When Sakura finally made it to her home, sweet home, she took a minute to just stand in front of the house-door and stare at it. Judging by the clattering sounds coming from the inside, her parents were likely both in the kitchen, having dinner, or just talking. Glancing through the living room window, for a while, Sakura simply observed the familiar apartment she'd so dearly missed with an all-encompassing feeling of joy.

Swiping at her eyes, she realized that her breathing had become harsh and labored. She was crying.

I'm back, back, back, back–

But was she really?

Pressing her back against the wooden door, Sakura slid down until she was sitting on the rug, her face buried somewhere underneath of her scraped arms.

She knew, deep down, that a part of her had stayed in that forest.

Am I really back?

Was she? Was she the same Sakura that had left?

She thought of eyeballs, snakes and leeches. Of Ino. Of victory and how bittersweet it had tasted. Of how, in her eagerness to be liked by Sasuke, she'd lied to Naruto, or how shellfish she'd been as she bargained with Gaara. Of how all of the other genin competitors had probably done better than her.

Her knees trembling, Sakura got up. She felt lost.

Enough is enough! grumbled Inner. Let's just go in already.

So she opened the door.

"I'm home!" Sakura then announced, close to tears again.

"Sakura!" She didn't know who had said what not when or how, her ninja alertness be damned, but Sakura just knew that her parents were there, and their smell, and their touch, and, and, and–

She'd missed them so much it hurt.

Literally.

"Mom–" she chocked out: "You're squeezing too much–"

"Sakura! Sakura!" Mebuki kept repeating over and over.

"Mom, you're chocking me–"

"Alright, alright, fine!" Mebuki's searching hands lingered around her frame for one more moment, then let go of her altogether.

"You had us worried there for a sec, little Monkey," Kizashi now threw in, speaking to Sakura for the first time. He looked incredibly relieved, in spite of not even really knowing the dangers of the chunin exam first hand.

"Dad!" Sakura complained, attempting not to cry. "Are you still calling me that?" So nostalgic… she couldn't even remember when he'd begun. Sakura tried to stifle a sob. "How many times do I have to tell you not to call me a Monkey?" she whined, more out of habit than annoyance. "I'm grown up now."

She really was, wasn't she?

Kizashi grinned. "Sorry, sorry. No need to get the waterworks going because of that, Sakura-chan."

Sakura scrubbed at her tear-streaked cheeks.

That's not why I'm crying… she thought blearily. She had never ached so much for the safety of a home, the warmth of a hug, the lull of a Dad's deep voice… Somehow, she had lived to experience them again. To appreciate them.

"But…" Kizashi was still joking about something. "To me, you'll always be… Saru-chan!"

Sakura groaned, smiling.

Typical Dad.

"In that case, your… monkey… is finally back!" she exclaimed, exhaling deeply as she attempted to wrap her brain around that very notion.

("I'm back! I'm back!" She couldn't stop repeating it over and over again in her head, and henceforth start laughing and dancing all around the kitchen.)

"You sure you don't want to become a ballerina instead?" Kizashi queried, winking.

Sakura's smile fell.

That's right. What now? After all of this… do I still want to become a ninja?

"Right now, I want a bath…" she deflected, sending a smile her parents' way.

"In that case, we shall respect the wishes of our monkey lady!" cried Kizashi.

Mebuki, on her part, looked at Sakura thoughtfully.

"You don't smell…" she commented, sniffing into her hair.

Why thank you so much, Mom, Inner bit back sarcastically.

"What kind of test did you take?" Mebuki inquired curiously.

Sakura grimaced. She didn't want to have this conversation right then. Or ever, for that matter. "It took place in training ground 44," she said slowly, carefully avoiding its signature, a tad more intimidating, name.

The Forest of Death.

Sakura shuddered.

Mebuki simply sighed, giving Sakura the terrible suspicion that she knew exactly what training ground 44 stood for.

And that a part of me died there, in that forest of the dead innocence.

"Just… give me another hug, dear."

Sakura complied gratefully. She'd really needed it too.

"And be happy that you're not grounded!" added Mebuki hastily. "That escaping stunt you pulled before the first test was awful!"

"I won't do it again, promise," said Sakura. "I'll even help out with the chores… willingly."

She was happy to be back indeed.

Mebuki chuckled.

"I'm not done yet, Sakura" she enunciated calmly.

Say what?

"Tomorrow night, we'll be going to watch a performance," here she glanced at Sakura meaningfully. "And we'll watch it as a family."

That was a demand slash threat if Sakura had ever heard one. She didn't particularly harbor an interest in spectacles of the acrobatic sort, (she was sure that, whatever it may be, a ninja could do better) but none of that mattered in the face of family. Not anymore.

"Yeah, I'll go, of course."

Mebuki smiled softly.

"You'll enjoy it, I promise."

Sakura was already enjoying herself.

TWISTED

"Welcome home, Shikamaru."

The wooden doors to the Nara household had opened, almost tentatively, revealingYoshino's battered-looking son.

She took note of the sullen look in his eye, of his sagging shoulders, and, without saying anything else, beaconed him closer so she could give him a soft hug.

"How was the exam?" Yoshino asked. "Did you pass the second phase?"

From somewhere behind the back of her neck, she heard Shikamaru's mumbled assent.

"I was sure you would, Shikamaru," his mother said proudly, letting go of the hug so she could face him. "Do you want me to make anything special for dinner?"

Shikamaru waved his hand no before sticking both of them deep into his grime-smeared trouser-pockets.

Yoshino sighed, examining the garment with a scowl.

"See? It was best to go with the brown ones. Those already belonged to Shikaku back in the day…"

Shikamaru's shoulders stiffened the slightest bit at the mention; Yoshino did not miss it.

"Speaking of which, where is Dad?" he asked casually.

"He had to leave for work at last notice… something urgent's come up." Yoshino sighed, wiping some crumbs from the kitchen's tabletop with a quick motion. "He's been gone since midday."

Shikamaru slouched further into himself. "Got it…" he said blandly, turning to the window. Yoshino sighed.

It was beginning to rain.

She should've seen this coming.

"You look tired, Shikamaru…" she enunciated with concern. "Don't you want to take a nap?"

Shikamaru didn't avert his gaze from the glass, making an alarm go off in Yoshino's mind. She disliked the empty look in his eyes.

"Maybe later," he replied eventually.

Yoshino would've been proud had the situation been any different. She had always got into fights with Shikamaru over his exaggerated eagerness to sleep and take naps at any time of day. Since he'd been little, she'd tried to beat that preference out of him, but now that he had returned, clearly in real need of a bit of rest, and refused such a rare invitation…

"Just call me for dinner," Shikamaru suggested, slouching in direction bedroom.

Yoshino bit her lip yet didn't ask what she wanted to. She was simply glad to have her son back. Shikaku would be proud, when he returned. If he did. It was always worrisome when he had to leave, specially with a level five alert for all jonin and above. As the jonin commander, that placed him in an incredible amount of danger and with equally oppressing responsibilities. Yoshino was certain that he'd return home drunk and refusing to remember anything about work.

TWISTED

The jonin commander was only slightly tipsy upon his return, something which Yoshino took as a good omen. Perhaps the situation wasn't that terrible. Or maybe Shikaku had made a sacrifice so as to welcome back their reclusive son in a sober state.

The first thing Shikaku did upon walking through the door was locking it, closely followed by a headfirst dive into the cushioned sofa. Yoshino sat by his side, as she always did on those days.

"How was it?" she broke the silence tentatively, well aware that she was also breaking one of the unspoken rules of their house: what happened on the field stayed on the field.

Only not with their son. Yoshino wanted to know what had happened, if Shikamaru's dark gaze had had anything to do with the alert over Konoha, if their lives were truly in danger.

"Stressful." Shikaku's answer was curt. "We need to get started on evacuation plans."

Yoshino frowned.

"For our clan?"

"The whole village." As if to escape reality, Shikaku now buried his nose into a red pillow. "We should coordinate things with the other branch families of the clan too. Can I leave that up to you?"

Yoshino nodded apprehensively. "Just… tell me one thing. Is Shikamaru…?"

"He will be in danger next month," said Shikaku gravely. "Gotta teach him how to break high-level genjutsu."

Yoshino's brow creased. "You mean…for the final stage of the chunin exams? We have to make him drop out!"

Shikaku's jaw clenched.

"We are the head family of our clan. We'll do no such thing."

"But–"

"I don't want anything to happen to him any more than you do, Yoshino!" he grit out firmly. "But none of the candidates are allowed to drop out. Not Guy's Hyuga genius, not the other rookies, hell, not even Kakashi's kids, and neither will the enemy. Shikamaru can't drop out now. If he's smart, he'll know to quit in the first round and save his energy."

Yoshino gasped.

"You'll tell him…? But that's an S-rank secret!"

It was hard to know what Shikaku was thinking with his face buried under a mountain of pillows, but it had to be along the lines of… 'father or boss? What comes first?' Finally, he spoke again:

"Shesh… too bad that I lose some of my inhibitions when I'm drunk."

"What?!" cried Yoshino in shock.

"Shikamaru usually gets roped along to my team dinners," Shikaku carried on. "And I will have him babysit me again the day before the exam."

Yoshino frowned, pursing her lips in disagreement.

"I don't care if it's your plan so you can warn him, Shikaku. You're setting a terrible example for our son! And you're not getting drunk the day before the… event!"

Shikaku did not answer to that.

"Where is he?" he asked vaguely, hoping for a change of subject. "Is he back yet?"

"Shikamaru's in his room." Yoshino's brows creased with worry.

"Sleeping?"

"No. I've gone to check on him a few times… he's just staring out of the window without doing anything!"

Shikaku gave her a look that spelled: 'calm down, woman' and drawled: "Well, he does find entertainment in the study of clouds. It's raining outside, so maybe he's just changed his vantage spot."

"I think I know my son well enough to be able to tell when something's wrong," Yoshino growled. "Talk to him, Shikaku. He usually opens up to you about this sort of thing!"

"Can't I take a nap?"

"No. Now go and fix this!"

Shikaku sighed.

"Lead the way."

TWISTED

When Naruto finally made it to the door of his flat, he was drenched. Stupid Sensei had kept him in the hospital until it started pouring, and then he'd fallen into a puddle while chasing Sasuke-teme… and his ultra cool orange jacket had no sleeves anymore, because Sakura-chan had cut them off back in the forest.

Stupid snake lady.

And stupid Kakashi-sensei, selling him off to that cigarettes guy like that…

Frowning, Naruto watched as one of the neighbors stuck her head out of the window, saw him, and quickly shut it and the blinders altogether. Frowning, he finished fumbling around in his worn pockets to retrieve a set of keys, that were tied to a makeshift keychain which he'd once fabricated using ninja wire and cello-tape.

It was cold though. So cold that it took Naruto half a minute until his numb fingers managed to stick the house keys into the lock. With shaking palms, he twisted them around until there was a click and he could let himself into his home.

The flat was still messy as heck, the way he'd left it five days ago, when he'd been in a rush not to be late. (Sakura-chan hadn't scolded him that day, so maybe it had been worth it).

He wasn't in a rush now though. Trudging into the flat and tossing his sandals at the clothes rack, Naruto proceeded to wring his hair and jacket dry over the kitchen sink. When he was done, he clapped his cheeks twice to get them to heat up some and made a face at the dirty ramen bowl lying on the table, and his unmade bed and his strewn around clothes and the open window and the cold and–

"I'll just take a shower!" he announced loudly, grinning so wide it hurt. "It's decided then! A hot, awesome shower! And while I wait for the water to heat up, I'll clean this mess! Believe it!"

Still trembling, he moved to shut an open window, (Shoot! Why did I forget to close the stupid thing?) then went to to his tiny bathroom to let the shower's water flow, then moved to get some wood under the stove, then picked up some stray underwear, then moped the wet tiles under the previously open window.

"And it's probably 'bout time that I did some laundry… but after I chow down, hehe…" Naruto trailed off, opening the fridge. "I don't have any ramen left!" he realized with horror.

Staring warily at the vegetables on the tabletop, he was reminded of Kakashi and his annoying campaigns to make him eat them.

"Fine, Sensei!" Naruto yelled. "I guess your dumb meddling paid its fruits! HAHAH! That pun's hilarious! Gotta repeat that to him… if the tardy old fart shows up to training… late… then I'll tell him! And I'll have him treat me to ramen to make up for the green stuff!"

Nodding to himself happily, Naruto picked up a half rotten banana and ate it, resisting the urge to gag. He did not dare to make himself a warm cup of milk (he'd had his fair share of experiences with expired milk and embarrassing bathroom trips) so he just drank a glass of cold water from the tab. When he was finished eating and cleaning, the small flat was at least no longer freezing. Naruto was still hungry though. Annoyed, he shrugged off his worn (and only) pair of ninja clothes and made a mental note to go bother old man Hokage about some money for new ones. The water in the shower was still cold, so Naruto decided to postpone the inevitable for the next morning. It was still bright outside, but he was tired.

Slipping into his (smelly… ew) pajamas, Naruto curled into himself under the bedcovers.

"Yo! Good night, future Hokage-sama!"

Like always, no one answered.

But Naruto was totally fine with that, believe it or not. He was, after all, the future Hokage. Totally fine.

TWISTED

"What about a game?" Shikaku suggested. "I heard you're into shoji?"

Shikamaru glanced at him indecisively from his perch on the window.

Sniffing, Shikaku wrinkled his nose. "You haven't even showered yet. Your mother will have my head for that."

"What a drag…" said Shikamaru. "Fine, Let's play shoji. Do you even know how?"

Shikaku barked out a laugh.

"What do you take me for, son? I grew up glued to that board."

Shikamaru grinned.

"I prefer a pillow, thanks. I don't need glue to beat you."

"We'll see, won't we?"

TWISTED

When Sasuke made it to his doorstep, he didn't uselessly fumble with his keys nor trade heated glares with his neighbor. He didn't have neighbors.

Instead, he made himself a nutritive dinner consistent of lots of protein (beneficial for muscle growth), took a shower (he wasn't taking any chances after the leeches), changed the wraps around some of his injuries (those could become chronic problems if not handled accordingly), and had an uncomfortable conversation with two ANBU black ops who insisted upon guarding him.

They were banned to the roof. Sasuke did not admit strangers in his house.

The rest of the evening was spent sharpening his weapons with narrowed eyes as he tried to elaborate a mental profile of Yuhi Kurenai.

He was annoyed with Kakashi. Though he could understand the man's logic of not playing favorites, he couldn't – wouldn't – allow anything to stand in the way of his goal. Sasuke would grow strong.

Stronger, he reminded himself, always stronger.

Brusquely, he set aside his sharpening tools and crossed the room in a few strides, opening the window. Even though it was pouring outside, the two ANBU operatives were still unmovable as they crouched on the roof.

"Oi," Sasuke called. His voice was lost in the rain. "Oi!" he repeated again.

"Is there an issue?" one of the masked figures inquired.

"No," said Sasuke bluntly. "Train with me."

The ANBU exchanged looks, something considerably pointless given their masks and the thick curtains of rain. Finally, the one who had spoken, said:

"You should rest, Uchiha. The meteorological conditions are not suited for outside training."

Sasuke would show them weather conditions.

"You are ANBU, are you not?" he taunted smirking, undeterred. "The best of the best?" At thirteen, his brother had been appointed ANBU captain. At twelve, Sasuke was a genin, the lowest of ninja.

But he, Uchiha Sasuke, would rise above and beyond. He would. No matter what.

"Fire Flower Jutsu!" his shout was drowned out by the pouring rain, but the fire in his lungs, in his heart, blazed with an insatiable vigor.

As expected, the ANBU dodged. Sasuke lunged. Good. He'd have more kunai to sharpen when he woke up in the middle of the night.

A/N

So. End of this arc. I personally thought it was a really sad chapter, one that gives us a lot of insight into the main cast and what their day-to-day is like.

On another, more cheerful, note… how do you like the new cover? I really didn't know what to do with myself on a 14 hrs. flight… so this is what came off it. I've got other drawings I like better, but none are manga style, so…

Also: saru means monkey in Japanese, hence Kizashi's pun.