Chapter 3

Sasuke's emotions swept over me and I frowned, "You're so annoying!"

Pride and amusement.

Last night, we slept together and this morning I almost fell when I tried to get out of bed because I was more sore than I'd mentally prepared for. I can walk, of course, but since he's the one who had sex with me I had no qualms about jumping onto his back so he could carry me piggyback style. We only have one backpack anyway so I just put it on my back so it wouldn't get in the way.

He snickered, "Hey, I did say you wouldn't be able to walk for a week."

I wanted to wrap my arms more tightly around his neck and threaten him, but something else would work better. Instead, I blew on his ear and neck and felt his body tense up before laughing.

"I've created a monster."

I buried my face in his shoulder and hugged him tighter with a smile as I changed the subject, "I'm excited to see everyone again."

He made some noncommittal noise.

"Don't tell Sai we did it because he'll tell Ino and then she'll tell everyone."

"I don't have to say anything. He'll know."

My eyes shot open, "How?"

"We're twins. He just knows things."

An irritated groan shook my chest and I pouted, "Ino's never gonna shut up about it."

When we arrived, everyone else was already there and Ino was just as excited to see us as I imagined she'd be. Our friends filled us in on what we missed and what the plan going forward was going to be.

Basically, the synthetic plant that Hinata's father created, Gosei, smells and looks just like these alien things' food source and they haven't realized that it's not actually what they're looking for.

Apparently one of their leaders or something is in Suna so Ino, Kiba, me, and the Uchiha boys are going to go to Iwagakure to obtain some of the synthetic plants and then meet the Subakus and Matsuri in Suna so we can face this leader together.

My mind raced as I lay in between Ino and Sasuke that night. All that information, not to mention learning that Madara and Masumi are dead, Hinata's sister is here, and now they have an infant to worry about, was a lot to take in and process.

Today's the first time I've had the chance to see Hanabi Hyuuga and it surprised me how much she looks like her big sister, without even seeing her open her eyes.

Konohamaru has been staring at her nonstop with a cute, worried expression and I can't wait to hear how she reacts when she wakes up and sees him. Hopefully it'll happen before we leave in the morning because it'll be so wholesome and adorable.

An arm wrapped around my waist and I was suddenly pulled against Sasuke's body. A smile tugged at my lips when I thought he wanted to cuddle, but then his hand slid down and I bit back a squeal of surprise.

His hot breath moved my hair a bit as he snickered silently behind me, slipping his hand expertly beneath my pants and underwear to touch me intimately. I squeezed my legs together tightly, trying to wordlessly warn him to back off because Ino was asleep not even a foot away with Sai right behind her and they're both facing us, but he ignored it, bringing his other arm around me to slide up under my coat and shirt to squeeze my breast.

Heat rushed to my face, but not just my face as a familiar sensation pooled down below in response to his studied touches. Left with no choice, I turned my head and whispered as quietly as possible, "I will kill you, Sasuke."

He whispered back in an amused tone, "Let's find a room downstairs."

My stomach flipped at his vulgar suggestion. I wanted to immediately deny him because the chances of us getting caught were high, but somehow found myself letting him lead me to the second floor with a defeated frown.

The moment he pulled me into a classroom, his hands were unbuttoning my jeans and I fumbled to keep up with his sudden surge of passion. Not even a couple minutes later, he had me bent over a desk and was carefully sliding into me to make sure I wasn't so sore that it hurt.

I glared down at my hands against the table, annoyed at his triumphant smirk even though I can't see it, "I'm cold."

Neither of us were undressed all the way because it really is freezing cold. My jeans and underwear were halfway down my legs and his pants were lowered only as far as he needed to get the job done.

"Shh…Not for long."

And then he started moving, slowly at first, but gradually increased his speed and force to allow my body to properly adjust. It pisses me off that he's so skilled at it and I don't want it to feel quite as good as it does just so I can have something to whine about, but damn it he's great.

My teeth chattered slightly as I tried to keep my reactions as quiet as possible. The temperature became too hard to ignore and I spoke in a defeated tone, "Can you hurry and finish? It's too cold."

He leaned down over me, wrapping an arm around so he could rub my clit, "Nuh uh, Baby. You've gotta feel good first."

He always calls me "Baby" when we're in these situations. I noticed, I like it, and I'll never ever admit that even though he probably already knows.

I opened my mouth to argue, but he brought his other hand up and shoved two fingers into my mouth. A shocked sound rumbled through my chest, but I relented and closed my lips around them, squeezing my eyes shut when he started thrusting more roughly into me.

"You feel pretty hot to me." I huffed at him between moans, making him chuckle.

After a couple more moments passed, what had already felt good started to feel great and I found myself upright with my back against his chest. His fingers weren't in my mouth anymore and instead he had his hand over my lips to muffle the endless stream of sounds his actions were pulling from me.

His other arm was wrapped tightly around my waist to hold my entire body firmly against his. Hot breath hit my ear with each thrust and when a stray moan would escape his throat it sent waves of arousal so strongly through me that it made my legs shake.

"Quit fighting it and give in. I know you want to."

Oh, he's so proud and confident. It makes me so mad. Being angry somehow turned me on further and I found myself obeying his command just moments later.

As the last few waves of climax surged through me, he shoved himself deeply inside and I felt his body tense against mine as he undoubtedly met me in oblivion. When he finally relaxed and his hand fell from over my mouth, I threatened him, "If you do something like this again-"

He cut me off, sounding equally as amused as he was tired, "If I do something like this again, you're gonna end up completely spoiled."

I turned my head to look up at him and he smirked, "That's the only way I'm gonna spoil you so you better take what you can get."

I pushed my bottom against him and he made some kind of deep sound, "Knock it off unless you wanna go another round."

"Your sex drive's higher than I anticipated."

He kissed me firmly before pulling back, "So? We have a lot of catching up to do."

With a hot blush on my face, I sighed in defeat, "Fine, but I'm going to kill you and then myself if we get caught."

He smirked, "Deal."

~

The next morning, we headed out with Ino, Sai, and Kiba after saying our goodbyes to everyone else. Ino's hand was clasped tightly in mine as she skipped childishly, "You know what? I got a black eye for you, Bitch! You owe me!"

My eyes were wide as I half-jogged to keep up with her and the sore muscles in my lower regions were screaming at me to stop moving so jarringly. Sasuke was barely holding back his snickers behind us.

"I missed you too, Ino, but can we slow down? I'm still recovering."

She froze and turned to give me an all-knowing look, making my heart sink in my chest, "That gunshot's all you're recovering from, right?"

I nodded quickly, "Y-Yes! Of course it is!" The Uchiha brothers and even Kiba struggled not to laugh and a humiliated blush quickly began rising to my face.

"If that's all, then you'll be fine! Let's go!" Then she took off skipping once more, pulling me along.

~

It took us six days to make it to Iwagakure and by the time we found a motel to crash in for the night, I was at my wit's end with Ino and Sai. Not only was my best friend constantly teasing and trying to get me to admit that I had sex, but her and the Uchiha man aren't getting along like they used to. In fact, they've been arguing almost as much as Temari and Shikamaru do. It's fitting for the other two's relationship, but not for Ino and Sai's.

"We have a big day tomorrow, so all of you better leave me alone." I slammed the door shut and flopped down heavily on the small bed, letting my backpack fall to the floor as I groaned loudly, rubbing my throbbing temples.

The only person who hasn't been annoying me is Kiba and that's because he's been quiet most of the trip so he can focus on his senses. Sasuke's just been his usual, irritating self. The emotional link enacts every so often and he takes advantage of it to send amused feelings toward me. He doesn't even have to speak to tease me anymore.

With a sigh, I got up a minute or two later and tried the lights. No luck. When I went into the bathroom, though, I realized the plumbing was working just fine.

After lighting one of the emergency candles in my backpack and sitting it on the counter, I took a look at my dirty skin and hair in the mirror and decided I'll just have to tough it out and take a cold shower. I pulled back the shower curtain to turn the water on, only for a terrified scream to rip through my throat when I lay eyes on what appeared to be one or more corpses stuffed into a massive, clear plastic bag laying in the tub. That would explain why I didn't smell anything.

The door busted open barely five seconds later. "Sakura!"

My body acted on instinct and I turned to bury my face in Sasuke's chest the moment he was close enough. "Shit! Come on, let's go." His voice sounded as disgusted and surprised as I was feeling.

After taking me to the room next door, where he'd been when he heard me scream, he retrieved my stuff and came back and gave me a knowing look.

"Can you check?"

He nodded, silently going into the bathroom before reappearing to give me the all-clear, "It's already fucking freezing. Do you really think it's a good idea to shower?"

I pouted, grumbling under my breath as I stalked past him, "I don't care. I wanna smell better."

After lighting my candle again, I chanced a peek behind the shower curtain to double check there weren't any dead bodies there. Even though I know Sasuke'd never lie about something like that, I couldn't help it. The awful brownish red color that coated the inside of that clear bag made me want to scratch my eyes out so I'll never have to see it again.

Confident I'm not going to see anything unexpected, I undressed and turned the water on before taking a deep breath and holding it before forcing myself under the icy water. Goosebumps covered every inch of my skin in a heartbeat and I rushed to scrub some soap into my hair, teeth chattering.

"You know, I don't think you smell all that bad." The curtain suddenly pulled back and Sasuke climbed in with me, letting out a stream of curses when the cold water hit his skin.

My voice wavered as I shivered and quickly rinsed my hair so I could step out of the way and let him stand under the showerhead while I lathered my body with soap, "It's not like you to sugarcoat the truth." It's true. If anything, the Uchiha man can even be considered too blunt at times, to the point that he can really hurt someone's feelings without that being his intention.

"No sugarcoating here. I mean, I won't say you smell great when you haven't showered in a week, no one does, but your natural scent is actually kinda nice for a few days."

My face warmed as he switched spots with me. My body shuddered under the cold water and I frantically rinsed before thrusting myself out of the shower and pulling a towel around my body as I shook like a leaf in a downpour.

Feeling a bit bashful, I returned the compliment under my breath as I watched him start to rinse the soap off of his body, "Yours, too…"

He stepped out of the shower and forced my arms away from where they'd been wrapped firmly around my body with the towel so he could press his chest against mine and hold me as close as possible as we both shivered, "If I get sick, you'd better take care of me."

I nodded against his chest, "Same goes for you."

After drying off as much as possible with the one towel the motel room offered, we dressed in a hurry before climbing under the heavy covers of the bed and cuddled close to try and warm up more quickly.

His voice was still a bit breathless and shaky due to the shivering, but he whispered out into my hair as I buried my face into his sweatshirt and tried to stop my limbs from shaking, "There's a quicker way of warming up, you know."

I shook my head, eyes still closed tight as my face started to warm. With a whisper, I scolded him, "Is sex all you can think about? Besides, Kiba will hear!"

Both of his arms were wrapped tightly around my body and he slid one hand down to squeeze my bottom, making me jolt slightly in surprise, "It's been like a week and I know you want it, too. We'll just have to be quiet."

I grumbled, tightening my arms around his waist, "I think I liked you better when I thought you hated my guts. At least then you weren't trying to jump my bones at all hours."

He snickered, sliding a leg in between mine, "That's too bad. I operate on a no-returns policy."

A pressure suddenly pressed up against my sex, making me slightly squirm. It was his knee. Defeated without giving much of a fight, I sighed and didn't stop him when he pulled one arm in between us to slide in between my jeans and underwear so he could rub against my most sensitive spot.

"How did you manage to hide this perverted ass personality of yours for so long? I never suspected a thing." My breath hitched when his fingers hit just the right spot.

"I told you already. I didn't want to scare you away. Why? You don't like me anymore?" He was obviously teasing me because we still get glimpses into how one another feels multiple times a day and there's no way he hasn't felt the depth of my emotions toward him.

Still, I frowned and mumbled in an annoyed voice, "Of course I still like you, Jerk."

In one swift motion, long fingers expertly pushed around my underwear and one slid inside, making me bite down on a surprised squeak. Sasuke lowered his head slightly to whisper in my ear, "Why don't you ever call me nice names like Babe or Dear?"

I pulled back to meet his eye, trying my absolute best to ignore his expertly moving fingers between my legs, "Do you want me to, for real?"

He gave me one of his rare smiles, usually just smirking or holding back any change in expression altogether, before flirtily brushing his nose against mine, "Only if it's genuine."

In the back of my mind, I realized neither of us were shivering anymore and it truly was starting to feel slightly warmer under the covers. When I opened my mouth to shoot some type of sarcastic retort his way, he cut me off by sliding his tongue against mine and pressing our lips together firmly. A small noise of annoyance rumbled from my chest and I sensed his amusement.

Over the next few minutes, we worked most of our clothes off, which feels counterproductive to our original goal of warming up, but I digress.

"Baby…stay quiet," His voice was still a whisper, but the tone was different from how I've heard it before.

We were laying on our sides, facing one another, and I had one leg bent so my knee rested on his hip. He was hard and rubbing against me slowly.

My eyes narrowed, but his danced down to my chest, hands following to gently brush over my cold skin. He didn't wait for my response and suddenly he was inside. My back arched to adjust to his size and the angle of movement. A loud clack sound came from me clasping my teeth together to bite back on whatever sound my mouth was trying to emit.

His arm slid under my body before pulling me against him so he could rest his chin atop my head. I stared, wide-eyed, at his chest and neck. The frantic passion he'd shown me the two other times we were intimate is nowhere to be found. Instead, this is something subdued, more controlled.

The speed's much slower, but it still feels like heaven, just a different one than from before.

Long, calloused fingers traced the curve of my body up until they wrapped into my damp hair. A breath got stuck in my throat when he hit a sweet spot and my fingers pressed against his steadily warming skin. The arm around my body held me more tightly, a silent encouragement to remain silent.

He wants me to stay here, just like this.

Slow and steady, in and out. Deep, hitched breaths.

A warmth was beginning to spread within me and it wasn't just because he was hitting the perfect spot with each thrust. No, it was crawling delicately, slowly, over my body from the inside out.

The way his usually firm touches are now so light that it could've been a feather brushing against my skin brought a wave of emotion over me that's stronger than I've ever felt in my life.

He's not just holding me so close like this because it's cold, is he? No, I know that's not it.

Unlike last time, this is intimate and it's sensual and it's devoted. Not one word left his lips this time around. When did his mood switch from playful and flirty to serious? Was it when he told me to keep my voice down? Maybe it was when he first pulled me up against his chest.

I don't know and it doesn't really matter anyway. Letting myself succumb to both him and my emotions is a concept more terrifying than any foe I've faced until now. Suddenly, his grip tightened in my hair, holding me closer still as he leaned forward slightly so his body was completely angled around me. My leg wrapped around his hip, unconsciously pressing against him each time he'd thrust inside in an attempt to aid his efforts. It's like my hesitation was burned away by a flaming torch.

Suddenly, the way he's been caressing me like he's worried I'm going to crack and crumble in his embrace made sense because I found my own arm wrapping around him so my fingers could do something similar to the flexing muscles of his back.

I want, need, to feel him, but not how I've ever felt him in the past. My insides quivered around him when a wave of pre-climax shot through every nerve.

This isn't some hook up or tryst. Even in my limited experience I can tell the difference between this and everything else. Is this…Is this what's considered making love? Is it too soon to use the "L" word? Even if we're not actually saying it to one another? It sure feels like he's trying to tell me something at least close to that with how he's treating me like his most prized possession.

My lower hand, the one against his stomach since I couldn't slide it under him, felt his pulse lightly under my fingertips and how his muscles moved under the skin and suddenly tears were in my eyes and I was saying his name in a voice so quiet and emotional that I didn't recognize it as my own.

Finally, his fingers loosened in my hair and he moved back as I did so he could press his lips gently against mine. As slow as the sun setting at the end of a long day, he moved on top and my legs parted naturally so he could continue moving inside me at that same, steady pace. My eyes stayed closed even when his hands went back to dusting my body with temperate grazes and his lips left mine.

The other times we've slept together were incredibly satisfying, but somehow this feels even better. This muted passion makes me feel vulnerable, but it makes me feel completely protected at the same time, like the flawless man above me will stop anything and everything in the world before letting something bad happen to me.

My body arched up into his touch when a hand lightly caressed my breast. He's still moving at a slow, agonizing pace. It takes almost ten seconds for him to completely thrust in and out one time, but God damn does everything feel amazing and comforting.

Something came into my mind suddenly and I knew it was him: his emotions, his being. It was tender, warm, obsessive, and maybe even a little scared.

My eyes finally crept open and a small sound left me. It was barely audible and I'm not even sure what emotion it was meant to portray. His eyes are different right now from how I've ever seen them and it's making the heat between us feel even hotter.

I knew then, somehow, that this is also his first time experiencing this type of sex and it only made me want to melt into him even further. My eyes searched his and he looked back, completely unguarded. My name passed his lips in an unfamiliar, soft voice, making my brow furrow as I mirrored the action, but with his name instead.

My insides suddenly erupted with climax and breath sucked sharply past my lips, but he came down to kiss me before I could possibly make a sound. I hadn't even realized I was getting close.

This overwhelming sensation…it's just as wild and hot as all the other orgasms hav3 been, but there's something else this time around. Confidence? Security? I'm not completely sure.

His muscles flexed against the bare skin of my stomach and I felt his sex pulse and twitch slightly inside me as I started to come down from my own euphoria.

The other times, it was like we were seeing who could get the other to cum more quickly as though we're rivals and sex is our favorite way of competing, but today it was a partnership, a merge. We'd gently coerced one another along so we could be together in the beginning, middle, and end.

Sasuke's climax came and passed, but our kiss continued for anywhere from five minutes to a million years, neither amount of time being quite long enough in my personal opinion.

Either I zoned out so deeply that I lost track of what was going on or I fell asleep and suddenly snapped back to reality because then I was resting against his chest, almost completely on top of him, with my knee hooked over his hips and my hand flat on his side, feeling his middle section move with each calm breath.

The arm around me remained just as gentle as it'd been earlier and his hand pressed against the bare skin of my lower back. The other hand was tracing flowery patterns absently into my thigh.

What exactly just happened to us? Did something specific cause the sudden change and if so, what was it?

After his surprisingly honest confession at the Uchiha compound, I was finally made aware that my affection for him isn't one-sided at all, but our relationship hasn't changed all that much. We still argue, make sarcastic comments, and annoy one another like before, so why does it suddenly feel like we're in the deep end of a timeless romance between fated lovers?

Sasuke was breathing so smoothly, so calmly underneath me and I felt tempted to pull back to check if he's asleep or not. He's still moving his fingers against my thigh, but he's been doing it for a while now so his body might just be unconsciously continuing the act.

It wouldn't shock me if he actually is asleep because it was already dark outside when we arrived at the motel, meaning it's at least midnight by now and we've been traveling on foot for six days in a row. Something's still telling me he's awake, though, and is simply basking in the tender aura that's been bathing the room from the first moment his bare skin touched mine.

Is he as stunned as me, right now? When will one of us break this silence and finally address what just occurred? Does he even want to talk about it or would he rather leave it up in the air like he does with most serious emotions?

Saying his actions and words when he confessed were out of character wasn't exactly an exaggeration. I knew, even before then, that he experiences feelings and such just like everyone else, but he prefers to bottle them up and deal with them on his own rather than rely on anyone else to help him bear their weight. It's that habit that caused me to misunderstand his intentions to begin with, when I thought he just wanted to be friends and had simply been doing me a favor.

My eyes crept open and I stared down at his hand as he continued to trace delicate shapes into my skin. The blanket's just below there and I wonder why I don't feel all that cold. Who cares? All I know is I've never felt more physically content in my life.

I want him to say something this time around. For some reason, I can't bring myself to be the one reaching for reassurance again.

My brow furrowed and my fingers danced lazily up his side to brush against the gill-like muscles where his ribs are located.

He's so…solid. Just feeling him live and breathe under my fingertips brings such comfort that my eyes slid closed again. Maybe I should just give in to this warm and fuzzy feeling and get some sleep.

"Have you ever read War and Peace?"

My eyes opened once more. His words were soft as though he's asking a ghost who wouldn't ever respond rather than a woman laying naked across his body.

"I haven't." A question hung at the end of my slow response.

Embarrassingly, I hadn't taken him for the type to put much stock in literature. Personally, I love reading, but never seem to have the time to enjoy it as a passtime rather than a task needed to be done in order to complete an assignment for school or learn something new about medicine or the body.

"There's a famous quote from that book. It translates roughly into 'We are asleep until we fall in love'." There wasn't the usual tug in his tone that appears when he's forced to talk about how he feels. Instead, he sounded like he's trying to explain something to me in a logical way, like how to solve a math equation.

I took my time processing his words, feeling a bit unsure since he used the "L" word. Untouched ground lay between us, but he just took a very courageous first step, so now it's my turn.

"Are you asleep, then?" A hypothetical leap of faith.

"I feel alive." His heart began beating more quickly under my ear as though trying to convince me of his statement.

Mine started to match its pace, "Me too."

It's the truth. My entire body, though exhausted from days of endless stress and travel, was practically vibrating with subdued excitement. Sometime in between me waking up after having been shot to see him frantically trying to get me to heal myself so I wouldn't die in his arms and arriving at his family's home is when I started to feel it, in short flashes at first, but steadily rising in both strength and duration.

"This is…new."

I understand what he meant and completely agree. I'm nineteen years old and haven't lived anywhere except a college dorm and my parents' house. Hell, I've never even had a boyfriend. Here I am, though, laying atop a man that could shatter me to pieces with just a few words, if he so wished, and trusting him not to just so I can remain by his side. A bold and risky move, but one I made without a second thought and would do again in a heartbeat.

Fear crept up my spine and I didn't have it in me to bite back the words spilling from my lips, "Don't make me regret all this." They were demanding and powerful words, but the voice they left my lips with was terrified and sounded more like a desperate plea than anything else.

The soft touches against my thigh stopped and Sasuke became still beneath me for a moment before his arms slowly wrapped around me and he turned his body to the side so we could face one another like earlier in the night. Finally, we met one another's eye and he looked just as anxious as me, like he wanted to repeat my words back to me with the same meaning.

Slowly, the unsure emotions faded and all I could think was one sentence and I let it leave my mouth without resistance, "You make me happy, Sasuke."

He leaned forward and softly kissed me for a few moments before resting his forehead against mine and closing his eyes. I followed his lead, moving a bit closer when he pulled the blanket up over us, only to fall asleep soon after.