A/N: I have finished my first year of college! I thank you all for your patience with me. Here's a chapter to celebrate. I think this is my longest one yet.

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine!

Creature Café

Chapter 2: Jungle Fever

Sasuke Uchiha is not someone who would go out of his way to court a girl. That didn't mean he wasn't good at it; he just didn't enjoy. It was tedious and boring and the end result was an overly clingy girl. He did not like it at all.

Even when he sees a woman who looks like she might be able to hold his attention, she ruins it by being some sort of slut. Honestly why should he bother? This one opinion was the only thing he and his boss agreed on, so it was shocking when his boss, Deidara, came to him and demanded that he, the chief of security at Creature Café, make it a priority to protect a newbie waitress.

The first thing that came to mind was whether or not he was being demoted, but when Deidara introduced Sasuke to the girl, he saw what was really going on. Deidara was infatuated. It was obvious from the way he looked and acted towards her.

Deidara was always rough on new employees even if they came from greater wealth or better families. Yet with this new girl he acted as though she could break if he looked at her too much. Sasuke had no idea that shy was in Deidara's vocabulary, but he still could barely even look at this Sakura girl without smiling timidly. Sasuke had not once seen Deidara act the way he did now.

"Excuse me Sasuke-san? Are you alright? If you don't want to do this I understand and I'm sure we can find someone else." Sakura reassured the male whose handsome face was fixed in a scowl. Sakura found it cruel really. Even the men that worked here were more beautiful than her. Now Sasuke was looking at her with perplexed eyes.

Sasuke was stunned. Though it wasn't enough to alter his facial expression it was still quite shocking when this girl just read him so easily. Of course he didn't want to waste time overseeing the safety of one girl, but anyone at this café who would have managed to guess that wouldn't have cared. It was the boss' orders after all. Actually most of the girls that worked here would have squealed in delight to have him protecting them. To find someone so different from the norm was refreshing.

Deidara glared at the damn Uchiha. How dare he act like this job would be unpleasant and make Sakura uncomfortable. It's not like he was making any less money. The brat should be grateful he even managed to find work in this café. Deidara had not wanted to hire him, but Ino insisted he work here. Deidara received additional pressure from Itachi as well. He really hated how he was so easily intimidated by Itachi.

"Don't worry about Sasuke, Sakura. He's always like this yeah." Deidara stated with a grin. He was about to put his arm around her as a message to Sasuke, but he retracted the arm when he heard the insistent tapping of his sister's heels approaching.

"Sakura, let's go pick out your outfit! I see you've met Sasuke. That's great! Okay while the boys talk security, we'll go get you ready and talk boys!" Ino affirmed proudly. Without further ado she dragged an unwilling Sakura up to her dressing room, already thinking of what she should have Sakura wear.

"Sakura"

"Yes Ino"

"You're too sexy for this shirt. Why do you wear it?" Ino asked holding up the green hoodie sweatshirt that Sakura would wear as soon as it was washed because it was comfortable.

"Believe it or not Ino, some people prefer comfort over fashion when you can't choose both. What are you doing?" Sakura wondered as Ino dived away from her.

"I'm waiting for the lightning to strike you for such a sacrilegious statement." Ino squeaked as a shoe was thrown at her.

"Ino, sacrilege implies that there is some sort of religion involved. I don't think that you should use it over fashion." Sakura snorted. For some reason, she had an easier time calling Ino by her first name than Deidara despite them both being her bosses. Though Deidara had pleaded with her to call him by name without honorifics, she just couldn't. It seemed too intimate to call a boy like that.

"Sakura, fashion is my religion." Ino declared completely serious and somewhat proud. "Anyway Sakura, who do you like better?"

"I'm not even sure I know who you're talking about." Sakura replied.

"I'm talking about my brother and Sasuke. Who do you like better?" Ino reiterated.

Sakura pouted. "I'm not fond of either one. I don't like men who are prettier than me." With that Sakura crossed her arms and continued to pout. This caused Ino to do an evil laugh mixed with giggles of delight. Frankly Sakura was creeped out. Ino was devising a devious plan.

-With Sasuke and Deidara-

"Do you understand?" Deidara asked in a stern voice.

"It's very simple from where I stand boss. You want me to beat any man that touches that girl to a bloody pulp." Sasuke retorted.

"That's exactly right yeah." Deidara replied going back to his bubbly self. That is until he saw the reservations in the area that Sakura was going to be serving. He was starting her off with two tables to wait on but had made the mistake of allowing Ino to choose the tables. She had chosen tables with one pervert and one ice bitch ... each. Did he mention they were all men with fan clubs? He needed to have a long talk with his sister.

Meanwhile Sasuke was lost in thought. He may be reading too much into it but he was beginning to think he and that Sakura girl were compatible. She was the first woman to ever read him and better yet she hadn't clung to him the moment she saw him. She even tried to see to his needs first though she had probably wanted him to guard her. He was beginning to see this job as a good opportunity to find out more about her. That way he would be able to tell if he was getting his hopes up.

Sasuke was beginning to form a plan to test her ability to resist his charms when the subject of his thoughts arrived in the most tantalizing outfit he had ever seen. The first word to pop into his mind was tease. That was exactly what she looked like in the outfit that almost dared him to touch and see what happens.

Meanwhile Deidara was having a similar reaction. The only difference was that he already had some clay in his hands and was working it into exactly what he was seeing. Sakura in a black v-neck tank top that had lavender roses starting at the point of the v-neckline and climbing their way upwards along both sides of the neckline and making a curved turn once they reached the sides of the top, then slanted down to meet once more at the bottom of the shirt. Taking a closer look, both boys noticed that the roses made a heart shape. Lavender flower petals mixed with leaves decorated her appealing assets here and there and were obviously meant to highlight them while the heart outlined them. The top gave the boys a taunting glimpse of cleavage that was just enough to drive both of them wild though Sasuke was doing a great job not showing.

Then there was the miniskirt. Compared to the top it was simple yet it looked so perfect on her that neither man could bring themselves to care. It was completely black with the hem dancing just below mid-thigh accentuating the length and creamy color of her legs. On the sides of the skirt were two thin silver chains that rested along her hips, showing off their shape. All in all her body was that of a goddess'.

To go along with the divine theme that seemed to be going on with this woman, her face was that of an angel's. She had a light dusting of makeup on her cheeks to bring out their natural rosy hue while her eye-shadow was the same color as the roses on her shirt. The combination of colors on her eyes was gorgeous, but nothing could compare to her lightly glossed coral pink lips tilted upwards in a shy smile. They were just bright enough to catch and keep a man's full attention and they were doing their job a little too well.

The two handsome men, who had seen many a lovely lady during their young lives and shrugged it off, could not take their eyes off the vision of perfection in front of them. Deidara couldn't decide if he was happy at finding such a diamond-in-the-rough or guilty at feeding her to a pack of perverted beasts plus two ice bitches. At least Sasuke would be there too.

Great, I'm feeding her to three ice bitches now. Deidara mentally noted just as the first customers of the evening arrived.

Sakura bolted upstairs at the first ring of the front bell. She did not want more people to see her like this than necessary. It was mortifying enough having her boss and coworker gawk at her the moment she was in view. She was hoping that the customers tonight would be more preoccupied with other women. Now she wasn't so sure.

-Later that night-

"Hey come on Gaara. Lighten up! We're here to relax, remember? You shouldn't be doing paperwork at the table. It's kind of rude." A young, blonde, blue eyed, tanned skin, and whisker marked man spoke to his friend as they sat at their table. This unusual young man's name is Naruto Uzumaki. He was the creator of the biggest ramen chain in Japan known as Ichiraku. It was incredible considering he was only a year or two older than Sakura.

Across from him sat 19 year old Gaara Sabaku. He has wild red hair, light green eyes, and a love tattoo on his forehead. Both men had muscles on their muscles since they've been in quite a few street fights each despite being renowned business geniuses.

That was how they met. It was the first time in a fight where they had to call it a draw. They had been best friends ever since. These two would be Sakura's first customers.

When Naruto complained about the paperwork thing again Gaara simply looked up at him with an apathetic face. "Do you really think I'm going to take lessons in manners from you?" Gaara smirked at the fuming Naruto.

While Naruto was yelling at Gaara, two men that were sitting not too far away were having their own conversation about the two. 19 year old Kiba Inuzuka was exerting enormous effort to not crack up at the two friends that could easily be mistaken for a comedy duo. The young man was rugged with brown hair going in every direction possible. He had black eyes, tanned skin, bulging muscles, and red fang tattoos on his cheeks.

Kiba just finished high school, but had been seen as a professional dog breeder since age 16. He didn't breed just any dogs. Kiba bred champions. It had made him quite famous, not to mention he loved dogs, so he felt as though this was his life's calling.

20 year old Neji Hyuuga rolled his eyes at Naruto's behavior. He couldn't help but let a few chuckles escape though. Naruto was simply great entertainment.

The Hyuuga is a male model, one of the best. His silver eyes that held just the slightest purple tint drove women mad all across the world. He had a pale complexion and long coffee colored hair he tied low. His body was well muscled but they were lean and toned muscles that were different from Kiba's bulky build. Neji had been given the nickname "Prince" due to his gentlemanly mannerisms and beautiful looks.

Suddenly Neji was choking on air. Across the room, making her way towards Naruto's table was Sakura Haruno in an outfit he was not used to seeing her in. The outfit was not completely indecent like some of the clothes around here, but it was probably the sexiest thing in the room due solely to its wearer. It didn't help his hormones that she also happened to be his secret love interest.

Sakura Haruno had trained at the same dojo as Neji's cousin, Hinata Hyuuga, and they became fast friends. Neji had surpassed the instructors of the dojo and left at age 15, but he was not above going there and giving pointers to some of the students. The only person he was unable to give pointers to was Sakura. Her fighting style was unique and flawless. She made the most difficult katas look effortless. She was calm, precise, smooth, adaptable, and most of all determined. When Neji watched her spar for the first time, he was enchanted. She had looked as though she was dancing for about 10 seconds and it was over. She had taken down an opponent bigger and stronger than she was in 10 seconds. From that moment on he knew he was in love.

He did not want other men to see her in that outfit, but from what his sharp eyes were telling him, it was too late. Naruto was openly gaping at her and in a shadowed corner he detected a security guard he recognized as Sasuke Uchiha. The Uchiha was practically undressing her with his eyes while her back was turned. He and Sasuke went to the same middle school and high school. They had been competing since they first met and from the looks of it, they were still competing. Only this time they were contending for something more important.

Sakura blushed as she made her way to the table where a handsome blonde man was openly staring at her. She noticed that an equally handsome redhead was sitting at the table as well but thankfully he wasn't paying attention to her. Of course, Ino would have her head if she found out that Sakura didn't even try to flirt, so she better turn up the charm.

"Good evening gentlemen. I'm Sakura and I'll be serving you this evening. Can I get you anything to drink?" Sakura purposely lowered her voice while keeping it smooth as melted chocolate. It drove Naruto so wild he could hardly stand it.

Gaara hadn't noticed anyone come to the table due to his focus on his work. He was startled when he heard the voice and was surprised when it affected him. What gave him the biggest shock however was looking up to find a blushing innocent looking woman in a not so innocent outfit. He found that she was also a beautiful woman to begin with. Pair that with her outfit and he didn't think he'd be getting any work done tonight. That didn't stop him from looking back at his paperwork to hide his blush.

"Well hello to you too sexy lady. I think I'll skip the drink since I just found a tall drink of water." Naruto shamelessly flirted with the woman who was so out of her element. All she could do to hide her surprise at his interest was laugh lightly at the lame pickup line. Both men were taken by surprise when their stomachs started doing flips at the melodic sound.

"Naruto just hurry up and order a drink." Gaara demanded. For reasons he couldn't fathom he did not enjoy seeing Naruto flirting with this woman.

"Gaara don't be jealous just because Sakura-chan and I are made for each other." Naruto retorted.

"Gaara-sama, what can I get you to drink?" Sakura asked smiling at the redhead. Naruto's stomach acted up again and Gaara's heart was starting to pound faster than it ever had.

How is this woman influencing me so much? I don't know anything about her! Gaara ruminated. This was the first time he'd felt like this. When he looked up at her again he got trapped in her eyes for a moment before he realized that she was still waiting for his order.

"I'll have some hot tea." He stated still unable to look away.

"Now, Naruto-sama, are you ready to get serious and order an actual drink?" Sakura asked looking at Naruto with an eyebrow raised. Now Gaara was really interested. Though his pickup lines were lame and overused, girls flocked to Naruto due to his wealth, power, and looks. However this girl just brushed it off. She was different, and better yet, she was interesting.

"I'm always serious Sakura-chan and please just call me Naruto!" Naruto told her causing Gaara to snort at the lie. Naruto glared at his friend, but decided to order before he got Sakura in trouble. "I'll have a coffee Sakura-chan."

"For everyone's sake please make that decaf." Gaara pleaded dead serious. Sakura burst into a fit of muffled laughter. She had agonized over what kind of people they would be. Though they were supposed to be snobby business men in her mind she was delighted to be proven wrong. Who knew she would be waiting on comedy routine?

"I hope you two don't mind me saying this but you don't seem like the other customers at all. I dare say that I'm far more relaxed around you two than I imagined I would be." Sakura stated with a warm and soft look in her eye that neither man was used to seeing. They had seen looks of jealousy and even hatred in the eyes of other men and rejected women and lust in the eyes of women who didn't know them, but never had they seen the look in the eyes that both wanted to get lost in.

I could get used to that look. They both thought simultaneously. Naruto was the first to recover from his trance like state.

"I'm glad you feel that way Sakura-chan! I certainly don't want my future girlfriend uncomfortable around me!" He exclaimed causing Gaara to glare at him.

As she sauntered off to the next table the residual sound of her laughter haunted them both.

As Sakura was making her way to the next table across the room, she was taken by surprise when she was pulled around a corner into a shadowed alcove. Her surprise doubled when she saw Sasuke Uchiha looking at her with a hint of concern in his eyes though his face held no expression. First the comical business men and now a man I barely even know is concerned about me. Will wonders never cease? Sakura mused as she was once again taken over by envy at how beautiful this man was.

"You're not used to wearing heels are you? You can rest a bit here. I'm sure the bosses won't mind if I tell them that you need to work just the one table tonight." Sasuke stated with a shrug.

Sakura was touched. She thought that he found her an annoyance but here he was going out of his way to help her out. Her feet did hurt from walking around in heals after the training she went through, but she had no intention of letting that stop her or even slow her down. She had asked for this job and she was going to earn her pay. Keep your eyes on the prize. She thought to herself.

Sasuke was once again taken by surprise when she smiled softly at him. "Thank you Sasuke-san. I really appreciate you looking out for me, but I'm the one who wanted this job. If I slack off on the first day I'll never be able to keep it. I'll take care of both tables. I may not look it but once I set my mind to something, I don't back down." With that Sakura stood prepared to get back out there and endure the pain, but she was once again stopped by Sasuke.

Without a word Sasuke pulled a box from under the chair she sat on and carefully removed one of the high heeled shoes then the other. Once that was done he opened the box to reveal simple black flats. When he placed them on her feet the difference in comfort was so drastic Sakura could have cried tears of joy.

Sasuke observed her reaction carefully. "As much as I would like to take credit for this it was Deidara who got these prepared. I can honestly say though that we both want you to be comfortable. Besides, many of the customers would like to see a petite girl like you walking around." Sasuke said nonchalantly. For this entire exchange he had remained expressionless but his heart seemed intent on racing itself and pounding faster and faster in the presence of the green eyed beauty. However his mask completely fell apart when she hugged him. His face melted into a pleased smirk and then an actual smile as his arms wrapped themselves around her tiny waist.

"Thanks for looking out for me." With that said she pulled out of the embrace and walked away. She was off to serve the next table no doubt and she didn't even realize how much she shocked Sasuke by simply stepping out of his arms.

Kiba was completely slack-jawed at the goddess walking towards him. His heart kicked into overdrive and he immediately went into flirt mode. "Hey there, Angel, you should have told me you were falling from heaven. I would have been there to catch you." Kiba proclaimed with a mischievous grin accompanied by a wink. The next thing he knew, he felt someone delivering a sharp kick to him under the table.

"What the hell was that for Neji?" Kiba demanded. He did not appreciate the bruising or swelling that was taking place on his shin. What pissed him off more was the fact that Neji was just sitting there looking over the menu and looking far too innocent.

Sakura had been hoping her eyes were lying when they saw Neji Hyuuga sitting at the table. She could officially consider her hopes crushed. Now Sakura had to flirt with one of her only guy friends. This would be the definition of awkward.

Sakura bent to whisper in Neji's ear. "Neji-sama there is no need to come to my defense when you know that I'm capable of handling myself." Sakura scolded. Neji immediately stiffened. First seeing her in that outfit and now having her hot breath on his face was quickly becoming too much to handle. After all he had never known this side of Sakura. It was more alluring than he could have dreamed.

Sakura misinterpreted Neji's sudden stiffness and briefly ran her hand along his shoulder hoping to loosen him up. Neji, who was known for his control, had to exert all his effort and focus on not jumping her then and there. Kiba on the other hand was trying not to mimic Neji's earlier actions and kick the silver-eyed man under the table. He was beginning to wonder why he was resisting the urge.

"Wait a minute! Are you telling me you already know each other?" Kiba questioned angrily. Neji merely smirked at him. However anger vanished when Sakura turned her gorgeous green eyes on him and smiled gently at him.

"Don't worry Kiba-sama. I promise not to neglect you." Sakura stated returning his earlier wink. For the first time ever, Kiba felt his insides melt into goo. This girl was something else.

"You know I don't think I caught your name." Kiba mumbled with a blush on his face.

"Well I don't mind you calling me Angel but I respond best to Sakura or Sakura-chan." Sakura told him while shrugging nonchalantly.

"So you're named for cherry blossoms? It suits you." Kiba proclaimed with a lovesick grin. Neji couldn't help but notice that he was not the only one glaring at Kiba when Sakura smiled innocently back at him.

It's on. Neji mentally declared.