What Bloomed

Part Two: Was Love

"Don't bend the spines of the books."

That was one of the first things Sakura recalled hearing him say.

She had arrived later than the rest of the group. An old friend had asked her to provide some input about some artifacts they had excavated from an ancient temple.

One look at the pieces had made it clear to Sakura that they were dragon-made. But she knew no one would believe her if she said so. So she made some vague observations about time periods and possible uses. The gathered scholars nodded and jotted down notes. It was in the middle of this excavation that a letter had arrived from Tenten, asking if she could join her on this lucrative assignment.

Sakura had worked with Tenten on a few expeditions. She knew that Tenten only took jobs that seemed worthwhile. So she penned back a quick reply before she began packing her things.

The rest of the group had already set out with their supplies. Sakura rode a few days to the west before she managed to catch up with them. They were holed up in an abandoned castle, digging through the moldy library and searching through whatever documents the previous occupants had left behind.

As everyone waded through the mess to introduce themselves, Madara stayed right where he was. Squinting through the dusty windows, scowling a little harder each time he flipped a page.

"Garbage," he declared after a moment. He snapped it shut and placed it on a tall pile- presumably full of other rejects. HIs head snapped to the side when he noticed Shikamaru pull a thick book from one of the shelves that hadn't collapsed yet. When he pried the cover open, Madara frowned.

"Don't bend the spines of the books."

Shikamaru shot him an incredulous look. "You've spent the last two days calling everything in this place garbage. And you're worried about bent spines?"

When Madara's eyes only narrowed further, Shikamaru huffed. He shoved the book up against Madara's chest.

"Fine. You read all these damn things. I'll go lumber my way around like the stupid beast I am," Shikamaru grumbled, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Please do," answered Madara, his nose already in this book.

Sakura watched the exchange with interest. As Shikamaru stalked off, Temari followed after him, laughing about something. That left her standing in the room with Madara. She observed him squinting in the dark. Obviously not trusting a lantern with a flame around such delicate texts.

She swirled her fingers together. A wisp of golden light flared up between them. She repeated the action with her other hand. When she tossed the light over to Madara's side of the room, he finally looked over at her. As if he had just realized that she was still there.

"Is that one garbage too?" Sakura asked.

His eyebrows rose. When she gestured to the book, he glanced down at it. Then over at the orb of warm light hovering beside him.

"….No, actually. This one might be useful," he said so softly that it almost seemed like he was talking to himself. His gaze lingered on the magical light again.

"Thank you. I'm Madara," he then added.

"I'm Sakura. I promise not to bend the spines," replied Sakura as she opened the nearest text.

She expected him to be just a dry scholar. After all, he was obsessed with reading. And he recited facts like he was a walking encyclopedia. Those were the sorts of men that were so easy to fluster.

So it completely blindsided Sakura when she settled beside him one evening and realized that he knew how to flirt just as well as her.

The others had gone to bed after supper. Not that she judged. They had spent the past few days searching for hidden passages and safes all over the castle. A section of rotted floor had collapsed under them and they had spent the better part of the day searching for a way out. Sakura was glad that the books had kept her far away from that mess.

Sakura had decided to go to bed over an hour ago. But after her bath, she found herself lying awake on her bedroll. Staring up at the canvas ceiling of her tent.

"I thought you were 'sick of reading' for the day?" Madara greeted her when she pushed the door open. She had thrown a cloak over her clothes. The castle was drafty- especially since parts of the ceiling were missing.

"Why? Did you miss me?" she teased as she took a seat beside him.

To her surprise, her tore his gaze away from the book in his lap. And he smiled. "And if I said I did?"

She choked a little and pretended that some dust had gotten into her throat.

A week after Sakura arrived, it was time to move on to the next location on the map.

Maybe it was because Madara often stayed up late, he didn't say much in the morning. When she offered him some tea, he gulped it down with his eyes still closed. He nodded his thanks to her before he shuffled off to disassemble his tent.

Once they were on the road, Temari attempted to make conversation.

"So, Tenten says you've done a couple jobs together." She leaned across her saddle to speak. Clicking his tongue, Shikamaru pushed her back upright. He nagged, "Careful" under his breath.

Sakura nodded. "The last time we saw each other was… a year ago?" Sakura looked over at Tenten for confirmation. The other woman nodded.

"Some mountain ruins and a weird code to decipher. I wasn't paying much attention to that part. My job was fighting off bandits," confessed Tenten.

"So ruins are your thing?" Temari inquired.

Sakura laughed. "I guess so. There's just…. so much knowledge in the past that we've forgotten. Seems a shame to let it all go to waste."

Madara didn't say anything, but his face softened a little as he looked her way.

The next place they arrived was a small magic academy. Their client had written them a letter of introduction. The headmaster didn't seem too pleased, but he opened the doors to them.

Sakura threw her luggage down in the room the headmaster showed her before she was running in the direction of the archives. When Madara arrived a half hour later, she was already lost among the shelves.

"Anything of interest?" he asked as he shut the door behind him.

Her head peered around the edge of a massive bookshelf that reached all the way to the gilded ceiling.

"They have the unabridged History of the Deep Mountains here," she whispered.

Madara's eyes widened.

"An excerpt?" he asked.

She shook her head. "The whole thing. Including a list of references," she responded.

Madara's eyes seemed to sparkle as she deposited the heavy book in his waiting hands.

It was nice perusing through a collection that didn't raise clouds of dust each time they moved.

The librarian seemed to have been sent by the headmaster to keep tabs on them. As if without supervision they would start tearing the books and setting them on fire. Sakura muttered this suspicion to Madara. He chuckled.

Sakura preferred to gather all her books and curl up in a corner. Surrounded by the stacks, it made it easier for her to hide from anyone who came looking for her. And when she was done with one reading, she could simply pluck the next one from a pile.

Madara, on the other hand, walked while he read. Sometimes he leaned. But he was almost always standing. He spread his fingers to carry the book while the other peeled back the pages. More than once, Sakura found her gaze lingering on his hands. At the elegant way they curved around the corners of whatever book was fortunate enough to receive his attention that day.

Something else she noticed was that he hated when someone tried to speak to him while he read. Shikamaru cared the least about Madara's irritation. So he had no issues with opening the library doors to share some update.

Madara's nostrils would flare. Mouth twisting to one side, he stopped moving his eyes across the page. If Shikamaru's interruption lasted more than a few seconds, he would look up from his work with a glower. Shikamaru had no problem glaring right back. Sometimes Sakura wondered if he ever considered throwing a book at him.

She asked.

Madara turned away from his reading with a furrow in his brow.

"And risk damaging a book? Never," he answered.

Sakura found herself smiling. She rested her chin on the edge of her own tome. "Maybe a chair then?"

Madara considered that. He leaned against the nearest table with one hand. He snapped the book shut. But she didn't worry. He always remembered what page he had been on.

"These chairs are heavy," he answered, nudging one with the tip of his boot.

Sakura tilted her head to one side. She let it rest against her shoulder. "I'd help you."

Her stomach fluttered at the warmth that filled his smile. His eyes crinkled a little.

"I'm honored," Madara replied.

"You're going to start growing mushrooms if you stay cooped up inside for too long," Tenten scolded her as she urged her to drink one night.

Sakura had planned to spend the evening in the library. Mostly in silence with Madara. Occasionally sharing excerpts from their individual readings. Maybe trading a few jokes here and there. But Temari and Tenten had dragged her away from the library and shoved a flask into her hand. Sakura sniffed at the contents and made a noise of disgust. Still, she took a sip. It didn't taste as bad as it smelled.

She liked this group of people. She had taken countless jobs before. Most of the people she traveled with were mercenaries, who always had interesting stories to tell. People, she found, were just like books. It took time and effort to truly understand them.

As she had suspected, Shikamaru and Temari were a couple.

"Married, actually," Temari announced proudly as she showed off her simple silver band. She nudged Shikamaru, who produced his hand and displayed the matching ring on his finger.

"We're saving up to buy a house. Fill it with kids," Temari then said.

"Fill it? What's that mean?" Tenten wondered.

"10," Temari declared.

"3," Shikamaru countered.

They exchanged a look that said they weren't entirely serious.

"9," Temari amended.

"1," Shikamaru said in return.

Tenten made a gagging noise as the couple leaned in to kiss. But Sakura smiled.

"So, now that we've got some booze in you, speak up. We already know Tenten's story," Temari then grilled her. She leaned against Shikamaru's arm.

Sakura stared down at her flask with suspicion.

"Is this an interrogation?" she demanded.

Shikamaru shrugged while Temari laughed.

Sakura knew all about Tenten too. She was open about herself that way. Her mom and sister ran a weapons shop in the south somewhere. Tenten had a fiancee- an uptight paladin she had known since childhood.

"He only pretends to be grumpy. He's sweet, honestly," Tenten protested when Temari teased her about it.

Temari raised her eyebrows. "Speaking of grumpy…" She didn't need to finish her sentence. Everyone knew who she was referring to.

Sakura took a swig of her drink- just to avoid having to speak.

"Lingering glances? Don't think I haven't noticed," Temari wheedled.

"You think researching dead people is romantic?" scoffed Sakura. She wiped the back of her hand across her mouth.

Shikamaru arched an eyebrow at her. "Do you not?"

Her next sip went down the wrong way.

Temari burst out laughing.

Still, it wasn't bad to sit here chatting like this. The conversation turned to hometowns and childhoods. Tenten and Sakura told the story of the job they took to steal an old map from a backstabbing merchant. They laughed. And it reminded Sakura of long gone times. Sitting at her parents' feet as they traded stories like this too.

As the drinks ran out, Shikamaru circled back.

"He's too old for you," he pointed out.

"I think it's cute. The two bookworms becoming the two lovebirds," declared Temari.

Eventually, their joking grew too slurred and too silly. Sakura excused herself for the night as Temari and Tenten broke into song together. Shikamaru waved at her as she walked off into the night. Steps teetering just a little as she snuck her way back to the library.

Unsurprisingly, the light was still on. She could see it flickering under the door before she pushed it open.

Madara sat in front of the fireplace. Book in one hand. The other tucked under his chin. His fingers moved as he read. There was a furrow in his brow. He didn't even acknowledge her entrance with a look. Maybe he hadn't even noticed her walk in.

He did notice her when she leaned against his arm, craning over his shoulder to peek at his page.

"Anything worthwhile? Or more garbage?" she inquired.

Madara blinked. He lifted his head, turning to meet her gaze.

"There you are. I thought you'd been kidnapped," he said.

She smiled. "I was. Into drinks and socializing. You should try it sometime."

He looked disgusted at the prospect. Still, he didn't tell her to move away from him. In fact, he shut his book and placed it on the table.

Sakura reached for it. She ran her fingers over the gold lettering on the cover.

"It's garbage, by the way. Wildly inaccurate and speculative. I don't know who in their right mind would have published this shoddy work," Madara answered her earlier question.

She smiled again.

"You know, don't you?" she asked him.

"Know what?" Madara didn't seem annoyed at her vague wording. In fact, he almost seemed amused. That expression slipped off his face when she sat on the armrest of his chair. She placed a hand on his shoulder for balance.

"It has to be on purpose. There's no way you don't know," she went on.

When Madara simply blinked at her, Sakura sighed. She put her other hand on his other shoulder.

"That I think it's sexy when you criticize books. You do it on purpose," Sakura accused.

Madara went very still.

"The sexy, critical scholar thing. It's an act, isn't it? Just to try to get me into bed. Did Tenten tell you I was into that? Ugh, I'm going to kill her," she ranted.

She only stopped talking when she felt Madara's hand rest on her knee. She looked down at him. The expression on his face made her cheeks warm.

"I am a critical scholar. I suppose you finding it sexy is just a pleasant… side benefit," Madara responded. His hand squeezed very gently around her knee. And then it fell away.

"But this is something we should discuss later. Maybe after you've have a good night's sleep," he then suggested. When Sakura didn't move, he grasped her forearms and pulled her hands into her lap. He clasped his hands around hers.

"I'm not that drunk," she protested.

He smiled. "Perhaps not. Tomorrow. We'll talk then," he said anyway.

He sent her off to bed.

Sakura woke in the morning with a headache, half-wondering if she had dreamt the whole conversation. And when she realized it hadn't all been a strange dream, she almost dreaded having to face Madara again. She slunk back into the library, eyes darting nervously around the huge archive.

"How are you feeling? Should I close the curtains for you?"

Sakura jumped as she spotted him walking out from behind a bookshelf. There was an encyclopedia open in his hands. Their eyes met. His smile was filled with warmth. No different than normal.

"I… No, I'm fine. Good morning," she fumbled the words out as best as she could.

"Excellent. I found something last night. I was hoping to get your insight on it," Madara then said, gesturing to the huge text in his hands. He walked over to set it down a table. Her awkwardness forgotten, Sakura joined him to squint down at the pages. Her face lit up as she realized what she was looking at.

"Oh! I've seen this! This is a reference to an old folk tale. I've only ever seen it referenced in other works before. Is this the original?" Sakura gushed. She reached for the book. Madara pushed it over without protest as she flipped through the pages. She paused to skim through the footnotes.

"Are you doing this on purpose too, then?"

His voice was so quiet that she almost missed it.

"Hm?"

"Your scholar thing. I also find it extremely attractive," Madara confessed.

If she had been carrying the book, she would have dropped it. Probably on his foot by accident.

Sakura didn't dare look at him. She kept her eyes fixed on the page.

"Just the scholar thing?" she heard herself ask.

He chuckled. The sound made her knees go weak.

"No. Not just that. Although, I'm uncertain you'd want me to elaborate when we have an audience."

Sakura glanced up in time to see the red-faced librarian duck behind a shelf.

Sakura took a deep breath to calm herself. Her hand clenched against the tabletop.

"Madara." His name came out as the tiniest whisper.

"Yes?"

"I want to kiss you so badly right now."

The answering silence was crushing. She stole a glance at him. Half-expecting him to have turned his back on her. Instead, he was watching her. Like he was considering something. When she reached back to take his hand, he seemed to come to a decision.

"Let's go," he said.

"To where?" she asked. Bewildered.

"I don't know. Somewhere quiet so you can kiss me, I suppose."

And she let him pull her. Trying to stifle her laughter as they ran down the corridor together.

When they moved on from the academy, it took them several weeks to reach their next destination. Madara wasn't one for public affection, but he didn't seem to mind when she let her hand brush over his. Or when she snuck a quick kiss to the cheek when no one was looking. In fact, his expression softened whenever she did. The usual scowl returned to his face by the time anyone else was looking at him again.

At night, when everyone else had crawled into their tents, Sakura pressed her back against his and let her head fall against his shoulder.

He often asked her what she was thinking about.

"I'm not always pondering historical lore, you know," she warned once.

And she felt his back shaking as he laughed a little.

"I know. So what are you thinking about if not historical lore?" he insisted.

Sometimes she was remembering a happy memory. Other times, she was looking forward to running water and a clean bed again. Once, he asked, and it happened to be when she was imagining kissing him again. He was only happy to make her daydream come true right then and there.

She had never met anyone like him before. Someone who challenged her wit, and delighted to be challenged in return. Whenever they argued about sources or about which historical account to believe, he never seemed angry or frustrated. In fact, he looked ecstatic when she would pull out a fact that proved him wrong.

She was glad that Madara's prickliness made the others reluctant to disturb their research. It meant that she could curl up against his side with a book and her notebook to scribble in. And if she wanted to stretch her legs across his lap, he had no problem resting his reading on her shins as they worked. If she came across a word she didn't know, he always took the time to explain it in terms she could understand.

A few times, she nodded off in the middle of a sentence. She came to a few hours later with his cloak draped over her shoulders. Sometimes his hand stroked her arm or back.

Their expedition was meant to span across a few weeks. But as they dug into the archives, they found more information that implied more powerful connections. The client offered more money for greater detail. And everyone was more than happy to accept the negotiated contract. After all, Shikamaru, Temari, and Tenten were mostly free to do as they pleased while Madara and Sakura continued their research. It was probably the easiest job they would ever have.

One of their sources led them to a decadent archive in a huge city. The sheer size of the marble and gold building made Sakura's jaw drop when they first arrived. The lord of this city was friends with their client. And so they were provided with the finest lodgings and the best food. Shikamaru and Temari looked close to tears of joy as they sipped the vintage wine. Tenten declared that she never wanted to leave her feather bed again.

It was there, in that dazzling city with the glittering lights that Madara held her for the first time. The pleasure was wonderful. Of course it was. But what she relished even more was the closeness that came afterwards. The ease in his face as he drifted off to sleep. The yawning greeting when they woke in the morning. His hand resting on her back, her leg as they read, almost like he didn't even realize he was touching her. As if it was the most natural thing in the world to always be this close.

Tenten complained about being stuck between two nauseating couples on this trip now. But not even that teasing could ruin the days and nights that ached with how perfect they felt.

They left the city eventually. On the road towards their next destination.

Their group journeyed for almost a year together. Gathering knowledge. Stumbling upon lost treasures and inevitably getting tangled up in the research for those artifacts too. They complained that this was such an unnecessarily complicated job. But Sakura knew from the way they smiled and joked on the road that no one was unhappy. And she envied the way humans were able to make families in such unconventional ways.

And one night, as the leaves began to turn gold and red, Sakura stared up at Madara's face. Shikamaru had managed to convince him to join them for drinks after supper that night. She suspected that Madara only agreed when he realized that she would be there too. The two men still traded their barbs. But it fooled no one. Friends were friends- even when they were insulting one another. The faint smell of whatever home-brewed swill Shikamaru had fed them lingered on their breaths.

She rubbed her knuckles across his stubble. He kissed her hand. And when she didn't stop, he reached out of the blankets to grab her hand and pull it against his chest instead.

"Go to sleep, my love. We've had a long day," he mumbled.

"Madara," she whispered. Just to watch his eyes flutter open. "I love you."

His eyes crinkled. He kissed her forehead. Then her lips. "As do I. And I'll love you just the same in the morning once we've had some rest."

The way he closed his eyes again made her feel like it would be alright if she told him.

So she confessed the secret she held so carefully from everyone else: "I'm a dragon."

He smiled a little. "That's not a reference I understand. Is that from a poem? I didn't expect you to be the type to recite poetry in bed." The teasing warmth in his voice made her chest ache a little.

"Madara."

His eyes opened. Searching her face for something. Something sobered him.

"I've never told anyone this before," she added, voice barely above a whisper.

His hand emerged from the covers again, this time to cup her cheek. And then he moved his other arm to wrap it around her. Drawing her closer.

"Tell me from the start, my love. I'm listening," he assured her. The way he said that made her brave.

They spent the entire night that way. Madara asking questions here and there, but mostly listening. And her finally telling him the truth of her childhood spent frolicking in treetops. Learning to fly from her father and learning to hunt from her mother. Keeping far away from humans. Fleeing the hunters that would tear their bones and scales away as trophies.

"Can you turn into one?" he asked. Eyes glittering with excitement.

She considered that. And then she nodded. "I could. But I'd break the tent."

He laughed. She wondered how someone could laugh handsomely. But he did. Then he was kissing her again.

"Thank you for trusting me, my love. I'm honored," he said as he held her face in his hands. But his smile faded when he saw that she didn't seem so glad.

"What is it? Did I say something?" he wondered. She shook her head. And then she buried her face in his chest, suddenly embarrassed.

Madara was impatient. He could be brusque. But never with her. He held her. Patting her back until she found the courage to put her thoughts into words.

"….I… I've thought about… can… would it be possible… if I wanted to start a family with you… could that even work?" she stumbled over all the words in every way possible. She wondered if he could even make sense of what she had just said.

His arms tightened around her. She felt the way his breath caught.

"Oh… Oh, my love," he breathed. He was trembling now.

That gave her the courage to finally meet his eyes again. He looked like he was about to cry.

"With me?" Madara repeated. As if he didn't trust his own ears. Sakura nodded. He kissed her.

"Why me?" he wondered against her lips.

What a funny thing to say. As if there was anyone else who made her feel this way. As if there was anyone else she would ever want to wake to. To snuggle someone who was half of her and half of him in the early morning hours. To hold hands with a little boy or girl who would smile the same crooked way as him.

"You are a gift. I don't deserve you," Madara sighed, his forehead touching hers. "Thank you."

She was thrilled at how he accepted all these things about her. She recalled feeling so glad that she had chosen to trust him as she fell asleep in his arms.

As they reached the last stop on their map, Sakura began to wonder at all the places they would go once this job was over. There were cities to the north that were rumored to glitter with jewels that sang. Or they could go to the east and swim in oceans that turned red in the sunset. She had discussed all those places and more with Madara. And he had agreed to each suggestion- even given more of his own.

She shyly asked whether he would want a boy or a girl first. And his smiles were so tender as he kissed her again and again.

She was thrilled.

Until one morning, she had woken to an empty spot beside her.

Most of Madara's things were still there. His rucksack lined up beside hers. The only things gone were his cloak, his journal, and him.

Shikamaru, Temari, and Tenten were just as baffled to see him nowhere. They searched every corner of the city. They searched every building. Questioned every person they could find. They sent letters to their previous destinations. To contacts. To anyone who might have spotted him. A know-it-all scholar who had left his heart behind.

Weeks went by with no word from him. Sakura turned quiet and sharp. She tried to laugh, tried to smile. But it wasn't the same. She carried his rucksack along with hers. And hugged it to her chest as she slept. Shedding tears as she wondered where he had gone. What had taken him from her?

It was Sakura who eventually called off the search. She felt guilty dragging her friends around the continent in search of Madara. They had their lives to lead.

"You need to buy your house," she reminded Shikamaru and Temari. Temari looked ready to burst into tears at the very suggestion.

"No. You need to come with us. We won't leave you behind," insisted Temari.

And that was how they settled into a large city. Shikamaru and Temari bought their house on the outskirts. One with a big yard and lots of extra rooms. Tenten and Sakura each settled into a room. Sakura took the one with the big windows and the space for a big bookcase.

"Lots of people come and go from here. And we've left word with the guild. If he's out there, he'll know to find you here," Tenten assured her one night, squeezing Sakura's shoulder.

When dragons had descended upon the city in fury a few weeks later, Sakura had spent every sleepless night imagining Madara's charred body smoking in a crater somewhere. She wept until her eyes stung. Wishing. Hoping. Regretting.

Why had the humans put their faith in her to lead them?

She didn't understand.

And when her agents revealed the identity of the leader of the dragons, she found that she understood even less than she thought she had.

Her heart shattered into pieces when she spotted him from across the battlefield. Smoke rose from the end of her staff as she lowered it. When their eyes met, he didn't seem surprised at all. He even had the gall to call her name with that familiar half-smile.

"Sakura."

It made her sick to her stomach when she heard him call her again.

"Sakura."

"Just kill me and get it over with," she snapped.

Madara looked like she had just twisted a dagger into his side. "I have done many terrible things, my love. But I could never do that."

"You're a lying piece of shit," she scoffed.

He didn't disagree with her.

They sat on opposite corners of the bed, as far away from each other as possible. The soft covers might as well have been a bottomless chasm.

"I didn't realize you were such a skilled fighter until I saw you in the plains," Madara suddenly said.

She knew exactly which battle he was referring to. Her magic had splintered off into bombs that shattered inside the ribcages of her enemies. That was early in the war. When they had still thought that victory might be in their grasp.

Sakura stared down at the bed.

"Why didn't you say you were leaving?" she wondered. She wished she could make her voice angrier. She didn't have the energy.

"Because I thought you would follow me," Madara replied.

She frowned. And then her hands clenched in the blanket. "I would have," she agreed.

She would have. When she thought all the stars in the sky lived in his eyes. He could have asked her for anything and she would have plunged along into the muck after him like a silly little girl.

"How did you get that wound, Sakura?" Madara asked again.

With a tired sigh, Sakura lifted her head. "What do you mean? You shot me," she replied.

She didn't understand why Madara wept.