~Bulletproof~ SasuSaku Mafia Story

Chapter 24 ~ You Know How To Ball?

Izuna woke up Sakura by gently shaking her the morning of July 15. He found the need to do this unusual, as she was usually a light sleeper and woke up the second he turned the doorknob in the past.

She slowly opened up her eyes, and Izuna saw clear signs of prolonged crying on her face. He immediately felt uncomfortable as he was pretty bad at comforting people. Again, not a strength of the Uchiha in general. He cleared his throat and stepped back from her bed as she slowly sat up. She was definitely not her usual chipper self.

"Hey, um, you okay? You seem like yo-"

"Drop it, Izuna, not now." She rubbed her eyes and turned away from Izuna and toward the only window in her bedroom.

"O-okay, if you say so. Listen, the ball starts at 4 PM. Guests will start arriving around 3:30 for purse check and registration. You have to be ready by then."

Sakura did not react to his words at all.

"Also, you need to wear a formal black dress. The maids will bring several options in the next few hours."

Again, no response.

"I was also asked to um, set some ground rules. Suigetsu and Shisui will be with you the whole time, and you are not allo- um, you're encouraged not to go anywhere without them. You also should not speak to anyone outside the people you know, and simply nod, smile, and walk away if someone speaks to you. This is important, Sakura."

She put her hair up in a bun and got out of her bed. She walked past Izuna into the bathroom. She felt physically and emotionally tired. Most importantly, she felt like she was trapped in a cage with a bunch of monsters. Even Izuna, who she usually enjoyed spending time with, was suffocating her. She just wanted to get away from these people, so having to have a conversation about a ball with even more people like the Uchiha ruined her day before it even started.

"And, bring your pistol, just in case. You won't have to use it, but still. Also, um, Sasuke said you shouldn't drink anything even if the waiters offer."

"Fuck what Sasuke said." She spoke for the first time, her voice sounded raspy from all the yelling and crying last night. She came out of the bathroom and sat on her bed in front of Izuna, giving him a 'what you gonna do about it?' look.

"Eh, right, but really, Sakura, people can slip you something through your drink. We just want you safe."

"Right, safe. How nice of you all. Speaking of which, how's Kabuto doing?" She shot Izuna an angry look.

Unaware of last night's shenanigans, Izuna was confused by the tone Sakura took with that question. He was away all of yesterday dealing with ball-related logistics, so he answered this question truthfully and obliviously.

"Oh, it went great! He spilled a lot of useful information by the end of it. Poor guy, really, he just wanted it to end. Good riddance, though, he gave us a lot of intel for the future." He grinned and gave Sakura a thumbs up.

"Get out, Izuna." Sakura stood up to face him. He was only a bit taller than her.

"Okay, Sakura, something is clearly bothering you."

"Sorry, I meant to say, get out, Sherlock."

"Oh, um, funny, but Sakura, really,-"

"Leave, please. I want to be alone."

Izuna walked to the door reluctantly and shot her one last glance before heading out. He was away for one day, what had he missed?

Sakura locked her door from the inside - not that it would make a difference. Everyone here had a key to her room. Again, a false sense of privacy, a false sense of freedom. They were all full of shit.