Hello all. Let me start out by saying that I had planned to post this last weekend, but as you can see from how long it is, that it took me some time to write this. Did I mention this chapter is long? :) Anyways, like I said during the last chapter, I'm back in school so I'll probably only be able to update like once a week. Unfortuanely as an English major, I have like a paper a week due in either one class or another...I have afeeling by the end of this semester I'm going to collapse in exhaustion, oh well, that's why man invented coffee. Any ways, sorry about the tangent, I tend to get carried away. Thank you again to everyone who takes the time to read this story, I'm still amazed at the traffic this story is receiving :) And thank you to everyone who favorited/alerted this story as well...you guys rock! And of course, my biggest thank you goes out to everyone who has reviewed, I always appreciate the input.
Ugh, I don't own Naruto, but I do own a cat named Buddha...
Oh and I guess I should mention that things turn kind of adult at the end, but nothing that steps out of bounds with 's rules. Besides, I don't think I'd be very good at writing a lemon anyways...
Portrait of a Girl
Sakura was startled by the sound of knocking on her door. She put down her cup of freshly brewed coffee and hurried out of the kitchen to answer it. Wary of the unexpected visitor, she opened the door slightly and peered through the crack. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw Neiji.
"Good morning," she greeted, opening the door further to let him in.
"How do you like the apartment?" he asked following her into the kitchen.
"It's nice to be able to feel comfortable in my own home," Sakura answered. "Thank-you again."
Neiji shrugged and grabbed a coffee cup from the cupboard and helped himself to the coffeepot. Sakura smiled at the ease in which he moved around her home. Although technically his clan owned the building, it was nice to think that maybe his ease stemmed from the renewal of their friendship.
Don't underestimate the power of sake and great company, Inner Sakura chided.
"Not that I mind an early morning visit," Sakura began, picking up her own mug and taking a sip, "But what brings you by? We're not supposed to meet at the Training Grounds for another half-hour."
"I'm here to escort you," Neiji said simply, sipping his hot brew cautiously.
"I'm pretty sure I know where I'm going," Sakura said chuckling.
"Shikamaru came over to the Hyuuga Compound last night to speak with me, and after sharing our experiences of being out in public with you, we decided that you shouldn't be walking around the village by yourself."
"I can take care of myself," Sakura snapped. She was pissed that even after all the progress she had thought she made with her two team mates, that they were still making decisions about her without her input.
"No one doubts that," Neiji placated quickly. "We just think that it would be better if the village saw us with you. Kakashi-sama himself said that the village would be more inclined to accept you if you were seen with your new team."
Sakura nodded her head in agreement, but the anger she felt didn't recede.
You know what to do with that anger, Inner Sakura whispered antagonistically. Use it when you're beating the shit out of them during your 'training'. Show them what happens when they incur your wrath.
Sakura felt her lips twitch into a small smirk, lost in her violent thoughts. Neiji watched her closely. He could sense that dark chakra within her again, but resisted the urge to turn the Byakugan on to inspect it further. Neijji and Shikamaru had talked about more than the village's hatred for the medic-nin. They had also talked about the small changes they had noticed in Sakura since she had been released from the hospital. Neiji had become particularly concerned when Shikamaru told him of catching Sakura about to shred apart his team photograph. He was certain that it had something to do with the personality shift he had witnessed two nights ago, and the dark chakra that resided within her.
"I'm ready to leave if you are," Sakura said, disrupting Neiji from his thoughts as she put her emptied coffee cup in the sink. The pale-eyed shinobi followed Sakura out the door and onto the street, watching her carefully. As they made their way towards the Training Grounds, Neiji wondered if he had made a mistake in pissing Sakura off before their training session began.
Pissing Sakura off had definitely been a mistake, Neiji concluded. His cracked rib and bruised face testified to that fact. He glanced at Shikamaru and saw that the lazy shinobi looked just as tired and haggard as he felt. Sai, he had jealously noticed, had been spared Sakura's wrath. She seemed to be ignoring the artist, saving all of her attacks for Shikamaru and himself. Sai, for his part, didn't really seem to be engaging with her either. In fact, Neiji didn't think he had moved from his spot in the open field, and had instead watched Sakura beat the shit out of his two male team mates single handedly.
"I think I need a break," Shikamaru said through gasps of air, sweat drenching his clothing.
Beg for it, Inner Sakura said coyly. Sakura smirked and resisted the urge to repeat her subconscious's words out loud.
"I think I'll sit this one out too," Neiji said quickly before Sakura decided to attack him again.
Pathetic, Inner Sakura commented. I would have at least thought that someone on the ANBU level would be equipped with more endurance than that. How disappointing.
Sakura watched Neiji and Shikamaru as they walked off a few yards and collapsed in exhaustion. The two began to talk, but they were too far away for her to hear.
Now what could they possibly be conspiring about? Inner Sakura asked. How much do you wanna bet that they're talking about you? Perhaps they failed to learn how dangerous it is for them to talk about and make decisions for you. I believe another ass-whooping would cure that…
"Have you worked out all your frustrations?" Sai asked blankly, falling into a defensive position and attracting Sakura's attention. "I have no desire to end up looking like those two," he nodded towards their collapsed team mates.
"They had it coming," Sakura said, shrugging her shoulders and falling into a fighting stance as well.
"And what do I have coming?" Sai asked dryly, his face void of all emotion.
Sakura grinned, wondering if Sai realized the innuendo his question posed. "You tell me," she answered, laughter in her voice.
Suddenly Sai lunged at her, and Sakura was barely able to block a punch aimed at her face. She soon found herself remaining on the defensive as Sai gave her a volley of attacks, throwing a series of punches and kicks aimed at her face and various places on her body. Although she was blocking every attack he threw at her, he was preventing her from unleashing an attack of her own and pushing her back. Vaguely remembering that she would soon back into a dead end of trees, she desperately searched for an opening in his attacks. Catching Sai by his wrist as he moved to punched her, she used his momentum against him, sidestepping the attack and throwing him behind her into the tree.
Sakura whirled around in time to see Sai reverse himself so that he landed into the tree feet first, using it as a spring board to catapult himself towards her. He was moving too fast for her to move out of the way completely and ended up catching a blow to the shoulder.
That's definitely going to leave a bruise, Inner Sakura angrily remarked. You should have predicted that he would recover midair and attack. Don't go all soft on me and let Heartless kick the shit out of you.
Sakura ignored the scathing remark and continued sparring, noticing that Sai had not paused to ask if she was okay. It hurt to think that he could be so unaffected when he hit her, as if showing her how easy it was to fight and defeat a team mate, his face arranged in a careful mask. She immediately grew angry. How dare he use this sparring match as a way to chastise her for that shameful failure. She would make him pay. She would make him show some kind of emotion, even if it was just pain.
Sai watched Sakura's face carefully as her expression changed from sadness to anger. He had briefly wondered if he had hit her too hard, but that thought quickly vanished as Sakura landed a kick to his face, knocking him down to the ground.
"You let your guard down," Sakura commented as she picked him up by the collar and readied to land another punch to his face.
Isn't it funny how much he looks like Sasuke? The question from her subconscious stopped her from landing the blow and caused her to drop the artist abruptly to the ground.
"Why did you have to bring him up?" Sakura whispered, backing away from Sai, her anger forgotten.
"Who are you talking to?" Sai asked, staring up at her curiously. He locked his eyes to hers and watched the flurry of emotions she struggled to control. Anger, sadness, and regret, all centered around one person, all emotions she had let get in the way that fateful day. He remembered Ino telling him that he looked like Sasuke. He wondered if that resemblance was the cause for her emotional distress right now.
"I'm just tired," she said quickly, tearing her gaze away from him and turning her back, afraid to let him peer into her thoughts any further.
"I think we should call it quits," Shikamaru's voice carried from where he sat next to Neiji.
"Agreed," stated Sai, regarding Sakura curiously. "Besides, I'd like to break for lunch and allow Sakura to clean up first before we meet up again. I'd rather not draw her while she looks like a sweaty mess."
"You're going to draw me?" Sakura asked, turning around and giving him an astonished look.
Umm, I think the more important part of that sentence was where he said you look like a sweaty mess, Inner Sakura chided. Are you just going to let him say that?
"I am an artist, drawing is what I do," Sai commented, putting a finger to his lips as if contemplating something very serious. "I know posing for a portrait is not as exciting as playing a high stakes game or drinking," he paused and shifted his gaze pointedly to Neiji and unknowingly smirked in satisfaction as the Hyuuga blushed, "But I think I should stick with what I know. I'm going to head back and start setting up my apartment." With that, he turned and left.
"Come on, I'll walk you home," Shikamaru said, grinning at the looks of embarrassment on Neiji and Sakura's faces. Sakura just nodded her head and followed her team's leader back to her apartment, ignoring all the glares from the villagers.
Sakura stepped out of the shower and quickly dried off. "You know, you never answered my question," she said aloud as she pulled a pair of tattered jeans over her underwear-clad lower half.
And what question was that? Inner Sakura asked, pretending to not know what Sakura was talking about.
"Why did you bring up Sasuke?" she asked turning on her blow dryer and beginning to dry her damp hair.
I was just making an observation, Inner Sakura replied with a shrug. I didn't think it was necessary for you to lose your shit just because I pointed out how similar Sai and Sasuke look to each other.
"Yeah well, you're not really known for your sensible thinking are you?" Sakura commented dryly.
Ouch, Inner Sakura replied amusedly. You better be careful, you're sounding more and more like me everyday…
Sakura ignored the comment and began to contemplate what she should wear for her portrait. She mentally ransacked her closet but couldn't think of anything that really stuck out to her. Turning off the blow dryer, she went into her room and checked her closet to see if she had missed anything during her mental inventory. She hadn't. Sighing, she pulled down a white kimono from its hanger and stuffed it into a messenger bag that already had her make-up packed away. She pulled on a baby pink tank top and jumped at the sound of knocking on her front door.
"Why are you here?" Sakura asked curiously after she opened her door. "I know how to get to your apartment."
"Shikamaru and Neiji told me how hostile the villagers can act towards you, and that they believe it would be better for you if you are seen with your team mates out in public," Sai explained. "But you already knew that," he added coldly.
"I should have known they would have said something to you," Sakura grumbled, grabbing her bag and following Sai outside, feeling stupid for asking a question with such an obvious answer. As usual, it didn't take long for the villagers to notice Sakura's presence.
"Been getting around a lot lately haven't you?" a random man sneered as the pair walked past him.
"I think that man was implying that you are a whore," Sai whispered, looking at her from the corner of his eye.
"Yeah, I think I got that too," Sakura answered dryly, clenching her fists.
"They really do hate you, don't they?" Sai asked quietly, looking around the glaring crowd surrounding them. "I think my presence is the only thing keeping them from stringing you up somewhere and torturing you to death," he added, that contemplative finger gracing his lips.
"Thanks for that image," Sakura said, grimacing at Sai's cold tone.
They continued on in silence until they reached the artist's apartment. Sakura let out a sigh of relief once she was inside. Lucky for her, no one else had been bold enough to say anything nasty to her, and Sai hadn't made any other insensitive remarks.
"I just have to do some last minute things and then I'll be ready," Sai said, closing the door behind his team mate.
"That's alright, "Sakura said looking around at all the various paintings and drawings Sai had hanging on his living room walls. "Do you mind if I change clothes and put on some make-up?"
"Go ahead, the bathroom is behind this door," Sai said, pointing at the door as he continued to walk down the hallway. "I'm just glad that you're not making me draw you while looking like that," he said as he disappeared into his bedroom just in time to avoid the nasty glare Sakura gave him. A hint of a smile unknowingly twitched his lips as he heard Sakura mutter to herself, and he began to gather up his art supplies. He surveyed the space he had set up for her, carefully checking to see if he needed to arrange anything differently.
Satisfied that the setting was perfect, he sat down on his bed and picked up a book that was hidden under a pillow and began to read. The book was about how to talk and act around women. He knew that his relationship with Sakura had always been a strained one, and that her actions in the Land of Iron had just made things even more difficult.
He had been surprised when he experienced the feeling of betrayal for the first time. It had destroyed any progress he had made emotionally, regressing him into an even more emotionless state. He had felt nothing when he heard the news that Sakura had been hospitalized. He knew he should have at least felt something, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't make himself feel anything. Not even anger or satisfaction at how she had punished herself. In fact, the first time he had felt anything had been a brief moment of concern when Kakashi had told them that Sakura had been attacked by the villagers. Although he was still acting coldly around Sakura, he did genuinely want to be closer to her. He just didn't know how or if he was able to get past the betrayal that had robbed him of all of his feelings.
"What the hell is wrong with the way I look?" Sakura muttered as she entered the bathroom and dumped the contents of her bag onto the floor. She snatched up a make-up brush and some powdered foundation and angrily began to cover what she deemed as imperfections on her face. She spent a few extra minutes powdering under her eyes, making sure the dark circles there were sufficiently covered. "I mean, I know I'm not exactly dressed appropriately for a portrait, but I didn't want to get those clothes dirty," she continued moving on to blush. Satisfied with the coverage, she opened a small eye shadow case filled with multiple colors. After mulling over which to wear, she settled on black and began smudging the color over her eyelids. She used her finger to smear the eye shadow around the outer corner of her eyes, creating a smoky effect.
I can't believe you expected anything different from Heartless, Inner Sakura chided. I mean you already let him insult your appearance once without reprisal. Did you think he was going to magically learn to respect you after you let him get away with a comment earlier?
"You'd think he'd be grateful that I wanted to change and put on make-up here so it wouldn't get all messed up," Sakura grumbled, carefully lining her lower lids and waterline with black eyeliner. Mascara and red lipstick completed the canvas that was her face. She quickly undressed and put on the white kimono she had brought with her and regarded her reflection in the bathroom mirror critically. She liked how sultry her make-up job made her look, but it clashed with the innocence the white kimono invoked. She sighed as she concluded that her outfit and make-up didn't match at all.
"Great, now I'm just giving him ammo to use against me," she sulked. She quickly undressed and moved to grab the tissues she had brought with her to wipe her make-up off when her semi-naked reflection caught her attention from the corner of her eye. The smoky eye shadow made her eyes look bedroomy, and the red color on her lips made them look full and pouty. Curiously, she unclasped her pink bra and pulled down her matching panties, letting both fall to the floor. Now completely naked, she studied her reflection intently. Her make-up coupled with the nudity made her look inviting.
You know you could pose in the nude, Inner Sakura suggested playfully, echoing Sakura's thoughts. It wouldn't be that big of a deal, artists have a way of appreciating the beauty of the human body…
"I don't think so," Sakura said hesitantly, quickly snatching the kimono off the floor and putting it back on. She hurried out of the bathroom, relieved that her subconscious had remained silent and knocked on Sai's bedroom door. What she saw made her think differently about her subconscious's earlier suggestion.
"Oh wow," she quietly exclaimed, amazed at what she saw. Clean, dark blue sheets and numerous pillows covered the king size bed in the middle of the room. Candles of different colors and sizes were scattered around on the floor, windowsill, dresser, and end table, illuminating the room in a soft warm glow. The atmosphere was beautiful and very intimate.
"I figured you'd look better in soft lighting," said Sai, thoughtfully.
What the hell is that supposed to mean? Inner Sakura seethed angrily. I swear if you don't do something about that mouth of his, I will.
"Plus, I read somewhere that girls like candles," continued Sai, not noticing the danger he was in. "But if you don't like it I could set up a different space."
Sakura took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and silently tried to calm her inner voice down. She knew Sai wasn't trying to be offensive, and she struggled with convincing her subconscious to cut him some slack. When she opened her eyes, Sai was staring at her expectantly.
"No, I think this will be fine," answered Sakura. She wasn't sure, but she thought she had seen a look of relief briefly grace Sai's face before returning to his usual emotionless visage. Had her opinion really mattered that much to him? She couldn't stop the small smile that graced her lips at the thought that finally someone from her team was asking for her input, even if it was only about the space she would pose for a portrait in.
"Go ahead and make yourself comfortable," ordered Sai as he moved to stand behind an easel and canvas he had set up in front of the bed. He heard Sakura climb into the bed and settle in without a word as he set up his ink and brushes on a small table next to him.
"I'm ready," she called, taking his attention away from his final preparations. He nearly dropped the ink bottle in his hand when he saw a naked red-faced Sakura stretched out seductively in the middle of his bed. He wasn't prepared for this. He already had a compliment lined up from his book for whatever ridiculous pose Sakura had planned to strike for this. He racked his brain, trying to remember if he had read what he should do or say if a woman lied naked before him.
"Is this a problem?" Sakura asked, sitting up and looking Sai in the eye defiantly, the embarrassed flush in her face fading quickly.
"No, I think it fits well with the atmosphere," Sai recovered, quickly tearing his gaze away from her and staring at the blank page on the canvas. He had never in his life had a harder time maintaining blank face than he had now. He marveled over the power Sakura seemed to possess over him. In one action, she could strip him of all emotion when he desperately wanted to feel something, but through another action, she could stir his emotions into an uncontrollable mess and leave him struggling to feel nothing. Pleasant surprise and vague indifference fought for dominance over his features while Sakura watched his face curiously, wondering which would win out. His face finally settled in an unfamiliar expression, he couldn't tell what it was. It didn't feel like a smile, but it didn't feel like a frown or a vacant stare either. Whatever Sakura saw, it seemed to satisfy her because she leaned back and settled into the pillows, finally making herself comfortable.
She reclined on her right side, knees bent and pointing towards the right edge of the bed. She moved her right leg up higher towards her so that her left thigh lay atop her right leg, modestly obscuring Sai's view of her womanhood. Her upper body was twisted in the opposite direction of her hips so that her back laid flat against the slight incline of the pillows. Palms slightly closed faced Sai and rested gently on the pillows next to her face. Her face was slightly turned to the right, but her eyes stared intently at Sai. Her shoulder length pink hair framed her delicate face perfectly against the pillows. The expression she wore was both inviting and scared at the same time. The warm candlelight played along Sakura's peach colored skin and didn't prevent her nipples from hardening into pink little buds. Sai thought he had never seen her look more beautiful. Without a word, he picked up his brush, dipped it into the inkwell, and began to draw.
Sakura stared intently at Sai's face as she watched his eyes dart back and forth from her posed form to his canvas as he continued to draw her in silence. His eyes were so cold as he objectively viewed her body before scribbling away. All the emotion from his face was now gone as he went into artist mode.
Amazing how emotionless he is while he's constructing his work, Inner Sakura commented. You'd think that as an artist he would at least have some kind of emotion to put into his work, but I guess he truly does have nothing to give.
Sakura ignored her inner voice and watched Sai's eyes intently, wanting to find some kind of emotion in them that would prove that voice wrong. However, as she searched that emotionless gaze, she only succeeded in stirring up emotions of her own as she was reminded of Sasuke. Sai's eyes reminded her of Sasuke's back when Team 7 was just formed. Although Sai's eyes were void of emotion, she thought she could detect a trace of sadness, as if he was lamenting his inability to feel.
When they were gennin, she had thought that Sasuke's eyes were always sad, a sadness that fueled his need for vengeance. But that had all changed when she saw him in the Land of Iron. She saw that the sadness had turned into a cold fiery hatred that promised to burn everyone his gaze rested on. She had almost been burned by his gaze when he had made multiple attempts on her life.
And yet you still love him, Inner Sakura commented, And they say I'm the crazy irrational one.
"The expression on your face keeps changing," complained Sai, snapping Sakura out of her reverie, and stopping her from replying to her inner voice.
"Sorry," she apologized softly, molding her face back into the original expression it wore when Sai had started to draw her.
"Don't worry, I'm almost done," reassured Sai. "You'll be able to move around again in no time."
Sakura couldn't help the wanderings of her mind. The intimate setting and Sai's resemblances to Sasuke were messing with her emotionally, and it didn't take long for her thoughts to turn from a reflection on the past to thoughts of a completely different kind. As she patiently waited for him to finish, she conjured up Sasuke's image through Sai's features, and imagined that she was lying before him instead. She stared at his lips and wondered what they'd feel like pressed against her mouth, her neck, her body…
"I think I'm finished," Sai's voice cut in, dissolving her fantasy around her.
"Show me," ordered Sakura, sitting up quickly and hoping he didn't notice the scent of arousal that betrayed her thoughts.
Sai had noticed a change in her scent, but he was too busy noticing that she didn't move to cover herself as he sat down next to her and revealed his work to her. Sakura gasped when she saw the drawing.
Is this how he really sees you? Inner Sakura asked, shock clearly evident in her voice.
Sakura asked herself that same question as she viewed the portrait Sai had drawn of her. The image was completely different than how she had thought she looked. She was sure that the Sakura on the page and the Sakura in real life were two completely different individuals. The Sakura on the page looked strong and powerful. The real life Sakura was not. The Sakura on the page exuded confidence and self-assurance. The real life Sakura does not. The Sakura on the page was not only sexy but beautiful, the shadows and highlights created by the warm candle-glow accentuating her more desirable features perfectly. The real life Sakura wished she could be the Sakura on the page.
The question her subconscious had asked echoed in her head. Did Sai really see this Sakura every time he looked at her, or was he just using his artistic license? Would Sasuke be able to look at her and see her in the same way that Sai had drawn her?
"Do you like it?" fished Sai, watching the flood of emotion wash over her face and worried that she was about to reject his efforts.
"No," began Sakura, "I love it." With lingering thoughts of Sasuke continuing to cloud her judgment, she threw her arms around him and rested her head in the crook of his neck.
Sai sat frozen in her embrace. He could feel her hot breath tickle his neck, her breasts swelling against his chest as she breathed. For the second time that night, Sakura had made him feel completely unprepared for what should have been a simple portrait drawing. But things with Sakura weren't simple. He had learned that back in the Land of Iron. He had known before anyone else that Sakura was planning to face Sasuke alone and that she would fail because she still loved him. He had tried to warn Kiba and Lee that Sakura was about to attack them but she had tried to make him out to be the traitor, using his association with Danzo against him.
Traitor. He had learned to hate that word over the past month as he reflected how biting it sounded coming from her lips while she made the slanderous accusation at him one moment and betrayed the mission the next. And yet, he recalled during their first mission together that she had punched him for calling Sasuke that denigrating word when the title actually fit. He stared down at those lips that dared to falsely accuse him, the same lips that were at such a close proximity to him. As he again began to take notice that she was still naked and pressed up against him, he finally caught the scent of her arousal.
"Thank you Sasuke-kun," Sakura whispered against Sai's neck, lost in her daydreaming and unaware of the costly mistake she had just made.
Like a spell that had been broken, Sai could suddenly feel again. He felt himself succumb to a fiery emotion he couldn't quite identify as he realized that her arousal and display of gratitude weren't because of him. She was acting this way towards him for the same reason she had backed off during their sparring match earlier that day. She was looking at him, but seeing Sasuke. With that realization, Sai finally recognized the emotion that filled him with an intense need to act. He was feeling anger.
Sakura felt herself violently shoved out of her fantasy world as she felt her back collide painfully with the bed's headboard. Stars exploded behind her eyes and blinded her as the back of her head bounced off the solid wood like a ball. Scrambling to regain her senses, she felt steely fingers twine themselves firmly into her hair and pull her swiftly forward. When she regained her vision, she was staring into the eyes of the object of her fantasies, only something was wrong. The voice belonging to those eyes didn't match to that as Sasuke's. With dawning horror, she realized that Sai's face was just inches from hers.
"I am not Sasuke Uchiha," he stated coldly, before crashing his lips violently onto hers, his tongue forcing its way in to dominate her mouth.
Sakura felt herself begin to panic as Sai tore away her first kiss with his demanding mouth. She tried to pull away, but his grip held her firmly in place. She could do nothing as her lips were assaulted with his anger, an anger she suspected, she had sparked when she attacked him during their last mission. An anger that was awakening a volatile emotion of her own, a rage that forced her to kiss him back, her lips and tongue equaling his in ferocity.
Sai released Sakura and broke off the kiss in surprise as he felt his back crash into his mattress and watched Sakura's naked form straddle him. He let out a sharp hiss of breath as Sakura grabbed his wrists and rested his hands against her chest, the warm flesh of her full breasts burning his palms. He was graced with a wicked smile he had never seen adorn her face before as he experimentally began to massage the soft flesh he held cupped in his hands.
He really should just lay back and let me do all the work, Inner Sakura's voice echoed deviously within Sakura's head.
Sakura felt her lips twitch into that wicked smirk and knew she was no longer in control. She was at the mercy of her subconscious's whims and Sai's artful hands. She felt her head toss back as a throaty moan escaped from her lips. A whirl of motion from Sai left her lying on her back and staring hazily into his lust-clouded eyes.
"Do you think you'll win my friendship back if you fuck me? Or do you think I'll be the closest you'll ever get to being with Sasuke?" Sai asked coldly before crashing his lips against hers again.
His words cut through her rage with knives as cold as his tone, quelling the fire within her and leaving her with a numbing sadness. That sadness chased back the rage and temporarily exorcised her of that inner mischievous demon.
"I won't let you make me do this," Sakura whispered aloud, speaking to the demon she had chased back to a far corner within her mind. Unfortunately, her subconscious was not the only one who had heard her.
Sai flinched away from her, rolling off of her and directing her with a cold gaze. He was more upset at himself for allowing Sakura to break his control and invoke such a passion within him. "You know," he began, speaking his thoughts aloud carelessly, "That man we had passed on the street earlier was wrong about you. You're not a whore. You're just a tease."
Sakura visibly cringed and moved up off the bed, wanting to distance herself from Sai as much as possible. She quickly gathered her things and dressed. She snatched the discarded drawing from the bedroom floor, rolling it up and putting it into her bag without looking at the sketched image. With Sai's eyes watching her every movement silently from his bed, she quietly left without a second glance. It wasn't until she had made it safely home that she realized nothing had improved between herself and Sai. In fact, she was fairly certain that things had just gotten worse.
I hope you all like it...Just an fyi, this is not going to be a SaiSaku fic...Nothing against the pairing, I just am not planning on developing this story with that pairing. Questions, comments, concerns?...Review me!...Please?
