Muffy's Version of a Blanket Fiction.

A kunai thunked into the ground.

"Naruto!" Sakura screamed into the uncaring night. "Naruto, where are you?"

Sasuke said nothing, instead concentrating on trying to find any trace of Naruto's chakra. Nothing. It was like he had vanished into thin air.

Kakashi had been disabled on a mission, with several kunaishattering his shin bone. Because the Leaf were so weak, Team 7 had still been sent to complete their mission. But somewhere amongst the snowy mountains, Naruto had managed to get himself lost. When the time came to meet up at the agreed spot, only two stood there.

Sakura drew in a large breath, puffing herself out. Sasuke turned to her, alarmed.

"No, don't – "

"NARUTO!"

Sakura laced her voice with chakra, strengthening it and causing it to bounce off the powdery cliff tops that surrounded them. The snow that had been wobbling so precariously up on the mountain decided to shut that girl up once and for all: It fell.

"Sakura?" Sasuke looked around the newly settled landscape. She should have been able to jump out of the way, same as him. Oh wait, this was Sakura. He squashed a little voice that insisted she was dead, telling it that she was far too tenacious to let herself die. He sighed, and began to search for her.

Half an hour later he had found her, half naked, safely lodged in a hollow trunk. The tree trunk had landed standing upright, so it was simply a matter of pulling her out of it. She was unconscious, hence not replying, and he was worried about the blueish tinge to her fingers. She would be unable to perform seals if she had to have those amputated. The fact that her face and toes could also suffer from frostbite did not worry him. Fingers were vital to a shinobi, and although toes were highly important, they could be replaced. Her face, he dismissed. It was not essential.

Really, why did he have to get such slow team-mates?

He picked her up (Inner Sakura would have had a field-day…if she was awake) and carried her to cave he had managed to locate. Having started a fire, and lain out his backpack (hers had been lost in the avalanche) he sat down and stared at her.

And stared.

And stared.

And shifted uncomfortably.

Sasuke, usually the most adaptive of ninjas, had no idea what to do. Sakura's red dress had been torn almost to shreds, her shoes were lost in the snow, and her black trousers now barely covered her thighs.

Should he strip her? A small metal image of Sakura punching him in the face, much as she did with Naruto, came to mind. Unlikely, as he could dodge her, unlike that dobe Naruto. Then another, far more frightening image, of her deciding this meant he wanted her and trying to strip him assailed him.

Right, clothing was staying on.

But she would freeze without proper clothing on. He pulled a blanket out of his backpack, and paused, wondering if he should wrap her. Wouldn't that just trap the dampness?

He wished she'd just wake up. He grabbed her hands and started to rub them, drawing her so close to the fire that she was nearly in it. He breathed on her fingers, wishing there was some kind of jutsu to warm people up.

'Mmm, it feels so warm. Someone's holding my hands…did they just kiss them!' Sakura opened her eyes, only to find herself snuggled up against a Sasuke who was – holding her hands!

Kyaaa! Inner Sakura sprang to life happily. He must have been the one kissing them! Was he taking advantage of me? Yay!

"Sasuke-kun?" Sasuke jumped, and dropped her hands like hot lead. But that didn't matter, she'd seen his moment of tenderness, he must have been worried about her! And…torn her clothing? She was suddenly aware of the state of her outfit, and gave a cry of dismay. "It's ruined!"

"The avalanche did it." Sasuke was quick to reassure her.

Sakura didn't know whether to be relieved or disappointed.

"Here." Sasuke held out the blanket, carefully not looking at her. "This should keep you warm."

"Ah, thank you Sasuke-kun." Sakura said awkwardly. He just continued to stare at some point off to the right. Was she meant to – in front of – did he want her to – EEK! "Ah…Sasuke-kun?"

"I'll be outside." Sasuke rose and power-walked stiffly into the snow.

"Dammit!" Inner Sakura swore.

Sakura, beet red, quickly peeled off her ruined clothing, and wrapped herself up. Sasuke was still outside, and had started hunting for food. Presumably. In actual fact, he was busy trying to control his body.

"A ninja is always in control of his body!" He told himself sternly, but it was no use. Something had happened to it, and it was jumping around, screaming that he go back in there and take Sakura, rip that stupid blanket off, push her against a wall and – "Bah!" He muttered blushingly, before immersing himself deeper into the snow.

Chapter Two

"Sasuke-kun?" A voice drifted into his conscious, tugging at him from his wonderfully warm dreams of soft arms and wet lips. "Sasuke-kun!"

"Nrrrgh?"

"Sasuke-kun! Wake up! Sasuke-kun, please, are you okay?" Warm hands touched his face, dragging him towards a burning light.

"S-Sakura?" Sasuke managed to croak. What had happened?

"Sasuke-kun, you fell asleep in the snow!"

How was that possible? As if he would ever go out in the snow in a snow storm! Except…it hadn't been snowing before, and he'd been trying to get away from…

"Sasuke-kun, are you okay? Are you feeling feverish? You've gone all red. Here, have this." And without thinking Sakura pulled the blanket wrapped around her off, and handed it to Sasuke.

It is, perhaps, completely irrelevant that Sakura was kneeling next to Sasuke's head, and Sasuke had at that precise moment turned to face her. All that matter was that Sasuke knew, without a doubt, that Sakura was a natural pink.

Two identical screams rent the night air.

Sasuke hunched over the fire, trying to ignore the fact that the left side of his face ached. He rubbed it tentatively. Sakura sure did have a mean right hook. 'No!' He mentally commanded himself, 'Do not think about Sakura. Think about revenge! Yes, revenge on Itachi, that damned bastard. Revenge is what I'm all about! Revenge, revenge, revenge.' He pictured Itachi's hateful red eyes, his tired face and his body swathed in cloth. Yes, his deceitful brother, who he had sworn that he would one day kill! But, against his will, his mental image of Itachi suddenly morphed into a present-day Sakura 16 years old kneeling before him, completely naked.

"GAH!" He shouted, and tried desperately to think of revenge. Nope, mental naked Sakura was still there, only she was now crawling over a mental naked Sasuke, and where was her tongue going on God no, no, ninja must always be in control no emotion what the hell was happening to his body!

Meanwhile, in a different section of the cave, Sakura had taken back her (well, technically, Sasuke's) blanket, and was trying to ignore the fact that behind her a naked Sasuke was shouting at the fire. It was, after all, none of her business.

I saw Sasuke-kun naked! The first man I've ever seen naked! He was my first! That time with Naruto coming into the girl's bath doesn't count, Sasuke I saw for much longer! I've seen him naked! We're meant to be! He's seen ME naked! I must be the first girl he's ever seen naked, expect for his mother, but kyaaa!

'Ino-pig's gonna kill me if she knows I've seen Sasuke naked.' Mental anguish fought to drown out inner-Sakura.

He loves me!

'You hit him.' The mental anguish groaned.

"Ah, Sasuke-kun." Sakura said tentatively, still with her back to him, "Do you have any spare clothes in your back-pack?"

'Of course!' Sasuke gave himself a mental head-slap. 'How could I have forgotten?' His body reminded him he had had other things to deal with. 'Shut up, you.' He told it.

He rooted through his backpack, and found a pair of boxers. He pulled it out and, still blushing slightly, handed it to Sakura. Of course, this involved reaching over her back and him brushing against – 'don't think about it!' he commanded. 'Don't think about what you're touching! Give her the boxers! Release them and move away!'

"Ah, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura tugged. "Could you please let go of the boxers?"

"Tch." He finally managed to ease his grip on them, and skulked back to the fire.

Sakura stared at the underwear in her hands. 'Of course Sasuke wouldn't have a bra.' She chided herself, 'Why would he? He's a guy!'

All guy! All male! So very, very male! Inner-Sakura screamed.

'Silence you.' Sakura ordered.

A few moments later, she thought she was going to have a nosebleed.

She, Haruno Sakura, was wearing Sasuke's boxers. She had fashioned the blanket around her chest in a sort of loin-cloth style fashion, and looked pretty decent, she thought, considering what she had to work with.

But she was wearing Sasuke's underwear. Vivid, painfully accurate imagery flooded her mind, and she felt that if she were any more red she could have started a fire.

But…if she was wearing Sasuke's underwear, and she had the blanket…what was Sasuke going to wear? His clothing was soaked, and he would freeze during the night unless he had some kind of protection. Sakura bit her lip, worried.

Sasuke had just reached the same conclusion as her: unless he had something warm, he was so very, very screwed. The fire wasn't going to burn for much longer, and with the storm raging outside the cave's protection, neither of them could last for very long. He sent a burst of chakra through his system to try and keep himself warm, but it wasn't going to work forever. He sighed deeply as he accepted that there was only one semi-viable option.

"Sakura, we're going to have to sleep together."

Chapter Three

Inner-Sakura had fainted. Outer-Sakura wasn't too far off that point either.

"S-S-Sasuke-kun?"

"To keep warm." He said, his face too-still.

"But-but Sasuke-kun…I mean, I never would have…I need time to…that is…" Sakura's face was a deep crimson hue. At this point, Sasuke's features could have been carved in stone.

"What are you doing!" Inner-Sakura was re-awoken by her alter-ego's travesty. "Sasuke-kun is asking us to revive his clan with him! He had realised just how much we love him, and has decided to return our love in the only way he knows how! HURRY UP AND AGREE DAMMIT!"

"If…if it's what you want." Sakura said eventually, convinced she would soon wake up and discover it was all a hormone-induced fantasy.

Sasuke took a deep breath. He was going to have to be a professional about this. He was a ninja, and ninja's killed their emotions and did what had to be done. They are stone, ice, cold as the deepest winter night. They most certainly did not blush like schoolgirls and want to giggle madly. Therefore he was not going to give in to either of those urges.

Okay, so maybe he blushed a bit. But that was because of the heat. Or cold. Or something.

Definitely not because he had a naked girl pressed up against him.

Sakura lay down next to Sasuke, and unwound the blanket she was wearing to cover both of them. They both lay on their backs, staring at the ceiling with determined concentration.

'Is he going to…should he…am I meant to…eek!" Sakura's mind was in turmoil as she considered the ethical repercussions of what she was sure was going to happen. Sasuke had said he was going to sleep with her, and from what she had learnt from Ino that meant he was going to try and take advantage of her in her sleep! Not that she minded being taken advantage of by Sasuke, but still…what was she meant to do? Should she adopt a silky voice and say something cool and seductive like 'Now we're alone, Sasuke-kun…' No, she would never be able to pull it off! Maybe innocent little girl, and 'accidentally' touch him? Sakura blushed even deeper at the thought. Although she had always dreamt of being Sasuke's wife, she had never actually thought past the wedding, and was not prepared for…well, for Sasuke to be so very male. In her dreams he had always known exactly what to do, and had taken control, whereas now he was just lying there and being unco-operative, like normal.

Sakura yawned, exhausted by all her stress. It had been a very long day, and Sasuke's back (now he had rolled away so his back was to her) was so very warm…

Sasuke was busy trying to stop certain body parts from going insane. He needed to calm himself down, or else he would never be able to sleep. Normally his 'problem' would go away if he ignored it, but it didn't appear to be going away any time soon, constantly stimulated by Sakura's naked presence as it was.

Sakura gave a deep sigh next to him, and rolled over, pressing herself against him. Something that was at once both soft and hard brushed against his back.

Was she...could she be…asleep! Sasuke blinked in disbelief. He had been sure that she would do something odd and try to … well, he wasn't quite sure what he had expected her to do, but fall asleep was not one of them! Could it possibly be that she had finally gotten over her crush on him?

Sasuke expected to feel relief, but instead he felt only resentment. Did this mean that she wasn't going to try and help him anymore? Sure, her feeble attempts had been somewhat annoying, but it had been comforting all the same to have someone who cared about him, and was willing to show it. Who had she fallen for now? Not Naruto, that was for sure, she still shouted at him the same as normal. The green guy, fuzzy-eyebrows? The red-head demon boy, Gaara? Gaara had been talking an awful lot about finding love to heal something lately. He had seen her talking to Neji a few times, although Sasuke wasn't sure if the fate-obsessed man was capable of emotion. And that bug-boy had shown her a few 'techniques'. Hell, even Kakashi had requested she come visit him in the hospital! The problem was that too many men surrounded her life – he could never remember which ones where in love with her or not. Would she follow her new 'love' in the same manner she had followed him for all those years? Ever since they had been children she had devoted herself to him, he couldn't imagine her spending that kind of energy on anybody else.

Against all his better judgement, Uchiha Sasuke had grown used to Sakura's love. Had come to expected it, and rely upon it. Maybe even like it a little. It is human nature, after all, to habituate to constant events.

Now he came to think of it, Sakura had been paying less attention to him lately. Even when they had both been naked, she had reacted only with embarrassment, and had distanced herself from him.

God, was he actually disappointed that she hadn't tried anything?

Sakura gave another sigh, and pressed herself against the warmest object around her in her sleep.

Sasuke felt the blood drain out of his face. He suddenly realised what the objects against his back were.

Somewhere along the line, Sakura had gained the 'proportions' she had so desperately wished for as a child.

Without stopping to think it through, Sasuke glanced over his shoulder at Sakura's sleeping form. His teenage gaze passed right over her peaceful face, didn't go as far as her painted toes, but rather stayed fixated on Sakura's breasts.

"God." A part of his mind whispered. "God."

Before he had been too busy doing things to pay attention to details, but now in the silence of the night his brain shut down, and refused to move.

Finally he realised he was staring at Sakura's breasts. Sakura, who trusted him to always be the strong and good guy for her. Sakura, who he had known since she was a tiny toddler. Sakura, who had a body to die for.

"No!" He muttered, squeezing his eyes shut. He did not need to get emotionally involved with Sakura, or anyone. They would only be in danger. He had decided he would never put anyone through the pain he had been, that he would never… um…

Wait, what was that tattoo between her breasts?

Sasuke rolled over to face Sakura in order to get a better view. It looked like a seal of some sort. He frowned, activating his Sharigan in order to better study the odd tattoo. He scanned his memories, but nothing came to light. Had Sakura … had she also been cursed, like he had three years ago? Had she been hiding her pain from him, and probably Naruto as well. But who would put the seal there? Who had dared to touch her in such a private place! Sasuke felt power surge through him at the thought of someone forcing themselves upon Sakura and destroying her life by putting some sort of seal on her. Was that why she had been distant lately? Had she been attempting to … well, he didn't know what she was doing, but he was going to get the truth out of her!

"Sakura." Sasuke said, poking her. "Wake up."

Sakura slowly opened sleep-deadened eyes. "What is it Sasuke-kun?" She asked in a rough voice.

"What is this?" He asked, and placed his finger on the seal. "Did someone do this to you?" His eyes flashed red for a moment "Did someone touch you?"

Sakura stared at him, and blinked. Sasuke's hands were between her breasts. He was sounding possessive and rough and manly and everything she had always dreamt he would be to her.

Therefore, she reasoned, she must be dreaming. She placed her hand over his, and pressed it against her harder.

"Realistic…" she murmured. She looked back up at Sasuke, his eyes wide at her boldness. She gave a sleepy grin, and leaned forward. "I usually have nightmares. I think I prefer this dream." And with that, she planted a kiss against his lips.

"…"

"…"

Sakura pulled away slowly, her eyes the size of bowls, her breathing suddenly speeding up to ten times faster than normal.

"This…this isn't a dream." She said in a horrified voice.

Sasuke still didn't say anything. The kiss she had given him had been far different from that accidental smashing of faces he had had from Naruto on their first day as a team. It had been warm, teasingly light and soft, and his lips now felt cold and tingly. He resisted the urge to touch them, sure that they would feel different. They felt super-sensitive, and throbbed, almost as if he were injured.

"Sakura…"

But she was backing away quickly, arms over her breasts. "I'm sorry Sasuke-kun." She muttered, hoping that he wouldn't hate her and retire into his cold shell, like he had last time she had tried to kiss him.

"Sakura, what is that seal?" He put away his confusing feelings that had once again stirred at the sight of her naked and vulnerable, and decided to focus on the potential danger.

Sakura looked down at the mark, and blushed even harder when she saw what he was pointing at. "It's…it's a woman-thing." Sakura said, hoping that that would put him off.

"Sakura." Sasuke said, a frown gathering on his brows, "Tell me the truth. Who did that to you?"

"…Tsunade-sensei." Sakura mumbled, ashamed.

A flash of white light blinded Sasuke for a moment, and when he could see again he had Sakura gathered in his arms and pulled tightly against him.

He had always known there was something suspicious about that woman! The way she had her breasts on display all the time, the fact that she had chosen Sakura, the prettiest kunochi, as her personal student, the fact that she called Sakura at all times of the night, her resentment when Sasuke himself had returned and re-established his friendship, or relationship, or whatever the hell it was he had with Sakura and stopped Sakura from being with her, why she had been a team-mate with Orochimaru and judging from the number of times Orochimaru had cracked onto him he was one twisted individual so maybe that meant that the old woman had a thing for young girls with large breasts like Sakura and her sweetness and strawberries and…

Wait…that didn't make any sense.

He loosened his hold on Sakura, allowing her to breathe.

"The Hokage?" He asked, confused.

"Ah, well, Sasuke-kun…when a girl reaches a certain age…it would be highly inconvenient for a kunochi to fall pregnant during a long mission, and so Tsunade-sensei developed a type of seal that stopped … well, you know how ninjas are highly sensitive to the smell of blood? And how kunochi must always be in control of their emotions? Basically, this seal…you know. Stops ovulating." Sakura looked at Sasuke with pleading eyes, begging him to stop her embarrassed ramblings.

But Sasuke had nothing to say. He was suffering from Too Much Informationitis, a problem which he had never had to suffer from and thus fearful in its paralysis. Well, except for that time Naruto had started telling him what was in his toilet after he drank some bad milk, but Sasuke had quickly beaten Naruto up, and thus stopped TMItis.

Silence descended upon the ill-fated ninjas.

Sakura squirmed slightly, still pressed tight against Sasuke.

"S-Sa-Sakura!" Sasuke gasped, his voice rising to a squeak.

"Something's pressing into me." Sakura muttered as way of explanation.

"Do-don't do that again." Sasuke said in the same high voice. Sakura looked up into his face with dawning comprehension, and then glanced down to see what was sticking into her.

"AARGH!" She screamed, and started to wriggle desperately.

"No! Don't! Stop moving, stop, stop oh god please keep moving like that." Sasuke's voice still refused to behave as his grasp on Sakura involuntarily tightened.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura wheezed, still feebly spasming. "I need air!"

"No you don't. You need to wriggle." Sasuke muttered, continuing to hold on.

"How can I wriggle if I pass out?"

Sasuke reluctantly loosened his grip on her – just a little.

Sakura took a deep breathe, and Sasuke felt his self-control slip again. Gone where the thoughts of revenge, gone where the thoughts of never allowing himself to love again, protecting Sakura from the enemies that would come after her if they knew he loved her and gone was the law of never trusting. He had been trusting Team 7 for years, and Sakura, Naruto and Kakashi had worked together to pull him out of the deep depression that he had been in after the slaughter of his clan. Sakura was perfectly capable of protecting herself, and besides…

It was too late for him to tell himself not to fall in love with her.

Funny how it took a very naked Sakura pressed up against him for him to realise what he had, and how unwilling he was to let her go. She had always been there for him, always there to water his skin with tears and bring him light with a smile. Somewhere along the line he had started daydreaming about what it would be like to not have to leave Konoha, to not have to go and give his soul to the devil for a chance at revenge.

He had come so close to telling her about his half-formed dreams the day he left the village, but instead had only told her part of it, that he had thought of staying. When he had finally been dragged back by a heart-broken Sakura and a betrayed Naruto, he had refused to elaborate on his cryptic words.

"Sakura…" he said quietly. She shivered slightly, as she always did whenever he said her name. A silence ensued, but Sasuke didn't know how to break it. He had never been one to wind people 'round his finger with his words, and describing an emotion he had thought long dead was something that would leave even the most eloquent of poets stumped.

So, instead, he told her only what was most important to him.

"Thank you."

And tilting her head up he gave her what she had so badly wanted on their first day together as Genin, what she fantasised about every time she saw him lick his lips, and what he had wanted to do for far too long.

It wasn't perfect, because these things never are, and neither had very good experience. She lifted her head too fast and he lowered his too slow and they ended up bumping heads.

"Ow!" Sakura cried, her hand catching Sasuke's chin when she tried to rub her forehead.

"Hey!" Sasuke shouted, trying to kiss her again and instead managing to get his lips bitten when Sakura started to apologise for hitting him.

"I'm sorry!" She cried, as he lost his balance and landed on top of her.

"Sakura!" Sasuke growled, grabbing her hands. "Stop moving!"

"Oka-" He finally managed to shut her up with his mouth.

"Stop talking." He ordered when he pulled away, before swooping down and kissing her again. His lips felt cold when he pulled away, and both he and Sakura were having trouble breathing. Sasuke realised that his hand had moved from holding her still to her breasts.

"Sasuke-kun…" She whispered, her voice hitching on the 'kun'.

It took about five minutes before Sakura discovered that Sasuke would squeal like a little girl if she nibbled his earlobes, and Sasuke six minutes to get his revenge by learning that Sakura melted if he kissed her neck.

Her nails scraped against his back, his fingers kneaded at her stomach as they slowly worked their way to heaven. Scrapes and bruises were ignored as Sasuke lifted Sakura up and slammed her against the wall and Sakura tried to keep her balance by wrapping her legs around his waist.

They were moving too fast to think, thinking had gone out the window in the first few seconds anyway. Blessed with nearly no clothes to get rid of it wasn't long before Sasuke had Sakura back on her back, realising that her girl mangas had lied to her – there was no pain, just a slightly uncomfortable sensation as she stretched to accommodate her Sasuke. Years of hard physical training meant that they were both in excellent shape and although it wasn't perfect (Sasuke discovering that when it came to Sakura's mewling he had nearly no stamina and Sakura accidentally drawing blood when she bit down on Sasuke's hand as she came) it was wonder for both of them.

Sasuke and Sakura were both Chuunin of the Hidden Leaf Village, renowned for its excellent ninjas. They had skill, flexibility, imagination, stamina, power and resilience. And these were two naked and very in love teenagers.

The next day they were awoken by many Narutos' cries, and although Naruto never quite recovered from the shock of seeing a tousled Sakura hiding behind a naked Sasuke, the broken bones he received when he admitted that he had spent the night at a super-cheap ramen stand quickly healed.

The story didn't end there either. They went on to do many more missions and quickly became renowned not only for their individual skills and humanity, but also because of their outstanding teamwork. And all the little girls in the village for generations to come would cast their eyes at the skilled and beautiful boys in their classes, and remember the story of Sakura: the woman made strong by her determination to be worthy of love, and Sasuke: the man saved by constant, confused, and heart-felt love.

And Naruto: the number one loud-mouth drop-out who grew to become Hokage.