...
Ino, having decided to go all in, gets her father to buy a staff like Sakura's. As this is a ninja village, the staffs are actually practice weapons for small children. Of course, it being Ino, her staff is far nicer and decorative than Sakura's.
Sakura doesn't take this in stride.
"That pig," Sakura snarls with paint dripping down her cheek. "Who does she think she is?"
He hums in place of a real response and moves a perilous placed paint can away from the disaster zone. An old bed sheet covers the floor, but he doesn't feel like chancing it. Sakura is too busy scowling down at her splotchy-looking staff to notice him cleaning up around her.
"She keeps trying to one up me!" Sakura huffs. "It's not enough that she's a mage too, but she's even—"
"Crazier than you?" He says dryly, interrupting the oncoming rant.
It works. His words stop Sakura in her tracks, but the frown on her face becomes deeper. The atmosphere in Sakura's bedroom shifts. He can almost feel the heaviness settling around them like a blanket.
"Do you think the others have noticed it?" Sakura asks quietly.
He thinks of Ino's ever shifting mood, and the eyes that seem to constantly flicker between two shades of color. He thinks of how young Ino seems to be one moment before suddenly changing into someone so old.
"I don't think so. They're just children. They don't understand a lot of things," he eventually replies with.
The only ones who know about Ino's other personality are the Yamanaka and the two of them. Even then, only Sakura and he know the reality of Ino's situation. Why the three of them have days where they meet up and talk in hushed voices.
"Well, at least their vocabulary is improving," Sakura says with false cheer. "I think we may have given the Hokage a stroke with Naruto though."
"Knights don't lisp," he says wryly.
He allows her this change in subject. It's uncomfortable to think about how they could have ended up like Ino, much less talk about it.
They end up chatting about anything and everything that comes to mind during the wait for Sakura's staff to dry. He likes Ino well enough, but he truly treasures the days when it's only the two of them.
(Sakura is his best friend for life, he's decided. Since Ino is so caustic towards Sakura, that means he's also her best friend for life. Sakura doesn't get to have an opinion on this one)
They do eventually end up discussing heavier topics. It's hard not to when their reality has a set story written for them.
"How do you think Naruto's going to win over his enemies since he can't relate to them?" He asks as Sakura looks over the staff with a critical eye.
"I don't know. We've messed things up so much," Sakura bites her lip. "He might not be able to win over anyone. We'll all probably die by sand monster or pain monster."
Sakura's entire form radiates doom and despair, and he stares at her in disbelief. For someone so smart, he thinks, she sure can be an idiot sometimes.
"Naruto? Our Naruto?" He asks as if needing clarification. "The same Naruto who managed to convince both Itachi and Shisui to pretend to be Morgana's henchmen and take us all out to eat?"
That had been a day. The two Uchiha had been on official clan duty when the group had bumped into them, but Naruto wouldn't take no for answer. He's never seen so many angry, old Uchiha at one time, but Sasuke, Itachi and Shisui had seemed absurdly pleased despite the public dressing down.
Neither Itachi nor Shisui regretted it if their continued presence is any indication.
"Maybe he's still stupidly charismatic," Sakura concedes, "but there's just too much change. What if nothing goes right?"
"What do you mean by right?" He asks. "Because from where I'm standing, it just means we're living life as it comes like normal people."
Sakura goes quiet, and he takes the time to check on Akamaru. His partner is downstairs with Sakura's mother who adores the puppy. Akamaru, having not learned to dull the senses yet, can't stand the smell of paint.
He finds Akamaru curled up on in Mrs. Haruno's lap, listening to her reading a book. He gets a plate of apple slices and a reminder to air out Sakura's room once they're done with their project.
Sakura looks to be having an epiphany by the time he gets back.
"Alright," Sakura says to her hands, "okay."
She doesn't expand on her words. He settles down next to her and waits. Sakura's mind, he's come to find, is always going in three directions at once. He wonders which way she's decided on.
"We're taking control of this story," Sakura tells him with no uncertainty, green eyes daring him to argue. "I'm the game master here, and what I say goes. If we're throwing everything out the window, we may as well burn it."
Oh good, it's the scary direction.
"I'm going to focus on learning seals and forging Naruto into the Hokage he's meant to be," Sakura informs him. "I'm going to make it so Sasuke will regret even thinking about leaving. Orochimaru can't put a curse seal on him if I do it first."
Very scary apparently. Sakura's eyes glint, and for a moment he sees the spark that hovers between genius and madness. Ino may be crazier than Sakura, but it's honestly not by much.
"Guess I better step up my game skills then and become unbeatable during the day," he says. "I'll be the brawns to your brains."
As nightmarish as the thought is, his mother won't say no to beating the clan techniques into him. He's not cut out for things like seal work, but he can definitely watch Sakura's back. Maybe he can even be the loud distraction while she hides in the shadows.
"But first, how about we go get our missing—"
"Fine," Sakura cuts him off with a huff, "if it will stop you from bugging me about it. It's been weeks!"
He almost dances in victory. He's been begging Sakura to agree to finish their collection for what feels like forever. A smile tugs at Sakura's lips, and the hint of madness in her eyes recedes to another time.
(The result of Sakura's staff's new look is too terrible, and he can't ignore it. He takes over and paints over the mess, etching in nostalgic symbols with a fine brush once dry. If Sakura recognizes them from a dying culture, she doesn't say anything)
He doesn't waste time and corners his mother at breakfast the next day.
"You want what?" Ma chokes.
"Can you take me to the Aburame clan grounds?" He repeats.
"Brat, I am busy—"
"Then could you take me when you're not?"
His mother's face would be funny if he didn't know just thinking so would earn her ire. He does his best to keep his puppy dog eyes going strong. At least being tiny has some benefits. Akamaru backs him up and lets out a pathetic whine.
"Why?" Ma asks as if the world is crumbling around their table.
He knows he's got her when his mother takes that tone; Kuromaru does too if that huff is anything to go by.
"I want the whole set," he answers honestly.
His mother looks like someone told her the ninken have turned into cats. Like death basically. He keeps pleading with his eyes, and Ma lets out an aggravated sigh.
"Damn it, fine. Don't come crying to me when you find you can't stand 'em," Ma warns.
(As much as his mother hates his friendship with the other clan heirs, Ma acknowledges there's no changing his mind. He's going to get the Aburame heir with or without her help)
The Aburame compound is different from his. Instead of grassy plains and dogs, there's an amazing amount of vegetation and bugs that cover every inch of space. The different types of plants are most likely for the bugs' benefit, but it has the effect of giving the clan grounds an exotic look.
"Shibi, get the hell out here!" Ma hollers.
He flinches from behind his mother, and Akamaru lets out a small whimper from atop his head. The Aburame holding them up curls defensively, and he gives them a sympathetic look.
His mother is terrifying on a good day.
"Tsume," is the stern greeting.
The stare down between his mother and Shibi dissolves from there, turning into a bizarre trade of words.
"Oi, you bastard, took you long enough!" "My apologies. You're inability to wait slipped my mind." "Ah, forgot how much of a bastard you could be." "I believe it is your clan that deals with bastards."
Honestly, the two of them must be good friends to want to stand out here and cut each other down. Ma would never willingly remain in the presence of someone she hated. It's probably the same for Shibi.
"Oi, was that a knock on my kid?" Ma snarls, fingers moving threateningly.
Yeah, he's on his own. Giving the two adults one last glance, he walks towards what he assumes is the main house. The other Aburame makes no move to stop him.
He never makes it to the house; his attention gets caught by something shining in the bushes. On inspection, it appears to be some type of bug that shines like metal. It flies off, and he chases after it without thinking.
As if by fate, he finds himself staring at a tiny child practically swimming in an oversized jacket. Sunglasses stare back at him, and he tries to gauge whether this is the kid he's looking for. For all he knows, this could be another Aburame child.
"Jeweled beetle," the boy suddenly says.
He blinks and tilts his head. The sudden pain in his hair reminds him of Akamaru's position.
"It's a jeweled beetle. What you were chasing," the boy clarifies at his confusion.
He nods as if enlightened. The boy says nothing else, and they're left in an uncomfortable staring contest. Nothing in his memory helps him figure out the kid's identity.
Oh well, he's never been one for subtle.
"You Shino?" He asks.
The boy hesitates before giving him the shallowest of nods. He grins, pleased. Akamaru's tiny tap reminds him to continue speaking instead of standing there like a weirdo.
"I'm Kiba," he says, "and I want to be your friend."
Maybe it sounds cheesy, but it's true. All the Knights are his friends.
"Why?" Shino asks, stunned.
There's a hundred ways to answer this. He could make up something about their parents, or he can deliver a one-liner that would make Sasuke seethe with jealousy. He settles for the truth.
"All the clan kids our age meet up and play. We play make believe and have fun. Most of us don't have any friends outside each other, so," he shrugs, "I'd like you to join."
He doesn't say that he wants to get to know his potential teammate, that he's looking forward to the changes Rookie 9 being friends bring.
"What is it. That you mean by 'make believe?' " Shino asks tentatively.
He explains the game in detail, leaving nothing out. He talks about the rules, the names, and even the other players. It's just a gut feeling, but he believes he has a bigger chance of winning Shino over with more information rather than less.
"It sounds. Fun," Shino speaks haltingly once he's finished, "but you do not want me."
It's his turn to raise his eyebrows and ask, "Why?" The solemnness he gets in return to his question is far too heavy for one so young.
"I can do this."
Bugs crawl out of every visible portion of Shino's skin and down the Aburame's jacket. He has to admit, for a moment, he can feel his spine tingle at the sight. He clamps down on the feeling and sends Shino an unimpressed look.
"Yeah, we all have clan techniques except for Naruto and Sakura. It's nothing I didn't know about," he says calmly even as Akamaru whimpers softly at the changing scents.
"You're afraid," Shino says stubbornly.
He's close to rolling his eyes actually. Honestly, it is a pretty chilling sight, but it's one he'll get used to after four or five times.
"You're making my nose itch," he replies, "but no. Not afraid."
He means it. The kid in front of him looks ready to bolt at a moment's notice. It's actually making him want to extend his claws and keep his prey from escaping.
"The others will. Be afraid of me," Shino says with certainty.
"And they'll get over it," he says just as certain. "Give up, I already picked your name, so you have no choice."
He should have just gone this route to begin with. The Uzumaki Naruto route of "You're my friend cause I say so, no take backs." Shino seems to be at a loss for words. That's okay; he can talk for the both of them.
"I already ran it past Sakura, so welcome to the Knights of the Round Table, Sir Kay," he says with a fist over his heart.
He thought about Shino's name for days. He wants Shino to be an important knight, yet Sir Kay was most famous for being cruel and disliked despite being intensely loyal.
The original version of Sir Kay had no such hang-ups however and was terrifying with incredible powers. Well, it's not like Sakura's the only one who can bend the rules.
"But—"
"Hey, question. Do you cry a lot?" He interrupts whatever unimportant thing Shino was about to say.
"No," Shino answers in bewilderment.
"Scream a lot? Throw a fit? Secretly crazy? Takes naps when no one's watching and lies about it?"
"No," Shino repeats woodenly.
"You are now my favorite," he decides.
(And it's true. Shino is different to the others. Unlike them, he chose Shino. His Ma understands this better than anyone; her face drops the moment he walks up to her still arguing with Shibi, one arm wrapped around Shino's)
I have not forgotten Tenten and Lee, promise.
Dear anon: A chapter of Another Team 7 is already in the works and will go up one Gaining Knighthood is done. I happen to like buddy cop stories myself, so.