A smouldering square of paper burnt its way down to Sakura's fingers as she brushed the ashes from her hair. Hm…chakra-sensitive paper. It was difficult to get outside the Land of Fire to begin with; to have it in these disposable quantities must mean that the jutsu user had a source inside their borders.
She discarded the remains moments before it burnt her and remained mesmerized for a moment by its slow self-consumption as she contemplated this hint at insurgency in their own country.
"Let's go." Sasuke said, turning on his heel to stride back to the main hallway. It wasn't an invitation and Sakura, perceptive as ever, immediately rose to follow close behind him. He stopped abruptly as they emerged and she almost ran face-first into his shoulder. Recovering quickly, she stood purposefully almost touching him; he could feel her breast rise and fall against his back. He shifted his weight slightly back, slightly closer to her, just enough so that she would know that he liked what she was up to. Back to business. Sasuke looked back over his shoulder at her out of the corner of his eye: "The paper came from our left but seemed to be initially heading to our right. Suggestions?"
Sakura was flattered he asked: "I want to follow where the paper was heading – I don't think chakra-infused paper would be directed somewhere without purpose." Sasuke nodded and gentlemanly motioned for her to take the lead down the nondescript main hallway. She began walking, sticking her hand in her back pouch and emerging with a handfull of small, subtle objects which she casually pressed to the wall periodically as she passed by. Sasuke glanced at one and quietly smiled to himself at the ingenuity: petal-shaped 'breadcrumbs'. Sakura navigated them through more hallways; more artery passageways; more locked doors. They kept to what seemed to be the main hallway, foregoing exploring behind doors for now as it seemed unlikely that a hurricane of paper could have turned a doorknob. The further they ventured, the more the impersonal metal hallways fractalled into narrow alcoves and obtusely angled squat passageways. A sense of disuse began to permeate the air and Sakura reluctantly had to acknowledge that instead of reaching the root of this mystery building, she had chosen a path which led them to the fringe branches. She turned to admit as much but Sasuke wasn't behind her anymore.
She froze, agape. Her old sense of him, how she could sense his being near her without her even needing to look, was evidently rusty from years apart. Unease crept up. Sasuke, who had been at the ready behind her, who promised he'd watch her back, had vanished. Everything suddenly felt like a trap and the labrynthine passageways stretched before and around her in a panopticon of unknown dangers. Pulling herself together and setting her jaw, Sakura removed her favourite kunai from its green sheath and grimly started retracing the breadcrumbs. The small devices glowed mutely in response to her chakra, reliably leading her back. She should have stuck one on Sasuke too, she thought wryly, slowing in her approach toward a blind corner…
as Sasuke burst round and bolted toward her. He bridged the gap between them in four strides and with one hand forcefully pushed her into the nearest alcove, crowding himself in, and forced them both down on their knees. His hand remained on her collarbone, confirming her compliance. Sasuke could feel her raw gaze burning into him but then turn to see where he was looking. The first flits of paper squares came into sight.
Sakura watched the tide of paper swirl and eddy past them; the white squares keeping to the main hallway going about their business. Roving clouds of paper patrolling the hallways? Sai's jutsus would've been helpful right about now. Sakura frowned at the déjà vu of the thought, remembering how on their way to the Rain Village, Hinata had shared some intel about how Shino had battled an Akatsuki with a paper-based jutsu . . . "Konan?" Sakura inquired, seeking confirmation.
Sasuke scowled and nodded. Madara must have known that Konan was patrolling. What a convenient way to get rid of inconvenient Akatsuki members – have them fight each other off. Hn. But it confirmed that there was something of worth to be had from this building; and something significant if Konan's attention was at least split between this and Pein's battle.
He sighed and let his hand drop from her collar. In his distraction Sasuke neglected to pull his hand away and it grazed Sakura's breasts. Her small, sharp intake of breath at his touch made him freeze; his full focus was on her now. The sharp edge of lust shifted the air between them. Sakura's breathing became shallow as she took the offending hand and replaced it on her breasts. Sasuke stared at her for a moment; her eyes confirmed her intention, daring him to go further. He held her gaze as he caressed them, gently at first; as she arched her breast toward his touch, his other hand joined the first but now they groped. Her hands responded in kind, his open shirt convenient for her to explore the muscles of his chest and draw her fingers down the two…four…six abs and linger there, teasingly tracing a line juuust above his belt. Sasuke raised an eyebrow -- teasing are we? A swift slight of his hands and her shirt was open too, Sasuke resuming his groping position, now on the smooth black spandex. Sakura's lips quirked into a smile, impressed. Not to be outdone, she made as if to plunge her hands down his pants yet at the last minute twined her hands in his belt, pulling his body toward her. He was ready for it though and pinned her shoulders with his forearms against the alcove wall, kissing her passionately. He could feel Sakura's body melting into his, her hands clutching at his shirt. Sasuke's hands smoothed down her curves, pushing up her skirt before hoisting her onto his lap. The new position broke their kiss; Sakura giving him a sly, foxy look.
Paper suddenly stuck to her thigh. The hurricane was smarter than expected, extending exploratory paper tentacles in the alcove. Sasuke half-tossed, half-dumped Sakura on the ground behind him, burning everything to ashes in front of him.
He turned to her; other burning thoughts flashed in his mind to see Sakura sitting up on her elbows, fishnet and spandex, one of her legs still splayed across him and breathing heavily from surprise. Not now, he told himself with some effort. He instead offered her a hand to right herself. She did so and proceeded to gather items which had fallen out of her med-nin pouch.
Oh! The cold wrap with the eyes. In all the burning and havoc she had forgotten. She held it up to him to unwrap: "There was a medical storage room behind that locked door earlier…"
"What is it?" Sasuke asked; the question dying on his lips. "These are Itachi's eyes," Sasuke said quietly, touching the mangekyo sharingan jar gently.
"I thought so. I'm taking the rinnengan eyes back to Konoha for analysis, but the sharingans belong to you."
A shadow passed over Sasuke's face: "Sakura….I'm going blind"
The silence was heavy between them; neither sure how to follow up that thought. "I thought it wasn't so bad, but back there I saw a door ajar and I slipped in for a moment to investigate. I couldn't see the trip wire and it triggered the hurricane," Sasuke's voice grew bitter. "The crudest kind of trap; the kind they catch academy students with. Even if I don't use sharingan again..." He trailed off, frustrated at the impossibility; frustrated at the inevitability.
"..you'll go blind just as Itachi was going. But if I transplant his cornea onto yours, like a pair of glasses it'll correct your vision eternally." Sakura smiled as he took stock of her unexpected knowledge. "Are you really surprised? I've read every scrap I could find about sharingan." Sakura only blushed a little at admitting it. The countless bleary-eyed hours sneaking into the Hokage's office to read confidential reports on clan abilities by moonlight were precisely for moments like this; so she could do something worthwhile for one of her teammates. "What will you do?"
A/N: Thanks for reading! This chapter is based off of nami86's "Close Combat"
