Stripped Bare

Whew, I was beginning to think I would never get this chapter done! It was definitely a struggle between school and work to get this done! Alright, enough blabbing and excuses. Enjoy!

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Stripped Bare-Chapter 7

Sakura had experienced crowded places and chaos before. Hell, sometimes she even thrived on the hustle and bustle of busy places, but she had never been in a situation like this before and honestly, she wasn’t really sure what to make of it.

She and the other five dancers were crowded into the downstairs dressing room, which had seemed small before but when filled with six bustling bodies seemed microscopic. The room was hot and slightly humid thanks to the body heat and lit makeup mirrors and the smell of hairspray was thick in Sakura’s nostrils. All the girls were chatting happily as they slipped on their practically nonexistent costumes and went about primping themselves, completely unconcerned by the fact that a string and two pieces of fabric about the size of the eye patch Kakashi had taken to wearing were the only things keeping them decent.

Sakura glanced down at her own exposed body for the umpteenth time and groaned inwardly. The pink fabric contrasted nicely with her pale skin but the garments were just so damn tiny! The triangles of her triangle top did little to support her breasts, covering mostly the center of her modest curves leaving rounded flesh peeking out either side. Her bottoms only covered what was absolutely necessary in the front. She had taken Kitsune’s advice and shaven off her pubic hair in the shower before dressing for the show since the panties dipped so low that a tuft of pink hair would have showed over the edge. As far as the back side of the garment, Sakura would rather not think about it. The piece of fabric over her crotch tapered into practically nothing and she could already feel the small strip between her cheeks riding up uncomfortably. How these girls could bear the feeling of being slowly, painfully cut in half, she would never know.

On her way back from Kakashi’s apartment, she had met Dajaku at the predetermined place so they could return together without looking suspicious, to back up their story that they had indeed gone to run errands. The balding man seemed a little perturbed she had taken so long but said nothing as they went back to the club. Before they entered Sakura had relayed the plan Kakashi had concocted, of having a nightly record of every man the girls took in for a private lap dance. All three of the girls had gone missing during or shortly after dancing at the club and the Copy nin felt it would be helpful to keep an account of just who got close to the girls. Dajaku had agreed reluctantly, saying it would be difficult considering most of his customers would probably rather remain anonymous but he would do the best he could and said he would pass the information on to the bouncer and the other girls while she took her shower.

Sakura hoped that “other girls” included Tsurenai. Come to think of it, she hadn’t seen her all day. Kitsune had mentioned at breakfast that she never ate with any of them, preferring to keep to herself in her own bedroom rather than mix with the riffraff she obviously considered them to be. Sakura didn’t understand how she could turn up her nose at everyone all the time. She had to get lonely in a place like this with nobody but the dregs of the male society who were only too eager to “comfort her” and the occasional conversation with her money grubbing boss. Sakura decided that was almost certainly more to the purple haired woman than what met the eye and she would try and unravel the mystery behind the diva whether she liked it or not.

Half an hour after returning to the club, she was clean and dressed…well, kind of, and was sitting in a chair with damp hair and no makeup watching the other girls transform before her eyes. They had all been pretty before but with a few ratty makeup brushes, they were quickly turning into beautiful creatures she hardly recognized.

And she had no idea how to achieve a similar makeover.

Sakura had never been one for spending hours in front of the mirror, even after she had let her hair grow out. While it was short, things had been incredibly simple and even now that at it was long, she seldom did more than brush it out or tie it into a tight braid to keep it out of the way. And as far as makeup went, a dash of tinted lip gloss every now and then was pretty much all she ever bothered with.

She had a feeling she would need more than a little lip gloss for this particular performance.

“Hey Hana, what’s the matter?” Misaki asked, her blue eyes looking even bluer now that they were rimmed in shimmering brown eye shadow and thick black kohl. “If you don’t start getting ready soon, you won’t be done before the show starts.”

Apparently she had been sitting uncomfortably in her chair for so long that she had managed to draw attention to herself and she felt heat flush her cheeks as she admitted that her daily beauty routine hardly required lip liner and eyelash curlers.

“Yeah, well…I kind of have…this problem,” the kunoichi finished lamely, painfully aware that the cheerful buzz of voices had momentarily gone silent and all eyes seemed to be on her.

“What’s the matter?” Jitsu asked, her pretty brown hair coiled into gorgeous curls. “If you don’t have makeup, we’d be more than happy to share.”

“Well, the thing is,” Sakura said, trying not to fidget with her top because no matter how she tugged at it, it wouldn’t cover any more skin. “I’ve never worn much makeup or done anything fancy with my hair.”

For a second, nobody said anything and Sakura felt her blush grow from warm to scalding. This was like those dreams where you went to school naked and had to endure utter mortification until waking. Konoha had been a ninja village, and as a result, many of the girls went without frivolous things like makeup. When she had finally gotten serious about her training, she had stopped caring about her appearance so much, but in a place like this, looks were probably the most important thing. She was sure they were all going to burst into laughter at any moment.

“So, you mean, you don’t really know how?” Misaki asked gently and Sakura shook her head, her eyes cast to the floor to escape their stares.

“Well honey, why didn’t you say so?!” Tora exclaimed, wielding a long metal rod that she had heard referred to as a curling iron. “We’ll have you done up in a jiffy!”

“Leave the makeup to me!” Misaki cried enthusiastically, and dashed off before Sakura had a chance to protest. Ten seconds later she found Tora brushing out her hair and the blonde dabbing concealer on her face with a wedge shaped sponge.

“Wow, you’re skin is so clear! I hardly have to use any foundation at all,” Misaki marveled as Tora began to wrap sections of her pink tresses around the hot barrel of the curling iron and then sprayed them liberally with hairspray. “And I have a shade of eye shadow that will really make those green eyes of yours pop!”

Sakura was a little stunned but certainly wasn’t about to argue. Ino had always been trying to give Sakura makeovers but the medic had never been interested, refusing to go back to the shallow girl she had once been, but now she wished she had taken at least a little interest in makeup tips.

“So, you don’t think it’s weird I know absolutely nothing about this?” Sakura asked timidly before Misaki gestured for her to close her eyes.

“Well let’s see,” Misaki giggled as she loaded up a brush with a deep purple shadow. “You were a farm girl who spent a lot of time at the local dojo. What is there to be surprised about? It’s obvious you’re a tomboy!”

“But that’s all going to change tonight honey,” Tora said from behind, releasing the hair wrapped around the rod to produce a luscious, candy colored curl. “Anybody who knew you before would never recognize you now. We’ll make sure you’re drop dead gorgeous!”

Misaki prompted Sakura to look upwards as she drew dark lines along her lower lashes and the kunoichi quietly wondered to herself just how would Kakashi react to her new look? After the show, he would either laugh and say something slightly perverted in fun or remain quiet about it altogether. Even with a personal hair and makeup artist on her side, she doubted she was a match for the fictional women in his books or the real women in his bed, and for some strange reason, she was a little disheartened by that. She didn’t know why, but for some incredibly strange reason she wanted Kakashi’s approval, for him to say a kind word to her like he had done after some of their more intimate “training” sessions. Perhaps she just wanted the comfort and reassurance from the one familiar face in the sea of strangers on this mission. Whatever the reason, Sakura didn’t have time to examine her feelings anymore thoroughly before Dajaku suddenly poked his head in the door.

“Ten minutes girls.”

Sakura’s pulse fluttered in a combination of nerves and panic.

“Will you guys have enough time to finish?” she asked the women working diligently on her hair and makeup.

Tora laughed lightly and gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

“You’ll be fine honey, just leave everything to us.”

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Eight minutes later, the girls announced they had finished and she was hustled out of the chair and over to the wings of the stage, teetering unsteadily on the silver stilettos Miyabi had let her borrow.

“Jeez, how do you guys walk in these things?” she muttered as she wobbled her way after the redhead in front of her.

“You get used to it,” Kitsune assured, moving easily on her own spike heels that were at least an inch taller than the kunoichi’s.

Sakura could feel her heart hammering in her chest as the time drew near. She had already agreed that she would dance the second set of songs with Jitsu and Tora, leaving the other three to the first fifteen minutes of stage time to watch some of their moves and mentally prepare herself for her debut. However, she had been fretting about this moment ever since the mission started, her mind consumed with worrying about her first night on stage. She didn’t think she could get any more prepared than she already was. She just wanted to get out there and get it over with.

The lights dimmed and a new song started as the first three girls made their entrance, eliciting cheers and whistles from the crowd. Sakura’s eye immediately went to Miyabi whose poise and grace were unparalleled whether she was twirling on the pole or writhing on the floor. The men must have thought so too for as soon as she got close to the edge, dirty hands with equally grimy bills were thrust in her direction. Either these men knew a good thing when they saw it or they just appreciated her endless legs and lithe body, covered by a few scraps of shimmering cobalt blue.

While watching, Sakura happened to glance over her shoulder at Jitsu who was putting on some last minute deodorant. She happened to catch a glimpse of her own face in the makeup mirror and gasped softly at what she saw. She actually raised her right hand and shook it, making sure the girl looking back at her did the same, for though the image reflected had pink hair and green eyes, it wasn’t somebody she had ever seen before.

Tora had transformed her hair into wild curls that flowed down her back and her jade eyes looked even greener when contrasted to the purple eye shadow that had transformed her into a sultry and sensual creature. Her lips were painted a shimmering pink and her cheeks possessed an alluring rosy blush. If Sakura hadn’t known for a fact the woman she was looking at was indeed herself, she never would have believed it.

She was beautiful!

“You look gorgeous honey!” Tora said as if reading her thoughts. “Just don’t let it go to waste tonight. Make sure you get out there and find yourself the richest looking man in the crowd and don’t let up until he’s emptied his wallet.”

The set of songs ended, and the girls who had been dancing stepped off the stage to walk through the crowd to their next position, collecting the money that the unruly males were eager to shove into their garter belts and thongs. Tora placed a reassuring hand on Sakura’s shoulder, steering her towards the stage.

“Come on honey, let’s do this!”

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Kakashi had staked out his spot in the back of the room, dressed in drab clothing that would neither draw attention nor betray him as a shinobi. Except for the eye patch over one eye and the scarf over the lower portion of his face, he looked completely normal and blended easily into the rough looking crowd, sipping cheap beer and gazing casually around the room, searching the rugged faces for anyone who Sakura should question further. Unfortunately, it appeared that any one of the men crowded into the bar could be a wanted criminal for one reason or another, and considering the nature of the town they were in, most of them probably were. Kakashi decided the best bet was to carefully watch how they interacted with the dancers and hope the culprit would do something that would betray his identity.

When the lights went down, the Copy nin subconsciously sat up a little straighter in his chair, his attention directed towards the stage, but when the first song ended and Sakura hadn’t appeared, he relaxed a bit. Apparently she was waiting to come out for the second set and Kakashi found himself battling conflicting emotions as his eyes skimmed over the girls currently dancing. He was quite eager to see Sakura emerge from the wings and put everything he had taught her into practice, perhaps a little too eager, and for that reason he was simultaneously very, very uncomfortable.

He refused to consider his rising curiosity about Sakura was anything more than a brief infatuation due to the fact that she had never been anything more than a student and later a fellow shinobi to him and now, thanks to this mission, he was seeing her as a woman, and a very beautiful woman at that. It was only natural that he liked to look at her…liked the feel of her against him as she had timidly ground against his thigh while he instructed her on how to give a lap dance. Speaking of which, he wondered if he did indeed find someone worth questioning, if Sakura would be a proficient enough seductress to extract the needed information.

He was forced to put his thoughts on hold as another song finished and the dancers on stage descended the stairs into the audience, rotating to different platforms and collecting tips along the way. That meant that any second now, Sakura would be making an appearance.

A pretty and petite brunette emerged from the wings, followed by a redhead who was quite stunning, yet the moment the third girl entered the room, everyone else became invisible.

There was Sakura, looking so exquisite that he almost choked on his beer in surprise. If it hadn’t been for her pink hair and athletic body, he might not have recognized her, and speaking of her body…wow.

Sakura had never been one to dress provocatively, in fact, he hadn’t seen more than her legs and arms and the occasional flash of midriff during training and even during their more intimate encounters, she had been wearing an oversized T-shirt. But now, her figure was on display and he had to admit that she was very nicely put together, her legs looking impossibly long in those sexy silver heels.

Speaking of heels, just when did she learn to walk in things like that?

As if on cue, Sakura’s heel wobbled and pitched her forward. She probably would have fallen flat on her face if she hadn’t been close enough to her pole to grab on and save herself. The blunder wasn’t massive but a few chuckles from men sitting around him told Kakashi that he wasn’t the only one that had seen her trip.

‘Come on Sakura, pull it together. I know you can do this,’ he thought silently from his position in the back.

Hesitantly, Sakura straightened and began walking around the pole just as the music began to start, still a little unsteady on her feet but better now that she had something to hold for balance.

The Copy nin was far enough away that he couldn’t see her face clearly but he could tell someone had done her makeup and obviously her hair. She looked amazing and more womanly than he had imagined she would be, and even if the color around her eyes was a bit heavy for his taste, he could see her glossy lips glistening even from his seat in the back and found that he rather liked the shimmering accent on her.

She certainly looked the part, now all she had to do was act it out.

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Sakura had undoubtedly been in more life threatening situations than all the dancers combined, and yet she was more terrified than any of them as she stepped onto the stage for the first time.

She could instantly feel countless eyes upon her and one glance at the dark faces in the crowd made it clear that their thoughts were anything but pure. She could see them checking her out from top to bottom and in most cases, undressing her with their eyes. It was like she was being visually raped by almost every person in the room and for a moment, her heart was hammering so hard she thought it would beat right out of her chest.

She was so distracted by the people around her that she didn’t focus on her feet like she should have and lost her balance when one silver stiletto wobbled dangerously. She made a less than elegant save by steadying herself against her pole which was fortunately within arms reach and tried to force herself to calm down. Kakashi was in the crowd somewhere and he was no doubt watching her. She couldn’t mess this up now when he was counting on her, believing in her.

A song with a steady thrumming beat started up, the bass turned up so high she could feel it reverberating in her bones and she forced herself to let go of the pole and find more stable footing. Kitsune and Jitsu started dancing on the same large platform she was on and the other three had begun solos on smaller stages in the audience. It was now or never.

‘I am a sex goddess. Everybody wants me and I love it,’ Sakura thought, trying not to burst into hysterical giggles at her own ridiculous thoughts, and yet, the silent mantra served to calm her nerves slightly and give her the confidence she needed.

She tried to remember everything that had been taught to her concerning dance and seduction and began to move in time to the primal thrum of the music as she looked out into the crowd, scanning the endless faces for one that was wearing a mask.

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Kakashi watched his former student carefully as she recovered from her stumble and began to dance. He could see tension in her body even from his seat in the back but that was to be expected. She had to be nervous as all hell to get on stage like this for the first time, and yet, he would have been lying if he had said he wasn’t captivated by how she began to move, her hips swiveling in time to the thumping bass as she circled her pole on lean, muscular legs.

“That one must be new,” a large man to Kakashi’s right said to the brutish man he was drinking beer with. It didn’t take a genius to figure out they were talking about Sakura.

“Yeah, looks like she hasn’t figured out how to work the pole yet,” the man said between large gulps of alcohol.

Kakashi let his eyes slide sideways and watched them leer at the woman onstage, their eyes dark and hungry in a way he didn’t like at all.

“Yeah, well I can think of a few tricks I could teach her about how to work my pole,” the first man grinned lecherously. “One night with her and I could have her riding like a pro before morning.”

The Copy nin’s hand tightened around his glass and he had to force himself to relax before it shattered in his grip. Comments like this were common. He had already heard plenty of lewd words said about the girls the night before but none of them had really bothered him, at least not like this. Even if Sakura was supposed to be a stripper for this assignment, she was still a person and not a piece of meat on the market. He would have liked to shoot the pair a rather nasty look but refrained, knowing that if he drew attention to himself, he would be jeopardizing their mission.

Instead, he redirected his attention once again to the crowd but it was hard to pick out a suspect when everyone in the room looked shady. He should have known it wouldn’t be so simple as to pick someone out just by looking at them.

He leaned back in his chair, tugging on the dark cap that covered his silvery hair and tried to make a mental note of the faces gathered round without making it to obvious he was doing so. Perhaps he could watch for frequent visitors observe patterns of individuals.

However, even though he tried to remain focused, his eyes kept drifting back to the pink haired woman on stage. She was climbing the pole now, easily swinging her body around on it thanks to her upper body strength, and while it seemed she was still too shy to open up her legs into split positions like some of the other girls were doing, she wasn’t doing a half bad job. He noticed she tended to spend more time on the pole as opposed to on her feet or on the floor, the obvious reason being she didn’t have to be so sexy when pole dancing. Moves on the floor required her to undulate and grind and Kakashi had seen firsthand how uncomfortable doing those things made her. Despite this, it seemed she had intrigued many of the people in the club judging by the groups of heads that were turned in her direction. Many were whispering to each other and nodding their heads at her, others were grinning with lecherous expressions, no doubt wondering what was hidden beneath the scraps of pink she wore.

Kakashi tried his damndest not to be bothered by it. Hell, it was a good thing she had people interested in her. When the time came to give lap dances, it meant she could have her pick of the crowd and that was what they wanted.

So why then was there a strange feeling gnawing at his gut as he watched the other men watch her? Perhaps it was just the need to protect her as he had done as her teacher all those years ago. Old habits died hard after all. And yet as he watched his former student spiral down the pole to land on the ground with a twirl before climbing back up again, he knew that she was a far cry from the fragile girl she had been and no longer needed protecting from him. She was a woman now, a strong, stubborn and surprisingly sexy woman who was currently upside down, wrapped provocatively around a pole.

Kakashi swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat. Just how he had missed a transformation like that, he would never know.

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As Sakura gazed over the shifting figures in the crowd, she realized she had never felt anything like this before. It was clear by the expressions of the men looking at her hungrily that she was wanted, desired, and that was both gratifying and quite terrifying for the young kunoichi.

Nobody had ever looked at her like that back in Konoha, like they wanted to eat her alive, and while it was frightening to think they would satiate their lust for her if they were ever given the chance, it was also a little empowering to know that her own womanly body could be the newest weapon in her arsenal. However, she felt a little like a small child being given a loaded gun. Sure she could wave it around and it was undoubtedly dangerous, but she wasn’t sure how to use it properly. She hadn’t had time to hone her skills before being thrown into the battlefield and now here she was, a lamb among the wolves.

Fortunately, she wasn’t quite as helpless as the average female.

The song finished and she made her way down the stage steps and through the crowd to her next position. Many men catcalled and whistled as she walked by, offering her bills which they slid under the straps of her thong.

She shot them timid smiles and tried to control the urge to break the next hand that touched her, because it seemed that the hands giving the money lingered a little longer than necessary and he could have sworn one grazed her breast and several others her butt as she walked by.

This was what those girls had to put up with everyday, being pawed by strangers just to earn a meal. Stripping certainly wasn’t as glamorous as it was sometimes made out to be, but she wouldn’t run now, not with Kakashi watching her.

She reached her new platform, her pink thong now brimming with bills and managed to climb the stairs without another mishap with her shoes. When the music started again, she began to move her hips in slow, lazy circles, just as Kakashi had showed her, and noticed that a couple of the men nearest to her were following her every movement.

She shot them what she hoped was a sultry glance as she let her eyes gaze over them, trying to examine them closely while making it look like she was still performing. So far, the only thing suspicious about them was that they were both a couple of perverts, but that could be said for most of the men here.

With a final swivel of her hips, she hooked her leg around the pole and pulled herself up, holding on with just her legs stretched out in front of her and the pole held firmly between her thighs. When she saw the men were still looking at her raptly, she blew one of them a kiss before grabbing with her hands and spiraling down. Sure the gesture was a little juvenile but she didn’t know what else to do. She wasn’t exactly an expert at flirting and even if she was, she wasn’t exactly sure how to go about it in a strip bar.

She climbed the pole again, higher this time and found that from this new stage she could see more of the back of the room. Her eyes scanned the crowd and she found a man sitting along in the back in a hat and heavy coat, but what really caught her attention was the scarf and eye patch he wore that all but obscured his face except for one eye.

Kakashi.

She looked at him and even though she couldn’t see him well from her vantage point, she knew he was looking at her and had been the whole time. Even though he was seeing her in something that covered less than her normal underwear, the thought that he was there with her was strangely reassuring an she let out a relieved breath before flipping herself upside down and sliding down the pole in a straight line until her hands touched the floor and she was able to stay a moment in a steady handstand. She then let one leg arch back down to the ground, giving the paying customers the first glimpse of her panty covered crotch of the night. While it hadn’t been intentional, it certainly got some attention for when Sakura righted herself, she found three or four outstretched hands at the edge of the stage holding bills for her which she gingerly allowed to be slipped into her panties along with the rest of her money.

She may not have been a pro at this, but it seemed the patrons here didn’t care, preferring to pay for an eyeful of T and A instead of quality showmanship.

Just then, the final song ended and all heads turned towards the main stage as if on cue.

One long, fish-netted leg peeked out from the curtains, the lime green heels she wore at least four inches high. Then a hand followed on a lean and elegant arm, wrist rotating in a graceful circle as she commanded the audience’s attention. At last the full figure appeared, slender and stunning, dressed in a lime corset and black panties with matching trim. Her fishnet thigh-highs were held in place by garters and her violet hair was worn straight and long. At that moment, Sakura was sure Tsurenai was the desire of every man in the room and for some reason she was oddly jealous the diva was able to capture their attention with such ease.

As the music started, the star walked over to her pole with more finesse than the kunoichi had displayed on her stilettos and hooked her leg around the pole, grinding her hips against it provocatively in time with the beat. She gave a sultry gaze from beneath heavily mascaraed lashes and let her head fall back as if the pole was an immense source of pleasure. The crowd went wild as she proceeded to climb up the pole, opening her legs to the sides in a split position while spiraling down to give everyone a good look at her barely covered crotch.

Sakura was just as captivated by the rest of the audience, so much so that she almost forgot to keep dancing. Tsurenai made it look so easy and it was obvious she absolutely loved the attention. She wasn’t like the other girls who did this because they had to. She thrived on knowing she was the sexual fantasy of so many men and seemed quite at ease that she was paid for it. She may not have been the best dancer in the club but she certainly knew how to perform, the way she licked her lips at a man in the front row proved it, and Sakura wondered if maybe she could learn a thing or two by watching the Wet Dreams’ star at work.

All too soon the first song blended into the next and Tsurenai began to tease the crowd further, unhooking the clasps running down her front that kept the two halves of her corset together one at a time. She walked the edge of the stage, presenting the top of her stocking covered leg for the men to stuff bills into and in no time, she had quite an impressive amount. When she had toured the entire platform, she returned to the middle out of reach and let her back rest against the pole, sliding down into a squatting position with her legs spread wide as she popped the last clasp of her top apart and opened it up to reveal the round globes of her breasts, letting her eyes shut and her head tip back as if in ecstasy of shedding the clothing. If the cheers had been loud before, they were deafening now and a fresh set of hands pumped into the air, clasping sweaty wads of money and Sakura wondered just how much money the men who came here carried, and just how much of it ended up in Tsurenai’s pocket.

She shrugged out of her chartreuse top and let the fingers of one hand trail down her stomach to where her skin met the black fabric of her thong and for a moment, Sakura thought she was actually going to expose herself further. However, the purple haired woman abruptly closed her legs and slid back up the pole, back pressed against it as she wiggled her hips rhythmically. It appeared she was not only a master performer, but a master tease as well.

By the end of the next song, it appeared she had every man in the room wrapped around her little finger, and when the time came for her to walk into the audience, she could hardly get through thanks to the throngs of men shoving money in her face, all to eager to buy a little of her time and her body. A large, menacing looking man whom Sakura presumed was a bouncer appeared to escort her to the back of the room where she could pick and choose who got a lap dance and who did not.

With the diva gone, the music resumed again and now it was the rest of the dancers’ turns to divest themselves of their tops. Halfway through the song she glanced over to find Misaki peeling away her bikini top, looking surprisingly adorable and innocent even as she flaunted her small mounds.

Kitsune was next stripping her top away demurely and then covering herself with her hands, not giving the men a good look until she was lying on the floor on her back and arched gracefully, thrusting her full breasts into the air.

One by one they all exposed their chests until Sakura was the only one left. The kunoichi knew this time would come but had been dreading it, and even now was loathe to uncover herself even further. One of the men who had been quick to shower her with bills at the beginning spoke loud enough for her to hear.

“Come on pinky, show us a little skin.”

If it had been in any other setting, she would have pummeled him senseless after informing him that her name was not “Pinky” and she was showing quite enough skin already. However, she was supposed to be nothing more than a normal civilian and getting naked was now her job. She was struck once again by how brave the girls were to face something like this day in and day out and understood a little better why Tora hit the bottle so hard first thing in the morning.

“Have a little patience,” she said, trying to be flirty but her voice sounding tighter than she had meant. “You wouldn’t want to rush a good thing would you?”

“You keep me waiting too long and I’ll have to find someone else to give this to,” the man said, snapping a crisp bill in front of her, and Sakura realized that with so much exposed flesh in the room, she would have to work quickly to keep her admirers’ attention.

Even if some men were looking at her expectantly, others had lost interest and wandered off to the bar or to offer their cash to other dancers who did not hesitate to show them what they wanted. If she didn’t act soon, she wouldn’t be able to intrigue the men she needed for questioning.

Taking a deep breath, she faced her pole, gripping it tightly with one hand while the second reached around and pulled at the pink strings tied in a simple bow.

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Kakashi had watched Tsurenai dance impassively from his seat in the back. Sure she was pretty and sure she had some good moves but he couldn’t really say it was anything he hadn’t seen before in other clubs except for the fact she was more shameless than most, her dancing bordering on and crossing into raunchy as opposed to risqué.

He had monitored her actions and noted that she seemed to gravitate towards the men with the most cash which was common among strippers and once she moved to the back to give lap dances, he noted that the men she took behind the curtain were not only seemingly wealthy, but decent looking as well. Apparently when you reached diva status, you could afford to be that picky.

He refocused on the women currently dancing when the cheering began anew and noted the perky little blonde had just exposed her perky little breasts. She was cute and all but it was a little disturbing for some of the men to be so riled up by her dancing. Even with her top off she looked far too young to be dancing in a place like this. Kakashi was anything but timid when it came to sex, but he didn’t think underaged women or women who at least looked underage, would ever really do it for him.

Even as the cheering erupted around him, his eye kept traveling back to Sakura. He found himself feeling restless and twitchy in his chair and he had to force himself to remain still as his partner twirled and spun on the pole. This was the moment of truth, the moment when he would see more of Sakura than he ever had before. His heart was hammering and his mouth was dry and he desperately wished he could chance a drink without risking exposing his face. His hands felt clammy inside his fingerless gloves and he was well aware he didn’t feel this kind of anxiety even on most of his high ranking missions.

Kakashi was nervous, extremely nervous, and perhaps…a little excited?

No, that couldn’t be the case. He was not looking forward to seeing Sakura’s breasts because that sort of thought was simply unacceptable. If it wasn’t for this mission, Sakura would be keeping herself decently covered as always and taking advantage of such a situation to ogle the poor girl was not proper behavior at all.

And yet, perhaps that’s what made it so appealing. Sakura was a forbidden fruit, something he should never even consider looking at in a sexual way and because of that, what he was about to see was practically sacred, at least it would be if an entire room full of people weren’t about to witness the same thing.

Sakura turned her back to him, holding the pole in a white knuckled grip with one hand while the other reached around to tug at the bow at the nape of her neck and then the one across her back.

The pink garment fell to the floor where it was instantly forgotten by all as the kunoichi turned around, her arms crossed over her chest shyly as she continued to sway her hips to the music. Slowly, almost luxuriously, Sakura stretched her arms over her head, giving the crowd a good view of her body.

While some men hooted a hollered, one particular man found that he had forgotten how to breathe.

XXXXX

Kakashi knew Sakura had developed some curves since she had first been assigned as his student, but seeing them exposed in all their glory proved they were more luscious than he had expected. It wasn’t that they were big, although he imagined they would fit into the palms of his hands quite nicely, but they had the most wonderful shape. They were perfectly round and perky, jigging slightly with her movements and the areolas surrounding her nipples were the same delicate pink as her cheeks when she blushed.

Kakashi had never seen anything so beautiful in his entire life.

“Hey look at that, it looks like pinky has got some nice tits after all,” one of the men chuckled to his friend next to him.

It was the same two men Kakashi had overheard earlier and he was all set to turn around and glare at them with his good eye until he realized he had been admiring Sakura’s assets just as they had.

“I guess they’re all right,” the other man said, his voice slightly slurred thanks to the numerous pitchers of beer he had consumed. But I prefer mine a lil’ bigger if you know what I’m sayin’.”

“I’ve heard small tits are more sensitive,” the other man replied without letting his eyes wander from Sakura’s chest. “I bet there’s all sorts of things I could do to those that would have her moaning nice and loud.”

“So get a lap dance from her n’ find out. You can touch ‘em if ya pay more.”

The man smiled in a way Kakashi didn’t like.

“Maybe I will.”

Kakashi hadn’t warned her about the possibility that the men she gave dances to might be able to touch her breasts for an extra fee. Some clubs allowed it and he wondered if the girls had let her know. The thought of this man grabbing at her made Kakashi tense with anger. Yes there would come a time when it was unavoidable for her to run into a man who would want the extra service with his dance, but that would only be because he was a possible suspect who needed questioning. As far as Kakashi could tell, these two were just a couple of drunken horny idiots and there was no sense in Sakura having to exploit herself for the likes of them.

His focus finally on something besides his partner’s body, Kakashi stood, beer in hand as if he meant to go to the bathroom, passing by the couple as he did so. He expertly maneuvered his way towards the two until he say the opportunity he needed. Someone shoved their chair back unexpectedly right in Kakashi’s path. He could have easily avoided it of course but he pretended to trip, nearly falling to the floor and spilling his beer all over the man who had set his sights on Sakura.

“What the hell?!” the man cried angrily before narrowing his eyes at the man who had abruptly pushed back his chair. Kakashi however, had already blended back into the crowd, continuing on his way to the bathroom and away from the argument that was about to ensue. As far away as he was, he could hear an angry shout over the din of the music saying, “Let’s take this outside!” After that, neither of their voices could be heard anymore and Kakashi smirked in satisfaction under his scarf. Even if the asshole won the fight, he would be in no condition for a lap dance now, all covered in beer and probably a little worse for wear considering the guy he had picked a fight with was about the same size. He knew he wouldn’t be able to save Sakura from every sleazebag who wanted a piece of her, but at least he had spared her a lap dance with one.

Kakashi waited by the bathrooms, noticing that the men’s room was larger with several urinals and stalls while the women’s was a tiny room with one toilet. Apparently they weren’t expecting as many women as men to come by. That was fine with Kakashi because it suited his purpose perfectly.

XXXXX

Two dances later, Sakura had finished her set and left the stage for a break. She glanced at the spot where she had last seen Kakashi but he wasn’t there and wondered where he could have gone as she retreated back to the wings to tie her top back on.

“You won’t need that if you’re going to give lap dances in a few minutes,” Kitsune remarked, handing her a bottle of water from some unknown stash.

Sakura drank nearly half the bottle’s contents in one swig before telling her that she wasn’t sure if she was ready for that her first night.

The red head shrugged as she sipped at her own water.

“Suit yourself, but you get way better tips if you walk through the audience topless. It’s like they can’t wait to throw money at you. Speaking of money, you should put yours away before you go back out. It looks like you can’t fit much more in your thong.”

Sakura looked down to find her pink bottoms were indeed stuffed with cash and gingerly began pulling it out.

“Use a hair tie to hold it all together and just stick it in one of the makeup drawers. You can put yours with mine if you want but count it beforehand so you know exactly how much should be there.”

Sakura did as she was told and was surprised by the rather impressive amount she had accumulated. Kitsune’s stack of cash was far bigger, but that was to be expected and Sakura wondered if she kept making this much if it would be enough to get Kakashi a better place to stay during their mission.

“You did really well, Hana,” the redhead said with a sincere smile as she put the two individual bundles inside her makeup bag and pushed it to the back of the drawer. “I’m really proud of you.”

“Thanks,” the kunoichi said gratefully. “But it was kind of scary. I’m not used to having so many eyes on me.”

“You get used to it,” she assured as she applied some deodorant even though as far as Sakura could tell, she wasn’t that sweaty. “I personally kinda like having so many people drooling over me. It makes me feel powerful, you know?”

Sakura supposed she could understand that. Some of the guys in the audience had looked like they would have done just about anything for one touch of her slender body.

Well, I should get over to the booths,” Kistune said, reapplying some lips gloss before heading back out to the floor. Sakura noticed she had left her top on the table and seemed completely unconcerned that her lush breasts were exposed for all to see.

“I’m telling you, you’ll get way better tips without the top,” she called before stepping out of the wings and down the stairs.

That was all well and good, but Sakura wasn’t here to make money and wasn’t sure if she wanted to try and fend off any wandering hands that wanted to sample the merchandise on display.

However, first thing was first. She had to pee, and since the door to the upstairs rooms was locked and she didn’t have a key, she would have to use the bathrooms downstairs. Hopefully she could make it there without being groped, propositioned or hit on. Even as she made her way back to the crowd, focusing carefully on walking down the stairs in her heels, she knew that chance was slim.

XXXXX

Just as Kakashi had hoped, Sakura was making her way to the bathroom, doing her best to sweetly but firmly resist all the men who were no doubt whispering dirty words to her as they slipped money under the straps of her thong. He immediately noticed that she had left her top on though the other girls had not. Apparently she was still a little too shy to do what they did.

He glanced around to make sure no other women were heading towards the bathroom and observed that there didn’t seem to be any other females in the building at all except for the dancers and the few girls that were waiting tables, wearing much more than the ones on stage of course.

Nonchalantly, he walked to the woman’s bathroom and opened the door.

“Hey buddy, you’re going into the wrong one,” a man remarked on his way into the men’s room.

Kakashi noted that while he was tall, he wasn’t all that thick, having a more wiry body type like his own. Judging by the muscles flexing under his clothes, this man was a shinobi as well.

“I don’t see anybody using this one, so I don’t see what the big deal is,” Kakashi said evenly, looking the man straight in the eye. The man’s eyes were an unusual shade of green, looking more yellow unlike Sakura’s deep jade orbs.

“Fair enough,” the man said with a shrug before disappearing into the men’s room while Kakashi closed his own door. However, instead of locking it, he leaned against the tiled wall and waited, and a moment later, his partner stepped inside.

Keeping his chakra carefully masked as he had while watching her dance, he waited for her to lock the door and flip on the light that turned out to be a single flickering bulb that did little to illuminate the room.

“I thought that was you I saw come in here,” she said with a sly smile, turning to him and crossing her arms over her barely covered chest. “Hang out in the ladies’ room often?”

“Besides asking for a lap dance in the back room, it was the only place I might have a private word with you,” Kakashi said with a jibe of his own, noting with satisfaction that her smile instantly disappeared at the mention of giving him a lap dance.

“Very funny,” she replied, sitting into her hip and regarding him coolly.

Even though he was trying to keep his mind strictly on business, he couldn’t help but notice how long her legs looked in those heels.

Now that he was up close to her, the makeup that had looked demure and sexy looked a little heavy now. There was no denying that the dark eye liner and purple eye shadow enhanced her features, making her look sexy and exotic, but Kakashi supposed he liked her natural beauty just as much as her heavily painted face. Her hair on the other hand, he liked very much, and was tempted to reach out and touch the luxurious pink curls.

“You do this?” he asked, allowing his hand to graze her pink tresses, finding the waves to be soft under his fingers even though she smelled a little like hair spray.

“No, two of the girls dolled me up for tonight,” Sakura replied, smiling as Kakashi let one of her glossy curls slide across his palm. “And I’m glad they did. I wouldn’t have had a clue of how to do this to myself.”

For some reason, she felt the need to shiver in a way that wasn’t entirely bad as he played with her hair but repressed it.

Kakashi chuckled softly as he pictured his student staring at a bag of cosmetics in confusion.

“Well, you look wonderful,” he said sincerely, letting her hair fall from his fingers. “It’s a nice change from the blood and dirt I’ve seen you wear.”

Sakura was caught a little off guard by his compliment and for a moment, didn’t know what to say. Even though it was just Kakashi, for some reason, even the smallest word of adoration had been making her feel a little giddy lately. Then again, she hadn’t exactly been herself lately with all that had happened over the past few days.

“Thanks,” she said softly, fidgeting a little with a bill stuck under her thong strap before changing the subject. Now what was it you wanted to say? Find a possible suspect yet?”

“No,” Kakashi said, flicking his uncovered eye from that skimpy little strap back to her face. “Unfortunately, every single person in that room looks a little shady. I think our best bet is to try and keep track of who visits frequently and who comes in close contact with the dancers the most.”

Sakura emitted a long-suffering sigh, resisting the urge to tug at the string bisecting her butt cheeks.

“That sounds like a long process,” she groaned. “Isn’t there any way to speed this up? I don’t want to be stuck wearing stuff like this for months on end,” she said, uncrossing an arm to snap the pink string cutting over her hip bone.

Kakashi was about to tell her that he personally thought she looked rather good in her new work attire but bit back the words before he said something that got him punched.

“Well, if you see anybody worth interrogating, by all means, hustle him a lap dance,” Kakashi said, crossing the small room to crank on the faucet and wash his hands under the running stream. “But other than that, I’m afraid we’ll just have to spend some time scouting out the club until we get a sense of who the regulars are.”

He looked up to meet Sakura’s gaze in the scratched mirror hanging over the sink to find her looking uneasy. It was clear that the idea of using her body in such a way still did not sit well with her.

“Hey,” he said a little more gently, turning to face her as he dried his hands on his pants in the absence of paper towels. “Just hang in there. You did really great out there Sakura. I was impressed.”

The kunoichi rolled her eyes, pretending to be exasperated, but really she couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit flattered by his remark. Even if he was saying that just to make her feel better, the words still gave her comfort.

“It was scary,” she confessed. “I felt so…exposed up there.”

She dropped her arms to her sides and sighed again, and even though Kakashi tried to keep his eyes on her face, he was acutely aware of the way her breasts rose and fell with the action.

“Well, this is a strip club you’re dancing in, Sakura. Being exposed comes with the territory, and you handled it rather well. Although, I must say, you had me worried for a moment when you tripped over your heels. I thought you were going to fall on your face.”

Sakura groaned and buried her face in her hands in mortification. “You saw that? I was so embarrassed! I felt like the whole club was laughing at me.”

Kakashi chuckled and shook his head. “No Sakura, I’m sure there were many people who didn’t even notice the blunder. They were too busy looking other places besides your feet.”

Sakura lowered her hands from her face, her cheeks now tinged pink from his comment. Kakashi noticed this right away and gave her a customary eye crease with his visible eye. “What did you expect, Sakura? They are rather nice.”

The second the words left his lips, the Copy nin wished he would have just kept his mouth shut as he saw the way her eyes widened and her blush turned crimson. Her arms came up to cross in front of her chest once more, hiding it from his eyes. He hadn’t meant to embarrass her and now he’d gone and made her self-conscious again just when she was getting comfortable with herself.

“I can’t believe you saw me topless,” she practically whimpered, averting her eyes to the floor.

Kakashi scratched the back of his head nervously. “Well, it was kind of unavoidable Sakura, but if you don’t make a big deal out of it, neither will I. We are professionals after all.”

The kunoichi nodded glumly, pink strands of hair falling into her eyes as she let her arms fall away and immediately, the older man couldn’t help but notice the state of the body parts that were currently under discussion. It seemed she had grown rather cold in the bathroom, for the hardened buds of her erect nipples were straining against the material of her top. The resulting bumps were clearly visible, even in the poor light, and Kakashi had to force himself to look away.

Why they hell was he so entranced with a couple of nipples? He had seen plenty in his lifetime and moments ago, he had seen them without the pink fabric covering them, so why was he so captivated by them now? It wasn’t like he could touch them, to feel their hardness juxtaposed with the undoubtedly soft and silky feeling of her breasts, breasts that had looked so wonderful up on that stage. If only he could…

As soon as he realized just where his mind had wandered, he shoved the thought away viciously.

‘She’s my student,’ he kept reminding himself fiercely. ‘Those kinds of thoughts are not acceptable.’

It was definitely time for him to leave. They had already been together here for too long and people might get suspicious.

“Hey, you should get back out there,” Kakashi said abruptly, brushing past her to the door, resisting the urge to look over his shoulder and get a good look at her uncovered ass. His hand on the knob he added, “If I find anyone out there, I’ll let you know. I might leave before you finish your shift tonight. You still have your cellphone right?”

“Yeah, it’s in my room,” she replied, hitching her top a little, trying to make it cover more which was clearly an impossible task.

“All right, I’ll see you later,” he said, and with that, he left the bathroom casually, shutting the door behind him.

Sakura locked the door again and attended to her business, making her thighs work by hovering over the toilet seat that didn’t look very clean.

As she recollected all her money and stuffed it back into her G-string, she noted that the sweat she had accumulated while dancing had turned her outfit damp and clammy, and now that she was away from the crowd and the lights, she could feel a slight chill. For some reason she hadn’t noticed it while Kakashi was in the room, seemingly warmed by his very presence and not just the body heat he radiated.

Kakashi was her calm in this raging storm, her teacher, her mentor, and she still hadn’t decided if that made it better or worse that he had seen her body nearly in its entirety. She supposed it didn’t matter now, because he would probably be seeing her unclothed chest quite often from now on.

She washed her hands and shook the excess water off as best she could, reminding herself to talk to Dajuku about getting some paper towels and seat covers for this grungy little bathroom.

As she exited the bathroom, she noticed the first group of girls that had started off the night were back on stage again starting a new set of dances, meaning in a few minutes it would be her turn to get back up there for a second round.

Everyone dancing already had their tops off, in fact, they had probably never put them back on if they were giving lap dances this whole time.

Avoiding the men who were looking at her like half-starved animals, she made her way over to where there was a row of doors, each one leading to what she assumed were private booths for lap dances. Her thoughts were confirmed when a moment later, Tsurenai exited one of them followed by a very satisfied looking man. The diva immediately fixed her eye on the next man waving a stack of cash and leaned over to whisper something in his ear. Whatever she said caused him to nod his head vigorously and they disappeared behind the door of the room that was adjacent to the bathrooms.

“Hey baby doll, how much for a dance?” a man asked her. His voice was slightly slurred from drinking too much alcohol and his face bore a long scar along his jaw. He was tall and thick but most of his mass was fat and not muscle. If Sakura could describe him in one word, it would have to be “ugly”.

As much as she wanted to knock out his few teeth that weren’t already black with decay, she refrained and gave him a polite but curt response.

“Sorry, I’m not offering that service tonight.”

Before the man could start to protest, she saw Tora emerge from behind a door and spot the pink haired kunoichi and immediately went to join her, pulling her away from the sputtering drunk as they made their way towards the stage.

“Ready for round two?” the taller woman asked as she slung her arm around Sakura’s shoulders.

The kunoichi tried not to be unnerved by the fact that the side of Tora’s naked and bountiful breast was pressing against her. It was just skin after all and if there was one thing she was going to have to get used to seeing, it was boobs.

“Yeah,” she said with a smile as the song currently playing ended, signaling it was their turn to take the stage, and she was surprised that this time, she actually meant it.

XXXXX

Kakashi observed quietly from the back of the room for the rest of the night. As he had expected, there were no remarkable events and no late night visitors that he instantly deemed suspicious, but he preferred to be safe rather than sorry. Besides, he was staked out in a strip club. He’d had worse missions, that much was for sure.

Sakura had continued to dance topless the rest of the night, wrapping her limber body around her pole with ease. While Kakashi was thorough in examining the crowd and trying to memorize their faces, he spent a good part of the night watching her every move.

It was fascinating watching his student that had been more shy than outgoing, and later, more interested in books than boys, suddenly become a sex kitten. It was quite the transformation and Kakashi had to admit, she wasn’t half bad at it, not that he was watching her for any reason other than surveillance. No, of course not.

Once during the night, he actually caught sight of Dajaku chatting up a patron happily but couldn’t help but notice that the owner’s eyes were shifting to Sakura’s nude body even more than his own. The Copy nin couldn’t be sure whether he was imagining all the money her body would rake in or if he was fantasizing about just what he could do to it. Either way, Kakashi didn’t like it one bit and decided he disliked the man even more than before. As much as he wanted to give the balding man a piece of his mind, he refrained from causing any disturbances and soon Dajaku melted back into the crowd, perhaps retreating to his office where he could watch the dancers from the privacy of his room.

Fifteen minutes to close, he slipped from the building before the crowd thinned too much for him to be truly unnoticeable. One glance over his shoulder found Sakura upside down, lean legs clenched around the metal rod as she held herself there easily. Chances were she hadn’t seen him get up and leave, which was fine. He could always call her tomorrow so they could meet and regroup, but as of right now, he believed a cold shower was in order. Even if his body hadn’t reacted yet, he needed something to flush the lingering thoughts out of his head that revolved around the woman on stage. Try as he might there were some things that no amount of training of self control could ever really vanquish.

XXXXX

The last dance finished and some of the girls went over to see if they could squeeze in one last lap dance for the night and make a little extra money from the men who were too shy or too sober to accept such an offer before. Sakura chose to retire backstage and she noticed that Jitsu was already there, a baggy T-shirt hanging off her thin frame.

“You’re not going to go with the others?” Sakura asked, plucking money from where it had been eagerly stuffed.

“I don’t give lap dances,” she answered quietly. “Never have, never will. I don’t care how much money it makes me.”

For a girl that seemed so timid, Sakura was surprised by the firmness in her voice. Apparently she disagreed with lap dances wholeheartedly. She was just about to ask why when a voice squealed her code name and a second later, Misaki had attached herself to the kunoichi like a leech…a topless leech.

“Hana! Hana I saw you dance! You did so good, and you looked so pretty! You had a whole ton of men staring at you! You’re a natural at this! And the things you were doing on the pole? Wow!”

Sakura was trying to calm the rambunctious blonde down with little luck as Tora joined her.

“Yes, your pole work was rather impressive,” she said, giving Sakura a knowing smile. Neither of them had told anyone about their early morning practice and drinking session. It would be their little secret.

“Yes, you did rather well Hana, you should be proud,” Kitsune added, patting Sakura on the shoulder where Misaki wasn’t clinging to her.

“Thanks guys,” Sakura managed to say, as she tried to gently pry the blonde’s arms from around her waist. “All of your support really helped. It would have been much harder without everyone.”

“That’s what we’re here for,” Miyabi said with a smile, gracefully walking into the room and tying her hair up into a messy bun now that she didn’t have to present herself to paying customers anymore. “We’re a family now Hana.”

“A dysfunctional family, but still a family,” Tora added with a chuckle and Sakura had to admit it was true. At the moment, they were all standing around in thongs and high heels discussing her first night as a stripper. What the hell kind of family did that?

“Well, isn’t this sweet,” a new voice said and all heads turned to find Tsurenai entering the dressing room. She still wore the lime heels and fishnet thigh-highs but her top hadn’t made an appearance since she first took it off on stage. Her skimpy thong could barely contain all the money sticking out of it and Sakura wondered if she had made more tonight than all the other dancers combined.

“Hello Tsureanai,” Sakura said evenly, trying not to come off as cold even though she was eyeing her critically.

Misaki finally untangled herself from around Sakura’s body so she could face the purple haired woman as well.

“I haven’t seen much of you today, I was wondering where you went,” Sakura asked, making her statement sound innocent as the star dancer walked past.

“I’ve been here and there, you know, finding interesting things to do.”

It was not lost on Sakura that the way she phrased it made it sound like everyone else at the club was a bore.

“I watched you dance for a bit tonight,” she continued, changing the subject as if the previous one were unimportant. “I noticed your little stumble, it’s a good thing you caught yourself otherwise you could have been in for a nasty spill.”

Her voice was sugar sweet and saccharine and that made Sakura all the more angry. She was no fool. She knew Tsurenai would have loved to watch her fall flat on her face.

“I’ll be looking forward to watching you improve,” she said, moving past her easily on heels that were much taller than Sakura’s to climb the stairs and withdraw her key to unlock the door to the upstairs rooms.

“Just ignore her,” Kitsune scoffed. “She obviously sees you as a threat and is trying to cut you down in her own petty way.”

“But in a way that’s good,” Misaki chimed in cheerfully. “That means you’re good enough to maybe even become better than her some day and she can see that. You’ve got talent!”

Sakura wasn’t sure whether this news was heartening or distressing. Sure it was good that stripping would come naturally, considering it was going to be her occupation for at least a few weeks, but at the same time, if she wanted to get answers out of Tsurenai, she couldn’t exactly be on her bad side.

“Whew, I’m exhausted,” Tora announced, thankfully shifting the topic from the purple haired snob. “Let’s get to bed shall we?”

Sakura couldn’t agree more. After everything that had happened today, she could go for a long night of sleep before she had to get up and do this all over again.

XXXXX

That’s all for now! I’ll try to update sooner next time but I make no promises. Maybe with spring Break coming up I can make some progress on this thing! As always, reviews=love. Thanks for reading!

~J-Pop