Sasuke swam toward consciousness slowly, rising through levels of awareness at a glacial pace.

Morning birdsong, the gurgling water in the onsen, and the chime of garden bells stirred him from his sleep. The sounds filled him with a profound sense of serenity and his lips lifted. A thrill rippled in his chest when he heard a familiar, breathy chuckle.

His hair tickled as it brushed against his cheeks and forehead. The faintest contact glanced across his face—ginger caresses that soon became firmer, bolder. Hands cupped his cheeks, tilting his face to feel the summery kiss of the sun.

Light glowed red on the back of his eyelids and Sasuke felt the urge to open them, to see the face he sensed lingering above his own. They felt sealed shut, however, weighing thousands of pounds each. With a heroic effort, Sasuke broke the spell that nailed his eyes closed. He blinked, adjusting to the dazzling sunlight.

Nothing. Did I imagine it all? Am I still dreaming?

"Sakura?"

"Oh! You're awake."

Sasuke inclined his head. She set down her book and rose from a chair on the opposite side of the room.

She couldn't have gotten there in the few seconds it took to open my eyes, could she?

Pressing her glowing hands to his shoulder and chest, Sakura nodded absently and Sasuke took it as a sign that the poisoned wound he'd sustained was healing.

"Feeling better?" she asked as her fingers slid across his temple to tuck unruly hair behind his ear. Sasuke barely suppressed a shiver when her hand lingered, tracing the line of his jaw to his chin. She smiled brightly. All he could manage was a mute nod in return.

The movement of his head in her hand seemed to abruptly change Sakura's mood. "You must be hungry," she said, standing crisply. With stiff, purposeful strides, she retrieved the menu from the table. "I thought maybe you'd want something hot to eat today, so I waited for you. Do you want to look at this?" Sakura held out the menu for less than a second before snatching it back. "Oh! You probably want to take a shower first, right? Sorry. Go ahead. I'll wait." She scurried back to the chair and buried her nose in her book.

Sasuke sat up and stared. What did I do to drive her away? He frowned, wondering if he'd ever be able to push down his feelings far enough to make Sakura comfortable. He took a deep breath. Maybe honesty was the best option. He would tell her how he felt, say he knew she didn't feel the same, and explain how he would work hard at making her feel at ease around him.

Just the idea of beginning that conversation made him nauseous.

His eyes returned to Sakura, hiding behind her book. She was his friend first—he smiled at the thought. That had to be enough for now. As he watched, the book Sakura held in front of her face began to slowly drift down. When it finally sank low enough to expose her eyes, Sasuke watched them fly open, her face redden, and the book lurch back up to cover her.

Shock ran down to his toes. Did she just…blush? Hope clutched his heart, but he tempered it immediately. He was reading too much into her actions. Sasuke resolved to watch her more carefully. After all, he would have all day alone with Sakura to figure this out.

Blinking at the darkened ceiling, Sasuke shifted yet again. He closed his eyes and willed himself to sleep. Nothing. He couldn't stop thinking…

He'd spent all day watching Sakura and she hadn't frowned at all. In fact, she'd smiled at him more in this one day than she had during the entire mission.

Slow down, moron. Lack of frowning is not a sign that she cares. But what started as a small buzz in his chest, increased to a tingling as the day went on.

The sound of his hair brushing against the pillowcase seemed abnormally loud as he turned his head in her direction. Sakura's face, relaxed in sleep, was beautiful. His fingertips felt drawn to her cheekbones by an irresistible force, but he held them in check by fisting them tightly. Sasuke's eyes were locked on his goal—the pout of her full mouth. They occasionally flicked to her eyes which were closed in slumber each time he checked.

Until now.

"Hey, you're up, too? I can't seem to fall asleep."

Panicked that he'd been caught looking, Sasuke could barely grunt in response.

"I guess we both slept way too much the other day, huh?" She flipped onto her back. "I hate when I get like this. Sometimes, when I've been working late, my body clock gets all out of whack and I end up staring out my bedroom window for hours."

As Sasuke made a mental note to wander by Sakura's bedroom window more often, he smirked at her tendency to chatter. Although her babbling was comforting—this was a side of Sakura he'd known for years—it didn't stop him from dreaming of all the wicked ways he would keep her quiet. She turned again and her shoulder pressed firmly against his. Sasuke stayed very still, hoping she wouldn't move away.

"Sometimes I don't know how to shut my brain off, you know? It just keeps going and going. Like now…I keep wondering, are we done with this mission? Did we get all the scrolls? Are more reinforcements coming? Are Naruto and Sai okay on their own out there?"

Sasuke snorted. "Those two idiots are never okay on their own." Sakura chuckled gleefully and his chest swelled—he'd made her laugh. "Makes me wonder how they're managing to room without one of us watching their stupid backs."

She groaned. "Rooming with those two is such a nightmare. Naruto's fine when he's awake, but when he's asleep? Ugh. I need to ask Tsunade to have a talk with him about his diet."

Now it was Sasuke's turn to chuckle. "I grab a futon and head for the roof," he said as he shifted an inch closer.

"I should've thought of the roof! I usually hide in the bathroom. So smart, Sasuke-kun." He glowed at her compliment. "But Sai is worse," she said as a scowl twisted her face and she folded her arms across her chest.

"Why?"

"Because he…he just is."

Alarm bells went off in Sasuke's head. He knew how Sai's hormones ran amok. If that moron did something to Sakura… He leaned up on his elbow. "What'd he do?"

"He…doesn't knock."

They all knew Sai was rude. This wasn't news. The fact that he didn't knock shouldn't make Sakura so angry…unless…

"He didn't see you, did he?" Sasuke barely managed to choke out. The tightening of her arms around her chest and the indignant curl of her lip told him that Sai had seen her—he swallowed hard—naked.

"Jerk," she grumbled. "Says now he understands why…" She glanced quickly at Sasuke, flushed, and looked away.

"Why what?"

She was silent for almost half a minute before sighing. "He says I'm small."

So what? was his first thought. Sakura's shorter than me. And Naruto. And Sai. But…she's a girl. Most women don't grow this tall. Why should she care? He didn't get it.

"Small?"

Fiery eyes met his, but they immediately softened at his confusion. "Small here," she said as she dropped her eyes pointedly to her folded arms.

Sasuke's eyes followed hers to her tightly pressed cleavage. His face felt like he'd been scorched by a Katon and his eyes snapped back to Sakura's. She turned her face away from his, her cheeks rosy as she bit her lip.

"Anyway, he's—"

"An idiot." Sasuke found his voice when he realized Sai had hurt her feelings. "An idiot who needs a lesson in manners."

As soon as I get my full strength back, I'll crush that moron with my bare hands, have Sakura heal him, and then I'll crush him again. Afterward, I'll make him relive it for a few days with Tsukuyomi. He smirked, thinking how much he'd enjoy that.

Sakura reddened further, but smiled and uncrossed her arms. Sasuke sank back to his pillow, his hand tucked comfortably behind his head. As their conversation lulled, his eyelids began to sink.

"Night, Sasuke."

"Night."

The gentle bubble and splash of the onsen and the warmth of Sakura near him was hypnotic. Several minutes of silence passed as he sank deeper into sleep.

"Sasuke-kun." A whisper so faint he could barely hear it. "You're a much better roommate."

Sasuke thought that strength would never come back to his body. He tried without success to hold back another jaw-cracking yawn. Rubbing at his eyes, he glanced at Sakura curled up on the couch. Blue Mushrooms and Solar Grass was embossed in gold across the cover of the book she was glued to.

"Why don't you take a nap?"

Another yawn overpowered him as he shook his head. "I'm tired of sleeping."

Sakura laid the book across her lap as she looked at him. "I told you that poison had a sedative component. It'll pass in another day or two, but in the meantime, you're going to be tired. Take a nap."

"It's too late for a nap," he said, running his hands over his face to fight the fatigue.

Shaking her head, Sakura grinned and went back to her book.

Sasuke's eyes slipped in and out of focus as he stared at her. The depression he'd felt before melted with every smile Sakura sent his way. He wasn't exactly sure if she wanted him like she used to, but at least he was sure she was happy to be around him. A lazy smile curled his lips as he thought, I can work with that.

As he stared, Sakura's tongue slipped between her lips, wetting a finger to turn a page. Sasuke shuddered with desire, dreaming of how that tongue would flick and swirl across his skin.

Do it again, he thought, hoping to will her into action.

Do it again.

"Do it again."

"Do what again?"

Reality slapped him hard and Sasuke's eyes went wide. I said that out loud?

"Nothing. I don't know. I'm tired."

She looked at him skeptically, so he threw his arms above his head, faking a yawn. Sasuke winced as a sharp pain jabbed his shoulder.

"What's wrong?" she asked, tucking a marker in her book, her face scrunching in concern.

Sasuke squeezed his bicep. "My muscles ache. Is that from the poison?"

Sakura held her hand over his shoulder. He could feel the radiating warmth of her healing jutsu through the curve of muscle.

"Nope. This is from inactivity. Your body's not used to being inactive."

He grunted as she kneaded the back of his neck.

"If you're that sore, you should try the onsen."

Her fingers trailed down his back, rubbing circles between his shoulder blades. Sasuke's spine curved into her touch, aroused. She was so close. He turned his head slightly, his eyes meeting hers as goosebumps fanned out across his back. Was she equally electrified? He needed to find out.

"Sakura." His voice was heavy with yearning.

She stopped immediately, retreating to the couch. Sakura snatched her book from the table and buried her face.

"You should go. T-to the onsen. It really helps."

Sasuke wanted to see her face, wanted to know what she was feeling. Was she feeling the same excitement he was? But she'd propped Blue Mushrooms and Solar Grass up so high, he could barely see her hair poking over the top.

"Okay. I will," he said with a sigh as he shuffled off to shower first.

A small towel wrapped around his hips, Sasuke entered the onsen area from a door off the bathroom. With his Sharingan, he made sure he was completely alone, except for Sakura's tightly-compacted energy swirling behind the main shoji.

Still reading. His bare feet padded across the cool, stone floor.

The summer night air buzzed with the peaceful chirrup of crickets. Sasuke set a yukata near the edge of the pool and looked out at the horizon. Far beyond the tree line, he saw a flash and several seconds later, heard the rumble of distant thunder.

It's going to rain tonight, he thought absently as he dropped his towel. The glow of fireflies, made hazy by rising spirals of steam, dotted the dark sky as he stepped in.

Sighing as he slid into the steaming water, Sasuke had to admit that Sakura was right—the heat seeped profoundly into his body, relaxing away the pain. He felt enveloped, cocooned in caressing waves. Eyes drooping, he dipped his mouth beneath the surface and hummed in relief, his breath bubbling the water.

Once warmed, he stretched out his leg experimentally. The extension loosened the bothersome kink in his calf. Lifting a foot to the opposite knee, Sasuke kneaded his way up each leg. The heat and the manipulation combined to unwind the knots in his body. The boom of far off thunder rolled again as he sat up taller and slowly twisted his torso from side to side. His body cooled, so he sank back under the water, dunking his whole head beneath the surface, luxuriating in the healing heat. Releasing his held breath, he popped up from under the water.

Lightning flashed as thunder cracked. The gentle thrum of rain right on its heels told Sasuke that it was time to get out. Pressing the heels of his hands to the lip of the pool behind him, he hoisted himself up to sit on the edge.

One last stretch, he thought as he clasped his hands, his back bowing as he extended his arms far above his head. Sasuke groaned long and low as the misty hiss of warm rain poured down over his bare body.

At the height of his stretch, the hairs on the back of Sasuke's neck prickled. Danger? His senses went on high alert, but he heard nothing. The only sounds he could detect above the drone of the summer storm were the hooting of an owl and the wind ruffling the leaves.

As he whipped his head around, raining droplets from his hair, Sasuke heard what sounded like a muffled gasp. Lighting his Sharingan, he saw no one nearby, save for Sakura in the room behind him. He blinked his eyes to black and reached for his yukata.

The poison must be scrambling my senses.

When Sasuke stopped in front of the door to properly fasten his robe, he noticed that the shoji was open a crack. He flushed, thinking of when he'd pressed his eye to this very door to watch Sakura bathe. Shaking his head, he slid aside the shoji and stepped inside. Glancing quickly at Sakura absorbed in her reading, he snagged his clothes and made for the bathroom.

Instinct made him look in Sakura's direction again, but she was still contentedly reading and Sasuke shrugged.

In the bright light of the bathroom, he slithered out of his damp robe and extended his arms over his head one last time. Realization jolted him like a bucket of ice water and Sasuke froze in mid-stretch.

The book that he'd believed held Sakura's interest so intensely was upside down.

"You two think you're so funny, don't you?"

Sasuke woke from an afternoon nap filled with fitful dreams and found Sakura gone. He searched until he heard her voice across the hall. Pressing his ear against Naruto and Sai's door, he listened.

"Spying on your own teammates. That's just hilarious. Thought it would be a great team-building exercise, did you?"

Sasuke could hear the outrage in Sakura's tone, but he also heard the hurt. It made him want to splinter the door and take Naruto and Sai by their throats.

"Sakura-chaaan," Naruto whined. "You know we didn't mean any harm." He heard Sai hum in agreement.

"So sending ink mice to listen in on private conversations is what you two do for fun?"

"Conversation? Sasuke was sleeping. That wasn't exactly a conver—"

"Whatever! The things that were said in that room were not meant for your ears. That's why there are doors, you…morons!"

Sasuke put his hand on the doorknob, ready to snap necks, when he froze.

"We're sorry." Naruto's voice was soft and conciliatory. "But we already know how you feel about him." Sakura spluttered. "We don't need to spy to know. It's written all over your face every time you look at him. He's the only one who gets that smile. Sakura-chan, we know you love Sasuke."

Sasuke backed away from the door until he hit the opposite wall.

Sakura loves me? His heart thumped violently. Sakura loves me! With a smile that threatened to crack his face, Sasuke thought of rushing into the room and grabbing her—but he stopped. Sakura hadn't replied yet.

He flattened his ear to the door and hoped.

"I-I…oh, Naruto! What am I going to do?" she wailed. "I thought rooming together might change things between us, but he'll never…love me." Sasuke winced as Sakura burst into tears.

"Sakura-chan, don't. You'll see. We'll show you. Right, Sai?" The rest of Naruto's consolation was muted and Sasuke could only assume he was comforting her with a shoulder to cry on.

Blindly reaching for the knob to his room, he shut the door behind him. Sasuke realized that he needed to make Sakura see how very wrong she was.

"Hey, sleepyhead."

Sasuke pretended to still be napping when Sakura finally came back to their room. His stomach clenched when he heard her sigh dejectedly and come closer.

"Sasuke?" she said quietly.

When he didn't respond, she brushed his hair away from his face. Her light touches tickled his cheeks. He wiggled his nose and her soft giggle made his lips lift. The giggle became a contented hum as Sakura's fingertips ran along his jaw. Quicker than lightning, Sasuke grabbed her hand and opened his eyes.

"Sasuke!"

He recognized the look of panic that constricted her features. How many times had the same look been on his face when Sakura caught him? He pressed her palm against his face.

"Hey! Put your clothes back on! We're coming in!"

Sakura leaped off the couch as if it was on fire when Naruto's voice boomed from the hallway. The door opened with a bang and his two teammates sauntered in. "Ready for dinner, Sakura-chan?"

When Sasuke sat up, Sakura was curled in a chair, looking as if she'd just peeked at Naruto from a book she'd been reading for hours—with the exception of the pink that still flushed her cheeks.

"N-no," she stuttered and then visibly swallowed to gather herself. "Why don't we all just eat here? Sasuke's still not ready to walk around."

"Sakura-chaaaan!" Naruto whined and then wandered closer to Sasuke. "You're not still faking sick, are you, you bastard?" Squeezing in too close to Sasuke on the couch and slinging an arm around him, Naruto whispered in his ear, "I know you're trying to keep Sakura in here so you can get some, but it ain't going to—WOAH!"

Sasuke might be weakened, but he was certainly not going to listen to Naruto talk about Sakura that way. He pushed him to the floor. "Shut up, idiot."

"Why don't I go order dinner? I'll be right back. You guys behave!" With a forced smile, Sakura slipped out the door before anyone could protest.

Glaring at Naruto, Sasuke wondered how he could sink his mood so quickly. He turned to see Sai opening drawers, digging through Sakura's clothes.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he yelled, slamming the drawer closed.

Sai smiled as he tilted his head. "Finding you a souvenir."

Sasuke was dumbfounded. "A what?"

"A remembrance of your conquest," he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. He opened his hand to reveal Sakura's tiny, red underwear.

"Give me those!" Sasuke snatched the panties from Sai's hand.

"Okay, dinner's on the—" Sakura burst into the room and froze. "Umm…Sasuke? What's that?"

His eyes locked on the underwear in his hand. For a second, he contemplated a shrug and a small Amaterasu, but then his mind blanked. With the instinct of a child in trouble, Sasuke threw his hand behind his back. "What's what?"

As his heart beat too quickly, her wide eyes met his and a knowing smile slowly curled her lips. "Oh, Sasuke-kun," she whispered.

Everything else in the room melted away. There were no teammates, no mission. Only Sakura.

Sasuke took a step closer to her. Then another. She took a step toward him and his chest thumped. Sasuke thought of grabbing Sakura in his arms, pressing her against him, and the thumping in his chest moved lower…and lower.

The mood was shattered with Sai's snort and Naruto's conspicuously fake cough. "Isn't dinner coming soon? Maybe we should finish our mission report?"

Sasuke balled up the silken panties and covertly shoved them deep into his pocket, trying to tamp down the thrill of her underwear so close to his. Team Seven gathered around the table as Sakura unrolled their nearly-finished mission document with shaking hands.

"N-Naruto," she stuttered, handing him a pen. She cleared her throat and said with more confidence, "I need you to fill in the final days of scouting you did while Sasuke was injured." As he scrunched up his face and conferred with Sai, Sakura sat back, leaning ever so slightly toward Sasuke. He swallowed hard when her knee brushed his.

He knew he had to do something—make a move, let her know he wanted more than just a passing touch. Sasuke pressed his hand on the edge of Sakura's chair. Slowly, slowly it crept toward her until he captured her hand beneath his. Sakura inhaled sharply and Naruto shot her a look across the table. His concerned eyes moved to Sasuke's and a mischievous grin spread across his face. Quietly chuckling, he went back to scratching the pen against the scroll and chatting with Sai.

When Sasuke didn't hear Sakura exhale, he worried. His hand reflexively curled around hers and she finally let out a breathy, "Ohh." His eyes met hers and he smirked lazily.

Surprising him, Sakura leaned closer. Is she…are we going to…kiss?! Right now? In front of these idiots? Panic tore through him.

Instead, she pressed her mouth against his ear and whispered, her breath electrifying his whole body, "This could take all night."

Pulling away, she giggled softly and Sasuke thought that never in his entire life had he been so overwhelmed with raw desire. He longed to pin her to the floor and…he took a calming breath. He had to get a hold of himself.

Sasuke couldn't wait for that mission report to be finished. Then he'd have her all to himself.

Sakura was right. As usual. Naruto took all night to finish the report.

Hour after hour of mind-numbing waiting conspired to cool Sasuke's fervor. More than once, he wondered if Naruto did it on purpose.

He'd also made a point to avoid eye contact with Sakura. He knew his tenuous control would evaporate if he saw any more acknowledgement in her eyes. Sasuke folded his arms across his chest and closed his eyes, determined to contain himself.

I am a shinobi. I endure. I am a shinobi. I…

When his eyes fluttered open again, he was back in bed.

"Hey, sleepyhead. Time to pack. We're going home today." Sakura was folding clothes and cinching her backpack shut.

Sasuke bolted up. Wait! Did last night happen? Sakura… His head jerked in her direction. She was humming while she packed, completely at ease. She loves me…right? Was it only a fever dream? He rubbed his head, confused and despondent. It has to be real. I can't go back to stealing touches. Anger gave him courage. I won't.

"No."

Sakura looked puzzled and flustered when he threw the sheets off, stomped across the room, and grabbed her wrist. Her eyes widened as he stumbled over his tongue.

"Sakura, I…"

What should I say? He needed her to understand, but the words wouldn't come. The same. Everything's the same. He slumped in disappointment, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"Sasuke?"

As he turned to pack, to go back to life as it was, his fingers brushed something in his pocket. He pulled it out and held it in front of his narrowed eyes. It was Sakura's tiny, red underwear.

"I think those are mine," she said, reaching out.

Sasuke's hand snapped closed around hers. "I didn't dream it?"

"Dream what?" she asked with a nervous chuckle.

It wasn't a dream. She looked at me, said those things, loves me! He drew her closer, gliding his other hand over her shoulder. His touch seemed to melt her hesitance.

"Sasuke-kun," she said breathlessly. He looked from her lips to her eyes and, finally, they both understood—he loved her…and she loved him. He wanted to whoop and shout, but instead, he pressed his lips against her waiting mouth.

They'd barely kissed when Naruto's thunderous voice echoed in the hall. "Coming in! You two better be decent!"

Sakura jerked in his arms and made to pull away, but Sasuke held her tighter. The astonished oh of her mouth curved into a beaming smile as her arms twined around his neck. Sasuke placed a hand in the curve of her lower back, her panties dangling from his fingertips, while the other sank into her hair, firmly pressing her lips to his.

Naruto opened the door and squawked. "Sakura-ch—guh!"

Sai, to Sasuke's great surprise, put their teammate in a choke hold, dragging Naruto off with a squinty-eyed smile. "We'll meet you in the lobby."

In the back of his mind, he thought that maybe Sai could be human. Maybe all hope wasn't lost.

Sai's head popped back in the doorway. "If you are engaging in intercourse, you should do it quickly as Konoha is a full day away."

"Come on. Pick your rock." Naruto shook the bright orange bag in Sasuke's face.

Months passed and Team Seven now found themselves in another inn, in another town, on another mission.

Sasuke looked at Sakura. The months they'd spent back in the Leaf village were the best he'd ever had. They were filled with long, sunny afternoons spent walking with Sakura, her fingers twined with his as they talked about everything and nothing. They were filled with twinkling evenings spent smiling at her as she sat across from him in bustling restaurants, flushing and stuttering when the waiter asked what his girlfriend would like for dinner.

The only hole in his life came at night when he would go home to an empty bed. He ached for Sakura's soft skin pressed against his, her soothing warmth relaxing his mind.

"Let's go. I don't have all day, Sasuke. Get your rock and get your roommate."

Slipping his fingers into Sakura's lightly-closed fist, he tugged gently. He could read the question in her eyes as she glanced up at him. He flicked his head toward the staircase imperceptibly and she lit up.

"Hey! Where the hell are you guys going?"

Sasuke could hear Naruto yelling up the stairs as he pressed Sakura against the door to their room. Heatedly kissing her and fitting the key in the door at the same time tested his coordination…and patience.

"Come back! How are we going to know who to room with if you guys won't pick rocks?"

His voice was getting closer. Sasuke pulled back from Sakura and jammed in the key. The door swung open and he pushed her against the other side. She clasped him tightly, breathlessly commanding, "Lock the door. Hurry!"

Twisting the lock and throwing the bolt, Sasuke smashed his mouth to Sakura's, her hands pulling at his shirt.

The door jumped under Naruto's pounding fist. "Guys! Come on!"

Sasuke stepped back and pulled something out of his pocket. He held his closed hand out to Sakura.

"I know you're in there! We need to pull rocks! Guuuys!"

"I already pulled a rock," Sasuke said with a smirk. He opened his hand and watched intently as Sakura's expression changed from confused to astonished before a watery smile blossomed.

"Oh, Sasuke-kun."

He slipped the ring on her finger, thinking Naruto could pull all the rocks he wanted. There was only one roommate he wanted for the rest of his life.

a/n: And that's the end of Roommates! Once again, I have to thank the lovely, talented, and bacon-worthy Unicorn Paige for her stellar editing. Paige, I don't know how to write without you! You're better than NASA...wait. Hee, hee.

Also, thank you to everyone who read, favorited, reviewed, or followed Roommates...or any of my fics for that matter. I really look forward to hearing from all of you...you make me smile! So, I think I have a few one-shots to publish before my next chaptered fic. Why? Because the final chapter of the chaptered fic is being evil. When I smack it into submission (and Paige gives it the Unicorn Seal of Approval), I'll put it up. Until then, I hope you'll enjoy a few one-shots.