I actually can not stress how awesome you guys are, but words sometimes fail me at 3 in the morning. Work and school kind of got in the way of updating, to my complete and utter dismay. Seriously, don't they know I have other priorities? Enjoy!
She didn't understand why she couldn't breathe, but there was a distinct pressure against her neck, cutting off her air. She snapped her eyes open and saw her new bedroom, pristine as she had left it, except for Sasuke's body splayed beside the tub, bleeding out onto the floor. A sword had been run through his chest, pinning him to the ground as though he were a doll. She wanted to sob, to cry and scream, but whatever held her neck prevented her. And her assailant was nowhere to be found.
Sakura woke with teary eyes and trembling fingers that had drifted from Sasuke's comfort, and now clutched her sheets in terror. He was asleep, and alive, beside her; she sighed in relief, but her mind still raced with thoughts of tragedy and scenarios of 'what if.' What if he had been killed? What if he had come too late? Worse yet: what if she had survived and he had not? How would she ever cope?
With unsteady hands she began to reach for him, but stopped short. She did not want to disturb him just because her mind was in a state of unease.
She stood and tiptoed to the window, peeling the curtains back ever so slightly to see that night had fallen. She felt her pulse quicken simply seeing the moon sitting in the sky. What if the Akatsuki attacked tonight?, she thought. Would they be so lucky next time?
She peered over to where Sasuke lay on her bed; how had he known to come to her? Why would an enemy divulge a plan so carefully thought up to a man with the power to shift the course of said plan? Sakura grimaced and let the curtains fall, shrouding the room in darkness once more; she knew he was keeping the truth from her. She couldn't understand why he would need to lie about saving her. Unless - she blanched; what if he was working for the Akatsuki? What if it was all misdirection, one big diversion? And now she was alone with him. . .
No, no, that wouldn't make sense. But now she could not quell the suspicions that rose at the mysteries that followed him, mysteries that had once attracted her. She settled herself by the fire, taking up the flint and steel. Furiously she struck them together, over and over as she had seen her servants done many times. It appeared to be an acquired talent as it took her multiple tries before she could strike even the smallest flare. She stoked the flame and contemplated.
There was a sweet, low hum in the air, pervading the previous silence. He could feel her wet fingertips glancing his bicep, slipping over his shoulder, and moving to the nape of his neck. The humming took on a humorous note, for a moment, before she sobered herself. He heard her shift, the water in the bath obeying her movements, then felt her breasts flush against him.
He opened his eyes to her welcoming smile and cheshire grin. His heart swelled and thumped in his chest; he reached for her.
"Sasuke-kun, I - ,"
The door burst open and a gang of masked men marched through. Before Sasuke could think to act, one of them had grabbed Sakura by the hair, yanking her out of the tub. They threw her to her knees, a hand coming to circle and tighten around her neck.
"NO!"
Sasuke pushed himself to his feet, only to be shoved back down by another faceless soldier. They pressed a knife to his throat, but even without it, Sasuke found that he could not move. He could only watch.
"Sasuke-kun, please," droplets of water glided down her quaking body. He felt shackled, "Help me," one of the men took up a blade, running it along the length of her spine, "Sasuke-kun!" The man shoved the knife into her back and her plea became a garbled scream.
Sasuke opened his mouth, but nothing came out. The soldier's hand was at her throat as he drove the knife into her back over and over. Sasuke watched the light leave her eyes, watched her purpled lips take their last breath, watched the blood dribble down her chin. His body flared with an anger that burned everything else away. But something else began to appear, too. He fought it off, struggled to hold on to every tendril of rage he had. But it came anyway - the sadness, the sorrow, the unimaginable despair at seeing her lifeless form collapse half in the bloody tub. She was gone.
When he started awake, Sakura was not beside him. Sheer panic gripped him before he saw her sitting by the crackling fire, expressionless, withdrawn in herself. He threw off the damp towel, landing it on the floor, and stalked over to her stark naked. He knelt behind her and scooped her into his arms. He shut his eyes and breathed deeply, taking in the scent that was entirely her, sweet like the blossoms she had been named after. She began to weep, curling against him and shaking as the whispers of her dream still rang in her ears.
"You're still here," his voice was strained, choking on his words. It was an effort to push them past his lips. She grasped his bicep and shook her head.
"I am not here. I am very far away," she whispered, but her words were harried as she trembled. "I have not left that man's grasp. I can still feel his hold on me."
"No, it is me," Sasuke began to sway, rocking her gently as though he could shake her out of her haze.
"Is it you?"
"Of course. It is only me."
"Do you wish me dead?"
"What are you - ,"
"Answer me," her voice was cold, level and lethal, "It is a very simple question. Do you wish me dead?"
"No," he shook his head furiously, "How could you ask me that?"
"Why must you lie to me then?"
"I may keep things from you, but I do not - ,"
"Are you with them?" her eyes locked with his then, but she held him fast, "Are you of the Akatsuki?"
His throat bobbed and he turned his head.
"No."
"Yet you look away from me."
"I am ashamed," he uttered softly.
"Why?"
"You hold nothing back from me, but I can not be honest with you."
"Because you will not."
"Because I can not," he repeated, forlorn. His head dropped into her neck, breath branching over her skin, "You've no idea the weight I carry each day from the things I can not say. It is not just you I hide from."
"I do not understand why you must hide from me at all," she leaned against him, garnering what little support she could, "I - I feel very strongly for you, Sasuke-kun. Is that not enough?"
He considered her cautiously; it was everything to him, but how could he tell her that? Would she even believe him? He pressed kisses to her shoulder that started as a feather touch and grew rough in nature as he began to pull her flesh between his teeth, sucking purple welts there.
"Sakura, please."
"I will not have half of you."
"I am certain that if you know the truth, you will not want any of me."
"But you will not let me decide that," her voice was bitter, but still she clutched him tightly.
"It is inevitable; you will have no decision in it," he let silence fall around them but it could not penetrate the space between them. Sakura nuzzled her head against his, fingers falling to the nape of his neck where she stroked him idly, "Why must I be honest? What good is it to tell you these things if you will never truly be mine?"
The pain in his words was palpable, throat tightened with despair. Sakura sighed and shut her eyes to the dimly lit room, to the harsh reality outside of her walls, and to the world that surrounded them. She could not entertain those thoughts as he so seemed to do. He appeared to keep them as his only company, as a reminder to himself that he could never have happiness. Well, it seemed that if he were doomed to misery, then she would be, too.
"I am yours, Sasuke-kun," her nails dug into his arm painfully so, but he was grateful for the discomfort, "I need you."
Her eyes flashed with desperation and desire, overcome by lucidity now. She slid her hands high, twisting his hair around her nimble fingers and pulled his mouth up. She bit his lips and caught the groan that left him between hers. She was frantic, frenzied, he realized, seeking to devour him in her passion. It dawned on him that he wanted to do the same and, as terrifying as the thought was, it prompted him to cradle her in his arms as he stood, walking them back to her bed.
He set her on the sheets and she slid up the length of the bed on her back, keeping a steadfast grip on Sasuke's arm. She had no intent to let him go far from her. With one hand, she deftly slid the tie of her robe out, the silk loosening to reveal her soft skin. Sasuke shut his eyes, lowering his forehead to hers. Sakura captured his lips, but froze, murmuring something against her mouth.
" - op - ," she pulled back ever so slightly, "Please stop."
"Why must I stop?" she ran her thumb under his eyes and he opened them, "Sasuke-kun, why?"
"I can not control myself around you and what's worse, I do not wish to," Sasuke's hand flew to her waist, ducking beneath the fabric of her robe to grip the compliant flesh of her hips.
"What good is control?" she dug her fingers into the prominent planes of his muscular back and slid her leg between his. Her thigh grazed his hot length and she felt his preseminal fluid smeared along her skin. He groaned and thrusted against her. Sakura grinned coyly, "Your control is mesmerizing, but it is not what I desire. I do not want you to restrain yourself from me," he was lost in the expanse of her gaze, enthralled with her words, "I do not want half of you, Sasuke-kun. I need all of you, every bit."
"How can you ask these things of me?"
"You are the only person I have ever wanted to ask," she responded without hesitation, further entreating his trust, "I do not wish to ask them of anyone else," she shook her head, twirling her fingers in his unkempt strands, "While it is the way you speak to me, it is also the way you see me. You look at me like I am the sun, like I am a lake and you are claimed by thirst."
"I have never wanted somebody like I want you," he swallowed past the lump in his throat, "And so I suppose I have never looked at another person that way."
"I do so wish you would continue to look at me as you do now," she paused and licked her lips, hands slipping to splay over his lower back, "And I do so wish you would touch me as you have in these illicit reveries you carry."
"I do not want to offend you with my - lechery," he had an odd lilt to the corner of his mouth and it caused her to laugh.
"Rest assured, I have dreamt fantasies far more lascivious than you," she nipped his chin playfully and let her inner thigh glide along his member once more. Sasuke hissed through gritted teeth.
"Is that a challenge?"
"You should not be ashamed to admit defeat, Sasuke-kun," her tongue laved the lobe of his ear before she bit the skin. He pressed himself more ardently against her and shook with the restraint it took to keep himself from having her right then.
"I encourage you to accept your loss with honor," his eyes were black pools of sinful heat, causing a pleasant throb in her core. Before she could retort, he caught her lips in a commanding kiss. His hand rushed to her neck, thumb tilting her jaw as he moved his lips down her heated skin. She moaned as his teeth scraped her shoulder and caught her clavicle. His mouth closed around a pert nipple, tongue flicking rapidly. She choked on a whimper as fire spread through her, emanating from his ministrations. He seized her gaze as he moved further south. He saw her breathless, saw her fingers fly to the pillows above her, saw her arch under him, following his lips like a magnet. Sasuke stopped at her hip, heaving a frustrated groan that became muffled against her, and sat back on his heels.
"Don't stop," she gasped, eyes dropping unabashedly to his reddened cock that leaked and pulsated under her gaze. He cupped her thigh and removed it from between his legs. He had her ankle in his hand, kissing a trail up to her knee. Sakura watched him intently, begging him quietly.
She did not need to beg; he was far too keen to give in to his own desires. Now he stood at the precipice and she was waiting for him on the other side. Below lay every fear and consequence he conjured between them. It was utterly terrifying and completely jarring to see them laid bare as Sakura was before him. His grip on her was taut, fierce, because he had no interest in letting her go then, despite every rational thought that urged him to. But he was not thinking rationally now, he was not thinking at all. He was driven, urged by that soundless yearning.
"Sasuke-kun," she blinked steadily, curious eyes delving into the abyss of his. And there were the threads once more, wound so tightly within him, but this time pulling him so harshly toward her. She was too beautiful, too enticing, so seductive in every manner of speaking and he realized she held a power over him then. She could call him what she liked, do with him what she pleased, could tug at his heart until it broke, and he would love her still. He would love her.
"I will not go farther than this," he lowered her leg to his side, fingers gliding along her pale skin to meet at the apex of her thighs. He skimmed the wet lips of her sex and she shivered, shutting her eyes to revel in the feeling. His finger circled her opening, teasing her with tender thrusts as he moved lower on the bed.
"But, I - ,"
He pressed his tongue flat against her, licking upwards in one smooth motion. He hooked his arms beneath her thighs, hands coming to rest at her hips as a spasm ran through her. He repeated the motion and a hoarse cry was torn from her slackened jaw. Encouraged, his lips enclosed her aching bundle of nerves and he began to suck, powered by his own greed, his own desire to hear those wicked noises leave her. Slowly, he worked a finger inside her, twisting to and fro, passing each knuckle gradually. She moaned as her walls clenched from the intrusion. He shuddered, cock throbbing painfully at the phantom sensation of how tight and hot she would feel around him.
"You are far sweeter than I imagined," the timbre of his voice sent vibrations through her nub, "And more tempting now than I had anticipated," he nipped her clit and she gave a soft yelp of agreeable surprise, "I can not go farther than this, for your own sake," he whispered and her eyes fluttered open to catch the obscene look in his. His lips were wet and his pupils were lost in the darkened lust of his gaze, "But you must trust that I want to, it is all I want in this moment."
She softened, but lost her composure when he curled his finger inside of her, stroking against an erogenous spot she had never taken the time to explore.
"Sasuke-kun," her voice broke as his tongue resumed its compassionate assault on her clit, "You are not alone in your desire."
He hummed in assent as the thrum between his legs became too difficult to ignore. He pulled away from her as a pressure began to build in the heated center of her core. It spread like a blaze through her abdomen, but started to die just as quickly once his touch left her. She shot straight up with a whine, but stopped short of admonishing him when she saw that he had his member in hand, stroking its engorged length. A very distinct satisfaction overcame his features and Sakura found herself bound to him by fascination. Her heart scurried in her chest as she watched his thighs tense and his grip squeeze his tip. More fluid spilled out, his cock twitching, responsive, but he stilled himself with a sharp hiss. His hand shot to his side as though he had been burned. With determined fingers, Sakura reached for him, but he captured her wrist.
"I fear I will not be able to help myself if I do not leave you now," his eyes were lowered to the sheets they sat atop, so she took his chin in her free hand and brought his attention back.
"I do not want you to leave," her eyes were glistening with vexation and sorrow. Her fingers slid down his neck, over his pectorals, raking her nails along his abdomen, "I wish you could take me now," she inched ever closer to him, hand dropping to his length to take it in her grasp. She began to move in a light rhythm, up and down, his head dropping forward to rest against hers. His breath was ragged in her ear, passing low profanities, "I wish I could feel you inside of me."
His hand left her wrist and travelled to her sensitive nub, moving in brisk circles that inspired Sakura's hold on him to quicken. They fell into each other, moaning the other's name, sweat gathering between them as they clutched each other with the desperation their pleasure demanded. They only floated higher; it seemed unimaginable, but it appeared that their was no limit to the gratification they awarded the other.
She felt the pulse of his veins, the stark increase of his cock's palpitations. He felt her tensing against him, shaking with the promise of her orgasm. And then they were falling. He groaned as thick jets of cum splashed her stomach and thighs, hot against her already perspiring skin. She moaned into his shoulder, trembling, teeth sinking in as her release sent shockwaves outward from every nerve in her body. Still, he twitched in her hand, and still, he circled her clit, both coaxing the other back to that moment of their world on her bed. Their breaths were short and sharp, bodies tensed and coiled with a hot shame that washed over them as though they had done something wrong.
Then, Sakura peppered kisses along his jaw and he turned his mouth to hers. Their tongues met, battling for dominance, and inciting the affirmation that no, they had not done anything wrong. They paused to regard each other; flushed cheeks, restless eyes, and greedy lips. Sakura smiled and kissed him again. He met her fervor with an immeasurable zeal, smiling in turn.
His arms moved to ensnare her waist and she locked hers around his neck as he pushed her back on the bed. She felt a layer of sweat on her skin, her bones ached from the previous night, and her muscles had begun to fail her in the aftermath of her release, but Sakura found that she could not bring him close enough. His hands moved comfortably along her body, tracing every line as though they were already familiar to him.
"Sasuke-kun, stay with me tonight," she whispered softly. He nodded and shifted to his side, pulling at the sheets to cover the both of them. She turned into his chest, realizing she had begun to display a similar familiarity as well.
"Of course," he acquiesced, but his heart stuttered as clarity permeated his mind.
He loved her.
Did he - ? It was a silly question and so he did not give it time to flesh out. He longed for her in ways he did not know was possible; he loved her.
"Your thoughts are restless," he froze when she spoke and peered down, but her eyes were already closed.
"It is rare that they are not," he drew patterns into the skin of her back with anxious fingers.
"I know," she said quietly, "I know you, Sasuke-kun."
He sighed and held her tighter, feeling her breath even out in the swell of her chest. She thought she knew him, but his heart ached as he discerned that she had only barely scratched his surface.