Another First Time
Chapter 8: An Unexpected Advantage
"We have arrived, Hideki-sama, Kanako-sama," a servant, obviously higher-ranking than the other servants, announced, bowing low. At his nod, two of his subordinates hurried to open the door to the carriage. Sai nodded and stood up, Sakura doing the same thing beside him. He lightly exited the carriage, and turning around, gave a hand to Sakura. Said female was surprised he would do such a thing as help her down, but took the hand anyway – moving around with the layered kimono was proving to be quite a task.
"Come, Kanako," Sai said, Sakura's hand still firmly locked with his, "we should get you inside."
"Yes, Hideki-sama," Sakura quietly answered, the picture of a perfect noblewoman.
The retainer bowed once again and began leading the couple through a small section of woods before they reached a huge wall, which surrounded the daimyo's property. The two guardsmen bowed at their procession and opened the gates. Sakura had to fight to keep from dropping her jaw at the sight of the daimyo's house.
Sakura had never, in her life, seen a building as magnificent as the Takahashi residence. Apart from the main structure, which had to be at least three floors high, there were sprawling green lawns and intricately designed Western-style gardens within her view. She also glimpsed a traditional, Japanese-style garden, complete with water and blooming lotuses. The actual building was also quite traditional, reminding her of the Uchiha estate she had used to see so much of. However, not even the extensive Uchiha property could compare with this.
The huge, embossed sign bearing the kanji for "Takahashi" above the main entrance reminded Sakura of the mission at hand, and she couldn't help but grasp Sai's hand a little tighter as they set foot inside.
The interior was just as fine as Sakura had imagined – the décor was tasteful and elegant, adding to the sheer magnificence of the home. The main receiving area was circular, with a direct entrance to the grounds. There were numerous exits from the room, undoubtedly leading to different hallways, which in turn would probably lead to different rooms and even more hallways. Sakura almost groaned at the thought of such a huge memorization project in front of her.
Within seconds, a pretty, young woman dressed just as formally as Sai and Sakura swept in the room gracefully, and offered the couple a bow. The retainer at Sai's side, as well as the servants in the room, dropped into bows at her entrance.
Her red lips curved into a beautiful smile as she looked at the couple.
"Welcome back, onii-sama, onee-sama," she murmured.
Thunderstruck, Sai and Sakura resisted the urge to look at each other. Onii-sama? Onee-sama? The daimyo had never mentioned a sister living with them. And whose sister was she anyway? Were they close, or did they have a cold and strained relationship? How exactly were they supposed to act towards this sister? There were countless questions floating around in their heads when this sister began talking again.
"Please, onii-sama, onee-sama, come with me. I have something to show you," she said, turning towards the entrance to the estate grounds.
Clearing his throat, Sai replied, "Very well." Turning to the retainer and the servants, he said, "You may go."
Completely unperturbed, the retainer murmured, "Yes, Hideki-sama," and retreated, along with the servants.
Turning back to the young woman, they followed her into the grounds, until they came upon that Japanese garden Sakura had caught a glimpse of. She gestured for the two to take a seat, so they did so, waiting for the woman to start speaking again.
"Before they left, onee-sama told me about you," she informed them shortly.
The two were, once again, stunned into silence.
Giving a tinkle of laughter at their reactions, she continued. "I know you two are Konoha shinobi employed by my elder brother to deal with an assassination attempt that he is expecting. Onee-sama came to me, late last night, after onii-sama had fallen asleep, to tell me. She bid me to tell you of the going-ons of this household, to help you adjust."
"Is that so…" Sai slowly said. Sakura knew that Sai was deciding whether or not this woman was trustworthy. Sakura herself couldn't detect any lie coming from the woman, and she obviously was who she said she was – there was no chakra coming from her indicating that she was in a henge. In fact, there was next to no chakra coming from the woman – she was obviously not a kunoichi.
Sai seemed to have drawn the same conclusion as Sakura, as he finally said, "It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Sai, and this is my partner for this mission, Haruno Sakura."
"Pleasure to meet you," Sakura smiled, giving the woman a low bow. The woman bowed back and replied, "The pleasure is all mine, Sai-san, Haruno-san."
"Please, may I call you Junko-san?" Sakura asked, hoping she wouldn't have to use the longer 'Takahashi-san'.
"Please call me Junko-chan," she replied, smiling. "That is what onee-sama calls me at home."
"And how should I address you?" Sai asked.
"Onii-sama calls me 'imouto-san', or simply 'Junko'," she replied, turning to the male sitting across her. The Fire daimyo was obviously not an affectionate elder brother – Sai would have to remember that. Kanako, on the other hand, seemed to fit in the 'loving-sister-in-law' mold.
"While the two of you take up residence here, please don't hesitate to come to me if you have questions about how this household operates," Junko said. "I am always available in my own wing."
"There are wings to this house?" Sakura weakly asked. Her memorization project just got that much harder.
Nodding, Junko replied, "Yes, I'm afraid so. There is the main wing, which you have seen part of when you first came in. The third door on the left of that wing is a hallway leading to my own wing, which consists of a receiving area, two bathrooms, four rooms, and two storage rooms. The last door on the right of the main wing is the hallway to onii-sama and onee-sama's shared wing. In that wing, there are two receiving areas, a private study for onii-sama, a dressing room for onee-sama, one bedroom, five other rooms, two bathrooms, a hot spring, and two storage rooms."
Sakura could only sit wide-eyed and open-mouthed as Junko dictated the various areas of the two wings. And she had only gotten started.
"Apart from that, there is one whole, unused wing beside onii-sama's wing that traditionally belongs to the mistress of the house. There are also the servants' wing, the main kitchens, and various other areas for specific purposes."
"Junko-san, would you happen to know if there are any blueprints of the property, as well as the house?" Sai asked, already beginning to think about strategy.
Nodding, the woman stood up and answered, "I had been anticipating that question, so last night, I had asked the head retainer if he had any information regarding that. It turns out that there were several leftover house plans, back when this was first built. Please excuse me while I go get them."
Sai nodded and Junko left, stepping gracefully along the path back to the house.
Letting out a huge sigh, Sakura said, "How can they use so much space?"
"People find a way," Sai lightly answered.
"So, how should be do this mission? Actively look for information or just lie low and wait around?" Sakura asked.
"What do you think?" Sai asked, turning to Sakura. "Treat this as training. What would you do?"
Thinking for a moment, Sakura replied, "Since we have time and resources, I would take a day or two to familiarize myself with the environment while keeping myself on guard. Then, I would map out high-risk locations within the house, possible ambush locations, etcetera, and make a plan in case of an attack. After that, I would try to find out who exactly is targeting the daimyo, or even if the claim is valid."
"Sounds reasonable," Sai said, nodding slightly. "Since we are impersonating a couple with a large amount of power, money, and time, we are in an advantageous situation. Like what you said, we should get to know this property first, figure out a plan to protect the house in case of an attack, and then dig up more information about the validity of the claims."
"What about Junko-san, and the servants?" Sakura demanded.
"What about them?" Sai asked.
"Aren't we going to include them in the protection plan?" Sakura asked, rather impatiently.
"Were we paid to?"
"But, we can't just let them get attacked, if it really comes down to that!" Sakura argued.
"Is that another socially accepted moral that I'm supposed to try to learn?" Sai asked.
"Yes," Sakura replied. "And besides, it is a shinobi's duty to protect the civilians of their country– that is a rule that comes before any mission."
"Good to see you still remember the basics," Sai smiled. Sakura growled as she figured out she'd been tricked – of course Sai wouldn't leave out the innocent people in the household. While he was socially inept, he was a devoted and loyal shinobi of Konoha, never failing to place duty first.
The silence was soon broken by Junko's soft footsteps. She settled herself back upon her knees and, with both hands, handed several folded sheets of paper to Sai. He accepted them wordlessly and knowing Sai wouldn't thank her like he should, she smiled and said, "Thank you, Junko-san."
"It was no problem," the noblewoman softly replied.
Sai looked up at Junko and asked, "Do you mind if I scribble on these?"
Shaking her head, Junko replied, "These are copies anyways. You may keep them."
Sai began examining the blueprints, and Sakura took it upon herself to fill the silence up with chatter.
"So, Junko-san…can you tell us how we should act in the house? Like, how does Hideki-sama treat Kanako-sama, vice versa, how we treat the servants, any quirks that they have, stuff like that?"
Laughing softly into her sleeve, Junko nodded and replied, "Yes, I suppose you should get to know onii-sama and onee-sama's personalities more. Onee-sama is a very kind and gentle." Sai internally snorted – Sakura impersonating a gentle woman? What a joke. "She treats everyone with respect and almost always has a smile on her face, however small it may be."
Okay, gotta remember to always smile, Sakura thought, nodding for Junko to go on.
"Onii-sama is rather different," Junko went on. "While it would not be incorrect to call him rather blunt at times, I prefer to call him honest, if sometimes overly so. He is intelligent and has a dry sense of humor, I must say. He doesn't smile that much, and does not really pay attention to the servants – he orders them around, and they do his bidding. That is about it."
Junko glanced at Sai, and back at Sakura, who said, "Oh, don't worry about him. He might not look like he's paying attention, but he actually is."
"Alright then," Junko smiled, and after shifting slightly, continued. "As you might have figured out, onee-sama treats me very well – as if she were my blood-related elder sister. Onii-sama, however, does not interact with me very often. He prefers not to spend his time on unnecessary matters, and it is apparent that I am one of those matters."
Sakura winced at the woman's blatant honesty – it seemed like Hideki was not the only honest one around.
"But Junko-san, why would Hideki-sama treat you like that?"
"I am seen as a burden," Junko shrugged. "There is a fifteen year age difference between my elder brother and I, and as a result, we never really got to know each other that well. When my parents passed on, it fell to him to provide for me, as I have no husband. I believe he has just about finished a marriage contract between myself and the heir of the Sennami clan."
"I see," Sakura slowly replied.
"There is no need to get distressed over my relationship with my brother," Junko said lightly. "He provides for me, and I stay out of his way. It is a comfortable lifestyle, and I don't mind."
Sakura smiled and said, "I suppose so."
"Anyways, where were we?" Junko murmured thoughtfully. "Yes, I was telling you about onii-sama's personality traits. Sometimes, he is quite a puzzle to figure out. He treats everyone callously, but he treats onee-sama like a princess. Although he still doesn't smile much in her presence, I can see the difference in his mannerisms and tone of voice."
Sakura was surprised – when they had met with the daimyo, that had been one thing Sakura hadn't picked up on.
"Haruno-san, do you find something strange about the household?" Junko asked, a strange look in her dark brown eyes.
"Um…not really," Sakura admitted.
"There are no children," Junko said simply. At Sakura's confused look, Junko elaborated. "In noble clans such as our own, the need for an heir is quite insistent. Onee-sama married into the Takahashi family when she was sixteen and onii-sama was twenty-four."
With a pang, Sakura realized what Junko was getting at. Nodding at Sakura's expression, Junko said, "Yes, onee-sama is unable to bear children."
"But that is not my point. What I am trying to get at, is that onii-sama has never brought home any concubines. In noble families, if the wife is unable to conceive, it is accepted for the husband to bring home a woman to bear his heirs. Onii-sama and onee-sama have been married for about ten years, and onii-sama has yet to bring any woman home. To me, that is an indication that onii-sama actually truly loves onee-sama. And that is the main reason why I respect him as much as I do."
Sakura was shocked – even Sai paused in his examination of the blueprints. Who could have thought that the rude and condescending daimyo they had met that morning was such a devoted, loyal husband?
"It is rare to find love in arranged marriages, yet onii-sama and onee-sama seemed to have been blessed in this aspect," Junko sighed. The young woman was no doubt thinking about her own upcoming marriage.
"Perhaps you too, will be blessed, Junko-san," Sakura replied, a small smile on her face.
"I can only pray that the kami are kind to me," Junko answered. "But whatever happens, I will be a loyal and faithful wife."
"Such is the duty of a woman, isn't it?" Sakura sighed, her own eyes drifting up towards the sky.
"It does not have to sound so bleak, Haruno-san," Junko laughed. Sakura turned her eyes back upon Junko with a questioning look. "As a kunoichi, Haruno-san, you are undoubtedly a strong woman. But noblewomen such as myself are not schooled in the ways of the world. We simply cannot make it on our own. To have a husband to provide for you is already an incomparable blessing from kami."
"A strong woman…" Sakura laughed softly. Am I really a strong woman?
Junko looked carefully at the younger woman sitting in front of her. The kunoichi's eyes were trained upon the sky, a wistful and slightly sad expression visible on her features.
Such are the eyes of a woman who has seen sorrow, Junko sighed internally.
She got up quietly and said, "I will leave the two of you alone now. Please do not hesitate to come to me if you are in need of anything."
With a bow, Junko was gone, leaving behind a brooding kunoichi and a busy shinobi.
"Hey Ugly, are you ready to start planning, or are you still wallowing in your negative emotions?" Sai asked, looking up at Sakura.
Said kunoichi turned and glared at the male, and snapped, "I'm not wallowing in negative emotions!"
Turning to scan over the blueprint herself, Sakura added, "And yes, I am ready."
"Good. The prints were straightforward enough – I think just a glance will give you a clear idea of where our high-risk areas are."
Sakura pointed at several areas at various points in the building, and Sai nodded.
"Exactly. If you'll notice, one of those areas is the master bedroom, where you and I will be staying. It is probably for the best, as no one else from the household is likely to get in the crossfire should we actually get any action in the coming weeks."
"The rest of these areas should be easy to cover," Sakura said. "These are all areas that are in disuse anyways, according to these notes, so some simple barriers and traps should suffice. The only reason the master bedroom is such a high-risk area is because the entire back wall is a paper screen door that leads to an enclosed courtyard with a fountain, instead of the thick walls that the rest of the house if made of."
Sakura couldn't help but think that it was a rather romantic notion, to have a courtyard with a fountain, for crying out loud, just a step away from the bedroom. But really, the house-builders just had to use a paper screen door, didn't they?
"Right. Ugly, you cover these," he pointed to three different areas, "with traps and the like – anything you think will be necessary to deter assailants or alert us of intruders. I will cover these," he pointed to another two areas, "as well as the bedroom. Got it?"
"Why are you the one giving orders?" Sakura asked, miffed at his authoritative tone.
"ANBU rule number one: Don't question orders."
At Sakura's stubborn expression, Sai reached into his robes and pulled out a scroll.
"Who accepted the mission scroll?"
Sakura mentally smacked herself. Damn that boy and his forethought and his excellent strategizing skills and his pretty lips.
I so did not just think that.
a/n: Is this chapter really late? Darn, I'm sorry. But my beta and I are both very busy people... :P Anyways, this chapter is kind of a transition chapter, so please pardon me if you found it boring. But I do have to say this - major foreshadowing! And Sakura is beginning to be (un)consciously even more attracted to Sai, not only physically, but emotionally, the intimacy is starting to appear.
And yes, Takahashi Junko is the unexpected advantage. However, my beta thinks she's evil...hmmm...is she? Or is she not? That's for you to decide XD
Enjoy!