Holy Bazooka's! 22 reviews in one chapter? I think I'm in heaven... Alright, so I didn't update yesterday, but Tuesdays are like my oh-my-gosh-i-have-so-much-crap-going-on-it-isnt-funny day XD But I updated as soon as I could, and so here it is for you :) I hope you like. Oh, there's also some sort of... Half lemon? In this chapter? I don't know how to describe it. Either way, thought I should give you a heads up :)

One Month Later

Sakura wiped her brow of sweat as she left the surgery room. She was incredibly tired, and longed to go back to her apartment, fall back in bed, and go to sleep. She groaned when she saw the clock, feeling her whole body start crying in annoyance.

It was midday.

Mid freaking day.

This had to be some sort of ridiculous joke. She had only been awake for five hours, and she already felt ready to collapse into bed! She went to the coffee machine and made herself a coffee, her fifth that day, before going to her office and filling out some papers regarding the surgery she had just done.

Gender: Female.

Age: 9.

Details of Operation: Removal of Tonsils.

Name: Sasaki Aika.

Hang on. Sasaki Aika. That name sounded slightly familiar. Where had she heard it before? Sasaki Aika… Sasaki Aika…

Sakura nearly fell out of her seat with shock. That's the girl I… Who… SHE WAS WITH DAIKO! What is she doing here, in Konoha? Wow, I knew she looked familiar! Sakura stood to go and see Aika's guardian. She walked out and down the hall, into the waiting room.

"Who may be the guardian of Sasaki Aika?" Sakura called loudly over the hubbub.

"Hai," a small hand was raised into the air, and Sakura walked towards it. She almost had a heart attack again.

"Ch… Cho?" Sakura stammered. This was just getting too much! Blast From The Past much? She was tempted to look around and see if Kabuto was around, but didn't think that that was likely.

Cho looked up, and looked as shocked as Sakura felt. "Sakura? Is that you?" The girl was speechless! She had heard of a Sakuras return, but she had never figured it to be this Sakura! The Sakura who her brother had tried to rape and kill!

Sakura nodded dumbly.

"Kami! Sakura!" Cho jumped up and embraced the girl. "Sakura, please, please forgive me for selling you that fan, I tried to ask Daiko to not go after you, but he -"

"Daiko?" Sakura asked, confused. It felt like a light bulb turned on in her head. Daiko was the one who had attacked her, all those months ago, in the woods! The one who she had escorted, the one whose cousin was Aika! So Cho had been the cousin that Aika was talking about when she said that she would be taken care of! It's a small world. She thought in shock. "Cho, it is alright, I forgive you. I'm presuming that you didn't have much of a choice with him. I'm just glad that Aika and yourself were able to get away from him." Sakura glanced at the boy next to Cho. He looked stunned that the two girls knew each other.

"Hey, Sakura. How do you know Cho and Aika?" Kiba asked. Akamaru barked his concurrence to the question.

"Hey, Kiba. A few months ago, Cho sold me a fan that got me into the whole fiasco of my disappearance." Cho blushed, and continued to say sorry. "But how do you know Cho and Aika, Kiba?" Sakura hadn't missed that Kiba had been holding Cho's hand, and wondered how that had come to be.

"About a week before you returned, Cho and Aika came to Konoha. Naruto recognised them, seeing as he'd asked them questions about your whereabouts and Cho had helped out a bit. Cho and Aika didn't have anywhere to go, so after a bit of discussion, I said that they could stay with me." He said happily. Akamaru barked, and Cho turned an even brighter shade of red.

Sakura smiled at them. Cho looked positively radiant compared to the shy girl she had met back in December. She quickly remembered what she had come out here for in the first place, though. "Oh, um, Aika's operation went off without a hitch. Tonsil removal is really easy, and she should be right to leave tomorrow. You can go in and see her in about an hour, when she starts waking up."

Cho's blush started to recede. "Arigato, Sakura. Would you like to come over for dinner? There is so much to tell, and I'd like to thank you properly for helping Aika."

Sakura thought for a moment. She didn't really know if it was allowed, but she didn't have anything planned for dinner herself, and Cho and her really did have a lot to discuss.

"Deal," Sakura said, a smile on her face. "I'll be there around six?"

Sasuke flew through the trees at a ridiculous pace. He had tried and tried again and again to forget Sakura, but it was all in vain. He couldn't forget Sakura if his life depended on it. He had to see her again, if only for a moment. He had to make sure she was okay. Sneaking into Konoha would be an easy enough task. Finding Sakura would be slightly more difficult. He could always track her chakra, or maybe send one of his snakes out to track her. It was getting late, and he still had a little way to go. He watched the sun fall behind the hills.

Sakura sat down at the small wooden table. Two roses were in a little vase, and a white linen spreadsheet was over the table. Sakura loved it. It was so simple, and she was sure that this was probably Cho's doing; Kiba would never be caught dead doing something like this. Cho came out bringing some Sake, with Kiba behind her bringing out a roasted chicken and some salad.

They all dug in to the delicious meal, and when they were well fed and drinking a bit of Sake, Kiba asked for Sakura's story. Sakura dredged up the story Tsunade and herself had put together from the cobwebs of her mind.

"After I was attacked by Daiko, he tried to rape me, and he succeeded in getting my clothes off. He was so preoccupied with what he was doing, I was able to wriggle out of the chakra restraints without being noticed, and I killed all of them. My clothes were too torn to wear, so I left them. I went to the fire, to try and keep warm, but I was kidnapped by mercenaries. They blindfolded me, and I was sold as a slave. The man who held us kept my chakra constantly depleted, so I couldn't do anything. I served under a family, I don't know who, and I don't know where I was. I was eventually able to escape, and came back to Konoha. That's basically it in a nutshell." She took another gulp of Sake. "So, how long have you two been…" She waved her free hand back and forth between the two. Cho blushed crimson, and averted her eyes,

"Sakura, we're not dating," said Kiba seriously.

Sakura was baffled. "Why not? Look, it's obvious that both of you like each other. Not only by the fact that your pupils dilate whenever you look at one another, but also by your body language!" Sakura was more than a bit tipsy now, and was saying whatever she so wanted.

"I don't know how well that would go down with Aika, Sakura." Cho said softly. She really did like Kiba, and Kiba had told her that he liked her. But how would Aika take the news? There were so many things that could go wrong!

"Cho. Listen to me. I was the one who took Aika, your brother and two of his thugs to meet you at Mura. I know Aika! She's a beautiful and sweet and kind little girl! She would want you to be happy! She's also very smart, and it wouldn't surprise me if she had already figured out that you two like each other. Don't you think it would be better for her to come home to two people who really care about each other, instead of waiting for the day that Kiba can't hold either of you anymore?"

Cho and Kiba both took this information in, knowing that deep down, Sakura was right. Cho decided to voice the flaw.

"What if it didn't end well?" She asked, keeping her voice soft.

Sakura had to admit that she hadn't thought of that, but, well, she kind of intoxicated! She was allowed a slip up now and then.

"That is a possibility, but if it didn't work, you'd have to think of the terms by which it could end under. If you end it kindly and cleanly, then you should both be able to remain friends, and make that friendship work for Aika's sake. Both of you have to be responsible! Somehow, I can't see Cho going off and fraternising with someone else, and Kiba, you'd have to not do that too. I think that the both of you could make it work, to be perfectly honest. Whether it stays working is entirely up to you two."

Sakura left at about eleven at night. She had pushed away their insistence to accompany her home, and now she was walking the quiet streets by herself. Sakura decided that she loved Konoha at night time the best. It was so quiet and peaceful, and you could see the stars in all of their shining glory.

She felt a disturbance in the night around her, and quickly turned around, ignoring the queasiness that the fast motion gave her. I shouldn't have drunk so much, she thought, before whipping out a kunai and holding it infront of her body, all of her (intoxicated) senses scanning the area. "Whoever is there, show yourself! I won't hesitate to attack unless you comply!" She called.

Nothing. Then…

"Sakura, put the damn kunai down," said Sasuke, emerging from the darkness, Kusanagi slung over his back.

Sakura rubbed her eyes. "Sasuke?" She asked cautiously. "What are you doing here?" Seriously, what on earth was he doing? He could get caught so easily! She couldn't live with herself if he got captured because of her.

"If you don't want me here, then just tell me to go." He said, clearly affronted at her words. She was so close! All he had to do was reach out, and she would be in the embrace of his arms. But there was an alternative that he hadn't thought of. What if she had moved on? What if she didn't want him anymore? What if there was another? He could feel a tsunami of anger rise up in him at that thought. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if that were the case.

"No, wait, that isn't what I mean, Sasuke! I'm just surprised, that's all. That, and a little bit drunk, but don't worry about that part." She gave him a lopsided grin, and hugged him. "Did you miss me?" She asked, suddenly feeling very smiley. Sasuke was back! And he was with her! An ordinary day had suddenly become extraordinary!

"Aa," he replied, and held her close. All of his senses were on high alert, lest someone should see them… Him. "Sakura, is there somewhere we can go where we might not be caught?" He asked her. That, and her touch was driving him crazy. He hadn't realised just how much he had missed her until she was in his arms.

Sakura nodded, and led him to an apartment block. She went up four flights of stairs, and stopped outside a small door. She opened it and walked inside, Sasuke following her. She went to flick on the light switch, but Sasuke stopped her.

"I don't want anyone to be able to look in. If they saw me with you, and reported it, there would be serious consequences for you."

She nodded again, unsure of what to say. There were a thousand things swirling around like a rogue tornado in her head, and yet she couldn't give voice to any of them. She was just so happy that he was here, with her. She held him again, trying to get what she couldn't say across with that action.

Sasuke's mind was going into overdrive. He knew that he should be keeping all of his senses scrounging around, making sure that they were completely alone at all times. But all of his senses were focused solely on the girl infront of him, and how she was making him feel. Her scent washed over him, and it drove him crazy; Lavender and roses, with a hint of vanilla. He couldn't help but respond to how she felt in his arms. She seemed to fit perfectly, as if his body was especially designed to hold hers.

The pure knowledge that they were completely alone didn't help any of his thoughts.

"You never answered my question, Sasuke," Sakura said mischievously. "Did you miss me?" They hadn't exactly parted on the best of terms, and Sakura had regretted that since then.

"Just how much have you had to drink, Sakura?" He asked sceptically. How could she ask something like that?

She shrugged. "About a bottle… Maybe two of Sake. But it's not as bad as Tsunade, I swear!" She started giggling, as if about to tell him something top secret. She lowered her voice to whispering level. "She drinks like a fish… A really, really big fish, or like a… A turtle… Who really likes water… But you've gotta pretend that the water is Sake for a moment."

The alcohol has just kicked in.

"Or maybe even a whale, but Tsunade isn't a whale… Maybe a camel? You know, the desert dudes! Hey yeah! Tsunade's a camel! You know why? Because a camel has these massive humps, and Tsunade has massive boobs, so she's like a camel!" She sounded very proud of herself for coming to this conclusion. "But… A camel can go for ages without a drink… Like, by ages, I mean days. So Tsunade isn't really a camel, because she can't go for a few minutes without Sake. Maybe she's a -"

Sasuke had had enough of her rambling, even if it amused him to no end. He kissed her full on the lips, and thankfully this seemed to make her be quiet. He held her close to his body, and Sakura clung to his shirt. She was starting to curse that damned material… No, scrap that. She was starting to curse material. Period.

He tapped her bottom lip with his tongue, and she opened her mouth to let him in. His mind and body was clouded by lust and need and want, and so was hers. Her body felt like it was on fire, and all of that heat was rushing to the place between her legs. He slipped Kusanagi from his shoulder, and her hands went to his shirt and quickly pulled it up over his head, throwing it onto the ground somewhere. Next to go was her shirt, and Sasuke's hands wandered up to her breasts, cupping them over the material of her bra, before going behind and unhooking the bra completely, throwing it onto the ground. He brought her body closer and ran his hands over her back. He brought his hands over to the front of her body and started thumbing her breasts, making her nipples erect and moans ignite in her throat.

Sakura's hands, likewise, were memorising the contours of his chest and torso. She loved the way his muscles rippled under her slightest touch. She brought her hands lower and started to undo his pants, quickly removing the offending article, until he was standing just in his boxers. He quickly copied her actions and removed her skirt. His lips never stopped ravishing hers the whole time.

He couldn't stand it anymore and lifted up her body, holding her between himself and the wall. He started grinding his pelvis against hers, letting her feel his erection. He slipped one of his fingers past her underwear and thumbed her sensitive bundle of nerves, loving the small noises that emitted from her throat.

"Fuck, Sakura, I need you so bad," he rasped, his voice barely more than a growl. He could say more than Sakura though; she couldn't make any form of words pass from her lips. Sasuke slipped his middle finger past her slit, and started to pump her furiously with the digit. With much satisfaction, he felt that she was already completely soaked in that area. After the first finger, a second one quickly followed, then a third, until Sakura couldn't concentrate on his mouth anymore, and instead moaned her passion. Sasuke's lips wandered down her jaw line, down her neck and stopped at her nipple.

"Sasuke… Fuck…" Sakura managed to choke out, hoping that this would make him change from his fingers, not that they weren't already very, very good.

He seemed to get the message and removed his fingers, along with the soaked piece of cloth that hid her treasure. His were next to go, and he quickly filled her with his warmth.

It didn't seem to register in their minds that they hadn't even made it to the bed, yet neither seemed to care. There was nothing but the other person with them, inside of them, and that was all that mattered for that moment in time.

Yay! Sasuke's back! I had so much fun writing Sakura's 'Tsunade dialogue'. I only wish I'd made it longer, but I'd run out of ideas of what to make Tsunade. A llama? Nah... Elephant? Nah... And a fish isn't big enough... depending on the fish... *continues rambling*

Chapter 21 - Capture

Genma stood before the Hokage. Her honey eyes were focused intently on what he had to say... "Did you get any leads on it, Genma?"...

..."Whoever it is, they are at Haruno Sakura's house... I saw their sword as proof."...

... Tsunade pinched the bridge of her nose. "Order an arrest warrant. I want that person locked up."...

You know what to do if you want the next chapter ASAP XD The future is in your hands, young genin... Olive Juice!