Chapter 53

-Sakura's POV-

The moment I opened my eyes in the morning, complete and utter humiliation washed over me as I recalled what had happened between Gaara and me yesterday. Not only did he see me completely naked, but I had the drunken gall to ask him if he liked what he saw.

Jesus Christ… As if I need yet another reason for him to judge me.

Since we don't have lessons today, I texted Ino and asked her to come to pick me up for the makeover that she begged me to let her do, but she insisted she was too busy and that I'll just have to drive myself. When I arrived at her condo, I realized what exactly she meant by busy. Sai greeted me with a shy smile as he poured himself a cup of coffee in her kitchen with nothing but some sweatpants on.

My face fell and warmed bashfully as I averted my gaze from his naked torso, "Ino, you slut!"

The blond popped her head out the doorway of her large bathroom to make sure I could see her flipping me off, "You're just jealous."

I rolled my eyes as I dropped my purse onto her sofa and kicked my shoes off by the door before trekking into the room she was waiting within. When I realized she was only wearing an oversized t-shirt, likely Sai's since he's out there without one, and her underwear, I gave her an incredulous look. She grinned happily, not bothering to lower her voice in the slightest, "Bitch, just you wait. When I kill this makeover, and we get to have that sleepover, I'll give you all the juicy details."

When she gestured for me to sit in the chair at her vanity, I obeyed with a blush but shot her a playful glare in the mirror, "Don't ruin my hair, Pig."

After grabbing a comb and starting to section off my hair, she spoke casually, "So…" I stared blankly at her, and she rolled her eyes, "We haven't had a chance to hang out since…well, you know. Are you doing okay?"

That's not what I expected her to bring up, especially soon after I arrived. Feeling a bit anxious, I averted my gaze down to the expensive products lining her vanity, a diverse assortment of makeup, lotions, and perfumes, "I'm doing better. I…I need to tell you something, but it's private."

Her hands paused in my hair, and when I met her eyes again, she nodded before walking over to close the door, so Sai wouldn't be able to hear us so long as we kept our voices low.

Sighing, I turned to face her and closed my eyes tight as I spat out the truth, "On Christmas, Sasori…h-he…he, um, what he did wasn't consensual."

The room became silent and stayed that way for a long time. So long, in fact, that I opened my eyes to verify if she was even still standing there. Baby blue eyes were wide and full of disbelief. Then Ino was crying and hugging me tightly against her chest. Her breaking down made my control slip, so I joined her.

After a bit, we both managed to regain our composure, and she knelt in front of me with rage igniting her very being, "I'm gonna rip his dick off, baby, don't you worry. He's not getting away with this."

I shook my head, wiping away my tears and offering her a grateful smile, "Thank you, but please don't. I'm in the process of building a case so I can press charges."

I was right about letting others in. Now that it's not a secret to my closest friends and family, it's not so hard to talk about what happened. It still hurts, and I'm still terrified when my mind manages to wander too far, but I can tell that someday I'll be completely okay again. I can do this.

Once all the drama was out of the way and discussed, Ino returned to work on my makeover. A couple hours later, she turned me around in the chair, so I could see the finished product. My mouth dropped slightly, and I cautiously reached up to finger the much shorter ends of my hair. The extensions were removed; it was shoulder length and parted in the middle rather than to the side, like always. Ino'd taken it upon herself to style my hair and makeup, giving it mild romantic waves that made my face seem softer.

The expression on her face as she waited for my reaction was nervous and excited, "Do you hate it?"

I grinned as I stood up, looking away from my reflection to hug her, "I love it. It's so much lighter."

Despite a massive sigh of relief, she put a hand on her hip and turned her usual confidence back on, "You should've never doubted me, Forehead!" Then she took a couple photos to send to the girls, proof of her work.

Naturally, when I got home a while later, Gaara was in the family room with his laptop on the coffee table and the tv on for background noise. Blush rose to my face as I recalled, once again, how dumb I acted while drunk yesterday, and I attempted to sneak into my room without garnering his attention.

As I reached for my bedroom door handle, his soft voice stopped me, "Your hair, it looks good like that." He used a gentle and shy tone I hadn't heard in quite some time since we lived at the dorms. Sure, he's often bashful around me, but that voice is different, and I can quickly tell it apart from the rest.

I barely got a thank you out before rushing into my room and shutting the door behind me. My heart's beating so fast. I brought a hand up to it and realized he's left me totally flustered, something that's never happened before. Anytime anyone compliments me, it's hard not to blush or get a bit shy, and, at least till now, Gaara's not been an exception. I think I know why things seem different now, though.

Absently, my other hand raised to fiddle with the shorter ends of my hair as I grinned and slid down to the floor with my knees bent.

It's because he sounds so sincere when he talks to me now. I've never once thought that Gaara's ever been deceitful, but he's been an extremely private person since the day we first met. His words and actions alike reflect that. To sum it up in one word, Gaara's extremely cautious. Any flattering words he's sent my way in the past were uttered in toned-down ways or in an entirely professional-sounding manner.

My phone rang and pulled me from my frazzled state. When I saw the lawyer's name across the screen, I scrambled to my feet and moved to the furthest side of my room to answer in a hushed tone, hoping Gaara wouldn't hear me from out in the family room, "Hello?"

The lawyer's stern voice responded, "Is this Miss Sakura Haruno?"

I confirmed my identity, and the man continued, only to give me awful news, "I'm sorry to inform you that, in my professional opinion, the case you're currently trying to make isn't going to be strong enough to garner the outcome you're hoping for. He may not be sentenced at all without any physical evidence directly linking Sasori Akasuna to this incident."

I knew it. I fucking knew it. The positivity I've been developing over the past few days was too good to be true.

My heart sank in my chest, "...Are you sure?"

He had to have heard the defeat in my voice, but he responded as stoically as before, "I can keep your file open if you'd like, but I seriously recommend strengthening your case before taking the next step. Please don't hesitate to call me with any further questions or concerns. I'll help in any way I can." He didn't wait for me to respond and promptly ended the call, leaving me to stare wide-eyed at the floor with my mouth slack.

After all this, I'm once again powerless against Sasori. Tears rose in my eyes, and I reached up to wipe at them, only for a thought to cross my mind and stop me. If I need proof of his involvement, I'll just have to get it myself. It's risky and dangerous, but it's what has to be done if I'm ever going to have peace of mind again.

I clenched my teeth together and felt my brow furrow in determination as I tried to think of a plan.

No matter what, I know what I'm getting myself into this time and can prepare accordingly. I won't ever let him, or anyone, hurt me like that again.

-Hinata's POV-

After the night I rescued Matsuri and came clean to Sasuke about everything, he stopped talking and looking at me entirely unless it was vital to keep up the facade that everything was okay. I tried to reach out a couple times, nervously asking if he was open to talking about it, but he's taken to locking both doors to his room and pretending not to be able to hear me.

If we're not at home, it's extremely rare for us to be alone together, so there aren't any other chances to catch him where he can't run away without risking being overheard by the others.

I'm so confused about everything. I don't know where we stand anymore. I don't know if he's just taking time to cool down so he doesn't lose his temper or if he's actually wholly done seeing me in anything other than a professional light.

Here's the thing, though. I also don't know if I'm angry with him too. How am I supposed to apologize and take the blame for something I don't regret? Still, I genuinely think it was for the best, keeping things from him as long as I had. Looking back, things would've undoubtedly hit the fan during Top Tier if Sasuke knew about what Hidan had done, and anything that happened would've been caught on camera, too.

The only thing I'm genuinely sorry about is that he ended up hurt in the process, and I'll take the blame for that if it helps him understand. It was never my intention to make him feel like I didn't see him as trustworthy, and it definitely wasn't my intention to cause him to look at me like he had that night when he was finally done talking and listening.

Never mind that he might be done with me romantically, but the fact that he may not even consider me a friend at this point is gut-wrenching in a way I never imagined. Maybe I didn't grow up normally with friends and a loving family dynamic, but I've had my fair share of missing people, and it's never physically taken a toll on me like this.

If he is completely done with me, if that's the case, I should've realized how lucky I was before now. Someone with such an intense mask chose me, and only me, to open up to, and I feel like I've unconsciously taken that for granted. Somehow, I should've shown him my appreciation more when I had the chance. All I can do now is hope he's simply taking some time to process and try my best to stay distracted in the meantime, so the anxiety doesn't physically wear me down.

After spending multiple long hours with Tenten, Kakashi, and Matsuri, one week after that night, we officially filed against Hidan in court. He was suspended from all Akatsuki activities by Evolution's CEO pending the court date.

He was arrested when we first made his offenses known but, naturally, was bailed out by his parents. Since his court date isn't until the first week of March, all of us have been instructed not to travel alone, especially at night, just in case he decides to make things worse by trying to intimidate one of us into backing out.

I came clean to Gaara and Sakura about everything after that because Sasuke still isn't talking to me, and they need to know what's going on in case something happens. They were also upset that I kept them out of the loop for so long, but luckily, they forgave me quite quickly when I explained my reasoning.

Matsuri, thank the lord, finally cut Sasori out of her life. She told me she even blocked his number on her phone and changed the locks to her apartment so he couldn't try to contact her. While I'm relieved she's finally come to her senses, it's still quite sad that it took so much trauma and violence for it to happen. She has a long road of healing ahead of her.

Speaking of Sasori, Sakura told me she's in talks with a lawyer about pressing charges against him and has even started attending therapy. Honestly, she's very quickly returning to her old, bubbly self, and it makes me so happy I could cry.

Gaara's been stuck to her like glue lately, and she seems to like that, so I'm giving them some space. Out of all of us, I thought Sakura would be the last one to succumb to her feelings for someone that's supposed to be forbidden, but I can tell by the slowly changing way she and Gaara are acting around one another that she's really struggling. I can tell for sure now that Gaara's head over heels for her. Ever since the New Year's party, he's been steadily relaxing around us all, especially her.

Since those two are so preoccupied with one another, leaving me with no one to hang out with or distract me from what's going on between Sasuke and me.

Ino's been busy with modeling work since all of the spring fashion lines are preparing to hit the stores, and when she's not working, she's often with Sai. The two have made their relationship social media official. He's completely smitten and does nothing to hide the fact, even in front of others, and she obviously likes that kind of attention. I can tell she really likes him, too, though.

Neji and Tenten have begun an on-again-off-again thing because my cousin refuses to tell my father about her, just like I hoped he wouldn't, but the two of them keep making up after each big fight, only to repeat the process soon after.

Speaking of my father, I tried to visit him a couple times while he was in the hospital and was turned away each time. Then, when he was released, I tried one more time only to have him personally come into the foyer to tell me I wasn't welcome.

"You're nothing without me, without the Hyuuga name, and I don't want to see your face again until you accept that." That's what my father said to me, and that's when I stopped trying to extend an olive branch. Despite it all, I'm still relieved his condition isn't so bad that his personality changed.

Somewhere around two weeks after Sasuke and my fight, we all met in one of the agency's recording studios on Friday after dance practice to have the first official listen to our second album. It was released nearly a month ago, but we've been so busy that the chance never arose. I was so anxious and jittery after finishing the official recording of the song I'd spent days painstakingly creating. Still, now that I'm sitting between Tenten and Sakura on the sofa as we wait for Naruto and Shikamaru to adjust the sound settings, it's hard to breathe.

After listening to the first song, called Slow Dance, and being written by all four members of Prestige, Kakashi made an offhand comment about potentially recording a music video for the song since it offered an opportunity for a much different concept than we've done up until now. After setting a reminder on his phone to ask Tsunade and Sai to come up with choreography ideas, we moved on to the second song, Thunderclouds.

It's one of the two songs marketing has been focused on and has some of the most challenging choreography I've ever learned. Not only that, but it's pretty vocally demanding at the same time, hence all the strenuous dance practices to get us accustomed to performing it in preparation for the tour we're going to have later this year.

"Gaara, you've improved so much! You sound great!" Tenten hissed excitedly, reaching across from Sakura and me to tap his knee with a grin. He smiled softly but didn't verbally respond as the next song began to play loudly through the speakers.

My heart dropped into my stomach as familiar piano notes began playing. I rested my elbows on my knees, resting my chin on my palms and curling my fingers up to cover my mouth as I stared at the ground and listened closely because I'd yet to hear the final changes Shikamaru and Naruto made to it.

To my surprise, when the chorus hit, the accompaniment had several more layers than I heard last, but it all fit well. Naruto met my eye, and his smile widened reassuringly. I returned the look before averting my gaze back down. The longer the song carried on, the tighter my chest felt until it finally ended.

"Hinata, that was so good!" My spine straightened in shock when Sakura suddenly hugged me tightly, and I realized she had tears in her eyes. A wild heat erupted on my face, and I felt my eyes begin to water as I accepted her embrace but I couldn't bring myself to say anything.

Thankfully, no one else said anything, and we moved on. The following two songs were written by Gaara, and both were amazing as if they'd be anything but. Sakura's song was after that, and I was surprised that it had such an acoustic feel, but I was more stunned that she only wanted Sasuke and me to sing it.

When it was finished, she admitted with a blush, "I kinda pictured Sasuke playing the guitar for it." We all looked at the man in question, and he shrugged, an irritated glint in his eye. Realizing he was not in the mood, we moved on.

The next song was the ballad he wrote, and as it played and I heard the lyrics, the guilt I'd been feeling sank even deeper into my stomach. Am I a fool to think he might've been thinking about him and me when he wrote this?

My earlier indecision on how I felt seemed to lean heavily in one direction by the time the song ended. What the hell was I thinking, lying to him like that? If he did that to me, I'd be heartbroken. God, he's never going to forgive me…

The rest of the listening was pretty uneventful, and then we were released for the weekend.

Gaara and I are the only ones who went straight home, but I'm unsure where the other two went. All I know is I tried to go to bed early and lay there tossing and turning for an hour before sitting up with a sad sigh. After earlier, I've been too angry with myself to think straight.

Sulking to myself, I went downstairs and drank a glass of water, confirming that while Sakura's back and helping Gaara build and decorate a plant stand for the cactus he received for Christmas, Sasuke still wasn't home.

As my pink-haired friend's laughter floated from her room, the door was open enough to glimpse the two of them making a mess of the paint they were using. I defeatedly decided to return upstairs rather than potentially interrupt the adorable bonding they were experiencing.

Trudging up the steps, I groaned softly when I naturally paused at Sasuke's door. Nervously, and very much against my better judgment, I turned the handle to confirm it was unlocked before opening it. Tears rose in my eyes when they met the familiar room within. Then my body moved independently, and I shut the door behind me before climbing into his bed and curling into a ball under his covers. Even now, just his scent's enough to mildly calm my nerves.

It was as if I blinked, and I was suddenly woken up by Sasuke himself lying down behind me, cautiously wrapping an arm around my waist. My eyes shot open in surprise, and I began to panic. When did I even fall asleep? He's not mad that I helped myself in here, is he? As if he could hear my thoughts, the strong arm around my waist pulled me more firmly against him, and he buried his face in my hair, breathing slow and deep as though trying to keep himself calm.

A crack wavered my voice as I spat out the only sentiment I've been able to think about since earlier today, "I-I was wrong. I'm so sorry."

Hot breath tickled the back of my neck, "Shut up."

Something somehow gave me the courage to turn in his arms, so I faced him and reached up to hesitantly cup his cheek. Dark eyes studied my face in the near pitch-black room for a moment before he surprised me by leaning forward to press his lips gently against mine, one of his hands coming up to circle my wrist.

The kiss steadily became less hesitant and soon was reminiscent of the drunken makeout session after the New Year's party, him coming to hover above me. As my fingers grasped his shirt tightly, I tried to put all my regretful emotions into my actions. Can he tell how awful I feel? How sorry I am for all that happened? Can he sense how much I missed him these last two weeks? I think he can because the almost desperate way he kissed me made it seem like he was trying to do the same.

Time passed, everything feeling like heaven, when he finally moved one of his hands from the bed to steadily grasp my hip, not too firm but not too gentle either. The contact snapped me from my happy daze, but I didn't outwardly react, fearing he'd think I was scared and stop. Instead, I moved the hand on that side up to his shoulder so I wouldn't be in his way. His muscles seemed to flex as my fingers brushed against them, stirring something dangerous within me.

In the next minute or two, his hand slid lower, only to come back under my shirt. The moment his calloused fingertips first brushed against my skin, my breath hitched, and he began slowing our kiss down before pulling his lips from mine altogether.

Dark eyes studied my face, and I looked up at him with a red face, but neither of us said a word. Instead, those long fingers cautiously slid higher and higher across my skin. Sasuke's waiting for me to stop him, so he's seriously watching me. Goosebumps raised where he touched it despite it being warm under him and the covers.

He paused at my ribcage, eyes dancing over my face more attentively. Rather than stop him, I moved the hand from his shoulder to the back of his head and pulled him down to kiss me again. For a moment, that's all we did, but he eventually moved his hand up to cup my breast over my bra.

The steady breaths we've been syncing hitched, and my eyes reopened to meet his. My fingers trembled slightly, and there was no way he couldn't feel it, but instead of pulling away because I was nervous, he simply stayed where he was and let me get used to the situation.

For the first time, he tore his lips from mine and danced slow kisses down to my jaw and then into my neck, stealing the breath from my body. A chill of pleasure and surprise ran down my spine when his breath dusted against the sensitive skin between kisses.

The silent aura of the room broke when he whispered into my shoulder, lips brushing my skin slightly, "Do you like it?"

I don't know if he's talking about his hand, the one gently squeezing my breast, or what he's doing to my neck, but both are driving me wild, so I swallowed nervously, "Y-Yes." I cringed at the breathy sound of my own voice. It'd be nice if I could, for once, not be so easily flustered.

He snickered before pressing more kisses into my skin, "Tell me to stop if you don't like something." I nodded, arching my neck slightly to the side so he could have easier access.

One of his knees pressed against both of mine, gently coercing them apart so he could move his body between them. My hands came to his shoulders to hold onto the strand of bravery I'd found. I thought I'd be too overwhelmed by now, but for some reason, my body was reacting rather naturally to everything he was doing. On instinct, my legs bent further than before to allow him to press against me.

Feeling unsure, I closed my eyes, "I-Is this right?"

Sasuke came up to look down at me with that lustrous look from last time and gently pressed against me, making my brow furrow, "It sure feels right, doesn't it?"

An amused smirk tugged at his lips, and I opened my mouth to tell him not to tease me, but he silenced my complaint with a kiss before pulling back once more, his forehead pressed to mine, "Just do what feels good for you." Without having to add it verbally, I understood that he would do the same, and we'll meet somewhere in the middle where both of us were comfortable.

I'm so glad it's Sasuke doing this with me. If it was anyone else, I'd have fainted by now. No one else is as versed in reading my body language when I can't bring myself to speak, and I know any teasing he does is simply to garner a reaction rather than hurt my feelings.

A tongue slid past into my mouth, and I accepted it more confidently than before since I'd gotten used to it by now. The hand on my breast moved away, under me, to encourage me to arch my back up against Sasuke's chest, and I obeyed, a soft sound of surprise getting lost between our mouths when those calloused fingers danced down my back to grab my bottom. He didn't respond to my reaction, but my legs bent a bit further, allowing him to completely press his hips into mine.

It feels…amazing, all of it. His tongue danced dominantly with mine, body between my legs and against me, and broad shoulders under my fingers. Feeling bashful, I hesitantly slid one of my hands beneath his shirt to feel the hot skin of his upper back against my fingers. The other hand trembled as I moved it to gently run up his neck and jaw before finally going around to wrap in his messy hair.

The hand cupping my bottom came back under my shirt, and Sasuke paused before slipping it beneath my bra to squeeze my breast, skin to skin. Some kind of mixture of shock and surprise rumbled from my chest.

This feeling, it's unfamiliar and a little scary, but I still like it. I still want more.

Just as that thought crossed my mind, Sasuke began slowing his movements before finally parting ways and rolling off me to lie down as though he was about to sleep. I lay on my back, confused, breathless, and so aroused I don't know what to do about it, "...U-Um…?"

An arm snaked under my waist, and I was easily pulled into his side. My hand came to his chest, and I looked up slightly to meet his eye. He smirked, but his eyes were closed as he relaxed against the pillows, "If we don't stop now, one of us is going to get overwhelmed, and I'm not sure who it'll be."

A bright and bashful blush drenched my skin with heat as I processed what his words insinuated, but I nodded and relaxed against his chest to begin calming myself down. It's hard because Kiba and I never went that far, even after a few months of dating. Sasuke's fingers on my skin feel so good that I'm unsure how much better things could get.

"D-Does this mean you're not mad at me anymore?"

He took his time responding, "Don't do it again."

Knowing he could feel it even with his eyes closed, I nodded, "I'm sorry, Sasuke."

His arm tightened around me, and he brought his other one up so he could rest his hand atop mine, the one resting against his chest, "I know. Go to sleep."

Songs mentioned in this chapter:

Slow Dance by Ava Max/AJ Mitchell

Thunderclouds by Sia/Diplo/Labrinth/LSD

Control by Zoe Wees

Give A Little by Ash/Naila

Why by Shawn Mendes/Leon Bridges