Disclaimer: Naruto and all related characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

Warning: un-BETA-ed version. Violence. Lemon. Be aware of your age. This sign (~*~) marks the beginning and the end of the mature part.

Notes: Thank you for the reviews!!! I think I had the biggest response in a short term from the last chapter. Surprisingly, no one wants to kill me for killing Sakura (probably because we all know she will be back). Yes, what Sasuke did was twisted and wrong, but not like we can really blame him.

There is no such things as good or bad,

only humans make it so.

Dusk

Chapter 6

Whispers of Sin

(Part II)

Japan, 60 years ago

[St. Jeanne Catholic Church Area, on top of the building across the street]

Uchiha Fugaku's body cracked and then burst into a million pieces.

Kakashi cursed. He had not expected that the young Uchiha would kill his own father.

"Shit! Kakashi-sensei, we've got to stop him!" Naruto yelled out. "He's going for the others!"

The silver haired man cursed once more before he too, preparing himself for a jump. However, a familiar voice suddenly stopped all of his movement.

"Unfortunately, I can't let you do that, Kakashi."

Kakashi whirled around, narrowing his one eye dangerously at the familiar pale face.

"Orochimaru…," Naruto growled.

The snake sannin looked unfazed by their hositility. On the contrary, he was leaning against the wall, his yellow silted eyes glowing elatedly. "Our Sasuke-kun will let nothing stand in his way, not even the two of you. He is determined to get his beloved back."

"What?" Kakashi eyes widened. "Soul Resurrection… You told him?" asked Kakashi disbelievingly.

"But, but, but.. that's a taboo!" the boy beside him protested immidiately.

"And do you think he care?" Orochimaru waved his hands towards the streets.

Kakashi looked down grimly.

The sight was unearthy. Never before the silver haired men saw a masacre so dreadful and beautiful at the same time. Down the streets, Sasuke was moving as fast as lightning and gracefully, like he was dancing. His deadly katana pierced one human after another, leaving a path of silver whisps and multicolor light fragments.

"Sasuke-kun doesn't care about those humans anymore," said Orochimaru in satisfication.

"But Sakura-chan would care!" Naruto argued. "What the hell was the Teme thinking about?!"

The Snake Sannin chuckled, "Let us see, shall we? Whether she love him enough to discard her own humanity."

[The Bridge between Lands of Consciousness]

All Sakura see when she woke up was abyss black. It was so dark, she could not even see her own fingers.

Sakura did not remember how she had gotten to this place. When she tried to recall her last memory, her head started pounding. She remembered her fight with Sasuke and her journey home, but the rest of her memory was just blank.

Somebody called her name, up from the absolute dark sky. A voice so soft and gentle, Sakura almost did not hear it. She recognized that voice.

Looking up to see a single glittering star, the pinknette whispered in awe, "Mother?"

She tried to listed harder, but the voice was too faint. "I can't hear you," she called out to the star.

The voice seemed to get a little closer as the star grew larger.

"Go with you?" the pinknette asked in confusion, "Where?"

A different, deeper voice suddenly came from behind. The voice was clearer and stronger; echoing. It was deeper, masculine. The familiarity made something inside her ache. A warm flicker of hope bloomed inside her heart.

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura looked over her shoulder, losing concentration on her mother's voice. The star went farther away, but she did not notice.

Hearing his voice, Sakura realized how much she missed him. She felt foolish, longing for his presence like a love sick twelve year old girl. It had not even been a day since the last she saw him. But she could no longer deny that she needed him. She needed to see him.

For the first time, Sakura felt scared of the dark abyss around her. What if they missed each other because they can't see? Before she realized, she had started running towards the source of his voice. "Sasuke-kun!" she shouted frantically. "Where are you?"

Then, she saw him. Her eyes lit as she took in his approaching figure. He was really here. He was looking for her.

Before she could reach out to him, Sasuke's arm had went around her waist and pulled her hard against his chest. She gasped in surprise, but a smile quickly appeared on her face. Closing her eyes, she breathed deeply, taking in his scent of storm and fire.

"Sasuke-kun," she sighed.

"From now on," he lowered his lips so he was speaking directly to her ear. "Nothing will stand in our way."

The cold malice in his voice sent shivers down her spine. She pulled away and looked into his eyes. "What do you mean?"

It was then that she noticed that something was different with him. The air around him had changed. Before, he had always been cold and impassive, but now he looked completely detached.

No….

Inhumane would be a more suitable word.

Her instincts were subconsciously screaming a warning. Something was wrong. Something bad.

Searching his eyes, she gave a concerned look. "Sasuke-kun, what…. What's going on?"

"They killed you," he replied, his crimson colored orbs were burning.

"Killed me?" she whispered slowly, alert. She stepped back unsurely.

Then, why am I here?

Suddenly everything slammed back into her memory. She remembered the pain of her burns. She remembered her screams. She remembered the agony.

"Stop!" Sakura cried out and fell down to her knees. She could not take anymore.

No more…. No more pain.

A pair of strong hands grabbed her shoulders and shook her awake from the violent flashbacks. "Sakura!" Sasuke shouted commandingly.

She grabbed him, buried her face to his chest, and held on tightly as if he was her sanity. She panted harshly, eyes opened wide in horror. "The pain…. Sasuke-kun."

"They won't hurt you again," he pledged. "I won't let them."

It might have because of her state of panic, but Sakura almost could not understand Sasuke's words. "I am dead," she whispered delicately, completely ignoring his oath. "I am dead," she repeated, this time in disbelief.

Dead.

She was dead.

They killed her.

Burned her alive.

Dead. Dead. Dead.

But then…

Why is he here?

Pulling away quickly, she looked at him worriedly. "Why are you here, Sasuke-kun? You can't be here…. Unless you died, too! Please tell me they didn't…."

"No," he interrupted firmly.

The relief was apparent in her green eyes. "Thank God."

Sasuke then pulled her up so she stood on her feet. "I came to take you back."

"Back?"

"Yes."

"H-how?"

"We will become more than mere humans." Sasuke looked serious. He really knew what he was talking about.

More than humans?

The pinknette shook her head, "I don't understand."

"Someone gave me power," he replied tonelessly. "To get out of my confines as human, so I can bring you back."

Sakura stared back at him with wide eyes. She was scared by the things he was talking about. She did not know why. Shaking her head, she took a step back uncertainly. "Bring back? Sasuke-kun…."

His hands were suddenly grabbed her arms tightly; crimson eyes stared intensely down at her. It took almost all of Sakura's strength not to turn away from the pressure.

"We don't need to be human, Sakura," he began, "This way, nothing can hurt you anymore. Nothing can pull us down. Not the society. Not our duties. Nothing."

She tried to pull away from his painful grip, but he would not let go. "But Sasuke…" she hesitated.

Sensing her hesitation, Sasuke impatiently asked, "Don't you want to come with me?"

She froze, staring up at him in shock. "Of course I do!"

"Then, this is the only way. You don't have a body anymore."

The truth left a bitter feeling inside her mouth. It had a waking effect upon her thoughts. Her doubts disappeared almost instantly, she could not remember the reason behind her insecurity. There seemed to be nothing more important than having a second chance with the man in front of her.

Being with Sasuke-kun…

She had denied that chance before, in exchange for her conscience and his duty. Look at where she had ended up because of that. The pinknette close her eyes. Something inside her screamed that she was about to do something really wrong. However…

Being with Sasuke-kun… is more important.

It was her voice that rang inside the darkness abyss, clear and firm. Her hand reached for his, clasping their fingers together. Her eyes met his, full of determination.

"Take me with you."

That was the words that finally sealed her fate.

[Unknown Deserted Land]

When Sakura opened her eyes for the second time, she could see the sky. The sky was grey and cloudy, she could feel tiny bits of raindrops upon her face. The grey horizon stretched for miles, as far as she could see. She briefly wondered where she was and how did she get to be in such an empty wasteland. There was no house, no streets, and not even a single living being.

A hand went around her back, propping her up to a sitting position. The hand belonged to Sasuke. He held her in such a way that she could not see past his shoulder, like he was trying to shield her from the world.

Some people were talking; it had just registered into her mind. She focused her attention to the pensive conversation.

"You overdid it, Sasuke-kun," a sinister slithering voice bought her attention. "When I said one thousand, I didn't expect you to devour the whole city."

No answer came from the man that was holding her. Sakura wiggled, trying to see his face. "Sasuke-kun?" she called to him timidly.

Sasuke relaxed his hold and finally allowing her to sit on her own, but still refused to let her go completely. She leaned her body back towards his chest; her hand found his and squeezed reassuringly.

Sakura looked around, finding herself inside a circle made by three tall men. One of them was Naruto. The other was a silver-haired who was wearing a dark olive long coat. The last member of the group looked like a kabuki artist, his face was pale as snow and his hair was as long as hers used to be.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed delightfully when he saw her sitting up. The blonde teen step forward and quickly kneeled in front of her, "Are you alright, Sakura-chan? Do you feel okay?"

"I'm fine, Naruto," Sakura smiled at his concern. She turned to the rest of the group, her eyes finally settled on Sasuke. He was shooting a disapproving glare towards Naruto, but he did not say anything.

"Where are we?" she finally asked.

Naruto fell silent at her question. Sasuke and the silver-haired man stiffened. However, the pale man was smiling a sinister smile.

"What's wrong?" she asked worriedly.

Sasuke stared at her with unreadable eyes. "This is Hinoiri-gakure," he finally replied impassively.

She blinked, "What?"

Gray earth and dead wasteland. It could not be…..

The pale man chuckled in dark amusement, "Yes, Sakura-chan. Sasuke-kun exchanged the whole town to bring you back. Hinoiri-gakure doesn't exist anymore… or rather… it never exists."

Sakura froze. The price for her second chance…. Is the whole town?

Her eyes searched Sasuke's for a confirmation. She could not believe he could do such thing. What about his family? Did he exchange them too? For her?

His silence provided the answer. It was then it finally hit her that they were not human anymore…. neither was the rest of the group.

She did not realize that she was shaking until Sasuke pulled her tightly against him. She titled her head back to meet his gaze. "What… are we going to do now?" she whispered softly.

He did not reply right away, but when he finally spoke, it was just a single deadpanned word. "Live."

"Sasuke," the silver-haired man finally spoke, "I'll try to talk to the Kage and the elders to see if they can pardon the two of you."

"The society won't accept them," the pale-man snickered. "Sasuke broke a cardinal rule, and Sakura's existence is already a taboo. If you say anything, they will hunt them down, like me."

Sasuke's eyes flashed red and he pulled the pinknette closer to him. "We don't need the society," he said firmly.

"That's right," the pale man concurred. "Sasuke-kun will come with me."

"Sasuke, you stupid!" yelled Naruto. "You don't know what that sick can do to you and Sakura-chan!"

"No one will touch Sakura," the Uchiha growled threateningly.

The silver-haired man frowned. He did not like it, but the snake Sannin was probably right. The elders were pretty hard headed. "This is a mess," the silver-haired man sighed before turning to Sasuke. "I don't like it, but it's safer for you to say with Orochimaru for now."

Naruto tried to protest, "But, Kakashi-sensei! He is a criminal!"

"Exactly," replied Kakashi, "He'd been successfully hiding from the society for ages."

"I see that we've reached an agreement," Orochimaru chuckled; his yellow pupils glinted predatorily when he set his yes upon Sasuke and Sakura.

Sakura immediately did not like the pale skinned snake-like man.

Kakashi walked to Sasuke and whispered, "Be on your guard. Orochimaru's intentions were never pure. When you understand the basic of survival, try to make it on your own."

"Hn," Sasuke grunted in reply.

The silver-haired man turned to Sakura who was looking at him with wide fearful eyes. "Take care now, Sakura," he offered a warm smile, his eye that was not covered with an eye patch crinkled.

Sakura blinked, not expecting such friendliness from someone she barely knew. But the man looked genuinely concerned, and he seemed to know Sasuke. She nodded slowly in return.

Kakashi nodded back before raising a hand and opened a dark portal out of thin air. "Let's go, Naruto," he said while walking into the portal. The blonde boy grumbled but he followed the man nonetheless. "I'll save you, Sakura-chan, don't worry!" he yelled before disappearing along with the dark portal.

"Dobe," Sasuke muttered under his breath.

"They disappeared!" Sakura was shocked. Although she already know that they were not humans, it was still hard to accept anything like that.

Soon after, Orochimaru also raised his hand and conjured a dark portal. "We should also make a move."

Sasuke rose to his feet, bringing Sakura with him.

Sakura put her hand on his shoulder, "Sasuke-kun, I can walk."

He looked at her as if asking if she was sure. Sakura gave a smile.

He let her down.

They stepped into the dark tunnels that led towards unknown land. Orochimaru lead the way while Sasuke was walking a couple of steps in front of her.

Sakura took one last look towards the deserted wasteland. Something heavy weighted inside her chest, but Sakura tried not to think about it too much. After all, this is her second chance. This is her choice.

Her hand reached for Sasuke's.

[Tunnel's End, Orochimaru's Lair]

The hideout was deep underground with a dark labyrinth of tunnels. Shadows danced eerily across the stone walls as fire swayed on small yellow candles. The air was stale and humid, smelling strongly of wet earth. It took only a few seconds for Sakura to get an uneasy feeling just by being inside the place. Sasuke's grip was tight around her wrist, a constant reminder that there was no turning back. They have made their choices and it was time to deal with them.

Their bedroom, as Sakura first entered the chamber, held the same atmosphere as the tunnels; dark and dimly lit with candles.

Sasuke stood in the middle of the room, observing the minimum furniture that had been placed inside the chamber. A big four poster bed stood in the middle of the floor, covered with crimson sheet. There was a wooden table beside their bed with no chair. There were no windows, because they were underground. The only source of air was a small chute at each corner of the room. She could hear the wind whistling through the narrow hole.

When his eyes finally met hers, Sakura found that she could not look away. His onyx eyes showed no emotions and his face was expressionless. His obsidian orbs bore a deeper abyss with more intensity after he had become a devourer. Before, his apathy had scared her, but now she could not help but getting pulled by the hypnotic dark elegance he possessed.

Going along with the urge, the pinknette approached him slowly. When they were close enough, her hands reached first towards his black shirt, clutching the materials within her fists.

He tugged the nape of her hair, and she tilted her head up obediently.

Her heart, if she still has one, seemed to pound faster and louder. She remembered the last time they had been together alone inside the green house and could feel her cheeks warmed. Sakura closed her eyes.

What Sasuke did next surprised her: he let her go briskly, as if he was burned. The pinknette stared at him dumbfounded as the Uchiha walked away towards the exit door.

Rejection.

It left an anxious feeling in her heart and millions of scenarios spinning in her head. She wondered why he does not want her anymore. She wondered if becoming a devourer had also gotten rid of his feelings for her. Or maybe, his feelings might have not been there in the first place. He brought her back to life probably because he felt guilty for her death, not because he…. Stopping that train of thought, Sakura wondered since when did she believe that he loved her. He certainly had never said the word.

Sasuke paused at the door frame, and without looking back to her, he said, "get some rest." His back disappeared behind the closed door.

He is leaving…

A wrenching pain twisted inside her chest agonizingly. Without realizing, she had torn the door open, running after him. Her hand reached out and grabbed one sleeve of his shirt.

Jerked backwards, his eyes widened in surprised. He tried to pull his arm away but she refused to let go.

"Sakura?"

A slight hope budded inside her chest at the way he called her name. It sounded the same as before. His voice was smooth and impassive, but her name rumbled from inside his chest, deeper than his usual speech.

The pinknette shook her head. She could have said something, but words seemed not enough to express fully how she felt. Guilt, remorse, fear, anxiety, loneliness, and longing… all was mixed together making her whole body shook. With unknown strength, she tugged hard on his arm. At the same time, she stood on her tiptoes and crashed her lips to his.

His body froze at her sudden action.

His lips tasted like blood, silky warm and tasted like metal. Her tongue slipped out, teasing and coaxing him to participate. When she felt him relaxed, she pulled away slightly, their lips barely apart. "Don't leave me," she whispered breathily.

Without warning, his hand grabbed both of her arms and forcefully pulled her body to his. "Never," he growled possessively. And then, his lips devoured hers with newfound hunger.

Sakura's eyes widened in shocked before closing slowly in relief.

He still wants her.

Soon, Sasuke was nipping and biting at her bottom lip. Sakura opened her mouth easily for him. His tongue slipped in and she moaned softly, hands abandoned his chest and went around his neck instead, pulling him closer, kissing him back.

Her back suddenly met the cold stonewall inside their bedroom. She tore away from his mouth, gasping loudly, "Sasu—"

Grabbing her chin, his hand pulled her mouth back to his into another head-reeling kiss. Lips meshed against lips. His tongue roamed the cavern of her mouth hotly, their teeth clanking together. His hand was everywhere, caressing her sides, tracing lazy patterns on her inner thighs, dragging up her spine, and finally met with her breast. She moaned hoarsely into his mouth. Blinded by lust, her tongue slipped out, challenging his into a battle. He slanted his mouth to hers, tongue moving with hers, their saliva mixing lusciously.

When she finally won and was rewarded the entry into his cavern, he sucked the pink appendage roughly and wetly. Her knees buckled. He grabbed both of her thighs, spreading her legs wide and warping them around his hips. Small bursts of desire electrocuted her body, making her lower region clenched painfully, and left her breathless. "Nngh-"she mewled huskily and tried retracting her tongue, but he would not let go.

A while later, between his consuming kisses, Sakura found she was getting dizzy and running out of air. She could not breathe properly. They had somehow moved from the wall and were lying on the bed, him on top of her. His chest was pressing down powerfully, crushing her frame to the soft mattress.

Pushing hard to his shoulders, she tried lifting him off, but he would not budge. Her hands rose to the back of his head, grabbing fistful of his black hair, and tugged hard. She hoped the pain would bring him back to his senses a little. What happened next was completely the opposite. He gripped each hip bone, aligning her core to his throbbing erection, growling sharply as he pushed her to him with force.

She whimpered weakly, eyes rolled to the back of her head, suffocated by the lack of air and the cloud of lust that had dulled all her rationality. "Sasuke-"she finally managed to pull away from his mouth, but that was when he started to pay attention to the pulse on her neck. His other arm tugged hard into her short red gown, ripping the fabric off her shoulder.

"Sa- Sasuke-kun!" she gasped loudly. "W-wait!"

"No," he growled huskily to her shoulder and gave her another rough nip. "More…" His was grinding faster and then slower before increasing his pace again, mocking and teasing. His arousal was hot and hard against her throbbing folds. Their clothes added more friction into the movement.

"Uhhnn…," she whimpered. She was flooding; her essence drenched the front of her panties and his pants. "Ah… Sasu…ke…" Sakura whispered breathlessly, her cheeks flushed violently. Her eyes opened half-lidded.

"Hm?" he hummed into her neck. He dragged his hands along the side of her waist, pushing her gown and bra up to her shoulders.

Sakura did not have time to feel embarrassed. When his mouth met her nipple and stared sucking, she moaned wantonly and threw her head back. Her nails dug into his shoulder, trying to gain back a grasp of reality. "Nnn… Sasuke-kun…. Aahnnn-!"

Tears sprang into her eyes involuntarily. The pleasure was too much. "Sasuke….," she whimpered pleadingly. She wanted him… his body, his soul, his heart. And she wanted him to have hers. "Please…."

The movement of his hips slowed down and he lifted his head. Their forehead touched in one quiet moment, their eyes closed. Her body was still shaking with desire because he had stopped so suddenly. She was wet and throbbing in need.

"I want you," he declared, his voice heavily coated with unadulterated longing.

It was then she understood. When he pulled away from her touch, it was not because he did not want her anymore. He was holding back. Did he think she was blaming him for her death?

Just then, she decided that it did not matter. It did not matter how many rules she was breaking. It did not matter that she ate the forbidden apple. It did not matter if he did not return her feelings.

She decided to be with him.

Sakura lifted a hand and caressed his cheek affectionately, her emerald eyes shone with acceptance. "Take me," she whispered tenderly.

His hand gripped the sheets, as if it was the last of his control. "You do realize… I won't let you take that back," he gritted his teeth tightly.

She smiled at that. "That's fine," her hands went down his sides and stopped at the hem of his pants, a silent promise. "I'm yours. Forever."

"Good," Sasuke growled. He wasted no time by tearing her dress off her body. "Good," he repeated hoarsely before slanting his lips to hers again in an open mouthed kiss.

Their passion came back, even more powerful than before. His hand found her panties and jerked the soaked articles down to her ankles. Sakura moaned approvingly. Her hands on his pants moved to the front, working on his button and zipper. When it was opened, Sasuke all but kicked his pants and boxers to the floor. His shirt joined the group soon after.

~*~

Lifting one of her legs to his shoulder, Sasuke's hand found the sopping wet folds between her legs and without warning; he inserted a long finger inside her.

"Ah!" She threw her head back, moaning loudly, "Sa… Sasuke!"

He stroked her deeply with an agonizingly slow pace. His eyes turned crimson red as the girl continued to moan and writhe beneath him. Sticky essence coated his fingers, driving him over the edge of insanity. "You are so wet, Sakura," he smirked darkly.

"I know that," she panted, her cheeks flushed prettily. "Just… Ahn!"

"Just what?" He thrust his fingers faster, scissoring his fingers and stretching her forcefully.

"Sasukeee~!"

He rubbed at her clitoris and her vision blurred. "Just what, Sakura?" He tugged on her clit with his thumb and index. "Say it."

She panted heavily, green eyes unfocused and darkened with lust. "Sasuke…"

He pushed her legs opened and pulled her hips to him forcefully. Her eyes dilated, feeling the tip of his erection nudging her throbbing labia.

"I need you…," she gasped breathily.

"Where?" he growled deeply, burying his head to her neck. He pushed his tip slightly forward, before pulling back out quickly. She moaned and groaned in distress mixed with maddening passion. "Where, Sakura?" He repeated the motion over and over again, driving her insane.

"In. Me!" she cried out feverishly. "Please, Sasuke-kun!"

"You asked for it," he growled, burying his face to her neck. In one swift thrust, he filled her to the hilt.

The pinknette cried out his name hoarsely, her nails dug deep into his shoulder, drawing blood. A searing pain consumed her body, felt like she was being torn apart from the insides. "Ah…," she whimpered. "It hurts…."

"Stay still," he gritted though his teeth. He was crushing her body to his chest, allowing no movement. His mouth found hers and he kissed her slowly. Sakura concentrate on returning his kiss, trying to forget the throbbing pain between her legs.

When he slowly withdrew and thrust back in, she whimpered. The pain was still there, but it was not too bad; she had had a rougher time with her monthly period. The third time, she finally felt her inner walls quivered in pleasure.

"Uhn…," she mewled blissfully. "Again…."

He pulled back and plunged harder.

She moaned, raising her hips to make a better angle for his penetration.

He groaned approvingly. He moved faster, going deeper, until he was pumping his cock into her vigorously.

"Sa-sasuke-kun!" she moaned. "Ah! Ah… ah… nnn…."

Writhing and trashing under him, she clutched him tighter. Harder. Faster. She begged for more, gasping and panting. Her hips started to meet him for thrust to thrust, her eyes screwed shut, mind blurred. Her painful nipples rubbed against his hard chest, sending her to a sensory overload. Her nails grated long red lines along his back. "More…," she groaned hoarsely into his ears.

Letting out a feral cry, he pulled all the way out and rammed his cock back into her forcefully.

The tension that had built up inside her body snapped.

"Sasukeeeee!" she screamed his name as she came.

Her orgasm left her shaking and making her senses go haywire. She could feel him pulsing and throbbing inside of her. Her inner walls continued to spasm and gripped his cock tightly.

Sasuke cursed, suddenly shifting the angle of his penetration and rammed back. Hard. The abrupt change sent Sakura's body into another violent orgasm. She cried out hoarsely, arching her back, her entire body tensed and spread out in raking pleasure.

He thrust once, twice, before finally toppling over the peak of his desire. She continued to moan and writhed below him. He groaned her name feverishly against her shoulder as a fierce shudder racked his body. He gripped her tightly, his cum filling her to the brim. She moaned his name in return.

~*~

With the last of his strength, he flipped them over so she was lying on top of him. Her sopping pink tresses were spreading across his chest. They lay there, panting for a long moment.

When it all quieted down, he started tracing lazy circles on her spine. She hummed approvingly.

"Sasuke?" she placed her chin to his chest.

He grunted to let her know that he was listening. His hand found her hair and started combing with his fingers absentmindedly. Her new body retained the original long pink hair, allowing him to play with the long tresses.

"Do you think… what we did was wrong?" she asked quietly, a trace of remorse in her voice.

Sasuke held her gaze, his obsidian eyes unreadable. "Does it matter?" he finally replied, although it was also a question.

His answer was so typical; she had to smile at that. It was mix of tender feelings, relief, regret, and longing. It was the smile he would keep seeing on her face from then on, but he did not know it yet. "I'm glad," she began softly; one hand lifted and touched his cheek tenderly. "I'm glad that I'm with you."

He tugged her forward and gave a soft kiss. Sakura closed her eyes slowly and melted into his embrace. Something suddenly poked her between her legs. She quickly pulled away, looking down at him in wonderment.

It took only one swing of his powerful leg and her back met with the soft mattress once again. Sakura squeaked at the sudden movement. His hands were on either side of her head, his body caging hers. He leaned down, "Why don't you show me," he spoke slowly, velvety, "… just how glad you are."

Sakura blushed prettily at his suggestive words, but she was never the one to shy away from a challenge. "Only if you show me how glad you are, Sasuke-kun," she replied coyly.

"Hn," he replied, lips pulled slightly upwards in a smirk. He liked the view from his position. Her pink hair tousled and wet across the dark red sheets. Her eyes were dark green and half-lidded, clouded with desire. Her lips were spreading into a gentle but tired smile, the after effect of their activity.

Sasuke dove down to catch her lips with his. He slanted his mouth over hers, moving with hunger.

They mated once again and many times after that.

Sakura was happy.

What they had might not be love, because she was sure it could not be that pure and holy. But what they did was not just sex. He cared about her. He made deals with the devil just to be with her, and she was more than willing to do the same thing for him.

He was her world now. When she was with Sasuke, she could forget all their sins. And like he said, nothing else matters.

That was enough for her.

No matter what we have become.

No matter how much sacrifice we have to make.

I still want to be with you.

So, don't let go of my hand.

Because with you, I feel that I can belong.

Here in Shadowland.

To be continued

.::End Note::.

This chapter concludes the second arc. That answers how Sasuke and Sakura became a devourer, how they meet Kakashi and Naruto, and Sasuke's first deal to Orochimaru.

There are still some questions that are unanswered. Like, how did Sakura and Sasuke betrayed Orochimaru and finally reunited with Kakashi and Naruto? When will Sasuke and Sakura actually get married (yep, they're married)? How did Sakura get separated with the others that will eventually lead back to chapter 1? These all will be answered in the third arc. Look forward to it, ne?

I'm quite amazed that only one person asked about Itachi. Hahaha. Anyone who has a speculation, I'd love to hear it.

Poll notes: "Seducing My Killer" wins a landslide victory, so I will be working on this oneshot piece after this. Another poll is up! Please go to my profile and vote! Go, now!

Beta notes: vacancy is now closed! Thank you for everyone who showed interest! I will announce my choice via PM on July 10th.

REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!

Now if I can get the same response as last chapter, I will die happy. heheheh. the usual 0-9 scale if you please... or just plain rambling.