I can explain. Honest. Let's just say… a lot of things happened. Between class starting back up again, a few personal family problems, and a lot of other crap, a little over a month after I posted the last chapter of A Wild Night, the next one is ready. And there's more! I went back and rewrote the first two chapters of this story as well. Both of which had more banter, more Sasu/Fem. Naru, and I think are much better than the originals. Check them out whenever you can, :)
On a side note, if the current reviews per chapter keeps steady, I'll hit a hundred reviews with this chapter. Be sure to leave one to help me get closer to that awesome mark.
Enjoy!
Rekindling his relationship with Naruko, Sasuke thought, surely had to be one of the best decisions he'd ever made. Then again… had they really broken up? He still wasn't sure. Of course, she had been mad at him - snapping at her, regardless of his mental state, wasn't an acceptable thing to do, and that was something he realized. But, mad enough to separate, so soon after they had even started dating? Again, he still wasn't sure.
Then again, it didn't really matter. They were together again now. That sinking feeling in his gut, which had persisted from the moment she had stormed out of the hospital room to the instant they had kissed, was gone now. He felt… happy.
After a long night of lovemaking, he had departed from her room, slinking back through the dark of night to his apartment. He had taken a nice, long, hot shower. And then, Sasuke had flopped into bed, exhausted after the many rounds (and immeasurable pleasure) Naruko had put him through.
Typically, he had awoken to the smell of… something burning.
Sasuke shot up, like a bat out of the ray of a flashlight. Clad in a mere pair of boxers, he threw open the door to his bedroom-
-and raced into the heart of his apartment to discover Naruko feverishly attempting to put a fire she had somehow started on his stove. Sasuke was perplexed for a moment. But, he strode forward, yanked open a cabinet, pulled out a fire extinguisher and sprayed it over the flames. Once they were gone, he hastily replaced the extinguisher back in its cabinet.
He turned to her. "What… what were you trying to do?" he asked, his face still scrunched up from the acrid smoke filling his nostrils.
Naruko felt a flush creep up her neck. "Uh… trying… trying to make you breakfast?" she muttered, refusing to meet his gaze. Her hands were clasped together, the blonde nervously fiddling with her thumbs.
Sasuke sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose with an irritated expression. "Never, ever try to cook again." he told her seriously.
"Hey!" Naruko protested. "I can cook!"
Sasuke didn't even need to say anything. He merely gestured to the still softly smoking wreckage of one of his pots (it seemed as if she had been trying to make ramen). Naruko drifted off, muttering something incoherent under her breath.
Another sigh. "Let me… let me dressed." Sasuke muttered, deciding to take pity on the loveable idiot that he called his girlfriend. "We can go to Ichiraku's."
Naruko immediately bounced up, as if a hundred thousand volts had coursed through her all at once. "Yay!" she cheered, leaning forward and pressing a wet and sloppy kiss to his cheek. "Best boyfriend ever!"
"Yeah, yeah." Sasuke said, waving her off. As he stalked back to his room, to change into something proper, Naruko decided to do a bit of cleaning. Not of his house - heavens no, but at the very least, she could clear away the damage she had done in her ill fated attempt at cooking. A hole had been burned straight through the pot she had attempted to use, the insides charred, the water inside having boiled and evaporated. Naruko blanched, had she really done that bad of a job?
By the time Sasuke came back into the kitchen, swathed in his usual clothes of blue and black, the mess was clean. The place still reeked of smoke, though, so Sasuke opened a window to let the place air out.
They glanced at each other. And then, the two henged - Sasuke's hair turning a light turquoise, his face softening, his eyes fading from black to a piercing brown. Naruko's whiskers flat out disappeared, her tanned skin growing paler, blue eyes turning to emerald and blonde hair shortening and changing into a brown bob cut.
Sasuke offered her a small smile. Naruko grinned up at him. And then, she grabbed his hand - pulling him to and then out of the door. Pausing for just a moment, so that he could lock it behind them, the henged couple swiftly made their way out of the apartment complex. It was nice, Sasuke had to admit, not having to… hide. Well, they were hidden - but he could smile at his girlfriend without growing wary of other's opinions, and Naruko could hardly contain her excitement about being able to kiss and hold hands with him so long as she wasn't vigorous enough to dispel his henge. Not that Sasuke was complaining.
Of course, they had to have 'code' names, when they were out in public like this. So, on the way down the stairs, they came up with simple ones - Hikari for Naruko, and Haru for Sasuke. And so, hand in hand, they walked out onto the street. They couldn't take to the rooftops and risk blowing their cover, so instead they chose to walk through the streets. It was peaceful. The vibrant heart of Konoha bustled around them, kind people offering them greetings as they walked past, vendors shouting out prices that seemed to grow lower and lower as they attempted to outdo their competition.
Funnily enough, they passed by at least half a dozen ramen shops on their stroll through the village - all packed with people. Not that Naruko even thought to stop, not even casting them a glance. Despite the (relatively) short time he had known her, Sasuke knew that the only ramen shop Naruko would even consider going in was Ichiraku's. It was just so close to her heart, so dear, the people who run it having practically become family to the blonde girl.
They stepped inside of the shop. It was small, warm, and yet… empty. Ichiraku's was in a fairly run down section of town, and it wasn't a big chain like some of the others - resulting in slightly higher prices, and marginally worse accommodations, even if the ramen itself was top notch. It was mostly empty, aside from a woman who was turning away from the counter, striding past the disguised couple with a takeout tub of ramen clutched beneath her arm.
However, when she was gone, the shop was empty. Ayame looked up from the counter - and a warm, welcoming smile spread across her face. It was clear to both Naruko and Sasuke that they had been made. Perhaps it was Naruko's infectious grin, or the way she seemed to be positively teeming with energy at the prospect of ramen, but Ayame could see her for who she was immediately, despite the henge she wore.
"Naruko!" Ayame greeted. Naruko giggled (Sasuke looked a little disturbed at the sight of her doing something so feminine.).
"Ayame-nee!" Naruko cried, throwing herself back and sliding into a stool as if it were an old friend. "You know what I want, right?"
"You've been ordering the same thing for as long as I can remember." Ayame said, grinning as well. Brown eyes focused on Sasuke's… well, not his form, but the form he had chosen to henge into. "And who is this?" she asked.
Naruko beamed, her smile spreading from ear to ear. "Can you keep a secret?" she asked.
"Hmm…" Ayame said, tapping a finger against her chin as if she had to think about it. "Of course!" Ayame said. "Is he-?"
She didn't get a chance to finish, for Naruko promptly blurted- "He's my boyfriend!" in a whispered voice.
Ayame's grin widened even further. "My little Naruko-chan!" she said, throwing herself across the counter, pulling the still disguised blonde into a warm hug. "Aww... he's good to you, right? Does he treat you okay? You're happy?"
"Of course I am!" Naruko said. "I know you want to activate 'mother hen' mode and all, Ayame-nee, but we're starving…!"
Ayame flushed slightly. "Fine," she said, forced to tighten the apron she wore, which had been slightly ruined by the ferocity of her hugging Naruko. "But-!" She rounded on Sasuke, who was still standing near the entrance. "If I hear that you're mistreating her, you'll have me to answer to, mister!"
"I'll… keep that in mind." Sasuke said. 'Another insane protector.' Sasuke thought glumly. 'Between her father, her mom, and everyone else in this damn village, I'll be dead by the end of the year.'
Oh well. This was what he had signed up for, and he'd done it willingly.
He sat down in the stool beside Naruko. "I'll take a bowl of miso ramen." Sasuke said, after giving the menu a proper examination for a few moments.
"Coming right up!" Ayame chirped. She turned, disappearing into the back - her father visible in the foreground, working over a pot that was churning with boiling water. Daughter and father talked adamantly for a moment, before the man turned out, flashing a bright grin in the disguised Naruko's direction before returning to his work.
Sasuke couldn't help but smile at the sight of Naruko looking so… for lack of a better word, over excited. She was practically bouncing up and down in her seat, clutching the side of the counter, clearly more than eager for a warm bowl of the ramen she so dearly craved.
"So," he said, startling her - obviously, she had almost forgotten he was there in her near fanatical obsession over obtaining her ramen. "Do you want to go train after this?"
"Sure!" Naruko said, beaming at him. "What do you want to do, then?"
"Hmm… I was thinking some taijutsu training would be good." Sasuke said.
"Sounds alright to me." Naruko said, swinging her legs beneath her in an almost childlike manner. "Can you teach me that cool fireball jutsu afterwards at least? I still really, really wanna try and learn that!"
Sasuke sighed, although he was still smiling. "You're a wind type, Naruko." he said. "It would take you years to learn even that jutsu."
She pouted. "So totally not fair." Naruko said. "How come you get all the cool jutsus, while I get these stupid gusts of wind and a stupid ball of chakra?"
"I don't think 'coolness' determines how good it is." Sasuke said. "I saw your father use his rasengan once, and it was ridiculously powerful. You keep getting stronger, and stronger, and your rasengan will be even stronger than my chidori."
"You think so?"
"Maybe." Sasuke smirked. "Of course, I could just… side step out of the way."
"No way!" Naruko exclaimed. "If I'm coming at you with my rasengan, I know that I'm going to hit that smug face of yours." she said, grinning.
"We'll have to see about that." Sasuke said.
There wasn't much time for talking after that, because before long, steaming bowls of ramen were plopped down in front of them. Well, one bowl for Sasuke - and about a half dozen for Naruko. By the time Sasuke had gotten done with his single bowl, Naruko had wolfed down four of them.
Sasuke watched as Naruko swiftly finished the last two. 'I… would hate to have to live with her.' he admitted internally. 'All of the cleaning up… if we ever move in together, she'd better use those clones of hers to get rid of the messes she's going to make.'
Huh. Living with Naruko… seeing her warm smile every morning, waking up to the feeling of her soft body pressed against his, her scent filling his nose…
"Alright!" Naruko said, hopping off of the stool, and unintentionally breaking Sasuke from his stupor. "You ready?" she said, clapping him on the shoulder.
"Yeah…" he muttered, standing up, willing back the flush that had been steadily creeping up his neck. He glanced at the prices on the menu, before pulling out a few bills from a pocket and slapping them onto the counter.
They strolled out of Ichiraku's, still in disguise, although Naruko's shirt was flecked with bits of ramen that she idly flicked off as they walked. Out of the urban center, through the rural outskirts, deep into the forests that were a buffer between the village and the vast wall that surrounded it… until finally, they arrived at their usual training ground.
The henges were dispelled, and Sasuke could honestly said that his heart leapt when her big blue eyes and blonde hair came into existence again. She was flushing slightly, soaking in his dark eyes and his even darker hair with a shameless grin on her face.
"Having to henge sucks," Naruko said.
Sasuke smirked. "Yeah," he said. "It does."
They stared at each other for a moment, carefully sizing each other up. And then, as if they had agreed on it prior, they sprang at each other. Fists cocked, blue and black eyes blazing, they clashed. It was a feverish battle, hands and legs flying freely, the two weaving in and out of attack and defense like the skilled shinobi they were.
Naruko, Sasuke had come to realize, was a little… lax, on her taijutsu skills. She was fast, surely. She was fluid. But there was no order to her attacks, no carefully thought out plans. She didn't go for his leg in an attempt to hamper his movements, she went for his leg just to go for his leg. One of her roundhouse kicks was designed to look more cool than anything - and the way she would lose her focus for several seconds whenever he caught her off guard told him the whole story.
She had never told him who had trained her, aside from a few vague statements about his perverseness. Sasuke doubted that would be her father, or mother… Kakashi? No, he was far too busy with missions and such to be training someone other than the team he already had. Hmm. Whoever it was clearly had an unhealthy reliance on something else for taijutsu - a sword, a jutsu, something that made it so the 'classic' hand to hand style he had taught Naruko was lacking.
Even still, her speed made up for a lot of it. Without his sharingan, Sasuke could barely keep up with her - feeling a little exposed without his sword - forced onto the defensive numerous times as Naruko swung her arms and legs at him in a series of acrobatic maneuvers that would have put a gymnast to shame.
But, like he had realized earlier, she left herself vulnerable in some of the most inopportune moments. Sasuke saw these openings, even without his sharingan, the way her stomach was opened up for a vicious punch that would leave her wheezing, or how her hands would shift to protect her ribcage but leave her legs open to a swipe from one of his own that would knock her to the ground.
'Something we'll have to work on,' he thought.
Sasuke was well aware that he had his faults as well, especially in the way he was prone to being caught by sudden and unpredictable attacks. But years of training with Kakashi, and sometimes with Itachi or Shisui had ironed those flaws out. Naruko, however, was a good deal self taught - the fact that she was this skilled on her own merits showed a lot as to how much potential she had.
After about an hour, Sasuke called it off. Naruko appeared mostly fresh, though her hair and face was damp with sweat, and at some point she had tossed off the orange and black shirt she wore. Sasuke was uncomfortably aware of the way the fishnet undershirt she wore beneath that clung to her curves.
"Ninjutsu?" he suggested.
"Sure!"
Of course, she begged, and begged, and begged, and begged, until he finally agreed to show her how to do the Fire Ball jutsu.
"Follow after me." Sasuke said, and Naruko adopted a look of concentration, staring intently at his hands. He went through the seals, as slow as he could manage, making sure to clearly say the name of each one as he flowed between them. "Tiger. Ram. Monkey. Boar. Horse. Tiger." A pause. "Got it?"
"Uh… show it again." she said.
He did it again.
"Again!"
Sasuke sighed.
It took about half an hour for her to learn the seals, and another ten minutes for her to stop forgetting the Boar seal in the middle. By the end-
Her fingers went through the seals at a steady pace. 'Katon: Great Fireball Jutsu!' Naruko thought, clasping her hand around her lips, and spitting out… a spark, and a tiny cloud of smoke that disappeared with the wind.
"Aww…" Naruko said, deflated.
Sasuke patted her reassuringly on the back. "Like I said," he murmured. "Wind types can't really learn fire style. It'll take a long time before you can get anything more than that."
That didn't stop her from trying though. So while Sasuke experimented with different variations of his already potent Chidori, Naruko was fruitlessly attempting to do the Fireball, over and over again, growing gradually more and more frustrated as her hard work bore no results.
In the end, even her, with her endless stamina (provided somewhat by the Kyuubi, Sasuke knew now), she was tired.
They rested.
His back against the bark of a tree, his legs spread out in front of him. Naruko was draped across his lap, her blonde hair sweat soaked, taken out of their typical pig tails and instead resting in a great, yellow mane that was spread around her frame.
Sasuke really couldn't help himself. He merely… soaked in the sight of her. The curves that he so enjoyed delighting in. The way her chest would slowly rise up and down. The cute way she would scrunch up her nose when a nearby bird would chirp. He reached a hand forward, brushing a curl of blonde hair off of her face, so that he could better gaze at it.
"... Sasuke…?" she mumbled, after at least twenty minutes of complete and absolute silence.
"Yeah?"
Cerulean blue eyes opened. They would have reflected the sky, had they not been the same shimmering color. "Do you ever think about what it would be like if… if… we didn't have to sneak around?" Naruko mumbled. "If we could just date, like normal people, no dad to worry about, no village to hide from."
Sasuke sighed. "Sometimes," he admitted begrudgingly. "But, I don't dwell on it. There's no point in thinking about things that can't happen." Sasuke said.
"Yeah…" Naruko mumbled. "I was just thinkin', that's all…"
A soft smirk curled his lips. "Don't think," Sasuke said, poking her forehead teasingly. "You definitely aren't suited for it."
Naruko pouted. "I'm too tired to deal with your crap, 'suke." she groaned. She picked her head up, her eyes drooping slightly and yet her gaze still easily finding Sasuke's. "Just because I took you back doesn't mean you get to be a jerk again."
"Took me back, huh?" Sasuke said. "Don't act like you were reluctant to have me in your room…" He leaned down. "Then again, I was inside other things last night, wasn't I?"
Naruko was perplexed for a moment. Then, it sort of 'clicked' in her head, and a flush the same color as Sakura's hair spread across her face. "I'm surrounded by perverts!" she whined, cupping her face, while Sasuke chuckled.
She sat up, shaking her hair out of her eyes. A cute little yawn escaped her lips, and she stretched - raising her arms over her head and bending her back so that the fishnet shirt rode up, exposing her slim midriff.
"You know," Naruko mumbled. "I wouldn't really mind if you were a pervert, Sasuke…"
He smirked. "What do you mean by that?" Sasuke asked.
She grinned. And then, without warning or asking (as if she needed to ask), she picked herself up, and slid soundly into his lap. Naruko leaned forward, pressing their foreheads together, her chest rubbing against his. "I dunno…" she said innocently. "I mean, if every night was a repeat of last night, I think I could stand having another ero-sennin around."
Sasuke laughed - actually laughed - at that. Naruko loved the sound of it, her boyfriend looking so, so much more beautiful than he normally did, when his face finally broke free from its stoicism and allowed emotions other than anger and apathy to pass through the mask of his.
"I think if one of us is perverted around here, it's you." he whispered. He leaned forward, nudging her head to the side and gently nipping at the exposed skin of her throat. "But…" Sasuke whispered, Naruko shuddering as she felt his hot breath fan out against her neck. "I think I can stand being called a pervert for one day at least."
Naruko gripped his chin, tightly. Sasuke was surprised for a moment - but he was less surprised as she tilted his head up, and forced her lips to his. Closer and closer, their bodies rubbing against each other, his arms wrapping around her slim frame protectively, her thighs tightening around him-
And then, rather rudely, someone decided to clear their throat.
Naruko let out a groan, spinning around, intent on beating the crap out of the person who had ruined her alone time with Sasuke before…
Well, before her blue eyes met very violet familiar ones.
"I… thought you two might be… out here together." Uzumaki Kushina muttered, her fingers twitching at her side as if she desired to wrap them around Sasuke's neck. Or around other things, in order to rip them off and prevent him from… from violating her daughter.
"Kaa-san!" Naruko said, her face as red as her mother's hair, the blonde scrambling out of Sasuke's lap and standing up. Sasuke stood as well, a look of distaste on his face, clearly trying to play off a bulge in his pants. "What- uh… what are you doing here? Does tou-san need me?"
Kushina cleared her throat once more. "Well… he doesn't need you." she said. "Sasuke, I'm going to need you to come with me." Kushina said to him. "Naruko, you can't come."
There was a pause.
"Okay." Sasuke said.
"Wait, what?" Naruko said. "Why does tou-san need-"
"It's not about… you two." Kushina said, and both Naruko and Sasuke let out a relieved sigh. "But it's important, regardless."
Sasuke exchanged a glance with Naruko. "I'll be back as soon as I can," he murmured.
Naruko groaned. "Fine." she said, blowing a lock of hair out of her eye. "I'm holding you to that, mister."
He smirked. "You got it." Sasuke said.
They shared a lingering kiss (which Kushina looked away from), Sasuke not being too subtle in the way his arms encircled her waist, and Naruko going straight in and grabbing his ass, as if to prove that the hot piece of… well, ass standing in front of her was hers and hers alone.
"See you." Naruko said.
Sasuke nodded. And then, he and Kushina departed - leaping into the trees, and leaving the blonde alone in the clearing. Naruko stared at his back with an unreadable expression on her face, her blue eyes still gazing into the distance long after he had disappeared into the greenery.
"So," Sasuke began, as he and Kushina flew through the trees. "What's happening?"
"Shut up." Kushina snapped. Sasuke blinked. "I mean- ugh… just… trust me, you do not want to talk to me right now. Seeing you and my little Naruko-chan like that… let's just say, it's best if you and I don't talk. Or I might beat the crap out of you. Actually, I might do that anyways… but, if you don't talk, it's less likely. Know what I mean?"
"No." Sasuke said truthfully. "But I get the point."
"Good." Kushina said, teeth gritted. Her long, crimson hair waved in the wind behind her as they continued on their way through the dense wood. She set the pace, and Sasuke kept up with it easily. They had to transition to the ground once they escaped the trees and ended up in the rural outskirts, but once they were back inside the urban center they could use the rooftops instead.
Sasuke was confused as to what was happening. Sure, Kushina had said it wasn't about he and Naruko (his girlfriend having informed him of her mother's discovery of them the previous night), but she could be lying, right? What if it was just a ploy to get him to separate from Naruko? What if he was walking to his death, caused by the crazed, overprotective man she called her father?
'Stop overreacting.' Sasuke told himself. 'The Yondaime isn't going to murder someone for dating their daughter.'
…
…
He probably should have given Naruko a more proper goodbye…
Regardless, it wasn't as if he could refuse a direct summons. And so, while envisioning ways that he might be brutally murdered in the coming hours, Sasuke trailed behind Kushina as they made their way to the Hokage's tower.
They leapt down from the rooftops, the both of them landing side by side in front of the double doors that lead into the tower. The duo strolled through said doors, Sasuke looking particularly wary while Kushina beamed happily, clearly giddy at the prospect of seeing her husband at work.
The secretary pointed them to a small binder, where the two of the promptly signed themselves in, Sasuke jotting down his signature in neat and ordered handwriting while Kushina's looked more like a tidy(ish) scrawl.
Kushina followed Sasuke's lead, as he lead them up through the tower. There were several office workers that walked past them, most of them giving Kushina an affectionate greeting and Sasuke a respectful nod. Before long, they stood before the door to the Hokage's office. Kushina nudged him to the side, and knocked.
There was a pause, as if they had been talking on the other side and had been interrupted then- "Come in!"
Kushina opened the door, and stepped inside. Sasuke trailed after her, a frown creasing his lips as several familiar faces jumped out at him. Sakura, Kakashi - not to mention the other members of his graduation class, Team Kurenai and Team Asuma, and that went without mentioning Team Gai. All of them stood in a semicircle in front of the Hokage's desk, where Minato looked solemn, his hands folded carefully in front of him, a cool look in his blue eyes.
"Nice of you to join us." Kakashi said, as Sasuke slid into line beside he and Sakura. Kushina pushed her way through the crowd, slipping around the desk and pressing a chaste kiss to her husband's cheek.
Minato cleared his throat, though it was unnecessary, for everyone could see the seriousness in his face, in his demeanor. "Now that everyone has arrived," he began. "We can get down to discussing while I've called you here. Each and every one of you is skilled beyond your years - and with most of our ANBU and jounin already deployed, it's time we informed all of you as to what our village's primary concern is right now.
"Right now… right now, there is a very dangerous enemy that Konoha has been grappling with for the past several years. They are called the Akatsuki, and their goal, as far as we know, is to capture and collect the nine bijuu scattered across the land. As I'm sure you all know by now, the Kyuubi was not vanquished when I defeated it seventeen long years ago. Instead, it was sealed away into the body of a newborn - whose identity shall remain anonymous for the time being. And… well, the Akatsuki are after this anonymous person."
"Are you…" Tenten, surprisingly, was the first to speak up. "Are you talking about the bijuu that Shodai-sama defeated, and then gave to all the different ninja villages as a show of trust?"
"The very same." Minato said. "We're not sure how many bijuu the Akatsuki have captured. They're a tricky group after all, and considering the rather hostile natures we have with the other villages, save Sunagakure, it's not surprising that they aren't forthcoming on whether their jinchuuriki have been taken or not." He cleared his throat once more. "We do know that they have at least one of the bijuu - the Ichibi. The Ichibi host was the Godaime Kazekage, and although he survived, that was by luck more than anything. If the Kyuubi is extracted from our jinchuriki, it's very likely that… that whoever it is will die."
Kushina and Minato exchanged a worried glance. "All fifteen of you will be pooled into one large team, whose sole goal is to locate, and kill members of the Akatsuki." Kushina continued on for Minato. "This is a very dangerous mission, an A-rank at best, and a high S-rank at worst. We will not force you to do this… but, rest assured, Konoha will see you as heroes if we manage to defeat this grave threat."
Minato sighed. "If you wish to join this group, come forward, and sign your name here." he said, gesturing to a document that was in front of him. "If you are relunctant… you may leave whenever."
Each and everyone of them signed. From Hyuga Hinata's curvy and beautiful signature to Nara Shikamaru's lazy scrawl, each one of the Konoha Eleven and their teachers signed the document in shining black ink.
A babble of talk broke over the group, after it was all said and done. Kiba was boasting loudly to anyone who would listen about how he was going to be the first to take down an Akatsuki member. Sakura and Kakashi were having a heated discussion, Kakashi filling in his dear student on how they had encountered the Akatsuki before.
None of them seemed to notice Sasuke, standing in the corner, his face a blank stone and his fists balled up tight enough that his fingernails drew blood from his palm.
'They're going after Naruko,' Sasuke had realized, the very instant Minato had said that the Akatsuki were hunting down jinchuriki - and by extension, his girlfriend. He remembered them. He fought with them, and he'd seen first hand how dangerous they could be. Those black cloaks with the red clouds on them, he hadn't known the meaning of them before, but now, they bore a new symbol, a symbol of the group that was going to try and kill the girl he had truly connected with.
"I won't let them…" Sasuke mumbled, though his voice was lost in the noise that engulfed the room. 'I won't let them!'
He bid Sakura and Kakashi farewell, soon after all of them had filed out of the Hokage's office. And full speed, as fast as he could manage, Sasuke flew through the city. Urban center. Rural outskirts. Dense woods.. He couldn't think. Blood was pumping in his ears, loud enough to drown out the sounds of the forest.
Sasuke landed in the center of the clearing. And there Naruko was, waiting for him, the blonde lazily sparring with one of her clones. Once she noticed Sasuke, however, the Kage Bunshin dispelled - and with more than a little giddiness, Naruko bounced up to Sasuke, pulled him close and kissed him as fiercely as she could manage.
"Is… everything alright?" Naruko asked, staring at him, her head tilted to the side with mild concern.
Sasuke forced a smile onto his face. "Never better." he lied.
He wrapped his arms around her waist, and kissed her again. He savoured the taste of her lips, her scent, the feel of her soft body pressed against his… she was so intoxicating, so amazing, that he could scarcely imagine a world without her at this point. She was his. And he, he was hers.
If the Akatsuki wanted to get to the Naruko…
… they were going to have to get through him first.
That was a promise.
Thanks for reading. Let's hope the next chapter isn't quite as far off as this one was.
Be sure to leave a review if you liked this chapter! Let's try and hit a 100, :-D