A.N.
To those of you that are reading this please not that there are two stories before this one. They are called Slowly Slipping Awayand Gravity both are found on my profile. The other two stories followed the manga as closely as I possibly could, but this part of the series is completely original and takes place 4 years after the war.
Thank you for reading!
Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters do NOT belong to me. Naruto belongs to Misashi Kishimoto.
Sayuri and any characters that have not and will not appear in the manga/or anime are completely original.
Reviews are welcomed and encouraged! Thank you!
Once
He held her hand for longer each time he came to visit. At first it was for a few seconds, but as the time passed she found him holding on to her hand for longer, and she didn't want to pull away. Whether it was to pull her up or to catch if she tripped, which was becoming a new habit of hers around him, he always held on to her hand.
It was during that time that she saw him smile more. At Naruto, at Sakura, at Kakashi-sensei…at her. And it always made her heart flutter. Now with her memories back she remembered his young boyish grin, the one he'd always show her way when he won a game, and she found that even though his new smile was small, and rare at times, it still contained the same amount of joy. Just more restrained joy.
"I've got you!" The image of the Uchiha vanished and was quickly replaced by that of Black Zetsu holding a kunai over his head. The metal object glinted in the moonlight and she was able to catch her reflection. This time the eyes that reflected back at her were not the light and dark green belonging to her clone, instead they were her own red and blue.
As he brought down the kunai at her chest. Time slowed down until it came to a complete halt, the kunai just a few centimeters away from her chest.
"Sayuri…" She blinked and Sasuke was staring down at her, holding a hand out to her. Hesitantly she took it and he pulled her up. He smirked down at her as she stared dumbly up at him. "Be careful." Her eyes shifted to their hands, his still holding on to hers.
"Are you going to let go anytime soon, Uchiha? I've got a mission." The words left her mouth before she realized it and he smiled down at her. She took a step forward and she was once again surrounded by trees.
"Sasuke…SASUKE!"
"Sayuri!" she gasped, eyes blinking open. Sasuke was standing over her, hand on her shoulder shaking her awake. "Wake up."
One of her hands went to his cheek, and she through her haze she felt him freeze.
"You're ok…" she sighed.
"Yes." He nodded once and she smiled and let out a relieved laugh. Her eyes were unfocused and he could tell she was drifting back into unconsciousness.
"Don't do it again."
He watched the small smile slip, her hand moving back to its spot at her side as she drifted back to sleep.
XXX
"That's what I remember…" Sayuri said as she handed Gaara a piece of paper. On it were words written in black ink. Aqua green eyes moved from right to left reading each word but it made no sense to him. His eyes switched back to the young woman on the bed, her hands neatly folded on her lap mismatched eyes intently on him.
"I can't make sense of this."
"Me neither. It's not a language I recognize."
"There's not a mark on you." Hajime spoke from his spot against the wall. "It's as if nothing had happened."
Sayuri nodded, eyes shifting down to her wrists. She wondered about that too. Unconsciously she reached for her neck, fingers tracing the smooth unmarked skin. "I don't understand that either. When it happened it felt like it was burning."
At the foot of her bed Sakura laid a hand on Sayuri's leg. "Do you feel anything now?"
She shook her head. "My chakra is normal. There's no blockage or strange fluctuation, I feel perfectly fine."
Gaara took a look at the paper in his hands one more time. "Maybe there are others. Other girls that survived and are going about their business as if nothing ever happened."
"I don't think so." Sayuri responded quickly. "Naoki said that if I survived he'd take me to their employer. So if any of the other girls survived…"
"They'd be with the nut job that hired those men." Sakura finished for her.
"Did you find anything on the other girls?" Gaara asked, turning to Diachi. The brunette stood at the side of the room, along with the rest of team seven and team eight.
"Their chakra pathways were burned, like someone ignited a flame in them. It goes along with Sayuri's description of the ordeal." He shifted his brown eyes to the Marihasha. "Maybe it was your chakra nature that kept you alive."
Sayuri's brows dipped and she bit her bottom lip. "Maybe." She mumbled, eyes flickering to the pink haired medic, shiver running down her back at the thought of Sakura being kidnapped by Naoki instead of her.
"In any case I've let the Hokage know of what happened. He wants you to return to the village as soon as Sayuri is able. Team Kurenai is to stay and finish the remainder of their mission." Gaara said.
"Well if that's the case, I feel perfectly fine right now."
"Sayuri…" Sakura began. "Are you sure? What you went through wasn't exactly normal."
"I'll be fine." The auburn haired girl waved.
"But-" Before Sakura could finish her protest Sayuri slid of the bed and stood.
"I rested long enough last night." She stretched her arms above her head to prove a point. "I feel completely normal."
Sakura pursed her lips, bright eyes on the young woman in front of her. "Oh, all right." She sighed and Sayuri beamed. "But if I notice something odd, we'll stop and rest. I don't care if it takes us a week to get back to Konoha!" she quickly added. Behind Sayuri, the others laughed nervously, knowing that Sakura would go through with the promise.
"Right!" Sayuri gave her a curt nod.
"If you are leaving today I suggest you be careful. These men, got away and they may come back for you." Gaara warned Sayuri.
"Well we're not letting them get anywhere near her." Naruto assured. "We'll get her back behind Konoha's walls safe and sound!" Sayuri looked to the smiling blonde and nodded.
XXX
Mismatched blue and red eyes flutter open, their bright color glowing in the dark room. She turned her head to the right where Sakura slept soundly, pink hair splayed out beneath her, its color muted by the night. She turned back to stare at the white ceiling above, placing a hand on her chest to slow her frantically beating heart. The knot in her chest slowly but surely dissolved into nothing and she could breathe again.
Beside her Sakura stirred but quickly settled down facing away from her. Sayuri smiled, grateful for the konoichi's efforts in making sure she was feeling well. The minute they found the inn that night, Sakura was quick to inform them that she planned to spending the night with her and keep an eye out in case her condition changed.
Sayuri smiled at the memory and quietly slid out of her futon, grabbing her cloak and sliding the door to her shared room shut. The cold night air only reminded her of the nightmare. She ran a hand through her hair and decided to take a seat, letting her bare feet fall over the edge of the porch, not quite touching the cold grass.
"It's a bit late to be out here. Don't you think." Sasuke's low voice startled her. She jumped and gripped her cloak. "Letting your guard down. Like always." he chided as he sat down beside her.
"Ah." She mumbled, hands falling to her lap.
He watched her watch the moon from the corner of his eyes. "You should be sleeping."
"I could say the same about you." she asked, turning to him with a raised brow.
He turned to face her and felt his heart skip. Curious eyes stared up at him, in the same manner he recalled her doing when they had first met as children. "I'm keeping watch."
Sayuri pursed her lips and nodded. "Sorry about that."
"It's not your fault. You didn't let your guard down that time."
Sayuri nodded, and with a gentle laugh she elbowed him playfully. "Then you can't say I always let my guard down, Sasuke."
Taken a bit by surprise at her actions, Sasuke decided to play along. "Fine." He sighed. "You let your guard down most of the time. Better?"
"Ah." She smiled at him and at the return of his own small one hers disappeared. Instead she felt heat rise to her cheeks. His black hair contrasted with his pale skin, cold black eyes warmed at the kind smile he offered. She knew what other women saw in Sasuke, she had come to acknowledge it for some times now. He was handsome, yes, but to her his appeal had never been the cold aloofness he liked to show to the world. No. To her his appeal lied in the warmth, the kindness that he was capable of showing to others.
In that moment the knotting that had formed in her chest returned and this time she recognized the feeling as fear. She was afraid not of him, but of what others could do to him because of her.
At her silence, Sasuke's smile faded away, kind eyes remained watching her carefully as she extended a hand towards him. He remained perfectly still with baited breath, watching her fingers twitch in the air just a few centimeters from his cheek before her hand froze and she quickly pulled it back to her lap, looking away.
"What is it?" he asked.
For a second she thought about telling him. Reminding him of that night but just as the words were about slip through her lips she stopped herself. With a shake of the head she got up and walked back to the door of her room.
"Good night, Sasuke."
XXX
Sayuri frowned as she plucked a leaf out of her hair. She sat on a rock, food on her lap while the others ate. Blowing the leaf off her hand she turned back to her half eaten food. Next to her Diachi drank water and Hajime reached for another rice ball. Across from them, Sakura sat against a tree, conversing with Naruto whose grin seemed to only brighten by the second, while Sasuke leaned on the tree next to theirs, food finished and arms crossed over his chest.
A cold breeze made the leaves rustle and Sayuri's head snapped to her right at the sound.
It's just leaves. There's no one there. She thought, forcing her body to relax and taking another bite of her food. Just one more day and this mission's over. She mentally sighed. If it was up to her they wouldn't have stopped to eat in the middle of the woods, but Hajime had insisted on getting food from the inn they had stayed at the night before and then he all but whined about his food going bad if they didn't eat soon.
"Hey…" Diachi nudged her leg and she nearly screamed. The muffled squeal made the rest of the ninja turn to Sayuri with raised brows. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"
"It's fine." She quickly cut him off and packed her food away.
"You didn't finish." Hajime pointed out, pushing himself up to stand.
"I wasn't hungry."
From his spot, Sasuke noticed her fidgeting and straightened up. "We should get moving. It'll be nightfall soon." From the corner of his eye he caught Sayuri give him a grateful smile.
The group agreed and quickly packed their belongings and got moving. They ran once again, leaping into the trees, Naruto in the lead. Sayuri kept pace with Sakura and noticed Sasuke not too far ahead of them. She looked around her, avoiding getting smacked by a few branches, nerves fried as she tried to keep on alert. Knowing that she could possibly be hunted down by Naoki didn't exactly help her relax while being simultaneously surrounded by trees. Eager to get her mind off the man she decided to start a conversation, anything really to help her relax, and she found it in the distance between the blonde and raven haired men.
"It's a miracle." Sayuri muttered catching Sakura's attention.
"What is?"
"That those two aren't acting like brats and turning this into a competition." Sakura's eyes widened, and looked from Sasuke who openly glared at the two girls, to Naruto who looked over his shoulder clearly offended. The medic couldn't contain the laughter that bubbled out of her at the indignation of her two teammates.
"I happen to have grown up quite a bit since then!" Naruto retorted waving a fist comically at them.
"Really? Where?" Hajime teased. Sakura covered her mouth to keep her laughter down and Sayuri smiled.
"Why does everyone pick on me! Why not the bastard!?"
"Because old Sasuke here, is scary." The silver haired man replied, then turned to Sasuke with a half-smile. "It's true."
"Sasuke's not scary." Said Sakura as she moved to a higher branch along with Sayuri, who tilted her head to her. "He's…"
"Dreamy?" Sayuri playfully finished for the medic who was quick to smack her arm. "Ow!"
"I was going to say moody." At that Sasuke nearly gaped at Sakura who smiled and with a shrug of her shoulders and leapt onto another branch.
Sayuri watched Sasuke and couldn't help but grin at the wide eyed look he directed at them. "I'd have to agree."
Ahead of them Naruto snickered. "Hear that bastard, they called you moody."
"Shut up, looser."
"You shut-" Before the blonde could finish his sentence, he came to an abrupt stop and jumped back avoiding a paper bomb.
Watching this, Sayuri turned to her left and yanked Sakura's arm to pull her back and away from another one. In the process the pinkette lost her balance and began to fall back when Naruto jumped to catch her. Hajime and Diachi sprang forward deflecting the kunai that were being thrown their way, pushing Sayuri back. The Marihasha leapt down onto another branch when the tree she was on began to rock forward.
"Move!" Sasuke yelled, yanking her by the arm. They quickly leapt unto another tree only for that one to do the same. Each and every tree they landed on fell the minute their feet touched it.
"The ground!" she pointed just as the tree they were on began to rock forward. Pulling her to him Sasuke jumped down letting her go as soon as their feet touched the green earth. She took out a kunai and looked around her, and heard Naruto yell followed by the sound of loud explosion west of her.
"Naruto!" She called and began to make her way to him but a falling tree blocked her way. She bit he lip and began surveying the area once again. The trees hid anything and anyone from her view, all she saw was shadows. Hands trembling, she took a deep breath, gripped the kunai tightly, changing her chakra nature to that of earth, her red and blue eyes shifting to a light and dark green. "Come out!" Feeling a tug to her right she turned to it, but found it to be Naruto and Sakura. To her left she sensed Hajime and Diachi.
"Sayuri!" She turned in time to see Sasuke launch at her, shoving her out of the way from a water bullet. The two turned around focusing on the direction of where the attack came from, but could sense no one. Sayuri pushed her hand into the moist grass when she felt it.
A small flicker to her right.
"Earth Wall!" she said just as another water bullet hit the rising wooden barrier. There was another ahead of them, this time a water dragon. Before it could even strike, Sayuri fell on her bottom, Sasuke's hand on her shoulder as they stared directly at spot they had been occupying just a few seconds ago.
Confused she blinked up at the reddening sky above, the sun was setting and that meant it would be harder for them to find their attacker. "Did you use your rinnegan?"
"Hn." She sat up and placed her hand on the ground again trying to focus on the same flickering feeling when it appeared once again.
"Earth Spikes!" she yelled concentrating her chakra to her left as the earth before her split as jagged rocks split the ground open, but there was nothing.
"They're jumping."
"Jumping? As in leaping from one place to the other?" Sayuri asked.
"No. It's a-" He picked her up and she found herself falling onto the ground, this time on her knees. "They're using reverse summoning." He turned to his right feeling as if something was there and winced feeling a very faint shock on his arm, retracting it to his side he flexed his fingers in confusion.
"That explains why I can't figure out where they are until the very last-" Sayuri began but was interrupted by the crackling and splitting of the tree next to them as it fell back, it's roots swinging wildly at them. The two pulled away from each other avoiding the roots and quickly formed five seals.
"Fire Style: Fireball jutsu!"
The area was covered in red and white flames, the roots falling into burning heaps to the ground as the two ninja landed back to back kunai and katana out.
"My, my." A voice said from the shadows, a clapping sound echoed throughout the area. "You two are certainly impressive." The voice echoed.
"That's not Naoki." Sayuri whispered to Sasuke who began searching for the source of the voice with his rinnegan.
"So you're the one Naoki was bragging about. The girl with the light and dark blue eyes." Sasuke turned to Sayuri only to watch as she was roughly thrown aside. Her body hitting the ground twice as it slid to a halt. The young woman groaned when she was picked up by the neck by a purple haired man. "But your eyes aren't blue…mismatched blue and red…interesting case of heterochromia." The man looked over his shoulder just in time to avoid Sasuke's chidori at his side.
Sayuri fell to the ground coughing and holding her neck as Sasuke stood in front glaring at the man in front of him.
"Uchiha." He nodded, green eyes flickering to the girl on the ground.
"You were the one attacking us?" Sasuke asked incredulous.
"No." Both Sasuke and Sayuri turned to the left where Naoki emerged from the ground smiling. "It was a team effort to get her alone, but you never seem to be far." He tilted his head at Sayuri. "So you were the ninja from that town." He chuckled. "Who would've thought that I'd see you again. What do you think, Ryota?"
Sayuri's eyes fell on him, green replacing the red color of her right pupil for a split second before the red bled back into it, this time her left eye shifting to a golden color.
"She has the ability to sense chakra natures, then adjust her own accordingly." Ryota thought out loud, watching with interest the bright red and yellow of her eyes. Fire and lightning chakra to respond against his water and earth. "You're a Marihasha."
Sasuke caught the shift in the men's footing indicating that they were about to jump towards them. He quickly pulled out four shuriken and threw them aiming at Naoki, who deflected them easily with a kunai in each hand.
"Lightning Whip!" Sayuri yelled lighting chakra pouring out of her hand and extending outwards as she cracked it at Ryota. It wrapped around his ankle pulling him downward, shocking him along the way as she slammed him down only to see him disappear in a cloud of smoke.
"Very good." The Ryota praised as he came appeared before them, Naoki landing next to the man. "But I can't have you going around attacking us like that." He smiled and formed the seal of the tiger.
At her gasp, Sasuke turned to Sayuri who stared down at herself, wrists and neck glowing, writing, matching the scribbles on the paper he had seen yesterday, quickly spreading out to pool at her abdomen where the glowing intensified. Sayuri doubled over gripping her vest as the markings pulsed. Ryota suddenly emerged behind her about to reach for her when her body was replaced by a rock. Sayuri fell to the ground several feet away from him. His green eyes turned to Sasuke in amazement as he vanished into thin air only to reappear next to the auburn haired young woman.
"Now that's incredible!" he laughed.
"Sasuke." Sayuri said taking the man's hand as he pulled her to her feet. Feeling a breeze, she looked over her shoulder and found them to be near a ledge. "Sasuke…" He brushed away her bangs eyes widening at the now brown orbs. Focusing his sharingan he followed her diminished chakra pathways noticing how most of her chakra had been gathered into her center.
"What did you do!?" the Uchiha growled at the laughing man.
"It's the marking. It seems it worked perfectly." Ryota crossed his arms as he regarded the girl. "It can suppress chakra, and cancel any kekkei genkai…" he trailed off when for a split second he saw her eyes flash blue and purple, and feeling the wind pick up in speed. "Interesting. It would seem that I was wrong…the marking hasn't fully taken over."
"What the hell are you talking about!?" Sasuke demanded as he moved to stand in front of her.
"There's something missing." The man mused, green eyes narrowed. "That won't do. It seems we have no use for you." He sighed.
"What!?" Naoki turned to Ryota in outrage. "Are you kidding me she's the closest one we've got!"
"No." the purple haired man replied. "Our employer has no need for incomplete markings." The ground suddenly began to tremble bellow them.
"Sayuri!" Sasuke turned to her just at the ground between the two split. Her eyes widened as she began to fall back. "Sayuri!" he yelled reaching out for her hand, catching it just in time, falling to his knees with her dangling from his only hand. He gritted his teeth when he heard slow footsteps behind him. He turned to them sharingan and rinnegan activated but a sharp, electric, prickling sensation ran up his spine until he could feel it in his head, causing an intense pressure behind his eyes.
Naoki laughed watching Sasuke's eyes revert back to their natural black color. "I managed to sneak in a small paralyzer into you. I'm sure you recall when."
Sasuke growled recalling the small shock he felt not too long ago. "So that was you." His only answer being Naoki's laugh, while he scolded himself for being careless.
"Now..." Ryota said as he began his slow walk over to the kneeling Uchiha. "…Let her go, and I won't push you over as well, we've got no interest in killing you."
"Speak for yourself." Naoki smirked.
Sayuri looked up at the man holding her, panic in her eyes. "Sasuke!"
"I know!" he said through gritted teeth. He tried using his rinnegan but to no avail, he had chakra left, he knew he did but it didn't help him much if his chakra was blocked off. "Damn it." He hissed, he couldn't pull her up either, the ground was still trembling and he was using his weight to keep himself from falling over too.
"If you keep holding on to her, I will kill you. There is no need for failures." The man's voice sounded far from him but the footsteps kept advancing.
Feeling the hand around her tighten Sayuri bit her lip. All of this too familiar to her. She chanced a look down and found nothing but trees bellow. She looked back up and found him struggling to hold her. He wouldn't let go, she knew that. She tried to use her own chakra, but she felt her chakra network blocked. That marking, whatever it was it effectively left her with just enough chakra to survive, but nothing else. She was essentially useless. The footsteps grew louder as the rumbling quieted down.
But back then, I could feel some of my chakra slipping through! She thought as she tried harder to push past the barrier that had been set up within her. Looking back down she wondered if she would even be able to survive the fall. Or maybe she would but heavily injured, but that would be only if she could get her chakra to work again.
Above her Sasuke gritted his teeth and Sayuri tilted her head back to look at him. He wouldn't let her fall, she knew that. But she couldn't let him risk his life for her. They said they wanted her gone, not him. Sayuri looked back down and bit her lip. She didn't want to risk his life.
"Sasuke…" Sayuri began. She looked up at him while he pressed more weight unto his knees to keep from falling over. "Sasuke let me go." She said again.
"No." he said, aware of the approaching man.
"For God's sake, Sasuke let me go. It's better if I fall than the both of us!" she yelled.
"Shut up!" he snapped. He couldn't hear the others, meaning their attackers successfully split them up and that there would be no help coming anytime soon. Sasuke cursed under his breath, eyes shifting to the trees bellow.
"Sasuke, look at me." Sayuri pleaded, gently this time. His eyes turned to her, widening slightly at the smile she wore. He felt his chest constrict, he had seen that smile before the first when he had said good bye to her at the rooftop of the academy, the second when they were at the bridge in the Land of Iron, and the third when she saw him in the hospital the year before. "It's ok." She said. "Let me go."
He looked down at her as she dangled from his arm in the air. He looked over his shoulder to the smirking man, now just a few steps away. If he let go, she'd most likely die. Sasuke narrowed his black orbs on her. He'd be damned if he didn't at least try one last thing. Sayuri gasped when Sasuke tilted forward and pulled her towards him, flipping them over in midair so that his back was towards the incoming trees below. Within seconds leaves, and branches scratched her face and arms as they continued to fall. Sayuri wrapped her arms around Sasuke, and willed her chakra to work only for it to come in a small burst of wind that partially curved around them for a few minutes until it disappeared leaving a painful burning at the center of her abdomen.
With the barrier gone the two felt the impact of a fully formed branch as they broke through it and suddenly they were immersed in water. Taken by surprise, Sayuri gasped taking a mouth full of water in. Just as shocked, Sasuke pushed his legs downward when they hit the bottom and swam upwards, Sayuri pulling him by the shirt as she too kicked her legs beneath her until they broke through the surface. She barely took a breath of air when the current swept them into a boulder splitting the two up.
"Sayuri!" Sasuke yelled as he pushed himself around the rock watching Sayuri drift and hit a fallen tree.
The current lifted and dragged him forward despite his best efforts to keep him grounded, until Sayuri grabbed his arm and pulled him to her. The two pulled themselves towards the shore, and once their feet hit the pebbled littered ground they fell to their hands and knees, attempting to catch their breaths.
Her arms wobbled below her as her breathing evened out. She looked to Sasuke who remained on his feet, but bent forward hand on his knee.
"You're…an…idiot…" Sayuri panted.
"We're…alive…aren't we?"
"We almost died…and your making light of it!?" Sayuri scoffed and pushed herself up, only to stumble forward. Sasuke caught her before she fell and held her steady.
"Believe it or not, I've learned to lighten up." He smirked down at her watching her cheeks darken. He felt strange, and something told him it had something to do with almost falling to his death.
"Good for you." She breathed, wincing as she laid a hand on her stomach. "My everything burns."
Sasuke kept his arm on her and looked up. The sky had been obscured by the canopy of trees, but he had a feeling that the sun had already set.
"Whoever this guy is, he chooses his…employees well." He said, trying to activate his sharingan and rinnegan but failing. He watched her as she knelt down pressing a palm into the ground.
"I was able to make that small barrier, maybe if I try a little harder I'll-" he kneeled down beside her and pulled her hand off the ground.
"Stop. They're alive." Sasuke said as he looked around him.
"Are you sure?"
"My chakra's blocked but I can still sense Naruto. If he's alive then the others most likely are too, besides they were after you not them."
She looked around her eyes landing back on him but she quickly averted her gaze. "We're soaking wet. We'll catch cold if we don't find a dry place to warm up." She mumbled already feeling the cold.
"I think I know where we are." He said, eyes on a particular tree.
"Oh?" she turned to him hopeful but frowned turning back to look in the general direction that they had come from. "Should we really leave this spot thought? What about the others?"
"I'm sure Naruto will figure it out. In the mean time I need to recover my own chakra and we need to take shelter."
He gestured for her to follow as he began to walk down the river. They followed it, all the while Sayuri pulled her cloak closer to her to keep whatever heat there was left, but it was in vain as the cold winter air only managed to make her feel as if her bones were made of ice. When the river split into two Sasuke led her away from it and towards the forest. She paused for a moment and Sasuke turned back to her.
"There's a cabin not far from this point."
"How are you so sure?"
"You see that rock." He motioned for the small boulder that sat in the middle of the small piece of land that split the river in two. She narrowed her eyes and saw the Kanji for Hebi, she turned back to Sasuke in surprise. "Suigetsu brought me here a while back. He left traps scattered around the area, we were lucky enough to fall into the river and not on one of them."
"Traps?" Sayuri asked wrapping her arms around herself as she shivered on the spot. "Well that makes me feel safe."
"Don't worry," he smiled at her despite the cold that he felt. "I know where they are."
"That's reassuring." She cast a glance at the trees again and took a deep breath. "Ok…"
Sasuke turned back to the path leading her further in until they reached a small cabin imbedded into a cave. He opened the unlocked door and let her through. Sayuri looked around at the wooden building and rubbed her arms to keep herself warm. The dark room was suddenly bathed in a warm yellow-orange light causing her to jump slightly at its sudden appearance. She turned around in time to watch Sasuke put a box of matches on top of the small chimney.
"You still can't use your chakra?"
He shook his head and turned to her watching the shadows dance across her small frame. "Come." He told her as he led her to a bedroom. She stood at the doorway while he continued on to the closet, sliding the door open. He pulled out two white kimonos and handed one to her. "I'll be in the other room, change and hang your clothes to dry."
Sayuri took the white clothing with a light huff. "I know what I need to do, Sasuke."
He nodded as he walked away. When the door slid closed, Sayuri began to peel her drenched clothes off. She pulled the white sleeping kimono on, and let out a content smile at the warmth. Pulling her hair out of the ponytail it was in, she opened the door and began to hang the clothes near the fireplace. She sat on the floor, letting her feet warm up and waited for Sasuke to come out but as five minutes turned into ten, she frowned. Pushing herself up, she padded over to the other room and knocked.
"Sasuke?" she asked.
"I'm still changing."
Sayuri raised a brow. "It takes you more than ten minutes to change?" she asked incredulous. She stood quiet outside his door and after a few more seconds, she heard him hiss. Brows dipped in concern and she knocked again. "Sasuke?"
"Go, Sayuri."
She heard him hiss again, recalling how he took much of the impact from the fall; she knocked once more. "I'm coming in."
Sayuri slid the door open and found Sasuke's clothes hanging on the chairs in the room, and the Uchiha seated on the bed, ointment in hand and bandages at his side.
"I'll be fine." He said and reached to rub the cream over his shoulder.
Sayuri placed a hand on her hip and rolled her eyes. "It's not bad to ask for help once in a while." She scolded and began to approach him, taking the small bottle and dipping her fingers in it. She sat behind him and gently applied the cream where she saw the scratches. She felt his back stiffen when she touched him but continued to work past it. "You've only got a couple scratches…surprisingly." She pulled away when she was done reached from the bandages when his hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. She watched him pull back her sleeve and for the first time noticed her own cuts.
"I don't have many, because you had your arms covering my back." He said, his voice sounding distant as he began to gently rub the ointment on her arms. He plucked the white bandages from her hand and wrapped her arms instead. When he pulled away he looked back up at Sayuri whose eyes slowly met his.
"Thank you, for protecting me." She said just above a whisper.
His own black eyes ghosted over to her lips then back to her orbs, admiring how the moonlight hit her features. "You're my teammate."
Sayuri felt her cheeks heat up at their proximity, watching how she could almost see her reflection in his black orbs. Slowly as to not startle her, he reached to brush her hair behind her ears watching her cheeks turn a deeper shade of pink.
"We should…" Sayuri pulled away, clearing her throat. "We should…we should go and warm up." She stood and took a step forward but a firm grip on her forearm stopped her. Turning back, she looked up at Sasuke in surprise.
"You always pull away." He mumbled watching her blink owlishly at him. "Why?"
She averted her now brown eyes, biting her lip, eyebrows dipping. "I can't…"
"Is it because of what happened during your mission?"
"Sasuke…" she sighed but at the feeling of his fingers tightening around her arm she looked back up. "I don't want…"
"You don't what, Sayuri?" He narrowed his eyes down at the young woman. He knew now was not the best time to confront her about it but he was done with her warming up to him only to pull away. "What is it? What aren't you telling me!?"
"Sasuke…" she sighed, meeting his eyes and a felt her throat dry up. His eyes were focused only on her, and she could almost see the pain in anger in them. Sayuri could only watch as he leaned his head forward tapping his forehead to hers.
His eyes flickered to her bottom lip as her teeth grazed the reddened flesh. "For once…Just for once let me get close to you." At his words Sayuri stood on her toes to meet his lips with hers, all rational thought going out the window.
Sasuke's hand tangled itself in her moist auburn hair pulling her in for a deeper kiss. She slid her arms up his chest and around his neck, and he pushed her on her back unto the bed, one knee on the mattress as he leaned over her. The two broke apart for air only for a brief moment before they started again. She bit his bottom lip and rolled them over to change their positions. His hand moved to her hips as one of hers ran down his chest. She opened her mouth allowing him more access while he ran his hand up the swell of her hip and to her waist.
Sayuri pulled away, lips swollen, cheeks red, and hooded eyes as she cached her breath. She looked down at him watching how his eyes stayed on hers and feeling his hand tighten on her hip. Biting her lip, she sat on him and blinked, mesmerized by his groaned. His eyes trailed down her neck to her shoulder where the white clothing hung revealing the swell of her breast. He felt it hard to breathe and his body become warm. Feeling the same way, Sayuri shifted once more and this time a deep moan escaped Sasuke who held her firmly in place.
Sasuke watched her chest move up and down with her own slightly labored breathing. He forced himself to look up at the young woman's flushed face. He should stop her now, before any of this went too far.
"Just for once…" she whispered, her hands gently trailing up his chest, and just like that, the last pieces of sanity he had left were left in the dust. She didn't know what had come over her. All she knew was that at the moment she didn't want to care about Naruto, Sakura, Hajime, or Diachi. She just wanted to act, to do what she wanted to do just for once, regardless of the timing. She wanted to allow herself to be selfish, even if it's only for a little while.
He brought her head down and kissed her hard, like a man starved of water. Above him she moaned and shifted upwards again and gasped at the sensation. He began to trail kisses down her neck to the top of her breast. Sayuri felt a shiver run down her spine when she felt his hot breath on her skin and moved once more. Sasuke's hand pulled at the other half of her kimono, making it slide down and pool at her elbows, exposing the round mounds of flesh.
He looked back to Sayuri whose brows dipped, as she bit her lip. He swallowed hard when she moved to lean over him. He raised his hand to her cheek, tucking in her auburn hair behind her air. Above him, Sayuri leaned into his hand, closing her eyes at the warmth. She leaned forward placing a quick kiss on his lips and pulled back just enough so that the tip of their noses touched.
"Do it."
At her command his mouth went to one of her breasts while his hand cupped the other. Sayuri moaned lightly as he licked and sucked on them while she sat back on him, meeting her heat with his.
"Fuck." He cursed and pushed up against her making her arch her back at the sensation. She shifted up on her knees and pulled his kimono open. He slid his hand up her thigh, under her kimono, and pulled her underwear down while she helped him by pulling one leg out. She hovered over him and he held her there. "Sayuri…I-"
She placed a finger on his lips. "Just for tonight…I don't want to think about anything else. I want to, do you?" She breathed, cheeks reddening at the admission.
He nodded swallowing hard. "Yes."
And with that he brought her down on him slowly, hand under her kimono and gripping her hip as her face scrunched up at the discomfort and slight pain. She gasped when he was fully inside and he bit his lip, trying to keep still while she got used to him. She took deep breaths and slowly moved upward, gasping at the pleasant sensation mixed with discomfort, before sliding back down. Below her Sasuke gritted his teeth just before he moaned again when she unexpectedly moved. Liking the response, she was getting from the normally composed Uchiha, Sayuri ground her hips against him, and this time both sighed at the increasingly pleasant sensation. Sasuke for his part moved his hand to cup her bottom as he pushed up and followed her slow tempo.
Gasps and moans filled the room, while Sayuri moved slowly above Sasuke. His eyes trailed downwards to her bouncing breasts and sat up, shifting her closer to him. She held on to his shoulders as she continued to move awkwardly, unsure of herself in this new position. He dipped his mouth to the juncture of her neck and shoulder and bit as he shifted her closer, pushing himself into her hard. Sayuri gripped his hair and gasped as he helped her move. Her breaths became shorter, as he picked up the pace thrusting deeper and harder into her, growling into her ear.
She felt something in her build, it tingled and tightened at her core and all she knew was that she wanted more. She moaned and tried to catch her breath as Sasuke switched to a slower pace. The pressure was still there and it was intensifying with each movement, but when she tried to increase their tempo he held her down with a low growl and had her moving slowly.
"Sasuke." She moaned and pressed herself closer to him and he pushed himself deeper into her until she felt a shiver run down her back. She gasped, suddenly finding herself out of breath, her whole body quivered, toes curling, as he kept moving prolonging the sensation, finding his own release in the process. He ground out her name as he finished leaving the two, sweating and gasping for air.
Sayuri leaned against him, arms holding onto him but not with as much strength as before. She pulled back and stared at him, watching him carefully not fully aware of the consequences of her rash actions.
A.N.
So that's the end of this chapter. I think this is the longest one I've written so far. I realize now that I made a mistake with Sasuke's eyes and in actuality he CAN deactivate his Rinnegan so I will go back and fix that in my other chapters.
Also, in case I didn't make it quite clear in Gravity -because I realize I tend to be vague sometimes and I truly apologize for it- Sayuri's eyes were dark and light brown in the first two stories, because she was rejecting a part of her chakra (fire, in her case) and suppressing it on purpose. At the end of gravity she began to accept it and was able to open up her full potential for her kekkei genkai. Since she has a natural affinity to two chakra natures at a time, she can change her affinity to two different ones or a single one if she so chooses. Even though she can change her chakra affinity to two different types, she can only preform one style jutsu at a time.
So here's why her eyes went back to being light and dark brown. The marking jutsu they used on Sayuri completely negates and shuts down all of her chakra natures, basically it leaves her with the chakra of a civilian.
Any who, enough about that, I hope you liked this chapter and I hope it met your expectations! Please review and let me know what you thought about it!
Thank you and please review!