Blood Orange

( A/N : In case it wasn't obvious, yes, 'YOU' are the female Pein/Pain body. Yes, this DOES have a point.

Also, for those of you who aren't used to Youfics, "______" usually denotes that one inserts there name there in their mind as they read along. I know it might be tiring, but I find it to be detrimental to the experience to give "you" a name.

Enjoy

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“No”


“M'am, please, you've visions nearly gone and your equilibrium is entirely off.”


“No”


“M'am, you can't even BLINK at the same time, what makes you think you can WALK to the bathro-


“Fuck. No.” you deadpan, hoisting yourself off the hospital bed and out into the big, scary BLURRY world. Maybe you were nearly blind, maybe you couldn't walk in a straight line without a few bones shattering, maybe you were pretty much falling apart at the seams, but hell if you were going to let the hospital attendant watch you take a piss.

The second your bare foot hits the steely cold concrete floor a a bolt of pain races up your leg. You grimace, but one of the plus sides to your Frankenstein-esque remnant of a body was the immensely dulled pain reaction, although despite this, you fall very, VERY ungracefully to the ground when your other foot attempts to follow, leaving you in a disheveled heap.

The attendant sweeps a hand under her brow, pushing aside generous amounts of blond hair. “Look, I TOLD you-”


“Finish that sentence and die.” you snarl, prying yourself up with your elbows into a slightly more comfortable position. “I'm miserable enough without your obnoxious sarcastic remarks every five seconds.”


The attendant makes a noise similar to an angry cat under her breath. “ I'd speak with more respect than that if I were you. “She huffs. “You're lucky the head medic nins even decided to keep you alive after what you've done.”

Ouch.

“You...you know damn well...” you seethe between strained breaths. “That wasn't me. NONE of that was me.”

“Really now.” her one visible eye narrows as she leans in, down towards your level. “How do we know that ANYTHING you say is real? You KNOW we're just keeping you alive on the off-chance you might have any useful information, I'm sorry, not you, your “body”.

What little part of you that still had the capability of giving a shit had been touched. You scrambled to your feet as fast as your damaged motor skills would allow, and throw your best attempt at a punch directly at her face.

Before falling flat on yours. She didn't even have to dodge, as your foot and slipped out from under you, and you'd aimed the attack at the foot of your hospital bed.


“Forget it. Just kill me, please.” comes your muffled plea from under a mop of tangled orange hair.


“Keep that up and I won't have to.”


Just as you were scouring the room with your limited field of vision for something to conveniently end your life with, you hear the familiar squeak of the door opening, and light, tentative footsteps.


“Ino-pig, please, PLEASE stop taunting her.” comes the exasperated command from what you figured to be Sakura. “She's been through enough as is.”


“She's CAUSED enough as is!” Ino retorts, crossing her arms indignantly. “How do you know she's not just a sleeper agent waiting to gather as much intel on us and relay back to Akatsuki?”


“Ino, just-” Sakura rubs her temples, an exhausted look on her face. “Shut up. Go check on Shikamaru. Or something. I don't care, just leave.”

“Fine.” the blonde stops as she's about to exit the door. “Just be careful, I think it's trying to kill itself.”

“I have a name.” you reply weakly as the door slams shut.


“Ugh.” Sakura sighs, pinching the skin between her eyes, obviously suffering from some sort of headache, before turning to you and kneeling down to your level. “Mind explaining how you got down there, “____”-san?”


“Bathroom” you say, the corners of your mouth twitching slightly. Sakura was the first, and so far, only person you'd met at the makeshift hospital that actually addressed you by your name, and it wasn't a far cry to say you appreciated it.


“I see.” she smiles slightly. “You need help, or you want to try and make it over yourself?”


”Seeing how my last attempt went, I think I'll take you up on your offer.”


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


To say it hurt was a dirty, dirty understatement.

You've been in the bathroom for over an hour. For 50 minutes out of that hour, you'd been draped over the sink. For 45 minutes out of that hour, you'd been coughing up blood. Old, dried blood intermixed with fresh coming from your raw throat.

And then the pain had started. Which wouldn't been such a shock had you been incapable of feeling pain for the last week, since you'd woken up.

You lift your fingers up to your forehead, to the one iron rod embedded there, the only one they hadn't removed. It hurt. It throbbed in an unnatural way, a pain completely alien to you.

“Haaa”

You clutch your head, resting it against the cool, comforting surface that was the bathroom mirror. From here, you could actually see. Somewhat.

Your eyes, a deep, dull gray with white rings spiraling outwards. It's surreal, the face shape, the hair style, it was yours, but the hair, the eyes weren't yours.


His hair. His body. His eyes.


They eyes of the very man you'd set out to kill. And had been killed by.


You hand balls into a fist, your eye twitching, grinding your teeth.


It was his body now.


And this realization disgusted you.


Knock Knock Knock

“_____-san” comes a soft feminine voice you immediately recognize as Sakura's. “Are you still in there?”


To your dismay, she doesn't wait for a response as you hear the telltale 'click' of the doorknob being turned, and you realize with dimmed anxiety that you neglected to use the lock.


“Oh god” It's mouthed more then said as your nurse places her hand over her mouth.


“What?” you reply, forgetting the copious amounts of blood dripping from your mouth, splattered on your face, the mirror, and the sink. “Something on my face?”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


You'd been instantaneously whisked away back to your bed, much to your dismay.


“How long has this been going on?” Sakura demands, her mouth set in a stern frown as she takes your pulse.


“About an hour.” you respond, voice cracking from what you presumed was “more” dried blood..


“Anything else unusual happen while you were in there?”


“Yeah” you mumble, lowering your head. “I actually felt it.”


Bright green eyes widen in concern. “Felt what?”


“Pain.” you reply. “Given, it was still pretty dull, but I could actually feel it this time.”


She blows a breath out of the side of her mouth. “I was positive that all your pain receptors had been disintegrated prior to your awakening, actually.” She puts a finger to chin, thoughtful. “From what's been reported, none of the bodies felt any pain whatsoever during the attack, so it should've been some time before then.”

It's then the thought hits you.


“Sakura-san” you snap, startling the medic-nin “ How long has it been since the attack?”


“About a month and a half, why?”


“Do you have any information about the process the bodies, what we went through to make us compatible with the rinnengan?


“Some.” she replies. “I'll have to check with seishou about the information, but we had one other body prior to the attack we were doing researching on.”


“Sakura,” you lower your voice. “ you're a medic-nin, can you give me your honest opinion on something?”


“Depends.”


“Is there even a remote possibility. “you start, gritting your teeth. “That I could be turning back to normal?”


Her mouth falls open into a soft “o” shape, and she hesitates before answering.


“I-”


There's a knock on the door, interrupting Sakura.


You feel the sudden inexplicable urge to tear your hair out. Great. Fucking. Timing.


“Sakura, you in there?


The voice triggers something in your mind, some memory just out of reach. It's familiar.


“Sensei?”


“None other.”


“Yes, please come on in.” Sakura replies, rushing over to open the door. “Is this just a visit, or is it urgent?”


“Neither.” comes the voice yet again, and your mind struggles to find the connection. “Tsunade-sama has requested you, she-”


The jounin stops dead in his tracks.


Through your severely blurred vision you fail to recognize the stranger, though the ever persistent voice nags at you.


Sakura lets out a sharp gasp. “Oh. . . I completely forgot . . .”


“Forgot what?” you reply your eyes straining.


“Sakura” the figure turns to your nurse. “This is the active rinnengan body, correct? Do we have any infomration on it?”


“Her” Sakura corrects him. “She's self-aware, and intelligent like you or me. “


“Does 'she' remember anything?”


“She remembers you.” Sakura says softly, averting her eyes. Though last time I mentioned your name, she-”


He puts his hand up to silence her and telltale footsteps alert you that he's nearing your bedside. The once blur begins to take shape, green jounin vest, about six feet high, oddly windswept gray hair, something black covering his face, maybe a mask, or-


Oh.

Oh god.


“So you've returned, “Tori-dono”


Your heart stops, mouth runs dry as you reply with a grimace.


“. . .Hatake.”