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Covenant
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Synopsis: Everyone is dead or hunted. The Allies lost. The war is over.
Treacherous seal marring her neck as a collar, Madara parades her like a victory trophy.
And though he gave her to his patriarch—betrayed her in the worst of ways—
Here, in The End, Sasuke Uchiha is all Sakura has left.
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2:12. Water
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SAKURA WAS afraid to move when she awoke.
Sasuke's arm lay over her waist, her back spooned into his chest, and his face buried in her hair. It all felt so...normal.
There were no sparkles in the air. No glamor on the stone walls painted their dullness with love and care. No kisses on her temple in greeting, or shared smiles of completion, or quiet questions about how she felt. Her neck had an odd kink in it. Having fallen asleep on Sasuke's mat with no additional padding, her one side felt stiff and uncomfortable. Her throat burned with want of a draught.
The only real difference was the closeness of the man behind her and the sticky, flaky sensation littering her upper legs and lower stomach.
Otherwise, it could've been any other morning.
Although most days, the time between rousing and breakfast was hellish. Hours since her last dose of calmative, the first sign of withdrawal would emerge as she regained consciousness. With it came the wispy outlines of ghosts the medicine kept tightly locked away; their icy hold on her heart and lungs sinking in like an internal winter.
The hunger for the drug was still present today, but no feverish memories accompanied it to bloody her thoughts or stab through her chest. Today, her mind was filled with red and purple and porcelain and sleek onyx and lusty whispers.
She blinked at the far wall as a blush saturated her in belated embarrassment.
They were still naked.
And she'd had sex.
She'd had sex with Sasuke Uchiha.
Multiple times—and he was still wrapped around her hours after it finished.
When things between them puttered out last night, after they'd both collapsed under the sheets, she'd steeled herself for the possibility that he wouldn't be there come morning. Prepared her heart for the fact that Sasuke would likely distance himself after such a massive step, as he was prone to do. Sakura let sleep take her, suspecting that his warm presence on her back would be cold rejection when she awoke.
She hadn't planned at all for the opposite. She'd no idea what to do.
The seal hummed pleasantly on her neck. Snippets of Sasuke's dreams floated into her thoughts—
He's in a forest chilled by night, crickets calling all around, leaning back on rough bark high in the treetops. He stares out into sparse trees—nothing like Fire's forests—wondering how much longer he'll have to wait—why is he waiting at all—he really ought to leave—well, he'll wait a bit longer… He's already two hours late, what's a bit more? They won this battle, so—
Pulling out of his visions, Sakura returned to analyzing this newfound situation.
Sasuke had been so—attentive in the act. So passionate. Like peeking behind a curtain, he'd let the facade he always wore slip last night. Sakura was too preoccupied to give it much thought then, but now his smirking face swamped her brain, and his teeth on her throat were a branding iron on her memory.
As if they'd waged some twisted gratification battle and he'd won. Or maybe since she woke first, she'd won.
Maybe the battle was still going.
His relentless touch was that of a starved man; surely, were her ankles not naked, he'd have left traces of him all over her. As it were, her chakra swept through her in sleep, alleviating any aches her body might've otherwise felt this morning.
He'd warned it wouldn't be gentle. It hadn't been.
When Sakura was a little girl, back when sex happened between two people who tongue-kissed for too long, she was certain her first time would be magical. It'd be tender and sweet, with plenty of vows about forever and loud, straightforward declarations of love. Of course, most importantly, at its conclusion, she'd be married.
Sasuke's fierce pace and depth had been anything but tender. It was brutal. His fingers around her throat while she came nearly knocked her out. How he wickedly tugged her back when she'd tried to inch away for a break was like the wind of their Hell that refused to give her peace.
The longer it went, the more clearly Sakura saw his movements' inexperience. But it turned out that sex was something like taijutsu in its nature, how one had to remain subliminally aware of the other party. Sasuke had always been a skilled fighter—a fast learner, as he'd promised.
And fortunately for his sake, she suspected that her own feelings filled in whatever gaps he might've shown.
Still, it wasn't what she'd imagined her first time being.
She hadn't ever thought someone ordering her to cum would be enough to make her do so. She hadn't imagined she'd ever watch a man dip his mouth between her legs after just finishing near there. Wouldn't have guessed it'd be so painfully pleasurable, nor continue for half as long. Had always hoped, though realistically never believed, that Sasuke Uchiha would be the one it happened with.
She also never postulated it would happen in an enemy cave, somewhere unknown in Water Country, at the End of the World, on a floor mat.
But here she was.
So it hadn't been the magical thing Academy Sakura longed for; it was a ravenous thing War Sakura unknowingly craved, instead.
And though she loathed to do it, wary the answer wouldn't be one she liked, she allowed herself to gently wonder where their consummation left them.
She wasn't so green to think it changed everything—to let his arm locking her into place against him be some grand metaphor for a new, affectionate state of their relationship. She had ample experience with him now; she could imagine his expression flat and stony, words direct and biting again, when he awoke.
Whatever transpired between them in last night's rush didn't change that she was a prisoner. It didn't erase the fact that she was one because he'd allowed her to get caught in Lightning, whether for nefarious reasons or not. It hadn't brought any of her loved ones he'd cut down back to life.
…She hadn't lied in arguing against that very logic last night when he pointed it out. Sakura didn't regret it, per se… But—
"So loud, even this early… Relax."
Face hot, she muttered a quiet, "Sorry."
She'd forgotten to re-barrier the seal when she woke. Quickly doing so, she braced to disentangle herself from the warm body behind her now that he was up, too.
The arm on her waist tightened. "Regretting it?"
"...You heard that I don't."
"But?"
Was he truly intending to have this conversation? Right now? Couldn't they give it some time to settle? He could've waited until they were dressed.
Sakura sighed.
Even though Sasuke was the type to attack a problem head-on, he'd typically let the issue dissolve in silence in these situations. That's what she'd anticipated happening. Especially in this context: That's what she'd prefer.
At least this way, they didn't have to face one another. She didn't think she could look him in the eye at the moment.
"It just… It wasn't how I thought it'd be. That's all."
Foreign emotions were leaking into her, not strong enough to name. It made her stomach clench on something, her fingers twitch. Her nerves jittered with a question of fight or flight she hadn't spawned.
"It doesn't have to happen again," he said, syllables brushing the crown of her head.
"That—isn't what I meant, either…"
"Mm..."
"Do you? Regret it, I mean."
His hand, splayed on her bare stomach, inched down towards her navel. "It was getting difficult to ignore how dejected you got when I didn't sleep close enough, or how excited you were when—"
"Okay. Shut up."
He hadn't answered, and it felt like maybe he laughed inaudibly at her interruption, but Sakura was wholly focused on his fingers now traveling across her hip. They moved down to her thigh, where he sunk into her flesh and tugged up one leg, pulling it back to rest awkwardly atop his.
"When you say it like that, it just sounds like you gave into the seal," she breathed out in the pause, her body responding to the hardness pressing into her lower back in ways that it shouldn't, given the cavalier way he'd just spoken about this.
"Didn't you have an epiphany on that matter last night?"
She was still as stone as his fingers started advancing toward her core. "...I don't remember now."
His movement stalled. "It's as…thought, your strategy…the timeframe…short," he mumbled, too hushed for her to hear the full sentence. Then with more volume, "Regardless, from now on, let's work together again, Sakura."
"I couldn't—what did you say? Work together on what?"
"I hate Madara. I was honest when I told you that." He shifted his hips, and his penis slipped between her legs. It rubbed on her folds as her breath caught. "But I need help, and time, to do anything about it. Without Orochimaru, it's almost impossible not to get you involved."
For the state her mind was currently in, Sasuke was talking entirely too rationally. His words entered her ears muffled and jumbled.
All she could think about was the length of him, and his bruising grip on her inner thigh, and the throbbing of her seal, and how lubricated she must be making him as he slid against her. She dropped her mental defenses around the seal, inviting in the warmth it sought to offer her.
"W-what are you—suggesting?"
"You just need to have a little trust in me. Cooperate a bit. Nothing more than what we agreed to before. Follow some orders that might not make sense without drawing suspicion...if you want."
Sakura had a fleeting thought—that this was oddly similar to how she'd attempted to gain leverage over him before. That this felt like a negotiation—and that, perhaps, she ought to feel something more averse than the overwhelming excitement she did. This was parallel to her asking him to get Ino out, only their positions switched, and Sasuke seemed much better at it than she'd been.
"It's not like that."
She shivered. "Don't listen so closely."
"Hmm." He shifted again, and his tip was suddenly pushed into her opening. Sakura clenched her jaw on a gasp, eyes watering. "If it were a negotiation, what would you say?" he asked, voice low and dark.
She learned many new things about Sasuke last night—one being that he greatly enjoyed talking during sex. Which, if she were of sound mind at the moment, might've made her laugh at the irony. And most of the talking he did encompassed some form of teasing, or orders, or questions to elicit her to say what she wanted.
So she knew why he was asking, but she didn't want to give him the pleasure of getting what he wanted from her so readily.
Although, honestly speaking, she wanted the same thing. If Sasuke was willing to fall into this sort of thing without them having to jump through an argument first, as had always happened before, she wouldn't object with much force.
What he offered was mindless enjoyment. Nothing else mattered when he was inside her. The world ceased to exist outside the two of them, alone and connected.
It couldn't be healthy.
But she was a prisoner of a war lost. Tortured and suppressed and medicated. Nothing about any of it was healthy—at least this felt like Eden.
…Or maybe it was the forbidden fruit.
"I'd say you gain more than I do," she murmured as her hips rolled against her will.
"Then we'll call it payment for bending to your wishes in the first place, despite my better judgment."
"What—"
With one jerk of his hips, he sheathed himself into her up to his hilt.
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Hours later, she found herself in the corner of a large, empty room of the base. One she'd never seen before. Five shinobi she didn't recognize lounged around the walls, decidedly ignoring her as they spoke to one another.
A pale man with a scar across his nose had a mask that looked like Kajura's propped atop his head, but it was difficult to ascertain when she could only steal glances. Sakura wasn't sure if she was ready to put a face to the name, anyway. Not when she couldn't do anything about it.
She stood by the door, disregarded and mum, letting her thoughts get swept away by the fresh dose of calmative whenever one ran a bit too long.
She didn't know why Sasuke brought her here.
After the heated round he'd initiated this morning, Sakura almost let herself be hopeful that he might explain the traveling clothes he handed over after they showered, or why he'd left her unsuppressed for so long as he clicked both metal bands back into place on her ankles. She nearly let the way he sucked on her breasts without the excuse of a heated moment delude her into thinking their relationship progressed to a spot where he kept her informed about the ongoings of her imprisonment.
Thankfully, somehow, she'd managed to keep some presence of mind through his bruising hold and punishing rhythm; she wasn't disappointed or surprised when he fell silent on the important matters as soon as they'd stood from the sleeping mat.
Then she'd eaten her breakfast and hadn't felt too much of anything after that.
Sasuke was across the room, whispering to Suigetsu, who nodded every few seconds.
His only directive to her was: "Stay quiet and keep your head down." A favorite order of his, as of late.
From the way Sasuke wasn't taking control of the group, she gleaned they were waiting for someone. And there could only be one person this group would wait for. So when Madara strode into the room, she wasn't caught as off-guard as she might've been by his unannounced presence.
It did spike her irritation, however. Was it really necessary for Sasuke to keep Madara's arrival a secret?
Hadn't he been the one to ask her for a bit of cooperation this go around?
It would've taken no additional time to warn her of his uncle's appearance. They'd marched mutely through the uneven halls of his underground base for five minutes to get here.
Sasuke obviously had no concept of what cooperation meant.
Madara stopped before her. She kept her vision on his booted toes, counting the seconds of her inhales and exhales.
The skin on her stomach stung with a dirty, phantom kunai. Her face burned with imagined flame.
As the silence lengthened, her bones began to tremble.
Stay calm, Sasuke whispered.
A finger hooked under her chin and tilted her head up. Fear ruptured her belly as her eyes landed on Madara's brow.
He won't do anything. You're okay. Sakura barely believed Sasuke—but it was a small assurance that both he and Suigetsu were present this time.
Madara's scrutiny was like an ice bath. He shoved her head this way and that. Ran his sights down the length of her. Folding up her long sleeves on both arms and twisted them around. Whatever he was looking for must've been found, because he smirked when he finally turned away.
Sakura gulped in air, discreetly falling onto the wall behind her for support.
Another few minutes and she might've fainted.
The Uchiha patriarch chuckled as he crossed the room. "Those your marks, Sasuke?"
"Aa."
Others in the room tittered. Suigetsu congratulated Sasuke on his step into manhood, which shifted some of the titters into full-blown laughs. Sasuke hissed something venomous under his breath at the grinning nukenin.
It was one thing to lose one's virginity in the sanctity of a locked bedroom, another to have a room full of enemy shinobi sniggering about it.
Cheeks engulfed with shame, Sakura peeked down at her now-uncovered wrists. Light bruises were forming on their sides—evidence of when he'd pinned them down with one hand above her head this morning. Kisses and fingerpads probably splotched all across her neck.
As soon as they'd finished, he'd clicked the suppressors back into place, impeding her chakra from buffing away proof of their contact.
Maybe on purpose, came a cynical thought. Maybe he'd wanted the proof out where no one could deny it.
"Seems you're enjoying yourself now. As I said, she's quite beautiful, no?"
"What is it you want, Madara?" snapped Sasuke, hand settling on his hip. "We're already running late."
"Have you been giving her time without her suppressors?"
"As you ordered, yes."
Sakura frowned. As he ordered…? Was Sasuke only permitting her access to her chakra because Madara commanded it so?
"Have you enough control of her that she could travel with us unsuppressed?" Madara asked.
Sasuke shook his head. "In a couple of weeks, maybe."
"What about to help with my condition?"
"If I'm there, probably."
"Any information from her thoughts, yet?"
"Nothing more than what I've already relayed."
Sasuke said to have some trust in him, but it was a difficult task when he spoke so casually of things that made her stomach turn. Chakra suppression—traveling—healing Madara. If she didn't know any better, the Uchihas' conversation would've sounded like everything done until now was all according to Madara's grand plan.
And—she didn't know better. Sasuke told her nothing, and from the beginning, Madara wanted him to bed her.
What information did he manage to take? What had he told Madara? Would he truly expect her to mend Madara's failing body as Orochimaru did? Would he make her?
…Why exactly had she implicitly agreed to Sasuke's offer, anyway?
He may hate Madara, but that didn't mean he meant to rid the world of him. He'd never said himself that he sought Madara's death. Even in the beginning of the agreement, all he'd claimed was that the Allies should win the war—nothing about the complete demise of his patriarch.
And regardless, she'd almost no desire to live beyond a vague regret surrounding Sasuke's safety if she died. One that only seeded itself after he'd held her.
One that hadn't existed before he did something Madara would've liked.
Was the seal clouding her judgment? It didn't make any sense what she was doing, or why she wasn't panicking over Sasuke admitting to the whole room that he was actively using her.
"I see. Work harder over the next few weeks then, nephew." Madara tapped his wrist, and a map popped into his hands. He held it before him so the gathered shinobi could see. "Moving on—today, you all start your parade through Water Country. You'll follow this path." His finger traced across the parchment. "Sasuke has it memorized, so follow his instructions. The hope is by traveling on foot, the Allies catch wind that I'm moving the prisoner above ground. I'll port directly to the bases you're scheduled at next, so my presence isn't a deterrent."
"You want us to get ambushed?" asked one of the unknown shinobi.
Madara scoffed. "You sound scared, Kirisame."
"I'm not. That's just what it sounds like to me. You want our group attacked by those hoping to free the medic."
"Yes. You're right. And when the attack happens, I want you to capture as many alive as possible." Madara rolled the scroll up and sealed it again. "We're getting close to a breakthrough. The more Allies we can interrogate, the better. They may get desperate if they see the great Sakura Haruno has become little more than my nephew's nighttime amusement in less than four months."
She swallowed down bile at the accusation, and Sasuke said nothing to refute it.
"If she can't use chakra, how are we supposed to travel all that way with her?" the sole enemy kunoichi questioned.
"Sasuke will carry her."
"Suigetsu will carry her," Sasuke amended with a scowl. "It's enough that I'm forced to touch her every night."
Eyes dropping back to the floor as Madara laughed at Sasuke's words, Sakura ignored the pain in her chest and the wetness growing on her bottom lashes.
She still was no longer convinced he betrayed her. Still thought that he was hiding something. Still wanted to believe there was more to his kisses than merely fulfilling some innate need impressed on him by the seal or by virtue of sleeping beside a willing woman nights on end or mere leverage for cooperation. Desperately wanted to believe his swearing it wasn't all for Madara.
But Sasuke's insult settled like poison inside her; his tone was too honest for it to be a complete lie.
And he didn't whisper anything her way through the seal to correct it.
Rather than reach out for an explanation, Sakura strengthened the weak barrier around their link, absorbed herself in the cracks crisscrossing the floor, and waited for the calmative to fan away the dulled whirlwind of emotions.
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Suigetsu carried her piggyback through the trees. Or—what she assumed were trees, from how she jostled as he jumped. She was blindfolded before the group left the base.
It seemed unnecessary. Sakura didn't know Water Country well enough to place herself, and her sight was the least of her worries in any potential escape plan. But Sasuke had tied a black handkerchief around her eyes nonetheless, still without anything comforting murmured her way, and she hadn't made a fuss. No one commented about the lack of cuffs that left her hands free to untie it if she wanted.
She left the fabric where it was.
Though she couldn't see it, Sakura could smell the fresh air. Damp with recent rain. Thick on her skin with too much water. She felt her hair frizzing in the humidity. From the sweltering temperature and the angle of the sun's rays, it was the middle of the afternoon. Not an ideal time for a squad of shinobi to travel for a multitude of reasons.
One was how open they were under daylight. In this case, however, it was as Madara planned.
Another was the risk of dehydration or heat stroke in such high temperatures. Unless the enemy shinobi changed after she'd been blinded, they were all wearing black clothes and long robes. Good chakra control could maintain body temperature to a certain extent, but it couldn't totally defy nature. Particularly in Suigetsu's case, as he endured the added heat of her on his back, and she suspected his family's jutsu made his body more suited for colder conditions.
The group was forced to stop for breaks every half hour for water and cooling.
Sasuke appeared by her side in these breaks, tapping under her chin, directing her to look up. Pouring water down her throat when she complied. Wiping her forehead dry with what felt like the back of his sleeve. She knew it was him from the seal's response and his burnt hemlock scent—the only way she'd ever know, as he never spoke a word to her.
In the dark and largely ignored during the pauses, Sakura analyzed the conversations around her.
It was clear that most of these people disliked each other. Some acted partial to Sugietsu. The kunoichi didn't socialize. Two of the shinobi went at it like a cat and dog as soon as their feet stilled. Sasuke barked commands and quipped back replies when asked, but he otherwise kept his distance and shunned the group.
It wasn't until their fourth stop that someone finally acknowledged her.
"So, Sasuke? What's the medic like?"
"Careful, Kajura. He's touchy about those orders," joked Suigetsu.
It was the first time Kajura was named; her earlier assumption that he was the scarred man seemed correct. She flattened herself into the tree Suigetsu had deposited her at the base of as far as she could manage, wishing she could disappear.
"What's he touchy about?"
Giggling, Suigetsu remarked, "Who knows? Hell, if it were me, I'd be all over that when—"
"Enough, Suigetsu," came Sasuke's clipped warning.
"What's this?" someone else joined in. "What's the problem, Sasuke? Not interested in sharing stuff about the kunoichi with us?"
She heard a female scoff.
"Not interested in speaking to any of you about anything," Sasuke replied.
"Let's not speak then. How about sharing her in a different way?"
"Yeah, we're ahead of schedule now. It won't take us long. You and Kahyo can go wash up while we take care of her. Or did you want to join too, Kahyo?"
"Fuck off," intoned a woman.
"Count me out, too."
"Eh, really? You're no fun, Gengo."
"Not my thing," said the voice belonging to someone named Gengo. "I don't like sharing."
"What about you, Suigetsu? You in?"
The next second, chidori crackled in the air. Its potency made the hair on her arms stand on end. All the dispersed chuckling ended abruptly.
"Were Madara's orders not clear?"
"N-no, Sasuke-sama. They were clear," one of the men mumbled.
"Then everyone here understands the goal of this trip?"
"I understood it," the kunoichi stated quietly.
"What about the rest of you?" They offered Sasuke a splattering of affirmative responses. "You sure? Because, just now, it sounded like some of you didn't comprehend something."
Sakura's fingers itched to lift her blindfold and see the scene before her. She didn't care much for domineering, vicious Sasuke in contexts like these—but watching him wield those traits over her enemies always gave her a sick sort of satisfaction.
"I asked a question," Sasuke growled into the silence.
"We understand. We were only joking."
"That's right—just joking."
"Then everyone here heard Madara's warning not to interfere with the seal. A seal he's ordered me to strengthen."
Five distinct voices answered, "Yes."
"Chill out, Sasuke. You heard 'em, they were kidding around. It's hot and they're bored. 'Course they aren't gonna disobey Madara."
The electricity in the wet air vanished.
"Get up. We're moving out," demanded Sasuke. "No more breaks 'til we reach the base."
There was a flurry of movement—a hush of absence. Someone approached and knelt down to her level. A cool finger tapped her arm.
"You good?" asked Suigetsu. "You ready?"
Sakura nodded. She raised her hand so he could pull her up from the ground. Guiding her a few steps to his back, he lifted her up onto him with a tug behind her knees. Her arms fit loosely around his neck. Standing, Suigetsu jumped them up into the trees and readjusted her higher on his spine.
"Don't let their talk bother you," he insisted. "They can't do anything with Sasuke around."
"I wasn't bothered."
"Oh yeah? That wasn't you cowering into the roots of a tree just now?"
If she wasn't pink from the sun already, she certainly was now. "No, it wasn't. That position was cooler...there was better shade."
Suigetsu shrugged. "Alright. Whatever you say, kid."
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The base they eventually arrived at wasn't any different than Sasuke's. Excavated tunnels cut through rocky earth. Cavernous, damp rooms. Firelights lining the hallways. It was, however, far more populated.
When Sasuke finally removed her blindfold, their group was in something of a small dining hall. Someone had pulled her cloak's hood over her head before they'd descended a spiral staircase she'd nearly fallen down several times, so there wasn't yet any abnormal attention directed her way. The shinobi of their travel group scattered into the sparsely-filled seats, greeting comrades or opting to sit alone.
Sasuke and Suigetsu led her to the corner of the room. Sasuke motioned for her to sit in the farthest seat. As she did, the kunoichi slid in beside her with a huff, tugging off the heavy Akatsuki robe. She released her long, curly hair from its tight bun next, settling in.
"I'll watch her. You two can go get food," she offered. "And you'll need to meet with Madara-sama, right?"
Sasuke glanced at the woman, then Sakura, and ended on Suigetsu. "Stay with them."
"I'm perfectly capable of guarding one prisoner without the Kiri boy. Go handle your business. I'll make sure nothing happens."
Suigetsu nodded, patting Sasuke's shoulder. "Kahyo's cool. She'll be fine. Also—I left Kiri, too, so what's with that nickname? Feels kinda like you're insulting—"
"You'll answer to Madara if something happens to the captive," Sasuke warned.
"Understood." Kahyo waved them off. "We'll be here when you're done."
"See that she drinks this." A vial of liquid appeared from the scroll on Sasuke's wrist. He handed it to Kahyo. "All of it." Without another look her way, Sasuke turned on his heel and pulled Suigetsu away with him.
The kunoichi flipped the flask over, inspecting it. "Do you know what it is?"
This woman was a total stranger. A member of Madara's army—a lieutenant, according to Suigetsu's comment days ago. The rank denoted a number of things: She was powerful, she was trusted on some level, and she'd proven herself a believer in Madara's cause.
With that in mind, Sakura proceeded cautiously. "A calmative, if I had to guess."
Kahyo whistled. "That's a big dose."
Sakura held her hand out for it. Kahyo eyed the vial once more before plopping it on Sakura's palm. Sakura wasted no time uncorking it and downing the liquid in one long chug, grimacing at the taste as it passed.
"You drink that much every day?"
"...Three times a day. Usually in my food."
Brow raised, the woman noted, "That amount there is enough to knock me on my ass."
The conversation's insinuation made Sakura uncomfortable. She'd heard multiple remarks on the amount of medication she was taking, but she'd never had to respond directly to any.
"Guess I've grown a tolerance."
After a bout of quiet, the woman faced her. "I'm Kahyo."
But Sakura didn't much feel like talking. "I heard."
"And you're Sakura Haruno, right?"
"Unfortunately," she sighed.
"They say you're the greatest medic alive."
"Only because your side killed the woman who taught me." Sakura let her fingertips dance across the table's stone top. "Tsu—" Even with the fresh draught, her shishou's name stuck in her throat. Clearing it, she tried again—"The Fifth Hokage was the greatest medic ever to live."
"Yes, I know about the late Hokage. As a child, I heard stories about her and her team from the Second War, even though Kiri stayed out of it." Kahyo leaned forward. "But you can bring back the dead. Without using Reanimation or the Rinnegan. No one else can do such a thing."
Sakura scoffed, staring emptily at her inkless drawing. "The only dead I bring back are the ones that keep me awake at night."
"No—I mean, I saw it. I was part of the later arrivals when the Allies retreated from Sand. I saw your glowing slug summons. How the Allied shinobi pulled swords from their stomachs and pushed bones back into place as if it was nothing. They were like human Zetsu, rising from the ground after being cut down. I know what I saw."
"You saw wrong," Sakura seethed, abruptly angry at the woman's reminder of her utterly useless efforts.
Angry that she'd done everything she could, only for it to amount to nothing. Angry that this enemy thought her capable of God's power from witnessing a portion of a single battle—a battle she'd lost Shino to forever. A battle in which she'd fumed her last words to a woman who'd done nothing but try to protect her, in her own way.
"What do you want? Spit it out or leave me alone."
Kahyo's voice lowered into a whisper. "I-I just—have you even tried to do it, then? My son, he—"
Sakura rounded on the woman. "Just shut up about it. I can't fucking do what you're saying. Have I tried to do it? Do you even hear yourself? Don't you think I would've brought everyone back already if I could?" she shouted. "Would everyone I love be dead if I had that kind of jutsu?! What the hell do you mean, have I even fucking tried?!"
Sasuke's voice invaded her mind, breaking through her ward. What's happening?
Oh—now he wanted to talk to her.
Nothing. Ignore it, she growled back. Like you ignored everything else today. With that, she quickly patched the hole he'd made in the seal.
Her blaring words unintentionally killed the chatter in the dining hall. All stares were on the two women in the corner, one huffing like a riled dragon, the other frozen on her chair.
Kahyo blinked slowly, her face smoothing back into a practiced boredom. Her eyes dimmed into passive nonchalance.
Then she turned to address the room. "Show's over. Stop being nosy."
Most shinobi followed her directive. Some were shooting Sakura furtive peeks now, obviously curious about who the loud, cloaked woman in the back corner was. Sakura cursed under her breath, annoyed with herself for losing it like that.
The other woman hadn't been unpleasant. Kahyo didn't say anything Sakura hadn't already heard. There was no reason for that outburst—no point in feeling angry about a past that couldn't be changed. About a question that hadn't held any ill intent.
If Kahyo weren't an enemy, Sakura probably would've apologized to her.
But she was an enemy. So Sakura dipped her head and pivoted to look at the wall, and her kunoichi guard didn't try to fill the silence again.
.
.
Her arms were still unchained.
Though now, she was in an Akatsuki robe and standing center on a podium, in the middle of a dead field she'd never be able to map. The whole base was called out for whatever Madara intended this to be; a swathe of enemy shinobi were before her in the field, chatting and stealing glances at her. A couple hundred—more, even.
She'd no hood to hide in anymore. No chair to sink into.
As the sun plunged behind her, Sakura kept her shoulders straight and chin raised, mentally reciting the recipe for soldier pills to keep her head clear. The sunset's blooming orange made her stomach knot in nausea if she admired it too long.
Sasuke hauled her here after he'd left her alone with that kunoichi for hours.
She'd fallen asleep on the table in the dining hall—only to be shaken awake, none too gently, with his hushed reprimand for not staying vigilant. Kahyo assured him it was fine since she'd been there. Sasuke seemed to like that even less.
Not that it mattered. Sakura couldn't find it in herself to care what Sasuke did or didn't approve of. All his talk of cooperation and trust this morning, just to leave her out to dry for the rest of the day.
What was happening here? She didn't know. Where was she? No idea.
She had no guesses as to where they were headed after this. No indication of how long they'd be staying, or where she'd be sleeping, or who she'd be left with next. And all of these things Sasuke most certainly knew—appeared to be purposefully keeping from her.
Sakura wanted to be upset about it... But it wasn't like he acted differently from yesterday, or how he'd behaved publicly for months.
There wasn't any valid reason to be upset. Not about this.
It was as if she had to constantly remind herself that their sleeping together hadn't rewritten the universe. It hadn't altered reality. She was still a prisoner, he was still her captor, and the world was still ending, whether Sasuke Uchiha told her their next destination or not.
So there wasn't a reason; not any that she'd admit to, at least.
And without a basis to latch onto, it was easy to let the calmative temper her annoyance.
Others were on the podium with her—all seven of her escorts. Sasuke and Kajura stood in front of her while the others stood on the back edge. Suigetsu was beside her, picking his teeth with his nails. Making annoying comments at random, which almost everyone chose to ignore.
By the time Madara arrived, Sakura was confident they'd been waiting more than 30 minutes.
He came with a flourish, stamping his gunbai between the two generals in front, smiling at his followers. Although she'd suspected it already from the podium's presence and the size of the crowd, Madara's demeanor made it obvious this was another of his shows. Sighing, she shifted her weight on her feet, preparing to endure a long speech on loyalty. On how great he was and how he'd benevolently reward them for their services and how terrible the Kage were.
"Renga. Come forward," Madara commanded. A man from behind her stepped to the front of the stage, taking his place beside the Uchiha patriarch. "Have you prepared the prisoners?"
"Yes, sir. Should I bring them now?"
"All at once, yes."
With a bow and the sign for a body flicker, Renga vanished.
Madara projected his voice to those gathered before them: "I'm grateful for you all hosting us on such short notice, and I'm glad to see so many of you out to welcome me this evening. Under Renga, this base has done wonderfully in the efforts to locate and subdue Allied hideouts! I want to thank you for all the work you've all been putting in. Don't think that any of it goes unnoticed—both the good and the bad."
The crowd swelled with collective pride. Sakura rolled her eyes. It'd been as much a compliment as a threat, what exactly were they pleased about?
"I've got a present for you all in return. And then, once the present concludes, we'll have a feast this evening to celebrate!"
Some shinobi applauded—but she didn't miss how some of the groups' demeanors were obviously stilted and confused. It seemed she wasn't the only one without prior notice of…whatever this was.
"Bring your medic up here with us, Sasuke," Madara prompted, shooting his nephew a grin. "So we can show the people."
Sasuke nodded and turned, gaze landing on her. The seriousness in his expression made her hesitantly step back as he approached—had her pulling away from him when he reached out for her arm.
"Don't fight," he warned softly. "Just come."
She thought about asking him what was about to happen through the seal. But if he wanted to tell her, he would've—so what was the point?
Her sights slid to Suigetsu beside her instead, who gave her the most imperceptible of shrugs. Sakura let Sasuke pull her to the front of the stage, where he placed himself between her and Madara. Kajura slunk behind the three of them to her other side, boxing her in.
"I'd like to introduce you all formally to Sakura Haruno. Many of you might already know of her."
There were boos at her name; if they intended to make her feel bad, it had the opposite effect. She glared across the crowd, yanking her arm free from Sasuke's grasp.
"She's the highest-ranking enemy we've caught thus far. An ideal catch for all of you to aspire towards. A very prized possession, indeed. And you'll all be surprised to learn that my very own family member here is currently taming her. Quite successfully at that! Soon, we'll have the Allies' top medic for our own army!"
The applause was roaring this time. Shouts and hollers filled the air. Jeers hurled her way. Wide-eyed, her head shot in Sasuke's direction, mouth agape in shocked disgust. His mouth was a thin line as he regarded her with a veiled warning.
Don't. Say. A word, he nearly yelled in her mind.
"Look how she stands here in our uniform without question. How she doesn't fight, though she's unrestrained. She holds so many secrets that our enemies would die for, and soon, every one of those secrets will be ours!"
As if he could read her mind, Sasuke was now scowling at her. Don't you dare, Sakura.
Indignation rose like hellfire at his caution. Don't dare? Don't dare? How could he expect her to take this? Madara was calling her all but a traitor! Implying Sasuke had turned her to his whims—through taming...?!
How could she ever trust him when his leader was slandering her for things that, by all outside appearances, were true? Appearances that Sasuke had ensured were there!
She opened her mouth—
DON'T SPEAK.
Against her will, the command locked her jaw shut, two opposing magnets finding each other.
Tears welling at how he'd forced her a second time, she glared at him as her teeth clenched painfully together. Madara kept talking, droning on about her and his plans. Sasuke gripped her upper arm again, more gently than the last time.
Just listen to me. Let's get through this quickly.
There were too many things she wanted to scream at him that it all poured into the seal as one jumbled thought. Smugly, she saw him wince at the volume of it.
Six pops called her attention back to the field.
Twelve people had arrived at the foot of the stage—six with large hoods tied around their heads, one masked Akatsuki behind each one. Sakura watched as the Akatsuki shoved each hooded figure down onto their knees. Hands chained behind their backs, their ankles wrapped in suppressors. Bathed in the deep orange shadows of a dying sun.
Her mind stalled. Sasuke... What is this?
…I don't know.
One by one, their hoods were pulled off. Madara's voice echoed through the field in the backdrop, an orchestra to the play. Each kneeled shinobi had an Allied headband tied around their foreheads. They were of all ages, all sizes, all brutally beaten and bleeding.
Sasuke—
Relax. Calm down.
And behind the second to last hood was a face Sakura recognized.
A face that lifted up to her, sobbing. A face that immediately registered recognition, too. Scared eyes widened behind thick-framed glasses. It looked like maybe the girl might've screamed Sakura's last name, but a cloth gagging her mouth caught the noise.
She wasn't any older than 15. Too young to be here. Why had Kiri sent such a fresh medic into battle?
Stop this, Sasuke, she whispered. Stop this. Now. Please.
I can't stop it. Just breathe. Stay calm.
The chained girl was weeping so hard she was shaking. Sakura felt her whole body freeze as she held the girl's gaze, too shocked to do anything. Locked into place by Sasuke's tightening grip. Her lungs emptied. Her heart plummeted to the ground.
"These captives have outlived their usefulness. They've burdened your camp too long, so I'll relieve you all of that strain today. Look closely, medic." Madara peered at her over his shoulder. "Next time, you might be able to stop this from happening. If you start cooperating, none of this has to happen. But today you'll bear witness to the consequences of withholding that intelligence you futilely cling to."
It was clear what was about to happen. Evident what Madara wanted her to see—to feel the weight of.
STOP THIS!
At their leader's signal, the six Akatsuki simultaneously drew kunai from beneath their robes. The girl was screaming under her gag.
Sakura—I can't...
She was going to throw up—or pass out—it'd been so long since she'd seen death—real death, not the kind that painted her psyche and nightmares. Months since she'd watched someone defenseless lose their life to this meaningless violence. Not since that snowy field in Lightning—that sea of death and blood and screams and—
It'd been so long since she was the reason someone died. But not long enough; it'd never be long enough.
She was trapped on that battlefield again. Caged within it forever. They all were. They'd never escape it—never outrun it—if it wasn't inside her it was all around her—
Sakura couldn't even remember the name of the girl she was gaping at. The girl who'd frozen in that long-forgotten Sangosho forest. The girl the long-dead Mizukage pulled from active duty—the girl who'd lost her twin brother to the war—the girl she'd shaken and screamed at for being too inexperienced—for being a child.
The girl was only a child.
A child who didn't deserve this. Who was terrified, alone, cut and bruised, wearing an expression that begged Sakura to help her.
And Sakura would let her down.
She couldn't help the girl.
She couldn't save anyone—hadn't ever saved anyone—had always been and would always be useless—
Sakura couldn't even remember her name.
For an immeasurable instant, the world stopped turning. A kunai swung down into the nameless girl's throat. Her eyes flashed with terror behind her wide-rimmed glasses—and then they dimmed—and then the girl fell into the muddy earth.
Dead.
Muhei, Sakura belatedly thought, body suspended in time, staring at the child's bleeding corpse.
The girl's name was Muhei.
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the invite code is: WV62DCrCqM
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thanks for reading, as always.
and thanks to Leech for beta-reading