5

One year ago

There was a sign at the entrance. Elders only. But the young woman decided to ignore or at least pretend she did, as she went through the door. The onsen was located in the suburbs of Konoha, far away from the busy streets and the general tumult around the hospital, the Kage's Tower, and even the shopping district. Here everything was so quiet one could almost hear a mosquito fly. There were some houses here and there, but mostly grass and trees leading to the countryside of the village.

She was greeted by a petite old woman behind a counter. One of the owners. For some reason, both she and her husband despised young people and that included everyone under fifty. She actually mentioned once how the young generation had no respect for their elders anymore and didn't deserve to enjoy their holy onsen. Which made no sense, considering how far from everything they were situated. Most people would go for Inabi's Onsen and certainly not theirs.

Once she reached one of the changing rooms, she glanced at herself in the large mirror hugging the walls. She could see a tall mature woman, with long brown hair, a pair of glasses on her nose, bright green eyes, and a thin body. A gasp almost left her lips when she looked at the saggy breasts on her chest. Maybe...maybe she shouldn't have gone for such a realistic representation of a senior woman. Or at least when it came to her feminine endowments.

Not that it really mattered. Her henge worked. Just like it did for the last weeks since she had started coming here. But she was convinced the chances a civilian could see through her disguise were really slim. Probably non-existent. Maybe she should consider turning into a man next time, even if she might be just as grossed out by it.

And thus it was now clear how Sakura Haruno, a twenty-year-old kunoichi managed to bypass the sacred rule of the onsen.

The water, as one would expect, was bloody hot. So hot putting your toes in actually felt like falling in a frozen lake. She was no beginner at this, so she went for it right away. Her fake old skin met the furnace with delight. That was what she truly longed for after a long busy day of work, she couldn't be more grateful to her coworker for telling her about such a magnificent place.

She had been hesitant at first, a bit discouraged by the distance. But she quickly realized how worthy such a trip was. Having the whole pool by herself, almost as if she had paid for a private use. Not meeting anyone knowing her, although it was merely the result of her illusion. At Inabi's, people would have watched her curiously, knowing well enough she wasn't who she pretended to be. Any clever genin could spot a henge a mile off, which made this place so convenient. Almost nobody ever came here.

Except for one couple. It had all started with moans and gasps coming from the neighboring pool. Her curiosity had just taken the best of her after that. She wasn't the least surprised to discover that today was no exception, they were bathing nearby, a thick bamboo fence separating both pools. Nothing in appearance could suggest something so forbidden was going on. However, any keen ear could hear them crystal clear.

All of a sudden she noticed something amiss. She had been so enthralled by the scene playing out in front of her eyes, so fascinated by it, that she hadn't acknowledged that cold sensation behind her head. Now, it was impossible to ignore, like a shadow creeping on her. It was only when she did finally turn her head that she understood her mistake.

Someone was there inside the pool. Her pool . She couldn't believe it, couldn't comprehend how she could have missed that. There was...a man. He was staring at her, her gaping mouth and wide eyes. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights waiting for the final blow.

Except it never came. The stranger just kept watching her, keeping a poker face. But she knew how to read between the lines. In fact, she had grown quite good at interpreting phlegmatic characters. All his judgmental eyes and slightly stiff lips seemed to say was: disgust.

Before she knew it, she pounced.

"Can I help you?"

He didn't flinch which infuriated her even more. If he thought she was going to be intimidated that way, he was really wrong. She knew how to handle his kind, having mostly grown up around stubborn and over-confident men.

This was a fight she wouldn't lose. She kept her chin high, bright eyes against dark ones, until he finally decided to dismiss her – in his own way – by leaving peacefully.

Victory.

"Thought so," she murmured as she watched him walk towards the edge.

Sakura didn't wait for him to leave to go back to her deed. She was already leaning against the bamboo fence when she heard his voice again.

"This is wrong," he had a deep voice that sounded like silk. It threw her off for a second, as she blinked at him with her mouth slightly open. But what intimidated her this time was how tall he turned out to be when he stood up, towering over her from the pool's edge, and staring her down with a glare that felt strangely… familiar. To any outside observers, he looked as expressionless as a fish, but she could see the slight tightness around his eyes, revealing he was definitely annoyed by the situation.

"Excuse me?" she finally said.

There was a long silence. As uninclined to chat with her as he appeared to be, he still refused to leave. She used this time to scrutinize more her enemy, how his lean body and straight posture screamed shinobi, even though she couldn't be completely sure he was one. In any case, she could easily subdue the man by punching him in the face. He certainly wouldn't expect it from a wicked old lady.

"You're disrespecting them."

This thought suddenly seemed even more appealing.

Sakura sighed, "Did I ask for your opinion?"

Again, he remained silent, as if he didn't quite know how to deal with her. She decided to beat him to it, becoming more and more frustrated by this disturbance.

"Alright, I'm not going to emphasize. But these people, they come here for a reason," she started. "As a matter of fact, I'm helping them by disrespecting them. Do you think they would come here if they wanted privacy? They enjoy being seen. I don't even know why I'm explaining this to you. I don't owe you any explanation, so mind your own business."

He didn't waste any more time, and just like that, he left as if she had never said anything. Good riddance,asshole. She really hoped he wouldn't report her to the old lady.

It would be a shame to lose such a place.

Sakura came back to the onsen one week later. All memories from the undesirable guy were long gone. Her head was filled with all the annoying patients' requests, the new easily distracted trainee, and the nurses hating on her. She couldn't wait for her precious moment to begin, to forget all the annoyances of her day-to-day life.

Everything was going to be great this night. Or so she thought.

Unfortunately, her troubles started with the absence of her so beloved exhibitionist couple. There rarely missed their weekly romantic gateway to the hot springs, and yet there was no sight of them. Instead, there was an old lady that looked exactly like the onsen's tenant, minor the hair color. Could she possibly be her twin? Sakura sighed and decided she was too tired to care. Whoever was the woman, she certainly wouldn't be as interesting as her regulars. She knew her obsession with them was odd, but she also knew they were helping her keep her sanity, even if they didn't know it, and even if it didn't make sense.

To hell with it , she thought, I'm just going to enjoy the quietness tonight.

She rested her eyes, chasing all thoughts from her mind, but a slight disturbance in the water put an end to it. Small circular waves reached her body which made her look up in disbelief when she realized what was happening. It was... the asshole from the other day, calmly making himself at home inside her pool .

She felt her blood boil, "Are you kidding me?"

The curse got his attention, but as expected, the stranger remained still, which unnerved Sakura even more. The nerve of this guy, why was he occupying her pool when there were three vacant ones – or rather two if the old lady was still bathing.

Sakura suddenly stood up, determined to defend her territory against the invader. She wasn't going to let anyone ruin her time here, especially not someone as rude as him. She left the water and stood still on the edge of the pool, making sure her figure was the only thing in his line of sight.

"This is...my pool," she informed him calmly, "I want you to leave."

"This is a public place."

The nerve!

She was starting to feel more and more like punching him right in the face. But there was another option, she could just remove him herself from her pool and make him regret ever coming here.

"There are other pools available, why not use them instead?" she suggested, faking a smile.

"You should listen to your own advice, woman."

She felt the joints in her tight fist crack. So, that was it, if he wanted war, she was going to give him exactly what he wanted. Leaving the place would be the easiest way to deal with this situation, someone reasonable and wise would certainly do so. Unfortunately, she was the very opposite of reasonable, he would really soon learn that.

And so she remained exactly where she was, waiting for his capitulation. It only took an hour for him to leave the onsen, which felt like a sour victory to Sakura. She feared that he didn't care much about her, certainly not as much as his presence inside her territory bothered her. Nonetheless, as she heard the sound of a door closing, a whisper escaped her lips, a wish sounding more like a desperate plea.

"Please, don't come back."

It was strange how one nuisance could so quickly be forgotten, disappear into nothingness. No, she wasn't delusional, not yet at least, she was very much aware her pool wasn't entirely her own anymore. She had just simply decided to let it go, to accept the new situation as something she had no control over, as something that wasn't worth what little energy she had left.

The man wanted to occupy her pool, so be it. Her temper always got the better of her, a fault that caused her more prejudice than anything. Going to war against whoever insulted her tended to be her default response. Although years of training and work had toned down her temper, she could still easily go back to her old habits and lash out without thinking.

In her current ordeal, she found herself not so frustrated with her choice. Indifference didn't cost her anything. Moreover, it turned out the man was rather…. uninteresting. He came to the onsen two or sometimes three times a week – which left her days where she could be all by herself again, thankfully -he always chose the same spot at the other end of the pool's entrance and she had noticed many other things, like the way he folded his clothes, always faultlessly, which gave her a good picture of what kind of person he was – in addition to being a nuisance. He was rather easy to the eye, with his short dark brown hair and his symmetrical figure that somewhat looked out of place, too immaculate to be real. She suspected that, just like her, he was hiding his true face, which led to another find: the Anbu tattoo on his left arm. It had definitely given her the confirmation, that he was no civilian.

She wondered what led him to come to this place under disguise. Maybe he just wanted quietness, which seemed to be a fitting explanation for such a quiet man.

Sakura was already starting to forget about his unwelcome presence, but there were a few times when she couldn't quite ignore him, as their eyes met and both seemed to wonder when the other would look away.

Sakura was strolling through the almost empty hallway of Konoha's hospital offices. There were few people still in service during evenings, especially during such a tranquil period, where health workers seemed to surpass the number of patients, and if they were working, they were definitely taking care of them in the lowest section.

She unlocked the door of her office and pushed forcibly against the recalcitrant door. All the mess she had failed to clean assaulted her eyes all at once. There were papers everywhere, books laying on the ground, and some clothes here and there. It surely didn't look like the perfect environment for research. But it was her little garden, a place nobody dared to enter and despite appearances, she had done great progresses through the last months.

She flopped into her chair and let her fingers gently massage her forehead. Although she was nowadays spending most of her days in her office, she was also part of the emergency team. As a matter of fact, she was the head of the emergency department – a position she had never wanted in the first place – which came with responsibilities. Thankfully, her team was rather efficient on its own and didn't need much guidance – she was positive they weren't complaining. Of course, she still had to do her own shifts every now and then. But if her will hold any weight, she wouldn't hesitate at all and would handle her resignation letter right away. If only Tsunade wasn't so determined to make her life hell.

Most of her colleagues despised her, and as a result, she had absolutely no sympathy for them. She believed herself to be rather diplomatic in most situations, but she could also demonstrate callousness or indifference. Needless to say, the work environment here wasn't quite healthy. It was one of the drawbacks of having been trained by someone as powerful and influential as the Hokage. People thought she was privileged, and thus had special rights they didn't, and they were probably right in some cases. She was still bitter regarding Tsunade's decision to promote her, two years ago, because they were many others who would have deserved it more. She understood to some degree her colleagues' resentments. However, the lack of camaraderie was already present back when she used to be just a medic in the emergency department. Jealousy could really get to people's heads, not that she was immune to it either.

Sakura contemplated the familiar picture on her desk, one that her mind could reconstruct easily without seeing it anymore. Those faces and childish smiles used to bring warm feelings inside her, but now she only felt bitterness. She was truly as execrable as her colleagues. But her dear friends were gone, and she was here, all alone, as if this was always the only outcome for her. She wasn't sure anymore how long it had been since they left. Four months, maybe five, she had lost track of time. She didn't flinch when a clapping noise brought her mind out of her reveries and instead, she just gave a glance to the newcomer.

"Don't tell me you were brooding over your husbands again?" a whiny voice asked.

"Shut up, pig."

Ino stuck out her tongue at her. Her long blond mane was down for once, while her hands were sitting on the rather tight civilian dress hugging her hips.

"What do you want?"

She laughed, "Someone's grumpy today."

"Ino, if you're here to—"

She clicked her tongue in disapproval, "Wow, you really are grumpy. What happened this time?"

"The usual stuff," Sakura said in the most austere voice. "I was convoked by the head-chief. Someone has been complaining about me. Apparently, my bad manners upset my colleagues. I'm trying my best to stay out of their way, but it's never enough. Whether I do something or I don't, they always find a way to blame me. They're unbelievable…"

"To be fair, you're not helping your case by warding them off by locking up yourself inside your office."

"As I said," she made a dismissal motion with her hand. "It doesn't matter. They just hate me."

"Luckily we both know how to deal with pricks!"

"Hmm, you only have women to worry for. With me…it's everyone!"

"Mah, don't be like that, not everyone hates you."

"I'm sure…" she murmured. "Anyway, what brought you here?"

Ino grinned, "My aunt's tea shop's inauguration. It's tomorrow evening, I want you to come."

"I'm afraid that won't be possible, I have other matters to attend to."

"Bullshit! Don't take this tone with me!" she swore. "Are you telling me your weird experiences or whatever you're doing here can't wait?"

Sakura sighed, "I'm not coming."

"Pff, you're so boring Forehead ! Look, you don't have to stay the whole evening. Just show up for an hour or two, you'll get to taste the tastiest beverage, I swear!"

"I'm not allowed to drink."

"Tea shop Sakura, meaning we don't sell your dear sake, can't you make the difference? Besides, you'll get to meet new folks. There are still so many people that I haven't met yet, and I'm not just talking about civilian refugees who came after the war. There are plenty of handsome-"

"Why would I want to meet new people?"

"Well, they'll want to know you!"

She snorted, "Right until they learn about the rumors… I know where you're going with this."

"Kami! Just follow my lead for once."

"Not happening."

"No," She reiterated firmly.

"Too predictable… You know what's your problem?" the blond kunoichi started, sticking her hands on her hips, "every time they go, it's always the same old song with you. You act like time has stopped, like it's the end of the world or something. Why didn't you just go with them instead of lamenting yourself like a lost puppy."

Sakura stood up from her chair, "Are you done yet?"

"No, I'm not! It's been what...six months since they left? And they won't be back until next spring at least. Is this how it's going to be Forehead? Are you going to spend the next twelve months crying inside your office?"

She yanked the door open, "Get out."

"I swear Sakura, you better come tomorrow."

The bad thing about using any transformation jutsu was that one could easily forget what your own body actually looked like. People with a high chakra reserve could even maintain the technique indefinitely. It was told that the Godaime was using such a technique, but even Sakura couldn't be sure of it. Maintaining a fake appearance didn't sound so good to her, although Tsunade probably had legitimate reasons. Most shinobi were taught how to use the transformation technique at the academy, it was a basic and common jutsu, that came in handy during missions, especially when one needed to blend into the crowd. For shinobi with renown, it was simply a blessing.

No, she wasn't some child prodigy born with a golden spoon in its mouth, nor was she a powerful shinobi who slayed some dangerous renegades, or a war hero. If she was well known, it was only by proxy, because of her teammates' exploits, and if people could recognize her in the street, it was all due to her cursed, exotic, peculiar, and distinctive pink hair.

She didn't hate them per se. However, she was at a time of her life, where she desperately just wanted to blend in, which wasn't easy with such hair, far from it. Despite being aware that appearing without deceptiveness inside the changing room was dangerous, she stood still and kept looking at her reflection, her true self. There was nothing much to look at, she couldn't help herself but think.

Ino had a charming personality. one that appeared alluring to men, to everyone, which explained her way of seeing things, how she was convinced finding a mate was solely a small feat, anyone could do it, she always said. Except, she didn't understand how having her background could so easily scare off any suitor. And if they weren't brave enough, her phenotypes certainly didn't give them additional motivation. Again, she wasn't ashamed of herself, she was just aware of what she was lacking in.

She suddenly heard a noise behind the door. Now was the time to go back to her perfect transformation, to change back into a mature woman solely seeking some peace inside the warm hot springs.

Instead, the door just opened, as she looked again at her unchanged reflection, with the exception of her hair - long brown auburn hair. She watched the familiar figure make his way into the room, heading straight to a cabin, without even glancing at her. He probably got so used to her presence that he didn't even need to acknowledge her. A few minutes later, he finally left the cabin and this time, he stopped in his tracks, not that he had any choice in the matter, with her standing still, barely two meters away from him.

Sakura greeted him, making it a point to look straight into his eyes. She wanted him to look at her, to really look at her face, it was the only way she would get her answers. Instead of receiving any startled reaction, he simply nodded, and head outside to the baths.

Whether she should have felt relieved or not was debatable. This man really didn't know her identity. But now he knew what her real face looked like, if she were to meet him at the hospital, he would know everything about Sakura Haruno's dirty little secret. Still, she didn't believe that her reputation would be destroyed, as there was nothing special in her blood, and no parents to disappoint.

Her reasonable self was telling her she was doing a huge mistake, but something, something was compelling her to move forward, and now that she knew the quiet man was definitely not a friend or acquaintance, he would have recognized her otherwise, she felt more confident than ever.

Against her best judgment, she followed him shortly after, the weather was particularly cold, hence all she could see outside was hot steam floating in the air, disabling her to find her target. Regardless, she knew where was his usual spot. Right side. No, she couldn't just bypass all the unacknowledged rules about one's personal space. But how else would he understand her intentions? The guy was obviously not the most talkative person – or at least in appearance. In fact, he probably didn't have a good opinion of her in the first place – who would see a pervert in a good light?

She found a stool and sat on it, deciding that, as the pervert she was, behaving like one wouldn't surprise anyone. It was quite an uncomfortable position; her leg being pushed again each other by the tight towel wrapped around her body. Her eyes switched shortly to her right side, recognizing the familiar voices of her favorite couple. No, they wouldn't steal the show tonight, as they were the last thing on her mind. She brought back her attention to her phlegmatic stranger, or at least where he was supposed to be – since she still couldn't see anything through the heavy steam.

Twenty minutes passed by, giving enough time for the steam to disappear and allowing Sakura to see the man's silhouette. In truth, Sakura's mind was in turmoil, so much that she couldn't properly think anymore. So much that she had missed the most important thing.

The man wasn't inside the pool anymore.

She stood up abruptly and trotted to the changing room, already cursing herself for being so much in her thoughts—although she had good reasons to be anxious. She didn't have much experience in such...things, and so she just went to him, forcing the confrontation.

"Would you like some help?" she asked bashfully.

The taciturn man turned to her, his eyes were watching her suspiciously like he was expecting her to strike at any moment. In one of the boldest moves she had ever done, she knelled in front of him, somewhat guilelessly. With the conviction she was doing this the right way, she just let her fingers reach toward him, only to grasp nothingness, as the man moved away from her.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Her heart missed a bit, "Am I— not to your liking? Would you prefer me to change into another type of body? Please, tell me what you—" she quickly stammered, as she got up.

"Go home," he said in a final tone, dismissing her without even looking at her.

Out of words, somehow baffled and disappointed by the turn of events, she just stood still, watching him grab his things before he disappeared, and feeling the most uncomfortable sensation, one that she knew all too well, one that she had felt so many times before.

It was a cocktail of inadequacy and shame, but mainly, she felt like a failure .

I'm such a fool.

Rejection was a withering feeling for most people, Sakura was no exception. While she had her fair share of disappointments in her life, her faith in people had always been wavering between the abyss and cerulean skies. Now was the quiet man's turn to be judged for his offenses. In her mind, the point of no return had been crossed, which meant going back to the onsen was out of the question. She wouldn't say she was someone who had trouble admitting their own faults, but in addition to her feeling of foolishness, she felt unmistakable guilt.

As a result, it took her almost a week to find back her temerity and return to the holy place. She didn't expect to see him there, seeing as he had probably no wish to be cornered again. Yet, against all odds, she found him in his usual spot.

Their eyes met for a short while, acknowledging each other's presence. Sakura was quick to look away, memories from her calamitous attempt of seduction flooding her mind. The dense pressure around them got to her head in a matter of minutes and let her impulsion, as always, take the reins.

"I need to…apologize about the other day," she blurted out. "I—I shouldn't have… it was inappropriate ."

Her cheeks slightly reddened as she bowed her head down respectfully. She didn't expect any responses from him, after all, there was truly nothing to say. However, as soon as she was done talking, he stood up from the water and left the pool.

Not feeling like bathing anymore, she imitated him and went inside the changing room. She sat on the large light brown bench separating the room in two, ignoring the man who was gathering his stuff from the open shelf.

I've messed everything up, she thought, holding her head in her hands, until the silence became too obvious to ignore. Wait, is h already gone? She froze upon realizing his clothes were still on the shelf and when she turned her head to her sides, she found him immobile in front of the washing space's entrance—where one was supposed to clean themselves up before entering the onsen. Once their eyes met, he went inside.

Something, yet again, was compelling her to act against her best judgment. Surely she wouldn't do the same mistake twice, right?

Yet, that was exactly what she did.

This time, he didn't move when she reached the border of the white towel wrapped around his waist. Her pale fingers were slightly shaking, she could feel her pulse quickening as a feeling of pain and excitement hit her entire being. The towel dropped quietly like a feather.

Her already tainted cheeks started to turn redder at the sight that welcomed her. Of course, she had been mentally prepared for what awaited her, but practice and theory were always different, and she now felt uncertain. She looked up at her soon-to-be lover, trying to get some encouragement from him, some confirmation telling her she was on the right path, but the man had his eyes closed.

Surely, if he didn't want her to continue, he would have backed down or stopped her.

Her gaze went down again as her fingers slid slowly down on his hips, heading toward his pelvis, until they finally grasped the forbidden fruit. She suddenly felt his body tense and feared he would swiftly stop her and look at her with disapprobation. But as the seconds went by, nothing happened, and so she started moving timidly her finger, hoping that she would somehow get a sign from him – hopefully anything telling he was enjoying her ministration.

Sakura was positive the apathetic state of his manhood should worry her.

Maybe, he really doesn't find me attractive in any way after all.

She kept stroking him, hoping she would soon get some reaction, she was trying to remember the pictures from the naughty books she shouldn't have read, thanks to a certain masked shinobi – that she was so ashamed of calling her sensei. But she couldn't remember anything involving such...lack of enthusiasm.

Regardless, she didn't falter and thought of another strategy, one that made her feel like those naughty women from Icha-Icha-Paradise. She leaned a bit forwards, as her mouth opened slightly, and she took an experimental lick on him, one that fortunately turned out to be absolutely riveting. The forbidden act made her feel a surge of excitement going through a whole being. Her hands then grabbed him more tightly to the base, to get more leverage as she finally took more of him into her mouth.

Her lips went slowly up and down on him for a moment, tentatively trying to please him, until she felt the man grow inside her. Finally. She internally screamed in victory and kept going at it. She had never done such a thing to anyone before, not even Naruto back when they were together, and so she clumsily tried to do what felt right, until the sudden need for air forced Sakura to stop her motions.

She started coughing, not quite realizing what had just happened.

That part certainly wasn't described truthfully in any book.

Both of them looked like an odd painting at that moment. Sakura was smiling awkwardly at the man, as she rubbed the fruit of his release on her beige towel, while he was looking at her like she was some sort of oddity—she probably was.

She waited for a clue, anything that would tell her he wasn't displeased by the situation.

By her .

And he seemed to understand that.

There was a hand lying on her shoulder.

Pleasuring the quiet man became a regular occurrence, she would come to the onsen, bath for a while, and then pretend to spy on the couple doing their business behind the fence – needless to say, there were the last thing on her mind – once her guest would get out of the pool, she would follow him and approach him the same way she had before. After a few times, although she was happy with their arrangement, she couldn't say she was completely satisfied by it, considering who she now saw as her lover, refused to touch her, except for an occasional pat on her shoulder. She really didn't know what to think of it, but thoughts born from her own insecurities kept whispering that she wasn't good enough for him and that he only allowed her to have her way out of some weird sense of respect.

One evening, she decided she had enough.

"Don't you want to touch me?" she was standing in front of him, while he waited for her to do something, probably expecting her to kneel down as usual.

He didn't seem fazed by her question.

"Do you want me to?" he naively asked her.

Sakura felt like laughing, instead, she quietly walked to the bench and sat down, her hands massaging her forehead, still feeling his intrigued gaze on her.

"Are you displeased?"

Her hands froze, and she looked up. The memory of her teammate suddenly came to Sakura, and it occurred to her that the quiet man sometimes seemed to be as socially inept as Sai, or maybe was he just and simply inexperienced in matters of love—not that she would blame him, she was herself far from being experienced.

She lay down on the bench, her head meeting a solid and cold wood, it wasn't exactly the most comfortable position, but there wasn't any better option.

"Please," she murmured, her fingers holding tightly the white towel wrapped around her body. "Just touch me."

And as she loosened and unwrapped the white towel covering her skin, she closed her eyes, feeling cold air brush against her naked body. She felt utterly exposed, more vulnerable than she had ever been. As soon as fingers reached her skin, cautiously, caressing the shape of her hips, Sakura let any remaining doubts escape her mind. She felt his hands traveling on her, making her whole being tremble with apprehension and excitement.

Despite the fact it wasn't her first time, her single experience with her blond best friend could barely count as one. Now, it was different than her time with Naruto, she wasn't a teenager anymore, and her partner, he was…a man , and above all, a complete stranger . What was she doing? Opening her eyes again, the sight in front of her made her feel intimidated, a feeling hardly anyone was capable of sparkling in her nowadays. Almost lying on her, his dark eyes stared at her for a second. Was he having second thoughts too?

"Just do it," she urged him on.

Before I find any reason to get away.

She bucked her pelvis against his, which in turn made him lose just enough composure to break the course of his thoughts. She had absolutely no doubt he was in the same state of excitement as her, she could indeed feel his hardening cock pressing over her lower parts.

"Put it inside," she whispered, "please."

Sakura gritted her teeth when he went inside her without any preparation, she felt her own body tighten even more in reaction to her discomfort. And once he was deeply seated within her core, his hard and heavy body fell on her, his torso pressing on her breast, their legs tangled together. Feeling someone's warm body against hers was all-consuming, enough to make her forget a little bit about the pain. A point of no return got crossed when he started rocking just slightly his hips. His hands seemed to be everywhere until they imprisoned her soul. His motions became more erratic; he wasn't holding himself back anymore, possessing her and using her like he had every right to do so. At that moment, she didn't feel like herself anymore, she wasn't Sakura Haruno, she was just a woman and he was just a man, nameless beings responding to their instincts, which was a rapturous and infinitely fulling experience. As quickly as it had started, everything went abruptly to a stop.

"No, please," she cried out, "don't move just yet. Just—just for a moment."

Despite the pain, leaving the warmness of his body would hurt her even more, would be absolutely unbearable. She had no desire to make all those feelings and sensations go away, no wish to go back to the emptiness that had been plaguing her life.

She just wanted to feel something.

Anything.

The onsen offered private rooms to their rare guests, which wasn't an obvious fact, mostly because they weren't adjacent to the hots springs. Moreover, the old lady certainly wasn't advertising them the proper way. Sakura had no idea, no recon, having ever heard her mention any cozy room. Her taciturn man on the other had more awareness and one day, he had just made their stroll through a corridor outside the changing room to a mysterious chamber, marking the end of her relationship with the cold and uncomfortable bench – her back was really thankful. And that was where they had been conducting their business ever since then.

Sakura was sitting on her knees on a large futon set over a low wooden frame. The room was well kept despite the lack of guests, free of dust, and lightened by floor lamps. The room's furniture was the last thing on her mind though. Her green eyes were indeed glued to her partner in crime, specifically his tense back. She had seen her fair share of naked bodies, and as a medic, it was rather standard. Despite this she found herself studying him, her brows knitting in a frown, as she noticed bruises and wondered what caused them. She was starting to feel a familiar inch. To top it all off, there was something unusual about the way he was moving his right arm as if he was restraining its movement.

"What's wrong with your arm?" she inquired.

"Nothing's wrong."

She couldn't say his reaction surprised her, notwithstanding the nature of their rather intimate relationship, they hardly exchanged any words. She watched him fold meticulously his white towel, until he walked to her, utterly naked. Her fingers clenched slightly on her knee, uncovering herself in front of him remained something delicate, she wished she had the same assurance and equanimity he seemed to have.

"I know…" she was trying her best to keep her eyes fixed on his face, "a few tricks that could help."

"That won't be necessary."

She nodded, even though she wasn't totally convinced, "Maybe you should lay on your back."

He paused for a second and did exactly what she had suggested. Even the most recalcitrant patients could be influenced with enough tact and patience. She smiled inwardly, knowing all too well how it worked. Unfortunately, she hadn't thought of what the consequences of her wise advice would entail for her. As she crawled towards him on the bed, it occurred to her that things would be way different than usual this time.

Of course, she knew of ways, different ways one could mate. However, she didn't understand the point of doing that, she was more than happy lying still and letting her partner thrust into her. It didn't hurt as much anymore, it was actually a pleasurable feeling, although what satisfied her the most was the proximity, the heat of having one body pressed against your own. What more could anybody ask for?

When he started resting his eyes, she took advantage of this opportunity to climb over him.

She had no idea what to do, but she could feel him between her legs—she wasn't wearing any clothes under her yukata. Her pulse quickened, as she felt a familiar surge of excitement go through her. Unconsciously, she began grinding slightly their sexes together. It felt different. More intense than usual. And so she kept the motion going for a while, her fingers pressing on the man's torso to keep her balance.

Heat was building up in her insides, slowly taking her inhibitions away. At some point, she just let her hand slide under her attire and grab his cock in a bold manner, only to lead it carefully inside her. She gritted her teeth, expecting some discomfort, even pain, instead her body welcomed him without any resistance. Sakura savored the feeling of fullness before she started grinding on him again, riding him tentatively, as someone inexperienced would.

The ache in her felt alien, there was something awakening, something enthralling she didn't want to fight. It was an exquisite feeling she had never felt before, one she could get addicted to. She opened slightly her mouth, letting out a silent breath, when a wave of pleasure hit her. She pushed down her hips even more on him letting instincts guide her, searching for more of this rapture, craving it. She was in a complete frenzy, losing herself in sensations and bliss until she finally found it. She gasped silently and her body trembled, as euphoria took possession of her, making her pliant body fall forward on naked skin.

Everything seemed blurred in her mind like she was completely drunk, unable to form any thoughts. She could discern heartbeats under the warm skin, and so she just focused on that, feeling the rush and excitement slowly leaving her body, while she was still trying to catch her breath. When she felt like herself again, she untangled her body from the man and got stunned by the gaze that met her. Her already tainted cheeks turned even redder under his wide open obsidian eyed and his dilated pupils.

"What happened?" he asked.

She could still feel him between their connected bodies and he was indeed really awake.

"I think—" she whispered, not knowing which words to choose. "I think I just got an orgasm."

"Show me how."

"I don't know how..."

No, she couldn't claim anything anymore after such discovery. To think she had thought the pleasant feeling of just having a man inside her was all there was to it. How wrong she had been.

"We'll figure it out."

And they did.

A few visits to the hot springs quickly turned out to be insufficient and soon, it became a daily ritual. There was no more pretense, it wasn't about having a relaxing time inside the warm water and letting your skin bath in rich minerals anymore. No, all that mattered now was pleasure. They still hardly exchanged any familiarities. Yet their bodies knew how to please each other in the most efficient ways, so much their intercourses looked at times mechanical and compulsory.

It was a true hedonistic feast.

There was a woman who had been coming here for almost three weeks now. As a landlady of the establishment, she knew who was using her facilities or not, this woman certainly wasn't part of the group. There wasn't ever any furniture to wash from this specific changing room, since she was doing laundry every morning, she knew it well enough, which left her with a mystery. What was the woman doing? Although she never spied on her customers, one day she dared catch a glimpse of the lady, only to discover her sitting still on the bench, her gaze transfixed by the shelf hugging the entire length of the wall facing her.

"Er—what are you doing lady?" she asked her. "You've been coming here for three weeks only to watch my walls. My dear neighbor Tanaka-san's one of the best carpenters in the village, he could make you one for a fair price, if you wish so."

"Only three weeks?" the lady answered, leaving the confine of her thoughts. "You've never seen me before?"

"Well, maybe a little bit less than three weeks."

"And before that?"

"'Never seen you before, and I'm really good with faces despite my age."

"Impossible," she whispered. "There was a man, with dark eyes and brown hair, that used to come too, you don't remember him either?"

"A man?" she repeated, her eyes squinting. "I have only two regulars that fit your description, Tanaka-san and Hideo-san who usually come visit me with his wife. Mah, this place isn't so popular anymore, I can count the people who've been visiting my establishment during the last few months on my ten fingers! What are you asking so many questions for anyway? Are you looking to buy my Onsen? I'm not selling! My son's actually coming back to Konoha to take care of it, he believes I'm too old to handle everything by myself. Ah…my back probably agrees…"

"I wonder if it was all a dream."

"What are you saying, Lady?"

"I'm not going to hide anymore."

The old lady almost stumbled when the woman's appearance magically shifted in front of her eyes. Her hair went from a rich auburn color to a light pink one and her body turned thinner.

A youngling! In her establishment!

"Kami-sama! I should have known!" she grumbled, shocked and angered by such malice. "Young people aren't allowed here! I want you to leave at once! Now, are you going to leave calmly my property or do I need to fetch the police?"

The young woman stood up straight away and followed her towards the exit, to the landlady's relief. "And before you start complaining, I'm not refunding you anything. Young people nowadays really have no decency! My establishment's a safe haven for elders only. There're plenty of places where your generation can do its own thing, you don't have anything to do here!"

"This is true," she said in a hollow voice. "I don't have any reason to come here anymore."

"Right!"

"I won't come back Ma'am, I'll never set foot in this place ever again."

It occurred to the landlady, as she watched the pink hair kunoichi disappear through the night, that something didn't seem quite right with her.