I tried to keep the lemon out of this one and I don't know why. Who wouldn't want a lemon? You gotta balance out the angst sometimes. I really appreciate the reviews guys, it's awesome feedback! Read, review, enjoy! Xo
"I'll wait out here for you," Tsunade stands against the wall while I open the door to my apartment.
"I'll just be a moment," I say and shut the door behind me. Okay, I just have to grab my suitcase and go. I travel past my kitchen and move upstairs to my bedroom. My luggage still sits unopened on my bed. As I reach for it my hand trembles. Just take it and go. I grasp the handle but can't seem to move any further.
Twelve days. I sink to my knees, leaning against the bed for support. If I can't change their minds about him, then I only have twelve days to savor my time with Sasuke.
It's not enough. I'll never have enough of him. Tears well in my eyes as sobs rack my body and I can only grip the sheets of my bed for comfort. How do I tell Sasuke? I can't, can I?
I have to pull myself together. I swipe away the tears and pad over to my dresser. I shed my disgusting old clothes and rummage around for a new bra and panty. As I do, I come away with a lacy black thong. I keep digging in my underwear drawer until I find the matching bra. I bought this a few years ago and I've hardly worn it. I've never really had a reason to.
Slipping the garments on, I step over to the mirror, admiring the set. The balconet cup is flattering and makes my breasts look fuller while the thong is almost completely see-through. I might as well get some use out of it now, I think as I slide a dress on over my head. Grabbing my suitcase and moving to the front door.
The second I hear her come through the door, I'm at the top of the stairs. She drops her suitcase and, without a glance at the guards in the living room, runs up the steps and flings herself into my arms. I stagger, a little caught off guard by her enthusiasm. She clutches the back of my shirt tightly and when I notice the guards in the hall watching us, I move us back to her room, shutting the door behind us.
"Are you all right?" I stroke her hair and she shakes her head where it rests against my chest. I pull her face up to look at me and notice her red rimmed eyes. I feel my heart fracture at the sight. "Where were you? What happened?"
"I don't want to talk about it, Sasuke," she cants her lips toward me and presses a soft, but impassioned kiss against mine, "I just want you to fuck me, so that I don't feel pain anymore."
Contrary to her request, I make no move to do so. I take her face in my hands and press my mouth against her forehead. She closes her eyes, as a tremor runs through her.
"Did you go see the council?"
"Yes," she whispers as if she's relieved she didn't have to say the words herself. Why wouldn't she tell me that?
"What did they say?"
"Nothing I want to repeat," her eyes are wet again.
"Did they make a decision?" Before fear can settle in, she shakes her head.
"No."
"Did you tell them anything?" my heart starts to race as I wait for her answer. Her expression is pleading as she looks at me.
"I had to," she whispers with trepidation. My arms go slack around her as something twisted and cold inhabits my stomach, "I thought if I told them about Itachi - "
"You told them about Itachi?" anger flares in my chest and I force myself away from her. Betrayal cuts straight through me. It's something I'm familiar with but I never thought I'd have to feel it from her.
"I thought that if they knew the truth you'd be exonerated," her voice is quiet and small and I hate it. She truly believes, with all the goodness of her heart, that she can help me.
"Not after the things I've done," I say darkly.
"Which I know little to nothing about!" her vexation spikes for a moment and she turns her head slightly to hear if anyone's coming, "How many people have you killed, Sasuke? They said whole villages were destroyed because of you and Orochimaru. Is that true?"
"Yes," venom drips off my admittance. Unexpectedly, I find myself wanting her to know the truth. Maybe she'll finally be sick of me. She can finally start hating me with every fiber of her being and neither of us will have to wonder any longer what it is we're doing to each other.
"And did you kill children, too?" her voice trembles with fury and sorrow.
"No," I shake my head slowly, "Not directly. But I still took them from their families."
"Why would you do that? You, Sasuke, of all people in this world should know what it feels like to be ripped from your loved ones! How could you inflict that kind of pain on anyone else?!"
"I didn't care, Sakura," I stare down at her impassively, drawing into myself. Her fists are clenched tightly as she takes a step away from me, "Taking lives meant nothing to me as long as I was gaining the strength I needed to defeat Itachi. It was a means to an end."
She says nothing as she glares at me but even through her anger I can see her compassion. She's not looking at me like I'm beyond repair, just fragmented.
"I wish I could hate you," she mutters, "If hating you were as easy as loving you my life would be a lot simpler."
I feel myself soften, but I try not to move.
"Do you love me?" despite how quiet my words are, it still severs the palpable silence.
"Don't ask me that," her lip trembles and she puts a hand up as if to stop me.
"Sakura," I implore her, "Knowing what you know about me, knowing who I was and who I am now, do you love me?"
She presses herself against the wall and I have to fight off the compulsion to follow her. If she doesn't want me near her, I'll go far away. If she doesn't want me to touch her, I'll never do so again. I'll do anything for her, I discern when she looks up at me with her encompassing emerald eyes. Her brows are furrowed and she sucks in her bottom lip to stave off a sob. She wraps her arms around herself, but I want to be the one doing that, to console her. The problem is that I'm the reason she's tormented now.
"I never stopped, Sasuke," she whispers, "And I don't know if that makes me a terrible person or if it makes me weak, but I can't help it."
She looks so resigned and yet lost at the same time. I want to tell her that it doesn't make her weak. It makes her strong, that fact that she can love somebody like me. But I have no right to tell her that. Any sane person would probably tell her to leave, to get out now, before I hurt her like I've done to everyone else. The thought of harming her makes me sick, but I've done it so many times I can no longer keep track.
"I think I was right, Sakura. You're better off without me."
I can see her heart break in that moment, it's clear in her watering eyes. She must think I'm rejecting her, refusing her love. I want her love. I want her affection. I want it like I've never wanted anything else before. I don't know if I'm capable of it, but I want to love her. She is everything good in my life right now, but all I've ever done is cause her misery. And even if I do come out of this alive, how could she ever stay with me? Sakura would be shunned by association. It would be borne of my own selfish aspirations that I would let her love me. I would take her love with greedy hands and a ravenous heart. She would be left with nothing.
It's probably for the best that she thinks I don't want her love.
"We have twelve days, Sasuke," her fingers dig into her arms as she struggles to control herself, "Tsunade brought in Daimyos from other villages to consult with her council members and they leave in twelve days. By then, they'll have a decision. I don't want to spend what might be the last two weeks that we have with you arguing. I'm going to do whatever I can to persuade Tsunade and the Daimyos to spare you. If that makes you unhappy that's fine, because at least one of us cares about your life."
"You went in front of the Daimyos?" I clarify, admiration filtering through me.
"Yes," she attests, "And they humiliated me for sticking up for you. They're a bunch of stuffy bureaucrats."
Her cheeks flame pink and she grits her teeth. How can she love me so much that she'd do that? She's been publicly criticized for standing by me and has been stabbed just for being my friend.
"Why would you do that?" her eyes shoot up to mine and she narrows her gaze sharply.
"Sasuke, you fucking baka," she hisses, "Because I love you!"
I can't help myself and I reach for her, slamming my lips against hers desperately. I pin her hips with mine and grip her waist tightly in my hands. She responds delicately, with measured hesitation. Her fingers don't twist in my hair, she's not stroking my chest. When I pull away, her eyes are open and she's crying softly.
"Don't do that unless you mean it," she whimpers, "I will, without fail, be your advocate and right now, there's nothing I can do about my feelings for you, but don't do this out of pity or because you feel obligated."
I relax my forehead against hers.
"Never," I breathe. Her lips twitch towards mine, but she holds herself back, "I do this because I want to. You were right, I like kissing you. And I like fucking you. But I also like waking up to you in the same bed and falling asleep with you. I also like just talking to you and laughing with you. Damn it, Sakura, I don't know what to say. You make me feel things that I never thought I could and it scares me because I don't want to lose myself in this. But I think I might already have."
She locks her fingers around my neck and pulls my lips to hers, insistent this time. She stands on the tips of her toes to kiss me deeper. My tongue slips into her mouth to brush against hers. When she withdraws, her eyes are screwed shut and her breath comes in heavy pants.
"I'm glad I'm not the only one who's scared by all this," she speaks softly.
"You're very intimidating, did you know that?" I chuckle and she opens her eyes, smiling finally.
"So are you," she runs a hand down my chest, leaning in to me.
"I'm sure the Daimyos were very threatened by you today," I smirk. She laughs, but it's a little dismal.
"They didn't care what I had to say, Sasuke," her brows furrow and she opens her mouth to speak again but I stop her with a kiss.
"I care what you have to say," I whisper against her lips.
"Will you help me, then?" she places a hand on my cheek, entreating me with a doleful gaze.
"How can I help you?"
"By finding something to exonerate you," she pauses, "I know you said you were no longer in contact with Karin and Suigetsu, but do you have any idea where they might have gone?"
"I'm not turning them in, Sakura," I say adamantly, "We might not have done anything noble when we were traveling together, but they don't deserve this fate."
"And you do?" she says brusquely. I don't answer, bringing my knuckles up to stroke her cheek. She tends toward my touch. A lone tear trails down her face, coming into contact with my hand, "I don't want to lose you, that scares me more than anything."
"You have me now, Sakura," before she can protest again, I kiss her. One hand curls at my back while her other pulls at my hip. I slide a hand up her thigh to her waist and come in contact with something that doesn't feel like what she normally wears. When I pull back, I shove her dress over her head to reveal a provocative black underwear set.
"I thought I'd surprise you," she blushes as I hook a finger through the side of her panty.
"It's a nice surprise," I admit, forcing the thin lace down. She steps out of it and I reach behind her to unhook her bra. She lets me slide it over her arms, then I'm rolling a nipple between my thumb and forefinger. She moans, "But to be honest, I don't care what you wear, as long as it ends up on my floor."
She grins and takes my hand, leading me over to the bed. She pushes me down and straddles my waist. She pulls my shirt off and resumes brushing her lips against mine while I wrap my arms around her back.
"Sasuke-kun," she moans, grinding her hips into me. I flip us over and slither down the mattress until I'm settled between her thighs. Sakura holds her head up, keeping my gaze as I press my tongue flat against her slippery opening. She's already so wet. Shivering, her thighs start to come close, but I place my hands firmly against them, holding her down, "Sasuke-kun, ah!"
She clamps a hand over her mouth as my tongue circles her clit. I growl against her, infuriated by the need to be soundless, and she tosses her head back with another sigh. She's so beautiful. Sakura is wet for me, moaning for me.
"Say you're mine," I press my lips to her clit and suck softly. She sobs, her back coming off the bed in a crescent, "Say it, Sakura."
She shakes her head defiantly and I graze my teeth over her little bundle of nerves. Her hips buck up, but I pull away, kneeling before her. I grab her waist and flip her onto her stomach then take hold of her legs and drag her towards me. As I pull myself out of my pants, Sakura raises her hips and peers back at me with a salacious look. I smack her ass and she bites her lip to repress a groan. I smirk; she likes it rough. Taking my cock in hand, I rub the tip along her drenched lips and groan at the feeling. I can't wait to be inside her.
"Sasuke-kun, please," she tries to push back onto me, but I grip her hip firmly to keep her in place.
"Tell me that you're mine, Sakura," I growl, pushing an inch into her and withdrawing quickly. She whimpers, burying her face in a pillow, "I'm the only one that gets to fuck you," I slip into her with a rough, shallow thrust, "To make you come," her walls squeeze me desperately, trying to keep me inside, "I'm the only one that gets to make you delirious with pleasure."
"Sasuke-kun!" she exhales sharply when I push all the way into her. I remain there, garnering all my strength to resist the need to plunge in and out of her. I lean over her, resting my chest against her back and bite her ear. She gasps and tries to circle her hips again but to no avail. I pull out slowly and push back in at an agonizing pace. "Fuck, Sasuke, fine! Yes, yes, I'm yours. You're the only one that makes me this fucking crazy. You're the only one that I want. So, as long as you're mine, I promise I am yours."
I feel my heart burst and I nip her shoulder before recovering a rhythm that has me driving into her with a force that shakes the bed. Right now I don't care if anyone hears. Let them. They can hear her cry my name. Let all of Konoha know that this beautiful, alluring woman chose me. Wrapping an arm around her waist, I hoist her up so that she's sitting in my lap, her head rolling back onto my shoulder. She reaches her hand behind to clutch my hair as I thrust up into her. I slide my hand down the soft skin of her torso, over her abdomen, and to the apex of her thighs. Every flick of her sensitized nub provokes her to constrict around me almost painfully.
"I'm yours," I whisper into her neck, my voice dense with arousal, slipping another finger over her clit to pinch it softly, "And I'm the only one that gets to make love to you."
I punctuate my words with sharp, deep thrusts and she arches her back, a stream of unintelligible utterances spilling from her parted lips. Her heat, the tightness of her walls, her sopping pussy has me nearing the edge sooner than I want. Increasing the pressure with my fingers and shoving into her, I spur her on her release. Like a chain reaction, I follow her diligently.
What did he say? I pant, shaking beneath him as he still pulses inside me and I continue to squeeze every drop from him. Sasuke pushes himself up, trailing his mouth down the length of my spine and pulling out of me. If I weren't so spent, I'd complain about the loss of him. He collapses beside me, draping a heavy arm across my back. I turn my face to his and after all we've just done, everything we've said, I feel myself flush at his dark, probing orbs. I reach a hand up to stroke his cheek.
"I finally have you, I'm not ready to let you go," I take a deep breath, "If I have any hope of convincing the Daimyos, Sasuke, I need to know everything that happened while you were gone."
"Sakura, I can't - "
"Why is it that you don't want to tell me?" I nearly snap. After everything I know now? After what he said he feels for me? It hurts that he still feels like he needs to keep things from me.
"I haven't had the courage to risk telling you everything I've done because I've been afraid of what you'll think of me," he pulls me against him, "I don't want you to - "
I shut him up with a kiss, pressing my body against his.
"Sasuke-kun, I love you. I just want to get through this with you," I trail my hand down his arm and lace our fingers, "Together."
"Okay," he says with some trepidation, "Okay, Sakura."
