Thank you for the feedback everyone! If you haven't done so already, please join the SasuSaku Quietus group on DA, linked on my profile page. All chapter previews and new artwork will be posted on there. The artwork has really been flooding in from our wonderful contributors, so I encourage you to join in order to receive notifications whenever new drawings have been submitted. New work has been uploaded by cheesyporridge, mitsuki0tennyo, ariadnia, Evee9109 and inshayne. Check their galleries and please leave a comment if you favourite their art. It's polite to express appreciation.
To the reviewer 'a bit too shy to log on' – Thank you for linking to such a wonderful piece of music. I really enjoyed listening to it, as I absolutely adore piano instrumentals! I've been hunting for a piece to inspire Sakura's piano playing later in the story; that is a very strong contender, so thank you again! Please do log on in future so that I can message you back.
toolazytosignin – Yes, I do indeed love Itachi, but no, there is no way he and Sakura will end up together. This is a SasuSaku story.
Tarisson, the harpies were planning to do much worse! Good thing super Sasuke saved the day, eh?
Lonely Heart, no sequels or prequels planned at this point. Thank you for taking the time to review, I really appreciate it!
SilverHazel96, I do indeed read each and every review! They're like gold-dust to me! Thank you so much for the feedback; I will respond to you as soon as I find a decent block of time to do so.
This chapter centres on character development for Sasuke and Sakura once again. Their training sessions begin at last! Please note that it's a gentle introduction for Sakura – things will get progressively steamier in the next ones.
Chapter XX
Take up arms, the time is nigh,
For you to take to those two feet,
Away from constrictive, repressive eyes,
That kept you chained in caged retreat,
Come show him now, what you can do,
And crush the doubts he holds for you.
Sakura's shoulders hunched unhappily as she trudged after Sasuke. Part of her had secretly harboured hopes that the death deity would depart ahead of her, and consequently allow her an opportunity to examine his room in greater detail, but he had swiftly opened the elaborate double-doors in a wordless instruction for her to follow him out. Clearly, Sasuke did not wish to waste any time in commencing their so-called 'sparring' session. As far as Sakura was concerned, the word was synonymous with her being utterly humiliated. Her eyes lifted to rest sulkily on the back of Sasuke's raven head as he led her toward her chamber. She silently wondered why he was bothering to escort her, but decided against questioning him about it. As they reached the doors to her bedroom, and Sakura entered, she cast an uncertain glance back at the god who lingered by the doorway.
"Meet me in the entrance hall," he stated. "You have fifteen minutes."
Sakura's lips parted incredulously, before she reminded him, "I don't have a watch."
In response, Sasuke stepped forward. She stiffened as his eyes narrowed at her, and he reached out to grasp both door handles.
"Estimate," he uttered curtly, and with that, stepped back out of her chamber, pulling the doors shut with him.
Anger spiked within Sakura, causing her to glare heatedly after him. She released a little sound of frustration, and stomped her freshly healed right foot on the ground – a childishly petulant action, she knew, but was far too vexed at that moment to feel ashamed about it.
"Jerk," she huffed beneath her breath. He was just utterly impossible, so completely and unashamedly arrogant and infuriating. But hadn't she been grateful to him for saving her life just minutes earlier? Now the pendulum of her feelings had swung straight back to hatred. She exhaled, remembering the feel of feather-light fingertips trailing up her calf, down her cheek, along her jaw. The mere memory set something fluttering oddly in her stomach again, and a frustrated scowl settled on her face. What was the matter with her? The swiftness in which her sentiments toward Sasuke altered was unsettling. She despised him for pushing her into sword training, an activity that would be thoroughly uncomfortable for her to endure, yet she felt guilty for bad-naming the very person who had appeared to aid her within seconds of her calling his name. Someone who'd had no qualms about slaughtering malicious creatures simply because they had intended on harming her.
She was finally starting to realise, with alarming clarity, that Suigetsu's assumptions actually held some merit. She'd been foolish to doubt him, to cling to denial. The death deity seemingly did hold a peculiar kind of interest in her, certainly enough to punish those who threatened her well-being.
'They harmed you.' Sakura's heart skipped a beat at the recollection of Sasuke's response to the question she had posed to him. It had taken precedence over the harpies disobeying his orders. What did the fact that he had chosen to disclose those words initially mean? What did it mean when his hand had lingered upon her leg, and on her face?
He was a god. She was mortal. It didn't mean anything. It couldn't. Just thinking about it made her mind throb.
Shoving the subject out of her head, Sakura swallowed and looked down at the sword in her possession. It was nowhere near as intimidating as Sasuke's, but felt strangely suited to her arm and was surprisingly lightweight when grasped with both hands. The scabbard was a work of art, she reluctantly admitted, tracing over a silver filigree coil with her left index finger. And the pink stones – something told her that Sasuke's decision to include the colour was not merely down to coincidence.
Sakura turned her attention to the burnt gold-hued, elegant hilt, wrought with silver, vine-like swirls. Closer inspection revealed leaf-shaped engravings, set with tiny emeralds. She drew the blade from its sheath and released an appreciative breath. It glinted in the warm candlelight, its polished length slender yet durable. She shifted her eyes nervously to the sharp, pointed tip. How was she ever going to master the use of such a magnificent weapon?
She slipped the sword back into its jewelled casing, and tossed it onto the bed, feeling anxious. Why hadn't she just refused Sasuke's order? What would he have done if she had?
It's not like he would have killed me, she internally grumbled, wrapping her arms comfortingly around herself. Then she thought about how Sasuke treated others who disobeyed him, the image of writhing harpies flashing through her mind, and she began to pace agitatedly about the room. Making him mad certainly would not help her cause. He already trusted her so little. She had seen proof of that when he'd snapped the golden bangle back over her right ankle. He was so ready to accuse her of trying to escape from the Underworld…
She took a deep breath, held it for three seconds, before slowly letting it out. No, she reasoned. Now was not the time to rebel. In order for Suigetsu's plan to work, she had to gain some measure of Sasuke's trust. It would be a laborious, uphill climb to do so, but she had to at least try. And if her pride had to take a blow in the process of fighting for escape, then what other choice did she have?
Sighing heavily, she moved to the massive wardrobe and threw its central doors open. Hands on hips, she stared at the wonderful assortment of dresses. None of them were appropriate for a sword-fighting session. What in the world was she supposed to wear?
"Change into something more suitable, Sakura," she muttered to herself, mimicking Sasuke's earlier words. "Not that it's going to make a difference, because you're going to get your butt kicked, anyway…"
She trailed off as something caught her eye. Placed at the end of the long rack of flowing gowns was a collection of what seemed to be clothing specifically designed for more active activities. Sakura pulled one out, and examined a deep red dress with short, angel sleeves and a brown, leather, pleated skirt. The outfit also featured a sweetheart neckline and a brown corset. It looked like it would reach halfway down her thighs in length at the very most. She blushed furiously. There was no way she would wear it to a training session with Sasuke.
An idea suddenly entered her mind. Perhaps, if she wore shorts beneath the skirt, it would be more acceptable. She rummaged through the lingerie drawer, and found nothing suitable in it. Then she pulled open the hosiery and slipper drawer, and was relieved to find a dark brown, legging-like garment that reached her knees. It was tight-fitting – but would conceal her bare skin.
This will do, Sakura told herself, and quickly changed into the clothes. She turned to the full-bodied, angel-framed mirror once she was done, scrutinising her reflection. The short dress fit snugly to her form, accentuating her natural curves. She pulled nervously at the neckline, rearranging it to cover her breasts more modestly, before tying the brown strings at the front of the bust and bodice. Then she turned back to the wardrobe, and opened the shoe compartment, immediately spying a brown, knee-length pair of sandals. She stepped into them, secured the straps in place, and then searched through the wardrobe's inner shelves, finding a pair of brown, leather arm-guards. Sakura pulled them on, fastened them at the elbows, and turned back to her reflection – and frowned.
Her hair was a dishevelled mess.
She walked over to the bathroom and scrubbed her face, promising herself that she would have another long soak in the tub after what she was sure would be a gruelling and disastrous sparring session – then returned to her room and hastily brushed her hair, smoothing it down as much as possible. When she was happy that it no longer looked like a tangled pink bush, she pulled it up into a high pony-tail and stood back to regard her completed outfit in the mirror.
Surprisingly, it looked decent, like an old-fashioned, female gladiator costume that looked unexpectedly stylish on her. She retrieved her sword, made to leave the room, but hesitated at the last moment, moving back to the vanity table to douse herself with perfume. Ino had often told her that a lady always smelled good, regardless of the situation. It was the only reason, Sakura insisted to herself, why she had chosen to touch up on fragrance. Casting one final glance at her reflection, she exited her room.
Sasuke flicked an irritated glance toward the top of the staircase. Sakura's sense of time, he had quickly realised, was completely off. The fifteen minutes he had allocated to her had dragged on to thirty five. Even without a clock to guide her, surely she had to realise that she'd kept him waiting for far longer than he had instructed? And Sasuke was not accustomed to being made to wait. What was she doing? All he had asked was for her to change into something more appropriate.
Broodingly, he turned away and began to pace the entrance hall impatiently once again. The wrath that had flared within him when he'd discovered an injured Sakura in the harpies' den still lingered. Sheer anger had pushed him to accuse her of attempting to escape his realm, but the stricken look on her face had confirmed that she had not intended to do so. She had only wanted to explore his kingdom further. The death deity's eyes narrowed distrustfully. He didn't believe for a second that Sakura had completely given up on her desire to leave the Underworld. It struck him as suspicious, that she had made no further attempt at doing so since learning of his true identity. Was it fear alone that commanded her compliance? Or did something else account for her unexpected obedience to his will?
He allowed his thoughts to unravel as he waited. When he had healed her, he had been furious – and not only because he'd been disobeyed by foolish, doom-seeking harpies. He had also been frustrated with Sakura. She was far too weak. Far too delicate. The reality was that she would not last a minute out in the darkness of the Underworld's caverns without him watching vigilantly over her. It simply wouldn't do, he fumed to himself, for her to be so defenceless. She needed to toughen up, and toughening her up was precisely what he was going to do.
But that was not the only thing he intended. He would harden Sakura in the ways of battle and develop her sword-fighting prowess – and break her resistance to him in the process. His pulse quickened as he recalled the alluring sight of her, wide-eyed and shaken and breathless, sitting on his bed, watching as his fingers had worked to heal her injuries. He'd felt her muscles tense at his touch. He'd heard her breath catch in her throat. He'd seen the pink blush that had stained her cheeks. And he had wanted nothing more than to push her down onto the satin sheets, and teach her a different kind of lesson for being reckless enough to roam the terrain beyond his palace alone.
Sasuke released a quiet hiss of breath. Following the reaction he had witnessed from Sakura in the forge, he was finding it increasingly more difficult to keep his hands from touching her. And although he relished the opportunity and excuse to do so that their sparring sessions would undoubtedly bring, he was also wary of the fact that he would have to work harder to keep his restraint firmly in check. It was soon approaching a surface fortnight since he had first snatched her from the fields. Desire for her, to feel the heat of her body beneath his, was becoming unbearable. But that was not all. He hungered to understand her, and the confounding reactions and sensations she instigated within him.
When he had first heard Sakura's call to him, and realised her location, something had twisted unpleasantly in his stomach. An immediate gut response to the realisation that she had been in danger – and that fact disturbed and troubled him.
The sight of her tear-stained cheeks had bothered him. Why? He had wanted to snap at her to cease her pitiful weeping. And her terrified plea for him to spare the smallest harpy had stayed his hand. He'd found himself sparing a creature he otherwise would not have thought twice about mutilating. Why?
The sound of light footsteps descending the majestic staircase behind him drew Sasuke out of his gloomy contemplations. He turned to find Sakura making her way slowly down the steps. His eyes trailed over the outfit she had selected, noting that she had chosen to conceal her upper legs. A sensible decision. Her hair was tied back from her face, and it made her appear younger, even more innocent.
She stopped at the final step, and shiftily averted her gaze, muttering, "I hope this is suitable."
Sasuke gave her a pointed look, before spinning curtly on his heel. "Hn. Come."
Sakura pulled a face, assuming that his lack of answer meant that she had dressed appropriately. She followed him to the right of the hallway, beneath the arched openings, and through a door that led down a long, narrow, stone corridor.
"Where are we going?" she asked, as Sasuke opened the wooden door at the end of the passageway and stepped into a small, square shaped room that was fully constructed in grey stone. It was dimly illuminated by torches set in bronze sconces, fixed on each of the four walls.
When Sasuke did not reply, Sakura's eyebrows drew together to form a perplexed frown. She then noticed the lever-like device on the floor. The death god reached out to grasp her elbow, tugged her to stand beside him in the centre of the room, and pulled the lever back.
Sakura stared blankly at it, and for a few seconds, nothing happened. Then she yelped and instinctively grabbed onto Sasuke's shirt when the ground beneath them suddenly rumbled and began to move. The death deity's gaze lowered briefly to the small fingers clutching at his left side, but he did nothing to remove them. Sakura quickly let go when she realised what was happening. They were standing on a circular platform that was rotating down a long, vertical shaft. So the lever had operated it. Sakura spied tracks set into the stone wall surrounding them and immediately understood how the mechanism worked; the platform lowered by spiralling down along the rails. The journey was a long, dizzy one, and by the time they had reached the bottom, Sakura felt quite queasy.
Sasuke, in stark contrast, was completely unaffected. He stepped gracefully off the platform, which had come to rest in an enormous, stone-constructed room. Towering, sturdy columns lined the far left and right walls. Another set of pillars formed a massive circle that surrounded the centre of the room. In the middle was a humungous, lowered, circular area. A small set of five stairs encircled it, leading down to its sandy base. In the top right corner of the arena were a cluster of wooden posts and balancing beams of varying heights, lengths and diameters. The room was brightly illuminated by the multitude of golden chandeliers hanging from the high, dome shaped ceiling. Sakura spied a single, wooden, arched door in the centre of the left wall. There were no windows, yet the air felt surprisingly cool.
A rectangular, blue-cloth draped table laden with goblets, jugs, a gold-filled crystal decanter, and a small selection of dishes had been set to the right of the circular area. Beside it was a wooden crate which held a curious selection of what appeared to be training-related items, including discs and wooden pegs and sticks. A large, uchiwa fan crest was painted in the middle of the far wall ahead of her, its edges bearing cracks that had not been refilled. The fan also adorned the gold-stitched tapestries hanging from the walls, but the daunting room was undecorated and surprisingly plain otherwise.
A greater sense of curiosity overcame Sakura as she once again found herself pondering the significance of the symbol. What did it mean? She turned her head, meaning to ask Sasuke about it, but the death deity was already making his way toward the circular area. Nervousness fluttered through her. She was alone with an immortal god, about to engage in her first sword-training session. And there didn't appear to be a quick and immediate exit back to the ground floor of the palace.
Sasuke had descended the steps, and cast an expectant look back at her. Sakura's pulse quickened. Part of her wanted to protest that she really had not been serious when she'd asked him to tutor her, but the expression on Sasuke's face communicated all she needed to know. He would not allow her to leave until their first lesson was over.
Reluctantly, she followed him and stepped into what was evidently the sparring arena.
"The training dome," Sasuke formally introduced, gesturing to the area surrounding them.
"Is that platform the only way to get down here?" And get out, Sakura silently added.
"Yes," Sasuke nodded.
Sakura noticed another lever, set into the top ring of steps to her left. "What does that do?" she pointed.
"It unearths the second level of the arena," Sasuke answered cryptically, before his left hand moved to draw his sword, affording her a detailed view of the weapon. The long, slender blade glinted pure steel. It had a black hilt, was exquisitely forged, and Sakura was once again struck by how very deadly and sharp it looked. The proficiency and effortless grace of Sasuke's hold only served to amplify her anxiety.
"Kusanagi," he uttered, causing Sakura's eyes to dart from the katana to his face. "A lightning blade that cleaves through everything it strikes."
He began swiping slow, idle motions in the air and Sakura watched in awe as blue-white sparks suddenly crackled into existence around his hand, before swiftly sweeping upwards and outwards to envelop the entire length of the weapon, spiking erratic tendrils of lightning. It was the same frightening energy he had used to floor the harpies. Then, abruptly, Sasuke stabbed the sword into the ground, the blade emitting the same melodic screech she had heard back in the nest. Sakura's eyes widened as the sand surrounding the area flew up and away, giving way to stone, cracked beneath the force of the strike, splintered as though it were made of wood.
She slowly exhaled, unnerved and fascinated all at once. "How do you do that…?" she asked him, referring to the electricity snaking around the sword. The blue-white light danced across Sasuke's face, its glow rendering his chiselled features even more unearthly, and Sakura could not tear her eyes away. Her heart pounded. Just how much power did he possess, to fracture through stone like it was merely fine spun glass?
The lightning tendrils ebbed before hissing out of existence. Sasuke broke eye contact, and replied, "Chakra; a combination of spiritual and physical energy that, once honed, affords particular abilities."
Chakra. Sakura's brain eagerly stored the new information. She was internally surprised by how readily her captor was offering it, knew that it was imperatively important that she didn't miss a word. She hoped that Sasuke wasn't planning on using his special abilities during their training sessions; she was already at enough of a disadvantage without him calling on what looked to her to be magical powers.
"Only to gods?" Sakura questioned next.
Sasuke shook his head, his dark gaze meeting hers again. "All living things house chakra."
Sakura stared back at him, baffled. "You mean… I could do that too?"
"No," Sasuke stated. "The chakra contained within mortal cells is significantly weaker. It can only be channelled to enhance physical strength and reflexes. It cannot be manipulated to form elemental energy."
Oh. Sakura tried not to let her disappointment show. From the description the death deity had given her, she understood that chakra was some type of natural source of internal energy that could somehow be called upon and harnessed to increase stamina, fitness and power. She wondered how that was done, and debated whether Sasuke would grant her another detailed answer.
It suddenly then occurred to Sakura that the conversation they were having was probably the most extended one they'd had since she had woken up in the Underworld. Then the fact that they were having an actual civil conversation struck her, causing her heart to skip a beat. For the first time, Sasuke wasn't being sarcastic or curt in his responses to her questions, and that fact made Sakura feel a little less intimidated in his presence. His deep voice was like black velvet, rich and mesmerising. She was silently disconcerted by how utterly compelled she felt to listen to each and every word he said.
Her focus turned back to the subject at hand. Sasuke was obviously knowledgeable about it; his clear explanations reflected that fact. Then she reminded herself, of course he knew all about it; he was a god who knew everything there was to know about… well, everything.
"How is chakra channelled?" she asked.
Sasuke paused. It seemed to him that Sakura was genuinely eager to learn more; he had her full and undivided attention. "Through training," he said. Then, pointing the tip of Kusanagi toward her, he ordered, "Draw your sword."
Sakura's anxiety instantly returned. "Umm," she began uncertainly, her eyes darting erratically to rest on anything but the handsome god before her, as she fumbled to express her primary concern. Her nerves got the better of her, causing her to blurt out, "You- you'll go easy on me… right?"
Sasuke blinked once, stared at her for a second in a manner that only served to heighten her agitation – when, to her utter astonishment, the left corner of his lips drew back to form the faintest hint of a wicked smirk. Sakura's breath caught at the sinfully sexy sight, and her heart proceeded to race before she had even begun to physically exert herself.
Why was he giving her such a look…? What in the world was he thinking? She was dismayed to feel warmth trickle into her cheeks. Did she really want to know?
"Draw your sword," Sasuke simply repeated.
Sakura nervously wet her lips. Awkwardly, she pulled her freshly forged blade from its scabbard, setting the casing on the steps behind her. Then her gaze returned to Sasuke, who stepped toward her. She tensed as he began to circle her, waited for his next instruction – when something knocked into the centre of her spine, causing her to stiffen in surprise.
"Straighten your back," Sasuke's reprimanding voice spoke directly behind her. She realised that he'd struck her lightly with the blunt base of his blade's hilt. She rigidly did as he asked, then felt something cool and hard rest against the side of her right knee and looked down to find the Kusanagi hovering between her legs. Her heart leapt in alarm, and she was ready to turn and demand what Sasuke was doing, when pressure was applied against her knee, effectively forcing her legs further apart.
Sakura swallowed. She understood that Sasuke had just corrected her posture, but that didn't stop an embarrassed blush from rushing to fill her cheeks. He could have just asked her to space her feet, damn it…
The death deity nonchalantly drew the sword back and stepped around her, his eyes scrutinising her stance.
"Raise your blade," he ordered next, his tone brisk once again. Sakura complied. While the sword in her hand was not unbearably heavy, she was unaccustomed to wielding the weapon, and her grasp felt clumsy, uncomfortable. When she tried a few experimental loops, it felt stranger still.
"Your elbow," Sasuke prompted, and Sakura was reminded of their encounter in the armoury, and immediately straightened it. She was confused when Sasuke said nothing more, merely stood back to regard her with dark eyes. The seconds inched by, and before Sakura had even counted a full nine in her head, the muscles in her arm began to ache. A further five seconds passed, and Sakura's arm, overcome by the pull of gravity, gave up, lowering the sword back to her side.
"Hn," Sasuke released a snort of contempt. The girl had managed to keep her arm raised for the pathetic duration of fourteen seconds; even less than the seventeen he had anticipated. She would need to learn how to channel basic chakra flow through her internal chakra network before their sparring sessions could truly commence. Which meant he had to start with the very basics.
Sakura watched, puzzled, as he stepped out of the arena and over to the wooden crate, picking it up like it weighed nothing more than a plastic box. Then, joining her once again, the Death God set it down, and took out a selection of slender, metallic hoops from one of the inner compartments. Sakura noticed that they were different sizes in diameter. Stabbing Kusanagi into the ground beside it, Sasuke lifted one of the wider hoops.
"Catch it."
"With my hands?" Sakura asked hopefully, thinking that the task seemed simple enough.
"…" Sasuke gave her a look. "With your sword."
Sakura glanced down at her blade. She reasoned that as long as Sasuke threw one at a time, and didn't toss them too fast, the task was achievable, as long as she concentrated on her timing, which she supposed was the purpose of the exercise.
"Alright," she answered cautiously. She was relieved that Sasuke wasn't engaging her in an aggressive round of sword-fighting right away, at least.
He threw the first ring, almost leisurely, and Sakura raised her sword, swiping it out the air with little trouble. She allowed the hoop to fall around her arm and looked expectantly back at Sasuke, who tossed the second at a similar pace. She caught it. He threw a third, a little faster, and to her left. The fourth was tossed to her right. The fifth, he threw lower down, and without waiting for her to straighten, chucked the sixth, way over her head. He paused, watching as she scrambled frantically back to retrieve it mid-flight, his eyes carefully gauging her reaction speed. Then he tossed another, more quickly, to her right. Even before she had lunged to catch it, he threw another to her left.
"Wait!" she protested. "You're going too fast!"
"Hn," he snorted, as the ring he had thrown fell to the flat sand coated floor. "You are too slow."
Sakura frowned lightly at this, but before she could say anything else, Sasuke held out his right hand. She watched in astonishment as the rings flew off her arm, back into his waiting grasp, like metals attracted to an overpowering magnet.
That's so cool, a tiny voice in her head whispered. Shocked that she would even think such a thing, she stomped it out, turning her focus back to the death deity, who was holding up another ring.
"Again," he instructed, tossing the first hoop. She snagged it, and leapt to the right for the next, her eyes darting back to him in anticipation of the third. But Sasuke threw it together with the fourth, at different heights, and in two different directions. Sakura gritted her teeth, snatching one before scurrying back for the other. She released a relieved sigh when she managed to grab both before they hit the ground – but wasn't given a chance to enjoy her little achievement, as Sasuke threw two more in kind – rings that were noticeably smaller in diameter.
He was steadily making the task more difficult, Sakura realised, and forcing her to exert herself to a greater degree, pushing her into reacting even faster. She scrambled to catch them, losing her balance as she lunged with an outstretched arm to snag the second ring out of the air. But Sasuke was relentless. With the ghost of a smirk gracing his lips, he threw three more in succession.
Sakura gasped, managed to grab one, and just missed the second. The third landed on the top of her head, making her yelp and raise her free hand to her scalp in discomfort.
"Focus," Sasuke's hard voice censured.
Breathing hard, she opened her mouth to argue that hurtling three at her wasn't fair – but her merciless trainer had already tossed another two. Her eyes widened and she rushed to catch them. Sasuke tossed three in a row again, one after the other. Setting her jaw in determination, Sakura's gaze darted quickly between the three airborne rings, her mind rapidly calculating where the other two were likely to land based on the speed and direction they were travelling, before leaping to snatch the first with her sword. Immediately she pivoted, dashing back to her right, successfully managing to catch the second. The last one had been heading over her. She turned, her gaze widening as she glimpsed the final ring, descending rapidly to the floor. She threw herself forward, lunging to catch it – and fell to the ground, thrusting her blade forward just in time to snag the edge of the ring. It fell over her arm, and she sat up, breathless, turning to regard Sasuke with a triumphant smile.
"I did it!" she exclaimed, feeling immensely accomplished and proud of herself.
Sasuke felt something twinge unexpectedly within him. That smile. It was the first time she had offered it to him. And it was as beautiful and blindingly brilliant as the sunlight that never touched the planes of his realm. Her green eyes twinkled with victory, and he was struck by the sight. Quickly, he averted his gaze, concealing his internal reaction. Sakura had started out unconvincingly, but had quickly developed a strategy that would increase her chances of obtaining all rings. And it was the correct strategy.
She was a fast and eager learner. And the death deity found himself reluctantly approving of that.
"Hn," he turned back to the crate, allowing her a moment to gulp down oxygen. He picked up a new set of hoops – these even smaller than the last set, and held up the first in the batch.
Sakura got back to her feet. 'Hn?' That was all he was going to say? She wasn't given time to dwell on it, because Sasuke threw two more hoops at her – at a much faster speed than before. Sakura flinched, catching one, but missing the other, her short-lived happiness faltering. Two more hurtled toward her – one aimed directly at her head. She squeaked, raising her sword in defence, somehow managing to parry the hoop away instead of snagging it. She managed to pluck the other out of the air, but it was considerably more difficult. When Sasuke tossed another three, she knew with a sinking feeling that there was no way she could retrieve them all. She managed one; the other two fell with a dull thud to the floor. She stopped, lungs burning, and directed an angry glare at the death deity.
"Please…! Slow down!"
He shot her a contemptuous look.
She scowled in response. "You're making it too difficult-"
"Focus," he clipped again, before throwing another two discs in separate directions. Sakura sprinted, lunging for one, and then scurried back for the other – but Sasuke had already tossed another three into the air. Sakura unhappily gave up, finding no point in wasting her energy. She fell to her knees on the dusty floor, exhausted from the strenuous and relentless exercise. If Sasuke had intended for it to be a gentle warm-up activity of sorts, he'd grossly overdone it. She hadn't even thought of stretching beforehand, and knew her muscles would punish her for the oversight later.
She glanced up as the death deity approached, and looked down unsympathetically at her.
"Get up," he ordered coldly.
Sakura fought to regulate her breathing. "Just… just give me a minute to-"
Cool steel touched her throat, as Sasuke pressed the tip of his blade against her skin, and commanded more emphatically, "Get up."
Sakura gulped, and hauled herself back to her feet. Her heart was still drumming, and leapt when Sasuke gestured to the lowest of the wooden poles, set in the cluster of posts and balancing beams in the upper corner of the arena behind him. What was he going to ask her to do next?
"What are those for…?" she asked nervously.
"Chakra training," the death deity responded, before leaping gracefully and fluidly onto the tallest, thinnest post, turning to regard her with perfect poise and balance. "When you step onto the first post," he gestured toward the lowest, thickest one with Kusanagi, "focus chakra into your legs."
Sakura stared at him, towering over her like a dark, majestic hawk on an unreachable perch. "How do I channel chakra to my legs?" she frowned. She didn't even know how to access the mysterious energy source.
"Clear your mind," Sasuke instructed. "Focus on the physical energy contained within you, and the spiritual energy that surrounds you. When your mind and body become one, you will connect with your chakra flow."
Sakura blinked blankly up at him. Sasuke wanted her to meditate? She'd accompanied Ino on a few yoga classes in the past, which had only lasted for three weeks before her best friend had swiftly moved onto a different health craze. She had managed it fine back then; but how was she going to clear her mind with Sasuke standing there with her, watching her with the same intensity with which an eagle examined a particularly interesting morsel?
She knew the purpose of the exercise; to test her sense of balance, as well as chakra channelling. But the latter seemed to Sakura like an utter impossibility; she hadn't even heard of chakra prior to entering the training grounds. She was probably going to fail miserably at connecting to it.
The death deity pointed his blade expectantly toward the lowest post. It reached just below Sakura's waist in height. She propped her sword against it, then cautiously climbed up. It was wide enough to stand comfortably on, and she looked to Sasuke for the next instruction.
"When you have connected to your chakra flow, use your post to cross to the next," here he gestured to the post a short leap away in front of Sakura. The jump was achievable; but landing in perfect balance at the top was another matter entirely. Knowing her luck, she would fall right off and land flat on her face. She felt her cheeks warm in mortification at the mere thought. Sasuke was so flawless at everything he did, which was to be expected of a god; but she certainly did not want to look like an incompetent, clumsy idiot before him.
"How do I know if I've connected to my chakra flow?"
"You will know," Sasuke replied cryptically.
Sakura swallowed. If she did fail, she reasoned, then Sasuke only had himself to blame for giving her unreasonable tasks that were way ahead of her capabilities.
She summoned the memory of the yoga lessons she'd experienced in the past, recalling the breathing exercises the eccentric female instructor had given the students in attendance, and closed her eyes. She could still feel the weight of Sasuke's stare as he watched her, but forced herself not to focus on it. She drew a deep breath, held it for five seconds, before slowly exhaling, working to clear her mind of all thoughts.
At first it was difficult. She kept worrying about getting it wrong, what Sasuke would do if she did, how he might react – but she told herself to concentrate on her breathing. Eventually, she felt her pulse growing steadier within her.
She was at one with her environment; the same way she had always felt perfectly attuned to nature. Her mind was free; in harmony with her body. She was in a safe place where nothing and nobody could reach her…
The death deity watched her intently. His crimson eyes informed him that the aura of agitation surrounding her had calmed significantly. He could see the outlines of her inner chakra network, branching out with delicate veins, its natural hue a pale, pleasant green. It flowed steadily through her in response to her deep, even breathing. Sasuke was silently surprised to find that he was unexpectedly impressed; Sakura clearly possessed a greater discipline over her mind than he had initially realised. Was it down to luck, he mused, or was it possible that she had a natural knack for concentrating her chakra flow? It was certainly a possibility for mortals to reach such an elevated spiritual state; but doing so usually required many years of intense, focused training. How was it possible that Sakura, who he knew to be entirely inexperienced in combat of any kind, was able to regulate her chakra at the first attempt? Intrigued, he waited for her to make her move, curious to see what she would do. Channelling chakra was one thing; controlling it was another.
A strange stillness had settled over Sakura's senses. She saw a multitude of colours behind her closed eyelids, like a rainbow spectrum that kept shifting every few seconds. She felt warmth radiate through her, followed by a funny tingle, like her nerve-endings were responding to a low voltage stimulus. It was an odd yet pleasant sensation. Was this what Sasuke had meant, she silently wondered, when he'd told her that she would know when her chakra was channelled correctly? She was amazed at the confirmation that such energy truly existed, and turned her mind to her legs. She wanted the colours she could see to pour into them. She tried to direct them to do so, and for the first few attempts, nothing happened.
Focus, she willed herself. Surely there had to be a way to channel the warmth into her legs. If she just concentrated on imagining the colours streaming through her blood vessels a little harder… just a little bit more…
Her legs tingled, almost felt as though they were burning, and her eyes flew open, an astonished gasp escaping her lips.
"My legs," she exclaimed, "they feel... different."
"…" Sasuke's gaze lowered, to find that she had managed to direct her chakra to the limbs he had specified. His eyes locked back onto her face. She was staring at him with a look of uncertainty.
Sakura's heart skipped a beat when Sasuke slowly raised a dark brow at her. "Hn. You have channelled your chakra," he stated. She was shocked to detect a grudging look of something passing transiently across his features – but it was gone too quickly for her to decode. He gestured toward the post, and nodded for her to attempt to leap to it.
Sakura faltered in the face of the daunting task, and felt some of the warmth in her legs immediately dissipate. Alarmed, she crushed down the anxiety, trying to return her mind to its previously balanced state. She slowly inhaled, ignoring the way the Death God was watching her, directing her attention completely onto the surface of the post. It was still wide enough to support both her feet. She could do it. And if she didn't succeed the first time, what did it matter? She had already managed to channel her very own chakra! That in itself was a feat, she knew.
The warmth returned to her legs. It was then or never, she told herself. She took a deep breath, counted down from five, her mind racing to approximate the jumping distance, her heart pounding with adrenaline. When she got to zero, she darted off her perch. Her right foot landed on top of the post, and she teetered precariously forward. She'd applied too much of a force behind the jump, and her arms flailed to regain balance.
"Your chakra will anchor you – if you retain it," Sasuke's voice cleaved through the panic of her thoughts.
She immediately redirected her thoughts to her legs. Somehow, miraculously, she managed to steady herself, placing her left foot firmly beside the right. She released a relieved breath, and turned her face to Sasuke, who was scowling at the less than graceful jump he had witnessed.
"You lost your focus," he deadpanned.
Sakura stiffened. "I've never done this before," she shot back, a part of her irritated that he chose to criticise her instead of acknowledging what she had done well. Her mind stilled at the realisation. Why was she annoyed at all? It wasn't like she even wanted him to think anything of the fact that she had managed to channel her chakra on the first attempt.
"Summoning chakra is useless if you lack control," Sasuke added, as if directly reading her mind. A sinking feeling filled her – one she stubbornly refused to identify as disappointment.
"This is new to me," she defended incredulously.
"Hn," Sasuke dismissed, thoroughly unimpressed, before gesturing to the next post. "Again."
Sakura folded her arms unhappily. "No," she said, prompting the death deity to lift a questioning eyebrow at her refusal. Quickly, she added, "I mean, I can't. I won't be able to do it."
Dark eyes narrowed disapprovingly at her. "Giving up, Sakura…?" he taunted. Perhaps, he told himself, she was not so eager to learn, after all.
Sakura clenched her teeth tightly, forcing back her mounting frustration. "People train for years to do things like this. I got lucky with this post; there's no way I'll make the next one."
"You redirected your chakra," Sasuke stated pointedly, reminding her that she had already managed to succeed in a task she'd initially viewed as impossible.
Sakura's eyes widened. Was he acknowledging her achievement after all? "Sasuke," she began. "I…"
"Again," he repeated.
She swallowed miserably. She didn't feel like she could even focus enough to channel chakra back into her legs. Irritated that she was being pressured to do something she knew she could not succeed in without dedicated practice, she jumped hurriedly to the next post, falling well off the mark she'd aimed for. She winced as she landed on her rear on the ground. Sasuke swiftly descended from his post and joined her.
"You did not try," he reprimanded.
Sakura felt her patience begin to splinter. "I can't do it," she answered petulantly, glaring at his sandal-clad feet. She was a realist who was aware of her capabilities and what she couldn't achieve. Sasuke clearly had his head in metaphorical clouds if he thought she stood a chance at actually using her personal chakra stash to improve her fighting prowess. "I'm not a fighter," she muttered, extending her legs. Now that the warmth of chakra flow had worn off, they felt oddly sore – as though she had overstrained her muscles.
Without warning, Sasuke stepped forward, stabbing his Kusanagi into the ground between her legs. Sakura flinched, drawing her knees close to her chest, her heart leaping fearfully to her throat as Sasuke crouched down to regard her with a glare that had the ability to freeze over hell itself.
"You will be," he clipped, and before she could respond, reached out and yanked her back onto her feet. Sakura gaped after him, watching as he moved over to the table with dishes and beverages. He poured a little of the golden drink from the decanter into a goblet and returned to her, practically thrusting it into her face.
"Drink," he ordered.
Sakura accepted the offering in bewilderment. "Why are you doing this?" The question came out little above a whisper. "I don't understand why you would waste your time on-"
"Retrieve your sword," he cut her off abruptly. Sakura bit her lower lip, her frustration cresting.
"Please, I just want to know-" she tried, once again, to be polite.
But Sasuke clearly did not hold manners in high regard. He shot her a withering look that warned her she was sorely pushing it. Part of Sakura, the raging part that was fed up of being intimidated into submission by the god before her, wanted to persist further, to see what, exactly, he would do if she continued to insist for an answer. But the more sensible part that pleaded with her to remember that she needed to work on gaining his trust told her that she would be making a very foolish mistake by choosing to do so. She already knew from her previous attempts that Sasuke did not respond well to having his actions questioned. She swallowed, averted her gaze, and after wrestling with her temper and crushing her anger back, grabbed her sword, her grip tense, betraying her inner aggravation. He was so stiflingly controlling. So completely impossible to reason with, and talk to; could she really endure further training sessions?
She gulped the drink down, half-wishing she could hurtle the goblet at him like she had before, and that this time, it would strike his arrogant head and he would come to realise that she did not appreciate being bullied into complying with his will. She released a quiet breath, feeling a little calmer as the delicious brew began to take effect, soothing the aches from her body and restoring a semblance of order and clarity to her mind. However, a part of her still secretly wanted to punch the death deity in his stupidly perfect face for bossing her around so much and continuing to dictate what she could and could not do.
He's a god, and you're in his kingdom, the voice of reason whispered in her mind. You'll just have to suck it up for now. Don't lose your cool. You have to try to get him to trust you! Look, he's annoyed. Apologise!
But swallowing back her pride and blocking out the inner voice that begged her to hold her ground was not easy. Sakura somehow managed to do it regardless, and lowered her gaze, as she offered quietly, "I'm sorry. I'm just not used to this." She lifted her eyes uncertainly to the death deity, who was scowling at the posts and making a point of not looking at her. Taking a deep breath, Sakura asked softly, "Could we try the rings again?" When he did not respond, she added hopefully, "Please, Sasuke?"
A heavy pause followed her request. Then, at last, piercing onyx shifted to lock onto her. The Death God regarded her for a long, thoughtful moment, his expression betraying nothing of his inner thoughts. Then, wordlessly, he picked up another set of hoops.
Ino did her best to ignore the displeased scowl that she could feel her father practically drilling into her head. After Inoichi had caught them red handed in the act of attempting to acquire ambrosia, he'd promptly ordered them back up to the lounge for what they'd all anticipated would be a lengthy scolding. But when they had entered the room to find Asuma, Gai, Kurenai, Iruka and Mrs Yamanaka waiting for them, they knew the scolding was on the verge of upgrading to a very thorough grilling.
Naruto released an unhappy groan as he plopped down in the couch beside Sai. "Oh, man," he whined, scratching stressfully at the back of his sunshine head.
"They were trying to steal ambrosia," Inoichi informed the other elders stiffly. Five pairs of accusing eyes turned to examine the guilty youths. Poor Hinata was nervously twiddling her index fingers and looked utterly ashamed of herself, her fair face flushed with embarrassment. Sai stared coolly and expressionlessly back at them. Ino sat with her legs and arms crossed, scowling like a sulky teenager who was just seconds away from throwing the mother of all tantrums. Naruto was muttering to himself, and Shikamaru looked like he thought the entire situation was just too troublesome to be dealt with at such an early hour in the afternoon.
"Why would you want to do such a thing?" Kurenai questioned in dismay.
"The very idea is reckless!" Iruka exclaimed.
"Typical of youth," Gai agreed, shaking his head sadly.
"Who orchestrated this plan?" Asuma demanded.
Shikamaru shot a look at Ino, who, after fidgeting uncomfortably for a moment, burst out, "Me! It was me, okay? My fault! I strung the others along. Are you happy now?"
Ino's mother, dressed in a chic navy pencil skirt and white blouse, with her darker blonde hair tied up in a tight bun, released a shocked gasp. "Dear one, how could you even think to-?"
"It wasn't just her idea," Naruto argued, "We agreed together! Right guys?"
Sai nodded solemnly. Hinata stuttered her agreement, but Shikamaru frowned.
"I tried to talk reason into them-"
"Oh, that's right!" Ino pounced, glaring at him, her throat burning with the bitterness of disappointment. "You had nothing to do with this!"
Shikamaru released a heavy sigh. "Ino-" he began, but was swiftly interrupted by Inoichi.
"Have you lost your senses?" he censured them. To Ino, he frowned, "You relinquished your powers of your own will. Do you realise just how much ambrosia you would need to consume in order to regain them?"
"I don't want my powers back for me! I want them back for Sakura-"
"I'm curious," Asuma said, folding his arms. "What, exactly, do you all think you can do for Sakura?"
"I could look for her," Ino gestured desperately, her frustration peaking. "I can't just keep sitting around like this and doing nothing-"
"We are looking for her," Kurenai reminded her more gently. "Please, Ino. Do not allow your emotions lead you into doing anything brash-"
"You aren't looking hard enough!" Naruto exploded, leaping to his feet, his blue eyes flashing with emotion. "It's been nearly two weeks since Sakura-chan vanished! And you're telling us you haven't found a single clue?"
Shikamaru rubbed stressfully at his forehead. This wasn't the correct way to handle things; why did Naruto always have to get carried away?
Iruka held up his hands "Naruto, please, compose yourself-"
But Gai's temper had been unleashed. "You accuse us of not searching thoroughly for the girl? We may not be as youthful as the rest of you, but we've still got some tricks up our sleeves!"
"Do not think for a moment, that we are not pushing the rules in our hunt for Sakura," Inoichi snapped. "But to break them with such carelessness would be madness!"
"You would risk drawing even further attention to us. If we disregard our oaths, who is to say he will not do the same?" Asuma demanded.
"He doesn't even know that Sakura-chan is-" Naruto began to protest loudly, and was quickly cut off by Ino's mother.
"Naruto! Please."
Naruto clenched his jaw, fury brewing unbearably within him. "Why don't we just confront that bastard Suigetsu, and get it over with?"
Sai felt the muscles in his body tense. His heart began to pound to a sickening rhythm.
"It is our intention to do so," Kurenai replied patiently. "But we have been unable to locate him."
"Where else would he be apart from in the oceans?" Ino scowled.
"Kakashi informed us that Jiraiya has already sent his subjects to the sea depths. They have not found Suigetsu yet," Iruka answered.
"That makes no sense," Shikamaru spoke up. "Unless he's somehow masking himself, he wouldn't leave the seas unattended."
Gai hesitated, before disclosing, "There has been increasing disruption to all surfaces of water."
Shikamaru stared at him. "That doesn't seem like a coincidence, if you've been unable to find Suigetsu."
Alarm bells were ringing in Sai's mind. He had to say something. If he didn't, they would soon connect the dots, and if they did, he would be held accountable by the one who truly had Sakura.
"It must be a diversion," he said evenly, internally sickened by just how easy his tongue found it to throw them off course.
Inoichi regarded him intently. "A diversion?" he echoed.
"Yes. A precaution he has taken to throw us further of his trail." When the others merely looked at him, he elaborated, "He would not leave the oceans unattended, as you said." He nodded to Shikamaru. "If he gives the impression that he has…"
"It would make him appear like he's a less likely culprit!" Ino finished, smacking a fist into her palm.
"That damned bastard," Naruto seethed. "I'll kill him!"
Hinata said softly, "I-if that is so, then is he somehow, perhaps, cloaking Sakura's location from us…?"
"Impossible," Gai scoffed. "Jiraiya's subjects ought to have found her!"
"Suigetsu has absolute control over the oceans…" Shikamaru began. His mind was racing to piece everything they knew together. "He has the power to dispose of Jiraiya's toads immediately."
"That must surely be what has happened," Kurenai agreed. "Kakashi told us that Jiraiya had not heard from his subjects."
"Which can only mean…" Asuma frowned deeply, following the trail of thought.
"The only way we can be certain of what is happening down there is for one of us to descend to his palaces," Iruka finished with finality.
"That would be dangerous," Ino's mother shook her head. "To intrude on his territory…"
"Wait. Wait!" Ino exclaimed. "Dad, I had this idea; what if you connect with one of the toads! That way, you'll be able to search through its eyes."
"…" Inoichi raised a hand to his chin, pondering her idea.
"It's a good plan," Shimakaru supported. Ino's eyes turned to him. He met her gaze, and nodded.
"Yes," Kurenai said slowly, her eyes lighting up with hope. "That might just work!"
"You'd be able to gain intelligence, from the safety of the surface," Asuma supported.
"You've got to do it," Naruto urged. "It's the quickest way to find Sakura-chan!"
"Please!" Ino pleaded. "Dad!"
Inoichi held up his hands. "It is workable," he replied after contemplation, silently impressed by the sharpness of his daughter's mind. "But one issue prevents us from implementing this immediately."
"What?" Naruto was ready to tear his hair out. "What is it?"
Shikamaru sighed heavily in understanding. How troublesome everything was, he thought to himself, before stating tiredly, "Locating Jiraiya."
Sakura ran her fingers through her freshly dried hair. The fragrant shampoos were wonderful, and made her tresses feel even silkier than usual. The delicious body oils had similar powers, turning Sakura's soft skin to pure satin. She absent-mindedly wondered what ingredients were contained within the toiletries that existed in the Underworld, as she exited the bathroom following a long and well-deserved soak in the bathtub.
After practicing with catching rings a little more, Sasuke had noted her fatigue and terminated their first session, dismissing her from the training arena. She had made her way back up to her chamber alone, her thoughts spinning like the platform that had carried her back to the palace's ground floor. She'd reflected on the lesson whilst enjoying the hot water's soothing effects on her tired body. As she had expected, the death deity had been a relentless and unforgiving tutor. She'd tumbled to the ground on more than several instances, and one particularly painful fall had resulted in another small dose of the yellow liquid to banish the ache in her knee and replenish her energy. Sakura made plans to return to the training area soon – alone – to practice on channelling and controlling her chakra. That way, when Sasuke called her down to spar with him, she would be a little better prepared.
Maybe Sasuke would offer her some kind of reward if she worked hard enough to improve quickly. Her stomach twisted strangely at the thought. What kind of reward was she hoping for from him? That he'd start trusting her more?
Yeah, right, she thought despondently to herself. What she truly wanted was to return to the surface - even if it was just for an hour. She missed the warmth and brilliance of the sun's light so much. And she missed her mother and her friends even more desperately. As she climbed into bed and slipped beneath the luxurious sheets, she found herself wondering whether her mother had received her letter yet. Had she been able to decipher the secret message she'd included between the words? Or was her mother so caught up in her grief that she'd turned a blind eye to Sakura's coded call for help?
She sighed heavily, staring up at the beautiful underside of the canopy, her eyes finding new, rich details every time they gazed up at the exquisitely woven fabric. She knew that she was unlikely to procure any kind of prize. She would just train for her own benefit. She didn't think she would ever be much good, and certainly no match for a mighty immortal, but she would do her best. Maybe, if Sasuke saw her putting in the effort, he would at least cease to be exasperated and disdainful toward her. And if he was less annoyed with her, maybe, just maybe, she'd be on her way to inching toward gaining a tiny degree of his respect and trust.
Sasuke… his name was the last thing to drift through her mind as sleepiness quickly overcame her. She closed her heavy eyelids, and lost herself to slumber soon after.
Kore huffed impatiently. How much longer was she expected to wait? Her mother had left her by the flowing fountain in the stone courtyard, with firm instructions for her to remain in the resplendent, hedge-lined area. She turned her eyes up to the pristine white palace exterior. Elegant marble columns and balconies towered up to a vividly blue sky. The sun shone with jubilant radiance, its life bestowing rays throwing golden warmth upon everything they touched.
Apollo was in a good mood, Kore mused to herself, her gaze trailing idly back to the fountain before her. It depicted three beautiful nymphs with trailing gowns and cascading, wavy tresses. Birds with beaks parted in joyous song perched on their slender hands. Kore bit back a giggle. She'd heard that Hera had given poor Zeus a terrible time when he had first unveiled what he'd innocently insisted was an aesthetically pleasing, decorative ornament built in her honour. He must have found a way to convince his temperamental wife, because the magnificent sculpture still stood intact.
Her thoughts turned curiously to the meeting taking place in Zeus's halls at that very moment. She had thought it odd that her mother had insisted for her to accompany her on the journey; often, she was left behind, in the safe enclosure of Demeter's abundant, rolling fields. But she had heard from Aphrodite the previous night that all those with a seat in the Pantheon were in attendance, which unquestionably meant that it was an important gathering. Kore supposed that her mother's decision to take her along was for her own protection; because Apollo and Aphrodite were unable to watch over her, as they always did, regardless of her mother's insistence that she had no reason to assign anybody to follow her.
Kore felt a wistful longing tugging at her heart. How she wished she could join them also! But she knew that she did not belong amongst the assembly. She was young; even younger than Hermes. The matters Zeus discussed with the others did not concern her, Demeter had patiently assured her many times.
She drifted away from the fountain. Her mother had sternly instructed her not to pass through the narcissus flowered archway and the small set of steps she spied distantly ahead of her. Kore had obediently agreed, but found herself irresistibly drawn to the area. She cast an anxious glance back over her shoulder, up at the elaborately carved balconies overlooking the sprawling courtyard. Nobody was around, she reasoned, and she had already been waiting for a very, very long time. She needed to stretch her legs. She would just have a quick peek around the arch's corner, and return to her waiting spot right away. Zeus's palace was well guarded. She was confident that no harm would come to her.
Anxiety and excitement fluttered within her as she approached the archway, the same mixed feelings she experienced whenever she thought about going against Demeter's wishes. She had been tempted to do so more often lately, which troubled her. When she'd confided this to Aphrodite, her beautiful friend had insisted that it was a normal part of maturing. It would soon be time, Aphrodite had mysteriously said, for Kore to depart her mother's nest.
The very thought filled Kore with apprehension. Her mother had always been by her side. How could she exist without her?
The scent of flowers grew stronger and sweeter the closer she drew to the archway, which meant that another garden was nearby. Kore hesitated just before the opening, glancing back behind her again. The courtyard was clear. Taking a deep breath to reassure herself, she stepped through the archway – only for her breath to catch in her throat.
Standing in the middle of another rose-filled, pergola-sheltered garden were two tall figures. Both were clad in long, black, flowing cloaks. One was unfamiliar to Kore, and with his back turned to her, she couldn't make out anything about him other than flowing, silky raven hair secured atop his head and the raven feathers lining the high collar of his cloak. The man touched long, slender fingers lightly to his companion's left shoulder, and swiftly departed from the garden, taking a path that Kore guessed provided another route toward the palace's interior.
But she didn't dwell on who it could have been. Her attention was fully ensnared by the individual who was left standing in the garden. Her heart was all at once thundering within her as she recalled the only other instance before that she had looked upon that unmistakeable face. The night of the Eve of Spring celebrations. Those dark eyes had locked onto her – and she had ignored Aphrodite's pleas and turned away, immediately sprinting straight back to the sanctuary of her mother's temple, half terrified that he would follow her. He had not, and she'd been unable to remove the memory of his eyes from her mind since. Now he stood before her again.
Hades.
She released a trembling breath, drinking in the sight of him. He looked as darkly handsome as he had when she'd first glimpsed him, even more frighteningly so in the early afternoon's light. He seemed to be waiting also, perhaps for his friend to return to him, for he abruptly turned his back to Kore and proceeded to examine the flowers surrounding him. She clutched onto the cool wall of the archway that shielded her from his view, watching as Hades ventured deeper into the garden, and further away from her.
Kore chewed anxiously down on her lower lip. She knew she ought to turn back, while she still had the chance. Her mother would be none the wiser. But something tugged at her with each step Hades took. Soon he would round the corner that would remove him entirely from her view. What if she never got the opportunity to see him again…?
Her legs moved without conscious thought. Her stomach fluttered like the wings of the pretty little butterflies that were flittering between the flowers adorning the impeccably tended area. Keeping close to the white-rose hedges that lined the edges of the pergola, Kore shadowed the youth who strode with admirable confidence and grace ahead of her. She maintained a careful distance between them, commanding the plant-life around her to keep her movements silent and concealed. Her wide eyes followed the proud lines of his broad shoulders. She did not know what exactly it was about Hades that piqued her curiosity and retained it. He somehow seemed different to the other deities she had seen, possessed a measure of something she couldn't quite place her finger on, something she hoped she might understand, if she followed him for long enough. All the while she could feel the racing of her heartbeat, reminding her that she was disobeying her mother's wishes.
The guilt was enough to stop her in her tracks. What was she thinking? If her mother found out that she was sneaking after a stranger-
Her thoughts broke off, as Hades drew to a sudden stop in turn. She felt every muscle in her body tense as words were unexpectedly spoken to her, in a voice so tantalisingly smooth in its tone that for a horrifying moment, Kore froze in place, stunned by the devastating and instantaneous effect the alluring sound wove over her senses.
"Who follows me?"
Her lips parted, a shallow, startled breath escaping them. He had detected her? But how? Panic seized her as Hades swiftly turned. She gasped, retreating into the hedges, commanding the flora around her to conceal her from his dark, searching eyes. He was drawing closer, closer, close enough for her to glimpse the grey flecks in his onyx depths. He stopped directly over her hiding spot, his gaze darting completely over her cloaked form. Up close, his beauty struck her like a physical blow. He was like a sculpted masterpiece, commissioned by the great Zeus himself. Upon finding nothing, a light frown settled over his features, and Kore felt heat rush to her cheeks. The expression only served to enhance his smouldering good looks.
Then, abruptly, Hades stepped away, and continued along the garden. Kore hardly dared to breathe, as the reassuring whispers of the flowers reached her ears. They gently informed her that she had not been seen. But her mind was not listening. It was far too preoccupied by the bewildering burning sensation that had kindled to life deep within her chest; a burning so profound that it left her breathless. Like fire. Like the very flames of Tartarus of which she had been told such frightening tales by a deviously grinning Apollo.
Burning… burning…
Sakura's eyes flew open, her chest heaving for oxygen as the vision faded beyond her memory. When she tried to sit up, the room spun violently. Nausea assaulted her senses, and ice-cold tendrils of fear wrapped around her throat, squeezing chokingly as she was overwhelmed by a rushing, unpleasant feeling that sent her doubling over, clutching at the silken sheets in a desperate attempt to draw breath. But she couldn't. The pain in her chest was crushing, asphyxiating.
"H-help," she whimpered, the awareness of her heartbeat, pounding chaotically within her, only fanning the flames of panic that were surging up to engulf her entirely. "Help…!"
It was happening again. The dreaded, terrifying sensation of having something being wretched violently out of her. She squeezed her eyes shut, the air escaping her lips in laborious gasps. She panted, fighting to fill her lungs, but every time she did, the pain only intensified.
Hands suddenly grabbed hold of her shoulders, tugging her up. Through tear-blurred eyes and the onslaught of vertigo she was able to make out Chizu's alarmed face.
"Mistress!" her attendant's arms closed comfortingly around her. "Mistress, what is the matter?"
Sakura's voice wedged in her throat as another wave of pain compressed her windpipe.
"Heavens!" she heard Chizu exclaim in fright. "Fetch the Master, child! Fetch the Master at once!"
Sakura closed her eyes again, trying in vain to ward back the mounting sense of doom that whispered to her that she wouldn't recover this time. Her mother had always given her the medicine immediately, within minutes of an attack. But now her mother was far away from her. It had surely been at least five minutes since the episode had begun, and Sakura was starting to lose feeling in her arms and legs. She felt her heart skip a beat, palpitate twice, and it was the final push that sent her spiralling into the arms of hysteria.
"Master! Master!"
Sasuke's eyes shifted away from the fireplace as Ume burst into the room, her eyes wide with terror. He was on his feet immediately, scowling at her hysterics, as she babbled, "S-Sakura! The Mistress! Master, the Mistress, she-"
He did not wait for her to finish. In an instant, he had flickered to Sakura's bedchamber, pushing the doors open to find the young woman doubled over and gasping for oxygen. A cold, wrenching sensation ripped through his gut, and he was by her side in an instant, ordering a distraught Chizu away.
"We- we found her Master- she will not respond to me-"
"Bring me ambrosia," Sasuke instructed sharply. At Chizu's wide-eyed, glazed stare, he hissed, "Now."
The maid quickly exited the room to do his bidding. Sasuke sat before Sakura, gripped onto her arms, pushing her up. He caught his breath as she turned her face unseeingly up to him. Her cheeks were pale, lacking in their usual colour. Tears streamed from her eyes, the green irises darkened with pain. She seemed unable to focus on him.
"Sakura," he murmured, holding her close, his right hand lifting to press against her forehead. It was cold and clammy to his touch. He reached out to her mind with his own, seeking to identify the source of her discomfort – and was answered by a blindingly painful jolt. White flashed across his vision, and for a minute, he could not see her. The sensation quickly diminished, but left the death deity feeling even more disturbed. What had just happened? Dark eyes widened as he sensed Sakura's heart palpitate dangerously within her, momentarily cutting off her desperate attempts at breathing entirely. He held a hand to her chest, and willed the distressed organ's rushing beat to slow. What was the matter with her? He tried once again to connect to her thoughts, but was once more struck by an invisible barrier; as though the pain that she was experiencing was a physical obstacle that prevented him from reaching her.
Sakura's slender little fingers curled around the fabric of his shirt, as she managed to pant, "M-mecine. Meh…cine!"
"What?" Sasuke frowned, his hands lowering to grip onto her arms once again.
"M…!" she swallowed down a shallow gulp of air.
Sasuke stared at the top of her pink head, his thoughts spinning in a cyclone of chaos. In all his years of watching her, he had never seen Sakura in such agony. And the effect it had on his own body was something he could not have anticipated.
"I… I n-eed…" she wheezed, "muh-medi-cine…!"
The Death God froze. Medicine? But Sakura was a perfectly healthy human female. Why was she asking for medicine?
Chizu burst back into the room, a goblet full of ambrosia in her shaking hand. Sasuke snatched it from the woman's grasp, commanded her and Ume to leave them, and guided the cup to Sakura's discoloured lips.
"Drink," he instructed harshly.
Sakura's head rolled to the side, and she released a strangled whimper. Sasuke cursed, realising that she was unable to accept the drink without aid, and tilted her chin back, forcing the liquid down her throat. Sakura spluttered and swallowed, coughed and gasped until Sasuke had poured it all into her mouth. He discarded the goblet to the floor, watching with widened eyes as the ambrosia seemed to have an instantaneous effect on her. The colour slowly began to return to her face, and her eyes began to regain their focus. She drew in a deep gulp of oxygen, shuddered and then collapsed, trembling, against him. Her face buried into his chest, the fingers clutching his shirt finally loosening as the pain within her waned before gradually ebbing away, as the healing golden liquid coursed through her system.
Sasuke exhaled, his grip on her arms tightening, his mind racing to process what he had just witnessed. For a long while, neither of them moved. A heavy silence hung between them, interrupted only by Sakura's efforts to regulate her breathing once again. Then, finally, she stirred, her muddled thoughts lethargically coming to terms with the fact that she was on her bed, in the Death God's arms. Her pulse began to quicken again, but this time to an entirely different rhythm, sending heat blooming to her cheeks. Horrified by the compromising position she found herself in, Sakura immediately made to draw back – when she suddenly became painfully conscious of something thrumming rapidly against her left ear.
She blinked as realisation washed over her, stealing her breath away all over again, causing her to freeze in place against him.
Sasuke. She could hear his heartbeat.
It was pounding.
Author's note
This chapter is a total of 29 pages. Longest yet! Anyway, gasp! His heart is racing! Surely Sakura can decode that it actually betrays what Sasuke's stoic exterior keeps perfectly concealed; he does care for our dear heroine. Progress at last!
Regarding training, I think it's more realistic and in character for Sasuke if he goes through chakra basics with Sakura before proceeding to jump her- I mean, cough, spar with her. He wanted to test her speed and reaction times. Let's face it; attacking the poor girl straight away would have been pretty pointless. But yay for Sakura pleasantly surprising him with her unexpected chakra control (in line with her manga self). And was that deliberately symbolic by Sasuke, stabbing Kusanagi between her legs? Kukuku. Hope you enjoyed this; please do let me know your thoughts.
Next one might take a little longer as I have a lot going on over the next week, and won't have much, if any, time to write, but thank you everyone for your continued support and encouragement, all the lovely artwork the beautiful artists are contributing, and the masses of notes I am being sent expressing appreciation for this story. You're all amazing! Rest assured that I will begin working on the next chapter as soon as I find time to do so. Thanks for reading.