Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto nor its characters.

Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait, I've been in school for the last few months. I've also been working on a Zutara fic, if that's your thing too feel free to swing over and read it, and let me know if you like it. Didn't mean to drop this for as long as I did, it's been really busy lately, and I'm starting a new job in January, so it may slow down again there, but I'll do my best to keep up with it. Please enjoy this new chapter, and all reviews are welcome!

This chapter is rated M!

The second time she woke up, Sakura felt like she was rising out of a gentle nap. Compared to waking up feeling like she'd been punched in the head, it was a notable improvement. She immediately noticed that the pain had receded, and her headache was almost gone. Her eyes ached slightly, but that was all that remained of the killer migraine she'd gotten from fighting Mimori.

The sun was out, but the light was very soft, either dawn or dusk. Her eyes searched the room slowly, and she eventually landed on a clock. Ah. Dusk. She'd been out all that night, and into the next day...although considering the condition of her heart, that was probably for the best. She rubbed her head gingerly, feeling for any lingering soreness, but she was feeling distinctly better.

There was a sound nearby, somewhere outside of the closed door. Sakura flinched, remembering the events of the night before. Kakashi wanted to talk...she didn't know if she should leap for joy or bolt out the nearest window. She had a sinking feeling that this talk wasn't going to go well for her. But before she could make a decision, the door to the room opened quietly.

Kakashi entered the room carrying a small tray, on which sat several steaming bowls. He didn't even glance up at her, but she knew that he'd noticed she was awake. She ran a hand through her tangled hair self consciously, aware that it was horrifically tangled from her short coma. He sat down cross-legged beside her on the bed; she blushed at the intimacy, but he seemed to be actively avoiding her eyes. Lifting the lid off of one of the bowls, he dipped a spoon into the soup and held it out to her. Sakura slowly sat up, her heart fluttering uncomfortably from the effort, and leaned back against the pillows.

"I didn't know you could cook," she whispered, taking the bowl from him. He shrugged without meeting her steady gaze, removing the lids from the other bowls. Rice, pickled vegetables, fried fish...despite the variety, the portions were small. She was apparently on a strict diet. "Eat something."

He paused, slowly looking up, his open gray eye conveying no hidden emotion. Sakura was accustomed to his natural defensive state, but she hated it now. Without a word, he stood and left the room.

As more sounds came from the kitchen, she continued to sip at the hot broth. It was pretty good, not like the complex dishes she would make, but a savory chicken soup with fresh cut vegetables floating in it. It was seasoned better than she'd expected. She tipped the bowl of rice into the small stone pot, eager to get some substance; it had been a long time since she'd eaten fried eggs with her friends.

Her friends! They had to be curious about where she was. Feeling guilty, Sakura groaned as she mixed the rice. She'd have to come up with something to tell them eventually. Kakashi returned holding a second bowl of chicken soup, rejoining her on the bed.

He hesitated for only a moment before slowly pulling down his mask. Sakura tried to pretend that she was more interested in her soup, but she couldn't resist glancing up repeatedly, soaking in the quiet beauty of his face, the gentle angles made all the more appealing by their rarity. A touch of red tinged his cheeks, but he didn't acknowledge her gaze. He started to eat with her.

At first Sakura felt incredibly odd, sitting in Kakashi's bed and eating soup with such casual familiarity, when only days before he'd thrown her onto it with predatory hunger, and more recently they'd totally ruined their friendship. She couldn't resist flashbacks of his hands on her, his mouth on her neck, his arms holding her tight to him as he groaned low into her ear. Goosebumps rose across her skin at the thought. But those thoughts slowly faded as she watched him eat, making new memories of the way his throat moved when he swallowed, and the shy upward glance of his dark eye.

"You're not eating." His voice cut through her trance unexpectedly, and Sakura jumped before dipping her spoon into her soup again.

"Sorry. It's really good, thanks." She ate a few more bites. Despite being hungry, she found herself unable to eat much right now. She wasn't sure if it was because of her heart fluttering, or if it was because she was so nervous. Eventually she put down the spoon. "You didn't have to do this." He paused, his mouth full of soup, and slowly chewed and swallowed before responding. His visible eye was turned away from her, the hitae-ate totally shielding his face.

"I can find someone else to take care of you if that's what you want. It just seemed easiest, with Shizune in the hospital and your friends wanting answers. My house is always quiet. But I can take you to somebody else." It wasn't a threat, just a gently spoken promise. Sakura hated it either way, hated that he was comfortable with turning her over to someone else. Hated that he couldn't possibly feel the same awful, drowning sadness that felt like it was crippling her. She felt hot tears flood her eyes, silently cursing her own stupid crybaby ass. She didn't respond, couldn't respond without being sure that her voice wouldn't break. Ducking her head to cover her eyes with her bangs, she continued stuffing her mouth with soup in an attempt to stem the unwelcome emotions.

She felt his gaze slowly turn to her, but now she was the one stubbornly refusing to look at him. She dug into the pickled vegetables, her face turned down to avoid letting him know that she was crying, tears threatening to spill over her cheeks at any second. The uninterrupted gaze damn sure wasn't helping.

But the copy-ninja of Konoha didn't miss stupid things like crying girls. Slowly, carefully, he reached towards her face, his warm fingers touching her chin for a moment before she jerked away from his hand. Stupid Kakashi! Can't you tell that I don't want you to know that you made me like this...that I'm crying over some jerk thing I did. It was quiet for a moment as her shoulders shook.

"You don't have to go," he said quietly, his hand redirecting to touch her shoulder. It was so light on her back that she almost couldn't tell that it was there. She felt the tears spill for real this time, dripping down her cheeks as she struggled to control her breathing. It wasn't going great; she hiccupped once. "I just meant if you wanted to. If this is too much for you." Finally, a soft admission; he was acknowledging that something had happened between them. He had to acknowledge it.

"Why isn't it like this for you?" she asked, almost imperceptibly, real pain breaking her voice. The hand felt heavier on her back. "I know you're not supposed to, but I'm not supposed to feel this either...why am I the only one struggling?" Tears fell steadily as she finally spoke the thing that stabbed her continuously in the heart, that haunted her every waking moment. Why didn't he love her?

"It's not like this for me because I've already accepted that it can't happen. I'm too old and bitter for you, got too much baggage. We're not interested in the same thing. Our friends and family would shun us. There's a lot of reasons not to do this." His voice was cool and controlled, not what she was expecting. It cut her, but as she sat and thought about what he'd said, the pain of his words faded.

"But...not because you don't care about me?" she asked, shoving the hope down and away from her voice. He heard it anyways.

"We're not talking about this." His hand moved from her back, clinked the spoon again. She listened to him take one bite, and then two, with the slow realization that he didn't deny it. "It won't do us any good. You know it would be a bad idea."

"What would be a bad idea?" she asked, turning around. She didn't mind that her eyes were red anymore. He was still turning the open side of his face away from her, but she saw through his defensive act as she always had. Why had she missed it this time? His gaze turned towards her slightly, but he didn't respond. "Sex? A relationship?"

"Stop," he murmured, putting down his empty bowl. He started gathering the dishes onto the tray, pulling the blanket up over her without meeting her eyes anymore. He was withdrawing; Sakura wanted to scream in frustration.

As he leaned forward to tuck the edge of the blanket around her, her hand shot out, and she tightly grabbed the collar of his sleeveless shirt. He froze, dark eye flicking up to lock onto hers as they both sat totally still.

"Kiss me?" she whispered, wishing that her hair was brushed and sleek, her eyes weren't puffy, and her teeth were brushed. He stared at her with something heavy in his expression that she couldn't recognize. He didn't lean towards her, but he didn't lean away either. His eye closed, brow furrowed with the complex turning of emotions in him. Sakura hesitated, then she slowly leaned towards him, her eyes half closed as she felt the heat of his skin warm the centimeters between them. His lips, partially open, breathed warm air across her face. She felt dizzy as she closed the gap, her lips brushing his.

"Sakura," he half growled, half groaned, his mouth pressed against hers. The sound made her shiver with goosebumps, grab his shoulders and press herself against him as she tried to deepen the kiss. He pulled back abruptly, his hitae-ate askew and his gray eye smoldering. "Please. We need to talk." She covered her mouth with her hand, embarrassed.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, bowing slightly, her hair falling forward hide her face. "That was...inappropriate." Her shoulders hunched against the hurt, but he took her hand in his, an unexpected gesture.

"No, it's alright," he sighed, holding it loosely in his. "We just need to clear the air about the mission, before we try to talk about this." She blushed deeply, not really wanting to get into that, but also knowing that it had to happen eventually. She reluctantly nodded.

"I guess I can start," she whispered, not sure how to go about recanting the long and embarrassing tale of her horrifically bad seduction. He shook his head.

"No, I'll start. I'm sorry, Sakura. I knew that chunin get that mission, and I guess I did it too when I was a little younger than you, but I hadn't expected Tsunade to assign someone to me. I don't know, I guess I thought I was beyond those missions. I tried to keep it under control when I found out. I didn't think that I had feelings for you, so when you started, it was purely an assessment for me. When I started getting jealous, I attributed it to you being one of my ex students. I thought I was being protective." He paused, thinking over what he wanted to say. Sakura scoffed.

"I knew you were being petty."

"Hey, don't interrupt. Your turn is next." His cool words made her blanche, and he continued. "I should have pulled back when I realized that I was starting to develop feelings for you. I was compromising the mission with my own involvement in your mission, and that was wrong of me. I let it go too far; I should have done something, but I didn't realize that you were starting to feel something for me too. I thought it was just your mission, and I had planned on keeping my emotions over it to myself, so I wouldn't put you in a bad position as my subordinate. I...I didn't want this for you, Sakura. I wanted you to find somebody worth your time, somebody that you could have something real with. Like Sasuke, or Sai." His gaze didn't waver from the blanket, finger tracing it lightly. Sakura stared at him in open shock.

"I thought you didn't care," she replied in surprise. He didn't respond. "I guess my story is the same. I got assigned the mission, it started out professional, and then...I don't know, it just turned down a different path. I realized that I was attracted to you, and it sort of started falling apart when it became obvious to me that it wasn't just about looks. I liked everything about you, more than anybody I've ever met. And I know you think you have too much baggage for me, but honestly, find me a shinobi without any baggage and I'll show myself out Konoha's front gate." He half smiled. "Kakashi...I guess I've always cared really deeply for you. I just didn't realize how much until this. And even if you don't want to try, I'm glad that I know now." She stared down at her hand, still wrapped in his larger fingers, unwilling to approach that option. But she knew that if he didn't want to stay on a team with her, to do, well, anything with her, she'd have to respect it.

"I'm glad that I know too." His voice was quiet, but hope filled her. She squeezed his hand, closing her eyes when he squeezed back. Her lip quivered dangerously, but she wasn't exactly sure why.

"So you do care about me," she whispered, a tear escaping, her fingers tight on his. He didn't pull his hand away, but watched their hands in detached interest.

"I shouldn't."

"But you do."

He didn't respond. She released his hand, her fingers sore, and let them move up his arm, tracing the skin with a feather-light touch. His hair rose at her touch, though he didn't look down. She continued to move them up his shoulder and neck, before sliding her hand around his jaw and turning him gently to face her. He didn't resist it, and when she looked into his dark eye, she saw something deep and terrifying there.

Not sure if she should feel intimidated, she relaxed her hand on his jaw, gliding her fingers up to cup his cheek. His hard gaze didn't falter, communicating much more than words could have said. She wasn't sure what to say, what to do, but she knew that she needed to do something. A kiss wouldn't cut it.

"I care about you too," she said shyly. "I always have. I guess I always will, even if this isn't what you want." She leaned forward and kissed the corner of his mouth, her lips barely brushing his. Then she leaned back and cuddled up into the bed.

He stayed for a moment, watching her intently, before standing and leaving the room.

Sakura struggled with a moment of pain before relaxing into blissfully calm release. She relinquished control over him, the control of her heart over her, and control over their future. She let the pain go, and as it left her, she fell into a deep sleep.

She slept dreamlessly, wrapped up in a warm blanket and soothed by the soft sound of the wind outside the window. But she didn't sleep for long. It was dark when her eyes opened, maybe only an hour or so after she'd fallen asleep; a trained shinobi, she couldn't help but wake up when she felt like she was being watched. It had been trained into her for a long time, years before she'd even started genin training. So her luminous green eyes opened now, when a figure stood at the door.

He walked towards her smoothly. Sakura merely watched him, sure that it wasn't a dream. He stood at the foot of her bed, his face totally bare, even the hitae-ate gone, both eyes open and staring into hers. She met his eerie stare steadily, held it even as he stood in silence.

"Why," he finally spoke, his voice breaking. Sakura's mouth opened in shock, but she didn't interrupt him. "Why do you do this to me? Why can't I leave you alone?" He demanded answers to questions that she didn't know how to solve. She shrugged helplessly.

"You don't have to." She said it simply. He seemed to be breathing heavily, like he'd been running outside or something, which wouldn't surprise her. Suddenly, he moved towards her, crawling onto the bed but stopping by her feet, not pushing her. She wished he'd push her more.

"Is this what you want?" he asked her, not knowing himself what he offered. Sakura didn't either. But she slid back the blanket, baring her body to him. She was dressed in his clothes again, another tank top and shorts...but she might as well have been wearing lingerie. He stared at her as though he'd been starved. "Tell me."

"I want it," she whispered, a thrill running down her spine. He averted his eyes, his hands curling slightly into the blanket. She leaned forward, her heart suddenly pounding. "I want it!" She grabbed handfuls of his hair as she pulled his face into hers, meeting his lips in the toe-curling kiss that she'd been dreaming of since he first kissed her like that in the forest. He didn't hold back now, his hands flying to her waist as he pulled her into him, his mouth opening for hers submissively as she plundered it now. He let her take control, wanting to know that this was what she wanted. And Sakura was more than willing to prove it.

Knowing better what to do now, she started trusting her own body. When she wanted to taste his skin, she tasted it. When she needed to touch him, she touched him. Her hands roamed his back and shoulders as he leaned over her, her tongue raced across his neck when he offered it. The low moan that broke from his throat made her quiver inside. He slowly stretched out over her, like he'd done before. Sakura eagerly wriggled into a comfortable position, opening her legs for him to lay between them. His hardness surprised her, making her gasp as he ground it against her.

"It's...been a while," he breathed self consciously. "That last night together didn't exactly help." Sakura smiled apologetically.

"Sorry," she whispered, welcoming the heat of his body against her. It was intoxicating. "I wanted it then too, you know." He grimaced, his manhood moving against her.

"I know." He rubbed his lips across hers, an unspoken apology for that night. She couldn't help the whimper that left her as his skin touched hers. "I've been paying all week for turning you down." His hands held hers loosely as he kissed her with the slow sort of pleasure that Sakura had only dreamed of. She couldn't stand it, having him so close and yet so far away.

"How did Mimori do it?" she sighed, closing her eyes as he kissed her neck. He paused for a moment before resuming without an answer. "This, I mean. How did she endure this with no hope for a future with you?"

"Just like you're doing, actually," he said dryly. She laughed unexpectedly, and he paused to draw back and look down at her. She covered her mouth, unable to hide the humor in her eyes.

"Not like this," she said, giggling. "I'm not talking about marriage here. But you know. Friendship, at least. Close friendship. I could live with that. But I can also sort of see where she's coming from. You're infuriating."

"Exclusive friendship?" he asked skeptically, eyebrow raised. She paused to consider the question before frowning.

"I guess not. That would be hard, being nervous about you falling for somebody else." She felt reluctant telling him, especially when his frown deepened. "Hey...you owe me a secret."

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "I thought we were done with that game."

"We're not ending on your terms," she recanted sassily. He sighed before adjusting his weight comfortably between her legs. His eyebrows raising were the only indication that he was waiting for her question. "Why me? I told you. Now you tell me." His eyes narrowed, standing his ground to the emotional onslaught. But he'd never been able to resist her big green eyes for long. So it was only seconds before he sighed deeply and averted his eyes.

"You understand me," he mumbled. "And you forgive me, when I'm not here for you. And you...remind me of somebody I used to know." He flushed darkly, having forced those last words out. But she deserved to know. Sakura had never willfully deceived him, and he stubbornly refused to do that to her. She nodded with an intense solemnity.

"What was she like?" Sakura's question threw him off. Kakashi stared at his hands for a long time before he began to talk.

And he told Sakura about Rin.

Sakura woke up to the sun shining into her eyes through a gap in the closed curtains.

She rubbed her eyes, yawning deeply. It had to be late morning; the sun was much too bright for it to be early. Tsunade was going to kill her. But she couldn't bring herself to care very much. She's woken up comfortable, warm, and happy, and it was easy to see why.

Kakashi had fallen asleep on her chest, his arms cradling her sides as he snored lightly. Without his mask or his hitae-ate, he almost looked like he could be a civilian. He was a bland sort of handsome, the type that you could pass on the street and briefly consider before walking on. Sakura, however, couldn't help but stare at his narrow nose, his angular jawline, the smooth rise of the high cheekbones, the soft, dark eyebrows, so smooth in the depth of his sleep.

She didn't know what time they'd finally knocked out, but it had been the best sleep that she'd had in a long time. Wrapped in his warm embrace, she slept feeling totally safe, as though a tiger watched over her. Kakashi, it seemed, had felt the same way. Sakura felt honored; she'd never seen him genuinely sleep, not ever, and now he was snoring against her chest, drooling slightly as he dreamed.

A smile curved the corners of her lips, and she gently wiggled free of his arms.

He rolled onto his back, his soft snoring pausing for only a moment before resuming comfortably. His eyed moved beneath closed lids, mouth slightly open. Definitely asleep. Her smile turned mischievous as her hands touched his chest.

Like their first night together, she let her fingers wander across his scars. White and puckered, they stood in sharp relief on his skin, marking patterns that read the history of his shinobi career. Eventually her fingers increased pressure to rub against the tight muscles under those scars. It was like the man had never relaxed in his life, even as he slept like a cat. His muscles were hard and firm under her hands, solid from two decades of training them. She admired the strong lines of his body, softened by the silvery hair that traced down his chest and stomach lightly. She touched those too, surprised by how soft it was against her hands. She gently traced the lines of his abdomen, lines that she'd admired from afar ages ago, when she watched him undress in the forest.

The sheer masculinity of him awed her.

And when her gaze shifted downwards, she wasn't too surprised to see him hard. It was the morning, after all. As a medic, Sakura knew the functions of the human body. She was especially familiar with this one, having healed it many times, and having touched him before. She watched it twitch through his sweatpants, very interested in continuing her exploration of him, but unwilling to do so while he slept. Touching his chest was innocent; touching him down there was decidedly not.

But she let her hands graze the lip of his pants, dipping teasingly below before retreating to safer grounds. She was getting excited, playing with a body like this at her leisure. She would have done so all morning, but a particular revelation struck Sakura.

Kakashi had stopped snoring.

Flinching, she turned to the head of the bed. He watched her intently, both eyes trained on her. His Sharingan gave a threateningly lazy whirl, and when she flinched in surprise he gave her a half smile.

"Enjoying yourself?" His rough morning voice gave her chills all over. Her eyes darkened, and he noticed. "Go ahead. I'm not going to stop you." It was a tired, early morning offer, but Sakura couldn't ever turn him down. She glanced back down, her curiosity piqued. She let her hands graze the waistband again...and then summoned her courage and dipped them below.

You've seen him before. You've touched him before. Calm down. Her nerves settled with some trouble, finally fading as she ran her hands along his length. His long breath out encouraged her, and she gave him a gentle squeeze, satisfied by the mild shudder she received in response.

She didn't dare look up at him. She knew the deadly look that he'd have in his eyes, and she wasn't ready for him to take control yet. Not yet. She deserved her turn, dammit!

Sakura continued to play with him for a while, alternating between gentle strokes and firmer squeezes. She watched him as his sharp, constant control began to wither into closed eyes and breathless gasps, his body flexing as she explored him. She'd never felt so powerful as when she held him and watched him surrender to her.

It was a short lived feeling. She could tell that he was close, despite her naivety. He sat up, quickly flipping her so that she was the one on her back. Kakashi was poised over her, seemingly unsure of what he wanted to do. When he looked at his hand, Sakura slowly shook her head. He gave her that sexy half smile, and she didn't fight him when he ran his fingers along her legs. She squirmed under him, flooded with sensations that she had felt before, here, in this bed.

"Relax," he said quietly, his eyes glowing. His fingers swept up and down her legs several times before he finally touched her, and when she felt him there, her body jerked against her will. "I'm not going to make you come yet." He continued his patient path on her thighs, and it wasn't long until Sakura was whining in desperate need. But Kakashi took his time, touching areas that she had no idea were sensitive. Her inner thighs, her neck, the outsides of her hips, all of it seemed electrified by his hands, and then his lips and tongue. Still, he didn't move towards the notch in her thighs.

"Kakashi," she whispered, arching her hips up. "Please..." He paused in his gentle ministrations, eyes locked with hers for a moment, and then he began to crawl over her. She panted, needing his body against hers. Inside of hers. She ached in ways that she didn't even know were possible. He seemed to assess her as he gazed into her pleading eyes.

"Are you sure?" he asked, infuriatingly calm. Sakura nodded. "You have to be sure. This isn't something worthless to me. I'll take care of you, but I have to know that this is what you want." She locked her legs around him, sharp pleasure shooting up her spine as she ground against him sensually. His composure was temporarily, and satisfyingly, broken by the electric contact.

"Yes, yes, please," she begged, pulling her shirt over her head, exposing her smooth, perky breasts. His eyes tore from her face, lingering on her body with heat. She wriggled free of the shorts, wanting his skin against hers more than she'd ever wanted anything in her life. "Please. I want it to be you."

He stared into her eyes for a long time, gauging what he saw there, before he reached for his waistband and pulled free of the pants. Sakura remembered acutely what it had been like before. Unprepared and unsure, she'd been frightened. There was no fear now.

"Come here," he said softly, leaning over her and catching her lips with his. She kissed him deeply, fear striking her, but not so deeply as the sheer pleasure of having him so close, so intimate. She let him kiss her, let him soothe her fear with a seemingly endless kiss, let him make her forget that there was a purpose to this at all. His kisses made lightning shoot from her lips to her womanhood, and she let him seduce her with his mouth.

When he jerked his hips into hers, she cried out into his mouth in shock. He smothered her cries, holding her tight against him as she struggled to accommodate his girth. Her body writhed in mixed pain and pleasure, not sure which way she would fall yet.

"Shh," he murmured, pulling her attention to the agony of her inner muscles twitching around the unfamiliar sensation. "You're alright. Come here, beautiful." He kissed her again, his hips still against hers, and she fell into his honeyed words again. She let him pull her back, his mouth kissing her eyes, her neck, her hair, everywhere, until she forgot again and laughed under the gentle attention. When he moved his hips again, the pain was gone, and a new sort of pleasure had taken over.

She purred under him, small moans escaping her as he worked deeper into her, his motion slow and steady. He moaned too, but she could sense that his movement was restrained; this was clearly for her. He was holding back, either to keep from hurting her or to keep from orgasming too early, she wasn't completely sure. She wished that she could take him like this, draw out his pleasure and ride him to her liking, but she didn't know what she was supposed to be doing. Next time, maybe. The thought of a next time made her toes curl.

"Are you feeling good?" he asked, his voice ragged against her neck. The timbre of it made her bite her lip, her eyes rolling back. He was torturing himself for her, prostrate at her alter as she sighed in pleasure. "Can you take more?" The question was simple, but so incredibly sexy. Sakura wrapped her legs around him, pulling him into her. His teeth clenched at the raw sensation in it.

"I might have been a virgin, but I'm a shinobi too," she said, her hands tight on his arms. He held himself over her, body shaking from the restrained desire. "Go ahead. This is what we both wanted."

Finally surrendering to his own body, he grabbed her waist and picked up speed, moving faster and faster, feeding into the flame that stirred inside of Sakura until she couldn't stop the moans that forced themselves from her throat with his every movement into her. She covered her mouth, conscious of neighbors, but that only earned her a smile as he pulled her hands away and pinned them to the mattress, his teeth teasing her lips with every thrust. Her eyes began to roll back as he took her, still slightly restrained, but with real passion now.

"Kakashi!" she gasped, feeling her body begin to shake, tremors breaking out over her inner muscles. He clenched his teeth and snarled, hands tight on her arms as he yanked her into him, not an inch of space between their bodies, his chest pressed against hers as he took his pleasure from her. Sakura felt herself spiraling upwards, that same feeling that she'd had when he had brought her to orgasm with his Sharingan. She gasped as he dragged her up and up and up, mercilessly driving her towards orgasm as he finally lost control in her. Teeth bared, hands hard against hers, he closed his eyes and flexed his body against hers as Sakura's back arched in a bolt of white-hot pleasure, a simultaneously euphoric and numbing sensation that left her muscles weak and quivering, her arms and legs falling limp.

He leaned against her, his forehead against hers, his breath hard, sweat beaded at his temples. Sakura had never, ever seen him like this, not even when she'd first come to his house. He'd been in control for every second that she'd known him, but now...now he was totally at her mercy, relaxed against her.

Her heart ached as she kissed him. He slowly settled into the bed beside her, pulling her into him as sleep grabbed at them yet again. Sakura wondered vaguely if Tsunade was going to fire her.

Before she fell asleep again, though, she wondered if this was meant to last, or if she was just another distraction from his past.

Hey all! Sorry for the long wait for this chapter, I know it's been a long time in the making. I did intend for them to sleep together in this chapter, like a LONG time ago, but as you all know I've been pretty busy. Anyways, please review, let me know what you did and didn't like! I do occasionally go back and fix stuff, don't depend on it, but if you find an inaccuracy, I might head back and make some small adjustments.

Thanks so much for the faithful followers, the reviewers, and all of my readers! I love all of you. Once again, I just started a Zutara fic, if you're into ATLAB, feel free to head over there and check it out! Happy holidays!