𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓭𝓮𝓶𝓸𝓷 𝓲𝓷𝓼𝓲𝓭𝓮 𝓱𝓲𝓶 is going restless. Since Sakura's addition to Team Hebi, Sasuke has had a semblance of grip over his emotions. It reminds him of his first year with Orochimaru, of how just the thought of Sakura would help temper his murderous intent. He doesn't want to believe her presence is affecting him. Could it be that, after four years, some part of him, somewhere, still cares? That can't be possible. Not after everything he's been through without her. He's not the same boy he used to be. There's no good left in him.

And yet, every time his eyes land on her, the feeling settling in at the pit of his stomach is a bit more familiar, and it has nothing to do with the demon's intent. It's uncomfortable, like a fist closing around his insides, cold water running through his veins. It's worry—he worries for her. Again.

On their third travel day to Suna, she's healed most of her severe injuries. He can feel her chakra reserve replenishing and a new fire radiates through her unsettling doll eyes. That same evening, he catches himself staring at her pretty features. He's never seen someone that beautiful and resents her for it.

And it would seem he's not the only one.

"I hate her," Karin whispers, body flushed against his.

On the other side of the fire, Suigetsu's eyes are like daggers, ready to slit Sasuke's throat at any moment.

Me too, he wants to say, but knows it's a lie. Instead, he shifts away from the redhead's touch, grumpier than usual. Even his meaningless thing with Karin is off the table now. Not that he didn't try, just that it didn't work. At that thought, he glares at the petite girl chatting animatedly with the giant man a few feet away.

"He's got the funniest dogs," Sakura exclaims, big, green eyes glinting under the moonlight. "You would like them, Jūgo. Although, you shouldn't call them dogs. Every time Naruto did, it ended up badly for him."

"Is Naruto your boyfriend?"

Her nose wrinkles in disgust.

"Best friend. He's like my brother."

Sasuke cannot hold back a snort. She turns to glare at him.

"From what I remember, he has more than friendly intentions in mind," he says, eyes challenging.

"Things have changed since you left, Sasuke-kun," she answers mockingly. "Naruto has a girlfriend now. He's over me."

"Is he, though?"

A smirk stretches on his lips upon seeing her irritated frown.

"I heard it's not that hard, forgetting about your first crush," she says, eyes subtly drifting to the redhead clinging to Sasuke's arm. He drops the corners of his mouth.

"Have you?"

She diverts her gaze, worrying her bottom lip.

"None of your business."

Sasuke opens his mouth, brows furrowed, ready to pry more into the girl's personal life, but Jūgo interrupts him.

"Stop BICKERING!"

It all happens so fast. One second, the giant man is curled up in a ball, orange head in his hands, and the next, his body slams against Sakura's tiny form with a roar of pure rage.

Karin runs away from the scene, Suigetsu in tow, while Sasuke jumps forward, his heart beating hard against his ribcage, eyes searching for any sign of the pink-haired girl under the sturdy limbs. A movement catches his attention, and he notices two fists curled around Jūgo's shirt, holding him up in the air. There's spit flying from the giant's mouth right onto Sakura's face.

The girl lets out a loud shout and pushes the man back. She regains her bearings right before Jūgo surges forward again. She stops him, hands flat against his chest, holding him in place. Sasuke recovers from his previous shock and joins her, blazing sharingan trying to meet Jūgo's crazed eyes.

Sasuke stands right behind Sakura, her head reaching his chin, when he finally tames Jūgo's inner demon. The black markings on the man's skin recede as he drops to his knees. Sakura's arms fall on her sides, and she stares, mouth agape, at the orange-haired man in front of her.

"Sorry," Jūgo whispers, tears streaming down his face.

She shakes her head but doesn't say a word.

"Are you hurt?" Sasuke asks in a foreign voice, hand wrapping around her shoulder to pivot her around. The tears brimming in her green eyes startle him.

She shakes her head again, worrying her bottom lip.

"Who is he, Sasuke?"

"I think you know."

He releases her and walks to Jūgo's sobbing form, kneeling before him.

"You didn't hurt her."

Amber eyes shoot to Sasuke's face.

"Not today!" Jūgo exclaims. "But what about next time?"

He turns to look at Sakura.

"You're so pure, so kind, and small. You don't deserve this. I'm a monster."

She joins them on the ground, a hand reaching for Jūgo's back. The man stiffens.

"You should stay away."

Sakura ignores him and keeps rubbing his back soothingly.

"You're not a monster," she whispers, her eyes drifting from Jūgo to Sasuke. The black-haired man holds her stare, hating how her words made him feel: like he's loved, cared for, understood.

"I'm unbreakable. And I'm not going anywhere."

Unbreakable? Is she, though?

Sasuke diverts his gaze and gets up.

"We need more wood."

He doesn't look back when he hears Sakura sigh and Karin call his name. But as soon as the foliage is dense enough to hide his movements, he punches the nearest tree a few times and watches, emotionless, his bloody knuckles turning the bark a crimson red.

And I'm not going anywhere.

Sakura's words are replaying in his head, and he can't stop it. It's like he's been waiting all his life for someone to stay that, but every time that same someone makes that promise, he's losing his shit. Sakura knows how to get under his skin and makes him feel things he's not supposed to. But Sasuke's still a monster, and monsters don't care. That's what he has to remind himself every time she says stupid things like this.

"What did that tree do to you?"

Sasuke's eyes close in annoyance upon hearing the mocking tone laced with softness.

"Leave."

Sakura sighs and takes a few steps closer.

"The camp is the other way," he snaps.

"You care for him."

Sasuke meets her gaze and instantly regrets it. It's too damn familiar, her knowing look, the softness held in it, and the bright green of her eyes.

"I don't care about anyone."

She scoffs.

"That's not true. You care about Jūgo. You care about me."

He forces himself to smirk but can tell by her unwavering look that she's not moved by it, not in the slightest.

"Keep dreaming."

"He's the patient zero. He doesn't have a mark, and his transformation is different."

Sasuke shrugs nonchalantly but inwardly curses her smart brain.

"Maybe his mark's just on some more private part of his body."

"Sasuke, I know you know," she says, rolling her eyes. "He's at the origin of your curse mark. That's why he's travelling with you, isn't it?"

He shifts his weight but remains silent.

"Maybe I can help him."

"What is it with you and monsters? Are you drawn to them or something?"

She cocks her head to the side.

"What are you talking about?"

"Naruto, Jūgo..."

"You," she finishes for him.

"Me," he says, diverting his eyes.

"You're not a monster, Sasuke. Just an asshole."

The insult is so unexpected that a genuine laugh escapes his lips. Sakura's chuckle soon follows.

"And I'm not drawn to monsters, but to good people who need my help."

He turns a frown at her, arms crossed.

"There's nothing good left in me. Stop trying, Sakura."

"What are you talking about? I'm not trying anything. I don't need to because you'll always be good. It's as clear as the sky is blue."

"You don't know half of what I've done," he spits out, leaning forward, eyes dropping to her full lips on their own accord.

"I know more than you think," she replies, her chin up, taking a step closer.

"If you did, you wouldn't be here, talking about how good of a person I am."

He steps forward, aware of the small space between their bodies. His tongue darts out to moisten his lips.

"If you're trying to scare me, it doesn't work," she whispers, attracting his gaze to her eyes again. "I'm not afraid of you, Sasuke, or of the monster controlling you."

At a sudden pulse at the base of his neck, Sasuke slams her body against the nearest tree, hands wrapped around her shoulders, mouth inches away from hers.

"Are you certain about that?"

He watches as her cheeks turn a deeper shade of red and marvels at the rise and fall of her chest and the desire flashing in her beautiful eyes.

She opens her mouth but slams it shut a second after, head jerking to the right, eyes wide.

"What?" he asks, following her gaze without letting go of her enticing form.

"Haven't you heard?"

"I'm hearing nothing but your shallow breaths," he says with a smirk, brushing his thumb against her pulsing neck.

She swats his hand away.

"I'm not something you can have whenever you desire, Sasuke. If Karin is fine with this, then good for her. But this is not what I want from you."

She tries to brush past him, but he slams her against the tree again.

"Your body's telling me otherwise."

"What?"

She snaps her head back to the side.

"I said your body—"

"Not you!"

"What the hell? There's no one else—"

"SSHHH!"

The demon inside him growls when she applies a hand to his mouth.

"Down?" she whispers, a crease forming between her eyebrows. "What do you mean, down?"

She glances at her feet and shakes her head.

"I don't understand!"

Sasuke summons his sharingan and turns to watch in the same direction as Sakura.

"DOWN!" he yells, bringing Sakura's body to the ground as a giant white bird irrupts from the trees, aiming straight at them.

They roll to the side, limbs tangled together. Sasuke tries to ignore Sakura's intoxicating scent and how perfectly her body fits under his. Their eyes meet, and even though they can both pull apart, something is holding them in place, a desire for more, a need for more.

"Sorry to disturb what looked like a very heated conversation," someone says, and Sasuke finally tears his eyes away from Sakura to glimpse at a blond man standing on the white bird. "But we have the order to bring Haruno Sakura back to Konoha."

"Deidara," Sakura whispers, eyes wide.

Sasuke hurries back to his feet, a hand on the handle of his sword.

"You're working with the Akatsuki," he says to the blond man upon noticing the black and red cloak, his heart skipping a beat.

"And you're 'Tachi's little bro," Deidara answers with a mocking smile.

"And I am Tobi!" a man exclaims, sprouting from the earth a few feet before them. "Nice to meet you, pretty girl and pretty boy!"

Deidara rolls his eyes.

"Careful around the pretty girl, Tobi. She has a tendency to kill my teammates."

"But she looks like a doll..."

Sasuke sees Sakura shiver at Tobi's words and adds her reaction to the list of things he needs to ask her about. Not that he cares, though...

"Well, the last man to try making her his doll was Sasori, and we both know how that ended," Deidara says, a glare resting on Sakura.

"I'm just asking men to take me seriously and stop trying to own me," Sakura says through gritted teeth, her fingers brushing the white scars on her forearm where Sasuke can still easily read: "Zaku's."

"We don't always get what we want, don't we?"

Before Sakura can reply to his rhetorical question, Deidara interrupts her, eyes set on Sasuke.

"Baby Uchiha. I heard you killed Orochimaru?"

Sasuke holds the man's challenging gaze but doesn't acknowledge his question.

"That was supposed to be me. You, your brother, and all the sharingan owners are always impeding my supreme art. I could have struck a deal with you, you know. But I won't. No. Instead, I'll kill you, bring your chick back to Konoha per sugar daddy's request, and brag about it to Itachi."

"Sugar daddy?" Sakura whispers, brows furrowed.

"Yes. Old Danzo was pretty adamant about the necessity of having his little civilian healer back in the village. I heard you can do magic with those hands." Deidara wiggles his eyebrows. "I admit I'm curious."

Sasuke notices Sakura's glowing fists and tightens his hold on his sword.

"Oh, I can show you one of my tricks," she says, a smirk playing on her lips.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, pretty girl," Tobi says, bouncing on the balls of his feet. He takes a pebble from his pocket and throws it to their left. Upon landing, the rock creates a deadly explosion, once that would have knocked Sasuke and Sakura off their feet if it hadn't been for their excellent chakra control.

The warmth of Sakura's chakra quickly soothes the painful whistling in his ear, and Sasuke hears the end of Tobi's sentence: "... mines everywhere!"

"We'll have to fight from up high," they say simultaneously and exchange a glance.

Sasuke doesn't waste time marvelling at Sakura's intelligence and bites his thumb to summon a hawk big enough to carry them both. Sakura jumps after him on the animal's back, and it instantly takes flight. The flapping of wings sends Deidara's blond hair flying, but doesn't cover his words.

"I can do magic with my hands too, Pinky. It's the most beautiful thing on earth. It's art, as an explosion."

He opens his palms to free a dozen of tiny clay birds.

"You see his arms?" Sakura whispers in Sasuke's ear, a hand gripping his shoulder. "Gaara crushed one with sand, and Kakashi cut the other with the sharingan. Someone must have sewed them back on."

"How did Kakashi do that with his sharingan?" Sasuke cannot refrain from asking, turning a suspicious glare at Sakura.

"That's irrelevant," she snaps. "Deidara won over Gaara only because he threatened the entire Sand village. From what the guys told me, he isn't an actual threat. Not without his arms, anyway."

"Good," Sasuke says, unsheathing his sword.

"But that guy," she continues, pointing at Tobi. "Konoha has nothing on him. And I don't like him acting like a twelve-year-old Naruto."

"Aa. I get what you mean."

The hawk dodges the first attack of clay birds, and one of Sakura's arms wraps around his torso.

She sighs.

"But I'm a close-ranged fighter. I'm useless against Deidara. Our only chance of survival is for you to disable him fast enough, then come help me with mask-boy."

He smirks.

"So you admit I'm stronger than you."

"I never said otherwise, Sasuke-kun. But I'm the unbreakable one, not you. Be careful."

She tightens her hold around him for a fraction of a second, then jumps off the bird to land in a tree a few feet below.

"Divide to conquer, hey?" Deidara asks as his bird faces Sasuke's, shifting into a dragon made of clay. "Good thing my art is always one step ahead."

Sasuke hears an explosion in Sakura's direction but focuses on the blond man and evades the clay spitted by the dragon. He's seen Sakura fight and knows it will take more than a few explosions to bring her down. Plus, the rest of Team Hebi should arrive any time now, and even if Sasuke would prefer to finish his fight alone, it's reassuring to know Sakura won't have to face her mysterious opponent by herself.

Not that he cares, but he needs her alive. She could have lied about Suna, or Kakashi could have thought of a Plan B and C. If so, Sakura would be the only one to know where to go next. He cannot lose her. Not now.

"From one pretty boy to another, girls are not worth the trouble."

Sasuke's eyes widen at the sight of white spiders crawling on the back of his bird. He gapes at Deidara, only to see the man smirk behind his raised fingers.

"Boom," the blond says, and if it weren't for Sasuke's sharingan, he would have died just there.

But he jumps off his hawk in time to avoid death. He can feel the skin of his feet burning, and an uncontrollable cough takes over him, so he hurries to summon his demon and allows the wings to spring on his back, the black markings to turn his skin into an odd grey. His torn shirt falls in pieces on each side of his long legs, and he can feel his hair elongating, brushing the middle of his back.

A Chidori cloaks his sword as he surges forward, intent on cutting the man's arms or electrocuting him to death. He misses the target on his first attempt and drops his jutsu to focus on aiming better. On his second try, his sword embeds into the blond's shoulder.

A grin spreads on Deidara's lips.

"Gotcha."

White clay puffs out of his sleeves to trap Sasuke's arm. The black-haired man struggles inside the clay, his sharingan glued to Deidara's gaze, waiting for the blue orbs to meet his red eyes.

And they did.

Summoning a Chidori back to his sword, Sasuke frees himself from the clay seconds before Deidara bursts it into pieces.

A maniacal laugh resounds in the forest and sends one corner of Sasuke's lips to quirk upward.

"Sasuke!"

Suigetsu appears on the nearest tree, flanked on both sides by his teammates.

"Need any help?"

The black-haired man shakes his head.

"Go make sure Sakura's okay. It's been too quiet down there."

Both men jump down at Sasuke's order, but Karin remains glued to her branch, fingers twisting.

"I'm not leaving you, Sasuke-kun. I... I love you, and I'm here if you ever need my blood."

It takes everything in Sasuke not to lunge at her with his murderous intent. She loves him, she says, but she's not the first to say those words without believing them. Karin is desperate and clings to him because of his good looks and power, and the demon isn't known to be kind to pathetic people.

"Girls, again, pretty boy," Deidara says, obviously out of the genjutsu Sasuke's placed on him. "You could have killed me just there, but this pretty redhead saved my life."

The blond nods his head toward Karin with a grateful smile, and the girl's mouth hangs open.

"I suggest you stop breathing, beautiful, 'cause my next jutsu will make you burst from the inside."

Sasuke's dōjutsu dissects Deidara's movements and sees the clay coming out of the mouths in the blond's hands. He surges forward and slices an arm before the clay can disintegrate into tiny particles.

The pain makes Deidara drop his jutsu, and his dragon evaporates, leaving the blond man at the mercy of gravity. Thanks to the demon's wings, Sasuke watches his opponent fall, hovering, a smirk plastered on his face.

But Deidara stretches his other arms, and even if Sasuke's sharingan predicts the movement, he isn't as fast when flying. White snakes escape the blond's sleeves, one wrapping around Sasuke's ankle while the other embeds its fangs in a grey wing.

The black-haired man hurries to cut the first with his Chidori-cloaked sword, but as he is about to deal with the second snake, Deidara brings his fingers to his face.

The explosion would have killed anyone else. Sasuke's body morphs back to his human form as he quickly joins Deidara on the forest floor. He lands where he was standing with Sakura thirty minutes ago and drops to his knees, face contorted in pain.

When he gazes back up, he meets Deidara's glare and notices the pallor of his skin.

"Why is everyone always targeting my arms, dammit?"

The blond fumbles with his cloak, drops it to the floor, and tears his shirt open. Sasuke's eyes widen upon seeing the mouth on the man's chest. It's chewing something, and the Uchiha knows it means nothing good.

"There's no way I'm leaving a fight as a loser again, crippled at that. I promised I would kill you, and I'll do exactly that. Even if I have to bring every life in a thirty miles radius with you."

A smile stretches on his face, a light illuminating his dark gaze.

"This is the purest art of all; my life coming undone in an explosion."

As soon as Sasuke's mind registers the meaning behind the words, he hurries to Karin's sides, grabs her by the arm, and hurls her toward the other fight's general direction.

"Sasuke-kun," Karin cries, all panicked eyes. "We won't make it on time. Do something. It's coming."

He shakes his head, intent on reaching the rest of his team and Sakura on time, but true to Karin's word, a blinding light irrupts from where he left Deidara.

"Do something," the redhead urges him, fingers digging deep into his biceps.

He furrows his brow, his sharingan searching for any movement, any shade of pink through the foliage. He bites his thumb, heart in his throat, jaw set. The time is up; there's nothing else he can do. He knew he would be Sakura's downfall, knew she should have stayed away. He closes his eyes in defeat and goes through the familiar hand signs, the heat from the upcoming explosion scalding the skin of his face.

And then...

"Sasuke-kun!"