Prompt: Sakura learns about an old, traditional technique called "chakra cleansing", of which Sasuke is in need of.

– a/n suggested adult themes, adult situations in second part. Will post second part tomorrow, it isn't quite what I want it to be yet. :)
Unbetad

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Sakura had no idea the consequences when she decided to help Sasuke. She didn't think about where it would lead her, or how her actions could alter her fate. The medic only saw the man she loved, frustrated and tired of the same results, with no real improvement to speak of; she felt it keenly, too. When Sasuke trained day after day (and sometimes night after night) and saw no difference, it wounded him, and by extension – her. So when Sakura was given the opportunity to work with the archeo-medics, for the Uchiha History Restoration, she didn't hesitate to pick their brains on what could be wrong with him. Sakura wondered if it was a curse, his symptoms weren't right – Thank Kami. The archeo-medic she spoke with was very helpful, and knew a lot about the old clans, as well as family curses across the Nations. She explained that like poison – which was Sakura's specialty – curses tended to leave a person feverish, no matter the specifics. Sakura checked Sasuke's temperature covertly after that, a few times, and he didn't have a fever once. So it probably wasn't a curse.
It was by fate's hand that she came across the scroll, days after her first hypothesis was shot to pieces. The parchment was damaged from the dig, but it was still intact. The yellow paper was rolled together, held fast with a very old, browning, Uchiha insignia.
"Excuse me, do you know where this came from?" She asked the medic beside her, who was dusting off the remains of a very dead Uchiha. The bones were creepy up close, probably 100 years old; it was ironic, since Sakura dealt with blood and guts often. This dig was different. They found it outside of Konoha, by accident. Sasuke helped with the Uchiha History Reconstruction to a point, but he didn't want to be involved, so Sakura doubted he knew of this. She asked him to come, of course.
"I have no need for more dead Uchiha," he told her simply, before he returned to meditating.
She understood. Sasuke needed to be with the living. The dead had dictated his life for too long.
Sakura looked from the scroll in her hand back to the medic.
"Let me see." The medic said, holding out her hand.
Sakura gave it to her cautiously – she didn't want it taken from her without her knowing what was inside.
The woman pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, scrutinising the item. She turned to the list of items she had written in front of her, and then looked back at the scroll. Her brows furrowed as she unfurled it. Sakura bit her lower lip in anticipation.
"It's an old Uchiha ritual, a chakra cleansing scroll." The medic informed. "It was found with the remains in middle fire country."
"Chakra cleansing?" She asked. The archeo-medic nodded. Sakura added, "Do you think that chakra can be tainted?"
The archeo-medic didn't hesitate and it gave Sakura confidence, "Definitely. Chakra can become stained. Usually by a curse or a traumatic event."
A light bulb lit up in Sakura's head.
"May I borrow it, please? I promise I'll bring it back."
The woman made a face, before she placed the scroll on the counter and went back to her work on the Uchiha bones. She said, "I didn't see a thing."
Sakura made a quiet, "Yip!" And the scroll found its way into her medic pouch. She didn't waste time in exiting the history construction site. She was keen to solve the problem to Sasuke's seemingly impossible equation. She didn't know for certain if it would work – in fact, there was a large possibility that it wouldn't. If Sakura was wrong - Sasuke's chakra wasn't stained at all. Just in case, she made a detour to her office, where she searched high and low for something to support her hypothesis – and she visited the archives too. But still, Sakura found that she might be wrong.
She thought as she walked to Sasuke's, 'Then why does it feel right?'

"Sasuke, will you please just listen to me." Sakura wasn't explaining herself very well.
Sasuke's mood didn't help her cause, and she sighed heavily.
"I don't have time." He muttered. Sasuke was dressed in his training gear, weapon sheathed, and ready to leave the apartment. She stepped in his path, holding her arms out wide so that he couldn't slide by her.
"Listen to me." She frowned up at him.
His scowl was worn down with sleep deprivation and she knew she was playing with a beast uncensored.
"I don't have time to go on stupid vacations, Sakura. I have to get better – I need to improve."
She was sick of him not listening. Sakura shoved his chest, pushing him back into the hall. She exclaimed, "This will make you better. I promise!"
His eyes narrowed. Sakura knew he wasn't pleased with her man handling, but it looked like he was listening now. But really, she shouldn't have promised him – especially when she had no idea what would happen.
"How?" He asked suddenly, stalking forward. His tone told her that an interrogation was coming, and his actions confirmed it. Sasuke nudged her shoulder with just enough force to see her against the hallway wall – Sakura gasped. His eyes were dark and serious, "Explain."
He was standing too closely for her to reach the scroll without touching him. He flinched as her hand grazed his shirt covered stomach.
"It's in my medicine pouch," she said.
"Oh." He moved a fraction backwards and Sakura pulled out the scroll. She handed it to him, explaining as she went.
"I think your chakra is stained. You have all the symptoms, and that scroll –"
"Is from the Uchiha collection. My father said this was lost." Sasuke looked down at the paper, dumbfounded.
Sakura noted the wideness of his eyes. This news surprised and interested him.
She explained what they told her, "It was lost. The history reconstruction team found Uchiha remains by accident when they were in the middle of Fire Country, on another dig."
"Why didn't you tell me?" He frowned accusingly; it quickly became a scowl.
She reached for his arm before he could pull away. Her grip on his bicep was hard - she had to use chakra so he wouldn't run off to the other side of the room…or out the front door.
"I am telling you. I just found out today." She told him rather forcefully, and he stopped struggling. Sakura didn't let him go though, and they stood there for another moment.
She looked at his face, scrutinised the flecks of emotion in his eyes, and determined that Sasuke wanted to trust her on this. Sakura hoped that she wouldn't let him down.
He disclosed quietly, "My father told me about this ritual when I was young, but he never saw it. I thought it was only a myth…like the curse."
Sakura reassured with a squeeze of her hand, feeling his tension.
His eyes said he was scared.
Sakura sighed. Her hand moved to his chest, palm laying flat against his heart.
"Let's do the ritual then. If it doesn't work, we haven't lost anything. If it does…" She trailed off.
Sasuke's jaw set, and he looked deep in thought.
"Are you prepared for what it entails?" He asked, encroaching on her space again, towering over her like he wanted her to back out.
"I…I think so," she stuttered. He glanced at her sharply and she changed her answer, "Yes. I'm prepared."
"I don't think you understand what this is." He murmured, more to himself than her. He stared down at the ink, and his thumb traced over a blank area of parchment. His doujutsu activated. "There's words on here you can't see…They are for the redeemed –for the Uchiha brother whose love turned to hate. It's to further his life, and the clans power…"
"But?" She asked. It felt like there was a 'but' coming.
His eyes flickered with recognition towards her, and Sakura felt suddenly uneasy.
He broke eye contact, raking his fingers through his hair in a move Sakura was familiar with – he was unsettled.
He didn't meet her gaze. "The ritual requires love," he murmured. His doujutsu swirled as he looked at the scroll, turning it over, where she assumed more text was hidden. "Are you prepared to show me your true feelings?"
Sakura's eyes widened and her chest grew tight. She didn't realise that he actually needed her specifically. She had been burned by him before but had never given up before; she wasn't about to start now. He should know that.
"I already have." She whispered, taking the scroll from his grasp. "But I'm not scared to show you again. What do we need to do?"

When they entered the hot springs, there was no one to be seen. Regardless, Sasuke led her to a private pool, where the salts were rich, and the water perfectly warm. The parchment said hot springs, and this was all they had without travelling further; they were a town away already, and had to be back to meet Naruto for a mission. That was 24 hours away though. Sakura was having trouble focussing on anything other than her surroundings. The stone wall and the steaming pool sat before her, as the door shut behind her. There was a click that signified they were alone, and no one would disturb them.
Although she was 19, Sakura suddenly felt like a scared little girl.
Sasuke paid no heed to her as he undressed. His back was to her. She became entranced by the ripple of his back muscles, as his training shirt fell to the floor. His pants did too, along with his primitive belt. Sakura blushed at his tight rear, licking her lips unconsciously. There was just something about the square lines of a well built male, especially the man she loved, that made her want to jump his bones.
But they were there for a reason.
Sasuke stepped out of his underwear, foregoing the towel. The scroll and the ingredients were placed at the edge of the pool.
Sakura realised that she was still clothed, and he was in the pool – naked and waiting.
Her skin was warm and her breathing uneven, as she watched his eyes swirl at her through the steam. He wasn't looking away,
"What are you waiting for?"
She frowned, and asked meekly, "Could you maybe look away, please?"
"Che." He intoned but did as she asked, going so far as to turn around.
Sakura realised her hands were shaking, as she took off each piece of clothing. She wanted to wrap a towel around her, but she needed to be bare. There could be nothing in the water but their two souls, and the skin they resided in.
Her toes dipped in the water and Sasuke turned reflexively. His eyes fell upon her naked, descending form, and his skin flushed. Sakura's hair had grown a fair amount, and it was held atop her head in a loose bun. She was beautiful.
Sakura froze for a second, caught between covering herself and doing nothing at all. His eyes were intent, but she wasn't scared of his ability. Sakura gazed straight into his doujutsu, curious by the mismatched eyes he wore. His tongue darted out and Sasuke's gaze fell to her breasts, and lower. Then he said, "Take out your hair."
"Okay," she agreed. The tie loosened easily and she threw it towards her clothes, shaking her hair out and fingering the tangles straight.
Sasuke was still looking and she was still standing, so Sakura quickly waded into the pool, until she was covered up to her armpits with cloudy water.
Still Sasuke looked at with that expression.
"So what does the scroll say? What comes first?" She asked, keen to get the show on the road. Sasuke made a noise like he knew better. They'd be here for awhile.
"First we follow what you can read." He replied softly. He muttered a Jutsu, and aligning his fingers in the correct symbols, Sasuke lit up the fire torches surrounding the pool, as well as the ceremonial candle they brought with them.
"Come here."
She did as he ordered, taking the hand he offered.
"Follow my lead." He explained, showing her slowly the symbols they were to use. His toes surprised her, touching her feet. "We need to be touching."
"Oh." This was all a bit much, but Sakura wanted to continue.
Sasuke showed her once more, "Got it?"
"Is it dog then horse?" She asked, he sighed.
"Horse then dog," he gruffed.
"Alright."
Sakura closed her eyes and centred herself. She wiggled her toes against Sasuke's, feeling him there. She exhaled a long breath and on her next breath, they began…

A/N Second and final part coming tomorrow :) Be warned, adult situations ahead. Thanks for reading. If you'd like to review you are very welcome to, but I'd appreciate some human decency from those that love to add their opinions as to what should and shouldn't happen in my stories, if you're going to say something shit, why not follow up with 'but this bit was pretty ok'. Appreciate your time (: