This chapter includes a heavily censored scene on FF in keeping with the site content posting rules. If you want to read the full content, it's available on Ao3.
Shout-out and an early happy birthday to all the June babies on the Quietus Discord channel, and in particular to the outrageously talented Vetty, whom this chapter is dedicated to, and who has contributed so many delightful pieces of art to my story. Thank you for honouring me with your art. I hope this chapter makes you combust.
Chapter CXIII
His heart stirred from its shaded eclipse,
Bent to her will, a captive is made,
To every word that falls from her lips,
A passion eternal that ne'er fades,
So wickedly cruel is the beauty of Spring,
Making a wretched fool of the Underworld's King.
~x~
Naruto closed his eyes, his brows knitted in concentration. Sasuke's obsidian gaze lowered to the hand that clasped his, before flicking expectantly back onto the sun deity's face. He waited for a minute. Then another. Then a third. When nothing happened, he shifted on his feet, impatient.
What was taking so long? Why was the chakra not manifesting?
"Naruto." He said at length, the irritation in his voice apparent.
"Uhh… heheh… just gimmie a sec!" Naruto laughed nervously. "Kurama's being a little stubborn. He isn't exactly a big fan of the Uchiha, 'ttebayo."
Sasuke scowled, unimpressed. He should have known things wouldn't be so simple. This was Naruto's master plan? To try and coax his tailed-beast into lending him chakra? Although it was smart - in theory at least, given the demon fox's incredible chakra reserves - he was not at all surprised to find the Kyuubi wholly resistant to the idea. After all, Madara's eyes had enslaved him during the war. It was little wonder that he detested all users of the Sharingan by association.
'C'mon, Kurama! I could really use your help right now!' Naruto telepathically pleaded with the formidable fox.
'Insolent brat. Why would I help a princeling of the Uchiha?' Came the disapproving, growling response.
'Sasuke's different. His whole family was wiped out by that bastard Cronus. He wants revenge too, and the Rinnegan will help us beat our enemies! Please, lend me your chakra, so I can help him activate it!'
'He possesses the Sharingan.' The Nine-Tails snarled. 'I trust no wielder of those accursed eyes!'
'I do trust him. He's my best friend. I know he won't screw us or you over! You've seen him fighting with us. He's nothing like Cronus! Please, believe it! He's counting on me. Don't let me down, now!'
"Naruto…?" Kakashi prompted, when still nothing else happened.
"C'mon, c'mon!" he muttered. Sasuke watched as Naruto bit his lip, as if he were engaged in an internal tug of war. It was taking too long, he thought to himself, displeased. If Naruto couldn't give him the chakra flow he needed, then he had to find another alternative.
"You waste my time," he began to draw his arm back, but Naruto reached out, gripping onto his wrist with his other hand.
"Let go," Sasuke clipped dangerously. He'd given the fool a chance; it was transparently clear to him that Kurama wasn't in the mood to cooperate, rendering a plan that had promising potential utterly futile.
"No, wait!" Naruto protested. "Just give me another minute-"
Sasuke's eyes narrowed into slits as he prepared to roughly wrench his hand out of the sun deity's grasp. It had been a mistake, he told himself, to take a chance and choose to place his trust in Naruto. He was just as reckless and irritating as he had always been and was obviously incapable of-
Golden light abruptly exploded from Naruto's form, and a searing heat jolted through Sasuke's palm, crackling along the nerves of his arm like a devastating lightning bolt. Its potency was so breathtaking that it physically hurt, causing his fingers to spasm. He tried to wrench his hand away in reflex, but Naruto's grip held firm and his eyes finally opened to lock directly onto Sasuke.
"Got him!" he grinned. "Admit it, asshole, you thought I couldn't pull it off!"
Sasuke blinked, maintaining a stony demeanour - but internally he was stunned. He watched the vivid golden flames rippling around the sun god's body, and realised that he had completely forgotten the full extent of Naruto's abilities. He opened his mouth to snipe back a biting, sarcastic remark, but the chakra flooding into his bloodstream was unlike anything he had ever experienced and seemed to expel the very air from his lungs. It was so overwhelming and awful in its intensity that it made Sasuke's body hum, as if he were being enveloped by an aura of burning static.
He wondered how Naruto could possibly withstand such monstrous chakra. How much strength did he have to possess, to endure such incredible force? It was oppressive in its power, sending his nervous system screaming in protest, hurtling into overdrive.
A hand clamped onto his left shoulder. "Engage your Sharingan." He heard Kakashi's quiet voice just behind him. "Steel yourself. This will hurt. Try and bear it as best you can - the longer you do, the more chakra the cells will collect."
Sasuke gritted his teeth, took a deep breath, and activated his blood-limit. Immediately he felt the chakra redirect and sizzle through his ocular pathways, and his teeth bit down hard on his tongue when a sharp, stabbing, violent pain exploded through his left eye, turning his vision into a swarming haze of red.
~x~
The village of Yugakure was a quaint, serene place, full of bright lights and bustling with activity after nightfall. It seemed to be a well-protected town from what Karin had discerned, with guards who regularly patrolled through the streets and along its borders. She couldn't recall if she had ever visited the region before; if she had, it most certainly hadn't been named Yugakure, and it definitely hadn't looked anything like it presently did.
After being given a lift by Zen, the man who had found her at the forest' borders, and his sweet-natured, talkative daughter Koko, Karin had found herself thrust into a new world, into an entirely foreign environment, thoroughly displaced and at a loss over what to do with herself next.
Eating of her packed provisions, she'd located shelter under a secluded tree and rested for the night, rising early to watch the dawn with a hushed sense of wonder. How long it had been since she had last seen the sunrise. She had forgotten just how beautiful a sight it was, how warm and comforting the glorious solar rays were. The next day, she had explored the town, watching the people in intrigued bewilderment. Their clothes were strange. Their food was strange. Even the means to procure new items seemed strange.
Her coins had been regarded oddly whenever she had offered them in exchange for food, clothing and lodgings. She had been refused and directed to a store that she was informed purchased gold and exchanged it with money. The elderly owner had stared at her supply in astonishment, weighed it on a scale, and asked her where she had obtained such high quality, pure metal from. When she had responded that it had been a gift, he had remarked that he'd never seen anything like it. He had then handed her a bulky stash of paper notes.
Not really comprehending how to use the local currency, Karin had nevertheless managed to clumsily get by well enough to buy herself food, plain clothing that didn't stick out like a sore thumb, and a place to stay at a small hotel, marvelling over every modern unfamiliar contraption she had found inside.
Some nights she curled up in bed and cried in misery to herself, feeling lonely, isolated, confused and frightened in her new surroundings. She questioned over and over again in her mind whether or not she had made a terrible mistake. She thought about Jugo, whom she had left behind, the only friend she had really made in centuries. She thought about the Underworld, which had been the only home she had ever known.
She thought about the devastatingly handsome, intimidating king who ruled over the realm she had abandoned, his piercing, perceptive eyes capable of seeing everything except for her. And when she finally fell asleep, her slumber was plagued with nightmares. Her calling out to Sasuke for help that he never offered, his aloof gaze cold and distant as he watched her struggle. The Furies dragging her back to the Underworld, kicking and screaming. Suffocating in pitch-black darkness. The townsfolk, somehow discovering what she truly was, and driving her out, or worse, shackling her to chains and running their own twisted experiments on her. She would wake up in a cold sweat, trembling, and it would take her a long time to settle back to sleep again, if at all.
Over a week had passed since then, and Karin had slowly started to fall into a familiar routine. The freedom to do whatever she wanted, without having to answer to anyone, was as exhilarating as it was unnerving. She had spent so long in servitude, that the concept of doing what she wanted initially struck her as overwhelming. But she was nothing if not adaptable, as fluid as the very element that ran through her veins. Determined to make progress and to find a new purpose for herself, she had decided that her next aim was to find work. She had sold all but seven remaining coins of gold, and knew she couldn't live off the notes she had in her possession indefinitely.
However, trying to find a job was proving more difficult than she had initially anticipated. Everyone asked her for paperwork and identification documents, and she had no way of proving her identity, no record of parents or siblings, or even where she had been born. There was no proof of her age, older than everyone in the village. She had nothing but her name and had seemingly hit a dead end - until Koko passed her again one sunny afternoon, after she had just been turned away from yet another market stall that had informed her that unless she had a 'CV' listing her previous work experience, they really couldn't consider her at all.
"Hi, Miss Karin!" she exclaimed, causing the nymph to flinch and look around herself self-consciously.
"Yeah. Hi," she greeted.
"What're you doing?" The little girl blinked curiously up at her, adjusting the shoulder straps of her navy school bag. Karin thought it was almost as big as the child was in size.
"Looking for work," Karin huffed, as she continued to walk along the rows of stalls, trying to decide where next to try.
Koko fell into step beside her. "You want a job?" Her face lit up. "Maybe I can help!"
Karin cast her a dubious look. She doubted a child knew anything about working. "How old are you?" She narrowed her eyes as she scrutinised the little girl. "Five?"
"I'm seven!" Koko replied indignantly. Then she pouted, "I'm just a little small for my age."
"Thanks, but no thanks," Karin dismissed. "You can't help me."
"Sure I can!" She hurried to keep pace with the nymph. "My old grandma is looking for someone to help her with her chores at home. I can take you to meet her, if you like?"
Karin stopped, angling a suspicious glance down at the girl. "What's with you? Why would you want to help me?" she demanded.
"Because I think you need it," Koko said sincerely. "And I really like your hair."
"Huh? My hair?" Karin lifted a hand to the fiery locks she had pulled back into a ponytail, staring down at the child incredulously. She couldn't remember the last time anyone had complimented her looks, and found herself momentarily speechless.
"It reminds me of my mother's," Koko added quietly.
Karin stared at her, noting the sadness that passed across the child's features, and assumed that the mother in question was either absent, or deceased. She didn't press the matter, knowing more than most how delicate the subject of death was. Especially with children.
Koko seemed to shake herself out of her depressing thoughts. "Sooo, how about it?" she prodded.
"There's no point," Karin sighed. "Everyone is asking me for papers, and I don't have any."
"Well where'd you come from? Maybe your family could send them?" Koko tapped a finger to her chin.
"I don't have family," Karin answered flatly.
"But then where did you live before?"
"I-" Karin's mind cycled for an appropriate response, knowing that disclosing that she had been a servant of the Lord of the Dead was categorically not an option. "I was homeless."
It wasn't a complete lie. She hadn't belonged in the Underworld per se, and not belonging to a place was as good as being homeless, wasn't it?
"You don't have parents?" Koko's lips turned downwards.
"No."
"But that's so sad."
Karin shrugged. She'd long since gotten over the fact. Perhaps she had possessed a family once - but she couldn't really remember them. Nymphs weren't known for sticking with their kin. They were free-natured spirits who roamed where they pleased - and any friends she had once had, had long since disappeared following her decision to venture beneath the earth.
"How old are you?" Koko blinked up at her, flinging out all the questions Karin had stubbornly refused to answer on their car journey back to town. "You look younger than my dad, and he's thirty one."
"Right. Yes. I'm..." Karin's eyes roamed around the street, until they settled on a random number hanging above a shop. "Twenty three," she blurted out. Give or take a couple of centuries, she added to herself.
"Hmm. I think maybe you're old enough to help my grandma, but not too old," Koko decided. "Wanna come meet her? I'm going to her place now after school."
Karin hesitated. Was it foolish of her to place her faith in the hands of a naive human child? But what other choice did she have available to her? Koko was young, but she certainly knew more about the village and how its systems operated than Karin did, and wouldn't it be to her benefit to have someone she could learn from? Koko's grandmother would be a wealth of information, too.
Making up her mind, she shrugged her agreement, before following after the girl.
~x~
Sakura set Rhea's journal aside and released an impatient sigh. How long had it been since Sasuke had left the palace? She was nearly at her wit's end, wondering what the reason behind his abrupt departure was. He'd headed to the training arena without her, and taken his leave to the surface with little explanation. She had tried to occupy herself as best she could, arranging pretty bouquets of flowers after a walk about the enchanting gardens, calling upon the servants in the kitchens and finally with reading. Ume and Chizu were faithfully keeping her company, but even despite that, she still felt restless. On edge.
Knowing that her time was limited, knowing how precious every second was, made her feel frustrated about being left in the dark. She didn't want Sasuke to feel so distant and far away. She didn't want him to be somewhere where she couldn't follow.
She didn't want to be alone.
"Mistress?" Chizu noted the unrest that plagued Sakura's body. "Are you well?"
"Is something amiss?" Ume's large eyes regarded her with concern. She was seated with Chizu by the fireplace, and both servants were working on cross-stitching pieces.
"No," Sakura replied distractedly, sitting up on her bed. "Just- do you think your Master is back yet?"
Her attendants exchanged glances.
"I could check if it pleases you, Mistress?" Ume suggested, setting down her needlework and rising to her feet.
"No," Sakura hopped off the bed. "It's alright. I think I'll go down and wait for him."
"Would you like us to walk with you, My Lady?" Chizu offered.
Sakura hesitated. Sasuke had told her to remain in their company, but it wasn't fair to drag them along and force them to stand around awaiting his arrival with her. They had already remained by her side for a significant amount of time, and she didn't want to keep them from their duties or rest any further.
"No, thank you," she politely refused. "But if you come across him, please tell him I'm waiting for him by his courtyard?"
"Of course, Mistress," Ume nodded, and with that, Sakura thanked them again before exiting the room.
~x~
She made the long walk across to the impeccably-tended courtyard outside the King's quarters and drew to a stop at its centre to admire the glistening, ethereal white tree. She watched as its abundant leaves rustled in the unseen breeze, before strolling around the courtyard's perimeter to admire the fragrant flower beds while she waited.
Was Sasuke going to visit Naruto and the others, or had something else happened on the surface? Why hadn't he clarified before he had departed, instead of leaving her to anxiously speculate? She knew she ought to be patient and to trust in him, but she couldn't shake off the sense of unease that was slithering down her spine.
You're being completely irrational, she chided herself, ringing her hands as she paced back and forth. Surely, if it had been something significant, Sasuke would have informed her before he'd left? Maybe he had simply alighted to ask the others about the Rinnegan. Maybe she really had nothing to worry about.
Restless nonetheless, she decided to wait in his private chambers. He wouldn't mind, she assured herself, and it was probably the best place for them to speak without the danger of servants interrupting them, anyway. Without a second thought, she made her way down the flower-bed flanked path that led to the imposing double doors of his room and stepped inside.
Her eyes were immediately dazzled by the splendour of the spacious, candlelit chamber. She took in the rich, dark wallpaper, embellished with delicate, burnt-gold damask threads, the majestic bed's heavy, midnight canopy with matching silk drapes bound with gold cords, the magnificent fireplace, lavish rugs and the brocade cushions scattered atop them. She examined the ornately framed mirrors, the large, solid gold statues depicting ferocious, winged griffins, the glittering chandelier and the stunningly detailed ceiling, bordered with thick cornices of gold. Every inch of the room was dripping with luxury and wealth.
Closing the doors behind her, she approached the beautiful harp instrument stationed next to one of the rugs and plucked idly on its strings. Then she toured the room, absorbing additional details she'd been far too nervous or distracted to fully appreciate in the past. The impressive gothic windows, the elaborate tapestries, the lustrously polished furniture. Her gaze was then snagged by the ornate, embossed doors she had yet to explore in his room, nestled behind hanging, gauzy drapes.
Her curiosity was piqued. But Sakura hesitated despite herself. There was a marked difference between being in a chamber she had already visited, and prying in places she had yet to be invited into; these were Sasuke's private quarters after all, and she didn't want to disrespect him by snooping through doorways that he perhaps would rather she left well alone.
She turned away and took a seat on the gold framed navy chaise longue by the exquisitely carved fireplace, delving back into her private musings as she awaited his return. Soon she turned her eyes to the tall, gold and bronze, five-armed candelabra stands, trying to gauge how much time had passed from the burning candles. When the doors abruptly opened, her heart leapt - only to plunge again in disappointment when she saw it was only two servants who had arrived to renew and change the candles in their ornate holders. They seemed surprised to find her there, but nevertheless greeted her politely, asking her if there was anything she needed. Sakura politely declined, and they turned the cinnamon-scented logs in the fireplace and tended to a few other tasks, before quietly taking their leave.
Sakura huffed and reclined on the couch, watching the flames dancing in the fireplace. Just when she began to grow sleepy with boredom, the doors opened again, and she bolted upright, turning to find none other than the Underworld's dashing king.
She was on her feet in an instant, her heart turning somersaults within her chest as her eyes came to rest on his face.
"Sasuke!"
Thick, angry trails of crimson blood stained his left cheek, weeping from his eye. Sakura stared at him, aghast and bewildered. Besides his face, there was nothing about his unruffled, well-groomed appearance that suggested he had been in any kind of struggle.
His obsidian gaze locked onto her in a heartbeat, and he prowled slowly toward the fireplace with purposeful intent, drawing to a stop directly before her.
Sakura gaped up at him, open-mouthed and momentarily speechless, then reached out to ghost her fingertips gingerly over the trail of blood smeared onto his skin. The liquid was still warm and wet, she registered, causing a fresh wave of alarm to whisper through her veins.
"Are you alright?" she frowned, concerned. Without thinking twice, she grabbed a silk handkerchief from the table behind her and poured some water from the crystal decanter onto it. Gently she began to clean up the stains on his face. He watched her in silence, allowing her to tend to him.
"What happened? Sasuke, you just-" she broke off, as firelight glinted off the irises that were looking at her so attentively, and she sucked in a sharp breath, astonished to find that between the familiar, charcoal grey flecks she recognised so well, she could discern the faintest specks of deep amethyst in his left eye.
"Your eye!" she gasped, wiping away the last of the blood before discarding the cloth onto the table. Cupping his cheeks, she repeated apprehensively, "What happened? Why did you go up to the surface?"
He blinked. "To meet Kakashi."
She lowered her hands, uncertain of what to make of his statement. "Did you tell him about what happened to me? Who else was there? Did you see my mother?"
He shook his head. "Only Naruto."
Sakura's eyes widened. Judging from the copious amount of bleeding she'd cleaned up, she wagered that Sasuke had over-exerted the use of his eye. Her mind ran on auto-pilot, adding two and two together, jumping to form one conclusion. There were only two ways that she was aware of that prompted such heavy bleeding. Emotional stress - or physical strain as a result of extended combat. Was that the reason why he had been gone for so long?
She pressed a hand to her forehead, fearing the worst. "You didn't pick a fight with him, did you?"
Something flashed across Sasuke's onyx gaze. A brief, unreadable look that passed too quickly for her to decipher. He raised a dark eyebrow at her, an innocuous gesture that nevertheless caused her heart to skip a beat. A heavy pause ensued, before he mocked, "Concerned for his welfare, Sakura...?"
She didn't miss the faintest hint of sarcasm underlying his tone, and folded her arms across her chest. Pursing her lips, she retorted, "I worry about you both. He's my friend, and you're-"
The death deity took a step closer, the intensity of his gaze positively blistering. "Well?" he drawled silkily, regarding her with keen interest, curious to hear just what he was to her. "Sakura?"
Her pulse quickened and she felt her cheeks flush, realising that she had inadvertently talked herself into a corner. "You're…" she licked her lips delicately, and his eyes darted briefly to them, noting their lustrous, inviting sheen, before flicking up to capture her gaze once more. "You're more than that," she said carefully, before hastily adding, "And I know how you both get when you're mad at each other. Beating each other up doesn't solve anything."
He released a contemptuous snort. "Hn. We didn't," he scoffed, affronted that she would even entertain the idea that Naruto possessed the ability to 'beat him up' at all. "He gave me chakra. From the Kyuubi."
Sakura released a quiet sigh, relieved to hear that he had gone to the surface seeking to actively cooperate with Kakashi and Naruto. It was an encouraging sign, and a testament to just how far he had come. "Did it work?" When he turned away from her to look into the mirror hanging above the fireplace, she pressed, "Does your eye feel any different?"
Sasuke stared at his reflection, his gaze fixed onto his left eye. He could see it, too - the lightest tinges of purple flecks illuminated by the firelight's glow. Such a hue didn't belong to the Sharingan and hadn't been there before he had ascended to the surface. It was visible confirmation that Naruto's plan had indeed proven to be effective - much to Sasuke's great surprise.
The vision in his left eye remained as blurry as it had become after waves of Kyuubi chakra had been pumped through his inner pathways at a steady rate, before Naruto had increased and decreased it in dramatic spikes, replicating natural surges that mimicked the flow of chakra under extreme physical and emotional stress.
Sasuke had engaged his Sharingan and the pain he had felt had been more excruciating than anything he had experienced prior to that point. Immediately the monstrous chakra had caused his eye to pool with blood - so much of it that Naruto had faltered in his control, clearly disturbed by the sight. But Kakashi had continued to grip Sasuke's shoulder and sternly instructed him to continue, to supply as much of the volatile chakra as Sasuke could withstand.
He had practically felt the Rinnegan cells working to ravenously devour the influx of energy, channelling flame through his sensitive optical nerves in the process. Sasuke had clenched his teeth and endured it, until he had verged on blacking out from the agony, when the world had spun dangerously out of focus. The vision in his left eye had greyed completely, becoming a murky blur. No matter how much he had blinked afterward, his sight had remained compromised.
It was a good sign, Kakashi had assured him, that his Sharingan was almost fully expended - but they could not risk repeating the taxing procedure again too soon, due to the dangers of over-stimulating and potentially rupturing the delicate optical pathways, thus damaging the Senju DNA and running the risk of potentially hindering - or worse still - resetting the entire process. It was a delicate balance, and Kakashi had advised that it was more ideal, if possible, to wait for a period and see whether blindness would follow naturally in order to avoid any complications. This meant that Sasuke had to refrain from engaging his Sharingan to allow his eye time to recover from the huge strain that the Kyuubi's chakra had placed upon it.
He would therefore monitor his vision, and if nothing changed, then they would next try Naruto's innate Senju chakra without tapping into the Kyuubi's. Based on the rapid progression Kurama's chakra had yielded, however, Sasuke dared to entertain hope that it wouldn't take much longer for him to completely lose sight in the eye and enter the final stage of the Rinnegan's activation.
He turned away from the mirror and back to Sakura.
"My eye is losing its light," he confirmed. "It won't be long, now."
She exhaled quietly, coming to terms with what that had to mean, and reached out, cupping his cheeks tenderly again, pained that he was required to sacrifice his vision. She thought of all the horrors he had suffered for her sake up until that point; the perilous situations he'd thrown himself into, the terrible burden of the Rinnegan that would require him to lose his own sight before it relinquished its coveted gifts; everything he was doing, he was doing to save her. Overwhelmed with emotion, she felt tears pool into her eyes.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, stroking his cheeks with the pads of her thumbs. "That you have to go through all this because of me." A short, strained laugh escaped her lips as she began to lower her hands, adding, "I wouldn't blame you if you regret ever setting eyes on me."
He caught her wrists, his expression hardening with disapproval. "Never say that."
She swallowed and nodded, blinking through the sting in her eyes as he released her wrists. Immediately she found herself missing his touch, and gave herself a mental shake, taking a deep breath to compose herself.
"So what now?" she questioned. "Should you try and use it again?"
"No," he said. "It needs time to recover."
"Because of the fox's chakra?"
He nodded.
"So we have to wait and see if it works and you completely lose your sight?" Sakura's eyebrows furrowed. "What if it still doesn't happen?"
"We find another way," he informed her.
She nodded, then dropped her eyes from his, recalling another question he had failed to answer prior to his departure. "Why didn't you tell me you went to the training arena? We could've gone together." When he didn't immediately offer an answer, she looked back at him. "It isn't because you think I shouldn't be fighting anymore, is it?"
She knew from the way he subtly averted his gaze that she had guessed correctly.
"I'm okay, Sasuke." When he shook his head slightly, she insisted, "I feel completely fine. It's not like an attack can be triggered by stress or exhaustion or anything else. It can happen anytime, without warning."
"Exactly," he pounced. "In battle, you would be at risk."
"But that's always been the case," she pointed out, recalling when she'd passed out following their return from one of the relic sites.
"The deeper levels contain the more challenging creatures," he said. "Those are the ones that require more reliance on ocular gifts to defeat. I will not risk your safety, Sakura."
"I can still fight," she argued. "I'm not just going to sit around doing nothing, Sasuke. I won't let fear stop me from living out the time I have left." At his unconvinced look, she went on, "I don't have time to sit around feeling sorry for myself. There's still no guarantee we can get the eye in time, and if we can't, then at least let me make the most of what time I do have. I don't want to be wrapped in cotton-wool again, or for you to feel like anything has to change."
Sasuke's lips parted to voice protest, but she was rallying on, "I know it's terrible to think about. I have faith in you." She reached for his hand and squeezed it tightly. "I believe you'll do everything you can to save me, but we need to prepare for all outcomes, including the worst ones." His eyebrows furrowed, and his eyes dropped from hers one more. She glimpsed the tension in his jaw as it clenched in response to her words.
"Until then…" Sakura finished quietly, her hands lifting to rest on his chest. "I want to experience as much as I can. It might be the only chance I ever get."
"Stop," he scowled, not wanting to even think about the possibility of losing her permanently.
"It's the truth. So please, let me fight with you next time. Let me be by your side. Take me with you when you patrol your realm. I-" she faltered, flushing deeply, before she shyly confessed, "I want us to spend as much time together as we can, however long we have left."
His eyes lifted, charcoal ensnaring emerald, and she felt breathless under the weight of his stare. She saw the bewilderment that danced briefly across those bottomless onyx depths, before he slowly lifted a hand, slipping it to the back of her neck.
He tugged her closer and rested his forehead against hers. The flames of defiance and angry determination simmered steadily in his eyes as they bore into Sakura's. "I will awaken the Rinnegan," he vowed. "I won't let you die."
"What if you have to?" she whispered. "What if it really is the only way?"
"Shut up," he whispered back harshly.
"Sasuke-"
"I said," he repeated emphatically, lips hovering over hers. "Shut up."
They brushed against her own, soft and warm and silencing and Sakura forgot all about talking. Her eyelids fluttered shut and she eagerly gave herself up to his demanding, sensual kiss, melting into him as strong arms closed around her, holding her firmly against him. Draping her own around his neck, she threw all thoughts of doom and gloom to the wind, focusing instead on the swarm of butterflies within her belly and the intoxicating sensation of his lips moving against hers.
For a few, blissful moments, as she clung to him, she permitted herself to forget all about the peril that surrounded them. The kiss soon deepened and changed, becoming more desperate, more frantic and urgent, as if they were both distinctly aware of the fragile impermanence of their bond, of Sakura's very existence hanging in the balance. Of how cruelly and suddenly it could be ripped from them without a moment's notice.
He crushed her more tightly to him, and when a hand trailed upward and buried itself in the wavy locks of her long hair, Sakura felt her blood ignite with desire. In that moment, overly-conscious that any day could be her last, she wanted him, she wanted his touch, more than she had ever wanted anything else. She wanted him so badly, it was a crushing, debilitating ache.
He broke the kiss to allow her air. His hands slid down her sides to rest on her hips, and she could feel the heat of his fingertips, the electrifying static, even beneath the rich fabric of her gown. Sakura's heart raced as she realised that she didn't want him to pull back. The moment he had, her mind had been flung back into a hissing viper pit of fatalistic thoughts; of how little time they had, of how there was a very real and dangerous possibility that for all his best and most valiant of efforts, Sasuke might still not awaken the eye they needed in time to save her.
What would become of her then? She would be separated from him forever. She would never look into those eyes, pools of darkness that she felt she could sink under and drown forever in. She would never hear her name, falling like sin from his enticing lips, or feel his arms around her again.
Tears stung at Sakura's eyes. It wasn't fair, none of it was. She couldn't bear the thought, the painful awareness of her own pitiful, vulnerable mortality filling her with desperation and despair, driving her to make a decision that she knew, by her standards, was impulsive. Reckless. A decision that her past self would have never even contemplated or dared to entertain. A decision she knew others might not approve of or agree with.
But she was long since done with living by the expectations others had for her. She was a grown woman who had worked hard to transform herself from victim, to enabled and empowered. She was twenty going on twenty one. She knew her own mind, her own emotions.
Her life had changed irreversibly the moment she had been propelled into Sasuke's world. She had changed. Their time apart had allowed her the chance to process and come to terms with many things - and their reunion had given her the opportunity to move on. To grow. To accept. To make peace and to forgive. To acknowledge her own feelings. She was certain, now, about Sasuke and how he made her feel. All and any doubts she'd once harboured toward him had long since dissolved.
This was her final life. This was the only time she would ever have. And who else was there, except for him? Who had it ever been, but him? What reason did they have to not cross the line they had spent far too long dancing around with each other, when time was so decidedly not on their side?
Her cheeks flooded with heat in response to her thoughts and she was overcome with a near crippling surge of nervousness and insecurity. She knew that Sasuke had always desired her. But how would he respond if she initiated? What if he pulled away? What if he was too afraid?
She told herself she would never know, not unless she took the first step because she knew for a fact that he would not. The ball was in her court. Sasuke had made that transparently clear the moment she had returned to his Kingdom; that he would take nothing that she did not choose, herself, to willingly give to him. She was the one who dictated the pace. The decision to take the next step in their budding relationship was entirely hers, and knowing that fact was equal parts empowering and utterly terrifying.
Was it the right time? There was no way to measure or tell, when the luxury of time itself was not guaranteed. They had gotten to know each other much better in the time they had spent together in his kingdom, but the unshakeable reality remained that they had already loved one another in a past neither of them recalled. Robbed of their memories, the threads of destiny had been spun around them to ensure they would meet again - and start over again.
With no assurances for the future, Sakura cemented her decision, her arms tightening around his neck before he could step back. Her heart hammered erratically in the base of her throat when she glimpsed the questioning look in his eyes.
"Don't stop," she breathed against his lips, pressing herself tighter against his body. "Please."
He blinked, and she could see that she had startled him, catching him entirely off-guard. It set her pulse hurtling faster still - the exhilarating realisation that she was capable of affecting him in a way that nobody else could.
Uncertainty flickered across his dark eyes, so decidedly out of character given his self-assured nature.
"Sakura," he exhaled. The firelight beside them threw hypnotic shadows across his handsome features and enveloped him in a golden glow. Sakura found herself utterly captivated, unable to tear her eyes away.
Pressing her palm against his left cheek, she spoke in a hushed voice. "Every second we have is precious. I want to live, Sasuke. I want to feel. I want to know what it's like. All things I've never known. Everything that I can. Now, while I still have the chance. I don't want to have any regrets. So please…" her eyes fell to his lips, a mere breath away from her own. "Don't stop."
Sasuke caught his breath, stunned. He could scarcely believe what he was hearing. She was looking at him in a way he had never imagined in his wildest dreams would ever be possible. Not after everything he had done. Not after all the damage he had caused. She was looking at him like he was all that mattered. With a pleading yearning. With desire, unveiled. The very same emotions that had tormented him and held him prisoner for years were mirrored in her brilliant verdant irises, and for a moment, he found himself paralysed by the gravity of their situation, by the realisation that everything had come back full circle.
She wanted him. Just as much as he wanted her.
It set his pulse racing. How long had he wished for this precise moment? And yet, Sasuke recalled the horror that had unfolded the last time they had allowed their passion to get the better of them and trepidation crept through his veins like ice, giving way to hesitation. Was she making a serious decision in haste, in the spur and heat of the moment? Was it right to proceed? What if it was wiser to wait until she was absolutely certain? He didn't want to take advantage of her, nor did he want her to feel like he expected anything from her.
But the intent in Sakura's eyes was as clear as day and he told himself, if not then, then when? And she was right. Time was not on their side. It was entirely her decision to make. Who was he to try and talk her out of it, or to doubt it? When he craved her proximity, just as much? When he wanted to do nothing more than to forget the nightmare they were in, for just a few brief moments, and lose himself entirely to the healing balm of her touch?
She didn't need to say anything else. He perfectly understood what she meant, the clear implication behind her words, and it caused his heart to thunder against his ribcage. His hands closed around her upper arms, gripping her as if he were afraid that she would float away from him if he released her, that the moment they found themselves in would be lost forever.
"Sakura," he murmured, his piercing eyes swallowing her up whole. "Are you certain?"
The nerves in her belly intensified, growing into a hurricane of agitated butterfly wings. Still he was actively seeking her consent. Still he was holding back, offering her an opportunity to reconsider, to change her mind. The intensity and seriousness of his gaze urged her to tread carefully, to not throw herself so impulsively into the lion's den, unless she was absolutely sure of the risks. But Sakura had never been so certain. She was tired of being sensible and reserved. She wanted to act her age, to feel reckless. She wanted to stop overthinking, to stop worrying, to act with her heart and not with her head.
She wanted to feel his hunger - its full, suffocating intensity. All of it. She wanted to know what it was like to make love, what it felt like to be pinned beneath the heat and strength of a man, to rest skin to skin against him. She wanted to know how it felt to burn with delirious need, to submit to sensations she had never experienced. She wanted to be awakened in ways she had never known. To fling herself off the edge of doubt's precipice and into the flames of desire, to abandon all sanity to mindless passion. Before the opportunity was snatched from her forever.
They stared at one another for a long moment in silence, and all time seemed to suspend as if they both sensed that everything was on the cusp of changing forever between them, knowing that there would truly be no turning back if they proceeded. They would be parts of each other that could no longer be given back. But it occurred to Sakura that already, that was the case. Who else could she ever give her heart to? Who could ever compare to his magnificence? She had been ensnared from the moment she had first laid eyes on him. Undeniably drawn to the mysterious allure of his darkness, even as she had feared him.
He was her antithesis in every way. Death: perfectly flawed, powerful, stubborn, seductive, haughty and infuriating, with a core forged of unyielding iron. He was capable of being cold, ruthless, deadly and dangerous. But beneath that hard, aloof exterior, she had come to know goodness and courage. Gentleness. Wisdom. Strength. Kindness. Fearlessness. A heart of gold, pure and enduring, holding within it the capacity to love deeply and faithfully, even despite every calamity he had endured. Even after being ripped to shreds, still she had managed to do the impossible, to thaw its frost and knew without doubt that it beat for her.
Hadn't she always wished for an eternal sort of love? And here was one that had transcended time itself. Immortal and undying. He had proven it to her, in his actions, in his genuine remorse and desperation to save her, in the way he was surrendering all the barricades surrounding his heart to her. She knew that she would never encounter anyone like him again. There was no way back for them now, tied as they were in emotion to one another. Only forward.
Only one possible way for them to proceed.
"Yes," she whispered, her gaze unwavering and sincere, and then she tip-toed up to brush her lips against his.
She heard his quiet, astonished intake of breath, felt the way his fingers around her arms tensed - the final moment of any resistance being relinquished - and then he was returning her chaste kiss, casting all thoughts aside, reminding himself that they were at the most advanced stages of her final life-cycle.
She wanted to feel. He would give her exactly what she desired.
One of his hands trailed upward to graze over the curve of her shoulder, before slipping behind the nape of her neck, while the other slid around her waist, coming to rest on the small of her back, pressing her firmly against him.
His lips and hands were a dangerous ignition that set a detonation of sweet shocks coursing through Sakura's body. When he tugged her forward, and sat down on the chaise longue, pulling her onto his lap without breaking the kiss, she felt a pleasant warmth bloom through her, and knew, from the way she was burning up, that the joining of their lips was no longer enough. Instinct demanded that she take more of him, that she did not stop until he had filled every aspect of her existence and consumed her entirely.
Breaking for air, Sakura slowly slid her palms down to rest against his chest, feeling the hard muscles beneath his black tunic and the force of his heartbeat beneath her hand. Its speed caused a wild thrill to zigzag through her, an unspoken confirmation that he wanted this just as much as she did. Perhaps even more. She swallowed, lifting her eyes to his, unveiled in their honesty. A fine tremor passed through her fingertips as she fumbled to release his cloak. The gravity of what she was about to do collided into her full force as she felt the clasp finally give way, causing a fresh wave of nervousness to cascade over her.
She had never been intimate with anyone. She didn't know how to be. Sasuke had made love to her in her original form, and so she knew he wouldn't be plagued with the same insecurities as she was. Even if he could not remember having her, his body would still surely recall the motions, ingrained into his very instincts. She gulped, feeling oddly breathless beneath the crushing weight of his stare. She didn't want to disappoint him.
He bent his head, his lips ghosting over her right cheekbone, and Sakura closed her eyes, doing her best to stem her worries and focus instead on the tantalising tingles his teasing touch birthed within her. She would listen to her body, she decided, and allow it to guide her inexperience.
His fingers gripped her chin and he angled her face back to his to claim her lips in another torturously slow, agonising kiss that sent a delicious shiver down Sakura's spine. The kiss quickly escalated, growing more passionate, more desperate, further fuelling the sense of urgency that was sizzling through both their veins.
She shifted, hiking her skirt above her knees to straddle him, cupping his face between her hands and abandoning all her inhibitions to kiss him with equal fervour. When his lips broke off to venture lower, blazing a fiery trail down the column of her throat, and his fingertips stroked over her bare calves, Sakura released a needy, approving mewl.
It was the sweetest serenade to his ears, a maddening catalyst as months and months of simmering, suppressed desires rose to the surface for them both. Sasuke's fingertips caressed along her slender arms, marvelling at the smoothness and silkiness of her skin, until they came to hover over the golden clasp at her right shoulder. His heart skipped a beat, and an unexpected, fine tremor ran through his fingers, as if he were an unworthy, devout worshipper who was daring to touch the most exalted robes of divinity. He paused, hesitating despite himself, and lifted his head to meet her gaze in silent question.
Sakura nodded in consent and Sasuke's heart quickened, his body hyper aware of her proximity. How long had he yearned to cross the last remaining barrier between them? How long since he had abandoned hopes of it ever happening, telling himself that she had to want it as much as he did, and surely never would? But there she was before him, her eyes heavy-lidded with passion, and warmth coursed through his body as he was overcome with feeling. With a deep craving. There was nothing he wanted more, nothing he needed more at that moment, than Sakura and her intoxicating touch.
With a deft flick of his thumb, he released the clasp, causing the strap at her shoulder to fall away.
~Full scene on Ao3~
They lay in stunned silence, limbs entangled, panting to catch their breaths, basking in the afterglow of their passion. Sasuke collapsed against her and she heard him release a quiet, shuddering sigh. She blinked, staring up at the canopy, her mind a fuzzy blank, overwhelmed by sensation, by emotion, by the staggering discovery of her own body and his, of what it meant to be joined as one with another. She thought she perhaps understood how addictive the giving and receiving of pleasure could become when shared with the right companion. And being with Sasuke felt so right.
Sasuke blinked lazily, reluctant to move. Never before had he ever felt so displaced. So powerless, and bereft of all control as he had in the moment he'd ascended to heaven itself in her arms. It had been utterly terrifying, for one as accustomed as he was to keeping his emotions so rigidly in line - and yet exhilarating, a euphoric freedom unlike any other he had known that had left him feeling at peace in a way he could not recall ever experiencing.
He felt complete. Alive. As if he had found the answer to all the riddles, as if he had found his true purpose and calling, there in Sakura's comforting embrace. Everything made sense. As if he had finally discovered where he truly belonged. It was by Sakura's side. She fit perfectly against him, as he fit so perfectly within her, like the preordained lock to his key.
The death deity lay against her, catching the scattered threads of his thoughts, reeling his composure back in as he listened to the sound of her heartbeat gradually slowing in its frenzied rhythm. A foreign heaviness settled over him, accompanied by a strange - but not unpleasant - lethargic sensation, as if a great burden had been removed from his shoulders, leaving him light and perfectly relaxed. He felt Sakura's fingers stroking through his hair affectionately, and allowed his eyes to shut, telling himself that he would rest for only a moment. His body felt so pleasantly warm, and hers was so soft and comforting beneath him. For the first time in longer than he could even remember, he felt safe enough to lower all his barriers, and relinquished all control into the arms of another.
"Sasuke?" Sakura whispered at length, feeling somewhat shy and giddy, deliciously sated and complete. His breathing had settled and she glanced down, trying to peer at him - only for her lips to part in silent astonishment.
His long-lashed eyes were closed. The lack of response to her call and the steady rise and fall of his back informed her that he was not merely resting.
The King of the Underworld had fallen asleep in her arms.
~x~
Author's note
Hope this was worth the wait. Reviews would be awesome, please do take the time to give feedback, it is much appreciated. See you next update.