Chapter 25

Things were calm and quiet, as always, in the hospital wing of the Akatsuki hideout when no emergencies were taking place. 

While Sakura and Zetsu cleaned and polished all the surgical instruments, they didn't so much as spare one another a glance. It's not that they don't get along, though they don't interact much. It'd been a long day of patching gun and knife wounds, and both were exhausted. 

Sakura was unhappy. 

The man she loves has convinced himself he's personally responsible for every bad thing that's happened when, in fact, they share the blame. Because of this, he's cut her off almost completely. The only time he looks at her is when she's patching him up after his missions, and it's nearly awkward then. 

'It doesn't matter how much he pushes me away; I still love him,' she thought sadly. 

In her heart of hearts, she knew it was probably futile, but she hadn't given up hope that he'd hear her out and change his mind. For the first few days of them pretty much being broken up, the pink-haired woman was angry beyond belief. She was hurt and scared. 

Now she's just sad. 

Madara saw his distancing as a method of keeping her safe. He's doing it for her sake, which is why she's no longer pissed off. To Sakura, though, it just feels like abandonment, even if she knows better. 

The woman was lonely. She missed feeling his presence at her side. She missed how she'd wake up in his arms and feel like nothing in the world could harm her. More than anything, Sakura missed knowing for sure what Madara's physical and mental state were. Whether she's busy or not, she's worried about him every waking moment. 

Is he being shot at? What if the police catch him, and he's thrown in prison? Is he hurting as much as she is? 

Is he scared under all those layers of guard? 

Until she saw Madara almost burst into tears upon seeing her awake, Sakura didn't think he could make faces like that. The distress that bled from his pretty and dark eyes was gut-wrenching. Grief and angst made the man look older. He looked more human than ever before, which meant he was vulnerable not only to her but to everything else around him. 

'I'm a weakness for him. I know that now.' 

Sakura's eyes watered up as she dried a long scalpel. It's the most significant reason she backed off. If he kept witnessing her fear and need for him, he'd remain distracted and at risk of being caught off guard. 

'I'm a distraction.' 

Just as the Uchiha keeps his distance for her sake, she holds back for his. It'd be selfish to disregard his desires in such a dangerous environment.

Suddenly, gunshots could be heard upstairs. Sakura and Zetsu met one another's eyes before swiftly moving to stand on either side of the door, each with a weapon in hand. Kakuzu made them devise plans on what to do during certain scenarios, this being one. 

"Don't look for danger, but be proactive if you encounter it." Those were his monotone words of advice. Though maybe it was more of a warning that Akatsuki has zero tolerance for those who'd simply cower in fear. 

Either way, Sakura was scared. 

Zetsu didn't appear that way. His jaw was flexed, light brown eyes sharp, and focused on the door's handle. 

More gunshots came, this time closer, on the same floor as them. Her brow furrowed when Zetsu's gaze flicked up to meet hers, and he nodded toward the desk across the room with a frown. 

Tears welled in her eyes, 'He's telling me to hide. He'll take care of this if something happens because he knows I'm afraid.' Ashamed of her cowardice, Sakura crept toward the desk, creeping quietly. 

The door to the room opened, and she turned at the same time gunshots echoed off the walls. By the time she was facing that direction, Zetsu's body was on the ground, full of bullet holes. His blood had splattered messily around the room, including onto her. Scalpal in hand, she lifted her eyes to see a tall man with a black mask on, a rifle pointed at her. 

"Didn't expect to find a woman here." His voice was unfamiliar. 

Sakura visibly trembled, but the fear turned into something hotter as her gaze drifted down to Zetsu's body again. 'He tried to protect me.' Feeling the fear seep away, she glared at the gunman. 

He noticed the change in demeanor and threatened, "Put your hands behind your head nice and slow. Any sudden moves, and I'll kill you like I did your friend here." 

'I have a vest on. Madara made me promise to wear one every day. This man doesn't know that.' 

Teeth gritted angrily, Sakura's grip tightened around the scalpel. As the muzzle's flash blinded her, horrible pressure met her chest and stomach, and the sound deafened her ears. The woman disregarded it all and took the man to the ground. After burying the scalpel in his shoulder, a feral growl left her mouth as she hit him. 

Then again. 

And again. 

And again. 

And then Pein's voice suddenly pulled her from her enraged trance, "Stop now. We need him alive for interrogation." 

Green eyes shot up to see him and Madara standing there, both stunned. All the blood drained from her face as she realized what she'd done. Nauseous, she stood from the unconscious man and stepped away, wiping at the blood on her cheek with a shaking hand. 

Somewhat dazed, she managed to say, "He killed Zetsu." 

'I tried to kill him just now. What's gotten into me? I was so…angry! Oh, God….' 

Sakura wiped her blood-covered palms on the pants of her scrubs, turning to see Zetsu's body lying on the floor behind her. The woman's throat tightened to the point that she found it hard to breathe, tears rising so fast that it hurt to hold them back.

"Are you hurt?" 

Madara's hushed question nearly broke the seal on her composure. A tiny sound managed to escape. The woman panicked and shrugged, trying to come off unbothered to make up for the lapse. 

Goosebumps crawled up her arms as others arrived, and Pein began giving orders. The ginger-haired man's voice was calm, as though going over the itinerary for a vacation and not telling people to hide dead bodies and cover up murder. 

"Go patch her up. You might get her a drink as well." 

Sakura blinked back her heavy tears when she felt Madara gently guide her closer, "C'mon. You're alright." 

With a hung head, she kept her eyes low and allowed him to lead her out of the room, down the hall, through his bedroom, and into his bathroom, where he carefully lifted her to sit on the countertop. He disappeared momentarily, returning with a bottle of whiskey and handing it over before reaching atop the hung cabinets for the first aid kit. 

'I'm not even seriously hurt. Those gunshots are going to bruise, but other than that, it's just my knuckles that are scraped,' Sakura thought while tossing back a mouthful of the bitter drink. She didn't stop him, though. It was selfish, but this was the closest he'd gotten to her in weeks, and she didn't want to cut it short. 

Though that was true, things weren't awkward. As smooth as butter, Madara eased the woman's shirt off over her head, relief obvious on his features when he saw the bulletproof vest. He then helped her out of her ruined bottoms, too. They shared a quiet look before he removed the vest. Already, her pale skin was dusted with bruises that'd yet to darken fully. 

In her bra and underwear, she took another drink, eyes traveling over the Uchiha man's appearance as he wetted a rag in the sink and began cleaning the blood from her knuckles. Maybe it's because she just went through something terrible or because she's missed him like crazy. Either way, Sakura found it hard not to let her mind wander. 

"Are you alright?" He'd finished cleaning the injury and wrapping gauze around her hand, coming to stand between her legs so he could carefully start cleaning the blood splatter from her face and body. 

'God, he's too close….' Sakura thought panickedly. 

His body heat between her legs, so near but far away, made her pulse skyrocket. To distract herself from her heated thoughts, the woman took another drink. The whiskey's burn made her wince as she swallowed. 

Madara's dark eyes lifted to meet hers when she didn't verbally respond to his question. All within one second, he appeared to pick up on her current struggle and begin battling himself in the same regard. His gaze narrowed, burning hot into hers. 

When he spoke, his voice was quiet and deep, almost threatening, "You know I want to, Baby." 

'I know, but he's fighting it because he's punishing himself,' Sakura thought. 

She gritted her teeth to keep herself from saying the first thing that came to mind, which was to remind him for the millionth time that she made her own choices. 

His eyes darted to her lips and back up, making her stomach flutter and chest tingle with excitement. Without saying anything, he continued his actions, wiping blood off her face and arms. 

When he got to her neck, Sakura arched it to the side for him to have a better view, her messy ponytail falling to the side. Though her blood was boiling beneath her skin, Sakura shivered when he hesitantly continued, an angry expression on his handsome face. 

Madara stopped, taking the alcohol bottle from her and drinking a big mouthful before returning to his work. A minute passed with the sexual tension palpable in the silent room. 

Sakura couldn't tear her eyes from his face, completely entranced and waiting to see what he'd do. Obviously, his resolve was shaken, or else he wouldn't have taken that drink. He looked as though he was being tortured, too. 

Once finished with her neck, the Uchiha man moved to her chest, only to freeze. 

'That's it. I can't do this anymore,' the woman inwardly admitted. His name left her lips, making him meet her eye again. 

For a moment, neither moved, but then his lips were on hers, hands pulling her closer and working to unclasp her bra so it fell away. She fumbled to unbutton his shirt while pressing against him. Heavy, hurried breaths filled the air as they parted. Madara stepped back, rushedly removing her underwear before kissing her again, hands between them to unbutton and unzip his pants. 

A wholly desperate whine left Sakura as she clung to his shoulders, fingers tangled and tugging his hair as though he'd never be close enough for her satisfaction. Then Madara picked her up, sliding inside and turning to press her back against the opposite wall with his arms holding her bottom and her legs bent over them.

'I miss this. I miss him.' Their almost animalistic passion for one another is more addicting than nicotine to her, and she suspects he feels the same way. 

It wasn't possible to think straight as the man thrusted almost recklessly into her and held her gaze with a focused glare. Hushed moans and gasps left her each time she took him fully in, to the base of his cock. Her vision was hazy with lust. 

Sakura held his shoulders with a furrowed brow, unable to tear her eyes from his. Since she couldn't properly organize her thoughts past the stinging pleasure he bestowed upon her, she breathlessly spoke as though this wasn't out of the ordinary for them, "Harder!" 

A deep rumble left Madara's chest as he obliged, cursing softly, "Fuck, Sakura." 

Pressure built up between her legs, the soft moans becoming poorly muffled cries of pleasure until she finally climaxed. The man kissed her deeply to stop the louder moan from escaping, his throat vibrating as he, too, moaned, likely in response to her insides flexing uncontrollably around him. 

Moments later, Sakura returned to Earth and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, one hand coming up to tangle in his hair. 

Their chests pressed together as he gradually lost control of the tempo, only to meet his peak. When it was done, their kiss ended, and the pair looked at one another without moving from that position, both panting heavily. 

It was stupid. Sakura knew she was pushing her luck, but she didn't care. Hoping not to make a complete fool of herself, she whispered, "Again." 

Madara hardened inside her again, self-hate clear on his features, but he didn't argue. No, he kissed her again, taking on her weight to carry her into his bedroom to the bed.