Sakura was always a friendly girl. Like many of the children she grew up with, she never knew her family and was desperately seeking affection. In fact, she hungered for it. She wanted to be wanted. She never changed with the way she saw the world. From the crowded streets of the slums to the crowded halls of the brothel, she kept smiling. It's all she really could do.

There was sadness and relief when she met Sasuke again, finding out she was in fact a he. She finally learned his name and her old crush sprang back to life. They were feelings he could never return. That much, she knew. He was always so distant, but there were quieter times when he would allow her to get close. It always killed her when it was evident he was suppressing his emotions, but she understood why he did it. How else would one stay sane in such circumstances? There's no possible way.

They had to start over when he lost his memories for the first time. She blamed herself and the confusion she felt with Sasuke's strange, eerie tale. He saw the spirit of a dead girl and she couldn't stay quiet. She wondered if he would ever forgive her, but he didn't remember her ever wronging him. For that, there was guilt and there was relief. She was warned against talking to Sasuke about ghosts and she vowed not to do it again. She never let the story slip out after that, knowing it would only cause them more trouble. So, she started from the beginning. When Sasuke gave her empty stares, she promised him she was his friend. They got back what was lost. Part of Sakura hoped, with the absence in his mind, his feelings for her would change... but they never did.

"You're my friend," he would say. That was good enough for her. She knew Sasuke wasn't the kind of person who kept people close and she knew she was special for being allowed to stand next to him.

But then there was Sai – a new worker who was so much like Sasuke. He was sixteen when they first met, one year older than she was. She fawned over him. He was polite, giving her the kind of attention Sasuke never would. She fell for him, hard and fast. They both knew it was dangerous, but they couldn't keep away.

Sakura never minded his mangled hands or missing fingers. She found him perfect. "I want to leave this place," he would say. He said it so frequently, almost as if he was sure it would happen. He was never careful. He lived almost as if life was a whim. He paid it little mind and gave it little worth.

Unlike Sakura and many of the other workers, Sai had never tasted freedom. He was born a slave, but he was determined not to die one. Unfortunately, slaves don't get to choose.

A quiet romance followed them throughout the years. Sai was so much like Sasuke, there were times she was unsure if she loved him for the right reasons. But in the end, she did.

"Take it with an empty mind."

That was his mantra. It would become Sasuke's mantra as well. They were wise words to live by. They were how you survived in a cruel world, empty handed.

Sai was one for stories, but careful who he chose to share them with. His stories were not for the faint of heart and they weren't merely stories. They all had truth to them, though some more than others.

"I lost my first finger when I broke a wine glass," he once told Sakura. "I lost my second finger when I tried to run away. I lost my third finger when I refused to entertain guests. Last week I killed the man who owned me. I think if I didn't succeed, I would have lost my head that time."

Sakura kept her eyes wide with each word he spoke. She felt even more drawn to him. He had violent tendencies she wished she possessed.

Sai has escaped death once, but next time he wouldn't be so lucky. Death came for Sai when he was twenty-two. He snapped. He attacked Koharu with a knife he stole from the kitchen.

"You don't deserve life!" he screamed, but he only managed a shallow cut before he was whisked off by one of her bodyguards. Instead of punishment, he got none. They sent him back to his room and that was that. He found it strange, expecting a trip to the Red Room. Instead, there was nothing. He grew wary with each passing day until death finally came. It came in the form of a fast-acting poison, fed to him in his sleep. Koharu knew he was losing focus. It was something she couldn't afford. It was something she had little time and patience for.

He woke up feeling ill. He spent the day groggy. When Sakura pried, he simply said, "I feel sick." She never pried for more after that. He went to sleep and that night, he never woke.

Sakura was told of a suicide. She never did find out he was murdered, but with death there is often closure. For Sasuke, he can only hope she found it. Sakura would have liked to reassure him with her parting words, but instead she broke him even worse. There were no reminisce of the calm, collected and quietly angry young man she once knew. Instead, a volatile mess was left in his place.

Then she was gone, just like Sai.