（ hush, it's part of her process. she watches him shimmy back into his — frankly, ridiculous — leather... thing, and then peels her gloves off. into the garbage bin they go. ）
Well, luckily for you I happen to be a poison expert.
（ it's said with gentle flippancy. not to downplay his situation, but. you know. one more thing she's not afraid of. ）
[In almost the same inquisitive tone she had given him previously:]
Oh?
[Though he doesn't keep his attention directly on her; instead, he shifts around so he can start working with his own blood first. Regale him with the poison expertise.]
My blood won't harm you unless it's ingested, so you'll be fine.
[In case she had any apprehensions with working with it if necessary. But now she knows why he did not offer his blood up when she made the request on the network. People would die unfortunately. Again?]
（ so she hovers a bit, standing on her tiptoes to see over his shoulder. why is he so tall? a mystery. ... finally, she just drags over a footstool and stands on that. she has defeated height, cannot be stopped, etc etc. ）
Poison is a common shinobi tool. It's beneficial to know how to counteract it.
（ were you expecting a more protracted answer? hm. she leans in, tucking her hair behind her ears so it won't fall forward in an untoward curtain while she's sort of in his space. ）
Why is it you always say the most shocking thing first, and then try to offer reassurances after the fact?
（ she knows full well why. psychologically, it's something she can recognize as a self-protective method. if you start with what's horrifying and it doesn't work to frighten people off, you can be reasonably assured that they'll handle your soft admissions more gently. but is he aware he's doing it? one wonders. ）
[Sakura... He will sit in a minute, be patient. But no, it's fine. He isn't bothered at all by her behind him, hovering over his shoulder, not even when she gets the stool. Sometimes, a gothic man is tall.
He hums in acknowledgement to her simple answer; it makes sense to him, and he doesn't need any kind of crazy explanation. In a way, he understands. Having poisonous blood isn't a life he chose; however, it has given him a tool to withstand venoms and poisons from others.
The blood he syringes into a petri dish actually looks exactly like normal blood. No weird colors, no strange bubbling. His blood seems... ordinary? He puts it briefly aside and disposes of the syringe.]
Would you rather hear the bad news last?
[Listen.
When he starts working with her blood next, he sits down in front of the microscope, making her the tall one now. Rather than the petri dish, a drop or two of her blood goes first onto a slide on the stage, and he leans forward to look through the lens at it.]
It's not bad news — you're the one that treats it that way. It's just information about you.
（ her own blood isn't... entirely normal either. maybe not in the sense that it's poisonous — but mitotic regeneration has left its mark on her cellular structure just the same, even if she hasn't had cause to use it since the war. ）
[His eyes are on the lens, but his brows furrow gently at the scolding. How is having poisonous, freakish blood not bad news, he wants to know. Inwardly, Left Hand is giving him a lot of hell.]
My blood is not normal human blood is all.
[He really doesn't have anything else to say in the face of her lecturing... though, he finds it kind she continues to try to get him to put his head on straight.]
Yours is not so normal either.
[He lifts his head away from the lens and glances over his shoulder at her.]
（ it was an example you goober!! next she'll be yelling at him not to take everything so literally. in the meantime, though, she just blows out a breath that stirs the long sweep of her bangs and folds her arms, fingers hooking on the hems of her tunic's opposing sleeves.
at his pivot onto the topic of her blood, she lifts one shoulder in a sort of shrug. there are all sorts of shinobi techniques that have a negative effect on the body. opening the eighth gate is nearly always fatal, gai being the remarkable exception. the mangekyō sharingan causes blindness, madness and unspeakable pain.
and as for mitotic regeneration? all you lose is time. she doesn't regret learning it, although she suspects she'll share tsunade's vanity in time. isn't it worth it, to trade away an uncertain future to survive a perilous now? she would have died a hundred times over in the war without it, if not by madara's sword or the swarm of white zetsu or the victims of the impure resurrection, then by kaguya's awful shifting dimensions and the fight that followed. ）
No, it wouldn't be.
（ is she going to elaborate on that? no. ）
But I don't think there's anything in it that will prevent it from working for this.
[It’s fine. He had not offered any explanation about his own blood either. They will continue to be the same secretive people in this regard.]
Let’s see if that’s true.
[He does not say this in a way that’s mean, but in a way that’s agreeable. Her blood will likely be fine—and perhaps even better. (As long as his own blood doesn’t mess things up which was what worried him.)
He turns back to clear a working space, and then he leaves her very briefly to gather some additional things. Time to test tube their blood together once he sits back down.
Then he can work on the pills.]
Did you have to get involved in the arresting after it happened?
（ she really hadn't done anything that couldn't have been done just as well by someone else. without access to chakra, what was she but a talented taijutsu user? brawling in the cold stone hallways had worked out in her favour, but she hasn't forgotten that smack she took to the face. more than anything, it made it clear that she relies too much on her ability to heal herself. she could have dodged, if she hadn't been so concerned with keeping fukawa and the other prisoner safe. all she can do is call it a lesson, and be glad it healed cleanly. ）
But I was there, yes. I hope your escape wasn't too difficult?
[He would truly give her a look if she ever said this after all the shit she has given him about (gestures at all of himself). But surely he would have thought Sakura would feel a great "have to" for helping as man of them as there were taken.]
Troublesome but not difficult.
[Not for him, at least, but he doesn't say that as a humble sort of man. He can admit being mostly naked and subdued is a pain in the ass.
Carefully, he pipes some of her blood into the same tube as some of his own. There is no immediate reaction, but he grows mildly quiet while he waits. Nothing really seems to happen which is hopefully for the best. He does pick the vial up to finally give it a small shake left to right, and this doesn't cause anything amiss either. He glances at her.]
I'll check it under the microscope, but it seems to work as intended.
（ don't you dare turn that around on her, she'll wither and die. ）
The guards didn't seem prepared to deal with a group of angry, combat-capable Restless... they were lucky enough to have gotten the jump on everyone the first time.
（ she should... probably ask sasuke if he killed anyone, because that might actually come back to haunt them in the not-so-distant future...
she's patient and still while he does his thing, clearly not someone who has difficulty with the long periods of inaction and inactivity while Science bustles ever onward in the background. she isn't really driven to respond to his comment about the compatibility just yet — the microscope will be the deciding factor. ）
I'm glad you made it out all right. I know you can look after yourself, but... I'm glad. （ ... and then, a bit mischievously: ） You'd probably be a pretty grumpy cellmate.
The guards are also people struggling with their own voices.
[Like, sure, put the rough people in the prison for guarding duty, but also... kind of a bad set-up. They were having a hard time with the lot of them rebelling.
He prepares another slide for the microscope, this time with the mixture of their blood which still thankfully hasn't done anything weird.] You would have been worried if I hadn't? [:)? He goes to look into the lens, but pauses.]
You think I'm grumpy.
[Then he looks through the lens at their blood. He makes it sound like he's mildly insulted, but playfully. Excuse him, he isn't grumpy, he's annoyingly apathetic.]
（ she's no stranger to compassion shown to strangers please teach sasuke how to manage his shit tho and so his statement about the guards just gets a thoughtful nod. just doing their jobs, dealing with the same shadows as any of them, she doesn't exactly begrudge them for it, as far as they knew they were dealing with criminals.
but she's still not sorry about that one guard whose ribs she broke, either. in that particular case? deserved. ）
Do you want to hear all about how I would have staged a daring rescue on your behalf? You haven't seen me punch through a wall yet. I happen to be excellent cavalry.
（ shush, we don't talk about the power dampening field in the jail. she would have found a wall. ）
And I don't think you're grumpy. I know you are. One of these days I'm going to get a real smile out of you, and then and only then will I recant my position.
[He grunts softly in his throat at the teasing. He hasn't seen her punch through a wall yet, no... but based on how feisty she acts and how much strength he can sense... he can imagine.
He really lucked out not being punched to the Shadowlands that time.]
You have taken on a daunting task then.
[He can and does smile, though... very, very rarely. It's fine. It makes it all the better to witness when it happens.
Whatever he watches inside the microscope has his attention for several long moments. He switches the magnification around once.]
I doubt it comes as much of a surprise, but it seems your blood is regenerating mine. [He lifts his head so he can glance at her again.] My blood isn't eroding yours unnecessarily; the white blood cells aren't attacking.
（ she says that perhaps a bit primly. it is neither normal nor healthy to be excited about getting a Good Grade in Blood, but since when was she either of those things? pat her on the head while you're at it, d. ）
Can I see?
（ is she gonna wait for an answer or just scoot him out of the —
no, she is already scooting him out of the way. scooting is happening. enjoy the oddly effortless relocation of your chair like a half-meter to the left with one nudge of her foot.
she leans in to study the slides for herself, making a speculative sound at what the view presents. interesting. ）
Does my blood type make a difference at all? I'm O+.
（ it's weird to be the novice here. her own fundamental understanding of such things is pretty robust — but it's not like she's ever needed to worry about compatibility with an eccentric half-vampire with poisonous blood before, either. ）
[Well, he was GOING to move back a bit, but she has already started the scooting. As a man that is quite heavy, he is actually rather impressed by being moved even a little.
Strong women… He’s looking away fastly. Anyway.
He leans back to give her enough room despite being manhandled, allowing her time and quiet to watch the blood through the lens.]
It’s possible it provides a better field for coexistence. None of this has any relation to the desire for blood; however, it’s interesting to watch the reaction.
[He watches her watch through the microscope, easier to do when he can accomplish it without being seen.]
Using the pill with your blood may increase the span of time between when I require taking them. Or it may boost regeneration. I don’t know.
Putting your life in my hands, hm? Do you know me well enough for that?
（ it's said with a playful sideways look at him, wrinkling her nose up in a crinkly little smile. whatever else can be said about their odd... nearly two months' acquaintance, she actually does trust him, and she hopes that he trusts her too.
it's all very SENPAI NOTICE ME of her, tbh. ）
But as long as you don't think it'll do any harm... you already heal pretty fast, right?
（ the needle wasn't a great example, but she certainly took notice of the clean gauze when he pulled it away. so this is mostly just a guess, albeit an educated one that leans on all the other things he's told her thus far. ）
[Well, he's very adept at simply just saying whatever thing without feeling shame or embarrassment, so he says,] I trust you, [with the most firmly earnest, quiet voice.
She just hasn't ever given him a reason not to trust her? Literally look at what she's going out of her way to do now.]
This place has subdued it, but... yes, I do.
[He heals a bit more slowly, yet still faster than most ordinary people. Alas, being a supposed monster has it's perks(?).]
（ you aren't supposed to say it outloud. she starts just slightly, and there's an obvious element of fluster to her that sees her brush her hair aggressively over the tips of her reddened ears. ）
It's been like that with everyone I've met so far, with any sort of ability. I guess it's reassuring to know it's everyone across the board, right?
（ she gives him a sideways glance as she retreats from the microscope back to her stepstool, which she folds herself onto in a sitting position. it's low enough that this means her knees jut at an awkward angle, and she rests her elbows on them. altogether: a bit awkward. ）
I know a few people with soulmates now, but none that have told me of any effect on their powers... why, has someone caught your eye?
[For a moment, he just sits there without continuing, giving her his attention. There are plenty of things he keeps a secret by omission. But he can't think of any point to not opening the conversation.
Except for how rocky the last one went.]
No, it isn't that. [It feels very strange to be thought of as prospecting. Him, of all people.] You and Set are the only ones who have offered.
[Well, she hadn't, like, explicitly offered. But it was there in their weird back and forth.]
（ wait, give her a moment, that might be taken as a matter of offense. she's quick to clarify, ）
Anyone who's talked to you more than five minutes has to know you're a good person — don't start with that monster stuff again, please. So I suppose I'm just surprised to hear that.
（ in fact she is?? a little indignantly offended on his behalf?? her mouth screws up off to one side like she's sucked on a lemon. she is determined not to think about the fact that's still (technically) one more person than her because she's not looking!! no thank you!! eternally staring out a window dreamily murmuring 'sasuke-kun' in her dreams... ）
But Set seems decent. I've only met him once. How do you feel about that possibility?
It may be a little more than only being a good person.
[And yes, he still thinks to some people it could be the monster stuff, but more than that: it's trust. Having to trust someone you might not know with all of yourself. Having to trust someone with the darkest parts of yourself.
Frowning, he turns back to what he had been doing.]
I thought perhaps he would be the best candidate because what I am won't weigh so heavily on his spirit. However... being a god means he is like the Nobility in some ways... something I've never wanted any part of.
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He waits for a second before removing it so he can slide his arm back into the sleeve and zip himself into the leather once more.]
Specifically me.
[He tried to tell you he was a monster, Sakura… :(]
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Well, luckily for you I happen to be a poison expert.
（ it's said with gentle flippancy. not to downplay his situation, but. you know. one more thing she's not afraid of. ）
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Oh?
[Though he doesn't keep his attention directly on her; instead, he shifts around so he can start working with his own blood first. Regale him with the poison expertise.]
My blood won't harm you unless it's ingested, so you'll be fine.
[In case she had any apprehensions with working with it if necessary. But now she knows why he did not offer his blood up when she made the request on the network. People would die unfortunately. Again?]
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Poison is a common shinobi tool. It's beneficial to know how to counteract it.
（ were you expecting a more protracted answer? hm. she leans in, tucking her hair behind her ears so it won't fall forward in an untoward curtain while she's sort of in his space. ）
Why is it you always say the most shocking thing first, and then try to offer reassurances after the fact?
（ she knows full well why. psychologically, it's something she can recognize as a self-protective method. if you start with what's horrifying and it doesn't work to frighten people off, you can be reasonably assured that they'll handle your soft admissions more gently. but is he aware he's doing it? one wonders. ）
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He hums in acknowledgement to her simple answer; it makes sense to him, and he doesn't need any kind of crazy explanation. In a way, he understands. Having poisonous blood isn't a life he chose; however, it has given him a tool to withstand venoms and poisons from others.
The blood he syringes into a petri dish actually looks exactly like normal blood. No weird colors, no strange bubbling. His blood seems... ordinary? He puts it briefly aside and disposes of the syringe.]
Would you rather hear the bad news last?
[Listen.
When he starts working with her blood next, he sits down in front of the microscope, making her the tall one now. Rather than the petri dish, a drop or two of her blood goes first onto a slide on the stage, and he leans forward to look through the lens at it.]
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（ her own blood isn't... entirely normal either. maybe not in the sense that it's poisonous — but mitotic regeneration has left its mark on her cellular structure just the same, even if she hasn't had cause to use it since the war. ）
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My blood is not normal human blood is all.
[He really doesn't have anything else to say in the face of her lecturing... though, he finds it kind she continues to try to get him to put his head on straight.]
Yours is not so normal either.
[He lifts his head away from the lens and glances over his shoulder at her.]
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at his pivot onto the topic of her blood, she lifts one shoulder in a sort of shrug. there are all sorts of shinobi techniques that have a negative effect on the body. opening the eighth gate is nearly always fatal, gai being the remarkable exception. the mangekyō sharingan causes blindness, madness and unspeakable pain.
and as for mitotic regeneration? all you lose is time. she doesn't regret learning it, although she suspects she'll share tsunade's vanity in time. isn't it worth it, to trade away an uncertain future to survive a perilous now? she would have died a hundred times over in the war without it, if not by madara's sword or the swarm of white zetsu or the victims of the impure resurrection, then by kaguya's awful shifting dimensions and the fight that followed. ）
No, it wouldn't be.
（ is she going to elaborate on that? no. ）
But I don't think there's anything in it that will prevent it from working for this.
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Let’s see if that’s true.
[He does not say this in a way that’s mean, but in a way that’s agreeable. Her blood will likely be fine—and perhaps even better. (As long as his own blood doesn’t mess things up which was what worried him.)
He turns back to clear a working space, and then he leaves her very briefly to gather some additional things. Time to test tube their blood together once he sits back down.
Then he can work on the pills.]
Did you have to get involved in the arresting after it happened?
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（ she really hadn't done anything that couldn't have been done just as well by someone else. without access to chakra, what was she but a talented taijutsu user? brawling in the cold stone hallways had worked out in her favour, but she hasn't forgotten that smack she took to the face. more than anything, it made it clear that she relies too much on her ability to heal herself. she could have dodged, if she hadn't been so concerned with keeping fukawa and the other prisoner safe. all she can do is call it a lesson, and be glad it healed cleanly. ）
But I was there, yes. I hope your escape wasn't too difficult?
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Troublesome but not difficult.
[Not for him, at least, but he doesn't say that as a humble sort of man. He can admit being mostly naked and subdued is a pain in the ass.
Carefully, he pipes some of her blood into the same tube as some of his own. There is no immediate reaction, but he grows mildly quiet while he waits. Nothing really seems to happen which is hopefully for the best. He does pick the vial up to finally give it a small shake left to right, and this doesn't cause anything amiss either. He glances at her.]
I'll check it under the microscope, but it seems to work as intended.
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The guards didn't seem prepared to deal with a group of angry, combat-capable Restless... they were lucky enough to have gotten the jump on everyone the first time.
（ she should... probably ask sasuke if he killed anyone, because that might actually come back to haunt them in the not-so-distant future...
she's patient and still while he does his thing, clearly not someone who has difficulty with the long periods of inaction and inactivity while Science bustles ever onward in the background. she isn't really driven to respond to his comment about the compatibility just yet — the microscope will be the deciding factor. ）
I'm glad you made it out all right. I know you can look after yourself, but... I'm glad. （ ... and then, a bit mischievously: ） You'd probably be a pretty grumpy cellmate.
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[Like, sure, put the rough people in the prison for guarding duty, but also... kind of a bad set-up. They were having a hard time with the lot of them rebelling.
He prepares another slide for the microscope, this time with the mixture of their blood which still thankfully hasn't done anything weird.] You would have been worried if I hadn't? [:)? He goes to look into the lens, but pauses.]
You think I'm grumpy.
[Then he looks through the lens at their blood. He makes it sound like he's mildly insulted, but playfully. Excuse him, he isn't grumpy, he's annoyingly apathetic.]
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please teach sasuke how to manage his shit thoand so his statement about the guards just gets a thoughtful nod. just doing their jobs, dealing with the same shadows as any of them, she doesn't exactly begrudge them for it, as far as they knew they were dealing with criminals.but she's still not sorry about that one guard whose ribs she broke, either. in that particular case? deserved. ）
Do you want to hear all about how I would have staged a daring rescue on your behalf? You haven't seen me punch through a wall yet. I happen to be excellent cavalry.
（ shush, we don't talk about the power dampening field in the jail. she would have found a wall. ）
And I don't think you're grumpy. I know you are. One of these days I'm going to get a real smile out of you, and then and only then will I recant my position.
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He really lucked out not being punched to the Shadowlands that time.]
You have taken on a daunting task then.
[He can and does smile, though... very, very rarely. It's fine. It makes it all the better to witness when it happens.
Whatever he watches inside the microscope has his attention for several long moments. He switches the magnification around once.]
I doubt it comes as much of a surprise, but it seems your blood is regenerating mine. [He lifts his head so he can glance at her again.] My blood isn't eroding yours unnecessarily; the white blood cells aren't attacking.
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（ she says that perhaps a bit primly. it is neither normal nor healthy to be excited about getting a Good Grade in Blood, but since when was she either of those things? pat her on the head while you're at it, d. ）
Can I see?
（ is she gonna wait for an answer or just scoot him out of the —
no, she is already scooting him out of the way. scooting is happening. enjoy the oddly effortless relocation of your chair like a half-meter to the left with one nudge of her foot.
she leans in to study the slides for herself, making a speculative sound at what the view presents. interesting. ）
Does my blood type make a difference at all? I'm O+.
（ it's weird to be the novice here. her own fundamental understanding of such things is pretty robust — but it's not like she's ever needed to worry about compatibility with an eccentric half-vampire with poisonous blood before, either. ）
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Strong women… He’s looking away fastly. Anyway.
He leans back to give her enough room despite being manhandled, allowing her time and quiet to watch the blood through the lens.]
It’s possible it provides a better field for coexistence. None of this has any relation to the desire for blood; however, it’s interesting to watch the reaction.
[He watches her watch through the microscope, easier to do when he can accomplish it without being seen.]
Using the pill with your blood may increase the span of time between when I require taking them. Or it may boost regeneration. I don’t know.
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（ it's said with a playful sideways look at him, wrinkling her nose up in a crinkly little smile. whatever else can be said about their odd... nearly two months' acquaintance, she actually does trust him, and she hopes that he trusts her too.
it's all very SENPAI NOTICE ME of her, tbh. ）
But as long as you don't think it'll do any harm... you already heal pretty fast, right?
（ the needle wasn't a great example, but she certainly took notice of the clean gauze when he pulled it away. so this is mostly just a guess, albeit an educated one that leans on all the other things he's told her thus far. ）
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She just hasn't ever given him a reason not to trust her? Literally look at what she's going out of her way to do now.]
This place has subdued it, but... yes, I do.
[He heals a bit more slowly, yet still faster than most ordinary people. Alas, being a supposed monster has it's perks(?).]
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It's been like that with everyone I've met so far, with any sort of ability. I guess it's reassuring to know it's everyone across the board, right?
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Perhaps.
[Annoying it has happened at all really. As a hunter, he's not sure if he should be glad he is just as less capable as others. But it's fine.]
I'm curious whether or not the application of a soulmate can adjust it.
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I know a few people with soulmates now, but none that have told me of any effect on their powers... why, has someone caught your eye?
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Except for how rocky the last one went.]
No, it isn't that. [It feels very strange to be thought of as prospecting. Him, of all people.] You and Set are the only ones who have offered.
[Well, she hadn't, like, explicitly offered. But it was there in their weird back and forth.]
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（ wait, give her a moment, that might be taken as a matter of offense. she's quick to clarify, ）
Anyone who's talked to you more than five minutes has to know you're a good person — don't start with that monster stuff again, please. So I suppose I'm just surprised to hear that.
（ in fact she is?? a little indignantly offended on his behalf?? her mouth screws up off to one side like she's sucked on a lemon. she is determined not to think about the fact that's still (technically) one more person than her because she's not looking!! no thank you!! eternally staring out a window dreamily murmuring 'sasuke-kun' in her dreams... ）
But Set seems decent. I've only met him once. How do you feel about that possibility?
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[And yes, he still thinks to some people it could be the monster stuff, but more than that: it's trust. Having to trust someone you might not know with all of yourself. Having to trust someone with the darkest parts of yourself.
Frowning, he turns back to what he had been doing.]
I thought perhaps he would be the best candidate because what I am won't weigh so heavily on his spirit. However... being a god means he is like the Nobility in some ways... something I've never wanted any part of.
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cw... orochimaru??? (medical experimentation/torture refs)
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you almost got an itachi tag instead and that would make this thread wild
i would have howled with laughter NIISAN!!!
he and d in the same room would be hilarious. negative talking.
two traumatized prodigies who have a lot of love who don’t talk
should i be asking what happened to d's mom...........
it’s okay probably…
that's the opposite of reassuring
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