Queen of Air and Darkness

xxvi. the destiny of man

Madara's blow came down hard enough to rattle Sakura's teeth. She braced her stance, but her knees still bent slightly under the force of it, and her leg threatened to slip backward in the muck.

But Sakura did not fall.

She had seen Kakashi go down and she had known immediately that something was wrong. Magic was not an endless well, and his lightning could not run forever. But without it, he would be defenseless against Madara.

And every muscle in her body had screamed no.

Not again.

She would go to the underworld herself first. She would let Madara rip through her before she stood by and watched the light fade from his eyes once again.

And yet her blood chilled as Madra's gaze locked on hers. The Sharingan's hypnotic swirl was trained on her with interest. She may well go to the underworld for this. His power was an ancient, twisted magic that crackled off of him like lighting. It was ancient and furious; powered by a grudge as old as time. Perhaps Tsunade could have matched him, but the rest of them did not stand a chance. She had only felt such power twice before. Once, in a frozen cavern where she had pleaded for the power to change her fate.

And again, as she had been lead to the realm of death.

Madara moved to strike again, and this time she barely managed to parry his strike. Sakura cursed herself for being too slow, too human.

Madara was a demon that had stepped out of the pages of history. He had seen dynasties come and go, from a dark pocket in the world where he had bid his time. He had outlived every one of his enemies. Sakura, Kakashi, the entire army of Kona were like ants to him. He would outlive them all unless they could find a way to stop him here and now.

So Sakura did not flee as Madara's third blow came. She dodged backward, as his sword lashed out before her in a wide arc. But she was too slow to completely avoid it; the blow sliced her cheek just below her left eye. Had she been a millisecond slower, she would have been forced to wear an eyepatch to match Kakashi's.

"How long will you play games, little girl," Madara said. His voice was terrible and as inhuman as the rest of it. It hurt. The sound of it was an assault on her ears, each syllable a battering strike. She had to steel herself against the force of it, driving her feet into the ground where he seemed to push her back.

"As long as it takes," she fired back.

She had nothing to back up her bravado, but Sakura would not back down. She would not flee--her duty did not allow it. Not to the realm, that dirty and tired thing made of dirt and war and promises. But her duty to the people of Konoha. To Naruto.

To Kakashi.

But this time when Madara attacked with his sword, her spear shattered in her hands. It broke into two pieces, just chunks of worthless wood in her hands. Helplessly she threw aside each of the pieces, fumbling for her sword. But Madara gave her no quarter. This time, he kicked her, Not even bothering to dismount from his massive black horse.

The blow sent her flying. Sakura staggered backward, her head spinning and her ears ringing. Blood spilled from the corner of her lip.

"Sakura!" Kakashi's voice rang across the field. "Run!"

He was too far away to save her. As soon as Madara had descended upon her, he had been besieged by the white monsters. Now, she spared him a glance over her shoulder to see him surrounded. A new enemy had descended upon him. Shikamaru and Ino, fighting in tandem.