Stripped Bare (kakashiXsakura)

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.