Inspired by Chapter 679's colored cover~ Thanks Kishimoto!

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto, or his lovely art, but I can write fanfiction for it :DD

Of Dragons and Elves

A SasuSaku Drabble

"That's it! I'm so done with you!" the shrill voiced echoed out into the abandoned village. A volary of crows took flight at the sound, but nothing else stirred around them. She noted the way the blue wizard slightly behind her glanced to the flock, almost as if interpreting an omen as the various trinkets decorating his hat jingled with the motion. Sometimes, when Sakura let herself ponder on their mysterious leader, she wondered how long it had taken and by what means he obtained all those powerful, enchanted objects. Shaking her head briefly, her anger resurfaced as her childhood companion continued to coo at the monster before them, babbling like the infant creature it was and watching them with curious, slitted eyes. The pink haired medic shuddered at the sight and almost screamed out in fear when Naruto squatted on his haunches to stroke the beast under its scaled, but tender chin.

"Naruto!" she hollered, finding purchase on his battle-worn elven shield as she attempted to tug him away.

"It's fine, Sakura-chan," he consoled, continuing to tenderly baby the dragon hatchling much to her dismay. "He's just a hatchling, and so sweet too!" She furiously pointed to the castle looming above the empty village they stumbled upon as she retorted,

"Tell that to whatever royal is going to come looking for that monstrosity, and happily taking off our heads in the process!" Sakura, beyond her base disgust with the dragon population that stemmed from childhood, wasn't keen on getting caught up the games the kingdoms had been playing over dragon powers as of late. There had been rumors spreading through the small folk everywhere that kings and queens, rebels and magicians alike were all seeking out dragons to fight in their armies. Others told horrific tales of dragon parts being used to coerce the dark realm for powers unimaginable. Either prospect left nothing to be desired for the female, and she'd rather run around as Lord Danzo's fool than be caught up in the furor about dragons.

Somehow, this didn't seem to trouble her blonde swordsman in the least.

"He's a baby, Sakura-chan! No one probably even knows he's here!" He rose to his feet and pivoted to face her as the medic released his shield in surprise. Her axe weighed her down for a moment at her release, but she easily regained her posture when the heaviness vanished as it was inclined to do. It was one of the many mysterious Sakura never understood about her enchanted weapon, why she was the only person who could wield its terrifying weight. Even the great Lord Raikage, known for his behemoth size and strength had no luck when he'd tried to pick up her fallen axe during their brief struggle in thunder country. Sakura dropped the thought, though, in favor of knocking some sense into Naruto's head. He squawked at her hit, but another voice beat her to the reprimand.

"Sakura's right. Though no one is here, that does not mean the eyes on this village are gone. Nor should we linger long. Abandoned places leave room for spirits and other dangers we'd best prefer not to encounter." Kakashi watched them with his all knowing glance when they turned to him, signaling randomly around with his carved staff. His enormous hat, tinkling curio and all, shielded the sun from his face and shadowed his single visible eye. "And dragons are ill omens for us, in particular."

Sakura almosted laughed in relief at Naruto's pout, but instead her viridian eyes landed on the figure a few paces behind him. The lean body typical of elves stood statue still as onyx eyes roamed over a thin sword grasped within his gloveless, pale hand. Sasuke was examining the weapon with great interest and Sakura was again overwhelmed by his sheer beauty. Thick raven locks stood spiked on his head and his infamous bow was slung casually over his cloak. He made for such an attractive sight, Sakura mused— Damn, she was gushing over his perfection again.

"What is it Sasuke?" the wizard asked in Sakura's place, realizing the other's lack of arrogance and seeing his fixation upon the blade he held. Naruto turned to observe their teammate as well, mouth open in confusion.

"This is elvish steel. Old elvish. I know this blade," he replied in uncharacteristic awe, completely lost in his enchantment. Sakura stepped around her blue eyed friend and the still babbling hatchling by a wide berth to stand beside Sasuke and looked over the sword too. It was surely elvish from the foreign squiggled markings, but the beauty came from the distinct colored wave folded into the sword. It was steel blue with reflections of a purple hue, unsullied by blood or dirty or rust. The hilt was intricately carved into a basilisk's neck and head, and the pommel ended with the mouth engulfing a iridescent opal.

"It's beautiful," she breathed, large eyes just as enchanted as her companion's. Her words seemed to reawaken the raven haired bowmaster to their presence as he glanced down to her in bewilderment, not expecting her in such close proximity to him. But she ignored his flinch and instead asked with genuine interest, "Where is this blade from?"

"The caves of Kikyo Mountain. The metal harvested from there has been the source of the best elvish weaponry in Konoha for many millennia. It's very difficult to obtain though, and this blade is forged from the deepest parts of mountain," he explained to her as he brought the blade down to her eye level and steadied her with his left hand on her shoulder. She could feel his daikyu bow pressed into her back as he rotated the sword in front of them to catch the purple-blue light in the sun's rays.

"You see the color?" he asked her in an instructor's tone, and she nodded, afraid to speak should her voice squeak from their proximity. "This metal can only be found in the heart of the mountain, where only the eldest of masters could obtain it." He released her gently, much to her relief and simultaneous chagrin, as the elf cradled the weapon in both his hands and weighed it.

"Yes. This is definitely it, the kusanagi." He once again had a fascinated glint to his eye and Sakura had difficulty controlling her desire to prode his cheek the way she often did to Naruto in his rare cute moments.

"But what is it doing here?" asked the deep voice of the grey haired wizard, who suddenly was beside her, trinkets dangling and staff looming. Naruto too had miraculously snuck upon her during her daze, though her burst of vocal disgust at the crimson hatchling cradled within his arms garnered no attention.

"I can't begin to guess. Stolen but left behind in the abandonment maybe?" Sasuke neutrally replied, though a slight anger laced his nonchalance. Elves were particular about the ownership of their renowned metal work, and anything not given to a wielder was like taking food from a starving man. Pride was a common trait amongst elves, and the Uchiha clan in particular.

"Maybe," Kakashi conceded, giving Sakura a tap on her head with his wooden dragon staff at her continued growling toward the dragon baby. She huffed into silence and kept her eyes locked on the innocent matching features of the blonde male and his new pet. "Regardless, an elf's work belongs to the elves, so the kusanagi is yours Sasuke. Take it with you." He stepped back to catch all of them in the scope of his single visible eye.

"We are leaving now. Check the houses for anything useful like salted meat or waybread, and maybe cloth for Sakura's bandages. But nothing else. We must travel light until we reach the Suna temple. And that means no silver cutlery Naruto," the eldest of the party reprimanded as Naruto had just begun to voice his thoughts. The other was quick to remember their leader's anger about his thieving habits and closed his mouth. When the wizard thumped his staff onto the ground, they all scattered in various directions to raid for supplies.

=====(O)=====

Naruto unrolled their sleeping mats as Sakura went about preparing the roots, mushrooms and edible grass she'd found in the grove of trees just past their encampment. They were well enough hidden behind Kakashi's magic barrier and the haunted forest to start a fire and get somewhat comfortable for the first time in many moons, to which Sakura was grateful. She was a hardy girl, used to the rough life as a mine master's daughter, but she was not a sellsword or elf or magician. It had been difficult to travel and always be so exposed in the outdoors, but the pink haired girl had to admit that she'd gotten used to it within the company of her team. They provided a safety that kept her desperate desire for closed spaces at bay, and in some ways they had even allowed her a means to enjoy the dangers of the world.

Not long after she'd gotten a small cauldron boiling and cooked the vegetation while Naruto hummed melodically to the dragon he'd unwelcomely taken along with them, Sasuke came back to camp with three rabbits hanging heavily from his arrow. If the medic were to wager a guess, she'd admit he'd probably nailed all three rabbits at once with his shot. Sasuke was an exceptional archer just as much as Naruto was a unbelievable sword fighter and she an expert healer. He quietly approached her side and used the bucket beside her as a stool, resting his bow and quiver on the ground. He produced a dagger from his pouch and made quick work of skinning the small animal before he presented the it to her. She graciously accepted the first rabbit and pulled her axe from next to her hip and angled it between her thighs. Gently, she split the carcass on the edge of her blade and started cleaving the meat into strips to more easily pick out the bones.

They continued this work in silence, a habituated meal preparation routine they developed since starting their journey. Naruto, though an able fighter, was as horrendous a cook as Kakashi so that responsibility fell to Sakura. The Uchiha, as gentlemanly to her as he was a jerk to her childhood friend and their leader, saw her struggling their first night on food duty and silently took post as her skinner, to which she had been eternally grateful. It wasn't the fact that Sakura couldn't skin a living creature, but more so her desire not to. She saved people and animals alike, so to kill and remove the essence of a living thing had been difficult for her. When an animal was just a chunk of red meat, she'd no issue with dealing with it, but the appearance of a creature she could attempt to repair drove her to difficulty. Sasuke seemed the only person to pick up on this tick, but somehow understood her reluctance not as a folly. He'd been their hunter and partial butcher since then, leaving the pinkette as a proper chef.

The stew simmered fragrantly before them as she stirred, Naruto's snores echoing out in time with the sleepy hisses from their dragon charge behind them. Her friend and his pet were clearly resting before dinner.

"We're almost there," the words faintly reached her and Sakura's green eyes abruptly turned to see her companion. The ebony gaze watched the flames lick the cauldron, but she knew he was listening for her response.

"Yes, soon we'll be in Suna and we can deliver their crystal, and then be on our way home," she mused, now also content watching the bubbling dinner. They had been through almost all the lands, and the medic felt the heavy pangs of homesickness. She'd been gone from their country three long years, just as Naruto and Sasuke had. Kakashi was not from their hidden village initially, but it seemed as if he intended to return there with them too.

"What will you do when you return to Konoha?" Sakura was a bit surprised at Sasuke's inquisitiveness, not normally being one for idle conversation. She glanced at him again to find him watching her with his dark eyes, head tilted in question. She almost recoiled, but managed to control her confusion and astonishment when she saw how tenderly his features observed her. The girl noticed that when not in the watchful presence of their loud teammate and wizard leader, the elf tread less coldly around her. It was almost as if he were afraid of others' opinions and how they would judge his surprisingly kind heart. Sakura obviously never threatened him in that way, so she repaid his trust with her own truths.

"I'm not sure. My mother Tsunade is still ill as far as I know, so I'll probably go back to the estate during the days and help out my father at the mine in the evenings like before?" Her thoughts traveled back to all the people she had left behind when she had been chosen for these harrowing missions. Her loving parents, Ino who had been sent out of a similar mission with others to obtain a peace treaty with the Earth country's lord, her favorite cat Denka, all her other friends . . .

"Aah. Returning to our old lives . . ." he trailed off, and Sakura's heart clenched a little. In her old life, there was no Uzumaki Naruto of the Uzumaki knights, warriors of the highest caliber who had forced him to leave her when he was recruited to train and fight for the Lord Hokage years ago. There was no Hatake Kakashi, blue wizard and expert in the elements that protected Konoha and all of the lands in Fire. And there was no Uchiha Sasuke of the Uchiha elf tribe, masters of steel and wood who rarely ventured far from the woodlands and mountains of Konoha that guarded their secrets. Sakura did not know if she wanted to go back to her old life so much anymore. Her new life was what she expected and needed now. But what of her family? Her friends?

"Sasuke-kun," she whispered, fearful of being overheard despite the assurance that Naruto was in his brief dreamland and Kakashi off bathing. "When we go home, I can still see you, can't I?"

He took in her furrowed brows and her saddened features as she watched his expressive eyes filter through whatever thoughts he was having. The bowmaster then lifted his pale hand, like flickering ivory in the firelight, to push his fingers into the crease her eyebrows created. He rubbed it away while she squirmed, causing her helm to fall back with a resounding clang. Not bothering to glance at whether she'd woken up their sleeping party, Sakura's attention remained squarely on the elf whose facial expression returned to a knowing smirk.

"And why wouldn't you be able to?" he teased, lightening the atmosphere exponentially and once again leaving her astonished. "I wouldn't be able to get rid of you even if I tried."

"Even as a miner's daughter?" Sakura's father Dan was of the dwarf clans, which is why the mines were his occupation. And the pinkette knew that dwarves and elves shared little love between them. Often, enmities of race were passed down unconditionally. Her father hadn't been please with the mission where she'd share responsibilities with an elf, but her mother had brought her up to accept all, as was the healer's oath, so she held no animosity for Sasuke. And from the countless times he'd helped and rescued her, Sakura wanted to believe he reciprocated that notion.

"You're also a healer's daughter. You forget." Lightly, he curled the fingers that had been on her forehead into a fist and rapped her softly. She giggled at his comment, knowing he was right. "Elves value the skills of healers just as men and monsters do, so my people would not stop you. Doesn't matter anyway. To me, you're not a miner's daughter or a healer's daughter. You're Sakura." She felt the blush rise to her cheeks at that statement, pink tresses tickling chin as the wind lightly flowed through her exposed hair. It also flowed through her companion's spikes, giving his midnight colored fringe a wave. She opened her mouth to speak, but lost the words she was looking for in his endless eyes.

At that moment, Naruto snorted and bounded up, catching both their attention as Sasuke dropped his hand from her face and reached down to grab his bow. But there was nothing to be concerned with as the blonde swordsman let out a grunt and a yawn, turned to them and garbled,

"When are we gonna eat?" Sakura let out a laugh, grabbed the bowls they used for meals and started scooping stew into them. Leave it to Naruto to clear the serious (and romantic) atmosphere. Holding out the first bowl behind her, she heard him scramble and stomp his way to her, grab the meal with a sleepy and pleasant 'Thank you Sakura-chan' before his ravenous etiquette could be heard miles away. Next she'd filled Sasuke's bowl and passed it to him with a smile as he nodded his thanks and went to sit next to his loud best friend. They jested together as Sakura filled Kakashi and her own bowl, setting the former down on the bucket for Kakashi to take when he returned, but then a sudden wail nearly made her drop her stew. The hatchling wobbled his way toward her, mouth releasing hungry screeches and the pinkette almost panicked when it began to crawl up her leg.

"Naruto!" Mouth full after emptying his bowl, the blue eyed man hurried to her and caught the dragon by its hind legs and tail before tossing it up and catching the creature in his arms. He swallowed the soup and sheepishly turned to her.

"Sorry Sakura-chan, but the little guy's hungry too. Any stew to spare?" If it weren't a dragon, Sakura would gladly share the meal, but as it was, she had informed him time and again that she would not prepare meals for the creature. Instead she pulled the wooden rod beside the fire that had chunks of charred rabbit meat roasting and shoved it into his gloved hand. She noticed the thing liked to eat charred meat happily so that was what it was going to get.

Out of the corner of her eye, Sakura saw swirling blue robes appearing through the bushes and downed the stew still in her grip like a hungry wolf. Throwing her bowl to the wayside, she grabbed her pack lying nearby and stormed away from the boys and past the hatless wizard.

"Stew's ready, help yourself. I'm taking a bath," she prattled at Kakashi and hurried away from them. She needed to get clean as well as relax from her agitation at the dragon.

=====(O)=====

The steam coiled upward in wisps as she watched the stars above, feeling the heat seep into her sore muscles as the water soaked her plump. It wasn't often that her merry band found washing waters, let alone refreshing hot springs, so she was going to take full advantage. She'd already scrubbed off weeks of dirt caked into her pores and washed her grimy hair thrice, so she leaned back in contentment as the scabs from her chainmail absorbed the healing water and stung slightly. Now the only thing left was to rinse her tunic, shorts and undergarments for the next bout of dirty adventuring.

Going about the mundane task, her head shot up when she heard a rustle in the bushes near the edge of the spring before a small ball of red collided with the water and splashed her. A shriek escaped her lips when her initial fear was realized and Naruto's dragon was indeed paddling around the center of the spring in circles. Her shout caused the action to stop as golden slitted eyes focused on her. It then started swimming toward her, and the pinkette shuffled back until her back hit the wall of smooth stone that made up a portion of the spring wall.

"Get away! Go back to Naruto, monster!" she lamented, but the dragon was undeterred as it stopped within inches of her naked chest. It watched her again, eyelids flicking up instead of down like humans did before its scaly mouth opened to shoot a jet of water at her. She instinctively blocked the stream with her arms, glancing around them when she heard a sort of chuckle echo of the flying lizard. It was mocking her?

She watched at it twirled in the space before her and she nervously noted how Denka, though never spitting water, also loved to lap around her bathtub at home in the same fashion. Was it possible that this hatchling was just playing? The medic took a moment to inspect the dragon and wondered how on earth she'd been followed by this thing. Hadn't the blonde been keeping watch over him, as they had agreed upon? Or did it sneak away, leaving the camp in a frenzy looking for him? Heaving a sigh, Sakura slowly swam to her sinking undergarments, the only clothing left to wash, and away from the frolicing creature. She supposed that it was her responsibility to bring it back . . .

As soon as the familiar squelch of wet fabric became audible, the little crimson lizard was aware and approaching, curious to discover what she did to elicit such strange sounds. In an unusual turn of thought, it was quite adorable the way the dragon's eyes widened in disbelief at her rubbing the materials together and examining the brown trickles of dirt dissolve from her daywear. And when she'd finished and rinsed the clothing in the water up and down, the baby bobbled up and then down underneath the water in time with her ministrations. She guffawed at the little lizard, before paddling to the edge and detecting that the dragon was following her lead. Pulling herself out of the refreshing hot spring, she quickly gathered her wet, but clean clothing in a bundle and started dressing in her bra and underwear. There was a brief splash as Sakura felt hot water hit her calves. Turning on her heel, she faced down the dragon with a scrutinizing gaze and it squawked at her as it paddled to stay afloat.

"You're waiting for me to fish you out?" she questioned incredulously. That statement seemed to be understood because the crimson colored dragon spread its puny and wet leathery wings while chirping its affirmative. Really now. It could fling itself into water, but it couldn't crawl back out? Lurching her arm to reach for the hatchling, she was surprised when it latched onto her forearm and clung to to it as she retracted them from the hot spring. The little red dragon then cooed at her as she cradled it in the crook of her arm.

"I suppose you aren't so bad," she groused, taking a leap of faith as Naruto had done when they first found him and rubbing him under his chin with her free hand. Rumbling almost like a purr, she could see that when they were little and harmless, how attractive dragons could be. This one hadn't spit fire at them or tried to steal their shiny weapons, as most dragons had a penchant for doing. Then again, perhaps the age of this little one was the cause for his good behavior. As the girl continued to coddle the baby, the hatchling took the moment of respite to bury its muzzle, soft despite the scales, into her small bosom.

"Oh charming. You're secretly a pervert just like Naruto huh?" she griped, amused by the action nonetheless. Maybe if they could train it to not eat people and steal, it'd be as wonderful and useful as the griffins of the Konoha knight's guards . . .

The tranquility of the moment was lost when an animalistic growl echoed out behind her. The viridian eyed girl swiveled around, panicked when a dark shadow stampeded directly for her. Not having time to process the danger, she instinctively threw the dragon away from her, hoping it could at least descend on those supposedly fearsome wings and blocked the approaching danger as best she could in her unclothed and weaponless state.

The trees suddenly engulfed her vision as she collided with the grass and the hard packed earth beneath, shoulder painfully throbbing. The rancid odor that assaulted her left Sakura gagging and attempting to squirm away. But she was pinned down beneath a green-hued body covered in boils and cracked skin, naked from the waist up. The mouth salivating above her displayed four rows of fetid yellow teeth and a beaklike nose sharp enough to gouge eyes out. Strapped across its back was a huge axe, one to rival her own but clearly of a poorly crafted caliber.

"Goblin!" she choked out as reddish salva splatted against her exposed shoulder. It burned like an acid, but her attention was momentarily shuffled to the little hatchling that she'd flung aside, whimpering at her and trying to approach. "Get away! Get to Naruto and the others NOW!" she bellowed, fearing that despite what might happen to her, being more petrified at the thought of the crimson creature getting killed or eaten by this thing.

"GO!" she yelped again as the kobold above her took notice of the baby dragon and hissed. The events seemed to click in the small creature's head because a moment later it bounded off into the woods, tumbling and yipping in fear. At least he's going to be safe now, Sakura internally mused. Less for her to worry about!

Taking the distraction as an opportunity, she kneed the putrid goblin and tossed him off as it howled in pain. But being fresh from a bath, Sakura had nothing to fight with since all she'd brought were her clothes and soap. Her enchanted axe was back at camp along with her dagger, leaving the pinkette only with the option of grabbing a downed tree branch as a defense. The medic wrapped both hands around the chipped bark and swung furiously at the recovering enemy.

"Take this you perverted fiend!" she shouted, landing a solid hit upon its crooked back. Unfortunately, a branch was not a suitable weapon and the tree limb splintered and snapped under the collision. Cursing, she whirled around and began running barefoot into the woods the way she had come, hoping she'd hit the encampment before the goblin could recover. But luck was not favoring Sakura today and she felt air whoosh past her before she collided with a rancid body again. It clenched her arms with herculean strength and Sakura had to let out a pained whimper as she was flung down onto tree roots and hard earth once more.

"Such a pretty human," its voice was wizen and crackling like a fire, and Sakura pried open an eye to see that it was ravenous looking down at her. She could not contain the shiver that ran through her too exposed body. She'd wished she had enough time to at least adorn her chainmail and boots after her bath. "So pretty and delicious," it rumbled. A forked tongue jutted out past its rows of teeth and she felt nauseated as it pressed her more heavily into the ground and licked her collarbone. She tried to kick out and punch, but she could do little as the claws on her arms broke the skin and dug into her.

"Get the hell off me you disgusting beast!" Sakura heard the kobold cackle above her and press a leg against her thigh to stop her kicking attempts.

"And why should I when you are ready for my picking?" For a long moment the pink haired medic was afraid that the demon was going to do more than eat her, and she shuddered with internal terror. Nothing scared her as much as dragons and violation. Her renewed efforts to fight back came with a flurry of curses, but this did nothing other than amuse the goblin more and dig his clawed fingers deeper into her broken skin. Letting out a injured shout, Sakura wasn't expecting the ugly sight above her to vanish along with the pain in her arms.

"Touch her again and I'll make sure you die a painfully slow death." The coarse words came from a familiar voice and she hunched up to see Sasuke, bow loaded with an arrow, in front of her and a disgruntled goblin laying with an arrow in its boiled neck. The bluish blood was pouring out profusely but he wasn't dead yet.

"Disgusting elf! You hold no power here!" he hissed out, tremulously getting to his feet. "The girl bathed in the Goblin's springs, she's rightfully mine!" At this, another silver arrow rang out with a whizz and pinned the goblin's enlarged ear to the tree behind it. A howl of pain boomed into the forest and Sasuke loaded another arrow into his bow. Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. Three shots now had the mess of a goblin tacked to the tree and screaming in agony. The raven haired male glided over to the monster as anger-laced words poured out from the usually stoic elf.

"She belongs to no one." He took a large step forward. "But she is my friend and if you had the capacity to understand danger, you would have run when I didn't kill you." He was now an arm's width away from the goblin and pulled an arrow from his quiver, but did not load it into his bow. "But you didn't because you wanted her. And that was a mistake." Sakura was shaking as the collected words oozed dangerous intent.

"I will protect her until I die." The arrow was raised and slammed into the goblin's forehead, expression aghast as the breath left the creature and its eyes lost the glitter of life. The pinkette let out an audible gasp as it bled more bluish goop. Quick as lightening, the bowmaster pulled out his arrows one by one and wiped the blood off of them upon the tree as the body slumped to the ground with a thump. He then shoved them into his quiver and adjusted his weapon on his shoulder before turning and making his way back to her.

For half a second, every logical fiber of her being screamed to run, far and fast, from the Uchiha but her heart knew that Sasuke had just saved her life, yet again. She had never seen him so mercilessly violent, but when his perfect features crouched down before her with worry in his expressive eyes, she launched forward to wrap her bloodied arms about his neck and heaved a dry sob.

"Thank you," she desperately exhaled into his cloaked shoulder, molding herself onto him tightly. She felt arms cradle underneath her thighs and around her back, lifting her from the hard ground and feeling the motion of steps barely jostle her clinging form. It was silent as they headed back to camp, Sakura inhaling the earthy scent that was her savior's odor and wondering if she was still fresh or reeking of blood and dirt.

"I'm glad I found you," his words were like whispers on the wind, barely there but she heard them all the same. Her hands clutched the back of his cloak more fiercely and the elf knew she heard. He also infinitesimally grasped her but having skin to skin contact meant every touch tingled into her nervous system. Firelight was visibly playing off the trees and she knew that the fading darkness behind them was going to open onto their camp. When the did finally arrive, nothing stirred in the empty space besides the cauldron still hanging over their open flame pit.

Tenderly, Sasuke set her down onto her mat, removed his weaponry, and unfastened his cloak to drape it over her front. Then he fetched her medical bag and brought it over along with his water canteen and watched her as she shakily extracted her salves and bandages. She used the water to wipe away the dirt and blood, trying not to turn into a tomato when she noted how intently he watched her clean her injuries. Silently, he helped her apply her potent medicines to the wounds upon her arms, shoulder and back when Sakura tried to work unsuccessfully under the roughspun cloak. Never once did he comment on her state of dress and for that, she was grateful. When they'd finished, she coiled his cloak around her form tightly and leaned onto the awaiting shoulder of her companion.

"I thought you were dying when. . . your scream, it . . ." the jumbled words had Sakura lifting her head and turning to look at his lost and squinting eyes. Sasuke had his hands laced before his mouth, elbows leaning onto his knees and keeping his gaze set firmly on the fire a short distance away. She could feel his difficulty with controlling his emotions, something he'd rarely dealt with, and Sakura was indebted to whatever gods had given her such a valiant protector.

"But you saved me, so it's okay." Her now clean hand reached through the fabric to brush against his cheek and he jerked in response. Her fingers followed through until she was leaning forward onto him to maintain the gesture of trust. His eyes were wary but the pink haired girl wanted to show her gratitude.

"Sasuke-kun, thank you for saving me," she sweetly said, memories of the horrible turn of events flittering away from her mind. Her mother's old saying, repay gratitude with action, echoed out as she leaned forward, loosening her other hand to reach around the raven haired archer's back. It was a little strange with how angled his torso was, trying to maintain an appropriate distance, but the redness coloring his cheeks gave Sakura the knowledge of what he truly felt.

"Sakura—" The medic was practically straddling his lap now as she shook her head to quiet his oncoming protest.

"No just let me . . . this one time . . ." Her voiced trailed off as she shut her eyes and pushed forward, lips landing on his perfectly. It was everything she had always imagined when kissing Sasuke. His lips were full and soft, his face smooth yet firm underneath her fingertips. And when the elf reached to press her into his chest and close their distance as they fell back onto the mat, Sakura was certain that her heart was going to burst.

=====(O)=====

When Naruto came bounding back to camp much later in the evening with the dragon and Sakura's clothes, he was a little stupefied to see Sasuke, his ever emotionless best friend with his face tucked into long pink tresses. Sakura, dressed in his forest green cloak, fit comfortably into the spaces his body left and both were soundly sleeping. Kakashi was squatted down beside the pair, eye curved in mischief as his enormous hat looked ready to flop onto the sleeping pair.

"Kakashi-sensei, what—?"

"Shhh, Naruto. Let them sleep. We'll ask them about it tomorrow." Naruto, face scrunched up in confusion, gave a shoulder shrug and vaulted over to the mats to get ready for some shut eye. Though he'd panicked when his little dragon, now named Kurama, came barreling back screeching from the bathes he'd been taking with Sakura, the blonde knew Sasuke would be able to find his childhood friend first and easily. After all, the elf had a sixth sense when it came to the pinked haired half dwarf, especially when she was in danger. That was love for you. And looking down at the two now, he knew he hadn't needed to be worried. Though Sakura might not realize it yet, the swordsman knew an elf's love was a vow until death.

Grinning, he cuddled Kurama underneath his arm as he closed his eyes. He was going to look forward to tomorrow's teasing and explanations.

=====(Fin)=====

And if you couldn't tell, I ran out of steam and turned this into a mushy sasusaku fest~ LOL! I was going to write more as the AU has so much potential, but this was getting extremely long, and if I kept going, this was just going to become a multi-chapter fic and not a oneshot drabble thing. And I can't write a multi-chapter fanfiction. Because seriously guys, COMMITMENT. I suck at that lol. And I don't want to get hated for not updating my fic lol xD