Then
Sakura has already made up her mind. Whatever Sasuke says or does will not affect her decision. She is being selfish for once, and will not let his stubbornness and refusal for help interfere with the plan she has. She can count on one hand the amount of times she's done something for herself when it comes to Sasuke. That will soon change, or so she hopes.
In all honesty, she never imagined she would be standing in front of Orochimaru while he sits on his throne in a room decorated with snake statues. Sakura never thought that the words she was going to say would come out of her mouth, much less directed to a person she so often associates with the opposite of her values. Orochimaru can be considered the personification of all the concepts she is against in ninja medicine, not to mention that he is a reminder of a past that she does not like to revisit.
In fact, this entire place reminds her of a time when the relations in team 7 were too close to the breaking point and it gives her a terrible itch under her skin.
But the snake Sannin has what she needs and the situation is already too dreadful.
"I have a request," she announces, her feet firm on the ground, her back rigid, her shoulders strong. The last thing she needs is to appear weak in front of Orochimaru.
Sakura feels the weight of her hitai-ate at the top of her head. A few years ago, this would have been considered a betrayal to her loyalties. Times have surely changed.
"Ah, you remind me so much of Tsunade when she was that age, asking me for favours knowing how much it compromises her."
Enough of the sweet talk, her inner says.
"I need to use your laboratory. "
"A little worried about Sasuke-kun, aren't we? You're one of the best medics out there, it's only normal to want to conduct research on his body."
The way Orochimaru's mouth twists when he finishes that sentence makes her want to grimace. There is clearly a different meaning behind his words, one that she is not willing to share with someone as disturbing as the snake Sannin.
Sakura wants to bite her lip, unsure of how to feel with the idea of actually finding out what Sasuke has. Out of all her ideas, Orochimaru is the best and only choice she has. If she was back in Konoha, Tsunade would let her use all of her resources to find out what is happening to Sasuke, but she is too afraid to leave her former teammate alone in Sound to gather her data elsewhere. She is too far away, in the middle of an exploration mission, staying in Otogakure as a guest in the hideout of one of Konoha's former adversaries.
She has to play her cards right. She has to trust herself as much as she trusts Sasuke.
"The laboratory is down the corridor to your left. I'll have someone escort you there." Sakura has to ignore the way Orochimaru's lips slightly curve upwards, which remind her of a snake stealthily sliding on the ground.
She nods, a sign of small gratitude for being able to use the snake Sannin's resources. An Oto nin appears from the shadows and guides her out of the room. The dark corridors are almost unnoticeable, but Sakura still tries to trace the path from the laboratories back to her room. This old hideout is not the labyrinth she was expecting, thankfully, so moving from one place to another isn't difficult. It does not carry any of the remains of Orochimaru's old experiments either, much to her relief. She is aware that if she catches something suspicious she will need to report it to the Five Kage, which would in turn deter her chances of finding out what's wrong with Sasuke.
However, before Sakura leaves, she turns around and adds one last condition. "I want this to be confidential. Understand my reasons."
Sasuke is a private person, and she still has to wrap her mind around the fact that she wants to experiment on him. But finding a cure is becoming one of her top priorities, even overtaking her role in this mission. Sakura knows that the life of her former teammate is a lot more valuable than finding out about a long forgotten ancestor. Even though she was ordered to lead him on this mission, Sakura has to follow her profession's code.
"Kukuku, your wish will be granted, dear Sakura-san."
Now
"Who is the princess?"
Indra feels his heart swell up in melancholy. That expression that paints her face with confused lines reminds him too much of how their past was. Oh, her beauty travels across time and space, even if her attire and hair length vary from when they first met a thousand years ago. She is still small compared to him, but with the sheer strength of a thousand -no, a million- elephants. Now, that strength manifests in her fists as much as it does in her character.
"Indra?"
This woman. How can this woman show so many personalities to him, teaching him a new aspect of herself with small gestures and unanswered questions? It pains him to see her like this, all lost in what will eventually be considered her home. Small steps must be taken, and though they have already leaped through mountain ranges, he must still be careful with his actions.
"Soon," he wants to add an affectionate name as a manner of returning to how they were back then. But he is once again reminded of the small steps that they must take before they return to their original state.
Her bright green eyes are filled with worry. She is the same age as when he lost her, leaving him alone in a war-torn world without being able to find reasons to continue living. Sakura does not need to voice her concern in question, and Indra knows how bored she must be of playing the game of asking things that she cannot hear the answer to yet.
"The right time for you to know who you really are is coming soon."
He places the tips of his fingers on her forehead and activates his eyes.
Then
"What do you think you're doing?" She hears from behind.
Sakura knew the question was going to come. She was not anticipating for it to happen while exploring Orochimaru's laboratory. And she was definitely not expecting Sasuke to ambush her from behind, trapping her between one of the cold sterile tables and his formidable body. His voice sounds brooding, and although Sakura is not looking at her former teammate, she visualizes his strong jaw rigid and his mismatched eyes with an intense glare.
She wants to make a snide remark and see him more on the edge, but she chooses to tell part of the truth because dancing around the subject for much longer will not cure Sasuke.
"You can't hide it from me."
Her shoulders stay firm while the palms of her hands rest on the table. She sticks her chin up, not intimidated and concealing how conscious she feels about having his body so close to hers.
Just as her belly was starting to warm up, Sasuke creates some distance between them and pulls on her arm to turn her around. They face one another, he with a menacing stance and, what slightly surprises her, his Sharingan on. She maintains her palms on the table and raises her eyebrows in defiance. Even if he beats her in the height department, Sakura will not back down.
"This isn't part of the mission, Sakura. Don't meddle in business that isn't yours."
It almost makes her want to laugh bitterly. Sasuke may be a genius and hold arguably one of the strongest eyes in the world, but tends to miss the details that Sakura can pick out with a single glance.
"It is my business, Sasuke-kun," she begins, internally enjoying how his face gradually tenses with her words. "You have forgotten that I am the leader of this mission, that it is a medic nin's duty to ensure that a shinobi is not in danger, and that you are my teammate." When he's about to speak, she interrupts him once again, "Not to mention that I am one of the best in the field and I tasted blood."
Her mind brings her back to the fantasy of sharing her first kiss with Sasuke in a situation that is completely different. The mention of blood must have surely brought a similar memory to Sasuke's mind, as his eyes widen in remembrance of their stolen moment in Sora-ku.
"You need to stop," Sasuke orders her.
"No."
It sounds like a childish argument.
"Sakura-"
But then it happens.
Sasuke stops himself from talking abruptly, changing from his intimidating stance to being bent on his stomach. He tries to prevent the coughing from happening, covers his mouth with his one hand and steers away from Sakura. He does not succeed, for the efforts to control the hacking fail at keeping the blood from spilling out of his lips.
He coughs loudly, the actions taking such a toll on his body that he falls on his knees and stumbles on the floor, unable to use one hand to cover his lips and to keep balance of his upper body at the same time.
Sakura sees a small pool of blood grow on the white tiles and reacts immediately. Her intention on watching Sasuke have an attack to take notes on his symptoms is thrown out the window. She picks up her former teammate, who is still hacking uncontrollably, from the ground and sits him up on the table. She then pushes his torso down so that he is lying on his back, and forms seals on her hands to begin her analysis.
Yes, she is doing this without Sasuke's consent (which is breaking one of the most important codes of ethics in her field) and he will probably display his wrath after she is finished. But that is the least important aspect. Sasuke is her teammate, her friend, the man she loves. At this point, she can no longer be a bystander.
Her green chakra hovers over his neck and clears it from the blood that is saturating Sasuke's access to air from his lungs. She manipulates the red liquid with precision and care, moving it towards the lungs while she hears that her former teammate's breathing goes back to normal. Sakura examines his larynx and esophagus, finding them clear of any invasive poison or virus.
She takes off his black long sleeve shirt to check for any external bruising that she might have missed. However, once she gets to his trachea, her hands discover a malign environment underneath his skin that is entirely concealed to the normal eye.
Sakura checks all of his chakra points, from his head to his limbs and internal organs. The parts that are farthest away from his chest bear minimum change in their makeup. When Sakura moves her hands back to Sasuke's lungs, she senses how his chakra signature becomes corrupted. Her eyes widen in shock after witnessing how the malignant chakra progressively grows within Sasuke's body.
It is as if his chakra is turning impure, slowly invading the rest of his paths, preventing him from breathing properly due to its epicentre being on his chest.
There's much more than that, though. Sakura rapidly looks back on their journey so far and Sasuke's preference for walking on the road than tree hopping or using his Rinnegan for transporting them to different destinations. She looks down at Sasuke's body, his uncovered chest rises steadily while low, quiet groans escape from his blood stained lips and his lids are half closed. The coughing attack takes a large toll on his body.
Clearly, Sakura concludes, since the invasive chakra is gradually closing his paths, it prevents his immune system from functioning properly. At this point, she mentally points out, Sasuke cannot perform a basic jutsu due to the stress that it causes; several of his chakra points are inaccessible.
She gasps, the truth that she dreaded dawning on her. Sasuke has a condition that she does not know how to treat.
He's not dead yet. There's still hope. She just needs to find a cure. Sakura isn't Tsunade's disciple for nothing. She was able to heal thousands of shinobi during the war. Heck, she even released her seal and was promoted in her ranking!
"You can't hide it anymore," she says with a shaky voice.
That is when she realizes that while Sasuke's face is covered in his own blood and bile, her eyes are dropping thick, bitter tears. She has healed many of her friends before, and during the war she thought she had lost Naruto for a moment. But his heavy, constricting breathing frightens her more.
She drops her head on Sasuke's chest, not caring that his blood will stain her face and that she is breaking thousands of shinobi and medic nin rules. This is her Sasuke, who she fought so hard to get back from falling into darkness. He has come a long way in his nineteen years and is the only survivor of the Uchiha. This is the person she's loved all her life, who is finally letting others come in his life without the fear of losing them though now she is the one afraid of losing him for good.
Sakura's erratic sobs express the anguish she feels in that moment. Even after all of her years in training, of all the studying she's done, of the war she survived, she still needs to find more answers to save the love of her life. Her heart has never left him in spite of her years of suffering. She loves him so much that it makes no sense in her mind. She cannot even imagine if any other woman has ever loved a man how she does.
"I know," Sasuke confesses with difficulty.
Sasuke's fingers lose themselves in her pink hair. They stroke her head slowly. His hand travels from the roots to the ends, unsuccessfully trying to untangle the mess caused by his loss of control. She does not move her head from his chest nor her arms from his torso, embracing the small touch that he gives her, for he's not one to start physical contact. A small part of her fantasizes that maybe, just maybe, she's finally touched his heart.
"It's still my business, Sasuke-kun. You already know this."
She lifts her head, his hand still caressing her. She thinks about the psychological trauma Sasuke must endure. He was given a second chance at life two years ago when Naruto finally knocked sense into his head, and now he may not even reach twenty. Shinobi die young, yes, but these are peaceful times and it is unfair for Sasuke to lose his final battle to an unknown disease.
Sakura grabs a cotton and dips it in alcohol and then uses it to clean the blood off his face. Sasuke's right eye is back to its normal onyx colour. Once she is done, they get closer and closer as Sakura places her face right over his. She plants her lips on his. It is only a slight peck, another selfish act to try and get herself back in control. Sasuke is still affected by the coughing though his breathing is once again normal.
She is about to pull away from Sasuke when he takes her head and directs his lips back on hers.
Her eyes close. His hand leaves her head once again so that he can sit up. Sakura lets her arms wrap around his torso, finding it more accommodating. Her hands hook on his shoulders while his caresses her back. She imagines his missing left hand touching her in other places, how his fingers would feel like underneath her clothes. It becomes reality soon enough, as her spine arches when his right hand goes under her red sleeveless shirt and starts running up and down.
The taste of blood is already gone from his mouth and Sakura can finally relish on Sasuke's natural sense. He is made up of fire and burned wood, sending electricity down her arms and up her legs. She can find the hints of fresh herbs, remembering how he is not a fan of sweets and prefers his food home cooked, without any sugar additives and with a blend of spices.
His back muscles are still noticeable under her touch. Sakura's fingers run though uneven scars that conquer his skin, much like they do on hers. The tips of her digits are replaced by her nails digging into his skin when his mouth travels down her jawline and into her neck. She can hear her pulse, right in the same spot that Sasuke is currently paying attention to. Her head tilts to the side, allowing him more access to the curve where her nerve endings connect with other parts of her body. His tongue is like fire braising a vast field, and she wishes for it to burn every inch of her sensitive skin.
She remembers the endless nights spent thinking about feeling Sasuke's bare skin, if it was as warm as hers, or if he had a special spot that he likes to give attention to. She remembers the first time Ino spoke about this type of raw feeling, of when Hinata described her own experience, and Sakura fantasized about when her turn will come.
But Sakura knows it cannot happen now. They are in no condition to experience that. At least not yet.
"Sasuke-kun," she manages to whimper.
It takes a lot of willpower to separate from him. Sakura takes a step back to put distance, and almost loses balance feeling lightheaded. Her breathing is heavy, the back of her neck and every fiber of the skin that Sasuke touched are burning. She focuses on her former teammate, who looks more flustered and vulnerable than before, but due to the same reasons as her.
Sakura has to avert her eyes; if she spends too much time staring at Sasuke, she knows that temptation will soon follow.
"You need to rest."
Sasuke's jaw visibly tenses, but he does not voice any refusal for her order. Instead, he gets off the table, puts on his long sleeve, and directs his feet to the door of the laboratory.
"I will be talking with Orochimaru," he says before disappearing into the hideout's dark corridor.
Her knees give in at that point, dropping Sakura on the floor. All of a sudden, she feels exhausted after that emotional roller coaster. Luring Sasuke into the laboratory to get his blood sample was her main plan. However, witnessing how his condition affects him was not supposed to happen until later into her examination. Much less letting herself get lost in her own desires, compromising her medical work.
Sakura has to mentally rearrange her plan of action. As macabre as it sounds, having Sasuke experience a coughing attack in her lab is advantageous to her research project. It means that she no longer needs to ask him for a sample. She grabs a petri dish off one of the shelves in the lab, a pair of latex gloves, and a cotton swab. After cleaning her hands, she puts on the gloves and takes a sample from the small pool of blood that Sasuke created on the white floor.
She brings it close to her eyes, observing its darker shade compared to the blood that stained the table. It confirms her belief that Sasuke's condition mainly originates from his chest area.
This will be enough to start her examination, and hopefully to find a cure.
Now
Sakura's eyes widen as the room around them spins and morphs into a different environment. Indra casts a genjutsu around them, that is clear. Nonetheless, it is not a hostile attack. It rather feels like a flashback into his mind. She is disoriented at first, but then recognizes the white sand and ocean waves that decorate this landscape. It is the same beach from a few moments ago, portrayed in a different time.
Indra's hand takes her by the shoulder, and she is surprised at seeing the man who invited her into his memories stand beside her. He nods forward, telling her to focus her attention on the scene that plays out.
In front of them, there is an identical Indra walking with his bare feet on the sand, letting the coming and going waves wash them with a serene rhythm. Though he appears to be the same age as the Indra who stands beside Sakura, his attire differs. He wears a long brown cloak with a blue rope tied around his waist. His long dark hair is styled with one piece on each side of his face, while the rest is tied up at the back. There is a sack sitting across his bag, a sign to Sakura that he is in the middle of his travels. This Indra wields no visible weapons, though she can guess that he is hiding small kunai underneath his cloak in case he encounters an enemy.
His eyes are fixated on the figure standing a small distance away from him. He observes a young maiden run her fingers through her hair. She has long rose coloured hair that goes past her waist, wears a white robe of the finest silks Sakura has even seen. If she is correct, the white silk robe is similar to the sort of undergarment that members of nobility wear underneath layers of fabric. Her bare feet welcome the incoming soft waves, which change colour with the gradient sunset. She tucks one pink strand behind her face, revealing it to her spectator and Sakura.
The face that hid behind the long hair is exactly like hers. The young maiden has the same pointy nose, same softly green eyes and feminine jawline. Her eyebrows are short like Indra's though, evidence of nobility. Her skin is painted in white while her lips wear a deep red colour. Sakura can still remember seeing that same face in her reflection a couple years ago, when she was younger and her life as a shinobi was just starting.
Sakura almost stumbles back in shock. She raises a hand towards her cheek, feeling how her fingers make contact with her skin. Indra's hand on her shoulder is the only thing maintaining her balance, and he urges her to continue watching the scene played out in front of them between his past self and the young maiden.
"Who are you?" her voice sounds sweet and melodic, almost as if she was singing when speaking. To Sakura's ears, it was as if she was hearing the voice of an ethereal being. Yet, at the same time, it sounds much like her own.
This seems to be their first meeting, and the young maiden does not sound disturbed of encountering a strange man in the middle of a beach while unaccompanied.
The wind blows, moving Indra's hair with a grace comparable to hers. "Ōtsutsuki Indra."
The young woman turns her body towards Indra, places her hands in front of her and bows respectfully. "Nice to meet you, Ōtsutsuki Indra. My name is Kono-hana. Do you come from another land?"
She must not be any older than sixteen, though the heavy makeup conceals her true age to Sakura. Her voice does not sound very mature, and her demeanour gives away that she does not exceed Indra's age.
"I do," Indra answers.
Kono-hana smiles sincerely. "I live in that castle," she gracefully extends her hand, pointing towards a large structure that Sakura suddenly notices and recognizes.
At the end of the beach, atop a mountain, sits a large grey structure with terraces and towers. It is the same castle from Indra's dimension. She gasps at the realization.
"Come with me," she invites.
"You're not afraid of me?" Indra seems to be perplexed by Kono-hana's welcoming personality.
Understandably, it is not often that one meets people who are open to invite strangers into their homes after exchanging such little words.
"Why would I be?" Kono-hana asks curiously, tilting her head to the side. She then approaches Indra and takes his hand, guiding him towards her castle. "You appear to be too confused to frighten me."
Sakura wants to follow their steps and see where the young woman ends up taking Indra in his memory, but she feels a pull on her shoulder and the landscape in front of her once again spins and molds into a different place. She finds herself back in the weapons room, with the real Indra standing in front of her. His fingertips leave her forehead and his Sharingan deactivates. He waits patiently for Sakura to gather her thoughts on what she just witnessed.
Her mind goes round in circles, replaying the memory Indra shared. It is the same one she saw before through the eyes of the young maiden. Back then, she did not know that Kono-hana and her resembled so much; they could be confused as the same person. That is when the wheel starts to turn in Sakura's brain, clicking and making connections to her unsolved puzzle.
She feels lightheaded at her conclusion. Kono-hana is her, and she is Kono-hana. Sakura never expected this to happen, never even thought about being the transmigration of a past person. Much less someone like the young maiden, who, if Sakura takes Indra's word, is actually a noble princess. But the similarities are uncanny in spite of the heavy make up that Kono-hana wears due to her social status.
She whispers, "her name was Kono-hana."
"Kono-hana Sakuyahime. That was your past name," Indra corrects.
He runs a hand through her cheek, catching the tears that subconsciously started to fall from her eyes. Indra gets closer to Sakura, to the point that she has to raise her head to maintain visual contact with him. She is small, yes, but full of strength and potential to reach a peak higher than her past selves. Indra has seen her grow, has seen how similar she is to his old Hime in spite of their different upbringings.
He is entranced with her luscious green eyes, drowning in those fields of cherry blossoms and spring leaves. He's missed her terribly; a thousand years is a long time to wait for the right one to be born again and return to him. He wants to enjoy every moment with her, he wants Sakura to learn once again and accept him as part of her life.
Indra brushes his lips with hers cautiously. He does not want to upset her while still evaluating how far they have come in their reunion. Sakura does not react with hostility, and instead closes her eyes. Her hands are relaxed by her sides. It is enough for Indra to know that progress has been made and that she grants him permission to kiss her plump, pink lips.
He repeats the action once again, this time pressing his mouth fully on hers. He tilts his head to the side, his hands hold her face while his thumbs caress her cheeks. When his tongue begins to dance with hers, Indra wraps one arm around Sakura's waist to bring her closer. He can feel every fiber of the front of her body touch his, encouraging him to deepen kiss. Her arms tentatively go up, until her hands land on his back and her lips move on his accordingly.
He recollects those intimate, long, passionate nights they spent together in the past. The way she spoke before and after kissing, the way her pink hair and green eyes brought life into his confused world. Her hands used to soothe him, stroke him, reassure him in the gentlest of ways that he mattered to someone as a person rather than the legacy of a myth. They were exotic for one another, and found a common language and culture in the way they shared their days together. She was a noble princess from a faraway country. He was a wanderer, a shinobi distancing himself from his clan duty.
It has been too long since Indra has felt this sensation, this gravitational pull towards her that overrides every other sentiment and desire he feels. Sakura, once again, becomes his centre, the main source of all his attention and temptation. He cannot let go of this moment, having waited for it for a millennium.
And she does not push him away, either.
Oh shiiit!
Double kissing chapter, what!? You folks deserve a treat ;)
Kudos to the reviewer to guessed Konohasakuyahime's name! It's a long one, I know, which is why I kind of shortened it. So here we finally see Sakura attend to Sasuke's condition, and she is afraid because she does not really know what he has. Imagine how frustrating that must be for her, to be considered a top medic but not be able to save the man she loves. It will all tie together in future chapters, I promise.
We also see the first conversation that Indra had with Sakura's past self. In Shinto, Kono-hana is linked to earthly life and elegancy, hence why she is so gentle and a noble princess. It's a challenge writing Indra because we don't know much about him in canon, but I entertain myself in finding ways to make him express emotions.
This is the longest chapter yet. Thank you for all your support! Every time I see a review, follow or fave it makes my day :') The love triangle is not very popular, and I've mentioned to some of you that I'm not a huge fan of the idea either. But when the plot bunny comes and populates your mind, you have to nurture it.
Next one will be more action packed and might feature more characters. Until now, we've only focused on three characters, so it will be interesting to see how the other ones play an important role in the story.
Random question: would you enjoy steamy scenes or no?
Until next time,
MSM
Ps: Also, the long one shot I have planned is more than halfway done. It's already more than 20k words o.O