Fanning His Flames
Authors' Note: Thanks for the reviews. We hope that you enjoy this chapter.
Chapter 2
The next day, Sasuke decides to do something incredibly reckless. He was going to brave the Desert Sun in the name of purchasing some traveling supplies. This time though, he went prepared. To say the least, when he places nearly a gallon of sunscreen before he set off, but Sasuke was sure it would be worth it in the long run. He wouldn't make the same mistake twice.
He'd traveled far and wide ever since leaving the Leaf the first and second time. Though Sasuke had never been in such a practical village before. The buildings were designed to withstand sandstorms and all the shops were arranged by purpose. The clothing shops were in one section, the restaurants and food booths right next to that one and a little further along there was a section that appeared dedicated to selling ninja tools.
"The Leaf could learn something from them." He shakes his head at the thought, remembering the chaotic marketplace of his birth village.
The Sand Village was a lot smaller than the Leaf, but Sasuke didn't mind that. It just made finding everything easier and it was also again, quieter. Sure, people were talking, but no one was running around screaming their heads off. Even the kids appeared to play in ways that sowed less chaos and vandalism.
Three of the kids playing in the street chase a ball through the market, weaving and dodging like ninjas in training through the shopkeepers and market-dwellers while their parents did their shopping.
Sasuke smiles as he watches them chase their ball. He'd never really done that. The closest he came was practicing throwing kunais with Itachi and Shisui.
He shakes his head at the thought as if to banish it while heading to one of the stands that he was sure was selling jerky. Jerky was highly useful for missions. It could last a while, tasted good, and was fairly nutritious. He might as well stock up.
"How much for ten pounds? Enough to last on a long journey that won't spoil?" He glances at the man running the booth, hoping that he wouldn't faint or run off. Though to the Sand's Villages, they had mostly stuck to 'discrete whispers' thus far.
"Six thousand ryo, Sir." The shopkeeper eyes the Uchiha warily, but not disrespectfully. "We have boar and antelope from the plains, as well as dried bison meat from further north."
"I'll take a mix of all three." It was better to have variety when given a choice. "Here, keep the change." He hands him the six thousand and an extra five hundred ryo on top. The man was understandably wary, but he'd be stupid not to be. Sasuke couldn't hold that against him.
The shopkeeper nods, counting the money by eye, then tucking it away and reaching for a number of wrappers. He plucks each piece of jerky from the racks with metal tongs, inspecting them carefully before laying them in each of the three wrappers. "Are you searching for anything else in the way of supplies, young man?"
"Double the standard supplies for a long term mission." Sasuke still didn't know how long he'd wander and he had learned a long time ago that it was better to have too much than not enough. Delays happened and some villages didn't have what he needed.
"Then I would recommend that you check in with Akira down the street. She caters to the ninja of the village." The old shopkeeper nods towards the end of the street, where a large shop lay with a number of signs nailed to the outside. "Weapons, storage scrolls, camping gear, clothing and armor, medicinal ingredients and poisons."
He smirks at that. "In other words, save for the Kazekage, I imagine she's the most popular person in this village." Sasuke nods at him before stuffing his purchase into his traveling pack. "Thanks for your help." Not realizing that the scent of it was about to attract some very cute attention.
Two tiny furry figures dart between the sandstone walls of the shop, little noses in the air and sniffing their way towards the source of the meaty scent moving away from the human who always shooed them away.
One of the sandy-colored rascals leaps forward, 'biting' at the leg of the dark pants and pawing at the black sandals hungrily. The second mews softly and bumps its tiny head against the strange human's other leg, not recognizing the scent of this one, but knowing food when it smelled it.
Sasuke chuckles when he feels something paw at his leg and hears a quiet mewing sound. "Alright." He reaches into his traveling pack and takes out a few strips of jerky, tearing them into smaller pieces for the hungry felines. "Here."
The two mew happily and fluff themselves around Sasuke's ankles before tearing into the little pieces of meat. Upon devouring them, the little kittens begin purring and rubbing against the nice human's legs.
"Cute little beggars." He laughs softly as he leans down slightly to pet them and gives them a couple more pieces. He'd bought ten pounds of jerky and would buy even more food. It was highly unlikely that would make the difference between life and death. "There you go."
Snapping up the new offerings in a heartbeat, the two determined kittens lick at the human's fingers and start trying to crawl up his arm.
Sasuke sweatdrops. The kittens were probably trying to adopt him. "I'm sorry. I can't really take you with me." It would be one thing if he had a home, but he couldn't take two kittens trekking all over the Five Nations. "Though maybe I can talk Gaara into taking you in or something." He scoops them up, idly wonder if the Sand even had an animal shelter of some kind. These were just regular cats though, not ninja cats.
The two little fuzzballs purr contentedly in his arms, settling in against his chest. Their little pointed ears perk up, twitching this way and that as they peer around the market. But one of them turns its attention back to the pale fingers holding them up, licking and nipping at them with harmless baby teeth.
"Well, I suppose no one is going to worry about me Chidoring them when I'm holding two kittens." Sasuke shakes his head as he decides to head back towards the Kazekage Mansion. He'd complete his shopping later.
Curious brown eyes had watched the scene from across the street as the infamous Last Uchiha disappears in the crowd. And once he was out of sight, the giggles of two kunoichi erupt at the absurd cuteness of the scene. Who knew that Sasuke Uchiha had a soft spot for stray kittens?
As amusing as it would have been to tease and torment Sasuke all day, Temari did have actual work to do in their village's diplomatic relations sector. There were visits to arrange, the Chunin Exams to schedule and coordinate, selections for genin to be made to represent their village. It was even more important now that the war war over and the nations were settling down. They'd all lost a lot of power, and she would be instrumental in rebuilding the strength of the Sand Village.
That said, she did still intend to pay Sasuke another visit later to put another layer of aloe on those burns. Like now, since all of her correspondence for the day was finished. Every letter had been responded to, every report read, and every order that needed sending out was off her desk.
She sighs as she takes what few documents she has left from her desk and steps out of her office, locking it securely with a hidden seal just to be sure that no one tried to get into any mischief in there. Everyone knew what would happen if they were caught making mischief in Temari's office.
That's when she hears giggles wafting towards her as she strides down the hall. And she knew those giggles all too well. "Matsuri? Yukata? Aren't the two of you supposed to be working?" And sure enough, the two of them were standing huddled together and giggling like they'd seen the funniest thing in the world. "What's all the giggling about?"
"Oh Lady Temari, we're sorry." Yukata bows to her quickly. "U-Um maybe, M-Matsuri can explain." It was apparent both girls were terrified of being seeing as slackers.
Matsuri gulps. She could do this. Temari was Gaara's sister and Gaara was her Master. Surely, she could explain what was so funny. Even the most professional ninja would stop and gawk at what they had just witnessed.
"You won't believe this." She giggles nervously. "Sasuke Uchiha was feeding some stray cats and carried them off. Sasuke was petting kittens!" Come on. Anyone had to admit that was a surreal sight. Anyone would have stopped to stare. Right?
Temari raises an eyebrow at the claim. "Sasuke Uchiha was petting and carrying off kittens?" Clearly, someone had been out in the sun too long. "Are you feeling alright, Matsuri?"
"Yes, I'm fine." She looks at her friend. "You saw it too, right?" She hadn't been imaging things. Had she?
Luckily, her friend rises to the ocassion. "It's true! Lady Temari, I swear it! Half the village saw him returning to Lord Kazekage's mansion with them!" Okay, maybe not half, but that had still been a lot of people. "I'm sure that if you went to check, he would still be there with them."
While she prided herself on being too smart to fall for a trap, Temari had to admit that the image of Sasuke carrying kittens around provoked more than a slight curiosity in her. "I see. Well, since my work is done for the day, I'll investigate the possibility that the village seems to be suffering from mass hallucinations." Or potentially the most adorable image in the history of the great nations.
"Yes, My Lady." They both nod at her, feeling relieved that Temari was taking them seriously now.
"Now, stop gossiping in the halls, I'm sure that you both have better things to do." Temari snorts and strides past them. "I'm sure that my brother wouldn't be impressed with all the gossiping that goes on around here." Actually, she was pretty sure that he'd find at least some of it mildly amusing.
They nod and quickly get back to work. Neither of them wanted to disappoint their Kazekage. Still, Temari could hear some giggling as she walks away to do her investigation. Who could blame the girls though? The image of Sasuke and kittens was an amusing one indeed.
While she was attempting to be as quiet as a mouse and not alert Sasuke to her approach, Temari also didn't feel like she wanted to look like she was sneaking around her own home. So she simply silences her own footsteps, dampens her chakra slightly, and opens the door to her family's living quarters without even a click of the latch.
She steps into the sitting room and her eyes widen slightly as she finds Sasuke there, sitting on the couch with two sandy-colored kittens purring contentedly in his lap. There was a soft, calm smile on his face as he petted them and let them play with his fingers. And…it was the cutest damn thing she had ever seen. "So, the rumors were true." She smirks slightly. "Looks like I won't have to investigate a case of mass hallucination, after all."
Sasuke raises an eyebrow. "What rumors and why did were you curious about mass hallucinations?" He idly pets the happy felines."By the way, what's Gaara's stance on cat? I don't really want to give them to Kankuro because I think his makeup would scare them. Then again, you're pretty catty yourself. Maybe you're a better choice." He obviously couldn't take them with him and he didn't want to leave them to starve either.
While she couldn't deny being catty at times, Temari shakes her head at the thought of giving Kankuro pets. "You forget my brother's puppet obsession. I don't think cats and puppets would mix well. But they seem to like you. I thought that Matsuri and Yukata had let the heat get to them when they told me that you had been seen picking up and playing with stray kittens."
She crosses the room and holds her hand out to pet the kittens, only for them to largely ignore her in favor of the pale fingers they'd been chasing around for hours. "Looks like you're their favorite."
"Cats are smart. They'll butter up whoever feeds them." Sasuke shrugs as he watches Temari. "You're right. I think they'd be terrified of Kankuro. If you give them some jerky though, I imagine they'll take to you just as fast as they did me."
"Maybe." Though Temari doubted it. She'd fed the stray cats before, and not once did they climb all over her like they did Sasuke. "I think they just know a cat person when they see one."
"I usually like animals better than people." He glances down as seemingly a dozen moments flicker across his eyes in an instant. "That and I grew up with cats. The Inuzukas raise ninja dogs and my clan had Ninja Cats." They had never quite caught on the way that their canine counterparts had for obvious reasons though. Dogs were generally eager to please and cats were more independent. "I can't really take them with me though. They're regular cats. Not Ninja Cats."
Well that certainly put a damper on Temari's spirits. "You don't have to leave that quickly, you know. We're not going to chase you out or anything. Besides, those burns of yours are going to take a few more days to heal."
"Yeah a few days to heal." Sasuke strokes one of the kitten's fur. "I think they had something more long-term in mind than that though."
Clearly, but it didn't mean it wasn't an option. Temari's curiosity was starting to get the better of her, but she knew better than to show her hand too quickly. So she stands and walks over into the kitchen to pull down a pot for dinner. "Do you have any long-term plans in mind?" Or did Sasuke just expect to wander for the rest of his life?
"You know, I think you're the first person who has ever asked me that." He tilts his head at that and there was something akin to shock on his face before it was replaced by a smirk. "I have a couple long-term plans in mind, but nothing particularly specific in terms of how to achieve them." Something that left him more uneasy than he was ever going to admit.
"Only a couple?" Temari pulls a number of root vegetables from the cupboard, as well as a slab of meat purchased at a nearby butcher shop the day before. "They must be pretty important if you've got so few."
The kittens show great interest in the meat and dart over to investigate. Which was fine with Sasuke. It gave him an excuse to collect his thoughts. "They are." He nods at her, wondering if he should redirect this conversation. "It looks like you've got some new friends." Yes, that's exactly what he was going to do. The kittens had definitely earned the jerky he had given them earlier and then some.
So she did. It was rather cute how the two tiny kittens darted around her feet like they were trying to be little ninja cats. "Yes, they'll be good rat-catchers one day. As long as they don't get too spoiled by dangerous wandering ninja." Not that very many kinds of rats could survive this far out into the desert, but the ones that did were nothing to sneeze at. "Though you have to admit that when we were kids, if you had come across Gaara petting a couple of kittens, you would have stared at him for it. So I guess it shouldn't be a surprise that the villagers would start gossiping about you carrying around a couple of kittens."
"They're gossiping about me carrying kittens." Sasuke blinks. "I expected them to talk about me, but not over that." Well, he supposed there were worse things for them to talk about. "You're right though. I would have stared. Mostly because your father decided it was bloodlust at first sight for us."
"Yes, Father was…not a great role model for any of us." Though Temari liked to think that she turned out okay, despite that. "But it's thanks to Naruto and you that Gaara changed the way he did." And for that, Temari was very thankful. And mostly no longer terrified of her little brother. Now, she was just worried that he would start poking his nose where it didn't belong. Namely into her love life.
Sasuke rolls his eyes. "I never met the man obviously, but I'm told the Fourth Kazekage was revived during the war and he and Gaara reconciled." The thought makes him unexpectedly bitter and Sasuke realizes with a start that he was actually envious of the red head in that regard. "Itachi did horrific things in the name of peace, so maybe the man had a DAMN good reason why he put a Tailed beast inside his pregnant wife that I'm just unaware of." He'd never gotten that chance with his own father.
Fugaku Uchiha hadn't been revived during the war. Sasuke wasn't sure why. He could have been useful to the enemy with his own visual prowess and had once been a Hokage candidate, but only Itachi came back and it was because of that that they had won the war. If Itachi hadn't taken out Kabuto...
Well, Sasuke didn't want to think on that any longer. All he knew was that he'd never get the chance to speak with his father again and he was NOT pleasantly disposed towards someone who would do that to their wife and child. No wonder Gaara had been a bloodthirsty monster when they met.
"Power, to protect the village, only to decide that Gaara wasn't stable enough to live because our father lied to him over and over and kept him from having any kind of normalcy in his childhood." It was something that Temari hadn't, and would never forgive their father for.
"I wouldn't say that they reconciled. Just that Gaara forgave Father for all of the lies he was told that turned him into the monster he became. That our mother never loved him, that our uncle never loved him, that…no one ever would." Her hands shake with anger as she slices into the meat, cutting it into ever smaller pieces.
Sasuke shakes his head as he walks over to her and deftly takes the knife out of her hand. "I shouldn't have commented on it." He knew even less about her family than she knew of his. "I didn't mean to upset you. Let me get it for you." True, she was a jonin and a formidable ninja in her own right, but Sasuke didn't like the way her hands were shaking while she was cutting up her meal. It was better to offer to do it himself.
"I'm fine, I can do it myself." Temari wouldn't be seen as weak. She could NEVER be seen as weak. No matter how much she hated her bastard of a father who conspired with criminals and reneged on treaties and killed her mother, then turned her sweet little brother into a monster.
The kittens fluff her and Sasuke couldn't help, but smile at that. Animals did have a sixth sense about that sort of thing. Maybe it would be best to distract her.
"I know you can." Sasuke twirls the knife in his hand for a second, not entirely if it was safe to give back to her just yet. So he does what Itachi would have done in this situation. "You asked me if I had any long-term plans were. Did you still want to know?" He uses a diversion.
Temari takes a deep breath, realizing that she was being stupid and unreasonable, and that her pride did NOT want to bend. But she welcomes the chance at a momentary distraction. "Alright. What are your long-term plans?"
"I want to restore my family's name. That's why I travel. I figure if I do enough good, that eventually it might balance out the horrible things that I've done in the past." Sasuke shakes his head as though trying to banish some unpleasant thoughts. "It's not safe to even attempt my second goal until that happens." That and he didn't want to face the Leaf Village again. Not just yet anyway. That place had far more unpleasant memories than pleasant ones. The very foundation of that village was built just as much on his family's blood as earth and stone.
Temari had seen Sasuke's path of destruction. Not every step of the way, but she had witnessed the effects for herself. She knew very well what it felt like to need to redeem yourself. She and her brothers had felt the same way, to a lesser degree, after their betrayal of the Leaf Village all those years ago. "A noble goal. And your second one is…?"
He smiles at her. "You're a brilliant strategist. I would have thought you'd have figured out the second one." Though it wasn't as if he advertised it anymore. "I want to restore my Clan." Only this time, they wouldn't be taken away from him.
Her lips twitch into a faint smile. "You want to find someone to pop out your army of Uchihas?" Gaara had proposed the notion, but it was still a funny one. "The world will quake in terror at the thought."
"That's not exactly how I would put it, but accurate enough." Sasuke looks away a little embarrassed. "I want a family again."
"Got any candidates lined up?" Temari slides the knife back out of Sasuke's grip and goes about finishing the cutting, before dropping all of the raw meat into the pot. "I hear that you used to have quite the fan club back in your village. I bet some of them would like the whole bad boy vibe you throw off when you're not petting kittens."
He laughs at that. "Candidates? I'm not Kakashi. I'm not hosting a beauty contest." Sasuke had never been as big a sucker for a pretty face as his Sensei was. "That's another reason why I left the Leaf though. There's no one there that I could see myself with, especially anyone who belonged to my fanclub. All the woman my age are civilians, insane, or taken." That or he just wasn't attracted to them. In theory, there wasn't really anything 'wrong' with someone like Tenten. There was just no spark.
"What if you went for an older woman? You don't have to limit yourself to just the girls in your age group." After all, her own age group was pretty small. Temari had been in one of those small years, unlike her brothers. And being held back to take the Chunin Exams had put her behind what few peers she had.
"I never really thought about it." Sasuke tilts his head at that. "Probably because most of the more experienced female ninjas also fit in that category." He pauses. "I thought I'd find someone outside the village or end up marrying a younger Leaf Villager. My parents are five years apart, but an older woman might be better." In theory, they were less likely to be prone to acting like Academy girls. "The Mizukage did call me handsome, but that's unlikely to go anywhere considering I attacked the Kage Summit."
"You also helped save the world, so I think that might help cancel that out. Even if it doesn't, she's not the only cougar out there." Though the thought of that old lady trying to seduce Sasuke made Temari want to throw the slowly boiling pot of water on the woman's head. "Besides, would you really want to live in that soggy place for the rest of your life?"
"Location doesn't really matter to me, but why are you referring to the Mizukage as a big cat?" Sasuke looks at her with genuine confusion.
Oh boy. Time for Temari to teach this boy a lesson, then. "It doesn't mean the animal, Uchiha." Temari wipes her hands off and steps right into Sasuke's personal space, pressing her hands against the counter on either side of his hips. "A cougar is a woman, usually in her thirties, or older, who likes to chase younger men."
"Ah. What do you call the male counterpart?" Sasuke wasn't getting why they chose a cougar to represent this type of woman, but the definition was easy to understand.
Temari deadpans. "Orochimaru. Wasn't he the one trying to get in your pants? Literally?"
"..." For the first time in his life, Sasuke Uchiha was completely speechless. Well at least for a moment. "No. He wanted my body for other reasons and if he had tried anything like that I would have killed him sooner."
Mischievous laughter bubbles up Temari's throat as she moves back to the cutting board to chop up the root vegetables for the stew. "You did have us wondering for a while. After all, you disappeared for three years, and no one from either of our villages could find you. So you can't blame us for coming to…conclusions."
"I think you're far more sadistic than Gaara was in your own way." Sasuke rolls his eyes. "I left to train with him because I was desperate." He would have done anything to kill Itachi at the time. "I was also ridiculously naive, but I did my best to stay out of THAT aspect of the Sound's culture." He had almost walked in on more than a couple scenes that would have been too deviant even for Jiraiya's tastes. "I did get the occasional eyeful, but I made it out of that place without participating in any of their...games." Though he had received some rather interesting invites. Something to do with the number sixty-nine. Sasuke still didn't get that one.
A teal gaze falls on Sasuke, scrutinizing him a moment. Then a profoundly hilarious realization dawns on her. "…You've never had sex, have you?" He was just so straightforward, and seemed almost sexy at times without meaning to be. It was totally natural, and yet…he didn't get the simple things. Hell, the last time Naruto had come for a visit, even HE got all of her dirty jokes. But Sasuke just…didn't.
This conversation wasn't going in his favor. "I never said that. I said that I didn't indulge in such things while in the Sound." Of course, afterwards there had been a war going on and while Sasuke could have found a lover during his travels, he just hadn't. Temari didn't need to know that though.
"So…you indulged them with your red-headed teammate, then?" Because Temari doubted that he would have taken a civilian to his bed. Too boring. "Or maybe the one with the white hair. You never did say if you were only interested in women."
"I'm only attracted to women." Sasuke glowers at her for the teasing. "As for Karin, we were never more than teammates." She wanted to be, but that didn't mean the attraction was returned.
"Well you didn't seem like a man getting some action when I saw you at the summit, and you've been too ridden in guilt since the war. I suppose it could have been after the summit, but from what Naruto said, you'd gone blind by then, so the probably wouldn't have been much fun." Temari scoops up the vegetables and drops them into the pot with a splash. "You don't have to dodge the question, you know." She glance over her shoulder with a smile. "It's okay to be an innocent virgin. Everyone starts that way, after all."
He really didn't know why or how they'd gotten into this conversation. "If you're not in Intelligence, you should be. How the fuck did we go from my trying to make you feel better to discussing...this?" It might surprise more people, Sasuke knew, but he rarely cursed. This was definitely a curse-worthy moment though.
"I've worked in intelligence before. But Gaara has me doing diplomacy instead." Temari shrugs, her eyes dancing with amusement. "But it's useful when figuring out how to negotiate if I know how to make the person across the table dance for me. Just like I made you dance around from telling me your life goals to your sexual status. But you know it's not that hard to change it, right? In fact, I bet that it's only because you left the Leaf so young that you avoided getting sent on any infiltration missions. With a face like that, you'd be one of my first picks."
"I suppose that makes sense." The woman could give Itachi a run for his money when it came to mind games, Sasuke decides. "My Clan NEVER got sent on those kinds of missions. The Leaf wouldn't have risked anything that might have resulted in the Sharingan being spread outside our village and I wouldn't have accepted those kinds of missions, even if asked." He knew she meant it as a compliment, but Sasuke's pride wouldn't allow himself to take on a mission like that.
Temari rolls her eyes. Honestly, the impracticality of some villages. With a pretty face and natural talents at genjutsu, an Uchiha would be perfect for a seduction mission. "Pity. But I suppose that would have just given the Leaf an extra leg up on everyone. I guess it shouldn't be too surprising that the Leaf failed to properly use the talents and resources available." They always had used a softer hand with their ninja. She never would have been able to get away with being as lazy as Nara.
"Meow." The kittens look up at the humans curiously. Sasuke was pretty sure they were wondering what they were talking about, but maybe that was just his imagination.
Sasuke wasn't completely naive. "I know that such missions are relatively common." He wouldn't judge ninjas who had to take them and knew that some of their peers might even enjoy them depending who was the target. "I'm just glad that I was never 'utilized' in that fashion." That didn't mean he was one of them though.
With a snort, Temari shakes her head and moves on Sasuke again, completely unafraid of getting in Sasuke's face, despite his reputation. "They're not that hard." Her fingers trail slowly up the front of his shirt. "You just need to know precisely what buttons to press, and your target becomes putty in your hands."
He watches her not sure how to react to that. "I prefer to press the buttons of someone of MY choosing." Temari spoke of the topic so casually. Sasuke wasn't sure if it was a cultural difference or if he had just been lucky because he was an Uchiha and left the Leaf early. In the back of his mind, he wanted to know just how many of these seduction missions Temari had been on, but he knew better than to ask. It wasn't any of his business.
"Then maybe you should find someone of your choosing and find out just what those buttons are." She backs off with a smirk and turns on heel to stir the gently boiling pot on the stove. "There's a bigger world than your village out here, Uchiha. And you won't get your Uchiha army by sitting around and watching the scenery go by."
He follows, well more like stalks Temari to the stove. Sasuke had been mocked by her far too many times tonight. Even the kittens were smart enough to move to the side as he approaches her and shuts the stove off before wrapping her in one powerful arm and reaching for her front with the other.
"I suppose you're right." His hold ensures there wasn't an inch of space between them as he brushes his lips against her ear and his other hand suggestively caresses her clothed breasts. "After all, given how giddy you are at the prospect of sending me off on a seduction mission, I imagine that's projection on your part and I could have you out of this kimono and onto the kitchen counter screaming my name in thirty seconds or less, if I really wanted to. After all, you've repeatedly told me how easy it is to seduce someone." He tweaks a clothed nipple before sliding his hand further down her stomach and towards the sash of her kimono, slowly tugging at it. "Might as well get started on that Uchiha Army, right?"
"Hm…seems like you're learning a bit. But…" She pulls at his wrists and spins around in his arms. "You're supposed to give her a kiss first. It's better for getting to know you." She brushes her lips over his with a smirk. "Maybe you need a few lessons about foreplay first."
Sasuke almost jerks back on instinct. Kakashi had always told that a ninja must expect the unexpected, but just hadn't foreseen the possibility Temari would react in such a fashion. In all honesty, Sasuke had thought that his sudden vulgarity would either send her running or stun her into silence, but instead she was being sassy. Possibly to embarrass him, but clearly he needed to retaliate in some way.
"You really enjoy fucking with people." He leans ever closer to her. "Maybe it's time that someone does the same to you." Sasuke would Chidori himself before he ever admitted this, but other than Naruto he still hadn't kissed anyone and even then, those had been accidents. Still, the Sharingan had its purposes.
He'd seen more than enough to copy techniques, even if that hadn't been his intention in the Sound. So Sasuke didn't have an issue kissing her. First a quiet brush against the lips and once he was sure he shocked her by returning the gesture, he deepens the kiss. Devouring her mouth in a fiery kiss. She had a sassy mouth, she'd probably enjoy a more combative kissing style.
Now THAT was a kiss, not that weak-ass first attempt. Temari smirks against his lips and winds her arms around his neck. "Much better." Her fingers wind into his hair just as the front door opens again.
Gaara walks in and much to Sasuke's horror, it didn't take the Kazekage even two seconds two realize what was going on. "Uchiha, dare I even ask?" He raises either a nonexistent or invisible eyebrow at them. Did Gaara even have eyebrows, Sasuke wonders to himself.
"She started it." Sasuke didn't know what else to say. "It's a long story." Damn. What was it about this woman that made him sound like he was back in the Academy so often? She started it?!
Temari slaps her forehead in frustration. Yet again, her little brother had the WORST timing. Then, she sighs. "…Dinner's ready."
But apparently, she would be going to bed without dessert tonight.