Stripped Bare

Whew! I know it took a while to get this chapter out but it’s here at last! Unfortunately, I don’t know if I can write any quicker with school and all. Spring Break is still at least another 3 weeks away. I hope you all enjoy this chapter though and thanks all for all the reviews. You guys really are inspiring!

Naruto is not mine. This story contains mature content. Disclaimer, disclaimer blah blah blah.

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Stripped Bare-Chapter 6

It was hard to tell what time it was inside the windowless room she now called home, but upon waking, Sakura guessed it was around seven thirty, her internal clock more accurate than most.

She could hear the even breathing both to her right and above and knew her roommates were still sound asleep. That didn’t surprise her considering they had probably been dancing until late last night.

Sakura rolled over and quietly recalled just what she had seen the night before and knew time was ticking away before she would have to do the same thing. Her fellow dancers had made it look so easy to dance gracefully before a crowd while shedding clothing, and if she wanted to keep up with them, she would have to find a way to practice. Now was the perfect time while everyone was asleep and chances were she wouldn’t have to worry about anyone watching her, especially Dajuku.

She silently climbed out of bed, figuring the ratty sweats she had borrowed from Misaki would work just fine for practicing, not to mention the room was freezing cold and Sakura wondered if the owner was so much of a cheapskate that he didn’t even bother to heat the place.

She padded to the bathroom to brush her teeth and hair and wash her face and emerged again without seeing another soul. The common room was empty and so was the dressing room downstairs and when she entered the darkened space of the club’s main room, she could see that it too was vacant.

The room still smelled smoky and slightly of sweat and alcohol, but all evidence of last night’s festivities had been disposed of, spilled alcohol mopped up, cigarette ashes wiped away and now it was just as Sakura had first seen it yesterday, empty and quiet with just one light over the main stage by the wings pushing the shadows away another couple of feet.

Tentatively, she walked onto the raised platform, not making a sound in her bare feet and let her fingers brush against the cool metal of the center pole. From up here, the club looked even smaller, but she knew that when gazing over the sea of scruffy faces that would probably be watching her eagerly, the same space would seem immense.

She began to walk slowly around the pole, letting one hand grip it firmly and pulled away a little, giving and taking body weight against the tall rod as she got a feel for being on stage. She recalled how the girls had climbed the pole the night before, wrapping their bodies around it gracefully before spiraling back to the floor. While it seemed easy enough, Sakura figured it didn’t hurt to give it a try before she had an audience.

Facing the pole and grasping it with both hands, Sakura effortless hoisted herself up and climbed until she was near the ceiling a good ten feet in the air. Clenching her thighs tightly around the pole, she let go with her hands and arched backwards in what she hoped was a sexy and graceful pose like what she had seen the night before. While she had no idea what she looked like, she found that her muscles only had to work minimally after all the rigorous training she had endured.

She was able to arch back so far that her hands once again found the pole and after a little fumbling, she was able to grab it in a way that allowed her to support her weight and release her legs to circle around to wrap around the bar again before sliding easily back down to the ground.

Well, if that’s all there was to it, then there was no need to be nervous. She had this whole pole dancing thing down thanks to well developed muscular control and strength.

Her confidence boosted, she tried again, walking around the pole like she had seen the others do to gain a little momentum to lift herself off the ground. The pull she gave herself with her arms produced more spin than she expected and she nearly spun herself right off the pole with the amount of centrifugal force she produced before gripping desperately and bringing herself to a halt.

‘Note to self, keep strength in check,’ she thought, grateful she hadn’t dented the pole in her enthusiasm.

She tried again, this time with less force and succeeded in completing one rotation around the pole before her feet touched the ground again. She only hesitated slightly between her landing and her next step, unable to make the transition flawless like the other girls had but not bad for a beginner.

She circled the pole again before hiking her knee to wrap around the pole while flipping her body to point face down, her legs pointing straight to the ceiling. It may have been a suspiciously fancy move to attempt when she was supposed to be a simple farm girl but Sakura was curious to test her limits and she found that manipulating her body around the metal pole was actually fairly easy and she was interested to see what tricks she could perform.

She shook her head to clear the pink stands of hair that had fallen into her eyes and recalled the graceful spiral she had seen many of the dancers use to descend to the floor; both while upside down and right side up.

Carefully, she bent her legs to let the pole rest snugly behind the backs of her knees and released her grip, wondering if she could slide in a corkscrew down without her hands. She loosened her clenching thighs slightly so she would be able to slide but was surprise to find herself suddenly plummeting to the floor in a free fall, her sweats diminishing all friction against the pole. With a panicked burst of chakra, she was able to regain her grip with her legs centimeters before her face hit the ground and she exhaled in relief, grateful she hadn’t smashed her nose on the stage’s surface.

“That’s an impressive trick honey,” a voice said from the wings to her left and Sakura nearly fell off the pole as she started, amazed that someone had managed to slip into the room without her detection.

She caught herself with one hand right before she crumpled to the floor, ensuring her landing was at least painless, though not exactly the most graceful of sights to behold. She looked up to find Tora standing with an amused smirk on her lips, her short, wild hair mused as if she had just rolled out of bed. The oversized T-shirt that came down to her knees only supported her theory.

“G-good morning,” Sakura stuttered. “I was just…”

“Just practicing your moves?” Tora asked, her midnight blue eyes sharing the same amused expression as her mouth. “I must say, you have some impressive ones honey, but you should know better than to practice in pants. You’ll slip right off the pole and hurt yourself.”

“Well actually,” the kunoichi admitted sheepishly as she picked herself up off the floor. This is my first time dancing. I’ve never even seen one of these things before.”

She rapped her knuckles lightly on the bar’s metallic surface to emphasize her point and Tora raised a thin black eyebrow.

She titled her head to the side and looked at her thoughtfully before confirming the kunoichi’s name.

“Hana, right?”

Sakura nodded.

“You’ve never danced on a pole? You seemed comfortable with flipping your whole body upside down. That usually takes weeks to learn,” she complimented.

The taller woman emerged from the wings and onto the stage and Sakura began to panic a little while trying to keep a calm exterior. Just how long had she been watching? She had slipped up and used chakra to keep herself from getting hurt and chances were the average person wouldn’t detect it, but what if Tora wasn’t a normal person? She had no idea what her background was and she couldn’t afford to take any chances on this mission.

“I guess I’m just a natural,” Sakura giggled nervously, rubbing the back of her neck. “How long were you watching me anyways?”

“Long enough to watch you almost break your face on the floor,” Tora responded with a wry smile. “I guess I can believe you’ve never pole danced before. You’re strength and balance may be great but your technique is all wrong. You’re going to have to be a bit more graceful than that if you want to score decent tips.”

Sakura sighed dejectedly. She should have known it wouldn’t be so simple to pick up on a style of dance she knew nothing about.

“Hey, don’t look so down,” Tora smiled kindly. “You just need a little practice. You’re already pretty good but a few pointers would really help.”

Sakura watched as Tora walked over to an adjacent pole and easily climbed it, seeming unconcerned that her T-shirt had ridden up to show her blue and white striped panties.

“It doesn’t matter how advanced the moves you’re doing are,” Tora said as she griped the pole with both hands and began to descend in the slow, elegant spiral Sakura had been trying to accomplish. One leg was bent and the other straight in a pose that could have been a graceful jump in a ballet. “If you can’t make you’re moves look flawless, people are going to think you’re an amateur. Always opt for a simpler, but cleaner move if others are too advanced.”

Sakura nodded thoughtfully as Tora’s feet gently touched the floor and she moved seamlessly into the next step.

“Although,” she continued with a dry chuckle. “With the crowds we get, you could hang upside down like a monkey and they’d still throw money at you if you showed them a little crotch.”

The kunoichi reddened at the memory or Tsurenai grinding on stage, her skimpy little thong pulled to the side to reveal herself to anyone who cared to look.

“Yeah, I guess Tsurenai uses that technique a lot doesn’t she?” Sakura said, dreading having to do the same thing.

Tora scoffed at the mention of the club’s star dancer.

“That girl is shameless honey,” she said with a shake of her head. “I have a feeling the only reason she does it is to get the eyes off of anyone else while she’s on stage because she knows none of us are willing to give that kind of show.”

So it wasn’t required to give everyone in the room a good look at her genitals. Sakura exhaled a sigh of relief as Tora stepped away from the pole and wandered down the steps to weave between the tables towards the bar.

“I was a little worried I would have to dance the way she did,” Sakura confessed. “I didn’t think I could do it.”

Tora waved a dismissive hand as she let herself through behind the counter and plucked a clean glass from one of the cabinets under the sink.

“She’s the only one of us who actually strips down to nothing,” she said, observing the numerous bottles in front of her. “I guess it’s an arrangement she made with Dajaku before he started advertising her as the star. The rest of us go topless but she’s the only one willing to spread for a guy outside of a private room. I’ll do it during a lap dance, sure but you had better believe the men are paying good money for it.”

Sakura shuddered at the thought of giving a stranger a glimpse of herself. Whether he paid well or not, Sakura didn’t think she would ever get used to that idea. However, if that was the only way to gain information, she would have to let go of the last shred of modesty she had left.

The tinkling of glass against glass brought her back to reality and she noticed Tora had selected a brown bottle and was pouring a healthy amount of its contents into the glass.

“Isn’t it a little early for a drink?” Sakura asked as she watched the other woman replace the cap.

Tora gave a humorless laugh and shrugged her shoulders.

“It’s never too early in this line of work honey. I’d gladly take a drink any time if it helps blur things a little bit. It’s easier to look at myself in the mirror if I can’t quite see who I am.”

Though her words may have been a little cryptic, Sakura understood what she meant. In this place, most people considered her an object. Dajaku looked at her as a money making tool and the men in the club only threw bills at her with the hope that she’d show them a good time. As long as she was here, her freedom was limited. She couldn’t say no and she couldn’t walk away because like everyone else here, she had nowhere else to go.

“How did you end up here?” Sakura asked, genuinely curious as Tora tossed back the generous shot in her glass in one gulp, grimacing as it burned.

“I guess you could say one thing led to another,” she replied as she held up the bottle in a silent offer to Sakura. The kunoichi shook her head and Tora poured another round just for herself.

“I was actually the daughter of a wealthy feudal lord in Earth Country,” she said as she walked back out among the tables and took a seat closest to the stage. “But we lived on the outskirts so you can image it wasn’t the most secure place to be.”

Sakura nodded, knowing the conflicts arising in Grass and Rain territories could spill into neighboring areas and even Suna had experienced a few problems from time to time with neighboring conflicts getting out of hand. Property on the border of rouge territory was undoubtedly cheaper, but Sakura didn’t think it made up for the dangers that came with living there.

“Everything was fine until my father hired a certain man to look after his affairs. Honestly, I never even knew his name but I knew from the start there was something off about him. He planned an uprising with the other people working for my father and attacked us in the middle of the night. My father was the first to die and then my mother after all the men had raped her repeatedly. I was thirteen at the time but I guess that wasn’t too young for them because they had me next. I didn’t even know what sex was then but honey, you can bet I found out pretty quick.”

Sakura could only listen in quiet horror as Tora spoke from her chair, staring at the amber liquid swirling in the etched glass.

“I don’t know why they let me go. To this day, I have no idea,” she continued after taking another swig. “I’m not even sure whether or not I’m grateful for it because after I was out of my home, you can imagine things only got harder. When I was on the verge of starving I found a brothel to work at for a while and did pretty well. I was the youngest one there and there were plenty of sickos only too happy to pay the fee for a night with me.”

Sakura shuddered at the thought of have a strange man touch her so intimately just to keep herself off the streets. The life of a kunoichi had put her in many dangerous situations where she faced men that who would have happily taken her innocence if they had managed to overpower her. Fortunately for Sakura, she had yet to meet a goon with such intentions who was able to match her inhuman strength.

“I worked at the brothel for as long as I could stand,” Tora said, running a hand through short, spiky locks. “But after a couple years, it seemed that even starving on the streets was better than subjecting myself to such disgusting men every night. They were often rough and harsh, using me brutally for their own pleasure and some times I was rubbed raw by the time morning came. Since I had no debt to pay off, I had no obligation to stay so I finally left to resume wandering. It was at a bar just down the way from here that I first met Tsurenai and she told me about this place and offered to get me an audition.”

“Really? Tsurenai helped you get a job here?” Sakura asked, surprised that the woman who seemed to hate competition so much would invite possible dancers to the club.

Tora nodded, tossing back the last of the scalding liquid in her glass.

“Well, she can’t keep the whole club running by herself honey. If she recruits other girls, it is better for business and for Dajaku, and the more indispensable she is to him, the better he will treat her. Besides, I doubt she saw me as any sort of competition at the time. I was half starved and dirty when she found me. These perked up only after I started dancing and eating regular meals,” she said, gesturing to the generous swell of her chest that was visible even through her baggy sleep wear.

Sakura looked down at her own modest breasts that wouldn’t even be impressive when fully exposed. She had been well fed all her life and yet her womanly assets had never developed beyond a mere handful.

“But enough about me,” Tora sighed with a dismissive wave of her hand. “The point is that you have to dance on stage tonight and have some practicing to do before that. Are you wearing anything under those, honey?” she asked, pointing at her raggedy sweatpants.

Sakura nodded. Yes she was wearing something under them but all she had were a bikini cut pair of black panties and she was a little loathe to expose herself. Not only was the room freezing but the thought of Dajaku walking in and seeing her in them made her apprehensive. However, reason kicked in and she knew she would be performing in something even more revealing so it hardly mattered to show a little skin.

With a deep breath, she hooked her thumbs in her waistband and yanked the garment down over her thighs and kicked it away.

“Damn…” Tora whistled as her eyes traveled over Sakura’s bare legs. “Just what the heck were you up to before you came here honey? Those are some of the most defined and muscular legs I have ever seen.”

‘Crap!’ Sakura’s mind panicked as she tried to keep her cool. She should have known the peak state of her body would arouse suspicion. She was in far too good physical condition to be a simple farm girl like she claimed.

“Well, I was a farmer but there was also a dojo that a lot of the neighborhood kids would take lessons at. I started when I was small and never really quit,” Sakura lied, hoping her bullshit story would be bought.

“Well sign me up honey,” Tora laughed. “I would kill for legs like yours!”

The pink haired woman was relieved that, at least for now, she was off the hook, but for some reason, Tora’s word choice made her feel a little uneasy.

“Alright,” Tora said, standing from her chair and making her way to the stage, perfectly sober despite the strong alcohol she had just drunk. “Now how about I show you a trick or two about dancing on the pole?”

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The next hour Sakura spent under the taller dancer’s tutelage and she quickly picked up on what she was trying to tell her, altering her movements to make them more graceful and flow together better rather than awkwardly transitioning from one position to the next.

Tora seemed impressed with her progress, but not suspicious and praised her with a warm smile and encouragements as she coached the newest dancer along. If Sakura had ever had a big sister, she imagined that maybe this was how it would feel.

When Sakura had finally gained a little more confidence and skill, Tora showed her around the room, explaining their patterns of rotation from stage to stage during a show and where the stairs to all the platforms were located. By that time, the sound of running water could be heard above them and Sakura figured some of the other girls and possibly the owner were probably awake and showering.

“Hmm, I better get rid of this before he catches me again,” Tora mused, nodding towards her empty glass.

She walked back down the stairs and picked it up on her way back to the bar where she washed it out and placed back inside the cabinet.

Sakura was pulling her sweats back on and Tora just returning back to the stage when they heard the door leading upstairs open and shut and then heavy foot falls on the stairs. A moment later Dajaku emerged from the wings in a pristine long sleeved shirt depicting a blue paisley pattern he probably thought was fashionable. His hair was neatly combed over as it had been yesterday but it still did little to hide his growing bald spot. Sakura personally thought he should just accept his lack of hair and be done with it, perhaps even shave his head. Being bald intentionally seemed much more dignified than fighting the losing battle of hair recession tooth and nail.

“Good morning,” he said, nodding to the two ladies. Turning to Tora he added, “You’re certainly up early.”

“I couldn’t sleep,” she replied as she stretched her arms over her head with a yawn.

Sakura noticed she had yet to put her pants back on but didn’t seem at all uncomfortable with wearing just her T-Shirt and panties in Dajaku’s presence. The kunoichi noticed his eyes flick to the exposed flesh of her legs and stay there a little longer than necessary before moving back to her face.

“You haven’t been drinking my liquor again have you? You know it’s for paying customers only.”

Tora rolled her eyes as she lied easily.

“Don’t worry Dajaku. I haven’t been drinking your precious booze.”

The club owner frowned at her flippant response.

“Alcohol is expensive Tora. If I find out you’ve been drinking it, I’ll buy the next bottle with your tips.”

The dark haired girl sighed, seeming totally unconcerned with her employer’s threat.

“Yes, yes. Whatever you say honey.”

She began walking back towards the dressing room without another word to Dajaku but called over her shoulder, “See you upstairs Hana.”

Sakura was about to follow her when the cub owner stopped her.

“I’d like to see you in my office a moment.”

Sakura nodded, wondering what could have already gone wrong as she wordlessly followed him to the back corner of the large room.

He flicked on the light as the entered the small space ad walked behind his desk as Sakura patiently stood, remembering with a slight smile how Kakashi had put him in his place yesterday.

“I understand that you probably don’t have suitable attire for tonight,” Dajaku said.

Suitable? The kind of outfits the girls had worn last night were hardly suitable for anything. Instead of speaking her opinions, she held her tongue and simply shook her head.

“I see,” he said and opened one of his desk drawers to withdraw something so small, he could hide it in his large fist.

“Wear these for now. Next time the girls go shopping, be sure to go with them and pick up some more sets.”

Sakura warily held out her hand and he deposited the minuscule amount of fabric in her palm. Not only was she surprised and dismayed to see that she was holding both the top and bottom of her so called work uniform, but Dajaku had added insult to injury by assigning her a garment that was shockingly pink. Just because she was born with pink hair didn’t mean she liked wearing the color.

“Unfortunately, I don’t have shoes for you at the moment. However, I suspect several of the girls here share your shoe size and you can borrow a pair from them.”

“Fantastic,” Sakura replied, her voice devoid of all enthusiasm.

“In fact,” he continued. “If you go grab a pair now, you can show me some of the moves you have planned for tonight and I can give you some pointers,”

Dajaku smiled at her and while she supposed he was trying to come off as friendly, he also appeared to be just a little too eager to see her in the outfit she had picked out.

“No,” Sakura said coolly as she turned on her heel and made her way to the door.

Apparently that was not the answer the owner of “Wet Dreams” had been expecting, for he frowned and said to her back, “Well if I can’t give you an audition, at least let me have a sneak peak of your dancing. Although this club is not famous, I do have a reputation to keep up here. If you would just let me—”

Sakura marched back to the desk glowing fiercely and bent over until she was practically eye level, making the surprised businessman shrink away from her rage.

“I understand that exploitation is a necessary part of this mission but I will only do what is required to find the culprit and that does not involve giving you a free show. If you have a problem with that, I’d be more than happy to return these and head straight back to Konoha.”

She dangled the outfit he had given her in his face and he looked at her through wide, silvery gray eyes, apparently quite surprised she had such a tempter and fortunately smart enough to realize that this was a battle he wasn’t going to win.

“Alright, alright,” he grumbled, smoothing his comb over as if her outburst had mussed it.

“I’m glad we have an understanding,” Sakura said, her tone icy as she backed off and moved back towards the door.

“Oh, one more thing,” she said over her shoulder to the man who was currently massaging his temples, causing him to look at her warily. “Is there anyone in particular you want me to keep an eye on tonight? A regular customer perhaps or someone you find suspicious?”

Dajaku was thoughtful a moment before shaking his head.

“No, the majority of the folks who come here are all pretty suspicious,” he said with a shrug.

Sakura sighed and prepared to leave once more when Dajaku held out a piece of paper to her.

“Here. Your partner dropped this off at the club last night but I guess you had already gone to bed.”

Sakura unfolded the sheet of paper that was neatly folded into quarters to find an address scribbled in Kakashi’s sloppy handwriting. Underneath was an equally messy message reading,

Come by before your performance. We have some things to discuss.

The note was completely ambiguous. It wasn’t even signed and if Sakura hadn’t recognized her former sensei’s chicken scratch, she might not have known who it was from.

She refolded the paper and tucked it into the pocket of her sweats and looked up to find Dajaku watching her. His face lacked any trace of inquisitiveness and she figured he had probably already read the message whether it was meant for him or not. Perhaps that was why Kakashi had been so vague. They had no way of knowing whose eyes might see the note and so he had been discreet, telling her only the basic details.

With a curt nod, Sakura left the office, although the last thing she had planned was to go search for heels in her size like Dajaku had suggested.

XXXXX

Sakura returned to her room to place her newly acquired garments on her bed. She was surprised to find that neither Misaki nor Miyabi were currently in the room but upon entering the hallway, she could hear what sounded like Misaki’s voice coming from the last room on the right.

The hallway had six doors in total: two bedroom doors on either side with small bathrooms in between. She had assumed that all the bedrooms looked similar to her own but upon knocking and having Kitsune open the door, she discovered that the last room had been converted into a kitchen.

“Good morning Hana,” the redhead said with a smile before gesturing for her to come inside, “Hungry?”

The kunoichi hadn’t noticed her hunger before but the pleasant aroma that filled the room instantly reminded her that she hadn’t eaten anything since arriving here.

“Hana-chan!” a familiar voice cried enthusiastically and Sakura turned to find Misaki patting an empty space next to her one the bench where she sat. “Sit next to me!”

She complied and took a seat at what looked like a shabby picnic table, the rough wood worn smooth by constant use. Threadbare cushions had been placed over the abrasive seats, making them more comfortable but they had lost their padding long ago. It appeared Dajaku was to cheap to even buy them a decent dining table and Sakura wished she had clocked him earlier when he had requested a look at her body a second time. It was usually considered bad form to punch a client, but Sakura was sure that under the given circumstances, Kakashi probably wouldn’t have scolded her too harshly for it.

She looked over to find Tora cooking what looked to be eggs over the small stove while Jitsu poured orange juice from a carton for everyone before replacing what little was left in the small fridge in the corner. There was a table pushed back against the wall that served as a makeshift countertop, even if the level was a little low to work at comfortably, and next to that, a small sink. An old wardrobe had been turned into a pantry and Miyabi was pulling out several boxes of cereal. Another rickety table against the adjacent wall was a clutter of pots, pans, clean dishes and a canister full of various cooking utensils. Sakura guessed that since they lacked another cabinet, this was where they stored all of their cookware. It honestly didn’t take up much space because it looked that there were just enough dishes to go around with maybe one or two to spare.

“So did you sleep good?” the blonde girl asked enthusiastically as Sakura sat down.

“Miyabi dear, the proper way to ask is did she sleep well,” Kitsune corrected as she took a seat across from Sakura.

“Whatever,” she waved dismissively, her big blue eyes trained on their newest member.

“I slept fine, thank you,” Sakura smiled.

“That’s good to hear,” Miyabi said quietly, bringing over the cereal boxes and six mismatched bowls. “Sometimes Misaki can snore pretty loud so I’m glad she didn’t disturb you.”

“Hey! I do not!” the blonde whined and the rest of the girls erupted into subdued giggles, Sakura included.

“Ok, eggs are ready,” Tora announced as Jitsu passed out plates. The kunoichi noted that while the pile of eggs she had cooked certainly looked impressive, after moderate portions had been divided up among everyone, there was nothing left. Feeding six girls was bound to be expensive and she wondered if Dajaku provided for them or if he left them to fend for themselves.

The meal was nothing extravagant, but what it lacked in food variety was made up in warm atmosphere. Although she had only been here a day, she already felt like she was a part of this family, just another girl brought together by unfortunate fate. With so many people at one table chatting happily, she felt like she was at a holiday gathering, but it seemed that these sort of thing happened every day for them. That fact made it all the more terrible that other dancers of the club who had sat here and no doubt been important to their group, had turned up missing.

The simple meal of scrambled eggs and cereal was accompanied by noisy chatter and Sakura found herself happily taking part. Most questions were directed at her since she was the newest member after all and it seemed the other dancers were eager to know more about her. When asked about how she managed to stay so fit and toned she reused the story of taking classes at her village’s dojo. Everyone seemed to accept it as easily as Tora had and Sakura couldn’t help but notice that despite the large amount of alcohol the short haired woman had already consumed so early in the morning, she seemed perfectly sober. If she drank like that often, chances were her alcohol tolerance was much greater than the kunoichi’s own capacity for booze.

The various shifting conversations were so engaging that they continued to talk long after their meals were finished, but as the conversation finally began to wind down, Sakura noticed that an awkward hush befell the girls one by one. Some looked down at their laps or empty plates while others stole sideways glances at her. The tension in the air grew thick and it became quite obvious that something was amiss.

“Hana-chan,” Misaki said quietly as she twisted her fingers together nervously. “There’s something we need to tell you.”

Four other heads nodded somberly and the petite blonde looked to Kitsune, silently asking her to fill in the words she apparently didn’t want to say.

The redhead picked up on her plea immediately and trained her violet eyes on Sakura, her pretty face grim.

“What she means is that that this place is even more dangerous than it seems Hana. There have been three separate instances where girls working here have suddenly vanished without a trace.”

Sakura wasn’t sure how she should react. Should she pretend she was surprised or play it cool? If she couldn’t pull of a convincing act, she could possibly give herself away so in the end, she decided to at least tell half of the truth.

“Yeah, I know,” she said quietly looking down at the hands that were currently folded in her lap. “Dajaku told me yesterday. He told me to be careful, even when working at the club and to never go out into the city alone.”

“Really? He actually told you?” Tora asked with poorly concealed shock. “I would have thought he would try and hide it. He’ll have a tough time getting more girls to come work for him if he tells them there’s the possibility they could be abducted.”

“Well, it’s not like I had anywhere else to go,” Sakura said in a tone she hoped sounded dejected. “I think he told me only after he knew I wasn’t going to run away.”

“That sounds like Dajaku all right,” Kitsune said with a roll of her eyes. “He’s a master at doing whatever will benefit him the most.”

Sakura nodded. Apparently their employer’s shrewd way of conducting business was well known among the dancers, although it would be incredibly hard to miss this particular trait considering how obvious it was that he was a cheapskate.

“Weren’t you scared when he told you?” Misaki asked, tugging on Sakura’s shirtsleeve.
“This town is bad enough without people kidnapping us but now I’m afraid to even leave the club!”

“Well, I can’t say I’m relaxed about it,” the kunoichi confessed. “But that just means we have to look out for each other right? If we go anywhere, we should go in groups, although I’m sure you guys have been doing that anyways right?”

“Always,” Tora confirmed while the rest of the girls nodded in unison.

“Then I guess there’s not much else we can do. We just have to be on the look out for anyone suspicious. None of us want to be the fourth victim so stay alert.”

Her words weren’t the most reassuring but what could she say? Tell them that she was a kunoichi intent on catching the culprit and disemboweling him on the spot? She couldn’t blow her cover so she would have to pretend that she was just as frail as they were. However, her superior strength made her feel like she had an even greater responsibility to protect these girls who were obviously weaker than herself.

“I’m glad you decide to stay, even if this place isn’t the safest,” the brown haired girl spoke up, surprising Sakura a little considering she hardly spoke at all.

The kunoichi smiled at Jitsu from across the table and said, “Yeah, so am I.”

XXXXX

After helping Miyabi out with the dishes, the two of them went back to their room and found Misaki already there, laying on her top bunk with a book in her hands. Unlike the book the raven haired girl had been reading earlier with fine print and no pictures, it seemed that Misaki preferred sappy romance novels complete with illustrations. Judging by the cover, Sakura guessed it wasn’t quite as graphic as Icha Icha. The thought made her wonder just what her partner was up to and she decided that as soon as she was able to get away, she would pay him a visit at his motel room like he had requested.

At the sound of the door shutting, the blonde looked up from her book and gave them a sunny smile. Sakura grinned back but as her eyes moved to see the pink garments she had previously tossed on her bed, her face fell.

“Hey, what’s the matter Hana-chan?” Misaki asked with genuine concern.

Miyabi followed her gaze and walked over to her bed, picking up the skimpy lingerie.

“Dajaku?” she asked simply and Sakura nodded miserably.

“Aw, they’re cute! The color is perfect for you!” the girl on the top bunk said when she peeked over the side. “You’ll be a big hit tonight.”

“I’m not so sure,” Sakura said with a sigh as she sat on her bed, resting her crossed forearms on her knees.

“Why, what’s the matter?” the taller woman asked gently, setting the underwear aside as she sat down next to her.

Misaki, who knew something serious was going on, abandoned her book and climbed down the rickety wooden ladder so she could be a part of the conversation as well.

Sakura looked at the expectant eyes trained on her and swallowed hard. How open could she be about this without giving herself away as an imposter?

“Well, it’s just that I’ve never worn anything like that before,” she said, gesturing to the G-string and minuscule triangle top. “And I’ve never danced for men and I’ve certainly never danced topless for them. I’m just really nervous and I’m afraid I’ll ruin everything.”

Miyabi smiled softly and put a comforting hand on Sakura’s shoulder.

“You won’t ruin anything Hana. You made it through the audition with Dajaku didn’t you?”

The kunoichi had to keep herself from wincing at her words. Everyone thought she had already been approved of by the boss but the reality was quite different. However, she couldn’t tell them the truth without arousing suspicion.

“Yeah, I guess, but its different dancing for only one person and them dancing for a huge crowd,” Sakura pouted.

“That’s true I suppose,” Miyabi said thoughtfully. “But in all honesty, if you have the confidence, you can make it through.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” the kunoichi muttered. It wasn’t that she thought she was ugly or anything but she would be so exposed with every flaw visible and then she had the added pressure of completing a mission on her shoulders.

Misaki easily picked up on Sakura’s distress and eyed her critically.

“So which part are you nervous about, the men looking at you or the aspect of performing?”

“Both…everything!” she groaned, burying her face in her hands.

The two dancers exchanged looks before the blonde gently grabbed Sakura’s wrist and pulled her to her feet.

“Hana, do you consider yourself pretty?” she asked and Sakura looked at her with a confused expression.

“Um…yeah, I guess.”

“Wrong answer,” Misaki replied, pulling her along until she was standing in front of the full length mirror in the corner.

Sakura suddenly found herself gazing at her own reflection with her roommates standing behind her.

“When you are dancing, you have to believe that you are the most beautiful girl that ever lived,” Misaki said. “You have to think you’re gorgeous and sexy and that will show in the way you carry yourself.”

Well, that certainly sounded familiar. The girls were just reaffirming what Kakashi had already told her. However, that didn’t mean it was any easier for her to do.

Miyabi saw the doubt in Sakura’s features as she looked at herself in the mirror. It was hard to adopt that kind of thinking, especially if one has been modest her whole life, but if she didn’t get some confidence, she would never make through her first night on stage.

“You also need to look like you enjoy what you do. It’s fine to fake it but if you honestly like dancing, it’s even better,” she said.

“Yeah, sometimes it’s easy to just get lost in the music,” Misaki added. “Maybe that will make it easier if you concentrate on other things besides the men watching you, at least at first.”

Unfortunately, the whole point of Sakura being here was to keep an eye on the men in the club, but at this point she was willing to try anything to get her nerves to settle and so she nodded.

“Before we even introduce an audience into the picture, you have to be comfortable with you,” Miyabi said, placing her hand on Sakura’s shoulder and gently turning her away from the mirror. “Just dance without worrying what it looks like or what people think of you.”

The kunoichi glanced from the brunette to the blonde and back, her face blank.

“What…now?”

“Why not?” Misaki grinned, her face dimpling making her look even more cherubic. “Come on, we’ll dance with you.”

Both girls began swaying graceful, their movements less suggestive than when she had seen them out on stage. They seemed completely unconcerned with the lack of music but Sakura found she had a hard time getting into the groove. She felt awkward and ungainly, much like how she had before Kakashi had worked his magic and had her writhing against him like he was her pole and she the experienced stripper.

Miyabi picked up on her self consciousness right away, sensing her need for an underlying beat and began to sing softly, her voice sweet and melodic as she continued to move.

Sakura had never heard the song but she had no problem falling into its rhythm, her movements becoming a little less disjointed as she moved with the other girls in their small bedroom.

Misaki joined in, her voice not quite as smooth as the taller woman’s but pretty in its own way. They were dancing more boldly now, tossing their hair as they moved fluidly. Their inhibition seemed to be contagious, for soon Sakura forgot all about the mirror behind her and stopped worrying about how her movements looked, and more about how they felt. Although her music was nothing more than the soft voices of the two women in the room, she was able to truly be inside of it and let it take over. There was no thrumming, hypnotic base but she seemed fine without it, focused more on the simple joy of moving her own body as the girls next to her experienced the same thing.

No judgments were being made as she swiveled her hips and she found that to be exhilarating. The feeling was a little like when she used to get up early and take morning runs around the Konoha training grounds before the sun had come up. Many times, she wouldn’t see a soul, the village still asleep and as the wind whooshed past her ears and filled her lungs, she felt at peace with the world, a part of it, more attuned to the forces of nature that surrounded her. While this feeling wasn’t quite the same, it was similar. Dancing gave her a sort of strange freedom she had never experienced before, and while she was by no means a professional, she still was able to feel the joy in it, swinging her hips and abandoning all the other troubles that had plagued her since she had come here.

Her eyes caught Misaki’s orbs of crystal blue and they exchanged smiles. Here, in this moment Sakura was comfortable with herself and her body and she was truly enjoying dancing. The blonde moved closer, facing her and resting her forearms lightly on Sakura’s shoulders, their swiveling hips now moving in unison.

“If you dance like this tonight, you’ll do just fine,” she whispered, breaking out of song for just a moment. “You don’t have to consciously act sexy to be sexy. I think the men will like you just as you are.”

Sakura had the strong urge to look over her shoulder into the mirror to see just what Misaki was seeing but resisted, not wanting to ruin the moment or become self conscious again. Instead, she continued to dance until Miyabi’s voice died away and they were left silent and a little breathless.

That hadn’t been like Kakashi’s crash course in eroticism but she felt it was equally valuable. It was another side to the world she was about to enter, the purer side of dancing, to move for the sheer bliss of it, not to attract men’s lecherous eyes, although she knew she would have to figure out how to balance both components by tonight.

“Feel better?” Misaki asked cheerfully, pulling away from the pink haired woman.

“Yeah, actually I do,” Sakura answered, her voice slightly awed as if she couldn’t believe something so simple had given her so much courage. “Thank you for that. I think it really helped.”

The blonde giggled and Miyabi tipped her head gracefully in the kunoichi’s direction.

“If there’s anything else you need, just let us know. We have to help each other around here or we would never make it through.”

“Well,” Sakura said thoughtfully, rocking back on her heels. “There is one thing. What size shoe do you girls wear?”

XXXXX

Sakura hurried along the dreary streets. It was the middle of the day but it was still cloudy and gray, the drizzle in the air threatening to frizz her hair out beyond repair if it penetrated the hood of her cloak. It would have been much faster to reach Kakashi’s motel if she jumped from roof to roof but she had to maintain her disguise and made the best of it, scurrying quickly hoping that nobody she ran into gave her hard time.

Dajaku had be skeptical about her going alone but she obviously couldn’t have any of the other girls go with her and Sakura was not about to let Dajaku listen in on whatever she and Kakashi were going to be discussing. However, it would cause a fuss if she left the club by herself, especially in light of recent events. If the other dancers found out she had entered the city alone, they probably wouldn’t let her out of their sight ever again.

Finally, the club owner and herself had agreed that Dajaku would run some errands at the same time she was gone, and simply tell the girls Sakura had wanted to come so she could get a tour of the town. It still seemed a little odd to Sakura but Dajaku assured her it would be fine and simply reminded her to be back in time to get ready for the show.

Kakashi’s note was still tucked away in the pocket of her sweat pants but she had already memorized the address. She hadn’t even bothered to change because it wasn’t like she really had clothes to change into. Next time she went out, she would have to make sure to pick up a few clothes besides the performance wear Dajaku had suggested. Kakashi’s apartment wasn’t very far at all and within minutes she was in front of a four story building with peeling plaster and dull paint. A rusty wrought iron security door covered the entrance, discouraging anybody without business there to keep moving but it was only a few moments before her partner appeared on the other side, thick scarf in place over the lower portion of his face. Sakura didn’t even bother asking how Kakashi knew she had arrived. She had been around him long enough to know that his intuition was almost frighteningly accurate and she could only hope that when she reached the age he was now, she too would have similar finesse and impeccable timing.

“Yo,” he said with a wave of his gloved hand as he opened the door from his side, standing aside so she could pass through the doorway before turning to lead her to his room.

“Ritzy place you have here,” the kunoichi muttered as they made their way up a narrow stairwell.

The building looked just as bad on the inside as it did from the street. The grayish brown paint was cracking into an intricate web work of fine lines and actually peeling away in some places.

“Hey, with the budget the Hokage allotted us for this mission, I couldn’t exactly go for anything upscale,” Kakashi said over his shoulder as they entered the third floor landing. “However, I still think this place is considered the best on this side of town.”

Sakura wasn’t surprised by that. Even though Fuzen Machi was responsible for the latest technological developments, it seemed that Wet Dreams was located in a part of the city that could only be described as run down. Businesses still had flashing lights but every building for blocks looked like it had seen better days.

After walking down a dark and dingy hallway, Kakashi arrived at his door. The tarnished metal letters read 3 4 but after a glance at the door across the way, she realized it should have read 304 but the “0” was long gone.

The Copy nin made a few quick hand seals before placing his palm on the door, dispelling whatever jutsu he had put on it before sliding his key into the lock. The door swung open to reveal a space that was surprising large. It was by no means luxurious but it was bigger than a broom closet which was what Sakura had expected.

Like some of the other inns she had stayed at, the room contained a bed, a chair a small writing desk and a nightstand with a lamp. The rest of the room was spacious but it was hardly a homey atmosphere with the matted and dirty shag carpet that covered the floor. It looked as if at one time it might have been a pleasant shade of blue but now was more of a grayish brown like the walls downstairs.

Ignoring the numerous stains on the floor, Sakura made her way over to the window as Kakashi unwound his scarf from his face to reveal his customary mask beneath. Sakura peaked through the grimy curtain to see the street below. It was hardly past six in the evening but already the neon signs were buzzing to life, some flickering wildly in disrepair.

Sakura nearly laughed out loud as the store directly across the street caught her eye. Green neon blinked on and off advertising “XXX Adult Books”. Kakashi could not have chosen a more suitable location for himself.

“Well, I guess you won’t have to look far for Icha Icha novels,” Sakura smirked, casting a knowing glance to her ex sensei.

“They don’t have anything I don’t already have,” Kakashi said with a shrug and Sakura resisted the urge to roll her eyes. It figured he had already checked it out thoroughly.

“So what have you been up to besides perusing porn shops?” Sakura asked, stepping away from the window and flopping down in the lone chair.

Kakashi raised a silver eyebrow before plucking a folder out of his pack that had been hidden under the bed.

“I’ve been ‘perusing’ the whole town actually. I made a map so go ahead and familiarize yourself with it.”

She huffed in annoyance at his ever present efficiency and snatched the map away grudgingly, earning an amused chuckle from the older man.

“Besides,” he continued, his eye creasing jovially. “I’m going to be spending most of my nights in a strip club. I don’t think I’ll be reading nearly as much as in Konoha considering the scenery that comes with the mission.

Sakura felt her cheeks flush as she glared at him. He might continue to find this situation amusing but she certainly didn’t. Despite her practice sessions with both Tora and the Misaki/Miyabi duo, she was still jittery and nervous about performing. Kakashi probably knew it too but that didn’t keep him from poking fun at her.

She noted with irritation that the map was almost perfectly to scale and clearly labeled. While she had been sound asleep last night, it appeared her partner had been out mingling with the night life, and judging by many of the places that seemed to be part of illegal trade operations, he had been asking questions too.

She also saw that several female clothing stores were marked and she made a mental note of their location. Although she would never admit it to Kakashi, she was actually looking forward to doing a little shopping. The life of a kunoichi so often robbed her of her feminism that it would be nice to engage in a truly girly activity for a change.

As she scanned over the paper, Kakashi rummaged through his pack until he produced something small and black

“Here,” he said, motioning for Sakura to hold out her hand. When she did he distributed a small, electronic device in her hand and upon closer inspection, she realized it was a cellular phone. “I’ll need a way to contact you in an emergency situation since your room has no windows and there are too many people who might see me try and infiltrate from the first floor.

So he had already done a thorough inspection of the club as well. He had been busy.

“I have one too,” he said, holding up a twin gadget. “If I ever need to get a hold of you, I can call you or at least text message you. I have it programmed to vibrate and it would probably be best to leave it that way so there is less of a chance of the other girls finding it. My number is already programmed on speed dial”

Sakura had used wireless headsets before but this was the first time she’d ever had a cell phone on a mission. They weren’t really commonly used in Konoha. As neat as the little devices were, she wondered if they were really necessary. Explaining why she had one if one of the girls ever caught her using it might prove difficult.

“So, you say you can’t even afford a nice place to stay and yet you get us cell phones?” the kunoichi asked incredulously.

“They didn’t cost much and the service is free,” Kakashi said with a dismissive wave. “Besides, there will be many times when I can’t get to you without being noticed and that will make people suspicious. It may end up that we don’t use them at all but it never hurts to be safe.”

“Free service?” Sakura grumbled. “How did you manage that?”

Kakashi’s expression probably would have been best described as a wry smile if she had been able to see his lips.

“You just have to know how to bargain.”

Sakura wanted to scoff. Did “bargain” mean refraining from tearing off somebody’s arm if he got what he wanted or was the Copy nin actually skilled when it came to shopping? Either way, Sakura wasn’t sure if she wanted to know the answer.

XXXXX

The next couple of hours were spent discussing what Sakura had observed at the club during her stay. She briefly described the girls and all their personalities and their tight knit relationships that seemed more like family that friends or coworkers. She added that while Dajaku was indeed a seedy businessman, he didn’t seem so bad and genuinely did seem to care about his dancers, if only to make sure his club remained prosperous. She also mentioned Tsurenai and her cold and aloof exterior but since the diva hadn’t been at breakfast, Sakura hadn’t really gotten the chance to find out more about her.

Kakashi too retold his findings, though he admitted finding no obvious clues as to where the missing dancers could have gone. He also suggested they come up with subtle signals as a way to communicate while she danced and he watched, whether it be the crook of a finger of the tilt of her head.


“When you want to get my attention, maybe you could shimmy,” Kakashi said and Sakura had to just about pick her jaw up off the floor before she saw the mirthful glint in his eye and realized he was kidding.

“Not likely,” she pouted, feeling a little awkward after her partner’s comment.

The image of herself grinding heatedly against her ex sensei in front of the mirror was still vivid in her mind and even though it was just a simple exercise to show her how it felt to lust, she couldn’t help blushing at the memory of it. He had made her feel things that a teacher should never make a student feel and she was still a little embarrassed about it and how easy it had been for him to work her up.

Now he would be watching her dance in a set of underwear that she would normally never be caught dead in…and then he would watch her take her top off.

“That reminds me Kakashi,” she said from her seat, crossing her arms over her chest and fixing him with a pointed stare. “You never told me this club was topless.”

“I assumed it was implied,” Kakashi said simply, sitting on the edge of the bed and looking far too relaxed for the conversation they were having. “Besides, it wouldn’t really have made a difference whether you had known or not. Tsunade planned to send you either way.”

Sakura’s foot tapped on the floor irritably. She supposed he had a point, and not knowing about having to remove her top until last night had saved her a great deal of time worrying when they had been on the road. But still, in just a few hours, he was going to see her…her…!

“I know,” she grumbled out. “It’s just that you were my teacher when I was twelve, and now you’ll be seeing me practically naked. Don’t you think that’s weird?”

Kakashi continued to meet her gaze evenly, his mask covering any trace of emotion he might have displayed.

“Sakura, they’re just breasts.”

Sakura didn’t know whether she wanted to sigh in relief or walk over and whack him upside the head. Just breasts. Just breasts? Well at least he wouldn’t be viewing her as a sex object like every other man in the room but at the same time, Sakura was disappointed that her miniscule chest wasn’t even a little bit intriguing to her partner. Then again, she supposed a man as experienced as Kakashi would hardly bat an eyelash when presented with a figure such as hers. He had seen women far more curvaceous and beautiful, probably both in his books and in his bed.

“Well even if they’re just breasts, I’m not exactly accustomed to putting them on display,” Sakura shot back sourly, pouting in her chair like a child that had been reprimanded.

Kakashi sighed, letting his head tip back to stare at the water stains on the ceiling.

“Well let’s hope we find the kidnapper quickly then. The sooner we take him out, the sooner we can go back to Konoha.”

Now that was a statement Sakura could most definitely agree with.

XXXXX

Sakura assured the Copy nin she didn’t need him to escort her back down the stairs. The less they were seen together, the better and she needed to hurry if she was going to get back to the club with enough time to get ready.

Kakashi watched her pull her damp cloak over her candy colored locks and leave with a small wave.

“See you tonight,” she said softly, and then she was gone, emerging a few moments later into the heavy drizzle. Kakashi could see her slip into the thickening throng of people from his window, her smaller figure shifting out of his sight in the waning light. It seemed this town was mostly nocturnal. After all, it was easier to conduct shady business in the darkness.

Only when he could no longer see her did Kakashi step away from the window, uttering a sigh that sounded more like a groan as he sank into the chair she had been occupying. The worn wood was still warm from her body heat and rubbed his eyes gently as he tried to sort out the thoughts jumbled in his mind like tangled string.

It had been obvious Sakura was still nervous about tonight’s performance and he had simply tried to lighten the mood with snide remarks. However, he had not expected a comment about her shaking her tits at him to get his attention to come out of his own mouth. Not only had it conjured up an image of the younger ninja doing exactly that, but it hadn’t served to cheer Sakura up at all.

Apparently the “lesson” he had given her back at the inn had left a greater impression that he had counted on, for ever since then, thoughts of how she had looked, how she had felt sliding against his body had seeped unbidden into his mind. He did his best to dismiss them as a natural result of not having been with a woman for some time, but that still did not excuse the fact that on that same night, as he had tried to relieve himself in the cramped space of the shower, it had been her in his fantasy, her lips wrapped around his cock as he imagined the hot water on his skin was in fact the heat of her mouth.

Honestly, the way she had crept into his mind was a complete surprise. He had noticed that Sakura had indeed grown and matured, but he had never paid attention to the developments in her body besides the obvious increase in strength and ability.

Sakura was a full fledged woman now, a fact made obvious by the way she had moved against him heatedly, whimpering deliciously as his hands on her skin fueled her desire.

Kakashi shook his head to clear the thought away before it had a chance to fully form. This sort of thought was intolerable. He could not start thinking of Sakura that way. She had made it quite clear she was uncomfortable with her role on this mission and it wasn’t fair of him to start fantasizing about her because of the awkward position she had been forced into. He respected her too much to let his mind wander about how he could further educate her in the realms of sex.

So if that was the case, why did her pink haired visage keep popping into his head?

Kakashi shut his eyes and groaned again. It was bad enough now but it was bound to only grow worse after tonight. He knew that after he saw her body exposed, the image would be burned into his mind. He couldn’t distract himself by looking at other woman because he had to work closely with her in locating suspects for her to “interrogate” so he would definitely be getting an eye full whether he wanted to or not.

He needed a clear head for tonight and he couldn’t afford to drift off in some daydream, but as much as he wanted to push his needs away and become nothing more than a tool of Konoha for this particular mission, he found that the natural desires that came with being a man just wouldn’t go away.

Wearily he stood from the chair and began to gather what he would need for tonight.

Perhaps if he had a bit of time to spare he would visit a local bar since every other establishment seemed to serve alcohol around here. There had to be at least one woman who would take an interest in him. His mask usually piqued their curiosity and his smooth charm often sealed the deal. As much as he disliked the idea of picking up a woman in the middle of a mission, he hoped that if he could finally end his dry spell with women and get all his frustration out of his system, the impure thoughts about his former student would go away.

One thing was for sure though. He was almost as apprehensive about tonight as Sakura was. In all his years as a shinobi, he had never had to gaze upon a student, former or not, while she was naked.

XXXXX

Ok, that’s all for now. I promise she’ll dance next chapter! Thanks for reading!