Chapter Five

Pour Me Some Sake

His hands against her heated skin—

She tightly closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath.

—he leaned in and took her earlobe in between his lips and gently sucked.

She gasped at the sensation.

"So what do you think, Sakura?" He asked breathily and took in her flustered state. A smile found its way to his lips and added under his breath, "I know you've been waiting for this."

Had she been waiting for this?

The arch of her back indicated that she has. "S-Sai…" She moaned as she felt his hands trail from her hips and rest under her skirt. She knew this was something she had always needed but was that what she wanted all along?

Wheels in her head started to turn. Logic had finally kicked in; she rationalized as she tried to push the artist away. "S-Sai… stop."

A laugh churned from him as he looked at her darkly. He reminded her so much of the Uchiha… but she knew it was wistful thinking. The Uchiha hadn't come back from his quest of revenge since four years ago. And she moved on. She didn't need Sasuke. Not anymore. But the feeling of unease wouldn't leave her thoughts alone and a feeling of apprehension settled itself on the pits of her stomach. Confused, she tugged at his arm and deftly twisted away from his arms.

His laughter died down and he smirked at her. "What's the matter now, Haruno?"

"I'm—" Sakura breathed. "I'm not ready, Sai."

He frowned as he slowly let go of her wrists. "I thought you wanted this, Haruno?" He softly murmured. Sakura looked down and her brows furrowed in confusion. He gently laid her down on her feet and took a step back to look at her properly.

She looked helpless. She looked weak. Haruno Sakura wasn't weak. Sakura was determined, she was strong, and she was someone Sai respected for her intelligence and wit. But at the moment, as she fidgeted under his scrutiny, he knew she had changed somehow. Had their encounter weeks ago change her?

"I—" She stammered. "I don't know."

Sai didn't want to acknowledge the soft side Sakura was showing at the moment. He gritted his teeth and turned away swiftly. He started to walk away when he heard her call out softly, "Can you wait?"

Sai stilled for a moment. He turned his head barely at the side and whispered, "I'm not sure if you're still going to consider it when you find out about him, Sakura."

With that, he faded at the night's darkness.

oOo

What did he mean by that?

Sakura gently plopped down on her soft mattress as thoughts plagued her mind.

Him?

Who's 'him'? Sakura turned on her front side and rested her chin against her palm with a sigh. Konoha men—especially Sai—were obviously delusional that they start thinking of imaginary "him" or whoever that person could be. Because seriously, who would whisk Haruno Sakura away?

Nobody.

Because she was just an ordinary kunoichi without the charms of Hyuuga Hinata, the beauty of Yamanaka Ino, and the feisty femininity of Temari—she was just Haruno Sakura, the medic nin with strange pink hair.

If she had the chance, she would want every bit of attributes the women she looked up to had. She wanted to be the perfect kunoichi. She wanted to be perfect for somebody.

She sighed and rolled on the bed, her palms stretched out in front of her and her chin rested on the plush mattress squarely.

"Maybe—"

She murmured to herself.

"I should experiment with other girls."

oOo

"Hit me with another sake, old man!" Sakura shouted obscenely loud inside the bar. She gently swayed on her seat and her hair was tousled. Her face was tinted red with a blush and her lips were wet and swollen. It was evident that she was already drunk. "I said now, old man!"

The girl at the counter frowned at her. "I'm not an old man, Sakura."

Sakura looked up blearily and squealed as she waved her hand about. "S-sorry about that, Ayame-chan!"

Ayame sighed and poured her another cup of sake. "Sakura, you're drunk."

"I know!" Sakura grinned widely at her. "Isn't it just lovely?"

Ayame shook her head at the kunoichi and her brows furrowed. "Kakashi won't be here to bring you home, you know."

Sakura pursed her lips and her eyes narrowed. "I don't need that old man."

"Apparently, you do," Ayame retorted back dryly. "You never get yourself drunk with him here."

"Yes, I do!" Sakura cried out exasperatedly. "Kakashi doesn't control me, he doesn't!"

Ayame bit her lip and shook her head as she proceeded to clean the once drunk-free Ichiraku stand. She made a move to walk behind the stand when Sakura exclaimed, "Men are all pigs!"

"Like Ino?" Ayame raised an amused brow.

"No!" Sakura gritted her teeth. "They're worst than Ino! Ino is tolerable but those men—"

Ayame smiled. "What happened?"

"Kakashi is a bastard," Sakura murmured darkly under her breath. "He confuses me a lot and so does Sai—he thinks he can just make me some personal sex slave or something—"

Ayame's eyes widened as she took a step closer at Sakura's swiveling figure. "Come again?"

But too late.

Sakura's head already smashed itself on the hard wood of the table.

oOo

A blob of blond hair bounced through the foggy night as the figure carried a light form, snuggling closer to the warmth she was enveloped in. The blond let out a tired sigh as he neared their destination. He gently pried the arms encircled around his neck and carried the figure in his arms.

"Sakura-chan," the voice of Naruto carried through the dead silence of the night. "Sakura-chan, wake up!"

A mumble was the response to his gentle prying. Naruto groaned and carried her to the front door of her small abode. He frowned and softly laid her down to the side and shook her. "Sakura, where's your key?"

Sakura blinked as she tried to focus on his face. She scowled and tried to push him away. "Go away, Kakashi-sensei."

Naruto confusedly looked at her with his mouth agape. "Sakura-chan—it's me, Naruto…"

Sakura narrowed her eyes and the blur of the alcohol and moonlight unfocused her eyes. She grinned softly. "Shut up, Kakashi-sensei," she mumbled. "You left me alone…" She hiccupped quietly. "… with Sai."

She moved her hands into empty hand gestures. Naruto's brows furrowed in confusion. What was she saying?

"Purely physical," she scoffed. "That's what he said."

She gently swayed and faced her door. She grasped the knob tightly and broke it. It swung open as she pushed it resignedly. "Kakashi-sensei," she slurred as she walked inside with wobbly legs. Naruto followed quietly behind her.

"I've noticed you, you know," Sakura murmured with a soft laugh. "Like Naruto, I did notice."

She plopped herself down on her couch and her chest heaved up and down in exhaustion. "I finally noticed…"

Naruto watched her as she fell asleep with her hands dangling at the side of the couch. He frowned.

"Something isn't right."

oOo

End Note: GAH! I know! Late update! But hey, I have good news! I have a challenge for you all. Check out my profile for more details about the challenge and maybe you can win the prize (whatever it is)! Enter it, I dare you! Giggle.