Bound to You (Naruto)

Chapter Thirteen

It had been a few days since they'd returned to the underground lair. When they'd first returned Tsuki had hugged Lord Orochimaru and refused to let go of him for over an hour, she managed to alleviate his pain, but his arms still appeared dead, necrotic and bloody. Frustrated, Tsuki tried willing her chakra into him, but no matter what she did, she couldn't heal his wounds.

Kabuto, true to his word, was being nicer to her and treating her with respect. He no longer lashed out at her or gave her mean looks and seemed like he was being genuinely kind to her. Tsuki was starting to worry, though Orochimaru said her touch alleviated a great deal of pain and made him mobile again, it wasn't enough. If she couldn't figure out how to heal him, the necrosis in his arms could spread and kill him. It was getting worse; her touch wasn't alleviating as much pain as it had before.

Orochimaru had retreated to his lab, tired of her constant hugs and seeing the look of worry on her face. He often retreated to the lab, knowing each time she tried to give him her chakra it drained her. She was trying too hard and it was going to make her sick.

Tsuki sat on the edge of Orochimaru's bed with her head in her hands as frustration and anger welled up inside of her. Why wasn't it working? Why couldn't she heal him? She jumped at the soft rap at the door and slowly lifted her head turning her colorless eyes to the door as it swung open. Instinctively she tensed as Kabuto ducked inside. He noticed the sudden tension in her body and frowned slightly before recovering with a polite smile.

"His condition is worsening." Kabuto said calmly, "Whatever you're doing is effective at lessening the pain, but it's not fixing the root of the matter. Are you sure you can heal him?"

Tsuki bit her lip, "I know I can, I just don't know how to do it."

Kabuto frowned, "How can you be sure?"

"My clan can heal others..."

"Through touch, right?" Kabuto asked curiously as he stepped further into the room before taking a seat next to her on the edge of the bed. "You've just been doing it unconsciously before now, you don't necessarily understand the mechanics of it. Is that right?"

Tsuki nodded.

"You've been acting on instinct until now, perhaps you're just overthinking it and should just do what your body tells you to do." He noted.

Tsuki pondered this for a moment. He wasn't wrong. She was getting in her head a lot because she was scared. Maybe she was overthinking it, but what was her body telling her to do?

Kabuto lightly pat the worried girl atop the head and ruffled her silvery white hair, "You're doing it again."

"I'm scared." Tsuki admitted helplessly.

"Don't worry. We have a plan, we're just under some time constraints and need to hold out a few days longer. If you can keep alleviating his pain and slowing the spread of the necrosis like you have been, then it should be fine." He tried to reassure her.

Tsuki bit her lip, her stomach churned unpleasantly, Orochimaru was in pain again, but if she went to him he'd just push her away and tell her to go back to his private quarters and stay put. It was the same thing that had happened for the past three days. "I don't think I'm helping much anymore."

Kabuto kept his mouth shut, he'd noticed that whatever she'd been doing that had been slowing the spread of the necrosis and alleviating Lord Orochimaru's pain, wasn't as effective. It was most likely due to the progression of the necrosis and that whatever treatment she was administering, the dosage was too low, but if he told her this, she'd only worry. Her healing abilities were almost entirely based on instinct, she did it unconsciously and she'd just beat herself up over it.