Chapter 27. Ukiyo Pt. 1

"What is the purpose of life but to seek one's own pleasure?

|3rd Person|

"Thank you for today." Sakura said as the two walked towards Sasori's car, "I really needed to get outside, at least for a little bit."

Sasori took her hand in his and gave her a light smile, "No problem. I'm here for ya anytime."

In order to climb into their respective seats, the two separated once they'd arrived at his car, and soon after Sasori put the car in drive and pulled out onto the road. He draped his hand on the shared arm rest between them and when Sakura lightly traced his fingers, Sasori took the hint to rejoin their hands.

He rubbed his thumb into the back of her hand relaxingly and the two shared a look as they came to a red light. After a few seconds of sitting there, Sasori cleared his throat and Sakura straightened up.

"So, I've been thinkin'—"

"Sasori, I was wondering—"

A pause followed as the two realized they had spoken at the same time, and Sakura laughed before waving for Sasori to go ahead.

"I've been thinkin' 'bout it and I realized I ain't do the proper thing back there in the museum." Sakura gave him a blank look and Sasori went on to elaborate, "When ya were tellin' me 'bout what was on yer mind, I was so focused on tryna cheer ya up, I forgot that the reason ya called on me was probably ta talk. So, if there's anythin' ya feel like sharin', I'm all ears."

Sakura squeezed his hand and faced forward as the light turned green, "…You're gonna think I'm crazy but a lot of things have been happening around me, happening to the people I care about and I kinda feel like I'm—"

"Cursed?" Sasori finished for her, and she nodded.

"My—Someone told me that I'm overreacting and that it's just life playing out, but if that's the case then why is—?" Her voice broke as she teared up, "Why is it that everyone I love suffers?"

Sasori exhaled heavily, "I ain't got an answer for ya, Sakura-san. I ain't so insensitive to say that's life, but yer takin' a huge burden on your shoulders. Yer not Kami and yer not a hero, so it ain't yer fault if things happen ta people. Ya just gotta keep yer head up and make the most of the time ya have now."

"But I can't." Sakura choked out with a shake of her head, "I…I have this fear that the more time I spend with people, the worse their luck gets, and when that cup eventually fills up…"

She let her words trail off and it became apparent what supposedly lay in store for those who associated themselves with her.

Sasori glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, "...Is that why ya invited me? So even if somethin' happened ta me, it wouldn't matter 'cause we ain't that close?"

Sakura quickly turned to him and refuted his claims, "No, Kami, no. I invited you because I wanted peace, and you give me that."

"More than Naruto?" He didn't mask his skepticism as he eyed her, "If ya really wanted peace, shouldn't he be the one with ya right now?"

She looked down, "I—He's with his kids."

"So I was yer second choice." Sasori nodded, "I see."

The car grew silent as that last statement hung in the air but despite the obvious tension between them, their hands remained linked.

Sakura spoke again as Sasori merged onto the freeway, "…I was going to ask you what you think of me."

"What I think of ya?" Sasori repeated, not completely understanding the question, and Sakura did her best to clarify.

"As in, what am I to you?" She looked down at their hands as she said this, "Do you really see me as just a friend?"

"Just a...?" Sasori trailed off as her questioning became clear, and he shook his head before laughing, "Yer incredible, ya know that, Sakura-san? Really one of a kind."

"What are you trying to say?" Her strength returned to her voice as she recognized the insulting insinuation.

Sasori lifted their entwined hands and squeezed, "Look at this! Yer the one who's been givin' me mixed signals since we first met, and yer askin' me if I see ya as more than just a friend? If anythin', I should be the one askin' ya that!"

Sakura blinked, becoming increasingly uneasy as the situation was flipped on her, "W-What?"

"Ya heard me." He insisted, turning to look her square in the face as traffic caused the car to inevitably stop, "What am I to ya?"

"You're a—"

"When ya look at me, do ya think good things or bad things?" Sasori interrupted her, bridging the gap between them subtly, "What exactly do ya want from me?"

"I-I…" Sakura stammered as Sasori leaned forward, "I don't…"

Sasori's face was dangerously close to her own, but just when it seemed like Sasori might join their lips, he furrowed his eyebrows and pulled away.

"When I first met ya, I thought ya were pretty, sure. Then I saw the weddin' ring on yer finger and figured ya were taken, just to find out that ya had a thing with Naruto." He shook his head, "I like ya, Sakura-san. Things are fine as friends but if ya wanted ta take things further, I wouldn't say no."

Sakura shook her head, "But…no. I have Naruto, and I…I love him."

At this, Sasori blew a breath of hot air from his nostrils, "Love? That's rich. All it took was a couple hookups and ya decided he was the one? Come on, Sakura-san; I expected better from ya."

"It wasn't just the sex." Sakura countered as traffic began to ease up and the car began to roll, "He loves me, and whenever I'm not feeling good, he tries to take care of me."

"How?" Sasori challenged, letting go of her hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, "Does he take ya on dates?"

"Well, one time we—"

"Does he try to spend time with ya whenever he's free?" Sasori continued.

"I mean, he just—"

"For Kami's sake, Sakura." Sasori dropped the honorific as he looked at her exasperatedly, "I've done more for ya in our friendship than he has as yer boyfriend. Lover. Whatever ya wanna call him."

Sakura bit her lip and let Sasori get all his thoughts out.

"If I'm being honest, ya might as well be fuck buddies 'cause that's all ya manage to do together: fuck. Now I ain't judgin' ya for what ya do, that's yer body, yer life, but if yer gonna reject me don't say it's 'cause ya love him when ya don't."

Sakura didn't respond, and instead opted to shut her eyes and lean against the window, away from Sasori. He spared her another look before sighing and returning his full attention to driving. The two didn't speak again until they were down the road from Sakura's house, and it was only as Sasori turned onto her street that Sakura shifted.

"So what should I do?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, "Should I break up with him?"

Sasori shook his head, "Yer a grown woman and ya want me ta tell ya what ta do?"

"…Would that be such a bad thing?" She mused with a weak voice, turning to look at him, "After all, every choice I make seems to be the wrong one."

"…Fucking hell." Sasori loosened his grip on the steering wheel and rubbed his jaw with one hand, "Alright so break up with Naruto and go out with me instead. I'll treat ya right, and I ain't got kids or an ex-wife so I'll always have time for ya."

Sakura stiffened at the suggestion and Sasori hummed attentively, "See, ya know what decision not ta make."

"I don't, I just—"

"For Kami's sake, Sakura-san." Sasori let out a heavy breath as he parked in front of Sakura's garage, "Maybe the right decision is to be alone for a bit."

Sakura unbuckled her seatbelt and turned to him with a pitiful look, "What do you mean?"

"If ya just told me that ya love him but ya ain't tryin' yer hardest to convince me of that, maybe ya don't really love him." Sasori expanded, much to Sakura's dismay, "I gotta run but ya know my number; call me when ya want."

"Sasori, wait." Sakura called his name just as he switched the car back into drive, "I—Are we still friends?"

Sasori pinched his eyes and gave her an unsettling smile, "If that's what ya want us to be."

With that, Sasori drove off, leaving Sakura just outside of her house. After watching his car turn down the road and out of sight, she turned to her walkway and froze. There on her front steps sat Naruto with a baseball cap pulled down over his eyes.

As she approached him, his chest heaved up and down slowly, and it became apparent that he had fallen asleep. She bent down to tap him on the shoulder, but to no surprise, Naruto didn't stir. The next few similar pats proved equally futile, and it was only a somewhat strong slap to the face that managed to rouse Naruto from his slumber.

Blinking away any traces of his sleep, he looked up at her, "Hngh…Sakura-chan?"

She nodded and tears welled up in her eyes, much to Naruto's alarm. He quickly shot up to his feet and held her with one hand.

"Daijōbu?" Naruto asked her as he swiped a thumb under her eyes.

Sakura shook her head, unable to say anything as the tears ran down her face, and Naruto pulled her into a tight embrace before patting her back soothingly.

"Let's go inside." He suggested after a moment of comforting her.

With a sniffle, Sakura stepped back from him to take out her house keys and after unlocking the front door, the two of them went into the house.

|Sasuke|

When I came out of the bathroom, I wasn't particularly miffed to find that Karin had disappeared. If anything, I actually was a bit thankful. Any time that I had to myself in order to get my story straight would be a godsend, and it was clear that Kami seemed to be favoring me for the moment.

Karin was no idiot, and she definitely wasn't willing to overlook any inconsistencies if I happened to present them to her. No, if she had any questions, I had to make sure that my answers were airtight and left no room for doubt or suspicion.

After changing into some casual wear, I went over to my jacket and patted down my pockets to check for anything important. I felt something hard in my left pocket and reached in, only to pull out Shojoji's Cuban link, still somewhat bloodstained. I wiped it down before opening one of my drawers and dropping it into the back, packing a bunch of clothing on top of it just to be safe.

The smarter option would've been to discard it, give it to Kakuzu and have it melted down or sold for a profit, but as twisted as it was to admit, I couldn't give up my trophy so easily. The necklace would serve to be a reminder as much as it was a spoil of war.

Shutting the drawer, I checked around the room once more just to make sure Karin hadn't left a note explaining where she would be going. Her random disappearances tended to span for more than hours at a time and seeing as how an hour had passed and she'd yet to return, I considered this one of those instances.

I'd been able to run down, grab lunch, chat with Zetsu, and verbally spar with Orochimaru. If I had enough time to do all that, I could definitely conjure up a story that would have Karin sold.

I fell onto the couch and turned on the TV before lifting a hand to my head. As newscasters blabbed on about The Six' press conference, my phone buzzed, and I switched it on to see that I'd received a message from Suigetsu.

Glad everything worked out today. Hopefully we'll have more jobs together in the future.

I shut my eyes as I recalled the events of the day.

"My name is Fujikage Toshiaki." I introduced myself as the butler walked away, "You might know of me."

Shojoji waved his hand dismissively as he lifted a beer to his lips, "The name doesn't ring a bell."

"Really?" I held my hands behind my back, "That's interesting seeing as how you raped my wife last month. Her name is Fujikage Misaki."

Shojoji swallowed hard as he set the beer down, and I watched as the indifferent expression on his face morphed into something more fitting: fear.

Collecting himself, Shojoji wiped his mouth before trying to maintain a nonchalant attitude, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

I chuckled as I leaned forward, "Maybe these two will help you remember."

Just as I finished speaking, Suigetsu and Jūgo stepped into the living room beside me, and they removed their hoods. Shojoji no longer had it in him to play dumb as he recognized his two assailants, and he immediately leaned forward to call for someone.

"Don't bother." I sneered as I approached him, "Nobody's going to save you."

I pushed Shojoji back into the chair as he tried to get up, and Suigetsu and Jūgo quickly moved to hold him down by his shoulders.

"When they told me that they'd castrated you for what you did to her," I began as I brought out a switchblade from my back pocket, "I immediately wished they would've killed you. It took me a month, but I'm here to finish the job myself."

"W-Wait!" Shojoji begged as I pressed the switchblade to his stomach, "You don't have to do this. I'll give you anything; money, jewels, property...! I-I'll disappear, and you won't ever have to see me again."

I sliced up from his stomach to his sternum and stopped just short of his Cuban link. Shojoji howled and jerked at the sting from the cut, and I nodded my head to Jūgo who then tightened his right hand into a fist and punched Shojoji square in the jaw.

Shojoji's head fell to the side as he undoubtedly lost his bearings from the sharp jab, and I slapped his cheek to keep him centered.

"You're right about one thing." I told him with a nod as I held the switchblade over his left thigh, "I won't ever see you again, and neither will anyone else."

I finished off my statement by stabbing his thigh with as much force as I could muster. Shojoji bellowed in pain, and I furrowed my eyebrows as his voice grew louder.

"I didn't say it would be quick, did I?" I dug the blade deeper into his leg and dragged it down to his knee, fighting my way through taut muscles and tissue, "And I didn't say it would be painless."

"Please!" Shojoji screamed as I twisted the knife around in his leg.

I removed the knife after a few seconds of holding in it place, just to do the exact same thing to his other leg.

"I'll be honest with you, Shojoji." I said into his ear as I removed the blade from his thigh and wiped it on his shirt, "We're gonna be here for a while."

The next four hours were spent methodically cutting him until he was at his wits end. If he passed out, Suigetsu and Jūgo knew techniques to wake him back up and considering how none of my cuts were too deep, Shojoji had no chance of dying from blood loss.

With each passing minute, I felt my anger grow more and more until I was utterly consumed by it, and before I knew it, I had plunged the knife into the side of his neck and dragged it across his throat, essentially killing him.

Jūgo handed me Shojoji's Cuban link, "Here."

Suigetsu slapped me on the back as I took the necklace, "Not bad for your first torture session. If I didn't know better, I'd say you were a pro."

"Arigato…" I nodded absentmindedly as I stared at Shojoji's desecrated corpse, and I had to bite back my vomit as I was confronted with my crime.

I'd seen dead bodies before, ones worse off than this, but those deaths had never been caused by my hand. And what made me sick wasn't so much the fact that I had done it, but the fact that I didn't regret it. Even as I watched Suigetsu and Jūgo begin to clean up the inevitable mess that had been made, my mind was suggesting ways I could've extended the torture, ways to cut him that would've made him scream for mercy.

I held a hand to my head and muttered to myself to get a grip before going off to look for Tsukiyo.

Four more hours were dedicated to sorting out the transferal of Shojoji's assets to the Akatsuki, most notably the grand Flaming Fox Casino which Otafuku boasted as being the number one casino in the region.

Even though he was Shojoji's lieutenant, Tsukiyo didn't seem the least bit bothered after learning that his boss was no longer living and instead volunteered a cheer for the death of the "smelly bastard."

"As long as I get my pay, I could give a rat's ass about him." Tsukiyo laughed.

He was a big help in finding all the deeds and titles to the various businesses and properties under Shojoji's control, and once I was sure that the Flaming fox Casino documents were in my possession, I called Pain and informed him of the good news.

"Excellent." Pain pleasantly commended me, "Well done, Toshiaki."

"It's all thanks to you, Oyabun." I lowered my voice as I said the next few words, "Thank you for agreeing to this. As risky as it was, you let me do it anyway."

"Nonsense." I could envision Pain shaking his head, "When we first met, you told me you wanted your wife to be safe. This is just you keeping your word."

I hung up soon after, and by that time Suigetsu and Jūgo had finished disposing of Shojoji's body, and the three of us hopped back into Suigetsu's black mustang before heading back to the Akatsuki compound. It was only by chance that Karin happened to be downstairs as I returned, and I was glad that I had given her a passionate kiss before heading into the shower.

It was a manipulation tactic, and I wasn't proud of it, but it laid the foundations for an escape route should some of her questions start to hit a little too close to home. Seeing as how she hadn't shied away from the affection; it was safe to say that I could definitely swoop her into another makeout session and not have to worry about triggering any negative responses.

"Fuck, do you hear yourself?" I mumbled under my breath as I stood up, "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

I wasn't supposed to be perfecting my manipulation techniques, I was supposed to be thinking of a cover story.

It technically wouldn't be a lie if I told her that I'd been out all day handling sudden business changes for Pain but explaining Suigetsu and Jūgo's involvement would be the tricky part. I had told her that we'd collected some debts from Pain's associates, so the only fitting role those two could play in this situation would be as muscle heads.

It made sense, it was believable, but it would ultimately lead to Karin asking if anyone had been hurt or killed. I would have to lie to her, as much as it pained me to, and we would just have to see.

For a second, I considered telling the truth, but quickly dashed the thought as I remembered how combative and hostile she had been after I had killed Daibutsu. Granted, he hadn't deserved the death and Karin had been working on saving him, but her attitude towards murder in general remained the same: don't do it.

Even if I managed to get her to listen long enough so that I could explain that I had done it for her, she would definitely distance herself from me, and that was the last thing I needed. Not after we'd made so much progress, not when things were just starting to look up.

A knock at my door interrupted my thoughts, and I stood up to answer it, wondering if it was Karin who had somehow locked herself out.

My assumption was turned on its head as I opened the door to find Deidara and Sasori out in the hallway. Deidara had one hand around Sasori's shoulder and the other was occupied with a bottle of Shochu.

"Toshiaki-san, help a brother out!" Deidara laughed as he motioned to the clearly unhappy Sasori, "Scorpion here got dumped, hm."

"Dumped?" I raised an eyebrow as I left them at the door, searching for my slippers around the room, "By who?"

"Sakura-san, of course!" Deidara reminded me, "Well, the way Sasori told it, he basically told her to fuck off, but he's feeling bad about it so we're drinking his pain away."

Sasori sighed as I returned to them, slippers on and keys in hand, "It really ain't that serious…"

"Nonsense!" Deidara yanked me out into the hallway, shutting the door behind me before I could change my mind, "When you go through a breakup, your buddies should be there for you, hm."

I tilted my head as Deidara led us down the hall, "But I thought Sakura was seeing the fire chief?"

"You gotta hear the story." Deidara laughed as we reached the elevator, "By the end of today, Sakura-san's might just be done with both of them, hm."

I scratched my head as we stepped inside the elevator and wondered what exactly I was going to hear. I found that Deidara was leading to the mess hall and after grabbing a crate full of beers from one of the cooks, we took a seat at the Gedō table and listened to Sasori as he retold his last conversation with Sakura.

As it turned out, Sasori had managed to cause Sakura to have doubts about her relationship with Naruto. From his recollection, it seemed as though Naruto and Sakura's relationship had started out purely physically but recently morphed into something more intimate.

"You said the wrong thing, Scorpion." Deidara shook his head as he cracked open another beer and handed it to me, "You should've told her that you wanted to be more than friends, and that if she didn't accept, she would never see you again, hm."

"So, blackmail?" Sasori rolled his eyes as I lifted the beer to my lips.

"Not necessarily." I corrected once I had taken a few solid gulps, "More like coercion, and that's one step away from outright forcing her."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Deidara threw his hands up, "You're making it sound way worse than I meant it. I'm just saying that since he told her he'll be friends with her if she wants, she's gonna hold him to that box until she and the fire chief break up."

"…Will they?" I turned to Sasori after a moment, trying not to seem too interested in the story.

"Hard ta say." Sasori shrugged his shoulders, "Sakura-chan's goin' through a rough patch with her mother dyin', and she's somehow got it into her head that she's the reason why bad things happen to people so if Naruto doesn't wise up and say somethin' to reassure her, she might really end things with him."

Deidara shook his head and sighed, "Poor lady. Where's her husband during all this?"

Sasori answered as I took another swig of my beer, "Ya know KPD's working their ass off to find us, and the inside guy said that everybody's gotta work crazy hours to combat all the crime. Her husband ain't no beat cop either, so he probably got the shortest end of the stick. Wouldn't be surprised if Sakura told me she ain't seen him in weeks."

"Damn." Deidara held his head in his hand before turning to me, "What do you think, Toshiaki-san? If you were in her husband's shoes, could you be away from her for that long?"

I swallowed hard as the question hit harder than they would understand, and I did my best to keep my voice level, "If the job calls for it. Let's say Pain told me I was supposed to head to Ame for the next five months by myself. I can't exactly say no, can I?"

"Yeah but…" Deidara blew a raspberry as he tapped the table, "What about Misaki-san? She's just supposed to sit and wait for you?"

I nodded my head, "Not really any other option, is there?"

Sasori set his head down on the table and groaned, "For once in yer life, yer right, Deidara. Sakura-san's gonna hate me now."

"See?" Deidara pointed, happily switching subjects, "I told you! You should've just fucked her the first chance you got, then maybe you wouldn't have—"

"Dumbass, I told ya we're just friends!" Sasori cut him off, lifting his face from the table.

"If you're just friends then why did you tell her—"

"I don't know!" Sasori slammed his fists on the table, grinding his teeth, "I just don't know!"

Things got quiet between us three and I cracked open another beer can and tossed it back.

"Fuck, it's like…" Sasori took a moment to think, "It's like, I enjoy her company, ya know? I want ta be around her and stuff, and she's pretty enough that I can see myself takin' her ta a hotel and doin' the deed, but whenever she opens up to me I…I get cold feet. Like, how can I think about fuckin' this lady when she's givin' me her heart?"

Deidara snickered, "Meanwhile she's getting plowed by your mutual friend."

"Ya don't get it." Sasori shook his head, standing up, "It's fine, I ain't expect ya to."

"Wait, Scorpion!" Deidara called after Sasori as he made for the mess hall exit, "I was just kidding!"

Sasori flicked him off before leaving and Deidara sighed before looking at me, "So, Toshiaki-san? Any plans for the evening?"

I stretched as I stood up and lied between my teeth, "Misaki and I were gonna watch a movie together, but she got called to do something. I think I'll head upstairs and wait for her to get back."

Deidara blew another raspberry and held up a thumbs down, "Fuck you guys!"

I spent the ride up to my room ingrained in my thoughts. The knowledge that Sakura might be breaking up with Naruto pleased me, but I immediately felt guilty at taking pleasure in what would undoubtedly be a painful division.

As much as I wanted to put my whole heart into Karin's hands and look to the future, I couldn't. Not when there was so much anguish and unresolved trauma between me and Sakura. I cared for Karin, I really did, but I couldn't go so far as to say I loved her when my wife and the mother of my child was still reeling from the pain I had caused her.

'And she could've been the mother of my children if I hadn't…' I swiped my hands down my face and sighed as the room door shut behind me.

"Shit…" I mumbled as I sank into the couch and shut my eyes, the events of Suna coming to mind, "Sasuke, you're still a piece of shit."

|Naruto|

"Come on, Sakura-chan." I encouraged her as she continued to roll her hips in circles, "You're doing so good, ya know."

I rocked up into her as her movements came to a slow and she fell forward, bracing her hands on my abdomen to keep from collapsing on me. A sharp gasp escaped her as I swiped my thumb across her clit and she whined, "Naruto..."

"You're almost there." I reminded her as I sat up, pulling one of her nipples into my mouth and speaking around it, "Want me to help you?"

She nodded and I gave her breast a bite before moving her left hand onto my thigh and placing her right hand on my shoulder.

"Up..." I murmured against her chest as she shakily raised her hips, "Down..."

She sank back down onto my length and a wanton moan tumbled from her lips. Her hand dug into my shoulder as she pressed her forehead against mine, and our mouths hung open as we groaned in sync at the shared sensations. When I felt her walls flutter around me, I took note of a certain spot and did my best to grind myself against it on her next drop.

The following whimpers told me she was close, and I held her hip with my hand before lifting my head up to kiss her.

"Are you gonna cum, Sakura-chan?" I whispered against her lips as I tried to tug her further down onto me.

She quickly nodded her head before moaning again and I chuckled, "Good."

Planting my legs into the mattress, I held onto her hip with more strength and thrust myself up into her. With one hand out of commission, I couldn't go as fast as I would've liked, but I still seemed to be putting in work as Sakura soon clamped down around my member.

She let out a guttural moan as she reached her peak, and I stilled myself, expecting her to collapse after having climaxed. Instead, she continued to grind against me, still chasing some sort of stimulation as she came down from her high.

I hadn't cum yet and I would've sought another form of release if she hadn't continued her motions, but as things stood, she clearly wasn't satisfied. If that was the case, who was I to deny myself the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone?

I removed myself from Sakura and pushed her back onto the bed. Her emerald-green eyes were dark with desire, and I bit back a growl as she spread her legs invitingly.

"That wasn't enough for you, was it?" I grabbed one of her legs and yanked her closer before dipping my fingers into her heat, "Of course it wasn't, nothing's ever enough for you, ne Sakura-chan?"

She stifled a whine as I plunged two of my fingers into her, curling them up against that one ridge amongst her walls. As expected, she arched her back right off the bed, and I pressed my palm against her bud as I continued to torture that spot inside her. She let out incoherent noises of pleasure as her slick pooled in my hand, and I pushed a third finger inside of her.

My length throbbed as she tightened around my fingers, and I rammed them into her a few more times before pulling my hand up and pressing my fingers to her mouth. Sakura licked them clean as she moaned around them, and I laughed.

"Such a greedy woman." I pressed my fingers down on her tongue, watching saliva run over her lips, "Now, turn around."

Sakura obeyed my command and got on her hands and knees before lowering her face to the sheets and lifting her ass into the air. She silently told me to get on with it as she wiggled her hips, and I led my tip to her entrance before digging my hand into her hair.

I gradually pressed my length into her and once her heat was flush against me, I deliberately pulled my hips back at a slowly infuriating speed, causing Sakura to whine in protest. When all that remained inside her was the tip, I massaged Sakura's scalp and chuckled.

"Maybe we should call it quits for today." I teased her, jostling my tip around her entrance, "You can manage by yourself, ne?"

"N-No, please...!" Sakura begged, although her voice was a bit muffled by the sheets.

I gently pulled her head up so I could hear her voice clearly as I continued to taunt her, "Are you sure? Don't you want to rest?"

Sakura pushed her hips backwards in an attempt to get me back inside, but I simply moved back just enough so that any moves she made would be ineffective.

"Please, Naruto." She whimpered as my length pulsed against her, and I grinned.

"Please what?" I leaned forward, reveling in the shiver that traced her body at the change in position.

Sakura looked over her shoulder and mewled her plea, "Please fuck me."

"Is that all?" I questioned as I slowly reentered her, resuming the teasing, "I was doing that before, ya know."

She shook her head, her hands clutching at the sheets as my torturous provocations continued, "I—I want..."

"You want?" I lowered my voice as she fully enveloped me, "What do you want from me, Sakura-chan?"

With a hard swallow, Sakura looked over her shoulder and regarded me square in the eyes, "I want to cum, Naruto. I want you to make me cum. Please."

I pulled out of her halfway before quickly snapping my hips forward and a wail tore through her as I reared back for another slam, "That wasn't so hard."

"More..." She moaned with a gasp as I thrusted into her, "Kami, more..."

I made sure I had a firm grip in her hair before yanking her head enough to make her arch her back in such a way that I found myself going deeper than I thought previously able with my limitations. She yelped at the sudden motion combined with the new feeling from the change in angle. I soon dropped my hand from her hair to around her throat and pulled her up so that I could look into her eyes as I ravaged her.

"More?" I grunted as I pounded into her, "We haven't even started and you're asking for more?"

I tightened my grip on her neck and hissed as I felt her walls clench around me. For a moment, I faltered, wondering if I was holding her too tightly but my doubt was soon assuaged as Sakura lifted a reassuring hand to my wrist and encouraged me by pressing my hand even firmer against her throat.

'That's right.' I thought to myself as I obliged with her silent request, 'She knows the safe word.'

The knowledge that she was not frail, that she wouldn't need me to pause our indulgences in order to check on her wellbeing did something to me, and I found my balls tightening as I was pushed to my peak.

With a groan, I squeezed her neck as I emptied myself inside her, and I ended up falling back before I was completely finished. Sakura fell with me, and exhaustion began to swim through my body as the last few spurts of cum came out. She was resting directly on my injured arm, but the pain was nothing compared to the euphoric sensation warming within me.

However, I was aware of Sakura's walls contracting around my limpening length and sought to keep my promise about getting her off. I would have to do it quickly, if I found myself getting hard again, there was no telling when this would end.

My hand returned to her heat, and I pinched and twisted her sensitive bud, smiling as she jerked at my touch.

"You wanted more, ne?" I taunted her as I roughly rubbed her clit, biting her earlobe while I attacked her bud, "You like it when I touch you like this?"

She whimpered as she leaned her head back against my shoulder and I pinched her clit in between my thumb and index finger, "Answer me, Sakura-chan."

"Y-Yes!" She stuttered as she arched back off me.

I scratched my nails against her inner thigh before stilling my hand as I continued to tantalize her, "Yes what?"

"Yes, I..." Sakura shut her eyes as I pressed the tips of my fingers into her, "I like how you touch me."

"Is that so?" I kissed her shoulder, "You sure you wouldn't want anyone else touching you?"

"No one—" Sakura mewled as I flicked her pulsing nub with my thumb, "No one else...!"

"Why?" I asked as I drove my fingers into her, "Why am I the only one?"

"Because I—" She cut herself off as I suddenly increased the tempo, "I love you!"

Her core held onto my fingers with a vice-like grip, but I pressed my digits into her anyways and continued to finger her into oblivion.

"I love you, Naruto!" Sakura wailed as her walls spasmed around me, and she quaked as she came.

"I love you..." She repeated weakly once her tremors had subsided, turning back to peek at me with half-lidded eyes, "So much..."

I lightly pecked her lips and flicked my tongue over hers before driving my fingers back into her, "If you love me then you'll give me one more."

Sakura tossed her head back as incoherent moans tumbled from her mouth due to the overstimulation, and I thumbed her clit faster. One of her hands wrapped around my wrist as if to tug me away from her but its grip slackened once I spread my fingers inside her.

"C-Can't!" She stammered as tears came to her eyes, "It hurts!"

"Sakura-chan. Sakura-chan, look at me." I urged her as I continued to finger her, "You can do this."

Tears streamed down her face and her green eyes shined with the glaze of the tears pooled in them, "Nonono, I can't...! I can't!"

I curled my fingers until they were directly pressing against her front wall, and she lurched, "Then say the word."

My pace came to a slow as I waited for her to pull the plug on everything. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were starting to turn red from her tears, but Sakura made no move to say the word. With a grin, I resumed my punishing speed and watched as she keened.

"You're beautiful, ya know." I sweetly praised her as she dug her nails into my arms, and her hips bucked against my fingers as she climaxed once more, "That's it. Good, I knew you could do it."

Her mouth fell open and she sobbed as she shook violently, this orgasm ripping through her much stronger than the rest. I continued to move my fingers inside her, determined to work her into another orgasm, if possible, but Sakura managed to choke out "springtime," amongst her cries and I immediately stopped.

Removing my hand from between her legs, I wiped it against the sheets before holding her chin and lifting her face up.

"Daijōbu. Daijōbu, Sakura-chan." I said as she sniffled, attempting to slow her tears, "You're perfect, ya know. You did such a great job."

The two of us sat there, and I caressed her chin as I planted soft kisses all along her face. Sakura sighed as calm washed over her, and soon enough she had straightened up and moved to get off the bed. I figured she was going to shower as she made for the bathroom and asked if I could join her.

She nodded and searched around her room before finding a plastic bag to cover my cast. With her help, I carefully removed my arm from the sling and then she pulled the plastic bag over my cast as carefully as possible. After a streak of duct tape was slapped around it, I assured her that this was better than any quality water cover you could find on the market.

Sakura giggled and I smiled as the two of us stepped into her shower. We both yelped at the initial splash of cold water but once it warmed up, she picked up a loofah and pressed a few pumps of grapefruit body wash onto it before lathering it up and scrubbing her body.

It couldn't have been more than five minutes before she turned to me, and despite my attempts to tell her that I was perfectly capable of washing myself, she brushed aside my hand and raked the loofah down my body. Soon enough, she had finished cleaning me up but neither of us made a move to get out of the shower.

With our eyes on each other, Sakura's hand slipped down my waist and onto my length, and I bit my lip as she gave me one slow, long tug. Her grip around me tightened within seconds, and she slid her hand down my shaft before pumping me.

"Sakura-chan..." I began but was soon silenced by a kiss.

I was rock solid in her hand and with how consistent Sakura was touching me, I knew it wouldn't take long before I would cum. She placed her other hand on my shoulder to steady herself as she groped me and I reached towards her entrance in hopes of returning the favor.

When my fingers brushed against her clit however, she hissed and pulled back.

"It's fine," She assured me with a small smile, pushing my hand down, "This is for you."

I nodded my head and grunted as I felt myself get there. Sakura swept her thumb over the bead of cum that formed on my head and I found myself bucking into her hand. With a few more strokes, I twitched in her hand and groaned.

"G-Gonna cum...!" I confessed through grit teeth, "Shit, Sakura-chan!"

Rope after rope of cum shot out of me and against Sakura's stomach but she continued to pump my length until there was nothing left. I murmured a curse as I leaned against her, and she pressed a kiss to my jaw before patting for me to straighten up.

"I'll be out in a few." She waved me out of the shower.

Grabbing the nearest towel, I wrapped it around my waist before heading out and back into the bedroom. I quickly dried myself off and hopped back into my underwear and pants before pulling on my sling and wearing my shirt.

I thought about climbing back into the bed and turning on the TV while I waited for Sakura but once I saw that it was half past six, I decided to head downstairs and whip up something to eat. I wasn't particularly hungry, but I wasn't entirely sure if Sakura had eaten anything recently, and I was more than happy to cater to her.

Once in her kitchen, I found a wok in one of her cabinets and poured some oil in it before putting it on the stove to heat up. As I waited for that, I dug around in her fridge and brought out a bunch of vegetables and a pack of porkchops. I tossed the pack in the sink and ran some hot water over it before slicing the vegetables up.

With the vegetables in sizeable bits, I grabbed the pork from under the sink and sliced it into similar small bits before checking the oil. When it sizzled after I dropped a carrot in, I knew it was ready and I quickly threw everything inside before grabbing a pair of tongs from the overhead hooks and stirring everything in the wok.

As I stirred, my mind drifted to what had transpired between us an hour ago and inevitably led to our copulation.

"What happened?" I asked once the door had shut behind us, sliding out of my shoes before I could forget.

"Uh…" Sakura wiped under her eyes and looked at me warily before shaking her head, "Nothing. I…I think you should leave, Naruto."

"What?" I furrowed my eyebrows as I stepped forward, "No way! Not when you're clearly upset, ya know!"

"I'll be fine." She sniffled as she kicked off her shoes, then she turned her back on me, heading upstairs, "Please, go."

I ignored her request and followed her up the stairs, "Sakura-chan, tell me what happened. Where did you just come from? And who were you with?"

"I was at a museum…" She sucked in a sharp breath as she entered her room, "With Sasori."

"Sasori?" The name immediately raised flags in my head, but I held back from jumping to conclusions as I tried to gain more information, "Did he say something or do something to you?"

Sakura unzipped her jacket and tossed it to the side before facing me, still teary-eyed but with a determined yet somewhat fearful look on her face, and I stood in her doorway, unsure how to proceed.

"Naruto…" She began with a shaky breath, holding her hands together, "You love me, right?"

"Of course, I do." I took the chance to enter her room and bridge the gap between us, holding my hand under her chin and tilting her head up, "I love you, Sakura-chan."

Her voice came out unnaturally quietly, "Why?"

I raised an eyebrow at the sudden question and made sure to confirm her inquiry, "Why do I love you?"

She nodded and I ran my thumb across her lips as I put my words together. When I was sure I had a concrete answer, I spoke.

"Because you're amazing, Sakura-chan." I commended her, pulling her in for a hug, "You're considerate, you put others for yourself, you're always trying to make other people happy, and you're someone I can rely on, ya know."

"And we've known each other for a long time." I continued, now on a roll, "We can basically read each other's minds during certain situations, not to mention we tend to go about solving problems the same way, and our sense of humor is identical. I—You're the piece that completes me, Sakura-chan."

I pulled back from her when I felt her shake and to my horror found her crying again. She took my hand off her shoulder and stepped back, but I wouldn't let her completely sever our link, opting to hold her hand as she put some space between us.

"Sakura-chan?" I called her name uncertainly, wondering how I could have upset her.

She looked at the ground before shutting her eyes and whispered, "I don't deserve you."

My eyes widened at the statement, and I attempted to pull her against me, immediately trying to tell her otherwise, "That's not true. That's not true at all. If anything, I don't deserve you."

Sakura remained immovable in her position and shook her head, unconvinced, "Everything you said about me is false. All I do is cause suffering for the people around me. That's why Ka-san died."

"Sakura-chan…" I started but trailed off as she continued to vent.

"That's why Ino's stuck with Sai." She bawled, "And that's probably why Sasuke-kun left. He must've known that—"

"Stop it." I held Sakura's face in my hand and urged her to look me in the eyes, cutting off her self-deprecation, "Sasuke left you for his own shitty reasons, you can't blame yourself, ya know."

"He left because he knows!" Sakura sobbed, tears pouring down her face, "He knows that I'm a bad wife, a bad mother, Kami, a bad person—!"

I tugged her into a harsh kiss and wouldn't let her go even as she tried to pull back for air. Nothing I was saying was getting through to her, but my hope was that my actions would. When I finally gave her space, she bit her lip and looked up at me, somehow more miserable than before.

"Naruto, you need to leave…" She sniveled as she tried to pull away, "Please, leave me."

"Not a chance." I told her as I kept her grounded near me, "I love you, Sakura-chan."

That just increased the production of her tears, and she shook her head firmly, "You shouldn't!"

"Why not?!" I roared back, starting to get a bit annoyed.

"Because I don't know if I love you!" She finally admitted, her voice reaching its natural volume albeit cracking and wavering as she cried.

Time seemed to stand still as the meaning of her words dawned on me and I loosened my grip on her as I stepped back, "…What?"

"I don't know if I love you." She repeated, her volume dropping a couple decibels as she repeated her statement, "I thought I did but Sasori—"

"I knew it." I interrupted, tightening my fist, "I knew he had something to do with this, ya know. What, did he try to seduce you? Make you think you'd be better off with him than with me?"

Sakura's silence told me everything I needed to know, and I held a hand to my head as I grit my teeth, "Well, did he succeed?"

"No." She answered woefully, "I couldn't see him like that. Not when I have you."

My anger turned into confusion as I looked at her, "So why—?"

"Because I don't know if what I feel for you is really love." She confessed, sniffling and wiping her eyes, "I—I like you touching me, I like h-how you make me feel in bed…but you see more than that with me. You look at me like I'm you're future and I…I haven't really thought like that with you."

A lightbulb went off in my head as I came to realize what she was saying, and I found myself chuckling, "So you're saying that you're only with me for the sex."

She nodded and my chuckle grew into a loud laugh.

"Sakura-chan, we've been over this already." I said in between breaths, "This relationship started because you wanted me to fuck your problems into oblivion, remember?"

"But Sasori said—"

"To hell with what Sasori said." I waved my hand as I approached her, "You like having sex with me so you're staying with me, I get it."

"No but…" She frowned once I was right in front of her, looking up at me through her teary eyes, "That isn't how normal relationships work."

I licked my lips before lowering my mouth to hers and pulling her bottom lip in between my teeth, "Forget how normal relationships work. The reason the two of us ended up together is because we weren't happy with our normal relationships."

"You want me, ne Sakura-chan?" I continued as I pushed her back onto the bed, "You like how I make you cum? Well, I love you because I like how you can satisfy me in bed and be my source of happiness outside of it. If anything, you're just a little behind me, but I know you'll soon love both sides of me."

"H-How?" Sakura stuttered as she fell into the mattress.

"Because I'm going to show you why you should." I climbed on top of her and ground my knee between her legs, "Now take off your clothes and let me show you how much I love you."

After that, a bit of comforting foreplay had ensued, with me formally introducing Sakura into the world of BDSM with the concept of a safe word. We decided on springtime as a play on her name and how cherry blossom trees only blossomed in the spring. Once I was confident that she understood the safe word was the ultimate way of reclaiming her boundaries, we had gone on to the main event.

"Naruto?" Sakura called my name from upstairs, and I answered that I was in the kitchen.

"Hungry?" I asked once she'd descended the stairs and reached the doorway.

She nodded and grabbed two plates, and I dished us some food before turning off the stove. After Sakura took a few bites, she turned to me and planted a kiss on my cheek, and I smiled. The smile soon began to wane as tears came together in Sakura's eyes, but before I could inquire what was wrong this time, she waved a hand.

"Gomen, I just—" She wiped her eyes and attempted to control herself, "You're just so kind and I'm—"

"Daijōbu." I shushed her as I pulled her into a side hug, kissing the top of her head, "We'll get there."

'We'll get there.' I thought to myself as I plucked a pork bit from my plate and tossed it into my mouth.