Disclaimer: I do not own anything but male! Sakura. And even so, only half of him is mine…
Warning: I raised the rating to M, just in case. Lots of swearings and bad languages.
Enjoys
"You're ready?" Tsunade asked from her spot.
"Actually…NO!" Sakura shouted back, pointing at her front with shaking mortification. "Why on earth does it have to be your ear hole? It's freaking repulsive!"
"Oh, for pity's sake! Because it's the only hole that delivers your sorry ass to the New world, you blithering fool!" Tsunade restrained herself enough from outright blowing her top off but one could see clearly that the Hokage was very offended. "Beside, there are ninjas, whose sore job is cleaning my statue! It's sparkled, can't you see, you stupid girl!"
The pink head frowned, scrutinized in disgust at the huge ear hole that was actually caved along with the rest of Tsunade's face on the Hokage's mountain. How could one be so cruel, not to mention uncreative and extremely cross, to use this as the bridge to her new mission's location? Though she had expected to venture through some caves or using a very dizzy, head- spinning method liked spiral air jutsu, but honestly, ear hole?
But then, again, what could she possible anticipate for in the first place, anyway? This is Naruto's homeland, after all.
Checking her belongings and sent another irritating glance at an impatient Hokage (who most likely just wanted to get back to her sakes) and the group of people who had tagged along to say goodbye, which consisted of a giggle Shizune, a blank face Sai (his lack of humor, for the once, was appreciated by her), a camera holder Ino (she would get that pig back!), a snickered Jiraiya (he would better pray once she finished this mission) and a downright laughing his ass off Naruto (The baka even dared to rolling around on the floor to emphasize his point!). Sending a clone to stomp rapidly on the stupid blond's head and taking a discreet sadistic contentment when she detected the soul gradually leaving her teammate's eyes, Sakura sighed sadly then muttered bitterly while hopping into the pathway. "Well, an ear hole is definitely better than the nose's one…"
However, instead of ground her feet touch, a strong, powerful blow of winds hit and engulfed all her body. Effectively curling into a defensive ball and using her arms as an X shield, Sakura squint her eyes and feeling her body fell into a pitch black, infinite air. Just as soon as the weightless sensation occurred, it was quickly subsided as her foot found the solid base of the floor. Snapping her eyes opening and regarded her surroundings liked a skilled kunochi she was, Sakura found herself rather satisfied.
To be frank, Naminori town was everything Sakura had imaged it to be. Standing tip toe on one of the highest building the pathway had left her, the pink head clutched the map in one hand while scanning the place keenly. Identical houses, identical trees along the identical streets. It's as if every road in this town was designed to have the same structure. The only things that changed here and there were the shops and restaurants, which Sakura noticed, didn't have that much variety to begin with. Though, it was a boring design, the people lived here seemed to be another stories, Sakura observed.
Jumping to a rooftop that was the nearest place to the location where the event that the pink head wanted to witness was displaying, Sakura watched with amusement a short brunette, who wore only his mickey mouse underwear and had something akin to fire flickered on his forehead, pummeling a groups of adults who were all twice his size. Then, just as soon as the weird pervert (that brunette should be because even Jiraiya didn't dare to undress while fighting!) stepped foot on the ground, a series of bombs exploded. And such attacks, to her experienced eyes, were from the pervert's ally, who seemed to have no idea how his weapons ended up blowing up his friend instead of the enemies.
Yes, she wasn't kidding and yes, she was thinking just how lucky it was that at least Naruto, who was supposed to be an air-head, possessed more brain than that silver haired dummy. Having the lengendary destructive Rasengan fired at her every time they went on missions together would positively have gotten her ten feet under the ground by now.
Though, it's good that the short, mickey boy had been skillful enough to avoid his miserable death by jumping up, it's seriously bad that his eyes had caught the form of her and the worse thing was Inner was having a bad case of heart melting (Sakura would not miss the ego if she actually died). For some reasons, the boy-starving ego of her had found this pervert to be awesomely cute (damned ninja's ability of vision) and had been bewitched by those cameral orbs, that skinny form and even the only piece of clothes he wore seemed to be undeniable endearing in that fan girl's mind (if she did have one). Akira could only roll his eyes in exasperation, forcing the Sakura inside him to face the newest possibility. If she didn't move, or more accurately, disappeared from the spot right now, the chance she got tortured, killed and may be even thrown to a horde of women while naked, by her beloved shinshou was as high as Hokage Mountain.
Sakura was supposed to never reveal her incredible identity as a ninja warrior to normal citizen. She was, forcefully and very violently, warned by an menacing Tsunade that if her shinshou heard any, and she meant any, rumor about spider-woman, sudden earth wakes or unexpected valleys where they weren't supposed to be, Akira better whispered goodbye to his manhood. And Sakura knew (She wasn't that crazy woman's student for so long for nothing!) if Jiraiya wasn't the legendary toad nin, he wouldn't still be able to boast about his 'big boy' until this day. And for that fact, both Inner and Akira shuddered.
Of course, all the speeding planning and thinking had just happened in the short time the pair met each other's eyes. Being a smart girl/boy, Sakura was, an idea flared in her brain (Akira called it resourcefully, Inner preferred to the word desperately) and the pink head immediately followed the option, the only choice she had in that situation. She rolled off the roof, unfortunately, without charka and with the foresight in mind that she would undoubtedly lose either of her arms. Though, comparing the broken bones to a missing 'something', it was not much of a decision, really.
In the split moment Sakura fell off her stand, by some rare chance (and she meant it because she was really busy trying to fall off the proof in the most graceful way she could), she caught those cameral jewels, which were initially emotionless, started to widen and something akin to life flickered softly. Also, by some freak miracles, in the middle of air space, the boy was able to spin toward her, and in one swift move, at least, smooth enough for normal citizen, Sakura was caught in a gentle hold and they both landed liked feathers to the ground. And damned it but it was awfully romantic, Sakura had to admit to a gleeful Inner.
Yes, the rational Akira part commented, it was if he was a girl. In this case, where both parties were males, the only conclusion the shinobi could come up was that this brunette, who had saved his ass, must do so because he was looking pathetically pitiful. In fact, so much that a mickey-underwear weirdo had to rescues and carry him in a princess style! (Sakura had no idea how Akira came up with such ridiculous answer. She honestly didn't.)
"Are you alright?" Inner swooned as she pointed out dreamily that what a prince would say to his princess right after rescuing her from the big, bad dragon! Akira smiled, because to his ear, that what a smug bastard would say to his underdog. And because Sakura generally tended to disagree with Inner, she resolved to listen to her boy's self and frowned dramatically.
"Good enough," Shoving the boy, whom now she noticed had lost his earlier awesomeness and the fire on his forehead had disappeared, Sakura said with dignify, as if she hadn't just nearly fallen off the roof and might break a few bones in the process. "Thank you for saving me."
"Eh ha ha. That's ok and I'm glad that you're fine." It would sound more than cool if he wasn't in his underwear, which was bright red Sakura might add. Somehow, laughing sheepish and asking if the pink head was really alright, this brunette looked anything but heroic, even somewhat demented if you asked.
"Tenth!" A manly yell and both of the parties turned to the newest arrival. It was that silvery haired dummy, who was the whole cause of her problem, who, up close, had a pair of storming jade eyes that was tainted by concern and whose face adorned a handsome frown that only made him ten times sexier. Inner panted disturbingly inside while Sakura flushed red. What kind of girl wouldn't? Thankfully, her outer self, which was Akira, showed none of these emotions. But even if he wanted, the mask would have hid it so the pink head really had no need to worry about being mistaken as a perverted homo.
After had showered his 'Tenth' passionately by a tsunami of worried questions and repeated apologies about not being able to protect him from the earlier dangerous threats (no doubt have no idea he was the most devasting threat), the guy, whose name, the brunette had called, was Gokudera Kun, finally noticed that there was another presence in the little garden. This newest person was a skinny boy, who was just as tall as Gokudera and whose butt was saved by his awesome, precious boss. Though, Tsuna always said it's wrong to be discriminate and judged one by his appearance, Gokudera, for once, thought his boss might be slightly, a tiny bit, inaccurate. The storm guardian smelt a rat and this pink haired, masked face (what could be more suspicious!) brat was stink of bad news.
Stepping up to shield his tenth, Gokudera asked, or more likely demanded. "Who the fuck are you?"
"I mean no trouble." Akira said, as polite as he could to an asshole. "I'm only here to visit a cousin of mine."
"Then what the hell are you doing on the top of my Tenth's roof in the first place?" The savage had not decreased a slightest amount.
"An accident," The shinobi said smoothly, though Inner was anything but calm. Sakura couldn't proudly brag that she had been using her special, super power jutsu to transport herself on that roof, and was having a nice, enjoyable moment until that mickey brat was blown up to the sky and forced her to jump off her base because standing there would raise suspicions? Sakura would be surprised if she could still make it to her client's house in one piece.
"And?" Gokudera prompted.
Startled out of her thought by the pair in front of her, Sakura realized these two still wanted an explanation and had been waiting for it all along. What a nosy bunch, Inner muttered, and Sakura was tempted to tell them off. However, she remembered her motto of 'less enemies, more allies' and Akira replied easily.
"My family's helicopter (she just knew it was something that can fly and delivered people to place) brought me here but unfortunately, they dropped me off early and on the wrong spot. I was supposed to be on the ground but ended up on that roof, unfortunately. Not being used to standing in such place, obviously, I quickly lost my balance and you saved me just in time before I crack my neck. Thank you again." At the last line, the shinobi looked pointedly at the brunette, who smiled kindly in return. It's really useful to have a peek at this world's newspaper.
"I'm sorry that you've had a hard time. Would you like to come inside to have some tea now?" 'Tenth' asked politely.
Before Akira could form an answer, Gokudera interrupted rudely. "Then why didn't I hear a helicopter's sound?"
The reply was quick and Akira had to force back the 'Duh' expression. "Because you were too busy fighting."
"I'm always alert of my surroundings and liked hell have I heard anything liked a fucking helicopter!" The silver head growled, eyes flashed dangerously as he added. "Don't fucking lie to me because I know you are a god damned liar right the moment you sprouted those unrealistic words! Filthy son of a bitch!"
Whatever loving emotions Sakura might feel toward this piece of hot meat had been twisted and tossed over a window. Just as soon as he opened his mouth, Sakura had dimmed him as a worthy guy that could rivaled Sai for the first place in her list of "jerks that needed to be eliminated off earth in an early future for the sake of world peace". And hell but Tsunade wouldn't even hold her back from punching the living crap out of this foul-mouthed bastard. It's a sheer wonder that Akira had been able to suppress his inner beast and said as pleasant as he could. Though, it was more of a snarl than a calm reply. "Then you don't know shit about lying or are you clever enough to hear my helicopter's noises!"
"What the fuck did you say, you pink haired faggot?"
"Gay because of my hair color? How shocking creative you are, you brick-headed, crap-mouthed, dim-witted punk!" Logics and senses could meet Spartan for tea for all Sakura's care!
"I will blow your ass to the seventh level of heaven, you piece of shit!"
"Show it, you thick-skulled hooligan!" The bastard thought he could go against an elite jounin, who was the fifth Hokage's exceptionally talented apprentice and who had been one of the two persons to manage to kill the infamous undefeatable Sasori of the dangerous Akatsuki criminal organization? Oh, he could learn. Inner would make sure of it!
Sadly, before anything remotely related to 'lesson' could be desmonstrated non-gently to the insufferable jerk, a bullet tore through the air, effectively halted the potential crisis.
Bang!
…
Both of them stilled, neither moved an inch. Mind you but even Garaa wouldn't if he was to be shot just 1 inch from his nose. Akira was impressed by Inner, who, though was in a serious life-threatening situation, still gathered enough energy to squeal over just how hot Gokudera was up close, while he, himself, was breaking out cold sweats furiously. When was that bitch ever not in heat?
"I supposed you are Akira Sawada?" A babyish voice filled the tense air. Even a flying leaf seemed to be in slow moving motion.
"Yes." It took Akira sheer bloody mental strength to finally calm his wild beating heart down and answering in the most dignified tone he could mutter. He dared to glance toward the direction the bullet came from, and nearly went face-faulted, if that had been possible in real life.
'An infant?'
Inner scoffed and corrected. 'No, idiot! It's a talking and knowing how to fire a freaking gun infant!'
"I'm Reborn. I'm glad that you are here finally. We have been waiting for you." The little boy, that couldn't even reach the brunette's knee, said with an air of authority. It would have been hilarious, the way that stern tone couldn't match its owner's childish facial. However, there was just this odd way Reborn held himself, coupled with his gleaming gun, which was still directed at the shinobi's face, that portrayed as if the infant was daring Sakura to take him not seriously. Even Gokudera, who, so far, had shown to be only capable of acting liked a corn-brained jerk, stood rigid in fear.
"Hie! T-This is the cousin, no, my cousin, you've been ranting about lately!" It's a high pitched shriek, the kind that you wished to desperately strangle the owner right there and then! What the hell? Could anyone get more oblivious to the pure pressure stretched tightly in the air? It's the brunette again, and this time, Akira admitted that this boy must be something to do something as fearless as whining in front of that venomous infant and still prancing around, in his underwear, unharmed.
Smack!
May be not totally unscratched but he's still alive and that counted as amazing.
"Dame Tsuna. Stop being annoyed and please, dress properly in front of guest for once!" At least, it's only a punch to the head, instead of a bullet to the skull… Wait… Tsuna? As in Tsunayoshi Sawada? As in Sakura Haruno's client? As in Akira Sawada's main charge for the next three years? This wimpy, whining, perverted, mickey feisty weirdo?
And Inner, would you, please, stop your damned squealing? Someone was trying not to fall into chronic depression here!
A/N: Well, Akira should meet Tsuna first, of course. From now on, to be fair, there will be one fluffy moment Akira had with each of the candidates on the list before I finally decided who he/she should end up with. I will still gather the votes though.
Tsuna 11
Hibari 6
Harem 6
Byakuran 5
Mukuro 5
Dino 3
Gokudera 1
Yamamoto 1
Xanxus 1
Also, for the sake of anyone who might like to get an inspiration of how Akira looks like, check out my avatar. I do not own it but as an illustration, I thought that guy looked the best! It's a bit small but I don't know how to put link in so, sorry.
Thank you for anyone who reviewed. Your words inspire my process. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and my future work. Also, I think I will wait until this story's review reaches 50 something to update the next chapter. It's a goal I wish to meet, I suppose.
See you.