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.