Uchiha Sasuke was not known for his uplifting demeanor. Despite being an invaluable advisor to the Hokage himself, he was not one somebody might go to for counsel. He was an agile shadow that moved through Konoha, a silent protector, needing no gratitude nor recognition. He preferred it that way. The less his fellow villagers knew of him, the better.

However, much as he tried to deflect them, his aura of mystery seemed only to attract young women to his side. Once, in another life, he might have considered himself to be eligible for such affections, but with the Uchiha name smeared so completely, he could only wonder what it was that made him so desirable to those of the opposite sex.

Especially to her.

She knew every blemish and fissure of his past, mostly because she was a part of it. He was a broken man, he knew that, but she wasn't trying to fix him. She never asked more than he was willing or able to give. Sometimes he felt like he took too much from her and had the urge to return it tenfold but not the means nor the knowledge.

He was naive to the tender ways she touched him. Often times he would fall into old habits where his requirement for release stemmed from carnal need and not the raw, emphatic passion she brought out in him. In those moments he would lose himself to a feral rhythm, driving into her for the sole purpose of sating his necessity. On certain nights, he found it was just what she needed, too.

Still, he felt guilty sometimes, thinking that he was not worshipping her, savoring his time inside her adequately. But if it bothered her, she never mentioned it. Before Sakura, that was the only way he knew how to fuck. Though it took him a while to realize that he and Sakura weren't always fucking. A third party might call it 'making love,' but he wasn't sure of that word. But Sasuke was enough of a genius to know that it wasn't just sex.

The act in question had never been a big concern to Sasuke, not until he turned a certain age and those urges got the better of him. When he was traveling, he would often pay women to bed him. Although, he couldn't refer to it as 'bedding,' since he never took the time to make the accommodations. They would be a temporary companion; perhaps on the forest floor, against a tree, or within the confines of a decrepit hideout. It was a business transaction. While he enjoyed the process, he liked it even more when it was over and he didn't have to put up the effort of being intimate with a person he had no interest in seeing ever again. It was always prudent for him to return to his quest to find Itachi.

Upon forming Hebi, he was fortunate enough to have the support he required to track down the Akatsuki. It was something of an additional bonus that one of his teammates was an attractive female that hung upon his every move. She followed him around no matter where he went and it grew so troublesome that he eventually gave in, taking her crudely in the corner of his room.

It fanned the flames of her adoration but, much as that frustrated him, at least he could fuck somebody on a regular basis and not have to go looking for it. He wasn't degrading her aptitude as a nin, she could be quite talented, but she certainly came in handy when Sasuke needed release. It grew to a point, though, as most things do, where she was so enamored that she began impeding upon his plans for revenge. He couldn't have that. He refused to give her any further physical attentions and chose to focus solely on the career of his retribution. Celibacy was a difficult thing to come to terms with, but he could award himself no distractions. If he was lucky, they would travel through a town with a thriving brothel and he was able to steal a moment, away from his team. As a leader, it was difficult to come by periods of personal time and so he could not even aid himself in unfettering his lechery.

Of course, he had been given plenty of time to do so upon his return to Konohagakure. Sasuke's time spent with himself consisted of rather jumbled thoughts and images while he stroked his engorged phallus to completion. He wondered if he would ever touch a woman again, particularly as he had confined himself to his family's compound; he had no interest in mingling amongst his fellow villagers. She seemed to understand that and he assumed that was why she had come to see him in the first place.

Sakura would visit Sasuke every couple of weeks, which then turned into every week and, after that, into almost every day. At a certain juncture, he realized he had begun to enjoy her visits. Often times she would cook for him or bring him books to occupy the space when she wasn't there; or at least, that was how it felt.

Neither could say really just what it was that had pushed them over the edge and into each other's arms that night. It might have been the way her hair clung to her face from walking through the rain. Or the way his eyes had widened just so when she assured him that she'd always come to see him, no matter the weather. It could have had something to do with the way she sat before the fireplace, cocooned in a blanket. But he was certain it had something to do with the way her lips were flushed from the cold, swollen by the nip in the air; they had looked so inviting. And Sakura will swear to herself that it was the way his eyes had raked over her through the evening as if he could compel the dampened clothing off of her.

"Slower, Sasuke-kun," she had whispered, hot breath on his ear, "I want to enjoy this."

It had taken all his willpower to still his hips at her request and he wasn't entirely sure why he had done so. His technique had never failed to make him orgasm before. He could get the woman to come, too, as long as his fingers assisted her. He did not move inside her as Sakura's arms slid down his back, caressing him gratuitously, until she tightened her grip and lifted her hips with a steady swivel. Sasuke remembered seeing stars, the most brilliant one shining beneath him. The sensation was unlike anything he'd ever felt before. Every inch of himself slid into her and he experienced a level of hypersensitivity so overwhelming he feared he might come too soon. She had sighed his name so pleasantly that he knew then, she felt it, too.

They engaged in an unspoken agreement and sought each other out frequently. Sakura was always very vocal about her pleasure, encouraging him to go faster, press harder, or slow completely. She was quite impressed with how receptive he seemed to be to her lascivious requests. Sasuke was not so outspoken, but Sakura took the challenge with great pride, finding her own ways to figure out just what did it for him.

They never got more adventurous with each other, preferring to remain only with sex. Sasuke was curious to try other things with her, and Sakura was downright desperate, but they both feared what it might do to their fragile unity. And so they both kept their desires within them.

Yet, he found himself in her office one time, delivering a simple scroll from the Hokage and became consumed with a need for her. She was not dressed provocatively, but rather modestly given the white coat she wore over her uniform. Upon taking the scripture, she asked him sweetly if there was anything else.

There was, for he took hold of her waist and bent her over her desk, hiking up the fabrics of her clothing. He pushed aside her panties, the lace ones he'd told her were his favorite, and plunged into her without preamble. He held a hand over her mouth and another over her fingers that gripped the desk so tight he thought she might shatter it with her strength.

Neither had given much thought to the location after that, or the fact that her door had been left unlocked. If somebody had wanted to speak with her, it's entirely possible that the harsh grunts and screech of the lurching table had deterred them.

He began to think of her regularly whenever he had moments to himself. The first time he thought of her, he imagined that he might like to see his swollen member disappear between her pretty pink lips. He nearly came from the conjured scene alone. Taking his cock in hand he began to pump his shaft steadily, coercing more fantasies to life. Perhaps one day he could taste her cunt that dripped so copiously for him. He envisioned himself between her tensed thighs thrown over his shoulders. He wondered what sounds she might make, how she might reach for him, maybe beg him for her release.

Oral sex for Sasuke had consisted mostly of his own satisfaction. Although, a couple times he had returned the favor for Karin, merely out of a sense of obligation; he derived no pleasure from it. Yet he began to think he might enjoy pleasing Sakura in such a way if for no other reason than to see what she might look like when she came. He spurts thick into his hand and onto his stomach at the thought, a white heat pressing upon him mercilessly.

Sakura was not adverse to being adventurous in the bedroom. She acquired almost as much pleasure from her partner's as she did her own and she had made herself come multiple times to the thought of pushing Sasuke's cock down her throat. She became almost delirious with the desire to see his head between her legs, as well; to spectate as he licked and sucked her to completion while he watched her with dark, hungry eyes. It was a fantasy of hers and not the first one that involved him.

"You taste better than Karin," he had uttered against her quivering sex before his tongue dove inside her again. Sasuke had meant it as a compliment, truly, and given that he seemed to have no mental filtration during these moments with her, it just sort of slipped out.

"Kami," Sakura twisted away from him and his lashing tongue, "If you ever want to get me to leave, that's how."

A sour look he'd never seen before fell upon her. Sakura's eyes flashed dangerously when he reached for her; she curled away from him. He was confused, he thought he had done everything correctly. She looked to be succumbing to his ministrations, conceivably nearing her release. Now, she recoiled from his touch.

"I'm not stupid, Sasuke," she spoke quietly and denied his gaze, "I know there were other girls. I didn't expect you to be abstinent all these years. But I don't like it. The thought of you with another girl - "

She had broke off then, but he found himself aching to hear what she had to say. Without looking to him, she gathered up her clothes and left. He did not want to keep her against her will, but he was bitter to see her go, especially since her taste still lingered on his tongue.

Sakura was concerned by her egregious reaction to Sasuke's words. It wasn't that it disgusted her that he'd touched other women that way and was now touching her. She found that it ran deeper than that. This man she had experienced a long-standing infatuation with was finally reciprocating in some manner. To think of him in such intimate situations with women that weren't her, well, it made her feel angry, sad, frustrated, trivial -

She was jealous, she realized as she sat in bed thinking on the way she had left Sasuke. His lips were wet, his hair was mussed from where she'd clutched it tightly, and he looked at her with unrestrained yearning. Had somebody else been graced with that gaze from him? She shuddered at the thought. Sakura was not a jealous person. She was also not possessive, but there was little she could do when it came to her feelings for Sasuke. She did not want to own him, but she wanted a secure claim on him. As much as he seemed to enjoy his time with her, he did not appear bothered by their lack of standing with each other.

To the village they were long lost teammates, reunited. In the hospital, he was a representative of the Hokage. Their interactions outside of their homes were that of business. However, the way that they looked at each other was most decidedly not professional. Anyone paying attention could see that.

Though she was embarrassed by her actions, she continued her regular visitations. Sakura had every intention of keeping them chaste because she thought surely her pettiness would not be something Sasuke found attractive.

Although, Sasuke did not see her actions as degrading as she thought, for he had felt much the same without her having to say two words about it. He hadn't the strength to impart the notion on her so he strived to imprint himself upon Sakura so much so that it erased any memory of previous trysts. For that was what she was doing to him. He refused to look on at his past relations with anything other than disdain because no woman could so enthrall him as she had.

"I brought fresh fish," she said as she stepped comfortably into the kitchen, "And rice to make onigiri."

He followed her adeptly, watching as Sakura unloaded the groceries she had purchased just to have dinner with him. He let her get as far as putting the salmon in the fridge before taking her lips in a desperate kiss. He had been afraid with the way she had left, that he wouldn't ever see her like this again. He feared she might never want to be alone with him.

"Don't leave," his words became lost somewhere between a command and a plea. She nodded and disposed his clothing on the kitchen floor.

"As long as you don't mention the other women you had sex with," the words were acid on her tongue so she turned away and walked to the living room. Sasuke treaded after her, following the trail of clothes she left on her way to the couch.

"They weren't like you," he offered, hoping his attempt at sentiment would make her feel better. With a scowl she had pushed him onto the couch and kneeled before him. She locked on his eyes with an incensed passion and took his hardening flesh in her hands.

"No?" she stroked his shaft and pressed her thumb lightly over the tip where his pre-seminal fluid had gathered, "But they touched you like this."

Sakura's indignation had reached a boiling point and she took him in her mouth as she'd dreamt of doing so many times before. She would make sure that he could never go back to anyone else. She teased him by taking him only an inch at a time. Sakura was in no rush and Sasuke would learn that he didn't need to be either. She pulled back to the head sucking so tightly that it caused her cheeks to concave. The groan she was awarded with was a stroke to her ego. She felt his fingers tangle in her loose hair, applying a pressure that urged her forward. She growled against him, the vibrations causing another sound of ecstasy to escape him.

Sasuke needed to learn to let her dictate this one. She pulled him out of her mouth, not stilling the constant pump of her hand. His imagination had failed to bring justice to the seductive woman in front of him. Her eyes glinted salaciously causing his abdomen to tighten at what might be going on in that devious head of hers. Sakura's tongue laved a path from base to tip, her gaze never leaving his. He felt the force to close his eyes and lose himself in the sensation, but he could not bring himself to look away from her. He didn't want to. He was utterly captivated.

She took him in, slowly again, and when she felt that she might gag she swallowed against him to allow him to slip down further. His grip tightened and he gave an involuntary rise of his hips. Sakura moaned as she felt him hit the back of her throat. Sasuke groaned low and long, a primal exclamation of all that she was doing to him. As she pulled back, she let her teeth graze lightly along his member. He almost lost it then, could feel the coil taut in his stomach and released her. He stood and pulled her to her feet then switched their positions. He came to kneel between her legs on the couch, the tip of his swollen head pushing with insistence on her entrance.

Pausing to admire her flushed cheeks and lusting eyes, he brushed a thumb against her puffy lips. Though she seemed to be as eager as he was, there was something written in her expression that made him think she was waiting, lingering on expectation and searching within him. It occurred to him suddenly.

"Nobody touches me like you do," he spoke with a heavy voice, ridden with the desire he felt for her. Uchiha Sasuke was not a romantic man, he was not outspoken either, but there were certain things, he found, he was willing to do for her. A sated look came over Sakura, before a fresh cry of want left her as he pushed into her sodden passage. She fit so ideally around him and he throbbed so deliciously within her.

Sakura's hands roamed freely around his body, something he was becoming accustomed to and beginning to enjoy; he liked feeling her everywhere. Especially on nights like this where he drove into her so desperate, forceful and she rode atop him like her life depended on it. They were both grateful for the almost painful press of the other's hands upon them; it was grounding.

"I'm jealous, Sasuke-kun," Sakura moaned, bouncing her hips. His jaw was stiff as he tried to avert his orgasm until she'd had another one. One of her hands left his chest to grasp the hair on the crown of his head. She yanked his eyes to hers and he couldn't contain the guttural noise that escaped after finding what lay there. Her desperation mirrored his own and she looked as if she might devour him. She kissed him unapologetically, biting his lip and battling his tongue, "I hate that anyone else has seen you like this."

"Nobody but you has seen me like this," he spoke to her with heavy pants, because he knew no one had ever made him so feverish. She must see it, what she does to him. How could she be so unaware?

He was struck by an epiphany. Of course she didn't see it, because he failed to see that he was the cause of her euphoria as well. He couldn't believe that he was. Their elation was lost to the other.

"I hate you," she said suddenly, increasing her speed. A stream of keening cries, unbidden and broken left her as his hips rose to meet hers. "You make me feel vulnerable."

"So do you," he admitted with a sharp grunt. She had to know, he thought as she held him closer. Finally, with a licentious moan, she clamped her walls around him and came with an explosion of lights dancing behind her eyes. He pumped into her furiously then, chasing his own release as her passage ebbed and flowed against him. He exhaled his groan into her shoulder as he shot streams of thick fluid inside of her.

Too spent to move and too lost in each other to care, they rested on the sofa, a tangle of perspiring limbs. Sakura whispered something against his skin, but he couldn't quite make it out.

"What?"

"Did you love her?" she wouldn't let him see her eyes so he took her chin and lifted them. She felt shame for asking and thought she must be so obvious. Sakura might have been, but not to Sasuke.

"No, she didn't mean anything to me," he didn't need to speak the rest of the words, because they hung clear between them. Sakura did, she meant something. He didn't know what it was yet, but he wasn't opposed to finding out. After that night, he suspected she probably wasn't either.

"And the men that you were with?" he swallowed harshly, wishing then that he didn't have her face in his hands so that he might hide his shame.

"They weren't you," she answered simply. Sasuke wasn't sure what happened then, but something bloomed in his chest at her words, casting out the insecurities and the doubts he had about Sakura. As he kissed her, pouring all the feelings he had for her that he had no name for into it, he hoped to return the gesture.