Gold.
Dazzling.
Rich in color and blinding in its beauty.
It twirled around the grand room, stopping only for moments at a time, and never with the same person. Sasuke was supposed to be watching the Emperor, but instead he was watching her. Sakura's laughter paved her path across the grand room. The jewels dangling from her headdress spun with her every movement, though her hair was so tightly wound atop her head that hardly a strand fell out of place. Through all the evening's festivities she had not stopped for even a breath and between all the swaying bodies, Sasuke's eyes had followed her adeptly. She twirled from partner to partner, dancing with all the skill her instructors had passed on. And though she never left his vision, he imagined he could not have touched her even if he had tried. She appeared a deity among mortals that evening, a goddess gracing him and the courtiers with her benevolent presence. In every sense of the word, she was an enigma. But perhaps if she had stood immobile, waiting for him, in the center of an empty ballroom, her hand outstretched. . .
Then, quite suddenly, she turned. Her sharp eyes locked with his and froze him in place. Sasuke's blood rushed to his cheeks and Sakura broke into a brilliant smile. But all too quickly, she was swept away again. The brief connection they had shared was enough to force his gaze away. He could feel his skin heating at the embarrassment of having been caught. How humiliating. . . But surely he had not been the first whose eyes had lingered on the Emperor's daughter. She was a vision; an absolute, radiant -
Sakura crashed into him, nearly knocking him off his feet, but he caught her in his arms. Even as he urged her to stand, she stumbled in his hold, grasping at the sleeves of his uniform to steady herself. One hand rested on the small of her back, the other clutched her elbow and a hundred eyes fell on them at once; yet neither one had noticed. With a boisterous laugh she attempted to right herself and turned her head upwards,
"Pardon me," she giggled and he caught the scent of saki on her breath as she spoke. It was clear she might have had too much to drink. At the time, he had chocked it up to her youthful exuberance. Looking back, though, the signs could not have been more evident. Her nerves had gotten the better of her. Even then she had already begun feeling the oppressive weight of her life's purpose and she was doing what she could to block it out, to numb herself, even if only for an evening.
"I should have seen you coming," Sasuke shook his head and steadied her, but she held on to him for a moment more.
"Perhaps if you had not taken your eyes off of me," her words dropped out with a coy smile and she turned to slip back into the crowd. But the crowd no longer glittered and gleamed in their finest silks. They had become a throng of black clothed, faceless beings that loomed over him. Slowly, her shimmering gold dress vanished from his sight, taking with it all the brightness that had illuminated the room before. He was enveloped in darkness.
Suddenly, a booming voice reverberated through the black space.
"What is your name?" The voice demanded. Sasuke listened intensely, but could not pick out who it belonged to. Not one of the figures had moved. He did not answer.
"What is your name?" They asked again. The room was still, as if they stood attentive, with bated breath to hear his answer. Uchiha Sasuke. He mouthed the syllables, but nothing came out. He tried again. UCHIHA SASUKE. Still, the words failed to carry past his lips.
"What is your name?" Their tone was softer now, almost encouraging. It coaxed a different name into his thoughts, a new name. A name that bore with it neither sorrow nor destruction. And yet the name sat unpleasantly on his tongue, like a bad taste he could not rid himself from. It was not the name he wished to speak.
"What is your name?" It was a woman asking him. She was kind and her voice broke through the bleak expanse before him; a beacon calling out to him, creating a shaft of light that splintered through the darkness.
Uchiha Sasuke.
But, he could not shake the fury, the hatred, the consuming heartache that threatened to tear him apart at the mention of that name.
"Sasuke, what is your name?" Kushina slipped a finger under his chin to pull his gaze. Suddenly he was sucked out of the darkness and dropped into the last home he had ever inhabited.
At sixteen, he almost towered over his adoptive mother, but he could not meet her eyes, so he looked past her, fixing on the peeling paint in the corner of the room. It had started as a small chip in the wall, until Naruto had picked at it enough to peel it back, revealing the faded wallpaper underneath.
"Uzumaki Sasuke," he answered finally, "First born, first of my name, of the house Uzumaki."
A static quiet followed his words, and then Naruto stepped into the room.
"Why does he get to be first born?" Naruto griped through a mouthful of his apple.
"Sasuke is older," Kushina sighed at her son's childishness and busied herself with straightening the creases of Sasuke's uniform. When the fabric settled, she fixed a hand on his shoulder and reached for Naruto, "I'm very proud of you both. It is a heavy burden that you must bear, but together you are made stronger," she paused, then added with a snarky tone, "And a difference in age does nothing to change that."
Naruto stuck his tongue out and Sasuke smirked in response; at least he would not be alone at the palace. It would comfort him to have Naruto by his side, as it had these many years without his clan. In truth, he knew that he had only made it so far due largely in part to Naruto's support. Sasuke wasn't sure what he would do without him; Naruto was the only brother he had left and the Uzumakis were the only family he could claim. But Sasuke was restless, eager to be out of hiding, even if it was under a false name.
"Now, Sasuke," Kushina sobered herself quickly, her gaze filled with a mother's worry, "When you arrive, speak only to Kakashi-san - both of you. He will bring you before the Emperor and you will introduce yourselves as the Uzumaki brothers. Whatever you do, Sasuke, you must not reveal your true heritage. The courtiers living in the palace were all raised there, but most of the soldiers come from Konoha. You must make sure that none of them recognize you and you must give them no reason to suspect anything otherwise," she paused and squeezed both of their shoulders, "I do not want you to go, but you will be safer at the Emperor's side than in hiding with us. And, at least in the palace, you will have a chance at a better life."
DECEMBER
Sakura's keening cry signaled her completion and as she came down from the high peak of pleasure, she slowly loosened her grip on his hair, allowing him to kiss his way up her shaking body. As their lips met, Sasuke moved to her side, careful to pull her close so as not to break their connection. They relaxed into each other then, and finally felt the weight of the night's exhaustion pressing upon them. Muscles that Sakura was unaware she possessed, ached in the most pleasant way. Sasuke, for the first time in a long while, felt a comfort and security settle itself deep within his bones.
They paused, lips glancing each other, and opened their eyes to flushed cheeks and satiated smiles. Time could not touch them, not yet, but they had spent hours raveled in her sheets and soon the sun would begin peaking over the mountain range just beyond the palace. Sasuke would leave her chambers shortly and await the next guard.
But that was not now.
"I want to show you something," Sakura climbed off the bed and ran to her nightstand in the corner of the room.
"Is there something I have not seen yet?" He asked with a sly grin.
"Are you saying you are bored with me?" She teased, tossing a look over her shoulder, "Now that you have achieved your conquest?"
"Show me," Sasuke grumbled, ignoring her chiding words, and pulled himself upright on the bed. Sakura stood quickly, unsheathing her brother's sword and pointed it in Sasuke's direction. His eyes widened, "Where did you get that?"
"I stole it from the Gallery."
"Stole it?" Sasuke's brows raised sharply.
"Yes," she responded plainly.
"Will it not be missed?"
"The Gallery remains deserted after all these years, but I've had it for some weeks. No one has said a word," she drew the sword close to her, fingers glancing the steel, "And even still, who would suspect me?"
"You think because you are the Emperor's daughter you are above reproach?" Sasuke stepped off the bed and moved towards her.
"Would you be the one to reprimand me?" she asked with an eager grin. He took her hip in a firm grasp.
"You do tempt my patience," he smirked.
She bit her lip and released it slowly, letting her eyes drop for a moment, but then pulled away from him.
"Teach me," Sakura held the sword out, clenching the gilded hilt in a vice grip. Even with the unusual weight in her hand, she felt that it was incredibly well balanced.
"Teach you?" a smirk beset his handsome face as he admired her.
"Yes," her response was as sure as her gaze upon him, "Teach me to be a warrior."
"Sakura," Sasuke's shoulders slumped ever so slightly, "I have never met another person, let alone a warrior, with as much conviction as you. That in itself is a soldier's strongest weapon, not the blade they wield."
"I'm not looking for a fight, Sasuke," her voice was small, but strong, "Only peace of mind. Have you never felt helpless before?"
Of course he had. Sasuke had spent every day of his life carrying that feeling with him. He had been too young and too weak to save his family, but now that he had the strength, there was nothing he could do to bring them back. A silent admission was all that he could offer her in that moment. So his strong fingers, the ones that had brought Sakura so gently to an encompassing release not long before, wrapped around hers. He pried her palm open ever so slightly, "You want a firm grip, but you sacrifice fluidity if you hold it too tight."
He was so close that his limbs brushed hers and, even though they were completely unclothed, it made her flush scarlet. The rough pads of his fingers slipped over her shoulders. He pushed them down with ease, then took her waist and urged her towards the right.
"A good soldier will be able to balance their weight, but for now you should rely on your dominant side," she shivered and almost dropped the sword when she felt his hands on the inside of her thighs, "I can feel you tensing here. Relax."
Sakura exhaled slowly and felt herself slacken at his command.
"Most soldiers are twice your size and often rely on brute force. If you plant your legs, as you were doing, you would be knocked down in a second. Just as you would hold the sword, is how you should hold yourself," he kneeled on the floor to part her legs and she gasped as his fingers skimmed her still wet cunt. He peered up at her with a satisfied smirk then bit her hip playfully, "You should always be ready to move, to dodge," as he stood and walked before her, his gaze assessing her stance, he gave a nod of affirmation, "Now, you are ready to attack."
Sakura felt a prickle of anxiety as she watched his eyes roam her body. In that moment she wished desperately to impress him in a manner very unlike the frivolous ways she had tried before. As she remained naked before him, pointing a weapon towards his bare chest, she asked with earnest,
"Do I strike fear in your heart?"
"No," he shook his head and stepped closer to her as she began to lower the sword. Sasuke took the blade from her discouraged arm. He kissed her softly, in the tender way she was coming to learn he was capable of, "It is not fear."
Her lips curled up in a soft smile and she nipped his bottom lip.
"Sasuke, how can you ask me not to give you hope, when I am filled with it every moment I look into your eyes?"
He lowered the sword, the tip giving a soft clank on the wooden floors.
"Have you not asked the impossible of me before?"
"I suppose I have," she placed her hand over his that held the sword, almost as an apology, but in that moment, Sakura was struck with an odd sense of wonder. She felt Sasuke's hand in hers as he clutched the hilt of her brother's sword; the sword that Itachi had used to strike Seiichi down. An Uchiha and a Haruno both clasped the sword that had, with a single blow, destroyed a nation. The weight of such a sentiment bore down on them, but it did not break them apart, "Do you think we would ever have met, had it not been for our brothers?"
"No," Sasuke shook his head, "There was unrest between my clan and your family for years. Itachi's betrayal was more than enough to sever those ties once and for all."
"What did your parents think of him?"
"He disgraced our family," Sasuke's voice was heavy as he spoke, "Though my mother tried to protect him, my father wished to disown him. But, that was not long before the night the Akatsuki attacked."
Sakura released her hold on the sword and wrapped her arms around herself.
"I am so sorry for your losses," she whispered softly, meeting his eyes with a kind and open gaze, "Truly."
"As am I, for yours," they watched each other for longer than a moment, unabashedly and reverently. It had been over over a month since the last attack. Sasuke's arm had healed almost completely, but the palace had not. In the midst of the war, they had neither the resources nor the manpower to rebuild what had been destroyed. With the Emperor away, the palace and its inhabitants had not felt safe for some time. Sakura had grown restless, fearing the next strike was not far off and Sasuke could see this all churning in her mind. So he spoke, to break the contemplative silence,
"This is incredibly light for a soldier's weapon. Your brother must have been quick on his feet."
"What do you mean?"
Sasuke raised the blade to shoulder length, admiring its weight.
"A lighter sword requires quicker, shorter strikes. A traditional iron sword is much thicker, allowing for more damage to be dealt in a single blow. But, iron swords make it more difficult for the user to move swiftly," Sasuke swept a foot behind him, digging his heel into the floor to take an offensive stance, "It requires you to be more grounded so that you can attack with the full weight of the blade."
"And what is better in battle?" she asked.
"It is a preference of the soldier," Sasuke righted himself, lowering the sword to his side once more, "Most are trained to wield heavier weaponry."
"Why is that?"
"Iron is cheaper to make," he shrugged, "But steel lasts longer. This is the type of weapon that would be passed down through generations."
"Generations?" Sakura pondered for a moment, her nails digging into her arms. Then she spoke, "They found it staked through his back, as he lay in a pool of his own blood," her voice became low and quiet, barely a murmur, "I wondered, often, why your brother had not taken it with him."
Sasuke could not tear away from her gaze then. He wished to rid himself of the sword; he felt he was not worthy of touching it even. Her words had stung, and though she was not placing the blame on him, there was a spite to her tone, nonetheless.
"I will not pretend to understand his actions," Sasuke shook his head, "Weapons are often left on the battlefield as a sign of respect for the fallen."
"Is that what soldiers do?"
"Yes."
"Then what does a sword through the back say?" Sakura's brows narrowed, but softened just as quickly when the words left her mouth, "I am sorry. I did not mean to say that."
Sasuke sighed and walked over to her dresser, where he lay the sword carefully atop it. His hands rested there for a moment. The reflection of his vulnerable, obsidian gaze was trapped in the steel.
"Are you angry with me?" He asked.
"No, Sasuke-kun, I - ,"
"But I am the last of my clan, and who else do you have to blame for your pain?" Sasuke's shoulders hunched, muscles tightening to coil like a spring, "Is that right?"
Sakura was stunned to silence, for she could not prove him wrong. Was she only taking it out on him because she could not do so with Itachi? Did she unleash her anger on Sasuke simply because he shared a name with her brother's murderer?
"I do not mean to," she walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. Her fingers ran over every muscle outlined on his abdomen and when she came up to his chest, she could feel the stable patterns of his breathing. Guilt squeezed her stomach into a knot, "I am terribly sorry."
"You should not apologize. If you must feel anger, if you must feel sadness," Sasuke placed his good hand over one of hers, "If you must feel anything other than happiness, I can only hope that I will be the one to comfort you."
"Sasuke," she pressed her lips to his shoulder blade, "I have never had to face such compelling emotions before. I do not know how to control myself as you do."
"You think I know how to control myself?" Sasuke chuckled, turning in her arms so they stood face to face.
"You do try at least," she smiled coquettishly, "More than I do."
"You should not have to," Sasuke gripped her hips and pulled her against his hardening member, "I would not wish you any other way."
She stood on her toes to whisper against his lips, "Nor I, you."
Sakura did not remember falling asleep, nor did she remember Sasuke leaving in the early hours of dawn, but when she woke, she found a small scrap of parchment beside her pillow. She unfolded the paper to reveal the words, "Until tonight," scrawled rather neatly in black ink. A small smile spread over her lips.
"I fear I've made things worse between us," Lee wrung his hands together, a fretful expression on his face.
"How have you managed to do that?" Ino chastised him sharply. The courtiers sat about a large table in Mebuki's sitting room. Surrounding them were other ladies in waiting and gentlemen of the court passing their time with idle recreations.
"It is baffling that you have not managed this sooner," Karin laughed.
"This occurred when you forcibly had me attempt to reconcile with Sakura," he exhaled in frustration, "If you must know."
"What did you say to her?" Hinata asked gingerly.
"I can not repeat it," Lee shook his head solemnly.
"Have you offended her again?" Karin still could not contain her laughter.
"Perhaps worse than before," he sighed.
"Have you spoken to her since?" Ino asked anxiously. He shook his head.
"Careful, Lee," Tenten teased, "I can see your foot in your mouth."
"Ladies, I am gravely serious," Lee was losing every bit of composure he had, "I can not take back what I've said to her."
"What did you say?" Hinata asked again. Lee shook his head just as the doors to the Empress' sitting room flung open and Sakura walked through. Her head was held high and a bright smile adorned her features as she strode through the room to join the table.
"Good morning, everyone," she greeted them all pleasantly, but there was a small pause of uncomfortable silence before they responded in kind, "What have I missed?"
"Nothing," Ino was quick to respond, "There is absolutely nothing to gossip about in this dreary court."
"If it can even be called a court anymore," Karin chimed in.
"We have lost many to the war," Sakura agreed, "But I have faith it will soon be over."
"Perhaps I will join the army," Lee piped up, immediately drawing the attention of the table.
"Lee!" Hinata's tone was chastising.
"You would not last a second," Karin tossed her head back and laughed. His cheeks burned as he rushed to defend himself,
"I was taught to fence in my younger years."
"And I was taught to sew," Ino said with a note of condescension in her voice, "But you don't see me going out on the battlefield jabbing the enemy with a needle."
"What on earth would possess you to say such a thing?" Karin asked. Lee quickly shut his mouth and slumped in his chair.
"I think it is very noble of you, Lee," Sakura amended, causing him to break into a small smile, "But I hope for your sake that it never comes to that," she addressed the table as she continued, "I hope that my father is able to develop the alliance with the sand nation so that we may put an end to this war."
"As do I," Lee said while the rest of the table nodded in agreement.
"Enough of this talk," Sakura waved her hand as though she were putting an end to the war with such a simple gesture, "Who would like to walk around the gardens with me?"
"Now?" Karin balked, "It is barely noon and it has already begun snowing."
"Last time you dragged us out there everything was dead and frozen," Ino bristled, "I doubt much has changed since then."
"Very well then," Sakura smiled, brushing off their disinterest with ease, "What shall we do to pass the time?"
"How about a game?" Tenten suggested, "Shogi?"
"Oh, I have not played in so long!" Hinata beamed. Karin rushed over to a cubby in a corner of the room where the court housed various games for their entertainment. She hurried back with the board game and set up the pieces.
"Who will go first?" Ino asked.
"Tenten and Hinata," Sakura declared, "I will do the toss."
Sasori stood at the mouth of the cave and watched the onslaught of snow white out the world before him. The wind howled so sharply that hardly a thought could be heard over the storm. He had begun to lose track of the days they had been forced to seek shelter in that cave.
"This is unfortunate," Deidara sighed, coming to stand beside Sasori, "We may be detained here a while longer still. Obito will be displeased."
"Perhaps we should have raided the stables. If we had horses, we might have avoided this storm entirely," one of the soldiers mused.
"And where would we have hid them? Would you have shared your food?" Sasori questioned him harshly, "We are safer in smaller numbers, with fewer mouths to feed and fewer tracks to cover."
"There are fewer tracks because we have lost our men!" the soldier snapped and the cave went eerily silent. The handful of men they had not lost to the harsh conditions and depleted rations were growing ever more weary. The unceasing blizzard had only soured their moods further. He could not voice it, but Sasori feared he might lose their loyalty before they reached Orochimaru.
It was not meant to go this way, but he felt his hold over the soldiers loosening. They had the perfect plan, a sure way to cripple the Emperor and cause his reign to crumble, but it was a lack of loyalty that had caused that plan to fail in the first place. Now, they were too close to Orochimaru to let anything, or anyone, else sabotage their mission. Out of the corner of his eye, Sasori watched Kabuto. He had been oddly quiet through all of this and while he sat before the blazing fire, his gaze was a blank, empty stare, reflecting in it only the light from the flames. Sasori wondered what thoughts captivated Kabuto's attention so much that it rendered him bereft of speech.
"We need only hold on a little longer," Sasori addressed the unruly soldier, "This storm, like all things, will pass."
Sasuke's hands kneaded Sakura's foot as her legs sat between his. She was clad in only her dressing gown now and his shirt had long since been discarded. The Shogi board lay before them, half played.
"I believe it is your turn, Uchiha-san," she smiled coyly and began a path along his thigh, her toes pressing against the seam of his pants. His mouth quirked upwards in an almost imperceptible smile.
"Continue to tease me, Sakura, and you will see what happens," he whispered darkly. She bit her lip, staring him dead on.
"Show me," she dared him, circling the placket of his pants. Sasuke shoved the shogi board aside, the pieces clattering to the floor, and pulled her down to the end of the bed by her ankle. She fell back with a soft yelp, her eyes shimmering with mirth when he came to loom over her. He admired her for a moment, through a lusty haze, gaze raking across her flushed skin that peaked through the opening of her robe. His hand hiked further, brushing against the inside of her thigh, then moved to grasp her hip beneath the silken material. Desire fluttered in Sakura's stomach like a caged bird set free.
"You do like to test my limits," he murmured as his fingers skimmed over her stomach to the underside of her breasts.
"It has become my favorite pastime," she admitted, an immoral smirk overcoming her features. He chuckled and nudged her legs apart with his knee, baring her already drenched core, then hooked them around his waist. She knew what he was about to do before it happened, but it still caused a playful shriek to leave her when he flipped their positions. She straddled his waist, robe half open and falling from her shoulders, as he looked up at her with yearning in his sable eyes. She appeared every bit the vision she had when he had first laid eyes on her in that shimmering gold gown. With her long, rosy hair cascading down her bare back and her fair skin vacant of any jewels or trinkets, she was beautiful.
"I was not gifted with your silver tongue," Sasuke staid himself as he spoke. Despite his tone, Sakura thought him to be speaking in jest. When he did not laugh, she realized the vulnerability he was exposing to her in that moment.
"It only makes your words all the more significant when they are spoken," she amended, her hand coming to stroke his strong, stubbled jaw.
"I can not always voice what is on my mind because of it," his eyes met hers, imploring her to understand what it was he was trying to say. And she did.
"Sasuke-kun," she ran her fingers down his chest and leaned forward so that their lips almost touched. She saw the reflection in his eyes; not of her, but of need, adoration, and sincerity, "I understand."
Though his feelings remained unspoken, perhaps out of his own trepidation and fear, in that moment he was gazing at her as though nothing and no one existed outside of the space they occupied. His hands rose along her back to cradle her closer. Their lids closed and their lips touched and it was destruction and chaos and every beautiful sensation in the world exploding within them at once. Sakura laced her fingers through the strands of his hair, as they moved against each other. It was desperate and fevered, but, unlike other nights, they hesitated to escalate anything further. So, they circled in that moment; hands moving tenderly, but precise, mouths and tongues caressing, but teeth restrained, clothing disorderly, but still donned.
And in that moment, it was enough.
Lee sat on the bench by the willow tree, overlooking the lake as the sun rose. He had been trying to get close to Sakura for weeks, to apologize and talk to her, but every time he had worked up the courage, her ladies had made it near impossible. Recently, she had become far more social and on many a days, he had found her sitting with her ladies to pass the time. In addition, it seemed that Sakura, just as she rose early, had developed a proclivity for retiring with the sunset. As such, he felt that the first light of morning might be his best chance.
He had spent many a restless nights imagining what he might say to her, how he might phrase the numerous thoughts she stirred to life in his mind. He was not sure he would ever find the correct union of words that could right his wrongs, but he'd be damned if he wasn't going to try.
Lee turned his head to the direction of her rooms and watched the doors just as they began to open. The Uzumaki started to exit, but was stopped by a delicate hand. Lee saw Sasuke's brief smirk as he turned his head, before he was pulled back inside. Lee waited, suspicion and anxiety seeping into his skin with every second that passed outside those closed doors. Perhaps the Uzumaki had forgotten something, he pondered to console himself.
When the soldier reemerged, with a barely concealed smile resting upon his face, Lee took off in the opposite direction.