The Purest Rose

MercuryBatman

Chapter Five: Sweet Heat

Once I had informally met Kina, I felt I had finally assimilated in Sasuke's world. I was at the end of his smooth, silver blade that he wasn't afraid to show drastic affection for. I had often caught glimpses during Sasuke's insomniac nights of him just cleaning it, swinging it. At first I was afraid he would use it upon me, but the more I kept finding myself secretly watching Kina, the more I realized that Karin wasn't even my real competition, if I ever loved Sasuke. It was Kina, how deeply he depended on her and most likely thought of her all the time, and how quick he was to have her at his side.

One night, Sasuke caught me staring at Kina. I was luckier that Kina kept him relaxed because of the security she allotted him, than it was him being tired, yet unable to sleep.

"Shouldn't you be asleep until noon?" Sasuke asked casually, with a small trace of a smile on his face. It was guaranteed because of his insomnia mixed with elusive exhaust. I blushed, the only reason I sleep until twelve is from the sheer darkness my mind wanders, dream-like, until the sun wakes me up. It wasn't for Sasuke to poke fun at, but since we were of common situation now, at least as equal as it can be, I feel less anger towards this. Not only have I grown accustomed to speaking with Sasuke, even telling jokes now have been almost a daily thing. I feel somehow this is a gentle rehabilitation, like soft rain falling on a dry plain.

"You're a comical guy," I say with excited sarcasm that Sasuke slipped into his colder state at. I nearly feel the chill, but that might be the biting temperatures in the Manor that woke me up anyway. I ignore his fleeting warmth, and instead spark up a new route of conversation.

Words. Mere words changed the course of my life, from the moment I opened my mouth to speak these words, there was no turning back, and life even now as I knew it, would jump full bounds to new heights. "Is this your Kina?"

Sasuke gripped the shaft of his katana carefully, a bit imbalanced at the sound of someone else mentioning his secret love's name. Sasuke, for once, looked as if he couldn't answer that question without coming off with a personality, something I knew he wielded underneath his blocks of ice.

"She's beautiful, how old is she?" I asked sweetly, kindly playing along with his obvious thoughts of her being slightly real. After all, she was his only companion.

"Three years now," he said. I nodded politely, and before my slender fingertips could graze her, I looked to Sasuke whose eyes followed my movements with such alert precision that I nearly curled my fingers. I slowly felt the cold bareness of the blade; I wasn't afraid to run all the way to the pointed end.

"Is she as good as she looks?" I ask, just for conversation's sake. Little did I know that Sasuke took real pride in his sword. A visible smile stood on his lips. I moved closer to him, fazed completely by the rush of warmth that filled his face. Sasuke, who was now eighteen, looked years younger, as if he were only fifteen if not pushing sixteen. The look of pure joy made me smile myself, and I nearly fell unto his lap. I wanted to fall into his lap.

That moment of complete elation made me find hope in Sasuke, no, more than hope,—love.

That moment of complete elation changed my life.

That moment of complete elation forced me to realize that there was happiness for people like us yet.

Sasuke crushed that moment when his eyes narrowed, and a stoic expression swept over him, stealing away his own happiness. "Go to bed, Ino."

I wanted to whine, stomp my feet, or at least scold him for being so cold and uninviting, but I felt an ominous presence heading our way without a doubt. I silently went to my bed, and with perked interest eavesdropped into Sasuke's nightly conversations with his strange friends.

It was long moments before I heard anyone else enter the Manor, and when the person spoke; I clutched my pillow with intensity. I felt my residence in Sasuke's world vanish faster than I felt it come.

"I trust she's serene," A dark voice said to Sasuke. Like a little child, worried a monster resided beneath my bed nightly, the shadows I stared at of the thing that entered looked nothing like a human made me frightened. The shadows reminded a Venus Fly Trap plant, with pointy spikes all over the mouth, and two heads within. Tears choked my eyes, where on earth have they sent me?

"For now, I can keep closer monitoring on her now that they've suspended my ANBU work because of her. Not that I mind, I hate taking orders from those self righteous bast—anyway," Sasuke began, stealing a look towards me with his peripheral vision. "Everything is going well, you're nightly presence is not needed any longer." Sasuke said, though his eyes told them it was never needed in the first place.

I swallowed heavily, and pushed myself deeper into my cushions, almost as if sighing in relieve I felt the tension disperse within me. Good, no more of that Venus Fly Trap person—thing. My head was roaring with a headache that only good old fashioned sleep could cure, but I knew I was just as an insomniac as Sasuke was. I bore through it until the sounds of retreating footsteps were merely a distant drum.

By full morning, I had seen Sasuke smile twice. While the dawn had the sun peaking out and rays of blasting heat filled the room, making Sasuke realize that it was finally summer. Soon, he would be eighteen, and be able to leave Konoha, or much rather a prison for him, and he wouldn't ever have to look back again. I thought he would be frowning miserably, because he can't leave until I turn eighteen.

I sighed, leaning against the cool window for fresh air. It was only morning, but the sun was hot like midday. The second smile from Sasuke, or really just an upturning of the corner of his mouth, was when he was fishing through the refrigerator for breakfast when something unexpected blew to him from the ice breeze to the palm of his warm, red hand. I think it must have been a picture, but how did it get inside a refrigerator, of all places?

I decided not to press it on account of how happy, or plain peaceful, he looked. The docility of his strides, the reoccurring yawns that insured a lazy day, and those smiles. It made me feel happiness for the first time that day, which I took as a sign I was going to have a great day myself. Curiosity pushed me into the kitchen chair, yet Sasuke didn't even notice me. He was staring at his hand; the picture was obviously small enough to fit within the palm, so I couldn't see it. I craned my neck, but I didn't want to draw his attention away. I could just imagine what a beautiful family he must have had to achieve great looks himself. Sasuke was undoubtedly handsome, especially with his shirt off and his skin a tint of tan. Part of me wanted to lean forward and press my rose lips against his toned looking skin. His skin wasn't particularly soft looking, or even inviting, but rather had an undertone of scars running through it, proving he was an incredible fighter.

My body decided to lay its cheeks on his shoulder. Sasuke stiffened, but slowly, he lowered his shoulders. He didn't turn to look at me, but I looked up at him, even as I pressed my lips against his neck.

"Good morning Ino," he said with a voice that was neutral of coldness or warmth. I had faith that he still was warm inside, underneath his emptiness; there was a flame of warmth. There had to be, he had so much passion to revive his clan—it had to come from somewhere.

"Morning, Sasuke." I responded with a lazy drawl, settling myself against his rock stature. Little did he know that from that moment on, I would always protect him, love him. All for that passionate warmth I knew was inside of him, I decided I would do anything to try and see it. It would be the final step of full recovery for both of us,

Sasuke quickly finished his noodles with the same ravenous style that reminded me of Naruto, the way he ate as if there was no such thing as the possibility of choking. I giggled safely behind my hand.

The sun was too hot. Just way, way too hot. I lay haphazardly against Sasuke's couch, not caring that I was wearing a skirt, and had stolen his shirt and was fanning myself with the Uchiha fire fan. I tried to be a bit respectful, by offering him his fan back in the middle of our conversation. Oh, did I over look that? We, Sasuke and I, have had a strong conversation going since breakfast, after I said, "Morning, Sasuke."

Sasuke was shirtless, and leaned against his chair with sloth, his long legs extending all the way to the table; he slouched back in terrible posture my mother would have sneered at. My hair was up in messy pony-tail-bun thing that I meshed up because letting my hair down was just too difficult in this heat, too much exercise to brush it out of my face. I really did need a haircut, but my mother used to do that…I felt tears sting my eyes, but to keep our smooth, new conversation going, I pretended to sneeze. Sasuke said, "God bless you," accordingly.

Part of me expected he didn't even believe in God. When I asked, he shrugged, and whispered more than said, "He's the only Father I have left. The last of my family for now,"

The beauty of his speech, made it impossible not to cry. I let a tear escape as Sasuke looked to his side; he corrected his posture before standing up and opening up the window a little more. I roughly dried my tear with my bare hand, and watched Sasuke make his way to the couch.

I stood up, just wanting to be closer. I walked over to him, and sat on the table. The last time I sat on the table is when we kissed. Oh my…now thinking of our kiss, our random, and oh, so memorable kiss made my skin burn with a horridly embarrassing blush.

"So much hotter over here," I covered, tugging at Sasuke's collar that I was wearing; I moved back sheepishly to the couch and lay there again.

"Is it cooler over there?" he asked, not for sake of my being there, but because of the insane heat that could cook a cold turkey hot. I was inside, in the safety of the Uchiha manor that was usually cold as a dark soul, but even with the ceiling above, I was working a tan. Sasuke's tan from exercising outside was growing darker, and sexier.

I tried not to look at him as his body invaded the space between us. It was so slow, unlike his usual, sharp, rapid movements that I had to think about to trace. Or was it my mind growing slower? I hoped it wasn't the latter.

He sunk the couch cushions near my head when he sat, and my head slid into his thigh side. I decided not to scoot back, because it was the first time Sasuke was warm, actually warm. We continued our conversation, it wasn't dead, and empty like our usual "conversations", but it actually was pretty juicy. He was talking about his little "girlfriend" cough, cough, booty call, Karin. I snickered every time he called her a lady friend like he was some adult. Oh, he was doing adult things, but this mister was only seventeen.

"So, have you two done anything?" I asked with a mischievous smirk that ate Sasuke right up, no matter how hot he was, inside and out.

"Yamanaka, you know very well that," he began, but then he grew silent, his face heating up as if he ate something much too spicy for any human to endure. I prompted him sweetly, "That?"

"My business isn't of your concern," he fixed with two clearing of his throat. I got him. Without rebuilding his wall, I shattered it, finally seeping in into an untapped treasure that lay inside of his mind: his good thoughts.

"Right, right," I half yawned, half shrugged. "You know she's not just your "Lady Friend", but your midnight friend." I joked, winking.

Sasuke frowned, but then he did something strange. He smirked, and then… laughed. "Perhaps."

"Perhaps," I repeated childishly, poking his side that was actually pretty cushiony. I smiled at him with a level of sweetness and comfort that he smiled back.

"She is more than a lady friend, but I don't claim her as my girlfriend," he said casually, as if women were only toys; like a child who had their favorite toy, but that toy wasn't their best friend. Somehow, I wasn't sickened by this, at least not as horrified as I should have been. I was just too hot! My goodness, I could visibly see heat waves, sweltering the room and shifting our conversation back to the insufferable weather.

By midday the heat had made us barely sane, we acted as if we were children.

"Golly, Sasuke, I wonder what you'll look like in ten years!" I joked softly, grinning like crazy, as if I were drunk, not overbearingly hot. We were a pair of children.

"Gee, Ino, imagine me with a beard that's all," he laughed, his laugh was something I could not only hear, but feel. I think it means that he meant it. The sun was uncontrollable, so Sasuke dug up water guns from his old childhood room, and began to fill them. I was splashing my skin with sink water, hogging the sink spray to stick Sasuke's now wet black shirt to my skin.

"Gosh, Ino, you'll dry out the poor ground of its water, if you keep that up!" Sasuke laughed trying to gently take the spray from me, but I was seven, hot, happy and not having that!

I sprayed him for good measure, and he vowed revenge with his half full, large water gun. I tried to dodge him, but he was aiming for one spot, and one spot only, my hair. I had just let it natural without any conditioners, so nothing dripped that had chemicals, but I had combed it straight for a good hour in the break of dawn, and it was curly and wet within seconds.

"You'll pay for that, mister!" I said, my aim much lower, spraying the middle of his pants mercilessly. Sasuke was obviously king of every game as a child, because he sure won that one. He literally moaned.

"Oh, gosh, Ino that felt good," he moaned in a way that sounded serious. I laughed myself into hysteria, dropping the sprayer to the ground. With one smirk, he cut off my laugh, making me realize he was only joking. He got me right in the mouth, making me choke up water all over his nice, well waxed, tiled floor.

Sasuke began to laugh at my chokes. I have to admit, I do choke weird. I squint one eye and my nose scrunches up, the whole deal, making it hilarious. Still, I didn't want Sasuke to accept that, so I tackled him to the ground—or tried to. I more like just ended up wrapping my legs around his waist, pressing him against the door. I settled for biting his neck, but I ended up giving him a lazy kiss by accident. This heat could drive a person intoSiberia.

Sasuke stilled his actions. It was if he was dazed that I kissed him again. I couldn't afford to be dazed. I couldn't afford to weaken myself again. Instead I grabbed the gun out of his hands, stuck it in his pants and pulled the trigger.

Sasuke didn't laugh or moan that time, but remained still, perfectly still.

"You weirdo, why would you just…"my voice faded as I looked into his eyes, we obviously were not alone anymore. I slowly turned my neck to stare at Karin.

I immediately dug my head into Sasuke's neck.

"I heard laughing, and thought it couldn't be right, after all Sasuke doesn't laugh," I could tell she was going to start a rant at any second, so I lowered myself off of Sasuke. Her eyes were unreadable, as if only in the midst of crossing over from shock to rage.

Karin takes rants to a new level. She voice slowly crept to a scream, and once it got there, it stayed there. She didn't even refer to me as Ino; I was a number of disrespectful names: common whore, cry baby, things that didn't make sense to be called for me. I didn't see myself as any of that, so it made it near impossible for me to feel bad, so I got angry.

I opened my mouth to say something, but by then, I knew that once I even tried to explain, she'd try and kill me. I was weaponless, and she had a clear kunai in her hand, I didn't take my chances. Instead I stood there and bore it as she ranted, screamed, attempted to hit me but took one look at Sasuke and continued to rant. I could only stand there as Sasuke tried to calm her down. I could only stupidly, stupidly stand there when he took her into his room to show her "his loyalty". He didn't need her, he didn't need anything that she had, and he had me.

That's when I realized, I wasn't Sasuke's. For all Sasuke knew, I could still be Naruto's. All Sasuke needed to know that I was from Konoha. Even if part of me was just taking a step at possibly falling for me, it shattered. I plugged my ears when they began their little…when they…when Karin began to…

I couldn't think. All of that fun dissolved when she arrived. I couldn't even tell whose fault it was. Was it Karin's for bad timing; was it Sasuke for "betraying" me? Was it mine for letting my guard down? Was it fates fault for bringing her here? I knew whose fault it was: the sun. I pointed the water gun at the sky and pulled the trigger, if anything, it only got hotter.

The good thing was, in the sweltering heat, I could sleep their noise away. When I woke it was still hot, but it was at least over. All of it. Sasuke had gone off somewhere, leaving me a note that literally said: "I left temporarily." Karin, thank goodness, was nowhere in sight and I still had my head. I tried not to care, but I still tried to wonder, guess, and even predict where he went. I wanted to know, partly because I wanted to be there—with him. Not alone in an empty, hot Manor. Even if it was hotter out there, wherever he was, I wanted to be there for him, to be wherever he was.

I softly pretended I was still talking to him, sitting across that kitchen table. I slowly began to realize, just as the sun was setting, that the things that happened today, might never happen again. I sucked in my breath through my mouth and exhaled through my nose.

I nearly cursed myself when I straightened up immediately at hearing the door slide open. I cursed my behavior when I automatically created footsteps to him, running when I heard his own footsteps. To make up for it, I said: "Oh, it's you," with deadpan.

Sasuke looked away from me. Half of me was angry that he couldn't even look me in the eyes; the other half knew that if he had, I would have still been angry.

"I brought food," he said as if that could ever compensate his leaving me, as if that was a proper substitute for a greeting. He made me sick, and I immediately hissed, "Not hungry."

I don't know why I expected him to care about that. His eyebrows furrowed as if that was unrelated, but he said nothing. Even though I had said I was hungry, I wanted him to know I was good and angry at him, so I stalked over there as he was putting the food out, and ate right out of the boxes. I thought I was eating his, but when I realized he had gotten two separate bags, I realized my victory, was no victory at all.

"Where'd you go for the past three hours?" I asked in a casually irate tone.

"Do I owe you an explanation?" he retorted with sharpness.

"Yes," I said, cutting through his edgy tone.

"I went down to the ANBU. Neji promoted me, and says as long as I'm sure you're fine he'll let me fill the job as soon as possible."

"Well?" I asked the softness of my voice returning. I thought he said they suspended him for awhile; it was barely three days later!

"I start again this Friday," he said nonchalantly, as if that wasn't two days from now. Didn't he enjoy himself with me today; couldn't he have any care for me? Why, why couldn't he feel anything, at all? Why couldn't he feel anything for me?

"Oh," I whispered. I could tell his eyes were on me as I laid my head on the table, afraid that I would tear up. I did, and sobbed.

"If you want, I could just wait. I'm not in any hurry to have Neji ordering me around as his second seat. I could watch you here, keep you company," he said, his voice genuine it seemed. I looked up at him, tear ridden red cheeks turned even darker.

That didn't sound like the Sasuke I know. The Sasuke I was accustomed to was unapologetically cold, harshly detached from the world, and buried his only feelings inside a woman who was as thin as air. This Sasuke, this soft smiling Sasuke was the hope I first felt since yesterday, this is the Sasuke I tried to tackle for making me choke on sprayed water. This is the Sasuke that I leaned over the table to kiss like we were lovers.

I smiled against his lips, and cupped his cheek and ear to bring him closer. I didn't open my mouth because Karin's tongue had undoubtedly been there and back. But I kissed him twice more. He shook his head at me, smiling like he liked it. I bet he did.

I giggled, hoping I could kiss him again tomorrow. Tonight, tonight was just too hot. Plus I got sweet sauce on his shirt that I was wearing. I lifted it up to lick it, and laughed as his eye brows furrowed.

"Don't act like you've never licked your shirt," I accused softly, giving the shirt one more exaggerated lick. "Or do you like licking other things much better?"

Sasuke's cheeks turned red. He looked away from me. "Shut up Ino."

"You did it!" I squealed. He looked back at me, with those ever adorable furrowed brows and look that reflected my sure insanity.

"You called me Ino." I grinned. "Not Yamanaka, not woman, not "you", but Ino!" I said hysterically, racing to his side of the table, grabbing his hand and landing a large, wet kiss on it.

"Yeah, whatever, woman."

A.N: Please review, I really want to know how I did on this chapter, and it would mean more than you know. Thank you so much for reading.

- Mercury Batman!