Sakura felt warm.
The feeling spread throughout her body, comforting and hypnotizing, robbing her of any resolve to open her eyes. She could almost hear every single cell in her body screaming at her not to move. It'd break the magic; it'd destroy this soothing calmness. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been this at ease.
Damn, Naruto. You shoulder has gotten a lot more comfortable…
Instinctively, she snuggled closer to the warmth, burying her face deeper into some kind of soft material. The musky smell of earth and pine combined with something else she couldn't quite place assaulted her nose and she breathed it in hungrily.
A deep chuckle broke the silence, and someone lightly flicked her forehead.
Who…Sasuke? No, that can't be right…
With the fog of sleep slowly abandoning her mind, she shifted her head slightly, and through half-lidded eyes she spied the green of the earth and the thick foliage of the trees around her.
What…Where-?
She looked down at her hands. They were fisted tightly on soft fabric that had been white as some point in time. As her vision cleared more and more, she realized the she was leaning against someone. She could feel the rise and fall of their body as they breathed. Slightly startled, her head shot up, and despite the short spell of dizziness that followed, she found herself looking at Arthur's sharp jawline.
"'Bout time, little wench. I was starting to think that you might have died." His lopsided grin was teasing, and he winked down at her playfully.
What…?
Memories from the previous night came rushing back to her along with the dawning realization that this was not the position she had fallen asleep in. She was sitting between Arthur's legs, snuggled up against his body, her head resting on his chest. With all traces of sleep gone, she jumped up, untangling herself from the man. She could feel the heat rushing to her cheeks.
More than a little embarrassed, she stole a glance at her companion to see him watching her, playful grin still in place. He stood, dusting himself off.
"Won't you look at that…Are you embarrassed, wench?"
Sakura was momentarily caught off guard, as she wasn't used to Arthur being so openly teasing with her, but she quickly regained her composure and scowled.
"I don't know what you are talking about," she huffed, crossing her arms across her chest. He stepped closer, and she resisted the urge to take a step back in return.
"Oh, really? Me thinks you do."
"Utter nonsense." She was glad that her voice was steady, even though her heart was racing in her ribcage. She was almost sure that Arthur was simply taking his revenge on her for manhandling him the previous day.
Son of a bitch…
Out of nowhere, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer, trapping her against his chest. The look in his eyes was predatory. "No need to be embarrassed, wench. You wouldn't be the first woman to wake up between my legs."
His words stunned her for just a moment, not expecting something like that to come out of his mouth, but she quickly shook it off and rolled her eyes at him.
Men and their egos…Scratch that, Arthur and his ego…
"I'd watch my mouth if I were you, princeling, lest you find yourself with nothing between your legs."
Giving his chest a harsh shove to put distance between them, she clicked her tongue in irritation and flipped her braid over her shoulder defiantly. Not waiting for his reply, she turned around and started heading back to the caves.
XxxOxOxOxxX
Arthur watched her go with an amused expression on his face, his eyes shamelessly lingering on the swaying of her hips.
You damn spitfire…
Riling her up was dangerously close to becoming his new favorite pastime. So many faces this woman had. She could go from docile to a bloody raging storm in the blink of an eye. It was interesting to observe, to say the least. He also enjoyed watching her make Bedivere and Bill squirm.
Serves them right, the posh bastards…
Adjusting his sword belt, he started walking the same path she'd disappeared off to. It was better this way. He knew the others would ask questions; they'd want to know where they'd been all night. And he honestly had no idea what he was supposed to say. Sakura would know though. She could share whatever she wanted to share with the other misfits and he'd simply corroborate whatever she said. It was not his place to spill her secrets, and he certainly had no intension of making an enemy out of her.
He was a lot of things, but daft was not one of them. He could recognize a worthy ally when he saw one, and though it was notoriously difficult to earn his trust, he knew it was in his best interests not to cross the woman.
Unwilling though he was, he couldn't help but allow his mind to fly back to last night's events. He couldn't shake the image of her weeping, so vulnerable and heartbroken, grieving her past life.
War…She'd mentioned war and her home ravaged by it. She'd mentioned someone important giving up his life to salvage hers. What a terrible burden to carry…He wasn't the most righteous man out there but having to live with that kind of knowledge would weigh heavily even on his shoulders. How many people did she lose? Then another thought entered his mind. Could she be the last one left? Did she lose…everyone?
The thought made him shudder. He had an idea of how his life had started. Found and raised by a bunch of prostitutes in a brothel, probably born to a peasant woman who couldn't feed any more mouths and had left him to float down the river to get rid of him.
That brothel and those women had given him a home and he couldn't even entertain the notion of losing them. As dysfunctional as they were, they were still the only family he'd ever known. His mind immediately flew to Lucy.
Oh, poor sweet Lucy…
He clenched his fists in anger, the image of the blade running against the skin of her fair throat forever engraved in his mind.
You are going to pay for that, you bastards…Every single one of you…
His pleasant mood from earlier in the morning completely ruined, he swore under his breath and tried to focus on the path before him. He still had to think about what his next move was going to be.
One does not simply decide to overthrow a King…
To be frank, their odds didn't seem all that good. What was their ragtag group supposed to do against the King's whole army? They all knew what Vortigern was capable of, and Arthur wasn't as naïve as Bedivere to believe that a single magic sword would save them. The was absolutely no doubt that the King already had all kinds of scoundrels after them. Blacklegs, bounty hunters, common townspeople in desperate need of coin…
We are depressingly outmatched…
His lips thinned grimly. This whole thing is going to be the death of me, I swear to Gods Old and New…
For just a moment, the thought of simply walking away from all of them crossed his troubled mind. It wouldn't be too hard. Right that moment, he could simply turn around and disappear into the woods. He'd eventually find his way to some village or town where he could ask for directions to the nearest port and from there he could just pose as sailor. He could leave Camelot and all this mess behind him forever. Granted, he'd never be free from King Vortigern's shadow, but he'd stand a chance. No one would know, not Bedivere, not Bill, not Percival.
She would know…That damn hellion would know…
He ran a hand through his disheveled hair, wishing, for the umpteenth time, that he could go back to when rowdy Vikings and drunk regulars at the brothel were his biggest problems. He kicked a stone as he walked, cursing his luck.
Well, he though humorlessly, look at the bright side, old chap. At least you have a magic sword. That has got to count-
Before he could react, an arm shot out and grabbed him, pulling him roughly behind the cover of a tree. A hand pressed against his mouth stopped him from crying out in alarm, and for a moment he feared that they'd been discovered.
"Stop struggling, princeling," a familiar voice hissed in his ear and he immediately allowed himself to relax at the sight of her bright green eyes. Her hand dropped from his mouth and despite his annoyance at being shoved around like a ragdoll, he smirked down at the woman, who was pressed up tightly against him.
"Came back for more, darling?" he said, hoping to ruffle her feathers once more, but his words turned to ashes in his mouth when he saw the deep frown on her face. "What's wrong, wench?"
"Shhh!" she demanded harshly and covered his mouth with her hand again. Still, she clearly noticed the question in his eyes, for she was quick to fill him in. "Blacklegs."
And it was at that moment, that Arthur's ears caught the sound of nocking arrows.
TBC
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