A fast and long chapter?!
Seriously though I haven't gotten to read it through more than once myself. So, mistakes are there, but I will (hopefully) have updated it tomorrow. I honestly just wanted to share it with you are for the big support you all have shown for this story
Inoichi thinks he has a bad day. But it is nothing compared to the day Fukagu is having.
When Shino had shown up looking fanatically close to a panic attack Shikamaru was rightfully worried. His bugs bussing along with their host's anxiety. So, without another word he followed the other boy to the hospital, the feeling of dead never once leaving him.
"Haruno Sakura" Shino demanded once and Shikamaru felt like his world had stopped and time slowed down.
"Room 368 floor 8, bu-" They were gone before she could finish. Sakura had left without saying goodbye. What were the last words that he had even said to her? No, it didn't matter because Sakura was going to pull through this. And, and once she got better, not if he would tell her all the things, he had left unsaid.
Shikamaru didn't doubt that Shino had left some words unsaid as well. They had never thought it could end so quickly. What fools they were, as ninjas any day could be their last.
Just as Shikamaru was about to open the door Shino caught his hand and shook his head. It wasn't until he pointed at the sticker and cussed. They weren't allowed inside until she had been stable for at least 5 hours.
Somewhere along the way around 3 hours uncle Ino showed up. Inoichi went inside the moment she awoke, while they still had to wait outside. It felt like an age before he came back out again looking like he just aged a decade.
"She seems to have fallen asleep again" he mumbled and Shikamaru was happy about that. It didn't stop him from noting, how reckless his daemon suddenly was. Shortly after he left Sakura flatlined.
Kiba wasn't the type to live in denial. Not even when the truth hurt. Personally, Kiba had always found Sakura weird back in the academy. He never bothered trying to know her, never had a reason to. Not until he back teammates with Shino. Boy had he been in for a surprise there. That kid may go weeks without saying a word but ask about Sakura or Shikamaru and he just wouldn't stop talking.
Now, this mess with team 7 had happened and Kiba wasn't foolish enough to not think Shino would do something about it. After all, there was a reason he got along with him so well despite their vastly different personalities. The level of devotions, trust, and loyalty an Aburame gave they demanded right back. He could respect that about the two. He wouldn't be surprised if Shino demanded a change of teams.
"Ma" Kiba called out to get his mother's attention. He heard her grunt in reply, most of her attention still on the woodcarving. Kiba ran his fingers through Akamaru's fur as he thought.
"What do you think of it all?" He finally settles on.
"Hmm, I can respect a shinobi that is ready to risk everything for their teammate. But if you are asking about the fallout… well let's, just say I'm happy to neither Fugaku nor Minato right now."
"The Haruno and Uchiha clan have some sort of contract made between them by Madara Uchiha. It's because of that, that the Haruno join the village in the founding stage. The only ones to know exactly what it says are the clan leaders. It wouldn't surprise me if Mebuki-san went to Fugaku, especially since there were two Uchihas on the team and it was Fugaku's very one son that is the reason Sakura is now in the hospital. Mebuki-san is ruthless on a good day... if there ever was a person you should never anger it is her. I pray to kami that your paths never cross hers." She the last part all but growled out more scared than angry and that frighten him just a bit more than he cared to admit.
Kiba saw the wood break in her hands.
That part didn't really surprise him. The Uchiha, Aburame, and Inuzuka got along well, hell his ma respected few people, but the two clan heads both had it. Maybe it was the kinship as they were grouped together as the pack-orientated clans. Maybe it was the respect that they had towards them and their animal companions. Whatever the reason Mebuki Haruno both scared his mother and send her protective instinct in overdrive.
"But that kid of hers, Sakura. Now she is something else. No one could fool both the Aburame and Nara clan and that says a lot about her character. If she becomes Shino's new teammate be sure to invite their team over for dinner." She said before leaving the room. Kiba didn't mind she had given him a lot to think about.
It was true, no matter how smart Sakura was she couldn't have fooled a whole clan of geniuses or a clan that could smell a person's mood. Huh, Kiba left the house Akamaru and Alister both on his heel. Hanna said that you either brought flowers or balloons when you visited them in the hospital.
Inoichi Yamanaka sometimes hated his job. He looked at the small young girl, who hadn't even been awake for 5 minutes. She was just sitting in the big hospital bed, kami, she was even younger than his own daughter. At least her daemon wasn't looking ragged or missing any fur.
"Hello Sakura-chan, I'm Inoichi Yamanaka. You can just call me Inoichi or Ino, whichever you feel most comfortable using. I will ask some questions and I expect you to answer them honestly, even if you might need some time to think about the answer." He told her kindly watching the already vigilant lynx snap his eyes towards him. Paranoid daemon. It was clearly not moving away from the girl any time soon. Protective. Maybe overprotective?
"Your full name, that of your daemon and your age" He smiled at the young girl and her feline daemon that was laying in her lap. His own butterfly was flapping her blue wings. Her daemon didn't even bother with Sara. Daemon seems uninterested in other daemons.
"Sakura Haruno, I'm 10 and this is Tobi" Sakura said ducking her head a bit. A shy reply, perhaps not comfortable around adults? He acted as if didn't note the way she was subconsciously seeking comfort from Tobi.
"What is your favorite color?" He wanted to start out easy. Something that would hopefully help her relax.
"I umm like red and blue?" she made it sound like a question instead of an answer, but he didn't comment on it. Insecure. People pleaser?
"When did your daemon settle?"
"Around the same time as everyone else" Sakura replied tightening her hold on Tobi's fur. The lynx didn't growl at him, but he had lifted his upper lip and showed his fangs. Longer fangs and claws than a normal lynx, seemingly sharper too. Tries hard to fit in.
"How do you feel right now?" He just had to keep going and not dig too deep yet, wait until trust was built between them.
"Tired? I have been told that is normal for healing" He supposed that was a fair answer, but not what he had meant. Have a problem understanding the true meaning of common sentences? Not used to talking with others. They seem almost co-dependent.
"I will try to keep this short then," he said instead. There was no need to figure it out right now, she would have to see him weekly after this anyway.
"How would you describe your temper?" He said looking at the way she was almost scratching the skin on her arm off. Anxious or uncomfortable talking for longer periods and about her personal life. Might have problems at home.
"Umm, I'm not sure I understand" Sakura was clearly waiting for him to yell at her. Tobi's whole body was stung tight by now that Inoichi was surprised he hadn't jumped at him yet. Bad experience with adults and failure. Parents? Teachers? Protective daemon to the point of worry. Will need a calm and understanding teacher in the future, who is good at explaining things to her. Should she decide to continue being a shinobi.
"From 1-10 with 1 being rarely angry and 10 extremely short-tempered." Seems to be better understanding with the help of numbers, might like math?
"Oh, I'm probably a, ugh 1 or 2 I think, and Tobi might be an 8… He doesn't care for idiots" Inoichi just nodded at timid answer. Adding a comment on the vast difference between human and daemon personality-wise. It was normal not to be totally alike, but this seemed almost extreme. Something to investigate in the future.
"Oh, when was the last time you got angry and yelled at someone?" Inoichi asked this one mostly because he wanted to satisfice his curiosity at the answer, and not because it was necessary.
"I was angry on the mission and… I, ugh I don't know. I try not to yell at people, it's not nice to be yelled at" she admitted almost shamefully. Right, this was a whole other can of worms that he wasn't going to open right now. Absent or angry parents?
"How about friends, how much do you trust your friends?" All but begging for at least one good answer.
"Oh! I have Shikamaru and Shino! I trust them" Finally, a totally normal answer. Inoichi felt like he could breathe again. Seems to only have trust issues with adults.
"Name your teammates" Now he was stepping into the real mess.
"… Naruto-san, Sasuke-san, Uchiha Obito and Hakata Kakashi"
"I noted you said your senseis' full names instead of just calling them sensei?" Not that Inoichi didn't understand. He frankly didn't think their name and sensei belong in the same sentence unless there was an unfit between.
"…I … I'm not sure they really are… that, senseis." Sakura finally said voice breaking underway looking ready to just cry. Clearly, they fucked her up. Might have left irreversible damage.
"How much did you trust your teammates before this mission?"
"With my life" That comment had been enough for Inoichi to look up at her again. It had been said without hesitation. Minato had really fucked this up.
"And now?"
"Wouldn't even trust them to make your lunch" Tobi had replied instead. At times dominate daemon, often when the host becomes uncomfortable or doesn't like the hard truth. Aggressive behavior not found in host, only daemon. Co-dependency. Trauma? Forced separation?
"What did you think about them before this mission?"
"I don't think they liked me very much, but I think some were halfhearted and others downright mean" Sakura mumbled feeling like a failure. Won't put names on people that hurt her. Seems to think that calling people out on their bad behavior is wrong. Might have experienced that in the academy?
"How do you feel about them now?"
"…I… I don't know" Honest. Bad at identifying feelings.
"Just take your time" Inoichi encroached softly, almost hoping Sakura would ask to skip the question.
"I'm not sure, hurt I guess, angry too?" The grip she had on Tobi looked painful. High tolerance for pain. Total trust in daemon on a co-dependency level. Separation anxiety?
"That's totally normal Sakura and nothing to be ashamed about," Inoichi said relaxing a bit once she finally nodded a couple of minutes later. Seems used to having her feelings invalidated, ignored, or shamed. Emotional abuse?
"How do you feel now after killing a man?" He asked and saw Sakura flinched. 10 years old and what, a month out of the academy? Already she had had to kill someone. Will have to talk through it in length next time.
"I... it was him or us" Sakura mumbled seemingly waiting for a bad reaction from him. Sensei gave a bad response to this action. Seems he didn't offer any time of comfort.
"How did your team react? What action did your teachers take after it happened?" He tried to dig deeper. To this, neither girl nor daemon seemed inclined to respond. Bad response from teammates as well.
"Do you get nightmares now?"
"Yes," Inoichi didn't know which one of them seemed the most tried anymore. Have nightmares.
"How often do you have them?"
"All the time" Past trauma? How far back?
"When did you first start having them?"
"I can't remember" Clearly years old trauma. Seems she lack any form of guidance on how to deal with it in a healthy manner.
"How do you feel about your parents?" All the girl did was blink at him and Inoichi got a feeling he wouldn't like where this was going.
"They're fine? I mean they are good people. They love me, I think. They send me money and stuff when they are away" Sakura replied seemingly confused about it. Seemingly no relationship with her parents. Clearly absent parents. Perhaps an abusing babysitter/caretaker instead?
"When was the last time you saw them?"
"A few years ago? They are often busy traveling, sends me a letter or two every other month" Kami, he had never had to hear that one before. Now that he thought about it, neither of her parents had been waiting outside. Only her friends had been out there. Parents away for a really long period of time. Clearly not aware that it isn't right. Lacks awareness of boundaries and standards she should expect to hold others to.
"Who has been taking care of you when they are gone?" Inoichi asked watching as the tension in Tobi had grown since talking about friends. Daemon reacts negatively to mentions of teammates, teachers, and parents.
"It used to be Rowan, but by the time I was 4 it's just me and Tobi." What?! CHILD NEGLECT! Most likely touched-starved too. Inoichi bit his tongue to prevent himself from saying something he would regret. Geez, no wonder the girl lacked so much in any type of social interaction. Now, it was nothing short of a miracle that Sakura had made friends at all. The daemon seemed to have picked up on his change, claws out and digging into the cover.
"Who are the adults that you feel close to?" His throat felt dry as he asked the next question.
"Genma-san, Shibi and Shikra. Personally, Genma-san is my favorite! He doesn't get angry and teaches me a lot" Suggest Genma as a teacher or legal guardian. Would most likely have a good effect on the kid.
"What about you Tobi? How do you feel about all this?" He asked at last finally done. Inoichi didn't want to be here anymore, and luckily the lynx merely turned his head away. Daemon dislikes humans too.
It took another 9 hours after that until they were allowed into the room. She had flatlined twice in the time since uncle Ino left.
It wasn't until he was allowed inside to see her that Shikamaru felt like he could breathe again. She wasn't dead. He watched as Felix waddled his way over to the lynx. Never had he seen the feline so still. True, Tobi had always faded into the shadows. But shadows were his clan's specialty, that he could live with. Not this unmoving white fur that needed help to breathe from some tube.
He moved on shaking legs towards her bed, just a bit surprised he didn't have to crawl there. He sat down in one chair and took her hand seeing Shino doing the same on the other side.
Clyda had joined Felix on Tobi's bed seeking comfort from the fact he was still breathing, hoping to hear his heart still beating.
He wasn't sure for how long he just sat there looking at her face while holding onto her hand. His clan had never been very religious, but he prayed to any type of God out there that Sakura would wake up soon and be alright.
"We acted too late" Shino rasped out at some point. For the first time, he looked up at the bug boy and saw him without his glasses on. His eyes were red from crying and his nose was running. Shikamaru wasn't sure that he looked any better.
"Never again" Shikamaru replied taking his free hand that was just laying on the bed in hope of giving what little comfort he could.
They would pay for what they had done to Sakura. He would make sure of it.
When Mebuki heard the news about her daughter her first action wasn't to run there. Live or die it wouldn't change just because Mebuki was present. No matter how much she wished it would be that easy. Kami, she would give it everything if it insured that Sakura made it through this alive.
She knew her kind beloved husband would find her once they knew whether she would live or not.
Instead, she went straight for the Uchiha clan. Let the people think her cold or whatever they wanted to. None of them would have the balls to even whisper about it if she was in the village. There she didn't have to wait more than a couple of seconds before Fugaku stood in front of her.
"I have come to demand you uphold your part of the contract that our ancestors made Fugaku, as is my right," Mebuki said without even bothering with the niceties. All the lines in his face harden at once and deep down she almost felt bad for her childhood friend.
If her daughter didn't make it out alive, Mebuki would be sure that the rest of her team didn't either.
Inoichi was tried and just done with the day by the time he was reporting back to Minato. Neither Obito nor Kakashi should have ever been allowed to become teachers in the first place. Now Sakura was paying the price. Kami, the girl had flatlined twice since his visit. He wasn't sure if the boys' arrogance and incompetents were the worst or if it was Minato, who despite being Hokage had allowed himself to be so blinded by his sentimental feelings for them.
"Even with this proof, we can't take Sakura away from her parents. Normally she would be considered an adult now and we could have just offered her an apartment, but due to her Mebuki that rule doesn't apply to Sakura until she is 15." Minato said darkly, it made a shiver run down his spine.
It could be so easy to forget sometimes that the blond man was one of the village's best shinobis with his sunshine personality. Then something like this happened and frankly, Inoichi wouldn't be shocked if he heard that the woman had been killed tomorrow.
Both turned around when the office door was slammed open and shut with an angry Fugaku inside the room. He walked in quick steps up to the desk all but slamming a file onto it.
"These are the documents that release Sakura from her parents. Mebuki herself has signed-." The man's Sharingan spinning at high speed as he all but grinned the words out. Fury was all but reeling off the man. Honestly, Inoichi wanted to know what had been said and done between those two for that to happen.
"That is some good new-"
"-On the condition that she becomes Itachi's ward" Fugaku finished interrupting Minato. Inoichi might not be the Uchiha's biggest fan, but he could respect the spine of steel the man had to have to interrupt the younger blond.
"What" Minato hissed out darkly, and it didn't even sound like a question more of a demand. Like if Fugaku didn't give him an answer he liked, he would kill him right there and then, not even caring of who saw. Kami, that man was so scary when he was angry.
"Ugh, no offends meant towards your son Fugaku-san, but I don't think Itachi-san is what Sakura needs" Inoichi tried to inject into the conversation. He might have died a little inside when he got their full attention. Clearly, the world was coming to an end because Fugaku had just snorted at that. Inoichi must be insane for thinking it, but Fugaku seemed to have a sense of humor.
"It was the only way," the Uchiha said with an almost defeated post. Muttering about a contract and God-awful ancestors. Right, the contract between their two clans was older than even the village and, if rumors are to be believed might even be older than the Uchiha clan.
"Does Itachi-kun gets along with Genma?" Minato asked with a new glint in his eye.
"You can't honestly mean to-"
"Yes, yes I do," the expression on his face said, or else and frankly Inoichi could admit he wasn't brave enough to find out what that meant. He was fleeing as discreetly as possible. Fugaku was by far the bravest man in the village.
"Tell your son to pack and expect two new roommates" Minato add was the last he heard coupled with Fugaku's cruising before he was out of range.
Inoichi was perfectly content to cowardly run back into his wife's arms and to hug his daughter extra tight, even if she claimed to be too old for that. Leave the bravery and glory to the Uchihas if it meant dealing with an angry Hokage and Mebuki, because he hadn't signed up for that when he became shinobi or paid for it.
Kiba: Hummingbird, I'm not really sure why but it just seems to fit?