one of the 'long' chapters I've been working on to build up background on a few things. I haven't been too good lately with writing and I hope this chapter is enjoyable! I think it will be. Also pardon any mistakes it's difficult to upload from mobile.

This chapter was going to end on a sour jote but I changed some stuff around to be calm.

Also! If you want to see a certain character show up please let me know. I have most of yhem worked out and it'll be fun to see what people want to read! Feel free to request too!


Sakura would admit that living like a hermit really wasn't her favorite part of being a witch. It was actually really annoying but at least kept her safe from prying eyes and vengeful exes. Also the non-vengeful exes because sometimes those seemed to be worse. It was nice to be cozyed up nice and safe in a tiny little cabin. It was just she really wanted her sugar fix and the cheap chocolate bars had finally been ate. All hundred of them and she couldn't even blame Gaara for it.

It was time, once again, to bike the hour trip to the little gas station and resupply for everything. Ingredients for soap, chocolate, bike parts, all of that stuff that didn't grow on trees. The only problem was she couldn't swaddle up Gaara anymore to hide him-the little butthead had the audacity to grow a foot since then. Also he was going through the stage where clothes would be torn off for no good reason. Naked babies were fine in the woods, but not in a gas station. Especially weird demonic-ish babies.

That wasn't a good enough reason not to go though. Sakura really needed those supplies and perhaps Gaara would be fine for the two hours. Heck, she could really push it and be back even sooner than that! If she fed and put him down for a nap…yes. Yes that would work out perfectly.

The next clear day she gave him an extra helping of raw vension and he passed out with no trouble. Taking care to hide anything truly dangerous, she tucked him in and snuck out. Pulling the bike out from the shed Sakura swung one leg over and kicked off down the trail. One of the nice things about devouring untold amounts of magic slugs-the residual magic made for strong muscles. With her legs pumping she could almost rival a horse with her speed. Maybe a horse with a limp, but she still felt it was impressive.

The trees parted and Sakura left the trail for the dirt road that crossed alongside her property. The terrain here was much smoother and she let her legs slow a bit to conserve energy. On her right were the thick woods of home and on her left laid overgrown fields choked with flowering weeds. It had been her first few years here that the field had been sown and harvested, but now they were left to rot and regrow until they found use once again. Sakura could remember when she would come out with tonics and charms for the farmers to buy. There would always be accidents too, both from tools and sun, that she would heal and care for. Despite how she kept her skills from showing and only healed with mudane means the farmers always remained wary. Not that she could blame them in the end.

Sakura missed the conversation and the touch of others. Gaara was still so young and didn't offer much conversation.

The road dipped down into a curl and she paused at it's crest. This part of her trip was always her absolute favorite after all and it needed to be savored. Readjusting herself on the seat, Sakura pushed off with both feet and let the motion carry her forward. It didn't take her long to pick up speed and like a child she let her legs stick out and she laughed. Dust and small rocks bounced off her skin as she speed up ever faster and when the turn came she barely kept on the road. By now she was shrieking with laughter and feeling like she was only twenty again and free. The final turnpin curve was coming up and she leaned forward with a wide grin.

Gravity pulled at her body as the bike leaned dangerously and she felt a pebble bounce off of her temple. Sakura started to right herself just as she spied the man standing in the road. Before she could even register what was happening her feet slammed the pedals back and the bike twisted under her and skidded over the dirt. It was quite a distance before she came from a stop and it left a sizable scar behind her. Only a foot away from the man now.

Finally, her brain caught up and she managed a weak 'hello' to the stranger. The man returned the same, though he did seem a bit shaken by the near-death. He had the build of a scarecrow she noticed and the loose clothes that seemed right from a second-hand shop. For minutes they stared at each other before Sakura found her tongue and said,

"This is private property-not for camping."

"So then," came his reply muffled behind a scarf, "why are you here?"

His tone was lilting and carried the distinct edge of mockery. For a moment Sakura felt anger tingle in the bottom of her gut and she tamped it down. Adjusting herself better on the bike she forced on a pleasant smile and gripped the handlebars so tight her knuckles turned white. The man noticed and his eyes flickered to them before returning to her eyes.

"I own property here", she explained, "and I don't have any neighbors."

"Ah-well now you do. I own the old Hatake house now."

Sakura blinked and tried to remember what she knew about that family name. Was that the one where the house burned down mysteriously? Or was the one who had that odd spirit problem they bothered her about? Wait-no it was that old man who went and offed himself for some reason. She remembered hearing about that from the woman who used to buy mushrooms from her. So now someone else had moved into a house that was way too close for comfort for Sakura. Shit. Double shit because she realized she had been silent for too long trying to remember faces. The man just continued to watch her with vague interest, but she caught his eyes looking at the two-inch deep ditch she had made from stopping. He didn't look very impressed.

They stared at each other for another minute.

"Goodbye", Sakura finally said and threw herself into pedaling away as a reasonable speed. Not too fast of course since that would make him more interested. Just enough speed that she could get away and try not to focus on the situation (as stupid as it was). Go figure she couldn't even handle a simple conversation-she wasn't that much of a hermit! Besides, she had Gaara to talk too on a day-to-day basis and while he was still young he was rather chatty at times. There were the others too that came to her for help, but perhaps those didn't count since she was never overly familiar with them.

Ack. She really was starting to become some old hag that laughed at nothing and screamed at birds. Not even talking birds either just regular birds doing bird things and this metaphor was slipping away from her. Throwing herself back into picking up speed she went through a list of what she needed from the store. Chocolate, beer for slugs, sugar, maybe some cigarettes because now she was having stress cravings. Perhaps a nice children's magazine if they had one for Gaara. The little butt needed to learn to read soon enough.

Nothing else showed up on her path and she reached the highway with ease. Turning onto the pavement and crossing the sleepy road she pedaled right into the convince's store lot and breathed a sigh of relief. Every single time she made this trip she was expecting to see the store shuttered and empty. The fear of losing it was silly, but Sakura felt grounded knowing it was always there when she needed it. For chocolate mostly.

The door jingled when she went inside and the unfamiliar face at the register welcomed her with a smile. Giving a quick one in return she grabbed a basket and started with the essentials. Sugar was so much cheaper now! Oh, and she didn't recognize any of the beer labels but found some that should be a hit with the slugs. The next thing in the list was picking out a new brand of chocolate since apparently her favorite was no longer made. As she flipped through the colorful labels she heard a sharp noise that made her heart stop.

A child had entered the store.

Panic fueled her quick movements as she stood and whipped around because if Gaara somehow managed to follow her she was fucked. The child luckily came right to her towards the candy and Sakura was never so happy to see blonde hair in her entire life. The child wasn't much older than Gaara she assumed and had legs like a colt. They didn't take notice of her as they snatched a bag of gummies off the shelf and rushed back to the open arms of the woman that had followed after. The woman gave Sakura a bright smile and she gave a weak one in return.

After that Sakura didn't dawdle and just grabbed several cases of chocolate bars and the rest of her purchases. Carefully balancing the large load in her arms she set them down on the counter and gave a strained smile to the befuddled cashier. They only slipped back into a passive 'meh' and started to scan everything up. Thank the sages.

"A fan of chocolate?"

The familar voice sent a surge of aggravation down her spine and she turned to face the man from the road. The paper mouth cover he wore and his placid expression made it difficult to read him, but Sakura could feel the teasing I'm his voice. She also noticed that he had a firm grip on the blonde child's shirt and was doing a fine job of keeping them in check.

"Yes", she answered and hoped he just ignore her.

Of course. Of course her new neighbors were a nice married couple with a kid. Kids had to be the worst things to hide from—lucky little things that could find almost anything. She couldn't really think of anything to keep them out either without hurting the little thing. Worse yet was how tempting a child was to the type of creatures that paid her visits. It would only take a search party to ruin her nice hermit lifestyle and she prayed the parents would keep a watchful eye on them. Also she prayed the cashier would hurry the hell up already so she could leave.

She felt the woman approach from behind and heard the couple talk to each other the lack of variety in the store. Shifting from one foot to the other Sakura argued with herself on wether she should put some of the chocolate back to speed things up or just wait it out. She noticed the conversation had taken a pause and was thankful for a moment before,

"Oh that reminds me", came the man's lazy voice, "Rin, this is the lady that almost ran me over."

Sakura felt another fiber of patience snap and she forced herself to stay casual as she turned with a smile. The man didn't seem to interested in her reaction; likely he just pointed her out like one does a odd bird. The woman did have the decency to look a bit shamed and the purple discolorations on her cheeks darkened. With a small smack to her partners shoulder she gave Sakura an apologetic smile.

"You should've just hit him", Rin said with a laugh, "maybe he'll learn not to stand in roads."

"The road is public property", he chimed in, "I was only enjoying it as allowed by law."

"I don't think the law covers an idiot just standing there!"

"I was looking for property lines—my fathers markings were still there."

Ah, that little comment confirmed what Sakura had suspected of the man; it seemed she was stuck with them. Part of her seethed at the idea of having people so close to her house and all the secrets she kept. Another larger part of her then chimed in to call her a bitter old hag and that maybe talking to someone would do her some good. After all, when was the last time she talked to anyone that wasn't Gaara or a patient? The other witches under the sages didn't count in the end. Perhaps this would do her some good. The farmers had always been wary, but people had less fear these days so maybe she could find company.

The thought was nice and she let it simmer in her mind for the time being. Until reality would set in and make a mess of everything of course. Still, perhaps she could just enjoy herself for once and pretend she was nothing more than a simple person. With a smile, this one true, she held out a hand towards the couple,

"I'm really sorry about almost hitting you", she lied, "my name is Sakura by the way."

"My name is Rin and this is Kakashi", the woman replied and happily shook hands, "I really didn't think anyone lived out that far."

"Ah—I haven't lived there long really. I actually just prefer to stay out here every other weekend."

A blond blur caught Sakuras eye as the child from before clambered for Rins attention and asked for the pack of gummies they had. Rin agreed, but turned the child towards Sakura and instructed them to introduce themselves. There was no shyness in the bright smile they gave and Sakura felt her heart warm at the cute face.

"This is Kakashi and Rin", the child nearly bellowed, "she has one boob!"

It took years of experience of 'not looking' to keep Sakuras eyes from drifting to her chest. Rin didn't seem to mind much though and burst into laughter at the statement. Lifting up the child, she set them on her hip and kissed their forehead.

"No, we talked about this. I mean tell her your name."

"I'm Naruto", the child said with much less enjoyment, "why you getting so much chocolate?"

"Naruto", Kakashi chided, "that's like asking why you eat so many noodles."

Naruto only blew a raspberry and wiggled out of Rins hold to run off again down another row. They really were adorable and it made Sakura think of Gaara waiting for her back home. Which, honestly, she really had to start hurrying before he got into much. Paying the godly sum of her supplies and chocolate bars, she gathered up the bags and bid goodbye to her new neighbors.

"Would you like us to drive you up there?", Rin asked and Sakura considered it for a few seconds before declining.

She wanted neighbors—she didn't need anything more.


Gaara was in the garden digging up slugs when she came back. He screeched when he saw her pedal up and threw down the slugs to run and hug her legs. He was so happy to see her back that she couldn't even understand what he was saying at this point. Still, she nodded and kissed his head as she carried the bags in and he dragged extra one behind him. Inside she set to work putting up everything and asked him,

"Were you digging up slugs for dinner again?"

"Nah", he replied and followed with, "I like wiggles."

"They are a good quality in a slug."