（ 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.
（ the word god, used in that way, is full of difficult connotations for sakura. there is the shinto concept of godhood, and then there is kaguya, and at this revelation her mouth tugs down at one corner. she had seen set, perhaps, at his most bereft and compassionate, but it paints certain things that happened there in a new light. ）
I understand.
（ maybe more than he knows. it's so like him, though, trying not to be a burden on anyone else, trying to choose the path of least possible harm and accepting the possibility of harm to himself as... what, recompense? it's as noble as it is foolish. but then, he's proven himself to be both those things in spades in the entirety of their brief acquaintance so far.
she has never been very good at being brave. so much of her life has been spent hiding behind other people and hoping for a better outcome than she could possibly manage on her own. she's left much of that old instinct behind, but what people don't tell you about courage is that it's not necessarily something that's innate. it doesn't live alongside your heart, strengthened by the caged bird beat. it's a choice you have to make every time.
sometimes, it fails you. that doesn't mean cowardice so much as it means humanity.
she opens her mouth. closes it with a click of her teeth.
(is it arrogance, that makes her think she might be useful here, when she had decried that very thing with naruto or sasuke? or is it just the lingering fear that no matter how much she cares for both of them, they will only ever leave her behind? she doesn't want them knowing her deepest, darkest thoughts, because so many of them feature the two of them in one way or another. in that way, perhaps it's easier with a stranger than with someone you've known more than half your life.)
(sɑsuƙe will ƞeνeɾ cɦσσse ɦeɾ ɑƞʮwɑʮ.)
her brow furrows, and her eyes fix on a chip in the linoleum floor. a muscle flexes in her jaw, and when she looks back up, she makes a choice. ）
Then, let's do it. Maybe I can help balance him out, and you won't have to worry so much about his nature in addition to your own.
[A little surprised, his head and shoulders turn so he can face her. In a way, he had almost hoped the former disagreement would have soured her impression of him enough to keep her away. What an awful thing to think about someone when really it's only himself he hates.
But of course, Sakura Haruno wouldn't give up that easily, would she...?
For a long moment, he just gazes at her somewhat pensively, contemplating the proposal. He's still worried for her. The things she won't understand until they're there. Did she even search for anyone else? There has to be someone else.]
...Alright.
[Most of his reasons for rejection are insulting to her, and they've already had an argument about any of his incessant warnings. Her point isn't wrong. And through the wariness, the curiosity in him wants to find out what the capabilities are like. Why Amun had put such an emphasis on it.]
Come to my doorway. [A place coveted protectively to himself.] I want you to see before you commit to the decision.
[Why does he make it sound like it's going to be full of bones and dead bodies?]
（ no doubt, he expects that something in his space will scare her away. that just seems to be how he is, and she gives him a brief nod. ）
That's reasonable. You should see mine too.
（ there's not much to hers. a medical clinic, an old training field... most of the time, it simply feels empty. her little tethers lined up on a shelf above her desk, reminding her of home. ）
But we can talk more about that after we're finished here. （ a nod to the microscope. ） How's that looking now?
[Yes, his very scary single old Western inn bedroom. At least, he's hoping the one portrait inside will help her understand exactly what kind of person in unfortunately a part of his being.
This likely won't work out in his favor when he has three other very soft, sentimental things inside she will instead covet.]
I'm going to proceed with the pill creation. I will have to try several attempts more than likely to get it to make. [...] You don't have to stay if you're busy.
[Or if she's tired, which he does not want to say and make her angry. It doesn't take a soulmate bond for him to understand she's working herself to death.]
No, I want to understand the process. Oh — I guess that means I should...
（ get that lyophilization started. there was no point, if they weren't sure whether or not their blood was going to be compatible, but now she stands, stretches, and moves over to the machine she'd indicated earlier. the blood plasma comes along for the ride, and it doesn't take her long to set up the first phase: flash-freezing. human plasma doesn't have a reliably demonstrative eutectic point, but given the capabilities of this machine it shouldn't take more than twenty minutes to freeze it to a solid state.
once she's done that, she tugs one of the more comfortable desk chairs a little closer, and sits in it where there's clear sightlines to the work he's doing in addition to keeping an eye on the freeze-drying machine as it cycles through its phases.
she doesn't sit properly, of course. one knee is drawn up for her to lean forward and rest her chin on, and the other foot stays properly on the ground so she can twist her chair back and forth. ）
[Yet again, another person fails to get Sakura to not overwork herself into a SECOND death… Alas.
He carries on with what he’s doing while she works, preferring not to waste time even though he isn’t rushing by any means. The pill is going to need a soluble capsule, for one, and he is going to have to form most of the artificial components of the new blood. For now, he does some calculations and set up on the little computer as she returns.]
Yes. [At first, it seems like this may be all he says, but then he adds:] The vampire I was searching for is a scientist.
[And many other things, but science is an important one.
On the computer, he pieces together some of the written DNA to see if it will stand up on its own on paper. Er, on computer?]
（ it isn't said with any judgment. he's spoken of the vampires in his world, their cruelty, his purpose. she isn't someone who flinches away from death — shinobi children are taught young that killing someone is often the only answer in conflict. ）
（ her expression is set, difficult to read. truly, none of this surprises or horrifies her. dangerous mysterious men on a quest to kill someone... literally nothing new.
what is it about a fear of death that drives people to be absolute cockwaffles? the world may never know.
she hesitates, partly poised to ask another question... but past experience makes her shift, teeth clicking softly shut over the words that do not come.
instead, she offers: ）
There's a few people from my world I'd say the same thing about.
[His eyes watch her start, hesitate, then stop. He doesn't hold it against her, whatever she thought about saying and didn't.]
Some on the Frontier would tell you a different story, [he adds before asking his own question to what she had said.] The vampire I was looking for.
They would tell you he helped them. And he did, some of them. He would bring back their crops, or cure a town's disease, power a device which had been broken. [He knows the implication here, so he says:] He wouldn't turn them.
But most places he left, he wouldn't be empty-handed. He'd ask for their strongest, or he would take the most beautiful woman, or a child.
Who exactly would you feed to the end of all things?
（ orochimaru, her mind supplies instantly. she knows that he helped in the war. she knows that he was once her master's precious comrade. but she has read the reports on what was found in his laboratory before he was driven from konoha, photographs of vivisected bodies and horrific experiments. people like yamato were the lucky ones. 'lucky'.
and then, she's still furious over what he did to sasuke. the agony of the curse mark, the psychological torture and the years with him that orochimaru took from her and naruto.
no amount of mercy would stay her hand.
she pulls up both her legs, heels balanced on the edge of the seat, wrapping her arms around her knees. the chair is large enough it seems to swallow her up. ）
Often... bad people will do just enough good things to make people doubt themselves when it comes to discerning their intent. It sounds to me like that's what this vampire was doing.
（ danzō, too, comes to mind. ）
As for me... there's a man in my world who wants immortality at any cost. He too fears death. He's hurt or killed many people over the years, many of whom I knew and cared for. He helped us win a war, but I don't think that will ever be enough to make amends for his actions.
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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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I understand.
（ maybe more than he knows. it's so like him, though, trying not to be a burden on anyone else, trying to choose the path of least possible harm and accepting the possibility of harm to himself as... what, recompense? it's as noble as it is foolish. but then, he's proven himself to be both those things in spades in the entirety of their brief acquaintance so far.
she has never been very good at being brave. so much of her life has been spent hiding behind other people and hoping for a better outcome than she could possibly manage on her own. she's left much of that old instinct behind, but what people don't tell you about courage is that it's not necessarily something that's innate. it doesn't live alongside your heart, strengthened by the caged bird beat. it's a choice you have to make every time.
sometimes, it fails you. that doesn't mean cowardice so much as it means humanity.
she opens her mouth. closes it with a click of her teeth.
(is it arrogance, that makes her think she might be useful here, when she had decried that very thing with naruto or sasuke? or is it just the lingering fear that no matter how much she cares for both of them, they will only ever leave her behind? she doesn't want them knowing her deepest, darkest thoughts, because so many of them feature the two of them in one way or another. in that way, perhaps it's easier with a stranger than with someone you've known more than half your life.)
(sɑsuƙe will ƞeνeɾ cɦσσse ɦeɾ ɑƞʮwɑʮ.)
her brow furrows, and her eyes fix on a chip in the linoleum floor. a muscle flexes in her jaw, and when she looks back up, she makes a choice. ）
Then, let's do it. Maybe I can help balance him out, and you won't have to worry so much about his nature in addition to your own.
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But of course, Sakura Haruno wouldn't give up that easily, would she...?
For a long moment, he just gazes at her somewhat pensively, contemplating the proposal. He's still worried for her. The things she won't understand until they're there. Did she even search for anyone else? There has to be someone else.]
...Alright.
[Most of his reasons for rejection are insulting to her, and they've already had an argument about any of his incessant warnings. Her point isn't wrong. And through the wariness, the curiosity in him wants to find out what the capabilities are like. Why Amun had put such an emphasis on it.]
Come to my doorway. [A place coveted protectively to himself.] I want you to see before you commit to the decision.
[Why does he make it sound like it's going to be full of bones and dead bodies?]
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That's reasonable. You should see mine too.
（ there's not much to hers. a medical clinic, an old training field... most of the time, it simply feels empty. her little tethers lined up on a shelf above her desk, reminding her of home. ）
But we can talk more about that after we're finished here. （ a nod to the microscope. ） How's that looking now?
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[Yes, his very scary single old Western inn bedroom. At least, he's hoping the one portrait inside will help her understand exactly what kind of person in unfortunately a part of his being.
This likely won't work out in his favor when he has three other very soft, sentimental things inside she will instead covet.]
I'm going to proceed with the pill creation. I will have to try several attempts more than likely to get it to make. [...] You don't have to stay if you're busy.
[Or if she's tired, which he does not want to say and make her angry. It doesn't take a soulmate bond for him to understand she's working herself to death.]
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challenge accepted. ）
No, I want to understand the process. Oh — I guess that means I should...
（ get that lyophilization started. there was no point, if they weren't sure whether or not their blood was going to be compatible, but now she stands, stretches, and moves over to the machine she'd indicated earlier. the blood plasma comes along for the ride, and it doesn't take her long to set up the first phase: flash-freezing. human plasma doesn't have a reliably demonstrative eutectic point, but given the capabilities of this machine it shouldn't take more than twenty minutes to freeze it to a solid state.
once she's done that, she tugs one of the more comfortable desk chairs a little closer, and sits in it where there's clear sightlines to the work he's doing in addition to keeping an eye on the freeze-drying machine as it cycles through its phases.
she doesn't sit properly, of course. one knee is drawn up for her to lean forward and rest her chin on, and the other foot stays properly on the ground so she can twist her chair back and forth. ）
Did you teach yourself all of this?
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He carries on with what he’s doing while she works, preferring not to waste time even though he isn’t rushing by any means. The pill is going to need a soluble capsule, for one, and he is going to have to form most of the artificial components of the new blood. For now, he does some calculations and set up on the little computer as she returns.]
Yes. [At first, it seems like this may be all he says, but then he adds:] The vampire I was searching for is a scientist.
[And many other things, but science is an important one.
On the computer, he pieces together some of the written DNA to see if it will stand up on its own on paper. Er, on computer?]
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I don't know much about vampires. Just what I've learned here... can I ask why you're searching for them?
（ please don't be a sasuke situation. please. do not. she can't handle that x2. ）
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He does not answer for a long moment even though he continues to work with the computer. He doesn't glance over at her either.]
For answers. And also... to kill him.
[Of course it would be killing.]
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I see.
（ it isn't said with any judgment. he's spoken of the vampires in his world, their cruelty, his purpose. she isn't someone who flinches away from death — shinobi children are taught young that killing someone is often the only answer in conflict. ）
What will you do if he comes here?
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Finally, he actually turns his head to look at her. He studies her face.
It’s not something he had really given much thought.] He wouldn’t, [is what he says at first.]
Some think he has existed even before time. The only thing he fears is death.
[But maybe he would…? If he is not there to kill the father of all vampires, maybe someone else would be in time.
None of this really answers her question.]
I would give him to Oblivium.
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what is it about a fear of death that drives people to be absolute cockwaffles? the world may never know.
she hesitates, partly poised to ask another question... but past experience makes her shift, teeth clicking softly shut over the words that do not come.
instead, she offers: ）
There's a few people from my world I'd say the same thing about.
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Some on the Frontier would tell you a different story, [he adds before asking his own question to what she had said.] The vampire I was looking for.
They would tell you he helped them. And he did, some of them. He would bring back their crops, or cure a town's disease, power a device which had been broken. [He knows the implication here, so he says:] He wouldn't turn them.
But most places he left, he wouldn't be empty-handed. He'd ask for their strongest, or he would take the most beautiful woman, or a child.
Who exactly would you feed to the end of all things?
cw... orochimaru??? (medical experimentation/torture refs)
and then, she's still furious over what he did to sasuke. the agony of the curse mark, the psychological torture and the years with him that orochimaru took from her and naruto.
no amount of mercy would stay her hand.
she pulls up both her legs, heels balanced on the edge of the seat, wrapping her arms around her knees. the chair is large enough it seems to swallow her up. ）
Often... bad people will do just enough good things to make people doubt themselves when it comes to discerning their intent. It sounds to me like that's what this vampire was doing.
（ danzō, too, comes to mind. ）
As for me... there's a man in my world who wants immortality at any cost. He too fears death. He's hurt or killed many people over the years, many of whom I knew and cared for. He helped us win a war, but I don't think that will ever be enough to make amends for his actions.
（ we don't talk about boruto. ）
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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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