Sasuke felt himself tense up under her grip. For the first time in his life he was completely unsure of what to say or think. The realization that had dawned on him was so unthinkable, so reprehensible that he could not even wrap his head around the idea. The woman, Haruka Kanata, smiled at him as she grabbed hold his arm. She leaned into him, and he caught a whiff of a beautiful fragrance, one that he was sure was expensive and classy.

"Well, shall we be off sir?" She asked politely, her soft, velvety voice like nails on a chalkboard to his ears. The Hokage was staring at him, doubtless evaluating how this was going to go.

I can't get on his bad side. If I want the harem…

Sasuke smiled at her weakly as he pushed open the door. "Well, Lord Hokage." He said. "I suppose we will be on our way."

Haruka Kanata giggled and waved. That brief moment of distraction was all he needed to compose himself. The smile on his face become more genuine, although he was still deeply troubled. Little Brother… why would she call him that?

"This way, Lady Kanata." Sasuke said formally, as he led her down the stairs. People everywhere were gawking at them. Sasuke, already a local celebrity and prized source of attention among young women in the village, found himself downright amazed by the sheer amount of reverence and awe that the people passing by showed them. People on the street would stop and watch as they passed by.

"Please do not allow them to touch me, Little Brother…" Haruka whispered, her voice soft. "I have come here for a departure from my ordinary life. I expect nothing but privacy in our estate."

Our estate?

"It will be done." Sasuke said promptly. The girl laughed.

"Oh, you're just like him." She said, her voice almost affectionate, as she leaned in and planted a kiss on his cheek. The crowd around them gaped as Sasuke, almost instinctively, raised a hand to his cheek to rub off the lipstick, but relented. Would that offend her? She had been watching him rather carefully. Who exactly, did he remind her of?

The streets became quieter and less crowded as they made their way out of the civilian district and into the Uchiha residential district. The streets of the living became the streets of the dead, the quiet serenity quite the dissonance from the bustling streets around the Hokage Tower.

"Hmm." Haruka said approvingly, looking around. "It is just as I imagined it. Quaint, but suitable."

Her eyes were darting all over the place, hungrily eating everything up. Sasuke was finding himself increasingly uncomfortable. Despite the fact that they were now alone, she was still deeply clutched onto his arm.

"Now Sasuke." She said. "Show me to your home."

He could not refuse her. He led her up to the sliding door, and into the hall of his home. He waited on her as she removed her shoes in the entrance and stared around.

"Have you lived here all of your life?" She asked him. "With your family?" There was a note of eagerness in her voice that he had not heard before.

Sasuke had felt annoyed and disturbed. This question made him downright angry, although he tried to keep it bottled in. "Yes."

"So this is where…"

She turned away from him and stepped down the hallway. Sasuke froze, hardly daring to believe the audacity of his guest, before quickly trotting after her.

"Your room has already been prepared-" He began.

She was humming to herself, so loudly that Sasuke almost felt as if she did not hear him. She continued walking, away from him, and he decided that it was time to stop her.

"That's-"

"Ah."

She stopped in place and turned to a door. Sasuke froze, shock enveloping his every pore. He stared as she reached for the door and began to slide it open.

"Stop!" He blurted out. "That's-"

The woman slid the door open and stared inside at the remains of Itachi Uchiha's childhood room. Trash and discarded, rotting manga lay strewn all about the floor in every conceivable direction. Old clothes lay in half filled drawers, while the rest were strewn about all over the furniture. Posters of beautiful anime girls lined the walls. Sasuke recognized the blonde pigtailed girl he had had a crush on as a child.

This was certainly not the room he wanted Haruka Kanata of all people to see in his house.

"Oh, I had a bad house guest." He explained quickly. "And I haven't contacted the cleaning staff yet…"

He stopped mid sentence as she stepped into the room. He watched as she closed her eyes, raised her head high and sniffed deeply.

"This is it." She murmured. "This is what I've been looking for."

And then she sat on the mattress on the floor. Sasuke stared.

"I will be staying here during my stay." She told him. "Please leave me be." She paused. "And close the door." Sasuke stared at her.

"I'll… go prepare our dinner." He said hesitatingly. He almost bowed, but decided against it. This woman didn't deserve respect. He simply raised his hand and slowly slid the door to a shut.

He had turned and was halfway down the hallway before his curiosity got the better of him. He stopped, waiting, for several minutes before deciding to double back. He crept down the hallway, feeling more nervous and unsure than he had during missions, and reached Itachi's door. He leaned forward pressed his eye against the crack in the door.

Haruka Kanata was lying on her back. She seemed to be in a fit of ecstasy as she rolled back and forth on Itachi's old mattress. Sasuke watched, breathless as his took on the strange, blue fabric she had clutched against her face.

His first thought that maybe it was medical related. Perhaps a makeshift ice pack, or a bag of medicine. But as she writhed and twisted on the bed, he caught the look of the fabric at different angles and positions, and his curiosity turned to disgust.

She was taking in the scent of Itachi's old underwear.

…

"You're kidding." Ino said blankly, the instant that he had told the story. Sasuke scowled furiously at her as he rubbed his cheek. He had been so angry at what had just happened that he had forgotten to get rid of it before coming to meet her. She had instantly noticed, and he had to explain it to her.

"How could I make something like that up?" Sasuke demanded. "I would have to have a sick and twisted mind…" Only a particularly deranged and insane mind could have conceived such a bizarre situation.

"I believe you!" Ino said quickly. "It's just…. Well… it's so bizarre…" She looked troubled. "They say she's never had a boyfriend, so maybe… she's just developed some… interests…" Her voice faltered. The usually rather outgoing young woman was at a complete loss for words. Sasuke laughed humorlessly.

"Interests?" He repeated. "The woman is insane." He stared down at his bowl of ramen. He had taken to frequenting Ichiraku's Ramen stand in hopes of seeing Naruto. He liked the place, quite a lot actually, but today nothing on the menu seemed all that appetizing. He had brought Ino here more out of a need to speak to someone, anyone, about the problem. Normally he would probably have gone straight to his team, or Tenten. But with Tenten out of town, Kakashi still severely injured, and Sakura and Naruto still…

He shook his head, trying to think. This entire situation had taken him completely off guard: He had never, in his ninja career, been so rattled.

"Well…" Ino said, her voice taking on an odd, quiet tone that Sasuke had never heard before. "Sasuke, I think… if you're right… then I think it's safe to say that… she actively sought you out." She paused, as if trying to find the words carefully. "You're the reason she came here."

Sasuke stared at his ramen.

"No." He said, his voice quiet. "Not me." His hands clenched into a fist, breaking the chopstick in his hand into splinters. "Never me."

Ino stared at him, her eyes wide and staring.

"What are you going to do?"

Sasuke bent over his bowl. "I don't know."

…

The next couple of weeks proved to be an absolute nightmare. Being a celebrity who spent her entire nights performing, Haruka Kanata was a nocturnal creature. She slept through the early morning, and was up sometime after noon. This wouldn't be a problem, if she did not insist on Sasuke entertaining her upon waking. They would spend an hour or so discussing her plans for the day, who she would meet, what she would do, who she would see. And then she would make him escort her.

Sasuke was forced to sit through meeting upon meeting dealing with celebrities. Producers, artists, costume designers, songwriters, movie makers. They came from all around for the mere chance to speak with Haruka Kanata. Some had followed her form her home, but many creative types from other parts of the country came in as well, in hopes of recruiting her for their own projects. Haruka received all of her guests with grace and professionalism. Sasuke was quick to notice that although the woman was insane in her personal life, in this environment she seemed to be extremely competent. She seemed to seriously listen and consider all ideas that were pitched to her, and offered her own contributions. Not all ideas got her approval, but she was quick to point out her own observations and criticisms about a wide variety of topics. It was not until she entered a discussion about the budget for an upcoming film and how much her co-stars should be paid that Sasuke truly began to appreciate the depths of her talent and business sense. She was not just a pretty face. She was heavily involved in building up her own brand and image. This was not another Tomonobu Tori, someone who had more money than sense. This was someone who had built up her life and career out of nothing, almost singlehandedly.

Her employees and co-workers, the people she worked with every day had nothing but praise for her. He never heard a bad word about her from anyone, and it was easy for them to see why. He was startled, however, when he was asked to enter a photoshoot with her.

"What?" He asked blankly. "Me?"

"Yes, you." Haruka said, giggling, as she took his hand. She had become increasingly touchy feely with him over the past couple of days. Sasuke had never felt so violated being touched by a woman in his life. "You have the face for it."

The girls she was with, the two make up artists and the photographer, both broke out into giggles. Apparently they agreed.

"I don't think my contract obligates me to model for you." Sasuke said immediately. "You will need to renegotiate-"

"You have my approval." Sasuke blanched. He turned around to see an amused looking third Hokage staring down at him. Haruka Kanata squeed and grabbed his arms.

"Ooh, thank you Lord Hokage." She said brightly. "You will be compensated, of course…"

With apparent glee he was dragged out into the floor and made to sit in the chair. The make up artists surrounded him, while Haruka Kanata stared at him, hand on her cheek.

"He's really cute." The first girl breathed.

"And in shape, too." Her friend added, giggling. They both fluttered their eyelashes at him.

"Yes, yes." Haruka said. "Better than most of the models I work with for sure."

"Oh, for sure!" The girls said, squealing, and giggled again. Sasuke found himself thinking of Sakura and Ino when they were younger. They had always tried competing for his attention, while he was focused on grown breasts and fishnet stockings.

He thought of Tenten wearing those stockings and had to bring himself back to reality. The girls were fussing around him, trying to make him even more presentable to the cameras.

"I want him to be as he is." Kanata instructed. "A brave ninja from Konoha. Yes… make him look a little bit older. That's right. Maybe some lines on his face? Hmm. I don't think you should smile for the cameras, Sasuke."

She turned to the Hokage. "I would like to have an ANBU mask." She said in a rush. "He should be holding it…"

"What kind of mask?" The Hokage inquired.

"A weasel."

"That can be arranged." He said. Immediately a blur behind him took off. Apparently one of his bodyguards had left to pick one up.

Kanata turned back around towards him. She was growing excited. Far more excited than Sasuke had ever seen her.

"Yes, yes yes…." She whispered, her voice getting higher and higher pitched, as Sasuke underwent the procedure. "Oh this is PERFECT!"

An hour or so later, Sasuke found himself posing for photographs. It was not difficult work, but Haruka seemed to be rather fussy about his age.

"He needs to look older." She stressed. "Older than me!"

It seemed like she wanted images that depicted a rescue. But because she was a grown woman and Sasuke still rather young, they were incapable of getting the specific kind of shots she wanted. She seemed unusually frustrated as she moved around, staring at him.

"The age gap is a problem." She was saying. "But it has to be…" She paused. And then suddenly her enthusiasm starting to ebb away. She sighed.

"We'll have to take the shots separately." She said, her voice gloomy. "He's perfect, but…" She sighed and turned away. Her staff cast her curious glances, but she sulked for the rest of the shoot, speaking only when she had something to say to Sasuke or the photographers.

And then finally, just like that. It was over. Sasuke was only just beginning to relish the thought of going home when he remembered that Haruka Kanata was living with him. The very thought made his heart cry.

There was no escaping her. He spent days with her, he spent his working hours with her. He went home with her. His first thought that this what marriage must be like, but then he remembered that must people didn't take their wives to work with them. So he was worse off than a married man.

And most women weren't as annoying as Haruka.

"I hope he sees it." She was telling him, as he led her back to the estate. She always insisted on taking his arm. "And that he remembers me."

Sasuke had no idea what she was talking about. He had been so worn out by the constant flirting from Haruka's staff on top of his regular workload that he was anxious to just go home and crawl into bed. If he didn't have a guest (Which he DIDN'T WANT TO HAVE) Then he absolutely would have.

He was so exhausted when he got home that he barely registered that someone was waiting for him.

"Hey you." Tenten called. "Guess who-"

She stopped. She narrowed her eyes as Sasuke stepped through the door with Haruka, who looked at Tenten with interest.

"Sasuke." Tenten said. "Who is this?"

Sasuke yawned. "My mission." He said. He waved his free hand at her. "Tenten, this is Haruka Kanata. She's living here with me while she's in the village. Haruka, this is one of my girlfriend's, Tenten."

Haruka waved. "Hello."

"One of?" Tenten repeated, her voice icy. "What do you mean by that, Sasuke?"

"How did your mission go?" Sasuke asked.

"Don't change the subject-"

"I swear you've gotten prettier since I last saw you."

"Prettier?"

Tenten blushed. "You're awful. Taking advantage of me like this…"

"Come have dinner with us, Tenten." Sasuke said. "I'm sorry that we have a guest, but-"

"Oh no." Kanata said quickly. "No, I wouldn't want to get in the way of your relationship, Sasuke. Please. Spend some time with her." She pulled her arm away from him and smiled at Tenten warmly. "I will have my people take care of me. Please… you've done a wonderful job today. Relax a little."

Sasuke barely could keep the relief off of his face as he nodded. He held out his arm to Tenten, who rolled her eyes at him as she took it.

"You look exhausted." She told him, as she led him not back outside, but to his room. Sasuke nodded.

"Thank you so much." He told her. "I can't handle much more of her."

"Who is she?"

"Some famous musician and actor… a celebrity. She paid the village to stay here, and the Hokage asked me to comply."

"She seems like a flake."

Sasuke laughed. "We're on the same page here."

They popped upon the door to his room and stepped inside. Although Tenten had been in here before, they had never spent any significant time here. Sasuke ended up lying down on the floor while Tenten sat in his chair, staring down at him.

"I wish I had gone on a real mission." Sasuke said bitterly. "You're lucky."

"It wasn't much." Tenten said. "I wasn't overwhelmed or anything." She grinned down at him. "You're miserable though."

"I'm a shinobi, not an escort." He said.

"Why didn't you say no?"

"I didn't want to upset the Hokage. I knew how big of a deal this was to the village, so I went through with it." Sasuke closed his eyes. "I'm so exhausted." He murmured. "She wears me out."

"She's very pretty."

Sasuke snorted. "She's not a Kunochi." He said disparingly. He fell silent again. He could hear Tenten moving about on the chair.

"What do you mean by that?" Tenten asked softly.

"She's not what I like." Sasuke said shortly.

He almost jumped as, inexplicably, as pair of hands pressed against his back.

"And what do you like?" Tenten asked curiously. He could feel her weight now on top of him. She was quite light. He could quite easily throw her off if he wanted.

"What do I like?" Sasuke repeated. "What don't I like?"

"Haruka Kanata, apparently." Tenten giggled, as she began to rub his shoulders. Sasuke felt himself seize up at first at the unexpected tenderness, but found himself relaxing under her.

"I really like girls who throw knives. And I love girls who give massages."

"Hmmm… Oh really?" Tenten asked. "And where exactly would you find a girl like that….?"

"No idea." Sasuke said, deadpan. Tenten smacked his shoulder. "Ow!"

She immediately began to rub the spot she had hit. "I've been watching you." She said. "You're not interested in just any woman, are you? You really do want a harem of kunochi."

"Yeah."

Tenten sighed. "I see."

"Does that bother you?"

"I didn't grow up wanting to be a harem girl."

"I'm not good enough for you?"

He could practically see her scowl. "You're REALLY lucky you're hot." She told him, not for the first time. "This isn't about you. You are awesome. What I'm worried about is what you want to be."

"And what am I going to be?"

"A sleaze."

Sasuke laughed. "I'm not going to leave you. The entire point of a harem is having lots of girls. I'm giving you the opportunity to be one of them."

"And what if I don't want that?" She was still rubbing his shoulders.

"You do."

"No I don't!"

"You do." Sasuke repeated. "You're just worried that things are going to change between us. Just because I'm with other girls."

"You talk like this is a normal thing."

"It's normal for us."

Tenten snorted. "Us? Leave me out of it." She had moved to his neck.

"When I do start brining other girls around." Sasuke said, ignoring her. "I want us all to be a family."

"You're insane."

"The other girls will like you. This massage is sublime."

"I'm not giving anyone a massage." Tenten said wildly, as she continued rubbing his neck.

"This is what's best for us." Sasuke repeated. "I don't think you can handle ten or fifteen children-"

Tenten blanched.

"But I can." Sasuke went on. "And I can keep five, six, a hundred women happy easily. Imagine. Ten years from now, this entire complex filled my children and their mothers-"

"Stop." Tenten said.

"You'll be one of them."

"I said stop."

"It's true."

Tenten sighed. "Sasuke…"

"It's not strange, or impossible." Sasuke said. "It'll be wonderful. No… It's wonderful now."

"Sasuke…"

Sasuke said nothing more. He simply sat and enjoyed the body rub in silence.

…

A/N

Wow! I finally managed to get this chapter finished! I'm working from home now, so I HOPE I have more of an opportunity to work on projects like this. His Good Looks is officially back in production!

So what do you think? Be sure to leave your feedback via a review and I will see you all next time.