A man with light blue hair slides a scroll across the wooden table, his companion, a brunette woman, goes to grab it but the man pulls it out of her grasp the last second. "I better be compensated heavily for this."

The woman's hazel eyes narrow, "I think I've given you more than enough," she hisses.

"I've been spying for a noble family that my family has served for years and now Konoha is after my ass." He leans forward just enough that the two are a breath apart, "Do you honestly think that's enough?"

A slender leg runs up the mans calve, "I can think of a few other things to give you."

He smirks, "Naughty girl. How'd I get so lucky?"

"We were just at the right place at the right time." Feminine eyes harden, "They'll pay for disowning me." She says before her skillful fingers take the scroll away from her companion.

"Looks like it's a coup," Sakura whispers into her mic.

"There's about fifteen guards patrolling the area. Please be careful." Hinata answers while perched on the building next door, Byuakugan activated.

"Akamaru and I will take care of it, just point us in the right direction. In the meantime, you handle the target, Sakura."

"Copy."

The conspirators get up to leave making their exit out the bar, their destination making Sakura roll her eyes when they enter a motel. Sighing, she follows behind them with shinobi stealth and wastes no time entering the room, making quick work of the woman with senbon laced with a sedative.

"Fuck." The man curses.

"Your lucks run out," Sakura says.

"I'm not caught yet," he replies before throwing a series of shurikan the pinkettes way. She quickly steps to the right, easily dodging them. There's a crash in the room, Sakura notices at the last second that her target jumped out the window. She jumps after him, but not before leaving a clone of herself behind in case the woman came to. The original runs after the man, but once they turn left down an alleyway, Akamaru is already waiting, teeth bared and snarling; Hinata right behind him. Taking his shock to her advantage, Sakura flash steps behind him and knocks him out.

"Nice!" Hinata praises.

"Woof!"

The medic-nin sighs, "What a pain in the ass." She presses her fingers against her earlobe, "All good on your end, Kiba?"

"Of course. I'm making my way over to you now," he replies.

Thirty minutes later, Sakura and her team are making their way out the village with both traitors in custody. "This is all your fucking fault you bitch!"

"You're the one who was followed!"

"Think you can numb their mouths, Sakura?" Kiba snarls.

"Sounds like a good idea," she responds.

They're just about at the village gates when a hoard of villagers run past them screaming.

"What the fuck are you looking at!?"

"N-nothing! Please just leave. The meal is on me!"

"You'll show me some damn respect you little shit!"

The villagers scream out in horror.

The medic nin flash steps towards the altercation, her left arm extending upwards effectively catching the mighty weapon that was about to cut a civilian in two. "Is there a problem?" She growls as the restaurant owner scurries away.

Wild eyes stare down at the woman before him, "What the -" Shock morphes into clarity. "You Konoha ninja are everywhere."

Pink brows furrow with confusion, "Excuse me?"

"I wasn't able to get his bounty, but you're just as valuable." The brutish man applies more pressure against his weapon, forcing Sakura's arm to bend in the slightest under its weight. Viridian orbs access her situation. Clearly this man was insane and by the looks of it he was freshly injured. With a click of her tongue, she steps to the side letting the weapon hit the floor with a mighty thud, the movement causing him to lean forward and it is then when the kunoichi lands a swift uppercut to his jaw effectively knocking him out.

Curiosity gets the better of her as she crouches low to pick up the small bingo book that slid out of the mans pocket. She quickly flips through it, sees many unfamiliar shinobi faces, but when her eyes land on Sasuke's photo her heart skips a beat.

I wasn't able to get his bounty, but you're just as valuable.

There is a photo of Naruto as well, then hers. Petite hands grasp the book tightly as a million thoughts fly by her minds eye. Whoever this bounty hunter was couldn't of possibly been speaking about Naruto because he was in the village so the only other logical choice was Sasuke. She looks down towards the unconscious man, noticing the poor job he did at patching himself up. Could it of been Sasuke that injured him this way and if so what happened? Her gaze shifts from him to the photo of Sasuke then towards the village gates.

Please be okay ...

Summer simmers away into fall and Sasuke is a mess of conflicting emotions. He reads his most recent letter from Naruto, tense fingers curling into the pages before he crumbles it up and throws it across the room.

YOU BETTER COME BACK AND FIX THIS, BASTARD!

"Tch," Sasukefalls back onto his bed, dark eyes starring up towards the ceiling in thought. He's received three letters from the dobe since his departure and every single one of them gives him a headache.

He knows, however, that Naruto is right.

Every letter, his best friend mentions the bonds that Team Seven shares and how his stupidity is putting a dent on all they've worked on. And it's true. Sasuke would never admit it, but the idiot had a point, but why should he fix something that he hadn't broken to begin with? Sakura was the one that ended their ... relationship? He'd been stupid enough to fall for her lies and yet whenever he thinks of her, his heart beats just a little faster - not in anger - but in something more that he doesn't quite understand.

Tonight his mind plagues him of his younger years: like the time they all walked dogs, to helping plant vegetables, and even the one where he and Naruto were stuck together. This memory in particular makes the corner of his mouth lift upwards into a half smile as he recalls the genius plan they came up with to rescue Sakura. Dark brows furrow, all his memories from being a genin end with her and it frustrates him to no end. He doesn't want to think about all the fun times they shared, of all the times he's seen her cry due to her concern over him, and least of all; he doesn't want to remember the feel of her lips against his. But he does. In vivid memory. And he doesn't know what to do.

Mental fatigue gets the better of him and he falls asleep. That night he dreams of the Itachi that he adored as a child. They walk along the streets of Konoha hand in hand towards an unknown destination. When he asks his brother about where they are heading, Itachi merely smiles and tells him that it's a secret. After what seemed like forever, they make it to the Hokage Tower, but before Sasuke can question, he is already being dragged up the long flight of stairs that seem almost endless. They make it up to the office, Itachi's knuckles knock on the door and a muffled, "come in" is heard. The door slowly opens revealing a very tired looking Kakashi. His too small hand suddenly feels very large and when he looks towards his right, he's suddenly the same height as Itachi who simply says to the Hokage, "Here he is." The door then bursts open, Naruto claps him on the back, "There you are!" He says. Next, Sakura walks in and places a kiss on his cheek, "We've been looking everywhere for you." Sasuke hears movement behind him and when he turns around, Itachi slightly bends and taps him on his now adolescent forehead and without another word he makes his way out of the Hokage office. He feels Sakura and Naruto's hands intertwine with his and for once, Sasuke does not feel the urge to run after his brother.

The dark haired shinobi startles awake as he looks down towards his shaking palms. They feel warm as if he'd truly had their hands in his. Tired eyes shift towards the crumpled letter on the floor, sighing before he makes his way out of bed and walks towards it, picking it up and unfolding it.

Bonds. Team Seven. Don't let go. Worked too hard. She misses you.

He reads the words over and over again before he folds up the letter, neatly this time, and places it back into his pouch before he steps into the shower and heads out.

Sakura sighs as she leaves the hospital. Today had been a long day, but it was a welcome relief from all the missions she'd been doing as of late. There is a sort of push on her chest, an anticipation she isn't quite sure what to make of when she looks up at the night sky. Her tired body moves robotically towards her home, mind battling on whether or not she should finally pick up a pen and paper to write to Sasuke. When she enters her apartment and walks into the kitchen, she finds that her enigma is already there waiting for her as if she'd thought him up out of thin air. She doesn't waste any time, doesn't allow herself to second guess her actions before she drops her medic bag unceremoniously on the ground, making her way around her small kitchen Island, hands cupping his face gently. They stare at one another, onyx boring into viridian and in that moment time seems to stand still. His eyes shift to and fro as if he were searching for something. Sakura exhales slowly, blinking before her gaze shifts down to the necklace clipped on his cloak.

She feared that she had pushed him away, feared that he maybe hated her, but those fears of him hating her are quelled, however when she feels his strong arms wrap around her, crushing her body into his as he buried his face into her hair. Tears form at the corner of her eyes, she's missed him so much! She feels him pull away from her, breath catching in her throat when she sees the look in his eyes. His obsidian orbs bore straight into hers with a kind of longing that matches her own and its all it takes for her to throw caution to the wind as she stands on her tiptoes and presses her lips against his in a soft kiss, heart skipping a beat when he immediately responds as his bandaged hand cartels the back of her nape.

"Sasuke," she whispers in between kisses. He pulls away from her, breath coming out in short pants, "Why?"

"I'm sorry," he suddenly says.

The pinkette raises a hand, "No don't do that. I - I should stop fussing over you so much. You're more than capable of taking care of yourself, but when I saw you all battered, I lost it." Her gaze meets his, "I just wish I could protect you."

Slowly, Sasuke leans down and presses his lips against hers again, "I know." He touches his forehead with hers and the act is so incredibly sweet that she has to fight the tears that threaten to spill, "Thank you." He whispers before his fingers tap her seal gently.

Heart overflowing with joy and love, Sakura wraps her arms around his neck and brings him in for a deep kiss taking him completely by surprise. This man! Oh, this man would be the death of her but she didn't care. He was everything to her and nothing in the entire universe would ever be able to change that.

"I was so worried about you," she says.

Sasuke pulls away raising a questioning eyebrow. "A few weeks ago, I ran into a bounty hunter and from the way he spoke, it sounded like he was after you but - what happened?"

He sighs, "I lost control." He bows his head leaning it against her shoulder, dark bangs hiding his features almost ashamed. "I'm still no better than before."

Sakura frowns, delicate fingers pulling his head up to look at her, "Don't speak of yourself in such a manner." She pecks him softly on the lips, "We wouldn't be here now if you weren't a changed man."

Dark eyes look into emerald and his gaze softens, "It's because of you." When she only gives him a confused look, he smirks gently and takes in a deep breath, confessing, "Can't you see you're breaking me down?"

This sort of confession almost knocks her off her feet and it's all she needs before they're kissing each other again.

After a few more pecks she says, "I've missed you." His hold on her tightens in a silent response. I've missed you too.

"Remember when you first asked to come with me?" He asks.

Green eyes widen as her heart skips a beat. Unable to say anything she simply nods her head. "Ask me again."

Was he serious? He couldn't possibly mean ...? Was he implying that …

"Will you take me with you, Sasuke?" Sakura whispers.

The corner of his mouth lifts upwards, "Yes."

Sakura smiles, and it's the kind that he hasn't seen since they were children. She hugs him tight, his own arms encircling her as he buries his face into her hair. In this moment right now, he felt at peace, felt a little more whole and it scares him just a bit to finally recognize how much he truly cares for this woman. He pulls away from her then and kisses her softly for what seemed to be the hundredth time that evening and she responds immediately.

Their lip lock is gentle at first until the air around them changes as petite hands grab a fistful of his dark locks and pulls making him groan. Pulling away, the rosette settles her nerves, taking his hand she guides him towards her living room. There's a push against Sasuke's chest, his calves hitting her sofa as she pushes him down. He looks up at her, heart beating frantically when he looks into her eyes glazed over by want. Swallowing slowly, body craving for her to be near him, his hand reaches out for her own, guiding her towards him as she settles between his slacked legs. Her soft hands brush his bangs away from his face, revealing his Rinnegan. She thumbs the tops of his cheekbones gently before bending forward, pressing her lips against his. He lets out a breath he hasn't realized he was holding before he places a strong hand on her hip, bringing her forward, eliciting a small yelp from her making him smirk. She straddles him then, the weight of her on him nearly makes him moan. Her lips kiss his jawline, down his neck, stopping at his pulse point before nipping it causing a bruise. Sasuke hisses through clenched teeth, all these sensations were new for him, in the sense that he's never had anyone make him feel this way. He was human after all so of course he's felt lust before, and there were a few nights where he's had to take care of it himself, never truly being able to slack his lust with just any woman.

But this was Sakura and this moment right now couldn't feel more right. If he was going to be intimate with anyone, it would be with her.

Gently taking his face in between her hands she whispers, "Let me love you."

He knows exactly what she means, any man would be an idiot not to catch the under meaning. Sasuke swallows slowly before nodding, his shaking hands find their way to the front of her vest, red suits you, he thinks to himself as he slowly pulls down the zipper, the anticipation building, sliding it off of her in the next breath leaving her in just her bra. He studies her, then, taking note of her peachy skin littered with scars and he's never found her more beautiful, has never felt more proud of her. He briefly remembers the day they sparred, he of course had taken notice of her incredibly toned body with curves in all the right places, neck burning when he zeroed in on the deep cuts of her hips. Dark eyes roam her figure freely; she turned out to be an exceptional kunoichi and there's a small part of him that thinks that leaving her was for the best because she turned out to be an incredible woman full of power. He thinks about the destruction that her gentle hands could inflict, making his heart race with adrenaline, it seemed he would always lust for power one way or another.

His calloused fingers glide up and down her spine making the pinkette shiver before his dominant hand works on getting rid of her bra, discarding it a moment later. The cold air hits her soft nipples, turning them erect. Desire zips through his system and curiosity leads him to place his mouth on her breast, sucking gently, making her moan. Impatience gets the better of her however when she all but rips open his navy shirt, green manicured fingernails scraping down his toned abs in a haze of pleasure. Sakura couldn't think, nerves going haywire, instinct is the only thing that guides her - that and the many fantasies she's had about this man as far back as she could remember, but she could tell that he was holding back and If she wanted this, she'd have to be brave.

They mutually meet for a sweet kiss, nimble fingers massaging his scalp, teeth grazing his bottom lip as a distraction before her cunning fingers find their way to his pants, unbuttoning them slowly.

Sakura gets off her soon to be lover, viridian never breaking away from onyx as she slowly pulls off the rest of her clothing; slowly, tortuously, smirking coyly when she notices his fingers twitch with anticipation. His gaze roams her figure hungrily, her thighs rubbing together desperate for friction. She stalks towards him again, dropping to her knees before him, trembling hands making their way to the front of his pants freeing him. Sasuke hisses, whispering her name, canines biting the corner of his lip. Seeing him this way, completely unguarded and totally under her mercy sent a boost of confidence through her, heart palpitating as her fist wraps around his length, carefully squeezing and pumping, building up a moderate rhythm.

"…ah," he groans.

Sakura couldn't keep her eyes off him as her free hand slides up his thigh sensually, expert fingers gliding across his perfectly toned abs, massaging as she feels his stomach contract.

Bandaged fingers wrap around her wrist tugging gently to get her attention. He looks at her with such intensity that it nearly takes her breath away. Sasuke pulls her up, easily settling her onto his lap, making her moan when she feels his hardness in between her legs. He kisses her hungrily, tongues fighting with one another for dominance. His teeth nip their way along Sakura's jaw, down her neck reciprocating her gift to him earlier before enclosing his mouth against her breasts again.

"Sasuke …"

He hums in reply. "Please," she whispers. She couldn't take anymore stimulation, the ache to be filled was too great.

Sasuke looks at her then, gaze all smoke, but the pinkette could see that beyond his lust and desire there were traces of a sort of tenderness that he's never showed to anyone else with just a dash of apprehension. His brows pinch together slightly as if contemplating if he deserved this, deserved all of her in every way.

Cupping his cheek she says, "I love you." Her gaze softens, "I always will."

He gently places his forehead against hers, sighing deeply before muttering a soft, "Thank you," his hands molding her hips.

The pinkette pecks him softly on the lips, hand sliding down their bodies, grabbing his length, guiding it to her sex causing a whimper to escape her when he pushes in slowly. She bites the inside of her cheek feeling him push in, inch by inch, fingernails pinching his skin when he's fully sheathed inside of her. Oh god … Emerald eyes close in rapture, stomach flipping at the way he filled her so completely. Living the life of a kunoichi had taken care of ridding her of her hymen what with all the times she's been beaten down in combat, so when she feels him completely sheathed within her, she lets out a long and deep moan.

Nether of them move; Sasuke tries his best to control his breathing but it's hard when he feels her velvet walls squeezing him in the most delicious way. "Are you alright?" He asks.

"Yes," she breathes, opening her eyes. "You feel amazing." Her lips brush his in a chaste kiss, love washing over her in tidal waves. She moves her hips experimentally making him break away with a hiss. Their rhythm is slow at first, awkward even as Sakura tries to find the right angle and momentum with every drop of her hips, pink brows furrowed in concentration.

Instinct guides Sasuke as he watches the pink haired woman bounce on his lap, his hands mold her hips more firmly, helping her to drop down on him harder making her moan. His gaze shifts to where they connect, fuck..., his own hips bulking up to match her rhythm. His bandaged hand cups the back of her nape bringing her down for a searing kiss, free hand squeezing her plump bottom encouragingly. Sakura moans and picks up speed, the sounds of their flesh slapping together makes her dizzy, runs her blood hot and she thinks that she could seriously get addicted to having sex with Sasuke.

Something like a half shout escapes him in the next breath when she slams herself particularly hard against him. "Fuck, Sakura...!"

Mewling she asks, "Feels good?"

He nods his head, words lost to him when he feels her walls tighten around him. "Slow down ..." His lover rolls her hips, "…shit I'm -"

Sakura leans forward, breasts pressing against his chest as she rides him faster, harder, belly coiling needing release. The dark haired man groans in approval meeting her halfway, fingers nearly bruising her skin. They meet for a mutual kiss, tongues fighting for dominance, her teeth catching his bottom lip biting seductively before she rips her mouth away from his and comes with loud cry of his name. Sasuke soon follows suit, her walls clenching around him sending him over the edge with her nearly seeing white.

They ride out the waves of their climaxes until the rosette slumps against him, sweating and panting trying to catch her breath. They stay this way for a while, still connected before she lifts herself and whispers, I love you, pecking him softly before slowly pulling him out of her to sit beside him. Dark eyes study her, taking in her slicked skin, rosey cheeks and love ruffled hair, storing the image of her nakedness away in his memories. Warmth washes over him when she shimmies closer to him, his arm wrapping around her. There's a comfortable silence between them, delicate fingers tracing the word mine across his skin. She looks up at him, taking in the way he looks in the afterglow, smiling when she sees his lip curve upward slightly.

"You can't get rid of me now you know," she says.

His arm tightens around her, "Ah." There's a pregnant pause before Sasuke asks hesitantly, "When do you want to leave...?"

Sakura shifts her gaze over to regard him, something akin to giddiness taking over her at his thoughtfulness. "Whenever you're ready," she replies, her pinky finger intertwining with his.

"In three days…" he mumbles.

She smiles, "in three days."

Sakura spends the next seventy-two hours with her loved ones. She dedicates the following morning to her parents, relief washing over her when they merely hug her and wish her a safe journey. She notices how Mebuki studies her closely and she tries her best to control her blush when her mother makes a comment about she and Sasuke being alone for an extended period of time. If you only knew except that a mother knows her daughter so when they hug each other goodbye she nearly falls over when her mother whispers, "I hope you used protection."

Sakura all but runs to Tsunade's house afterwards, and finds welcomed relief with her mentor, until she also rubs it in her face. "I may not be a mother but I am a woman." The blonde haired woman clinks her sake cup against her mentees, "I am very happy for you."

Ino, Hinata, TenTen and Temari join them a couple of hours later and they all drink enough sake for at least thirty people, even Shizune joins in on the fun. They laugh and talk about their dreams, tease Temari about her relationship with Shikamaru and toast to the prosperity of Konoha. Sakura tries her best to detox herself before leaving Tsunade's house, but the alcohol lingers just enough to leave her tipsy. She walks home alone and when she gets to her apartment, she finds Sasuke still awake. She toes off her shoes rather clumsily and stumbles towards her dark haired companion, giggling when he meets her halfway and carries her bridal style towards her bedroom.

"You should've sent for me. I would've walked with you," Sasuke says while taking off her nin heels.

The pinkette pokes him playfully on the chest, "No one is going to mess with me." She comments proudly.

Sasuke doesn't doubt that, but he can't help but be protective over her. He puts a comforting hand on her shoulder signaling her to lay back and when she does he tucks her into the sheets. The action is so sweet that she can't help but smile and pat the empty space next to her prompting him to lay beside her. They stare at one another in the soft glow of her bedroom light, hands almost touching underneath the sheets. His bandaged hand tucks a stray of pink hair behind her ear, fingers lingering against her heart shaped face before pulling away and shyly intertwining their hands under the covers. They mutually fall asleep moments later and when Sasuke wake the next morning, he studies her peaceful expression and lays a ghost of a kiss against her fingers before going off to do his morning meditation.

The ex-avenger spends this day preparing for their leave, doing minor shopping for supplies. He walks to the Hokage tower afterwards and visits Kakashi. The Hokage asks him to check out a few disturbances in which he nods and packs away the mission scrolls into his bag. Sasuke doesn't stay long though because even though he built a relationship with Sakura and Naruto, it was Kakashi he still had difficulty speaking with because although he wouldn't say it out loud, Sasuke was still bitter about not listening to his sensei as a child.

He's just about to walk out the door when Kakashi says, "Take care of each other out there."

"...Hn."

The door closes with a soft click and Sasuke never sees his sensei's wide, watery smile.

That night Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura meet at Ichiraku for dinner. He doesn't say much, rather he just sits in their company and listens to them chatter about mundane things, storing this moment in time as a precious memory because he thinks that maybe, they could do this everyday sometime in the future when he finally lets go of the past. When they're done eating, they walk to the local store and buy beers which they drink on top of the Hokage mountain.

"I'll miss you guys," Naruto says.

Sakura places a comforting hand on her friend's, "We'll miss you too."

Sasuke snorts and takes a swig of his beer, prompting Naruto to yell at his best friend. "Oi! Don't be such a jerk teme!"

The medic nin clears her throat, clapping both her boys rather roughly on their backs before lifting her bottle up in the air for a toast. "To the future!" She exclaims.

Naruto clinks his bottle against her smiling wide, "To Team Seven!"

Two heartbeats pass before Sasuke too raises his beer bottle, his gaze shifting from his companions to their raised drinks, clinking his against theirs in silent agreement. To the future ...

It's the first time in a long time that he's wished for something so selfishly.

Sasuke and Sakura leave at dawn and he's surprised to see Kakashi, Tsunade and Naruto at the village gates. Sakura of course is beyond thrilled to see them one last time as she hugs each of them before they step out of the village gates.

Honey eyes watch the duo closely as they just about make it to the road that leads out into the forest. Dark grey eyes study his students, noticing their body language. Their hands are just shy of touching, but when he sees Sakura link her pinky with Sasuke he smiles as does Naruto.

Neither of the three comment on their blossoming relationship, but deep down they know that they'll be alright.

A/N: I'm sorry that I haven't updated in so long. Honestly, I lost my muse these past couple of months so this was worked on very slowly. I'm not too thrilled about the flow of this chapter, maybe I'll come back and edit it a bit, but I wanted to get something out at least. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and please let me know your thoughts, it'll help my creative process. I hope I find a new muse soon ...

P.S. Am I the only one excited to see Sasuke Shinden animated in this weeks Shippuden episode?!