Sakura sighed and wiped her brow as she took a step away from the girl laying on the bed in front of her. Medication was now running into directly into her system via IV and she'd managed to finally get the terrible fever under control. She was surprised at how accurate Ryuu's assertion of the situation was, according to her calculations, it would probably be two weeks before the girl would be fully recovered. How soon it would be before the girl woke up however was another matter entirely. Thankfully, there was no brain damage in spite of girl's impossibly high temperature and her chakra network was slowly but surely repairing itself, whether it would ever go back to normal wasn't clear to the pink haired medic yet.
"Thanks for helping out." Sakura said with a smile to the medic standing nearby. "She's out of the woods for now. I'm going to speak with the Kazikage now, please send for me if her condition worsens."
"Yes of course Lady Sakura." The blonde young man said bowing to her.
The pink haired woman smile and walked out of the hospital quickly making her way to the Kazikage's office building.
"Hey there!" Leo said with a smile. "I'll walk you up to where the meeting is being held."
"Thanks. I appreciate it." She replied walking beside him.
"So they're letting Sasuke Uchiha out on missions now?" the tall man asked his tone a little bitter.
Sakura choose to ignore it his biting tone and nodded. "Yes. He was put on this mission because we were worried that Ryuu might possess the sharringan. His area of expertise is ocular jutsu so it was natural that he'd be assigned to this mission."
Leo sighed. "Even so, it's hard to believe that he's really on our side."
Sakura's hand balled into a fist at her side. "Leo, I know full well what you're hinting at and I don't appreciate it. Sasuke is on this mission because he wants to protect the shinobi world from dangerous situations. He really is sorry for everything that happened."
"Are you just telling yourself that because he was once your teammate?" Leo asked.
She glared at the tall man. "No. It's because I know it's the truth." She glanced ahead as the memory of Sasuke breaking down in her bedroom filled her mind.
They arrived at the door to the Kazikage's office and she glanced up at Leo. "Thanks for bringing me here." She said stiffly.
"Yeah. I'm sorry. Maybe we can meet up later to talk some more?" he offered.
"We'll see. After this I need to check on my patient and then get in contact with the Hokage." She replied. She rapped softly on the door of the office in front of her and heard Gaara's low voice instruct her to enter.
"How is she!?" Ryuu demanded launching himself at the pink haired medic his ruby eyes wide.
"She's not in any immediate danger anymore. I managed to bring her fever down and now she's resting peacefully." She replied touching the boy on the head.
"Thank goodness." Ryuu breathed.
"So Onchou is doing alright?" Naruto asked from where he stood next to Gaara.
Sakura nodded. "Yeah. It's just as Sasuke said, it seems like her body is trying to reject something. Probably a side effect of one of Takuma's experiments. I'm running some tests to figure out exactly what it is."
"Good luck with that." Ryuu replied crossing his arms and leaning against the wall. "Takuma was always concocting some weird drug to force on us. I don't think I can remember a day that he didn't inject us with something."
Sakura's eyes widened. "Wait! He gave you injections every day?"
Ryuu nodded. "Yup, every stinking day. In the same spot. It got to a point where it didn't even hurt anymore."
"Where?" She demanded.
Ryuu sighed and approached her. He turned his back to her and shifted his long silver hair over one shoulder and lifted it pointing to a spot at the base of his skull where an angry looking metallic, black mark rested. She reached out and touched if frowning as she gripped something and pulled revealing a small hole.
"That's what I thought." She muttered. "A pic line that's directly connected to the spinal column."
"What's wrong Sakura?" Sasuke asked moving forward. "Can I take a look?"
"I'm not a freak show!" Ryuu hissed.
"I know that. I just want to confirm something." The dark haired Uchiha replied. He reached out and touched the black ring around the small hole. "I thought so."He said.
"What is it?" Sakura asked.
"It's just like the marks on Orochimaru's test subjects that he grew in the lab." He looked down at the boy. "You spent a lot of time in a glass cylinder didn't you?"
Ryuu nodded and moved his hair back. "Yeah. That's where I was most of the time unless Takuma needed me to do something outside like training and experimenting or the occasional mission. Onchou would often come into the lab visited me there. She let me out whenever she could but it wasn't often. That's probably why this place makes me so tired. The air is so dry." He said yawning.
Sakura nodded and touched a hand to her chin. "It's possible that if Onchou was receiving daily injections, what she could be experiencing is withdrawals from one of the drugs she was administered."
Sasuke nodded. "That actually makes a lot of sense." He replied. "Some of Orochimaru's test subjects were like that. Particularly those whom he experimented with on a cellular level. Things got ugly quickly."
"This Takuma, he is the one who held you and this woman captive?" Gaara said from where he was seated at his desk.
Ryuu nodded. "Yes."
"What do you know about this man?" Gaara asked.
"Not much I'm afraid. He specializes in human experimentation. I feel like I've said this a million times but Onchou knows more about him and his plans than I do." He replied.
"Very well." Gaara replied. "Just give me your opinion then, do you think Takuma is a powerful man?"
Ryuu nodded. "Yes I do." He replied. "I can sense chakra very well and though his is tainted, it's defiantly very strong."
The red head nodded. "Alright. If he's as strong as you say, why do you think it is that he hasn't tried to do anything but experiment on people using his abilities?" he asked.
Ryuu thought for a moment. "I don't really know. During the Fourth Great Ninja War he watched the fighting from a distance. He said that he was just going to watch things play out since he didn't really mind which way the fighting went." His brow furrowed. "I think that he just doesn't care about anyone or anything but himself." He touched his chin. "It might also be because he likes being in charge too much. If he entered the war, he would've had to choose sides and let someone else boss him around." He sighed. "I really don't know. He's very strange."
Gaara sighed. "As I suspected. The woman with him likely has the information we need to accurately assess the situation."
Ryuu glared at the red haired man. "She has a name raccoon eyes!" he snapped. "It's Onchou!"
Sakura looked at the boy. "Ryuu, what's wrong?" she asked taking in the child's stiff posture and angry eyes.
He grit his teeth and glared at the floor. "In that place… Takuma was adamant that we call him by his name, but he never said ours." He balled his hands into fists. "He didn't give us names or use the ones we had."
"What did he do instead?" Sakura asked.
"He called us by number or nothing at all." He replied. He rolled up his sleeve and pointed to a brand on his shoulder. "Until Onchou named me Ryuu this is what I was called. Number 432 or that boy."
Sakura bowed her head trying to quiet the anger inside of her. "I'm sorry Ryuu." She said softly.
"It's fine. It just makes me angry." He replied.
"I apologize. I didn't mean to offend you." Gaara said softly. "I can tell you care for her very much and you just want to protect her." Ryuu glanced at the Kazikage his eyes wary. "Don't worry, I don't intend to hurt her like Takuma did. I need to find out everything about him so that I can keep you and your friend safe from him."
"Oh." Ryuu replied. He thought for a moment. "Well, I know that he came from The Land of Wind but I'm not sure what village." He replied.
Gaara's eyes widened at that. "Did he really? How do you know that?"
"We came through this country several years ago. When we were traveling, he said that it was dryer and hotter than he remembered. Onchou asked him if he'd been there before and he replied that he'd been born and raised there." His brow furrowed. "In fact, if I remember right, she was born in this country too. We were looking for this village because Onchou's mother told her that her father was from this village."
"I see." Gaara said writing down a note in one of his scrolls. "Thank you for your help. It seems that we need to wait for this… I mean Onchou to regain consciousness to learn more about this man. In the meantime, you're welcome to stay here."
Naruto smiled. "Awesome! Thanks Gaara! We have a lot of catching up to do. I have a girlfriend now!" he exclaimed putting an arm around the red haired sand shinobi.
Sakura smiled at the way the blue eyed man tensed initially at the contact and then relaxed a rare smile crossing his face. The thought briefly crossed her mind that he looked very good looking with it on.
"Naruto." She murmured softly as the blonde grinned at the Kazikage. "You really are something."
"He is isn't he?" Sasuke replied moving closer to her.
"Shall we all go somewhere for dinner? I'm starved after crossing that bloody desert carrying a human space heater on my back." The Uzamaki whined.
Gaara nodded. "I know a place."
Saskue and Sakura walked side by side a couple of paces behind Gaara and Naruto with Sai and Ryuu following a couple of paces behind them. The boy was talking animatedly with the quiet ninja about his painting and Sai was patiently answering all of his questions. Sasuke watched as Naruto talked animatedly with the quiet and reserved Gaara telling him the details of the moon mission that had brought himself and Hinata together.
"It's crazy how Naruto has the ability to make friends with everyone isn't it?" Sakura said after a few moments.
Sasuke nodded. "Yeah. I don't know how he does it."
The pink haired medic smiled. "It's simple, he might be a loudmouth but he can see things we can't." Sasuke raised an eyebrow and Sakura shook her head. "I didn't mean literally, I meant that he has a way of being able to hear what people are saying in their hearts." She smiled. "Back during the Chunin exams we all thought Gaara as was a monster because that's all we could see and what everyone had told us. Naruto could see right through that though, he saw right into Gaara's heart and knew that he was just like him, a broken boy who had never been given a fair chance."
Sasuke nodded. "That's true. He saw right through me too. That's probably why I hated him so much. I knew that he knew how I really felt and it ticked me off. I had this stupid idea in my head that no one could ever understand how I was feeling."
Sakura nodded. "Yeah. It gets annoying sometimes that he can see right through everything."
Sasuke nodded as the group entered a cozy restaurant and sat down together. Ryuu looked down at the menu and frowned.
"What is it?" Sakura asked.
"I'm not sure what to order. Onchou always did this for me before. I don't even know what I like." He admitted.
Naruto laughed. "Order ramen! You can never go wrong with that."
"Just because you can eat that stuff for breakfast, lunch, and dinner doesn't mean that everyone else can." Sakura replied leaning towards the boy. "Here, let me help you."
Sasuke watched her and again his mind manipulated the image to one of Sakura leaning over to help a dark haired child who bore the Uchiha crest on their back. He groaned and smacked his forehead willing the images away. Was he serious fantasizing about having a child with her?
"Fantasizing about Sakura eh?" Naruto whispered in the Uchiha's ear.
Sasuke jumped and then glared daggers at his best friend who has chuckling behind a bandaged hand. "Naruto!" he hissed blush tinging his cheeks.
"What? I was just kidding." The blonde boy insisted, "I was right though, wasn't I?"
The dark eyed man sighed. "You're just as annoying as ever."
"Yeah, yeah, and you're just as dishonest as ever." Naruto replied. "Don't be like me."
"I'm nothing like you." Sasuke shot back.
"Right. Of course not." Naruto replied rolling his eyes. "Anyway, did you tie up all of the loose ends you needed to over the past year?" he asked.
Sasuke nodded. "More or less yes. Orochimaru is still just as twisted as ever but he's not taking people against their will anymore."
"Good to hear." Naruto agreed. He then turned to the redhead beside him. "So Gaara, you up to drinking?"
Sasuke pressed his fingers to his temple as he remembered the last time Naruto drank. "Please say no. I don't need any more secrets dragged out in the open because of that stuff."
Gaara regarded him tilting his head a little. "Oh? What secrets?"
"Oh Sasuke's just mad because I spilled the beans on how he and I-" Naruto shut his mouth when he saw the Uchiha's eyes shift to blood red.
"So help me Naruto!" he hissed.
"Right. We're taking that to our graves. I remember now." The blonde stammered sweat trickling down the side of his face.
"Damn right we are!" The Uchiha agreed his eyes turning back to their natural black color.
"I'll tell you later." The Uzamaki whispered in the Kazikage's ear.
Sasuke's hand balled into a fist as his irritation grew and was startled by a soft hand on his shoulder. He turned and was surprised to see Sakura smiling at him. "Just let it go Sasuke. We all know he's going to tell Gaara anyway."
He felt some of the tension leave his body and sighed. "Yeah, you're right. That idiot is going to ruin my reputation." He replied. Over the years he'd noticed that her presence had changed over the years. Before she was a clingy fan girl who awed over his every word and desperately begged for his attention making him feel a little on edge whenever she was around. That wasn't the case anymore. Her presence was comforting, relaxing even because she treated him like a normal person unlike most of the other people around him. He did still feel a little anxious around her but it was different compared to their genin days, much more pleasant, like the excitement he felt right before going into a good sparing match.
After the food was served and eaten Gaara returned to his home in the city center, the four shinobi prepared to stay the night.
"I need to go to the hospital and check on Onchou." Sakura said as they stopped in front of the hotel where they would be staying.
"Let me go with you please!" Ryuu exclaimed.
"I don't know…" the pink haired medic replied slowly.
"I'll come along as well." Saskue said quickly.
"Alright then." Sakura agreed. "Let's head out."
They navigated the streets of the village and Sasuke once again noticed all of the eyes on him most wearing signs of mistrust and hate. "I wonder if these are the eyes." He murmured.
"What are you talking about?" Sakura asked from his side.
"Oh. I was just remembering how when Naruto was younger he often talked about 'the eyes'. The ones that stab you like daggers." He replied.
"Ah." Sakura said glancing around. "I think those are the eyes." She replied. "Now you understand a little of how he felt back then."
"Yeah." He replied. "It must have been much harder than I ever imagined having eyes like this on you as a child. The eyes that looked at me were different. They were full of pity. I don't know which are worse."
"I don't think one is worse than the other." Sakura replied. "Either way, they made you uncomfortable, singled you out."
He glanced at her and nodded. "You're right about that."
They arrived at the hospital and Sakura led the way to Onchou's room. "Try to be quiet." The pink haired medic instructed as they crossed the threshold.
Ryuu nodded and they entered the room quietly. The moved past the curtain and Ryuu immediately sprinted to the girl's side touching her hand. Sasuke sighed as he looked at the girl. She looked so much different from the mysterious, dangerous stranger he'd first seen. Dressed in a simple hospital gown instead of her long sleeved black attire she looked younger and much more vulnerable. A mask was over her face supplying her with oxygen, monitors and IV's were attached to her arms, legs and head. He moved closer and noticed faint scars crisscrossing her arms and the small round marks likely from injections that were rejected.
"It's kind of hard to look at." Sakura admitted.
"I've seen worse." He replied.
"That doesn't make it any easier to look at." She argued picking up the girl's chart and looking it over.
Sasuke moved closer as he noticed a mark on the girl's shoulder. Ryuu seemed to notice and pulled the sleeve of the girl's gown up slightly so he could see. It was the number 269.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to stare." The dark eyed Uchiha said.
"It's ok." Ryuu replied. "She seems to be doing much better. Thank you." He said to Sakura.
"Yes she is. I think she'll probably be out of it for a little longer though." Sakura replied frowning at one of the marks on the chart. "Her blood pressure is still much lower than I want it to be." She muttered walking to where the medications were located and drawing up an injection. After a moment she returned to the girl's bedside and slowly injected the clear liquid into a port on the IV tubing hear where the needle was inserted in her hand.
Sasuke smiled as he watched his pink haired teammate work. She was clearly in her element as she talked with one of the medical assistants who brought her a sheet of paper.
"What the hell is this!?" Sakura exclaimed as she read over the information. "Are you sure this is correct?" the blond nodded and Sakura growled scribbling notes into the girl's chart. "For the love of…" she muttered under her breath.
"What's wrong?" Sasuke asked.
"This girl has traces of a chemical in her system that isn't supposed to exist anymore." She replied without looking at him. She touched her hand to her chin and then bit her thumb and slammed it onto the nearby desk. "Summoning Jutsu!" Sakura exclaimed and in a little puff of smoke a white slug the size of a can of soda appeared.
"Hello Sakura." Katsuyu replied. "How can I help you?"
"I need you to take a look at this girl and then relay a message to Lady Tsundae for me." Sakura replied. "Is that alright?"
"Of course." The slug replied hopping onto the pink haired medic's hand.
"What is that?" Ryuu asked staring at the creature.
"This is Lady Katsuyu." Sakura replied. "She's going to check over Onchou for me and then deliver a message."
"Oh ok." Ryuu replied.
The little slug wiggled from Sakura's hand to the young woman and moved to the center of her chest. After a few moments she spoke. "Hmm. There is something blocking me from going as deep as I would like and there is something strange circulating in her blood."
"I was afraid of that." Sakura said with a sigh. "Thank you Lady Katsuyu. Please report your findings to Lady Tsunade. Also, give her this." She said putting a hand written note inside a glass tube and handing it to the slug. "I know that she'll survive this but I can't help but worry."
"Very well Sakura. I'll return with any information Lady Tsunade has for you." And with a little pop the slug was gone.
"It's time to go back Ryuu." The pink haired medic said to the child.
"Please! Can't I stay a little longer?" he begged.
Sakura sighed. "Alright but just a little longer." She turned to Sasuke. "Come on. Let's give them some privacy."
The pair ended up on the roof of the hospital and Sakura sighed as she sat down on a bench and looked up at the stars. "You know, this is one thing I really love about the desert. The sky is so clear so the stars seem that much brighter."
Sasuke nodded and glanced up himself studying the pinpricks of light in the sky. He was startled when Sakura leaned her head against his shoulder but didn't push her away.
"Sasuke." She said softly.
"Yes." He answered.
"Did you ever go through what those two did? Painful experiments and things like that." She asked.
Sasuke sighed. "Yes, though probably not to the extent that they did."
She nodded and he felt her turn her face towards him burying her head in his shoulder. He felt moisture there and frowned. "Sakura, why are you crying?"
"I hate him." She whispered.
"Hate who?" he replied.
"I hate Orochimaru." She replied. "He goes against everything I stand for as a medical ninja and as a person. He put that damn curse mark on you, attacked the village, took you away, treats human beings like trash, and he won't freaking stay dead! Every time I think about him all I want to do is drive a kunai into his heart. That's pretty childish of me isn't it?"
"I wouldn't say that." He replied. "Hate only breeds more hate though."
"You're right. You would know that better than anyone." She replied. "And I guess I have to be a little grateful to him for helping to save Lady Tsunade." She got to her feet and walked to the edge of the roof and leaned against the iron bars as she looked out over the city. Sasuke jumped to his feet when she slammed her fist against one of bars making the metal crack and bend.
"Sakura. What's wrong?" he asked walking up to stand behind her.
"Don't look at me." She replied as blood dripped from her hand. "I am so ugly right now. Actually I'm ugly all of the time, ask Sai. I just feel especially ugly right this second."
"You're not ugly." Sasuke replied quickly.
"I am though. I'm so… angry. I'm angry at how Ryuu and Onchou have been treated. I'm angry that there's another creep like Orochimaru in the world. I'm angry that I wasn't able to do more during the war. I'm angry that I wasn't able to stop you from being used by evil people. I'm angry that so many people still suffer in this so called peaceful world." She raked her uninjured hand through her hair. "I'm still so damn useless and it pisses me the hell off!" she yelled balling her hand into a fist ready to hit the iron bars again.
Sasuke moved as fast as lightning and caught her hand. As he saw the tears of frustration and pain spilling down her cheeks, his heart ached for her. All he wanted was for those tears of hers to disappear because her pain was hurting him too.
"What did I say about looking at me?!" she snapped looking away and trying to wretch her hand out of his grip. He tightened his hold and pulled her towards him and wrapped his arms around her pulling her to his chest. She stiffened in his arms and then whimpered. "Why? Why are you doing this?" she murmured. "I… I don't know what to do."
"That face of yours bothers me." He replied.
"Sorry that my face bugs you. I'll get right on that." She snarled trying to pull away again.
He groaned at his clumsiness with words and women as he held her tighter. "That's not the way I meant it." He replied. She seemed to relax at his words and hesitantly lifted her own arms wrapping them around his waist.
"Sasuke. I'm really sorry that I couldn't do anything for you back then. I'm sorry that I was so annoying and clingy all of the time. I wish…" she murmured.
"I know." He replied before she could continue. "I'm sorry for everything that I put you through. He held her tighter as the memory of himself nearly killing her flashed before his eyes. If he'd followed through with that one ridiculous, insane impulse she wouldn't be here in his arms. The thought nearly brought him to his knees as his body trembled. "I am so sorry Sakura." He said his voice cracking with emotion. "I'm so sorry."
"I know that." She replied.
"I don't care!" He shot back. "I know that I'll never be able to make amends for all of the pain and suffering you experienced not just because of what I did but also because I wasn't there for you." He lowered his head to her shoulder as he fought to keep the hot tears brimming in his eyes from falling. "I swear to you that for the rest of my life I will try to make it up to you."
"Sasuke. You don't have to-" Sakura stammered.
"Shut up!" Sasuke hissed cringing at the sharpness of his tone. "Please… Let me do this for you. Let me do something for you. You're always looking out for me, I want to do the same for you."
She sighed. "Well when you put it that way, I really have no choice but to say yes." She muttered. "Since you're so set on this can I ask something of you?" she asked.
"Yes. Anything." He replied quickly.
She pulled away from him slightly and took his face in her hands gently stroking her thumbs over his cheek bones as her emerald eyes held his dark ones. His heart pounded in his chest as she leaned forward until her forehead was touching his. "Start forgiving yourself." She said softly.
His eyes widened and then he sighed. He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting but it wasn't that. Of course the request she had for him would be for his sake. That was Sakura for you. Always putting herself last. She was on the way to sainthood as far as he was concerned. "I'll do my best." He replied.
"Good." She said softly smiling at him. Her gaze drifted to her hand and she sighed. "I better fix this up and then go and drag Ryuu out of Onchou's room before he gets into trouble." She touched her injured hand and within seconds the gash slashing across it was gone. "Let's go Scary Eyes." She said cheerfully grabbing the Uchiha by the hand.
"If I'm scary eyes, you're crazy fist." He muttered as he followed her content to leave his hand where it was. They arrived back in the girl's hospital room and Ryuu looked up.
"I guess it's time to go?" he said his ruby eyes downcast.
"Yeah. Sorry bud." Sakura said smiling apologetically. "We can come visit her first thing in the morning though."
"Alright." The boy said softly. He leaned over and kissed the sleeping girl on the cheek. "Goodnight Onchou. I'll see you tomorrow." He walked over to the two shinobi and glanced at their joined hands briefly. A little smirk crossed his lips as he walked past the Uchiha.
"Not your girlfriend my foot." He whispered so softly he know that only Sasuke could hear.
"Watch it brat. I know where you sleep." The dark haired young man shot back.
The boy only smiled in response and the three made their way back to the hotel with Sasuke releasing Sakura's hand just before they reached the door only because he knew the whiskered idiot would never let him hear the end of it if he caught them. He glanced at the pink haired medic and she tore into Naruto for making a mess and smiled. He wasn't sure what they were yet but he was content for the moment. Being close to her, having her warmth and Naruto's blinding light was all he needed right now.
P.S. Told you there'd be sugar in this chapter! I actually really like the way this one turned out even if it felt a little rushed. Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read this. I really appreciate it.