Was sitting on this one for a while. Thank you to everyone who still reads this story. Your reviews, follows, favorites, and all keep me going! Enjoy!

FEBRUARY

Sasuke was rooted to the spot in the middle of the clearing in the forest, just on the outskirts of the palace. It was the dead of night and though the clouds hung heavy above him, that day had marked the first thaw, hinting that the beginning of spring was not far off. As he stood still, he seemed to be listening to the whistle of the wind, the rustle of the leaves on the trees that surrounded him. He was contemplative as he looked up to the sky, almost as though he were searching for something - or someone. He heard a flutter and cocked his head to the sound, catching a glimpse in his peripheral of her taupe cloak flapping in the wind.

"Hn," he said with a smirk, "You can not hide behind me every time."

As he started to turn, ready to attack, Sakura dropped from the lowest hanging branch of the tree that had been directly in front of him. She rushed forward, light on her feet, brandishing a dagger that she pressed to his throat when she came upon him from behind. She had the slightest second to enjoy the brief look of shock on Sasuke's face, before his elbow swung back against her ribs. The dagger fell from her hand, but she was quick to take hold of his forearms, pulling him closer to knee him in the abdomen. Sasuke stumbled and Sakura punched her fist forward. He caught her wrist, but she kicked her leg up, a flurry of silks billowing in the air with the movement. Her foot landed square on his chest and he fell back with a sharp groan to the half frozen ground.

Sakura sauntered over to him, her black skirt gliding along the dirt, sweeping a path behind her. Sweat was beading at her forehead and her chest heaved slightly against the bindings of her jūnihitoe. Though it was one of her more elegant gowns, it had begun to serve a greater purpose of allowing her to blend in to the surrounding shadows when they came out at night to train. But this had been the first time she was able to catch Sasuke off guard.

Would she ever cease to surprise him? He thought.

"I believe you call that a diversion," she said, a bemused smile coming to grace her colored features, "Is that right?"

Sasuke shook his head, almost in disbelief, at her innovation. She extended a hand to him and he allowed her to help him to his feet.

"Well done," he said as he stepped over to her cloak still squirming in the wind. He could now see she had hitched it to one of the higher branches on the tree. Sasuke remarked proudly, "You are resourceful."

"That was just another word my teachers would use when I was being insubordinate," Sakura giggled, coming to stand beside him.

"That does not surprise me," he chuckled.

"And," she furrowed her brows at him, as she came to stand on the tips of her toes. Her lips glanced his in a tender, albeit brief, kiss, "I am used to being underestimated."

"Then I will not make that mistake a second time," he folded her cloak and tucked it under his arm, "And I will be holding on to this. Try again."

Sakura smirked, accepting the challenge.

Lee had turned the events over in his mind every night since, but none of it made sense. Why would a lowly guard like Sasuke become so involved with a woman of noble heritage like Sakura? How could he? The Uzumakis were a respectable family, but Sasuke could not even live up to the expectations placed by his older brother, Naruto. He was certainly no general - and even a general could not hope to court a woman of Sakura's standing.

Though he sought for some explanation, Lee was not stupid. He was not naive enough to think that there might be some fragment of information he had missed that could excuse all of this absurdity away, hope that he might. The other prospect however - the one that seemed far more likely - was that despite her involvement, could Sakura possibly be unaware of the severity of her predicament? Had Sasuke coerced her in some way to engage in these trysts with him? How long had it been going on for? And just how far had he allowed his licentious desires to be carried out?

Well, Lee had taken it upon himself to uncover just that.

During the days, he would sit respectfully across the room from Sakura as she surrounded herself with the company of the courtiers. But at night, he had continued to follow the pair of them as best he could. Though he had been too fearful of being caught to return to the forest, Lee knew that Sasuke and Sakura had been back many times since. He would watch as they returned from the sanctity of the trees arm-in-arm, weary most nights, yet in an odd, joyful haze.

When they reentered her rooms, they would often talk at the table by the window for hours, until half the candle had burned down. And While Lee mostly heard boisterous laughter, there had been a few junctures where he knew they were discussing matters of great import. At those times, Sakura would reach across the table to hold Sasuke's hand, brightened eyes attentive to the movement of his lips while she listened astutely, unabashed in her devotion to him.

Sasuke, on the other hand, was a disturbingly subtle man. But Lee had studied them for a while now and had taken notice of the difference in Sasuke's behaviors around Sakura. He was coming to understand the language of their bodies as they interacted with one another and Lee could guess from the slight change in Sasuke's posture, as he leaned towards Sakura while she spoke, that she must be bestowing upon him her deepest secrets. Perhaps it was the fears that unsettled her, the regrets that haunted her, or, maybe even, the desires that most plagued her.

Sakura, too, appeared quite different when she and Sasuke were alone, not just in her mannerisms, but physically as well. Of those differences, Lee found the most startling aspect to be her hair - he had never seen it taken down before. Yet, it was always the first thing they did when she and Sasuke entered her rooms to stay for the evening. Most nights, Sasuke would come to stand behind her, so that he could extract each delicate ornament holding her bun in place. Lee found himself mesmerized each time, watching the way her hair twirled like silk down her back as it came undone. But then Sasuke would slide his hands through her thick tresses, weaving through them like a snake through grass and leaving Lee to wonder, how did that feel?

Because it certainly did not feel good for him to watch. In fact, it infuriated him how easy it appeared for Sasuke to be with her. He seemed to touch her without hesitation or doubt, without fear or insecurity; he seemed to touch her on compulsion and, what's more, showed no shame for it.

Lee had considered confronting Sakura, but given his current standing with her, he thought it best to keep to himself. What's more, if he went to a person of superior authority - say her mother, or her father when he did return - he worried it might put Sakura in a grave position. She might be punished for such transgressions - though he did not believe her to be at fault - and that would not bode well for any future relationship he hoped to cultivate with her. Truthfully, Lee had wanted to address the matter with Sasuke directly, but he could scarcely be found in the daylight - Lee suspected he spent most of that time sleeping given his nightly activities - let alone without the company of the other guards present. And Lee dare not leak such a secret to the hordes of gossiping courtiers present at the palace; malicious rumors would only harm Sakura and that was far from his intention.

So he continued to watch them as he had been, snooping in the hopes that it might lead to some resolution of his dilemma. Thus far, it had only succeeded in further broadening the gap he already felt between he and Sakura. It had been one thing to see her paying the soldier a courteous hospital visit, and another entirely to catch that same man locked in a passionate embrace with the woman Lee hoped to one day marry. While Sasuke's hand rested at the small of her back, Sakura's fingers would tangle in his wild, black hair, and they would kiss, as though no thing or person bore witness upon them.

Yet there Lee was, he the sole spectator to the sins they committed, because not even Kami would dare to look upon such an intimate moment. Shameful as even that simple act was, there were some nights where Lee had caught glimpses of their impatient hands pursuing forbidden places. With such force, Sasuke would push her against the wall as his hands gripped her thighs to hike her legs high on his waist. He would push up the fabrics of her skirt, revealing the smooth skin of her calf. While their lips locked, Sakura pulled at his shirt, yanking it from the band of his pants to expose his lower back. Her fingers lingered there.

Lee knew it was wrong, but he was reticent to step away. These masochistic, voyeuristic tendencies were becoming commonplace for him. Furthermore, he had convinced himself that what he was doing was purely out of a desire to keep Sakura safe, and he had made himself certain that any other person in his place would have taken the same actions. So each night, without fail, he would watch every kiss, every touch, every moment the two shared, before they retreated to her bedroom. At that point, Lee could only imagine what occurred once he lost sight of them, but he found that he did not wish to.

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura moaned as he sucked at her neck. Her hands moved across his bare back, fingers digging in when he nipped at her skin. His cock was a persistent throb against her thigh that triggered an ache begging to be satisfied, "I need you."

"You have me," he breathed and started to kiss his way down her body, but she grabbed hold of his hair to stop him. She caught his lips as one hand slid between them to grasp his length and guide it to her entrance. He flinched and buried his head in her shoulder when he felt her wet heat against the head of his cock. She was so close - palpable, painfully within reach.

"Please," she begged, rutting her hips upwards. Her hot, sodden cunt grazed against him once more.

"Sakura," his hand snapped to her wrist quickly and she released him. Slowly, he brought her hand up and pinned it to the bed, "Do not force me to be the rational one."

"Do not be rational," Sakura tugged on his hair to bring his gaze up to hers, but he shook his head and pulled away from her. As he sat back on his heels, Sasuke clenched his fists tightly and watched her as she lay provocatively upon the bed. Her cheeks were flushed by passion, framed by rogue wisps of silky hair. Her lips were especially colored from their voracious kissing and her breasts swelled with each heady breath. Her long, porcelain legs brushed alongside each other as she attempted to satisfy the ache between them. She strained his self-control, tempting him to give in to the one thing he had denied them both so vehemently for months now.

And the way her licentious gaze was trained on him, she did not appear to be so easily swayed.

"Sakura," he chuckled, but there was a darkness that edged into his voice as he spoke, "What would you have me do?"

She appeared to think on his question for a moment, biting her already swollen bottom lip. It was not as though she did not have the language to formulate her thoughts, but as though she were unsure if she should speak them aloud. After considering him for some time, her green orbs darkened and she answered,

"I would have you fuck me," her words filled the room, seeming to silence even the crackle of the fire beside them. Sasuke's eyes widened almost imperceptibly, her admission having caused his breath to become lodged in his throat. "Until I can take no more," Sakura came to her knees then, facing him at level, "Until I am trembling with pleasure," she was evidently within reach, but made no movement to touch him, "Until the only things I feel are your hands upon me," she watched him swallow harshly and her confidence only grew as she saw the effect her spoken passions had on him, "And your length inside me," she refused to break his gaze for even a second, "I would have you fuck me," she repeated as her fingers fisted the sheet beneath her, twisting it tightly in her grasp, "Until the only coherent word I can utter is your name," her ravenous eyes iridescent with a lustful intent, she spoke boldly, "And then I would have you fuck me again."

Sasuke was stunned by the ease with which Sakura seemed to utter such filthy words, but it turned him on more than he was willing to admit, even to himself. His cock pulsated like a constant reminder of everything he so desperately wanted but could not have. If he took her right then, what would happen? If he was to finally give in to their every desires, to finally satiate their seemingly bottomless appetites, what would happen? Every lurid fantasy of her that had plagued him rushed to the forefront of his mind with a burgeoning white heat that spread like fire through his body.

He surged forward and caught her lips with his. His large hands captured her slight wrists and held them at her sides; she couldn't touch him, not now, not when it took every fiber of his being to restrain himself from taking her at that very moment. His mouth was aggressive, seeking to silence her so that she could no longer torment him with her enticing remarks. He was very nearly at the limits of his control, and deep down he wondered just how much longer he would be able to curb his thirst for her.

"Have you spoken to Naruto recently?" Ino turned to Hinata as she posed the question, setting aside her knitting needles for a moment. Hinata shook her head solemnly.

"I have not heard from him for many weeks now," her hands stilled on the pages she held. Though her eyes were trained on Ino, Hinata's gaze was almost vacant.

"I am sure he is fine," Tenten reached over to pet Hinata's shoulder. Hinata gave her a small smile; she appreciated the gesture, but how could any of the other ladies possibly understand her plight? Tenten had married into the nobility of the Hyūga family, the status of which had allowed her husband to elect his involvement in the war. While he had chosen to serve in wars past, he had not been forced into this one as Naruto had. The others, as they remained un-courted, did not have to worry about their prospective spouses being taken away from them in so violent a manner. They had barely begun their courtship before Naruto was ordered to the battlefield.

While Hinata was in no way a bitter woman, she could not help other than to feel jealous and alone in her situation. She had wondered, briefly, if it might do her any good to go to Naruto's brother for information, but if she was being truthful, the thought of engaging Sasuke in idle conversation terrified her.

"Sakura-chan," Hinata looked to Sakura who sat upon her dais, listening to the chatter, "I-I don't suppose you have heard Uzumaki-san mention anything about Naruto-kun have you?"

Sakura swallowed and shook her head; she suddenly felt very guilty, as she had been sitting in her own indulgent bliss for some time that day. Lee on the other hand, watched her carefully, looking for some flicker of anything that might give her away.

"If you would like to talk to him, I am certain he would be most amiable," she suggested.

"Oh, no, I would not want to be a bother," Hinata's cheeks flushed, but Sakura waved her hand.

"Nonsense, I will see to it that he meets with you," Sakura gave her a genuine smile.

"Thank you, Sakura-chan," Hinata bowed her head gratefully.

"Well," Ino piped up, attempting to lighten the mood, "Perhaps while you are scheduling private time with Uzumaki-san you could add my name to the list?"

"After my name, of course," Karin teased. Sakura rolled her eyes. Their infatuation with Sasuke was coming to irritate her less and less each day. If anything, she had begun to find it quite humorous. While they fantasized about being in his presence, or maybe even stealing a kiss from him, Sasuke's head had been buried between Sakura's quivering legs as he took her to such heightened pleasures the likes of which she had never experienced before. Sakura's cheeks flushed at the thought; little did they know.

As she lost herself in her daydreams for a moment, Lee watched a slow smile spread over her lips.

When Sasuke entered her chambers that night, he found Sakura sitting atop her bed, clad in only her robe. Her hair was wound in a messy bun atop her head as she held a book in hand, beside a freshly drawn bath. She did not look up from the pages as he locked her doors, but instead shifted her position so that her robe slipped open to expose her bare thigh. He smirked and without a word, began to shed his clothing. He knew she could hear the rustling of cloth and caught her watching him out of the corner of her eye. Sakura tried to contain her smile when his shirt fell to the floor, but it was difficult and so she brought her book up to cover half of her face. It was only when he removed his pants that she spoke.

"Get in," she nodded her head to the still steaming water filling the tub.

"After you," his hand was outstretched in invitation.

"I insist," Sakura's words turned to a command that was further illustrated when she set her book down and waltzed over to him. He did not budge, but his fingers came up to trace the hem of her robe at her chest, pushing it to the side so that it exposed part of her breast. With a wanton smile, she undid the knot at her waist and shrugged the silk off her shoulders. It slipped down her body to crumple on the floor. Before he could reach for her bare skin, Sakura gestured to the tub once more, "Get in."

This time he complied, albeit with a shameless smirk. As he sank down, the warmth of the water soothed the ache in his bones, his once tense muscles now becoming lax. He closed his eyes for a moment to revel in the sensation as Sakura slipped in behind him, widening her legs to accommodate Sasuke between them.

Before he could speak, he felt her fingers on his shoulders, kneading the tangled muscles that years of rigorous training had caused. A groan slipped out of his mouth and she laughed softly, clearly pleased with herself. He bowed his head as she moved up his neck. She was slow, but forceful, and for having such delicate, soft hands, he found her to be exceptionally skilled at working through every knotted inch of his body. Or perhaps, he thought, it was merely her touch that alleviated his pain - and caused all of his blood and reason to rush elsewhere.

When she was satisfied with her work, Sakura let her hands fall down his back, digging her nails in softly, but deep enough to elicit a shiver down his spine. Again, he heard a small, satisfied giggle out of her. She shifted to her knees, the water lapping at the sides of the tub, almost spilling over, and pressed her chest to Sasuke's back; her full breasts against his bare skin. He started to reach for her, but Sakura's fingers began working their way down his biceps. The pressure was more gentle now, but, Kami, her touch was like a sweet repose. She moved to his forearms as her lips glanced his neck with fleeting kisses that burned an imprint upon him. Now, the palpitations of his cock were beginning to distract him from the healing force of her hands.

"Sakura," he struggled against a desperate groan in his throat when her fingers fell beneath the water to stroke his member.

"Sasuke-kun," she whispered in his ear; she was teasing him, holding to the power she held over him in that moment. But who was he kidding? She always held power over him and Kami, the way she touched him, she always would. He turned sharply, splashing water over the sides of the tub, and pulled her tight against him. His lips seized hers with an assertive yearning, hands guiding her thighs to straddle his waist. His thick cock slid against her opening, causing her to pull back with a gasp. Her eyes were wild as she looked down at him, as feral and hungry as a cat in the jungle, beseeching him for more. He brought her nipple between his thumb and forefinger to squeeze it lightly, watching as she leaned in to the contact.

"One day," she whimpered as he palmed her breast, "I will know what it is like to feel you inside of me."

She felt his cock twitch against her at those words. Sasuke bent his head to nip at her clavicle as his hands moved to grip her thighs tight.

"I could take you right now," Sakura shivered and nodded eagerly. His fingers slipped between her folds to rub circles at her clit, their eyes locked as she shook in his arms, "I have wondered how you might cry for me," he slid two fingers inside of her, causing her to clutch at his neck tightly as she moaned, "How you might beg me for more."

"Sasuke-kun," her voice began to crack in desperation as he persisted with his taunting ministrations, "Please, I need you."

"Yes," he murmured, working another finger into her aching passage. As he began to thrust at a measured rhythm, she rocked her hips in tandem, "Just like that."

She rested her head against his, breathing heavily, and shut her eyes as she became lost in his words and to the way he was touching her. Though the water had begun to cool, the heat of their bodies caused them to perspire.

"Every night, I imagine it," his other hand came to her hip, holding her pliant form to prevent her from taking the control away, "I see you in front of me," he tore his fingers from her and flipped her around so that she was on her knees, gasping and gripping the lip of the tub. His cock pulsated against her backside, "I envision you just like this," Sakura's heart was thumping out of her chest, her knuckles whited out from the strength of her hold. She did not dare to look back at him for fear of disrupting the deliciously sordid stream of his thoughts, "Untamed and unrestrained," one hand trailed a long, wet line down the middle of her arched back to rest at her waist, holding her in a vice grasp, "You beg for me," his other hand came to caress her hair, playing with the strands coming loose at her nape, before his fingers followed the slope, almost as if he were going to encircle her neck, "And as I bury myself inside of you," she almost couldn't hear his harsh exhale over the sound of her blood thrumming in her ears, "You disappear from my reach."

Suddenly, he released her and returned to the other side of the tub.

For a long moment, Sakura did not move; kneeling in the water, hips raised as though she were about to receive him, hands secure on the rim of the bathtub as though he were about to fuck into her savagely - she couldn't move. Kami, she could barely breathe. She had to force herself to loosen her grip finger by finger, to regain her composure one breath at a time. But even when she sat slowly back on her heels, she could not bring herself to look at him. She was unsure what she was looking at really, the image of him taking her so crudely still playing out behind her eyes and in her mind. Her heart continued to hammer against her chest, almost like an incessant demand to quench the scorching thirst Sasuke continued to exacerbate within her.

When Sakura had made no indications of shifting her stance, he pulled her against him, arms closing around her waist. His lips kissed a trail along her shoulder and finally she began to relax. His fingers skimmed her thighs in a soothing, consistent touch, drawing her back into the the world that was their reality. Sakura let her head fall against his chest; she could feel her eyes growing heavy with exhaustion, though she could not imagine why. His hands tensed when he spoke, his words rumbling in his chest until they passed through every inch of her body,

"Even in my dreams I cannot have you."

As Sasuke prepared to leave for the morning, Sakura sat by the window pensively; she still could not shake the feelings of the previous night from her psyche and so she found herself a distraction.

"Sasuke-kun, could I ask a favor of you?"

"Sakura, you seem to forget that I am in your father's employ," he said with a smirk, "If you request it, I shall do it."

Sakura puffed her cheeks out at him; it was easy to forget when the majority of their time together was spent trying to shuck off their duties and responsibilities.

"Hinata-chan is worried about Naruto," Sakura spoke delicately, skirting the matter as she knew that Sasuke shared much of Hinata's pain, "I do not suppose you have any news of his wellbeing?"

Sasuke sighed heavily. Sakura knew this was a subject he attempted to avoid most days. The thought of Naruto at war only reinforced those feelings of helplessness, vulnerability, and self-loathing.

"No," he shook his head solemnly. Their last correspondence had been before the attacks on the palace; it seemed like eons since then. Sakura nodded and worried her bottom lip between her teeth.

"Would you talk to her?" She asked, the question coming almost as a plea, "I know she is more fearful than she lets on and more than anything I think she just needs some reassurance that he will come back - alive."

"I have no reassurance to give her," Sasuke was bewildered that this was the favor she asked of him, "I know nothing more than she does."

"As his - ," Sakura faltered for a moment, then cast her eyes to the floor. She could not look at him as she said the words, "As his brother, you have more comfort to offer her than anyone else."

Sasuke sighed, "Very well. I will speak to her."

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun," Sakura rose from her seat to embrace him, "If it was I in her place, I would hope that Naruto could do the same for me."

Tenderly, he kissed the crown of her head and did not allow himself to remark on the impossibility of those circumstances.

It was an odd notion, Sasuke considered as he approached Sakura's guarded rooms just after lunchtime, that he would have to knock on her doors when his spare key resided just in the right pocket of his trousers. What was even more peculiar was the expression that Lee gave as he opened the door to find Sasuke standing there. Before the words could form from Lee's agape mouth, Sakura called out,

"Uzumaki-san, thank you for joining us!" She ushered her ladies to stand and move out of the sitting room, "We were just about to go for a walk in the gardens."

Sasuke stepped to the side to let her ladies pass. He had become so accustomed to Sakura taking his arm that when she breached the threshold of her entryway, he offered her his hand. But Lee was quick to take the opportunity from Sasuke, leading Sakura off to the trail. Sasuke clenched his fist at his side as he was forced to pace behind them until they had all joined each other by the lake. Paying Lee's action no mind, Sakura smiled at Sasuke and motioned Hinata forward.

"Hinata-chan, Uzumaki-san has graciously come to talk with you about Naruto," as she spoke, Sakura realized, rather humorously, that she was bringing together the two most soft-spoken people she knew for an afternoon of leisurely conversation.

"I confess, I do not know much more than you," Sasuke began. His impassive expression was ever present, but he could not help how his eyes continued to wander to where Sakura was joined with Lee, "But knowing Naruto, I would not be surprised if he had talked the enemy into submission by now."

Hinata let out a boisterous giggle and covered her mouth sharply in embarrassment. Sakura smiled, it was a pleasant contrast to the dreary cloud that had been hanging over Hinata for so long. When the flush in her cheeks had subsided, she nodded.

"He is quite enthusiastic," Hinata admitted, prompting a smirk from Sasuke. Ino and Karin balked at each other.

"If you mean he never shuts up, then yes," Sasuke chuckled. Hinata laughed again, a long gone smile resurfacing.

"Kami, she has a way with these Uzumaki boys doesn't she?" Karin whispered.

"It's not fair," Ino huffed, "She already has one, she doesn't need two."

"Careful, girls," Tenten chastised them, "Jealousy is not your color."

Sasuke and Hinata began up the path together, exchanging stories about Naruto, both delighted in their own way to have somebody who understood what they had been missing for so long. Sakura's ladies trailed behind, speaking incredulous words in hushed voices at the spectacle before them, while Lee kept Sakura at his side, intent on maintaining the distance between her and Sasuke.

"You are a difficult woman to get alone," Lee attempted to speak wryly, but Sakura remained tightlipped as she turned to look at him; that was just the way she liked it when it came to Lee these days.

"I do not think we have much to say to each other at this time," she bristled.

"At least give me one more chance to take my foot out of my mouth," he pleaded. Sakura sighed and twisted her arm out of his grasp.

"What more could you possibly need to say to me?" She was exasperated, all manner of geniality carried off with the wind. Lee thought carefully for a long moment before speaking.

"I am aware of my standing," he started, "I know that if I truly wanted to have you to call my own, I need only make the arrangements with your parents," he began to speak in earnest, "But it would mean nothing to me unless you would agree to it as well," he paused then, attempting to gauge her reaction, "I do not wish to own you. I believe that marriage should be a partnership between two people who desire to grow together," as he continued, he seemed to recite the words with an unyielding confidence that terrified her, "I seek an independent woman who will remain at my side as we go through life and that is what I see in you."

"Lee," Sakura shook her head, at a loss. What could she say? What should she say? It did not matter, whatever would come out of her mouth would certainly not impart upon him the whole truth, "I am not so fortunate as you that I have thought that far ahead in my life. I do not know what I want. I might be of age, but, in many aspects, I am still ignorant to the ways of the world," she dropped her hold on his gaze then, her twinkling eyes coming to rest on Sasuke's back as he strode ahead with Hinata, "I hope to fall in love one day, to know what it is like at least once in my life," her next words came with a startling sobriety, "But I may never be awarded that chance."

Lee's heart plummeted as she spoke her brazen confession.

She had fallen in love.

She had fallen in love and it was with Sasuke. This was not some silly crush, or girlish fantasy as he had feared. She had convinced herself that this was the man that held, and deserved, her love. Now Sasuke had made it some cruel farce at her expense. He was toying with her, knowing they could never be and taking advantage of that fact just the same.

Hinata waved at Sasuke as she walked away, returning to join the other ladies.

"Excuse me a moment," Sakura hurried off towards Sasuke, who stood just past the swaying branches of the willow tree, leaving Lee silent and aghast at his realization. She was careful not to let her fervor show, but she could not stall her hand from reaching for his arm, "Thank you for doing that."

"Hn, I hope it helped," his eyes met hers, softening in a way that she had not seen before.

"Sasuke-kun, you continue to surprise me," she smiled so genuinely as she looked up at him that he felt an unusual flutter in his stomach. She was truly enchanting, and in that moment he felt particularly fortunate to know her as intimately as he did.

Just yards away, Lee watched on in fury as Sakura looped her arm in Sasuke's and finished out the trail around the lake at his side. How could they be so shameless? How could they walk so freely about the palace carrying the secrets that they did? And Sakura - did she think this man actually cared for her? How could he? How could she be so naive?

This situation was too far out of hand and Lee had to do something.

There was little they could get away with in the light of day, so when Sakura released Sasuke until evening came, there was nothing more than a brief goodbye exchanged between the two. He left Sakura with her ladies, Lee having gone off somewhere after the walk in the gardens, and embarked towards the barracks. Nightfall would be upon them soon, he need only wait a little while longer. But, Kami, the last few evenings had been excruciating. She was too alluring, too tempting in every way - and too good. Sasuke shook his head, willing those thoughts away as he came upon the door to the barracks.

A hand shot out and caught Sasuke by the arm before he could step through. It was Lee, pulling him off to the side, behind the building and away from prying eyes. Perplexed and enraged by the bold action, Sasuke dared to open his mouth.

"Uzumaki-san, choose your next words wisely," Lee spoke softly, but threateningly, causing Sasuke to stall himself. He waited a long moment, testing Sasuke's composure, before continuing, "I do not know what you think you can accomplish by keeping her from me or by doting upon her the way you do, but I assure you nothing good will come from it."

Sasuke's jaw hardened as he scrambled to find the footing that had just been taken out from beneath him.

"You make assumptions - ,"

"Hardly," Lee cut him off with a dark timbre, "I have seen the two of you sneaking about, all those trips to the forest."

"Lies," Sasuke hissed, but he could feel the sweat gathering in his palms and at the base of his neck.

"Do not deny it. I know what goes on behind her doors at night."

Sasuke blanched and Lee had the audacity to quirk his mouth up into a smile when he saw the impact that remark had made, "How pathetic. Perhaps no one else sees because they do not watch her as you or I do, but I see," he breathed sharply through his nostrils, anger coiling tight in his stomach the longer he locked eyes with Sasuke. This was the man who knew what it was like to hold Sakura, to kiss her sweet lips, perhaps even to bed her, "Yes, Uzumaki-san, I see," Lee advanced on him quickly, "But you are nothing more than a starving rat with eyes far bigger than his stomach. Even if you deigned to feel something for her, what do you have to offer her? You could not bring her happiness, nor status, riches or land. You are a weed struggling to thrive in her luxuriant garden," Lee was seething now, his words spewing forth in a dark whisper, "You do not belong in her world. You are nothing and yet you remain in her presence, occupy her nights, as though you belong with her. She might be ignorant to the reality of these circumstances, but I will save her from the heartbreak you will inevitably cause. Your vile, lecherous eyes will look upon her no more - do you understand me?"

Through his tirade, an unbridled rage and constricting fear had seized control of all rationale in Sasuke's mind, blacking out every thought. He was caught in another person's snare, but entangled by his own ambitious greed and unhindered lust.

"I am her personal guard," he said softly. It was the only thing he could manage at that moment, a protest that he soon after wished he had not made.

"I trust you will find a way to rectify that," Lee retorted before releasing him and walking off into the distance.

Sasuke was rooted in place, stiff as a reed while his insides were torn apart by a storm of hatred, jealousy, and other dangerous, unspeakable emotions.

His initial reaction was not one of lucid thought; to pummel Lee into a state of submission. Satisfying as it was to allow the scenario to play out in his mind, it would not bode well for Sasuke. He clenched his hands tightly and pounded his fists against the wall, then sank to the ground in defeat.

"I had returned barren and broken, weathered by too many storms. I sought to reclaim that which had been taken from me, yet had never been mine to lay claim to from the beginning. At her behest, I set off on my journey. Where once before I might have feared it, I was met now with only the tranquility and promise of my own destruction," Sakura took a pause from her recitations, laying the book beside her, and looked over at Sasuke. They sat across from each other at the table in her sitting room, the curtains drawn and the fire blazing nearby. A candle had been lit between them.

"Why did you stop?" He asked, pulling his gaze from the doors.

"Were you enjoying it?" She simpered. Sasuke did not answer, so she changed course, "You seem distracted."

"It is nothing."

"Sasuke-kun," she chastised him playfully, "Do not lie to me."

He breathed deeply and said, quite bluntly,

"It is almost your birthday."

"Yes," Sakura gave a small laugh, "It is."

"Your father is due to return soon."

"I suppose so," she sobered suddenly, realizing his intentions, "What of it?"

"I can not stay at my post like this."

Sakura swallowed past the lump in her throat.

"What do you mean?"

"If we continue the way we have been, we will surely raise suspicions," before she could protest, Sasuke continued, "We have been lucky to get away with this for so long, but the rest of the guards will return with your father and we will no longer be able to rely on the cover of darkness to protect us. Someone is bound to notice something."

"I don't much care for the course of this conversation," Sakura's lip trembled with the weight of the truth that she did not wish to speak; he was right. The palace had been almost deserted after her father had taken most of the guards.

"Nor do I," he admitted.

"Then let us not speak on it any longer," she pleaded.

"We do not have a choice," his eyes darkened with rage and, perhaps, an inkling of fear, "This will not stay a secret forever."

"I would never tell a soul," she reached for his hand across the table, fingers spreading over his palm.

"What will you tell your husband?" He asked plainly.

"What?" She recoiled from him slowly. He stood briskly, appearing as though he were about to walk away from her. Then, with a deep sigh, he gripped the back of the chair he had been sitting in, eyes clouded by the raging storm swelling within him. A darkened scowl overcame his features.

"On your wedding night, when he takes you to bed and discovers you are not the chaste bride he was promised, what will you tell him?"

"Sasuke-kun, please."

"Do you think he will touch you as I have? Undress you in the same manner?"

"Sasuke - ,"

"Will you call out his name and beg him to fuck you?" She flinched from his words.

"Stop it."

"How long do you think it will take him to realize that another man has already stolen from you what he was pledged?" Sasuke was relentless.

"Stop it!" Sakura screamed, shutting her eyes to the scene before her. For a long while, neither of them spoke. She could hear his rough breath and his feet as he shifted away from her. Then, his voice quieted to a deep, unsteady timbre, and he asked, "When he is inside of you, will you think of me still?"

Sakura was appalled. Her hands shook as she struggled to keep her composure, but his anger had cut deep enough to inspire tears in her eyes. She tried to blink them away.

"There are times when you can be so cruel," she stood sharply, the scrape of the chair against her floors a jarring sound, and retreated to her bedroom swiftly. Sasuke watched her slam the door and bowed his head, disgraced.

How could he lash out at her like that? She was not at fault for the things he had done. She was not at fault for Lee finding them out; it was he who had not been careful enough. And she was certainly not at fault for the thought of another man being with her causing him so much discomfort.

In truth, he realized - the revelation hitting him like a bludgeon - that thought probably disturbed him more than the secret of their trysts being brought to light. He'd be damned if he let another man touch her as he had, but perhaps he was already.

For a moment, Sasuke thought maybe he should go after her, but he wasn't the most eloquent when it came to apologies - not that an apology would even begin to amend the damage he had just caused. Yet, if he was being honest, that was not what held him back. In fact, he wanted to go to her, to swear himself to her for now and for always, but Lee's words rang clear in his ears.

He could not put Sakura through that. Not for his own selfish desires.

And if he was so susceptible to those temptations, then he would have to remove them completely.