Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in it.

XXX.

- Ardor -

If anything, at least he appeared generally pleased by her state of discomfort. The look in his eyes was mending the fiery vexation she usually acquired whenever something (or someone) bothered her to that extent. He was an exception, after all.

Alright, they might've overdone it a little.

"Your inner sadist is showing," Sakura said, her breath still hitching as she walked on her heeled shoes and tried her best to ignore the soreness that spread from her knees, thighs, and all the way up to her waist. Those ridiculous shoes… Ino and her whims. It was her fault.

It was the late afternoon when she called and extracted an agreement from her: to come to her house, with a hot date, and enjoy a party. And most definitely, wear heels. Dress code, she insisted. Ino was stupefied when Sakura agreed to her offer almost right away, but said nothing about it. Ino had invited the whole platoon at her house (which fazed Sakura grandly, knowing the place had little potential for such an event) and was determined to cheer her friend up. Little did she know that her friend was long past grieving and past cheering, and was now on a heavier phase.

Sasuke paced by her side, apparently not in any way feeling obliged to reply to her caustic remark. She lent him some money yesterday since he couldn't possibly live without any clothes that fit his taste and size, and he came back in more grey and black. She could swear, he always bordered between the classic and the insane.

And so, she couldn't help but blush at the sight of him, the familiar black cotton and an unusual deep cutaway collar on him, unbuttoned, neat, and way too attractive for her to handle. After all the frustration he caused her in the last two days, she wondered how her body was still able to react in the same way, the internal heat pecking her cheeks until they turned crimson. This man was just unhealthy to be with, but she loved him, to the marrow of her bones.

Practically, if the situation had to be summed up with a sober eye, they spent a lot of time having sex since that night. And when she thought about it this way, now, with her common sense on the spot and her sensible judgment picking up the pieces of humility she believed she had before Sasuke stepped into her apartment, she could feel a few stabs of shame into the back of her mind. Then a few more, with a slight raise of intensity, when she remembered… when she remembered.

[A Day Ago]

That glare of his, reminded her a bit of the one he gave her when she was at the briefing, when he stared at her, wrathful like some ancient god that was caged human flesh. He transfixed her with his darkness and anger whirled inside of him as he stripped her bare somewhere in his dark visions and dimensions, and she thought it was her that he despised. She saw through it just now. The acrimony was not intended for her, it was meant for the cage. The bars of hatred that allowed his sight to dim with war and war only. As if his eyes were meant to carry that hatred, but her image did not fit in.

Sakura hugged her knees, exhaling slowly. The water in the bathtub was just a few inches below the line of her shoulders and she sank a tad deeper, feeling the stinging of the cold air on her bare skin. Across her sat Sasuke, and she kind of regretted telling him some details about her abduction (a subject that was inevitable due to the vivid presence of her many pills in the bathroom) because he had been a glorious sight, relaxing against the pure white of the acrylic fiber. Now, he had come off the wall, tense and once again sullen.

She was not fond of those particular memories but he asked. He demanded to know. There was something about the way he dragged the information out of her, like it hurt him, but he wanted to hear it all nevertheless. Like those obscene images and harsh words, spoken with her mild voice, inflicted upon him the maximum pain and she suspected he used those brief discussions to punish himself. For not being there to alter what she long ago accepted as fate. She decided he's had enough of it. Of all people, she wanted to be the one to bring him the least pain.

"I am not talking about this again," she said, a wry smile on her lips. "Stop asking me about it."

He was fixed on her for a few more seconds, steady and grim, before his eyes strayed away, ignoring hers with a renewed guilt. The self-punishment ceased, now it was time for the culpability. He had realized his questionnaire as a sinful act in which he's made her a victim, again, and was not bringing his most vehement accusations with full force upon himself.

Sakura sighed.

Pushing away the bubbly lather, she shifted closer to him, finding a way (with a bit of a struggle) to sit on his lap and wrap her legs around him loosely, making him turn his attention back to her, quickly scanning her up and down with the same discontent. He was apparently having a hard time erasing it from his features. Leaning in, she gave him a playful smile and her warm breath danced on his skin. Her lips skimmed over his and her smile widened because he stood still, frowning, with his foul mood not giving any signs of vanishing soon. If he thought he'd put her off with his menacing attitude, he was dead wrong. It only increased her desire.

Eyes a tad hazy, her wet hand slid down his molded oblique muscles and further, to his hard core and stopped there for a while, her lips busy leaving trails on his jaw and down his neck. He was unnerved and it amused her, but she didn't stop, her tongue sliding down to his collarbone and tearing a prolonged sigh from him. It was not even difficult to break his defense, she thought, letting out a puff. He was not difficult to break at all. He had built a lot of defensive walls against all things nice throughout the years, but she found pleasure was not one of them.

Sasuke held her chin and raised it up, eager to find her mouth and kiss her, tongue swirling with her own. She forgot her intentions for a second, moaning quietly at the feeling of his hands pressing her lower back closer to him. He had just bent forward a little when she returned to her previous thoughts excitedly. As skillful as he was at making her feel adored, she had set something else on her mind.

"I want to try something," she breathed out indefinitely, pressing him back gently. She reached out behind him for a bottle, in particular, one among the many in the heap next to her. She was glad he was not talkative and would never in his life ask her why she had a water-proof lubricant among other things in here. She applied some over her hands, feeling his hands close around her waist lovingly during those long seconds.

A furrow appeared on his face, but then it was switched by a sharp hiss and a mild shudder, as her hand slipped lower and wrapped around him. She was more than content with the way his breathing quickened, chest heaving up and down. His attempts to calm himself down were pathetic and he surely knew it. His eyes escaped hers with dismay. She was curious, above all, what it'd feel like. She was curious to what extent he'd let her wade and reach. In every encounter they had by now, he dominated, and she didn't mind, but he couldn't possibly think he'd be the one to lead every time. It was not fair.

Her hold was not as strong at first, when she stroked him lightly, a tad unsure, but certainly gratified when Sasuke's stony grimace finally broke into a softer one, failing to contain it for much longer. He seemed to hang on the line between extremely uncomfortable and pleasantly anticipating. There was mostly surprise on his features, that she was suddenly so bold. She repeated the motion, more confident but still slow and careful, and heard his breath coming out in snatches.

Her grip tightened, searching for the one convenient rhythm and pressure he'd take a liking in. Sakura swallowed, feeling her own body starting to pulsate with a lustful ache. His voice, she needed to hear his voice. She tried moving with a pace then, glad that the lotion allowed her to keep it with ease without removing the friction she caused, and then a helpless moan fell off his lips, eyes lidding with the new kind of pleasure. She found some narcotic delight in hearing him so weak and quivering, and out of any control.

Her body was still loosely wrapped around him and she shifted at one side, but he grasped her arm to keep her close, his head sinking into the crook of her neck. It couldn't hide the shivers that ran through him at every caress. It was surely strange to him, he hadn't allowed her to touch him like that before and she surely wasn't giving him the best experience either, but he was good at directing her. Her tempo was steady for a while, as well as his soft, needy groans against her skin.

As she gradually increased her rhythm, his panting turned feverish and he absently let go of her, relaxing back on the bathtub wall with his eyes closed, head leaning back. Sakura bent forward to reach his ear. Seems like she had finally found what she was looking for. "Does it feel nice?" the whisper came with the slight vibrations of her breathy laugh.

She continued then, determined to set a steady, not-too-fast pace, and the pressure made him choke out a moan. "I… hate you," he tried to form the words with a firmness that shattered long ago; instead, he spoke them out hoarsely, through intervals of heavy breathing.

"So… it does feel nice," Sakura bit at her lip.

He was shuddering with intense pleasure, trying his best to not give out how much he depended on her touch with his restrained growls and his half-tics and motions his body required to make against her, to prolong the thrills that she built up. She had never thought she'd see him like that, fully dependent and frail, and sensitive beyond measure. "Sakura, wait—" then he breathed out, pleading her, calling her, and she was happy to oblige, following the signs he left. He was hard and trembling immensely, wind-up with some particular tension her body has never been able to deliver in all those times before.

She was left in awe, relishing the control he lent to her without opposition. He was already near, she had him cornered; his moans were less and less suppressed, he didn't have the strength to oppose and stifle the sensations anymore. His hand dug harshly into her upper hip with a growing need and the other bracing the edge of the tub.

He had completely lost his pride, she mused, amazed by the use of words and phrasings he used, just to have her going. She even heard a quite atypical, subdued repetition of please somewhere among them as he urged her to go on a little bit further and further and further, until he finally snapped at the climax, his body slightly arching at the relief and his lips apart with a raw, low moan that shot bolts of pleasure through her spine.

He pulsed heat and indulged in the rapture of her touch with the few loud breaths that shed from him, before she let go, at last, sliding back to her side of the tub. She observed him in a silent veneration, the way a connoisseur would look at a lost piece of art, as he inhaled and exhaled in complete and utter confusion, disturbed to a point of no return, flushed, embarrassed, and exhausted, and making countless failed attempts to blame her for this state with his half-shocked, half-accusatory expression, fixed on her... like he hasn't seen it coming at all.

Sakura absently put her hand in front of her mouth, fingers tugging at her lower lip. She wasn't sure what she had just done, but she liked it anyway. Did she do it right, though? This doubt brought a heavy blush to her face. Perhaps she didn't… that's why he looked at her that way. But then again, she was left with the impression that he enjoyed it. A lot.

"I'm s-sorry?" she muttered something between a plead and a question. It was his turn to near her and she silenced right away, swallowing.

He parted her knees to get as close as he wished, then stopped and stared at her without moving. Uneasiness coiled in her stomach, he was clenching her and she just realized she couldn't move in any direction. His lips were so close to hers that she caught herself looking down at them for a second before turning back to the fathomless obsidian of his eyes. She was positive she hasn't seen anyone as sinfully beautiful as him in her entire life.

"You want to try something?" Sasuke asked dryly.

He probably waited for a proper explanation... Perhaps she had to warn him in advance, of her sudden inspirations, especially if they involved experimenting on his body... "Uh…" Sakura let out an odd sound, finding out that her mind had gone completely blank. His heavy gaze penetrated through her mercilessly.

He sighed, closing his eyes and her heart skipped a beat when he leaned in, resting his forehead on hers, their noses slightly touching. It was his body language that always intrigued her so much every time she was near because her cascades of words usually weren't even as half as plain as his charming muteness, the choices he made on touching or just… standing there, close, in her presence, with that relaxed posture and even breathing as if she was some sort of a harbor to his soul.

"Better?" she exhaled, whimsically, remembering the last time she asked him that weird question, months ago, when she hoped her body was enough to diminish his pains.

"Yes," his firm reply fazed her and she backed away a bit, to look at him in the eyes. He wasn't messing with her, was he? He was almost upset when she met his gaze as if to show her such a question was unnecessary. "Yes."

[Present Time]

"Are you alright?"

His voice startled her and she almost tripped, stepping at an odd angle. She was absolutely obliged to grab his hand to not fall and break something from her already aching body, which put her in an absolutely ridiculous situation. As red as she was before that, all colors had disappeared from her face with the threat of falling on the concrete, for sure, leaving her clinging to him with pure terror on her face and no memory of how she ended up squeezing his arm with both of hers hands.

"Clearly not," he answered the question himself, scanning her from head to toe with concern.

"It's n… nothing," she ignored his eyes and after a long, silent second burst into laughter.

Sasuke stopped walking, waiting for her to regain composure as his eyes flickered to the police officers that walked on the other side of the street. She noticed his inconvenience and cleared her throat, murmuring an apology as she detached from him, puffed her cheeks, and smoothed out her long coat as if it'd help her obtain her dignity again.

"Sorry. Let's go," Sakura mumbled, renewing her pace with a heightened awareness of where she steps and how she steps, and what she thinks about.

Sasuke caught up with her and took her hand again, making her turn her viridian eyes up to him with bewilderment.

"So you don't fall again," he clarified and didn't look at her as he did, his straight face ousted by a faint flush that changed his ever-so-pale skin.

Sakura pretended to not notice it and flushed herself, reiterating in her thoughts that all she needed now was to watch where she's going and… keep walking. Just keep walking. How the hell did they even survive together for so long? She decided to focus her attention on something that isn't making her feel shameful or frustrated.

"Even if I do, there's a full bottle with morphine pills in my bag," Sakura said, quietly, and waited for him to turn and look at her, surprised. "Don't worry." He smiled to himself when he turned away again.

Konoha was covered in stony clouds and she assumed they might see a snowfall soon. Chilly wind grazed her face as she walked down the familiar street. Yamanaka's household was at the far side of a quiet neighborhood and took place somewhere between a now desolate (and a bit creepy) open-air kindergarten and an office building.

Sakura wondered how Ino's mother was doing… Her eyes passed through the rows of houses and shops, only to stop on one in the distance. It was probably closed, it was now Saturday. Sakura made a silent promise to visit her in the next week. With these thoughts twiddling in her head, she almost missed Ino's house. It was not really big, but it was cozy, with trademark floral curtains on the inner side of each window. The wooden door had a small, flower-like bell button as well.

Sakura slightly squeezed Sasuke's hand as she guided him to the door and they stopped there for a moment of complete silence. Then she rang the bell and took a deep breath. Ino had no idea who was she coming with, so she prepared herself mentally for it. It was gonna be a tough encounter. Not that she wished to keep it a secret, it was that she knew Ino was a bit of a gossip. Bringing Sasuke into the already messed-up picture was something that she'd never do.

"Don't mind her reactions. She can get a bit hysterical at times," Sakura warned him in advance, her brows slightly furrowed when she heard incoming steps from inside the house. A few seconds later, the door opened and a formally-dressed Ino froze, mouth dropping at the sight. Her daze continued for a bit longer than Sakura anticipated. She raised a brow, then exchanged glances with Sasuke.

"Hey. Would you mind…" she chuckled nervously, "letting us in? It's really cold outside."

Ino shifted away abruptly, gesturing into the house at a loss for words. Sakura entered, dragging Sasuke with her and Ino closed the door behind them with a clearing of her throat. Sakura met her sharp gaze seconds before she put her on her wrathful expression and stepped to Sasuke, her fists clenched with anger.

"Look who's here," she hissed, grinding her teeth. Sakura was trying to interrupt what looked like an upcoming storm. Ino didn't let her. "The pretty boy."

"Ino—"

"Do you know how much pain you've caused her? How much she suffered because of you?"

A spasm coursed through Sakura's as she shut her eyes tight for a second. When she opened them, neither of the attendants hadn't moved yet. Ino stared at Sasuke with clear anger and bitterness, and Sasuke stared back at her, with no visible emotion.

"What do you have to say for yourself?" Ino folded her hands, furrowing. Clearly, Ino meant to protect her friend, but she wasn't aware of the heart-wrenching sensation she most likely caused to Sasuke with those words. It transformed the whole conversation into a double-edged sword. They were all static, she in her helplessness, Ino in her attack, and Sasuke in his passiveness, until… a fourth person didn't appear in the corridor.

"Sasuke?" Naruto walked to them at a slow pace. "When did you get out?" He let out a short laugh and bumped Sasuke's shoulder, suddenly, almost pushing him out of balance.

Sakura used the weird pause to save the situation and stepped to Ino, grabbing her hand and, before she could object, dragged her further into the house. They stopped in the well-known dining room, where Sai, Shikamaru, and Temari were already conversing on the table, and Sakura waved at them faintly before fixing a glare on her friend. Shikamaru and Temari were dressed comparatively casual, Sakura couldn't help but notice, against the frightening mood of Sai's white shirt and bowtie. Did Ino make him wear a tuxedo or were those two just equally mad to wear such clothes at an inner-circle party?

"What the hell, Ino? I know you're on my side but…" Sakura looked over her shoulder. "You really should keep your opinions for yourself when it comes to him, alright? He's not really good at recovering from these kinds of things, please spare him whatever you think he deserves. Trust me, he's had enough of it already."

Ino pursed her full lips, twisting her features in some kind of a pout as she followed her friend's flow of words carefully and nodded from time to time. Sakura was left hanging for almost a minute before Ino's intent face faded in a snap. "Does he sleep at your place, though?" She spurted out, at last, to Sakura's astonishment. "Come on, you bring your Hades all the way up from the underworld and expect me to not be curious. Fill me up a bit, forehead."

"I am not even sure how we became friends in the first place," Sakura leaned in, hissing. "Pig."

"Does he?" Ino smirked.

"You're impossible," Sakura sighed, unprepared for the hug that Ino gave her.

"And you're okay again," Ino mumbled back, voice gushing with happiness.

Sakura hugged her back with a content heart. Ino was acting like life went on, but it was her that looked after Sakura when she was ill and her again who lifted her spirits up in the last weeks, when she drowned in sorrows and couldn't find any reason to live. If it wasn't for her support, Sakura was sure, everything was going to end in a different way. Even the way she focused her attention on herself all the time (along with unusual details around her awkward life with Sai) helped.

Ino tossed her glossy hair behind the shoulder, scrutinizing herself in the reflecting surface of the shelf next to them. She was in red, too, but her dress was skin-tight and off-shoulder, revealing her delicate neck and visible collarbones. Once her inspection was over and she was pleased with what she saw, her hands grabbed two stemmed glasses and turned on heels, ice-blue gaze searching for something. It was the red wine on the table. She nodded that way, ushering her to join the group.

Sakura was not ready for that yet, hesitating. What happened with…? Sasuke and Naruto showed up right when she started worrying. Naruto was beaming, as always, and Sasuke was reserved, as always, but they seemed like they'd gotten along just fine.

"Listen, guys, Sasuke wants to tell you something," Naruto dragged the attention of everyone in the room, and silence spread, all eyes fixed on Sasuke. Sakura was pushing back the desire to go and take his hand because he appeared to be terribly uncomfortable, but she remained on her spot.

"I… wanted to apologize," Sasuke looked down, in resignation. "To everyone."

"Not everyone's here yet, though," Sai intervened but Ino nabbed him on the head to stay quiet.

"I know, I just… I'll—" He stopped, furrowing. "Listen, I was being an ass."

"Yes," Kiba agreed.

"I am sorry."

Sakura couldn't help but smile, eyes scanning the room. They seemed a bit cold, but not hostile (except for the hostile-sounding puff that came from Temari) or utterly surprised by Sasuke's words… which told her that they'd expected him to apologize.

"It's cool, man," Shikamaru was first to speak and break the silence. He gestured at him to sit with them. "I'm glad no one picked up a fight. The Police aren't fond of loud parties, they're totally going to cuff us up if we disturb the silence."

"Don't jinx it," Temari scolded him. "I'm sure these two," she pointed at Sasuke and Naruto, "will start arguing in the next five minutes."

"I'm just saying, I haven't jinxed anything."

Sakura neared the table and sat on the empty chair beside Temari, watching as Ino poured from the dark liquid in the two glasses and then handed one of them to her. She had missed that acrid taste that warmed her up pleasantly. Ino winked at her from across with a quiet It's good, huh? And Sakura shook her head, just to make fun of her. Ino has always been good at picking up sorts of wines, one of her good qualities.

"Did you tell him about the car yet?" Sai slowly turned, looking at Naruto who was still standing, next to Sasuke. "That you scratched it?"

Sasuke's steady gaze slid from Sai to Naruto, turning livid with anger in front of everyone's eyes. Naruto raised both his hands into a defensive gesture.

"I can explain."

"Jinxed," Temari concluded, lifting up her glass to tinkle it with the others.

A/N: Sorry for the delay, guys, I was pretty busy trying to write some original stuff. I think I might have one more chapter and then an epilogue. It's how my calculations go, all in all. Have a great weekend! Love ya.