"It's the only chance we got, and you know it. We tried everything. And I mean everything. This is our last resort."

Naruto's eyes pleaded with his partner as he rested his finger on the photograph Sasuke has been silently staring holes into for the last couple of minutes. The blonde agent prided himself on a patience that could easily rival the Dalai Lama's, but even his composure could only last for so long.

They had been hunting down Japan's most ruthless Yakuza boss for nigh on 3 years and so far, only came into sniffing distance of the man known as Shimura Danzo. Despite having the full force of Japan's intelligence agency to support them, gathering intel on the infamous mob boss bordered on the impossible. And whenever they were lucky enough to stumble across a seemingly promising lead, it turned out to be a dead-end every time.

Until now. Now, their investigation found a new person of interest. One that could turn the tide in the agency's favour. Yet one that left a bad taste in Sasuke's mouth.

He walked around the desk to where Naruto stood and skimmed through the file once again. Everything about this plan screamed failure, but his partner was right – they were desperate. He took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. Running his fingers through his chin-long black hair, Sasuke asked, "What makes you so sure this will even work?" His long-time partner looked at him confidently and said, "Why should it not work? I know the odds are stacked against us with this one, but we've faced graver circumstances and still came through. What makes you so doubtful this time?" – "Oh I don't know, maybe the fact that she's a freakin' prostitute?"

Sasuke let his glasses fall on the desk with a loud thump, right next to the photograph that's been haunting his dreams for days. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see Naruto's chest heave with an annoyed sigh. "For the hundredth time, she's not a prostitute, she runs a brothel." – "Same shit, different toilet. She caters to the scum of Japan's underworld; she isn't going to rat out anybody. Where do you think her loyalties lie when her brothel is-" – "Frequented by men we know have ties to Danzo. I'm telling you, this is the closest we've ever gotten to any of his people without having to suspect they're somehow leading us on. She's our last chance for booking this bastard, and you know it."

Naruto's eyes bore into Sasuke's doubtful gaze with such conviction, it almost made the raven haired agent forget the fact the woman's rap sheet was as long as the Eiffel Tower was high – though her appearance would suggest otherwise. Sasuke let his gaze fall on her photograph once again. Her heart-shaped face was framed by long pink tresses, which were pinned up in an elegant up-do and secured with traditional jade hair pins, which he knew were rumoured to be coated in poison. Her vibrant eyes bore the same colour as her hair pins and were probably equally dangerous, at least in Sasuke's opinion. After all, her mysterious gaze was what had been haunting his dreams for the past few days, and everything that distracted Sasuke was dangerous.

He sighed in defeat and turned to his childhood friend. "You seem overly confident in her willingness to help us. You have something on her, don't you?" He saw the sobriety leave his partner's face, only to be replaced by one of his famous mischievous grins.

She saw them before they saw her. The balcony leading out of her office on the third floor of the House of Blossoms provided the perfect vantage point for observing all the comings and goings of her clientele – even those who have something entirely different in mind than enjoying some private time with her girls, which was clearly the case for the two agents. The way they scrutinised their surroundings, the way they held themselves – like predators stalking their criminal prey – gave off an unwelcome vibe of law enforcement. They were lucky her customers were drunk on sake and high on opium.

Yet her perception had always been on point; she noticed them 10 seconds after they stepped in through the iron gates. It probably would have taken her 5, had they not worn their masks that were always a requirement in her house for the sake of discretion.

Taking a sip of her Cheval Blanc, she motioned one of her girls to come closer. Raising her chin in the direction of the agents, she murmured, "You see those two gentlemen in the white masks? Show them to my office, would you?" With a whispered yes Madame the girl gave a little bow and hurried down the stairs.

On their way to the third floor, Sasuke and Naruto recognised at least a dozen wanted criminals, brought to their knees by the Madame's girls, who introduced them to an alcohol- and opium induced state of pure bliss. They were all sprawled on red velvet armchairs and sofas that were scattered around the entrance lobby, some more or less shielded from lustful outside gazes by folding screens. The large crystal chandelier hanging from the high gothic ceiling was only dimly lit, and there were candles all over setting the mood.

The second floor was a bit noisier than the entrance lobby, as this was the place where the girls brought their customers to fulfil all those promises they whispered into their ears a minute earlier in the lobby downstairs. Of the many bedrooms located on the second floor, the two agents could peer into most of them. Either people forgot the meaning of the word privacy, or they were so confident in their sexual prowess they wanted everyone else to witness it. At least that would explain all those open bedroom doors, Sasuke thought to himself.

The couple in the room right next to the stairs leading to the third floor was especially loud. The raven-haired agent couldn't help but peek in the direction of the woman's moans. On a large Victorian bed, surrounded by candlelight, he saw a redhead riding her client reverse cowgirl style. When her eyes locked onto him, she grinned seductively and let her left hand wander between her legs, while the other beckoned him to join.

He turned his head and followed his partner and the other scantily clad woman to the third floor.

Stepping through the wooden door, they found themselves in the spacious office of the Madame. Designed in the same Victorian style as the rest of the brothel, it looked like any other office: a desk with a pile of papers on it, a couple of chairs, a bookshelf, a small bar. The only thing that stood out was the futon mattress to their right, with a transparent red veil hanging from the ceiling and enveloping the mattress in a shroud of subtle mystery. Sasuke could only guess what this mattress was for, judging by the red silk bra and the black tie lost somewhere between the many pillows scattered around the large futon.

His gaze was drawn to the balcony on his right, when the Madame finally spoke, "That would be all, Mei, thank you."

Sasuke's eyes landed on their current person of interest – Sakura Haruno, standing on her candle lit balcony facing them in all her half-naked glory. She was wearing an untied red silk dressing gown with traditional Japanese designs on it, underneath it a black lace bra adorned with jewels and pearl strings hanging from it that cascaded down her flat belly in elegant patterns. Right above her black lace panties a garter belt circled her slim waist, holding up her black stockings. Her long slender legs ended in a pair of stilettos with heels high and sharp enough to warrant a licence. Her intricate updo sported her signature jade hair pins, and her lips looked so inviting they almost made Sasuke forget he was here on official business.

With one of her delicate fingers she pointed to the bar next to her desk. "Can I interest you gentlemen in a drink?" His blonde partner was polite enough to decline verbally; Sasuke greeted her invitation only with cold silence.

She walked over to her desk, took a seat, and motioned the two agents to do the same.

"I have to say, not many men make it to the third floor without indulging in at least one of the many pleasure we offer at my house. No alcohol, no sex", she stressed that word looking seductively at Sasuke, "it almost makes me want to question your intentions." She took another sip of her wine, pursed her lips and said, "And please, do take off those masks. Your identities are safe within these walls."

The two agents obliged and placed their masks on the desk that separated them from the Madame. Out of the corner of his eye, Sasuke could see Naruto run a hand through his blonde hair before he cleared his throat and spoke, "In that case, while we're already being so open with each other, let me tell you why we're here, Miss Haruno. You're going to help us bring down Shimura Danzo." Naruto conveyed those words with such a matter-of-factness, it made Sasuke's doubts over the success of their plan shrink a little.

He eyed the pink-haired woman in front of him in suspicion and saw her lips spread in a grin. "And how, pray tell, do you suggest I do that?"

"You have ledger where you keep all your clients' dirty secrets that your girls learned of during their… meetings. We know for a fact that your establishment is frequented by men with ties to Shimura Danzo. You will allow us access to said ledger, which we will use to exploit his men's weaknesses and thereby, get closer to Danzo himself."

She seemed impressed by their plan, Sasuke noted, and surprisingly not at all fazed by the fact they knew about her valuable secret ledger. She leaned forward, resting her head on her hands and shifting her gaze between the two men in front of her. "That's a cute little plan, my dear agents, but now comes the part where I respectfully ask why the fuck I should do that."

"And now comes the part where I tell you that if you don't, we're going to shut down your little underage crime ring." Sasuke's retort made her self-assured grin fade, and she stared daggers into his eyes. "That's right, we know about the kids. And if you don't follow our orders, they will end up on the street again."

Sakura pursed her lips and leaned back in her leather chair. She seemed to have regained her composure, as she spoke her next words, "Bullshit. The agency would never do that to innocent little children. It would destroy their already crumbling image. You're bluffing."

"You know if it were up to anyone else, you'd probably be right. But since Sasuke's the one in charge here, and he's the most cold-blooded agent to ever grace the face of this earth, you can bet your ass he doesn't give a flying fuck about collateral damage, children or otherwise. You know what he said to me yesterday when we discussed this? Living on the street actually builds character. In his eyes, he'll be doing them a favour."

Sakura eyed the black-haired man in front her in disbelief. She'd heard stories and rumours about the infamous agent Uchiha: how he grew up under the worst of circumstances, how he became the youngest ever member of his task force, how he made a name for himself as the agency's most efficient enforcer, bending the law just enough to stay on its good side. It is said they used him for their most dangerous and most fucked-up missions. It seemed he was the only one capable of handling the emotional trauma, because apparently, he felt nothing. If anyone were willing to endanger innocent children for the sake of arresting Shimura Danzo, it would be him, no doubt about it.

It seemed Sakura had finally found a match. She had to re-think this, she realised.

"Very well thought-through, I have to give you that. But what you fail to understand is that there is nothing illegal about my dealings with those children. It seems that one piece of leverage you thought you had never even existed in the first place." Pleased with herself, she grasped her glass and took a generous gulp of her favourite wine.

"You exploit them as housekeepers, cooks, and maids. The majority of them is under the age of 15, and that makes it child labour, which, in case you haven't noticed, has been banned since 1945", Naruto retorted, his voice steadily growing angrier. At hearing his accusation, Sakura's face contorted in rage and she hissed, "How dare you accuse me of that. I don't exploit those children, I rescued them from the street. I gave them a roof over their head, a warm meal every day, and a bed to sleep in every night. That's far more than their families have ever given them. Yes, in return I let them help out around the house, but I always go out of my way to make sure they don't work too much. They actually begged me to assign them jobs, they said they needed a purpose, a reason to get up every morning, something that distracts them from their problems. They are well-fed and happy and healthy under my care, and I will not allow you to take that away from them." Her jade eyes burnt with fury as she stared down the blonde agent in front of her. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the Uchiha shift in his seat.

Her gaze turned to him as he murmured, "Then help us. Hand over your ledger, and we'll forget about the kids." Sakura closed her eyes in contemplation, sighed in defeat, and whispered, "Fine." She fixed the Uchiha with an unwavering gaze of hatred, only to see him staring back at her in unfazed silence.

Sasuke inhaled, averted his gaze from her face, and turned to his partner. "Alright, that's settled then. Once we leave with the ledger, you'll never hear from us again."

He raised his hand to pick up the mask from her desk, but just as his fingers were about to touch it, Sakura stabbed one of her hair pins into her desk, right between his index and middle finger. She was so quick in her movements, Sasuke didn't even notice her raising a hand to her head. He looked up to her face and saw several locks of hair fall out of her updo and cascade down her shoulders.

It was then that he realised the rumours concerning her hair jewellery were true. A single drop of poison came into contact with his index finger, making it feel like his entire hand was on fire. She must have noticed, Sasuke realised, as the anger from before left her face.

Grinning knowingly, Sakura leaned closer him. "Not so fast, agent Uchiha. I have my conditions."

What annoyed them most about this deal was that they had to work from the House of Blossoms instead of their offices. Sakura was willing to give them access to her ledger, but above all, she wanted to uphold the integrity of her establishment and the high level of discretion it was known for. As a result, they weren't allowed to take the ledger with them, but had to come to the brothel whenever they needed to delve into its many secrets. To make matters more complicated, she forbade them to work with the actual book itself, but would only copy certain pages that were relevant to their investigation.

Sakura had an office set up for them on the third floor where they could work undisturbed and in secret. Though they often came early in the morning, where there were no clients and no danger of being recognised, their work usually had them burn the midnight oil.

That also meant that he was around Sakura more than he'd initially expected, Sasuke knew, though he still had to decide whether that was good or bad. During the day he witnessed her as a fun and loving mother figure for her many fosterlings, and in the night, she would turn into the enticing temptress that had almost sliced off his fingers a few months back. He didn't know which side of her he liked better. Sasuke begrudgingly had to admit, however, that he did start to feel something.

They had gotten closer over the last 4 months they spent sifting through her ledger. It started out with curious sideway glances and lingering touches and grew to subtle flirtation and sexual innuendos, though always left unpursued. He would call her princess whenever Sakura was in one of her moods, and she would snarl at him. She would bite his earlobe as a tease, and Sasuke would let her. Even though he was known to bend the law in his favour, he would never compromise his mission by stepping over that one line and getting too close to Sakura. So he would allow himself the occasional flirtatious quip and inappropriate caress to satisfy just enough of his desire to keep himself in check.

But he had to admit it was getting harder to hold on to that famous iron will of his. When he had to beat up a drunk customer twice her size who had gotten too close to her, Sasuke realised her cared about her. When she worriedly asked him if the guy had recognised him as an agent, Sasuke realised she cared about him, too.

From that moment, he concentrated all his efforts into completing his mission as soon as possible. The longer he remained in her presence, Sasuke realised, the less he was focused on bringing down Shimura Danzo.

And when the night finally came where they recorded that one vital piece of information from one of his henchmen and where Sakura signed the papers relieving her of her duties as the agency's informant, Sasuke immediately pressed her against the wall, kissed her until they were both out of breath, and laid her down on the futon in her office. He fucked her senseless all night and left in the morning.

Everything happened pretty fast in the next couple of months. Pursuing the lead they had gotten out of one of Danzo's men that night, they were able to shut down his most profitable businesses, collecting enough evidence in the process to arrest him on a litany of charges. Danzo was finally in custody awaiting trial, and Sasuke was finally ready to leave this nerve-racking case and everything relating to it behind him.

Until he saw her waltz out of his boss' office one day.

Sasuke hadn't seen Sakura since that morning he left her after the most mind-blowing lovemaking he ever had the pleasure of experiencing. He had played with the thought of contacting her in the lonely hours of the night, when memories of their intimacy washed over him like a sea of desire.

But his rationality always won in the end. Prioritising his mission, he finally brought it to an end, and the Universe rewarded him justly.

"Sakura", he murmured after realising she wasn't going to look up. Her head lifted, and he was met with her vibrant jade green eyes, staring at him dumbfounded. The clicking of her heels stopped as she came to a halt right in front of him. After another moment of studying him, Sakura whispered his name.

Sasuke couldn't help but think back to their shared night, when she whispered his name in the same tone whenever his tongue darted around her most sensitive of spots.

Trying hard to supress his smirk, he led her into his office and asked, "What are you doing here?" Sakura looked down at her bag, where some papers were sticking out. "Apparently, there was still some follow-up paperwork for me to sign. Nondisclosure agreements and such, you know the drill." She took a breath and continued, "The mission was a success I heard. Congratulations on arresting that bastard. So what's up next for the great Uchiha? Assassinating Kim-Jong Un, ending world hunger?"

Sasuke's lips turned up in a smirk. "Who says I haven't done that already?" – "So you're telling me that fat little kid in North Korea is an imposter, and all the children in Africa are only pretending to be hungry?" Sasuke shrugged nonchalantly and said grinning, "Can't talk about that, it's classified."

Hearing his response made Sakura giggle, and Sasuke thought to himself that he quite liked that sound. She sighed and looked up at him with that seductive grin that always made his head spin. She stepped closer and placed a hand on his chest, while the other played with his tie.

"You know, it turns me on when you go all agent on me." Sasuke leaned back on his desk and let his hands wander to her behind. "I can go all agent on you anytime, princess." – "How about tonight, then?" Her lips were now close to his ear, her teeth nibbling on his earlobe sending a shiver down his spine. "Only if you wear that black lace bra with those pearl strings on it."

He could hear her giggle again as she turned to look at him. Her hands clasped the back of his neck, and his hands circled around her waist; Sasuke felt like it was the most natural thing in the world. Staring into her eyes, he raised an eyebrow in anticipation of her answer. Sasuke watched her lips spread in a mischievous grin, as she whispered, "Yes, sir."

Note: Sakura's brothel is based on Madame Xiao Xiao's House of Blossoms from the 2014 Thief game. Check it out if you need any inspiration for gloomy and mysterious surroundings, the game is beautifully designed. Or just simply go and play it, it's awesome. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it. Reviews are always welcome. :)