-san?"

"I wanted to thank you again for being my... date for the party, you didn't have to agree to mother's orders you know. I know you didn't like the tux shopping part, that's not my favorite either... mother can go a tad bit overboard, but... you look nice."

Even the innocent way the blush crept onto her cheeks as she gave him the complement made his noramlly frozen heart beat a little faster. "Hn. It probably wouldn't have been as bad if the woman measuring my waist would have stopped groping me."

Sakura burst out into an unsuspected giggle fit hearing his words, but quickly regained her composure as her mother shot her a look. "She... she touched you? That's not very professional on her part; she should have had some restraint, daddy and Naruto buy tuxes from there all the time and they never say anything about being touched."

'Who would want to touch your brother other than his girlfriend anyway?'

Before the topic could go any farther, Jiraiya appeared on the stage and everyone get quiet. He began making some outlandish speech having to do with the 'company' he owned and how it was short on 'workers' and he would be hiring a new 'staff' in the coming weeks. All of the adults in the room and their oldest sons knew exactly what he was talking about; while the younger boys and the daughters in the room either didn't care what was going on, or in Sakura's case, was completely confused as to what was going on.

"Daddy needs to a new staff at the company? I thought he hired a whole new group of people last month?"

"He did Sis, but that was just one floor, there are positions still open on the other eleven." Naruto was quick when it came to hiding the truth from his little sister, Sasuke had to give him that; but she wasn't stupid either, anyone could see her little brain working trying to find the lie in his statement.

"Okay Naruto if you say so."

A loud cheer come from the lower floor as to whatever the mob leader said next; but everyone at the main table missed it. Sasuke had been admiring Sakura again, though if you asked him about it he would deny it, when a flash of red shot passed his eyes as it bounced off the diamond around her neck. He quickly realized as the dot moved down her chest that it belong to a laser targeted sniper's raffle. Not caring where it was coming from, or who had it, Sasuke dove out of his chair and knocked Sakura out of hers; both crashing to the floor as the back of the chair practically exploded a second later.

"Sakura!"

Note: Sorry it took so long getting up a new chapter for this, I know a lot of people are waiting, finals are taking up a lot of my time right now, and as you can see it takes a while to get a long chapter up.... I hope this is okay. So did Sakura get hit in the shooting? And what will Sasuke do? How is the rest of the family going to deal with this?

Special thanks to:
xxikababyxx
Fantom Phreeke
sakurasapprentice7
jesselovemeto
Luka1Sakura
Dreams of the future
Funky Bracelet Chick
Xx-Sharingan-xX
luna-moongoddess
Thanks for reviewing... keep it up!