Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Sasuke and Sakura ran through the forest through the early hours of the morning, a few hours into their journey to the destination. As the sun began to rise, Sakura felt her eyes growing heavier and heavier after skipping the night's sleep.
Hopping through the trees, the leaves and branches slowly started to become a blur to her. Her foot slipped on a mossy branch and she slipped, feet first into the air. Sasuke heard a small yell and looked back to find her suspended in mid-air; he sighed at her clumsiness.
"Amenotejikara"
Sasuke activated his Rinnegan and switched places with Sakura's backpack. He was instantly behind her, his lone arm wrapped around her body, pushing her into position to land gracefully. Sakura took a moment to compose herself and blushed at the moment of closeness between the two of them.
"There's a town about 20 minutes up. We can rest there for a few hours and then continue on. You won't be much help if you're half asleep when we get there"
Sakura smiled in embarrassment, when she jolted upward to see her backpack stuck on a branch up in the trees. She ran up the tree and grabbed her bag, checking for all the contents inside, before hopping down. They nodded at one another and continued on to the next town.
"We'll take two rooms for the night" Sasuke said without greeting at the small inn they arrived at. Sakura looked up, slightly disappointed that the thought hadn't seemed to even cross his mind to share a room. She smiled to herself, with an almost disappointment in herself for expecting that.
"We're sorry sir, there's a small meeting in town this week for local priests. We've only one room left - our honeymoon suite. It's certainly lovely though, it has a large bedroom and separate lounge area. Even includes a private bath area!" the old woman working at the counter winked at the two of them.
Sakura pushed back at the rising blush on her face and turned to Sasuke. "Will that be alright for you?" The woman asked.
Sasuke chose not to make eye contact with Sakura. "That is acceptable" he simply said, and paid for the room. The woman there took the money and prepared the key to the room, directing them to the room at the end of the hallway.
The two of them walked over to the last room in the Inn. Sasuke unlocked the door and motioned for Sakura to enter. She took a step in and was in awe at the beautiful accommodation: there was a huge living room with small kitchen, high ceilings and modern indirect lighting all around, drawing attention to the unique artwork lining the walls.
"This place is beautiful Sasuke... how much is my share of the room?" Sakura asked after taking off her shoes and setting down her bag.
"Don't worry about it, Sakura. It's part of your mission payment" Sasuke shot her a look, almost a smile on his face, and went into the restroom.
Sakura simply smiled and gave herself a tour of the place. Walking into the bedroom, she instantly noticed the sliding door to the outside. She ran to it and saw the very small patio area with a natural hot spring bath, completely surrounded by trees and shrubbery to keep it private and intimate. She beamed at the thought of sharing the space with Sasuke, but kept herself grounded in reality. She heard Sasuke turn on the shower in the bathroom, and returned to the living room area to organize her things.
She noticed Sasuke's bag next to her own and in her exhaustion found herself giggling at the thought of the contents. What underwear did he wear? Tighty-Whighties? Briefs?
The door to the bathroom soon opened and Sakura looked up to see Sasuke in nothing but his towel. Her eyes grew as she eyed his gorgeous figure, standing in front of her.
"Hurry and wash up." he said plainly, to which Sakura nodded and grabbed herself a clean set of clothes, refusing eye contact as she went into the bathroom for a quick shower.
When Sakura was finished showering, she wrapped herself in a towel and peeked her head out of the bathroom door. She had her clean clothes with her in the bathroom, but...
She walked out into the living room area, curious as to where her teammate was. Following into the bedroom, she noticed the sliding door was open; Sasuke was sitting in the bath, towel sloppily dropped in the doorway. Her face flushed red and she quickly pivoted to leave the room. She lost her balance and instinctively grabbed onto the small dresser for balance, making a bit of a sound. Sasuke turned in her direction from the bath.
"Sakura." he said, calling her over to him. As always, a man of few words.
'Damn it... Blew my cover... Shanaroo...' Sakura cursed to herself, as she walked towards the bath.
"What is it Sasuke?"
"If you're still awake, please relax."
Sakura sweat dropped and waved her free hand. "Oh, it's alright Sasuke. I don't... I won't..." There was no way she would be able to relax sitting in such close proximity to Sasuke. Naked.
Sasuke looked back at her and nodded, apparently understanding her discomfort, though showing a minor disappointment at her reaction. The two had barely talked since he visited her late at night to sweep her away for this emergency mission. The time before, the two had enjoyed each other's company, falling asleep at each other's side; and the time before that, the court mandated he pour his heart out to her.
"I'd like to discuss our mission. Please make yourself comfortable." Sasuke said, looking straight ahead as if he was talking to himself.
Sakura, still wrapped in her towel, looked down at herself. She was running on the small burst of energy granted by a hot shower, but knew she didn't have too long before her body shut down. She stepped over to the bath, sitting down on the edge to soak her legs, opting to keep herself covered.
Sasuke continued to avoid direct eye contact with her and jumped straight in. "We have a few hours of travel left tomorrow. The village is very small, mostly farmers and doctors from the medical academy nearby.
"Children under about 10 years old have been targeted by the ailment specifically. They're running a dangerously high fever, with patches of skin turning black on their arms and legs. They become weaker and weaker, until...
"Some miraculously recover, but most don't make it. I spoke with the local leader of their small police force, whose daughter came down with this sickness"
Sakura shivered. There was never a time that innocent children deserved such a fate.
"So the doctors there can't figure it out?" Sakura asked, and Sasuke nodded. "Do they suspect foul play?"
"The police chief seemed to think so, but it was just his gut feeling."
Sakura nodded and mulled over the symptoms for a second. 'Fever... Black rashes... '
"The black rashes could be some sort of bruising, or blood blister maybe. Or perhaps something else related directly with the blood..." Sakura mumbled to herself, Sasuke finally watching her get to work on the case.
After a few minutes of silence, Sasuke finally looked away, and let out a big sigh.
"Is everything alright, Sasuke?" Sakura asked after some time.
"It's fine. Let's just get some rest. You can take the bedroom." Sakura took the cue to look away momentarily while Sasuke got out of the bath and wrapped himself in his towel. She got up and followed suit, grabbing her clothes and things in the bedroom to finally get some sleep in the early morning hours.
She changed into her sleep clothes, sinking into the bed. Despite her exhaustion, her mind ran in circles, continuing to keep her awake for the time being. She thought once again back to their interactions before Sasuke left the village - he had finally opened up to her and broken down all the walls between them. And it seemed, during his time away, new ones were built in their places.
She took a deep breath and sighed. The sun was already rising outside after their travels thus far, and tomorrow she had to be alert and ready to try and save these kids' lives. She could worry about Sasuke another time.
"Goodnight Sasuke" She said, loudly as to pierce through to the other room for him to hear if he happened to still be awake.
"Goodnight, Sakura" She heard back in reply, and drifted off to sleep.
A/N: Hey all! Sorry for the delay in update - Just finished my finals yesterday, yay! Thank you all for your follows and favs thus far, I hope you continue to enjoy the story :) Please leave a review to let me know what you think so far!