" I am not a threat to your village"

" once it was your village too, and I do not trust you enough for you to just roam around my village." Her voice held authority that is worthy of her title.

"I do not wish to fight you or any other leaf shinobi if I have a choice. I just need some information" tsunade's eyes narrowed as she set forth her disapproving statement.

"Data about Uchiha Itachi? Well sorry to inform your highness, but konoha doesn't have anything on your detested brother."

"And what about Akasuna no Sasori, does konoha know of his whereabouts?" He immediately questioned.

"Why are you following him?" Her tone held caution. She just have a niggling suspicion about where this is going.

"For revenge"

She laughed. It was a laugh filled with bitterness and suppressed grief.

" that's the only thing that matters to you , isn't it? Revenge and power. I am sure you don't even acknowledged it for more than a minute that your teammate, the girl who truly loved you, who suffered when you left, who remained on your side and kept in believing in you when no one else did, is now dead."

Her voice rose. She wanted to cry, sob and howl her heart out but she kept her emotions in check.

Sasuke's sharingan was spinning wildly. He had a sneer plastered on his flawless face.

" you don't know what your blabbering about" his tone was icy cold.

"Oh then please, enlighten me"

"There is no way that I am going to explain anything to you konoha fools. Y-"

"SHE WAS FROM KONOHA TOO " tsunade shouted, her head hanging downwards, starting at the clean floor.

When she faced the uchiha again, she knew it was a shadow clone.

When has that brat slipped away from the office , she didn't know.But she knew one thing. She moved to check the drawer which he was about to open. She cursed loudly when she found it empty.

That bastard has manipulated her emotions in his favour.

And now he will find out about that .

She knew their encounter is inevitable.

"Hokage-sama" she turned towards the Anbu that called her. he continued when he knew that he has her attention. "two teams of Elite jounin and one Anbu squad are engaging in an fight with him"

she nodded.

'everything is going according to plan'

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"open the door or i shall use force to open it myself"

silence. no one answered from the other side of the door.

Sasori sighed. It happens almost once every month.

Her emotions are just so annoying that they come back every time he gets rid of them. maybe this time he'll just turn her into a puppet. But there is something in her that is making him reluctant to do so.

"i am aware that you can listen to me. open the door, sakura." his voice was commanding.

his brown eyes changed their bored position and narrowed.

he was about to kick the door when it opened itslef, slowly. She was on the other side.

Her eyes were puffy and red from crying. And still some sobs escaped her.

sakura was in a pathetic state.

she looked up from her previous staring at the floor and gazed at him.

their eyes met. her's, filled with pain and his, just apathetic.

their were millions of emotions swirling inside her heart. she don't know what she can do in her current situation. she's helpless infront of him. And she doesn't like this feeling of helplessness.

"sakura"

The way Her name rolled out in his voice sent shivers down her spine. Her stomach was in knots just thinking about what he is going to say next.

he moved forward, she stepped back instinctively.

He stopped when he entered her room, and she was forced to step back because she just refused to be in close proximity to this man right now . "why do you get so emotional, sakura? now i have to redo the jutsu on you"

Sakura's eyes widened. no please, not that. anything but that.

emotions were just bursting in her. her panic rose . she was almost hysterical. Then...she did something which she will later blame on her almost hysterical state.

She hugged him. his body felt hard under her. He is a puppet after all.

"please, please don't seperate me from my emotions again. when you do that , i...i felt caged. it's as if i am... being confined inside my mind and some entirely other entity has the controls of my body. it's a very...very unpleasant and terrifying feeling . please... don't do that to me." her voice was pathetic and pleading. She continued "i promise i will never be an annoyance to you. i..i will keep my emotions in check. i promise. we are teammates..right? and ..and teammates cooperate with each other. so...so I'll cooperate with you. i will follow your...every instructions."

she was a mess. she was crying again. and was desperately clinging to his cloak and pleading to him.

he just stood there like a statue for a while. At a loss of words. Then when sense seem to come back to him, he took her wrists in his own hands and forced her off of him.

he didn't relinquished his old on her right away. Sasori stared at her pitiful condition. then Something stirred in him.

suddenly He dropped her hands as if burnt. his eyes narrowed like slits.

he turned on his heels and left. suddenly, Sakura was once again alone in her room.

to be continued...