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Chapter Text

Some various fanart for this version of Kakashi and Sakura
By the amazing, talented, and phenomenal SpnFox
God of the Underworld Kakashi
Kakashi and Sakura
Slightly NSFW Kakashi

Scene from Chapter One made by the fabulous and wonderful xenea-aesthetic
Sakura hiding from Kakashi

You must never stray too far from the village, Sakura …

The echo of her mother’s voice repeated in the back of her mind as she laid back in the tall grass of the field and Sakura frowned. It had been something she’d heard all of her life and while in her youth it meant trouble—no dessert after dinner for a week—if she ventured too far away from the village, the older she got, the more daring she became.

She wasn’t so far away that she could no longer see the walls and it wasn’t exactly forbidden to go out this far. It was just frowned upon and dangerous. The danger the outside world posed was one that Sakura had learned about her entire life, though she’d never seen it. Oh, the tales of the gods were infamous and infinite in numbers.

Jealous and petty, brutal and unforgiving, the gods give so much and have the power to take it all away in an instant. We must never disappoint the gods, Sakura, her mother would tell her before bed when she was a little girl. After whining and begging to pick wildflowers in the fields outside the village, she was never satisfied with the reasons why she couldn’t. We have the gods to thank for your life and well-being. To put yourself in danger would only be an insult to their blessings.

“Ugh,” Sakura opened her eyes and stared up at the enormous clouds passing over her head. They were white,  towering fluffs that sailed slowly through the sky. When she was younger, she would envision the gods living inside the clouds as if they could hide entire cities of gold and marble. 

This usually happened when she found herself in the field of wildflowers beyond the village when she wasn’t supposed to be. Her conscience would creep up and remind her of her blessing, and that being so far from safety is only a slap in the face for the gift of life she was given. 

Her brows furrowed as she glared up at the sky, watching one of the clouds part to let the sun’s rays pierce through it. Before it could blind her, she closed her eyes and let the warmth sink into her skin. 

“Why should I feel guilty?” She muttered to herself, shifting on the bed of grass she had made for herself. “What good is a world if I never get to see it? How dangerous could wildflowers and bumblebees and open sky be?”

As numerous as the tales of the gods’ blessings and generosity, there were just as many that told of their tricks and tests. Nothing ever good came to a mortal from falling victim to one of their traps and Sakura was sure this was what her parents were truly afraid of. Mortal women were always going missing, only to return several months later with a new baby in tow. A baby that wasn’t quite human and not exactly a god. 

Konoha had two of these children, though they’d grown up alongside Sakura. They protected the village with their strength and their stamina and their divine powers but while the rest of Konoha praised them, Sakura knew them personally. And usually, when she was venturing out of the walls to enjoy peace and quiet, they weren’t too far behind to disrupt it all.

When a shadow passed over her, blocking the warmth of the sun, she didn’t even have to open her eyes. She let out a sigh. “What do you want, Naruto?”

“What are you doing?” He ignored her question and poked his toe into her shoulder, making her finally open her eyes to scowl up at him. “You do realize you can sleep inside, right? On an actual bed?”

“Maybe I enjoy being out in the sunlight,” she closed her eyes and once again settled into the grass like they were crisp, clean sheets. “Which you’re blocking with your giant head.”

Naruto let out a laugh but thankfully stepped aside so that the light poured back over her face. She could hear his feet crunching the grass as he walked away and she folded her arms behind her head. When he was several yards from her, he turned to call out once more. 

“Be careful this far out, Sakura. I don’t want to have to come to rescue you.”

Scowling, she sat up on her elbows and glared at Naruto’s retreating form. What an ass. He and Sasuke both were so full of themselves. Just because they had been touched with divinity, they thought they were something special but they’d forgotten the time she had punched them both when the other children had been too afraid of them. And while she couldn’t know for certain, she could have sworn she saw tears welling up in Sasuke’s eyes as he held his bleeding nose. 

Sure, they may have been godlike, but that day, she’d made them both think twice about messing with her. 

“I don’t need you to rescue me,” she called out to him, sitting up to prop herself up with her palms on the grass behind her. “I’d rather you leave me alone!”

The wind carried his laughter to her ears and she rolled her eyes. After twenty years of knowing him, she should have learned not to let him get under her skin. But for some reason, Naruto always knew what to say to annoy her, and usually, it got her in trouble. Her mother especially would be appalled at how she spoke about the two demigods and would constantly chastise her about it. 

Sakura hurried to her feet and stood with her hands on her hips, watching as Naruto strolled lazily along. No one ever told him to be careful outside the village, no one ever feared he would be taken by the gods and dumped back months later. Just because the blood of the divine flowed through his veins, he was given free rein and Sakura hated to admit she was jealous. But her jealousy didn’t stem from wanting to do whatever she wanted...it was because she was touched by divinity as well and couldn’t tell anyone. 

Well, that’s what her mother had always told her. The goddess of healing had blessed infant Sakura with a gift and if others knew, they would demand gifts of their own from the gods. Her parents hadn’t asked for it and had pleaded with the goddess that their only child be healed and survive. 

Tsunade was the only goddess that Sakura had ever prayed to. She was the only one she truly believed in, though she would never admit that aloud just in case there were nosy spirits listening. It only infuriated Sakura more knowing she would never be able to share the gift or even tell anyone about it. What was the purpose of a gift when she was forbidden to use it? 

Her thoughts and Naruto’s surprise chaperoning had put her in a sour mood and while the late summer air and sunshine usually lifted her spirits, she was left with nothing but bitter resentment as she glared in the direction the local demigod had strolled. In the distance, just above the copse of trees Naruto was near, the looming walls of the village could be seen. Every post was adorned with a statue of a different god.

Just seeing the marble monstrosities there, towering taller than the trees like enormous spies, made her eyes narrow into a glare and Sakura spun on her heel. With her back to the village, she stomped further away through the grass that nearly reached her waist. She snatched one of the blades and ran it through her fingers as she walked. 

It had started turning golden this late in the year and she knew that autumn would be right around the corner—a bittersweet time that filled her with nostalgia and made her long for the new beginnings of spring. The flowers blooming, baby birds calling for their mothers in the early morning, leaves sprouting to cover the bare cold of winter in warmth...Sakura never felt more alive than in the spring. 

But it never lasted long enough and summer brought heat and soon, the harvest would begin which meant...More days spent celebrating the gods in the temples. With another roll of her eyes, Sakura lifted the blade of grass to her hair and twisted it into the strands. By the time she was finished, the golden color had faded away and rich, vibrant green had taken its place. It was a contrast to the soft pink strands it was braided into and Sakura smiled as she stared down at it. 

She would have to discard it before returning to the village. People would see it and be suspicious and she didn’t want to irritate her mother more than she would be when she found out Sakura had strayed away from the village. She crested the ridge ahead of her and intended on turning back to see the walls from such a high vantage point. When her mother scolded her for being so careless, Sakura would describe the view for her and hopefully calm her anger.

That was what she had intended. 

What Sakura hadn’t prepared for was the loose ground hidden from her sight by the grass stretching to her hips. She placed one foot on a large stone jutting out from the dirt and grunted as she tried to haul herself up. It was a bit too high and Sakura stumbled back, her heel sinking right into the loose stone and dirt and she fell.

The split second of weightlessness had stolen her breath and when her back slammed into the cold, sand and clay several meters beneath the Earth, she was desperate for air. Pain radiated out of her left shoulder and elbow and she sucked in a breath—or tried to. Her lungs squeezed tight and she winced in agony. Slowly, she managed to sit up through the wave of dizziness and she rotated her shoulder.

Thankfully, the fall hadn’t broken it but there was a nasty sprain in her elbow. She would have to spend the entire night in the temple to pray for relief. 

She managed to blink out from behind her eyes shut tight and tilted her head back. There was a hole just big enough for her to slip through high above her and she could see the grass swaying back and forth in the gentle breeze. 

Damn.

She’d never hear the end of this for sure. It would take a miracle from the gods if her mother ever let her out of the house alone again.

“Sakura!” A familiar voice called out and she struggled to stand on her shaking legs. Not half a moment later, Naruto scrambled to a stop over the hole and peered down. He shielded his eyes from the sun and stooped to see her better. “Are you alright?”

The concern in his voice was a surprise. She was almost certain he would have teased her for getting hurt. “I’m fine,” she sighed.

“Hah! I knew you’d need me to rescue you!”

And there it was. 

Setting her eyes into a glare, she put her hands on her hips and resisted the urge to wince from the pain in her elbow. “I don’t need you, Naruto! I’m more than capable of getting out of here myself!”

He laughed again, the sound infuriating her. He stood up straight and put his hands on his knees, pointing to the west. “You fell into one of the tunnels we used to explore—” We being him and Sasuke. Sakura had never been allowed to go along. “—They all lead to a cave right at the forest’s edge. Just go west and we’ll meet you at the entrance!”

After grumbling an affirmative response, Sakura watched him bound over the hole and she dodged a few pebbles he kicked down to her. She dusted the small clods of dirt from her hair and turned to face the same direction Naruto had run off in. The cave was dark but several holes above her head let in enough sunlight for her to see her way well enough. She narrowed her eyes and strained her ears.

Was that running water?

It wouldn’t be surprising. There were small creeks on the other side of the village that flowed beneath the walls from the river. Sakura had never seen the river but knew from her studies that it was there, streaming all the way to the desert in one direction and the ocean in the other. 

She took a deep breath that reminded her about how sore she’d be in the morning before she set off. Her steps were slow at first as she tried to get her bearings but the longer she stayed in the dim light of the tunnel, the better her eyes adjusted to it. It narrowed ahead and she put her hands to either side of the rock. The path was barely wide enough for her to squeeze through but in the distance, the rush of water was louder.

She had to be getting close already.

Good. The first thing she’d do is take a bath as soon as she got back home. The feel of dirt and clay on her hands and elbows made her grimace no matter how many times she had dusted herself off. Maybe she could rinse herself in the underground stream.

The sound of rushing water was louder here, and she sucked in her breath, pulling her stomach as flat as it would go as she squeezed through the passage. It was a slow game getting through. She slid a foot forward, ducked her head around a rock jutting out, shimmied her hips through, and finally pulled her other leg free.

The heel of her sandal caught on the edge of the rock and she stumbled, reaching out to keep her balance with the help of an enormous stalagmite. It was cool and smooth beneath her palm and she was surprised by the feel of it. Expecting rough stone, she turned toward the cavern she had stepped into and let out a gasp that echoed around her. 

Enormous crystals jutted out from the ceiling and a few sprung from the ground around her, all casting prisms around her from a light she couldn’t see. It was everywhere and yet, there was no source for it. What she did find, some hundred meters down into the cave was the source of water. A narrow river, barely larger than a creek, that flowed from one side of the cavern to the other with water so crystal clear, Sakura could see the opposite side of the banks even from a distance.

She followed it back to where it disappeared around a bend in the cavern and though she wondered where it started, she didn’t want to find out. The river ran into the wall on the opposite side and slipped through a few boulders that looked to be closed around what used to be an entrance. 

And between those rocks was the faint shine of sunlight shining through a passageway big enough to fit through. That must be where Naruto had wanted her to go.

Sakura cautiously made her way down the slope, using the various crystal stalagmites to keep her from slipping over the damp ground. It would be too humiliating to take another fall and need rescuing like a helpless mortal. 

The closer she got to the river, the cooler the air became, and Sakura wrapped her arms around herself. It was beginning to make her second guess washing herself off, but she would have to cross the river if she wanted to make it out anyway. If only there was a way across without—

Her eyes went wide as she scanned the cavern and found a small rock formation that spanned the length of the waterway. It was just a few stones positioned perfectly that she could step across but her lips lifted in a smile as she took a step forward. She lifted her gaze to the other side of the river bank and blinked in surprise. 

On the opposite side of the river, a few paces away from the bridge was the most curious sight. A table sat with a long black table cloth that draped the ground, and on top was a copper bowl full of fruit. Her eyebrow arched as she moved closer and studied the table. Grapes and apples sat in the bowl but her eye was drawn to the pomegranate in front of it. The red rhine was cracked open, spilling the glistening seeds out on the table and her stomach rumbled in response.

Who would leave a bowl of fruit in the middle of a cave? Better yet, why was she suddenly craving pomegranate juice?

The water splashed against the stone bridge, collecting a bit on her toes and Sakura shivered, though she wasn’t sure if it had more to do with the strange fruit she couldn’t take her eyes off of than the temperature. 

Once she had reached the opposite side, she narrowed her eyes on the table, circling it as she studied the centerpiece and table cloth. Her hand reached out to brush the black cloth, letting it flow between her fingers until she came back around to where she had started from. Glancing around the rest of the cavern, she couldn’t see a single opening except for the very tight space she had managed to wedge herself through. How long had this table been sitting here? She had heard things like this happening before.

Traps set by the gods to lure naive mortals in with delicious and delectable things.

Gold and silk and the promise of pleasure, she could understand...but fruit?

Despite the slight growl in her midsection at the sight of the seeds, Sakura shook the hunger from her head and left the table behind. She moved to the river bank and knelt down to peer through the cracks in the boulders. Beneath the surface of the water, she could make out a space big enough for her to make it through. The sunlight shone over the bed of the river, lighting up the crystal stones on the bottom.

She glanced back at the table and frowned. 

There was a pull that she couldn’t understand calling her back to the fruit, whispering dangerous promises in her ear and she was struggling to ignore it. Just a taste, it said to her. Nothing will happen from just a taste. 

Surely she must eat all the fruit to fall into the trap.

Sakura was halfway back to the table before she even realized she was moving, and her eyes widened as she stepped back up to it. Her palms lay flat on the smooth cloth, fingers drumming impatiently. What would one taste hurt? Besides, it looked absolutely delicious. Letting it sit here to rot was just cruel.

Holding her breath, she lifted her hand and reached for the seeds still sitting on the peeled portion of the fruit. They fell into her palm easily, almost as if they wanted to be eaten and she looked down at the three seeds sitting innocently enough.

Strange how the voice of her mother had been so quiet from the moment she had fallen into the tunnel. Sakura was almost surprised that her echoes hadn’t been scolding her the entire time and as she peered down at the three seeds that sat like ruby gemstones in her palm, she couldn’t hear much else aside from her hunger. 

Sakura popped them into her mouth and closed her eyes at the exquisite taste. The juice filled her mouth and she crunched the seeds between her teeth. She had never tasted anything so delicious in her entire life.

Before she could stop herself, she was reaching for more and held another small mound in her palm. She pressed them to her lips and hesitated, eyes snapping open. From far away, she could hear a strange rumbling sound that trembled the soles of her feet. Her eyes went wide and she dropped the seeds, stumbling backward on her heels. 

She hurried to the water, splashing loudly as she sank beneath the mild current leading out of the cave. By the time she had submerged to her shoulders and spun back around to face the table, the rumbling was loud and her eyes bulged at the faint blue light appearing from a crack in the ground of the cave. It opened about as wide as the table and Sakura could only stare at the black mist swirling up around the edges of the rocks.

The table cloth waved from the breeze and she could feel the chill of it seep over her, making her shiver as she sank down into the water. Rising from the sudden hole in the gravel, a figure slid up from the depths. The black fog poured off a pair of twisting, black horns that pointed toward the stalactites high above. Silver hair tied back behind the man’s head seemed to shine in an unseen light. Sakura held her breath as she watched the strange man lift out of the ground as if he were walking on the mist, his body covered in an impossibly black robe that fell to his bare feet in thick panels.

Slowly, he stepped up to the table. Sakura couldn’t help staring at the open robe—more specifically the strip of his pale chest as he circled the fruit as she had done only a short while ago. As he eyed the bowl she had eaten from with a dark, narrowed gaze, she winced from her stupidity. It had been a trap. How could she have been such a fool?

He reached for the open half of the pomegranate, taking it in his hands and Sakura fought the undeniable urge to flee. She couldn’t bring herself to turn away just yet. He turned the fruit so the small section she had sampled was facing him and Sakura felt her stomach pitch in fear. Though he was now facing where she hid in the water, she couldn’t make out his entire face. A curtain of hair fell out from the tie holding the rest of it back and she gripped the rocks and gravel on the bank as she leaned closer. Her curiosity would be the death of her but she just had to take a peek. 

She stared and her blood ran cold as he lifted his gaze from the fruit and found her cowering in the water. Through the silver strands covering one side of his face, she knew he had seen her in an instant. No one could make a mortal tremble in fear with just a glance. And certainly, no mortal looked like that. 

He was a god.

And an angry one judging by the look of fury in his eyes.

With a deep breath, she sank into the water and spun, kicking off the rocks to swim as hard as she could toward the cave opening. The boulders jutted out from the ground, nearly trapping her inside the cave but she found the narrow path. Sunlight pierced through the surface of the water and she swam as if her life depended on it. 

The edge of the rocks cut into her feet as she kicked and her head smacked against one of the boulders on her way through the entrance but she surfaced on the other side with a deep breath. It felt good to have the warmth of the sun on her face again but she didn’t stop swimming. Not when she knew what was behind her.

The creek wasn’t as crystal clear outside the cavern as it had been inside and Sakura could feel fish bump her arms and legs as she swam. Eventually, it opened wider and the current took her further and further from the cave she had escaped from. Once she had calmed down enough to breathe normally and her pulse had returned to normal, Sakura spun in the water and blinked.

A part of her was surprised that she hadn’t been followed. Surprised, but relieved. After that look that...being had given her, she had been certain she wouldn’t escape with her life. Or at the very least, her maidenhood. 

Sakura flushed and swam quickly to the creek bank. She crawled onto a patch of sand, her arms and legs trembling and just as she rolled onto her back, a figure jumped down from the grassy hillside and landed right beside her. A scream erupted from her throat before she could stop it but the familiar chuckling laughter quickly silenced her. She blinked up at Naruto’s grinning face and clutched her heaving chest.

“You imbecile!” She screeched, slapping his legs as hard as she could though he danced away from her with a giggle. “Do you have any idea what I just went through?”

“Oh, relax.” Naruto reached up to scratch the back of his head as he stretched. “So you took a swim, big deal? I told you to meet me at the west cave entrance, not the south.”

Sakura scowled up at him before she managed to lift herself onto her feet. “It’s a little hard to find my way underground, you know.” 

The breeze blowing through the trees picked up the loose strands of her hair and she shivered, wrapping her arms around her waist before glancing over her shoulder. There was nothing but the babbling creek, tree limbs stretching over the water, and an occasional frog croaking. No strange, horned gods following her, no dark gazes piercing through her.

“Hey,” Naruto said, making her whirl back around to face him. “You okay? You’re kind of pale.”

Her mouth opened and she instantly snapped it shut again. She searched his bright, blue eyes and swallowed. There was no way she could tell him. To see a god was almost unheard of. They hadn’t been seen by a mortal for nearly half a millennia. That in itself was unthinkable.

But to fall into a god’s trap and escape?

She nodded and looked into the threes. For the first time, she was happy to see the walls of the village so close. “I’m just cold. I want to go home, bathe, and go to bed.”

“Fine by me. I’m starving anyway.”

“You’re always starving.”

“So what? A god has an insatiable appetite.” He flexed his muscles and Sakura quickly slapped her arm against his stomach. His abs were like marble and her injured elbow flared with pain, but she hid it behind a roll of her eyes.

“You’re not a god, Naruto.”

“Yeah? How would you know? You’ve never seen one.” He continued walking but her steps had slowed to an almost stop. Again, the breeze carried an uncharacteristic coolness in it that was rare for this late in the summer. It brought chills to her arms and she shivered, glancing back once more where the creek bent and disappeared into the trees. Though she could see nothing staring back at her, she couldn’t shake the feeling that somewhere out there, she was being watched.

Alone in a cavern, with nothing but the sound of the stream rushing through the boulders, the god stared at the spot he had seen the mortal in the water. She had been peeking up at him with bright, green eyes that would make the purest jade pale in comparison. So surprised by the sight of not only a mortal in his territory but a mortal woman, Kakashi hadn’t been able to do much but watch her dive under the water and flee.

She’d been gone for several minutes when he finally felt free of the daze she’d left him in and his eyebrows lifted on his forehead. The fruit in his hands pulled his attention down to it and he watched the red juice drip out of the side of his palm. With a hum, he lifted it to his lips and traced the thin stream with his tongue.

For some reason, he wondered if she would taste just as sweet.

The god dropped the fruit back onto the table and wiped his hands on the side of his robes before taking a step to the water’s edge. He stared down at the place he had seen her hiding and frowned. Wedged between one of the rocks and the sand, a blade of grass struggled against the swift current. It was a brilliant shade of green, so full of life—just like the mortal woman’s gaze had been.

Kakashi plucked the blade from the water and held it in both hands as he knelt at the stream. It wasn’t very long, almost the length from the tip of his middle finger to his elbow but it seemed as if it had just sprouted. His eyes lifted to the opening at the cave mouth. The evening sun was bright and gold and just beyond, he could see the leaves on the trees. Their yellowing tint told him the harvest was soon and a sprout this long shouldn’t be this vivid green. 

Humming, he dropped the grass to his feet and turned back to the opening on the gravel floor of the cave. By the time he had stepped in and made his descent to the underworld, the blade of grass had shriveled in its death. 

Chapter Text

Sakura in the temple - Drawn by the marvelous sayurinomoe

The crickets were chirping and the sun had slipped below the horizon by the time she and Naruto had returned to the village. He abandoned her almost immediately upon entering the enormous gate, and while normally, Sakura would have been thankful, she was hoping she could keep his company for just a while longer. Just until the shiver that had clinged to her body from the moment she stepped foot in that cave could fade.

Every breeze, every hoot of an owl, or unexplained sound that reached her ears made her glance over her shoulder in paranoia. It was almost enough to make her long for the scolding her mother would surely give her. But, instead of going home, Sakura headed to the temples.

After what she had been through, she was desperate for help and would beg and plead for Lady Tsunade’s protection. Then again, she wasn’t exactly certain what she had seen was a trap set by that god. For all she knew, it could have been his dinner she had taken a sample from. Sure, he’d be upset, but would he come to claim her?

The more time that passed, the more reassurance she felt that she wouldn’t fall into the same fate as so many mortal women before her. It was a reassurance, but she still couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t quite right.

A crawling sensation, just beneath the surface of her skin, refused to leave and by the time she had reached Tsunade’s temple—a smaller structure tucked behind the massive columns of the main temples—Sakura was scratching her skin raw. The sting of her nails made her flinch and she hurried into the dimly lit building.

The rotunda was topped with a dome of glass, the late summer vines clinging to the panes as the last of their leaves turned from green to orange. During the spring, when the flowers were in bloom, the sunlight would stream through the colorful petals and light the temple like a rainbow. It was one of Sakura's favorite places in the village. Especially because she was one of the few women who frequented it. Not many people bothered her while she prayed and the soft, perpetual flames burning on the sconces made her feel warm and safe.

She took a step down into the sunken floor where a clear, pool of water stayed. When she brought offerings of flowers and medicinal herbs, she would lay them on the surface of the water, light a candle, and pray. But sometimes, thanks to a suggestion from one of Tsunade's other worshippers, she would sneak some wine into the temple and pour the contents into the water. If it helped her prayers reach the goddess, Sakura wasn't too sure, but what would it hurt?

The last time she had ventured up to the temple, she had stored a bottle beneath the creep of ivy that climbed one of the columns near the back of the temple. And she was thankful that the bottle was right where she had left it.

Sakura pulled the stubborn cork from the bottle with a pop and took her place near the edge of the pool, tucking her legs beneath her to sit on her heels. She took a deep breath and leaned forward, tipping the bottom of the bottle until the rich, red wine slipped over the rim. It poured quietly into the water, rippling slowly and steadily across the pool.

"Divine Tsunade," Sakura murmured with a nervous breath. She always felt silly saying prayers out loud. "I pray to you in reverence and gift you an offering so that I may gain your grace and favor. I pray for protection against—"

The prayer hadn't yet fallen fully from her lips but her words were cut off by the crack of lightning that struck the ground just outside the temple. Sakura's eyes snapped open in time to see the thick bolt of electricity burn into the stone just beyond the column of the temple and the bottle in her hand slipped, falling into the pool of water. The flash of light was bright, nearly blinding, and she threw her hand up to her face to shield her eyes from it.

Static crackled in the air, lifting the hair across her arms and Sakura fell onto her backside. The bright light was fading but had lit the inside of the temple blue and white and in the wake of the bolt, a figure emerged.

A figure that instantly sent terror ripping through her chest, clenching her lungs tight so that no air could escape. They took a step forward, bare feet poking out from beneath thick, dark robes that dragged the ground. Sakura followed the length of the fabric up to where a chest was exposed, pale and muscular. She crawled backward on her palms until the altar behind her pressed into her back and stared at the two horns on the figure's head.

Twisting to points high above him, the horns were as black as pitch and nearly scraped the archway as he entered the temple.

"Please—" the word came out as a pathetic whimper, cracking halfway out of her lips and Sakura quickly swallowed. "I—I'm sorry."

"Hush." His command was quiet but firm and Sakura's teeth snapped loudly as she shut her mouth. For several beats of her heart, several terrifying seconds that seemed to stretch on for hours, he simply stared at her. The shadows prevented her from seeing his face fully, but she didn't need to see him to know the look of fury behind his gaze. She could feel it. The god took a step to the right, circling the pool on the floor and Sakura couldn't help it. She leaned the opposite way until she was crawling once more, trying to put the length of the temple between them.

He tipped his head to the side and came to a stop and she did as well. If it weren't for the horns on his head or the feeling of dread and fear wafting off of him, he wouldn't look much different than a mortal. With a sigh, he lifted his head and stared up at the dome of vines and glass above his head. "You pray to the goddess for protection?"

"Y-yes."

"Protection from what?" As he spoke, his black eyes slid to the side and pierced right through her, making her flinch. "Answer me."

"Protection from...you."

"You fear me." It wasn't a question but Sakura nodded anyway. "Why?"

"Because I..." The words nearly stuck to the back of her throat, freezing against her tongue, too frightened to come out. "I think you set a trap for a mortal. In the cave."

Even in the dim light of the candles that flickered shadows across the white, marble columns, she could see the wicked smile curling the corner of his pale lips. The god turned his head toward her again. "And why would a trap set in a cave warrant a prayer of protection from the goddess?"

Sakura pursed her lips to keep the words from escaping. He was trying to get her to admit what she'd done. She refused. He may have been a god and he may have the power to reduce her to nothing but a pile of ashes where she stood, but she wouldn't go down so easily. If he wanted her to admit she had eaten those three seeds, he was going to have to try a lot harder.

"Why would a god set a trap in a cave in the first place?"

She watched the horns tilt as he leaned his head to the side, staring at her. The smile never faded from his lips but his eyes narrowed icily. Before he could respond—or smite her for being so insolent—a rumble of thunder spread across the sky and the god's eyes lifted once again to the dome ceiling. When his gaze returned to her, he took a breath and crossed his arms over his chest. "Perhaps your prayers will be answered. At least, for now."

Sakura had no time to make sense of what he said. Another blast of thunder trembled across the village and she barely had time to look up and see what was coming. For the second time, Sakura could only watch helplessly as another bolt of brilliant light pierced the air in front of her. This time, the light was a soft green but the static crackled around the room the same as it had before.

And when the glow faded, another figure stood in its wake, their back to Sakura, between her and the horned god. Pressing her body against the column, nearly disappearing into the ivy stretching high above her that she had hidden the bottle of wine in, Sakura could only stare in awe of the goddess standing before her.

Pale hair waved in the gentle breeze across her shoulders, tied at the back of her neck while two strips were left hanging on either side of her temples. A pair of white horns curled up and back around to frame her face. The tips were capped with metal and a ring of metal circled the wides part of the horns right above the crown of her head. Trinkets hanging from the metal rings clinked softly in the fading static still clinging to the air. As beautiful as the horns were, adorned with the tinkling jewels, Sakura knew they were deadly in battle.

She'd studied the stories of Tsunade's power and strength all her life.

"You have a lot of nerve entering my temple," the goddess said, her tone quiet but intimidating. "Especially to terrorize a mortal sworn under my protection."

Across the temple, the dark god shrugged his shoulder and looked around Tsunade's legs to where Sakura still cowered against the column. "I wouldn't call it terrorizing."

"Then what would you call frightening the poor girl in the middle of her offering?"

The god straightened and Sakura watched the tip of his black horns nearly scrape the carved architrave between the columns. "I'm simply coming to collect what I'm owed."

"You're owed nothing, Hatake."

"I have no quarrel with you, Tsunade. But the mortal is mine."

Tsunade took a step forward, her feet carrying her across the surface of the water and Sakura felt as if her heart was going to beat out of her chest. The commotion, the lighting, and thunder had drawn the attention of the village and from beyond the temple, she could hear shouts of concern. Even though she could hear nothing but the blood pounding in her ears, she knew what they would be saying.

The gods have come to our village? Do they bring war or good tidings? Why are they here?

Oh, if they only knew those answers. Sakura wanted to slip out of the temple while the two deities argued over her, wanted to run to her mother and apologize, beg for forgiveness. Tears burned the back of her eyes as she thought of her parents.

"You have no claim over her. She is under my protection and has been since she was an infant."

Another roll of thunder clapped in the distance and Sakura flinched, wishing she could press her hands to her ears to stop the noise from shaking her. The shouts from outside were growing louder, villagers drawing closer and she could only hope that her mother wouldn't be among them to see the mess her daughter had gotten into.

The god gestured with a hand pointing to Sakura. "Ask her yourself. She took from me, consumed what was mine."

"Those rules are archaic!" Tsunade shouted, her voice trembling the temple around them. "You of all gods should know this!"

Fire and fury burned across the god's face as he slowly turned his gaze back to Tsunade and while Sakura wasn't on the receiving end of his rage, she could feel it just as well as if she were. It sent a tremble through her body and she could barely breathe.

"You're crossing a line, Tsunade. Be careful where you step next."

"You threaten me in my own temple?"

Tension spiked between the two immortals and Sakura knew she had to get out of here before they resorted to violence. She just hoped Tsunade would be the victor in whatever battle broke out. Turning on her side, Sakura crawled on her hands and knees to the other side of the temple, sliding between two of the columns that nearly pressed against the structure behind her. She could fit but just barely—reminding her of the narrow passage she had swum through to escape the dark god's trap earlier that day.

Shouting from the street was growing louder and as she stumbled out from between the two temples, Sakura spun around and saw a crowd gathering on the path. It circled around the series of temples that sat at the bottom of the mountain, passing in front of the Temple of Hashirama where Tsunade's stood directly behind.

And on the dusty path, Sakura could see familiar faces all hurrying toward the commotion. Leading the group of villagers were Naruto and Sasuke, their swords drawn and powers rippling around them in red and gold auras. She'd seen it before, had always scoffed at the display but mostly that was due to the fact that they were doing it to show off. She hoped now that they would use it to help protect her.

They may be demigods, but with them and Tsunade on her side...she might stand a chance.

"Sakura!" A familiar voice cried out, full of worry and sudden relief. Her mother emerged from the crowd and embraced her, smoothing the tangled mess of hair down the back of her head. "I was so worried when you didn't come home."

"I'm fine," she breathed, lifting her head to find her father standing behind them. Their eyes met briefly but the clap of thunder that struck the village, strong enough to rattle the enormous walls, had him pulling his own sword. "We need to go home."

Mebuki pulled away and cupped Sakura's face in her hands, searching her eyes. "What's happening? Are the gods displeased with us?"

No. Just displeased with me.

Sakura answered her by pulling her away from the temple, reaching out to hook her hand around her father's elbow. He stumbled after her a few steps and from over the crowd, Sakura could see the familiar figures emerging from the temple. Her eyes went wide and her face ran pale and she tugged them harder, trying to force them away from the scene. It was no use.

There was no way to run from the gods.

"Sakura Haruno!" The booming voice, louder than the thunder and commanding the attention of everyone in the village, even those that stayed home out of terror of the gods, stopped Sakura in her tracks. Silence fell over the crowd. Not even a murmur of questions whispered through the villagers and one by one, they all turned to look back at her.

Sakura couldn't breathe. She stared at the goddess on the steps of her own temple, the silver and green robes she wore reflecting the flames still flickering in the sconces and the torches some of the men held in their hands. Tsunade's amber gaze landed on her instantly, along with the god's dark eyes beside her. It was his that made Sakura tremble from head to toe.

He looked smug as he stood there, though his face was stoic and void of anything remotely humanlike. He was a terrifying sight.

Panic sank its icy claws into her chest, freezing her to the spot. Her eyes darted from the gods waiting for her response to the sea of faces all turned to stare at her. Naruto and Sasuke stood taller than the crowd and they found her easily, fear and confusion written in their gazes.

"Sakura," the goddess spoke again, softer this time but still ripping Sakura's attention away from the demigods. She swallowed and stared up at the goddess, watching her face soften into defeat. "Is it true what the god of the underworld tells me?"

Hearing his title out loud sounded worse than in her head and she flinched at the mention of him.

"Did you eat the seeds from the fruit belonging to him?"

By now, the silence that plagued the crowd lifted and she could hear the sharp gasps and whispers racing through the villagers. Beside her, her mother stepped up and grasped her hand, squeezing it tightly. "Sakura, say it isn't true."

"I..." She swallowed tightly, making her voice squeak out. Though she knew it would kill her, she turned to her mother and felt a tear slip out of the corner of her eye. It rolled down her face and dripped onto her chest and without a word, her mother knew the truth. Disappointment and hopelessness sank through her and she ducked her head, turning back to face the gods though she kept her eyes on the ground. "It's true."

"Then I have no choice but to revoke my protection." The crowd let out a cry of anguish and both Mebuki and Kizashi hugged her closer. Their arms held her tight and she could hear the sobs deep within her mother's chest. "For consuming the fruit of the gods, you are hereby exiled from the mortal world. You will be cast into the underworld to live out your remaining days to serve the god you offended—"

"No!"

The shout didn't come from her own throat though she felt it as if it had. Sakura turned away from her mother's embrace to see both Naruto and Sasuke position their swords. Their power rolled off of their bodies and the crowd of villagers took several steps away in unison. Some ran away altogether.

"You will not take her," Naruto spoke through clenched teeth. "You have no right."

Both gods turned to look at them and Sakura knew now that Tsunade would not be on her side in this. She was alone. And she couldn't let Naruto and Sasuke die because of her.

She pulled her arms out of her mother's hands and turned, taking a deep breath before she hurried up to where the two demigods stood in front of the temple. Before she could reach them, they lunged forward.

Her eyes went wide and she reached out but there was no use.

One sword swung down from above Naruto while the other was thrust out from Sasuke's side and neither of them landed. With a flick of his finger, a lazy gesture as if he were swatting away a fly, the god unleashed only a fraction of his power and both Sasuke and Naruto were tossed away. They hit the wall surrounding the village, the force of their bodies cracking the stone beneath them. Their swords clattered to the ground next to them and Sakura pressed her shaking hands to her mouth. Behind her, she could hear the desperate cries from some of the women who had always assumed the village could be protected against the wrath of vengeful gods.

Sakura looked back at where Tsunade stood and moved closer. The sight of the god lifting his hand again terrified her. She couldn't let him kill them. "Stop!"

The horned god looked at her, piercing straight to her soul with his dark gaze. For a moment, he held his hand in the air, two fingers out and pointing to where both Naruto and Sasuke were stumbling to their feet and Sakura feared he would kill them just to prove a point. She was surprised when he lowered his hand and even more shocked when he stepped toward her.

Every fiber of her body begged for her to retreat, to run back to the safety of her parent's arms, but she couldn't. She was too terrified to move. He stopped a few steps from her and studied her face for a moment before his gaze lowered to her body. She felt naked beneath his scrutiny despite the tunic wrapped and tied around her body and her arms slid around her waist.

When his gaze lifted back to meet her eyes, he held his head high and looked down the length of his nose at her. "Do you accept your fate?"

Though she could feel the stares of her family, her friends, and the villagers burning into the back of her, waiting for her to submit to the god to spare them more of his wrath, she couldn't help asking. "What if I don't?"

"Then you will face a fate far worse than servitude, I can promise you that."

Sakura nodded. She had assumed the answer would be something along those lines. Turning to glance over her shoulder, first at the two demigods who watched her with an all new fear etched into their faces and then at her mother and father. Their teary eyes and twisted faces, wrought with anguish and terror, would be burned into her memory. She sighed and faced the god once more.

There was no escaping her fate. She had sealed her doom with that first bite of those seeds and she would never get the taste of them out of her mouth. With a small nod of uncertainty, she turned back to the god—her new master and closed her eyes.

"I accept."

As soon as the words fell from her lips, she felt the cool caress of his fingers on her face. The touch pulled the breath from her lungs in a quiet gasp that echoed around her. The god's fingers curled around her chin and tilted her head back and though she was terrified of what she would see, Sakura opened her eyes.

Darkness swirled behind his gaze, infinite and unfathomable, and she felt lost within them—lost in nothing, lost in eternity. The village she had been born in, where she had grown up and made friends, where she had worshipped the gods the way she had been taught, all disappeared around her and there was nothing left in its place.

There was nothing but her and the silver-haired god before her.

The fingers at her chin fell away and Sakura sucked in another breath of surprise, listening to it echo in her ears before everything went black.

Chapter Text

The soft babbling of water slowly pulled Sakura from the depths of a sleep she couldn't remember falling into. Her mind was fuzzy and memories were nothing but a haze. Frowning, she shifted her hips and let her head fall to the side, ignoring the brush of her hair falling across her eyes.

Whatever she laid on was scratchy beneath the thin fabric of her tunic. Tiny pricks of grass pierced through the material, poking into her back. Had she fallen asleep in the grass beyond the village walls again? It certainly wouldn't be the first time it had happened.

Any minute now, she would hear Naruto's annoying chuckle of laughter as he found her in the golden fields. She could certainly remember the last time she had laid beneath the enormous, white fluffs of clouds, letting the sun warm her face while the breeze swayed the grass all around her.

But there was no breeze today, no sunlight to give her warmth, and the soft bed she could remember was gone. It had only been a few hours since she had laid there.

In the distance, something deep rumbled through the sky and she could feel it tremble the earth beneath her. Like a bolt of lightning, Sakura's eyes snapped open and she sucked in a breath. Through the curtain of pink hair across her face, she could see that the golden fields beyond her village were gone. In their place were mud and rocks and thorns and the sky overhead held no warmth of light in it.

Clouds of black and grey, thick and undulating with the threat of a storm, rolled high above her. Every few seconds, thin streaks of electricity raced through them and the thunder would come soon after.

The haze clinging to her head was fading fast now, and Sakura longed for those brief moments when she couldn't remember. Her memories were slowly returning, playing through her head and she shakily pushed off the damp ground to sit up. The fabric of her tunic was wet with mud and she shivered as it clung to her body.

Blinking through the sleep that still lingered at the edges of her mind, she took in the sight of her surroundings. Dead, gnarled trees twisted up from the stagnant water of a swamp stretching around her and the sight startled her so much she scrambled to her feet. Her heel caught on a slippery patch of mud and she stumbled to the side, putting her hands down in time to keep her from falling hard on her backside.

A bolt of lightning cracked the center of the sky above her, sucking a breath from her lungs as the thunder that followed shook the earth beneath her. In an instant, visions of a dark, horned figure appearing in a flash of light returned to her memory and she felt a sob tighten her chest.

The quarrel between the two gods in the temple, the crowd of villagers—her mother and father—staring in horror as she was singled out and taken away...it all rushed back.

She was in the underworld.

Did that mean she was dead, doomed to wander the neverending hellscape for the rest of eternity?

Her chin quivered with the threat of oncoming tears and she pushed herself back onto her feet, slowly stepping off the muddy path to find a dried patch of moss. Or, what had once been moss. There was nothing left now but a tangle of dried, brown twigs.

Another shiver raced across Sakura's body and no matter how tightly she hugged her arms around her waist, she could find no warmth. Death and cold surrounded her and she sniffed, turning in a circle to take in the rest of the swamp.

It stretched on in every direction, disappearing into a thick fog that settled in the distance. An unsettling dread weighed across her shoulders, pressing down and around her, choking her.  Sakura lifted a hand to her throat and her eyes went wide. Rings of metal had been sealed around her neck, loose enough not to suffocate her but there was no way to pull them free. She wedged her fingers beneath the choker and pulled, hissing in pain at the sudden pressure at the back of her neck. There was no clasp, no tie. It was as if they were a part of her.

A collar of servitude.

You will be cast into the underworld to live out your remaining days to serve the god you have offended ...

By now, there was no stopping the sob that wracked her chest, pulling it tight and searing it with a heat she'd never felt. Her knees hit the twisted patch of moss and mud before she realized she had even fallen, tears streaking through the grime on her face. Clinging to the collar around her throat with one hand, she let the other fall to the ground in front of her and leaned her weight into it.

Through her gasps and sobs, she screamed and pulled again at the metal. The skin at the back of her neck was raw and the pain nearly unbearable.

"There's no use, you know?" A soft, feminine voice broke through her cries and Sakura whirled around on her knees. She blinked through the tears but saw nothing but the swamp stretching around her. "You're only hurting yourself."

This time, the voice was right behind her and she spun in the mud, falling back as she sucked in a breath. Standing in a shallow pool of the stagnant, black water was a woman—a goddess.

Two antlers, short with only three small prongs, sat atop silken, black hair cut to her chin. Sakura could only stare, her eyes wide and lips parted in awe, at the woman and she blinked to take in the rest of her. The goddess wore a simple skirt and tunic with long, billowing sleeves that nearly swallowed her hands in their depths. Vines adorned with leaves and small, white flowers twisted around the goddess' ankles and stretched up one leg, around her hip, and curled around her throat.

The goddess smiled softly but Sakura didn't feel reassured by the gesture. When she spoke, her words came out shaky and broken around the lump pressing against the back of her tongue. "Who are you?"

"I'm no one to fear, Sakura."

She had no time to ask how the goddess knew her name. With one step, the distance between them disappeared though only seconds before, they had been at least several yards away from one another. The sudden presence of the deity sent Sakura sprawling back again and she sucked in a breath of surprise.

From a canvas pouch on her hip, the goddess pulled a small, bundle of herbs pinched between her fingers. In an instant, Sakura could smell the rich scent of the plants and let her gaze fall to the goddess' hands. She clasped the pinch of herbs between her palms and hummed softly. When she pulled her hands apart, there was a smear of what looked like aloe in the center of her palm.

"This will soothe the wounds on your neck." She didn't wait for Sakura's permission, reaching out to gently rub the salve across the raw spots beneath the collar. The pain and burn lifted and Sakura blinked up at the goddess. "Now, doesn't that feel better?"

"Yes," she whispered, her voice timid and trembling. "Am...Am I dead?"

The goddess let out a laugh and stood to her full height, dusting her hands off on the sides of her skirt. "I can certainly see why you'd think that, but no. Hatake has little patience and even fewer manners. He dropped you in my swamp without even telling me."

Sakura frowned. "You live here?"

"I do." The look of confusion and disbelief on Sakura's face pulled a quiet laugh from the goddess' lips. "It's quiet and there’s no one around to bother me. Now, come. I'll take you to the palace."

"The what?" Sakura nearly recoiled from the goddess but didn't want to submerge any further into the mud. Instead, she stared up at the woman's soft features and the vine that seemed to be alive around her throat. It unfurled, stretching straight out as if it were waking from a nap, before curling back around the fabric of her tunic.

"You're expected at the palace. It isn't that far."

"I don't want to go to...to his palace." She couldn't bring herself to even utter his name. As miserable and dreary as the swamp was, Sakura preferred it to anything the god of the underworld had in store for her. "I want to go home."

The goddess sighed and extended her hand, the tips of her fingers dipped in black. "It's best not to keep him waiting. He has a temper that I'd rather not deal with today." When Sakura hesitated, not yet able to lift herself from the mud, the goddess pursed her lips. "You can't go back home, Sakura. But you'll be alright. No harm will come to you here."

There were so many questions, so many things she needed to know, but none of them could form into words. What was the point? The gods never favored mortal pleas. They were uncaring and cruel from what Sakura had seen. Even Tsunade, who had gifted her once with divinity, couldn't save her from her fate. And now, her life was in the hands of a savage god who thought so little of her, he dropped her in a swamp in the middle of the underworld to fend for herself.

Perhaps trusting the first god she came across wasn't the smartest idea, but Sakura had no other choice. And the salve the goddess had used was helping.

Sniffing, Sakura lifted her hand and slid it along the goddess' palm, finally finding a small amount of warmth that did little to help the cold clinging to her body. As she rose to her feet, the swamp shifted around them and Sakura sucked in a breath. A fog swept through, erasing the twisted, dead trees and stagnant pools and when it parted, the two were standing in a field.

It was just as void of life as the swamp had been, with no evidence that anything had ever grown there at all. Just gravel and chunks of broken marble littering the stone pathway that cut through the dead grass.

The warmth of the goddess' hands vanished and Sakura pulled her arms around her waist, turning on her heel to take in the sight of an enormous structure behind her. Two sets of stairs, steep and wide, made of aged, white marble led up to what could only be the palace belonging to the god of the underworld.

It was wider than the entire village Sakura had called home, taller than the gates that encircled it, and each column stretching across the facade of the palace dwarfed the giant oak trees standing at the edge of the fields. Even from below, she had to crane her neck to see the top point of the broken pediment at the center of the structure.

Her breath left her in a single, shaking puff of air and she nearly collapsed to her knees once more. The grey and black clouds stretched above the structure here as well but the sizzle of lightning and rumble of thunder was distant. At least she could be thankful for that.

Along the top of the pediment, statues that had once stood tall and sculpted were crumbling. A pair of legs stood on the far left, nothing left of them except a pair of sandals carved into the marble, and on the far right was a pile of rubble dangerously close to the edge. The broken pieces looked as if they would tumble down onto the stairs at any moment.

"This is where I leave you," the goddess said quietly, turning to face Sakura with a soft, reassuring smile. "For now."

"Wait." The word left her lips before she could turn completely away. "Where do I...I mean, I don't want to go in there alone. I feel like I'm not welcome."

"It's your home now, Sakura."

Did all gods speak in circles and frustrating responses? It was almost enough to make her roll her eyes and stomp away, but she was frozen to the path. She pursed her lips and watched the goddess make her way back toward the swamp in the distance. Before she could leave for good, Sakura couldn't help calling back out for her. "Will I see you again?"

"Oh, I'm certain you will."

"I don't even know your name!"

The fog surrounding the swamp unfurled along the ground and enveloped the goddess like open arms welcoming her home. A soft voice echoed from inside the mist but it didn't quite reach Sakura's ears. As the fog settled back around the dead trees of the marsh, the goddess was gone and Sakura felt more alone than she ever had.

A part of her wanted to just lay down on the steps and wait for him to come to her...or some other god or goddess. She barely had the chance to even finish the thought when a familiar, frustrating voice echoed through her head, reminding her of something the cruel god had said to her outside of Tsunade's temple.

Do you accept your fate?

What if I don't?

You'll face a fate far worse than servitude, I can promise you that.

Perhaps it would be best not to poke the sleeping beast. If he was waiting for her up in that palace, then he more than likely already knew she was as close as she was. 

With a deep breath of irritation that was starting to eclipse her fear, Sakura started up the path and reached the steep staircase. Her bare feet brushed over dust and pebbles, making her wonder just what had happened to the palace. It was as if a battle had been fought here long ago and no one had ever thought to pick up the pieces afterward.

The closer she crept up to the towering columns, she could see just how neglected it was. Surely a god could find servants to repair his home. Then again, maybe he preferred it this way. It would certainly keep her out if she stumbled upon it.

By the time she had reached the top of the staircase, after one hundred and forty steps, Sakura's legs were aching. The mud covering her had dried and caked onto her skin, pulling at the hair and causing her clothing to stick to her uncomfortably. Sweat had gathered beneath her arms and along her hairline and she reached up, brushing the backs of her dirty fingers across her forehead.

Looking beyond the columns didn't reveal much of the palace. The main entry was open but dark despite the overcast skies that supplied enough daylight to see without being bright. Not a torch or candle or flicker of a flame inside. Did he honestly expect her to just walk in without knowing where she was going? He set traps in forgotten caves, surely his home would have wards set to protect him.

As she took in a deep breath, preparing to shout and see who answered, a flicker of light caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. It was barely anything but turned her head to the right, past the main entry into the palace. There was another pathway there, leading around the thick, imposing columns, and through them, Sakura could see a small lantern bobbing through the darkness.

She didn't want to follow it, afraid of who or what might be holding it, but what other choice did she have at this point?

You can't go back home, Sakura. But you'll be alright. No harm will come to you here.

That was what the goddess said. Hopefully, she was telling the truth.

Sakura turned to the right and hurried around the entryway, finding another section of the palace here. It was open but not as grand or impressive. No statues—crumbling or otherwise—sat atop the pediment on this side and the damage wasn't nearly as bad. The flicker of the lantern pulled her onward and inside and as she rounded the corner, her heels nearly dug into the marble floors.

She stared at the lantern and...nothing.

There was no one holding it up, no one leading her but it came to a stop just as she did. Her eyes went wide and a shiver of terror raced down her body. In an instant, she regretted following the light. It didn't give off near enough to make her feel safe and now she was alone with a floating lantern in the palace of the underworld.

"H-hello?" Her voice squeaked out and the lantern bobbed up and back down slowly. "Is...is anyone here?"

Again, it bobbed up, hesitated, and then lowered back down just as if an invisible arm was carrying it. Sakura swallowed and glanced over her shoulder to make sure she wasn't being followed. There was no one but her.

With another swing, the lantern continued its journey deeper inside the castle, and Sakura whimpered. She really didn't want to follow it. She really didn't want to be here at all. Why hadn't she just listened to her mother? If she had obeyed and stayed within the village walls, she could be home right now, safe in bed.

But no. She had to be stubborn, had to be a know it all and now she was paying the price for her pride.

Despite every fiber in her being telling her not to follow a floating lantern with no one carrying it into the palace of the underworld, she had no choice. Besides, it didn't feel like a threatening force beckoning her forward so she crept along quietly through the dark hallways.

Cobwebs stretched from the ceiling to the walls and hung between the framed artworks. Thick layers of dust covered everything, obscuring the paintings and frescoes that were painted on the walls. At one time, it could have been a beautiful gallery. Even the floor, despite being littered with rubble and dust, had been a colorful mosaic. Each of the tiny pieces were broken or missing from their place but Sakura could see what it once had been.

The light dimmed, pulling her attention away from her surroundings and she watched the lantern turn down a hallway that stretched to the left. With a small sigh, she followed it through the winding labyrinth while trying to observe as much as she could.

Every corner they turned, the corridors grew narrower, leaving behind the works of art and decor. By the time the lantern stopped altogether, Sakura stumbled back to keep from slamming into it and blinked at the light nearly blinding her. The room it had led her to was wider than the hallway but only just. A window had been carved out of the stone but did not let in much light from the swirling storm clouds outside.

All at once, a stack of candles in the corner of the room flared to life, pulling a shriek from Sakura's throat. She spun around but found no one. But with the extra light, she could see a tub of water on the opposite side of the room. It was full and deep enough that she could sit down and be submerged to her shoulders. On the surface, tendrils of steam rose and disappeared into the air and she slowly moved closer.

Several bottles of oils and perfume sat on the edge of the tub with a jar of salt in the middle of them. The sight made her arch an eyebrow and turn to where the lantern remained in the center of the room, waiting.

It felt silly to speak to a floating lantern but she cleared her throat. "Am I meant to take a bath?"

When no answer came, Sakura glanced around the room once more. Darkness lingered in the corners far from the light of the candles and lantern and she sighed. With no one around to see, she didn't feel too nervous about stripping down. And besides, the mud was starting to annoy her.

She unwrapped the tunic around her waist and let it fall to the floor beside the tub, one hand reaching for the collar around her throat. If only she could be rid of that as well. Frustrated, she pushed her leggings to her feet and kicked them to the side before leaning forward to dip a hand into the water. It was perfectly warm and carried a soft aroma of rose petals and honey. If this was the life of servitude she was doomed for, at least it wasn't as bad as she thought.

Against her better judgment, Sakura lifted a leg and dipped her toes into the water. The caked-on grime and dirt lifted away from her skin and dissolved beneath the scented oils floating on the surface. She sank into the tub and didn't stop until she leaned back and submerged her face and hair beneath.

Only seconds had passed but she already felt brand new. She rose up from the water and hugged her knees to her chest, blinking away the droplets that gathered along her lashes. And still, the lantern remained where it was in the center of the room.

"And what am I to do after? Do I wear my filthy clothes again?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, another stack of candles flared to life on the opposite end of the room. The sudden brightness startled her and scared the persistent shadows into new hiding places but revealed a short bench across from her. Folded neatly in two piles was a stack of material and Sakura pursed her lips. So he's thought of everything. How convenient for her.

It suddenly dawned on her that as a god, he could go unseen if he pleased and she shrank further into the water. "I don't appreciate being spied on."

The room remained empty aside from her and the lantern floated patiently. If it was the god, he was as stubborn as she was. She suddenly felt silly for assuming he would be the one to lead her through the castle, to the bath and lay out her clothes. He was a god. He wouldn't lower himself to something like that.

She turned away from the lantern and scrubbed her arms, though the mud was long gone. With the oils softening her skin and the perfume clinging to her hair, Sakura gave one final, apprehensive glance to the lantern and stood up from the tub. She tiptoed to the bench and quickly picked the clothes up.

One was a thin chemise that she could nearly see entirely through. As she slipped it on and stared down at herself, she frowned. Her nipples and the pink patch of hair at the apex of her legs were only slightly obscured through the translucent material. She snatched the other garment, thankful that this one was at least solid. It was a robe of deep blue that she nearly mistook for black upon first glance.

Sakura secured it around her waist and made sure nothing beneath was showing before she turned to the lantern. But she wasn't alone anymore and she was no longer standing in the room with the bathtub.

Rosy perfume and honey lingered in the air but was quickly replaced with the delicious smells of roasted meats and warm vegetables laid out before her. In just a blink of her eye, she had been transported to another part of the palace—a dining room. Stretching before her was a table longer than she had ever seen in one room before, full of dishes and bowls overflowing with decadent foods.

Her jaw dropped nearly to her chest and she blinked in shock. In the spaces between the dishes, tall, black candles stood, topped with steady flames that gave light to the room. And at the far end, sitting in a chair with an ornately carved back was the elusive god she was nowhere near prepared to see. Even though his absence had been irritating so far, Sakura suddenly didn't want to see him at all.

She opened her mouth with no idea what to say, but didn't have a chance to utter a sound.

"Sit." His command was firm and echoed around the cavernous space.

There was only a moment's hesitation clinging to her body but in the end, she obeyed and lowered herself into a chair that matched his.

From so far away, and from over the multitude of food and candles in her way, she could barely see him. All she could make out was the silver of his hair draped on his shoulders and the twisting, black horns on his head. From the way he sat in the chair, relaxed against the arm while his head was propped in his hand, she wondered if he even wanted to be here in the first place. He certainly looked bored with her already.

"Eat," he said, startling her so badly she nearly slipped out of her chair. In a flash, her gaze cut away from him and she studied the empty plate on the table in front of her.

Carefully, she reached for a dish full of steaming, roasted chicken and tipped the edge toward her to peer into it. Though she couldn't remember the last time she had eaten, food was the last thing on her mind. Her eyes lifted back to stare at the god and she clenched her jaw. A voice that sounded far too similar to her mother's whispered in the back of her mind, telling her to mind her manners and be polite. Just like most of her mother's warnings, it went ignored.

"Who is the goddess in the swamp?"

Silence was his answer and the longer she waited for him to speak, the more irritated she became with him. Sakura sniffed and let go of the dish, ignoring the clatter of it as she sat back in the chair and crossed her arms over her chest. The years of arguing with two pig-headed, obnoxious demi-gods had prepared her somewhat for the god sitting across from her now.

"She had said you dropped me there because you had poor manners." This made him lift his head out of his hand but she simply shrugged and continued on. "I suppose she was right—"

His fist came down hard on the corner of the table, dangerously close to sending a bowl of strawberries tumbling to the floor and Sakura nearly jumped completely out of her chair. She stared, hands gripping the arms of the chair on either side of her. Tension coiled in her muscles, ready to burst into a run if she needed to flee.

"You accuse me of poor manners when I have bathed you, clothed you, and attempted to fill your belly with food?" He had a point. Sakura shrank a bit in her seat and cut her gaze away from him, focusing on a small rubble pile near the wall. "If this is poor manners, then I wonder just how much it would take to please you."

Color touched her cheeks and she dropped her hands into her lap, the sudden need to apologize rising at the back of her tongue. The way he spoke to her now, as if he were doing this all as a favor to her, to impress her was such a contradiction to what he had said to her in front of Tsunade's temple. He had implied she would be a servant to him, forced to serve him for the rest of her days. Was that not what she was forced here to be?

Reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ear, Sakura opened her mouth to ask him that very question but her words were cut off by a boisterous voice echoing from somewhere in the palace.

"Where are you hiding now, Hatake?"

Sakura lifted her gaze and met the god across the table. He was already standing to his feet, his height towering even from so far away. She watched him move closer, his steps silent except for the soft swish of his robes across the dusty floors. As he neared, her eyes drifted from his face and took in the sight of his body.

Impossibly black robes hung from his shoulders, open from his collar to his waist, and cinched loosely around his hips. Sakura had never seen a man so open with his body and her heart skipped several beats as she took in the sight of his sculpted chest. Beneath his navel, dipping lower than the robes allowed her to see, was a thin line of silver hair and as she followed it down as low as she could, heat lit her face. Quickly, begrudgingly, she pulled her gaze away from it and met his eyes once more as he neared.

The god stopped beside her chair and tipped his head to look down at her. Though whoever had called out to him was whistling happily and beckoning loudly for attention, the god didn't seem to be in much of a hurry.

He reached out and Sakura had to stop herself from flinching away from him as he curled his fingers around her chin. The edge of his fingernail pressed into her flesh just enough to let her know they were there but not to cause pain.

"As frustrating as you're proving to be," he said quietly, almost as if he were speaking to himself instead. “I can’t deny that I’m looking forward to making you submit.”

And with that, his fingers fell away from her face, taking all of the air in her lungs with them. Too stunned to try to speak, Sakura was forced to watch him walk away from her, all rational thought reduced to silence in her head. It was only after he disappeared into the darkness of the hallway beyond the dining room was she able to finally suck in a trembling breath.

The fear and dread and panic that had been lying dormant beneath the surface of her skin bubbled back to life and she abruptly stood to her feet. Serving a god was one thing. Submitting to one was something else entirely. 

The echo of voices from elsewhere in the palace startled her and she took a step away from the table, unsure of where to go. He had transported her through the rooms and she knew she would have no way to find her way back outside. Counting on lanterns carried by incorporeal beings was out of the question as well. There was only one option and though Sakura didn’t want to be anywhere near the god while his threats were echoing through her head, she knew she would have to follow the voices and see just who had visited the palace of the underworld.

Chapter Text

The rasp of Sakura’s breath filled her ears as she raced through the corridors of the palace, following the sound of voices despite not exactly wanting to. On one hand, she needed to know if whoever came to visit was someone who could help her or not. But on the other, she would have to be face to face with the god who had nearly stolen her breath away. 

Even after he had walked away from her, she could feel the ghost of his touch on her face, the soft brush of his thumb up the length of her jaw. Remembering it brought a shiver racing down her spine and she shook her head to get it out of her mind. 

Though the voices were muffled through the walls of the palace, whoever had come calling to the god of the underworld spoke with so much volume, it was rather easy to find her way to them. She crept close to the wall and turned to the left down a hall that opened up to a massive room. The ceiling stretched so high above her head that she could barely see through the darkness clinging to it. 

There were no discernible shapes she could make out, no beams or columns. Just inky black like the night sky that made an all new chill sink through her. 

Sakura kept her body hidden behind the wall and quickly took in the rest of her surroundings. The room was long and about as wide as the staircase she had climbed to reach the palace. At the far end stretching to her right was a raised platform made of onyx and sitting on a dark throne in the center was the god who had left her behind at the dining table. He sat on the seat, relaxed and stoic, his face passive and chin resting on the knuckles of one hand while he kept his gaze on the figure in the center of the room. 

For just a moment, probably far longer than it should have, Sakura’s gaze lingered on the dark god, taking in the sight of his silver hair that seemed to glow like moonlight, before she ducked back into the shadows and turned her head to see who had paid a visit. Upon first glance, she assumed the man was mortal. With stark white hair tied back behind his head, he didn’t have the same elegance and grace as a god. His shoulders were broad with a different kind of strength and he wore simple garments of dull reds and greens.

Even though Sakura had only seen three deities up close and personal, the figure standing in the center of the room, absently twirling a staff in his hands, his sandals clacking on the marble floor, appeared too...approachable. The man’s mouth was stretched into a grin and the staff in his hands ceased its twirling so he could rest an arm over the top of it. 

“Don’t tell me you haven’t missed my presence in the underworld, Hatake,” the figure said, a hint of teasing humor in his words. It startled Sakura and she held her breath. Memories of the last time she had witnessed the god of the underworld handle someone who dared cross him flashed through her mind. With just a flick of his fingers, he had sent Sasuke and Naruto flying like mice. She didn’t want to see him treat his guest the same way.

“The last time you visited,” the dark god muttered, pulling her attention back to him. Thankfully, his narrowed eyes were focused on the man in the center of the room. “You got the nymphs drunk and started an orgy.”

Her eyes went wide. An orgy? She’d only heard about them, of course. When the boys of the village spoke of the beautiful goddesses and how open and willing they were with their bodies, the word had come up a few times. It wasn’t until Naruto had explained to her, in rather perverted detail, just what an orgy was. She’d shut him up with a punch to the nose but her face had blushed the rest of the day.

“Can you blame me?” The boisterous voice pulled her from her thoughts and she blinked as the messenger chuckled to himself, eyes lifting as if replaying the memories in his head. “Who would have thought that in all the land and sea, the most nubile nymphs reside here in the dreary depths. If all it took to start an orgy was a little bit of wine, they were already willing.”

And just like the day Naruto had explained to her what happens in an orgy, she felt the tops of her cheeks heat with a blush. It crept up the length of her neck and didn’t stop until the tips of her ears were warm with it. “Yes,” the god spoke, his voice deep but not exactly as annoyed as she expected. “But next time, don't pit the nymphs against one another. I'm sure there's plenty of you to go around and I don't want to have to waste my time with their petty jealousy.”

“Jealous, you say?” The figure grinned, his eyebrows lifting nearly to the line of white hair above them. “Which ones?

"It's irrelevant. To what do I owe the surprise of your visit?"

Clucking his tongue in disappointment, the guest took a deep breath and gave a small shake of his head. His gaze narrowed and for a moment, Sakura could feel the light tone of the room shift. Tension started to sizzle and once more, she found herself holding her breath in anticipation. “Rumors are starting to spread like wildfire about you, Hatake.”

“It wouldn’t be the first time.”

Sakura ducked back into her hiding place in the shadows, her heart skipping a few beats from just the sound of his voice. If he were to find her here, eavesdropping on his conversation, would he be furious with her? As stubborn and defiant as her nature was, she didn’t want to risk the god’s wrath. 

“Oh, I’m well aware that you have no patience for gossip.” The figure cleared his throat and for just a split second, barely even enough that Sakura noticed, his eyes flickered to the wall where she was currently pressed. She held her breath but whether or not her hiding place was discovered, she wasn’t sure. “But this time, you’ve been summoned.”

“By whom?”

“I think you know the answer to that.” This time, the figure tilted his head to the side, upsetting the tufts of white hair on his head to reveal a pair of horns. Sakura swallowed a sharp gasp. The two horns were small, no longer than her thumbs and came to dull points, and nearly matched the color of hair they hid beneath. No wonder she had thought he was mortal. “She’s in a furious mood.”

She ?

“She has no reason to be.”

The white-haired god chuckled, the deep sound echoing quietly in the cavernous space. “That’s not what I heard. Either way, consider my presence here your official summons. Whether you want to answer it or not is entirely up to you.” The god shrugged, the corners of his lips lifting once more in a grin. “But I wouldn’t get on her bad side if I were you.”

On the throne, a sudden shift of dark fabric caught Sakura’s gaze and she craned her head to the side to peer in his direction. The god stood to his full height, the thick length of his robes settling around his bare feet as he did so, and Sakura once again couldn’t help staring at his bare chest. Perhaps it was her innate curiosity that kept her attention on his anatomy, or the fact that he was an alabaster statue, carved by a master sculptor, come to life, she wasn’t sure. Either way, seeing the taut, pale skin stretched over the muscles beneath locked her in a daze she had to physically shake herself out of.

“Don’t tell me that after all these centuries, you’re still afraid of her.”

Throwing back his head to laugh, the messenger god gripped his staff to keep from falling and the powerful sound he let out echoed off the empty walls. It was a laugh that the stoic god did not return. He simply stared at his guest, eyebrow arched and arms folded as he waited.

“When you’ve seen her decimate entire cities, you’ll understand that it isn’t fear. It’s respect. Which, coincidentally, is what she aims to teach you whenever you decide to grace them with your presence.” 

With a sigh that carried annoyance that Sakura could feel even from her hiding place, the god dropped his arms to his side. By the time she managed to shift in the shadows to take a peek at him, she found him rolling his eyes. “And I suppose this summons is for an immediate meeting?”

“At your earliest convenience, oh dreadful one.” With an arm sweeping the air in front of him, the messenger stuck one foot out and bowed low. It wasn’t a sign of respect. Even a mortal with little knowledge of the relationships between the gods could see he was doing it out of jest. Her eyes went wide and she waited for the dark god to retaliate. Instead, for as long as it took his guest to stand to his full height, he simply stared with a hint of a playful scowl on his face.

“Remind me to revoke your invitation to the realm, Jiraiya. It’s long overdue.” 

Before the laughter could even echo off the walls, the god disappeared in a flash of light that completely dissolved the shadows of her hiding place. She threw a hand up to shield her eyes from it, nearly falling as she stumbled on her heels. As quickly as the light flashed, it disappeared and she blinked the spots from her eyes, pressing back into the wall to conceal herself once more.

“You might as well come out, little mortal. No point in hiding anymore.”

Terror gripped her with icy claws and she sucked in a breath that froze in her chest. She didn’t move—couldn’t move. Despite wanting the wall to open up and swallow her whole, it remained solid and she couldn’t press herself flatter. How long had he known she was there? Had it been the flash of light that revealed her presence or...It was too much to think about now. She was caught and he was right. There was no point in hiding.

Slowly, with a sting of embarrassment pricking her face, she ducked out from the shadows and took a single step into the massive hall. The god stood facing her, one arm propped on the wings carved into his staff, a small smile tilting his lips. “So you’re the mortal causing all this fuss.”

Her gaze fell to the floor like a scolded child and she wasn’t sure whether he was waiting for her to answer him or not. She was still unsure how to behave in front of the gods. Some demanded respect, others spoke to her and treated her as an equal. There was no way to know for sure so she stayed quiet. 

The god who had been called Jiraiya moved closer, the clack of his sandals on the floor the only sound in the hall between them. He circled her but for an odd reason she couldn’t explain, she didn’t feel threatened by him. It was simple curiosity. By the time he had made his way back around to face her, Sakura lifted her head and stared up at him. 

“How’s he been treating you?”

Was the question a trap? If she answered truthfully, he might go and repeat it to the god in question. Then again, what was the truth? So far, the only mistreatment she’d faced was waking up in a swamp and being forced to walk to the palace. Pursing her lips, she glanced away from the god before her and shrugged.

“Fine.”

Her answer didn’t satisfy him and he let go of his staff to fold his arms across the width of his chest. To her surprise, the winged staff remained standing next to him as if it had a mind of its own and her eyes widened at the sight of it. She quickly snapped her gaze back to him just in time to see a slender, pale brow arch. 

“I have a feeling that isn’t the truth, but if you don’t want to tell me, that’s your business. However,” he said, dropping his arms to plant his fists on his hips. “Something tells me that through all this squabbling, neither Tsunade nor Hatake have asked you what you want.”

Was that an option? What god would lower themselves to ask a mortal of her needs or wants? The goddess in the swamp had told her there was no going back home but what if she had been wrong? Sakura frowned up at the god and took in the sight of the two horns right on top of his forehead. When her gaze fell back to his eyes, she found a curious look in them and for the first time since revealing herself to him, she felt the need to take a step back. 

“What do you want, Sakura?”

Her breath hitched in her throat and she lifted a hand to touch the metal encircling it. “I want to go home.”

“And I suppose you thought that was impossible?”

All she could do was nod. Speaking—even breathing—seemed impossible. She was afraid this was all another trick of the cruel god and any moment now, the messenger would disappear in a puff of smoke and she would be faced with a wrath she wasn’t prepared to deal with. 

“Nothing is impossible. You just have to play the right game and you have to win to get what you want.”

“Game? I don’t understand—”

“They say,” the messenger started, his voice soft but large enough to fill the hall with its volume. He took a step backward and then another, and Sakura watched with her lips parted and eyes wide as the wings on either side of his staff fluttered. It lifted him off the floor to float but he kept his stare on her as he continued. “The god of the underworld can’t resist a game of wits. Challenge him and win, and you just might make the impossible happen. Now, I have to find some nymphs for a little game of my own.”

And with that, a cloud of white enveloped him, curling in on itself until it, and the messenger god disappeared from the hall entirely. The only evidence that he had been there at all was the echo of his voice in Sakura’s head. Challenge him and win ...Challenge him to what? Surely any game she could think of would be far too easy to win for a god. 

She would stand no chance. A game of wits seemed impossible. Nothing is impossible. You just have to play the right game…

Perhaps the strange god—with his rather perverted proclivities—was telling the truth. The goddess from the swamp had told her there was no way to go back home and now, Sakura had a chance. A small, minute chance at that, but it was still something. 

Staring up at the space the god had disappeared from, Sakura pursed her lips and nodded to no one. She would think up a game, she would challenge the god, and when she won, she would leave this place and hopefully never return for as long as she lived. 

Irritation gathered in the tension across Kakashi’s shoulders and he rolled them, trying to loosen the knots that stubbornly clinged to his muscles. Dealing with a mortal was never an enjoyable affair. He had avoided it for centuries, stayed below their world, and only dealt with them when they were dead. 

They were easier that way. All of their pride and self-righteousness, their insufferable egos, melted away once they were faced with the uncertainty of their eternity. With just a flick of his wrist, mortals knew he could send them to the Elysian fields for eternal paradise or cast them into the pits beneath the underworld to rot in their torment until the end of time. 

Each soul that came before him feared the latter, and their fear humbled them. It ripped away their facade and stripped them down to who they truly were and only then did Kakashi ever want to deal with them.

Mortals were bothersome and seldom worth the trouble they brought.

And the little mortal who had sat before him, insulted him one moment and cowered before him the next, was exactly that—trouble

He knew that stealing her away would upset the order of things, especially with the goddess Tsunade’s protection over her, but he had broken no rules. Their deal had been made in fairness and the goddess hadn’t put up much of a fight. Now that she’d had some time to think about it, time to stew in her anger, it seemed she was rethinking things.

She had even taken it as far as to summon him before the gods. It hadn’t been the first time he stood among his peers and listened to them disagree with his decisions. He knew it certainly wouldn’t be his last either. It was all a formality. Tsunade knew they wouldn’t revoke his power or hand the mortal back over to the goddess. This summons was nothing but an annoyance to get under his skin and perhaps a chance for her to yell at him with the full might of her power. 

As abruptly as he had left his realm, he arrived in the immortal lands the same. A bolt of lightning that brought a tremendous rumble of thunder shook the mountainside as his feet touched the loose, cool dirt. Several lesser deities scattered at his sudden appearance, nymphs and spirits shrieking from the surprise as they disappeared in puffs of air and flora. Kakashi paid them no mind.

The City of the Gods stretched up the side of the mountain, with bright structures and statues glittering beneath the sun. Houses, hot springs, temples, and great halls dotted the mountainside like jewels, all leading up to the tip that disappeared into the clouds high above.

It was there that he had been summoned and he knew the gods were expecting him to appear before their eyes in the sprawling temple. He never got tired of frightening the lesser immortals upon his arrival. Even with the annoyance still coursing through his veins, he allowed a faint trace of a smile to curl his lips before setting off toward the slope of the mountain. As he made his way through the streets, ignoring the whispers that followed him, the gossip and rumors left in his wake about his unfairness, Kakashi thought back to the trembling girl he had left at his dining table. 

Even now, so far away from his realm, he could see the quiver of her chin and the fear filling her eyes. The green of them had seemed so bright against his colorless palace at that moment—so bright he nearly felt lost in them. She had looked at him in the same way the day he had caught her in that cave, peeking over the edge of the river before she dove down into its depths. The fear was obvious, but something else sparkled in her gaze as well. 

Something he couldn’t quite put his finger on but noticed it as she sat at his table, accusing him of rudely dumping her in the swamp. He had, of course, done the very thing she accused him of, but he didn’t appreciate her boldness. The mortals he was used to stuttered and stammered when speaking to him, could barely lift their gaze to him. 

She was different. She had looked in his eyes and each time nearly rendered him speechless. It was such a curious thing...Kakashi was unsure which way to feel about it—angry that she dared speak to him the way she had or amused that she had spoken up at all. He certainly hadn’t expected that much from her. 

With his thoughts swirling around her, he hadn’t quite noticed the crowd that had gathered behind him. He could hear their whispers and giggles and felt their presence following him, but it wasn’t until he reached the highest point of the mountain did he turn to glare at them all. Once more, the skittish spirits disappeared in poofs while the other deities suddenly found the clouds and flowers to be far more interesting. Rolling his eyes, Kakashi spun away from them and continued up to the temple.

The clouds parted around him and he glanced up at the brightly painted mosaics stretching around the temple’s architrave. His portrait was there somewhere, possibly haphazardly painted on the back wall, depicting his greatest triumphs and deeds but he had never cared to look for it. If he had it his way, he would hardly ever venture too far from his own realm. And that plan had been going splendidly for the past several hundred years. 

All until he had set his sights on one mortal girl.

“Color me surprised to see you here so soon,” a soft voice spoke from the left, making his heels dig into the soft dirt path. From behind one of the columns, a familiar figure emerged and Kakashi relaxed at the sight of the goddess. Black hair cut to her chin that was adorned with leaves and vines, Shizune was a sight for sore eyes all the way up here. His trips out of the underworld were rare, but for her even more so. Which only heightened his suspicions.

“Consider me just as surprised. It’s a rare occasion indeed to see you outside your swamp.”

Shizune smiled and folded her arms over her chest. “Yes, well, when mortal girls are dropped into the mud without a head’s up, disturbing my peace, I figure I might as well see what all the fuss is about.”

“There’s no fuss,” Kakashi muttered, his eyes narrowing on the goddess. They had a rather easy-going relationship. He didn’t bother her and she bothered him even less. But seeing her here in the temple, it was clear that she had her own reasons to attend the summons that had little to do with the rumors. Her loyalty to Tsunade was no secret and without another word to her, Kakashi turned away and made his way to the temple doors.

A pair of guards stood like statues, moving only to nod at his approach, on either side of the entryway. As soon as the ornately carved doors opened on their own, a rush of noise hit Kakashi in a cool breeze and he took a deep breath. 

Arriving the way he did, against expectations and to the surprise of the city dwellers, hadn’t been just for his entertainment. The gods within the temple weren’t expecting him so soon, or at all in some cases, and they freely voiced their opinions without the knowledge of his presence. He could immediately hear Tsunade arguing her case to her closest relative, already counting on the god of the sky to be on her side. Kakashi had expected as much.

“She was under my protection. He had no right to sweep in and lay his claims!”

“Yes, we’ve been made aware of the situation. At length.” The exasperated sigh lifted the corner of Kakashi’s lips. Perhaps he wouldn’t need to say much. By the sounds of things, the gods didn’t seem too interested in this disagreement. Still, he kept to the shadows, folding his arms over his chest as he slowed to a stop and lingered just outside the rotunda.

Along the back curving wall, three thrones were carved into massive blocks of marble. Each represented a different realm—the realm of the gods, the mortal realm, and the realm of the dead. The third throne was reserved for Kakashi but he so rarely sat upon it, that it had been unofficially passed to the consort of the god of the sky. Not that he cared.

Hashirama and Mito were inseparable. It was only fitting that they ruled the heavens side by side. 

“These little traps set for mortals are barbaric and archaic. Surely we’ve grown past this kind of behavior? For the lesser gods, this kind of thing is acceptable but not for us.”

“I think it would be best,” Hashirama started cautiously, not wanting to ignite his granddaughter’s tempestuous anger. “If we waited to hear Hatake’s side of things.”

Tsunade scoffed and crossed her arms over her ample chest, stomping into Kakashi’s view as she hurried to the raised platform where the three thrones sat. “You know Hatake. He’ll make us wait decades before he shows his face.”

“Be that as it may, stamping your feet like a child and pouting won’t make it happen any faster. Hatake has one week to answer the summons. If he does not send his response by then—”

“You sent the summons through Jiraiya. He’s probably neck-deep in drunken nymphs by now, his duties long forgotten.”

“Oh, I received the summons,” Kakashi finally spoke, snapping the rotunda into silence as the gods within whipped their heads to face him. Lingering in the shadows, one shoulder leaning against a thick, marble column, he lifted his head and met Tsunade’s fury-filled gaze. “But you are right about Jiraiya. I imagine he’ll be indisposed for some time.”

The goddess’ amber eyes rolled back into her head before she turned on her heel to face the three seated deities. Each of them offered Kakashi a single nod of their head as he stepped quietly into the room but it was Mito to speak first. Hands folded regally in her lap, the goddess studied him only for a moment. “This mortal girl,” she began quietly, her voice soft but full of a strength that commanded the attention of everyone. “Is she worth all of this trouble?”

“Her worth is of no importance to either me or Tsunade.” Before the hot-headed goddess could open her mouth, Kakashi continued. “It’s only a matter of claim. She was under Tsunade’s protection from birth, but she’s not a child anymore. She made the choice to enter my realm and eat the seeds that did not belong to her and whether she’s worthy of all the fuss, is irrelevant.”

Though Tsunade let out a scoff full of derision, she didn’t argue just yet. The goddess had offered the mortal girl protection, but there was nothing noble in her pursuit of this issue. The gods were nothing if not territorial and selfish—even ones who had lived as long as she had—and to be undermined this way would infuriate any of them. But Kakashi’s argument was strong.

It didn’t matter how archaic their practices were. Mortals knew the risks, they had been told from one generation to the next and onward, to never displease the gods. The consequences were no secret and there was no one to blame but the poor soul who fell into the trap. In this case, a mortal girl who bewildered, antagonized, and captivated him. No matter who laid their claims on her first, Kakashi would stop at nothing until he had her. 

To the far left of the rotunda, seated on a throne of roiling waves carved into the stone, Tobirama lifted his hands and crossed his arms over his chest. The rich, indigo robes he wore, accented with whites and silver, shone in the bright sunlight filtering in through the domed ceiling above the rotunda. He and Kakashi had never associated much with one another, but the latter was aware of his temperament. Just like the sea, he could be calm and peaceful one moment and the next waged war like a violent storm.

Thankfully, his mood was tranquil today and he tipped his head forward in a brief nod. “Mortal whims cannot be favored, even those who have been claimed for years. She ate of the fruit that was not hers and must face the consequences.”

The words had barely left his mouth when Tsunade dropped her arms to her side and opened her mouth to argue the point. Kakashi didn’t give her a chance. Though he was just as selfish and possessive as the other gods, he preferred to get his way through means other than force. When they were applicable, he always chose brains over brawn. And he knew the goddess enough to know she couldn’t resist a gamble.

“However,” Kakashi said, stepping into the goddess’ line of sight. As she spun on her heel to burn him with her furious gaze, he held up his hands in surrender. “I didn’t come here to argue and I want no ill will between us, Tsunade. One month for every seed that was consumed, she must stay in the underworld. If at the end of those months, she chooses to leave, she will be free to do so.”

The hostility behind the pair of amber eyes lessened, but only by a fraction. Suspicion narrowed the goddess’ eyes and she turned to face him fully. “What’s the catch?”

“There is none.”

“There’s always a catch, Hatake.”

His shoulders lifted in a shrug and he took a step back. “If you don’t accept the terms, I’m willing to keep her forever.”

“I never said I didn’t accept your terms. Six weeks.”

“Three months.” He thrust his hand out toward her, eyes never leaving hers. Tension sizzled in the room and he could feel the stares of the other gods that had snuck into the temple to watch. Hundreds of eyes were on the two deities standing in the center of the rotunda and Kakashi forced his face to remain stoic and passive though he was certain he had won. Tsunade had never passed up a game, especially one she was favored to win. What mortal would choose to stay in the underworld of their own volition? 

The goddess took a single step to cross the distance between them and grasped his hand in her own. It was a brief gesture, the shorter the better in his opinion, but it was enough. The game was set and while they both had enough tricks up their sleeves to tip the scales either way, Kakashi knew something Tsunade didn’t—something he could use to his advantage and secure Sakura’s place in the underworld and in his bed forever.

Chapter Text

The palace was quiet. Not a single sound penetrated through the walls and after pacing up and down the length of the enormous great hall where she had met the strange, white-haired god, Sakura was going stir crazy. The silence was deafening, leaving her ears ringing, desperate for anything to listen to aside from the soft taps of her feet on the floor.

She had busied herself with the room for an hour or so, walking the length of it to study the deteriorated busts and statues of gods she could barely recognize. At one time, they’d been carved beautifully and in the pieces that remained, the attention to detail was evident. Sakura paused in front of one that would have towered over her in its prime.

All that was left was one leg and half of an animal that had been curled around the god. She leaned forward and peered down at the marble, afraid to even reach out and touch the buckle of the sandal. 

When memorizing the statues became a bore, she moved on to the ebony throne sitting in the center of the platform at the back of the hall. It was the only thing in the hall that wasn’t carved from marble, instantly drawing anyone’s eye to it. The back was tall, twice as high as the top of her head and twice as wide as her shoulders. A single, black cushion was placed in the center and though she wanted to see how comfortable it was, she resisted the urge to climb onto it. 

Her captor could disappear and appear in a flash. She didn’t need him to blind her while testing out his throne and catch her doing something he would disprove of. The thought was one that made her eyes roll and she circled the throne to stare at the carvings on the side. Delicate asphodel petals bloomed out of the marble, as detailed and beautiful as the real thing. Sakura could hardly keep her hands to her sides. 

She carefully traced the edge of one of the petals and trailed the image up to where more symbols had been carved. Some were different plants, narcissus blooms, and tiny leaves, and others she couldn’t make sense of at all. The longer she looked at them, the more they seemed to fade completely into the ebony stone and disappear.

Frowning, Sakura moved closer and glanced back at the flowers. They were there all the same as they had been but the carvings across the top of the throne were indistinguishable. 

A trick of the god? Was she not worthy to look at them?

She would certainly not put it past him to cast spells on his throne but why waste power on something like a carving? It bothered her more than she cared to admit.

He forced her to be here, held her prisoner, and still thought so low of her that he couldn’t reveal something as simple and insignificant as a throne for her lowly, mortal gaze? She crossed her arms over her chest and turned her back to the throne, frowning like a petulant child. 

How long was she supposed to wait here for him to return? This flippant attitude the gods seemed to all share was just downright rude and Sakura was already tired of it. She wasn't about to wait around like some poor, neglected guest. Dropping her hands to her sides, she eyed the spot where she had hidden earlier. That passage led back to the dining room and while she was hungry, she didn't want to eat his food. She'd learned her lesson about sampling food given to her by the gods.

Instead, she shifted on her feet and looked at the main entrance to the hall. It led to the stairs she had climbed and just looking at them made her calves ache in protest. There was only one other direction she could go and while she wasn't too sure of where it led, Sakura's boredom was starting to get to her.

Wandering through random passages in the palace of the underworld was better than sitting like a good pet and waiting for him to return. With a nod, she stepped off the platform and hurried to the opposite side of the room she had entered from.

There was a single hallway, identical to the one she had sneaked through earlier, but instead of turning to the left at the end, it went right and she followed it with no way to know where she would end up. Without the disembodied lantern bobbing ahead of her, it was dark—eerily so.

The quiet that had been so bothersome back in the great hall had shifted into one that left her feeling unsettled. It crept along behind her, watching her move through the hall and she had to keep herself from turning back. Sakura swallowed and ignored the sense of unease that had blanketed her, holding her hand out to feel along the wall beside her.

She paused at a corner and felt around to find that the passage turned to the right. Though she knew she wouldn't be able to see anything in the impenetrable darkness, she poked her head around the corner and squinted her eyes. Faintly, just at the end of a long stretch in front of her, she could see the faint edges of light from a distant candle.

It barely reached where she stood but it was something to move toward and it was better than the darkness behind her. Keeping her hand to the wall, her steps were more sure and she made it quickly to the faint circle of light at the end of the hall. A door stood before her, open slightly—just enough to let out the warm glow of a flame and she carefully put her hands to it. Though she expected a creak of aged, rusting hinges, the door opened slowly and silently and she found the source of light. A long stack of candles, all different lengths, were lit on the center of a round table. White wax dripped onto the black cloth covering the table and Sakura frowned at the sight, instantly recognizing it and the fruit sitting beside the candle stacks.

It was the table that had been sitting in that cave, waiting for the poor, unsuspecting mortal to pass by and have a taste. She eyed it with a sigh and crept closer, folding her arms around her waist. With every step that she took closer to the table, the fruit—cherries and open pomegranates, vines of grapes and figs—came into focus, and she sucked in a breath.

Flies buzzed around the table, zipping through the rancid smell wafting up from the black and rotting fruit and Sakura slapped a hand to her mouth. She stared in horror, her eyes falling to the two halves of the pomegranate. Had this been what she had truly tasted?

The taste of rotten fruit had been lingering in her mouth since the moment she had eaten the first seed. Her stomach rolled, squashing the pangs of hunger that she had felt moments ago. Surely, not even a god as cruel as her captor would trick someone into eating rotten seeds. Before she could turn away and flee the rancid room, a squirming, wriggling maggot inched its way out from beneath the skin of the fruit. Sakura had seen enough.

Whirling on her heel, she spun back to the door, wanting nothing more than to return back to the great hall and forget this room even existed. As she took a step, a swatch of color caught her eye and she hesitated, one hand on the door while her eyes cut to the left.

Bright greens and reds were so foreign in such a drab place that she couldn't help but satisfy her curiosity. Turning from the door, Sakura found the brilliant colors that had caught her attention. In the faint light still flickering from that wretched table, she could see a painting mounted on the wall with a gilded frame. The corners were chipped and the gold leaf was flecking away from time but the painting had remained intact, if not a little dusty.

Sakura stood to her tiptoes and swiped her hand across the canvas, pulling away decades worth of cobwebs and layers of dust. Her eyes widened as she took two steps back and stared up at the painting—a portrait of the god who had stolen her life.

Alabaster skin stretched taut over defined muscles drew Sakura's attention up the portrait's chest to the cascade of silver hair down one shoulder. Eyes dark and deep, staring out over her head, half-lidded beneath slender yet stern brows sent shivers down her arms and forced her to hug her waist tighter. He looked as lifelike as he would standing before her but unlike the shadows that clinged to him now, the portrait was brightly lit. A wreath of mint leaves hung around his neck, one side longer than the other, stretching nearly to his waist and the green was beautifully contrasted against the black robes he kept around himself.

In one hand was a scepter that came to two, dagger-sharp points and at the center of them was a brilliant blue crystal framed in onyx. Sakura wanted to study all of the details of the painting, the sheep and calf lying asleep at his feet, the pair of keys hanging from a belt around his waist, but couldn't pull her eyes away from his face.

This version of the god was different than the one she had met. He had an air of regality, sophistication, and a depth that, while she had no way to know for sure, gave her a sense of calm and compassion. How had it twisted inside him through these years, deforming and turning to cruelty and snobbery? Had the artist not known the true nature of the god...or was it Sakura who had not seen this side of him?

In her defense, he hadn't exactly shown this side of him to her.

Yet, a strange voice in her head, one that sounded less like her mother and more like a version of herself she wasn't familiar with, whispered.

"Do you always wander off when you're alone?"

Sakura whirled around, her throat squeezing the breath she sucked in before it could reach her lungs and clamped her hands to her chest. At the door, as silent as a ghost, the god had returned to his palace and stood watching her. A strange look was on his face, one of arrogant amusement and it did little to calm her racing pulse.

"Do you always sneak up on people?"

"This is my home. I'm free to sneak where I please."

She clenched her jaw and looked away, not in the direction of the painting even though it still called to her, but to the table. Being near to it now made her flinch and she moved toward the wall. It was the safest choice—still far from him but not close to the smell of rancid fruit.

"Is this what I truly ate that day in the cave? Is that why I haven't gotten the taste of it out of my mouth?"

It seemed that no matter how afraid of him she was, she couldn't quite bite her tongue when he annoyed her. She knew it was a stupid thing to do, that he would surely lock her away if she continued to annoy him.

To her surprise, the corner of the god's lip curled in a small smile and he stepped forward. Sakura kept her feet planted where they were though she couldn't deny the sudden urge to back away from him. She watched him move, cautious and guarded, ready to flee if he decided to lash out for her incessant questions.

As he stepped close to the table, circling it until all that stood between them was the candles and rotting fruit, his eyes met hers over the top of the flames. With a single pass of his hand, the table and its disgusting contents shimmered like a mirage before her eyes and when it settled seconds later, the fruit and flies and maggots were gone—vanished into thin air and Sakura blinked in surprise.

She looked up at him and frowned. "An illusion."

"Of sorts." The god passed his other hand over it and the sight of the fruit she had tasted from, the fresh, crimson pomegranate seeds from the cave reappeared. "Is this more to your liking?"

His question surprised her and she looked up from the glistening fruit to his face. There was that stern furrow from the portrait, hardened and angered, but the fear she'd grown used to feeling around him wasn't as intense. As much as she wanted to thank him for taking the buzzing flies and disgusting maggots away, she would have never had to see them if it weren't for him stealing her from her home.

Crossing her arms over her chest, Sakura looked away from him and pursed her lips for a moment. The echo of her mother's voice was back, whispering for her not to anger the god. Maybe one day she will listen to her mother's advice. It wouldn't be today though.

"I'd prefer to not look at it at all. I'd prefer to be let go—"

The god moved in a flash, grabbing the edge of the table and flipping it aside with a force that sent it flying across the room. Wood splinters rained down onto the floor and the candles that had been stacked on top went dark in a rush of air, plunging the room into black. Sakura sucked in a breath as she scrambled back on her heels until her back pressed into the wall that held the portrait.

She could see nothing before her but heard the soft shift of thick, dark robes as he neared her and she held her breath, waiting for the moment he gave her the same treatment as the table. It wasn't until his palm hit the wall beside her head that she realized her eyes had been squeezed shut out of fear. They snapped open now and in the darkness, she could feel the god near her.

An aura of power wafted off of his body like static clinging to the air after a lightning storm and the energy arced from his skin to hers, sizzling her with tiny jolts of heat. The soft touch of something across her forehead startled her and she realized with a gasp of breath that he had ducked his head so close to hers that his hair brushed her face.

"I'm growing tired of your insolence," he spoke quietly but she felt just as frightened as she would be if he had yelled the words. His nearness, the warmth of his breath on her face, the hum of his magic that she could feel in her bones was almost too much for her to stand. "What will it take to melt the ice around your mortal heart and make you happy?"

"Happy?" She whispered, her eyes open and searching where she assumed his gaze was. What she wouldn't give for a single flame left from those candles. "You know what would make me happy. I want to go home."

A growl, deep and rumbling through his chest, made her eyes shut once more and Sakura flinched as his other hand met the wall on the other side of her head. He had her completely surrounded, his body closer than it had ever been before. Sweat was beading up along her spine and she fought for a breath to help ease the dizziness in her head. "This is your home now. You'd do well to remember that."

"What if—" she nearly swallowed the words before she could speak them. "—What if we played a game."

"A game," he repeated, the sound of his voice and breath closer now. She flinched but didn't turn away from him. "And what, pray tell, would this game be?"

Sakura took a deep, shuddering breath and thought back to the messenger's words. They say the god of the underworld can't resist a game of wits. Challenge him and win, and you just might make the impossible happen.

"A game of riddles. If you cannot answer my riddle, then I get to go home."

"And if I win?"

Her eyes fluttered closed and she had to force the words out. They sat at the back of her throat, heavy as a stone. With another breath, she opened her eyes and stared up at him in the pitch darkness. "Then, I'm yours."

The sudden raspy chuckle he let out surprised her, filling her with a rush of warmth that settled in her belly but she didn't dare open her eyes. On either side of her head, she heard his hands slip down the wall a bit before falling away. As he straightened to his full height, the brush of his hair tickled her brow and in the space he put between them, she was able to breathe.

"You're awfully confident in yourself to wager your freedom against me."

"Does that mean you won't accept my game?"

Again, his quiet laugh filled her with heat that she felt in her face and she swallowed down the need to look away from him. In the darkness, she couldn't see the god lift his hand until the touch of his fingers on her face surprised her. He tucked her hair behind her ear and traced her jaw with his middle finger, letting his hand fall away from her just before he reached her chin.

"I accept," he said quietly and Sakura let out a breath of relief—a bit prematurely. "Under the condition that I pick the rules."

She frowned and blinked in the darkness that was finally starting to lift enough that she could make out the edges of his body before her. The tip of his horns pointing to the ceiling, the shape of his shoulders, and his arms crossing at his chest gave her a clear enough picture. "Rules?"

"Yes, rules. You are familiar with the concept, aren't you?"

Though she could make out no details of his face, she knew there was a smirk curling the corner of his lips. "Yes, I am. What are your rules?"

The god took a deep breath that expanded his shoulders and Sakura couldn't help but watch his dark form take a step to the side. His hand, pale even in the darkness, lifted from his chest and waved through the air. In an instant, the broken and splintered table returned to its previous place in the center of the room and a lone candle sat in the center. The tiny, flickering flame offered just enough light to see that the fruit was gone from the tabletop. In their place was a single scroll of paper and a feather quill lying beside it.

She pushed away from the wall just a bit, leaning forward to see the scroll better and the god took a few steps toward it. He didn't turn to face her as he spoke and her eyes shifted from the table to him, watching the light dance across his features.

"Since you are at a disadvantage being a mortal, I will play with a handicap." She nearly scoffed at his arrogance and told him not to do her any favors. But this time, she listened to the hiss of her mother's voice in her head and snapped her jaws shut before she could dig herself deeper. She watched the god reach the table and turn to look at her from over his shoulder. "One riddle to your three. Do we have a deal?"

Not even an entire day in the underworld had passed and she was making deals with gods. Sakura swallowed and crossed her arms over her chest, letting her gaze fall to the table where the scroll sat waiting. As the words left his mouth, the rules of their game appeared across the page and her eyes widened as they bled through. Without realizing it, she slowly took a step forward and then another until she was at his side near the table.

"One riddle to my three," she repeated under her breath, trying to decide if it was a good idea to make a wager like this. Her thoughts were in turmoil, split down the middle between knowing this was another trap and wanting nothing more than to go home. If this was her only chance at freeing herself, she had to do it. Lifting her head, she peered up at the god and frowned. "How long do I have to think up the riddles?"

A slow, curling smile spread across his mouth, one that pulled her gaze to it and filled her with another flush of heat. This time, she felt it burn through her core and struggled to find her breath in its wake.

"Two weeks for each riddle. From the time you think it up to my answer. If you can't think of one in that time period, I win. If I cannot answer in that time, you win."

"Six weeks," she murmured to herself, another question instantly popping into her head. "And your one riddle. How long do I have to solve it after you thought it up?"

The god turned to face her now, his head tilting to the side to let his hair spill over his shoulder. It was so light compared to the darkness that surrounded him and Sakura couldn't help staring at the strands contrasted against his robes.

"I've already thought of one and you may have the entire six weeks to solve it."

Her eyes instantly snapped up to his and her brows furrowed in disbelief. "You've thought of one already? How?"

"Do we have a deal, Sakura?"

Her name on his lips startled her, almost enough to distract her from the fact that he hadn't answered her question. With her heart racing and thoughts whirling, she dropped her gaze from his face and stared down at the scroll on the table. The rules appeared as they spoke them and she watched the ink bleed through the paper, more unsure of herself than she had ever been before.

Swallowing down her trepidation and ignoring the voice telling her not to, Sakura reached for the quill and held the feather between her fingers. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and scratched her name across the bottom. As soon as the tip of the quill lifted from the scroll, it disappeared and she sucked in a quiet breath, turning to peer up at the god in the faint light of the candle.

He was watching her, a strange look on his face, one that didn't necessarily frighten her and she almost wanted to glance back at his portrait to compare their expression. The sudden nearness of his body as he faced her stole her breath and she could only watch the way his gaze lowered to her lips. He lifted a hand and once more, she felt the touch of his cool fingers against her jaw. The brush of his thumb across her bottom lip sent a twist to her stomach that was both painful and left her wanting more of it. Her thighs tensed and the sudden sensation between them nearly made her whimper.

"Rest tonight," he spoke softly, his eyes lifting to meet hers the same time she managed to look into his gaze. "At dawn, our game shall begin."

Chapter Text

At dawn, our game shall begin …

How was she supposed to know when dawn was in the underworld? The grey skies never darkened and they certainly never got any brighter. Clouds of grey, toiling with the threat of a violent, distant storm, remained in the sky over the palace. The only change in the light Sakura could see out of the narrow window in the room she had been given came from the bolts of lightning that lit the clouds from the inside every few seconds. 

For hours, she had laid in the bed—her new bed—and stared out at the sky from her pillows, waiting for the dark of night that never came. It was frustrating. She wanted the cover of darkness to perhaps explore a bit of her surroundings, though stumbling into that room with the portrait should have convinced her that wandering around a strange palace was not the best idea. Just as it was with everything the dark god had to do with, the lack of night was annoying. And even if she could sleep, she doubted she would stay that way for long.

The rules he had set for them in the game she had proposed had been haunting her. Even playing with a handicap, she knew enough about the gods by now to see his trap. His riddle, whatever it could be, wouldn’t be easy for her. In fact, she expected something impossible, something truly beyond her capabilities to figure out. 

Hours after she had been locked in her bedroom, with the night no closer to falling, Sakura had thrown the sheets from her legs and paced the length of the floor in front of her bed. All her life, her parents had told her she was far too clever for her own good, always figuring ways to get around their rules. Surely she could do the same with this god. 

This god that she couldn’t even bring herself to think his name…

Was she truly still that frightened of him? Yes. The answer to that was easy to come to. She was terrified of him and his powers, but more so of his intentions with her. 

If he wanted her body, there’d be little she could do to stop him. Gods and goddesses that set their sights on a mortal didn’t chase them for long. They had them when and where they wanted, no need for games and riddles, so why was this god so different from all the stories she’d heard her entire life?

What else could he want from her?

The question was almost too much for her to dwell on, especially when she had other things to worry about. The most important one being the riddles she would have to outwit him with. He had given her two weeks to think them up but would he take two weeks to answer them? If that was the case, then she needed to be quick about it. Then again, how was she supposed to construct a riddle so clever to outwit the god in such a short amount of time? 

Sakura paced the length of her room and worriedly chewed the corner of her thumbnail as all the questions she would never find the answers to plagued her mind. Either way she chose to answer them, the fact remained that it was up to her and her alone to outwit the god. With defeat weighing her down all of a sudden, she turned on her heel and let her body fall back onto the mattress.

As a curtain of hair settled over her face, Sakura blinked up at the ceiling and let out a sigh. The only riddles she knew were the ones that her peers used to ask one another when they were children. Surely a god that was powerful enough to appear and disappear in bolts of lightning could see through a childish game. Unless she made it impossible for him to solve.

Sakura blinked and sat up on her elbows, the wheels and cogs of her mind finally starting to turn easier. All the worry and fear that had kept her mind shrouded in a fog was starting to lift and she stared into the grey, dim light of her room as a devious smile curled the corner of her lips. He never said the riddle had to be solvable. All she had to do was stall him for as long as she could until the game was up and she was free. 

That, she was clever enough to do.

A plan was slowly starting to piece together in her head and she came to a decision. For the first two riddles, she would make them easy enough. The kind of questions children would ask one another in the village and spend all day thinking about. To a god, it would be nothing. He would grow confident in her inability to think of something and let his guard slip. In that case, it would be more beneficial to her to drag out the time as long as she could between each riddle until the final one. 

In the back of her throat, a bubble of laughter rose and she had to clamp her lips shut to keep it quiet. Oh, how her family and friends would be shocked to learn she had outwitted a god when she returned home! She could almost picture the looks on Naruto and Sasuke’s faces when they saw her again, strolling in through the gates with her head held high. They would never believe it—no one would. 

Sakura fell back against the bed once more and for the first time since she’d been confined to her prison in the underworld, found herself smiling. Perhaps she would be the first mortal to match wits with a god and win. It was a satisfying thought, one she held close as she finally drifted off to sleep. Her dreams did little to give her rest, filled with the man from the portrait standing before her with the god she knew on the other side. Both of them tried to feed her bites from a table full of rotting food and no matter how much she refused, she couldn’t escape them.

It wasn’t until the soft sound of her bedroom door opened did she finally wake. A sharp intake of breath pulled her out of her dreams and she sat up on the bed, clutching the sheets around her chest as she fought to steady her pulse. At the door, through the narrow crack as it opened, the glow of a lantern shone and she held her breath.

Had he come for her? Was it finally dawn?

But no, it wasn’t the god.

The same lantern that had led her through the palace the day before had returned, bobbing slowly as it floated into her room. Sakura dropped her arms and let out a sigh, shaking her head at the disembodied lamp. “I suppose no one around here knows to knock.”

As if ashamed, the light dimmed slightly and lowered in the air as if it were hanging its head. The sight of it pulled the corner of her lips up in a smile and she slid to the edge of the bed. “Do you understand what I say?”

The lantern brightened, lifted in the air and Sakura stood with her hands on her hips.

“Blink your light twice if you can.”

It did exactly as she said before glowing as brightly as before. Well, at least she wasn’t completely alone, but it didn’t make her feel much better about bathing in front of the lantern the day before. Not waiting for her to speak, the light pulsed and backed toward the door, slipping back out in the hallway.

“Am I to follow you?”

The light blinked twice and she pursed her lips, looking down at herself. All she had to wear was the nearly sheer chemise that had been given to her after bathing. The robe that had been provided was laying in a wrinkled heap beside the bed but Sakura refused to traipse about in the underworld in something so revealing. She snatched the robe and pulled it around her, cinching the waist tight. Once she was sure nothing too risque was exposed, she followed the light out into the hallway and pulled the bedroom door shut behind her.

“Where are we going?” Her voice wasn’t near as sure as it had been in the safety of her room. It was barely a whisper now and she darted her gaze to the light. This time, it didn’t blink and she frowned. Oh, yes. She had to word her question in a way it could answer.

“Are we going to see...him?”

Two blinks of the light and her stomach clenched as tight as the sash around her waist. She put her hand to her belly and took a step, her foot catching on a loose part of the tile beneath her. The sudden sting of pain in her heel knocked her off balance and she wobbled to the right, her shoulder bumping into something solid—something just behind the lantern. The ghost touch of a hand on her elbow drained the blood from her face at once and she quickly whirled away.

Sakura sucked in a breath and retreated to the opposite wall, wincing from the pain in her foot but ignoring it for the moment. Her eyes went wide as she stared at the air around her. There was nothing. Nothing but her and the floating lantern and light within yet...she was sure she had touched something, sure that there had been a solid enough body to keep her from falling. Now that she stared at the empty space around her, seeing only the walls and broken tile of the floor, she was filled with doubt. Had her lack of sleep made her imagine something that wasn’t there?

Glancing warily at the lantern, Sakura folded her arms around her waist and cleared her throat. “Right,” she mumbled quietly. “Lead the way.”

As if it hadn’t noticed her sudden apprehension, whatever was holding the lamp pushed on and the light bobbed gently as it moved. She followed behind, keeping her eyes on the space just behind the lantern, exactly where she had felt the hand on her elbow. Absently, she rubbed where the ghostly fingers had touched her skin and wished the robe she wore was thicker. The sudden chill rolling up her spine sent a shiver over her body.

Together, with no more questions or bumps into imaginary bodies, they continued on through the palace. Every twist and turn, every corner they rounded, only confused Sakura even more. The previous night, she had been shown to her room and it had seemed close to the chamber with the portrait and table. Now, she wasn’t so sure where in the palace they were heading. 

Almost as if it changed each time she left a room. Through her limited experience in the underworld, she wouldn’t put it past the god to ramp up the confusion. It would certainly match the theme he had going around here.

By the time they emerged from the labyrinthine halls, Sakura was tired and regretting her choice to pace her bedroom and not get any rest. She stifled a yawn behind her hand as they stepped through a wide entry. From here, the natural light, what little of it there was anyway, filtered in from outside and Sakura could see the enormous columns that surrounded the palace.

Were they heading outside?

She had just opened her mouth to voice the question to her lantern friend when another presence, sudden and dark between two of the columns close by, startled her. Sucking in a breath that nearly caught in her throat, Sakura retreated two steps and blinked up at the god in surprise. He stood as still as one of his broken statues, his eyes dark and fixed on her and she suddenly felt as trapped as a moth in a spider’s web. 

“Come,” he spoke, startling her once more. As he turned away from the palace to face the underworld, she thought she caught the faint trace of a smile curling the corner of his pale lips. 

Sakura scowled and turned to look at her invisible companion only to find the lantern bobbing away, back the way it had come and she was left alone in the breezeway. There was no choice for her but to follow the dark god. With a roll of her eyes, she dropped her hands to her side and moved through the columns, following him to a part of the palace she hadn’t seen yet. If she had to guess, she’d say she was at the back of the structure. The swamp, with its twisted, dead and decaying trees, she had landed in was nowhere to be seen. 

Far beyond the palace was a wall, towering around the edges of the underworld, and even from so far away and the fog clinging to the ground, Sakura could see just how tall it was. It made the gates of her village look like children’s toys. 

Hurrying down a set of wide, short steps, she followed the god but kept distance between them. He may have left her no choices to make of her own, but she didn’t have to follow him like a helpless puppy. Besides, from this far back, she could stare at the back of his head without him turning quickly to catch her. 

The storm in the distance raged on, the black clouds roiling with constant bolts of lightning racing between them. Contrasted against the depths of the darkness, the god’s silver hair seemed brighter than it had in the dim palace. Out here, it nearly glowed and she couldn’t deny that she was transfixed by the sight. It was just a glimmer of the man in the portrait but it ensnared her attention and held it so tight that she hadn’t noticed him turning to glance back at her until his dark eyes met hers.

Instantly, she cut her gaze away and cursed the swell of warmth to her cheeks. He had caught her staring after all. Great.

“Have you thought of your first riddle?” His question nearly stole another breath but she held it tight and pursed her lips. She still hadn’t made up her mind about waiting as long as possible to ask him her first question or not. She truly wanted to get it all over with as quickly as she could though she knew a game of wits would take strategy and guile. 

“I’m still thinking,” she admitted quietly. Either way, it bought her some time. At least until she found out what riddle he had prepared for her. Frowning, she looked back at the god ahead of her, moving at a leisurely pace down another set of steps. At the bottom of them, he turned to the left and Sakura looked out at the landscape before them. There was a knoll ahead covered in dead leaves and grass just like the rest of this place and she frowned at the sight. “Where are we going?”

“Not far.” His response wasn’t an answer to her question, she realized with a roll of her eyes. 

The knoll was exactly where he led her and Sakura tried to hide her labored breath as they neared the crown of the hillside. Her bare feet crunched through the scattered leaves and she winced as a bramble of thorns caught on her heel. She swatted it away and stumbled to regain her balance as the god stepped into the center of the hilltop and faced her. 

Lifting one hand, he curled two of his fingers back toward him, beckoning her near and Sakura swallowed tightly. The thorny leaves and dead trees had nothing to do with her inability to move toward him. She pinched her bottom lip between her teeth and forced herself to take a step. Slowly, one after the other, she inched forward until she was standing before him, close enough that she could reach out and touch his chest but far enough away for her comfort. 

The god peered down at her with a quiet hum, his eyes narrowed but not out of malice or annoyance. He was studying her, his gaze dropping to her lips down to her chest and back up to her eyes before she could draw the edges of her robe closer together. Against her will, a shiver rolled down her spine even though it was plenty warm on the hill. 

“Give me your hand.” The demand was quiet but echoed through her head as if he had shouted. In an instant, her eyes widened and she stared up at him, unable to stop herself from responding.

“Why?”

His eyes darkened and narrowed. Long gone was the quiet pensive look, replaced with one of displeasure. “Because I asked for it.”

It was her turn to glare up at him and she crossed her arms tightly over her chest. Once more, she ignored the voice of reason trying to talk some sense into her head. “You didn’t ask me. You demanded it.”

“And it would do you well to please me and do as I say, Sakura.” 

She hadn’t been expecting to hear her name spoken that way, so rich and silvery that it nearly made her knees buckle. Blinking away the sudden warmth filling her belly, Sakura shook her head and swallowed tightly, searching once more for that fire and anger. “I’m forced to be here, forced to do as you say, and yet you’re still demanding things of me. I deserve to be treated with respect. Hasn’t anyone ever told you that you catch more flies with honey than vinegar?”

To her surprise, the god took a step forward. His sudden nearness left her frozen to the spot and stole her voice and breath away altogether. The brush of his robes over the tops of her feet sent warning bells ringing through her head but she was powerless to move away from him. All she could do was tilt her head back to blink up at him, wanting nothing more than to stand her ground, hold the glare in her eyes so he would see how unafraid she was.

But it would be a lie. She was terrified. 

The god searched her eyes before his gaze fell to her lips and lingered there. Between his horns, the storm clouds roiled angrily and lightning sizzled through them like raging rivers of energy and light. “If you want respect, then perhaps you should act less like vinegar and more like honey.” He said the word as if he could taste the sweetness of it on his tongue and Sakura’s eyes fluttered at the sound of it. “Your hand, please.”

Even if she wanted to, she couldn’t deny him. He was too close to her, his power too dizzying, too electric for her to think straight. Shakily, Sakura pulled her right hand away from her chest and held it between them, so close that she could feel the brush of his robes against her thumb. When his fingers curled around her wrist, cool to the touch but firm in their grip, Sakura sucked in a breath and closed her eyes.

The god slid his fingers into her palm and pressed something there. It was small, nearly the size of a pomegranate seed, and her brows pinched in a frown. As he closed her fist around the object, Sakura opened her eyes and ducked her head to watch his fingers fall away from her hand. She wished he would take a step back to give her space to breathe but he remained where he was, watching her. 

Slowly, she opened her fist and stared down at three black pebbles, barely bigger than apple seeds in the center of her palm. Confusion pinched her face and she looked up at the god staring down at her. “What are they?”

“Your task. Plant them, make them grow, and if they do before the end of our game, you’re free to leave the underworld.”

All of the air left her lungs at once and a gnawing sensation twisted through her belly. The moisture had been sucked out of the air all of a sudden and she glanced around the knoll they stood atop. In all directions, dead trees, barren landscapes, and a void of life surrounded them, stretching from the four corners of his realm. 

How was she supposed to make something grow in such a desolate, miserable place? 

Sakura dropped her gaze back to the seeds in her palm, fighting back the burn of tears in her eyes. How foolish she had been to try to match wits with him. Even with the gift Tsunade had given her as an infant, there was no hope. Bringing dead grass and butterflies back to life in the mortal world had taken years to master and she had never been able to accomplish much more than the simple trick of restoring life to insects and flowers. In a realm where there was no life, where death reigned and surrounded her, she was powerless.

Lifting her gaze to the god, she clamped her hand around the seeds and cursed the tears welling up in her eyes. As utterly hopeless as her situation was, there was still a glimmer of hope. If he couldn’t solve her riddles, she was free to go. That had been their deal. There was still a chance, no matter how slight and fading it was and Sakura would hold onto it as tightly as she could until the end.

“Fine,” she whispered. Despite the press of a lump in the back of her throat, she shook the hair from her face, held her chin high in defiance, and looked the god in the eyes. If he wanted to play their game dirty, she was prepared to do the same with the impossible-to-solve riddle up her sleeve. “Is that all?”

“For now.” A ghost of a smile touched the corner of his lips, drawing Sakura’s eye down to it and she hated that she didn’t particularly hate the sight of it on him. “You’re free to do as you please for the day but you will have dinner with me tonight. And it isn’t a request.”

“I wouldn’t assume it was.” The words were cold but her voice was meek and quiet, nearly frightened to even appear. “If you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll get started on solving your riddle.”

This time, that ghost of a smile was clear to her and the rush of butterflies in her midsection was hard to ignore. They fluttered wildly, leaving traces of warmth where their wings brushed against her insides and Sakura pursed her lips, trying with all of her might to force them away. It was an impossible task to begin with, but there was no hope for them as the god lifted his hand and curled a finger beneath her chin. He forced her head to tilt upward and her eyes darted to meet his, her breath hitching in surprise and butterflies tripling inside her belly.

“Good luck, little mortal.”

The sound of his voice, soft and sensuous to her ears, and the cool touch of his fingers left her all at once and she stared into the space he had just stood. Her pulse raced out of control and even as she pressed a firm hand to her belly, the butterflies within continued their wild dance. Sakura swallowed tightly and turned before she could stop herself, watching the god walk back down the hill. Before he reached the bottom of the slope, fog curled around his feet, lifting from the ground to envelop him completely and when it dispersed in the breeze, he was gone.

In his absence, she let out the breath she had been holding and blinked herself out of the daze she had been left in. Don’t lose your head, Sakura, she told herself with a scowl. Just because he’s handsome doesn’t change anything. He’s an insufferable, disrespectful, hot-headed jerk.

Even as she said it, the places he had touched on her body, her palm and wrist, her chin, tingled from the memory of his fingers. Sakura shook the thoughts from her head and sank to the ground, sitting on her knees as she opened her hand once more and stared at the seeds. She glanced around at the lands, seeing no signs of life, no color aside from the drab brown and grey. But surely there was a place that could support life. 

If she planted the seeds in three different areas, the chances of at least one of them sprouting would be higher. With a nod, she used her free hand to claw at the leaves on the ground in front of her knees. It didn’t take long for her to reach the cold soil beneath and she dug a hole as deep as the length of her fingers. She’d seen her mother and the other women of her village plant flowers near the temples and vegetables in the gardens each spring. With the right soil, sunlight, and water, the seeds would come to life each time.

She tried not to think about the lack of proper sunlight in the underworld and instead chose to focus on water and the soil. Tilting her palm, she let one seed drop into the hole and quickly covered it back up. It took a few minutes but she found enough stones on the hillside to construct a circle around the patch of dirt, to both mark where it was and hopefully protect it from the elements.

Standing, she brushed the dirt from her hand and stared out at the landscape. The palace sat to the west, the wall stretched on into oblivion to the east, and just south of the palace steps was the swamp. The goddess she had encountered, with the vines of rich green leaves curling around her neck and wrists, could potentially help her grow the seeds. Perhaps she knew a good place to grow herbs in her swamp.

One seed beneath her, another in the swamp, and the last would be planted in the fields to the North of the palace. Sakura stood on the knoll, the storm at her back and thunder rumbling overhead, and nodded. The sense of hopelessness was fading. Whether that was because there was a chance she could accomplish the task he had set out or she was just trying to convince herself it could work, she wasn’t sure. 

Either way, she held onto the hope that it would and knowing the god wasn’t the only one with a trick up his sleeve helped lift her spirits. She set off down the slope of the hillside, heading to the swamp, and kept her head high just in case he was watching from somewhere she couldn’t see. The thought of it was both terrifying and...she wasn’t sure.

It left her feeling just as flustered and warm as the smile he had given her earlier had. And while she repeated her words earlier to not lose her head over the handsome yet frustrating god, Sakura couldn’t deny that she almost looked forward to seeing him again.

Chapter Text

Just like the first time Sakura had seen it, the grounds of the swamp were covered in a thick mist that swirled around her ankles as she entered. The squish of mud between her bare toes wrinkled her nose and she clenched her fist tightly around the last seed to be planted. Her eyes darted around the gnarled, twisted trees, searching for any sight of the goddess she had encountered last time.

There was no way to know if the deity would still be here, but she had said she lived in the marsh because no one was around to bother her. Sakura hoped coming here to seek her out wasn’t what the goddess considered a bother. It wasn’t her intention to disturb anyone.

But she had more questions to ask the only god she had encountered that had treated her nicely. Well, that wasn’t fair. The messenger had been polite enough, if not a bit perverse and strange. 

To start with, Sakura was desperate to know if her attempts at planting these seeds would even be successful. After traipsing about the realm in a lopsided triangle around the palace, she hadn’t seen a single shred of evidence that anything grew from the ground. The trees were old and had been dead for a long time, their trunks rotten and hollow. 

Even in the marsh, there wasn’t a single glimpse of green. Just the same dreary grey and brown and white of the mist settled along the muddy ground. She pressed on, heading deeper into the swamp, looking for a familiar landmark she could recall from the first time she had seen it. How long ago had that been?

A day?

It felt like a lifetime ago.

Six weeks in the underworld would be an eternity. The thought made her pause near a low-hanging branch and Sakura reached up to hook her free hand around it, taking a moment to catch her breath and shut her eyes. She squeezed them tightly and fought the whispers of defeat that echoed through her head. Just drop the seed, they told her. It’s pointless. It’ll never grow. Not here.

She clenched her jaw and took several deep breaths in through her nose, letting them out slowly to calm her sudden anxious pulse. Now was not the time to panic. She had time. With the help of the goddess of the swamp, there was a chance. The deity had been adorned with green, lively vines and leaves around her wrist. 

She could make something grow.

A goddess could do anything and if Sakura pleaded to her, perhaps there was a secret to getting the seeds to sprout. That’s all she needed anyway. A tiny sprout out of the dirt would set her free. 

With one final breath that expanded her lungs and lifted her shoulders, Sakura opened her eyes and let her hand fall from the branch back to her side. She peered down at the seed sitting in the center of her palm and pursed her lips in determination, willing it to snap open and grow. The speck did nothing but lay lifeless in her palm and she let out a breath, not sure why she thought it would work. 

Her powers, feeble and weak in the mortal realm, wouldn’t work here. She was nothing but a mere mortal, stripped of any divine touch she may have been blessed with. It would do her no good to stand around and dwell on it. She had more important things to do.

As she stepped around a particularly jagged root of the tree, Sakura’s entire foot sank into the mud up to her ankle and she grimaced. “Ugh,” she groaned, gripping the tree trunk to keep her steady as she struggled to pull herself free. “I hate this cursed place!”

“It’s not so bad.” The soft voice startled her, coming from behind one of the trees at her right and Sakura let out a shriek of surprise. Her footing slipped in the mud and she went down on one knee, sinking into the soft muck.

The robe and chemise were ruined, covered from the hem to the knee with moisture and sludge from the swampy grounds. Defeated, Sakura sat back on her heels and peered up through a curtain of pink hair to the goddess standing a few paces away. There was a small smile on her pale face, one that she was trying to keep from stretching into a grin.

“Well,” she started with a sigh, pushing herself onto her feet all the while keeping the last seed tight in the center of her fist. “Maybe not to someone who knows where to step. I, on the other hand, haven’t been convinced it’s not cursed.”

The goddess unfolded her hands from in front of her and stepped forward, the silent steps of her feet moving through the mist toward Sakura. From here, it was easy to see the leafy ivy curling from her ankle, around her thigh and waist up to where it laid along the curve of her neck. Sakura couldn’t help eyeing it as she regained her balance and straightened to her full height. 

“I didn’t think I’d see you back so soon. If you’re looking for a way out, you’ll be disappointed.”

“I’m not,” Sakura mumbled, shaking the hair from her eyes. “I’ve been...tasked with something. Something that could lead to my freedom.”

At the mention of this, the goddess’s thin eyebrows lifted and she folded her arms over her chest. The sleeves of her tunic hung down to her knees and from the depths of them, tiny bottles clinked from the movement. “Oh? And what would this task be?”

Heat lifted to the tops of Sakura’s cheeks and she hesitantly lifted her clenched hand in front of her. For some reason, she felt foolish all of a sudden. Would the goddess laugh at her task? Tell her there was no hope? 

Taking a breath to steady herself, she uncurled her fingers and revealed the tiny black seed laying in the center of her palm. She didn’t look down at it and instead studied the look in the goddess’s face as she stared. Slowly, her brow arched, and the look across her eyes shifted from calm to shadowed in a single second. Her gaze lifted to meet Sakura and she pursed her lips. 

“You’re to make it grow.” It wasn’t a question and Sakura didn’t answer it. The goddess sighed and gave a single nod. “It won’t. But that doesn’t mean you can’t win your freedom.”

“I proposed a game with him. If I can win, he’ll let me go home. It’s a—a game of wits.”

Again, the goddess sighed and dropped her hands to her sides, the clink of the bottles within her sleeves the only sound echoing through the silent swamp. It brought a wave of goosebumps to Sakura’s arms and she wrapped them around her waist, clutching the seed once more in her fist. 

“How much do you know about Hatake? Surely you learned of the gods in your village back home?”

“I—I did but not much is known of him. We were told only to respect him.”

“Hmm,” the goddess hummed, giving Sakura a look that made her shrink. “And look where that got you. He’s...set in his ways. Terrifyingly clever, a master strategist, and above all else, his intelligence knows no bounds, but he is not without mercy.”

Sakura sniffed and looked away, not sure why the goddess was telling her this. “From what I’ve experienced, he’s nothing but a cruel, insufferable—”

“He’s fair. In all things, he expects equality and fairness. You took from him and in return, he must take from you. Hatake has his reasons for everything he does and there’s a reason you’re here.” The goddess’s words weren’t at all what Sakura had come to hear. She wasn’t interested in the god’s attributes and beliefs. After she got her freedom, she would never think of him again, no matter how handsome he was. “But you’re not alone here, Sakura. I’m not the only one rooting for you.”

This pulled her from the sudden sour turn of her mood and she lifted her head, searching the goddess’s face for any sign that she was lying. There was nothing but soft sincerity and a bit of pity behind her gaze and Sakura pursed her lips to keep them from trembling. “I don’t understand.”

“There are other ways to win a game when the rules are vague.” 

Sakura’s gaze narrowed as a frown pinched her brows. For several beats of her heart, silence stretched between them and she waited with her breath held tight. When it was clear that there would be nothing else said, she looked back down at her fist in front of her. “Will you help me make it grow?”

“I’m afraid I cannot intervene any more than I have.” With a single step toward her, the goddess lifted a hand and touched her cool fingers to Sakura’s cheek. A small smile curled the corner of her lips. “Plant the seed. Nurture it. When it grows, it may not be what you expect.”

“I don’t—” Sakura blinked, the fog lifting from the ground to envelop the goddess until there was nothing between them but mist. The soft press of the hand on her face disappeared and by the time she had sucked in a breath of air, she was alone once more in the swamp.

She had come looking for answers but had found only riddles. Defeat weighed her down, slumping her shoulders and adding to the growing problems piling up in her mind. Plant the seed. Had the goddess meant the actual seed...or something else? If it was the latter, what in the world could she have meant? 

Opening her mouth, Sakura took a deep breath to shout, to call the goddess back, and demand to know more. Her voice died before it ever met her lips and she snapped her mouth shut once more with a deep sigh. What was the point? The gods came and went as they pleased, thinking they were helping her but in reality, were doing nothing but plaguing her head with more questions she’d never answer. 

Why could none of them just be honest with her? Was this all a game to them?

A bitter taste rose to the back of her throat and she swallowed it down, turning to face the heart of the swamp with a frown tightening her lips. Sakura trudged through the mud, her knees trembling and clothes filthy. Mud splattered across her face twice and she had attempted to wipe it away, only smearing it down her cheek and chin. 

The first dry patch of dead grass she came to, elevated from the shallow pool of stagnant water that lingered on the ground, Sakura dropped to her knees and clawed her fingers through the dirt. It was damp and easy to tear through, clumping under her nails and between her fingers, and once she had managed to make a decent hole, she dropped the seed from her palm, glad to be rid of it. 

Just as she had on that knoll, and in the plains west of the palace, Sakura searched for a way to mark where she had planted her seed. She broke a few limbs from the dead tree above her and positioned them around the mound like fence posts. But how would she find her way back through the fog and labyrinth of the swamp? She would need some kind of marker to leave behind. 

Glancing down at herself, she sighed and let her shoulders slump further. There was no other option. Slipping her middle finger into a hole that had been ripped in the fabric of her robe, she managed to tear a strip of it off to tie to the branch over her head.

Little by little, every few trees, she would rip strips of her robe and tie it to the branches as she made her way back out of the swamp. By the time she could see the break in the trees and the dead stalks of grass swaying ahead of her on the path, she was left only with her sleeves. The chemise she had been wearing beneath the robe was filthy and drenched from sweat and water. Whatever covering it had provided for her was long gone.

She felt as naked wearing it as she would without.

Shedding what was left of her robe, she ripped one of the sleeves away from the shredded garment and looped it around a branch, tying it tightly before using what was left to pull her hair out of her face. She tied the length of it behind her head and stepped out of the swamp, breathless, covered in dirt and grime, and desperate for a bath.

As she stepped onto the path of broken bricks cutting through the grassland, her eyes swept the area. Though a part of her wanted to hold her head high and feign confidence, knowing she was practically naked in a strange place tugged at the self-conscious fears in her mind. Frustration and exhaustion were starting to wear her thin but no matter how tired she was, Sakura wasn’t sure she would ever be comfortable exposing this much of herself.

Even if no one was around, even if there were no gods traipsing about to see her, she couldn’t shake the feeling of vulnerability, of being exposed. Wrapping her arms around her chest, she hurried up the long stairwell heading to the palace, counting each step as she went.

By the ninetieth step, her breathing was labored and the back of her legs and chest ached. She put her hands out to catch herself as her foot caught on the ninety-second step and winced at the pebbles digging into her dirty palms. So weak with exhaustion and hunger, her elbows trembled, legs shook, and she put her knee down on the step just to rest for a moment.

“You’re late.”

For the second time that day, she was startled by the sudden sound of a voice above her and she wrenched her head back to stare up the next few steps. Standing on the landing, robes as black as pitch draped over his shoulders like a burial shroud, was the god. His horns stretched up to the sky and between them, she could see the fast moving clouds over his head. 

Sighing, she ducked her head back down until her chin nearly touched her chest and heaved a sigh. “How am I supposed to keep to a schedule when there is no time here? There’s no day, no night.” Though her muscles protested, she pushed herself off the step and stood to her full height. “Just an infuriatingly perpetual twilight.”

Her words were clipped with irritation but with one look in his eyes would have shut her up had she wanted to keep going. The darkness in his gaze was hidden behind his half-lidded stare and Sakura felt frozen beneath it as he took in the sight of her body. She could feel the burn of his gaze through the filthy translucent chemise all across her body and despite the cold mud caked over her skin, heat spread through her like a fire. 

If there was room on the step to retreat, she would have. Her heels were already on the edge, muscles tight with tension, body trembling with exhaustion and she had no strength left to flee. Slowly, the god took a step down and then another and another until he was directly in front of her. On even ground, he towered over her but on the step above her, she craned her neck to peer up at him.

The stretch of pale skin between the edges of his robe was right in front of her and she couldn’t stop herself from letting her gaze fall to his chest. Faint scars tattooed his skin and Sakura followed one with her eyes down to where it ended at his ribs. At her sides, still tucked beneath her arms, her fingers twitched with a sudden desire to trace the faded lines and feel the sinew hidden behind his flesh. 

So distracted by the sight of his body and the thoughts it elicited in her mind, Sakura hadn’t noticed the god lifting a hand until he hooked his finger beneath her chin. He lifted her head and their eyes met, pulling a sudden gasp from her lips. The soft touch of his fingers brushed along the length of her jaw and her eyes fluttered in response. Despite the terror gripping her mind tightly, a strange sensation had taken over her body. The disconnect between the two was alarming but she was powerless in the battle between them.

Sakura’s eyes fell shut as the god caressed the shell of her ear with his thumb, the rest of his fingers following the curve of her neck. The hair tied back behind her head slipped free of the fabric holding it and she realized moments too late that his other hand had found its way to her body. 

Just the way she had wanted to trace the scars on his chest, the god seemed to have a similar desire. He let the back of his fingers follow the length of her collarbone, down the dirt-spattered stretch of her chest and over the hem of the chemise. She felt a tug at the fabric and frowned, knowing she should stop him but unable to even breathe.

And when the ghost of his touch trailed the swell of her breast, his thumb finding the taut bud of her nipple, Sakura sucked in a breath that snapped her eyes open. Her jaw fell and the hold she had around herself tightened, knocking his hand away. In a flash, he found her waist and used his grip to haul her up to the step he stood on. 

Instinctively, she reached out, clutching the thick robes covering his arms as the tips of her toes barely touched the stone beneath them. The god made a sound in his throat, somewhere between a hum and a growl that ignited something strange and hot inside her. She watched as he searched her eyes, the corner of his lips lifting into a half-smile. “Tell me, little mortal,” he spoke quietly but his voice echoed in her ears like thunder. “Did you plant the seeds I gave you?”

She was nodding before the question left his mouth. 

“And have you thought of your riddle?”

Again, she could only nod her head, her lips parting with a deep, trembling breath as he pulled her nearer. Her body, flush against the length of his, felt somehow both heavy and as light as a feather in his grasp and she still clenched her fingers tight around his robes to keep from slipping away. The god lifted a single pale eyebrow and tilted his head to the side. 

“Well? May I hear it now or shall we wait for dinner?”

“Wait,” her voice came out as a whisper. “I—I need a bath and something clean to wear.”

“Hmm—” there was that sound again, the one that coiled something deep and primal within her that she couldn’t explain. “—very well.”

The hand he had kept around her waist lifted and Sakura’s eyes cut to the side in time to see him snap his fingers. In a kaleidoscope of blacks and grey, the world shifted around them, stealing her breath out of her lungs. She held onto him tighter and somehow found room enough to move closer, her chest pressing into his. That stretch of skin between his robes was warm against her bare flesh above her chemise and she quickly tilted her head back to stare up at him. 

Once more, her toes brushed the dusty stone and when he released his hold on her so she could step away, the familiar room with the tub of steaming water came into view around them. Sakura stumbled out of his arms and shook the disoriented dizziness from her head, blinking in the darkness to where he stood. 

In the far corner of the room, a stack of candles flared to life, illuminating the marble tub behind the god. Just like last time, it was filled to the brim with warm, inviting water. Petals of flowers that certainly didn’t grow in the underworld floated lazily on the surface, swirling through the sheen of oils and salts. Her body shuddered, torn between the unexplainable desire to step back into his embrace and to sink into the tub to scrub herself clean.

All she could do was lift her gaze to the god, her brows knitting together in confusion. Surely he didn’t intend for her to…

His shoulders turned though his eyes remained on her, and he stepped to the side to circle her body. She felt his gaze drop from her face to her body and held her breath tight as he brought his hand to her chest. He traced the length of her collarbone from the center of her throat all the way to her shoulder, pulling a shiver across her body in his wake. His finger hooked around the thin strap of her chemise and slipped it down her arm. 

“How did you manage to get so filthy, anyway?” 

“I—I—” Her lips trembled to get the words out and she had to swallow the lump of terror pressing the back of her tongue. No. Terror wasn’t quite the right word. That feeling of cold dread was there, of course, but it was something else stealing her ability to speak. Frowning, she ducked her head to stare down the length of her body as the god circled behind her. “I fell,” she managed to whisper. “In the swamp.”

“Is that so?” He sounded distracted and she understood why. On her other shoulder, he made quick work of the remaining strap of her chemise keeping it where it was. In a quiet swish of the light fabric, it fell to her feet and she blinked several times. It was the first time she had ever been nude in front of someone. “And what, pray tell, did you find there?”

Chills rolled down the length of her spine at the warmth of his breath against her ear and she slowly turned her head to the side to watch his fingers trace the length of her arm. Tendrils of heat and lightning were left behind by his touch and that nearly unbearable coil tightened in her lower belly. The god found her wrist and lifted it at her side, taking her by the hand. As he returned back to where he started in front of her, Sakura let him pull her toward the bathtub. 

“I planted one of your seeds there,” she said, shifting her eyes to meet his gaze, finding darkness and something else—something she felt mirrored in her own stare. “And spoke to the goddess.”

He smiled, the gesture so strange on his usually stoic features that it nearly startled Sakura. She stared with wide eyes, so entranced by the sight of it she hadn’t realized she was stepping into the tub until the water was up to her knees. 

“I suppose Shizune had a lot to say about me.”

Shizune...Sakura recalled hearing the name before as a child and narrowed her eyes as he helped guide her other leg into the water. It had been such a long time ago that she couldn’t remember much about the goddess, only that she had heard of her before. 

As he released his hold on her hand, the realization that she was completely naked before him, with only her knees covered by the water, hit her and she quickly dropped into the tub. The sudden plunge forced a small wave over the side of the marble and she winced at the sound of it splashing at the god’s feet. He didn’t move, barely reacted at all, and stared down at her with the ghost of a smile on his lips. 

“She did,” Sakura finally said, wanting to fill the silence with something other than tension and the drip of water. “Why are you being nice to me?”

This time, his eyes met hers and she watched them narrow into slits. Fearing that she had offended him, Sakura ducked her head and stared down at the oily surface of the water. She swallowed and pushed one of the white petals away from her. 

The god shifted on his feet, turning closer to her and she saw his hand in the faint glow of the light behind her seconds before she felt the touch on her chin. He tilted her head back as he kneeled beside the tub, the fabric hanging from his sleeves dipping down into the water. She felt it brush against her hand and curled her fingers around it. 

“Someone once told me that you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar. If you prefer, I could always return to my old ways.”

“No.” The smile curling one corner of his mouth told her that perhaps she was too quick to answer him. A flush of warmth touched her cheeks and she licked her suddenly dry lips. Slowly, steadier, she answered him properly. “No, I never said I wasn’t appreciative. Just curious.”

His hand fell away from her face and she let go of her hold on his sleeve as he stood to his full height, water dripping from his fingers to the floor. Sakura stared at the droplets and a fantasy flashed through her mind. She saw herself on her knees beside the god, mouth open, tongue poised and waiting to catch the water dripping from his fingertips. As quickly as it came to her, she shook it away and ducked her head to hide the bright blush on her cheeks.

Even in the dim candlelight, she was sure her face was glowing with heat. 

“I’ll be waiting to hear your riddle in the dining room,” he said quietly and while she didn’t want him to see the look of shame on her face from her thoughts, Sakura lifted her head to peer up at him. He took two steps back into the shadows clinging to the corner of the room and she watched until he sank into them, nearly disappearing. “Don’t keep me waiting.”

And with a final warning that sounded more like vinegar than honey and brought a scowl to her lips, the god disappeared from the room. After a few seconds had passed, she let out her breath and slumped against the tub at her back. She shook her head and stared at the water, trying to force her eyes to remain open while her thoughts swirled in a turmoil of questions. 

What had just happened? One minute she was snapping at him on the stairs and the next, he had stripped her bare. And the strange sensations, the twist of that foreign coil of heat within her, the sudden fantasies that flashed through her head, only added more and more confusion to her head. 

Lifting her head, she stared at the spot he had last stood and frowned, hugging her knees tightly to her chest. Those touches, the brush of his fingers along her breast and ear, the look in his eyes that made her tremble—what had it meant? It was such a contrast to the way he had treated her earlier in the day. Had she truly gotten to him, convinced him that honey was better than vinegar? 

Or...was he playing a new game that she was unaware of? 

He spoke softly, made her shiver beneath his gaze, and touched her in a way she would never forget just to chip away at her. Of course. How could she be so blinded by her curiosity and fascination with his body? It was all a ploy to crumble the wall of defense she had built around her. It was a tactic.

Besides, what had the goddess of the swamp—Shizune—said about the god of the underworld?  

He’s terrifyingly clever, a master strategist, and above all else, his intelligence knows no bounds…

Sakura pursed her lips and turned her gaze away from the shadows in the corner, sliding forward in the tub to give her room. She let her head fall back into the water, sinking the matted strands of hair until she could feel the water ripple over her cheeks and nose until she was submerged. 

He may be clever, and he may consider himself intelligent, but he was still a god and if there was one thing Sakura had learned about the gods in the time since she had stumbled into their den was they overestimated themselves.

And the god of the underworld, master strategist or no, made the mistake of underestimating her.

Chapter Text

The only sound in the room was the soft tap of the water dripping from the ends of her hair as she stood naked and wet beside the bench. A shiver rolled through her, sending goosebumps across her cold, damp skin, but Sakura ignored it and stared down at the folds of fabric laying across the cushion before her. Just like the last time, the clothes intended for her to wear had appeared as soon as she stepped out of the bath.

But unlike the sheer chemise and robe that had been provided for her yesterday, her new garments were quite different. Laying there in the dim light, the fabric at least had some color to it this time and as she passed her hand under a slip of it, she was pleased that it wasn’t nearly sheer. Sakura lifted the bundle into her hands and frowned. Though it wasn’t translucent, there wasn’t much of it and this time, she had no robe to cover herself with.

Sighing, she stepped into the skirt and pushed her arms through the opening on either side, frowning down at her body. Two strips of the sage-colored material were draped down her front, barely wide enough to cover her breasts. Even adjusting it as much as she could, there was still too much of her exposed. 

Then again, what did it truly matter? He had already seen her naked, had touched her breast, and stripped her filthy clothes from her body. The thought warmed her more than the bath had and Sakura flattened her palms down her front, smoothing the flowing skirt. It cascaded from just beneath her breasts to the floor, extra fabric pooling around her feet. On both sides of her hips, the skirt was slit high above her thighs and she feared one mild gust of wind would be her downfall. 

Again, she smoothed the material out, adjusting and shifting it this way and that until she felt comfortable enough to face him once more. She was almost certain he kept her in clothing like this to make her feel vulnerable and she did. She hated that these little things he did were getting to her.

Perhaps the gods were used to draping themselves in loose clothing that left little to a passerby’s imagination, but she wasn’t. Sakura frowned down at the gown and slid her fingers along the seam at her waist, moving toward the light flickering in the corner of the room. As the glow from the candles surrounded her, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

The gown was a beautiful color, made of soft hues of green that rivaled the lush moss that lived on the rocks near the river back home. It was the color she longed to see in the underworld, the same green a sprout from a seed would be, the color he was so confident she would never replicate. 

He was mocking her with it.

In a flare of bright light, Sakura blinked at the sudden appearance of her only friend in the palace—the lantern that seemed to know exactly when she needed its presence. Her eyes narrowed on the space behind the lantern, knowing someone or something was there to hear her. She didn’t bother combing the tangles from her dripping hair, refusing to care about her dappled pink cheeks from the flush of anger and heat. “Take me to him.”

Without hesitation, the lantern swung toward the door and Sakura stormed after it. Thankfully, whatever was carrying the source of light sensed her urgency and didn’t dawdle through the infinitely dark halls. Even as her heels ground the rubble to dust beneath her, she refused to flinch or wince in pain. There was only one thing on her mind and it was defeating this arrogant god in their game.

Rounding a corner to the right, Sakura recalled what the goddess had said to her earlier that day. He’s fair. It was almost enough to make her laugh. Perhaps he was fair to the other gods, the beings he considered his equal, but to a mortal? No. He wasn’t fair. He was ruthless and dominant and unforgiving. If he thought Sakura would succumb after just a taste of honey, he was gravely mistaken. 

At the end of the hallway, an entry into the dining room was lit with candles sitting in sconces on either side of the doorway. Where the edge of the light filtered into the hallway, the lantern lingered behind, aware that she could find her way to the dining room now. The long table in the center of the room was filled once more with delicious smelling food that ripped through her anger. It nearly made her stumble to a halt at the sight and she couldn’t stop herself from pressing a hand to her empty belly as her slow, cautious steps brought her closer.

Sitting where he had the day before, the god waited patiently for her to enter the room and though she had planned to hold her chin high in defiance, her gaze instead swept to the buffet laid out. Steam curled in the air above the sterling silver pots of vegetables and perfectly seared meat, drawing her eye and ensnaring her with the promise of a meal. So focused on what to pile onto her plate, she hadn’t realized she had even been moving until she lowered into the chair at the opposite end of the table.

Her hands gripped the arms of the chair, nails digging into the wood to keep her from snatching whatever she could dig her fingers into. Moisture filled her mouth and she swallowed it down, finally able to lift her gaze from the banquet to meet the god at the end of the table. The small smile, so knowing and smug, on his lips ignited that anger once more but nowhere near as potent as she needed it to be.

“Please,” he said, sweeping his hand elegantly in front of him. “Help yourself.”

She only had enough strength for a single second of hesitation before she reached for the dish nearest to her, finding a deliciously roasted hen. The tips of her fingers stung from the heat but she didn’t care. Her hunger was nearly unbearable and the longer she waited to eat, the worse the empty ache began to gnaw.

Frantically, she tore into the meat, wincing from the burn to her tongue, and leaned over the plate as the oil dripped down her chin. She hated that it was delicious. How satisfying it would have been to curl her lip and toss it aside just to spite the god. But now that she had a taste, she couldn’t stop.

The need for more was primal, animalistic and that’s exactly what she felt like; an animal. 

From the opposite side of the banquet, she could feel his gaze on her, hated that it left her flushed and ashamed of her hunger. Ignoring him the best she could, Sakura grabbed the bowl beside the dish she had snatched the hen from and scooped out whatever was inside. There were fresh steamed vegetables, carrots, and squash in a creamy sauce that nearly made her eyes roll back in her head as soon as it touched her tongue. 

It didn’t take long for her stomach to feel the traces of satisfaction. She was nowhere near finished eating, but for now, she could at least breathe between bites. Three days without a single meal had nearly been too much for her to stand and though she couldn’t blame it entirely on the god at the other end of the table, she knew it was mostly due to her own stubbornness. 

As the gnaw of hunger started to subside and her belly filled, she sat up straighter and wiped the back of her hand across her mouth, eyes lifting to stare at him from beneath her lashes. He sat on the chair almost sideways, relaxed against one side with his chin resting in his palm while he tapped his fingernail against the bottom of his wine glass. The tink, tink, tink, was the only sound in the room beside her chewing and Sakura swallowed the bite and stilled, folding her hands in her lap to stare at him.

There was amusement in his eyes as if the very sight of her experiencing such a mortal need for food entertained him. Knowing she probably looked every bit like a starved animal, all but licking the crumbs from the plate, sent a rush of embarrassment to her face. It ruined the rest of her appetite and she cut her gaze away from him, suddenly finding the wall to her right far more interesting.

“So,” he began, his voice echoing in the cavernous room. “Are you going to enlighten me and challenge my wit with your riddle?”

Just like the color of the dress, he was mocking her with his tone and Sakura quickly turned her glare back to him. All of a sudden, the food she had eaten so quickly threatened to come back up and she squeezed her hands into fists to distract herself. She had thought of her first riddle, one she remembered being proud to stump her father with as a child. Now that it was time to say it out loud, she tried to recall if her father had actually been stumped, or if he had been playing along to humor her. 

Across the table, she saw the god lift his eyebrows, impatiently waiting for her answer. She took a deep breath and nodded slowly. Though she opened her mouth, her voice was too cowardly to appear. It was a struggle just to get the words out. 

“W—what has a head but no body, a tail but no legs?”

Hearing it out loud, spoken so softly she barely heard it at all, made her wince. She was angry at herself for feeling so confident while lying in bed that morning, devising ways to trick the god and thinking she was capable of it. Ugh, she had been such a fool. 

“A head but no body,” he repeated quietly, that humor still lingering in his tone. “And a tail but no legs.” 

Panic was starting to ripple like pinpricks beneath her skin and though the dining room was massive, with ceilings stretching high above her, she felt as if the walls were suddenly pressing on either side of her. She sucked in a trembling breath though it did no good to ease the tightness of her chest and she gripped the arms of the chair until her knuckles turned white. 

Her eyes met his gaze and she repeated what the goddess had told her once more time. He’s fair…

“I don’t think our game is fair.” The words rushed from her mouth before she could stop them and the silence that followed was deafening. It filled the room, shoving the pressing walls back until Sakura suddenly felt so small, she could barely see over the stacks of trays and dishes on the table. What had she been thinking?

“Oh?” The god asked, tilting his head to the side. His eyes were narrowed slightly and the light from the candles flickered across the planes of his face. “Why do you think that?”

“Because...it isn’t. You gave me an impossible task, designed so that I would fail before I could even attempt it.”

“This game is yours, Sakura. You made the rules and agreed to them.”

“I agreed to my game. I didn’t agree to whatever you’re planning with those seeds. You offer no sunlight in your realm, no chance for life to grow! If I were to ask you an impossible riddle that you could not solve, would you admit defeat like you expect me to?” She stood from her chair, knocking it back with her legs, and slammed her hands down on the table. The dishes and candles closest to her trembled from the force, the flames dancing erratically. And while she knew it was best to shut her mouth before he took his wrath out on her, she couldn’t stop. The fire and fury licked at her insides, fueling her anger onward. “The goddess—the one from the swamp—she said you were fair. Above all else, you were fair so why are you forcing me to play an unfair game?”

“You require the sun, is that what you’re saying?” His question left her stunned and she blinked. “Would you like the moon and stars as well, Sakura?”

She clenched her jaw tightly and leaned forward, staring through the tall, black candlesticks at the god, hating the relaxed, nonchalance of his body language. “If the sun were to truly make the seeds grow, would you give it to me?”

Slowly, unfurling like a pale mist, the god set his hands down on the table and rose from the chair to his full height. His eyes stayed locked onto her own as he stepped out from behind the table. The nearer he drew to her, the harder it was to breathe and Sakura took a step back on her heels, nearly snagging the loose material of her skirt. She stumbled and clutched the dress around her thighs, shifting it so she could right herself. 

“You may have your sunlight,” he said quietly, his voice rumbling so deep in his chest that Sakura felt a clench of the muscles between her thighs. “But in return, you must give me something.”

There was only the corner of the table separating them and Sakura forgot how to breathe the moment his gaze pierced through her. On the outside, she was frozen, and inside, a flame was pulsing and searing through her. When she found the strength to speak, it was only a whisper. “Why?”

“Because, Sakura.” The god ducked his head, tipping his horns forward as he searched her eyes. All traces of humor had vanished from his words, leaving only a darkness that sent shivers down her spine. Sakura could only watch as he slowly reached for her, his hand finding her waist. “Fair is fair.”

The tips of his fingers pressed into the bare strip of skin on her side, slipping beneath the material of her gown. His touch was cool and yet, it ignited a fire that left her scorched and breathless. He pulled her toward him and Sakura barely felt the floor under her feet as she moved. In an instant, her hands were on his chest, her thumb brushing over the scarred flesh, stealing her breath in a gasp. 

Dark eyes searched hers and she hoped he couldn’t see the desire in them that she couldn’t deny. It lifted through her, unfurled its way to every dark corner in her soul, and her fingers tightened around the thick fabric of his robes. It was the only thing keeping her steady aside from the hand he kept firmly in place on her waist. She blinked, her tongue darting out to wet her suddenly dry lips and she let her gaze fall from his eyes. 

The curve of his lips, so pale, the corner nearly touching the scar that ran down the center of his eye, invited her in with the faint trace of a smile. She felt the butterflies return to her belly, fluttering madly against her insides, matching the race of her pulse. With his free hand, the god lifted his fingers to her face and brushed the hair away from her cheek, tucking it behind her ear. He traced the edge of her jaw with his middle finger all the way to her chin and tilted her head back. 

She forgot how to breathe, forgot how to think. There was nothing but his touch and the nearness of his lips. Everything melted away at that moment and as much as she loathed this cursed deity, as much as she wanted to shove him away, slap him, scream at him, she couldn’t. More than that, she didn’t exactly want him to stop. 

He tilted his head to the side, eyes glancing down to her lips before he pressed her even closer. Her chest was flush against him, the length of their bodies nearly merged into one. Just the faintest brush, a nudge of his bottom lip against hers, and she nearly came apart. Her eyes fluttered shut and she held her breath, pushing her tiptoes into the floor for a better taste, a proper kiss. 

Her first kiss.

“Although,” the soft chuckle, vibrating through the chest pressing into her, snapped her eyes open and she sucked in a breath. “Perhaps I should make you beg for it first.”

No…

Sakura stared up at him, finally finding the ability to breathe, and sucked in a lungful of air that trembled as she inhaled. What a monstrous, cruel, infuriating god! He teased her and tormented her for enjoyment and had the gall to think she’d beg for his kiss? She shoved against his chest, struggling to free herself from his grasp, and with another laugh beneath his breath, he pulled her deeper into his embrace. 

“You’re so easy to anger,” he murmured with that wicked curl at the corner of his lips. “I won’t make you beg for it, little mortal. Your desperation is obvious.”

With her eyes wide and hands pathetically trying to push him away to no avail, the god brought his mouth down onto hers. In an instant, her breath was stolen from her, and all rational thoughts, all warning bells, and voices of reason vanished from her head, leaving nothing else but the spark of desire that had been lingering behind. 

She had never kissed anyone before, wasn’t sure how to respond if the occasion arose, and now that it was the lips of a highly powerful, horrifyingly dark god that were against her own, Sakura was hopeless. Just like most choices she had in his realm, she could do nothing but give in against her will. 

The flutter of her eyelids closing shifted them from a chaste, awkward kiss to something else, something deep and wild that electrified her from the inside. His lips parted and she copied his motions, letting him take control. As she stilled, no longer pushing him away, no longer fighting him at all, he was able to slip his arm around to her back. The feel of his palm between her shoulders, warm yet so foreign to her that a shiver cascaded down her spine, arched her chest into his and a quiet moan of approval rumbled from his throat.

Sakura was surprised by her reaction to the sound of it. That familiar ache, the coil of heat and need, tightened in her lower belly and pulled at the back of her navel. She pressed her thighs together, sucking in a breath at the spark of pleasure between them. 

So caught in the haze clouding her mind from his kiss, she hadn’t realized that the hand he had kept on her waist moved until the slip of fabric brushed across her nipple. Her breath hitched and the god took it as a sign to continue. Had it been? She couldn’t tell anymore. Her body was reacting to him though she knew it was wrong, knew she’d hate herself for it later. 

A shudder trembled her chest at the touch of his thumb passing over the tightened bud of her nipple and Sakura tightened her fingers around his robes. They had abandoned their attempt to push him away and were now desperate to pull him closer, desperate to drink him in. There was absinthe on his lips, opium on his tongue, and she was intoxicated the moment she tasted both. 

All of the fear and anger and hate she had for him shifted into something she couldn’t quite describe. It was just as fiery as her anger, just as terrifying and irrational, and for the life of her, she couldn’t figure out why she wanted more of him.

His kiss was a drug and she needed more. 

The warmth of his palm at her breast coiled the heat tighter and the craving for more sank into the darkest corners of her mind where the primal, animalistic instincts like hunger and thirst dwelled. She kissed him as if she were starving for it, pawing at him like she had the food in dishes, and she was thankful for every taste he gave her. 

One hand let go of his robe, moving on its own before she could even decide what to do with it, slipping between their bodies. The thick material around his body at the back of her knuckles and the soft silk against her palm, such a contrast, yet so perfectly fitting. She found the slit in the skirt at her hip and brushed the tips of her fingers over her bare flesh as she pulled it open. It was an invitation, a silent plea for more and he answered by reaching between their bodies and taking her hand to stop her.

Sakura’s eyes snapped open to find the god pulling away from their kiss. Just as it had been before he had ever kissed her, that damn smile, the wicked lift of one side of his lips, remained in a knowing smirk. Seeing it there, having him grip her wrist to keep the new, unwanted distance between them, was a splash of cold water on the fires that had been burning inside her. She searched his eyes, finding nothing but the unfathomable darkness he kept there, and her lips quivered.

How foolish she was...every moment in his presence only proved just how much of a fool she truly was. She hadn’t begged him with words, but she had in every other way imaginable and he knew he had won this part of the game. That tight press of desire within her quickly turned into nausea and she wrenched her arm out of his grasp.

“You tricked me,” she mumbled, trying to recall how it had all happened. “Y-you poisoned the food or—or—”

“Enjoy your sunlight, Sakura. Fair is fair, after all.” His voice was low, sinking into her head like warm silk and she hated how it made her body react. Even after having the fire between them extinguished, there were still embers burning within her and they were clinging to any breath of life. 

The god took a step back, the black horns parting the silver of his hair nearly disappearing into the shadows behind him and Sakura could only stare. Her thoughts were in a frenzy, furious at him, furious at herself for letting him do this to her. She watched him sweep his hand to the entryway, giving her permission to leave the dining room. 

As if she needed it. There was nothing that could stop her from fleeing from him right then.

Tears stung her eyes and her body mourned the loss of his warmth it had already grown to crave. She swiped furiously at the droplet rolling out of the corner of her eye and just as she crossed into the dark hallway, the god spoke again.

“Oh, and Sakura?” She stopped but didn’t turn around, keeping her eyes narrowed into slits. “A coin.”

What has a head but no body, a tail but no legs?

A sick feeling, like she had swallowed a heavy stone, settled in her stomach and she pressed her hands to her belly. Perhaps she had been wrong before. Perhaps she was the one that underestimated the gods. It was only the first riddle, but something told her he had known the answer as soon as she asked the question.

Fighting the threat of her dinner coming back up, Sakura ignored his answer and hurried down the hall. She didn’t need the lantern, didn’t want to see any more of this damned palace than she had to. Would her misery ever end? Would she ever see the mortal realm, her friends and parents again? It seemed so far away, so out of reach and the tears flowed freely now. Yes, she had been wrong to underestimate the god before but she had been right about one thing.

She definitely hated herself for giving into him.

Chapter Text

The perpetual storm hanging heavily over the underworld was exactly where Sakura expected it to be. That constant thunder rumbling in the distance, lightning racing through the clouds like veins, it was all the same. It took three steps down the palace stairs for her to notice that something was different, though.

Two of the thick, grey clouds had parted to let the golden rays of sunlight beam down on her. It’s warmth was like a slap in the face and she stumbled, nearly falling back on the stairs as she lifted her face to the sky and winced from the light. Turning her hand over, she let it shine down on her palm and while she wanted to scoff in disbelief, she was still far too angry to feel anything but the flames of her fury.

So he had kept to his word.

Fair is fair, after all .

Rolling her eyes, Sakura clenched the material of her skirt in her fists, lifting it off of her feet and hurried down the steps. She didn’t know where she was going, just that she wanted to be as far from him as she could be. Something told her that no matter how much distance she kept between them, the effects of his kiss would linger within her for a long time. Even now, despite how furious she was with herself for letting it happen, she couldn’t deny the sense of longing, that irritating craving she felt for him remained, loitering just beneath the surface of her anger.

Sakura wanted to scream, wanted to hit something, anything to get these feelings out of her mind and body. How could someone so horrid and wretched make her feel this way? It didn’t make sense. He had to have tricked her somehow, poisoned her mind or entranced her with his powers. 

That was the only explanation she would accept. Entertaining the idea that there was a single chance, a minute possibility that all he had to do was stand near her and plant the idea in her head to make her give in so easily was out of the question. She may have been a fool, but she would never give in to him. Not again, anyway.

At the bottom of the steps, Sakura came to a stop and frowned at the passing sunbeam that seemed to be following her. The clouds overhead would part and let the sunlight she had asked for shine through. She had asked for this, but had it been worth what she had given for it? 

Lifting her head, she looked to the swamp stretching ahead of her in the distance. The same grey skies covered the area and the mist settled along the ground and through the trees, obscuring the heart of the marsh. Sakura knew if she were to venture inside once more, she would more than likely speak with the goddess that inhabited the swamp. And while she wanted to beg her for more help, she was in no mood to talk to any of the gods.

What she needed was a quiet place to sit and think and just be alone. No deities, no invisible lantern carriers. Turning on her heel, she stared past the palace to the east of the realm where she had been led to the knoll of dead trees. It had been where she planted her first seed and now that she had sunlight following her every move, she would just be alone there. 

It was a journey to make it there. The realm of the underworld was far larger than she had ever imagined it would be. If someone had asked her to picture the underworld before she had the chance to see it for herself, she would have envisioned infinite oblivion. The thought of an endless nothing would have frightened her before. Now that she knew what it was truly like, she didn’t know which she would prefer. 

By the time she finally made it to the knoll and trudged up the hillside to where she had left the circle of stones around the seedbed, sweat was rolling down her back. The sunlight she had been gifted--no, that she had earned--had followed her the entire way, providing her a warmth that she hadn’t been expecting. At the top of the knoll where the copse of black, gnarled trees stood like the crumbling, derelict statues, the little seedbed was waiting for her. 

It felt like days since she had been here last but it had only been a few hours. Or, maybe it had been days. Time passed so differently here. She wasn’t used to it. With no day or night, her bearings were disoriented and despite not sleeping well and spending most of her day traipsing about the underworld, she wasn’t tired.

The dinner she had consumed seemed to have erased any exhaustion she had felt. Or maybe it was the exhilaration of the kiss still lingering in her. 

Sakura lifted her palms to her eyes and pressed them there, hoping to quash any memory of it that stubbornly remained. Why? Why had she let it happen? Why had she wanted it to? Frustration mounted more with every second, mingling with the spots dancing behind her eyelids. And through them, she could see the god in her memory, standing before her, the length of his silver hair falling over the black robes covering his shoulders. Why did she have to like the look of it and want to touch it? 

A noise lifted in the back of her throat, filling it as she trembled with rage. All the fury brewing within her reached the boiling point and she wrenched her hands away from her face. Sakura opened her mouth and let it all out with a scream that nearly drowned out the boom of thunder passing overhead. She didn’t stop until her throat felt raw and the beat of her pulse filled her ears. 

When she sucked in a breath and opened her eyes, she realized with a start that almost sent her tumbling back down the hillside, that she was no longer alone on the knoll. But it wasn’t the god that frustrated her so much standing there, staring at her. In fact, she wasn’t quite sure the figure was a god at all. 

It was a woman, tall in stature with pale hair that fell in waves down her front, covering the curve of her ample breasts, but no horns topped her head. The only feature Sakura could see to separate the woman from a mortal were the pointed ears poking out from the flaxen strands. Stumbling back on her heels, Sakura clutched her chest and felt the rapid thump of her heart beneath her palm. The woman tilted her head to the side and blinked her blue eyes.

“Are you alright?” She asked, her voice light and slightly higher pitched than Sakura had been expecting. “You were screaming.”

“Yes, I’m...fine. Y--you scared me. I didn’t expect to see anyone.”

“Clearly,” the woman said with a soft laugh. She folded her arms over her chest and bunched the strands of hair that hid her nakedness. A loosely tied skirt of gossamer circled her hips and hung low to the ground on one side. “You must be the mortal girl Hatake allegedly stole.”

“He did.”

A pale eyebrow lifted over the woman’s blue eyes and she took a single step on bare feet, leaning forward to get a better look at Sakura. “All this fuss over you? From the way Jiraiya talked, you’d have thought the moon and stars were made for you.”

Two things raced through Sakura’s mind. First, she was slightly offended by what the woman said. Sure, she was some otherworldly being and quite beautiful, but Sakura hadn’t ever been so insulted without actually being insulted outright. The second thing she thought of was Jiraiya and the way he had left the palace to chase after the nymphs. Realization clicked in her head and she pursed her lips, staring at the woman.

“You’re a nymph.”

“What were you screaming about, anyway?” 

“Nothing.” She was quick to answer the nymph and knew it the moment she saw the flicker of intrigue passing through her blue eyes. Sakura quickly looked away and crossed her arms over her chest. “I just wanted to be alone.”

“So you can scream until your lungs shrivel up?”

“Maybe,” she snapped, cutting her narrowed gaze back to the nymph. Why was she so interested in her anyway? “If you don’t mind, I have something to take care of.”

The nymph didn’t step away or move. She simply let her gaze drop to the circle of stones on the ground between them. “To tend to your...garden.”

“Yes, actually. For someone who doesn’t think I deserve all this fuss, you’re awfully interested in everything I’m doing.”

With a sniff, the blonde rolled her eyes and lifted one of her shoulders in a shrug. “As plain as you are, your presence here is more interesting than entertaining the messenger with endless wine and orgies.” She raised a hand and brushed it through the air with a look of dismissal. That word, orgies , brought a rush of warmth to Sakura’s face and she quickly ducked her head. “If I have to see him naked one more time, I’m going to leave the realm forever.”

“Can you do that? Leave the realm, I mean?”

Again, she was too quick with her response, too quick to look up at her, the look in her eyes pleading and the nymph noticed it immediately. The flush lingering across her cheeks at the mention of the orgy brightened under the woman’s scrutiny. “I’m tethered to no realm but this is my home. If you think I’ll help you escape, you’re mistaken.”

“Well, can you leave me alone?” The question left her lips in a rush and she hadn’t meant to snap so angrily at the nymph, but her patience was wearing thin and the sunlight beaming down on her back brought a new layer of sweat to her body. With a sigh, she ignored the nymph’s presence and lowered to the ground, sitting on her knees near the circle of stones. 

Above her, the storm clouds split and the sunlight lit the mound of dirt before her. She wasn’t sure how long she would have to sit here for the seed to absorb the light, but she was prepared to spend the next six weeks here if that was what it would take. No matter how sweaty she got. Anything to get out of this cursed realm and away from these beings and deities that cared so little about her. 

To her utter frustration and annoyance, a pair of hands came down to the ground near the stone circle and pale, yellow hair pooled around them. Sakura sighed and lifted her head to peer at the nymph. She sat on her hands and knees and looked down at the seedbed, her blue eyes narrowed and brows pinched.

With her hair hanging to the ground, her breasts were uncovered and the sight of them pulled Sakura’s attention before she could stop herself. Again, warmth pooled in her face and she raised her face to the sky, blinking up at the sun. “Do you always go around without clothes?”

Had this nymph traipsed about the underworld like this in front of its archon, exposing her naked body to him? Did he mind? What a stupid question. Sakura rolled her eyes and let out a sigh. Of course he wouldn’t mind. The god may not be as debauched as the messenger, but after having him strip her, touch her, and kiss her, she was beginning to think the two weren’t so unalike. 

“I’m wearing clothes,” the nymph said with a humph, sitting back on her heels. Her hair split around her naked breasts and Sakura kept her eyes trained on the broken section in the clouds above them, lit around the edges by the sun. 

“On your waist, but not--” she waved her hand toward the nymph’s chest. “--What if someone sees you?”

“Then they’ll be blessed by the sight of my breasts. Are all mortals such prudes?”

At this, Sakura lowered her head and dropped her jaw in offense. She crossed her arms over her chest and glowered at the presumptuous being. “Are all nymphs so easy?”

“You’re blushing at the sight of me yet you have breasts of your own. Do you not look at your own body?” She leaned forward and reached between them and to Sakura’s surprise, the nymph curled her middle finger around the material of her dress and pulled it to the side. In a flash, her breast was exposed and she quickly slapped her hand to her chest, shoving the nymph’s arm away. Sitting back on her heels once more, the blonde laughed. “I suppose not.”

“Of course I look at my own body! It’s mine after all! But I shouldn’t be forced to look at yours or forced into anything else for that matter!” Sakura’s voice grew louder and louder as she spoke and by the time she sucked in a breath, she was back on her feet, glaring down at the figure before her. “Why can no one in this rotten place just let me be? If it isn’t that bastard forcing me to kiss him or you forcing me to look at--”

“You kissed Hatake?” 

The question instantly stole all rational thought from Sakura’s mind and she blinked down at the nymph in surprise, unaware she had even revealed anything at all. Her lips clamped shut and she blinked, forcing herself to think quickly. Nothing came to her mind. Nothing but the memory of that devilish smirk on those pale lips seconds before they captured her own. She shut her eyes and shook her head though it did little to relieve her of the tormenting image.

“No,” was all she managed to say and even then, it barely came out as a whisper.

“Yes, you did.” The nymph climbed nimbly to her feet and cocked her head to one side, her blue eyes searching Sakura’s face as a slow smile stretched her pink lips. “ Ohhh ,” she cooed, folding her arms once more over her bare chest. “Now I understand why you were screaming all alone up here.”

Sakura took a step back and blinked at the woman, shaking her head as if answering a question that had never been asked. A need to defend herself, to explain that it wasn’t just a kiss and it certainly hadn’t been she that kissed him , but no matter how much she opened and closed her mouth, nothing came out. 

With a small smile curling her lips, the nymph took a step forward and reached for her once more. Sakura flinched and attempted to swat her hand away but she was surprisingly quick and managed to close the distance between them in the blink of an eye. Ducking her head to look right into Sakura’s eyes, the nymph once more reached for her, curling a strand of tangled, damp hair around her middle finger. 

She brought it to her face, right beneath her nose, and inhaled deeply, her eyes closing as she took in the scent. There were no words in Sakura’s mind anymore. It had gone completely blank, too stunned to function properly and all she could do was blink and watch the scene unfolding. When the nymph opened her eyes, the cerulean color swirling and flickering with the light piercing through the clouds, she grinned.

“You’re pure.”

“What?” Sakura asked in a single puff of air. 

“You’ve never been touched. Were Hatake’s lips the first to have ever tasted yours?”

Though she knew she should snatch her hair out of the nymph’s hands, to slap her for being so crass, she did nothing but stare in horror. Has it been so obvious? Did every deity she came in contact with know every secret she thought was hidden safely within her? More importantly...did he know?

Blinking the questions from her head, Sakura felt herself nodding. “Yes.”

“Was it not enjoyable? I’ve heard rumors of Hatake’s prowess . Unfortunately, he doesn’t play with us.” The nymph crossed her arms over her chest and lifted her nose in the air, obviously perturbed by that fact. Her gaze drifted down Sakura’s body, taking it in, judging it with a single glance. “Though, I wasn’t aware he played with mortals either.”

“He doesn’t...play with me.” Just forcing those words out of her mouth left a bad taste on her tongue and she wrinkled her nose. “I don’t want anything to do with him.”

“The scent between your legs says otherwise.”

Sakura’s eyes went wide and she snapped her knees together, dropping her hand to press into the center of her thighs. There was a scent? Curse her body for reacting to him without her knowing! Why could it not sync up with her head and loathe him the way she wanted it to?

The nymph’s airy laugh felt as if it were more mocking her than amused by her and the flush of fury hit Sakura so forcefully she nearly stumbled back. With lips pursed into a tight line, she spun on her heel and marched away from the irritating fool. What did she know anyway? Just because her body had reacted to that kiss, didn’t mean she truly wanted anything more from him. No matter what other imbeciles assumed.

“Where are you going?” The lilt of the nymph’s call--still holding onto some of that mocking laughter--curled Sakura’s hands into fists and no matter how badly she was dying to turn back and snap at the imbecile following her down the hillside, she didn’t. She kept her face forward and stomped through the tall grass, ignoring the dirt path she had walked earlier.

The palace was back to the east and the absolute last place she wanted to be right now. Stumbling through those dark hallways, disembodied lanterns leading her to him again. It sounded like a nightmare. Then again, her reality was already a nightmare. 

“I’m going to follow you, so you might as well tell me.” The voice was right behind her and Sakura bristled at its nearness. Stupid nymphs and their lithe, quiet steps. She crossed her arms over her chest and kicked her way through the dry stalks of grass, all brown and brittle, ignoring the tiny cuts to her toes as she hurried. 

“I’m looking for water,” she snapped without glancing at the figure to her right.

“For your seeds?”

“Yes, for my seeds! How else do you expect me to make anything grow without sunlight and water.” And speaking of sunlight, the constant beam of it shining down on her was starting to feel more like a curse than a gift. It tinged the tops of her shoulders pink and warmed her forehead and nose. 

“You’re going through so much trouble,” the nymph started with a flippant sigh. “Just to avoid the way you feel.”

Sakura’s heels dug into the dry dirt and she spun to face her new pest that refused to just leave her alone. She swiped the hair from her face and stared at the nymph’s bright blue eyes sparkling with merriment. “I don’t feel anything and I’m not avoiding anything either.” 

“So you say, but you looked awfully surprised that I could easily see how flustered Hatake had made you.”

“Ugh!” Though there was no point in walking away from her, she’d just follow along and keep up, Sakura spun away from the nymph for the third time in such a short amount of minutes and stormed away. “Leave. Me. Alone.”

“But you’re so much fun to talk to. Besides,” the nymph giggled, skipping ahead to watch Sakura stomp angrily through the field. “We haven’t had a chance to discuss that kiss. And I know you’re just dying to--”

“Ino!” A voice echoed from the distance, back toward the knoll where they had met and both stopped in their trek to spin around. For once, the nymph was silent and Sakura folded her arms over her chest and pursed her lips. “Ino, where did you go? You’re missing all the fun!”

There were several voices, all female, calling out from the grove now and just barely, Sakura could make out a few similar figures. Other nymphs. Had the orgy ended already? Was the messenger god completely spent, laying in the moss and dirt of the ground, surrounded by giggling nymphs? The image that popped into her head nearly made her laugh but she kept her lips pursed until she looked at her new friend.

“I think they’re calling for you.”

“Shh! They probably want me to finish that oaf off or something.” The blonde chewed her bottom lip in worry and stepped behind Sakura, blocking her from being seen by the others. “I’ll tell you where you can find water if you promise not to tell them you saw me.”

“I can do that.” 

Taking a step back, the nymph--Ino was her name apparently--glanced once more over her shoulder and let out a sigh full of the same irritation that Sakura had been feeling since meeting her. She lifted a slender arm and pointed to the northwest, where the severity of the storm had calmed. The clouds covered that area just as thick and dark, but the lightning that ran like veins through the storm behind them was few and far between. “There’s a river there. Don’t drink from it, but you’ll find water.”

“Don’t drink from it? Why--”

The question barely left her lips when the nymph disappeared in a sudden pop that surprised Sakura. She stumbled on her heels as tiny leaves and petals, so rich in color that she nearly cried out in delight, rained down around her. With a sharp breath, she reached out to snatch the violet petals falling through the air right in front of her nose. Sakura opened her palm and stared down at the flower, a genuine smile of hope and wonder stretching her lips.

It didn’t last.

As soon as the petals settled in her open hand, they withered beneath an unseen flame and turned to ash before her eyes. The wind left behind by the nymph picked the dust up and carried it away from Sakura, toward the grove of trees she had fled from moments ago. Disappointment and defeat should have been as natural to her by now in this realm as breathing and yet, her shoulders slumped and hands fell to her side as she stared in the direction the nymph had pointed her to.

Ignoring the voices still calling for Ino on the knoll, Sakura set out for the source of water toward the northwest. Don’t drink from it ...Well, why on earth would she do that? There was nothing about this wretched place she would trust. Even the food that had been laid out before her, despite how delicious and filling it had been, couldn’t be trusted. 

The last thing she’d do would be to drink from a river here.

By the time she could hear the soft babble of water licking the rocks and edges of the riverbanks, she was sweaty and breathless. The cursed gift beaming down on her only worsened her misery and the dress she had been provided stuck to the damp skin between her legs more with every step she took. 

The perpetual fog that clinged to the edges of the realm wasn’t as thick here. There was a shift in the air, a calm to the breeze that did little to cool her, and the distant thunder that had been a constant reminder of her new hell had quieted. Maybe from so far away, the sound couldn’t quite reach here. 

It was peaceful.

Through the wisp of the fog ahead of her, she could see and hear the rush of water now and as she neared the edge of the riverside, her eyes widened. The river was wide, triple the width of the one that cut behind the village back home, and ran twisting and curving around the land’s edge. But it was what stretched high into the clouds on the opposite side of the riverbank that made Sakura’s jaw fall open in awe.

Cliffs as tall as the gates of her village stood like a wall, tracing the twists of the river and water rushed over the ledge, spilling into the black depths. Had it existed anywhere else, it would be beautiful. Here in this underworld, it was only another reminder of the walls built to keep her prisoner, another obstacle she would have to conquer to be free. 

At the back of her neck, the heat of the sun baked her skin through the thin fabric tied there. Not even her hair could shield her from the beams and her gaze dropped from the rush of the endless waterfalls to the river stretched before her. From where she stood, the broken stalks of grass ended and her toes touched the black sand of the bank. Drops of water splashed across the tops of her feet, cooling her, soothing the heat plaguing her.

Don’t drink from it , the echo of the nymph’s voice called hazily through her mind. She wouldn’t drink from it. But there were no warnings about swimming. All she’d have to do was keep her mouth shut. 

Her foot moved forward, pressing into the wet sand and more of the water splashed her ankles, beckoning her closer with every kiss across her heated skin. By the time she realized she hadn’t quite decided to move, she was up to her knees in the river. There were no sharp rocks, no silt to muddy the water as she stepped. It was dark and crystal clear and so refreshing. To submerge completely under would be a dream.

Sakura closed her eyes and dipped her fingers beneath the surface, tracing a circle around her. The material of her skirt floated around her like a cloud and she found herself smiling once more. Why hadn’t she smiled before?

This was heavenly. 

No one could be miserable here.

Here …

The word repeated through her head and confusion mingled with the weightlessness carrying her further into the depths. Where was here? She recognized the emotions swirling through her but couldn’t place them with anything real. There was so much anger and longing and misery and yet, no memories that surfaced connected to them. 

Was she in the calm, cool river outside her village despite the countless warnings her mother had given her about straying too far from home? She couldn’t recall ever feeling this wonderful while swimming through the river waters with Naruto and Sasuke, constantly having to police them and beg them not to dunk her beneath the surface or splash her in the face. No, this wasn’t the muddy waters and sharp rocks and slimy fish swimming between her legs she knew from home.

This was different, better, and the further she stepped, the more something whispered her name and called her onward. It was a promise that everything she desired and ever wanted could be found in the black depths. All she had to do was let herself slip further down, down, down...

She looked up at the sky as her chest submerged beneath the surface of the water, the cold nearly stealing her breath away as it had her misery and memories. No, not all her memories. 

The faces of her parents were still there, the temple made of white marble and the grapevines climbing the columns she had spent her life praying in, that was all there. Something else lingered as well.

A kiss …

A kiss that had seared through her soul and lit her with a fire that burned hotter than the sunlight still warming her face. It itched just underneath the surface of her skin, begging to be free and she knew that the only thing that could quell the burn was succumbing to the call within the river.

Tilting her head back, the gift of light she had been given nearly blinded her through her eyelids and she squeezed them tight as the water filled her ears and soaked through her hair. Just before the water muffled her hearing, she thought she could hear her name again. Was it coming from the depths beneath her...or the riverbank?

Either way, she wanted to slip under, answer the siren’s call and find the relief, from the sunlight and the flames of that strange kiss, she longed for. Inhaling a breath, she held it tight in her lungs, lifted her feet from the sand beneath them, and hung there, suspended in the water, weightless, carefree, and light as air. And before the water could cover her head, before it could deliver that sweet solace, she was ripped away from the depths that reached for her with invisible, icy fingers.

The hands beneath her arm wrenched her from the river and a miserable cry of protest left her lips, echoing over the rumble of faraway thunder. Her heels dragged through the sand and then the dry, broken stalks of grass tugged at the heavy, wet fabric of her skirt and scraped the back of her legs. She fell onto the dirt, the force of her fall snapping her eyes open and triggering her to breathe. She sucked in a lungful of air, her chest expanding as she blinked up at the sun blinding her from above.

For several seconds, she lay still, staring, unable to move or think or remember.

When a hand appeared in front of her, pressing warmth into her cheek, she flinched and seemed to only just realize she wasn’t alone in the grass. Slowly, she let her gaze fall to the side where a familiar face searched her eyes. Silver hair spilled from a pair of broad shoulders, framing her head as the man peered down at her from above. “Sakura,” he said, his voice not quite reaching her ears, as if the water still clinged to the inside.

She frowned and shook her head, suddenly shivering. 

“Sakura!”

Her name was louder now and she looked up at him, stared at the features of his face. The brow pinched in concern, the clench of his strong jaw...the pale lips parted with an unspoken word on them. It was so close to the man in the portrait and had her arms not felt weighed down to the ground beneath her, she would have reached out to trace the line of his jaw.

A kiss …

“Kakashi?” Her own voice echoed loudly in her head and the realization that she had never uttered his name out loud struck her with surprise. He seemed to notice it as well and let out a breath of relief. The corner of those lips, the ones she could remember well now, curled into a smirk. 

“Thank the gods. I thought I was going to have to kiss you again.”

The need to ask him to kiss her again anyway rose in the back of her throat and she swallowed it down the moment it appeared in her mind. “What are you doing here?” 

“I was going to ask you the same question.” Gently, he brushed a dripping strand of hair from her face, a droplet lingering on the flushed skin of her face. His eyes followed it until it rolled out of sight and when they lifted to meet her gaze once more, they hardened. “I suppose I only have myself to blame for this. Do you know where you are?”

The dried grass beneath her poked into her flesh uncomfortably, but she didn’t shift or stand. She stayed still, the length of the right side of her body pressed against the warmth of his robes, and she only half noticed that they were dry while she was soaked through. Frowning, she stared up at the god and nodded. “Unfortunately.”

He let out a laugh that surprised her and raked a hand through his hair. “Well, I’m certainly glad you haven’t lost your sense of humor.” 

Sakura watched him lean away and stand to his feet and once he had pulled that warmth away from her body, she finally found the ability to move. Propping herself onto her elbows as he stood to his full height, she could only stare up at him as he stepped into the bright beam of light piercing the clouds above his head. Shadows darkened his face and the horns atop his head and the sunlight appeared as a halo around him. 

He looked like a god...one that didn’t use his fear to rule or his cruelty to force obedience. A god she didn’t instantly fear or distrust. 

“Come,” he said softly, his voice barely heard over the breeze swirling around them. When he extended his hand to her, Sakura felt no hesitation. She slid her fingers over his and welcomed the warmth that crawled through her at the feel of his touch. Effortlessly, he pulled her to her feet and swept the damp strands of hair away from her face, draping it over her shoulder. The backs of his fingers trailed down the bare skin on her arm. Had she not already been shivering from the cold, his touch would have left goosebumps dimpling her flesh. Sakura looked up at his face, searching those dark, half-lidded eyes and finding a softness there she hadn’t seen before. “I think it’s time that I show you my realm.”

Chapter Text

Author's Note: I've created a map for Kakashi's underworld realm
and you can see it HERE if you want.

Also, if you do not follow me on Tumblr yet, feel free to follow me!

The sound of labored breathing, quick puffs of air right behind him as he strolled through the fields of tall, brown grass tugged the corner of Kakashi's lips. It shouldn't have amused him so much, and though he had the power to whisk both him and the little mortal to the far end of the realm and back with the snap of his fingers, he didn't. The smallest things, the most mundane tasks like walking through the fields or eating foods that he didn't even need, had always fascinated the god.

As far as he knew, the others didn't feel the same way. They snapped themselves from realm to realm, only drinking the wine of the gods, eating only the delicacies that affected them and he knew that the other gods couldn't understand his fascination with mortal tendencies...or his fascination with this mortal in particular. Even he couldn't quite put it into words.

She had ensnared him from the moment he saw her spying on him from that riverbank in the caverns and everything she had done since then, from running from him, thinking she could hide in Tsunade's temple, to the kiss she had tried so hard to deny herself, only entangled him deeper. And now the quick in and out of her breath, almost too quiet for him to hear at all, reminded him all too well of the way she had reacted to his kiss.

The hitch of her breath in the back of her throat, the soft sigh she let slip as her resolve crumbled beneath his touch...he wondered if she had even noticed her own reactions at all. And then the fire behind her eyes erupting the jade irises, darkening them into emerald with her fury when he pulled away, her humiliation written in the rush of blood to her face nearly made Kakashi lose control. He could have taken her right then and there—could have forced her on the table, parted her skirts and her legs, and truly made her gasp for breath.

A lesser god might have.

Her complete submission would be sweeter than any stolen kiss or arbitrary fuck and he would be damned if he let himself give in before he had it. In an instant, fantasies of Sakura in his bed, on her knees, and begging for him filled his mind and he knew it would do him no good to dwell on them. He was trying to control his desires, not feed them.

Kakashi let his arms drop to his side, combing the tips of his fingers through the grass that grew nearly waist-high around him. He plucked one blade and pulled it through his fingers as he turned to glance back at her from over his shoulder. The sight of a frown pinching her rosy, damp brow and the bright beams of sunlight beating down on her from overhead, once more pulled a smile at the corner of the god's lips and he shifted to face her as he walked backward. He knew in an instant, could tell in the way her body tensed and lips pursed, that she had noticed him out of the corner of her eye.

The material of her gown had been soaked from her dip in the river and Kakashi couldn't help his gaze drifting to where it stretched across her chest. Just beneath the sheer fabric clinging to her body, molding to the curve of her breast, he noticed the hardened buds of her nipples, and all at once, the frustrating fantasies from before came rushing back. He remembered all too well how they felt beneath his touch and how her eyes had fluttered as he teased her.

If he thought she would keep silent now, try to shy away from his stare, he was mistaken. Then again, he had been hoping she wouldn't.

Sakura lifted her head, and came to a stop, her arms immediately folding over her chest and pulling his gaze away from her breasts. For just a moment, she seemed to realize he had been staring at them and the flush of heat to the top of her cheeks darkened. Her eyes cut away from his and she sucked in a sharp breath before opening her mouth to speak.

"Where are we going?"

"I'm showing you my realm."

"I've seen it," she snapped, her frustration and irritation almost palpable. One look at the small smile on his lips that didn't budge or falter at her outburst and Sakura let out a breath of a sigh. "Are you showing me something in particular or do you plan to keep me burning in the sunlight all day?"

Kakashi lifted his chin and gazed up at the beam shining down from the thick clouds of grey hanging over their heads. When he dropped his gaze back to her and tilted his head to the side, Sakura quickly looked away to hide the roll of her eyes. He had seen it and the little tastes of her temper only amused him more. "Would you prefer for me to take it away?"

"That depends," she started, not yet looking back at him. Kakashi waited patiently, curling the blade of grass around and around his fingers. "If you take it away now, would I ever get it back? Or would you make me kiss you again for it?"

Ah, there it was. Her response nearly made him laugh but he resisted the urge and took a step toward her instead. For just a moment, a brief flash of fear passed through her eyes that did little to cool the heat of desire pooling within him but Kakashi didn't stop his advances. Not until she was inches away, her face tilted up to stare at him.

From here, this close and with the sunlight like a glow around her, he studied the dampened strands of her hair clinging to her neck and lifted his hand to pull them away from her skin. She shivered from his touch, though he suspected it had little to do with the temperature.

"If you crave another kiss, little mortal," he murmured, ducking just a bit lower until his forehead nearly touched hers. The instant intake of a breath, her shoulders tensing and eyes widening at his nearness only made her that much more beautiful to him. From the pink hair darkened by the river water lingering through the strands framing her face to the intense, jade stare, she was beautiful and Kakashi may have been able to stop himself from taking her, but he didn't resist brushing the back of his fingers along her jaw. "All you have to do is ask."

To his delight, her eyes fluttered in a momentary daze and he found himself hoping she was considering asking him for a kiss. She wasn't so quick to be convinced though and as disappointed as he was to have her push his hand away, he didn't fight her. The amusement he felt by her denial would never cease.

"I'd rather not have to feel violated anytime I need sunlight." He watched her lips press into a line and he wanted to kiss it off of them. Sakura adjusted her arms over her chest and held her chin in defiance. "If you're not able to take it away and bring it back, then I understand. I'm not sure of the breadth of your powers, but even a god has limits."

She thought she was so clever and cunning, thought she was getting under his skin. Wiping that smug assurance off of her face was quickly becoming his favorite pastime. A grin stretched the corners of his lips and he shrugged his shoulders.

"Suit yourself," he said simply, turning on his heel to continue his leisurely stroll through the fields.

"Wait." Her voice carried over the breeze but only just. The sound of it, so soft and desperate, stilled his footsteps and he stood in place, not yet turning to face her, just waiting as she had commanded him to—just to give her a taste of the power she thought she truly had over him. He heard the soft crunch of the grass beneath her feet and she stepped to his side, peering up at him. "Okay, fine. I—I'll give you another kiss to bring it back tomorrow. Just, take it away for now."

With a wave of two fingers, the clouds directly overhead stitched together, blocking the sunlight from piercing through and as the shadows engulfed her once more, he watched her shoulders sag in relief. She let it out with a breath and closed her eyes, savoring the lack of heat and the cool breeze dancing around her sun-kissed shoulders. He watched her for the few moments her eyes were closed, studying the way her ruby lashes laid atop her pale skin and the faint dusting of freckles just beneath them.

A deep intake of air expanded her chest and she let her arms fall to her sides, either forgetting the translucent fabric barely covering her chest or no longer afraid of his gaze. Either way, Kakashi didn't stop himself from taking in the sight of her body, finding it just as lovely as her face. Long after her eyes had opened, his hungry gaze lingered on her, and just as she twitched, arms instinctively folding around herself once more, Kakashi lifted his head and turned away from her.

"Do you know where we are?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed her blink, surprised by his sudden question. Sakura cleared her throat and glanced around the field they stood in the center of. To the east, his palace, enormous, derelict, and empty, stood like a crumbling temple built by a long-dead civilization. In a way, that was exactly what it was. The people—his people—had been gone for centuries, nothing left of them but their wandering spirits that roamed the fields around him, no memories, no thoughts. Just empty ghosts trapped in an eternity of nothing.

“We’re in a field,” Sakura mumbled, her shoulders lifting in a shrug as she glanced around at his side. “In the underworld.”

“These are the Asphodel Fields.” Again, her eyes darted around at the stalks of tall grass, finding nothing but the dried, brittle blades and Kakashi could already sense the question waiting to spill from her lips. Before she had a chance to voice it, he continued. "Where the spirits of the dead wander for an eternity."

Her eyes widened slightly and she turned away from him to stare into the open fields. To her, they were alone with nothing but the dead grass surrounding them. And to a mortal, that was all she would see. "Are they," she whispered, shifting on her feet to inch a bit closer to him. When she lifted her head and met his gaze, Kakashi was surprised by his sudden desire to reach for he—not because he craved her body, but because he sought to comfort her. "Are there spirits here now?"

He blinked at her question, pulled from the sudden daze his realization had left him in and he nodded. "Yes. There," he pointed to a cluster of ghostly figures that she would never be able to see, not while she was a mortal anyway, and the sound of her sharp, quiet gasp curled the corner of his lips. "And here, just to your left."

Sakura whirled around to face where he had pointed and stepped back on her heels, nearly colliding with him as she searched the empty field around her. Kakashi couldn't help the quiet laugh he let out and his hand pressed into her lower back, half of his fingers brushing over her skirt while the other half felt the warmth of her bare skin. The cluck of her tongue and her hands on her hips made her irritation obvious but he didn't apologize for scaring her—not when it brought her closer to him.

"That isn't funny," she sighed. "Why can’t I see them?"

"Because you're alive," he said simply, using the hand on her back to turn her away from the fields. They faced the South, where the river narrowed and led into the waters of the marsh. "And they aren't. You can feel them when they pass around or through you, sudden bursts of cool air, but to see them, you must be immortal. Or dead."

Beneath his fingers, he felt her shudder and a moment later, goosebumps covered her flesh. Sakura wrapped her arms around her waist and they continued their journey through the field, though she moved a bit slower now, taking moments to occasionally glance around her. "So, they just wander...forever? Do they remember who they were?"

"No. They must pass through the river of memories, as you almost did, and the waters strip them of any recollection of their previous life."

"Oh." For a moment, she stayed quiet and he suspected she was feeling a bit embarrassed by her earlier misstep into the river but perhaps it was he who should feel ashamed by it. The god was aware of everyone that stepped into his realm, could recall and locate any spirit, nymph, or god traipsing about and Sakura was no different.

Kakashi had last felt her with the nymph near her seedling atop the grove of trees and the next, she was halfway across the realm, sinking deeper and deeper into the black waters of the river, seconds from being lost. The thought conjured strange feelings within him, feelings he had no desire to face, but apologetic was the one he struggled with the most. Why would a god need to apologize to a mortal, especially one that found herself in trouble more often than not? She was the careless one, acting before thinking, never taking a moment to consider her actions could get her into a bind. And yet, he was the one with the apology sitting so heavy on his tongue he had to swallow it down.

"Come," he said instead, sliding his hand around her waist to pull her a bit closer to him. The touch of his fingers along the bare flesh of her side pulled a breath from her lungs and he held her tightly as the realm shifted beneath their feet. In his arms, he felt her body tense and the cry of surprise she let out was a delightful sound to his ears. As the ground settled beneath their feet, Kakashi held her steady, anticipating the sway from the sudden motion.

Then again, long after she had regained her balance and stood well enough on her own, he kept his arm around her waist and his fingers brushing across the warmth of her flesh.

Sakura cleared her throat and turned her face away from him, hiding the flush that settled along her cheeks but he had caught sight of it long before she realized it. With a trembling hand, she pushed her hair behind her ear and glanced around their surroundings. Perhaps she was realizing they were in a part of the realm she had yet to discover on her own.

Not too far from the swamp, where the river of the dead flowed from the mortal realm and the ferryman ushered their souls into the realm, a gate stood like a sentinel. Six columns of marble stretched into the sky, three on either side of the river flowing between them, the fluting and details carved into the stone nearly worn flat through the ages. The pediment sitting on the columns no longer inspired awe and wonder as it once had. Though Kakashi could restore it all to their former glory, let their beauty glitter and shine beneath the sun, he left them the way they were—a better reflection of how he felt inside. 

But despite the gate's current dilapidation, they were still a sight to behold, and to witness them through a mortal's eyes would always inspire emotion that the god no longer felt. Sakura was no different. She turned in his arms, first glancing up at him, her lips parting around a question forming on the back of her tongue that never got its chance to be spoken. Her eyes caught sight of the gate towering behind them and whatever she had been wanting to say was dwarfed by the sight before her.

The touch of his hand and nearness of his body had also been forgotten the moment she laid eyes on the colossal structure and he couldn't deny the tinge of jealousy that pricked in the center of his chest. He let his hand fall away from her waist, not letting her apathy bother him too badly, and watched her step forward, using both hands to push the hair away from her face as she tilted her head back.

Before she could question him about the structure, he turned to stand at her side and looked up at the architrave high above their heads. "The Gates of Dawn," he murmured. "The first thing the dead see of the underworld."

"It’s beautiful."

"It was," he corrected, taking a step away from her to move closer to one of the columns near the river's edge. For a few moments, she stayed behind in the grass, staring up at the gates before he heard her feet crunch over the rocks and soil.

"Does it actually look this way? I mean, would a dead soul see it differently than I would?"

"No. They see exactly as you see it now, lost to the years of rot and ruin. Just like most things I built here."

Sakura stared up at him, her eyes narrowing and lips pressing into a line. He could almost see the wheels turning in her mind behind her gaze and Kakashi couldn't help wondering if all mortals were as curious and full of questions as she was. “Why?” Her question pulled his attention away from the river and he turned to look at her with a frown. “You have the power to make them anything you want yet you keep your palace and your world desolate and broken.”

“Why must you ask so many questions?”

“Why must you keep so many secrets?” 

“Because they are mine to keep.”

Silence fell between them, the only sound of the breeze and the babble of the water at the river’s edge could be heard and Kakashi trained his hardened gaze on her face. Her annoyance and hesitation were so apparent behind the jade stare, no matter how much she struggled to seem confident before him. The two of them remained locked in a gaze with one another, both waiting for the other to break first, and Kakashi knew it wouldn’t be him. 

It didn’t take her long to realize it either. 

With a sniff of indignation, Sakura folded her arms over her chest and cut her eyes away from him, focusing on the three columns across the river. He watched as she followed the length of the stone stretching from the ground to the sky, studying the aged, chipped frieze before letting her gaze fall to the river passing through the center of the gate. “It’s still beautiful,” she murmured. “There's beauty in ruins, even though it seems a bit sad to see them like this.”

“Sakura,” he spoke, almost startling her as he moved closer. She blinked up at him and he could tell she was convincing herself not to take a step back on her heels, to retreat from him. As Kakashi lifted a hand and brushed the back of his fingers across her cheeks, the lingering warmth of her face was like fire beneath his touch. Her eyelids fluttered but she managed to keep them open as he continued. “I brought you here for a purpose. This gate has an opposite, an almost exact mirror, in the northeast corner of the realm. For your protection, you must never go there.”

In an instant, curiosity and wonder sparked behind her gaze and he shook his head, reaching his other hand to her face and holding it along the line of her jaw as he searched her eyes. 

“I can’t keep you safe beyond those gates and from what dwells on the other side. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” her response came out as a whisper and she closed her eyes, lashes brushing across her pale skin, pulling his gaze down the length of her face to her lips. At that moment, he wanted to kiss her, to taste the things she was feeling and thinking, and steal her breath away the way he had done to her the night before. He wanted to hear those gasps and little sounds she thought she kept hidden from him. 

Before he could dip his head to meet her lips, a faint sound carried over the river water and wind—a slight jingle of bells just behind them. Sakura’s eyes snapped open and she parted her lips with a breath, brows pinching in confusion. He knew at once what the sound was and the muscles of his jaw clenched tight in contempt. As she turned her head, pushing his hand away from her face and breaking through the tension of desire that had been building between them, Kakashi took a slow, steadying breath and glanced at the field stretching to the west. 

The fog of the swamp curled away from the center, tendrils creeping along the ground, inviting anyone close to peer inside. And just at the edge, bobbing back and forth with the glow of a lantern, was the annoyance that had disrupted the moment he and Sakura had been sharing. How dare they send their little minions to spy on him in his own realm! Anger swept through him like a typhoon, ripping through his desire and leaving the destruction of it in its wake as he watched the light swing back and forth from the spirit’s hand.

She saw the lantern at the same time he did, her eyes going wide and a short scoff of disbelief in her throat. 

“The lantern from your palace...What’s it doing out here?”

Kakashi didn’t answer and instead simply turned to face the marsh stretching into the distance with Sakura at his side. She glanced between him and the lantern, trying hard to piece together the puzzle he had no interest in helping her answer. The longer she stayed ignorant about things, the better it was for him. But true to her curious nature, she couldn’t help herself and opened her mouth to voice her confusion.

“Is it a spirit?"

“Not exactly,” he growled through clenched teeth, watching the glow of the lantern disappear into the mist waiting for it.

“Then, what—”

There was no use in being vague with her now. Sooner or later, she would find out the truth and he’d rather she hear it from his lips than anyone else’s...especially Tsunade’s. “It’s...a personification of sorts."

"I don't understand."

Kakashi clenched his jaw once more, staring out at the twisting tips of the trees peeking up from the mists of the swamp. He didn't have to see through the fog to know they were being watched from within. He could see Shizune and Tsunade’s spies as clear as day. "A gift," he said, his voice deep and full of a darkness he knew she wouldn't understand. “To ensure that I don't step out of line."

"A gift for who?"

He was growing tired of her questions, wishing he hadn’t allowed himself to become so distracted by the desire to kiss her. He had to get her mind away from her questions, had to distract her long enough that her curious nature shifted to the anger and irritation she seemed to reserve just for him so he could investigate this intruder in his realm. 

Kakashi spun to face her, surprising her before she had a chance to realize he was in her way. In an instant, her hands reached out to press into his chest and he seized her by the wrist, holding her there with a grip she was powerless to fight against. "Tell me, little mortal," he murmured softly. "Have you thought of your next riddle?"

"What?" The word was barely a breath and Sakura pulled against his fingers around her wrist to no avail. She gave up quicker than he expected and tilted her face up to stare at him, her bright eyes searching his. "I don't—you told me I had two weeks to think them up."

"Yet, it only took you a day to think of your first one."

"And we both know how that turned out." She sniffed and pulled once more against his hold. This time, he let her go and she stumbled back on her heels, eyes going wide from surprise. Before she could trip on the edge of her skirts, Kakashi caught her around the waist and brought her flush against him. The sudden shift in their position, the warm press of their bodies against one another, sucked a breath from Sakura's lips and she closed her hands around his robes. Satisfied that she was momentarily distracted, he cut his gaze to the swamp and didn't try to hide the wicked smile that pulled the corner of his lips.

Oh, yes, they were most certainly being watched and if Tsunade's spies thought he would be on his best behavior, they were sorely mistaken. "Yes," he murmured, dipping his head low, nearly brushing his lips against the shell of Sakura's ear. "I remember how angry you looked when I answered it so quickly. And I remember fondly the taste of your lips when you kissed me."

"I didn't want to kiss you," she whispered, shoving her palm into his chest though it did little to push him away. Kakashi chuckled and pulled away, just enough to peer down at her from above, their noses nearly touching. "You forced me to do it."

"And who forced you to open your skirt for me?"

"Oh, you wretched, horrible—" She lashed out, her palm inches from his face when he caught her by the wrist once more and jerked her closer, silencing her. By now, their lips were a breath apart and he drank in the sound of her whimper. The hand he had circled around her waist slid up the length of her spine, along the back of her neck and his fingers tangled in her damp hair. He watched her lips part and eyelids flutter, the flush of her cheeks spreading down her throat so deliciously, he longed to taste the color of it on his tongue.

Kakashi ducked his head, not to press his lips to hers but to her neck to explore the flavors of her flesh. The sound she made, such a small whimper of surprise that softly shifted into one of pleasure, only drove his desire more. His lips trailed the curve of her neck down to the soft skin on her shoulder until he found a particular spot that pulled a louder sound from her throat—one that sparked a flame within him. He felt it coil hot and tight in his lower belly and his fingers tightened in her hair.

For a moment, just long enough to hear her let slip another gasp and quiet moan from her lips, he kissed her there and lapped his tongue, tasting the salt of her sweat, sun-kissed skin. He had been right before. It was just as delicious as he hoped it would be.

The hand he still held in his firm grasp relaxed, fingers curling desperately around the robes hanging from his shoulders, and Kakashi released his hold on her wrist, confident she wouldn't try to push him away. Her desire, that craving and want, was obvious and he could smell it with each breath he inhaled. She was thoroughly distracted from the sight of the light in the swamp by now but Kakashi didn’t stop there.

“When you finally submit to me,” he purred against her throat, dragging his lips along the stretch of sensitive skin there. “I’ll satisfy that ache you feel between your thighs. I’ll gladly drink it away on my tongue.”

To emphasize his words, he tasted her, sealing his lips around the damp spot his tongue had left on her throat and when her body shuddered in his grasp, when her only response was a strangled moan she so desperately tried to keep to herself, Kakashi waved his free hand through the air behind her back. In an instant, the weight of her body, the warmth and press of it against his, disappeared and he straightened to his full height. 

She would be angry—furious even—with him for sending her away without an explanation, without finishing what he had started, but he had other things to take care of. And he didn’t need her clouding his mind any further than she already did. 

Not when he needed a clear head.

He moved as quick as the lightning striking through the clouds to the north, cutting through the mist of the swamp and it roiled around his feet. The jagged, black limbs of the trees crisscrossed over his head, painting a chaotic pattern but it was the straw-thatched hut sitting in the flatland of the marsh that kept his attention. Bells and empty bottles hanging from the branches around it chimed his arrival, though he knew there was no one home to hear it. 

The goddess had left the realm the instant she felt his presence come near, no doubt running back to Tsunade to relay everything the insufferable little spy had found out. Kakashi dragged in a deep breath through his nose and let it out slowly. The god knew every deity, spirit, nymph, and soul that came through his realm, but he had underestimated Tsunade--a mistake he wouldn’t make again. A familiar that has been oath sworn to another god or goddess could slip beneath his divine knowledge, could enter his realm without raising alarms, and was free to observe spy.

No, he had been a fool for assuming the goddess wouldn’t stoop to something like this and if she wanted so badly to know what was happening with the mortal she seemed to have a strange fascination with as well, then Kakashi was prepared to let her see just how far he was willing to go to keep Sakura to himself.

Chapter Text

In the dark of her new bedroom, Sakura stared up at the ceiling above her bed as pink strands of hair fell around her face. She was still bouncing from the sudden drop onto her mattress, breath still coming out in quick, heated puffs as if the god’s lips were right where he had last touched them, when she blinked in the darkness. The realization that he had sent her away, dropped her in her room in the blink of an eye just when she was starting to second guess all the resistance to his advances was slowly starting to sink in.

Jolts of electric heat raced through her veins, pumping to the far corners of her body with every beat of her heart as she lay motionless in the bed, trying to clear the fog of desire clinging to the edges of her mind. A part of her was furious she had even allowed him to fluster her this way. Hadn’t she learned by now to avoid him? Why was she always stumbling headfirst into these instances with him?

Another part was humiliated. Not that he had, yet again, quickened her pulse and stole her breath away, but because she had liked it so much. She had wanted more, not sure how far she would have let him go had he not sent her away the moment he had. 

She hadn’t been too naive to recognize he was doing it to distract her. The way he had turned to her, ignoring her questions to ask one of his own, knowing it would surprise her, was obvious. He may have been an enigma to her, but she was slowly unraveling the mysteries of him and could see that whatever secrets he had, he would hold onto them as long as he could. 

But as far as distractions went...the touch of his lips on her throat, his hand keeping a stronghold around her waist while the other dipped to her thigh…It hadn’t been the worst.

Sakura’s head fell to the side and she let out a long sigh that carried every frustrating want and desire that lingered inside her with it. The things he had said, had whispered against her neck with a breath so warm she could almost feel it there even now, stirred something deep within her core. It bloomed slowly with a heat that left her scorched and miserable. And if it left her feeling this wretched, why did she want more?

Why did this ache inside her make her both hate the god for putting it there and so desperate to have him fulfill the promise he had made her? 

When you finally submit to me, I’ll satisfy that ache you feel between your thighs. I’ll gladly drink it away on my tongue.

His words should have sickened her, should have repulsed her and yet...even now, long after he had sent her away from his touch and press of his lips, even now that she was lying alone in her bed with nothing but the ache to keep her company, she couldn’t stop her mind from conjuring fantasies of what his promise might entail. 

Just the question in her head made her swallow tightly and Sakura pressed her palm against her lower belly, expecting to feel the static of lightning racing beneath her skin. There was nothing but warmth, settling hot and white in her core and she let out a whimper before rolling onto her side.

Sakura squeezed her eyes shut and brought her hands to her face, tucking them beneath her cheek. She wasn't tired, necessarily, but the idea of getting out of bed to wander the halls of the palace, possibly stumbling into the god in the dark was exhausting to even think about. If she were expected to face him and more of his torment, she would need rest.

Which would have been easier to accomplish had she not been so wound tight at the moment that she feared she'd snap. Slowly, she opened her eyes to the darkness surrounding her and stared at the shadowed shapes of the bedpost at her feet. There was a way to relieve this ache, albeit, not as preferred as having him be the one to do it but Sakura couldn't shake the disappointment in herself at the mere thought of it.

Sure, she was no stranger to the method and had experienced it a handful of times after a long day of staring at Naruto and Sasuke, brawling half-naked with one another in the fields. She had thought of their sweaty bodies and not particularly of them while she had touched herself, using the fantasies that unfolded in her mind to drive her to relief. She could do the same now, focusing on the brush of lips along her throat, a firm hand dipping between her thighs and not the god who had been the one to do those things to her. The feeling of them was all she needed. It wouldn't be difficult and would take no time to rid herself of the ache.

But...

In a way, it felt as if she were giving into him. He would have no way to know, would never suspect a thing, but she would. She would know and the next time he cornered her and kissed her—despite the fact that she already craved another brush of his lips on hers—her strength and resistance would falter.

No.

She wouldn't give in—to him or her own desires. All she had to do was wait a few weeks and this would be over. She would win this game between them and she would go home.

.

.

A rest had done her well and hours later, possibly days for all she could tell, Sakura had found her way back out into the realm beyond the palace. For several minutes, she had stood on the steps and let the breeze swirl the strands of hair around her face, welcoming the cool air across her heated skin.

Though she hadn't given in to relieve her ache, she was still suffering the effects of it and needed something—anything—to take her mind off of the torment. Sleeping had done little to suppress it and she feared that the longer she laid in her bed, alone, in the dark, she would give in to the temptation.

After a bath, Sakura had found a change of clothes laying out for her, just like the previous times. She couldn't help wondering if he had charmed them to appear when she needed them to, or if there were spirits like the lantern that accommodated her needs. Then again, the lantern hadn't exactly been a spirit at all. If the god hadn't distracted her with his lips and tongue on her skin, she could have found out more about it.

Thinking of that had only reignited the flame within her and Sakura quickly dressed in the new gown waiting for her. A simple gown of cotton that fit easily over her head and brushed the tops of her toes. It was thin, but not sheer, reminiscent of the summer tunics she wore back home. The neckline scooped lower than she was used to and there was a single slit up to her hip bone on one side of the skirt. Other than those two details, she felt more secure and covered than anything else she had been provided here.

It wasn't until she walked out of the palace's darkness did she realize the material had been dyed with light blue pigments that rivaled the clear skies back home. Sakura ran a hand over the front of the dress, sinking her fingers between the folds of the fabric and the wave of homesickness almost rivaled the desire lingering in her veins. She longed to see her mother again, to hear her father laugh and just be home with them.

Combatting the miserable mood she could feel creeping up on her, Sakura turned to the grove of trees where she had planted the first seed and set off toward it. The sunbeam that had been following her was gone and she wasn't sure she made the right choice to send it away. At that moment, when the heat was scorching her skin and turning the tops of her cheeks and shoulders bright pink, she had wanted nothing more than to just be free of it. But now that she knew bringing it back came with a steep price, Sakura was second-guessing her decision.

Kissing the god would bring nothing but more turmoil and confusion and not to mention, more of this unbearable heat that seared her insides more than the sun had burned her on the outside.

Even without the sun, a thin sheen of sweat had dampened her brow by the time she reached the grove where her little seedling waited for her return. The rocks circling it were right where she had left them and Sakura let out a breath as she sank to the brittle grass covering the grove. Above her, the bare branches of the trees shook in the never-ceasing wind. It lifted the strands of her hair and she pulled the length of it around to one shoulder as she leaned over the seedbed.

Back home, she never had to try to make something grow. It just did. As soon as the thought entered her head, whatever she touched or held would bloom and life would return. She suspected that while Tsunade's gift could work in the mortal realm, traces of the power Sakura had been blessed with couldn't quite reach her in the underworld.

Nevertheless, she held her hands close together and hovered them like a dome over the bed of dirt. For several seconds, she kept her eyes shut and held her breath tight, willing her feeble powers to appear. She was desperate for the tingle to her fingers and the breath of life that swelled her chest and filled her with a light she couldn't quite explain. But as eager as she was for just a glimpse of Tsunade's gift, there was nothing.

She pried her hands apart and stared down at the broken patch of dirt. The goddess in the swamp had told her as much and though she hadn't wanted to believe her words of doubt then, Sakura could now see she had been telling the truth. Nothing would grow here.

Which meant her attempts at planting the seeds, bargaining for sunlight, and searching for water were futile. But if that were true, that would mean that their game would end at an impasse. She still had her impossible-to-solve riddle idea hidden up her sleeve and if she stumped him with that and she herself was to be stumped by his seeds...what then?

Something told her that the god wouldn't let her leave his realm so easily if that were the outcome of their game.

"Back again, I see." A feminine voice broke through her thoughts and Sakura whipped her head up quickly, pressing her palms against her chest as her pulse raced beneath them. She blinked up at the familiar sight of her nymph friend, Ino, high above her in the tree branches. She had one long leg hanging off the limb, the strips of her gossamer skirt fluttering in the breeze as she peered down at Sakura was a cheeky smile.

Just like last time, her breasts were bare and Sakura felt warmth rush to her cheeks at the sight.

"Must you sneak up on me like that? It's very rude."

"And miss seeing the look of surprise on your face?" Ino scoffed and gracefully lowered to the tree branch until she was lying along the length of it. Flaxen hair tumbled around her in waves and she leaned her head to the side to point down to the seedbed. "How is your little seedling today?"

The question twisted Sakura's frown deeper and she let her gaze fall to the bed of dirt in front of her knees. With a breath that she let out in a sigh, she shrugged. "Same as it was the last time I visited. I'm afraid my attempts at making it sprout are in vain."

"Then let's do something else," the nymph said, leaning forward to curl her finger around the strands of Sakura's hair. "Something more fun!"

"Fun?" She jerked away from the nymph's touch and scoffed. "I'm not interested in having fun."

"Unless it's with a certain silver-haired god."

Her words sucked Sakura's breath out of her throat and she blinked at the nymph, thoughts swirling through her head of the god and the way he had kissed her throat the last time she saw him. If Ino noticed her reaction, she didn't mention it and instead, pushed herself away from the branch until she could tuck her palm beneath her chin.

"We saw you two in the fields near the southern gates. You looked interested in having fun then."

We ? The tops of Sakura's cheeks lit with warmth and she cut her gaze away from the tree branches to stare off into the distance where the crumbling gate stood over the river. Had the nymphs spied on them? The thought left her feeling a bit sick to her stomach but she wasn't too surprised. It's not like she had even tried to fight him away or hide what he was doing. As soon as his lips had touched her skin, all rational thought had disappeared from her head and Sakura was still in the throes of the desire-driven dizziness hours later.

Dusting the dirt from her hands, Sakura stood to her feet and turned away, unsure where she would go or why she felt the need to distance herself so suddenly from the nymph. Either way, she knew she wouldn't get too far.

Sure enough, the nymph perched in the tree disappeared with a puff of lavender petals raining down around Sakura. She followed them with her eyes until they crumbled to ash around her and left a frown pinching her brows.

Ino reappeared at her side, tossing the strands of hair away from her face and leaving her bare chest fully exposed. "There you go again, running from the truth."

"I am not running from anything. I just don't want to speak to you!"

"At all, or about the way the dark god makes you feel?"

Tension clenched Sakura's jaw and she folded her arms firmly over her chest, narrowing her eyes into an icy glare that she hoped the nymph could feel. Judging by the soft, mischievous smile on her rosy lips, she hadn't. With the arch of one pale brow, Ino put her hands on her hips, fingers drumming across the edges of her lopsided skirt as she stared at Sakura.

"How long do you plan to deny it?"

"As long as I need to. I don't care how he makes me feel or what you think he does to me. All I want is to go home. Why can't you see that?"

Her question went ignored and Ino's eyes narrowed slightly, lips pursing only enough to draw Sakura's attention to them. The nymph drew closer, hands falling from her hips so she could reach out once more and curl her middle finger around the strands of pink hair draped over Sakura's chest. "You have so much bottled up," Ino whispered, taking another step closer until their toes were nearly touching. "How do you expect to deny him when you deny yourself so much?"

"What do you mean?" She hadn't meant for it to come out as a whisper but her voice was barely heard over the wind tangling the branches above their heads.

"I mean," the nymph said just as quietly, pressing the tip of her middle finger gently in the space between Sakura's breasts, pulling the neckline of her dress down an inch with it. "After a single kiss, I could smell your desire. Don't you think he can as well? He's going to use it against you unless you find a way to soothe it.”

Sakura swallowed tightly as the finger tugging the fabric of her dress fell away, leaving it bunched and nearly slipping off her shoulder. She barely noticed. Cutting her eyes away from the nymph once more, not wanting her to see the haze of embarrassment and the arousal she was trying to deny herself behind her gaze. When she found the words to speak, she could barely utter them out loud and shut her eyes as she took a breath. 

“I don’t know how.”

“I could show you.” The nymph’s words snapped her eyes open and she looked at the blonde with a scowl.

“No, I mean.” Another deep breath expanded her chest and pulled her shoulders back and the fabric barely clinging to it slipped down her arm. For once, Sakura didn’t care that it left her a bit exposed. “He’ll know what I did. He’ll know it was because of him.”

“Hatake will only know if he’s here in the realm, but he isn’t. He’s been away for a while.” Ino fluttered her fingers to the air, blue eyes darting to the sky and Sakura couldn’t help wondering where he was. The nymph gave her no time to voice her question. “Your secret will be safe with me.”

Sakura had been a fool to fall into the god’s trap and an even bigger fool to think he wouldn’t solve her riddle so quickly. She had been wrong about everything so far and she wasn’t about to trust this nymph so willingly. Narrowing her eyes and crossing her arms over her chest, she pursed her lips. “Why are you helping me?”

“Because,” Ino started, rolling her eyes. “These gods and their games get boring after thousands of years. Nothing fun has happened around here since—well, you’re the first fascinating thing around here in a long, long time. Let’s just leave it at that. Now.” The nymph took a step back and plucked a golden strand of hair from her head, right behind her ear. Sakura watched, half of her trying to piece together the puzzle of what she had just told her while the other half was too interested in what Ino was doing to care.

She held the strand of hair out at arm’s length and opened her fingers, letting it float down to the ground, curling and twisting in the breeze. It caught on the dead grass several steps away and Sakura turned to blink down at it, a frown pinching her brows in confusion. Was something supposed to happen? She opened her mouth to ask, but never got the chance.

From the ground, right where the single strand of hair landed, tufts of yellow and gold grass sprouted. They grew before her eyes, stretching high until the blades were nearly as tall as she was. Sakura stared with wide eyes, lips parted in surprise, and once the grass had come to a stop, she turned to face the nymph, a look of pride settling over her features. “How did you…”

“The gods aren’t the only ones with tricks up their sleeves. But,” Ino said, pivoting on her heel to point a finger at Sakura. “This is as far as my assistance can go. Don’t expect me to sprout your seeds for you. Now, you can lay down in the center and have enough cover from any prying eyes that might be close by. If Hatake enters the realm, I’ll let you know.”

“Wait.” Sakura blinked and shook her head. “You expect me to—out here? In the open? I—I don’t think grass is going to be enough... privacy .”

“You’ll never know until you try, Sakura. C’mon,” Ino said with a lilt of mischief in her voice. She nudged Sakura’s shoulder with her own and took a step back on her heels. “Don’t be such a prude.”

True to her fashion, the nymph’s words were emphasized by a cheeky smile mere seconds before she disappeared in a pop of petals that were quickly carried away by the wind. Sakura watched them crumble to dust long before they ever reached the ground and she let out a breath of a laugh. There was no way she could do what the nymph was suggesting.

Hatake was out of the realm, yes, but that didn’t mean she was alone here. There were spirits and other gods traipsing about and the thought of being seen by one of them brought the flush of heat back to Sakura’s cheeks. She crossed her arms around her waist and hugged herself tightly, staring at the bed of grass in the center of the tall, golden blades. 

No.

She couldn’t.

No matter how badly she was aching to relieve this tight tension of arousal, no matter how badly she wanted to imagine the god’s lips against her skin, teasing and fanning the flames inside her, she refused. It was a ridiculous plan. 

Don’t be such a prude …

The echo of Ino’s words annoyed her and she rolled her eyes, dropping her hands to her sides. Sakura glanced around her surroundings, spying the palace in the distance to the west and the fields the god had led her through the day before north of the grove she stood in. There was no one but the wind. No hidden spirits, no dark gods, no mischievous nymphs. No one but her.

Slowly, Sakura pushed her skirts to the side and lowered her knees to the ground. The dirt was cool beneath her but it couldn’t touch the heat pouring out of her. She crawled into the cover of the grass until it swallowed her up within. The breeze rustled the blades on the outside but she felt none of it in the center. There was just enough room for her to lay down, the bed already pressed into the ground as if Ino had designed it perfectly for Sakura’s body. 

As far as immortal’s tricks went, it wasn’t the worst she had seen so far. 

But it wasn’t enough to make Sakura want to do what was intended of her. She laid back on the grass bed, one arm bent beneath her head while the other draped over her stomach, fingers drumming impatiently. Staring up at the clouds high above her, Sakura recalled the last time she had been in this position.

The day she had fallen into the god’s trap, she had laid in the fields outside the village and watched the clouds lazily drift by. If she knew then, what she knows now, she would have never even snuck out of the gates that morning. She would have gone straight to the temples and prayed to the gods, thanked them for keeping her safe from what truly lurked out there. 

Well, her mood had certainly shifted and she let a sigh out of her nose, eyes opening to the same sky that plagued the underworld. Such a miserable color to fit such a miserable god. 

It was frustrating knowing he could change his realm, could make it whatever he wanted, and this is what he wants it to be. In the few moments he let the mask of a tyrant, unforgiving god slip, Sakura had seen enough to determine he wasn’t as miserable as he made himself out to be. In the fields, when he told her of the spirits and frightened her as a jest...as irritated as she had been with him, she couldn’t help but find him almost charming. Not to mention the way he had pulled her from that river and held himself over her on the grass, staring down at her with concern filling his eyes. 

At that moment, she could have kissed him.

She had wanted him to kiss her. 

If she was being honest with herself, if he were lying with her now, his body warm and stretched along the length of hers as he stared down at her, she would let him kiss her. She would let him do more if he did what he had the last time they were together.

Sakura closed her eyes once more and pulled her arm out from under her head, settling it over her stomach as well. She curled her fingers around the material of her dress draped along her ribs, barely noticing the way her sleeve fell from her shoulder once more. The hand she had kept on her lower belly inched down the length of her torso until she could feel the curve of her hip beneath her palm. Just beneath the tips of her fingers, right where her skirt parted and fell open, she could feel the warmth of her flesh. She swallowed tightly and pushed her fingers beneath the hem.

Before she could reach between her thighs, right where the heat and coil of arousal were hot and tight, her eyes snapped open and she let out a sigh. 

Oh, this was ridiculous!

She couldn’t do this here, so out in the open where anyone could stumble upon her. 

Sure, she wasn’t a stranger to the act and had done it before, but only ever in the darkness and safety of her own bed. Well, that wasn’t necessarily true. A single memory popped into her head, pinching her brow into a frown and Sakura swallowed back the embarrassment that singed her cheeks. She had almost forgotten the night she had stumbled upon one of the village men—someone a bit older than her and rumored to be quite a deviant—and a woman she hadn’t recognized.

They had thought they were discreet behind the tavern, using the cover of darkness to kiss and grope one another but Sakura had seen them. She had ducked behind a few crates and watched them, fascinated, curious, and a little scared. The man was so rough with the woman, pushing her dress to the side, his hands groping her breasts roughly, but the woman had smiled and moaned through the whole thing.

How could something like that feel good? Sakura couldn’t understand it then though it had aroused her to watch. Then she had wondered what it would feel like, what a man's caress would do to her, how a strong, calloused hand would treat the delicate flesh of her breast. 

Now…

Now she knew.

She could recall with strange clarity the way the god had slipped his hand beneath the fabric of her gown the day she had stood on the steps of his palace, filthy from the mud and terrified of him. The warmth of his fingers as they found the hardened bud waiting for them had stolen her breath then and the memory of it did the same to her now. Her breath left her lips in quick puffs and Sakura slid her palm to her chest, pulling at the dress until the cool air caressed the flesh of her breast.

She longed for the warmth of his hand but settled for her own, taking her bottom lip between her teeth as she pinched and palmed her nipple. Between her legs, her other hand had already found exactly where she needed it to be and Sakura closed her eyes with a shuddering breath as she slid her finger between her folds.

It didn’t surprise her to feel how warm and slick she was. She had been since the god had pulled her close the night before and kissed her neck. 

Oh, to have his lips against her now, sucking and tracing that spot just beneath her ear that made her entire body tremble with want…

Ripples of pleasure pulsed through her with every back and forth pass of her finger. Images of the dark god filled her head, his half-lidded gaze above her, watching her touch herself. She could see the way his hair would spill over his shoulder, parting around the horns twisting away from his head, and found herself longing to touch them, feel them beneath her fingers. In the back of her mind, the echoes of his promise coaxed her closer to the edge and she repeated it over and over in her head. 

When you finally submit to me, I’ll satisfy that ache you feel between your thighs.

She wanted him to. Gods, she wanted it more than anything. 

Despite the building heat, that coil tightening more and more within her, that her fingers were bringing her, it wasn’t what she wanted. It was only a substitute for what the god had promised her.

I’ll gladly drink it away on my tongue.

Oh, to have his tongue between her folds now, lapping and swirling, sucking and drinking that ache away just as he had said. She would surely find her relief then and with the thoughts of him between her thighs in her mind, Sakura moved her fingers faster, desperate to feel even a fraction of what he had promised her. 

Her lips parted around a gasp that she couldn’t swallow down in time and though she knew she should keep quiet, to hide herself as much as possible, she couldn’t. The pleasure, white-hot and nearly unbearable, was too intense. It eclipsed every rational thought in her mind aside from the need for more, and right then, at that moment, the god of the underworld could stand above her, watching her and Sakura wouldn’t have stopped. 

She almost wanted him to come back to the realm, wanted him to see what she was doing because of him. 

With another cry, louder this time now that it was accompanied by a rush of exquisite release, Sakura rocked her hips against her fingers and stroked herself in time with the waves of pleasure. She panted, whimpered, and sucked in air as she stilled in the aftermath, thighs trembling as she closed them around her hand and finally opened her eyes.

Part of her expected to see him standing there above the tall blades of grass, staring down at her, watching her and knowing the entire time what she had done. But she blinked up at the overcast skies, still alone in her hiding place, and waited for her pulse to settle. 

As the ripples and waves subsided within her, the fog of desire was starting to part in her mind. She could think clearly again, could focus on her main goal without distracting thoughts of whispered promises—no matter how enticing they were. 

Sakura sat up on her elbows and stared down the length of her body, quickly covering herself with the material of her skirts. The nymph had been right after all. She felt fresh, invigorated, and ready to face her next task. 

Rising to her knees to take a peek over the tips of the grass hideaway, she scanned the grove of dead trees and found neither god nor nymph lurking around. A tinge of warmth lingered on her cheeks but she pushed her embarrassment aside and stood to her feet. Sakura smoothed her skirt down around her and stepped through the grass, her bare feet finding the dead, brittle grass of the grove once more. She risked a glance down at the seedbed, exactly where she had left it, and though nothing had changed, it didn’t immediately fill her with worry. 

As Sakura turned on her heel to sneak back down the hill and make her way to the palace once again, she found herself hopeful for the first time in days. When the god returned to the realm, her head wouldn’t be so clouded by the fog he put her in. She would be just a bit stronger, could resist him for another day. And at the end of their game, when neither could win against the other, she would refuse to submit to him and he would send her away. 

Kakashi’s feet met the cold, broken tile lying scattered at the entrance of his palace. Everything was exactly as he left it and he knew the instant he returned that Sakura was where he expected her to be. Her presence, a faint perfume of blossoms in the air and an aura that had drawn him in from the moment he first saw her, was obvious deep within the palace. She was in the bedroom he had sent her away to the day before. 

While he had been hoping to sense some of her pent-up frustration from being teased so heavily by him, he was surprised by the sudden distraction that snatched his attention from the mortal. He spun on his heel and stared out at his realm, brows furrowing as he slowly stepped back out into the open. Nothing had changed and yet...something was different. 

He could feel it.

No.

He could smell it. 

Rich and heady and something he hadn’t smelled in a long, long time. It stirred his insides, twisting and coiling within him like a slithering heat and with a deep breath inhaled through his nose, Kakashi followed its trail to the west. He moved before ever taking a step, transporting himself to the hilltop grove where Sakura had planted her first seed. 

The bed was where he expected it to be, just beneath one of the bare, lifeless trees standing like sentinels on the knoll. But he hadn’t quite expected to see the tufts of grass swaying gently in the breeze. Blades of gold and yellow, flaxen like a familiar nymph’s hair, grew from the dirt in a wide circle. As the god moved closer, his eyes scanning the depths for anyone hiding within, he found nothing but the sunken middle with grass folded and stamped close to the ground.

Someone had been there. 

Someone whose scent still lingered in the air and he couldn’t resist drawing in another breath of it into his lungs. Sweet and aromatic, with just a hint of something familiar, it hung in the air and teased at his senses, begging for him to place the scent with its origin. 

Kakashi inhaled again and swept a hand over the bed of grass, combing his fingers through the blades until they withered away from his touch. They wilted, folding in on themselves until they dissolved into ash before they ever reached the ground and he stared at the single strand of hair caught in the brown, lifeless grass clinging to the hilltop. 

The smell wasn’t from the nymph. He was familiar with all of them and had known them for centuries. He would recognize any of them in a heartbeat.

This was new. 

It was fresh and alive.

Kakashi took a breath and glanced over his shoulder to where his palace stood in the distance. Her presence was still inside, quiet and patient—the complete opposite of how he had left her. 

“What did you do while I was away, little mortal?” He found himself whispering to no one but the wind, the question bringing a small smile to the corner of his lips. 

He turned his body toward the west, intent on finding her within the halls of his home, teasing her relentlessly and drawing her one step closer to her submission, but he didn’t move. Out of the corner of his eye, something caught his attention—something that he hadn’t seen in his realm in a thousand years. 

Perched on one of the naked branches of the tree, a few inches above the tip of his horns, a soft, velvety pink drew his attention and Kakashi stilled as his eyes focused. Surely he was seeing things. His lips parted and eyes narrowed, the god slowly lifted his hand—almost too afraid to reach out and touch it—and curled his fingers around the branch trembling in the wind.

At the end of the limb, with five petals of a delicate pink and a rich, violet center, a single flower had blossomed. Though he wanted to curl his fingers around it and ground it to dust, Kakashi could do nothing but stare at it. Such a tiny thing, barely there at all, but its purpose was far greater than he cared to admit.

Pursing his lips, he lifted his gaze from the flower and focused on the palace to the west. It seemed that he had been wrong to underestimate the little mortal. The fragrance of the flower filled his senses and though Kakashi wanted to find it sickening, wanted nothing more than to banish it from his realm, he didn’t.

He couldn’t.

It was the source of that heat that leaked through his body, the fragrance that had snatched his attention the very second he stepped foot in the realm.

It was her .

Chapter Text

A slow rumble of thunder, closer than it usually sounded, shook the columns of the palace as Sakura neared the entrance. At her back, the throne room sat, dark and uninviting and though she knew she was alone, she couldn’t shake the feeling of unseen eyes watching her every move. Knowing there were spirits of the dead forever roaming the fields of the underworld that she couldn’t see was enough to make her shiver.

The thought of invisible spirits following her through the monstrously dark passageways of the palace would keep her awake for days. A chill raced down her arms and she rubbed her palms across them, hoping to soothe away the goosebumps that pricked her skin. No matter how tempted she was to glance behind her, just to check to see if she were truly being followed, she didn’t. 

Instead, she drew nearer to the front of the palace, where stretches of gray light were cast across the marble floors. She could see the swamp mist in the distance and the top of the long, steep staircase just beyond the massive stone columns. 

And standing at the very top, his back turned toward her with his silver hair gently blowing across his shoulders, was the god who had summoned her. 

Of course, summoned was a nice way to phrase it. In truth, the god had appeared before her as she lay in bed, startling her so badly she nearly toppled onto the floor. A scream had pierced her room and the echo of it faded as she blinked up at him. 

“Meet me outside the palace,” he had said, his voice low and forced, as if he were trying to speak through clenched teeth. “There’s something we need to discuss.”

Perhaps the chill lingering in the air that Sakura couldn’t seem to shake off wasn’t from spirits hiding from her and watching her move about the palace, after all. Perhaps it was his cryptic summons that made her steps slow and quiet, stopping altogether a few paces inside the palace. 

As quickly as he appeared in her bedroom, pausing long enough to give her a single glance of his dark eyes along with his strange summons, he had left her alone and all Sakura could think was one horrifying thought.

He knew.

He knew what she had done and he was angry with her.

Though the nymph had assured Sakura that the god couldn’t know what she was doing in his realm while he was away, there truly was no reason to trust her. Had Ino’s friendliness been just another trick, something else to cement Sakura’s eternity in the realm of the dead? 

She wanted to be angry with the nymph, wanted to think about how she would rip those golden locks right out of her head the next time they crossed paths, but there was little room in her heart for much else aside from fear. Standing between the columns, staring at the tips of the horns stretching high above the god’s head would do her no good.

He knew she was there. He could sense her every move.

Knowing she had no choice but to join him on the steps, Sakura tucked a strip of hair behind her ear and stepped forward. Another clap of thunder rolled across the sky overhead and she glanced up at the clouds quickly racing by. If she had learned anything by now, it was that the realm of the dead was a direct reflection of the god; from the dilapidated statues and dead trees to the never-ending storms.

And if this storm was a reflection of his current state, then she knew that whatever he had to discuss with her wasn’t going to be pretty. 

Sakura kept as quiet as she could as she moved closer. It wasn’t until her toes brushed the hem of his robes pooled along the ground at his feet that she came to a stop just behind his left side. He didn’t turn to look at her or even acknowledge her presence in any way.

The god simply stared out at his realm as still and stoic as one of his statues standing high above them on the pediment. Sakura risked a peek up at him, the wind catching her hair and loosening it from behind her ear. A few strands slid across her face and she hooked her fingers around it, pulling it away. 

Her lips parted, words sitting at the tip of her tongue, waiting to be spoken. She didn’t get the chance.

Slowly, he turned his head to look down at her, the darkness in his gaze as shadowed as the passageways of his palace, and her lips clamped shut once more. 

“I’ve been called away from the realm.”

“Oh.” The word was barely a whisper on her lips and she blinked up at him, waiting for the rest, waiting for the wrath and anger she had been so afraid of. “Is everything alright?”

“Yes.” It was a simple statement yet left it quite clear to her that he wouldn’t elaborate much more. “No reason to worry yourself. Continue with your seedlings, decide on your next riddle, and I should return in a few days.”

What were days when time never seemed to move in either direction? Sakura pursed her lips but didn’t question him. She took a breath that pulled at her shoulders and lifted her face to the clouds churning overhead. If she were to tend to her task, she would need more than what he currently was providing. Knowing she would have to give him something in particular to bargain for her sunlight once more brought a fresh wave of warmth to her face.

She looked at the god just as he turned away and took a single step forward. Before Sakura could stop herself, she reached out and her fingers closed around the thick fabric of his robe. The heavy material barely budged an inch but he stopped and pivoted to look at her. Judging by the look in his eyes, he was surprised by it just as much as she was. 

With her eyes going wide, she quickly dropped her hand and let out a shaky breath, her mind suddenly drawing a complete blank. Why on earth had she stopped him? Her heart hammered wildly and her thoughts were slow to catch up, though once they did, reminding her of the bargain she had made with him, she regretted her outburst.

He didn’t speak. His dark eyes simply glanced from her face to where her hand now hung at her side before meeting her gaze once more. Slowly, almost teasing her to explain herself, his brow arched and Sakura swallowed the desert on her tongue.

“I—I need the sunlight.”

For just a brief moment, a fleeting beat of her rabbit heart, she thought she caught a curl twisting the corner of his lips but it disappeared before it could form. Either that, or he forced it away. She stared at his pale lips for a moment, realizing only a second too late that her body responded to the sight of them without her permission.

The muscles along her lower belly clenched with heat and she resisted the urge to shut her eyes, knowing it was better to keep them open. She watched him step back and turn to face her, his horns perfectly framing a bolt of lighting between their tips. It raced along the underbelly of the clouds and soon after, another roll of thunder followed. 

“You remember our bargain,” he asked, though it hadn’t sounded like a question. Sakura nodded and braced herself.

She tilted her head back slightly and let out a breath that nearly hitched in her throat. Every muscle in her body was tensed with electric anticipation that simmered through her, settling like a ball of led in her center. What was this feeling? She wasn’t too naive or oblivious to it, but how could it have gotten this intense? After she had satisfied the ache that dwelled within her, she was certain she wouldn’t be feeling anything like this.

But this feeling was just as bad.

No.

It was worse .

Her body was pulled tight, as taut as a string, desperate for a single pluck of his finger, and she could barely stand another second without the feel of his lips on her. 

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed his arm lift from his side, and half a breath later, the warmth of his palm spread across her hip. Even through the fabric of her gown, she could feel the heat of his touch and it nearly drew a gasp from her lips. 

The god lifted his other hand and brushed the strands of pink away from her shoulder, exposing the stretch of her neck and his eyes fell to the spot he had last kissed there. Sakura could still remember how it felt, how it made her moan and clench with an ache he had promised to drink away on his tongue. So caught up in her memories, she hadn’t realized she had reached for him again, pulling at the thick material of his robes until it brushed against her breasts. 

The hum of delight vibrating from his chest sent jolts of heat and lightning racing through her veins. “Tell me,” he whispered, ducking his head so his lips were just a ghost across her own. “Are you eager for your sunlight...or something else entirely?”

He talked too much.

He asked too many questions that Sakura didn’t want to answer. Or know the answer to.

Pursing her lips, she gripped his robes tighter and used her hold on them to lift herself onto her tiptoes. He pulled back as she tried to close the distance between them and his soft chuckle was anything but amusing to her. 

“What difference does it make?” She asked in a single breath. 

“All the difference in the world, Sakura.” The fingers he had brushed her hair away with circled her face and she could feel the tips of his nails touching the skin across her jaw. “If you’re this eager for the bargain we made now, I can’t imagine what you’ll be begging for when I return.”

She stared up at him, brows pinched in confusion, cold disappointment slowly creeping through the fire in her veins, extinguishing the flames he had put there. All she could do was let out another breath, a whimper barely caught in her throat before it could slip out. “What do you mean?”

The god dropped his gaze from her eyes just as his thumb traced the curve of her bottom lip. To her utter annoyance and disappointment, the warmth of his touch left her face and the hand he had kept at her side fell away. She stared at him, incredulous, furious, beyond irritated. Did he truly find so much enjoyment out of teasing her?

Taking a single step back, he lifted a hand and snapped his fingers. In an instant, the sunlight she had cursed only a day before returned and she squinted in the bright beams, throwing her hand up to shield her eyes. Her lips parted, a string of curses and particularly nasty insults at the ready, but she clamped her mouth shut as she stared at the empty space the god had stood.

He was gone. Out of the realm.

And she was alone in his underworld once again. 

.

.

Sakura remembered all too well how the sunlight scorched the tops of her shoulders and face. Spending hours beneath the beams had been miserable and her cheeks were still a bit tender to the touch. Today, it seemed, would be no different. In the few minutes after the insufferable god had left her alone at the top of those steps, she had debated on marching down to the swamp. Both to check on her seeds and to speak to the goddess there.

But what else could she tell her that Sakura didn’t already know? 

No one would be helping her out of this.

That was quite clear to her by now.

And while Sakura didn’t exactly want to be alone at the moment, tramping through the realm in search of friendship was the last thing she wanted to do. Especially when he had left her in such a frustrated state. 

Her fingers clenched into fists at her side and she narrowed her eyes on the space he had stood before her, wishing she could burn the stone step where his feet had been. The tops of her shoulders grew warm and she could feel the brutal heat piercing the crown of her head as well. With one final sneer, hoping that wherever the god was, he could see and feel her fury, Sakura spun on her heel and hurried into the darkness of the palace.

In just a short amount of time, she had gone from begging for the sun, for any kind of warmth, to retreating into the shadows away from it. The darkness of his place was tainting her, twisting her into someone that not only tolerated the solitude but almost welcomed it. She still longed to be home, still mourned the absence of her parents and friends, of course. That homesickness would never go away.

But if she were to return home now, Sakura wasn’t sure she would return the same person all of her loved ones knew her as. 

She hugged her arms around her waist and crossed the throne room, cursing the invisible eyes watching her from the dark corners. She could feel their gazes piercing through her, pressing down around her, smothering her. In the quiet moments between the thunderclaps, she could almost hear the spirits whispering about her.

Poor little mortal.

Doesn’t she know her fate is already decided by the god of the underworld?

She can’t keep resisting forever.

She’ll break soon.

Sakura came to a stop a few steps from the passage that led to her designated bedroom. She stared into the pitch black and let her hands fall to her sides. Whether the spirits were truly there or not, she wasn’t sure. They could have existed only in her imagination for all she truly knew, but right then, she could just see them hovering in the shadows, watching her with amusement and pity in their eyes.

“Leave me—” She spun on her heel and faced the throne room, sucking in a deep breath before letting it out in a scream. “— Alone !”

The sound of her voice echoed off the stone pillars surrounding the room and even the thunder in the sky outside had grown quiet. For several seconds, she stood in the silence that followed, chest heaving with every breath and in the wake of her outburst, she felt ridiculous.

There was no one in the palace. No one but her.

She had been screaming at no one and felt like a fool.

It shouldn’t have been such a surprise to feel this way. From the moment she had fallen into that pit, she had been a damn fool, always doing the wrong thing, making mistake after mistake. 

No.

Her loved ones would truly not recognize who she had become.

They knew her as a curious, intelligent young woman, someone who respected the gods and someone they could depend on.

And now, she was nothing but a damned fool.

Tears pricked at the back of her eyelids and she cut her eyes to the throne sitting in the back of the room. She could almost imagine what the god would look like sitting there, watching her with that dark gaze, curious and a bit amused, judging her tears as if he weren’t the cause of them. If he were here, she would want to give him a piece of her mind, let him hear exactly how wretched she thought he was.

But he wasn’t and she was alone.

Shaking off the almost unbearable weight of her loneliness, Sakura took a deep breath that stretched her chest and moved closer to the throne. She kept her narrowed gaze on it as she passed, wondering if it was the reason she couldn’t quite shake the feeling of being watched. With all the intricate carvings on the back of the stone, the animals and figures and symbols she couldn’t make sense of, it felt alive, felt sentient in some way.

As she neared the opposite side of the room toward the passageway waiting there, thunder returned in the distance, rumbling loud but not enough to tremble through the palace. By now, the noise barely registered in her mind. It was so frequent, the only time it pulled her attention was when it was close enough to crack the sky above her. 

She left the throne and the Great Hall behind, slipping into the hallway she had been in before, in one of her early days in the underworld. The day that strange, white-haired god had paid a visit, she had found herself venturing through this wing of the palace. Even now, days later and shrouded in complete darkness, she could remember the way to the room she had wound up in with the table of rotten fruit and that strange portrait of the god.

It had stayed in her mind ever since and she no longer had the strength to deny her curiosity. If the man in that portrait was the same god that stood before her, whispering delightfully wicked things in her ear, she might have succumbed to his desires much earlier. They were the same in appearance only. Something had changed in him—if it was an accurate representation of who he had once been.

Sakura let her fingers trace the wall on her right, knowing that after a short walk, the passage would turn to the right and lead to the room with that table. She pictured it in her head as it had been that day, topped with rotting fruit sitting in a pewter bowl. Though it disgusted her then, made her stomach turn, and nearly vomit, she doubted it would have the same effect on her now. 

The wall beneath her fingers turned to the right and she peeked around the corner, surprised by the soft glow of light coming from the room. Whatever magic he had over his palace seemed to only affect the candles in the rooms. She made a mental note to grab one of the candles and take it into the hallway with her when she left.

No longer stumbling in the dark, the short trip to the room was an easy one. As soon as she stepped inside, several stacks of candles on the floor, the wax dripping down the side cementing them to the tile, flared to life. Luckily, sitting in the center of the room was the table, no longer splintered from the god’s tantrum he had thrown, and on top, was a candelabra.

Four, white candles stood on either side of the central post and though Sakura was anxious to take another long look at the portrait, she ignored it for now and moved to the table. Without the bowl of fruit, there was nothing on the table but the candles and she lifted them into her hand, surprised by the weight.

In the glow of the light, it looked as if it were made of brass and it was certainly heavy like brass. She turned and hoisted the candles before her, moving to the portrait on the wall. It looked the same as it had, with the streak through the layer of dust she had wiped away. If it weren’t for the cobwebs clinging to the canvas, she would almost be afraid the figure would step right out onto the floor.

Her eyes followed the length of his body, moving quickly until she found his face once more. 

Yes, she was sure of it now. 

He was different.

The same face, same features, and hair and complexion but something was changed. Something in his eyes. 

Sakura took a step back and blinked up at him, the sense of unease giving way to the softness of her curiosity. She had seen glimpses of this god; the day he had pulled her from the river, standing above her, offering his hand to her. It was only a glimpse, but it was enough to secure a permanent place in her memory.

She saw it then, and again when he had looked at her beneath the crumbling gate. She wondered if he even knew the way he had been looking at her then, the edges of his dark gaze softening, all the malice and contempt he kept there nearly shimmering into something else. 

There was no way to know how long she stood there, staring up at the portrait, almost wishing this god could step out of the frame. 

Only when pain pricked at her eyes did she finally blink and turn away from the portrait, noticing another frame hanging on the wall just a few steps away. Unlike the one she stood before, this painting was hidden behind a thick, black curtain. Dust and cobwebs hung from the fabric like filigree on a floor rug. 

Sakura didn’t bother trying to wipe it away as she neared the frame. With one hand, she gripped the material and tugged. With only a slight hesitation, almost as if the curtain didn’t want to come loose, it fell to the floor at her feet. A cloud of dust poofed up from the material but Sakura ignored it and lifted the candles closer to the canvas.

Another portrait of the god, with the same regality and grace, but he wasn’t alone. Two figures stood side by side, the god she was familiar with facing the artist while the other, a god with dark hair and white horns that pointed up and away from his head, had his back turned. The two of them standing there together looked like complete opposites in every way, two sides of the same coin. 

Black hair to silver, white horns to black, one turned one way and the other facing away. The only similarity between them was the heavy, dark robes they wore. 

Sakura’s eyes narrowed as she stared at the other god. Were they brothers? 

If so, why had no one mentioned him?

As she shifted the candlelight to the left side of the portrait, another frame poking out from beneath a thick curtain caught her attention. Her curiosity was too potent to ignore. It carried her away from the strange canvas and she gave the second curtain a tug. Before it had ever hit the ground, she lifted the light up to see the scene.

Both gods were present again.

Hatake in the foreground, facing the east where a great battle was taking place. Above his head, an owl circled the sky and at his feet, a pack of snarling hounds were poised for an attack. To his right, a bit further away and too blurry to truly make out any features, was the dark-haired god. 

He held a sword in his left hand, pointing it directly at the sun in the upper left corner of the painting. There wasn’t much to see in this one, but his presence was unmistakable with his white horns and black hair. 

Whoever he was, he was important enough to fight alongside Hatake in a battle. 

Sakura moved on, wrenching the next curtain away to hold the light up to the canvas. The battle was over, thousands of soldiers lay dead at the feet of the victor; Hatake. He stood on a mound, trees rich with blossoms, bright pinks and violet and crimson framing him on either side. The hounds in the last portrait were here as well, some sitting patiently at his feet while others were scouring the battlefield.

A shiver raced down her spine to think of hounds searching for wounded or soldiers left alive, imagining that after they were found, their deaths would be brutal. Just behind Hatake’s right side, was the dark-haired god once again...only this time, someone had carved through the canvas.

A deep gash cut right through the god’s face, obscuring it completely. 

Sakura lifted a finger and traced the cut, her lips parting in surprise and frustration. Inside her mind, pieces of this puzzle raced by and each time she tried to push one in, it wouldn’t fit. Nothing added up. Nothing made sense.

Who was this strange, dark-haired god?

She turned and gripped the next frame’s curtain, pulling it away with a grunt. After carrying the heavy, brass candelabra, hoisting it up and wrenching thick curtains off the wall, her arms were starting to protest. Thankfully, this portrait was the last.

But if she thought it would answer any of the hundreds of questions in her mind, she was mistaken.

If anything, it only added more.

The canvas was in shreds. One long cut from the upper left corner to the bottom right nearly separated the two halves completely. They held on by threads and Sakura stared in confusion and horror. Who had done this?

Had...Hatake been the one to cut it?

He certainly had a temper.

In the back of her mind, she could see him grip the edge of the table and flip it easily, as if it were nothing but a coin in his fingers. 

Whatever the portrait had been, she couldn’t make it out now. The images were too scarred, too torn and frayed from the violence of the attack and time. Whoever had done this, wanted nothing left behind of the god. At the bottom, she could see feet painted onto the canvas, poking out from beneath black robes. On the right, a finger pointing into the distance. 

She lowered the candelabra to the floor and moved her hands to the canvas, lifting one of the tattered flaps, unfolding the nearly destroyed image barely clinging to the threads. The portrait, from what she could tell, mirrored the one on the far side of the room. There was only one man in the center, and though the image was too faded to know for sure, she could almost make out symbols and figures that represented him. 

Something gold had once been in his hands, perhaps a harp or trumpet. Sakura lifted the last section of the canvas and stared at the remaining paint that hadn’t been chipped away by blades or centuries. A black curve—possibly a left shoulder—and directly over it, a rich, lush forest of trees. At one time, she suspected the painting would have been beautiful, just like its twin.

She stared at the trees and moved closer, squinting to see better in the flickering light. Something stood at the center of the forest, just behind a few of the trees. It was bright, gold perhaps, and looked like...a gate.

In a flash, the memory of Hatake taking her to a similar gate in his realm played through her mind. The Gate of Dawn , he had called it. The first thing the dead see of the underworld…

Her eyes narrowed on the image, the faded gold peeking out from the tree branches. Yes, she could recall the Gate of Dawn, the ruined pillars of marble stretching up to the sky, the river snaking between the center. She remembered it and the warning Hatake had given her after taking her there. 

I brought you here for a purpose , he had said, brushing the back of his fingers against her jaw, making her eyes flutter. Even now, days later and worlds apart, she could almost feel the ghost of his touch on her face. Sakura closed her eyes as his words echoed through her head. This gate has an opposite, an almost exact mirror, in the northwest corner of the realm.

You must never go there.

She opened her eyes and stared at the gate in the painting. Without him here, without his dark gaze and stern frown, the magnitude of his warming was fading. The curiosity coursing through her was almost palpable, almost a tangible thing she could reach out and take hold of. It settled in her chest, a pulse that instantly synced to the beat of her heart, something she couldn’t ignore.

Something she wouldn’t ignore.

If she were to have the realm to herself for the next few days, then it was only logical for her to explore. She would be sure to stay away from the rivers, and she knew enough by now to keep herself alive. Besides, if she were in any true danger, there were nymphs and other deities traipsing about the realm.

With a final glance up at the ruined portrait, Sakura stooped to pick the candelabra up once more and made her way to the entrance of the room. She cast a second glance at Hatake’s portrait, lingering only long enough to catch one last glimpse, to memorize his beauty and grace, hoping that the next time she saw him, she would see it on his face.

But she knew better than that. 

It wasn’t often that the god found himself distracted and he couldn’t remember the last time a mortal had occupied his mind the way she did. Every waking thought was interrupted by her face flashing in his mind, the pout of her lips when she didn’t get her way, the memory of how smooth her skin felt beneath his touch.

And now, among the delicate thoughts the mortal girl left in his mind was a turmoil he hadn’t been expecting. A turmoil that stung his pride and made him curse his ego. 

He hadn’t seen it coming.

Never would have dreamed this would happen.

His carelessness infuriated him. 

He should have known, should have seen it coming but...how could he?

From the moment he first glimpsed her in that cave, she’d been an enigma to him and this new development was just another puzzle to her that he’d unravel. The god paced through the beams of sunlight streaming in between the pillars of the temple.

His fingers curled into fists, the tips of his nails digging into his palm, before he let them relax a moment, only to repeat the motion again and again. Beneath the points of his fingernails, pain was sharp and fleeting but Kakashi welcomed it. Somehow, it kept his thoughts focused. Every time those green eyes flashed through his mind, every time the echo of her voice mingled behind his thoughts, the god would clench his fists and use the sting of his nails to bring him out of the trance she left him in.

Lingering among the turmoil sitting like a stone in his stomach was something else, something that slithered out of the darkness, winding its way through his veins to squeeze his long dead heart. He was ignoring it for now, not yet wanting to face the possibility that the nagging sensation had returned, but it was becoming difficult to pretend it wasn’t there.

From the day he swept into that temple and stole Sakura away to his realm, he had only one goal in his mind. At every turn, he’d faced setbacks, faced the wrath of a tempestuous goddess, and just when the wall of ice and mistrust that surrounded his mortal had started to crack, he was met with something he feared more than he feared Tsunade.

Losing this game of theirs was suddenly a real threat, one he had been too arrogant to even consider as a possibility. How could a mortal fool the god of the underworld? How could he have been so foolish to let it happen?

So wrapped in his thoughts, Kakashi hadn’t heard the soft tap of sandals on the marble floor until a voice cut through the quiet of the temple.

“Don’t let Tsunade see you here.” The voice was tipped with humor and Kakashi lifted his head to see the messenger standing across from him. With one shoulder propped against the pillar at his side, Jiraiya flashed a grin. “She’s still rather upset with you.”

“The feeling is mutual. She’s been spying on me,” Kakashi sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“Be thankful that spying is all she’s doing.”

Anger and irritation surged into his chest, filling it with an unwelcome heat and Kakashi paced the floor of the temple once more.

“I didn’t come here to discuss Tsunade’s temper.”

“Then what did you come here for?” Pushing off the pillar, Jiraiya stepped closer to the dark god but the knowing grin never left his face. His steps were light, barely touching the ground at all, and by the time he had moved close enough to see the worry etched into Kakashi’s face, he dropped his arms to his side. It was evident there was something troubling the god’s mind and Jiraiya waited patiently for his answer.

Kakashi came to a stop and whirled back around, bringing one hand up to his chest. With a quick gesture, he pulled something out of the air and the messenger stared down at it, eyebrows arched in confusion. It seemed like nothing. Just a simple, pink flower, slowly revolving in the air above his black, tipped fingers.

“This.”

Jiraiya reached out for it but before he could touch one of the velvet petals, Kakashi waved his hands and it disappeared. “Coming to bring me flowers, Hatake?”

The god ignored the jest and scowled. “ She did this.”

“Who?”

“The mortal. Sakura! She sprouted life from nothing.” For the second time, Jiraiya’s eyebrows lifted nearly to his hairline and Kakashi rolled his eyes before turning away. He didn’t want to see the surprise on his face, knowing it too closely mirrored how he had felt upon discovering the flower. He paced back and forth once more, passing through a sunbeam and dragging the shadows around him, nearly blackening the light completely. “Tsunade may win our game sooner than she expects.”

“Hmm,” was all the messenger offered. He stood as still as a statue, only moving his eyes as Kakashi paced back and forth in front of him. “Is that why you’re so upset? Because you’re closer to losing to Tsunade…or because you might lose to a mortal?”

“What difference does it make?”

“Let me ask you something,” Jiraiya said, stepping closer to the path the dark god was following on the temple floor. His sudden nearness made Kakashi come to a stop and he waited patiently, clenching his hands into fists, focusing on the sharp dig of his nails into his palm. “How exactly did you plan to convince that girl to willingly stay in the underworld with you?”

Kakashi nearly growled, wishing he had been asked any other question but that one. Having to explain it, speaking the words out loud, filled him with a dread that settled like a stone in his belly. Though, out of all the gods, Jiraiya would be one of the few to understand, the thought of admitting his plan of seduction wasn’t ideal. Luckily, he didn’t have to even voice his answer.

The messenger god nodded and the corner of his lips lifted in a smirk. “That’s what I thought.”

“It doesn’t matter anymore,” Kakashi snapped, that insufferable flower once again sprouting in his mind, replaying over and over to plague him with more questions and more doubts. “This,” he paused, snapping his fingers to bring the blossom back into his hand. “Is the product of my plan and if I continue, if she realizes the potential of her power, then I lose.”

Her , a quiet voice finished inside his head. Then I lose her.

Jiraiya’s eyes lifted from the flower still hovering above Kakashi’s palm and met his gaze. A slight twinkle passed through his stare and that knowing curl returned to his lips as if he had heard the words the god couldn’t bring himself to speak out loud.

“There’s more than one way to seduce her, my friend.”

Closing his hand, Kakashi’s fingers passed through the image of the flower and the velvet soft petals disappeared in a wisp of pink and white. He set his gaze on the god standing before him and pursed his lips, not exactly sure he wanted him to elaborate. Speaking about this with anyone was strange… embarrassing almost, which he hadn’t felt in hundreds of years. 

The god of the underworld, the decider of fates, the archon of the realm of the dead reduced to a bothersome mortal emotion all because of one single woman. 

Pathetic , he thought to and of himself. Poor, lonely god on his throne throwing a fit like a petulant, spoilt child at the thought of his mortal plaything leaving him. 

The voice in his head didn’t quite sound like his voice though it was a familiar one.

When he spoke, his voice was quiet and low. “How?”

A grin, slow and teasing, spread across the messenger’s face and he lifted a hand to his chin, stroking either side with his thumb and middle finger. “Have you considered seducing her mind, gaining her trust, or being kind?”

Kakashi scoffed and cut his eyes away. “It’s beneath me.”

“If you truly thought that, you wouldn’t be here.” His words snatched the god’s attention back and Jiraiya held his hand up, snapping his fingers. The sound barely echoed off the walls before one of the spirits appeared at his side, presenting a decanter and flagon. Jiraiya spoke as he neglected the flagon and chose to drink straight from the source. “She’s not a goddess, Hatake. She’s not a nymph, or a siren. She’s a mortal and if you want her to choose you, you’re going to have to seduce more than her body with your divine prowess.”

The thrill of their game, knowing this was only another tangle of the puzzle he’d unravel with a more delicate touch, teased at his insides, coiling through his midsection. It was almost enough to cut through the dread that still lingered within him. Almost, but not enough. He pushed the feeling aside and his jaw clenched tight. 

“And if she figures out her potential?”

Jiraiya shrugged, tipping the decanter up to pour several gulps down his throat. When he pulled it away from his lips with a smack of his tongue he reached out with his free hand and clapped Kakashi on the shoulder. “Conquer that mountain when you get to it.”

“Master,” a small, shaking and timid voice whispered from just beside Kakashi’s knee, startling the messenger god. The decanter tipped out of Jiraiya’s hands and he caught it before it could fall to the floor. A splash of wine hadn’t been so fortunate and Kakashi felt the droplets hit the bottom of his robes as he turned to stare down at the sudden appearance of an imp.

One of his imps.

Specifically, one that had no business in the divine realm unless there was something wrong.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes on the creature, its ears far too big for its face. It held its tail, curling it around its hands in a nervous habit. “What?”

“The mortal girl,” the imp croaked, its voice scratchy and barely used. 

“Spit it out.”

“She’s…She found the North Gate.”

Fuck !

“Release the hounds,” he snarled, waving a hand in the air over the imp’s head. Without another word, the creature disappeared in a swirl of dust and smoke.

From his side, he heard Jiraiya let out a defeated sigh, mourning the loss of his wine, and grumbled a string of curses beneath his breath. He lifted his head and opened his mouth to voice his displeasure a bit louder to the god of the underworld. He never got a chance. 

A bolt of lightning, brighter than the sun and so strong that sparks arced between the pillars surrounding the room, flashed and immediately after, the ear-splitting crack shook the surrounding temples. Jiraiya shouted, but his voice was faded by the time the light had dimmed and he stared at the temple around him, suddenly alone.

Chapter Text

After the past few weeks, Sakura had gotten used to the way the realm changed when its archon was away. The clouds were thicker, the smell of distant rain filled the air, and the wind was wild and violent. It pulled the strands of her hair this way and that as she stood in the fields but she didn’t try to tuck it behind her ears or secure it. 

Her thoughts were elsewhere, snatched up by the breeze and taken off into the distance. The edge of the asphodel field, with the stalks of the long dead flowers forced halfway to the dirt with every intense gust, stood to her left in the east. In the back of her mind, she knew the spirits of the dead drifted back and forth for eternity and standing this close to them brought a small chill to her body.

But it wasn’t to the east where she stared.

North was her destination.

The cliffs that surrounded the realm, preventing anyone from entering uninvited and her from sneaking out, were towering in the direction of the gate. They stretched so high into the sky that the tips disappeared into the wisps of clouds and the lightning was constant above them. 

Just beneath the cliffs, through the bare and broken branches of a dead forest, she could see the edge of the gate, the gold faded and tarnished. Each bolt of lightning glittered off the surface and she wondered how she hadn’t noticed its existence before. 

Another one of his illusions keeping it from her? 

Sakura pursed her lips and pulled in a deep breath through her nose, knowing the longer she stood there, staring into the wind, the less time she had. The god had said he’d return in a few days, but could she trust him? He’d never exactly given her a reason to trust him. He hid things from her for a reason and whatever he was hiding from her at that gate, she had a feeling it would lead her to her escape. 

And so, with no other reason to linger in the field, she pressed onward, leaving the palace and the fields of dead asphodel behind. As she neared the edge of the forest, she half expected to be met with some resistance, whether the god returned early, or her nymph friend appeared in a flutter of petals. But there was nothing and no one in her way.

Before she passed into the trees, Sakura turned and scanned the realm behind her. In the distance, the crumbling pillars of the palace stood like ghosts, watching and waiting—for what, she wasn’t sure. A roll of thunder passed overhead in time with the shiver that fell down her spine and she turned back to face the trees, undeterred. 

It wasn’t ideal to walk through a strange forest with her feet bare and she was beginning to regret not hunting down a pair of shoes before she left the palace. The ground was littered with dried, splintered limbs or dead leaves that crunched and poked at the soles of her feet. Sakura winced and used the tree trunks to lean against, stepping carefully over the roots that curled out of the black soil like fingers. Some were as tall as her waist and others just big enough to catch her toes on, making her hiss and stumble.

The heart of the forest blocked the wind but overhead, between the black limbs of the trees, the lightning was never-ending. It lit the clouds with streaks of blue and white, a constant reminder that just because the god was out of the realm, his power lingered. Would he strike her down if she got too close to the gate? She hadn’t considered that possibility, but something in her made her doubt it.

He wasn’t a decent god, but he had never actually tried to hurt her.

In fact, the closest she had come to seriously endangering herself, he had been there to pull her from the depths of the river and seemed genuinely relieved she hadn’t been hurt. 

No, he wouldn’t strike her with the lightning bolts…She just hoped that whatever repercussions she faced for disobeying him wouldn’t be too terrible.

By the time she could see one of the pillars of the gate through the trees, she was nearly out of breath and her feet were filthy and aching. The black soil and flecks of dead leaves covered her toes and feet halfway to her ankles. Needless to say, the hem of her skirt was nearly black. All thoughts of pain and filth were pushed from her mind as she stumbled around a large, fallen tree and emerged from the forest.

There was a clearing, only large enough that the gate could stand without touching any of the gnarled branches around it, and directly behind the pillars, a rift was carved into the earth. Black ash scorched the edges of the soil and Sakura stumbled back on her heels at the sight. There was nothing beyond—just an endless abyss that stretched on to the cliffs. 

Was that why he had warned her not to get close? She frowned. Did he think she was a child? Anyone that came close would see that the ground just… stopped . Only an imbecile would traipse right over the edge. 

With her lips still pursed into a scowl, Sakura tipped her head back and followed the length of the pillar closest to her to where a large, golden arch sat. At one time, it would have truly been a marvel to see. The evidence of what it once was still showed through the tarnished edges and broken facade and she crept just a bit closer, staring up at the gate with such an intensity, she didn’t notice she was no longer alone.

Too busy studying the relief sculpted in the gold pediment, Sakura was oblivious to the hooded figure leaning against the pillar to her right. And when he spoke, his voice startled her and she whirled around with a hand pressed against her racing heart.

“So the rumors are true.” 

The figure didn’t lift their head to look at her. They simply stood with their back against the pillar, one foot propped up so their knee was bent, and examined their fingernails. Sakura blinked and took a few steps back, her thoughts frenzied and unlikely to form a coherent sentence out of fright.

“Hatake’s found himself a little, mortal pet .”

The tone of the figure’s words brought a scowl to her face and she dropped her hands to her waist before narrowing her eyes on the person. With the hood drawn so low over their face, she had no idea who they could be. The only indication of who they were was the sound of their voice; it was definitely a man.

The black-haired god?

Sakura’s gaze flickered up to the hood on his head and frowned. If there were horns hidden behind there, he did a good job concealing them. She stopped retreating away from him and hesitated only a moment, just long enough to make sure no one else had sneaked up on her before she replied.

“I’m no one’s pet.”

The man laughed and lifted his head, turning to look at her. Behind the thick, black fabric covering his face, all she could see was one eye and pale skin of his cheek. His gaze dropped to her throat and she pressed her fingers to the cool metal of the choker around her neck.

“That collar suggests otherwise.” With a shrug, the man pushed away from the pillar and took a single step toward her. Sakura took two away from him and he stopped with a soft, raspy laugh. “I take it he’s told you to stay away from me?”

“No,” she said, hating that her voice barely came out as a whisper. “He hasn’t told me anything about you, actually.”

The man made a noise, a mix between a scoff and a sound of disapproval and Sakura leaned to the side, hoping to catch a glimpse of more of his face. If he noticed, she wasn’t sure, but he turned away and strolled back through the gate. 

“Figures,” was all he said before disappearing around the pillar.

“Who are you?” Sakura quickly hurried around it to meet him behind the gate, careful not to go through it, just in case it led her somewhere else—somewhere worse. By the time she should have seen him, her steps faltered and she blinked at the empty space. There was nothing but the ash strewn over the dead grass and the black rift to her left. Had he disappeared? 

“Oh, I probably shouldn’t tell you that.” His voice was above her now and she quickly tilted her head back with a sharp gasp. The man sat atop the gate, one knee bent with his arm draped over it and the other hanging against the gold pediment. “I wouldn’t want to offend anyone with my existence.”

“Are you the dark-haired god?” She was growing tired of the riddles and circles deities had a habit of talking in. For once, she wanted a straight answer, and to get that, she didn’t waste time with vague questions. “The one from the portraits in the palace.”

The figure tilted their head to the side as he stared down at her and if the shadows beneath his hood didn’t obscure his face, she’d be in the perfect position to see him. As it were, she could only see the hooded cloak he wore and his bare feet dangling above her. 

To her surprise, he tilted his head back and laughed, the sound echoing over the angry rumble of thunder passing through the sky. “Don’t tell me he’s kept those awful things.”

“Well, sort of.” She shifted on her feet and wondered if this was something she should even be telling him. If Hatake wanted anyone to know about them, he would have kept them uncovered and pristine. Then again, if he truly didn’t want her to know about them or this god, he could have done a better job communicating his wishes. Pursing her lips, she crossed her arms over her chest and looked back up at the figure. “They were covered and one was...destroyed.”

“Let me guess which of the five was destroyed.”

“Your portrait,” she said, hoping he would confirm her suspicions. For several seconds, he said nothing and only sat as still as a statue, staring down at her. Though she couldn’t see his face, she could practically feel his gaze piercing through her and she quickly darted her tongue out to wet her lips. Sakura opened her mouth to ask him again if he was the dark-haired god but never got a chance to utter a single word.

In the blink of an eye, the figure pushed off the arch of the gate and landed before her with barely a stumble in his step. Sakura retreated on her heels until her back was against the pillar and stared at the hood covering his face, her chest rising and falling with each breath. He lifted his hands to his face and she held her breath, eyes wide in anticipation.

Slowly, the material fell away and a shimmer of gold raced over the crown of his head. From his temples, two, white horns appeared. One stretched out and up, away from his head, while the other caught Sakura’s eye in an instant. It was broken, jagged at the stump and she couldn’t swallow the small gasp in her throat quick enough.

Whether the god was offended by her surprise or not, she wasn’t sure. Either way, the corner of his pale lips lifted in a crooked smile and he held his hands out at his side as if presenting himself to her.

“You’re quicker than his other pets. Most never venture out of the palace long enough to even see the ruins of his perfect realm.”

Other pets? Sakura blinked. She hadn’t exactly thought that she might be the only mortal Hatake had brought to his realm but now that she was faced with that realization...well, she wasn’t quite sure how she felt. Jealousy was her first guess but she refused to accept that she might actually envy being only one of many.

“So, tell me,” the god said, stepping closer. He folded his arms over his chest and studied her for a moment, his eyes never falling from her face though she felt as if he could see so much of her. His scrutiny left her feeling vulnerable and exposed and Sakura crossed her arms around her waist. “What makes you so different, Sakura?”

A frown pinched her brows. “How did you know my name?”

“Because, I’ve been watching you.” The god moved closer and though she didn’t think he would hurt her, she didn’t exactly want to find out either. Not when Hatake was out of the realm and couldn’t be there to save her. When he reached the pillar she was currently pressed into, his toes nearly touching hers, the god lifted a hand and placed it right beside her head. “And I’ve been waiting for you.”

Maybe she had been wrong before. She couldn’t be too sure he wouldn’t hurt her and the look in his eyes as he stared down at her was strange—like he was staring at her but seeing someone else. She swallowed the fear creeping up her throat and quickly ducked under his arm, hurrying around the gate toward the forest she had come from. 

Before she reached the line of trees, she whirled around and blinked, staring at nothing between the pillars. He was fast and she was alone. She licked her lips again and took a step toward the forest, but before she could get far, his voice reached her ears, stopping her in her tracks.

“I know you want to go home, Sakura. I can take you back.”

Her heels dug into the loose soil and dried leaves and she whirled around to face the gate once more. The god stood between the pillars, leaning against one the same way he had been when he first spoke to her. Only now, the hood was down and his gaze stared right through her. She felt the heat of it and shivered, unable to move, unable to even blink. 

She was ensnared, a moth caught in the web of a spider. All she could do was utter a single word from her lips. “H-how?”

“It's quite simple, really. All you would need to do is—”

The ground beneath her shook, breaking through his answer and upsetting her balance, but finally, the spell she had found herself under was broken. She blinked and stared down at the trembling dirt and twigs between her feet, her lips parted in confusion. 

An earthquake?

Sakura sucked in a breath and lifted her head, finding the god exactly where he had been, seeming unfazed by the vibrations. The only evidence she could see to tell her that he felt them too was the deep scowl on his face, eyes narrowed into slits and his lips curled in contempt. 

Behind her back, limbs snapped and hit the earth like rain. The sound sent a wave of terror spiking up her spine and she whipped around to face the forest, watching the line of trees sway and buckle from whatever was coming their way.

“What's happening?” She asked, stepping back on her heels, drawing closer to the gate at her back.

“He's sent his mongrels after you.”

Horrible, grating snarls filled the air so suddenly, so loudly that it nearly drowned out his response. It met Sakura’s ears just as a black shadow ripped through the forest. One tree was caught in its path and the trunk cracked and splintered before hitting the ground so hard, it pulled a shriek from her throat. She retreated further, faster, and her balance was thrown off by the hem of her skirt stuck beneath her heel.

Her backside hit the ground just as the shadows parted, slipping away from the beast. 

Two massive paws landed on either side of her legs and Sakura stared up at the underside of a dog’s head. Only, it wasn’t just a dog. It was some amalgamation of three dogs—or at least their heads—with sleek, black fur, six ears pointing to the dark skies above, and three, snarling mouths filled with razor-sharp fangs. A growl reverberated from its barrel chest, trembling through Sakura so violently, her fingernails scraped through the dirt and grime beneath her. 

She opened her mouth and a scream ripped the back of her throat with its force. 

“You are forbidden from this realm, betrayer.” From beneath the beast towering over her, a small, but steady and confident voice spoke. It silenced Sakura’s screams and she sucked in a breath of surprise, scrambling back as a second animal moved between the paws of the other. A small dog, much smaller, strolled forward with its dark, downturned eyes staring behind her.

“I don’t believe you have the power or the authority to stop me.”

The dog barked out a laugh and made its way closer to Sakura, pausing at her feet to lift a paw and set it gently on her ankle. 

“You’re right,” it said, glancing from the god to her face. “But you know who does.”

“If he wants me gone so badly, he can make himself known.” 

“Come with us, Sakura.” Hearing an animal speak her name shouldn’t have surprised her after all she had seen in the underworld, but it did. She gave a small start and blinked down at the dog before glancing up at the beast still snarling and tense, ready to snap if need be—ready to tear something to shreds. “It isn’t safe here, not with his lies and deceit to taint your mind.”

“Hah!” The god laughed behind her, sounding closer than he had been before. She resisted the chill that threatened to race down her spine and nodded. Somehow, for some reason, she trusted the little dog and found comfort in the soft press of his paw on her leg. It was the first time anyone—or anything—had attempted to console her since she arrived in this realm. “You speak of lies and deceit to her as if her mind isn’t already tainted by him. Ask him about me when you see him, Sakura.”

Once she was on her feet again, and unfortunately closer to the three heads of the enormous beast, she swallowed her fear. Against her better judgment, she turned to glance back at him from over her shoulder. The god was pacing before his gate, his cloak billowing behind him like the black ash that covered the ground, and his eyes pierced right through her.

“Ask him why he banished me from his precious realm,” he spat. “Better yet. Ask him about Rin.”

A clap of thunder cracked the sky above them, loud enough to make her ears ring like a bell, and Sakura flinched, throwing her hands up to cover her ears. She felt another press of a paw, more urgent and forceful than the last against her ankle, pushing her away from the gate. But she couldn’t move.

Couldn’t blink.

He had returned.

Her lips parted in a sharp breath that froze in her throat at the sight of him.

Black horns spiraled above his head, sharp as daggers and just as deadly as he took a step toward the gate. His lips were moving but she could hear nothing but the shrill ringing in her ears. Even once she lowered her hands, his voice was muffled. All she could make out was his tone and she suddenly wished she was completely deaf.

Anger was an understatement.

Fury was too soft.

His rage wafted off of him like smoke, acrid and deadly if she breathed too much in, and the static that surrounded him licked and stung her flesh. 

Another prod at her feet, the edge of her skirt pulled back toward the forest, forced her feet to move but she couldn’t take her eyes off of him. She couldn’t look away from his power and horror and she watched him step near the other god. Neither backed away from the other and she knew now why he had kept this from her.

Oh, what a fool she was.

As the dog at her side guided her away from the gate, into the line of trees not destroyed by the beast trampling through them, she put her hand to the nearest trunk and hesitated. The dark-haired god, with his broken horn and black robe hanging from his shoulders, lifted his gaze and ensnared hers. Sakura watched the corner of his lips lift, so slightly she had almost missed it completely, and with a single blink of her eye, he vanished.

And now, there was nothing to distract Hatake from turning his attention on her.

She couldn’t turn away fast enough, couldn’t push away from the tree at her side to race back to the palace, to flee his wrath. 

How could she flee a god? Especially one that had set his sights on her, who has been several steps ahead of her since the moment she first laid eyes on him.

He moved, the silver of his hair and black of his horns nothing but a blur before her, and Sakura whipped around to face the forest.

All at once, the broken branches and bolts of light racing above them disappeared. She could no longer feel the tug of her skirt around her legs or the comforting touch of a paw at the back of her ankle. There was nothing but darkness and the ground beneath her fell away.

A gasp, one single second of a breath, echoed in her ears as the infinite darkness enveloped her completely. It was cold, but not foreign. It was a darkness she had felt before—seconds before she landed in her bed after being touched and promised such deliciously wicked things days ago. 

He had sent her away without even lifting a finger. Knowing he had that much control of her should have frightened her but all she could think about was the regret sinking through her. Regret that she had disobeyed him again.

Just as the echo of her gasp disappeared from her ears, she landed with a deep bounce in the plush mattress of her bed. Her hair fell around her like a halo and she stared up at the grey light barely reaching through the window across the room. A storm was waging outside, more violent than she had heard before.

Rain pelted the sides of the palace like daggers and a gale beat against the marble with all its might. Flashes of light made the shadows of her room dance across the walls and ceiling, making shapes that would have normally frightened her. But none of it compared to what she knew was coming. 

This wasn’t something he would send her away to sulk quietly in her room about. She had never seen him so furious, had never seen anyone that terrifying.

Sakura sat up on her elbows and stared at the door to her bedroom, her heart thundering so loud in her chest it almost drowned out the storm outside. With every labored breath, her chest rose and fell and her stomach clenched tight, the muscles tense and coiled for a fight she would never win. She didn’t know how she knew, but she could almost feel his presence. He was close...and his anger was violent.

Thunder crashed in time with the door cracking so hard against the wall behind it, the wood splintered in two, and in the flashes of light, she could see the god silhouetted against the darkness. He moved forward, his steps steady and silent, but with each one, she flinched and scrambled further into the pillows behind her.

“Did he touch you?”

Her eyes widened at his words and she struggled to answer him. The back of her tongue had gone dry as a bone and she stammered for a moment, trying to find her voice.

“No.”

The god took a deep breath and as he drew nearer, she watched the shadows and light pass over his face, twisting his features.

“I told you,” he murmured, the tone of his voice low and dark. “To stay away from there.”

“I-I—”

“Why must you defy my every command?” 

He stopped at the foot of her bed, his hands lifting to the two posts on either side of him. She watched him grip them both in his hands, his nails piercing the wood. “Why must you push me time and time again only to make me feel guilty when I’m forced to react? I know this isn’t an inherent trait in all mortals so, tell me, Sakura…”

The sound of her name on his lips sent ice racing through her bloodstream and she scrambled off the side of the bed to get away from him. She spun on her heel and pressed her back into the cold stone wall, her chest heaving. Every thought in her head was in a frenzy, too scared to even properly form and she could do nothing but stand there and watch his hands fall from the posts he had taken hold of. 

Puncture marks were left behind where his nails had splintered the wood and Sakura allowed herself only a moment to stare at them in horror before she blinked her attention back to the god. Each flash of lightning outside brought him closer and closer to her until he lifted his hand and placed it on the wall to the left of her head. Sakura shut her eyes tight. 

For the second time that day, a god cornered her and she was left helpless before him. But unlike with the dark-haired god, she didn’t duck away or run. 

“Do you enjoy infuriating me?” The sound of his voice, quiet and full of a thousand unspoken threats, sent chills down her spine. To her surprise, it also ignited a warmth inside her that clashed with the shiver that covered her arms with gooseflesh. She felt the ghost of his lips against her jaw before he spoke again, pulling a silent gasp from her throat. “Is that what brings you pleasure? Does it arouse you to see me enraged and furious?”

Did it?

She didn’t know.

Maybe it did.

Maybe she liked the way his darkness terrified her.

“You’re playing a dangerous game, Sakura.” The warmth of his breath opened her eyes and she peered up at the god through her lashes. Slowly, he lifted his hand to her face and pressed his fingers against the line of her jaw, his thumb coming around to grip the other side. A flash of light from the window lit his face and she stared into the unfathomable darkness of his eyes. “A game that I don’t think you’re equipped to lose... or win .”

“I’m not playing anything,” she whispered, cursing her voice for hiding from him. It had buried itself deep inside her, praying for safety with the rest of her confidence and determination. In their place, there was nothing left but her fear, cowardice, and…

Something she didn’t want to admit even existed in the first place.

The absence of her pride left room for those darker wants to sneak in and she could feel them seep into her veins, boiling her blood and filling her with a craving that should have disgusted her. Instead, she found her own hands lifting to his body, finding their usual place curled around the robes that hung from his shoulders. 

“Oh,” the god purred, tipping his head lower so she could feel his lips against her ear. “But you are. You may think the way to win is to follow your pride and refuse to submit, but it isn’t.”

A frown pinched the space between her brows and she leaned her head back until the cold of the stone wall touched her hair. Every flash of lightning that lit her room, she could see the look in his eyes and found every desire, every need that coursed through her veins mirrored in them. Seeing it there left her trembling but not out of fear. 

It was getting hard to remember why she ever wanted to resist him in the first place. If she felt like this while being terrified of him, without even kissing him, what delight and pleasures could he give her if she submitted? Was this how he made the others feel, all of his mortal pets that came before her?

She stared up at him, hoping that her soul hadn’t yet decided to give up this fight like her body had. “Why do you treat me differently than your other mortals?”

As soon as the words left her lips, regret tightened its hold on her throat. Lightning flashed, illuminating the god before her and she spotted the tight clench of his jaw at her question. Something passed behind his gaze, something that made her hesitate to speak again. It was a darkness she had seen before, but only in the quick seconds before he could reign it in.

Sakura swallowed her trepidation and forced her voice out of hiding.

“I know I’m not the first, but I don’t think you played these games with the others. Tell me why I’m different.”

For several seconds, with her heart racing inside her chest, silence settled between them like shadows. The darkness of her room lingered longer between flashes of lightning now and for the first time, she wished for just a few more. When he finally spoke, his whispers cutting through the silence, Sakura flinched.

“What makes you think you are?”

Her eyes met his in the darkness and she almost pressed her lips together to keep from answering him. But the words slipped out before she could.

“The god from the portraits. The one you kept hidden from me.”

“Anything I’ve kept hidden from you is for your own protection. What must I do to make you believe that?”

Though she wanted to protest, Sakura stayed quiet as Hatake let his hand fall away from the wall to put a bit of space between them. Her chest no longer pressed against his and the sudden cool air of her room was like ice hitting her skin. She let her hand fall from his robes as her mouth opened to argue, though she should have known better.

“He said—”

“I don’t care what he said!” The sudden volume of his voice made her flinch, her eyes shutting tight as he stood to his full height. She almost expected him to turn away from her completely, but he remained where he was and stared down at her with eyes narrowed in a rage she knew he was trying to control.

Outside, the lightning had returned to its full force and she could see the flashes of it behind her eyelids. Despite the fear within her begging her to keep her eyes shut, she opened them slowly and stared up at him. A storm, more violent than anything she could experience in his realm, swirled behind his gaze. Anger and fury and a desperation she hadn’t been expecting to see silenced any argument she might have wanted to make. 

The god dragged in a deep breath through his nose and she watched it expand his chest and shoulders. As her eyes met his once more, he spoke.

“Because of your continued disobedience, you will not be permitted to leave the palace.”

Sakura stared up at him in horror, her mind instantly turning to thoughts of her seedlings. No progress had been made to get them to sprout, but she couldn’t just abandon them, abandon her only chance at winning their game and going home.

“For how long?”

“Until I say.”

Before she had a chance to stop herself, she pressed her palms against his chest and shoved. He didn’t budge an inch despite her efforts and instead, stared down at her with a hint of amusement that only a pompous god could possess. “That isn’t fair and you know it!”

To her surprise, his hand reached out in time with the flash of lightning that illuminated the room. Sakura had only a single beat of her heart to suck in a sharp breath. The warmth of his fingers wrapping around her wrist sent an electric jolt racing through her midsection and she blinked in surprise as he pulled her close to him. 

Once again, he found her face in the darkness, the cool touch of his fingers making her shiver and forcing her to look up at him. Her breath came out in quick, hot puffs and she darted her gaze up to meet his as he spoke.

“It’s for your protection,” he said quietly, the tone of his words, so soft and low, made her breath hitch in her throat. She could only watch as he dipped his head lower, her eyes wide in anticipation, and every muscle in her body clenched tight to fight the rush of desire that coursed through her veins like bolts of lightning. 

“If you truly cared about my protection, you wouldn’t leave me here alone. You would stay with me.”

Judging by the look on his face, the god was just as surprised by her words as Sakura was to hear them slip from her lips. She swallowed, but it was too late. He stared down at her, his brows pulled together in concentration and slight confusion. From the corner of her eye, she noticed his tongue dart out to lick his lips so quickly she almost missed it altogether and it drew her eyes down to his mouth.

“You want me to stay.” It wasn’t a question. 

Did she?

She didn’t know anymore.

Her thoughts and feelings toward him were clashing with how she knew she should feel. 

Sakura lifted her gaze, her eyelids heavier now from the haze of warmth sinking inside her, and found herself nodding before she had even decided on an answer. “Yes.”

At her throat, his hand had grown still and lingered along her collarbone. He traced the bottom edge of her collar with his middle fingernail and she could tell he was considering her proposition, his divine ego making him hesitate. Would a god bend to the will of a mere mortal? She hadn’t asked him to stay. She had demanded him. 

A breath held tight in her throat, pressing against the back of her tongue like a ball of heavy lead as she waited for his answer. Beneath his scrutiny, her face—her entire body—was flushed with heat. She felt it drip down the small of her back in a tiny bead of sweat and wondered if it had more to do with the warmth of the room or the desire she was fighting to ignore. 

It was almost impossible now.

After what she had done to herself, after knowing what it was like to feel his lips on hers and his hands teasing the sensitive spots of her body, her desire for him was nearly palpable. And though she had proposed for him to stay in the realm to keep her from being held prisoner in his palace, Sakura couldn’t deny that in his absence, she had almost missed him. 

“If that is what you wish,” he finally spoke, nearly making her start. She blinked up at him in slight disbelief. “Then I’ll stay in the realm and I’ll escort you out of the palace when you wish to tend to your seedlings.”

Her jaw fell open and she quickly snapped it shut, her eyelids fluttering as she struggled to find the words to say. He didn’t give her a chance to think of a single syllable. With his thumb beneath her chin, he tipped her head back and stepped closer, nearly pressing her back against the cold stone behind her. 

“Don’t look so surprised, little mortal,” he whispered, bringing his lips so close to hers she could almost feel them. No matter how much she tried to close the distance, he kept her in place with his fingers around her throat. Another flash of lightning lit the curl of a smile at the corner of his lips before he spoke. “Despite what you may think, I’m not a heartless monster.”

The gentle press of his lips against her own, so feather-light they could have been a dream, stole her breath away and her eyes fluttered shut. Despite the hold she still had on his robes, his hand fell away from her throat and the soft kiss disappeared.

She knew it was coming and still couldn’t prepare for it. In a single beat of her heart, the warmth of his body so near to hers vanished and her fingers passed through his robes, holding onto nothing but the air of her room. She knew without even opening her eyes that he was gone, that she was alone in her room...alone with nothing but the shadows to keep her company, nothing but the memories of a touch she was struggling to hate and the echo of his words in her head. 

Chapter Text

Hours had passed since her confrontation with the god of the underworld and yet, Sakura still could not calm her pulse. She had paced the length of her bedroom, her thoughts a constant whirlwind inside her head. Being trapped in the realm of the underworld was bad enough but to be confined to the palace, nothing but the inside of the dark, labyrinth corridors and passages to keep her company?

It was a fate worse than the one she had already been doomed to.

The only silver lining, though it wasn’t much of one, was that she at least wouldn’t have to endure the prison sentence alone. He would be here now. He would escort her to and from the palace, be by her side as she tended to her seedlings, and any moment she might find herself stepping foot outside the walls of his palace, she knew he wouldn’t be far behind her.

Was that any better? 

Did she prefer to live out her imprisonment alone or with the god that acted as both her warden and her only companion? 

Frustrated, Sakura came to a stop near the single window in her room and stared out at the churning storm clouds. Would the raging storm ever fade? She stepped closer and put her fingers on the edge of the window sill, rising to her tiptoes to peer up at the swirling clouds above her. Each streak of lightning that raced through them like veins brought a fresh memory of the god to her mind and she frowned up at the storm. 

A distant rumble of thunder rolled through the sky in time with a shiver that crawled up the length of her spine and Sakura pursed her lips tight. How many days, years, centuries had that storm been raging? The visit she had paid to the dark-haired god had only left her with more questions than she would ever learn the answer to but she had learned enough to know that whatever had happened between the two gods, who Hatake was now was a direct result of it. 

In the back of her head, the words the dark god had shouted at her echoed. 

Ask him why he banished me from his precious realm…Better yet, ask him about Rin!

Rin…

The name didn’t sound familiar. 

Was it another deity or something else entirely?

One thing was certain though, the look in the dark-haired god’s eyes, the fury, and despair in his voice would haunt her. It was one of the reasons she felt so restless now. Sleep was out of the question. Especially after the brief visit Hatake had paid her in her bedroom.

Having him so near her, touching her, and brushing his lips against hers, always clouded her mind and left her insides just as stormy as his realm. But now that she knew he would be even closer, always with her outside his palace, Sakura was worried.

It was already becoming difficult to deny her own desires when it came to him. Even the relief that the nymph’s little trick had brought her hadn’t lasted. The very second she saw him again, all of the ache and yearning returned and Sakura knew she couldn’t find that momentary relief so often. Not when he would be so close to her now…

The thought pulled another shiver up her spine and she ducked her head, closing her eyes as a wave of desire rushed across her. She wanted him. That much was impossible to deny and it was useless trying to argue with her own lust for the god. 

Lifting her head, Sakura stared out of the window once more but ignored the roll of the clouds overhead. From her bedroom, she could see to the corner of the swamp and knew one of her seedlings buried in the peat waited for her. It needed water and sunshine and she knew to provide it, she would have to give the god something, a part of herself that she was afraid to let go of.

Every time she gave in to him, every pass of her lips to his, she knew her pride and strength crumbled just a little more.

Sakura was aware that this was all a part of his game, of course. He knew the effect he was having over her, used it to his advantage, and brought her one step closer to submission each time. 

You’re playing a dangerous game, Sakura…A game that I don’t think you’re equipped to lose or win.

She wasn’t so sure about that, but what she did know, was that she would never come close to winning if she kept herself locked away in her bedroom for the next four weeks. Eventually, she would have to step outside and call for the god to accompany her to her seedlings. She would have to exchange a kiss for sunshine again and with it, the heat would pour over her and fill her up. 

But she would endure it and she would prove to him that the games he played couldn’t be won so easily. Especially when her freedom was at stake.

.

.

It took another hour for Sakura to gain her composure and strength just to leave her bedroom and in that time, she found a change of clothes that seemed to appear right when she needed them. The material was a soft grey in the dim candlelight of her bedroom and it would have been beautiful had there been enough of it to cover her body.

Two strips of nearly transparent fabric would cover her breasts and would leave most of her upper body exposed. He had his preferred taste in her clothing, apparently. The dress was similar to one she had worn before, but while that one had been solid, the material she held in her hands was so sheer, she could see the outline of her fingers beneath it. 

Sakura frowned but unless she wanted to wear the same filthy dress or go naked, there were no other options. She stepped into the dress and tied the strips of fabric behind her neck before staring down at herself.

Sure enough, the soft blush of her nipples was only just visible through the material and she sighed. It was going to take all of her energy to resist him when his hands would roam over her body while wearing this. Even now, she could almost feel the ghost of his hands on her exposed skin, exploring the curves and dips of her breasts and waist. 

No.

She had to be strong.

She would give him what he wanted in exchange for sunlight, but she wouldn’t linger in his kiss for long. Knowing the look on his face when she pushed him away would be enough to satisfy her, Sakura vowed not to let him take control and leave her powerless to his skills.

Today, she would win the little games he played with her.

Once her hair was free of the straps of the dress and she was as covered as she could be, Sakura left the sanctuary of her bedroom and passed through the dark as night corridors. Ten steps and to the right, the hallway led to the main hall and a small bit of grey light would help guide her onward. Her eyes were slowly starting to adjust to the darkness that clinged to the palace corners like cobwebs.

She passed the throne room and cut her gaze to the center, where she almost expected to find the god sitting and waiting for her. The massive throne was empty and she swallowed tightly. Was it relief or regret passing through her when she didn’t find the god sitting there? 

Sakura chose to ignore that question and continued to the front of the palace where the thick columns parted and she could see the colorless sky stretching on into the void. Would he know she left the palace? Would he appear in a bolt of lightning, scold her for being so disobedient? A part of her hoped he would, hoped he took her by the arms and stared down at her while reprimanding her. 

The thought nearly made her steps falter and Sakura took the flouncy material of the skirt in her hands, lifting it away from her toes. She hurried to the columns and hesitated before crossing between them, taking just a moment to turn and stare over her shoulder.

There was nothing but the empty room at her back. Darkness blanketed the throne but in her mind, she could see the god sitting there, leaning to one side, slowly tapping the elongated nails on one hand as he watched her. A cascade of chills fell down the length of her body and she swallowed tightly. 

No need to work yourself up, she scolded herself with a frown pinching her pale brows. Stay strong, remember what’s at stake if you lose this game.

Sakura blinked herself out of the daze she’d stumbled into and turned back to face the entrance of the palace. But the rolling clouds and dreary landscape were hidden behind the figure standing in her way. The dark robes were parted at the center, exposing the god’s pale chest and Sakura sucked in a sharp breath at the sight before stumbling back on her heels.

A single hand, lightning-fast and firm, gripped her around the elbow to keep her balanced and she stood frozen, unable to even breathe in his presence. The god peered down at her, his face enshadowed with only the strands of his silver hair framing his features. 

“Going somewhere?” He asked in a tone that ignited a wave of flutters within her belly. 

“I—” Be strong! Don’t let him fluster you! Sakura held her chin high and squared her shoulders. “I need to tend to my seedlings.”

“Not alone, I hope.”

He was teasing her, but Sakura wasn’t in the mood for it today. She pursed her lips and pulled her elbow out of his grip, almost surprised he let her go so easily. “Not if you’re a man of your word.”

“Sakura,” he murmured. The sound of her name, spoken so soft and faint, surprised her and the back of her knees weakened so quickly, her legs nearly buckled. “I think you know better than any other mortal that I am .”

Before she could try to think of a response, his dark eyes fell from her face to her throat and to the amount of skin exposed beneath her dress. His gaze burned across her body as he studied her, taking in the sheer material that did little to hide her breasts. A breath left her lips in a shudder and Sakura couldn’t help but fold her arms across her chest. To her relief, the god lifted his gaze back to her face but lingered on her lips long enough to quicken her pulse. 

By the time his gaze met her own, she was practically trembling. The corner of his lips curled into a smile and he lifted a hand, brushing the back of his fingers along the line of her jaw. “Tell me what you need and I’ll give it to you.” After a single beat of her heart had passed, he traced the curve of her bottom lip with his thumb. “For a price.”

Sakura’s voice was barely a whisper when she spoke. “I need sunlight.”

The first time he had kissed her, it had nearly consumed her, drove her mad and she had come too close to giving in to him because of it. She refused to let that happen again. She knew what to expect, knew how dangerous it was. If he wanted her to submit to him, he would need more than a kiss to bring her to her knees.

Hatake’s hand slipped around the curve of her neck and a shiver nearly exploded across her body as he dragged his nails over her scalp. She hadn’t been prepared for it and her lips parted as her breath left her in a single puff of air. In the back of her mind, she told herself to be strong, to remember that now, more than ever before, she had too much to lose. 

But when he stepped closer, pushing her back into the darkness clinging to the throne room, Sakura was finding it harder and harder to remember what exactly was at stake. Her home, the village she had lived her entire life in, flashed through her mind but the vision was hazy and didn’t last long. And when the god’s other hand slid around her waist, searing her bare flesh with his touch, all memory of her home disappeared in a curl of smoke.

There was nothing but the press of his body, the fingers tangled in her hair, and the warmth of his breath against her lips. 

He didn’t wait for her to protest, didn’t hesitate to tease her the way he had the first time she let him kiss her. There was no more need for it. 

When his lips touched hers, Sakura’s fingers clenched around the robes he wore, needing something to cling to to keep her legs from buckling beneath her. Desire poured from his lips into her throat, scorching through her like an inferno and she realized seconds too late that her strength was nothing compared to his prowess. 

What a fool she had been to think she could resist him.

Hatake urged her lips to part and she couldn’t stop him, didn’t want to. All she wanted was to taste him against her tongue and he gave her exactly what she wanted. He tasted like electricity and it coursed through her veins, lighting her from the inside out.

Sakura slid her hands up the length of his chest, over the muscles beneath his soft, cool flesh, and found his hair between her fingers. She curled a hand around his neck, raking her nails across his skin the way he had done to her and the god responded quickly. 

A groan rumbled from his chest and the sound startled her. It triggered her thoughts, jump started her senses again. That voice of reason that had slowly been fading away, pushed down by the heat of her desire, was slowly clawing it's way back to the surface. 

What are you doing, you fool?

Sakura frowned as the god continued to kiss her and she blinked her eyes open. Over his shoulder, she could see the mists of the swamp and knew her only chance at freedom was there, waiting just beneath a layer of soil for her. 

You’re letting him win and you’re not even fighting back!

The voice was right, of course. She was doing nothing but giving in, drinking up everything he offered, and it was a struggle to even care. The hand she had curled around his neck slipped down to his chest and she knew that if she let this continue, if she let him take and take more of her, she would lose more than just this game.

With a firm push, Sakura wrenched her face away from his and sucked in a trembling breath. The cool air hit her lips and her tongue darted out to trace them, tasting his kiss as she did. It shouldn’t have aroused her so much to hear his labored breathing, to know he had nearly lost control as well.

It was for the best that she stopped him.

She had been strong, had resisted when all her body was practically begging for was just another second of the feel of his lips against hers. Sucking in another deep breath, Sakura ducked her head and pushed herself out of his arms, though he didn’t let her get far. His hand gripped the material of her dress at the small of her back and he took hold of her wrist with the other.

“I-I think that’s a sufficient exchange for what I’m asking for.” She swallowed tightly and forced her feet to move, ignoring the cries of desire echoing through her body. The more distance she put between them, the easier it would be. Thankfully, the hand at her waist fell away and she was able to step to the side of him. Without him blocking her view, she could see the swamp in the distance. “Now, if you wouldn’t mind, I need to—”

With the hold that remained on her wrist, the god spun her back around, cutting through her words and drawing a gasp from her lips. In the flash of a second, her back was flush against the cool marble of the column behind her and Sakura could only blink up at him in confusion. 

Hatake offered her nothing in the way of an explanation and her entire body flinched as his hand met the stone beside her head with a heavy sound that stole her breath away. He gave her no time to even breathe before his lips were on hers again, satisfying the need her body had been begging for. This kiss was nothing like the one before it. Darkness and desire and a heat that left her breathless slowly consumed her and drowned the last traces of her voice of reason.

His lips were hungry, devouring her and leaving her dizzy with desire. It wasn’t until she felt him pressing into her hips that she realized she had parted her legs and hooked one around him. Hatake gripped her thigh, keeping her in place with a firm hand beneath her knee before he pushed into her, grinding against her center.

A jolt of pleasure erupted from her core and Sakura couldn’t hold back the moan that it pulled from her throat. She tightened her fingers in his hair and dipped her other hand beneath his robes, desperate to feel more of him. He seemed to understand what she wanted and pulled his arm free from the confines of the thick fabric. In an instant, his arm returned to her, crushing her against him and Sakura welcomed the pain.

He pressed her into the stone column and slid his palm around the curve of her hip, finding the slit in the material of her skirt. The touch of his hand, warm and soft, to her backside nearly drove her mad with lust. 

How could he have shattered her illusion of strength so easily? She was truly weak and pathetic.

The god broke their kiss and before she could protest, he remedied it by burning a trail down the length of her neck. Sakura let her head fall back against the column and she blinked up at the swirling clouds in the sky above them. 

Grey and black raged like a violent sea, churning and rolling in time with the kisses he tattooed against her flesh. The feel of his tongue across her collar bone sent another jolt of electric heat through her midsection and she shut her eyes. 

Submit to me, a voice echoed through her head, dark and deliciously enticing. Submit and I’ll drink away the ache you feel between your legs, Sakura.

It would be so easy.

It would be so exquisite. 

She whimpered, taking her bottom lip between her teeth and squeezing it so tight that she could taste the metallic tang of blood on her tongue. The god shifted, parting her legs wider, grinding himself into her core. With every push of his hips into her, she could feel his hardened length and was ashamed by how badly she craved it to the point where she rolled into his thrusts, meeting him eagerly each time.

No.

She needed to stop this.

She had to stop it!

And yet, she chose not to.

A name fell from her lips, whispered and barely a breath, but a name she had only said to herself. His name.

Whether he heard it or not, she couldn’t tell. He was focused on the flesh of her throat, kissing and sucking, tasting every inch of her as he rubbed his length into her. The muscles of her stomach tightened, her chest rose and fell with each shuddering breath, and Sakura begged herself to stop him.

Out loud, all she could do was beg for more.

“Please,” she whispered, clamping her teeth around her bottom lip to shut herself up. 

The god lifted his head, his horns pointing to the sky as he found her gaze and studied the pain of desire etched across her brow. He brought his other hand up to her face, curling his fingers around her chin to force her to look up at him. 

Their hips rolled into one another's and a jolt of pleasure pulsed through her, hitching her breath in the back of her throat. Each press of his cock, even through the folds of fabric between them, brought her higher and higher, pushing her closer to a dangerous edge that she wasn’t prepared for. It coiled deep inside her, so tight she feared it might burst.

“Beg for me, Sakura,” Kakashi murmured. “Tell me you want it.”

“Yes,” she gasped, swallowing tightly though the words refused to disappear. “I want it.”

The corner of Kakashi’s lips curled wickedly and he leaned forward, tilting her head down until his forehead was resting against hers. “Don’t worry, little mortal,” he whispered. “I won’t claim this as my victory.”

As the words left his lips, he thrust against her once more and that was all it took. Her nails dug into his shoulders and her lips parted in a silent cry. Every fiber of her being unraveled all at once and she let her head fall back against the stone column. Heat seared her flesh and even though her eyes were shut tight, a strange light nearly blinded her. It pulsed in time with the waves rolling through her, pouring into her very being so suddenly that she feared she would burn from within.

Sakura opened her eyes and stared up at the sky—actual sky—panting for breath as the pleasure pulsing between her legs began to fade. 

Sunlight, bright and pure, beamed down around the palace and the heavy clouds that had plagued the realm for weeks retreated, rolling away into the distance to reveal an azure sky so beautiful, the corner of her eyes burned with tears. 

The hand gripping her backside had stilled and loosened and she slowly lowered her feet back to the ground. As she turned to stare at him, she found his gaze on the sky above them as well, a strange look passing through his eyes. Was he angry? It certainly looked that way, with his brows furrowed and jaw clenched tight.

Had he gotten carried away? Had he not meant to give her so much sunlight?

The entire palace was bathed in it and though she couldn’t see much from the shadows in which they stood, she could imagine the beauty of it. Had she not been so tangled in his arms, and still trying to catch her breath, she would have rushed outside to see the light reflecting off the marble. 

Hatake was a bit breathless himself and he slowly stepped away from her, the tips of his horns tilting downward until his hardened gaze fell to hers. Behind him, she could see the threat of storm rushing back over them, slowly darkening the light he had promised her, casting the god in the shadows in which he loved to exist. Sakura started to protest the loss of the sunlight but her voice froze on the back of her tongue.

Shame and embarrassment colored her cheeks and she shifted on her feet, the dampness between her legs making her wince. She swallowed and cut her gaze away from him, squeezing her fingers into fists to keep them from trembling. Though she focused on the horizon, on the mist curling through the swamp, she could still feel his stare on her. It burned her more than the sunlight ever could. 

Was he angry with her? 

Had she done something wrong?

Swallowing, Sakura lifted her gaze to him and wanted to ask him why he looked so furious. She never got the chance. A faint tinkling sound cut through her thoughts and for a moment, she wondered if she was imagining things. The look of sudden realization on the god’s face told her he had heard it as well. 

The sound grew louder—like bells ringing or coins falling to the floor—and Sakura hurried to the god’s side to stare in the same direction. 

It took a moment for her to find the source of the sound.

Her eyes scanned the fields past the swamp and found the river waters stretching off into the distance. The colossal gate Hatake had taken her to several days before stood on either side of the banks of the river like a silent guardian and Sakura’s lips parted in surprise at the sight of a boat passing beneath it. From so far away, she couldn’t make out who was in the boat, only that there were two figures. 

The one in the front held a pole and slowly pushed it through the depths, using it to guide the skiff through the waters, and another figure was seated in the back, a hood covering their head. Another god?

That couldn’t be right. They didn’t seem to care how they appeared, landing with a bolt of lightning while others appeared out of nowhere. Why would a god need to travel by boat?

Fascination glittered in Sakura’s eyes and she took a step closer to the enormous stairwell but didn’t get far. A hand curled around her elbow and whirled her back around to face the palace. She tried to protest but was silenced before she could utter a sound.

Hatake took a step away from her and pursed his lips tight, the tension in his clenched jaw startling her. “Return to your quarters,” he said quietly, almost threateningly. The feel of his fingers curling around her elbow made her blink in disbelief before he turned her to face the throne room “I’ll retrieve you for dinner tonight.”

Her eyes widened and she shook her head. “What?” The question was barely a whisper. “Why?”

“I need you to return to your quarters. Now.”

Sakura stumbled into the throne room and wrenched her arm free of his grasp. She spun on her heel to face him, to yell and demand he tell her who was coming, but she found only his retreating presence. Her eyes darted to the river in the distance and she could just see the sharp bow of the skiff coming into view. 

At the top of the stairs, the god turned back to face her and scowled. “Do I need to send you away?”

“No,” she said with a sniff, her eyes narrowing into a glare. “You don’t have to treat me like a helpless child.”

“Then don’t act like one.” 

Sakura stamped her heel into the dusty floor, winching from a pebble that caught the sole of her foot. She used the sting of pain to fuel her anger and crossed her arms over her chest. “Why are you acting like this? I gave you what you wanted, I gave you more than what you deserve and you send me away like a pest. I deserve to—”

Hatake whirled around to face her and closed the distance between them in two steps. His hand found her face and she flinched though his touch was nothing but gentle. When she lifted her gaze to his, he searched her eyes and the hardened anger from before had faded. “I know. I promised you sunlight and an escort through the realm, and you will have both in time. Everything that I ask of you is for you a reason. Please, trust me.”

She shouldn’t have. 

It was foolish to even consider trusting him.

But she did. After everything he had done to her, she stupidly trusted him.

Sakura leaned into the warmth of his touch and nodded. "I—I trust you," she breathed. 

“Then go.”

The sudden absence of his hand, of the warmth he had promised her, disappeared as he turned his back to her and descended the stairs. For a moment, Sakura stood where he left her and watched him disappear. Her curiosity was palpable, beating against her chest in time with her racing pulse and no matter how much she tried to swallow it down, it refused to budge.

She trusted him to keep her safe, to deliver the things he had promised and the things she exchanged parts of her body for…

But if he was keeping something from her, there was a reason and she would be damned if she retreated to her room like an obedient pet. Sakura pursed her lips and spun on her heel, hurrying to the same hiding place she had found the day the messenger had come to the realm for a visit. If Hatake truly wanted her to remain hidden, he would have banished her to her room himself. 

A pang of regret struck her through the chest as she stepped behind one of the columns and ducked into the shadows. Trust was a two-way street and she knew if he found out she had disobeyed him, he would doubt her in the future. 

Before she could change her mind, the shuffle of footsteps drew close and Sakura pressed her back into the wall, hoping the darkness concealed her enough from anyone’s view. As the god moved into the great hall, silently taking his seat on the onyx throne in the center, a voice echoed off the stone walls. It was soft, timid but full of a strength that Sakura could feel in her heart.

“Please,” the woman said quietly. The curiosity got the better of her and Sakura couldn’t help inching out of the shadows for just a peek. Her brows furrowed with confusion and she stared at the figure kneeling on the floor before Hatake’s throne. The woman reached up and pushed the hood away from her face. “I come only to beg for your mercy.”

And in the quiet following the woman’s plea, the only sound was the quiet gasp echoing from the shadows of the throne room.