Author: Amaya
Editor: Aiko
Characters/Pairings: [Shisui x Sakura]; mentions of [Genma x Sakura] and other minor Sakura-centric pairings.
Categories: Romance, Drama, Action
Rating: Mature [See Warnings Below]
Warnings: This story contains strong language, depictions of violence and mature sexual content, including, but not limited to: breath play, superior/subordinate kinks, rough body play, power kinks and so on. You have been warned.

Full Summary: As the most elite of the elite shinobi to ever grace the village, Anbu operatives were easily some of the most frightening and striking characters one could come across. The way they protected the village while cloaked in shadows, appearing like some God-appointed deities when they were needed most and forgoing honor in exchange for anonymity—was as seductive as one could get. But to Sakura, the real allure lied in the deceptive red smiles painted on their masks, and in figuring out who was behind them. ["Don't start things you can't finish, Haruno."]

Kamen

Chapter || Ten

Today just wasn't her day.

First, Sakura found herself woken up nearly two hours earlier than scheduled. She had been up late the night before attempting to read through some paperwork that had piled up, so those two hours were dearly missed. It also meant her pitiful attempt at s breakfast was comprised of yogurt and fruit, eaten during her sprint from her apartment to the hospital.

Secondly, in connection with her first point of disaster, a Chunin squad had just returned from a sour mission with serious injuries that Shizune wouldn't have been able to handle on her own. Not only that, but they were infected with a complex poison that tampered with one's ability to control their chakra, making their chakra feel syrupy and sluggish. Extracting it proved to be a bitch and a half since it kept trying to cling to her chakra as she worked, and it ended up draining her quicker than she liked, but she managed.

After stabilizing the four shinobi and cataloging the poison they came in with, Sakura found herself in a standoff with a delirious head trauma patient, who was armed with a scalpel from God knows where. Not only did she have to wrestle with that, but then she had to heal the nurse he had attacked, then figure out just where the hell he had gotten the weapon, or more importantly, who the hell left a scalpel within reach of a patient.

And just as she began angrily stabbing at the cafeteria-made tempura that was her lunch, she found herself abandoning it in favor of rushing to assist on another emergency admittance. This time, it was two Chunnin and two Jonin who were attacked by what seemed to be a fan of explosives. There were pieces of shrapnel embedded over nearly every inch of them, with some metal scraps embedded as deeply as the liver, but most skin deep. Not to mention, they were riddled with various degrees of burns across the chest and arms. It took eight pairs of hands and three hours to get all the shrapnel out of them while she and Shizune worked on the lacerated organs and the charred skin, and by the end of it, Sakura was ready to hide under her desk and sleep—the rest of her shift be damned!

And all that was just the larger inconveniences! Beyond the big stuff, she also snapped her one and only hair tie, realized she forgot her wallet at home, and banged her left shin no less than two times today.

She had just plopped down into her desk chair and picked up her chopsticks when a knock interrupted her. It took all of her willpower to keep from snarling at whoever stood on the other side of her door, resulting in her staring at the wooden surface with an unnaturally blank face as she considered the pros and cons of pretending she wasn't there. Finally, Sakura sighed in resignation then set her chopsticks down again, beckoning her guest with a polite, "come in!"

The door opened, revealing a familiar head of lazily ruffled, black hair, paired with sharp, slanted eyes; all wrapped up in the typical Chunin attire. Kotetsu smiled at Sakura as he entered, using his foot to shut the door as his arms were full with a cardboard box full of files, much to her despair. "Hey Sakura," He greeted, setting the box on top of her desk.

Despite her unfortunate mood, Sakura felt a tickle in her belly at his appearance. "Kotetsu," She returned, leaning onto her palm. "What can I do for you today?"

"I've got some things here for you on behalf of Tsunade-sama," He replied, the edge of his tongue swiping over his lips, easily capturing her attention. He began rifling through the files, his dark, metallic eyes flickering up to hers every so often, just watching.

Sakura clicked her tongue at that, a frown tugging at her lips. The box wasn't very large, but it had to have had at least twenty files in it, and if Tsunade honestly expected her to go through all of those today, she would be sorely disappointed, because she had no intention on taking anymore work home this week. Almost scared of the answer, she asked, "All of that?"

Kotetsu removed a relatively thin folder from the box and set it down in front of her, then searched through the assortment again. "No, I've just got four for you today," He answered. "The rest are going to Shizune and Yugao."

Placing a hand over her heart, Sakura exhaled loudly in relief, earning an amused chuckle from the Chunin. "Thank God," She breathed, leaning back into her seat.

"You look a little tense, Sakura," He commented, his eyes taking on an impish glint that made her heartbeat accelerate. "You alright?"

"I've had a rough day," She casually admitted, rolling her neck for emphasis.

"Yeah?" He asked, setting down another file. "Is there anything I can do about it?"

Sakura caught the latent intent in his words, the anticipation that he always had whenever she found him staring. There was no doubting that look, or what it entailed or wanted, and she had to admit that it was a good look on him. His forwardness actually surprised her, because as open as he was in flirting with her, he was always very careful about it, only ever acting on his heated glances once they were back at his place.

So amused by his sudden boldness, Sakura leant back in her seat, casting him a gaze that was equally appraising as it was challenging. "Maybe," she hummed. "Did you have an idea?"

Having set down the last of the necessary files, Kotetsu slowly rounded Sakura's desk, their eye contact broken only once he came to stand behind her. He brought his hands to the crests of her shoulders, his thumbs positioned over the taunt skin just between the back of her neck and shoulders. Allowing it, Sakura shifted into a more comfortable position in her seat, wincing slightly as Kotetsu pressed a little too roughly on a particularly tender patch of muscle.

"You're overworking yourself again," He accused, though not unkindly, adjusting the pressure of his hands.

Sakura hummed in response, her lashes fluttering momentarily before lidding completely. "It's not as if I really have a choice," She mumbled, angling her head to the side so he would have better access to the sore spot beneath his palm. Taking the hint, Kotetsu brushed her hair away from her shoulder, his fingers leaving a trail of playful sparks a split second before they even touched her. His firm kneading coaxed a pleased breath from her lips, eagerly encouraging him to continue.

Sakura eased against him, basking in the sensations his unsure but determined hands strummed within her. He rolled his knuckles over the rise of her wingbones, smoothed his palms down the slopes of her shoulders, feathered the pads of his fingers up the curvature of her spine, employing the same touches she had used on him before. She wasn't really in the mood to flirt, not with the day she's had, but she did appreciate his attempts.

"No Izumo-kun, today?" She managed to ask.

"No. But I can get him, if that's what you want."

At the feel of his lips pressing against the side of her neck, Sakura's spine stiffened, then slackened with the undulation of her belly. Kotetsu nuzzled her neck with delicate kisses, so faint they were whispers, and part of Sakura wanted to keep him there but she knew she shouldn't. She threaded her fingers into his wild hair with the intention of pushing him away but instead she left them there. She felt one of his hands slide away from her shoulder and down the length of her arm, before diverting from their path to encircle the zipper of her top.

"Really Kotetsu?" She murmured, tightening her grip in his hair and tugging gently. He was the more tentative one of her partners. "Here? We're working."

A singular jolt of a laugh rumbled from his chest. "Why not?" He tilted her chin back with one hand and leaned in to brush his lips against hers, but before he could reach her, the sound of movement behind the door interrupted them. Quickly, the two separated from one another, with Kotetsu hissing curses as he clumsily stumbled a professional distance away and Sakura smoothing out her top, just as the door opened, revealing a less than pleased Ino.

"There you are!" She huffed, shutting the door behind her. She opened her mouth to say something more, but her jaw snapped shut and her lips curled slyly upon seeing the flustered Kotetsu smoothing out his hair. "Oh. I'm not interrupting, am I? Because I can come back later."

"No," Kotetsu grunted, dragging the box back into his arms. "I was just leaving." He spared one last meaningful glance at Sakura, then fled the room as casually as he could with little more than an acknowledging nod to the blonde. The fact that he avoided making eye contact, was not lost on the Interrogation trainee.

Once the door shut, Ino rounded on Sakura, both brows raised, and chuckling in a way that told Sakura she wouldn't be able to escape the room. "Oh-ho-ho! Forehead!" She crowed. "Were you seriously about to get it on with Kotetsu in your office? I would've never thought you were into that!"

Sakura made a noise of displeasure and rubbed at her still sore shoulder, ignoring Ino's comment in favor of trying to figure out why she looked so upset when she first walked in. She didn't remember scheduling a lunch date or anything, but it has been a pretty hectic past few weeks so it wouldn't surprise her if she did. The blonde crossed the room in just a few graceful strides with a plastic bag dangling from the crook of her elbow, the scent of fresh meat wafting around the room just as quickly. She set the bag on the desk with pleased hum and dropped down into one of the chairs while Sakura cleared some more space for them.

"Anyway, sorry for interrupting your dick appointment." This earned an unladylike snort from the pinkette. "I was wondering where you've been! I haven't seen you in weeks, Sakura!" Ino admonished as she removed the contents of the bag. "I was getting worried about you."

"Ino, we work together," Sakura mirthfully pointed out, but genuinely touched by her friend's concern. "I saw you yesterday."

"Yeah, but we were with patients. I haven't seen you, as in had a conversation or hung out with you in forever," Ino returned. She began unraveling the takeout boxes while Sakura started to load both of their plates. "I was wondering if you've been eating." In response, Sakura gestured to the tempura that was abandoned at the corner of her desk, the black plastic container easily announcing where it came from. Ino clicked her tongue. "Cafeteria food? Seriously Forehead?"

Handing Ino her plate, Sakura groaned miserably. "I was kind of rushed out early today, Pig. I didn't have time to pack anything, not even a spare outfit, and I forgot my wallet at home."

"Ah the emergency case this morning right?" Ino asked. The two paused to snap their chopsticks and murmur a quick "itadakimasu!" before digging into their meal. "I heard it was bad," She said once she swallowed her mouthful of food.

"Yeah. Extracting the poison was exhausting. It kept trying to stick to my chakra," Sakura answered between helpings of beef. "I've never seen anything like it."

"And it was from Kiri?"

"That's where they came from," Sakura affirmed.

"Poison isn't their usual M. O." It was hard to take Ino seriously when she kept pausing to smile at her food before biting almost lovingly into it.

"I know. This has Suna written all over it, but I know Gaara would never betray our trust like that. So it has to be someone rogue trying to pit us against each other."

If the Yamanaka heiress was perturbed by this information, she didn't let on. She just hummed and continued on with her meal, but Sakura knew their conversation was far from over. Ino wasn't the type to stay silent for long, even if she was eating. Knowing her best friend, she was just trying to figure out how to word whatever was on her mind. And Sakura was willing to bet she knew what she wanted to talk about. Sure enough, she only went through two more strips of yakitori before her powder blue eyes were illuminated with mischief.

"So when are you gonna tell me about what's going with you lately? I haven't seen you in week and all I hear from everyone is how grouchy you've been." Ino wrinkled her nose and scrunched her eyebrows, her lips twisting unattractively. "The nurses say you're on a war path."

Rolling her eyes, Sakura took her sweet time chewing her food as she thought about her response. "I'm just stressed out, Ino, no big deal."

The sly grin returned to Ino's expression, and the blonde rolled her shoulders suggestively, prompting Sakura to wonder how she could flit around topics and faces so quickly. "Is that why Kotetsu was here? He was helping you relieve some stress?" Ino teased, then she cackled wholeheartedly at the fluster that turned her friend's face into a furnace. "Oh my God! He was!"

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Sakura sighed. "Ino! We didn't do anything. And we weren't going to. I wasn't feeling it."

Washing down her food with a large sip of water, Ino slanted her head in curiosity. "Oh? Why not?"

Hesitance made Sakura focus on her lunch a little too intently as she considered her words. If she were being completely honest, she wasn't sure why. Not once in the past three weeks had she thought of reaching out to either Genma nor Kiba, and as much as she had enjoyed and appreciated Kotetsu's efforts in cheering her up, the tingly sparks of electricity below her navel was dull in comparison to—

Sakura stiffened and a telltale heat clawed mockingly up her spine, clamping around the back of her neck the way a predator would its prey. Without her permission, memories of gloved hands dancing across her skin, of an aroused girth straining against her thighs—of the scandalous picture the reflection of her and Okami-taichou painted—flooded her mind's eye. Had it really been that long since their near-romp in T&I? Since he had said those dirty, filthy, tantalizing things to her?

Actually, now that she thought about it, she hadn't even seen either hide nor tail of the Anbu Captain since that day. Things had been so crazy lately, what with the influx of hospital emergencies and the shortage of staff, that she hadn't noticed. But now that she did, she couldn't help but feel more than a little piqued. Things were up in the air between them, their mutual attraction (or at least, sexual attraction) beyond obvious, and he had made one hell of a promise to her, even if it was made in the heat of passion.

Just remembering the things he said to her—"I'm going to fuck you so hard, you're going to feel me inside of you for days."—made her bring her knees closer together in an attempt at abating the pressure that began to mount. But she couldn't tell Ino about that. Anything that may or may not happen with Okami-taichou had to be strictly kept on the low. As much as she loved Ino, the blonde was known for being the hub for gossip, and while Sakura knew she wouldn't actively go around telling people about her sex life, enough alcohol could put her (and Okami-san's position) at risk.

Mentally shaking away her thoughts, Sakura finally found the words to respond to Ino's question. "I'll tell you about it later, when we're not at work." She made sure to add a drop of finality to her tone, conveying without words all the things she wanted to say, but couldn't. She knew Ino, and she knew Ino understood when she exasperatedly turned her head away and pouted, her discomposed harrumph acting as her acceptance. But she didn't say anything else about it, thankfully.

In fact, Ino didn't say anything for a while. And then—

"So just out of curiosity, seeing as how you're, ahem, involved with them," Sakura spared a wary glance at Ino, who was beginning to twirl the end of her ponytail around her fingers, a faux innocent smile touching upon her lips. "Do Kotetsu and Izumo really do everything together?"

"Pig!"

Kamen

If Sakura thought her day could get any worse, she was thankfully, mistaken.

It didn't get better, per say, but it certainly didn't get worse. After her lunch with Ino, in which the blonde spent the rest of it trying to yank out all the nitty-gritty details of her "surprising" sex life, things seemed to have calmed down at the hospital. She didn't have to see any patients or handle any other emergency admissions, so she got to read over the folders Kotetsu had dropped off as well as finish up signing documents regarding the hospital's budget. And because she came in early, she was able to leave early, once a few extra medics came in to cover the floor for her.

That was as good as it got. To negate all the positives, she spent the past four hours in the Hokage's office, helping her Shishou go over mission reports and building requests—without sake. Shizune had been thorough in her sweep today, it seemed, and both Kotetsu and Izumo, who were the most likely to pluck a few bottles from the market for them, had been relieved of their duties earlier, meaning they'd have to go dry today. A shame. After the week she had, Sakura felt she deserved it.

And now here she was, escorting Sasuke to the Police Headquarters to carry out her last task of the day, with Naruto chattering animatedly at her side.

Well, perhaps chattering wasn't the right word. Antagonizing probably fit better. He was antagonizing Sasuke, as per usual, about which nature was superior: Fire of Wind. Personally, she thought Water was, since it was much harder to perform water based techniques without a body of water, and therefore required much more skill to perform, but she knew better than to get involved in their petty arguments by now. Plus, she was tired. And hungry. And sore.

She just wanted the day to end already.

"Okay, but Wind amplifies Fire," Naruto shot back, making fluid arm movements to exaggerate his buoyant speech. "That literally means Wind makes Fire stronger."

Sasuke, with his fingers drumming over his folded arms in an attempt at reigning in his annoyance, clicked his tongue. "I didn't realize you knew how to use the word "amplify" in a sentence," He said, meeting Sakura's rolling eyes with a smirk.

Naruto huffed at the insult, but was overtaken by a shit-eating grin almost immediately. "Teme, you only start insulting me when you know I'm right!"

He had a point. Sort of. Sasuke always insulted him, but in instances like this, it meant the closest thing to an admission. But again, Sakura knew better than to call either of them out on this. So she just chuckled and shook her head. "Naruto come on, don't get Sasuke all riled up before his shift," She scolded, albeit lightly.

"I'll stop when he admits I'm right! About Wind Style and about being right!"

Sasuke opened his mouth to retort, only to snap his mouth shut and shove the two of them against the wall. As soon as he did, a young man appeared seemingly out of nowhere, leaping off the wall adjacent to the corner, trying to jump over them. Sasuke's arm shot out and he managed to grasp the teen's ankle before he could clear their shoulders. He yanked the teen down to the ground, causing a plume of dust to rise where he landed. Before either Sakura or Naruto could say anything about the abrupt takedown, Sasuke grunted, "10-80" and made to grab the teen's wrists, but the guy threw his fist towards Sasuke's gut before he could. The Uchiha jumped back, rising an arm up to guard the high kick that was then thrown at him, then using the same arm to shove the teen off balance. The teen stared at the three of them contemplatively, his eyes flickering over his shoulder anxiously.

"You're under arrest," Sasuke informed. "Come quietly and—" He didn't get the chance to finish as the adolescent lurched forward and aimed a jab at Sasuke's face. Sasuke's shoulders jerked back to avoid the strike, and he retaliated by thrusting his knee up into the kid's stomach, making the miscreant gasp for breath and staggered back.

"That seems a bit excessive, don't ya think, Sasuke?" Naruto mumbled, brow quirked, just to burst out in a fit of unfiltered laughter when the teen somehow managed to land a kick to Sasuke's jaw, sending the Uchiha stumbling back into Sakura's arms.

"Usuratonkachi!" Sasuke hissed, wiping at his cheek out of instinct. Whether it was directed towards the still guffawing Naruto or to the troublesome teen, Sakura wasn't sure, but she knew one thing for certain: Sasuke was pissed.

Kamen

Fugaku-ojisan looked like he was ready to throw himself off of a cliff.

And that was saying a lot, considering the type of man that he was. Not that Shisui blamed him. He was close behind him, and it looked like Sasuke was also sharing the sentiment if the twitching of his bruised jaw was any indication of anything.

He loved his position at the Police Force, almost more so than his title in Anbu, but there were some things about the job he thought he could go without. Herding drunks at two in the morning was one, regardless of how amusing their intoxicated babbles could be. The never-ending stacks of paperwork was another. He hated desk duty. He'd rather be out patrolling the streets, stretching his legs for more than just walking from one room to another, feeling the sun on his skin. He liked being hands-on, chatting with villagers and proudly showing off his profession's insignia emblazoned on his armband, creating a good rapport for his clan.

And yet, here he was: hunkered down in a too uncomfortable chair and blocked in by a too small desk that was littered almost disastrously with folders and scattered paper, while an irate teenager was secured to the seat across from him. The kid had been caught lifting some cheap wares from a jewelry shop in the market and had been a pain in the ass to catch. Not only that, but he had the determination of a wet cat avoiding a hug, and tried to slip out of their custody every chance he could, even as they dragged him to the precinct by the scruff of his neck. He wouldn't admit it to anyone who asked, because it would be downright embarrassing, but the teen had somehow managed to escape his coworker-slash-clanmate's watch twice since getting picked up; and that second time resulted in a half-hour long pursuit across the rooftops and down narrow back alleys. Thankfully Sasuke had turned his radio on, since he eventually ended up being the one to catch him, having been in the right place at the right time, but was rewarded with one hell of a kick to the face for his efforts.

And Shisui hadn't been part of any of it.

While all that fun was going on, he had been stuck at his desk reading over case reports and assisting his uncle in re-organizing the Records Room. As for why Fugaku-ojisan was upset, well, one of his patrolmen struggled with apprehending a teenager who couldn't have been much higher in skill than a Genin. And for some reason, Shisui was assigned the task of booking the sneaky kid, whose sarcasm was sharper than any blade in his pouch and more vexing than a petulant Sasuke. At least the fresh boot print on the younger Uchiha's face made up for it.

Leaning back into his seat, Shisui absently fondled the pendant draped around his neck, listening to the metal link sliding against the cord, while he fixed the coldest glare he could manage on the kid. "What's your name, kid?" He asked for the third time. "Just tell us so we can get this paperwork finished and get your parents to pick you up."

The teenager, a medium-tanned kid a little taller than him, with short cropped hair the color of sun-bleached wood and a hint of stubble along his chin, shifted in his seat with a displeased grunt. "Yura."

Shisui scribbled the name onto the form in front of him. "Yura what?"

Yura spread his knees and leant forward, his lips quirked into a smirk. "Yura bitch."

If not for his uncle standing beside him, Shisui would've reached over the untidy desk and belted his knuckles over the kid's skull, or maybe used his Sharingan. Instead, he emitted a slow, restrained exhale then brought his palms together with his fingers pressed against his lips, as if it would keep him from unleashing every curse he could think of. Hearing the faintest ghost of a snort, Shisui redirected his narrowed stare at his younger cousin, who looked more than a little pleased at the jab. To be fair, had the roles been reversed, he probably would've reacted the same way.

Beside him, Fugaku pinched at the bridge of his nose, sighing heavily in annoyance. "I advise that you cooperate, Yura. Theft is a serious offense, and you could be facing charges for fleeing and assaulting an officer. You're lucky the shop owner isn't pressing charges because of your age. As a shinobi, you could be permanently stripped of your rank."

"I didn't steal anything," Yura protested hotly. "My pockets were empty when your guys tackled me."

At that, Sasuke tsk'ed. "Yeah, because you ditched the necklace two blocks down. You forget that the Sharingan catches every little movement you make."

Yura huffed and curled his lip into a frustrated sneer. "Whatever. I didn't steal anything."

Seeing that this was going nowhere, Fugaku folded his arms across his chest and began walking away. "Shisui, just take his fingerprints and his picture, then put him in a holding cell," He instructed, without looking back. "Perhaps sitting in a cell for a few hours will make him reconsider his attitude." He threw out another order for Sasuke to start filling out his report of the incident, then disappeared into his office. Shisui stood from his seat and pulled Yura up by the crook of his elbow, then walked him towards the far left side of the room where the admittance station was.

Shisui rolled Yura's fingers in ink and pressed them on the otherwise blank record belonging to the kid. "One last chance, Yura," Shisui warned as he positioned the troublemaker against a navy blue backdrop. "If you don't give us a name, we can't release you to anyone. Are you really going to make your parents worry and come in on their own?" When Yura merely clicked his tongue in response, Shisui yanked the metal-plated beanie from his head and threw it onto the counter behind him, then moved out of the way so another officer could take their suspect's picture. After getting all the necessary angles, the Uchiha began steering his detainee in the direction of the bullpen, when he heard a vaguely familiar growl nearby.

"—I swear to God Sasuke, I'll break your jaw right now in front of everyone I don't give a fuck where we are!"

Shisui whirled around upon hearing the threat, his eyes quickly searching the room and finding a very unamused Sasuke and Sakura snarling at one another over the former's desk, while a sheepish looking Naruto watched on with a hand fussing with the back of his neck. Furrowing his brows, Shisui prayed to the Gods above for the strength to make it through the day, because he literally left Sasuke alone for five minutes and somehow, he ended up getting into a heated spat with his rose haired teammate—a teammate revered for having a temper and a punch worse than their very own Hokage.

A teammate who happened to be holding a tanto and who happened to look beyond pissed. It was a welcome sight, for sure.

Seeing her, with her hands planted across the face of the desk, her nose scrunched up and her eyes alight with the embers of her wrath, matching the infamously harsh glare of an Uchiha with as much, if not more fervor, evoked a dangerous combination of sensations that shuttered between the blades of his shoulders.

Feeling the crackling tension seeping into his skin, Shisui quickly pushed Yura into the holding cell then made his way over to the trouble-making trio. "Naruto-kun, Sakura-san," He greeted, interrupting the crackling glare the duo shared. "What brings you here, today?" He wasn't dignified with a response from neither his cousin nor Sakura, who continued staring each other down as if he hadn't appeared, but Naruto was kind enough to grin and wave. Gesturing to the two seething shinobi, Shisui asked, "Is this something I should be worried about?"

Naruto snorted and waved a hand dismissively. "Nah! They always get like this when Teme won't let Sakura-chan heal him. Mikoto-obachan and Fugaku-ojisan gave her permission to smack Sasuke-teme around when he's being a dick." He hadn't realized the two were so close to his aunt and uncle.

"Sakura," Sasuke growled, his own eyes narrowing into a cold glare. "Quit being annoying."

Apparently the word meant something to her, because her glare dropped completely and Naruto's face twisted into an expression that Shisui could only describe as distantly sympathetic. The blonde took a few steps back with his hands raised in a surrendering gesture, then he began whistling nervously as he looked anywhere but at his arguing teammates. Shisui understood why when a moment later, the pink haired medic reached over the desk, batting away Sasuke's defending arms, and caught him by the back of his neck, then slammed his face into the desk. No one really glanced over in their direction, whether it was because they were used to the trio's antics or because they simply didn't want to be the next subject of Sakura's wrath, Shisui wasn't sure. But it certainly was amusing, considering they were in the police headquarters, of all places.

"I'm sorry Sasuke, I didn't quite hear what you said!" Sakura seethed, her smile developing a feral edge that shot anticipation straight down Shisui's waistband. She roughly pushed on the bruise that splattered across Sasuke's cheek, but the jade light that bloomed from her touch made up for it. "Why don't you repeat that!?"

Sasuke, likely finding some sense of self-preservation, grunted and shoved Sakura's hand away so he could stand to full height. He towered over her, chest heaving with his attempts at swallowing the frustration no doubt building within him. The bruise on his cheek was nowhere to be seen. "Thank you, Sakura, for being kind enough to heal me," He deadpanned, although the ire woven into his voice was clear. They didn't speak for a moment, both waiting for the other to break the silence, until Sakura loudly placed the tanto on top of the desk. Sasuke picked it up and unsheathed it, checking the steel of the blade for any blemishes, then fastened it to the holster on his back. "And thank you for finding my tanto," He added, just as dryly.

Sakura's smile sweetened, but retained it's sharp intent. "You're welcome Sasuke! Make sure you keep better care of your things." The two maintained another moment of intense eye contact, before Sakura finally nodded and addressed Shisui. "Ah, hi Shisui-san, sorry for the disturbance. And for not responding to you."

Smirking, Shisui crossed his arms over his chest. "Not a problem, Sakura-san. You seemed to have had everything under control so I wasn't too worried." Then he canted his head to the right, working his jaw as he attempted to suppress the grin that began quirking his lips. "Although I know you didn't come all the way here just to beat up Sasuke-chan—" Said Uchiha whirled around to fix a glare on the two. "—so what can I do for you, today?"

She laughed although Shisui could hear the dryness of it, then showed him a short stack of manila folders from the top of Sasuke's desk. "Ah, yes. I was sent by Morino-san to drop off some files. Where do I go for that?"

He reoriented himself so he could read the note pinned to the front of the top folder. It was directed to his uncle. "I can help you with that," He insisted, placing one hand on the small of her back while raising the other, gesturing for her to move forward. He followed close behind, leading her towards his uncle's office, only absently aware of the way Sasuke and Naruto abruptly glanced at him, but also not really caring.

"Thank you."

Shisui waved a hand dismissively. "Its no problem. I don't mind if it means I get a moment to chat with a pretty lady." As soon as the words left his mouth, Shisui's eyes flickered to the rosette, gauging her reaction. She didn't seem particularly affected by the light compliment, as he expected she would, but her smile did lose it's harshness. When she didn't say anything in response, Shisui continued, "Don't take this the wrong way, Sakura-san, but I'm surprised Morino-san sent you instead of Aoba."

"He's lucky I'm doing this for him at all!" She sneered, with the rolling of her eyes and the animated flinging of her empty hand. "He happened to catch me just as I was leaving the Hokage's Tower. He overheard me and Naruto talking about escorting Sasuke here and just dropped them in my hands and walked off."

"I'm sure Morino-san is preparing baskets of flowers in offering as we speak," He chuckled, making Sakura snort unattractively before she could stifle it.

"There better be some hydrangeas in there, otherwise they're going in the trash," She joked.

"Hydrangeas?" They paused in front of the door to his uncle's office.

Sakura hummed in response and turned to face him completely. "In flower talk, it means "appreciation"," She explained. "They taught us kunoichi that back in the Academy."

She went on to tell him a story about a mission where she was forced to rely on flowers to communicate with her team, and Shisui listened to it in full, however he was admittedly distracted. Alone in the secluded corridor, he wanted nothing more than to just pick her up and pin her against the wall, then and there. Perhaps it was because the last time he had seen her, he had her bent over a stainless steel table, preening over his words and coming around his fingers, because his lungs—and his pants—suddenly felt a little tight. All he could think about were her heady, debauched moans—"Yes, Taichou!"—and how good she felt pressed flush against him—how delicious she tasted when he licked his fingers clean.

She had been so receptive to him when he had hardly done anything!

If that was how she responded to him just like that, he could only imagine how she'd react when he finally, finally fucked her.

A small part of him felt a little bad for leaving her the way he did. Had Shisui known his Anbu rotation was being switched so soon after their last exchange, he would've given her more than a few fingers to remember him by. But then again, it just meant all the teasing and edging and little moments between them would be worth it when he finally sunk his cock into her.

Fuck he wanted her so bad.

He'd been edging himself for weeks, replaying every moment of their last encounter when he laid in bed at night as it was recorded by his Sharingan. He pretended his hands were her smaller, softer ones. He imagined his fingers as her tongue, trailing along the length of him. He heard his name on her lips, knotted up with curses and drawn out with lust.

He just had to wait a little bit longer.

Soon, he promised, smiling and waving goodbye as Sakura finally excused herself. Soon.

Author's Note

Sorry for the late update. I had to stop writing because I spent ten whole minutes laughing at the "Yura Bitch" scene every time I re-read it. It wasn't even that funny, but I couldn't stop. I guess my brain is just that fried, hahaha! Also, Shisui x Sakura is a lot harder to write than Anbu!Shisui x Sakura!

Anyway, we got to see a little bit of Sasuke! We haven't had the chance to see much of him, mostly because I rarely ever write him so I'm sort of not sure how to. But I promise to add him and Itachi a little more often. Same with a few other characters. This chapter is a little lighter/playful than I originally anticipated, but I wanted to break up some of the tension, because the next chapter is FULL of it.

So yeah, that's all for this chapter. Let me know what you think!