98touch me like you touch nobody
by: whisperedsilvers
prompt: "put your hands all up on me."
summary: There is always madness in love. post-war. —shisui/sakura
Honestly, the last thing Shisui remembers is the feeling of being burned alive. It's not a pleasant memory, because he didn't really burn. He drowned. He drowned so quick, so fast, that it felt like his lungs were on fire and the water was so, so cold. The world felt cold. His world was blue, blue deepening into cobalt and then bleeding into black. He always thought drowning would be a peaceful experience, but it's not—it's so much worse.
"ke—is it him?" There's a voice, it's sounds muted like there's static in his ear from his last ANBU mission and he's dizzy he thinks.
"Yeah," his voice is rougher like he's scraped his throat with sandpaper, "I have it here," there's a pause, "Is it going to take long?"
"He needs to be conscious for me to do the implant," she replies just as easily.
Shisui stiffens at the word implant, his eyes – or where would be his eyes – his sockets then? His eye socket opens and something in the air – not tangible – it tenses.
"Shisui," It's Itachi and Shisui doesn't know how to feel, "Shisui can you hear me?"
"Itachi?" His voice drips with incredulity, because fuck, wasn't he supposed to be dead? Unless Itachi is dead too.
"Bear with me, cousin," Itachi sounds tired like he's been through hell and back, "It's going to feel a little strange for a bit."
Shisui is still tense, but he doesn't move unless Itachi tells him to and for the first time in years, Shisui feels vulnerable. It's such an uncomfortable feeling because he can't see and he just—he just don't know how? There's a faint hum of chakra, it brushes against his arm, like a test, his chakra – which is practically non-existent – flares and tangles with the foreign energy. The chakra travels further until it's near his face and Shisui stiffens until his spine is steel. There's a huff of annoyance, but the voice doesn't speak, instead, the user heals the bruises near the sides of his face and a thumb hooks against his eyelid.
A thumb, it feels like a thumb he thinks vaguely, lifts the skin and then there's pressure. It doesn't hurt because the chakra is numbing his nerves, but fuck it's so invasive that his nails dig into the earth. The owner of the chakra does the same procedure to his second eye and it feels like—he frowns, it feels like—
"Itachi-san," the voice – it's the woman and she's very close to him, so the medic? – orders, "Hand me the bandages."
Shisui feels Itachi's hands on his shoulders, the familiar scent of his hair and the strange crackles of ozone leaks into the smoke of his chakra, small hands, fingertips rough and calloused wrap gauze around his eyes.
"I'm going to heal the rest of your injuries," she – the medic – tells him, she sounds strict but her voice carries a hint of concern, she sets his leg and heals the broken bone with a certain ease that makes him even more uncomfortable, "You need to keep the bandages on for at least four hours, it will give your body time to build up enough chakra to recognize your eyes, and then the pathways should connect naturally."
Shisui stills, it's—he doesn't know what to feel, he speaks, "My…eyes?"
Itachi exhales behind him, "Yes. Sakura-san has given you back your eyes—"
"Itachi," his voice is angry, it's so angry that Itachi flinches because he has never heard his cousin speak like that, his fingers grab onto him, blunt nails digging into his forearms, "I gave you my eyes—"
"It's over," Itachi tells him before he can give him a scolding, "Everything."
Shisui still doesn't understand, he shifts, "What—?"
Sakura, the medic, who has no time to deal with these Uchihas – because she had enough of them to last a lifetime – sighs with exasperation, surely, Sasuke's brother could've elucidated, because three fucking words weren't enough—just, what has she done to deserve this? She decides to help the semi-younger Uchiha out because Sasuke is breathing down her neck, "Danzo is dead—everything is over, so just shut up and stop moving."
Can you blame her for being irritated? She's been up for over thirty-six hours, the war is over and there's just so much to do. Dealing with stubborn patients takes a toll, but what's worse is being stuck in a cave with three Uchihas, and that's—that's just inhumane.
Shisui thinks he's staring at the voice, his head moves in her direction as she heals the gash across his stomach, he doesn't know what possesses him to do it, but, he twitches just for the hell of it.
.
Shisui's somewhere near a river, he wants to think it's the Naka river because that's where his life had ended, but now he's alive—? No one has deemed it appropriate to give him an explanation, so he sits still on the grass and eats the riceballs that Itachi is so keen to stuff down his throat.
"Sasuke, I swear to God I will hit you," Sakura, the medic, threatens his cousin – Itachi's younger brother is here and he wants to coo because the last time he saw little Sasuke is—he can't even remember – there's a slap and a hiss.
"What the hell, Sakura?" His voice is cool and sharp like lightning, it's the sound of a man and Shisui tries to blink back, because that can't be Sasuke.
"I told you if you touch my riceballs you will face my fists," she scowls – at least he thinks she scowls – and then there's a sound of plastic ruffling, "There's no tempura in this, so you can have these tomatoes, jerk."
A grunt.
A slap.
"What was that?"
"Thank you, Sakura," He – Sasuke – deadpans, "I shall forever treasure this moment."
"Gross, can't you go back to being broody and uptight?" Naruto interjects obnoxiously, apparently, he's Sasuke's best friend, according to Itachi that is.
"Shut up, dobe."
Sakura sighs, she shuffles on the grass, knees cracking and leather flapping, "It's been five hours, we can take off the gauze."
Shisui didn't have to be blind to know that all eyes are on him, he sits up and straightens his spine. Sakura comes closer, her chakra is warm, warm like water in the summer and he feels like he's submerging in the sunlight when her chakra touches him. She feels him still, "It's just a diagnostic."
He doesn't say anything.
Sakura unravels his bandages, the sunlight peeking through the leaves makes his eyelids twitch, she sends a pulse of healing chakra to his eyes, coating his optic nerve and finer dojutsu veins, she tells, "You can open them, slowly," she shifts her weight to her knees, "Give it a minute, it might be blurry."
Shisui opens his eyes.
.
Sakura's eyes are green.
That's his first thought.
Her are so green. They aren't a true emerald, no it's a color between jade and sea-foam. It bleeds into different shades of sage, dipping into blue and settling into a deeper olive as it reaches her pupil.
His vision is sharper, clearer and he can't remember his vision being so vivid.
Her skin is like satin, a warm hue radiating from her form, and her hair is pink.
Pink, like pearls, like petals, like—like something unearthly and he's not going to sit here staring at her because she's the first thing he sees in—he sees in a…while, because how long has it been?
"How is it?" Sakura asks professionally, her hands are up ready to heal whatever wrong with him and he thinks it's admirable.
"It's," Shisui starts, it's the first time he's initiating conversation with her, his medic, "It's different."
She nods as if she knows, she explains, "It'll feel weird, it's been maybe fifteen years? Eighteen or something since you haven't had eyes or were alive or," she scratches the back of her neck, "Something like that? You've only managed to restore half of your chakra, so once your chakra is full it should feel back to normal."
Shisui sits there, his mind is spinning trying to understand what—
"It's actually fifteen years," Sasuke corrects.
Shisui's eyes flicker over to Sasuke, Sasuke who's a man and he feels some part of him crack.
Itachi leans next to him and tells him everything—everything.
.
Shisui is sure that he made sure that no one, that nobody could find his body, he had planned for that, but what he didn't plan for was for Sasuke.
Sasuke.
As if that's the only explanation.
Because only Sasuke, his little cousin, Itachi's younger brother, could travel through time and grab him with the grace of a goddamn feline.
Really, what was he supposed to do?
.
"This is so…bizarre," Naruto says looking at the bridge, the bridge, the bridge where team seven was formed and where it stood. Sasuke leaning against the tree, Naruto in the middle of the field with Sai and Sakura hovering over the bridge.
Kakashi, the sixth Hokage, appears with a puff of smoke, he smiles with that eye crinkle – or eyes crinkle – and sits on the tree branch.
And it's Sasuke that opens his mouth, "You're late."
Sakura wants to laugh until she cries, because oh, how she misses this.
.
"This is bizarre," Shisui says blankly, he watches Itachi rake, rakes his backyard, place soil on the corner of the compound and water his new garden.
"Yes," Itachi does not disagree, instead, he plants lettuce, tomatoes, and potatoes, "I'm thinking of planting cucumbers. Do you think the sun is in the right place to do so?"
Shisui really can't wrap his mind around this.
"Itachi-chan," Mikoto, Itachi's mother is alive and kicking, she smiles and asks, "I'm making Kobacha for dinner, would you like tempura as well?"
Itachi bows his head because he can still feel her blood on his hands and it's not a good feeling, so he leans his head before he starts cracking like the war-torn shinobi he is, "Anything is fine, kaa-chan."
It's hard, it's so hard and he thinks maybe he should've died—stayed dead.
"Itachi-chan," Mikoto says chidingly.
"I would not be adverse to having yakitori," he tries again and he feels slightly raw when she smiles again.
"Hm, I think I have some meat for that," Mikoto turns to Shisui and asks him softly, "Shisui-kun, do you mind running to the market and buying some rice? I want to make some riceballs too."
Shisui nods and smiles, "Sure thing, Mikoto-obaa."
His fingers itch to pat his younger cousin on the back, he turns his head and walks out of the compound.
Redemption begins with forgiving yourself.
He hopes Itachi will understand one day.
.
The reconstruction of the Leaf is still happening, it's in progress, but it's haunted. There's so much work to be done and it's almost—it's like a ghost town. He barely remembers the village, but he knows it looks nothing like this. Agriculture took a toll, but it's recovering. Tea and Grass country have land and climate hat's better suited for that type of trade, yes there are certain things that aren't in the market, but, it's only a matter of time before it's back to normal.
Time.
That word seems to haunt him, he thinks.
"Sakura-sama, please accept these ginger roots," A woman near the cabbage section says speedily, "Please."
Sakura smiles kindly and tries to reject, "No, no it's fine, I can pay—"
"Please," The woman presses, "For taking care of my son, please accept this."
The pink-haired woman blinks, her fists tighten into a ball, then she releases her tension, and nods her head, "Thank you."
When the woman isn't looking, she puts the ginger back on the stall and leaves some ryo.
And Shisui has to wonder.
Wonder.
.
"Are you experiencing any itching, swelling or discomfort with your eyes?" Sakura asks, her hand-held light moving from left to right as she tests the muscle of his pupil.
"Minor itching," Shisui answers, his feet kick against the raised cot of the hospital.
"Does it burn or tear?"
"Neither,"
She presses her lips together, "Well, what does it feel like?"
Shisui doesn't know how to act anymore. He doesn't feel the way he's supposed to see her and he knows it doesn't make sense, but she gives him his sight back, so he can't really ignore her and it's just—it's sometimes too much.
"It feels like something is holding me back," Shisui speaks with a certain pitch of honesty that makes her fingers hesitate, pressure swimming inside him like a living thing and then it pops like a soap bubble
And Sakura just looks at him.
.
Time passes, it's not quick like he wants it to be, but it's easing the freshness of self-hate and self-pity. Itachi is in better spirits, he's gardening – god help him – Uchiha Itachi is gardening, he's planting eggplants and mushrooms now. It's helping him, Mikoto-oba is teaching him the difference between growing food and flowers, and it's just strange.
Itachi's last memory of his mother is spilling blood on his hands, but for Mikoto, Itachi is still her baby and she would always forgive him.
Shisui wishes that he could make up with his mother like that.
But Shisui's parents have been dead for years, so he tries not to feel guilty when he comes over for dinner, but he thinks it's harder for Sasuke, Sasuke who craves for familial love and peace for so long.
He looks at his parents as if it's a dream and it makes Shisui sigh a little.
One day.
One day it'll be better.
.
"You need to do something," Sakura tells him one day after his last check-up, she furrows her brows, "Your eyes are one hundred percent healed, don't ask me how I managed to heal it because after popping those eyeballs in, I was sure that there was some damage I couldn't heal—" she pauses to scribble something on his chart, "To make it short, you're not going to end up blind."
Shisui stares at her with raised brows, he sounds skeptical, "What?"
"I've studied the sharingan, well Kakashi-sensei's for years," She explains taking a seat on her chair – Kakashi-senpai, huh? – she flips her hair that reaches her shoulder bones behind her white medical coat, she clasps her hands, "And Sasuke and Itachi-san's now, I'm still developing a theory as to how to prevent their blindness, but yours is a bit different."
"How?"
Sakura scratches the back of her neck in a familiar Hatake movement, she grabs two pens from her coat and lifts them in front of him, she asks him, "What do you see?"
He frowns, "Two pens."
"What colors are they?"
"Black and blue," he wonders if she's going somewhere with this.
"Right, one is made from blackberry ink and the other is made from a silicone ink derived from shale," Sakura uncaps both pens and scribbles a line on a piece of paper, "Now what's the difference?"
Shisui stares, "The blue ink bleeds into the paper and the black ink is dry."
"Right," she nods, "Notice how the blue ink – the one that is man-made – smears, it drips and then it dries, but the black ink settles into the paper and dries almost immediately. The difference is just that."
He blinks and tries to connect the analogy, "Chakra bleeds and the other doesn't?"
Sakura's smile catches him off guard, it makes his chest squeeze and tries to squash the feeling down, but he fingers shake despite himself. She tilts her head, "You're close," she places the pen back into her pocket, "You're the black ink and the other Uchihas are the blue ink. Your chakra doesn't bleed, it settles into your eyes and seeps back into your system. The other Uchihas chakra overflows, it covers their eyes and then it burns their pathways. That is what is causing them to go blind."
Shisui attempts to digest that bit of information, he thinks that she's kind of brilliant, because no one, no outsider has come close to diagnosing that information, mainly because the clan doesn't allow foreigners to breach into their kekkai genkai, but time doesn't stand still for no one, because people are still healing and Fugaku-san – as both Tsunade-sama and Sakura had said that he can deal with their fists, it made him laugh of course, but he wouldn't tell her that just yet – is kind of pain in the ass about politics.
"So, now what?"
Sea-foam orbs blink, "What do you mean?"
"What are you going to about the blindness problem?" He asks.
Sakura shrugs, "I don't know yet. Dojutsu is always a tricky thing to handle because it keeps evolving, science can only keep up so much. Don't get me wrong, I'm going to do something, I just don't know what."
Shisui nods, "What does Sasuke say?"
"What is Sasuke going to do?"
"Itachi, then?"
"Itachi-san does not mind," Sakura shifts her attention to her notes, "Sasuke is a lot more cooperative now that his brother is here."
"Sasuke always did have a brother complex," Shisui snorts.
Green eyes glitter, "He does?"
He smiles at her slightly – he wonders if she can hear the sound of his heart twisting in his chest – her eyes widen at the sight, he tells her, "Maybe, I'll tell you about it one day."
.
"I've told you—" Sakura scowls, her fist raising above her head, "To do your freakin' paperwork, you Icha Icha idiot! The Daimyo will be here in twenty minutes and you still haven't figured out a suitable candidate for the civilian district?"
"Now, Sakura-chan," Kakashi tries to placate her with a gentle tone, his hands up in a defensive manner, "I remember that there was a small cat crossing the word, limping with a broken leg and I just couldn't—"
Shisui watches in awe as Sakura loses her patience and shatters the Hokage's desk, the desk splintering into a thousand pieces and her heaving shoulders made her pink hair even longer, she scowls, "I am confiscating all your books until the Daimyo leaves."
Kakashi has the nerve to look horrified.
"Shikamaru," Sakura growls, "Get the replacement desk from the backroom and make sure Tsunade-sama's sake bottles are out of the compartment drawers," she sighs with exhaustion, "You would think being the Kage's assistant things would get easier, but no it just gets worse! And you," she points towards Shisui when Shikamaru mutters something troublesome, she narrows her eyes, "What are you laughing at?"
Shisui doesn't realize he's grinning.
.
"Do you know how long I've waited to eat this?" Naruto groans into his bowl, "Beef ramen will reign be superior."
Ichiraku's grand opening is today, the shop is bigger than it originally was, the seats are made of red leather and the salty smell of broth always feels like home to Naruto and he's going to eat as much ramen as he can—until Kakashi-sensei has to wheel him home or Sakura-chan, whoever is closer.
"Judging by the noodle in your hair, I have to say a long time," Sakura replies with humor, her eyes twinkle and she steals a piece of Kakashi's gyoza when he's not looking.
"C'mon Sakura-chan, there's nothing better than Teuchi-san's ramen, right?" He retaliates and munches on a piece of beef.
"You know I like—"
"Tempura, we know, but it tastes like crap—" Naruto is cut off by the sound of Sakura's chopsticks slapping against his mouth.
"I happen to like tempura, Naruto-kun," Itachi's voice interrupts their debate, he takes a seat next to Sasuke, orders miso-flavor and Shisui takes a seat next to Kakashi.
"But ramen—"
"Shut up, dobe," Sasuke sighs and takes a bite of his pork.
Sakura steals another piece of gyoza from Kakashi's plate, he gives her a one-eyed glare from the corner of his book and she smiles innocently, "Is there something you want to say, sensei?"
Shisui watches curiously.
"If you wanted a piece of gyoza, Sakura-chan, you should've ordered a plate," He chastises her lightly.
She shrugs, "It tastes better from your plate, besides," her eyes glint, "It's not like you're going to take off your mask in front of us, right?"
Naruto snickers and even Sasuke manages to look interested.
"I didn't know my food tastes better in your mouth," Kakashi says slowly.
Even Itachi, who has been derived of all human contact until recently, knows that Kakashi is flirting with Sakura, even Naruto gapes, but Sakura doesn't seem to notice – or at least she doesn't show that she does know – and sighs because she knows this tactic, "You're avoiding the question, sensei."
"All you had to do is ask, Sakura-chan."
Sasuke turns his head so quickly that Itachi is sure he hears his bone crack.
"You're going…to show us?" Sakura blinks.
Shisui stares at his senpai.
"No."
She deflates and Shisui laughs.
.
Sakura doesn't see Shisui very often, her work at the hospital keeps her busy, then there's that new opening she's starting in the civilian district and then she's doing random missions in between. So, she really doesn't have the time, but Tsunade tells her that she will deal with this hospital so she can put all her effort into the new one that they're constructing in the south district—with Ino's help of course.
That frees up some of her time, because the new hospital is still under construction and she realizes just how much paperwork and legal work she has to go through just to move on to the next step in the building. Ino has her negotiation skills down to the teeth, but that's mostly because blackmail is involved and her father works in T&I, so really she has her work cut out for her, and Sakura is prone to a more political and violent take on consulting—which is more of her type of thing anyway.
One day, Sasuke comes up to her and says, "Come to dinner."
Sakura, who's elbow deep in patient files in her new glass office, blinks, "What?"
"Come to dinner," he repeats, "My family wants to meet my team," he pauses and leans back against her wall, "Officially."
It's been six months since the war ended and Sasuke's parents want to meet her today, Naruto and her—today?
"Uh," she says intelligently, "When?"
"Six today, main compound," Sasuke pauses, "Do you have formal wear?"
"Yes?"
"Wear it."
"Okay."
Sakura adjusts her files and looks up to see him still there, "Sasuke?"
He looks at her.
"Go away."
.
Sakura's haori is a deep green haori, similar to that of her master and a black sleeveless kimono top tucked into civilian black pants, with a thin charcoal-colored obi, instead, she leaves her pink hair tucked in a loose braid and makes up for her femininity with dangly gold earrings.
She can't afford to be too dressed up, mostly because she's on-call at the hospital – God knows where her shishou is – and she just doesn't feel comfortable looking all that proper anymore.
"I thought I said formal wear?"
"Shut up, Sasuke," Sakura huffs, she takes off her shoes and quips, "Do I say anything about your hair?"
"What's wrong with my hair?" he frowns.
"Lots of things," Shisui flickers over, his hair messy, "And she looks fine, Sasuke."
Sakura smiles haughtily at her teammate, but Sasuke looks at his cousin strangely, as if he's a stranger because, because huh?
"You look so pretty, Sakura-chan," Naruto's wearing a dress-shirt and slacks, even Sasuke has to do a double-take.
"How does the dobe look better than you, Sakura?"
Shisui isn't sure who laughs first, him or Naruto, when Sakura hits the back of his head.
.
"I've heard that you've been studying the sharingan, Haruno-san," Fugaku starts, his proud features tighten into that of knives.
Sakura refuses to feel inferior, she straightens her spine and Shisui watches with quiet surprise, "Yes, I am sure Tsunade-sama has spoken to you already."
"Of course," He says arrogantly, "And what of you? What is it that you have found?"
Mikoto watches her husband warily.
She doesn't take the bait, instead, she tilts her head, "I have found lots of things, but doctor-patient confidentially prevents me from disclosing such details with outsiders."
Fugaku's eyes narrow and even Sasuke stills, "These are my children."
"Yes," Sakura agrees naturally, "They are, but they are of age. Clan law cannot coincide with hospital regulations, because hospital regulations take precedence, and because they were under my jurisdiction in the hospital, their health is under my care."
"I'm not sure you understand, Haruno-san," He says unkindly as if he's speaking to a child, Itachi looks at him, "Outsiders are not allowed to work on our dojutsu, it's against the clan's—"
"Unfortunately," Sakura's smile is sharp under the lights of the compound, "You have been dead for too long," Naruto's head whips to look at her, "You were planning a coup against our village, your clan is under scrutiny because your ancestors have waged a war against all of humanity, your son ran away to Orochimaru and Itachi was left as a scape goat," chakra coils tight like a snake, "You do not have the authority to tell me what to do. Repentance comes at a price, so don't think you can push me around like a salt shaker," green eyes are jade, "The Uchiha clan policies are annulled because of your sudden demise, you must rewrite and revise all framework, submit it to the council and then the Hokage must give his approval. Only then can you implement your clan laws."
.
"Have you lost your mind?" Sasuke hisses as soon as Sakura and Naruto exit the compound, "You're challenging my father?"
"Sasuke I don't think you get it," Sakura snaps, "Your father can't do shit because your clan is still under scrutiny from the war, it'll take hell and high water for your clan to regain any sense of pride."
Sasuke recoils as if he's been slapped.
"After the edo tensai was lifted and Kabuto fucked up whatever he did," she continues, "The Uchiha clan lost all its power because of the coup they planned, which is exactly why Itachi-san had to perform the massacre or did you forget?" she scowls even when the other two Uchiha walk over to them, "Your father has no power and if he tries to pretend like he did nothing wrong, do you know what will happen?"
Naruto speaks for her, "There will be a civil war."
Sakura nods reverently, "And we cannot afford a civil war. Do you understand?"
Sasuke scowls still and when Itachi presses a hand against his shoulder, he feels some of the tension disappear, some, but not all.
"You were very admirable, Sakura-san," Itachi commends her because he knows it's not easy to go against his father, "My father couldn't say anything to retaliate."
"As if I'll let anyone push me around," Sakura huffs.
"Where did you learn to play politics?" Shisui asks, he still feels like he's in shock, because not everyone has the balls to take on the head of the Uchiha clan.
"Tsunade-sama is my teacher," She says, light pink wisps escape her braid, "Playing politics is what happens when you become the Hokage's apprentice."
.
She doesn't know how it happens, but she thinks—she thinks, that she's earned Uchiha Fugaku's respect because she's invited to more and more dinners, he speaks of katon chakra and that different forms of fire is possible, sometimes it burns hotter and sometimes it tastes different.
That is something she doesn't understand, but Shisui clarifies it to her, "It's kind of difficult to explain, but the Uchiha clan can taste chakra."
Sakura blinks, "Taste?"
"Everyone can feel chakra. They can smell it if they're sensitive enough," he says, "But we can taste it, we taste as well as we smell—Itachi's chakra tastes like ozone and smoke, emphasis on the smoke though."
"Sasuke smells like ozone too," she points out.
Shisui nods, "He tastes more of ozone than smoke, it's similar because they're both brothers, but one is more in tune with the other."
Sakura frowns, "How strange,"
Mikoto laughs, "It's not really, Sakura-chan. Our senses are just heightened."
She supposes it makes sense, after all. Chakra nature seems to mirror their presence, she couldn't help but wonder what her's taste like. It's not like she's going to ask, because, somehow it feels intimate.
"Don't you want to know what yours taste like?" Shisui asks suddenly, he could feel Sasuke's eyes on him.
She stares at him for a little and she lies, "Not really."
He quirks a brow, "Why not?"
"I assume elemental affinities mirror your chakra," Sakura muses, "My chakra taste probably reflects that, but I don't really use elemental jutsu so I don't think it would make much of a difference."
It's total bullshit by the way, but she doesn't want Shisui opening his mouth and tasting her chakra.
Or however, he's supposed to do it.
Shisui laughs anyway because he's so keen with emotions that he picks up her embarrassment and he just runs with it, "You taste like rain and the grass in summer."
Sasuke doesn't miss the way he omits the words: your chakra.
.
"Assassination?" Shisui raises a brow as he reads the mission assignment, fingers grasping the scroll.
"Yes, I don't know how," Kakashi shrugs, "But the drug business has been booming lately. The black market is getting bigger and people are trying to get shipment through Konoha's border. He's a member of one of the syndicates that runs opioid trade, killing him would destabilize his faction."
Shisui nods.
"It has to look like he died of natural causes, no one can know Konoha has a mole in the syndicate," Kakashi tells him and he crosses his arms, "I'm assigning a medic to your team."
Genma blinks and turns to look at Raido who raises a brow.
A knock and Sakura peeks in, "Kakashi-sensei? Shizune said you called for me?"
Shisui stills turns to look back and then blinks.
"Sakura-chan," Kakashi smiles tightly, "Meet your ANBU squad."
.
"I can't believe Hokage-sama is letting you out of his sight," Genma whistles, he tightens the strap of his bag.
She rolls her eyes, "Are you joking? Tsunade-sama had to quarrel with him for me to take missions."
Shisui listens on and off as they banter back and forth. According to what Raido has told him, Sakura is a combat-medic, which he can't say he's not surprised, because he kind of is, he thought she was like Shizune-san—a medic. Clearly, he's been proven wrong.
"The syndicate's main base is in Tanzuka Town," Shisui tells them when they make camp, he is quiet as an ANBU captain – he's always been soft-spoken, but there is steel in the way he holds himself – he demands authority, and it's a direct contrast to the way he normally is—not the happy-go-lucky type of thing he usually spews, "The man who runs Konoha's faction goes by the name Sora."
"Just Sora?" Raido asks.
"Yes," he pauses, "Infiltration is key. Boar set up the perimeter, we'll be scouting tomorrow."
.
Sakura stops the beat of his heart with one chakra infused fingertip and that makes every cell in Shisui's body freeze.
It's a little too easy, the way she slips in, she blends in with the civilian district – she said it didn't matter because she came from civilians – she seduces her way up the big ladder and then she's underground. She's underground and the world is painted black.
She straddles Sora's lap, giggles stupidly, like she's done that all her life and she kisses him with so much heat that it makes his blood curdle in his veins, but then, then her fingers rake down his hair, down his chest and she taps his chest.
She taps his chest with her fingertip again.
Then she taps it with chakra.
And now, he's dead.
.
Shisui doesn't remember when he falls in love with Sakura, but he remembers when he's on the brink of death – contrary to belief his body flicker is not infallible – he's bleeding profusely and he's pretty sure he punctured a lung, he remembers feeling this dark, velvet, red-blooded, hungry desire to see Haruno Sakura in all her glory.
He believes it's fitting, that she was the one that brought him to life and that she should be the one to see him leave.
But Haruno Sakura is nothing but stubborn, so she holds onto him and never lets him go.
He thinks he's in love with her, just a little bit more.
.
