Chapter Text
Sakura frowns because this is not what she expects when arrives.
She expects dark, dank and dreary. She expects the dead crawling and creeping everywhere. She expects an awful domain full of misery.
She’s surprised to find the Underworld is warm. The walls glitter with colors from a large, brightly lit crystal hanging overhead. The light reflects and refracts off the ore and other precious stones lined along the walls.
It’s pretty, she can’t help but think.
“Are you alright? I know the journey can be jarring and it must especially be so for you!” the ruler of the domain fusses over her, eyes looking over her in concern. “I am sorry for the inconvenience.”
Sakura doesn’t know what to think. She’s heard of strange tales and rumors concerning the god of the Underworld. Supposedly, he is unreasonable and doesn’t compromise often with the other gods. She’s heard he hardly leaves his domain, making him out to be very standoffish. She’s imagined him to be something frightening, a boogie man of sorts because of his domain.
Instead she finds a polite, strange man with big eyes and large eyebrows.
(She ignores the multiple arrows sticking out of his chest.)
“Ah! Where are my manners! May I offer you a drink? Do you like tea? Or-or wine, perhaps?”
She finds her voice finally. “Water is fine.”
He nods. “Right away!”
She watches him duck away into a door she didn’t notice before, the long braid of hair he wore bobbing about.
The Underworld isn’t cold or scary right now but that didn’t mean anything. She belonged above ground, underneath the sky. She missed the surface already. Besides, polite or not, he still abducted her.
(She’s standing, admiring her fields when out of nowhere she’s shoved aside then without warning taken a hold of-)
“Here.”
She blinked in surprise, she hadn’t noticed that the other god had returned with a cup of water.
“I am so excited that you are here, Sakura.” He’s smiling. “I hope you enjoy your time in the Underworld.”
She grips her cup. “I won’t.”
“Pardon?”
She narrows her eyes. “You abducted me.”
His shoulder sagged, hands moving to cover his chest. “You are right.” He frowns. “I am sorry.”
“Then return me.”
His frown deepens. “Sakura, you have just arrived!” As soon as the words left his mouth the god held both hands to his mouth in shock at what he uttered.
She can’t help it, she throws her cup at the wall.
“Please understand, Sakura,” he pleads. “I am not in control of my actions.”
“That’s a lie.” She glares, pointedly ignoring the arrows still visibly on his person.
He avoids her eyes, hands clutching at his robes near the site of the arrows. “I did not come to the surface to abduct you. I was going to speak with other gods but,” he frowned, “I saw you and my senses were lost.” His hands inched closer to the arrows. “Well, I know why but...my thoughts are muddied. I am sorry.”
“I don’t care! I want to go home! I have important things to do.”
“Very well.” He smiles weakly. “I am sorry again for this, I will fight off these impulses in the future.”
“I’ll forgive you once I’m on the surface again.”
He nods and in a blink of an eye she’s back in the fields she had been taken from.
“What a waste of my time.” And she’s back to work.
A part of her wonders about the arrows and for a moment she worries but she brushes those feelings aside as quickly as they came.
The arrows pulse and refuse to dislodge.
He’s snapped an arrow apart but it does no good as it repairs itself, mocking him. He’s supposed to be more powerful than this. He oversees an important domain so why is it the arrows are robbing him of his senses?
He had been summoned to the pantheon to discuss new territory and things of that nature. Right now it’s the last thing on his mind. No, instead he’s plagued by thoughts of romance.
He hates the idea of begging his fellow gods for help but he has no choice. It can’t be helped. He doesn’t want to bother the poor girl again. The thought of Sakura makes him feel warm. He swallows and tries to ignore how his head is starting to fill with more thoughts of pink hair and flower petals.
He stands before them, hopeful but embarrassed.
“Ah sorry about that, Lee...I actually had Konohamaru aim for Sakura but he missed and hit you.”
Lee frowned. “You were aiming for Sakura?” He had seen the arrows fly and had shoved her out of the way. He didn’t realize what kind of arrows they were before it was too late.
Naruto laughed, smiling sheepishly. “She’s so wound up I thought it would do her some good to relax with some romance.”
Lee sighed. “Please, undo this.”
Naruto acted on whimsy often but Lee supposed that’s just how it was. His domain was the skies so of course his attitude was flighty at times. No harm, right?
“Ah about that? No can do.”
“W-what?”
Naruto looks more sheepish, rubbing the back of his head. “It doesn’t work that way but give it time it’ll wear off. That’s how normal feelings work, y’know!”
“These are not normal feelings.” He gritted his teeth as thoughts of her pink hair, her green eyes full of life flooded his mind. “These are unnatural! You made me feel this way!” Lee’s shoulders shake, tears threatening to fall. “This is why I do not enjoy the surface! Anytime I arrive something unpleasant happens.” He glared at Naruto and the rest of the gods present in the pantheon. “I will not return until these feelings fade! No soul may enter my domain until these feelings dissipate!”
They weren’t going to help? So be it! If this was all some joke or game then Lee was going to play along. It was only fair.
His fellow gods took insult, ready to argue.
Lee sneered. “You will not bully me this time!” He clutched his chest. “You will feel the consequences of your actions!” Satisfied he took his leave.