Work Text:
Sakura tried for so many years to forget.
Forget the warm shade of his brown eyes. The vividness of his red hair. The angular softness of his face, despite it being wood. The way his honeyed voice flowed over her as he praised her abilities.
Sasori was the first person to give her a genuine compliment. Others had praised her, said nice things to her, sure. But those people were close to her. Sasori was a stranger, an enemy , and yet he took the time to acknowledge her value as a kunoichi.
“You’re not bad, little girl.” *
Following the war, she put effort into ‘normal.’ She worked, spent time with friends, went on dates. She even began a relationship with Sasuke, her childhood love. But no matter what she did, she felt hollow. Like she was just trying to put a mask over her true feelings.
No more pretending, she decided. She was powerful, capable. She had been molded to be legendary and now she’d prove why she was. He’ll be pleased to see how much she’d grown in five years.
She smiled to herself, feeling giddy. This was going to be her swan song. Not only would she revive him, her Sasori, but she would be giving him an improved body as well. She had studied his Kugutsu no Jutsu extensively, using her medical knowledge to find where it could be improved and perfected.
The man truly was a genius.
She had also been studying Nidaime-sama’s Edo Tensei, as she would be using elements from that to accomplish this undertaking.
The hardest part had been procuring the original body. She had gone on a diplomatic mission to Suna under the guise of helping to improve their hospital. Konoha and Suna were longtime allies, so it hardly looked suspicious. The real goal, of course, was to get close enough to Kankuro and his workshop where he worked on his puppets. It had taken months, but he finally let his guard down enough to allow her full access. She had drugged him with some sleeping herbs in his drink for good measure, but it had all proved unnecessary as he kept his best and most prized puppet on his person.
Fool.
She was sure the defection was a surprise to everyone, but if they had bothered to pay attention they would have seen it coming. After she retrieved his puppet body, the final step, she had elected to not renew the lease on her apartment and began saying her farewells to her loved ones. She had even officially cut all ties with Sasuke. Then, in the dead of night, she left her hitai-ate on her bed and stole out of the village. It had taken some time after that, but she found a secluded place to make her base of operations so she could begin her work.
Her breathing sounded loud in the small room, drowned out only by the sound of her surgical gloves as she worked. His new body was laid out on an operating table, lower half covered by a sheet while the rest of him remained bare. She took a deep breath, pushing the last bit of chakra into his network to give it a kickstart, and stepped back.
This was it. She waited with bated breath.
Any moment now.
However, the longer she stared intently at his face, her anxiety continued spiking. Something was wrong.
She didn’t understand. Everything had gone perfectly, so why wasn’t he awakening? Frowning, she removed the gloves, hands glowing green as she placed them on his bare chest. Her chakra moved through his body, checking and rechecking that the systems and chakra network were functioning as they should. She felt panic begin to settle in her bones. Had she failed? Was this all for naught?
“Sakura.”
She gasped on a sob that threatened to escape, jade eyes shooting straight to meet warm brown. He wrapped a hand around one of her wrists, using the other to attempt to push himself into a sitting position. She helped him, though he hardly needed it.
“What did you do?” he asked curiously, looking down at his new body.
She beamed. “I remade you.” She traced a finger along his bare clavicle. “This body is made of reinforced silicone, so it will last for a very long time, much longer than wood. I’ve also encased your ‘core of living flesh’ inside a protective cavity which will make it damn-near impossible to damage.” Her hand moved to cup his soft cheek. Yes, much better than wood. “I’ve added some other features, too, but I think I’ll let you figure them out for yourself,” she giggled, winking.
He grinned, reaching out to tuck stray hair from her bangs behind her ear. His brow furrowed as he did, pausing. “I can feel you,” he observed.
“That’s one.”
“Impressive.” His voice was a pleased purr, and her body burned to be as close to him as humanly possible.
She was sure he could read the desire written on her face, because he smirked as his hands cupped her cheeks like she was a treasure. She certainly felt like one when he did. “What sort of chaos shall we sow together, then, little girl?” he breathed, pulling her face forward to meet his lips, and she melted against him, surrendering.
She finally felt full, and she would never have to lose that feeling ever again.