A/N: Sorry for the long wait. The progress is going slow, especially since I'm doing my medical internship. Rest assured, this story isn't dead. I humbly ask for your patience.
Thank you, and enjoy the chapter!
Sakura stood as still as a statue. Her dumbfounded expression would have made her companion laugh if he weren't distracted by the sight before them.
Hidden by an extremely powerful genjutsu that even Sakura had a hard time dispelling, the vast crash site was occupied by a few deer grazing on the grass and expanded across eight kilometers. The forestry that once covered the land never grew back.
In the background, the ocean waves could be heard crashing against the ebony rocks, yet Sakura's attention was solely on the sight before her.
The remains of what once must have been a massive ship looked eerily out of place in the otherwise typical landscape of the Land of Whirlpools.
The rosette's mind worked in over-drive as she struggled to accept the sight before her. Seeing the ship in the vision was one thing, but actually seeing it personally was an unbelievable experience.
Sakura took one step forward and glanced back at her companion. "Is this really the same ship?"
Shikamaru nodded. "As far as we know, no other crash site exists on the main continent."
"Yet you believe that there could be more?"
The man gave her a questioning look. "Don't you? I was under the impression that you believed more Akuma existed elsewhere."
Sakura glanced away from him. "I have my suspicions, but I've never made contact with another hive after the battle."
Shikamaru stepped beside her. "I'd like to believe that the Akuma threat is gone, but those creatures are too cunning to allow themselves to be wiped out in one go."
The rosette's heart rate began to quicken. "What are you saying?"
The man beside her sighed. "Cut the bullshit, Sakura. You know that there's another hive out there. In the Land of Water, was it?"
The rosette wiped her face at him. "How did you know?" She asked, alarmed.
Shikamaru cocked his eyebrow. "Shizune told me about your hunch. Given the hell we've suffered through here, I wouldn't be surprised if an Akuma hive was responsible for Kirigakure's 20-plus-year blackout from the rest of the shinobi world."
Sakura held his sharp eyes for a moment, before she looked away. "I… in the vision I saw, it was implied that the Akuma infested more than one ship. I believe another ship crash landed somewhere in Water Country."
The Nara man hummed in thoughtfulness. "It could explain why Orochimaru spent an unknown amount of time there."
The rosette scanned the crash site once more. "It looks rather barren."
Shikamaru nodded. "We found it like this. We believe Orochimaru and Danzo's Root ANBU transported most of the structure to another location."
"Water Country."
"Water Country." Shikamaru repeated. "And some of the metal was used by the late Tsunade."
Sakura covered her face with a gloved hand. "When will this nightmare end?"
"It'll end the moment we kill the last of these creatures. The question is, are you prepared to travel to foreign territory to save a people you're not even sure is still alive?"
The rosette glanced back at him in confusion. She opened her mouth, yet no words came out.
She glanced back at the crash site, and the pair stood in silence for a moment.
"I don't know," she finally confessed. "I still can't get over what Tsunade knowingly did to me, how she sought to kill me and nearly succeeded, because of her embryo's corruption. I just started my life with Sasuke, and I've finally learned to call Konoha home again. I can't just leave."
A slightly amused expression plastered itself on Shikamaru's face. "Indeed. The Uchiha is quite possessive of you. It took much convincing to allow you to travel with me here without him accompanying you."
Sakura scowled at him. "He's protective of me, not possessive. I was practically dead, Shikamaru, until my Byakugō no In kicked in and healed the damage." She closed her eyes at the thought of the painful memory and looked away. "I can't leave him. Not again."
Shikamaru hummed in thought. "Love dictates our life; it can either make us accomplish the impossible or take foolish decisions."
The rosette rubbed her engagement ring through the glove. "My love for him commands me to stay with him. I won't put him through that pain again."
"The day will come where you'll have to make a choice. What remains to be seen is if you'll be able to live with your decision."
Sakura's mood darkened at his ominous words. "Did you bring me out here just to tell me that, or were you actually going to show me something?"
The man gave her a wry look. "You mean this wasn't impressive enough already? Actually, I had hoped that coming here would trigger more visions from you."
Sakura started to walk towards the crash site. "Only one way to find out."
The pair walked in silence, and if it weren't for the dead ship that was glaringly out of place, it would have been peaceful.
Sakura's scientific mind soaked up the scene in front of her with eagerness. Never before had she the opportunity to uncover something so alien, and she was excited.
She greedily took in the sights of exotic metal and strange pieces that littered the dirt ground.
She continued to walk, and nearly stumbled as a vision assaulted her mind.
Dozens of unblooded younglings were training in hand-to-hand combats. Five blooded adults supervised them in case they needed to break off any out-of-hand fights, yet the trainees were all in a good mood. Tomorrow, they'd attack the home world of the hard-meats.
They were all eager to prove themselves to their elders; to prove that they too were worthy of carrying the mark. The attack on the hard-meat home world would be their best chance to show their honor.
Far below them, the clan's captive Akuma Queen whined in fear. Her home was in danger.
She warned the Queen Mother of the impending attack, yet the answer worried her even more. The Akuma would not retreat. It wasn't in their nature, yet the Hunters wouldn't leave a single Akuma alive.
The Queen shrieked in anger and mourning for the upcoming extermination of her kind.
-X-
The same Queens shrieks turned to yowls and increased in volume. Her home was burning, and the screams of her dying brothers and sisters echoed maddingly in her mind.
She shook violently in an effort to break free from the chains.
The damned hunters who captured her were growling in alarm at her increased aggression.
She snapped her jaws at them in open defiance.
No longer would she be their prisoner. If she were to die, she'd rather take as many of her captors with her as possible.
Her growls quickly turned to a pained shrieking as she felt and heard the Queen Mother's agonized scream as she was ruthlessly murdered. Surprisingly, it wasn't the Hunters who killed her. It was the soft-meats, the Akuma's preferred hosts.
Suddenly, the Queen slumped into her chains as the energy and fight left her. Her world was burning, her kind were being exterminated, the Queen Mother was dead.
The Hunters were confused at her abrupt change in attitude, yet the Queen paid them no attention.
She retracted her face into her head crest and shut herself off from the chaotic hive mind. The grief was too much to bear.
Sakura was snapped from her thoughts by the feeling of Shikamaru's hand waving in front of her.
"Sakura, are you okay?" He asked, slightly alarmed.
The rosette stared at him in confusion for a moment, before she felt the dampness on both of her cheeks. Startled, she quickly rubbed away the tears.
"Yeah, I'm fine." She replied. "I didn't expect to react that way."
"What did you see?" The Nara asked.
The rosette released a shaky exhale. "Too much death," she said quietly. "I saw the destruction of the Akuma home world."
Understanding dawned on Shikamaru's face. "And you're crying because…?" He trailed off.
"The Akuma's grief was very intense. It almost felt like it was my own."
It technically is, a familiar voice whispered. They are your people too ever since we've merged.
Sakura nearly grimaced, but she withheld it since Shikamaru's sharp eyes were on her.
She calmed herself by taking deep breaths.
"Anything else?" Her companion asked.
Sakura nodded. "I caught a glimpse of the lifestyle of the Hunters; the humanoid figure we saw on the Temple wall we investigated." She specified. "They're not too dissimilar from us. They regularly train and are always looking for ways to climb the social hierarchy. I'm also under the impression that each of their ship carried an Akuma Queen that they'd use to breed more Akuma for them to hunt."
Shikamaru snorted. "We herd cattle; they herded demons."
The rosette turned her gaze to the wreckage around them. "This was one of the ships that attacked their home world. It… it was a massacre."
Shikamaru's eyes narrowed at her statement. "No more so than the Black Death. Or all of the Akuma attacks in the years afterwards."
Sakura bit her lips at her internal struggle.
We all suffered at each other's hands. It wasn't your people who directly killed our Queen Mother, yet you're still of the same species. Does that make our grief less than yours?
Sakura carefully masked her face before meeting the man's suspicious gaze. "I'm not sympathizing with them, if that's what you're thinking. I just don't like violence of any kind, never mind a genocide."
Shikamaru's gaze didn't soften. "These monsters don't deserve mercy. They were incapable of giving it to helpless children."
Sakura bowed her head. "I know." She said quietly.
A tense silence passed through them. The only sound was of the birds chirping, completely ignorant of the two shinobi.
Shikamaru mumbled in his breath, something sounding like "troublesome", before he stepped away to pick up a piece of damaged metal to examine it.
"I've never seen this type of metal before. I imagine it's the same that was used for your peoples' armor. It has the ability to resist the Akuma's acidic blood."
"An ability that saved many of our lives," Sakura stated.
"Indeed," Shikamaru agreed. "It's a shame that we don't more material to work with."
Annoyed, Sakura snapped. "If you're feeling so damn heroic, why don't you go to Water Country yourself and investigate?
Shikamaru lifted an eyebrow at her reaction. "I'm not stupid to think that I'd survive another Akuma encounter, worse by myself. Second, you understand them better than anyone else."
"Itachi-san was also a host, yet I don't hear you suggesting he go investigate."
Shikamaru's eyes darkened in intrigue. "Out of all the hosts who survived, you're the one with the deeper connection. Not even Itachi was able to tap into the Akumas' memories like you have."
"Stop talking to me as if I'm just a pawn! The price I've paid for peace was high, Shikamaru." The rosette's eyes narrowed. "Do you even think of me as a human?"
The Nara man was startled by her question. "What kind of question is that? Of course, I do."
Sakura stepped right up to him until their noses were almost touching. "Look me in the eye and tell me to go to Water Country. Tell Sasuke why I should go risk my life to face the unknown in a foreign land. We're getting married, Shikamaru. We plan on starting a family soon afterwards." Her voice turned soft, yet her stare remained intense. "Would you deny me the chance of motherhood? Would you deny me my one chance of happiness after I've spent my entire life living in an imposed hell? Your clan is renowned for their great intelligence, yet I never imagined that your cruelty would be just as profound."
Her companion's eyes narrowed at the accusation, but she wasn't finished.
"Don't you dare think that I'm turning a blind eye to the possibility of another Akuma threat. I ponder about it every single day, but I'm just one woman. My experience with the Akuma doesn't make me an expert on them anymore than you are." She lowered her head and closed her eyes. "It got to the point where I had panic attacks almost every day. I… I was pregnant at one point." She whispered.
Shikamaru stared at her in shock and lowered his gaze to the woman's flat abdomen.
Sakura pressed her hands to her abdomen. "It was too soon for me to develop the typical pregnancy symptoms. I didn't even know I was pregnant until I lost the baby." She chocked out, tears formed in her eyes.
The young man stepped away from her to give her space. With her head down, Sakura didn't see the guilty expression beginning to form on his face.
"It was so tiny: it barely fit in the palm of my hand. It was still alive and squirming around, but its movements were quickly weakening. My joy died when my baby's heart stopped beating."
Tears flowed freely down her grief-stricken face, yet she made no additional noise.
"I never told Sasuke, nor anyone else. He would have been devastated, and I didn't want him to suffer more than he already has. I will give him children, and I won't let anyone stop me. Not the Akuma. Not you." She hissed at the shocked man.
He struggled for words. "Sakura, I…"
Sakura gritted her teeth. "Save it. My decision is final: I'm not going."
Without waiting to see the man's reaction, Sakura turned around and walked away. Her destination: Konoha.
On the trip home, an uncomfortable silence stretched between the two shinobi.
Sakura was furious with Shikamaru for his demands. The man kept quiet in order to not piss off the rosette any more than he already did.
Sakura felt relief once the two-day journey came to an end, and the familiar sight of her beloved home came into view.
She all but rushed past the village gates and sped towards the Uchiha compound.
She only stopped once she saw Sasuke training a group of children.
Her eyes softened at the sight of Sasuke patiently teaching the children the Uchiha clan's signature fire style techniques.
Sakura nearly stepped in when a girl accidently blasted fire at herself and started to cry.
The Uchiha man knelt in front of the girl, and gently cleaned her face with a damp cloth. He spoke quietly to her, and the girl's tears eventually stopped, and she sniffled occasionally as she listened.
Sakura's nearly melted at the tenderness on her fiancé's face and gesture as he tended to the girl.
Once the girl calmed, Sasuke patted her back, and the girl jumped up to rejoin the other children in their training.
The Uchiha man noticed Sakura staring at him and smiled at her softly.
Heat pooled in Sakura's belly, and before she knew it, the rosette was in front of the man and dragged him away from the children.
"Sakura!" He was startled. "What are you doing?"
"The kids won't be mastering your clan's technique any time soon. Right now, I want you."
Sakura continued to drag her fiancé along until they reached their private rooms.
Unceremoniously, the rosette yanked the bamboo door out of the way and dragged Sasuke inside with her.
Once the door closed, she jumped into her fiancé's waiting arms and kissed him hard. The man returned the favor and squeezed her gluteal muscles.
As he led them to the bedroom, Sakura's agile fingers made quick work of her fiancé's buttons, and shortly afterwards, his shirt was discarded on the wooden floor.
Sakura straddled him as he laid on the futon.
For a moment, her lust-dominated haze lifted as she tenderly admired her husband-to-be. "You're so beautiful," she said softly as she traced the faded scars on his chest.
Sasuke hummed in contentment at her attention and leaned up to kiss her neck.
Sakura moaned, and quickly removed her shirt and bra.
The Uchiha flipped them over, and swiftly removed their bottom wear.
He stared at his future bride and reveled at the sight of the irresistible flush that spread over her aroused body. He ran his gaze from top to bottom.
Her emerald shone with several emotions as they stared back at him. Her plump lips were slightly opened as she breathed heavily in anticipation of what was to come. Her full breasts rose and fell with each breath she took. Her toned abdominal muscles twitched and relaxed with her movements.
As he laid eyes on her most sacred part, he felt more blood rush to his already hardened erection. Her second pair of lips glistened with the beginning of secretions that hinted at the prize that awaited him, in between two long and slender legs.
He looked back into his fiancée's eyes. "You're so beautiful."
Sakura shyly smiled at his earnest compliment.
The Uchiha cupped her right cheek and leaned down to kiss her.
She responded eagerly and wrapped her arms around his neck.
They broke the kiss, and the air was heavy with anticipation.
Sasuke aligned his member to her entrance. He stared into her eyes as he slowly pushed inwards.
Both of them groaned at the sensation, and Sakura threw her head back at the indescribable feeling of being full. For them, every joining was like coming home.
Her lover set a pleasant pace, and a fuchsia color painted her lips and cheeks. Her mouth hung open in silent breathes of ecstasy.
The Uchiha pressed his head to the side of hers and listened to her jagged breathing and soft meows.
As the minutes went by, the intensity of the joining increased, and their noises became louder.
As she reached her climax, Sakura screamed, not at all caring if someone else heard her.
Her lover wasn't far behind, and he groaned as he released himself inside of her.
He collapsed on top of her but was careful not to crush her with his weight.
The couple exchanged passionate kisses, before the Uchiha pulled out. He wrapped his arms around Sakura and pulled her to him. The woman happily obliged and curled around his side.
She hummed in contentment as Sasuke gently ran his fingers over her sensitive skin.
A moment went by in silence, until Sasuke spoke. "Are you going to tell me what's bothering you?"
Sakura looked up at him. "What makes you think something's bothering me?"
"While I have nothing against your passionate side, you normally do so when you're upset."
Sakura frowned. "You make it seem like I use sex to manipulate you."
Sasuke's eyes softened. "You know I don't think that," he replied gently. "Are you going to tell me that I'm wrong?"
Sakura couldn't hold his gaze for long and rested her head under his chin. His heartbeat was a comforting sound to her inner turmoil.
"You're right," she admitted. "I'll tell you, but not right now. Please, let's just enjoy this moment of bliss."
Her fiancé's grip on her tightened, and he pressed a kiss to her scalp. "I won't let anything hurt you." He said softly.
A burden was lifted from Sakura's shoulders. She thank the forces above for giving her a man such as Sasuke, and she snuggled closer into his warm embrace.