A/N: This chapter is where things are going to start moving very, very quickly. I think it fits the situation now.
This chapter will also be the entire reason this fic literally CANNOT be rated T lmao. Starts with an L and ends with an N.
Really putting myself out there with this one, so please be nice to me lol
Time for Chapter 65
Enjoy!
Akane wiped sweat from her brow as the unrelenting rays beat down on her from above. Even a lifetime in the desert had not granted her immunity to the brutal heat of the midday sun. The sheer temperature was made worse by how dry the heat was. It was like being trapped in an air-fryer. Her albinism did her no favors, either. Her skin was bound to be burnt and peeling by the time she and Gaara reached Konoha. It was a hellish experience, every single time. It had been half of her initial motivation to accept a posting as the Jinchuuriki's attendant. She only left Suna when he did, which wasn't particularly often.
A tired glance to her right revealed that Gaara was fairing about as poorly as she was. They had alternated between an all-out sprint and a walk for the better part of two days. They were moving slowly by most standards. Their deadline for arrival had been a generous one, and Gaara was taking full advantage of it. Even at a more sluggish pace, the travel was wearing on both of them. Akane herself was exhausted in a traditional sense. Her arms were heavy, and her legs were burning. Gaara, on the other hand, looked spent in a completely different way. He was struggling to stay awake. He had been groggy when they had departed three days prior, and he had not slept during their scarce breaks.
At the rate he was going, he would crash well before they reached the forest. The boy's sleeping habits had always been understandably odd. Before the passing of Rasa, his slumber had been scheduled for certain days and times for the sake of planning. Then, when the Jinchuuriki would at last sleep, his father would battle the monster he always became. Surprisingly, the damage to infrastructure tended to be minor, if extant at all. It had been far from ideal, but it had been structured. Ever since the death of the Kazekage, however, Gaara had taken it upon himself to disappear whenever he could no longer stave off his exhaustion.
Where he went, Akane was unsure, but she had heard the roar of his beast in the night several times. He always returned with a ruined set of clothes and at least a few bruises. It was an open question as to whether or not he even had the option while in Konoha. Just prior to his departure for the Chunin exams, a complex seal had been placed upon his body to prevent him from sleeping, no matter how hard he tried. He had not been granted such a boon this time around. As she studied the Jinchuuriki, Gaara turned his head and met her eyes.
"What?" he asked. Ever the opportunist, the attendant slowed her pace to a walk, which Gaara mirrored a moment or two later.
"You're barely hanging on. You're exhausted." Akane said directly. The redhead brushed stray sand out of his bangs and rubbed his eyes.
"What else is new?" he shot back sarcastically. The attendant sighed and stopped walking entirely. He tended to grow irritable when tired.
"How long has it been since you slept, Gaara-sama?" she asked. The Jinchuuriki looked off into the distance. He was doing his best to frame the lapse as pondering, but in reality, it was clear that he was taking longer than usual to process.
"Eight days, give or take." he replied with minimal lucidity. He was lurching forward somewhat. His posture had never been immaculate, but he was almost hunching.
"The gaps are getting longer." Akane said, her lips pulled into a thin line. Once again, Gaara's response came on a noticeable delay.
"Truce or not, I don't trust him." he said. It was a surprisingly honest answer. He was generally tight-lipped on his relationship with his beast, but it appeared that he lacked the energy to front. Akane slowly lowered herself down into a sitting position on the sweltering sand.
"And you shouldn't. But your body needs to recover." she insisted. Though he made a preliminary motion to join her on the ground, the Jinchuuriki remained upright.
"Not an option." he said. His tone was a fair distance from adamant. His mind wanted one thing, but his body was crying out for another. Easily sensing that he was wavering, Akane reached up and tugged on his wrist. Minor as the force was, it brought Gaara down to his rear end on the sand next to her.
"We're out in the middle of nowhere, sire. No better time." she pointed out. The Jinchuuriki eyed her with sluggish irritation.
"You know how this goes." he warned. His trepidation was not misplaced, and the attendant recognized as much, but for both his sake and many others, it was a worthwhile bridge to cross.
"And I know how to handle it." she assured him, harkening back to several past incidents. A lengthy pause followed, with Gaara's eyes drifting between Akane and their empty surroundings.
"...fine." he conceded. The attendant then moved around behind him, leaving them back to back in the arid sun.
"Go to sleep. I'll take care of the rest." Akane said. Gaara let out a long exhale and leaned the back of his head on her shoulder.
"Wake me when it's over." he requested, his rigidity giving way as he resigned himself to an increasingly rare sleep. Akane crossed her legs and folded her hands in her lap.
"Of course, Gaara-sama."
Satsuki pensively drummed her fingers on the wooden surface of her dining table as she contemplated her decision. Two days had passed. As with every other, they had been slow. She had spent much of the time waffling over what exactly she was to do. At first, it had been a one-sided internal debate. It had been incredibly easy to come to the conclusion that there was nothing to be gained in departure. Especially not in pursuit of a man who had nearly murdered her entire cell. But as the hours had stretched on, the less sure she had become.
It was a difficult pill to swallow, but the woman had been eerily accurate in her assessment. In fact, she had articulated a desire Satsuki had been struggling to identify for quite some time. There was more nuance to it than a simple lust for power, but in its purest form, strength was indeed what the Uchiha was seeking. She had never had enough of it. Too slow and too weak to do a single thing about Itachi's treachery. Too frail to defeat Gaara, or contribute to Naruto's brutal effort against him. And most humiliatingly, too insignificant to force her brother to even begin to sweat.
She had always known that Itachi almost certainly still surpassed her for strength, but the sheer scope of the gap between them had been jarring. Even before her ill-fated attempt to carry out her retribution, she had borne witness to the sight of Kakashi Hatake, easily the strongest person she knew aside from the Hokage himself, beaten on the ground at Itachi's feet. Her brother was beyond her to a degree that almost felt insurmountable. No amount of training could close such a gap. Not in a timeframe Satsuki could handle.
Training within her current situation, that was.
She had fought the notion every step of the way, but the Uchiha could no longer deny just how true it likely was. She was bound to move at a glacial pace remaining in Konoha. She was several large steps below Kakashi in terms of strength and proficiency. It would take her years to catch up, and even once that goal was reached, Itachi still laid an order of magnitude above it. Life would swirl around her. She would complete assignments, make acquaintances, and rise in the ranks. Her career would be a successful one. That much was set in stone. Even in other facets of life, she would likely excel.
It was far from unlikely that she would marry. She had never been a motherly person, but children were not out of the question. The more time she spent in Konoha, the more her priorities and goals would shift away from her brother. It was natural. Circumstances shifted, and the winds could change. All the same, she knew in her heart that she could never forget. Not entirely. Itachi's specter would always hang over any joy she scraped together. Respect, fortune, success. None of it would ever erase the black mark he had left on her soul. He would follow her to the ends of the earth.
She did not like the alternative option. She hated Orochimaru with a fiery passion. He had done nothing but hinder her. He had defiled her with his macabre seal, nearly murdered both of her teammates, and now, he had indirectly intruded on her time of suffering. She hadn't a single iota of respect for the man. Yet, she could not refute that he was powerful. Far more so than she was, and by the man's own admission, Kakashi as well. Where the Sanin stood relative to her brother was a mystery, but if nothing else, he was closer to that mark than anybody else Satsuki knew.
Brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, the girl looked off toward the hallway that led to her front door. She had packed a bag several hours ago. The decision had not been a simple one to make. Not by any stretch. On some level, she was still unsure of it. But a change of scenery was needed, no matter what it was. She was stagnating, and such a thing was unacceptable. Her passion to pay her brother back for his crimes had been reignited, and it could not be quelled.
Glancing up at the clock, Satsuki swallowed a lump in her throat. It was nearly nine-thirty. A time had not been specified for the meeting, but it only made sense that it would take place late at night so as to avoid detection. It was also rather likely that the timing was flexible. Orochimaru was nothing if not a patient man, from what she could tell. Either way, her window for homely comfort was closing. Predictably, this recognition sent her mind on a longform tour of all that she would be leaving behind. The list was long.
Her bed. The cafes she frequented. The routes she liked to walk. The dock, where she so often sorted out her problems. The elderly jewelry shop owner, who never failed to tell her that she was beautiful. Her classmates, who she still often saw in passing. Kakashi, who had done his best to mentor her. Shikamaru, an ambiguous, but ever-reliable friend. Then, as she ran through the many sights, places, and people, she landed on one name that she could not gloss over.
Naruto, the person she held closest.
Chances were, if and when she followed through, it would be years until they reunited, and even then, there was a significant possibility it would be as enemies. The thought caused her chest to tighten. Mere weeks away from him had been difficult, and while the past five days devoid of him had been focused on other things, his absence likely played a role in how wholly cold the solitude had been. Not that she could place any amount of blame on him. He had tried to stand by her side, and she had pushed him away not once but twice. Satsuki's focus returned to the table, her head hanging with her slouched posture.
She had torn into every insecurity he had on the roof. He had done his best to hide it, but she had seen the pain in his face. She had damaged him. There were plenty of selfish justifications. She had been overloaded, afraid, and sleep-deprived. None of it could erase the overwhelming guilt she felt. He had never been perfect. He often took longer than she would have preferred to pick up on social cues, he was occasionally too loud, and he was nothing if not argumentative at times. But more than any of that, beyond any gripes she may have had, he had always been there for her. He had witnessed her instability, and had done his best to help her pick up the pieces.
He had forgiven her at every turn, no matter how many directions she pulled him in, or how much blood she accidentally drew from him. He always came back, with open arms and a warm smile. Even after she had forced him to fight on the roof, his response had been to come check on her, and bring her favorite drink. She had turned him away with all the coldness of a winter storm. She had been lucky. Unbelievably so. And even with all they had been through together, all of the long talks, the struggles, and even the kisses, she had not truly recognized it until now. She had done her damnedest to squander that luck. A melancholy laugh echoed through her kitchen.
'I've treated my guardian angel like an insect.' she thought to herself sadly, shaking her head. No person had drawn more smiles out of her. No one made her laugh more often. Nobody made her feel more safe. He made her happy, flaws and all. She had repaid him with inconsistency and abuse of his trust. Sitting in depressed inertia, Satsuki sniffled several times, but never allowed herself to break down. Breathing deep, the Uchiha stood up.
'No more.' she vowed silently. She then turned toward the entry hall, and walked right past her packed bag. She would retrieve it later. At the moment, she had a new goal in mind. A new conviction. It would not supersede Itachi for long, but it still took precedence for the moment. She had but one chance to put things right, and she would do all she could. She was unsure of where Naruto's headspace lay, and she was flying blind. All she knew was that she owed him transparency. Not regarding her future, not yet, but of her feelings. Of just how much he meant to her.
She hadn't much left to give, but it would all be his, if only for the night.
A knock at his door snapped Naruto from his focus. He had gotten himself into a solid reading groove at long last, and the interruption had nearly broken him of it. Getting it back was bound to be a pain, if it could be done at all. As such, he ignored the request of entry at first. He had no desire to work himself back into a flow again. For a few moments, he was blessed with further silence. He was unable to fully settle in again, however, as a second set of knocks came. With a perturbed grumble, Naruto stood up from his couch and put his book aside.
Trudging over to his front door, he opened it just as whoever was behind it began to knock for a third time. He had expected to see either his landlord or Shikamaru, both of whom had visited him within the past several days. As one might expect, his teammate's visit had been far more welcome. Who he found at his door instead was a genuine surprise. Dressed in her usual outfit, and dripping wet from the rain that had started up less than an hour ago was Satsuki. Her eyes were downcast. At first, neither genin said a word, but after a short while, the Uchiha looked up from the floor.
"My power's out." she said. It was an obvious lie, but Naruto let it slide. Even at the best of times, the girl had always needed a reason to seek him out. Unsure of what exactly to say, Naruto bit on the first thing he had noticed upon her arrival.
"You're shivering." he pointed out. Satsuki blinked residual water out of her eyes and slicked back her damp bangs.
"I forgot an umbrella." she informed him with an awkward chuckle. Naruto nodded and looked back behind him.
"You can come in if you want." he offered, stepping aside. Needing no further encouragement, the Uchiha entered his apartment briskly. Naruto closed the door behind them and observed intently as Satsuki made her way over to his couch and sat herself down at the edge of it. She then gave him an expectant look. Seeing no reason not to, the Jinchuuriki joined her on the couch a few moments later. They did not converse immediately. Instead, they both kept to themselves for nearly a minute. The resulting void wasn't quite uncomfortable, but it was far more tense than it usually was.
"How've you been?" Naruto eventually asked. He knew the answer, but he lacked the social craft to lead any other way. Satsuki fiddled with the hem of her skirt.
"Pretty awful, honestly." she said. The Jinchuuriki gave her a knowing look. Frankly, it was surprising that she looked as presentable as she did, despite the unwanted soak from the rain.
"It'll look up. Just give it some time." he assured her. He felt like a broken record. As she had so succinctly pointed out to him, all he ever had to offer her was basic encouragement. His displeasure with his own response only increased when Satsuki stayed quiet for a few seconds longer than usual. Naruto looked down at his lap dejectedly. She had been hoping for more than empty words.
"I'm sorry."
The Jinchuuriki glanced toward her in surprise. Her eyes were fixed on him, and they held nothing but regret. As it were, they were both struggling. It took minimal brain power to deduce what she was apologizing for. With a long sigh, Naruto sat up straight again and let his back sink into the couch cushion.
"It's alright. Things happen." he said dismissively. As unpleasant as the verbal tirade against him had been, he had no intention of holding a grudge. Even if part of him would have liked to. Satsuki shook her head.
"No, it's not. You didn't deserve that. What I said, what I did, any of it. You were just trying to help me. Like you always do." she said guiltily. Naruto met her eyes.
"Do I help?" he asked. Satsuki turned her head back down to the dull wooden floor again.
"Every single time." she said. The Jinchuuriki felt a small part of him relax inside. Her words sounded honest.
"I'm glad." he said, a weak smile forming on his face. The Uchiha pressed her forehead into the heel of her palm.
"You've kept me on my feet. I've just been too proud to admit it. And that's my fault, not yours." she said. Vulnerability had become more common between them over time, and Naruto was well used to it, but it never failed to touch him.
"Thanks for that." he said quietly. For the third time since their awkward reunion had begun, silence set in. This time, it lasted far longer. As with before, Satsuki ended the streak.
"I love you, you know." she said. Naruto blinked several times. Of all the things he had expected to hear, a declaration of love had been incredibly far back in line. A pipe dream, he would have assumed.
"Where'd that come from?" he asked in a puzzled tone. The Uchiha turned her body to face him openly.
"My heart." she replied. Her face was slightly red, and her expression was shy, but her voice was firm. She was entirely serious.
"I've never been told that before." the Jinchuuriki admitted, scratching the back of his head.
"First time for everything." Satsuki said. Naruto gazed at her without a word. He was sure of his reciprocation. He had recognized his love for the Uchiha some time ago. Even so, the thought of voicing it was daunting. Even when effectively going second.
"I love you too." he finally said. Satsuki's bottom lip quivered a touch, and her eyes fell away from him again.
"I slammed the door in your face, and now here I am, forcing this heart-to-heart on you." she said, her hands tightening up into fists in her lap. Naruto scratched his cheek absently.
"As long as you mean it, I really don't care." he said. Satsuki returned her focus to him, but only managed it for a brief few seconds before staring at her hands again.
"I do mean it. All of it. But you deserve better." she said. It was not a new sentiment, she had expressed it before, and Naruto's reaction was unchanged, if more blunt.
"Just take it for what it is. I love you, and I have for a while. If you respect me, don't try to convince me not to." he cut in. The short speech came out a tad harsher than he had intended, but it appeared to get his point across, as Satsuki sobered quickly.
"I'm glad you do." she said softly. She then scooted across the couch until she was well within his space, and wrapped him up in a hug. Naruto returned it wholeheartedly. Soon enough, she had bowled him over, and was laying on top of him with her face buried in his shirt. Affectionate as it was, there was nothing soft or gentle about the embrace. She was clinging to him. Almost as though she feared that he would vanish. Sensing that she didn't want to talk, so much as simply be with him, Naruto did little other than rub her back and occasionally run a hand through her hair.
Once ten or so minutes had passed, the blonde began to feel himself overheat. Satsuki was warm, and his heating was working overtime to combat the cold rain outside. When he shifted, the Uchiha pulled herself off of him.
"Am I squeezing too tight?" she asked. Her bangs were matted to her forehead. Naruto shook his head.
"No, but I'm sweating a lot. I, uh, still haven't showered today." he said sheepishly. He then looked off toward his bathroom.
"Would you mind if I took care of that real quick? It won't take long." he asked. The Uchiha rolled off of him and stretched.
"Go for it. I'll clean this place up a little while you're at it." she offered. Naruto ignored the comment and picked himself up off the couch. As relieved as he was to have Satsuki back within reach, a few minutes to himself to process would be a welcome addition to his evening. With no further delay, Naruto made his way to his room, gathered up a set of pajamas, and entered his bathroom while Satsuki straightened out his living room by no request of his own.
With the bathroom door shut behind him, and the clothes he had been wearing since morning tossed loosely on the floor, he stepped into the shower and turned on the nozzle. As per usual, it took an irksome amount of time for both the water pressure and heat to build up. Once the temperature and water flow had settled, Naruto allowed himself to settle. He was happy, if quite surprised.
'I just never know with you.' he projected to his teammate the next room over. Choosing not to think too hard about it all, Naruto got to work washing his hair and body. Keeping her waiting would be rude, and she had spent more than enough time alone. After a short few minutes, the Jinchuuriki was satisfied, and took a step to exit the shower. He had hardly set his foot down when the sound of the door opening froze him in place. A few soft footsteps followed.
The shower curtain was then pulled aside a few inches, and the Jinchuuriki was promptly joined by Satsuki in the small space. She was completely naked. It was appropriate given the environment, but a jarring sight nonetheless.
"May I?" she asked timidly. They were less than two feet apart. The shower was designed for only a single person in most cases. With his tongue tied, Naruto tripped over his words several times before throwing together a coherent sentence.
"Y-Yeah, sure." he said. Satsuki released a breath she had been holding in, a nervous tension about her lessening somewhat. She then glanced at the small ledge on the wall.
"This is some cheap shampoo. Definitely explains why your hair isn't all that soft." she joked, picking up the half-empty bottle. Depositing some of its contents into her hand, she rubbed it into the hair on top of her head.
"But it'll work for now." she said. Normally, Naruto would have whipped up some sort of barb to fire back with, but at present, with the hot water running down their skin, he could think of nothing but the girl in front of him. Hormones truly were a potent thing. Feeling the need to do more than stand and stare, the Jinchuuriki reached forward and laid his hands on her head. He then began to slowly work the soap through her hair. Satsuki responded by sliding her hands along his arms as he washed her. A small predicament was soon reached. Her hair was too long to conveniently reach all of from how they were standing.
Easily sensing the issue, Satsuki turned around and backed in closer to him. With more ease of access, the blonde resumed. The process was a fairly long one, for obvious reasons. All throughout it, Satsuki's hands wandered along his arms, occasionally reaching up and touching his face. When it seemed that there was no more soap to spread along her hair, Naruto let his hands slide down off her head. On the way down, his left grazed her chest.
"Sorry." he apologized quickly, pinning the hand to his side. Satsuki did not berate him, or even grow tense. Instead, she took hold of the hand, guided it back up to her breast, and gently pressed it into place.
"You can touch." she said, backing into him fully. A strong heat overtook the Jinchuuriki's body, but not one that he disliked. Taking her permission to heart, Naruto let his right hand settle just below her belly button from behind. Satsuki sighed contentedly, once again feeling along his arms. After a few moments, she turned around in his grasp and circled her arms around the back of his neck.
"You're my happy place." she said warmly. She robbed him of a response by kissing him, to which Naruto gladly gave in. When they separated, the blonde cupped her face.
"And you're mine. Even though you're kind of an ice queen sometimes." he said with a grin. The Uchiha giggled and laid her hands on his chest.
"This wouldn't feel as good as it does if I spoiled you." she pointed out teasingly. Even in the midst of their deepest moment of intimacy, the bantering humor never left them. All was right.
"You're just lucky I'm patient." the blonde shot back. Satsuki stepped back away from him and tilted her head off to one side. On opposite ends of the small shower, her entire figure was visible to him for the first time.
"Worth the wait?" she asked, a small, falsely innocent smile on her face. Whether it was his slightly-too-wide eyes, open-hanging mouth, or something lower down, Naruto apparently did a poor job of hiding just how much he liked what he was seeing. Closing the gap between them all over again, Satsuki leaned into his ear.
"Your towels look a little rough. Let's dry off with your bed sheets instead." she suggested, turning the water off as she coaxed him. It wasn't the first time she had openly propositioned him, but unlike the last time, he felt fully ready to accept her invitation. Reaching past her, Naruto pulled the curtain aside. Taking the cue, Satsuki stepped back out of the shower stall. Once they were both out on the tile floor of the bathroom, the Jinchuuriki subverted the usual path of their flirting, and took charge. Reaching down, Naruto picked Satsuki up off the floor by a hold on her hips. The Uchiha wrapped her legs around his waist and threw her arms around his neck again as he carried her toward the door.
"Strong…" she muttered, leaning her head back and closing her eyes as the Jinchuuriki planted two kisses on her neck. Thankfully, Satsuki had left the door open after entering the bathroom, which allowed for a brisk exit. Crossing the hall, Naruto whisked her into his bedroom and laid her down on the edge of his bed. For a few moments, he simply admired her as she lay flat on her back.
"Loving the attention, but you could appreciate my body another way, dead-last." Satsuki said when he had been staring for a smidge too long. She hardly sounded annoyed, if she was at all. Naruto smirked down at her.
"Somebody's eager." he jabbed. Satsuki rolled her eyes playfully and spread her legs. It took him several seconds to realize it, but she was waiting for him to do the rest himself. Once he caught on, Naruto gently placed his hands on her inner thighs and spread her legs apart slowly. The Uchiha dug a canine into her lower lip at his touch.
"I…don't really know what I'm doing, so tell me if this works, alright?" he requested, drawing a nod from the girl. The Jinchuuriki then knelt down at the edge of the bed and gently ran his index finger over her. She was already wet, and her inner thighs were shaking. Every time he touched her, she flinched slightly. She was sensitive. That much was obvious.
Pushing down his nerves, he leaned forward and slowly dragged his tongue across her folds. Satsuki immediately slapped a hand over her mouth and let out a muffled squeak. Before the blonde could say a word, she grabbed him by the back of his head with her free hand and guided his mouth back to the middle of her legs. Correctly taking it as encouragement, Naruto resumed. Every time he moved his tongue against her, Satsuki squirmed and breathed in sharply.
As he worked away, the tip of his tongue slipped into her ever so slightly. Satsuki's back arched, and her hips pushed into his face. She was far from shy about letting him know what she liked. Just above the entrance he'd pushed into, he found a small bud. When he grazed it with the edge of his tongue, Satsuki tensed up and let out a quiet moan. Wanting to hear more, Naruto gave the sweet spot he'd found a minute's worth of attention.
More than anything else, the sounds she made were addicting. Better yet, it was clear that she was trying her best to stay quiet, but simply couldn't help herself. Odd as it felt, the experience was scratching a competitive itch in Naruto alongside the obvious sexual side of things. Opening his eyes up again after having closed them to focus, he looked up and met her gaze with his tongue still teasing her.
"God…" Satsuki whispered, not blinking even once as she stared at him. Feeling rather proud of himself, the Jinchuuriki lifted his head up and set his chin down on her navel.
"How'd I do?" he asked with a coy smile. The Uchiha girl dragged her hand across his bangs, letting her palm settle on his cheek.
"I get why people do this kinda thing now." she said, indirectly telling him exactly what he'd wanted to hear.
"I can keep going if you want. You taste good." Naruto offered with a shrug. The latter comment brought a deep shade of red to Satsuki's face, but much to his surprise, she shook her head and sat up. She then took him by the wrists and stood him up, planting a kiss on his nose once he was vertical.
"Lay down for me." she ordered, lightly nudging him toward the bed. Doing as he was told, the blonde laid himself down against the backboard of his bed with his head and neck supported. Satsuki joined him a moment later, crawling over to him and straddling one of his legs. Delicately taking hold of the stiff erection he'd had from the moment she'd stepped into the shower, Satsuki gave him a humorous look.
"Maybe I'm just possessive, but I'm glad you never got around much. You'd have gotten popular really quick." she joked. Naruto averted his eyes from hers in embarrassment.
"Not like I could have even if I'd wanted to, which I didn't." he countered lightly. Satsuki gave an easy laugh and tightened her grip just enough to make him flinch.
"We both know you want this, Naruto." she said, leaning down and kissing his tip. Taking a shaky breath, the Jinchuuriki relaxed. He was under her spell, and as of now, that was exactly the way he liked it. Picking up on his readiness, Satsuki ran her tongue from the base of him all the way up to his sensitive head, and when she reached it, she took a few inches into her mouth.
Tucking back strands of loose hair with her left hand, the girl slowly bobbed her head up and down, taking just a bit more of him with each motion. Naruto felt like he was melting. She had him right in the palm of her hand. Reaching out, the Jinchuuriki touched her face as she gingerly sucked on him.
"Are you s-sure you've never done this?" he asked, largely as a joke. Satsuki released him from her mouth with a soft popping sound.
"Yup. I stole one of Sensei's books about a month ago. Really useful stuff." she said, slowly stroking his length as she spoke. She didn't bother waiting for a response, as she put him back into her mouth seconds later. Resigning himself to watching her work, the Jinchuuriki kept a hand on her face to keep her hair out of her face, but also just to feel her skin.
She was certainly pleasuring him, and very well at that, but as with his own turn doing the same for her, it was rather clear that Satsuki was as green and inexperienced as he was. She occasionally went an inch too far and had to catch her breath, and she seemed to overthink from time to time, but it made no difference to Naruto. He was flying high. In a way, he found the fact that they were both novices comforting. After a few minutes, Satsuki made space to breathe.
She then reached out, took him by the shoulders, and rolled over onto her back with him in tow. He was now sitting between her legs. No amount of density could stop him from understanding what his teammate wanted, and frankly, what he wanted as well.
"Are you sure?" he asked. Satsuki nodded and opened her legs a little more. With nothing left to debate, Naruto carefully positioned himself against her folds and found where his tongue had gone into her.
"This is my first, so…please be gentle." Satsuki requested. She was nervous, and she had every right to be. Pushing in as slow as possible, Naruto felt her slowly wrap around him more and more with each twitch inward. When he hit a soft barrier, the Uchiha girl made a sharp gasp, but pulled him into her just a tad with her legs. She was fully committed. With a gentle nudge, Naruto broke through it and fully entered her. Satsuki reached out for him immediately and pulled him down into her, digging her nails into his back. As he settled on top of her, Naruto heard her let out a pained whine.
"Are you okay?" he asked, their noses touching. The raven-haired girl adjusted herself and looked him in the eyes again.
"I'm alright. I just need a minute." she informed him. Naruto bushed back her dark bangs and planted a warm kiss on her forehead. As he pulled away, Naruto sat up straighter, and looked down on her. Her hair had grown longer in the month since she'd cut it down, and it was spread out under her like a black curtain against her pale skin. Her cheeks were a touch red, and her mouth was slightly open.
"You're beautiful, you know that?." he said softly, running a hand from the side of her face down to her curved hip. At his words, Satsuki locked her legs around his back to fold him down into her again, meeting him halfway with a lengthy kiss. As their lips fit together, and as the back of her head touched the pillow, the Uchiha relaxed against him. When they made space, Satsuki pressed her lips to his ear.
"You can move now." she whispered. Needing no further prompting, the blonde began a slow rhythm moving in and out of her. She was snug and tight around him, but he'd never felt better. Just as with her attempts to stay quiet earlier, Satsuki visibly tried to keep her mouth shut as she pressed her hips against his. She couldn't manage it for long, as within thirty seconds, small sounds were escaping her again.
"You're all shy. That's so cute." Naruto teased. Satsuki puffed out her cheeks and upset his balance by twisting her hips and legs. The motion sent them tumbling to one side, with Satsuki landing in a firm mount on top of him.
"I'll show you 'cute'." she promised, gazing down at him from her new perch. He was still inside of her. If anything, she'd pushed him in deeper by reversing control.
"You've just always gotta get the last word, don't you?" Naruto laughed, pausing several times between words as Satsuki slowly swayed her hips back and forth on top of him. The Uchiha leaned down and kissed him on the cheek.
"Only with you. Couldn't care less about everybody else." she clarified, leaning her head back and sighing deeply. She then flinched, suddenly wincing at something, but it quickly passed.
"Do you need more time? Totally okay if you do." Naruto asked gently. Satsuki shook her head and squeezed his left hand, which was caressing her hip.
"No, I'm fine. Just a little sore from a run." she assured him, silencing any further inquiry from him by picking up her pace. She then reached down and laid her left hand over his neck. Her touch lacked any genuine force, but the message was clear. She was now in control, and he would be her subject. She gave him no breaks. Half the time, he didn't have any room to speak, as her mouth was covering his, and the other half, she was drowning him in sensation. Throughout it all, she never released his throat, and truth be told, he loved every second of it.
Eventually, after a fair amount of time, both of them hit their respective walls. Conveniently, their stamina matched up more or less identically. Finally slowing down the constant motion of her hips, Satsuki took a moment for both to catch their breath.
"How close are you?" she asked. Naruto moved in her a bit to test himself, and immediately found that he was right on the edge.
"Just about there. You?" he replied breathlessly. The Uchiha girl pushed back her hair, which was still damp.
"Same for me." she said, tightening her hold on his throat ever so slightly as she added a slight bounce to her slow swaying, to no complaint from Naruto. Little more than twenty seconds later, Satsuki grew rigid. Finally releasing his throat, the Uchiha girl laid both of her hands on his chest as a visible tremor worked through her. When it passed, Naruto felt her drip down onto him.
"I guess I win." he said. Satsuki sent a smug look his way and tightened down on his length, immediately breaking the last of the dam he'd built up and squeezing out every drop he had. Fantastic as it felt, the Jinchuuriki was instantly hit by a wave of fear.
"Wait, that was–" he started. Before he could finish, Satsuki pressed a finger to his lips and flattened herself on top of him, letting him slip out of her with the shift.
"I've been taking a pill for periods since I turned 14. Acts as birth control, too. I'm not gonna get pregnant, Naruto. Don't worry." she revealed. Naruto calmed, throwing an arm over her to hold her.
"Had me freaked out for a second." he admitted. Satsuki smiled and kissed along his jaw, eventually working up to his lips and holding a longer liplock for a moment before breaking it off.
"I've had you freaked out since the shower." she teased. Naruto rolled his eyes, but didn't refute her words, as they were entirely true. As such, they lapsed into silence, laying naked against each other.
"That was amazing." Naruto finally said. Satsuki did not respond right away, but found her voice before the pause lasted too terribly long.
"Yeah, it was." she said quietly. There was something odd clinging to the undertone of her words, but she still sounded honest. Choosing not to press, the Jinchuuriki glanced up at the clock. It was quarter to eleven.
"I'm glad it was you." he said. Satsuki almost seemed to tremble in his arms, with a slight shake reverberating into Naruto through her.
"Same to you." she answered, her voice now nothing but a whisper. The blonde's face gained a hue of concern, but once again, he did not pressure her. Instead, he kissed the top of her head and squeezed her.
"Let's sleep, okay?" he suggested. Satsuki nodded, curling up on top of him and hiding her head under his chin. Naruto closed his eyes.
Within seconds, he was out cold.
Satsuki lay awake against Naruto's bare skin as the clock listlessly ticked ad infinitum. The Jinchuuriki had been asleep for nearly forty minutes. He had passed out nearly immediately following the end of their shared affection. She had tired him out, so to speak. She knew all too well that she was wasting time by remaining stuck to him. She would have to leave eventually, and preferably sooner rather than later for ease of travel. Nevertheless, trading heaven for hell would never be an easy step to take.
She had intended to show her love for the boy in any way she could, but things had become even more heated and passion-laden than she had expected. She did not regret it, not one bit, but it was not making her departure any easier to follow through on. Quite the opposite. With a thousand times the intensity as before, she was feeling the crushing weight of what she was leaving behind. She had loved him already, but those feelings had crystallized to the point of stark clarity.
He was, in no uncertain terms, her favorite person.
She hadn't been entirely sure what to expect from him in sex, but he had made the experience absolutely wonderful for her. He had been patient and gentle. He had paid attention to her wants and needs. He had been able to laugh at himself when he made a mistake. He had made her feel comfortable and attractive. Every trait she had ever admired in him had been present, alongside a few brief flashes of assertiveness that had driven her up the wall in the best way.
Even excluding the elephant in the room, his ever-present willingness to listen and forgive had melted her for the thousandth, and to her sadness, perhaps last time. Carefully peeling herself free from his arms, Satsuki slowly moved a few inches away from him and threw her legs over the side of the bed. Now free to stand, the Uchiha looked down on her sleeping partner with wet eyes. He never looked more peaceful than when he was asleep. Against her better judgment, Satsuki bent down and placed a kiss on his forehead.
She had waited entirely too long to voice the full extent of her care for him. Her feelings had been on a similar, if less hotly-charged level as they were now for weeks. A short span of time in broad strokes, but an eternity in the context of their relationship. She would be abandoning him at the peak of it all. They had finally overcome their uncertainty and let their feelings be known. They had made love. She had shown him what could have been, only to now rip it all away.
Pushing down her doubts and regrets, Satsuki turned her back to him and left the bedroom. She then retrieved her clothes from the living room floor, where she had left them. Once she was dressed again, she headed for the door. With a shaking hand, she turned the knob and stepped out into the hallway. As she walked away from his apartment, Satsuki allowed a few silent tears to fall. She had held them in the whole visit through, but only barely.
'You're my everything, but to be who I need to be, I have to have nothing.'
Shikamaru pulled his thin jacket tightly across himself in response to a cold wind blowing over the northern gate of Konoha. It was late. Later than he usually bothered to stay up. Under any other set of circumstances, he would not have broken that trend. In an ideal world, he would have returned to the Nara residence many minutes ago, and drifted off to sleep. But for reasons only his gut could properly grasp, he was quite far from home. His night had started out rather normally, with his and Haku's customary walk back to her barracks around ten forty-five. Upon his attempted return home, however, he had spotted something that had compelled him to change course.
As another gust of chilly air swept through the area, the reason for his detour rounded a corner and stepped into direct view. He had caught sight of Satsuki quite near to the Anbu compound roughly fifteen minutes prior. That, in and of itself, was no cause for concern. The Uchiha regularly took late-night strolls, according to Naruto. It had been her conduct that had aroused his suspicion. She had been slinking across rooftops, and moving almost exclusively through shadows. As though she wished not to be seen or detected. Alongside her strange behavior, he had noticed the travel pack strapped to her back.
Now, with the girl in closer, clearer proximity, Shikamaru was sure that his instinct to cut her off at the pass had been a sharp one. He had taken an educated guess as to where she had been heading, and he had been correct. Ominously so. Walking forward with a labor speaking more to mental malady than physical, Satsuki came to a stop under the light of a street lamp a few meters from Shikamaru. Standing up from the bench he had been occupying, the Nara folded his arms across his chest.
"Nice night, don't you think?" he greeted her. Satsuki stared at him, but said nothing for a time. When she did speak, her tone of voice was telling.
"I've had better." she replied. Shikamaru studied her intently. Her overall emotional state was difficult to gauge. There were few obvious tells. The only clear conclusion to draw was that she was unhappy. Why that was, Shikamaru could only guess, though he had already formed several assumptions.
"Kind of a bad time of year for camping. A little cold." he said, gesturing to the pack strapped to her. The street lamp flickered a few times.
"I'll manage." the Uchiha said blankly. Whether intentionally or not, she had answered Shikamaru's silent question. Taking a step forward, the Nara's expression grew serious.
"Where are you headed? We aren't allowed to go too far without permission, y'know." he asked. Satsuki remained unflinching and emotionless.
"Away for a while. Nothing you need to worry about." she said. Shikamaru's eyes narrowed, fixating on the black tattoo on her neck. It was giving off a subtle hue of purple.
"Orochimaru. Do I have that right?" he said, throwing away any false pretenses. Beating around the bush was a waste of time. Satsuki's raised an eyebrow.
"That's a big leap in logic." she said, clearly making an attempt at deflection. Shikamaru unfolded his arms and slid his hands into his pockets.
"Am I wrong? Because I don't think I am." he inquired. The Uchiha's face twitched. It was a tiny movement, but it was all Shikamaru needed to confirm that he was right.
"You really are sharper than you look. You've barely even been around." Satsuki said. It was a confession of guilt, though fully undaunted. Shikamaru calmed his quickly beating heart as best he could. As things stood, he was the final roadblock.
"You changed after he marked you. You were never all that stable before, but you started falling apart every other week. Things just wouldn't stop breaking. I kept my distance, because I knew Naruto had you covered, but I've been paying attention." he replied evenly. Another flicker of the lamp followed.
"You understand why I'm doing this, then." Satsuki said. Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders.
"You've always had an inferiority complex, dumb as that is. You feel like you've tried everything here, and it hasn't worked. So, you're looking elsewhere." he said. The ghost of a scowl tugged at his teammate's features, but stayed in check.
"If you're so well-informed, why do I feel like you're here to stop me?" she asked dangerously. The Nara held his ground.
"How much do you actually know about him, Satsuki? Did you ever bother to find out why he got thrown out of the village in the first place?" he said, answering her question with one of his own. Satsuki only made it halfway through a retort before stopping. A hesitation that gave away her ignorance.
"Well, I did. You wouldn't believe what they keep on record in the library. Criminal cases, political rap sheets, old battle plans from the last war, everything. If it happened more than ten years ago, it's probably there." Shikamaru began, pausing as he recalled the disturbing case file he had uncovered just over two months prior.
"He kidnapped over thirty people, and used them for experiments. More than half of them died. Those are just the ones we know about, too. He was butchering people." he said with an involuntary shudder. There had been pictures in the file. Images he would never be able to scrub from his mind. Satsuki pursed her lips.
"I'm prepared for that." she said. Shikamaru threw up his hands in frustration, thoroughly off-put by her complete disregard for danger.
"How do you think this is gonna go? Do you think you're gonna waltz in and get an education? You'll show up, black out, and then wake up on an operating table with god-knows-what missing!" he yelled. He hardly ever raised his voice, but his patience had run out. Satsuki finally flared to life, with a defiant snarl.
"I've thought this through already. I'm not dumb." she snapped back, though her volume did not match his. Shikamaru shook his head and stepped forward again.
"I think you've done a whole lot of feeling, but not much thinking. You're frustrated, angry, and confused. I get that. But use your head. This is suicide." he said. Satsuki gave a derisive snort.
"That's real rich coming from you. You almost got us all killed because you got up in your feelings over a stranger." she countered. Shikamaru clenched his jaw. She was right, no matter how much he wished she wasn't.
"I'm speaking from experience. I got lucky. You won't. Trust me on this." he said. Satsuki's eyes shifted from black to crimson red, with her tomoe manifesting a beat later.
"You can't stop me." she said. Shikamaru took a deep breath. He then brought his hands toward his chest to make a hand sign.
"Wanna bet?" he bluffed. Before he could even begin to perform his jutsu, his body froze in place. Far too late, he realized that he had made the critical error of eye contact. The next thing he knew, Satsuki had vanished from view, and he could feel her breath on his skin from the rear. After a momentary silence, she spoke.
"You're a good friend, Shikamaru." she whispered. The Chunin quit struggling against the paralysis she had cast over him. It wasn't a fight he had any hope of winning.
"I try." he said weakly, an indirect surrender. He was then struck on the back of the neck, sending him falling forward.
As he struck the cold dirt, his world went black.
A/N: Alright, so I strongly considered not adding that last scene, and saving it for next chapter, but I really wanted to wrap up the departure all at once. I hope it didn't ruin the mood of the prior scenes.
But uh…yeah. I wrote a lemon. A pretty detailed one. I felt like this was the proper time and context for it. Definitely a first for me, so I'm not really sure how it turned out. I hope it wasn't too cringe? My goal was to not make it…pornographic? I mean, past a certain point, it literally *is* literary porn, but I wanted it to feel meaningful with some hotness thrown in.
Next chapter will be the true transition into the Retrieval Mission (though not with any combat). So buckle up for that.
Please please PLEASE leave me a review on this one. I really want to know how I did with the delivery here. It's long, and lots happened
I love you all
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