HERO: Part One

HERO
A Naruto (Kiba/Sakura) Fan-Fic
By Ookami Kasumi

Naruto characters property of Masashi Kishimoto.
I'm just borrowing them.

Summery: Kiba was determined to save Sakura - whether she liked it or not.
Rated: Mature for Language and Adult Content

A Story Commission for Earthbender068
Beta'd by the ever-wonderful Kiterie and always clever Kita the Spaz.

Part One

It was supposed to be a simple support and medical aid mission. The war zone where the two small border towns were slugging it out over the property rights of a waterway was supposed to be miles away. The hospital tents under the trees were supposed to be in a neutral zone.

On that particular late spring afternoon, Sakura Haruno, highly-trained chuunin ranked medical ninja and second in skill only to the civilian surgeon currently on loan from Fire Country's ruling daimyo, was supposed to be inside those tents. She was supposed to be administering her medical expertise to the locally hired foot soldiers participating in said battle. She was not supposed be out in front of them battling Grass Country ninja.

However, when Kiba rode out of the trees on his pony-sized white dog, Akamaru, the sight that greeted him, and the rest of the ten-man back-up team from Konoha, was just that.

With strands of pale pink hair escaping the confines of her green surgery cap and her open-backed surgical gown flapping in a chakra-generated wind, the petite medical officer squatted to slam a chakra empowered fist into the ground. Rolling thunder announced the shockwave that rippled the ground and opened massive fissures that swallowed several Grass ninja whole. With a snarl on her lips, she screamed at the fallen men. "I am busy, you ass-holes! I have people to save, and you are interfering with my work!"

No one in the Konoha party laughed. No one dared.

Kiba, however, eyed what he could of her firm thighs exposed by her snug shorts and that sweet, sweet ass. His mouth watered while heat began to spiral downward and tighten his pants. Gods... Fired up and spitting mad, the woman was hot. With a groan of pure hunger, Kiba reached down to adjust himself. What he wouldn't give to see all that screaming fury redirected into screaming passion. Clearly, she would break a bed.

The tall, lanky, jounin leading their team stepped up to Kiba's side. "Hmm..." He crossed his arms and tilted his head a little to the side. His white hair flopped over the canted forehead protector that covered his left eye. With a smile obscured, yet still visible under the black fabric mask that covered the lower half of his face, he turned his one visible gray eye toward Kiba. "Think we should join in on the fun?"

Kiba grinned, baring the hereditary fangs of his clan. "Oh, hell yeah!"

The tall jounin waved a jaunty hand. "Sic' em boys and girls!"

With a whoop of joy, Kiba leaped from Akamaru's back. His black nails extending into claws, he howled into the battle.

Right behind him, the other nine green-clad Konoha ninja leaped out of the woods and into the skirmish. The sounds of steel on steel and chakra blasts filled the area. The fight was vicious and short. In less than ten minutes, only three Grass ninja survived to be dragged off into the woods for questioning.

Panting for breath, Sakura rushed over to throw her arms around the tall jounin. "Kakashi-sensei! Long time, no see!"

Blood spattered, but clearly grinning behind his mask, Kakashi enveloped the petite woman in a bear hug. "Hey Sakura-chan, sorry to interrupt your fun."

Sakura leaned back to look up at her former instructor. Her pale pink brows lowered over her green eyes and her mouth curled into a scowl. "I could have handled it myself, but I was trying to get some work done."

Kakashi shook his head and sighed dramatically. "How very inconvenient of those Grass ninja."

Sakura stepped back and rolled her eyes. "Very inconvenient." She scrubbed her forearm against her cheek, smearing blood. "I've got two truck-loads of wounded in there and more on the way."

Kakashi's one visible eye crinkled in humor. "Good thing I brought you four more medics, no?"

Sakura grinned and clasped her hands together. "Wow, you sure know how to treat a girl right!"

Kakashi shrugged. "What can I say? I aim to please."

Taking a moment to wipe the gore from his face, Kiba sauntered over toward the pair.

Right at that moment, a long line of battered diesel trucks drove out of the trees to pull up in front of the tents. Wounded soldiers and more than a few town civilians began climbing off the trucks carrying stretchers.

"Shit!" Sakura dashed back toward the tents.

Snarling in frustration, Kiba watched the woman disappear behind the tent-flaps. "Damn it!" He hadn't even gotten the chance to say 'hi'. He turned away to go report in to the site commander. "I'll try again at dinner."

Sunset came, and went.

In the crowded mess tent, Kiba slouched in a folding chair with one eye on the open tent doorway. Wanting to make a good impression on his former classmate, Sakura, he'd taken the time to shower using the new soap his sister had made specifically to remove the scent of dog from his skin. He'd even left his black leather jacket back at the tent and put on a clean red t-shirt over the wire mesh to look more...casual-like. However...

He sighed heavily and pushed the tray on the table before him a foot or so further away. His dinner was only half-eaten and ice cold from sitting there for the past hour. The smell was starting to get a little...rancid to his highly sensitive nose.

Sakura hadn't shown, but a harried-looking civilian medic in a mostly white rumpled coat suddenly did.

Kiba lunged from his chair, letting it fall to the trampled grass ignored, and leaped over the table to confront the slender young man. "Yo! Have you seen Sakura-chan- I mean, Dr. Haruno from Konoha?"

The frazzled medic stared up at Kiba with wide brown eyes. The scent of alarm rolled off him in waves. "D-Dr. Haruno...? Um, I'm g-getting her d-dinner now, uh, sir."

Kiba jammed a thumb against his chest. "I'll bring it to her." Suddenly the exact logistics of what he'd just declared hit him. He cleared his throat, softened his voice, and smiled. "If you wouldn't mind showing me the way?"

The medic's eyed widened even further and he smiled extremely wide. His scent pulsed with a spat of abject fear. "Sh-sh-sh-sure, sir.

Kiba blinked. What the hell...? He frowned just a little. "Is something wrong?"

The medic swallowed hard and stiffened. "N-nothing, um s-sir!"

A soft, masculine and amused voice spoke from over Kiba's shoulder. "Are you frightening the civilians again, Kiba?"

"Huh?" Kiba looked sharply over his shoulder.

Kakashi was right behind him, his one visible eye crinkled in humor. "Hello, Mr. Tanaka."

The medic exhaled with obvious relief and gave a slight bow. "Hello, Kakashi, sir."

Kakashi nodded at the medic. "Um, Kiba?" Kakashi lifted a silver brow over his gray eye. "I don't think Mr. Tanaka is used to seeing people with um..." He wagged a finger toward where his mouth was hiding behind his mask. "You know...fangs?"

Kiba's eyes widened. "Eh...?" He turned back to the nervous medic and closed his lips over his long teeth. His cheeks warming, he nodded a bow to the man. "Oh, uh, sorry, Mr. Tanaka."

The medic bowed and gave a tentative smile. "It's okay. You just...startled me."

Kakashi patted Kiba's shoulder heavily. "Oh don't worry about Kiba here. His bite is much worse than his bark." He suddenly leaned toward the medic. "Good thing he's on our side, ne?" With that parting shot, he suddenly turned on his heel and headed toward the food line.

Kiba blinked after him. Was that supposed to make the guy feel better? He sighed and turned back to the medic. "Don't mind him." He waved a negligent hand in the general direction Kakashi had gone. "He likes confusing people."

The medic nodded and smiled far less nervously than before. "I noticed that." He tilted his head a little to the side. "Um, Mr. Kiba sir, if you still want to deliver dinner to Dr. Haruno...?"

Kiba nodded, practically dancing up on his toes. "Yes! Yes, I would!"

The medic suddenly blew out a heavy sigh and smiled wryly. "Actually, I'd appreciate it."

Kiba stilled. "Oh?"

Mr. Tanaka nodded. "She's an absolutely brilliant doctor, but she's, um..." He lowered his voice and leaned closer to Kiba. "She can be a little...intimidating." He lowered his gaze. "Especially since we've been short on medics. She's been working very hard for the past two weeks." He winced a little. "Almost non-stop, and then today with the attack on the camp...?"

Kiba frowned. "Doesn't she take breaks?"

The medic's voice dropped even lower. "When we can get the surgeon to order her to take one."

That did not sound good at all, especially since most of Sakura's work consisted of using her chakra, her body's life-energy. After a full two weeks' worth of performing surgeries and healing in general, that had to be doing bad things to her chakra levels. Then of course, there was that battle she'd gotten into that afternoon. Hammering chakra waves into the ground obviously took a lot of personal power.

Kiba smiled tightly. "I'll be more than happy to carry a tray to Dr. Haruno." And make her eat every bite too. While he was at it, he'd also have one of the Hyuuga medics that had come with his team sneak a peek at her chakra levels. He had a strong feeling that Sakura-chan was not going to be happy with the outcome of his little investigation, but she'd just have to deal with it. Untended chakra-exhaustion could easily lead to chakra burn-out, and that shit killed people.

~ * ~

Kiba had been right. Sakura-chan was not happy at all.

"This is all your fault!" In the small back corner of the medical tent in the doctors' quarters, the green-eyed medic packed a moss green regulation back pack with stiff, sharp movements. She had changed from her green hospital scrubs into a deep red, sleeveless, high-necked top that was zipped halfway closed over a long dusty pink sleeveless shirt that had been slashed open from the hips down to the hem that fell past her knees. Under it, she wore snug black shorts and knee-high, ceramic alloy shin guards over black regulation sandals. "Thanks to your tattling, you bastard, they're sending me home."

Standing by the tent's door flap with his arms crossed, Kiba pulled his gaze off the entirely too enticing view of just how nicely that red zip-top squeezed her full breasts. He shook his head, his shaggy brown hair sweeping across his shoulders. "Sorry Sakura-chan, but you only have yourself to blame for that. Running yourself down to the point of chakra exhaustion was your own fault."

When he'd brought her the dinner tray to the fold-up desk in the main hospital tent, the Hyuuga that had accompanied him had gasped. "How the hell is she still standing?"

Kiba hadn't said a word. He'd just glared hard at her, slammed the dinner tray down on the desk, and walked out to find Kakashi.

Ten minutes later in the command tent, the daimyo's surgeon had sighed heavily. "You're dismissed from this mission." One did not argue with the daimyo's master surgeon. Sakura was going home.

Sakura hefted her back pack from the folding cot then slipped her arms into the straps and turned to face Kiba with narrowed green eyes. With her face stripped of all make-up the dark smudges under them and the hollowness of her cheeks were plain to see. "What the hell else was I supposed to do? Let people die?"

Kiba clenched his teeth. Gods! The woman was as hard-headed as his mom! "Ever hear the phrase 'pace yourself'? Or how about, 'get plenty of rest'?"

She looked away and belted on a small hip-pack. "I slept."

"Sure." Kiba snorted. "For what, four hours after you passed out?"

Scowling ferociously, Sakura strode past him, her shoulder not quite bumping him out of the way. Slapping the tent-flap out of her way, she clenched her fists at her sides and stomped out into late morning sunlight.

Kiba snorted. "Hit the nail on the head, did I?" He rolled his eyes and strode out of the tent after her. "Sakura-chan, you know better than I do that four hours of sleep here and there isn't enough to rebuild your chakra. Not when you're draining it the entire time you're awake!"

Right in the middle of the campsite, Sakura jerked to a halt and whirled to face Kiba. Sunlight gleamed on the leaf etched steel plate riveted to the black bandanna that she used as a head-band. "I can handle it!"

Kiba set his hands on his hips and stared down at her from less than an inch away. He lifted one brow. "Riiight... Which is why your hands are still shaking and you have black circles under your eyes that almost match Gaara's."

Sakura bared her teeth and lifted a fist. "I ought to smash-!"

"Nuh-uh-uh!" Before her nose, Kiba wagged his finger back and forth. "No chakra usage. Remember?" He grinned flashing his fangs.

"As soon as I recover, you are-" Sakura sucked in a deep breath and shouted. "- DEAD MEAT!" She whirled on her heel and stomped off toward the duty tent.

At Kiba's shoulder, someone gave a soft whistle. "Impressive. I don't think even Naruto's ever gotten her quite that pissed off."

Kiba shot a glare over his shoulder.

Standing at Kiba's shoulder, Kakashi's gaze followed Sakura stomping figure, but his gray eye was crinkled with humor. "Of course, no one's actually tried to piss her off." He frowned thoughtfully. "Except me." He turned to smile at Kiba.

Exasperated, Kiba rolled his eyes and heaved a sigh. "I'm just trying to keep her from dropping dead. Why won't she see that?"

Kakashi blinked. "Oh, I'm sure she does." He shrugged and chuckled. "Why do you think she's so pissed?" Abruptly he turned away and strolled off with his hands in his pockets.

Kiba frowned after Kakashi. Was that supposed to make sense? Shaking his head, he turned and stalked after Sakura.

Trudging across the forest floor, Sakura moved with grace, if not with speed. "I understand that I have to go home, but why the hell are you going too?"

Only a few paces behind her, and mounted on Akamaru's back, Kiba sighed. "Because Kakashi volunteered me to be your security escort." Not that he minded all that much. Sure, he wouldn't get much fighting in, but the view was really nice.

Sakura had a great ass. Of course, being down-wind was also a treat. Since she'd been on a mission, Sakura's scent was completely untainted by the sugary-sweet soaps and shampoos she normally used. Under the scent of clean cotton, silk and sun-warmed steel, he could actually detect her natural aroma; the light musk of sweat, sun-warmed skin, clean hair, and the subtle sweet-cream butter of female.

He'd kill to get a taste of that. Kiba shook his head sharply. Later! Think about that Later!

Sakura's shoulders hunched under her backpack. "I could have waited for the messenger detail and left with them."

Kiba rolled his eyes and sighed. "Sakura-chan, as you are right now-" without access to her chakra, "-you couldn't keep up with them."

Sakura swatted angrily at a wayward branch. "Tree-hopping doesn't take that much...energy."

Kiba nodded at the omission. When one was walking through enemy territory, one did not mention one's chakra levels, especially when they were low. "It takes more than you're allowed to use at the moment."

Sakura brought up her hands to tug on her hair. "Ahhh! I hate walking! It's going to take days just to get to the first checkpoint!"

Kiba smiled. "If you want to go faster, you could always ride Akamaru? He can tree-hop just fine and he wouldn't mind." He leaned over to stroke the big white dog's shoulder. "Would you boy? You wouldn't mind at all."

The floppy-eared dog woofed in clear agreement.

Sakura just shook her head. "I'm fine on my own."

Kiba sighed and folded his arms across Akamaru's neck. "What is so terrible about having someone help you when you need it?"

She turned to glare at him. "I am not weak!"

"No one said you were!" Kiba frowned. Where the fuck had that come from? "Being exhausted happens to anybody that works themselves into the ground. It doesn't make you weak." He snorted. "Just careless."

Sakura turned back to the trail and lifted her chin. "I wasn't careless! I knew exactly what I was doing."

"Oh, so you ran yourself down like that on purpose?" Kiba shook his head. "What's the point of saving someone's life if you kill yourself in the process? All that does is make the survivor feel guilty for living when you didn't."

Sakura stopped cold and turned to face Kiba with wide-eyes. The scent of cold shock rolled off of her. "What?"

Kiba frowned. "You can't tell me you didn't know? Your own instructor, Kakashi, is a prime example of survivor's guilt."

Sakura turned and began walking again, her chin low. Clearly, she was doing some thinking.

Kiba's frown deepened. Did this mean Sakura really hadn't realized this? Then again, from what he knew, she hadn't lost any of the important people in her life. Both of her parents were still alive, she didn't have any siblings, and she wasn't part of a large tight-knit clan. Both of her teammates were alive too, although one had gone bonkers and deserted. It was entirely possible that she'd never experienced what it was like to be alive when someone close had died.

However, Sakura's scent bothered him. It was...off, for lack of a better term. He squeezed his heels against Akamaru's sides a little to urge the dog to trot up alongside Sakura. "Sakura-chan...?"

She didn't look over at him. "Is that why...?"

Her voice was so soft Kiba almost missed it. "Hmm? Is what why?"

Sakura took a breath and lifted her head, but kept her gaze locked ahead. "Is that way Sasuke...did what he did, out of guilt for being alive when his clan...wasn't?"

"No way." Kiba snorted. "If he'd felt guilty for living, he'd have gone out of his way to rebuild his clan as fast as possible. As soon as he was of legal age, he'd have gotten married to at least two wives, maybe more, and had a pile of kids."

Sakura looked over at him frowning. "Married...? Really?"

Kiba nodded firmly. "Absolutely. I'm heir to the Inuzuka clan. If my clan had been killed that's what I would have done. In fact, it would have been my duty to do so. Not only that, but I would have searched the whole country for any and all Inuzukas who might have been missed and urged them to come to the village to help me." He turned to look at her. "When you're a clan leader, your clan comes first, especially when you're the only one who can bring that clan back."

Sakura frowned thoughtfully. "But when something goes wrong, isn't it the clan leader's responsibility to fix it?"

"Yes, but-!" Kiba scowled. "Revenge is a personal luxury no clan leader can afford, especially not when the very existence of his clan is at stake. What Sasuke should have done was hire the best assassin out there to take his brother out, not gone after him himself."

Sakura frowned. "Maybe he didn't know...?"

"Oh he knew all right." Kiba glared at the trees before him. "In fact he's probably known since the day it happened." The day they discovered that Sasuke was the only survivor of the Uchiha massacre. "Every clan leader in the village told him at least once that his first duty was to get married and find any survivors to help him rebuild his clan. I was sitting right next to my mom when she told him point blank to hire an assassin to go after his brother."

Sakura's head dropped lower and her feet dragged the ground. "Then..." She sniffed. "Then he probably doesn't intend to...rebuild his clan."

Kiba sighed. "Even if he turned himself in tomorrow, I doubt the village elders or the clan leaders would let him. He sided with the guy that killed our Hokage. There's no way they'd ever trust him, especially in a leadership position." I certainly wouldn't.

Sakura fisted her hands at her sides and shook her head. "But he killed that guy! That has to count for something?"

Kiba shook his head. "It might have if he'd come back then, but he didn't. Hell, he didn't even come back after he finally killed his brother."

The salty scent of tears, perfumed the air.

Kiba winced. He'd made her cry. "Look, I'm sorry if I upset you. I wasn't trying to be mean or anything. It's just..." He sighed heavily. "It's just how things are."

Sakura spoke with a voice that hitched only a little. "It's okay." She wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. "Actually, I appreciate you telling me." She looked at him with reddened eyes and damp lashes, but there was a smile on her lips, even if it trembled just a little. "I'd appreciate that ride too, if you don't mind?"

Kiba blew out a relieved breath and smiled. "I don't mind at all." He urged Akamaru to lie down then slid off his back. Kneeling at the dog's side, he laced his fingers together and cupped his joined hands. "Step on this."

With a nod, Sakura grabbed onto Akamaru's fur and stepped onto Kiba's hands.

Kiba shoved her up to straddle the huge dog's back. "Stay as close to his neck as you can get and hold on to his fur, not his collar. You'll choke him."

Sakura grabbed onto Akamaru's fur and scooted closer to the dog's neck.

The huge white dog rose to his feet and gave a hard shake in an obvious bid to settle his fur.

Sakura's eyes widened, but she stayed on.

Kiba smiled. Good girl! "You okay?"

"Yeah." Sakura turned to offer Kiba a small smile. "Thanks."

Kiba gave her a jaunty wave and a broad grin. "No problem. So, ready to hit the trees and make some speed?"

Sakura bit down on her full bottom lip. "Can we go slowly at first? I..." She smiled wryly. "I've never ridden before."

Kiba grinned broadly. "Sure." He patted his dog's shoulder. "Okay Akamaru, let's go, but take it easy on the lady, okay?"

Akamaru woofed happily. He started off at a walk that shifted smoothly into a swinging trot.

Smiling, Kiba jogged at the dog's side, easily keeping pace. He turned to Sakura. "When you're ready to go faster, lean forward and kind of scoot forward a little in the seat." He shrugged. "Or you can just say, 'go faster Akamaru.'"

Sakura nodded then leaned down to whisper. "Go faster Akamaru."

The dog woofed and lunged into a rolling lope.

Sakura abruptly laughed. "It's like riding a rocking horse!"

The sound went straight through Kiba's heart. He grinned and stretched out into a full run. Finally, Sakura was smiling - and it was glorious. "You ready for some trees?"

Grinning, Sakura nodded. "Yeah!"

Kiba chakra bounced ahead. "Akamaru, follow me!" He leaped onto the lowest branches he could find that would support their weight. Akamaru right on his heels, Kiba leaped higher and higher among the trees, until they reached a good altitude and speed for the dog carrying an inexperienced passenger. After that, it was just a matter of one chakra-powered leap after the next.

Kiba kept the pace quick, but not too fast, and the leaps nice and even. If Sakura lost her hold, she might have the chakra to grab onto a branch to stop her fall, but Kiba didn't want to chance that using it would hurt her.

It wasn't anywhere near the speed he and Akamaru were capable to going, but it still beat the crap out of walking. It also gave him plenty of time to admire the view. Sakura had a nice smile, something she didn't display all that often - anymore.

Shortly before sunset, Kiba called a halt to make camp for the night. While he strung the sleeping net between the branches of one of the larger trees, Akamaru carried Sakura to the ground to answer Nature's call.

Kiba had just tied off the last corner of the net when the sharp scent of living ozone - of chakra - tickled his nose. Every hair on his body rose. It was a tiny amount, barely noticeable in fact, but whoever was using it was close-too close. Either an unknown ninja was creeping up on them, or Sakura was using it, and Sakura was forbidden to use it.

Kiba took a deep sniff. The subdued musty scent of his dog was there and of course, himself. The slightly pungent trace of Sakura's sweat was easily recognizable. He didn't smell anyone else, but then he didn't expect to. Any half-way decent nin knew how to cover body scent. However, the scent of leather or canvas warmed by body heat was frequently overlooked. Even so, he didn't smell anything that wasn't his, Akamaru's or Sakura's. No trace of the tart steel of a sword or the bitter iron of kunai knives either. No one else was nearby - that he could detect. He leaned over the branch to look down at Akamaru who was still on the ground and woofed a soft question.

The white dog squinted up at Kiba with his floppy ears lifted, then he turned and sniffed deeply. He looked back up at Kiba and shook his head. No foreign humans.

That meant that the only one who could be using that chakra was...Sakura.

Anger boiled and a deep growl rumbled in Kiba's chest. Sakura was deliberately endangering herself. "Damn, that stubborn bitch!" He leaped out of the tree and bolted for the bushes where she was supposed to be 'doing her business'.

Sakura stood by the edge of a small stream dressed in only snug black shorts and a sports bra. Neatly folded by her feet and were her red sleeveless top and the pale pink long shirt. Laying next to her clothes were her tall shin guards, her medical hip bag, and the leather shuriken pouch normally taped to her thigh. Her chin was lifted and her eyes were closed. The slight ozone scent of spent chakra wafted around her in a swiftly dispersing cloud. A small smile played on her lips. She looked pleased with herself.

Instinct from all the way back to Kiba's canine ancestors roared to the fore. She was being disobedient and pleased about it. Lightning fast, Kiba closed in on her to fist the pink hair right at her nape, literally grabbing her by the scruff of the neck.

Sakura's eyes went wide. Almost faster than the eye could see, she cocked her arm back and the glow of chakra balled around her fist. She twisted sharply toward Kiba.

White-hot anger blazed through Kiba. It didn't occur to him what would happen if that chakra powered fist hit him. All that registered was that she was using her chakra again. His hand whipped out and he slapped the top if her fist - hard.

The chakra around Sakura's fist dissipated instantly and she yelped in shock.

Her hair still tight in his fist, Kiba shook her. "Bad girl! No chakra!"

Sakura scowled and grabbed for the hand holding her at the back of her neck. "You startled me, you ass!"

Kiba bared his long teeth and snarled. "I wasn't talking about that. You were using it before that." He shook her again. "Are you trying to kill yourself?"

Sakura twisted in his hold. "It was just a little! I was cleaning myself!"

"With chakra? There's a perfectly good stream right in front of you!" His voice dropped to a low growl. "I know you have soap on you. I can smell it."

Sakura curled her lip in a sneer. "My way works better!"

Kiba tightened his fist on her hair and glared at her, eye to eye. "Your way uses chakra."

Sakura winced and looked away. "Only a little...!"

"No chakra, Sakura!" Kiba shook her again. "The surgeon said NO chakra!"

Sakura shot a glare at him. "Will you quit that? I'm not a damned puppy!"

Kiba curled his lip baring a long fang. "Spoiled puppy or spoiled brat, I'm not seeing a big difference here."

"Spoiled...?" She abruptly huffed out a breath, rolled her green eyes, and folded her arms across her ample chest. "So, what are you going to do about it?" Her eyes narrowed and she smiled. "Spank me?"

Spank...? The image of Sakura's rounded butt bent over his lap - in all its naked and breath-taking glory - burned across Kiba's mind. His heart slammed in chest and heat spilled downward at an ungodly rate. Between one breath and the next, he was achingly hard. His eyes narrowed to slits and a smile curled his lips. "Fine."

Sakura's eyes widened until the whites showed all the way around the green, and her pupils dilated so wide the darkness nearly swallowed it. "What...?"