A/N: Hello everyone! Sorry I've kept you waiting for so long with this chapter. I've just been really busy with my internship and some new one-shots. I hope that you enjoy this chapter, and I'll try to make the next as fast as I can!

Chapter 6. Found and Lost

"Sasuke-sama! Suki-san! Dinner is ready!"

Umi's voice echoed through the silent garden. Completely shaken, Sasuke got off of Suki as fast as he could while blushing furiously. He offered Suki a hand, which she politely took. Suki too was blushing like she had never done before. Alright, maybe only when Sasuke had been in her room while she was practically naked.

They resumed their way to the dining room in silence, both apparently clueless of what to say. As they sat down in silence too, Umi served dinner; fresh, homemade miso ramen. Suki smiled. Yes, she was definitely in the mood for some ramen. All the training had made her quite hungry.

"Enjoy your meals."

Umi turned around and left the dining room, leaving Sasuke and Suki alone. Their dinner was eaten in silence too. Suki wanted to speak, that was not the problem; she just didn't know what to say. Eventually, she decided to talk about the first thing that came to mind; her training.

"So Sasuke, how do you think my training went?"

Sasuke swallowed his ramen before answering.

"I think it went perfectly fine. I do think however, that maybe we need to practice a little more in the next few days."

"Sounds like a plan to me."

She smiled before taking another bite of her ramen. Suddenly, a voice behind her made her shiver in fear.

"So, I see you two have been enjoying yourselves without me."

Suki looked at Sasuke with fear in her eyes, only to find Sasuke narrowing his eyes in disgust. She could tell by the look in his eyes that he was ready to kill him if he had the chance. And if you could kill someone with a glare, Itachi would have been dead for sure. Because Sasuke was glaring daggers ― well, butcher knives ― at his brother.

"We don't need you to enjoy ourselves, brother."

Itachi seemed indifferent about the butcher knifes coming his way, and smirked at his little brother's comment.

"That's good to know. Now, enjoy the rest of your meals. I'm going upstairs."

With that, Itachi turned around and left the dining room without giving either Sasuke or Suki any further attention. Suki tried to suppress the shiver running up her spine, but failed. Sasuke noticed this however, and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry; I won't let him hurt you again."

Looking deeply into his eyes, Suki nodded. Of course he wasn't going to let him hurt her again. He had already shown her that by now. When she felt a little at ease again, she continued eating her ramen. So did Sasuke, and the rest of their dinner was spent in silence. Just like before.

After dinner was eaten, Suki decided to go to bed early tonight. But first she was going to take a shower; she felt dirty and smelly. After a long, hot bath she quickly got dressed in her nightgown and slipped into her bed. She wasn't ready to sleep however; she had to clear her mind about something that involved Sasuke. What had happened right before Umi called them? And maybe more importantly; what would have happened if Umi hadn't called for dinner? Would he have kissed her? She didn't know anymore. They had been so close, and for a moment she had seen his face moving even closer.

"Kami, I'm so confused! I really wanted to feel his lips against mine!"

Suki closed her eyes and made more attempts on figuring out what had happened, but all on no avail. She sighed and decided to give up on her pathetic attempts of clearing her mind. Laying down on her side, she drifted to sleep a few minutes later.

"Alright Suki, we'll continue where we left off yesterday."

Suki raised an eyebrow and couldn't suppress the thought that came in mind.

"With you on top of me and our faces only millimeters apart?"

She also couldn't suppress the small grin that formed on her face. Apparently Sasuke noticed this and finished the sentence before Suki even got a chance to reply.

"I'll attack you again, but today I won't go easy on you."

Yes, they were training again. They wouldn't have to worry about Itachi though, because he had an appointment somewhere and wouldn't be back until dinner. Or so they thought, because neither of them noticed another pair of angry, onyx eyes staring at them; watching their every move.

Suki nodded and she pulled her hair into a loose ponytail before Sasuke charged at her. She tried to dodge his attack, but he was too fast for her. That's when she realized he had indeed been holding back yesterday. Sasuke forcefully grabbed her wrists and forced her to the ground until she was laying on her stomach with him on top of her back. The strength he was using to hold her wrists was immense and she winced in pain. As soon as Sasuke noticed he was hurting her, he let go of her arms and got off her.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you."

Suki sat up straight and rubbed her wrists. She noticed the guilty look on Sasuke's face. A sudden thought came to mind and she grinned. She got up as fast as she could and ran straight at Sasuke. By the time he actually noticed she was charging at him, the impact of her body colliding with his made him lose his balance, causing him to fall flat on his back. Suki however had also lost her balance and landed right on top of him.

Before Sasuke even got the chance to get up, Suki grabbed his wrists and pinned them above his head with a victorious smile on her face.

"Don't ever let your guard down, Sasuke. No matter how much someone's hurting you or how much you're hurting them. Because the other person will take advantage of the situation."

Sasuke's eyes widened at Suki's comment. That's exactly what he had told her yesterday! Oh, she was so going to pay for attacking him like that!

He gathered all his strength, and in one swift movement rolled over so he was on top of her. He used his one of his hands to pin both her hands above her head, just like she had done to him. This time it was his turn to smile victoriously.

"Excuse me, but you were saying…?"

"It's not fair. You're way stronger than I am…"

Suki pouted in the cutest way he had ever seen someone pout, making his heartbeat increase a tenfold and the blood rising to his cheeks. All he could do was staring at her for the moment. It didn't last long though, because Suki started to squirm underneath Sasuke, trying to escape his death grip on her wrist and waist.

Without much trouble, Sasuke was able to hold her down. Suki sighed and decided to give up for now. She would strike when the time was right.

Looking into Sasuke's deep, onyx eyes, she suddenly had a feeling of a déjà-vu. All the unanswered thoughts and questions from the day before came back to her. She noticed Sasuke had released his firm grip on her wrists, but she decided not to attack him. She really wanted to know what he would do. But for the moment, he didn't do anything; he was staring at her, making her feel very conscious of herself. She could feel the heath rising to her cheeks, turning them a bright red color. When she noticed he made actually no attempt to get off of her whatsoever, her cheeks turned crimson.

No, Sasuke did the exact opposite. Instead of getting off of her, he moved his face closer to Suki's; inch by inch. He could hear his own heart beating in his ears, but he refused to let his razing heart stop him from what he was about to do. But still an inner conflict couldn't be avoided.

"Wait! What if she doesn't like me like that? I might ruin our friendship! But then again, If she hadn't felt comfortable, she would have kicked me off by now…"

He moved his head even lower until their lips almost touched. Suki slightly parted her lips without noticing it, subconsciously telling him, asking him to kiss her. His breath on her lips left an electric feeling, which she loved. She wanted to feel more of that feeling, she needed it. She already was addicted to him. She couldn't wait any longer; she wanted to feel him.

So instead of waiting for Sasuke to make the final move, she lifted her face from the ground, their lips touching in a soft and gentle kiss. Jolts of pleasure were running through her body, leaving her completely breathless. Sasuke put more force into the kiss, making Suki lower her head to the ground. A few times Sasuke released her lips for a second, only to renew the kiss right after.

Apparently Sasuke grew a little bored after a while, because he gently bit on her bottom lip. Suki wasn't sure of what to do, but she did when she also felt his tongue against her lips. She gently opened her mouth, welcoming him in. Sasuke, being impatient, immediately plunged his tongue into her hot mouth and explored every inch of it. When he found Suki's tongue, he licked it lovingly and played with it until they were involved in a passionate dance, making Suki moan in delight.

Sasuke released Suki's arms so he could touch her, stroke her sides. In return, Suki's hands flung to his beautiful dark hair and massaged his skull. She couldn't help but smirking when she heard him quietly moan into the kiss. After what seemed like half an hour, they both pulled away to take in very desperately needed, precious air.

When Suki opened her eyes, she found onyx ones staring at her. Those beautiful dark eyes in which she could easily drown and which looked at her so lovingly. Upon feeling Sasuke's hand playing with her hair, she closed her eyes again and enjoyed his touch. Yes, she loved the way his soft hands moved against her skin and hair. Again, she opened her eyes to find Sasuke's gaze firmly upon her.

"Sasuke…"

"Yes?"

She couldn't help but smile when Sasuke gave her a questioning look.

"Wow."

Sasuke smile at her in return and place a light kiss upon her lips. Suki's smile disappeared however and a slight frown spread across her face together with a worried and saddened look.

"But we can't do this…"

Sasuke got up until he was sitting on his knees, gently pulling Suki along with him so she was now sitting as well. What was she saying? Was their first kiss also going to be their last one? Girls were just so confusing every now and then.

"What do you mean?"

Suki lowered her eyes to the ground beside Sasuke. She took a deep breath before answering.

"We can't be together. If your brother would find out, he'd probably try to kill us both."

A frown also took over Sasuke's face. This couldn't be happening! He could have any girl he wanted. But of course the first girl he fell in love with turns out to be the one to reject him! No, he wasn't ready to let her slip away from him.

"Who cares about Itachi? He doesn't need to know. And if he'd ever find out, we'll just run away."

"I wish that was possible, but you know just as well as I do that that's not going to happen. No matter where we go, he'll make it his mission to track us down and probably kill us!"

Sasuke knew she was right, but still. Why did his brother have to screw this up?!

"But Suki, I ―"

He got hushed by a finger on his lips.

"Sasuke, please. I care too much about you to let you get hurt by him. I'm sorry."

Sasuke placed a hand on her cheek, noticing Suki looked like she was about to cry. How she wished it was possible to be with him, that she didn't have to make this decision. She didn't want to be only friends with him, she wanted more.

Releasing a deep sigh, Sasuke closed his eyes for a few seconds. Right now, he hated his brother more than he had ever done. If Itachi hadn't been the asshole he was, he and Suki could have been happy together. But no, he always had to come along and screw things up. When he opened his eyes again, he saw a lone tear rolling down Suki's cheek. He released his hand from her cheek and hugged her close.

"I'm so sorry, Sasuke. Probably, if we had met under different circumstances, we would have been great together."

"I know. I'm sorry too. But just so you know, if Itachi ever touches you again, I will personally make sure he dies."

Suki nodded. She knew she would be relatively safe with Sasuke around. But it weren't the days she was worried about, it were the nights. When Sasuke would be a few rooms away from her, sound asleep. She didn't let her worry show however, and hugged Sasuke tightly before getting up.

"Maybe we should go back inside, Sasuke. It looks like it's about to rain."

Sasuke nodded and followed her, putting up an emotionless face as they entered the mansion. They both went upstairs to their separate rooms. Upon entering her room, Suki closed the door behind her and walked to her bed, letting herself fall down on top of it. She sighed deeply and stared at the ceiling. Who would have thought her life would have become so complicated? Only a few weeks ago everything was still perfectly normal, until she ended up in this place.

She had to admit that if it hadn't been for Itachi, she wouldn't have met Sasuke. But still, she hated him. She wanted nothing more than to run away from there as far as she could together with Sasuke, but no matter where she would go, she was positive Itachi would find them.

Suddenly the smell of food entered her nose. Dinner would probably be served in a few moments, which meant Itachi was home again. She dragged herself off the bed and into the bathroom to refresh herself. The training with Sasuke had made her sweaty and smelly. Quickly, she discarded her old clothes, stepped into the shower and turned on the warm water. After a few minutes she was done and dried herself.

As she stepped out of the shower, she noticed an all too familiar presence in her room. She tightened the towel around her body a little more.

"Can I help you with something, Itachi-sama?"

Itachi turned to face her and smirked at seeing her almost naked form. After eyeing her up for a bit, he finally answered.

"No, it's okay. I just wanted to see how you were doing, but you seem perfectly fine."

Suki's grip on the towel tightened a little as he stepped a little closer.

"Yes, I'm perfectly fine. Now, I'd appreciate it if you could leave. I'd like to get dressed."

Itachi chuckled and gently traced the outlines of Suki's cheek.

"Come on, it's not like I've never seen you naked before. Don't be shy, Suki."

Suki walked backwards in an attempt to get away from Itachi and his touch, but failed. Whenever she stepped back, he would follow her ― until she was with her back against the wall and Itachi only a few inches away from her. She looked into his eyes to find them clouded over with lust.

"I-Itachi…"

The cold hand that was formerly placed on her cheek slowly drifted down; first her neck, then her shoulder and from there on across the arm that was keeping the towel firmly in place. When he reached the hand holding it, he ghosted his own hand over it before taking it and gently leading it away from the towel.

Suki could do nothing but whimper when Itachi's other cold hand moved across her other arm in the opposite direction; from her hand all the way up to her shoulder, neck and finally her cheek, which he gently took hold of. He moved his mouth close to her ear, making Suki shiver as his breath fanned across it.

"Tell me, Suki…" He whispered to her. "Has my little brother been good to you?"

Suki wanted to answer him, but found the words stuck in her throat. So instead, she nodded. In return, she heard Itachi smirk in understanding.

Itachi's mouth moved away from her ear. But instead of gaining some distance like she hoped he would, he moved closer to her mouth ― ghosting his lips over hers. She whimpered and shut her eyes tightly, hoping to push back the memories of a few nights ago that came floating into mind.

All of a sudden, a knock on the door scared the living daylight out of both Suki and Itachi. Itachi immediately backed away from Suki, giving her room to answer the door. Pushing some strands of wet hair from her face, she opened the door to find Umi staring at her.

"Hello Umi, what is it?"

Suki tried to react as normal as possible, but due to the look Umi was giving her, she could tell she wasn't doing a very good job.

"Yes, I was wondering if I could should help you get dressed; dinner is almost ready."

Suki smiled at Umi, silently thanking her for intervening Itachi and preventing him from going any further with her. She glanced over at Itachi ― who was giving her a slightly angry look ― and gave him a 'not this time, buddy' look back before answering Umi.

"Yes, please. That would be great."

Upon hearing Suki's answer, Umi entered the room. Suki could hear Itachi quietly growl before leaving the room. Suki let out a deep breath she didn't remember holding before thanking Umi. After that, Umi helped her dress in a beautiful, crimson-red kimono with yellow leaves at the bottom. Suki wasn't really paying much attention to Umi however; she was slightly worried about dinner. So finally ― after getting dressed ― Suki walked down the stairs and towards the dining room absentmindedly. She was wondering what would be more awkward: sitting at the table with the one she liked ― Sasuke ― or with the one she hated ― Itachi.

Luckily for her, the question stayed unanswered: dinner was spent in complete silence between the three of them, apart from the occasional glares between Sasuke and Itachi. Of course she knew why Sasuke was glaring at Itachi. But what could be the reason Itachi was glaring even harder at Sasuke. How she wondered…