Chapter 3

AN: Mannnnnnn, Sasuke's a dick.

*Pretends it's not kinda hot* I can't wait until he gets his act together!

~

"Look who it is! How's it feel to be a complete and total failure?"

Sasuke shot Deidara a glare, sparing one for Hidan and Itachi, who were chuckling, too, "Shut the hell up. It's too early."

His older brother asked over the top of his coffee mug, "I heard you talked some big talk about scoring with some girl, only to come home alone last night. That's a first for you, Little Bro. What happened?"

"Probably couldn't get it up," Hidan guffawed.

"That's not what fucking happened. Shut your mouth before I bust your teeth in." The younger Uchiha was in no mood to joke around.

Sitting at the table with the others with his fresh cup of coffee, he groaned when Sasori asked, "What happened then? Did she kick you out once you were done or something?"

"Oh, shit! What if her boyfriend came home, and that's why he had to leave? Did you have to climb out a window, Dude?" Deidara hissed, blue eyes shining excitedly.

"None of that happened!"

The room was quiet momentarily before Itachi asked, "We're waiting."

Sighing defeatedly, Sasuke mumbled, feeling humiliated, "She…fell asleep before we could do anything." His voice became more quiet with each word.

It was so silent for a millisecond that a pen would've been heard if it'd dropped before chaos erupted in the form of laughter and jobs sent the Uchiha man's way.

"You're kidding! She fell asleep!"

"What happened to you, Man?"

"Wait, did she fall asleep in the middle of it, or…?"

Sasuke yelled over the noise, close to losing his patience, "She just fell asleep, okay? Now, drop it!"

The cell phone vibrated in his pocket then, and when he pulled it out, a number he didn't recognize was on the screen.

His mood perked up just slightly, 'Is it her?' Gesturing for the others to be quiet, he answered the call. Once it was through, he smirked victoriously at them, "You were saying?"

Hidan mused, lifting a brow, "I've never seen you so excited for just a phone call. Does she have golden nipples or something?"

Sasori laughed, elbowing him in the side while mumbling, "Idiot."

"He's a moron, but he's right. Since when do you give your number to some random chick from the bar? What's her name?"

Sasuke's face fell, 'Wait….She never told me, even when I asked.' Snickering, he brought his coffee to his lips, shrugging, "I don't have a clue."

Everyone laughed, but Itachi sighed afterward, shaking his head, "You're a disappointment."

Later that evening, the Uchiha man cursed under his breath while heading toward the restaurant where he was supposed to meet the pink-haired woman. 'I forgot I couldn't use my car….'

He didn't care much if she was offended by his tardiness. It's not like he was trying to date her or anything. His goal was solely to get her in bed at least once. It seemed she wasn't interested in becoming his girlfriend, either, since she wouldn't even share her name, but perhaps that was just the alcohol speaking last night. Hopefully, it was the former.

Turning the corner into the alleyway, dark eyes locked onto the woman in question. She looked cute in skinny jeans, sneakers, and an oversized sweater under her winter coat. He'd tried to imagine what style she had on his way over here. Almost all women dress the same when clubbing; she hadn't been an exception.

'I half-expected her to wear childish, girly shit.'

"Hey, I'm here. Let's go in. It's freezing."

Sasuke wasn't nervous because why would he be? He's been on over a hundred dates in his lifetime, and not one of them ended badly. There wasn't a single thing this girl could say or do that'd throw him off his game.

Those expressive green eyes turned onto him, only to fill with tears and widen as though she'd seen an axe murderer or something. She backed slowly away, dropping a bag he assumed held his shirt.

'I stand corrected. I have no idea what's going on right now.'

"What's wrong with you?" The woman flinched when he spoke as though he'd smacked her, confusing him further.

'What the fuck? Is this even the same person from last night?' She'd been warm and inviting despite her shyness. This girl was shaking in her boots, not hypothetically.

"I-I….Something came up, so I can't stay. Goodbye!"

Then, she turned and tried to leave. Sasuke's body moved independently, and he found his hand wrapped around her thin wrist. Since it was too late to take it back, he asked, "What's your problem?"

The limb in his hand was trembling, and he felt a little guilty that she was obviously terrified, but his pride wouldn't allow him to back off until he knew what was going on. His resolution almost faltered when she tried to tug away, but he kept it together, refusing to give up.

"P-Please let go. I really need to get out of here."

'Who does she think she's fooling?'

"You might be the worst liar I've ever met. At least look me in the eye. Don't be fuckin' rude." When she didn't obey, his notorious temper showed, and he ended up pushing her against the wall, towering over her, "Tell me what your problem is. It can't be that you aren't attracted to me, so what is it?"

She was crying, for whatever reason, and tried to wrestle his hand off her shoulder, but Sasuke was just too baffled. 'Seriously, what the fuck? This bitch is crazy.'

"You really don't remember me?"

"What?"

The woman tried to remove his hand again, the attempt laughable at best, "We met before last night, about a week ago at Oasis. I-I, um, I poured-" "The new girl! Fuck, I knew you looked familiar! There aren't a lot of people walking around with pink hair."

All the dots connected, why she seemed familiar and why she was staring at him like he was about to slit her throat. It was because he was seriously tempted after her little show at Oasis.

'This fuckin' slut! Did she think it was funny, acting clueless last night? Did she pretend to fall asleep to get back at me? I'll kill her.'

"Well, I got fired because of you, so if you'll kindly let go. I don't want to see your face for another second."

He couldn't believe his ears, 'Now she's trying to cop an attitude with me again! She's an idiot!'

"You think I'll let you go after what you did? I told you I'd make you regret it, didn't I?"

'I can't do anything where we are now because too many people would see. Should I knock her out and take her somewhere else, or should I just be quick about it and leave before anyone notices?'

"What did you expect? I told you to stop repeatedly, but you kept on! You're so-!" Sasuke's fingers squeezed around her throat, shutting her up. Never in his life had he been talked to by a woman like this. He didn't like it, not one bit. That said, he immediately regretted the action because it was obviously an overreaction.

Again, his ego was too large to take it back, so he continued, "Woman or not, this won't do. Should I teach you a lesson? Not only did you disrespect me, but you did it in front of others."

Suddenly, the image of the terrified woman in front of him resembled that of a scared puppy or rabbit, which confused the Uchiha man and made his guilt quadruple. He wanted to let go and apologize so bad that he almost did but forced the emotions back.

'What the hell? Why should I care if she's scared? She won't be the first one I've used to prove a point, and definitely won't be the last.' He thought that, but everything in him was screaming that what he was doing was wrong, very wrong. This emotion had never occurred to him before, and the confusion pissed him off further.

"Hey, yo, is that you, Sasuke? What's up, man!"

Hidan's irritating voice met his ears, and he turned his head to see him, Yahiko, and Konan near the restaurant entrance, 'That prick. He probably suggested coming here after hearing me on the phone with her. Nosy bastard. I oughtta kick his ass.'

Before he knew what was happening, the woman who'd introduced herself as "Sakura" slid from his grasp and took off with impressive speed in the opposite direction down the alley. He yelled after her but didn't bother chasing because he knew her phone number and address.

There was no way in hell she could escape him. Especially now that she'd made him experience these unfamiliar feelings. It was like last night when he was determined to figure out why it felt so different around her. Something about that woman was intriguing; it wasn't just her hair color.

'Just you fuckin' wait, Sakura, if that is your real name. This is far from over.'

"Was that her? Did she say something to piss you off? Did you get rejected, you sad sack of shit?" Hidan popped off question after question as the four Akatsuki members went inside to eat.

Konan's orange eyes were dull and uninterested as she looked between the two men arguing, sparing her husband a glance every once in a while as though asking why they put up with such annoying people. Yahiko just looked at the menu with his usual frown, absently turning one of his lip rings with his tongue.

Sasuke's glare snapped to his irritating friend, "You don't recognize her? Think about it. Pink hair. Green eyes. Skinny. Weirdly hot. Where have you seen that before?"

Hidan was one of the more dim-witted members of the Akatsuki, with only Tobi and occasionally Deidara being more significant idiots, so he stared with wide eyes and an expression that said there wasn't a thought behind them, "Uh…?"

Sighing, the Uchiha rubbed his temple, "That's the bitch who poured wine on me at Oasis."

Almost comically, the Jashin-worshipper exploded in surprise, "No shit?! That's crazy! And you almost fucked her, too!"

'...Honestly, I probably still would. I bet it'd be insane since we hate each other.'

Sasuke was angry that he hadn't recognized her until she admitted her deception, that she played around with him last night, and, most of all, he was overcome with rage because he only felt guilty about what just happened outside.

A waiter arrived, took everyone's order, and then disappeared. The table was silent for a long time. Hidan was texting someone with a smirk. Konan and Yahiko were always quiet anyway, and Sasuke was in deep thought, trying to understand his own emotions.

'It's because of her reaction. I know that. If she was trying to trick me, then why'd she look like that when she saw me instead of pretending like before?'

His teeth gritted, brow furthering, 'And why was she that scared? Sure, I was going to hurt her, but I wouldn't do that much. She obviously has no idea who I am, or else she wouldn't have faced me at all.'

He went over every interaction they'd had since meeting.

At Oasis, Sakura exhibited impressive patience. It took hours to make her snap. The fact that it took so long was why Sasuke kept trying. He wanted to see what it'd take to truly piss her off. That said, she was shaking when he grabbed her wrist that day, too.

Then, at the club last night, the pink-haired woman was the complete opposite. It was clear she felt comfortable dancing and flirting with him. Back at her apartment, she didn't seem hesitant or- "Your hands…. They're scary."

'What the hell is wrong with her? If she's so terrified of me, why does she keep running into me and mouthing off?' Sakura appeared to have a habit of insulting him while simultaneously shaking in terror. 'Why wouldn't she just avoid me? What's the point in pissing me off?'

The food arrived, and the man pushed his thoughts of the beautiful girl to the back of his mind because it was causing him to develop a headache.

That night, he stole his brother's car and went to Sakura's apartment, only for it to be vacant. Leaning against the counter in her tiny kitchen, he crossed his arms and looked around with a flexed jaw.

'It was easy to break in here. Does she know how dangerous it is to live alone? Surely not, or-!' He shook his head, growling annoyedly, 'What the fuck do I care if someone breaks in? I'm doing the same damn thing right now!'

Sasuke didn't even know why he came inside. It was clear she wasn't home without doing so. Even more pissed off than earlier, he left, thinking, 'That's the emptiest inhabited apartment I've ever seen.'

For the next two days, when not in classes, he monitored Sakura's house or thought about the pink-haired woman.

On Thursday night, when he returned to the house around midnight, he nodded in greeting to his brother, who was leaning against the counter sipping a beer with his phone in hand. Konan was sitting atop the dining table, her husband between her legs as they made out. Again, that type of thing was typical for Akatsuki members. No one cared or spared a second glance.

Feeling drained, Sasuke got his own beer from the fridge, wordlessly clinking it against his brothers before standing beside him and tossing his head back for a big swig.

"Still stalking that pink-haired girl?" Itachi asked, not sounding all that interested. The younger Uchiha made an affirming sound, glaring at the floor in a daze. "What's with your weird obsession? Just forget about her. It's a waste of energy."

The elder brother was the sensible one. He was also more likely to fit in with whoever he was around. He was adaptable, whereas the younger would rather force others to adapt.

In a rare, honest moment, Sasuke admitted, "She looked like she was about to faint before I said or did anything. I want to know how she managed to act so calm at the club if she can't stand to look me in the eye."

Itachi's eyes drifted over as the conversation apparently piqued his interest, "She probably didn't recognize you because she was drunk."

The two silently thought about that before the younger one shook his head, "Nah, she told me my hands are scary when we were at her place."

"Did she really say that?" Both Uchiha men turned to see Konan looking over her husband's shoulder with a glare.

They shared a confused look before facing the blue-haired woman again, Sasuke nodding.

She patted Yahiko's shoulder so he'd stop attacking her neck before rising from the table and standing before them with crossed arms, "Let me guess, she freaked out the morning after you took her home from the club."

Sasuke recalled her poor attempt to hide that she was crying when talking on the phone, nodding with a confused look, "So? She's shy. I bet she's never had a one-night stand before, and that's why."

Konan sighed, rolling her eyes, "You clueless little shit. Put it all together. She's terrified of you, says you're scary even when she's trashed, and panics at the thought of having sex."

Itachi groaned, bringing a hand to cover his eyes.

His younger brother was still lost, though, "Why's he doing that? What are you trying to say?"

Yahiko, who rarely conversed about things unrelated to the family, said monotonously, "She's saying the woman may be a previous victim of assault, you dunce."

Sasuke's blood ran cold, eyes widening as scenes of the pink-haired woman passed through his mind.

It was a strong possibility they were right, and if that was the case, he felt like the biggest piece of shit on the planet. It'd only make sense for her to lose her cool being taunted by a group of men for hours. He even grabbed her that night.

What fed his guilt the most was the scars he'd seen on her skin. That night, he thought maybe she played sports throughout school. Now, though, he should've realized no sport would cause that kind of damage.

Konan's usually bored expression morphed into something resembling empathy, "It's best to leave her alone. Even if you find her, nothing you can say will fix that kind of trauma."

Sasuke agreed in the moment, but a few hours later, as he lay in bed trying and failing to fall asleep, he rolled onto his side and stared at his phone on the nightstand. He hadn't bothered calling or texting her because it'd be useless. She'd never answer or respond.

'What if Konan's wrong?'

'….But what if she's right? I should call and try to figure out the truth. If Sakura really was…. The least I can do is apologize. If I'd known, I'd never have….' He knew it was toxic how he'd only have treated the woman respectfully if he'd known she'd been hurt in the past.

Very rarely, moments like this would happen when the Uchiha man came face to face with the fact that his lifestyle would break his late mother's heart. His dad would be ashamed to have fathered such a disappointment.

In that moment of weakness, Sasuke called Sakura.

'It's like three in the morning. She's probably not even awake-' "What do you want?"