Hey Guys,
Some of you may have noticed that of course Sakura and Tatsuo have met more times when he was on ANBU duty, but that's classified information she better keeps to herself. Especially when the master of gossip, meaning a certain Yamanaka, is involved.
I'm really glad you like the story! We lost some readers on the way, but I think that's normal and I'm happy to greet the new ones. I hope you have fun reading my creation ;)
There will be some short stories as spin offs of the past (e.g. the SasuNaru part) and of the future (nope, I won't spoil you there now. Who knows where this story goes? Oh, yeah, well I know, but I won't tell you yet ;) ). I've already written down some plots, but I'm open for your personal suggestions. So, let me know if you're interested in any mentioned sidestory.
Have a nice day!
SquaMata
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45. Forlorn Hope
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"If you screw up, I'll hunt you down personally! Understood?"
The mysterious ANBU gulped nervously "Affirmative."
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"Dismissed!"
He put his white ANBU mask back on and bowed.
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Tsunade smirked devilishly and waved him out.
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Although Sakura was incredibly tired from her today's shift a very manipulative blonde Yamanaka managed to drag her to their weekly girl's night at their favourite bar with the girly cocktails. Tonight they wanted to celebrate with Temari. It was the first time that her only reason was to officially visit her beloved.
The girls were sitting in a booth as the fan wielder narrated the recent events and told them about her relationship with the intelligent Nara. Sakura had tuned out and watched the blonde bubbling full of happiness and hadn't been long ago that the only female sand sibling had turned 25 and on her official birthday party the kazekage had announced the bond between his sister and the Konoha-nin.
Sakura had been invited by Gaara personally and she had known exactly why beforehand. Temari and Shikamaru had been struck by surprise of his declaration and at first they had looked afraid of the council's reaction, but there had not been a single negative feedback. The pinkette noted they had looked the happiest two persons could ever look as they had shone in bliss. At that moment Sakura had decided it was time for her to make new experiences and to not hold back any longer on the past.
Someday she wanted to be as happy as the two of them, she wanted to find her soulmate and she wanted to break free from the feelings she had to bury deep inside. If that stubborn, neglecting copy-nin preferred to fight his attraction more than to confess and see together to how it would lead, he wasn't the right man for her anyway.
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She needed to get him out of her head.
. Her eyes wandered through the room.
She needed a distraction.
. Her eyes got distracted.
She needed a new experience to get over the recent past.
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Sakura took a sip of her fancy cocktail and coughed. "Dammit Ino, what's this?"
"It's called a chubby gummi bear."
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"Baah! That's exactly what it tastes like! I need some water. This thing gums my mouth up."
Remember to never let her choose drinks again!
Affirmative!
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The girl's chuckled as the pinkette went over to the bar.
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Yamato came to him chuckling as he pulled the sheets over his head and turned around in his bed.
"Fuck off. No!"
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"Get up." The calm jounin responded, laughing about the ghostly figure matching Sakura's description perfectly.
"I hate you all so much right now!" The ANBU murmured, he had just returned from another dangerous mission and wanted to get some sleep.
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"No, you know you don't." Yamato managed to pull the sheets off, revealing the younger man clad in sweatpants crouched in a weird foetal position.
The younger ANBU turned his head to scowl at him. "Ah, fuck you!"
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The former root ANBU smiled reassuringly at him "Come on! She's at the bar."
"Get the hell out of here! I'm not interested. Fuck off!" He tried to get the sheets back and fell out of his bed, elegant as a mighty beanbag.
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Yamato bit his tongue, he knew if he would burst into laughter now, he would never get him to go anywhere. "Stop ranting and let's go!"
The freshly sleep-interrupted ninja was sitting grumpily on the floor, he gave him a frustrated look as he crossed his arms over his chest. "How about no?"
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"Direct hokage orders. " Yamato stated as a matter of fact.
His answer was a simple sigh as the widely-unknown shinobi pinched the bridge of his even nose.
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"Take it as a chance to get over with. Come on, you can do this! You really need a distraction before you'll go on that mission." Yamato tried to push the right buttons.
The reflective young man raised a brow at him. "I also do need sleep, but I highly doubt you'll let me have some." He looked really weary.
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"Later." A sympathetic smile underlined his compassion for the other jounin.
The ghostly ninja sighed again, he closed his eyes and let his fingers stroke his chin absentmindedly. Seemingly he was contemplating his options, which was a good sign.
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Maybe he's right. I do need to get a few things clear. In fact it is a good opportunity. And by the way I really need to shave, that's way too much stubble.
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Chuckling he opened his eyes again and looked at the other ANBU, defeat clearly visible.
"Give me a minute." He stood up to gather some clothes then he disappeared into his bathroom.
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Sitting down onto the bed to wait Yamato shook his head and smirked.
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The two jounin went to the bar and sat down at the counter to order some drinks.
Tatsuo noticed her sitting in a booth on the other side of the bar chatting with the girls, he nodded at her friendly and she returned it.
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"Go and talk with her!" Yamato suggested.
"No." He murmured and took a sip of his beer.
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Whenever his eyes wandered around the bar unconsciously, their eyes met and they smiled at each other. Yamato laughed inwardly how visible their mutual attraction was, but neither of them took the first step.
The brown-haired ANBU with the stunning blue eyes chuckled as Sakura had to cough from that weird looking, colourful drink in front of her. Their eyes met again as she stood up and walked over to the bar.
Tatsuo averted his eyes, he didn't know why, but he was gravely afraid to talk with her.
He took a few deep breaths and sent the smirking guy next to him death glares.
You can do this!
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After a few moments he noticed with confusion she had not approached him, but he was sure he could hear her voice somewhere on the right side of the bar. His eyes found her standing there talking to the bar tender. Contrary to his expectations she wouldn't press him, instead she got a carafe full of water and a few glasses and happily made her way back to where her girls were waiting for her. At that moment he knew he was behaving like a complete idiot.
He decided to act mature and talk to her. Without a word to his companion he stood up and walked over to the girls' table.
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"Good evening, ladies! My name is Tatsuo. I'd like to ask if you'd be able to spare Sakura for a while?" Then he smiled at her. "That is assuming you want to spend some time with me."
The girls smiled at him, stunned by his sudden appearance.
"Great! What a coincidence! She was searching the whole area for…" A fire-red Sakura muted her blonde friend from babbling further.
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Tatsuo chuckled confidently, then his captive deep blue eyes found hers. "Should we go?"
The pinkette nodded and they left the bar to take a walk.
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The two ninjas were strolling around Konoha into the direction of the small park at the bottom of Hokage Mountain.
"I thought you would like to talk in private."
"Yeah, I didn't want to go to the bar tonight anyway. I had a very hard shift today and I was looking forward to an enjoyable evening at home on the couch with a good book and some sleep."
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The tall ANBU chuckled. "Well, seems like we had to share the same fate."
"Yamato?"
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He nodded. "That guy could be a pain in the ass sometimes. He basically dragged me to the bar."
"Really? I've never seen him acting that way."
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"Do you know him better?"
"He had been our substitute captain when Kakashi had been in hospital and we had some other mission together."
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He looked at her sheepishly. "Mhm, your team."
"Yep. Due to your reaction in the past I guess you know them all?"
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He pointed at a bench and they sat down.
"Don't laugh, but I was afraid. Your team consisted of the three big ANBU legends Hatake Kakashi, Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke. That's why I ran away. I know, it's stupid but I was afraid."
His eyes searched for eye-contact, he had an accusing look plastered on his face.
Inwardly Sakura laughed, there she was: a magnet for fleeing men. She knew there were rumours of how protective her teammates acted.
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"You have no idea how they act in ANBU headquarters whenever a guy sat an eye on you."
That made both of them laugh and the tension faded away.
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He told her that Kakashi had been his captain as he had joined ANBU, later Tatsuo became a captain himself and he knew Naruto because they had some missions together as she had already known.
"And Sasuke?"
"Well, I've met him once or twice in the fields." He found it unnecessary to inform her of the severe encounter with the Uchiha he had a few years prior.
Tatsuo noticed her shiver and offered her his jacket, which she gladly accepted.
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The handsome man continued to speak. It had been pure coincidence that Naruto had brought him to her as he had been injured during that one mission.
"The last thing I remember was the attack when I kicked ass like in a rush. Then I woke up in your apartment. It was a really strange experience by the way to wake up on your couch alone."
They both chuckled. He had a wonderful, capturing way to narrate, Sakura noted.
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"Naruto told me during one of our casual talks back then that you'd have to leave Konoha soon. I don't know the full story of you two, but I could put some pieces together and I didn't want to interfere in any way." He scrutinized her.
"What do you mean?"
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"Naruto's body language betrayed him as he told me about your leaving. I got the feeling there had been something between you two, but then he told me he got engaged and I heard he had married soon after you've left." Again he spared her the details. "I'm sorry, I know these things should be out of my concern, but… I don't know. I'm not good at these things. Let's say I was worried about you."
The pinkette could do nothing but smile and he returned it. He cares about me?
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Sakura told him a little about her mission and why she had agreed to go to Suna in the first place. She had wanted a new start, but it was her time to spare him the details now.
Tatsuo confessed to her that he was happy that she was back now.
In return he told her about his last mission and how tired he was of the hard missions. The worst thing was he'd have to leave tomorrow for a really cruel and dangerous one alone. He sighed and averted his wonderful blue eyes in deep thoughts.
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Probably a one way ticket.
Or just a hoax to get what he wants.
Do you really think he just wants to get into my pants?
Maybe?
But then he could have stayed that evening in my apartment instead of storming away.
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Sakura remembered the talk she once had with Genma that every shinobi was afraid before a hard mission. Most of ANBU work was s-class.
There was a long pause without getting uncomfortable, both were looking into the eyes of the other. She searched for honesty, he for understanding.
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Eventually both smiled in a silent agreement and slowly made first, hesitant body contact as their hands found together and their fingers carefully interwove.
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Tatsuo whispered "I'm sorry I had to leave and will have to."
"Shhhhh." Sakura gently pulled him closer and their lips met.
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Their sweet kiss confirmed her that he had told the truth.
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With burning eyes he leered down at her, anticipation was written all over her face. Her green eyes roamed longingly over his excellent body, from his handsome face over his chiselled abs to the very impressive bulge hidden inside of his black boxers and hesitantly they moved back up only to get lost in his own passionate eyes again. The silent approval was all he needed.
Tantalizing slowly Tatsuo walked over to cover her awaiting body with his. He leaned down to capture her lips in a deep, inflaming kiss which earned him a welcoming moan.
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Between heated kisses and the beginning of gentle wandering hands he managed to say "I've wanted to do that for a long while now."
Deep blue met emerald. "I know, me too."
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Their bodies started to move softly against each other, creating lovely friction. It didn't take long and the few remaining items of clothes, her bra and panties, his boxers, became an annoyance. The tall jounin chuckled as she squirmed underneath him, desperate for more. He kissed her neck as one hand found its way to her upper back while she supported his move with a little bend upwards. Skilfully he unclasped the hooks in no time and threw the unnerving garment across the room. Before Sakura could laugh about his rushing move he had sealed her lips with his in another earth-crushing kiss.
Tatsuo handled her with so much passion, her whole body tingled and by his appearance she doubted he wouldn't feel the same. He was pure male, giving her exactly what she craved for, making her shiver, prolonging her sensations and tantalizing her senses. The young ANBU was a master of what he did and to all appearance he loved what he did to her. It was obvious he wanted her to enjoy their night as much as he did. The pinkette felt like he had set every nerve on fire and it was driving her insane. She had never thought occasional sex could be that good.
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The brown-haired ANBU had noticed during he had given her oral pleasure she had came after she had taken a quick look at him. Maybe she needed to know he was there for real. Sheeted deep inside of her now he could feel her walls had already started to shake around him, but it seemed she couldn't cut the last string. He decided to give it a try.
Tatsuo stilled his movements for a second. Disappointed of the sudden loss of friction she squirmed desperately underneath him. The gorgeous male changed the angle in the slightest with a hand on her bottom to keep her in place and continued the heated motions of his hips.
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"Sakura, look at me!"
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The pinkette opened her dazed eyes and met his.
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With their eyes still locked he panted "Just .. let .. go" between hard thrusts.
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His lust filled look was the last thing she needed and she came hard with a loud cry.
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As she had come down from her height he altered their position and found his own release in white bliss.
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They were laying there with their bodies entangled for a while relishing in sweet aftermath.
Sakura noted how she loved his wonderful scent, it was both familiar and new. Her hands touched his soft skin with hard muscle underneath, it was fascinating. His beautiful face, the masculine features, the deep blue eyes to get lost into and the beautiful, contented smile made her wonder why this divine specimen wasn't taken already. She knew he had to be intelligent and very capable to join the elite, and she had experienced by now that he was gifted with other very usefuls abilities too.
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It must be his profession.
Quite likely, yes. Sadly ANBU have a highly complicated and often very lonely life.
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Then her fingers found a light scar where his neck met his right shoulder. That had been a pretty bad wound. She could only imagine how much pain that injury had caused him. At least it was well-healed and obviously it had been aided by a good medic. It looked familiar in some way, but she couldn't put it into the right context. The dimmed light didn't help either, but she was sure she had seen it before.
Probably at the hospital.
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Sakura took in the beautiful sight of the man lying next to her in post-coital relaxation.
His fingers touched the scar on her stomach softly and caressed the cauterization on her right upper arm she had earned during the war. Though it was almost invisible by now, the texture of it wasn't a pleasant experience to feel. The pinkette took a sharp breath and held it, prepared for the worst reaction.
Strangely his fingers didn't shy away and his dreamy look didn't change into a disgusted or pitiful one.
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Contrary to the ordinary her injuries didn't repel him in the slightest, he seemed to acknowledge her combat action instead. That was new for her, normally men didn't find battle scars on women attractive. That had been the reason why she had been spending months on healing her corrosive injury and day by day, week by week, month by month it had gotten better but she had to learn to live with the fact that the scar would always remain there. Healing jutsu could only help to prevent the worst, but it could never undo the entire damage like nothing had ever happened.
Mended pieces together would never be the same as the original state, sadly she had learned that the hard way at her own body and her soul.
The kind young man smiled at her while he pulled her close to kiss her lips briefly before he applied a path of sweet pecks from her chin to her ear and neck, down over the scar of her arm only to look her deep in the eye as he set his tousled head right next to hers. Their eyes locked as he gently put her hand in his and kissed it reassuringly. Apparently he had noticed her inner turmoil, but he had been sensitive enough to skip comments.
Although they hadn't known each other long enough, it seemed that he could read her like a book and knew exactly what she preferred. It was so easy for her to be in his presence, she felt safe and eased like they were good friends. Her thoughts drifted off to a passage of a book she had read during her stay in Suna.
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We don't meet people by accident.
They are meant to cross our path for a reason.
Some will stay, some will leave after a while.
Some will say there are soulmates.
A soulmate is the only one that can complete your soul.
A soulmate needs you to complete his own.
They say if you find your soulmate you will know.
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Soulmates…
Hahaha pretty far-fetched, don't you think?
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For a brief second a flash of silver swirled through her mind, but neither Sakura nor inner-Sakura seemed to care. Over the last months they had perfected to just ignore something like that.
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I guess you're right. I got lost in the perfectness of the moment.
Make him remember that night as much as you will.
Likely he won't come back from that mission.
There's still a possibility, you know.
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The pinkette caught his lips with hers and pressed her body close to his. Skin on skin, it felt too good.
The sweet seductress let her tongue travel over the three scars on his marvellous torso of the injuries she had once healed as he had been brought wounded to her apartment. Slowly she descended. She wanted him to enjoy this night as much as she had and his lustful moans confirmed her he would as her lips closed gently around his impressive manhood.
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They both didn't know how they had ended up in a night full of passion at her place, but it was okay for them both. After her mission she needed some time to breathe and unwind, it had all been too intense. Sakura wanted him for comfort and he couldn't deny her that. After all he had been in a similar situation. Tatsuo needed understanding and the feeling to be wanted not only for his body or rank. They had been attracted to each other from the start and hey, they had finally met again, so it was fate right?
Their simple one night stand happened at the right moment. Both were not seeking a relationship, at least not now, and the appetence for each other had suddenly become unbearable, so why not?
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Contentedly she fell asleep on his warm, brawny chest. Tatsuo relished in the feeling of the delicate body of the powerful kunoichi pressed to his. Finally he could get some vitally needed sleep and it would be so much more pleasant than it would have been alone in his own bed. He felt strong enough now to go onto that mission.
She gave him hope and a reason to return.
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As the first sunrays kissed her skin through the window Sakura woke up. Taking a quick look around she knew he was gone. Again he had left her a rose and a letter, this time on her nightstand. The pinkette stared into the distance and wondered where he was heading to.
She knew by dawn he had gone on that solo mission from which he would probably never return. Most ninja would have to face such a fate sooner or later.
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The words written into the neatly folded paper confirmed her assumption that he thought the same.
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Death is an essential part of life.
There is no life without death, but you must have been alive before you could die.
Live everyday like it is your last.
T
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The crestfallen kunoichi told herself it was okay, together they had spent a wonderful night to remember with much affection and no regrets. Also there was still a possibility he would return. She smiled, though one single tear slowly forced its way down her cheek.
This was the cruel life of a shinobi.