Affinity
Prompt: Ritual
Rating: M
Title: With the Bang of a Drum
Summary: Rituals must be performed, customs fulfilled, so they will dance in the firelight and feast upon the union of tribes once estranged.
Author's Note: I had the concept for this bouncing around in my mind for a while and after seeing some beautiful fan art that dealt with the Native American theme, I finally got the motivation to open Word and put the idea down.
She waits within the brush, knowing full well that he is doing the same. He is out there right now, most likely hiding behind the looming willow trunk or crouching in the thick bush.
Treading lightly, she moves closer to the large meadow in between them, sticking to the shadows cast by the brightly shining sun. She walks on her toes to minimize the sound of cracking twigs or crushing leaves. Moving closer to the clearing, she eyes her target.
The large black bear stands at the edge of the meadow, raised on his hunches, scratching his back against a large tree.
She nocks an arrow and aims her bow, but hesitates before letting it fly. She watches as the bear continues about its business when one, two, no three arrows imbed themselves into its stomach.
Letting out a gut-wrenching howl of pain, the bear falls to the grass, its body still except for the staggered movement its labored breathing causes.
She remains frozen in place as she watches a dark form move into the clearing. His dark hair spikes up in the back and a single, shoulder-length braid frames the left side of his face.
He wears dark pants most likely from the skin of a deer and his muscular chest is covered with an impressive breastplate made out of thin strips of bones. He shoulders the ebony bow before turning to look in her direction.
"Come out," he calls to her.
Slowly, Sakura lowers the bow, places the unused arrow back in its quiver, and steps out from the covering of trees and into the meadow.
He tosses her a knife, which she catches expertly. "Finish it off," he orders.
She looks at the struggling creature. It lies on its back, large eyes open and sorrowful, and three black-feathered arrows sticking out from its stomach.
"Sasuke, I can't," she tells him, handing back the knife.
"You have to," he says, refusing to take the sharpened metal. "It's tradition for the female to deliver the final blow as a display of strength to her betrothed."
"An Uchiha tradition," she spits back, throwing the knife to the ground.
"As of tonight, you will be an Uchiha and we will unite our tribes against all others," he says softly, as if not in full support of the idea himself.
"Then the harvesters of the Harunos and the warriors of the Uchihas will form the perfect tribe," she finishes for him, having heard the spiel herself multiple times.
"I know it's against the Haruno's tradition to kill animals," Sasuke lets out a disgruntled sigh before continuing, "so I will help you."
He picks up the weapon and sets it in her dainty hand, one that has only been used for weaving and gathering, before pulling her over to the animal.
"You see, now it is suffering," he places her armed hand in his and moves it towards the bear's neck. "Before delivering the final blow, we must thank it for it's sacrifice and promise not to waste it."
Then, with a swift, strong stroke, he drags the knife across the bear's neck, ending its life.
The fire crackles as the scent of the meat cooking fills the air and the full moon shines above the dancing flames. Both clans gather, each sticking to their respective sides, shaking lentil filled rattles and blowing into clay flutes. Large drums circle the fire, no more than a foot apart from each other.
Casting a quick glance at the stoic form of Sasuke through the flames, Sakura steps up onto the tanned skin of the large drum nearest her and begins dancing with the beat of the music. A tapping noise adds to the rhythmic beat of the tribal sounds each time her feet hit the instrument.
Slowly, she makes her way around the circle, moving from drum to drum in a flurry of limbs and petals until she stands on the drum smack dab in the middle of the Uchiha clan.
She continues the dance, her rose colored hair flying around her in constant movement with her body, the wooden beads adorning it, clanking together and adding to the savage rhythm of the song. With a low bow, she stares into the dark eyes of her seated betrothed and holds a delicate hand out to him as an invitation to join.
Accepting it, he stands and proceeds to step onto the drum with her. He moves his calloused hands down her arms and just brushes her hips only to have her pull away and leap onto the next drum in line. Remembering his lessons over the Haruno family's traditions, Sasuke moves to the drum behind him so that he must, once again, watch the twirling girl through the flames.
The two dance across from each other, Sakura's movements resembling the tendrils of a willow blowing in the wind, while Sasuke's appearing to belong to a great panther stalking its prey. They move drum to drum, symbolizing the steps of life they have already taken until they meet at the one that Sakura had originally started on. Standing in front of the Haruno clan, Sasuke places his arm over his chest before bowing to them.
We he comes back up, Sakura, a serious expression on her face, snakes an arm through his and lays a hand on his bicep.
Now, with arms locked, they make their way to the apex of the circle where the head of the separate clans sit. The couple steps down from the drum and bow their heads to the two sets of elders.
Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha rise first. Mikoto leans forward and presses a kiss on each of her soon-to-be daughter in-law's cheeks. Fugaku then turns to Mikoto and retrieves a leather band from around her neck.
He holds the necklace out for Sakura to admire – a simple ornament with a small group of dove feathers framed by ornately carved black beads– before slipping it over her head.
Mikoto then turns to her husband to repeat his actions. The necklace gripped in her thin fingers is an exact replica of the one just given to Sakura, except with black raven's feathers and white beads. She slips it over her son's neck, a small smile illuminating her features.
After giving his son a strong pat on the shoulder, and Sakura a quick kiss on the lips, Fugaku sits back down, followed by his wife. The chief nods his head to Kizashi and Mebuki Haruno and they rise to bestow their own blessings.
Mebuki brings forth a cloth, unwrapping it to show the wooden earring inside. Stepping up to Sasuke, who had to endure the pain of having his ear pierced prior to the ceremony, she slips the hook-like piercing into the fresh hole. Looking him over, she admires the swirling wood now hanging from his left lobe.
She smiles and wraps her arms around him in an embrace as Kizashi pulls back a similar cloth to reveal a cherry blossomed shaped bead. After giving his daughter a quick wink, he slides the bead up one of her thin braids, securing it in place.
Once the Harunos bow to the couple, they resume their seated positions.
Sakura and Sasuke turn to the fire and the rest of the tribes. Using highly decorated knives, each makes a shallow cut across the other's palm, then, join hands to hold them over the fire.
Once the combined blood drips into the flames below, the fire roars larger causing the tribesmen to cheer. Both chiefs stand and move to the side, revealing the path to the couple's new home.
After taking a deep breath, Sakura begins walking down the path with Sasuke, blocking out the shouts of congratulations. She takes small steps, trying to put off the inevitable end of the night as long as she can.
Sasuke stares straight ahead, ignoring her childish actions and upon reaching the entryway, pulls back the thick skin that serves as a door.
Once the skin falls back into place, Sakura freezes up, refusing to move into the wooden hut any farther.
Their "house" is cozy, not large, but not small either. In the center of the wigwam, flares a small fire, filling the room with the smell of burning cedar wood. The smoke vents up into the circular hole in the roof that reveals the bright stars littering the expansive dark blue sky. On the right side of the room lies the pelt of the black bear, that they had hunted this morning, topped with beaded blankets.
The sounds of the celebration outside can be heard as the tribes share a feast, truly merging them into one.
Eyeing the bed makes Sakura's heart beat faster, the nervousness getting the better of her. Right now, she wants nothing more than to run out of the hut and into the woods, never to return again.
But, this is her duty, the union of the great tribes.
Sasuke looks down at her trembling form, her sharp tongue and aggressive demeanor he has come to associate with her, having left at the idea of their consummation.
This infuriating woman is now his wife, and he will not have her fearing him.
"I will be good to you," he tells her, looking into bright viridian eyes that dance in the firelight.
All at once, her trembling stops and a new expression takes over her face, one of resolve and determination. He watches wide-eyed as she kicks off her moccasins and shrugs off the flower-covered dress all in one movement. Thus, she stands before him donning only her wedding necklace and the beads in her hair.
This is my wedding night, Sakura things to herself, and here I will prove to this Uchiha a Haruno woman's true strength.
Sasuke mentally praises her body, eyeing the candlelight skin, the soft curves, the pert breasts, the flared hips, the sculpted legs, the petal hair…The list of her attributes runs through his head before he finally settles on one final thing, the brown ink of intricate vines running up her abdomen and curling right under the swell of her breasts.
With his beautiful, naked betrothed standing before him in the blazing light of the fire, Sasuke feels a lustful heat run down his body.
Before he can move, she practically pounces on him, forcing him to fall backwards onto the bearskin. He watches intently as she removes his leather pants and shoes before traveling her hands up to deal with the breastplate. He helps her slip his clothing off leaving him bare beneath her.
Sakura leans forward, trailing her hands up his chest, her fingers halting at the sight of a large scar pertaining of teeth and claw marks.
"What happened here?" she asks, her hand traveling up and down the marks.
"My first encounter with a wolf when I was eight," he tells her, voice husky from the desire building within him.
The puckered skin takes up the majority of the space on his side, it had been a bad injury, and one that all the villagers thought would kill him.
He personally has a certain fondness for the mark. Pulling through the fever and infection that it had caused had been proof of his strength even at such a young age.
Now, as Sakura begins skirting delicate kisses over the darkened skin, her tongue flicking out and tasting his salty perspiration, he begins to like the scar even more.
She continues her voyage up his body, pausing momentarily to admire the hawk tattoo on his arm. Eventually, she reaches his hair and snakes her fingers through it. She strokes the dark feathers and plays with the single braid that she has wanted to touch since she first laid eyes on him all those years ago.
Unable to hold back anymore, Sasuke tilts his head up and crashes his lips against hers. She hums approvingly as he grabs her posterior and begins intensely massaging the soft, rounded skin there.
As their kiss grows mover fevered and his tongue enters her mouth, she begins grinding her hips into his, moaning at the delicious friction it causes. The heat of the fire causes sweat to dampen her skin and it only arouses the pair all the more.
The celebratory sounds of their clansmen swallow up the animalistic grunts and alluring sighs as the couple consummate their marriage. Outside of the wigwam, a nod of understanding is exchanged between two fathers along with a hushed promise to discuss their strengthening enemy in the morning.
A/N: I had to force myself not to write "bare skin on the bearskin".
I do NOT know much about Native American customs. These rituals came from my own imagination and are not meant to offend/reflect real Native American traditions.
