Wave AU

Wherein Kiharu is born in Wave, winds up as the little sister of Inari's Step-dad and, as usual, doesn't take shit from anyone

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DISCLAIMER: NOTHING (EXCEPT KIHARU ;))

"You wanna eat tonight right?"

Sakura felt her brows twist in understanding - they were here to buy supplies for Tsunami-san's meal later - when a sharp cry pierced the somber peace of the street.

A young boy went sprinting past, a flying elbow jamming into the Kunoichi's side as a shopkeeper yelled "Thief!" after him and Sakura stumbled a step, snapping around to catch the shopkeeper's eye. The anger and desperation in his gaze had her twisting back around, skittering after Tazuna.

It was then that the rosette noticed the slumped children on the sides of the dusty street, huddled on steps and around corners out of the heat. The sunset cast amber beams on the worn buildings, painting the surrounding forest in golden light and scorching the dry earth.

W-what's wrong with these people…?

"Bridge builder!" the sharp cry interrupted Tazuna's explanation of his bridge and they turned as one to see a young woman further down the street, hand raised in greeting.

Glancing at her charge, Sakura watched the weariness flicker in those wrinkled eyes. Why is he so on guard?

"Ah. Kiharu-san, what do you want?"

Turning back, emerald met sapphire and widened in shock.

The girl before them couldn't have been younger than 20 but was only just taller than Sakura herself. Her hair was long and curly, pulled back into a dusty ponytail under a grey scarf that didn't hide the rich chocolate colour. She was deeply tanned, like everyone here, and dressed in a sleeveless tunic and semi-leggings, nipped in a the waist with a darker grey band.

She grinned, arms crossed and expression confident. The movement only highlighted the ugly, scarred welts wrapping around her lower arms.

"I heard you'd been to Konoha, old man." Sakura blinked at the amused lilt when she'd named her village. "Didn't think you had the balls to go through with it though." Urgh...why is everyone here so crass?

Tazuna scowled fiercely, calloused fingers reaching up to readjust his straw hat. "Huh, I said I would, didn't I?"

The teen smiled again, smaller but strangely sad. "Ay, you did." Blue eyes turned to peer at the Genin and Sakura had the strangest urge to cross her arms. She didn't, just tilting her jaw. There were too many people here who didn't take her seriously.

"Shinobi-san." The girl, Kiharu, nodded, eyes lingering on the hitai-ate in her pink locks. Sakura was quietly pleased to note she didn't look surprised. "Are you going to Old Shin's stall?"

Tazuna snorted, turning away dismissively. "'Course."

Kiharu-san stepped up beside Sakura, expression easy. "I'll speak to you...later, then."

Tazuna stopped, expression unscrupable, and Sakura wondered what on earth she was missing. Glancing between the two, she couldn't deny the obvious tension. Well, her client was tense, shoulders stiff under the young woman's heavy gaze.

Kiharu looked as friendly as anything but there was something in her eyes, blue shadowed black with the sun behind her, that prickled at Sakura's awareness.

Abruptly, Sakura wondered if this girl worked for Gato. If she was another missing-nin.

"Fine."

With a smile, work apparently done, Kiharu-san turned and melted into the crowd.

It wasn't until dinner, when Sasuke-kun and that idiot Naruto were eating so much they looked physically sick, that the strange girl from earlier was brought up. Or, rather-

"Knock, knock!" A semi-familiar voice called as Sakura heard the front door open. Either side of her, her teammates appeared deaf to the new guest. Kakashi-sensei simply turned the page of his stupid, perverted book and Inner growled.

Why do we have to do everything?!

"Kiharu-chan!" Tsunami turned from the sink, drying her hands on a towel and beaming at the open doorway. Even that weird little kid, Inari, looked up, his face more animated than Sakura had seen yet. "What a wonderful surprise!"

The brunette from the market appeared in the door, smirking at Tazuna even as she accepted a hug from his daughter. "Surprise, hm? You didn't tell Tsunami-san I'd be round, Old man?"

At that moment, Naruto-baka and Sasuke-kun both turned to vomit beside their benches and Sakura snapped.

"Don't eat so much if you're just gonna be sick!"

But they didn't even listen! It was like she hadn't even spoken!

"Excuse me, what?"

Sakura realised she'd snapped her chopstick when the sharp edges starting cutting into her fist. Furious green eyes turned to see Kiharu-san pulling away from their hostess' hug, eyes in shadow.

"What?"

"-strong enough-"

"-can't eat more than me-"

Her stupid, stupid boys dove back in for another round, despite the vomit by their feet (honestly?!), and Kiharu-san moved.

Tanned hands, deeply scarred but deceptively small, slammed into the tabletop with an almighty 'bang', sending everyone but Tazuna and Kakashi-sensei reeling backwards.

Sakura only just managed to catch herself from falling off the otherside of the bench - Naruto-baka wasn't so lucky - when the older girl started in on her teammates.

"How dare you?" Tanned hands, still planted on the wooden surface, trembled. Judging by the dangerous fire in those sapphire eyes, in wasn't from anything but fury. "The people here are starving, children desperate on the very streets, and you have to audacity to gorge yourself to sickness! For what? Stupidity! I'm disgusted by your lack of common decency!"

Her mouth was gaping but Sakura didn't even spare a thought for how ugly she probably looked. Sasuke-kun and Naruto looked just as shell-shocked, although the blonde seemed particularly hard-hit.

"Apologize to Tsunami-san for your disrespect to her generosity!"

Kakashi-sensei's book snapped shut with a deep sigh.

...

A/N- honestly? I just remembered when Naruto and Sasuke did this and my rage ghost-wrote this at stupid-o'-clock so...enjoy?