Chapter 6

The sunlight dripped into the hollow cave through the cracks in the makeshift boulder door Sasuke had created. The light stung Sakura's eyes, she felt as if she had only been asleep an hour. She hadn't had a sleep so deep and with so much comfort in her entire life. She shivered, the storm had brought the temperature down tremendously, and Sasuke's shirt wasn't giving her enough warmth. Speaking of warmth..the body that she was wrapped up in before she fell asleep was missing. She quickly rose up.

"Sasuke?!"

"Right here"

She turned her head, Sasuke was sitting with his back against the wall with a firm hold on his katana.

"Did something happen?"

"I heard them snooping around a few hours ago"

A few hours ago..how long had he been awake watching over her?

"Oh..Do you need me to take watch?"

"No need, we'll head out now."

Sakura didn't want to leave. Leaving meant they'd be reunited with Kakashi and Sai, leaving meant they would no longer be trapped alone together, leaving meant this may be her last few seconds with him alone. Sasuke had stood and was walking towards the entrance, Sakura stood as well.

"Wait!"

He stopped immediately, and turned his head questioningly towards her.

"I..We need to talk, Sasuke."

"We don't have time for that right now, Sakura."

She knew it. He wasn't going to touch her ever again. He was never going to tell her how he felt because there was nothing to tell. She fought back her tears, there was no sadness this time. Only anger.

"No. I said wait."

Sasuke was more than surprised. He turned completely towards her.

"Sakura what's going on-"

"WE AREN'T LEAVING UNTIL I GET THE TRUTH."

"What truth are you referring to, Sakura" it wasn't a question

Her eyes narrowed. "You know exactly as to what I am referring to. I'm tired of this. I'm tired of always trying to read between the lines and hanging on every word you say. You're like a big stupid puzzle and I'm not playing anymore! You can't tell me I mean nothing to you, and then have a night like that. What the hell do you take me for?! I have been with you through everything. All those missions, the chunin exams, the war. Everything. And I've always been there for you, I've never once stopped being in love with you and the worst part is YOU'VE ALWAYS KNOWN AND I'VE NEVER ONCE KNOWN YOUR TRUE FEELINGS BECAUSE ALL YOU DO IS LIE TO ME."

"Sakura"

"Shut up! I hate it, I hate how much I care about you. I love you so much it makes my chest hurt when I look at you. Why do you keep doing this to me? Is it because you know I'll never betray you? That I'll always be there? I mean it does make sense I have stayed in love with you for this long haven't I?!"

She finally grew silent, her hands at balled into fists. Her fingernails dug into her palms so hard she could feel a sharp pain in her hand and the warm trickle of blood. She was shaking, and her mouth had slanted into an angry growl.

Sasuke hid his eyes with his hair, taking in all her words carefully. He had always known. He knew everything she had said, but hearing it out loud made it far too real. It made his legs shake.

"Before I left..Before I left the village when we were young, I thought I could choose a different path. A path with Naruto as my friend, my comrade that I'd compete with. And Kakashi..I saw him as almost a..a father figure. He looked after me, challenged me. And Sakura..I thought I could have a life where I could be with you. But Itachi..at the time I was blinded. I needed power, and that is what I chose. What I sought out. That is why I treated you that way. Sakura you were too pure. You couldn't follow me into the path of darkness I chose for myself. So I had to cut you off. Completely and permanently."

"Permanantly…So even now.." Sakura's anger was long gone. And tears were threatening her again. Her eyes stung and throbbed as she fought them back.

"No. That's not what I'm saying."

"Sasuke..you're not making any sense."

"You filled my loneliness Sakura. The person that first gave me the feeling of being truly loved after the massacre, was you."

"Then what am I your mother figure now.." Sakura's distaste was obvious, she scowled.

"Would I have done what I did, to a mother figure?"

Sasuke's words struck her quickly, and gave her a deep blush.

"I..I guess not."

He didn't answer, he was obviously not going to explain things to her any further.

"Sasuke..why did you stop last night? And all the times before?"

"You deserved answers."

"Then why didn't you say all this to me sooner?!"

"I..I don't have an answer for that." Sasuke was being unbearably honest. He didn't have an answer for her. He doesn't know what stopped him all those times. Was it fear? Fear he couldn't give her the life she deserved, and feared if he could..he would lose it.

Sakura caught a breeze of fresh cool morning air again and shivered. She hoped Sasuke had not noticed his shirt catch the breeze and fly up, exposing her already too revealing underwear. He did.

Sasuke quickly looked away, a soft blush playing at his cheeks.

"Let's go, you're freezing."

Sakura wrapped her arms around herself and shivered again "Okay"

Sasuke sighed audibly and walked near her and threw her over his shoulder.

"Sasuke stop my-I mean your shirt is coming up! Put me down I can walk just fine!"

"It'll be quicker if I teleport. Don't hold your breath"

"Wha—AHHHH!"

Before Sakura could finish blinking, they were at the same part of the woods they had all changed into their alias uniforms before the mission truly began. Kakashi and Sai were already there waiting. Kakashi was neatly perched against a tree reading his makeout paradise. If he noticed them, he didn't show it.

"Wow, ugly, you're even more atrocious than usual this morning."

Sasuke had gently placed Sakura's frozen body on the ground upright. She was still in shock, her hair blown in all sorts of ways. Sasuke slowly fixed the shoulder of his shirt that was dropping down her arm. Kakashi noticed this small exchange, and also noticed the solace in Sasuke's eyes. He smiled at himself.

"Well, aren't you two a sight for sore eyes?"

"So, did you commence in intercourse?" Sai butted in.

Sasuke and Sakura's faces both turned white and harmonically answered frantically "No why?!"

Sai tilted his head questioningly. "I though the whole point of this mission was for Sakura to commence in some sort of penetration with the mob head."

Sasuke and Sakura both drew a sigh of relief. "No, no it never had to come to that." Sakura answered.

"Good to hear, Naruto will be glad." Kakashi shut his book, and stood up to leave.

"Why would Naruto be glad?" Sakura asked him

"Oh he just will be" Kakashi flashed her a smile and both she and Sasuke exchanged questioning glares. They weren't buying their sensei's bullshit.

"Alright gang, let's head back. I'm going to catch hell for this, we're already a day late."

Back at the Hokage's mansion, Naruto had exchanged odd grins with Kakashi and was constantly smiling widely at Sasuke and Sakura. Sasuke, obviously annoyed, opted out by leaving early to get some much needed sleep. Sakura finally headed home herself, but sleeping in her bed alone that night just wasn't the same.

The next day, Sakura had been drug into Ino's flower shop while she was walking down the buy village street to grab some much needed groceries for her lonely apartment. Ino had noticed her odd gazes off into nothing and her sad disposition. She figured it was Sasuke, he was the only one that could control her emotions like that. Without hammering Sakura with questions about what was wrong, she suggested something more rehabilitating.

"Hey, how about you and I hit up a hot spring this afternoon huh?" Ino smiled down at her friend

Sakura mirrored her smile, "Sure, Ino. That sounds great"

"Ahhh Oh my this feels incredible" Ino and Sakura had taken full advantage of the empty women's side of the hot spring.

Sakura didn't share her enjoyment, she idly sat in the hot water with a folded towel on her head. She stared at the water, but all she could see was Sasuke's onyx eyes staring back up at her and then dissipating in the boiling foggy water.

Ino noticed. "Sakura..what happened on you guys' mission?"

"Huh? What?"

"Geez Sakura..Something really twisted must have happened that's got you acting this way."

"It's just..I don't think I have a future Ino. Or at least not the future I thought I would have."

"Youre' talking about a future with Sasuke, right?"

Sakuras cheeks turned pink and she dipped herself deeper into the water where her chin made rippled when she spoke.

"I can't read him anymore..I feel like..like he's just toying with me."

"Sakura I really don't think that's what he's doing. You and I both know Sasuke and couldn't give a crap about whether someone likes him or not. If you're asking me, I'd say he's just trying to figure it out. Think about it, this time two years ago he was pretending to hate you and making you miserable. He probably has no idea where to go to from here."

"Yeah Ino..you're right."

"I've had enough of this depression stuff. It's ruining my bath, c'mon Sakura." I now got out of the spring and wrapped herself up in her towel. And suddenly froze.

"OH CRAP I FORGOT TO LOCK UP THE STORE. SAI, MY MOM, THEY'RE GOING TO FREAKING KILL ME GOTTA GO SAKURA YOU KNOW YOUR WAY OUT RIGHT? OKAY GOOD."

With a blond flash, Ino was out of sight. Sakura sighed audibly and started getting out of the hot spring as well. She leaned over slowly to pick up her towel. Sasuke clouded her thoughts, she couldn't even enjoy a day out with her best friend. Sakura picked up her towel, but heard a throat being cleared in front of her before she could wrap up in it.

She glanced up at the tall figure before her, that was anything but female. And then her emerald eyes met onyx.

"Hey Sasuke you went the wrong way that's the chick's side-What? Sakura!" Naruto had walked up behind Sasuke's extremely surprised form. His expression of pure shock still hadn't escaped him.

Naruto leaned on Sasuke's bare shoulder. "Wow Sakura, you really filled out-OWW!"

"GET OUT!" Sakura started everything she could get her hands on at the boys, she was mortified. This was the second time Sasuke had seen her naked, and she hated the way just the thought of him being so close to her nude form made her stomach twist in knots. Once on their own gender's side, Naruto was rubbing on his bruising and throbbing head.

"Why the hell does she have to be so mean I was even complimenting her. Huh?"

Naruto couldn't help but notice the obvious blush still plastered on Sasuke's face. His initial shock was still written all over him. He had seen her nude before, but that was either in a horrible circumstance or in the dim light of a cave. Not out in the open like that. Not in complete sight where nothing was hidden from her gaze. He felt a strange feeling in his gut. One extremely similar to that in the cave. He couldn't hold on anymore. He had snapped.

Sakura attempted to wipe off the blush from her face. She stalked to the women's locker room and began searching for her clothes. She heard soft footsteps behind her. She drew a kunai from the fold of her clothes and held her towel around her tight.

"Step any closer and you'll regret it."

"Really? I doubt that."

"Sasuke!?" Her blush fought back for a presence on her face. "D-Did you forget something?"

"As a matter of fact" He stepped forward, towards her. His eyes hidden by the shadows of his bangs, a smirk played on his cheeks.

"Sasuke?.."

He closed the distance between them, and reached for a strand of her hair.

"I'm sorry, Sakura. For everything. Can you forgive me?"

"You know the answer to that..Sasuke."

"That's all I needed to know." His fingers slowly began tracing her collarbone, towards the top of her towel. A commotion started outside the bathhouse. Someone was causing a panic.

"Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha. We know these pieces of shit ninja are those of the leaf. They killed our young lord!" Sakura recognized the guard's voice. Somehow they had figured out their true identities, and now they were out for blood.

"This way" Sasuke grabbed Sakura's wrist and thrusted her into a towel closet. It wasn't meant for human bodies, so once the two were inside neither could breathe without the other feeling it.

Sakura forgot about the Iron shinobi. She forgot about people out for her death. All that filled her mind now was Sasuke's nude upper body pressed onto hers, making her breasts almost come out of the wrapped towel.

"Sasuke what are we-" He clamped his hand over her mouth, listening to the angry shinobi talking outside.

She couldn't help the way she felt about him. And she couldn't help but to wonder what exactly he was intending to do before the commotion.

She slowly pressed her fingers to his chest, trailing his pectorals and collar bone. Sasuke's eyes found hers, his hand still firmly clamped on her mouth.

She trailed down his pecs, to his abs, and the V of his pelvis. His hand grabbed hers instinctively.

His hand drew from her mouth, "What are you doing, Sakura?"

"The same thing you were before those ninja came." She trailed the same path she took before with her free hand. "I'm right, aren't I?"

How could she be like this? One minute she's throwing things at him for accidentally seeing her and now she's practically throwing herself at him.

"You really want to know what I was going to do?"

"What?"

Before she could get her words out, he laced his fingers in her towel and ripped it. A shower of white cloth littered the small closet and laid in their hair.

"Sasuke what are you thinking!-mmm"

Sasuke knew she'd be loud, and if she continued they'd be found out for sure. He clamped his hand over her mouth again, this time with different intentions.

"Sorry, just a precaution. I already know how loud you can get, Sakura."

At first, she'd think he was speaking of how loud she was speaking. But what he did while he was speaking..made her think otherwise.

As he was talking, he had leaned in close towards her left ear and found his fingers brushing delicately between her thighs. Sakura made faint noises through his palm, which didn't hide the intense blushing. The light in the room was dim, the only light coming through the cracks in the door frame form the locker room.

Her heart was beating out of her chest, he could hear it.

"I've been wanting to get you alone again..ever since we got back to the village, Sakura."

"Mmmmmm" Her eyes rolled back into her head, and everything went black.