After breakfast, the two of them dressed for the weather more thoroughly and headed back out, trekking in the direction of where they'd left the snowmobile. They came with a gas canister and filled it up; it was enough to get the snowmobile back to the cabin. They stashed it behind in another shed, using the rest of the gasoline that was left to refill the tank. If they needed to escape, they'd at least get a head-start with that in the snow. From where they were, it was the only way to reach the nearest town, and there was no hope of them returning for the truck they'd used to get there. After a quick shower to warm up, Sakura found herself leaning across the futon, waiting for Sasuke to return.

Sasuke, of course, wasn't far behind; with as quick of a shower as she had, as well as a quick load of laundry tossed in, he found himself crawling onto the futon next to Sakura, laying on his side next to her as he looked down at her smiling face. Sakura was lying on her back, barely able to make eye contact; every time she did, she blushed harder at the way he was looking at her. He chuckled when she looked away, reaching a hand over to draw her chin up, coaxing her to look at him.

"You're so shy," he teased, leaning down to press a soft kiss against her lips. Sakura could feel her face heat up when he did that, heart thumping in her chest.

"I-I'm not shy." She was mumbling and chewing her lip. "You're just… you're, um… you're really attractive, so I get flustered!" Her voice had raised at least an octave, making Sasuke laugh gently at her reaction. He reached up and brushed her hair behind her ear, his palm lingering on her face. Shifting his weight, he leaned over her and started to kiss her again, this time a little more forceful. Sakura melted into his advances, returning his kiss with as much enthusiasm and energy as he was giving. His hands started to wander along her curves, toying at the hem of her shirt to slide it upward slowly.

Oh, boy. Sakura wasn't sure she was ready for this, yet at the same time, she knew she was. She let him take the lead, feeling more comfortable with him in control; he picked up on what she wanted with ease, letting his body naturally react to whatever was happening. Their lips remained locked as he shifted to hover over her, caressing every natural curve he could find. The longer they remained, the more he could feel his heart racing; he'd never felt such adrenaline or emotion in his life.

Sakura could feel her chest swelling more and more every time he touched her. Despite everything that was happening with them, she knew now she'd made the right decision. They were there, they were here, and they were together. Their kiss broke, and Sakura could feel Sasuke's warm breath on her cheek, near her ear.

"Sakura…" He whispered her name so gently, struggling to maintain his emotions. Everything he was feeling was a high of ecstasy he'd never experienced before. He loved her so much, more than anything he'd ever loved before. It was more profound than the love he'd had for his parents or his brother when he was a kid. His hands slid underneath her shirt, pulling the hem upward. Sakura assisted by lifting her arms upward, letting him slide her shirt off and leave her exposed in nothing more than a bra. This was a new experience for Sakura; she hadn't been this close with anyone in her lifetime. On the one hand, it made her nervous, but on the other, she felt happy that it was with him.

His hand traced down toward her chest, eyes lingering on the scar that was there. Seeing that, he felt a hot flash of anger. He remembered that day. He remembered what had happened. He still thought about it, about how he could have done better, how he could have prevented it from happening. Now wasn't the time for him to get caught up in that. He planted a small kiss over her scar, reminding himself that despite what it represented, it was also what had brought them together in the first place.

"Sakura, you're…" He wasn't sure what words to use. It felt like any word he used would be a gross understatement.

"I'm what?" She asked, her voice small but huskier than she'd expected. She'd laid there in silence while he stared at her, feeling the weight of his gaze, the way his eyes trailed down every curve, lingering on things she suspected he liked. She'd been self-conscious about her appearance; other girls had larger chests than her or bigger curves, but she was petite and more angular.

"I… You're… beautiful," he remarked, cringing a little. "I'm sorry, I just… I don't know how else to describe it. It feels like an understatement." Sakura stared at him openly, a look of shock on her features. Something about the way he said it, the way he felt like it wasn't enough to describe what he thought of her, touched her heart. Her hands came up, half-covering her face in an attempt to mask her shock as she felt tears welling in her eyes.

Tears of joy.

"Sakura-?" Sasuke suddenly felt concerned and guilty, seeing the way she was tearing up. "No, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" Oh, lord. What could he have said that upset her so much?

After realizing that he was worried he'd upset her, Sakura waved a hand and shook her head. "No, it's just… you didn't say anything wrong." She laughed and wiped the tears away from her eyes. "I just wasn't expecting you to say that, and nobody's ever… nobody's ever said that about me." Wait… Had he heard that right? No one had ever told Sakura she was beautiful? That was… ridiculous, even from his perspective. Even if you didn't factor in how he felt about her, he would have found her aesthetically beautiful. A soft smile crossed his features as he brushed at her hair, helping to wipe away the tears on her face.

"That's ridiculous." And it was true. He found it ridiculous. "Maybe you blinded them with your beauty." His tone was teasing, leaning down and kissing her on the cheek before whispering in her ear. "Or if they thought otherwise, they were lying to themselves." Sakura whined as he whispered in her ear, feeling her whole body flush at the sound of his voice. Damn him. He had such a hold over her that she couldn't shake.

Their lips met again, this time with the same zeal that happened previously, though they didn't stay locked for long. Sasuke's lips migrated across her cheek and to her neck, pressing soft trails until he reached her collarbone. Every kiss against her skin was like an electric jolt, and she felt like her heart skipped a beat each and every time. He enjoyed every little gasp she made while he kissed her, loving the way she squirmed underneath him at the sensation.

Just as he was ready to take things further, a sound caught his ears. It was the sound of… a motor? A snowmobile motor, to be specific. Sasuke stopped abruptly, putting a hand over Sakura's mouth. She would have whined at him, stopping so suddenly if not for the hand over her mouth; her body went from excited to worried, seeing the look on his face. He had her up on her feet in an instant, shoving her blouse back into her hands as he turned his back to her, edging her into the hallway.

"Stay right here," he instructed, reaching to one of the tables where he'd placed one of the guns he kept. He drew it and kept it low at his side, creeping around to peek out the front window. He could see a snowmobile out there, though he didn't recognize who it belonged to. The door unlocked, clearly with a key, and through it stepped a woman with vibrant red hair shaved on one side and hanging long over her shoulder on the other. He relaxed when he saw her, slipping the gun onto a nearby table as he stood up straight.

The moment Karin saw him, her face brightened. "Sasuke!" She leaped forward, locking her arms around his neck in a hug. He reeled from the contact, arms up and half backing away. Oh, he knew what was coming. Here he'd thought she might have given up on her usual antics, but… apparently not. "Oh, look at you, all dishevelled. Were you waiting for me~?" Her teasing, flirty tone hadn't changed a bit. Years ago, he would have brushed it off and ignored it, but now…

Oh, crap. Sakura was still standing in the hallway, and she was staring. Sasuke reached back to unlock Karin's hands from around his neck, shoving them back in her direction and sighing in irritation. Karin's tendency to be openly flirtatious-whether she had feelings or otherwise-was about to bite him in the ass, but he didn't know who else he could call for help. Suigetsu was a pain in the ass and would probably laugh at him, and Jugo would get too worried. Karin was a nice in-between, even if she could be overbearing sometimes.

Karin whined as her hands were removed, then leaned to the side, peeking behind Sasuke. Sakura was standing there, staring at what had happened. Karin just… She didn't miss how Sasuke reacted, pushing her away immediately, but she felt… odd. She wasn't angry, but she was upset. Why did she feel like Karin was here to take something away from her? Or was that even the best way to describe it? And… Karin was staring at her, too. She looked down, seeing that she was still standing there in her bra, her shirt clutched in front of her. She rushed to pull it over her head, half-stumbling as it got stuck, though she managed to pull her head and arms through and put it on.

"Oh… I see." Karin's tone was still playful as she smirked at Sasuke. "Well, come on, at least invite me next time, won't you, hot stuff?" Karin's fingers trailed up Sasuke's chest, lingering on the part exposed near his collar. He inhaled sharply and stepped away, disinclined to deal with Karin at the moment.

"You got my message. You got what we needed?" Better to redirect things back to business. Karin would possibly stay focused if that were the case. "We're not going to survive long here without it." Sasuke had moved in Sakura's direction, gently beckoning her over. If he wanted Karin to back down, he'd have to make it clear he and Sakura-and only he and Sakura-were a thing.

"Aww, don't be so sour." Teasing was better than flirting, at least. "Of course I did. I can't let you starve to death out here, now can I?" She pouted at Sasuke. "About a month's worth of non-perishable food, and maybe a week or two worth of fresh foods. I also brought more firewood, an axe, and some stuff you can use to hunt. You're all set for a little while." Karin glanced at Sakura, who had tentatively approached.

"Now, don't be rude, Sasuke~. Who's your little shadow there?"