Crossed Paths

Her nails scored his back as her hips arched in ecstasy. “Feels good…don’t stop…” she panted. He plunged in and out of her, his lips trailing a frenzied path down her collar bone, between her breasts, and back up. They shared a bruising kiss, tongues battling for dominance.

“Sakura…” he groaned as his speed increased. He was fucking her like there was no tomorrow, and Sakura loved every minute of it. Who knew he would be such a passionate lover, when even his closest friends thought he had no sense of humour?

Her thoughts returned to the present as she neared her peak. Bright lights exploded in front of her eyes as she reached her orgasmic high. The man on top pumped a few more times before groaning in his own ecstasy, then collapsing on top of her.

Sakura ran her fingers through the disarrayed dark locks, damp with sweat, and sighed. As he slid out of her, rolled off her to flop beside her on the bed, she stared up at the ceiling, unmoving.

~*Why, after all these years, after my relentless pursuit, does this feel so wrong? You have succeeded your revenge, you came back to Konoha, and you chose me amongst the many other girls who lusted after you. Every time you take me I feel completed. But where does this feeling come from, the feeling I can’t shake off? I love you….I know I do…but …do I? Sasuke?*~

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The bright sun beat down mercilessly on the Country of Sand, bathing the inhabitants in a death-ray glare of intense heat. In the far-off distance, three siblings could be seen walking, although at a glance it would be impossible to tell they were siblings. No one knew where they were headed, or where they came from, or what their purpose was.

“Gaara, don’t you think it’s time you told the village what you wanted? I mean, they’re not going to get the message with you standing around the borders of Sand, protecting it from God knows what.” Temari wiped her brow with her sleeve, exhausted because of the fact she had not slept for three nights straight. Gaara, of course, was unaffected since he never slept anyways. Kankurou…he was already lying on the ground, trying to sleep despite the sun’s rays penetrating his eyelids.

“If I entered the village, everyone would only be scared of me. They would hide in fear, no matter what I say they will not listen. I wish to become Kazekage, this is true, but the reason is to protect the Sand. If I can accomplish the same goal by standing guard here, the villagers will have no reason to fear me,” Gaara explained this in his usual non-emotional way, but Temari could see the flicker of sadness in his eyes. That would not have been there, have he not fought the Uzumaki kid. Truly, he changed Gaara. On the outside, he may still look as though he was a monster, but on the inside…well…he’s softer.

Temari smirked at the thought. No, not softer, Gaara could never be soft. He would fight with the same tenacity as he showed before, if the reason was right. If the reason was Sand. Temari knew that on the inside, Gaara’s wounds would never be healed. They would always be there, the terrible scars caused by his father and Yashamaru. She and Kankurou had been hidingin their rooms when the former Kazekage had become enraged at Yashamaru’s incompetence to even kill a six-year-old child. Yes, they knew father had wanted to kill his youngest child. They didn’t know the reason, but because their father hated Gaara, they did, too. Gradually, the misplaced hate turned into fear. It wasn’t until the Chuunin exam that Temari had seen truly what kind of hell Gaara had been through.

The least she and Kankurou could do now was to keep watch with him over his precious country of Sand, keeping what was important to him, safe.