Chapter 3: Tempting
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You are the innocence.
I am the sin.
See how we fit so perfectly?
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"Beat her up. That pink bitch did this to me!"
'Fuck!' She was cornered. Backing up against the gated wall, Sakura frenziedly surveyed the scene. There was that same brown hair slut and her bandaged face, then the group of gangsters behind her. Maybe she shouldn't have wander around the city so carelessly.
"What? I did you a favor, Ami? Now people will pay more attention to your beauty mark and not how ugly you really are." She smart talked back, even during the treacherous situation.
Anger boiled her blood. Ami was furious. "Argh! Brother!" She turned to the big muscular with accusing finger pointing at the pinkette.
Hand in her pocket. Sakura traced the line of her phone, tempting to press the button. 'No!' There must be a way out. Stubborn as she was, Sakura persisted to escape on her own. 'But how?' Since there were, at least twenty raging bodies wanted to gut her right now.
"Oh wow. How cute. Asking your brother to help…" This wasn't doing her any good but she couldn't help it. Possibly, it would cost her life too and yet the fuming face was totally worth it. Who knows. She might escape with only a few scratches, or scars.
"I'm glad to help my sister, seeing what kind of prey we're dealing with." Perversely rubbing his chin, the brother wiggled his brows suggestively. "Quite a little treat you are." His eyes looked her up and down, making Sakura cringed back.
She bit her lips, eying the glass bottle on the side, waiting for a moment to snatch it when they made a move.
But luckily…
"Over here officers. There's a fight over here!" An unknown masculine voice said loudly.
"Fuck! … Scramble!" The gangs dispersed randomly. "But what… She… what!?" "We'll get her another day!" The baffle brunette was pulled away by her brother.
Sakura stood aloof among the commotion. Suddenly a hand reached in and grabbed her, pulling her willing body out of the mess. Alert, emerald looked at the figure in front of her. 'Wah…?'
Tall, broad back, spiky hair, she confusedly eyed her rescuer as they ran away. They successfully made their route as the gang ran mayhem through the alley. Too bad, someone had to spot them.
"What the?! We got tricked! Yoh! Get back here!" The big leader stud was actually smart. He noticed how there hadn't been any whistling sound of the cops yet and turned around. Feeling foolish and in rage to see the pinkette running away with help.
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"Hn." They stopped running, he quickly turned around to see that the gang were chasing after them at full speed. "Shit." He heaved a harsh breath, looking around. He needed something to slow them down. At that rate it wouldn't be long until they were ganged up again.
Sakura stood dumbfounded as he gave her his book bag. "Here take this." Then he proceeded to take a stance.
Kick! Kick! Kick! …
A parade of trashcans and boxes were flying toward the coming danger.
"Wah!" Sakura widened her eyes at his strength and direct kick. "Kick that one! That one!" She amusedly pointed to the nearby can, laughing as the others were being stampeded by the weight of the impaling bins and its content. The containers were quite full. Whatever that had been composed for the past few days rained on them.
Having enough, he believed they received an adequate amount of horrid. "Let's go." Sakura's hand was grabbed again as they took full speed out. Running their feet down the narrow and dark alleyway until they reached the open street and down, through a recreation center.
'So…' Her hand was tiny in his. So big, so bony and calloused, such a simple contact was making her stomach squeezed weirdly. Not caring where she was being led to, Sakura looked up to her rescuer. What did he look like? She hadn't got a clear look at his face. But the back of his shoulder surely was attractive. She had this urge to jump and glomp him unexpectedly.
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After a while of a long distance, they stopped short to catch their breath when it was safe. The detachment rage of screaming was gone and so did the evil looking men. Leaning against the concrete flower bin, they harshly breathed.
"Hah…Hah….Hah…." Sakura felt like her lungs were bursting. Finally calming down, she looked up to see a clearer visage of her rescuer—correction, cute rescuer. Seeing his messy jet-black hair, damped with sweat from the killer distance they ran. His structured face and distinguish feature. 'Wow.'
"!!!" Suddenly he straightened up. Sakura wanted to laugh aloud but it would be rude since he was only flustered because their hands were still in lock. "Sorry." He said as he released her tiny hand. 'Cute' She eyed him with interest then presented her hand. "Thank you for saving me." Smile. "Twice."
It was a surprise to him that she still remembered, even though, their meeting was fleeting last time. He gave her hand a light shake, and introduced himself. "Sasuke Uchiha." Didn't know why but he felt it was necessary. Never had Sasuke openly made acquaintance with a stranger, let alone a girl. He found socializing to be a hindrance. But one more wouldn't hurt since he already had the most annoying ones hanging around him. If he could tolerate, surely she would be a well exception.
"I'm Sakura …" Green eyes looked around and landed on a small poster of fish by the light pole. "…Sakana." 'What the helz…' Mentally face palmed. She felt so stupid and yet not quite. He actually bought it.
"Sakana-san." He greeted her then softly pulled back his hand. Sasuke felt awkward standing there with her. As though he believed, he should leave but he really didn't want to. His body just stayed there. The longer was the better. Just exchanging names wasn't enough.
Sakura tried her best to hold her laugh. "You can call me Sakura. I don't like the formal stuff. Alright, Sasuke-kun?" She tested the water with his name. It sounded so right. 'Sasuke-kun.'
Wasn't bothered by it, "Hn." He was fine with her calling him like that. It actually sounded nice with her voice. She had a really gentle voice to match her fragile body—well, a body that appeared to be fragile.
'…' What was he thinking? Sasuke quickly shook off the thought.
The two silently rested there, watching the empty road with only a few cars passing by. Then suddenly, rain poured down without a warning.
"Wah. It's raining!" Sakura instinctively put Sasuke's book bag above her head, a sad attempt to shield from the rain. The sky began to torrent harder. The surrounding was dark and murky fast. It was difficult to see from the constant impaling water drops.
Out from reaction, this time, Sakura pulled on his hand. "Let's go." He willingly followed her.
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Click. The sound of the heavy door closing brought Sasuke back to reality. He stood awkwardly in the middle of a living room that belonged to a pricy apartment, twenty floors above ground. His eyes glanced around the vast emptiness and were marvelous by its décor. Expensive was the price. Not taking much steps, he felt reluctant to intrude.
"Don't worry. I'm the only who live here." Sakura walked in after she removed her shoes. "Make your self at home." She walked further into the complex, not at all bothered with the trail of water she was leaving behind, leading to her bathroom.
"…" How the helz was he able to calm down after what she just said? They were alone in her house, soaked to the skin. He, a male and she, a female, just two of them… 'What am I thinking?!' He made a motion to clear his head. Of what thoughts? He had no clue. Just, not thinking of anything right now was safe enough.
"Here." Sakura walked back out with two fluffy towels in her hand. "Dry yourself with this." She handed him one. Quietly giggling at how out of place he looked. Sakura concluded it was his first time at a girl's house. No, this was his first time alone with a girl. She was sure of it by the way he acted, which made him so much interesting.
"Thanks." Sasuke dried his hair and dabbed his body lightly. The damp material of his school shirt clung to his skin, accentuated his sculpted body, ripple with lean muscle. Being a soccer team captain sure had its benefits, both him and the female population.
"You can sit you know." Sakura with the towel covered her shoulder turned to him as she tried to untie her hair from the damp knots.
Hesitated, "The sofa…I'll just take a seat on the floor," and he proceeded to do so. Sakura shrugged her shoulders and walked toward her kitchen. From behind the open space, emeralds closely followed the chisel form of his torso that she couldn't take her eyes off. A mischievous smirk crept its way to her lips. Devious said it all on her face.
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'My book bag is soaked.' Taking the notes and books out, he was glad that they were only semi-wet. Carefully, he laid them on the table. Sasuke needed something to keep his mind distracted. Sakura was taking a shower in her bathroom. He could hear the water running down. A young male, it was hard to keep his thought clean and mind clear of 'visual' images.
The sky was dark. Cloud thickened outside of her balcony window. Rain continued to pour and flood the streets. Wind harshly ruptured the air. Safe away from the torrid weather, the inside of the spacious apartment was too lifeless. Looking around, he noted the state of her apartment again. It seemed comfortably livable with all the furniture and decoration. But the place had an aura of untouched as if everything was only there for the purpose of filling up the empty space.
How old was she? Where are her parents? What was she doing being chase in the street?
All of those questions filled his mind. The girl was a like a mystery novel. Every time he turned a page, there was more to be uncover. The more he read in to her, the captivating piece of unknown, the more he was enthralled. What kind of life does she lead? She was as wild as the storm raging outside but at the same time, calm and collected. He was intrigued, definitely fascinated by her.
Too confounded by his thought, Sasuke didn't notice the shower had stopped and the door opened. Her voice suddenly marked her presence. "Sorry I used your book bag as a cover." She first noticed the tabletop covered with drenched books then at him standing by her balcony window.
Sasuke calmly turned around to meet her and kept his eyes to her face and only her face. A glimpse, he had noted her attire. Sakura was only wearing a white mini short and red tank top. Feeling his throat arid by the look of her eyes tearing his existence apart, he looked away and focused his sight on the table. "It's alright." Obsidians tried hard not to look up. There was nothing wrong with how she dressed. He had seen worst when it came to the girls stopping by to cheer during his games or practices. But the fact that there was only two of them in the apartment made his mind conscious of what kind of unrestrained actions that would take place. He clearly wasn't clueless. He was aware.
Walking closer, noticing his discreet twitching, Sakura was careful. Wouldn't want him to be scared off now, would she? Of course not. A soft smile, standing a good distance from him, her tiny hands held out another clean towel. "You can take a shower and I'll dry your clothes." She offered.
Seeing that he was still weighting the suggestion in his mind, she reinforced the idea. "It'll be about twenty minutes. There's a new bathrobe in there you can wear while waiting. It might be a little bit short but it's just for now." Her voice earnestly persuaded. "You would get sick staying in these wet clothe. It won't stop raining for a long time." Best if it kept on raining for the whole night. She quietly thought as he was wavering.
And with a nod, he said, "Thank you." There wasn't anything else he could do. She was right. He had no other choice. Sasuke calmly took the towel and their fingers touched at the slightest contact. A jolt of electric reached his brain and Sasuke sworn he felt his nerve tingled. That wasn't good. He had to get away, to the shower as quick as he could. Any where to get away from the current room.
"The least I can do." She smiled her smile again. Sasuke gave her a short nod and walked in the direction Sakura had come out.
'How cute.' She didn't turn around until she heard her bathroom door clicked closed. A moment later, Sakura walked to the door once Sasuke had neatly laid his wet clothes on the floor of the hallway. Another tiny giggle escaped her lips as she uncovered the bundle. The way he had wedge his black boxer in his uniform trouser was adorable to her. Certainly, Sasuke was different from all the males she had met.
He was—how should she put it? She couldn't describe it with words. There was this invisible attraction that pulled her to him the moment their eyes met. And it wasn't the time when he helped her escaped. It was way before when they bumped each other randomly in the street. That was her reason to stay around the area, hoping for a chance to meet him again and that indeed she did. Surprisingly though, she met him at a completely different location. Such luck she had.
Sakura stayed out in the living room with a cup of hot chocolate. Her body lowered next to the table to look through his notebooks and impressed by the neat text and clear notes. 'Wow.' His grades were perfect. His handwriting was like typewriter. Going through his planner, she pitied the guy. He had no social life. It appeared his scheduled was tied with the school or soccer practice. 'Hm. Wonder how he looks like, playing soccer.'
By simply scanning the content on the table, she learned that he was a senior at Konoha High. The school was quite a distance away and she wondered what he was doing on this side of the city. What ever it was, she didn't care. Letting it slip aside, she helped dabbing the wet covers dried with paper towels.
Another sip of hot chocolate later, she sat there pondering what kind of reaction Sasuke had when he stepped further into her bathroom. Surely, her hot pink bra was an eye-catching décor.
Hey, it was fragile material and must be air dry. She was sure Sasuke didn't mind.
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Of course he didn't mind. He actually spent quite a long time gawking at the object after he turned to walk inside and found it hanging by the railing along with other stringy delicates.
Baffle mortified was his expression actually. Sasuke was frozen in spot to see the pink lacy article dangling. Eyes catching the letter and number on the tag, he blamed a certain blonde for the knowledge of its meaning and representation. Hand on his face, Sasuke turned away to walk into the shower stand.
While Sasuke was in the glass cubicle, he felt uncomfortable at the foreign surrounding. His mind worked up again and he realized how negligent Sakura was to everything. Careless, the girl was completely oblivious to the situation. Who in their right mind would invite a total stranger—let along a male in to her home? Surely, it must because he had helped her before and she was only paying the favor but still, it was questionable.
Letting the water drown out his discomfit, Sasuke closed his eyes as the stream of water railing down his sculpted body.
Ding dong!
Then the doorbell rang loudly. Sasuke opened his eyes for a moment and all of a sudden, Sakura thrashed the unlocked bathroom door open. A stumble of her feet, the shower door was opened too.
"No matter what. Stay in here. Don't come out." She jumped in to the shower to wet her body before shutting off the water. Then in a flashing moment she stripped and covered her self with a towel and walked out.
"…" Sasuke just stood facing the wall, covering his member in confusion. 'What just happened?'
It was dreadfully quiet. Standing in the shower stand, he made no movement. Too occupy in wondering what was going on outside, he totally didn't think anything of the earlier incident. Or was he? It would be abnormal to not have a thought of it—of how the puddle of drenched clothes on the floor shredded from her body. He made it so that he didn't see it by turning his body away the moment she walked in but damn it. Her shower wall was reflective. When he closed his eyes, it was too late.
Damn it. Damn it all. Damn his male nature and how hard it was to restrain.
Still in the same spot, the cold air was rush up his skin. It was more difficult for his body to ease down thus he made a quiet notion of stepping out of the shower stand to dry himself and put on the bathrobe. Just like, she said. It was short, really short from fitting her petite body. The way it was tight around his shoulders showed how slender hers were. Luckily it was wide enough to barely cover his front. Just to be safe, he wrapped another towel around his waist. A sigh, he bent to pick her drenched clothes to put it in the nearby basket. 'She really did strip off everything.' A gulp he forced his mind to stay clear and not to revisit that part of memory that he had stored.
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Hearing the front door slammed shut with a thundering resonance. Sasuke waited for a while before peering to look outside. Everything appeared clear and safe from what ever that he was forbid to encounter. Stepping out from the room, he walked to the living room. The table was cleared of his books. Then scanning a wider range around, everything that revealed his presence was gone from the room. She must have hid it somewhere.
Inspecting the room again, Sakura was nowhere to be seen. Until he lowered his eyesight, he then noticed the fragile body crouched near the entrance. Her hair was sodden and the pink tresses clung to her shoulders. The only thing covered her tiny body was a white towel. Her face hid between her knees. Her arms tightly wrapped around to protect her self from falling apart.
Grimace, Sasuke didn't know what to do. Obviously, something must have happened for her to be in that state. He got closer and touched Sakura's shoulders. Kneeling down next to her, he asked, "Are you alright?" His mannish voice sounded rigid no matter what. Sakura softly nodded her head, but she still didn't move from her spot nor lift her head. Not knowing what else to say since that was all he could think of, Sasuke just stayed there.
It was silence again. Sasuke had his hands on his thighs as he sat on his heels facing her side. Looking down, her neck was slender, her frail shoulders hunched. Sakura didn't make a sound, only quietly breathed.
They stayed like that for a while until the dryer beeped the second time from its auto cycle.
Breaking the awkwardness, he commented, "I guess that is my clothes. I should get dressed and go home. It's late." The time was barely eight and the storm outside had not even subsided. Slowly he emerged to stand. "You should too or you'll get a co-"
Before Sasuke could register the action to his reflex, he was pulled down to the floor. Not only because of the gravity but also because of the slender arms tugging on the bathrobe that made him crashing down.
"Don't," Sakura harshly whispered out as she plunged her body on his and made him fall flat on his back. Obsidian widened by the action.
"Stay with me," and she leaned down to kiss him.
Wow. It had been such a long time since I updated this story. Well I did now and I hope you guys enjoyed it. So now that you read it, tell me what you think. Feel free to review! And give any comment/concerns—especially the concerns if you have any… since my beta fish just went to heaven. I'm really sad now. D= Lettuce, why did you leave me!!!
Cookies and milk for everyone who had reviewed. I lub you guys! Keep being awesome.
Preview Chapter 4: I'm drowning you
"Hn?" Sasuke put his phone up to his ear and greeted the caller. His eyes hardly broke away from hers. "Mom…" Quietly listened, her words entered and escaped from his other ear. His focus hardly could stay put. The girl in front of him was a big distraction. The way she sat there earnestly watching him, waiting.
His mother asked him a question. Made up his mind, he answered, "I won't be home …"
Emeralds lit up at his respond.
"Hn. A friend …" His voice was lowered, deep. Sakura sat there with her hand twirling her hair as he continued his white lie. "It's still storming out…"
A smirk grazed on her lips.
"Good night." And he shut his phone.