A/N: I'm so sorry it took so long!

Warnings: Smexiness, nothing over the top

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto; if I did I wouldn't have to put up with my crappy job

Chapter 3

Sasuke didn't know a great deal about freedom; it wasn't a commodity that life had allowed him to experience very often. In some way or another he had always felt as if someone, somewhere, was pulling the invisible strings they'd attached to him. No matter how hard he searched, how deeply he dug (until he was raw and bleeding on the inside), he never could quite manage to detach those steel bands.

With Tenten there was a sense of freedom.

In some strange and indefinable way, and for the first time in his life, Sasuke felt free. Free to give in to the rage that swirled just below the surface; free to take all the injustices that life had dealt him and channel it into Tenten. When her mouth stole his breath and her body commanded his, and he couldn't even begin to think or plan; he couldn't pretend to be even somewhat in control. There was only the inexplicable need that rose between them, burning like Amaterasu until Sasuke's command of himself and his mind had been reduced to ashes.

It was liberating in a way he'd never expected.

That first night, when he'd kissed her, he hadn't really thought much past getting her to shut up. Then he hadn't thought much past how good it felt to have someone touching him without reservation. The moment he'd woken in a strange bed he'd known it had been a mistake. He'd left before she could finish her shower; shame boiling through every cell in his body, and he'd vowed that nothing like that would ever happen again because he was not that kind of person.

Yet here he was. With Tenten clinging to him as he pressed her violently against the back of the door and all thoughts of shame were overcome by the need that rose inside him.

She was addictive; a much better way to exorcise the demons than alcohol.

His rage and pain was matched by hers and, when the two met, the resulting conflagration was cathartic on a level he could never have imagined. Each bruise was repaid with a scratch and the shudders of pleasure that ran through her each time he pushed a little harder (always wondering when she would reach her limit) helped Sasuke to reclaim a small piece of himself.

Tenten was a kunoichi and she had been trained to withstand pain. What had surprised him was that she seemed to thrive on it. Intellectually he knew that her body was a weapon as much as his was, and of course she had been trained to wield it well, but he couldn't quite still the twinges of doubt. He didn't know what went through her mind; why she snarled, and scratched, and bit at each piece of skin she could reach, but he could understand the need for it. He didn't know who or what had driven her to this, but he knew the urge to self-destruction when he saw it. He knew that whatever was inside her heart could only be drowned out with equal amounts pleasure and pain.

So he tried not to feel the guilt when his fingers pressed bruises into her skin because he was holding her so tightly (maybe that way he would be anchored against the wild storms that threatened to drown out everything that still made him human). He didn't have to slow himself down, or hold back, or take her feelings into consideration, because if he gave an inch then she would overwhelm him and Sasuke's competitive nature could never allow him to be beaten.

They were waging a war and the other's body had turned into their battlefield.

Who the enemy was to Tenten Sasuke had no idea and he didn't even really care because as long as they were doing this together he was assured of finding peace – even if only for a night. And that was worth the shame and the self-loathing that he knew the dawn would bring.

Her busy fingers had managed to undo his clothes and Sasuke promptly forgot to care, or think, or focus on anything, except how good it felt, when her fingers closed tightly around his aroused flesh. He bit into her soft skin, hoping to keep the pleasured noises locked inside his throat that way. Tenten gasped, a breathy little moan that made lightning flash down his nerve-endings, and his hands left her hips to sweep up to her breasts.

Sasuke growled in frustration; there were entirely too many pieces of clothing in the way and far too many ghosts in his head. Unlike their previous encounter this time he was still stone-cold sober (apparently drinking copious amounts on a regular basis resulted in a tolerance for alcohol that was completely inconvenient). The only bright side was that this way, with his head somewhat clear, he could be sure that the lust wasn't the alcohol's doing, because deep down inside Sasuke had never forgotten the lessons his mother had drilled into him before her murder.

This was not the way you were supposed to treat a girl. Of that Sasuke was unnervingly aware. You were supposed to respect them, and their boundaries. Take them on a date first and then, maybe, if you were lucky, a chaste kiss could be stolen at the end of the evening. When you finally got to the intimate stages, then you were supposed to take it slow and gentle.

Uncomfortably, the thought rose at the back of his mind that he would never have treated Sakura like this.

He would never have dared to push her up against a wall, fumbling and ripping at cloth with indecent haste until he could slam himself inside of her with no finesse whatsoever. Instinctively he realized that she wasn't that kind of girl any more than Tenten was. But the madness inside swirled to the surface whenever he was with Tenten (perhaps because he only saw her when he was at his lowest) and he was powerless to resist it.

Tenten's legs tightened around his hips and she moaned, long and low, as his teeth carved deep furrows into her shoulder. Sasuke tasted blood on his tongue and somehow the metallic tang only served to heighten his excitement. Relying on the weight of his body against hers to keep her pinned to the wall, Sasuke braced his forearms on either side of her head as her hips rose and fell in a dizzying rhythm. Her hands clenched in his hair tight enough to rip out the strands, but Sasuke was helpless to do anything but groan low in his throat.

It shouldn't feel this good. Everywhere their bodies touched flames danced across his skin, and he couldn't stop the string of curses that rolled from his tongue as her body clenched exquisitely around him; dragging him to the edge unwillingly.

With release came the shame, even if he could feel her body shuddering in pleasure around his.

Because the relentless voice at the back of his mind told him quite eloquently that they deserved better than this.

Sasuke gritted his teeth and tried to ignore the blasting music. The bass pulsed, adding to the throbbing in his head, but he tried to focus his scowl on the glass in front of him.

He hadn't wanted to come. But somehow he never could say no to Naruto. Not when it came to important things. He'd never wanted to set foot back in Konoha, yet here he was – because Naruto wanted him to be here. Similarly, he hadn't wanted to attend the joint bachelor/bachelorette party for Naruto and Sakura, yet here he was. Because Naruto had begged and pleaded and schemed and manipulated until Sasuke had finally given in just so that he could have a moment's peace. But that wasn't really the reason, either. Deep down inside he knew he owed Naruto this. If there was any way that he could contribute to Naruto's happiness then he was obligated to take it, because the blonde was the only person in his entire life who had always been solidly, completely, there for him. He hadn't wanted to acknowledge it because Sasuke hated feeling guilty, but that didn't mean he hadn't always known.

Maybe that was what was really behind his dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs. He didn't begrudge Naruto his happiness – and the kami knew he'd never thought of Sakura in that way. Maybe the real problem was that he was a selfish bastard. If they got married then he would be excluded in a way that was irrevocable and final. Things would change and they wouldn't be his anymore.

Sasuke took a thoughtful gulp of the sake, relishing in the burn sliding down his throat. He could admit that it was certainly a part of it. He was selfish enough to want them to himself. They had chased after him for so many years, and at the time it had only served to annoy him, but it had also been strangely comforting: to know that they were always just a step behind him. Now their paths would really diverge, just as he had told Sakura so many years ago, except this time it would be real. Naruto and Sakura would be focused on their own small family now, and Sasuke didn't know where he fit in– or even if he would fit.

The apology was so long overdue that he didn't know how to make it sound sincere anymore. Maybe things would have been different if he had actually spoken to Sakura – really talked to her – upon his return, but Sasuke had been too proud when she had come to see him. Too ashamed of the shackles and the bruises and the dried blood announcing loudly that, in the end, he hadn't been strong enough. Somewhere inside of him everything had shrivelled up and died at her assessing gaze. In some ways Sakura had been as much a mainstay of his sanity as Naruto. He'd kept track of their progress over the years after all; he'd known that she was a million miles away from the crying, helpless child he'd left on a bench in the middle of the night. In his darkest moments, it had been comforting to think of the high regard Sakura had always had for him. If someone like Sakura could respect him and his abilities then he had no reason to doubt himself. But that day, chained to a wall in a filthy cell, he'd seen pity flash across her expressive features and that small place inside of him where Sakura-of -the-past lived had been coated in darkness. So he'd drawn the tatters of his pride around himself like armor and he'd coldly shut her out.

He knew that Naruto was baffled by his attitude, that Kakashi didn't approve, but it was too late to back out now; to try and explain himself, and to say that he was sorry.

Sasuke sighed as he took another drink; it really wasn't surprising, he didn't know why they still expected better of him.

He didn't know why he always wanted to try. Life should have taught him by now that, in the end, Uchiha Sasuke would always lose.

An elbow connected violently with his ribs and Sasuke turned his head to glare at Naruto, who shouted something Sasuke couldn't hear over the loud music. Still, he got the general idea as the blonde idiot gesticulated wildly. It was a party and Sasuke should act like it. Instead he scowled, deciding stubbornly that Naruto should just be thankful that he was there at all. He deliberately turned away from his best friend only to choke on the defiant mouthful of sake that he'd just taken.

Abruptly he became aware of murderous aura that surrounded the Hyuuga seated across from him. Tenten's teammate and his wife, Naruto and Sakura, and Sasuke were the only ones still seated at their table. The others had left to dance but the Hyuuga woman – Sasuke thought her name might be Ami – had only thrown one longing look after a laughing Ino dragging Hinata onto the dance-floor before looking down at her lap. Clearly, her husband wasn't into dancing – not that Sasuke blamed him; he had no desire to flail around like an idiot, either. Sakura had, wisely in Sasuke's opinion, vetoed Naruto's enthusiastic invitation to dance after one look at the packed space.

Sasuke hadn't paid any attention to where Tenten had gone, but now that he'd turned slightly he had a clear view of the bar and the way Tenten was draped over it. Her green-clad teammate was at her side, and, as Sasuke watched, she laughed and shook her head. She licked her hand, her tongue swirling lightly over the skin in a way that sent Sasuke's blood rushing south, before salting the wet patch. It took a moment to register that she was clearly teaching her naïve teammate how to drink because all Sasuke had been focused on was the memory of that pink tongue swirling over his body.

Tenten turned a bit on her bar-stool, lights flashing over her bare legs, as she spoke to the man on her other side and suddenly it all clicked into place.

Another covert glance at the Hyuuga across from him confirmed Sasuke's suspicions.

He knew he should feel sorry for Tenten; that he should have empathy with her plight when clearly her feelings were returned, though circumstances had forced them apart but Sasuke found that he couldn't. All he was really aware of was the thought that he was her fucking rebound. It wasn't fair to be angry that she was using him – not when he was so clearly using her right back – but still, Sasuke didn't like the thought of being a substitute for anyone.

Fleetingly he wondered if she pretended that he was Neji. If that was why she was so careful to never speak, why she bit her lower lip to ribbons to keep the words and sounds locked inside her mouth.

And then the anger rose, ever present, never far from the surface, but Sasuke welcomed it. The darkness swirled over him in a nearly palpable aura and distantly he thought that it must look quite ridiculous: him and the Hyuuga radiating killing intent while Naruto, Sakura and Ami pretended not to notice.

Another drink had never seemed like a better idea.

Tenten laughed uncomfortably; all too aware of the eyes on her. It had been habit more than anything else that had sent her to the bar – where single men always congregated – when Ino had pulled Hinata onto the dance-floor. But tonight had been different; her heart wasn't in it. Not only did she not want to spoil the party for Naruto and Sakura but she didn't have it in her to torment Neji.

Not tonight. Not after their fight.

So she'd grabbed Lee the first chance she got and set about teaching him about alcoholic beverages while being careful to make sure that he was only served water. The bartender had looked at her like she was crazy when she'd surreptiously motioned to the carafe of water when he'd been about to pour a shot for Lee.

Poor Lee. She almost felt bad for deceiving her unsuspecting and innocent friend, but she remembered all too clearly what had happened the last time Lee had drunk alcohol so the guilt was easy to crush. Her smile became somewhat forced as the man on her other side leaned in and suggestively mentioned body shots. Of course he hadn't counted on Lee.

"Tenten, what's that?" Lee asked with avid curiosity as Tenten sent a smouldering glare over her shoulder.

"Um … it's just another kind of drink, Lee. But we're not doing body shots." She injected all the sternness she was capable of into her words, hoping to head Lee off.

The other man laughed incredulously, "Honey, you need a better boyfriend."

Lee opened his mouth but Tenten had learned the hard way not to give an inch where lechers like the one on her other side was concerned, and she quickly interrupted him.

"He's the best boyfriend ever," she said sweetly, hoping that it would be enough for the guy to get the hint because she really wasn't in the mood to fight.

She watched as Lee's brow furrowed and he tried to work through the subtext while she frantically widened her eyes at him. At last it seemed to click because Lee sent her a beaming smile and immediately reached for her hand.

"If body shots are something a good boyfriend should do, then I will give it my best, Tenten!" Lee exclaimed, oblivious to the way Tenten paled and the incredulous laughter behind her.

Before Tenten quite knew how it had happened the bartender had slid another shot of water over the bar and into Lee's enthusiastic hand while their new acquaintance directed Lee on the intricacies of body shots. She came back to herself just in time to prevent a determined-looking Lee from pushing her back over the bar so he could drink off her stomach, the way he'd been instructed. Unfortunately she recognized the look in Lee's eyes so she lamely offered her arm instead; trapped in a situation of her own creation, while she cursed fluently, if silently.

She was stuck with this farce now and she could feel the murderous pulse of Neji's chakra coming from their large, empty table. Tenten closed her eyes and offered Neji a silent apology. She may have gone out of her way to hurt him in the past – wanted him to hurt as badly as she did – but she'd never been cruel enough to pretend an interest in someone they actually knew well. And for him to see her doing this with Lee … that was just pouring salt into an open wound.

There was suddenly a warm hand ghosting down the back of her exposed neck, sliding down her spine to wrap around her hip and Tenten automatically reached for the kunai that wasn't there. She'd barely completed the gesture before she recognized Sasuke's chakra and her eyes widened so much she was sure they were about to pop out of her head. He swivelled her around so her back was against the bar and dropped into a graceful crouch. She nearly fell off the stool when his tongue licked a slow, hot line across her upper thigh, just below the short hemline of her skirt, before he sprinkled salt onto the wet strip of skin and licked it off again.

She hadn't even seen him reach around her for the salt.

Sasuke straightened as he downed the shot of tequila he'd taken out of her suddenly nerveless grasp. Their eyes met and held, and Tenten was sure he could clearly read her confusion in her face though his expression was a closed book.

"Walk away," he said softly, silkily (and it shouldn't have been possible to hear him so clearly over the music and the buzzing in her ears) and it took her a moment to realize that he was speaking to the man she'd been trying to get rid of. She never even noticed if the man left or not.

"Get a better pretend boyfriend," Sasuke finally spoke directly to her, and the cold edges of his voice cut through the fog that clouded her mind. He disappeared into the semi-darkness, leaving Tenten leaning bonelessly against the bar, with a very confused Lee spouting questions at her that she ignored.

Sasuke resisted the urge to kill someone – he settled for cursing - as he wound his way through the crowd. He desperately needed a breath of fresh air. He could hear Naruto shouting after him, quite a feat considering the volume of the music, but luckily Naruto had been startled into wide-eyed and silent shock at Sasuke's uncharacteristic behaviour while Sasuke had passed their table on his way out. The darkness closed around him as the door slammed shut behind him and Sasuke dragged deep breaths of air into his lungs.

He didn't know what had possessed him; he'd never acted that way in his life.

But the waves of rage and jealousy emanating from the Hyuuga had stirred the darkness inside of him, brought it to the fore in a way Sasuke was usually careful to suppress. He'd tried to ignore it; the way it added to his own anger. He'd fought not to react because he did not want to be a part of their tawdry little drama. Then the unknown man had been manhandling Tenten, manoeuvring her into position for Lee. Her body had been tense; frozen. And Sasuke had reacted.

Because his head had been filled with images, muscle memory washed over him, and his mouth had filled with the taste of Tenten's skin.

He didn't care what Tenten did; it wasn't like that. He wasn't in love with her or something stupid. It was simply that she was his escape route at the moment and he wasn't looking to share that. If he did nothing, he would lose the release he found with her because he would never stop thinking of someone else's hands on her soft skin.

Maybe what he hated most was the way he'd felt alive. In that moment it had all come rushing back; the aggression, the drive, the power. Sasuke had been chained for so long he'd forgotten himself. He snorted derisively, ignoring his surroundings as his feet carried him into the night of their own volition.

He'd somehow become Naruto's little bitch. Like a good boy he'd sat and waited for his friend to have time for him; obediently trying to suppress who and what he was because the fact was that he didn't fit in here. Not anymore. He'd outgrown this little village and he really should have realized that it wouldn't be able to contain him in the long run. His feet stopped but Sasuke ignored it as the epiphany flowed through him. It had taken Tenten to get him to see … he didn't have to be here. He didn't have to punish himself forever. Sasuke was suddenly thinking with cold clarity. He'd been trying to make amends; accepted the suffering and the memories this place brought because he had been wrong, and he felt he should atone for that. But Naruto had moved on; everyone had. Why should Sasuke stay stuck in a situation he hated?

Sweet relief flowed through him as the realization really settled in.

Konoha wasn't home; it could never be home again … there were too many ghosts here. But that didn't mean he had to hate the place or try to destroy it. It didn't mean he had to be at odds with his village.

It just meant he didn't have to live there.

His pace picked up until Sasuke was a blur of speed passing through the dark streets. He revelled in the freedom of movement; the lightness that invaded his mind. Naruto would get married and he would have other things to occupy his mind and time, and Sasuke could leave.

As soon as the damnable wedding was over.

Tenten shifted nervously from one leg to the other as she waited for Sasuke to open the door. She didn't know why she was here or what she hoped to accomplish. Despite her recent propensity for making really bad decisions, Tenten wasn't stupid. She'd read the condemnation in Sasuke's voice; felt the anger flowing beneath his skin.

She couldn't shake the feeling that he had somehow figured her out.

A wry smile pulled at her lips but there was no real amusement in the gesture. It figured that the one person who barely knew her at all would be the one that realized what was really going on. Or maybe he was just the only one brave enough to actually allude to her hidden heartbreak. Maybe it had more to do with the fact that she had taken her rage out on his body; maybe that was how he had figured it out.

Either way, she had to know. And somehow she had to extract a promise from Sasuke to take her secret to the grave because if he told Naruto then the whole village would know, and Neji's reputation would be in tatters and she couldn't allow that …

The frantic train of thought was cut off by the door swinging slowly open and Tenten gathered all the Dutch courage she could manage as she faced Sasuke head-on.

"Hi," she offered lamely, into the silence he seemed disinclined to break.

He sighed, grunted irritably, and after a moment longer spent simply watching her with carefully hooded eyes, he stepped back and opened the door wide to let her in. She slipped under his arm, trying to keep the shudder suppressed as the warmth of his body flooded over her. She wasn't here for sex – mind-blowing as it was. She firmly focused her thoughts even as her curious gaze swept through the darkened apartment.

It seemed completely bare except for a low table and some cushions lying in a neat row on the tatami mats. Abruptly a pang of sadness shot through her at the thought of Sasuke's rather lonely and empty home.

"What," Sasuke demanded irritably, cutting through her thoughts.

"So … um … earlier," Tenten tried valiantly to straighten her thoughts into some kind of logical order, "I don't know what you think you know, or even if you know what I think you know but I just wanted to tell you that there really isn't anything to know … so … we … should … just forget about it all."

She wanted to cringe and crawl under the nearest rock as soon as the convoluted sentence dragged to its conclusion.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, "I won't say anything. Relax. Who would I tell anyway," the sentence ended rather bitterly.

"Oh," was all Tenten could think of to contribute and silence fell around them again; thick and cloying, filled with what they were thinking and not saying.

"It's not what you think-" Tenten rushed to say, tripping over her words.

"Does it matter?" Sasuke interrupted smoothly.

"I-I guess not, but I just don't want you to think that …" her voice trailed away uncertainly as she struggled to find the right words.

Sasuke sighed and rubbed at his temple as if he had a headache and she had just made it worse.

"Why are you here, Tenten? I'm not going to be someone's substitute." His lips lifted in a sneer at the last word.

Tenten jerked back as if he'd struck her and for another long moment they simply stared at each other.

"I-I … that's not it," she licked her lips, "I don't … think of Neji … with … you." She hated the way she could feel her cheeks heating because this wasn't the kind of discussion she'd ever expected to have with Uchiha Sasuke.

Another raised eyebrow was all the response she got and Tenten reluctantly forced herself to elaborate.

"I forget when we … you know, and before you say it, I've never pretended that you're him. That would just defeat the whole point, wouldn't it?"

"I repeat: why are you here."

Why was she there? Abruptly Tenten could see that her excuses had been exactly that: excuses. Instinctively she knew that Sasuke wouldn't say anything, he wasn't that kind of person. Or more likely he just didn't care. Shamefully, her gaze dropped and she admitted to herself that maybe it had been less about noble intentions of saving Neji's reputation and more about the fire he'd spread through her veins with the touch of his tongue to her thigh.

Sasuke was suddenly in front of her. Just a slight shift and she would be able to touch him; if he tilted his head and she rose onto her toes their lips would meet and it would be so easy, and so wonderful, to lose herself in the way he touched her.

"I want to forget," she whispered at last, her gaze resting on his lips even as the sane and sober part of her brain yelled that this was an incredibly bad idea.

"It won't help," Sasuke stated harshly and suddenly she was aware of the way his pulse pounded in the hollow of his throat; the way his muscles coiled and trembled almost involuntarily and she couldn't help the swift stab of satisfaction in knowing that he wasn't as oblivious to her as he'd like to pretend.

"No," Tenten agreed and she arched her neck accommodatingly when Sasuke reached out, quick as lightning, to wrap his hand around her throat.

She knew she was playing with fire, that this couldn't end well for either of them, but Tenten found she didn't care as Sasuke's hand drifted down her throat to the neckline of her dress. One swift movement later and the ripped fabric fluttered to the floor while Sasuke pushed her down.

There was anger in every touch; the way he bit her lower lip and worried it between his teeth, the way his fingers pressed and tugged as he manipulated her body and Tenten wondered dizzily what it was that drove him to such desperate passion. The thought was forgotten as he sucked the pebbled tip of one breast roughly and her fingers flew to his hair.

It was heaven and it was hell but while they were like this she could forget about everything but the way Sasuke smelled and tasted; the hard lean strength that pressed her into the hard floor. Sasuke was right; this wouldn't help either of them to exorcise their demons. But Tenten was addicted; wanting the peace of the aftermath so badly she shook with need.

They were trading one drug for another and neither seemed to care as Sasuke's hands tugged insistently at her thighs. He lifted her legs over his arms, holding her helpless as his hips surged forward and he pushed as deeply into her body as he could go.

He wasn't a cure. He wasn't soothing the pain or helping the rage, but every thrust took her farther away from everything she wanted so desperately to forget, and Tenten knew that she could never have enough.

a/n: Epic fail x.x … But Merry Christmas!