Chapter Text
Chapter 16: A Blind Man, A Scornful Man and A Starving Man
“Promise you’ll say
I made a lovely villain
When you tell your side
Of our horror story”
-Ang Frank
“It will be less than a two day journey- towards the eastern border of Fire Country,” Naruto said, eyes pleading.
Sakura swallowed nervously from the doorway to her house. She was only half listening to Naruto’s bizarre plan. While Sasori was staying with her she really didn’t want any unexpected company. Yet her former teammates just kept popping up. Sakura knew that Sasori was highly amused by her paranoia and she didn’t want Naruto to stick around long enough for the demon to make an appearance.
“Has the Hokage even approved this?” she questioned, making an effort to focus on the blonde.
“She said that I could choose a small team, but I had to be back by Wednesday,” Naruto replied.
Sighing Sakura hunched slightly, “Naruto, I really don’t think-”
“-I’m counting on you Sakura-chan. You’ve always had my back.”
Her eyes met his blue ones, and hated the unsureness in them. And yet a small part of her was impressed by his blatant emotional manipulation.
“Fine, I’ll come,” she said, talking through Naruto’s excited fist pump, “- But, you have to run it by the Hokage first. She has me working on another assignment right now and it is pretty high priority.” She willed her eyes not to dart over to her bedroom window.
“Mah, I’m sure Granny will be fine with it,” Naruto said, waving his hand, body already turning away. “You can meet me and Sasuke at the Gate at 7am.”
“Wait, Sasuke- ” Sakura started to protest.
But Naruto was already gone, an orange and black blur speeding down her laneway.
Huffing in annoyance, she turned back inside and peered in the dark house. No noise, no identifiable chakra signatures- not that that really meant much. And no demon. Striding through the living room, her eyes were briefly drawn to the stained wood floor where Sasori had killed the masked nin. No amount of scrubbing had lifted those stains. She would have to get a rug.
Moving upstairs, Sakura thought about what she would need to pack. Naruto said that they were going to head to the eastern part of Fire Country to deliver a message to an important Konoha spy. He hadn’t elaborated, only mentioning that it had to do with Uchiha Itachi. And Sakura knew that the elder Uchiha might as well have been as much a part of Naruto’s nindo, as he was Sasuke’s. After all, all roads lead back to Sasuke as far as the blonde ninja was concerned.
Pushing open her bedroom door, she noted how her room was cast in shadows- the sun was setting earlier with each passing day. Moving to her closet to grab her pack, Sakura felt paranoia creep down her spine. Ever since she was fifteen, she always felt like she was being watched while in her bedroom. And ever since the night where Sasori was freed from the mirror, she knew that there was a good possibility that her unease was warranted.
Turning to the window, she considered the gauzy curtains that only gave the illusion of privacy. But the traps that lay around them should theoretically help keep intruders out. She just didn’t want to test that theory when clearly the masked organization were powerful people.
“You never used to be so paranoid,” a deep voice whispered from within the dark.
Sakura felt her heart stutter as she watched glowing red eyes stare at her, smoke swirling around him, until his corporeal body faced her.
Finding her voice, she took a breath, “I think it’s justified.”
Sasori tilted his head slightly before his lips tugged upwards into a wicked smile, “There’s no one here pet. Just you and me. ”
She could feel her heart rate pick up in response to his words. How strange was it that they had been living together for about a week, and yet they hadn’t spent very much time alone without it being interrupted.
And yet here they were. With the night ahead of them. Alone.
Trying to ignore the sudden adrenalin that flooded her system, Sakura managed a shaky smile, “I’m not sure many people would find being alone with a demon reassuring.”
He moved closer, “Are you afraid of me, Sakura?” her name rolling off his tongue.
Her body felt hot, muscles tense, “Should I be?”
His eyes slowly trailed down her form, leaving goosebumps in their wake; until they rested on the pack in her hand.
“Going somewhere?” he questioned, lithe form moving in closer.
She swallowed and tilted her head back to be able to look him in the eye.
“I have a mission outside of the village.”
He moved in closer and Sakura felt herself take a step back. The air between them felt electric. “Are you going on this mission by yourself?”
“No,” she answered, watching his otherworldly eyes narrow.
She took another step back. He followed.
“Who is accompanying you?”
“Naruto-,” she said and hesitated for a moment, taking another step back.
“ And ?” Sasori drawled, an infuriating smirk plastered on his handsome face.
“Sa-sasuke,” she said, stuttering when she felt her back hit the wall behind her.
“Oh really,” Sasori replied, his body hovering so close, but not quite touching her. She could feel the heat radiating off him in waves.
“How fortunate for you,” he said, voice lowering to a gritty whisper and Sakura felt her thighs clench. “Most girls don’t get to have their childish fantasies come true.” His head leaned in closer, “You and little Sasuke out in the wilderness- maybe you’ll need to share sleeping bags for warmth.” The mocking tone in his voice made her own eyes narrow in response.
“He’s not so little any more,” she taunted back, having no idea why she was defending Sasuke. But the pissed off look on Sasori’s face made it worth it.
He sneered, “Yes how exciting the clumsy fingers of a teenage boy must be.”
“I wouldn’t exactly know, now would I?” she challenged.
He shifted that minuscule bit, but it was all that was needed to be pressed against her. Delicious heat warred with tingling shock.
“That’s right pet,” he said, voice dark and tantalizing. He leaned in and pressed his nose to the crook of her neck. Her toes curled at his deep inhale. “You’re still a virgin.”
She closed her eyes and exhaled shakily. When she opened them, Sasori was gazing down at her, his catlike pupils dilated wide.
She didn’t move, didn’t breathe- just waited.
He leaned forward in what felt like an agonizingly slow movement, before gently pressing his lips to hers.
It felt tentative, even sweet- everything Sasori wasn’t.
And she sunk into him. The moment she let her weight press into his body, the mood shifted. He pushed and she pulled and their tongues were tangled. His kisses were everything and nothing like her dreams of him. The heat, the wetness, the feeling of him was overwhelming. She moaned a throaty sound as his lips latched onto the bite mark.
“What do you want, Sakura?” He asked, lips trailing up her neck.
“I want- I,” she panted as sharp teeth tugged on her earlobe.
He pulled away and she moaned in protest. Opening her eyes, she looked into his dark ones.
“What do you want?” he repeated.
“You.”
And with that simple statement, she felt the room tilt for a moment before her back hit her mattress. Looking up she saw Sasori’s form hovering above her. His eyes looked uncharacteristically serious. “You can’t take this back.”
She swallowed, for once feeling the truth in his words.
“I don’t want to.”
And then his lips were on hers again. Fierce enough to make her fingers grip her bed sheets, and yet gentle enough to make her squirm. More. Her hips rose up to meet his as he tugged her thigh over his waist. More. The feeling of hot friction as his erection brushed against her core was electric. But she needed-
“ More.”
Sasori growled and she felt the cloth covering her chest rip. He parted the material and cupped her breasts, thumbs stroking over pebbled nipples. And then his lips descended on one.
“Sasori,” she moaned, grinding her hips into his.
“Do you know how often I’ve thought of this,” Sasori whispered, his cool breath blowing on her wet nipple.
Sakura exhaled roughly, “As often as I’ve dreamed it?”
His lips trailed lower. She bit her bottom lip in anticipation. His eyes never left her own, as he unfastened her pants, and slipped them, along with her panties down her legs. He gripped one of her ankles and pulled her leg up to meet his lips.
“I watched you kiss that pale eyes boy in the library,” Sasori whispered, his mouth inching higher up her inner leg.
She exhaled sharply and felt the wetness begin to drip down her thighs.
Sasori inhaled deeply, eyes wicked as they locked on hers, “Then I watched you leave a bar with a man and I couldn’t let him touch you.”
His tongue trailed up, hot and wet until his teeth tugged on the sensitive flesh behind her knee.
“Saso-”
“-And then I watched you touch yourself,” he whispered while moving up, breath blowing on her core. “And all I wanted to do was touch you, taste you, fill you.”
She swallowed and her eyes met his as his tongue came out and licked a line from lips to clit.
She threw her head back and moaned unrestrained, feeling his tongue explore her folds, his lips moving up to suck on her clit. It was too much and not enough at the same time.
A single finger stroked her clit before lowering and dipping inside her. A second finger joined the first, curling in her, beckoning her to come.
“Sasori,” she panted.
He hummed, the sound vibrating against her.
Sakura swore as her orgasm crashed through her. Wave after wave of pleasure radiated through every never ending, her thighs tensing around his shoulders.
She opened her eyes lazily when the aftershocks started to slow and was met with Sasori watching her, the reds of his eyes glowing. Dropping her gaze, she noted that the demon was naked. Her eyes travelled from the planes of his ghostly pale shoulders, down his well defined chest, to his erection, jutting out proudly. When she met his intense stare again, she felt his hand curl around her left thigh, widening her legs around his hips.
She exhaled sharply when she felt the tip of him brush against her folds. He stilled his movements and waited. Taking a deep breath, Sakura tried not to tense her muscles, before she nodded at the demon.
In one swift move, he thrust forward. Sakura cried out as pain scorched through her. Her breaths came out in gasps. Her insides felt like they were burning from the pressure of him.
“Are you okay?”
Sakura looked up at him through tear-welled eyes, and noticed how tightly his jaw was clenched.
She tried to focus. She had felt pain before- pain more brutal than this. But this, it was a different sort of pain. After another moment though, the burning began to subside, and another feeling replaced it. The pressure of Sasori within her, felt intense, yet somehow not quite right. She shifted her hips, searching for-
Sasori hissed a whistling sound through clenched teeth. She clenched around him in response and watched his eyes narrow.
“If you move again, I am going to fuck you with no hesitation, no restraint, all night while you scream my name.”
She said nothing, but tilted her hips up feeling him sink more deeply in.
His smirk made her question herself for a moment, before he gripped her leg tighter and pulled out before thrusting back in.
And there it was. That incredible friction. That feeling of fullness, and heat, and her juices slicking her thighs and making noises that should have embarrassed her, but she just didn’t care.
His pace was relentless and she could feel that coil within her tightening with every thrust that hit that sweet spot. Noises came from her mouth that she was sure she had never made before.
Sasori pulled her hips up, changing the angle so that he was right there. Don’t stop. Don’t stop.
“Don’t stop, Sasori, you can’t stop ! ”
She felt that coil of pressure snap, as her second orgasm raced through her, making her insides clench, blood sing, and hips arch erratically. She could scarcely hear the sound of Sasori’s growl over her panting.
But she could feel the demon’s pace pick up- she sobbed, it was too sensitive, it was almost too much. Sasori’s grip tightened, and she could feel his body tense, before he groaned his own release.
Her thighs were a sticky mess of fluids when he pulled out, but she didn’t care. She felt satiated, but exhausted as the demon took her into his arms. Sleep claimed her as Sasori’s claws stroked through her hair.
_____
Sakura’s eyelids felt like they were coated in sand when managed to pull them open. Gazing over to the window she noted that the sun was just beginning to cast its first rays over the sky filling it with a pinkish hues.
The absence of Sasori shouldn’t have surprised her, and yet she couldn’t quite squash the disappointment down as she noted the empty space beside her. It was foolish- he was a demon and she didn’t even know if he needed sleep. And she was not romantically naive enough to expect more. Yet, some part of her has expected to wake up to wicked fingers and even more wicked tongue.
It was for the best, she thought stretching her back and feeling soreness radiate down from her core to her legs. Sasori would have only distracted her and she had a mission she reminded herself. Channelling healing chakra throughout her body, she healed bruises, and internal tearing.
Rolling out of bed, she tried not to blush at the stiffness of the sheets. Green eyes gazed down at the mess that her blood and their bodily fluids made. She had lost her virginity to a demon. She couldn’t even bear to say it out loud because it sounded so immoral, so salacious, and just wrong.
Sakura tried to picture Ino’s face if she told her friend. Her pretty features would turn from excitement to disgust. The only demons that most people knew about were tailed ones. And they were awful. Not that Sasori wasn’t awful. But it was different. She nodded trying to convince herself, before stalking out of the bedroom and towards the bathroom.
Her shower was another embarrassing affair, as she scrubbed at her inner thighs, all while feeling the ghost of Sasori’s fingertips, his lips on her skin. Reminding herself that she didn’t have time to be distracted, she slipped out of the shower and quickly slipped on matching black pants and a shirt before methodically packing her travel bag.
She zipped it up and checked the clock- it was 6:45, she had fifteen minutes to make it to the village gates.
Pausing in the doorway of her bedroom, Sakura softly called out, “Sasori?”
There was no response.
She sighed and tried not to mull over the question about where Sasori was spending his time when he was not at her house. But she couldn’t afford to stall any longer.
____
Jumping down from the last of the rooftops near the gates to the village, Sakura spotted one lone figure leaning the wall next to them. Unfortunately it wasn’t the blonde haired knuckleheaded ninja.
Sakura tried not to openly scowl as she approached. She couldn’t believe Tsunade would let Sasuke out of the village. After everything they had done to get him back and now he was allowed to just stroll out. Her lips tugged downwards as Tsunade could probably make a similar argument about her.
She noticed the exact moment Sasuke spotted her. His muscles tensed for a moment, before relaxing. He did not open his mouth for any sort of greeting, instead he chose to blatantly watch her approach.
She forced herself not to stiffen as she paused a good distance away from him. Checking her watch, Sakura hated that she could feel his eyes bore into her. It was 7:00- Naruto was late. But that wasn’t exactly surprising. Sighing, she focused her gaze on the tree line.
“You didn’t come with Naruto the other day.”
Sakura didn’t bother to turn her head to face him as she responded, “No, I didn’t.”
“Why?”
Her head automatically turned at the roughness in his voice. She internally cursed as she met Sasuke’s dark eyes.
“Why would I? I don’t normally visit criminals in interrogation cells,” she said, disdain dripping off her words.
Sasuke’s eyes narrowed, “I thought-”
“- well clearly you thought wrong,” she replied, cutting him off. Her attention then shifted to the blonde hurricane speeding their way.
“Sorry I’m late,” Naruto said, skidding to a stop. A giant grin was pasted on his whiskered face.
Sakura had a dull feeling that it wouldn’t last long with the way their ‘team’ dynamic was surely going to be.
“Where’s my brother’s location,” Sasuke demanded, barely looking at Naruto.
Sakura’s eyes darted between the two. Naruto grinned unabashedly at the dark haired Uchiha, yet Sasuke couldn’t meet his stare. It was almost as if he too was uncomfortable at how much joy his presence clearly brought Naruto. It was odd . Sasuke had never shown that his teammates were anything more than burdens to him, even when he let himself be drawn into Naruto’s ridiculous competitions back in the day.
Naruto laughed, “Patience teme. It’s too bad Kakashi-sensei is on a mission right now.”
Both Sakura and Sasuke tensed up at their former mentor’s name, but Naruto continued on, walking towards the gatekeepers.
Sakura ignored the shocked look on Kotetsu’s face as they walked out of the village gates, his stamp of approval on their paperwork.
Naruto laughed as he ran ahead. It only took a moment before Sasuke followed. Sighing, Sakura hefted her pack up before speeding after them.
“You said we were travelling towards the eastern border,” Sakura said after catching up.
Naruto slowed, “Yeah, that's what the perv reported.”
Sakura skidded to a halt, “ Jiraiya is the one that has information on Uchiha Itachi?”
Naruto chuckled, “Ero-sannin is Konoha’s spymaster.”
Sakura bit her tongue, less than impressed. Jiraiya’s looks, let alone his personality, were not exactly inconspicuous. But he was a legend for a reason she reminded herself.
“And what exactly are we doing when we get to the eastern border?”
“Did the dobe not fill you in at all,” Sasuke said from a distance ahead of her. She could hear the sneer in his voice.
“Obviously not,” she shot back.
“Heh, um, well we are actually meeting Itachi there. He isn’t expecting us though,” Naruto replied, nervously glancing at Sasuke.
Sakura didn’t bother to hide her displeasure. “We are going to essentially ambush a S-ranked nin who is still under the impression that we think he is the enemy...”
“If you don’t think you’re strong enough to face him, you can always turn back. We don’t need to be slowed down,” Sasuke said, voice cold.
Sakura’s eyes narrowed as she locked on him, “It’s not my skills I’m worried about, but rather the lack of self-discipline of others.”
Sharingan red flared to life.
“Okay, you guys, that's enough,” Naruto spluttered, stepping between them. “Sakura, I know you are right, we do need to act rationally.”
He looked over at Sasuke and Sakura was tempted to remind him that she hadn’t only meant Sasuke with her statement.
“Then what exactly is your rational plan,” Sasuke hissed, voice laced with sarcasm.
“I figured we could let Sakura reach out to him first. She’s really good at getting people to do what she wants. Then she could bring Itachi over to where we are,” Naruto answered.
Sasuke scoffed, “What exactly do you think Sakura is going to be able to say to get my brother to follow her?”
Naruto frowned, “I don’t know, but I’ve watched her talk her way into a man’s house before.”
“Naruto,” Sakura warned, letting the frustration colour her words. Did he not understand what he was implying? Sure he had watched her talk her way into Hitori’s farmhouse, but what he was suggesting sounded much more obscene. Not that she hadn’t used those tactics before, but still.
She hated the way that Sasuke’s eyes roved over to hers. “So that’s why Naruto’s been so quiet about your position within the village.” His smile tipped up cruelly, “Because your position is on your back.”
Sakura shot forward, kunai out, but Sasuke was faster. He darted away from the tree, and let his own kunai fly towards her. She rolled out of the way and stomped her foot, sending a wave of chakra through the earth. The moment he lost his footing, she was on him, pinning him against a tree and sending a quick burst of medical chakra at the nerves in his spine. His body loosened, muscles going limp as her paralysis took hold.
Keeping her eyes locked on his throat, not daring them to stray towards the sharingan, she whispered, “I take whatever position my village asks me to- my hands healing others, my feet crushing windpipes, my genjutsu fucking with minds.” He sucked in a breath, but she continued. “But my favourite position is taking down traitors.”
“Sakura-chan,” Naruto called, his voice laced with authority.
She turned to look at disappointed blue eyes.
Huffing, she reconnected the nerves in his spine and stepped back.
Naruto moved closer, “And teme,” Sasuke looked up in time for Naruto to punch him square in the jaw. “Don’t talk about Sakura-chan like that.”
Sasuke spat out blood from the split on his lip, before furiously looking from Naruto to her. He opened his mouth only to close it. She watched as his fist clenched and released a few times, but finally his face cleared to an ominous blankness. His eyes faded back to black before he opened his mouth again, “Fine, Sakura approaches Itachi.”
“There is a system of caves that Itachi and Jiraiya are scheduled to meet at. Sakura is going to show up and lead Itachi to us. We are going to enlighten him about Root-”
“- What’s Root?”
Naruto glanced at her, eyes unusually serious. “It’s Danzo’s underground organization. They are kinda like ANBU. He is using them to do all sorts of awful things to gather power. Including ordering the Uchiha clan massacre.”
Sakura felt a lump in her throat as her mind thought to the masked operatives that had attacked her. The ones that were interested in Sasori. Danzo was the one that ordered her father to look into demons in the first place.
“Does Tsuande know?”
Naruto nodded, “She needs to have evidence before we move forward. There are council members involved.”
“That's why you need Itachi,” Sasuke said, “to testify about his…” he paused, “ role in everything.”
Sakura eyed her old teammate and couldn’t help the slight swell of pity. He had spent almost his whole life thinking of his older brother as the monster, only to discover a bigger plot at hand, and a brother who may not be so monstrous.
“How long until we reach the caves?” Sasuke asked.
“We should be there by nightfall tomorrow. That is if we don’t take any unexpected breaks because of arguing,” Naruto’s eyes darted over to her.
Sakura met them unflinchingly, “I don’t think I’m the one you need to worry about. You both spent most of your time bickering when we were on a team together.”
Some of the seriousness left Naruto’s face and a nostalgic grin replaced it. This mission was after all his dream come true- Team Seven reunited. Sakura just didn’t want to see his face when he understood this wasn’t permanent.
Her eyes moved past Naruto to lock onto Sasuke. His dark ones were already on hers.
“We can make it by nightfall,” she said, pushing aside her bitterness.
“If teme doesn’t slow us down,” Naruto grinned before darting forward.
And just like old times, Sasuke instantly followed.
Heaviness churned in her gut as Sakura found herself once again chasing from behind.