I'm back after 100 years! Sorry for the long hiatus, I've officially finished my final exams and am done studying! Hopefully I'll be able to finally wrap this fic up!

The cave was completely silent except for the water gently cascading from the waterfall into the pool. Sasuke had been wondering where the water at the top of the waterfall came from, but there was no way to get up there. He tried jumping with chakra-infused legs, but he always seemed to lose power halfway through and dropped back down like a stone. The waterfall was not that high up and he knew he could jump higher than that. He had also attempted to climb up the side of the rocks to no avail. There was simply no way up there so, Sasuke had put that curiosity to rest until a later opportunity arose.

There were things in this space that did not make any sense, things that did not adhere to the laws of nature or physics he was accustomed to.

Sakura stirred faintly nuzzling further into the sleeping bag for warmth next to him. He stared at her apprehensively, his heart suddenly in his throat. He had been laying there for the past few hours as she slept, trying to conceptualize what had happened from his fragmented memory. It has hazy at best and it did not help that he was overcome with an overwhelming need each time he tried to remember. He was a fool to try and assess the situation from a dispassionate perspective.

The Uchiha did not know what he was going to say to her when she wakes up. The room suddenly felt too small and he got up to get some fresh air. Air that was not filled with her scent, which was clouding his mind more than anything. And watching her sleeping face did not help matters one bit as it roused his memories, making him recall all the other faces she was making while he was on top of her naked form…

"Gah!" the involuntary sound escaped his lips before he could stop himself, his heart beating erratically out of pace.

This compelled him to his feet, retrieving his backpack. He needed something to distract him from his current predicament. He needed to take his frustrations out on something that wasn't a beautiful pink-haired Kunoichi.

~ Sakura ~

It was warm. A comfortable feeling enveloped Sakura as she slowly gained consciousness from the most amazing dream she had. Or perhaps she was still dreaming because she was definitely hearing the sound of a waterfall in the distance. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she found it quite odd, but she was too relaxed to care at that moment. Her mind was still filled with memories of the latest dream she had of Sasuke. A delicious warmth spread through her body at the recollection. It was by far the most realistic dream she had of him. The way his lips had dominated hers, his warm hands roaming all over her body. The overpowering pressure when he thrust into her wanting core-

A pleasant shiver went through her body at the thought of actually having Uchiha Sasuke inside her. His labored breathing as he moaned her name out of pure ecstasy, as though he had no control over his own voice. That was what ultimately made her come undone and succumb to the most amazing orgasm she'd ever had. She even felt the pain that she would expect to feel when losing her virginity. The feeling of being stretched impossibly by his hardness. It was an indescribable array of feelings.

Reflexively snuggling into the blanket to gain more comfort, Sakura's happy bubble was suddenly popped as she felt a strange ache. Eyes still shut, a frown adorned her delicate features. That's strange. Her muscles were sore and stiff as she stretched. She suddenly froze as an unfamiliar feeling of soreness between her legs made itself known. That was when emerald eyes snapped open and was met with an equally emerald glow as the cavern came into focus.

Sakura's mind started racing a million miles a minute. Where was she? Why was her body so sore, especially-

She gulped.

Especially...down there.

Sakura slowly sat up as an unfamiliar sleeping bag slipped off her form. She felt a sudden breeze as she realized that her clothes had been haphazardly put on her. Her chest bindings were pulled down to her waist and they were damp for some reason. Before she could give in to panic, Sakura took a deep breath in order to calm her rapidly beating heart.

She needed her calm, rational mind in order to assess the situation before jumping to conclusions. Closing her eyes, she tried to recall the last thing she remembered before waking up here. She had been on a mission. Yes. A mission to try and solve the mystery of the pink entity that made the nin go missing for a few days and, before being returned unharmed, having their memories wiped completely.

She was heading to the location with Team Kakashi and had entered the barrier in order to inspect the strange phenomenon. That was when she saw Sasuke standing close to that abandoned building. She felt another powerful jolt at the memory of feeling Sasuke against her, the immeasurable pleasure of being so close to him, the way he said her name, the unguarded and innocent look on his face…

Sakura shut her eyes and shook her head to get rid of the emotions threatening to overwhelm her rational mind. Now was not the time to reminisce.

'C'mon, Sakura! Think what happened next! Think!'

But there was nothing after that. She remembered the pink flash of light and then blackness. Then, there was-

'Sasuke'

Her memories were filled with an unnatural chill, an overwhelming pain, heat, the inability to breathe properly, followed by a wonderful warmth and then.

Sasuke.

Deep and unending waves of pleasure. She remembered being submerged in a cool body of water, it felt amazing. Then there was more pleasure. Sasuke's lips and hands over her body. The feeling of being filled intimately as he whispered her name in her ear. Some of these emotions she tried to recall seemed to hit her at the same time like a tidal wave. Her mind was completely overwhelmed by various emotions too complex to analyze with her hazy mind. She would have to figure things out as her memory slowly came back to her.

One thought took priority in the Kunoichi's mind at the present time and that was the physical evidence on her body that something did indeed happen to her. Someone had definitely touched her, undressed her and-

Sakura shut her eyes again, not wanting to even finish the thought. The question was, who? It couldn't be Sasuke, right? No, it couldn't be...

Wincing slightly, Sakura shakily got out of the sleeping bag and straightened up. For the first time since she gained consciousness, she had a proper look at her surroundings. She was in a cave of some sort. There was a pool with a beautiful waterfall. The cavern floor was covered with moss, but there was no other signs of foliage to speak of. The green crystals that adorned the cave walls and the pool were beautiful and mesmerizing to look at. In her studies, she had never come across such crystals before.

Sakura couldn't fathom why she felt the strangest sense of familiarity for the place. It was as if she had been here before. It was like deja vu. This place, strangely enough, felt like home. These crystals somehow gave her a sense of calm comfort. In reality, she should be terrified. Especially not knowing what had happened to her while she was unconscious. Yet, she felt relaxed and safe?

While straightening her clothes she took off her damp chest bindings with a deep blush. The discomfort between her legs was more prominent and felt sticky. She shuddered to think about anything that might send her into a panic. With a sigh of great relief she saw her backpack resting against the cavern wall. But quickly realized, upon further inspection, that someone had been in it. She always had a specific way in which she packed her things. This was for the very reason to detect if her bag had been tampered with when on a mission, as a safety precaution.

Sakura looked around for a sign of any life, any evidence of anyone else being here. The only proof that she was not alone was the unfamiliar sleeping bag she had woken up in. But there was no other hint of a person living here.

A sudden chill ran through her and she decided that she needed to change her clothes urgently. Hastily retrieving a scroll from her backpack, she took a deep breath ears straining for any evidence of another presence close by. It was silent except for the waterfall breaking the calm surface of the rock pool. Sakura quickly slipped her clothes off her pale form and headed to the pool to wash her body. The water was cool to the touch but not as cold as she had expected it to be. The bottom of the pond was smooth. It was deeper than she expected as her body was submerged up to her chest on her way towards the waterfall.

As the cool water roused her body from its lingering slumber, the emotion of panic she tried to keep at bay started to tingle as though being awoken by the splash of water drops from the waterfall. Her memory was still foggy but her body felt icky and she wanted to get rid of this feeling.

Placing the scroll upon a rock, she released its contents with a kai hand sign. Out popped a loofah and some odor-neutralizing soap she used exclusively for missions and she started scrubbing. Lathering her body with soap, taking care to be extra gentle between her legs. She winced slightly, the feeling of fear pooling in the depths of her stomach.

The rational side of her mind was fighting its irrational counterpart. Sure, it had won when her mind was a little foggy. But that was no longer the case.

Logically, she knew that she needed to clean up, change her clothes and prepare herself in order to explore this faintly familiar, yet unknown place. She knew she wasn't alone. Every instinct in her being screamed at her that she must be on high alert. She needed to be ready to face whatever awaited her. This was not the time to be afraid as it would merely cloud her usually sound judgement. A strength she prided herself on. She was trained by the Godaime herself and Sakura knew she could do this. She was not going to let this situation get the best of her, no matter what. She had been through rough times in the past and had come out on top despite them. Why would this particular situation be any different?

On the other hand, her less-logical, teenage-girl brain wanted to explode. She was now certain that someone had violated her body while she was unconscious. It couldn't have been Sasuke, could it? She didn't believe that he would do something like that while she was in such a state. Maybe the reports of Sasuke's strange disappearance were inaccurate and her mind is simply projecting his presence as a defense mechanism.

Another chill ran down her spine, a chill that had nothing to do with the cool water. As she finished scrubbing her body, Sakura left the pool and continued getting dressed as fast as she could.

She had no luxury of being distressed at the moment. She had to find out who else was here and confront them. Clenching her fists angrily, Sakura strapped her weapons pouch to her hips and headed towards a tunnel with a determined stride.

Regardless, whoever the hell they were, they were going to pay for taking advantage of her.

'CHA! We're gonna grind their bones into dust!' Inner Sakura seethed, and for once, Sakura had to agree with her inner's thoughts.

Whoever thought they could touch her and get away with it has got another thing coming.

~ Sasuke~

Thunk.

The cave was silent.

Thunk. Thunk.

Except for the occasional shuriken being thrown at a piece of bamboo. An out of breath Uchiha stood in the middle of the cavern, keeping his ears perked for the slightest of sounds. He was pretty sure that he would notice when Sakura had finally awoken. He was positive he would hear things being smashed along the way after the state in which he had left her in his sleeping bag. He knew he was a coward to have left her like that, but he honestly did not know how to handle such a situation.

Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.

This was not something he could fight his way out of. It was entirely his fault and if Sakura wanted to beat the shit out of him, then so be it. He deserved it. But if he could manage to delay that embarrassing confrontation for even a few more moments, he would do it. He knew it was inevitable that she would find him and when she did, he would take whatever punishment she threw at him.

Thunk. Thunk.

No matter what the situation, there was no excuse for doing what he did. He should have better control over himself. He thought he had better control over himself. Why couldn't he control himself! Dammit!

Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.

Sasuke gave a frustrated sigh as he ran out of shuriken again and went to retrieve the ones he'd thrown. But something made him pause. He'd heard a sound. Another sigh escaped his lips. It was the sound of footsteps. They were faint but he could hear them.

It was Sakura.

From what he could gather, she was slowly venturing forward, probably on high alert. Years of experience told him that the way in which she was moving revealed her intentions. It was like she didn't know what to expect, which was a normal reaction. She was in a place she had never seen before. It was strange, even though he they had not seen each other in nearly ten years, he would have expected her to go smashing through the place after regaining consciousness. She must have realized what had happened between them by now. He had expected her to act angry, not approach carefully like she was doing now.

This told Sasuke one of two things, that she was somehow okay with all of this (which is unlikely) or that she wasn't aware of the situation (more likely) and she didn't know who else was in the cave with her. The latter possibility made him feel like even more of an asshole. The latter couldn't be possible, could it? Her eyes were open when they-. She said his name, Goddammit! This new possibility made him sick to his stomach.

If he had been there when she awakened, she would have seen him, realized the situation, probably gotten shocked, embarrassed, pissed and then beat the shit out of him. But now she might be confused and possibly scared if his guess was right.

He could only imagine what was going through her mind at this moment if she was too delirious to realize that it was him and not some stranger who had violated her. He was an idiot.

Either way he looked at it, the sooner he confronted the pink-haired kunoichi, the better. Stowing away his weapons, he squared his shoulders as he faced the direction of her approaching steps. He took a deep breath as Sakura entered the cavern he was currently in.

As soon as she spotted him, she froze with kunai in hand. Emerald eyes met dark ones. He could see a myriad of emotions play across her pale features. First surprise then shock then confusion and, there it was, a slow realization and then horror.

"Sa-Sasuke?" Her voice was weak and the kunai slipped from her hand. Her other hand pressed against the cave wall to keep herself steady.

Unsure of what to do, Sasuke just stood there, trying to relax his posture to try and assure her that he meant her no harm.

' No harm, tch, yeah right. ' He thought bitterly.

"Is that really you?" She spoke again, in a clear yet fragile voice. He could tell from her body language and her voice that she was fighting very strong emotions. Hate? Anger? Sadness? He wasn't sure, maybe it was all of them.

"Yes" He said softly, realizing how unused his voice sounded.

"How is this possible? Wh-where are we?"

"I don't know."

Her breathing was shallow and uneven and he could sense the beginnings of a panic-attack. Her legs gave in and she slid down to the ground. Sasuke kept his distance, not wanting to make the situation any worse and to give her space.

"This is real" it wasn't a question.

"Yes" He answered anyway.

Her gaze traveled to where she had come from, from the waterfall cavern. "That was real"

"...Yes" he said softly, his earlier fears confirmed.

It took everything in Sasuke not to look away from her, to keep eye contact. He couldn't look away. He owed her that much at least. She didn't look away either, her emerald eyes grew wide and then a brilliant blush spread across her cheeks as realization hit. So many emotions displayed on her face, it was difficult to see which one was stronger.

"Oh, God." Sakura whispered, clutching her chest and bowing her head.

As a man of few words, Sasuke had no idea what to say. Nothing he said would really help the matter at all. Anything out of his mouth would simply be an excuse and he refused to hide behind excuses. He had already let his momentary cowardice take control once.

Sakura's breathing was shallow and uneven again, she was having difficulty processing this. And, of course, the vibrating feeling in his chest just had to start up at this exact moment. As though the situation wasn't tense enough. Sasuke's feet subconsciously moved towards the distressed kunoichi.

"Please, don't come any closer."

Sasuke froze again, not even aware that he had moved. This was dangerous. He could not get any closer to her in risk of doing something he knew he would regret.

"I-I just need some time to process t-this" She stammered.

The tension shattered.

Sasuke gave a nod, which he knew she couldn't see but it didn't matter, silently stepped past her and disappeared into the tunnel. He walked as fast as he could, trying to ignore the disappointment in his chest. What was he expecting? For her to fall into his arms, embrace him and tell him everything would be alright? Of course that wouldn't happen! Why would he even expect that. Being in this cave was really starting to get to him.

He had been prepared for her to shout at him and try to do him physical harm. Why was he so disturbed by her distraught appearance? Was he hoping for anger?

The quick answer was, yes. Because, he could handle anger any day of the week! He was accustomed to anger, rage and hate. Not sadness, confusion and hurt. The look on her face was unbearable. The Uchiha wandered deeper into the cave, trying to put as much distance between him and the girl- no, woman, who had been tormenting him in his dreams. And now she was here to torment him while he was awake, too. The world truly was cruel.

~Sakura's POV~

Tightly gripping the kunai in hand, the Kunoichi crept through the hallways of the cavern seemingly not knowing where she was going, yet, knowing exactly where she was going. It was a strange feeling, one she couldn't shake. The sense of familiarity she felt in the cave was unnerving, but she pushed it out of her mind to make room for more pressing matters. When she took a left could feel his presence. The effort to contain the panic in her chest kept her mind from thinking clearly. It had to be Sasuke. She could sense him. But she refrained from being hopeful because there was a possibility that it wasn't him. What had happened -ah- previously was not something Sasuke would just do.

'Oh, please, we haven't seen him in eight years and you think he will still be the same person? You're being so naive. ' her inner sneered. ' Did we even know him at all?'

She couldn't argue with that kind of logic and she knew that it is entirely possible for eight years in exile to completely change someone, especially at a crucial age Sasuke had been when he left the village. Deep down, she just didn't want to believe it. Part of her wished it was some stranger, some poor stupid motherfucker she was going to grind into mincemeat for touching her. Another part of her was desperately wishing it for it to be Sasuke. All these years of searching could be over and she could speak to him again, see his face. However, a tiny part of her mind was worried that the image she had of her Sasuke would be shattered along with long forgotten adolescent hopes and dreams. She knew she was overthinking, but she was having trouble processing all of this.

Sakura carefully advanced through the tunnels, until she felt a presence in the next cavern. Taking a deep breath, she entered the last cavern and found Sasuke standing there silently. She instantly knew it was him, those features, the hair, everything. It was unmistakably him. Unless she was hallucinating.

"Sa-Sasuke?" She whispered, the kunai slipping from her hand.

Her rational mind knew that she hadn't seen him in over eight years and yet he looked exactly like the image she had seen in her dreams. His dark hair almost reached his shoulders and shaded the left side of his handsome face. His jawline had developed but it didn't take away from his elegant features. He had gotten so tall. Even though he had a travelling cloak on, she could see that his shoulders had broadened and he was well built from years of training. Her eyes couldn't help but trail down his lithe form. She swallowed and their eyes met. Her chest hurt from her rapidly beating heart and all the emotions threatening to spill out. She didn't know what to feel at that moment. She was confused, happy, relieved, frustrated, angry, but mostly so confused.

"Is that really you?" She could hardly believe he was standing a few feet away from her, his face was an expressionless mask.

"Yes" The sound of his voice reverberated through her being, it was much deeper than she remembered.

"How is this possible? Wh-where are we?"

"I don't know."

It was like her mind was refusing to believe what she was seeing. Her world turned foggy and it was getting difficult to breathe. His imposing presence was making it difficult for her to breathe or think properly. She had lost feeling in her legs and could feel them giving out as she slid down to the ground.

"This is real"

"Yes"

'Then if this is real, then what happened before-' Inner Sakura didn't even have to finish that thought.

"That was real" she heard herself utter, she was starting to feel sick. This was too much to take in.

"...Yes" he said softly, but he might as well have shouted it. It would have had the same effect on her nerves.

She could not tear her eyes from his, they were searing, demanding her attention. It was like she was being irresistibly pulled into his dark gaze. The heat in her body was rising and a different type of pressure filled her. Her dream she had...wasn't a dream. It was real. Her and Sasuke, they...

"Oh, God." Sakura whispered, clutching her chest in fear of it bursting out of her chest.

In the midst of the chaos in her mind and heart she could feel a thin slither of arousal as the images came back to her, playing like a film in her mind, too vivid to ignore. Everything she had felt, 'dreamt' had really happened, every touch and every kiss. Sasuke's hands were on her body, his lips. He was inside her. A shiver went down her spine at the memory of the way he had said her name. This was way too much to take in, she needed to clear her head before she fainted.

She sensed movement from Sasuke as he approached her.

"Please, don't come any closer." she heard herself say before she could stop herself.

He froze.

"I-I just need some time to process t-this" Again, she had no control over her words as they spilled from her lips.

Sasuke swiftly moved past her without hesitation and Sakura almost called after him. Did she want him to leave? What if he disappeared again and left her alone. She had just found him. She struggled to utter a word as he left the cavern and was out of sight in an instant. Still trying to calm her breathing, Sakura got to her feet and shakily stowed her kunai away.

It was only after Sakura had calmed her breathing that her mind started clearing and she could start properly analyzing the situation. It seemed that the Godaime's reports were correct and Sasuke had disappeared the same way the scouts did. And if her speculation was correct, she had disappeared the same way. Yet she was certain that she and Sasuke were the only ones in this strange place. What was the difference between them and the scouts?

Did the scouts also end up in this place? Somehow she didn't think so. If the timeline was correct, Sasuke should have returned by now. There were too many holes in this story. She needed answers, and the only way she's going to get them is to talk to him . Sakura swallowed nervously, her heart giving a jolt. There was really no choice. She couldn't be entirely sure, but Sakura believed that they were the only ones here. She needed answers and from there on formulate a plan of action.

As a force of habit, the pinkette looked at her watch. Her eyes widened in surprise to see that it had fried. She tapped it a few times and realized that it was indeed broken. It was electronic, which gave her an indication that it might have fried because of the crystals' interference. This was just conjecture, of course. It was waterproof, so it couldn't have been the water.

Regardless, it was probably way past the time for her medication. After this whole ordeal, she must be running low on-

Emerald eyes widened as she froze. Was she really so preoccupied with everything that she didn't even fucking notice it? He heart skipped a beat. No way, was this even possible?

How long had she been without her medicine? She had to take chakra supplements every six hours or she wouldn't even be able to move at all. She would be dead in twelve. Yet, she felt stronger than she had felt in months. She could feel the chakra surging through her chakra network. More questions began crowding in her already busy mind.

It was time to get answers.

Taking a deep breath. Sakura squared her shoulders and headed down the tunnel from which the lone Uchiha had disappeared from.

'Well, this ought to be a lot of fun' inner Sakura grinned mischievously.

'Shut it' Sakura countered wearily.

She was definitely not looking forward to this confrontation, at all.

'Suuure. And the jolt of pleasure we just felt after just picturing that hot piece of ass was just my imagination.'

Sakura rolled her eyes and increased her pace, feeling heat travel to her cheeks. She couldn't afford to get lost in those thoughts right now. There were more pressing matters she needed to beat- ahem -get out of Uchiha Sasuke.