A/N: Day three. There seems to be something up with FanFiction, because I can't see some of your reviews. Therefore, I can't respond.
A few months after Kakashi's arrival and a few months before her first year at the Academy, Father comes home with a child so pasty white that it hurts her eyes. It goes against his dark hair and near-empty eyes, which indicates to her that this child belongs to the weird old man in the basement.
"Cupcake!" Father exclaims, lunging after her with an exaggeration to his movement. "That turd of an old fart 'gifted' me this brainwashed little fish as a sign of goodwill! Konoha's doomed with disturbing and bandaged men, I say!" there's more to the story, but she doesn't need to know everything.
Sakura pats Father's shoulder in consolation. "But why him?" she queries, looking over his shoulder to meet sable eyes now alight with an off sense of intrigue.
Father releases her, standing up straight and groaning as he cracks his back. "Apparently it's because he's artistic and that reminds my business associate of you, which is really gross and creepy. I know he wants you, to make you bend to his will like a good little butterfly." his contorted expression matches her own, but Shion snorts.
"Does he have a name?" she asks, turning her attention back onto the child gifted onto the Haruno family. She steps closer, and his eyes follow her and meet her eyes without hesitation. He hasn't blinked yet, she doesn't think.
The rustle of Father's clothes inform her that he's shrugged. "You get to name him. He can be your second pet, we've got the room after all." he mutters something about taking in strays before disappearing into the kitchen where Kakashi's making dinner. They're having fish again.
Sakura and the child before her stare at one another, hers assessing and his fascinated. "Tell me what's on your mind." she orders him, though it's more of a request. His upbringing demands that he listen to her regardless of what he wants to do.
"I want to draw you." he answers, his monotone distinct. "No… I want to paint you. You are colourful and it aesthetically pleasing despite the clashing of pink and red."
"Aren't you popular with the weird little boys, sugar plum?" Shion comments, both amused and mildly exasperated. Sakura wasn't expecting to be seen in a pleasant way by a body brainwashed by some elderly wacko who hangs out in underground palaces either.
He leans in, examining at the seal on her forehead but in an invasive manner. She feels his breath on her face and leans back with a consternated expression.
"I am yours now." he informs her, though she already knows. "Whatever you wish to do with my life, I will follow you without hesitation." and this is where she reaffirms that it's really shady, what a councilman is doing in the shadows.
She sighs, grabbing his hand and beginning to lead him to the kitchen. "You name is Sai now. Remember your own words." she replies, noting the way his fingers begin to wrap around her hand.
"I've had some weird shit happen in my lives, but I'm thinking that they don't even compare to now, yeah. Or… well, maybe not. It's still some shit though."
Although this is Sakura's normality, even she knows that it's really quite strange.
Little girls usually have animals as pets, after all.
Sai would possibly be what Kakashi would be if the elder male wasn't an active and highly successful shinobi obligated to go on missions. She's gained a second shadow, which at first was rather disconcerting since she's used to being by herself. Shion, of course, doesn't count. Now, it's just become yet another part of her normality.
She's encouraged him to speak his mind, but he makes her wonder if the way she sees him is the way others see her. Then she thinks that her voice doesn't sound as void of emotion as his does. He's a work in progress, but she agrees with Shion as to the beginning of a pattern with taking in stray and damaged males.
What Sakura does like about Sai is that he's exceptionally gifted with art. His drawings and paintings litter the walls of their home, just like how Kakashi's pack litters the floor whenever they're free. Father agrees that home is becoming more lively, even though the majority of occupants are socially stunted in some way. Or… maybe they're all socially stunted in their own ways?
The thought seems to solidify when she and Sai become the ostracised pair in their Academy class. They're too intelligent, too far above their peers and too different in terms of mentality. She understands that it would cause a rift, because it's human nature to be wary of those that are different. To be wary of anything different or out of their norm.
Bullying is once again attempted, but it's Sai who makes their accosters cry. Sakura has lost interest in trying to convince them that there are better ways than isolating them. Perhaps there aren't, perhaps the distance is something they just can't close.
The Academy offers her an experience that's unforgettable but one that's being particularly unpleasant. Lessons taught to her are ones she's already learned and all that's left are the ninja rules and the beginning of conditioning village loyalty onto the children.
It's not long until she and Sai transfer into another class, one that's primarily filled with clan children as the one before primarily held civilian children. Though both have the same end goal of a ninja career, there's still the struggle of status between clans and civilians. They stand in front of the class, and Sakura sees a few familiar faces, some more so than others. A certain blonde is beaming at her with those blinding teeth again.
"We have two students transferring from the civilian class," her new teacher ̶ Umino Iruka, a fairly young chuunin ̶ announces, "so be quiet and let them introduce themselves!"
Sakura doesn't like that all their eyes are on her, and that she can see them whispering amongst each other and creating hasty judgements. She knows that she appears to be quite bizarre in comparison to some nondescript children, so it's understandable that she draws attention. Sai too, has a distinct appearance and she bets they make quite the pair. It doesn't usually matter when they're at home, in a house occupied by weirdos with all of them wearing flower crowns made of higanbana.
Although only her flower crown has been tainted with her blood and preserved to last for eternity.
"I'm Haruno Sakura and this is my brother, Haruno Sai." she introduces both herself and Sai, because Sai is drawing and she doesn't like to bother him much when he does. Even though he multitasks. They look nothing alike, so the whispers grow and become white noise.
It would be quite suspicious if Father was to say the truth about Sai's arrival, so of course Sai had to be officially adopted into the Haruno family. They both hope that it's the last time his business associate imparts any live gifts.
"We transferred here because our former peers were intimidated by our superior capabilities." Sai reveals to the class, without bothering to even look up. Sakura yawns and feels the joint of her jaw click. "I think that if nothing changes, Sakura-neesama, we graduate early just to be rid of it all."
"That's plausible." she responds, much to the outrage of their new peers. "Highly plausible." the downside would be more time doing missions rather than personal training.
Then she feels her skin tingle with discomfort, her eyes sliding over to meet a pair of eyes almost similar to Sai's. They're different because… well, they're eerie and focusing on her with far too much intensity. Then again, it's a known fact that Uchiha are super creepy and have a high tendency for obsessive behaviour. It's no wonder they're isolated from the rest of the village.
"I swear to all things unholy, jelly bean, you need to stop fucking grabbing the attention of mentally ill boys! Especially ones from that forsaken clan, dear lord, being inside their compound is a fucking abnormal acid trip, yeah." Shion makes a sound akin to one shivering in discomfort, seeming as lively as ever despite her having been 'asleep' only moment ago. Then again, Shion can feel the tingles in Sakura's skin from the Uchiha boy's stare.
Said Uchiha boy's stare is broken when Naruto smacks a hand against the back of hair that looks both spiky and fluffy at the same time. "Staring at a pretty girl like an obsessive serial killer is not the way to make friends, Sasuke." he chides, apparently unmoved by the stare he'd just described being directed at him.
"I want to go home." Sai murmurs, shuffling closer to her as Iruka attempts to calm his class without success. She nods in agreement, because it's difficult being surrounded by so many other children.
"Let's just… go. I feel like some dango." she answers, and the two jump out the window to temporary freedom.
A certain pair of eyes makes their stare burn into the skin of her back.
Sakura contemplates if it's the unique scent she's created with the higanbana that draws particular boys to her, as she stares into eyes are far more intense than the younger version of the owner. Maybe she's just unlucky, or perhaps it could be because of the story Shion had told her about a while back.
Whatever the case, she doesn't like that she's have a staring contest with the Uchiha clan's prodigy. He smells like blood and graceful insanity, despite the almost serene expression on his aesthetically appealing face. Its attractiveness is ruined by the freakish aura he's drowning in like too much perfume.
Before she blinks for possibly the third time in a manner of minutes, he invades into her personal bubble and begins to brush his fingers along her cheek. He's studying her, and she's just trying not to let the goose bumps break out. Her stomach churns with discomfort and apprehension, though she notices that his eyelashes are what many would be envious of.
They continue to have a strange interaction in silence, until his eyes slide up to the seal on her forehead. His fingers barely touch the surface of it, but she's unable to contain her shiver and instinctive need to step back. He follows her with one smooth step, still fixated on her seal. His movements are so fluid that it feels wrong.
"You strongly remind me of someone, Sakura-chan." Uchiha Itachi whispers, his soft voice the kind to entice and lead people to their deaths. Her heart thumps in her chest, and she wonders why Shion is so quiet. She doesn't question why he knows her name, because the answer obvious when it's someone like him.
Sakura thinks of replying, but she doesn't trust her voice. He makes her feel like the floor will crumble beneath her at any moment, as though nothing is certain. It isn't. Not with him.
"I admired her greatly." a smile plays on his lips and she's deeply unsettled. "She taught me freedom… and that I should fight for it if I want it so badly, regardless of what others want of me." his words are like a caress from a predator, which is quite the feat. He's only ten, so it makes everything a little more ominous.
He backs her into the wall of the nearby building, the street they're occupying isolated. He cornered her when Sai went onto an errand, and it makes her curious to know how long he's been following her. Then again, she's also not. Perhaps he hasn't and it's a moment of coincidence, though with ninja that seems unlikely.
Itachi plays with a lock of her hair, his entire demeanour at ease whilst hers is so tense she feels like she's going to snap at any moment. His eyes are terrifying when they're obsidian. How much worse are his eyes when they're garnet? Some part of her knows. There are stories of the child born to lead a damned clan.
"Then she died…" his fingers twitch and in response, her own body twitches. "Perhaps you know of her." he leans in, almost pressing her into the wall with his body. She's almost on the tip of her toes, trying in vain to put some distance between them.
Other villages say that Konohagakure is too soft, but it's strange that it seems to house a clan full of budding monsters wearing human skin.
"Why would I…?" she manages to say without wavering, though her severe unease of his being is evident. He could kill her within a moment, or he could torture her for days. It would depend on him and his mood.
His smile widens, making her feel like she's fallen into his trap. "Because I can feel her chakra inside of you, Sakura-chan." he reveals to her, making her heart jump. His hands cup her cheeks and he tilts her head to the side, though he's nothing but gentle. It makes everything worse. "Is she there, inside your head? If it were her in control, she would not be so… afraid."
Sakura doesn't want to admit that he's right, doesn't want to admit that he's figured her out. She's conflicted, unsure of whether to be honest or not.
"Go to sleep, sugar bean." Shion commands, her voice an unnerving sort of calm. Sakura listens without much hesitation.
When Sakura wakes up, she's surprised to that she finds herself in her bed with an overgrown puppy hugging the life out of her. Or perhaps that's an exaggeration, but her point is that it's strange because Kakashi doesn't usually sleep with her. One reason being that her bed is particularly small. He's basically curled himself around her, engulfing her body with a content expression on his sleeping face.
Shion misses Kakashi too, Sakura understands. Shion has never taken over her body before, so Sakura believes that the threat of Uchiha Itachi must be phenomenal. It's hardly surprising, because whilst his touches and words were soft, she felt like she was suffocating just by him existing near her.
"Kakashi." she murmurs, attempting to sit up. His eyes open, though one shuts soon after. He stares at her in silence for an extended moment and she lets him readjust.
"I'm struggling, Sakura…" Kakashi whispers to her, his arms loosening around her but not removing themselves. "It's so hard to let go when I know she's there… She told me that this was her farewell, because she never got to say that."
Sakura touches his cheek, her thumb brushing away tears about to slide across his nose and onto her pillow. "I'm sorry." she apologises, because though there are many other things she could say, she doesn't want to. It's hard for her to have a proper connection with most people, but she pities the man lying in her bed.
"But I'm your family now, you see." she informs him, shifting so that she's almost leaning over him. "Tou-chan is your family, and so is Sai. We're dysfunctional and peculiar, but we're still your family. Shion may be in my head, but she's still dead. You need to focus on the living before they're dead and buried in the ground as well."
Kakashi sniffles, which is precious. Then she realises that their roles seem to have been reversed. Isn't it meant to be the older one that thinks the younger adorable?
"I understand…" he answers, lifting a hand and sliding it under her hair to grasp the side of her neck. "I focus too much on the past. Shion always chided me for that… I'll focus on the living. On you and Kizashi and Sai."
She smiles, for Shion's cooing almost mockingly for such an important event. "Good. Now get off my bed, please. Your scent will be stuck all over it for days."
Kakashi does the opposite, instead bringing her back down and clutching her in his arms. "Dogs like affection, Sakura… We're bonding." he comments like a pampered puppy, and she can't tell whether he's playing her or being completely serious.
"It's his way of saying he accepts you as you, sugar plum. You thought he was needy before, now he'll be more vocal about it. Ha! Good luck, babe, good luck."
Sakura contemplates the pros and cons of such a situation. But she thinks that the desperation in his hugs have decreased somewhat. It's still there, but she can finally feel the warmth and think that it's progress at least.
"Sai's going to come in and think we're fornicating." she mutters, as a thought. "Or did. Then he'll question whether or not it was painful because of how small I am, then ask you if you understand what a paedophile is."
Kakashi's form disappears out the window just as the door to her room opens. Sai stands by the entrance, his bed hair the most prominent feature of his appearance at the moment. She'll have to brush it after their bath.
"Sakura-neesama." he greets her as she sits up and yawns. "I thought I felt a dog littering about in your room. I was curious as to why it would be in here so early in the morning, but it seems to be gone now. Did it run?" he tilts his head, a habit taken from her.
Her curtain flutters against the back of her head, reminding her of the wide open window above her bed. "It went for a run, yes." she confirms, glancing out the window.
Sai follows her line of sight after she's turned back, but then returns his attention to her. "Breakfast?"
She nods, flinging the blanket off of her.
Chapter Word Count: 2,970
Total Word Count: 9,698
Targeted Word Count: 1,667
A/N: So whilst I had planned for Itachi for be, you know, psychotic, I wasn't expecting the intensity. But I suppose that's the fun of letting my imagination take me places. Sai also wasn't there, but he is now and he's apart of Team Seven too even if he's not part of the original. Yamato might have to make an appearance if I go by that line of thought.
To explain the Uchiha, I consulted with my beta because we wanted to see a different version of them. Rather than their usual arrogance and whatever, it would be pretty terrifying to know that there's a clan with hallucinogenic (I hope that's the word) eyes that are mentally ill and have a high tendency for obsession.
Reviews are love. Reviews are life. It's never ogre.