Beyond the Unseeing (Sarada Fanfic)

Chapter 1

Sarada sucked in a sharp breath. Her muscles tensed at the feel of two cold latex-gloved hands feeling around her forearm. The amount of time she had spent here made her wonder why she hadn’t already gotten used to these small tests. Still, she shuddered every time one of the doctors rested their hands on her. 

She felt the cold touch of an alcohol wipe skim lightly across the base of her forearm— causing her to shiver.  She then felt a slight pinch; a needle she presumed, was being injected into her. She frowned when she suddenly felt gauze placed over the needle, tape securing down onto her skin. She heard the squeaking of wheels rolling beside her, but it sounded nothing like the wheels of the computer chair. Something clanged against; what she assumed was metal. Eventually, she came to the conclusion that she was being connected to an IV. This realization sent her into confusion. Why would they need to set her up with an IV? 

Seeing the puzzlement written on her patient's face the woman smiled giddily. "Every day for an hour this IV will be injecting fluid into you." 

Sarada could hear the snap of the rubber gloves being peeled off her hands. 

She knew full well this wasn't an IV drip containing fluid. She just wondered why the doctor needed to inject the drug into her system for an hour every day.  

"Why every day?" She questioned.

Folding her hands in her lap she smoothly answered. "To keep that body of yours hydrated." 

‘Complete bullshit’. Of course, she wanted to prove this lady wrong but bit her tongue at the urge. She heard the woman walk away, the doors swinging open with a fwoop sound. Once she had left, Sarada ran through ideas on how to prevent this unknown substance from going any further into her body. She understood her chakra control wasn’t as precise as her mother’s, but she had some knowledge of medical experience. Her mother had taught her how to use her chakra to protect vital organs from any type of drug or poison. This took some level of chakra control, but not so much that she would be sweating by the end of it. Being limited to such a small amount of chakra, she could only be allowed to use so much of it. Using too much would cause her to pass out. 

Her options for preventing this substance from affecting her were slim to none. She could try. But the result of passing out wouldn't be promising. 

Ideas became unbearably limited. She couldn't use chakra. She couldn't see. Soon, some kind of liquid would be injected into her. And she wouldn't even know how it will affect her body. She lost all trust of the doctors after running away, so even if she did try to abide by their rules and regulations, they wouldn't trust her. 

She wanted to scream— to punch something or someone. Frustration and anger seeped out of every part of her being. 

She was tired, angry, agitated, and had many more emotions, none of them positive. Hopelessness surfaced once again. 

_________

The couple sat on their hotel bed, exhausted. Sakura slumped against the two pillows supporting her back. Her husband lay flat on his back, arms neatly folded on his stomach. 

Sakura sighed. A committed frown is always fashioned on her face nowadays. As much as her husband disliked seeing her so unhappy, he couldn't blame her. Their thirteen-year-old daughter is missing, or potentially dead. It's been four months and every time they think they are ten steps closer to finding her, they end up twenty steps back. 

Both were very stubborn people, they refused the village from coming back until they found their only daughter. 

Though Sakura was determined her baby was still out there, Sasuke was beginning to lose hope. 

Sakura turned to face Sasuke. He seemed calm. But she knew that wasn't the case. 

"What's on your mind?" She asks. 

He spares her a quick glance, his eyes averting back to the ceiling. Sasuke stays silent, and the air around her starts to feel heavy. 

She lets out a small huff of air before turning away. 

"Sakura." He says suddenly. His voice is nothing but a timid whisper. 

"Mm-hm." She mumbles. 

"I think we should go back." 

Sakura whips herself around to face her husband. Disbelief and anger course through her. She takes a sharp intake of air, clenching her fists until the white of her knuckles shows. 

Sasuke's expression was devoid of emotion. A stoic face placed to hide any feelings he may be harboring inside him. 

His wife sits up in an aggressive manner. Her eyes are still boring into him— trying to pick out every emotion his soul and mind may hold. But she can't. And quite frankly, it angers her even more. 

"Why?" She grits between her teeth. Her nails dug into the palms of her hands. 

"It's been four months without any leads Sakura. Your hospital is going unattended and you still have patients waiting for you." 

Sakura boils with anger. Her face was completely red and her body shaking. A fire ignited in her eyes, filled with a steaming rage. "Tsunade and Shizune are plenty capable of taking care of the hospital. And I'm sure the village is just fine without me. So no, I will not go back until our  daughter is found." She states firmly. Her eyes narrow. "And what did you propose you were going to do if we were to go back anyways?" 

He averts his eyes away from her soul-breaking stare. His silence was enough to understand. He was going to go by himself. 

She scoffed, "Am I really dragging us down? Because I can certainly go off on my own and find her myself!" 

He seemed a bit startled but quickly threw up his walls. "You know that's not true. And you wouldn't leave my side under circumstances such as this. I would accompany you back." He reasons. 

"Oh really?! Our daughter is missing and all you can do is sit here and tell me to go back home!!" She sits up and angrily pushes herself off the bed. Her fists shake and quickly stomp her way over to her bag. Haphazardly, she starts to messily throw her belongings into the bag. 

"What are you doing?"  His tone wavers and cautiously sits up. 

"Going to find her on my own." She spats, pounding a shirt into her bag.

"Sakura calm down." He says in a gentle manner. 

"Calm down? You want me to calm down after you suggest I go back to the village and practically berate me for not being able to go on my own! I don't think so." She aggressively zips her bag, stands, and throws it over her shoulder. "Do not follow me!" 

"Sakura-" He's cut short when she heads for the door and slams it shut. The banging sound reverberates around the room. An eerily silence befalls Sasuke. 

He feels a sense of frustration. Not at his wife, but at himself. Him and his overly cocky attitude. This was their daughter and he was being selfish. He decided right then and there that he was going to follow his wife. He needed her as much as she needed him. 

__________

Sarada felt her body go limp once again. There was no stopping the IV they kept injecting into her. Turns out, they were crippling her chakra. They had taken off the seals after two days of being injected. It's been two weeks and she could already feel the effects of her chakra being permanently damaged. Her arms, legs, feet, hands, and neck felt weak and numb. Without chakra, her body was useless. Chakra kept the muscles and bones moving. Chakra was the soul of the body. And without that, her body was nothing but a corpse. 

She felt utterly hopeless. Unbeknownst to her, a lone tear slipped out of the corner of her eyes. All she wanted to do was go home and see her family and friends. And most of all, she wanted to see.