Chapter 7
Day thirty-four. Still in the crappy tavern. No hope for room service.
After their bed crumpled, Kisame and Sakura masked swirling emotions with annoyed cussing in the loud confusion and rising dust. The moment had been too intimate. Too sudden. Too personal.
Kisame dragged the mattress out of the debris and they laid back down, facing away from each other and leaving a large gap between their bodies.
Now Sakura awoke, feeling uncommonly stiff. She stretched, cracking joints and rubbing sore muscles.
When she extended a hand in front of her, Sakura understood why: the green glow there informed her that her chakra was back and circulating through her parched system with a vengeance. It felt like a current of electricity was racing through her veins, crackling just beneath the skin. It felt good. She would never undervalue her chakra again.
Bringing her palms together, Sakura watched a small bright green ball form there, pure energy. She let it dissolve.
Energy. Strength. So beautiful.
Sakura felt like beating something up or hugging something tightly enough to break some ribs. A sidelong glance at Kisame followed. He was watching her mannerisms warily with two hands behind his head and the blanket tangled between his legs.
The best course of action would be to pretend last night never happened. That she was never curious, that she never wanted to touch, and explore, and…
"That explains why I was so cold. Blanket hog," said Sakura.
"You kicked it off in the first place."
"It was itchy."
A muffled voice from the room beside theirs told them to "shut the fuck up", because it was apparently "six fucking o'clock" in the "fucking morning". Sakura started at the sound, then threw her pillow in that direction with a snap of her wrist. It made a surprisingly loud smacking sound while bursting into moldy feathery fluff. Strength. Such a wonderful feeling.
"Nice going," said Kisame, unleashing a powerful sneeze.
Kisame got up, heading for the bathroom. "Pack your shit. We're out of here. The remains of our… meeting with your little friends from the market won't have gone unnoticed long."
Sakura sneezed in assent and gathered her belongings.
VVVVVV