A/N: I like non-linear narratives. If you don't, then stop reading my story. Also, I need reviews to feed my ego and drive my passion, so please review. I'm grateful for the comments, even from that guy who wrote the critical one. Those of you who read my work before knows that I don't really care so much about canon. I write cuz it amuses me. So live with it. Enjoy. Oh, it gets a bit graphic so be warned.

Chapter 2: The First Glimpse

The sun had already risen from its earthly slumber when the caravan departed. In the wagon, four children lay sleeping, dreaming of adventure and glory. One dreams of sweets.

Sakura smiles at the happy brood, but her mood darkens as she catches his gaze. He makes no attempt of hiding his bitterness and resentment. Sakura does not let him see her pain or her sorrow. No, she would not allow him to see her weakness.

Instead, she steels herself and allows her anger to filter through her mask. For years, she had harbored a love for him that he would not return, a love she knew he shared. Her misery had festered until it bred a deep seething anger at the man sitting only a few feet away.

So she scowls at him, but she cannot deny the pain in her heart, the deep long for his touch. Her mind cuts back to the day before.

She was screaming at him, her mouth almost frothing from rage. She had just told him of Tsunade and her final wish, and what did he do? He walked away. No outpouring of grief or callous remark.

He just walked away. The woman he professed to love as a mother received no more attention from him than a stranger. Sakura could not hold to that. She knew how pointless it was to attack him, given his impossible strength and abilities, but she was possessed by years of burning anguish and regret.

In one moment, all her grief, all her loneliness, all the emotions that she had endured since the day she had lost him to another, came to bear. She whips out her kunai. Naruto, sensing the danger turns to face the woman. Their eyes lock, each expressing a cascade of emotions that range from hatred to something darker, something primal. Without preamble, she lunges at him. The collision reverberates throughout their bodies. She can feel her teeth rattle. He can taste blood in his mouth. They crash hard into the unforgiving ground.

Though her actions are ferocious, her mind is sharp, as if all her senses have been made hyper aware. She spots an opening. She strikes. Her roar becomes a terrible screeching sound, as she plunges her weapon into his mid-section, her eyes never leaving his.

Naruto cringes at the intrusion, but ignores the pain. He focuses only on her – it's a common theme throughout his life. His right forearm pushes against her throat, restricting her airway, causing her to stop screaming. His left hand wraps around her head, his fingers grasping her hair, forcibly pulling her head back. Their eyes never waver from each other, a deadly game of chicken playing out in the forest.

She starts to feel light headed, but the intensity of her rage keeps her focused. She pulls out the blade; the sickening sound of tearing flesh fills her ears. She forces out another roar before plunging the steel back into him. "Say something damn you!"

He grimaces, but reveals nothing more. He could snap her neck, but doesn't think to do it. All he feels is heat, an unbearable heat in his body. She feels it too.

A tear trickles down her left eye, but it's the only sign of weakness she will betray. Their body writhes together in agony. They struggle to endure the harsh punishment of the other.

GOD, TOO HOT!

Her mind ceases all higher thought processes, allowing a voice from the dark recesses of the instinctual past to break through. It speaks only one word.

"NOW!"

Her hips begin to dig into his pelvis, its motion sparking an inferno in the man's loins. A guttural sound escapes his lips as his breathing turns erratic. He's not sure if it's the loss of blood or the scent she's giving off, but it's making him feel weak, hungry.

The tension mounts, the temperature rises. Neither will break course. Her hot breath washes over him, the smell of his musk filling her nostrils. She growls as her hand loosens its grip on the kunai.

Naruto, feeling his control slipping, lets loose an ungodly howl. Something awakens in Sakura in response, something beastly.

He slams her into the ground, forcing the air from her lungs; still, her eyes remain their hold on his. She breathes him in, his taste tantalizing her senses. He pulls out the blade sticking from his side and tosses it aside. The wound heals thanks in part to the demon's chakra within him. He pays it no mind.

Only his prey concerns him. Only the sounds coming from throat captures his attention. She sees heat in his eyes and acts. With feral strokes, she rips his shirt off, leaving streaks of blood across his chest.

He howls again, his hunger deepens. Her ANBU vest gives easily to his powerful talons. He grips her pants and tears it from her body, until she is bare and exposed, sweat and his blood glistening off of her taught figure. He hovers above her, but only for a moment. There are no words exchanged, nor expressions of love. Only a primal roar as he plunges his girth into her. Her eyes clench shut instinctively from the pain. She feels his teeth sinking into the flesh of her right shoulder.

The pain is incredible, but so is the release. The night begins to fill with the sound of their carnal act. Time passes, but neither knows how much. The end comes in an explosion of sweet oblivious bliss, and a single moment of peace.

The moment passes all too soon for them. Their breathing slows, their eyes still locked. She stares into his lustrous blue eyes and sees an ocean of turmoil. How many nights have she seen those eyes in her dreams? They were so carefree once, so filled with life. Now, his eyes are clouded with so much sorrow.

He begins to stir. She panics. She knows that it's fleeting, but his warmth is all she needs in this world. She grabs onto him and pulls him in. Before he can resist, she presses her lips to his, trying to breathe him in, trying to keep him from leaving – again.

But he doesn't kiss her back. His lips are tight, his breathing steady. With firm hands, he pushes her off and rises. Sakura can only stare at the lowly earth beneath him, the oppressive weight on her chest keeping her from breathing freely. Her mind is numb, her body is cold. She longs for the earth to swallow her whole and end her misery. But she continues to linger on.

He begins to walk away, his back, it seems is always to her. He stops. He speaks still facing forward.

"We'll leave in the morning. All of us."

Hope is rekindled.

Sakura's mind returns to the present. She looks to the man again. His gaze returns to his children. He looks happy and at peace.

She does not know his turmoil. She does not know how he struggles with the one emotion he dreads most now. She only knows that he's far from her, even though he sits a few feet away.

"How did it come to this?" she wonders aloud, her voice barely audible.

Naruto, his hand caressing Mihoshi's soft fleshy cheeks looks to the setting sun.

"I don't know," he says, his words carried away by the wind.