Chapter Nine

Once again, the sun was shining brightly. This time, however, it reflected Sakura's mood a little better. After spending a few hours the previous day with Neji, and then meeting Zaku again and getting over their differences – and meeting a new Shugo Chara – her thoughts about coming to Gakure were becoming more positive.

Of course, she still missed Ikuto, Yaya, and even Amu sometimes, but she was accepting her move more as the days went on...

...Just as Tsunade had hoped.

{-}

Since she still had a few days before she started school, Sakura decided to go out again today, this time with the intention of finding some old friends. Of course, she knew that most of them would be in school, but hoped to perhaps visit old man Ichiraku at his ramen hut, and his daughter Ayame, or even go to see Ino's parents at the flower shop.

Instead, she ran into the adult that used to freak her out somewhat as a child, when he used to talk to himself. Know now, however, that he was an adult in possession of a Shugo Chara, Sakura was instantly happy to see him.

"Uchiha-san!" she called, running across the street to catch up with him. The suit-wearing man slowed and raised an eyebrow upon seeing her pink hair; the other joined it near his hair-line when he saw the four Charas floating along behind her.

"Ah, Sakura-san?" Madara attempted, making sure he had remembered her name. "I haven't seen you for a while; did you and Sasuke-kun have a falling out?"

"Err, I move away," she explained, rubbing her neck nervously, "but, anyway, I just wanted to know; how is it that you still have a Shugo Chara?"

"That's not really conversation for the street, Sakura-san," he said in a low tone, steering her towards the nearest cafe. Taking a seat in a corner, Madara eyed her Charas with interest. "I see you have four. Mine is named Tobi," he told her, raising a hand. In his palm was a slumbering Chara dressed completely in black with an orange swirled mask – the only visible part of him was his hair, which was also black.

"Mine are Katsumi, Setsuko, Mari and Mitsu," Sakura beams, each of the girls nodding as they were introduced.

{-}

Uchiha Madara had to get to a meeting, and so Sakura wasn't all that surprised when he left the cafe not twenty minutes later. The slumbering Tobi had woken up after about five minutes of questioning from Sakura, and he had been completely adorable – if not a little annoying. He was fun-loving, spirited and referred to himself in the third person, but had won-over even Mari. Setsuko found him a little more irritating that the others, her being the mature one, but even she had to admit that he was cute – if only when he was sleeping.

Madara had told Sakura that Tobi was still with him because he still needed him, and Shugo Charas never disappear, but return to your heart when you have learned all you need and changed for the better, which he was still struggling with, admittedly. He had also assured her that her Charas would not all vanish at once, as he had once owned two until the age of twenty one, when he became a confident businessman and the Chara that represented this desire had returned as a part of his heart that he would never forget.

She felt much more at ease knowing that her Charas would never truly be gone from her. It was one thing to be told this by people of around her age, but to hear it from a man who had experienced it was something that no one could match. Her thoughts went to Amu, who she knew was having the same worries as her, but then she dismissed the memory before it became too painful. So, instead, Sakura pondered who she might meet up with next.

Of course, it didn't take long to run into the world's most loveable skiver himself, Uzumaki Naruto.

"Sakura-chan!" the blonde yelled happy, charging over towards her.

"Naruto, what are you doing here?" asked Sakura, though inwardly she was jumping for joy at seeing one of her best friends so soon. "Shouldn't you be in school right now?"

"Maybe," he evaded, "but I've got great news!"

"What is it?" she asked, confused, but Naruto scooped her up in a hug.

"You're back!" he cheered as though she didn't already know. Sakura laughed as he spun her around in his happiness before putting her carefully back down, his eyes widening as he looked around her.

"What is it?" she asked, frowning. He pointed directly at Katsumi, his jaw dropping.

"You have a ghost-thing, too!" he yelled. "I knew I wasn't crazy! Teme said I was crazy, but I'm not! Please, tell me you can see them!"

{-}

"I can't keep hiding them, Shizune," Tsunade sighed over her coffee as she and Shizune sat in her office at the hospital during their lunch break. "They're all writing her – daily! She's starting to come to terms with the move, but I feel awful!"

"I don't know what to tell you," Shizune frowned. "On the one hand, it is extremely wrong to hide her mail. It could be important, one of her friends could be hurt, and they can't contact her over the phone."

"That was wrong, too," the blonde woman sighed. "I just...I felt so protective over her. When Sakura left Gakure, she was still so happy and spirited, and care-free. The Sakura I found in that place looked bone-tired, like she's seen it all and was just waiting for another terrifying event to creep up behind her and turn her world around."

"Like you did with this move," cut in the younger woman. Tsunade gave her a side-long look, but sighed wearily.

"I know," she agreed. "I just wanted to bring her to the last place that had made her happy. I don't know what happened to her while she was in Seiyo, and I don't know why she seemed so much older than she was, why she just looked like she had given up."

"She didn't," Shizune interrupted again, "or, at least, not completely. I know what you're saying; she looked exhausted with life, but there was a light in her eyes every time that young orange-haired girl came to the door, and her whole face lit up around the Tsukiyomi boy. She had joy there, and she had just lost her father! I was frankly amazed that she was managing to smile at all!"

"I was completely wrong about this, wasn't I?" groaned Tsunade, suddenly wishing for something with more kick than her black coffee.

"No, not wrong; just misinformed," her friend assured her. "You only wanted what was best for Sakura-chan – you just didn't know how to handle all of this sudden responsibility and...are you okay?" she squeaked, watching the woman's shoulders shaking.

"I never should have taken such control of her life," she sobbed, picturing how upset Sakura had been over the past few days. "I've ruined her, completely! I just stormed in and threw everything up in the air, like I had the right!"

"You're her guardian," Shizune soothed, moving around the desk to wrap an arm around Tsunade's heavy shoulders. "It's your job to protect her, and that's what you thought you were doing. In a way, you did – you just took it too far."

"I'll fix it," promised the blonde through her tears. "I will – soon!"

{-}

"Ghost-things?" she echoed in amusement, looking between her Charas. "You mean the girls?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" he nodded vigorously. "I have one, but you have four! That must get annoying! Mine never shuts up!"

"Hey!" growled a tiny voice as a Chara appeared on Naruto's shoulder. "You are far more irritating than I, and I'm not a ghost!" he added as though he had said the same thing a dozen times before.

"If you're not a ghost, then how come only I can see you?" retorted Naruto, looking smug for his 'genius' comeback.

"He's a Shugo Chara, Naruto," Sakura corrected softly. "He's your hopes and dreams, all bundled up into an adorable little Chibi!"

"I am not adorable!" the Chara snapped.

Though, really, he was.

The Chara looked just like Naruto, only with red eyes and longer, darker hair. He also had what looked to be fox-ears on his head and nine fox tails on his back, though no paws. On his cheeks were six whisker-like marks, three on each cheek, and he wore a dark red, traditional yukata that was decorated with black swirls, with a black belt and a pair of sandals to match. He was, in a word, adorable!

"You kinda are," giggled Katsumi, twirling towards him. The younger Chara blushed red and gulped, ducking behind Naruto to hide from her.

"Huh," Naruto mused, "I've never seen him do that before. So, he's really a Shugo Para?"

"Chara, and yes," smiled Sakura, walking behind him and scooping the Chara up in her hands.

"I've been trying to tell him for days!" the Chara groaned, still slightly pink but looking rather relaxed as he curled up in her palms. Yawning once, he suddenly seemed full of energy as he sprung up, out of her hands and towards her face, causing Sakura to jerk back. "I'm Kyuubi, nine days old and totally annoyed with that kit!"

"Stop calling me kit!" whined the blonde. Sakura laughed and pinched her friend's cheek.

"I knew you'd get a Chara, Naruto," she praised. "You always had big dreams – it was only a matter of time before one of them hatched! So, which is it? To be the principal? Emperor of Japan? Famous ramen merchant?"

"..." Naruto muttered under his breath, blushing pink as he confessed Kyuubi's purpose to his once-crush.

"I didn't catch that," Sakura said, looking a little sheepish.

"I said; Kyuubi is my want for people to respect me," he sighed, his eyes sad and his expression down-right puppy-like. Sakura's heart thudded painfully just looking at it. Stepping forwards, she held him in a tight hug.

"That's a noble dream, Naruto," she said into his ear, not letting go. "Never be ashamed of it."

"Thanks, Sakura-chan," he grinned when she let go and stepped back. "So, who're your Charas, and what do they represent?"

After the introductions, which were getting a little old already, Sakura and Naruto talked more about what it meant to own a Chara. Kyuubi was just grateful that someone was teaching Naruto this stuff, as he hadn't let Kyuubi anywhere close to the other Charas or Chara-bearers in the town long enough to hear it from them. Sakura laughed when she heard that, imagining Naruto's paranoid face every time Kyuubi tried to talk to someone else.

"So, who else around here has a Chara?" asked Sakura, speaking to Kyuubi. He shrugged, glaring at Naruto.

"Not too sure," he admitted, "since the stupid kit wouldn't even let me out of his bag half the time."

"How come you didn't disappear?" asked Mari curiously. This time, Kyuubi snorted with laughter and Naruto blushed again.

"He accepted me and my existence; he was just too dumb to know what I was, even when I told him," he laughed.

"Typical," Sakura humoured, nudging her friend.

{-}

Eventually, of course, Naruto had been found out.

It was Iruka-sensei who had been the one to spot Naruto in the park, talking to Sakura, and drag him back to school while telling the pinkette that he couldn't wait to see her back in class the following week. She had been polite and thoroughly amused, but now she was lonely. Everyone was in school, and would be for the next four hours at least.

So, figuring that it was a while since she and her Charas had just been with each other, Sakura took them back home and they spend the rest of that time just talking, joking and having fun in each other's company.

{-}

When Sakura decided to go out again, it was without Katsumi, Setsuko and Mari.

The older three Charas had seemed tired and so Sakura had told them to go to sleep for now, and she would be back later. At first she had asked Mitsu if she wanted to stay with her older sisters, but the youngest came back with a retort that left Sakura no reason to not give her some quality time.

}-{

"Katsumi was born first, so she had you all to herself for the first couple of days," the gold Chara noted. "Setsuko was the one you always took with you when you were only able to take one Chara, because she was usually the best behaved – don't ask how I know this, Mari told me. Speaking of Mari, didn't you spend a whole day with her after she went missing with Suu?"

"W-Well, I guess..." Sakura tried to defend, but Mitsu put up a hand to silence her.

"What about me, huh?" she demanded, wiping crocodile tears away from her eyes. "You haven't even done a Chara Nari with me yet! It's my turn!" she whined, stomping her feet in mid-air.

"Just take her," groaned Mari. "We're tired and she's loud."

"Alright, I guess," Sakura gave in.

"Victory!" cheered Mitsu, grinning cheekily.

}-{

Therefore, Mitsu was tagging along.

So far, they hadn't bumped into anyone, and Sakura was beginning to lose hope of ever meeting up with the rest of her friends – a bit dramatic, really, but she was with Mitsu, after all. Luckily, the little gold Chara knew how to keep people entertained, and Sakura was having a wonderful time watching the, usually collected, Chara go crazy over her new surroundings. They had made it half way to the old police station – where Sakura was planning on dropping in on Itachi, who worked their part-time with his father and cousin Shisui – when she was tackled.

"I didn't believe them when they said you were back, but here you are, forehead girl!"

{-}

Kukai kicked the soccer ball for all he was worth, but his aim was slightly off and he just missed the goal. There wasn't even a keeper between the posts, guarding the net; he'd just wanted to do penalty shoot-outs to keep his mind off the loss of his pink-haired, green-eyes crush. She hadn't even been gone a week and yet he was beginning to think she had cut off all ties and he would never hear from her again.

Ikuto had stopped by a few times, asking if he had heard from her or anything, but the answer was always 'no'. It worried him that she wasn't even keeping in touch with the cat teen, since he seemed to be the one she was focused around in her last few days there. He thought for a moment, as he collected the ball from by the fence, that it might have been easier on everyone if she had just said 'goodbye'. It didn't even need to be to him – she could have told Ikuto, or Yaya, or Amu, or someone that she was leaving.

Instead, they had to find out the hard way when she hadn't shown up to school and they went round her house, only to hear from the estate agent outside that the previous owners had put the apartment up for sale and had moved away.

He held the ball tightly, Daichi coming to rest on his shoulder as he patted his owner's cheek comfortingly.

Sighing heavily, Kukai decided to write her another letter.

Surely she would respond to this one.

{-}

"Forehead girl, I missed you so much!" wept Yamanaka Ino as she wound her arms around Sakura's neck, both girls still laying on the ground in a mess of arms and legs, and passers-by couldn't help but smile happily and laugh amusedly at this reunion.

"Ino-pig!" realised Sakura with a jolt as she held Ino back just as tightly, her heart aching for this energetic blonde for how much she had missed her best friend. "I was going to go to your flower shop, but I didn't know if you'd be there or not, so I was on my way to see Itachi-nii."

"C'mon," Ino said with a grin that now seemed stuck on her face as she wiped away tears, "you saw Itachi-san when he, Sasuke-kun and the blockhead visited you! I was going to see Hinata-chan – you have to tag along!"

"Sure! I can't wait to see Hinata-chan again," she smiled softly, allowing her to drag her along.

"Does she have a Chara?" whispered Mitsu and Sakura thought for a moment before shrugging. To test her question, Mitsu floated directly in front of Ino, but the blonde didn't even blink. "Hello, my name is Mitsu and you look like the spoilt brat daughter of a boar and a sunflower," she said calmly, but once again Ino didn't react. Sakura, however, was trying not to laugh. "She's not even going to give birth to one soon, Saku-chan; maybe not ever," she sighed dramatically, falling back into her owner's shoulder.

"How have you been, Ino-chan?" asked Sakura, ignoring her Chara for the moment. Ino stopped, still holding on to Sakura's wrist, but she looked down.

"I...I really missed you, forehead," she said in a tone so quiet that it was barely above a whisper. Her shoulders began to shake and Sakura realised with a start that she was crying. "Hinata-chan and I were still close after you left – really, really close – but she... There were things I told you that I could never tell Hinata-chan, or Tenten-sempai, or Temari-nee, or anyone! I needed you the whole time, but I didn't want to annoy you by calling all the time."

"I really missed you too, Ino-chan," Sakura assured her softly, tugging her wrist away and pulling her closest friend into a hug, allowing her to cry on her shoulder.

"When your papa," she stopped to hiccup, "When he died, all I wanted to do was visit you and make sure you were okay, but I couldn't! I tried to call you, but I didn't know what to say! I felt so selfish – I always wanted you to listen to my problems, but I didn't know how to help you with yours!"

"Everything's okay, Ino-chan," Sakura sniffed, tears springing to her own eyes at her friend's heartfelt words. "It's the past now – I forgive you."

"You shouldn't!" she wept, pushing away. "I was horrible for ignoring your pain – you never ignored mine! When my grandpa died, I just wanted to call you and cry, but then I heard about your papa and I didn't want to call you anymore, because I still wanted to morn gramps!" she sobbed outright. "It was a horrible thing to do!"

"Everyone deserves to mourn, Ino-pig," Sakura told her firmly, wiping away Ino's tears from her now-red cheeks. "I didn't know about your grandpa, but I would have done the same as you. I would have been so caught up in my papa's death that I would have avoided talking to you."

"Really?" the blonde sniffled, her eyebrows pulling together.

"Really," the pinkette nodded assuredly. Ino let loose a short, watery laugh that caught slightly in her throat and placed a fingertip to Sakura's forehead.

"I always knew there was a brain big enough to excuse that billboard," she joked with a small, sad smile. Sakura's eyes narrowed, but she decided to let this one go as she hugged her friend again.

{-}

Hyuuga Hinata was sat in her front room, waiting for Ino to come over so that they could do their homework together. It had become somewhat of a tradition for the pair, since before Sakura had left, and they chose to carry it on both in her memory and because it made the work more tolerable. However, Hinata had her own tradition that Ino was completely unaware of. It involved her biggest hopes and dreams, all bundled into a small companion.

"Hinata-hime," a small, delicate voice sounded from the window as a Chara floated towards the Hyuuga.

"W-What is it, Juken-chan?" asked Hinata in a braver voice than usual. Her Chara gave her strength, as she was supposed to, and she never felt surer of herself than when Juken was nearby.

Juken looked very much like Hinata, with the same short hair and fringe – though hers was bright green – and the same pale complexion and facial features. Their differences, however, were marked in the eyes – Hinata's pair pearly while Juken's were black as night. The Chara also had a very similar style than Hinata, wearing an extremely formal, light pink kimono with ornaments in her hair and her fringe pulled back to reveal two lines, hooked at the end in the middle of her forehead, with a manji between them, all in green.

This little Chara was Hinata's desire to not only be courageous and heard, but also to be graceful rather than fumble her steps out her nervousness, and strong and brave in the face of danger. Juken was born out of her desire to protect her little sister, Hanabi, and speak out against her father for pushing the little girl too hard in her studies and martial arts training. After a few Chara-Changes, her father had eased up on Hanabi and Hinata discovered a desire to be able to protect everyone that was unable to do it themselves.

"I have seen Ino-san approaching the house," she stated calmly. "Would you like me to retire until she has left?"

"If you w-want," Hinata allowed, smiling. "I c-can't talk to you, but y-you're always w-welcome to s-stay."

"Thank you, Hinata-hime," bowed Juken with a small, polite smile, "but I do believe I will return to your room and take a small rest, if that is permitted?"

"O-Of course," nodded Hinata.

"I will return later, Hinata-hime," the Chara bowed. Watching her little companion float away towards her room, Hinata sighed, waiting for Ino to arrive in the sitting room so that they would begin their usual after-school activity.

It was usually quite a mundane event – they would go round one of their houses, have a snack, do their homework, talk for a while, and then the guest would return home. The same thing, always, with Hinata helping Ino out with maths, geography and English Language, and Ino aiding Hinata in art and history, and both laughing together as they completed their other subject without much struggling or the need for assistance. So today, when a tear-stained blonde walked through the door, Hinata was put in an instant panic.

"I-Ino-chan, are you alright?" asked Hinata, worried. Ino looked confused for a moment before she giggled, placing a hand to her cheek.

"I guess I kinda look a mess, huh?" she mused. "I just had a tearful reunion is all, Hinata-chan."

"R-Reunion?" the Hyuuga echoed.

"Get in here, forehead!" bellowed the blonde and, not a second later, a very familiar pinkette stood in the doorway.

"S-Sakura-chan!" squeaked the bluette in surprise – her reaction being one of the least over-the-top to date.

"You two catch up, while I clean up," Ino wink, laughing at her own word-play as she walked towards the bathroom. Sakura stepped forwards and took a seat beside Hinata, smiling cautiously, as though she were expecting to be thrown out.

"It's g-good to see y-you again, Sakura-chan," Hinata welcomed her, hugging her old friend.

"You too, Hinata-chan," smiled the Haruno as they let go of each other. "How have you been?"

"W-Well," she nodded, a secretive smile forming on her face at the thought of Juken. When she looked back up, her eyes widened. "Is that a...?"

"She can see me," Mitsu breathed happily, lowering her head to bow a greeting to Hinata.

"You have a Chara, Hinata-chan?" asked Sakura excitedly, grinning. Hinata, snapping out of her shock, nodded.

"H-Her name is J-Juken," she explained. "I can go and g-get her if...?" she trailed off, still eyeing Mitsu. "S-Sorry, but she n-not what I w-would have pictured for y-you, is all," Hinata stated, looking at the eerily calm Mitsu and then recalling how Sakura used to be very similar. "I would have t-though more...l-lively and w-warm."

"Mitsu is warm," Sakura said fondly, "and extremely loving – she's just a bit of a diva. Katsumi is the lively one, and Setsuko is very mature. I think Mari more brave than abrasive, but not many people would agree," she giggled before noticing Hinata's eyes widening again.

"F-Four?" she squeaked. Sakura nodded slowly.

"Four," she confirmed. "The others are sleeping at home right now, but Mitsu wanted to tag along."

"And now I'm glad I did," the gold Chara grinned, instantly dropping her calm facade and darting upwards. "Scanners to maximum – find that Chara!" she announced, going to float away and in the direction of where she sensed the Shugo Chara.

"Hinata-hime, I sense another Chara in the house," a small voice stated before Mitsu could leave. Sakura's Chara's eyes brightened as she floated towards the female Chara.

"You're adorable!" she squealed, "You and I will be the best of friends."

As it turned out, they weren't.

Juken decided early on that Mitsu was far too childish, and her patience was quickly worn thin, while Mitsu concluded that Juken was too cold and withdrawn most of the time to bother with. Hinata and Sakura, however, found a new bond, over their shared experiences with Charas, which neither had thought possible with the other before. Sakura would always be closer with Ino, and Hinata would most likely always prefer the company of Shino, or Tenten for female companionship, but now the girls had another girl their own age to turn to about Charas and they wouldn't let that go.

On her way home, Sakura decided that it had been a productive day.

She had gotten many answers about Charas from someone older and wiser in the matter – Uchiha Madara – and discovered that two more of her friends had Charas now – Naruto and Hinata – and so it was definitely worth the time it took to find them all. She had also gotten the heartfelt reunion with Ino that she didn't even realise how much she had wanted, and had been given a chance to both better with Mitsu.

Now, though, she was ready to go home.

Or, so she thought.

"Gaara missed you, y'know."

{-}

Nikaido Yuu was a great many things.

Wonderful teacher, caring friend, compassionate boyfriend, extremely smart, devastatingly handsome, and oh-so-modest to boot; yet, even with all these outstanding qualities and absolutely no faults – besides a minor lust for power and a little narcissism left over from his Easter days – he was unable to track down his most prized student. When Sakura hadn't reported for school one day – and he had checked, as he always did, to see if she had put in that request for a different teacher yet – he found that she had been taken off the school register.

Further investigation showed that she had moved away, also.

It angered him, to start with, that this had happened under his nose when he was usually so attentive about all Guardians and Shugo Chara bearers around him. He had hoped to protect them, so that they never went through the same pain of losing their Chara as he did, and Sakura was one of the more troubled ones. So, to have her up and leave was worrying, even if it was with her new blonde and busty guardian that was in no way ready to care for his favourite student.

He pondered adopting her in that moment.

Grading all the tests he had before him with failing grades – just to vent, he had no real time for his idiots – he sighed.

He should have kidnapped her for good.

{-}

She supposed that Kankuro was someone she had been hoping to see, since Itachi had told her that he had a Chara, but his statement brought on a whole new level of guilt that she hadn't felt until now. With those few words, even the joy of seeing Ino again was squashed under how bad she felt.

Gaara hadn't known.

When Sakura left Gakure, Gaara had been away visiting his uncle. She hadn't called him or anything to tell him she was going, and she supposed that he had only been told when he came back. She felt awful for not telling him, but she felt worse for not talking to him afterwards.

"I didn't mean to do it, Kankuro," she sighed without turning around.

"I know," he nodded. "Itachi-san told me you had a Chara now. That her?" he asked, gesturing to Mitsu. Sakura smiled, turning around.

"He didn't tell you that I had more than one?" she mused. "When he last saw me I had three – Mitsu is my forth," she told him, pointing to the gold Chara when she said her name.

"Impressive," he nodded slowly. "Karasu is my one and only – he's an awesome little dude, so he's really all I need," he added, nodding his chin at the Chara at his side.

Karasu had very dark skin and shoulder-length, spiky brown hair. His eyes were round and dark, and he appeared to have a third on his forehead, though this one may have been a marking rather than an actual eye. He wore a black cloak, closed in the front so Sakura couldn't see the clothes he had on underneath, with black boots and gloves to match. When he grinned, his teeth were sharpened to a point, giving him a more frightening look. However, Karasu was still male, and therefore Mitsu went to work.

"Hello there, handsome," she cooed at him, giggling when Karasu turned instantly red.

"Have you seen Nagato yet?" asked Kankuro with a smirk. "He's got a Chara that'll really make you want to punch the little guy; thinks of himself as some kinda God."

"Itachi-nii did mention that," the pinkette mused. "He also said that Sasori-nii had a Chara?"

"He does," Kankuro confirmed, "named Hiruko, and he's real violent. Karasu a lot more easy-going than those guys," he boasted.

"Did you know Hinata-chan and Naruto have Chara?" she asked, raising an eyebrow in a challenge. Kankuro smirked.

"Hyuuga, yes; Naruto, no," he admitted. "I help Hyuuga out a bit when Juken was first hatched, but Naruto's must be pretty new."

"Kyuubi's a little over a week now," Sakura confirmed, "and he said that Naruto tried to hide him because he thought he was going crazy and seeing mini-ghosts."

"Typical," snorted the brunette. "It was good to see you, Sakura," he said in an obvious goodbye. "You need to come see Gaara and Temari-nee-san before they go crazy and hunt you down."

"I'll keep that in mind," Sakura laughed, waving to Kankuro as she continued on her way, though her course was now slightly altered.

She had to see Nagato and check if his Chara was anything like Kiseki.

{-}

Kiseki ruled his kingdom with an iron fist, even if his subjects didn't think so.

He was lenient, but only when it suited him. He accepted that sometimes they wanted to do other things, so long as it benefitted him. He knew how dim-witted some of his subjects were, so he accepted that he had to turn many of his more serious missions into games.

What he could not accept was that four of his subject had committed treason by way of desertion in the middle of their most serious hunt for the embryo. Mari he could understand – she was far too rash and impulsive. Katsumi he could forgive – she was a little absent-minded about these things. Mitsu he couldn't punish – she would somehow hypnotise him if he tried. Setsuko, however, was level-headed, intelligent and, above all, responsible – he didn't understand how she could just leave.

It was as though he was a tyrant, nor was he overly pushy or demanded – to her, at least. She was the one he was most soft on, because she was too valuable to lose due to an argument between them. So it hit him hard when he realised that the sisters were gone. He had counted them as his loyal counsel, due to them being the Charas of someone as refined and lady-like as Sakura, and Setsuko had been the embodiment of a mature member of his war-counsel; she was his strategist.

He had planned to bring them back, and to do it soon.

Unfortunately, no one was able to make a plan that went beyond flying around the school until they were tired and then taking a nap.

{-}

Knock-Knock-Knock

Nagato wondered who could be at his door at this time in the evening. It wasn't overly late, but he wasn't expecting company and his parents had both told him they wouldn't be back until much later, and they both had their keys. So, with a quizzical mind, he opened his door. He didn't expect the small, pink-haired girl that used to make him onigiri standing there was a smaller, black-haired Chara with curiously bright gold eyes.

"Sakura-san," he acknowledged, "This is certainly an unexpected, though pleasant surprise. Please, come in," he invited, stepping aside to allow the girl into his home. She looked around as though trying to find something and he glanced at her Chara again, nodding to himself. "Pein is in the living room, if you wanted to meet him."

"How –?" she began, but he held up a hand.

"You were looking for something, and you have a Shugo Chara," he stated as though his conclusion were obvious. "I am no fool. Please, follow me," he bid, leading her to the front room, where his Chara was sitting in a small throne atop a tall bookcase.

Pein was definitely regal looking, though also a little rough with three piercing going up his nose, two in his lower lip and at least six hoop in each ear. He had short, spiky orange hair and wore a black cloak with red cloud covering it that had a tall neck and opened only at the waist, showing blue trousers tucked into black boots. His eyes were gray and ringed and his face was set in a blank but haughty expression.

"More mortals to worship me?" he asked loudly. Sakura raised an eyebrow and Nagato sighed.

"Sasori, Deidara and Itachi were here earlier," he explained and Sakura nodded slightly.

"Does Deidara-sempai have a Shugo Chara?" she asked curiously, but Nagato shook his head.

"No, but Pein takes great joy in bossing around Kisame and Hiruko," he sighed, glancing at the embodiment of his hopes and dreams. "I'll never know how his behaviour reflects who I want to be, but I suppose he does command respect like I want to," he mused quietly.

"If his hobby is bossing people around," Sakura smirked, "then this will be a very interesting meeting." She watched as Mitsu floated up towards Pein, her arms folded and her eyebrow quirked in an unimpressed way.

"Are you here to bow down to me?" asked Pein, though he seemed bored by her already.

"How about you bow down to me, m'kay?" suggested Mitsu with a perky grin on her face. Anger flashed in Pein's eyes for a second, but then it was gone.

"How dare you, mortal," he growled at her. "I am your superior in both wisdom and age, and yet you tell me to bow to you?"

"Yep," she confirmed happily, "because I am your superior in looks and personality."

"Insolent," he scoffed.

"Boring," she shot right back.

"Well, this is new," hummed Nagato as he watched Pein become more and more frustrated every time Mitsu opened her mouth.

{-}

"...and in here we have a smaller bedroom," the estate agent stated, showing an expecting couple around the apartment, "for any little ones," she smiled at the pregnant young wife, who blushed cutely.

"What's this?" the man asked, moving away from his wife and picking up what appeared to be a slightly large, decorative egg. The estate agent stepped forwards and frowned in thought.

"It must have belonged to the previous tenant," she explained, taking the egg from him and carelessly placing it in the pocket of her blazer. "I'll be sure it is returned to them swiftly. Shall we continue the tour?"