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moorSummary:
The Wild. Long ago, the power that ruled the earth and everything on it created order and meaning, cycles to preserve balance and harmony. The checks and balances put in place ensured that power would never be used beyond equivalent advantage. Over time, the Wild produced Sources, entities through which the Wild could be channelled in times of need. During a battle to defend their Kingdom, the leader of the Uchiha summoned the Wild. In doing so, another channelled and became bound by the Wild to balance his power. This is their story.
Content Warning: A/B/O
Part One - The Senju and the Uchiha
Part Two - The Battle [first battle] | Part Three - The Battle [continued]
Part Four - The Secret [first secret] | Part Five - The Secret [continued] | Part Six - The Secret [continued] | Part Seven - The Secret [continued]
Part Eight - The Underground | Part Nine - The Underground [continued] | Part Ten - The Underground [continued] | Part Eleven - The Underground [continued] | Part Twelve - The Underground [continued] | Part Thirteen - The Underground [continued] | Part Fourteen - The Underground [continued] | Part Fifteen - The Underground [continued]
The Underground [continued]
Sensing someone in the spy tunnels behind his bedchambers, Madara closed his eyes. Mikoto was slipping if she was letting such amateurs into the ranks now. The tunnels had been silent all week, and yet that night, they interrupted him?
He paused at the thought.
Mikoto would never risk him like that.
On silent feet Madara approached the concealed entrance and waited. From his boot he withdrew a blade.
It was only when he heard Itachi’s familiar knock that he relaxed.
“Come,” called Madara.
When Itachi stepped out of the dark tunnel and into Madara’s room, he bowed before nodding at someone behind him, still obscured by the darkness.
“You brought a friend?” asked Madara, his blade still in hand.
“Shisui has been very busy with the Registry. I’ll be rejoining him soon. I wanted you to meet your new go-between,” said Itachi.
Madara arched a brow at Itachi.
“Your mother approves?” asked Madara.
“She arranged it with Tsunade directly,” said Itachi.
That was very interesting, thought Madara. Mikoto and Tsunade were collaborating again? He nodded at his nephew, who turned and signalled his companion to join him. Madara knew that this new person must have been the one creeping through the tunnels with Itachi, and yet suddenly he could no longer sense them. They had muted their entire presence. Madara looked questioningly back at Itachi then back to the entrance, where suddenly Itachi’s guest had appeared in the split second his attention had been diverted.
Madara tried to keep his gaze impassive, but few were as stunning as the woman before him. She lifted a graceful hand to her heart and bowed to him.
“I vow to be a dedicated companion, your Highness,” she said.
The beautiful hand appeared soft and gentle on top, and yet her gestures could not entirely hide the calluses on the underside of her palms, honed by years of weaponry training. An assassin’s hands.
Concerned, Madara looked back at Itachi, who shook his head at him.
“Who do you work for,” asked Madara, turning his focus back on the young woman who looked about Sakura’s age. Her allegiance would settle the matter.
Rising from her bow, the woman smiled enigmatically at him.
“Sakura,” she answered. “And Yu.”
Madara’s eyes hardened.
“She will be taking my place beside Sakura. I will still be visiting both the castle and Sakura’s various locations, but she will be assigned specifically to Sakura. She will contact you as necessary and you may contact her likewise,” explained Itachi.
Letting out a long, slow exhale, Madara paced the room.
He did not like bringing more people into the… situation between himself and Sakura, let alone an outsider. Even if Mikoto chose and hired her herself, he had reservations. He would not risk endangering his mate or cub. Their health and safety were pre-eminent in his priorities.
With that in mind, Madara looked more closely at Itachi. His nephew had bags under his eyes, and he was noticeably thinner. His intelligence shone in his dark orbs, however Madara could see he was tired. Was Mikoto concerned about her son? Or was there more happening that he had not been advised of?
That thought gave him pause. Was his family hiding something from him? Was something else happening? He’d heard of the poisonings, but Mikoto had assured him the Underground were handling matters within the populace.
What about the castle, Madara wondered as the idea took root in his mind for the hundredth time, but this time its tendrils sought purchase further, in his heart. Were the poisonings occurring within the walls of his own castle?
Madara looked back at Itachi. It would explain why his nephew was rejoining the castle staff, to keep an eye on things again.
Something more was afoot, but Madara would speak to his nephew separately about that. Or possibly his mother.
In the meantime, Mikoto herself had chosen this assassin as Sakura’s new guard and confidante.
“How can you prove that you are reliable and capable?” asked Madara, facing the young woman.
“I’ve been watching your room for the past week, and been in your bedchamber while you slept,” she answered calmly. “Did you notice me?”
Madara whirled on his heel to glare at her, but Itachi had stepped in front of her, shielding her from his response.
“I was with her,” said Itachi.
“Hn,” murmured Madara, his eyes still sharp. Well, that explained why Itachi looked like he had been burning the candle at both ends and in the middle.
“What is your name?” asked Madara.
“Yamanaka Ino,” she replied.
“And Sakura will accept this change?” asked Madara, focusing on Itachi again.
It was Ino who smirked and answered.
“I’m her best friend.”
***
As it turned out, the transition in Sakura’s bodyguardship went smoother than anticipated. Once the initial squealing and hugging had died down, Sakura and Ino immediately closeted themselves away with Yu in the sunroom of Sakura’s new home to catch up.
In the wide hallway outside the sunroom, Kakashi, Naruto, Itachi and Sasuke looked at each other in stunned, hesitant shock.
“Do we go in?” Naruto asked Kakashi.
Kakashi paled.
“No,” assured Kakashi. “Between the two of them,” he pronounced ‘them’ with particular emphasis, “We are redundant for the next two hours. At least.”
Naruto scrunched up his face, looking at the door behind which Sakura and Ino had sequestered themselves, and then back to Kakashi again, before slowly nodding his head.
“Weapons maintenance?” asked Naruto instead.
“Ah,” agreed Kakashi with relief.
“We’re supposed to guard Sakura in pairs,” argued Sasuke.
Kakashi turned to him and gave him an eye-crease grin from behind his mask. He half-bowed, and gestured towards the sunroom.
“After you,” said Kakashi.
“Tch,” scoffed Sasuke under his breath, stepping forward. “Afraid of a couple of—”
“Sasuke,” said Itachi calmly.
Halfway to the sunroom, Sasuke glanced at Itachi over his shoulder.
Itachi looked meaningfully at both Naruto and Kakashi.
“They know them better than we do,” said Itachi.
“If Yamanaka is such an excellent assassin, how come we’ve never heard of her before?” argued Sasuke.
“Exactly,” said Kakashi quietly.
Itachi’s eyes whipped to Kakashi’s far-too-calm ones, then over to Naruto where he noticed the hair on the back of the blond’s neck had risen.
“Uh, Sasuke? I wouldn’t go in right now. Maybe in a few hours you can knock,” suggested Naruto cautiously, rubbing at the back of his head. Beside him, Kakashi shrugged and headed for the kitchen. Much of their weapon-sharpening equipment was housed therein, and they could use the long oak tables to set out their tools and materials. They would be within earshot if the women needed them. “Sakura will call if she needs us for anything.”
Undeterred, Sasuke ignored the warnings and took another step closer to the sunroom door.
His expression tight, Itachi moved silently, grabbing Sasuke’s shoulder. His fingers dug into Sasuke’s skin beneath his shirt.
“Let them have their time together undisturbed,” counselled Itachi.
Irked, Sasuke arched a brow at his brother.
“And I remind you that Sakura and Ino are the best in their respective fields, which are poisons and witness-less assassinations,” added Itachi. “And you and they will still be living in this house after this afternoon, so they will have ample opportunity to visit your room whether you are there or not.”
At that, Sasuke’s eyes narrowed slightly as he looked back at his brother. The warning was significant enough that Sasuke paused, weighed and considered his brother’s words. He glanced at the sunroom door again.
“Weapons maintenance,” agreed Sasuke, clearing his throat and turning around to follow his brother.
“We have lots of grease,” called Naruto from the kitchen.
***
“Look at how big he’s gotten,” cooed Ino, bouncing Yu on her knee. “And he’s such a handsome little man.”
Her cheeks flushed with happiness at seeing her best friend again, Sakura’s face hurt from her wide smile.
“He’s speaking more every day,” gushed Sakura. “He’ll be talking in full sentences soon.”
“He’s a smart one, then,” said Ino confidently. “Time to start watching what we say around him, huh? What words is he saying so far? Mama? Dadda? Ball? Cookie?”
Sakura’s smile twisted a moment but held strong.
“Nearly all of the above and more. He calls Naruto ‘Ah-oo’, Itachi is ‘ah-chee’, and Kakashi is ‘kah-shee’,” said Sakura.
“He doesn’t call Sasuke by name?”
Sakura shook her head. “Sasuke doesn’t interact with him much. He recognizes Sasuke, but ignores him right back.”
Ino smirked. “I would, too.”
Sakura grinned.
“How are you doing?” asked Ino. “In your gorgeous Hottie House?”
“I can’t believe you called this a ‘Hottie House’,” said Sakura, laughing. “It’s more like a prison.”
“The guards are easy on the eyes, but a drain on your personal life?” asked Ino.
Offering a toy to Yu, Sakura considered her situation.
“It’s not all bad. I appreciate what the Uchiha are doing. And what Tsunade's doing, and why,” added Sakura. “I have no personal life.”
Ino watched her friend carefully.
“You’re closer to the castle now,” said Ino.
Sakura looked out the windows that lined the northern wall of the room. It faced the castle, higher up on the hill.
“Have you remembered anything else?” asked Ino gently.
Sakura shrugged.
Ino’s brows furrowed.
“Is that a yes or a no?”
Avoiding Ino’s eyes, Sakura focused on Yu.
Sakura’s evasive behaviour had the gears in Ino’s mind churning. So it wasn’t her imagination, something was up. The insightful blond tapped a finger to her lips once before speaking.
“So you do remember something. And it isn’t something negative or you would have mentioned it. So it’s something that isn’t negative, so possibly positive, which would make you question yourself and make you rethink what happened, therefore it’s something that you feel embarrassed or ashamed of or that makes you think you made a mistake and has you second-guessing the entire experience,” said Ino casually through it all. She shrugged a shoulder elegantly. “Quid pro quo, you remembered the earth shattering sex you had with your mate that left you literally in tatters barely able to walk, and because it was good you’re remembering more and more because your heats are ramping up, so you’re unsure what to do because you don’t want a repeat of what happened—or do you?—.” Ino gave Sakura a knowing look. “And you have a houseful of eligible alphas to tide you over but don’t want to impose on them, and you possibly have feelings for one or more of them—I’ll get to my guess on who in a minute—which would complicate everything emotionally everywhere, ergo you are horny on main and feel conflicted but also are sort of comparing what happened during your first time and weighing your options.”
Her expression ashen, Sakura stared at Ino’s calm analysis with a mix of horror and wonder.
“I shrugged,” said Sakura, gaping at her best friend.
“I’m right, it’s okay, no need to feel bad about it,” said Ino, still playing with Yu. “And is it Kakashi or Itachi? Because I’m getting interesting vibes off both of them towards you and anti-each other.”
Sakura’s hands fell by her sides, defeated.
Ino tilted her head at Sakura, as if asking if she needed any more proof.
“Thought so,” sang Ino, smiling at Yu. “Who is it? Who does mommy like? Do you know? I bet you know.”
“Kashi!” giggled Yu, smiling and showing off his teeth. “Kashi!”
Ino smirked, looking back at Sakura. Sakura, meanwhile, was barely holding herself up, her head hung low.
“Betrayed by my own flesh and blood,” whispered Sakura tearfully.
Ino snorted, which on anyone else would have been ungraceful, but somehow Ino overcame such petty trifles.
“He loves Kakashi because Kakashi’s the one who looks after him most, besides you, right? He sees Kakashi like his dad. It’s natural for him to talk about him,” chided Ino. “He’s not betraying you. He’s talking about his favourite people.” Setting Yu down as he began to wiggle for freedom, Ino let Yu hold her fingers as he ‘walked’ to Sakura. Ino gentled her voice slightly, even if it was still a touch sly. “And as your prime prospect, you could do a lot worse than him. Just saying.”
“Betrayed by my best friend, too…” lamented Sakura, pretending to pound the floor.
Ino laughed.
(Which set off Yu laughing, which set Ino off laughing harder…)
There was a brief reprieve in the interrogation before Ino smiled and turned her gaze on Sakura again.
“Now tell me everything you remember so we can digest it together,” ordered Ino.
It was damning when Sakura flushed from the tips of her toes to the roots of her hair and an unholy gleam entered Ino’s eyes.
“Oh, this is going to be that kind of good,” said Ino. “Should I ask papa-Kashi to come get Yu?”
Looking like she would rather be huddled in the fetal position on the floor, Sakura shook her head.
“Don’t get Kakashi,” sighed Sakura, resting her head in her hands. “And… let’s not imply he’s Yu’s father. Especially not around Itachi.”
“Oh?” asked Ino with interest.
Sakura sighed again.
“He and Itachi don’t get along,” said Ino perceptively.
“Itachi and Kakashi have different masters. They’re both alphas. They’re going to clash sometimes. Luckily neither is the type to start something unprovoked,” explained Sakura.
Extending her arms, Sakura accepted a gleeful Yu from Ino. Yu beamed at her with the excited Mommy!Smile he only ever gave her. It softened Sakura’s heart every time she saw it, and she smiled back at him, rubbing her nose playfully against his before kissing him. “They’ve both kept the flare-ups to a minimum since we all moved in together, for Yu’s sake.”
“Is it just Yu’s sake?” asked Ino.
Sakura’s shoulder began to lift tellingly before she froze, sensing Ino’s gaze on her.
“Who made the move? Itachi or Kakashi?” asked Ino.
“It doesn’t mean anything,” said Sakura, re-adopting her favourite state, Denial. “And Itachi’s motives are different than Kakashi’s.”
“Oh? Why?”
Sakura swallowed.
“Because Itachi works for Yu’s father,” said Sakura quietly.
For the first time in years, Ino was speechless. It would have made Sakura grin if it wasn’t for how difficult it was for her to acknowledge the truth.
“So Itachi is here to spy on you and protect Yu?” asked Ino. Her eyes widened in shock. “Wait, you remember who Yu’s father is!”
Biting her bottom lip, Sakura nodded.
“But how could he order around Itachi? Itachi’s part of the Royal Family. The only people who can order him to do anything are his parents, maybe Crown Prince Izuna—and you would have known it was Izuna, because you’d met him and were fine with him during the battle—or—”
Ino’s voice caught in her throat. She stared at Yu, then back at Sakura, her face paling and her lips open in a silent gasp.
Ino had assumed that she was simply taking over Itachi’s position of guardian, and that he had been posted because he either was, or knew, the father of her best friend’s son, or that the Uchiha Underground were protecting Sakura as she was providing them such a valuable service… She hadn’t realized that she had unknowingly met Yu’s father the night before.
“Only a handful of people know,” continued Sakura calmly. “And of those, most are not completely sure. When Itachi was posted here, it was a double-edged sword. We were able to cover it up for a while because of the poisonings, since Itachi could ‘watch over me’ and make sure I wasn’t ‘endangering the Uchiha Underground’... But it’s been months now. He can’t stay here. It would raise too many suspicions…”
Ino’s gaze turned thoughtful. “... Unless he was in a relationship with you…,” realized Ino aloud. “And if rumours of that happening got back to the Senju… while you were in Uchiha protective custody…”
Sakura nodded. “That would set off another round of dramatic fireworks I could do without.”
“Is that why Kakashi has become so protective? I admit, I never saw him as a fatherly type, but when he answered the door with Yu in his arms, I got it. Powerful men with babies,” said Ino, shaking her head, impressed. “Does me in every time. Was that for show, or is he like that all the time now?”
With Yu cuddled in her arms and his chubby thumb in his mouth, Sakura grinned at her best friend. Unconsciously she began to rock as Yu’s eyes closed. All the excitement had tuckered him out. He rested his head against her chest and gradually went slack.
“It’s not just for show,” admitted Sakura gently. “He adores Yu.”
“And you,” tacked on Ino.
“It’s the situation,” said Sakura, her usual excuse at the ready. “Close quarters for this long? Without being able to go out and date?”
“Maybe,” said Ino, her head tilting to the side for a moment. “If not for the fact that he volunteered to join you here. Right?”
Leaning back against the sofa behind her, Sakura looked down at Yu’s sleeping face.
“You also haven’t told him no, or he wouldn’t be half that overprotective of you,” said Ino.
Sakura shrugged.
“How bad are the heats getting?” asked Ino when Sakura refused to answer her questions.
“I’m taking the herbs, it will be fine,” said Sakura.
Her blond brow furrowed, Ino tried to catch Sakura’s gaze, but she was avoiding her again.
“When you sleep, who is the one you see?” asked Ino. “Yu’s father? Kakashi? Itachi? You’ve seen more than one in your dreams, haven’t you?”
The silence between the women stretched.
“Sakura, you know you shouldn’t keep taking the herbs once you’re mated,” said Ino. “They can be unpredictable. I’m no medic and I know that.”
“There are four alphas in this house with me, Ino, and none of them is my mate!”
In her anger, Sakura’s voice was tight but quiet, sensitive to the presence of said alphas no doubt only a room or two away.
“Do you know how agonising it is? If I get too close to any of them, it will put him in danger, too,” said Sakura, her body trembling with frustration as she gestured at the doorway. “And if I call for my mate again, I don’t know what will happen! Will I lose my mind again? Forget everything all over again? I didn’t even know who he was at the time!”
“So you’re going to keep rejecting-but-not-rejecting them all, because you’re scared? Instead of asking for help?” asked Ino. “Are you a coward?”
Sakura physically recoiled at Ino’s accusations.
“I’m thinking of them—” began Sakura, but Ino cut her off.
“You’re thinking of yourself. You’re telling yourself you’re thinking of them, of Yu, but you’re thinking of yourself because you’re scared,” said Ino. “And you think you made a mistake and you’re trying to hide it because you’re embarrassed.
“Sakura, listen to me,” said Ino, reaching for her friend and touching her knee. Her blue eyes pleaded with Sakura. “If Yu’s father is who you say he is… He could have sent someone out to find you at any time and drag you back.”
“He did,” said Sakura vehemently.
“Did he? Or did he check on you to make sure you and Yu were safe?” challenged Ino. “Has he set foot in your house? Has he asked Itachi or Sasuke to haul you away? Has he ordered you to do anything?”
“No,” admitted Sakura quietly.
“Has he so much as sent you a letter asking you to come back?” asked Ino.
“No.”
“What has he done?”
“... he sent his nephews to protect us… and he sent gifts to Yu,” said Sakura softly. The worn baby blanket with its carefully stitched animal border, burned in one corner, but obviously treasured, immediately came to mind. As did the beautiful quilt…
“Sakura, when you get flashes of your night with him… what is it that scares you about those moments?” asked Ino gently. “A mating can be scary because of its intensity, but also because of how much of ourselves we surrender to it. Was he scary?”
Sakura hesitated before shaking her head.
“What was scary?” asked Ino, stroking Sakura’s knee.
“I woke up alone,” said Sakura quietly. “I didn’t know what had happened. Later on, here, I started remembering… and I was scared of myself,” admitted Sakura in a tiny voice. “The things I did, that he did to me… that I liked.”
Ino sighed and scooted closer to Sakura to hug her. Sakura closed her eyes, resting her head on Ino’s shoulder.
“The mating… can throw even the strongest for a loop,” agreed Ino. “You’re conflicted, then,” reflected Ino.
“Can you blame me?” said Sakura.
“Yes, but I won’t because I’m your best friend,” said Ino honestly.
Sakura’s laugh hiccuped out of her, and Ino stroked her friend’s hair.
“If it’s this hard for you,” said Ino delicately. “And you have Yu to pour yourself into… How hard do you think it is for him, who’s alone?”
The ‘him’ in question was understood between them: Yu’s father.
“I’ve been making herbs for him,” admitted Sakura, sinking into Ino’s comfort. “Itachi takes them to him.”
“Mmmm,” murmured Ino. “Itachi was your go-between.”
Sakura nodded against Ino.
“Does Yu’s father know why you left, if you’ve never spoken to him since that night?” asked Ino.
Sakura bit her cheek.
She’d mentioned it to Itachi, but she had no idea if Yu’s father knew.
“I don’t know,” admitted Sakura.
Ino sighed.
“You’re almost lucky that there is a poisoning campaign keeping you apart,” said Ino. “If you’d been in the castle, you likely would have been targeted. Or Yu. But at least this way, your cruelty has benefited the rest of the population.”
“I’m not—”
“You are, Sakura,” chastised Ino harshly. “Your team of resident alphas won’t address it with you, since you’re the mate of their ultimate leader and to correct you would be to correct him by proxy. But you could at least send him a letter so he can hear from you directly. You could do him the decency of telling him why you left and stayed away with his cub.”
“You make me sound like a thief,” said Sakura after a long, low breath to calm herself.
Ino’s huff was amused. “To borrow a very pedantic saying, you are.”
Sakura looked at Ino with furrowed brows.
Ino’s gaze softened. “You stole his heart.”
TBC
Can’t wait for more!
Date: 2022-04-30 06:55 pm (UTC)Re: Can’t wait for more!
Date: 2022-12-21 08:01 pm (UTC)Madara and Yu finally meeting is coming... but it will be a little while yet.