The morning after the all-around unsettling night at the camp flooded back to the groggy woman. In the revery of words said, or lack thereof, Sakura felt embarrassed at her actions. For the faintest of seconds, she conceded that she may be dragging out the turmoil in the exchanges with her unwillingness to part with her anger. Though the subject of her wrath was more than deserving of the acid rain her mirth could spurn him with, Sakura fumbled with the offer of a truce. The problem was that to do so, she'd have to get more than a pent-up release of anger in the form of a slap on her fixed company's face. Words were a tool in her arsenal left to the back of the box, coated in the shadows of emotion she wasn't wholly confident she could articulate to him. Would Sasuke be able to handle the heavy artillery if she brazened the load, anyway? Perhaps she was stifling his credibility to avoid the answer altogether. The least she was willing to attempt was a cordial exchange when the withdrawn man chanced to hear his own voice. It was decided that Sakura would be pliant, but only to covet the relationship they'd shared in the past. They'd surely have unspoken common ground there. Up until now, Sasuke had been anything if not cordial, at the very least.

The Uchiha man awoke hours before hearing the rustling of his companion's tent. In the middle of the night, Sasuke had transported the bandits far from camp to allow Sakura and himself a restful night's sleep. However, the man, used to near-sleepless nights, repeated the cycle of no sleep anyway. Sitting at the remnants of a long-dead fire, the Uchiha instead kept watch on their camp and, moreso, his companion.

It was in this position that Sakura found him, and she wondered just how much sleep he'd missed out on. In a diminutive sign of peace, a proverbial white flag that was sure to go unnoticed, the pinkette began to take apart the tents and sealed them into the traveling scrolls for their subsequent use. Standing to his feet, the Uchiha silently turned to the woman. His mind wandered to the night before, and by way of natural reaction, he braced himself for the onslaught of an aftershock of her wrath. When it didn't come, the man's eyes squinted in a mixture of relief and anticipation. In a quick once-over of her body language, which was decidedly relaxed, Sasuke's shoulders followed suit, and the air seemed to lift to a lighter and breathable atmosphere. He wondered if the Haruno had actually just been tired, as she said. Maybe he was reading too much into every action and word she said. Was this what she might have felt with him? Did his inaction and silence speak louder than he intended, enough to place words in the emptiness? He wouldn't worry about such an all-consuming thought; they had to continue the mission, but in the hours of inevitable silence, the Uchiha knew the doubt would snake inside his thoughts. He braced for the bite of it. The couple silently gathered, exchanging symbiotic nods, and leaped into the trees, beginning their journey again.

In not stopping for the last ten hours except to drink, Sakura's mood had substantially lifted. While embracing her pact with herself, the woman vowed to keep her anger settled at the back of her mind and, in doing so, felt more vigorous in her steps. She breezed effortlessly next to her companion, uninterested in her surroundings apart from alertness to dangers. Her mind felt lighter and freer than it had. Making better time than yesterday, due mainly to Sasuke learning his lesson of underestimating Sakura and because the peace between them was comfortable enough to keep the man from disrupting the anomaly.

As they approached the edge of Fire Country and into the Earth Country, Sasuke calculated how far they'd have to reach a town, concluding another two hours would put them at the edge of the next city. With an undetectable glance at his companion, Sasuke considered how the woman would feel about stopping at a hotel for the night. It might be nice to eat a meal other than rabbit or fish for one night, and then Sasuke caught the implications of where his reprehensible mind may take the innocuous sentiment and silently scolded his brain proactively as if reprimanding a child.

The landscape changed from the neverending forest into flat lands. Two pairs of feet run against the plain in silence. The couple basked in the comfortable lull of empty space between them, fighting back thoughts of the warm-bodied companion to their sides. Two more hours passed quicker than either noticed and soon, the effervescent lights of a city emerged from the sallow dark valleys that blended in the transition between lands.

"It's getting late. There's a city up ahead. We can stop there tonight," Sasuke said. Thinking that was a simple enough suggestion and didn't, in fact, insinuate any sexual innuendo or expectation. Two-color eyes never looked from the road they ran.

"Good idea," Sakura said simply.

The city was beautiful; earthy colors painted the ceilings of the homes and businesses, all toned in a brown hue that made everything look like rock turned into buildings. Sakura noticed the washed-out colors in contrast to the new mirage of colors painting the Konoha city. While watching his companion, Sasuke scoped out the village, assessing any oddities not copacetic to how he last remembered the town. All seemed well, and while his guard never wavered, he allowed his thoughts to unsheathe from the hidden depths of his mind. The city was boisterous, lovely, and overcrowded. For a moment, the two shared a consideration that the city was in celebration. With the noise invading their once peaceful quiet, Sasuke allowed himself to look at Sakura. She really was quite beautiful.

"Let's eat." He said simply and began to advance through the crowded streets.

Sakura, admiring the beauty of the lights in contrast to the brown colors, followed after the man, focusing on his back. Sakura's dual attention set on the wonderfully potent smells of street foods and the enigmatic man. Her mind wandered in a dance about their time together. It had been so long since they had seen one another, a year of silence only to make a cyclical mission all the same. She grappled with the idea of her feelings again, betraying her own resolve, and wound up in the same funk as before. She was staring at his back, always watching him from behind, him always so willing to walk away. Could she truly forgive a man so unwilling to keep her by his side, walk beside her, or watch her own retreating for once? More simply, could she even hope to move on?

In the year of his absence, the Haruno woman had been so sure she could look away from his retreating back to turn her own in solidarity of moving on. She was so certain that a life without Sasuke was possible. And then, like a flood of emotions at the black cloak encasing the emblem of rejection, she felt herself wanting to weep.

What a stupid woman. You'll always be watching his back.

While focused on the thoughts inside her head, Sakura had lost sight of the man before her. She didn't notice when he stopped and, in doing so, careened into a hard surface, knocking her back into reality as she stumbled; the wall had been Sasuke.

"Oh, I'm so-" She began.

As she stumbled back, the man came into view, no longer the blackness of his back, but the two colored eyes watched her face in a small hint of surprise. An arm reached out like lightning, tightening around her small, muscular arm and pulling her from the instability of her feet. She was wrenched quickly into the man's hard chest, and in the fog of the moment, her heart settled on the eyes cast down on her and the closeness of their bodies. She could feel the breath on the surface of her brow, and her face turned the color of her hair. Out of reflex, her hand had clutched onto her captor's shoulder.

Sasuke had made a dangerous mistake. Out of instinct, he'd caught her and brought her so very close to him and, as it happened, didn't notice the feeling of her body pressed firm to him. It was when the adrenaline wore off, and both their minds came to the realization that they were, in fact, far too close than either could handle. Sasuke knew his hair couldn't hide that he was now a tomato. But, what truly became dire was the fact that his body reacted without his permission, and it enjoyed this funny position far too much to keep him in control. He felt his blood travel far too fast than should be considered normal to the peak of his scrotum, and in an effort not to bend to its will, he let go of the woman. He looked away from Sakura, tightened the cloak around his body to hide the evidence, and tried to find anything else to distract the uncomfortable throbbing between his thighs. She would kill him; she was going to kill him. He had to resolve to keep her body as far away as possible, or he'd risk the chance of an indecent and unbecoming portrayal of character. But, she was almost too irresistible. He had to redirect now.

His eyes locked onto the first restaurant within immediate distance, and he managed to point to it to distract the pink woman. Her coloring didn't go unnoticed by him, but he had no control and conceded that the exchange may have also affected her in a similar way. Hope, that was the feeling that had to be snuffed out. She'd moved on. But, her colored cheeks begged him to reconsider that finality.

"They have dango"

At this, Sakura's eyes widened in wonder and focused on the direction he was pointing. Her mind had ceased to care for anything other than the sugary treat. Without coaxing, she was behind the curtain and asking for a table for two. With relief, the Uchiha followed after the excitable woman. He knew that would work, and in doing so, his body was able to cool down. He felt almost back to normal.

Dinner was as eventful as he'd expected. Sakura ordered far more than he thought she would be able to manage, and when she'd gotten most of it down in minutes, he was almost in awe. He'd known she loved sweet dumplings; aside from being used as a distraction, he also had a nagging need to please her. Being the first to concede only to the reason being his radiating regret and penance. What he hadn't expected was that Sakura was a drinker. The petite woman had, along with a second plate of ten dumplings, had a fourth full bottle of sake. Arms, cheeks, and chest (the ladder like a beacon for his eyes to focus) were becoming flushed. Concern was only one of many emotions he could identify that he was feeling. Would she be able to handle much more of either delicacy? Admittedly, he was impressed at her appetite.

As the couple enjoyed the food and drink, where Sasuke had only indulged in one cup of the drink as Sakura quickly finished the rest of the bottle in only minutes, the man kept dual focus. Distracting as a Sakura enjoying a moment of reprieve was, he had been on edge. There was a faint oddity in the air. The Sharingan user focused on the conversations amplifying the small shack restaurant. Drunkards, young couples (he faintly wondered if they fit that description to all the patrons and had to ignore the thought), and one group of men filled the restaurant.

On instinct, Sasuke focused on the men. Aside from looking naturally sketchy, they also sat huddled in a corner of the room, only speaking short and hushed. Some words spoken caught Sasuke's ears: powder, sick, and burning were all he'd caught at first before they threw caution to the wind and became louder.

Sasuke had become an expert at being a keen observer in a crowd of people. The only drawback that made his observations harder was his looks. Sasuke was by no means conceited, but he also wasn't blind to the effect his looks had on the opposite sex. While he found nothing of note in his features, it always served to attract attention. That being one of the many reasons he decided to grow out his hair.

The men looked anxious, their eyes darting around in paranoia. Inconspicuously, Sasuke recorded their faces for later. Bringing his tea to his lips, he listened into their conversation.

"They're onto us." The man was pale, his face was broad, and his eyes drooped, making his face look like it was melting. His voice was aggressive, sounding like it was said through gritted teeth. His aura was seething.

"No boss, I swear! I made sure no one could trace it back to us." The scrawny one, who looked little over fifteen, bellowed. Clearly scared of the men he kept company with. Sasuke ignored the pity he may allow himself to feel for the kid. It wasn't his business anyway. But, he was interested in what they may be referring to.

"You better be right, Daichi. If I even get a feeling you screwed up, you know what will happen." The droopy-faced man gripped the shoulder of the flailing boy. His aura was becoming darker, and Sasuke felt himself tense at the implication.

Sakura, who previously seemed too preoccupied with her treat, suddenly stiffened. Her eyes looked up from her food and sharply shifted to the table of men. So, she wasn't as far gone as he'd believed. Sasuke stared his companion down, and silently, they agreed to keep listening but reframe from interfering. He clearly saw the worry and regard for the young boy's safety in her eyes, and his heart lurched at her kindness for others. While he didn't share her sentiments, he could appreciate that she wasn't as blackhearted as him. Maybe that was the attraction? Her heart had always been the biggest he'd known.

"Junichiro." One of the men, who had been silent up to now, spoke in a calm voice towards the antagonistic man.

So he's the leader, Sasuke determined.

"You're too loud. Eat your food and shut up."

Sasuke kept an onyx eye on the man, casing his burly stature, large lips, and clean suit fitted to his body. He had been in the darker corner of the group, sitting in the light to engage, and after his warning had ceased back into the shadows.

"Yes, boss." Junichiro, now cowardly, answered and dug into his food.

The table was quiet for the remainder of their time in the restaurant, which was short. When they left, Sasuke allowed his focus to return to Sakura and noticed her eyes had become more unfocused. It would seem the sake might be getting to her, finally.

While impressed, Sasuke was also worried. What would happen if Sakura was not in complete control of her faculties? Would she be a bomb waiting to go off? He wondered what a drunk Sakura might do or say and couldn't waver that the thought frightened him. What if she lost her temper? Would something break (worried his face may become the target)? Not wanting to poke the proverbial bear but also curious about the state she was in, Sasuke wondered if he should make sure she was okay. Her limit may be ambiguous, but he was confident the unfocused stares and swaying of her small body meant she was drunk.

"Sakura." He began, surprising himself that he'd pushed past that invisible barrier he kept up around his resolve. "Are you okay?"

Sakura, floating in an airy state, looked blinkingly at Sasuke. She had been so enthralled in her dumplings and sake that she had all but ignored any rudimentary feelings. Was she okay? In her drunken state, her emotions were finite. In a simple word, No. And she hadn't been okay for a long time. She could blame the man in front of her, she could blame her parents who keep asking her when she'll be married like some of her friends, hell, Sakura could even blame Ino for putting constant doubts in her head about her place in the stone-cold Uchiha's heart, but most of all, she settled the blame on herself. It was precisely herself that she blew up at when she answered, but to the Uchiha, it seemed unmistakably his burden to bear.

"No, Sasuke, I'm not."

Simple, and the truth.

Sasuke didn't know what to say. He hadn't expected that to be his answer and wondered if she'd taken the question in a more general way than intended. However, he hadn't quite expected the passion dripping from every word. Suppose there were many reasons she was upset. Would pushing her make it worse?

"I'm sorry." The words floated on the cold night's breeze but drifted to its intended recipient's ears like a melody.

Sorry? Sasuke was sorry? For what? Better question: what specific thing, of which there were many to apologize for, was he sorry? She wanted to ask all this, but it died in her throat as if she'd choke on the words.

"Why?" Almost soberingly, Sakura stared hard into the clear two-colored eyes of the Uchiha and saw in her drunkenness the sincerity behind his confession.

Sasuke had many answers to this. Why? Because he was almost certain he had fallen for her, which couldn't go any further with his unwillingness to bend and fix what he'd broken, or the fact that he could always feel her sadness like a stain on her chakra and the knowledge that he must have put it there was like being stabbed in the heart. He saw the woman's eyes droop and knew she was succumbing to the alcohol she'd indulged in. Would he be so cowardly to reveal his feelings in a situation like this, the possibility of her forgetting it all by tomorrow being so great? He wrestled with it more than he was proud of. But, he also saw no harm in the practice.

"For leaving you behind." The weight of his words, which came out without the filtering of his controlled mind, ceased. If only for a moment, he felt the confession leave the ache in his heart that he'd ignored for so long. The year had been long and arduous. He'd ignored the feeling of warmth that he missed from her presence, the love that always radiated from every pore of her body and clung to his coldness, eviscerating it from drowning him from the inside out. He found himself wanting her for more than some wanton tryst, which scared him. It kept him away for far longer than he could forgive himself, and in his own reconciliation of his mistakes, he'd made an even grotesque one: he harmed her irrevocably. He didn't deserve to ask her to forgive him or even accept an apology. But, for a moment, he could pretend as if she could look at him without shattering.

His words didn't register clearly in the fog of her mind. The sake had hit her like a brick wall all at once, and she was unable to stop the confusion that set in. She had tried to balance her food intake with the drinks but had let herself get carried away, which was unlike her. Back home, she only allowed herself to get this way with Ino and Naruto. Ino, because she'd have someone to ride the fogginess with until it cleared and laugh along the way. Naruto was her confidant and safety, which was why she often drank in excess with him, as he'd always make sure she got home. But, this time, she'd overdone it because of her nerves. She'd miscalculated and indulged one too many, leaving her vulnerable and impervious to her feelings and desires. Cutely, the pinkette hiccuped and giggled. She didn't entirely remember what the Uchiha said but knew how her body reacted. She felt her cheeks redden from more than the sake, and her heart sped faster than the alcohol could be the cause. Had she been sober, Sakura may have fainted or perhaps cried from joy. To a sober mind, this confession would clearly indicate feelings beyond contempt. It would show he cared for her in some way that allowed him to crave her presence. That he almost loved her. But, in her drunkenness, all she felt was her body's shockwave of reaction.

Unmistakable wetness and dull ache that she'd become so accustomed to ignoring for the last year that only seemed to come at the picture of the last Uchiha's face. She'd succumbed to "taking care of it," touching the valley between her legs and picturing her fingers replaced by a tongue as her fingers pulled at the onyx spikes. She imagined his large hand pressing like a vice on her thigh, holding it down for access to her dripping sex and feeling the moan radiate from his mouth through her body, causing a wanton cry. It was the same feeling she had now, and while she was drunk, she had no conscious way of placing it, but her mind also zeroed in on a possible reliever. Sasuke was a beautiful man, obscenely handsome and irresistible to the best of them. While only having the strength to resist him due to her years of practice, Sakura felt she was losing her grip on resolve. Effectively, she wanted to jump his bones. Flashes of her carnal visions rushed like static in the fog.

While Sakura stewed in her lustful whims, Sasuke flagged their waitress down and paid for their meal. Undisturbed by the hefty bill, he stood from the table. The weightlessness of his confession had weaned, and the heaviness of what he'd implied scared him. Despite no reaction to his words, which he was unsure he was happy or sad about, he could tell Sakura was not in a good way. Ensuring she was in bed to sleep off the effects was more critical than a drunken answer to his confession. What had he expected her to say? He knew she loved him; at one point, it had even been romantic, but what exactly did he want from her now? Did he want the loyalty he'd deliberately pushed to its breaking point? Did he intend to cash in on that love now that he was struggling with its effects? How selfish could he be? He knew she waited, yet he had allowed it with little regard for her until the consequences presented themselves. So, now, he'd be a man in some way and just take care of her. He'd happily do that much without any need of recognition.

"Sakura, let's go." He held his hand out to the pinkette to grab and ignored the feeling of a blush coming to his cheeks. The necessity of this action pushes the idea of touching her to a corner of his mind. Though the impact of her skin on his almost brought him to his knees. The jolt of electricity was like a shared surge of a chidori in his hands, only stronger than any kind of energy that he could conjure up. For a moment, Sakura felt it, too, but could easily swim in the haziness of her alcoholic reverie. Overstepping as she clutched the strong Uchiha's hand, she fell into his stone body, and instead of jumping back in embarrassment and timidness, she drunkenly latched onto his frame. Her hot cheek held to the still chest of the man, and she almost hummed into his warmth.

Sasuke was going to lose it. She hadn't just taken his hand; she'd hugged him. His body stilled, his heart stopped, and he found he'd gone beyond blushing. He was no longer breathing. Every ounce of blood ran to his penis. He bit his lip to stop the moan bubbling like acid to be set free. On instinct, his arm wrapped around her, and his chin rested on her silky head. He didn't understand what had possessed him to hold her like this, if it was the safety of her drunkenness or the destruction of his resolve to avoid his feelings, but he didn't immediately let go. Holding her like this felt as natural as breathing, which he finally remembered to do, and the warmth that encased him almost produced tears in his two-toned eyes. Sasuke felt something he couldn't quite place storm his soul, and he all but refused to let her go. But, the better part of him, the logical side that chastised what he was doing, took over. He had to let her go, and so he did.

Sakura bemoaned the heat loss, and Sasuke had to ignore her face to not give in to his body's grotesque demand for her body against his. Grabbing her hand and allowing an excessive distance between their bodies, he led the wobbling nin to the closest hotel.

The night's dilemma had come in the form of the hotel room. The city had indeed been celebrating an occasion, one that Sasuke didn't bother to listen about, and because of it, the hotel's rooms were limited to one: a one-bedroom honeymoon suite. The drunken Haruno was not in a good way as she swayed to unsung music in her head and hummed as she sat on the bench in the lobby. She was a happy drunk, which was a cute fact to commit to memory, but she was by no means in a state to drag around to find an appropriate hotel for the night. Sasuke considered his options. He could carry her around the city and possibly be turned away from the next hotel due to no vacancy, then they'd be forced to sleep under the stars tonight with only his awareness to protect them, or he could suck it up and explain to her the situation in the morning. He chose the ladder after much consideration, and the fact that he wanted to sleep tonight was a big determiner. So, they found themselves in a room with a heart-shaped bed and dim lighting. Sasuke groaned at the level of explanation he'd have to disclose to a sober and hungover Sakura tomorrow.

For now, the Uchiha sat the stumbling woman on the bed. Sakura sighed and fell back on the bed, stretching, which lifted her dress almost to the peak of her sex, and Sasuke found he almost didn't have the control to look away. The familiar throb was back in his penis, and he hated how weak her body made him to his manly instincts. The woman sat back up, her hazy eyes finding the Uchiha and smiling as if he was her favorite thing in the world, which to Sakura was very much the case. In the dim light, the man found himself almost smiling. She was beautiful, and the aura around her, carefree and light, made her almost seductive.

"Sasuke." She almost moaned, and the subject almost lost his control. Why had she said his name in such a way? Or had he been so repressed that he found the sound of her voice to be a sexual artifice?

The Uchiha focused on the woman. She looked ready to fall asleep. He supposed she'd be fine in her mission gear for the night, knowing he'd falter if he helped her change into her night clothes and didn't have the faith in himself to test his resolve. Instead, he bent to his knees, knowing he could at least do the kindness of removing her shoes so she could sleep comfortably. Taking her delicate foot into his hand, he began his ministrations on the straps of her sandals. While the act wasn't entirely sexual, he found it far more intimate than he would have thought. The Haruno woman seemed to agree with the sentiment as he looked up at her hazy eyes; she was staring as intensely as he felt. The chemistry was lightening in a bottle, and the Uchiha had to look away to finish his task. He scolded himself for finding anything to do with the woman sexually. Was he so far gone as not to be able to be in her presence at all?

He left her to grab a mat in the corner of the room; he'd asked for one at the front desk. Sakura stood, wobbling on her feet that felt like jelly beneath her. Sasuke was quick to her side, the mat left in a heap on the floor. He held her close to his chest again, unable to look away from her flushed face. Her hand acted without any resistance as the alcohol took away her disillusioned thoughts and placed itself on the Uchiha's forehead. Lightly gliding across the man's soft skin, she brushed the overgrown bang from his rinnegan eye, and at last, she could see his full face. She almost wept at the beauty.

Sasuke felt the familiar feelings below his belt but somehow ignored the feeling as he stared deep into the endless green of her eyes. He couldn't look away, trapped in the green like a genjutsu. He was almost certain he'd been spell cast. In the back of his mind, he was questioning what she was doing, but his need for her touch (which he'd known was strong but not so strong as to wedge him in its stronghold), but he also didn't want this to go too far in her state. She wouldn't remember any of it, and it was that fact alone that he was able to let her go. If she did something or if he did something, he knew he'd regret it, and he'd been so very close to submitting to the demon inside of him that said to claim her lips.

"Sasuke, you're too pretty," She giggled. Her mind was hazy and loose. The walls had come down, letting go of inhibitions. Her fogged mind had so much it wanted to get off the stressed nin's chest. "Too handsome, I can't stand it sometimes."

Ego set to swell, Sasuke had to ignore the feeling welling to the surface. He wasn't so daft as to assume Sakura was immune to his beauty, even if she hated him now. But He also didn't want the knowledge to confuse his mind. She was just drunk, he repeated like a mantra.

Sakura sleepily sighed, and Sasuke guided the woman to the bed. He laid her down and placed the covers over her body. He made to walk back to his mat but was caught by a delicate hand that grabbed onto his like a lifeline. Turning to the woman, he noticed her eyes were holding onto reality, but she was losing the battle.

"Sometimes, I just wish you'd touch me," She sighed. "Like a woman."

The man was taken aback and interested in what she meant by that. She couldn't mean -

"Even if you don't love me back, to just feel you, to know you in that way…"

His stomach lurched in his throat, and his blood ran low. She couldn't be serious, could she? Feeling in violation of her personal feelings, Sasuke battled with himself to stop her confessions. She couldn't mean them anyway, it had to be the alcohol talking for her. But, the knowledge that she could think he didn't want her cut deep. He hadn't given her any indication of his desire for her. Maybe that was a mistake. The problem lay that even if she wanted him sexually, it didn't mean she loved him. They were young, and their bodies had needs that sometimes they didn't need the same person to satisfy emotionally. Even still, the thought that she wanted him to touch her made his fingers itch to do just that.

"Sakura," He began.

The drunk woman continued as if she hadn't heard him at all.

"Did you ever think of me like that? Like a woman and not like," she hiccuped, "like that annoying girl who always chased after you?"

He didn't know why, or how he couldn't control himself, but he answered her. "Always." His body was physically pained at the memory of always wanting her in such a way.

It was gravely stupid of him to admit. So what if she didn't remember tomorrow, he would. Guilt was almost eating at his disquieted thoughts. He shouldn't be taking advantage of the situation. She was drunk, and he should leave her be to sleep it off. He'd already accessed far more than she would have ever willingly given. It was disgraceful to engage her like this.

He was ready to walk away, to leave her be and do the right thing, but her next words stopped him from knowing how to do much of anything besides live inside of them.

"Sasuke, I love you." It was a whisper, like a prayer, and so vulnerable he was sure she hadn't meant the words to come out at all.

Warmth as hot as a sunburn radiated throughout his body and burst into his heart, which he'd been sure was too lost to be found by the sun. She couldn't mean it in the way he hoped. Not still. But, the Uchiha found that he didn't care if it was friendship, comradery, or romantic; she'd said the words. He fell to his knees and looked at the beautiful woman. A closed-lipped smile spread to his face, and he allowed the words to fester and swell his soul.

And without care or a conscious ear to witness it, Sasuke repeated those three little words, "I love you, Sakura."

The night captured the confessions and mingled them in its silence. Sasuke felt as if he could finally get a full night's rest and slept throughout the night for the first time in years. He dreamt of a certain pink-haired woman who loved him.