Disclaimer: Yes a new story! No, the characters are not mine!

Chapter 1

Pretense

In the muted lights that gave just enough visibility to see where one was going but not enough to throw off the lounge's ambience, she carefully weaved through the mass of bodies, her own brushing past tables with their occupants heavily liquored up, their hazy eyes sending wanton glances her way. Her aquamarine eyes scanned the sea of bodies until she spotted her prey.

A balding, well rounded man in a u-shaped booth surrounded with three, scantily clad women spotted her and curled a ring studded finger her way, beckoning her to sit with him. Licking her lips, she smiled coyly and shook her head. Brief surprise colored his face before it gave way to a sly smile. Barking his orders, he motioned to the two men sitting across from him. Casually yet conspicuously dressed in black, the two men led the other women away from the booth. Unable to hear what he said above the general din of the bar, she only saw the other women leave. Now, slightly tilting his head to the side, the man motioned again while gently rubbing the spot next to him in the overstuffed leather booth.

Pointing a crimson nail toward herself, she gave an amused look of surprise. The man only nodded his head, impatient for her to be next to him. Slowly, her heels clicked against the floor as she fluidly swept into the booth, her silk dress softly whooshing against the leather as she scooted in towards him.

"Good evening, Gorou-san." She purred silkily, her lips just brushing against the tip of his ear. A wide grin snaked across his lips, revealing partially yellowing teeth.

"Ayumi-chan" He rebuked her softly "you didn't come when I called you the first time." His fattened hand ran across the smooth skin of her exposed thigh.

Smirking, she ran her own slender fingers across his chest. "I don't like sharing you with other women."

"Oh?" He remarked. "Well, I took care of them for you didn't I?"

She nodded, her honeyed locks shimmering against the halter strap of her dress.

"You know you're my favorite." He said as another crocodilian smile staggered across his face.

Contented, she smiled. "Do you like my outfit Gorou-san?" She stood from the booth and displayed the emerald halter dress. The tastefully short dress reached her mid-though and was cut low in the back, revealing the small of her back. A tear shaped dip in the front teased with just enough cleavage to garner the stares of many men in the lounge that night.

"Of course." He murmured as she spun slowly, allowing him a better view. "I knew that color would look gorgeous on you when I bought that dress."

Leaning down in front of him, she watched his eyes trail straight into the valley between her breasts, before wrapping her slender fingers around his neck.

"Thank you Gorou-san." Her velvety voice filled with implication.

"Anything for you Ayumi." The pudgy man said, pulling her into his lap.

The two men in black had now returned, lightly bowing in front of her.

"Did you do what I said?" Gorou's playful expression was now replaced with a serious one.

One of the men nodded while he sat.

"Good." Gourou's voice was pleased. "Make sure I never see those skanks around me again."

Ayumi playfully ran her carefully painted nails across his bald head, periodically grinding her hips into his lap. Pleased, she watched him stifle a groan as his hold tightened around her. Looking up, he caught the devilish smile that graced her full lips.

"Should we go do something else?" He yellowing teeth gleamed in the muted light.

"Should we?" She questioned as she pressed a kiss against the top of his shiny head, her lips leaving a sultry, scarlet imprint on his head.

Nudging her off, he stood and took his chubby hand in her slender one. The two men bowed and watched the couple disappear into the crowd.

The staccato click of her silver pumps, echoed in the bar's back hallway. Pushing a door open, he led her up a flight of stairs and opened another door. He ushered her into a dimly lit room with a small window on the east side before closing the door with a firm click. A small lamp in the corner provided the light, sending its flailing tendrils onto the plush carpet and king sized bed pushed against a wall.

Kicking her shoes off, her toes curled against the creamy, plush carpet that spanned from wall to wall. She'd barely taken a step before Gorou's hands were hungrily tearing at her dress, impatiently trying everyway to get it off.

Her slender fingers slid down, barely encompassing the massive ones that trailed up and down her body.

"Wait Gorou-san." Her finger curled under one of his many chins. "Don't rush, we have all night." She softly pressed against him, attempting to calm him. She pointed a crimson nail toward the bed. "Go sit on the bed and close your eyes."

The man's eyes gleamed with lust. "I can't wait anymore Ayumi." His voice was lost in desperation to fulfill his physical needs.

Pressing against him, her fingers strayed down to the bulge in his trousers that had grown in the past few minutes.

"Gorou-san" Her voice was a cross between a breathy moan and whisper in his hear. Defeated, the man nodded and shuffled to the bed. His weight forced a large indent on the edge of the bed as he sat and closed his eyes.

"Make sure you keep them closed or you won't get what I'm going to give you." Her voice laced with just the right amount of lust to keep the man's attention. Her footsteps were feather light against the carpet as she stalked toward the lamp and killed the light. Satisfied, she pulled her dress up, revealing the shuriken holster that was carefully strapped to her upper thigh, still hidden by the dress. She quickly retrieved two shuriken and stalked toward the bed. Strong legs propelled her through the air as she pounced on the man, forcing him on his back.

"You want to be on top?" His voice was saturated with lust, his trousers barely containing the bulge that threatened to force them open.

"Oh, I'm always on top." She purred seductively before her shuriken buried themselves in the man's neck.

His eyes bulged open, widening in surprise. Her name was dying on his lips as he gasped for breath.

"A-Ayumi..." He wheezed, the scarlet spurting from his neck.

She jumped off the bed, her hands firmly planted on her hips. The bed shook as the man trembled. His face paled as she casually leaned against the wall, the moonlight silhouetting her shapely form. The aquamarine pools that stared back at him flashed in the dark room, the sultry lips he'd come to love curved upward in a wicked smile.

The angel of death was upon him.

"Ayumi?" She questioned darkly before chuckling at her alias. "No, no, no Gorou-san..." She wagged her finger at him. "My name" she said while closing the distance between them "is Temari." The shuriken casually spun in her slender fingers as she watched him.

"You bitch!" He coughed, with the last bit of his energy.

"Don't waste your breath old man. I've got plenty of other people to send to the other side tonight, so let's make this quick." She replied in a bored tone. Finally, tired of the dying man's dramatics, she sent the remaining shuriken straight into the man's heart.

He lurched forward once, gravity pulling his large body off the bed. A solid thud thumped against the floor, blood saturating the previously cream colored carpets.

Sighing, Temari retrieved her shoes and slipped them on. She'd rid the world of one less criminal. Walking past the dead man, she chuckled darkly. His mouth was wide open, saliva dribbling down his cheeks. These types of men disgusted her. Corrupted business men, partakers of elite prostitution rings, government officials that were selling secrets to other countries-- they'd all been "clients" of hers. Typically, they were all too blinded by their own lust to realize the woman next to them was merely a kunoichi hidden beneath the surface.

She pulled the small window open and unhesitatingly jumped from the second story window. Tonight's deed was done, but more than likely, another assignment awaited her. The cool night air brushed against her dress as she hailed a cab.

The buttery yellow car streamed with black halted to a stop. Grabbing the door's handle, she carefully seated herself inside and closed the door.

"The capitol building please." She stated briefly, not in the mood to make conversation with the cab driver.

The man looked back, his eyes wandering over her alluring legs.

Temari sensed his intentions and unmasked a small portion of her chakra. The dark chakra pervaded every corner of the small car, the intensity still filled with the kunoichi's killer intent. The man's face paled as she smiled.

"I'm in a hurry, can you step on it?" She said, pleased she'd given the man a reason to behave.

Wordlessly, he slowly spun around and pulled the car's gear into drive. Temari leaned back and closed her eyes. The peace only lasted a short time before she felt her phone vibrating against her leg. Annoyed, she pulled the dress up and retrieved her phone from its holster on her leg opposite the shuriken holster.

"Hello?" Her sultry voice was less than pleased.

"Did you get the job done?" Her brother's deep baritone hummed into her ear.

"Of course, Gaara. His boys will find him where I left him." She replied as she watched the scenery flash by in the window.

"Good. What about you?" He asked, his voice guarded.

"What about me?" She mimicked. "I'm on my way over right now."

"He didn't touch you did he?"

She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Nothing more than usual Gaara; you know full well I can handle myself." Temari rolled her eyes in the darkness. This wasn't the first time she'd done this. Gaara had no reason to be worried. Besides, she'd never betray her number one rule. She never kissed on the lips or slept with the vile men that she lured into death.

"I'll see you soon then." She said before flipping the phone shut. Temari longed for a hot shower and comfortable shoes. Although she enjoyed what she did, her skin crawled at the disgusting feeling of men's hands on her. Corrupted men, driven by greed, power, and desire; were always her targets.

She worked with her brothers, Gaara and Kankurou, under a special division of the Suna government. Gaara, one of the chief leaders in Suna, headed the secretive co-ops department, while her other brother, Kankurou, worked as an assassin like her while moonlighting as her informant at times. Under their department, the three tracked down some of the most wanted lawbreakers in the underground.

The taxi slowly eased to a stop in front of the capitol building. Not waiting for the driver to read the meter, Temari dropped a twenty dollar bill in his lap.

"Keep the change." She murmured before smoothly stepping out and slamming the door shut. The heels of her shoes clicked brusquely against the cool pavement in the crisp night air. Approaching the door, she pulled the glass door expecting it to open. To her dismay, the door remained rigid.

Temari glanced at the watch on her wrist and cursed. "But it's only 11:30. Why are the doors locked already?"

Worn out from the night's activities, she was more than ready to break the door open with her foot. Molding the chakra in her leg, she was about ready to kick the door open when her vibrating phone interrupted her.

Aggravated she pulled the phone out and flipped it open, not bothering to check the caller id.

"What?" She demanded into the small speaker.

"Calm down before you break the door. I'm getting it unlocked as we speak." Kankurou calmly spoke into the receiver.

Sure enough, Temari heard the soft electronic click, signaling that the door was now unlocked.

"Thanks." She replied before shutting the phone.

Temari pushed the door open and swiftly strode down the hall. She passed by the stairs, not giving them a second look. Their office was on the fourth floor and she was certainly not taking the stairs. Not in these shoes.

She quickly clicked the up arrow on the elevator and waited briefly before it beckoned her inside of its paneled embrace. Three floors later, she stepped out and took a right at the corner before arriving at her destination.

The metal handle was cool against her fingers as she pushed the door open and closed it with a firm click.

"Long night?" Kankurou, wielding a manila folder in hand, was seated on one of the couches in the open sitting area.

Temari kicked the wretched heels into a filing cabinet. "Something like that." She sat on the table centered in the room and sighed loudly.

"Where's Gaara?"

Using the folder, Kankurou motioned to one of the doors in the room. "He's going over some stuff. You know he never runs out of paperwork."

"Yeah. My job is done after the kill the person. You can't kill paperwork." Temari joked.

Kankurou snorted before tossing the folder in his hands her way. "This was the guy from tonight right?"

Temari easily caught the file and scanned its contents. The bold black lettering underneath the red confidential stamp read Takero Gorou.

"Yeah that's him." Temari closed the file. "He'd been exchanging some very hefty secrets about the Suna government with other leaders, in exchange for some pretty extravagant gifts."

"I'm guessing there was someone on the inside helping him?" Kankurou mused.

"Probably. Which means my job is only half-way done then." Temari absentmindedly drummed her nails on the table's lacquered finish.

"Well, take a few days off. I don't think any serious transactions will be taking place now that Gorou's dead. Besides, I can take care of the insider." Kankurou stretched the taut muscles of his arm in front of her.

Scoffing, Temari hit him with the folder before going to speak with Gaara. Kankurou shot her a dirty look as she knocked on Gaara's door.

"Come in." His muffled voice came through the shuffle of papers.

"I'm assuming everything went well tonight?" The red head set the papers down and faced his sister.

"As well as a planned assassination can go." She replied dryly. "The job is only half completed though. There's probably an insider."

"Maybe, maybe not. Gorou's death should stop any dealings for some time. I'm sure he had some henchmen under him. Whether or not they'll resume business as usual is up to them. When and if

they do, I'll dispatch you to go take care of the rest of them." Gaara's low baritone stated coolly.

Temari nodded. "I'm heading out for the night." The blonder said while waving on her way out.

"Good night Temari." Gaara said as he once again disappeared beneath the stack of papers.

Temari collected her shoes and sent Kankurou a wave too.

"By the way Temari, nice shoes." Kankurou commented.

"Oh get bent Kankurou." She said before leaving the office for the night.