Thanks to all who posted a review/PMed their thoughts last chapter; I'm glad you enjoyed the harp scene and Sasuke and Sakura's first kiss… though it was a bit one sided! I really enjoyed reading everybody's thoughts, so thank you so much.
Please visit my profile page for links to the accompanying tracks.
To those who are still asking, yes, I do indeed write ALL poems at the start of each chapter! I used to do it at the end, but now it's the first thing I write, as it helps set the mood of the chapter. No pre-planning – I make them up as I go along, really – and it usually takes me ages, with lots of backspacing and retyping!
Please visit the links to the accompanying tracks on my profile page and play them at the specified parts of the chapter.
Onward with the story.
Chapter XXXIV
Be wary, they say,
Of the Serpent's tongue,
That ensnares and ruins,
Both old and young
Syrup-coated whispers,
Mask venomous lies,
Softly as the gentle feather,
Will he seal your demise,
Beware, beware!
His condemned victims wail,
Their melancholic cries unheeded,
From the deepest pits of Hell.
The death deity's back hit the wall with a dull thud as he struggled to calm the tempestuous storm rampaging inside him. But trying to wrestle discipline from the depths of pandemonium was near impossible. His heart was pounding with a ferocious intensity that was nothing short of disturbing.
He could still feel it… the tantalising softness of Sakura's lips. He could still taste the sweetness of her, mingled with the saccharine flavour of the forbidden fruit. How dreadfully ironic it was; hadn't he always disliked sugary things? But Sakura… she was the richest of honeys. The most fragrant of flowers. As if she belonged to the heavens themselves.
Sasuke slowly exhaled. Raising a hand to his face, he closed his eyes, willing order to return to his displaced senses. She had looked so seductive and enticing in red. And when his lips had touched hers, pure fire had erupted in his blood-stream, setting his entire being alight. He had never experienced anything so overwhelming, and his body's reaction was unsettling. It was as though his mind had violently disconnected, completely overruled by the foreign sensations wreaking havoc upon his body. What was even more troublesome was the fact that kissing her had only served to add further fuel to the flame he had harboured for her for so long.
He had thought, perhaps, that it would relieve the unbearable tension, that it would somehow ease the maddening, inexplicable desire to be close to her. But now the need was even more devastating. The simple act of meeting her lips had given birth to an unfamiliar warmth, one of which he hadn't even realised his cold-numbed body had been deprived and missing. A warmth that had flooded through him, like hateful yet glorious liquid sunshine, shifting the ice in his veins and leaving a terrible, throbbing ache in his chest – one wholly alien to him and one he did not know how to manage.
How he loathed the uncertainty! The sensible part of him, the defensive voice that had established impenetrable barriers around his persona and always ensured his self-preservation throughout the ages, desperately wanted what she had kindled into existence inside of him to go away - to be replaced by the familiar emptiness and nothingness that had always been there before he had set eyes on Sakura. But even more so, even more urgently, he yearned to return to his chamber. He wanted to pull her into his arms, crush her against him and kiss her again until every last ounce of air abandoned her lungs.
His eyes opened, and the fingers resting on his face clenched, digging into skin. How could a simple joining of lips affect him so profoundly? Something had coursed between them – an instant connection that had given way to surging exhilaration. It had struck him like a crackling bolt of lightning, stunning his senses. It was a weakness his proud, logic-driven mind utterly rejected – but one his body was nevertheless convinced it needed. Like mortals needed oxygen to live, he needed Sakura with him, in his Kingdom.
And now he had secured her. Only a few more seeds from the fruit would seal her fate, would ensure that she could never leave the realm of the dead.
But instead of feeling elated about it, as he had when he'd initially watched her bite into the pomegranate, he now only felt an odd detachment. A moment of reflection swiftly revealed the root of the problem. Her tearful reaction to his kiss bothered him. He frowned as words, spoken in a stricken whisper, echoed heavily in his mind.
"You took my freedom… for what? For this?"
He lowered his hand, closing it tightly to form a fist. Perhaps it had been that way when he had first abducted her, before he had interacted with her, for back then he had cared very little for her feelings with regard to him. But now, hearing her accuse him of bringing her to the Underworld to serve as little more than a source of physical pleasure had insulted him. He was not like the other mindless, lust-driven gods. Yes, he had always desired her, and acted upon it by stealing her into his world – but he had not disrespected and used her body the way other deities had with the unwilling women who had taken their fancy.
Besides, what other choice had he realistically had when banishing her from his thoughts, after first setting eyes on her, had been a losing battle? Approaching Tsunade would have been out of the question. The only way to acquire Sakura had been to snatch her from under her mother's nose.
He had given her space. He had given her time to adjust. He had shown her places that were forbidden to mortal eyes.
Foolish Sakura, he inwardly fumed. Did she not perceive that had physical closeness been all he'd truly wanted from the start - and the only thing he had wanted - then he would have finished with her long ago and discarded her broken body in Tartarus – or back home, if she had been fortunate enough to instigate a rare instance of compassion from him? Was that all she really believed he was interested in?
It made him all the angrier when he once again tried to pinpoint precisely when her opinions and feelings had started to take such precedence. When had they started to matter so much to him? She was making him analyse his words and behaviour – something he had never cared to do in the past. He, who answered to nothing and no-one! Yet she had already influenced him before, such as when she'd stayed his hand in the harpy cavern.
It was a reality that was difficult for the unyielding God of Death to digest.
"You took my freedom… for what? For this?"
Again her words replayed in his thoughts. Sasuke's clenched hands loosened and the breath in his lungs stilled as a sudden thought struck him. What was he after? What did he really want from her? Now that he had bound her, unknowingly, to him and his realm, now that he was on the verge of discovering just what she was - where did they go from here? Sakura's misguided view of her role in his Kingdom compelled him to finally face the question – what was her purpose in it?
What did he want her to be?
Sasuke swallowed, recalling her fascination and delight at witnessing Elysium and the Elysian Fields. He remembered her curious questions, the thirst for knowledge in her emerald eyes. How she had been so eager to understand the unrecognisable environment into which she had been so callously flung.
He did not have the answer. More specifically, he refused to acknowledge it at that moment, for it was far too disconcerting. It was already taxing enough on his mind trying to come to terms with how her touch had ignited such dangerous heat in him. It was as though everything else had faded to grey and the only colours he had been able to see were the mesmerising green of her irises and the soft pink of her sinfully tempting lips.
Damn it, he mentally cursed, frustrated beyond endurance. Now that he'd sampled her, he hungered for more. More. So much more… what the emptiness of his existence before her light had kept concealed from him. Something twisted unpleasantly in his chest. He wanted… he wanted her to return his next kiss. It was agonising, to entertain what it might feel like if Sakura's slender, willowy arms were to wrap willingly around his neck, if she were to press the softness of her body against him, to tease his ravenous lips with the warmth of her breath…
But he knew he could not touch her again - not when she was so upset. Increasing her resentment would certainly not work to his advantage.
He swallowed back the bitterness in his throat. He had not quite anticipated things to escalate in such a manner. Sakura was continually surprising him – and for a god who despised all manner of surprises, adjusting to them was proving to be quite a challenge.
It didn't matter, he thought determinedly to himself, as he subdued all lingering feelings of uncertainty and felt his pulse finally settle. He was still the one in control. Straightening away from the door he had been leaning against, Sasuke stalked to the long banqueting table. Pouring himself a goblet of ambrosia, he downed it in one gulp, glowering at the plate of sugary treats his gaze happened to fall upon.
That was when a familiar voice reached him, echoing news in his mind. Its hoarse words caused him to freeze and inhale sharply. His fingers around the goblet closed in a death grip that dented the body of the cup. Instead of answering the caller's question, Sasuke fashioned into existence a black cloak from the air around him, wrapping it hastily around his shoulders to conceal his informal clothing, and blurred immediately out of existence.
The goblet clattered to the floor in his wake.
He inhaled deeply, the scent of dampness flooding him with an odd sense of nostalgia. How long had it been since he had last set foot in the realm of the dead? How much had the world – and he - changed since then?
A small, mildly amused smirk graced his thin lips. The lands on the surface had certainly altered more than he had – although he could not vouch for the soil upon which he was about to tread. After all, he had only visited on several occasions - the last of which had been anything but pleasant.
All mirth slipped away as he briefly recalled words that had been spoken in an age long past. They echoed clearly in his head – as if they had been uttered that very same day.
The hiss of cold steel as a deadly blade was drawn and pointed directly at him.
"Thanatos. That is the very same snake I saw approach Hades."
The flash of arresting crimson eyes, regarding him aloofly from behind an elaborate silver face mask.
"You watch my brother too eagerly, serpent."
He winced as the searing memory of pain assailing his arms spiked through his mind, causing pale fingers to clench tightly in reflex. He swiftly dismissed the haunting recollection, focusing again on the present. It had taken him a while to locate the concealed, but he had arrived at last. The outer entrance to the Underworld yawned ominously ahead of him, barely visible through the thick, freezing blanket of mist that hung chokingly in the air. It was surrounded by jagged, rocky teeth, as if ready to devour those who had no business trespassing.
And he most definitely was trespassing. The rumbling growl that reverberated from the shadows before him consolidated that fact.
"Ah, yes," he murmured. "The ever-faithful family canine, guarding the passageway to the great gates."
Cerberus's glowing red eyes locked onto him. Gigantic paws struck the ground, causing it to tremble, as the beast loomed ahead of him like a colossal, feral titan.
But he didn't need to worry about bypassing the mighty hound. He had a far more pressing matter that demanded his full attention – namely the figure that had just slunk gracefully out from behind the Underworld's blood-thirsty gate-keeper.
"Orochimaru," the Death God's voice was icy, prompting a shiver of anticipation to quiver down the serpent-tongued daemon's spine at the delectable sound of it.
How he had missed that voice! Silk wrapped steel, cutting and enticing in equal measures. And when Sasuke materialised through the dense mist, Orochimaru knew that he had been right all along.
The Underworld's King truly was the physical embodiment of perfected darkness. He wore the shadows like a second skin and had grown into his role, bearing it with an air of sinister menace that his predecessor, whilst imposing in his own right, had markedly lacked. Cold mercilessness and raw danger pulsated from Sasuke's form, rippling the air with a menacing chakra aura that had always been more characteristic of a certain other Uchiha.
How intriguing, Orochimaru smiled inwardly to himself. The changes in Sasuke's demeanour were pleasing, made the prospect of a potential alliance all the more thrilling.
"How good it is to see you again, Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru rasped, his slanted gaze roving over the Death God admiringly once again. "My, my, how you have grown…"
Sasuke, however, clearly did not take kindly to the informal term of address, for in a heartbeat he had unsheathed Kusanagi from beneath his cloak, brandishing the glinting slender blade hostilely in his left hand.
The sight of the snake brought back a wealth of disagreeable memories – ones that the death deity was keen to eradicate permanently. Yet it also sparked wild suspicions in his mind. Orochimaru had not dared to set foot on his territory since the days of war between the surface and underground gods. That had been thousands of years earlier. What reason did he have to intrude now? Sasuke knew enough of the serpent's slimy, double-crossing ways to exercise an immediate and high level of caution. His coming was never good news – but to appear in the Underworld so unexpectedly and brazenly suggested that Orochimaru had come with bargaining material.
"Fifteen seconds," the Death God quipped threateningly.
Orochimaru knew it was the only invitation he would receive to explain his intentions.
"That is a rather generous allowance of time from you, Sasuke-kun-" he began.
"Ten," Sasuke interposed, his voice cutting, ruthless.
"Kukukuku," Orochimaru cackled unhurriedly. "As hasty as always." Then, counting down the last five seconds in his head, he revealed simply, "He has sent me."
He did not miss the way Sasuke's fingers tightened hatefully on Kusanagi's hilt.
There was a long pause – then the King of the Dead tilted his head and smirked contemptuously, "Reduced to running errands, Snake?"
Orochimaru's smug smile remained in place – but something unpleasant flickered in his eyes.
"A snake is deadly, Sasuke-kun," he stated. "It shadows its prey, waiting for the opportune moment to strike. Have you forgotten that?"
The faint smirk on Sasuke's face instantly evaporated as he considered the ashen daemon's words. They seemed to suggest a double-motive – which came as no surprise at all to the Death God.
"It is just as I expected. You have become a fine King, Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru praised, completely changing the subject. "Such power you have attained, and how much strength the darkness has lent to you! I wonder just how much those eyes of yours can now percccieve…" He ran the tip of his tongue over his lower lip with slow, pointed deliberation.
But Sasuke was in no mood to indulge sugar-coated words of poison. Simply standing in the same locale as Orochimaru disgusted and insulted him. Sneering in revulsion at the serpent's ill-concealed interest – something the millennia since their previous meeting had clearly done little to avert - he glared, irises bleeding to crimson as the tomoes of the Sharingan spun with warning intent.
Behind him, Cerberus's heads snarled in unison, sensing his master's exasperation.
"My patience wears thin," Sasuke snapped. "State your purpose."
"Kukuku," Orochimaru chuckled again. "A temperament quite unlike Itachi's-"
Sasuke's form flickered out of sight the second the name fell from the serpent's tongue. Orochimaru grinned, delighted by the instant stream of delicious adrenaline that rushed through him as he realised he had succeeded in provoking the death deity into action. So the mere mention of Itachi's name was still a sore spot.
Thinking quickly, the daemon morphed form to that of a white snake, just as Kusanagi swiped the air where he had been standing a split second earlier. But Sasuke was not about to let him escape so easily. The deafening screech of a thousand birds reverberated around them as the heavy mist was pierced by a blinding, chaotic current of pale-blue light. Jagged bolts of electricity struck the ground, seeking to impale the slithering figure in place.
The corner of Sasuke's lips curled in repulsion as the snake melted into the ground, leaving behind nothing but an oozing, gooey white puddle. He had seen that technique before, but there was nowhere the foolish personification of terror could hide. Even the gravelly stones beneath their feet answered to the Death God's will. The ground ruptured at Sasuke's command, forcing the invader out. Sensing that he had wisely chosen to regain human form behind him – well out of the range of Cerberus's snapping jowls – Sasuke whirled swiftly, simultaneously directing another crackling bolt of lightning along Kusanagi's length, directly at the serpent.
His aim was deadly accurate – and finally succeeded in connecting, piercing through the twin, brown snakes Orochimaru had summoned from his arms as protective barriers. He released a hiss of pain as numbing electricity spiked from the writhing snakes along the nerves of his arms, causing each neuron to scream in flaming agony. Sasuke was so much faster and more proficient in the lightning element than he recalled!
The death deity flashed a wicked, callous smirk and did not hesitate for a moment. He summoned a long string of near-invisible chakra with his free hand, winding it around the snakes at Orochimaru's wrists, succeeding in binding his arms together. With a forceful tug, he used the thread to yank the daemon forward toward him at unstoppable speed and drew back his blade, intending to drive the sword straight through the twisted serpent's putrefied heart.
His arms compromised, Orochimaru opened his mouth wide and from it sprouted four more snakes, which in turn parted their fangs to reveal slender blades in the place of their tongues. They hurtled toward Sasuke, whose eyes narrowed in recognition. Sen'eijashu – the Hidden Shadow Snake Hands technique. Forced to abandon his original strategy, he channelled electricity from his body again, sending tendrils of slicing current at the incoming snakes, instantly decapitating them. The rancid odour of burning poison mixed with reptilian blood filled the air.
But as Orochimaru finally reached Sasuke, the chakra strings loosened as he changed form once again, effortlessly evading Kusanagi's tip.
Sasuke's eyes widened. Just as he had anticipated! Without looking down, he stabbed into the ground, finally succeeding in skewering the white snake, which hissed and writhed at his feet in anguish. The thrill of battle pumped through his veins, as he wrenched the blade further into the serpent for good measure. He had almost forgotten what it felt like to spar with Orochimaru.
"Kukukuku…" the rasping cackle behind him caused his grip on the sword's hilt to tighten. "Impressive indeed, Sasuke-kun."
Sasuke's eyes lowered to the snake at his feet. It stopped struggling, melting into the same sticky white goo he had witnessed earlier.
Hn. So he used the replacement technique at the last moment, the death deity thought disapprovingly to himself.
"Sometimes the simplest of techniques are the most effective," Orochimaru reminded him slyly.
Sasuke yanked his blade out of the ground, and turned to regard the daemon with an icy glower. While Orochimaru regained his breath, the Underworld's ruler seemed completely unruffled by the exchange – quite the feat, the serpent silently acknowledged.
"I said," Sasuke bit out acidly, "state your purpose."
He did not need to add or else. They both knew who commanded the advantage in Sasuke's home territory. If he willed it, the death deity could trap the serpent – without even lifting a finger. The brief spar between them had simply been Sasuke's way of refreshing Orochimaru's outdated knowledge of his own abilities.
Orochimaru straightened when he was certain that he was safe from being attacked again – for a few minutes, at least. But he did not, for an instant, lower his guard. He was no fool – he knew saying anything else other than what Sasuke was waiting to hear would likely be fatal for him in his current environment.
So he proceeded to reveal his reasons for visiting.
"We have a proposition for you, Sasuke-kun," he began amiably. "One I am sure you will find very interesting…"
Sasuke waited, watching him askance, Kusanagi still glowing ominously with pale-blue light. He sent a telepathic instruction for Cerberus, who had been gnashing and growling behind him during the duel, to quieten. Instant silence fell between them, as the mighty beast retreated obediently back into the shadows.
What Orochimaru said next captured Sasuke's full, undivided attention.
"Edo Tensei. A technique I am sure you are quite familiar with," a sinister smile graced his lips upon witnessing the look of suspicion flicker over Sasuke's sculpted features. "Together, we are on the brink of perfecting it, so that it is not only soulless bodies that can be resurrected."
Anger flashed across the Death God's eyes. He was indeed familiar with the technique – Itachi himself had informed him of it, and it had always been one that was strictly prohibited. In ages long gone those who had been blessed with keen minds and uncommon reserves of chakra had meddled far too much for their own good in the dark arts. They had stumbled upon an unnatural way to temporarily resurrect the dead. All that had been required was a lock of hair or another sample containing the DNA of the deceased and complex, forbidden hand seals.
They had called it: Edo Tensei, or Impure World Reincarnation.
But the dead had always returned without their souls and personalities intact - because their souls were in the Underworld – and there was no way to retrieve them, unless the realm's ruler permitted them to return to the living again. The resurrected bodies had essentially been ashen zombies with lifeless eyes, who mindlessly followed the commands of their summoner. Within just twenty-four hours, the bodies, unable to sustain themselves as Edo Tensei's effects wore off, would shut down and rapidly decompose once again. The technique was an imperfect one, originally invented as a means to win wars. The restored dead could not be killed by weapons, and were invaluable on the battlefield. They could only die if their summoner performed releasing seals – or when the clock took its course.
There was a terrible trade-off for possessing such knowledge of forbidden craft, of course. For when a body was revived without its essence, its soul in the Underworld was plagued by unrest. Any who had been foolish enough to intervene with the dead promptly lost their lives afterwards; Sasuke's Clan had made certain that nothing could upset the balance of their realm. People soon realised the connection, and the technique was abandoned, labelled too dangerous. There had been reports of users losing their minds before succumbing to early demises. The technique was soon lost in history, written out and forgotten by the flow of time.
Now Orochimaru stood before him, claiming that the technique was still very much in existence. Sasuke did not know what was more troubling – the fact that Edo Tensei had not been eradicated, or the fact that knowledge of it had fallen into the wrong hands. But he was careful not to allow even a slip of emotion to surface behind the stoic mask he wore on his face.
His command over the dead was iron, absolute. He would suffer no other to interfere with the affairs of his Kingdom.
"Explain," he demanded sharply.
He watched, with aloof aversion, as Orochimaru licked his lips again. He had never liked the way the snake had always examined him with a little too much interest.
"It's quite simple, Sasuke-kun... just a little more time, and the technique will be perfected," the serpent answered smilingly. "Just imagine... not only the body retrieved, but also the soul, as it originally was, with all personality aspects intact... and without the need of a host."
This time, Sasuke's glare was positively chilling. "The dead cannot leave here," he said cuttingly. Even if they had found some way to bypass the laws and summon souls – did they really just expect him to permit the deceased to depart his world? Did they really think there would be no consequences to such forbidden meddling?
"Ah!" Orochimaru breathed. "But what if the souls being taken had not passed through your gates at all, Sasuke-kun...?" As Sasuke's mind raced to decipher what that could possibly mean, the serpent used the opportunity to draw closer, confident that he had the young King's full curiosity, and that he would not move to strike until he had finished acquiring knowledge that was unknown to him.
Circling Sasuke, he continued softly, "You own the souls of those who perish on the surface. But what of the souls that have not departed the impure world? What of those who reside in the pure realm...?"
The pure realm… it was another name for the void where the gods whose purposes had been spent took their rest. Sasuke could not quite believe what he was hearing.
Daring to move closer still, Orochimaru's rolling tongue extended as he hissed into Sasuke's right ear, "Jusssst think, Sassssuke-kun... your Clan... fully ressstored to you... Itachi, as he wassss..."
Sasuke's breath stilled. What Orochimaru was implying was utterly impossible. That was a place not even his brother, with all his unparalleled wisdom, had been able to touch! Fury simmered within him. Did the daemon consider him a fool? Did he honestly think him so naïve? There was no way to restore deities who had passed over. And to hear such outrageous lies, spoken so shamelessly to him, invoked the Death God's unbridled rage.
Without warning, he whirled, swiping angrily at the snake behind him with his blade. But when he turned, the daemon had already retreated, maintaining a safe distance between them.
"Kukukuku," Orochimaru chuckled, raising a hand in reason. "All we need is your cooperation, Sasuke-kun... to help us locate a phial that has been stolen from us. Do you not despise Tsunade and the elders as much as we do...?"
Before Sasuke could fire back a scathing retort to that, Orochimaru's form began to shift back into a snake.
"Consssiderrrr our offer..." he hissed. A second later, and he had vanished completely, leaving Sasuke staring into the mist.
Sakura did not know how long she had remained in place after Sasuke had exited his quarters. Her eyes had been glued to the discarded bangles by her feet, which had glinted almost tauntingly up at her, reflecting the light of the elegant candles illuminating the room. Her chaotic thoughts had spun at cyclone intensity, leaving her head reeling. Finally, unable to take it any longer, she had fled from the unnerving grandeur of the palace's Master bedroom. Her legs had carried her, quite without conscious thought, to the enchanted gardens, where she had proceeded to pace restlessly about, with no clear sense of direction.
As she walked deeper into the greens, Sakura tried to restore whatever remnants of order she could salvage to her brain's agitated buzzing. Sasuke had claimed she was no prisoner. He had even removed the shackles to prove his point. What, then, was stopping her from leaving? Surely she did not need to double-cross Sasuke. He had told her she was free! She could just depart, without a word to him, find the entrance to the Underworld, and-
Something that only vaguely resembled a short, incredulous and bitter laugh escaped her throat. Who was she trying to fool? Did she really believe that Sasuke would allow her to walk out? Her suspicions were running rampant. Why had he chosen to unbind her ankles now? And what about Suigetsu? What would he make of this unexpected turn of events?
Sakura squeezed her eyes shut; she already knew with certainty what the answer to the latter was; after an endless barrage of teasing, Suigetsu would encourage her to stay patient, to continue with their original and thoroughly precarious plan. Because he had waited all this time for her to execute it so that they could both escape - together. She didn't know the particulars of the dynamic Sasuke and the Water God shared, but she was fairly sure that the Underworld's king would not simply permit the Water God to walk free. Leaving without Suigetsu was not an option – and Sakura told herself she could not afford to make enemies with two gods.
Then the memory of Sasuke's lips moving softly and sensuously against hers flooded back to her, causing anxiety to flash behind her closed eyelids, and brought back with it the wealth of conflicting emotions the contact had detonated. Her pulse, which had not ceased in its relentless racing, hurtled even faster. She exhaled, her eyes flying open again as she drew to a sudden stop.
He had kissed her. Sasuke, the God of Death, King of the Realm of the Dead, had kissed her.
She was not the kind of girl who could brush aside such a thing so lightly. To her, it was a big deal. Guilt and anger gnawed away at her conscience – why hadn't she stopped it? She could have pushed him away, prevented it, even if he had caught her completely by surprise.
But instead she had chosen to remain in place, allowing him to kiss her fully, to take his time until he had finished.
No, she thought furiously to herself, dismayed to feel the heat blazing in her cheeks as agitation spurned her to continue walking. My body froze. I couldn't move because- because-
Because of what the mere brush of his lips had sparked into being inside her. Alien tingles and quivers that had left her breathless and distraught. She had not anticipated that she would be so moved. Her mind had been so diverted by the thoroughly unsettling sensations that it had forgotten all about the self-preservation of her dignity.
Feeling jittery, Sakura stormed through the third section of the gardens, scarcely taking in the hushed beauty of her nocturnal surroundings. Part of her felt the urgent need to speak to Suigetsu again. She needed to break out, to escape, before another kiss occurred. But an even greater part, the one fuelled by anger and the one that already knew what Suigetsu's response would be, ordered her to grow a backbone and deal with the situation herself. What good had running to the Water God done her up to that point? He always told her to do exactly the opposite of what she felt was right.
Her little fingers curled to form shaking, tight fists by her sides. No more, she vowed to herself. She wouldn't let her actions be influenced and dictated by Suigetsu, or Sasuke, or anybody else any more. It was time to take matters into her own hands. She somehow had to work out how to handle Sasuke, and how to overcome the awkwardness his actions had placed between them. She could not keep relying on other people to solve her problems for her.
It was at that moment that it suddenly struck Sakura that even on the surface she had always leaned far too much on her friends and her mother, allowing them to support her, to make suggestions and judgements for her.
But now she was alone, far away from them, and Sakura knew that the only person's decisions she could really trust were now her own.
She would not go panicking to Suigetsu. Neither would she flee unthinkingly from the Underworld. It was a test, she was certain, of Sasuke's trust. He had removed the anklets deliberately, probably to see how she would choose to act, unhindered. If she had learned anything about the death deity in the unknown duration she had spent with him, it was that he always had a reason for doing things – even if those reasons seemed impossible to decipher at first glance.
When she finally looked up, Sakura blinked, finding herself standing before a section of the gardens she had yet to explore. The central path she had been treading led to a pair of tall, arched doors, forged in swirling gold, set between two high hedge walls. Next to them burned twin blue-flame torches. She remembered seeing Sasuke disappear into the area when she had watched nymphs with him before.
As she peered curiously through the gaps in the elaborate coils, she glimpsed more towering, impeccably trimmed hedges, leading to her left and right.
Her interest ensnared, Sakura temporarily discarded all her troubled musings and pushed the elegant doors apart.
A maze! She realised, her lips parting in pleasant surprise. A surge of unexpected delight flowed through her as she stepped inside and closed the doors behind her. She had always loved mazes, although most she had visited in the past had been far too small and easy to navigate through. She had the odd feeling, however, as she began to wander to her right, that Sasuke's maze would prove to be the most challenging she had ever encountered.
Ino always complained that mazes were claustrophobic, but Sakura relished the challenge they presented. She inhaled the grassy scent, and her nose soon picked up on sweet, flowery notes. As she took a left turn and walked into a large, dead-end square, she discovered the sweet smell's origin. Perfectly kept bushes, adorned with milky blooms, were arranged artistically around a small, stone fountain. A cherub stood with a slender vase, out of which poured a steady stream of crystal clear water. Sakura walked to the flowers, and pressed her nose to their velvety petals, sighing as she felt her nerves instantly soothe and relax. Losing herself in a maze was the ideal way to compose her thoughts again.
She walked out of the closed area, back in the direction she had come. What magical sight would she find in the centre of the verdant labyrinth? She knew the reward for making it to the heart of the maze would be nothing short of spectacular, in keeping with everything else in Sasuke's majestic abode.
She walked over a stone bridge, beneath which flowed a rippling river. As she leant over the thick banisters to look at her reflection, she spied two beautiful, silver-haired young women, clothed in barely-there, silk-spun, knee-length dresses. They were splashing in the water and giggling. Immediately they sensed Sakura's intrusion, and turned large, uncommonly bright eyes to her. In a heartbeat they dove into the water and vanished.
Water nymphs, Sakura thought, disappointed that they had disappeared before she'd had a chance to speak to them. She carried on undeterred, taking left and right turns, passing through wooden doors which led to new areas, stopping to smell the flowers and retracing her steps out of dead-end corners whenever she happened to walk into them.
The maze was massive, and as she passed through a section that seemed suspiciously familiar, Sakura knew she was lost. She had no idea how deeply she had ventured into the labyrinth, but it did not worry her that she'd lost her sense of direction. She smiled as she passed enchanting mini-gardens boasting impressive sculptures and water fountains, as well as flower-strewn pergolas. Trying to find her way out of this puzzle was proving to be a very satisfying test.
The silence of the maze only added to its charm and tranquil beauty. The only thing she heard other than the muffled quiet of her feet moving over mowed grass was the occasional sound of cascading water, or the gentle rustling of leaves and bushes in the air. Sakura then came by a tall stone structure consisting of stairs and an open, roofed platform - a position point marker, which she was quick to climb. The view from the top made her exhale in astonishment. Hedges sprawled out endlessly in all directions around her like titanic green sentinels. Sasuke's palace was now to her far left. The labyrinth was even vaster than she had initially predicted. It seemed to have no end, its outermost edges merging into dense, misty forests.
Had she really been walking for such a great distance? She couldn't tell where the centre of the web was, even from her elevated point. North, South, East or West? Sakura chewed her lower lip uncertainly. Perhaps she ought to concede defeat and tackle the mammoth beast of a maze another time? Maybe it was wiser to prioritise and attempt to find her way back to the gardens?
She was just considering her next step - when the sound of a shrill scream suddenly pierced the air, causing her to jump. She whirled, her alarmed eyes seeking out the source around her, missing it initially, but a second scan revealed the origin of the cry. A willowy girl was racing swiftly through the maze. Sakura's protective instinct kicked her immediately into motion. She hurried down the stairs without a second thought and took a right at the section's junction, moving in the direction she had seen the girl running in. She continued straight at the next intersection and took another right – before colliding straight into the same girl she had spied from the platform.
They both tumbled to the floor, and Sakura was shocked at how small and slight the bundle in her arms was. Her green hair was almost to her knees in length, silky and straight, and she was clad in a short dress that looked like it was sewn from leaves. The girl gasped and looked up, startling Sakura with how bright her amethyst eyes were.
"Are you alright?" Sakura asked, reading the open fear in the graceful nymph's pixie-like face. "What's the matter…?"
The girl did not respond. Instead she scrambled up and grabbed hold of Sakura's wrist, dragging her up after her. Then, with a speed that caught Sakura quite off guard, she took off, yanking at her to follow. Sakura nearly stumbled over her feet, but had the sense not to resist. Something was obviously chasing the girl – something that clearly frightened her greatly.
The nymph led her at a pace that made everything pass by in a frantic blur. Sakura's attempts to speak to her and find out what was wrong went unheard. Then the nymph took a left – only to freeze abruptly at what she saw on the floor before them.
Another girl was sprawled there, moaning. Her lavender hair cascaded around her, knotted and in disarray. She was weeping. The edges of the knee length hem of her dress were torn and in tatters and she had angry, bruised bite marks on her pale arms.
As Sakura's disbelieving brain pieced together what she was looking at, she was overcome with a wave of nausea. She instinctively moved forward to help the crying nymph, but the girl holding her wrist pulled her back, shaking her head anxiously.
She opened her mouth to say something – when a rough, gravelly voice spoke out, causing every nerve ending in Sakura's body to curl over in repulsion.
"Pay no mind to her tears. She really quite enjoyed it… didn't she brothers?"
"That she did!"
The sound of heavy, hooved feet behind them caused the nymph beside Sakura to gasp again, and Sakura to bristle. She turned – only to gape at the sight that met her. Three bare-chested, bearded men, one with curly brown hair, one with red and the third with black, entered through the gap in the hedges before them. Sakura noted with astonishment that small horns sprouted from their heads, and their ears were large and abnormal in form. That wasn't the only thing inhuman about them; the lower portions of their bodies were covered with thick dark hair and their legs were shaped like a goat's. They had long, horse-like tails which swished behind them, and their modesty was concealed only by a thin strip of stained material, secured to their waists by leather belts.
"Look, brothers," said the black-haired one, leering at Sakura. "Another pretty poppet. It's our lucky day."
"I've never tried a rose-haired nymph before," said the red-haired goat-man. He licked his lips, looking Sakura up and down with interest in a way that made her stomach churn with disgust. "I wonder what she tastes like?"
"She looks like she's never seen a satyr before," the darker brown haired one chuckled.
"That's alright… we'll give her something to remember us by, won't we?" sniggered the black-haired one.
A horrified Sakura realised their intentions. Like a lightning bolt she took off, taking the trembling nymph with her. The lavender-haired girl's pained moans echoed piercingly in Sakura's ears, along with the thundering clap-clap of goat-hooves as the two other satyrs gave chase with wild, enthusiastic hollers.
"You can't outrun us, nymphs!" the black-haired satyr, named Nesio, crowed.
"Come here and let us show you a good time!" His red-haired brother, Satyris, called.
"There's no need to be coy with us!"
"Let us pleasure you with our wine and our love!"
"Whoooooo!"
Left, right, right, straight, left, straight, right, straight; Sakura wasn't consciously tracking the direction they were running in. The only thing she had in mind was to escape with everything intact. They tore through the labyrinth's endless passages, stumbling and desperately changing course whenever they met a dead-end. Twice the whooping satyrs nearly caught up to them, and twice they were forced to split apart.
Sakura's lungs burned with the effort of inhaling oxygen at the rate at which her wildly drumming heart was demanding it. As she rounded another right turn, she crossed paths once more with the nymph and promptly snagged hold of her hand.
"Keep running!" she puffed.
But the nymph tugged her resistance, and panted, "Release me, maiden! I can distract them and save one of us!"
"No!" Sakura rejected, pulling on her hand more persistently. "I'll call to Sasuke! He'll stop this!"
The nymph exhaled. When she spoke next, her sweet voice was full of a combination of confusion and fear. "You- you speak the Master's name? But that is forbidden-" she broke off and screamed when the black-haired satyr suddenly burst through the opening to their left with a triumphant howl, forcing them to separate once again. As Sakura dove out the way, he grabbed onto the green-haired nymph, who had drawn a small dagger from her belt. But the momentum with which she was seized sent the dagger flying from her grasp.
Sakura's eyes locked onto it and she didn't waste a second. All fear was cast aside as her fight or flight instinct took over. Lunging forward, she swiped the wooden-handeled weapon from the floor, and without a flicker of hesitation, threw herself forward, heart pounding, adopting a strike Sasuke had taught her in their sparring sessions. She slashed down at the satyr's arm, sending crimson droplets flying into the air. He hissed in pain, instantly dropping the struggling nymph.
"Why you little-!" he began, face contorting with fury. Panting, Sakura shoved the nymph protectively behind her and brandished the dagger, stabbing forward into the space between them to ward Nesio back.
"Stay back!" She cried, watching his movements guardedly, mirroring him carefully, knowing that just one second of indecision would be costly.
Nesio sneered at her, his strange brown eyes glinting with open lust as he looked her over keenly. It made every inch of Sakura's skin crawl. "I'll enjoy riding you," he rumbled lewdly.
The nymph behind her held out a palm – and leaves instantly flew forth from the hedges, assaulting the satyr like sharp paper planes, hindering his vision.
"Arghhh!"
"Run, maiden!" The flower nymph urged.
They raced away, continuing straight at a junction and then veered to the right. Just as they took another left, a clawed hand suddenly shot out, locking around Sakura's neck. It squeezed, causing Sakura's vision to pulsate with red. She coughed and spluttered, struggling to breathe.
"You think you can strike me and get away with it, wench?" Nesio snarled, catching the wrist that frantically attempted to slit the dagger directly across his face. Sakura nearly gagged. His breath smelt of pungent alcohol and something else extremely unpleasant.
"Maiden!" the nymph called. But the red-haired satyr had caught up to them and grabbed hold of her flowing hair, yanking her head back. She screamed and struggled, but Satyris was too strong. He pulled her up and against him, laughing loudly at her attempts to bite him. Locking her arms behind her back, he began to tear demandingly at her skirt.
Upon seeing this, a fresh surge of adrenaline shot through Sakura's veins. With an infuriated screech, she did the only thing she could. Summoning all the strength she possessed, Sakura aimed the heel of her sandal-clad right foot at the satyr's weakest point – straight between his legs. Nesio cursed loudly, doubling instinctively over. His grip loosened – and that was the moment she had been waiting for. Sakura tore her wrist out of his weakened grasp and stabbed upward, straight into the underside of the arm that held her up by her throat.
Her actions were fuelled entirely by the basic need of survival. The faint part of her that registered horror and disbelief at the fact that she was actually drawing blood from another living thing was blocked out by the savage voice of self-preservation, which roared at her to twist the blade in for good measure.
What happened next was a cacophony of total chaos. The nymph's hysterical sobs and Nesio's spiteful words were reverberating in her skull one second – the next, they had been completely drowned out by an ear-splitting scream of pure agony. Sakura watched, in a semi-dazed state, as the arm that had been holding her was abruptly severed cleanly in two from the elbow. It flew into the air, spurting blood everywhere. Nesio howled, clutching onto the gushing stump which, just moments earlier, had been connected to his forearm.
Sakura fell to the floor, gripping tightly onto the dagger, her shock-glazed eyes fixed on the amputated limb in abject repulsion. Her skin felt cold, clammy, and prickled everywhere. She hunched over, fighting to stop herself from throwing up the contents of her roiling stomach – just as she had the previous time he'd intercepted, equally as ruthlessly.
Black sandals appeared in the field of her vision, stepping noiselessly between her and the blubbering satyr. Sakura's lungs heaved as she finally managed to lift her head, high enough to find that Satyris had dropped the nymph and was now cowering before Sasuke's silent form.
"M-Master!" He began, perplexed and anxious. "We meant no mischief- we were merely chasing our sport-"
Kusanagi glowed ominously in the Death God's left hand. The words he uttered coldly next sealed both the satyrs' demises.
"She is not yours."
Lightning screeched ferociously. The satyrs screamed, trying in vain to flee to safety. But there was no escape from death. Sakura squeezed her eyes shut, knowing what came next. When the din ceased, all that remained of the satyrs was ash and smoke.
The yawning silence that followed was awful. Sasuke, who had replaced his sword back into its casing, was the one to break it.
"Go, Esria."
The nymph Esria's eyes darted briefly to Sakura in silent thanks – before she curtsied low to the death deity and vanished in a flurry of leaves. Sakura remained in place, leaning against the hedge wall, trying to restore her breathing to its normal rate. The dagger was still in her hand. Somehow, she couldn't bring herself to let go.
The quiet rustle of clothing drew her focus to Sasuke again, who had moved back to her and crouched down to look intently into her face. Sakura made a point of avoiding eye-contact as she willed her thundering heart to settle. She wondered just how much he had seen of the encounter, before he had appeared to intercept.
Warmth seeped into her skin as Sasuke held a hand over her throat, being careful not to touch her as he healed the angry marks Nesio's fingers had inflicted. He was pleased to find that she was otherwise unhurt.
When he had finished, she saw him lower and hold out his hand expectantly. Confused, she glanced at it. What did he want? Gingerly, she held out the dagger and deposited it in his open palm.
It seemed to be the correct thing to do, for he turned the blade up for inspection, before remarking coolly, "You drew blood."
The fog was finally beginning to clear, allowing Sakura's numbed mind to thaw as the adrenaline slipped away, and rational thought began to return.
"They were chasing us. They wanted to- they were going to-" she stopped, unable to articulate the rest as the haunting image of the sobbing lavender-haired nymph flashed before her eyes once more. What brutal, ghastly monsters satyrs were! Swallowing, she said thickly, "I tried to remember my training."
There was a long silence, in which Sakura worriedly found herself wondering just what he was thinking of her. Awkwardness was creeping up on her again, as the memory of his kiss and their earlier argument rushed back to her, clamouring for her full attention. Her heart skipped a beat and self-consciousness dictated that she continue to not look at him. She could feel his dark eyes burning into her skull, but he made no move to reach out to her, to touch her. Instead he simply watched her.
What do I say? She frantically scoured her mind. What could she say? There was so much she wanted to say – but suddenly, her mouth didn't know how to form the correct sentences. She was too diverted and unsettled by her heart, and how rapidly it was beating.
Luckily, Sasuke saved her the trouble, for when he spoke again his words carried enough weight to compel her stubborn gaze to meet his at last - only to witness something quite astonishing. The sight of the barely perceivable, smug smirk playing on the death deity's lips caught Sakura completely by surprise.
"Hn." He held up the dagger pointedly. "You did."
She blinked at him in bewilderment, catching the glint of something in his eyes – something she had never seen before. Oh, her sluggish mind finally registered. Sasuke wasn't angry that she had fought to defend herself. Quite the opposite, in fact. He had already dealt with what had made him livid – a satyr laying his filthy hands on her.
Perhaps it was the lingering remnants of shock, Sakura told herself, which were responsible for what happened next. Or perhaps it was the warm glow of receiving unexpected acknowledgement, much in the same way a student revelled in a tutor's unanticipated praise. Whatever it was, her lips were forming an incredulous, uncertain and lopsided half-smile back, before she could even think to prevent it.
Author's note
I didn't proof-read this, so I'm sorry for any mistakes.
Aw, Sasuke, is that smirk pride for your woman standing up for herself? Nice way to break the awkwardness. Sasuke is impressed, and Sakura sees it. This is a transition chapter, guys, and character development for Sakura. Next one will have more drama.
By the way, Sakura's protective instinct related to helping a flower nymph. That's no coincidence. Kukukuku…
Please review if you like, and watch this space for the next update.