Blurred Lines
part i

Sakura bit her nails into her palms to hide their shake. She reminded herself to breathe, reminded herself to keep her nerves under control as she slowly approached the meeting place she had agreed to. Every ounce of her being was screaming at her this was a bad idea, this could get her in serious trouble, this could get her killed, but she silenced those thoughts as she forced herself to place one foot in front of the other. Her heeled boots echoed across the dimly lit parking lot.

She had forgone the bullet-resistant vest issued to her by her federal agency and the badge normally clipped to her hip; and though she doubted they would let her meet with him so armed, she had kept her Glock at her waist, its weight her only comfort. If her partner knew she was here, he would do everything in his power to drag her out; and if her superior knew, he would kill her himself.

For three years, it had been her assignment to track and dismantle one of the most dangerous and successful criminal organizations – and for three years, she and her team had failed. They were getting desperate, scraping and digging for clues in the most unlikely of places, and just when Sakura had thought their case had officially turned cold, she had received a call from an unnamed stranger claiming to have affiliations with the group. He had told her his boss wanted to speak with her, privately and unofficially – and any attempts to do so otherwise would end her life and the life of her partner.

Of course, Sakura had promptly hung up and shut off her cell phone. Only for her desk phone to begin ringing seconds later.

It was that second conversation with the still unknown male that had brought her to this particular nightclub on this particular night with no backup and no plan, other than to get out alive. She didn't know what the mastermind behind the group wanted from her – not much was known about Uchiha Madara other than his name, his crimes, and the psychological profile their agency psychologist had drawn up on him – but she knew no matter how much he manipulated her, she would not give up any information that might benefit him.

With even footsteps, Sakura approached the entrance to the popular nightclub. Immediately her senses fell on high alert as she found the doorway to be empty of party-goers, flashing lights and pounding music. Instead, a pair of bouncers dressed all in black and with far too much muscle for their shirts blocked her path. She stopped before them, her expression void of the nerves that were making her heart hammer against her ribs. "I'm here by invite."

They gave her a onceover, their eyes lingering longest on the barest hint of cleavage her top provided before they finally stepped aside. "Down the stairs and to the right. Don't wander."

She said nothing before she passed between the men and entered the large building. Following their directions, she descended the staircase and followed the hallway until it opened up into a large room with a handful of men guarding the entrance and a large bar lining the opposite wall.

However, that was all Sakura was able to take in before one of the guards grabbed her, spun her around and forcefully shoved her against the wall. "Let me go, assholes," she spat.

They ignored her insult as two of them kept her palms pressed flat against the wall while a third set of hands traveled roughly over her front, sweeping over her breasts and down her stomach to her hips. He stripped her of her gun before he resumed his search. She hoped he wouldn't notice her backup hidden within her boot, but those worries vanished as his fingers lingered on the inside of her thighs before they deliberately trailed over her backside.

Anger boiled in her chest and before she could stop herself, Sakura used the wall to push off and ram her elbows into the men holding her. They cried out in pain and withdrew their grasps, allowing her to spin around and locate the third male, but before she could get her revenge, her back slammed against the wall as the pervert pinned her throat under his forearm. His face was twisted into a dark snarl but before he could strike her, a door on the opposite side of the room opened.

"Gentleman, please kindly release her. This is supposed to be an amicable meeting."

Sakura went completely still as Madara finally revealed himself. His tone was smooth and polite, but there was no mistaking the command and the consequences that would follow should his order be ignored.

The man's glare darkened but the pressure on her throat lessened until he finally released her and stepped back. Slowly Sakura straightened as she adjusted her shirt, her narrowed eyes lingering on the man that had so aggressively pinned her to the wall. Anger and humiliation were still boiling in her chest and before he could distance himself from her, she grabbed him by the shoulders and connected her knee to his crotch in one fluid motion. He crumpled to the ground in a pained pile, but Sakura merely shot him a satisfied glare before she finally turned to face the man that had been nothing but a ghost to her team.

Madara looked younger than his photos. She knew him to be nearly a decade her senior, but his handsome face was unmarred by age lines or wrinkles. His long black locks cascaded over his shoulders and down his back, his bangs framing the fathomless black eyes a few of the female investigators had jokingly swooned over after a few off-duty drinks at the bar. All the men in the room were dressed in suits, but it was obvious by the expensive brand and the presence by which he held himself that Madara was in charge. And there would be severe repercussions should anyone forget.

He was patiently waiting for her to join him and slowly Sakura weaved her way around the strategically placed couches and tables as nerves once again twisted her stomach into knots. She wondered if he was angry for her attacking his guards, but as she reached the bar that stood two steps above the rest of the floor and finally stood before him, she saw there was no annoyance in his gaze. In fact, his expression was completely unreadable. Her right boot suddenly felt heavy.

"I apologize for their rudeness," Madara said politely.

"I want my gun back."

A hint of a smile curved the corners of his mouth up and he nodded. "Of course. You may have it just as soon as we are finished here." He then pulled out a chair and gestured to her. "Please, sit."

Sakura eyed him but accepted nonetheless, her guard up as he pushed the chair in for her before he gracefully seated himself across from her. His expression was just as unreadable as before as he regarded her, but she refused to show just how anxious his mere presence made her.

"Can I offer you a drink?" He raised his hand and a moment later a bartender appeared at his side. "I take you for the Cosmo sorts."

Her expression remained hard. "Whiskey. Top shelf. On the rocks."

Madara smiled lightly again as if her choice amused him, but he merely nodded at the male, silently dismissing him. Alone once more, her heart began to pound in her chest as she was subject to his unwavering gaze. She still didn't know why he had asked to see her, and as the silence stretched on, she wondered if Madara would ever offer up the information.

"You are not what I expected, Agent Haruno."

She leaned back in her chair, attempting to give off the pretense of boredom. It would not do her well to allow this man to see how on edge his mere presence made her. "And what were you expecting?"

His eyes traveled over her slowly as if absorbing every inch of exposed skin before he finally met her gaze again, a subtle smirk gracing his handsome features. "Definitely not someone so young. You have had quite the successful career for someone your age."

"Successful is a subjective term," Sakura countered airily. She tried to ignore his compliment. From one of her superiors, the words would have warmed her; but from such a powerful career criminal, it made her skin crawl as if there was a deeper meaning to this carefully crafted remark.

His smirk widened but he said nothing as the bartender returned with their drinks. Her whiskey was served in a cup of pure crystal and she almost felt guilty at marking the expensive-looking glass with her fingers. Across from her, Madara readily grasped his own drink before he held it out to her. "Cheers."

Much more slowly, Sakura followed his lead as she tipped her glass back. The amber liquid burned her taste buds and seared her throat until it settled warmly in her stomach, but she refused to flinch. Perhaps Madara had been correct in assuming that she preferred the sweeter drinks, but she was not here for pleasure. This was a business meeting – at least, she hoped.

"Are you going to enlighten me as to why you so adamantly requested a meeting with me?" she asked, setting her drink aside.

Madara didn't immediately answer her as he placed his glass back on the table, causing it to clink lightly before he raised his hand again, silently gesturing to the nearest guard. He sprang into motion and readily held out a file for Madara before he retreated again. It didn't escape Sakura's attention that he moved out of hearing range, but she refocused on the powerful male across from her as he pushed the folder across the table towards her. "I have something for you; something that may pique your interest."

She left the envelope untouched as she eyed Madara. There were very few reason as to why he would offer his assistance willingly and she didn't like any of them.

Upon her hesitation, he gestured to the folder. "Please. I believe you will find the information invaluable."

Distrust settled heavily in her stomach but her curiosity eventually won out and slowly Sakura reached for the file before she flipped it open. Inside held a small stack of sure-to-be incriminating documents with a picture of a male paper clipped to the front. Immediately she recognized him as Uchiha Izuna, Madara's younger and only sibling, and before she could process any of the information held within the file, she abruptly snapped it closed and tossed it back down onto the table. "No."

The smirk on Madara's face returned. "You do not even know what I am asking of you."

"It doesn't matter," she retorted. "You and your crime ring have corrupted nearly every major corporation within this country, and I refuse to let you do the same to my agency. Find someone else."

"Sakura." She hated the way her name slipped off his tongue like he had tasted it a hundred times before. "I do not think you understand all that I am offering to you."

Her glare didn't lessen, causing Madara to sigh softly as he reclined against the back of his chair. Her gaze didn't wavier from his as his expression remained mostly unreadable and he loosely crossed one leg over the other as he laced his fingers together in his lap. "I need you to arrest Izuna."

She nearly laughed. "You want me to arrest your brother?"

"Yes."

"And you're giving him to me as what? A peace offering?"

Madara shrugged. "If that is what you wish to see it as."

"I want to know what you see it as."

He was silent for so long Sakura was nearly convinced he wasn't going to answer her, but then he took a deep breath as he met her gaze evenly. "It is an act of mercy."

"Mercy?" she repeated. She reached for the file again and flipped it open to quickly review the evidence collected against him. "You give me the evidence to arrest your brother and put him behind bars for a minimum of at least thirty years, and you call it an act of mercy."

"It is preferable to the alternative."

Sakura opened her mouth to snap a retort back at him, but it died on her lips as the full weight of his words fell over her. From the information she had limited gathered in the file, she knew Izuna had committed an act of treason against Madara and his entire organization. If she were to turn her back on this offering, she knew the police would undoubtedly receive a report of his assassination within only a few days' time.

It was either she accepted the information and take down a target in her agency's most wanted list almost single-handedly while regrettably doing Madara this favor; or let Izuna die. She weighed the options carefully.

"If I do this for you," she began slowly, "what will I get in return?"

The corner of his mouth lifted in the start of a smile and he sipped from his brandy before answering her, "My brother betrayed me once. I am sure he will do it again if offered a deal."

Sakura tapped her fingers thoughtfully against the file as she scrutinized Madara. He seemed honest enough, but she had dealt with criminals her entire career and knew that the best could hide their true intentions flawlessly. The gun at her ankle suddenly reminded her of exactly who she was dealing with.

"Am I going to walk out of here with a target on my back?"

Madara merely smiled. "As I said before, this is supposed to be an amicable meeting."

Her eyes narrowed. "I don't enjoy being threatened."

"Then agree to my terms."

With quick, practiced movements, Sakura pulled her weapon from her boot and leveled it with Madara's head. He paused mid-drink as he eyed it, then her before he slowly held up his hand to stand his guards down. She could feel the barrels of half a dozen weapons pointed at her, but they slowly vanished as his men reluctantly relaxed upon his silent order.

Madara raised his glass to his lips again before he replaced the crystal back down on the table and regarded her once more. "You have spirit. I appreciate that," he murmured. "But if you shoot me, you will die as well, and neither of us will be able to benefit from this meeting."

Her glare deepened as she recognized he was right, and after a heavy silence, she eventually lowered her gun and set it on the table. "So I make the arrest, gather enough evidence to ensure your brother remains locked up until I'm at the age of retirement and then what? I continue hunting you and you remain a ghost?"

His smirk returned as he inclined his head. "That is the goal, yes."

Frustration rolled through her at finally being before the infamous Uchiha Madara and being unable to do anything to further stop his international crime ring. She wanted to reach for her weapon again and lodge a bullet between his eyes or at the very least walk him out of the deserted nightclub in handcuffs, but neither were an option and they both knew it.

With a sharp sigh, Sakura swept her bangs out of her face as she relented. "Fine. But under one condition."

Madara's gaze lingered on her, his obsidian eyes reflecting the low lighting of the bar before he arched his brow, silently conveying for her to continue.

"No one is to ever know that this meeting took place. And you will stay away from my team or I will ensure your brother gets immunity and is allowed to walk the streets."

A wide smile spread across his face and he chuckled lightly as he observed her over the rim of his glass. "In all my years as a criminal, I have never met anyone in law enforcement willing to barter quite like you."

Sakura's expression remained unwavering. "A bargain?"

He nodded before he gestured to one of his guards to approach. "Ensure Agent Haruno makes it to her vehicle safely. And see to it that her weapon is returned to her, bullets and all." He stood gracefully as if weightless, not a hair out of place or a wrinkle upon his tailored suit. "Until next time, Sakura."

"For your sake, Madara," she said darkly, "you had better hope there is not a next time."

A smirk fell across his face at her unmasked threat but he said nothing before he turned and exited the bar through the very same door he had entered. She watched him go, her finger tracing the rim of her glass before her gaze fell to the documents he had provided her. If she was being honest, Madara had given her a generous gift but she prayed that this was to be their last meeting - for her own sake as well.

tbc...

Inspired by Vesperchan's "Her Favorite Criminal" (search for her on Tumblr or Archive of our Own) and a binge marathon of "The Blacklist".