Hello Hamburger Veterans! :) Don't kill me please:P but here's a gift for your patience. I hope it's worthy of your acceptance, m'lords...

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

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I'M IN LOVE WITH DANGER

"When love feels like magic, you call it destiny. When destiny has a sense of humor, you call it serendipity."

-Unknown

She eyed their linked hands shyly for the umpteenth time. She just couldn't believe it! They were actually holding hands; he rarely ever showed any public signs of affection, and when she said rarely she meant rarely, this must've been the second or third time since their 10 months together and boy was she thrilled.

It literally felt like she had butterflies in her stomach. He was the one, she just knew it! He had to be, there is no way it couldn't be him. Just no way!

However, fate has proven to be extremely cruel…

It was odd. One moment she had just finished tending to an elderly customer with an order of Plum Danishes and soy milk and then in a flash, she was being called over by an exuberant blonde.

He was waving at her from a table not too far from Ino, whom could've tended to him but gave a clear sign that she wasn't planning to. Said girl even waved her on to serve the blonde male with a grin from ear to ear.

Something was up.

Nevertheless, Sakura strode cautiously towards the young male. She shot him a kind smile, which was only meant to be a courteous action, as she greeted him professionally. "Hello, Sir-"

She was meant to say more however he cut her off, adding, "Naruto, please. I am Naruto Uzumaki!" accompanied with a grin that seemed to be permanently etched onto his tan, whiskered face.

Although she was weary of his intentions she slipped out her own proper introduction, "My name is Sakura and I'll be your waitress for today."

"…How about every day?"

Surprise. Taken aback. Baffled. Perplexed. Disbelief. Wonder. If it was a synonym for astonishment then you can apply it to what Sakura was currently feeling. She really had no legible answer and she didn't give one. "Huh?"

His grin widened if it were even possible, his eyes turning to slits, "You heard me, if you were to be my waitress every day I wouldn't mind coming here and wasting a couple hundred bills daily." His added wink did not help to quell her stunned mind.

Was he hitting on her?

Nope, that's not possible. Someone like him was not hitting on her, it just wasn't possible. She cleared her throat in hopes that it could help her a bit and it did, "That's nice, Mr. Uzu-"

"Naruto." He corrected emphatically, keeping his stunning blue eyes on her form. "It's Naruto for you…"

He was hitting on her, no doubt about it. Granting that he was considerably handsome she had nevertheless decided to play dumb and ignorant by not paying notice to his attempt, "Uh, Naruto… Well how may I help you? Would anything on the menu please you?"

Naruto skimmed through the menu for probably about 5 seconds before he shook his head, "No, not today at least, although if you were on the menu I would definitely take you." He shot her a suggestive smile that eased down to an understanding one, "However I doubt it'd be that easy to win you over. Right?"

She was saved from answering once a phone suddenly rang from his pocket, his eyes reflected his surprise. He reached into the pockets of his tailored black pants, taking out a sleek IPhone, "Dude, you have horrible timing! Can't you see I'm hitting it off with a major babe right now?!"

What she should be doing now was beyond her but as she saw another customer take a seat from the corner of her eye she decided that it'd be proper to wait on him. Naruto was still on the phone arguing with the person on the other line apparently about how he (the other person on the line) is ruining his chances in finding the girl. She left after giving him a courteous bow, sill able to overhear his plea for her to wait which turned to a peeved telling-off of how he lost his chance thanks to whoever the person on other the line is.

How eccentric… She thought.

Her first day of work was an overall success. Ino, TenTen, Juugo, even Jiraiya who had witnessed her work later on in the day complimented many times. She felt welcomed and that was something foreign to her. She hadn't formed many relationships with others but she felt like the kinship she had in the Konoha Bar was one that would prove enduring and helpful.

Naruto had gone long ago though not before leaving a sticky note with his number sloppily printed on it and an added winking emoticon. The rosette was clueless on what to do with it but she felt that perhaps keeping it on her waitress note pad wouldn't hurt.

"You did great on your first day Sakura! There are no complaints coming from my, nor any other, side! I believe this will be the beginning of a beautiful friendship, don't you think?"

Sakura nodded eagerly, "I sure hope so." She truly did, after all she was only human and like any other human being she craved and desired socializing and Ino seemed like a person who would dutifully serve her role as a friend…she was worth keeping around. "Thank you for everything, Ino, and I'll see you tomorrow!" Both waved goodbye as Sakura exited the restaurant.

Reflecting over a day was something that hadn't been so enjoyable in a long time but as she seated herself in her car, Sakura couldn't help but smile and rejoice for the present day. Finally, luck is by my side. Now all that was needed to brighten her day up even more was her son, Akira.

It was eight o' clock sharp, so she would return to his side soon. She smiled at the thought of reuniting with her son.

It's only two hours more than when she would originally pick him up but it still feels like it's an eternity for her. What can she say? Mama bear is overly attached to her cub too y'know.

Her, overall, drive to Tsunade's home was a merry one, she was fairly confident that she could keep her job in Konoha Bar and with the money she earns there she can support her 2-person family with no problem. After all, she earned herself $130 in tips in just the first day on a Tuesday! And her paycheck by the end of the week… well the amount is beyond even some professional jobs. It's an extremely handsome amount. Plus she doesn't have to work on weekends though it wouldn't hurt to, she'd rather spend some time with her son. This job was beyond perfect! One could even say its unimaginable, she could make a living out of working there but her goals and dreams weren't going to be deterred because of it. She was going to get an even better job in the future but she doesn't mind the one she currently has. Not one bit.

He was known for being an overall patient and cool guy. He had to be considering the type of job he had. Actually he wouldn't even call his work a job it was more like an affiliation. Yes, it was all a group, an organization to be more exact; a crime organization, to be even more precise.

He did things that many other criminals did however he did them better.

Stealing, trafficking, laundering, bribery, racketeering, and many more other felonies, including murder were all countless things he's done without even flinching. It was like second nature… unfortunately enough.

Frankly, he wasn't too proud of his deeds or misdeeds. Had he had the choice he would've wished his fate to be much more different. Perhaps one where he lived in the countryside, working in a farm, growing soy beans and rice, milking cows, collecting eggs, being berated by a stern yet loving and down-to-earth woman… a woman who wouldn't mind getting some dirt under nails.

But then again that lifestyle seems too rugged for someone like him. Yeah, he killed people for a living but even the life of crime held some elegance to it.

Perhaps a more suiting life for him would be one where he was a detective. That sounds more elegant as well as ironic and besides that, he'd be a bachelor forever... That does not sound too appealing. After all, what sane woman would like to marry a detective? But perhaps a life of solitude would've proved better. Who knows…?

Though he can't say he'd currently be accustomed to it. He often had women throwing themselves at him and clutching tightly as if their life depended on it. Maybe it did but he will admit such women with no dignity certainly get annoying. Instead of depending on a soprano like him to swoon over them and support them, they could just get a proper job that could make them take care of themselves.

However those women were lost causes and in all honesty he could care less of how they end up.

And it didn't matter how he wished his life ended up. In the end, Fate landed him right where sex, crime, money, drugs, and pure sin roamed and he had no other choice but to continue to succumb to Fate's decision.

How unfair, if only he had a family… if only he hadn't met him… if only he hadn't been raised the way he was then perhaps he wouldn't call vice his occupation. Nevertheless, vice was his occupation and he'd have to accept it as it is… Besides if he wasn't raised into the life of vice then he would most likely not be the calm and collected man he is today.

Who was he kidding?

His blood was boiling as his car's clock shifted to 11:43. "Damn. I hope he's not planning to come anytime next week." He muttered in frustration. His fingers patted his steering wheel impatiently as he waited for his partner to arrive.

Now he wasn't always this impatient but it was currently pouring cats and dogs, it was dark as hell, and worst of all, he had been waiting exactly 43 minutes in a vacant parking lot in front of a shitty motel with an equally shitty name called Happy Times.

Those 43 minutes could have been used much more productively than sitting around this crap shack of a motel like perhaps hitting on that cute new waitress in the Konoha Bar. Oh yes, Naruto would have much preferred that over this…

"However I doubt it'd be that easy to win you over. Right?" He was curious to hear her response, this woman was a phenomenon to him however the ring of his phone caught him by surprise and with much dejection he answered with much annoyance, "Dude, you have horrible timing! Can't you see I'm hitting it off with a major babe right now?!"

A bored voice from the other line replied smartly, "Of course not nor do I care to. I'm just calling to tell you our new mission."

"That is so not worth ruining my future with-"

"Naruto, please just shut up and listen. Meet me at Happy Times by 11 o'clock. I'll text you the exact address afterwards as well as the overall synopsis of the assignment."

"Yeah, Yea- Hey, Wait!" He pulled the phone away from his ear as he saw Sakura leave to another customer, she didn't stop and he groaned in exasperation, "look what you did now, Shikamaru. The babe left."

"Idiot, that's your problem and it'll also be your problem if you fail to arrive."

"Whatever."

The blonde sighed at the mere memory of it, he was so close! Oh so close and yet here he is camping outside a motel that's not even worth a penny. Butthis was his job, he pretty much signed up for it, and like any other loyal and respected Mafioso he will have to buck up and shut up. This is what happens when one choses vice. He thought bitterly.

A beep, indicating a text, from his cellphone had chimed in. Finally! He slid his phone out of his pocket and read the text: I'm on my way there. Wait for the signal.

On your way means you're almost here, right? He texted back, more for his own personal comfort and relief than for professional purposes.

Yeah, 5-10 minutes depending on whether the driver ahead of me will take the next exit.

Good, he thought contently. Now that just leaves him to prepare for their operation. He was ready 43 minutes ago but he soon let loose 20 minutes later however now was the real deal.

He rummaged through the center console in his car, retrieving important tools he may/may not need.

Briefcase, check.

Chloroform, check.

Rope, check.

Gun… check.

A small tap on his passenger side door marginally alarmed him however he recognized the tap as Morse code for "leaf" which was the signal. He clicked the unlock button and a familiar form slid gracefully onto the passenger seat. "Sorry for taking long, night traffic was hell." The person's voice was as monotonous as ever.

"Whatever, you're forgiven unless you dirtied my car."

The other man's eyes rolled, "Trust me, I wouldn't dare dirty your precious car." His tone mocked him but he went straight to the matter at hand as he eyed the materials situated tidily in Naruto's lap, "We're not going to preform murder, y'know?"

He shrugged, "You never know, sometimes they like to play hard and there's no other choice."

Shikamaru shook his head, "Troublesome… Nevertheless, let's get this done and over with already. I'd much prefer a relaxing sleep over this."

"Hmph! You think I'm any different?"

Together the men soon hastily the vehicle, umbrellas shielded them from water and they dashed towards the entrance of the crappy motel.

Just like its exterior, its name, and its surroundings; the interior of the motel was just as shitty. As to be expected. It also had a putrid odor. "Why are we meeting here of all places?"

Shikamaru shrugged, "All secrets are kept here."

That better be the case… We can't afford a slipup. Ever.

Both men stood in front of the main desk, "We're looking for Hibiki Hikifune."

The man in the front desk examined the two equably.

Both wore white button-ups, black pants, and black platform shoes and the blonde one had a briefcase in hand. Whatever purpose two cryptic, well-dressed men were doing in a dump like this was beyond him but if there was one thing he learned in the past five years of owning Happy Times was to never delve into the guests issues which was why he held no qualms in pointing them to where Mr. Hikifune was as well as handing them some spare keys.

Whatever happens here, happens here. He thought.

It was Naruto who took the pleasure of knocking harshly on the door until a shaky, docile man opened it. He was tall yet scrawny with round glasses taking up half his face. His overall facial expression was more than enough to display fear and weakness as he greeted them, "Uh- H-hello. Please, Um- come in," He stuttered, "I'll bring you the money shortly."

They both glanced at each other guardedly before complying and entering the shabby room, closing the door behind them. The room was just as bad as the whole motel but that was to be expected.

"I brought all the money as your boss ordered, so do you have...?"

Shikamaru glanced at his companion whom nodded, patting the briefcase in his hand, "Your hard drive had been retrieved. It was a cinch but be careful with it next time, or you just might get yourself in a serious legal scandal, Mr. Hikifune or shall I say Mr. Hiro." The man flinched at the mention of his true name, "Hacking into government material is no joke and if the media were to hear of how Hibiki Hiro, the owner of Hiro Network, did something incredibly illegal then you would be in a lot of trouble. Am I right?"

Hiro gave a dejected nod, his hold on the briefcase in his own hand tightened. After some inhales and exhale, he apprehensively handed Shikamaru the briefcase. The lethargic man could sense Hiro's doubt, "Don't worry, no funny business will be done." Shikamaru reassured, as he made sure that all money was present. "All money is in check." He handed Hikifune a briefcase holding his desired item, causing the scrawny man to sigh in relief.

"Thank you so much!" He bent down, and bowed repeatedly to both men presenting to them his utter gratitude.

Both men gave Hiro a tilt of the head before exiting, "It was a pleasure making business with you, Mr. Hikifune." Warbled the blonde, people like him rarely got thanked but when such moments came by he did feel a bit pleased. It lessened the cold reality that he was a bad guy. It made him feel more like a hero than a villain, for once.

A whacking to the back of the head brought Naruto back to earth, "Hey!"

"Hurry up."

Shikamaru's cool attitude often irritated the blonde however it admittedly, reminded Naruto of someone very familiar, someone he admired and missed… Batman.

Well now that they took care of Operation Exchange-Hard-Drive-for-Lots-of-Money all that was left to be done was to bring the greenbacks over to their nerve center (or NC) and they were done with that.

"So… are you going to bring the report over to NC?"

Shikamaru scoffed, "Do it yourself, Idiot. I'm going home."

"Hey, wait a second! I believe you owe me it for taking almost an hour longer than planned."

A frustrated sigh escaped the pineapple-haired man, "It was the traffic, Naruto. It was more troublesome than it sounded, okay? Look if it's any solace, how about I treat you to some ramen some other time."

Ramen? What was he twelve? "Add in some red bean soup and sake and you got yourself a deal!"

Begrudgingly, the pineapple-haired Mafioso consented, "…Fine." He had a feeling that this day would end with a troublesome outcome, and like always he was right, and like always he wished he weren't.

That was the end of that, as Shikamaru strolled to his car Naruto suddenly remembered something, "Oh-Hey, Shikamaru! Before I forget, I just want to royally invite you to the 'Welcome Back' party I'm throwing over at Konoha Bar this Friday night!"

With a brow raised, Shikamaru repeated in confusion, "A 'Welcome Back' party?" A party… typical of Naruto. He'd make up any excuse to just get drunk and party. Shikamaru was in no way interested in going to any party being hosted by Naruto of all people… Considering that Naruto's party usually gets someone in a wild situation. He did not want to risk himself in being that someone.

"Ino will be there by the way…", added the idiot.

He actually thinks that'll work? Now Shikamaru will confess that he had held some interest in the stunning, outgoing blonde waitress… however that will not sway him into going along with Naruto's shenanigans.

"Come on, Shikamaru! It'll be fun! Besides it's for a very important person…"

"Hm. Fine." He was only agreeing so he could welcome back his comrade personally but after a chat with him he will hightail it outta there before it's too late.

Naruto cheered in success and went on about how he won't regret it and whatnot. How troublesome…

"Well it was nice speaking with you Shikamaru but-"

Before Naruto could even finish, Shikamaru was already striding back to his car in a nanosecond, leaving the blonde standing alone. Jerk! He immediately went to his phone and sent a belligerent text:

Fine, be that way, after all the favors I have done for you! Oh and just so you know; you ruined my chances to hook up with a fairly nice lady. Just wanted to add that.

He could already imagine the sigh coming from the other line and the mere imagine of it made him laugh as he walked to his car until he read the recent text sent by the lethargic man:

Are you sure it was me who ruined your chances? Nevertheless, please just give me some peace and quiet for once, you're annoying.

The nerve! Here he, Naruto Uzumaki, was, being the one who had the misfortune to turn in a report while his partner had extra nap time. Jerk. He thought for the umpteenth time.

The moment he entered the NC, his nose scrunched up and distorted to that of disgust instinctively. It smelled-no reeked of drugs and heavy perfume. Just like always…

"Naruto!" The blonde Mafioso swiveled around and grinned at the sight of a familiar young boy, who barely stood at 4'2 and weighed in as 63 pounds ; a puny kid with the mouth of a sailor which often made Naruto feel nostalgic as he remembered himself at age 8.

"What's up, Konohamaru? Fancy seeing you here… wait a minute, what exactly are you doing here? I doubt your mom will be happy to see you here."

The young boy waved his hand dismissively, as if the topic were irrelevant, "Oh, whatever! I am 8, and my mom can't do much about it now besides she'll never know unless someone tells her of course." The boy was as cocky and reckless as Naruto was at that age, yup, Naruto could definitely entrust the responsibility of being a knucklehead to this young lad when the time comes, of course. But for now, Naruto will continue to hold the title of #1 prankster and knucklehead.

Deciding to poke fun at the kid, "Or unless she's standing behind you…"

As expected, Konohamaru swiveled around in terror, "Wha-?!"

"Ha! Made you look!" cackled the blonde pointing and laughing at the poor boy who was glaring daggers at Naruto, "Not funny!" The boy marched off with a huff as Naruto didn't stop his cackling laughter and said knucklehead paid no mind to the young boy's departure. Konohamaru probably knows NC like the back of his hand and aside from that, Naruto really wanted to hop into bed.

All he had to do was look for Kurama…

"You're back, Naruto." A very familiar and desired voice stated behind him. Speak of the devil. Naruto spun around to see the very man who raised him into the life of a Mafioso. Kurama Kyubi.

Standing at a 6'3, with flaming red-orange hair, lean stature, and piercing red eyes; the guy was extremely intimidating and bad to the bone. Naruto saluted him respectfully and handed him the report he held. "I came to turn this in, Kurama, it's the overall synopsis of the mission, Shikamaru and I undertook."

Kurama nodded, "I see." He grabbed the report and skimmed through it, muttering his praises as he read on, "Very good, Naruto. I'm proud of you."

Naruto beamed at the compliment, his already high ego increasing even more, "Duh! Like I would fail."

The older man rolled his eyes, he should've known better than to compliment Naruto but he was frankly accustomed to it. After all, he was the guardian for Naruto and he held a special soft spot for the boy that he had virtually raised. Nevertheless the boy should get a bit of ego deflation, "Don't get too cocky, Naruto. The day will come when you make a mistake and with that confidence it may come even sooner."

"Is that what happened when you lost in that brawl against my dad? Did you get too cocky, Kurama?"

And now Naruto was challenging and mocking him, the boy often got way over his head and has crossed the line a plethora of times however he always seemed to cross the boundaries a bit more than the previous time. "Silence you brat before you get what's coming to you."

"Whatever!" Nonetheless, Naruto stopped taunting Kurama and instead decided to invite the man to the party as well, "Oh yeah, dude, I'm going to be throwing a party to welcome back-"

"I can't go," was Kurama's instant reply. He rarely ever went to Naruto's ludicrous parties and there was a reason for that: people often woke up in the wrong place, no memory was acquired of the party afterwards, brawls were formed and one could possibly even wake up with a missing limb; simply put, Naruto's parties are an endangerment.

Completely oblivious to why people are weary of going to his party, the boy naively asked, "Why?"

"I am a busy man. Too busy for an outing like that besides no good ever comes from going to your parties." There he said it.

"Wuss…" What?

The man's head whipped towards the blonde, his lips sneered and his eyes glared as his snarled out, "What was that?"

"Oh, nothing!" He raised his hands up in defense, and casually changed the topic, "Well if you ever change your mind you know you're free to come, it'll be at the Konoha Bar this Friday night. Oh and tell everyone else, if you can. Please and thank you."

Not even allowing Kurama room to speak he dismissed himself, "I must take my leave now. I'm getting a bit lightheaded, what with the smell of whores and weed."

Kurama snorted at the blonde's crudeness. Typical Naruto, he thought. "Whatever."

And that was the merry life of Naruto Uzumaki! It's not too bad you say? Trust me, it's not all rays and sunshine. It can get awfully lonely when living the life of crime. A woman by his side would be of no harm… Sakura.

A small sneeze escaped the pinkette as she sat in the couch with her son cuddled up beside her. They had a movie night, watching Pollyanna together. Sakura truly loved that movie it was so cute and it held such a great message. Aki said he would love to play the Glad Game and Sakura quickly agreed.

The Glad Game…

A game where you see the positive in even the most negative situations, it helped. She had been playing that game to survive her countless predicaments and it helped greatly. Even though the positive points were all the same it still helped. That positive point being Aki.

She was dumped and left to fend for herself alone but Aki was there.

She was fired countless of times but Aki was still there.

She had gotten so many headaches from school but Aki was still there.

He was always there… Aki.

This is all for you!

And poof, I'm here!:P I'm glad to be back you guys! I missed you all so~! I apologize once again for my tardiness however better late than never! IF you also read my other Sasusaku stories I just want to say that those will be updated later on, I just finished this earlier because I was in this sort of writing trance and it didn't end till now. Weird… Nevertheless please Read and Review , you guy/gals!

Remember I love your faces and I'll see you in the next chapter or story! Ma-ha~

Thank you all, and see you later Hamburgers!（＾＿－）≡(||]