In the dark of her new bedroom, Sakura stared up at the ceiling above her bed as pink strands of hair fell around her face. She was still bouncing from the sudden drop onto her mattress, breath still coming out in quick, heated puffs as if the god's lips were right where he had last touched them, when she blinked in the darkness. The realization that he had sent her away, dropped her in her room in the blink of an eye just when she was starting to second guess all the resistance to his advances was slowly starting to sink in.
Jolts of electric heat raced through her veins, pumping to the far corners of her body with every beat of her heart as she lay motionless in the bed, trying to clear the fog of desire clinging to the edges of her mind. A part of her was furious she had even allowed him to fluster her this way. Hadn't she learned by now to avoid him? Why was she always stumbling headfirst into these instances with him?
Another part was humiliated. Not that he had, yet again, quickened her pulse and stole her breath away, but because she had liked it so much. She had wanted more, not sure how far she would have let him go had he not sent her away the moment he had.
She hadn't been too naive to recognize he was doing it to distract her. The way he had turned to her, ignoring her questions to ask one of his own, knowing it would surprise her, was obvious. He may have been an enigma to her, but she was slowly unraveling the mysteries of him and could see that whatever secrets he had, he would hold onto them as long as he could.
But as far as distractions went...the touch of his lips on her throat, his hand keeping a stronghold around her waist while the other dipped to her thigh…It hadn't been the worst.
Sakura's head fell to the side and she let out a long sigh that carried every frustrating want and desire that lingered inside her with it. The things he had said, had whispered against her neck with a breath so warm she could almost feel it there even now, stirred something deep within her core. It bloomed slowly with a heat that left her scorched and miserable. And if it left her feeling this wretched, why did she want more?
Why did this ache inside her make her both hate the god for putting it there and so desperate to have him fulfill the promise he had made her?
When you finally submit to me, I'll satisfy that ache you feel between your thighs. I'll gladly drink it away on my tongue.
His words should have sickened her, should have repulsed her and yet...even now, long after he had sent her away from his touch and press of his lips, even now that she was lying alone in her bed with nothing but the ache to keep her company, she couldn't stop her mind from conjuring fantasies of what his promise might entail.
Just the question in her head made her swallow tightly and Sakura pressed her palm against her lower belly, expecting to feel the static of lightning racing beneath her skin. There was nothing but warmth, settling hot and white in her core and she let out a whimper before rolling onto her side.
Sakura squeezed her eyes shut and brought her hands to her face, tucking them beneath her cheek. She wasn't tired, necessarily, but the idea of getting out of bed to wander the halls of the palace, possibly stumbling into the god in the dark was exhausting to even think about. If she were expected to face him and more of his torment, she would need rest.
Which would have been easier to accomplish had she not been so wound tight at the moment that she feared she'd snap. Slowly, she opened her eyes to the darkness surrounding her and stared at the shadowed shapes of the bedpost at her feet. There was a way to relieve this ache, albeit, not as preferred as having him be the one to do it but Sakura couldn't shake the disappointment in herself at the mere thought of it.
Sure, she was no stranger to the method and had experienced it a handful of times after a long day of staring at Naruto and Sasuke, brawling half-naked with one another in the fields. She had thought of their sweaty bodies and not particularly of them while she had touched herself, using the fantasies that unfolded in her mind to drive her to relief. She could do the same now, focusing on the brush of lips along her throat, a firm hand dipping between her thighs and not the god who had been the one to do those things to her. The feeling of them was all she needed. It wouldn't be difficult and would take no time to rid herself of the ache.
But...
In a way, it felt as if she were giving into him. He would have no way to know, would never suspect a thing, but she would. She would know and the next time he cornered her and kissed her-despite the fact that she already craved another brush of his lips on hers-her strength and resistance would falter.
No.
She wouldn't give in-to him or her own desires. All she had to do was wait a few weeks and this would be over. She would win this game between them and she would go home.
.
.
A rest had done her well and hours later, possibly days for all she could tell, Sakura had found her way back out into the realm beyond the palace. For several minutes, she had stood on the steps and let the breeze swirl the strands of hair around her face, welcoming the cool air across her heated skin.
Though she hadn't given in to relieve her ache, she was still suffering the effects of it and needed something-anything-to take her mind off of the torment. Sleeping had done little to suppress it and she feared that the longer she laid in her bed, alone, in the dark, she would give in to the temptation.
After a bath, Sakura had found a change of clothes laying out for her, just like the previous times. She couldn't help wondering if he had charmed them to appear when she needed them to, or if there were spirits like the lantern that accommodated her needs. Then again, the lantern hadn't exactly been a spirit at all. If the god hadn't distracted her with his lips and tongue on her skin, she could have found out more about it.
Thinking of that had only reignited the flame within her and Sakura quickly dressed in the new gown waiting for her. A simple gown of cotton that fit easily over her head and brushed the tops of her toes. It was thin, but not sheer, reminiscent of the summer tunics she wore back home. The neckline scooped lower than she was used to and there was a single slit up to her hip bone on one side of the skirt. Other than those two details, she felt more secure and covered than anything else she had been provided here.
It wasn't until she walked out of the palace's darkness did she realize the material had been dyed with light blue pigments that rivaled the clear skies back home. Sakura ran a hand over the front of the dress, sinking her fingers between the folds of the fabric and the wave of homesickness almost rivaled the desire lingering in her veins. She longed to see her mother again, to hear her father laugh and just be home with them.
Combatting the miserable mood she could feel creeping up on her, Sakura turned to the grove of trees where she had planted the first seed and set off toward it. The sunbeam that had been following her was gone and she wasn't sure she made the right choice to send it away. At that moment, when the heat was scorching her skin and turning the tops of her cheeks and shoulders bright pink, she had wanted nothing more than to just be free of it. But now that she knew bringing it back came with a steep price, Sakura was second-guessing her decision.
Kissing the god would bring nothing but more turmoil and confusion and not to mention, more of this unbearable heat that seared her insides more than the sun had burned her on the outside.
Even without the sun, a thin sheen of sweat had dampened her brow by the time she reached the grove where her little seedling waited for her return. The rocks circling it were right where she had left them and Sakura let out a breath as she sank to the brittle grass covering the grove. Above her, the bare branches of the trees shook in the never-ceasing wind. It lifted the strands of her hair and she pulled the length of it around to one shoulder as she leaned over the seedbed.
Back home, she never had to try to make something grow. It just did. As soon as the thought entered her head, whatever she touched or held would bloom and life would return. She suspected that while Tsunade's gift could work in the mortal realm, traces of the power Sakura had been blessed with couldn't quite reach her in the underworld.
Nevertheless, she held her hands close together and hovered them like a dome over the bed of dirt. For several seconds, she kept her eyes shut and held her breath tight, willing her feeble powers to appear. She was desperate for the tingle to her fingers and the breath of life that swelled her chest and filled her with a light she couldn't quite explain. But as eager as she was for just a glimpse of Tsunade's gift, there was nothing.
She pried her hands apart and stared down at the broken patch of dirt. The goddess in the swamp had told her as much and though she hadn't wanted to believe her words of doubt then, Sakura could now see she had been telling the truth. Nothing would grow here.
Which meant her attempts at planting the seeds, bargaining for sunlight, and searching for water were futile. But if that were true, that would mean that their game would end at an impasse. She still had her impossible-to-solve riddle idea hidden up her sleeve and if she stumped him with that and she herself was to be stumped by his seeds...what then?
Something told her that the god wouldn't let her leave his realm so easily if that were the outcome of their game.
"Back again, I see." A feminine voice broke through her thoughts and Sakura whipped her head up quickly, pressing her palms against her chest as her pulse raced beneath them. She blinked up at the familiar sight of her nymph friend, Ino, high above her in the tree branches. She had one long leg hanging off the limb, the strips of her gossamer skirt fluttering in the breeze as she peered down at Sakura was a cheeky smile.
Just like last time, her breasts were bare and Sakura felt warmth rush to her cheeks at the sight.
"Must you sneak up on me like that? It's very rude."
"And miss seeing the look of surprise on your face?" Ino scoffed and gracefully lowered to the tree branch until she was lying along the length of it. Flaxen hair tumbled around her in waves and she leaned her head to the side to point down to the seedbed. "How is your little seedling today?"
The question twisted Sakura's frown deeper and she let her gaze fall to the bed of dirt in front of her knees. With a breath that she let out in a sigh, she shrugged. "Same as it was the last time I visited. I'm afraid my attempts at making it sprout are in vain."
"Then let's do something else," the nymph said, leaning forward to curl her finger around the strands of Sakura's hair. "Something more fun!"
"Fun?" She jerked away from the nymph's touch and scoffed. "I'm not interested in having fun."
"Unless it's with a certain silver-haired god."
Her words sucked Sakura's breath out of her throat and she blinked at the nymph, thoughts swirling through her head of the god and the way he had kissed her throat the last time she saw him. If Ino noticed her reaction, she didn't mention it and instead, pushed herself away from the branch until she could tuck her palm beneath her chin.
"We saw you two in the fields near the southern gates. You looked interested in having fun then."
We ? The tops of Sakura's cheeks lit with warmth and she cut her gaze away from the tree branches to stare off into the distance where the crumbling gate stood over the river. Had the nymphs spied on them? The thought left her feeling a bit sick to her stomach but she wasn't too surprised. It's not like she had even tried to fight him away or hide what he was doing. As soon as his lips had touched her skin, all rational thought had disappeared from her head and Sakura was still in the throes of the desire-driven dizziness hours later.
Dusting the dirt from her hands, Sakura stood to her feet and turned away, unsure where she would go or why she felt the need to distance herself so suddenly from the nymph. Either way, she knew she wouldn't get too far.
Sure enough, the nymph perched in the tree disappeared with a puff of lavender petals raining down around Sakura. She followed them with her eyes until they crumbled to ash around her and left a frown pinching her brows.
Ino reappeared at her side, tossing the strands of hair away from her face and leaving her bare chest fully exposed. "There you go again, running from the truth."
"I am not running from anything. I just don't want to speak to you!"
"At all, or about the way the dark god makes you feel?"
Tension clenched Sakura's jaw and she folded her arms firmly over her chest, narrowing her eyes into an icy glare that she hoped the nymph could feel. Judging by the soft, mischievous smile on her rosy lips, she hadn't. With the arch of one pale brow, Ino put her hands on her hips, fingers drumming across the edges of her lopsided skirt as she stared at Sakura.
"How long do you plan to deny it?"
"As long as I need to. I don't care how he makes me feel or what you think he does to me. All I want is to go home. Why can't you see that?"
Her question went ignored and Ino's eyes narrowed slightly, lips pursing only enough to draw Sakura's attention to them. The nymph drew closer, hands falling from her hips so she could reach out once more and curl her middle finger around the strands of pink hair draped over Sakura's chest. "You have so much bottled up," Ino whispered, taking another step closer until their toes were nearly touching. "How do you expect to deny him when you deny yourself so much?"
"What do you mean?" She hadn't meant for it to come out as a whisper but her voice was barely heard over the wind tangling the branches above their heads.
"I mean," the nymph said just as quietly, pressing the tip of her middle finger gently in the space between Sakura's breasts, pulling the neckline of her dress down an inch with it. "After a single kiss, I could smell your desire. Don't you think he can as well? He's going to use it against you unless you find a way to soothe it."
Sakura swallowed tightly as the finger tugging the fabric of her dress fell away, leaving it bunched and nearly slipping off her shoulder. She barely noticed. Cutting her eyes away from the nymph once more, not wanting her to see the haze of embarrassment and the arousal she was trying to deny herself behind her gaze. When she found the words to speak, she could barely utter them out loud and shut her eyes as she took a breath.
"I don't know how."
"I could show you." The nymph's words snapped her eyes open and she looked at the blonde with a scowl.
"No, I mean." Another deep breath expanded her chest and pulled her shoulders back and the fabric barely clinging to it slipped down her arm. For once, Sakura didn't care that it left her a bit exposed. "He'll know what I did. He'll know it was because of him."
"Hatake will only know if he's here in the realm, but he isn't. He's been away for a while." Ino fluttered her fingers to the air, blue eyes darting to the sky and Sakura couldn't help wondering where he was. The nymph gave her no time to voice her question. "Your secret will be safe with me."
Sakura had been a fool to fall into the god's trap and an even bigger fool to think he wouldn't solve her riddle so quickly. She had been wrong about everything so far and she wasn't about to trust this nymph so willingly. Narrowing her eyes and crossing her arms over her chest, she pursed her lips. "Why are you helping me?"
"Because," Ino started, rolling her eyes. "These gods and their games get boring after thousands of years. Nothing fun has happened around here since-well, you're the first fascinating thing around here in a long, long time. Let's just leave it at that. Now." The nymph took a step back and plucked a golden strand of hair from her head, right behind her ear. Sakura watched, half of her trying to piece together the puzzle of what she had just told her while the other half was too interested in what Ino was doing to care.
She held the strand of hair out at arm's length and opened her fingers, letting it float down to the ground, curling and twisting in the breeze. It caught on the dead grass several steps away and Sakura turned to blink down at it, a frown pinching her brows in confusion. Was something supposed to happen? She opened her mouth to ask, but never got the chance.
From the ground, right where the single strand of hair landed, tufts of yellow and gold grass sprouted. They grew before her eyes, stretching high until the blades were nearly as tall as she was. Sakura stared with wide eyes, lips parted in surprise, and once the grass had come to a stop, she turned to face the nymph, a look of pride settling over her features. "How did you…"
"The gods aren't the only ones with tricks up their sleeves. But," Ino said, pivoting on her heel to point a finger at Sakura. "This is as far as my assistance can go. Don't expect me to sprout your seeds for you. Now, you can lay down in the center and have enough cover from any prying eyes that might be close by. If Hatake enters the realm, I'll let you know."
"Wait." Sakura blinked and shook her head. "You expect me to-out here? In the open? I-I don't think grass is going to be enough... privacy ."
"You'll never know until you try, Sakura. C'mon," Ino said with a lilt of mischief in her voice. She nudged Sakura's shoulder with her own and took a step back on her heels. "Don't be such a prude."
True to her fashion, the nymph's words were emphasized by a cheeky smile mere seconds before she disappeared in a pop of petals that were quickly carried away by the wind. Sakura watched them crumble to dust long before they ever reached the ground and she let out a breath of a laugh. There was no way she could do what the nymph was suggesting.
Hatake was out of the realm, yes, but that didn't mean she was alone here. There were spirits and other gods traipsing about and the thought of being seen by one of them brought the flush of heat back to Sakura's cheeks. She crossed her arms around her waist and hugged herself tightly, staring at the bed of grass in the center of the tall, golden blades.
No.
She couldn't.
No matter how badly she was aching to relieve this tight tension of arousal, no matter how badly she wanted to imagine the god's lips against her skin, teasing and fanning the flames inside her, she refused. It was a ridiculous plan.
Don't be such a prude …
The echo of Ino's words annoyed her and she rolled her eyes, dropping her hands to her sides. Sakura glanced around her surroundings, spying the palace in the distance to the west and the fields the god had led her through the day before north of the grove she stood in. There was no one but the wind. No hidden spirits, no dark gods, no mischievous nymphs. No one but her.
Slowly, Sakura pushed her skirts to the side and lowered her knees to the ground. The dirt was cool beneath her but it couldn't touch the heat pouring out of her. She crawled into the cover of the grass until it swallowed her up within. The breeze rustled the blades on the outside but she felt none of it in the center. There was just enough room for her to lay down, the bed already pressed into the ground as if Ino had designed it perfectly for Sakura's body.
As far as immortal's tricks went, it wasn't the worst she had seen so far.
But it wasn't enough to make Sakura want to do what was intended of her. She laid back on the grass bed, one arm bent beneath her head while the other draped over her stomach, fingers drumming impatiently. Staring up at the clouds high above her, Sakura recalled the last time she had been in this position.
The day she had fallen into the god's trap, she had laid in the fields outside the village and watched the clouds lazily drift by. If she knew then, what she knows now, she would have never even snuck out of the gates that morning. She would have gone straight to the temples and prayed to the gods, thanked them for keeping her safe from what truly lurked out there.
Well, her mood had certainly shifted and she let a sigh out of her nose, eyes opening to the same sky that plagued the underworld. Such a miserable color to fit such a miserable god.
It was frustrating knowing he could change his realm, could make it whatever he wanted, and this is what he wants it to be. In the few moments he let the mask of a tyrant, unforgiving god slip, Sakura had seen enough to determine he wasn't as miserable as he made himself out to be. In the fields, when he told her of the spirits and frightened her as a jest...as irritated as she had been with him, she couldn't help but find him almost charming. Not to mention the way he had pulled her from that river and held himself over her on the grass, staring down at her with concern filling his eyes.
At that moment, she could have kissed him.
She had wanted him to kiss her.
If she was being honest with herself, if he were lying with her now, his body warm and stretched along the length of hers as he stared down at her, she would let him kiss her. She would let him do more if he did what he had the last time they were together.
Sakura closed her eyes once more and pulled her arm out from under her head, settling it over her stomach as well. She curled her fingers around the material of her dress draped along her ribs, barely noticing the way her sleeve fell from her shoulder once more. The hand she had kept on her lower belly inched down the length of her torso until she could feel the curve of her hip beneath her palm. Just beneath the tips of her fingers, right where her skirt parted and fell open, she could feel the warmth of her flesh. She swallowed tightly and pushed her fingers beneath the hem.
Before she could reach between her thighs, right where the heat and coil of arousal were hot and tight, her eyes snapped open and she let out a sigh.
Oh, this was ridiculous!
She couldn't do this here, so out in the open where anyone could stumble upon her.
Sure, she wasn't a stranger to the act and had done it before, but only ever in the darkness and safety of her own bed. Well, that wasn't necessarily true. A single memory popped into her head, pinching her brow into a frown and Sakura swallowed back the embarrassment that singed her cheeks. She had almost forgotten the night she had stumbled upon one of the village men-someone a bit older than her and rumored to be quite a deviant-and a woman she hadn't recognized.
They had thought they were discreet behind the tavern, using the cover of darkness to kiss and grope one another but Sakura had seen them. She had ducked behind a few crates and watched them, fascinated, curious, and a little scared. The man was so rough with the woman, pushing her dress to the side, his hands groping her breasts roughly, but the woman had smiled and moaned through the whole thing.
How could something like that feel good? Sakura couldn't understand it then though it had aroused her to watch. Then she had wondered what it would feel like, what a man's caress would do to her, how a strong, calloused hand would treat the delicate flesh of her breast.
Now…
Now she knew.
She could recall with strange clarity the way the god had slipped his hand beneath the fabric of her gown the day she had stood on the steps of his palace, filthy from the mud and terrified of him. The warmth of his fingers as they found the hardened bud waiting for them had stolen her breath then and the memory of it did the same to her now. Her breath left her lips in quick puffs and Sakura slid her palm to her chest, pulling at the dress until the cool air caressed the flesh of her breast.
She longed for the warmth of his hand but settled for her own, taking her bottom lip between her teeth as she pinched and palmed her nipple. Between her legs, her other hand had already found exactly where she needed it to be and Sakura closed her eyes with a shuddering breath as she slid her finger between her folds.
It didn't surprise her to feel how warm and slick she was. She had been since the god had pulled her close the night before and kissed her neck.
Oh, to have his lips against her now, sucking and tracing that spot just beneath her ear that made her entire body tremble with want…
Ripples of pleasure pulsed through her with every back and forth pass of her finger. Images of the dark god filled her head, his half-lidded gaze above her, watching her touch herself. She could see the way his hair would spill over his shoulder, parting around the horns twisting away from his head, and found herself longing to touch them, feel them beneath her fingers. In the back of her mind, the echoes of his promise coaxed her closer to the edge and she repeated it over and over in her head.
When you finally submit to me, I'll satisfy that ache you feel between your thighs.
She wanted him to. Gods, she wanted it more than anything.
Despite the building heat, that coil tightening more and more within her, that her fingers were bringing her, it wasn't what she wanted. It was only a substitute for what the god had promised her.
I'll gladly drink it away on my tongue.
Oh, to have his tongue between her folds now, lapping and swirling, sucking and drinking that ache away just as he had said. She would surely find her relief then and with the thoughts of him between her thighs in her mind, Sakura moved her fingers faster, desperate to feel even a fraction of what he had promised her.
Her lips parted around a gasp that she couldn't swallow down in time and though she knew she should keep quiet, to hide herself as much as possible, she couldn't. The pleasure, white-hot and nearly unbearable, was too intense. It eclipsed every rational thought in her mind aside from the need for more, and right then, at that moment, the god of the underworld could stand above her, watching her and Sakura wouldn't have stopped.
She almost wanted him to come back to the realm, wanted him to see what she was doing because of him.
With another cry, louder this time now that it was accompanied by a rush of exquisite release, Sakura rocked her hips against her fingers and stroked herself in time with the waves of pleasure. She panted, whimpered, and sucked in air as she stilled in the aftermath, thighs trembling as she closed them around her hand and finally opened her eyes.
Part of her expected to see him standing there above the tall blades of grass, staring down at her, watching her and knowing the entire time what she had done. But she blinked up at the overcast skies, still alone in her hiding place, and waited for her pulse to settle.
As the ripples and waves subsided within her, the fog of desire was starting to part in her mind. She could think clearly again, could focus on her main goal without distracting thoughts of whispered promises-no matter how enticing they were.
Sakura sat up on her elbows and stared down the length of her body, quickly covering herself with the material of her skirts. The nymph had been right after all. She felt fresh, invigorated, and ready to face her next task.
Rising to her knees to take a peek over the tips of the grass hideaway, she scanned the grove of dead trees and found neither god nor nymph lurking around. A tinge of warmth lingered on her cheeks but she pushed her embarrassment aside and stood to her feet. Sakura smoothed her skirt down around her and stepped through the grass, her bare feet finding the dead, brittle grass of the grove once more. She risked a glance down at the seedbed, exactly where she had left it, and though nothing had changed, it didn't immediately fill her with worry.
As Sakura turned on her heel to sneak back down the hill and make her way to the palace once again, she found herself hopeful for the first time in days. When the god returned to the realm, her head wouldn't be so clouded by the fog he put her in. She would be just a bit stronger, could resist him for another day. And at the end of their game, when neither could win against the other, she would refuse to submit to him and he would send her away.
Kakashi's feet met the cold, broken tile lying scattered at the entrance of his palace. Everything was exactly as he left it and he knew the instant he returned that Sakura was where he expected her to be. Her presence, a faint perfume of blossoms in the air and an aura that had drawn him in from the moment he first saw her, was obvious deep within the palace. She was in the bedroom he had sent her away to the day before.
While he had been hoping to sense some of her pent-up frustration from being teased so heavily by him, he was surprised by the sudden distraction that snatched his attention from the mortal. He spun on his heel and stared out at his realm, brows furrowing as he slowly stepped back out into the open. Nothing had changed and yet...something was different.
He could feel it.
No.
He could smell it.
Rich and heady and something he hadn't smelled in a long, long time. It stirred his insides, twisting and coiling within him like a slithering heat and with a deep breath inhaled through his nose, Kakashi followed its trail to the west. He moved before ever taking a step, transporting himself to the hilltop grove where Sakura had planted her first seed.
The bed was where he expected it to be, just beneath one of the bare, lifeless trees standing like sentinels on the knoll. But he hadn't quite expected to see the tufts of grass swaying gently in the breeze. Blades of gold and yellow, flaxen like a familiar nymph's hair, grew from the dirt in a wide circle. As the god moved closer, his eyes scanning the depths for anyone hiding within, he found nothing but the sunken middle with grass folded and stamped close to the ground.
Someone had been there.
Someone whose scent still lingered in the air and he couldn't resist drawing in another breath of it into his lungs. Sweet and aromatic, with just a hint of something familiar, it hung in the air and teased at his senses, begging for him to place the scent with its origin.
Kakashi inhaled again and swept a hand over the bed of grass, combing his fingers through the blades until they withered away from his touch. They wilted, folding in on themselves until they dissolved into ash before they ever reached the ground and he stared at the single strand of hair caught in the brown, lifeless grass clinging to the hilltop.
The smell wasn't from the nymph. He was familiar with all of them and had known them for centuries. He would recognize any of them in a heartbeat.
This was new.
It was fresh and alive.
Kakashi took a breath and glanced over his shoulder to where his palace stood in the distance. Her presence was still inside, quiet and patient-the complete opposite of how he had left her.
"What did you do while I was away, little mortal?" He found himself whispering to no one but the wind, the question bringing a small smile to the corner of his lips.
He turned his body toward the west, intent on finding her within the halls of his home, teasing her relentlessly and drawing her one step closer to her submission, but he didn't move. Out of the corner of his eye, something caught his attention-something that he hadn't seen in his realm in a thousand years.
Perched on one of the naked branches of the tree, a few inches above the tip of his horns, a soft, velvety pink drew his attention and Kakashi stilled as his eyes focused. Surely he was seeing things. His lips parted and eyes narrowed, the god slowly lifted his hand-almost too afraid to reach out and touch it- and curled his fingers around the branch trembling in the wind.
At the end of the limb, with five petals of a delicate pink and a rich, violet center, a single flower had blossomed. Though he wanted to curl his fingers around it and ground it to dust, Kakashi could do nothing but stare at it. Such a tiny thing, barely there at all, but its purpose was far greater than he cared to admit.
Pursing his lips, he lifted his gaze from the flower and focused on the palace to the west. It seemed that he had been wrong to underestimate the little mortal. The fragrance of the flower filled his senses and though Kakashi wanted to find it sickening, wanted nothing more than to banish it from his realm, he didn't.
He couldn't.
It was the source of that heat that leaked through his body, the fragrance that had snatched his attention the very second he stepped foot in the realm.
It was her .
