All the Colors
chap. 2
Not
everyone bore the name of a pretty tree.
The pretty
tree, of course, was bare now- it was January, and that winter had been
exceptionally harsh. It would be a long time before even the earliest yellowish
blossoms would adorn the ornamental cherry tree on the edge of one of Konoha's
many practice fields.
That did
not prevent Sakura from standing under it. A redundancy, perhaps, but those who
knew her were reminded of March's blooms by her pale hair as it stirred in the
chill breeze. Shivering, she wrapped her purple cloak more tightly around her.
The diet had seemed like a good idea
until she realized that less body fat in the coldest part of the year was, in
fact, a bad thing.
It was
worth it, though. had had never in her life expected anything like this.
Fairy-tale happenings didn't really, but it was happening now. Like the time he
had told her she had a charming wide forehead and almost kissed her. Sakura's
cheeks tinged a shade pinker than her hair as she remembered it.
"Sakura."
She
turned, in slow motion, the way actresses did in bad romance films. The scent
of rich, dark earth and expensive incense immediately consumed her. She had
only smelled him once or twice before, when he was close...
He was
close. He stood so close to her that she could clearly feel the heat from his
body. Sakura was almost afraid to look, but look she did, up into the blackest
eyes outside of Hell. This time, she knew Sasuke really did look at her with
intensity. Molten intensity that she felt all the way into her marrow.>
She
shivered under his gaze.
"I'm
cold, Sasuke." The words slipped out unbidden; he walikelikely to care.
And she wasn't really cold, because every nerve in every inch of her body was
alive and screaming with her awareness of his being.
His arms
wrapped around her. The combination of relief and shock she felt was heady,
like being poisoned and recovering in a split second. Sasuke's fingers slipped
through her own, twining between, warming them as his lips dropped to her
forehead.
"Didn't
I once tell you your forehead was charming and wide?"
It felt
right. Nothing had ever felt this right. His body pressed against hers, the
warm firmness of his mouth on her skin.
"It
makes me want to kiss it."
She
stumbled over her words.
"T-that's
what it's for, Sasuke."
When she
said his name, he looked at Sakura with an expression that was strange for a
moment. Whatever that feeling was, he covered it as he covered her mouth with
his.
This, too,
was everything she had imagined. His lips were warm and tender, gentle on her
own, only the slightest hint of his tongue brushing along the crevice of her
mouth. She gladly opened for him, a hot rush washing over her as he kissed her
more deeply, stroking the sensitive inside of her lower lip. Sasuke's fingers
slid into her pink tresses to hold her more securely for his ravishing of her
untasted mouth.
In fact,
Naruto was having the time of his life.
This time,
there was no stomachache to stop him. He had been very careful of the milk
carton that morning. He had also paid much closer attention when transforming
himself into Sasuke. A few years in combat had taught him that there were many
nuances to a person's being, above and beyond the way they looked, and that it
was difficult to fool an intelligent woman like Sakura. So he had let Sasuke
get close just long enough to catch his scent, the way his eyes smoldered when
passion struck. And it was working perfectly.
"Sakura."
He spoke her name again, this time into her mouth. She sighed and returned his
kiss with languor, wrapping her arms nd hnd his neck.
"Sasuke,
I'm ready." Her eyes had gone from sea-green to emerald, lit by a
different kind of fire technique than was usually associated with Sasuke. The
expression of raw wanting on her face stole Naruto's breath.
"For..."
His voice was husky, almost a croak, but her whispered statement had
revitalized his potent male energy all over again. The kyuubi ht aht against
its prison walls in the sudden torrent of yang, and Naruto had to close his
eyes and concentrate hard to keep his teeth and nails blunt in the rush of
unreasonable passion.
"Yes."