a/n WARNING! Big chapter here! I did not mean to write such a big chapter but here we are. I hope you like this chapter and hopefully I'll be churning out chapters faster and faster now that I only have one more exam left for the semester (law and I were never meant to be friends). I got a heap of new followers after chapter 9 so I know you're all out there. Don't be shy leave a comment! P.s might have had too much fun writing Kizashi Haruno.
Sakura rushed around her room trying to secure a white sock on her foot whilst brushing her teeth at the same time. It was so unlike her to be this disorganised. She'd gotten caught up reading a romance novel that Ino had leant her. She blushed to herself as she remembered the raunchy story that had gotten her all hot and bothered causing her to lose her balance and tumble to the floor, issuing a high pitched squeal.
"Need a hand there?" She looked up from the floor to see Sasuke climbing in through the window, on time as per usual. She took in his appearance. He was wearing a dark blue traditional shirt, like the one he used to wear in his missing nin days with black pants, like she'd seen the villagers wear. She'd never seen him wearing civilian clothing before and she was surprised by how well it suited him. She stared at him as he brought his foot through the window and crossed the room to her, eyeing her pathetic form still lying on the floor.
"You know there's a front door. It works perfectly well last time I checked." She said grumpily as she took the hand he offered her. He grabbed her by the waist with his spare hand and pulled her into a warm hug that made her head swim.
"You look really nice. I've never seen that dress before." Sasuke muttered into her ear, before stepping back to take a closer look at the garment.
Sakura had been storing this dress away in her wardrobe saving it for a special occasion where she'd need to impress her parents. It had short wide sleeves like a yukata but the dress didn't go past her mid thigh. It cinched in at the waist with a matching sash. The beautiful red fabric of the short yukata made the pink of her hair stand out. She'd gone to the effort of styling her hair into a loose topknot with a cherry blossom kanzashi for decoration. She was proud of her effort to look sweet and demure for her mother.
Sasuke eyed her up and down like she was a painting in a gallery. He put his hand to his chin in thought and cocked his head to the side. Something about the look on his face said that he could see right through her carefully put together outfit. She grabbed the toothbrush still in her mouth and put her hands on her hips.
"What?" She propositioned him pointing at him with her toothbrush.
Wordlessly and with a slight smirk on his face Sasuke leaned forward and lifted the hem of her yukata slightly to reveal her infamous black bike pants. She laughed nervously as she grabbed the hem and secured it to its previous position.
Sasuke shook his head producing a dark chuckle. This woman was so predictable it was painful. Of course she'd go to the trouble to try and play the part of the virginal, honourable daughter. He took a seat on the bed and watched as she eyed him darkly, before brushing her teeth again. He didn't want to admit it but he'd also gone to the effort of making himself presentable for Mr and Mrs Haruno. He'd never met them before and usually he never made a good first impression on anyone. He knew it was important for their relationship for him to ingratiate himself with her parents and that was enough to set his nerves going. He was coping better than Sakura by the look of things though. Seeing her jumping around with a sock in one hand and her toothbrush in the other had been all the confirmation needed.
Sakura, annoyed by his smugness, stormed off into the bathroom to finish getting ready. He had annoyed her with the way he seemed to know her so well, seeing right through her straight away. They both knew she was pretending to be a normal girl for the day but she hadn't expected him to realise that she was still wearing her basic shinobi kit underneath. If anything he should have been impressed. They had no idea what could happen in the day and wasn't the best form of defence to be ready for anything?
She spat the toothpaste into the sink and rinsed it off before depositing it back in its holder. She grabbed out her small make up bag from the medicine cupboard and started applying a little bit of mascara. When she was satisfied with her appearance she took a deep breath to calm her swelling nerves and walked back into her bedroom to find Sasuke patiently waiting for her. This annoyed her more. It was like nothing ever bothered him. He was always just a mask of perfect composure and she…well she was just a 24/7 mess.
"No time like the present right?" She asked before grabbing her simple black coat from the bed next to him.
"Sakura." She stopped in her tracks on the way to the door when she heard his voice. "You really look beautiful. I mean it."
She turned to face him trying to hide the blush that warmed her cheeks. He was standing in front of her now his hands on her shoulders rubbing them.
"You always look beautiful." He lowered his lips to hers kissing her so tenderly that she could feel her knees wobble.
"You don't look so bad yourself, you know." She smiled at him.
"No time like the present." Sasuke repeated.
The two left the apartment hand in hand and headed in the direction of Sakura's parents home.
Mebuki eyed her husband wearily. As per usual he was grating on her nerves with his immaturity. Kizashi Haruno looked ridiculous. He was standing at the window peeking behind the curtain and into the street. For a man who was supposed to be the figure head of the Haruno family he was doing a great job of looking like a nosey old lady.
"Mebuki, dear." Kizashi pleaded. "How can you be so calm? Sakura is bringing over a friend for Kami's sake. It's going to be a boy. I know it. My little pure flower has been de-flowered."
Kizashi grabbed his head in an overdramatic show of despair.
With out batting a lash Mebuki continued to chop the vegetables in front of her, ignoring her ridiculous husband. She frowned at the task in front of her, thinking of the candid phone call she'd received from her daughter that had set this whole event in motion. Sakura hadn't directly said she was bringing over a member of the opposite sex. She'd definitely not bothered to tell her that she was romantically involved with anyone and surely she'd be the first to know, of all people? It was strange to Mebuki how deftly times had changed. When Mebuki was Sakura's age she was already betrothed to the pink haired idiot now peeking out her purple kitchen drapes. She definitely wasn't gallivanting about the village in bike pants that was for sure.
"Would you come away from those blinds and help me?" Mebuki placed her hands firmly on her hips in her no nonsense way. "What should it matter to you if she brings home a boy. It's about time too. She's getting older now it's about time she settled down." She returned to the chopping board and with a little too much force than necessary cleaved a potato in two.
"No she's too young to have a boyfriend." Kizashi slumped on the kitchen stool. "If she brings home a boy I'm going to ground her."
"You can't ground her, Baka. She doesn't even live here."
"I'll steal her away and lock her up in her old room." Kizashi frowned.
"Stop being so immature. You should stop wishing she wouldn't bring anyone home to meet us and start praying she doesn't bring anyone completely detestable." Mebuki placed the knife on the bench abandoning her task and her husband in the kitchen heading in the direction of the front door.
She thanked her women's intuition for the knock that sounded on the front door; no sooner had she reached it. She took a moment to smooth her dress out before opening it with a warm smile placed on her lips.
"Sakura, sweet heart how are you?" She grabbed her daughter into a tight hug. "No bike pants too. What a delight." She referred to Sakura's ladylike attire. Happy to see that she was finally beginning to dress like a mature young lady.
It was then that she noticed Sakura's guest and her face paled three shades lighter. Uchiha Sasuke. She had brought home Uchiha Sasuke. Of all the people in the village she had to bring home this one man who had once presented such a threat to their everyday life. Oh yes, all the villagers knew about this certain up-until-recently missing nin who had bought further shame to an already dishonourable clan. Mebuki tried with all her might not to let her shock show but she knew her intuitive daughter wouldn't miss it.
"Kaasan." Sakura started nervously. "This is my friend Uchiha Sasuke."
Sasuke shot his gaze to the ground and gave Mebuki and awkward bow; awkward due to his height in comparison to the small woman.
"Good morning, Haruno-san."
"Nice to meet you Uchiha-san." Mebuki said dryly. "It's always nice to meet Sakura's friends. Please come in."
Mebuki stepped aside letting the two leaf shinobi shuffle past her observing them taking the shoes off. She tried to gather from their body language whether he was just a friend but the two were being awfully wary of each other's personal space making it hard to decipher.
"Your father is waiting in the living room. I'll bring some tea in." Mebuki retreated to the kitchen leaving Sakura to lead the way.
Sakura caught her mother's eye as she was passing. Mebuki had given Sakura a look that said it all. Sakura suddenly felt her stomach commence somersaults.
"Friend, huh?" Sasuke whispered to Sakura under his breath.
"Shut up." Sakura hissed to him, before leading them through to the small living room.
Haruno Kizashi sat cross-legged in the middle of the room at a traditional low-level table. One hand was positioned flat on his thigh the other clenched in a fist on his knee. He had heard a low male voice at the door and was trying his best to look intimidating. In all truth, his heart had sunk to the bottom dwellings of his stomach at the sound of the voice. All his worst nightmares had come true.
"Tousan." He heard the familiar voice of his daughter, which lifted his spirits somewhat. Although she had moved out and away from him, he still loved her with every inch of his soul and would do anything to see her happy, even if that meant handing her over to some sleazy shinobi.
"Sakura-chan." Kizashi smiled brightly at his daughter swelling with pride. "Look how lovely you look. You're looking more beautiful every time I see you."
Sakura giggled at her father who usually said this to her every time she visited. Kizashi turned his attention to the tall man trailing behind her. He felt his heart beat quicken as he recognized the pale skin and hard eyes of an Uchiha.
"Who's your friend, Sakura-chan?" He swallowed hard trying to dispel the lump in his throat that had formed. Sakura was about to introduce Sasuke to her father, like she had her mother when Sasuke stood in front of her and addressed her father directly.
"Haruno-san." He bowed again, this time deeper. "Please give me your blessing to date your daughter."
Sakura's eyes went as wide as dish plates at Sasuke's sudden proclamation. She looked back and forth to her father and Sasuke, trying to figure out what he'd just done. How dare he be so open and bold? He'd not even introduced himself. He'd just come straight out of the blue and demanded that her father give them his blessing; so tactless, so rude, so…so Sasuke. He hadn't even bothered to ask Sakura if this was okay. Sakura could feel the rage at Sasuke bubble up to the surface; feel the blood rush to her face as she fought back the urge to scream at him.
"Sasuke!" She exhaled in frustration before storming out of the room in a huff.
Sasuke blinked at the spot Sakura had just occupied. What did he do to deserve that reaction? He thought she'd be pleased that he'd be so ready to announce that he was serious about their relationship. What could be more serious than asking for a father's blessing? Sasuke may have unravelled the mysteries of the sharingan but he was far from achieving the same with the likes of Sakura. Sasuke was distracted by all thoughts of Sakura by loud booming laughter that almost made him jump.
"You sure she wants to date you?" Kizashi said between guffaws. "It doesn't look like she's too happy with the idea." He wiped the tears from his eyes. Sakura never failed to remind him of his wife with her short temper. He was surprised that she was able to rein it in so well in front of this Uchiha boy. The fact that he didn't have a black eye right now spoke strong enough on its own. "Sit down, boy." He motioned for Sasuke to join him at the small table.
Sasuke, pushing his confusion aside, followed the man's instruction. After all, his main objective of the day was to achieve this man's trust. He sat directly across from him trying to ascertain what type of man he was. He had pink hair like his daughters and the same piercing green eyes. Sasuke had been shocked to find that Sakura hadn't inherited these traits from her mother, but her father instead.
"I think we better start over." Kizashi said shaking his head. It was clear to Sasuke that her father was a kind natured person. "Haruno Kizashi."
"Uchiha Sasuke." Sasuke said trying his hardest to look confident. "Sorry for before-"
"-Quite alright, quite alright." Kizashi stopped Sasuke mid-sentence with a wave of his hand. "I can't expect a boy who's had no parents for more than half his life to know how to act in front of some."
So Kizashi knew who he was then? He tried to calm his nerves as he wondered what else he knew about him. This is what he'd been worried about. Even though he'd been back in the village for a while now there were still some villagers who preferred he wasn't. Kizashi reached forward to grab a glass of water from the table. He held it to his lips before observing the boy. Yes, he looked a lot more like his mother than his father.
"I knew your father." Kizashi murmured, before emptying the glass.
Sasuke's looked at Kizashi taking in the information he'd just received carefully. He hadn't heard many things about his father in his lifetime. From what he remembered his father had always been strict and stern. He couldn't even imagine his father having friends. Then again Kizashi hadn't said that they'd been friends. It would be just Sasuke's luck if his father had somehow bullied Kizashi as a child and as a result wouldn't allow Sasuke to date his daughter.
"Excuse me, sir…but would you mind telling me how?" Sasuke asked carefully, wondering if he even really wanted to know.
"I was in the academy with him. When we were kids. We weren't really friends because he mostly kept to his own lot. There were a lot more Uchiha kids back then, you see." Kizashi placed the glass on the table and gave Sasuke a solemn look. "But he was a talented man and a good man and I was sorry to hear of his death."
"Thank you." Sasuke let the information and relief sink in. So his father hadn't been a bully.
"So…" Kizashi placed his fist on his knee in a formal motion. "You want to date my only daughter."
"Yes, sir." Sasuke kept his voice steady and calm.
"You can understand why this would be of concern for me?" Kizashi queried him.
"Yes, sir."
"The villages views of the Uchiha clan are not very esteemed or pleasant, as you could imagine." Kizashi kept his eyes firmly placed on Sasuke's, testing his reaction. "If I were to let my daughter date you it would be logical to think that eventually you'd want to marry her. Thus making her an Uchiha."
Sasuke pondered this. So far his thoughts for the future had been pushed to the back of his mind to be addressed at a later date. But now sitting in front of her father it was as if things were as clear as they ever could be. Unfortunately for him, he didn't like where this conversation was going. It would appear that despite the respect Kizashi held for his father, the respect he held for his own daughter was understandably higher. With this in mind, Sasuke nodded at Kizashi.
"Well, that poses a problem then doesn't it?" Kizashi asked. "How am I supposed to, willingly, let my daughter date a man who does not demand or, I'm sorry if I'm being too bold, deserve the respect of this village?"
"I promise you, sir." Sasuke started, steeled in his resolve. "No bad word would ever be uttered about your daughter in my wake." And he meant it too because if he ever caught anyone in the act of doing so, he'd promptly break their nose.
Kizashi pondered the brave young man's words. He admired the confidence the boy displayed; a determined attitude that he'd inherited from his father. He remembered the state he'd been in the day he'd met Mebuki's stern father. Then his thoughts turned to Sakura. The girl was so free spirited and had such a fiery will of determination that he doubted she'd obey if he refused them his blessing. Surely, it would be better to keep the peace and allow it then to refuse and be forever in her bad graces. Kizashi wasn't exactly sure he had anything personally against the boy seated in front of him. Besides, Mebuki always wanted Sakura to marry into one of the big clans and you couldn't get much better than the Uchiha.
"Well, I guess it's out of my hands then." Kizashi scratched the side of his head pensively. "If she'll have you then by all means, you have my blessing."
"Thank you, sir." Sasuke bowed his head gratefully not letting his relief show. "I'll take good care of her."
"One word of advice though." Kizashi beckoned him closer and cupped his mouth. "Don't get on her bad side. She packs a mean punch."
Sasuke couldn't help but laugh at Kizashi's words. This man probably had no idea how correct he was. Kizashi joined in on Sasuke's laughter and reached behind him for a small bottle and two cups. They might as well celebrate the meeting with some sake.
"Of all the men in Konoha." Mebuki crossed her arms as Sakura entered the kitchen. "You had to go and chose an Uchiha."
Sakura rolled her eyes. She had stormed into the kitchen to escape said Uchiha but had met an angry mother instead.
"I'm so angry and disappointed in you that I could scream." Mebuki continued. "If you knew half the things people said about that clan you wouldn't go near that boy with a ten-foot-pole."
"Please, Kaasan. If half the things the villagers say have any truth to them at all, I'd eat my own hat. You told me to stay away from Naruto, and now he's the most respected ninja in Konoha." She replied exasperated.
Sakura took a seat at the bench in front of her mother. She knew she'd react like this. She'd been relying on her ability to talk her father into anything to get both her and Sasuke safely through this day, but alas she'd already abandoned him. Her mother had always been so concerned with the reputation there small family had. She'd been pushed this way and that to gain the favour of the bigger clans. Now she'd finally brought someone home from a bigger clan and she was receiving this lecture instead of praise.
"I thought you'd be happy." Sakura took a grape from the counter and popped it in her mouth. "He's from a prestigious clan."
"A prestigious clan of murderers that's all but extinct." Her mother hissed.
"Well, maybe I could help Sasuke to repopulate it." Sakura replied cheekily.
This was why her mother and her couldn't get along. Her mother was so traditional they often clashed on matters such as this. Sakura knew she had pushed it too far this time. Mebuki's face had gone red with anger. Her mouth opened wide with the intention of yelling at her daughter when she heard the strangest noise coming from the living room. The look on Sakura's face confirmed that she'd heard it too.
Wordlessly, the two women approached the living room entrance with twin expressions of scepticism. Sakura hadn't exactly known what to expect from her unpredictable father. Most of the time he was so calm and jovial that she'd be so shocked when he acted mature and stern. She thought she'd find him deep in conversation with Sasuke. Discussing the finer points of their relationship and only receiving one-worded replies from Sasuke. But she had not expected to find Sasuke leaning on the floor his hand clutched to his side laughing at her father as he told him a story.
"I swear on my life. Your father, sharp as a tack didn't miss a beat. He saw straight through my miserable henge but didn't say anything. He just accepted it and went on his way." Kizashi told Sasuke through disjointed laughs. "He never ever asked me why I was disguised as one of the girls in the change room though. Come to think of it I never asked him what he was doing there either." Kizashi finished and the both of them laughed uproariously.
It was then that Sakura noticed the bottle of sake on the table. She looked at her mother and found they both were thinking the same thing. How much had they had to drink of that vile stuff? Her father's sake was the strongest available in Konoha. He bought it especially from a travelling merchant. Sakura had gifted a bottle of it to Tsunade once only to be asked if Sakura was trying to poison her. She never dared to taste it herself though and now Sasuke was rolling on the floor like an idiot at her father's dumb stories, with the risk of alcohol poisoning looming over his head.
"Kizashi!" Mebuki, having regained her composure before Sakura, had marched in to the room her hands on her hips and her eyes glowing with rage. "What on earth are you doing to this poor boy?" She pointed her finger in Sasuke's direction; who was still on the floor trying to catch his breath. "He comes to visit us to expressly ask you permission to date our daughter and what do you do? You pull that nasty lighter fluid from the shelf and try to poison him."
"He already asked." Kizashi waved his hand dismissively at his wife. "I said yes of course. As if Sakura would take no for an answer, anyways."
Sakura had taken this chance to walk over to Sasuke and nudge him with her foot. Sasuke looked up from his place on the floor to see Sakura standing above him like a beautiful angel. He smiled widely at her although he had no idea why. He'd had plenty of chances in his life to familiarize himself with alcohol but never before had he encountered such a potent concoction.
"Sakuraaaa." Sasuke grabbed her hand. "You're father knew my father."
Sakura looked at her father, who was now receiving and ear full from her mother. She didn't know that her father had known Uchiha Fugaku. She calculated quickly how old her father was and decided that they must have been around the same age.
"I suppose they did." Sakura answered. She'd never seen Sasuke act this way before. He was drunk yes, but something twinkled in his eyes. Maybe hearing even the littlest things about his parents made him feel this way; made him feel nostalgic. She couldn't help but smile at him in a bittersweet way. For the millionth time in her life she wondered how differently he would have turned out had they still been alive today.
"Hey…hey, Sakura." Sasuke demanded her attention again giggling. "I'm going to ask your mother if she knew my mother." Sasuke let go of her hand and, before she could stop him, reached over and tugged on the hem of her mother's apron. The reaction was instant. Mebuki snapped her eyes towards Sasuke with the full intent of turning her lecture to him. "Excuse me Haruno-san. Did you know my mother?"
Sakura expected Mebuki to pick Sasuke up himself and throw him out the front door. How dare he paw at her like that? But the moment she looked in to his eyes her expression softened. She could see now that he wasn't the evil criminal her friends in her gossip circle made him out to be. He was just a lonely boy who had lost his entire family at a young age. She lowered herself to his level, taking a seat next to her husband who had his arm on the table supporting his head. Sakura looked on with concern for the situation not knowing what to expect.
"When I was a little girl." Her mother began. "I went to a pre-school around the corner from here. Your mother also attended this school."
Sasuke sat up from his relaxed position staring intently at Mebuki. Sakura sensing the conflicting feelings in Sasuke sat down next to him placing her hand on top of his.
"Please. Do you have anything to say about her?" Sasuke asked Mebuki his eyes full of sadness.
"Your mother was one of the kindest people I ever met. Even though she went on to the ninja academy after those days, I never forgot the kindness she'd shown to me, a girl with no connections to any clan, the daughter of a fruit merchant."
She let her words settle over the four of them. Eyeing Sasuke with motherly concern.
"Thank you. Thank you so much. For saying those things and for letting me date your daughter."
Sakura didn't know what had just happened. One minute her mother had been scolding her for bringing Sasuke to her house the next she was doting on him with all the affection of a proud mother. She was pouring him sake and talking animatedly with her husband and Sasuke as they both progressively became more and more drunk.
Well that went better than expected…