Smut Monday|Monday, April 3, 2017

Prompt: 'Heroine'

Pairing: Sakura and Hashirama

Hashirama was the hero of his town.

He reached that status after defeating the Jyubi, a monster that had plagued his town for decades until they were blessed by the birth of the demigod. Well, demigods. He couldn't have really done it without his brother. Tobirama was the brains behind that operation.

That was his first quest and it remains close to his heart even today. But the one that, in his opinion, really changed his life was the one that came next. Saving the damsel. The princess. His first adventure without Tobirama, who had his own quests to go on.

"I'll miss you, brother." They stood at a crossroads. The path straight ahead led to the next town, and the one at their backs led back home. According to Hashirama's map, he was supposed to go left and into the woods, which left the other one open to his baby brother. He sniffed and stepped closer for a hug.

"Oh for the love of-I'll see you in a few months. Now go save the lady," Tobirama leaned to give him a one-armed hug and a clap on the back, before turning towards the road along the river. Hashirama watched as he adjusted the strap of the bow around his torso and kept walking with his spine completely straight. He looked back just once, waving at him confidently. Hashirama inhaled deeply, willing his resolve to settle deep into his bones. He could do this.

It took him over a day to reach the tower. Hours and hours of climbing over oversized roots and ducking under strangely sharp branches. Here it was. Tall, ivory and imposing. With one large window at the top.

He wasn't too fond of the dark.

Hashirama gulped and placed a hand on the hilt of his trusty xiphos. It seemed to hum in response, reassuring him as he took a step towards it. At his other hip, Madara was silent. He really had to look into freeing him from this state, the Uchiha were barely managing without their king.

He watched the entrance warily. The elders had warned him about the scarlet sphinx. It had somehow managed to capture the maiden over a month ago and had picked this place to hide in.

It seemed simple enough. He was at the door now and nothing had jumped at him yet.

Do I knock? Or do I just go in? Just as he raised a hand, he sensed something coming from the top and jumped back in time to see a long rope reach the ground. Shielding his eyes, he squinted up at the window it had been swung down from. He could see three figures leaning over the ledge, staring back at him.

"Could you catch this?" It was a lady. They threw something and he jumped forward to catch the bundle of cloth.

Wait, this wasn't a part of the quest! Hashirama scrambled away from the structure as, one by one, they climbed over and down the rope with ease. Oh no, wait. One of them had sprouted a pair of wings and flew along, carrying a bundle similar to the one in his arms. He struggled between wanting to help and drawing his sword. He watched as one of the women jumped down the last few feet, dusting herself off with a victorious smile and stood with open arms. The stance made sense a few seconds later when the blonde one let go of the rope and fell into her arms.

"Okay, so I can't go back home yet. Sasuke said I can hide out at his palace for a few weeks, just until things blow over. Karin?" the blonde maiden stated as she jumped down to stand.

The winged redhead he now knew as Karin nodded. "I'll come with. My cousin's probably there, might as well check on him." The last one was staring right at him.

"Oh, um," he jumped as liquid green eyes stared into his. "Hello there! I'm...Hashirama. I, um, came here to rescue the Yamanaka Princess." They looked confused.

"That's me. But, could you elaborate the on the rescue bit?" She didn't look like she'd been kidnapped by a raging beast. The princess just looked annoyed.

"I was told that you were taken by the scarlet sphinx." There was an indignant squawk from Karin as the other two burst out laughing.

"First, I'd really like to meet whoever has the guts to kidnap Ino. And second, I was the one who got taken. She dragged me along," Karin told him with a flip of her hair. Sakura nodded in agreement.

"I'm afraid there's been some sort of a misunderstanding," she told him as she stepped forward to take the bundle of what felt like clothes. He found that he could not look away from her eyes even as she looked away and dusted the package off. She seemed familiar. "Ino wasn't kidnapped. She ran away."

"What? Why?" The lady in question rolled her eyes.

"Well, have you heard of Danzo?" She waited for his nod before continuing. "He's been insisting that I meet his son, because apparently 'it's about time I found a suitable partner.' My parents refused, but they couldn't stop him from visiting. He makes an annual trip to bless our villages anyway. And I did not run away. I'm on vacation."

"Oh, I see." He could understand that. Danzo was kinda mean. "So you're the sphinx?" He looked to Karin for confirmation.

"Yeah, it's one of my many forms." She was clearly an Uzumaki. "People just chose to focus on the sphinx part. I will never understand why."

"Actually, my favorite form is the ash tree nymph," Sakura informed her cheerfully. Hashirama looked at her, hoping for an introduction. "I'm Sakura, by the way."

That sounded familiar.

"The Huntress?" he asked, taking a step back with a hand on his heart. "It's an honor to meet you. My brother is your biggest fan. Oh, he's going to be so mad when I tell him about this." He would sulk forever.

"Well, could you hold off on that for a few days?" she asked in slight amusement. "I'm escorting these ladies to the Uchiha, and I'd rather not run into Danzo. He never stops talking." Madara vibrated at the mention of his family.

"Oh, me? I just came to offer my blessings to this town," Ino mimicked the harsh tone they were all familiar with. Karin threw her head back as she laughed at the display.

"Of course." With that, they were off. Hashirama waved back at them, feeling disheartened and elated all at once. Sakura smiled back at him before turning back to her companions. He couldn't believe he'd run into his favorite heroine, one of the most popular demigoddesses to roam their lands. It was like a once in a lifetime opportunity.

He tried his level best to defy that.

Hashirama had decided to travel to Madara's homeland, in search of the witch who had transformed him on her rage. In her defense, Madara should not have burned her tree down. Now she had to travel to the nearest town for a decent supply of birch tree branches. Since he happened to have more tact than his friend, he took a large supply of the branches with him. The witch was reasonable enough and agreed to turn him back for a few favors.

As a favor to him, Madara asked around for the most recent sightings of the huntress. With the information in hand, he set off in search of her. It felt like his heart would not rest until he found her.

Which he did, eventually.

"I don't need a companion," she told him evenly as he kneeled before her. The sky over the clearing was clear, moonlight dancing over their skin and in their eyes. She looked deadly as she sat at the base of a tree, watching him watch her.

"Sidekick?"

"Don't need that either."

"Apprentice?" Steepling her fingers, she looked him over carefully.

"You're a newbie hero, aren't you?" she asked.

"Is it that obvious?" he asked sheepishly.

"Just a little," her eyes crinkled. It felt like one of Tobirama's punches, right to his gut. "This should be fun, then. Let's start out small, there's a harpie over in Kiri and a friend told me it's been acting out. Get some rest, we leave at dawn."

"Thank you I...thank you," he gave her an excited grin. "Did Lady Ino manage to evade Danzo?"

"Oh no," she snorted. "She went home after a week and he was still there."

"Oh no," he muttered. "That's unfortunate."

"That's what I thought. But according to her message, Sai isn't as insufferable as Danzo and actually has some good traits. He tolerates her screeching better than most of us."

"That's...quite surprising. When is the wedding?" Sakura clapped her hands in a sudden burst of laughter. He tried his best to look away.

"Not anytime soon. She ran away again. This time, she took Sai with her."

The harpie was the most foul-mouthed creature he had ever come across. The harpie, or Hidan, as it turned out was immortal. Even Hashirama knew immortal creatures can't be killed, and he said so in shrill tones. Sakura ignored Hidan's cursing and looked back at him calmly. She had a plan.

They cut it's head off.

Hashirama looked at their new trophy in awe as Sakura set about finding a sack to carry it in. The flash of her sword was stuck in his head, along with the glimpses of her strained muscles as she tried to cut Hidan down. The way her well-toned arms flexed and the shine of her muscle armor as she ducked under careless swings made him dizzy even now.

"Wow, you've got it bad," the head dangling from his fingers observed, shaking his head in amusement. "The fearsome huntress, not ba-" He stuck a hand over his mouth as Sakura came over to them, waving the sack around.

"Later."

A month later they had traveled all the way to the black forests near Pein's territory. It was just him. And Hidan. A month of shared smiles and secrets. She was always so warm. Every time she came close to adjust his stances, her heated skin made him gasp but Sakura never said a word about it. When he thought about it, he realized what this was. His mother's tales often featured this element of the forever kind of love.

"She told you to leave?" Hidan gasped, brows high on his forehead. They sat by the fire, waiting for Sakura to come back from patrolling the surrounding area.

"My training's done. I'm strong enough to challenge even the Nemean Lion now." But he was still miserable.

"So you're a full-fledged hero now! Come on, cheer up," Hidan urged. "We should celebrate!"

"I am, aren't?" Hashirama gave him a small smile even as he ached at the thought of leaving her side.

"You are. Which means you're not her apprentice," he said with a sly smile. "You're on the same level now."

They stared at each other in silence.

"Well, not quite but you know what I mean! She's a heroine. You're a hero. Bam! Isn't that how it works?"

"Is it?" He asked dubiously and Hidan gave his best impression of a nod.

"Totally! And trust me, you have nothing to worry about. You didn't see the way she was looking at you while you fought off the Erinyes. It made me blush."

"Really? You think so?" Hashirama felt a spark of hope at this. He didn't want to hide his feelings, not from her.

"Yeah, now do me a favor and talk to her while she's in the woods. I don't want to hear your screams if she-"

"I'm going!" he cut him off hastily, placing the head on the log and rushing off into the trees.

"-decides to cut you down where you stand. Get your mind out of the gutter!" Hidan called out.

Sakura heard him coming before she even saw him as he rushed to find her.

"Over here." His heart thudded in his chest when he saw her. Her head tilted to one side as he stumbled to a stop right before her.

"Is everything alright?"

"Yes! No, wait no," he took a deep breath as she remained silent, sensing his need to get something off his chest. "I need to tell you something."

"Go on." This should be fun, she thought in slight amusement. Things tended to be brighter with him around.

"Well, I...that is, um," his resolve scrambled under the weight of her stare. Thanks to Hidan, he had a plan b. He reached into the pouch at his hip.

"I've never done this before," he told her, cheeks brightening as he got down on his knees. "But Hidan said this is how it's done, so…" Hashirama nodded to himself and took the apple out. Bowing his head, he ended up throwing it at her a bit too forcefully. He winced as he heard it hit her armor.

He peeked up through his lashes to see her stare at the apple at her feet and then him, her smile twitching. "What was that?"

Her lips pressed into a thin line at his mumbled response. "Speak up. You're not my apprentice anymore."

"It means I want to stay!" he all but yelled, staring at the grass below him. "My heart and my sword, they're yours. To take, or to break." His heart raced with the sound of her soft footsteps until her bare feet came into view. It was a habit of hers, strolling barefoot in the grass. But only in the dark. All of a sudden, the rest of her came into view as she kneeled in front of him, with him.

"You don't kneel before me, hero," she told him softly. "Look at me. Now, did Hidan teach you that?" He nodded and she laughed at the blush that sprang to his cheeks. The head had told him about the ancient custom followed by most men. It seemed silly but if it got his point across, he'd take it.

The tips of her fingers touched his cheeks. He looked up and she searched his eyes for the sincerity she knew him for. Her eyes crinkled and he kissed her. It was the most daring action he had ever taken, with the most dangerous being he knew. The one he dared to call his heroine, but only around the Head they had befriended, whispering in the night. Hidan gave good advice when it came to matters of the heart.

Her fingers were tangled in his hair and he didn't know where to put his. She smiled into his mouth and pulled away, and like always he followed. She unclasped her armor and helped him with his, squeezing his trembling fingers as he tried to calm his heart. Sakura was so close and he was ready to give her everything. His lips parted to receive hers and she kissed him over and over until he could smile with her and dare to touch her hair.

She was on his lap now, chuckling into his neck as he gasped. "Wha-what?" His tunic was hung over a branch, he noted in a daze. He molded her to him, afraid of her being torn away from him.

"I thought you were going to leave without saying anything." She sunk her teeth into his neck. Hashirama was glad to be alone with her, where nobody could hear his soft cries. Her firm thighs were wrapped around his hips and slowing his thought process down.

"I was," he whispered, kissing her shoulder. She bucked against him and he bit down, hands tightening around her thighs almost painfully. She didn't flinch as he raised head to look into her eyes. His determined expression kept her from sinking down on him, waiting for him to speak. Sakura was on her back the moment she relaxed, Hashirama hovering over her as he stroked her cheek.

"Don't make me leave after this," he whispered. "You have too much of me already. Please."

"You have your own path to take. We all do," she told him with a little smile. They had too much to save. Sakura kept his heart from breaking apart completely with her next words. "But you'll have me. We don't have to walk the same road to be together. I'll always find you." She laughed at his teary-eyed nod.

"I'll find you too," he agreed, crashing his mouth to hers even as a tear slipped down his cheek. Even as she gasped and clung to him, he wanted to remember the way she arched her back when he kissed his way down the front of her body. How her lips parted and eyes clenched shut when his tongue flicked against her. This would be their last moment together for a while and he intended to make the most of it.