Thanks to everyone who kindly took time to leave feedback last chapter. I appreciate it.
Chapter XCIV
In union is found peaceful bliss,
A respite, brief, from troubles and woes,
The closeness born of a touch and kiss,
A veil over calamities not yet known.
~x~
Sasuke awoke with a start, blinking rapidly to clear the foreign, groggy haze of sleep that clung to his senses like a heavy shroud. His body tensed, instantly on edge - a thoughtless reflex born of the millenia he had spent ensuring that he was never caught vulnerable and unguarded - and for a terrifying second, his mind blanked, overrun with confusion.
Had he truly fallen into slumber without even realising it? A quiet, astonished breath left his lips as he grappled with the disturbing, unnerving sensation that time had elapsed without his conscious awareness. It was the first instance he had given into deep sleep since the demise of his clan. His eyes fell onto one of the tall candelabra stands that illuminated the room beyond the gauzy canopy drapes enclosing the bed, stunned that he had no recollection of just how much time had passed. Time in which he had relinquished all control of his body.
The sensation of softness beneath him, of warmth around him and the sound of a steady heart beating against his left ear returned him to full awareness. He allowed his eyes to close again, all tension seeping from his muscles. He was in Sakura's arms. They had finally yielded to the overpowering chemistry that had tormented them since their very first meeting, succumbed to mutual, mindless desire and joined together as one. Their limbs were still entangled together beneath the silk sheets of his bed, and Sasuke remained in place for another contented minute, focusing on the soothing lull of her chest rising and falling in rhythm to her breathing.
He recalled that he had closed his eyes for just a moment, and had intended to rest only briefly - but instead had inadvertently ended up falling asleep against her. It was disconcerting, to think that he had been out cold, and yet it was also a testament to how at peace - and at home - he felt in her embrace, to allow himself to relax enough to be claimed by the very slumber that had eluded him for centuries.
Slowly, with great care so as not to disturb her rest, he drew away from Sakura and rolled onto his back. Staring up at the underside of the heavy, embroidered canopy above their heads, he released another quiet breath, collecting his thoughts and emotions, before turning his face left to gaze at her in quiet awe.
She was still fast asleep, and had never looked lovelier to him than she did in that moment, her cheeks sleep-flushed, her rosy, plump lips parted. Lips that had been swollen from his kisses. Sasuke pushed himself up onto his left elbow and stared at her, the way a weary desert wanderer looked upon a precious, life-restoring oasis. With gratitude and a whisper of fear that the brilliant sight before him was little more than a sensually gratifying, cruel illusion. For that was what Sakura was to him. Life itself. Without her, his world was barren and scorched.
Without her, it was colourless and empty.
He reached down for the covers that had slipped down to her flat abdomen when he had shifted from on top of her, his gaze trailing appreciatively to her bare breasts, before he pulled the material slowly upwards to cover her body. His eyes then assessed the raw love bites that his nipping teeth and lips had left on her neck. The sight filled him with both a smug, possessive sense of satisfaction and a deep, gnawing, fresh wave of hunger.
He liked his marks on her, he decided. They were pretty blemishes on her skin that he would choose not to heal. He liked how she looked in his bed, the long, pale locks of her blossom hair fanned out upon the pillows like a halo around her. He recalled how it had felt, claiming her body and giving her his. An intoxicating euphoria like no other that had sent his heart hurtling. If he had felt deeply for Sakura before, that passion had now amplified and become a blistering fire that raged beyond containment, one he was quite certain would ravage them both. Now that they had touched once and had danced together in the flames of passion, how would they be able to keep their hands from one another? Their lips? How could such a devastating force be contained, without consuming every fibre of their being?
Sasuke reached out to curl a silky strand of her hair idly around an index finger, lifting it to his eyes for inspection as he thoughtfully contemplated the new chapter that they had turned in their bond, catapulted into the pages of formerly uncharted and forbidden territory. A territory that opened up all manner of thrilling possibilities to them. Nothing would be off-limits to them - not anymore. They could give of themselves and take of each other in equal measure, as and when it pleased them.
His eyes returned to her face. Still he could scarcely accept that Sakura had chosen him - against all logic and reason, she had embraced the shadows, embraced his world and everything that he was. Despite everything that had happened, he was the one she had made clear she wanted.
His gaze softened. She had torn through every last defence he had erected to keep her out, climbed over every wall that had stood in her way. He would no longer shut her out. He would no longer run from his own feelings for her. Denying them had been futile. Pretending they did not exist, and attempting to ignore them, had proven to be a fool's endeavour. Time was fleeting, precious. He wanted her close.
The thought of being wrapped up in her arms, of losing himself to the ecstasy of her all over again, of pinning her down and drawing scandalous moans from her lips that turned into pleading cries of his name alone, caused his heart to quicken with delicious anticipation. Now that they had taken the final step and bridged the gap between them, the gluttonous need for her touch - to have her by his side as often as was possible - was like a devouring madness, a terrible, near-crippling affliction to which only a dose of Sakura was the cure.
It was as though he had stumbled into the sweetest dream, fragile, glass-spun and delicate, capable of being dispelled at any given moment. He stared at her in open wonder, suspended in the disbelief that she had accepted him so readily, so wholly, so trustingly. She had given him every part of herself, though he had deserved nothing more than the time he had already stolen from her surface life.
His elation was quick to wane, as he recalled once more that time was not on their side. How could they ever truly be content and free, while the very real possibility of her impending death loomed over them, oppressive and suffocating? A frightening, sobering reminder that beyond the paradise of discovering each other, a merciless hell lurked in waiting.
As Sasuke looked upon her, he felt the burn of angry determination brewing within his chest like a volatile storm. He would save her, he vowed anew to himself, taken aback by the fiercely vehement intensity of the thought. He would remove the damned seal and once her safety was secured, he would spend an eternity making up for all the pain he had caused her. He would not stop paying her obeisance, not stop atoning for his transgressions until he felt he had done right by her and was truly worthy of her forgiveness, of the affection, she now so freely and adoringly bestowed upon him.
He would never stop - not until he felt that he could forgive himself.
His private musings were interrupted when Sakura suddenly stirred. She yawned and lifted her slender arms over her head in a leisurely, satisfied stretch, turning her face toward him. Sasuke quietly lowered himself back down onto the pillow beside her and watched as her brilliant emerald eyes opened.
Their gazes immediately locked together, and he glimpsed the recollection that dawned upon her features, witnessed the charming pink flush that bloomed into her cheeks, followed by a sweet, tentative smile as she drew the sheets up to her chin and rolled over onto her right side to face him. For a long moment, they simply stared at one another in hushed silence, acknowledging the change in their relationship, awed by the newfound awareness of each other.
"Hi," Sakura finally murmured. Butterflies were fluttering agitatedly within her stomach, and she felt stupidly self-conscious and shy, mindful of the fact that they were still both very much naked beneath the sheets. Any lingering drowsiness was swiftly chased away by the sight of him so close to her.
She recalled that Sasuke had fallen asleep in her arms, and that she had held him, stroking his hair gently before she, too, had dozed off, and was pleasantly surprised to find that he was still beside her despite clearly waking first. She would have expected him to be gone, returned to his duties, but the fact that he had lingered filled her with warmth.
"Were you watching me sleep?"
"Hn." He blinked, his gaze lingering for a second on her lips. He would not admit it out loud.
Sakura smothered another bashful smile behind the sheets. Contentment and giddiness bubbled contagiously within her, giving way to exhilaration and excitement over the discovery of the wonderful new sensations that his touch had awoken within her. Had she been existing at all up until that moment? How had she lived without knowing such intimacy and passion? Now that she had tasted it, now that she had dipped her toes into the sensual waters of sexual awakening, she wanted to throw herself in, to explore everything he had to offer. It was as if her heart had been strewn alight, and her body was attuned to something she had never even known she had been missing. Something it instinctively needed, that only Sasuke's touch could satisfy.
Meeting his beautiful onyx eyes, Sakura felt her heart skip a beat, spellbound by the unfamiliar softness of his expression as he gazed back at her with heavy-lidded eyes. The harsh, unyielding line of his lips had relaxed, and his gaze was open and unguarded. There were no remaining barriers between them. No more awkwardness, no more guessing games. Only understanding and absolute acceptance. They had joined as one, were parts of each other, and Sakura wondered why in the world it had taken them so long to stop fighting each other.
He lifted his right hand, trailing his fingertips over the silky skin of her upper arm. The simplicity of the touch summoned a shockwave of tingles through her nerve-endings. So this was what pleasure felt like, she thought to herself. This was what it meant, to be skin on skin, to give into desire, to fall in love and to give one's self wholly to another. To feel complete and at peace. She flushed at the thought of them giving into temptation again, turning the butterfly wings in her belly to a brewing hurricane. Just his eyes on her made her feel as though her body was being placed on slow burn.
"You fell asleep," she said softly, recalling how touched she had been at the sight of him relinquishing all control into her embrace. A vulnerability that she knew was unprecedented for him. "When was the last time you did that...?"
The fingers that had reached her shoulder stilled in the circles they had been tracing, as he admitted, "Before the war."
Sakura felt her heart constrict. She knew immortals didn't need to sleep in order to survive, not the way humans did, but it was still something that they could enjoy, something that allowed them to relax. To think that he had been robbed of the simplest of pleasures for so long...
"Oh, Sasuke…" she whispered, and reached out to place a gentle palm over his chest, marvelling, once more, over the warmth of his skin beneath her fingertips. "I'm glad you rested, even if it was just a little." After a short pause, she added shyly, "It's... nice, isn't it? I mean, being this way? I… really enjoyed it."
She had nothing to compare it to; after all, Sasuke had been her first, and yet, given the way he had made her feel throughout and in the aftermath, it was clear to Sakura that she had struck gold.
He said nothing, staring at her intently, as if he were trying to place together the pieces to a very complex puzzle. As if he were willing himself to believe that everything about their present situation wasn't too good to be true. That she wasn't a heavenly mirage that would dispel before him without warning.
At his silence, Sakura worried for an instant that perhaps he had not found the experience as satisfying as she had, given how new she was to all the motions - only for that insecurity to flee when she felt his fingers bury into her hair. The warmth of his breath fanned against forehead as he quietly exhaled, as if her assurances were welcome to his ears.
In an attempt to lighten the mood, she added playfully, "You might've snored."
Peeking up, she found his eyebrows had drawn together slightly, as if confused by the notion. Sakura giggled at his bemused expression.
"I'm kidding," she teased, before adding seriously, "I didn't, did I?"
His eyebrows drew together, baffled at the arbitrary question. How peculiar she was, to worry about such an irrelevant thing. He supposed it was down to human insecurities.
"No," he responded.
She released a sigh of relief. "Ino always says I do, but now I think it's just to cover up the fact she drools in her sleep." She fell quiet, smiling fondly as she thought of her dear best friend. Her fingertips, still resting on Sasuke's chest, began to tentatively draw random patterns over his skin. Then she ventured, without looking up at him, "Sasuke? How much surface time has passed so far?"
There was a heavy pause, before he supplied, "Ten surface weeks."
Sakura's eyes widened in astonishment. It felt to her as though only half of that time had elapsed. Were they really fast approaching the three month mark so soon?
He averted his gaze, hesitating. "You miss it."
It was an open-ended statement. He needed to know, he told himself, as much as he dreaded to hear the answer. He wanted to know whether she was truly content in his realm. Or whether she spent every moment secretly yearning for the surface, even though she appeared to be coping just fine.
"Hmm," she hummed thoughtfully. "I miss seeing my mother," she admitted in earnest. "And my friends. But... they can come and visit." Even as she spoke the words, she found herself wondering why they hadn't yet done so.
Perhaps they were simply too busy handling matters on the surface. Perhaps it was because they weren't meant to intrude on her time in the realm, the same way Sasuke had not interfered with hers on the surface, up until the trial had compelled them to travel together. Or perhaps her mother and friends didn't even realise they were permitted to call upon her?
Sasuke said nothing, fully conscious that he was the one to blame for her being forced to part from those she loved for such a lengthy period of time. Something flickered across his eyes - an emotion too fleeting to read - and those bottomless midnight depths suddenly refused to meet hers. He turned onto his back, gazing up at the canopy.
Anticipating where his thoughts might have turned, and wanting to intercept before he might leave the bed entirely, Sakura wriggled closer to his side, and reached up to press a palm affectionately to his left cheek, angling his face back to hers.
"Hey. Saying I miss them doesn't mean that I wish I could go back to the surface right now," she told him gently. "I'm happy here with you. Really, I am. And I meant what I said before, Sasuke. I want us to spend as much time together as we can."
His eyes searched hers, and he listened as she went on, "If I survive long enough to go back to the surface, we won't have this time again for another six months. And by then, who knows what Cronus would've done? So take me with you, when you tour your Kingdom? We can be together, and I can see more of what you do."
He lifted his hand, brushing it over the back of Sakura's, and nodded. She smiled, and laced her fingers through his. They stared at each other again in silence, neither of them feeling inclined to move. It was as though the curtains drawn around the four bed posts were impenetrable barriers that kept out the rest of the world. At that moment, nothing else mattered. It was just the two of them alone, together.
"So this is how we were." Sakura spoke in hushed tones, not wanting the intimacy of their pillowtalk to shatter. "In the past."
She imagined how it might have been. Secret, stolen moments of passion, sneaking behind her mother's back, romancing with the very same god whose bed she now shared. But Hades hadn't been the Underworld's king back then. He would have been far less burdened. More free. She thought that surely she would have been, too. A naive little goddess who had fallen head over heels for a prince of darkness. It wasn't hard for her to see why, now that she had come to know him better. The dark seduction of his breath-stealing kisses and fiery touches were enough to condemn even the most rational to the sweetest insanity.
"Do you think you'll ever get your memories back?"
Sasuke considered the question. His recollections of Kore had been completely erased by Shisui. Making him forget about her had been his cousin's deliberate intention. Based on that, the death deity doubted they would or could ever fully return, not unless some manner of seal was on him that was similar to Sakura's. And if it had been placed on him by Shisui, then that meant only Shisui's eye was capable of reversing it, and they knew for a fact that it had not been left behind as Itachi had left his. Itachi also hadn't mentioned any such thing when Sasuke had encountered him while unconscious, but yet, he recalled that he had not exactly inquired after whether his lost memories would ever return. It hadn't been the most pressing matter on his mind at the time.
Perhaps it was for the best that he didn't ever remember, he thought to himself. The well of guilt he harboured within as a result of his mistakes was already bottomless enough without flooding it with past wrong-doings he had committed against the goddess he had forgotten.
"No," he replied at length. "Memories altered by Shisui's Sharingan can only be restored by the same eyes."
"I guess that makes sense," Sakura agreed. "They wanted a fresh start for us. But… that's what I don't get. My memories can come back. Why didn't they just take them away forever?"
"Your original form was lost," he reminded her. He supposed that her recollections had needed to be locked away with her abilities, given the nature of the seal that had been placed on her and the continuous cycle of rebirth she had endured.
"What's going to happen to me if I get mine back?" Sakura pondered quietly. "Will I have my past personality again? Will those memories replace the memories I have now? Will I be a completely different person?" Her eyes widened in alarm, recalling the way her past self had tried to wrestle control of her consciousness when she had experienced her last attack. Her original self despised Hades. Would her feelings for Sasuke somehow be affected? What if she remembered all her past lives too, and it simply proved to be too much for her to handle? She drew her hand from his, clutching the sheet to herself, horrified at the thought.
"Oh my God. What if I-?"
"Sakura," he interrupted, his voice a languid, delicious drawl as he pushed himself back up onto his left elbow beside her. He was confident that Itachi and Shisui had known precisely what they were doing when they had woven the seal. She was fretting over nothing.
"Sorry," she apologised. "I'm overthinking. I can't get my head around how my memories can just come back all of a sudden. It just seems so overwhelming to think that they'd-"
Sasuke's dark eyes narrowed. She was rambling too much, he decided. Without warning, he abruptly swooped down to capture her lips with his, silencing her. Sakura blinked, surprised, the rest of her words hitching in her throat, before she closed her eyes and forgot all about talking, readily giving herself up to his kiss. When his hot tongue probed hers, swirling in a sensual dance, her body immediately flooded with liquid heat. As if she were tinder and his touch was flame.
How she craved the spark, the turbulence of their sizzling chemistry. She laced her arms around his neck and felt the sheets being drawn away from her bare body, felt his seeking fingertips gliding unhurriedly down her sides, tracing the contours of her dips and curves as he ravenously deepened the kiss. Sakura's heart began to quicken and her mind spun. Were they going at it again, already? The shy, inexperienced part of her wondered whether it was too soon. They hadn't even bathed yet, the remnants of their last round still clinging to their skin - but didn't they have a lot of lost time to make up for?
Her days were numbered. His hands and lips on her made her forget everything, and this was what she wanted. To lose herself to sensation. To be devoured by the enticing shadows he encompassed. Now that she knew what that was like, how consuming it felt, what sense was there in denying it? They had already gone the whole way. They didn't need to slow down for anything and she knew from the way her own fingers were raking through his hair that she was incapable of stopping herself regardless.
A moment later, he suddenly shifted and all thoughts scattered to the wind when she felt herself being lifted effortlessly up into his arms, as if she weighed little more than a feather.
She broke the kiss, releasing a strangled squeak of embarrassment. She groped blindly, trying to drag the covers along with her - but they had already slipped treacherously from her grasp. Her cheeks burned, extremely conscious of the fact that he had swept her up in his arms while she was completely naked - but judging by Sasuke's utter nonchalance over the fact, she supposed she had better start getting used to the feeling fast.
"Sasuke!" she stammered, blushing furiously. "W-what are you doing?"
Her only response was a small, infuriatingly sexy smirk. He crossed over to one of the ornate doors Sakura had yet to enter. It parted at his command, and as he stepped inside, Sakura gasped again, her eyes meeting with indulgent magnificence.
In the centre of the bathing chamber were four ebonized, majestic, gilded fluted columns that reached up to a high domed ceiling decorated with dark blue, silver, gold and black mosaic tiles. They sparkled like jewels, catching the warm firelight of the tall candelabra stands that illuminated the area.
The pillars were set in the corners of a raised, square platform of solid black marble, into which was carved a generously sized, circular bathing pool, accessed by a set of steps that climbed up to it. Fresh water cascaded into the basin, poured from the urns of graceful marble statues surrounding the pool. A blanket of hot steam hovered invitingly over its petal-scattered waters.
Soft, gauzy, midnight-blue drapes were strewn between the pillars, their long ends shimmering with gold and silver threads. Set along the left wall were gold gilded, black cabinets, upon which were three round washing basins constructed of black stone, with ornate mirrors hanging above them. A selection of toiletries and hair-brushes were lined neatly around the sinks.
Next to the brilliant, full-length mirrors that were affixed to the walls on the right side of the room were clothing shelves containing towels and robes. Sakura spied two further gold-embossed onyx doors - one in the northern wall's corner and one to the far right. Beyond the central bathing pool was an open shower. Marble seating ledges protruded from walls adorned with the same mosaic tiles that decorated the domed ceiling above the pool. The floors were polished onyx, threaded with delicate gold veins.
Sasuke walked to the pool, climbed up the five steps to the platform before taking the ones that led into the waters, gently lowering Sakura into them as he waded in. The pleasantly hot water was soothing against her skin.
She turned her eyes up to the ceiling, dazzled. "This is so beautiful," she exhaled, admiring the exquisite craftsmanship. "What're through those doors?" she pointed.
"The privy," he nodded toward the far right door, before indicating the other. "And the changing rooms."
He picked up a loofah and one of the scented soaps from the selection placed neatly on a large gold-painted shell resting at the foot of one of the fountain statues. Shaking her head in wonder, Sakura drifted further into the bubbling pool, and sank to chin level as she watched him lather soap and proceed to wash himself, his movements methodical and quick. Her eyes were mesmerised by the sight, and followed the droplets of water that trailed sinfully down his skin, taking in the tautness of his defined pectoral and abdominal muscles. She licked her lips and felt herself blush again as she found her thoughts wandering back to how those hard muscles had felt, clenching and coiling in response to her touch. The feel of his weight crushing down against her-
Get a grip, you idiot! She ordered herself. How ridiculous did she look, standing there ogling the Underworld's king like he was nothing more than a juicy piece of meat? But how could she help herself? He was even more alluring in the nude than he was fully clothed.
Luckily, Sasuke was too occupied with bathing to notice her gawking at him. Sakura hastily turned away to the nearest statue behind her in an effort to hide her embarrassment, finding another loofah and soap in the shell dish at its feet. Grateful for a welcome distraction from gaping over how outrageously attractive Sasuke was, she began to mirror his actions.
The fountains, she realised, were not only a pretty decoration, but a convenient way to wash one's hair without having to exit to use the showers. She could see that the water in the pool was constantly being cleaned and changed, in a surprisingly modern and clever plumbing system given the age of the place.
She had just finished rinsing the last bit of shampoo from her hair when she suddenly became aware of two arms caging her from behind, followed by the warmth of a strong body radiating behind her. She blinked, watching as his hands gripped the edge of the basin, enclosing her in place. Her heart fluttered, and she turned her head questioningly, only to feel a nose nuzzle into the crook of her neck, inhaling deeply.
Her breath hitched in her throat. Her mind blanked.
"Sakura," Sasuke's voice rumbled into her right ear, sending sinful, tantalising vibrations through her body. She gulped as she felt his hands resting on her hips, gripping her beneath the water. "Your attendants wait outside. Come to me when you are ready."
She nodded, scarcely able to draw a breath from his proximity, from the way her entire body was immediately responding to his closeness, as if inflicted with a terrible fever. He then reached up to grip her face in his left hand, tilting it back and upwards before he leaned over to plant a long, unhurried kiss on her lips. His other hand slid across her slick, wet skin, infringing on dangerous territory. Sakura's heart raced, and she released a quiet, needy moan against his lips, pressing herself back against him, wanting to be enveloped by his warmth all over again, wanting to be skin to skin. They seemed to melt against each other and the kiss deepened, growing more passionate, but before she could think to turn and accommodate it better, Sasuke abruptly pulled away, leaving her bereft.
She bit her lower lip as he exited the pool completely unbothered by his own nakedness. Her eyes roaming over every inch of his exposed flesh, lingering on the rippling muscles of his broad back before venturing lower to appreciate the view of his firm rear. Glancing back over his shoulder, Sasuke caught her openly staring, and smirked knowingly when she blushed a deeper hue of scarlet, before he turned wordlessly away and disappeared into the changing room.
~x~
After she had finished bathing, Sakura opened the door to the bathroom, wrapped in a black silk robe, to find a smiling Ume and Chizu waiting for her, just as Sasuke had said. To her astonishment, she saw that the sheets of the bed had already been changed by the servants.
Ume and Chizu stepped into the bathing chamber and led her to the door set in the northern wall. Sakura wondered what they were thinking. It was obvious what had happened between her and Sasuke, for her to be alone in his private quarters in an undressed state, but her attendants were too polite to allude to it, and for that she was grateful.
When Sakura stepped through the door, she found herself inside an antechamber with arches set into the left and right walls. A veil of dark-crimson, gauzy drapes hung from each opening. The Underworld equivalent to lavish, walk-in wardrobes, she realised, divided into two sections which were separated by a central chamber adorned with tall, beautifully decorated screens and fragrant flowers. She spied the Uchiha emblem engraved in solid gold, circular panels above the arches, glistening garnets and diamonds in the candelabra-illuminated firelight.
One side was for the king, Sakura assumed, as she had seen Sasuke enter into it unclothed, although she had not witnessed him exit, which suggested that the chamber perhaps had another passageway that led back to the main grounds of the palace.
Ume and Chizu parted the drapes on the right side for her, revealing walls beyond constructed of black marble, inlaid with fine streaks of aureate. Sakura gazed at her surroundings in awe. Hexagonal, onyx tiles decorated the floor, their edges bordered with strips of gold. Three plush, midnight-velvet chaise longues provided seating spaces, cushions of rich, brocade silk arranged tidily upon them, alongside which were decorative golden table stands bearing crystal decanters of ambrosia and bronze platters of syrup-coated fruits. A sweet, floral scent drifted through the air, sourced from the large vases housing spectacular bouquets of otherworldly flowers.
In the centre of the dressing room was a raised, circular platform, around which were placed full-length mirrors framed with graceful seraphs carved from gold. A beautiful, candlelit chandelier hung directly above the platform from the high, gilded ceiling, enhancing the warm illumination provided by the candles affixed to gold sconces on the walls. Sakura spotted a stunning black vanity table with a matching upholstered chair, atop which were a spectacular collection of jewelry, cosmetics, jeweled hair-brushes and pretty glass perfume dispensers.
Huge armours lined the entire length of the walls, and as Chizu opened their ornate doors, Sakura saw that they were brimming with a dazzling collection of indoor, outdoor, and intimate clothing, footwear and yet more jewelry and accessories that were neatly hung or stored away in organised compartments, including drawers, shelves and velvet storage boxes.
The room was the height of aristocracy. She felt strange, accepting any of the offerings that her attendants picked out for her. Her eyes trailed over each exquisite piece of clothing and she found herself hesitating. Had Sasuke's mother once worn any of these very same delightful gowns? They were certainly fit for a queen, even more detailed and gem-encrusted than the ones she had in her own room. Was it right for her to wear such striking pieces? To use the perfume and jewelry on display?
What other choice did she really have at that moment? She wasn't in her bedchamber, and Sasuke was waiting for her. He clearly had no issue with her using the dresses, so she shook off her discomfort, and finally settled for one of the pieces that had caught her eye.
It was a rich, deep-plum gown with semi-transparent cape sleeves that trailed down to the floor. Delicate golden sequins adorned the shoulders of the dress. Affixed to the neckline were thin chains of gold, attached to a thicker collar that was fastened at her neck. A matching belt was secured around her waist. The light overskirt of the gown was a deep gold, and layered beneath it was a darker plum underskirt. Complementing sandals and earrings completed the look and Sakura's hair was tidily arranged in soft waves, prettily decorated with small, plum-hued flowers. Chizu applied kohl to her eyes and painted Sakura's lips with a shade of rouge that perfectly matched the gown. When Sakura turned on the dressing platform toward the mirror, her eyes widened at her own reflection. She barely recognised herself beyond the regal splendour of the outfit.
"You look radiant, Mistress! Like a queen!" Ume beamed, clasping her hands together with delight.
"Perhaps, someday," Chizu added warmly, "our Kingdom shall be blessed with a gracious queen once again."
Sakura watched them exchange happy smiles in the mirror's reflection, the words they had spoken resonating deep within her. She swallowed thickly, all at once unnerved. Queen? Her? The thought had never even seriously crossed her mind, and yet she found herself suddenly wondering - was that what all the servants believed she would inevitably become? When she had visited the kitchens in innocence, simply wishing to get to know them, had they interpreted it in another manner?
An even more daunting thought followed. Was that what Sasuke wanted? A queen to rule at his side? Did he see a capable ruler and an equal in her? Did she see that in herself? Was that something he would one day offer to her?
The idea was both flattering - and outright terrifying. Not so much the thought of being by Sasuke's side - that seemed like the most natural thing in the world to Sakura. But the thought of ruling, of truly becoming one with the shades, the expectations that came hand in hand with that, knowing the great burdens of the crown and witnessing, first hand, how demanding those crushing responsibilities were filled her with trepidation. Was that something she would one day come to desire? Or even be capable of handling?
If she survived, if all went well and Cronus was contained, Sakura knew her fate would remain unchanged. She would still be bound eternally to Sasuke and to his realm for six months every year. She would inevitably come to see the Underworld as her second home. But to be a queen? A ruler?
Her thoughts spiralled, and icy panic began to creep into her veins. What if Sasuke did ask her? She wasn't ready to think about that. What would she do? What would she say? She didn't know. There was no doubt that having a queen would help to lighten the burdens upon Sasuke, but she didn't even know what the role would involve. Would it mean being able to hear the dead, too? Would the shades cling and plead to her for mercy, as they did with Sasuke? Would she have to grow a diamond fortress around her heart and condemn souls to Tartarus, even that of corrupt children?
The thought was foreign, disconcerting. It caused the muscles within her belly to clench tight, painfully. It was difficult to come to terms with or even entertain the notion, when her own future was so uncertain. She was getting way ahead of herself. Sharing Sasuke's bed and affections, being lavished with royal clothes and jewels, didn't make her queen of anything. She was under no illusion of allowing the glitz and grandeur of such a lofty, high rank to blind her. The title and its privileges would come at a great cost, with heavy responsibilities. It wasn't a decision that could be taken lightly, but a serious, permanent commitment to the realm. To Sasuke. To the palace servants, Underworld subjects and to the dead that dwelled within the Underworld.
Sakura didn't know how one even became the official consort of an immortal ruler, but supposed it was akin to royal protocol on the surface. Meaning a contract of sorts. And on the surface, a woman only became a king's queen when she-
Her mind stuttered to a stop. Her heart lurched.
Marriage.
Sakura's throat felt oddly parched at the thought. Anxious knots of barbed wire twisted sharply in her gut. She shoved the idea violently out of her head. Marriage? That was absurd. She was still only twenty years old. She and Sasuke's relationship was still so new. They had just started discovering each other, learning about one another. She knew he had no expectations - and neither did she. She didn't want to think about anything except spending as much time with him as she could. She didn't know what the future held for them, but neither did she wish to entertain any dangerous thoughts prematurely.
Perhaps, if she toured the Kingdom with him, she would at least better understand what it was he was required to do, and how a companion might be capable of helping. Perhaps she would fear the title 'Queen' less, find it less daunting, and not feel so much as though it was entirely his mother Nyx's rightful title, a memory she had no place disrespecting. She certainly had no business letting Ume's words get to her head.
Besides, she was human, and certain that there was no way she could become queen of any realm in her mortal state. They had more important things to worry about anyway, such as stopping Cronus and saving the world from enslavement.
Banishing all thoughts of crowns from her mind, she thanked her attendants for helping her dress. They led her to a door that she had initially overlooked, nestled in the farthest right corner of the room. It would lead her straight to the entrance hall, they informed her, where Sasuke awaited her. She needed only follow its path.
Sakura entered, navigating through the long, interconnecting passageways that were illuminated by candles set in gilded wall sconces. The halls were an extension of the chamber she had left behind, similar in their hexagonal floor tiles and onyx walls inlaid with flecks of gold. After taking several turns left and right, she finally spied another arched door and reached for its decorative handle, pushing it outwards.
Sure enough, she found herself back in the entrance hall where Sasuke was waiting for her, dressed in formal black regalia. His eyes fixed onto her, taking in the outfit she had selected with approval, before he held out his hand.
Sakura did not hesitate to give him hers. He reeled her in close, sliding the palm of his other hand to the small of her back, his eyes fixed intently onto hers.
"Close your eyes," he said, and a moment later, a great gust of wind enveloped them, whisking them out of the entrance hall.
~x~
They alighted in a spacious, circular night garden, set in a courtyard of ethereal white stone. Curling flowering vines climbed up the trellises affixed to the high walls that enclosed the area, and in the garden's centre stood a luminous white tree that sparkled with the sheer brilliance of diamonds. It resembled the one that grew outside the King's private quarters.
The edges of the courtyard were lined with neatly trimmed, blooming hedges, and as Sakura turned her face upwards, she saw that the sky was scattered with the illusion of countless stars. They twinkled brightly, indistinguishable from their surface counterparts to the naked eye. She drifted away from Sasuke's side in silent wonder, passing a large stone fountain, pausing to gaze up at it. A graceful structure depicting a heavenly, winged angel towered over its basin, holding a glowing, hovering sphere of white light in one hand, and in the other, a gourd from which crystal clean water cascaded.
It was a place, Sakura noted, that she had never visited before. There was an almost sacred hush about the atmosphere. The flowers were more vivid, somehow, the hanging wisterias and blossoming trees even sweeter in their fragrance. Tiny specks of blue light floated in the air and delicate butterflies flitted amongst the flora, shedding tiny specks of glistening gold dust.
Sakura's eyes were next drawn to the tumbling waterfalls that gushed from the rock-faces built into the far left and right walls, set between magnificent marble pillars coiled with ivy. Her ears detected enchanting wind-instruments in the distance, drifting through the northern, heavily flowered archway that heralded a new section of garden beyond the one they stood in. A small set of steps climbed toward it, leading to an elegantly curved bridge, under which ran a steady stream of water. Sakura spied a curtain of white blossoms at the archway's end. She dragged her eyes away, returning them to the section they were standing in.
"What is this place?" Her gaze lingered on the ornately carved benches and arbours that provided seating areas in the garden. "Are we still in the palace?"
Sasuke had walked to the tree in the centre. Sakura followed him, and as she drew to a stop at his side, caught sight of a most wondrous, exotic bloom. Shaped like a lily, its inner-colour was a beautiful, deep purple that blended into a rich indigo at the petal edges. The sweetest scent floated to her nose. The flower was different to the others in the garden, more enchanted, more magical, glowing with its own light.
Realisation dawned, and Sakura pressed a hand to her mouth. Suddenly she recalled that this was the very same flower that she had told Sasuke about so long ago. It had been in Queen Nyx's personal gardens all along? Then that meant that he had indeed once brought her original self to see it. How else could she possibly have known and otherwise dreamt about the ever-bloom?
"My mother's garden," Sasuke quietly explained.
"Oh…" Sakura whispered. It touched her that he had brought her to see such a special place, and to see that the garden had been tended so carefully in honour of Nyx's memory. "It's beautiful," she complimented. "And this flower… it's the ever-bloom you told me about, isn't it?"
He nodded, staring at it. Another just like it grew in the next section of the garden. "I remember. A sickness once befell it." His eyebrows drew together slightly, recalling how stricken his mother had been, how they had tried everything they could to restore the lovely flower that had been gradually losing its light. But for all their efforts, nobody could discern what ailed it.
"Nothing we tried cured it. And then one day…" His dark eyes shifted to Sakura, and his sentence lingered, unfinished.
"It was healed," Sakura said softly. "I saw it, in a dream. It must've been my gifts that restored it."
His gaze returned to the flower, accepting what he had once outright denied. What other explanation could there be? The flower had never known sickness again, and its light shone brighter than it ever had - because it had been touched by the hands of Spring itself.
Sakura glanced at the death deity. He appeared lost in deep thought. She was certain that the garden was filled with memories. She linked her arm through his, and rested her head against his shoulder.
"Did you spend a lot of time here?" she asked gently, inviting him to share what he wished of his past.
He was silent for a long minute. He had, as a child. Then he'd grown up, and found his own interests, fancying himself to be something important, becoming too busy to spend much time with his mother. How he regretted all the wasted opportunities, the chances he'd squandered to spend in her company. Itachi had been a much more conscientious and dutiful son; despite carrying a great deal more responsibilities on his shoulders than Sasuke once had, he had nevertheless still made the mindful effort to stop by their mother's garden and sit with her, even if only for a brief time.
What Sasuke wouldn't give, to sit with Mikoto just once more. To hold her gentle hand. To indulge her affectionate embraces. To have her scold him for being absent from the palace grounds for far too long.
"In childhood," he finally supplied.
"You've looked after it for her," Sakura added.
Sasuke said nothing to that. There was a time when he had wanted to reject not only the very garden they stood in, but the entire Kingdom. He found himself uncharacteristically hesitating, his fingers gripping the folded piece of parchment tucked neatly into the pocket of his tunic. The reason he had looked after the garden - and everything else in the realm - was in his hand. Sakura had shared every part of herself with him. It was only right that he returned the gesture and allowed her more of an insight into his own past. That was the reason why he had chosen to show her the garden - something that was precious to him, just as she had become. Decision cemented, he silently drew the note out from beneath his cloak and held it out to her.
"What's this?" she asked, curious as she accepted it and unfolded it to find elegant handwriting that she could not decipher.
Sasuke lifted a hand, passing it briefly over her eyes, and suddenly the note became legible.
"The reason I lived on," he said.
Sakura's eyes widened as she read the script:
-
~x~
-
My most Cherished Prince, Sasuke,
When you read this letter, I fear that I will no longer be with you.
These are dark times for our Clan. There is so much I wish I could tell you. About us. About the war. But I have no time, and I cannot risk endangering your safety. Know this: that your mother and father are immeasurably proud of you. That they loved you to their very last breaths and will forever love you beyond it, no matter what you go on to become.
You are our family's dearest gift, our most treasured prize.
Everything we did, we did to protect you.
Please, forgive us, for being unable to be at your side now, when you need us most.
You are our only remaining hope.
Please do not give into despair. Though you will feel the urge to turn your back on everything, to shun your lineage, but you are so much stronger than you know.
You have it within you to surpass us all, and to become the wisest and most righteous ruler this Kingdom has ever known. We have always seen it. We have always believed in you.
Do not forget us.
Do not let our Home fall to ruin.
Please: this is your family's final wish. Protect our honour. Live.
In living, one day, you will avenge us.
-With my love eternally,
Mikoto U.
-
~x~
-
Sakura spotted the stains of water that smudged the bottom of the letter and felt her own eyes sting with tears. Her heart constricted, bleeding for him. For every unspeakable horror he had suffered as a result of Cronus's brutality. Was it any wonder that he had grown so cold? That he had wished to remove every sentiment of feeling from his heart, when he had lost a family that had clearly adored him?
"Sasuke," she whispered thickly. "I…" Her tongue struggled to find words. That he had chosen to share something so personal to himself, touched her beyond measure, left her staggered and speechless.
"I'm so sorry," she finally offered, knowing that the words were meaningless and changed nothing, but somehow felt the need to speak them anyway.
"I rejected it." His eyes lowered. "My role - until I found this." Sakura handed it back to him, and he folded it carefully, before finishing, "It is all that remains of them."
Sakura couldn't even begin to comprehend how he must have felt, discovering the note after losing everything dear in the world to him. His mother's words were a heart-felt plea that urged him to live in a time that Sakura imagined he had wanted to do nothing more than perish. Tears blurred her vision as she thought of the monster Cronus, of his barbaric cruelty, of the anguish he had rained on so many victims. How many lives had he stolen? Lives that might have survived and lived on, if not for his sinister schemes? Naruto and Sasuke's parents. Sasuke's brother and cousin, and the rest of his clan. Hinata's family. Shizune and all the friends they had more recently lost. How could one Titan cause so much destruction and despair? There was no end to the trail of casualties he'd left behind pursuing his own greedy, selfish desires chasing after a power that had never been rightfully his.
Glimpsing the shadows that haunted Sasuke's features, Sakura turned to face him, and reached up to cup his face in her hands, stroking his cheeks with the pads of her thumbs gently.
"You lived. She'd be so proud of you, Sasuke," she murmured. "All your family would. They believed in you. Look at what you've built, everything you've achieved in your kingdom. Look at what you've become. Strong and wise and just. You've saved the Underworld. Everything that your mother hoped you'd become… that's the king I see right now, standing in front of me."
Her words were like a balm upon his soul. Like liquid honey. They elevated him, at the same time they tore him apart. How she thought so well of him, so highly of him, despite everything he had done. He met her eyes, seeing only acceptance and affection within them.
"Sakura…" There was a hesitancy in his gaze that she wished she could banish away forever. The shadows around his eyes had lightened considerably at her words, and she was flooded with warmth to know that she could offer him comfort. Smiling at him, she stepped closer, tiptoeing up to brush her lips against his, her heart fluttering within her chest in anticipation.
She heard his breath catch in his throat, and then a steely arm wound around her as he tugged her close against him and wasted no time in reciprocating her kiss.
~x~
Tsunade gripped the glass of liquor tightly in her hands. If she applied just a fraction of pressure more, it would shatter to pieces in her hold. She fought against the urge to reduce it to splintered fragments as she thought of Sakura, who had been taken from her to a lightless kingdom with only the dead - and their king - for company.
She had just learned from Kakashi that Sakura had suffered another debilitating attack in the Underworld. Horror had consumed her, and she had felt powerless listening to the horrendous ordeal that had befallen her precious Persephone, overcome with a tidal wave of grief and anger at not having been able to be there for her child when Sakura had needed her most.
Her first instinct had been to go straight to her. To tear past Cerberus at the Underworld's entrance, to break down the gates if necessary and to see Sakura with her with her own two eyes, to ensure that she was safe and well.
But her daughter was in a realm that Tsunade could not enter freely. And storming down to that lightless place to make demands of the only deity that was now capable of saving her child was, she acknowledged, an imprudent and hasty course of action. And so, she had forced herself to sit back down, to take deep breaths, and to consider a more civilised way to arrange a visit with Sakura.
Her turbulent emotions had given way to sheer astonishment when her fellow Olympian had relayed that Shisui of the Uchiha had left a remnant of his own chakra sealed within her daughter, a final lifeline that granted them additional time to achieve the conditions that would allow for the seal upon Sakura to be removed. Kakashi had explained that Sasuke needed to awaken the Rinnegan first, expanding on the complications it posed, before the eye he required to unlock the curse on Sakura could manifest.
Frustration boiled within Tsunade like hot lava. It sounded like a complicated and complex business. How typical of the Uchiha, she rued bitterly to herself, to pull off the spectacular and the outrageous, and yet... if not for two nobles from that very same clan, her daughter would have been lost forever to her. For all the millennia of agony that she and Sakura had endured, for all the heartache they had suffered, Tsunade could not ignore the reality - that she, too, had been granted a second chance. And a third, and a fourth, and countless others to continue being a mother. To hold and nurture and love her child, even if it meant being condemned to watch her perish in every lifetime.
She contemplated what it was that had driven Thanatos and Hypnos to take such risks, to side against the very Titan who had not only conceived their world, but from whom all Uchiha had descended. Had it simply been that their characters had been averse to war of any kind? Or had they at some point discovered the truth, which had caused them to switch sides? She had scarcely ever spoken a word to either masked god. The times she had glimpsed them in the palace grounds in Minato and Kushina's company, or in formal assemblies alongside Cronus and other aristocracy from their clan, had been few and far between. The last instance had been when Danzo had framed them for attacking him.
A sharp pang of guilt shot through her. To think that they had both been on the Olympians' side all along, and had intended to save her daughter's life without Tsunade's knowledge. She had never gotten the chance to thank them and never would. There was no doubt in her mind, however, that they had been a remarkable exception to their kind - to the power-hungry, arrogant corruption that was known to consume the Uchiha.
She found herself mulling over whether the youngest of the clan could ever be the same. Did real, true goodness exist in his heart as it had in his immediate kin's? Could she make herself believe that, despite the horrible crimes he had committed, and the pain he had inflicted? Sakura herself had forgiven him. And he had already done selfless things, throwing himself into danger and going out of his way to ensure her daughter's survival. It seemed to be his sincere priority. Could she one day accept that perhaps he had genuinely changed and sought redemption, that Sakura herself had birthed such a remarkable change within him? That she had turned him from selfishness to remorse so that he regretted every heartless action he had ever taken?
Love commanded such power, Tsunade knew it did. It was capable of healing, of transforming, of turning people into better versions of themselves, of bolstering courage and selflessness. After all, she had experienced it firsthand. Did she therefore owe it to the two who had acted so valiantly to save her daughter's life to at least try to tolerate the God of the Dead?
She didn't have to ever adore him. But the cruel, mocking irony that it was Sasuke alone who stood between Sakura and a permanent demise was not lost on her. An Uchiha had been responsible for poisoning her daughter against her function - and it was an Uchiha who was capable of restoring her to immortality.
Her concerned thoughts turned back to her child. The next time that Sakura experienced an attack would be her last. Desperation tore through Tsunade's maternal heart like jagged edges of impaling knives. For all her power, for all the impressive healing gifts she possessed, there was nothing she could do to freeze time itself. No way for her to help the situation, or prevent the inevitable. That she was forced to be separated from her daughter given the dire circumstances made their situation all the more testing and difficult to stomach.
"It isn't right. She should be here." The harvest goddess's voice broke through the stillness of the night. "Her days are numbered. It's her final life cycle, she ought to be with her family." She stared grimly down at the glass in her hand. "But I've been robbed of even that."
"You heard what Kakashi said," Jiraiya said. He and Kurenai had remained by her side after the masked deity had broken the news to them before departing to train with Naruto and Killer B.
"The buffer effect of Shisui's chakra will last longer in the Underworld," Kurenai nodded.
"Hmm." Jiraiya hummed. "To be expected, given that time flows differently in that realm."
"Their wish to deny Cronus, I understand," Kurenai gestured. "But to take such pains as to seal their own chakra within Sakura, too…? When we all thought of them as the enemy? It's astonishing."
"Not all Uchiha were barbarians," Jiraiya remarked. "Most, to my knowledge, were peace-abiding. They were a proud people who kept to themselves and for centuries, we had no issues with their lot. It is Cronus who poisoned their minds against us. I suppose Hypnos and Thanatos were too intelligent to be blinded and too gifted to be cowed."
"Do you think they were opposed to his plans from the start?" Kurenai wondered.
"Most likely. We do not know how strong their ties of friendship with Minato ran, but he could never have discovered Cronus's true intentions without them." Jiraiya responded. "We are fortunate that Minato had them on board. Cronus had much older and more experienced generals at his disposal to ride alongside him to war. That he specifically hand-picked those two to take to the Summit speaks volumes enough of their capabilities. Had they indeed been fighting against us with the intent to kill... things may have turned out very differently."
"Still," Tsunade grumbled. "I hate the manner in which this seal was placed, and must now be removed. I hate that she is so far away from me. That there is nothing to be done."
"I suppose they couldn't risk letting anyone else know about how to remove it," Kurenai stated. "Or leaving any other manner to reverse the seal. The less that we know of it, the safer Sakura is."
"It's a terrible state of affairs," Jiraiya mused. "But the failsafe they left behind works to Sakura's advantage. It at least gives Sasuke more time to unlock the eye he needs, and from what Kakashi told us, the Kyuubi's chakra helped speed the Rinnegan's awakening along nicely."
"Why?" Tsunade said sourly, downing the glass of wine he had poured for her. "Why does the seal have to be removed this way, at all?"
"We now know it was a Sharingan that wove the seal upon her," Jiraiya poured Kurenai another drink. "So it makes sense that it would also be what is required to remove it. And there aren't all that many Uchiha left."
"Fewer still in their right state of mind," Kurenai sighed.
Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Sasuke has no shortage of laws broken, himself."
In her opinion, he was just as unpredictable as any Uchiha. Wild and dangerous. And for some reason, her daughter seemed to like that. A far cry from the nice, ordinary, courteous and safe option that Tsunade envisioned that Sakura would one day settle down with.
"That may be, but better him than any other. He is sound of mind enough to rule a Kingdom," Jiraiya turned his eyes thoughtfully to the night sky. "And it can be argued, he does despise Cronus… also evidence of logical thought."
"And he cares for Sakura." Kurenai sipped on her glass. "Cronus cares about nothing except his own gain."
"There is sense in him, at least," Jiraiya declared. "A great deal more than exists in Cronus, and Sasuke can be reasoned with, although he is also unruly and no less stubborn. So perhaps we ought to give some credit where it is due. The boy has some favourable qualities."
Tsunade's lips pursed, forming a tight, thin line. "That does not mean I have to like him."
"No. But what does it matter? Your daughter has accepted and made peace with him, regardless."
Tsunade hated that he was right. She, too, had painfully come to terms with the fact that her child and the Underworld's king had been involved in the past. She respected that Sakura was grown and had the right to make her own choices. But that didn't mean she had to be thrilled over the idea that her daughter was absent from her life for six months in a year, and that she had feelings for the King of the Dead. She would bear it, because she had no other chouce, and because she loved her daughter, even if she couldn't understand her decisions.
"What if he saves Sakura's life and restores her goddesshood? Perhaps you might reconsider your sentiments, then?" Jiraiya teased, nudging her lightly with his elbow. "A fine peace offering that would make, hey, old girl? He's capable of delivering to you the greatest gift; your child's immortality, restored, the cycle of suffering on her broken."
Tsunade snorted, and shot him a disgruntled look. If Sasuke managed to pull off the impossible, then perhaps she would consider letting bygones be bygones. Perhaps she could learn to tolerate Sasuke - provided he showed appropriate respect and manners and treated Sakura like the queen she was.
"Kakashi's assurances haven't put my mind at rest. I must see for myself that she is well."
"Cerberus guards the entrance to that place and you cannot enter the gates without announcing your arrival," Kurenai cautioned her friend.
Tsunade frowned. She wasn't too thrilled by the idea of setting foot into the realm, nor of having to seek Sasuke's consent to do it. She took another gulp of alcohol, invigorated by the way it burned as it coursed down her throat. "We might have agreed an accord that we would not intervene during her time there, but I do not need to seek his permission to speak with my own child."
"It's well within your right to ensure her wellbeing," Jiraiya nodded. "I believe Sasuke will cooperate - so long as we don't go knocking on his doors daily. I do not think him to be so unreasonable as to act needlessly out of spite. After all, he had a mother once, too."
Tsunade turned her eyes up to the sky, and made her decision.
~x~
Orochimaru entered the throne room of Olympus with three ANBU at his back and Kabuto by his side. As he approached the dais where Madara Uchiha was seated, he told himself with deep satisfaction that everything was going precisely to plan.
After countless years of tireless work, his efforts had finally paid off. His army of monsters was thriving. The ANBU that had fallen under his command had accepted the Sharingan implants. Black Zetsu was finally ready to be unleashed. And he had finally found a way to utilise Edo Tensei without losing the reanimated vessels under his command.
He needed only one final piece to add to his impressive collection. The formidable King of the Underworld himself.
Obito, who stood at the foot of the platform, held out his hand expectantly. Orochimaru deposited a phial of black liquid into it, and the masked deity obediently climbed the steps to place it into a waiting Madara's palm.
The Uchiha patriarch lifted the small ampoule up to his eyes for inspection. "Well?" he questioned expectantly, his deep voice reverberating strongly around the large chamber.
"The venom of Achlysss," Orochimaru hissed. "Capable of killing mortals within minutes and contaminating even the blood of the godsss." He had collected his own supply of potent blood long ago by trading human sacrifices to the dangerous goddess before she had been devoured by the very Titan before him. But Cronus was not aware that Orochimaru kept his own secret stash of venom. He had instead made readily available to Orochimaru his own resources - meaning that the cunning serpent was not required to waste any of his.
"I am well aware of her gifts. Forget not that it is I who drained Achlys of her miserable life," Madara responded haughtily. "Why show me this? Tell me how you plan to utilise what I have given to you."
"The weapons of my ANBU will be dipped in the poison," Orochimaru gestured, and the ANBU, on command, lifted their crossbows, blades and chains for demonstration. "If their weapons puncture through flesh, that will be sufficient enough to infect a deity. Even touching a weapon laced with the venom will scald the hands of an immortal, and a scratch will cripple them for a time."
"In addition to this, our experiments have proven successful, my lord," Kabuto informed him. "The ANBU have accepted the implants."
"A waste of a resource," Madara dismissed. "They cannot use the Sharingan's abilities."
"Not as the esteemed Uchiha could," Kabuto agreed. "But our trials revealed that through the use of immune-suppressing drugs and thanks to the added influence of Black Zetsu's chakra, they are capable of reading attacks more quickly, thus enhancing their performance in battle. Of course we were not able to provide all the ANBU with this gift, due to the limited number of Sharingan within our possession."
"We still have enough to utilise the Izanagi," Orochimaru added. "To turn battlesss to our favour."
"And who will execute this technique?" Madara arched his dark eyebrows. "The eye that casts it loses its light and becomes useless."
In response, Kabuto lifted the sleeve of his cloak, exposing the flesh of his arm, which contained Sharingan implants - just as Danzo's had.
The Titan's eyes narrowed. "Are you certain that is wise? Your little puppet is already in possession of a great deal of gifts. Do you not risk overburdening him?"
"Kabuto has achieved immortality," Orochimaru assured him. "He has the chakra and discipline required to form the sealsss for the techniques. Not only that. He is now able to command the Black Zetsu directly."
"Hmph. Very well," Madara waved. He had no use for the basic Sharingan in Orochimaru's possession himself. Not when he was on the cusp of obtaining a Rinnegan. "And what of the Black Zetsu? I take it that it is finally ready?"
Orochimaru held his hands out, and spoke an incantation. Madara watched as a black, oily puddle oozed into being on the marble floor, before slowly rising, coalescing together to form a humanoid shape that resembled White Zetsu. Its eyes were an ominous yellow devoid of pupils, its teeth razor sharp, black spikes. The rest of its features were otherwise unidentifiable.
"Behold," Orochimaru announced proudly. "My mossst magnificent creation. This is the original, the source, and its spores have already begun to multiply and fuse with the White Zetsu."
"Will this negate Sasuke's influence over the white counterparts?" Madara asked, tossing the phial back down to Obito who caught it and handed it back to Kabuto.
"Sasuke's hold over the White Zetsu remains. He will be able to paralyse them still - but the Black Zetsu is capable of detaching itself from its host and infecting all nearby targets. Its chakra is far superior and more stable. It can also be used to animate the dead..." Kabuto explained.
Madara leaned forward in his seat. "What." He inhaled sharply. Could it be? Had they finally stumbled upon a way to extend the effects of Edo Tensei, without suffering any of the known consequences associated with the unnatural and dangerous technique?
"Edo Tensei." A sinister smile curled on Orochimaru's thin lips. "By studying the seals of the dark arts, I have found a way to reanimate the dead using Black Zetsu's chakra to control the hossst's body remotely, which ensures the body does not perish within twenty four hours, but enduresss. Black Zetsu's chakra prevents the effects of Edo Tensei from waning. We require Edo Tensei only to initially return the vessel to life. Once this is complete, so long as the body contains Black Zetsu's spores, then its chakra infects the host and is capable of sustaining the body indefinitely."
"How is this possible?" Madara found himself impressed. Suddenly, all the extra time he had afforded the serpent seemed to have paid off spectacularly.
"The Black Zetsu's chakra is highly potent and capable of influencing biological systems. Consider its cells a receptive canvasss, over which we can layer a most impressive range of techniques. When Edo-tensei is ordinarily performed, it returnsss the deceased's soul to the world of the living through its resurrected vessel, and normally it is devoid of all personality.
"But, with Black Zetsu's chakra, we are able to modify the control we have on the vessel so that the deepest memories of the mind that the body possessed in their previous life can be accessed, which means Black Zetsu can therefore learn the host's abilitiesss. It will relay the techniques and seals required to execute them to Kabuto, who can then perform them remotely, and command the resurrected as he wills, being directly linked to the Black Zetsu. There is no death of the host; only at Kabuto's command if he instructsss Black Zetsu to depart the corpse."
"Of course we have only tested it on mortals thus far…" Kabuto adjusted his glasses. "But the link to the host's memory is strong and we believe that the same effect should be achievable in a deceased immortal vessel."
Madara rose from the throne, and slowly descended the steps. He walked to the crystal that contained Zeus and Hera, and placed his hand upon it, smirking darkly.
"Well then," he announced. "We had better first put it to the test before administering it to the finest weapons in our arsenal…"
Kabuto and Orochimaru glanced at each other, and exchanged knowing smiles.
~x~
After they had visited Nyx's gardens, Sasuke led Sakura down a long flight of stairs to The Archives, which were situated in the lowest levels of the palace, where Sakura quickly discovered that The Archives were the Underworld equivalent of a museum, containing a wealth of information about the history of the realm and the rich culture of its inhabitants. She spied a spectacular abundance of ancient scrolls, manuscripts and artefacts preserved in protective, glass display units, that encompassed several floors, each lined with bookshelves, jeweled chests, wooden crates and study rooms. Everything was neatly organised and arranged according to different eras of time.
Sakura was amazed by the heritage on display, some of which hailed back to the earliest days of the Underworld's creation. She glimpsed different clothing and jewelry, hordes of gold coins spilling out from their chests as well as other strange and wonderful treasures, and asked many questions about the other items on display, which included old furniture, maps, statues, curious looking tools, portraits, weaponry and armour.
After allowing her ample opportunity to pore over the artefacts and scriptures, Sasuke then took Sakura's hand and led her down a narrow set of winding steps, to the crypt located in the lowest floor of The Archives. He told her that it held all the personal possessions which had been collected from the rooms of every Uchiha that had once dwelled in the palace.
Sakura sucked in a deep breath as they entered through an arching wooden door. The crypt was vast in its expanse, built of stone walls, floors and mighty columns that climbed up to a high, vaulted ceiling. Blue flames burned in iron sconces affixed to the pillars, bathing the area in a ghostly, ethereal light.
They passed many closed chests that stored away personal belongings, neatly arranged between the columns. At length, they reached another wooden door in the northernmost wall, which opened out into an identical area. The heady scent of burning incense reached Sakura's nose. This section of the crypt was empty of any possessions and chests, but had arched openings set in the left and right walls that led to smaller, adjoining sub-chambers.
As Sakura curiously approached the nearest opening, she found stunning murals painted onto the walls in gold, bronze, black and red, the pictures illuminated by warm candlelight that flickered from the candelabra stands flanking the chamber. It was almost as though each panel told its own story. A beautifully carved stone sarcophagus rested inside and Sakura saw that a name was carved at its base in a plate of solid gold.
"People used to be buried here?" she asked, astonished.
Sasuke, who stood by the arched opening behind her, shook his head. "I had this area built. They contain no bodies," he said quietly.
"Whose name is that?" she pointed.
There was a pause, before Sasuke supplied, "My father, Erebus."
Sakura's eyes widened in understanding. Sasuke had erected a shrine in honour of the dead that had been lost. In memory of his immediate family. They were tombs without remains. Had Sasuke come here to grieve alone over the ages? The thought of him doing so filled her heart with pain.
She turned to find his eyes lingering on the sarcophagus.
"Sasuke…"
"I wished... to honour their memory." He suddenly seemed deeply lost to his own thoughts, almost as though he had forgotten she was standing there at all.
Sakura rejoined him, and placed a hand gently to his chest. "And you have," she said softly. He blinked at her voice, his dark eyes returning to her face. "They live on, through you. Cronus hasn't won. You're still here, and someday, you will avenge them. I believe that."
Taking his hand, she walked with him to the other openings, and listened as he identified each family member, taking time to silently pay her respects, hoping in her heart that she would live long enough to see Cronus pay for all his crimes, and to witness justice being served. After she had finished visiting them all, she turned to Sasuke and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. Tears pricked at her eyes and she found herself once again touched by the parts of his past he had chosen to share with her. As if finally, he was ready for her to see who he truly was.
He had once been all alone, but, Sakura vowed, so long as she still lived, she would make sure he never felt alone again.
No other words were needed, as she offered him silent comfort, and heard him quietly exhale, before he lifted a hand to her back to silently return her embrace.
~x~
When they eventually returned to the entrance hall of the palace, Sakura was surprised to find that Chiyo was standing there, waiting for them.
"There you are," the old crone croaked. "I was quite beginning to tire of gazing upon these tiled floors." She nodded at Sasuke. "You are required to relinquish her company to another for a short while, if you can stand to bear it." Her wise eyes then settled onto Sakura, and she extended her right hand. "Come with me, Little Flower. You have a visitor."
A visitor? Sakura blinked and directed a confused look at Sasuke, who was staring hard at Chiyo. His eyebrows then drew together to form a barely perceptible frown - before his gaze flicked back onto Sakura. He gave her a brief nod, wordlessly signalling for her to accompany Chiyo.
A bewildered Sakura turned back to the goddess. What was going on? What did they both know, that she didn't?
"Who?" she questioned.
Chiyo merely arched her eyebrows. "Come along," she said simply.
Sakura hesitated, before reaching out to accept the goddess's hand. Immediately she was whisked out of the entrance hall and when she felt solid ground beneath her feet again, found that she had been transported to Chiyo's hut.
"What's going on?" she looked around, bemused. "Who's-?" The remaining words died on her lips as her eyes came to rest on a familiar figure standing by the fireplace, wrapped in a grey cardigan, their long, dark blonde hair pulled back into a messy bun.
Sakura's heart soared. She was running forward without a second thought.
"Mother!" she gasped, throwing her arms around her.
"Sakura," Tsunade greeted, overcome with relief as she held her daughter close.
"I can't believe it. You're really here!" Sakura cried. Tears of happiness welled in her eyes. It felt to her as though time had been racing by in Sasuke's company up until that moment - and yet, unexpectedly meeting with her mother again brought into sharp relief just how long it had been since she had last seen her.
"Let me look at you," Tsunade pulled back, cupping her daughter's face, her concerned eyes inspecting her closely. "Are you alright? Kakashi told me about your attack and I had to come and see you for myself."
"Even despite my assurances that you are perfectly well," Chiyo quipped in amusement, lowering herself into her armchair by the fireplace. "Your good mother still insists on worrying herself into quite a state."
"I'm okay," Sakura reassured her mother, hugging her tightly again. "It's so good to see you."
Tsunade pressed a light kiss to her daughter's right temple. "I have missed you," she confessed.
"I've missed you, too." Sakura replied. "How have you been, mother? Is everyone else doing alright? How's Ino? And Naruto? Is Kakashi-sensei doing okay?"
"All is well," Tsunade answered. "We've been working to track down the ANBU and locate Orochimaru's hideout."
"Any luck?"
"Nothing." Tsunade shook her head, frowning. "We've found a few abandoned bases, but no signs of the ANBU. We believe they're all hidden in that snake's main compound, and that must also be where he keeps all his experiments. We've covered almost the entire map on the surface, and Suigetsu is searching beneath the oceans for us. Things have been quiet otherwise."
"No more enemy attacks?" Sakura asked.
"Not yet."
"Why does that feel like a bad omen?" Sakura bit her lower lip anxiously.
"Oh, he'll be up to something corrupt, no doubt," Tsunade agreed grimly. "But don't worry about that. Leave it to us. Tell me how you've been faring here."
"I've been fine," Sakura replied, clasping her mother's hands affectionately. "Sasuke's been good to me, mother. Please don't worry. He's looking after me."
"Are you eating well?" Tsunade demanded, grudgingly acknowledging that the Underworld's luxurious fashion was very becoming on her daughter. "Sleeping well? Are you being respected?"
"Yes," Sakura said, at a loss to understand why her mother would worry that she wasn't getting any of those things.
"She is being adequately provided for, in every way," Chiyo interjected. "You needn't fret so, Tsunade. The boy is royalty and not incapable of chivalry, although I admit, he may be somewhat rough around the edges." Her eyes creased into something resembling a fond smile.
Tsunade's lips pursed together. She gave her daughter a curt nod in response. She had come only to see with her own eyes that Sakura was in good health, to quell her own maternal anxieties over her wellbeing. She didn't wish to know the particulars of what was going on between her child and the Underworld's King. What 'being adequately provided for in every way' specifically entailed. She assumed, however, from the way that Sakura seemed to be positively glowing, that she was content, and that things were going well between the pair.
She pushed such musings far from her mind. There were far more important matters to focus on than her daughter's choice of romantic partner. "Have you felt any other symptoms following the last attack?"
"No," Sakura shook her head. "I've been feeling normal."
"How long will Hypnos's chakra last?" Tsunade looked at Chiyo.
"I cannot place a time on it," the crone responded. "But her remaining here works in her favour, and ensures the chakra's effects last longer."
Tsunade nodded. "Kakashi told us that Sasuke needs to awaken the Rinnegan before he can obtain the eye that will remove your seal. What happens if the chakra runs out before then and she suffers another attack? Can nothing be done to help?" She glanced at her friend again.
"The Sharingan is the only way to save her." Chiyo responded gravely. "If the eye fails to be awakened in time, she will be lost to us. Sasuke can sustain her heart indefinitely, but it will be of no use if she is incapable of waking."
"Damn it," Tsunade cursed. "There's no other way? No other reversing seals we could try?"
"Nothing," Chiyo propped her hands on top of her staff. "The Rinnegan has delayed things, that is the unfortunate reality we face."
"And why was he pursuing that eye to begin with?" Tsunade demanded.
"Because he thought it might help save me," said Sakura. "He didn't know it was the wrong eye at the time. But it can still help us against Cronus. I think it'll appear soon, mother."
"What makes you so sure?" Tsunade eyed her, unconvinced.
"His vision has blurred in that eye."
"A promising sign," Chiyo confirmed. "Blindness shortly follows, and when that is achieved, the Rinnegan will manifest soon after."
"Then you're saying... we at least have a chance," Tsunade squeezed Sakura's hands. "Even if time seems to be against us." She met the old goddess's gaze. "Tell me what she needs once he has the eye. I can bring what is required to her, so that everything is prepared."
"We will require the blood extracted from her original form, as you know," Chiyo stated. "And the sacred waters from her pool."
"The pool? But she can't set foot on the surface until her six months are up," Tsunade frowned.
"Indeed," Chiyo agreed. "You will have to find a way to bring the pool to her, here."
Tsunade's thoughts sprinted ahead. "Suigetsu," she proposed. "He can safely transport bodies of water, I am certain."
"And ask for something back in exchange," Sakura rolled her eyes at the thought of the ocean's whimsical, mischief-making ruler.
"It doesn't matter," her mother dismissed. "Your survival is our priority, and we can't afford to mess this up. If it'll cost us another sword, that's irrelevant. I'll make sure he gets it here." She glanced at Chiyo again. "Her blood I will give to you when you next make your visit to us. When the seal is broken, and it's time for her to undergo her transition, I want to be informed."
Chiyo inclined her head.
Tsunade turned her attention back to Sakura, pushing a look of hair behind her daughter's ear in a fleeting gesture that underlied the deep affection she carried for Sakura. "I wish you were with us," she murmured. "It's not right, you being in this lightless place, while your life hangs in the balance."
"At least I'm safe here." Sakura argued gently. "You don't need to worry about the enemy getting to me. And it's not as terrible as you think. This realm is full of so many beautiful things, mother. I wish you'd let me show you."
Tsunade scoffed. "That would hardly agree with him. That I arranged a meeting through Chiyo, rather than turning up at his gates, has probably displeased him enough."
"He's not as bad as you think, either. Just give him a chance," Sakura beseeched.
"He does have a chance," Tsunade raised her eyebrows. "By saving you. But if he doesn't manage to do it-"
"Don't say that," Sakura interrupted. "Maybe we won't make it in time, and I've accepted that might happen. And if it does, I wouldn't blame Sasuke, and neither should you. But mother... I have faith in him. I know he isn't your favourite person. But please, trust him with me. For me. I know he'll do everything he can to get the eye in time."
Tsunade searched her daughter's eyes, her expression dubious.
"He cares for her, Tsunade," Chiyo surprised Sakura by speaking solemn words that had her pulse quickening. "His affections are sincere and his intentions true. I will vouch for the boy's integrity. He would dare to defy The Fates themselves, if it meant saving your child's life. Of that I have no doubts."
Tsunade released a heavy sigh. "Very well," she conceded. "I suppose I have no choice but to trust him. He's the only one who can save your life. As for giving him a chance… let him first break the cycle. Then we will see."
~x~
Balancing the laundry basket carefully on her hip with one arm, Karin leant down and hooked the pail of water through the other before stepping out into the square-shaped, well-tended garden of Koko's grandmother's house.
Mrs. Shinba had taken an instant liking to her and accepted Karin as her housekeeper after asking a few questions that assessed her suitability, despite knowing next to nothing about Karin or her past otherwise. It was almost too good to be true, Karin mused to herself, as she set the bucket of water down on the stone tiles that surrounded the neatly trimmed grass. The old woman hadn't asked for paperwork or any form of identification, she preferred to pay weekly with cash in hand rather than through bank transactions and her disposition was extremely pleasant. She was both kind-hearted and opinionated, and enjoyed engaging in conversation.
Karin had started the very next morning. She was no stranger to working hard, and although she was unfamiliar with keeping house and completing domestic chores, she was an eager and fast learner. Mrs. Shinba had helpfully prepared a list of the daily tasks she was required to complete upon arrival: cleaning the rooms in the house, shopping for groceries, running errands across town, feeding the pet chickens and cat, accompanying Mrs. Shinba on her daily walks, including pushing her wheel-chair when she grew too tired to continue on foot, preparing organic meals from the fresh locally sourced produce delivered to the house, maintaining the general order of the home and assisting the elderly woman with any other tasks she otherwise struggled to complete alone.
Karin's working hours were from seven in the morning until four in the afternoon, with days off on the weekend when her new employer's family visited and took over caring for her. The nymph found that she enjoyed keeping her hands busy, finding comfort in the simplest of tasks and in looking after someone who not only openly appreciated her company but also made the effort to converse with her often. It was a refreshing change to her past non-existence. As the weeks went on, Karin found herself settling quickly into her new role and by the time a month had passed, it was as though she had already known Mrs. Shinba, Koko and Zen for years.
Koko was thrilled to have Karin around. She chatted incessantly and though Karin had found it thoroughly irritating to begin with, had softened after learning that the little girl's mother had died from illness several years earlier, and like Karin, had also possessed red hair. Zen, who had been cautious of Karin at the start, expressing his deep concerns over a random stranger they'd picked up on the road looking after his mother-in-law, had slowly begun to relax in her presence upon witnessing that she was hardworking and dedicated to her duties.
As long as she was working, Karin found no time to be left to her own thoughts, and the envelope of notes that she received on a weekly basis allowed her to purchase food and lodgings comfortably. Mrs. Shinba taught her about the local currency, and was a treasure trove of local knowledge that Karin had free access to; she never remarked on the nymph's curious questions about town life, no matter how odd they seemed to be.
When Karin had asked her why she trusted her so much, Mrs. Shinba had simply answered that she knew a good soul when she saw one. And Karin, who had never been called 'good', had found herself unexpectedly moved.
Picking up the bed sheet from the laundry pile, she proceeded to hang it onto the clothes line, eyeing the chickens that were clucking about behind her. She had just reached for the second sheet when she spied a pair of dark grey, sneaker-clad feet standing on the opposite side of the drying line. She blinked, her mind blanking in confusion. She wasn't aware of any visitors calling on Mrs. Shinba for the day.
"Y'know," a familiar, languid voice drawled. "I never took you for a nymph who enjoys a boring peasant life."
Karin gasped and blanched, bolting immediately upright, her muscles taut, ready to fight or flee. Her heart lurched violently in her chest and her mouth fell open in disbelief as her gaze came to rest on none other than the infuriatingly haughty ocean king himself. Suigetsu was dressed in casual, modern fashion, his attire consisting of a white t-shirt, a grey sports jacket with two white stripes along its arms and dark grey jeans.
A cone-shaped shell earring dangled from his left ear, set with an amethyst stud that matched the hue of his eyes. The attire suited him. He looked good, and Karin found that irritating.
She glanced around the garden self-consciously, horrified at his unexpected and sudden appearance. "What're you doing here?" she hissed.
Suigetsu's luminous eyes twinkled with mischief. "Oh, I dunno," he supplied, lifting the laundry she had hung up for inspection. "Right now, I'm admiring the cleanliness of these sheets. You think they're whiter than my hair? 'Cause that's the gold standard."
Karin gaped incredulously at him. Her eyes flew nervously to the door of the house that led into the kitchen. If someone were to come out and see Suigetsu, she would have a lot of explaining to do.
"Relax," Suigetsu flashed her a razor sharp grin. "I told the nice old lady inside I was a friend of yours."
"You-" Karin's face flushed red with anger. They were certainly not friends. Never. Not in a million years. Not in his wildest dreams or her worst nightmares. "What're you doing here, idiot?" she repeated.
He smirked. "You might be living amongst mortals now, but your manners still suck, bitch."
"Like you have any," she retorted in disgust.
"Hey," he blinked, dropping the sheet in his hand. "I can be polite. That old lady sure was charmed."
"Congratulations," Karin's voice dripped with acid. "You can charm an old woman. Now get lost." She turned her back on him dismissively, and reached for the next item in the basket.
Suigetsu lifted his arms, joining his hands leisurely behind his head and proceeded to completely ignore her request. "Seriously," he remarked, watching as she continued to hang the laundry up. "Of all the epic things you could've done with your freedom, you left the service of that grouch just to walk into housekeeping for some wrinkly old human?"
Karin clenched her teeth. "I'm getting paid," she replied shortly. "I'm earning a living. At least I'm appreciated here."
"Earning a living?" Suigetsu cocked his head to one side, as if the concept was a foreign one to him. "But that's such a… human thing to do." He wrinkled his nose in distaste. "I mean, what's the point?"
She wrung out the sheet in her hand with more force than was necessary. "Some of us weren't born drowning in wealth," she snapped back.
"Heh," Suigetsu grinned, amused by her pun. "Okay, I get you're working for money if you wanna sample the mortal grind, but why here? What's so special about this shitty little town? There're waaay nicer ones, if you know where to look. Ones that pay better, too."
"How would you know?" she scoffed. "You live in the oceans."
"That doesn't mean I don't make time for surface sight-seeing." Suigetsu shrugged. "I like watching people. They're entertaining and dumb as fuck, walking around thinking they're all important, when any second could be there last. It's funny."
"Here suits me fine," she retorted, hoping that if she answered whatever stupid questions he had, he'd disappear forever sooner.
"Oh yeah? Well, maybe I'm not okay with my subjects serving humans. It was bad enough that you served the king of another realm, and I only let that one slide because as much of a jerk that Sasuke is, he's still a king."
"Tough," she turned her nose up. "I'm free to do what I want."
Suigetsu snorted, lowering his hands. "You think your big mouth will still sprout that shit if I take you back to the oceans right now?"
Karin turned back to face him, a tremor of uncertainty fluttering through her veins. She didn't know what his intentions were. He was mercurial, as changing in temperament as the seas themselves, and a part of her hated that she was afraid that he might do exactly that.
"You wouldn't dare."
"Oh yeah? Wouldn't I…?" His eyebrows lifted, and a cheeky smile graced his lips. It made him look attractive, and Karin despised it.
"Ugh!" she threw the laundry back into the basket, unable to focus while he was standing there, irritating her, getting under her skin. "Why are you even here? How did you even find me?"
"You're a water nymph," he rolled his eyes. "It wasn't hard, dumbass. I just asked around for the ugliest, dumbest red-head on the planet, and whaddaya know!" He pointed at her. "They directed me right here!"
Karin bristled as he snickered at his own words. He was insufferable. Not five minutes in his company and she was already ready to gouge his eyes out and to cut off her own ears. But she wasn't going to let him mock the choices she had made. Not when she had finally found the courage to take her life into her own hands at last.
"I left the Underworld so I could make a new life for myself. So I could be free to do what I want, without having to follow anybody's orders! So that every day, I get to wake up and choose what I want to do!" She jabbed a finger in his direction, causing him to blink in surprise at her abrupt, heated outburst. "So if I want to be here, or anywhere else, washing dishes and hanging clothes or doing anything else stupid and boring, that's up to me! It's my life! I'll go wherever I want and do whatever makes me happy, and not you or anyone else gets to butt in and interfere with my choices!"
Suigetsu's amusement waned. "Well, whaddaya know," he said, looking oddly serious. "Finally putting yourself first, huh? About time you grew some guts. Chill out. I just didn't think you'd wind up in such a boring place..." he paused, before quipping, "Then again, you can be boring as fuck."
"Are you just here to call me names and judge me?" she demanded, losing patience.
"Actually, no," Suigetsu relented. "As funny as your lame little life here is, I really give no shits about what you do. I'm here on business."
"Go to hell," she glared. If he believed for a moment that she would help him in any way, he was sorely mistaken.
"Been there, done that." He yawned. "Your crazy ex-crush locked me up in five star accommodation for six months, remember?"
"Should've thrown you into Tartarus," Karin muttered under her breath.
"Hey," Suigetsu pouted comically. "Don't be mean, bitch. Imagine how shitty the world would be without me in it. You'd totally miss hating on me."
Karin released a sharp, brittle laugh. He was delusional. She would miss him about as much as she would miss a thorn in her side.
"Anyway," he abruptly steered the conversation in another direction. "I'm here because-"
"If you wanted me to listen to you," she bit out, interrupting him, "maybe you shouldn't have shown up and insulted me, you idiot."
"Ah, c'mon. But that's our thing," he threw his hands up into the air. "You call me stupid, and I come this close to slicing your tongue off. I call you bitch and you get all butt hurt. No need to be so touchy!"
"We don't have a thing." She uttered coldly and turned away, deciding to feed the chickens, half wishing that one of them would grow to gigantic proportions and just devour Suigetsu whole.
"We did once," he answered slyly. "I'll keep bringing it up until you quit pretending like it never happened. We both know that was the best fuck of your life." He bragged. Then he grinned snarkily at her. "In fact… holy shit. Wait a minute. Have you even gotten laid since then?"
Heat exploded in Karin's cheeks. She stiffened, mortified by his lewd tongue and shamelessness. Anyone could overhear him - and yet he didn't care one bit. And he was already going on before her stunned mind could even scramble to find words.
"Huh. No way. You can't have. Not unless Jugo let you at him, and there's no way in hell he'd ever get frisky. You'd have better luck with a rock." He whistled. "Damn. No wonder you're always so tightly wound up!"
"Shut up!" Karin snarled heatedly, face aflame. She stubbornly refused to face him, horrified at the topic of conversation and also because he was right. She had enjoyed dalliances with other men besides Suigetsu in her lifetime, men who had used her body before discarding her, but he had been the last one before she had decided to descend to the Underworld. Though it was true, she vowed that she would never give him the satisfaction of admitting it out loud.
"Okay, okay." Suigetsu rolled his eyes. "That was a dick thing to say. I'll drop it and get to the point. I'm trying to track down Creep-chimaru. We thought we blitzed all his hideouts with Sasuke, right? But he's still making monsters, so he's gotta have a secret one hidden somewhere. I can only track shit where there's water. You can track anywhere, right? Including picking up unusual chakra."
Karin blinked. He seriously wanted her to help him? After running his filthy mouth the way he had? On top of that, they detested one another. It was a terrible idea, and there was no way they would cooperate and get along. The only reason they hadn't murdered one another the last time they had worked together was because Sasuke had been there. Without his stern presence to supervise and de-escalate situations, she and Suigetsu were essentially a ticking time-bomb.
She did not turn back to look at him as she proceeded to tip the water out the pail and mop the stone tiles, clearing them of food debris the wandering chickens had scattered.
"C'mon," the ocean king pressed. "Think about it. You get to travel and see other places without having to spend time or money. It'll be a shitload more interesting than being cooped up here, scrubbing floors. Whaddaya say?"
"Screw you."
"Screw me?" He smirked. "I mean, if you really wanna, all you have to do is say- holy shit!" he ducked when Karin finally lost her temper and hurtled the wooden bucket at him. It landed with a loud clatter to his right.
"Your aim sucks," Suigetsu snickered, and she fumed at the ground, irritated beyond measure. He twisted every single one of her words, which made her feel paranoid, like she had to second-guess and check everything she wanted to say in his presence before allowing any sentences to pass her lips. It was maddening. She hated how edgy he made her feel. With Suigetsu, she could never afford to relax or lower her guard. Why couldn't she have been invisible to him, instead?
"Okay, that was also a dick thing to say, I'll admit it," Suigetsu chuckled. "You're just so funny when you get all riled up."
"I'm not helping you," she refused.
"Sure you are. You think I came all this way for you to say no? Consider it an order… from your king." He emphasised the final word gleefully.
"You're not my king," she hissed back. "You're just a stuck-up, selfish, foul-mouthed asshole who only cares about himself!"
"So is Sasuke, minus the talking, but you sure were ready as fuck to jump his bones," Suigetsu scoffed.
"Shut up! He might be a jerk, but at least he has morals and self-respect. You have none!"
The ocean ruler shrugged, unbothered by her opinion. "Don't get carried away with my bad press, you dumb cunt. If that were true, I wouldn't be on this fucking errand chasing that creep across the map for those snooty Olympians."
"You never help anyone," she accused. "So why now?"
"Okay, I'll break it down for your little brain to digest. Orochimaru's making monsters for Cronus, right? Cronus wants to escape Olympus. He wants to wake up the Ten-tails, and enslave the world and everything in it, all us immortals included. You don't know shit about any of that, but trust me, it's bad news, and I'm doing my bit to make sure none of that happens." He paused, before adding, "Obviously because I only care about myself."
Karin gripped the mop handle tightly in her hands, and threw him a suspicious look.
"Oh, and I care about my kingdom," he counted off the fingers of one hand. "And all the seas and oceans, and everything that belongs to and lives in them. That's millions of other creatures - besides myself! So if it's selfish to pick out which battles I choose to sit out because I think that benefits my people's interests most, then sure - I'll happily be called selfish. But I prefer to think of it as smart."
"You're not doing it freely," she glowered. "Or because it's a decent thing to do."
"You're not listening." He sang. "I'm doing it because if Cronus really gets out somehow, we're all royally fucked, your ass included."
Karin snorted. "You think I buy that that's all you get out of it?"
"I mean, sure, I get to borrow Samehada while I fight alongside them." Suigetsu relented nonchalantly. "That's a perk. But so what? I make deals that benefit me, I've never denied it. That's just called being clever, and no pushover. And if I do my bit and the Olympians win, I get my seat amongst them back. With any luck, that annoying broken record Bee dies and guess who gets to keep his blade?" He smirked.
"You're an asshole," Karin shook her head.
"Hey, don't pretend you'd miss his rhymes. They suck-ass."
"So does helping you. Get lost, Suigetsu," she moved away from him.
"You know," he slipped under the clothes line and followed her. "You're forgetting one little thing. Your life in this town is all peachy until that freak's goons realise you're here, and come knocking. He has a shit-load of spies, Karin. Those Zetsu fuckers are everywhere, and they travel under the earth. You really think staying in one place is a smart move for you?
"It's only a matter of time before he sends them after you. If he's kidnapped you once, that means he wants your gifts, and he sure as hell won't pass up the chance to collect. You're a sitting duck here. If he gets his hands on your chakra, those Zetsus will be able to heal themselves. How does that help anyone? And you call me selfish?"
Karin froze. Orochimaru and the dangers he presented hadn't even entered her mind. She had believed they would never cross paths again. How could something so significant have slipped her attention? She had no idea that he had spies everywhere, and yet it made perfect sense given his creepy, slimy nature.
Suigetsu, seensing her hesitation, prowled closer, moving in for the kill.
"You really want that nice old lady's death on your hands? Don't be stupid, Karin. You'll wind up dead. Start caring about people, and they can be used against you."
"I just got this job," she protested, suddenly feeling desperate and trapped. Just like she had in the past. It made her want to scream.
"And you can come back to it, as soon as we wipe out the threat, when it'll be safe for you to stay here. Just tell her something came up. Look." He offered. "You wanna survive out here? You could use an ally, and I'm a pretty powerful one. I can get us to the oceans in a flash if any shit goes down."
She whirled on him. "You're trying to trick me," she narrowed her eyes at him. "As soon as you get me back in the seas, you'll keep me there, just to piss me off."
She expected a witty retort, but instead Suigetsu simply looked at her, no amusement, no malice in his expression.
"Nah," he shook his head, surprising her with a rare moment of sincerity. "I wouldn't keep you in a place you're miserable in. I'm not Sasuke."
Her eyes widened at him - before dipping to the ground. Her thoughts raced. For once, Suigetsu sounded genuine, and yet, still she hesitated. She really didn't want to get involved - and yet, from everything he had told her, what real choice did she have? Cronus clearly needed to be stopped, and Orochimaru was still a threat that needed to be removed. Otherwise, none of them could live safely or freely. The prospect of living eternally under the rule of a tyrant, or being captured and experimented on until she died, was significantly worse than spending a few weeks suffering in Suigetsu's company.
"Ok, fine," he sighed lightly. "How about I give you my word? You help me out just this once. We track down any remaining hideouts and work with the Olympians to take them out - and I'll bring you right back here myself, pay you enough gems for you to build your own fucking mansion and not have to scrub another shitty floor ever - and... I won't bug you anymore. I'm serious." He raised his hands. "I'll stay outta your hair and your business, and you can live whatever life you want."
She gaped at him in astonishment, astounded by the unexpected generosity of his offer. The chance to be rid of him for good? Were her ears deceiving her. How could she possibly pass up such a golden opportunity?
"You really mean it?" She tested. "You'll really leave me alone, and never bother me again? No games, no tricks, no catch?"
"No tricks." He promised, his grin as brilliant as sunlight glinting on crystal clear ocean waves. "Not unless you come looking for me, bitch," he quipped, giving her a playful wink.
"Hmph." Karin's lips curled in disgust, even as she felt heat pickle anew in her cheeks. As if there was any chance of her doing such a thing. She would sooner chain herself to Tartarus's gates, than ever go looking for the intolerable idiot standing before her.
"So…?" he prompted, raising his eyebrows as he extended a hand out to her. "Whaddaya say? We got a deal?"
~x~
Author's Note
More plot next chapter. Reviews are appreciated, see you next update.