AN: Hey, Cinnabunnbunn here.

So, it's been a while, I know. But this is what happens when you're managing four stories at the same time. I had to update Your Royal highness, I just started a new story called I burn for you, I'm currently writing the new Scarlet dandelions chapter, and now here I'm uploading this.

Okay enough ranting, onto the chap-

The clicks of keyboard buttons stopped as a knock on the door resounded through the study. Madara looked up from his computer screen, removing his glasses from his eyes, "Come in."

The door cracked open and his brother's head poked in. "Brother." Izuna greeted, shutting the door behind him, "I have some news on the Akatsuki's." Madara's ears perked up, his back straightening in attention, "What is it?"

"Two members, actually three members, have been spotted around the western base, around the firearm shipment period."

Madara frowned, his fingers drumming on the table surface, "Do we have an intention?" His frown deepened when Izuna shook his head. He rubbed his chin in thought, mind running in circles to find a solution to this new development he is seeing. "I'll look into it. Inform Shisui and Itachi to discreetly keep watch around the warehouses."

Izuna nodded and turned around to take his leave, but then paused as if remembering something, "And another thing." At Madara's raised eyebrow, he continued, "Those three members have also… interacted with Sakura."

Madara minutely raised his eyebrows in surprise, his mind flashing the image of pink hair, "Is she in contact with them?" Izuna again shook his head, "Doesn't seem like so. Satori informed about seeing them at the Hoshigaki's gym one morning. There didn't seem to be anyone other than Sakura and the three Akatsuki. They seemed to have met accidently, there wasn't indication that they planned to meet."

Madara became more and more amused as he listened to the report from one of his subordinates. That pinkette really seemed to have a penchant for attracting attention from the wrong type of people. First the Uchihas, then the Akatsukis.

Madara nodded before lightening up his monitor screen once more and opening up the calendar planner, "Hmm. She's friends with Sasuke, right? And his birthday is coming." He smirked at the date highlighted in blue, looking at Izuna's matching expression. "This will be fun. Have we gotten responses for all the RSVPs?"

Izuna cocked his head to the side, mentally checking through the list, "Most of them. Elder Kaname, uncle Mashiro and Aunty Okone have yet to respond and six families will be absent."

Madara nodded, typing down the responses and waved Izuna out, "That's all. You should go to sleep now." He kept his eyes on the screen, but the gears in his head were turning quickly.

These Akatsuki pests were becoming a real daily annoyance. Not only interfering with his business, but also on his private matters. He does not care that they accidentally met the pinkette, they interacted at all was the problem.

"I'll just have to do it myself." Madara smirked to himself, staring intently at a particular date highlighted in a week.

"Oh fuck no."

Sakura didn't realize she said it out loud until every eye in the vicinity turned toward her. She slowly turned around, facing her back to the incoming pair of Uchiha. "Why the hell am I here?" Sakura whispered to herself, rubbing her forehead.

She was contemplating just backtracking her way down the stairs, but the call of her name stopped her. "Sakura-chan!" It was Mikoto, and Sakura could only nervously smile at her. Sasuke put a hand on her back to support her, making sure she wouldn't just run off. "Sakura." Sasuke addressed her as the man stopped in front of them, hands swirling a glass of whiskey and red eyes boring on her. Sasuke motioned a hand to the man, keeping the other one still on her back, "Meet my uncle, Madara Uchiha."

Sakura was still silent for a minute as the information Sasuke gave her sunk in her brain, and the curses she was screaming in her mind would've made a sailor blush.

Just her luck that the person she has picked a fight with not two weeks ago, happened to be her friend's uncle. Perfect, just perfect.

"Sakura, was it." The deep voice addressed her, making her flinch and nervously look at the tall man staring down intensely at her. She discreetly gulped and inclined her head in greeting, "Mister Uchiha. Pleased to meet you." She was quite proud of how even she kept her voice.

Madara's red eyes measured her up and down, from her small feet clad in cream sandals to her pink hair cascading down in silky waves. "I think we've met before. Have we not." It wasn't a question, they both very well knew where they've met.

Sakura wanted to say 'No we haven't' and instead just nodded her head, "Yes, we have. You came in my café, if I remember correctly." 'Unfortunately'.

Madara hummed, taking a sip of his wine and eyes still trained on the shorter form of the pinkette, "Ah, yes. There was quite a ruckus that day at that establishment."

Sakura flushed a little, glancing at Sasuke and found him already looking at her. "A-ah. Yes."

Before anyone could say anything else, they were interrupted by Mikoto, "Sasu-chan, Naruto-kun, come with me please. I need your help with something."

Sasuke would've declined but one look from his mother shut down any complaint he had. He glanced at both Madara and Sakura, giving Sakura a reassuring pat on her back, "Sakura, I'll be back in a bit." He looked at his uncle suspiciously before grabbing Naruto to drag him away, since he looked much too unwilling to move from his spot beside Sakura.

'What the hell?!' Panic ran through Sakura's head as she watched Sasuke drag away a sputtering Naruto behind Mikoto, and soon they were lost in the crowd. Sakura cast a look around and found both Itachi and Shisui nowhere to be seen either, and she could only see Izuna but he too was at the drink bar.

Which meant, it was just her and Madara. Alone.

'Fuck.'

A sound of throat clearing reached her, followed by the familiar low voice. "So, Sakura, what classes do you take? You are in the same university as Sasuke, right?"

Sakura dared a look to her side, and found those crimson eyes trained on her. She cleared her throat too, looking down and pretending to brush nonexistent dust off her skirt, "Yes, I am. I am currently majoring in literature and linguistics."

Madara nodded, refilling his glass from a nearby server, "How long have you worked at… whatever that place is."

Sakura breathed through her nose at the sudden spike in irritation inside her. This man… "'That place' is the Honeydew café, mister. I've been working there for past two years."

"Huh, it's quite a tiny place. I hardly had room to move the last time I was there."

Sakura's eye twitched at the arrogance dripping from his each word. Closing her eyes and exhaling out, she decided to ignore him, for now. "Whatever." Where the hell were they? How long is it going to take them? "Mister Uchiha, where do you work?"

The glass paused in its way to Madara's lips, as he looked at the shorter pinkette staring at him passively. "I own the Blue Raven corporative."

Sakura felt her eyes widen at his answer. "Blue Raven? You mean the law firm?" Blue Raven was one of the most well-known law firms in Konoha. And to think the Uchihas own it.

"Oh, so you do know about it. Yes, I co-own Blue raven with my brother and cousin, Fugaku, Sasuke's father."

'Holy shit.' Sakura knew that Sasuke and his family was rich, but not just how rich. 'Oh my God, what the hell.' Owning the Blue raven means massive revenue and power, not just over the company, but also over the law itself. No wonder Sasuke never had to deal with all the speeding tickets he got.

"Oh wow. That's great." Sakura mumbled out, wringing her hands nervously. Suddenly, for some reason, she felt nervous to be talking to this man. She had thought that he was a danger signal the first day he came to her workplace, but now she has a reason to believe that.

Just him being the owner to pretty much the biggest law firm in the country, shouldn't be alarming in on itself. But something about the air of darkness that surrounded him, combined with the power he has over something that should be equal for everyone, made flashing sirens ring through her mind.

Another question from him brought her attention back. "What is your familial status?"

Sakura tensed up, her fingers clutching at her skirt, "That is a bit personal." Her flat voice left no room to continue down the route.

Madara hummed again, his eyes catching his brother's. Izuna motioned with his glass toward the balcony door, meaning Mikoto must be done with her chore. "Huh, what was your name again?" He looked at Sakura, his eyes roaming once more over her dainty figure. He must admit, she was a beauty in her own right.

"It's Sakura."

"Your whole name."

Madara definitely noticed the way her shoulder blades sharpened and how her eyes shot down to the ground. "Just Sakura. Nothing more." Her answer came out in a rushed murmur, as if in a hurry to shut down the question.

"No surname?"

Sakura was 'this' close flipping the table they were leaning on and running downstairs. Where the hell are these questions coming from? Why was her lack of surname so much of an interest to the Uchiha?

"No." She made sure that her tone was as clipped as possible, no one would miss her unwillingness in continuing the conversation. The polite conversation that she started with the older Uchiha, was suddenly starting to feel a lot like an interrogation, with the motive of fishing out some information from her.

He still continued, probing and prodding questions at her, where was she from, what school did she go to, where is her family, where are they from, who are her parents, where are they. It felt like she was a guilty suspect to a murder being held in custody for interrogation. He definitely knew what he was doing, his sharp eyes looking for every sign of discomfort in her body language.

He wasn't just making friendly talk, and she was getting angry.

And she probably should've kept these thoughts to herself, but unwittingly, she didn't. "Mister Uchiha, are you trying to get some information from me?" At the inquiry in his eyes, she pursed her lips "This feels like an interrogation."

Madara was surprised, pleasantly, but his usual mask of stoicism kept it well hidden. "No, not at all. Whatever gave you that idea."

"Oh you are." Sakura kept her eyes leveled on the Uchiha. She might have been intimidated before, but her irritation overrode all her nerves. Something about him was getting on her nerves, maybe it was the way he looked at her down his nose, or his subtle jabs about her finances and her presumed low status.

He was annoying the fuck out of her.

Sakura folded her arms over her chest and tilted her chin up. No way she'll let him look down on her anymore. "For someone I'm meeting just now, you sure feel like you can ask all the invasive questions you can think of. You aren't just talking with me; you are examining me. Why?"

Madara just looked down at the girl, his drink nowhere in the sight, and inwardly, he was laughing in hysteria. This girl was way more interesting than he ever imagined.

When he started talking to her, he was a little surprised, and a little disappointed, that the fiery personality he was witnessed firsthand, was nowhere to be seen. Her way of talking was quite mellow, and he was almost displeased to have wasted his time finding intel on her.

But oh, how glad he was now.

The moment he saw her clench her fist and level her ablaze green eyes on him, it was like a complete flip in her personality. Nowhere was the slight girl politely making small talk to stay on his good side, this was a storm with eyes of steel and voice raining hailstorm.

"Oh, miss Sakura." He chuckled, noting the way Sakura narrowed her eyes, and put down his glass on the table. "You misunderstand. It was not my intention to make you feel… unwelcomed."

Sakura narrowed her eyes further, setting her lips in a thin line. "Oh really. Because it sure as hell felt like it."

"That might've just been your imagination." Madara smirked at her, and watched as she opened to mouth to respond, but got interrupted by Mikoto's voice.

"Hello! Everyone! The lounge has been prepared for you all, and the dinner has been finished. Please follow this way." Mikoto opened the door on the far left side of the balcony, a pair of servants leading the crowd of Uchihas further into the house. One by one, the Uchihas started pouring out of the space, and soon enough the balcony was completely empty save for the selected few.

Sakura looked over the railing into the hall, and found that the only people present were her friends.

"Fucking finally." Naruto groaned, rubbing his head as he slid next to Sakura. "God that took so long."

"What were you all doing anyway?" Sakura raised an eyebrow at the beaten expression on both her friends' faces. They looked like they just ran through a marathon, with their clothes rumpled and faces sweaty.

"Just weight lifting sacks of potatoes. Don't think too much about it." Sasuke grumbled, pulling on his tie and opening the first two buttons of his shirt. He did a quick up and down check on Sakura, deciding that she's fine after whatever interaction she had with his uncle.

Naruto opened his mouth to butt in, but was swiftly interrupted when someone literally jumped onto him.

"Sakura!"

'Ah, Ino.' Sakura mused as the other blond literally shoved Naruto away to grab a hold on her arm. Ino tugged on her arm, beginning to take her away from the balcony. "Come on forehead. Let's go. The party's starting."

"Huh?" All three of the college students resounded in confusion as they threw a peek over the railing, to see that all the tables from the center have been pushed to the outskirts of the hall, and every other light source other than the chandelier was being dimmed out.

"What are you all doing?" Sasuke asked in annoyance, throwing a glance at his uncle to gage his reaction. He breathed in relieve when he saw the unconcerned expression on his face.

Ino scrunched her face at him in annoyance, "The fuck you mean 'what are y'all doing'? Did you think that we would just be listening to old people songs and eating pasta." Ino huffed, flipping her long ponytail over her shoulder and giving him a smug smirk, "It's show time, honey. Come on everyone."

"Actually, he is needed here for a while."

Sakura looked over her shoulder to see the other pair of Uchihas walking toward where she was standing. Shisui and Itachi waved at the group, each holding a glass of drink. Shisui grinned at Sakura, "Sorry, Sakura-chan, but Sasu-chan has some work to do?"

Sakura ignored the affectionate suffix attached to her name and raised an eyebrow at him, "Work? On his birthday?" She glanced at Sasuke and saw his face twisted in displeasure.

Itachi smiled at her apologetically, "Yeah, sorry about that. He'll be with you shortly."

Sakura looked at Sasuke again, and saw the scowl etched on his face. Normally, she would love to annoy him and leave him to deal with the mess. But she felt bad for him right now, on his birthday.

"Actually," Sakura grabbed Sasuke by his arm, dragging him with her toward the stairs making him look at her in surprise, "I'm sure it can wait. He'll deal with it later. We're just going to be downstairs."

Sakura was tugging both Sasuke and Naruto with her but then paused just shy of the staircase when she heard the deep voice addressing her.

"Miss Sakura," Sakura looked over her shoulder to the oldest Uchiha, "We'll be having a meeting at your… café." Madara said out loud, sliding his eyes over to the retreating pinkette, "Make sure it's running in order in this time."

Sakura gave him a flat stare, resisting the urge to make a face at him, "Keep your men on a leash and everything will be just peachy." She gave him one last look before turning her face the other way, "Good night, sir."

"Hey, forehead!" Ino hurried after the pinkette, throwing the glance behind her to the group of Uchihas. "What was that about? Do you know him?"

Sakura didn't give an answer until she reached the end of the stairwell and released the unfortunate boys she was dragging along, "He came into my café once, with his lackeys and all. One of his men caused a commotion, we kicked them out, and now he's sour."

Naruto whistled as she recalled the tale, folding his arms behind his head, "He seems like a real pain in the ass, right, teme?"

Sasuke grumbled, walking behind last, "You don't say."

The room darkened even more, and the only thing that was illuminated was the dimmed chandelier and a disco ball. They joined the rest of their friends, huddled together in the center of the hall directly under the shining ball. As soon as Sakura joined them, Ino was quickly ushering them to form a circle, arms intertwined and feet tapping.

"You didn't think that this was going to be boring white tie 1970s gala, did you?" Ino smirked at the questioning look Sasuke threw at her, and then took out her phone. And immediately, the large speakers hidden behind the curtains boomed with bass drums.

Sakura doesn't even remember what she was doing specifically after that, she just remembers booming with laughter as feet slapped against marbled floor, arms interlinked and moving to the beat of the song. She probably was stuck between Naruto and Sasuke, head bobbing to the percussions of fast drums and arms up in the air, body moving to the music.

The dance floor was a blur in her mind, throwing back drinks handed to her and head dizzy with wild music, she felt the weight of Naruto's strong arm over her shoulder and Sasuke's firm palm on her waist. She didn't even remember the various eyes on the balcony, nor the snotty butlers throwing them side eyes.

She felt too good to care.

Somewhere into the second song, the circle was well broken, and remaining just crowd of moving bodies, arms up, bobbing heads and wild laughter. Somewhere after the fifteenth song, did they slowly stop to catch a breath, lingering adrenaline fueling delirious laughter.

Sakura belatedly realized, as she was being handed another drink, the proximity with her two companions. She was practically sandwiched flush between Naruto and Sasuke, their heat soaking into her already warm skin. She felt a blush creeping up her neck, thankfully concealed under the already darkened atmosphere and her already red skin, as she gulped down the martini.

"Otouto." Someone called Sasuke, from the top of the stairs. They collectively turned to see Itachi waving Sasuke over, motioning him to come back to the balcony. Sasuke scowled at him, clearly showing his reluctance to leave the hall floor, but one stern look from his elder brother was enough to tell him to detach himself from the herd.

"I'll be back." Sasuke murmured under his breath, casting a meaningful glance to the pinkette beside him and then stomped up the stairs. Sakura's eyes followed him before they were caught by a different set of red eyes. Itachi smiled at her kindly before he dragged his brother away from the staircase and behind the railing and away from her line of vision.

And that was all she saw before she too was dragged into the tight circle and the speakers boomed with heavy blaring horns again.

"What the hell is it?" Sasuke scowled at his brother while being led to the drinks table, where they were standing at before going downstairs. He glanced down at the party going on below him and grumbled under his breath at having to be stuck here while everyone else is enjoying themselves.

His eyes glared at the new addition, the Hyuuga had seemed to take his position beside Sakura, her fingers holding onto the crook of his elbow and jumping up and down to the beat. His glare became harsher when he saw the decreasing proximity between them.

Whatever it was Itachi dragged him away for, better take no more than five minutes.

"Come on Otouto." Itachi pushed him toward the table where he saw his uncle and mother, along with his cousin. Great, just the people he wanted to talk to.

When he got close enough, Madara looked up from his glass of scotch, leveling his eyes with him. "Uncle." Sasuke called out, feeling a growing sense of nervousness in the pit of his stomach.

Madara put down his glass, sitting down on the plush chair beside the wine table, "Nephew, have a seat." He gestured toward the other table on the opposite end. Sasuke fidgeted a little under the weight of his stare, but still refused to sit, "No, it's fine. I'll need to go down in a bit anyway, they're waiting for me."

A mumble from his cousin made him scowl, "They seemed to be enjoying without you."

"Shut up you dork."

"Sasu-chan." Mikoto warned him against his crass language. Sasuke grumbled under his breath before he heard his uncle talking again.

"Nephew, I need you to do something for me." Madara sipped from his glass, red eyes trained on the young boy in front of him. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the request that sounded more like a command, "What is it?"

"I need you to collect some information on your friend, Sakura."

'What?' "What?" Sasuke's eyes widened, his blood freezing in his veins. He must've heard wrong, his brain was somehow tricking him making it seem like his uncle just told him to dig information on Sakura.

"I need you," his uncle put down the scotch glass, leaning back in his chair, "to find more information on your friend, Sakura. The one with pink hair. I want you to find out about her family, her academic past, where she's from, and her full name."

Sasuke had drowned out everything his uncle was saying to him, and his mind just repeating that 'he fucked up'. He should've never introduced Sakura to anyone, he shouldn't have brought her here, he should've never even mentioned her.

"Nephew." Sasuke was brought back to the present at the sharp call, "Do you understand?"

He couldn't say anything even at that. "Why?"

"Why?" Madara raised his eyebrow. Sasuke shook his head, shaking himself out of the shock, "Why do you want to know about her? First at that dinner, and now, what do you want from her?"

Madara tilted his head to the side, reaching inside his blazer pocket to fish out a cigarette box, "I won't harm your friend, if that's what you're worried about. You don't need to concern yourself with anything else."

Sasuke had been trying to stop his shaking hands, but he couldn't hold himself any longer. He slammed his palms on the table, making his uncle pause in his way to reach for his lighter. He bared his teeth, eyebrows slanting down in anger and frustration, "Do not tell me to not concern myself, she's my friend for fuck's sake!"

"Sasuke!" His mother reprimanded him, reaching out to clasp his shoulder but her hand got quickly swatted away by her younger son.

"No, mom. I've had enough." He glared at his uncle, who was narrowing his eyes at his retaliation, "Uncle, I don't know what she did to you, I don't know what you found in her. But stop going after her for god's sake." The words escaped him in angry pants, his fingers clutching at the edge of the table till his knuckles turned white, "Please."

It was silent for a hot minute, only the loud music from downstairs was filling the space but even that was drowned out by the blood rushing in his ears. What God did he piss off to land in such predicament? What God did Sakura piss off to have Madara hot on her tail like a blood hound.

Madara was still looking at him in contemplation, the lit cigarette twirling between his fingers. He puffed out a breath of smoke before saying anything, "Why do you care so much, nephew?"

"Because she's my friend. I care for her. Why are you after her, just let her go." He was so close to pleading with his uncle.

He knew who his uncle was, just how dangerous he was. On more than one occasion, he had seen the ivory cuffs stained with red. His mother had tried to keep him away from the dark dealing behind the curtains until he was old enough, but that didn't mean he wasn't aware of the bodies that littered the warehouses under his family.

He wanted Sakura nowhere near that man. No attention, good or bad, from Madara Uchiha is ever good news.

"Your reaction speaks of way more than just protectiveness over a friend."

"I like her damnit." He yelled over the music, palms slamming against the table. His face flushed in anger, "I like her and I care for her alright. Just stop."

The people around him stilled but his eyes were trained on the Uchiha head looking at him with an apathetic gaze. His stupor broke when he heard a low whistle coming from his cousin, "Damn Sasu-chan, who knew you had it in you." Shisui grinned at him, leaning back against the balcony pillar, "But who could blame you. I would too if I had such an adorable friend."

Sasuke glared at him, stalking froward to grab him but found himself being restrained by his brother. "You stay away from her you asshole." He growled at Shisui who looked completely unfazed, looking over the railing onto the ballroom floor. "You got it? Stay away from her." He struggled against Itachi's hold but couldn't escape it.

"Otouto, calm down." Itachi smoothly replied, tightening his hold on Sasuke's shoulder. He spared a warning look to Shisui, cautioning him against riling Sasuke up any more. Shisui loved to toy with Sasuke, and while Itachi was more tolerant to that behavior, this was not the time to test the limits.

Sasuke shook out of the hold, grabbing the nearby full glass of whisky and threw it back in one gulp. He felt the burn of alcohol through his throat and settle in his stomach, heating his skin up immediately. He wanted to bang his head on the table and then head downstair to drag Sakura away and lock her up somewhere his uncle wouldn't reach. He carefully put down the glass lest he throws it on the ground or shatters it in his grip.

His head was already buzzing from the straight whisky, his brain getting a little foggy but it wasn't hazy enough for him to not hear what his cousin said.

"Do I really need to listen to you."

Sasuke glare snapped up, his eyes feeling like on fire and he shot forward, grabbing Shisui by his collar and slamming him on the pillar. He ignored his mother's yells, glaring into Shisui's eyes "You will stay the fuck away from her or God so help me-" he couldn't even finish the sentence, his voice cracking from the sheer emotions welling up in his throat.

What did he do to deserve all this. He has never dared like any girl before this, neither has he found anyone worth liking. But this was the first time for him to feel this intensely for anyone, to want to protect her, care for her, hold her at nights and wake up next to in the mornings.

And when he finally finds someone, it leads to all this madness.

Shisui, annoyingly enough, only smirks at him, looking down amusingly at the shorter male. "Well, for now, I'm not the one you should be worried about." He glanced over the railing, prompting Sasuke to do the same.

He saw the Hyuuga, sidled up close with the pinkette, his arms fully wrapped around his waist like his were minutes ago. He couldn't see the expression on his face with the dimmed light but he didn't need to. He had seen enough.

He pushed away his cousin, spinning around and picking up a shot glass, welling it with vodka and throwing it back. He ignored his mother trying to reach for him, heading straight toward the stairs. He threw down the shot glass on the stairs, shattering it into pieces and making the people in the hall pause at the loud sound.

He kept his eyes to the floor even as the music stopped and the calls of his name reached him. Only one voice made his falter in his steps before he was stalking once more toward the gardens. "No one follow me!" Was the only reply he gave before he slammed the hall gates behind him.

He needs air.

"What happened to the teme?" Naruto said out loud, still staring at the closed gates leading to the gardens.

Sakura was silent, her eyebrows drawn in concern. He seemed alright before, what happened when he went up? She glanced toward the balcony, though it was dark and harder to see under the flashing lights from the mirror ball, she saw the older man sitting beside the railing. His crimson eyes seemed to be glowing in the darkness, boring straight into hers.

She ripped his eyes away from him, looking at her friends. "Someone should go check on him." She muttered out, looking at Naruto in a silent request. He blinked once, then twice before he understood what she meant. "Why should I go? I go to him and he will start throwing punches."

"Maybe we should leave him alone." Hinata piqued up, her small voice almost going unheard. She shyly looked around, "He might need some time to himself to cool down."

Ino huffed at the suggestion, "I think someone should check on him first to make sure he's okay. And then we could leave him to cool down if he says so."

Mulling over the suggestion and deeming it to be the best, Ino was quick to pick a volunteer, "Sakura should go."

Naruto reacted even before the pinkette, opening his mouth to protest, but surprisingly, the Hyuuga beat him to it. "I think you should go, Yamanaka." He replied coolly, his pale gaze boring into her annoyed eyes, "Why should she need to go."

Sakura tapped her feet on the ground, eyes narrowing in annoyance, "Do you all know something that you aren't telling me? Why is this such a discussion."

"Exactly, it isn't." Ino piqued up immediately, ushering Sakura toward the large doors. "You should talk to him, you're the only one he listen to. He has gone to the gardens, go and check up on him."

"What?"

Naruto seemed to be yelling something behind them, but she couldn't make out anything with Ino constantly babbling in her ear. She was pushed out of the hall and onto the cobblestone pathway to the gardens. Ino grinned at her, shooing her away and shut the door in her face.

'Bitch.'

Sighing at the unpredictable nature of weird blondes, she turned around to trace her path to the apparent gardens. She didn't know where it was, but she could probably find her way around. The clicks of heels on cobblestone filled the still night, the bushes around her accompanying with the chirrups of crickets.

She tilted her head up, the moon looking like a twisted smile hung on the sky. It was quite late, she didn't even realize where the hours passed by. They should probably get going soon.

She looked ahead again, the path leading straight through tall rose bushes and shrubs. Even the compound outside the mansion was beautiful, the warm lights dotting the compound illumination the pathway. Sakura went through the ivy arch and past the hibiscus shrubs, following the straight road and soon saw the lone figure pacing around the tall shrubs of bougainvillea, hiding him away from all sides except the route she's taken.

He hadn't noticed her it seemed, his fingers ruffling through his hair and face turned downward. His tie seemed to be undone and his pacing unstopping.

"You shouldn't pace so much." Sasuke stilled at the presence he didn't sense until now, "You're going to make yourself dizzy."

Sakura smiled at the baffled expression on his face, walking forward to get nearer. Sasuke looked down again, turning his face away to hide the glare. "Why are you here?" He grumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Making sure that you didn't break something, or someone." Sakura replied back smoothly, picking at the soft petals of the bougainvillea. She gazed at the Uchiha who was pointedly looking away from her, "What happened Sasuke?"

"Nothing." He replied much too quickly, turning his back to her. "I'm fine. You should go back."

Sakura sighed, rolling her eyes even though he couldn't see it. 'He clearly isn't fine.' She looked worriedly at his back, no matter what he says, she cares for him and whatever happened upstairs is clearly bothering him.

She just wants to help.

"Hey, Sasuke." Sasuke turned around to her when he felt her tap on his shoulder. She grinned at him, holding up a finger, "I have something for you."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her expression, making her giggle and reach to the side of her dress. Thank God the dress had a pocket. She dug inside and fished out a small box, wrapped in red handkerchief. "Tada!"

"What is that?" Sasuke asked her, his previous anger mellowed out with her presence and curiosity overtaking his features. He looked at the box being placed on his palm and then glanced back at the pinkette grinning at him.

"Open it."

He gingerly held the box as if it was made of glass, carefully untying the knot of the red cloth, and letting it fall apart. The alcohol was strongly affecting his system, making his brain feel fuzzy and hands clammy, but he still managed to not drop the box. It was a small red box, plain and smooth.

He glanced up again, watching Sakura gesturing at him to keep going. He opened the lid and peeked inside to feel his eyes widen. Inside nestled between plush red cushion was a silver band the size of his wrist. It was thin and polish to perfection, pretty plain except the subtle detailing of small stars engraved along one side. It looked really stylish, and quite expensive too.

"Do you like it?" He heard Sakura ask and saw an embarrassed blush spread across the bridge of her nose. He mutely nodded before remembering himself and clearing his throat, "It's… really nice. Thanks." He muttered quietly, twirling the band between his fingers and something on the inside caught his eye. He flipped the band in his hand to see the small engraving inside, in the shape of a familiar symbol.

"Is this…" his voice trailed as he stared at the pinkette who looked much too interested in the flowers now. "Oh that, yeah. The shop I brought it from offered to carve any customization." She replied back, her voice one of forced nonchalance but he could hear the nervousness hidden beneath. She glanced his way, "I thought it would be a nice little touch."

"It's really good." He kept the bracelet in his palm while he pocketed the box and red handkerchief. Sakura took the bracelet from his hands, unlocking the small clasp on the side, "Here, let me put it on for you."

Sakura held his wrist between her fingers, turning it in her hand to put on the bracelet comfortably and clasped it close. The thin, flat band felt like a comfortable weight on his wrist, polished and glinting under the low moonlight. "It looks good on you." Sakura said to him, but his eyes were fixated where her fingers were clasped around his, his senses becoming hyperaware where they were touching.

She started to lift away her hand, and when he realized that, he was quick to flip his hand around and instead hold her wrist in his palm. "Sasuke?" Sakura asked, furrowing her eyebrows at him. Sasuke looked up from their joined hands, staring into her green eyes reflecting the moonlight like jades, "When did you meet my uncle?"

"What?" Sakura was befuddled by the strange question, "When did I meet your uncle? Hell I don't remember, probably two weeks ago." She tilted her head, concern cloaking her gaze, "Did something happen, Sasuke?"

Sasuke ignored her question, his grip tightening on her hand, "And when did you meet my cousin?"

Sakura narrowed her eyes, twisting her lips in confusion, "You cousin? When di- Sasuke, what the hell are you talking about?"

If anything was to be blamed after that, it was the alcohol in his system. Any reluctance, any hesitance he had until then, seemed to fizzle into thin air. He jerked her forward by her wrist, making her stumble into him. Her head reached just beneath his chin and the light fruity scent of her shampoo whiffed by his nose.

"Sasuke wha-" Sakura stilled when she felt his arm wrapping around her waist, pushing her closer against his body. She held her breath and her body seemed hyperaware of the slight curves and planes of his physique underneath his thin shirt. "Sasuke, what happened?"

He breathed out long, his mind hazy and all his restraints seemed to be gone. "Do you know, Sakura, why I was so mad?" He didn't wait for her reply, instead tilting his head down and burying his face into her hair, his lips right beside her ear, "I thought my cousin liked you, and that made me angry."

"Sasuke you're not making any sense. Let's just go inside." Sakura barely stopped her voice from cracking. What the hell is Sasuke doing?

"No." he replied sharply, his fingers getting firmer around the wrist he was still holding onto. "I'm not hiding anymore. I've had it, I've had it enough. I need you to know."

"K-know?" Sakura stuttered out, cursing her cracking voice. Her eyes were wide, mind running around in circles at the speed of a bullet train, "Know what?"

Sasuke was quiet for a moment, instead picking his head up and bringing the hand holding her waist up to cradle her face. He cupped her cheek to make her look up at him and was met with wide jade eyes, filled to brim with shock and confusion. "Do you have any idea, Sakura? Do you have any idea, what you do to me?"

Sakura remained quiet, too shocked to utter anything. He continued, his thumb gently rubbing across her cheekbone, "Why do you never look at me? Am I not handsome enough to keep your attention, am I not bad enough for you to like?"

Sakura felt like her legs were made of jelly and she would've slumped down had it not felt like her legs were locked in place. Blood was rushing fast to her face, making it feel like it was on fire. Her brain was having trouble comprehending what was happening to her. Was she hearing right? Or was Sasuke playing some prank on her?

Truth be told, the Uchiha was having way more effect on her than she would care to admit. She has always deemed him to be way too pretty, but right now, cloaked in the moonlight and eyes drunk, he looked too beautiful.

"Sakura?" He brought her out of her stupor, her eyes blinking to refocus on him. Sasuke smirked, turning his hand around to intertwine their fingers instead of just holding her wrist.

"Look at me, Sakura. Look at me the way I look at you."

"Sasuke, you're drunk." Sakura closed her eyes, breathing in deep and tried to put some distance between them, "You don't know what you're talking about."

Sasuke didn't let her struggle for long, stilling her instantly in her process of distancing herself from him by putting a hand on the small of her back. "I know exactly what I'm talking about." His tone was serious, no trace of humor in his eyes or voice, "I'm just not a coward right now. I know what I'm saying and I mean it."

Sakura's brain was close to getting fried to a crisp, it felt like it was on fire. It seemed like she was making some sense of the situation, but it was still kind of unbelievable. Or maybe not, maybe it was not so unbelievable, but still quite shocking. "Wh-" Sakura cleared her throat again, "When? Since when?"

"Since I got to know you." Sasuke whispered in the dead of the night, his gaze drunk on her radiance under the moonlit sky. With her rosy hair glowing silver, face flushed and eyes shining, she looked like a nymph escaped from the fairy gardens. He pulled her closer, tilting his head down to the point where their noses were almost touching, "I have been taken by you since I got to know you. Every interaction we had only cemented my place beside you. So look at me, Sakura. Give me a chance."

Sakura's eyes were getting heavy under the warmth of his breath. It was getting harder to keep her composure, to not succumb under his persistent fingertips and crumble in his arms. She should be telling him to stop it, that they were friends, that she didn't see him that way.

But she would only be lying to herself and to him.

She might not see him completely as a romantic potential, but that doesn't mean she doesn't feel anything. She might not think of dating him, but she could admit that he's damn attractive.

Her stare hazed over, Sasuke leaned down even more, driven even more by the feel of her soft curves pressing against his. He made himself clear, he put out everything he felt. It was her turn now.

His eyes trailed over her for the umpteenth time, from her slender figure to her fairy like features. The red looks delicious on her. He cupped her cheek again, slanting his head to the side, their lips a hairsbreadth away.

Oh how he longed to feel those lips on his, so soft and plump. To capture her mouth in his, sneak a tongue on the seam of her lips and taste them himself. How divine it would feel-

Like everything that comes to an end, a door in a distance slammed open with a loud bang, loud enough to shake Sakura out of her trance. Remembering herself and her surroundings, she was quick to push herself away from Sasuke with a squeak of embarrassment.

She quickly dusted away her dress, flattening it down as more of an effort to keep herself busy rather than doing anything. She pointedly avoided looking at her companion, instead looking around herself to make sure there wasn't any witness. Thankfully, there didn't seem to be anyone around.

Sasuke was less embarrassed, still looking at the pinkette, unconcerned with his surroundings. She refused to look at him, and that annoyed him. Just after baring his heart to her and begging her to look at him, she was ignoring him. "Sakura-"

"I should be going back now." Sakura stuttered out, beginning her way back to the hall, "Come back in when you want."

Sasuke smirked at the slight stumble in her steps, his fingers rubbed on the smooth metal of the band on his left wrist. "Give me a chance, Sakura." He yelled back, smirk widening when she almost stumbled on the cobblestone, "I will prove it to you, I'm the best you'll have."

He heard low grumbling coming from the pinkette, who now turned around the tall rose bush and disappeared out of his sight. Looking up at the moon hanging low, he sighed a deep breath, his lips tilting up.

His uncle or Shisui wouldn't do anything if Sakura allowed him to have her. He'll just have to make her see that he's the best man she'll ever want, and she'll be his.

He'll just have to make her see.

Sakura was stalking her way back to the ballroom, head hung down to hide away the fierce blush painting her own face. They almost kissed back there, they almost kissed!

'What the hell were you thinking Sakura? Do you want to ruin your friendship with him! It would make everything awkward between everyone, just think!' Sakura groaned to herself, rubbing her face with her palms as if it would rub away the redness. She knows this is a bad idea, she should've gotten away from him before it got to that point, but it was like she was entranced.

'But you knew you couldn't do that, you can't afford to date now. You have responsibilities.'

And like a bucket of ice doused on her head, everything cleared up in her mind. She couldn't do this, none of this is permanent. She'll have to leave all this behind.

Her hand stilled on the door handle of the hall, all sign of redness gone from her cheeks and now pale. Her lips cracked up, tilting in a melancholic smile that spoke more of her own self-pity. She was pathetic, wasn't she. Willing to hurt herself and everyone around her knowing she couldn't change her fate. She can't stay here, she'll have to leave sooner than later, and yet she was thinking about dating.

She'll already have to leave behind her friends, that she considers more of a family than her own blood will ever be, and now add a boyfriend to the mix. She must've gone crazy.

Sakura shook her, fixing her expression into one of nonchalance and opened the door. The party seemed to have died down and her friends were arranged around the round table with plates of food in front of them. Ino was the first to look up, raising an eyebrow in silent question. "He's fine. Got drunk and got into a fight with his cousin, he's alright." Sakura sighed taking the empty seat at the table. She looked around, feeling the absence of another person, "Where's Naruto?"

"He went out a few minutes ago." Hinata replied, nibbling on a piece of cake, "Something about beating some sense into the Uchiha."

And speak of the devil, Naruto came stomping in, dragging a struggling Sasuke with him. Sakura looked at Naruto, who just grinned at her cheekily, and her eyes unwittingly slid toward the person he was dragging to find him already staring at her, and she couldn't have looked away quicker.

She spent the rest of the dinner relatively relaxed, but she pointedly avoided looking at the Uchiha, but she knew he was staring. Ino noticed that too, and her sly smirk was getting on her nerves. And before long, it already past midnight, which meant they should get going.

"Bye forehead! Don't forget my cookies." Ino yelled at her before diving inside her car, Shikamaru already dozing on the passenger seat. Sakura waved at her and the Hyuugas going into their car. Hinata got into the passenger seat and Neji waved goodbye before he remembered something, "We have the evening shift tomorrow. Be there at five."

"Sakura-chan." Naruto called her from behind, already having rounded up his car. He opened the passenger door, gesturing her to get inside. She nodded and moved to sit, but someone caught her eye from her periphery.

Sasuke was walking toward them, stopping just a few feet away from the pair. Sakura pretended to fiddle with her seatbelt to keep her attention away from the Uchiha.

Sasuke glanced her way, smirking at her feeble attempts at ignoring him. "We're skipping classes tomorrow, so don't worry about getting up early."

He heard her grumbling something like 'whatever', her face still turned away from him, and a cough from the blonde caught his attention. Naruto gave him a meaningful look, and Sasuke nodded, giving him a challenging look back, thinking back to the deal they made when the Uzumaki came to the gardens to drag him back.

'I have a deal you might like. Benefit to both of us.'

'May the best man win.'

He wasn't completely happy with the compromise they settled on with, Naruto wasn't either, but it would work in both their favor. He'll still need to make sure Sakura picked him.

"Anyway, we'll get going." Naruto announced, getting in the driver's seat. He flipped Sasuke the finger in goodbye and Sasuke returned the gesture, before returning his attention to the pinkette.

Sakura glanced at him, seeing his eyes already focused on her, and waved him goodbye, trying to keep the rising blush off her face. "Goodnight, Sasuke."

Sasuke smirked at her, the other corner of his mouth tilting up into an almost smile, "Goodnight, Sakura."

Sakura was silent most of the way home, letting Naruto's senseless chatters fill the car and responded with occasional hum, and then she was at her apartment, wishing him night and watching him go until his car disappeared around the corner.

Her body on purely on autopilot, going through her routine of taking off her makeup, taking a shower, changing into her nightwear and slipping inside her blanket. She closed her eyes, counted to hundred, then counted backward from hundred, but sleep still escaped her. Her mind seemed to be working into overdrive, time and time again showing her the footage of the gardens. It made her stomach feel fluttery.

After what felt like eternity of just staring at her ceiling, she finally felt her eyelids growing heavy, and even as her vision darkened and brain became foggy, she still saw the dark eyes glinting under moonlight.

Madara sipped on his glass of wine, letting the warmth of it wash down his throat and thought back to the events of the evening. He never expected his nephew to get violent, toward him, over a girl no less. That was a surprise.

And thinking of the girl, his mind brought up the visions of the pink hair, jade eyes and lithe form wrapped in red. The figure was growing more and more vivid in his imagination, and he recalled back to the way she was dancing in the ballroom when she thought no one was looking.

"What do you want to do now?"

Madara looked at his brother, his face buried in a magazine. "What do you mean?"

Izuna put down the magazine, reaching for his cup of coffee, "Sakura. You saw Sasuke's reaction to your order, he's not going to cooperate. Are you still going to go after her?"

Madara pressed the rim of the glass to his lips, thinking back to the pinkette and his nephew. He doesn't want to hurt his nephew, but he isn't going after the pinkette to date her. He simply wants to satiate his intrigue, but the more he interacts with her, her allure to him just grows.

"If he likes her, if he wants to date her or whatever it is, I'm not stopping him." Madara replied after much thought putting, "Me digging up intel on her isn't putting anything between them." He took another sip, when a murmur from his brother reached him.

"She doesn't have a surname." That's what he has been wondering too. She doesn't have a surname, no known familial status, no nativity, or origin on any document. Something was so mysterious about her, he didn't know anything about her other than her first name and the fact that she is his nephew's classmate.

"Who do you want me to put on her case?" Izuna asked him, but he shook his head, putting down the empty wine glass and got up from the plush sofa seat, walking toward his table. He pulled up a picture of a girl, pink hair, green eyes and sweet face, staring straight at the camera against a white backdrop.

She was an enigma, and he loved puzzles.

"I'll take care of that. This time, myself."

AN: Yay, done! Phew, I'm beat.

You gotta admit, the scene with Sasuke kinda gave me the flutters. What do you think about this chapter? From now on, the graph of romance in this fic is going to be on a slow incline. Slow, but increasing none the less. Hmm, I love me some conflicting suitors, fun, isn't it. It's so fun to write men fighting over someone.

Anyway, this is for one, I'll see y'all in the next chapter. Till then,

Bye bye.