a/n Outta nowhere I have the worst motherflipping cold. I wrote the majority of this chapter the night after the last update. Finally it's finished. I must say I really liked this chapter and I hope you do to. I really appreciated the feedback for the last chapter and it really did help me get this chapter out faster. Please keep reviewing so I can get the motivation to update before I move to a new city and have no internet for who knows how long, yeesh.


Sasuke couldn't stand it anymore. This was beyond ridiculous. The stupid woman was acting like he'd really screwed her over. But wasn't it she who had jumped out of his bed as soon as the chance arrived. If he didn't know any better he could have sworn that his first thought that Sakura had tried to sneak out that morning weren't entirely incorrect. If anyone had the right to be angry it was him. Hadn't he asked her if she wanted it? Hadn't she said yes? Wasn't she an adult who could make a mature decision? Obviously not.

The slap hadn't even really hurt him physically although it had managed to bruise his massive pride somewhat. He was angry and when he was angry he had a habit of losing his temper. The way he saw it he had two options. The first slap her back harder. The second, well...

Sasuke, not wishing to listen to Sakura's pathetic words anymore, grabbed her harshly and brought his lips down upon hers, cutting her off mid-sentence. This stupid woman had such a hold over him as soon as his lips met hers it was if his entire body had been set ablaze and he could only find salvation in her. He'd known for a few days now that no woman would ever come close to the way that she made him feel. When she looked at him with disdain he felt a tight wrenching feeling deep in his stomach that made him feel he couldn't breathe. When she looked at him with a sweet smile that was only for him he felt invincible. He wanted to be it for her. He never wanted another man to even look at her again.

He groaned with pleasure as he felt Sakura, who'd been fighting him, relax in his arms. His rough kiss softened as she yielded to his searching tongue rewarding him with her own gentle sigh. He ran his hands up her arms until they found the sides of her face. He deepened the kiss and Sakura matched the pace. Sasuke felt his spirits soar as Sakura encircled her arms around his neck. He responded by lifting her lithe figure up to the counter of the kitchen.

When the pair finally surfaced for air Sakura had her hands through Sasuke's hair and her legs wrapped around his waist.
"I'm sorry." Sakura smoothed Sasuke's hair behind his ears in a way she found soothing to herself. She could see the red imprint of her hand on his cheek. She kissed the imprint softly in a loving gesture. Sasuke responded by resting his head on her shoulder gently kissing the exposed flesh at the beginning of her blouse.
"Don't be." He nuzzled the flesh tenderly with his nose. "It hardly hurt at all." Sasuke smirked as he heard Sakura scoff.
"I suppose it takes a might more to damage the great Uchiha."
"I wouldn't say that." Sasuke gave Sakura a look that tried to convey all that he was feeling. Sakura responded by placing her hands either side of his face again. It was her turn now to kiss him.

She kissed him tenderly at first then with an urgent passion like she was trying to convey a message to him that could only be interpreted physically. He understood. His hand having found her breast was massaging the skin causing Sakura to buck her hips against his. Sasuke shuddered as her warming centre connected with the material of the front of his pants. Suddenly Sasuke's hands were everywhere kneading and rubbing her skin causing Sakura to moan in anticipation. When the two were together like this it felt as if nothing else mattered to her. For the second time in 24 hours she was feeling a deep connection with Sasuke she'd never felt with any other man before in her entire life. The way he held her felt right.

Sasuke lifted Sakura from the bench holding her round behind to support her. She moulded her body to his letting him carry her in the direction of her bedroom not questioning the fact that he found it so easily. He laid her on the bed and begun a trail of kisses leading down her neck. He nimbly unbuttoned her blouse kissing the skin that each button revealed. Sakura's breath caught in her throat he was moving so slow and with such care drawing out every minute like he was remembering the moment like his life depended on it. He grabbed the band of her panties and slipped them down her legs revealing the even softer flesh there. He placed a sweet kiss there before settling himself between her thighs.

Small hands pulled at the band of his pants whilst he removed his shirt leaving them both bare save for the unbuttoned blouse around Sakura's shoulder. The afternoon light gleamed off Sakura's skin making her seem like she was made of fragile porcelain. He rubbed his erection against the already wet folds of her sex and mirrored the movement with his lips against hers. Her lips trembled in response she kissed his lips softly coaxing him rolling her hips against the head of his erection. Sasuke trained his eyes on Sakura's when he felt he couldn't resist any longer. He watched her face as he slowly buried his length inside her slick core. Sakura's mouth opened in a silent moan as the feeling of him filling her invaded her senses. He pulled out halfway and was met by her hips pulling him back in.

Sasuke buried his head into Sakura's shoulder kissing the flesh there whilst she entwined her fingers in his hair both matching one another's patient speed. The primal needs had been fulfilled the previous evening and what remained was the need to connect on an emotional level. Sasuke had never experienced this before. He'd only ever experienced hasty, clumsy one night stands with people he'd never cared about. His whole entire being wanted to immerse himself within her and make her feel the way he did when he was moving with her.

Sasuke rolled onto his back letting Sakura take the prime position. She grabbed both his hands in hers and held them tightly. Sasuke was hypnotised by the slow but confident way she moved, his eyes fixed on her breasts. Her eyes lightly closed Sakura quickened the pace. She moved Sasuke's hands to her hips and placed her own on his muscled chest. Grabbing her waist rubbed the skin beneath his thumbs. He gently rolled the both of them back to their original positions.

He could feel Sakura's bare breasts against his chest as her breath started to catch. He could feels the walls of her womb start to squeeze around him coupled with the increased pace of their movements together. Sasuke replace his lips against hers as he moved faster and faster. With one final swift thrust between her legs Sakura's head snapped back as her whole body tensed in a silent orgasm bringing Sasuke with her. He grunted as he felt his seed leave him fast and hard lining the walls of her womb. He kissed her neck brashly collapsing exhausted on top of her. She wrapped her arms around his neck lightly tracing his exposed bicep with the tips of her fingers.

"So you what were you saying before?" Sasuke murmured into the smooth skin of her collarbone. Sakura looked at him with her eyes glazed over with lust.
"Pardon?" She whispered distracted.
"You were saying something before I rudely interrupted. Something about how much you hated me."
"That's right I hate you very much." She laughed softly.
"Not half as much as you love me though." He watched her expression to gauge her reaction to his words. He expected her to fight him on this but after what had just passed between the two he knew that the game had completely changed.
"No, I suppose not." She sighed heavily as if she realised how difficult their relationship had become since three days ago. "...And sadly twice as much as you love me."

Sasuke propped himself up in her bed. He had a sly smile on his face. Sakura's pity party never ceased to amaze him. She was so naive it hurt. The idiot still didn't realise.
"Whatever you say, Sakura." Sasuke kissed her forehead and rose from the bed pulling his pants on with one swift movement. Sakura's eyes watched him cautiously as he picked his shirt up from the floor. She opened her mouth to say something but closed it finding no words. This didn't go unseen from Sasuke who, even though his face was turned from hers, had his peripherals trained on her. He could see that she was worried that he was fleeing from the scene.

"Don't worry idiot." Sasuke turned back to Sakura. "I'm not running out on you." He closed the space between them and sat on the side of the bed next to her. Sakura gave him a look that could have stilled rapid waters.
"Then why does it look like you are?"
"I wanna give you some space. You're about to go to work tomorrow for a very long time. You need to be well-rested and level headed." He patted her head with his hand.
"What makes you think I need you telling me what I need?" Sakura crossed her arms. The beautiful moment they had shared was now almost completely ruined.
"Don't pout Sakura." He lowered his face to hers and kissed her briskly before walking towards the door. "I'll let myself out."
"I've changed my mind." Sakura said arms still crossed. "I still hate you."
"Hate and love go hand in hand I'm told." Sasuke laughed. "Bye Sakura. Get some sleep."

The door closed behind Sasuke and Sakura felt like she could cry. She was more confused than ever. He loved her...didn't he? Then why did it feel like he couldn't flee her company faster? She was now in a very sour mood. The tension that had just been unfurled in her body had bound itself back up. She suddenly did feel tired. Maybe the emotional rollercoaster was starting to catch up with her, as well as her fleeting hangover.
Space...give me some space? Surely he means give him space? Sakura buried herself deep inside her covers choosing to forgo her nightgown. The sun was not due to go down in Konoha for another 4 hours but she found the cooler weather offered by the overcast skies was enough to lull her into a false sense of evening. Her sheets once the softest thing she'd ever felt against her body now paled in comparison to the way Sasuke's body felt against hers. Her bed which she'd once found a comfortable size now seemed overly so without him there to fill the space beside her. Oh, yes...she had it bad.

Sakura sighed as her pen scratched swiftly against the paper clipped to her clipboard. She was 5 hours deep into a 9 hour emergency room shift. She was brutally aware of the mountain of paperwork she had waiting for her afterwards in her office. It was her 4th day into her 6 day stint at the hospital. She'd have one day off afterwards before having to leave for a stock replenishment mission that would have her out of the village for at least a fortnight. She hadn't seen Sasuke since he'd escaped her bedroom 4 days ago. He had failed to mention to her that he was leaving for a mission the next day. She had figured it out herself that it wasn't just her that had needed rest.


She dotted the full stop on her sentence a bit too harshly before cramming the clipboard back onto the hook. She was definitely still angry with the cocky Uchiha. They'd both come as close as willingly possible to a confession on each other's behalf but the stubborn man had failed to make any verbal claim for her. Maybe she'd go and shack up with Kiba whilst he was gone? She knew he was interested. But she knew she could never bring herself to do that to either Kiba or Sasuke. She couldn't lead Kiba on and Sasuke would kill Kiba if he found out.

"Sakura-san." A voice in the hallway called out to her. She turned on her heel to come face to face with a sweetly faced young nurse. "Sakura-san, could you help me? I'm struggling to find a vein for blood works on Hanaka-san and he's not too happy about that."
"Mayu-chan." Sakura said disappointed placing her hands on her hips. "This is the third time today. What are we going to do with you?"
"Gomen." Mayu pouted. "I don't do it on purpose and I know you don't mind. You're too kind to be mean unlike Ami-san." Sakura laughed at Mayu's obvious disdain for her superior.
"Come on then." Sakura lead the way to the room of the aforementioned patient and proceeded to show Mayu a technique for finding hidden veins.

"Thank you so much Sakura-san." Mayu beamed at Sakura as she left the room.
"Don't mention it Mayu-chan." Sakura returned the soft smile. "Don't be afraid to ask Ami for help. It's a part of her duty to train you and it's obvious she's not doing her job. I'll have a word with Lady Hokage for you." Sakura left the room happily. She'd finally found a way to punish the snooty Ami. Maybe the day wasn't such a waste after all.

Sensing that for the most part things were under control in the ward, partially due to the fact that another doctor was on duty with her, Sakura decided to retreat to the huge pile of paperwork waiting for her there. She quickly poured herself a cup of coffee before opening the door of her office. As she had suspected the inbox on her desk was brimming with loose paper. It'd take hours to sort through the lot of this. She sat down in despair. She was almost jealous of Sasuke. Right now he'd be out in the field doing something interesting whilst she sat in her office slaving at an infinite pile of paperwork.

Sakura had set a good pace and had managed to cut the teetering pile in half in no time at all when she heard a confident knock at her door.
"Come in." She called not looking up from the document she was currently browsing.
"How'd I know I'd find you here, Forehead." Sakura looked up to regard the blonde ninja.
"Gee, I don't know Ino-pig. Maybe it's because I work here?" She replied sarcastically.
Ino gave Sakura an examined stare. She could automatically tell that it wasn't just the gargantuan pile of difficult looking documents stacked on her desk making her busy friend angry.

Ino took a seat in the chair positioned before Sakura's desk.
"Yeesh, Sakura what's got into you?" Ino asked picking up the small stress ball from Sakura's desk and giving it a testing squeeze.
"Nothing." Sakura propped her pen down onto her desk and cradled her head in her hands trying to blink back the exhaustion she felt. She usually didn't feel this tired 4 days into her work week. "I'm just so tired."
"Oh god, don't tell me your pregnant." Ino flashed Sakura a horrifying look.
"Don't be an idiot Ino I'm not pregnant. I'm on birth control and we used protection." Sakura returned Ino's dramatic look with an exasperated look of her own. Too late did she realise the weight of her words. Ino jumped from her chair with mischievous glee.
"I knew it!" Ino pointed an accusatory finger in her friend's direction. Sakura clasped her hand over her mouth but too late, much, much too late. "Sakura, who did you sleep with?" Ino asked knowingly. The two girls had known each other for so long that sometimes words weren't even necessary.

Ino sat back in her chair dumbfounded. She had her suspicions but she never thought that her suspicions about her best friend's sex life were actually true. Although she'd been absolutely inebriated past the point of no return she had definitely noticed Sakura leaving not long after Sasuke had. She'd also noticed the way the two had interacted with each other all evening; the sexual tension had been so potent that she'd been able to feel it. But she had to admit she just didn't think Sakura had it in her, even though Sasuke more than likely did.

"How'd this even happen? This is so weird." Ino shook her head slowly, long blonde tresses framing her face. "So is this a one-off?" Ino asked all attention on Sakura. Again the look on Sakura's face betrayed her.
"More than once?" Ino exclaimed. "Sakura, you demon." She was flabbergasted. She'd known that Sakura was no virgin but she'd only really been with a few partners and definitely wasn't so wonton to go and seek out the company of a man she'd picked up drunk from a bar. This was Sasuke they were talking about. This was a huge piece of news.
"How was it? Tell me everything." Ino demanded.
"Well, I really shouldn't." Sakura started.
"But..." Ino prompted. Sakura easily submitted to her friend. Maybe it was a good idea to get another person's point of view on the weird situation and who better than her best friend?
"Well, as you know the first time I was drunk but I wasn't so drunk as to not remember anything."
"And?"
"It was..." Sakura tried for an appropriate word. "It was hot. He's really..."
"Really, really flipping attractive." Ino finished for her. "I can see how that would improve any encounter."
"No, but it was more than that." Sakura pondered. "It was like we'd been lovers for years. He definitely knew what he was doing." Sakura blushed under Ino's scrutinizing gaze.

"So?" Ino asked. "Are you two...'banging on the reg'?" Ino used the appropriate finger quotation marks. "Or are you two in love?" Sakura pursed her lips to hold in her sarcastic retort. Ino could see the gears working in Sakura's head. She was really thinking about the question.
"Well, the second time was different. I high-tailed it out of his apartment so fast the next morning but then he showed up on my door step and then we fought and then we..."
"Animals." Ino huffed a sly smile playing upon her face. "Different how?"
"It was slow. It was sensual. It was unlike anything I've ever experienced ever before. I thought it was going to go on forever...and I didn't really mind if it did." Sakura took a pensive sip of her now stone cold coffee.
"Now I have another question." Ino asked slowly. "Do you love him?"

Sakura knew she wasn't ready to admit the way she felt out loud. She hadn't really figured out a way to classify her feelings for Sasuke. She'd spent so many years locking away all her thought on the subject that now when the time came for her to unlock that portion again she was completely at a loss for what to think and how to think it. She knew that before the drunken sex they had been getting along really well and if they hadn't have rushed so quickly into seeing each other's private parts then maybe, just maybe, something like a wholesome love could have formed there. Now it was rushed and awkward but she couldn't lie and say that she didn't feel a strong and powerful emotion for him.

"I think..." Sakura said in answer to Ino's lingering question. "I think that things are little too helter skelter at the moment for me to really understand what I'm feeling. I think I need time." Sakura finished and gauged Ino's reaction.
"Huh." Ino said simply. As always Sakura was showing signs of being prematurely mature. "I guess you'll just have to take it glacially slow and enjoy the, what sounds like, amazing sex." Ino stood from her chair in a motion that finalized what she'd said. "I have to go now forehead but be sure to keep me updated on all your drama." She tucked the chair into the desk and waved her goodbye.
"Bye." Sakura said lamely at Ino's abrupt exit. She suppressed her jealously for her fellow kunoichi who wasn't stuck behind.

Sakura smiled to herself. She felt her bad mood lifting. Ino had actually helped her sort out her feelings with only a simple conversation. She felt a swell of pride for her friendship with Ino. She picked up her pen and started back into the pile that didn't seem so tall anymore. In no time she'd flown through almost half the pile. It was a testament for positive thinking. She knew what she had to do now. She'd spent so long being afraid of completely messing things up with Sasuke when all she really had to do was find a way to take things slowly with him. She had to admit the thought of never getting to see him naked again was enough to make her want to make this work out positively. Obviously they had made a mistake jumping into things so quickly but at the same time maybe wasn't all bad. Maybe now they could set a slower pace whilst still enjoying...each other.

A half hour had past and Sakura had completely eradicated the pile of documents save for one single envelope. She grabbed her empty coffee cup and stuffed the envelope into her bag. She hadn't been called out from her office since she had entered hours ago. She took that as a sign that she wasn't needed anymore so an early get away was on the cards. She passed the nurses on her way out waving and smiling. She hadn't felt a good mood like this all day. She was going to go home and read the rest of the book that she was working on, cook her favourite dinner and enjoy some good couch time. The best part of her plan was that for the foreseeable evening her mind wasn't going to be clouded by depressing thoughts of Sasuke.

Sakura was almost halfway home when she realised that she'd completely forgotten about the envelope she'd stuffed in her handbag. She stopped in her tracks and dug deep inside her bottomless handbag seeking the envelope. After what seemed like an age her slender fingers clasped the rough folded paper. She pulled it out and examined it. It was from the body corporate that owned the building her apartment was in. Sakura thought it was weird that they had sent her a letter. With concern she turned over and opened the letter.

Sakura blinked at the contents of the letter. The owner of her building had decided to renovate the premises, renovations that would take an entire month to complete. Sakura looked at the top corner of the letter to the date. The letter had been sent two months ago but typical Sakura had left her inbox unattended meaning that she'd gotten to the letter too late. She had one day left in her apartment before she'd be kicked out for a month. It's surprising how fast a good mood can dissipate.