In a Past Life
MadaSaku

It is said in ancient mythology that humans had two souls once. They were peaceful creatures, full of joy and warmth and love. But the Gods grew jealous of humans and ripped them in two, cursing them to forever wander for their other half through this life, and then the next.

Many of the Gods found their suffering to be of great amusement, but one Goddess took pity on the poor humans. She could not reverse the damage that had been done, but she granted them the only help she could offer: The Mark.

Much of the legend has been lost to time, but the old stories say that every person has an imprint, unique to them and their missing soul. It is hidden in plain sight, only to be revealed once its twin has been discovered. Only then will one know they have found their other half, their missing piece - their soulmate.

If one believed such myths...

xx

Sakura tried not to stare. She knew in this circumstance she was meant to be seen and not heard even if she was the infamous, respected kunoichi trained under the powerful Godaime, Tsunade. It was all part of the politics, all a part of keeping the peace. At least that's what her mentor had told her under a dark sky without starlight. Sakura couldn't say she agreed with the village elders or their motives for signing such a ridiculous treaty, but it was not her place to speak - and so she did not.

Dropping her gaze back to the scroll in her hands, Sakura scanned the document without reading it. It was simply a distraction to keep her from glaring at the occupants - or rather one specific occupant - that sat around the large circular table that had been brought into the Hokage's office for the occasion. They spoke in calm tones but their voices held a note of strain as they discussed the particulars of the treaty agreement.

At the sound of his voice, Sakura's gaze drew up again. He sat on the far side, almost completely facing her from where she worked on the opposite side of the room at the low-sitting couch. His eyes, the color of a black hole, bore into the Hokage as he ordered for control over his clan's old compound.

Uchiha Madara. What a sad excuse for a Founding Father, Sakura thought.

He looked like he was ready for battle rather than peace as he sat straight-backed, dressed in the very same well-worn, crimson armor he had worn during his war against Konoha only a few months prior. Tsunade and the other medics weren't entirely sure why he and Senju Hashirama had survived Kabuto's Reincarnation Summoning, but after a thorough examination by Tsunade herself, she had confirmed that the two men were no longer bound by the summoning and had been left in their world with their souls intact. They were now a part of their reality.

Of course, the other nations had immediately demanded Madara's head but after Tsunade and her grandfather, Hashirama, had reasoned the world they know wouldn't have survived given Madara's interference in preventing the rise of Kaguya, the other nation leaders had relented. Which is how they all found themselves in this room to begin with.

Silently Sakura observed Madara as he spoke. There was a note of authority in his voice as he discussed his needs and desires with the other members gathered. The air of madness that had surrounded him while she and her teammates faced off against him on the battlefield had faded to be replaced with an unwavering dominance that was felt by everyone in the room. It wasn't suffocating but his power still demanded respect - even from someone like Sakura who still refused to see him as anything but a monster. She would not forget their battle so easily.

It wasn't until Madara met her gaze that she realized she had been glaring in thought. His midnight eyes clashed against her forest green orbs but she didn't flinch away as he silently observed her from across the room. His expression was unreadable, betraying none of his thoughts, and silently they stared as the discussion continued.

It briefly crossed her mind how similar he and Sasuke looked with their sleek, black hair and the aristocratic features passed down from their clan's ancestors. Their eyes were similar in shape as well but while Sasuke's usually shined with annoyance or amusement, Madara's were calculating - guarded even. The Uchiha Founder would have been stunning - if not for the fact he was the spawn of Satan. Or perhaps Satan himself.

Narrowing her eyes a fraction more, Sakura finally returned her attention back to the scroll. She signed the bottom of it and furled it up before she set it down in her completed pile and stood silently. Without casting a glance at the conference table, she quietly exited the Hokage's office. There was no way she could complete her work with her anger simmering just below the surface and instead she considered what appealed for lunch as she rolled the different restaurants nearby around in her head.

In her haste, she missed the pair of eyes that followed her.

xx

Cold air greeted Sakura as she entered the Hokage's Tower. With the summer sun cast high into the sky, the cooler temperature was a relief against her overheated skin and she shifted the heavy, medical texts in her hand to swipe away the beads of sweat that had gathered along her hairline.

Behind the guard desk, Shikamaru sat with his feet propped on the tabletop and his fingers laced behind his short, spiky ponytail. He cracked an eye open at her entrance only to immediately close it again upon recognizing her. She smiled fondly at the older male and shook her head minutely but let him be as she passed the desk and continued towards the staircase that would lead her down to the vast library held beneath the building.

Her footsteps echoed softly against the concrete steps only falling silent when she reached the familiar library door. Sakura pushed the old wood open, its hinges groaning quietly with the force before she slipped inside and automatically made for the shelves reserved purely for literature on medicine and healing. It was small in comparison to the rest of the sections on military tactics and defense, but with one of the greatest healers in the world as Hokage, it was filled with far more recent and accurate information.

Silently Sakura ran her fingers across the backs of the many texts until she located the appropriate spots for the books she had borrowed. She slipped them back onto the shelf before she continued reading the titles. Tsunade had informed her some days ago that Konoha and Suna had exchanged some texts and she was interested to see if any new medical journals had been delivered in the shipment. She was still itching to get her fingers on Chiyo's knowledge on poisons she had left behind after her death.

After pulling a few journals from the shelves, Sakura settled in as she leaned back against the tall bookshelves. For some time, she read in peace with only her textbooks to keep her company. A few more sat stacked on the table next to her, but she was in no hurry to rush through them. She was currently unneeded at the hospital until later that night and it was far too hot out for her teammates to search her out for a spar.

From elsewhere in the library, she could hear the soft shuffling and murmurs of other shinobi. It wasn't uncommon for others to wander through the wide variety of literature but they mostly lingered in the large sections reserved for military tactics and so she paid them no mind. However, her attention was stolen from the thick pages in her hands as the hushed whispers of two distinct voices reached her ears.

"Madara, you ask too much."

"I only ask what is deserved to me. That which is my birthright."

"You should be gracious. The Hokage has pardoned you. That should be enough."

Even without the use of his name, Sakura would have recognized Madara's cool, unyielding tone. It took her a moment longer to identify the other as Hashirama's but once she did, her interest piqued and she straightened unconsciously as she strained to hear their conversation.

"Do not speak to me about being gracious," Madara nearly growled. "My Clan has been stigmatized ever since Konoha's founding, no thanks to your brother."

Hashirama paused. "I admit Tobirama made mistakes in his time as Hokage, but he only ever had good intentions."

"He killed my brother," Madara retorted.

"And you nearly had me commit suicide as justice. We can sit here and point fingers, but all of us made mistakes in the end while trying to find some resemblance of peace. You and I are no longer enemies here, Madara."

"We may not be enemies but do not make the mistake of thinking we are on the same side."

Even out of sight, Sakura could feel the displeasure rolling off the Uchiha Founder in waves. Only her well-trained ears allowed her to hear the almost silent pad of footsteps a moment before Madara stepped past the bookcase she was currently leaning against. He caught sight of her out of the corner of his eyes and stopped abruptly as he angled his head to look at her, his irritation still palpable in the air. Knowing there was no point in pretending that she hadn't overhear their conversation, Sakura met his eyes evenly, her expression void of any thoughts or judgments.

Neither of them spoke as they studied the other, but the awkward pause was quickly broken as Hashirama joined them. "Madara-."

Sakura shifted her gaze to the Shodai Hokage as he halted beside Madara as he too suddenly became aware of their audience. Even with their expressions carefully masked, Sakura was only too mindful she had overheard a conversation she had no business hearing, but she refrained from apologizing. After all, she was just visiting the library.

It was a moment before Sakura nodded respectfully. "Senju-sama."

"Haruno-san," Hashirama greeted.

Even to her observant gaze, it was difficult to read his expression and he turned away from her to glance at Madara. "This conversation is not over."

The Uchiha head said nothing and Hashirama nodded politely to her again before he made his exit.

Alone with Madara again, Sakura met his gaze coolly. It was so unusual to see him clothed in anything other than battle armor that she found herself taking a second-look at his shinobi pants and the long-sleeved, black shirt she could only assume held the Uchiha emblem on the back. He had rolled his sleeved up to his elbows on account of the summer heat but she wondered how he still wasn't overheated. Perhaps his heart really was made of ice.

The thought made the corner of her mouth twitch in amusement but she quickly bit it back, still keenly aware of Madara's observant gaze. It caused her skin to prickle uncomfortable but she refused to flinch away from this man.

"Do you tend to make a habit of masking your chakra within the village?" Madara finally asked.

"After being attacked within these walls so many times, yes I make it a habit. If you wanted somewhere to speak privately, I suggest that perhaps you do so in a private area."

Sakura didn't even attempt to hide the cool venom in her voice. They were both aware of her feelings towards him and she didn't respect the older male enough to even attempt to pretend otherwise. She had hoped her openness would compel Madara to leave her in peace, but it seemed her words had the opposite effect for he inclined his head curiously. "You do not care for me very much."

"And here I was trying so hard to hide it," she smiled sarcastically.

"Why?"

A cynical laugh passed her lips before she shot him a look. "Would you like me to list the reasons chronologically or by most serious offense first?"

"I do not recall ever committing a crime against you personally."

Straightening, Sakura pushed herself off the bookshelf to face Madara fully, her expression mildly incredulous. "You attacked me and my team."

"We were at war," he said simply.

"You were at war!"

Her sharp retort echoed off the books lining the shelves, stunning them into silence. She met his cool, unwavering stare with narrowed, emerald eyes as the pent up rage and resentment she held towards the man before her coiled like an angry snake inside her chest. Madara simply observed her, his expression unreadable.

"Hashirama is right," Sakura eventually said, her voice quiet in comparison to her outburst only moments before but no less hostile. "There are many shinobi inside these walls that don't believe you should be pardoned. You should be gracious."

With a note of finality, she snapped the heavy, medical book closed before she slid it back into its place upon the shelves and pivoted on her heels. In hindsight, Sakura should have known better than to turn her back on such a powerful shinobi, for one moment she was stalking away from him and the next she was pinned against the shelves, her shoulder blades and lower back pressing uncomfortably into the books.

Madara towered over her, all strength and dominance and danger as he used his larger frame to keep her immobilized. His sudden proximity stunned her and kept her from immediately channeling chakra into her arms and forcing distance between them as she stared wide eyed.

"You are naive to think that it was only upon my request that I returned to the village."

His warm breath ghosted over the shell of her ear, causing a shiver to race down her spine. Her brow furrowed in confusion as she weighed his meaning, but she refused to allow herself to believe that there was another reason the Hokage had asked for the Founder's return. He was trying to manipulate her.

"I don't believe you," she hissed.

"Why else would I come back?"

She had no answer and the lack of knowing stirred her anger again. "Get off me."

Snaking her hands between them, Sakura made to shove Madara away but he quickly grabbed her hand and pinned it above her head. The moment their wrists touched, something happened. A shock went through her body, igniting the blood in her veins and setting her body on fire as powerful recollection coursed through her.

Chest-aching grief and pure, blinding love warred within her as vague but emotional memories flooded her mind. She couldn't make out the images but in that moment, she could just as well recall her past lives and all the times Madara had courted her, all the times he had comforted her and all the times he had hurt her.

Loss struck her like a blow to the gut and would have left her doubled over if not for the fact she found her body unable to move. He had died - time and time again. Once in battle as a warrior trying to protect her and the kingdom they resided in, and then again in an assassination as he slept at night as a kind ruler of their village. In the last life, he had come to her as a patient. She had fought so hard to save his disease-ridden body but the closer they grew, the further his sickness had progressed. She had watched his last breath.

The losses were nearly unbearable. Sakura couldn't breathe.

But the pain slowly gave way to warmth as forgotten love surged through her and warmed her from her toes to the ends of her finger tips. He had been her lover over and over again, in every life they had ever lived. He was her groom, her husband, and the father to her first child and another first child in the next life. He was kind and compassionate, and though they had both taken many faces and just as many names, it was still him.

And as quickly as they came, the memories faded until Sakura was once again standing in the library with Madara. He was just as still as her, neither of them daring to move, daring to breathe as the rush of emotion dwindled.

As a child, Sakura had heard the stories of how the Gods had torn humans in two to forever search for their other half who shared their same mark. Back then, she had daydreamed about finding the one who had followed her through every life, fantasized about what it would be like after finding her true love, but she had long forgotten those fairytales. Until now.

Sakura was suddenly hyper aware of the hand that was still clasped within Madara's and the firmness of his chest where it pressed against hers. She could feel every silent draw of breath he made, every beat of his heart, and through the sunlit, dusty air of the library, their eyes met.

Another moment passed before Madara spoke, "We are…"

"No," Sakura interrupted before he could finish. With the fight gone from his body, she easily slipped out of his hold and put some distance between them. She eyed him warily, his own expression mildly bewildered and a hint curious. The look put her on edge and she took another defensive step back.

"Not you," she said slowly. "Anyone but you."

Written for MadaSaku week(end) on Tumblr. Finished this one a few weeks ago and was just waiting to post. At this point, I have no plans to continue this, but I might touch it again once I wrap up some other stories.