title Still
summary Gaze into the eye of the storm

Smoke rose in a single wisp. Climbing up to the ceiling.

She exhaled, gray fumes spilling from her mouth. Clinging to the shape of her chin, her jaw, her lips.

"You have until I get to three to talk," she warned. She bared her white teeth in a smile.

"Three," she declared, examining her nails.

A crack erupted into the night sky. The fragrance of gunpowder lingering on the wind. The smell of metal filled the room. The low yowl of a feral cat called out from somewhere not too far away.

Sakura got to her feet. She wiped her face with her sleeve, red smearing across her cheek.

"Clean that up," she ordered. The crimson bottoms of her heels clicked against the concrete.

It was a Tuesday night. Which meant that nothing worthwhile was happening. At least, not in this corner of Shibuya. His second beer sat at the top of his stomach. He felt faintly sick, like carsickness that hadn't quite faded. The walls and floors pulsed with a beat that he could almost hear past the doors.

The beaded curtain clicked against itself.

"I said no visitors, Aida," he snarled, lifting his chin.

Eyes sliding open, they followed the woman descending the few steps. The plush carpet muffled the sounds of her movement. Because those footsteps would have warned him of who it was.

His upper lip curled.

"You..." he growled. The whites of her eyes gleamed too white.

"Boss Inuzuka," she purred.

The light danced across the scars on the backs of his hands as he moved. He got to his feet. Sakura shoved him back down, hand squeezing his shoulder. She sat on his knee, mouth still smirking.

"Let's talk, old friend," she murmured.

"Fuck you. I have nothing to say to you," he spat.

Her eyebrows rose, like she was genuinely hurt by his tone. Her fingers curled around the back of his neck. Her other hand stroked his cheek. Touches feather-light, almost like she wasn't really there.

Her expression warmed. "You'll like what I have to say," she promised him.

He felt one eyebrow rise.

"...What do you mean?"

To the south of the city, a phone screen lit up bright blue.

"Boss," Kisame grunted, sliding it across the table.

A smile flickered across Itachi's face as he skimmed through the message. Chin on his fist, he reread the contents, slowly this time.

"Doing whatever she wants..." he murmured. And then his gaze flickered to his right.

"Anything else, gentlemen?" Itachi questioned. The other executives shook their heads. Their gazes pointedly avoiding the phone in his hand. No one had to ask who the message was from.

"Well, then. In the absence of the Yamanaka-kai, I'm handing over all their operations to the Akimichi's," Itachi declared. The round-faced man sitting at the other end of the room bowed his head low. Both hands braced on the edge of the table.

"I won't fail you, Kumicho," the man promised.

Itachi's eyes narrowed.

"That wasn't even a possibility in my mind, Akimichi-san. Was it in yours?" demanded Itachi. The ice in his voice made the room fall utterly silent. It didn't even sound like anyone was breathing.

Itachi's gaze swept around once before he placed his phone inside his jacket. As he moved to stand, everyone else scrambled to their feet before him. He took his time buttoning his blazer before he shrugged on his coat.

"Gentlemen," Itachi said.

"Good night, Boss," they chorused, bowing to him. Until all he could see where their tops of their thinning hair greeting him.

It was blustery outside. The trees swaying to the left and right, the rare bits of litter tumbling down the sidewalk. The car sat waiting outside. Sasori leaned against the steering wheel, looking vaguely bored. As he usually did.

"That was fast, Godaime," remarked Sasori as Itachi got in the back seat. Ignoring him, Itachi typed out something. Sasori's phone lit up with an address. He let out a sigh.

"So you want me to cancel the rest of your night, Boss?" asked Sasori as he shifted gears. He pulled the car onto the road, easily merging with the traffic. Itachi turned his face toward the window, hand covering his mouth. Like Sasori didn't know he was smirking.

"Good man, Sasori," replied Itachi.

The car traveled up through Minato, past Tokyo Tower. Crossing through Chuo. They stopped a few blocks from Ginza with its neon lights flickering in and out of focus.

It wasn't difficult to find the place. Like many of Sakura's favorite haunts, the bar was located on the roof. Itachi gave his name at the door. The bouncer unhooked the velvet rope to let him inside, ignoring the complaints of the people grumbling from their places in line.

The inside of the bar was surprisingly busy. A singer crooned on the stage, piano playing in the background. Water gurgled out of fountains in every corner of the room. The patrons of the place sat at round tables, heads close together as they spoke, barely glancing at him as he walked past.

He found her sitting alone. Her white furs dangling from her elbows as she leaned against the bar. The bright shades of her tattoos were probably what were repelling everyone else. Almost like the colors of poisonous snakes warned predators to keep their distance.

Itachi's hand slid over her back before he settled into the stool next to hers.

"Champagne? What are we celebrating?" he inquired.

"Me." And then Sakura shot him a coy look over her shoulder.

"Your humility? Or something else?" Itachi pressed. Because beneath the teasing, real curiosity lurked in his eyes. Sakura raised her eyebrows.

"I won't tell. Not here, at least," she replied.

"Then let's get out of here," Itachi suggested.

"You don't want to have a drink? They're not half bad here," Sakura asked in return, like she couldn't see his impatience. But she didn't feel like torturing him tonight. Draining, her glass, she got out of her chair.

"Lead the way, leng zaai," she said.

They took a taxi to her penthouse in Roppongi Hills. It was a rather recent purchase. And though it wasn't quite as beautiful as the one back in Hong Kong, it suited her needs well. The doorman kept his mouth shut, and the quiet location made it easy for her to come and go as she pleased.

Sakura swiped her key card. The lock clicked before the door swung open. The lights in the entrance flickered on when they sensed movement. Sakura let out a sigh of relief as she stepped out of her heels. Pulling her furs off, she dragged them behind her as she headed into the apartment. The lights illuminating her path as she triggered the sensors.

"Red or white?" she called.

"Red," answered Itachi as he took off his shoes.

By the time he made it to the kitchen, Sakura had already popped open a bottle of wine. She stood washing her hands in the sink. The diamonds in her ears twinkled as she turned her head in his direction.

"Busy night tonight?" he asked, glancing over her outfit.

"Not particularly. Although, Inuzuka Kiba is being difficult lately," Sakura responded. Itachi's mouth pulled up in the corners.

"I can't imagine why. Especially after you shot him in both his hands," he retorted, picking up his glass. Sakura's eyes narrowed. She wiped her hands on a clean towel before she took her drink. They clinked glasses together.

"Are you saying he didn't deserve it?" Sakura asked, watching as Itachi sipped his drink.

"No. What I'm saying is that you're going to have to be a little persuasive if you want the Inuzuka-kai to do you any favors," Itachi corrected her. He took another sip of his wine.

"Perhaps," she murmured. And then, she looked him over. "Anything interesting on your end?" Sakura turned the conversation around.

They traded a few details about their days as they drank their wine. Itachi finished his first, which was rare. Sakura was usually on her second or third glass by the time he got through one. But she just kept it in her palm, occasionally swirling the drink around. She had barely gotten through half of it by the time they headed upstairs.

Sakura passed him the glass as she headed to the bathroom. She stood at the mirror, peeling her false eyelashes off. Itachi watched from the doorway. She rubbed blue liquid onto her eyelids, melting off the eyeliner and sparkling shadow.

"What do you hope to achieve by giving the Akimichi's an advantage?" Sakura inquired as she rubbed cleanser into a lather before rubbing it on her face. Her hands moved in circles, erasing all traces of her makeup.

"Well, the Sarutobi's have always been a nuisance. But I'm hearing rumors that the old man might be exchanging sake with the Aburame's," Itachi informed her. As Sakura rinsed her face, she considered this. She straightened, patting her skin dry with a towel. And then she look at Itach in the mirror.

"And you don't want the Akimichi's getting any ideas about trying to get in on that action," Sakura concluded. Itachi nodded. Sakura tossed the towel onto the counter. She headed out of the bathroom, and he followed her.

"You've been tolerating the Sarutobi's for a while. Have you considered just dealing with them?" suggested Sakura.

Itachi sat on the edge of the bed, still holding onto her wine glass.

"Do you really think that the Sarutobi's will be willing to negotiate?" he asked. His eyes followed her as she walked to the vanity. Her earrings tinkled as she pulled them out, set them in the tray. She took her time pulling off her rings and dropping them one-by-one. When she caught his gaze in the mirror, she saw him taking a sip of her wine. Pulling the bobby pins from her hair, she turned around.

"Then don't negotiate," Sakura told him. Itachi chuckled.

"Of course. There's the Haruno Sakura way. Maybe I should just have you shoot him for me," Itachi sighed. Hair hanging in loose curls, Sakura smirked at him.

She took slow steps toward him. His free hand reached out for her. Palm smoothing over the curve of her hip. Behind and up. Fingers splaying over the small of her back.

She sat on his lap to reclaim her wine glass. Her other hand resting on his shoulder.

"Well..." she hedged, eyes wandering as she thought. Her gaze only fell back on him when she felt him take her left hand. His fingertip traced the lightbulb tattoo on the inside of her wrist. And then Itachi bent his head to kiss it.

"You'll have to persuade me to do that, Kumicho. The Sarutobi's are currently helping me move a lot of product through Tokyo. They're the opposite of a problem for me," Sakura pointed out.

Itachi laughed, teeth showing past his lips. He kissed her palm before he pressed his cheek against it.

"You like shooting people, though," Itachi reminded her.

Lowering her glass, Sakura offered him a smile.

"But you like that about me," she pointed out.

"That, I do," he replied.

Neither of them was in a rush that night. He nuzzled into her neck, tickling her with kisses. She sighed. Finishing off her wine before she pushed him onto his back. She stared down at him, eyes soft as she set her glass on the nightstand.

"What're you in the mood for?" she inquired.

His hand slid up the outside of her thigh, curling around her hipbone.

"You," he answered.

Sliding the straps of her dress off her shoulders, she smiled.

"Alright," she replied.

He stayed the night. Some days he did- others he didn't. She tried to pretend that she didn't care either way.

Her ear pressed to his chest, she never admitted how much easier it was to fall asleep with another set of breaths matching with hers.

Itachi stirred, his eyes barely cracking open in the dark.

"What's wrong?" he asked her. Even though she knew that he couldn't see her face.

"Nothing," she lied. And his sigh told her that he wasn't fooled. His arm curled around her, hand stroking up and down her arm.

"Do you want more wine?" Itachi tried.

"No."

"A massage?"

She shook her head.

He blew out a long breath that ruffled her hair. And then his hand stilled.

"Do you have any smokes?" he queried.

Wrapped up in blankets, they sat on the balcony. Listening to the rush of cars in the distance. Inhaling the fragrance of winter retreating. Soon, spring would settle over the city, cherry blossoms filling the skyline with pink petals. Coating the grass and the sidewalks.

Itachi tilted his head, let her press the tip of her cigarette against his. He watched her through the rising wisps as the end of her cigarette ignited. The soft sizzle of paper whispering to them. She drew back first. Smoke seeped from the corners of her mouth, making his face blur for a moment. But then it dissipated. And his expression hadn't changed.

Itachi's eyes narrowed a little as he looked at her. Hie eyelashes cast pointed shadows across the tops of his cheekbones.

"Are you happy, Sakura?" he asked her. Out of the blue. And the question caught her by surprise. She couldn't even muster a half-hearted lie.

"Are you?" she questioned in return.

Itachi was quiet for a long while. And then he raised and lowered one shoulder.

"I'm not unhappy," he told her.

And Sakura said nothing. Because she knew that if she tried to say even that, it would sound so obviously false. She just inhaled, letting the smoke fill her mouth so that words wouldn't have to.