DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto.

When It's Cold, Make Warmth

Sakura, a summer person, was less than thrilled with the current conditions. It was snowing. Sideways. The wind whipping in various directions. Snow flurries struck her in the face with no remorse leaving her gasping for breath. Some things just can't be prepared for and as Sasuke would say, this was annoying. Roughly six inches of snow had already accumulated in the first forty-five minutes since the snowstorm began. This was Sasuke's fault. She'd suggested they stay one more night in Fubuki village because the clouds looked ominous. He stubbornly ignored her plea because "light snow" was predicted and they were "well prepared" for the weather. That was a load of shit though. Sasuke was practical. Sasuke was smart. Sasuke was unfortunately not patient, however, and he couldn't bring himself to keep helping someone who didn't want to be helped. That was Naruto's thing. What is worse is when he told the woman they were leaving the old croon had the audacity to be upset. Every time the pair passed her while helping other people that day, she lashed out at them and spectators took notice. The snickers and whispers were getting to him because they didn't stop. It was a small village full of gossips. Regardless though, they could have stayed at the inn. That would have been so much better than this. Sasuke had to be kicking himself right now.

So, what were they going to do now? Sasuke veered to the left, out of the wind and into a thicket of trees. Sakura followed, relieved to have a break from the blustery wind. Finding the trees to be much quieter compared to the open trail, she opted to voice her concerns to him, "Sa-sasuke, what-t-t th-the f-fuck? W-we a-are g-going t-t-to f-f-freeze!" She was quivering despite the layers of winter wear she wore. A look of guilt spread over his face and the weight of responsibility came crashing onto his shoulders. He had to fix their situation, and fast. Scanning the surrounding trees, he noticed a small break in the barren shrubs. Something passes through here often. There's a reason for that, he ponders. With Sakura behind him wearing a puzzled look on her face, he enters the divide. Another thought occurs to him. Let's just hope its not something difficult, like a bear.

Navigating through the brush proved difficult in ways neither of them expected. The wind, a howling gale, had increased, whistling eerily and blowing twigs and pine needles into their faces. Sakura had clutched a handful of his cloak to avoid losing him in the branches. At least we aren't out in the open. At least we are not out in the open, she thought in a mantra. They trudged forward, not losing hope. They caught sight of a squirrel tucked into the crevice of a tree, safe and warm. Sakura leered at it as they crept by, jealous of its luck. Just ahead, the brush opened to a grove of humongous trees, wider at the trunk than an elephant. The visual cue brought back memories of the forest of death to them both. They had never before seen trees so large back then. In fifteen minutes time, the two realized temperatures were plummeting. They could feel the cold down to their cores. Sakura briefly considered pounding a hole into the ground to make a cavern, but feared a shelter made by her hands would not be stable enough to sleep in through the night, nor would it protect them properly from the gusting wind. Lost in her own thoughts, she nearly toppled into Sasuke, who had come to a sudden halt, but corrected herself at the last second. He stretched his arm in the direction of a withered old tree, bark almost black, a short distance away. Just like the squirrel's hideout from earlier, this tree had a fissure in its trunk; it was a fissure large enough to fit a human being through it. Keeping his hopes in check, Sasuke started off towards the tree with Sakura keeping pace beside him. They approached cautiously should they chance a predator inside. Carefully, Sasuke poked his head into the crack, searching for potential furry foes. He jerked back, gasping when a surprised fox leapt from the hole, taking off into the blizzard. He sighed, understanding he just looked like a sissy because of a fox. He ventured within. It was not spacious by any means, having to crouch lest he bang his head on the roof. He stuck his arm out of the opening, waving Sakura inside.

Despite the relief she felt getting out of the biting wind, she wanted to let him know how displeased she was with him, but that would have to wait until they had settled and started a fire. Sakura dropped her pack to the ground, searching for a newspaper she'd tucked into it earlier that day. Sasuke scraped bark from the walls to feed the soon-to-be-fire. Newspaper in hand, Sakura rolled it into a tube, twisted it, then folded it in half to give it longer burn life. A small fire was required, but a little heat was better than nothing, she thought optimistically. After placing the wood chunks next to Sakura, Sasuke dug into his own pack, taking out food, blankets, changes of clothes, matches, and something like a blanket, but not quite catches Sakura's eye. "What is that, Sasuke-kun?" He unfolds it and she recognizes the instrument. "Oh, a tarp?"

"Yes. It goes over the tent, but I'm going to cover part of the opening with it and see if we can keep some heat in here. The sun is almost down…It might go below zero." That guilt-ridden look from earlier returned to his face as he turned to work on the tarp, nailing it to the wood with kunai.

"Will that offer enough ventilation for the fire, Sasuke-kun?" she asked. "I hope," he replies, "I don't see why not, especially with it being so windy." Sakura lights a match to the tinder resting upon the bark, it sparks, flames latching onto the paper. She gives a satisfied sigh, thankful for the heat being exuded. Sasuke sits down next to her, disappointed in himself for his poor judgment. "I'm sorry," he utters, a sullen expression crossing his features. "You should be. That was extremely uncomfortable," she angles her head to face him, "but it's not like I can really stay mad at you. I could give you the silent treatment, but that would only teach me a lesson, wouldn't it?"

He smiled, careful not to allow her to see she was lifting his self-inflicted sour mood. The heat of the fire was beginning to fill the hollow stump but wasn't warm enough for Sakura's liking just yet. She leaned over Sasuke, snatching a bulky, thick sleeping bag from his side. Propping herself on her knees, she rolled it out, smoothing the crinkles once it laid flat. She took off the bulky winter coat she was wearing and slipped under the covers, leaving the side unzipped, an invitation for Sasuke to join her. She gazed at him expectantly. He turned his head from her, thinking to himself. Something concerning had been plaguing his mind, and maybe now wasn't the best time to bring it up, but when she rolled their bedding a particularly pleasing memory was drawn from his brain, and from there the subject he'd prefer to avoid. He knew that evading it would do no good for either of them, however.

"Sakura," he voiced, continuing to stare at the tarp instead of her, "there is something we need to talk about. Something we probably should have talked about a while ago. Like seven months ago." Sakura shoves herself into a sitting position, now curious. "What's wrong, Sasuke-kun?" she asks. He turns his head to face her. "What if…" he hesitated, rethinking once more whether he wanted to worry her with this question. He decides it is necessary. "What if you become…pregnant… while we are traveling?"

Oh boy. Her eyes grew to saucers. That was a possibility. She knew she couldn't be pregnant right now, but if that did happen, then what? Would he send her home to the village and continue without her? Her eyes began to tear up at the thought, droplets pooling in her eyes, threatening to spill. "Shit, why haven't I thought of that. I think of everything, so why not that?!" she cries. "If it does happen, I won't go back to the village without you and you can't make me because I will follow you. I will follow you everywhere," she choked out, on the verge of sobbing. Sasuke, alarmed by how quickly the situation escalated, sought to quell her fears immediately. "I never said I'd make you. I won't fight a pointless losing battle. I'd ask you to not strain yourself though." The panic within her diminished. "Oh…" She takes a moment to recover and stabilize her emotions. "So… if it does happen… how would you… feel about that?" she asked in a barely audible whisper.

He'd thought about it far more than she knew, but he never imagined they would have this kind of relationship, and he wanted children someday, but… they were only twenty, which he felt was a bit early to start a family. Nature isn't really a force you can stop, however, at least not when you are traveling like they are. Birth control is a thing, but not a thing they currently have, and abstaining sounded sacrilegious in his mind right now. Maybe he was becoming more irresponsible with age. "If it happens, it happens. We would raise a child. We would… love a child. But this is not an ideal situation. You'd have no medical care." He regrets that last part instantly as she ignores most of what he has said and looks at him like he's stupid. "Sasuke, ya know, I'm not a bad doctor," she says, annoyance detectable in her tone. He sighs. "I didn't mean it that way. You know that."

Her expression softens. "I know. I just don't want to leave you though. I don't want you to dump me off at the village and take off. That's my biggest fear right now, Sasuke." Getting up from his spot near the fire he takes the three steps needed to reach the top of the sleeping bag, crouches to his knees, and crawls in next to her. "You just said you'd follow me everywhere so making the effort to take you to Konoha would be in vain. That would be an unnecessary trip," he tells her, a lazy half-smile on his face. "Yeah, you're right," she responds, a tiny smile tugging at the corner of her lips. She ponders to herself the implications being pregnant would have for her and her health. Her family had no history of complications with either the pregnancy or birth. She could look after herself and ultrasounds really weren't necessary. If something was wrong she could seek help in any village. She was renowned for her efforts to save people during the war; no one would turn her away.

Her relationship with Sasuke was so new still, though. They should be enjoying one another's company above considering a future pregnancy. Sakura sighed, exasperated, knowing exactly what they would have to do. "How far away is the closest village with a hospital, Sasuke-kun?" She asked, slinging an arm over him and laying her head upon his chest. "Why?" he asks curiously. "Well, we should worry about ourselves for now, so taking preventative measures would be a good idea, I think," she replies, feeling that was the appropriate course of action. Absorbing her words, he grimaced, and she noticed. "What was that face for? I think it's the best thing we can do right now," she stated, a puzzled look adorned her features. He had just said they weren't ready. "No, I know what you are asking," he paused and exhaled a deep breath. "The closest village is Konoha. A five-day trip….and you want to go get preventative measures in a town where everyone knows us." He could already imagine Naruto giving him shit. He would like to keep this aspect of their relationship as private as possible. Kakashi would be just as bad and Kakashi was nosy on top of that. The dread crept across Sasuke's face. Sakura's face lit up at the mention of going to home. "Well Sasuke-kun we could… stop having sex until we reach another village if that would make you feel better." He shot her an incredulous look. He didn't want to trade one discomfort for another.

"No," came his immediate reply. Sakura snickered. She expected that response. "We will go to Konoha," he said, his voice solid as steel. He eyed her, thinking of how she must be missing her parents. They both wouldn't mind seeing Naruto and Kakashi.

"Well…" she started, "we've been gambling for months now. Do you want to gamble one more time?" she questioned, a mischievous expression coming to her face. "It's still pretty cold in here, I could use your warmth." He rolled to his side, bringing a hand to her hip bone and squeezed it gently. She didn't receive verbal acknowledgement to her question, he simply pressed his lips to hers in a tender kiss and ran his lone arm up her torso, beneath her shirt, fitting his palm just below her breast. Smoothing his thumb over her velvety soft skin, Sasuke sighed contentedly. After everything, it's so bizarre to be able to have this. To think I almost gave this up for absolutely nothing, he thought to himself.

He deepened their ongoing kiss, his tongue begging for entry. Sakura zealously obliged. Her delicate hand moved to his own hip to grip like he had previously done to her. It was too easy to get carried away with her these days. There were many days when all was done within five minutes; that's how much they'd learned of one another. They were so in tune with each other's sweet spots. Tonight however, he'd make it one for the books. What's more memorable of a setting for them than a hollow tree in the middle of a savage blizzard? He left her lips to place kisses along her collar bone while his hand wandered up to cup her breast. Lightly squeezing, a long finger massaged over her nipple. Sakura exhaled hastily and tightened her grip on his hip. Sasuke returned his exploring tongue to her pulsing neck and sucked at the smooth skin, working to elicit a moan or his name from her lips. He received a gasp instead, but felt it was just as delicious a prize. His hand traveled beyond her supple navel, settling on her inner thigh for a moment before drifting upwards to her most sensitive region. There, he rubbed slow, tantalizing circles with Sakura arching to meet his attentive fingers through her pants. Without stopping his other duties, Sasuke swept his mouth across her jaw, coming to a stop at her lips to place his upon hers. He wanted to fill her. Hear her moans. Make her cry his name. He needed to be patient though. This was as much for her as it was for him and he wanted it to be unforgettable.

He pulled the hem of her pants out enough to slip his fingers into her wetness. Sakura's panting escalated with anticipation. Her own hands began to traverse the planes of his solid chest, desire growing from feeling his battle-hardened muscles. Sasuke's fingers slightly recoiled, floating over her most sensitive parts, barely touching. She bucked her hips forward, aching for more pressure, but he intended to tease her just a little. Small hands tugged at the hem of his own pants and reached within. Sasuke exhaled quickly, a satisfying sound to Sakura's ears. At the pulse in his neck, she alternated between nibbles and gentle suctions against his warm skin, all the while stroking his ever-hardening length. He had paused his own ministrations to take in the sensation of her touch, eyes tightly closed with concentration. With each stroke he was seeing stars. She continued at a constant pace, her palm keeping full contact. His legs began to quiver, and his heart was pounding in his chest. She yanked her hand away as his body tensed up, close to climax. Sasuke gasped from the surprising plot twist. His eyes shot open and he glared into Sakura's green orbs, not even attempting to hide the look of betrayal he wore. She had ruined his plan because instead of him teasing her, she had teased him. And the telling expression on her face showed she didn't feel guilty for it in the slightest. He crashed his lips onto hers in a bruising kiss to punish her, and also because he was losing his patience. His hand returned to its earlier spot inside her panties. There, he inserted two fingers and jutted them in and out at a swift pace. Sakura broke their kiss, rewarding him with a whimpering cry. His thumb searched for her swollen pink nub and made light circles that drove her wild. Sakura's cried out when Sasuke withdrew his fingers as her climax neared, just like she had done to him. Lucky for her, he didn't intend to make her wait long. He slipped one side of her pants from her hip and went to the other side. She lifted herself so he could tug down the other side too. She pushed them down past her knees and kicked them off. Next, she pulled at his shirt and yanked, angling her lips over his once it was off. Her nimble fingers went to the clasp of his pants, undoing it successfully on the first try and helped him pull them off. She hastily tore her own shirt and bra over her head and tossed them both to the side, mindful of the fire. Sasuke's hand found her panties and ripped them downward, the sound of tearing fabric resounded in the tight space. Sakura's eyes grew huge in realization. Sasuke just tore off her panties.

"Sorry," he whispered, sounding decidedly unapologetic in her opinion. Unexpectedly, a draft blew in from under the tarp, leaving goosebumps along their bodies. Sakura shivered and wrenched the covers up to their necks. Her lips once more searched for his, finding them illuminated from the glow of the fire. Sasuke kicked off the final garment separating them and roughly grasped her thigh, closed the miniscule gap between them, and hooked it over his hip. Within seconds, he had plunged into her irresistible depths, sharply exhaling as he did so. Sakura rapidly sucked in a breath of wintery air, contrasting him. She snaked her arms around him; their bodies fitted together at every curve. Sasuke thrusted in and out unhurriedly, prolonging each inward thrust to enjoy the look of impatience upon her features. He teased her like that for a few minutes before Sakura rolled them over, proudly atop him. She'd control their pace now. His palm came to rest at the center of her back, urging her to curve her back forward so taking her lips with his would be an option once again. She complied. Sakura kissed him lovingly, rocking her hips back and forth at an agonizingly slow and steady tempo. Sasuke's hand wandered down her back to seize a cheek in a tight grasp, provoking a pleasing moan to escape her lips. He bucked his hips into her, she spread her legs farther apart to prevent him from repeating this. She was in control right now, but she relented for him and hastened the sway of her own hips. With each forward thrust of her body, Sasuke lost a little more of his sense. His fingertips would leave bruises on her ass; he wanted her close and he wanted her rough. Sakura gasped again and again from the mixture of pain and pleasure. It felt like her womb would be shoved into her stomach, but it was so good.

Each rock of her hips brought out the animal in Sasuke. He wanted to take complete control, roll her over, and make her scream his name over and over, but he reminded himself, this one was for her. He'd get his chance to have his way with her another night. Sakura's rhythm soon became erratic as she approached her climax. She gasped, moaned, and whispered his name with need. Sasuke's hand transferred from her ass her front, searching for the tiny bundle of nerves betwixt her thighs and when he found it the pink haired woman atop him jolted with a sharp cry, coming wholly undone. She raked her nails across his chest, coping with the onslaught of sensations and trembled as she came down from the euphoria. The man below her took her lips to his own, his tongue exploring for only a moment before he traded spots with her, claiming the top position. He repositioned himself and slipped back into her wetness, creating a steady pace in just seconds. Her slick walls gripped him with a wonderful heat and he soon found himself dangling over the edge before ecstasy took him as well. When he returned to his senses, his lowered his lips to her own soft pair and they kissed for a few moments, and in that moment, time appeared to stand still.

The pair rapidly became aware that they were coated in sweat and the fire had been reduced to embers, leaving their hideaway to become chilly again. They dressed quickly and stoked the fire once more into flames. Sasuke volunteered to keep it lit while she slept, and Sakura slumbered for a restful five hours before offering him the same opportunity when she awoke.

In the morning they set off for Konoha. As expected, Naruto and Kakashi attempted to pry extremely personal information from Sasuke, and also as expected their intrusive questions were ignored. When Sakura visited the hospital, the person to evaluate her was Ino…

"This is painfully awkward okay. I don't even know how to say this, Ino-pig," Sakura explained when asked what had brought her into the hospital.

"We are both physicians. I don't see the issue, forehead. Are you sick? Menstrual problems? What's going on?"

Sakura looked to the ground, a wide blush layering her cheeks. "I need…birth control, Ino."

Ino looked starstruck. "What?! Sasuke is actually giving it to ya, huh? I'm impressed, Sakura. Never thought I'd see the day." The platinum blonde began to scribble on a pad of paper. "Well here, girl. Here's the script. You need to meet me at Ichiraku's at six tonight. I want to hear the details." Sakura groaned, accepting the paper from her friend. That night, she met with Ino, leaving the blonde flabbergasted from hearing about what a magnificent lover the apathetic Sasuke had come to be.

Even later that same night, Sasuke reminded her why everything she had told Ino was true.

That next morning, Naruto and Kakashi met them at the gates to wish them farewell and as they walked into the distance, Kakashi noticed with a perverted smirk that Sakura happened to be walking a little bow-legged next to the Uchiha.

7 MONTHS LATER

"I'm what?! I'm using birth control!" Sakura shrieked at the doctor.

"Well you're a physician. You have to know it isn't one-hundred percent effective at preventing pregnancies."

Sasuke placed his hand upon her shoulder. She looked up to gauge his reaction to this unexpected news only to find a smile already adorning his face. She exhaled, content.

Fate sure works in mysterious ways, I suppose, she thinks joyfully and shares her own smile with him.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I love Sasusaku so much and I really hope ya'll enjoyed it. I really want to express my view on their relationship since to a lot of people it doesn't make sense. Something I see a lot when reading fanfics with Sasuke in them is him being depicted as cold and emotionless and Sasuke is actually one of the most emotional characters in the show in my opinion. He just coped like shit with literally every hurdle sent his way. As for Sakura, Sasuke has always been more than just a romantic interest, he's a friend and comrade as well. That's why just like Naruto, she should have never given up on him and I am glad she didn't. I also feel like because Sasuke wanted to see the world in new ways, we can't assume he would remain aloof or apathetic to others like he was throughout the series and that includes giving Sakura a chance. It includes being sweet and doing sweet things for her. Anyway, please read and review. It keeps me going. Also expect some stuff for either NaruHina or ShikaTema in the next month or so. You are welcome to vote for either pair and I'll write about whichever pair got the most votes.

Anyway, have a good day/night, ya'll!