Chapter 5: Thunderstorms

It had been an entire half year before Sakura found the courage to kiss him.

It was nothing like Ino told her it would be. A firework show did not go off in the back of her head—her stomach did not turn into mush and her fingers didn't curl and her foot certainly didn't lift upwards. If Sakura was honest, it was a big, embarrassing mess.

Sasuke had just arrived back to his cell. He took his daily shower a little later than usual, and Sakura had already been waiting for him when he walked in. He was almost completely cured now—his skin was tanned and he was at a good weight and…and…

He didn't need her anymore.

Sakura watched him eat his meal in silence. He was perfect at many things—elegant and punctual with light footfalls and the coyness of a snake. But the man ate like Naruto. It didn't matter how the meal tasted as long as it went down.

"I tried really hard on that, you know." She says.

Sasuke turns his head to the side like a curious puppy. "I thought it was from the cafeteria."

Sakura threw an abandoned chopstick at him his head with a laugh. Ibiki allowed them their privacy in moments like this. He was the only one Tsunade entrusted with this secret, and in a way, Sakura and he were on opposing shifts.

"I think I'll have them write that on your tombstone jerk. Sasuke Uchiha's famous last words. They'll lower you into your grave and say, "Man, that guy really deserved it, the stupid idiot."."

"I'd rather be cremated." He responds with a shrug.

"I could use you as an ingredient that way. Sasuke soufflé," she replies morbidly.

It was rare to find someone that didn't find her humor disturbing. He would let her speak for hours about things he didn't understand—things that…grossed him out. Sasuke would ask her to slow down, to explain, and to teach him what her words meant. She could talk about blood and guts while they ate, and she could tell him her innermost thoughts without getting a snarky glare.

When she ties the buckles of his jacket and securely props his severed limb, she looks up. She shouldn't have, because with his mask in place there was nothing to see but a strongly pronounced nose and perfectly rounded lips.

His tongue darts out from between them before he speaks. "You're being strange today. You hesitate."

She was, and she did. Sakura savored each and every touch, because Sasuke didn't need her any longer. She was of no use to him. "You're better now."

"That upsets you?"

"I won't see you anymore for a while." Her voice is breathless and brittle—completely opposite from the roughness of before. With her fingers tangled within his sheath and her body inches from him, all Sakura can think about are his beige lips.

He exhales and it's a hot fan across her face—as if the fire of his jutsu burned continuously in the pit of his chest and steamed from his nostrils like a dragon.

Just one kiss. She says to herself. She wants to believe this short-lived relationship was more than doting nurse and an injured patient.

Before Sakura knows what she is doing, she leans upwards on her tiptoes. Her lips pucker and press into his—they are unmoving, but not deflecting.

The pressure is too hard and her teeth bump into his tender flesh. The skin opens because of the force. Sakura's first kiss concludes with a busted lip and an embarrassing explanation. "Oh no, Sasuke-kun, I'm so sorry!"

Even in the lowest point of her life, Sakura never imagined forcing herself upon him. Her body lowers and she shakes her head, preparing for a better apology. "I shouldn't have done that. It was inappropriate. I just…I don't…"

Her mouth rambles, and for the first time, Sasuke doesn't care to hear her dialogue. "That was awful."

It's like a boulder has been thrown across her shoulders. Oh god… "I know. Don't tell anyone. I promise it will never happen again. I'm so sorry Sasuke-kun."

She turns to leave. It is funny how their last moments together always ended in apology. But as her hand presses against the cold metal of his prison, Sasuke calls out to her.

"You're just going to give up?"

The room is humid and the air is stale. Her heart rings within her ears. "W…what do…what should I do?"

"You're not going to get better if you don't practice."

Sakura has never been so red. The pink undertones of her skin turn crimson as she rubs the gooseflesh from off of her arms. Slowly, tentatively, Sakura makes her way back into his space. He smells of thunderstorms and lightening, even though it's been months since sunlight and pure oxygen have caressed his body.

His head is parallel to her chest now that he is sitting.

"What should I do?" Though her voice is more confident, she is a tattered mess within.

Sasuke lifts his chin. "Try again,"

And their second kiss is much, much better.

He guides her carefully as she encloses, making sure she doesn't slam into him like before. It feels as though a petal has landed on his mouth—soft, delicate, gentle. The woman tastes as sweet as she smells, and although Sasuke has never cared for sugar, he decides that she will be the exception.

She was always his exception.

They melt into each other like ice cream on summer days. She is cold cream on sunburnt lips. They pull away from one another slowly, letting their skin separate, and then search each other out once more. They have never felt such a rush.

Sakura has a new reason to visit him now, one that does not involve her chakra. She practices her kisses on him, with his eyes sealed and his arms bound. They are still teenagers. They have missed out on sneaking romances and embraces in the dead of night.

Together they make up for lost time—it is guiltless and lust-free and perfectly pure. Between peppered pecks Sakura tells Sasuke of what he's missed. She explains her training with Tsunade and all of the knowledge she's accumulated, who's been with whom, little gossips mixed important details.

Before long, spring comes once more.

Naruto's arm is attached so Sasuke decides that it's time for him to leave. There are many things he must do. Kakashi, the new Hokage, dismisses his student from captivity after the man signs his signature on a stack of thick paper.

The streets do not deny his footsteps, but his body rejects the cobblestone. This is the village that his clansmen used to walk through, and he is the last left. He will need time understand his feelings, and he cannot do it here. These roads are stained with the blood of his people.

He wears a cloak Kakashi gave to him, and all that he owns is tucked into a small holster at his hip. It is time for goodbyes.

"Well, I'll be honest with you. Under normal circumstances, you'd be imprisoned for life. The only reason you've been pardoned is because of your assistance in undoing the Mugen-Tsukuyomi Jutsu." Kakashi explains. "Try not to forget that all of this is thanks to Naruto. I mean, he is the hero of this war and well…I did put in a few comments as the Sixth Hokage. So take it easy and don't go crazy on me again. It'll be my head they'll take this time."

Sasuke looks at Sakura when he apologies to him. "Yeah…sorry,"

Her crestfallen expression matches the one she sent him four years before.

"You're leaving already? Tsunade-sama's just about to complete your prosthetic hand from Hashirama-sama's cells…" She's trying all of her excuses. What can she say to make him stay? Why was he leaving like this? Did she mean nothing to him?

"I…" he begins, staring into her speckled eyes. "I need to see it for myself. How the world looks. All those things I've overlooked, I have a feeling I'd be able to seem them better now. If I miss this chance, I don't think another will come."

Don't you know? He tells her silently. I've overlooked you, too, and now that you have healed me, there are many things I need to re-see without an overlay of darkness.

"Plus, there are a few things that have been bothering me."

I cannot stay in this village when my family's screams haunt me so. Not yet.

Her eyes dip down and that familiar heated blush spreads across her face. She understands, but the hurt is still there. "What…if I told you…that I would like to come, too?"

Their secret is still a secret. Their late night conversations and soft kisses and sweet embraces are unknown to the Hokage that stands by their side. She still has to ask her embarrassing question, though. She would never forgive herself if she didn't. Maybe this time, Sasuke will want a companion.

M...ah-hem…maybe this time, Sasuke will want a lover.

She peeks up.

He does not look at her now, and instead explains the reasons behind his departure. "It is my road to redemption. You have nothing to do with my sins."

He drove a stick between their closeness with that one little phrase. Sakura thought that, after all that transpired between them, he would see her as more. So much for lover, you big idiot! "Nothing to do…you say…"

There's a brush of fabric and a movement in front of her. As she looks up, Sasuke starts to press his finger to the forehead she hated so much as a child—to the forehead that induced teasing and cackles.

He taps once, lingeringly, and smiles only to her. "I'll see you soon."

It is a promise. He metaphorically replaces the stick pressed between them with a thick, red thread, because it would take more than distance to break their bonds. They were truly connected.

With eyes only for Sakura, Sasuke winks, causing every strand of hair on her body to stand at attention. "Thank you."

This time, it is not an apology that separates them. They will never be separated again.

In the heat of the day, with the sunshine bright and her heart firing off the fireworks Ino told her about, Sakura watches her love tread towards the mountains and valleys beyond.

She has experienced Sasuke's ultimate expression of love. And truly, it was better than any silly kiss.

A contact so brief, lip upon lip,

such a small brush makes heartbeats skip.

Is there anything better than a true loves kiss?

Take me, darling, into your abyss.

And when we are old and shriveled and pale,

will your caress still make me sail?

"There's something better than hand against flesh."

You'll know it, my love, when your souls enmesh.

-BK