It needs but one foe to breed a war [OPEN]

[endthiscycle]

Characters: OPEN
Location: Horrorspital
Rating: PG?
Time: Starting October 2 lasting various days.
Description: A place for all those injured from the attack on the city.
Note: It's up to you how long you want your character to stay in the clinic, remember their recovery will take a wee bit longer than usual because of how short on staff the

Comments

October 2 [open/action/prose etcetc]

[blindingrevenge]

Sasuke hadn't felt this tired since he'd pushed his Chidori too hard back home, since his brother had kicked his ass and left him in the hospital. He had a throbbing headache behind his eyes, in his temples, but he was almost too exhausted even to think of complaining about it. The mission thankfully hadn't been a bust, save for the one victim they hadn't been able to get back- a girl Sasuke hadn't really known well- but it hadn't been easy

[blindingrevenge]

That was probably the last question he'd expected, and for a moment, his expression fell into sheer surprise. Confusion filtered in after a moment, his brow creasing, though he didn't move from the touch on his face. He'd been expecting it, after all, even if it was belated. He was quiet for a moment, considering what Saralegui said. He was more than willing to blame it on the Meister, after all. Sasuke had improved, or he thought he had. Resonating with Naruto had been proof enough for him.

"Using too much power makes an Uchiha's eyes bleed in my world," He said, almost diplomatic, without really answering Saralegui's question. "I don't know if it's the same here."

[lavenderglasses]

Sara scowled at the answer that wasn't really an answer, even more unhappy knowing that Sasuke couldn't even see it. "That wasn't my question," he said, restraining the irritation that threatened to leak into his voice. "Just answer me. Please." At the very least, Sasuke could have the decency to just say yes or no after he'd forced himself to ask.

[blindingrevenge]

Though his attention didn't leave Saralegui, his face did turn blindly away. He would be fine with blaming the whole scenario on Saralegui, but the truth was, he didn't know exactly what caused it. He would have assumed it was resonation, since it seemed to be what caused it last time- but even for their arguments, working together at that factory hadn't felt very difficult. Not any more strenuous than any other time, not really.

"I don't know," He admitted at length, and though his voice was low, it was clear he was annoyed not having the answer.

[lavenderglasses]

Perhaps "I don't know" was better than just a straight "yes", but it was an uncertain answer that did little to make Sara feel better. Even if he could hear the irritation in his weapon's voice at the same thing, it just...bothered him, and he wanted the whole thing to go away. Of course, that couldn't happen, but at the very least he could just get a satisfying answer, couldn't he? One that didn't leave him feeling even guiltier, ideally.

"Do you blame me, then?" Sara pressed. He wasn't really even sure if he cared about that; Sasuke had been angry at him before, and accused him of not being good enough, and while annoying it wasn't something that really troubled him. But for some reason the idea that his partner might say yes just made him feel even more unsettled.

[blindingrevenge]

Blaming things on other people was the easy way out of a situation. Sasuke had learned this from a young age, and he'd also learned it was cowardly. A ninja was about bravery, even if they operated through lies more often than not. You made your own decisions, and you handled the consequences. Sasuke knew what he'd been doing when he chose to take revenge on Itachi, when he chose to go to Orochimaru. When he abandoned Naruto and Konoha, when he went to Seimei, when he chose Saralegui as his partner instead of someone more proficient in his martial art. Though kids had called him perfect back at the Academy, Sasuke knew he was anything but.

And that included right now. He'd pushed, and though they'd been able to do Chidori by some fluke, Sasuke knew he'd pushed too hard. Just like the third time he used the attack against Gaara, and his seal had split. Sasuke wanted to say, yes, this is all your fault, but it wasn't true, and while he wasn't the most honest person, he could take responsibility for his own actions

[lavenderglasses]

In a way, Sara had rather expected an immediate "yes", if not because it was true then simply out of spite. He was fairly certain that Sasuke just plain disliked him, no matter what he might have said. So the more humble response threw him for a loop and for a moment he only blinked, surprised at the admittance.

But after that brief silence he smiled to himself, content in the knowledge that it couldn't be seen anyway, and lifted himself more fully onto the bed. "If you say so," he said, heaving an exaggerated sigh. "But then again, perhaps it wasn't because of the resonance at all. I thought it was better than normal, anyway. Perhaps that attack was just too much for you?"

Falling back into a confident, teasing manner for comforting. He made a soft, satisfied humming sound, leaning back against the matress.

[blindingrevenge]

Sasuke could hear the confidence reestablish in Saralegui's voice, even if he didn't see it, and he exhaled roughly- not quite a scoff, but almost there. "Don't say stupid things," He snapped, all notes of humility gone from his voice. It was the quickest way to get on his bad side, after all. "I've been using Chidori for a long time. If there was a problem, it was because you've never used it before." Which probably sounded like he was going back on what he'd just said, but he was annoyed, now.

[lavenderglasses]

He couldn't really claim to be bothered by the accusation. Sara only smirked and patted Sasuke's leg, sounding cheerful even still as he spoke. "I suppose it can't be helped, if that's the case," he said carelessly. "It's not as if I could have known how to do it properly, with no prior experience or instruction. All that can be done is to make sure I know what I'm doing for the next time, correct?"?

[blindingrevenge]

"Hn," He agreed, though he didn't vocalize it beyond the grunt. Sasuke found some amount of comfort in the fact that his weapon wasn't just for defense, and that he could really inflict some damage. But using Chidori had obviously put a great deal of strain on his body, and part of Sasuke wondered if they would be able to do it again. After all, if they hadn't somehow managed to pull that attack up from wherever they'd found the power, they would have been dead. Sasuke frowned at the thought, and he forced himself not to turn his face in the direction of Naruto's bed.

[lavenderglasses]

Sasuke didn't sound very enthusiastic, but then again, he never did. Not one to be discouraged, the king glanced back to his partner, signaling the increased attention with a gentle squeeze to Sasuke's leg.

"So you'll just have to show me the right way to do it," he continued. "I'll even go to some of those morning training sessions if you'd really like to. It would just be a shame if I never got to try that again. That was..." Saralegui paused, a bubble of thrill rising in his chest at the memory, and he shivered so slightly. "...Amazing."

[blindingrevenge]

That was a note he hadn't heard in Saralegui's voice before, and it drew Sasuke's attention like few things about the king did. His chin lifted, maybe half in response to the squeeze, half of the tone of his words. Part of him felt smug with that acknowledgment, the nod to his abilities. Confident and proud that Saralegui finally noticed he was more than just the kid he tried to push around. Despite his brazen attitude, Sasuke, a lot of the time, felt disgustingly inferior to the people around him. Even here, he was leagues away from those other weapons, from matching Itachi, unable to beat Roy, hell, even Naruto had proven himself more than adequate.

Amazing, huh?

Sasuke's mouth quirked, not quite a smirk, but almost there. "About time," He said, and though he could easily be talking about Saralegui's willingness to train, the statement was more than that to the young ninja.

[lavenderglasses]

Catching sight of that tiny smirk, Sara was suddenly very sure of one thing; like himself, Sasuke liked praise. Of a more specific sort, perhaps, because certainly Sasuke wouldn't be so satisfied if someone complimented his looks, but he liked that acknowledgment of his own abilities

[blindingrevenge]

"I told you not to underestimate me," Sasuke said, and it was definitely a tune Saralegui had heard him singing before. But somehow, his mood seemed fractionally brighter, if only temporarily. Praise wasn't quite the same when mixed with admonishment, as most teachers tended to do, and it wasn't the same coming from people obviously weaker than himself- like his classmates had been. And while Sasuke didn't really think of Saralegui as an equal by any means, he might have been coming to recognize the power the man did have, and that probably made all the difference.

[lavenderglasses]

"Fine, fine," he replied, feigning resignation. "You were right. Are you satisfied? At the very least, you should give me some credit for keeping up even when you suddenly come out with abilities like that without warning..."

Unfortunately, Saralegui didn't really do straightforward praise, not when it came to a person like Sasuke. Someone like Yuuri, he could go on forever about all their virtues, because Yuuri was humble, and his reactions to praise were all endearing and entertaining. But he knew better than to stroke a person's ego too much, or risk making himself sound insincere or like a suck-up.

[blindingrevenge]

"You did alright, I guess," Sasuke said dismissively, but it was as close to a compliment as it was getting. Really, despite how blinded with rage he'd been at the time, it had been almost refreshing to do something like that. Like all the training he'd been doing finally paid off, if only a little. Sasuke's shoulders relaxed, however slightly.