Reparations
"I have so many reasons why you should really get out."
"Try me." She pursed her lips.
"Just the fact that I'm allowing your presence in my vicinity is a miracle of its own." He scoffed. Her eyes narrowed.
"Perception is key." He retorted.
"Don't flatter yourself, Kakashi. My placidity is only as a result of these." He finally took into account the shape she was in. She wore only her bindings, and she was positioned against the headboard of the bed. The thin scar still marred her face and her hair…her fallen curls fell in waves around her shoulders and the wisps of hair that covered her eyes formed her bangs. "I assume these were your invention." She flexed her bound wrists, unable to move them from her side. "They seem hand-made."
"Yeah well, I think you've outgrown leather bounds." She looked down at the static bands that crackled and shone around her wrists. They were small, and she knew she couldn't easily get out of them; if she could get out of them at all. That assessment made her realize that the bounds were made with her in mind.
"Nice to see you think so highly of me, Sensei."
"Don't flatter yourself, Sakura." She frowned. "I'm just stating the obvious." He finished with a shrug of his shoulders.
"You must've really wanted me to stay on this bed." She examined the bands again. "The Earth affinity is powerless against Lightning, hence these neat little gadgets you made just for me." The bed was shook rapidly as she struggled against her bounds. She stared at him until he turned his back on her, sitting at the foot of the bed. "I'm really mad right now, Kakashi."
"Yes, seething. I can see," He said with a chuckle. She squeezed her eyes shut, tugging her wrists.
"You bind me while I'm unconscious just so you can come in here and mock me later on? While I'm helpless?" She sighed deeply while she shook her head. "I really want to test these static thingies, and my anger for you is limitless right now. But I'd hate for us to be caught up in another spat." She finished sarcastically. He scoffed.
"I hope you're not making yourself out to be a victim." He turned slightly to match her gaze.
She tried to raise her arms in emphasis, but just the fact that she couldn't made her point. "I am the one tied up here." Her eyebrows furrowed in thought. "And what exactly would make you the victim in this situation?" He sighed.
"I really don't like being deemed as inadequate, Sakura." He drawled as her eyes narrowed, her anger flaring.
"It's not about what you like, and it's damn sure not about you saving face in front of your Anbu buddies. It's about the truth, Kakashi. And I don't think an array of lies would look good in our interrogation report." His mouth was fixed in a straight line as he stood slowly, his hands fisted in his pockets.
"You know what, you're right. I should go. Like you always say, the past is the past. Let's keep it like that." He made his way to the door with his hand set on turning the knob before her voice interrupted him.
"Stop, Kakashi. Let's talk. About what you say?" She asked for him. "Hm…" She pursed her lips and furrowed her eyebrows in feigned thought. She'd put her finger on her chin, but… "Why don't we talk about the interrogation? Naruto let me in on a little bit of the chaos while I was comatose. It put me through…um, how many times did I stop breathing?" She asked him.
"Three." He stated, still facing the door, his hands still snug in his pockets.
"Three, right. What are the odds of that? My heart stopped three times in the span of an hour and I'm still here. Now I'm sure that factor makes the interrogation a little more of a pressing topic. All the other times we've talked, it was about my mental stability, fighting to keep our relationship from dangling off of a thread. Because of my outbursts, right? My actions. And now…I really don't know what we're fighting for anymore." He sighed, shaking his head.
"Chose your battles carefully, Sakura." He warned.
"I have." She replied. "Well, considering everything that we built and everything we have left is all being put on the brig with our next words. But then I concluded that there was nothing more that could be salvaged, anyway." His eyes narrowed as he turned around to face her, leaning back against the door. "So why don't we start with why I was bound? Was this because you were afraid of my reaction when I awoke? Don't get me wrong, you were right to have your suspicions of me, because I swear to Kami when I get out of these things…" She bit out through gritted teeth. Then she closed her eyes and sighed, composing herself. "Or are you just into this kind of thing? To each their own, I guess." She shrugged. He smacked his lips and smiled, a fake one at that. It didn't bother to reach his practiced eye crinkle. He backed into the door with his hands up in surrender.
"You know what, I can't do this." He turned around.
"Kakashi, I said stop." She stated firmly. His eyebrows raised.
"Ah, you have the makings of a leader." He started sarcastically. "I bet you'd make a great Captain." A slender pink eyebrow raised in challenge.
"Maybe you should take notes." He blinked.
"Huh." He rolled his tongue around the inside of his mouth. Then without another word, he opened the door.
"Kakashi—"
"Yes, taichou?" She frowned.
"I said stop." He gave her a slight smile.
"Yes, and your powers of persuasion amaze me." Her nostrils flared.
"So why'd you come, huh? You're on your way out and I'm positive your objective has not been met." She finished icily.
"Well, Sakura," He started, leaning forward with his hands on his hips. "There's a bad vibe in this room, and I'd rather be anywhere but here right now." She narrowed her eyes. "We're feeding off of each other's mood, and it'll only get worse. So before feelings are hurt and regretful words are said…"
"Kakashi." He patted the door frame and turned back around.
"I'm leaving."
"Kakashi—"
"What, Sakura?" She pursed her lips.
"We're going to talk." He scoffed.
"You don't listen, do you?" Her eyes widened.
"Oh that's just rich coming from you." She spat. He shrugged.
"The game has changed and you know it." A scowled appeared on her face.
"My ass." He shook his head.
"I'm tired, okay? Of this." He finished with an exasperated sigh. "I can't do this right now." Her mouth fell open.
"I don't believe it." He ran a hand through his hair. "The double standard on you is amazing." She said incredulously.
"Sakura, not now." He warned, his eyes closed and his fist kneading into his temples as he leaned against the door frame.
"It's always about you, isn't it?" She closed her eyes as anger bubbled inside of her. "How you feel, what you think is best, whatever the hell you want to do—"
"This!" He slammed his fist into the wall. "This, Sakura! This is why we can't "talk." We're always two words away from a fucking argument!" He barked. She narrowed her eyes. "Now you're angry, and I'm fucking furious… We're both mad as hell and nothing will be resolved because both of us have our heads stuck too far up our own asses to actually listen. Just…" He sighed and moved to sit in the armchair positioned in the corner. He slumped down into it with his head in his hands. "I'm tired of fighting." She huffed.
"We're only here because of you." He scoffed.
"Right, because this was my fault. The blame game always goes over so well." She struggled against her bounds.
"That's it! You! You're always, always, always right. I can't do anything without you breathing down my neck! It's either Kakashi's way, or—" She paused. "Now that I think of it, according to you, there is no other way. So fuck you, Sakura. Fuck your feelings, fuck love…" She bit out angrily. "I don't give two shits about what you think because I'm always right." She scoffed. "You spouted all of this, this bullshit…You were so set upon protecting me from Ren, yet there you were, behind the scenes, screwing Kimura—"
"Stop right there, Sakura." Her eyes narrowed.
"Did it feel good, Kakashi? Knowing damn well what you were doing." The sarcasm bled through her words. "On top of fucking her, you brought her to my parent's house when you shouldn't have even been there yourself. Everything that happened after that was relatively your fault, even the unsatisfactory feeling you left Kimura with, seeing that she sought out Ren—"
"Stop dammit!" He shouted, slamming his fists down onto the arms of the chair. He huffed exasperatedly, rubbing his face up and down. "You're always trying to start a fight, Sakura. What do you want from me, huh?" He finished tiredly.
"I want you to show me something." She growled through gritted teeth, her hands balled into fists. "I want to see something other than that unfeeling aura you shrouded yourself with. You can't even take credit for what you've done." She whispered, closing her eyes. "I love him, Kakashi. And you ruined all of that. You slept with Kimura and…and you ruined all of that." She finished, her voice small.
"You really believe it was my fault?" She opened her mouth to speak, but he continued before words could come out. "Do you honestly think he wouldn't have done what he did with another woman? It would've been worse because it would've been behind your back." He left out the part about this actually happening. "Where would we be now, Sakura? Surely not here. Not like this. How did
you—" He stopped, regaining himself. "As a matter of fact, if I had kept that to myself, nothing would've changed. I would've still gotten the 'I hate you' I heard, right?" She looked away.
"So this is how it goes, huh? This is how it will end. Someone's feelings are going to get hurt. And let me give you a hint, Kakashi. It won't be yours." He chuckled.
"Oh really? We're going to do this? Now?" She laughed softly, shaking her head.
"You'll never own up to anything a day in your life, will you?" His jaw visibly clenched.
"You know—"
"Shut-up." She interrupted, pointing her manicured digit, her hands still glued to her sides. His eyebrows furrowed as he was taken aback. "You couldn't do it as a Sensei, you couldn't do it with Sasuke, and you damn sure can't do it now." She spat. "You just sat there and chewed me out like you always do, but the first second the tables turn, it's 'I can't do this right now.'" He sighed, massaging his temples. He was getting a headache and he was getting angry. If there was one person who could bring him to his boiling point, it was her.
"That's because I know my limits, Sakura. I know when to stop. I don't want us going somewhere we can't come back from."
"Haven't we already?" She cried angrily. "You made my life a living hell with your conspiracy bullshit, and then you slept with someone knowing full well how it would make me feel. You willingly did all of this to bring me to a state of incomparable pain, spouting your nonsense about only wanting to protect me, yet you have the audacity to beg me to accept, forgive, move on…" She sputtered, the tears flowing from her eyes to her mouth mixed with her fury-filled words. "Don't you know that I slept with him? Do you know how horrible it feels to give everything to someone, someone you thought loved you? Who you thought would be your hus—" The word stopped short in her throat, blocked by the strangled sob trying to escape. She exhaled heavily, her eyes narrowed. "But you haven't shown any remorse for what you've done. I'm hurting and you insist on talking your big talk filled with wise words and a false sense of care. You planned all of this, so now what? What's the plan for dealing with my broken heart now?" She shook her head. "The one time it mattered…I wasn't even worth an apology. Two simple words…" She whispered. "But I guess you and your ego are too above me for that." He raised himself and began to walk toward her.
"Sakura."
"Fuck you!"
"I'm sorry." She froze. Shaking her head, she regained herself.
"I swear to Kami if you take another step, I'll—"
"You'll what? Kill me? I made sure to cover my bases." He said with a chuckle, nodding at the bands around her wrists as he approached the bed.
"Don't fucking touch me!" He sat down on the bed, pulling her body to his. She was crushing his hands, pushing her back into the headboard trying to avoid his embrace. "I said don't touch me!" She released her force and he quickly tried to pull her closer. She gave in to his pull, giving him a short victory. His success blinded him from the forehead aiming straight for his. "You don't listen!" She spat. He was momentarily stunned, a concentrated throbbing in the middle of his forehead caused colored circles to flash behind his blinking eyes. Then he continued pulling her toward him.
"No, you don't listen." He forcefully pushed her head onto his shoulder and she grunted in surprise. "I'm sorry." He whispered. She bit her quivering lip as she began to struggle.
"You can't just apologize and, and hug me and think everything will be fine!"
"Yes I can." She froze. Tears stung in her eyes as she slammed her shoulder into his chest. He gasped in pain.
"No you can't! You—"
"Sakura, just shut-up, man." She blinked, the first line of tears falling. "I was naïve. I have to admit that, at least." He sighed. "I didn't factor your feelings into anything. I forgot…I forgot that you had a heart. It was the one variable I didn't consider. I've never hidden the fact that your tactical mind is superior to mine. It's…" He paused, closing his eyes. "It's been hard, hasn't it? I'm supposed to be your partner, but I can't even stand by you." He snorted. "I've been a bastard to you, Sakura. I'll even go as far to say I've acted like a bitch about you and Ren, running around trying to break the two of you up.
"I ignored the fact the fact that you loved him. I ignored that because of what he was doing to you, and it reminded me of…it reminded me of myself. I was foolish, Sakura. I put our friendship in danger because of my stubbornness. I slept with Kimura and it was for the wrong reasons. Just…" He nuzzled her neck and breathed in the faint smell of jasmine in her hair. "I don't know how many times you want me to say it, so I'll say it until you hear me." He pushed her closer to him. "I'm sorry." He heard her inhale sharply, and she released it in a muffled sob, forcing her body to contract into his. He tightened his hold around her and formed a hand seal behind her back. "Kai." The static bands dissipated and her arms flew around his body. She continued to cry.
That…that was closure.
She wrapped another layer of gauze around her breasts as wet hair dripped onto her lower back.
If she could move a bit faster, she could get to the debriefing. Whatever happened while she was comatose had her limbs as light as lead. She scoffed. Taking the gauze in her mouth, she tore it from the roll with her teeth. She finished wrapping it, pressing it tight against her side. She stepped into her panties before she shuffled out of the bathroom.
"Kami," She breathed, bending over to her suitcase. She kneeled before it and unzipped the largest compartment, feeling around for a smaller opening and found it on the underside of the flap. Upon opening it, she found her standard Shinobi pants and a manila folder. She pulled on the pants and tucked the folder under her arm.
"You're getting rusty—"
"Ah!" She shrieked, turning to the voice with a hand over her heart. The folder fell from her grasp and splattered onto the floor. "Seriously?" He shrugged.
"You should be more aware of your surroundings. People get killed like that." She frowned, watching his closed eyes, relaxing against the headboard of the bed.
"Well, I wasn't exactly expecting you to stay here and be a perv." He rolled his eyes.
"Perv? You're fully clothed." She raised an eyebrow.
"I was in my panties, Kakashi. That doesn't raise any inhibitors for you to say something? I could've been stripping." His eyes widened.
"Haruka Tan? Stripping? I can't believe it…" It was her turn to roll her eyes.
"And you wonder why I wasn't roomed with you." She finished with a huff. "But you're here, so can you help me up?" She asked as he frowned. "What?"
"I can't exactly…touch you." Her eyes narrowed.
"Oh, now you have qualms about touching me." He shook his head.
"It's about your condition." She frowned.
"My condition?" He nodded.
"From the incident." She fingered her chin.
"Incident—"
"Would you stop repeating everything I say?" He huffed a sigh. "I poisoned you with alcohol. You remember, I know you do because you won't let me forget it. The nurses told me that drugs with alcohol is bad because—" She smacked a hand to her forehead.
"Coupling poison with alcohol is the worst you could've done! My body regularly accepts alcohol, so that and the poison was accepted into my system until my body found out what it was. So this whole time, that poison you gave me wasn't reacting to the sedatives they gave us back at the base, my body was reacting to the alcohol amounts inside of the drug. I was already rid of the poison but my body is still trying to rid itself of alcohol!" He furrowed his eyebrows. He didn't become a medical-nin for a reason.
"So is that a good thing?" She threw him a glare.
"No! You made me consume poison, how could that be a good thing?" He cringed.
"Could you stop calling it a poison? It makes me seem like a bad person." She rubbed a hand over her forehead. "Besides, it was a drug, it wasn't poison." She sighed heavily.
"You stupid, stupid man." He blinked.
"I'm just trying to see the wrong in this situation. Your body rid itself of the poison, so it is a good thing." She rubbed a hand down her face, closing her eyes.
"Baka, Baka, Baka…" She whispered under her breath. "My body is trying to rid itself of alcohol." She drawled through gritted teeth.
He gestured at her with his hand. "So…" Her lips formed a straight line.
"So? The body produces 28.3 grams of alcohol a day!" He winced, making the 'ooh' sound.
"Yeah, that's bad."
"You think? Now, because of your dumbass, I can't even drink alcohol anymore!" He made the 'ooh' sound again. "Oh, would you cut that!" He tried to hold back a smile as amusement played in his eyes.
"So, on a scale of one to ten, how sick would you get if you were to, I don't know, drink alcohol?" Her nostrils flared.
"I stopped breathing three times because of my body trying to rid itself of alcohol." She said through gritted teeth. "So," She started, mocking him. "Just take a guess." He put a finger on his chin.
"7.9. Final answer." She covered her eyes.
"Damn you, Hatake Kakashi."
"Stop your ranting, woman." She threw him a glare as he stretched his arms over his head and proceeded to swing his legs over the side of the bed. "Well, I've accomplished my goal of being late for the debrief, but I doubt Sasuke and Naruto are doing anything anyway." 'Baka, Baka, Baka,' She thought, her glare carving imaginary daggers into his chest as he walked towards her. "So, if your body is alright with me touching her, I'll help you up so we can go."
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. This might be the one mission Kakashi needed his genitals for, and she felt like castrating him wouldn't help while he was trying to court Mei.
"I'm convinced." She said to herself, rubbing her temples to will a headache away. "The best Ninja Fire Country has to offer are idiots." Kakashi and Naruto shouted obscenities at the women on the television as they drank complimentary beer. "If I could just strangle them and not have them die…" She shifted on the bed, crossing her legs in front of her.
"Oi, Sakura-chan, cheer up!" Naruto exclaimed, sloshing his almost-empty beer bottle in the air.
"He's right, Sakura. We never get the big room!" She sighed. She was going to have to strangle him. He was just going to have to die.
"And that's because you act like this, Kakashi." She turned around to see Sasuke, throwing back an energy drink as he read his profile.
Their eyes met.
Her breath hitched as memories flooded before her eyelids. She blinked rapidly and averted her attention.
"Can we just finish?" She watched as Naruto pouted, moving to take a seat beside her. Kakashi plopped down into the armchair adjacent to the bed. He finished off his beer. "You shouldn't be drinking before noon, anyway." He rolled his eyes, placing the empty bottle on the end table beside him.
"Yes, mother." She frowned.
"Anyway, going over things, the Daimyo believes that I'm a hired exotic dancer. So that means this plays out to the T; no slacking, no releasing henges—" She threw a pointed look at Naruto. "Or our cover's blown." Kakashi nodded.
"Right, and on top of that, Naruto and I won't even be making an appearance until Sakura is a guaranteed dancer at the Kansai Lounge. By Saturday, I hope?"
"That's a little pressure…" He shrugged.
"That's kind of what I'm going for." She frowned. "Look, it's only Wednesday. You have time."
She scoffed. "Yeah, about two days."
"You'll be fine." And then he smiled, making her wonder what her brother would look like if she had one. "Anyway, Sakura, you'll be glued to Sasuke. You're timid—"
"Except for when I'm beside a pole."
"—and you're not allowed to show your body unless you're on the stage. Sasuke's a control freak, so he wants you all to himself, within reasonable limits, that is. Keep that in mind, and keep your attitude in check. Hand holding, intimacy…I don't know what the two of you need to do, but when the Daimyo assigns you your quarters and gives you a mission debrief, the both of you need to look like an actual couple." He threw a look at Sasuke. "And Sakura," She looked up from her folder. "No speaking to the Daimyo unless spoken to." She nodded. "I don't know if I'm missing anything..." She raised her hand. "Go ahead." Sighing, she proceeded.
"I'm an exotic dancer, and metaphorically speaking, because of Sasuke, Sai in actuality, I can't remove my bottoms unless I'm in the room with a client. This means I'll be topless all the time."
"What's the clientele rotation? How does that work?" Naruto asked. She pursed her lips.
"Yuuki's Executive CEO at the longue, so he oversees the clientele rotation. Being Executive CEO, he placed himself as Mei's handler. Handler meaning controlling her clientele. That meaning, he picks her list based upon money and most of the time age. If your handler thinks that a client is too old, they'll put them on the dance list or deem them a hands client. But some handlers are cruel, so they'll just give you whatever clientele they believe will make them the most money. That's why we need Sasuke to get a job with Yuuki as my handler. I'd rather get more hands clients than anything else." He furrowed his eyebrows.
"And they are…?" She tried to gesture with her hands but quickly gave up.
"Some men are such disgusting pigs that they become a hands client who justify just touching a woman as not cheating on their wives." Naruto frowned. "Yuuki likes to keep Mei to himself, so she doesn't go bottomless either. He tries to limit her sex as much as possible, and he does that by giving her more hands clients and dances. But the money's there, and he won't turn that down. Even so, he'll give her more oral clients over anything. But I can't…" She touched her mouth and almost gagged. She inhaled and exhaled deeply to recover herself. "Sasuke will make a money deal with him to become my handler, and all of that is based upon favor. Favor is based upon my popularity, the crowd I attract."
"For a Prostitute who frequented clubs, Sakura had a fast-growing fan base on the three month Anbu mission in Snow. I have no idea why the Land of Hot Water is importing from the Land of Snow, but that's where the Hidden Hot Springs Village gets all their porn. I'm almost positive she's known." Naruto had a grim look on his face, and the wrinkles that appeared from his eyebrows haven't moved since the beginning of the conversation.
"When we first got news of the mission, you said she was a Prostitute. Then you said she was a Prostitute turned exotic dancer. I don't…" Kakashi's finger danced around the mouth of his empty bottle.
"That Anbu mission was an assassination. Sakura had to build a name for herself, so that when the Ambassador supposedly raped her, people would care. It was a Genjutsu, but he didn't know that and no one else did. He was shamed of course, and with him being such a prominent figure, that provided cause for suicide. So, Sakura went back and finished the job with a traceless poison. It was only a stroke of luck that he had various pills in his home, setting up the clause for a crime scene. Seamless overdose." Sakura nodded in agreement.
"Because Haruka was raped, she turned to the less dangerous life of an exotic dancer, or uh, stripper. It unknowingly set the backstory for this mission. I won't take my bottoms off on the stage, and I won't have sex." She finished.
"So how are you supposed to attract a crowd without that? How did you attract a crowd without that?" Naruto questioned.
"Men just like my face, I guess." She shrugged, a complacent smile on her face.
"So…you won't be having sex?" She shook her head. He rolled his eyes. "Well, isn't that a relief." Naruto finished, wiping his brow. She bit her lip as Kakashi threw her a look.
"That's not exactly—"
"Remember the Hot Springs, Naruto? My mother said there's no place like Yugakure, and trust me, she's been everywhere." Kakashi frowned as she deviated from the topic. She quickly glanced back at him.
"I forgot all about that! Do you think they're co-ed? Because…" He rambled on about how it's never fun closed in with Kakashi and Sasuke. She gave him a brief smile, just to show she was listening. She felt Kakashi's gaze on her.
He wanted her to tell Naruto, of all people, that she might have to have sex with a strange man? A strange man who, probably has sex with women on a daily basis! Naruto's brash. He'd kill Yuuki the second he found out, and he'd probably get away with it too. The mission would be over before it even started. And while that would leave them with a lot less work to do, it would leave them with a bigger mess.
"I'm personally changing my name to Yamakaze Kenji. I've been thinking about it for a while, and it sounds a lot better on the tongue than Kumaji. It really captures my essence. Don't you think, Sakura?" She was caught staring into her portfolio. "Sakura?" She looked up at the second mention of her name.
"Oh, sorry—"A small bird appeared on her shoulder in a puff of smoke. In surprise, she smacked the animal off of her shoulder and into Naruto's lap.
"Sakura!" Her hands covered her mouth as he handed her the bird.
"You know, Konoha's not going to have any birds left if you keep that up." Kakashi said, amusement in his eyes.
"I know, I know. But can you at least give me a warning next time?" She whispered to the bird.
"Remind me to keep my hawk away from you." Sasuke said with a smirk on his lips. She frowned, pulling the scroll from the bird's leg. It disappeared just as the scroll transformed into a larger one. She opened it and her eyes scanned through it. It was short and to the point, and she didn't know how it could be; a letter with that kind of substance. Shock was written all over her face and her eyes were as wide as they could get. She snapped the scroll shut and dropped it in her lap, not wanting to even feel it in her hands.
"What did it say?" Kakashi asked. She turned to him, her face unchanging. His head jerked back. "Sakura?" She blinked. He leaned forward, his hand waving in front of her face. He settled on snapping his fingers. She shook her head fervently and reassured him with a small smile.
"Uh—" She cleared her throat. "It was just, um…" She trailed off, looking at the forgotten piece of parchment paper in her lap.
"Sakura?" Naruto said, trying to meet her gaze. She met his eyes and blinked.
"Oh, right. Um…it's nothing, it's just…it's something from Shishou…" She looked back down to the paper and frowned. Kakashi's eyes narrowed.
"Then why are you biting your lip?" She unclenched her teeth and released her bottom lip . Then she sighed.
"It's fine, just…" Her fists balled. "Could you guys give me a second?" Naruto's eyebrows furrowed.
"But this is our room." He argued. She bit her lip again.
"I know, I know, but—"
"You get used to it, Naruto. The whole 'rooming with Sakura' thing. You learn how to acquiesce." Kakashi said, his voice resigned. He rose and walked the short steps to the bed. Pulling Naruto by the lapels of his shirt, he dragged him to the door. A look of disbelief was still plastered on his face as Sakura continued to stare at the scroll with ambivalence.
"But I'm not even roomed with her, it's—it's our room!" Kakashi patted him on the back as they left the room. She felt the weight of the bed shift as Sasuke got up, intending to follow them.
"No, not you." She whispered. "You stay." He pointed a finger to his chest.
"Me?" She rolled her eyes, despite the feelings brewing in the pit of her stomach.
"No, the Sharingan user beside you." Sarcasm dripped from her lips as Sasuke walked back over to the bed. He stood in front of her. "Sit down, please." He moved and sat in the chair Kakashi previously inhabited. She exhaled deeply and rubbed her hands on her knees. "I want to say something." He nodded. "But I can't do it with you staring at me." His eyebrows furrowed but he consented, closing his onyx eyes. She felt it wasn't good enough. Moving quickly, she uncrossed her legs and turned behind her, grabbing one of the smaller pillows and stripping it of its case. She slid off of the bed and tiptoed in front of him. She slowly wiggled her fingers in front of his face and he caught her hand mid-wave. She sighed.
"I'm really confused, Saku—" She pulled the pillowcase over his head. "What the hell are you doing?" The pillowcase was black. That helped, a bit.
"I don't need you looking at me." She heard him smack his lips.
"So…you think suffocating me is going to help with that?" He asked.
"Breathe slowly and don't panic, you'll be fine." She heard the exasperation in his breaths.
"Sakura—"
"Sasuke, I really need to say this, so if you would just…please?" He sighed again, this one of resignation. She took that as his agreement and she sat back down on the bed, crossing her legs as she grabbed the piece of parchment paper from beside her and threw it back in her lap. She took a deep breath. "Naruto and I talked this morning, after I woke up. We talked about two years ago, that in conjunction with your interrogation with me—"
"Sakura, don't." He whispered, holding up a palm. She shook her head.
"Just let me finish, Sasuke." She folded her fingers in her lap, focusing on her cuticles. "He told me that you talked to him about what happened after I left for Anbu. I couldn't help but believe him because I know Naruto is the one person you'd never lie to." She scoffed, a bittersweet smile on her lips. "He told me about how TenTen saw me run out in tears and she came to you. He told me how you were angry, you know? I mean, I understand. Two years is a long time, especially with us, especially with how long we've waited for each other. And I..." She exhaled, closing her eyes. "Anger makes you blind. Along with your anger, you had sexual frustration. You knew what you wanted to do, but when you saw TenTen, you thought twice about it. He told me how you didn't want to have sex with her, but you were at a loss for what to do. You just needed someone to talk to, and she was there. She was there with Sake and beer." She pressed her lips together, trying to release her anger. "And I know your alcohol tolerance is really low, that's why you're never seen drinking unless Naruto's around. She…she lowered your inhibitions and you had sex with her. He told me how you expressed your disgust with yourself, how you left early the next morning, how you expected her to be gone when you returned, but…it was just your stroke of luck that you came back a few minutes before I came to you, and…" Her voice broke. She covered her mouth with her hand. "And how she wasn't gone. I didn't even give you a chance to speak at the interrogation because I'm just so goddamn stubborn and so quick to assume…
"I'm the one always crying about reminders yet I keep bitching about the past. And for that, I'm sorry." She wiped her nose and the brims of her eyes. "We've grown past it but I keep trying to revisit it, trying to find a reason to argue, another reason to strengthen my hate for her…I'm in the process of just letting it all go, and it's…it's hard. I was wr—" Her sentence was cut short as she was pulled by her arms into his embrace. She was overtaken by shock and surprise.
"Stop your rambling already." She bit down onto her lip again and hugged him back. "It's fine, Sakura. And I can only hope that we're fine, too. I don't want to lose you again." She nodded against his chest, not daring to take in the depth of his words as she tried to remember the last time they did this. "I can't remember either." She pushed him off of her.
"What did I tell you about that?" She asked with narrowed eyes.
"It was an accident," He said innocently with a shrug. She placed her hands on her hips.
"Really. An accident. How exactly do you "accidentally" turn on your Sharingan?" She accused using air quotes. He sighed.
"I'm trying to figure out what's upsetting you. You've gotten that off of your chest, so now what?" He stared at her with unfamiliar scrutinizing eyes; this expression of his concern new to her. "If it's about the topless thing, I've seen you without your bra on." And then she fumed, her curiosity all but lingered as she punched him in the chest.
"Get out of my head, Uchiha!" She snatched the pillowcase from atop his head and smacked him with it. He quickly deactivated his Sharingan. A smile played on his lips.
"You are so predictable. Thanks for that, though. It was hot in there and it was starting to get really hard to breathe." He massaged his throat as he fell back against the bed, throwing his arms behind his head and closing his eyes. "What's on your mind, Haruka?" She sighed and sat on the bed beside him.
"My role." She stated, her thought incomplete to him as his eyebrows furrowed.
"What about it?" She interlaced her fingers together, pushing her thumbs into one another as she contemplated an appropriate response.
"Well…" She closed her eyes. "It's about Yuuki."
"Mhm-hm,"
"And…and the Daimyo stated in the request scroll that I was to do whatever necessary to woo Yuuki and get him uninvolved with Mei." She said unsurely.
"Mhm-hm,"
"And he's supposedly abusing her, but he's professed his love for her a thousand times over, and in the scroll it claimed that Mei was infatuated with Yuuki, so he has to be doing something right for her to see past the bad." His eyebrows lowered.
"Mhm-hm…" He sounded slowly, trying to understand what she was getting at.
"And I mean, there are ups-and-downs to every relationship, and just because he's just a little harsh during sex doesn't mean he's downright abusing the girl...Who am I to break up two people who are in love?" His eyes opened, narrowed and calculating as he stared at her. She stared back at him, biting her lip.
"You're a Ninja of the Leaf Village, Sakura." She sighed, annoyed and frustrated. That wasn't the answer she wanted. He pursed his lips. "Well, say she is, Sakura. Say she's so in love with this man that she decides to look past his so-called flaws and impurities. She ignores the acts that he's taken to with her, and she believes that she's just so smitten with him…She ignores all the advice she's given on this man although the people near her have the possibility of being right—"
"This is not about me, Sasuke." She growled. He held up his palm, stopping her.
"Let me finish." She scowled, her fingers tightly woven together. "She just needs a kick, to open her eyes. It may hurt her, but in the end, it'll be for her own good." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "This isn't about us, Sakura. This is about what the Daimyo is "paying" us to do, and it's about our duty to fulfill the mission. But then again, I don't even think that's what this is about." She bit her lip.
"I have to do whatever's necessary, Sasuke." He tilted his head forward, prompting her to continue. She took a deep breath. "I might have to have…you know, with Yuuki." He blinked suddenly, but other than that he didn't seem to be fazed.
"If that's what it comes to, then yes. You'll have to." She shook her head.
"That's not what I want to hear." He sighed, rubbing his eyes this time.
"Well, it's not really about that right now is it?" She frowned. "What I'm saying is, if worse comes to worst, then I suppose some things may have to happen. But—"
"Genjutsu isn't an option?" She asked, her voice small.
"Sakura…" He started tiredly. She shook her head softly.
"Look, Sasuke. Being, you know, with Ren…it left a bad taste in my mouth. I'd rather not do it again. Until I'm ready, at least. And now to have to do this under these circumstances? Especially since…" She looked back to the scroll in her lap.
"If that's the case then, I'll just have to try my best to help you with your Genjutsu skills then. If you're going to use it, it has to be seamless. And the essence of it comes from imagination, so that means a lot of preparation. You can't just go dry in the middle of it, you'll never recover. So tonight marks the first of many that we'll have to watch some real dirty porn. I hope you can stomach it." He paused, noticing her expression. "Uh…That's not it either, is it. So what other hoops will we have to jump through?"
"It's the scroll."
"Ah," She folded her fingers together.
"It was about us, our place in the mission. We, uh…" He narrowed his eyes.
"We what?" She sighed, trying to find the right words.
"We'll have to…We have to—"
"Sakura, spit it out." He prompted. She huffed.
"It's an upscale establishment, and Shishou bluntly pointed out that, you know…there will be times when we're in a room together." He pursed his lips.
"Like now?" She shook her head.
"Alone." He looked around.
"Like now?" He failed at holding back the laugh breaking through his words. She placed a hand on her forehead.
"With a bed, Sasuke." She finished, gesturing with her hands. He smiled.
"Will there be a couch in this setting?" She rolled her eyes. He wasn't taking this seriously, and she was almost at the fist-frustration point in the conversation.
"People are going to be around—" She paused, making a large circle with her arms. "With the assumption that we're…we're—"
"If you're suggesting that we'll have to have sex a few times throughout the duration of this mission, that was information I already possessed." She huffed, the relief that she didn't have to say it overwhelming her.
"So—"
"I was baiting you, yes. For someone who's had sex, you sure do act like a virgin." Her cheeks tinged pink.
"Shut-up, you bastard." She grumbled. He smirked.
"That's why the scroll was sent to you, not me." She sighed, still looking as if something was pestering her. He sat up on his elbow with his face in his upturned hand. "Are you trying to ask me to bed, Sakura?" His voice was smooth, too smooth, and it oozed testosterone. No wonder he wasn't a virgin. Just the sound of his voice would have any woman on her knees.
But, been there, done that.
"Yes—I'm…no. I mean—" She exhaled. "We're going to have sex, Sasuke. And I know that's way better than having sex with a stranger, because, you know, we're friends. And it would just be as friends for the sake of this stupid mission, but still—"
"If people are going to be around our room or booth, then…If Genjutsu was an option for the target, then it's an option for us, too. We'll cast each other in it, but everybody else will hear us." She pressed her lips together and shook her head.
"Shishou still thinks I'm a virgin. She doesn't know what happened, and so she made this an order." She looked back into her lap and sighed. "With the experience I have, I might as well be. That'll never be enough for Yuuki; to keep my esteem as an exotic dancer and then perform poorly…" She trailed off as Sasuke nodded, stopping her from saying anymore.
"Then I understand." She bit her lip.
"I know what I'm requesting, and it's horrible to ask this of you. We've been through this, and I just know it's going to uncover feelings, and I don't want it to change anything like I have a feeling it will. I just want to be Sakura and Sasuke—"
"Sasuke and Sakura," He corrected with a pointed finger. She glared.
"The mission is going to try to blur boundaries because of the proximity we're going to be working with, and I just want to lay a foundation…" She spread her hands, as if smoothing the air. "You know, in case I get carried away. We need a point that we can always come back to. That's what this is for. If we're ever too close, I can look back and say 'Remember when I said the mission is going to try to blur boundaries because of the proximity we're working with? Yeah, that's what's happening now.'" He chuckled.
"Sakura, we've read that book before. I get your fears, and while having sex with me is nothing to be worried about—" A chakra scalpel appeared on her finger, dangerously close to his— "I don't want the mission or the fact that we'll be fucking on a regular basis to change how we are." He said through forced tones, sweat beading on his forehead. She slowly removed her finger. "I like us. You know, the platonic, us." She frowned.
"You're about as subtle as my pink hair." He shrugged.
"Just think of having sex with me like having sex with Naruto." She stuck a finger in her mouth and pretended to gag.
"Naruto's my brother! That's just—"
"Exactly. And if you think of it that way…As a matter of fact, every time you step on stage, think of all of those men as Naruto." She frowned.
"You mean giggling and snickering at me like a 5 year-old?" He rolled his eyes.
"No, Naruto at a strip club."
"I've never seen Naruto at a strip club." He snorted.
"Well, you'd be amazed. He completely transforms. You see, if it were Naruto in my shoes, do you think you'd develop romantic feelings for him?" She rolled her eyes.
"God, no." He nodded.
"Well, there you have it." She frowned again.
"But that'll be hard. I can't see Naruto in your shoes because I can't see Naruto in a romantic sense. I've dated you, not him." He sighed.
"Yes, and it'll continue to be hard if you keep thinking of it that way. You have to listen, Sakura." Her frown deepened. "I swear it just goes in one ear and out the other…" He mumbled to himself. She glared.
"Yeah, thanks." She said sarcastically.
"No problem." He chirped, taking her hair between his fingers. "You know this really is too long for your own good." She pursed her lips, snatching her hair from his light grasp and putting it up into a tight bun on top of her head.
"I thought long hair was your thing." He rolled onto his stomach and hummed.
"Yeah, but pink never really was my color." She punched him in the back. "I learned to love it," He said in contrast, his voice muffled.
"And brown is?" She mocked, pulling a strand of his newly colored hair out of his head, to which earned her an "Ouch!"
"Kakashi, that bastard. He gave me dark brown, and then had the balls to give my hair color to Naruto! The bastard." She laughed.
"You already said that." He rubbed the back of his head. "Besides, it's not like it's your hair color. A lot of people have Prussian blue hair. Just not you. Well, anymore, for that matter." He turned back over to glare at her. "It's cute on him." He rolled his eyes in disgust.
"Because it's my hair color!" She clicked her tongue.
"Ah, ah, ah, Sasuke." She said, stifling her laughter from his outburst. "I didn't think I'd live to see the day you were jealous of Naruto."
She was so over this. And whose idea was it to put her on Sasuke's lap, anyway?
"So, Misses Tan, how are you?" She gave him a small smile.
"Just Haruka, please." He nodded. Every Daimyo she's ever seen always had one foot in the grave, yet the young man seated before her couldn't be older than Kakashi.
Okay, so that was pushing it.
Kakashi was well on his way to 40 and he looked the part of a 28 year-old. But the man in front of her…Not a speck of gray could be seen from her viewpoint (Sadly, the same couldn't be said for Kakashi), and he was oozing charm. He was handsome; strong acute features and a chiseled jawline. If it wasn't for his fair skin, she'd consider comparing him to her burly father, if only her father had a smaller build and a lighter skin complexion. Her eyebrows knitted together. Her father—
"Misses Tan?" She blinked, her eyes focusing. She noticed she'd been staring at the man, but her thoughts were deviated from what was actually coming from his mouth.
"I'm sorry, but you'll have to repeat that." She flashed him an apologetic smile.
"I was asking if you were skilled at what you do." He folded his hands above his mouth as he leaned into them. Her eyebrows raised.
"With all due respect, Miyazaki-sama, I am a woman of many talents. You'll just have to elaborate."
"And with all due respect, Misses Tan," His gaze shifted from her eyes and she crossed her legs. "With the way you're dressed, one wouldn't expect you to be stealing my daughter's betrothed from her." She pursed her lips, holding in a sigh. Men were the same, and she figured it would vary with social status, but the Daimyo just proved her wrong. It was Sasuke's idea, her outfit, and she concluded that he had better taste in clothes than she did. She wore leather pants that clung to her skin, and she was clothed in a sleeveless white sweater that was way too small, so when she stood, her midriff was shown. Not to mention she wasn't wearing a bra. Her breasts weren't that small that she didn't need them. He met her eyes again, a frown on his face. "You seem a bit timid."
"Rest assured, Miyazaki-sama, I won't be this "timid" beside a pole, if that's what you're asking." She countered crisply. "I have my tastes, and other women have theirs." He sighed, shaking his head.
"I assume you know there are many dancers who willingly go stark naked in front of Yuuki every night, and he doesn't even bat an eyelash. You're a beautiful woman, Misses Tan. The only thing those dancers have over you is their bodies are completely privy to the public. But I don't know how you suppose—"
"Miyazaki-sama, I'm sure you hired Haru here for a reason." Sasuke started firmly. "You've heard her name, and the popularity that accompanies it. I'd rather she not walk around naked like the other dancers, because she's not like the other dancers. Trust me, if anyone, she's the best at what she does." A resigned sigh escaped his throat as he ran a hand through his glossy black hair. It was then that Sakura noticed his age.
"I'm going to put my faith in you, Misses Tan, Sasaki-san…And I do hope that you save my daughter." He gave them a small smile as Sakura subtly bit her pink-painted lips.
"Miyazaki-sama, you're daughter's waiting downstairs." Two guards of his security detail walked into the room. The Daimyo waved his hand.
"That's fine. Tell her our guests have arrived, and they're coming down shortly. She's to show them around, and then to the place they'll be staying." Sakura stood abruptly.
"Miyazaki-sama—" She started frantically.
"I told her you're here on business. Besides, my room is soundproof. Now, if you would please…" He stood at his desk and gestured them to the door. One guard opened it and the other went ahead as Sasuke stood, leading Sakura out of the office with a hand on the small of her back.
"Thank-you, Miyazaki-sama." She said with a curt bow, turning back around before the door was closed.
They were taken down the endless steps back to the entrance of the building. Sasuke pulled her closer to his body.
"We're going to be fine, Haru-chan." He said affectionately, kissing her forehead through her bangs. "We're going to be just fine."
"No, we were just fine back in Snow. I don't know why we had to come here." She huffed as they approached Mei, the guard at their tails.
"I told you. I've done my share with the businesses back there. Snow's a tainted place now. New beginnings, remember?" She pouted.
"Yeah, well, let's just see what this Village has to offer before you make any hasty decisions." She muttered under her breath.
Mei finally turned around, and Sakura blinked, taken aback by her beauty. She admired her glossy black hair that fell in waves around her shoulders. But that was where the resemblance stopped between her and her father. Mei's features were soft; round cheeks and a heart-shaped face. Her lips were full, and she had big-round eyes, light blue in color, just as Naruto described her. He failed to mention her breasts, though, a pair that Sakura would kill for. And of course, if you had breasts like that, you could do nothing but show them off. So Mei had the right idea, wearing a tube top that made her cleavage apparent in the black number. She wore dark blue jeans, conforming to her body and hugging her curves. For a small girl, she sure was voluptuous.
There were many things Naruto omitted about this girl though, but she couldn't blame him. At that point in time, she'd probably kill him if he said another thing about the target, given the fact he didn't know she was one. As for the height, the comparison between Sakura and Mei was up in the air. They were both wearing heels at various lengths, so she'd just keep her pride and put them at a matched even.
She smiled brightly at them, a few papers in her tight grasp. "Sasaki Sai and Haruka Tan?" She tried to confirm. Sakura nodded. She held out a sure hand. "Sai, Tan, I'm Miyazaki Mei. The Daimyo's daughter, but I think you've already concluded that." She smiled brightly again as Sakura frowned.
"Haruka." Mei blinked in confusion, her groomed eyebrows furrowing. "My first name is Haruka." Sakura finished, a reassuring tone for the girl. Mei blinked again, retracting her hand in embarrassment. Her gaze then switched to Sasuke, and then back to Sakura, before she looked down at her outfit. She was clearly confused. Mei shook her head.
"O-oh…I'm sorry…I-I didn't know—" Sakura smiled again and held out her hand.
"It's fine—"
"She doesn't do that anymore." Sasuke interrupted icily, a contradicting smile on his face. Mei visibly shrunk as she unsurely shook Sakura's hand. She cleared her throat.
"Well. I'm just going to uh, show you around a few of the great places the Hot Springs Village has to offer, and then we can do lunch." Sakura held her hands up.
"We appreciate this, but if you could just show us to our hotel—"
"We'd love to see the Village." Sasuke interrupted again, an unusual smile bright on his usually solemn features. She narrowed her eyes.
"Sai—"
"Don't be such a spoilsport, Haru-chan. Let's take a look around, see if you like anything. Maybe we could look into the Hot Springs. I hear they're praised for those." She frowned again as he threw his arm around her. "Plus, I'd really like to check out their businesses—"
"Sai, I told you no hasty decisions!" She whispered harshly, slightly moving backward in his embrace. "I don't even know if I want to, you know, yet. Fit me in somewhere before you run off, Mister big business. You're always working, and we just got here." She muttered, a pout on her face. He tightened his hold on her. Mei looked on, her eyes full of worry.
"Don't worry. I won't run off just yet." She sighed. "So, what's the first stop?"
"Mhm, this is so good, Mei." Sakura took another bite of her food and rolled her eyes in pleasure as the flavor exploded on her taste buds.
"I told you it would be," She replied, a smile on her face as she sat back and folded her arms over her ample chest. Her plate was already cleaned. Sakura however, decided on savoring the exotic taste that couldn't be found in Konoha. "Finish, finish." She prompted, gesturing her hands forward. Sakura finished chewing and swallowed.
"Mhm. Okay, so, I'm just standing there. Sai comes up to me with a wad of bills in his hand. I ask him, "Whatcha' want honey?" He'd be my first for the night, so I was feeling generous. But then he tells me, "Just a conversation." Of course I'm laughing my ass off. His combed hair and groomed features, even at night I could tell he came from money. Not just anyone walks around wearing suits like that." She shook her head. "I don't know how long I'm laughing. But what I do know is that when I stop, he's still standing there with all that cash in his hands, blank expression but his eyes shone with determination.
"I knew he wasn't going to take no for an answer, and even then, I wasn't going to give up all of that money because the notion of a suit like that wanting to get to know a Prostitute was silly. So he took me back to his place, made me dinner, got me juiced. And I thought, 'Here it is.' I knew he didn't just want to talk. He led me to a room, luxurious, of course. The bed was massive and the bathroom was the size of my hole in the wall apartment. I didn't get many clients like that, so I was surprised. But then he just…" She closed her eyes. "He put a pair of boxer shorts and a t-shirt on the bed, and he left the wad of cash on the nightstand. I lie to you not, I stood in that room for about half an hour before I realized he wasn't coming back. He was giving me a place to sleep." Mei sighed dreamily.
"That's so cute. He swept you off of your feet." Sakura rolled her eyes and scoffed.
"Not even. It was the other way around, if anything." She joked under her breath, glancing back at Sasuke in the other booth. He was avidly talking on the phone, his shined dress shoes situated on top of the connected table. She's sure the only person he could talk to like that was Naruto. She continued on. "He picked me up once a week after that, and the money never stopped coming. I could pay my rent, I could actually buy sustainable food…he was giving me everything I needed. Not to mention he was determined to let me in on every single detail of his life, prompting me to do the same. But my lips were shut tight. I was greedy, not stupid. Until…Until he bought me out of my contract." She snuck another look back at Sasuke as Mei's eyes widened. She was good.
"He bought…He bought…" She blinked rapidly, trying to compose herself. "He bought you out of your contract?" She exclaimed, her voice high but barely above a whisper as she leaned closer over the table, both of her hands planted flat. Sakura pursed her lips as she continued to stare at him. She nodded. "So he has money. That was his card." Mei stated, trying to recover herself, dissect the situation logically. Sakura shook her head.
"Money wasn't his card. He had it, sure. He had it in abundance." She fingered the pearl necklace hanging past her collarbone as Mei admired the matching earrings. "My contract was extremely expensive. I was young, very young, and my pimp had me for a considerable amount of time, so my worth continued to add up." Mei continued to look on in shock.
"I'm going to go out on a limb here," She started, raising her palms. "And I don't know if my information is accurate because I only read tabloids." Sakura nodded and waved her hand, giving her permission to continue. "Your pimp found you at 18. Ripe." Sakura nodded slowly this time. "I'm going to go ahead and assume that shortly after the incident in Snow two years ago, you were bought out of your contract." Her eyes were narrowed and calculating, examining the girl sitting before her that clearly knew so much about Haruka. "So, say you were 21. That's drinking age for civilians, and that raises your price, since your client could now get you 'juiced' as you say, and not go to prison subsequently after the fact." Mei paused and started to blink again. Sakura frowned.
"Right. So...?" She pestered, not understanding her point.
"That's four years with one pimp. Your contract was probably worth the revenue price of three lounges!" Her eyes were wide and her arms were outstretched. Sakura, of course, treated her explanation with indifference. First off, she was supposed to, and secondly, she didn't even know the revenue price of one lounge, so the comparison was pretty pointless in her eyes. Maybe if she compared them to Shinobi paychecks, or even Anbu. That, she was familiar with. "I think to say that he had money in abundance would be an understatement." Sakura gave her a small smile in return.
"He's something of an investor. And he won't invest in anything he doesn't think is worth it. Apparently, I was." She shook her head again. "But I wasn't just an investment to him. I knew that wasn't his thing, you know, "Mr. Save-a-hoe." She said, her fingers substituting as sarcastic quotes. "I don't know why he was attracted to me. I wasn't sophisticated like his friends, and I'm sure they wouldn't approve of a Prostitute clinging to his arm. I have blue hair for Kami's sake—"
"So what is it?" Mei said, frowning. "What's his card?"
"The Knight." Sasuke interrupted, an elbow leaned against the top of the booth as his lips brushed the top of Sakura's head. His fingers played in her straightened hair. "And your hair is cerulean, not blue." He quipped, smiling down at her. Mei looked on, an expression of awe and surprise as she drunk in his image. "She's beautiful, and I saw beyond the lack of clothing and gaudy make-up."
Sakura scoffed. "Gaudy." She said under her breath.
"Her handler…" A look of disgust flashed across his face. "I didn't want her to continue believing that the world was full of sleazebags. I wanted to show her that she didn't have to fight for everything…she wouldn't have to fight for anything. I'm going to give her the world. At least, I'm trying to." She rolled her eyes.
"Literally." She muttered under her breath. Sasuke let out a hearty laugh, the forgotten phone in his hand. Sakura looked down to it and he followed her gaze.
"Oh, I have to—"
"Sai." She drawled, irritation in her voice. He kissed her cheek.
"I'm sorry, Haru-chan. The boss is on the line." She frowned.
"You're the boss." He rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, I was talking about myself. My advisor's on the other line. And he insists I meet with Yugakure's business chain head. Immediately." He put a finger on her chin and pulled her face to his, placing a lingering kiss on her lips. "Apology?" She pulled back, blinking rapidly.
That was a first.
Sakura bit her lip, trying to come back from her momentary fluster. She raised her eyebrows.
"It'll take a lot more than that to apologize." She whispered, still dazed.
"Challenge accepted." She could see he was stunned as well. "But I promise I'll make it back in time for the hotel. Show her a good time." He commanded a dazed Mei as well, who's expression switched to one of fright. He put the phone back up to his ear. "Don't have too much fun, Haru. Kenji, you were saying…?" And he was already weaving through booths and tables, heading for the entrance. Sakura sighed.
"Is he always like that?" Mei asked. She rolled her eyes.
"Bipolar? Bad with managing priorities? Unfortunately, yes. Even with me." Mei softened. Her demeanor changed as Sasuke left, but that was everybody.
"No, not you. He has a soft spot for you." She pursed her lips.
"Yeah right. It'd be easier to find a soft spot on a rock." She finished with a huff as Mei hummed in thought. She pursed her lips and scoffed, muttering under her breath. "It'd be easier to find my brother." Mei's eyebrows furrowed, her interest piqued.
"Well, what's the deal with your brother, anyway?" Sakura frowned.
"My brother? Hm." She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms across her chest as she leaned back in her seat. "I haven't seen my brother for seven years. Even then it was fleeting." She rolled her eyes. "There are a lot of people in high places looking for Hatashi, so if you've found him, you might want to contact the authorities." Mei's eyes widened.
"He's a fugitive?" Sakura laughed.
"If that's what you call it when you're wanted by people virtually everywhere, then yes." She blinked in shock. Sakura waved her away. "But no, I mean, he's screwed a lot of people over, but he's no fugitive. Not that I know of. It's just…" She sighed. "Hatashi goes off the grid a lot, and these are times when he's most needed. He's independent, and he expects everyone else to be that way as well. So usually, when someone is in desperate need of him, he disappears. You'd be lucky if you ever see him again." Sakura finished, resigned. "I doubt he'll show up again in my lifetime, so it's best everyone just forget about him."
"But he—"
"He's fine. He doesn't need people like us, Mei. Besides, he's a grown man. I'm sure he can take good care of himself. He's been doing it for so long, anyway…" Mei frowned. "You seem to know an awful lot about me, why don't you tell me a little about yourself?" She could tell that Mei was flustered, what with the change of topics. "I'm sure you've gone well above the job description of a tourist-escort today, and this lowly Prostitute would like to know why." Sakura finished, her newly manicured fingers folded neatly in front of her.
"Well, Haruka, I don't meet many…Prostitutes like you. Down to earth conservatives are hard to come by around here…" Laughter erupted from her throat as she finished her sentence. Sakura frowned.
"What's so funny?" Mei stopped abruptly.
"Well, a lot of dancers don't respect themselves like you do. Don't be surprised if you see topless women wandering this Village." Mei said with a roll of her eyes.
"That's not a crime?" She was sure public nudity was earned at least a day incarcerated back in Konoha.
"Not here. Not when there's a strip club on every corner and a longue on every two." Sakura's eyebrows furrowed as Mei frowned. "But you, Haruka, have everything going for you. A promising career," Career? Sakura almost scoffed at that. "A bipolar mega-millionaire boyfriend—"
"I wouldn't say mega…"
"And you're beautiful without having to take a shred of your clothing off. You're wearing a sweater—"
"It's sleeveless," Sakura chimed in, trying to be modest.
"You could be wearing a polar bear suit and you'd still be beautiful." She tried not to take the compliment to heart, knowing she was on the job. But then she remembered only changing Kakashi's bone structure and not her own. Maybe she'd try this cerulean thing out for a little while…
"I could say the same for you." Sakura countered. She frowned. "Look, you're different, Mei. It should be a crime for a tourist-escort to dress that sexy—"
"I'm a stripper."
…
"We have to pay the bills somehow, right?" Sakura covered her preplanned blunder. "You're beautiful. Guys are probably falling over each other's feet to get to you." She flashed Sakura a small smile and tucked her wavy hair behind her ear, displaying a ring. "I think guy would be more appropriate." She whispered under her breath. "That's a shiny rock, Mei. Not to mention it's huge. Who's the boyfriend?" Her fair-skinned cheeks flushed a deep red.
"F-fiancée," She stammered.
"Ah," Sakura breathed, leaning back in the booth. "Spill the beans. Who's Prince Charming?" She didn't know it was possible, but her blush turned a deeper red as she avoided Sakura's waiting eyes, tucking her hair behind her ear all the while.
"Y-Yuuki. Yashimata Yuuki. He's the Executive CEO at the Kansai Lounge." Sakura's eyes widened, impressed at his head position at such a young age. He's only 27, the same age Sasuke's portraying, and for him to have actually done that well has to be some feat. "Speaking of the Kansai Lounge, why don't you come tonight? I want you and Sai to meet him, if you don't mind." Sakura's eyes furrowed for a split-second. They've managed to get to step two of the plan in an hour. That was good.
She was good.
"I'd love that." Mei smiled.
"Maybe you could—" Sakura shook her head immediately. Mei's eyebrows raised. She knows she hit a nerve.
"I…" She exhaled through her nose, pressing her lips together. "I don't know why Sai brought us here. He told me better opportunities because of the…the talk back in Snow. The Ambassador…" She sighed, closing her eyes and clenching her fists. "New beginnings, he said. We've been on the move for quite some time, so this might be our home for a while. I just…I don't know if I can do that just yet. Or at all. I don't know." Mei nodded understandably.
"Just come and watch, then. I only have one performance tonight, so I can show you around. If that's okay with you." Sakura nodded, a smile on her face.
"That's just fine."
"Sasuke," Her toes pressed against the plush mattress as she propelled herself upward a final time before collapsing back onto the bed.
"Hn?" He exited the bathroom of their master bedroom and moved to sit in the armchair. Sakura sat up, her hands behind her, flat against bed covers. Biting her lip, she turned and stared down his lazy eyes.
"Am I beautiful?" He blinked.
"Where exactly is this coming from?" His bored tone made her roll her eyes.
"Sasuke, I've been called beautiful four times today. You were one of them! Back in Konoha, I'd have to hold someone hostage just to get 'pretty', and now that I've got blue hair—"
"Is that what this is really about?" He asked tiredly, covering his mouth with his hand as he yawned. She frowned.
"I'm serious, Sasuke." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Don't you think it's a little sad that the first time you called me beautiful was under these circumstances? On the job? Come on, Sasuke. We dated for two years, for Kami's sake." His eyes were closed and his head rested against the top of the armchair as he stretched his limbs.
"Yes, and I'm sure that during those two years I've called you beautiful a billion of times to get you to sleep with me in your underwear." He drawled as her frown ran deeper, her cheeks flushing red. She threw up her manicured middle finger. "It was under other instances, too." He added. She narrowed her eyes. "Now, the fact that you're being shallow about the compliment means me calling you beautiful is definitely not what this is about." He finished firmly, stretching his arms over his head. She was overthinking again.
And he was tired.
Sasuke himself wasn't a man for many words, but the oath of silence he took to today was excruciating. Forced to observe the businesses around the Village under the watchful and annoying eye of the business chain head, he found he was glad to be a Shinobi. Something he hated was small talk, and that's the only thing that came out of the obese, greasy man's mouth. A lot of his pestering included Sakura and her features, and he most definitely didn't like that. So before he shut him up with his fists, he tried using the verbal method. But it was never very effective with him, anyway. That was Naruto, and he wasn't Naruto.
In all seriousness, though, he really hoped his blunder didn't affect the mission or his getting employed. Apparently, the investing life wasn't for him. Yes, his job for the day was tedious and tiring, and while Sakura's mouth would've probably irritated him to the ends of the earth, her company was far more comforting than the solace he had to take in himself while observing. It seemed like days, but he finally made it to the hotel. The hotel that housed their generous penthouse suite with a master bedroom and bathroom, lavish living room, and a kitchenette. He'd really love an ice cold beer right about now, but he vaguely remembers tuning Sakura out three minutes ago, and simply getting up mid-speech would be rude. And also an indication that he wasn't listening.
"It's so horrible. She's all rationalizing and assumptions, yet she's so insecure about her looks." Sasuke yawned again, rubbing his eyes this time.
"Where exactly are you going with all of this?" He asked tiredly. She frowned, ultimately concluding he wasn't listening.
"Where were you the past five minutes?"
"It's been five minutes?" She frowned. Well, his timing is off. He's tired, anyway.
"So, you weren't listening." He raised himself from the armchair and moved to the mini-fridge inside of their room.
"Ah, so I've been found out." Opening it, he grabbed a beer and plopped back down into his seat. He pulled a senbon from his pocket and used it to pop open his drink. Sakura frowned.
"Why are you carrying those around, and more importantly, why are you using it as a—you know what, never mind." She closed her eyes and held her palms up in surrender. He took a swig of his beer.
"Sakura, I'm sorry. I'm just tired. Just…just give me the short version, please." She sighed.
"She already feels like everyone else around her is a Goddess and she's just some average tourist-escort." He pursed his lips, waiting for her to make her point. "She already feels inferior to everyone around her even though the girl's beautiful. If I take her fiancée from her, it's like saying 'Hey, I befriended you, had sex with your boyfriend, and ruined your engagement. Oh, and, your father paid me to do it!'" She threw her hands up and raised her eyebrows. "How the hell am I supposed to do that, Sasuke?" He could see that she took this mission personally. Only because of Ren. If he ever saw that bastard again, he'd regret skinning his hand. He'd make sure he regretted stepping foot in Konoha, and he'd damn sure regret ever laying eyes on Sakura. He sighed heavily. If she kept talking like this, the mission would be a hard one.
"Sakura, I told you. Let the mission run its course. We weren't brought here to judge what the Daimyo wants us to do, we were brought here to just do. You should know the book more than anyone." She sighed, placing a hand on her forehead. He shook his head. "I don't need you thinking on this anymore. Your hair will gray and those wrinkles will only worsen." He jumped out of the chair to dodge the oncoming pillow.
"You're one real bastard, Sasuke." He placed a hand over his heart, feigning his hurt.
"You should act more like a lady, Haru-chan. Your cursing is distasteful." She threw another pillow. "Sakura, seriously, I know you're lacing that with your chakra!" That one caught him in the arm, leaving him with a stinging feeling.
"I laced it because you're being cruel." She crossed her legs and frowned. Sasuke narrowed his eyes and leaned against the wall, drink still in his hand.
"I'm being cruel? In about an hour, I have to go to the Kansai Lounge and act civil around sophisticated pigs." He rolled his eyes. "I'd respect them more if they had a kunai to my throat." He scoffed. She pouted, her mood changing almost immediately. Sasuke frowned at this.
"I couldn't just tell her no, Sasuke. I've already laid a foundation on my distaste in stripping, so I have to provide at least an inch of room for leeway so this mission won't be impossible." He sighed. She was right, and he couldn't argue with basis. He finished off his drink and artfully tossed it in the trashcan situated in the corner.
"I told you I was tired." He muttered under his breath, walking back to the bathroom. "While you were out having leisure day, I was busy doing the nonsensical things of a business man." He said, his tone bored. She smiled.
"You're probably right about that. Speaking of leisure day, Mei wanted to show me the Springs, and I said 'Sure, but I can't get in,' and she said 'That's fine too, we can visit the Falls instead,' and I asked 'What's the Falls?' and she said—"
He rubbed a hand over his eyes. "Sakura the short version, please." She pursed her lips in thought.
"Well, we're at the Falls. And you know, Falls, so…mist. And my hair isn't used to mist, actually it's not used to any of this hot weather. Back in Konoha—"
"I'm actually begging now." She exhaled deeply.
"I need you to redo my hair because now it's all frizzy from the mist and I can't show up to an upscale establishment with frizzy hair." She finished the sentence in one breath. He raised his eyebrows.
"Sakura, I did your hair before we left." She frowned.
"Please?"
"No."
"Please?"
"No."
"Please?" She poked her bottom lip out and sat on her knees, her eyes pleading.
"N—" He exhaled through his nose as her eyebrows raised awaiting his answer. He's faced more dangers at 17 than most Ninja do in their lifetime. But he knew that if he said no to Sakura, while she was begging at the least, he'd probably experience more pain from her and her bare hands than he would with a blade through his chest. He turned on his heel and walked to the bathroom wordlessly, grabbing the supplies needed to redo her hair.
"Thank-you, Sasuke!" She said sweetly in a sing-song voice. She knew what she was doing, the vindictive woman. This made him frown.
"Just…just don't mention it."
Red-painted lips flew open as a laugh erupted from her core. It became uncontrollable, so she placed her manicured digits over her mouth to stifle the noises. She spoke again after she quieted down.
"It was a bet. I mean, he was going to get one anyway, but somewhere more inconspicuous like his arm or his foot. I was getting lucky that week, my wins being a total of 16-14. Out of all of the 16, the reward of having Kakashi get a shuriken on his left ass cheek had to have been the best." She smiled as Sasuke released his amusement in his form of laughter; the slight opening of his lips and the dancing in his eyes. He didn't laugh very often and he usually settled for a small noise of appreciation coming from his throat. She would take his recent display of his joy as acceptable.
"Someone's coming," He whispered through his smile. She blinked and looked to her right. Indeed someone was coming, and it was no other than Mei. Sasuke's hand slid up her thigh. "Don't." He stopped her before she could react. He was hidden underneath the table, but anyone coming near them could clearly see it. She closed her eyes and tried to accept the long since unfamiliar hands that caressed her inner thighs. When she opened them, his eyes were piercing, staring right back at her. She blinked, taken aback by his intensity.
"Haruka?" Sakura jolted and Sasuke's hand quickly retracted as Mei met her with worried eyes. She shook her head, fixing herself, and then she smiled brightly at her.
"Mei," She said with a nod. "It's so nice here." She finished, looking around. Mei nodded appreciatively, taking the compliment as her own.
"I knew you'd like it." Sakura gave a small smile in reply. Maybe she shouldn't have changed. Mei certainly didn't. The only thing different about her was the heavy make-up and a tight bun on top of her head. She was definitely performing tonight. Thankfully, Sasuke straightened her hair again. She wore a red tube top that matched her lips and covered only her breasts. Leather shorts stopped above her belly button, showing minimum skin. It was accompanied by sheer tights which made her legs look 'delectable' by Sasuke's standards. Black platform pumps with red bottoms covered her feet, making the top of her head reach Sasuke's eyes. "Sai." She greeted with a swift nod.
"Mei, how are you?" Sasuke asked, his voice smooth and caressing. Sakura saw Mei almost immediately melt. She turned back to Sasuke.
"Don't do that." She mouthed. That wasn't his job. He shrugged, then raised his eyebrows at Mei, his eyes full of interest. She blinked.
"I'm fine, thank-you. I have a short performance tonight, so—"
"Oh? Haru didn't tell me you were a fellow stripper." Her eyebrows knitted together.
"I'm sure that's not information you just go throwing around." She said with an awkward laugh. Sakura frowned.
"Bluntly, at that. I'm not even a stripper myself." Sakura muttered. Sasuke's eyes remained on Mei's, intense, as if staring right through her. His features remained stoic. Mei blanched.
"Now do you believe he's bipolar?" She whispered behind her hand. Mei swallowed.
"Haru, do you mind getting us some drinks?" Sakura shrugged.
"Fine. Come on, Mei—"
"No, no, just you. Mei, sit. Let's talk." She blanched again and Sakura threw her an apologetic smile.
"Godspeed." She whispered as she passed her.
She really hoped that Sasuke knew it wasn't his job to seduce Mei. It was Kakashi's, and only Kami knew where that man was. She could truthfully say she missed his company, though. But for this mission, she knew it'd be mostly Sasuke and herself. She would try to do anything she could to avoid him, but that would be impossible considering the required proximity. Considering their looming to-do list hanging over her head. She knew Sasuke didn't have a problem with the sex. He's not an emotionally attached person, so to him, sex really is just sex. And on top of that, he wasn't a virgin. But Sakura…she sighed as she approached the bar. The bartender immediately took notice of her. She smiled sweetly.
"What would you like?" He asked smoothly, his eyebrows raised suggestively.
"Two rounds of Sake, please." She raised two manicured digits in emphasis. He lingered.
"Anything else?" She shook her head no. It took him less than a minute before a tray was placed in front of her. "You know, you look a lot like that porn star, what was it…? Hakura." Sakura pursed her lips, keeping a scowl from her face. It was Haruka, and she wasn't a porn star. But then again, men didn't really know the difference, did they. Any woman willing to strip might as well have been a porn star.
"Yeah, I get that a lot." She gave him a small smile as he frowned and continued to pick up her tray.
"I don't know if you'll be frequenting this longue, but lying to the good people of the place you'll be staying for a while can't be a good first impression." She paused, hearing the faint voice that clearly bled testosterone in her ears. That wasn't for her. She didn't know any men here, and damn sure not well enough for them to know this would be their home for a while. She shrugged it off and turned on her heels.
She turned on her heels to collide into someone that was too close to her for their own good, spilling the drinks all over her front.
"Damn it," She cursed under her breath.
"Another tip. Watching where you're going is always helpful."
Thank you all for waiting with me! It's been hectic but it's dying down. I really hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as I've enjoyed writing it. Bear with me as I start on the next one. Please review, it gives me superpowers! If every one person who reads this reviews, I can expand my Clash fan base. So, if you don't mind…
-Keoo19