Crumbling
Summary: Sakura could only stare as her world fell away. Alternate Universe, study in real life situations. Sakura centric, not Sasu/Saku.
In chapter 7, a reviewer made a very precise point I want to address in this chapter. It, uh, it won't be pretty. Also, I'll reference past chapters a bit, because I'll be jumping around in the time-line again.
This chapter I dedicate to im ur misconception, because she never misses a beat! Man, she's the BEST.
WARNING: Sakura's heart breaks again; for more than one reason.
'Love, all alike, no season knows, nor clime
Nor hours, days, months, which are the rags of time' – Excerpt from "The Sun Rising", by John Donne
Chapter Nine
"Rags of time"
Sakura enters the small café with an awed smile. Tokyo has many pet-friendly places, but most of those simply rent out pets for people whose apartments or schedules don't allow for them. Finding a place that allows owners to bring their own dogs is still a rather rare occurrence. Considering who she has come to meet, it's no surprise he would know of the one place in Asakusa where pets are welcome. She's not often in this part of town, as it's rather far from her usual haunts. Beside her, Taiki's near mad with excitement at the prospect of making so many new friends. She jostles him a little to remind him to behave, but his tail wags wildly as she makes her way toward the young man and his large mutt sitting near the back.
Kiba stands and bows in greeting, grinning devilishly. Sakura smiles and bows back, letting Taiki get acquainted with Akamaru before she takes a seat herself. The waitress rushes to take her order, and Sakura asks for a hot chocolate. Though it's early March, the winter chill has been lingering the past few days due to endless rain. With his big paws and goofy grin, Taiki makes an instant good impression on both the young coach and his friendly beast. "Hey," Kiba says, as much of a greeting as she could expect from him.
"Hey, sempai" Sakura returns, settling comfortably by removing her coat. Unlike her outings with other friends, Kiba is pretty much an unknown, so she'd taken care to prep a little more than usual. Her hair is perfectly coiffed and neat, with her make-up soft and understated. She'd even taken more care in choosing her outfit, going for a cozy green dress with white heels and a white cardigan to cover her shoulders. The smart arrangement of jewels and her purse complete her ensemble, and even Gaara had stared longer than usual when she'd shown him the end result. Sakura isn't this careful among closer friends, but Kiba is barely an acquaintance. His friendship with Hinata is all that ties them together now, despite having been of the same high school. Kiba's one year older, but he'd always hovered around the young Hyuuga heiress. As Sakura hadn't been much for Hinata's circles, preferring instead to be with her own circle of friends, she and Kiba had never interacted much. Though he'd been Sasuke's dormmate during their collage days, Sakura had never visited when the older student was there.
Kiba raises a hand, shaking it slightly. "Don't sempai me, it'll make me feel old." He turns his attention to his dog, petting Akamaru's wild mane with a fond look.
Sakura raises a brow, somehow finding his remark ludicrous. "But you are old," is her rebuttal as she pretends to adjust her things around her. Perhaps she's been spending too much time with Gaara, given how she's begun to pick up his habits. Two years ago, she'd have never even dreamed of meeting Inuzuka Kiba by herself, much less insulting him before greeting him properly.
When she looks up, Kiba has an odd look and a crooked grin on his face. "Your tongue's gotten sharper, Haruno."
Sakura smiles at the waitress in thanks for her beverage and takes a calming sip. "It's always been sharp, I'm afraid. And it's Hatake now, Inuzuka." She can feel the lasers in his eyes. He's been gone for years, but even he would have known about her marriage to Uchiha Sasuke. Of course, considering the prominence of his family, Kiba probably also knew about their divorce. Being free of the Uchihas didn't mean being free of the tabloids and their speculation. Hinata is no gossip girl, so it's unlikely Kiba knows the entirety of her history.
At Kiba's raised brow, she lets her expression soften a little. "My uncle adopted me, so I'm Hatake Sakura." She takes another sip of her drink, deciding to cut to the chase. For all his bluster, Kiba had invited her here. "Why did you ask to meet?"
The handsome coach falters, hiding behind his coffee for a moment as he seems to gather his thoughts. Sakura begins to feel uneasy. Ever since he'd first contacted her, he'd insisted on meeting face-to-face. Though her schedule and his barely coincided, he had doggedly pursued a tête-à-tête with her since last January. Deciding perhaps she's coming across a bit too combative, she draws back a little.
"How have you been? Hinata's told me you've been in Europe the past few years," Sakura remarks, allowing him to find his footing. As he goes on with the small-talk, telling her a bit about how he's been, Sakura relaxes. Their mutual friendship to the sweet Hyuuga heiress is enough common ground for them to feel less like strangers. Even when that common ground dries up, they find a happy coincidence that both of them are so fond of dogs. Taiki's good manners and shiny coat becomes the focal point of their talk, eventually leading to many stories about their respective pets. Kiba has always had a way with words, and his every tale is entertaining. Sakura's in stitches half of the time, laughing harder than she has all year.
Sakura glances at her watch, surprised that so much time has elapsed. "Goodness, I really must be going soon. I need to head home," she tells Kiba, raising her hand to ask for the check. Kiba reaches out and rebuffs her attempt, looking steadily into her eyes.
"I did have a reason for calling you here, but I wasn't sure you'd take it well," he says, his brows creased in worry. "I've always liked you, Sakura. You're a good friend to Hinata and a nice girl. So, I…"
Sakura takes a deep, fortifying breath. She pats his hand in reassurance, then reaches out for Taiki to strengthen her resolve. "I knew you had something a bit difficult to say, Inuzuka. I wouldn't have come here if I hadn't wanted to hear what you have to say."
Kiba's grin is subdued, and his hands fold up together decisively. "You know I was Sasuke's roommate in collage, right?" At her nod, he forges on. "You and I weren't on very good terms, and I wasn't much better in the moral sense… but when I heard you'd divorced him, well…"
He pauses again and takes a deep breath.
"I shouldn't have kept this from you, to be frank. Saying that I didn't know you was just an excuse to avoid the issue, but I also wasn't sure what you'd think of a stranger telling you something so sensitive…" Kiba takes a steadying drink, his nerves seemingly on edge. Having heard this is something related to Sasuke in college, Sakura no longer feels in the mood to be sympathetic. "I knew Sasuke was dating you, but I also knew how, on the weekends he'd bring to the dorm different girls. Some nights he just wouldn't come back and show up until late after dawn. It was worse during exams, when you were too busy studying to even text him. That one time you fainted from stress and no one could reach him? I found him in a motel with a girl. He was drunk out of his mind. I had to wash him and clothe him, so he'd go see you at the hospital. It took him nearly three hours to sober up. I was with him the entire time, and I even told Naruto what he'd been up to. Stupid blond told me to keep my mouth shut, because telling you would only worsen your condition."
It's no mystery to Sakura that Kiba and Naruto weren't overly fond of each other. Though his wife is good friends with the running coach, Naruto had always known how Kiba felt for Hinata. The young Diet member trusts his wife with his soul, but it's hard to allow a man you know loves your wife to be her friend. Sakura's mouth thins, realizing that Naruto had known about Sasuke's infidelity since way back. She'd suspected as much, but it hurts to know that he never told her. Perhaps, during her lapse in her youth, he was right in omitting it… but now?
"That day, I had no choice but to call his brother, too. Neither Sasuke nor I had money for the motel, and the girl was long gone. Uchiha Itachi came by to pay for the room, and the staff greeted him by name. They greeted him by fucking name…" Kiba sucks a deep breath between clenched teeth. Sakura notices in a funny, detached way that she's crying. Kiba grunts and grumbles, gruffly ordering her to wipe her face with his blue kerchief. She takes it mutely, a part of her feeling some amusement at his prickly way of showing care. "When I heard the total he paid, I realized it wasn't just for one room. It was for an entire account Sasuke kept at that motel. I was going to graduate that year and Itachi offered me an internship at Nike in Paris. They were looking for running coaches for the marathon in April. I knew it was for the sake of keeping me quiet and I knew it was the wrong thing to do. I took it, though."
Kiba puts a hand on his dog, scratching behind his ear as Akamaru wags his tail. His head falls and Sakura can see the burning blush of shame on his cheeks.
"I'm such a shitty bastard," he says, smilingly crookedly. He turns his entire body, pushing his chair back. With heavy meaning, he bows at the waist, his chest to his knees. His formal, near seiza pose just about breaks her heart. "I'm so sorry, Sakura. I'm sorry I was any part of that and I'm sorry I wasn't man enough to tell you until now."
Sakura dries her cheeks, smiling at the dog doodles on the kerchief. It's clean and smells recently washed. She vaguely realizes that Kiba might have even brought it for the sole purpose of giving it to her in case she cried. She can't say it's alright, that she forgives him. If anything, she really wants to punch him in that pretty mouth of his. Still, this apologetic, guilty admission is more than what people she considers family have given her. Lies and deceit to cover for her ex-husband's biggest failing. Had she known in her collage days, it would have been a great heartbreak, to be sure. Hell, Sasuke's philandering ways probably started since high school. It would have given her an opportunity, though. A large, much missed opportunity to break away from Sasuke and make a better life for herself. It would have allowed for lesser intimacy and for her to feel less like something tainted.
Her hands shake as the magnitude of it hits her. Sakura begins to rub her hands, feeling dirty and defiled. When she had realized Karin's pregnancy had happened before Sasuke had even proposed, Sakura had felt sick. This feeling dwarves that initial impression, making her world spin on its axis. It's as though some God had decided to press a finger to the Earth and tilt it sideways. The sanctity of her body, her soul and her heart had been heavily tarnished by Sasuke. She barely manages to swallow a sob as she has the urge to take a long, scathing shower. Just as she's about to stand up, leaving Kiba bowing, a hand lands on her shoulder.
She looks up through her tears, noticing Ino at her back, with Gaara a little ways away. These days, the lawyer lets her run freely, as Sasuke has long stopped stalking her. How he manages to track her down should surprise her, but… he called Ino. Ino stands furious, a column of support that Sakura grabs onto like a drowning man.
"Gaara, I leave him to you," Ino states with cold disdain, looking down her nose at the young coach. "Pleasure seeing you, Inuzuka. I'll take Sakura."
Smartly, Ino picks up the broken pieces of her friend. Neither of them bow toward Kiba, who is still mid-seiza. Taking everything but Taiki's leash, which Gaara has already commandeered, Ino leads Sakura out. Without even pausing, Sakura is frog-marched to her car, shoved into the co-pilot's seat and the door slams shut as Ino walks around to the pilot's seat. Ino settles into her seat, turning on the battery, before turning to look at her friend. She grabs Sakura's hands, which still tremble worse than the first time she'd had a table death.
"Look at me, Saa-chan," watery green eyes lift, and Ino smiles through her own tears. "I'm here."
Sakura cries as Ino croons, turning on the heat and classical music Sakura favors.
Back inside the restaurant, Gaara sits where Sakura sat, petting the gentle German Shepherd at his side. Taiki's so used to changing hands between Sakura and Gaara, he doesn't even bother to search for his missing mistress. "What do you want?"
Kiba's head snaps up, finally rising from his bow. "What?" his voice is outraged, but Gaara is unmoved.
"You waited until the divorce was finalized to do this." Gaara coldly points out, raising an imperious brow. "Had you really been playing the part of a concerned party, I don't think you would have chased Sakura for three months in order to meet."
Kiba sputters, but Gaara's hand flies, serpent fast. His grip on Kiba's shirt front is vice, pulling the other man forward with near-inhuman strength. "The Uchiha family only bribed you for your loyalty. I don't play so nice." The snarl on Gaara's face puts Akamaru's fur up, but the cutting green gaze makes the dog's tail tuck. The threat is implied, and when Kiba remains silent, Gaara's grip turns choking.
"I did know Sakura got most of Sasuke's assets after the divorce," Kiba stammers, looking away. "But I didn't think it would hurt her so much. I thought maybe my information might have her feeling thankful…"
Gaara's grip doesn't loosen and his eyes are pure steel. "So you thought you might receive a thank-you gift?"
"No," Kiba says, raising both hands as a gesture of surrender. "My nephew is sick, but doctors haven't diagnosed him. I would have asked for her help."
Gaara snorts, finally releasing him. Kiba coughs, adjusting his collar with an angry stare.
"You don't know her very well, do you?" Gaara asks, neatening his cuffs smartly. "She's not an Uchiha. She would have helped you without a trade involved. Now, though, you won't go anywhere near her."
Kiba's rebuttal dies on his lips as Gaara very deliberately places a black, engraved business card on the table. The gold engraving is both in neat, precise kanji, and in English, the bold letters beneath the traditional characters. Gaara's stare is bland, almost blank, as he watches the blood drain from Inuzuka Kiba's face. Confident the other man got the entirety of his message, Gaara picks up the card again and pockets it.
Pulling twice at his suit lapels to straighten the material over his chest, Gaara turns slightly toward the door before addressing Kiba over his shoulder. "You'll get the check, I presume."
Gaara steps out, smirking as he takes out his phone and deactivates the GPS app. He'd once started his account from Sakura's phone in the first days they'd met. This allows him to follow her every move whenever she takes her phone. Gaara only ever uses it when necessary, and once Ino commented on the nature of Kiba's relationship with Sasuke, something hadn't sat well with him.
The redhead looks up at the sky and wonders if Sakura would like some soba for dinner.
Gaara holds baby Sarada at arm's length, considering dropping him. The seven-month old baby waves his arms excitedly, causing Gaara to promptly set him in a disgruntled police officer's hands. "Put that somewhere out of the way, would you?"
At the officer's scandalized look, Gaara snorts. He doesn't really consider anything related to Uchiha Sasuke human, so the baby isn't deserving of basic human rights. Somewhere, in his logical half, he argues that the child does… but he's in charge now.
Gaara resists the sudden urge to point to and declare himself captain. Putting that thought aside, he strolls over to the containment cell, smirking at the fuming Uchiha Sasuke. After the events of the club, it had taken Gaara barely more than a few hours to put the dumb Uchiha behind bars. With pictures of Sakura's wounds, and those of the young man Sasuke had beat bloody, Gaara had a solid case of assault and battery. Worse, with the many pictures he'd taken the past few months of Sasuke stalking his client despite the restraining order… well.
"Stalking, blatant disregard for the rulings of the court, trespassing, child endangerment, assault and battery; Uchiha Sasuke, when you break the law, you do not look back." Gaara drawls, drawing even with the incarcerated Uchiha.
Sasuke opens his mouth to growl, when Gaara gestures for the cop cradling his son to come forward. Touching the child's dark hair with a single finger, Gaara runs his hand around its pudgy cheeks. Sasuke twitches, his hands wrapping around the bars convulsively.
"What will happen to this child once you go to jail?" Gaara asks, his eyes falling speculatively on the baby. "Your mother's restraining order makes her unfit to raise him. Your brother has evidence against him for bribing a judge. Your mistress has been ruled incapable of being a mother."
Gaara's gaze rises to watch Sasuke, a predatory gleam making the other man break into cold sweat. His breath starts to come in harsh pants, and he has to visibly swallow incomprehensive screams at this beast manhandling his baby boy. The smile that curls the redhead's lips is full of unholy glee, despite it's polite, almost professional turn. "If I looked at the evidence properly, I could even get the prosecution to make a case of attempted murder."
Sasuke's blood runs cold.
"You wouldn't dare." He hisses, his eyes narrowing.
"He would dare," a new voice opines, as a man with light brown hair strolls in with the decided air of someone who owns the world. "And he is also absolutely right."
The newcomer nods slightly in the place of a proper bow toward Sasuke, then amiably slings an arm over the redheaded lawyer's shoulder. "You really should have been a prosecutor, Gaara." The older man comments, as though he's not currently discussing giving Sasuke's biggest threat even more power over him. "Or maybe a judge?"
Gaara doesn't shrug off the offending arm. "You're too entertained in your carpentry shop to take cases these days, or so I've heard." He pets with two fingers the top of Sarada's head, causing the brown-haired man to look at the infant.
"Ugly little thing, are we putting it up in an orphanage?" he remarks, wrinkling his nose. When the officer carrying the child doesn't put the offending creature away, he physically pushes the cop's arm to remove it from his line of sight. "It won't get adopted early."
"I'm looking into it," Gaara responds, handing the older man a folder. "Uchiha Sasuke, meet your prosecutor, Sabaku Kankuro."
"My pleasure," Kankuro flashes a grin that's all malice and knives. "I'll enjoy putting you away, and that thing into Child Services." He points at father and son respectively, smiling too cheerfully for someone promising to break Sasuke's little family apart.
Opening the folder, Kankuro takes a seat in a harried cop's chair, crossing his legs as he inspects the thick case laid against Sasuke. "Little brother, you shock me! You've gone and done all my work for me. I didn't take this case just to win it without taking it to court."
Gaara snorts, posture defiant. "Just get results."
"The judge is Sarutobi, you know," Kankuro's tone is conversational as he flips through the pages. "Ooh, you beat your own wife so hard, she got a concussion?" The delight in his voice is completely at odds with the admonishing look he sends Sasuke.
Sasuke pales at the news, looking horrified. "What?"
Gaara rounds on him like a shark scenting blood. He holds up a picture of Sakura, someone holding a bleeding towel to her head as she stares blearily at the camera. He says nothing, allowing the evidence to speak for itself.
Sasuke remains frozen, staring at the picture. He'd known he'd struck her, but he hadn't known the blow had been serious. His attack to the other man, that could have been dealt with by the might of the Uchiha name and money. This? Sakura and her lawyer won't be keen to accept bribes or settle out of court. Suddenly, Gaara's threats hit home, and Sasuke realizes that he's in very real danger of being put in jail for at least three to five years. Should the attempted murder stick, he might even spend ten years behind bars. Not even his Clan can dig him out of this one, as it appears that Gaara has been building a case against him for months.
Like his younger brother, Kankuro reads Sasuke's criminal accomplishments as though looking through a laundry list, sounding extremely amused. From his research, he'd thought the eldest son of the Sabaku family was a craftsman, but it appears that the Sabaku law office deals in more than just defense or divorce. If his prosecutor in civil court is equally turned against him, Sasuke will face both jail-time and a large fine from the State; perhaps, as Gaara's looking almost bloodthirsty, they'll freeze all his assets and seize them. He will be left in jail, in poverty and without his son. Sasuke looks at Sarada, staring hard at his own son, as though this will be their last meeting.
Gaara follows his line of sight, then steps closer. His whisper is heavy with meaning, and it packs a bigger punch than even Itachi's many warnings months before. "Set your priorities straight, Uchiha. I won't say this twice." Gaara leans back, his green eyes icy.
Sasuke recalls his brother's words long ago, when he'd left a note on his kitchen counter after a visit. The words haunt him as he sinks to his knees, realizing he's not just lost his wife… but his son, too.
You're a father. Act like one.
Mikoto's starting to lose her patience with the hospital personnel as they, again, refuse to allow her entry into Haruno Riku's room. During previous visits, the nurses had been tripping over themselves to be the one to open the door for the Uchiha Matriarch. They might not know why she would deign to visit one of the loonies they care for, but it was said that merely being in Mikoto's general line of sight might end up in a promotion. Now, they won't even let her past the reception into the hallways beyond.
"I don't understand, this is unacceptable. Please, let me through!" Mikoto repeats, keeping her voice calm and level. The nurses in front of her seem to be having a mild panic attack, but they don't allow her to pass.
"I'm afraid we're not allowed to, Madame Uchiha," the eldest nurse repeats, her expression a mask of exasperation and annoyance. "Our instructions don't allow for your entrance to the facilities."
It's not the first time the nurses have said that, or something like it, and it's starting to fray the edges of her poise. There are only so many times people can say things that don't make sense before one loses their cool. It's much worse that thought the nurses say this, they refuse to explain themselves or tell her who forbade her access to the asylum.
"Haruno Riku is a friend, I've visited her multiple times in the past. Please explain this to me, it makes no sense!" Mikoto's near pleading. Her return from the Complex in the north has her renewing her efforts to bring Sakura back to her family. Though he hadn't said it in so many words, Sasuke needs Sakura. She had seen how much her son had been affected and she needs at minimum one card in her favor to cancel the divorce, or perhaps encourage a re-marriage. Though she knows its an underhanded method, bringing Haruno Riku under the protection of the Uchiha family would at least give Sakura an excuse to visit the compound in Tokyo. Should Mikoto get her way, she could even station her friend at the complex in Iwate, forcing Sakura's visits to last a few days. A chance encounter could then be planned with more care, to which Mikoto is sure the romance could be rekindled. It was only a minor misstep on Sasuke's part, and she's certain that Sakura has yet to stop loving her son.
"You're not obligated to answer," a new voice says, sending chills down Mikoto's spine. Gaara walks out from the hall beyond, impeccably dressed. He puts a hand on the nurse's shoulder, clearly directing his remark toward the staff. "I'll handle this."
He raises an imperious eyebrow at her, gesturing for them to exit the facilities. Mikoto's back goes up, and she stares down her nose at the lawyer. "I'm not leaving this place until I'm allowed to see my friend."
Gaara's face is almost bored, like he cannot believe he's having to repeat himself. "That's not possible. Follow me, please."
Mikoto decides to obey, if only so the redhead would leave her alone. She knows enough after tangling him a year ago, during Sasuke's incarceration. He almost put her son in jail for a long time, enough to have her see that the Sabaku family are still above them in power and influence. Indeed, the only reason her son's free and on probation is because they allowed it. Like a cat playing with a toy mouse, certain it can never get away.
He leads her to a café near the hospital, gesturing for her to sit. There are no waitresses here, so Gaara offers to fetch her a drink. She asks for some tea, and he leaves her to stew in disapproval as he swaggers to the counter. He's given a beeper as he places his order, and comes back, putting it on the table.
"How much do I owe you?" Mikoto asks, taking out her wallet from her purse. Gaara shakes his head, refusing the payment. He's probably thinking that humiliating her in the hospital was payment enough. The glittering amusement in his gaze seems to guess her thoughts. For once, Mikoto bypasses the small talk. She gets straight to the point.
"Why are you barring my entry to see my friend?" At Gaara's expression, she can suppose he's belittling her use of the word 'friend' instead of 'pawn'.
He takes out a folder from his briefcase, perusing through the documents. "For the last twelve months, you've been visiting Mrs. Haruno in her hospital room. You would visit her once every two months, until about six months ago, when she began having problems. She had to be put in solitary confinement a few times after your visits, claiming to be considering suicide. Is this correct?"
Grudgingly, Mikoto has to nod. The various times she'd visited Riku, the younger woman had mostly given her the cold shoulder. However, after the one fateful visit where Riku refused to see her unless Sakura was present, Riku had begun to act wildly. From the very moment Mikoto would walk into the door, or until the very end of the visit, Haruno Riku would suddenly and violently react. She would throw whatever she could reach; she would curse in a variety of languages worthy of a genius; she would begin a mantra of simply swearing she was going to kill herself; and on her worst days, she'd start to convulse, frothing at the mouth and gagging with her own saliva. The latest visit had resulted in Riku biting her own tongue and trying to choke on her blood. Mikoto isn't entirely sure what to make of it, and she's horrified to think her friend really doesn't want to see her. After the last visit, Mikoto had simply stopped going until now, after her return from Iwate.
"I see," Gaara says, almost to himself. The beeper begins to blink and vibrate, so he goes to fetch their drinks before continuing his line of thought. Mikoto quietly thanks him for her tea, putting both hands around her cup. It's warm compared to the snowing winter outside the door, and the bleak outlook of her friend's deteriorating condition.
"The doctors have tied most of her outbursts to your visits, Madame Uchiha," Gaara says, his words a sharp, slim knife. He's aiming his words to slice into the soft, tender places… he's aiming to hurt while he brings this point home. "If you are not there, she's calm and shows no signs of attempting suicide. During the last three months you have not visited, she has been making progress in her therapy. She's allowing more people to come see her and has even shown signs of interest in events around her."
The redheaded lawyer finally gets to the point, pulling out a form. "The medic in charge of Mrs. Haruno Riku has decided it's against her interest to have you visit her or be near her. For the safety of his patient, you and anyone with ties to the Uchiha is hereby forbidden from visiting her or releasing her from the care of the hospital. Unless given consent and accompanied by her guardians, Hatake Kakashi and Hatake Sakura."
Mikoto stares blindly at the form before her, refusing to read the carefully printed words on the page.
Gaara stands, grabbing his drink and a third beverage Mikoto hadn't noticed until now. "That is binding until the death of the patient. I have an appointment, excuse me."
Mikoto stares at the court's decision, her hands tight on her tea. Her lips curl into a rueful smile to realize she's been heavily and completely outmaneuvered. She chuckles softly and sighs, deciding to finally let it go. If her son needs looking after, he might as well come home. She'll enjoy having a baby in the house.
She looks out the window, chin in her heads, and watches the snow fall.
It's Sakura's second day going to kindergarten, and Kakashi juggles her schoolbag, her adorable tulip nametag, her bento box, and her sweater as he tries to get his niece out the door before he drops everything. On her first day, Sakura had barely slept, waking almost two hours before their alarm went off and jumping on her uncle's bed in excitement. Today, both of them overslept from a misfired alarm after the lights went out at home. Six-years-old, with her bubblegum hair spilling almost to her lower back, Sakura pulls on Kakashi's elbow to get him toward the door faster.
As his hands are full, Sakura takes the task of opening the door on her tiptoes, shouting eagerly for her uncle to hurry after she locks the door behind him. Considering the hour, they forgo the car, instead heading to the nearest subway station so Sakura won't be late for class. Going down the stairs to take the subway, uncle and niece almost lose track of each other in the crowd. Thankfully, Sakura has the wherewithal to grip Kakashi's pants like a lifeline. Once on the platform, Kakashi kneels to shove her arms into the sweater and pin the tag onto her uniform, careful not to poke his niece with the sharp point. She hugs her lunchbox to her chest, as Kakashi pulls both straps of her backpack up to her shoulders neatly.
"Now, Saa-chan, you've memorize my number, right?" Kakashi asks, prompting his niece to rattle it off with a nod. She whispers it, keeping her voice beneath the loud noise at the platform. "The station's number?" She quickly responds correctly. "Uncle Gai's number?" Sakura rapid-fires their loud neighbor's number at her uncle. "Our home address?"
"Yes, Kacchan!" Sakura says, getting exasperated. She's been having this conversation with him since a week before the spring term began. It has grown a bit old for her, but she knows her uncle does it out of concern. Not too long ago, a little girl had been abducted in their neighborhood. She was found days later because she didn't know how to get home and got lost after the kidnappers released her.
The arrival of the train stops further conversation as Kakashi scoops up his niece and runs inside, keeping her in his arms, as the car is too full for him to trust not losing her in the crowd. Cursing his lack of foresight and mistake, Kakashi's analyzing each face with care. In a place like this, it won't be easy to get away from any kind of threat. He's trained Sakura to hold onto his back in case he needs to free his arms for a fight, but he wants her in his sight down in the subway. Impatiently, he stands among the rest of the morning rush, hoping his grip on the rungs above won't hinder him should he need to draw a weapon. Kakashi isn't normally paranoid on the subway, but whenever he rides with Sakura, his senses go into overdrive.
It takes nearly an age for them to reach their stop, with Kakashi carrying Sakura for the sake of speed. They only have ten minutes left, so he has to book it so she won't be late. Sakura laughs, urging her uncle to run even faster.
When they arrive at the kindergarten doors, it's with three minutes to spare, and Sakura smiles and waves at the friends she made the day before as she spots them heading inside. Just as she's about to say goodbye to her uncle, something stops her in her tracks.
For some reason, all the little girls, except her, somehow chose to wear their hair in a braid. Eyes rounding in horror, Sakura grips her uncle's shoulders tight as he tries, and fails, to put her down.
"Saa-chan, what's the problem?" Kakashi asks, trying to keep his rising temper out of his voice. Sakura isn't the only one who is late today. Though his squadron understands his tardiness (he's famous for it), today he's receiving new recruits at the kennels. Today, of all days, he can't be late. "I need to go, Saa-chan!"
"Kacchan, look at the girls," Sakura whispers urgently, tears in her eyes as she holds fearfully onto her hair. "They all look so pretty! I'll be the only one who looks different today!"
Kakashi sighs, rubbing his nose as he observes the other little girls a bit closer. It's with some dawning frustration that he notices their mothers seem to have conspired to braid their hair. Perhaps the staff announced it the day before, for the sake of an outdoor activity, but Kakashi didn't get the memo. Either the staff forgot to mention it to him yesterday when he picked up Sakura, or he hadn't been paying attention when he had been told.
There's a tug on his pants, prompting Kakashi to look down.
The largest blue eyes stare up at him intensely, nearly making Kakashi step back. "I'm Ino," the girl says, without preamble. "We need to go inside."
Ino's hair is also in a neat braid, the blonde strands pulled elegantly out of her small face. Looking around, Kakashi can't spot any adults near them except for a few remaining teachers and the last-minute adults dropping their kids.
"I can't go in," Sakura bemoans from somewhere by his shoulder, hiding. "My hair isn't like everyone else's!"
"So?" the precocious blonde asks, sounding truly mystified.
Kakashi feels his niece flinch and considers punting the brat for her rudeness. "She'll stand out," he remarks flatly, but his tone goes way over the little girl's head. Sakura's eyes peek out at him from his shoulder, observing him closely as he defends her point. "Wouldn't you feel strange if everyone stared at you for being the only different person in class?"
The child at his feet seems to think about it, grabbing the long braid that hangs over her shoulder. "So… if she's not the only different one, she'll come in?"
Sakura's face peeps out at this impressively brave child, wondering what on Earth she's trying to say. However, as she's been asked a question, Sakura nods in response. Of course, she would! She wouldn't be the only one without a pretty braid!
"Okay," Ino says with a decisive nod… and pulls apart her braid.
Exclaiming in surprise, Sakura wriggles in her uncle's grip. Fascinated despite himself, Kakashi releases her and steps back, watching this interaction with interest. "Why did you do that? It looked so nice!"
Ino stares at his niece like she's stupid. "You said you'd come in if you weren't the only one without a braid. So there, now we're both without a braid. Will you come in now?"
Stunned, Sakura stares at this impossibly courageous girl like she's just found a new religion. Her manners catch up to her and she bows hurriedly, introducing herself. "I'm Haruno Sakura," she says, waving at her uncle in goodbye as the blonde girl takes her hand and frog-marches her to the gates of the kindergarten.
"I'm Yamanaka Ino," the other child answers, smiling.
Kakashi stands with his hands in his pockets, bemused at having been so utterly abandoned by his niece. He supposes she is six, so it's about time she starts to untangle herself from his protection… he'd been hoping this wouldn't happen until she was twenty-five. Alas, he's been replaced.
A sudden pink missile shoots out from the entrance, and Kakashi barely has time to brace himself when it crashes almost painfully into his knees.
"Iloveyouseeyoumissyoubye!" Sakura says in one breath before turning around and racing back inside, a harried teacher ushering her in with an apologetic bow to Kakashi.
Grinning, Kakashi supposes neither of them are really ready to let go.
To be Continued…
Words: 6,370 (who was I kidding with the word limit?)
I always know what four segments I'll add before I begin every chapter. It helps me set a tone. So I write short little reminders, at most a sentence, to remember where I want to take that new segment. I exactly wrote: in which Mikoto gets told what-for by Gaara when she visits Riku again. That was my reminder. It was a very happy one. For a chapter that started out shitty for me (Saa-chan is my girl), it was a very good reminder.
I almost waited a little bit longer before publishing this chapter, but I felt it was only right that I let it loose. I've been sitting on it for too long and I'm not entirely sure it's what I wanted it to be. If I don't publish it, I never will. If there are mistakes present (as there usually are), let me know so I can fix them!
Gaara is also everywhere in this chapter. Jeez, you diva, stop taking the limelight.
I'm aware Gaara treated Sarada like an animal. That was on purpose, mostly to provoke Sasuke. But also because I wanted to show you exactly what Gaara is like with people other than Sakura and Temari. Kankuro!cameo, because I wanted a prosecutor who could threaten Sasuke into real jail-time.
Ino has been frog-marching Sakura everywhere since they were kids. It made me smile. If anyone offers fan art of this frog-marching, I would just about die.
Don't forget to review!