Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. *sad face*

As a general warning, parts of this fanfic will feature descriptions of sexuality and desire. If such content is not appropriate for you or your tastes, I suggest you move onward.

Rated M for sexual content and language.

Enjoy!

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"Sometimes the ancients lend us their wisdom. All problems are in endless repetition…an endless cycle. Their folklore shares the solution to the cycle."

Sakura looked up, lifting a brow at the old woman—she was a client on an escort mission.

The crone had tremendous political influence, due to her famously wise advice, which meant she was in danger whenever she travelled. By luck, Sakura's team had been charged with the escort mission. During the mission, the woman accidentally stepped on a glass bottle in the road, preventing the team from moving further until she was healed. Naruto, grumbling the entire way, carried the old woman to a nearby village so that Sakura could attend to the injury in a more sterile environment.

Sakura eyed the woman's foot, listening to the vague sounds of playfulness in the inn's hallway. She didn't know what, but something had stirred Naruto up.

The old woman, Nandi was her name, eyed the young nurse at her feet. A smirk played on her lips as she regarded Sakura.

"You are a powerful fighter," the woman observed. "You can bend mountains with your fists...a remarkable feat of control."

She spoke slowly, taking her time. Her demeanor was relaxed despite the bleeding, burning hurt in her foot.

"You could be better, however."

"Would you like something for the pain?" Sakura asked, choosing not to comment on the woman's observations. The old woman shook her head, not wishing to be drugged.

Sakura had been taunted one too many times by Sasuke during many training sessions over her much needed improvement. While she did not fall behind developmentally to ninja on any other team, Sakura did not keep pace well with Sasuke and Naruto. Naruto never said that he agreed with Sasuke, but Sakura believed the dark nin's words. He and Naruto were legendary in their development and power. She remained only above average. Asking that she keep up with the two seemed like an impossible task. However, she remained determined.

Sakura examined the foot with precision. She'd have to remove each piece of glass individually before she could heal the woman. It was best to keep her talking. The more the old woman spoke, the more comfort that Sakura felt from knowing the woman could handle the pain.

"Go on," Sakura urged, not really believing Nandi's advice would be too helpful. She was a sage of politics—not a sage of ninjutsu.

"Improve your flexibility and you will be an equal to your teammates. Flexibility reflects a mental discipline," the woman answered her. Sakura's brows furrowed together. Flexibility was important to a ninja's life, but not essential like speed or strength.

"Also, if you improve your flexibility, you shall vastly improve the quality of your sex life."

At this, Sakura began to blush and force down her choking reflex.

"Do not be embarrassed, young one. Sex is a beautiful union—the physical manifestation of love. Sex is not dirty between two who share love. The only shame is a union between those who do not love. They sully the ritual."

Sakura's eyes snapped up to Nandi, her bangs falling into her eyes. Her gloved fingers bloody from the woman's foot, she was unable to tuck the locks back behind her ear.

"I need assistance!" she called over her shoulder, trying to forget the old woman's sex talk. She greatly hoped Nandi wouldn't continue talking about the ritual of sex when her assistance came. Sakura expected Naruto to burst through the door, but to her surprise, Sasuke entered swiftly.

The injured woman scrutinized Sasuke as he entered. His mussed hair indicated that he and Naruto had been getting into some kind of mischief; heaven knows what. Without speaking, he looked pointedly to Sakura for his orders.

"Can you grab the pins from the front pocket of my bag and tuck back my hair?" Sakura asked. Her tone was meant to be casual, but discomfort eased out. She was rigid, nervous for his brief touch. As she waited, her heart began to pump with fervor. He obeyed swiftly, approaching her.

When his fingers brushed her scalp, a shiver of delight passed through her, but she managed to retain some composure. He tucked the rebellious pink locks back and held them in place with a pin. His touch was something unexpected, surprisingly gentle. He stood still, observing his work. Then, he left without saying so much as a word.

The old woman hummed to herself, shaking her head at the door. Obviously, she did not approve of the mannerisms of Uchiha Sasuke. Then, her eyes flashed to Sakura. Then, back to the door. Obviously, she analyzed the transaction between the two. Her lips twitched as a thought almost burst through. Her eyes closed as her head fell backwards to rest.

"How about a tale while you work, nurse?"

"Anything you please," Sakura answered politely with the expectation to only half-listen to the tale. Nandi nodded in approval.

Sakura's face fell downward in concentration as she pulled pieces of glass from the old woman's foot. As she cleaned and patched up the wound, the crone chattered.

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They'd completed their mission and returned to the village, but the tale remained fresh in Sakura's ears. When she lay down at night, the story's whisper would become a spoken voice.

Even after an entire week had passed, Sakura couldn't let go of the tale. She had returned home. Spent time training. Worked at the hospital. Spent time with her parents. Spent time with Ino. Cleaned her apartment. But nothing could rid her of the old woman's words. As she lay awake at night, she felt them wash over her. Her body would submerge and bathe in the story, over and over. She feared, if her newfound obsession lasted long enough, she'd sink past reality.

There was once an incredibly powerful god. He had loved much, but tragedy had stolen that which he loved. The god fell into a dance of destruction that could only be stopped by an equally powerful god. Lonely, the god of destruction withdrew from the cosmos. The world fell into imbalance without his power. Without his works of destruction and transformation, the world grew stagnant. The other gods and goddesses grew fearful from his detachment.

When Nandi wove her tale of a withdrawn god of destruction, Sakura thought to herself how the god bore a striking resemblance to Sasuke. She almost believed for a moment that the old woman was making a comment about Sasuke through the story, but Sakura reasoned it was unlikely. Yes, Sasuke was both destructive and withdrawn, but the woman didn't know such details about him, like the loss of his family. Keeping this in mind, Sakura assumed this was only a coincidence in the tale.

She rolled over onto her stomach. Pressing a cheek into the pillow, she inhaled sharply. Slowly, she released the breath.

There were other details that struck close to home.

A mountain goddess fell in love with the detached god. As a child, her inner soul cried out for union with him. However, the god refused to acknowledge her.

The words echoed through her mind, long after the mission was finished. They teased her—thoroughly and entirely creeping Sakura out. She dwelled on the words constantly.

Was the old woman trying to tell her something?

Sakura rolled onto her back.

Even more disturbing were the emotions the tale provoked in her. The old woman spurred thoughts and feelings that had been thoroughly repressed. Repressed out of necessity. Repressed so she could function.

When she grew into adulthood, she remained obsessively devoted to her beloved, distant god.

Rolling onto her side, Sakura tucked her knees into her chest.

Nandi had given her a pointed look after she spoke that sentence. Her old, but still sharp eyes were ingrained in Sakura's mind.

"I don't want to think about this anymore," she murmured aloud to no one.

She felt as if a single glance from those wise eyes had allowed the old woman to view Sakura's true nature. She knew of Sakura's love…confusion…pain…things that couldn't be expressed easily with words.

Even with the strength of a mountain, we are all left vulnerable to the one we love. The goddess was so with her beloved.

Her fingers twitched against her pillow.

She knew the truth as to why the story burdened her so greatly. Really, anyone could figure it out…but she wasn't ready to handle the emotions the story provoked. She wasn't ready to move and take action. Certainly, she couldn't even figure out how to maintain balance within herself.

Because even admitting her sustained love…even to just herself…would be fruitless. However, trying to forget about it would never work.

Another night without sleep. Another night spent tossing and rolling in bed.

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When the next evening came, she experienced a similar phenomenon.

Only this time, she wasn't plagued by just a stupid bedtime story. This time she was plagued with the weight of guilt.

When she arrived at work that morning, Tsunade took one look at her, scoffed, and sent her home.

"Your coordination and balance is off," Tsunade observed bluntly. "It's been off. Go home and sleep. You are dismissed for the week."

Her mentor hadn't meant to punish her. Rather, she was rewarding her with some free time. However, it still stung to be sent away from work, especially when her work offered a sweet respite from the endless repetition of the tale.

When Sakura returned home, she fell onto her couch and napped the entire day. While the extended sleep had been refreshing, it was annoying that nightfall had come and she was wide awake. Even more burdensome was the constant reminder that in some-odd hours she was supposed to train with her team.

Sakura groaned into her pillow.

"Stop bugging me, old woman," Sakura begged. "I just want things to run smoothly."

Silence was her only reply. Of course, no one was there to reply to her.

Sakura let out a long groan of frustration. Rising, she padded roughly across the floor to her dresser. Her pajamas were flung from her skin and replaced with training clothes.

She stomped her way to her closet, removing several kunai. She wouldn't lay still and wait another moment. She wouldn't be weak and wonder over ridiculous stories and implied meanings. She was through with it all.

Tonight, she'd train alone. Somewhere no one could find her and burden her. Then, she'd pound a new valley into the earth to vent her frustration.

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The god could not be disturbed from his meditation. He took on the lifestyle of a hermit and withdrew his true self from the world. All that the world could see was his dormant form that lay waiting.

His feet fell onto the earth percussively. Left. Right. Move forward. Move faster.

When Sasuke trained with Naruto, he trained his battle skills and strength. When he trained alone, he focused on his speed and agility.

He never planned to train alone in the night, but when evening came, so did the torment. His house would grow unbearable. It eerily reflected the past, bringing guilt, anger, and torture. He would have no rest, unless his body was thoroughly and completely exhausted. Some nights after his long runs, he would collapse in the entryway of his home—he couldn't even make it to his bedroom.

Surely, if the villagers saw him wandering around the streets at night, they'd grow suspicious. So, he stuck to the thick forests surrounding Konoha—the kind that were used for extremely difficult training. He never saw a soul, nor did he want to.

So, when he heard the soft thunk of a kunai hitting a tree, he stopped immediately. His head tilted, as he listened intently for the sound.

He heard a second thunk.

He eased slowly in the direction of the sound. He knew it came from a clearing beside the river. He moved silently, not wishing to alert whoever it was to his presence. He knew he wouldn't want the attention of the person, but he did want to know who else could possibly be training so late into the night.

In fact, it barely even counted as night anymore. It was three in the morning. In a few hours, the sun would rise.

He came slowly upon the clearing. His eyes landed on a sight he did not expect to find.

Sakura sat, her legs crossed, beneath a blossoming tree. As the blossoms fell to earth, she'd throw a kunai at them. The kunai would pierce the flower and pin it to the trunk of a nearby tree. Clearly, this was an exercise in aim.

Her frame was covered in a light sheen of sweat, which indicated that this was a cool-down exercise. Great holes were scattered around her, telling him that she had been pounding her fists into the earth for some time. Most likely, she had been training far longer than he.

Unclear why she was out here alone, Sasuke shifted his weight, subtly crushing leaves beneath his feet. Sakura's face snapped upward. She could sense the hidden presence behind her.

Her head tilted, alert.

"Who's there?" she called out, looking suspiciously over her shoulder. The trees obscured the shadow of a man, frightening her. Most likely she knew him, but the dark of the night made her wary.

Instead of calling back to her, Sasuke stepped forward. Moonlight reached his form, and she immediately relaxed. A weak, insecure smile teased upon her face.

Sometimes the goddess would call out to the god, and briefly rouse him. However, he would always return to his dormant form after a moment.

"Sasuke," she nodded, greeting him. He took no time for formalities.

"Why are you here?" he interrogated, moving toward her. Her pleasant mask faltered. Looking away from him, she watched another petal fall to the ground. She reached for the kunai at her side, but found the final one missing.

Sasuke rolled it idly in his hand, waiting for his answer.

What was she supposed to say? Certainly not the truth.

"I can't sleep, Sasuke, because I'm obsessed with this stupid story an old woman told me...which tells me I'm losing touch with reality."

She shrugged.

"Can't sleep," she answered softly. Half-truths always work nicely.

A cluster of blossoms fell from the tree. Her eyes widened when Sasuke threw the final kunai, smirking as he impaled all of the delicate buds to the side of a tree.

"We'll spar then," he demanded, pulling her up by the arm.

Despite his return being quite a long time ago, they had never been alone for even a moment. Her stomach churned at this realization.

She didn't have long to think about it as he charged at her. Petals falling from the blossoming tree and the darkness obscured their view of one another. She raced, trying to outdo the speed of his strikes. This, however, was a futile effort. He was undeniably fast. A painful strike hit her side, but a well-timed punch in response forced him to recoil from her.

How bizarre the ninja lifestyle was. It was, perhaps, the only culture in the world where battle was acceptable social behavior amongst teammates. Despite the fast pace of their fight, she realized this irony—if Sasuke hadn't offered to spar with her, it would have been rude.

Not that Sasuke was one who cared much for manners or protocol.

In a matter of minutes, a strange rhythm developed between them. His strikes were fast, painful. Sharply and percussively, he'd harm her. Her responses to him were slow but well established—enough for him to lose balance. Sometimes the pain was enough for him to lose his breath.

This went on well into the night. Her breath rasped in her chest, but she refused to stop. Although it was a friendly spar, she was far from feeling comfortable with her opponent. So, she continued to fight him well past the point she should have—past the point of pain or productive development.

Like one would fight an enemy.

Their fight was cut short, preventing any permanent damage to either, when Sasuke reached for both of her small wrists, pinning them against her back with a single, large hand. What a cruel advantage of male anatomy over female. He held her there a moment, observing the sweat on her skin.

When he held her painfully for a moment too long, a soft sound of distress was emitted from her throat. He eyed her.

"Let go," she gasped. Instantly, he released her.

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"Forehead, would you quit moping in the corner and pay attention to me?"

Sakura blinked twice, trying to force herself into alertness. Constantly, her mind thought back to last night. Her desperate need for sleep. Her sparring session with Sasuke born of chance. All the while, the bizarre story from Nandi kept repeating inside of her head.

Ino's words shook Sakura from her new obsession and brought her swiftly back to reality.

They were in Ino's apartment, mostly because Ino hated snacking on Sakura's health food when they went to her place. She'd found Sakura outside of the ramen stand after a traditional team dinner. She emphatically took hold of Sakura's arm, pulling her away from her team. She babbled into Sakura's ear that she had the juiciest story and that she needed to hear it now. Effectively feeling like she was being kidnapped, Sakura looked for help from her three male teammates. The only one who seemed to care was Naruto, but he wasn't ready to fight Ino for her. Due to Ino being a far more powerful persuasive force than Naruto, Sakura had been dragged back to the apartment.

Sensing Sakura was paying attention to her again, Ino continued her story.

"So, I told him, 'We should go back to my place and—'"

"Ino!" Sakura gasped, covering her ears. "I don't need to hear all of this."

Ino rolled her eyes.

"Sometimes, I wish my best friend wasn't such a baby," Ino muttered with a small smirk. "Since I can't tell my story…why don't you tell me what you were thinking about so intensely?"

Sakura's face flushed. She looked away from Ino.

"Is this cuz I called you fatass at the ramen stand? Because you don't have a fat ass. It just came to mind since you were eating. You've got a nice butt. Cute and all. So don't be so annoyingly self-conscious."

"Uh…thanks?" Sakura questioned, unsure of how to respond to Ino. "But it's not really that…"

Ino playfully put a finger to Sakura's mouth.

"Wait, wait. Lemme guess!" Ino winked, and then looked upward, running through possibilities in her mind.

"This old lady—" Sakura began.

"Sakura! I told you to let me guess!"

"You wouldn't have gotten it right!" Sakura argued. "There's no way you would just grab this from nowhere."

Ino pouted, but let Sakura move forward with her story.

"This old lady we escorted told me this folktale. Now, I can't get it out of my head. It's on endless repeat."

"Like when you get a song stuck in your head?"

"Kind of…" Sakura scratched the back of her head.

"Eh, you'll get over that soon enough," Ino reasoned with a shrug. "And don't scratch your head like that. Makes you look like Naruto. I swear, your team influences you way too much."

Sakura gave her a weak smile and rolled her eyes. Ino's brutal honesty hurt sometimes.

"So, nothing else is bugging you? Like nothing's going on? You look mega-tired, so I thought there'd be more."

Sakura shook her head. She considered for a moment telling Ino about her strange encounter with Sasuke last night, but decided against it. She preferred to keep a few secrets to herself, especially if it involved tender issues such as Uchiha Sasuke. Heaven only knew what would come out of Ino's mouth when she told her.

"Improve your flexibility and you will be an equal to your teammates," the crone's voice reminded Sakura. Desperate to make the story and advice stop their endless cycle, Sakura sought Ino's help.

"Can you teach me yoga?" Sakura asked, feeling a little shy. In return, Ino gave her a wicked grin.

"Sure! Plan on using it for sex?"

Sakura choked and blushed instantaneously. Maybe seeking Ino's help wasn't such a wise idea…

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The next night was a replica of the first.

She knew had training in the morning.

She should go to sleep.

But she couldn't sleep.

Only this time, she didn't burst off in anger. She slowly pulled herself from her bed. She took her time redressing. It seemed almost natural to crawl out of bed at midnight.

After pulling on her shoes, she ran outside. She took no planned route, but, of course, found herself in the forest from the night before. Curiously and with familiarity, she rushed to the cherry blossom tree she had practiced her aim on the night before. She paused, standing beneath the tree.

A dull ache in her left calf brought her back to reality, reminding her that she had run too far too fast. She settled herself onto the ground, rubbing the muscle gingerly. Glowing green fingers soothed the ache even more so. A sigh of relief escaped her lips.

A throat cleared behind her, jarring her from her peaceful moment alone. She jumped slightly in surprise, frightened to learn she hadn't been alone this entire time.

She cast a glance reflexively over her shoulder. Sasuke leaned against a tree, watching her. His eyes flicked to her leg, then back to her face.

"I shouldn't be able to sneak up on you so easily," he scolded her.

Sakura frowned slightly and rolled her eyes.

"I wasn't trying to find you," she muttered to herself. "I wasn't on guard."

"You always need to be on guard," he continued to scold. She gave a sigh of exasperation. Despite all of the various mentors and teachers she had encountered in her life, Sasuke remained the person who was most likely to instruct her on every single one of her errors. His unrelenting demand for perfection gave her a steady sensation of hopelessness.

He took another step toward her.

"You're too predictable," he mocked.

"Because you knew I'd be here?" she asked, rubbing her calf again for good measure.

"Aa," he answered softly, eyeing her again. His eyes landed on her calf, then looked back to her expectantly.

"It's fine," she responded to an unasked question. "I ran too fast and too far. I didn't warm up first."

He didn't respond. He watched her, waiting for something. She continued to gingerly rub her sore spot, nervous under his blatant scrutiny.

"I couldn't sleep again tonight," she began to babble softly. This was mostly for herself. She knew he didn't care and had probably assumed why she'd arrived. "It's getting annoying. We've got training in the morning. I need to be well rested, but I can't sleep. If I don't get any sleep, I won't be able to work at the hospital."

She gave her leg a final squeeze, confirming to herself that it was fine to stand on again.

She looked up at him, only to find him gone. Her lower lip pouted forward slightly. How dare he leave without so much as saying a word!

A heavy hand landed on her shoulder. She squeaked in surprise, jumping and twisting out of his grasp.

"I shouldn't be able to sneak up on you," he scolded again. "Especially when you just saw me."

She panted, trying to catch her breath from the shock. Her mouth fell ajar slightly.

"And your obligation lies with your team. Not the hospital," he continued to scold, a hint of disdain trickling into his voice. "You're a ninja first."

Why was it that he never felt the need to speak unless he was insulting or instructing?

"Look, the only reason you can sneak up on me is because I'm not paying attention when you do. I'm not going to always have my guard up, especially if it's just you."

"You always need your guard up. Especially if it's me."

She wondered vaguely why he'd say such a thing. He took hold of her arm, pulling her roughly to stand.

"We'll spar. Then go home," he ordered.

Again, they fought. He would win, regardless of her tactics against him. The most she could do was maintain her dignity and at least challenge him. Sadly, sparring with her wasn't even stimulating enough for him to activate his Sharingan. This enraged her once she'd noticed, making her punches more severe on his skin. When she was angered, she forgot he was a teammate…even more so that he was someone she loved. The ritualistic fighting consumed her. She started to fight him to hurt him. No longer did she want to merely train.

He was her foe.

He managed to exploit her the same way he always did. Somehow, no matter how hard she tried to keep her eye on him, he would vanish behind her. He viciously grabbed her shoulders, forcing her backwards against him.

The thud against his chest awoke her from her primitive urge to fight him. Suddenly, it was as if she became sober, realizing where she was and who she was with. She made to remove herself from him, but his arms wrapped around her stomach.

He held her tight against his chest, forcing her to submit—to allow him to win their spar. She struggled in his grasp. His grip tightened when she struggled, but never to the point of pain, just enough to hold her back against his chest.

Her breathing was strained, strangled by his grasp. Heat spread throughout her constricted frame as soon as she realized just how close he was. Just how tightly he held her.

"I've got you." A husky taunt in her ear.

His rumbling, low voice vibrated within her, tickling her. Teasing her. She shivered.

His warmth and scent began to intoxicate her, making her struggle all the more fruitless. She went limp in his arms, no longer fighting him.

He had her.

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Part 1 of 4. The next part will be posted in a few days.

The god and goddess folktale featured in this story is inspired by the love story of Shiva and Parvati from Hindu mythology.

Special Thank You for:

For those of you who followed The Last Will and Testament of Uzumaki Naruto, user newbie-otaku created a fanart for it! ^_^ I love it dearly, and if you are interested in checking it out, you can find the link on my author's page.

And a big heartwarming, huggable, sweet thank you goes out Sakura's Indecision for beta-ing Folklore with me. She has been an absolute dream the entire way through, and helped not only with grammar, but beautiful additional content touches. Without her help, I am more than certain I wouldn't have been able to complete this story.

She's posted a few fabulous Sasu/Saku stories that I highly recommend, so go check her out immediately!

As always, I absolutely adore reviews. ^_^ I appreciate feedback.