Chapter Two:

"Huh, weird," Ino said, munching on a cheese doodle and staring at the piece of paper in front of her. She was clearly distracted, so I picked up a pillow and threw it at her over the counter. She jumped and narrowed her eyes at me, picking it back up and whipping it back. I almost fell over on the couch.

"That's all you have to say?" I asked.

"What are you talking about? I get dumb calls like that all the time. It was probably just a sales call and they hung up on you. You should probably check to see if you get charged, though. You should never call those numbers back, you dummy."

"I just thought…" I didn't know what I thought. "Maybe it was a job offer and maybe the line just went dead." Maybe… But Ino was back to ignoring me, her upper body resting on the kitchen counter.

"What are you looking at?" I asked, eyeing the paper.

"What, this?!" she sneered, and I instantly regretted asking, "This, Sakura Haruno, is our monthly bill for the rent that you have yet to contribute to!" She rolled her eyes and went back to looking it over. "How did we spend that much on electricity?" she mumbled. "We haven't even used the A/C that much this year…"

"I know—"

"Get a job."

"I know! I'm looking for one!"

I huffed and hugged the pillow to my chest. Our apartment was small and cheap, but still bigger than the dorm we shared at college. We had separate bedrooms, which was a blessing if Ino was going to be single again in the near future… At least her keeping Naruto away from me meant that I didn't have to listen to that thump, thump, thump through the wall anymore. There was still one bathroom, which wasn't a big deal, and the kitchen, living area and dining room were all one long room. The door was in front of the living area, with the television and the couches. The kitchen was right behind it, and we had a dining room table in the back. A hallway was attached, which lead to the rest of the rooms. It was a decent size. My parents let me have one of their cars, instead of me having to buy a new or used one, and Ino could afford to buy a new one after a few months.

She worked in business management and sales. It was one of those jobs where the more you sold, the more money you made, and of course, Ino could sell. She just had to find a male client and flash that perfect smile of hers and they would fall head over heels, as always. I thought it was a little unfair sometimes, but she liked what she did. She got her degree in business and she went for it right after we graduated.

She probably got hired because of her looks, too. No one can resist a gorgeous face like hers. You wouldn't stand a chance if you were competing for the same job, you know…

I still felt bad because she'd been paying the rent in full this whole time, and even if I got a crappy job as a cashier or something minor, I'd still have my car insurance, phone bill, internet, student loans, credit cards… and then rent on top of that. I wouldn't be able to survive. My bank account was almost empty now anyway, and the last thing I was going to do was ask my parents for money… Because I knew they'd say yes and give me whatever I needed. They always did, and I couldn't do that to them… Not after they took out loans just to help me get through college. They were probably still paying them off, too…

And now I had this degree in English literature. It was practically a piece of paper that said I knew how to read and I write a good essay. Who would hire someone with that degree? I should have changed my major back when I had the chance. If I wanted to be a journalist, or even a teacher, I'd have to go back to college anyway. And transferring credits would just put me deeper in debt.

Ugh, adult life is pretty shitty…

"Here, look at this," Ino said, pulling up her phone. She scrolled down and read, "Things you can do with your English degree." I rolled my eyes. "You can be an assistant to an editor of some writing company, so like a proofreader, I guess. You're good with grammar, right? What about a librarian? You like books! Or you can be a private tutor. Or like an online tutor. That sounds better. Ooh, you can work from home. All you need is a laptop and you can make like twenty an hour."

I sighed a little too loud and she glared at me.

"I'm trying to help you out here… Which will hopefully help me out a little, too, ya know. We got this place thinking it would save us money, but you're getting a free ride for like over three months now."

"I know, okay! I said I'm looking! You think this isn't stressing me out enough?"

"I'm literally giving you options right now."

No, you're telling me random things that aren't real positions available right now and within a 50-mile radius. You're just reading off some online list that was probably made by someone who got lucky right off the bat, or had connections, or didn't have the problem of starting with no money and coming off a shitty relationship that made you depressed all the time…

"I know, okay…"

God, why was I starting to think about that right now? Out of all the things my mind could wander to, and of course it was Him. I didn't need to feel like crap right now. Well, I already did. I just didn't need to feel any worse. And I certainly didn't want to start getting upset in front of Ino while she was in ranting-mother mode. I stood up from the couch, already feeling the stinging behind my eyes, grabbed my purse off the coat hanger next to the door and quickly put my shoes on.

"I'm going back out to look, okay?" I said, opening the door. Ino just ignored me and started looking over the bill for the rent again. I didn't slam the door as I went out.

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—Sasuke—

"She's still outside…" Csilla said to me over the phone. "Sasuke, please. It's raining. She's going to get sick. You know she has no other place to go. She'll wait out there forever."

"She has plenty of places she can go," I replied. "With all the men she's been sleeping with recently, I'm sure one of them will take her in."

"Why are you so mad at her?" Evelyn asked. Apparently, I was on speakerphone now. "Because she yelled at you while you were drunk? From what I heard, maybe you should have listened to her…"

"She's not allowed inside. End of discussion. I have cameras set up outside, and if anyone lets her in, I'm calling the police and having everyone removed. I'm not joking."

"You would put us all out on the street?" Kara's voice asked nervously, and I knew she was thinking of her six-year old daughter, Chiya. No, of course I wouldn't put a mother and her child out on the street. But Anko… Anko needed to learn her place. She'd been acting way too bossy recently, and she needed to be reminded of who was really in charge here.

"Sasuke?" Csilla said, and I realized I never answered them.

"Just don't let her in the house, okay? Tell her to go get a hotel or something for a few days."

"She said she has no cash on her, and someone stole her credit cards when you tossed her purse out of the club without even making sure it got back to her safely," Evelyn said heatedly.

They all loved Anko. It was a big problem. She was the one they interacted with most of the time, and she took care of them all when I wasn't there. I knew it should have been me, but… Ever since I started my other business, I made the mistake of leaving the purple-haired bitch in charge of the women and my fucking house. Big mistake. Thankfully, the deed was still in my name, so she couldn't call the cops and tell them she was locked out. If I didn't want her there, she couldn't get in. I let her have a key before out of convenience.

"How could you do this to her?" another voice called from the other line. I couldn't tell who it was, but a few more of them all mumbled some form of agreement. I rolled my eyes at all of them.

Another unfortunate choice on my part was when we started our business together, I gave her a lot of power, because she knew how to run things. If I was to just remove her from the picture completely, I wouldn't know exactly what to do—which bank accounts are hooked up to what—which clubs run at what times—who goes out on which nights and who stays home—who gets what and how much, and all that. Each woman in my house had their own schedule, insurance, job, and I didn't know any of it anymore. I hadn't been fully involved with the whole thing in almost a year, and it showed. The fact that I still needed her to stick around pissed me off to no end.

"She said she's tried calling you and you won't answer her," Csilla said. "Just pick up the phone and talk to her and get this figured out so we can all relax, please."

"She knows what she did. She knows what she's doing."

"And why aren't you coming home? You haven't been here in months, and you barely answer when we call. How do you expect this place to keep running when Anko isn't even allowed inside? Why don't you come home, and we can all talk about it together?"

"I'm not going back there for a while. I told you all that five months ago."

"That girl is gone, Sasuke, and she's not coming back. Even Anko thinks—"

"I don't want to hear what Anko thinks. And I know she's gone. Why does everyone think that I have a problem with that. I just don't like the way Anko is running my business, and she's been acting like she's in charge and she needs to keep herself in check."

"What does that even mean? She's always here for us. And you won't even come to the house…"

"That's enough," I said, and I meant it. The line went silent for a few moments and I narrowed my eyes. "You live in my house. I allow you a place to stay. That's how it's always been, and that's how it stays. If you want to leave, by all means, you're free to go. But while you're all living under my roof… my rules. If that's not clear enough to any of you, then you'll end up where Anko is. She forgot who allows her to live here, and she needed to be reminded. That's all. Any questions?" The line was still silent, and I had to pull my cell away from my face to make sure they didn't hang up on me.

"You were never like this before," Kara's voice cut in sadly. "What happened to you?"

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. This wasn't even about them. It was all about Anko and how she was acting out of line. The only reason I hadn't called the cops on her already for sitting in the front yard was the fact that she knew things… things that I needed to know to keep running that aspect of the business, but I didn't.

"I'll call her," I finally said, hanging up without another word. I found the purple-haired bitch's contact info and hit send. It took her three rings, which irritated the fuck out of me.

"It's about fucking time. I hope you prepared a massive apology—"

"I'm giving you our business," I said quickly, and again, there was silence.

"What does that mean?" she asked slowly, as if analyzing each one of her own words.

"It means I'm done. We're splitting everything and I want out."

"Oh, no no no. Sasuke, honey," she laughed, and I didn't like the way she was taking this. "It doesn't work like that. There's no half and half. You're either all in or all out. And if you're out, there's no splitting anything."

"The house is in my name. Most of the clubs are in my name."

"Three bank accounts are in my name."

"Sounds fair to me. I have plenty of money. And I have another business."

"You can't be serious. What about everyone else?"

"I barely talk to them, and I don't think I'll see them any time soon, either. You take good care of them and they love you. That's what I'm counting on."

"So you're going to dump them all on me and take the house? What a douche-move. You're such a prick. Is this all because of that Jinko-girl? Or the new one that yelled in your face in front of everyone?"

"No, you can have the house. I'm sure with the money in your name and if you keep handling the business the way you have been, you'll be able to afford it. If not, maybe you'll move. I don't know. I figure it's not really my problem anymore."

"You're… not serious, right? This is some stupid joke because you're mad I yelled at you when you were being drunk-dumb, right?"

"No, I'm serious. I've been thinking about it for a while now. If I want any kind of life that I used to picture for myself, I need to separate myself from you and the others. I won't leave you stranded, but I'll leave you enough to survive. Maybe not thrive, but you'll make it. I'll leave you two clubs. Actually, I'll sell them to you. For half price."

"Now I know you're kidding, you fuck." She was pissed. Good.

I just shrugged to myself. "It'll be hard for you to get in anywhere with that many people, so you're going to need to own your own establishments. I'll shell out two clubs for one bank account. And don't start switching money around, because then I just won't sell you anything."

"And what if I say no? You'd really keep all three hangouts and not let any of us inside?"

"No, I'd just sell them to someone else. And then you really wouldn't be let in..."

"You know they're all going to hate you for this, right?"

"If it takes that little for them to hate me, after everything I've done for the past six years—everything I've sacrificed just to make sure they were all safe and secure, then fuck them, too." I paused and waited for her to say something, but she didn't. I inwardly smirked. "We can start working things out immediately. Empty one of your bank accounts and cancel it. I want to see the documents by tomorrow. I'll let you back in the house, so take one of my cars. If there's a single scratch on it when I see you, the deal's off and you're out on the street. Got it?"

"… Fuck you, Sasuke."

"And after we settle that tomorrow, I'll have the house deed switched to your name and I'll sign over two of the clubs… After I go through and take my things out."

"Like what? You're going to be so petty as to take our fucking couches?"

"No, I mean my cars. And a few things in my bedroom there. Nothing big. You can keep the furniture."

"Oh, how generous of you," she spat. I just felt like laughing. Why hadn't I done this sooner? It was like a weight coming off my shoulders. I'd just been so… blind… thinking that I needed this side of myself. Everyone was well off and taken care of, because I'd already slaved to make it happen. Now, they acted like spoiled brats… because that's what I turned them into over the past couple years. They had whatever food and clothes they wanted. God, Chiya's toy room was the size of a master bedroom… I wasn't helping them anymore. I was just pampering them. And they were loving it. In fact, they were taking it for granted… I was practically being used by all of them. After I tried to help them… What a shitty feeling.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Anko."

"I can't believe you're fucking serious right now."

"Meet me at the apartment at noon… and bring what I asked for. I'll send someone over for my things in the morning… Don't be late."

"Is that a fucking threat?"

"Yes," I said simply. "It is."

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—Sakura—

I was reduced to being either a cashier, waitress or a bartender. Those were the only two available positions. No one else in town was hiring without credentials, and there was no way I could be a mechanical engineer or a college professor. And there were very few places around town that even involved anything like writing or editing. I looked into nearby newspaper companies, but even when I called, they said there were no positions available… My job hunt was as fruitful as ever since college ended.

I'm so tired of people brushing me off and acting like I'm not good enough to stack boxes on top of each other even though I finished college. Can't I just go home now? Maybe Ino fell asleep, or went out with Naruto…

And now I was over a fifteen minute walk from the apartment, and I didn't want to start having to walk more than five or ten minutes, especially if summer was coming to a close, and the cold weather was going to pick up in a couple months. The last thing I needed was to have to walk in a snowstorm for ten minutes just to work as a waitress, because that's what it was starting to look like.

The last place I could stop on my way back was a small bar and grill. It was a building right up against the road, with no sidewalk, and a half-broken fence lining the property. I was pretty sure it was the only place I had yet to apply to. I didn't want to be a chef, but another waitress position looked to be all I was going to get, sadly enough.

It was open, and when I walked through the doors, a few tables were filled, but not many. The lighting was dim, and the fixtures were mostly made out of an orange-brown wood. There were two floors, and stairs leading up to the second floor were on the left. It looked like a giant balcony from down where I was standing.

"Hello, table for… one?" a woman in a black skirt said, rushing over to me with a menu.

"Hi, uhm, actually… I was just curious if you guys are hiring right now? And if there's anyone I can speak to, or—"

"Oh, you can just leave your name and phone number with me and I'll give it to my manager after my shift is over," the lady replied quickly, handing me a pen and paper.

"Thanks…" I took them and jotted down my information. All these places, and not a single one asked for a resume… that's how I knew they didn't care about my college education. I had them written up and ready to email from my phone, but all anyone wanted was to either take my name and number or turn me away.

"Ok, thank you. Have a great day," the woman smiled and went back to whatever she'd been doing before I walked in. I just sighed, nodded once to myself, and turned towards the door… But not before I saw a familiar head of sleek, black hair out of the corner of my eye. I paused and slowly turned, not yet sure what was going through my head, but knowing that I was holding my breath. My face immediately got hot, and before I knew what I was doing, I walked right past the front register and zigzagged between tables and people walking by.

It can't be…

After all this time…

It just can't be…

I noticed a girl sitting beside him, and before I could try and make up an excuse for it in my head, she leaned into Him and laughed. Her smile was so bright and cheerful. She picked up a mug of light beer and took a hefty sip before placing it back down. She turned her whole body to him and started talking. She was being loud, but I wasn't paying any attention to what she was saying.

Instead, I headed right for the bar, and without thinking, I heavily placed my hand on His shoulder.

"Sasuke," I breathed, eyes wide.

He turned around and looked right at me.

And for a few seconds, I still thought it was Him, until I started staring at his face… and noticing the slight differences. His eyes were calmer. His hair was a bit flatter. He had small bags under his eyes. His lips weren't shaped the same. But when he looked at me, he just smiled softly, as if he knew me, and he cared about me. It was a strange feeling…

"I'm sorry," he said, his smile becoming a bit sadder… or was that my imagination? "I think you have me mistaken for someone else."

"No, wait," the girl sitting beside the man suddenly said, looking at me with shock all over her face. "She just called you Sasuke…"

"I heard her…"

"I… I'm sorry," I said, bowing slightly.

"No, that's alright," the man said. "I actually have a younger brother whose name is Sasuke." I froze. No way… "My name is Itachi Uchiha. Does that ring any bells?"