ZERO / BLEACH (here) / TWIST / REVERSE / DYE / RED

The only way to take sorrow out of death is to take love out of life. -Russell M. Nelson

Sakura stood at the kitchen sink. Soapy water dripped from her hands as she stared out the window.

"What's wrong?"

When she turned, Madara was in the doorway, his phone in his hand. His glasses perched on top of his head. He was staring at her. And then he squinted.

"Did you get any sleep last night?"

"A little," she mumbled. Which was kind of true. She didn't want to see the dream world with Shisui's darkened door. Didn't want to know if Itachi's door had gone dark too. So she napped in short intervals. An alarm would go off in time to wake her before she could slip into a full dream. It was an exhausting process, but it was better than not sleeping at all.

Madara clucked his tongue at her.

"Move. I'll do it," he ordered. Rolling his sleeves up to his elbow, he took her place at the sink to finish washing the dishes. Sakura leaned her hip against the counter, staring out the window again.

"The shield's holding just fine, kid. You have to stop worrying," Madara assured her, even though she hadn't said anything.

She could see the way the light refracted through the shield. It even shimmered a little when the rays of light angled through it perfectly. She knew that Madara was right. The wards around the house were strong. They even topped off the spell each night before bed. That didn't make her feel much better though.

Sasuke stumbled down the stairs a little while later. Rubbing a hand through his unruly hair, he squinted at the sunlight streaming in through the window.

"Why are you washing those by hand?" he mumbled. He yawned, stretching his arms above his head.

Madara looked down at the soapy water. And then over at Sakura, whose hands were still covered in bubbles. He shrugged.

"Why not?" was all he said as he continued washing.

Ino called a few days before the new year.

"Are you doing okay?"

Sakura looked down at her feet as she took in the question.

"Well…no. Not so great, Ino," Sakura confessed.

She heard Ino sigh. "Sorry. That was a dumb question. Of course you're not okay."

Sakura smiled a little. "That's okay. Thanks for asking anyway."

They chatted about a few things. Ino updated her on some of the gossip she had missed. Not that either of them thought that any of those silly little things mattered. But it was nice to pretend, even for just a few minutes, that they did.

There was a long moment. And then Ino sighed.

"I miss you," she said.

"Yeah. Miss you too," replied Sakura.

"So I was thinking… I know you're not cool with meeting outside. How about I come over instead?"

Sakura glanced up at the ceiling. She could see the faint shimmer of the shield charm that encompassed the house. If it was just for a moment, and with Madara's help, she could thin the barrier just enough to let someone pass through.

"I'll bring something yummy," Ino added, trying to keep her voice light.

Sakura wasn't sure when her mouth moved whether she wanted to smile or to cry. Hand pressed to her cheek, she nodded. Not that Ino could see.

"Yeah. Let's do that, Ino."

"Really? Okay!" There was thumping and rustling. Ino had probably rolled off her bed to begin packing already.

Madara was right behind Sakura when Ino arrived a few days later. His hand pressed to her shoulder. In a comforting way.

"Breathe," he reminded her.

So she did.

The edge of the barrier peeled back just enough for Ino to slip in across the threshold. Then it snapped back in place. Sakura ran her hands along the edges, just to make sure there were no leaks. Madara flicked a handful of sparks at it. They bounced back, scattering like thrown confetti.

"Airtight. Nice work," Madara commended, squeezing her shoulder. He lifted a hand in greeting to Ino before he made his way up the stairs towards his room.

Ino threw her arms around Sakura's neck.

"Oh my gosh. How are you?" she squealed, pulling Sakura close. Rocking her back and forth.

"I tried to get in touch with Naruto to ask if he wanted to come. He never answered my texts," Ino complained.

"Weird. He always answers his texts," Sakura replied.

"I know, right? I'll hunt him down later. He's probably marathoning The Lord of the Rings again or something," sighed Ino. Laughing, Sakura hugged her a little tighter. It was so nice to see Ino. It almost felt like things were going to be alright.

Ino brought an insane amount of takeout. The smell of cilantro and spice filled the house as they reheated the curry puffs and pad thai. They poured wine and chattered nonstop as they plated the food. Even Sasuke cracked a smile or two. For a little while, they could eat and drink and pretend that everything was normal again.

Madara shooed them out of the kitchen before anyone could lift a finger to do dishes. So they retreated to Sakura's room to choose a movie. They cracked open another bottle of wine. Sakura rolled her eyes as Sasuke opened a bag of chips. And he rolled his eyes when she dug her hand into the bag a second later.

They dozed off not too long after the movie started.

Sakura woke, her cheek pressed to her shoulder. Sasuke's foot was on top of her shin. His mouth hung open as he slept. Ino was passed out too, her head resting on the arm of the sofa.

Wiping the line of drool from the corner of her mouth, Sakura glanced around the room. The screen was stuck at the end of the credits, flashing suggestions for the next movie they could watch. Sakura patted around until her fingers closed around the hard rectangle of her phone.

She squinted.

It was just a little after 10. She sat in a daze, staring around the darkened room. As she looked down at her phone again, the numbers started to blur into each other.

And then it hit her.

Why she had jerked awake in the first place.

What night it was.

It all flooded back to her.

Madara pale and motionless on the floor of his bedroom. Blood painting the floorboards. The scream that ripped from her mouth as she tried to make sense of it all.

She stepped on Sasuke's ankle as she rushed to her feet.

"Ow! What the hell!" she heard Sasuke complain. And Ino muttered something too as she roused. Sakura didn't have time to explain to them as she scrambled out into the hallway.

"Papa," she called. Her hand hovered near the knob. Waited for his voice to respond. She gripped it, twisting and pushing the door open.

The inside of Madara's bedroom was dark. Everything was in its proper place. She had snuck in here countless times to rummage through his closet. She had stolen nearly all of his old band t-shirts that way. And so she was familiar with the way he made his bed. The way he angled his blinds a certain way to keep the sun out in the morning.

She reached out with threads of magic to feel for him in the house. They swept down the stairs, flinging to the far corners of the floor below.

Nothing.

"Papa!" Sakura yelled, louder this time. As she left Madara's room, she bumped into Sasuke in the hall. Ino stood in the doorway of her room, bleary-eyed and rubbing the side of her face.

"Sakura, what's wrong?" Ino asked. Sakura didn't answer her as she hurried down the stairs. She reached out with her magic again. But this time it cast in tangled waves, just as disarrayed as her mind as she began to panic.

"This isn't funny. Stop hiding," Sakura said out loud as she rushed into the kitchen. Nothing. A cup sat in the sink. She moved on to the next room. And the next.

When she reached the door that led down into the library, she felt a flicker of something familiar. She touched the knob. It zapped her hand away with a sting. Frowning, she reached for it again. It stung her even harder.

She summoned energy to her palm, coating it. She grasped the knob carefully. The barrier held for a second. And then her hand jerked back again as it flooded with a sharp pain.

This wasn't a spell she remembered Madara teaching her. It was a barrier. But it was also strange. The structure of the magical bonds was something she had never seen before.

As tears of panic began to fill her eyes, Sakura's fingers moved. She felt her pointer and middle finger reaching out. They hooked around nothing. And when they tugged together, she felt something snap. The stinging disappeared along with the unusual barrier. And when she turned the knob, this time the door to the library opened as it should have.

Sakura descended the spiraling stairs down to the second floor of the library. The smell of old paper and leather should have been comforting. Instead, it was all she could do to stop herself from vomiting as her stomach twisted into knots.

Her bare feet didn't make much sound as she stepped into the library. Which was why as she moved around the the raised platform, she noticed something odd. Actually, she heard it first. An odd noise that seemed to resonate through the floors, vibrating up through the soles of her feet. It was less of a noise and more of a sensation.

And as she turned, she almost wondered whether she had gone through a portal to some other house. On the first floor were more bookcases, along with a few tables and chairs that they used when they didn't feel like bringing the books upstairs with them. But all of those tables and chairs had been pushed to the wall, as if with a wave of force magic. And one of the large shelves was shoved to one side, revealing a small room she had never seen before. She could see a cauldron, as well as the twinkle of arcane objects tucked away inside.

Then she found the source of the sound. A magic circle glowed on the floor. The white symbols buzzed with energy. She squinted to try to read them from this awkward angle. This had never been her forte, even in school. She recognized some of the runes at the edge. It looked like this particular circle had something to do with restoration or protection.

Sakura took a few steps forward, ready to call out for Madara.

She froze when more of the magic circle came into view. A dark pool of liquid spread from the opposite edge. A foot. Then a leg. A person sprawled across those glowing white lines.

For a second, her heart leapt into her throat. But when she realized that the hair was red and not black, she couldn't help but feel a little relieved.

"Wait… Gaara?" she realized as she stared at the unmoving body.

"How did you get in here?"

Sakura jumped as Madara's voice bounced against the shiny floors and up to her. She found him standing not too far from the body. His right hand looked almost like he had dipped it in a bucket of crimson paint. He stared up at her, just his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath.

"You knew this guy?"

"Did you kill him, Papa?"

They were both asking questions with obvious answers.

"I…" Madara hesitated. He then dragged his left hand through his hair. Glancing down at the body, he nodded. "It had to be done. Don't be scared. You're safe now," he then added.

Sakura tried to swallow, but there was a lump in her throat.

"I don't understand what you're saying," she squeezed out, tears filling her eyes.

Madara lifted his chin again. He held a hand up. "I'll explain after I clean up. Just… stay there."

Sakura opened her mouth to protest. But all the hairs on her arms and neck rose. She could feel a crackle of energy rip through part of the shield that encased the house. She knew Madara could feel it too because he swiveled in the direction of the disturbance.

A shape shimmered just outside one of the windows. And then, with a horrible screech, something smashed in through the glass. Teeth bared. Claws slashing. Headed right for her face.

Sakura swept her hand out in front of her. A shield bubbled up to block the claws that would have torn through her. As the snarling creature bashed against the clear shield, Sakura realized that it was a familiar face.

"Naruto!"

Spittle foamed up at the corners of his mouth as he slashed at the shield again. He swung one more time. A crack appeared at the edge of the shield. When he hit it a third time, the shield shattered under the impact. Sakura barely had enough time to throw up another shield. She twisted her head around to look toward Madara.

"Papa!"

He held his hands up, motioning for her to hurry down to him.

Sakura cast another look back at Naruto. He screeched, digging into the smooth surface of the shield with his nails. Blood dribbled from a cut on his shoulder. When he caught her staring, he howled.

She skirted past him and ran down the stairs as fast as she could. She ran right into Madara's arms.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she breathed.

"Good."

Sakura twisted in his arms just in time to see Naruto tear through her second shield. Madara raised his left arm, hand steady. He aimed a blast of fire right at Naruto's head. A spout of fire erupted from his mouth, deflecting the shot.

"Papa, that looks just like Shisui's," Sakura whispered. She gripped the arm Madara still had wrapped around her. "Naruto's a wind type. Why…." She trailed off. That wasn't a question she really wanted an answer to. And it wasn't even like Madara would have had a chance to answer anyway. Naruto leapt from the top of the stairs, his clawed fingers extended.

Sakura conjured up a bigger shield. It manifested as a bubble that wrapped around the both of them. Another jet of fire from Naruto's mouth ripped through it.

Tendrils of purple fire rose from Madara's palms. They jabbed out at Naruto, snapping at his hands and his bare feet. As Naruto dodged out of the way, Sakura extended her hand, pointing up toward the door.

"Sasuke. Ino. Help." Her voice traveled up her shoulder, shooting out from her finger. It seeped up to the doorway, whipping out towards the rest of the house. Her attention jerked back to Naruto when she heard Madara swear.

"Little fucker's stronger than he looks."

Madara released her and conjured more of the dark purple fire to both his hands. He fended off Naruto's attacks just long enough for Sasuke and Ino to show up in the doorway. He swore again when one of Naruto's claws caught him in the shoulder.

"Papa!"

"I'm fine. I'm fine," Madara reassured her as blood bubbled up from the tear in his shirt.

Sakura swept another shield around them. She strained to keep the threads of magic woven together as Naruto slashed at it over and over again. His attacks bounced off the glittering surface of the forcefield several times before he let out a shriek of frustration that sent spittle flying from his lips.

"What the fuck!" Ino exclaimed. "Is that Naruto?"

Naruto's head whipped around at the sound of her voice. A strange grin pulled at his dripping mouth. He seemed to calculate, looking between Sakura and Ino. And then he crawled up the stairs, advancing on Ino instead.

Sakura's right hand grasped at the air. She threw a shield out to cover Ino a second too late. Ino's arm swung up, water forming into a whip from her wrist. But that was too late too. Naruto's sharpened fingers pierced through her chest. Sakura had to fight back the urge to vomit as she watched Ino slump to the floor like rag doll.

"Ino!" she heard Sasuke shout. Electricity crackled at his fingertips. When he swiped at Naruto, more fire poured from Naruto's grinning mouth. Sasuke jumped back to dodge the heat. He clenched his teeth together.

"That's… Shisui's…" he realized too.

Naruto's grin widened.

A strange voice rumbled up his throat.

"I ate him."

"What did he say?" Sakura breathed. She felt Madara's arm tighten around her and she knew she hadn't misheard.

Sasuke's face twisted. "Where's Shisui?" he demanded.

Naruto's smile stretched even wider. Until his mouth just looked like a cut across his face. His teeth gleamed too bright, reflecting the blue sparks jumping from Sasuke's hand.

"He was crunchy, but tasty. You look tasty too," Naruto croaked.

"Sasuke! No!" Sakura called.

It was too late. Sasuke was screaming. Tears dripped down his cheeks as lightning erupted from both his palms. The electricity sparked up his arms as he lunged at Naruto.

Things moved too quickly for her to see clearly. But she didn't really need to know all the details when Sasuke let out an agonized shriek. Madara suddenly threw his arms around her, pressing her face to his chest.

"Don't look," he hissed as she began to hear a grisly tear and snap. Her pulse thundered in her ears as she listening to teeth gnashing together. Or maybe that was the sound of Madara's heart.

"Papa, is he…?"

"Don't look," was all Madara repeated.

Her whole body was shaking.

"Oh shit," Madara suddenly said. She lifted her chin to stare up at him. And just as she did, something smashed into the side of her shield. She could feel the strands of the barrier twisting and ripping apart. Something scratched at her back. Madara pulled her away from the pain, cursing and muttering spells under his breath.

But she knew it was too late when her shield strained too far. She felt the magical connections snap apart.

"I'm sorry," she heard Madara whisper.

And then she was ripping and tearing into little pieces. Madara's arms held her tight as the agony engulfed her until everything went black.

Her eyes flew open. They darted all around, searching for traces of the carnage she had just witnessed. She ran her hands up and down her arms, searching for chunks of missing skin and bone. Her frantic breaths began to slow as she realized that she was whole.

Her covers had pooled around her legs during the night. Her body was cold. She could tell she had been sweating. Sighing, she sat up in bed. As she dragged her hand across her face, her fingers came away wet with tears.

Now that she thought about it, it should have been obvious that she had been dreaming. There was no way there was a secret hidden room in the library. She had just talked to Naruto yesterday. As she took deep breaths to calm herself, she listed all the ways that her nightmare was ridiculous.

Sakura flinched when she heard a soft knock. The door creaked open. Madara's face appeared, illuminated in a weak light spell that radiated from his shoulder.

"You okay?" he murmured.

She shrugged. She sniffed. Rubbed her face again. Madara clicked his tongue. He shuffled into the room in his slippers. She felt him lean over her to pull a couple of tissues from the box on her nightstand. He pushed them into her hands. She sat there staring at them.

"You haven't had a nightmare like that in a while. Must've shook you up pretty bad," he sighed. And then his hand landed on top of her head. He patted her hair a few time. Still a little clumsy, even after all these years.

Sakura didn't say anything. She stared down at her hands.

Madara patted her head again before he asked, "Wanna talk about it?"

Sakura shook her head again. She was about to ask about pancakes when Madara sighed.

"Okay. It's still early, so try to get some rest," he said. He squeezed her shoulder.

Sakura sat in a daze for another minute. It took her a few tries to get her mind to focus on anything. She blew her nose, wadded the tissues up into a ball, and threw them in the trash. Out of habit, she disconnected her phone from the charger and lifted the screen up to eye level.

Friday, Nov 3.

A notification popped up on the screen to remind her that she had a date tonight.

But when she saw the time, she blinked.

It was barely 2 in the morning.

And then she sat wondering why she was so baffled by the time.

"You alright?" Madara's face was tired. He must have stayed up late working again.

Sakura tried to put on a smile. "Yeah, I'm fine," she assured him.

Madara gave her a look that said he didn't believe her. He pushed her until she laid her head back on her pillow. He pulled the covers over her stomach, smoothing it out with his palm. He always insisted on her keeping her stomach warm when she slept. It was such a specific thing to nag about.

"We can talk in the morning. Just sleep." He interrupted himself with a yawn.

Sakura turned onto her side. She pulled her hair away from her neck, letting it fall across the pillow instead.

"I'll be alright," she said, her eyes closing.

Madara patted her stomach once through the covers. He grunted as he got to his feet.

She could hear his bare feet shuffling against the floor as he walked. And then thumped their way down the hall into his room.

When she managed to finally fall asleep again, she opened her eyes to complete darkness. She didn't remember the entrance to the dream world or walking down that familiar corridor with all the doors.

Instead, she felt her body floating. And then warmth and pressure surrounded her. It wasn't painful- this was a dream after all. But it was an uncomfortable sensation- being squeezed from all sides. She felt around in the darkness until she could find a gap in this strange space. Her fingers hooked onto a small opening. She pried the edges of the opening apart. To her surprise, the edges of the gap turned into fingers that grabbed hers.

"What the hell?"

She recognized that voice.

With a sharp tug, Shisui pulled her hand. She squeezed out of the narrow space. Once she was out, Sakura could see that she had been encased inside a dream he was still in the process of weaving together. Swirls of cosmic dust and gas floated together into a ball. She could even see the crack where she had emerged from. It didn't matter that it was much too small. This was a dream. Things like physics almost never mattered. When she brushed her fingers over it, the gash smoothed over and disappeared.

Shisui scratched his head. He looked at her. And then twisted around to look at the door to his dream, which was closed.

"Where are you right now?" he questioned.

"Home," she replied.

Both their eyes narrowed.

"That's…" Shisui drew the word out.

"Weird," Sakura finished the thought for him.

They stood there. Thinking.

"We should look this up later. I don't think you're supposed to be able to just… like… appear in here from so far away," Shisui finally declared. Sakura nodded. But then Shisui shrugged.

"But whatever. You wanna help?" He pointed at the half-finished dream.

Sakura turned her attention to the orb. It was a deep purple color. The clouds that swirled across the surface were grey tinged with a hint of pink.

"What is it?" she asked.

"An old man wants to dream about being a superhero."

Sakura smiled. "That's cute." She reached out one hand toward the orb. She didn't even have to look as Shisui took her other hand, threading his fingers through hers. There was a warm tingle as his magic flowed into her, mingling together with her power. She heard Shisui shiver. But he didn't complain. The magic of water affinity casters did run a little cold. And it would feel especially cold to someone used to breathing fire and shooting sparks from his fingertips.

"We should make it exciting," Sakura mused as she laid her free hand on the orb. Shisui did the same. Splashes of color flowed from their palms, seeping into the fledgling planet.

"Don't go crazy. The dude is 87, Sakura. You make it too scary and that shit lingers," Shisui warned her.

For an instant, she remembered something. Scrying bones glowing gold across the wood floor.

Beware of the dreams that linger.

Do not give your heart away.

"You okay?"

Sakura lifted her chin. Shisui was scrutinizing her face. She nodded.

"Just… had a bad dream earlier."

Shisui's forehead wrinkled. "Ah. Sucks. Sorry." But as he turned his gaze back to the planet, his expression lightened. "Just a dream though. They're not real."

"…Yeah. You're right."