Sasuke gently tucked Sakura in and got himself as dressed as possible, leaving her to sleep for a little while. He stepped out into the living area where Karin was sitting, having taken to reading one of the books and keeping the fire stoked. He did his best to straighten his clothing, earning a raised eyebrow from Karin.
"You're welcome," she replied with a chuckle.
"Yeah, yeah." Karin hadn't had to stay, but it had undoubtedly helped his... outlook on things. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, not sure what else he should say to her. Should he thank her? Maybe... She had knocked some sense into him. That was typical Karin, though.
"Hey." Karin stood and set her book aside, standing directly in front of him. "Listen. I know... things were weird back then, and I wasn't the greatest friend of yours, but... I've got your back, okay? Jugo and Suigetsu too." Karin sighed. "Do you... want me to stay here with the two of you, just so there's a third person? Or do you want to be alone here with her?"
"No, you don't have to, Karin. It's fine." He knew Karin had other things to take care of, and he could look after Sakura. He was just glad Karin had knocked some sense into him. If she hadn't, he might not have made the moves he did... he likely would have regretted it. There was silence between them as Karin observed him, making him feel more and more nervous the longer she stared.
"You really care about her, don't you?" He sighed, nodding to confirm her suspicions. "Well... That's good, Sasuke. You deserve... someone, at least." She rubbed her arm awkwardly. He knew what that look meant. As he'd suspected, Karin still harboured those feelings for him. He felt a little guilty, if only for the fact that Karin had done such a selfless thing for him.
"Karin, I'm sorry." Perhaps in another life, he would have been able to return her feelings, but not this one. "I'm lucky to have you as a friend. You've done more than any other friend would have for me."
"Oh, shut up," she scolded, waving a hand at him. "I just... I got my hopes up, okay? It's fine. Just... Go look after your girl. And remember, if you screw it up, I'm going to kick your ass." There would undoubtedly be someone else in the world for her. Sasuke would do his best to ensure she found someone suitable. It was the least he could do.
"Stay safe, okay?" The last thing he needed was Karin getting drawn too deeply into their investigation into Akatsuki. "If you can... See if you can find Jugo and Suigetsu and keep on the move. We don't know how far Akatsuki's influence stretches. Oto seems safe, but we can't know for sure."
"Ah, don't worry about the boys and me. We'll be fine, ya hear?" She clapped him on the shoulder, picking up her jacket and slipping it on. "Tell you what, though. You two gotta move from here soon. I've got a place just outside Oto City I just moved into. It needs some work, but... If you two don't mind helping, I'd appreciate it. Plus, it'll give you something to do." There was plenty of space at her new place for them to spend time and enjoy themselves, as well as keep busy.
"Hmm... I'll talk about it with Sakura. It may be good to be somewhere that has... well, more to do." They couldn't spend their entire time here; even after a week, they were running out of things to do. It wouldn't be good for either of them.
"Good. Let me know. I'll be back tomorrow." That should be enough time for them to talk it through and give her an answer. Karin let herself out with a wave, leaving Sasuke to lock the door behind her and turn the lights out before making his way back to the bedroom.
Sakura woke up from her short nap as Sasuke came in, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. She had yet to put any clothes on, which led her to blush profusely and instinctively pull the sheet over, hiding herself. Sasuke chuckled and sat down next to her, laying a hand over one of hers that was trying to preserve her dignity.
"Don't hide," he muttered, leaning in to place a kiss on her cheek and nuzzle against her neck. "You don't have to be shy." His hand slid around to her bare back, running a hand up and down it. He wasn't sure if she wanted anything more, so he opted to leave that up to her.
"Karin left, didn't she?" Sakura leaned against him, trembling under his touch.
"Yeah. She's coming back tomorrow." He reached up and ran a hand through her hair, letting his fingers tangle in it before leaning down to place a kiss on her lips. Sakura felt her heartbeat start to race when he did that, wishing she didn't feel so embarrassed. She wasn't used to feeling so exposed. He frowned at her, worried about how quiet she was being. "Sakura? Is everything okay?"
"Oh, um... yeah, it's just... I'd like to get dressed if you don't mind." He blinked, then chuckled, standing up to open the drawers and pull out pyjamas for both of them, handing hers over. As they changed into more suitable clothing, he couldn't help but steal a few glances in her direction. The moon was bright tonight, letting enough light in from between the curtains that he could just make out her figure. He'd never felt this kind of attraction before. Not to anyone that he could recall.
"Sasuke... about you and Karin..." She'd been thinking about that for a while. She wanted to know what the deal was. After earlier, she'd become convinced that Sasuke was an experienced lover. There was no way he wasn't, not with how attentive he was. He had to have had something in his past. Karin seemed like the most likely candidate. It didn't bother her, exactly, not unless Karin started making moves that encroached on her territory.
"Hm? What about it?" Sasuke wasn't sure he liked where this was going, mostly because he didn't want Sakura to start overthinking things. He'd noticed she tended to do that. It seemed to be a constant fight; he could tell there were areas where she lacked self-esteem and self-worth, and he was determined to do everything he could to alleviate those feelings.
"It's just... earlier, when we were, you know... anyway, it just felt like you were more... experienced than I am. Was. Am? Was." She hadn't the faintest clue how to describe it. Compared to Ino, she was very modest about this sort of thing. There was a flicker of inferiority that went through her, driving her back into her thoughts. What if she wasn't the same? What if she was inferior in some way to whomever else he'd been with.
Sasuke chuckled lightly at her modesty. "No, I just... I don't know how to describe it. Physically, no. But with the job I do, the things I've seen... let's just say there's a lot of research required sometimes. You learn things. It's like a puzzle. But... I've never. As for Karin..." how was he supposed to explain that? Even that situation was complicated. "But there... hasn't been anyone else, Sakura. Just you. No one else made me feel things--made me feel anything--the way that you do." One of these days, he hoped she'd figure it out. She was his everything.
"Karin, along with Suigetsu and Jugo, were the only classmates I could stand in high school," he continued. "Naruto and I were in separate foster homes, but they sort of kept people from... asking questions. Karin especially. She managed to keep a lot of the girls off me by sticking close. At the time, it was convenient. She started to feel things, but I... I wasn't ready to commit, nor did I feel the same way. After high school, she confessed to me, and I turned her down. That was the last time we spoke since we went our separate ways. I moved back to Konoha City, and she stayed in Oto City." It'd been an awkward conversation.
"Oh... wow," Sakura remarked. "That's... I'm surprised she came, then." And even more surprised at how encouraging she'd been. Karin was a good person, even if Sakura was a direct competitor for Sasuke's affections. Well, there wasn't much actual competition given Sasuke had made his decision already, but that didn't necessarily mean Karin's feelings had diminished.
"Yeah. It was... a touch awkward. She understands, though." Sasuke crawled into his side of the bed, coaxing Sakura to lay beside him before wrapping his arms around him. He released a happy sigh, relieved that he was here with her. Sakura settled into his embrace, comforted by the warmth and safety he brought to her. It was good to know that Karin understood what was happening. Sakura felt a sense of relief.
"I love you, Sakura." He kissed the top of her head, running his fingers gently through her hair. She giggled under his affection, hands covering her face as she tried to hide how flustered she was. Her bashful nature always brought a smile to his features.
"You enjoy this, don't you?" He chuckled and nuzzled against her, making her whine more from embarrassment. "I love you too, but you're a pain in the ass sometimes."
Sasuke leaned in and kissed her cheek, nuzzling against her neck. "Mm... You enjoy it," he teased, laying a few more kisses along her neck. She whined again, which only encouraged him further until she spoke again.
"Was there... anything else Karin mentioned?" She was tired, but she still wanted to talk a little more. His affections slowed down, drawing back as he could tell she was exhausted. He did enjoy making her flustered, though. It was so adorable the way she reacted to him.
"Mmm... she offered for us to move to her place since realistically we should keep moving. This place is likely to be checked, but since she and I haven't had any contact in years, they're less likely to ask her about my whereabouts. Not that she'll tell them. As long as we're in Oto, we're safe from Konoha and ROOT laws. It's just Akatsuki subterfuge we have to worry about." He was less worried about that. They seemed to be intending to manipulate the laws in their favour, not act like mob assassins or the like.
"Hmm... that could be nice if there's more to do. I mean, I like sitting in front of the fire and watching movies, but..."
"But there's only so much of that you can handle and only so many books you can read," he finished for her. "I know. If you want to, then we can. I'm fine with either."
"I trust your judgement, Sasuke." He was one of the only people she could trust right now. "If you say it's a good bet, then we should take it. Plus, Karin's helped us a lot. If we can help her out there at her new place, I think that's even more reason to do it." Sakura tried to stifle a yawn but failed.
"We'll talk more about it tomorrow." He kissed her forehead, sinking further under the covers. "Get some sleep, my beautiful cherry blossom." He cringed internally at that. Oh, nicknames were not his strong suit, but at least he'd tried.
"Good night," Sakura replied sleepily before she drifted right off to sleep.