Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto verse or any character or place therein. There the legal junk is out of the way. Thank-you for your reviews. I'm glad you're enjoying my story. For those who don't know Yoosei means Fairy or Pixie like creature. This is one of the longer chapters which should go a long way towards making up for the last several chapters which were disgustingly short. Anyway, on with the story. Enjoy.
The Honeymoon Mission
by The Mother Rose
Chapter Seven:
But, by that time, Sasuke was clearly at his limit of living with Sakura. The girl had turned whiny on him because he wasn't willing to touch her any more than necessary and made it clear he did not enjoy hours of window shopping or hearing her beg for trinkets like a little kid begs for candy and ice cream. He came storming into their room, clearly pissed off and ready to snap. "Kakashi-Sensei, I want you to help me track down my brother and drag his butt back to the village. If there are going to be pink haired Uchiha for the next generation they are going to be his children! Not mine. I've haven't even made it through two weeks of living with her and already I want a divorce."
Kakashi did his best to hide his need to laugh but looking toward Natsu was a mistake. His tiny girl was sitting there with a fan in front of her face and very definitely laughing blue eyes peeking over the edge of it. Her shoulders were shaking too, giving away the fact that she found something about the scene funny if not everything. He looked back toward Sasuke and Sakura.
The furious boy stood there with his hands fisted on his hips burning a hole into Kakashi as he tried to ignore the upset and hurt expression Sakura wore. She couldn't help it if her hair was pink. Since he knew speaking would be a mistake Kakashi indicated they should sit down and get the meeting started. He sat down and watched as the kids took their places. Natsu walked behind him to get to her seat. She held the little bluebell figurine in her hands and set the tiny bells to jingling as she set it on the table. A gentle smile curved her lips as she listened to the small bells.
Kakashi's eye softened as he saw her enjoy his gift. He'd never regret buying it for her. Sakura saw her playing with it and asked her where she got it. She told her Kakashi-Sensei bought it from the glass vendor without admitting he bought it for her.
"Then you should put it back where he had it. You shouldn't touch Sensei's things, Naruto. You'll break something as delicate as that."
"Why should she put it back when I bought it for her? She likes the small sound the little bells give off and it makes her smile, so why exactly shouldn't she play with it? And you have been told more than once her name is Natsu."
"But it's really yours. She isn't really a girl, Sensei. You shouldn't be buying things like that for Naruto. It's a waste of money." Truth was Sakura was jealous. She could see how the small figurine pleased Natsu and how her enjoyment of it pleased Kakashi. And it angered her because Sasuke had not bought her anything, no matter how many things she had pointed out as being beautiful or just perfect for her coloring or size or taste. Yet here Sensei was already buying things for Naruto and they weren't married or on their honeymoon at all. Not to mention she found the little windchime to be very pedestrian.
"Sakura-chan," called Natsu bringing the pink haired girl back to the present. "What is really the problem? You were happy yesterday and my messing with this didn't bother you then so I don't believe it is really bothering you today."
At first, Sakura wasn't going to say anything but when Natsu hit one of the flower like bells with a well sculpted nail, her green eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "You know, Naruto, for a boy playing a girl, you sure have the role pretty well spot on. I mean, your hair is perfectly groomed every day. Your nails are perfectly manicured. You never sit like a boy or eat like one. You never even mess with your clothes. If I didn't know you were really a loud, obnoxious bozo of a baka boy who loves everything loud, obnoxious and orange, I'd swear you really are a girl. Even without the make-up all real girls wear."
Both Kakashi and Sasuke sharpened their interest. Both guys had already come to the conclusion Naruto didn't really exist and that the small boy was really a tiny girl. But Sasuke was waiting for Kakashi to confront Naruto on the subject, having figured out that as an orphan living alone, being a girl was probably not the best idea. Especially if this was how she really looked. Living alone and looking like this, would have had her in constant jeopardy while she was growing up. Not to mention the behavior of the girls in their age group to someone like her in their midst. None of the girls would have caught any of the boy's eyes with her around and all of them would have hated her over it. Just look how Sakura was acting.
Kakashi was just waiting to see how long Natsu could keep her secret. Like Sasuke he had also come to understand why Natsu was hidden as Naruto and he admired the girl's skill in hiding her true self under the shell of the loud boy. He had to smile as she answered Sakura's observation.
"Sakura-chan," she said reprovingly in a gentle tone of voice. "It would do no good for me to dress as a girl, use a girl's name and pretend to be his wife if I could not also act the role of a girl, now would it? As for the other things, someone of his stature in the world would not be expected to be wed to someone without manners or breeding. Half the success of a role depends on knowing the perception of others towards the person you are playing the role for or with. But as for the cosmetics, I see no reason to put that junk on my face. If the people, looking at my face, do not like what they see, they can look elsewhere. Nobody is making them look at me."
Kakashi grimaced ruefully under his mask before bursting into laughter. He should have known she would have an answer for that accusation and observation. But he also knew the way she behaved was a learned thing. She had been taught how to move and behave as a lady of breeding. Idly he wondered who had taught her how to behave.
Sasuke smirked as he mentally tipped his figurative hat to Natsu. That was a well thought out response and not something that could easily be argued with. "I congratulate you, Sensei. For this mission, you seem to have gotten the better prepared wife. Natsu is definitely worth showing off and parading around. She is the type of girl any guy of standing and breeding would be proud to have on his arm."
Kakashi added, "As for the cosmetics, Natsu, no man in his right mind would want you to hide your face under them and only jealous girls would. You catch every eye in the room without them, which is, as I understand it, the main purpose of them in the first place. But because you do catch every eye without it, a man can be very proud to have you on his arm."
Natsu had blanched when Sasuke said his piece and flushed when Kakashi spoke to her. Sakura had flushed angrily. "Are you saying the Baka is a better girl than I am, Sasuke-kun, Sensei? He can't be a better girl than a real girl. That was just rude. Besides, it's probably only indicative of the type of missions the Hokage will send Naruto on once we are no longer genin. After all, what other use can there be for his disgusting jutsu? I'm sure it takes all types of girls to do those type of missions."
Natsu paled as Kakashi felt a flare of rage over the comment. Even Sasuke was glaring at the pink haired girl. Natsu sucked in a deep breath, hiding her true reaction in order to chide him. "She is correct, Sasuke. That was rude to her. She may be a teenager seeing her fantasy come true, and overly excited about it, but there is no call to be rude by saying you are ashamed of her or embarrassed by her behavior."
"Naruto is not a better girl than I am." Sakura insisted, her voice rising on what she saw as an insult she did not deserve.
"Natsu is a different caliber of girl, Sakura. It isn't that she is a better or worse girl. She is just a girl of a different station. But you will never again insinuate a genin under my command will at any time ever be sent on an infiltration mission in that manner. You were also rude. To her," Kakashi said, trying to appease the pinkette while reminding her that, for this mission, Naruto did not exist and, at the same time, he tried to tell Natsu he knew damn good and well she was just as much a real girl as Sakura was. He could not quite hide the burr of anger in his voice though. "All the things you pointed out that she does unconsciously are things a girl of her station would have been taught as she was growing up. None of it is something she just read in a pamphlet. Someone taught her to behave as she does and I doubt very seriously if that person did so for that low brow of a reason. And you need to remember what the Sandaime said in the tower before we began this mission. Who did he say was Natsu's guardian?" Sakura gave him a puzzled look as Sasuke got contemplative. After a few seconds with both teens looking at him waiting for him to tell them what they had missed he said, "Sandaime is her guardian. He said so at the time. Do you honestly think he is going to approve any attempt to send his ward on an infiltration mission?"
Understanding filled Sasuke's face and he gave a sharp nod. One less thing to stress was his very private thought as he turned the conversation back to the issue he wanted settled. Now. Today. "Well, all things considered, I doubt if Natsu loudly proclaimed she wished for you to buy her that trinket as Sakura does to me in every shop she drags me into. I doubt Natsu has even asked you to buy her an ice cream," insisted Sasuke.
"Well, that is true. Natsu does not ask. She looks at what catches her eye and I use her body language and facial expressions to tell me what she likes or wants. She couldn't stop playing with the bells on that and smiling when they tinkled for her amusement. So when we were ready to leave, I bought it for her. Her expression told me she wanted it. But she never asked me for it."
Natsu wasn't listening any more, though. She had set the little bells to ringing again and was smiling with her head slightly tilted listening to their merry sound. Sasuke said, "She does seem to derive a lot of pleasure just listening to them. I can't even hear them but she can, can't she?"
"Hai. So can I if I channel chakra to my ears. They sound like water moving on a calm day in a peaceful stream."
"Careful, Sensei," sniped Sakura. "It almost sounds like you're falling for the role the Baka is playing."
"Sakura, I could spend the rest of my life happily watching Natsu play with that figurine and never get tired of it. Watching someone get so much joy from doing something so simple is a rarity in this blood filled world of ours. And hai, I might very well be falling for an illusion but if I am, that is my business, is it not? I can think of a lot crude illusions to fall for." Under his breath he added, "But I'm not. I already fell for my little wife a long time ago." Natsu heard him and he knew she did by how she'd drawn in her breath and her eyes flew to his face quickly before looking back at her bluebells. Color washed over her skin but other than that she gave no indication she was listening to anything they might say about her.
Sasuke had also seen her react to what Kakashi had said and he mentally cursed. No way could he get Natsu as a wife if Sensei was interested in her. Oh well. He already knew of two girls who would be good Uchiha wives. "Anyway, Sensei. Is there anyway to set this right? I don't want Sakura as my wife. I'm sorry, Sakura. I know you have dreamed of nothing else since you were eight or nine but come on. I've told you in every way I know how it wouldn't ever happen if I had any say in it. Pink hair might look good on a girl but it would be disastrous on a little boy. Especially an Uchiha boy. I know it isn't something you have any control over but it is a fact of life that in your line the pink hair is a dominant trait that is passed on to the children. I would be tempted to just kill the boy before anyone could see he had that hair and make his life miserable over it. I told you over and over you were not an appropriate wife for my clan or for me."
"You have to have a wife, Sasuke," said Kakashi sitting forward and getting serious. Or at least more openly serious. He'd been serious before but he had been dealing with Natsu then and she required different handling than Sasuke and Sakura did. "The only way the council is going to let you set her aside is if there is someone to take her place in your bed. Especially since you did already sleep with her as your wife. That act alone means they would have to send her off to a temple somewhere since she could not be wed off to someone else."
Sakura blushed, as Natsu quietly said, "They didn't have sex yet, Sensei. That's why she's so upset and why she has been trying so hard to get him to pay attention to her or buy her things. If he does, than she can continue to believe the sex will happen."
Kakashi looked from one blushing teen to the other. "Oh. I see. But why then did you try to open the scroll? You knew it was an event scroll and I was pretty clear as to what I thought the event had to be."
"I was hoping since I already knew I didn't wish to be married to her that it would be enough," Sasuke admitted. "But it isn't fair to her to be tied to me when I know I will never sleep with her just because the chance of a pink-haired child would be too great a risk. I already had Kabuto at the hospital run her genetics with mine to see what would most likely come of it because stupid Hiashi kept throwing her name at me all the time. Pink haired sons might definitely unlock the dojutsu sooner but I don't want to be around when they get big enough to really use them well."
Kakashi sighed. Truthfully, he'd heard of worse reasons for rejecting a girl as a spouse and he had to admit a pink-haired boy would be teased unmercifully. The poor kid would probably grow up wanting to kill both his parents over the insult. "Well, like I said the only way to set her aside is if there is someone else who can give you children to take her place."
"Actually, there are two girls I was looking at as possible wives. Kabuto was helping me run their genetics against mine just to make sure the children would be suitable heirs. Sometimes there is something unknown in the genetics that can lead to the birth of an unsuitable child in the next generation. Kabuto was helping me make sure, well as sure as man can ever get, the girl I did choose would not have that unforeseen consequence. It's why I was spending so much time hanging out at the hospital. Other than the stupid virility tests." He grimaced.
"Who are the girls?" whined Sakura. "Don't tell me you prefer Ino-pig."
"No. Ino is no more appropriate than you are but for different reasons. While I will admit her and my children would add a new dimension to the sharingan, that would only happen if I could stand to come home long enough to create them in the first place. Her personality does not match mine." Sasuke sighed and rubbed his eyes. He put his elbows on the table and gave Sakura a stern look that was dead serious. "Sakura, you need to get it through your head. This is the rest of my life we are talking about here. It isn't just a week or two of play acting like it is for Natsu and Sensei. It's the rest of my natural life. I have to be able to stand being around the girl. I have to be able to look at her and not cringe either openly or internally. She can't be abrasive or demanding of my time and attention to the point where I can't stand to go home. Nor can she be bossy. That pretty much describes both you and Ino to a tee. Neither of you would grant me enough time to do so much as take a shower without your approval let alone practice my ninja skills."
"Well, I did tell you, there won't be time for you to be an active ninja when we get home. You have to take your position in society now," she said.
"That's what I mean. You're already trying to tell me what to do and you haven't even set a foot inside the compound yet. But the girls I found won't behave like that. They won't tell me what to do, Sakura. They will treat me like Naruto does. Like a person first. And that's what I want."
"So who are the girls you are looking at," she asked quietly looking at her hands and trying to understand what he was telling her.
"You won't like it but I was looking at Mitarashi Ami and Tobai Miski. Both were in our graduating class from the academy. Miski is kind and gentle and will make a good mother. She seems more like Natsu in finding enjoyment in simple things and outside of being the constant center of attention. As such, she will definitely make a good matriarch for the new clan. An Uchiha Matriarch should always know where everyone is and who needs what but she should above all be a quietly nurturing person everyone knows they can come to no matter what the problem is. Miski is that kind of person just as Hinata is. But Hinata is too shy for me. Miski is not. She will stand up for herself and she will defend those she thinks needs defending. That is another trait that makes her right for the role of my wife."
"But she has green hair. How is that any better than pink? And Ami? Why is she a better choice than me?" she asked.
Sasuke got a slightly perverted look as he grinned. "Have you seen that girl move through her taijutsu routine? She is loud. I will grant you that but she is also fun and strong. I know, with her, life will never be boring and, if I have to leave on a mission, I know Ami can protect the new clan while I am away. She may not be as cultured as Miski is but what she does offer is. . .enticing enough. As for Miski's hair color, it's not dominant and people are less likely to tease a boy with dark green hair than they are to tease a boy with your hair Sakura and that's what the testing said you would give our children. Your hair. Not a different shade but the same exact color." A tear fell as Sakura understood she was beaten by genetics testing; something she had no chance in hell of twisting or fudging.
"Honestly, those two girls together are perfect as the new mothers of the Uchiha clan. At least for me, they are. Miski will gentle Ami out when Ami oversteps her bounds because she is not weak either. But Ami will also give Miski the courage she needs to stand up for herself more often than she does. And they will take care of each other, supporting each other as well as they support me. They will not fight over me like a couple of banshees. They will not turn my home into a war torn battleground over who I favor most. Sure, they may have a few fights, over position, duties, and children rights but mostly they will work well together because neither girl is stupid or blind to others. And Sakura, unlike you and Ino, both Miski and Ami understand to begin a new clan or restart an old clan like mine, it takes more than one wife. They've known from the beginning there will never be just one woman in my home or bed. Both you and Ino would never accept that no matter how much you tell the village you have. You wouldn't. You'd fight over me like a piece of meat."
"You show good taste, Sasuke. And your reasons show you have given this matter a great deal of thought but you do realize this whole thing could have been avoided if you had just told Hiashi-san who you were considering?"
Sasuke looked at him seriously. "He should have asked. Not once did he ever ask me why I was hanging out with Kabuto. Like everyone else he assumed the Banshee Queens had scared me off girls to the point where I forgot my duty and though he suggested girls it was always someone totally wrong for me. Almost as if he wanted me to be miserable for the rest of my days or was afraid I was looking at his daughter and, while I might consider Hanabi down the line, I would never take his heir. Hinata is his line continuation. Not mine. Looking at Hinata would close off the Uchiha line; folding it into the Hyuuga line. That isn't what I want. Nor do I believe it's what the village wants. Hanabi, however, could become a part of the Uchiha and he could still see her every day of his life, though her attitude stinks. Miski and Ami would have their work cut out for them getting her into line so I really don't want her either. But since he never asked, I never told him who I was looking at. Besides, I am only thirteen. And so are the main two girls."
Kakashi laughed outloud. For the first time his genin heard him laugh. Natsu stared at him, her eyes going soft as she heard his laugh roll out and fill the room with rich sound. A smile tugged at her lips as a soft blush covered her skin and a sparkle entered her eyes. Kakashi stopped laughing as he caught the expression and sucked in his breath. Good God, she was beautiful and that look should be illegal, he thought. Sasuke couldn't see Natsu's face but from Kakashi's star struck look he knew Natsu had their Sensei in the palm of her tiny little hand. Sakura could see the look Natsu gave Kakashi and she did know why Kakashi had quit laughing but unlike Sasuke she thought it unfair that the boy pretending to be a girl was getting more attention than she, the real girl was getting on this mission. And the boy turned girl hadn't even said a word!
"Naruto!" she snapped, drawing the blond's attention away from Kakashi. "You shouldn't look at him like that. You're a boy and he's a man."
Natsu tilted her head. Confusion marred her forehead. "What look?" she asked simply. "He has a nice laugh and I never heard him laugh before." Total silence filled the room as Kakashi wanted to groan. She went back to her bells when it was clear no one was going to explain what look Sakura was talking about.
Kakashi shook his head and refocused his thoughts on the issue at hand. "Ok. Now Sasuke, you have done what you were required to do for this mission. Sandaime wanted you to admit your duty to the village is first and foremost the creation of the next generation of Uchiha. Since you have named two girls you find suitable, with a possibility down the line of a third, that is more than sufficient to show, along with the reasons why they are suitable, that you do indeed realize your duty."
"So does that mean we can open the scroll now?" asked Sakura. On the one hand, she wanted to go home but on the other she still wanted a chance to make Sasuke realize he loved her. She was coming to understand that even if he did love her he would never have a relationship with her but she wasn't ready to give up yet.
"No, Sakura. It doesn't. You haven't yet done your part and Natsu told you when she transcribed the seal for us that you both had a role to fulfill. I just told you Sasuke has done his part. He was to recognize his duty and admit to it in a way that showed he had acknowledged it. By naming both Miski and Ami as suitable wives as well as giving sound reasons as to why they are suitable he has done that. Now it is your turn. Have you done as you are required to?"
"What can I do? He won't do more than sleep. I can't make him have sex with me. He's too afraid of a pink-haired son to even consider it."
"I think it is more than that, Sakura-chan, that keeps him on his side of the bed," said Natsu softly. "Think about what he has said today. Sasuke is never one to waste his words. What he says he means. So think about what he said."
"What do you know?" she spat. "You're just a Baka boy pretending to be a girl so you can steal Sasuke's Sensei's attention away from him. When we get back to Konoha, Sensei won't forget how you've flirted with him here and Sasuke's training will suffer from it because you're a pervert. Just because you know exactly how to play a role as a certain type of girl doesn't mean you know anything about being a real girl, Baka."
Natsu had paled and though confusion had been the predominant expression, fear had clouded her eyes at the mention of returning to Konoha. Both Sasuke and Kakashi turned cold eyes on Sakura. Both guys were furious with her. "That's enough, Sakura," snapped Sasuke in a voice that told her she had gone way beyond too far. "Natsu is not flirting with Sensei. She is being herself."
"I am perfectly capable of dealing with things myself, Sakura. I do not need you to handle matters involving my sex life for me. Nor do I think Naruto is a pervert." Kakashi glanced at Natsu. She was still sitting frozen, the fear clear in her expressive eyes. Damn it Sakura, he mentally cursed. Natsu had begun to relax and open up to them but now he could tell she had back slid a lot. "As for what happens when we go back to Konoha, I think we will all find things are not how we left them. Or how we expect them to be."
"Anyhow, what Natsu said to you is correct. You do need to think about what he said and why he said it. This little display of waspishness should also play into your thoughts today. You may not believe Natsu is a real girl but you know damn good and well Sasuke needs more than one wife to repopulate his clan. That means you were never going to be his only wife. But he has admitted he doesn't even want you to be one of the number. He gave solid reasons for why you are not an appropriate choice as a wife for him. He told you flat out he never would have married you if anyone had asked him instead of forcing the issue. And you yourself have pointed out he won't even give you a position as a concubine so what exactly are you hanging onto him for?" Kakashi was being harsh and brutal with her but he was angry at her over her waspish words towards Natsu. No one was going to hurt his little Yoosei and get away with it.
Sakura had tears in her eyes as she mumbled, "I know he doesn't want me but he is my husband. Hokage-sama married us with my Kaasan and his guardian as witnesses. Therefore, whether he likes it or not, I am his wife. Maybe someday he can get over his fear of pink haired kids and we can be a real married couple but for now, I'll just settle for having him show he at least cares about me."
"Sakura," said Sasuke, a hint of softness in his voice for the first time in dealing with her. "I told you when we became a team to work on yourself. I told you to grow stronger. That I did not need a weak wallflower at my back constantly. If you had worked at being a strong kunoichi, I might have come to care for you as a teammate. But you didn't. You still don't. Natsu is fulfilling a role as Kakashi-Sensei's wife but even so she goes down to the hotel gym every day and works out. She goes through her kata for taijutsu and works her muscles on the machines they have. You go to the beauty parlor and the baths. So what exactly is there to recommend you as one of my wives? What exactly do you have to offer that Miski and Ami do not also have? That I can not later, when Hanabi is older, get from her?"
"I have a higher social position than either of them," she said instantly.
"And I need that because?" Sasuke raised a brow inquiringly. "Sakura, I already have my own seat on the council. Your Kaasan holding a seat, does nothing for my social standing. Nor as a ninja, are you ever going to be able to assume her seat when she is ready to retire. She holds a civilian seat and in the council, certain seats must remain in the hands of civilians to maintain the balance in the village. Therefore, you don't really have a higher social position than either Miski or Ami. You only think you do because your Kaasan is a civilian seat holder. And as for Hanabi, she outranks you. She is the second daughter of the main branch of the Hyuuga Clan the first dojutsu clan of Konoha. But you are not strong enough to defend the household while I am away as Ami is. You are not gentle enough to raise the children as Miski is. You are not cultured enough as Hanabi will be, to host functions of state in our home. Nor, for all your fawning attention right now, will you ever be as supportive of me and my decisions as they both will be. As hopefully all three will be, should Hanabi someday join the ranks. Instead, you will try and tell me what I can and cannot do and argue over every decision I do make. I am not the type of person who would be happy with a wife who tries to wear my pants or goes and buys gaudy things because they are expensive and show off her supposed wealth."
"I don't mean to rip you to shreds but you need to face facts here. You are not what I need or want in one of my wives. You never have been and never will be. You would be divisive in the home, relegating both Miski and Ami to lesser positions to assert your authority when I would clearly care more for their welfare than I ever could for yours. You would use the children Ami and Miski will give me as toys to show off and increase your own personal value in the eyes of the village all the while saying you were doing it for me. Then you would dismiss them from further consideration as soon as whoever was watching turned their attention elsewhere. I could never tolerate that and nor should Miski or Ami have to tolerate that."
Sakura jumped up and ran from the room. She couldn't take any more rejection today. After a few minutes Natsu stood up and followed the distraught girl. Both the guys watched the graceful way Natsu moved and only when she was out of sight did Sasuke speak again. "She really is a girl, isn't she Sensei?"
"Hai and unlike you and Sakura, Natsu really is my wife. Hokage-sama is and always has been her guardian. Furthermore, Koharu as well as Hiashi and Kiku were witness for the council as to the marriage ceremony tieing her to me. Iruka stood as witness as well. And then there was the clothing and the Sake cups. The clothing Koharu and Kiku helped her to change into was a traditional wedding dress for a bride. The scroll Sarutobi-sama handed me was, now that I remember it, the traditional scroll read by a male getting married and the Sake cup arrangement was also tradition. I didn't even catch on to their plot when Natsu changed into the second outfit which was consistent with clothing normally worn by a bride for the reception. Therefore, she really is my wife."
"Then why. . ."
"Have I not pushed her to admit it?" Sasuke nodded. "Because she has spent all her life as Naruto. She needed time to be herself and get used to being herself. I hoped she'd get so comfortable being herself she wouldn't want to go back to being Naruto. And then there is Sakura and her constant sniping and harping on the fact that Natsu doesn't exist. Sakura is constantly reminding Natsu that she is really just the village idiot and that we are on a mission in which Natsu is undercover. But for the record Natsu knows full well exactly what this mission is all about."
"And what is she supposed to do? If all three of our names were on that seal, than it is only reasonable that Natsu's is also and although Sakura may have bought the story about you being required to make sure she and I do our required parts, I don't buy it. Natsu's name is on that scroll and she does have something to do as well. Your job isn't really to make sure Sakura and I do our job, is it? You have something to do that involves Natsu. Otherwise Hokage-sama would not have wed you two off as he did."
"Very astute of you, Sasuke. You are correct. I do have something I am required to do but, until Natsu admits she really is a girl, I can not and will not do it. And I will not force her into revealing the truth until she is ready to admit she doesn't want to return to being Naruto again. And right now? I think she'd put that henge on in a heartbeat if only to avoid having to deal with a snippy Sakura again."
"But you love her don't you, Sensei? Even though you thought she was Naruto right up until we left the village, you love her."
"Hai. And I already had my suspicions as to her real self. My eyes and nose have been at war over her ever since that damn chalkboard eraser dropped on my head. In fact, it was because they were at war that it did hit me."
Sasuke started laughing. "I wondered why such a simple trick caught you. But it turns out it wasn't so simple after all. She must have already known of you before you became our Sensei. She would have known all about your enhanced senses so she was probably testing her henge under the guise of the eraser trick."
"I wonder why she didn't get it altered then when I clearly showed her I knew something was off?"
"Don't know. You might want to just ask her. But I will work on Sakura. I think if I work on getting Sakura to see it isn't a henge on Natsu then all of us can convince our graceful girl to be herself. But she definitely likes that trinket."
"Hai. She plays with it all the time. Just small gentle touches to set the bells moving as she passes by it but still she does like it. I commissioned the vendor to make me a small fairy with her coloring for her too. I need to go pick it up. Can you handle things here for me?"
Sasuke nodded. "Just don't let her see it until I can watch her reaction also. I always thought Naruto wore his heart on his sleeves but now I see he didn't give away half as much as she does. Everything she thinks and feels shows on her face."
Kakashi went to the vendor to pick up the small figurine. It was perfectly detailed. Delicate clear wings sprouted from the tiny girl's back as she seemed to dance in the moonlight of a forest glade. It looked as if the glassblower had been one of the observers watching as Natsu did her kata in the hotel gym because her dance seemed very reminiscent of the kata positions.
"I hope it is suitable," said the vendor. "I did my best to capture her for you. She truly is a beautiful little yoosei given life."
"It's perfect. It seems like you watched her practicing in the gym."
"I did. I was having trouble finding a background for her and one of my children came in and saw the yoosei. He told me about your little wife and her work-outs. So I went every day for the next week to watch her. The moonlit glade was perfect if I recast her form to be dancing."
"This is the second cast of her? May I also see the first casting?"
"Hai. I put it on a chain as I still can not think of an appropriate setting for it." He pulled out the small fairy on the golden chain and showed it to Kakashi.
"Natsu," Kakashi held the small fairy girl letting her expression filter into his mind as she had looked when she heard him laughing. "I'll buy both pieces but I want a stronger chain for this. I will be keeping this one for myself."
The vendor smirked. "Keep her with you forever this way. She truly is a keeper. That's for sure." He exchanged the chains for one that wouldn't break or wear away and then put an enhancement onto the glass yoosei before Kakashi dropped it over his head. Kakashi tucked it inside his clothes and paid the man for both pieces. He waited as the man boxed up the yoosei in the moonlit glade. Then he went back to the hotel.
Sasuke was arguing with Sakura when he got back while Sakura was doing her best to break Natsu's henge. Natsu had a swelling black eye and a rather large bump on her head. They must have been having one hell of an argument Kakashi thought when he entered the room. He went straight to Natsu and wrapped his arms around her. Quietly he asked her, "What happened?"
She shook her head but said nothing as she tried to burrow deeper into him. She wouldn't admit she was hurting but he knew, from that action alone, she was. "Come on, Natsu. I got you something today. Do you want to see it?" he asked trying to distract her from the pain.
She raised her head and looked at him. "Why?" she asked in a pain-filled voice.
"Why what?" he asked genuinely confused.
"Why would you buy me something again? I already have the bells. They are enough."
"Because I wanted to. Besides I think this is perfect for you."
He led the way to the meeting room and directed her into a chair. Sasuke had followed them in and even Sakura had shut up long enough to hear Kakashi had bought Natsu another gift. She came in prepared to tell Natsu she should not accept it and stopped in shock as Natsu pulled the dancing fairy out of the box. Amazement and pure unadorned awe filled Natsu's face as she examined the small figurine carefully. A touch of her finger set the tiny fairy into motion around the glade and Natsu clapped her hands with a joyous smile. "Ritual step three," intoned Kyuubi from inside Natsu's mind.
Sasuke stood next to Kakashi as they both watched the small girl with her present. "It's beautiful, Sensei. You did good but how did you get him to make it so perfect for her?"
"He actually had to make a second casting to get that one. The first one wasn't able to do her kata routine. He came and watch her as she did her routine in the gym here for about a week and then went back to his lab. I bought the first casting he did as well but that one is mine."
"Well, it looks like she is going to be entranced for quite awhile with that new figurine. Maybe I should buy something similar for Miski and Ami but I really don't know what they would like."
"Why not just wait until we get home and then take them out window shopping? That way you can see what it is they like. That's what I did with my Natsu."
"Your Natsu? Aren't you forgetting something, Sensei?" snapped Sakura. Kakashi looked at her puzzled by her words and attitude. "Like the fact that this is Naruto. A boy!"
"Oh really? Hmm. If you say so. But I rather think this is the truth, Sakura."
Sakura walked over to where Natsu was sitting entranced with her gift. Sakura bashed her fist down on Natsu's head causing the gentle girl to yelp and raise her hands to her head. Since she'd been holding her new figurine at the time the delicate thing went flying. Natsu cried out as she saw it fly away from her. Sasuke moved quickly to catch it before it could land and get broken as Kakashi grabbed Sakura and threw her away from Natsu. "Never touch her like that again, Sakura," he growled.
"My music box," Natsu cried out, trying to reach for it. Sasuke handed it back to her and she carefully checked it over for any damages not paying any attention to the tears that had fallen when she thought the little piece was going to get broken. She looked at Sasuke with gratitude and said, "Thank-you, Sasuke. It's too pretty to get shattered like that." She set it on the table and turned it on as Kakashi settled her onto his lap at the table. She snuggled into his embrace and watched as the glass fairy danced around the sparkling glade.
"What is wrong with you both?" shrieked Sakura. "Naruto is not a girl. He's a boy. Damn it. I am the only girl on our team."
Sasuke pulled her out of the room as Kakashi glared at her. Natsu just leaned her head against Kakashi's chest, relaxing as she listened to the music box he'd gotten her. "Why did you buy her for me, Sensei? She is beautiful but still. . . I do not understand."
"I had the glass blower make her for you because this is how I see you. She is you and you are her."
Natsu looked at the fairy again and considered his point of view. Then she shook her head. "I am not that small or delicate. I am not a fairy."
"Oh yes you are. You are very tiny and, though you are a lot stronger than you appear to be, you are very delicate and the image you give a man is very much that of a fairy girl. Even Sasuke has noticed it and you know very well he is just about unobservant when it comes to girls in a physical way. Though his comments on Ami's taijutsu were pretty telling as to why he chose her as a possible wife."
"But still this is expensive. Sakura-chan is correct. You should not be buying me things. This is just a mission for us to give her a chance to grow up."
"Is it, Natsu-hime? I wonder."
She said nothing more as she settled in his lap to watch the figurine dance for her. She was so quiet he looked down and found her to be sleeping. That was progress, he admitted to himself knowing she trusted him enough to actually go to sleep. He hugged her tighter and reached out to turn the little dancer off. Then he lifted her up and took her into the bedroom portion of their suite. He slid her into the blue nightgown, he had decided would always be his favorite of her gowns, and slid under the covers with her, wrapping her safely against him for the night.
While they slept, Sakura slipped into their rooms. She glared as she saw Kakashi-Sensei snuggling Naruto next to him as they slept. She grabbed the music box and the bluebell figurine and slipped back out casting one more sneer in their direction as she did so.
She didn't think her Sensei should be buying gifts for Naruto at all but especially not fancy ones like these two. If she, the real girl, didn't get fancy presents bought for her on this trip she was damned if some boy playing a role was going to get two of them. She hid the two figurines in the bottom of her pack, not even thinking to wrap them for safety first, where they would not be noticed as she went for new clothing each day.
Making her way to the bed she thought, Sensei needed to wake up and realize he was acting like a fool over a boy. She didn't like the fact that they were sleeping together in the bed and her sensei was holding Naruto very close to him, for all the world acting like the teen was a real girl instead of the damn brat he really was either. Nor did she think it was appropriate for her Sensei to be falling so clearly for Naruto's damn henge as he was. He should be grown up enough not to fall for something like that.
She slipped into the bed glad she'd slipped Sasuke a sleep aid with his dinner that night. A small part of her mind resented the fact that Kakashi-Sensei and Naruto could eat in their rooms while she and Sasuke had to go down to the dining room to eat but she also knew that, as Team Leader, Kakashi-Sensei did deserve the better room. They were supposed to be portraying couples and as the younger couple, she and Sasuke did not hold the same position he held with Naruto pretending to be his wife. It was her first thought that actually remembered they were on a mission. But still it did not once occur to her that Kakashi or Sasuke or Naruto were all just playing their roles; a role wherein it was more than appropriate for it to seem as if Kakashi had fallen for his dainty little girl of a wife and where it was totally appropriate for him to be seen buying her gifts. Expensive gifts, if he wished to.