Hey guys! I am back from my short-term hiatus!
If I'm being honest, I didn't get much relaxation in, but I said I'd be back by the end of October, and that time has arrived!
My goal is to post at least one chapter a week, but I swear to at least do one every two weeks if things get busy like they did before.
Thank you for the reassuring words and encouragement. As someone who's suffered from a pretty severe anxiety/panic disorder for years, it means a lot to have support, even if it is from strangers on the internet!
Anyway, here's the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it!
Sakura rested against Madara's chest, lying on her side in a way that wouldn't disturb her healing injury. The Uchiha man was asleep. She should be, too, since it's almost four in the morning, but she woke up a while ago and became enthralled by his unguarded face.
Beautiful.
He was godly.
Dark lashes brushed against tan skin. Usually-frowning lips were relaxed, as was his brow.
It's been two days since she woke up and was caught up on the situation. A green-haired man with pale skin and odd, yellow eyes named Zetsu primarily checked on the woman. He'd been present when Madara woke at the foot of the bed to see the pinkette awake. She saw overwhelming relief clearly in his eyes, though he held back any visceral reaction until they were alone.
'I can't believe he almost cried right in front of me.' The grieved, self-hating expression he constantly dons now makes her uncomfortable. 'It's because he blames himself for all this.'
In truth, none of this would've happened if he wasn't with her, but what he doesn't understand is that Sakura knew there were life-threatening risks when she asked him to stay. That night, after the incident at Danzo's mansion, when Sakura pretty much begged him not to disappear, she knew her safety was a gamble. Sure, Madara's incredibly strong, dangerous, and capable, but he's still a human being. There will always be obstacles because of their differing backgrounds, but the woman saw it as a worthy risk.
She ran a hand up Madara's chest at a measured pace, feeling his warmth beneath her palm.
'...I love him.' It's all she could think.
Sakura knew she should focus on how to earn the money they owe Akatsuki more quickly, but she can't help it. The Uchiha almost died right in front of her by Obito's hand. Upon realizing that and the fact that her own death was imminent, the girl had no second thoughts about sacrificing herself if it meant he'd live.
She lifted her palm to his neck, feeling the steady rhythm of his pulse. It was comforting, so she often did it, even when they were still in Konoha. Madara didn't seem to mind. Slowly, his eyes crept open to meet hers. For a millisecond, they were warm and adoring before the man obviously recalled their predicament, and they became guarded and almost tearful.
He tried to mask it, though, and sleepily kissed her, brushing his nose against hers before relaxing on the pillow again, "Can't sleep? Does it hurt?"
The woman shook her head. The painkillers they were feeding her were strong, so there was little discomfort. She blinked back her own tears while searching his handsome face, "I'm sorry."
'If I'd only trusted my gut sooner, we would've been able to subdue Obito before he ever realized we knew his identity.'
"You've done nothing wrong," Madara spoke softly, his tone becoming emotionally lower, "I'm sorry for being so fucking blind. I trusted someone I knew nothing about."
The pair was silent for a long time before Sakura's face warmed as her thoughts left what'd happened with Tobi.
'I know we're stuck doing these people's dirty work for a while, but what about after?'
"Hey, um….Can I ask something you probably don't want to hear?"
He made a confirming sound, though his jaw flexed apprehensively.
Hypothetically stepping off the ledge, Sakura said what was on her mind, "It's selfish, but after all this is over, can we go away somewhere? I-I, um," she swallowed, blush warming further, "I want you to have a normal life, and we can't do that right now. I know that, but I-" "What if this never ends, Sakura?" Madara cut her off.
Her mouth closed in surprise before reopening, but he continued before she could say anything, "I can't promise things will ever be normal. Even if we walk away from this after paying Pein back, dozens of people still want to kill me." His gaze dropped to her chest, brow furrowing, "I think it's best if I take you home once your name's cleared."
'...What?'
"B-But, I thought-" "I refuse to let something like this happen again," Madara's voice was final, leaving no room for argument.
That may be the case, but Sakura's not one to be quiet when she has something to say, so she argued, "And I refuse to let you make that decision for me."
His dark eyes narrowed into something resembling a glare, but it wasn't meant to hurt her. She knew that because she offered him an identical look.
They held one another's gazes for a moment before she frowned further, mumbling to end the conversation, "Let's go to sleep for now, but we're not done talking about this."
'I don't care how much she hates me; I can't let Sakura have her way this time,' Madara looked at her sleeping face with a frown, 'She almost died again, and it's my fault this time, too.'
For once, he refuses to be selfish. Seeing the woman lie unconscious and pale day after day was torture worse than he's ever experienced, and he's been through a lot.
He recalled the terrifying amount of blood that'd coated her skin and stained the carpet around her body in that godforsaken house and squeezed his eyes closed, holding her closer in a way that wouldn't wake her, 'I've committed too much sin for God to allow me to have something so perfect. I was a fool for trying to keep her for myself.'
For the next three months, the couple buried themselves in work. Madara did anything he was assigned without complaint, whether it be murder, torture, thievery, or something else of that nature. Each time he'd come back to the hideout covered in blood, Sakura would try to hide the horrified expression on her face and fail.
The woman, who'd given up on the blonde hair and dyed it a pink that matches her original color, doesn't leave the hideout on most days. Instead, she helps Kakuzu and Zetsu run the makeshift hospital for Akatsuki.
Madara could tell she was venturing closer to a deep and dark depression, and it made him hate himself more by the day.
As a couple, things had seriously cooled down between them. It was all his doing, too, because he meant what he said. Once Sakura's name's cleared, he's taking her back to Konoha and disappearing. They don't even sleep in the same room, each having their own.
Pushing her away the few times she tried to get close to him after waking from her coma was the hardest thing the man'd ever done. After a few failed attempts, Sakura took the hint and stopped. She stopped talking to him, and most others, while focusing solely on the job.
One day, one hundred and thirty days into their servitude, Madara returned to the hideout after completing an assassination in Iwagakure to find a bloodied corpse near the entrance.
His entire body froze, eyes wide and calculating, 'There must be something happening right now, or else they'd have gotten rid of the body. Is it an attack from a rival group?' Gunshots sounded from somewhere downstairs, making his head turn toward the hallway as his breath dissipated, '...Sakura!'
Then Madara's feet were moving, his gun in his hand with a finger on the trigger. He passed another body on the stairs, this time someone he recognized. Deidara, a blonde man who specialized in bomb-making.
"Don't shoot. It's me," Pein's voice suddenly came from his side as he passed the first room on the sub-level floor.
The Uchiha man pressed his back to the wall, hissing, "What's going on?"
"I'm not sure. I don't have a weapon, so I've called for backup and have been waiting for their arrival. Whoever's shooting headed further down."
"How many? Just one?"
"Again, I don't know." The Akatsuki leader was nonchalant, which didn't come as a surprise. There are only two people whose lives he actually cares for. Anyone else that dies is just canon fodder.
Gunshots began sounding again, and Madara looked down the hall because it sounded as though they'd come from the east, where the hospital wing was located. "I'm not waiting," he barked under his breath before putting himself in motion again. Though he sensed Pein following, he didn't outwardly acknowledge it.
As they turned the corner to the hall where Sakura's workspace was waiting, they heard a man's voice, "-nice and slow. Any sudden moves, and I'll kill you like I did your friend here."
'Who did they kill? Not her. Please don't be her.'
Madara's footsteps quickened, remaining silent in his adrenaline-induced focus. Just as he came close enough to see the back of a tall man, his throat tightened because gunshots rang out.
Immediately, he and Pein froze because the man was tackled to the ground by a bloody and enraged Sakura, who stabbed him in the shoulder with a scalpal. After kicking the attacker's gun out of reach, the woman reared back her fist and hit him hard enough that it busted his lip.
Sakura looked crazy. There's no other way to put it. Her usually warm green eyes were alight with ire. Soft pink lips were parted into a fierce grimace, blood splatter dusting her skin, hair, and clothes.
Madara's tension disappeared as they watched her hit the man again, and warmth met his chest, '...She's so beautiful….'
For as long as he could remember, the Uchiha man's never encountered a woman who allowed herself to enter such a state. Even Konan, whom he killed alongside Pein's brother, Yahiko, didn't show wildfire like this.
"Stop now. We need him alive for interrogation," Pein spoke firmly enough that it snapped both Madara and Sakura out of their respective trances.
Sakura's eyes shot up to meet the Uchiha man's, widening in realization. With a pale face, she spared the unconscious person beneath her one last glance before climbing off of him and wiping some blood off of her cheek with the back of her hand.
She mumbled hoarsely, "He killed Zetsu."
The Uchiha man knew right then and there that this incident was going to greatly affect the gorgeous woman. His teeth gritted as he noticed the trembling of her hands as she wiped them on her pants, turning to look into the room, seemingly at Zetsu's body.
Madara shared a look with Pein before stepping over the attacker and approaching Sakura, whispering once close enough, "Are you hurt?"
A tiny sound, barely audible, left her as she kept her back turned and shrugged.
'She's trying not to cry.'
Someone so warm-hearted and good shouldn't have to fight for her life like this. The fact that she'd yet again been forced to do something so deplorable weighed heavily on his heart.
The sound of multiple pairs of footsteps met everyone's ears. They turned to see Sasori, Kakuzu, Nagato, and Kisame arrive on the scene, silently taking in the situation. Pein didn't waste time, "Take this man to a soundproofed room. Tie his hands and feet." Kisame seamlessly hoisted the unconscious body over his shoulder and disappeared down the hall.
"You two dispose of the bodies." Sasori and Kakuzu got to work without delay.
The orange-haired man then spoke to his best friend, Nagato, "Clean."
Then Pein looked at Madara and Sakura, the corner of his lips turning up into a smirk, "Go patch her up," he paused before adding, "You might get her a drink as well."
Knowing better than to argue in front of other members, Madara gently wrapped an arm around Sakura's back and guided her out of the room, speaking softly so the leader wouldn't overhear, "C'mon. You're alright."
More than Madara felt guilty she'd been traumatized further than before, he was worried about the look in Pein's eye, 'Don't let him be thinking what I think he is.'