Sakura cracked her neck, readjusting her posture to give some relief to her stiff back and shoulders. The poor chunin looked at her pleadingly, and Sakura sighed in defeat.
"Alright, let's call it night," Sakura began to slip the ties around the mountain of scrolls piled on the table; the contents of the scrolls ranged from previous budgets and financial policies to infrastructure plans and shinobi retention rates in Konoha's ranks. The chunin gave her a relieved smile and began to hurriedly clean up their mess. Sakura gave a small smile at the kid's enthusiasm to be done for the day; if only she could have so much happiness left after another day of failure.
"It's alright Mina. Go ahead, I'll handle all of this," Sakura needed the peace to collect her thoughts and soothe her mood anyway.
"Are you sure, Sakura-senpai?" The girl asked, hoping that her politeness wouldn't get her trapped in the clean-up. When Sakura waved the girl on, Mina gathered her things quickly and wished Sakura a goodnight. Sakura reciprocated her goodnight then turned back to the pile of scrolls with another dejected sigh. How hard was it to find one shred of hope in all these scrolls? Surely someone had already documented the ill health effects of trauma on children, even if they didn't know it was so closely linked to the brain! She couldn't have been the first medic to recognize the connection and work to change it, could she?
All she needed was closely documented evidence and Konoha's council would have to stop sending her on this unnecessary scavenger hunt and fund the damn hospital already! It wasn't like Konoha didn't have the space or money; the old coots were just set in their ways and only accepted the argument of "We've always done it this way." Sakura desperately wanted to answer that "doing it this way" was exactly why so many shinobi had unhealthy coping mechanisms or burned themselves out; doing it the way Konoha had always done it wasn't working.
Sakura took a deep breath, releasing her subconscious grip on the table before she owned the archives department another one. There was no use getting rattled up when she really needed to focus on calming herself down. She'd figure this out; she had to. Sakura separated the scrolls into categories based on their contents and sealed them into storage scrolls for easier transportation. Once the table was cleared off, she walked to the front desk and documented all of the scrolls she was taking with her from the archives. The clerk at the front desk gave her a sympathetic smile as if to ask "Again?" to which Sakura nodded her head. Konoha's children depended on her research; she couldn't fail them.
After signing out all of the scrolls for the night, Sakura gave a tired wave and exited Konoha's library out into the dimming autumn sun. She stopped by a restaurant to grab a teriyaki bento and dango for dinner, then began the long trek back to her apartment.
'Maybe the Yamanaka have something already documented. I could ask Ino to take a look at her family archives. Or maybe the Nara clan; Shikaku-san has to have some information with that being his expertise and all. I don't really want to ask Ibiki-san; anything the Interrogation and Torture unit knows about mental health is bound to be completely unsuitable for application to children.' Sakura slammed into a solid body, nearly falling back on her ass before a warm arm wrapped itself around her waist. Sakura looked up, about to apologize profusely before she realized it was Sasuke.
"I didn't think you were actually going to walk into me," Sasuke smirked at the distracted rosette. He'd seen Sakura walking out of the restaurant with her brow furrowed in deep thought. When he stepped in her path, he thought she would subconsciously sidestep him and continue walking, but instead she'd stayed firmly in her train of thought, sending her body barreling into his chest.
"Sorry. It's just been a long day," Sakura sighed. Sasuke made a sound of understanding and removed his hand from her waist, falling into step beside her. He held his hand out for her To-Go bag, which she gladly handed over. Sasuke glanced in the bag and raised his eyebrow at the box of dango; she must really need a break if she didn't have the energy to go to her favorite dango shop and settled for the closest option instead. He'd have to make a mental note to stop by and grab some the next time he was by the Academy. The pair walked in comfortable silence for a few minutes, Sakura deciding to ask Ino and Shikaku-san for help, Sasuke watching the lights of the night shops come on and people hurrying to one last store before they closed for the night.
"Naruto said Konoha's council has been giving you trouble," Sasuke began, allowing Sakura a place to start if she wanted one. Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he watched her shoulders fall.
"It shouldn't be this hard, Sasuke! These are children, and Konoha is failing them. I just don't understand why it's so hard for those old coots to see that." The frustration was evident in her voice and the tears nearly pooling in her eyes. Sasuke nodded. It wasn't like he really knew. He'd yet to hear how they justified not building the hospital or at the very least setting aside funds to begin making preparations. Though it was obvious to the Uchiha that the council often cared more about their own power than about helping the people of the village, they could at least pretend to the other members of the village that they had more concern.
"You'll have to show them," He looked off to the brilliant colors of the dusk sky: pinks, purples, blues, oranges mixing together just beyond the horizon.
"I've been looking through the archives for days. It'd be just my luck if they buried whatever scrolls might have actually been useful," she grumbled.
"Probably," Sasuke joked. Against her will, Sakura released a laugh at his dry delivery and pushed him lightly.
"I hate you," she smiled at him.
"No you don't," Sasuke smirked confidently and continued walking with his hands in his pockets. The shinobi turned right to begin their walk down the last alleyway to Sakura's apartment.
"Oh yes I do. Maybe I should take Shisui up on his offer," Sakura taunted, knowing full well that any mention of the older man would cause Sasuke's hackles to rise. Sasuke glared at her, almost pouting petulantly. Sakura snickered behind her fist; it really was ridiculous that Sasuke's mini rivalry with his cousin stemmed from Itachi's divided attention when they were younger. Best friend vs. little brother. After hearing how Sasuke and Naruto always ruined her dates, Shisui had made it very clear that Sakura's attention would be his target to torment Sasuke's possessive streak, and she would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy watching someone ruffle Sasuke's delicate feathers.
'Sasuke was wholly too used to everyone fawning over him; serves him right to have to work a little,' Sakura thought.
"You wouldn't, would you?" He looked at her skeptically. There was no way Sakura would start fooling around with his annoying older cousin. They'd be at each other's throats in a heartbeat; angry sex would only hold off her temper for so long. Though Sasuke would secretly enjoy betting on how long it would take for Sakura to get sick of Shisui and punt him across the village.
Sakura scoffed as if offended that he would even have to ask: "Of course not! It'd be like fooling around with Naruto…albeit prettier." Sakura climbed the steps to her apartment, thankful that it was only a few floors. Though everyone else was determined to use her window as the only entrance and exit point, she at least liked to use the door for some sense of normality.
"I'll tell him you said pretty," Sasuke said as he leaned against the wall, waiting for Sakura to fish out her keys beneath the plethora of storage scrolls and lip balm in her bag. Opening the door, Sakura toed off her shoes and tossed her keys into the ceramic dish on the end table next to the couch. Sasuke took off his own shoes, set her dinner down on the coffee table, and continued into the kitchen with the box of dango.
"Please don't tell him. It would just boost his ego, and then I'd never be able to get his head through a hospital door again," Sakura collapsed on her couch, finally able to have a soft cushion against her back after hours of hunching over scrolls and notebooks and journals.
"Hn," Sasuke pushed out air through his nose. She smiled at his way of showing amusement. Sakura heard tinkling in the kitchen and knew that he was making tea.
"Chamomile please!"
"Hn." 'I know.' How she could drink the stuff, Sasuke would never understand, but he'd learned from too many late nights of her grumbling about the stuff while rummaging through his and Naruto's cabinets that chamomile was her tea of choice to wind down from the day. Sasuke flipped on her electric kettle and made himself a cup of hot cinnamon tea while the water heated to the appropriate temperature. He placed both of their teacups on a plate with chopsticks and walked into the living room. Sakura had already opened the bento box and divided it evenly between them. Once he scooped his share onto the plate, Sakura turned to place her legs on his lap and dug into her own.
"Hey, you know Naruto told me about your spar a few days ago," She smirked and wiggled her eyebrows and toes suggestively. Sasuke kept his eyes on his plate, refusing to look over at the goofy grin he knew would be on her face; he had half a mind to shove her feet to the ground and make her roll off the couch.
"That idiot."
"You really shouldn't be so mean to the girls, Sasuke; they miss you when you're gone. They'd give anything to spend a little more time with you," Sakura dug her toe into his thigh in jest, then scooped a chuck of rice into her mouth.
"Shut up," Sasuke grumbled, highly embarrassed. Sakura laughed as the tips of his ears turned red; he was so cute when he tried to act tough and unaffected.
"Oh come on! Toads not doing it for you?" She asked in a tempting voice, barely managing to get the absurd question out of her mouth without bursting into a fit of giggles.
"Sakura, I will incinerate your dango." Sasuke rolled his eyes and continued eating his share of the teriyaki chicken and rice. What kind of stupid question was that anyway?
"Fine," Sakura humphed and set her plate on the table to pick up her teacup. She took a sip of the hot tea before adding with a laugh: "I'm sure Kanami would agree with me; she'd probably empathize with the toads best!"
Sasuke's shoulders tensed almost imperceptibly, but it was just enough for Sakura to notice. She took another sip of her tea, and stared at him, waiting for him to finally get annoyed with her enough to give her some sort of details; she didn't have to wait long.
"We saw her outside Ichiraku after our spar. Naruto called her over to have lunch with us and proceeded to tell her that I'd seen you before seeing him or her." Sasuke finished his own meal and set the plate on the coffee table. Instead of picking up his teacup though, he rested his elbows on the back of the couch.
"You're joking; he didn't!" Sakura gasped in disbelief. Sasuke nodded confirming that, yes, Naruto had in fact waved their situation in front of Sasuke's girlfriend's face. Even though Naruto didn't know that she and Sasuke were fooling around, Sakura wasn't certain that Kanami knew that Naruto didn't know about the arrangement; not that it would matter much. His careless comment still must have hurt. Sakura braced herself for what she knew was about to be the worst part.
"Please tell me that you had seen Kanami before running into her at Ichiraku," Sakura pleaded. Sasuke shook his head. "Please tell me that you have at least seen her once since that run-in." When Sasuke shook his head again, Sakura seriously wondered how he had managed to stay alive to this moment. How had Kanami not decked him in the face yet? Kanami may be tolerant of Sasuke's needs since they weren't making any serious plans for the future, but Sakura was certain there could only be so much the girl could take; Sasuke was gorgeous, but he wasn't that gorgeous.
"Naruto's obliviousness is going to get him killed someday, but honestly Sasuke, you should make up your mind soon. You're going to have to give her some sort of hint of what your intentions are." Sakura crossed her ankles on his lap as if to emphasize her point.
Sasuke shrugged his shoulders and downed his tea in one gulp before returning his arms back to the back of the couch. "It won't matter soon enough. The clan elders are choosing the women they'd accept me courting."
Sakura's hand froze on her teacup at his admission. True they were all getting older, but were the clan elders really going to dictate the women Sasuke could marry? What if he didn't feel a spark with any of them? What if he never truly fell in love? Would his clan really consign him to that loneliness? Sakura ignored the distaste of a darker voice whispering thoughts of what that meant for her and Sasuke's arrangement; she swallowed the last of her tea to try to get rid of the uncomfortable knot tightening in her belly.
"What, you wouldn't take a page from Itachi's book and threaten to leave the clan?" Sakura gave a laugh, hoping that he wouldn't hear how false it sounded even to her own ears. Sasuke looked at her, shaking his head.
"Not for her." He held Sakura's gaze for a breath, two, before she had to look away. To lighten the mood, Sakura place her teacup back on the coffee table and gave him a coquettish look through her lashes.
"Well, we better make the most of it, ne Sasuke?" Sakura slowly lifted her ankle off of the other and flashed him a come-hither smile. Catching on immediately, Sasuke smirked and picked her ankles up off his lap, encouraging her to bend her knees. He skimmed his fingers lightly over the muscles of her calves, causing a ticklish but pleasurable feeling to run up her leg. Sasuke stood up, towering over her on the couch, and Sakura turned so that she was sitting normally. He scooted the coffee table back a bit, then grabbed her shorts. She lifted her hips up, allowing him to pull them down her legs in one easy motion. Then, Sasuke grazed his fingers over the sensitive line where her underwear met her thigh, only to wrap his fingers in the thin lace waist band of her navy blue thong with a smirk.
"Don't you dare—" But before Sakura could finish the command, Sasuke ripped the delicate fabric from her hips like it was paper. Sakura felt her core wet immediately from his cave man-ish but very, very hot display of strength. She glared half-heartedly only to bite her lip when he sank down to his knees, smirk still arrogantly in place. Okay, Sakura took it back; she could clearly see how Kanami could put up with so much; Sasuke was undeniably beautiful, and that smirk of his could tempt a monk.
Without breaking their gaze, Sasuke placed her legs over his shoulder and shifted her so that her lower body was presented to him like an offering to the gods. Sakura's breath came shallow as she waited for his next move. With her core nearly dripping in anticipation in front of him, Sasuke ran his fingers up her slit, pressing just enough to open the puffy lips before continuing up to round her clit. Sakura let out a shaky breath and subconsciously rolled her hips up in time with his finger. Giving her a devilish look, Sasuke wrapped his arms around her thighs and ate her ferociously. He began by enclosing his lips around her clit and using the tip of his tongue to swirl around the delicate nub. He made a suckling motion with his lips, drawing her clit further into his mouth and back out in a consistent rhythm of pleasure.
"Sasuke," Sakura moaned, fingers flexing through her hair as she rested her head against the couch back. She could feel his lips tug into a smirk around her clit, then return to their suckling motion. Her nipples tingled with the seductive push and pull of his lips, but she needed more from him. She shifted her hips, trying to get him to move lower, but Sasuke pressed his hands on her hips and moved away.
"Be patient," He commanded in a husky voice that held a dark promise of the pleasure that would come if only she obeyed his desire. Sakura whined in her throat but stilled her hips. Sasuke traced the sensitive skin of her inner lips with extra care not to touch her hole like she wanted, just to see if she would be good for him. He could practically feel her restraining the urge to press her hips forward and rewarded her with another lap of his tongue around her lips, ending with a long suck of her clit. He took a prolonged lick up her slit with the flat of his tongue, smacking his lips to create the wet sounds he knew she liked to hear. For Sakura, the sounds of him eating her cunt were just as erotic as the feel of it.
She was going crazy. Sasuke was relentless in teasing her with his talented tongue and she desperately wanted his attention elsewhere. She wanted him to fill her, but he was taking his sweet time! Sasuke tapped his tongue repeatedly over her clit, sparking her nerves with each fleeting touch. Moans ending in whines filled her living room in a chorus of sexual pleasure and torment. Finally having enough of teasing her, Sasuke stuck his tongue inside her and slurped up all of the slick juice coating her inner walls. Sakura screamed in ecstasy, uncaring whether or not her neighbors heard their sensual exploits. All Sakura could focus on was the intense joy thrumming through her body. Sasuke lifted his hand off of her hips and allowed her to move them in time with the surging thrusts of his tongue.
Sasuke relished feasting on the taste and smell of her stickiness. The way she rolled her hips, fucking herself with his tongue, begged him to push further inside her, to give her muscles something bigger to clamp onto. But tonight he wanted to focus on helping her release her own stress; there'd be plenty of time for rough and dirty sex later. However, the sharp tugging of his lower body reminded him that even with the sex he'd had with Sakura when he returned, he still was celibate for a month while on his mission. He needed relief. His cock throbbed for attention against the front of his pants. Untangling his hands from Sakura's powerful thighs, Sasuke used one hand to pull himself out and synchronized his strokes with her undulating hips. With his other hand, Sasuke used two fingers to join his tongue inside her. He closed his eyes to revel in the feel of his hand covering his bulbous tip and spreading his precum up and down his pounding shaft.
"Sasuke, please don't stop! Please!" Sakura's hands found purchase in Sasuke's silky hair. She pulled him closer to her and rode his face, desperately racing towards her orgasm. She moaned his name like a devout prayer to a god of pleasure. Sasuke looked up to drink her in: her eyes were closed and faced scrunched in pleasure, her lips were red from biting, her body arched to offer herself to him, her pink hair fanned out behind her on the couch back, sweaty and tangled from tossing her head back and forth. She was beautiful, and she was so close he could feel her body starting the rhythmic clenching that always foretold her oncoming climax.
"Are you close, Sakura?" He asked, but already knew the answer. He continued to pump his fingers in and out of her in time with his strokes, listening to the wet squelch of her inner muscles. Sakura nodded, feeling electricity lighting up her body. Her nipples tingled and she pinched them to try to relieve the ache.
"Sasuke," she whined breathlessly. Her muscles bunched further and further, like a wire being pulled around a post to tightly.
"Let me hear you, Sakura," His own orgasm was impending, but he needed her to come first so he could stand up. Sasuke used his thumb to twirl around her clit and changed the angle of his fingers just enough to thrust up into her upper walls and make a curling motion to drag out the pleasure on her most intimate spot.
"Sasu—"
"Cum for me, Sakura," He ordered, and her flood gates burst wide open.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura shouted out. Her body was overtaken with a powerful orgasm, sending her own juices cascading over his fingers and onto her couch. Sasuke stood up immediately and lifted her shirt. He threw his head back and pressed his hips forward into his fisted hand. His balls scrunched up and he ejaculated ropes of hot seed all over her stomach and in the pink hair curling in a delicate triangle over her mound. He groaned as he emptied himself over her, the muscles of his ass clenching to force out every last drop.
"Fuck." He looked down at her disheveled appearance with a smirk and caressed his fingers, still slick with her desire, down her cheek. Sakura gave him a sedated smile then took the fingers into her mouth and cleaned them off with her dexterous tongue. Sasuke licked his lips and watched her until she released his fingers with a satisfied 'pop.' Their breathing came out ragged as they both savored the high of a good orgasm.
Sasuke walked on slightly shaky legs to her bathroom to retrieve a washcloth. He dampened the cloth then came back and wiped his seed off of her taunt stomach and the couch. Once she was cleaned there, he wiped her inner thighs, smirking when her breath caught from the cool cloth brushing against her hot core. Lastly, Sasuke wiped himself off, then went into her bedroom to drop the cloth in her dirty clothes hamper. When he came back, Sakura had shuffled back into her shorts and was clasping her legs together tightly, savoring the final aftershocks of her orgasm.
"Hmm, now I'm ready for dessert," She laughed, completely satisfied with herself.
"I've already had mine," Sasuke smirked, wiping his hand across his mouth with a devilish glint in his eyes.
"Idiot." Sakura pushed off the couch and bumped him lightly as she cleaned up their dinner. She grabbed all the dishes and took them to the kitchen while he pushed her coffee table back to its rightful place. When he walked into the kitchen, Sakura was at the sink, placing the dishes in the running water with one hand and holding a stick of dango in the other. Sasuke walked up to her, caging her in tightly with his hands on the counter, and pressed his hips against her. Sakura let her head fall to the side on his shoulder as she felt his half hard length rolling into the cleft of her ass. Her body tingled and she clenched her thighs together to try to stifle the quick heat of desire that flared from her clit up. Sasuke pulled the dango stick out of her mouth slowly, watching closely as her lips and tongue formed a tantalizing shape over the ball of dango she slipped off the stick. He placed the stick on the counter and kissed her neck as she chewed and swallowed the sweet treat. She started washing the dishes, trying desperately to ignore the seductive allure of a warm, hard male body pressed against her.
"Next time like this," He whispered darkly in her ear.
"Get going, Uchiha; you still have a girlfriend to see eventually you know." Sakura ordered without much actual heat.
"Hn." Sasuke breathed humorously against her skin. She felt Sasuke's lips smirk on her neck and then nothing as he stepped back and disappeared from her apartment. Sakura shifted her legs together one last time, drawing out the delicious curls of sated pleasure he had given her body.
'That promise of next time had better come sooner than later,' She thought, then finished cleaning the dishes. Sakura walked out to her living room, glanced at the storage scrolls calling her from the end table and shook her head. There was no way she was killing her buzz with work tonight. She stripped out of her clothes and decided to run a nice hot bubble bath to complete her relaxation before she went to bed.