Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and Fairy Tail. They belong to their respective owner.

A/N: Thank you to fellow readers, old and new especially NeonElement, RinneSasuke, altajir95, Purella, Badwoman, youdontknowme, AyameKusanagi, 261, blahblahblah, Red Reaper Of Murder, JERZA and Guests for reviewing the previous chapter and also to those who favorite/follow this story. I really appreciate it.

Sorry in advance for any mistake.

Chapter 29

Sasuke sat on the couch in Erza's living room. His thumb was scrolling on his phone absent mindedly looking through the news and gossip about him since his bold declaration during the press conference. There were tons of the talks about him on the net. Most of them were in a positive light but a minor of it were condemning him and accusing him of trying to slander the pink haired socialite. He brushed them off and purged it out of his mind. He didn't care what other people said about him. If he was afraid of the backlash, he wouldn't even hold the press conference in the first place. But it was still nice to know that many people supported him through this ordeal. Looks like not all people were blinded by Sakura Haruno's dazzling smile and beautiful sweet look.

Closing his phone off with a click of his finger, Sasuke glanced at his watch and sent an impatient look towards Erza's room. She was taking too long to get dress and he had a mind that she was doing it on purpose.

It was three days since the press conference and four days since Naruto, Natsu and Mira came here for a visit. He and Erza were staying indoors since then and it was getting to him for being cooped up in the apartment that long. Of course Erza had no objection staying inside. She preferred it actually and it was worrying how she was trying to cut herself off from the outside world. Sasuke thought she needed the fresh air and he was on his personal mission to get Erza to become more opened up and back to her usual self again. He missed the old Erza. He even missed her glare and abusive tendencies.

He just succeeded in his attempt to make her go out today after a constant pestering and she was trying to sabotage the plan by stalling.

Sighing heavily, Sasuke stood up from the couch and walked to Erza's bedroom just in time to see her slipped a simple white T-shirt over her head. He noticed the pile of clothes at the edge of the bed though.

"Are you ready?" He asked as he walked closer to her as she examined herself in the mirror.

"Maybe the long sleeve T-shirt is better with this jean," she muttered softly with a disapproving expression of her face.

Sasuke stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, bringing her closer to his form. He rested his chin on her shoulder and looked appreciatively at her form projected from the mirror. "You look fine to me. Gorgeous even," he complimented.

That put a smile on her face. Erza turned around and faced him. "That's not the point Sasuke. The point is to make ourselves unrecognizable, and I need to look ugly," she reprimanded him. "On second thought, I don't think I have any problem in disguising myself and look ugly. But I think everyone will recognize you once you stepped foot outside of this building."

"Nah," he begged to differ. "I so can stay in disguise," he retorted back with a smirk. Grabbing her black jacket from the pile of clothes, he wrapped it around her shoulder. "Let's just go already, Erza," he urged her forward much to his girlfriend's dismay.

The two of them exited the apartment and went straight to parking in the basement. Sasuke had already made an arrangement with Naruto beforehand about switching their car so that it was easier for him to go around without being horded by reporters, fans and lately haters alike. Once safely situated in the car, Sasuke wore a large black rimmed glasses he dubbed nerd glasses on his nose, and a cap to cover his hair. He had worn this guise before and it worked like a charm. He knew that no one would recognize him unless someone pointed it out that he was Sasuke Uchiha and peered closely at his face.

He drove the car away while Erza chose to do the same to disguise her appearance. Although she was not a celebrity, she was still known out there because of her association with Sasuke. The amount of reporters and paparazzi stationed outside of the apartment building was the proof of that.

Sasuke heard Erza sighed audibly as she fixed her long scarlet hair in a tight bun and wore a black cap, while a rectangular brown rimmed glasses already perched on her cute nose. Sasuke didn't know how she pulled it off, but even the hideous glasses didn't dim her beauty. He silently praised his beautiful girlfriend in his head.

"Don't worry about them," he said motioning towards the unwanted people with the cameras outside the security gate. "They will go away once they're bored or found something else to gossip about," he added.

"I hope so," Erza uttered with a smile that melted his heart.

Erza always had that kind of effect on him. She was just so amazing and so beautiful inside out. But he mentally groaned when he imagined the amount of men he would be trying to fend off from hitting on her when they went to the college together. That certainly would cause him trouble in the future.

It was 20 minutes later, and they arrived at the designated place. It was a new mall opened in town and they decided to check it out. Naruto, Natsu and Mira were probably already arrived and Sasuke was not sure if the rest of the gang was going to join the outing for the day. Naruto was the one making the plan and gathering them together after all.

A text message from Naruto let him knew that he and whoever coming was at a coffee house inside the mall. So with Erza plastered to his side clutching his hand tightly in her smaller one, they walked towards the rendezvous point. So far, no one was looking at them funny or something. He was glad that there were not that many people around and no one recognized them. He was confident that their disguise would work since he had done this before, but he could feel the anxiety rolling off from Erza in waves.

They entered the coffee house and saw the bright blonde and pink hair of the twin at the back of the corner of the shop. As they were getting closer, Sasuke could see the familiar faces of Mira, Lucy, Gray and Juvia sitting at the table. Mira's head perked up when she noticed them and waved at them enthusiastically with a large smile on her face.

"Come on," Sasuke tugged at Erza's hand who was still feeling wary of her surrounding, and led her towards them.

"Erza!" Lucy exclaimed as soon as she noticed Erza sitting beside her.

Lucy lunged for his girlfriend and enveloped her in a tight hug, missing the tense and panicking look on Erza's face or the way her body froze upon the contact.

"I miss you so much," Lucy gushed out. "Why didn't you return my call or reply to my messages?" I was worried, she chided her out.

"Sorry," Erza simply said with an awkward smile before turning away from Lucy and stared absent mindedly at the menu in front of her. Sasuke noticed the confusion on Gray and Juvia's faces. It was to be expected that they didn't understand about Erza's slight change of behavior. They didn't know about what had happen.

Lucy wanted to push Erza further but Natsu chose that moment to grab her hand and shook his head, giving her a stare that tell her to drop it. Lucy was not satisfied with how her question went unanswered but seeing the serious look rarely displayed on Natsu's face, she opted to shrug her shoulder in surrender.

"So Sasuke," Gray suddenly said in a cheeky tone. "That was a bold move from you a few days ago," he said with a snicker, referring to the press conference incident.

He shrugged with a smirk on his face. "It's time someone put Haruno in her place and it provides a chance to tell the world that I'm taken," he said taking Erza's hand in his and gripped them tightly making the red headed girl blushed in embarrassment.

"That was so romantic," Juvia gushed out. "I wish Gray will do the same for Juvia," she squealed, looking at her boyfriend with an adorable gaze. Gray only rubbed the back of his head awkwardly with a nervous laugh.

Sasuke snickered at Gray's expense. Juvia could be a handful sometimes.

They talked for a while after that before Naruto suggested they all watched the movie. Everybody agreed and they all picked an action movie that was getting a good review. The guys were buying popcorn and drinks when the girls were chatting among themselves at the entrance while waiting for them. That was when Naruto suddenly nudged him and pulled him aside.

Sasuke looked at Naruto in confusion. "What's wrong?"

"12 o'clock, across the cinema," the blonde answered with a tight face.

Sasuke looked at the place Naruto meant. There were many people in the area and it took a while for him to notice anything extraordinary but once he did, his blood boiled when he saw a blue haired man exiting a high end restaurant with an unknown foreigner their age. Sasuke unconsciously took a step forward. It was as if his feet had a mind of its own, trying to get to the man who hurt Erza and gave him a beating for what he did.

However, Naruto was quick to stop him with a firm grip on his arm and continued to block his path. "Control yourself Sasuke, don't make a scene here," Naruto warned him. Sasuke heard what his best friend said, but his eyes were glued on the bastard who was stuck talking with the foreigner in front of the restaurant. "Maybe you should take Erza and the girls inside first," Naruto firmly said.

Sasuke calmed down enough to heed his friend's suggestion and thought that it was for the best. He didn't want Erza to see that man here of all place. Sasuke turned his gaze away and walked towards the girl and ushered them inside after getting their ticket checked. He saw the questioning look from Mira and Lucy but he ignored them and said that the others would join them later.

Fortunately, the girls didn't make a fuss for not waiting on Naruto, Natsu and Gray and entered the right hall to find their seats. The trio arrived just in time for the movie to start and Naruto gave him a meaningful stare. Sasuke took the offered popcorn handed to him without saying anything, afraid that the others especially Erza would hear them. Sasuke chose to put the issue at the back of his head for now to spend the time with his girlfriend and friends and enjoyed the movie without any interruption.

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Jellal exited the restaurant with the son of his father's business partner in tow.

"Thank you Jellal for taking your time to show me around here," the bronze haired American said as they stopped outside the restaurant before parting.

"It is my pleasure James," he said fluently in English. It was somewhat his duty to entertain the future CEO of his family's business partner as he himself will take over his family business one day. It was a wise move to familiarize himself with his ally and build a strong relationship from the start.

A flash of pink and blonde from the corner of his eyes suddenly caught his attention and he looked in the direction. There at the food counter of the cinema buying popcorn and drinks were Naruto, Natsu and Gray. His mind immediately imagined the owners and the people associated with those two. His eyes narrowed dangerously as he looked around for another raven haired man usually hanging out together with them and hopefully, he would catch sight of a certain red head with him.

He knew despite his warning, Erza chose to stay together with Uchiha. He didn't see her again since the day before she stood him up for their breakfast date. Uchiha came instead. He traded blow with the Uchiha that day and he seriously thought the raven haired man would definitely kill him if not for his two best friend stopping him. Jellal didn't know how Uchiha knew of his misdoing. Even Sakura didn't know in full detail of what he had done. He didn't think Erza would willingly tell him herself. Could he stumble upon his messages to Erza by accident?

Now the red head no longer return his call and his messages and he had no way of contacting her since she turned off her phone.

He really missed her.

"Jellal you're okay?" His newfound friend asked with a hint of worry and Jellal returned his gaze towards the American.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he quickly said with a smile. "So, I hope we will meet again before you go back to America."

"Sure," James, the American agreed enthusiastically. "I'm going back to America next week so give me a call and we'll hang out okay."

"Okay," Jellal nodded.

"Well then, I'll see you next time bro," James said with a grin. The two of them exchanged a brotherly hug before James walked away from him.

Jellal turned his gaze back towards the cinema and saw that the trio from earlier began to move away from the counter. As if sensing his gaze on them, Naruto suddenly looked in his direction and Jellal could see the hatred directed his way from the blonde. Jellal kept a cool façade and only stood watching as Naruto turned away from him and followed the other two towards the entrance.

With nothing better to do, he opted to spy on the group of friend to confirm his suspicions. Jellal leaned slightly forward on the waist high metal railing surrounding the vacant space separating him and the cinema. He would wait patiently for the trio he saw earlier and observed who else were with them and trailed after them for a bit. If Erza turned out not being with them, he would cut his chase and went straight home for the day. But his gut was telling him that Uchiha and Erza were here at the same mall with him.

A glimpse of her beautiful face was enough to quench his yearning for her for the time being. It would be hard to approach her when she was surrounded with her friends and he didn't want to cause a scene. The last commotion with Uchiha did get him an earful from his parents, especially his father. He was glad for the connection his family had in the media industry. With a few phone calls to the publishing companies, the incident was successfully prevented from being made public. He couldn't afford another incident in public. His father would go ballistic if that happened.

Jellal sighed heavily, wondering why he had to choose between Erza and the company. Being the sole heir and successor to one of the top conglomerate in the country sure was difficult and taxing. He had few real friends. Erza was once his best friend, his confidant, his girlfriend. But that all change when she refused to sell her parents company to his father. He didn't like it, but his father made it clear that he didn't approve of Erza because of her decision and wanted him to break up with her. And like the always obedient son that he was, he obeyed.

Jellal chuckled humorlessly. Why couldn't he have both? He loved Erza, but he also didn't want to disappoint his parents. He was a fool for not at least standing up to his father and fought for his love. He should have handled the situation differently and made his father see reason. But he was younger and none the wiser back then. He shouldn't have let Erza go. He loved her and his love blinded him and made him commit grave mistake, all for the sake of keeping her to himself.

He assaulted Erza.

He knew that he hurt her, but that was the only way for him to bind her to him. The thought of the love of his life giving herself to the Uchiha made his blood boil and filled with rage and he hurt her further. He thought by punishing her and reminded her who she really belonged to would make her his. But she had drifted even farther away from him.

She hated him for what he had done. He knew that and accepted that fact. He even hated himself and it was eating him from the inside. But he pushed it all aside because he would do whatever necessary to keep her by his side. She could hate him for it but as long as he had her in his clutches, he didn't care if he needed to become a monster. He couldn't let her go. Not again.

Lost in his thought, Jellal didn't notice the time flies and two hours had already passed by. He felt his leg going numb and he shifted on his feet while looking ahead to see a new batch of people coming out of the cinema. His eyes gazed around the area, trying to see whether Erza was indeed here. The crowd slowly dispersed and his heart was beating faster and faster in anticipation. Suddenly, he noticed a group of people who attended Fairy Tail High with the trio he saw earlier. His eyes instantly were drawn to the two people among the group who was trying to look inconspicuous by wearing cap and glasses.

He felt his soared when he noticed the girl with some strand of red lock escaping the cap she wore to hide her attention grabbing hair. Erza was here. She really was here. She could try to disguise herself but he would recognize her anywhere.

Jellal watched her hips swaying as she walked along side her friends and her face lit up when she was talking to the company beside her. His thought darkened when he noticed who the other disguised person was. The way he was holding her hand and their proximity sent a surge of jealousy through him. He wanted to go there and ripped her hand away from his clutches and kissed her senseless.

His eyes trained solely on her and as if feeling that she was being watched. Erza looked his way and the small smile she had on disappeared and her face contorted into one of horror.

Jellal clenched the metal railing in front of him as he watched Uchiha put his arms around Erza's shoulder while sending death glares his way. He looked back at Uchiha in hatred as he hastily led Erza away from there and probably to the parking lot.

He let out an exhale of air through his lips. It was brief but he was happy that he could see her face even if it was from afar. But at the same time, he was saddened to see the fear in her eyes when she saw him. He knew that was the only emotion she was going to show towards him for some time, but he hoped that he could change her tainted opinion of him when they were finally together without Uchiha in the picture. He knew that Erza would forgive him and loved him like before if he was given the chance to show how they belonged together.

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Erza stared vacantly through the car's tinted window, seeing nothing despite the beautiful scenery passing by. She could feel Sasuke's concerned glance towards her from the driver's seat. Worry was clearly painted on his face and she hated for being so troublesome yet again to him.

She almost had a panic attack in the middle of the mall earlier when she saw Jellal among the people. She never expected to see him there. She hated it, hated that she couldn't get a hold of herself. She hated for not being in control of herself. No matter how much she told herself that she wouldn't let the past get to her. But with only a short glance on the face of her attacker, her resolve crumbled like a sandcastle.

She could still feel the tremors of her hand even when she was safe in the car with Sasuke. They were still shaking. She was glad that Sasuke was quick to action when he noticed she started to hypervilanting. He held her close to him and whispered soothing words while leading her away. She could hear her friends' words of confusion about her weird behavior but nobody was offering any explanation. Based on today's outing, she now knew that beside Sasuke, Naruto, Natsu and Mira, none of her other friends knew about her traumatic incident.

"Erza, are you okay?"

She was brought out of her reverie when she heard Sasuke's voice.

She glanced at him with an attempt to smile, but she was sure it turned out to be a grimace. "I'll be better," she opted to say, because there was no use in trying to lie to Sasuke. He would definitely catch up on it. No one would believe her if she said she was fine anyway.

They reached her apartment in no time and Erza didn't even noticed when she exited the car and walked towards her house. It was as if she was on automaton. The next thing she knew, she was standing in front of her door and Sasuke gently ushering her inside. Her ever faithful and patient boyfriend led her towards the bedroom before he wrapped his arms around. Erza automatically buried her face on his chest, feeling warm and secured in his familiar embrace.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled softly, gripping the pricey material of his shirt in her clenches.

"Hmm, for what?" Sasuke inquired, rubbing her back in a circle motion. A gesture that she always loved because it had a calming effect on her.

Erza looked up at his face. "For being such a pathetic, clingy girlfriend. I'm being such a bother to you and everyone else," she said, remembering how everyone was acting so on edge around her.

"You're not," Sasuke countered. His face hardened but his eyes were understanding and full of love. "I never consider you a bother to me or anyone else for that matter. You're my girlfriend, and I like taking care of you, so never consider yourself a bother to me ever again," he said.

How did she get such an amazing man, she would never know. But Erza seriously thought that she was one lucky girl for having Sasuke in her life.

"You hear me?" Sasuke demanded.

Erza nodded her head with a teary smile. She was deeply touched by his concern and care. Sasuke really loved her as much as she loved him.

"I love you," Erza uttered. She would never get tired of saying how much she loved him or how his lips would quirk upward whenever she said it.

"I know," he whispered. "I love you too Erza," he retorted back before he gave her a passionate kiss that never seemed to fail to make her heart flutter.

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The next day passed on without any drama. The incident on the previous day went forgotten as the both Sasuke and Erza spent the days with each other, cuddling on the sofa and watching some action movies. It was only later in the afternoon that Sasuke got a call from Suigetsu to remind him about his photoshoot later at 3 pm.

"Come with me to the photoshoot later," he asked Erza, looking at the girl who had her head on his chest.

"Are you serious?" She asked with a raised eyebrow, averting her eyes from the television to look at him with an incredulous face.

"Of course I am."

"But what am I going to do while you're working? I bet it will be boring," she answered.

"You can watch me while I'm working," he replied before a smirk gracing his lips. "You should see the way the girls put their hands on me when we're working."

A frown immediately etched on Erza's beautiful face. "It's not funny," she said, slapping at his chest making him chuckled in amusement. The pout on her face only made her look cuter in his eyes. "I guess I need to go and keep those girls away from you," she mumbled before turning her attention back on the television.

Sasuke only smiled in return.

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An hour before three, both Erza and Sasuke readied themselves and went to the photoshoot place where it was held at a famous company. Erza wore a skinny jeans and simple shirt with cardigan. She put her hair into a high ponytail and wore a cap mostly to avoid the staring from other people. Sasuke also wore a simple washed out jeans and white T-shirt since he was going to change later anyway for the photoshoot.

Erza sat on the chair prepared for her by the female photographer when she noticed that Sasuke brought company. Erza thanked the woman and they were engrossed in idle chat while waiting for Sasuke to change into the appropriate clothes. Erza found the woman named Konan to be quite pleasant and easygoing, not to mention beautiful. From Konan, Erza found that the photoshoot today was the main material and going to be included as the next cover page for a fashion magazine. Since he was the main model and spokesperson for the branded clothe lines, Sasuke was going to be interviewed as well after the photoshoot ended.

Erza couldn't be more proud of her boyfriend.

It was the first time Erza was going to be seeing Sasuke in his work mode and the moment he stepped at the stage prepared for his photo to be taken, Erza felt her heart skipped a beat when she noticed how stunning he looked in his new attire. Erza was not one to care about looks much, but now she get why girls went crazy for him. His posture screamed confidence and he looked so handsome and charming. He was also professional when it came to his work.

He stared in her way with that smoldering look and Erza could feel her face flushing. She fidgeted on her seat and tried hard to calm her furiously beating heart while silently cursing Sasuke in her mind. Somehow, she couldn't take her eyes away from him. Great, now he was turning her into one of his fangirl. She had a guess that this was the main reason why he asked her to come with him to his photoshoot session. So that he could show her how cool he looked and how it would make her feel and react. That ass, he could be laughing at her right now in his mind despite his cool façade.

"Okay, 30 minutes break guys," Konan suddenly announced much to her relief. She was grateful for the distraction. She watched as Sasuke walked away from the stage towards the changing room. She opted to wait for him at her seat instead.

Five minutes later, Sasuke emerged from the changing room and went straight to her.

"Hey, want to go and get a drink?" Sasuke uttered once he was standing in front of her.

"Sure," Erza nodded. She was rather parched.

Sasuke turned to Konan who was busy checking her camera. "Konan, do you want to join us at the café?" He asked.

Konan turned towards them looking a bit frustrated. "I have to decline this time Sasuke. I have another photoshoot before I resume with yours. Go and enjoy with your pretty girlfriend okay," she said with a wink.

"That I will," Sasuke replied with a smirk.

Erza gave him a stern look before smiling at Konan. "Come and join us if you finish early okay," she offered.

"Thanks dear," Konan replied warmly. "But I suggest you get moving you two," she said with a worried face, looking at Sasuke intently. "You won't like the model that's going to come in here for the next session."

Erza was confused at that. Was there any model that didn't get along with Sasuke? As far as she knew, everybody loved Sasuke and he kept a professional relationship with his co-workers.

"Pink hair with a kind of bitchy attitude?" Sasuke asked with disdain.

Oh, now Erza could hazard a guess on who the model mentioned.

"Yeah," Konan affirmed with a sheepish smile.

"You're right," Sasuke nodded. "We're out of here," he said, grabbing her wrist and pulled her with him.

"See you later Konan," Erza hastily said at the photographer.

"Later Erza," she heard Konan shouted from behind her.

Sasuke let go of her wirst as they walked and snaked his right arm around her waist instead. "Where are we going?" She asked.

"To the cafeteria," he answered. "They served good coffees and marvelous strawberry cheesecake."

The sound of strawberry cheesecake sent her heart leaping in joy and she could feel the chuckle reverberated from Sasuke's chest travelling through their connected limbs.

"So I see you checking me out earlier. You can't take your eyes off me do you Erza," Sasuke leaned down and whispered close to her ear in a knowing tone.

So he did notice that she was watching him. That was a little embarrassing to her. "Don't get so full of yourself," she chided. "What else am I suppose to do except watching you? It's not like there's anything else I can do." She was not going to admit that she was indeed openly checking him out. That was just going to fuel his ego and not to mention the teasing that she was going to get from him. He would never let her lived it down.

Laughing, Sasuke asked further. "So what do you think?"

Erza looked upward to meet his eyes. She could see the amusement playing on his face. "I think you're great. I am proud of you," she honestly said with a smile.

"That's it? You don't think that I'm sexy, cool and magnificent?" He inquired cheekily.

Erza rolled her eyes at him. "Yeah, yeah. You're sexy, cool, magnificent and bla bla bla," she replied back with the same reaction. "Now, if you're done being narcissistic, can we hurry and get that strawberry cheesecake? I'm starving."

It was his turn to roll his eyes at her. "One of these days, I swear you're going to pick the cake over me," he mumbled scathingly.

Erza giggled seeing the small pursed of his lips. "Aww, you're just too cute with that pout," she teased him. He was just so adorable sometimes.

Just as he was about to retort back, someone coming from the corner accidentally crashed into them. Erza stumbled a little and Sasuke was quick to steady her since he already had his arm around her waist. A blob of bubblegum pink hair filled her view and suddenly Erza was filled with anger when she noticed the owner of said hair.

Sakura Haruno.

This was the girl that was trying to break her and Sasuke apart. This was the girl who made Sasuke's life miserable. She created a false story about her and Sasuke's nonexistent love life and tried to force Sasuke to admit the fake tale.

Erza saw as Sakura's red ruby lips etched into a sickeningly sweet smile as she gazed affectionately at Sasuke while not even sparing her a glance.

"Sasuke, what a pleasant surprise bumping into you here," Sakura said in an overly sugary tone that made Erza wanted to cringe.

"Unfortunately, I can't say the same to you," Sasuke replied coldly.

Erza saw the smile on Sakura's face faltered for a quick second but she quickly composed herself and acted like the dangerous dark tone of Sasuke didn't affect her in the slightest. Seriously, Sasuke sounded like he wanted to kill Sakura right there and then. It sent chills down her spine hearing him and his anger was not even directed at her. Sakura sure was a good actress if she could hide her nervousness that well.

"Well, I'm late for work. I hope we can catch up some other time. See you next time Sasuke," Sakura said before she trailed her eyes towards her. "Scarlet," she acknowledged with a curt tone and cold gaze. So different than the one Sasuke received. Erza merely nodded at the famous model before the latter walked away from them with a sway on her hip.

"Let's go," Sasuke said before he dragged her towards their original destination.

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Unacceptable

Sakura was silently fuming as she spied on Sasuke and the scarlet haired wench sitting at the table in the cafeteria, looking chummy and happy together. That was unacceptable. She was the one supposed to be on the receiving end of the affectionate look from Sasuke, not Erza Scarlet.

She was late for her photoshoot session but she didn't give a damn. Those idiots could wait for a few more minutes if they really wanted to get her picture. Instead of going straight for her work after accidentally bumping into them earlier, she backtracked and stalked the duo to see what they were up to. And more importantly, she wanted to see Sasuke. She couldn't get enough of him and it was already a week since she last saw him. It was nice seeing him again and it would be splendid if the red headed slut would just make herself scarce.

Sakura's lips suddenly curled into an evil smile as an idea entered her mind. Now seemed like the perfect time for her to execute her plan. She fished out her phone from her pocket and pushed on the speed dial for Kabuto.

"Hello," came the gruff voice from the other side.

"A perfect opportunity has presented itself for us to carry out our plan," she said with a grin.

"I'm listening."

"I'm looking at Erza Scarlet right now. She has come out of her hiding and this is the perfect chance for you to take her."

Kabuto was silent for a while before he replied. "Send me the address, I'm on my way."

"Perfect," Sakura said before she disconnecting the call, her eyes never leaving the red head as she looked at her with glee. "You might as well enjoy your short time with Sasuke Erza Scarlet, because after this you're going to be gone and Sasuke is going to be mine," she whispered.

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Erza sat at her previous seat while watching Sasuke work. Everyone seemed not to be in a good mood for the second session. Even Konan looked on edge. She heard from other worker's talking that the previous model, namely one Sakura Haruno was late to the photoshoot. This resulted in a delay in other people's timetable and hence, Sasuke's session was dragged for another hour.

It was puzzling to her that Sakura was late to the photoshoot when she and Sasuke bumped into her while they were walking to the cafeteria. Sakura was actually on time. So how did she manage to be late? That was weird.

Her musing was disturbed when she noticed that the crews began changing the setting of the stage and Sasuke was nowhere to be found. He must have gone to the changing room to change yet into another set of clothes. Erza suppressed a yawn as she was getting a little tired. She couldn't wait for the photoshoot to end so that she could go home with Sasuke.

"Excuse me Miss Scarlet."

She turned her head around and saw a man wearing a cap and a crew jacket standing behind her. It was a little dark as all source of light was focused on the stage, so she couldn't clearly see his face but she thought she recognized his voice from somewhere.

"Yes?"

"I'm afraid the stage is going to be enlarged because we want to have a double photoshoot to save time. So if you don't mind, can you wait for Mr Uchiha at one of the waiting room? Mr Uchiha has already been informed of this and I am very sorry for the inconvenience."

"Oh it's fine. I'm the one who is sorry," Erza quickly interjected. She didn't want to be an inconvenience for other people working there. She would feel bad if they were having trouble because of her being there so she didn't mind waiting for Sasuke elsewhere.

"Well then, let me show you the waiting room," the man politely replied.

"Thank you."

Erza followed the man out of the room. He led her down the hallways passing the cafeteria and into an empty room. He opened the door for her and with a thank you, Erza stepped inside. A sharp pricking pain suddenly felt on her neck and she whipped around to stare into the face of the man.

"You!" She hissed as she recognized him.

The man grinned at her and his glasses glinting as he pushed it up his nose with his finger. "We meet again Erza," he said with a chuckle.

"You bastard," she cursed. Damn, she didn't feel good. Her head felt heavy and Erza felt the telltale sign of her loosing her consciousness. She tried to scream but the silver haired man was quick to subdue her. She felt panic began to fill her entire being. The last time she encountered this man, bad things happened to her. Was this Jellal's doing? Was he instructing this man to kidnap her again?

No, she didn't want to see Jellal again. She tried to struggle for her freedom but it was futile. Her limbs were starting to go lax. Her vision was starting to fog and her eyes were slowly closing. Soon, her body went totally limp and the last thing she saw was the smirking face of her abductor.

.

.

Sasuke finished changing and entered the room. His eyes automatically zeroed in on Erza's direction but to his surprise, she was not at her seat. Frowning, he wondered where she had gone to.

"Hey Konan, where's Erza?"

Konan whirled around to see the empty seat. "I don't know. Toilet maybe?" She suggested.

Sasuke shrugged his shoulder in resignation. "Maybe," he said, but his heart was suddenly heavy when she was not in the area where he could see her. He tried to reason with himself that Erza was a big girl and she could take care of herself but he was such a worrywart sometimes. He always worried when she was not in front of him. He wanted to go and find her but he couldn't because he had to finish his work first. So he pushed aside his worry and went back on the stage.

An hour later, his work had finished and still there was no sign of Erza. Now he was getting really worried. After he changed back into his clothes, he checked his phone in case she left him a message but there was none. He walked back at the photoshoot stage and saw Konan there.

"Konan, can you do me a favor and check the toilet for Erza," he asked. Worry clearly painted on his face.

"Sure. I'm heading there myself," she replied. Sasuke watched as the pleasant woman walked away from him in the direction of the toilet. His mind was in a jumble. He wondered where his girlfriend had gone to without telling him. This was not how Erza usually behaved. She would have told him if she wanted to leave early.

A few minutes later, Konan walked back to him and he was looking at her expectantly.

"I'm sorry Sasuke but Erza was not in the toilet," Konan said. "Did you try calling her?"

"Yes, but it went straight to her voicemail instead," he answered with a frown on his face.

"Look Sasuke, is this something to be worried about? I may not know her well but Erza doesn't seem like a person who will leave without telling you and made you worry like this," Konan commented.

Sasuke forced a smile on his face. "I'm sure there's nothing to be worried about," he said, trying not to make the older girl worry. It was more like he was trying to appease his own worry. "Maybe she has some emergencies and decides to return home without me."

Konan didn't look convinced but she relented. "I hope so," she said.

Sasuke nodded. "I'm going to go home now. I'll see you next time okay."

"Okay. Goodbye Sasuke."

"Bye Konan," he said with a wave before he walked away from there missing the worried look trailing after his retreating back.

.

.

Sasuke was panicking.

He was in a total panic mode. He was expecting to come home and see Erza there, but she was not. He called her cell over and over but her voicemail was all he heard. Where could she be? He didn't have a good feeling about this. His mind was imagining terrible things that could happen to her.

Shaking his head to clear his mind, Sasuke sat on the sofa and tried hard to calm himself. He ws trying to think about this rationally. Thinking of his friends, he took out his phone and dialed Naruto's number. Although the chances were slim that Erza might have called one of their friends, it won't hurt to try.

Naruto picked up on the second ring and Sasuke was a bit relieved to hear him.

"Hello."

"Hey Naruto, has Erza been calling you today?" He asked.

A pause on the other line.

"No," Naruto sounded puzzled. "What is this all about?"

"Erza accompanied me to the photoshoot today but she suddenly disappeared during the second session," Sasuke raked his fingers through his hair in a nervous gesture. "I don't know, maybe I'm overreacting. She might have gone somewhere without telling me," he said with a heavy sigh.

"That doesn't sound like Erza," Naruto stated. "Where are you right now?"

"I'm at Erza's apartment."

"Sit tight. I'm coming over with Natsu and Mira," Naruto said.

"Okay," Sasuke replied.

After disconnecting the call, Sasuke called Konan as an idea hit his mind.

"Hey Sasuke what's up?" She said once she answered the phone.

"Hey Konan, are you still at the company?" He asked.

"Yeah why?"

"Can you do me a favor?"

"What kind of favor?"

"I need you to check the security tape during the photoshoot, see if there's something suspicious going on," he said.

"Wait, is this about Erza?" She interjected.

"Yeah," Sasuke drawled. "She's not at home and I'm getting worried," he confessed.

"I'll help you," Konan decided making him release a relieved sigh.

"Thanks a lot Konan," he thanked the female photographer. He was thankful that he made friends with the older girl.

"Don't worry about it, Sasuke. I'm hanging up now and I'll get back at you once I found something okay."

"Okay," he replied before the line went dead.

It was disheartening that there was nothing more that he could do for now except waiting for some clue. All he could do was hoped that nothing bad had happened to his girlfriend.

.

.

Dizzy

That was the first thing she felt when she slowly opened her eyes. Her head felt heavy and she was dizzy. Through her blurry vision, Erza tried to take in her surrounding. She wondered where she was and why she felt so restricted. She tried to move her hands and feet to alleviate the tiredness of her limbs but found that she couldn't do so.

Her eyes snap opened and her eyes widened when she took in the vicinity. She didn't know where she was. A quick look downwards showed that she was bounded to a chair. Her hands and feet were tightly tied to it. She tried to scream for help but a tape was pasted on her mouth, preventing her to do so. She tried to wriggle her hand and feet to free herself but doing so only managed to hurt herself as the rope was digging into her skin.

She looked around once more. She couldn't figure out how big the place was since there was only little source of light making the place looked gloomy. But from her observation, she thought it was some kind of an old warehouse. An abandoned one from the look of it.

There was a wide table made out of concrete next to her complete with a binding set for hands and feet and she felt the hairs on the back of her neck standing seeing it, thinking of how whoever took her probably would tied her to the table. It didn't help that she saw a small trolley with various sharp items on it.

She heard footsteps from behind her and her heart was beating furiously. Was that the man that took her earlier?

"Oh you're awake?"

Erza was puzzled when she heard the feminine voice. That certainly was not the voice of the man who kidnapped her. So who was she? She waited for the girl to come to her with baited breath. Erza didn't know who she was but her intention must not be a good one if she resorted to kidnapping her like this.

The girl turned to face her and Erza's eyes widened when she noticed the familiar pink haired girl.

Haruno Sakura? What the hell was going on?

"How are you doing Scarlet?" Sakura asked with gleeful smile.

Despite the tape covering her mouth, Erza tried to give the pink haired bitch a piece of her mind eventhough it only made what she said sound like a garble. Who did Sakura Haruno think she was to do this to her? Erza was cursing at the other girl.

Sakura giggled madly. "Oh what is it that you say?" The psychotic girl taunted her. If only she was not restrained, Erza was going to get her hands on the girl in front of her and ripped her to shred.

Sakura walked closer to her and ripped the tape violently from her mouth.

"You're fucking crazy!" Erza yelled, ignoring stinging pain when the sticky tape was torn away from her skin.

Sakura gave her a manic grin in return. "I might be crazy but I will get out of this mess alive. You on the other hand-," she said as she trailed a finger on her temple down to her cheek before she roughly gripped Erza's chin in her grasp. "- will be very much dead."

Erza's eyes widened and fear slowly crept into her. Sakura laughed evilly when she noticed the panic and fear on her face.

"You're mad. You're absolutely mad!" Erza shouted, moving her head away from Sakura's grasp.

Sakura rolled her eyes at her. "Is that so bad?" She mocked her with a sneer. Erza looked at Sakura with disgust. "Do you know how easy it was to orchestrate this? You are so stupid Scarlet. You should've known better than to follow a stranger somewhere," she chided with a shake of her head.

Kabuto stepped into view and Erza glared at him. "I am Kabuto by the way," he said with his ever present and creepy smile.

"Psycho," Erza hissed instead. So he was following Sakura's instruction. Erza watched as Kabuto walked closer and crouched in front her. He took out a sharp looking knife and cut the rope tying her feet to the chair. Erza tried to kick him once it was free but Kabuto was quick to seize them and tied it again. Then he walked around her and did the same with her hands with Sakura helping him when Erza was being difficult.

"HELP!" Erza screamed, hoping that eanyone nearby would hear her.

"You can scream all you want doll," Kabuto said with a grin. "There's no one around," he said.

Erza was lifted from the chair and unceremoniously thrown onto the table by Kabuto. She screamed and thrashed around, not going to make this easy for her captor to do whatever they wanted to her as they pleased. Her hands and feet were once again freed only to be strapped to the table. They were tied tightly, leaving no room for her to wriggle free. Her defiance action only succeeding in making her tired and her throat felt sore from the screaming she made.

Helpless.

That was how she felt, strapping to the table.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Erza whimpered slowly. She was going to die here and there was no one coming to save her.

"You should know why I'm doing this," Sakura replied, looking at her with hatred. "You're disgusting. Sasuke was supposed to choose me and played along with everything that I've set. Instead, Sasuke chose you even after everything! If I can't have Sasuke, no one can."

To be continued

A/N: Sorry for the long absence. I am very busy with life at the uni, writing my own thesis and I don't have much time to pick up writing. Anyway, this story is going to end in a few chapters. I hope you enjoy. And I've recently opened a new Instagram account. If you're using IG and want to stay connected, please add me s_lumos. I love staying connected to people. =)