"Haru-kun."

Haru slightly turned his head toward the passenger seat behind, while eyes kept focus staring at the road ahead.

It was early in the morning, but they already on their way to Chiba for a meeting.

"Do you know about this place?"

A phone was showed up to Haru from behind. He tried to glanced; to see the picture his boss wanted him to see.

"I'm not sure," Haru hesitantly answered. "What about it, Sasuke-san?"

Sasuke was nodding his head; he retreated his phone into the inside pocket of his suit, "A Yatai bar near Todai Hospital Centre, I was impressed with their concept and the bartender's skill. I thought maybe you know."

"Wow, when did you have time for that? It must be a nice place."

Sasuke smirked, "If all the meetings went smooth, let's have a drink there, Haru-kun. What do you think?"

"I'd love to, Sir." Haru smile from ear to ear. Never had he expected the stoic Uchiha Sasuke would ask him just that.

/

h E R e • a F t E R

11.

/

Tokyo, 2021
Spring. The 28th March

Sakura stared pensively to the door with her chin rested on her left hand.

"Are you okay?" Asked the foreign guy right next to her.

Sakura forced a smile. She had just been caught up for blatantly ignoring her date.

"A headache," Sakura lied to him, "honestly, I don't drink that much and it's been ages since I came to this place."

The deafening sound of strange clubbing musics, not to mention the dim lighted room made her eyes squinted all night; Sakura wished she say no to Mai and her idea of having 'A blast' for Sakura's birthday.

Indeed, it looked like a blast for Mai; in which she was busy hitting the dance floor with her boyfriend whose body was fit enough to be an athlete or a bodybuilder. Sakura sulked on her seat, not because Mai was making the best of her time, but—

"You wanna go home then?" Another query with the strange tone from the matched brownish hair and eyes guy.

Sakura raised one of her pinkish brow.

At the exact moment, from the corner of her eyes Sakura saw the huge familiar man who was walking past her toward the exit door. He was on his phone while scrunching his nose uncomfortably.

"Excuse me, I need some fresh air." Sakura answered curtly. She did not tell lie. She needed the fresh air, and she couldn't stand her curiosity either. So, she walked to the exit door.

Juugo. Sakura remembered his name when she followed him outside the building. Sakura observed from afar when Juugo was crossing the street toward Kabukicho district.

What am I doing? The chilly air crept up from her legs to her entire body. She quivered in cold.

Her body demanded to go inside, but her head refused to go back to the foreign guy. It had nothing to do with racism, not even a bit. It was because, he had been blatantly non stop looking at her thigh. Sakura regretted and cursed herself for had chosen a dress.

What a stupid move for a first date.

New Year's Eve, Valentine, even for her birthday party, Sakura liked it to be simple and preferred to celebrate it with her co-workers or maybe some of her patients at the hospital. Or rather, she was not used to celebrate her birthday outside the hospital. In addition, she never celebrated it with a total stranger.

Who's ever?

Sakura was still grumbling while holding herself from the chilly wind when a bright red car she knew it too well was passing in front of her.

"Ah!"

The car slowly turned its direction. She stuck for a second to make sure it was the right car. The car's license plate was clearly visible for her to see when its turned toward the Kabukicho district, just like Juugo did ten minutes ago.

/

Either on the weekend or not, Kabukicho* at night would always be the most vibrant district of all Tokyo. A right place where ones wanted to fulfilled their fantasy and ecstasy at a time in many possible options.

The district was filled by the gleaming colourful neon lighs on almost every building. The exceptional look of the Hosts and Hostesses of the Club were seen on so many giant billboard in front of it.

Sakura narrowed her eyes sharply. The uttered dismay made her freeze when she saw Uchiha Sasuke walked into one of the Hostess Club. Not to mention, there were lots of people crowded at the front door. By the look of their faces, Sakura knew something was off.

"Excuse me," Sakura pushed her body to passing through the crowd.

She could not stop herself from thinking that something terrible might have been happened. And the worst thing was, because Uchiha Sasuke had walked into the scene himself.

/

Passing through the crowd at the front door, Sasuke ran inside the building of Orochimaru's infamous Hostess Club.

Juugo stood together with all of the Hostess Club's bodyguard. "Oh, you're here already," he said looking at Sasuke and Haru coming together, "Orochimaru is still on his way."

"Suigetsu?" Asked Sasuke.

Juugo pointed his thumb to across the room.

Suigetsu's back was facing them. And there were two man standing face to face with him. Another couple of men gathered behind them nearby.

Sasuke could not hear what they were talking about. He noticed one man seated on the corner with a battered face.

Then when he looked around he saw a lady was sitting behind Juugo's huge body. Her lips was swollen and bleeding, her hair was on messy ponytail which obviously not in such fashionable way, her back hunched to covered her tattered upper dress.

"You okay?" Sasuke asked her.

Which Karin took it in confusion. She merely stared at Sasuke.

Sasuke knew it better than anyone else, it was bound to happen the minutes he left Orochimaru office. It happened because he had asked their help to gather information from those filthy Yakuza.

"Sorry," Sasuke told her.

"Are you Sasuke? I'm fine it's nothing," Karin answered nonchalantly; she turned her face to the side to covered her bruises.

"What happened?"

"It's just- I tried to get him drunk for a bit to squeezed some information, but who knows he have a screw loose and gone mad."

Sasuke deeply sighed in frustation.

"I got the information nonetheless."

"I really appreciate that. But, for now," Sasuke gritted his teeth. "Let's get you to the hospital."

"I... I don't think we can," Karin hesitated.

Sasuke tried to help Karin to stand up. Before Juugo could stop him, someone shouted from across the room.

"Hey-teme! You can't just take that bitch!"

Suigetsu grab the man's shoulder tightly. "Watch your mouth! Sasuke you stay out of this!"

"I haven't told you, they wanna take Karin, that's why Suigetsu—" A sudden loud thump cut Juugo's words.

Sasuke saw the man who had shouted before flied backward; bumping his body into the wall.

"You little shit!" three men from the group cursed at Suigetsu and came toward him all at once.

Juugo and the bodyguards were also dashing to helped Suigetsu. In a split second, Orochimaru's Hostess Club had turned into a havoc before Sasuke's eyes.

"Sir, I'll call the police," Haru looked at Sasuke, who was now unbuttoning his sleeves. "S-sir what are—"

"—Hide yourself, Haru-kun."

/

The pretty ladies from inside the Club were running to get outside, on the contrary Sakura was tried to braven up to get herself in alone.

Sakura heard the loud thump which was made when a body hit something concrete, peple were groaning and the sounds of stuffs getting crashed into each other made her worried even more. She gulped down.

After she finally landed her eyes to what had been happening, it got opened wide in horror.

She shutted her mouth with one hand, while the others tried to reach to the pocket. Shit, I left it on the table. She wanted to call the police.

Sakura gritted her teeth and moved her shaky legs closer and closer to the main room full of furious men punching and kicking toward each other. She frantically looking all over the place until she spotted the huge man, Juugo.

And alongside him, there he was, Sasuke-kun.

Back in the High School, she never missed whenever Sasuke had his Karate match. She would sat on the audience seat like a scaredy-cat, and would immediately closed her eyes whenever Sasuke's body took a hit. She once cried when he lose.

Although she knew nothing about Karate, Sasuke would always be the best and the most impressive one in her eyes whether he lose or win. He made the girls—she was no exemption—swooned over him whenever they looked him in his Karate uniform, let alone when he performed.

It had been years, but, when Sakura looked at Sasuke who was now literally trying his best to dodged a several punches and sent a roundhouse kick toward his opponent before her eyes, she was once again like her seventeen year old-self, watching over him like a scaredy-cat.

And her heart beating like crazy, whether out of fear or amazement, she could not put a finger on it.

What on earth is he doing here? What am I supposed to do?

At that moment, Sakura felt someone was pushing her back to moved aside.

She turned her head to see a man made his entrance to the chaotic scene. He stomped his ways to the centre, and pushed aside two people along the way, then growled into the crowd.

"Enough!" He shouted.

Another man was coming; he brushed his shoulders with Sakura's when he walked toward the same way as the man from before. At first glance, Sakura thought he was a woman because of his long hair.

"You fucking humiliate me, stop this right now!"

The intense fight was abruptly silenced, still the air remained dreary. They stop on their track and unclenched their fist, some of them were staggering to stand up.

Sakura gaped incredulously. It was like one of that scenes from a gangster Movies, where the Big Boss came at the very end of their fights, whether to stop or to evoked more damage to the scene. It made the hair on the back of her neck stood up.

From across the dim lighted room, Sakura caught Sasuke's eyes were staring right into hers.

He was in fact glaring at her.

/

Fortunately, the red haired 'Big Boss' had the fight stop for good.

When the group of men started to scattering around, Sakura hesitantly walking over to Sasuke, who was now talking seriously with a man whom Sakura thought was a woman.

"Don't you talk to me like that, Sasuke-kun," the man looked disappointed, "We are all agree to this. If you trust me enough to help you, let me handle this."

"What are you doing here?"

The man was perplexed, "What do you mean by that?"

Sakura opened her mouth only to uttered incoherent words as she realized he was talking to her.

"Not you, Orochimaru," Sasuke was staring right behind him.

Orochimaru turned around, and looked at the scared lady. "Oh," he said.

"I saw you, and people are crowding outside. I thought maybe... you need help. What's going on, Sasuke-kun?"

"I'm sorry, but, none of your business, Sakura."

"Uh-oh, o-okay," Sakura clasped her wet hands together before it started to trembling.

Out of nervous she looked around, only to spotted a scratch on Sasuke's jaw, "Are you alright?"

Sasuke had not took away his glare, "Please, get out of here."

Orochimaru heard Sasuke. He glanced back and forth; he had no idea who she is, and why Sasuke is mad at her.

Sasuke and Sakura were looking at each other for a seconds, before Orochimaru cut in.

"You too, Sasuke-kun, right now before the police arrive."

"Please, Sasuke-san," Haru who had been waiting with a pale face finally begging to him.

"You don't want to tarnish your own effort for your hotel, Sasuke-kun. Just go!"

And with that Sasuke sighed and turned his body, "You come with me," he said—more like an order—glancing toward Sakura.

"N-no... I, I need to get back to my friends."

Sasuke gave her the cold shoulder. While Haru managed to say something before both went away, "Be careful, Sakura-san."

Sakura merely nodding her head. She exchanged few glances with Orochimaru who also left her to talked with the 'Big Boss' and his men. Despite her fear, Sakura really wanted to know what had happened.

And what is wrong with Uchiha Sasuke?

/

Sakura had forgotten how cold it was when she got outside. The crowd were already gone. And the group of men from inside the Club were leaving as well, before they even heard the police's sirens.

It turned out, that group of men was literally a gangster; yakuza. People were stayed out of their way; kept whispering the horrific things about the group. As Sakura walking back, she could not believe what she just had experienced.

"Where have you been, Sakura-chan!?" Mai was almost crying when she found Sakura on the street.

The two men behind her were as worried as Mai, they kept asking her what was happening, in which Sakura had no energy left to give a better response than a shaking head.

"I think, I need to go home, Mai."

"Are you sure you're gonna be alright on your own, Sakura-chan?" Mai asked before she let Sakura in to the taxi. The overwhelming confusion and worry was shown all over her face.

Sakura nodded her head. "Yes, I'm fine, Mai. Thank you for tonight," she said while waving goodbye to Mai and to her date, psupposedly.

As her taxi went on, Sakura deeply sighed. Her body slumped on to the seat.

Sakura took a serious mental note, it was indeed better to spend her birthday at the hospital next year.

e P i L o G u E

Right before they arrived at Gaara's Bar, Sasuke made the call. By the sound of her surrounding, she was still busy at the Hospital.

Sakura was in fact on her on-call shift when she received the unexpected call. Eleven at night, she looked precisely at her clock on the wall of her office. She managed to asked for a thirty minutes break from her co-workers.

Haru was waiting for the drinks at the bar when he looked at his young-master smiling all of a sudden. He followed the line of his young-master's stare.

There was a lady in a knitted beige cardigan at the Yatai's entrance, smiling and waving toward them. Haru did not expected his young-master's friend would be a woman. He let out a smile.

"Haruno Sakura," she reached out to Haru.

"Ueno Haru." She's so pretty. Haru held his stare for a moment to appreciated the loving lady in front of him. On top of that her hair, haru observed the beautiful soft pink hair, which tied-loose behind her head.

Haru remembered now. She was the woman that Mikoto Uchiha brought that day.

"So, you came back," Sakura giggled, teasing her friend.

Sasuke merely smirked.

"And you even brought a friend," she added.

Haru startled, "I wasn't—"

"He is from Hokkaido." Haru startled even more when Sasuke was responding.

"Wow, cheers for that," Sakura raised her glass to Haru.

Shyly he clinked the glass.

"I was from Hokkaido myself," Sakura leaned closer to the table, "Which Hokkaido you came from?"

Sasuke gave a fascinating smirk toward him.

Therefore, Haru told them he was from the port city in the eastern Hokkaido, named Kushiro. Sakura attentively listening to him, when he told her the detail of his hometown, even she asked about the local attractions.

"Aaah, wouldn't it be nice if we could go back to Hokkaido," she remarked while sipping her tea.

Haru nodded.

"I missed Sapporo Snow Festival**, aren't you too?"

"Hn."

A surge of nostalgia came to Sasuke's mind. They used to have their own festival at Konoha in the winter, it was usually a week before the Sapporo Snow Festival began.

He remembered he used to never like winter, thus having to do some physical activities in particular a festival while surrounded by the snow was unbearable for him; something he hated the most.

He and his blonde bestfriend who was not-so-suprisingly hated it as well, they would always hid inside the classroom throughout the festival. Despite the effort, his friends—most of the time Sakura who was ridiculously love the freezing cold season—managed to drag him and Naruto out to half-heartedly participated in the festival.

Sakura looked at her watch, before she glanced to her friend, "My thirty minutes has passed," and brought him back from his wandering mind
Sakura told Haru, "Hope we could meet again, Haru-san," she got up from her chair.

"Y-yes, Sakura-san," Haru almost bumped his knees when he rushed to take a proper bow to her. Sakura sent him a smile which brought a nice tingling to his chest while blushing all the way.

She nodded her head. "Bye, Sasuke-kun," She waved them goodbye. She also said goodbye to the three siblings; Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro along the way.

After the cherry blossom hair was out of their visibility, Haru asked his young-master, "She was the one who saved Mrs. Kudo, wasn't she, sir?"

Sasuke stared at her empty glass, which was filled with warm chamomile tea before. "She was."

"Aaah."

Haru had this look on his face—which he never showed all this time—as though Sakura left more impression than the Yatai Bar itself, when Sasuke asked him how he felt about it.

They both enjoyed the rest of their drinks, the late night snacks, and the light-pleasant mood Sakura had brought with her. It lingered a little bit more even after she left.

* Tokyo red-light and entertainment district; located in Shinjuku.

**One of Japan's most popular winter events, held during one week every February in Sapporo (Hokkaido's capital city)