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vesperlionheart · 4 years

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Lady of the Blackthorn Trees 3

Read it all on AO3 Birthday fic for @frostmarris! It’s finished, happy belated my dear. I hope you enjoy. :D

Part 3

Sasori sniffed, inhaling the dust and ink scent that seemed to hang heaviest in the corners of the store. It was a nice smell, one he associated with only happy memories.

“The Sage of the Six Paths was a hack, you know that right?” Sakura huffed, leaning over his shoulder. Sasori was proud at how he didn’t flinch at the new proximity.

“There is still something to be harvested from the minds of madness,” he quoted.

Sakura sighed dramatically and all but danced away, curling to the opposite side of the low shelves. “You’ve learned too much from me. I have nothing more to teach you,” she sighed.

“And yet you keep me around because you enjoy my company,” Sasori said.

“Maybe.” Sakura shrugged and then pulled a different tome off the shelves. “I think this would suit your style more.”

Sasori accepted the new tome and smirked at the the title. “It’s not subtle,” he huffed before passing the book back.

“You don’t want it?”

“Grand Mage Chiyo was my grandmother, I know more than the author.”

Sakura flipped the book open and turned it around to show off. “But wouldn’t it be interesting to entertain the perspective of someone who wasn’t her family? You were about to read about a stupid hack who stole all his work and knowledge from his mother.”

“I don’t want to know what the lover of my wrinkled, old, dead grandmother has to say about the art of puppetry.” Sasori looked up from the worn spines and frowned at the picture Sakura had stopped at. “And I feel it would only frustrate me to read too many mistruths concerning her legacy.”

“Does that mean you’re not finishing your puppets?” Sakura asked, sounding as casual as ever while Sasori knew better.

Sakura would be far too delighted to see him building more Kugutsu dolls. The first few he had constructed in her tower delighted her even after falling apart from the mess of interwoven enchantments. Without augmenting himself he would never be able to manipulate the dolls to the degree he desired.

It was frustrating to have to watch his work constantly fall apart in front of her. Even after five years in her tower under her tutelage, Sasori still feel far too inadequate to show off his weaknesses where she could see them.

He hadn’t been able to make perfect puppets since Orochimaru destroyed his ‘mother’ and ‘father’ dolls during the takeover. Even after growing and maturing, Sasori was frustrated about his regression in puppetry or the kugutsutsukai combat magic. It had once felt so natural to him, but now the magic steps fought him at every junction.

It just wasn’t worth the effort anymore, not when he was becoming such a proficient fire mage.

He tried not to think about the third shell that sat at the back of his study’s closet. The body was empty and bare, ready to be designed for his third attempt at a Kazekage model puppet.

“Well, it’s unfortunate that kugutsutsukai and puppetry are two areas where I am unable to assist you, as I have never been trained in the art form or tutored in its theories. I feel like there is little left for me to help you with,” Sakura sighed.

“You help me plenty,” he said.

“I take you places and tell you things you already know.”

“That’s not how I see our discussions.”

“It’s a bit intimidating how fast you picked things up. Five years in and you’re this proficient. It makes me wonder if I’m just that good of a teacher or were your previous instructors the reason for all that you’ve accomplished.”

Sasori smirked. “All I’ve accomplished. What have I done that’s worthy of such praise.”

“So many things.”

“Like what?” he pressed.

“You make the best breakfast out of anyone I know.”

He was caught between amusement and disappointment but, as was often the case with Sakura, ended up chuckling when he saw her face. It was almost unsettling how easily she swayed his dark heart to laughter.

But only her.

“How many other mages do you have cooking breakfast for you to judge me by?” he teased back.

“Not enough. I’m hungry now, so I’m going to go look for some pierogi in the market. Will you be much longer?” Sakura asked.

Sasori picked up the book on his grandmother and the other on the Sage of Six Paths, ignoring her knowing grin. “I’m already done here. Let’s pay and go together.”

It was the most natural thing in the world to come up alongside Sakura and guide her towards the front, where the counter waited for them. Sasori didn’t even notice it anymore when his hand found the small of her back and rested like a ghost there.

Sakura made seamless small talk with the book shop owner, inquiring about his family and the town itself while Sasori pulled out the money and counted it out. He was mindful to set aside enough money for a couple of marzipan pierogi-her favorite.

That’s when he noticed the black raven outside.

“Sakura, I wanted to run one more errand. Will you buy us our pastries and meet back our front?” Sasori asked, leaning in close to her ear and turning away from the raven to hide his lips.

Sakura felt the money Sasori tried pushing into her palm and pushed back. “I can pay for the both of us!” she huff. “Just tell me what you want.”

“It doesn’t matter. Get whatever you want.”

Sakura rolled her eyes. “Of course it matters. You want the cinnamon apple, I know you better than that. Don’t be long.”

Sakura took off first and Sasori collated the paper bag of his books and folded it under his arm, crinkling the protective paper before stepping out and heading a few shops south of where Sakura had turned.

The raven followed him.

“A year later and you’re still skulking in the shadows like a gargoyle.” Sasori stopped at the mouth of a natural alley between two homes. At the end of it Itachi was already human formed and brushing feathers off his shoulders.

“A year later and you’re still clinging to the cloak ends of her good graces,” Itachi smoothly retorted. He sounded as snooty and high born as ever. “At least I have a job.”

“What are you doing this time? I doubt Sakura could possibly be needed so soon after your last impromptu abduction.”

“Better than your silly shopping trips,” Itachi muttered before turning to glare at Sasori more directly. “Until how long do you plan to stay at her side? It’s about time you moved on. The Golden Sands are as far from here as they are vast.”

Sasori sneered. “You make it sound like I should want to return to that homely sandbox.”

“You’re a leech.”

“I’m also all but done with this conversation, so if you want to do something more than throw half baked and mediocre insults at my face, say something I haven’t heard before.”

“You should move on before someone moves you,” Itachi said, dark eyes flashing red in the dark where he stood. “Realize what’s good for you and for her.”

“I don’t think I will.”

Itachi drew back his shoulders and his entire frame rippled with passive magic as he glared at the redhead. The action wasn’t unfamiliar, the Uchiha was channeling subtle magic into his eyes in a n attempt to intimidate. Sasori brushed off the action and fixed Itachi with an unimpressed look, above such base cantrips.

“You don’t think you have enemies that wouldn’t love to see you suffer and all your near ones too?” Itachi taunted.

There was a new undertone of assuredness to Itachi words that unsettled Sasori. “You know nothing.”

“Do I, Sasori of the Red Sands?”

The title was one from his princely days, back when he was heir to the falcon throne under his grandfather Ebizo. All who would one day sit upon the throne and wear the headless of their king took up a title to replace their last name. The royals had no simple last names, but earned their titles through conquest or action. The red sands were a testimony to all Sasori had warred for and bled for.

Plenty of people had once known his title back home, but on this strange new continent he was nothing more than a bum and a vagrant someone picked up off the street. How did Itachi know anything?

“You’re speaking of useless things now,” Sasori said. He wished he was back in the bookshop with Sakura, or in line to buy food. He didn’t need a title or a throne, he just…needed her.

“Don’t bring her into your messes thinking you can use her to our own ends. Our council will take a very dim look on things if Sakura dares to meddle in foreign affairs without the empire’s approval. I would not take it well if Sakura’s prospects or reputation suffered because of you.”

“I have no intention of allowing that to happen. I’ve cut ties with my old homeland.”

“But has it cut ties with you?”

Sasori growled lowly. “I’m done with you, retched corvid. Leave before Sakura returns and sees you in all your disgrace.”

“Leave her.”

“I refuse.”

Itachi’s eyes flashed a brilliant red, brighter than fire and thicker than blood. “I won’t let you be if this tarnishes her. Take my advice and move on before that happens.”

Sasori didn’t respond, nor did he flinch as Itachi dissolved into raven feathers.

Sakura awoke suddenly, tasing blood on her tongue and damp from a cold sweat. She had bitten through her tongue in her sleep and needed to heal it again. With practiced ease, she calmed her breathing and centered her focus on something to help ground her in the moment.

It was just a nightmare.

Sakura spit out the blood from her mouth and then sat up the rest of the way, realizing she had passed out again in the observatory. She was setting a bad example for Sasori. The huge ass telescope was for studying the stars, not getting drunk and passing out under.

When she moved to stand up her fingers brushed against the letter and crinkled its edge. With a groan she pulled it up to straighten out and reread. A drunk night and some nightmares hadn’t helped with the weight of her developing situation.

Half a century ago she had grown her tower and accepted subjection to the emperor because it was the easiest thing to do. She was world weary and wanted a subdued life after all the damn war and loss. With the right negotiations she could have that within the empire, the only downside to such an arrangement was being necessarily summoned for the random magical puzzle or problem she was contractually obligated to see to. For years it had never been an issue, until the second clause of her obligations was invoked.

“What do they think they’re going to win with this war? Those lands would be useless to anyone other than the tribes.” Sakura tossed the letter aside. “This dynasty is a mess. It might be time to cut and run.”

It wouldn’t be the first time she had uprooted herself and fled across the continent to somewhere just as fast and far. Did Sasori know that her teacher after Tsunade was Chiyo? It had been a long time since she left Chiyo’s tutelage to return to Tsunade’s ancestral lands, but maybe it was time for a change of space.

Alternatively, she could go to somewhere new. There were far flung islands that were barely explored or cultivated. Maybe it would be fun to live on an island with dragon eating creatures for a spell. It would be exciting at the very least, but Sasori would probably miss his book shops.

Sakura stood and then paused as the thought echoed in her mind.

Sasori

Since when did she include him in thinking about her big life changes and decisions? Consciously she could admit that life was better with him around. He made her happy and kept her from being too bored. With his conversations every weekend she felt a little more alive and all their outings to markets and cities had been…the best…oh Sakura turned soft in her thoughts as an uncomfortable truth surfaced.

She liked Sasori. She wasn’t prepared to live her life without him and she wasn’t prepared to suffer through another war with him.

Oh no!

Sakura rubbed at her face and began to pace back and forth in front of the telescope. This was going to get her in trouble, this was such a bad idea. Did he know she liked him? Did he suspect? Is that why he had teased her and asked for a kiss? They lived together so many he noticed before she did-wait!

They lived together- and this was her house!

Yeah joked about being a ‘kept’ man or a giggle or whatever it was called these days, but she didn’t want him to feel unbalanced in this. She was plenty older and stronger, but he had phased into adulthood long ago, so the disparity in their ages wasn’t anything a magic user would look twice at. Plus he was sassy and confident enough around her to likely consider her more an advanced colleague than a teacher since this last year.

Sakura stopped pacing and summoned a decanter of something strong to help her wake up. In place of bourbon or rum the glass was filled with something dark and static. She drank it down and groaned at the taste but finished it off for her own good.

This stupid letter had unsettled her too much and she was worrying over silly things. She didn’t need to unravel herself on her own. It was better to address these feelings, thoughts with him like it was just one more of their weekend conversations.

Where was he?

Right away she knew he wasn’t in her tower, so that meant he was either out running errands or in the grove with the blackthorn trees. If he was out shopping he would have tried to tell her, but since she decided to get plastered on her own with the mail she couldn’t rule out an impromptu shopping trip outside of the property. She almost regretted warding him against potential trackers and scrying eyes. She’d need to reword his wards so that she could find him when she needed to. It was disheartening to realize she was alone in the tower and would have to wait for his return.

This might be better, actually. Maybe she should just wait for him to come back. She could use the time to work on options for where she could go next.

Sakura instead went to take a long and papering bath. Her invisible servants brushed out her long hair and rubbed her skin with sweet oils until she glistened like a polished stone. Then she opened up the doors to her wardrobe room and paused the different rows of favorite dresses. She fingered a lovely lilac dress with a full skirt before her fingers wandered to one of her favorite ‘blooming’ gowns.

The invisible servants dressed her in the skirts first before unrolling the bodice section up and over her breasts. Unlike other dresses, the upper portion that was meant to cover her chest was composed almost entirely of lace and enchanted flowers, complements with a handful of beaded dragonflies, hidden underneath the petals. Most of the dress was a mature blue green, dark with hints of slate gray to complement the blush pink flowers.

“And will you spend a little longer on my hair today?” Sakura asked, watching herself in the mirror be dressed. “Nothing extravagant, just enough to be nicer than usual.”

She hated to admit it, but Sakura always felt a little better when she bothered to spare extra time papering herself. A nice bath and a pretty dress were just the things she needed.

It was also a great way to kill time.

Her servants finished and Sakura checked the time, realizing more than two hours had passed and there was still no sign of Sasori reentering the tower. That was disheartening. She finally had enough sense to figure out what she wanted to say. Maybe he was in the grove. It would be easy to search since it was nearby.

She stepped into her wold walking heels and turned towards he grove, taking a single step before the world went from blurring to stark white.

All the trees were in full bloom and weeping from an overabundance of blooms.

“Sasori!” she screamed, running through the blackthorn trees. Sakura could still feel his magic somewhere but it wasn’t the only magic she could distinguish. Someone else had made it into her grove while Sasori had been there.

There was so much white it was hard to see through. The fallen petals had made a thick carpet on the ground she had to stand atop of. She ran and searched, but the grove was empty.

Where?

Before she could keep from panicking Sakura screamed and the trees started to crackle with her magic, infighting and burning one by one until ever white and fluttering bloom was more like a falling star than a flower.

How could this have happened? What happened? Where was Sasori?

At least his cousins were still safe. His first fear upon realizing where he was had been for their safety. Apart from their wellbeing he was less concerned about the other consequences to his capture.

It just sucked this had to all happen after her found something to live for.

“It’s a generous gift,” Orochimaru hissed while standing next to Pein on the outside of the cell doors. “You said this was from the new initiate? How delightful.”

“I see no reason to reject the application of such an accomplished individual. Even if they are a continent away it would help to have someone we could reach out to for such rare occasions,” Pein said.

A dozen years ago Pein had barely been able to control one of his cadaver bodies from the remote shell Chiyo had constructed for him, but now it looked like he was getting along just fine with Orochimaru’s help.

From behind Pein Itachi Uchiha emerged, wearing their signature red and black colors. He said something in a quieter voice that Sasori couldn’t overhear before bowing out.

“I should have known,” Sasori hissed, still tasting the Uchiha’s magic when he spit blood.

“You shouldn’t have been bad, little prince,” Orochimaru mocked. “Your parents always used to say your fat mouth would get you in trouble one day, didn’t they? I can’ scarcely believe they’d appreciate it today if they heard how you only managed to make enemies an ocean away.”

Orochimaru talking about the deceased first prince and princess who were also Sasori’s mother was only something to rile him up. He refused to let Orochimaru get a reaction out of him.

“That’s enough, you talk too much,” Pein chastised. “He’s what you need for the inheritance. Do what you need to do.”

The snake faced fellow dropped his leering and instead leaned towards the bars and poured out magic into a spell that hit Sasori like a wave, knocking him back, ass over ankles.

“Ugh, the brat prince had too many enchantments on him. Some of those protective charms will take a few days to break.”

“You don’t have a few days,” Pein snapped. “Now.”

“Would you like to help?”

When Pein didn’t reply Orochimaru muttered under his breath and went back to rubbing off the magical enchantments and protective spells that kept Sasori safe. Until those were gone neither man could kill him the way they wanted to.

Sasori braced against each wave, suffering blow after blow and feeling every loss as it went. Sakura’s anti scry spell, her enchantment against blades, his ancestral fire resistance, all of it was getting stripped layer by layer.

If only had hadn’t been so stupid. Chasing down Itachi when he caught sight of the raven spying obnoxiously from just beyond the barrier’s reach couldn’t have looked more like a trap. Itachi knew Sakura was sleeping or out of it, so his intentions couldn’t have been good. But Sasori hadn’t been in the mood to ‘be good.’ Itachi had been pissing him off since day one. Even now, Sasori wanted to punch his smug little face in and then burn the remains. The guy was such an entitled asshole. He had known Sakura for nearly a decade and they were still only friends. Itachi should have given up and admitted defeat and left Sasori alone with Sakura.

He had been happy.

The realization of all he had loss hit harder than Orochimaru’s magic and he set his jaw against the nausea. His head hurt and his knees buckled when he tried to stand. He was being stripped of his power now, something that would hurt far more than the removal of a few hexes.

“What now?” Pein snapped in irritation.

Sasori looked up through his lashes to see someone new had entered the room and was interrupting. Orochimaru had even paused, looking tired and winded, to listen to whatever it was the Zetsu clone was saying.

Pein dismissed the clone, melting him into a pile of white ooze to sink in between the floor tiles and out of sight. In that moment of lapsing Sasori felt no more drain on his magic. Orochimaru was also distracted but hadn’t bothered to reinforce the cell-that hex had been left to expire once the draining process began.

It was an opportunity and Sasori wasn’t about to let it go.

He rolled onto his feet and took a single, flickering step the way Sakura had shown him to do without his spell books. Like mist-he was there and then he wasn’t. There were shouts in the previous room as Sasori emerged in the main hall outside the prison cells. It was too familiar not too spur him into a dead sprint towards the main audience chambers.

There was shouting behind him and he turned sharply, knowing all he could do without his spell books was rudimentary cantrips, but he did what he could to throw the sound of him screaming and running in the opposite direction.

He heard Kakuzu and Hidan arguing far off and looked up into the sky once he exited into the outer halls, fearing the shadow of one of Deidara’s clay birds. He had once thought himself a partner to the artist, but they were now his enemies and he knew better than to get caught a second time.

There was a teleportation circle in the main hall as well as several in the gate quarters where dignitaries were to be received. Gate quarters were the best place to be, but they were on the opposite side of the palace and no one apart from the royal family knew about the camouflaged seal behind the thrones in the main hall. It was a cleverly disguised family secret they had kept for generations.

He just needed to-

The floor exploded behind him and he went sailing through the air, rolling across the stone and debris as smoke trailed ever upwards, betraying his position. Overhead Deidara swooped with more bombs ready.

“Little bitch-ass snitch,” Sasori hissed, digging his hands into the mess and grabbing onto loose stone. It was burn so that would have to do. He bit his thumb and bled over the material before invoking the spell, relying on one he could remember without the spell book. It was so much harder without his medium, but he felt the magic catch and a pillar of fire erupted, striking Deidara’s bird. The damage upon contact wasn’t sever, but the clay bird was full of explosives so-

BOOM

The whole palace shook as the sky erupted in combustive fire. It made Sasori stagger and trip. His ears were ringing and he swore he felt blood from one of them.

He picked himself up, gasping for new air, and limped towards the main reception chambers. He just needed to get to the Falcon throne.

But Orochimaru was already there, waiting in front of the throne on the raised dias with a knowing smirk.

“I wasn’t done with you yet,” he hissed before a snake shot out of his mouth for Sasori. He dodge the fangs and rolled away, but choked and staggered when trying to stand. He was still dizzy and fighting was making him sick.

“I’ll bother to make it less painful since you took out one of the others in such a believable way. That’s one less trash article for me to have to take care of later on,” Orochimaru said.

Sasori noticed the other man’s hands were red and dripping, thick with blood. Was it a coup within a coup? Did it even matter if he was going to die?

“I hope you fucking choke,” Sasori coughed into the stone floor, inhaling through wet lungs.

Orochimaru laughed and it was a sound loud enough to fill the whole room. It bounced off the far walls and echoed far beyond.

Kakuzu showed up in the back and was content to lean against one of the far pillars and watch while he cleaned his red and bloody blades. From the sounds of it, Hidan had been put out of commission and maybe even the other members, like Pein’s wife Konan, had also been killed. Kakuzu looked rough enough to look like he had just come from a fight that actually made him sweat. Beside Kakuzu Itachi and another member, the blue one called Kisame, approached.

When Sasori looked for it he saw the small audience of disciples and allies Orochimaru had filled the palace with. There were old servants and house guards too, some who had served his mother and father before him. They were all watching him now, like a crowd outside an execution.

Sasori almost dropped his head, sick at the thought of his people watching him being slaughtered so theatrically. The refraction of colored light off a dragonfly’s wing made him hesitate. There was one perched on the nearest pillar, colorful enough on its own without the additional good crystal growth down its body.

“Sakura?”

The room rippled with new power but instead of quarts and crystals, the floor split open for the rapid growth of a handful of angry, twisted blackthorn trees. Unlike the ones in the grove, these were towering and sparkly planted, so that their branches could reach without feat of touching.

None of them bloomed, but the one in the center of the room swelled wider than the others. Its interior filled with light, throwing shadows out of the growth inside before a vertical scar bisected the front of the tree. Crystal growth filled the wound before the tree shuddered and groaned, almost bending backwards as the scar opened. Two delicate hands pulled the crystal edges back and Sasori could have sworn he was dreaming when Sakura emerged.

Kakuzu didn’t hesitate but moved when Orochimar ordered him to and it was a simple thing to watch how his body became pierced with the blackthorn tree that grew out of him. All the different parts on his body where his secondary, and tertiary hearts were hidden all bled freely, but Sakura’s magic was no so forgiving as to kill him there. Kakuzu gurgled and struggled on the tree before it slowly began to pull him apart.

“Burn them down!” Orochimaru roared, raising up his own magic to incinerate the room.

Fire flared up from multiple mages as well as himself, but none of the trees burned and the crystals that grew along their edges only seemed to expand with the use of magic against them.

Sakura stepped out of the swollen tree and onto the pink quartz platform waiting for her. The sound of her heels on a smooth surface tickled the base of Sasori’s brain stem, delighting him to almost inhuman levels.

“What is this?” Orochimaru hissed. “Who are you? Did Konan send you?”

Sakura brushed off a stray petal from her shoulder and glanced around the room, ignoring Orochimaru and his fire mages. She glared at the place where Itachi had once stood, recognizing the traces of his magical presence.

Sasori could see from where he lay on the ground how powerful she looked, dressed in splendor and adorned with a halo of pearlescent olive branches that gradely reflected the light. She looked far more suited to a throne than anyone he had ever seen.

Apart from Orochimaru who stood next to the thrones and Kakuzu, there was one last swordsman member of the Akatsuki left in the room. When Sakura looked his way he laughed and backed away.

“I’m not touching this. You’re on your own, snake man. I don’t get paid enough to die.”

“You coward,” he roared at Kisame. “Come back here and finish the job!”

“Sire,” one of the mages hissed, trembling where she stood at the bottom of the dais. “What is it?”

“It’s human enough to die, kill it with necrotic damage.”

Sakura didn’t speak and she didn’t give them a chance to attune but cast through her trees and severed the hands of every mage who gathered magic to follow their leader’s orders. The room filled with hailing and the trees began to bloom red and pink blossoms with the new blood. Several tried to run but ended up like Kakuzu, impaled on a blackthorn sapling that was growing up through their body.

“What do you want?” Orochimaru asked, shouting out with necrotic magic already gathered in his hands.

“Only what is mine,” she said before lifting both hands and channeling magic there.

Orochimaru struck first and his magic turned her arms black, before the disease peeled and fell off her form in immunity. Sakura’s magic manifested into a single point and then with her forefinger she pointed at Orochimaru’s chest. Before either could see or know what she was going to do, the hole was there and the damage was done. A beam of death had struck him dead on, faster than the eye could track.

Slowly, the hole began to grow, eating more and more of Oroachimaru’s body, even as he howled in pain and tried to counter it with his many spells. Sakura’s trees only bloomed brighter with more pink and red flowers.

Sakura approached the soon to be corpse of Orochimaru and lifted her skirts to step over him atop the throne’s platform. Her heel came down hard on one of his arms and he screamed when it broke off, crumbling to dust.

“You stole from me what was mine, what did you think would happen?” Sakura said.

Before he could answer she lifted her hand and his head splattered against the far wall as a stain.

There was moaning and cries in the room from some of the mages who lost their hands but none of them approached Sakura or made an effort to confront her. One had already bled out and was breathing his last breaths while another sobbed openly about their life being over.

It would have been merciful, maybe even just, to leave them with their wounds and their lives, but Sakura stopped in her steps when she saw Sasori. He was watching her from on his side on the ground. There was still blood from his ear on his face and soot staining his hands. When he managed a weak smile for her Sakura felt her heart break. The moaning behind her abruptly cut off as each mage fell dead, bleeding out to turn the pink blooms red.

“You came for me,” Sasori chuckled, too mesmerized at the sight of her.

“Hush and stay still. I’m going to heal you now,” she said, kneeling down at his side to address not only his ruptured eardrum but also the many broken ribs and bones he had suffered from the explosion earlier.

“You’re very pretty.”

“You need to stop talking,” Sakura said. She focused, trying not to think about his words or how warm they made her. She felt like her stomach was filled with dragonflies.

“You’re always saving me.”

“Don’t exaggerate.”

“Even when you’re not killing people to free me you’re always saving me. Saving me, cause now I want to live.”

“Everyone wants to live.”

“I didn’t,” Sasori said. He blinked hard, hearing with his repaired eardrum now that Sakura was finished there. “I didn’t want to live before you.”

“You don’t…” Sakura closed her eyes and hiked her shoulders. “Just, let me heal you.”

“Can I kiss you?”

Sakura sputtered. “Sasori!”

Even broken and bleeding Sasori reached up and cupped the back of her skull and pulled her close enough to share her breath with his. “Please.”

She didn’t answer but she leaned in and took his lips first while all around them the quartz crystals glowed with a rainbow of colors as the blackthorn trees bloomed and shed their petals for a drizzle of pinks and red to obscure them from the outside world.

#SasoSaku #Sasori #Sakura #fic #fanfiction #my writing #gore warning #death warning for bad guys #no beta we die like men #I'm so tired #it is finished!

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hypnotixstorm · 4 years

Note

Which characters are your fav ones in Naruto and which do you not like?

Okay thank you for asking this! I’ll tell you why I love/hate the characters too 👀

Also disclaimer: This is long as FUCK which I apologize about. I got a bit too into this I think lmao. You probs don’t even care why I like/dislike these characters :’))))

BUT

Because this is so long it’ll all be under the cut :)

F A V E S

Kakashi

He’s the entire reason I got into Naruto in the first place. I loved the intrigue/mystery surrounding his mask and I won’t lie, I think he’s really hot lmao B UT I can also relate a lot to his backstory in the sense that we’ve both had a really rough life!

Deidara

Dude Deidara is the best! Yes he’s hot okay, most of my faves are for this reason BUT I also love his personality! He feels so human and well thought out, even if he is a villain who we don’t really see all that long. He’s fun and energetic, plus I love art too!

Let’s be real tho, I literally love the entire akatsuki. They’re like my fave villain group of all time. I want an akatsuki cloud tattoo okay 😩

Genma

Okay okay okay I know this is weird and random but hear me out. I love this character, sm. I love his design, his personality, his voice, just, everything about him? I know he’s a minor character we very rarely see but idk I’m just so drawn to him 🥺

Itachi

hhhhnnnnNNGHHHHHH I love this man I s2g 🥺 like, he’s so pretty??? Eyelashes for days??? And long silky hair???? It’s mostly an aesthetic thing, but I do really like his backstory. I think he deserved so much better too!

D I S L I K E

Orochimaru

I feel like most people either love or hate him. Nobody ever is just like “he’s okay”. At least, no one I’ve ever met. Personally, he’s creepy as hell and I just *shudders* I just really don’t like him lmao

Sasuke

I can feel the hate I’m gonna get from this but oh well. Sasuke to me is very... overrated, which is weird considering I love his brother/emo boys lmao. But Sasuke just feels ridiculous at times. I also don’t like how he went crazy, psycho, murderer and then was just accepted back with open arms, for the most part anyways. I didn’t watch Naruto until I was 17 so that may also have something to do with it but? Idk, just really dislike him 🙃

Hiruzen Sarutobi (Third Hokage)

Okay. So. I really actually hate him lmao. I always see people ranting and raving about what an amazing hokage he was. Ummmmmm excuse me? He was awful! He promised to take care of Naruto, love him and treat him like his own but he actually didn’t? He never payed any attention to him and shoved him into some shitty ass apartments on his own? Plus the WHOLE VILLAGE bullied Naruto and he did nothing to stop it? Yeah, he’s awful. I understand he’s not biologically related to Naruto and all, but he still made that promise to Minato/Kushina and should’ve respected it. Yes, he could’ve just left him on the streets which is worse, but there was so much more he could have done FOR Naruto. I also understand he barely payed attention to his own grandson but still. You get the point. I don’t think he did anything right by those kids. I also think he’s to blame for the Uchiha massacre. Like, he knew what they were doing and went “ya know what itachi, why don’t you go kill them all and then fuck off even tho we know about this bc fuck you????” He knew about the Uchihas plans for YEARS and then with Danzo-

L O V E / H A T E

I know you didn’t ask for this but I have to talk about this one person

Sakura

Alrighty. This one is gonna be long like the Third Hokage’s. So I have moments where I both love and hate Sakura. I really do want her to be my favorite characters, but it’s really fucking hard. Honestly she’s probably my fave female character besides Temari, who was turned into a useless housewife, and Tsunade who is actually a /decent/ female character, post-Naruto fucking knocking some god damn sense into her. So really, I guess that makes her my fave female of the Konoha 12? Idk. A N Y W A Y S. Most of the women are done poorly, but Kishimoto has admitted to not being able to write them well so, it’s more understandable

Anyways. I’ll start out with why I dislike her

I HATE what she did to Naruto. It was seriously fucked up of her to use his feelings for her against him and just- Ugh, that shit really grinds my gears and pisses me off because I’ve been in Naruto’s shoes before in a situation like that with someone. I also hated how she STILL pined over Sasuke and ENDED UP WITH HIM???? Honestly, I don’t think Sasuke should have gotten with anyone and that’s because he does not seem emotionally ready/available to be in a (healthy) relationship, NOT because I don’t like him and I think he doesn’t deserve happiness. But anyways, I digress. I know that looks aren’t the most important things buuuuuut Studio Pierrot really made her look bad. Not only does she look more badass in the manga, but she actually has decent sex appeal. The only reason I bring that up specifically is because a LOT of people like to compare her to Ino and Hinata and make fun of her flat chest. I feel like it’s also worth mentioning, that anytime Sasuke was around or even mentioned, she turned into a babbling idiot, which is probably her biggest downfall to me

Now, on to why I like her

Sakura is the strongest NORMAL person in the world of Naruto, whether you want to believe it or not. Naruto and Sasuke are literal GODS. Even if they are reincarnations, they’re still gods. Of course Sakura is going to be useless compared to them. BUT compare her to other characters and she’s def stronger than them. She has surpassed her teacher, Tsunade, who was one of the Legendary Sannin. She’s also much stronger than Kakashi, who was a child prodigy and jonin at the age of thirteen. She also was also able to nearly go toe-to-toe with a member of the Akatsuki. I know she had help from Lady Chiyo, but she still did well, all things considered. Deidara has also stated previously that Sasori was stronger than him, so with that in consideration, she would have probably been able to beat him on her own and possibly several other members of the Akatsuki

#anime #naruto #ask #ask game #ask game response #character analysis #naruto anime character analysis #sorry its so fucking long #oof #i really didnt mean to go off on a tangent #i hope you like it tho #thank you butterfly-anon

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neraawritesxx · 6 years

Text

Garnet

Written for MultiSaku Month - Day 4

pairing: sasori x sakura prompt: soulmate au where you are colorblind to a specific color until you meet your soulmate genre: light angst // unrequited feelings // drama word count: 1,685

summary: “Deep down inside, don’t you want to be like me?” No. No, she did not want to be like him. She would never be like him.

a/n: I have no idea where this came from, but I am all about the angst right now and this pairing seemed perfect for it. This story is unbeta’d so any mistakes are my own. I hope you all enjoy!

Since the day Sakura Haruno was born, she cannot see the color red.

And it’s a pity, really, because despite being able to wear her family crest in any variation of shade, Ino insists that she compliment the Haruno emblem with red because absolutely nothing else would match her bottle green eyes and bubblegum pink hair.

So, Sakura puts all of the trust that her little ten-year-old body could muster into her best friend and they go to the store together, sifting through the clothing racks, pulling out different tunics and blouses that are nothing but boring, dull shades of gray in Sakura’s eyes.

But, it will work out in the end because eventually, she will meet her soulmate and as soon as she looks them in the eye, all the varying shades of crimson, red, and garnet will bleed back into her life, and it’ll be just perfect.

Because that’s what soulmates are: perfect.

And everything will be right in the world, just like in those stories that her mother tells her about.

…Right?

-o-

They learn about the history of soulmates in the academy.

Iruka-sensei shares with them a vague history of it all; too many adages about humanity and hubris. About how mankind was always too selfish for their own good and the greed that had festered over the years could have been the potential cause of it all.

The absurd thing is, not a single one of those proverbs or sayings could accurately describe why it happened or where it began. Did the gods craft this for them? Was this a punishment? A gift?

No one had the correct answers. Whatever is written in scrolls and textbooks over the last century are assumptions and attempts at categorization. They can only learn from the past and what is going on in the present, what happens in the here and now, and write their own version of the events in journals in hopes that it might help others in the future.

There are a few things that they do know for sure:

It is possible for one to never to find their soulmate.

If one soulmate dies, the other is not necessarily subject to the same fate.

And, it is different for everyone; how soulmates are discovered, found, and chosen. More often than not, it depends on the region that one is born into.

In Konoha, they are color blind to a specific hue.

In Iwagakure, they feel their soulmate’s pain, sometimes sharing the same scars of past missions and battles.

In Suna, there is a black spot marring the skin where their soulmate is supposed to touch them for the first time. After the initial contact, it fades back into their bodies as if it were never there in the first place.

When their introductory lessons are over, Sakura can’t help but feel a little relieved.

She doesn’t think that she would particularly like a physical mark maiming her skin or some ambiguous words etched into her arm that may or may not lead her to the person she would spend the rest of her life with.

She may be biased more towards her village for obvious reasons, but overall, she doesn’t mind being blind to shades of red because there will be no doubt when the time comes.

When those new colors dance into her vision, Sakura will know precisely who her soulmate is, and they can be together without any misgivings or uncertainties.

-o-

Over the years, things change. People, places, and settings. They all change.

Long gone were the academy days and her dreaming of the infinitely perfect meet-cute with her soulmate.

It’s not to say that Sakura hates the idea of soulmates. That’s the exact opposite, actually. She cares a little too much, and there are far too many instances throughout her childhood in which she had been so bitterly envious of those around her who found their soulmates easily.

TenTen and Neji have been together for years, even before the academy, and for Naruto, all it took was one quick look at the stuttering Hinata before his screeching of, “I finally know what color the sky is! Dattebayo!” was heard around the village.

She knew that people felt sorry for her – mostly her parents and Ino – and that was because, with the more time that passed, Sakura became increasingly aware that her soulmate was most likely not a member of the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

Though one’s soulmate didn’t necessarily have to be a member of the same village, it’s a commonality that occurs more often than not, and she can’t help but feel horribly cheated by the discovery.

Sakura puts a lot of time into becoming a strong shinobi after that. With Naruto’s departure for further training and Sasuke’s defection, it was time for her to put silly dreams aside and work on becoming stronger.

Though she tells herself she’s putting all of her time into drills, lessons, and hospital work to be able to hold her own – to show Naruto and Kakashi that she deserves to be a member of Team Seven, to bring Sasuke home – there is always that traitorous little voice in the back of her mind which whispers to her late at night.

It tells her that the stronger she becomes, the more missions she can take, and the further she can go.

And, maybe, just maybe, she can find her soulmate along the way.

-o-

She doesn’t sleep much over the course of those two and a half years.

If anyone asked, Sakura blamed it on her rigorous tutelage under Lady Tsunade and not on the gnawing loneliness that ached in her chest.

-o-

When Naruto comes home, things get easier.

Sakura breathes easier.

And though the desire to find her soulmate still weighs heavily on her shoulders, Sakura still has her friends, family, and her team.

Things just feel so overwhelmingly right when they complete that bell test for the second time that, if only just for a moment, Sakura believes even if she were to never meet her soulmate, she’ll turn out just fine.

-o-

It isn’t long after, that Gaara goes missing.

What starts off as a day filled with her reprimanding Naruto because he couldn’t and wouldn’t pick a mission for their team due to his stubbornness and desire for a sense of danger, turns into them running through the dry, arid Suna desert with such desperation that it’s almost painful.

And this…

This.

In a country that is not her own, amongst enemies that are trying to capture and kill a friend, is where she finds her soulmate.

Sakura doesn’t realize it at first, because when she and Lady Chiyo force themselves through walls made of rock and stone, he is hidden inside a puppet.

But after, when she smashes that same puppet down to splinters and slivers of wood, he emerges with nothing but a cold, cruel smirk on his face and contempt in those gray eyes.

Her world shifts on its axis.

Lady Chiyo is taken aback by the fact that he looks as if he hasn’t aged more than a day since she last saw him.

And Sakura…

Sakura is lost in the vivacity of his short, mousy red hair.

-o-

Sasori has no outward reaction to her and Sakura later finds out that is because he no longer has a human body.

“My heart is just like this body,” he tells them.

Emotionless. Cold. Hollow.

If Sakura felt embittered in her younger years, it’s nothing in comparison to the spitefulness she feels now. It is not fair. The chance of having a real relationship with her soulmate is stolen out from underneath her feet without her even realizing it.

Fleetingly, she wonders where his soulmark was on his original body. Just where had the black spot been that announced him as her own?

She doesn’t have time to ask, to divulge further into the madness that is Sasori of the Red Sand.

There is a fight to win and a Kazekage to save, and Sakura is nothing but a conundrum of animosity, resentment, and unhinged loathing.

She fights and defends and bleeds – has blood always been that dark? – and Sakura gives all that she has to give to keep herself and Lady Chiyo alive.

She can’t tell him; she won’t tell him because this was the path he chose. He is no longer human, and though she would like to believe that Sasori is capable of redemption, Sakura knows better than to let herself think that he wants to be redeemed.

“I’ve killed hundreds of people,” he sneers when they have him trapped, his core impaled. “She would be no different from the rest.”

And Sakura believes him, but she isn’t scared of him. Not like this.

“Deep down inside, don’t you want to be like me?”

No.

No, she did not want to be like him. She would never be like him.

-o-

As Sakura watches the last remnants of life drain from his emotionless eyes, a part of her dies along with him.

And silently, she weeps for herself, for Sasori, and for the injustice of it all.

But mostly, she just cries because she was never given the chance to get to know him.

-o-

Over the next few years, there are a few select people that she tells.

Her parents hold her close, worried for what is to become of their daughter.

Naruto and Kakashi both give her pitying glances, but they do not change their attitudes with the knowledge. They will always be her surrogate family and they silently vow to never leave her side.

And Ino...

Sakura and Ino huddle together late one night and just cry. Earth shattering sobs and broken, pain filled wails that leave them feeling empty, but content when they are finished.

Sakura will be alright.

She will pull through.

-o-

In hindsight, Sakura really should thank Ino for forcing her to go shopping all those years ago.

The blonde had been right.

Red became Sakura’s absolute favorite color.

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sagara-megumi · 7 years

Text

SasuSaku Month - Day 15: The Slug and the Snake || [Fanfic] Till Death Do Us Part

Title: Till Death Do Us Part

Rating: T/PG-13

Notes: Sorry to keep you waiting, but at last, the final chapter is here ^^ It’s sad but at the same time accomplishing because it’s the first time that I finish a multi-chaptered story and that I write so much in such amount of time.

The notes are a bit long this time, but I’d like you to read them, since they can be useful.

This time, the prompt is symbolic. Looking for information for my next story (that hopefully will use some of the prompts I still haven’t done) I found on a book about Japanese Mythology that the snake, among other things, symbolises lust. Imagine the possibilities that opened in my mind at that moment *grin* Regarding the slug, the only thing I could find was the healing power, so Sakura gets stuck in the medical field once again.

I decided that both their names are written in kanji, since both of them belong to old families (I haven’t seen any examples of this written in hiragana/katakana, like in the manga). For those who feel curious… 団扇佐助 // 春野桜 (I know that in Sasuke’s case those are the kanji for “uchiwa“, but… ^^U)

The events described in the fanfic are my impressions after watching several videos and reading about the topic. There will be mistakes, of course, so I apologise in advance.

Be aware that the rating has gone up. There’s nothing really explicit but you’ll know what’s happening. If I labelled it incorrectly, please don’t hesitate to tell me. Since a few years, the rating system has been a mess. I’ve found really strong things under the M/R and even the T/PG-13 tags and really innocent ones under T/PG-13 so, I’m more or less following my instinct.

Thanks to the lovely @isa-chi who put up with my ramblings and my frustration, and advised me on a couple of topics especially related to OOC. And also to all the people who read it, sent messages, liked, reblogged and followed me, waiting patiently for updates. You don’t know how happy each of those single things made me. And thank you to @sasusakumonths for organising it. It’s been really fun ♡

As always, if there’s something wrong (spaces, brackets…), please, tell me. I hope you enjoy this final instalment :)

Glossary: I’ve tried to keep the Japanese terms to a minimum, though some things are not accurately translated

-uchikake: the bridal kimono. It can be white (the most common used for the ceremony) or with colours (normally used for the celebration). it’s much more heavier than a normal kimono, and it’s tied differently too. -onigiri: riceball -nori: the seaweed that is wrapped around the onigiri

Words: 7339

TILL DEATH DO US PART

Drinking a sip of her coffee, Sakura observed as Sasuke started to complete their marriage form, the pen in his right hand tracing the kanji of his full name slowly, as if he feared to make a mistake. They had decided to fill it and take it to the Ward Office together so, early in the morning, Sakura had gone to his apartment carrying the documents she would need.

Finally, the day had come. After their engagement, as soon as Sasuke had recovered, they had visited each family to announce that they were getting married. She still remembered the satisfaction in her grandmother’s eyes as Sasuke bowed to ask permission to her and her parents to marry her. At the beginning, she had felt a bit offended. It was as if Chiyo was telling her that she had caught the prized candidate when that had been the last thing on her mind practically from the beginning. However, later that night as she made her way to the kitchen for a snack before going to bed, she found her kneeling in front of the altar dedicated to her late grandfather, talking lovingly to him about the happiness she felt because her granddaughter had found a wonderful man, that she had seen in his eyes how much he loved her; reminiscing the time when they had met and how love had grown between them in the same way as in the young couple; that now she understood why they had taken their time to made their decision. And her heart had gone to the old lady who still mourned the death of his dear husband.

In the Uchiha clan’s house, things had not been very different. As Sasuke did, she had tried to ignore the whispers she heard about how pleased the elders were that the second son of the main branch had attained to such a wonderful heiress. Though, she had to say that his closest family had been truly happy for him as they wished them happiness.

“Sakura,” Sasuke’s voice, a bit disgruntled, reached her. “Are you listening to me?”

With a jolt, she looked at her fiancée, who was watching her with a delicate crease in his brows. He sighed.

“Obviously, not.”

“Sorry, Sasuke-kun… I had something on my mind…”

“I saw…” he smirked lightly. “Last minute jitters?”

She pouted, her eyes flashing defiantly.

“Of course not!”

He moved his head to the sides, a gesture that Sakura interpreted as mocking resignation, and then, he handed her the ball point.

“I’m finished.”

For a moment, she seemed to find fascination even in the action of him giving her that pen and she exhaled, exasperated at herself. She was too absent-minded that morning. She took it and with precise strokes, she wrote the information needed and took her family stamp to seal the document.

“Alright” Sasuke said standing up and putting the form inside the folder with his documents. “Let’s go. Today we have a very busy day ahead.”

Sakura looked at his retreating form for a moment before rising from her seat. It was the first time since they had met that she saw him in such informal clothes. It was summer, so he was wearing a dark blue polo shirt and white jeans. She could not help swoon a little. That man, who she had seen attract the attention of women without doing anything special wherever he went, was going to be hers from that day on.

“What’s with you today?” he was already in the hall, with his deck shoes on and one hand on his waist, looking at her with a mixture of concern and confusion. “Are you feeling well?”

“Yes!” she walked quickly to his side and put her cream-coloured sandals on, “I’m just a bit distracted.”

“Why?” he asked, checking that he had the keys for the house and the car in his pockets.

“Well” she put her hands behind her back and looked at the flat somewhat wistfully. “Today is a very important day… And, this will be my house from now on…” he looked at her with slightly widened eyes. “I suppose I’m feeling a bit melancholic apart from the usual nervousness…”

Sasuke’s features became warmer and he put a hand on her head, stroking it affectionally.

“Come on…”

They arrived at the Ward Office a few minutes after it had opened and finished with the last procedures quickly.

“The certificate will be available in two days” the friendly clerk at the desk told them. “Congratulations on your marriage.”

They thanked him and went back, Sasuke looking at his watch. Fortunately, it had taken less time than they had thought, so there would not be any delays in the tight schedule that they had that day. After his collapse, they had become very busy with their works and the wedding arrangements, but he had been careful not to cross the line again, especially with Sakura, Ino, Itachi and Naruto checking on him every day. The last few weeks, however, he had tried to do as much as possible to be able to clear those three days, from that one to the end of the week, for the wedding and an extremely short honeymoon that they had decided to spend mainly at home after the stressful preparations. They would have time for a proper wedding trip later on.

As they came out, they stopped and looked at each other, smiling. Even if they called off the shrine ceremony and all the events that were taking place in a few hours, they were now officially husband and wife.

Sasuke grabbed her hand with a satisfied expression on his face and started walking toward the car, she following him swiftly. But she could not help looking over her shoulder towards the entrance of the Office, swallowing hard and feeling a sudden rush of emotion. She had entered there being Haruno Sakura, and though nothing special had happened, a different person had come out. From that moment on, she was Uchiha Sakura.

“… Going forward, we’ll love each other, trust one another, share the good times and the bad and swear that this will stay unchanged throughout our lifetime.”

Sakura’s hands trembled slightly listening to Sasuke take their wedding vow before the gods in the shrine that his clan belonged to, as they held the paper where it was written. His voice, clear and steady was a reflection of his resolution to honour that promise.

“Husband, Uchiha Sasuke”

Despite her agitation, she breathed deeply, wanting to answer with the same conviction as him.

“Wife: Sakura”

Sasuke folded the paper again and left it carefully on the reclining set before them, stealing a glance at his bride. She had her head tilted down and he could only see her lips, painted in a rich shade of red, under the cotton hat she wore for the ceremony. To say that she was beautiful in her wedding kimono was not enough compliment. He had literally stopped breathing when he had seen her clad in the beautiful white uchikake embroidered with cranes and flowers that, as she had told him before while planning the wedding, had belonged to her family for years as her grandmother and her mother had worn it before her.

The Shinto priest, then, brought a tray with a box and offered it to Sasuke. He took the wedding ring with great care and offered her his other hand. She lifted hers, her heart beating wildly in her chest, and he took it as he put the ring on her finger. Sakura realised that he was trembling a bit and she lifted her face to him. What she saw stole her breath away. Maybe it was not the most beautiful smile of the world, but the one that graced Sasuke’s lips at that moment was radiant with content and tenderness. Sakura’s eyes filled with tears and she would have ended up crying if the priest had not put the tray in front of her. Swallowing hard and clenching her teeth to control herself, feeling relieved that with the hat she wore no one could notice her moment of weakness, she picked up the other ring. He extended his hand and slowly, feeling as if her heart could burst from all the happiness she was feeling, she put it on his finger.

“Ready?” one of the women dressed formally who were at the door of the reception hall looked at Sasuke and Sakura, and they nodded.

The double door opened and they entered the room, their guests clapping enthusiastically. Sakura had changed some of her clothes. She had taken off the hat and now wore her hair in a modest bun adorned with traditional hairpins, and had changed her white uchikake for another colourful one which belonged to Sasuke’s family.

They arrived at their table and bowed to the guests. Just then, the waiters and waitresses came out of a door and started filling their glasses while the host told the people they were going to toast to the groom and the bride.

Soon after, the food was served and the speeches began. One by one, their kindergarten teacher, Kakashi, their professors at university, Tsunade, as her mentor, and Itachi, as Sasuke’s superior, told anecdotes about the years spent with them.

Then, Naruto went up the platform and Sasuke felt himself cringe. They had gone through a lot together, good things and bad ones and their bond was practically unbreakable, but also, his best friend was aware of all his failures and most embarrassing moments, and though he was completely sure that he could trust him with his life, he also knew that sometimes, he talked too much. He could not help having a bad feeling about it.

“They make a fine couple, don’t you think, Madara-san?”

The man, with his arm crossed on his chest, nodded as he watched Sasuke and Sakura listen to his best friend, Naruto, give a speech which made people laugh and clap, as he talked about some of the moments they had lived together.

“I have to confess that, at the beginning, I was quite sceptical about your suggestion of arranging for them to meet, Chiyo-san” he said with a small smile, very similar to Sasuke’s. “I thought that you desired someone in the medical field for the future heiress of your legacy. Someone who doesn’t have any knowledge, like my grandson, is not going to be of great help.”

“I understood soon enough that my granddaughter didn’t need a husband like that. She’s extraordinarily intelligent and a brilliant doctor; after all, she’s trained under the famous physician Senju Tsunade” she said sparing a fleeting glance towards the renowned doctor, sitting at a table not far from theirs. “Any man in the same field of expertise would feel intimidated by her, even resentful. And, despite being burdened by responsibility and tradition, I love my granddaughter and I was not going to get her into a marriage where she would end up suffering. However, Sasuke-san can lend his support in other ways. Financially, of course, but also he can offer her advice based on his experience. A hospital chairman is a doctor and a business person at the same time.”

“You had your plans well laid” he smirked. “I’m impressed.”

“Well, not all of them” she folded her hands on her lap. “I hoped that, being young, they would grow some affection for each other with time. However, my wish became true much earlier. It is obvious that Sasuke-san cares deeply for my granddaughter, and sincerely, I could not ask for more.”

“Honestly I even thought once that he would never marry” Naruto continued his speech. “He’s got a weird personality and he sometimes doesn’t talk, probably thinking he’s so cool. Also, he can be really arrogant and a bit twisted, but he’s the best man I’ve ever met in my life. Sakura-chan, I know he’s a hassle and a pig head, as you probably noticed a few months ago when he fell ill, but, please, take care of him. I’m sure you two are going to be the happiest couple in the world” he made a victory sign. “After Hinata-chan and me, of course.”

People laughed as they clapped and Naruto went back to his seat. Then, as the host announced the next speech, Sasuke took a sip of his drink, relieved. Apart from some comments, like the last ones, about his character, and that he had talked about the first time he had got drunk, things had not gone so bad.

The hall became darker as Ino took her place behind the microphone.

“Good afternoon. I’m Yamanaka Ino and I have the fortune of knowing this two people for years. But today, I’m not going to talk as Uchiha Sasuke’s secretary, but as Sakura’s friend” she paused for a moment to look at her notes. “Sakura and I met in the first year of elementary school, when we ended up in the same classroom, sitting one behind the other. As you see, we have a long story together…”

A soft music started playing and they all turned to a screen located over the main door, where a video started to show. It displayed photographs of the two girls since their childhood: school events, festivals, graduations, parties… Ino had a memory for each of those moments, which people laughed about or had to dab at their eyes with handkerchiefs. Finally, the video ended with the two of them laughing at the entrance of the Todai University, the day of Sakura’s graduation.

“When she told me that her omiai partner was the President I work for, I was a bit wary because I discovered then that I was linked to both, and it was going to be uncomfortable if one of them felt hurt in case that there was a rejection. But when she said they were getting married, I was really glad.” she turned to the couple. “President, the only thing I’m going to ask of you in this life is to make her happy. Despite our arguments and differences in many things, she’s one of the people I love the most and, forgive me for my impertinence, I’d hate you if you made her suffer her. Congratulations…” she inhaled, trying to hold back her tears. “And stop crying, Forehead!

She bowed and Sakura felt the strong urge to run to her best friend and hug her. However, she had to repress it, since it was not the moment and with her clothes she would probably make a fool of herself, so she restricted herself to watch Ino coming down the platform and going straight to her seat, trying to hold her tears. She had to remember to hold her tight the next time she saw her.

“Are you fine?” Sai whispered putting an arm around Ino’s shoulders so she could lean her head on his shoulder, not caring about maintaining the appearances or the curious looks they were receiving.

She nodded and he dropped a soft kiss on her head.

“Good…” he paused for a moment. “Did you finally graduate from him?”

She nodded again and he could not help the smile that drew across his lips, relief washing over him. His heart filled with content at knowing that Ino was now completely and truly his, as he realised that a very small part of him that had been well hidden deep inside, had been really unhappy and jealous. Maybe, it was time for them to start thinking about tying the knot too.

Sasuke stood up, after a few moments. It was time for the groom speech. However, he did not move, he just looked at Sakura that smiled, carefully rising from her chair too. They were going to break the rules a bit. There was a soft surprised humming as the guests saw that both of them moved to the microphone, the expectation hanging in the air heavily.

He took a small slip of paper from the folds of his kimono and opened it, drawing in a soft breath. He was used to speaking in public, to weave his way and opinions without any doubts to business partners, directors and associates. However, he had never been good at expressing his emotions, at telling the people he cared for his feelings. His heart had been closed for many years after he had understood his position in his family and what they expected of him. His life no longer belonged to him, but to the clan. But that did not mean that he had become cold or had stopped loving them. That speech had taken him a lot of time to write, carefully choosing his words, rewriting once and again what he wanted to say. He only hoped he had been able to convey his thoughts in his words.

“Thank you to all of you for coming today and share with us this joyous event despite your busy schedules…” after the standard greeting, he breathed again. “When I was five, my life changed completely. From being a carefree child, I became someone who would have an important role in the future of his clan, and though, as a boy, could not see farther than my own selfishness, getting angry because things were not the same anymore, my family’s guidance and affection helped me to take the correct choices in life. I am what I am thanks to my father, who taught me the value of working hard, having perseverance and taking pride in my origins, my mother, warm and caring, but also stern when she had to be, and my brother who protected and comforted me as a child, and is someone I look up to every day” he glanced at Sakura. “Today, my wife and I are starting a new life. We are inexperienced in many things and we will probably stumble from time to time. I hope that you can continue watching over us the same as you have done for me up to now” he turned to Sakura. “Our beginning was difficult and we were unsure and full of doubts, and we have been through difficult moments. However, despite not being married, not even engaged, you were beside me during that time, strong and steadfast. Thank you, Sakura-san. I hope that in the years to come, I can be your support as you have been, and are, mine.”

He bowed, and Sakura had to bite her lower lip hard to contain her tears. When he lifted his head and saw her efforts, he took his handkerchief from his kimono and gave it to her with a tender smile that made those who saw it stare in awe. Sakura took a deep breath and straightened. Turning to their guests, she nodded.

“I’m sorry…”

Then, Sasuke took a step back to let her take his place. She took a paper from her obi and unfolded it. Breathing once more, she started reading.

“Thank you for being with us on such an important day in our lives” she inhaled again, calming herself, her voice becoming more confident. “I have always been aware of my role in life, and I embraced it enthusiastically since I was a little girl. I come from a family of doctors and I saw like a natural thing that I would become one in the future. I am one now. However, it’s not my merit alone. I had, along the way up to now, three wonderful people, my grandmother, my father and my mother, who were an example and my inspiration for all I wanted to achieve and I have been fortunate to count on their support and their advice in the steps I have taken along the way.” she paused for a moment. “Even though an omiai can be a very difficult event nowadays, when life offers us so many possibilities and ideas, I’m very glad to have followed my grandmother’s counsel and gone through it, because I met someone who has become very important for me” she tilted her head and looked at him. “Sasuke-san, let’s walk together this path that we have started today and build a household of our own following the example of the people who had surrounded and cherished us until this moment. I am sure that they will continue offering us their encouragement and love. As for us, as in all journeys, we will probably have good times and also encounter difficulties in our marriage. I want to be able to enjoy the first ones and solve little by little the second ones together with you, till death do us part.”

She gave a step backwards and together with her husband, she bowed to the guests, who were clapping and some of them crying openly. They could even hear one or two cheers from their louder friends. Then, two assistants gave them bouquets of flowers, and they made their way to the back, where their families were awaiting them. They bowed respectfully and then, gave the flowers to their mothers. Mikoto had a hard time controlling her tears, deeply moved because her younger child had never said what he truly felt since he was small and Fugaku put his hand on his back, smiling proudly at the respectable man that his son had become.

“Thank you…”

A tear fell down Sakura’s mother as she took the flowers from her daughter, who held her hand affectionately.

When they stepped aside instead of posing for a photograph, all the people in the hall held their breath again, expectant. Both of them approached the table nearest the place where their parents were, and the assistant gave her a second bouquet that she gave to her grandmother.

“Grandmother…” the old lady took it a bit disconcerted. “I know that you’re not in favour of breaking traditions and protocol, but it’s thanks to you that we’re here today. Sasuke-kun and I wanted to give you this.”

Chiyo blushed a bit.

“But it was Madara-san’s idea too…”

“But we can’t give him flowers, can we?” she said with a smile.

Then, she straightened and turned to his grandfather, bowing again.

“Thank you.”

Sasuke sighed as he adjusted his grey tie watching his reflection in the full-length mirror before letting one of the assistants help him with the frock coat. Despite liking kimonos quite a lot, he was definitely much more comfortable with those clothes, so similar to his everyday ones. He took the gloves and, nodding to the assistants, came out of the changing room. He walked along the corridor to where Sakura’s door was, ready to wait.

After the photographs with their family, they had gone out of the hall for a change of clothes. As they were planning the wedding, he had asked Sakura if she did not want to wear one of those big white Western wedding dresses that Japanese women dreamt of. Though her answer had been somewhat vague saying that it had been a little girl’s fantasy, he had realised that she still (tenía la ilusión). And he had finally managed to convince her to do it. Though they belonged to old families and they were going to follow tradition to the end, the wedding was theirs, and they could allow themselves a whim. Like the one with their grandparents. He had been surprised when he had learnt that his grandfather had played an important role in their omiai, despite being all Sakura’s grandmother idea. And when she had asked him if he minded that she paid a little homage to her, he had thought it would be nice to thank the patriarch of the clan too.

He was looking out of one of the windows on the wall opposite her room when he heard the door behind him open, and he turned. The sight left him breathless. Sakura was at the door, being helped by her assistants, and she was looking at him with a mixture of excitement and hope. She was wearing a beautiful empire style wedding dress with sleeves that only covered her shoulders, a bodice decorated with small pearls and a flowing skirt with two layers embroidered with lace. Her hair was tied in a side bun on the left side of her head framed by some organza lotus flowers.

“Oh, the groom” one of the assistants said with a smile. “We hope you are pleased with the bride’s look.”

He felt a knot in his throat. He wanted to say something and make her happy, it was obvious that she was expecting him to do it, but he just could not do it; not with those strangers listening and the people near the reception hall door waiting. If one day he complimented her, he wanted it to be for her alone.

Sakura smiled softly, as if she could sense his inner conflict and, turning to her helpers, she thanked them. Then, she approached her handsome husband, who was still looking at her with admiration, and took him by the arm. He did not need words to say what she wanted to know.

“Come on, Sasuke-kun” Sakura started walking towards the hall, changing the topic. “We still have a cake to cut and many greetings to give” he groaned a bit and she smiled widely. “And the after-party, let’s not forget about that!”

He chuckled lightly, letting her drag him away from the women who had put him in a predicament, calming down with her chatting. And he decided to follow her cue teasing her a bit.

“So, your intention from the beginning was to kill your groom of exhaustion and become a widow on your first day of marriage…?”

“What a day, um?” Sakura said with a sigh as she looked at Sasuke’s back, who was busy in the kitchen.

They had arrived at their flat a few minutes before, completely spent after the after-party with their friends and younger members of their families, where they had been drinking and playing games. However, neither in the reception nor that gathering they had been able to eat much so they had just been finishing taking off their shoes when Sasuke’s stomach had made a rumbling sound that had made her start laughing. He had shown her an irritated expression and had called her annoying but it was difficult to take his soreness seriously seeing the blush that adorned his cheeks.

After he had taken revenge tapping her on the head lightly and she had calmed down, he had suggested an early dinner and they had entered the kitchen. However, as she was asking him for an apron, he had taken her by the shoulders and sat her down on a stool, alleging that she had to be more tired than him, since her efforts during the wedding had been greater.

He made a sound of assertion as his hands took another scoop of rice and moulded it like an onigiri that he put on a plate.

“Are you going to wear that for the rest of the day?” he asked looking over his shoulder, clearly referring to her wedding dress.

“Of course!” she said with a childish smile, lifting her legs and wriggling her toes. “I really love it and it was very expensive, so the least I can do is enjoy it as much as possible” he chuckled lightly as he bent, opening a cabinet on his right and picking up a wooden board to cut the nori for the onigiri. “I’m thinking I could have it altered and have a new dress for any event that we have to attend.”

“It’s a good idea” he spared a brief glance at his grey frock coat, neatly folded on a chair near her. “Maybe I could do the s- Ouch!”

Instinctively, Sakura stood and rushed to his slightly crouched figure. He had his finger in his mouth, a mixture of pain and annoyance marring his face.

“Let me see” she commanded him with a professional tone, taking his hand and inspecting the cut.

Fortunately, it was not very deep but some thick drops of blood were running down his finger.

“Where’s the first-aid kit?”

“In that cupboard”

She put his finger under water from the sink tap and went to retrieve it. Looking for some bandages, she took his finger and inspected it again before pressing firmly to cut the bleeding. She guided him to the stool where she had been sitting and smiled softly to him as she lifted the gauze to take a better look at the little wound. After a few more minutes of pressure, she picked up another piece of cloth and dabbed at the cut delicately with some antibiotics cream she had found. Finally, she put a plaster on it.

“There, almost healed. Keep it covered for two day-” she brought her hand to her mouth. “Sorry… It’s the habit…”

“Thank you” he shook his head once, not really minding her doctor side showing.

She smiled as she put everything back in the kit and put it in the same cupboard.

“And now, let me finish dinner, okay? It’s better if you don’t get that cut dirty” she looked at the drawers on her left pensively. “And, it’s better if I get used to things here soon.”

He smiled, feeling inwardly happy.

“Second drawer.”

An hour later, Sakura heard Sasuke’s footsteps behind her and she turned in time for him to offer her a cup of tea. She smiled thankfully and he sat down next to her, giving a sip to his drink. They were sitting on the sofa in the living room watching the landscape, after enjoying dinner. As that night many months ago, they had turned it so it faced the large window, hearing the muffled sounds that came from the street and watching the sun sink slowly behind the buildings in a comfortable silence. Little by little the living room became darker.

“Give me your cup” Sasuke said standing up and going to the kitchen to leave them on the sink.

When he came back, he sat beside her again, looking at the rays of the sun reflected on the glass of the buildings near theirs and the light of the cars that went up the street opposite them, travelling in precise order. Absentmindedly, he took her hand in his, caressing the back with his thumb for a few minutes, and she answered to his touch squeezing it lightly. When he felt the roughness of the stones, he looked down and watched for a moment the two rings on her finger, playing with them lightly with his index. Then, he brought it to his lips and kissed it reverently, closing his eyes briefly.

When he opened his lids, slowly, he found her gaze on him, full of tenderness, and a soft smile on her lips. He leant forward and she met him halfway. It was a simple, lingering brushing of their mouths but it made them giddy with emotion and filled their hearts with happiness.

The first kiss of their married life.

They parted after a few moments and looked at each other, smiling softly. Then, Sasuke touched her forehead with his, and she laughed a bit.

“Are you happy?”

“Yes…” his smile widened a bit and she looked at him. “And you…?”

As a reply, he cupped her cheek with one hand, brushing her skin with his thumb. Sometimes, he felt so useless for not being able to express what was truly in his heart openly, to tell her all she wanted and needed to hear. She deserved so much to listen to them… However, his reserved character, his stern upbringing had made him like that. Maybe, someday, he would be able to tell her all the things he kept inside. As he looked into her eyes, shining with delight he found himself fortunate for having found a woman who understood him.

He kissed her again, this time deeper, wishing to express what he could not put into words, giving his all each time their mouths separated for a brief intake of breath just to join again more passionately. The soft moan that escaped her throat filled his veins with desire, and this time, he did not bother to tame it. She did not have to go back home, she was not a partner, she was not his fiancée… He did not have to contain himself anymore.

He left her lips and hid his head in her neck, leaving a trail of open mouthed kisses. She sighed his name and he went back to her lips, satisfied at her equally intense response.

When they parted, completely out of breath and quivering, Sasuke stood up and put an arm around her waist and another under her knees, lifting her from the sofa, her arms circling his shoulders, and he crossed the living room and entered the corridor, towards the bedroom.

“It’s still daylight…” she murmured, hiding her face in his shoulder.

“And, do you have any complaints? Do you want me to stop…?”

Her only reply was to move her head negatively, a deep blush covering her pretty face.

The room was still bathed in a soft orange glow. Closing the door after them with his foot, he advanced a few steps, kissing her again, before letting her stand again. He did not let her go, though. After releasing her lips, he brushed his mouth on her neck, just below her jaw.

“Do you want me to help you with that” he murmured softly, touching the flowers that decorated her hair.

“Do you mind…?”

He shook his head and turned her, facing the full-length mirror on the corner nearer the bed and they looked at their reflection for a moment before she lifted her arms and started taking pins from the headdress. He did the same with her bun, feeling it with his fingertips and removing them carefully not to pull her hair. Occasionally he gazed at the mirror. She was trying really hard not to look at it and he could not help a little smile at his wife’s sudden shyness.When he had gathered a bunch of them in his hand, he looked around and finally decided to leave them on the bedside table. He switched on the lamp to see better.

“You should think about what you want to change or buy for the flat…” he commented as he touched one inside her bun. “I suppose it’s not very comfortable for a woman…”

“Your house is fine, Sasuke-kun!” she said turning, and with the sudden movement, the pin he had just discovered and picked escaped from between his fingertips. “Just two or three things will be enough, and we can bring them from my former bedroom.”

“Our house” he said, and she looked at him a bit confused. “It’s not just mine, it’s ours.”

“Ah” her fingers flew to her mouth, realising her mistake. “Sorry…”

“You’ll get used to it…” he replied, touching her head lightly to give her the clue of where to tilt it, looking at the place where the pin he had missed was and retrieving it, his breath falling on her nape, making her blush again.

They continued their task for a few more minutes until all her hair was free from the hairstyle, and Sasuke started combing the tresses down her back, but it was really difficult with all the spray the assistants who had helped her with her change of look had applied. Then, he bent a little and he kissed the curve between her neck and shoulder.

“Sasuke-kun…” she said gasping softly when he grazed the tender skin just above her collarbone. “Ca-Can you cover the mirror…?”

He smirked against her neck and, leaving her, he grabbed the bedspread and threw it over the mirror.

“Is that better?”

She nodded and he extended his hand, touching her red cheeks. With her dishevelled hair falling on her shoulders and back, her darkened green eyes that shone like emeralds in the dim light and her red lips, swollen from being kissed, she offered the most tempting and lovely sight he had ever had in front of him.

“Sakura…”

As if falling under a spell, it was her who approached him this time, kissing him as her hands cupped his face, and he held her close, tangling his fingers in her hair. The others went to his shirt, suddenly bothered by it. They parted and she looked at him, one of her hands brushing his, as if asking if she could continue. He dropped it to his side, his gaze not leaving her for a second as she took the button with trembling fingers.

As each one came undone, his skin was exposed to her sight and she felt the temptation to kiss it, Sasuke noticed the change in her breath and the indecisive spark of her eyes.

“You can do as you wish” he murmured in her ear, his voice lowering down an octave, and she shivered. “I’m your husband…”

She let out a quivering exhale and crossed the step that still separated them, hiding her head and kissing him in the curve between his shoulder and neck. He took a sharp intake of breath as her arms made their way around his waist, pressing her body to his. And Sasuke’s fingers flew to her hips. As her mouth left timid kisses along his collarbone, his hands made their way upwards slowly until they found the zipper of her dress. It was then that she noticed the slight trembling of his fingertips.

The wedding dress fell on the floor in a pool of chiffon and embroidered organza, leaving her dressed in only her tights, undergarments and a short satin and lace white slip which covered her body.

“You’re so beautiful…” he whispered, and her heart missed a beat, thundering loudly just a moment later, as she felt her eyes damp.

He smiled tenderly as he cleaned her unshed tears with his sleeve and brushed her lips softly, his hands taking off his shirt, dropping it near her dress. Then, he held her tight by the waist, lifting her up and laying her on the bed delicately, kissing her and burying one of his hands in her hair as he joined her, and the other started a path filled with soft curves and the movement of her agitated breath. For what seemed hours, he worshipped her body with kisses and caresses as her hands slid across his shoulders and back as far as she could reach, whimpering when he found a sensitive spot. Slowly, the last clothes that still separated them fell on the floor and she could not help a shiver feeling each centimetre of her skin covered by his, their bodies getting warmer and warmer as passion slowly erased from their mind any thoughts that were not related to the other, or what they were feeling.

She called his name, gasping at the honorific, and he kissed it from her lips, not wanting to hear something that put a barrier between them. There, in the privacy of the bedroom that now belonged to the two of them, they were simply two human beings that loved each other in body, soul and mind: Sasuke and Sakura.

Fingers lacing and breaths mingling in their kisses, the tension between them increased with each passing moment until it suddenly broke. Her heart overflowed with feelings for him, and his followed a few moments later with only one certainty: She belonged to him as he to her.

Still regaining their breaths, Sasuke embraced Sakura protectively and rolled over on the bed, resting on his back. He was tired, the traces of passion slowly dissolving in his blood replaced by a feeling of completion that he had never experienced before. He closed his eyes, savouring it, smiling as she nuzzled his chest softly. He brushed her hair from her damp body.

“Maybe I should have it cut…” she said in a slightly raspy voice, lifting a hand and removing some strands that gone unnoticed to his fingers.

“I like your hair…” he stated in a gentle voice. “Maybe we should have left it in that hairstyle if you felt uncomfortable…”

She mused his words for a moment.

“I’d probably had all the pins piercing my scalp” she paused and hid her face a little in his chest. “Maybe next time I can tie it up before…”

Sasuke chuckled and kissed the top of her head. His hand brushed the space between her shoulder blades and she shivered a bit.

“Are you cold?”

She shook her head briefly, but stayed quiet, not moving except for her slow breathing. He would have thought she was falling asleep if it was not for the barely noticeable agitation of her fingers on his skin

“Are you alright?” he whispered, deeply concerned about having done something to upset her.

Did I pay attention to your needs? Was I too brusque, too anxious? Did you feel the same pleasure? That simple question was filled with so many others, with insecurity and a hint of regret, that Sakura felt guilty, and moved. She was just feeling overwhelmed by the powerful sensations that still coursed through her body and mind, She had never thought she could feel something like that. But how to tell him? How to make him understand the strength of her emotions at that moment? She only knew one way. She lifted her head and smiled tenderly, making him relax. She took his hand in hers and brushed a kiss on his palm, and then on his ring finger, the thin band of gold warm to her lips.

“Yes…” .

It was already well entered the morning when Sasuke opened his eyes with a soft intake of breath, and immediately, his features softened when the first thing he saw was Sakura’s face, still deeply asleep. Her expression was completely relaxed and content, her cheeks still slightly flushed and her lips a bit swollen from his kisses. They had loved each other once and again between short slumbers and sweet moments of titillation until just a few hours ago, and though he felt exhausted and tempted to curl up with her and go back to his dreams, a part of him fought back, wanting nothing more than to watch her until the moment when she woke up. Blinking a few times, he propped up on one elbow, resting his head on his hand, lifting his free arm to brush back a loose strand which had slid down across her cheek delicately, revelling in each single detail and engraving them all in his mind.

An hour later, Sakura opened her eyes, slowly, and her clouded gaze fell on his face. He was watching her with a tender smile.

“Good morning…” he whispered, cupping her neck and kissing her forehead softly.

“Good morning…”

THE END

Extra notes:

-Japanese people don’t kiss in traditional weddings (sometimes, they do in Western-style ones, like the ones we see in manga), neither do they in the reception.

-For Sasuke and Sakura’s wedding, I wrote the same vow as in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeJQMvydpzQ All the credit goes to its maker.

-There’s a change in the honorifics, I know ^^ I did it on purpose, since reading examples of speeches, I realised that the language is very formal, so I decided to make them talk formally too. That is why there aren’t contractions in it either

#naruto #fanfic #ssm17 #ssm17d15 #sasusakumonth #uchiha sasuke #haruno sakura #sasusaku #otp

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