Chapter 11

Once I'd recuperated enough to travel outside the hospital, Ino and I decided to visit our homes while still in Suna.

"Do you think Daddy's gonna be there?"

Sai cut me off before I could respond to his girlfriend, "Hold up; you still call your father "Daddy"?"

Blue eyes turned icy as they narrowed, "Say something about it. I dare you." He raised his hands in defense with eyes wide, signaling that the subject had been dropped.

"I don't think anyone's gonna be home at either of our places. They were in Konoha trying to save us, last I heard."

Ino sighed, sounding forlorn, but didn't comment further.

As suspected, my best friend's house was deserted when we arrived. A nostalgic feeling swept over me when she led us into her bedroom. Pale blue and white bedsheets, the massive hand-crafted vanity, and especially the cork board covered in photos that hung behind her desk all took me back to before I'd encountered true danger.

"I'm gonna change and grab some clothes. Can you write a letter for me? Put the compound's address in there."

Nodding absently, I wandered to her desk, intending to do just that, only to be distracted by the giant photo display on the wall before my fingers could grasp a pencil. It was like a timeline of the three of us growing up: Ino, Karin, and me. Sure, some photos had our other friends in them, like Okami, but they were incredibly outnumbered.

There was the photo from my third birthday party, where everyone from my daycare had been invited, and no one showed up except for Ino. We've been best friends ever since, as have our parents. One of the photos was taken on our first day of middle school. We looked awkward and irritated because our parents embarrassed us by taking photos outside the entrance. A slight grin pulled at my lips as I recalled Ino complaining loudly because her crush saw it happen. Even back then, she was boy-crazy.

Not wanting to get too off-task, I tore my eyes away and flipped through a notebook to tear out a page before grabbing a pen. Clicking it, I touched it to the paper, only for my eyes to travel back up to the photos.

Some were taken in school, at one of our houses, and even at the notorious parties Ino would force me to attend. A few photos didn't even have Ino, like Karin and I's graduation. As mentioned, I graduated a year early with my sister's class. Gnawing grief immobilized me for days after her death, and it began bubbling in my chest at the thought of Karin. I forced my eyes away in an attempt to keep a firm grasp on my composure. Not thinking about her has been challenging, but I can't let it take over now.

The following photo was of me standing in front of Iyashi University, the college in Konoha where Hinata's father used to work. I never met the man because I was a first-year at the time, and none of his classes were entry-level, but I recall catching a glimpse of him in the busy hallways once or twice.

In the photo, my suitcases sat at my sides, and I was grinning with my fingers up in peace signs. It was a rather zoomed-out photo because Ino was going through a phase where she was interested in photography and said it was a better composition. You can imagine how upset her parents were when she decided to give up on it right after they bought her a costly camera.

Something in the photo suddenly caught my eye, and I dropped the pen, leaning forward for a closer look. Is that…? "Sasuke!" I took the pin from the photo and tore it off the board, eyes wide.

The bedroom door opened quickly as the man hurried in, ready to fight an enemy or rush to my side if I felt weak.

I held the photo up and pointed, "Look at this."

He sighed, giving me an irritated glare. Then he took the photo and brought it closer to his face to see it more clearly. A small laugh left his lips, "That's crazy."

In the background, climbing the college steps were two boys with black hair. One's was messy, and the other's wasn't. Their backs were turned, so their faces weren't visible, but the one that I could now say for sure was Sasuke had on a familiar-looking backpack. I'd seen the thing hanging from his closet door in his room in Konoha. I now know the Uchiha family crest was sewn onto it.

Sai suddenly spoke from behind us, and we turned to see him sprawled out on Ino's bed with his arms out from his sides, "She calls her father 'Daddy'..."

I rolled my eyes at him, "What's wrong? Are you worried she won't call you that? Pervert."

Facing Sasuke again so I could take the photo back, I smiled at it. Maybe we would've met out in the wild, even if The Program hadn't happened. The chances would've been small because that college has thousands of students, but it wouldn't be impossible.

When I looked up at the man plaguing my thoughts, he was busy looking at the photos on the wall. Feeling reassured, I folded the image and put it in my back pocket. As corny as it was, I wasn't about to leave the only photo we had together behind.

Then I went back to writing a letter to Inoichi. Once finished, I lightly elbowed Sasuke's ribs, "Hey, can you write your address?"

"I knew it."

My eyes danced over to him, and his were still trained on the photos on the wall, "Knew what?"

A smirk tugged at his lips, "I would've asked you out."

I was reminded of my earlier thoughts about us somehow meeting in the alternate universe and felt my face warm as I averted my gaze to the board in hopes he wouldn't notice my blush, "Oh, well, that's a relief."

Long fingers gently guided my jaw toward him, and I met his eyes.

"You would've shot me down."

I nodded, giving a small laugh, "I would've avoided you for the rest of my life."

"I like to think I'd be able to convince you."

His hands clasped together at my lower back, and I stepped closer, hands on his chest, "How would you do it?"

He leaned in slightly, "I think I'd somehow slip you a note, maybe in the hall."

I leaned in, too, "Old school. I like it. Maybe you would've succeeded after all."

His nose brushed against mine, and my heart fluttered as his lips were about to press against mine, only for a loud buzzing to sound in the room.

We looked over at Sai, who was now sitting on the edge of the bed. The nightstand drawer was open, and he was holding what looked and sounded like a vibrator. He noticed us staring and clicked it off, "Don't mind me."

Ino stepped out of her walk-in closet, looking more akin to her usual self than in months. Her volleyball bag was filled with clothes and shoes. It didn't look capable of fitting anything else, but she crossed the room to go through the items on her vanity.

"Put this in there." Sai tossed it at her, and she caught it, shooting him a wink as she slid it into one of the bag's side pockets before returning to her previous task.

I made a gagging sound, pulling out of Sasuke's hold to hand him the pen as we shared a look. He took it and wordlessly wrote the compound's information. By the time we were done, Ino was too, and she came over to read the letter.

"Looks good! Let's head to your place."

She gasped suddenly, and I jumped, only to relax when she snagged one of the photos of us with Okami in it, "I'll show this to Kiba when we get to Konoha!" The plan is to leave Suna in the next day or two.

It was barely a twenty-minute walk to my house, something Ino and I had been thrilled about our entire lives. I couldn't tell you how many nights one of us would sneak out to come over to the other's house. It had to be close to a hundred, maybe more. We talked about high school and everything we've done through the years as we walked. The boys were silent, but I felt they were content to listen.

As I went for the hidden key in the garden, I took a moment to catch my breath. Even with my otherworldly healing abilities, I wasn't entirely back to normal. The walk offered a bit of a challenge to my lungs, given that I was talking the entire time.

The door opened easily, and I paused momentarily, mentally preparing myself. To my disappointment, no one was waiting inside.

My childhood home was humble but welcoming. A couple of those awkward school photos taken each year were hung up on the wall in the family room, both mine and Karin's. There were other photos, like those of my parents and other family members.

My feet carried me directly over to one framed photo in particular, and I pulled it off the wall with a small smile, looking at it for a moment before walking down the hallway.

"Grandma?"

I glanced over to see Sasuke gesture toward the frame I was carrying and nodded with a grin, "Grandma."

The happy feeling in my stomach froze when we passed Karin's room, and I realized the door was ajar. Without my permission, my legs stopped moving, and I turned to look inside with disbelief beginning to flood past my composed facade. Almost everything was in boxes. Already? When did they have the time to do this? An uncomfortable heated feeling formed in my stomach, and it was starting to slowly rise upwards.

"Sakura, don't do this to yourself. Come on, babe." Ino's voice was soft as she grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the room.

A jittery feeling came over me, and I mumbled, "I feel nauseous." I didn't feel happy like I was a couple of minutes ago.

My best friend led me into my bedroom, and my brow furrowed when I realized it was completely untouched. My bed still had too many pillows and blankets on it. My textbooks were still scattered messily atop my old worn-out desk, sticky notes, and notebooks in disarray with them. Books were everywhere throughout the room: on my nightstand, in tall stacks on the floor by my bed, on my dresser, and even in the middle of the floor.

"God, your room's always such a mess."

Ino liked to call my methods sloppy, but I prefer to call it organized chaos. Besides, it was just books. Everything else was nice, tidy, and clean.

The terrible feeling in my stomach faded slightly as the normality of my bedroom brought me some comfort. To my surprise, I naturally maneuvered myself across the room as I skillfully avoided tripping over any of the thick medical tomes before grabbing my backpack from the back of the closet door and wrenching it open so I could choose what to bring along. My eyes landed on what was hanging on the inside of the door, and I immediately slammed it closed again, face bright red.

"What was that all about? Did you see your old granny panties?"

I thumped my forehead against the closed door a few times, eyes squeezed shut as I ignored Ino's teasing statement. The week before I left for college, Ino gave me what I considered a gag gift. She probably doesn't think of it that way, though. I never got to tell her I didn't bring it with me. One word: lingerie.

I didn't even take it off the hanger or remove the tags. With a sigh, I opened the door again, swiftly grabbed the hanger, and tried to toss it covertly to the back of the closet, only to slip out of my hands as someone grabbed it from behind me. I turned, mortified, to see Ino hold it up with a look of betrayal, "You bitch!"

The Uchiha twins, casually exploring the rest of my room, both turned to look at us only to make almost identical amused expressions when their eyes landed on the lacy black item in her hands.

I turned my back to her with a loud groan, "You didn't actually think I was going to wear it, did you?"

She sounded genuinely offended, "Uh, yeah. I actually did. You were supposed to land a super sexy older boyfriend in college and show this off to him! How dare you!"

A slow, calming breath filled my lungs before I exhaled and replied more composedly, "I don't have time to explain how wrong you were for expecting that."

"I had this custom-tailored to your size, bitch!"

I turned on my heel to give her a scared look, "How the hell did you get my measurements?"

Blue eyes darted away from the sexy clothing to meet mine and took on a slightly panicked glint. My head cocked to the side, "Ino…."

She stomped her foot and let the item fall onto the bed beside us, "Damn it, Sakura! I was so excited about getting that for you!"

I rolled my eyes, turning back to the closet to start pulling clothes off of hangers and stuffing them in my bag, "And I was so excited that you'd forgotten about it, so I didn't have to come up with some story about a nonexistent college guy."

Ino's voice was loud and whiny as she said my name like a toddler being told no. I raised my own over hers, "Will you shut up? Go write a letter!" She huffed childishly but did as I asked. I could hear her complaining to Sai as he followed her out of the room, the words "ungrateful" and "prude" sticking out.

Once I was satisfied I'd gotten all my favorite clothing items, I tossed the bag onto the bed. I pulled an outfit out of the remaining items to change into them before turning to see Sasuke leaning against my desk, book in hand, "Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry. I knew you were a nerd, but this is next level."

His eyes widened dramatically before he looked up at me, "You've written notes on almost every page. Jesus Christ."

A fiery hot blush burnt my cheeks, and I shook my head as I went to the dresser to procure undergarments to change into and pack in my bag, "That's the hardest class I've ever taken in my life."

He closed the book and sat it down. I glanced at him as I stuffed the items I'd found into my bag, a soft feeling rising in my chest as I realized he was holding Grandma's photo with his other hand so it wouldn't get crushed in my backpack.

"Somehow, I'm not surprised your room looks like this."

I stalked past him as I left the room with a hot face, heading into the bathroom to change so I won't run the chance of Sai or Ino walking in to see me naked. They already saw enough when I was high on painkillers. I chose my comfort outfit: simple black leggings (the winter kind with thicker material) and my favorite soft and warm oversized sweater.

When I stepped out, Ino made a happy sound, and I looked up to see her looking at me with her hands clasped together, smiling like crazy. "Aw, I missed this!" She threw her arms around me, "You're such a cutie!"

A small laugh left my lips, and I hugged her back. When she pulled away, I retrieved some thick socks from my room and slid on my sturdiest pair of winter boots before accepting my backpack from Sasuke, and then we were on the road again, back toward the hospital.

I couldn't help but glance at Ino occasionally and share her earlier sentiment. Seeing her styled how she usually would make me feel happy. She seemed more like herself than before.

After eating a makeshift dinner, I trudged into the room Sasuke, and I had claimed as ours and let my heavy backpack fall lifelessly onto the ground near the bathroom. My wounds were all but healed, but my stamina was still recovering, so I felt pretty worn out after all that walking.

I heard the door close behind me, and my attention perked when I heard the lock latch. As soon as I turned to ask Sasuke what he was doing, his lips were on mine. My brows rose, and my eyes widened at the frantic energy he was exuding.

His hands were on my face, in my hair, on my hips, and under my sweater. His tongue slid into my mouth. A slight sound of shock got lost between our lips, and then he picked me up, guiding my legs around his hips so he could firmly grasp my thighs to keep me against him.

I had to tear my mouth from his and let my head fall back as I panted for breath, and he moved his mouth down to attack my throat, "The curtain, baby, close it, or they'll be able to see us."

He didn't say anything but slowly moved back to grab the item in question with one hand before pulling it closed to block the view of anyone who might pass by in the hallway outside.

Then my back was against the wall, and my tongue was in his mouth. Barely a minute could pass before the organ pressing against me was hard as a rock, and then he let my legs fall from around his hips, "Take your clothes off." His lips barely left mine so he could speak before coming back against them.

I obeyed without argument, kicking my boots off with trouble before tugging my sweater over my head. He was removing his clothing, too. When my leggings were off, I was picked back up and carried to bed. I was still in my undergarments, but neither of us seemed to care.

The moment my back hit the sheets, frantic fingers moved my underwear to the side so he could work himself inside with vigor. My arms crossed over his shoulders and my ankles behind his back as he moved, somehow sensing that that was what he wanted. It felt incredible, too, so I wasn't about to complain.

He wasn't being quite as rough as he likely wanted to be, probably because there were moments throughout the day when I still felt a little sore from my recently healed injuries, but each thrust of his hips was still so heavy and brisk that it rocked me to the core.

Our kiss didn't part for entire minutes, so we were both breathing loudly when it finally did. I tried to keep my voice down, "What's gotten into you?"

He seemed utterly calm all day, only to flip the switch the moment we were alone. Hot breath hit my face as he continued his movements without breaking our rhythm, "Fucking leggings." Heat rose to my face, but a small laugh passed my lips.

Suddenly, he pulled out, and I released my hold on him to see what he was doing, but he effortlessly flipped my body over underneath him and reentered without delay. A cry of surprise and pleasure rose in my throat, and I barely managed to muffle it.

Calloused fingers pressed against the middle of my back, forcing it to arch further than it already was. The only other time we'd done a position like this was at the college in Konoha, and it was hard to remember much about it because it'd been so cold then, but that wasn't the case now. The angle was proving to be unbelievably pleasurable.

Sasuke was still holding back, though, despite his frantic state. I whispered what I wanted, and he didn't hear it.

"Hm?"

I arched my back further and spoke slightly louder, "I said do it harder!"

The man immediately obliged.

His knees pressed inside of mine before pushing them further apart, and the hand that'd been gripping my hip came up to my head, shoving me roughly down to the bed as he grabbed a fistful of my hair. Then he was pressing into me with reckless abandon.

My body needed that to build up the pressure in my lower abdomen. He was filling me totally and completely, leaving not even a millimeter of space vacant.

A small wave of pre-climax delight rushed down my body, and my insides quivered around him. He moaned before bending his body over mine. I could feel his breath hit my back and shoulders with each thrust, each pant of air he exhaled.

"You like it, baby?"

My brow furrowed as his lust-heavy voice brought shivers down my spine, "Y-Yes!"

His voice was barely a hiss as he continued to egg me on, "Fuck, you're beautiful. You feel so good."

My teeth grit as the telltale signs of an oncoming orgasm rose. My fingers left where they were, between my legs, and I pulled my arm out and back to grab the wrist of his hand, pressing down on my back so firmly.

The fingers in my hair frantically traveled around so he could cover my mouth to muffle the quite a bit louder moan that escaped me when I was shoved over the edge.

The very second my climax faded, he was repositioning our bodies. Suddenly, my feet were on his shoulders, and his hands gripped my thighs. Both of us were sweating and gasping for air. His eyes were dangerous and dark as they bore into mine, and I didn't dare look away.

After a minute or so, I got an urge and refused to deny it, sitting up and moving my legs from his shoulders. He smoothly went with the flow, letting me adjust us without ever completely stopping his movements. I ended up on top of him, hands on his hips as I moved mine. Rough hands brushed up my thighs, my stomach, and my breasts.

The most sexual-sounding voice rolled off my tongue before I realized I was even speaking, "Tell me you like it."

He obliged with dark eyes traveling over my appearance hastily as if worried he'd miss something, "I love it, Baby. Keep doing that."

His head slowly fell back, and my eyes landed on his weak spot. My hands danced up his muscular stomach and chest, my body following until my breasts were against him, and I was forced to change the technique of my hips to one I'd never done before.

Sasuke seemed to like it because his fingers left my hips and moved to grip the sheets when my lips met the sensitive skin on his neck, right below the back of his ear.

"S-Stop, Sakura. Pull it out!"

I did as told in an instant but then realized we were about to make a mess and panicked, moving back a bit before taking his tip into my mouth just as he began climaxing.

"Oh…fuck…"

My brow furrowed when I looked up and saw the disbelief in his features. I could taste myself on him, but only barely. The salty, seawater-esk mix of his fluids quickly overpowered it.

When he was finished, he sat up and grabbed either side of my jaw with his hands, forcing my mouth open to see the filmy liquid on my tongue. We were both still panting for breath.

"Swallow."

I closed my mouth and did, and he forced it open again to verify before searching my face with unyielding lust.

One moment all things were still, and then he attacked me again, frantically unclasping my bra and tossing it aside so he could bring his lips around one of my nipples as he wrestled me back down to the bed. I don't know what it was, maybe something in the air, but my energy immediately matched his, and I wiggled one hand free so I could reach down and aide him in sliding my underwear down and off.

Then Sasuke was inside me, recklessly and passionately displaying his lust with all his might. Each time the tip of his sex hit that particular spot deep inside me, a new sound would gasp past my lips in as hushed a tone as I could manage.

Another orgasm was building quite rapidly within me, only to be distracted by a sudden wave of light-headedness and exhaustion. I could've cringed at the whiny tone of my breathless voice, "No. No. No. Not now…."

Sasuke froze all movements, lifting his face from where he'd been leaving love marks between my breasts, "Sakura…?" Realization came over him as he studied my face, "I guess I went a little overboard."

My face warmed, and I covered my eyes, humiliated, "I'm sorry. I just got dizzy out of nowhere."

Long fingers grasped my wrist, and I watched curiously as he brought it up to kiss my palm, eyes closed. When he reopened them, he spoke more softly, "Let me do everything. I'll go nice and slow for you."

Sasuke didn't want to stop now, not in the middle of this thick aura of lust, and I didn't either. He knew that. So, he moved his hips in a more controlled manner, with one hand on my knee and the other reaching down to massage the sensitive bundle of nerves between my legs.

Heated glances traveled from my face down to where our bodies were connecting. Our heavy breathing calmed slightly, and my orgasm began rebuilding because my lungs weren't being overworked anymore.

A minute passed before the angle and depth lined up perfectly, and a hitch arched my back and left me bashfully turning my head to the side so I could avert my gaze and cover my lips with my fingers, "I like that." How on Earth was this making me feel shy whenever we were fucking like crazy people just ten minutes ago?

"This way?"

Sasuke did it again, the exact move that sent a shockwave of pleasure up my spine, and I nodded with my eyes squeezing closed. It was coming closer and closer: release.

I overcame my sudden bout of shyness and met his eye again, only for my blush to heighten. Those gorgeous red and black eyes were studying me like I was the most fascinating being on the planet. Sasuke's brow wasn't furrowed in the slightest. Instead, he almost looked curious or studious.

His attentiveness threatened to make me anxious, so I muttered, "It makes me nervous when you stare like that…."

Snapping out of his stupor, he shook his head. I expected his trademark smirk to appear, but it didn't. Instead, he pressed soft kisses into my lips before pulling back, "I haven't had the chance to take you in like this in a while, so you'll just have to fucking deal with it."

I suppose that was true. Sure, we've had sex several times since, but the last time it felt intimate, slow, and sensual like this was the night in Iwa when we agreed that we'd fallen in love.

My anxiety melted instantly, and warmth enveloped my body with happiness as I reached to cup his face, "When I'm better, I'll return the favor, okay?"

Sasuke's expression matched my emotions perfectly, and he nodded, "Sounds like a plan."