I Wait
Chapter 31 – Contact
"When we make contact boy,
It's a chain reaction,
It's a physical-chemical interaction,
When we combine, feel the satisfaction,
Deep inside my soul."
One week had passed since their return to Konoha. The Kage were set to arrive soon and both Sasuke and Sakura would be expected to sit in on the meeting and answer any questions they Kage threw their way. Although Sakura had been anxious about what the Kage would have to say, Sasuke had been a welcome distraction. No, he hadn't touched her like that since that first night of their return. She'd spent most of her time either speaking to Kakashi or shinobi from Konoha intelligence or with Tsunade and Shizune as they looked over and healed the injuries she hadn't been able to heal herself. In the aftermath of the Ryuketsu and Shinichi and…Seiki, Sakura had been avoiding thinking too much about anything. And while Sasuke had been her distraction, he'd also served as a means of avoidance, occupying her free thoughts during the day and then being by her side at night where she would wake up in his arms in the morning. The temptation was there when she awoke and she had seen it in his eyes too. There was a need there, something she'd never noticed before. Something a little wild and primal. She'd woken up that following morning with marks all over her neck, marks she'd seen Sasuke looking at with well-hidden satisfaction. He hadn't commented but his eyes said it all. And Sakura had found that she hadn't minded it at all. In fact, she quite liked the fact that he'd marked her as his own. And she was eager for him to do it again, despite the fact that she'd had to wear some more high collared shirts even though the fur around the hood of her winter coat did a good enough job of hiding everything. Sakura eyed the coat where it hung by the door as she exited her bedroom. It was strange to think that they were already almost entering spring. And then it would be almost a year since Sasuke's return. To her surprise, he was seated on the coach, leaning forward slightly, brows furrowed in concentration.
"Sasuke-kun?" she asked, coming around.
Sasuke glanced at her but said nothing.
"What is it?"
Sasuke's mouth tightened around the edges and he let out a heavy breath. "I…it's been a while since I've seen the Kage. All of them. Together like this."
Sakura caught on quickly. "You're worried about them still…bearing some kind of grudge against you?"
"Not worried." Sasuke denied quickly. "It's just a possibility."
He was definitely worried, but Sakura didn't push it, she simply stared at him for a moment. "Yes," she agreed reluctantly, dragging the word out. "It is a possibility. But I think it's unlikely."
Sasuke shot her an unimpressed look, it was clear that he knew that the Kage weren't just going to forgive and forget despite Kakashi and Naruto vouching for him.
"If the Raikage can get over it, so can they." Sakura told him simply.
Sasuke sighed. "I wouldn't say he's over losing a limb."
"Things were…amicable when you saw him, right?"
Sasuke lifted a shoulder. "Hn."
"That's a step in the right direction." Sasuke nodded. "Just chill out, if you're nervous they're going to suspect you."
Sasuke lifted an eyebrow. "…Chill out?"
"Maybe…I don't know. Just be yourself. They'll know you're being genuine."
"I am being myself." Annoyance dripped from his tone.
Sakura nearly rolled her eyes. "I mean, the you that you are when you're alone."
Sasuke let out a long sigh. "That makes no sense. I am myself. That doesn't change when someone else is around."
Sakura closed her eyes. "Okay how about you just relax? Don't stress yourself out yet."
Sasuke let out a groan, coming to his feet. "I am –"
Sakura gave him a little push, back onto the couch. Sasuke sat down in a heap and glared up at her, which Sakura answered with a cheeky grin. "Relax." She repeated, dragging out the word.
In truth, Sasuke wasn't sure what "relaxing" meant. You can't relax and be productive at the same time, and there was always something to be done.
"Unwind." Sakura said, and then she reached for his cloak, undoing the clasp at the top.
Sasuke's eyebrows shot up. "Are you trying to undress me?"
Heat filled Sakura's cheeks in a rush. "I…what? No!"
Sasuke indicated to his cloak as it fell open around his shoulders. "It seems like you are,"
"I-" Sakura realized then that he was teasing her, she'd noticed this trait in him a few times but hadn't realized what it was until that very moment. "I…I'm just helping you relax."
It took a bit of courage, but Sakura sat down on his lap, her thighs hugging around him. "You could take a nap." She suggested, knowing full well Sasuke would not be taking a nap.
"I don't want to nap right now." Sasuke said, his voice slow, controlled, but Sasuke seemed strangely unguarded in those moments. His eyebrows rose but he didn't object.
Would Sasuke really allow this? Taking a shaky breath Sakura slid her hands up his chest, his skin felt warm through the material of his shirt. Her breath came unevenly when her eyes clashed with his. Sasuke was watching her intently and his chest seemed to rise and fall a little faster underneath her hands. Sakura wanted to move her palm to the center to feel if his heart was beating just as fast as hers was. She leaned in, pressing a soft hiss to his cheek and Sasuke's lips parted in a soft inhale.
Feeling encouraged, Sakura slid closer to him and his hand came up almost unconsciously, sliding up the side of her thigh. She dropped another kiss to the corner of his mouth, and then another – even closer.
"Sasuke-kun," her voice was low, barely a whisper, but she spoke against his cheek, lips brushing his skin as she trailed kisses along his jaw. Her lips parting now as she grew even braver, tongue tasting his skin with every kiss.
Sasuke let out a deep groan, his voice sounded rough now as Sakura's hands slid up, on either side of his neck, her thumb sweeping over his erratic pulse. Sakura inhaled sharply when his fingers slid around the curve of her ass, squeezing slightly and pulling her even closer to him and oh – right on top of him. Of where she could feel just how affected he was by her. Sakura's skin felt feverish as she throbbed for him, her thighs squeezing around him.
Sasuke's hand was suddenly in her hair, pulling her mouth up to his – lips crashing down on hers the moment Sakura's back hit the cushions of the couch. Sasuke was on top of her, his mouth hot and greedy on hers while she felt the length of him grinding down between her thighs. His hips rocked down and Sakura tried to roll back but she was weak with pleasure, her limbs shaking. That feeling built quickly, bringing her closer and closer as she clung to his shoulders, her kisses growing wilder. Sasuke rocked down again, grinding exactly where she needed him and Sakura pulled in a sharp gasp. "Sasuke-kun," she cried softly, eyes squeezing shut, her head shaking from side to side. "Please," she whispered harshly.
"Here?" Sasuke asked, his hips moving down in the same way and Sakura's hips bucked up sharply. "Yes, Sasuke-kun." She whispered, her voice shaky but urgent. "Right there."
Sasuke stilled, his fingers suddenly dragging along her jaw. "Look at me, Sakura." He commanded and Sakura's heavy lids opened, looking up at him. His hair hung around his face, there was a faint flush on his cheeks – but it was his eyes that nearly undid her right there.
"Fuck," she whispered this time and the corner of his mouth kicked up. His hand pressed down next to her to support himself and then his body rolled and she felt it everywhere. Her toes curled, nails dug into his shoulders.
"Keep them open, Saku-" Sasuke cut off in a grunt, his brows drawing together in concentration. "Sakura."
Sakura bit down on her lip, but she didn't look away. Blindly she reached between them, her fingers gripped his belt, shaky hands undoing the clasp with hurried movements. His body was tight above her, and when Sakura's eyes shot up the Sharingan stared back down at her, but there was no denying the look her gave her. Sakura gripped his pants, hands ready to push them down but Sasuke eyes shot up, towards the window. "Are you fucking kidding me."
Sakura went up on her elbows. "What is it?"
Sasuke swore again, making a frustrated sound. "Naruto,"
"Fuck."
Sasuke lifted an eyebrow as he looked down at her but Sakura was unapologetic. She wanted this and there was now use in hiding it.
Sasuke leaned down, his lips sudden hard and fierce on hers. A promise.
"Later."
x-x-x-x-
While Sakura had been doing nothing but avoid thinking about the mission, there was no stopping it now. She knew the moment that she opened her front door that this was it. From the look on Naruto's face she knew it was time. The Kage summit was about to start. In writing a report, it was easy to write it from an outside perspective but when Kakashi asked her to relay the mission in person, there was no way to avoid it. So she did what she was ordered to do. From how it started, the missing genin to how it ended with Ōtsutsuki Seiki. Sakura tried to keep her tone factual, tried to show she was unaffected by what had happened and that she was simply doing her duty as a shinobi. But…some parts were harder to tell than others. As discussed before, certain details were omitted. Details that could put strain on the shinobi alliance. And Sakura had no issue with that. Sasuke's turn came next the eyes of the Kage were sharp on him as he relayed his involvement. If he was still nervous, it didn't show. His voice remained steady throughout, calmly relaying the events as Kakashi ordered them to. Naruto told them of the few times he'd gotten involved with the mission as well as the battle with Seiki. And it was understandable that the Kage had questions but it was chaotic. But Sakura had expected that as well, she'd known that this would happen from the moment they found the connection to the Ōtsutsuki. Sakura suppressed a sigh as the Kage argued among themselves, the Raikage's voice booming above the rest.
Kakashi did nothing to supress his own as he stood. "This is getting us nowhere."
"While I don't doubt your ability to assess the situation and make a fast decision, especially considering the stressful situation you were in. You're telling us the only reason you did what you did was to give shinobi control of the situation. And you expect us to believe this?" Mei asked, looking between them.
Sasuke glanced at Sakura, this clearly wasn't going as planned.
"Well," Sasuke drawled. "It's the only answer we have. Or would you like me to make something up."
Naruto groaned, turning his head away as Sakura's eyes widened. "Sasuke-kun," she hissed.
Kakashi turned to give him a pointed look that clearly said shut the hell up. He ignored them. "Just because you don't like what happened, doesn't change the facts."
"The boy is not wrong." Onoki said, shifting in his seat and surprising them.
Kankuro caught Sakura's gaze across the room where he stood behind Gaara with Temari, and lifted a hand to adjust his collar up. For a moment Sakura froze in place before she awkwardly reached up to pull her collar into place as inconspicuously as she could. Kankuro snickered slightly and Sakura avoided his gaze for the rest of the meeting.
"No," Gaara agreed. "He's not. But that also doesn't change the fact that what we've found in these locations have been…disturbing."
The Kage revealed more of what Kakashi's ANBU had discovered. Temples all depicting similar scenes to what Sasuke and Sakura had found. The Kage had all searched in and around their own territories but reports from smaller villages kept filtering in. Some…weren't just temples. Some had similar creatures to what Hinata and Shikamaru had faced and…villagers and shinobi died. Continued to die. Kakashi had mentioned this during their briefing but it was one of the things that Sakura had been avoiding. Hearing it from the Kage now made it more…real. This was on her. She'd allowed it to happen.
She'd-
Sakura felt his eyes on her and unable to stop herself, her gaze turned to his. The resolve in his eyes steeled her heart. Sasuke had no regrets and she knew from that look that he would do it again and again. Sakura wasn't that sure but she knew she couldn't change it now, she would live with this.
And she could.
Because she had him.
x-x-x-x-
It had been decided that Konoha would take responsibility and deal with the aftermath of the mission. Which left identifying and dealing with whatever threat remained swiftly. But considering the bad luck they'd already had, Sakura shouldn't have been surprised by the request Kakashi made after the meeting was concluded.
At first, Sakura wasn't sure she'd heard him correctly, but that cold grip on her heart that she usually experienced at the mention of that man remained so she knew Kakashi had really said that. Her eyes pleaded with her sensei but Kakashi simply sighed and looked away from her and back to Sasuke.
"Can you do it?" Kakashi asked. "Or I should ask, will you?"
"Contact Orochimaru?" Sasuke asked, he hadn't been expecting Kakashi to ask that.
"I hate to admit it," Naruto said and it really sounded like he did hate it. "But this could be our best bet."
"Aa," Sasuke said after a moment, "But Orochimaru will not do this for free."
"We're willing to share information then." Kakashi said and it was clear to Sakura he'd been sitting on this idea for a while. The thought disgusted her. "Anything that isn't classified regarding our dealings with Shinichi and the Ryuketsu."
"It's worth a shot." Sasuke shrugged.
Sakura knew that Orochimaru had contacts and a reach that Konoha did not. The quickest way to end this would be to ask him for help. She knew that. But that didn't mean that she needed to agree with it or like it. Asking Orochimaru for anything no matter the situation made her feel sick to her stomach and she knew from the single, narrow-eyed glance that Sasuke threw her way that he knew exactly how she was feeling but also why she didn't say a word. This was needed. If it wasn't for Naruto's promises, the other Kage might not have been appeased. If it had been anyone else, they wouldn't have made any sort of deal. And Konoha had promises to fulfil. This wasn't the only way, only the fastest. And Sakura knew that Orochimaru would jump at the opportunity to get the autopsy notes for Kogen and Yua, perhaps even their bodies. She tried not to think about how excited he'd be to hear from Sasuke either. The only consolation was that Sasuke didn't seem to be happy with contacting his old master either. So, Sasuke and Kakashi drafted a letter to send to Orochimaru being very clear on what they wanted and what they were offering while Sakura and Naruto stood awkwardly, shooting concerned looks at each other. Sasuke glanced up from where he was writing once, a slight frown on his face as he looked at Sakura before he continued writing. This was undoubtedly one of the most uncomfortable experiences Team 7 would have, considering their history with this man. And although none of them said anything, the past hung in the air between them heavily and the tension stayed in the room long after the messenger bird flew off.
x-x-x-x-
"What are the chances that Kakashi-sensei will send us to investigate these locations?" Sakura asked once they were back at her apartment.
Sasuke hadn't said much on the way back or during dinner (ramen) with Naruto and it took him a moment to speak up now. "I already asked him." Sasuke told her. "It's unlikely."
Sakura frowned. "Unlikely?"
"That's what he said." Sasuke said. "He would prefer to have the ANBU handle this."
Sakura stared at his back. "Oh," she said after a moment and then, "Is…everything alright, Sasuke-kun?"
He sighed, "Do you trust me, Sakura?"
Sakura hesitated, frowning at his back when he still didn't turn to face her. "Of course I do, what are you saying?"
"Then why would you get so upset about Orochimaru?" it was clear from his tone he'd assumed their last conversation had cleared everything up.
"I'm not up-"
"It was written all over your face, Sakura." He said, unimpressed. "It still is."
Sakura took a deep breath. "That has nothing to do with trust, Sasuke-kun. Orochimaru took everything from us. And I hate him so much it makes me feel ill. You can't fault me for that."
"This has everything to do with trust." His voice was growing steadily louder as he spoke. "If I told you I'd have to go meet with Orochimaru right now to exchange information how would you feel?"
Sakura stilled for a moment too long but there was no hiding it, how she felt was always visible to everyone around her and Sasuke's lids fell shut. "It's written all over your face, Sakura."
"You expect me to just forget everything he's done to us, to you?" she asked, her eyes begging him to understand.
"Not at all. But I expect you to trust me enough to know that I want as little to do with him as you at this point."
"That didn't stop you from writing to him before." As soon as she said the words, Sakura regretted them. She could see Sasuke's face closing down, she could see the disappointment there.
"I thought you would at least know that I would always return to you. Did I not make myself clear in that cave? Or since we've returned?"
Sakura knew what it was then. Their reaction in Kakashi's office had brought back things, feelings he'd wanted to avoid. Even their worry had had the opposite effect on him, poked at an insecurity she never knew existed.
He had made himself clear, more than. And Sakura didn't doubt him for a second. Orochimaru was the one she didn't trust and she hated that Konoha had to rely on him, because that meant that she was.
"Are…you asking me not to hate that man?" Sakura asked softly. "Because I don't think I can, Sasuke-kun. Everything-" her voice broke and she took a deep breath but Sasuke spoke, "If things were different – if Orochimaru never came into our lives, I would not have been standing here, with you."
Sakura stared up at him. "So you're saying I should thank him?"
"No." Sasuke said immediately. "And neither will I. What I'm saying is that is the past and you should know that even if I were to see him right now, there's nothing that would keep me there. Because I have something to return to," he took a step towards her. "A family, Sakura."
You are my family, Sakura. I love you.
Sakura squeezed her eyes shut, biting down on her bottom lip and Sasuke's fingers slid into her hair and around her head, drawing her to him. Sakura's hands shook a little as they went underneath his cloak and around him, hands tightening in the material of his shirt.
x-x-x-x-
Again, thank you guys so, so much for the comments on this story. Your support means so much to me!
Here is a teaser from the next chapter, A Flower Named You:
"So, Sasuke?"
"What usuratonkachi?" it was clear Sasuke was drunk. Hell, he felt drunk. A little light, his head a little more clear than usual. Less crowded with messy thoughts.
Why had he agreed on coming here again?
"Tell me here and now man! Do you love Sakura-chan?" Naruto was slurring.
At the mention of her name, a warm feeling spread through Sasuke's chest and he leaned his head against the back of the chair.
