Early the next morning, Sakura awoke, cold and full of dread, to Tsunade shaking her, already dressed in her traveling clothes. Her hair had been pulled back into a bun gathered at the base of her neck and streaked lightly with gray to resemble Hayashi Chiasa's signature hairstyle, her bangs tucked behind her ears. A light eyeshadow dusted her eyes, a faux beauty mark on the side of her cheek near the left corner of her mouth, and she'd relented a portion of her chakra to make her wrinkles more pronounced around her eyes and lips. The Byakugou was cleverly hidden with some foundation. With this makeover, she hardly looked like the mentor she knew.
She'd gotten up quickly and had dressed in the clothes lent to her by Daitan; she unbound her chest and tied the dress snugly around her waist to appear thinner and curvier, the long sleeves loose and flowing to hide her muscled arms. The soft chiffon skirt hid her legs easily, the bottom hem brushing lightly against her ankles.
She brushed out her hair until it was wavy and soft, letting Ino make it into a simple braided bun. She put Shien's favorite lilac kanzashi into it, trying her best to ignore the fond memories of seeing the girl wearing it at summer festivals.
Her face was lightened with white powder, her eyes were lined with eyeliner, and her lips colored with mauve lipstick. As she glanced at her own face in the mirror, she thought that she looked more like a potential bride rather than a lady.
She put on some white strappy sandals and she was ready to go. But Hinoki stepped up to give her something else.
"Here, as a reminder that we're all standing behind you," she said as she draped a pretty pendant with a violet flower carved from amethyst and dipped in resin around her neck. The cold silver chain made her look up, and she smiled gratefully into her warm oak-brown eyes.
"Thank you, it's beautiful," she said, hugging her tight. "I'll really miss you."
"I'll miss you too," the woman admitted as she pulled away. "When we set up a liaison between us so that you can more easily let us know about what's going on in the palace, I'll be the first to write to you."
She nodded, and next hugged Ino, who looked her over with a fond eye.
"Look at you, all grown up and drop-dead beautiful," she sighed, brushing some stray hairs out of her face. "You've really become a woman that would give me a run for my money, Billboard Brow."
Sakura chuckled at the childhood nickname. "It won't be the same not waking up to your hideous face in the mornings, Pig."
Ino gave her a mock-offended look before Tsunade gently took her arm.
"It's time to leave," she reminded her.
"Good luck, you two," Hinoki said, patting both of them on the shoulder. "May Kami protect you both."
All was still miserably wet from rain the night before as the two women walked into Konoha. The unrelenting silence between them as they showed the guards their ID cards and walked in felt like a heavy blanket upon their shoulders. It felt more akin to someone walking to their execution rather than walking to the castle for a place to stay.
She quietly sighed, catching the older woman's attention for a moment. "Everything alright?"
"No," Sakura admitted, giving her a worried frown. "Something about this still doesn't sit right with me. I mean, it's just Sasuke's dad, but so much has changed since we were last in town… what if he's changed as well? I can't help but keep ruminating on the thought that something much bigger is at play than we presently realize."
Tsunade nodded, lightly squeezing her hand. "Don't worry too much about it. I know you'll be able to adapt to whatever they throw at you. And if worse comes to worse, we'll be in to rescue you as soon as we receive word."
The rosette cracked a smile. "Thanks."
As she turned away, millions of thoughts arose in their heads.
Tsunade, honestly, was scared. Sakura wasn't much older than she herself had been when she was fighting a bloody war, and here she was, prepared to spy on the royal family with no guarantee of success and quite literally everything to lose. She was still so young, and yet life on the run had toughened her up immensely. It had weathered her hands and set a firmness to her eyes that not very many (especially not her age) could empathize with. She had to admit that if anyone could do it, Sakura could.
It was far too risky to send in Hinoki, especially with her history with the family. Honestly, she was surprised the woman wasn't more offended she'd ever asked her to do such a thing; after her husband's death, she vowed she'd never willfully look the king in the eye again. The underlying threat, plus the slight glint of her kunai knife in the sunshine, had helped her understand.
Sakura had been traumatized too, yet not to the same degree - sure, she hadn't ever gotten over the death of her cousin and her baby brother, but she was lucky to be spared the agony of watching a lover die.
As had Karin; losing her only family and being forced to betray her only living relative had wreaked havoc on her mental state. Luckily, like Sakura and Hinoki, she had been relatively quick to bounce back - even if it entailed unhealthy coping habits, like throwing herself wholly into her work with hardly a break.
She spared the pinkette a glance, only to see her bright eyebrows low in a frown, her forest eyes determinedly watching the road.
Nineteen. Nineteen and already on the track to mastering everything the Slug Princess knew. Hell, she would've found it impressive had the girl gotten the seal when she was sixteen. It had taken Tsunade until around her eighteenth birthday to finally gain it, and it was no easy task. She was definitely on the right path to getting the seal, but all she needed was one final push; one that they had yet to find.
She couldn't be more proud of her pupil. Her niece. She'd been vehemently against motherhood for as long as she could remember (partially because it unearthed painful memories, and partially because the war had thoroughly destroyed her, both inside and out), but the girl had been stubborn enough to stay and grow on her. Imagine that. A scrawny little teenager with strawberry-gold hair had wormed her way into a hardened war veteran's heart and endeared herself enough that Tsunade was comfortable calling her 'niece'. And between her, Karin, Hinoki (and, admittedly, Jiraiya), Tsunade could confidently say she had found her family again.
As they walked through the town, Sakura noticed a familiar head of blonde hair and peridot eyes at the same food vendor from yesterday, and she made sure to avert her own when the woman looked around.
It had been years since she'd last properly seen her mother, and it was apparent, more so than the day before, that the years hadn't been kind. The stress had streaked her once-sunny tresses with silver, and she had permanent frown lines around her eyes and mouth. The one thing that didn't seem to have changed was the kindness in her eyes, especially when she regarded the excitable boy tugging at her ratty green dress.
And her father. When she saw her father, she almost had to do a double-take. His mauve hair, always so ridiculously cherry-blossom shaped, had gone totally gray, and the 'petals' of his head were trimmed down so that it closely followed his skin, dipping low down his neck and ending at the base with, funnily enough, the shape of cherry blossom petals. Gone were his massive sideburns, replaced instead with a thin mustache above his lips. His face was gaunt and his eyes seemed to sink into his skin, and although he still had a gentle look about him, he was just as wrinkled and weary-looking as her mother. Still, his aqua-blue eyes still sparkled with some kind of happiness, and as she observed, he shared a chuckle with Arata as he showed the boy how to peel open an orange.
Forty-two. Only forty-two, yet they'd lost two children and gained another. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen them look so happy.
She cracked the tiniest smile and, ignoring the burning in her eyes and the painful clenching of her heart, turned away and focused her attention on the looming bridge to the castle.
Once she crossed that bridge, her life as an on-the-run rebel would pause, and a new life as a noblewoman would take its place.
Her stomach was filled with butterflies, and she felt the anxiety of seeing the Uchiha monarchs again - of seeing her friends again - overtake her. She squeezed Tsunade's hand tight.
Fugaku had been sitting with his wife in meetings all morning, and he was exhausted already. Luckily a lull had come with appointments, but Sasuke had come to ask about something.
With a quiet sigh, he listened to his son discussing his question when a knock came at the double-doors.
He, his wife, and his son exchanged puzzled looks. "I haven't been expecting anyone," he thought to himself.
As he looked at Mikoto, she shook her head.
He looked at his son, and Sasuke shrugged to signify his own confusion.
Sighing, he called out, "You may enter!"
As the doors opened, they did a double-take at the two women that entered the room.
The younger one, the one with pink hair, looked awfully familiar for a few moments, but in the next, he dismissed it as a trick of the light. She was dressed beautifully in a fashionable pale green dress.
The older one, the blonde, also looked familiar, but he shrugged it off after studying her face for a few moments. She was wrinkled and plain, though her aged honey eyes emanated a warmth that made him relax a little.
Where Fugaku and Mikoto were surprised, Sasuke was absolutely floored.
"That's the girl from yesterday!" He thought to himself. "But she looks so much different… Who on earth is she? And who's the woman with her?"
The rosette glanced the prince's way for a brief moment, apparently just as shocked to see him, but she swiftly regained her composure and turned back to face the king, her eyes carrying an unreadable look.
"What have you come here to ask of me?" The king asked, sitting up straighter.
"Milord, I only come to request lodgings here for this young lady." The older one bowed respectfully as she spoke. "It would do my family a great service."
"What is your name, madam?" He asked, his eyes softening. She was dressed just as shabbily as most of the other peasants that came through, and yet he caught sight of a nicer brown dress beneath her cloak. She had to be at least middle-class.
"Hayashi, milord," she replied, gesturing to both herself and her daughter, who stood with her hands clasped together in front of her. "I am Chiasa Hayashi, and this is my lovely adopted daughter, Shien Hayashi."
"It's an honor to finally meet you, my king," Shien said, bowing for a few moments. The lilac ornament in her hair swayed a bit with the movement, and he caught sight of a flower pendant around her neck. A violet. Most peculiar. It went nicely enough with the dress, and it didn't set off any immediate alarms in his mind as he covertly activated his eyes and searched them both.
"Tell me, are you nobles of some kind?" Mikoto asked as his eyes went back to their usual midnight black. She recognized the name Hayashi. There was a clan on the borders of Fire, a family that, in the past, the family had enjoyed fellowship with. If they were indeed from the same clan, she knew they had to do what they could to keep them here a little longer.
"Yes, milord," Chiasa nodded. "My family hails from the farthest borders of Fire. We have traveled far in order to be here."
"So you must have..." Fugaku muttered, stroking his chin. "I must admit, I have enjoyed the company of your clan through the years. What is it, exactly, that you want to do here?"
"If I'm not being too forward, my king, even a simple maid's job would suffice," the girl's voice trembled slightly, giving away her nervousness.
He was appalled that she would allow herself as a lady of high enough status to take on the lowly job of a castle maid. "And... you're sure of this?"
"Anything to serve the royal family, my king." Shien smiled pleasantly, and for a moment, her face seemed to change in the light to something more... familiar.
But a split-second later, he blinked, and it was gone, replaced with her sweet, unassuming demeanor.
He looked up at Mikoto. Mikoto looked up at him.
"If no one else, this one will do," they decided unanimously.
He hummed in thought. "It would be a waste to put you to work as a humble maid... I'll tell you what. Due to your status, I'd like you to supervise my son's lessons and linger while he studies. Would you keep my son's company? Surely it is a high enough position for such a young lady in my court."
Shien hesitated for a moment. While she was here to get closer to the prince and eventually overthrow the king and queen, she hadn't really expected him to snap up the bait so easily.
Deciding not to look a gift horse in the mouth, she beamed up at him. "It would be an honor, sir."
"Excellent." Fugaku nodded once, seemingly pleased. "Your duties begin as soon as possible. I'll have a maid show you to your quarters. In the meantime, madam, shall I get a guest bedroom for you...?"
"Oh, you are too kind, your majesty," Chiasa gushed, clasping her hands together. "But I'm afraid I already made arrangements for lodgings with a friend just on the outskirts of town. You understand, I'm sure, how rude it would be to abruptly cancel..."
"Yes yes, I know it all too well." Luckily, the king wasn't offended, and he waved his hand. "I wish you safety in your travels, Hayashi-san."
"Thank you so much, my king." Chiasa and her daughter bowed once more before exiting the hall.
As soon as the door was shut, Mikoto looked at him with an eager grin.
"Oh no, I know that look," he sighed as she all but bounced in her seat.
"What do you think of her? She's such a lovely, dainty thing," she gushed. "And her hair! What a rare and unnatural color! Why, it looks just like our ancestor from the legends!"
Fugaku turned to Sasuke. "What do you think of her? Are you okay with her supervising your studies?"
Sasuke blinked, still stunned from what happened. "I… guess? But why her?"
"While we still have to search for you a bride come July, I believe that we can consider the lady Hayashi a prime candidate."
"Oh, this is exciting!" Mikoto chimed in. "It's been so long since we've last held company with the Hayashi clan. I do so want to sit with her over tea and ask how things have been lately!"
The prince merely nodded. For some reason, relief filled his heart when his parents began to talk amongst themselves again. "May I be excused?"
"Oh, yes." Fugaku nodded to him.
He bowed and turned, making a swift exit from the room. He caught the tail-end of a conversation between Chiasa and Shien and ducked his head as he passed, not caring to eavesdrop.
A/N: Thus begins the Palace Arc! No doubt the longest arc in the book, this will make up a huge bulk of the story, just be forewarned! I haven't quite gotten everything mapped out yet, but my rough outline spans this part of the book from about June-July, and my actual plotting map is into about chapter 74 at this point, and that one's only around July 5th or so. Just make sure you're settled in for the long haul! ^^
Please tell me what you thought!