Hey, I just want to say that you guys are awesome :) No, seriously, all of you are awesome, and I just wanted you to know that. I don't know if I'll be able to update quite as often anymore, because school goes back tomorrow, and I'm in my final term of year 11. Basically, this shit's getting serious! On top of that, I've just started a job, and I'll still be juggling two bands, music lessons, school music, and practising for it all on a weekly basis. But I'll manage, and I swear that I will definately update at least once a week :) Without further ado, chapter twelve!

Sasuke reluctantly opened his eyes in the early hours of the morning. He didn't want to wake up; He was so afraid that last night could have been a dream. That would destroy him. He had finally found incredible peace and life and... Dare he say it? Happiness. That emotion was pretty much as new to him as Love.

Sasuke felt a small body move against him, and looked down to see a puff of pink. He smiled. It hadn't been a dream. Sakura was still with him. He held her tighter to himself just to prove it. Prove that, for now, she was here, safe in his arms.

Sakura sighed in her sleep and pressed herself tighter against him. Sasuke smiled at this new feeling. He was content with everything. With life. It was a strange feeling. He didn't know how to react. But it felt good. Peaceful. He hoped that it would last a long time.

It was strange, he thought, how many new emotions he had started feeling since Sakura had come to stay with him. First, it was confusion. Anger. Hatred. Fear. Fear was the worst. He was afraid of what he felt for her. Afraid that it would only lead to more heartache. That's what made him... Hurt her, like he did. She was getting too close, so he tried to push her away. That only led to more emotions. Guilt. More confusion. He remembered those months of confusion. Why had he felt like that? Why was there guilt? He had hurt her. So what? Then, in the past month or so, Peace. Happiness... Love. An emotion he never thought that he would ever experience or feel again. Not since he was a young boy had he felt it, and never in this way, or so strongly.

Now he was completely content to just lie there, Sakura in his arms, not moving from that spot. He never wanted this feeling to change. He smiled and closed his eyes, falling back into his peaceful slumber.

It had been a week since Sasuke first confessed his feelings to Sakura, when she woke up, again, head buried in his chest, with him next to her, asleep in his bed. Sakura breathed in his scent, letting it consume her. She loved the smell of him. He used odourless soaps and shampoo, so he would be harder to track, so any scent he gave off was just him and him alone. She breathed again. He smelt like freshly mown grass, with the musty scent of rain and the ocean and a campfire, all mixed into one. Sakura couldn't help but think of the irony; he smelt like rain and the ocean, yet he controlled fire and lightening. How strange. She supposed that he made up for it with the smell of a campfire.

Sakura sighed and made to get up. It was getting on in the day, and if Sasuke didn't show somewhere soon, then someone would go looking for him.

"Sasuke," Sakura whispered to him, and giggled when he sighed, not wanting to wake up. "Sasuke, you have to wake up." She whispered to him, shaking him a bit.

Sasuke shook his head, burying it further into the crook of her neck. "Later," he mumbled drowsily and Sakura stifled another giggle.

"Sasuke," she said, shaking him softly, "you have to wake up. Someone could come looking for you." Sasuke's eyes flashed open and he quickly sat up. Sakura was surprised he didn't get whiplash. Within a minute, he was dressed and ready to go.

"I have to see Orochimaru. I'll be back later." He told her before kissing her on the forehead and exiting the room.

"Hmm…" She mumbled before falling back asleep.

Sasuke strode into the dimly lit room. He could sense Orochimaru at the other end, pacing, Kabuto beside him. And another chakra signature, one that he recognised instantly. He groaned in anger that she would be here.

Karin ghosted up beside him, placing her palm on his bicep. "Kon'nichiwa, Sasuke Kun." She said, with a lame attempt to be seductive.

Sasuke glanced at her, annoyed. "Don't touch me, Karin." He told at her, before shrugging her arm away and walking towards Orochimaru.

Karin pouted before going to catch up with him. "Don't be like that, Sasuke Kun, you don't have to hide your feelings for me. Everybody here knows," she smirked at him, indicating Orochimaru and Kabuto. Sasuke blanched, angry.

"I'm not hiding anything from you, Karin. You disgust me." He informed her. Oh he was pissed now! What the fuck was she doing here, anyway?

"Ah, Sasuke Kun. Where have you been?" Orochimaru slithered from the shadows and up to where Sasuke was standing, Karin hanging off him.

"None of your business," Sasuke shot back rudely. Nobody knew of him and Sakura, it was far too dangerous. "But what the fuck is she doing here, Orochimaru?" Sasuke hissed at him, jabbing his thumb in Karin's direction.

Orochimaru smiled at him, malice glinting in his amber eyes. "She came here to inform us that it will be safe to move to Shio Island in the next few weeks, Sasuke Kun. I also thought it would be nice for you to have her… Company… Until then."

Sasuke snorted. "You thought wrong, then. I want nothing to do with her." Sasuke sneered at him and forced Karin away from his side, where she was hanging like a leech. "Now, if you have nothing here that is worth my time, I'm going back to my room." He strode right out of the hall and headed back along the winding passages to where his room was. He was fuming with anger. Why the fuck would she go off and tell everyone about that? Ugh! He could go back and throttle her! It wouldn't be a huge loss to him anyway. He just hoped that she wouldn't be coming after him to try anything.

Karin stood there, a small smile plastered on her face. Typical Sasuke Kun, she thought, acting so shy in front of everyone. I'll go and find him later. Bend him to my will. It shouldn't be too hard. She smirked at the ideas that were swirling around in her head. It was making her knees weak and she could hardly wait to go and find him. But she decided to give him a bit of time to calm down. She wouldn't get anything out of him if he was angry, even though he was so sexy when he was like that. She could feel herself getting wet at the way his eyes smouldered dangerously. She decided to head back to her room and freshen up before hand.

She closed her door quietly and went to the small array of clothing she had brought. She took off the jacket and shorts and picked up a tight red sleeveless tank top, which she slipped on. No bra, of course. She fitted her way into a black thong and put some black fish nets over the top. To top it off, she put on a very short red skirt. Perfect, she thought. Just try and see him refuse me in this. She put on some red stilettos and walked out of her room, following Sasuke's chakra.

Sasuke slammed the door behind him, causing Sakura to fly up from the bed. She was about to tell him off for waking her from a perfectly good slumber, when she saw the intense look of anger in his eyes.

"Sasuke, what's wrong?" She still couldn't add the suffix to his name. It had only been a week, and she was still afraid that it could make him hurt her. He hadn't yet told her if he loved her, so maybe that was the reason she was holding back. She wasn't sure yet if it was safe. But she knew that she was falling for him again. She couldn't help it. She was almost afraid that she loved him. But this string of love, it was fragile. Very fragile. One false move, and it would shatter.

Sasuke took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He walked over to her, looking considerably less angry. "It's nothing, Sakura. Orochimaru has just pissed me off again." He sat on the bed and held her against him, stroking her bare back. "I think that you should probably get dressed, though." He informed her, but didn't let her go.

Sakura giggled at the display of affection. Who knew that the great Sasuke Uchiha could be so… Cuddly? It was nice… In a weird way. "Did you want to help me with that?" She asked him innocently.

"Aa." He said in agreement and pulled open a draw from the bedside table. He grabbed out a tunic, pants and undergarments. Sakura flushed bright red in embarrassment as he handled her bra and underpants

"It's almost a shame, dressing you," he said to her. She looked up at him, confused. "It's all going to come off again soon, so it's almost like a wasted effort." Sakura went crimson at that, then puce as he put on her underpants.

He finished dressing her, then noticed how red in the face she was.

"You look like a tomato," he said lightly, touching her cheek. He leaned down and kissed her, quickly deepening it, pulling her around to straddle his waist. "I really shouldn't have dressed you," he groaned against her lips, Sakura could only moan her agreement. He reached the hem of her tunic, intending to pull it off, when a knock was heard at the door. Sakura quickly scuttled off him and almost fled to the kitchen, looking for something to do while she calmed down.

Sasuke watched her flight while trying to calm down his own hormones. Damn Fucking Pain In The Arse Bitch… He continued the rant in his head as he went to go and answer the door. There, in all her might and slutty glory, stood Karin, dressed in… Sasuke couldn't put a word to it… Was she even dressed?

"What do you want?" He asked her stonily. He was in no mood for her antics.

"Come now, Sasuke Kun," Karin teased, letting herself into the room while draping herself around his neck. "You don't have to be like that. We're completely alone now, I made sure of it." She tilted her head up, puckering her lips.

Sasuke pushed her off him in disgust. "I'd rather not." He said, trying to force her back out.

"Oh, but Sasuke Kun, don't you want to finish where we left off on Crescent Moon Island? I'm sure you're just as eager as I am." She simpered, pushing her barely – clad body flush against his.

"Sasuke, who's this?" Sakura's voice drifted from just outside the kitchen. Sasuke's heart fell and he looked around to see Sakura standing there, drinking in the scene before her.

Sasuke opened his mouth to answer her that it was no one, but Karin beat him to it.

"Sasuke Kun's lover." She turned back to Sasuke. "So is this is why you are hesitant, Sasuke Kun? You should have told me!" She turned back to Sakura. "You. Out now!" She barked at her, while Sakura just stared, dumbstruck, with a deep pain in her eyes. Karin took Sasuke's moment of shock to lock his lips in a fierce and messy kiss.

Sasuke pushed her away, feeling nauseous. "Get off me, Karin! And get out! Now!" He thought he was going to be sick, but Karin was stubborn.

"Sasuke Kun, don't act like that, you know you want me." She walked up to him, slowly, swaying her hips. Before he could stop her, she had stuck her hand down his pants and was massaging, stroking his length.

"Get the fuck off me! You are disgusting, Karin!" He pushed her back against the wall, hating her touch.

"That's not what you thought last week when you screamed my name in pleasure." Her smirk was triumphant and Sasuke closed his eyes, hating that Sakura had to hear this. Why? Why did I make such a STUPID mistake? He berated himself.

Sakura leaned against the wall for support, feeling her heart shattering to pieces. Futile tears fell from her eyes. She didn't want to hear this. She didn't want to see this. She wanted to get out of here. To run away as far and fast as she possibly could. Never see Sasuke's lying face again. His honey words were all false. She had been nothing but a simple fuck to him. How could she have been so stupid as to believe that he actually cared for her? She should have known that it was too good to be true.

And she thought that Shinji's torture had been painful…

Sasuke heard a sob from the direction of the kitchen and saw Sakura slide down the wall, her face buried in her hands. "Karin, get the fuck out of here, before I break your neck." He warned, his voice deadly.

"Aw, Sasuke Kun, don't be like that. You know that I would do anything for you," she licked her lips and advanced upon him again.

"I did that out of nothing but pity. You were not my first and you certainly weren't my last. Now get the Fuck out of my room!" He could feel anger and hatred boiling inside of him. It was taking all of his self restraint to not set her on fire! Kami how he HATED that woman!

Karin finally seemed to take him seriously. "Alright, Sasuke Kun, I'll be in my room… Waiting." She left, closing the door harshly behind her.

Sasuke closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. FUCK! He made his way over to Sakura, slowly, as if approaching a wounded animal.

"Sakura," He called her name gently while crouching down to her level. She didn't respond and continued to cry. He tried to peel away her hands from her face, but she lashed back violently, hitting his hands away as if they burned her.

"Don't touch me, you two faced, lying, cheating Bastard!" She screamed at him, tears rolling down her face in rivers, before she brought her arms back around her face, hiding it from view.

"Sakura, please, listen to me." He tried to remove her hands again, but she reacted to his touch, even more violently than before.

"No! Don't touch me! Leave me alone! How… How could you? How dare you? Don't fucking Touch me!" She shrieked, hitting and kicking him away.

"Sakura, please," Sasuke begged, trying to pull her to him. Sakura leapt away from him and ran to the other end of the room, her chest heaving from emotion. Sasuke stared after her, afraid that he was about to lose her.

"Gomen, Sasuke," Sakura said, her voice wavering from unshed tears, "Gomen that I couldn't mean something to you. Gomen that I was nothing more than a fuck to pass the time. Gomen that I wasn't good enough…" She took a deep breath and tears started to fall again. "Gomen that I started to love you again. I promise you I won't make that mistake ever again." She wiped her tears away, but in vain; new ones immediately replaced them.

Sasuke cursed himself. He hated that he wasn't crying, so she couldn't see how sorry he was. He had lost her. He had lost the only person that he would ever care for, and this time… This time, it was his fault. It was all his fault. He whispered to where she stood, faster than the speed that her eyes could keep up with. He wrapped her in his arms again, burying his head in the space between her shoulder and neck.

"Please forgive me Sakura. G… Gomen… I… I don't know what to say…" He held her closer. He couldn't let her go.

As Sakura's mind caught up with the moment, she started to struggle in his arms. She hated him. Hated how he could make her want him just by holding her. Hated that she wanted to forgive him. But her heart had been broken by him. Again. She thought that she would've learned. But no. Well, she wouldn't make that mistake again. She was sick of being hurt by him. Sick of always forgiving him. Never again.

"Get away from me, Sasuke!" She ground out, trying to push him off her. "I don't want you anymore! I hate you!" She yelled at him. She felt him stiffen at that, his hands falling away. She escaped from him and ran into the bathroom, locking the door behind her.

Sasuke stood there in shock. His hands started to shake and his chest ached. He felt like he was falling to pieces. His world was falling to pieces! He could hear Sakura sobbing on the other side of the bathroom door and he wished that he could hold her, wipe away the tears that were falling down her cheeks, tell her that she was not just a fuck to him. That she was so much more than that. That she meant everything to him. And yet, he couldn't. His pride wouldn't let him. It was a miracle that he had said Sorry! She wouldn't believe him no matter what he said anyway.

I need to get out of here Sasuke thought. He needed to get away for a while. He walked out of his room and made his way above ground, where he raced through the surrounding wood. He kept tree hopping as fast as he could, for an hour, before he reached a clearing. There, he started to scream. He screamed out all of the anger and frustration and sadness that he was feeling.

"Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu!" He cried, and let out a massive amount of fireballs, letting them assault the surrounding forest. He found peace when he watched the forest burn. He only wished that he could join it. But it wasn't burning quickly enough. "CHIDORI!" He yelled, and hit a dozen trees with the one blast, sending them into pieces of sawdust in his wake.

Sasuke glared up at the heavens. "Why do you hate me!" He screamed at it. "Why do you continue to destroy every single piece of hope I have for happiness? WHY?" He waited there for a moment, as if expecting an answer. "ANSWER ME!" He demanded, but was met with nothing but a bruised looking sky and angry rolls of thunder.

"Katon: Gōryūka no Jutsu!" He roared, and let loose a massive dragon shaped fireball into the sky. The sky, in turn, roared it's fury and lightning strikes ripped it in two. Within the space of a few minutes, the landscape was drenched. Smoke swirled around him as the fires were put out. Sasuke's hair and clothes were plastered to his body as water ran through them.

"Sasuke Kun!" A voice called from the smoke.

Oh fuck no.

"Sasuke Kun, what are you doing out here?" Karin pranced up to him, her already flimsy clothing sticking to her body.

"Getting away from you." He growled at her, before making to fly back to the hideout.

"Sasuke Kun, don't leave. We're finally alone without that bitch of a -"

She didn't get a chance to finish her sentence before Sasuke's hands were on her throat, choking her. "Finish your sentence. I dare you to finish that." He hissed at her threateningly.

Karin's eyes bulged and weird choking noises emitted from her throat. Sasuke removed his hand, and made to go back.

"Sasuke Kun," Karin called after him, and Sasuke slowly came to a halt.

"What?" He ordered her.

Karin hesitated before speaking. "It's that maid servant girl, isn't it, Sasuke Kun? You know, if you feel obliged to her in any way, then I'd be more than happy to… Remove her… From the picture."

"Karin," Sasuke said, walking up to her. Said girl smiled, thinking she had finally won. Sasuke put his face up close to her, so close that she could feel his breath fanning across her face. She started to go weak at the knees and could feel herself getting wet. Oh Kami if he would just fuck me senseless right now! She thought.

He walked up to her, keeping his face close to hers, hoping to lull her into a false sense of security. "If you ever hurt Sakura, I will make you rue the day you were born." He turned on his heel and fled the area.

Karin stood there in shock. Sakura, she thought. So, the bitch has a name, huh? I think that I'll have to take that name off the records. She smiled to herself. But I can't let Sasuke realise that it was me… I think I'll have to talk to a certain someone… She darted back to the hideout, a plan forming in her mind.

Alright, I admit, I'm evil. But what's the point in a story if you can't stir things up? It keeps it interesting :D

Oh, I remember what I was going to say last chapter: The yarrow extract and snap dragon things are true: The anti inflammatory and the antisceptic parts of them. I looked it up. However, I have no idea how to make it, so don't ask me that :)

I've recently come up with an idea for a new story :) I've got the main idea in my head and started writing out the blueprint, so I'll hopefully start writing that soon XD

Preview time!

Chapter 13 - Azalea

... "I don't want to hear your excuses! Get away from me!" She ordered him.

"Sakura, please..."

"NO!" She screamed with finality.

Sasuke felt an incredible anger rise up within him. Hadn't he told her he was sorry? Hadn't he rejected Karin again and again right infront of her? Surely he had proved, at least by his actions alone, that his heart belonged to her? He smashed his fist on the door...

Until next time :)

x