I know you want to kill me. I know you do. I still love you though. *sad puppy face* Please enjoy.

Sakura laid on her bed with a weary sigh, willing herself to sleep. The mission had been relatively uneventful, and nothing else had transpired between her and the two Akatsuki members apart from the night before their mission. The next morning, Kisame had awoken with a large shout, muttering something that sounded suspiciously about apocalyptic seagulls, but that was all. He seemed to have no recollection of what had occurred the night before; that Sakura had subtly dug out useful information from him.

They might have been slightly suspicious, though, of the fact that she was relatively quieter and subdued, but they seemed to show no concern over it. Sakura supposed they might be thinking that she had a good work ethic, considering how focused she was on the mission.

Then again, these were the Akatsuki she was working with. Nothing escapes them.

On the way home, Kisame proved her right.

"Pinky, something bothering you?" He had asked, a concerned frown marring his aquamarine features. She felt a flicker of guilt inside her burn at his look, but showed none of it in her expression, opting to show only confusion at his question.

She was thinking of a proper answer to reply him, when inspiration struck. She smiled weakly at the large man, who raised an eyebrow in question.

"It's that time of the month."

Kisame had choked on his saliva and disguised it as a cough, and nodded in understanding. Itachi's face grew even paler than she thought possible – the only sign he heard her response, for he was looking ahead. After her answer, neither of the men spoke a single word to her for the rest of the journey.

Bless periods.

The pink-haired girl allowed herself a small smile before she fell asleep, finally free from her thoughts.

She stood in the clearing, clad in her nightgown. Pink tresses framed her face, swaying gently to the night breeze. Her toes were smudged with dirt, and she had a belated realization that she was barefoot.

A faint thought echoed in her mind – I shouldn't be here – but she dismissed it. She was about to walk ahead when she heard a twig snap behind her. On instinct, she spun around and took a step back to take a look at what it was.

A familiar-looking man stood tall in the moonlight, clad in only a pair of black pants. Muscles rippled across his back as he breathed heavily, as though he had been practising in the field earlier. His orange hair was slicked with sweat, which trickled down from his neck to his sinewy back. For a moment, he cocked his head slightly, and she saw in her line of vision the familiar metal piercings that adorned his beautiful face.

Her heart almost stopped in her chest. She simply could do nothing but stare.

Of course, eventually she realized she had a voice and used it.

"Pein?" God, she hated the way she sounded. It was timid, and she had not spoken in that manner for a while.

Then, as though in slow motion, he turned to face her slowly. His violet eyes fixed on her emerald ones ever so intensely until she could feel the electricity sizzling in the night air.

She was also desperately trying not to look interested at the fact that his chest was wonderfully bare.

'Don't look at his chest, don't look at his chest, don't look at his chest!' Inner Sakura sing-songed gleefully. She was starting to wonder why he didn't respond, when he took a step forward towards her.

And another.

And another.

His eyes glimmered in the moonlight, flickering to her form. She felt as though she could be swallowed whole by that unreadable look of his, and she suddenly had the strongest urge to run and hide.

But she stood still, her eyes betraying nothing but curiosity. Inside, she was quaking. Somehow, she knew that something huge was going to happen.

She didn't know if she should push it away or welcome it.

The orange-haired enigma stalked towards her. Just a few inches away from her, he stopped, his breath intermingling with hers. They looked at each other, one slightly afraid and the other unreadable.

She resisted the urge to touch his chest, looking resolutely at his gaze. He was indeed one of the most handsomest men she'd ever seen. She could see the piercings on his face up close, and silently admired them while he made a move to speak.

Only that he didn't speak.

In a bold, swift move, he leaned in to do something else instead.

Their lips met and she was on fire. Fire, everywhere. His lips brushed hers with soft insistence at first, then he planted his hands desperately on her hips and brought their bodies flush against each other.

Oh yes. She was most definitely on fire.

Her hands ran along the smooth planes of his chest and down his back. She couldn't get enough of him, and their kisses grew more fervent and he grew more dominant. His lips tasted like honey, and she just wanted more.

She had no idea what was happening. She couldn't care less what happened anymore, and she couldn't think straight. For a moment, all she knew was the taste of his lips, his masculine, sweaty scent and the fire burning in her veins.

Fire, fire, fire-

Then she smelled it. It was a faint smell at first, then it grew stronger. It was the smell of smoke.

"Sakura!"

Why was there a burning smell in the middle of the clearing?

"Sakura! Wake up!"

Something was most definitely wrong.

"FOR THE LAST TIME SAKURA, WAKE UP! THE GODDAMN BUILDING IS ON FIRE, YEAH!"

Sakura's eyes snapped open and her eyes adjusted to her room.

Or at least, what was left of it.

Oh boy.

Pick one of the options you would like to murder the author with for not updating for 3 freaking years:

a) Chainsaw

b) Basket of apples and eggs

c) Death by cookies

d) Death by Taylor Swift's music

e) A lot of soda

f) Your own idea

g) You decide not to do anything, because Taylor Swift tells you to Shake it off.

h) You decide to literally SHAKE the author until she dies.

Just to let you know, number 4 isn't gonna work on me because I love Swift. And I lost myself the past three years on the road of life (oh god I'm being a Kakashi- spoken like a true fan) and FINALLY got myself back on the road. Your review about my death will be much loved and appreciated.

But still, please don't kill me. I really, really missed you so much. ALL of you who loved reviewing and kept me going.

Cookies and replies for reviews!

Much love,

Staraz