"Farewell, little doe."
Madara tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword as he thrust it towards her back, only to see his katana shatter into a hundred pieces. The dusk god watched in bewilderment as the shards of his blade scattered around the pair, and the hilt of his no longer existent sword fell to the ground with a loud thump.
The raven god scanned his immediate surroundings for any sign of enemies or other weapons that might have destroyed his sword but found none. His wary gaze then returned to the petite form in front of him.
It was her, he realised. She destroyed his sword without even moving a muscle. She was insusceptible to the withering that encompassed his surroundings. She was insusceptible to the fear that penetrated everyone in his presence. She was insusceptible to him.
Narrowing his gaze on the young goddess before him, Madara could feel his anger rise. He prided himself in being the bringer of death, the destroyer of worlds – nothing and no one had ever withstood his wrath. Yet this feeble little goddess somehow seemed invulnerable to his ire.
Finally finding his match in the youngest of all the dawn gods was not something Madara ever expected. And he hated the unexpected.
"What are you?" he growled.
"I was hoping you could tell me," the young goddess whispered, before turning to face him.
Madara's gaze fell from her hair to the fine line of her jaw as she turned her head. Wandering upwards, it landed on her full lips, which were parted slightly as she drew in a nervous breath. His curious eyes drifted over the hollow of her high cheek bones and the narrow bridge of her small nose before finally meeting the gaze of two endlessly deep jade eyes.
In that instant, Madara felt his entire world shift into focus. As if he could finally, truly see for the first time in his long life. See the heavens in all their bright colours, see the actions from his past all leading him to this moment – see her.
As he lost himself in her breathtaking eyes, the dusk god could feel all of his wrath disperse from his mind and melt away in her peaceful aura. Without even thinking, he allowed himself to be enveloped by her soothing serenity, letting down his guard for once and basking in her beauty.
Madara could see the young goddess hesitantly raising a hand to his face. Just as her fingertips were about to touch his cheek, he vaguely perceived the buzzing of an arrow growing louder as it flew toward them.
He was so entranced by the young goddess that he almost missed deflecting it, were it not for the impenetrable black mist that wrapped itself protectively around the pair and shielded them from the arrow.
Both deities tore their gazes from each other as they realised the sudden danger they were in, inspecting their surroundings for the unwelcome intruder.
The dusk god suddenly felt a familiar pressure behind his eyes and sensed his full powers finally returning. As Madara opened his eyes and his crimson gaze landed on the god who had dared disturb this moment, he could feel his anger swell inside him once more. Gone was the tranquillity of before, replaced by blind rage and the inexplicable need to punish the fool for putting the young goddess in harm's way.
Growling threateningly, he stomped towards the enemy, whose eyes widened in fear as he watched the menacing form of the dusk god draw closer to him. Madara fixed his burning gaze on the deity and willed the black mist to envelop his whimpering form and lift it off the ground. As his prey was hanging limply in the air, shrouded in Madara's suffocating haze, the raven god raised his right arm and conjured a great spear ablaze with black flames.
Just as he was about to impale his enemy, Madara felt something warm encircle his torso, and he stilled.
"Please stop." It was barely a whisper, yet he heard it clearly.
"Please… so many have perished already, can you not spare one soul?"
She was asking him for mercy, he realised. The dusk god almost laughed at the absurdity of it. He was a god of many things – mercy had never been one of them.
The pink-haired goddess behind him noticed his hesitation, and Madara sensed her tighten her hold around his body. As she pressed herself closer to him, he could feel her calmness wash over his turbulent mind and sooth his violent rage once more.
The dusk god closed his eyes, breathed in her flowery scent, and allowed the spear in his right hand to dissolve. When he opened his eyes again, he let his Sharingan spin and entrapped his opponent's mind in an endless illusion of pain, rendering him unconscious.
The pink-haired goddess breathed a sigh of relief and let go of his body. Immediately, Madara missed the soothing sensation of her warm hands wrapped around him – a feeling that struck him as odd, as he had never allowed anyone to get this close to him before.
What was even more curious was his finally reawakening his Sharingan. Three weeks' worth of battle and carnage and not one of the raven god's enemies had endangered him enough for his eye power to activate.
Yet somehow, the unfamiliar need to protect this young goddess was all it took to make his eyes bleed red.
Thinking back to what happened just moments before, Madara realised another peculiar thing: he shielded not only himself, but her as well. His black mist had automatically enveloped both of them instead of just him, as it usually did when he was in danger. The dark haze that always accompanied him was the dusk god's ultimate defence mechanism that acted on his own instinct – whenever he even subconsciously felt threatened, the mist would immediately engulf him in an impenetrable shield of inky blackness.
Yet for the very first time in his long life, his subconscious seemed to have the urge to protect another person except himself.
Madara turned around to face the cause of his confusion and gazed into her green eyes. Much like moments before, she stared at him in utter awe. Not in fear because he was the terrifying dusk god. Not in hatred because he was wrought havoc upon the heavens. What he saw in her stunning jade eyes was wonder, curiosity, and admiration.
In that moment, he realised how fitting his nickname from before was – the young goddess really did look like a startled little doe with her eyes wide open – which caused a smirk to grace his aristocratic features.
She cocked her head in confusion and asked curiously, "What are you smiling at?"
Madara shook his head lightly as a sombre expression settled on his face.
"Do you have any idea of what you just did?"
"No… did I do something wrong?" she asked worryingly.
The raven god had to bite back another smile at her naiveté. He already gathered that she was the youngest of all the dawn gods. She admitted she did not even know who he was, let alone that she made him activate his Sharingan.
Madara would have to be patient with her.
"You told me you do not know what you are. I take it you have questions in need of answering."
The pink-haired goddess nodded her head in confirmation and looked at him expectantly.
There it was again, that look of hopefulness and faith, as if she viewed him as some kind of saviour who would show her all the wonders of the heavens.
He was no saviour, he had to remind himself. Yet for some reason, every fibre of his being begged him to keep her close, to hold her, to shield her from all the evil in the universe except his own.
And Madara had always been a selfish god.
"What if I told you that I have the answers you so desperately seek?"
He watched her nervously play with the hem of her sleeve as she contemplated her response. Hesitantly raising her head, she looked at him cautiously and murmured, "I take it you cannot just tell me now, can you?"
A deep chuckle escaped his lips, and the dusk good watched her in amusement. "No, little doe, I cannot. It is not that easy. It is never that easy, not with me."
Madara's smirk widened as he watched her pretty lips turn into a pout. She swallowed hard before trying her best to look as confident as possible. "What do I need to do?"
So submissive, he mused gleefully. Her obedience would be her downfall, he realised – or his own.
Madara stepped closer to the young goddess until they were only inches apart. He could hear her breath hitch and see her eyes widen in anticipation.
He raised a hand and lifted up her chin. "You seem to have a certain effect on me, little doe; one that has allowed me to reawaken my full powers. It would be a shame to lose such a valuable influence. I shall keep you for now, and in turn, you can ask me whatever you want."
The dusk god's eyes landed on her enticing mouth as his thumb absentmindedly grazed over her bottom lip. His fingers then gripped her chin as he hummed deeply, "Let me show you what the heavens look like under my reign."
Madara returned his gaze to meet hers and let his Sharingan spin, sending the goddess into a deep slumber.
His strong arms immediately wrapped around her petite form, catching her unconscious body before it hit the ground and holding her securely to his chest, before the pair vanished in cloud of black.
When Sakura finally came to, she found herself in a spacious bedroom of an unfamiliar place. Letting her gaze wander around, she noticed everything was dark: from the furniture, to the colour of the pillars, and even the drapes fluttering in the wind.
Her eyes landed on the bedside table, and she immediately felt her stomach growl with hunger. On the table, there was a chalice filled with water and a golden bowl with fruit so juicy and ripe, it practically begged her to eat it.
Sakura took a grape and popped it in her mouth before eagerly gulping down all the water from the chalice. When she placed it back on the table, the goddess noticed something peculiar: the goblet magically refilled itself.
Sakura had witnessed her fellow gods do countless amazing feats, yet in her young years, she was still easily fascinated.
Emptying the cup once more to ease her thirst, she curiously watched it refill itself again as an amused smile graced her features. As she was about to put down the chalice, she noticed her kanzashi lying on the table.
Surprised, the young goddess ran a hand through her silky pink tresses only to realise that her hair was no longer pinned up. Instead, it cascaded down her shoulders like a waterfall of sakura blossoms.
Did he take them out so that I might sleep better? Her lips curled into a warm smile at the thought of his caring nature.
Although Sakura had to admit to herself, what she had witnessed in the forest before he made her fall asleep was anything but caring. The moment he realised they were under attack, the dawn goddess could feel his anger spike as an aura of dread surrounded his being.
Sakura's brows were knitted in a frown thinking back to that moment.
As soon as they laid eyes on each other, she felt her heart pound so heavily she was afraid it might jump out of her chest. In that moment, she felt as if she had finally come home – not the palace in the East she grew up in, but to him. The instant she gazed into his dark eyes, Sakura felt as if she finally found the place where she belonged. Feeling so lost and purposeless all her life, she relished this sensation of belonging and security he seemed to instil in her.
Alas, their shared moment of closeness was disrupted and so was his calmness.
Sakura witnessed the dusk god go from serene to berserk in a matter of seconds. She was frightened and amazed at the same time that someone so breathtakingly beautiful could hold such a devastating power.
When her arms circled around his body it was more of a reflex. Sakura did not even know if it would have any effect on him, but she knew she had to do something to prevent him from taking another life. All the more surprising when she actually felt him calm down again.
The pink haired goddess thought by confronting the force in the West, she would finally get some answers. Yet it seemed this enigmatic dusk god only raised more questions.
Out of all the mysteries surrounding this deity, however, one was finally solved: now, she was certain the god from her recurring dream and the dusk god she met in the forest were one and the same being. The same aristocratic features, the same captivating eyes - and Sakura even finally knew the name of the mysterious figure: Madara. The question why he haunted her dreams still remained, however.
No point racking my brain, Sakura thought to herself, might as well go talk to him when he already did me the favour of bringing me to his home.
As the goddess got up from the bed, she expected a wave of dizziness to hit her as it always did when she got up from any reclined position. Yet she felt neither dizzy nor weak. Much like when she faced him in the forest, Sakura felt stronger than ever before. No trace of the frailty that had usually always weighed her down. It would seem her assumption was right: being in the presence of the dusk god did, for whatever baffling reason, make her stronger.
Sauntering through the dark halls of his palace, the petite goddess took in her surroundings. His home was constructed in the same magnificent style as the palace in the East she grew up in, but she noticed certain details that seemed older somehow, as if they belonged to some long forgotten era. The statues she passed were all wearing traditional armour and holding old weapons none of the dawn gods used anymore. The paintings on the walls sported images of mythical creatures she had never seen in her life.
One mural in particular caught her attention. It told the story of a great battle between a raven-haired god and a giant fox demon with 9 fiery tails.
Sakura could guess who that god was. She was going to have to ask him about how he survived facing such a ferocious beast.
Even though his palace was massive, Sakura had no problem navigating its many halls to find him. She clearly felt his presence on the northern side of his home.
The young goddess found him with his back turned to her, his attention focused on little wooden figures scattered around his bare feet.
"What is this?"
The raven-haired god took a sip of his wine when he felt her presence behind him. Keeping his gaze fixated on the pieces to his feet, he spoke, "That is not what I expected your first question to be after I whisked you away to my palace without your consent."
Madara turned to face the young goddess. "Are you not mad?" His deep voice taunted her.
She seemed to think for a moment, before shaking her head slightly. "Why should I be mad? You have not done anything to me."
"I tried to kill you", he deadpanned.
Sakura remembered the moment he was about to drive his sword through her back.
Although she had never been this close to dying, oddly enough, she did not feel afraid. Fr some inexplicable reason, the goddess knew she was safe in his presence, that he could not harm her even if he wanted to.
"You tried, and yet, you did not succeed."
Madara snorted at that. She behaved as if it were the most natural thing in the world that she just survived an attempt on her life – by him, no less. Why in the heavens was she not afraid of him?
He studied her face in hopes of finding any trace of deceit, anything that would betray some kind of ulterior motive she might have. Yet he found nothing save for that damned hopeful glimmer in her eyes, which he was sure was one day going to be the death of him.
Madara slowly approached the goddess before him, like a predator stalking his prey. Leaning in just enough for their noses to touch, he looked at her with hooded eyes and whispered, "And what makes you think I will not try to harm you again, little doe?"
Sakura swallowed hard and took a breath to calm herself. Her gaze darted back and forth between his mesmerising eyes and his inviting lips, who were just inches away. "B-Because… you could have let me sleep in a dungeon, instead… you put me to bed and draped a blanket over me so I would not get cold. And when I woke up… there was a fruit bowl next to the bed and a chalice of water that refilled itself no matter how much I drank… So something tells me you did not bring me here to harm me."
Sighing heavily, Madara forced himself to tear his gaze from the enticing goddess. He could easily lose himself in her eyes, especially when she looked up at him with that doe-eyed innocence of hers.
Taking another generous sip of his wine, he turned his attention to the pieces on the floor, when he heard her soft murmur. "Besides, I said I wanted answers, and I take it you brought me here to give them to me. So… here I am."
The dusk god couldn't help but let a deep chuckle escape his throat. With a seductive smile dangling on the corner of his lips, he turned to her again. "I merely said I have what you seek. I never said I would give anything to you, my little doe. I told you it is never that easy with me."
Sakura's lips turned into a pout when he rebuffed her attempt once again.
Her attention then shifted to his right hand when she saw him raise it to conjure a staff which he used to push around the pieces to his feet.
She had to get him talking somehow. Maybe she should start with easier questions he would have no reason to avoid.
"You never answered my question from before. What is that?"
Her curious gaze landed on the floor of the courtyard, which was adorned with markings and writings and had several little figures spread across it that resembled chess pieces.
"It is a map of the heavens," he explained as he pushed one of the figures eastward.
Madara watched her eyes light up in excitement as she hurried over and knelt down beside him.
"Really? I have never seen a map of the heavens. This is amazing," she gushed while running her fingers over an image of a mountain range. With childish glee, she looked at him as if he had just given her the world itself.
Madara had to bite back a smile at her adorable excitement. Who would have thought that a map he used to plan his war would give her such happiness?
"You have never seen a map of the heavens? How old are you exactly?" he teased with a grin.
"500. My birthday was three weeks ago. On the exact day the darkness covered the heavens, in fact."
Her answer stunned him. That day, 500 years ago… Her birthday was not the only remarkable thing that happened on that day all those centuries ago.
Madara's expression darkened thinking back to what had transpired. Could it be a coincidence, he mused. No, nothing happened without a reason.
The dusk god was torn from his alarming thoughts when he saw her raise one of her delicate fingers and point to another image on the map. "What is the Valley of the End?" she asked curiously.
Memories of his most fabled battle flashed across his mind. Even though it was the only fight he did not win, Madara always fondly remembered it, as this was the one confrontation that cemented his reputation as the most feared of all the dusk gods.
"The Valley of the End is the site of the greatest battle to ever take place in the heavens. Its repercussions were so immense, they were felt in the mortal world below. Entire continents were torn apart. It was during the height of the reign of the dusk gods."
Madara saw her ears peek up in interest and her eyes widen with curiosity, urging him to tell her more.
"It was a fight between the two strongest dusk gods to ever grace the face of the heavens. One of them was the famed Hashirama. He was the legendary god of fire, among many things."
Sakura's eyes widened in realisation when she heard that name. Countless heroic tales were sung of the fabled dusk god Hashirama. Considering how famous he was, Sakura found it all the more peculiar that she never heard anything about such an earth-shattering battle.
"Who was his opponent?" Still kneeling beside the raven-haired god, she gazed up into his mesmerising black eyes.
"Me."
Madara watched her jade orbs widen in awe. Seeing this particular goddess so fascinated by his fighting prowess had his chest swelling with pride.
"Who won?"
"It was a draw. Hashirama and I were equal in strength. Always pushing the other to his absolute limits, yet never able to kill one another."
The young dawn goddess played with the ends of her silky pink hair as she contemplated her next question. She had to find out more about him in order to find out more about herself.
Clearing her throat, she raised her voice again. "So what are you the god of?"
Madara's lips curled into a smug grin as he gazed down at the peculiar goddess kneeling to his feet. "What do you think, little doe?"
She let her gaze wander across the courtyard, taking in their dark surroundings before she rested her eyes on him, scrutinising him from head to toe. Lips pursed, she was deep in thought trying to guess his true powers.
"Your entire palace is dark. Most of your robes are black. You are surrounded by an aura of gloom and you… bring death to everyone around you", she mused loudly.
"Almost everyone," he grinned wickedly down at her, making her blush profusely.
"I would say… you are the god of darkness, the god of war, and the god of death."
"Among many other things, yes."
Madara studied her fair face for a moment, waiting for fear to settle on her features. Yet her viridian eyes stared into his own with such confidence as if she had known him his entire life.
"And what is your divine purpose, my little doe?"
Frustration crinkled her eyes at the mention of her lack of powers. Madara watched her shoulders slump in defeat before she murmured, "I do not know."
Sighing heavily, Sakura got up from the floor and turned to face him. "I have no purpose. I have no abilities. Nothing," she lamented, waving her hands in frustration. "The elements do not react to me. There is nothing and no one that is subject to my will. The mortals do not pray to me for anything… they probably do not even know that I exist."
Slumping down on a bench, the dawn goddess stared at the hands in her lap, silently cursing their uselessness.
"I was named after the sakura tree, because my hair has the same colour as cherry blossoms. You would think that at least I would have some connection to them. But no, not even some silly tree I was named after wants to listen to me."
She suddenly felt his thumb softly caress her cheek before he lifted her chin to meet her gaze. The dusk god's terrifying eyes usually emitted fear and dread, yet now they showed understanding and support she never thought the god of death would ever be capable of.
"Do not fret, my little doe. I shall help you find your place in this universe," his deep voice assured her.
Seeing the little goddess so distraught and helpless awoke something deep within Madara he did not even know existed – the need to comfort her, to take away her pain and hold her until all she could think about was him.
He leaned in closer to her when a sudden explosion ripped through the outer walls of his abode. Madara turned his gaze southward, where he sensed the presence of Jiraiya and several other lesser gods.
His palace was under siege.
"Stay here," he growled. Sharingan spinning, he teleported himself to the site of the attack, leaving behind the startled goddess.
As he summoned a sea of black flames to engulf his enemies, he relished their desperate pleas and tortured cries. Madara was in a murderous frenzy at finally being able to unleash his full wrath upon the dawn gods that he almost missed the intruder approaching the North wing of his palace.
"Sakura." Her name escaped his lips in a whisper once he realised they were here for her. The attack on his palace was only a diversion to draw him out and to enable the intruder to take her away from him.
A protective instinct he never knew he had kicked in and a surge of concern rushed through his being while the dusk god bolted towards the courtyard.
Madara found her in the embrace of another god, the sight of which had his blood boiling with untameable rage. Once she sensed his presence, Sakura's worried gaze landed on him.
"Madara," she called out his name. Her arm stretched out towards him in a pleading gesture to rescue her, before she disappeared in a flash of lightning.
Note: So instead of finally getting started on my 30 page history paper due in 9 days (somebody shoot me please), I finished chapter 4 of FDTD - AT LONG LAST! Talk about sorting out my priorities, am I right Ron?
I am so so sorry for making you wait this long :( I finally got into something that might remotely resemble a daily routine of this hellhole of a semester, so I should (huuuuge emphasis on the subjunctive here) be able to update in more or less regular intervals.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the new chapter, and if you do, let me know. Getting reviews is literally the highlight of my day nowadays.