Because He Didn't Push Her Away

Everything was made of marble tiles. The walls, the benches, the tables, the counters, the floor. Everything was shiny and smooth, and it helped to reflect the multicolored lights that danced around the room. A massive marble statue of a fluent dancer stood erect in the center of the dance floor, and it seems to attract everyone's shadows towards itself, devouring them in the shadows of the dark room.

The music was loud, with an insistent beat in the bass. It shot through the air and pulsed in each and every person's veins as they spun and danced the night away. It gave the atmosphere a very drunk kind of feel, and that was beside the strong stench of alcohol mixed in the air.

Explosions of color and light burst like bombs throughout the large room. They were beautiful and sparkling, like fireworks against the floor and the walls. Two fountains lines each of the walls to the left and right of the dance floor, spraying bright blue water. Red rose petals floated on the surface. And far above everything and everyone was a large chandelier entwined with gold and silver. The candles weren't lit, but the sight was enough to give the room a sort of magnificence about it.

Everyone in the room was dancing, elated as they whirled and spun and clapped together, in the loud, drumming beat of the music. Well, everyone but Sasuke Uchiha.

He stood, leaning up against a pillar on one of the far walls, as far away from the throng of dancers as he could possibly be without leaving the building.

A hot breeze was blowing through the room, like wind in a desert. It lifted his jet-black hair and blew it across his eyes, hiding his annoyed expression. He watched the dancers. It looked as if they all knew exactly what they were doing. Some clearly knew what they were doing. Only a few danced alone. Most were in groups or with a partner. Sasuke dared to watch as a couple danced dangerously close together, writhing up and down each other's bodies.

He made a disgusted noise from deep in his throat, but he couldn't even hear himself from the pounding of the music's beat, floating around him, pounding against the blood in his veins. He mockingly thought that if someone needed a defibrillator, this place could be a viable option.

It was Kakashi Hatake's birthday today, and Naruto had gathered all his friends for the festivities. And that included a certain pissed-off Uchiha.

Naruto had promised his raven-haired friend that the club would be reserved for Kakashi's guests only, but Sasuke was now glaring at over eighty people that he'd never seen before in his entire life. And there was no way in hell that all of them were here for his previous sensei's birthday party.

The other problem that he had was that his idiotic blonde-haired teammate had told him that the party would be formal, but he didn't warn him about the heat. So, here he stood, in a white, long-sleeve, button-up dress shirt and black slacks, nearly dying from the heat and dehydration. Just thinking about it made his mouth uncomfortably dry. The other teens and young men were wearing slacks as well, but with t-shirts, probably because they knew what to expect. The girls wore miniskirts with strapless tube-tops, or tight-fitting dresses that hugged every curve and pushed up their breasts, making it look like they were about to spill over. Sasuke tried his best to avoid eye contact with some of the young ladies that glanced over at him with obvious intentions in their eyes.

The worst part of it all was Kakashi, who was standing near the bar on the opposite side of the room, looking around at all the people with casual disinterest. He didn't even seem to be enjoying himself! So, what in the world did he have to stay here for?!

Sasuke shot his tongue out of his mouth to wet his lips, but to no avail. He decided that he would go get a drink. Not just to quench his thirst, but to make the entire experience bearable. He was already annoyed, and it wasn't going to get any better, especially since the party lasted from eight to midnight, and it was only eight-thirty. Putting some alcohol in his system could do him some good, and the idea of taking a few shots had him walking just a bit faster to get to the counter that served as a bar for the night.

"I can't believe you showed up," a feminine voice called as a bartender came over to Sasuke, wiping out a shot glass with a large, white towel.

"Just a beer," the brooding Uchiha said, and then turned around to find Ino Yamanaka leaning against the counter to his right. She was eyeing him up and down. She licked her lips, and then laughed when Sasuke began to glare.

"I'm just joking," she said, "Lighten up, will you? This is a party. It's supposed to be fun. Grab a girl and go out on the dance floor. If you refuse to enjoy yourself, then this is going to a long night for you, isn't it?"

Sasuke gave Ino an expression that told him that he wasn't interested in what she had to say, and then he turned back to the counter as he was handed a large mug of beer. He pulled some leftover cash out of his pocket and handed it to the bartender, grabbing his glass and downing a little more than half of it. He knew it wasn't smart to drink when he was thirsty, but he couldn't help it. He touched the mug to his lips again and drank a little more.

"Hey!" another voice called to him, and he pulled the mug away from his mouth and looked over. It was Naruto. "Sasuke! Over here!" the eager blonde shouted, using one hand to cup around his mouth while the other waved in the air to get his attention.

Sasuke began walking towards the table where his hyper teammate sat, along with Shikamaru, who had one arm around Temari, and Choji, who sat cross from them. He didn't think that it was in his best interest to walk over to them, but it was either that, or deal with Naruto making a scene and Ino pestering him. And the latter choice had him shivering with irritation.

"Hey, look," Shikamaru said with triviality, "It's the antisocial club, coming this way."

"That's contradictory," Temari said, turning her head to look at him with a smirk. And one second later, they were locked in a passionate kiss, a mesh of lips, tongue and teeth.

"Aww, come on guys!" Choji said, sticking his tongue out in repulsion. "We're right here. That's disgusting!"

Naruto ignored them, and instead placed his full attention on Sasuke, who didn't like the way he was looking at him.

"Hey, Sasuke. Having a good time?" Naruto asked with a grin that reached his ears. Sasuke shrugged, downing almost all of the remaining beer in his mug, desperately craving more alcohol to make the participation of the event just a little tolerable for him. So far, it wasn't working.

"Oh, someone go tell Ino to stop dancing like that," Choji said, and Sasuke made it a point not to look towards the dance floor. That was the last thing he wanted to see right now.

"She's your girlfriend," Shikamaru said, temporarily breaking away from his make-out session with Temari, "Why don't you go tell her?"

Choji looked down at his hands in his lap. "Oh, never mind…"

"Hey, look," Naruto said, "Sakura's here. She's coming in from over there. I told her not to be late, but I knew she wouldn't listen to me. She must have gotten that habit from Kakashi-sensei."

Naruto pointed his finger, and Sasuke followed it to one of the front entrances in the far corner of the dance floor. And the usually uninterested Uchiha found himself looking his female teammate with strange interest.

She was wearing a black dress that cut off mid-thigh. The satiny material hugged each of her curves with precision and delicacy. It almost looked as if she could have painted herself black and had walked onto the dance floor with nothing on. He was mildly ashamed of himself as his eyes were drawn to the plunging neckline of her cocktail dress, reaching down as if trying desperately to reach further and further between her large breasts. The thick straps rounded her shoulders like a halter, and wrapped around her neck like a pair of arms enveloping her, drawing her into a fervent kiss. The material barely covered her plush breasts, letting the round shape of them be seen through the sides.

As soon as he realized how he was looking at her, he quickly turned away and chugged the last bit of beer. He didn't bother giving a farewell to the people at the table as he walked back over to the counter and dropped off his empty mug, asking for another.

The bartender took only a few moments to refill his glass before sliding it down the counter to him. He picked it up and gulped down a third of it. He turned and found himself watching Sakura stroll through the crowd on the dance floor to get to Naruto, who was busy waving his arms and calling her over.

He watched her walk through the dancing people, very aware that he wasn't the only male looking at her. Her dress left barely anything to the imagination, and the way the hemline cut off on her thighs, combined with the high, black heels, made her perfect legs look impossibly long. Each step she took seemed to demand the attention of every boy in the room, and he was no exception.

"Naruto!" she said happily, striding over to him with elegance. The blonde stood and gave her a bear hug, squishing her against his chest. Sasuke watched as she blushed. It was obvious that Naruto wasn't always aware of how attractive she was, but Sasuke couldn't understand how he could be so oblivious in that moment, where he knew the blonde must have felt Sakura's chest pushing up against him in that hug. It was clear that Sakura had noticed from the faint flush of her cheeks.

Naruto pointed a finger and Sakura looked over, smiled, and then began walking in the direction he had pointed. Sasuke still couldn't stop himself from looking at her as she turned and walked in the opposite direction, revealing that her dress was open-backed. Thin strings crisscrossed down her bare back, overlapping one another, and tied off at the base of her neck. Sasuke found his eyes lingering on where the open back of the dress stopped provocatively, just below the dip of her spine.

When she stopped, she was in front of Kakashi, probably wishing him a happy birthday, and saying that she hoped he was enjoying his party. And when they began to converse, Sasuke finally looked back towards the dance floor, humiliated for being so easily drawn to stare at her in such an obscene way. What the hell was wrong with him? He couldn't be that buzzed already, could he?

He closed his eyes and breathed for a moment before eagerly pressing the large mug to his lips once more and drinking, refusing to stop until all the contents were in his system. A moment or two later, he dropped off the empty mug on the counter and turned to walk away, satisfied.

But as he spun, he bumped into someone. He grumbled disapprovingly, but when he looked down, he saw a blob of pink, and his chest involuntarily tightened.

"Oh," Sakura said with an oomph, taking one step back so she could look at his face, "Sorry, Sasuke. I saw you over here and I wanted to say hello." She looked up at him and smiled gracefully. Sasuke had to remember that breathing was necessary for survival. "I still can't believe that Naruto managed to convince you to come here." the raven-haired Uchiha had no control as his eyes wandered to and lingered on the nape of her neck, defined by how her pink hair swept up into an artfully messy up-do. A few strands fell around her face, framing it attractively. "But I guess, since it's for Kakashi sensei, that you would have come anyway." Red lipstick drew his eyes to her full lips before he saw her bright emerald eyes, framed with long, dark lashes. "Are you listening to me?" Her features were perfect, and she smelled like cherry blossoms. It was refreshing, after dealing with the strong stench of alcohol for the past half an hour. He breathed it in eagerly. "Sasuke, are you feeling all right?"

Her hand on his shoulder made his eyes refocus, actually seeing her when he looked at her. "What?" he asked, feeling as stupid as Naruto looked.

"You don't look like you're feeling well… Do you want me to walk you home?"

Now he felt really stupid. But Sakura glanced behind him and saw the empty mug. "You've been drinking," she speculated. "How much?"

"I'm not drunk, Sakura," Sasuke said, irritated. He tightly crossed his arms over his chest. One little drink and she was looking at him as if he committed a thousand sins.

When Sakura saw that he was fine, she removed her hand from his shoulder. Sasuke felt oddly cold, even though the hot breeze was still blowing through the room, and the long-sleeve shirt he had on was driving him crazy.

"Excuse me?" a male voice called, and the two of them looked over to find a young man walking over to them with an arrogant swagger. He completely ignored Sasuke as he came to stand not two inches away from Sakura, which the Uchiha didn't appreciate at all. "If you wouldn't mind, may I please ask you for a dance?" the man asked, suddenly taking Sakura's hand. "You look absolutely beautiful, and I could never forgive myself if I didn't have the courage to ask you for just one dance tonight."

Sasuke watched Sakura freeze up, and he would have happily punched the man in the face if Sakura asked him to get rid of him for her. And he was surprised with himself when he felt a pang of jealousy shoot through him unpleasantly. It made him feel horrible, but he still wanted to get rid of the pompous man. He just could seem to get over that he was a good five inches shorter than Sakura, and her heels weren't even that high.

"I'm sorry," Sakura began in a rush, "But, someone's already asked me to dance."

Sasuke looked at her in confusion. Had Naruto or Kakashi asked her to dance with them before, when she had spoken to them, or did just he miss something? The man standing in front of her looked shocked as well.

"W-Who?" he stammered, and Sasuke watched Sakura freeze up again. Did she just lie to the man?

A quick glance in his direction made Sasuke jump. It looked like Sakura wanted him to say something, so he looked around to pick someone for her to dance with. He settled on Naruto, since he knew he wouldn't mind anyway. But the young man had seen Sakura's glances at Sasuke, and was now turned to face him challengingly. Sasuke couldn't believe what he's just been dragged into. He knew he should have taken another mug of beer from the bar.

"Sasuke," Sakura said, introducing the two of them. The Uchiha lifted an eyebrow at the man, glaring daggers at him, probably for stealing his would-be dance partner. "He asked me to dance with him, and I already said yes. I'm sorry."

In all honesty, Sasuke didn't mind keeping this man from laying his hands on Sakura, especially in that dress. But he minded being forced into a dance for the same reasons. He hated to admit it, but he felt uncomfortable to be close to Sakura while she was wearing that revealing black dress, contrasting with her light, ivory skin. She was only an old friend. Nothing more. And he had no intentions of changing that anytime soon.

Sakura then reached around the man and gripped Sasuke's left wrist, dragging him with her to the dance floor. When Sasuke tried to resist and yank his arm from her grasp, he felt her infuse her chakra into her hand and kept him from pulling away. He assumed that his plans to have another drink had been successfully throw in the trash, unfortunately. So he just sighed and let himself be dragged to the dance floor.

They moved through wriggling bodies. It was the middle of a song with a good beat, and people were jumping up and down, fist pumping, and dancing against one another, boys and girls alike getting closer and closer to each other, squishing the crowd to see how constricted they could become by the end of the song. And Sakura was boldly walking right through the middle of it all until she stopped right in the middle of the mass of moving bodies. It was then that she released his wrist, but Sasuke was nearly frozen from all the bodies rubbing up against him. Suddenly, he was glad that he'd worn such covering clothing.

The flashing lights reflected colors in the crowd, some bright ones blinding Sasuke temporarily, one right after the other, shining in his face. He very much preferred to be in his dark corner in the back of the room, and being here only made him like it even more.

Sakura leaned forward, and for a moment, Sasuke's eyes widened in what he thought would become a kiss, but her lips passed him to say near his ear, "That man is watching us!" She had to shout right next to him for him to hear her from the mix of sounds on the dance floor. Sasuke jumped when he felt someone bump into his side, only to look over to find a couple making out right in front of him. He looked back down at Sakura, making sure she could see in his eyes that he didn't want to be there.

But she was looking up at him expectantly, as well as pleadingly. He knew that if he didn't dance with her, then the watching man would take his opportunity to ask Sakura again and take his chance while she was free.

But a part of him didn't see how this was his problem. Sure, he may have felt a bit overprotective of her, but he'd get over it quickly. All he really wanted was to get another drink and stay in his corner, away from the crazy people that were dancing on top of him now. He was molding into the crowd, becoming a part of it, and he hated it. He wanted to get out. He felt restrained. He felt like a cornered animal, and it was making him a bit nervous.

Sasuke turned away from Sakura, pushing past one person in his attempt to escape and get back to where he knew it was safe for him. Sakura would just have to have one dance with that man, and then she would get over it, too. But this certainly wasn't his problem, and so he didn't have to be the one to fix it, either.

But then he was suddenly jerked forward so fast that he almost fell forward. Sakura had hooked both of her pointer fingers into the belt loops of his black slacks, and she had pulled him dangerously close to her. There were only a few inches between their bodies. But Sasuke only took the moment to glare at her green eyes with his black orbs, making sure she knew how irritated he was with her now.

"Sasuke, you can't leave now," she said, almost pleadingly, "Please. Just one dance, and then the man will go away."

Sasuke arched an eyebrow at her, highly doubtful that the man would lose interest for the entire night in just one song. But he also assumed that whenever they stopped dancing, he would just ask her again, and there was no way in hell that he was going to dance with her until the clock struck midnight.

"He's watching us," Sakura said nervously, and Sasuke rolled his eyes, unaware of how that one man could make Sakura so nervous. Her fingers were still hooked in the two front belt loops of his black slacks.

"Why can't you do this with Naruto?" he asked, making sure that his tone sounded bored.

"Sasuke," she hissed, her fingers jerking him even closer as she spoke, "I told him that you asked me to dance. Not Naruto. If I walk over and ask Naruto if he'll dance with me, then that man will know that I've been avoiding him."

"So what?" Sasuke said, looking for any way to get out of this. If the man bothered her, he'd just get rid of him. What was the big deal? Why was she asking him to do this?

"I really don't feel like pissing anyone off right now, thank you," she said. "And I would feel like crap for the rest of the night for blowing him off, especially because he'd know about it."

Sasuke glared down at her, still unwilling to give in, but Sakura gently slipped her arms around his neck, her cherry blossoms scent enveloping him. He tried not to focus on her aroma, or the view he had down below. His mouth pulled into a thin line at her persistence, but she raised a fine eyebrow at him. He'd never seen her try so hard to get something out of him before, so he guessed that she must have wanted this pretty badly.

"… Fine," he grumbled, narrowing his eyes at her in his self-declared defeat. But he promised himself that he wouldn't stay out here for very long. One song. Two at the most. Sakura smiled.

Small, delicate hands grasped his own and lifted them from his sides. She pulled his hands forward and placed then on her round hips. The black material was like a second skin, making Sasuke feel as if he was touching her bare body, burning the shape of his hand into her like a tattoo, instead of the tight black dress.

The sensual beat of the song blared through the speakers, matching the rhythm of his heart and vibrating his chest. He could feel his skin prickling from the loud music and the elated screams of the dancers all around him. His blood boiled and matched the rhythm in his veins.

And he hated the feeling that Sakura was in control. He had no idea what it was that he was supposed to be doing. And he could see how that little piece of information excited her. It was written all over her face. And then he watched as another smile tainted her lips before she started to move.

They were dancing, and Sakura wasn't surprised at all when Sasuke stood in front of her, motionless. So, technically, she was dancing, but she was dancing with Sasuke, whether he liked it or not. All the years of her crushing on him and being unable to suppress how much she cared for him bubbled to the surface. It made her skin crawl delightfully. But she had to remind herself that Sasuke hadn't changed. He was still the same shinobi that never agreed to return her feelings, and he was only out on the dance floor with her because of how she forced him to come with her so she wouldn't have to dance with that other man.

And it wasn't that the other guy wasn't attractive. The pink-haired kunoichi just didn't like the way he looked at her. She had the feeling that he would try something funny if she allowed him a dance, and he would try something even worse if she flat-out refused him. With Sasuke, she knew nothing bad would happen. She trusted Sasuke with her life, and she knew him better than anyone. A simple little dance with him was harmless, beside the fact that his ego was already a victim of the scheme.

Sakura couldn't help but notice the way the other dancers were beginning to look at him—appreciation, speculation, and predatory hunger. A sudden possessiveness she couldn't name or control swelled up inside of her. She grabbed one of his hands on her hips and slid it to her back, right over where the open back of her dress ended. She shivered at the skin-on-skin touch. His hand felt right, being on her like that.

She rocked her body to the left and the right, silently wishing that Sasuke would just move already. He was as still as the statue in the middle of the dance floor. She looked up at his face as the bright lights danced over his expression. The greens and the purples reflected in his onyx eyes, and the red and blue lights flickered over his lips. The yellows and the oranges danced across his cheekbones. The white and pink flashes trailed up and down his neck, and they all converged to mix and match over his white, buttoned-up shirt.

Slowly, she moved her hands to rest at the bottom of his rib cage, and she felt him flinch at the contact, but he still didn't move. So, she trailed her fingers lightly up his chest, pausing for only a moment when she ran her palms over his shoulders and then brought them back down to the top button of his shirt. She saw him lift an eyebrow at her, as if warning her not to do it, but she quickly flicked her fingers together, undoing the first button, and leaving the top of Sasuke's chest open for attention.

He didn't immediately move his hands to push her away, or try and refasten the top of his shirt because the extra air had cooled him off a bit, and he found himself sighing in relief from the heat. Unfortunately, Sakura took it as an open invitation and moved her hands down to undo another button, revealing the top of his chest to the dancers that swirled by, looking at him with impulsive curiosity.

Taken by surprise, Sasuke removed his hand on her hip to stop her from going any further. Sakura just looked up at him and tilted her head. She leaned her face forward to say in his ear, "If you're stuck here anyway, why don't you have some fun? Move around a little. You look like a rag doll, standing there, doing nothing!"

When she pulled her head back and looked at him, the raven-haired Uchiha rolled his eyes at the pinkette in aggravation. If she truly wanted him to have fun, then she would have let him leave, instead of keeping him here because she didn't want to dance with some other guy.

"Come on," Sakura mouthed at him, seeing as he wouldn't have been able to hear her anyway with the loud music and the screaming. She took his hand in hers and placed it on her waist. She then moved his hand on the small of her back further up. Sasuke felt his fingers slip under one of the strings that crisscrossed up and down her back. She held onto his left elbow and tried to move him with her. And, seeing as disobeying her would only make the experience even worse, he allowed her to lead him.

At first, all she had him do was maneuver his weight to the sides, one at a time, and he didn't mind it as much as he thought he would. Although the closeness was making him uneasy…

His dark eyes lowered and he observed the way her hips began to slightly twist and rock beneath his hand. The hand he had on her back felt how her skin moved over her body. He felt the urge to pull her flush against him, but he stifled it right away, angry with himself for thinking like that.

But still, she had his attention. She followed the beat of the music carefully, her slow movements drawing his eyes to her as she pushed his sides to get him to move with her. The music began to speed up, and she pushed him harder, fighting against his desire to remain still. He grunted his displeasure, but then let his body be controlled as he glanced around, not wanting to meet her eyes after giving in to her.

"Hey!" he heard her shout next to him, like just another scream in the crowd. He looked down and was surprised to find her expression one of concern. "Don't worry about anything," she called to him, not six inches away. Still, he had to strain himself to hear her. "Just look at me. Nothing else matters."

Sasuke mentally rolled his eyes. She thought that he had been looking around as if he was self-conscious. What a joke. If anyone dared to make fun of him, he would gladly give them a free trip to the hospital. And at this point, he kind of wished that someone would throw an insult his way, just so that he'd have an excuse to get away from the other dancers, including Sakura.

"You don't even know how to dance, do you?" she shouted at him. He understood the intended challenge to make him put on a performance for her, and he admitted that it was a good try, but he didn't take the bait. He wasn't a fool, and Sakura gave him a reassuring smirk, realizing that her tactic had failed.

In perfect honesty, Sakura was enjoying herself. She never thought in a million years that Sasuke would ever dance with her, much less do anything with her but talk when it was necessary. But this was a chance of a lifetime, and she was going to take advantage of it for her own benefit, even if Sasuke didn't talk to her afterwards. But then again, it would be much of a change. He barely talked to her anyway. With that thought finalized, she made up her mind.

Sasuke jumped when Sakura lowered her hips a bit to the insistent beat of the stereo. His hands were left to trail up her sides, but they went back down, landing on her hips as she slid back up. She let her hands glide over his sides and her body slithered like a snake as she rose to look him in the eye once more.

Their bodies still didn't touch one another, but as she slithered upward, her chest had barely brushed his shirt, the top of it still open and exposed to the cooler air around him. The sensation had made his shoulders tense, and Sakura giggled as she ran her hands over them, trying to quickly squeeze and massage him to make his muscles relax once more.

Sakura moved her left hand to drag over the front of his open chest, her right hand still on his shoulder. Sasuke was once again frozen, motionless. But Sakura just continued dancing, her green eyes never leaving his deep black orbs. Her movements were effortless and graceful.

Each touch left Sasuke with an unfamiliar aching in his tight chest and stomach. He knew that he was slowly losing control of the situation when Sakura's hands repeatedly ran over his chest as she twisted and spun in front of him, her body slowly dipping and then rising again, only a few inches every time.

Each moment her fingertips slid over his tight stomach, coming dangerously close to his belt buckle, she always brought them back up to his chest and shoulders.

Sasuke's breath came to a sudden halt every time her hands neared his waistband.

What the hell did she think she was doing?

He quickly grabbed the wrist of her right hand as it neared his waist once more, halting her in her tracks. "Stop," he said forcefully, but the mischievous smirk on her lips only made his pulse speed up. Her body still rocked in front of his, and her free hand caressed his shoulder provocatively.

"Lighten up!" she shouted above the noise, a laugh escaping her lips, "I'm not going to hurt you!" she joked, another laugh vibrating Sasuke's ears. It was clear, in that moment, that Sakura had no idea of the affect she was having on him.

Sasuke considered telling her the truth and backing off, but he knew that she would never let him live it down. How could he feel this way about Sakura? She had been his innocent teammate since they graduated from the Academy. She helped him get adjusted to his life again when he returned to the village after the Great Ninja War. She's always been there for him, like the sister he never had. And frankly, that was all he thought of her as –a sister. So, he couldn't understand how he could feel like this towards her right now.

He assumed that it had to be just a physical affect she had on him by dancing like this, right in front of him. After all, he was only a man, and subjected to the yearnings that every man had. But he certainly didn't feel something for her that was anything more than their friendship. Thinking otherwise was absolutely insane.

He began to wish that he'd never let her drag him to the dance floor in the first place. It seemed to be one of the biggest mistakes he'd ever made in his entire life. And he didn't know why his pulse wouldn't stop beating so quickly. It was nearly taking his breath away.

"You forgot your ninja gear," Sakura said slowly, and Sasuke froze as she dipped her body down once more, but this time gripping his right leg, in the place on his thigh where he wore his ninja gear when they went on missions. His body tensed and froze. "In a dangerous place like this," she mocked. Sakura knew that he always wore it, even when he went for a simple walk through the village. She usually made it a point to make fun of him for wearing it when it wasn't necessary. "That's not like you, Sasuke," she finished, removing her grip on him and coming back up to lock her eyes with his own.

"I was told that weapons weren't allowed in this place…" he breathed, feeling stupid as soon as the words came out of his mouth. Why did he even respond to that? Maybe the heat was getting to him.

"Has that ever stopped you before?" Sakura asked, and Sasuke got the strange feeling that she was trying to flirt with him. But he'd never seen someone who could talk while she danced and not make it look awkward. It was entrancing him. She was entrancing him. The entire moment, and everything involved in it, was becoming too vehemently exciting for his tastes, and he felt the strong pull to get away, as well as the urge to make the moment continue for just a bit longer.

The whole time, Sasuke stood still while Sakura danced on and around him, tantalizing him as she slid up and down, twirled, and rocked from side to side. And when their bodies grazed each other, Sasuke tensed, only to be relaxed again by her caressing hands on his tightened muscles. Those skilled medic's hands knew how to make him relax when he didn't think that it would be the right thing to do. He felt like he should be tight and unyielding. Being relaxed as she danced around him, in that tight black dress… It seemed wrong somehow.

And then, without warning, the pink-haired kunoichi quickly pushed off of one of his shoulders to spin her body around, placing her open back to his chest. He felt her bare flesh against his skin where she had opened the top of his shirt.

His eyes widened when she pressed her hips snuggly into his own. Her round bottom pressed tightly against the front of his pants, and the unyielding Uchiha refused to let his thoughts wander to how good it felt to have her perfect curves molded against his body. They fit together like puzzle pieces, and he wondered how strange it was, how perfectly they fit against one another.

He knew that her intentions weren't to seduce him, but his body wouldn't let him move away from her, He knew that the decent thing to do would have been to gently explain to her what was happening to him, but his mind and body screamed at him not to say a word. And, truth be told, he had seen the other couples dancing like this, and he had never taken any interest. But something told him that, although Sakura wasn't aware of his discomfort, he was about to be taken advantage of by the pinkette.

He felt her small, soft hands grab his own from his sides and, as before, she directed them to her hips, letting go when they rested there. Sasuke felt as if her hips were made to fit in his large hands. Sakura slowly lifted her right hand to reach behind her head, grabbing at his ebony locks. He started when she gently pulled his head down to rest beside her own.

The intimacy of their position on the dance floor, in front of everyone, with the sound of the beat thumping and the shouts and the screaming, made Sasuke feel as if those two mugs of beer might have actually gotten him seriously drunk. But he knew better. It took a lot more alcohol than that to get his blood flowing backwards. The sensations he was having were imitating the feelings he had when he was wasted, but it still didn't have the right touch. He was still in control of coherent thoughts, and in that moment, he didn't want to be.

"Follow my hips," he heard her whisper, as she leaned her head back and rested it in the crook of his neck. Once again, they fit perfectly together. Her warm breath made him shiver, and Sakura giggled.

She lifted her head and slowly swayed her hips to the left before shifting them to the right. A smile caressed her lips when she felt Sasuke obediently move behind her to follow her swaying actions. She started off slow to make him comfortable, but when she rocked her hips a little faster, she felt the fingers on her hips tighten against the fabric of her dress. She didn't slow, and was satisfied when Sasuke finally matched his own hips to hers, his fingers ceasing to dig into the satiny material. And for a while, they continued like that, Sakura leading the raven-haired Uchiha with the unhurried swing of her hips. Sasuke eventually closed his eyes as he lost track of the time, and how many songs had gone by. It felt like they could have been there forever, in the darkness and the bright lights constantly flying by. The loud drumbeat of the bass of each song made it easier to keep the pace of his hips in time with hers, and then it became second nature, as if he'd known how to do it since he was a child.

Sakura slipped her hands over his and laced her fingers between the ones on her hips. At first, she believed that the stoic Uchiha wouldn't be able to move his body in such a way. In fact, he was excellent at what he was doing. She supposed that it made sense, though. With all his trained fighting control and careful grace on the battlefield, there wasn't much he couldn't make his body do. She recalled the first memory she thought of, with him fighting an opponent, and the first thing that came to her was when he tried to kill her, all those years ago. She remembered his fluency and his speed. She would have never thought of him as dancing at that moment, but now that she recalled those long-forgotten memories, it actually made sense. It gave her the desire to see just how flexible he really was.

The heat coming off of his body covered hers, enveloping her. His scent drifted across her face, intoxicating her. He smelled like spices and he had a unique woodsy musk about him. But she recognized how he smelled so very distinctly male. It made her feel almost like an animal, searching for a proper mate, because of the way she could smell him.

With that thought in mind, she couldn't help but grind a little more boldly against him. She loved the feel of his hands on her, and she wanted him to hold her tighter. She barely took any interest in how Sasuke's breath hitched when she made the daring move, and then continued dancing.

Sasuke recognized a foreign heat building in his lower abdomen. His body moved purely on instinct, keeping up with the tempo of hers without an effort or even a single thought. She was so warm, and he felt his blood heating up with every roll of her hips against him.

He didn't want to stop anymore. But that didn't mean that he was relaxing on his own. The tension between them was steadily building, and it was intoxicating both of them in a way they never before imagined. The enthralling beat of the music pulsed through their chests, vibrating their rib cages and setting a beat for their hearts to follow. The low lights made the heavy atmosphere hotter and hotter. Sweat began beading on their faces and neck, and Sasuke felt his thick hair sticking to his forehead. Sakura felt a bead of sweat drip down her chin and neck, escaping through the deep valley between her breasts.

Sasuke gasped when she unexpectedly interrupted the steady and rhythmic beat of her hips to grind back into his groin before continuing to swing as she had been doing before.

The feel of that moment left the raven-haired man gritting his teeth together. And when she did another sinful rotation of her hips on him, he let out a panting exhale and dropped his head onto the side of her neck. His lips came in contact with the sweat there, and he found himself enjoying the taste of her. He was taken aback, as if someone had slapped him, when a wave of arousal washed over him. Involuntarily, his grip on either side of her hips tightened.

He knew she was still unaware of his predicament when she repeated the action once more, relishing the feel of his warm breath puffing against the side of her neck. She felt his fingers tighten, burning their imprints through her dress and onto her bare skin beneath.

The song drumming through her ears had a beat that demanded for her body to move so sensually that she found herself losing control of her own actions. She had never believed that a single dance with the man she loved, but could never have, would end up like this. Especially since the unflinching Uchiha had made it a point to let her know that he'd never return those feelings.

But her body now had a mind of its own, and the friction between them was lighting her on fire as their bodies moved in harmony. She just couldn't focus on anything but the moment, the strong sound of the music's beat, and the strong hands placed firmly on her hips.

She brought her right arm up and wound her fingers through his inky locks. She felt his hair, wet from sweating, and matted down on the top of his head. The desire that had erupted inside of her was burning her up, and the force of attraction made her head dizzy.

She gasped when she felt his hands travel up and forward to caress her toned stomach. His fingertips left a trail of fire and goose bumps in their wake. Her sensitive skin felt ever simple touch, and every light caress. She felt his hands becoming curious as they slid up and down the length of her torso. She silently wondered what he was doing.

And then his hands slid lower, past her hips, to almost reach her inner thigh. She felt herself gasp as all the air from her lungs was driven away as she arched her back, her shoulders pushing hard against his chest. Her mind quickly abandoned any previous regard for appropriate behavior when his hands came back to her hips, grabbing her forcefully, seductively. She immediately slowed their fast tempo to a slow, dirty grind.

Instantly, the world began to move in slow motion, and the room spun uncontrollably. The only people in the entire world were Sakura and Sasuke, and there was nothing else that mattered to them. Nothing else…

He mimicked her pace with effortlessness and simplicity. Sasuke brushed his lips against the side of her neck as his eyes slid shut, and he felt her arm come up to wrap around the back of his neck.

Sasuke's eyes shot open as she pushed herself into him with all her might, and then slid down the front of him, holding her hair so it wouldn't get caught in his belt, before dragging herself back up and spreading her legs to get a better stance. She reached behind him and grabbed the sides of his thighs as she dropped her body once more, this time rubbing her arched back into his groin. And when she dragged herself back up him again, Sasuke was taking shallow breaths, panting from a lack of air. He couldn't understand why, but her naughty movements were causing his body to have the strangest reactions.

He couldn't deny it any longer.

He wanted her. He wanted Sakura, team seven's weakest link grown into the most beautiful and powerful woman he'd ever laid his eyes upon.

Finally having a sense of drive and encouragement, Sasuke pulled his tucked-in shirt out of his waistband and undid the three remaining buttons. He removed his hands from her swaying hips for only a moment to move the shirt out of his way, so that the buttons wouldn't uncomfortably press into Sakura's back.

She seemed to notice how he had opened his shirt, and she fisted her small hands in his hair, and began to move her hips in a circle, giving his front a nonstop massage under his palms. Sasuke had to open his mouth wide to get in a breath. He'd never felt such a strong attraction to a woman in his entire life. Sakura was making him work, teasing him with the new pressure of her circling hips against his groin, and pushing him to keep up with her. All his senses and reasoning drowned in the feel of her feminine curves against him.

He fought with himself to keep a handle on the natural reactions of his body, but it was beginning to become too difficult for him. And he stopped breathing completely when Sakura moved her bottom up and down, directly over his length. It was an understatement to say that he couldn't prevent his blood from redirecting to his member.

Without his consent, Sasuke felt his body temperature rise, and a slow throbbing sensation began pulsing through his entire body as his blood rushed to his groin.

Instantly, he knew that this wasn't a good sign. His black slacks were beginning to feel constricting, and the force of the throbbing inside of him had doubled in intensity. He knew that their little arrangement had to stop there. He just couldn't go any further. That was it.

He gripped Sakura's hips in an attempt to still her seductive movements, but she fought against him. He felt himself getting harder until his length went completely rigid.

"Sakura," he heavily breathed, pleading with her in his mind.

His plan to still her backfired when she took his tightened grip as an invitation to do something more. She swung her hips forcefully against his, and Sasuke had to bite down hard on his tongue to stop himself from eliciting a loud moan from deep in his throat.

Sasuke took one final effort to stop her by gripping her tightly and pressing his arousal into her backside. Sakura instantly froze and Sasuke let out a breathy sigh. On the other hand, Sakura's eyes widened and her heart began beating irregularly in her chest. Heat rippled throughout her body and her core throbbed in response. She never even dreamed of the possibility that she could make the dark haired man react like this, let alone that she could have done it to him.

For so long he'd kept his distance from her, staying uninterested and restrained.

Both of them remained motionless on the dance floor, as the people around them continued to swirl and shout and laugh, as if nothing was wrong. The music still played, the beat of the bass stayed the same, and the multicolored lights were persistent at dancing over their wide-eyed expressions.

Sasuke breathed heavily behind her, his mouth right next to her ear. He had long since pulled his heated length away from her, and Sakura had hurriedly taken a step forward so as not to push him further. She now realized what she had been doing to him, and she wanted to hit herself in the forehead for being so stupid. Her dancing had been less than innocent, of course, but she hadn't really thought of Sasuke getting like this. It had taken her by complete surprise, and now, she didn't know what she was supposed to do. She knew that if she did nothing, the raven-haired man would leave. His hands were no longer on her hips, and they both held their arms firmly at their sides, shying away from any more physical contact, even from the dancers around them.

This was Sasuke. This was the boy that never returned her feelings for him, and made it a point to call her annoying every time he saw her. She knew that she shouldn't think much on what just happened, concerning the way she felt about him. The youngest Uchiha was flesh and blood, after all, and she couldn't have expected him not to have a physical reaction to what she had been doing. But now, she just felt absolutely horrible. She should have never dragged him to the dance floor in the first place. She should have taken her chances with that other man that looked at her like a piece of meat. Anything was better than this…

But she had to do something to make this better before he just walked away from her and made every encounter that followed awkward and embarrassing for the both of them. So, she spun around and looked him in the eye. He had no problem matching her emerald orbs with his deep, onyx pools.

Sasuke had been almost sure that, after realizing the condition his body was in, the pink haired medic-nin would have walked away in either hostility or embarrassment. But she had done neither, and instead was slowly taking a step towards him, filling their previously established gap. He nearly stopped breathing when one of her hands came up to rest on his shoulder. She slid her palm down to grip is bicep. She took her other hand and reached for his opposite hand, hanging by his side. She tangled her fingers with his and brought it up, next to their shoulders.

And then she started to sway. He couldn't help but notice how her waist stayed a bare minimum of three inches from him. It looked uncomfortable on her part, but he appreciated the gesture. And to be honest, he didn't mind just rocking back and forth with her. It was almost enjoyable…

They stayed on the marble-tiled dance floor together for a few songs, just rocking back and forth, without any unnecessary contact with each other. Sasuke thought it odd how he didn't quite mind being in the middle or the dancers as much as he had when he was first dragged out.

Sakura mentally sighed every few seconds that Sasuke didn't shove her off of him and stomp away in anger and frustration. She would have bet money that he wouldn't have stayed here with her after what had just happened between the two of them on the dance floor.

But he did. And the usually adamant Uchiha seemed to be enjoying himself, even if only a little. And Sakura knew that, given the choice, she would do it all over again.

Because he didn't push her away.