I'll Follow You Into The Dark

Chapter 7: This Will Hurt

All pleasant thoughts and warm feelings were erased from both their minds as soon as the door was closed behind them, the dark room illuminated slightly, just enough to show the concrete slab meant to be an examination table and the various instruments Sakura was all too familiar with and Sasuke hoped would never find out their use.

Brought to the examination table by Sakura, Sasuke was laid down, his upper body exposed to the cold concrete beneath him, his entire body aching with the pain and aching with the longing for relief, for the moment when the poisonous substance would finally be out of his system and his training could resume. He watched Sakura move about the room, gathering up a large bowl of water, several pieces of cloth, another large empty bowl and a little scalpel.

"I thought med nins could do that by using chakra." said Sasuke eyeing the scalpel, trying to get his mind off what he imagined would happen.

Sakura bit her lip, looking unsure and scared all of a sudden, and Sasuke soon realize that perhaps she had not yet mastered the technique. Before he could make any other comment a sharp pain invaded his head once more, and his body felt extremely heavy, so all that came out from between his parted lips was a loud moan of pain.

A warm hand pushed on his chest, near his heart, and he felt the cold tip of the scalpel on his skin, picking at it slightly. He tried to focus on the pain that would come, which would surely be easier to endure than what he was currently feeling, but Sakura made no move for several minutes, their heavy breathing being the only sounds filling the room.

"This will hurt a lot, Sasuke-kun. You need to stay as quiet as you can. We don't know how anyone would react to knowing I'm doing this to you, possibly against Orochimaru's orders."

She spoke in a soft voice, shaking with nerves and fear, but she looked determined to go through with her plan. Sasuke could only nod and focus on his breathing, trying to keep it even, and brace for what was to come.

(✿⁠)

The scalpel dug into his skin, and the cut Sakura had made was small yet deep, the bleeding under control due to the justsu she was already performing on him. Right hand on his chest, near the cut, keeping the bleeding at a minimum, her left hand was above the water bowl, forming in a large bubble, her glowing chakra surrounding it. Nodding only slightly, as if to say here we go, she pushed the bubble of water and chakra down into his body through the hole she had made, and Sasuke wanted to scream at the top of his lungs, but instead be bit his lip until it was more blood and flesh than skin.

The most stressful experience of Sakura's life was seeing Sasuke beneath her hands, blood streaming down his chin from biting on his lip so hard, in a pain so agonizing he could barely breathe, all due to something she had to do to him.

But still she focused with all her might, every word she had read about this procedure running through her mind over and over again, imagining her chakra as a sticky web running through Sasuke's veins, attaching itself to every poisonous cell in his body and sucking it into the chakra infused water. Her chakra was like a magnet for poisons when combined with the water, and she could feel the distorted bubble grow heavier and heavier the more she held it inside of Sasuke's chest, near his heart, where she was sure the most damage had been done.

Hands shaking painfully, she did not move, she didn't even dare breathe, until she felt she had gotten most of the poison out. Sasuke's face was a mixture of pain and relief, the aftermath of the procedure leaving him exhausted and sore, but she could see an improvement as soon as she dumped the bubble into the empty bowl. It was a dirty, dark brown.

Placing her hands on his chest once more, she focused her chakra, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, trying to sense if there was any leftover poison in his system. Sasuke's chest was rising up and going back down faster now, easier than before, and when she opened her eyes his gaze was locked on her face, not even blinking, wearing an expression she could not read.

(✿⁠)

"I think that's all of it, Sasuke-kun. How do you feel?" she asked nervously, slightly intimidated by his intense look.

Stepping back from the examination table, Sakura watched as the young Uchiha stretched and tested all of his senses, wincing in pain occasionally, feeling the effects of the poison still. After a long time of getting adjusted to not hurting constantly, he looked back into her wide eyes and gave a short nod of approval. Sakura could only sigh with relief at the fact that she did not make matters worse. She helped Sasuke, and the thought filled her to the point where it became overwhelming.

Sasuke had managed to stand up all on his own, his legs still a bit shaky but steady enough to hold him. Seeing him better, and so quickly, too, had a strange effect of Sakura. Before she could attempt to control her emotions, all the build up, all the fear and anxiety she had about screwing up, about not being able to protect him or maybe even lose him, her body started shaking furiously, tears streaming endlessly down her cheeks.

Her blurry vision allowed her to only see the outline of Sasuke, but she still saw the way his expression changed and his eyes widened slightly at her reaction. Awkwardly trying to cry in silence, and hopefully stop her tears, she stood there feeling embarrassed and silly, but, when she felt two warm hands on her shoulders, gently pressed against the fabric of her shirt, the world froze.

"I'm glad I brought you with me." Sasuke said, looking away from Sakura, his voice barely audible.

Her instant reaction was to pull him as close to her as she possibly could, shoving her face in the crook of his neck and crying silently, holding him as tightly as her still fragile arms could. The thought of her not being here, left behind back in Konoha, while Sasuke would have had to go through this, was almost impossible to bear. She felt his arms around her, gently holding her close, almost as if to say "thank you" again, although this time the words remained unspoken.