AN: Thanks for all of the encouraging reviews. You guys are awesome! And just a couple things before you read. First off, I have no clue about Sakura's family – I don't think there is any shinobi background but in my story I have it so both of her parents are jounins. The second thing is I also made it so the characters in my story are clueless as to where Kakashi lives. Just to add more to the mystery of Kakashi :D
And I also changed the summary to the story 'cause the other one was crapola! Hopefully this one is better…
And that's it! Enjoy!
Courage Needs You - Chapter #3
"Ino, you're so bad!"
She grinned puckishly at her gaping friend. "There's no harm in being a little friendly," she countered playfully.
"You call that being a little friendly? Jeez, if that's friendly, I'd love to see you being flirtatious."
Ino rolled her eyes. "You're just jealous."
Tenten bristled; brown eyes narrowed in indignation. "Am not!"
"Are too!"
"Am not!"
"You are too! You just can't admit that you wish he had paid more attention to you instead of me. I know how you are Tenten," she said mischievously, wagging a finger in front of the older girl's face.
The two friends eyed each other; cold blue and dark brown clashing. Passerby's spared the duo a glance – too used to seeing the squabbling teenagers and their daily arguments. Tenten finally relented.
"Fine," she huffed, crossing her arms across her chest. "But what about Shikamaru? What happens when he finds out that you were flirting with a man ten years your senior?"
"Ugh!" Ino said exasperated, throwing her hands up in the air for emphasis. "I wasn't flirting!"
Tenten wryly smiled and cocked an eyebrow, giving her the, you-can't-fool-me-look.
"Besides," Ino went on, proceeding to walk down the street, "Shik knows I would never cheat on him, and he doesn't care if I flirt a little either. He told me o–"
"Ha!" Tenten exclaimed, side-stepping in front of her friend to point an accusing finger at the clueless blonde. "You liar! You just admitted you flirted with him."
"Wha…?" Ino quickly noted her slip and scowled, smacking the pointing digit out of her face before continuing down the road. She tried to ignore the brunette's triumphant grin from her peripheral vision as well. "Anyway, as I was saying, Shik doesn't care if I flirt. He says tha –"
"Doesn't he get jealous?"
Ino whirled around and pointed at her friend once again. "Eww, if you interrupt me one more time, so help me God…" and she left it at that, letting her friend use her imagination.
"You two better be careful," a masculine voice warned, startling the two distracted girls. "You might poke somebody's eye out with all that finger pointing the two of you have been doing."
"Kakashi-senpai…" they breathed in unison. His eye curved at them.
"You two girls have a nice day now." And then, he was gone. With a slight stupor, they watched him walk away and disappear in the throng of villagers. Ino suddenly lowered her finger, matching her friend's perplexed appearance.
"That was…odd."
Ino nodded in agreement. "Hey, what do you think he looks like under that mask?" She surveyed Tenten's contemplative expression, before going on. "You know, I bet he's really handsome."
"Oh no," Tenten warned, catching Ino's devilish smirk. "Don't even think about it," she hissed, striding away from her scheming friend. She knew first hand the tactless expedients her friend used to get what she wanted. "I'll have no part in whatever fiendish plan you come up with."
Ino wasn't a bad person per se, she was just…aggressive, Tenten thought as her pal clung to her like a lifeline.
"I just want to see what he looks like," Ino said innocently, batting her large blue eyes.
Tenten rolled her eyes theatrically, trying to pry the clutching hellion off of her. "I'm not a guy Ino! You can't win me over by batting your stupid eyelashes." She watched a dawn of comprehension sink into the girl, before she chuckled sheepishly.
"Hehe, sorry force of habit," she said letting Tentengo, her eyes turned upward in proverbial thought. "You know, I've never needed to win a girl over before," she said, finding the whole notion odd yet amusing. "And I have no idea how to go about it."
One would have thought Tenten would have acclimated to her friend by now, but Ino just attested to be a special case.
"Anyway Ino, I don't think it's a good idea to tick off a jounin, especially an elite jounin like Kakashi-senpai. If he finds out you're plotting and sleuthing around trying to see his face, who knows what he'll do."
Ino seemed to mull over her friends wise words, and Tenten jumped on the good thing she had going. "And besides, it's Sakura's sensei, and he knows we're friends with her. He might think she's involved and punish her or something."
"You're right!"
Tenten breathed in relief. "Of course I'm right. Now just forg–"
"Ah, you're a genius Tenten. I totally forgot Kakashi-senpai was Sakura's sensei. It will be so much easier since we have a person on the inside! Now," Ino started, holding her friends shoulders at arms length, "we just need Sakura to help us out."
Tenten groaned, wondering how this happened and why she was involved.
Sakura staggered, trying to balance the two large paper brown bags in her arms, while trying to avoid the oncoming and going traffic.
I hate Sunday's, she thought bitterly, knowing it was only half the truth. She hated Sunday's because that was when everybody conveniently had a day off. They crowded the streets; buying, browsing, bargaining, which all effectively blockaded her way. Family outings ensued, friends got together and formed packs. Everybody, everywhere, with everyone. That's what Sakura saw it all as. The only upside to Sunday's was sleeping in and having a day to relax from her training. Sometimes that knowledge was enough for her to bear the onslaught of people.
"Sakura!"
She turned around, scanning the crowd, seeing no one familiar enough to call out her name. She continued walking when her name was bellowed out louder and closer this time. Stopping mid-stride, she waited. A couple moments later a blonde and brunette burst through the mass unceremoniously. Tenten was per usual, wearing a skirt, a jean one this time with a white tank, which Sakura instantly found a little too small and a little too tight on the tall brunette. She knew for a fact it wasn't a dryer accident, nor was Ino's whose happened to be a blood red instead of white. Figures they would be wearing the same shirt despite the colour difference.
They looked so much…older, than their age, she noted, unsure of how to feel about such a thing. She surreptitiously observed her own clothes. Simple khaki capris, and a simple pink V-neck t-shirt. She looked impossibly…simple. She frowned. She was always plain, always ordinary, and always the one who people looked over.
Her friends grew noticeably closer and Sakura instinctively inched back, knowing Ino too long to know the twinkle in her smiling eyes was never a good thing. She would have tried to make a mad dash towards the nearest possible exit, but the cursed paper brown bags hindered her movement as they rested precariously in her arms. Precarious, she thought, just like her situation was about to be.
Abandon the food and run? Or suck it up and face whatever evil plot Ino had formulated this time? Choices, choices.
Her freedom of choice was suddenly halted as the decision was made for her by Ino taking up her vision, a wicked smile on her pretty lips, and a glint in her icy eyes that would make anyone back up in suspicion. Tenten was beside her, staunchly as always.
"Sakura, thank god I found you." Her voice was more vociferous than usual. Something good must be up for Ino to be this excited, only causing Sakura to groan inwardly. The more keyed up Ino was, the deeper the consequences usually were.
She shifted her bags awkwardly, nodding to each one. "Hey Ino…Tenten. Something up?" Why she was even pretending to be dumb, she didn't really know.
"We need your help!"
That was never a good thing.
"Ino, wait," Tenten said, a rare thoughtful expression on her face. "Maybe Sakura's already seen it, and she can just tell us about it and then you don't have to scheme anymore."
Sakura paused, a nonplussed expression creeping onto her face. Something I've already seen?
"Oh ya!" she turned towards Sakura, her short ponytail bouncing with her movements. "Have you seen Kakashi-senpai's face?" Her mien matched her speech, both full of desperation and curiousity.
"Kaka-sensei's face? That's what this is about?" This was definitely…different.
"Ya! So have you? I bet he's really good looking. I can tell about these sorts of things. I have an uncanny talent for it."
Sakura agreed; Ino was definitely uncanny. "Sorry guys,I can't help you. I've never seen his face either."
Both girls' eyebrows reached toward their hairline. "No way!" Tenten exclaimed. "That's so weird! He's been your sensei for four years and he's never even let you take a tiny peek?"
Sakura's lips down-turned. She never really thought it that odd before, but hearing someone else say it out loud, she found it did indeed seem a little outlandish. Why hadn't Kakashi ever shown them his face?
"Maybe he doesn't like you guys," Ino said with a shrug of her tiny shoulders, either not knowing or not caring about how her words might be taken. "Or maybe it's a whole trust thing. He probably thinks you guys will squeal or something."
The corners of Sakura's mouth tugged lower even more, a full blown frown forming.
"I highly doubt it's due to the fact that he doesn't like or trust us," Sakura countered, unable to keep the scowl off her face. "It's probably just something extremely private to him which he doesn't want to share with anybody else." She eyed her girlfriend's, mentally daring them to rebuke her statement. Between the awkward silence, tension thickened between the trio.
"Hmm…well, I suppose that could be the reason. Anyway, what he thinks of you doesn't matter," Ino finally said, waving her hand dismissively.
Doesn't matter…?
"The important thing is girl's, that we figure out a way to get him to take off that damn mask."
Sakura shuffled uneasily from foot to foot, half listening to Ino spitting out ideas to conquer her goal, and her other half debating the odds, pros, and ethics. She couldn't deny she was curious as well, but to plot against him just to have him take off his mask? A sudden feeling of déjà vu settled in.
"I don't think we'll be able to," Sakura butted in, her voice soft compared to Ino's strident one. "Naruto, Sasuke and I all tried a few years ago and it never worked." She saw Ino frown and cross her arms, but found she didn't care at the moment if she upset her friend for she was still a little rattled by Ino's inconsiderate words from earlier.
"Jeez Sakura, you're always so negative," Ino huffed.
Negative?
"Don't worry Sakura," Tenten reassured, a semi smile playing along her lips. "We're all chuunin now so we're more likely to accomplish it compared to you and your teammate's years ago."
She watched Ino scanning the area with her brows knit together. "Come on guys; let's go talk about this somewhere more private. Who knows who might be listening?"
"As if anyone cares about your idiotic plan," Sakura muttered just low enough to not attract her friend's attention. God, when had she turned so bitter? Maybe Ino was right; maybe she was negative.
Obediently she followed the delinquent duo to a pretty popular coffee house. They wanted privacy yet they go to one of the most crowded stores in the village? Sakura sighed airily, not bothering to try and figure out the logic in their decision, while also wishing she at least didn't have to lug around her groceries.
A little bell chimed their entry, not that it could have been heard over the boisterous crowd anyway. Sakura paused, letting the aroma of lattes and pastries tickle her nose. The whole coffee house was done in rich mahogany, from their floors to tables and chairs, making the space seem smaller than it actually was. Mustard-yellow and red striped curtains and upholstery gave off a mature and comfortable atmosphere. It would have been a nice place to relax and read a book if it weren't for the stacks of people cramming and taking up every available space.
Peeking between her bags, she spotted Ino and Tenten making a bee-line through the thicket of people towards the farthest table at the farthest end of the store.
Figures.
Questions silently buzzed inside, wondering why they were heading towards a table that was already occupied, in fact, every table was occupied and even more people seemed to be standing around the already taken tables; talking to old acquaintances, new friends, or annoying colleagues. Sakura squirmed and dodged her way to the back of the room, or at least tried to as people continued to brush and bump into her, making her almost topple the heavy bags one time too many.
While trying to avoid all human contact possible, she watched as her two friends talked to a group of three teenage guys surrounding a table they obviously felt they needed. Slinking past a few more people, she watched the group exchange a few words here and there, and then before she could comprehend what was happening, the group of guys stood up with smiles and let Ino and Tenten have their seats.
"What did you guys say to them?" Sakura asked when she reached them, slumping down in her chair and letting her groceries thump on the ground next to her. She got two rascal smirks in response. Maybe it was better if she didn't know…
"So guys," Ino said, elbows on the table leaning forward. "Have you thought of anything yet?"
Tenten scratched her trademark buns, a habit she had picked up when thinking deeply. "Well, he can't wear it when he takes a shower right? Maybe that could be our chance."
Oh my god, I'm not hearing this!
Sakura pinched the bridge of her nose. "You're saying you want to spy on my sensei while he's taking a shower?"
Tenten giggled. "Why not?"
"Ya," Ino chirped, the glint in her eye returning. "That way we can see more than just his face." Her eyebrows wiggled suggestively.
Ugh! Just totally unbelievable. They were nuts; just totally absolutely nuts! "You guys, that's sick! This is my sensei we're talking about! I can't spy on him while he's naked!" Oh god, what would he do if he saw her and her friends playing peeping Tom while he was bathing? Sakura cringed. She would move, run away, become a missing-nin; anything but having to face him again if she was caught. Maybe she would be lucky and drop dead from the humiliation instead.
"Oh puh-leeeaze Sakura," Ino said followed by a dramatic eye roll. "You're saying you've never wondered about Kakashi-Jr.?" She said it as if the whole concept was inconceivable; as if it was normal and right and expected for mid-teenage girls to wonder about their sensei's loins.
Sakura gaped, feeling like she was in the twilight zone. She was like a whole other species compared to her friends. Why should she have to feel so incongruous because she didn't want to see her sensei's johnson? And how did it evolve from wanting to pry his mask off to wanting to see his…thing, anyway? All of a sudden the prospect of wanting to see his facial features wasn't so bad anymore…well comparatively to her other choice.
"Don't you guys think its maybe…I don't know…wrong?"
Ino scrunched her face up in resentment. "What's so wrong about it?"
What's wrong with it? What's wrong with it?
It was mind boggling how truly hedonistic they were, with no sense of ignominy either. Obviously morals and ethics wouldn't work against these two. Plan B.
"It wouldn't work anyways guys," she said trying to be as nonchalant as doable. "There will be a shower curtain or blurred glass door or something to obstruct our view. And how did you plan to see him in the shower anyway? It's not like we can walk into his bathroom or sneak in through his window. He's a jounin…he'll know! And then we'll be in trouble. You better come up with something else." Or if she was lucky, nothing at all.
She watched her friends, hope behind her green eyes, wondering if logic and facts would work better against them then her 'it's morally wrong' speech.
Tenten slouched back in her chair, letting out a breath that was between a huff and a sigh. "She's right Ino. We better not underestimate him."
Ino let out a breath that was definitely a huff. "Well what do you propose then?"
"Umm…well he must brush his teeth right?"
"Sorry to burst your bubble Tenten, but he would most likely do that in the bathroom as well, which brings us back to our first problem." Ah, leave it to Sakura to point out other people's idiocy.
"Oh, right."
"What about a public bath?"
What is with their fixation on bathrooms and bathing? Sakura effortlessly droned out their voices, and escaped inwards. Being with Ino and Tenten was like being with Naruto and Sasuke; always the third wheel. Ino and Tenten were too flamboyant and uninhibited while Naruto and Sasuke were too competitive and determined. Her insipid quiet nature couldn't quite mold with theirs for it to be comfortable enough.
She rolled her eyes at herself for her pathetic self-pitying thoughts, before looking around for a distraction.
I wonder if I broke my eggs when I dropped my bags on the floor. She peeked at her bags, seeing no seepage through the paper. It's kinda warm in here…milk doesn't go bad that quickly…does it? Another peek at her bags, followed by a surreptitious whiff.
"Sakura!"
"Huh? What?"
"Jeez, I said your name three times! Weren't you listening? Eww, don't tell me you weren't listening."
"Sorry," she said halfheartedly. "So what did I miss?"
Ino eyed her suspiciously, before responding. "We were saying we could try when he's sleeping. There's no way that man will also sleep with that damn mask on, and also, while he's asleep, his instincts and reactions will be dulled so he won't notice our presence."
I'd beg to differ.
Oh well, she decided she could let this bubble float for a while 'cause she needed to get home before her grocery's went bad, and the longer she pointed out her friends mistakes, the longer she would be here until they thought of a decent enough plan that wouldn't result in them being caught. If she wanted to participate in this little gambit, then maybe she would've thought of a scenario for them, but fortunate for her and unfortunate for them, she wasn't interested nor did she want to participate.
"Alright, so it's settled," Ino beamed. "Now tell us where Kakashi-senpai lives and Tenten and I will go and scope the place out."
"Huh?"
"I said tell us where he lives so we can scope the place out, ya know, look for windows to his bedroom, escape routes, etcetera, etcetera."
She leaned back in her chair, face unreadable. "I don't know where he lives."
Ino bolted forward smacking the table, making Sakura jump in reaction. "You gotta be shitting me? I mean, I guess I can understand you never seeing his face – but to have no clue where he lives also?"
God, it wasn't that odd…was it?
"That is pretty bizarre Sakura," Tenten said, adding her two cents.
Sakura knit her brows together, wondering if Ino was going to add onto her previous comment of Kakashi not liking nor trusting them, and that was why they didn't know anything about him. She almost wished she would, just so she would have an excuse to snap back at her, alleviating some of her frustration.
"Hey, maybe you can ask Shikamaru," Tenten suggested. "He's smart; he can probably figure it out for us."
And what, I can't? Not that she wanted to of course.
Ino leaned back in her chair, playing with the end of her ponytail. "Hmm, I guess I could, but I don't really want to bug him about this. He would just tell me it's too troublesome anyway."
The corners of Sakura's mouth lifted up barely. "You telling me you're not important enough to make him want to help your cause?" Oh, if she wasn't a sly one.
Ino instantly bristled, reminding Sakura of a furious feline. "Of course he we would help me," she said, maybe just a tad bit too fast. "Come on," she ordered, standing up and striding out of the coffee house. "We'll go see him right now and you'll see! Shik would do anything for me!"
She sure was out to prove something to the world, Sakura thought, grabbing her bags and lagging behind, concealing a sickly satisfying grin. It wasn't that she wanted to upset her friend, just verbally give her a jab back from her crass statement from earlier. It was only fair…right?
Half an hour later, Sakura found herself standing atop the pinnacle of a hill, praying to every god and deity that her groceries would still be edible by the time she got home. Even though her milk was going bad with every second she stood there, she couldn't help but be mildly pleased at Ino trying to convince Shikamaru to help her.
"What do you mean it's too troublesome?" Ino all but shrieked. How could such an easy laidback guy go out with someone like Ino? Sakura felt her temples start pulsating, and decided to stop trying to figure out the conundrum of Ino and Shikamaru.
"Isn't there like some sort of information desk you can go to and ask? I mean, you're a trusted andhigh-ranked chuunin, I doubt they would even think twice about asking you why you need such information."
Shikamaru closed his eyes and sighed, obviously not being able to enjoy his sky gazing any longer with his girlfriend throwing a tantrum beside him.
"They would ask," he said, turning his head to finally look at the rattled blonde. "If his address isn't publicly listed, there is a reason for it, and that reason is usually a pretty good one. They won't give it out without good cause." He gave a lopsided grin. "And I don't think you needing to know his address so you can plot to see his face would fall under the 'important' section."
Sakura pursed her lips, trying to keep in her moderate laugh. She was definitely starting to like Shikamaru more and more.
"I thought you loved me!"
Tenten bit her fist, trying to stop her blatant giggling. Ino instantly noticed and it only exacerbated the situation. Anger and mortification flared in smoldering blue eyes. Her plan of 'I'll show you who has the best boyfriend in the world, who loves me and would do anything for me', wasn't exactly sticking to her envisioned script. It was rare to see Ino this put out, and Sakura felt torn between gratification and sympathy for the blonde.
Shikamaru groaned, frustration evident. "Jeez Ino, you know I love you." He gave a clipped sigh. "Look, I'll see what I can do all right? Now why don't you go do the same and maybe talk to some of his acquaintances to see if they can lend you any constructive information. But for the love of god, do not tell them what for! Lie if you have to. If they find out what your real purpose is, no doubt they'll either brush you off or laugh in your face."
Ino exploded like a firecracker, and tackled Shikamaru into a hug. "See guys, I told you he would do anything for me." She obviously didn't know that gloating wasn't very becoming. Totally unabashed, she crushed her lips against his, making the poor brunette shift and blush in awkwardness from his audience.
"Come on guys, we have some information extracting to do!"
"There better not be anymore delays – you hear me!" For being the youngest of the group, she sure was the bossiest.
"Forgive me your majesty that my grocery's were such an inconvenience that I needed to put them away," her sarcasm was only halfhearted, not bothering to make more of an effort as she slammed her refrigerator door and threw out the paper bags. "You know, I'm doing you a favour anyway by coming. It couldn't hurt to show a little appreciation."
"Oh stop your whining, big-forehead!"
Sakura bridled. "I wouldn't talk, Ino-pig."
"Would the both of you just shut up? God, you still act like you're twelve!" She had a point there. "Now shake hands, call a truce, and let's get this over with."
Four hours later…
"I don't know if you guy's have noticed, but this isn't working," Sakura stated, plopping down on a bench in tired frustration. First they had to form and think of a list of people that might be associated with Kakashi. Then after that, they had to go and find said people, and just to continue Sakura's streak of bad luck, the majority of them were away on missions. And then, the people they did manage to find knew about as much as they did; which was absolutely squat.
"Well, if you ask me, I think Asuma-senpai was lying," Ino said, tapping her chin thoughtfully.
Sakura snorted. "That's what you said about Genma, Kurenai, Iruka, and Gai-senpai. Don't you think it might be a little odd if they were all lying?"
Ino's eyes lit up. "Are you saying it's a conspiracy?"
Sakura briefly wondered if Ino deliberately tried to stretch her last nerve to its breaking point, or if she truly was that dim. It wasn't that Ino was per se stupid, but whatever she was, Sakura just prayed it wasn't contagious. She glanced towards Tenten, wondering if it was too late for her friend. She was already showing signs of Ino-disease. If she caught it as well, would there be a cure? Or would she be doomed for the rest of her life flirting and flaunting about with intelligence, morals, and logic being replaced by boys and fashion?
Sakura closed her eyes and shuddered. If that happened, there would be only one option; seppuku. Really, it was the only sane and honorable thing to do concerning humanity. One Ino was enough, two was unbearable, and if there were three? She trembled at the notion.
"Well, since it's a conspiracy we're dealing with, there's only one thing to do!"
Sakura tried to stop the hope from surfacing. "Quit?"
"Hell no! We're going to follow him. It should be easy enough right?"
Sakura only shook her head exasperated. He'll notice right away you're following him and make you end up following a decoy instead.
She was about to say that also, then quickly thought better of it. It might be kind of funny to hear them tell her how easily fooled they were. Man, if she didn't win the best-friend-of-the-year-award, then she had no idea who would.
"You're going to be training with him tomorrow, right Sakura?" She nodded at Tenten. "So you'll be in the usual glade?" Another nod. "Perfect, that way we won't have to track him down. What time do you guys usually finish?"
"On average I'd say around four or five."
"All right, so it's settled. Tomorrow, Tenten and I will follow Kakashi, and then after we're done and have scoped the place out, we'll give you a call Sakura." Sounded reasonable enough to her. Standing up she felt a sense of relief she hadn't felt in ages. She was finally free from the delinquent duo. She took two steps when she spotted Shikamaru walking towards them. It seemed paradise would have to wait a moment.
As soon as Ino spotted the exhausted brunette, she pounced, wrapping her legs around his midsection, and clutching her arms around his neck.
"Oh my god, Shik, you'll never guess what we figured out."
He raised a brow and smirked slightly, knowing that whatever was going to come out of Ino's mouth would be something he could laugh about for days to come. "Oh, and what's that?"
She turned her head left and right as if she was being watched, before leaning forward and whispering into his ear: "There's a conspiracy concerning Kakashi's residence."
Sakura and Tenten heard him chuckle. "Is that so?"
Ino bobbed her head up and down enthusiastically. "Ya! It seems that everybody is lying about not knowing where he lives."
"Hun, have you ever considered that they weren't lying and that they actually might not know?"
She furrowed her brows and frowned. "Well, I suppose that's a possibility." She paused in thought then quickly snapped her head back up. "Hey, did you figure it out?"
"Sorry, but it seems you're dealing with a very secretive man here. I tried everything, almost bordering onto illegal, but came up with nothing."
"I see." She slid off him dejectedly then glanced back at Tenten. "Guess we'll just have to follow tomorrow's plan then." She turned back around noticing Shikamaru's questioning dark eyes. "Tenten and I have decided to follow Kakashi tomorrow," she clarified. "It'll be a piece of pie!"
A piece of pie…?
Shikarmaru closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, his whole body vibrating with laughter. "I think you mean a piece of cake, hun."
"Cake, pie…what's the diff? Both are filled with calories and trans fats that go straight to your ass."
He smirked good-naturedly. "Anyway, good luck with tomorrow girls, you'll need it!" then he walked away, hands stuffed in his pockets and head still shaking from side to side with silent laughter. Maybe that's why he stays with Ino, Sakura thought, 'cause she makes him laugh.
She pondered the idea all the way home, wondering if laughter would be enough to make someone stay in a relationship.
Arriving home, she kicked off her shoes and stared into the long hallway in front of her. The house was dark and unwelcoming. It always was when her parents were gone. The late afternoon sun shone through the house curtains, setting some of the house in tones of warm reds, yellows, and oranges. She didn't bother turning on the lights and walked upstairs to her bedroom.
Why did she want to come home again?
She lay down on her floral duvet; arms propped behind her head, and eyes staring absentmindedly at the speckled ceiling.
Was there something that she needed to do?
She started picking her brain, knowing she was forgetting something as it lay on the outskirts of her memory. She stopped trying to solve her mild dilemma, and knew in foresight that she would regret it later but still found herself not caring anyway.
She heaved a large, long, and exaggerated sigh. Why did she want to come home so bad when she didn't even like home? It was empty and endless in its silence; the airweighty, stuffy, and thick, clogging her lungs and hurting her eyes. No matter how many windows she opened or how strong the breeze,it would always remain the same.
That's when she knew it wasn't the air. Even though she knew it, the delusion still lingered and engulfed her every time she stepped foot inside her house.
She smacked the mattress in sudden frustration. She hated it when things didn't make sense, particularly when it involved herself. When she was with Ino and Tenten, she wanted nothing more than to go home and block out the inane drama of their life. Now that she was home she almost wished she was back with the girls for they at least entertained her and brought a little normalcy into her life – even if their normalcy was a bit peculiar. But she knew if she went back to them, she would just want to go home again.
It just did not make any sense! She was just ready to smack her mattress again when the phone rang. She debated whether to answer the phone or not, then heaved a sigh and felt beside her for the cordless that laid on her night table.
"Hello, Haruno residence," she said, perfectly listless like usual.
"Oh thank the Lord you're home Sakura-chan! I need your help!"
Sakura blinked, once, then twice. "Hokage-sama?"
"Yes, I need you to come over right away! It's an emergency!"
"Umm, all right, I'll be there soon."
That was highly anomalous of the Hokage, Sakura thought, slipping on her sandals before forcing herself to hurry to Tsunade's office. Sprinting the whole way there, she played with the idea that there was some high-risk mission that only she was suitable for. That she was deemed an important and special kunoichi in the Hidden Leaf. The idea was farfetched she knew, but she still thought it all the same, having not felt this good about herself in a while.
She flew and leapt from rooftop to rooftop; pondering the mission and briefly wondering what it was and if she was capable of even accomplishing it. What if she wasn't strong or intelligent enough to complete the mission and failed? What would Tsunade think of her? Would she ever specifically request her to another mission? Would Kakashi be disappointed in her and Naruto and Sasuke laugh at her? The sudden good feeling she had was wretchedly ephemeral as doubt and self-consciousness encroached her mind.
The feeling was still festering and eating away at her confidence when she approached Tsunade's part time secretary, Shizune. As soon as the pixie-haired woman caught sight of Sakura, she bolted upright and rushed to her side.
"Oh thank the heavens you're here! Tsunade-sama is being driven up the walls as we speak. She really appreciates your help by the way." Sakura let herself be dragged down some hallways without a fight, quickly noticing that Shizune was definitely more powerful than she seemed. A few more hallways later, Sakura wondered if her wrist was going to have an unhealthy bruise on it by the time they reached their destination. Was it absolutely necessary to tug and squeeze her wrist so insistently?
"Is the mission really that urgent?" she asked, becoming slightly more interested, yet worried at the same time. She didn't want to fail…
Without slowing her stride or letting go of Sakura's wrist, Shizune turned her head to the side enough for Sakura to view her nonplussed expression.
"Mission?"
"Well ya…isn't that why Tsunade-sama called me?"
Shizune quickly faced forward again. "Huh? Oh yes, of course of course!" she laughed weakly, then muttered to herself; "I suppose you could consider it a mission."
"What was that?"
"Huh? Oh nothing, nothing. Come on, not much further now."
Rounding one last corner, Sakura was caught off guard as four shinobi, all consisting of different ranks from genin to jounin, walked out of a door from the end of the hallway and ambled towards them with heads bowed and quick desperate strides. That's when her ears pricked up at the sound of screaming and yelling which she was positive was coming from behind that door. It was muffled, but she was pretty sure it was coming from several people. The closer Shizune pulled her, the more distinguishable the voices grew, and there was something just quite not right about it. It sounded too high-pitched…
"Shizune-san, what's going on?"
She watched the dark haired girl wave her hand dismissively while letting out what sounded like a forced and phony laugh. "Nothing, nothing."
When in vice, say it twice…
They finally reached the door, and Sakura was seriously having second thoughts about agreeing to come to Tsunade's aid. Shizune abruptly yanked the door open and shoved an unexpected Sakurainto the room, before slamming it closed.
"Oh finally!"
Sakura barely registered the sound of someone else's voice as she stood there, mouth agape, and eyes wide. There were kids – everywhere! At least fifteen of them, ranging from ages two to eight, were wrecking havoc about the room. Several were crying; two were arguing in a corner, some were mindlessly playing, and a couple strays seemed to have discovered the fun in ink. So that's why those four shinobi left in a hurry, Sakura thought, instantly wanting to do the same.
"Hokage-sama, what is going on?" She stepped over a boy throwing a tantrum, bee-lined through the kids using books to make towers, and snatched the ink well from a little brunette girl before approaching the frazzled Hokage at her desk.
"Whose kids are these?"
Sakura almost jumped back as Tsunade leapt from her chair and gripped the front of Sakura's shirt.
"They're monsters! They're worse than the Kyuubi – worse than Orochimaru!" Light brown eyes scanned the room. "They're Satan's children…" she said, all but accusingly. "You're good with children, right Sakura? Please, I need you to look after them. No one can seem to handle them and I can't do it anymore! If I don't get out of here quickly my wrinkles are going to show."
What on earth gave her the notion that I'm good with children? And how is it that the woman can obliterate a boulder with the flick of her finger, yet she can't supervise a few kids?
"Umm…I suppose I can look after them for a little while," she said, reluctantly conceding, unable to remove the stamp 'doormat' on her forehead. "But who are they anyway?"
Tsunade let go of Sakura's shirt, leaving it in a crumpled pink mess, before she started rapidly collecting some papers and books from her desk and drawers.
"Some diplomats and commissioners from the Hidden Cloud Village are here to discuss and renew the peace treaty, and several of those bastards, god knows why, brought their families…including these little rugrats you see here. Maybe it's a sign of good faith that they trust us enough to feel secure in bringing their families. That's the only sane reason I can conjure up, I mean, who really knows what's going on their fickle old minds."
She finished stacking her papers, and turned to Sakura one last time. "I really appreciate this by the way," she said, and started walking hurriedly towards the door.
"Hey, wai–"
"Don't worry, we just have to discuss the treaty and then they'll be gone, taking these brats along with 'em. I'll be back soon. Bye!" And then she was gone.
So this is why she was summoned. They didn't need her intelligence or abilities – they needed a bloody babysitter, one they knew who was unable to say no. Well, so much for being deemed an important and special kunoichi. Sighing, she slumped down in the leather chair, feeling more dejected than normal about the situation.
"Ano…?" It was the same little brunette that Sakura had taken the ink from.
Sakura hoisted herself up, screening her exasperation. "Yes?"
"Kazuo is going potty in the bamboo tree," she said, pointing towards the corner. Sakura groaned, her heart going out to the poor plant. It was going to be a long night.
Sigh, only a tiny cameo appearance by Kakashi, and this might seem likea pointless chapter but I thought it might be good to introduce other characters to see how Sakura feels and interacts with them. lol and I hope I didn't offend any Ino or Tenten lovers out there – I like their characters, but I just thought it would make things more interesting if they weren't the brightest crayons in the box. Don't worry, there should be lots of KakaSaku goodness in the next chapter.
So I hope you enjoyed, and tell me what you think.