Too Long

Disclaimer: I know you guys don't want to read this disclaimer, but I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!!! Hinata owns Naruto…hehehe. Just like Sakura owns Sasuke, she just doesn't know it yet.

Intro: This is the ninth chapter of Too Long. It seems that the two ninja couldn't get away unscathed after all. They have been followed by someone. Now the question is…who? Hope you enjoy!

Warning: Characters will be OOC!!!

Suddenly the bushes rattled and two men jumped out in front of Sasuke while another one jumped out in front of Sakura. The rushed forward and Sasuke wasted no time charging the two in front of him. Sakura waited until the third man was standing right in front of her before she jumped over him and drove the kunai into his back. He crumpled but didn't fall. Instead, he simply pulled the knife out and turned toward Sakura, brandishing the blood-covered weapon.

Sakura stared in shock at the man. Sure he was muscular, but to take that blow without even flinching was insane. She pulled out another kunai and attempted the jump over the man again, but he grabbed her ankle and slammed her back into the ground. She let out a gasp of pain as she hit the ground and Sasuke turned around. He was taken off guard, therefore when a fourth man rammed into him and cut him on the arm with a dagger.

He hissed in pain before bringing his katana around to cut the man in the neck. He fell to the ground in a puddle of his own blood allowing the Uchiha to escape and get back to Sakura, who was trying to keep the man's hands off of her.

He'd just grabbed her breast and squeezed it hard. "I see why the boss got you," he said with a cunning smirk. Sasuke's eyes grew wide and then hostile when he saw the man grab Sakura's breast. Without a second thought, he jumped toward the man and drove the katana through his side, the blade coming out the other end. As the man began to fall, Sasuke pulled the katana away from Sakura, causing the man to fall backwards and well away from Sakura, who was laying there in shock.

While Sasuke pulled his katana from the man's body, Sakura sat up, holding her hand to her bruised breast. Sasuke turned around and offered her his hand. She took it and he pulled her up, causing her to fall into him. She immediately began to cry as she wrapped her arms around his waist. Sasuke just stood there, too fueled by his rage to hug her back and too upset by what the man had done to her to push her away.

When he saw her being touched in such a way by that brute, something stirred within him. It was that same protectiveness that he'd felt when she'd been trapped by Gaara's sand during the chuunin exams. He'd pressed her harder and harder against the tree until Sasuke was sure that she would die. Anger unlike any he'd ever felt, even toward his brother, had welled up inside of him and he was willing to risk his own life to save hers. It was the same this time, only there was an extra level of protectiveness to his anger. He'd touched her in one of her intimate areas, a place that only her chosen partner should be allowed to touch her. To touch her there against her will was despicable.

Sasuke felt the sudden urge to just hold onto her and massage the afflicted area until the pain went away. It was all he could do to stop himself from going through with those urges. She'd probably slap him so hard that he'd go flying back into the water.

Sakura suddenly let out a shuddering breath as if she was in a lot of pain, but not physical pain, emotional pain. Almost subconsciously, Sasuke's arms rose up and encircled her in a soft embrace as she continued to cry against his bare chest. Suddenly she took her head away from his chest and looked at his face. She had a look of amazement in her eyes as she looked into his usual blank eyes. What she saw was beyond him, but she smiled before resting her tear-stained face against his chest again.

A sudden cold wind broke up the moment as Sasuke felt the chills that Sakura had been feeling the entire time that they'd been in the wilderness. Goosebumps formed on his chest, arms, and back and he felt them come out of Sakura's body as well. He released her as did she and he put his shirt back on. Sakura pulled the cloak in tighter over her body and Sasuke looked at her. "We have to get you some new clothes," he stated, causing Sakura to give him a deadpan look.

It clearly stated, "No shit Sherlock!" even though she hadn't said anything. Sasuke was sure that if she had said something, that's probably what it would have been.

Sakura was waiting in the hotel room that Sasuke had snuck her into. She'd told him that there was no way she was going to be seen in public wearing what she was wearing, so he had complied. Of course, he still paid for the room, but he'd brought her in through the window after he'd gotten his room number.

Now she was waiting for him to get back from the clothing store down the street. She'd gone to take a real bath in the meantime. When she got finished washing her hair thoroughly and scrubbing every inch of her body with the sweet-smelling soap, she rinsed off and got out of the steaming shower. She'd left the bathroom door open, not expecting Sasuke to be back anytime soon, but as she started drying herself off with the dryer-warm towels that the maid had brought in earlier, she heard someone behind her.

She pulled the towel up to cover herself and spun around at the same time, finding herself face to face with intrigued onyx eyes. Well, that's what she would say they looked like. His eyes looked the same as ever but one of Sasuke's eyebrows was raised in a curious expression. I swear if he tries anything, I'll kill him, she told herself as the Uchiha continued to just look at her.

She checked to make sure that the towel covered her entire front before saying in an annoyed tone, "What?"

Sasuke shook his head and gave his eyes a hard blink before holding out the clothes that he'd been sent to get. Sakura fastened the towel around her body securely before walking over to him and taking the clothes. When she reached out to get them, she paused for a second and looked up at Sasuke, who appeared emotionless as ever. "Thank you," Sakura said as she took the clothes from his hands. Sasuke nodded his head before walking out of the bathroom and closing the door behind him.

What the hell was that? He asked himself as he walked out of the bathroom. He could only hope that Sakura wouldn't notice the physical changes in his body when she came out. Thank God he still wore the "marshmallow" pants that he'd gotten from Orochimaru.

When he saw her small form naked with only a towel covering her body, something came alive within him, literally. He had to stop his body from having its way with the pink-haired kunoichi who'd stood naked in front of him. He sat on the edge of the king sized bed and held his face in his hands, taking deep breaths and trying to calm the arousal that had gripped his body from seeing his former teammate in her birthday suit.

He only had a couple minutes to accomplish this as she soon opened the bathroom door, coming out wearing the pajamas that he'd bought for her. It was a pink silk spaghetti strap shirt and a pair of red shorts that came half way down to her knees. Now Sasuke was regretting buying her something that short. All of his hard work from the five minutes passed was ruined when he noticed all of the semi-tanned skin of Sakura's long, toned legs. She was smiling at him although he didn't know why. "So you do have a fashion sense," she said as she came and sat down beside him, putting a foot between them.

"I just got something that I thought you would wear," he replied with a shrug. Technically, it was Sakura's fashion sense that had been in play when he bought the clothes. He'd only been able to base it off of the clothes that he'd seen her wearing so he did get to have a little fun with the pajamas. Heeheeheehee…. Actually it was more embarrassing than fun, since the clerk kept looking at him funny. It was a girl, of course and so she had her own opinions about the clothes. While trying to help him figure out what to buy for a "girl he'd found in the nude," she kept making passes at him and telling him what she liked to wear. We won't even go there.

"Well, it's very nice. And I love the shoes," she said pointing at the pair of red ninja sandals sitting by the bathroom door. When Sasuke looked at her, he saw a familiar look on her face.

It wasn't the cold glare that she'd given him when they were fighting, or the annoyed look she'd given him only a minute ago. It reminded him of when they were genin. Sakura was always smiling, except when he got hurt. She was smiling now, only in a more mature adult way than the love-struck young girl that it had been a few years ago. Her emerald eyes were bright but not fierce, her lips were curved into a smile but her face held no blush. She was like the serene waters of the ocean when small waves came back and forth, wetting the sand in smooth even strokes.

He liked that look. He hadn't seen her smile like that since before he left Konoha. Seeing her like that now, well it was like getting back some of the old Sakura…not that he didn't like the new Sakura.

Without even noticing, he was staring at Sakura, who suddenly turned to look at him with a smirk. She quickly turned away though. Suddenly, she'd turned back into the old Sakura. It was as if his kindness now brought back the girl who'd endured his cruelty back then.

"Thank you," she said without looking at him. She was blushing and she didn't want him to see her. He might go back to the old Sasuke that would have never taken her away from Konoha in the first place: the old Sasuke who probably wouldn't have thought twice about slicing through her just as he had the other Konoha shinobi.

"You're welcome," he said quietly, although his words shocked Sakura. She didn't get a "hn" or any of the other half-words that Sasuke usually spoke in. In fact, ever since she'd been with him the morning after he abducted her, he'd always spoken in complete sentences to her. Something about this Sasuke was different than the Sasuke Sakura once knew. Something had changed since he'd left Konoha, if only Sakura knew what.

End: Okay, so does anybody have a clue what's going on between these two? What's up with Sasuke? Has he really changed that much and if so, why has he changed? The voice in his head is a big red flashing sign that says, "I'm a clue, I'm a clue!!!" Also, why was Sakura blushing? Refer to chapter 6 when Sakura was recalling the cold night that she and Sasuke had been forced to sleep together in the sleeping bag for a possible (okay more than possible) clue. Everything is beginning to fall into place, even if it is like tiny drops of water in the ocean for these two.

Well, tell me how you liked it pretty please, and don't let the disease of laziness prevent you from reviewing this chapter.