Out of the Ashes

Chapter 19

Domestic Girl

When we got back to the village Kinoe brought us all in to the hospital. Kyuketsu and Bu checked out fine and the medics, after clucking in disapproval at the small scars from senbon, let me leave. They told me scars that small could be removed but I didn't really care. They looked like freckles and you could hardly notice them if you weren't scrutinizing my entire goddamn body.

When I got home Sasu greeted me and told me in great detail all about what happened after I left. Sasu had no idea how I hadn't tried to kill Kakashi when he was my shishou because he was really annoying with always being late with dumb lies for excuses. He explained how Naruto was dumb and got them more and more D ranks from Kakashi and how Sakura was really annoying.

Right, Sakura exists.

I grinned, "Invite all of them over for dinner."

Sasu stilled as he caught my drift, "I know I said Sakura is annoying but I don't want her dead, sis."

I rolled my eyes and to make the invitation genuine, I added, "Would it make you feel better if I invited Bu and Onna? Onna can cook."

Sasu agreed. Onna can cook. So it was settled. Sasu said he would bring his teammates over when I had confirmation that Onna wouldn't mind cooking for several preteens. So after dressing casually I left for Bu's house. As I walked through the village I rubbed my hands on my face and basked in the nice air. I kind of missed the cooler temperatures in Wave but I didn't mind the warm sunlight Konoha had.

Then I bumped into someone.

"Whoops. My bad." I held out to steady whoever I bumped into but as soon as my hand hit their shoulder it was like death itself had run into my body. I gasped and retracted it very quickly and focused on who I had run into. I felt the deadly chakra and knew who it was before I had looked. Soulless eyes landed on me and I could feel two chakras shift in panic as I looked back at Sabaku no Gaara himself.

Trying to play it casual I bowed slightly, "Yeah, my fault. I apologize."

Gaara looked me up and down slowly and rudely. Had we not been preteens I would have accused him of being a pervert but we were kids. Also this was fucking Gaara. I'm not ready for that life or death situation yet.

Wait just a minute.

Gaara?

Now?!

I inhaled deeply and asked, kind of meekly, "Are you here for the Chunin Exams?"

Temari nodded as she looked cautiously between Gaara and I, "Yes. We're here early though."

"Ah." I nodded, "Why so early?" Typically, the Chunin Exams were held twice a year around the equinoxes. I think it was because that was when the weather cooperated nicely but it was also probably for festival reasons. As of now we still had about a month and a half to go before the Chunin Exams and foreign teams usually didn't arrive until around two weeks before the exams.

"Politics little girl." Temari told me gruffly.

I gave her the stink eye but didn't say anything. I was, after all, dressed casually and in clothes that did not belong to any of the males I know. Shocking, right? My hitai-ate was nowhere to be found as I left it at home on my dresser. I wasn't supposed to have a confrontation like this one.

"Ah, well I must be going. Nice uh, meeting you?" I kind of sidled around Gaara and bowed to them again before speed walking down the road and turning a corner.

"Oh fuck." I whispered. So I took a detour to Kinoe's apartment. When he answered the door and saw me standing there he visibly wilted. Such a nice way to greet his favorite student, right?

Kinoe rubbed the back of his head, "This is uh, awkward. Really bad timing hime."

"Why?" I asked as a voice called from inside, "Who is it, Kinoe-kun?"

"A date?" I gasped with a devious smirk when I realized the voice belonged to a woman. Kinoe paled a good few shades. A woman peered around Kinoe's arms and when her eyes landed on me she gave a delighted smirk accompanied by a pleased gasp.

"Uchiha Fushicho?"

I nodded, "Uh yeah, that's me."

She grinned and took a hold of my upper arm before dragging me inside. I got a better look at her now. She was rather average with brown hair tied loosely and... she was a Hyuuga? Why did that not surprise me?

I turned and gave a flat look to my sensei, "Do you have a thing for Hyuugas?"

The Hyuuga girl guffawed as Kinoe seemed to wilt even further, "Ha, he probably does, doesn't he? But no. I'm Hyuuga Aina. But you can call me Jennifer when we're in Matt's apartment."

Oh good. This is exactly what I had in mind when I came this way. Thoroughly regretting my detour I turned to Kinoe, "Not that I'm not thrilled to meet you, Jennifer but I just fucking ran into Gaara."

"Oh." both Kinoe and Aina said in unison. That conveyed my exact thoughts on the matter.

"Yeah. Oh." I snarked, "We stole the fucking Wave mission so how do we get Sasu his sharingan and Kakashi-shishou to put Team Seven into the exams?"

We moved the conversation to the couch where Kinoe sat down and covered his face with both his hands. Aina relaxed on the couch and I gave her a questioning look. She didn't look like she was thinking very hard on the matter at hand.

"Don't look at me like that. Kinoe's the brains of this operation." Aina told me, "He's pretty fucking smart beneath that idiot outside."

"Can you not?" retorted Kinoe without moving his hands.

Aina just grinned and kicked her feet up on the table. It was awkward watching a Hyuuga act like this. Typically they were graceful, quiet and calm. Aina was loud and proud, acting much like she owned the place. I eyed her curiously and she just smirked as I did so. Of course she was also eyeing me up at the same time. This was about when I realized her forehead was bare.

"Ah, noticed?" Aina hummed, "Hyuuga Aina is the first Hyuuga to be born without a working byakugan in over a century."

"Wouldn't they still put a seal on for control?" I questioned as I observed Aina. Aina, as I looked further, had very light pupils with what looked like a white glaze over them. The other Hyuugas I had seen didn't have a hint of a pupil. Rather Aina's eyes were like she was wearing Hyuuga contacts over regular blue eyes.

Aina shrugged, "Whatever their reasons, they didn't. Don't really care either. I'm free as a bird like this!"

Aina spread her arms and leaned her head back. She grinned and seemed to get lost in her imagination for a moment. Kinoe took my attention when he clapped his fist down into his hand and grunted.

"That's it!"

"What's it?" I was the one to ask when Aina still didn't move.

Kinoe pointed to me, "Naruto the Movie: Clash in the Land of Snow."

"No way Kakashi-shishou would think they're ready for that." I blanched.

Aina made her contribution without her body moving from its position, "Nor is it time for that. That happens after the Chunin Exams. The new Princess Fuun movie isn't even out yet."

I added after Aina made me remember a key feature, "Naruto doesn't know rasengan yet. They would fucking die."

Kinoe jumped up, "That's why we need to bring Jiraiya back early!"

"Right. You're one of his contacts." Aina nodded, humming, "He feels bad since Danzo has a hate boner against you."

"Can you leave?" Kinoe demanded immediately after Aina's previous comment, "Whenever you come over you don't help anything."

Aina stood up gracefully and seemed to transform entirely. Her sneer turned into a graceful smile and she bowed slowly to us, "Thank you for having me, Uzumaki-san."

I gaped as she gracefully let herself out with not a single outburst suggesting who she had been several moments prior. Kinoe nodded when I looked at him.

"While Aina is one of the most irritating of the Samsaras, she has had a pretty difficult second life so I don't hold things against her."

"Right. Now, where were we? Right. What do we do?" I asked urgently. I pretty much ignored what he said about Aina.

Kinoe smiled, "Don't worry. I got this."

I narrowed my eyes at him but Kinoe shooed me out of his apartment, saying he really wanted a relaxing day after dealing with our team for an extended period of time. Before he slammed the door on me I stuck my tongue out at him and he assured me everything would go as planned into the Chunin Exams. What happened in the exams though, would entirely depend on outlying factors.

I walked to Bu's house slowly. I was consumed by my thoughts and didn't even notice when I got there and just, stood outside looking at his house like I had never seen it before. I thought about how it would look when Orochimaru's giant snakes came into the village and fucked things up. Would their house still be standing? Would they still be alive?

Bu must have noticed me from his window because he opened it and called down to me, "Fu? What do you need?"

I blinked, "Ah, hey."

Bu let me in the normal people way and we went up to his room. Onna wasn't home yet and I sat on Bu's futon and hugged my knees to my chest. Bu was pretty confused and sat on his desk chair, facing me in silence. I think the mood was just perfect for sob stories or something, because Bu decided he wanted to join my pity party.

Finally, Bu said, "I had my first kill."

I looked up in shock and in a voice far softer than I would normally use with Bu, whispered, "Oh... Bu..."

My face must have conveyed something because Bu smiled gently, "But I've come to terms with it, kind of. I rather like how things are now."

Bu continued when I looked at him blankly, "When I saw you and Haku-san in that crowd I thought, I have to do something. They look like they're going to die. So I threw my worst into those thugs and several of them were just, obliterated by my bombs. I would rather your life to theirs any day though so I'm not going to let this stop me."

Bu slipped off his chair and knelt in front of me. He smiled brightly and suddenly the light streamed in from the window and Bu just seemed to glow. His skin was far darker than anyone else's in Konoha and often was a very warm tone but as this light poured in suddenly Bu seemed too good to be true. My mouth dropped and as I looked at Bu tears just collected in my eyes.

Emotions I couldn't understand overwhelmed me and I held back those tears. Bu was pretty alarmed that I was, you know, crying in front of him. I was Fushicho after all. I was an asshole who was always ready to fight and always cursing. Even when the clan was massacred Bu hadn't seen me cry. Yet here I was, grossly holding back sobs as Bu flailed a bit trying to figure out what to do.

"What did I say?!" he cried, "Please don't be sad! We're fine!"

I wiped my eyes and shook my head, "What if we aren't always fine?"

"Don't think about that." Bu said firmly, "Don't think about things like that."

"But-"

Bu cut me off, "Don't forget the present when you're trying to look into the future, Fu. I know that mission was a wake-up call. You could have died. I could have died. Kyuketsu could have died. But we're all here now and we learned some things. We're going to use those things so that next time we don't die either."

I sniffled and Bu looked like he was thinking something over before he shot forward and wrapped his arms around me. I fell backwards and Bu yelped as both our weights landed on his hands and arms behind my back. I also hissed in pain because Bu's arms were not pleasant to fall back onto. Also Bu was heavy. Yet I only cried harder and Bu pulled me up so that he was kind of properly hugging me.

I leaned my forehead on Bu's shirt, "I'm scared of the future. I'm scared of the unknown."

"Then don't think of it." Bu whispered, shifting around a bit until we were in a less awkward position.

We sat in silence for awhile and I didn't realize Onna had gotten home until I felt her chakra, last second, outside Bu's door. I didn't have the chance to push Bu away before Onna kicked the door open and stood there, a grin on her face. As she appraised us Bu and I kind of just froze and realized what this looked like from an outsider's point of view. Onna probably thought we were cuddling.

"Door open when you have a girl up here, Obu!"

Bu pushed away from me like I was on fire and started to explain to his mom it wasn't what it looked like. My eyes were dry at this point and I felt all my doubts melt away. I watched Bu scramble to his mom to beg her to believe him and a smile crossed my face. I stood up as Onna laughed at her poor frantic son. When Bu was done basically screaming in fear I told Onna what I came for. Then I left after Onna said she would be glad to come over for dinner and supervise my cooking. We decided tomorrow would be best and I left after Onna gave a last jab towards Bu.

"Isn't this great, Obu? Your girlfriend is going to cook for you!"

Bu was pretty much dying as I left.

It was funny how that idiot could always put a smile on my face.

There was a burst of smoke from a shunshin next to me and I gave Kakashi a nasty look, "Tell me you were spying."

"Why I was concerned my cute little hime went into a boy's home and didn't come out for a long time." Kakashi demurred, closing an eye and me and probably grinning innocently at me. That statement on the other hand, screamed dirty intentions.

"I hate you. By the way, Onna-san is helping me cook tomorrow. Stop by because your cute little dumb genin team is coming over for food." I informed him.

Kakashi hummed, "That sounds nice. Maybe I will stop by."

I started to walk away faster but Kakashi kept pace with me easily, "You're acting much more pleasant today. Did something happen?"

"Shishou please go away." I retorted immediately as if it was a reflex.

Kakashi was probably pouting but it's not like I could see if he was, "So mean to your favorite shishou."

"I would be nicer if you didn't spy on me." I huffed.

Kakashi shrugged, "If you really didn't want me spying you could sense me and ask me to leave."

I groaned, "Do you realize the time that would take? I doubt you would sit there and wait for me. You'd make me chase you across the village all day and call it training."

Kakashi decided I was on to him and he told me he'd see me tomorrow on time and then he poofed away. On time for him probably meant dessert time. I went home and told Sasu to tell his team what time we were meeting and I made my usual dinner. Sasu almost cried when he took a bite because I was finally back to cook for him. He admitted he did like my specialty pickled daikon and after not having it for a long time he started to miss it.

Poor Sasu, I must be destroying his taste buds for that to happen.

That night I took a long bath and Sasu was able to sneak in to join me for the first time since we were kids. I almost died when he pretty much sprinted into the room and hopped into the tub with me. In fact I almost booked it out of there when he whipped his towel off but Sasu didn't let that happen.

I hung over the side of the tub with a red face, "Sis, you're weird." Sasu informed me.

"Gee, thanks." I huffed while looking anywhere but where Sasu was relaxing.

I wasn't a fan of this part of the culture. I hadn't gone to an onsen yet but I was sure I would be uncomfortable in that situation too. However that was at least gender segregated. Why couldn't Sasu be a sister instead of a brother!? When we were younger I could let it go but as we were approaching puberty soon I wanted to not have things be awkward for me. What age did this end at? Please be soon.

Please.

After I left the bath I settled down for bed and soon fell asleep. Nightmares overtook me but instead of the usual ones these were simply dreams of the terrible potential future.

.

The next day I was woken up not by Kyuketsu but by Onna. She let herself into our house and dragged me, screaming in fear, out of my bed. I went to set her on fire before I realized it was just Onna and not a murderer. Onna, apparently having some delusion that I had to look especially cute today, proceeded to give me an outfit she picked out herself. I was very interested in how she knew my sizes to which she gave a "Fufu" laugh and told me she knew.

Okay?

Anyway, Onna ended up finding me a battle kimono kind of like hers. The only difference was the one I was forced into was darker in color and cut off at my knees instead of being full length like hers. Onna tried to get me into battle geta like her own shoes but I refused. Onna tried her damn hardest to put my hair up into a bun but I just had too much hair so she gave up and made me put it into a ponytail.

"Look how cute you are, Fushicho-chan!" Onna cooed as she tried to manhandle my face so I would smile into my mirror. I continued to pout though and she let go so I could observe what she did. I was kind of alright with the outfit. I wouldn't wear it if she didn't force it on me but I had really nice legs it turns out. The burn birthmark was left for the world to see as Onna then dragged me around the market all afternoon to get ingredients for a good, large meal. When that was done we started boot camp.

When Sasu's team arrived Naruto pretty much sprinted into the room at the smell. He swooned when he saw the feast that was prepared with Onna's strict and careful guidance.

"That looks amazing, Shicho!" Naruto gushed. He went to grab something and I promptly smacked his hand away hard.

He whined as I hissed, "I spent hours making this! I suffered for this! Do not touch with your filthy hands!"

Onna tsked at me, "Be nice Fushicho-chan. It does smell good in here."

I made Naruto wash his hands while I proudly looked over the table. Sasu walked in looking like he regret his decision to invite his team as Sakura followed him like a puppy dog. I stifled my snickers as Sasu took a seat in his usual spot and Naruto jumped in his spot. Sakura tried to take the spot next to Sasu but he shook his head at her, "That's Shicho's seat."

Sasu liked feeling important so he took the head of the table and I sat to his right and Naruto to his left. Sakura went to sit next to me next but Onna shook her head at her and pointed to the cushion beside Naruto. Sakura looked disappointed but plopped down gracefully. Onna took the other end of the table and beamed at all of us.

"So where's Bu?" I asked casually.

Onna smiled deviously, "I have a plan."

"She admits it." I sighed. Sakura and Naruto looked confused. Regardless we all said itadakimasu and started to dig in. Sasuke sank down in relief when he took his first couple bites and realized Onna had really drilled my cooking ability. I myself was smugly eating while Naruto did the best impression of a vacuum he has done so far. Sakura looked pretty awkward and tried to start conversation with me.

"So, Fushicho-san..." she murmured, "You graduated early, right? I remember you were in our class until last year."

I nodded and explained how my apprenticeship worked to her. Sakura nodded at my words and her face lit up when I mentioned Kakashi was my shishou.

"Then you understand!" she exclaimed. I blinked and she elaborated, "How he's always late!"

"He's notorious for that sweetheart. The entire village knows." Onna laughed. Sakura blushed and looked down at her plate.

Dinner finished up pretty quickly when Naruto started talking since no one else could get a word in. Onna started washing the dishes while I started on dessert. Of course Onna kept a very, very close eye on me because it turns out desserts are my worst enemy. It was about this moment when Sasu must have let Bu and Kakashi in. So Bu came to see me because he didn't want to deal with Team Seven.

I was focused on what I was doing so it wasn't until Bu's chakra flashed in surprise that I looked over my shoulder and found Bu in the doorway with his mouth wide open. His eyes scanned me quickly several times in disbelief. I was wearing an apron so that I wouldn't get anything on the kind gift Onna forced me into so I probably looked very unlike myself.

Bu found his tongue again after closing his mouth, "You're wearing an apron."

"Yes." I nodded, "This is an apron."

"You, Uchiha Fushicho, are wearing an apron." Bu stated before looking at his mom. His mom's back was to him but I could see the wide smirk on her lips from my position.

I nodded again, "Yes, I am Uchiha Fushicho and I am also wearing what is known as an apron. Anything else obvious?"

Bu's eyes returned to me, "Your hair is up."

"Yes."

"And tamed."

"Kind of. Yes."

"And you're still Uchiha Fushicho?"

"I mean, probably."

Kakashi peeked over Bu's head, probably to see what caused Bu to act like an idiot, and he blinked. He blinked a second time before calmly complimenting my apron and disappearing back to where he came from. This seemed to shock Bu out of his idiot moment and he stepped into the kitchen and went to taste what I was making. I promptly smacked his hand with a spoon and he yelped.

"I swear, you and Naruto both! Do not touch my food with your filthy hands!" I huffed. Bu whined and Onna stifled her laughter as she excused herself to go set the table for dessert.

Bu rubbed his hand before a small smile overcame his lips and I turned back to what I was doing. I could feel Bu's eyes on my back as he watched me. Finally he said, "Who's the yamato nadeshiko now, Fu?"

"Still you." I retorted without skipping a beat. Bu sputtered for a moment, expecting a better response from me I'm sure, before he muttered something about how I looked more like a yamato nadeshiko. When Onna didn't come back I made Bu help me bring out dessert and we all ate together. It was fun. Bu kept glancing at Sakura as if he had never seen her before and I could read his expression perfectly. As she swooned vigorously over Sasu he was probably wondering why he had liked her in the first place.

Sasu kept throwing glances at Bu which was causing Sakura to also look at Bu on occasion. Naruto was happily oblivious while Kakashi was very focused on eating when no one was looking. I didn't catch his face once. Amazing right? I've been actively trying to see it for years too. When we were all done Sakura volunteered to help clean up when Sasu started gathering dishes. Her plan backfired when he proceeded to give her those dishes and he went to go do shit with Naruto.

I kind of laughed at her.

Onna went to help which left me, Kakashi and Bu sitting together.

"So, Obu-san, did you know Fushicho-"

I killed that before it could go anywhere, "Shishou, I will kick you out of my house."

"Maa, so mean to me."

It was a really good day. I almost completely forgot about my troubles. I almost forgot about the upcoming Chunin Exams. About Orochimaru. About even what happened in Wave.

After Team Seven left and Onna sent Bu home so he could get a bath ready(He was embarrassed by her wording of this, by the way) Onna and I finished cleaning up in the kitchen. I let out a deep breath as I surveyed the kitchen to make sure it was spotless. Making a large meal for people was satisfying but exhausting. Cleaning was never fun either. Sasu was bathing now and by the time I was done hopefully he would be a shriveled prune and stop waiting like a creeper in the bath for me.

I was determined to break him of this cultural habit even if it killed me.

"Fushicho-chan, I was speaking to Kinoe-san about the upcoming Chunin Exams yesterday." Onna mentioned as she finished drying a plate and observed it severely.

I blinked, "What about?"

"I'm concerned about what will happen." she confessed, "What with you being an Uchiha and Orochimaru going after Sasuke. What if he goes after your team too?"

What.

Wait.

Oh fuck.

I short circuited and looked at Onna as if she were an alien. She put away the last plate and turned to fully face me. Her face was severe and she didn't look as young as she usually did now. She looked tired.

I opened my mouth but she cut me off, "Before you ask, no. I'm not a Samsara."

"Then how?" I demanded.

Onna leaned back against the counter and looked out the window, "Obu doesn't belong, much like you Fushicho-chan. But not in the same way."

"Onna-san." I warned, "Be straight with me."

She chuckled, "Bu's father was a Samsara. I'm sure you can tell but I'm not from Konoha. I'm not even from Fire Country. I'm from a village in Lightning. I met Bu's father there and many years ago he told me everything. He told me what would one day come to pass. He moved us here so he could keep an eye on the story's progression. However when he heard the Uchiha twins Sasuke and Fushicho were born he disappeared without a trace. I know he'll return someday and until then I'm going to use my knowledge to keep my baby alive so he can finally meet his father."

I was rendered speechless. I mean, Bu and Onna you could tell didn't belong here. Their skin tone was the major factor but even their facial structures. They had sharp almond eyes and bent noses. But I had never thought anything involving the Samsaras could have possibly been the cause. Onna watched my expression and she sighed.

"Watching your mother die was hard. I'm a few years older than her so when I moved here and managed to prove my loyalty we became chunin together. She was a lovely woman and knowing she would die broke my heart. But you also broke my heart, Fushicho-chan." Onna sniffled a bit, "When Mikoto arranged your first play date with Obu I realized that it was inevitable. You two would be drawn together no matter what I did. I resented you for that. Fushicho-chan, has anyone ever told you that your feel like death?"

Onna looked guilty after she said that. I blinked and shook my head. Onna sighed again.

She murmured, "It's faint, but well trained shinobi can sense death from Samsaras. Most don't know what it is they're feeling and are just uneasy around the Samsara. Eventually they get used to it as they kill in the line of duty and are used to the feeling of death. Civilians that know you for awhile also get used to your off aura."

"I see." I said, "That sounds like an omen when you put it that way." I didn't blame Onna for blaming me. I didn't blame her for resenting me either. It was true that Bu could have died back on the Wave mission. I looked down at the floor and fought back angry tears. I would not cry over this. I refused to cry.

"I'm not letting Obu die Fushicho-chan. But I'm not letting anything happen to you either." Onna stated firmly. My head jerked and my eyes widened. I made eye contact with Onna.

The light streamed in from the window and the sunset just seemed to glow off her. Her eyes lit up and her skin glowed. Onna was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen before, if I was honest. And standing here in front of me I wasn't entirely sure who I was looking at. Was she on my side? Or was she against me, like this entire world was?

She swallowed but steadily said, "After the massacre I saw a lonely little girl and not the omen I thought you were. I sent Obu to you because you are just that, a little girl. And one day..."

Onna perked back to her usual self, "I would like to see your relationship with Obu progress more. Uchiha grand-babies sound adorable!"

I choked for several reasons, "Not the right time, Onna-san!"

She chuckled, "Humor is important in dark situations. Remember that."

I honestly don't remember much from the rest of that conversation. We kind of planned. Onna told me what she heard about the Chunin Exams and she gave me some real world updates from her sources about the upcoming exams. So far everything seemed like it was going exactly the same. The only exception would be Team Seven if we couldn't kick them into gear.

After Onna left I washed up, skipped my bath, and went straight to sleep. Fushicho spent the night torturing me with thoughts of Bu's fate in the upcoming exams.

Wait a minute. Did that mean Kinoe was sending us in?

He never said he was going to, but he also never said he wasn't going to.

Son of a fuck.

AN:

Yay plot!

So I never put Haku on the poll I had up for who Fushicho should be paired with. Oops? Now, for Fushicho I want her to have real relationships. Thats right. Plural. She is going to date, be broken up with or break up with, get back together with, or possibly stay with, people. Its an exercise I want to work on and Fushicho is the perfect victim.

Fun Fact: Fushicho isn't sure if that forehead kiss was supposed to mean something but she's a pretty dense person to non-obvious romance and kind of just, filed it away.

Thanks to the following for reviewing (:

Nenecchi
Love Stories00
Kahya
Thomas Drovin
Guest
FNK
Opinion (Guest)