Chapter 1

AN: Sometimes, when reading fanfiction, I'll cringe a little when things get overly dramatic. Now that I'm writing my own, though, I'm like, "F*CK IT BRING ON THE EXCITEMENT! Ha!"

(but really, though, I'll try to reign it in and not write a damn telenovela LOL)

Anyway, I hope you enjoy Chapter One and leave lots of reviews/comments because it makes me feel good! *shameless*

Thanks!

~

The group of people around Sakura suddenly gasped and became quiet as she stood there, a wine glass upside down in her hand. She'd dumped its contents on the head of an unbelievably handsome man with black hair and even blacker eyes, though they were currently burning with the wildfire of rage.

When she did it, every part of her was irritated and offended, severely clouding her judgment. That said, this man had spent the past three hours tormenting the poor woman and in front of all his buddies, no less.

So when the angry fog in Sakura's mind began to clear, she didn't let the man's intimidating demeanor get to her and venomously spat, "I've never met someone so full of himself in my life. Maybe other women put up with this kind of treatment, but I refuse."

The black-haired man unfroze, lifting a brow while obviously struggling not to lose his temper. He snatched her wrist and squeezed it tightly enough that it wasn't possible to pull away, "What the fuck did you just say to me?"

Sakura swallowed her swiftly rising terror, attempting to free herself and failing, "You owe me an apology," she paused, anxiously glancing over to see Ino hurrying toward the manager's office, "…Right now."

Other patrons were beginning to gather around in the crowded Oasis bar, hushed chatter barely being masked by the loud music.

The man stood, towering over the slender woman with an aura of danger. Glaring down his nose at her, he pulled her closer by her arm, leaning in to hold her gaze, "You're going to regret what you just did."

-Five Days Prior/Monday Afternoon-

"You're new here, right? I don't recognize you." A drop-dead-gorgeous blonde woman approached a stunned Sakura Haruno. She came to sit beside her at the furthest back desk in the classroom, "I'm Ino Yamanaka. Let's get along well!"

'Is it really that easy? I haven't said a single word, and this pretty girl wants to be friends,' the awkward girl thought while nodding. "I'm Sakura. It's nice to meet you, and yes, I am new."

Ino grinned, flashing pearly white teeth while offering her phone, "Here, put your number in. Where are you from? I assume you've just moved to Oto since it's the middle of the school year."

Throughout Sakura's entire school career, from elementary to the college she's attended thus far, meeting and befriending new people has been a challenge. In fact, all the friends she left behind in Konoha only put up with her because they wanted to hang around her ex-boyfriend.

'Don't think about him. Give Ino your phone, too, or she'll think you don't want to be friends.'

"Here, put yours in mine, too!"

'God, it's obvious how fake my smile is. Get it together, Girl! If she finds out you're having a mini-panic attack, she'll realize you're a big loser.'

The twenty-one-year-old college student's social anxiety has always been a hindrance, but it's never been this debilitating. Maybe being in a strange new place with no familiar faces put her on edge, or perhaps it's fear that she will see someone she recognizes, someone she left Konoha to get away from.

"I'm from Konoha, originally. This is my first time leaving home, so if you have any pointers for surviving around here, I'd greatly appreciate it," she said while attempting to come off as calm, cool, and collected.

"No way! I was born in Konoha, but my parents moved us here before I was old enough to start school, so I don't remember it. Small world, huh?"

Class began as Sakura handed Ino's phone back, and Ino returned hers, as well. Throughout the two-hour lecture, the two girls learned a little more about one another. To the quieter one's relief, they hit it off quickly. The blonde woman was talkative and social, but she also didn't pressure the Haruno woman into responding more than she already did. It was nice and comfortable, a feeling the Konoha native hadn't experienced in years.

While leaving class, Ino asked, "By the way, you mentioned you're looking for a job. Do you want me to ask my boss if he'll hire you?"

"...Where do you work?" If the job required more than the average amount of small talk or grace, Sakura would be doomed to fail and embarrass her new friend.

"Oh, right! My bad. It's a bar on the east end of town called Oasis. I'm a waitress there. It's super easy. You just have to wear nice clothes and bring drinks to the tables. The pay is great, and you get lots of tips just for being cute, too!"

Though she was hesitant because a bar meant drunk people, drunk men in particular, Sakura nodded, "Sure. You'll text me, then?"

Ino gave her an incredulous look, "Oh, Honey, no. We're going to your place to get dressed, and I'm taking you to work with me tonight. My boss won't be able to say no once he sees you."

That's how Sakura Haruno ended up in a tight mini-skirt and a lowcut shirt, following her equally as scantily clad friend while being trained.

The moment the manager, a tall and bulky middle-aged man named Kakuzu, was introduced, he asked if she'd like a job there. When she pictured someone his age who hired college-aged women based on their appearance, she definitely didn't imagine a stone-faced, quiet man whose glare put a shiver up her spine.

'At least he's not some pervert who'd try to make a move on one of us. Well, I don't think he is, anyway.'

"If you're serving multiple people at once, you can use a tray like this one. I swear it's easier than it looks. Even if you end up dropping a few, it's not the end of the world," Ino spoke in honey-coated words while shooting a pale-skinned, dark-haired young man a wink and handing him a beer.

Sakura nodded with a tense smile, forcing herself to ignore the wandering gazes of the men in the area. Her blonde partner seemed to enjoy the attention. For the remainder of the night, she learned how the floor was divided into sections and worked on memorizing drink names and prices.

At two o'clock, the bar closed, and at two-thirty, Ino drove the woman back to her apartment, "Kakuzu said you'll get paid for tonight, too! Isn't that great? Now we can hang out at work."

The pink-haired one nodded and offered a tired grin, "Thank you for this again, Ino. You're a lifesaver."

Blue eyes winked at her as she got out of the little car and turned to wave goodbye. "Babe, I told you, it's no big deal. Want me to pick you up tomorrow, too? I don't mind carpooling. My dorm's nearby anyway."

After receiving confirmation, Ino pulled away from the curb, leaving Sakura to climb the steps up the side of the house where she was renting the top floor as an apartment. She was relieved she didn't have to go through the front door or the other tenant's home to get to hers.

She went inside, carefully looking out the door's window to ensure no one was secretly watching her before locking and deadbolting it. Once the thick curtain was in place, she turned around.

Her apartment was tiny but still looked bare because she could only bring her clothes, school supplies, and a few photos when leaving. With her saved-up money, she had just enough to buy a new bed and pay the deposit on this place. The landlord had some refurbished furniture delivered, saying it was just sitting in storage anyway, so there was also a nightstand, sofa, and a tiny dining table big enough for the two chairs that went with it.

Food would have to be scarce until she gets her first paycheck. Luckily, the college offers free lunches to all its students, so one meal a day was guaranteed every day except Sunday.

Sighing, Sakura trudged into the bathroom to shower, 'I just want to go to bed, but I don't want to get the sheets all dirty. I've been sweating in a bar for hours.' That's what she thought, but once she was under the hot water, all negative emotions on the act disappeared.

Laying in bed half an hour later, Sakura rested a hand on her stomach and stared at the ceiling while awaiting sleep to take over.

'Living alone in a new place is terrifying, but I prefer this to what's waiting for me back home.'

Rather than let her mind dwell on the nightmare fuel that was the past four years of her life, she forced her thoughts to focus on her new friend and job. 'I hope everything isn't as too good to be true as it feels. I need this to work out.'

If the pinkette loses this job and doesn't manage to find a new one ASAP, she'll be evicted from her apartment for not having rent. It's due in about four weeks. With that concern in mind, she drifted off to sleep.

-The Day "It" Happened-

Sakura felt as close to her true self as she had in years. Ino introduced her to another one of her friends, who also happened to work at Oasis. She was a sarcastic, short-tempered, yet still nice girl named Karin with blood-red hair and pretty dark eyes behind black cat-eye glasses.

Speaking of Oasis, she quickly got the hang of things in the week and a half following her hire date. Regular customers were beginning to recognize and call her by name; it no longer made her nervous to receive and deliver orders, and she'd even come to enjoy speaking to the more respectful patrons.

On this particular night, Saturday, the fourth waitress, a confident and beautiful woman named Guren, a couple of years older than the other three, called in sick. The fifth one, who wasn't scheduled to work, couldn't come in because she didn't have a babysitter for her little brother, who wasn't old enough to enter the bar. That meant Ino, Karin, and Sakura had to pick up the slack by taking turns with tables in Guren's section.

"We have a group coming in, Sakura. It's your turn," Ino chimed in while expertly powerwalking with a tray of beer glasses.

Karin piped up while also whizzing by to order a drink, "Be careful with those ones. They're pretty rowdy. Usually, Guren takes care of them."

'Oh, great. Just what I need. Troublemakers,' Sakura thought while turning to greet the group of customers in question, a smile plastered on her lips. Then, she froze in surprise.

Approaching were five men, each more beautiful than the next. Let's see, there was a quiet-looking one with long dark hair and stress lines under his eyes.

The next was taller and more muscular, with silver hair slicked back and a mischievous grin as he yelled across the bar to a woman who'd called out to him in greeting.

The following two talked to one another and seemed almost unaware that they were even in a bar. One was the shortest of the group with tan skin, red hair, and brown eyes, while the other had almost the exact same hair as Ino as well as eye color. He was so pretty that one might mistake him for a woman if it weren't for his athletic build and lower voice.

The one in the center, leading the group, had black hair, black eyes, and a smirk on his lips. His skin was clear and smooth looking, and it was evident he played some type of sport because attractive yet unimposing muscles were fighting the sleeves of his long-sleeved shirt.

"Um, follow me, and I'll show you guys where to sit," Sakura managed to get out once they were close enough to hear.

A low whistle met her ears, making her tense up, and one of the guys remarked, "Looks like there's some new blood, huh? Hey, Sweetheart, go tell Guren Hidan's here."

The pinkette turned to gesture toward the den of seating large enough to appease their group and more should they have any friends arrive. She forced a smile once more, realizing it was the silver-haired one who'd called himself "Hidan" who'd spoken because he shamelessly checked her out, "Guren isn't here tonight, so you're stuck with me. Sorry!"

While the men took a seat, she nervously interlaced her fingers behind her back, "What can I get you? Anything with Gin in it is fifteen percent off tonight."

They ordered a few bottles of wine, which took Sakura off guard because college-aged men usually go for beer or hard liquor, but it wasn't her job to question them, so she turned to procure their drinks, only to freeze when an unfamiliar voice stopped her.

"What kind of waitress are you? You didn't even tell us your name."

Turning around to apologize, she stammered nervously when the one who appeared to be leading the group smirked confidently, "O-Oh, um, I'm Sakura. Sorry again."

When she left, he didn't stop her this time but called out, "That'd better be a joke, new girl!"

When Sakura arrived at the bar, she pouted while telling the bartender, another intimidating man with dark blue hair and the physique of a bodybuilder named Kisame, "Brevante Merlot. Three bottles, please."

Kisame grinned, "Ah, you poor girl. I know exactly who you're serving. If you need me to come over and whip those idiots into shape, just say the word."

Smiling gratefully, she accepted the expensive alcohol and placed it on a tray to bring to the five men, who'd attracted the attention of a few women who joined them in their area. "I'll be right back with glasses."

"Say, new girl. What's your real name?"

Sakura paused, taking a deep breath before neutralizing her irritated expression and facing the increasingly annoying dark-haired guy, "Sakura is my real name. Now, if you'll excuse me, I-" "What kind of stripper name is that? It's like a redhead calling herself Ginger."

The woman's composure faltered, a deadpan expression meeting her face before she shook her head, smiled, and wordlessly left to retrieve wine glasses.

Thankfully, when she returned, they were all too busy entertaining women or speaking to one another to taunt her, and she successfully slipped away to check on her other tables.

After serving refills, she leaned against the bar with a look of disdain angled toward the noisy group of men, now surrounded by at least a dozen attractive women. 'They're all beauty and no decency. I should've known.'

"So, how's it goin' with the boyband?" Ino asked, giggling while handing Kisame a piece of paper containing detailed drink orders because her friend had jumped in surprise, "I'm lucky enough to have never been assigned their table. Guren says they tip well, at least. Do your best!"

A while later, when Sakura had no choice but to check in on them, the man from before asked, "I've been thinking. Are you actually a stripper? Is that why you lied and gave us that corny name?"

The silver-haired one from before laughed loudly, pulling away from two women he'd been chatting with, "Yeah, dance for us, new girl!"

Heat met the unfortunate woman's cheeks as she did her best to ignore the inappropriate comments, "I'm just here to see if you need any more to drink. Can I get you anything?"

The long-haired man sighed, "Brother, don't-" "What do you like to drink, Pinky? Get me that and join us."

'It's official. I hate this guy. He's a total douchebag!'

For two and a half hours, Sakura endured comments that gradually became more sexual until the dark-haired mine finally crossed the line. He'd managed to fluster her enough that she couldn't turn him down when he asked her to personally pour his drink. The blush had long disappeared because she was only pissed off at this point.

She'd gotten so angry that she even asked them to stop a few times, but naturally, she was ignored.

"New girl, what time do you get off? I'll pick you up."

"I don't need a ride home. Thank you, anyway." There was only a tiny drop of customer service politeness in her response. These guys, particularly the one in the middle, had worn her down to her last nerve, yet he was still talking!

"Come on! Don't be like that! Let's get out of here and go to your place. I wanna see if pink's your natural color."

Hidan drunkenly chuckled, "Bro, that's awful! How can you say that to the poor girl! She's gonna-!" She did it.

Sakura turned to face the big-mouthed man in the center and poured an entire glass of top-shelf wine on his head.

After exchanging words and him rising to stare her down with a tight grip around her wrist, Kakuzu, Kisame, and Ino arrived, the blonde hiding behind Kisame like a scared child. The manager took in the scene, speaking firmly, "Release my employee. I will ensure she's properly reprimanded."

To Sakura's surprise, her wrist was immediately free, and she stepped away from the rude man with a glare still directed his way.

"I apologize for this incident. Please allow me to cover your bill to make up for it. I'll also-" The rest of Kakuzu's professional statement didn't reach the pink-haired woman's ears because Ino grabbed her wrist and pretty much dragged her into the manager's office.

She hissed with wide eyes, looking over her new friend's appearance for injuries, "Are you okay? He didn't hurt you, did he?"

Now that her blood pressure was coming back down, Sakura's wrist tingled where he'd squeezed it so tightly, fear flooding her veins. In the moment, she was too worked up to pay attention to it. She would've fled the moment he tried to touch her if she hadn't been so overwhelmed. She shook her head, swallowing hard and in tears as she tried not to cry. What just happened out there was scarier than she realized.

'I was a huge idiot out there. What if that guy tries to get revenge? What if he follows me home and-!' Her thoughts were cut off by the office door opening, Kakuzu entering and fixing her with a glare, "Do you have any idea the mess you've caused? Those men are significantly more important than other customers, and you attacked one of them."

Sakura stood, Ino stepping out of the office to return to her tables, and attempted to defend herself while not coming off as insubordinate, "But, Sir, all night, they've been taunting me and saying rude things! I asked them to stop multiple times, but they wouldn't."

"If that's true, you should've come to me or Kisame and had us deal with the issue. If you'd done that, I wouldn't have to terminate your employment."

The woman's heart stopped, "...What? You're firing me?"

Kakuzu sighed, sitting heavily at his desk, "If you were more tenured, I wouldn't have to, but you're too new to make a mistake this large. I wish you well in your future endeavors. You may leave now or choose to finish the shift." He gestured to the door with one hand, the other on his temple as though nursing a headache, "Please step out of my office as I have an important phone call to make."

'I can't afford to leave without finishing my shift. I need the money.' She had no choice but to wash her face in the bathroom to hide that she'd been crying and get back to work. Karin took over the rowdy men's table and appeared to handle it much better than her.

That night, after Ino dropped her off, Sakura stayed up late applying to countless jobs, no matter what they were, because she needed to begin working within the next two days if she hoped to earn enough money in time for rent.

As the next two days passed, she followed up on the applications but either got turned down for the job, it didn't pay enough, or they wouldn't work around her school schedule. So, after returning to the apartment with no results on Monday night, she began packing her things.

'It feels terrible to fail so quickly after leaving home. I seriously don't want to go back there, but if I don't, I'll end up starving and on the streets.'

One thing she knew for sure was that it was all that handsome, dark-haired asshole's fault.