I need a (Wo)man

Summary: Being a Cancer and so utterly sentimental, one would have thought that they would have had Sasuke Uchiha all figured out. He was an emotional crybaby with a brother complex and an arguably irritating need to be the best of the best. So why was it so damn hard for him to love a woman? Maybe his brother knew and had an idea on how…

Chapter Eleven

Initially, Karin had been furious when Suigetsu had sauntered into her apartment unannounced, dropping by to notify her of the Sixth Hokage's sudden request to see her at once. She had been off mission duty for several weeks now, and that meant she had nothing to do. Sasuke had been avoiding her too, she was sure of it. Every time she thought she saw a flash of black hair, it always seemed to be a different person.

Even her friends had made themselves scarce.

Jugo had become acquainted with Konohagakure's scientific and research department, offering up any information he could about his curse mark. It was a day to night process, she had learned, and despite the grueling hours, Jugo seemed pleased with his involvement in the project. He enjoyed the department, he had informed her. They were kind and fair people, and he was fed and compensated for his time. He practically lived there.
Needless to say, the water balloon idiot wasn't her friend, but even her favorite punching bag was nowhere to be seen. On the rare occasion that she had crossed paths with him, he had hurriedly told her that he was traveling back and forth between Konohagakure and Otogakure. He was now Orochimaru's right hand man after Kabuto's wayward demise apparently. Obviously, this had irritated Karin greatly. Why was he of all people allowed to travel across the nations so freely? He was the most unpredictable one of them all!
If the Hokage had asked for her, however, it was only to inquire about her memories of Kusagakure, her hometown. She barely had any information, but it seemed that the two villages were negotiating treaties and embarking on construction projects together. These meetings were dull, and left the redhead more sullen than when she had come in.
However, upon entering the Hokage's office earlier, she had been elated to learn that she was finally going on a mission. Her mood boosted considerably when she noticed Sasuke already standing before the Hokage's desk. It was the first time she had seen him in weeks, and luckily for her, she was going to go on another mission with him!
Yet, it seemed that the stars were not in her favor the moment the pink-haired medic she absolutely loathed walked in.

It was the most ridiculous ensemble, she had to say so herself.

How odd was it that their three man team consisted of herself, her sexual partner, and her sexual's partner former lover. If you could call their relationship that.

Karin snickered at the thought.

She had been on a high tide of smugness ever since her secret rendezvous with Sasuke began, and the frequency of their meetings only bolstered her confidence. She was daring and fearless, and took no hesitation when it came to showing Pinky who was boss. Maybe Pinky was the one that lived with him, but she was the one he was visiting every night; and that, was by far, more of a win to Karin than a prim and proper "relationship" ever could be.
However, her confidence soon dwindled despite the aforementioned couple's separation. Their break up should have had the opposite effect on Sasuke; but instead of approaching her in his time of grief, he avoided her as if she had contracted the plague.

Karin didn't know what had come over him, It was as if his guilty conscience finally caught up and stabbed his cold, dead heart with the truth and pain of emotional loneliness. If it did, he should have sought out Karin for comfort.
She would have been more than willing!
Yet instead of doing that, he seemed to be busier than ever, and when he wasn't, Sasuke surrounded himself with his brother and Pinky, much to Karin's disdain.
He didn't even like the girl.
Why was he attaching himself to her so needlessly?
" We'll take rest here," Sasuke announced, halting to a stop and breaking the redheaded Uzumaki from her thoughts.
Karin surveyed the area surrounding the trio, and sighed happily once she spotted a clear river with plenty of large stone and tall trees surrounding it.
She wanted to clean up a little; they had been traveling on foot ever since they had departed from Konohagakure three hours before.
The sun had set barely thirty minutes ago, and Karin estimated that it was around nine. It would take them approximately five more hours on foot to reach the rendezvous point where they would meet Chiu, a middle-aged civilian who had no remarkable talent when it came to ninjutsu.

" Why are we meeting that Choo guy again?" She asked obnoxiously as she gathered wood for the fire they would set up inside the cave they would be sleeping in. " He's not even a ninja."

After dinner, the three had selected a cave that was concave enough to hold three people in it for shelter, but not deep enough where an end wasn't seen.

" It's Chiu," Sakura corrected her, attitude sprinkled all over her tone. " Whether he's a ninja or not doesn't matter. He has information regarding the person who wants us to steal the scrolls back from unwanted hands."

" Then the person requesting us should just have approached the village themselves, instead of speaking through some nobody," Karin sniped, tossing a bunch of wood carelessly near Sakura's foot.

Sakura shot the redhead an annoyed look, and proceeded to throw the entirety of what she had gathered toward the middle of the cave.

Sasuke moved his hands rapidly, forming a fire that escaped his mouth and relocated on the pile of wood before him.

" Let's rest. We've already eaten and traveled thus far. We'll leave shortly in the morning." Sasuke headed to his corner of the cave and unrolled his sleeping mattress.

The girls followed suit.

Karin lay on her sleeping bag angrily.

Sasuke hadn't so much as looked at her ever since they had left the gates of Konohagakure. He had disappeared within the thick foliage of the forest as soon as they had left, leaving the two women to follow him by the thin aura of chakra that anyone below a jonin level wouldn't be able to decipher. Moreover, the route he chose to follow had been unnecessarily difficult, natural obstacles hindering their way. The rosette to her left didn't seem too upset by Sasuke's actions though, speeding past both of them with the determination and swiftness of a woman on a mission.
And she was. Literally.

But this mission was hardly worth all the fuss the Sixth Hokage had told them it was.
They exchanged no words then and now, and the absolute silence within the cave walls was starting to irritate the redhead more than it should have. Sasuke would have usually signaled to her by now that he wanted to indulge in her company, but no matter how hard she grilled at the raven-haired man, all she could discern was a stony, unwelcome expression. At least with their former team, punching Suigetsu to a bloody pulp accomplished in cooling her down. Even on missions where she wasn't with her former group, she had been able to make conversation with the ninja she had been paired up with.
However in this case, Karin felt dead-locked.

Annoyed, Karin sat up, glancing at the woman who lay across from her, soundlessly sleeping.
Tch.

Seriously, how could she call herself a ninja, much less a capable kunoichi if she fell asleep that easily? Good ninjas would have their guards up, not attach themselves as a burden to the rest of their team.
Karin glanced at the farthest corner of the cave, where her sexual partner lay. She watched him for a few minutes. He was still. Not moving.
Karin smirked.
So he was awake.

Carefully removing herself from her sleeping bag, she walked across the cave, the dimmed down embers of their fire illuminating the sly look on her face.
He had been avoiding her all for this insufferable woman. But Karin knew exactly what to do to demand Sasuke's attention back on her. He was a man after all. It would be easy.

Carelessly, Karin tore off the covers off of Sasuke.
His eyes opened, smoldering obsidian eyes agitated and warning her not to pursue further. Normally, she would have halted her actions, too afraid of Sasuke's repercussions.
Screw that, She thought to herself. If he wants to punish me, he can punish me in sex.

Obviously, Karin had no guarantee that Sasuke would allow another night of lovemaking with her ever again, and she knew that even if he was willing, Pinky on the side would be gripping his nerves morally.
But If I could just make him want me.. Karin thought.
Then he wouldn't have a choice but to take her.
Wouldn't he?

Karin dropped down to her knees, her hands shaking as they locked around Sasuke's head. Her body draped over his, and even though she had rose from her sleeping arrangements with purpose, she couldn't help but shake with anxiety as she leaned towards him.

" Karin."

He would have to return her feelings of sexual desire now.

Wouldn't he?

"Karin." He spoke with more vigor in his tone now, but it wasn't the way she was used to.

His tone was low, but it much more resembled the growl of a feral animal than an interested lover.

" No." Karin didn't know where she found her voice, or how she was able to make it sound so strong. "You've been avoiding me for a while, and I've had it."

" Karin. Get off me now." He spoke with an unfamiliar urgency in his voice, and Karin inwardly snarled at the reason why he would suddenly sound so worried.

She tossed a careless glance at the pinkette sleeping on the other side of the cave. Her eyes were still closed. She was ignorant of their actions.

Turning back to face Sasuke, she laughed, no longer caring if she was loud enough to wake their pink-haired teammate.

So what if she was selfish?

She had every right to be.

" Sasuke," She began, her voice throaty and barely above a growl. " Don't act like touching me is something new to you. You've done it before. Plenty of times."

"Karin." Sasuke saw red. " Get the fuck off of me."

" Why?" She pursed her lips in mock worry. " Are you afraid that someone might finally see us? How long have we been hiding, scurrying like teenagers?"

" Karin get off of me now!" Sasuke exclaimed, forcing her away from his body.

Karin maneuvered around his hands, accidentally brushing her center across Sasuke's groin, which was semi-hard, to her delight.

" So you do like the way I'm on you right now," She purred, using her womanhood as an advantage as she pressed him back down.

" Get the fuck off of me," Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "The last thing that we need to do is have sex. We're on a mission, and we're not together."

" But we always do this," She replied, annoyed by his response. " Don't act like you don't want it. Are you just talking that way because Pinky's here too?"

Like a kaleidoscope, Karin watched the emotions shift in Sasuke's eyes. She saw fury, worry, and uncertainty. Karin inwardly snickered. Even now, with all of his claims of protest, the deadliest shinobi in Konohagakure was pathetic beneath her. She knew that she had won. Just a little more...and he would succumb to her.

" Oh. Please don't allow me to distract me from your sexual encounter."

Even though Karin had anticipated Sakura waking up, the shock of hearing the pinkette's cool voice still felt incredibly stunning. She wasn't supposed to wake up. That wasn't how Karin's fantasy went. She was to approach Sasuke sexy and undeniable as ever, and he was to fall for her feminine wiles while Sakura remained none the wiser. By morning, Karin would have him under her spell again and she would finally be able to feel right again. But Pinky had burst that bubble for her. She had to wake up. She had to say something. But how could she not? They were making so much noise.

It felt like slow motion.

Karin saw Sasuke's eyes widening, absolute hysteria crossing his features. His coal eyes glinted against the low fire, betraying the most emotion Karin had ever seen him in the entirety of their friendship. His mouth opened, as if to beg her for forgiveness, but the words seemed caught in his throat. Sakura stared at them, their questionable positioning leaving her with a dead yet unsurprised expression. The pinkette stood up, slipped on her shoes, and left the cave soundlessly.

Before she knew it, Karin was shoved off harshly.

Wincing at the jagged surface she had fell atop of, her breath caught, struggling between her throat as Sasuke wrapped his cold fingers around her neck.

Karin struggled against his iron grip, her fingers attempting to pry his cool fingers off of her windpipe.

" S-Sasu-ke," She breathed out, complete anguish spreading across her face.

" You're a fucking cunt." His words stung, but she supposed she deserved it.

She knew that angering Sasuke was another way at tempting fate, and she had thrown caution to the wind.

His grip tightened around her neck, and Karin saw dark spots grow across her vision.

He wouldn't kill her, would he?

He hadn't hesitated to do so before, but what about now?

" S-Sasuke, P-please!" Came out the muffled cry.

Karin felt life flashing precariously before her. She knew that if he continued to press into her, she wouldn't have much time left.

" Stop."

For a moment, the grip around her throat loosened, and Karin fought hard to glance up.

It couldn't be..

Standing in front of the full moon, the luminosity bathed the frail woman Karin had grown to despise. The ethereal blue-white light danced across the pinkette's jade green orbs, However,unlike Sasuke's earlier revelation, her eyes betrayed none of her actual emotions. Her hands were clenched, and despite her extreme disdain for the woman before her, Karin couldn't help but feel envious.

She looked like an angel.

" Release her Sasuke," Sakura spoke more sternly. " She will die."

As if Sasuke was a robot that only acted on Sakura's command, he released her, causing Karin to cough up blood as soon as she took in fresh gulps of air. Karin heaved loudly, feeling as if her lungs were collapsing and deteriorating at break neck speed, despite Sasuke's release.

Not bothering to even spare a glance at the redhead, Sasuke walked past the two women, his chakra unnoticeable as soon as he left the cave.

Sakura approached the weak Uzumaki, her hands offering comfort and healing.

" Get away from me!" Karin shrieked, her voice dripping with equal parts fear, contempt, and pride. " Get away! Get away! Get away!"

Karin began to breathe harder, the emotional pain of Sasuke's refusal mixing in with the physical pain of being the object of his hate.

Why?

Why was it no matter how much she tried, he always refused her?

Why was it that no matter how capable she was, no matter how many times she had willingly given herself up to him, he had still done this to her?

Karin screamed, feeling hot,wet tears descending down her eyes.

Why?

Why?

Why?

He had been her solace. He had saved her and had breathed life into her, and now all he wanted to do was take it away. What terrible thing had she done to be on the receiving end of his anger? She was just a woman. A woman who thought that maybe, just maybe, he would care about her. Maybe, just maybe, he would look at her with the same gaze he held for Sakura. Maybe one day, she thought, she would be dear to him.

Screaming out , Karin felt her heart beating thunderously against her chest. Her throat, despite the pain, seemed to fight against the sob threatening to emerge. Karin shrunk into herself, no longer caring about how much her throat hurt or how pathetic she must have looked before Sakura. Who was she going to hide from anyways? Sasuke had hurt her and Sakura had witnessed it all.

The blood didn't matter. The pain didn't matter.
Nothing mattered to her at that moment.

She had nothing.

Her pride.

Her love.

They were gone.

" You didn't have to do that,"

Sakura didn't know how she had managed to locate her sullen raven-haired teammate, but she presumed he no longer cared if anyone found him. Whether it be her or some foolish adversary, the anger and impatience radiating off of Sasuke's body was not one to be messed with. That much was clear.

Yet she didn't care.

Certainly, she was fearful of him. She would have to be blind to not have been.
She hadn't been able to sleep since they had laid camp. She had tossed and turned, unable to ignore the unsettling feeling growing deep within her. She didn't understand why her body had been reacting that way, but now the nausea was gone.

She had been awake through the entire confrontation.

She had heard Karin's muffled huffs of annoyance. She had heard the redhead rise from her position on the cave floor. She refused to move as she heard her almost soundless steps approach the Uchiha heir. She witnessed their struggle, the hurt and honest emotions dancing across both of their faces as Karin accused Sasuke and begged him for his touch over and over and over again.

Every time the redheaded woman hinted at their sexual experience, Sakura took it as a stab to the heart. She had been right. All this time.

Sasuke was a liar.

She didn't realize where she had found the courage to speak up, but she had. She had initially given herself a pat on the back at the control her voice seemed to possess, but she quickly realized if she didn't remove herself from the situation, she would cry.

And that was the last thing she wanted to do.

She had made it roughly a mile away from their hideout, tears streaming down her pale face silently. They were all highly capable ninja. If she dared cried out, Sasuke would hear. Karin would hear.

And she would be little.

Once again.

But Sakura refused to succumb.

Shaking her head and heading back to the cave before her teammates were aware of her sorrow, her eyes widened at the sight before her. Karin, pressed against the uncomfortably sharp rocks of the cave and barely holding on to life, struggled to breathe, in Sasuke's cold and hard grasp.

Sasuke stared at her, as if asking her what she would do.

Despite how much she despised the woman before her, Sakura couldn't allow another life to be sacrificed in the name of anger. How many wars had they already fought?

Sakura didn't know if Sasuke would listen to her, but she had to try. Karin couldn't die.

" Release her," She didn't hear herself the first time, but Sasuke seemed uncertain with his actions with her first command.

This time, he listened.

Falling to the floor with a dull thud, the redhead began coughing immensely, the intensity of her pain almost palpable.

She didn't want to help the woman, and it didn't seem that the woman wanted her help either- but she simply couldn't ignore the wounds that wrapped around her throat like a crude decoration.

Karin had refused her, falling deeper into excruciating pain before eventually falling into a heart-wrenching slumber. Sakura had tended to her then, feeling her own heart collapse as she analyzed the ring of faded marks around Karin's neck.

Karin had been doing what she had, all those years ago.

" Please, don't leave us!"

The memory still played often in her head, 12 year old Sasuke's adamant refusal to stay with the rest of the village and hurting her more than she had hoped. All she wanted was for him to stay. She would do good, she would have done anything for him.

Perhaps, in Karin's own twisted way, she thought the same.

That if she offered her body up selflessly Sasuke would cast a glance at her. That if she never refused him that he might become as attached to her as she was to him. That maybe, just maybe, he would be able to forget about the pain he had caused to the pinkette and rise anew with her.

Sakura could only laugh, though her chuckle held no mirth.

Sasuke truly was a cruel man.

He had not only strung her along, he had managed to warp Karin under his sinister spell as well. Sakura felt sorry for the woman, and even though she knew that Karin wouldn't initially appreciate it, Sakura began to heal her.
Luckily, the damage Sasuke inflicted had been minimal, and she had been able to heal the redhead within half an hour. Sakura had repositioned the redhead back on her sleeping bag before heading outside to search for Sasuke.

She didn't know what she was going to say to him when she found him, but she knew that she was going to be against him.

Whether any of them liked it or not, they were all comrades with a mission to carry out. Allowing their emotions to interfere would only hinder them.

She had found the Uchiha heir sitting at the very edge of a high cliff that was only a stone's throw from their hideout, legs dangling, mood just as torrid as the water swishing below him. His dark features were illuminated by the pale moonlight before him, the white and blue lights highlighting the dark undertones of his hair. He looked mythical, rare. Something that was not meant to be seen, and despite him doing wrong, Sakura felt as if she had overstepped by approaching him in his solitude.

His aura was dark and complex, and clashed greatly with the serenity surrounding him.

He truly is a monster, Sakura thought to herself.

But she didn't allow that to stop her.

Monster or not, he was Sasuke.

And she was Sakura.

"..I'm sorry," The response was slow, unexpected.

Sasuke didn't bother looking at her, but Sakura felt the weight of his words.

" Why are you apologizing to me?" Sakura furrowed her eyebrows. " You should be apologizing to Karin."

" Tch." Sasuke muttered, evidently annoyed with Sakura's response.

" Well you should!" She exclaimed. " Sasuke, you nearly killed the woman!"

" She made sexual advances on me that I clearly did not consent to," Sasuke spoke to her as if he were stating the obvious. " I told her countless times to get off of me, and you know it,"

" You know you could have overpowered her any second," Sakura muttered softly. " You didn't have to wait until she became borderline hysterical."

To this, Sasuke said nothing.

" I'm sorry," He repeated again, getting up.

" For what Sasuke?" She asked again, watching him turn towards her slowly.

" ...Everything."

Sasuke brushed past her, his unique, musky scent wisping past and settling around her like a warm embrace.

His skin brushed gently against hers, and Sakura wondered belatedly if he had done that on purpose. His touch felt cold, yet warm with familiarity.

Odd, she noted to herself.

Sasuke never touched her.

" Sasuke where are you-" The Pinkette turned, hoping to gain some elaboration on his future actions, but all she could register was that he was gone again.

The Pinkette sighed, the desire to return back to their cave absent. Karin was asleep and heartbroken. Sasuke went to god knows where, probably irritated that Sakura hadn't adhered to the foreboding vibes he had been giving off.

Instead, Sakura sat down on the spot Sasuke had been occupying moments before, opting to stare at the moon and treacherous water down below.

Dawn would soon come, and they still had a mission to accomplish.

Sakura let out an irritated breath, feeling almost selfish for taking away Sasuke's location of choice to let out her own frustrations.

She had done the right thing by tending to Karin first, and she had received a questionable apology from Sasuke soon after. It hurt, it didn't make sense, and Sakura was too exhausted to even think straight.

" I wonder how bad it would be if I took a swim down below," She murmured aloud.

Sakura knew that the water would be frigid and the distance between the water and their cave was at least a mile in height, but Sakura wasn't afraid.

Sometimes, you just needed these moments for yourself, she decided.

Removing her shoes, she stripped off her clothing, haphazardly tossing the thin material behind her. She knew that it would be dawn soon and that her pale skin would stand out as a shock of colorlessness amongst the bright forest, but Sakura didn't care. Whether it was travelers passing by or her own teammates, Sakura was not ashamed.

She needed this.

Arguably more than anyone else.

Taking a deep breath, Sakura stood before the edge, tantalized by the waves that beckoned her to meet them. Spreading her arms wide apart, the pinkette dove, her body falling headfirst into what she hoped would become her bliss.

A/N: Hey guys! This was definitely my most quickest update, and I was happy to be able to explore some things I hadn't been able to in the earlier chapters. This is the beginning of things shifting for our main characters here, and hopefully for all who read this, you guys can enjoy the development as much as I do!

Please leave a review, it means a lot :)

Tarra