She could almost feel his eyes on her. He had stopped moving completely, though she could tell it was bothering him.

Realizing he was too in shock to pull it off, she slid the blind fold from her head.

He looked just like she remembered. The dark, jet black hair only now covered his forehead more. His Sharingan was a deep red and he looked resigned.

"Sakura," he said, closing his eyes.

His voice… had he said anything before, she would have been sure right away.

"How did you know, Sakura?"

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "I can't believe you would think I wouldn't know."

She touched his cheek, making him look at her. "You were going to leave without telling me, weren't you?"

Sasuke looked at her for a long moment, "I don't know."

Sasuke shifted as if he were going to move, but Sakura held onto his steadfast.

"If this is all I can have with you, don't go," she said.

Sakura pushed him the rest of the way inside of her, urging him to continue.

"Sakura, I'm taking you back with me," he said.

She watched him for a moment.

"Are you the enemy?"

"Not yours."

Sakura smiled as a tear ran down her cheek.

"Then don't stop."

She kissed him, forcing him to continue. It was a surreal feeling, having Sasuke holding her in his arms, kissing her like she was all that mattered to him.

The last time she saw him, he had nearly killed her… she wondered what he had been through since then.

They didn't speak for a long time after that. Their passion was uncontrollable, their lovemaking lasting through the night.

XXX

When Sakura awoke, she almost expected to realize it was all a dream, but Sasuke was there, his face buried in the crook of her neck, his arms wrapped around her tightly. He was asleep.

Sakura smiled. She couldn't really believe it. Sasuke had found her… he had come for her. She could feel it in him. He wasn't evil; he couldn't have had anything to do with the attack on the village.

She felt him move slightly and turned to see him looking at her.

She closed her eyes and pressed herself closer to him.

"Sasuke… will you stay with me forever?"

He was silent for a moment.

"As long as it is what keeps you safe. And away from places like this."

She stared at him.

"Sasuke… I… It was my first night here. I thought you were gone, that I would never see you again," Sakura said,

"It was only when I thought you were dead that I began to look for you. All of this is my fault, Sakura."

She could almost feel the remorse in his voice.

"By the way, Sakura, how did you know it was me?"

She frowned. "It just… felt like you, Sasuke. When I saw you I memorized every detail about you, scared I would never see you again. What you looked like then… how much older you looked, your clothes, your hair… I remembered it all. I imagined being with you so many times that when you actually touched me, those memories are exactly what surfaced. But I thought it was just my mind playing tricks on me… It wasn't until you couldn't control hiding your chakra signal that I was sure… You dropped your guard long enough for me to be certain."

Sasuke couldn't recall dropping his guard, but it wouldn't have surprised him. She completely captivated him.

"Sakura, do you know where Naruto is?"

Her face fell.

"No."

They both were silent for a moment.

"Sakura, I had nothing to do with the attack on the village. There was nothing I could do," he said.

She took note of the regret in his voice, glad Sasuke wasn't who everyone seemed to believe he was.

"It's not your fault, Sasuke. You being here is like a miracle. I don't know what would have happened to me if you hadn't of showed up," she said.

Sasuke pulled her face to his slowly and kissed her.

"Am I free to do that whenever I want?" he asked.

Sakura stared at him. "You always have been."

XXX

Sasuke and Sakura left the city the next day. It took everything Sakura had to keep up with him and when she grew tired, Sasuke carried her.

"I would stop so we could rest, but I need to get back to my team and have them search for Naruto," Sasuke said.

Sakura closed her eyes. She wondered if it would do any good. Naruto wasn't the kind to just abandon the village. He probably went down with it, she would look too. She wouldn't give up on him. Perhaps Kakashi got him away safely.

"Sasuke. Why are you so determined to find Naruto and why did you want to find me?" Sakura asked. The question had been burning in her mind since they left and she just wanted to hear him say it.

"I missed you."

Sakura clutched Sasuke's shirt tighter. She couldn't stop the tears of happiness that flooded her eyes. She never believed the day would come that Sasuke would say that to her. Never.

"Sasuke… Naruto and I… we missed you too," Sakura whispered, eyes clenched, "we were willing to do anything to save you, and now you've come to save us…"

Sasuke touched the Sakura's head, clutching her hair.

"Sakura… I never should have left you and Naruto… I realize now, that I wasn't there to protect you," Sasuke said.

XXX

Sasuke held Sakura close to him. The fear of losing his teammates in the battle against the eight-tailed demon fox had forced reality on it. What if something had happened to Naruto and Sakura… or even Kakashi that he could have prevented? What if his absence would lead to their death?

Sasuke gripped Sakura harder. One down, two to go. Naruto had to be alright… and he wasn't even going to let Sakura go again.

XXX

I am going to continue this, but don't expect it to be way longer. I will at least tie up and plot lines and leave you with what the result of this post-Konoha business is.

Review! Let me know what you think and what you imagine happening. Desire another lemon or are you indifferent? LOL I may be able to work it in somehow if that's what everyone wants to see with "these" personality Sasuke and Sakura's.