Satori (Between the Lines)
Chapter 20


"What do you think they're discussing?" Sakura asks, arms circling her knees.

"Best murder methods?" Torune says flippantly.

Shino shoves at his cousin, upsetting Torune's delicate perch on an upside down flower pot. Torune squawks, toppling off the side. He rolls, landing safely, if a bit awkwardly, on his knees.

Sakura smiles, the tension breaking a bit. She's been on edge for days on end now; the ambiguity of the break in lingering over her. She hasn't slept very well, waking suddenly and rapidly in a cold sweat. Her dreams are filled with shadowy figures with cold, merciless gazes. It's been a rough week or two honestly.

The three of them are huddled in the rooftop garden of Torune and Shino's house. Downstairs, the Haruno and Aburame are in deep discussion, alongside Ibiki, Anko, and Jiraiya. The six of them made for a disparate group, the likes of which probably was unprecedented in Konoha. Two top level agents of Torture and Interrogation meeting with the clan head of one of the noble shinobi clans, the heads of a merchant clan, and one of the infamous, legendary Sannin. It was surreal.

Yet odd circumstances make for odd bedfellows.

"Considering it's Mitarashi-san and Ibiki-san…" Torune continues.

From the way his headgear stretches up and down, Sakura is certain he's waggling his eyebrows.

She snorts, shaking her head at him. "Alright, alright, Torune." Midori shifts up Sakura's neck, butting her head into Sakura's ear. "Best watch your words; Midori reports everything back to Anko."

Torune pales, snapping to attention.

Shino laughs outright, nearly falling off of his flower pot. "I always knew Torune's words would eventually catch up with him; didn't realize it'd be so soon. Be careful that you don't get bitten."

"Very sorry," Torune says, nodding respectfully toward Midori. "No offense intended."

Midori curls against Sakura's ear, tongue tickling against her skin.

"I think she forgives you," Sakura replies, trying to hide her smile.

Torune leans back against the flower pot, staring up at Sakura. "It's going to be okay." Sakura's smile wobbles a bit before firming, smaller than before. He scoots over to her, grabbing her hand. She can't bring herself to look at him. "Hey. Borage." Sakura reluctantly meets his gaze. "I know it's scary right now; things are pretty uncertain. But I'm certain about this. You have a lot of people in your corner; a few of them are downstairs discussing right now. They're going to come up with a solution. And we're going to do whatever is necessary to help you."

Shino hums in agreement, coming around and taking Sakura's other hand. "We're a unit," he adds. "Borage, Gladiolus, Helianthus, and Hedera, right? We're going to do what we can to keep you safe."

Sakura moves, getting down on the floor alongside them, keeping her hands linked with theirs. She shifts a bit, wrapping her arms through theirs and laying out on the roof. Torune and Shino bracket her and Sakura tucks her head against the crook of Shino's neck. They fall silent, and Sakura stares up at the cloudless, bright sky, just luxuriating in the warmth of her friends and their support.

At some point she must have drifted off as the next thing she knows is that Shino is gently shaking her shoulder. Sakura's eyes flutter open and the sky above is slightly darker than before. Her head is pillowed under Shino's arm.

"Sorry," Shino whispers, breath rustling her hair. "Tou-san wants us to come downstairs to meet with them."

Sakura nods, extricating herself from Shino and Torune. She stifles a yawn, rubbing the grit away from the corners of her eyes. When Torune offers her a hand up, she takes it gratefully, stomach twisting a bit with anxiety. Sakura isn't sure what to expect when she goes downstairs, but she is nervous.

Torune does not release her hand when she's on her feet, instead shifting his grip so that they can comfortably hold hands. "Whatever happens," Torune says, squeezing her hand. "We're in this together."

Sakura firms her tremulous smile, nodding in turn. "Let's go."


"Sakura, thank you for joining us," Mebuki says as the trio of children enter the sitting room. Despite the somber, serious atmosphere, Mebuki's eyes sparkle with something akin to amusement when she sees them. "I see you're in good company."

Shino's hand spasms around Sakura's, but it holds firm.

"Are we allowed to stay, oji-san," Torune asks, not even adding the necessary inflection to make the statement a question. The jut of his lip and set of his jaw foretells a long winded argument if someone tries to show him to the door.

Shibi doesn't even try to disguise his smirk as he nods. He knows well his nephew's stubbornness. "Certainly. Considering that this plan entails your assistance, it would be a shame to leave you out of the conversation."

Both Aburame children snap to attention and straighten, seeming at once proud and wary.

"Though Sakura, if you want to discuss this privately first," Ibiki starts, trailing off to let Sakura fill in the blanks.

"That's alright," she says. She wants Shino and Torune with her for this. And, even if she didn't, Sakura doubts she'd get either of them out of the room without a throw-down argument. "I'd rather they stay."

Ibiki stifles a sigh, lips turning down into a scowl. Anko digs her elbow into his side, grinning when he splutters. "This will keep us from having to explain it more than once. Makes our work easier." She raises her brows as she assesses the kids. "Are you capable of sitting down when you're a single entity like that?" She gestures to the three chairs set up before them. Sakura takes a seat between Torune and Shino, not once breaking her hand holds with them. Anko snorts. "You kids practice that? It's a little creepy how synchronized you were." She glances at the other adults. "Still, makes the plan a bit easier, doesn't it?"

"Anko," Ibiki sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"What is the plan?" Torune asks.

"How can we assist?" Shino adds. "I'll do whatever is necessary."

"Me too," Torune says eagerly.

"That's good to hear," Shibi says, smile soft. "Mebuki-san, would you care to explain? It was your idea initially."

"Certainly," Mebuki says. "Sakura, you remember those discussions of marriage candidates you had with your father and me?"

Sakura takes a moment, trying to remember what her mother is referencing. Then it dawns on her. "It was before I entered the Academy, right? There were some tentative plans…" Sakura trails off as the pressure on her hands increases drastically. She shoots both of the Aburame cousins a look, but they refuse to make eye contact. "There were some plans outlined regarding arranging meetings with potential candidates." Her parents married for love and they hoped the same for Sakura. Still, given the machinations of the Haruno clan, it was necessary to attempt to foster love between the clan heir and suitable candidates. When Sakura relinquished her right to inherit, so too did she relinquish those exploratory connections. "Those connections were passed on to my cousins, right?"

Kizashi nods. "Those candidates were well-suited to the position of right-hand of the Haruno clan head, but they were ill-suited to be the spouse of a shinobi. We planned to leave things settled but…"

"Your protection comes first," Mebuki says. "We've spoken with Shibi-san and the others and they agree with us. Sakura, we would like to announce you as a marriage candidate for the Aburame heir."

Sakura startles, barely keeping herself in her seat. Her mind flashes back to the conversation she had with Ino, her ominous warning from weeks ago ringing in her ears. Marriage? She knew it was something expected of her, sometime down the line. But right now? Trying to decide her future partner? The person she'll live out her life with; the person with whom she'll be yoked.

She's always wanted a relationship like her parents had, a partnership built on respect and understanding. And Sakura knows that that relationship, like all good craftswork, took years to forge; a strong foundation and intentional communication weathering their relationship through the storms of life.

The room seems to spin for a moment and Sakura can see her mother's mouth moving, but she isn't comprehending the words being said as her ears ring.

Pressure squeezes down on her hands from both sides and Sakura closes her eyes, tethering herself to the sensations. She's alright. She's okay. She is Borage and at her sides sit Hedera and Helianthus. They won't let her down; they won't allow her to be uprooted.

She knows Shino and Torune. She knows them.

Sakura opens her eyes, taking a deep, bracing breath. Mebuki has stopped speaking, watching her with a stoic look, though Sakura can read the concern in her eyes. "I apologize, okaa-sama; could you repeat what you just said?"

"Of course," Mebuki says. "We would like to announce you as a marriage candidate for the Aburame heir. As you know, the heir has not yet been decided; it will be either Torune or Shino." Sakura nods. "You will be a marriage candidate, not betrothed; there is more freedom in this title."

"A marriage candidate is a possibility, one of the potentials for a future marriage," Kizashi says, taking over. "Betrothal is a finality; it will result in marriage except on very rare occasions." He gives Mebuki a wry look. "This decision does not necessarily result in marriage down the road."

"We won't move forward with this decision if any of you three are uncomfortable with it," Shibi says. "It's important that you feel good about this; you'll all three come under scrutiny because of it."

"It'll protect Sakura?" Torune asks.

"That's the gamble," Jiraiya replies, leaning against the table. "We've investigated the break in. There is no doubt in our minds that it was a shinobi of considerable caliber who broke into the Haruno household. Sakura garnered interest given her role as the apprentice to Shikaku; even more so when she lost the protection of the Nara. She's afforded herself some protection by becoming my official apprentice, which I think she knew when she first approached me." Sakura flushes a bit beneath Jiraiya's scrutiny but she doesn't reply. "Unfortunately, my position, though considerably influential, is not central to Konoha's infrastructure. Not like a clan's is, at least. As the Aburame are one of the four noble clans, being a marriage candidate for the heir would bring the attention of the other clans. That scrutiny certainly can have negative connotations, but, in light of the current situation, it will also afford additional protection. Whoever is moving in the shadows will find it much more difficult to do so if all the clans are watching from the shadows too."

Torune leaps to his feet, placing his free palm flat on the table. "I'm in. If it'll protect Sakura…" He trails off, turning to look at her for a long moment. "Whatever it takes."

"This isn't a permanent decision," Ibiki says, staring down at the children. "This is the best makeshift solution for the current situation. Once we track down the bas-" He clears his throat when Mebuki and Kizashi level him with gimlet stares. "-people who are behind this, the candidacy will be dissolved."

"As long as Sakura is safe, it doesn't matter," Shino says firmly.

"Sakura?" Anko asks. "You good with this?"

Sakura glances between her two friends. Marriage is such a distant concept, still abstract, not concrete. She's seen good marriages; her parents' marriage is foremost in her mind. Torune and Shino are her best friends; they know her inside and out. Isn't that what marriage is? A friendship that could see them through thick and thin? Even if this is only for her safety, something that won't actually result in marriage, Sakura thinks she could see it through with either of them.

Sakura squeezes both of their hands, hoping that she is able to offer the comfort to them that they've already offered to her. "Yes," she replies, nodding firmly. "I'd be honored to become a marriage candidate if you'll have me, Shibi-oji."

Shibi grins at her. "We'd be honored."

Mebuki nods decisively, clapping her hands once. "Perfect. We'll draw up a contract and formalize it between our clans. Jiraiya-san, Morino-san, and Mitarashi-san, if you would be so kind as to serve as witnesses?" All three assent. "We'll use language that makes it clear that this is an arrangement that can be broken without repercussions for either party." She looks at Shibi. "I know well the rites and rituals involved for civilian arrangements; are there any formal rites we must perform for shinobi clans?"

Shibi nods. "We'll make an announcement to the Aburame clan as a whole and host a celebratory party. Before that though, Sakura will need to be recognized officially before the clans."

"How does that work?" Sakura asks.

"It's a formality, truthfully, but it has historical roots," Shibi replies. "You will need to petition the Clan Council and state your case before them."

"We'll assist you in preparing," Shino says immediately.

"Whatever you need," Torune adds. "We're here for you, Sakura."