Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto (too bad for me…)

Note: This story doesn't necessarily follow And of Those Left Behind, though it could.

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She Always Said No

By: Hime

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It probably surprised her more then him when she said yes. Eyes wide, she blinked once then twice but otherwise remained frozen in place. He looked back at her with shock as well before he smiled his pleasure and led her back to his bed. Unresisting, she let him pull her down beside him, tucking her body against his as he spooned against her back, one arm around her waist. She knew he purposely positioned their bodies this way so she could at least be allowed some measure of privacy. For all his seemingly obtuseness, lately he had become extremely good at reading her. At times that bothered her, but at the moment she was glad he understood her enough to let her face the wall instead of him. Why did she say yes? She hadn't meant to. She always said no when he asked her to stay with him after...

She could feel him staring at her head as if trying to peer inside, trying to understand why she had said yes. She would have laughed-good luck, I don't even know myself-but she was feeling too disturbed to find pleasure in confusing him with her actions.

'But this is nice.' A little voice whispered inside her head and she was surprised again to realize that it was. Just being embraced, the heat of his skin along her back, across her waist, without lust and frantic need. It felt...nice. 'Perfect.' the little voice whispered. She stiffened a little, and the hand draped across her stomach began to rub back and forth soothingly, over and over, lazily. Finally, her body completely relaxed against his.

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He knew she was still awake, probably wondering why she had agreed to his request that she stay the night with him. He had been staring at the back of her head in the dark before shutting them. Without sight, he could imagine his other senses expanding, trying to compensate for that missing one. He wanted to wallow in this moment, to remember the feel of her body pressed against his, the scent of her filling his lungs with every breath. He wanted to remember the comfort of holding her and knowing she would be there in the morning. He had never been one to savor; he had always been too impatient with his pleasures-food, winning, even the first time they had come together had been a mad rush of needs, desires, and that wondrous feeling that all your dreams had come true. He had had enough of his dreams disappear before him to learn to take as much pleasure you possibly could before it went away. And just as quickly as they had come together, she had rolled off the bed, slipped on her clothes and left his apartment before he even had the chance to ask his question. Of course the next time, he was a little more prepared, though it had been just as intense, just as fast.

"Stay with me." He asked, lying down on his bed, propped on his elbow as he watched her shrug on her black vest.

She paused and then turned away from him. "No, I don't think I should."

He had just nodded, as if unconcerned, and continued watching her movements as she finished getting dressed. A bit upset with her, he bit down on the urge to ask her bitterly why she had come home with him, why she had let him make love to her if she didn't love him back, but he didn't want to ruin this, whatever it was that was happening between them. He had dreamed a long time for this and he would take whatever he could get from her. You can live a long time on a memory and a dream. He knew-that's how he had survived so long. So he smiled at her-friendly, safe-and wished her a goodnight. Still, without looking at him, she said goodbye and walked out of his apartment.

She never really said anything to him after their encounters, only answered him "No." when he asked his question. It had become almost their ritual as this pattern continued for almost 3 months. And then tonight she said yes. He wasn't going to push her for anything more, just having her there was enough. He was finally going to learn how to make something last for just more then a moment.

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She wondered if he was sleeping. He had stopped staring at her and his breathing had become slow and deep, but his hand still continued to, well, stroke her stomach. She wondered if she should sneak out on him when she was sure he was asleep. She quickly discarded that idea-she was not a coward and sneaking out on him would be a cruel thing to do. She had already hurt him enough; she didn't need to anything else to wound him. 'Besides, this is nice.' that tiny voice whispered again. She ignored that thought, instead thinking that she would have never expected to be where she was that night. When she had been younger she had always thought it would be Sasuke holding her like this. She waited for the ache to pierce her as it always did, and it came to her surprise to realize that the name didn't pain her as much as it had before. 'I guess saying goodbye helped.' She thought.

It was at that moment that his hand stopped. 'He must be sleeping now.' She tried to roll away from him, but his arm tightened around her instinctively. 'Oh well,' she thought, 'I guess I can sleep like this just this once.' Focusing on her breath, she counted with each exhale and inhale, blocking all thoughts from her mind, as she basically hypnotized her mind into wanting sleep. Suddenly very tired, she settled into the bed and without thinking, nestled deeper against the body behind hers. 'This is nice. Perhaps I'll stay the next time he asks me.' After a yawn, Sakura murmured very softly, "Goodnight Naruto," and fell deeply asleep.

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In the darkness, Naruto laid with the one he loved most in the world and smiled.

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Author's Notes:

After re-reading this, I realize that once more Geno Calamari has influenced me. Sorry if this reminds you of his workOne of these days I'll write something that will be completely my own. As for the ending, perhaps it's a bit heavy-handed, but I do like the Naruto/Sakura couple a lot...