Aaahhh, first impressions. Aren't they wonderful? Anyway, this chapter is a lot of bickering. Bickering that Naruto knows better than to get into. But fuck his bodily health let's push him into it anyway!
So after reading your reviews I have to say I'm so so so excited that you are all enjoying it so far! I'm worried about making Kakashi out of character, so I'm hoping to really develop him back into the outlandish pervert we all know and love. Also, I totally didn't even notice my constant switch of point of views in the last chapter. After reading you say that I went back and just "fuuuuuuuuuu-". Thank you for pointing it out! I'm going to try to improve on that in future chapters!
I don't own Naruto!
CRACK
Kakashi suddenly felt a sharp pain in his cheek, but he couldn't understand what happened. Had he been attacked? Was there an ambush right now? How had he not seen it coming?! He could see from the corner of his eye the blonde woman was staring down at something in front of him, shell shocked.
His own dark obsidian eye followed her baby blue, to look down before him where a breathtaking pink-haired woman stood, glaring up at him with enraged viridian eyes. He glanced over to where the princess had sat, and seeing she was no longer there, he concluded that this was in fact Sakura, Naruto's sister.
Now standing before him, he could see her fully and determined that she was as small as she seemed before. However, despite her size she didn't look child-like at all. Her features were all those of an adult-albeit a furious one who he doubted reached even five feet tall. The pain in his cheek was all but forgotten when she opened her mouth to speak, his eye trained on her lips carefully.
"For a shinobi who can't even avoid being hit by a child you have a lot of nerve speaking to Ino that way!" She seethed, voice sharper than any weapon Kakashi had previously faced. He blinked slowly, processing what has just happened. "She may be a pig and a total gossip but she's a damn good kunoichi! She deserves your respect!"
Kakashi looked at his teammates, trying to gain more understanding. Sai and Tenzou stared at the two of them, eyes wide and drinking in the rare sight of a befuddled Kakashi.
"Senpai?" Tenzou said quietly, wondering if the hit rattled Kakashi's brain. Sai slowly pulled out his sketchbook, quietly sketching the scene. Kakashi would have to talk to him later about appropriate times to draw.
"S-Sakura, please calm-" Naruto reached out to his sister, lightly touching her shoulders in an attempt to calm her. She simply shrugged him off, never looking away from Kakashi.
"I'm afraid your services won't be needed, so you can go ahead and show yourself out. Unless you capable shinobi need me to call a guard to hold your hands and walk you out?!"
Finally snapping out of his uncharacteristic daze, Kakashi narrowed his sole visible eye on the princess who was trying to remove him from existence with just her biting green glare.
"Oh? You don't need us? That's not what your brother told us." Naruto glared at Kakashi after hearing this.
"Don't drag me into this-"
"My brother fails to understand that I'm perfectly capable of defending myself! And if I did need help, I have Ino here!" Sakura sneered, looking back at the stunned blonde. Ino shook her head, shaking away her shock and stepping beside her pink haired friend.
"Your ears not working or something?!" Ino growled, narrowing her eyes at Kakashi, trying to intimidate him. He simply smiled in response, not that either of them could see it under his mask.
"Oh? That's funny. From what Naruto said I was under the impression your security was lacking. Not only was some random Ronin able to get to you, but also take you- oh my. It seems I've forgotten. Do fill in the blanks for me Princess. How far did he get before Naruto managed to track him and save you?"
Kakashi held back his laugh as he watched the petal-pink haired princess flush in a mix of what he assumed was rage and embarrassment. Watching the petite woman get so infuriated was quite amusing. Like watching a tiny kitten try to intimidate a tiger. He was sorely tempted to ruffle her hair, if only to further incite her wrath. Her hands were turning white, clenched in tight fists.
"That was-"
"Kakashi-sensei stop-"
"Where was your Ino then? If I may ask?" He glanced at the blonde woman who was facing away from them, shame etched deep into get face. "Busy doing something important no doubt."
Ino grimaced, turning further away. The princess before him flinched and her glare burned hotter. Her slender arm lashed out in a blur of red, green, and gold. But before the second slap could make contact with his face, Kakashi grabbed her wrist, holding it tight in his grip. He arched a silver eyebrow, smirking at the shocked woman who squirmed, trying to pull her arm away from his grip.
"Violent aren't you? That's not very regal Princess."
"KAKASHI-SENSEI!"
A sharp blade was pressed to his throat suddenly. He pried his eye away from the woman before him-a difficult feat- and stared at Ino disinterestedly as she pressed a kunai to his neck.
"I suggest you release her."
"I suggest you retrain. One charge and you lose her at the first sign of trouble? Terrible." He sighed, scolding her with the tone of a disappointed teacher. Naruto lashed out, grabbing Kakashi's arm and squeezing until eventually the silver haired shinobi released his sister.
"Ah, Naruto. I forgot you were there. Anyway, I accept the job. Seems like a fun time." Kakashi returned his eye to Sakura, looking her over quietly. Naruto's blue eyes flashed dangerously and rage seemed to radiate off him.
"Ino. Take Sakura back to the other room. I need to speak with my friends." He snarled in a low voice.
Sakura huffed, and turned around so quickly she tripped over her many layers of kimono. Ino reached out to grab her, but Kakashi beat her to it, arm snaking around her waist and holding her steady until her feet settled on the ground safely.
"If this is you trying to convince me that you don't need me here, you're doing one hell of a job." he chuckled. He felt her shudder, and squirm, her many layers stopping him from getting a feel of her waist. Almost disappointed, he unwound his arm from the blushing woman, and she shot off, pink hair flowing behind her like a river. Ino followed her dutifully, shooting a final glare at Kakashi before vanishing into the inner palace.
Kakashi watched them go, staring at the doors where they retreated until Naruto grabbed a handful of Kakashi's blue shirt, demanding his attention. He reluctantly turned to the blond prince.
"Can I help you?" He asked lightly, eye crinkling slightly from an unseen smile. Naruto growled menacingly, baring his teeth in a fierce snarl. "Besides with the obvious I mean."
"Don't touch her again."
"You're mad I didn't let her fall? Noted. Next time I'll watch her trip. Maybe I'll even throw in a laugh for your benefit!"
"Pencil dick, you should let go of-" Sai started to say before Naruto whirled on him, a viscous growl ripping from his curled lips. Sai raised his hands in surrender, stepping away from the maddened Crown Prince.
"Alright, alright. You're on your own senpai."
"Kakashi-sensei, I won't tolerate anyone who hurts Sakura. Got it? If you stay and work with us to protect her, you're going to have cut the shit and back off." His grip on Kakashi tightened, not that the shinobi was at all worried. The blond man could never truly harm the shinobi. It wasn't that he wasn't capable- Kakashi knew damn well that the crown prince could be a formidable opponent when the stars aligned and someone pissed him off enough. However he would never harm his friends-something that Kakashi was grateful for as he pushed the limits often, purposefully being late to important meetings and making sarcastic responses to get under his skin.
"Are you allergic to fun Naruto? Because that's what it seems like." Naruto aimed a punch for Kakashi's ribs, which the older man smacked away quickly, grateful the enraged man didn't go all out or his wrist could have been broken from the sheer force of the blow. He shook his hand out, trying to ease the ache that lingered.
"Was that really necessary?" He chuckled lightly, deciding it was best not to piss off the prince further. Naruto took a deep breath, reigning himself in as best he could, before locking eyes with Kakashi once again.
"If you're going to stay, and help me, then it's time for some ground rules."
Sakura sat at the small table in the other room, viridian eyes glaring daggers at the table before her as she snarled and ranted.
"Child he said! I'm not a child! I'm older than Naruto! It's not my fault I'm smaller! I'm compact! I'm made to move! If I wasn't dressed in this getup I'd be able to tear him apart! I can't believe Naruto invited him here!" Her mouth moved a mile a minute, and Ino could hardly keep up, but her lack of complete comprehension however did not stop her from replying with vigour.
"I KNOW! How could a guest of the prince be so rude?! I guess we should have known, no friends of Naruto would be formal in any way! If I see them again I'll shove a kunai into them! I don't care how amazingly hot they are oh my gods Sakura did you see them?!" Sakura was shocked out of her rage, turning to stare at her friend with wide eyes.
"Ino-pig, what the hell are you-"
Ino rolled her eyes, sighing in as much of an overdramatic fashion as she could possibly muster.
"Forehead pleeeeeeaaaaase. Don't even pretend you didn't notice! That Kakashi-as fucking rude as he was- seemed to be eyeing you up too! He was quite attractive! Talk about a silver fox!"
"INO!"
"And when he caught you after you tripped?! SWOON!"
"INO PLEASE!" Sakura's face turned a startling shade of bright red. She wrinkled her kimono in her hands, trying to ignore Ino's chattering.
"Do you think Naruto's going to send them away?"
"I hope he does!" Sakura snapped, now unable to stop analysing the man's appearance in her head. His silver hair was a mess, spiking up without reason. He was tall with broad shoulders, and though she couldn't see his body clearly, he was clearly in shape, even though he stood with an atrocious slouch. His face was covered by a mask-which thinking about it was probably why Naruto laughed at her earlier.
She never liked masks, they hid too much, physically of course, but also mentally. People with masks had things to hide. Holding a secret so coveted was unnerving. What could be so secret that you had to hide your face just to keep it?
"Oh hush. The way he was looking at you? When you need him you have to tell me everything-"
"INO!"
"What's the problem now?!" Ino demanded, hands on her hips as she glared at the now pink blur that was once Sakura.
"That is beyond inappropriate! I am a princess! I can't just sleep with people Willy nilly! Not that I would want to anyway! He called me short! A little girl! I wouldn't want to sleep with someone as rude as him!"
"Yeah I give you a month."
"INO!"
Did I say I'd do this quickly? HAHAHAHAHA okay I'm sorry. I got caught up with work. Fourteen hour shifts are a bitch. PSA for all you people out there! If you get drugged or take drugs and an ambulance is called because you're reacting negatively, please for the love of God tell the paramedics what you took and how much. I'm not a cop, I don't give a flying fuck if whatever you did was illegal. I just want to help you. IS THAT REALLY TOO MUCH TO ASK?!
ANYWAY. Kakashi doesn't love Sakura. Not yet. He's interested in her. He recognises that she is attractive, but isn't in love with her. He just thinks of her as a beautiful woman who is adorable when pissed off. Also! Sakura is the older sister! I don't know if I mentioned that at all, but Sakura is technically older than Naruto in the series, so here she's older as well.