For once, Sasuke did not want the sun to rise; he did not care to face the day. It was strange to him to think that he should ever leave her bed. What could possess him to want to? Some time in the night she had shifted, facing away from him, but she had not strayed farther than an arm's length and he could still feel the curve of her hips at his waist. He could see red and purple marks at her neck from where his lips had been, but he could also see the bruises at her wrists that rested beside her head. They were more prominent now and it made his stomach turn. Had she truly thought him capable of doing something so heinous to her?
He slid his arm out from beneath her carefully to turn on his back. The canopy of the bed surrounded them with a thin, pale curtain that filtered what little light was allowed in the room. It reminded him that he had a job to do, and it sadly did not involve wasting the day away between the sheets with Sakura.
Sasuke pulled himself out of the bed and assembled the majority of his clothing. Being decorated with blood and reeking of sweat, he shoved it inside of his pack and took out a fresh uniform. He attempted to dress quietly, but his musings were obnoxiously loud. He was not certain what it would be like when she woke, but he felt a noticeable anxiety at the thought of facing her after the previous night. The revelation of his feelings coupled with the carnal explorations that had occurred between them had Sasuke contemplating how things might proceed from there. Perhaps she would not want to see him after all they had done. Though any sane man might think the notion irrational, Sasuke could not help the less than favorable scenarios floating through his mind. Perhaps she would change her opinions about him entirely.
"Sasuke-kun, I do believe I prefer you naked," he turned to face her as he was buttoning up his shirt. She was sitting up in the bed, knees covering her chest, with a wistful glint in her eyes. She stretched her arms above her head and yawned. He smirked, but felt himself falter in his resolve when he got the urge to march over there and kiss her.
"Would you keep me that way?" he shrugged on his vest, pulling up his zipper, then went to lacing up his boots.
"If you tempt me, I will shackle you to this bed," she had a humorous quirk to her lips, but her tone was pragmatic. He paused, taking her in and shook his head, chuckling.
"You have it wrong," he paced over to her in long, measured strides. She admired the strength of his posture and the pattern of his gait; he exuded an intensity that made her knees weak. Sasuke leaned over her, brushing feral strands of pink hair from her drowsy features, "You would not have to force me."
She smiled wide and rose to her knees, sheets slipping from her still naked form. Sakura wound her arms around him and kissed him tenderly. He confined his hands to her cheeks, urging her closer but attempting to champion his willpower at the same time. He had a job to do, he reminded himself. He stepped away from her too quickly and she felt a sliver of confidence lost at the action.
"Do you have somewhere to be?" she questioned lightheartedly.
"I thought I might complete my duties as a guard," he frowned, attempting at delicacy, "I did neglect them last night."
"Curious," she ran a finger over her bottom lip, suppressing a grin, "I did not feel neglected."
Sasuke set his jaw tight; he had every desire to shed his fresh clothes and resume his position beside her. She did not cover her breasts, nipples perked from the cool morning air, and though her hands rested between her legs, he could still see her slick opening.
"You are perfect," the words slipped free before Sasuke could help himself, but he wished to take them back as soon as he heard them. They were too plain, unappreciative, and nowhere near accurately described her. Still, she smiled and her cheeks reddened. Sakura stepped off the bed and crossed the space between them. She placed her hands on his chest, fingers spreading over his vest, as she locked him in her gaze.
"I suppose it would take an alike person to recognize that in someone else," she murmured.
"Do you think us alike?"
"Very much so," she sobered quickly and added, almost as an afterthought, "Both hindered by obligation. But it is our differences I celebrate, too."
"Sakura," his brow furrowed with the burden of his inquiry, "How do you intend to move forward now?"
"How do you mean?" she appeared genuinely perplexed.
"What I mean to say is what happens to us now?"
"Well, do you wish to continue," Sakura paused, fingers twitching against him. Her eyes searched his in an almost frantic manor, "This?"
He wasn't sure what 'this' was, but he was sure he would have to think on it. The consequences if they were found out were startling and seemed to hold more threat in that moment than they had the previous night.
Suddenly, the sound of the front door startled them apart. Sakura scrambled to the dresser to retrieve a formal ensemble while Sasuke hastily grabbed his pack and darted into the hallway, shutting her door behind him. He stood in front of it as the Emperor and Kakashi walked up. A few maids as well as Sakura's ladies in waiting trailed behind them. Kizashi seemed to want to enter, but Sasuke planted himself like a fortress before them. If he went in then, he would know Sasuke had seen Sakura in an indecent state.
"Good morning, Uzumaki-san," Kizashi said. Kakashi gave Sasuke a polite nod which he returned. The ladies behind them bowed respectfully.
"Good morning, sir," Sasuke responded.
"I trust you had no issues last night?"
"No, sir," Sasuke fisted his hands behind him, blood pounding in his ears from the adrenaline that was rushing through his system.
"Very good," Kizashi beamed, then leaned close to Sasuke, his voice a melancholy whisper, "We have found more with the tattoo," he stepped back, raising his voice, "But that will be discussed later. For now, I would like to see my daughter."
Sasuke nodded, his mind now itching for information of the remaining Akatsuki members that had infiltrated the palace. But his panic returned when he stepped to the side, only to have Sakura fling the door open with a wide smile, dressed in a decorative, pink jūnihitoe.
"Good morning, father," she was as cheerful as ever, her sweet countenance careful to hide the sins she had committed.
"You appear well," he stepped inside her room, Kakashi and her ladies following suit, "How are you feeling?"
The door shut behind them and Sasuke missed her response, but he supposed it was not for his ears if he had been left outside. He watched the door for a moment until the maids emerged with buckets of muddled bathwater and moved to toss it outside. Sasuke stepped out of sight of the entryway, catching only bits and pieces of idle conversation between Sakura and her father. A few minutes later the handmaidens returned and removed the drained tub, buckling yet somehow still managing under its weight. Kakashi closed Sakura's door and soon Sasuke was alone.
He dropped his pack and began to pace the length of the hallway, thoughts wandering to what the Emperor had divulged. How many men had been found out? And information had they revealed?
Sasuke froze, the walls suddenly towering around him, as if they were enclosing upon him. What if that soldier had told other members within his group who Sasuke was? Would the Emperor believe them?
And what would Sakura do when she found out?
Because, it was inevitable, he thought, she was going to find out. It was only a matter of time.
The door opened and Kizashi walked out, pausing to cast a glance at Sasuke.
"Walk with me, Uzumaki-san," he beckoned him toward the door, "Hatake-san will oversee my daughter for the time being."
Sasuke nodded and followed the Emperor outside. The clouds had come to cover the sun now and the wind stirred the snow on the ground. He felt a disgusting guilt as he kept behind Kizashi, choking on the secret he now shared with Sakura. The Emperor led him up the path, past the council room and past the barracks to the building of cells beside them. The guards at the entrance unlocked the doors and swung them back, allowing Sasuke and the Emperor passage.
Partitions of stone separated the line of cells that were filled far closer to capacity than Sasuke recalled. A guard was stationed every few feet, but there was not nearly enough to account for every prisoner.
"Sixteen," the Emperor's voice cut like steel through the thick air, "That is how many we have found so far."
Sasuke seethed as his gaze travelled from face to face, though some of them resided farther back in the building and escaped his sight. He had never taken the time to interact with others in his rank, but he recognized more than a few faces that had taken over after his shifts of guarding Sakura. They knew her routine, they knew his routine, and they had been biding their time until the attack. They all regarded Sasuke with a measure of fear and indignation.
"Do you know any of them?" the Emperor questioned, eyes trained on the iron bars.
"No," Sasuke's eyes swept over quickly again, but he shook his head. The Emperor lowered his voice and spoke,
"They will not tell me where they are from, nor what they are after. I was hoping you might remember them from Konoha or from a village nearby."
"No, sir," Sasuke grimaced, "I'm sorry."
Kizashi sighed, but gave no outward indication that he was troubled. He maintained his authority in front of their audience.
"They all have the tattoo. For some, it has even been branded into their skin," another hushed statement, "And not one of them will talk. Yet, there is something even more perplexing."
"Sir?"
"We had seventeen last night," Kizashi eyed Sasuke by his peripheral, "One of them took his own life early this morning. We had not even threatened him."
"He feared something worse than death," Sasuke mused, keeping his voice low, though his mind raced.
"Perhaps the wrath of whoever he would have to answer to were he caught. What's more, I fear there may still be some hiding amongst us," Kizashi frowned and sighed. He turned, back facing the prisoners, but did not walk further, speaking low to Sasuke, "I have always wondered why you have not sought a higher position here, Uzumaki-san, rather than go off to war. You know I think greatly of your family and of you, even more so after what you've done for mine. I consult with you in this, because I trust you. If you would like to assume a better post, you need only ask."
"Thank you, sir," a lump formed in Sasuke's throat as he thought of the farmer's speech in the dining hall; there was indeed a reason Sasuke did not put himself in the spotlight.
"Kakashi-san would be glad for your help, I think," he added and waited for Sasuke's response.
"Thank you, sir," Sasuke's eyes darted back to the many faces that still watched them religiously, "I will think on it. For now, I feel that I have a duty to Haruno-sama."
He could not imagine leaving her side after that threat to her life, but he could not deny that the probability of another night like the one they had just shared was a shameful incentive for him as well.
"A duty that I feel is safe in your hands," Kizashi nodded, clasped him on the shoulder and stepped outside. Sasuke followed him into the brisk air, but kept a safe distance, entirely not too keen to speak further on the subject. However, it seemed the Emperor was content with the silence as he paved ahead to his council room. Snow had begun to fall, crafting a new world around them and Sasuke wondered briefly if Sakura was warm enough in her room. Kizashi paused before the door, "You may return to your post; please send Kakashi-san here, once you have arrived," he mused for a moment as the guards held open the passage for him, "Please do consider my offer. Once I have dealt with these traitors, once it is safer here, I would be able to find a replacement for you, should you wish it. Perhaps, if you are set on a life on the battlefield, we could talk of you joining your brother as another general."
Sasuke maintained a difficult stoicism as he regarded the Emperor. He wasn't sure how he felt about that offer. A position as general would be an honor most would kill for, but Sasuke did not concern himself with titles. While he wished to aide Naruto, he would be glad to do so as a faceless soldier. And what's more, an elevated position at the palace would mean distance from Sakura. He knew it would be a smart decision, but if that was the case then he did not want to be smart.
"Thank you, sir," he waited for the Emperor to enter the council room before proceeding to Sakura's quarters.
"Haruno-sama," Hinata piped up suddenly, through the chatter of the other ladies, "That guard outside your door this morning, he is Naruto-kun's brother, no?"
"He is," Sakura nodded.
"He is the other Uzumaki," Tenten laughed.
"The attractive Uzumaki," Ino grinned like a predator.
"Do you think so?" Sakura set down the book in front of her, marking the page.
"Don't you?" Ino asked and Sakura bristled, but she did not see it. Kakashi remained silent on the other side of the room, seeming to either not hear them or not care to be a part of their conversation, "If I had a man like him watching over me day and night, I might be compelled by certain inescapable urges."
"I agree," Karin simpered as she continued to weave her needle through the fabric in her lap.
Sakura huffed quietly and looked to the window. Where was he?
"I am biased," Tenten spoke, shaking her head and focusing her attention to the scroll in her hands, "And loyal to my husband."
"Must have been nice to find a man who entertains your irrational fascination with weaponry," Ino jeered, causing Tenten to scowl at her. Sakura picked up her book and began reading once more.
"Do not be jealous because you will be the only spinster among us," Tenten snorted derisively.
"If Ino-chan remains unmarried, then I fear I will be subjected to the same fate," Karin said with a laugh.
"He must marry one of us," Ino jested and Sakura frowned; she had read the same passage multiple times and was yet to turn the page.
"Then we shall have a bet," Karin said, "Whomever he proposes to will be crowned champion."
"And what will be my prize?" Ino giggled, "Aside from his hand?"
"You mean my prize?" Karin said brusquely.
"You bicker like children," Sakura slammed her book shut, "Do you really think him to be interested in you if you speak of him so?"
The room quieted and all eyes had snapped to her. Sakura's cheeks reddened and she lowered her head in embarrassment. The silence was palpable and coiled around her like a manacle.
"Haruno-sama, are you all right?" Hinata came to sit beside Sakura as she placed a hand to her forehead.
"Forgive me," Sakura said quietly, "I am not well. I need to rest."
"Would you like us to leave?" Tenten asked.
"Perhaps that would be best," Sakura said and chewed her lip. Above all, in that moment, she felt utterly ashamed that she had let her jealousy get the better of her like that.
"Lee-san was hoping to come see you today," Ino spoke tentatively, "Should we tell him you are not well?"
"If you would be so kind," Sakura's voice became weak, breaking as her thoughts were clouded with memories of her sordid affair with Sasuke. She felt a satisfaction filter through her that they would never know him the way she did. She figured her features must have been bright red then, after all, she could feel the heat rising beneath her skin.
There was a knock at the door and Kakashi answered it, stepping to the side to let Sasuke in. The whole room dropped into a disquieting silence once again. Sasuke felt it, but he had no idea what it meant. All he saw was the scarlet of Sakura's cheeks and glowered. Had she been upset?
"The Emperor requires you in the council room," he looked briefly to Kakashi who nodded and took his leave. All of a sudden, her ladies seemed to scurry to their feet, muttering condolences and words that Sasuke did not care to catch. They left in a flurry of bright fabrics and dizzied thoughts, leaving Sakura alone with him, "Are you all right?"
"It is nothing," she shook her head, feeling very silly for her reaction.
"Normally, I am the one to tell you that," he walked toward her slowly, but without caution, and followed her into her private chambers.
"Hm," Sakura laughed, but looked away from his percipient gaze, "Well, this time it is the truth. I was being a fool."
"I do not believe you could ever do such a thing," he came to stand before her, looking down as she sat on her bed.
"You flatter me too much, Sasuke-kun," finally she peered up at him, glassy green eyes permeated by a troubled haze.
"I do not think I flatter you enough," he smirked, "Or not as much as you are used to."
"Empty words beget empty affections," she simpered, "Do you not feel genuinely toward me?"
Sasuke cupped her chin and took her lips with his roughly, commanding the passion they shared the night before to the surface.
"I feel too deeply and too truly for you," his voice wavered, but his resolve grew stronger the longer he kept her gaze. She leaned up to kiss him once more, lingering in her chaste endeavor.
"You know my ladies are infatuated with you," she spoke coyly.
"Are they?" Sasuke's brows rose slightly, more in surprise than in interest. She laid back on the sheets, pulling him down on top of her. His body was a welcome weight on hers. She nodded, "And what about you?"
"I am entirely smitten," her voice, though husky, lilted with a teasing tone. Sasuke hid his smile in their kiss. His heart beat at a quickened pace, but his mind became concerned with how readily his happiness now seemed to depend upon her feelings for him. He closed his eyes to his thoughts and felt her hand traveling between them. She rubbed his length through the placket of his pants and felt him harden as she repeated the motion, "And I have seen far more than they."
"How greedy you are, Sakura-hime," Sasuke smirked against her lips, groaning when she gave him a light squeeze.
"I will not deny the truth," she whispered and pressed her mouth to his, grazing his lips with her teeth. Then, a knock resounded through their intimate space, emanating from the front door. Sasuke growled and stepped off the bed in a swift motion. Sakura gave a frustrated groan, "Send them away, Sasuke-kun."
He stalked over to her door, yanking it open, then answered the ceaseless knocking of the main entryway. Lee-san had his fist raised, ready to pound against the door again. He lowered it awkwardly, no doubt expecting Sakura to have answered him. Lee attempted to peer behind Sasuke's broad frame, but he simply moved into Lee's field of vision more directly.
"Is Haruno-sama available?"
"She asks that she not be disturbed at the moment," Sasuke said curtly.
"I heard she was not feeling well, so I thought I should come - ,"
"She is still recovering," Sasuke began to close the door on him, but Lee placed his hand on the wood.
"Could you give her this?" he held out a folded parchment and Sasuke had to bite back a scowl when he began to guess what the contents were, "And tell her I wish to see her as soon as she is feeling better?"
"Very well," Sasuke snatched the letter from Lee's hand and shut the door, locking it behind him. He returned to Sakura's room, being sure to make use of the lock there, too, and found her sitting upon the bed, naked. Her hair fell in a curtain around her, covering her breasts, and her clothes had been discarded in a messy pile on the floor. She had her legs crossed, dainty hands placed on top of each other at her knees. Sasuke fisted his hands, unintentionally crumpling Lee's letter as he drank in her ethereal figure.
"Who was it?" she asked innocently, as though she weren't seeking to entice him at that very moment.
"Lee-san," Sasuke spoke through gritted teeth.
"And what is that?" she nodded and pointed a slender finger to the parchment he held.
"For you," he extended his arm to her and she got to her feet, padding softly toward him. He felt himself silenced as he watched her hips sway. When she took the letter from him, he found his voice once more, "He wishes to see you when you feel well again. Are you ill?"
"No," she shook her head and kept her eyes on him, though she clutched the paper tightly. She spoke in a furious whisper, "I sent away my ladies because they spoke of you as a prize to be won and it irritated me in a way I can not explain. I did say to you, I was being foolish. They told Lee-san I was not well so that he would not visit me, and yet," she trailed off, giving a flippant gesture to the door.
"A prize?" he smirked, "If I am to be anyone's prize, it will be yours," he ensnared her with an arm at her waist, "I am your concubine and no one else's."
"Do not be so silly, Sasuke-kun," she sobered for a moment, "I do not think so little of you."
"That you think anything at all of me is something I will be grateful for eternally," he said with earnest.
"Sasuke-kun," she softened and wrapped her arms around him, releasing the letter to fall to the ground. He held her tightly, tucking his vulnerable visage in the crook of her neck. He did not understand why or how he could be so candid with her, but he could not deny the beauty of the freedom it awarded him. He knew he meant every word, but he could not discern where they had come from.
Though, he thought of his parents, of the love they shared and how the subtle nuances that had woven them together so tautly seemed to reflect in his relationship with Sakura. Still, there were those secrets he had formed into the bricks that made up the barriers he put between them. And the reality of his concealed past made him pull her that much closer, made him hold her that much tighter, and caused him to kiss her with that much more desperation.
There was a flame that burned within her, a beacon she held that called only to him. And he came to it, wanted to bask in the light and the warmth she held. He wanted her covetous fire, wanted to be consumed by its incendiary passion and left to ashes in its wake, because he knew that there would be no one after her. Until then he was stoking the blaze as long as he could, knowing that it could be snuffed out at any moment.