Author: yeah happy people reviewing! I'm having issues with writer's block, so the updates are going to become much more sporadic. I have it all in my head, I swear, it's just that whenever I sit down to write it I end up staring at the screen. But yeah. Anyway, review! It does an author good.

Disclaimer: Not mine. Never was. Never will be. But I will find some way to make Itachi mine...think I can convince Kishimoto-sensei to sell me the rights to him?

"What are you doing to sasuke!"

The two young men looked up from thier current position of Naruto pinning Sasuke to the ground, hands on Sasuke's wrists and legs positioned so that if Sasuke tried to move, he'd be in a world of pain. Neither had noticed Sakura approaching; they had been too involved in their spar, which had degenerated into a friednly tussle more than a test of skill. Naruto blinked, not moving from his position of dominance over Sasuke.

"Sparring."

"Like that?"

Naruto looked down at Sasuke and grinned. "She's right. I win."

"Asshole," Sasuke growled as Naruto backed off and stood, brushing the grass, dust, and occasional pebble out of his clothes and hair.

He only barely managed to duck the punch that was aimed his way from a very irrate female, who had decided that she would take matters into her own hands. Naruto was about to say something, but had to dodge repeatedly.

Sasuke was amused. Someone defending his 'honor'. Right. Sasuke watched as Naruto was as evasive as possible while trying to calm down the female before him. As Sasuke watched, Naruto's eyes shifted from blue, to green, to purple, to red.

Sasuke could only watch in mute amazement as Kyuubi moved too quickly for either he or Sakura to follow. They only registered that Kyuubi had moved at all when Sakura found her face being ground into the dirt, one arm wrenched painfully behind her back and Kyuubi's foot resting on her spine, pushing down to show he was seriously considering breaking her spine and ending her career as a shinobi then and there.

Kyuubi!

Kyuubi turned his head slowly and looked at Sasuke with sleepy, dangerous eyes.

She would take you away from me.

Stop.

I won't let anyone take you away from me.

I'm not going anywhere.

Damn right.

Let her go.

Kyuubi looked down at the woman beneath him and he pushed his foot a little more forcefully onto the small of her back until she whimpered, before he stepped off her and slunk over to Sasuke.

You are mine.

Uchiha Sasuke...

The tone in which Kyuubi purred his name within his mind sent shivers up Sasuke's spine; not in fear, but in pleasure. He had never heard his name spoken with such passion, such subtle ferocity that was simultaneously disturbing and incredibly alluring.

"Mine," Kyuubi purred into Sasuke's ear before letting his hand drift down Sasuke's front, knowing full well that the pink-haired kunoichi was watching his every move with horror.

Sasuke grabbed Kyuubi's wrist before his hand could drift too far down.

Kyuubi's eyes narrowed slightly, but a smirk slowly formed on his face.

I'll let you play 'straight' for a little while longer. But remember, Sasuke...

"You belong to me," he said softly into Sasuke's ear and nipped at it playfully, causing Sasuke to swat him away. Kyuubi merely grinned, bowed with a highly mocking smile to Sakura, and then dissapeared into a small swirl of red.

"That hurt," sasuke murmured to himself as he rubbed the abused ear.

"Sasuke, who was that?"

"A...friend."

"Right. You two were looking really 'friendly'."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

"Sasuke, you have a girlfriend."

"So do you."

Sakura balked. Sasuke smiled coldly.

"Th-tha-that doesn't matter right now! What was he doing to you? Who was he? Don't say "a friend" either, because that won't cut it!"

Sasuke sighed and ran his hand through his hair, pushing out all the grass and pebbles that were trapped in there.

"Why do you care?" Sasuke asked in a seemingly non-chalant voice that carried an undertone of a warning.

"Kumori–"

"Is in Cloud Country doing her duty as a ninja. Sakura. Both she and I are aware of the issue this relationship poses. We have tried to be faithful to each other, have tried to keep in touch. But she has a life. I have a life. And we both may lose ours at any time, and the other might not know for days, or may even never find out."

"Y-you treat a relationship so...so..."

"'Lightly'. I think 'lightly' is the word you're looking for," Sasuke said softly, venom and bitterness in his voice. "Sakura. Because of that man, I won't let myself have serious relationships. I won't have everything taken away from me again." Sasuke paused, thoughtful. "Tell me. If I killed Ino right now, in front of your eyes with you powerless to do anything, how would you feel?"

Sakura paled, then flushed. Her voice became deadly. "I'd kill you."

Sasuke gave her the patented Uchiha smirk, his eyes cold. "I've been searching, yearning to kill the man who took my fucking entire family away from me, My entire clan, for many years now. I don't want to add another casualty that would hurt me more than the death of a clan."

Sakura looked away.

"That's why I treat relationships 'lightly', Haruno Sakura."

"You're just a wimp. Afraid of getting hurt by getting close."

Sakura didn't have time to register Sasuke's movement until she was pinned up against the fence, his hand tight around her neck, his Sharingan revealed. Sakura could feel Sasuke trembling against the urge to either crush her windpipe or send her stomach through her spine, but knew that he wouldn't do either. Sasuke could be touchy and lash out, but he would never kill someone considered at least a comrade, if not a friend.

"You're walking a dangerous line, Sakura."

With an effort of will, Sasuke released the Kunoichi, and turned quickly. He rubbed his shoulder, and walked into his house.

Sakura rubbed her neck. Today had not been her day. She had just gotten her period, had come to tell Sasuke about a mission and found him instead pinned to the ground by a stranger, then had watched as said stranger pawed Sasuke after nearly killing her, had snapped because of said period, and had nearly been killed. Again. Goddamnit. She needed chocolate, and she needed it NOW.

Sakura huffed off, and Sasuke waited until she was gone to snarl.

Now he remembered why he hated most women.

Sasuke desperatly needed to either hit something or have sex. He needed some way to get the restrained violence out of his system.

Might as well. Not like any of them would mind.

But he had just left. And Sasuke didn't want Kyuubi, or Kawao, or Naruto to think he wasn't able to handle a little emotional strain. He had been able to that for years now, and now that someone important to him had found their way into his life, he was relying on them. No, that wouldn't do at all. Anyway, there was the practice field if he wanted that kind of physical relief and, well, there were other ways of physical relief besides hitting things. He decided he'd try one, then the other. If both of those didn't work, he'd bother Naruto. But he felt like he wouldn't need to. Sasuke slipped on his shoes, ran a hand through his hair, then stepped out into the deserted streets and began the trek over to the practice field.