A hush fell over the Guardians, even Masaru hesitated as he stared in confusion at Sakura. Sumiko's eyes were wide as she turned slightly towards Sakura. Sakura, helping Ino stand on her two feet kept Sumiko and Masaru separated as she stated, "I checked the blood samples this morning. With a small injection of her blood sample with the other samples by the other Guardians, the once inactive kekkei-genkai became active again. Killing Sumiko would be a mistake."

Ino inched towards Sumiko before Masaru barked, "Don't go anywhere near her, blondie! She's still under trial!"

"Her hands can be unbound!" Ino protested angrily as she approached Sumiko.

"Ino..." Sumiko, relieved to see that Ino was actually okay, "I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault," Ino gave a weak smile, "I've been through worse."

"Bitch! Masaru gave you an order!" a member of the Guardians approached the two women.

Ino pulled out her kunai and slashed the bandages that hid Sumiko's hands and a wall of solid rock shot up from the dirt between the member of the Guardians and the two women. Sumiko then placed her hands together in a jutsu handsign before her hands turned into stones. She yanked her hands away from each other to break the chain that she had been also bound in on her wrists. Her hands then returned to her normal skin as she glared hard at Masaru, "Now that you see what value I am to the Guardians, what's your verdict now?"

Masaru emitted a low growl before stating, "It remains the same. You two medical-ninja will take the blood you need from her before she is faced with her trial."

"What!?" Sakura stood protectively in front of Sumiko and Ino, "I won't allow that! That's inhumane!"

"Those are the rules, child!" Masaru took a step forward as he pulled out a rather large katana, "You will not interfere with the trial further! Take them out of this village!"

The entire crowd of Guardians pulled out a weapon as they neared the two medical-ninja. Sakura knew that Ino was in no condition to fight nor could she take one a whole village full of Guardians and other shinobi. Just when Sakura began to feel the pressure to fight for her life, she heard the sound of stomping before turning to see Sumiko in a full rock-like armor and what appeared to be a stone-made sledge hammer. Sumiko twisted her body as she stomped faster passed Sakura and Ino to smashed the sledge hammer into the ground where the Guardians stood only to have them leap away.

"No one will lay a finger on either of them!" Sumiko yelled, her face not visible from the fully enclosed armor.

"This is getting out of hand!" one of the male Elders entered the center of the crowd, "It is obvious that the medical-ninja are important to giving the Guardians back their kekkei-genkai, but going about that in this manner will only destroy the village."

"Banishment."

All went silent as Sumiko turned towards the familiar voice. Ayame stepped forward and approached Sumiko and Masaru, "I suggest Sumiko shall be banished from the village and never return. She will give what blood the medical-ninja require for the other Guardians, but then they all are to leave."

Sumiko felt herself wanting to be sick once again as Sakura gave a sigh of relief. She released her rock armor while Ino approached Ayame, "That sounds like a fine idea. Sakura?"

"I couldn't agree more," Sakura looked to Masaru, "You won't have to kill Sumiko if she's banished from the village."

Masaru looked to the other Guardians who seemed to give their own answers by either nodding or through out facial expressions. He turned his attention back to Sakura before answering sternly, "If she returns within a few miles of Yama Village, she will be killed on the spot."

Sakura, still not trusting Masaru, walked over to Sumiko, "Alright, let me take a look at your arm and-"

"I won't do it," Sumiko yanked her arm away, her voice full of malice, and took a step back, "They won't get a drop of my blood."

"Insolent brat!" Masaru yelled at the top of his lungs, "I will tear your arm off!"

Sumiko's eyes flared as she formed a few handsigns, "I'd like to see you try! Solid Rock Wall!"

The ground shook as Masaru was lifted off the ground before being engulfed in the dirt high above the village. Other Guardians began to swarm towards Sumiko before Sakura and Ino stood protectively in front of her. Sakura then snapped, "What are you doing!? Are you trying to get yourself killed!?"

"I'm not giving a drop of my blood to people that want me dead!" Sumiko snapped back as she finished the jutsu, "Let them get him out, i'm leaving."

Sumiko fixed her jacket before glaring at each Guardian she passed as she walked out of the village. Sakura looked to Ayame, "What are we going to do? Without her blood..."

"The Guardians are going to focus on getting Masaru out, but I doubt they will let her live in peace until she gives them some of her blood," Ayame grumbled before stuffing a note into Sakura's palm, "Just bring her back here immediately."

Sakura helped Ino to follow Sumiko as fast as they could keep up with her. Once they were out of the village, Sakura stopped and opened the note that read, "Keep her safe and as far away from this village as you can. I will stall them as long as I can."

Ino fidgeted against Sakura, "Come on, I can still sense her nearby. We can't leave her alone."

It took a few minutes before they caught up with Sumiko, who didn't say a single word to either of them as they followed close behind her. Sakura helped Ino walk before the blonde decided she could make it on her own. They all walked until sunset when Ino began to stumble, "Could we please rest for the night? I don't think I can take another step without falling on my face."

"Sumi-" Sakura looked to the kunoichi to see she had already stopped though her back was still to both of them, "Ugh...could you stick with Ino? I'll go grab some wood for a fire."

"I'll do it," Sumiko disappeared in an instant, leaving Sakura worried and both frustrated with the new-found attitude.

Sakura sat next to Ino, both silent. She didn't want to say what was on her mind and she could see that Ino was still exhausted from the day's events. Neither of them said a word as they looked to each other a few times. The gave each other a hopeful smile, but it didn't make the situation any better. Lady Tsunade wouldn't know whether this was bio-warfare or an act of Kami just yet, though Sakura had a hunch. A few minutes passed before Sumiko returned with a few logs and began to make a firepit as Sakura waited for her to finish and used a jutsu to start a spark. There wasn't any food on them and she could hear Ino's stomach since she probably was the only one who hadn't eaten this morning.

"I'll get some food," Sumiko stood up once again, not making any eye contact with either of them.

"I'll join you," Sakura stood up, then received a glare so intense from Sumiko it made her step back.

"You'll stay here," Sumiko ordered before walking off.

This time, Sakura didn't obey. She waited until Sumiko had stormed off before following her quickly to catch up. Sumiko had began to pick some berries off a bush when Sakura approached, "I thought I told you-"

"I get your mad because you had to leave your village, but taking it out on us isn't going to help you!" Sakura went over to Sumiko and yanked her wrist to make her look at her, "We were trying to help you and we're still trying to!"

"You wanted to help them!" Sumiko pushed Sakura away, "You and everyone else just wanted to cure them without even asking me about it!"

Sakura watched as Sumiko dropped the berries to the ground as she glared harder at Sakura. Her gaze softened on Sumiko as she realized she had broken one of the rules as a medical-ninja: to let the patient decide their fate. She hadn't even asked Sumiko if she wanted to give her blood, she automatically thought Sumiko would want that. Sumiko then stooped down to pick up the berries she had dropped, "I knew they would want me killed, but... If that were the case, then I wouldn't let them be cured. If that makes me a terrible person then I don't care."

"It doesn't make you a terrible person," Sakura spoke softly as she sat down on her knees to be at eye level with Sumiko, "It makes you human. You have a right to live like them. If they had let you live, would you have given them your blood to be cured?"

Sumiko paused before her eyes met Sakura's, "Probably. It wasn't my dream to be among the Guardians, I was perfectly content working with them as just another kunoichi."

"If I go talk with them, maybe-"

"Just stop!" Sumiko stated as the ground beneath them began to shake before elevating them to the tree tops, "It's final! They want me killed and you're ready to offer me up! Some friend you are!"

Sakura glanced down to see they were now higher than the trees. She kept her hands on the ground to keep herself stable before yelling to Sumiko, "Put us down! We're too high up!"

"What? Scared?" Sumiko stood up, "If you want to send me back, you'll find yourself having trouble."

"Sumiko..." Sakura stood up as she fixed her gloves, "I'm going to make you see reason even if that means knocking you off this paranoia bender you're on."

Sakura made the first move as she dove towards Sumiko and tossed them off the platform of dirt. They fell for a few seconds before Sumiko had the tower of solid dirt branch out to catch them. Sumiko caught Sakura's wrists and did her best to resist against Sakura's brute strength. Sakura fought as hard as she could to free her wrists before she found another wave of energy and shoved her hands onto Sumiko's shoulders. The energy came with a burst that pushed Sumiko through the dirt and the two were falling once again. Sumiko yelped from how tightly Sakura held her shoulders before glaring up at Sakura, "Was this your plan all along?"

"Of course not!" Sakura yelled angrily, "Stop fighting me and just come home with us! I would never let anything bad happen to you!"

Their fall was shortly coming to an end as Sakura embraced Sumiko closer before falling through the trees. Sakura waited for a hard impact before realizing they had stopped. Sumiko had the ground elevated to meet their fall and softened the blow. Her body felt so firm and solid against Sakura's as she sensed how close they were. There was no separation between them as their bodies were intertwined togther. Sakura moved slightly to where she peered over Sumiko's face only to see how truly green her eyes were now that she was barely a few inches from her face. Sumiko's soft voice then broke the silence, "I didn't mean to..."

Sakura didn't know how she felt about this situation. Neither of them moved, and Sakura didn't exactly want to either. She glanced downward between their bodies to see that their breasts were squished together and how her torso rested comfortably on top of Sumiko's though she was smaller than Sakura. When Sakura went back to face Sumiko, she saw how red her face seemed to get as she glanced away. A gloved hand caressed Sumiko's face before her other hand went behind Sumiko's back to keep her comfortable against the hard rock, "Are you okay? You look flushed?"

Though Sumiko didn't answer, something clicked inside Sakura. Her heart began to slowly pick up it's pace as she felt her face inching towards Sumiko's. She never noticed how plump Sumiko's lips were or how slender her neck seemed. Nor had she noticed the enticing scent Sumiko had, what type of perfume had she used the last time she sprayed herself? Her hand went from Sumiko's cheek to her hair to feel how soft it felt between her gloved fingers. Sakura then felt Sumiko's hand rubbing on her arm as she gazed into Sakura's eyes, her cheeks still flushed. Feeling Sumiko's hand rubbing on her arm felt soft, her fingers leaving a small trail of goosebumps that gave Sakura a slight chill down her spine.

Their noses touched as Sakura was the first to place her lips against Sumiko's. Sumiko's lips were softer than anything Sakura could ever imagine. She kissed once again just to experience feeling how soft they felt before parting her lips to taste Sumiko's bottom lip. The tip of her tongue rubbed gently against Sumiko's lips for entrance before Sumiko parted her lips just slightly and met Sakura's tongue with her own. Sakura's hand went up Sumiko's back to pull the woman's upper torso closer to Sakura's as her tongue gently played with Sumiko's, rubbing and flicking her tongue against the woman's tongue like a small war to gain dominance. Sakura pressed her mouth harder against Sumiko's, winning the battle between them and explored Sumiko's mouth. With each taste, Sakura felt her body heating up. Tasting Sumiko's tongue and the inside of her mouth left her wanting to taste more. She felt Sumiko's hands wandering her body before clinging to the back of her shirt. How far was she willing to take this? Never kissing a woman before, Sakura was finding the situation to be more sensual than she had ever imagined.

She felt Sumiko bend her knees slightly before pulling Sakura upward towards her before one of her hands ran through Sakura's hair. Sakura didn't want to pull away from the kiss and pressed her lips even harder against Sumiko's. For someone who claimed not to be a lesbian, she felt her body craving to taste more of Sumiko. Then, the image of Ino flashed through her mind and Sakura slowed their kiss before pulling away. Sumiko opened her eyes and raised a brow, "What? Why are you stopping?"

"We ought to go back to Ino," Sakura felt her lungs gasping for breath, she hadn't realized they were kissing for that long, "Besides we-"

Sumiko's lips smashed against Sakura's as she sat up, pulling Sakura back against her. This time Sakura pulled away, "Sumiko, if we don't go back something could happen!"

"But I need this," Sumiko gently motioned Sakura's cheek to look directly at her, "And I can tell you're enjoying this too. I'm really starting to like you, Sakura."

Something inside Sakura felt elated, but her confusion was greater. She wasn't a lesbian, right? Sakura took Sumiko's hand and placed them on Sumiko's thigh, "Look... I never kissed a woman before and I really, really liked kissing you, but i'm not a lesbian. I don't feel that attachment to girls. I'm sorry, but we're friends."

There was no hiding the disappointment in Sumiko's eyes as Sakura stood up and helped her down. Sumiko didn't say a word and Sakura didn't want to push on any conversation. If there was a way to explain that she wanted to kiss her once again and how it made her feel confused, Sakura would have lectured Sumiko into the night on how she felt. Then, Sumiko spoke up, "As long as we're still friends, I don't mind."

"I know you don't feel the same for Ino, but there are other women in the village," Sakura recalled that Ino had said that she hadn't found an actual lesbian, but maybe Sumiko could find one, "A lot of them are probably a better kisser than I am."

"I have to ask," Sumiko had them stop and took Sakura's wrist, "Lesbian or not, if you weren't in to me then why did you kiss me first?"

Sakura couldn't answer that question. Well, she could, but she didn't want to. The answer was somewhere deep inside of her mind that she didn't want to travel to just yet. Without answering her question, Sakura went back to the small camp that the three had made. Ino was poking the fire with a stick when the two returned and she glanced at both of them before asking, "So, has the lover's quarrel started yet?"

Sumiko sat by the fire as Sakura sat opposite of Sumiko as neither said a word. Ino's stomach then roared before asking, "Did someone bring any food at least?"

This time the two glanced at each other before Ino sighed, standing on her own, "Then what the hell did you two do for that long of a time? Actually, I don't want to know. Sumiko, you want to come along?"

"No thank you," Sumiko hugged her knees to her chest.

Sakura gave Ino an apologetic expression, but Ino was already stomping away. If she could at least get Sumiko to like Ino, maybe the emotions would go away.

"Lady Tsunade," Shizune entered the Hokage's office, "We just received word from Yama Village, their Elders sent a letter stating that Sakura and Ino have left the village with their guide on confrontational terms. They also ask if we keep the guide in secrecy until the matter is resolved. What shall I return to them as your answer?"

Tsunade drank her shot of sake as she went from looking at Shizune to her actually clean, barren desk. She hadn't thought that Sakura and Ino were capable of butchering a mission this badly. With a long sigh, Tsunade stood up, "We don't have a choice. If Yama Village is going into a civil dispute with their own villagers, we'll stay out of it until it becomes a problem for us. I have enough to deal with as it is."

"Very well," Shizune jotted down a few notes before peering over at Tsunade, "Uhm... Lady Tsunade, where will the guide stay? I can look into available housing-"

"I will have her stay here with me one night so I can see if she's trustworthy or not. I'm sure she is, but for the village's sake I can't put anything on the line. After one night here, she can be given the choice to either stay with Sakura or Ino," Tsunade answered in detail as she walked over to Shizune, "She will be treated as a guest to our village and be given Konoha's reputable hospitality."

Shizune left her office with a look of doubt written on her face. Tsunade glanced at the letter in her hand that Shizune had brought from the Elders. A headache was forming in the front part of her skull and she knew if she read it the headache would only get worse. With a regret sigh, Tsunade went back to her desk, dawned on her glasses, and began reading what the Elders wrote. Somehow Ino was injured during the mission by Sumiko touching a Sacred Stone? And the Yama Village shinobi and Guardians were seeking out Sumiko? Yes, the headache was definitely at full-throttle now. Tsunade leaned back in her seat as she contemplated on what had to be done.

The sun began to set and she decided that she'd have to wait until Sakura and Ino returned with their guide. For now, all she wanted to do was go home and have a bottle of sake.

Sakura had woke Ino as Sumiko was up even before her and the trio were back in Konoha when the sun began to rise. She instructed Ino to get some rest at her home while Sakura and Sumiko went to Tsunade's office. The pink-haired kunoichi's thoughts were abuzz with the mission and the report she'd have to write. Then, her thoughts went to the kiss she shared with Sumiko the previous day. Perhaps she ought to talk to her about the incident, but she did turn her down so... Sakura grimaced at the thought of having to talk further about it and made her expression quite obvious as Sumiko asked, "Is something on your mind?"

"What? No... I was just thinking how the Lady Hokage would react to our mission failure," Sakura swiftly answered, not wanting to divulge too much information.

They had stopped walking at the entrance to the Hokage's manor where Sumiko gazed quizzically at Sakura for a few moments. Sakura, feeling quite uncomfortable, shifted her weight on her feet a few times as she briefly returned the gaze before glancing ahead and took a few steps forward, "We better keep going."

"If it's about yesterday then don't worry about it," Sumiko approached Sakura and lowered her voice to above a whisper, "Honestly, I think you're more into me than you let on, but I won't force you to do anything unless you want to. I won't say i'm going to wait for you. However, if you ever get your emotions together and I happen to be available, then I'd like to get to know you on a more personal level."

Sakura felt a blush rush to her cheeks at Sumiko's words before a tinge of anger reached her, "You know we can be friends and still get to know each other on a deeper level. Don't tell me you're some kind of pervert who just wants to fuck her friends."

She immediately regretted the words as soon as they came out. Sumiko took a few steps back, an expression of hurt appeared on her features and Sakura hesitated at the urge to hold her. Right when she was about to apologize, Sumiko then stated sharply, "Just because your confused about your sexuality doesn't mean you get to be rude to me. I'll visit the Hokage on my own to give my own report, I don't think I want to see you for awhile in case I get the urge to fuck you."

The slam had Sakura taken aback, but she deserved it. She watched as Sumiko stomped to Tsunade's office before entering. Sakura decided to stay where she was at to wait for her turn since Sumiko didn't want to see her. Her back was against the warm wall as she kept her hands at the small of her back. Perhaps she was confused, she did enjoy the kiss after-all.

"How was the mission?"

Sakura glanced up at the familiar voice to see Sasuke Uchiha at the end of the hallway. She immediately stood straight, her gaze alert as she watched him approach. Ever since he returned to Konoha, his personality had changed from a dark, vengeful person to someone who had a higher purpose and driven. Though he was still quite moody. Sakura's eyes went back to Tsunade's office door before shrugging, "It could have been better. Ino and I didn't answer Tsunade's main question for the mission and we only came back with our guide to keep safe."

Sasuke glanced at Tsunade's office door as well before looking back to Sakura, "There were a few rumors going around about it. Apparently the once isolated Yama Village is more medieval than we thought."

"It's not that the village was backwards, there was just too much politics going on," Sakura countered, though she didn't fully understand why she was backing the village she had escaped from, "I don't know."

The office door opened and Sumiko stepped out. Sakura turned to see Sumiko look back at her then to Sasuke before giving them both a resentful look before rushing passed them. She took step towards Sumiko before watching her continue to walk off. There was no excuse, she'd have to go and apologize to Sumiko as soon as possible.

"Was she your guide?" his eyes narrowed onto Sakura.

"Yeah... Her name is Sumiko," Sakura wasn't quite paying attention and her voice was nearly emotionless as her thoughts kept her distant from his conversation.

"Sakura!"

Tsunade's voice stabbed Sakura out of her thoughts and had her swiftly leave Sasuke's side to head into her office. Sakura could see the annoyance on Tsunade's face and bowed low, "My apology, Lady Hokage, I'll-"

"No need," Tsunade waved as she sat back in her seat, "Sumiko gave me a full report, I just need you to write it out for me and give it to me when you can. Initially, I was going to room Sumiko with you until we had available housing, but she opted to live in a small shrine by the lake under the circumstances that she would clean and take care of it until she makes her decision to leave or stay."

For some reason this information felt vile to her stomach. She had hoped that Sumiko would stay with either her or Ino, but to just completely go out on her own seemed like a terrible idea. Sakura gave a brief nod before lowering her gaze, "I see..."

"Look, I don't know what you two have going on between each other but I just want to warn you now, Sakura, that you can't just let this nag you," Tsunade explained as she leaned forward and rested her arms on her desk, "Now that you and Ino have returned, I want you both to be back on clinic duty until further notice. Take a rest for the day and come back to the clinic tomorrow."

"Yes ma'am," Sakura bowed politely before leaving.

After leaving the Hokage's manor, Sakura went back to her own home where her parents were already out about in the village. Which was good, at least she would have the house to herself so she could rest. Sakura went straight to the kitchen to make herself a plate of leftovers and let it heat up in the microwave. As she waited, she sat at her kitchen table. She glanced to the empty chairs besides her, if Sumiko were staying with her then she would have been sitting next to her with a plate of food too. Sakura pushed that thought of her head. She ought to be mad at Sumiko for some reason, but she couldn't think of a reason to be mad at her.

The chiming of the microwave had her tend to her now heated food and began to dig in. She was hungrier than she had realized as she realized how delicious the food tasted despite it being her mother's cooking. Sakura finished hastily, pushing her seat back to put her plate in the sink and head up to her room. If Sumiko were staying with her, she would have let Sumiko share her room since she had a double bed. Since they were friends she knew they wouldn't do anything besides just sleep in it... Though, as she stared at the big, empty bed, she remembered holding Sumiko's body against hers and how entangled they were. It wouldn't be so bad if she could hold her like that in the privacy in her room where no one would no about it.

Again, Sakura pushed that thought out of her head and went to lay down. She stripped down to her bra and panties before entering her bed to take a nap. After the first few minutes, she found it hard to keep her thoughts bare without picturing Sumiko laying next to her in nothing but a bra and panties too. They were both girls, it was okay to see each other like that. Then, the picture of hurt on Sumiko's face from earlier guilt-ed Sakura awake. She needed to clear the air between them and make things right even if it meant just staying friends. Sakura groaned as she got out of her bed, threw on her civilian clothes of a plain baby blue t-shirt and white shorts and leaving her home.

She walked with a fast pace as she went to see if she could catch up with Sumiko. Even if she couldn't exactly pin point how she felt about Sumiko, she could at least keep her as a friend until she does figure herself out. Sakura felt some type of urgency as she walked through the crowds, trying to sense Sumiko's chakra essence. She wasn't at Ino's house, and she couldn't find her in the market area, so she must be at the small by the lake. Her heart raced as she rushed to the shrine by the lake and stood across lake. There, on the front entrance of the shrine, Sumiko sat on the wooden stair that led up to the doors.

Stepping on top of the water, Sakura half jogged, half sprinted to the shrine. She expected Sumiko to stomp away or threaten her, but Sumiko didn't even look at her. Sakura quickened her pace before slowly to a walk when she reached the other side and walked on the land, "Hey..."

Sumiko didn't say a word as she turned her head away from Sakura's position. Sakura scratched the back of her head as she placed her other hand in her pocket, "I wanted to say i'm sorry for earlier. I didn't mean what I said."

This time Sumiko looked back at Sakura though she was still quite aggravated with her. Sumiko then spoke gruffly, "I thought I said I didn't want to see you for awhile."

"I know, I know," Sakura took a step forward, "But... I hate the thought of you angry with me, especially when I know I was in the wrong. I know you don't sleep with your friends. I... I don't know what I like and yesterday really confused me. And I'm worried about the mission and how everything is going to turn out, and I'm also concerned about Ino's condition and-"

"Alright," Sumiko stood up and placed her hands in her jacket pockets, "I get that you already have a lot on your plate as it is and you don't need me breathing on your neck to make you like me. I shouldn't have come on too strong either."

"N-no you're fine," Sakura approached Sumiko, "I mean I kissed you first, that-"

"Don't apologize for that," Sumiko interrupted as she took Sakura's wrist, "I know you don't know what you feel, but I do. I meant it when I said i'm starting to like you and I want to think that kiss was mutual."

Sakura felt her cheeks flush as she gazed down at Sumiko, "It was mutual, I did want to kiss you."

Though she saw a flash of joy in Sumiko's eyes, she also so a pain that made Sakura recall her old emotions for Sasuke and how it hurt so bad to want someone she couldn't have. She watched as Sumiko took a step back and released her wrist before saying, "Well, I wanted to kiss you too. So then it was mutual. That's good, at least."

That hurt on Sumiko's face crushed Sakura's heart. She didn't want to hurt Sumiko like she had been hurt before. Something came over Sakura as she looked around them to find them completely alone. Sakura approached Sumiko quickly, causing the shorter woman to be confused as Sakura embraced her tightly and stealing her lips against hers. Sakura had her arms wrapped around Sumiko so tightly that she felt as if they would fuse together at any moment as Sumiko clung to Sakura so tightly, returning the kiss just as fiercely. Whatever drove Sakura to kiss Sumiko before was driving her at this point as she parted their lips to deepen that kiss as she walked Sumiko up the stairs to the shrine to press her against walls of the shrine. Sakura briefly parted their kiss before tilting her head to the other side to ease the kiss to become deeper as she tasted Sumiko's tongue within her mouth. Was it so bad to want this taste and feel of Sumiko against her? If it was just for Sumiko, did that make her a lesbian? She heard Sumiko moan into their kiss as she went along with Sakura's rhythm as Sakura pressed Sumiko even harder against the wall. Sumiko then raised one leg around Sakura's waist before the other climbed right up, Sakura held onto Sumiko's plump behind before giving each cheek a tight squeeze.

Now that Sumiko was slightly taller, Sakura tilted her head back as Sumiko cupped Sakura's cheeks to return the kiss. She felt Sumiko's tongue lick her lips before Sumiko moved her lips and tongue to Sakura's neck. Sakura turned and placed Sumiko on the wood railing where she allowed Sumiko to suck on her neck. Sumiko's hands ran along Sakura's hips before massaging her breasts against her own as her thighs hugged Sakura's waist. This time, Sakura realized a soft moan as she gently rubbed Sumiko's hips. She had no idea why she was allowing all this to happen, but she was enjoying it nonetheless. Following Sumiko's motions, Sakura went back to rubbing and squeezing Sumiko's behind while pulling her closer to her body.

A thought rushed through Sakura's mind: they were still outside. Sakura didn't want to pull away, she was enjoying this with Sumiko, but she also didn't want to be seen doing this. Picking Sumiko back up, Sakura took them inside the shrine where she found the nearest table and had Sumiko sit on that while she continued to let Sumiko suck and lick at her neck. Sumiko began to tear off Sakura's shirt before the pink-haired kunoichi gently pulled her shirt back down, "Not...not that yet."

Sumiko's eyes scanned Sakura's for a few moments before she smiled softly before whispering, "No problem."

Sumiko pulled Sakura's shirt back onto her before pulling her into a soft kiss. Sakura caressed Sumiko's cheek as she rested her other hand on her hip. Their lips barely touched with each kiss until their tongues glazed each other's lips. Sumiko held Sakura's cheeks and spoke in between kisses, "I thought...you said...you were...confused."

"I am..." Sakura whispered in return, not wanting this to stop.

They slowly parted as Sumiko held onto Sakura's cheeks, Sakura met wide, worried eyes from Sumiko as she heard her ask, "I get your confused, but think of my feelings too. Please?"

As Sakura's eyes bore through Sumiko's, she could see a worried woman who didn't want to get hurt. That image sent Sakura back to the years of her feeling that hurt before and how badly she wanted someone to help her. Sakura moved slowly back closer to Sumiko before holding her gently against her body, "I won't hurt you."

"Sakura," Sumiko whispered before their lips met once again.