Tobirama's pulse raced. Her lithe body writhed below him. The fire in her eyes burnt fiercely as tried to fight him but in the end he subdued her. Careful not to slit her wrist with his razor sharp knife, he asked her again to tell him the truth, promising to let her live if she did. Tobirama meant it as well; he didn't particularly want to hurt her – he'd only do it if she posed a risk to his clan. He felt bad, seeing raw terror flash across her face as she realised there was nothing she could do, but he needed to know and he needed to know now. They're games had gone on long enough.
Back in the Sakura trees he'd planned to coax the information a little more slowly from her but he hadn't accounted for losing time whilst she was unconscious or for her apparent medical abilities. Hashirama would be worried about him now, he'd spent far too long messing around with the girl. He needed answers and he needed to get back. Even if he had chosen to loiter another day without answers, he hadn't accounted for her incredible rudeness and ability to get under his skin – the very idea of her threatening him! Still, no matter how he justified it to himself, he couldn't stop the twinge of regret.
Sakura began to babble – denying she knew anything. Tobirama took his time to consider her words, scanning her face for any sign of deception. Her eyes screamed silently up at him, angry but reproachful. He considered her strange questions about chakra. Then analysed way she'd fought back as he restrained her: she'd been fearsome enough but clumsy, frightened - In his experience, an enemy who'd found out they'd been revealed would have had a few more tricks up their sleeve. Though, perhaps her lack of defence was because she was still weak from illness…
However, when Tobirama had threatened to let her die he'd seen true terror in her eyes. She hadn't wanted to die and she clearly didn't have a way to save herself. An enemy spy would have been prepared for death or had an answer to give him. Something inside him told him she was telling the truth. He'd reached his decision.
"I believe you."
"Get off me then!" She screeched, her voice breaking.
He didn't immediately get off her but relaxed his grip on her wrists and pocked his kunai. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, breasts heaving under the dark Uchiha shirt. She refused to meet his eye, staring stubbornly at the wall.
"But," He continued "If I find you've lied to me. I will kill you."
Sakura's nostrils flared and she scowled but she said nothing. He squeezed her wrists hard and a little grunt of pain escaped her lips. She finally looked up at him, opal eyes glazed and defeated. Sakura nodded, confirming that she understood.
"You're hurting me." She whispered.
Carefully, he extracted himself from his straddling position and released her wrists. He stalked across the room snatching up a rag and settling back against the wall. He avoided looking at her, he hoped she wouldn't cry. Tobirama didn't like ruling by intimidation but he'd use it when he had to. Meticulously he polished and cleaned the weapons in his pouch one by one.
"You're a fucking bastard." Sakura's low voice eventually swore darkly. "You could have just taken my word for it first time."
Tobirama glanced up at her, she was still lying on her back with her arms resting above her head. She stared coldly at the ceiling.
"Would you trust someone who claims to know nothing but can heal herself? We're in the middle of a war."
"I can see why people want to kill you." Came her bitter reply, un-swayed by his logical reasoning.
"People have wanted to kill me since I was born."
"Wow. Always been an arsehole then."
Tobirama hid his smile, he obviously wasn't going to earn her forgiveness with a sob story and he wasn't going to beg for it either. He just continued to clean his weapons, occasionally sneaking a look at the girl. Her eyes fluttered shut after a few minutes and he wondered if she was sleeping. Soon the metal he'd been polishing could not possibly gleam any more than it already did. The young man stood and stretched. Stepping a knee forward he pushed a single arm out in front of his torso, palm facing straight ahead; eyes closed. Peacefully, Tobirama moved through a series of exercises – half stretching, half practising the actions of combat in slow motion.
He inhaled and exhaled rhythmically, calmly. His body responded pleasantly to the routine, feeling free and loose after half an hour or so. Tobirama loved doing this. Like river watching, it was one of the only things that made him feel at peace – it cleared his head. For once his over analytical mind quietened and allowed him to enjoy himself.
He listened to the world around him as he moved around the room; turning, crouching and lunging – all at the pace of a snail. The walls of the compound creaked as wood expanded in the afternoon heat. Birds sang faintly in the forest a few hundred feet away. His feet thudded and scraped softly across the ground as he moved. Sakura's and his own breathing intermingled in one steady rhythm. Tobirama concentrated, making his moves bigger, holding them for longer. He tried to make his motions and breathing noiseless – all the while listening. When the routine was completed twice through, he glided into a standing position, feet together and back straight. One arm hung by his side, whilst the other he raised, two fingers extended. He exhaled deeply.
"Why did you do that?" Sakura's curious voice interrupted his wonderful calm
"Exercising."
"No, not that. I mean why did you do that finger thing?"
He cracked open an eye, flinching at the brightness of the room. The girl looked up at him in wide eyed curiosity. She lounged comfortably in the position he'd left her.
"It's traditional."
"What does it mean?" She queried, ignoring his attempts at evasiveness. He sighed, he had the horrible feeling if he didn't answer her she'd just keep questioning him.
"It's a sign of mutual respect offered between fighters." He informed her.
"Yeah, the air gave you a tough fight there." She grinned.
Tobirama huffed at her but Sakura didn't care. Since his little violent outburst earlier, he'd been true to his word – accepting what she'd said and leaving her unharmed. She suspected he was a lot softer than he liked to let on. However, this didn't mean she didn't want to get a bit of revenge on him. Sakura wasn't exactly in any shape to teach him a lesson but at least she could rib him a bit.
"Hey, maybe you can teach me your little dance later."
"It's not a dance." His tone impassive as ever, ignoring the mocking tone in her voice. Sakura smiled, he had said it a bit too quickly though…
Tobirama strode over to the eclectic collection of pots and jugs. He drank deeply from one, its poorly shaped rim dribbled water down his chin. She licked her lips.
"I'm pretty thirsty." She confessed. "And hungry…"
He muttered something darkly under his breath but brought a large bowl of water and a fruit over to her. His hand reached out to scoop her up but she batted it away weakly.
"No offence but if you think I'm well enough to become your pin cushion, I'm probably well enough to feed and water myself."
He grunted and lay the food and water next to her before stalking back to the earthen ware. Sakura managed to roll onto her right side, which took more than a little effort. Her arms shook as she lifted the bowl to her face. She cursed the idiotic Senju for using up the little energy she had in their little scuffle. Most of the water missed her mouth as she drank, splashing on the floor and trickling down her neck uncomfortably.
Sakura ignored the rising blush, she wouldn't let herself feel embarrassed even if it was undignified. Next she reached for the soft yellow loquat. The fruit was hard to eat when her hands were trembling from the effort of keeping them elevated. Frustrated, she smashed the fruit in her mouth, ignoring the pulpy mess that stuck to her chin. She spat the seed toward Tobirama, enjoying the disgusted look he gave her. When she was done, she wiped her sleeve in the puddle of water she'd created and attempted to clean her face with it.
The pain in her side throbbed steadily. She was beginning to become irritated with it. She wanted to move around, to do something. Watching Tobirama move gracefully around the room pulled at something inside her. She'd been jealous, observing the calm spread over his angular features, the stretch of his muscles.
"My side hurts." Sakura grumbled. She was met with the customary silence. "Can't you heal me?"
"I cannot."
"Why not?"
"I do not have that ability."
"Well tell me how to do it."
"I cannot."
"Why not?"
Much to her frustration, Tobirama didn't answer. He was sat cross legged, back to her, facing the pots. Sakura threw the loquat she hadn't eaten at him. She grinned, sure he couldn't possibly see it coming but much to her chagrin he ducked his head and the projectile bounced away harmlessly. She pouted sulkily.
"What are you even doing over there?"
She could see his wrist flicking gently in the air. Sakura heard small splashes and craned her neck curiously to see what he was up to. Annoyingly, his broad back obscured her view from his secretive activities.
"What are you doing?" She repeated.
Tobirama turned, and raised an eyebrow at her but obliged her curiosity, shuffling around slightly to allow her to see.
"…Wow…" Sakura managed finally.
Globes of water hung in the air, suspended as if they were in an invisible container. Their surfaces rippled like ghostly hands were moulding them. She watched as Tobirama twisted his hand to the right and the globes dutifully followed, sailing through the air like little aqueous planets. Light refracted shimmering rainbows around the room.
The young man closed his fingers, whilst bringing his thumb above his palm, as if he were lightly holding something thin and flat. The spheres responded to this, spinning then flattening into discs. For a while his hand glided side to side, the discs mirroring his movements. Tobirama seemed to grow bored of his game. Maintaining the strange pose of his hand, he twitched his forefinger, indicating toward the pots by his knees. One by one, the discs floated dreamily into the pottery hitting the bottom with a little splash.
Sakura released the breath she didn't know she'd been holding.
"That was beautiful." She complimented him quietly.
The corner of his mouth twitched upwards into a gentle smile, which was gone again in an instant. Sakura's own face broke out into a sunny beam - it was the first time Sakura had ever seen Tobirama smile. His features had softened with it making him look much younger than he usually did.
"Will you teach me?" She asked inquisitively.
If he was surprised by her boldness, he didn't show it. He just cocked his head to one side, considering her request.
"You probably won't be able to do it." He told her dismissively.
"How do you know?" Sakura snapped. Tobirama shouldn't underestimate her.
His eyebrow arched again – she was beginning to get fed up of his perpetually expressive eyebrows – and shook his head, smirking knowingly.
"It's quite advanced."
Sakura made an annoyed clicking noise with her tongue and glared at him.
"I want to try. I bet I can do it." She told him stubbornly, bottom lip protruding outward moodily. He rolled his eyes but bought a pot of water over to her.
He placed it by her face and looked at her expectantly.
"Erm, what do I do?" She eventually asked, after it became evident he wasn't going to just start explaining.
"Concentrate. Start with your breathing. You may close your eyes if you like."
"Concentrate on what?"
"On emptying your mind," He informed her as if it were perfectly obvious. Seeing her confusion he rubbed the back of his head exasperated. "As if you were meditating."
Sakura closed her eyes and concentrated on her breathing. She tried to cram her buzzing thoughts into the corners of her mind but found it near impossible. When she was satisfied with the rhythm and depth of her inhalation and exhalation she opened her eyes once more; a clear head could wait until further instructions were given.
"Now what?"
"Now concentrate your chakra to your hand and try and move it into the water."
"Erm… I don't know how to do that. I don't know how to make chakra work." She confessed, her face blushing a deep scarlet.
Instead of chiding her or asking if she was joking, he proffered a hand to her. She looked at him suspiciously and he gestured impatiently for her own. Sakura tentatively extended her fingers, which he took gently and he held in his large hands with the utmost of care.
"Close your eyes."
The girl complied, dubiously.
"Now breathe again."
"In… Out…" Sakura enthused to herself.
"Oh! Oh!" She squeaked as she felt a glorious warmth spread into her fingers, where Tobirama touched her. She opened her eyes and gazed up at him. His own burgundy eyes stared down at her patiently.
"Close your eyes again." He commanded. "Now you know what my chakra feels like. Next, I want you to imagine where our hands are touching is the exit point for your own chakra. I want you to bring your chakra out to meet mine."
She nodded, though she wasn't really sure how he expected her to do this.
"First, I want you to feel the shape of your body as you meditate. Picturing it will help."
Sakura concentrated, trying to envisage the shape of a body in her mind's eye. It was a lot harder than she had thought it would be without using her sense of touch or sight to orientate in her mind as to where her limbs actually were in reality.
"As you breathe in, feel your lungs swell." Tobirama advised her, sensing her frustration "Don't just let your chest expand, inhale until you feel it in your abdomen."
"Good," He said after a moment of watching her rising torso "Now feel the weight of your ribcage press your spine to the floor as you exhale. As this happens you will feel your shoulders relax, they should become heavier but wider."
Sakura was sceptical that she would feel any of this but Tobirama's tone was commanding and certain. She decided to humour him and try, the sensation took Sakura a while to achieve but she did eventually manage to do it.
"Feel the ground under your free hand, feel my hand in your other. Let the weight of your elbows sink into the floor. Your fingers are like weights."
Sakura's arms felt freer, more floppy in a way. Her digits and wrists felt heavy and drooped irresistibly under the weight of gravity.
"Now feel the heaviness of your pelvis, then follow the length of your legs in your mind. Feel their weightiness, let them press against the floor where your body touches the ground. Use the blankets beneath your heal; press down against them. Follow the line of your foot. Can you feel the air on your soles?"
He paused briefly in his slow hypnotic instructions until she nodded.
"Good… Now your toes, if you can't feel them right away you may wiggle them until you understand how they work with the rest of your foot. Keep breathing."
His voice was hypnotic and calm. The girl tried her hardest to take in what he said, to allow her steady breaths to outline the shape of her body in her mind.
"Good Sakura," He praised her "Next your head. Do you feel how the heaviness of your head bends your neck slightly? When you've felt that, follow the curve of your neck to where it meets your skull. Use the spot where your skull meets the floor as your anchor point. Start to try and feel the shape of your head, the position of your features; your ears, your eyes, your nose and your mouth…"
Sakura found she could feel the parts of her body with greater clarity than before - she felt aware, awake but also calm.
"Bring all these sensations together and hold the dimensions of your body in your mind."
The warmth between their hands increased distractingly.
"Now, as you inhale imagine that you're pulling the warmth from my hand along your fingers. Draw the warmth further into your body, into your hand and up your arm toward your heart. And when you exhale, I want you to imagine pushing warmth from your chest toward me, along your arm and out your fingers. Keep doing this until they meet and then use your own warmth to push mine away."
Sakura found it easier to pull the imaginary warmth down her arm at first. The task of pushing warmth with her exhale was much trickier. Whenever she made any progress it felt as if the sensation lapsed back toward her torso, like tide lapping at sand. She persisted patiently, despite her frustration at the strange task. The process was almost cathartic in a way. Eventually she gasped, the spectral warmth from her hand and her chest had finally converged at her elbow – it felt so real, as if something was really moving below the surface of her skin. She continued her meditation, pushing back against the warmth of the inhale until she felt the warmth of her exhale push up to the tips of her fingers.
A sharp pain like a static shock made her snatch her fingers away from Tobirama. She rubbed her hand defensively and looked up at him accusingly.
"It was meant to happen." He shrugged. He held his hand above the bowl of water, eyes still trained on her face thoughtfully. The transparent liquid rose into the air like a bubble. "That exercise took you too long to do. You won't be doing this any time soon."
"You haven't even let me have a go! You've only told me to lie here and think about being warm!"
"You can't even summon up chakra yet. You can't do anything until you perfect the exercise first." He responded, sounding exasperated.
Sakura was deeply annoyed, she didn't even understand what the point of it all had been. As if Tobirama understood her frustration he sighed and began to explain.
"Look, that warmth, that's the feeling of drawing chakra. It's something you should be able to do instantaneously. Most children can do it by the time their four."
"But, if I've already used chakra – to apparently heal my hand – why can't I just use it now?"
"I don't know," He answered truthfully "I can't sense anything wrong with you but I'm not a medic. I think it's something psychological."
"Are you saying I'm messed up in the head?" Sakura growled dangerously.
"Possibly. The connection between your mind and chakra seems to be severed. Your chakra is there, but you have to be able to feel it, to extract it."
"Well how do I reconnect it?" She replied, ignoring Tobirama's lack of tact.
"Practice. Training." He informed her, then added "Though, it will probably take you months at your learning rate."
The ball of water rippled and warped. A serpentine head of a tiny water dragon began to emerge from the undulating surface. Sakura watched transfixed as the miniature dragon twisted in the air around Tobirama's hand. Its glistening body snaked down his arm before seamlessly splitting into needle like fragments and reforming into a spherical blob.
The young man jumped as her hand shot out toward him.
"Let's keep practicing." She commanded.
So yeah I decided it's probably the for the best to ease her into learning at first, once she can get back up to speed she'll be relearning her old skills in no time. Also I have realised I have made a grave mistake about her seal in the first chapter! But have no fears I shall fit in a neat little plot twist to sort it all out :) - and I'm actually pleased with the solution because it conveniently came to me as I was reading papers for my dissertation, oh the joys of working yet procrastinating simultaneously.
You have no idea how long I lay on the floor trying to work out how I'd extract chakra if I had any... I know this chapter is fillery but Tubs needs a chance to make up his rudeness to Sakura.
I'm ecstatic with all the lovely reviews, they really motivate me to keep going so thank you all very much. And it's so nice to know people like the story enough to follow and fave. Yay :) But guys... seriously, I have to say my work work is suffering... I just want to write this instead.
Glad everyone is enjoying the Tobirama Sakura pairing, I actually chose it because I just like both their individual characters. Also whilst there's obviously no chance for this to happen in the actual manga or anime I thought it'd be a good opportunity to write something without it being ruined by the ending of Naruto or the new film (because this story is obviously very extra fictional... actually if Sakura ends up dying then it screws it up for me a bit but there will always be plot holes to work with!) and it doesn't mean the characters have to change too much to make the relationship work (because we never see how these two actually interact).