Don't own Naruto .o.o.

"talking"

'thinking'

'The letter'

After his confrontation at the Sound mansion two months ago, Sasuke has been on high alert for Sakura's sake. Orochimaru didn't keep to his threat of contacting the police after his betrayal, most of his so called 'friends' on the force were either all dead or arrested themselves. And the family still hadn't heard from Jiraiya in the past three months but Sasuke noticed more security around the house and Sakura's school. And yes since there have been no attempts on Sakura's life since the banquet she was off house arrest and back in school.

Sasuke's arm was completely healed by the time she was sent back, so naturally he accompanied her. And with the home school atmosphere, and Sasuke's help, Sakura was able to pass all her current history exams; meaning she would at least pass her senior year.

"I'm going to graduate! I can't believe I past my history finale, oh thank you so much Sasuke-kun!" Sakura jumped into Sasuke's arms in the court yard outside of school... in front of practically everyone.

"Uh... y-you're welcome?" Sasuke still wasn't comfortable showing certain emotions to the public eye, beening as of three months ago he didn't have these emotions, it was hard to show them. But the two have gotten closer despite Naruto's threat, Sasuke wasn't scared of the prince, and it was Sakura's decision if... whatever they had continued. No Sasuke had not told her that he was in love with her because he felt that it would put too much pressure on her; and he also didn't want to bring it up because he feared, that's a funny thing to call it because he never feared anything, that her feelings didn't go as far or that he didn't deserve her love. Well... he knew that he didn't deserve her love, he knew that from the beginning.

When they got home that night, Tsunade was ecstatic to hear that her baby would be passing and ordered they all go out to dinner to celebrate. And another change during the past two months was in the mother herself. Since the banquet, where Sasuke risked his life for her daughter, she has been more pleasant with him. She could see the budding romance between the two and was more tolerant with it than her son was.

Yes everything was going fine in the house hold, until the last week in April before Sakura's graduation.

Tsunade had dragged both boys to the mall to get some suitable clothes for the ceremony, because she refused to see them in jeans and t-shirts; though Naruto argued they were dress shirts not cotton shirts... she didn't care. "Naruto this is a very important day for your sister so you will look good for it and not like a bum!"

"Mom! It's just a high school graduation, ain't that big a deal. Hell I wore flip-flops to mine."

"I don't want to know what your were wearing Naruto."

"And Sakura wasn't dressed up for mine!"

"She was twelve, and you barely graduated as it was!"

"... So, your point?"

"My point being is that you're twenty-four, act your age!"

"Hn."

"Uchiha don't start!"

"Come on mo-what the hell happened!"

"Naruto, you know I don't like when you curse damn-it!" Tsunade pushed passed her son to enter the house... only to freeze at the scene like he did. "Oh god what happened!"

Bodies were everwhere on the floor of the entry way, bullet holes marring their bodies and the walls. Their blood had already begun to dry and stain both the carpets and wood floors. What little furniture that was unpacked was knocked to floor also, signaling whoever was in the house was searching for something.

Sasuke recognized the bodies as being those of the special forces officers that worked for the family; they were stationed around the house because Sakura would be coming home from school before he got back from the shopping with her mother. 'Sakura!' He dropped the bag he had in his hand and raced towards the kitchen; that was the first place she would go when returning home... he just hoped she wasn't here when this happened. His fear intensified when the site that make him was just as bad as the other room.

The first thing he noticed was that the faucet at the sink was still running, the refrigerator and all its' contense was in disarray on the floor, and Sakura's brown school bag was sitting on the stool a few feet away... but there was no Sakura.

'No!'

Sasuke has killed many people in his life, you can never get the smells out of your nose, and when you walk into a room where a gun has been recently fired, your the first one to detect it. He could easily smell it along with the scent of blood in the air, someone was shot and possibly dead in the room. He followed the smell around the counter, stepping over the spilled food and milk that had splattered all over the ground, to find a small petite body slumped over against the counter that housed the sink. One bullet took the girl's life and judging by its' location and blood spatter, she was caught by surprise when the shooter came in.

Sasuke's heart was pounding in his chest, there was so much blood covering her, he couldn't tell who it was; he moved some of the hair away from the face and was releaved to see it wasn't who he thought.

'Yuki.' The servant girl that always was around Sakura when she was home. 'If this is her... then where's Sakura?'

Hearing the click from the door that led to the den that was directly across from where he was crouching behind the island counter, caused Sasuke to stand up and pull his gun from its' holster.

After quitting and leaving his gun at Orochimaru's mansion, surprisingly a new one appeared on his bed the next day while he was at his therapy session; there was no note as to who put it there, but he had a feeling it was some how Jiraiya's doing... it was exactly like his old one.

The wood panel door slid open and a man stepped into the room, oblivious to the fact that he had a gun on him.

'This guy couldn't have killed those men out front... I know him!' Yes the man was one of the drug users that was sitting outside of the Sound mansion two months ago, high on something. "What the hell are you doing here? What happened?" Sasuke hissed, never once lowering his weapon.

"Oh... there you are Sasuke, I've been looking for you. Lord Oroch-Orochimaru sent me with this letter to give to you," the man pulled out a slightly crumpled letter and dropped it on the floor. "I have to go now... have to give this list to the boss."

'What list?' Sasuke wasn't able to ask that question because a gun went off and the guy fell to the floor... dead. Looking back into the den, Sasuke could see Naruto was standing next to the opened door to his father's study. Now it made sense, the list was the name's of the new council members Jiraiya chose. They were here to get it, but that still didn't explain where Sakura was at; maybe the letter addressed to him gave that information.

He gingerly picked up the crisp white letter before the other man's blood was able to touch it; Naruto was at his side before he was able to stand back up, frantically looking around for Sakura. He noticed the note and instantly glared at it and the man holding it.

"What's that Uchiha?"

"Hn." Sasuke ignored his demanding tone of voice, deciding instead to open the letter and see what the snake wanted.

'To my dearest Sasuke-kun,' Sasuke made a mental note to burn this letter after reading it. 'All these years we've been together, you should know me by now. You should know from others' experiences to never betray your master... do you not remember your mentor's fate?'

How could anyone forget that day? It was true Kakashi taught Sasuke how wield a gun, when the boy was studying to join the police force, Kakashi being a sniper a sniper taught him how to kill from long range. But he abandoned that mission and join Orochimaru, but the snake wasn't much of a teacher to him at first. He saw his potential, but didn't give him the time of day to teach him anything; Sasuke was hired as a bodyguard, all his training required was that he be able to hold a gun straight and fire.

No it wasn't until he met Kimimaro, did their boss actually look at him. Kimimaro had been under the snake's tutelage since he was young; his parents were killed when he was a child, leaving him to the streets, until the snake found him. He was the only person to be with Orochimaru for so long, longer than any other that now worked for him. He was fiercely loyal to his father figure and did everything to please him, and killing was his only way to live. He didn't do it for revenge or hatred like Sasuke did, killing was his only purpose in life; and he killed everyone; not just the head of the family but the wife and children of the man that owed Orochimaru something.

At first the white haired man didn't give Sasuke a glance either, but something changed a few months after he arrived. Kimimaro approached him one afternoon to talk about guns, it was the oddest conversations Sasuke ever had with another person; but he figured that was all the other man knew what to talk about, so he let him. He wasn't expecting to see Kimimaro standing over his bed the next morning with a gun to his head saying they were training today; Sasuke woke up to this for a little over a year.

He was a very skilled assassin, and what surprised Sasuke was he taught him all his tricks. Normally the teacher/student relationship consisted of the teacher showing the student the basics and nothing more; to keep themselves on top of the teacher would keep the advanced knowledge to themselves. But Kimimaro taught him everything, even how to make the hollowed out bullets correctly and how to change his gun to take them. During his training, Sasuke questioned why he would give all his secrets away to a kid he barely knew.

"Because I will die soon... I felt you would get more from my teachings than anyone else." That was the only time Kimimaro answered that question. It puzzled Sasuke as to how he knew he was going to die, people usually wanted to stay alive. It wasn't until two months later did he get the older man's meaning.

At the end of a normal dinner, Orochimaru had invited over a few of the casino owners and other drug lords from around the city, Kimimaro was brought out in hand cuffs to face the crowded dinning hall. Orochimaru made a grand spectacle of the whole thing and presented the man to the packed room as if he were a rare caged beast, praising and mocking him at the same time.

From what Sasuke got of the speech, because he was present at the dinner as Orochimaru's guards, was that Kimimaro betrayed him somehow. Next a woman was dragged into the room, she looked to be slightly older than Sakura now and she was crying and fighting against the guard holding her. Sasuke later found out from the girl herself, that she was the daughter of one of Orochimaru's clients. Kimimaro was sent to collect his long over do debt, which meant the lives of the man and his family... but for some reason he couldn't kill her. He murdered her family, yet kept her alive, and took her to a safe place to protect her from Orochimaru. That was over a year before, now it all made sense as to what he was talk about.

There was no judge and jury in this house, Orochimaru decided your fate, anyone that disobeyed a direst order or didn't finish a job was considered a betrayer. The girl was frantically screaming for her lover's life when Orochimaru pulled a gun out and put it to Kimimaro's temple. Despite how upset she was, the man had the same look on his face as he did everyday for the past year, in his own mind he died the day he couldn't kill her. Orochimaru executed him right there in front of everyone, to show what he did to traitors.

After his death the girl he was trying to protect was placed in the prostitution ring in the mansion. About a year later, two years after Sasuke arrived at the mansion, he found out that the girl took her own life; she was so depressed and heartbroken over his death that she had nothing left to live for.

That's was Orochimaru did to women, the innocent ones, the ones that just enjoyed the money and sex weren't bothered by him much. This is why Sasuke didn't want Sakura anywhere near him, he now feared what the rest of the letter said.

'Your death does not matter to me any longer Sasuke-kun, I have want I desire now... Sakura-chan is mine. Her father will do anything to get her back and when I become the leader of the council I'll make sure she know just who it was that put her here. How I wish to see your face when you read this Sasuke-kun, now you will know what the cost is for betraying me.'

"Uchiha what is that? Where's my sister?" Naruto brought Sasuke back to the reality of the situation. He crumpled up the note and jammed it in his pocket, quickly leaving the kitchen and headed out to the garage. "Uchiha what the hell is going on, where's Sakura?"

Naruto's screaming demand was ignored by the enraged man. He wasn't ready to tell them Orochimaru had Sakura, he wouldn't say anything until she was safely in his arms. This was his greatest fear, he didn't want to lose someone else precious to him to the council... he had to reach her in time.

'Hold on Sakura... he'll pay for this.'

Note: What is Orochimara going to do to poor Sakura-chan, and will Sasuke get there in time? And I just had to put Kimimaro in the story, for some reason even though he worked for Orochimaru in the anime he was one of my favorite characters. I'm thinking there are going to be only like two more chapters after this one, but I do plan on doing a sequel later. Chapters are coming slowly because school is my main focus right now... lot of school work. But I'm still working on my stories don't worry!

Thanks to:
renzie17
XxSasukeSakuraxX
FanFicGirl22
Uchihablossom0626
AntoSama
sakurasapprentice7
Nadoka
TragedyDawl
Kaydreams
lovexwatermelonx
For reviewing... keep 'em up!