Disclaimer: See first seven chapters.

Ghost of Love: Chapter Eight

Sakura shifted reluctantly, forcing her eyes open with regret. She would have dearly liked to stay slumped on the ground, shutting out the entire world for, oh, say the next ten years. Unfortunately her sense of self-preservation kicked in and reminded her that Orochimaru was nearby. Very nearby, in fact, given that she could still feel his knees resting against her own. The dim light of the room was still bright enough to make her wince, alerting her to the fact that she must have had her eyes closed for longer than she thought for it to have such an effect. She squinted and blinked, trying to force her vision to clear.

Orochimaru was much as he had been before they began this exercise; he still knelt before her, clothed in what appeared to be slightly more casual robes than his usual garb. The purple rope-bow was missing and the off-white cloth was replaced with something rather blacker than usual. His hair hung in silky black sheets around his lowered face and his golden eyes were closed, giving Sakura an unimpeded view of the purple and black markings that outlined them. The pink-haired kunoichi frowned and glanced down at her hands, which were still clasped together with his, as they had been during the power-transference. She pulled back and tentatively lifted his unresponsive limbs so that she could examine the burns on his wrists. There were five neat circles on each one, forming a crescent shape. They were a dull silvery-blue and she could tell already that they would scar. Maybe I can heal them. It might not work, though, since they're chakra burns and using chakra to heal them could make them worse. Her fingers hovered over the marks and she hesitated, uncertain of what to do. Her mind was made up for her as, when she started to gather chakra to her hands, her fingers began to ache abominably, burning anew. She sat back, letting his wrists fall from her grip. She eyed his blank face uncertainly. What should I do now?

Run.

The idea came slamming into Sakura's brain with all the subtlety of one of the filthy jokes Naruto was always relaying from Master Jiraiya. It was so obvious she wondered why it hadn't occurred to her the very second she realised Orochimaru was out of it. This is my chance to escape! With sudden urgency, the young chuunin pushed herself to her feet, gasping slightly when pain shot through her fingers upon coming into contact with the concrete floor. Her body throbbed warningly as she began to stumble towards the closed door, but she ignored its plea for rest, pushing herself to keep moving. She finally reached the door and her fingers closed around the handle as she leaned against the wooden panelling, trying to still the wavering, rolling dizziness that flooded her senses. She jumped at the tired sigh that came from behind her.

"…and where do you think you're going, little one?" Orochimaru spoke quietly from his slump on the floor, not bothering to lift his head and look at her.

Sakura froze, her hand tensing around the door handle. He seems pretty weak; maybe I could get away…? But then I'm not exactly at my best, either.

"Oh, don't make me chase you…" he groaned. "It's tedious. We both know you're not going anywhere," his voice was regaining its usual melodious lilt and he gracefully pushed himself up off the ground. Sakura let her hand fall away from the door, her hopes of escaping drowning in the rising tide of exhaustion that seemed set on claiming her.

"A wise choice, my dear little Sakura. You should get some rest; your training will begin soon," he hovered behind her for a moment and Sakura skittered sideways, fleeing the sensation of warmth that Orochimaru's body radiated onto her own. He smirked, watching her reaction with mirthful golden eyes. "And remember… I don't like to be kept waiting."

Sakura blinked mutely and watched as the snake sannin exited the room with a remarkably steady gait, considering his previous show of weakness.

Right…

The next couple of hours passed by in utter peace; Sakura flopped back on the bed, giving in to her body's pleas for rest, and no one came sauntering in to demand her chakra or taunt her or just generally invade her personal space. Her mind wandered from topic to topic aimlessly, nothing making much impact on her stretched-thin emotions. Even worry for Sasuke and what her friends might be thinking of her right now didn't manage to strike her heart. She was, quite simply, too damn tired to feel anything but exhaustion. Strange how tired I am, yet I can't seem to sleep.

Eventually Sakura drifted off, sleep easing gently over her consciousness like a warm blanket. She dreamed of nothing - completely empty nothingness and beautiful, mocking golden eyes.

Until the door opened on well-greased, silent hinges and admitted her next visitor.

AN: Pointless filler crap. Necessary, but annoying. -.-

ReginaSlytherin: I honestly forgot all about her medical training, lol! Now that you've brought it up, though, yes she has had that training. The reason this chakra transference hurt her hands was because the chakra she uses to heal is her own and thus is (in my little universe) never more than her body can handle. In this case the chakra is not hers and is very obviously much more than her body can deal with, hence the pain in her hands.

That was, quite possibly, the most illegible thing I've ever written. Stupid brain with its not-workingness!

Also, due to your astuteness I've updated the last chapter to reflect the existence of her medical training in this world – thankyou for asking about it, 'cause I probably wouldn't have ever noticed the lack of continuity.

Evanelle: Thankyou! I wasn't sure if it had been used before (I haven't ever seen it, but I certainly haven't read everything out there!), but it was just such an interesting premise that I couldn't help but give it a go :)

And, as always, thanks go to:

Yuchi1994
Orochimaru's Cherry Blossom
Echo Uchiha
Evanelle
ReginaSlytherin

For their wonderful, muse-inspiring encouragement. XD