Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, there would be more baby Uchihas running around.
Rating: M
Warning(s): More sex
Words: 4, 281

A/N: And with this, my lovely readers, I bid you adieu. This is my first completed multichap, and I'm excited and sad to put it to rest. Hope you all enjoyed, and I would love to hear your feedback.

Konoha's walls stood strong and tall above the treetops as the group of four ninja slowly made their approach. Under normal circumstances, the shinobi would still be high in the treetops, but Tsunade had decided that none of the neo-sannin needed to put any unnecessary strain on their bodies. So, there they were: strolling lackadaisically along the forest floor as if they hadn't a care in the world.

Which, now that Sakura was undoubtedly safe from the clutches of the poison that had nearly torn her apart, Sasuke had to admit was true.

The Fifth Hokage had been less than thrilled her apprentice's near-death experience. Apparently, while Sasuke had been in a coma from his chakra-exhaustion, Sakura had sent a message to her mentor explaining her recovery. Although the message was received just a mile outside of Konoha, neither she nor Naruto would allow them to make the return trip unguarded.

Luckily, Sasuke and Sakura had everything back in order-well, Sakura's shorts were inside out, but he doubted anyone had noticed that but him-by the time the front door to their safehouse was practically ripped from its hinges. Naruto, surprisingly, was not the culprit. In fact, he had whined incessantly about the rough treatment of his creation while Tsunade pointedly ignored him in deference to her student's well-being.

At that moment, Tsunade had reminded Sasuke of a mountain lion reunited with her lost cub. The older woman had grasped Sakura firmly by the back of her shirt-shaking her sharply when she fidgeted-as she gave her a thorough physical with her free hand. Sasuke wasn't sure there was a single patch of skin that Tsunade had not checked with her chakra. She was professional, but at the same time he couldn't help but notice Tsunade brushed her hand some places twice-like her cheek-as if she were reassuring herself that Sakura was as fine as she claimed to be.

Then the platinum blonde had then released her former apprentice and proceeded to read her the riot act. Neither Sasuke nor Naruto escaped their share of the scolding, but it was Sasuke and Sakura who received the harshest "punishments"-if you could call them that. Naruto had been forced to do C-ranked missions for a week as well as volunteer for ten hours of the academy, but Sasuke and Sakura were subject to extremely restrictive lifestyles and frequent checkups.

Truthfully, the team hadn't done anything wrong-nor did Tsunade actually have any power with which to punish them-but since they all knew Tsunade was just expressing how worried she had been, they all bore their punishments without argument.

Such as refusing to let any of them use chakra on the way home.

Normally, Sasuke would have been itching to set a faster pace or take to the trees. Too much time alone with his thoughts was rarely a good thing, and he tried to avoid it as much as possible. For the first time, however, Sasuke was at peace. The ever present voices in his head-ones that spoke of vengeance and treachery-were silent. The itchy feeling of guilt that urged him from one act of repentance to the other had subsided.

And it was all due to the pink haired woman who walked beside him.

As if she could read his thoughts, Sakura glanced in his direction. The patches of sunlight that made it through the dense forest danced across her features in a way that made Sasuke's breath catch in his throat. Mint green eyes glowed softly beneath cotton candy eyelashes with an equally potent softness. For the briefest of moments they were locked together, and the world around them seemed to fade away.

Then, shooting him a smile that Sasuke had only seen before on the faces of lovers, Sakura turned back to her mentor.

If anyone else had noticed the increasingly tender looks between the two, they didn't comment on it.

"It could be because you were controlling Sasuke's chakra that your pathways are undamaged," Tsunade continued, a frown etched into face. The manner in which Sasuke had purged the poison from Sakura's system had consumed the medics' attention for the majority of the journey home. From what he had been able to pick up, there was no reason his desperate attempt to save his teammate should have worked. Yet, instead of costing both of them their lives, here they both were.

"If that were the case, I should have been able to make more progress on those who have been devastated by the Hyuuga's technique," Sakura countered. It was a point that had been brought up before, but no other theories were half as plausible. "It might be the virus nature of the poison that allowed us to combat it, but we would have to test the poison ourselves."

Everyone looked at her sharply, and Sakura held up her hands with a sigh.

"After I'm healed, of course," she promised, the annoyance in her voice ruining what was supposed to be a placating tone, "We're going to have to come up with an antidote no matter how much you all want me away from that stuff, and I'm the most capable person for the job."

She was right, of course, but Sasuke growled softly anyway. He would rather start wearing a bright pink spandex suit than let her anywhere near that poison ever again.

"I'm more concerned with why you were the only one poisoned," Sasuke intoned with a contemplative glare, "It's not as if you were the only person injured in the battle."

"Mmm," Tsunade agreed. They shared a loaded glance. If Sakura had been purposefully targeted, the two of them would ensure there was hell to pay-whether the operation was on the books or not.

"Maybe the two of you are just soul-mates," Naruto interjected. He was walking ahead of the group, hands resting carelessly atop his head, so he completely missed the shocked reaction his statement caused. Both Sasuke and Sakura choked on the air, and even Tsunade froze for a brief second. "It wouldn't surprise me."

What?

"D-don't be ridiculous!" Sakura spluttered incredulously. The normally porcelain skin of her face was flushed. "There's no such thing as soulmates!"

The dobe shrugged and continued walking, but Sasuke could have sworn he heard him mutter "whatever you say, Sakura-chan" before the upbeat tune he had been humming picked back up again. This airy sort of condescension was so unlike their teammate that Sasuke wasn't entirely sure how to proceed. Should he smack him, or just pretend nothing had happened? He looked to Sakura in the hopes that she would commiserate with him, only to have the temperature spike several degrees when their eyes connected. Desperately trying to ignore the way that the hairs on his arms seemed to rise, Sasuke hurriedly tore his gaze away just to fall under the scrutiny of Tsunade's speculative golden eyes.

Despite the fact that Sasuke was positive Konoha's Fifth Hokage had none of the Yamanaka clans' powers, he couldn't help but feel the woman was staring straight into his head. When Tsunade finally looked away, he was left with the distinct feeling that she had found some sort of answer in him, but he was at a loss for what it was.

"The scroll we just received from Iwagakure might have answers for us," she announced, "I'll look into it right away."

Look into what? The possibility of soul-mates?-or something else? Sasuke wanted to roll his eyes. He was the first to admit the charged looks that he and Sakura were exchanging were unusual, but they were just as easily explained away by sexual tension. The gates holding back roughly six years of repressed attraction had just been unlocked, after all. A little more-spark than usual between them wouldn't be completely unexpected.

The guards standing outside Konoha's gates nodded respectfully at the approach of their leader, allowing the group to stride past unhindered. Traveling with the Hokage-past or not-had its perks.

Just because Tsunade's intimidating presence kept people from approaching the group didn't mean they didn't attract attention, however. Many of the civilians made a point to wave happily at Sakura and Naruto. The fact that Sasuke was with them didn't dim the brightness of their smiles, which shocked him. Sakura specifically received many relieved smiles from their fellow shinobi; they all probably knew something was wrong when Naruto and Tsunade had sprinted out of the gates several days ago.

A few shinobi even made it a point to catch his eye and nod-as if they knew Sasuke was responsible for Sakura's well-being.

"This is where we separate," Tsunade announced after the most recent group of Sakura's well-wishers faded into the background of the village. Her hands were planted firmly on her hips as she turned to appraise them. "Sakura and Sasuke, if you use so much a speck of chakra in the next week I will have you both on D-rank missions for a month."

Sakura nodded rapidly, and Sasuke inclined his head enough to let her know he would listen to her orders.

"We'll reconvene in my office at three next Friday. Until then I expect you all to rest." With that, the blonde Sannin turned on her high-heel and strode off towards her office.

Team 7 released a simultaneous breath as Tsunade faded from sight. Naruto continued to let out a low whistle that caught both his teammates' attention.

"Not that this hasn't been fun, but I'm going to go see Hinata-chan before Granny has me running around on a thousand C-rank missions." His blue eyes were still tracking Tsunade's path as he spoke, and perhaps it was the fact that he looked far away that lulled Sasuke into a false sense of security, but the last thing he expect was for the blond to pull to two of them against himself in a tight embrace.

"I'm really glad you're both okay," he whispered into a mixture of Sasuke and Sakura's hair. The dobe had hooked an arm around Sasuke's neck so that he was close enough to feel the tears of relief that were dripping down Naruto's whiskered cheeks. Sakura was pressed into both of their sides, and it only took a second before her arms were circled around both of them as well.

The affection they held for each other was hardly a secret, but it had been a long time since they had collapsed into a group hug like a bunch of genin. Having Sakura's herbal scent twine with Naruto's breezy scent was a comfort he couldn't describe, and, for the umpteenth time since this whole nightmare had started, Sasuke felt his throat close with emotion. They all had made it out alive despite the odds.

Again.

And so, not caring that they were in public, or that the whole village was staring at them, or worrying about how he was going to extract himself from this position with a shred of his dignity intact, Sasuke wrapped his arms around his team. That was Sakura's hip pressed tightly against his thigh and Naruto's shoulder pressed into his, and he wouldn't have it any other way. Ever.

Hours or minutes could have passed before the trio disentangled themselves. When they finally did, Sasuke couldn't shake the oddest sense of loss, but he buried it deep under his more prevalent embarrassment. There were only so many feelings he could deal with at once, and this whole trip had been rather emotionally draining.

"Later Teme, Sakura-chan," Naruto was saying as he backed away. His voice was rougher than usual, and Sasuke didn't trust his own enough to respond. Because he was looking at his best friend in lieu of making eye contact with the villagers that were undoubtedly staring at him, Sasuke was able to discern the bit of mischief that flashed across Naruto's face. With a foxy grin, he left them with one last bit of advice.

"Make sure to control yourselves until you're behind closed doors!"

And promptly disappeared before Sasuke could strangle him.

Chuckles of the citizens within in earshot of Naruto's parting comment surrounded him, and Sasuke wasn't sure whether he wanted to chase Naruto down and skin him alive or turn around and walk right back out of Konoha's gates and never return. The choice was made for him a dainty but calloused hand worked its way inside his.

The jolt of electricity that traveled from their intertwined fingers brought him back from his murderous intent, and suddenly the smothering heat from before was back. Without their chaperones, it was all Sasuke could do to keep his lips to himself. Suddenly, Naruto's joking advice seemed a lot more like an insurmountable challenge. His only consolation was that he was obviously not the only one affected.

A haze had settled over Sakura's eyes again, but this was radically different from the foggy expression the fever had caused. Her focus was still there, for one thing, and it was entirely pinned on him. It was just her sense of propriety-that and her awareness of everything that wasn't him-that was clouded this time.

And fuck if it wasn't sexy as hell.

"Can I walk you back?" The question was more for their audience's sake than hers. There was no version of this night that ended with the two of them in separate houses-not when she continued to look at him like that.

"You did promise to cook me dinner, I believe," Sakura practically purred, tugging him gently in the direction of his house.

Never before had Sasuke been so affected by a woman's inflection. This is what Karen had been constantly trying and failing to achieve-this complete loss of inhibition and will. Sakura could have been leading him to his slaughter, and Sasuke would have still happily followed.

Nothing else was said as the new couple all but ran hand-in-hand across Konoha. Technically, it would have been faster to go to Sakura's apartment, but Sasuke enjoyed the privacy achieved only by outcasts and recluses. He happened to be both, and tonight it worked in his favor.

As the streets became decidedly darker and less populated, Sasuke and Sakura drew closer. The hand that had once been grasped in hers was now splayed low on Sakura's back, playing with the hem of her shorts. Once, feeling either exceptionally daring or exceptionally out of control, he dropped his hand lower to palm the whole of her cheek in his hand.

With a stifled moan, Sakura grabbed the strap of his pack closest to her and yanked him out of the road into the shadows of a nearby alley. Before Sasuke could react, his back was against the brick wall of some building or another, and his collar was being used to drag his face down into a pair of waiting lips. He responded with enthusiasm, hooking his hands underneath Sakura's ass to pull her up to his face. It was incredible to think someone who packed as much of a punch as Sakura did could be so light.

She used her new height advantage to deepen the kiss, covering his mouth aggressively with hers and dragging her teeth across his bottom lip. A combination of the dark and their urgency resulted in their noses smashing into one another a couple times, but the pair didn't so much as pause.

It was the sound of a dog barking in the distance that finally pulled them apart. Reminded that they were, in fact, still in public, Sasuke and Sakura slipped out of the alley like the nin they were and ran as fast as they dared to his house on the outskirts of the village.

They were both panting with barely contained desire by the time they finally-after a couple alleys worth of pauses-reached his door. His key was somewhere in his pack, but Sasuke was in no mood to take the time to a sharp kick the door burst open and he pulled Sakura inside. The lock on the handle was sufficiently broken, but the hotel lock was still in good enough condition to prevent any unwanted visitors, so he secured that before throwing their packs to the floor in a frenzy.

Six years was far too long to deny his attraction to the woman tearing off his shirt, and, now that the floodgates had opened, Sasuke had lost any shred of restraint.

Thankfully, Sakura didn't mind when he pulled her up and around his waist yet again. In the short time that they had been together, it had become one of their favorite methods for kissing. When they were like this, twined around each other and kept upright only by sheer strength of will and whatever wall happened to be the closest, Sakura didn't have to strain upwards to reach his neck or lips and Sasuke didn't have to bend in half.

It was effortless.

The wall shook with the force with which Sasuke pressed her into it. It trembled just as Sakura did as he pressed sloppy kisses down the sides of her neck. Quivered as she threw her head back against it in a soundless cry.

He whirled her from one wall to the next, not entirely sure where he was taking them but sure that the last wall didn't provide the leverage he desired. He was desperate. Consumed with a fire that, for once, had absolutely nothing to do with hatred or revenge.

Just as Sasuke decided that he has had enough, that he was going to take her against this wall, the table in his dining room caught his eye. Impish, decidedly terrible ideas flitted through his mind and he pressed a wicked grin into the skin just beneath Sakura's chin. Unaware of his plans, she fisted Sasuke's shirt tighter in her hands and dragged his mouth back up to hers for another frenzied kiss.

When Sakura's back hit the cold wood of his table, she twitched, eyes flying open in surprise. The grip she had on his shirt loosens as he pulls away, but there was a petulant pout on her swollen lips. Panting, flushed, and needy-the sight of Sakura spread out on his kitchen table was almost more than he could stand. He has spent years ignoring her beauty, pushing the way her breasts had filled and hips had curved to the back of his mind where it couldn't distract him.

Now, with his cock throbbing and her keening in his ears, it was finally too much. Distantly, as his fingers worked frantically to free her from her shorts, Sasuke wondered if this all-consuming lust would ever ebb. There was nothing calm about either of their movements, nothing gentle and loving at all. This worry was pushed unceremoniously from his mind when Sakura yanked off her own underwear-shredding them completely-and scooted towards the edge of the table.

If Sakura wasn't concerned, then neither was he.

Lithe legs wrapped around his back, and Sasuke loosed a string of curses as he struggled to push his pants down enough to release his aching cock. Neither of them had the patience for foreplay, and they both shuddered when he abruptly thrust himself inside. They could do his a hundred times-which he hoped they did-and he would never get used to the feeling of her surrounding him like this.

"Move, dammit," Sakura thrashed beneath him, moving her hips urgently, "Fuck, Sasuke, I need you to move."

So he did.

He set a pace that left both of them breathless. Rolling his hips hard against her with every push to ensure they both enjoyed the maximum friction of the movement. Sakura's head lolled to the side, mouth parting in a feverish moan. There was little she could do in this position, with Sasuke's hands pressing her thighs open and onto the table, so she contented herself with dragging her nails across the backs of his hands and letting every whine and whimper fall unhindered from her lips.

It didn't take long for their urgency to reach its peak. There was a tautness to his muscles that spoke of the force he was holding back, and he can see see how desperate Sakura is-can feel it in the way she has started to moan and hear it in the way her sounds and noises have suddenly jumped an octave higher. Kami, they were so close, both of them, and Sasuke gritted his teeth as he drove them both over the edge.

Their voices merged together, a litany of curses and promises and stuttered names, loud enough that had Sasuke had any neighbors, they would have definitely known what had just happened.

Sasuke's legs buckle, and he braces himself on the table above Sakura, breathing raggedly. Her eyes are open, disoriented but soft, and her hand rose to trace the line of his lower lip. He feels the sting he has long since associated with touching a fresh wound, and he realizes that somewhere along the line, he had split his lip.

"Sorry," she murmured, dropping her fingers to trace another wound in the hollow of his shoulder, "I guess I got a little carried away."

He shrugged, as much as he could anyway, and glanced pointedly at the bruised flesh of her lips. They would have their fair share of blemishes to remember this moment by. Hickeys on their necks, bloody furrows on the back of his hands, and marks on the inside of her creamy thighs from where he had grabbed her. Not that he particularly cared.

Somewhat shakily, Sasuke pulled himself upright and helped Sakura off the table. It only took a couple of seconds for him to put his pants back in place, but finding her shorts proved to be much more difficult. In the heat of the moment, they had somehow landed on top of his blender. His grin was crooked as he handed said item of clothing back, and Sakura couldn't help but laugh as she shimmied them back on.

"You, know, I do still owe you dinner," he told her when she made to leave. She turned slowly to face him, reading the invitation to stay in both his words and his expression. "I obviously haven't stocked my pantry since we got back, though, so I'm not sure what kind of meal I'll be able to make."

"Well, I'll just have to stay until you impress me, then, won't I?" A smirk curled the corners of her lips into a smile, and Sasuke understood that no matter how exemplary his culinary skills might be, Sakura would not be leaving for a long, long time.

His cupboards are empty of fresh produce and dairy products, but Sakura triumphantly shows him a chicken she found in the back of his freezer along with a small package of frozen peas. The atmosphere is relaxed as the chicken warmed in the oven, the aroma of the spices they had chosen together filling the air.

When the meat has finally cooked, and they both bite into the succulent breast, Sakura makes a point of catching his eye and jerking one of her shoulders in a half-hearted shrug.

"Eh, it's okay, I guess." Her face was emotionless, but there was laughter in her voice. "I'm sure you can do better."

He smiled.

With their stomachs full, Sasuke led them onto his back porch so that they could enjoy the night breeze. The wood of the bench was hard and unyielding, and Sasuke made a mental note to purchase some porch pillows the next time he had the chance. Maybe Sakura would help him pick them out.

The woman in question settled herself comfortably against his chest, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Her herbal scent tickled his nose, and Sasuke couldn't help but feel it was. She was made to fit against his side like this, just as much as his arm was meant to slide around her waist, and his heart clenched at the thought that he might never had had the chance to figure it out.

He had been so close to losing her, so disturbingly close. If his last, reckless gamble to save her life had failed, as Sakura and Tsunade seemed certain it should have, she would have been gone. Never to berate Naruto for his childish behavior again. Never to hide the sake bottles from Tsunade again. Never to berate Kakashi about his little orange book, or bicker with Ino, or play shoji with Shikamaru, or pose for Sai, or practice sealing weapons with Tenten.

Never to be with him.

In the end, Sasuke couldn't explain why it had worked. It could have been his overwhelming desperation, Sakura's chakra control, their refusal to let go of eachother, or any combination in between. It could have been none of the above, and perhaps it was just a stroke of luck.

Maybe Naruto was right, and they were soulmates-or whatever the more realistic equivalent of that fairy tale notion was.

As Sasuke stroked the pink mane of the woman laying on his chest, he could only be sure of two things: it had worked, whatever the reason, and, no matter how harrowing of an experience it had been, Sakura was right.

The toxic liquid might have been intended to rip this breath-taking woman from his existence-to steal his reason for living before he realized what it was-but that's not what had happened. All it had really accomplished was unearthing parts of Sasuke that had been buried so deep they might not ever have seen the light of day otherwise.

The poison might have been created to destroy, but all it did was bring out the best parts of him.

One last thing! If you find any typos, inconsistancies, or things you'd like further explained, please let me know! I'm planning on reworking this eventually, so there's a chance I could change that one sentence that always drove you crazy ;) What this means, however, is that you might get notifications that I've added a new chapter. This is completely not true. This story is done, and the only thing I will be doing with it now is cleaning it up a bit.

Finally, I want to thank everyone who stuck with me! I know my updates were sporadic near the end, but we've finally reached the end of the line together. You're all awesome, and you're the reason I was able to finish this story.