Sacrifice and Surrender

8: Reanimation

Madara felt it when Sakura relaxed into sleep. Her body softened in his arms, sinking into the mattress, and she snuggled closer to him into the warmth and comfort he provided. She sighed contently in her sleep and he wished he felt the same way she did. Since the second he saw her hesitate at her front gate, he'd been overcome with a hope that he might get close to her. That she would invite him into her house, into her bed.

The hope was realised, but in a way Madara knew he couldn't argue or fight against. It was the depth of loneliness he'd seen her eyes, he recognised it as what people had been seeing in own gaze for a time. He'd wanted so much, but couldn't fight that look, or what she asked. She'd allowed him to touch her. He'd felt her trembling, seen her shaking, seen the fear in her eyes. He'd swallowed everything he wanted to give her what she needed.

He sighed, tilting his head downwards so that his forehead almost rested on the top of her head. Before he'd met her, he never imagined he'd ever respond to someone in this way. Madara had never considered himself particularly selfish, but the way he acted with Sakura was new and unexplored territory. He'd never wanted to give someone everything before, to lay aside his own wants in favour of theirs.

But with her in his arms, he understood the lovesick looks that Hashirama gave Mito, and the protectiveness Yuri felt over Matsuri. He knew why there were people in his clan who were never the same after their partners were gone. If anything happened to Sakura now, after she'd just started to come back to the way she was...he shuddered to think how he would respond. Losing her was unimaginable.

Madara fell asleep at some point but was easily woken when Sakura's hand snaked around his waist. He felt goosebumps on his skin, and his breath came harshly as his muscles tensed. Sakura had a punch that could bring down a mountain, but she wasn't a monster. There was so much power packed into her small, feminine body. Under all her temper and prowess, she was a woman, and he was far too aware of it with her touching the bare skin of his waist.

Using all his skill as a shinobi, he untangled himself from her and slipped out of the bed. He slipped his shirt on and took one last longing look at Sakura. She was still sleeping soundly, there was a soft smile on her lips. Her cheeks were flushed with sleep. His heart felt like it was being torn into pieces seeing her like that. He wanted to see her wake up, to lie beside her every morning and be the first thing she saw. He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead with his hand and quickly left her house, afraid that if he stayed he'd do something he would regret.

*

Sakura sat on the training field with her legs crossed in a meditative state. Her chakra reserves were at a level she was finally okay with, but she wanted to grow her them more. Being friends with Naruto and Sasuke with their own huge charka reserves was bad enough. But Hashirama had as much chakra as the Nine-Tails. He was like some kind of monster and when it was all unleashed it was hard to stand too close, she remembered feeling that vividly from the battle against Zetsu. Tobirama and Madara also had incredible amounts of chakra and Sakura wanted to be able to stand beside them and not be looked at as the one who didn't belong. She'd done it before, she'd reached Naruto and Sasuke, and she was sure as hell going to do it again.

She felt two familiar chakra signatures approaching and opened her eyes. Across the field, Shouta and Hikari arrived. It was the first day she'd be training them outside the hospital for combat. She'd been thinking about it for a while, but since Tobirama had been getting busy and cutting short their morning sessions, she decided it was about time get her assistants heads out of the books.