A/N: This is a very graphic story (extremely twisted). If you don't like, don't read. Themes of substance abuse, psychological manipulation, and many more will be present. TRIGGER WARNINGS.
UchiSaku. AU/ Graphic content, Rated M for a reason. Don't like? Don't read.
Summary: A rare and debilitating disorder took away her chances of living a normal life at a young age, now she is finally coming to a point in her life where she will have to traverse through different waves of crippling difficulty and revelations. UchiSaku. Dark themes ahead.
Read notes below once done, please. Thank you.
Ch 7: Cain and Abel
Soft pitter-patter of feet was the only sound that could only be heard in the floor they currently occupy. The well insulated condo was far from the sounds that the city provided. Sakura was tumbling and running around, trying to encourage sweat and action into her muscle and skin. She felt extremely restless as of the moment, although it was early in the afternoon; it seemed like the day just dragged on too much too long for her. She was becoming too irritable, whether she knew it or not. Her mood was starting to become a regular occurrence, her brothers and her doctor couldn't describe why this was happening exactly. Her sleeping spells were far in between now, verging on 6 days apart if she's lucky and on average 4 days. The said one month stay in the city extended to a couple more weeks.
She has truly never felt more awake in her life than before; the lethargy that she thought has stuck to her bones had staved off and instead was replaced with bursting amounts of energy. She felt like she could run for hours, like she could finally walk out into the city without the help of her brothers. She dreaded the time of the day when she would have to head to Tsunade's office to 'talk'. The talks were frequent and too long, it irked her to answer the same answers over and over again. The doctor refused to take any other answer just as is. They would often glare at one another when Sakura was in her feistier moods. It frustrated Tsunade more than anything else, from a sweet girl turned an angst filled teenager. The sudden mood swing and lashing out was starting to bother the doctor.
The soft jingle of keys and the sound of hinges unlocking snapped her attention to a halt. She panted harshly; the biting cold of the centralized conditioning burned her nostrils. Her green eyes saw the almost ominous like figure of her brother Madara walk in, all tall and muscular in his glory.
Sakura was just wearing a modest slip of white. The thin straps on her shoulders slipped a little the moment her shoulders stopped tensing. Madara caught this and almost snapped in anger for the choice of clothing that she was left in. Although the material wasn't technically see through or tight, it still left little to the imagination. The contours of her body were well pronounced in a subtle fashion. "What in the world are you doing?" his tone betrayed the intimidating look that he was trying to wear for Sakura. "Exercise." She said simply. Her long hair was left in a messy braid which Madara assumed she did for herself. The sun was high in the sky and its light flitted through the interior of the place, ironically, it seemed like the place only brightened up because Sakura was the vibrant splash of color there. He raised a delicate brow at the current stance Sakura took up. She was like a cornered animal. One thing was for sure though, ever since the time Sakura got sick with a fever she was never the same again after the hospital confinement.
She became guarded, or at least, as guarded as she could possibly be. She just became overall annoying to deal with most especially when she kept her tantrums up and that bratty attitude with her with the one line answers. 'Fucking teenagers' Madara thought.
Sakura became flustered with all the staring Madara was doing. She was not sure if her brother was thinking of something bad about her of he was planning something awful, like making her study an entire chapter in one sitting. Sakura flinched when Madara nodded to himself in approval for something she wasn't sure of. "Get dressed into something comfy. We're going out." He said almost gruffly. Sakura lifted a brow at this, but didn't have time to argue the moment Madara lowered his, a silent threat that if she didn't follow there was something more to come. She scurried off real quick in fear of a surprise quiz made by Madara.
The scurrying of feet left Madara at ease knowing she was getting dressed herself. It was a miracle that Itachi wasn't with her, the boy barely left her side or left her with nothing to do. He breathed in lightly trying to still his nerves from the sight of a flustered Sakura. She was such a docile little thing, always cooped up somewhere, lightly running or admiring the smallest things. She would always do something you'll expect her to be doing. She's always in one place, but now it seemed like she was starting to go to places on her own. Madara looked outside of the living room windows. They were located in the highest floor possible, and in the morning the city wasn't as impressive of a sight under the sun.
Suddenly his hearing became muted, not a single sound passed through his ears as he watched birds fly through his view. Black little things flitting through the sky and perching on the heated cement of any building ledge they can latch onto. Madara's heart quickened at the thought of Sakura jumping off of the building. His pulse reverberated through his temple. The image so unexplainably vivid, as if what he was thinking was actually real, but he calmed himself down eventually. A calm realization just washed over him.
"Madara?" her voice called out to him catching his attention. For once he was at a loss for words while looking at Sakura. She changed into a pair of light washed jeans, and a delicate looking white wool sweater. Her hair was still in a messy braid, the hairs that stuck to her face was finally starting to dry off from her sweat and Madara waited in baited breath.
"Come here for a second." His voice was hushed as if his throat refused to give way for the air to pass. Sakura quirked her brows together, confused to see Madara like this but followed nonetheless. Something was affecting her big brother so much and it confused her. When she was close enough to finally touch Madara gently tugged at her arm and made her sit on his lap facing him. "What's happening, Mada-ani?" genuine concern crossed her features this time seeing Madara this way as if he was seeing something like never before. His eyes we now half lidded, long inky lashed fanning his high cheekbones. Her big brother was such a handsome man, just like all of her brothers.
Madara's hands cupped her face, warm and gentle like he always was to her in moments like these. His long hair framed the rest of his body, the sated smile on his lips calmed Sakura significantly for some reason. "You're getting better, aren't you?" his voice was so deep, if she wasn't this close she would have never heard him. She couldn't find it in herself to give a vocal response, all she could do was nod at him for an answer. Madara exhaled through his nose observing Sakura closely, and this did not bother her seeing as his eyes roamed all over her body. Just the mere stance and the way she acted have changed considerably. The meek little girl they were taking care of for the longest time was no more. Younger bodies have so much energy in them, he thought. He chuckled at the idea, catching Sakura off guard. "What's so funny?" Madara smiled at her question, he fully closed his eyes and placed his forehead on hers. Sakura pouted unknowingly at this.
"You're growing up, my little robin." He murmured. The smell of mint wafted through her nose at their closeness. The overtly male perfume that he wore crowded her senses, making her feel all the safer, remembering all the times she had spent sleeping in her big brothers' arms or just letting them just simply hold her. His right hands ventured past her cheek and dove right into her scalp, massaging it, and eventually trailed lower to the end of her braid and removing the very thing that tied it together. Her hair was curled lightly from the braid she wore. Madara actively combed it with his fingers to straighten out the knots that had formed. Sakura just didn't understand what Madara was getting at right now, but it was as if she was starting to get affected by the calmness he was exuding. "You're growing up too quickly." he said.
"You're finally spreading your wings, little robin." Just as suddenly scattered shadows covered them fast and quick, Sakura watched the flock of birds fly past their windows real quick. Madara's eyes never left her face though, he chuckled again this time. It was good to know that she still had that innocence left in her. "Madara, I'm not a bird." She huffed, humoring him a little. He directed her head to his again to make sure that their foreheads were resting on one another again. "I know you aren't. You just remind me of one." The solemn look on his face was replaced with a bigger smile. "Sasuke was just like this when he was your age. Although you guys don't have that big of an age gap, I'd like to believe we all went through this phase one by one."
Sakura was listening, pouring all of her attention to the words of her brother. "You must be confused right now for your age; everything is different for you than anyone else. I understand you completely.-" he paused.
Sakura grabbed both of his hands that now rested on her waist, firmly gripping them as if to signal that she was still listening. Madara watched her eyes get clouded with guilt, knowing how she has been treating everyone around her unfairly and rudely. Her nose tingled with a warm sensation, the signal of tears that was about to flow but she stopped this. Madara couldn't help but smile as he noticed. "Sasuke was never as bratty like this." Madara rolled his eyes in a comical fashioned and scoffed loudly. Sakura giggled at this. "That's what you know." He muttered.
"I won't be there for you every step of the way like Itachi is, or watch you like he does, but I'm proud that you are learning, and that you are still my little Sakura." The girl blushed at her brother's praise. All the annoyance melted right off of her that instant, making her think about all of the actions that she has done as of late. "Madara- ani, I love you." She said sweetly, so innocently.
Warmth bloomed in his chest, an overwhelming surge of action coursed through his veins, but he squashed it vehemently inside. Instead he breathed out, and smiled. "I love you too, Sakura." He prayed that this side of her will never change; he hopes she will always be this affectionate. She is the only woman he'll ever care for like this asides from her mother.
It was a sweet and tender moment that he would like to remember for himself. "We better get going now, we don't want to be late." He said a little too loudly this time as he helped Sakura get off of him and he followed suit. Sakura instinctively held onto one of his hands as they were walking out of the condo. "Are we going to the hospital again?" she asked genuinely curious. She didn't recall that there would be an appointment today.
"Hm, that remains to be seen." Madara answered playfully.
Lights, numerous lights and sounds enveloped her. She was in shock and in complete awe. There were various people littered on the floor, almost everyone was either occupied by a screen or watching someone play. "Madara this is amazing!" she screamed as the loud music and noise was deafening almost. Madara smiled at her, remembering that when his little brothers were much smaller brats, reacted almost the same. The arcade was a small reprieve from the prim and proper life that their father had built around them. He was allowed to be as crass and as violent as he wanted to be without having any real consequences to his action. Sakura watched people dance around imitating what they saw on screen. She played more than she could handle in the arcade, hands eventually sore and cramping from the never done before activities that she just went through, but she looked absolutely exhilarated. Madara accompanied her gracefully, subtly intimidating every boy who ogled too long or stood too close. Luckily Sakura was too oblivious with the attention that everyone was giving her. The lustful stares from men and delinquents alike, or the jealous stares the women of those said men would dart to her. But ever so blissfully she brushed them off one by one, not really caring or understanding the type of attention she draws from other people.
The two of them got stuck in one game in particular, Sakura enjoying wielding the toy gun a little too much and randomly shooting at the monsters in the game. Her voice was starting to become raw from screaming too much and it was Madara's little cue to swipe her away from here. Sakura was still giggling with the adrenaline in her system. People looked at her left and right as she was whisked away by Madara's careful lead.
She looked like a young princess being lead off by her suspicious looking consort, all dressed in black with a matching face mask to cover half of his face. So as long as no one knew who he was he was fine, it wasn't necessarily nice for opposing enemies to find out that the greatest up and coming politician Madara Uchiha was seen escorting the Uchiha's well hidden adopted sister.
Madara deeply relished the privacy that they were provided right now. The small, extremely well hidden café they stayed in was difficult to find and get into. Only whispers from the elite and the resourceful could manage to squeeze a reservation in, or let alone reserve the entire place just to spend a few hours or a meal with Sakura. The almost suffocating facemask that he wore was now removed from his face, and his coat long forgotten on a coat rack. Sakura was eating a carefully crafted meal made of pasta and a pastry paired with some sparkling wine. Her hair was a mess but it looked like she completely belonged in the western styled café. Madara smiled at the sight of her eating and looking around all wide eyed. She almost but spluttered when the bubbles in her nonalcoholic drink tickled her palette. It was an endearing sight, all the more so when she barely notices the detail and extreme extravagance of the place.
"Don't eat too fast, I don't want you getting sick. We have one more place to go to." Madara said coolly as he sipped the scotch in his glass. Her green eyes widened in excitement, and she was just right to do so. It seemed like Madara was hell-bent on treating Sakura to a fun day today.
Right outside their private view of the city the pavement was starting to get painted in white as the tiniest flecks of snow started to fall again. "What's this one going to be next Madara- ani?" she asked, all giddy and excited. He just smirked in response to annoy her more. She quickened the pace ignoring the warning Madara had asked and rushed to their next destination wherever that was.
The car that he previously drove was nowhere in sight in the parking lot and this time instead there was another black car all sleek and darkly tinted that drove them to their next destination. Sakura missed the heavy security guards in the area that were obviously working for Madara. The man behind the wheel looked at the rearview mirror to take approval from Madara to move and he gave it, whilst closing the indoor window to give them more privacy.
Sakura kept probing Madara for at least a little clue as to where they could possibly be going. "Come on, Madara-ani! At least a little clue won't hurt?" she all but begged this time around. He was close to giving in, but he kept reminding himself that he was not a lesser man to do so.
The ride didn't take too long with the light amount of traffic on that day. The car halted and the facemask that Madara wore was back on his face becoming all mysterious and such. This time it was an amusement park that they stopped in, all lively with sounds and the seasons festivities. Madara was completely on edge watching out every possible position to escape in any case something might go wrong. Sakura was too distracted for the life of her, looking at every ride that caught her interest. Most of them intimidated her with heights and varying speeds in all directions. She was steering them to a particular roller coaster but Madara stopped her in her tracks. "That's not where we're going tonight young lady." He chided. "Then where?" Sakura swore that she could see him smirk underneath that black mask.
Madara took the lead aiming for the deepest part of the amusement park where the crowd was slowly thinning and most of the people lined up were couples. The ferris wheel was huge and traversed slowly, it wasn't something that looked particularly interesting for Sakura, but she waited in baited breath because she knew Madara might have something up his sleeve. Madara watched Sakura observe the people in line, all couples holding hands much like what she would do to her brothers. Their faces were close to one another, speaking hushed words for their ears only with a light blush on the apples of their cheeks. Sakura watched but didn't completely understand the gravity of the situation. One couple in particular that held hands together had both of their faces a hair width apart, lips lightly touching when one of them spoke but not fully kissing. Madara watched Sakura's face; he was expecting a lot of couples here but not as brazen as the ones that was right in front of them.
Her face was blank, or more like just taking in what they were doing. Like a flash of lightning the man suddenly cupped the girls cheek and kissed her forehead tenderly and moved on with the line. Sakura tightened her grip on Madara's hand and her free one flew to her forehead, the very same spot where most of her brothers would always kiss her. Madara all but hid his smile even more when he saw the light blush that dusted her cute face.
"Mada-ani, they love one another like we love one another." She said in a hushed tone just for him to catch.
Madara stilled, the situation dawning onto him. "Yes" was all he could say. The assistant lead them to their own private booth and the whirring of the machine was the only thing that was heard besides the occasional sounds of awe Sakura would make the higher the wheel rotated. She was basically glued to the windows, cooing at how bright the lights are and it looked like billions of stars. Sakura was never like this, never inside their own home, she will never be this happy as long as she's stuck where they keep her.
Sakura looked at Madara, shadows playing and making shaped on his white skin. He was so beautiful in this light, or maybe it was because of the beauty of the place that's why Sakura just noticed this. Although he kept a cool face she felt like there was something amiss. "Aniki?" she whispered. "Is there something wrong?" she asked.
Madara shook his head, easing her worried a little bit. "Come here, little bird." Sakura didn't hesitate to assume the same position like the one they did this morning. It was like instinct all natural and the same. Her soft thighs were warm and her heat bled through his clothes. The dark did very little to the vibrancy of her eyes. "Will you promise your big brother one thing?"
Sakura tilted her head to the side, "What is it?" her soft lips pursing. "No matter what happens, you'll always come back to me." Me.
It was not a we, not an us, but me.
Sakura scoffed, thinking this was becoming too trivial and she giggled. "Of course, Aniki!" she exclaimed, singing to the high heavens her devotion and promise without thinking of the gravity of the words she was letting go of. Madara breathed out loudly again, resting his forehead on hers. Sakura remembered the couple right in front of them just now, how they did the very same thing her brothers would do to her. There was no malicious or sexual intent in her eyes, no abashment, no shying away because she didn't know that what they were doing wasn't exactly something a brother and a sister should be doing.
"No matter what you find out, you'll always love me, right?" he asked, so vulnerable and unsure. This lack of confidence in his tone was starting to scare Sakura. "Big brother, I will always love you. We are family right?" she whispered back tenderly, the innocence burned Madara to the core. Madara placed his face closer and met no resistance from Sakura. Their lips could touch if one of them spoke.
The wheel stopped, staying in a standstill as each and every passenger was granted time to enjoy the view at the highest peak, but the both of them were too distracted. Sakura felt like having a heavy heart knowing that she has overlooked each and every single one of her brothers and the burdens that they all carried. "When I completely become better, I'm going to help each and every single one of you." She said in a small voice, shaking, on the verge of tears but not quite. "I'll be a good Uchiha, the kind you all will be proud of."
Madara's sullen smile was handsome, "What did we do to deserve you." Sakura's mouth felt warm as Madara placed his over hers. It was a simple kiss, no other movement besides the simple action of placing a pair of lips onto another. Madara stayed there for what felt like an eternity, although Sakura didn't know what this meant exactly, it was the first time someone did this to her. The sensation was so different.
Madara parted from her lips eventually, savoring it as much as he could. He ignored the fact that he was decades older than her. It was a chaste kiss, in his opinion. The tiny token of affection was something that he had wanted to give her for the longest time, as each of his brothers must have thought so too.
This tiny reprieve was something he has been wanting for the longest time from his Sakura.
The trip home was lulling Sakura's tired bones to sleep. The sensory overstimulation from today's activities finally took the toll on her body, she was sleepy but it a sated way. She was buzzing and happy, resting her head on her big brother's shoulder. She welcomed the sleep that washed over her eventually, for once not feeling like a curse but a blessing that granted her rest to face another day.
Madara eventually had to carry her to their condo. She was dozed off happily in his arms, not having a care in the world when she was usually in this kind of state. Madara opened the door to their floor effortlessly as if resting the majority of her weight to his other hand like it was nothing. The sight of a seething Itachi greeted him full force, sitting on a chair with an ominous look on his face although deceptively calm. "Glad that you are finally home." He said.
Madara just responded with 'Hn'. Itachi stood up too quickly, the rage well contained within his actions. "Let go of her before she gets dirtied by you, Madara." Itachi's deep voice verged on gravely, rasping the little venom he intended to place behind each and every word. Madara scoffs at this, smirking at his obvious aggravation. "Be careful who you threaten, little brother. I'm not as gracious as you think I am today." Both men in the room were ready to snap at one another, if it weren't for the girl in Madara's arms they would have beaten each other to a bloody pulp already.
A soft sigh escaped Sakura as she snuggled deeper into Madara's chest, in turn making him smirk smugly. "I'd be careful if I were you, Itachi."
Madara, unlike the rest of his brothers, was overtly violent when he was given a chance and reason to be. He wasn't afraid of lashing out when provoked, it just so happens that he was easier to stroke than the rest of them. Itachi wasn't dumb enough to compromise the Sakura in a situation like this. "Leaving her in a fucking slip, if this is how you usually leave her like this morning I would consider seriously starting to hire more capable help." Madara's glare was wild, matching Itachi's violent one. The rare snarl was placed on the younger ones lips. "I have dedicated my entire life for her, I am the only one more capable of taking care of Sakura. You think anyone can just take care of her like the way she is?" the spite in Itachi's voice edged the hairs on Madara's arms in the wrong way. Adrenaline was slowly coursing through their bodies, numbing them down considerably just to prepare them to have the ability to not be bothered by pain from a fight.
Although Sakura was nestled safely in Madara's arms, the man took brisk strides towards Itachi, malevolent looking and intimidating in nature. In his ungodly towering height, he lowered himself very lightly to face Itachi, letting Sakura's backside brush over him slightly. "I don't care what you think of yourself, little brother-" Madara pauses, giving him a mocking smile. "You're not a hero for shamelessly pining for someone you will never have."
In a gentle manner, betraying every single notion of silent violence that they want to enact towards one another, Madara hands Itachi the girl, careful not to make it uncomfortable and giving her the warm contact of Itachi's body as to not be bothered by the cold.
"As much as I want to teach you a lesson, I have better things to do." His grin aggravated Itachi to the highest hell, but he held Sakura closer instead, reminding himself that there are more important things to do than act on his craving to kill the man.
Madara turned around having his black coat billow behind him as he walked in big strides.
A/N: Thanks to all of you, you're all great, will post more regularly now. I feel amazing to see how much I progressed-ish (if I did do so.) I'm slowly getting comfy interacting with you guys. Feel free to privately message me if you want to discuss something or ask something. Thank you again, to all of you.
ALSO, .1, you are close. Thank you so much for paying attention.
