Hey guys I'm back again with another chapter. I've been extremely busy lately and it really blows which is why this is so late. I'm really looking forward to spring break…and I'm AMAZED at how popular this is getting!! I can barely keep up…I think this is the longest amount of reviewers ive gotten!! Please keep it up guys!
And, alayneni, I know Kakashi hasn't made his appearance yet, but unexpectedly I've decided to add another character into the mix next chapter. :)
I've also decided to save the fluffiness for the end just to mess with you guys. Heh. And I have to admit that this is definitely LONGER than I've made my previous chapters (you decide if it's a good thing).
Special Thanks To: (These guys are amazing. First time readers, please stick by me to the end. I'm unpredictable, and I love to throw things at you, but I promise to make it worth your while, if you'll encourage me to keep going!!)
Riley owns (new reader!)
HoshikoK (new reader!)
Power of Brownies
Sasusaku779
PASSION244
xImCharmedx
Namine-sama
lacusclien4
Emilyx1x (new reader!)
Utsuro (new…reader…?)
Cutebutweirdlucy18
xXSasuxSakuXx
Daughter of Unending Darkness
Alayneni
AnbuShadowFang
Kakashi500
I love Hershey
Miss Aerith
Mintxrain
Sandwich-chan
-'MyLoveLeaksMyHeartBroken'- (new reader!! And your name is awesomely long :) )
0000000000000000000000000000000000000
When Naruto and Sakura made it to the kitchen they were greeted by Lee and Chouji bowing to them. "Our apologies for this morning, Sakura-san!" Lee told as he attempted to bow lower. "Yea, we're really sorry."
Sakura crossed her arms, trying to seem mad. "It was over something completely ridiculous and instead of showing me which one of you was right you ignored me and argued like little kids." Naruto amusingly watched.
"We know, we know and we vow not to ever argue over something ridiculous in your presence again!" Lee added desperately. "Please forgive us and accept our apology cake."
The two moved aside to reveal an extremely large golden cake iced to perfection and decorated with strawberries in the shape of flowers. Sakura was unable to hold in her astonishment while and Naruto's jaws dropped to the floor in amazement.
"We spent all morning baking this cake, so please accept it." Chouji told her sheepishly as the men watched her lower her head and start to shake softly. "S-Sakura-chan? Are you ok?" Naruto asked nervously before jumping back as the pink-haired woman threw her head back and laughed merrily.
"You two went through all this trouble to show me you were sorry?" Sakura told them as she wiped her eyes. Lee's lit up. "Does that mean you forgive me- I mean us?"
She smiled brightly and nodded. "I'd be heartless if I didn't. This cake looks absolutely amazing- almost too good to eat…" The men looked pleased as Naruto neared the cake anxiously. "Don't say that Sakura-chan…I'm dying to eat it…"
Sakura laughed again before waving her hand. "Fine, fine. Cut everyone a piece. I might as well bring Hinata one-" But before she had finished her sentence Naruto had run off to find a kitchen knife and plates. In no time at all he appeared again with a knife in one hand and a large stack of plates in the other.
Eagerly he cut the cake into slices before snatching up the first slice and devouring it while the others savored it. "This cake…I've never tasted anything so amazing in my life…" Sakura commented as she took another bite. 'If I was back at the flower shop I'd probably be eating like Naruto…these cooks all must be really talented if Lee and Chouji are just apprentices.'
"It takes a lot of work and effort. Cooking is just like art or music-even medicine; if you really put your heart and soul into your work, you will have extraordinary results." Lee explained happily.
Naruto, who was already finishing his third slice, added an enthusiastic nod. But as he reached for a fourth Sakura smacked his hand away. "Naruto, slow down; you're going to give yourself indigestion." But when she saw his hurt look she added, "Help me give Shikamaru, Hinata, Yoroichi and Fuuyuki their slices. And if you're still hungry you can eat whatever other slices. Alright?"
Like a small child, Naruto's face lit up as he disappeared and came back moments later with a tiny cart with tea and utensils, loaded on several slices of the delicious cake onto it and rushed out the door, dragging Sakura with him.
"That Sakura girl, she's something special, isn't she?" Chouji asked Lee who was looking in the direction Naruto and Sakura left in and nodded. "Aah. Everyone seems so cheerful with her presence."
Then he smirked. "Does that go for ALL of us or just you, Lee?" this made the bushy-browed man blush and look away. "All of us of course…" and hurried off to find something to do.
000000000000000000000000000000000000
Sasuke gave a sigh of relief when he stamped the very last document in his last huge stack of papers. 'Now I can find Sakura.' He told himself before hurrying out of his office. After all, he hadn't been out of his office all day, and the anxiety to see Sakura had built in the pit of his stomach.
But halfway down the hall he ran into Kaito. "I see you're done with your paperwork, Sas-"
"Where's Sakura?" he interjected immediately. With a smile he held up a hand. "Calm yourself, Sasuke. She's safe. But it appears the Council summoned her not long ago."
The raven-haired boy stared at his caretaker, silently demanding an elaboration. Kaito gave the young man a pleased grin. "I'm pleased to say that she has gained the approval of Yozu-sama himself."
Sasuke gawked at him. "Yozu??" Not even Sasuke, who had lived with the council all his life, had fully gained the highest elder of the Council's approval. But then he smirked inwardly. 'Looks like she's impacting Uchiha Castle more than I thought…'
"By the look in your eyes I see that you're just as amused?" Kaito told him, still smiling. Sasuke nodded. "Where is she now?"
"Some of the guards downstairs reported that she was on her way to the infirmary with Naruto and a cart filled with cake and tea…"but he didn't seem to finish as he watched the lord mumble a thanks before spinning around and hurrying down the stairs to find the pink-haired girl.
00000000000000000000000000000000000000000
When Sasuke made it down to the infirmary he watched Sakura and Naruto gesturing two of the guards to take a slice of cake.
"How nice of you, Sakura-san!" Yoroichi said happily as he snatched a piece of the cake and a fork from the tray when Naruto and Sakura arrived at the infirmary and explained to the guards why the cake was made. Hungrily Yoroichi ate it. Since he hadn't eaten all day, he was grateful for the pink-haired woman's consideration. "Thank you…Sakura-san." Fuuyuki said more politely while he also took a piece from the cart.
"Don't mention it; I just thought you guys deserved to try the cake before it was gone." Sakura told him as she handed Hinata a piece. As she took a small bite her eyes widened with joy and ate it quickly. It seemed to be the sweetest piece of cake she had ever eaten. Even Shikamaru took it without complaint.
But the attention was turned to Sasuke when they noticed him standing in the doorway. Sakura's face brightened as she turned to look at him. "Oh, Sasuke I haven't seen you all day! You must be exhausted. Have some cake. Lee and Chouji spent all day making it." Sakura encouraged him, holding a plate.
Sasuke stepped back. "I don't eat sweets." He told her but watched the men surround him. "Come on Uchiha-sama! Sakura-san is personally handing you a slice. It's delicious- at least take a bite of it!" Yoroichi added with a grin. The cake had put him in a bubbly mood.
"Yeah Sasuke-teme don't be such a party crasher and take a bite of it! It's really good! I've had 3 slices already."
"It IS really good." Shikamaru agreed as he held up his place. Silently Hinata nodded enthusiastically, also agreeing. Sakura gestured him to take a bite again. "Just one bite?"
Sasuke hesitated as his obsidian eyes met her jade ones. 'Why is it so hard…to deny this girl?' he thought as he took the plate from her hands and took a small bite of the cake. He seemed to go stiff as his face held a strange expression.
"Well?" Naruto asked looking puzzled. Sasuke mumbled as he stared at the tiny slice of cake in his hands.
"Do you like it or not, Sasuke?" Sakura asked anxiously. He looked at her as his mouth curled into what seemed to be a small smile. "Aah."
Everyone in the room seemed to light up as they returned Sasuke's smile. Everyone except Sakura knew that it had been years since Sasuke had eaten anything sweet let alone look at it.
Slowly he ate the piece, scrunching up his face as if to determine mentally if he liked sweets after all. When everyone was done Naruto took the cart back to the kitchen and Shikamaru returned to studying the medical records while Hinata dozed off leaving Sasuke and Sakura to wander around the castle.
"I hear you gained Yozu's respect today." Sasuke told her as they left the infirmary. Sakura smiled to herself. "I guess I did. He said I amused him and that he seconds my decision to take responsibility for Hinata's actions while she stays here."
"Are you sure about that?" Sasuke asked her doubtfully. Hinata was dangerous after all and had already attacked her once. She gave him a small smile and nodded. "I do. She's my patient, and I know that she could attack someone innocent at any given moment, but I have faith in her." Then he watched her smile widen. "Besides, me and Kiba helped her remember one of her rapist's facial features; his eyes."
'So that's why she's so confident…'"What about them?" he asked amusingly. Sakura's eyes seemed to gleam as she spoke, "I'm not sure, but I think they have something to do with the color because when she attacked me it wasn't an attempt to kill me since mine are green. She also attacked Naruto, but she stopped when she saw that his were blue."
"That doesn't narrow much down. Blue and green colored eyes aren't common in Konoha." Sasuke told her questionably as he came to a stop. Sakura stopped in front of him. "I know. But I plan to find out more. She told me herself, Sasuke. Hinata isn't illiterate, she can write what she remembers, and as long as we work with her patiently she won't snap like has recently." She paused to move a little closer to him and look at him with a pleading look. "Just trust me."
The raven-haired man looked at the cotton-candy haired beauty in front of him before turning away and running a hand through his hair with a sigh. "Shikamaru was right; you ARE troublesome."
This made her laugh. She could tell that Sasuke was concerned with the elder's watching over her now. "I'll be careful. Besides, Naruto told me that since I have Yozu-san's approval he won't be so quick to let the others get on my case for everything."
"Don't take him lightly. Now that you have his attention he'll have you closely watched." He paused to look at her seriously. "And don't ever break his trust." Sasuke warned. This made Sakura uneasy. "What happens if I do end up breaking his trust?"
Sasuke looked around before whispering closely. "Life won't ever be the same."
The two decided to walk again before she asked. "How do you know this?" Sakura watched him look away. "Itachi did it and his life fell into turmoil." He replied. Sakura imagined the elder Uchiha, slaughtering his grandfather and father before vanishing, banishing himself and automatically making him a wanted man.
As she opened her mouth to apologize Sasuke added, "He's also my great uncle."
Sakura, who still had her mouth open, let it drop in shock. "You mean…Yozu is an Uchiha? Is that why the elders want you to hand over the power to them?"
Sasuke nodded. "I don't abide by his cold methods. That's one of the reasons why they get on my case for everything." This made her frown. "One of the reasons?" she repeated.
"My age, refusing to marry the Water Country's hime, and my brother keeping me alive are other reasons." He paused to elaborate. "My uncle is part of the branch family. Since I'm still alive, the royal family is still in power."
Sakura scrunched up her face. "So he's getting revenge by busting you for every little thing? It isn't right- they should be with your decisions because you're lord not taking their personal matters out on you by taking your rule into question."
"I know that." He replied softly as they started to turn a corner. "But until my 18th birthday I have to follow their rules-"But Sakura cut him off as she stopped him from turning the corner. "But that isn't fair and you know it. You're lord regardless of age. I'm gonna talk to them about it-"
"No." he told her flatly which made her stare at him, demanding an answer. "It'd be pointless. All they can do is call me irresponsible and call my authority into question. It's only an attempt to make me lose heart, and that isn't possible." He gave her a failed attempt to smile. "They can't get rid of me unless I'm assassinated or willingly give up the throne. Trust me."
Take heed around the one they call Saito, for me and many others believe that he is the one that will attempt to betray Uchiha-sama. Once again Yoroichi's words played back into Sakura's head. "But what if someone DOES attempt to assassinate you?" she asked nervously. Just the thought of him lying in a pool of blood made her queasy.
This made him snort as he pulled her hand aside. "No one in this castle has the guts." But he paused to look at her with a mysterious glow in his eyes. "But if I find someone plotting against me I'll kill them myself."
That's when Sakura saw it. As he spoke Sasuke's eyes seemed to flash a bloody crimson, just as Naruto had said. Once you see an Uchiha's rage, it's the last thing you'd ever wanna see again. She shuddered as she imagined blood red eyes staring at her murderously. Luckily, he didn't see it as he continued walking.
'I just hope you're right, Sasuke.' Sakura thought to herself as she ran to catch up with him.
00000000000000000000000000000000000
"Ne, Sasuke?" She asked hesitantly as the two slowly walked up to the third floor. He turned to look at her; eyes saying all they had to.
"Why is Shikamaru the way he is?"
Sasuke thought about this and decided not to give any details as he replied. "What do you mean?"
"He thinks men are so much higher, and that women are just 'troublesome'; that we should be 'seen and not heard'." Sakura explained making him look at her. "Would you think differently living here?" Sasuke asked and it made her think. He was right. Living in Uchiha Castle without any women didn't give him the chance to see how wrong his judgment was, and seeing women lined up at their door in hopes of marrying or even seeing the Lord must have gradually aggravated him.
She paused to give a frustrated grumble. "I just hate how the men like him in this castle are so sexist and stereotypical. Sure, they haven't lived with women in awhile, but that doesn't mean judge us…"
"Sound familiar?" He told her when they reached her room and started to walk away.
'That was a little cold…but maybe he's right…' Sakura thought as she away from Sasuke's retreating figure to open her door. But as she did this a hand closed the door gently, startling her.
Without turning around, she realized it was only Sasuke who hadn't walked away after all…but her heart couldn't stop racing as he leaned closer to her ear, almost meeting it with his lips. "Tonight, meet me on the fourth floor- fifth door on the left." And this time he walked away for good.
Quickly Sakura ran into her room and slammed the door. As she leaned on the door she rested her head against it and lifted a thin hand up to her racing heart whilehis words seem to play back like a broken record as she remembered the feel of his breath against her ear.
Had that really been Sasuke, speaking so soft and close to her?
0000000000000000000000000000000
By the time Sakura had gotten back to her room and was cooled off the sun had already set and the stars had painted the sky.
Tonight, meet me meet on the fourth floor-fifth door on the left.
'It's about time…' Sakura told herself thoughtfully before subconsciously looking at herself in the mirror and hurrying out of the room.
As she walked down the hall to ascend up the stairs to the fourth floor, she became lost in her thoughts. 'You're anxious aren't you, Sakura?'
'I'm not anxious…I'm eager. It's been so long since I've star-watched'. She told her inner self who scoffed at her. You're eager to spend some alone time with Sasuke. Time that isn't likely to be interrupted.
She blushed at the thought of her and Sasuke watching the stars. It almost seemed too good to be true.
When she reached the top of the stars she found that the hallway was dark.' I wonder where everyone is?'
She counted the rooms on the left side as her heart started to race. 'One…two…three…four…' Sakura stopped when she came to the fifth door. 'Here we go…' she told herself before opening the door slowly.
Sakura felt her heart beat even faster when she found Sasuke leaning against the window pane. An unreadable expression painted his face as he looked up at the moonless sky. When he didn't notice her presence she shut the door softly, but loud enough to hear the slam of the wood.
When Sasuke turned to look at her he seemed to be having a mysterious air about him as he was illuminated by the moonlight. "Did you wait long?" Sakura asked as she walked over to him.
He shook his head. "Come on-"but when she didn't budge he gave a small smile. "We aren't using the window." Sasuke told her reassuringly as relief was spread across her face. Slowly, he moved over the right wall and felt around it.
'Another secret passage?' Sakura thought excitedly. But to her disappointment he flipped a wall panel revealing a switch and turned to see a white rope drop from the ceiling. With a strong pull of his arm Sasuke pulled down a staircase and lead her up it.
To her surprise she found it lead to another floor. "So there is a fifth floor…" Sakura said, more to herself than him. Sasuke looked at her "What made you think there wasn't?"
"Well Naruto said-"
He snorted. This made Sakura realize that Naruto had known all along that there was another floor. But why hadn't he been straightforward and told her?
"Don't take it personally. He wanted you to find out for yourself." Sasuke explained making her calm down. As he led her down another passageway he opened a door to his right and revealed another staircase.
When he turned to look at her he couldn't help but smirk as she still seemed surprised. "How many floors are there?" Sakura asked. At first he didn't answer. Then he shrugged. "Who knows?"
Silently the two followed the candle-lit hallway to the very end door. "Does this lead to another floor?" Sakura asked.
"Somewhat. This'll take us up to the roof." Sasuke replied. But before opening it he paused to warn, "But don't move until I do."
When she nodded Sasuke opened the door. It seemed like an ordinary dark room with a single window, just like the one that had lead them to the fifth floor. 'I wonder what traps and secrets this room holds.' Sakura thought nervously as he moved slowly, tapping the floor twice before each step.
"Grab my hand." Sasuke commanded. Quickly, she did as she was told and followed him. "Sasuke, what happens if you take a wrong step?" she asked as she followed him, doing just as he did; tapping twice on every other floor panel.
But when he opened his mouth to reply he noticed that Sakura's foot had tapped the last panel twice and swiftly shoved her against the left wall, a little more roughly than he should have.
The two watched in horror as part of the middle flooring deteriorated; as if it were sand.
"That." Sasuke replied as Sakura continued to stare at what had previously been whole flooring. "Is…this entire room…like this?" she asked when he pulled himself off her and grabbed her wrist more cautiously.
"I haven't figured that out yet." Then he came to a complete stop, scanning the flooring carefully.
"Sakura. Move two tiles to your right, and then leap to the window." He told her in a hushed whisper. "Make sure you step on one of the five tiles in front of it."
"…What happens if I miss?" Sakura asked nervously. Sasuke opened his mouth to reply but decided not to. "Never mind, just go."
Cautiously, Sakura did as she said and walked to the right tile. As she leaped to the window subconsciously she looked up and realized there was a pattern on the ceiling. "Sasuke…look at the ceiling…I think it tells you how to get to the window safely."
Sasuke studied the ceiling and realized she was right. Slowly he moved over to the right and walked on every other tile before reached in the window. Though he didn't say anything, he looked at her with a strange gleam in his eyes as he opened the window and stepped onto the roof.
Sakura grabbed his hand as he led her up to the top of the roof. "Why would you go through all this trouble to reach the roof?" Sakura asked him wildly as she glanced down at the distance from the ground and where they were climbing.
"This is why" Sasuke responded when they reached the roof Sakura sat down and looked up before gasping at how close she seemed to the stars. "It's beautiful…" she replied. "It feels like I can almost touch them…"
"It gets better." Sasuke replied. But as he spoke tons of bright lights darted across the sky making Sakura stare in awe. "This…is amazing…" she whispered under her breath quietly. Though Sasuke didn't speak he was just in as much awe as she was.
"When I was little Ino and her family stood on her roof and watched a comet shoot across the sky…but I've never seen something so beautiful in my life…" Sakura murmured quietly.
The two fell silent as they gazed up at the stars until she shivered.
"Cold?" Sasuke asked scooting closer to her. The tenderness in his voice threw her of balance. Though she had yet to hear him angry with her, around anyone else, the raven-haired man seemed to become gentle.
Sakura shook her head. "Just a little…" she replied as the two looked back up at the sky. "Seeing this…makes me want to stay up here forever…"
"In July, Uchiha Castle holds its annual fireworks festival." Sasuke told her; as if silently asking if she would come. This made her flash a toothy smile. "And you want me to make an appearance?"
"It's five months away, around the time I'll turn 18." Sasuke replied. 'I'll take that as a yes.' Sakura thought as she continued to wear her toothy smile. "That means my birthday is in a month or so…the 28th of March."
"Are you spending it here?" He asked more quickly than he should have intended. But he was surprised when she shrugged. "Who knows? If Hinata still isn't well I'll spend it at your castle."
"And if she's healthy?" Sasuke asked. Though he knew the answer to this his mind didn't seem to want to think of it. She grew quiet before answering. "If things go as planned…I'll probably be spending it with Tsunade-sama-outside of Konoha; maybe even out of the fire country altogether."
The two grew quiet as thousands of things were racing through Sasuke's head and heart. She has to leave. You were only here to help her after all.
'Maybe she'll be able to stay after all?'
'And why would she give up her life goal to find her father? Because you want her to stay? Get real. She's naïve, not stupid.'
"But that's only if Hinata's healthy and if I prove to Tsunade-sama that I'm worthy to be her subordinate." Sakura added. "It probably isn't possible…the time it takes for people suffering from the effects of traumatic experiences to recover take months- even years…"
Though he had only known the pink-haired girl sitting next to him for a short while, but at times alone with her such as now, it felt as though he had known her a lifetime; maybe even longer.
"Would you come back?" Sasuke couldn't help but ask. This made Sakura turn to look at him, a strange gleam in her eyes made it impossible for him to turn away as a playful smile curled on her lips. "Would you miss me if I left?"
He was at a loss for words. Sakura hid a hurt expression before she looked back at the now clear and starry sky. "It's alright if you don't answer. I mean, how can you miss someone you've only just met? This isn't-"but her voice trailed off when the raven-haired man whispered, "Don't ever assume with me."
This made her stare back at him with rosy cheeks. So he would miss her after all. "But…why?" Sakura asked. How could you miss someone you've met not long ago? This wasn't a tragic, romantic love story about two people falling in love at first sight like in Romeo and Juliet, right?
"Time doesn't matter. Never in my entire life…have I met someone like you." Sasuke replied. By the look on his face she knew that it had been hard for him reply. Though it was only a few sentences, Sakura knew that he had meant what he said, and that it was more than a long, drawn out explanation could've been.
Sasuke didn't say anymore, but as he gazed into her eyes the obsidian pools seemed to scream so much more. Would you miss me? They seemed to ask which couldn't help but make her smile and look back up at the sky.
"I used to despise men with all that I had…because of what my father did to my mother. And because of that I grew up with the notion that they were all the same, and if I let myself get close to one…the same would happen to me." She paused to look at him. "But…being at Uchiha Castle and living with all these men who've have it much worse than I have…and are actually amazing people...I realized that we aren't too much different."
Sasuke continued to let her speak as Sakura went on. "We all make mistakes, and all of us have lost someone important to us it seems…and not all men are slimy, vile things that are incapable of having compassion for others."
He couldn't help but snort as he looked at her. "Is that what you thought of me?"
She shrugged but didn't meet his eyes. "Somewhat. I thought you were a greedy, insensitive, malevolent man…but I know I was wrong." Then she turned to look at him. "And what about you? We all know about your history of being cold to women."
"We've been through this." He told her. But she wasn't going to give up. "Then run it by me again. We have plenty of time."
Sasuke fell silent before replying. "They were dreamless."
"That doesn't make their good attributes invisible or make them bad people."
"I never said that." He protested defensively. "None seemed to have a purpose or goal…" and subconsciously his eyes fell upon Sakura who did the same. "All I saw was lust."
She met his eyes again. "You want someone who sees you as a person, ignoring that you have looks, power, and money?"
"Aah-"
"Do you honestly think you women will ignore those attributes? It's a shallow world, Sasuke and you're the lord of KONOHA. You're not a regular person-you can't ignore that." Sakura demanded, startling him as she stood up and towered over him
"Is it wrong of me to want that?" Sasuke asked also standing up. The look in his eyes intimidated her. "No, but who in this world will you find that doesn't know who you are, Sasuke? You're asking the impossible-"
"You didn't, did you?" He argued as stepped closer to her.
"Sasuke you're-"but her voice trailed off as she felt herself wobble; her foot had stepped out of line on the narrow roof top and started to fall backwards. But just was she started to fall Sasuke grabbed her wrist and pulled her close to his body.
"Be careful." He commanded her as he could feel the fast thumping of her heart. Sakura held his arms tightly; fearing that she would fall again.
When he started to pull away from her, his obsidian eyes met her jade ones as Sasuke felt her wrap her arms fearfully around his body. "Don't let go!" She told him in an almost pleading tone.
His eyes fell to her lips before meeting her eyes again. "I don't plan to." He replied as he grabbed hold of either sides of her face and pressed his lips onto hers.
At first, her breath was taken from her; completely in shock by his action. Until she realized that they had denied fate and obligingly accepted his kiss.
His hands slid into her hair as the two became lost in their kiss that could've been seconds, minutes. Maybe even hours; proving that to the two, just like Sasuke had said, time didn't matter.
Finally, the two broke away when the need to breathe was demanding, screaming; a painful ache they could ignore no longer. But the two only stayed apart long enough to catch their breath before his lips crashed onto hers once more.
Sakura seemed to drive him wild with the simplicity or her actions; a flick of her tongue, a nibble here and there on his lips and the soft caressing of her hands on her arms, chest, neck, and face as he struggled to keep his composure. 'Can women really do this to you?' he thought, realizing that Sakura was like a drug; slowly coaxing him into tasting her again. Until finally the need became too much, and he gave in.
This time, the two broke the kiss breathing heavily. Their worlds were spinning out of control, and neither knew if it was due to lack of air or the effervescent sensation the two felt when the two realized where they were and what they had been doing.
Sasuke rested his forehead on hers as silence wavered over them. Both were at a loss of words, but neither dared to draw away from one another. When their eyes met the two laughed with giddiness, but were at a loss of words.
Then she spoke. "We…should…head back."
"Aah." He replied. But neither seemed to want to as he helped her climb down through a different window leading to a room that was safer; no trap doors, no fake flooring, just an empty room.
'Looks like this entire floor is made up of secret doors and traps...' She realized when the two exited the room Sakura realized the door had disappeared.
The two successfully snuck back down to the third floor, avoiding any guards by hiding in the shadows. Only this time when Sakura was pushed against the wall it wasn't so awkward.
When they reached her room she leaned against the door, not wanting to leave just yet. "Thank you, for taking me up there. Though I haven't gotten a tour of the castle…" she paused to smile and lean up to whisper in his ear. "Tonight was sort of…like your compensation for it."
Without saying goodnight and leaving him with a mischievous smile she turned to open her door and walk in. But when Sakura turned to give him one last look he grabbed her wrist and pulled her close to him before capturing her lips, smirking, and walking away; leaving her heart pounding and strangely lightheaded.
'Still think you haven't fallen for him?' Her inner thoughts asked as she climbed into her bed with a smile refusing to leave. But she didn't respond to her teasing as she thought to herself. 'I think...I'm liking my stay here more and more everyday…with Sasuke's help.'
These were her final thoughts before the satisfied pink-haired woman drifted off into a deep sleep; the only thing on her mind was a certain raven-haired man and the time they had spent together, thinking that things could only get better from here.
But where there sweeter, heartfelt moments to come, the cold and bitter ones were coming as well.
And sooner than any of them could imagine.
TBC