Dreams
the fourth night.

Everyone had a different perception of nightmares.

A child's nightmare might consist of the bogeyman in the closet, or the monsters under the bed. Naruto's nightmare might consist of him letting down all of his loved ones. Sasuke's nightmare might consist of the image of his slaughtered family.

Sakura's nightmares? One wouldn't think that she had many nightmares. She rarely did—but when those rare times arose, it was always the same one over and over again.

Naturally, it revolved around Sasuke. Even after years of absence, his effect on her had never worn off. His effect on everyone had never worn off.

Sakura wasn't afraid of losing him. Given, that was a terrible thing—but, she had to admit, their situation could be a lot worse. What she was glad for was the fact that Sasuke left to do something. He left because of his rage to fill his role as an avenger.

She had dreams where Sasuke isolated himself from all the people who loved him, became a talented shinobi who only did his missions—and then died of old age, or maybe killed in action, and that was the end of that. It might not seem frightening to many people, but to Sakura, it was the most horrifying of all. Because in those dreams, Sasuke didn't care. He didn't care about anything—he just lived, followed his orders, and never did anything beyond that. Never went out, never got married…

It was very typical for someone like her. Sakura's nightmares usually consisted of Sasuke not caring about anything at all—not her, not his clan…not even his brother's death.

Because dreams where Sasuke didn't care were the most terrifying of all.

x

The next morning, after packing up and a breakfast of ramen at the ramen stand on the corner (Sakura had insisted), they left the village without any goodbyes.

For a while, it went well. There were brutal slice marks on some trees that Neji had identified as Suigetsu's sword, which previously belonged to Momochi Zabuza. The name struck a chord in Sakura's mind, and she was reminded of their first C-rank mission. It was the first time she had ever seen Sasuke and Naruto work together; it wasn't something she could forget easily.

A little ways away from the village—about one or two miles, she approximated—they stumbled across something very disturbing. Shikamaru shared a few glances with her as they landed amongst the trees, the stench of blood almost overwhelming.

Three men. Three dead men. Sakura recognized them as the ones she and Shikamaru had the misfortune to bump into the day before.

"Sasuke-kun sure is a violent one," Inner Sakura snickered, mocking the suffix that she tacked onto the end of his name. Although it couldn't be determined if Sasuke really was the one who killed them, there really wasn't another option to believe. Who else would kill people like that? She was sure that every member of her squad recognized the bloody indent-like wounds in their abdomens; it could only be produced by the Chidori.

"Look!" Tenten pointed at the trees to their left. "There are blood marks on the trees."

"Do they really take us for stupid?" Shikamaru shook his head, hands shoved in his pockets. Sakura couldn't see much through the slits of her mask, but she was sure if she looked in the right places, she'd find splotches of red here and there, eventually leading right back to Konoha.

She glanced at her teammates. "Do you figure this is Sasuke's doing?" It seemed easy to drop the suffix from his name now, but she was sure when she saw him again, it'd return the way a boomerang would: inevitably.

"Most likely." Neji straightened himself up. "Come on, let's move."

Neji was usually the first to catch the signs of the trail Sasuke left behind, so Sakura took this time to clear some things up in her head.

She wasn't sure how Sasuke was going to kill Itachi with her around; the last time she checked, he had wanted to kill him himself, without anyone's aid. It was puzzling for him to request for help at a time like this, when his brother seemed to be within his reach.

There was the problem of whether or not they would find him, too. Itachi was the same as Sasuke; if he didn't want to be found, he wouldn't be found.

The younger Uchiha had been very vague in terms of his plans. All Sakura knew was that they were returning to Konoha—other than that, she was more or less clueless. How were they going to determine Itachi's location? Was he going to stay outside of the village, or inside? Given, it'd be much safer inside, if only he was able to sneak in—

She rolled her eyes at herself. So that was where she fit in the plans. She would help him sneak into Konoha. It wouldn't be a surprise if he even stayed at her house during the nights.

"He's just using you," Inner Sakura said in a singsong voice. As of late, she'd been rather irritating; Sakura was planning on locking her in a corner of her mind.

By late evening, they were rather close to Konoha. It was much too dark to continue following the trail, even with Neji's Byakugan, so then set up camp for the night. Sakura sighed; she liked the idea of being able to shower before going to bed.

After an entire day of travelling, she felt rather worn out. Being an excellent kunoichi, she could've continued for a couple more hours at the very least, but that didn't mean she didn't want to rest. As soon as dinner was cleaned up, she unrolled her sleeping bag and slipped herself inside, eyes open as she listened to Neji's plans for the next day.

"If we wake up at dawn, we'll reach Konoha at around noon." The Hyuuga's brow was furrowed, as if he was thinking deeply. "No matter where the trail leads, Sakura and Tenten will go and notify Hokage-sama with our findings. We'll need the same amount of firepower both inside and outside of the village, in case they lead us off. Things will progress from there. Understand?"

The other three teammates nodded in unison, and Sakura couldn't help but yawn widely. She was ready to sleep. There was no intention to talk to Sasuke tonight; who'd know what would happen, then. She didn't know how to face him after their little…exchange the night before.

She fell asleep long before anyone else did.

x

Sakura muttered irritably to herself as she made her way towards the training grounds. Naruto was on a short mission, and Sai was nowhere to be found. That was typical for the artist, so she wasn't surprised when she didn't find anyone at the training grounds. It was disappointing, though; she hadn't trained with Naruto in a long time.

Knowing Kakashi, he'd be half an hour late or so. He had already improved himself a little, minimizing how late he was from hours to less than one now, but it still bothered her, nevertheless. She didn't particularly like waiting when there were better things for her to do.

She caught the kunai thrown at her from behind between two of her fingers. "You're late," she snapped playfully as she turned around, finding her former teacher sitting on a tree branch.

"I saw black cats and ladders everywhere I went…"

"Liar." The familiar smile met her lips as the silver-haired shinobi leapt to the ground, his visible eye crinkling with faint humor.

Kakashi surveyed the deserted training grounds. "Just us today?" Usually, the team would meet once in a while just to train. It would be different each time; there might be limitations, or they might go all out. Sometimes, they had teams, and at other points, it was every man for himself. At first, Naruto had been worried that Sakura wouldn't be able to keep up—but she soon proved him wrong about that.

She nodded. "Just us." She was tempted to just drop onto the grassy ground and chat, but she was sure he wasn't going to tolerate that.

"How's it going to be today?"

She didn't feel much like thinking or deceiving or whatever it was that shinobi did. "Taijutsu. No chakra, no Sharingan."

"Tired?"

She sighed, nodding slightly. "Just a little out of it. I kind of miss Naruto…"

There was a hint of amusement in his voice. "Well, don't get distracted, because I'm not going to go easy on you." Without a warning, he charged at her, and her eyes hardened with determination, lips curving into a grin.

"Right back at you."

She had no doubt in her former teacher. Nowadays, only he and Lee could beat her at taijutsu—and sometimes Sai, depending on his mood. She laughed when she landed a punch right on his mask, sure that it would've knocked out a tooth or two if she had used just the slightest bit of chakra.

Her little celebration was cut short when he promptly kneed her in the stomach. "I told you not to get distracted," he reprimanded impishly.

She wasn't sure how long they fought for, but by the time they called it quits, she was ready to drop down and fall asleep. She and Kakashi sat on the ground, regaining their breath.

"You're sure full of energy today," she commented as she looked up at the sky; perfect weather for Shikamaru's cloud-gazing. Her legs were stretched out in a completely unfeminine manner, her hands supporting her body as she leaned backward.

The silver-haired shinobi chuckled. "I have to make up for Naruto's absence."

As she turned towards him, her eyes widened slightly in surprise when she found a splotch of blood on Kakashi's mask. "You're bleeding," she pointed out, gesturing towards his mouth.

"I cut my lip when you punched me. It could've been worse."

Sighing haughtily, she heaved herself from her position and sat herself on the man's lap, roughly pulling down his mask without asking for permission. His bottom lip was cut rather badly. "Huh. Didn't think it'd make that much damage. I'll heal it."

"It'll get better in a couple of days. Hardly a waste of chakra." The Copy Ninja didn't mind having her see his face—she was a medic, and only she, along with a selected few, including Tsunade, had the honor to witness his actual nose and mouth. It wasn't anything outstanding, but Sakura had to admit that the way his entire face was proportioned made him very handsome.

She smiled. "I have enough to waste." Promptly raising her hand to hover over his mouth, the warmth of her chakra began to glow under her palm. He sighed wearily, but remained still.

In just seconds, the cut had disappeared, and she gazed proudly at her handiwork. After running her fingers gently over the bottom lip to check for any abnormalities, she pulled up the mask to conceal the man's face again. "Remember to wash it when you get home. It'll stain if you leave it in for too long."

His tone dripped with his usual wry sarcasm. "Yes, mother."

Despite their strange relationship that could most definitely cross the lines of friends, lovers, and family, Sakura couldn't help but love the man, anyway. She saw him the same way she saw Naruto, Sai, Tsunade, and a small number of other people:

She couldn't live without him.

x

On the fourth night, Sakura felt.

Apparently, Sasuke had different ideas about talking. He didn't wake her this time; he made sure she woke up on her own.

The all too familiar feel of his chakra probed at her, and her shinobi instincts immediately told her to pry open her eyes. His chakra was only familiar for the shortest of moments, though, and at first, she thought that she had dreamt it.

"You should keep your chakra masked at all times, you know," she mumbled sleepily as she rolled over, burying her face into the crook of her arm. She honestly didn't feel like talking today. A frown met her lips when she noticed she wasn't in her sleeping bag, the way she should be.

"No need to worry about me."

She didn't respond. Having found a comfortable position on the cold and slightly damp forest floor, she was just about to drift off to sleep again until she felt a warm hand at her back. "Don't sleep yet. We need to discuss some things, first."

She sighed heavily. "You talk, I'll listen." The truth was, she didn't really want to look at his face, in fear of blushing madly from embarrassment—that, and she was honestly too tired to do anything more. With her willpower, she was sure she could've gotten up if she really had to—but did she really, now? Nah.

"Choosing sleep over your precious Sasuke." Inner Sakura laughed. "That's unexpected."

He didn't hesitate to start. "You're arriving in Konoha tomorrow, I suspect. What are your plans? I need to act accordingly."

She racked her brain for the information needed. "Tenten and I are going to go report to Tsunade, regardless of where the trail leads," she managed to force out, voice raspy due to her dry throat. "She's probably going to send out a search party for you composed to ANBU. I'll most likely be part of it, since I'm part of the official team searching for you."

"When will you return home?"

Her shoulders made an awkward movement; an attempted shrug. "After the report, unless I'm assigned a shift immediately."

There was a short silence, and she embraced it gratefully while the Uchiha thought. The lack of thinking was always nice when she was tired. "Alright, Sakura. Continue to do as you're told. We found my brother's trail leading straight into Konoha, so we'll set our trail so it circles around the village. It'll evade some of the ANBU forces. Don't worry about how I'll get past the border guards; I'll be in your house before the next day."

A flash of apprehension flickered through Sakura's mind, and she was reluctant to accept the fact that she wasn't as sleepy anymore. "If Itachi's in the village, that means Naruto's in danger…"

"Knowing the dobe, he'll probably hold out before I find him. It's not like he doesn't have people to protect him."

She groaned lightly as she rolled over onto her back, blinking a few times at the bright light of the waning moon. "But, still…if I'm not there…"

"Don't worry about it, Sakura. He'll be safe." To her surprise, she felt his warm hand envelope hers. Such an act of intimacy was never heard of for someone like him; Sasuke was an egotistical, demanding person who took what he wanted, when he wanted. She gazed their intertwined fingers inquisitively, the familiar feeling of butterflies fluttering in her unsettled stomach.

"You're holding my hand," she pointed out obviously. "I'm probably dreaming." She muttered the last part, but didn't doubt that he heard it, anyway.

She didn't look at his face in fear of what she'd see, but she could still hear the smirk in his voice. "Would you like me to do other things than just holding your hand?" The suggestive words made her shiver, but before she even had time to respond, the warmth left her hand and she felt sensations elsewhere.

Inner Sakura growled. "The bastard probably intended to do this from the start."

Feeling lips pressing against her jaw line, her eyes closed, almost in content. His hands felt around her ANBU vest for a moment until he found the zipper and promptly pulled it down. His lips found their way to her earlobe, and the combination of his teeth and tongue against her skin caused her breath to quicken.

There was no doubt that she was completely awake now.

Her hands took hold of the grass on the ground, unsure of where else to grab. She'd be damned if anything like this happened to her before.

A warm hand slipped under clothes and met with her bare skin. She squeaked from surprise, but mostly from embarrassment as he cheeks flushed madly. She wasn't even wearing a bra; it wasn't necessary for her ANBU uniform, and it only got in the way. She felt him smirk against her skin when he seemed to realize that, fingertips brushing the bottom of her cleavage.

"Sasuke-kun," she gasped, feeling him trace the underside of a breast. "We can't do this…not out here…" The thought of being caught be someone—anyone—was humiliating.

But all thoughts were erased when she felt his tongue licked the shell of her ear. She couldn't find any word to describe it, other than sensual. That, in itself, made her cheeks heat up even more. Doing such things out in the open—in fact, doing such things at all…

Her breathing increased more when she felt his hand creep upward. Every nerve in her body was on fire, completely alert and aware of what he was doing. Heat pooled in her lower abdomen, and her body subconsciously arched upward slightly into his hand.

Her heart seemed to momentarily stop altogether when his fingers reached a nipple.

The grass was so, so cold underneath her, and the air was even colder—or maybe she was just incredibly warm. Her lips moved clumsily against his when he kissed her, almost unable to breathe as his fingers tweaked that little nub.

"You like this, don't you?" he breathed huskily into her ear. She wasn't able to form a coherent sentence to respond.

Inner Sakura was slightly speechless as well. "He's going to fuck you in the forest," she said plaintively after a long pause. "You're going to lose your virginity amongst bugs and rodents, and very possibly your teammates."

Slight fear and embarrassment—if she wasn't embarrassed enough already—flitted through her mind, but disappeared when she slowly opened her eyes and found Sasuke repositioning himself so he had his legs on either side of her. Maybe she was just imagining it, but she thought his dark eyes were glazed over with…with something…

She trembled when his hand disappeared, and she even breathed a small sigh of relief. Perspiration lined her brow in frustration, and her entire body tensed when his hand landed on her lower abdomen.

She thought she could burst on fire.

"This is…hardly appropriate," she managed to rasp out, though she knew—they both knew—how badly she wanted it. Her morals said no, but her body said yes. Surely, this intimacy wasn't part of their deal…

But that coherent thought, simply put, fled when his hand inched lower. Her breath hitched, and the entire world seemed to freeze that moment. She waited, and waited, and waited for those fingers to reach their destination, no matter how wrong and unruly it was—

A long, soft moan resonated in the quiet forest.

Her eyes widened in surprise. Did she make that sound? She trembled, wanting the fire in her body to be put out. This feeling; it was only burning her until she couldn't think properly anymore. If she could satisfy this feeling…

And then he disappeared. The warmth hovering above her vanished, as if he was never there in the first place. She lay there; panting, vest unzipped and shirt riding halfway up her torso. The forest suddenly felt so unbearably empty, and she was even tempted to cry. The heat pooled in her body diminished, but only little by little as the seconds ticked past.

She didn't know how long she stayed there for, but after gathering all of the willpower she possessed, she hauled herself to her feet, fixed her clothes, and stumbled back to camp.

On the fourth night, Sakura felt. She felt the feelings, she felt the sensations…she thought she felt it all.

A/N: Much thanks to xx. false - deception for beta reading this entire fic. If you have the time, go check out her works—they're great! :D She's under my favorite authors.

I'm terribly sorry this chapter was so short—I seemed to have accomplished everything I wanted to say fewer than four thousand words. I'm trying to work towards longer chapters.

Your reviews are great. They make me so happy. :D Thank you!