CrAzY-SiLLy-Me: Merry Christmas guys! :D As much as I'd loooove to get our two stars together, it's just not yet the time. ^^; however, this chapter has a lot of humor, some action, there's drama, tension, and of course, romance~ [I blame the five cups of tea~]
Apathetic Silence: Merry Christmas everyone! Thank you for the continuous support and reviews, it keeps us going despite the many things we have to do, me for work, and my cousin for both school and work. [takes tea cup away from cousin – "you've had way too many"]
The sweltering heat only made the group more annoyed at their leader, who in turn was more worried about the fact that he could have forgotten something.
"Spill it already man! The heat here is far worse than in the Sograt dessert!" The brash Hunter of the team cried out while wiping his forehead with his arm.
"I can't remember!" The young Crusader exclaimed with worry etched on his face. "All I know is we need to cross some sort of field or something..."
"Geez... leave it to Naruto, an idiot, to lead the team." The female Rogue said with a huff. "It would have been better if Sasuke-kun was the one assigned as our leader."
"Oh shut up you fangirl." Naruto grumbled. "And for the record, teme here refused to take the job."
At this point, all eyes turned to the silent Assassin who had been up a nearby tree, hidden from the sun's rays thanks to the shady leaves the tall oak provided.
Upon sensing all eyes on him, he lowered his head to them and raised a brow.
"Well?" The Gunslinger of the group sneered. "What have you got to say for yourself?"
Sasuke just kept his brow raised and soon lifted a finger and pointed west.
"..."
"Well, you are used to Naruto getting us lost." Sakura mumbled, leaving Sasuke to smirk at the memory.
Close Proximity
"Deathtrap Dungeon"
A Grudge can be caused by many things or people
But handling it well is only a gift that few have obtained
"Like I said, Sasuke-kun would have been better off as our leader."
"Shut up already Karin!" Naruto snapped. "So I goofed! But that's why he's second-in-command!"
"You can't expect me to always cover for you, dobe." The Assassin grunted while swinging one end of his scarf towards his back, afterwards, took a quick glance at the pink-haired Priestess walking a few feet behind him. "You alright?"
The addressed girl immediately raised her head and met his eyes, her cheeks instantly turning a shade of pink when his onyx orbs clashed with her emerald ones. "Y-Yeah, why?"
"You've been too quiet..."
"O-Oh... I... just had a few things in my mind, that's all."
He quirked a brow yet again.
"It's nothing Sasuke." She smiled at him. "Don't worry."
"Hn." And he looked back up ahead.
Sakura bit her lower lip at this and slowly looked down, her mind heading back to the kiss he had given her back in Niffleheim. Even though it wasn't anything but just a kiss that he did to distract her, she still felt like there was a hidden meaning behind it.
"That's impossible." She frowned. "This is Sasuke, so I doubt his kiss meant anything but."
Though what about his last sentence the other day when he named his pet? She didn't really get what "Shu" meant anyway, and she felt like naming hers "Suh," and then he goes on saying as if she marked him as hers – which was confusing.
"What did he mean?"
"I'm hungry…"
She looked at Suh who was whining next to her, and she smiled and took out some food for her pet, the baby garm barking happily and ate before snuggling onto Sakura.
Due to the heat, she welcomed the hug, liking how cold her pet felt against her body. "I think I'll carry you right now." She smiled and carried Suh. She then looked at where Sasuke was, still unable to get over her amusement of seeing Shu on his shoulders with its front paws on his head. "Probably to help him keep cool since it's really too hot here."
Sakura picked up her pace to catch up to them, aware of the envious glances she and Sasuke were receiving from their teammates.
From the way Kiba and Naruto looked at their pets, they were pretty much ready to snatch them, but knew better since… well, Sasuke is an Assassin who could end up slicing their hands off, and they didn't want to feel her wrath despite her being a full support type. She didn't like how Suigetsu was staring at her while feeling warm, it gave off a different impression, and that was the same with how Karin was eyeing Sasuke's pet, but Sakura could tell that she was also stealing glances at the Assassin's body.
"The weather making us drenched in sweat is not helping either – it makes us look as if we're hot and bothered…"
She shook her head at the thought and held Suh closer to her, as if the pet was shielding her breasts from Suigetsu's wandering eyes. It wasn't like her chest was as big as Karin's, in fact, Sakura probably had the smallest bust size among the female members of the guild. Heck, even Nika's and Yoriko's were a cup size bigger than hers at the least!
She frowned at the thought…
"Teme…"
"What?"
"Can I borrow your pet?"
"No."
The gang were pretty much taken aback that it was Shu who answered Naruto.
"I don't like you." Shu barked.
"…Damn dog."
"I'm a garm." It growled.
"A baby garm."
"Can I bite him master?"
"No Shu, you'll become stupid."
"Teme!"
"Can I borrow him then?" Kiba asked.
Shu turned to the Hunter. "…But I'm keeping my master cool."
"He's already cool enough." Kiba said. "I mean, yeesh. Even in this heat, he's so damn aloof."
Shu growled. "I don't like you either."
"Ah shit." Kiba cursed. "Shouldn't have said that…"
"Ah… Can… Can I then..?"
Shu turned its attention to the female Rogue, not responding for a few moments before looking away. "No."
The three other guys burst out laughing.
"W-Why?" Karin yelled.
"Because mommy will be sad."
"…Mommy?" The group echoed, even Sasuke and Sakura had looked at Shu in confusion.
Shu looked at his master's gaze, and then shifted a bit to move into his arms. He immediately lifted his hands to catch the iced wolf, and continued to look at his pet questioningly. "Suh says mommy will be angry too."
They then turned to Sakura and Suh, the former as confused as they were while Suh barked in agreement to Shu's response.
Sasuke looked at Shu, and then at Suh, before smirking and looking up ahead. "Perhaps…"
"Huh?" Naruto blinked. "What?"
"Seriously, we're confused here…" Kiba muttered. "Heck even Sakura doesn't know what her pet and your pet are- oh…" he trailed off and then grinned. "Oh. Now I get it."
"What? What..?"
"Figure it out on your own Naruto."
Sakura still looked confused, so she turned to Suigetsu who was also puzzled. When she felt Karin's glare, she already knew that the Rogue got the idea just like how Sasuke and Kiba had understood it.
"Am I… missing something?"
She looked up when Sasuke slowed his pace a bit so that she was in-step with him.
"Hn. Not much."
If it was possible, multiple question marks would have popped up over her head by now.
"It's nothing," he smirked and lowered his voice so that only she could hear. "Mommy."
And that was when she got the idea – and it made her turn red.
"I finally see Alberta!" Kiba declared.
"Great! Now let's get on the boat and get to our destination!" Naruto said cheerily.
"…How much does a ticket cost again?" Suigetsu asked as he counted his Zenies.
"Ask daddy!" Shu barked, and Sakura turned redder.
"Finally!" Naruto yelled and plopped to the ground, glad to be out of the boat and now at a town called Brasilis.
"Dude… ten thousand…" Kiba whined, but shook it off afterwards. "Well… this is where we really are supposed to be, right?"
"Yep, pretty much." Suigetsu answered the Hunter who was relieved at that. "So… been here before guys?"
"Nope." Kiba shook his head. "And from how we're all looking at this town, I can say that none of us have ventured here – even Sasuke."
"It is a fairly new town." Karin stated. "It only started flourishing about… seven weeks ago…"
"Yet we're here because of missing people?" Suigetsu raised a brow. "I get why Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura are here, heck even Kiba's class is good, but why bother sending us along?"
Karin rolled her eyes. "I'm flexible to almost any weapon, you idiot. I pretty much cover most of the offensive class of Midgard. As for you," she faced him. "Tenten wasn't available, and neither were Shino and Shikamaru, so you were the only other ranged class free."
Kiba nodded. "Sarutobi-sama had said that it was important to have two ranged-types, we'll be watching their backs if we come across mobs or the ever famous monster – Boitata."
"And since Naruto's the guild leader, and a Crusader at that, he'll be very useful since he can play both offense and defense." Karin's cheeks turned red as she looked over at Sasuke. "And of course… Sasuke-kun's always an asset!"
"…And Sakura's a full-support type, so she's crucial to the team." Suigetsu finished, exasperated at the Rogue's fangirling.
"Ugh… yes." Karin pushed up her glasses and glared back at Sakura's scowl. "If we had another Priest we wouldn't have to keep relying on you – then again, we end up protecting your ass."
"I don't ask for it."
"But you obviously need it." She huffed and crossed her arms, making her chest look bigger and ultimately reminding Sakura of her own bust. "And further- what are you looking at?"
The guys noted how Karin's voice had toned down that they also looked at the two girls.
"Ah-eh… uh…" Sakura's face turned red in embarrassment that she looked away and walked off. "H-Hey! We should look for an inn to get some rest and… ahahaha… we still have to ask people about… the missing people and… yeah… let's ask the people…"
Naruto, Kiba, and Suigetso exchanged looks whereas Karin and Sasuke had stared at Sakura as if she grew another head.
"Hey teme, why don't you go and… uh… make her feel better…"
"Y-Yeah… we'll look for a place to stay." Suigetsu added.
"Huh?" Sasuke raised a brow.
"Dude come on! You at least saw where she was looking!" Kiba hissed.
Honestly, the Assassin didn't really know, or cared much since it involved Karin, but seeing the guys' faces beat red, he got an idea. "Hn." And he didn't like the thought of "cheering Sakura up" with that topic.
Still, he was pretty much the better choice out of the four of them.
"Alright, we'll… message you when we find one." Naruto said, still feeling uncomfortable at what had happened, yet also a bit amused.
A deep sigh left her lips as she sat on a bench, letting Suh run around, chasing a small white butterfly that was playfully avoiding the baby garm.
It continued to yelp at the insect, jumping and running after it, making Sakura smile a bit.
Suh suddenly stopped and barked happily as the butterfly flew a bit higher.
"Well you sure picked a very secluded place."
Sakura lifted her head up to see Sasuke standing before Suh, his right pointing finger raised to let the white butterfly rest on it.
His eyes were on the small and fragile insect as Shu jumped down from his shoulders and tackled Suh, starting a game of tag.
"And yet you manage to find me."
"Hn." He let out a small smile, and she found herself blushing that she turned away to hide it. "What? Did you expect Naruto to find you instead?"
"No." She answered in a soft voice. "Just that… even back then in team 7, you're always the first to find me."
"I've a knack for finding people and things, as you guys said." His gaze soften as the butterfly flapped its wings and flew off, but not far enough as it travelled within their area. "Except when it comes to locating Itachi."
She noted how his tone had gone softer, which was unexpected since he usually turns cold or gets angry when it comes to anything family-related.
"If anybody can locate him, it's you." She said with a small smile. "And I have the utmost confidence in you Sasuke."
He looked at her, seeing her smiling at him as their two pets proceeded chasing each other, and then taking note of the white butterfly again.
"Know what," he murmured, keeping his gaze on her. "I'm amazed how you could do that."
"Hm?"
"Have confidence in someone else, yet not in yourself."
Her eyes widened slightly, and she lowered her head and shrugged half-heartedly. "I… really don't know what I have to be confident about."
She raised her head when she heard him approach her and take a seat next to her, a respectable distance away from her spot.
"For starters, you're helpful." He pointed out. "You're always ready to jump into action despite the risk."
"…That's kind of like Naruto though."
"You're caring."
"As a Priestess." She said. "It's kind of in my nature."
"Lee should probably be the one doing the talking then."
She ended up snorting and tried to hold back her laugh. "Come on Sasuke, you've known me longer."
"Shouldn't that be enough then?"
"Hm?"
He met her eyes, the seriousness in his orbs making her smile disappear. "I've known you since team 7 was formed, I know what you're capable of, and I know how you are." He shifted his gaze to their two pets, watching them continue to play around like normal pups do. "And you have something to be confident about."
"Um… I'm not entirely sure about that but…" she let out a smile. "Coming from you, that's already a big deal to me." She let out a soft sigh and looked up at the clear blue skies. "There are just some things that… I still wonder about, some things that I wish I have but don't."
"If it's any help," he crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "You've got a much greater personality than Karin."
"You're being biased because you don't like her."
"Your legs are better looking."
She froze.
"And so are your hips."
Her left eye twitched as she slowly faced him, seeing him still nonchalant about the topic, and how she was slightly bothered that he had noticed those – which meant that he checked her out at least once, and Karin too.
"When you both walk, your hips sway in a much natural fashion than Karin, and your complexion is pretty much near flawless."
"…Near. Flawless..?" She was shaking by now and had already brought out her staff.
Sasuke opened his eyes and looked thoughtful for a moment. "Hm… As far as I can remember, you don't have a single scar or blemish, but I've no clue about your other body parts, so I'll have to say that it's near flawless."
"O-Other b-body p-p-parts..?"
"Your skin's smooth too," he glanced at her. "And how you're able to pull off being innocent yet looking sultry still puzzles me."
The two pups soon stopped running around and looked over at their respective owners when Sakura yelled and brought down her staff on the spot where Sasuke sat earlier, since the Assassin had chosen to jump away upon noticing her staff.
"Not to mention how you can be such a damn tease without meaning to, like last time." He moved to the side to avoid the swing of her staff. "Having slipped and getting soaked, and then even asking me to help you out of the river was not really a good idea."
"W-What?" Her face was extremely red by this time, and she soon cast her buffs on herself and continued to attack Sasuke, who only proceeded to evade and dodge her advances.
"Then you even made me hold onto your stockings, and continued lifting up your skirt to squeeze the water out – which of course led to more skin showing."
"S-Shut up already!"
"And do your clothes have to be so damn tight?" He moved his head to the left to avoid her staff. "It's sometimes hard to talk to you without having to end up looking down."
"U…Uchiha Sasuke! You shut up right this instant!" She yelled, already feeling too embarrassed.
"What I'm trying to say is…"
He sighed and caught her staff, afterwards, pulled it and brought her closer to him, making her stumble onto the Assassin that she had to wrap her arms around him to stop herself from crashing to the ground. Sakura dared to raise her head, and her blush only turned a darker shade of red upon realizing how close their faces were, and how he was still keeping a straight face – but the intensity in his gaze made her breathless.
"…You're far more tempting than Karin can ever be."
"Hmm… how do you suppose we should do this?"
"Dude… come on! There are four of us and two of them! Do the math!" Kiba sighed.
"So, what, you want to room with Suigetsu then?"
"Huh? Why not you?"
"Why would I?"
"Why not Sasuke then?"
"Because he doesn't like Suigetsu."
"I guess it's fine…" he muttered.
"Alright, so you share a room with the guy, I'll room with the teme, and Sakura will room with the banshee rogue."
"No way am I sharing with Sakura, that pet of hers is out to get me." She glared at Naruto. "And who are you calling a banshee?"
"Well, we can't exactly have Sakura share a room with one of us guys…" Kiba said.
"I don't mind!" Suigetsu was ignored.
"I don't think she'll like the idea either." Naruto said.
"Maybe we can have her stay in the same room as Sasuke?"
"No way!" Karin yelled.
"…It's too expensive to have solo rooms. You either share a room with her or she stays with teme."
They heard a couple of barking, and turned to see Shu and Suh chase after each other as they entered the hotel of Brasilis. Sasuke and Sakura came after the two, one was very red in the face while the other looked as impassive as always.
"So, you two mind sharing a room or would Sakura want to be roomies with Karin?" Kiba asked.
"Hn." Sasuke shrugged, indicating that he was fine with whatever.
"…Uh…" Sakura fidgeted. After what Sasuke said a while ago, she wasn't sure if she was okay with the idea of being in the same room as him. Not to mention what happened in Nifleheim was still a bit fresh in her mind, but she didn't like the thought of being Karin's roommate either.
"It's just for one night you know…" Kiba muttered, growing impatient.
"I… guess I…" she looked at a glaring Karin, and then at Suh who was growling at the Rogue. "I wouldn't want Suh to end up attacking her, so…" she glanced at Sasuke who was also waiting for her answer.
He nodded once and looked at Naruto who grinned and tossed him a key. "Alright then! Suigetsu stays with Karin since you both know each other longer than any of us!"
"WHAT?"
And the whole time they asked for clues and information about the missing people, Suigetsu and Karin were bickering like an old couple.
"Geez… these two…" Kiba groaned "…Are the exact opposites of those two."
Naruto glanced at his two childhood friends and chuckled. "But their minds are probably as noisy as Suigetsu and Karin's."
"Talk about a lot of tension there – mostly on Sakura's part."
"What do you expect? The teme's an Assassin! He can remain indifferent in any kind of situation."
"Yeah but… Nika sure isn't like that, and Yoriko at least smiles from time to time, even Kosui."
"You've seen Kosui smile?"
"Once."
"He was with Yoriko, huh?"
"Yep." He grinned. "You don't suppose those two…"
Naruto turned to Sasuke who sighed and scratched the back of his head. "They're dating, dobe."
"Confirmed."
"I figured it was you."
The group stopped to turn to a silver-haired Gunslinger who halted in his steps when he got closer to the sole Assassin of Siege Breakers, behind him was a short Swordsman who nearly tripped when her companion had remained stationary all of a sudden.
Sasuke smirked lightly and met the Gunslinger's fist in greeting. "Long time no see, Zero."
The aloof-looking Gunslinger had given a small grin in return, though it was barely visible, which made the others compare him to their friend.
"I see Yuki's still a Swordie."
"It's not my fault this guy is lazy!" She pouted and glared at Zero. "I could have asked my brother-"
"Anyway," Zero cut in, refusing to let the girl continue. "She just needs a little more experience and she can become a Knight."
"And then you can both get married?" He raised a brow in amusement at Yuki's blush and Zero's deadpan face.
"I'll starve." Zero mumbled.
"W-Who says I want to be tied down to you?"
Sasuke just shook his head and glanced at the sky. "Heading back then?"
"Yeah, while the sun's still up." Zero turned to his friend's companions, his eyes lingering on Sakura. "And I see you haven't made progress."
"Like you." Sasuke countered. "But I shouldn't be keeping you two, and we have an investigation to deal with."
"Missing men, huh?" Zero nodded once to Sasuke's confirmation. "Just be careful, there is a reason why only the men vanish without a trace, and why most of the victims have either lovers or wives."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes slightly. "Don't tell me it's related to the town's myth."
"It is." He walked pass Sasuke. "Talk to the locals for a bit of warning, and more information." He stopped and turned back to Sasuke slightly just as Yuki caught up to him. "And keep your eyes open and ears covered."
With that said, the pair walked off, Yuki waving goodbye to Sasuke and then to the rest before falling in step with Zero.
"What was that all about..?" Kiba asked.
"So that was your Gunslinger friend…" Sakura mumbled, recalling Sasuke mentioning Zero once when questioned about the many pets he had.
"As he said, let's go gather as much information as we can." Sasuke turned to Naruto. "Zero normally doesn't care about other people's business unless it poses a danger, and from his words," his eyes shifted to the side as his brows furrowed a bit. "There's something we, as guys, have to be careful about."
"So we're pretty much doomed in this mission." Suigetsu sighed. "And what was that about ears covered and eyes opened?"
Naruto frowned. "I didn't get it either, I mean… sure we can keep our eyes open, but to cover our ears if we come across a battle…"
Sasuke pondered at the thought, wondering what Zero could have meant. It couldn't have been taken literally, but how else could covering one's ears mean but just… that? He can get the idea of keeping his eyes opened by not letting anything deceive him, but to cover his ears…
"What could be out there that would make him warn as that much?" He tried to recall some myths he's heard from the Guild Master in the past whenever they went on missions, and all he could remember of Brasilis was how something was luring the men away from their homes.
"Hey teme-"
"God damn it." He cursed and made a left turn to head back to the port, causing the others to look puzzled at his sudden outburst.
"What's with him?" Kiba asked with a raised brow as the group stared off at their ally's back.
"Whatever got him riled up isn't good." Naruto lowered his gaze to the ground. "When something's up and bothers Sasuke, I sometimes fear what's to come."
And Sakura couldn't have agreed more – her first hand experience with Sasuke's reaction in Niffleheim was something she could not forget, and even back when they were young, to have both Kakashi and Sasuke lose the cool façade they carry usually means something isn't right.
"Merciful Father, watch over us."
"Zero! Oi, Zero!"
The silver-haired Gunslinger stopped and turned a bit upon recognizing Sasuke's voice, and he quirked a brow at the approaching Assassin.
"Does this have anything to do with Iara?"
Sasuke's scowl deepened when Zero's violet eyes had turned grim.
"Iara…" the two men turned to the female Swordsman who also seemed affected. "Her voice is so sweet to the ears of travelling men and even little boys that when she sings…" she trailed off and shook her head, Sasuke noting how Yuki had grasped Zero's arm. "Her beauty can easily lure unsuspecting adventurers," she lifts her gaze to Sasuke just as the other members of Siege Breakers finally caught up. "Even the ones who have been trained to seal off their emotions when on a mission…"
"Just be careful." Zero warned. "Had Yuki not pulled me away…"
"Zero."
He stopped his words and lightly patted the shorter girl's head in assurance. "I know you've been trained well by the Assassin Guild, but don't forget that you are still a human being, a man no less."
"As much as I'd want to avoid going there, this mission is absolute."
"From the King himself, huh?"
"Aa."
Zero sighed at this and closed his eyes for a few moments. "Alright, you're going to need these girls to be alert once Iara sings."
"And what do we do when that happens?" Karin asked, sounding much more serious and more concerned than usual.
"If you have it in you to actually nick these guys, or perhaps draw a bit of blood, then do so."
"…Wait, you mean there's no other way once they're under Iara's spell?"
"It's not as easy as you think, Rogue." Zero muttered. "Especially if you're dealing with a Gunslinger and Hunter who are ranged attackers." He glanced at Naruto. "That thick armor won't be easy to pierce through, and I'm already sure trying to even lay a scratch on Sasuke would be an impossible feat for any other class."
"Thankfully though," Yuki eyed Sakura. "You have a Priestess instead of a Priest. Her being immune to Iara just like yourself will be an advantage."
"Her debuff skills can easily bring you a big advantage." Zero continued. "But you'll both need to move fast."
Karin and Sakura nodded to their words, not even bothering to bicker about it this time around.
"At least you're a Rogue, you'll be able to keep your distance and attack at the same time. A Pneuma will be helpful against the bullets and arrows these two will send your way, and the Kyrie can keep Sasuke and the Crusader's attacks from doing much harm before you need to cast your skills again."
"Just try to… fight it." Yuki told the men. "It's going to be difficult to resist the temptation of Iara's singing and beauty."
"Not to mention she's a mermaid." Suigetsu mumbled while nudging Kiba who grinned.
"I'm serious!" Yuki stomped a foot down and glared at the two. "It will mean trouble once she gets you, all of you."
Zero sighed at the girl and pulled her back before she ends up wielding her sword at the two… well, perverts.
"Sasuke, I'm counting on you to take this seriously."
"Hn."
"That's all the help I can give you right now, if I was a girl though, I could offer my assistance, but me being of the same gender as most of you will only make me a burden."
"And I wish I can help too, but my brother barely allows me to stick with Zero."
"I understand, you've helped us enough." Sasuke nodded once to the two before the pair bid them a good luck and boarded the boat that was to return to Izlude.
"Well, what do we do now?" Naruto asked, now unsure if he should decide on things since it was a risky mission.
"There's nothing else we can do but just heed their warnings." Sasuke answered before turning to walk pass them and towards the forestry area of Brasilis. "But we're going to need to find that dungeon first."
"…I think I overheard a couple of kids say something about a ghost story."
"Kiba, that's not really what we're here for." Sakura muttered, not really liking the idea of ghosts.
"But they also mentioned that seeing the ghost may lead to another place! A place where no other person has gone!"
"Then I doubt that's where we should be since Zero and Yuki have already encountered Iara."
"Try asking them how to get there then."
Sasuke sighed at this and contacted Zero, asking the Gunslinger where they should head off to in order to solve the mystery behind the missing men.
"So about 'em mermaids…" Suigetsu muttered.
"Hot, definitely hot." Kiba nodded.
Sasuke sighed and turned to the others. "Zero says we can skip that ghost hunting bit by informing the guy at the museum what we're here for." He turned to Naruto. "You do have that letter from Sarutobi-sama, right?"
"Of course!" Naruto exclaimed while taking out the rolled paper from his bag. "But… you hold onto it."
"…"
"I'm kind of scared that I might do something wrong this time."
"Hn." Sasuke then took the lead towards the Art Museum, the others following closely behind.
"Dude!" Suigetsu yelled and wrapped an arm around Kiba's neck. "The Obeanue! Have you seen them in the Izlude dungeons?"
"Hell yeah!"
Suigetsu grinned at this. "Man! I could stare at them all day and not care if they're attacking me!"
"I know what you mean!" Kiba said in the same excited tone. "The way they push themselves up from the ground they're crawling on and do some sort of head bang, using their long hair to whip at us, shit man!"
"Ohoho… and how their breasts bounce like hell from their movements!"
Sakura and Karin twitched as the two continued to talk in graphic details about the Obeanue, with Naruto trying so hard not to listen, but his reddening cheeks says otherwise.
"Perverts…" Sakura grumbled.
"Pervs~" Suh barked.
"Shit man! I'm gonna end up with a hard on at this rate!" Suigetsu said out loud, causing Karin to punch the back of his head.
"Whoo! It sure is getting hot down-" Kiba never got to finish his sentence since Sakura kicked his butt, hard.
"What're your problems?" Suigetsu yelled at the two girls.
"Why can't you both be like Sasuke-kun or Naruto?" Karin retorted back, just as loud.
Sakura looks over at Naruto and twitches. "Karin, you sure about that?"
The Rogue turned to Sakura and then Naruto, crinkling her nose in disgust upon seeing the Crusader's nose bleeding.
This led to the two females to hit Naruto's head.
"Ow!"
"Hmph. Correction, why can't you idiotic perverts be like Sasuke-kun?"
This then led to the whole party to look at their silent companion, his face having a look of indifference.
Sakura sighs at this, though a part of her was a bit disappointed.
"Dude, seriously?" Kiba cried out. "You're unaffected?"
Sasuke blinked a couple of times before closing his eyes and turning his head to the side. "Hn."
"Like hell you aren't! Even a Sin like yourself can't be THAT calm about this!"
A deadpan expression was still on his face as he turned to the Hunter slightly. "…If you want to fuck with a fish monster that has no hole, then by all means, go ahead."
"…"
They stare at him, at how nonchalant he was, and how he just delivered those words calmly…
"I don't find it pleasurable. At. All."
Sakura ends up fidgeting at the topic as Naruto mumbles how his best friend has a point.
"B-but… you do think about… groping them, right?"
He quirks a brow at Kiba.
"Y-Yeah! No hole but… talk about exquisite-sized jugs!"
Another blank stare met them.
"…Now that I think about it…" Naruto shudders. "Ew. Monsters and… ew. Just… ew."
Kiba and Suigetsu felt like their spirits were just crushed. "You guys suck."
Sasuke just sighs silently and left the two men to feel… saddened. It's not like he wasn't think about it either, not when they were talking about it loudly, and with such details too. Imagining Sakura as an Obeanue didn't help either, but with the way those two had talked about the monsters, he got pissed since it was like imagining them say such things about Sakura.
"So what about 'em tentacles?"
He twitched at Suigetsu's new chosen topic.
"Oooh… the Hydra?"
"Yeah! Imagine them attacking a girl!"
Sasuke felt his eyes starting to attempt to shift to red.
"In a skirt no less!" Suigetsu added to his previous statement.
"Oh… like a Priestess?"
Sakura noticed the two men look at her, and she flushed and placed her hands on her skirt, as if keeping it down. "P-PERVERTS!"
Suh growled at them as the two men continued looking at the pink-haired Priestess, their cheeks turning the same shade as her hair but the lewd grins on their faces was making Sakura uncomfortable.
"E-EEP! IT'S IN MY MIND NOW!" Naruto yelled, though he felt more ashamed than happy.
"N-Naruto..!" Sakura squeaked, her face turning a darker shade of red. "I-Idiot..! S-Stop…"
Sasuke felt like he was going to explode with how her voice sounded right now, not to mention that the other two idiots had talked about tentacles…
"Fuck."
"As much as I love seeing Sakura being… teased like this," Karin glared at the two men. "This is really uncomfortable for girls, I won't stand for this."
"A-Agreed..!" Sakura said, attempting to sound mad but the two still staring at her as if they were imagining slimy tentacles all over her body was making her feel vulnerable. Not even Suh trying to hide her with its body was helping.
"…Hawt." Kiba grinned.
"W-What..?" Sakura and Karin asked all of a sudden.
"Totally." Suigetsu whispered, now looking at the two girls who stuck to each other and felt… well, exposed. "Who do you think tops?"
"Oh my god you guys! Stop it now!" Naruto yelled, his face extremely red but his tone sounding embarrassed.
Seeing as nothing was helping them, both Sakura and Karin turn their hopeful gazes to Sasuke who had been silent the whole time.
"S-Sasuke..?" Sakura called out, eyes widening at him.
"Holy shit! Is your nose bleeding?" Karin yelled in panic.
The three guys looked from the two women to the lone Assassin, seeing Karin panicking and Sakura suddenly forgetting about the previous topic as she reached up to wipe some of the blood away, all the while performing her heal skill.
"…"
"…"
"…"
"S-Sasuke-kun, are you okay now?"
"Yeah, did you hit something?"
"…Lucky bastard." Suigetsu mumbled under his breath, but ended up smirking when the Assassin looked embarrassed as the girls fussed over his bleeding nose. "But I'm pretty sure he had a thought there."
"You think he's imagining Karin on top or Sakura over Karin?" Kiba asked with a wide grin.
Naruto ended up inching away from them when he spotted Karin stiffen and glare at their direction, Sakura still worrying over what had caused Sasuke's uncharacteristic… nose bleeding…
"YOU SICK BASTARD!"
The trio soon heard Kiba and Suigetsu yelling in pain after Karin was done with them.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
He sighed and looked elsewhere, his cheeks still warm and slightly tinged with pink.
"If you're not feeling well, I can-"
"I'm fine." He said almost immediately, cursing when Sakura looked a bit hurt at his answer. "Sorry."
"N-No…" she shook her head, and he tried hard not to imagining her saying that in a weak voice while… yeah.
"I just…" he felt awkward all of a sudden as the guys in the back continued to bicker with Karin, Naruto doing his best to pacify them as they continued to head in deeper into the dungeons. "…Nevermind."
"You can tell me you know," she said in a worried tone. "Is it something bothering you?"
"…Hn." He avoided her gaze as he felt guilty for having such thoughts about her while she continued to worry about him and be so naïve about what he had been thinking about earlier.
"Is it something I can help with?"
"More than you kno-" he cut himself off as he realized his answer, his eyes widening at that and he blushed and looked at Sakura. "F-Forget what I said."
"Eh? But if it's something I can help you with then-"
"You can't!" He responded, causing the others to look at them as they were startled at him yelling. "…Just..." he sighed and ruffled the back of his head frustratingly. "…Look, don't… ch." He turned his back to her and walked a bit faster, Shu catching up to its master with Suh attempting to tackle him from behind.
"Sasuke..?"
He hated it when she sounded like that and said his name in that tone – it only made him think of things, made him recall what Kiba and Suigetsu talked about earlier.
"…It's nothing." He said in a much calmer voice. "Forget about it."
Even though she was curious, she knew when to stop, especially when he was looking like this, looking like he wanted to end the topic so badly and not say anything else anymore.
"Okay…"
He turns to her slightly, seeing how she looked a bit dejected that he swore under his breath and slowed down a bit so that he could fall in step with her.
"Sakura I just…" he found himself biting his lower lip. "Ch…"
"It's okay." She answers, slightly happy that he's trying. "Don't force yourself."
And the thoughts from before came haunting back. "…Shit."
The group continued to move in deeper into the dungeon, wondering why they have yet to come across monsters, or if they had, it was only a handful of Piranhas that they needed to worry about since the rest didn't bother them.
Of course, the Hydra caused Karin and Sakura to stay away from them as they attacked from a distance with their tentacles, leading to Naruto and Sasuke killing them as fast as possible before Kiba and Suigetsu could make a crack out of it.
Pretty soon, Shu had voiced out that they had already passed the same rock twice.
"…You sure about that?" Sakura asked Sasuke's pet, bending down slightly to peer at the baby Garm that yelped in response.
"Positive, I peed there."
"O-Oh…"
"Hn… this isn't good." Sasuke looked at their surroundings, the sound of water dripping and sloshing at their feet the only thing echoing across the rocky walls they were in. Not to mention how damp and slippery some of the rocks were that he had to assist Sakura to walk at times just to keep her from falling and getting wet – like last time.
Karin had had a few almost incidents, but thankfully, Naruto managed to react to it and help her out, getting what Sasuke was doing with the way he made sure Sakura didn't fall, not to mention at how Kiba and Suigetsu kept cursing each time the two caught the girls.
"What's bothering me is…" Naruto murmured. "We haven't heard anything that's… soothing to the ears."
"I'm starting to think if this is really where Iara is." Kiba grumbled.
"Shu, Suh, think you can sniff us a way?" Sasuke asked the two baby Garms as they barked in response and sniffed at the rocks and boulders, Suh whining when she picked up Shu's scent.
"Shu..! You made a wiwi!"
"I couldn't hold it in!"
The group followed the two pets as they sniffed and barked and walked, picking up the pace when they found a new scent that has yet to be touched by them or their human companions.
"Fresh dew…" Suh murmured and ran pass Shu, stopping as she picked up another scent in the air.
"Zero's…" Shu informed Sasuke. "And Yuki's too." It moved forward, following the scent of his master's friends no matter how faint they seemed. "Another scent…"
"…Scaly and… fishy."
"Could be… monster?"
Suh and Shu looked at each other before turning to their respective masters and running to them at full speed. Both Sasuke and Sakura instantly lifted their arms when the two pups jumped onto them, their whining making the two confused.
"What's wrong?" Sakura asked the two in a soft and soothing voice, almost sounding like a mother to her kids.
"It's nasty…" Suh whined, pawing at her nose.
"The smell…" Shu whimpered, nuzzling his snout at Sasuke's scarf in hopes of ridding the stench they picked up.
"Iara…" Suigetsu mumbled, and soon looked around. "Uh… guys…"
The group followed his line of vision, and they all huddled their backs together upon realizing that they were in the middle of large rocks, and atop those stonewalls were a school of Iara, all crawling on their bellies as their tailfin swished from left to right, their arms helping them move to the edge to get a better look at the humans.
"…Mortals…" one had hissed out, though her voice was angelic. "Lost mortals…"
The look of delight on the Iara monsters made Sakura and Karin disgusted, though the guys were unmoving, fearing that something may happen that could leave all of them vulnerable and in danger.
"Hush now…" one began in a song as she crawled closer to them, eyes on Kiba's narrowed ones that soon softened when she continued to hum and woo him with her movements.
"Shit, Kiba!" Suigetsu called his name when the Hunter had moved a few steps forward and dropped his bow and arrows. The Gunslinger made a move to shoot the Iara that was moving closer to the brunette, but a sudden movement to his left caught him off-guard as an Iara came face to face with him, her soft smile and flawless skin making him gape in awe. "Hush now…" she whispered while lifting her webbed hands to his face and drawing him closer with her song.
"T-Teme…" Naruto panicked upon seeing both of their ranged party members captured by the spell of the Iara's. "Their song… it's getting to me…" he felt his grip on his sword loosen as another Iara came closer to him, peering up at him from her spot on the wet ground, her smoldering eyes making him feel weak in the knees.
"Don't be frightened…" she softly whispered and brought herself closer to the Crusader, hissing at Karin when the Rogue had used her whip at the Iara.
"Naruto! Snap out of it!" She said, and soon felt something hit her at the back, cursing when another Iara had jumped at her and snickered, her soft features turning to that of a menacing monster when dull teeth were replaced by sharp ones, looking like that of a shark's. "Meat..!"
"Karin!" Sakura sent her Holy Light attack to throw off the Iara, making the fish monster hiss at the assault as Karin scrambled back up to her feet and changed her weapon to throwing daggers. She sent the knives to the Iara to force her back as she regrouped with the others, cursing when Naruto was already lured.
"Sasuke, any ideas?"
Sakura turned from Karin to Sasuke, causing her eyes to widen when an Iara had gotten close to the Assassin who was actually in a battle stance, but not making any move to attack.
"Sasuke!" Sakura called out, an Iara jumping in her way to force her back to Karin's.
Shu and Suh continued to bark and snap their small jaws at the incoming Iara monsters, but they only laughed haughtily at their feeble attempts as their other sisters continued making their moves on the male Adventurers.
"Four new mates…" one had cooed after glancing at the guys, and then sneering at the two females. "Worry not dears, we will take care of them."
"Christ!" Karin looked from Suigetsu to Kiba, annoyed at how the two seemed to actually be enjoying the pampering that the Iara monsters are doing.
Iara were said to be beautiful mermaids that would sing and woo any male they encounter, promising eternal happiness and pleasure. However, as these creatures do not age, humans do, which is why they always look for new potential mates to replaced the aged ones they have captured in order to avoid a lonely immortal life.
Sakura glanced at Naruto, biting her lower lip when the Crusader was cornered on a rock's wall as his eyes looked half-lidded when a couple of Iara continued to sing. She dared to look towards Sasuke, fearing what she'll see, and she couldn't think straight when she saw him on his knees as an Iara had wrapped her arms around his neck while singing to his left ear, further drawing him in with her spell.
"…No…" she could hear Karin calling out to the others. "This isn't…" she shut her eyes as the two pups barked and growled at the Iara, preventing them from getting any closer to the two girls. "…This isn't what you guys promised…"
She remembered the days wherein she would panic when an aggressive monster came close to attacking her, yet Naruto and Sasuke always managed to arrive in the nick of time to finish it off, with or without Kakashi's assistance. She can recall how Naruto was grinning at her boyishly, proud that he had saved her. She remembers how Sasuke would turn away and huff when she thanks them, muttering how she should be careful.
"You… both swore…"
She could never forget how the Pharaoh monster had come alive and attacked, almost killing her with one hit, but Kakashi was still trying to get to them by getting rid of the mob that had surrounded them. She thought she would die right there, but Naruto and Sasuke somehow stood before her kneeling form, the sword Naruto held was raised in a defensive position, while the daggers Sasuke had was ready for an attack.
"Don't worry Sakura-chan!" Naruto said with a grin as he turned to her over his shoulder.
"We'll protect you." Sasuke added without looking at her, but she never felt so safe after their words.
"We promise." They both said before charging head on at the Pharaoh.
"Liar…"
The Iara closed in as some continued singing and lulling the men.
"…Liars…"
Naruto's smile and Sasuke's back were what kept her from giving up that time…
"…You guys are liars!"
Karin was alarmed when Sakura had suddenly brought her staff out and hit an Iara's head away before running towards Naruto who was nearer. "You are such a stupid idiot!" She yelled as she swatted the Iara away and punched Naruto's face, causing the blonde to snap from his dazed thoughts as he was met with a glaring Sakura.
"E-Eh?"
"Idiot!" She hit him with her staff and kicked another Iara away as she ran towards her other teammate, the one she actually grew feelings for. "I hate you guys so much right now!" She yelled and swiped her staff at the Iara that was holding the Assassin too close for comfort.
The moment the fish monster had fallen to the ground from the impact, Sakura pulled onto Sasuke's scarf from behind and tugged at it, the material tightening around his neck as his half-closed eyes widened all of a sudden and he coughed violently at the choking material.
"What the-" a slap met his face when he was about to turn to Sakura, and he looked back at her with surprised eyes that only widened some more when he saw tears falling down her cheeks. "Sakura..?"
She looked down at him, her tears making her vision blurry as she cried and then gave him another hit, the attack causing him to lose his balance as he fell back, her following since she still held onto his scarf. He grunted when she landed right in-between his legs and rammed onto his chest, yet he didn't worry about that because she was still crying.
"You liar..!" She cried and punched his shoulder. "I hate you so much right now! I hate you I hate you I hate you!"
He couldn't even begin to comprehend just what it is that's wrong with her, until Naruto's exclamation of "Grand Cross" reached his ears, and he took note of Kiba and Suigetsu shaking their heads and getting back up.
His mind began to catch up when his eyes saw that they were surrounded by Iara monsters, most if not all have already transformed into their vicious forms when the guys had awoken from their hypnotizing voices.
"Worry not my dear…"
He looked from the others to the Iara that had trapped him with her voice and looks, and seeing that she has yet to transform, he knew that she's still attempting to lure him away.
"I will keep you safe…" she sung to him, lifting a hand up to reach out to him. "…and away from the nightmares you fear…"
His eyes narrowed when he felt Sakura's grip on him tighten that he carefully pulled out a dagger from the holster attached to his right hip and threw it at the Iara's shoulder, causing it to hiss and transform into her monstrous form.
"The only nightmare I'm having is facing you." He seethed, his other hand pulling Sakura to him as he lowered his head a bit to speak to her in a softer tone. "Don't worry," he could feel his eyes shift to red when the Iara jumped at them. "I'll protect you."
And he used his left arm to extract the blade of his left katar and behead the Iara, its head landing on the water and making a huge splash while its blood caused the other Iara monsters to scream and wildly attack them.
"Now this is much easier!" Kiba grinned since they didn't need to worry about being lured again.
As the group countered and finished off some of the Iara, Sasuke let out a heavy sigh as he felt the side of his head start to ache. He lowered his gaze to Sakura who was still holding onto him, tears still falling down as she continued shaking. Though she was silent, he still knew she was feeling vulnerable.
"Sakura," he held her shoulders and pushed her away a bit, but her grip tightened and she refused to let him loosen her grip. "Hey, I'm fine now."
Her head shook from left to right repeatedly, whimpering when he tried to get her off again.
"Daddy!"
He looked up just as Shu tackled down an Iara that almost got to them, Suh taking down another that had tried to sink her teeth onto their flesh.
"Sakura, come on." He told her. "We're in the middle of a fight."
"I'm scared…"
"…"
He wasn't sure how he understood, but somehow, he recalled what she said to him before about seeing his back, about the day he was walking away to train to become an Assassin.
"I'm sorry." He said in a much softer voice. "But I'm not leaving you, okay?" He carefully pushed her away, and she eventually let him, hesitant in lifting her gaze to meet his when she felt his bangs tickle her forehead. Her eyes widened when he leaned closer to her, his nose touching hers as he closed his eyes-
"I promise."
-and softly pressed his lips on hers.
"Guys! Fight now and make out later!" Kiba told them as he shot an arrow at one Iara that leapt from a rock and targeted the couple.
Sasuke had let out a soft sigh and a small smirk when he pulled back and saw Sakura's blush and wide eyes.
"Can I go now?"
She just nodded dumbly as he stood and shifted his eyes to red, proceeding to attack and eliminate the remaining Iara.
Sakura just knelt there, still unable to react properly after what just happened. Unlike in Niffleheim, the kiss she just shared with Sasuke a while ago was much more… real.
"Sakura, snap out of it!" Karin yelled. "I know that kiss was amazing and all but now isn't the time to be dazed about it!"
She did snap – mainly because she wondered why Karin knew how amazing it was.
"Uchiha Sasuke!"
Let's just say hell happened…
"Time to celebrate!" Suigetsu yelled when the townspeople had immediately thrown a party for the group after some of the missing men had returned to their loved ones.
Of course, it was unfortunate that there were those who did not make it for being missing in such a long time, their families were still grateful that the team had tried, so the mayor held both a memorial and celebration.
Kiba and Suigetsu welcomed the single ladies that had immediately huddled around them to listen to their stories while Naruto was preoccupied in telling the tale to some of the men who wanted to hear the "epic adventure" as the kids said. Karin denied it, but she reveled in the flock of young men who paid a lot of attention to her. Shu and Suh ate to their hearts' content with Sasuke keeping a close eye on them in case they overeat, at the same time, politely declining the dance offers he was getting from some of the women.
The others were just too busy to notice that one of their party members had gone missing, and Sasuke wanted to hit them for that. He couldn't bring himself to get up and look for her because for one thing, he was keeping a close watch on the two pups, and for another, the crowd was thick – he could barely even move a muscle from his spot. But his main reason is –
"Damn it…"
–He wasn't sure how he could explain his actions from earlier.
"Best part of it though was my two friends sharing a kiss!"
He twitched when everyone had turned their attention to him after Naruto's declaration, and he wanted to disappear right there when the people had pestered him for more details.
"Go on teme! Tell them!"
He glared at Naruto who was way too happy to care at his menacing look.
"Yeah man! You two were so into it that I had to call your attention before those things killed you!" Kiba added with a large grin of his own, Suigetsu whooping in the background. And though Karin didn't like the topic, she seemed interested to hear about it too.
"…Assholes." He uttered under his breath.
The warm wind here was different than most of the breeze she's had a taste of from venturing to one town after another. Brasilis' had a welcoming feel to it, whereas Prontera made the place homier, so she wasn't sure which town she liked the most, and wasn't about to make a decision until she has gone to the other places like Amatsu or even Lighthalzen.
"Geez… I can't bring myself to enjoy this place as much as I thought…"
"Mommy!"
She turned to see Suh and Shu jump on either side of her on the bench, smiling as they cuddled next to her and reminded her of cats instead. They even sounded like they purred when they nuzzled against her and felt content.
"When did you both start calling me that anyway?" She asked with a light laugh.
"Since you got Suh." Shu barked in response, letting his eyes close when a yawn came from him. Suh rolled over until she lay on her side and let her head rest on Sakura's lap.
"Well, it's going to be a bit… awkward being called that when you're calling Sasuke 'daddy,' you know?"
They just whined but did not bother to open their eyes.
"Geez, these two."
Sakura looked up to see the last person she wanted to talk to right now, and from how annoyed he was, she figured he had been searching for the two pups, or he had been pestered so much by the people of Brasilis, if not the women.
Of course, the last thought made her frown, but she chose not to voice it out or question him about it. After all, it wasn't like he was hers, right?
"Had enough kissing them?"
But she couldn't help it after having been kissed by him – twice.
"What?" He furrowed his brows in confusion.
She stroked the two pups, not minding their ice-cold bodies since it was warm in the town they were in despite it being night time already.
"They must have enjoyed it, after all, Karin did say it was amazing."
"…Huh?"
She twitched and glared at the Assassin who looked a whole lot more confused than ever. Had it been another conversation, she would have found his expression cute.
"She somehow knew how amazing you can kiss."
He blinked, and then suddenly twitched. "Ew, just… wait, you thought I kissed Karin?"
"Didn't you?"
He looked aghast that she even thought of that. "Okay, one – I've never even kissed any other girl before you, nor after you."
The way he said it made her feel as if they're in an intimate relationship, but the "after you" made it seem like they were in the past.
…
…then again, this is Sasuke. An Assassin no less.
"Two, if I had, why, of all girls, Karin?" He twitched again. "Seriously, you could have at least assumed it would be Nika or Yoriko."
"Have you then?" She glared.
"I just said I haven't kissed- hold on, you're getting mad at me why?"
"…You kissed me twice already!"
"…Besides that." He crossed his arms. "I did that in Niffleheim to get you out of there because I know you won't leave even if I tell you to."
"And earlier?" She seethed.
"I did that because-" he found himself unable to come up with an answer or a logical reason. Spur of the moment? On a whim? No, he knew he'd only anger her if he said that.
"Because..?" She pressed on, not liking how he stopped.
Why couldn't he answer? Deep down, he somehow knew why – the way she looked so scared that time made him want to hold her and kiss her, made him want to just… be with her.
"I can't." He told himself. "At least not yet, not right now." He sighed silently and lowered his arms before taking a few steps closer to her, his arms on either side of her to keep her there – trapped, cornered… right where he felt he was in his element.
When she looked surprised at what he did, he felt more confident.
"…I wanted to." He said instead. "That's enough of a reason."
She wanted to ask more from him, but as he said, it was pretty much enough – at least for the time being. Sakura was a bit glad that he hadn't kissed random girls in the past or present, at least he told her she was the only one he had shared a kiss with – twice too.
"…I… may as well since we're kind of in the topic…" she mumbled and looked down. "Earlier, I couldn't get or understand what the guys meant about Karin and me, but now…"
Sasuke inwardly cursed. Despite their current positions, he felt like she had cornered him even though it was the other way around.
"W-Who…" she stammered and felt her cheeks grow warm as they reddened. "Which of us did you… think… was… is…" her voice got softer after each word. "…on… top..?"
"…"
"…"
"…Hn." He closed his eyes for a few moments and let out a smirk when he met her curious gaze. "Neither of you."
"H-Huh..?"
He dared to lean a bit closer, moving to her left ear instead as he felt her shudder when he breathed on it lightly. The temptation to actually nip her earlobe grew, but eh fought it. "I was actually imagining me on you."
"W-Wh… wha…"
"Heh." He sensed the danger, but he worked in the darkness, so the warnings that were there only lured him some more. "Although…"
She clenched her fists.
"You on top of me would be nice." He breathed, not letting her react just yet as he continued. "The view would be way better."
"Y-You pervert!"
He immediately held down her wrists when she attempted to push him, and he met her gaze with a smirk. Her face was extremely red by this time, obviously a hint that she's just too innocent.
"You'll like it though," he gave a shrewd grin, and she blushed some more. "Most girls prefer being on top – more simulation…" he leaned closer to her as she shut her eyes when he whispered: "Deeper penetration."
"S-Shut up…"
"You can even hold your own pace…" he slowly lowered her hands to her sides and leaned closer to her. "You can be in control."
"S-Sasuke s-stop… stop this!" She stammered, feeling really uncomfortable in a lot of ways. "I… I don't… I'm a Priestess for God's sake!"
He smirked some more as she hesitantly met his gaze. "Exactly." He continued to tease her some more when he leaned to her ear and made her shut her eyes. "I want you to know…" he let one of his hands gently trace her arm until they reached the back of her neck and head, the action making her involuntarily lean her head to the side as he lowered to her neck, close enough for her to feel his breath, but not actually touching. "I want you to think of these thoughts…"
Her fingers clenched tightly as she bit her lower lip, her mind conjuring up images and scenes – of him… and her.
"I want you to think of me," he whispered. "Only me," he could tell how she wanted him to do something, anything to ease her tension. "When your mind becomes sinful, when you have such impure thoughts..."
Her half-lidded eyes were clouded over with something as he pulled back and met her gaze, his smirk long gone as he looked at her green irises.
"…It will only be of me."
And just like that, she was seduced – she had let a bit of darkness enter into the light, until it completely took over.
The night was a lot more pleasant than previous ones. Somehow, it would have been a good thing if only the culprits who want Sarutobi dead are behind bars, or at least already dead.
Violet eyes looked from left to right as a pair of feet continued to hop from one roof to another. She spotted a friend of hers and followed his line of vision upon noticing how amused her looked.
"Spying again on your secret beloved?" She asked upon landing behind his seated form on a roof.
"Heh, don't act so surprised." He told her without turning away from the pink-haired Priestess who was tossing and turning in her sleep.
A shake of the head answered him before she looked at Sakura's facial expression. Her brows were knitted together, and she seemed to be covered in a thin coat of sweat too. The way her right arm hugged herself while her left was lowered somewhere made her raise a brow. She also took not of the fact that Sakura's knees were tightly locked onto the other – as if protecting her…
"Sasuke…" she eyed the smirking Assassin. "…What did you do?"
He shut his eyes as his smirk grew. "It's nothing, Nika."
She threw him a suspicious look, and then gave a sweet smile. "Permission to kick you, taichou?"
"Permission denied."
"Then I'll disobey this time." She pulled back her right leg and delivered a kick, only hitting air as Sasuke had swiftly moved to her side.
"Hn. You can't disobey me if you can't kick me."
"Hn." She mimicked with a roll of her eyes and then turned back to Sakura. "Seriously though."
Sasuke just shrugged and continued eyeing how Sakura was so bothered. "I guess I'll have to go to confession for the first time tomorrow."
"…You didn't."
"Not yet."
Nika had to try hitting him again – especially when she read what Sakura's mouthed in her sleep.
CrAzY-SiLLy-Me: Gaaaahhh... I couldn't help myself from all the teasing and tension~
Apathetic Silence: No more tea for you...