The Calling

By ShinobiSpirit

[ ] - Inner Sakura

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Author's Ranting: Just a quick splurge to say 'thank you' to all of those reviewer's I've gathered so far. So, thanks. And, I'm going to try and lengthen these chapters with better details and less angst. I noticed also how rushed my work has become. Sorry.

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There were times when no matter how tired you were, you just couldn't seem to drift off into the unconscious state of 'sleep.' This just had to be one of those times. Sasuke sat with his back casually pressed against the rough exterior of bark blanketed around a tall, looming tree. The night was cool and silent, the chirp of grasshoppers and other animals echoing for miles the only sound he could really hear. Other than Naruto's snoring, that is.

Today had been a long and arduous hike through rugged exteriors and wild forests. Sasuke couldn't recall all the times Naruto had complained about the journey so far, but it had irked him enough to where he made sure he was more focused on other things--such as what to expect when they got to their destination--than his annoying teammate.

Sakura hadn't said much at all for a good while. On occasion she'd note something unimportant, like the names of certain herbs she saw along the paths they took. He couldn't even remember her once saying his name, which was unusual. Perhaps her mind was elsewhere.

Then, there was Kakashi. He didn't say much, either. Who would when you're more focused on a filthy book than the mission at hand. Sasuke had no idea what made it so interesting, and he was bluntly certain he never wanted to find out. Anything that caught that man's attention with such intensity had to be disturbing on so many levels.

Something stirred, causing Sasuke's eyes to open and focus them on the object that had pulled him from his thoughts. It was Sakura. He couldn't see her face, as she was curled up on her side with her back to him--another thing he found unusual--but he could tell she wasn't having a pleasant dream. He could also sense her chakra rising, making him look more closely at her in the dim light of the fire. What was going on?

Ever so quietly, Sasuke stood tall and moved with such skill, not even the sleeping Kakashi could sense his movement. Now crouched above Sakura, he examined her facial expression with intense, shadowed eyes. Her face reminded him of porcelain--like the doll his mother had collected and cherished ever since he could remember--and the contrast of the fire's shadows dancing along her pale cheeks made her look almost breakable, if you were to press hard enough. Had she gotten paler? Or had he not bothered to actually notice her skin tone until now? It was hard to say for sure.

Shoving that aside, his eyes made their way along the slope of her nose, resting on her refined eyebrows. They were furrowed in frustration--or, what looked like frustration to him--as if she had some tedious job to do like cleaning up the classroom by herself in punishment for fooling around during class. He knew, however, that that was completely impossible. Sakura was more dedicated to her studies than she was to him (Little does he know, she probably worked so hard to impress him. Unfortunately, impressions don't work with Sasuke).

Next on his little 'journey of Sakura's face,' Sasuke noticed how her lips were slightly parted, soft alerting sounds emitting with each in and outtake of air. Watching this take place made him feel somewhat awkward. He had never actually been so inclined to examine a girl's lips before, much less Sakura's.

Contrary to her 'big mouth,' as they say, she in fact had a pretty small one. With full reddish, pinkish lips to go along with it. When did he start noticing such things? He suddenly felt the same way he had during the first battle between Zabuza and Kakashi. Jounin's thirst for blood, clashing with such force he felt his life was in another's hands. That was enough to drive him insane within an hour. But this, this was enough to drive him insane in less than 15 minutes.

'Kiss her..' His desires he thought he had slain long ago, told him. Urged him. Kiss her? Sakura? Was his desires so extreme to drive him to kiss his teammate while she was asleep? Perhaps he might want to scratch his past thoughts; 5 minutes. 5 minutes was enough to drive him insane. Insanely indecent.

Thoughts swarmed around in his head. His heart was pounding in his ears, and the heat of his cheeks burned in a reddish glow enhanced by the orange-ish hue of the fire. His face now loomed just above hers. Inch by inch, he slowly, cautiously moved in for his new found target. A target he was surely to regret, but his body no longer was listening to his commands.

Closer. Closer.. Sasuke could feel her warm breath against his gaping mouth, looking as if entranced by a spell that Sakura subconsciously cast upon him. His eyes quivered with unspoken emotion. He was on the threshold of uncharted territory, and going in for the kill.

Cinnamon. That was all he could remember before he suddenly tasted something much more.. plant-like. Rough, like the bark of a tree. Opening his eyes told him why. The sound of laughter told him who.

"You know, Sasuke." Kakashi began, grinning like a Cheshire Cat. "Kissing girls while they're asleep isn't exactly the best way to make a move." He raised a gloved hand and tapped a single digit against his chin. "And I never would have expected that you were a tree hugger.. Hehe."

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Sakura groaned and turned over onto her back, stretching out her body against the thin cushion of her futon--and what felt like someone's arm. Her sleepy jade eyes fluttered open and she allowed her head to fall to the side. 'Na.. ruto?' She thought, not recalling ever falling asleep next to him. The truth--or what she assumed was the truth--popped up into her semi-awakened mind.

"NARUTO!!!!!! YOU PERVERT!!!!!!"

"H-huh..? Hey! OW! Sakura-chan?! What was that for?!" Naruto whined, wrapping his arms around the gradually growing lumps on his head.

"I never thought you'd sink so low!!!!" [I'LL KILL YOU!!!]

"B-but!"

"YAAAAAAH!" Sakura yelled as her fist came rushing at Naruto's face. A loud 'smack' echoed in the air, followed by a tuft of smoke--Kakashi had caught Sakura's punch in a single hand, with little effort, if any.

"Good morning." The older man said, greeting Sakura with a masked smile. "Now that you're up, let's be on our way. We have much ground to cover before dusk." He said, releasing Sakura's fist from his iron-like grip. "We'll eat breakfast on the way."

Naruto sat there, completely baffled, and having no idea what so ever what the hell was going on. Especially after taking a look at the silent, dark haired boy in the background. Who had either gotten a bad case of sunburn, or was turning red with anger. 'So strange.. maybe I ate some bad berries..'

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Well? Any better? Hope so.

SS