*~:) Any and all reviews are SUPER appreciated :) ~*

Chapter 4

His lips had only grazed hers for a fraction of a second.

Heart hammering in her chest, Sakura slowly melted against the closed door behind her, touching her lips. Shocked, and terrified at how she had reacted to him, the realization left her eyes stinging, threatening tears. Why did I pull away like that? By instinct?! We had a good time... the thoughts raced through Sakura's mind.

Ryo and Sakura had just arrived at her door, after a lovely time spent together, when he had tried to kiss her. An innocent peck, after a wonderful evening. The sudden intimacy, had jolted Sakura, and she pulled back from him. With that she thanked him and bid him a prompt goodnight, shutting herself inside immediately.

Oh God... I hope he wasn't offended... Sakura panicked to herself, still not rationalizing why her body had reacted that way. After all, it was only a kiss.

Gently, she rose to her feet and listened against the door. She heard a sigh, then slowly but surely, she heard Ryo walk away. Relief washed over her, like a wave of warmth over her body.

Prying herself off the door, she decided that she just wasn't ready to kiss him yet, and that was all. Pushing the doubt out of her mind, she walked into her kitchen for a glass of water. I gotta call Ino soon... she mused, I guess I'll have a bath first, she decided.

Running the warm water, she poured her favorite bath oil in, that had a relaxing lavender scent.

Stripped of her clothes, she quickly showered and then dipped into the bath with a sigh, forgetting her troubles.

Next time, I won't let a simple kiss catch me off guard, she vowed.

*~SASUKE~*

Sasuke waded through the village, weaving through the streets briskly. On his way to the inn, he passed four very familiar chakras lurking in the bush nearby.

"I'm out of here!" he heard a voice say. He recognized the voice as Naruto, yet was unfamiliar with the unpleasant tone of his voice. Curious, Sasuke moved quickly to a nearby roof, and watched the scene.

He then saw and heard a woman he knew as Hinata, run after his friend. Looking down into the bush, Sasuke recognized Sai and Ino. More people he hadn't laid eyes on in quite some time.

Sasuke pondered the urgency in which Naruto had fled the scene, and wanted to inquire about the possible dangers of the incident. Looking at the mysterious foliage, as Sai and Ino clumsily made their way out, Sasuke wondered why he would even waste such a thought. They are all just as strange as usual... he confirmed.

Acknowledging Sai's recognition of his presence, Sasuke dropped to the road, and continued on his way. He decided to stop at a nearby store, and pick up some things to eat, as he hadn't stopped since he entered the village.

Continuing on his journey to the inn, he passed by a familiar residence. As much as he has tried since setting foot in the village once again, he could not banish ruminations of Sakura from his mind. Passing by her home did not help.

Curious again, he searched the house for her chakra, coming up empty. Only her parents were inside. Perhaps she is out, he considered, and without hesitation, he continued on his path.

He was passing through a newer area of the village, that must have been a recent expansion, focusing on remembering the streets and taking in his surroundings when...

When he sensed her... Not completely sure whether now was the right time to approach Sakura or not, did not seem to matter, as he was unconsiously already walking in her direction. What he saw made him stop in his tracks, and hide behind a wall.

"I had a great time with you tonight Sakura, I'd love to do it again" a man cooed, making Sasuke's ears burn.

"Yes! I did too, it was really nice. Thanks so much for taking me out, the food was even better than you described!" he heard a sweet and intimate voice say, that was followed with a tinkling laugh that made Sasuke's stomach knot in anticipation.

Suddenly the scene went quiet, and Sasuke glanced over at them. Sasuke was far enough that he couldn't be sure what exactly he saw, but it was followed by a taut farewell and a door slam.

Raising an eyebrow suspiciously, Sasuke eyed up the man that was left standing outside her door. Feeling another peculiar emotion, Sasuke could only identify as 'smug', he watched the man leave Sakura's residence.

Resisting a smirk at the man's expense, Sasuke continued walking to the inn. He concluded all that he had learned on his walk with one simple remark,

Ahh, I guess she moved.