A/N: So, I got inspired reading some of the MadaSaku stories here and decided to write one too. Props to all the MadaSaku writers out there! Not sure how "quality" my story's gonna be, but that's OK, this is just for fun. Plus hopefully writing this will help me overcome my writing difficulties on my Batman story. :)

Thank you and enjoy!

~S.S.

Mottled

-CHAPTER ONE-

-/-

"Quick, destroy my Rinnegan!"

In the strange world of Kamui, amidst the infinite boxes, Sakura's hands shook. The handle of her kunai was slippery with sweat. Obito trembled equally hard.

"We can't let it fall into Madara's hands! Hurry!"

Sakura hesitated. But if we do that, then we'll lose a valuable weapon. It's true that we can't let Madara get this, but… it might be our best chance at stopping him!

"I can't hold Black Zetsu back much longer!"

She looked into Obito's mismatched eyes. This man, who had brought so much misery on the world, was now kneeling at her mercy, begging for help. He must know Madara's power. And if he does, then—

Obito saw her resolve strengthen and her hands grip the kunai a little tighter.

Before she could do as she was asked, a rush of air entered behind them. Then they heard Madara's dark voice: "I don't think so!"

Obito could see the rod coming, straight for the medic. In a second, his Kamui activated.

But Sakura was faster than either man anticipated. She reached out, touched Obito's left eye—

A muffled scream echoed in her ears as she was teleported away.

But not before she felt the foul chakra surge at her back.

She landed on her knees on the battlefield. There – Kakashi-sensei, blood dripping down the left side of his face like tears. And next to him – Sasuke, his own left eye closed. She could do this!

"Kakashi-sensei! Hurry!"

"Not so fast!"

The shadow materialized directly behind her, like Death himself. For a horrible moment, she locked eyes with Kakashi and Sasuke, and saw terror on both men's faces. So, she realized, Sasuke does care.

Then, as her own terror gripped her like a mouse in the talons of a hawk, she felt Madara's hand on the collar of her shirt. And she was swept again into Kamui's swirl.

This can't fall into his hands! She remembered Obito's insistence, and determination surged through her. There's only one thing left I can do-!

Thump! Sakura landed on her knees once again. She looked around, expecting boxes, but was surprised.

Instead of Kamui's dimension, they were in a glade of cherry blossom trees. Why would Madara bring them here?

At that very moment, Madara threw her roughly into a tree.

"Where is it, kunoichi?!" he raged, advancing on her. Sakura struggled to her feet. It gained her absolutely nothing as Madara kicked her directly in the abdomen, sending her flying across the orchard. She immediately clutched her stomach. Good, nothing broken.

"What did you do with my Rinnegan?! Tell me, kunoichi, or I will show you true terror!"

She rose and took up a defensive posture, facing him. Chakra blazed around her fists. I have to get that Rinnegan back to Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei, no matter what!

Madara sighed. "You wish to fight me? Fine. Let's see how well you dance."

Sakura stilled. They could be miles away from the battlefield with no way to get back, independent of Madara taking them back himself. While he didn't look thrilled, it seemed he wasn't in any hurry either, and he was nowhere near out of chakra. If only she'd crushed that eye when she'd had the chance! She could only hope that Naruto, Kakashi, Sasuke, and Obito could come up with a plan while she delayed him.

Just come closer, you bastard…

Madara was fast approaching. She slammed her fist down into the earth. A large crack appeared, just before the entire ground erupted in pandemonium. Rocks and dust rose up, temporarily obscuring her opponent from view.

But then, swift as a comet, he was in front of her, and then she dodged to one side, her chakra-enhanced fist snapping up and catching him in the midsection—

He flew backwards, careening through the air, but his new godlike powers allowed him to slow and hover, rather than crash. If it had been anyone else, their ribcage would have been crushed by her immense strength, but instead he merely looked… inconvenienced.

He glared down at her, his Rinnegan eye shining through the dust. It was then that she felt his chakra envelop her, foul and fierce. It wasn't unlike when Pein had destroyed Konoha, all while proclaiming himself a god.

But Pein's hatred paled in comparison to Madara's.

She fled. It was an admirable intention, an acknowledgement of how far beneath him she was. It was sound battle strategy, really. But futile.

She hadn't made it within fifteen feet when his first fireball pierced her back.

"YAAAAAHHH!" She screamed, rolling on the ground, trying to put out the fire. The flak jacket took very little damage, but her hair was another story. The flames had caught and licked at her pink locks, but she managed to put them out, burning her hands in the process. She rolled shakily to her feet, enough to dodge a second volley. This time, fire struck the tree behind her. Sakura barely processed that he had used a single shot of fire, rather than one of his larger techniques. She understood; he needed her alive, so he could get the Rinnegan from her. He was holding back.

The fire spread, blazing from tree to tree, lighting torches that bled sap and cherry blossom petals. Sakura well and truly believed then that he could transform heaven into hell.

"You couldn't have sealed it away or teleported it," Madara mused, still hovering in the center of the orchard. His voice carried to her, soft yet menacing, like the rumble of coals on a bonfire. "I would have noticed. Somehow, in the time it took us to teleport, you hid it from me without using chakra. Which means you still have it!" He dropped from the sky then, and Sakura quailed in terror.

He landed on her, slamming her to the ground with his sheer velocity. Immediately, she rolled to one side, catapulting him with her legs. But this time, the angel of death hung onto her by her shirt collar before flipping them, slamming her headfirst back into the earth. Then he lifted off, holding her high in the air, while she grasped at his hands. The petals from the trees rose from the quaking earth, ablaze, billowing through their hair. The smoke made her choke, but otherwise she determinedly held his gaze, refusing to say a word. Madara smiled. Or rather, he bared his teeth.

"You Leafs don't know when to give up, do you?"

He lowered them slowly to the earth, one gloved hand around Sakura's neck. She struggled, hitting at him with chakra-enhanced hands, but he knocked aside her first blow and caught her second fist as it sailed.

Then, he tightened his grip and broke her wrist.

To her credit, she didn't scream. Instead, she bit her lip until she could taste blood.

He grabbed her chin. "Hold still, that I may look into your eyes and see the answer."

She closed her eyes, willing herself not to look. After all, he still had a Sharingan in his left eye. His grip tightened until she could feel the strain in her teeth. And then, quick as a snake, she twisted her chin out of his grip and bit him. He backhanded her across the face.

"Tell me now!"

"I'll never tell you!" she screamed. "I'll take it to my grave!"

"I will make you tell me if it's the last thing you do."

"I destroyed it! It's gone!"

"You lie." He surveyed her with his cold glare, and she could sense his growing malice.

With a vicious grunt, he tore her flak vest with one hand, the filling shredding and scattering as he ripped straight up, from navel to collar. Then, he roughly felt her flak vest and black undershirt, searching for the eye she concealed. She gritted her teeth. He tore through her pockets, scrolls and medicine pouring out. He stopped for a moment to peruse the scrolls, holding her at bay with one hand as she renewed her struggles.

The eye wasn't there.

"Hmm…" he hummed, staring down at her, and a soft, malicious smirk stole across his face.

"Ahh, kunoichi. You have ten holes, ten orifices in which you can hide valuable things. One greater than the average shinobi. But after that difference, you are simply more hollow than the rest of us."

Sakura's breath froze in her throat.

Madara's eyes seemed to be piercing her.

Then, without warning, he thrust his hand straight through her stomach.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

He withdrew his blood-splattered arm, Rinnegan clutched triumphantly in his fist. Beneath him, wide-eyed with pain, Sakura shuddered, her face rapidly losing color. Blood dribbled from her lips, and she shakily moved her good hand toward her ripped abdomen.

Madara stood to his full height, anticipation surging through him, and casually wiped her saliva and stomach acid from the Rinnegan. His eyes flickered to the burning trees.

"These cherry trees are appropriate, are they not, kunoichi? The samurais of old revered their blossoms, for like each of them, the blossoms are short-lived, beautiful and tragic as they perish. That we could all know such beauty…!" He smiled down at her. "Enjoy your last moments."

And then, he blurred. Kakashi's eye was still in his left socket, she remembered blearily. She could barely see the familiar spiral of the Kamui.

And just before darkness overtook her, she reached out with her good hand and grasped his ankle.