Chapter 2
Sakura bowed and when she stood straight, Kakashi was nowhere in sight. Smiling, completely sure that her 'crush' on him would keep him away from her she turned about, intent on enjoying her day.
*~*~*~*~*
Kakashi finally gave up when evening fell. He'd been out looking for the girl for an endless amount of time. He also had to avoid that demented pigtailed female. Shuddering, Kakashi thought about how she always seemed to be in his favorite areas.
It was far scarier than any shinobi he could've come up against, it was a stalker fan-girl. She knew his favorite spots better than he did!
Wearily opening the door, he shuffled inside, clicked the lock and ran a hand through his hair as he close his eyes. Walking to his room by memory, Kakashi was ready to flop onto the bed in anger, resignation, disgust and fall asleep before trying to find the pink haired chit again.
Unfortunately for him, that plan of action was ruined by a familiar giggle. A silver eye snapped open and Kakashi gapped quickly before glaring at the girl on his bed.
"Do you normally break into people's houses?"
Merry brown eyes looked up at him the girl smiled. "Oh, I didn't break in! You brought me here yourself."
And promptly ignored him in favor of the boxes of pocky spread around the bed.
"Miss, I did not bring you into my apartment at any point in time, and I'm quite sure that if I had I would know about it. Now I've had a very trying day, and would greatly appreciate it if you would pack up your things and go."
Sakura looked at the young man in front of her and wondered how this polite teen became the sensei that taught her. Huh. She smirked internally.
"You were looking for a girl with pink hair ne? Had sea-green eyes? Red outift with white trim?"
Kakashi's eyes snapped onto the girl when she mentioned the menace that had escaped him. He half-growled.
"What do you know about her? Where is she? Are you hiding her? Tell me!"
A raised black eyebrow was his answer. Sakura mentally snorted. Really, if she grew up under the man and faced his 'terrifying face' at least once a week, what made him think she would be intimidated by this puppy growl?
"I know she disguised herself and ran off-"
"Dammit!" Kakashi punched a wall. Sakura had never seen him so blatant in his anger and felt like whistling. Oh what she wouldn't do with this information when she got back.
"And she probably impregnated herself with your child so she can blackmail you. Probably gonna end up looking like Maito Gai too. Creepy child that will be…"
Hearing no response, Sakura slyly glanced at Kakashi while munching on a stick of orange pocky. Wasn't quite as good as ramen, but she wanted sugar at the moment and salt just didn't fill that need.
The cyclops was still glaring the hole he punched in that wall. Skaura rolled her eyes, men.
"And gave herself black hair, brown eyes and civvy clothes so you wouldn't notice her. Used her money, used yours when she ran out, bought a large supply of pocky and is currently sitting on your bed."
Really, if he missed that, then Sakura wouldn't feel the least bit guilty if he got a demotion. Actually, it would be amusing to know that she caused it! She giggled and brought a chocolate pocky stick to her mouth.
It disappeared before it got inside. Feeling a thunderhead above her, she glance up, completely innocent and looked into a stormy silver eye. She wasn't scared. The swirling tomoe of his Sharingan eye on the other hand gave her a few chills. Bad memories of her capture by Itachi. Sasuke had come to rescue her-
"Can I help you?"
"You are the pink haired girl from yesterday?" His voice was menacingly quiet.
Knowing how few pink haired people there were in the history of Konoha, Sakura had created a believable story to push that aside.
"I am."
No sense in giving out free information. If he wanted to know more, he could ask. Another annoying tactic taught to her by the annoyingly pervy jounin in the (current) future.
His fingers were boring holes in the wall behind her. Hmmm, he must be angry. Sakura giggled again.
"Stop giggling!" A kunai appeared at her throat. "Unless you're a spy, you would've had no reason to run away from me. So the only conclusion is that you are a spy, sent from another village to find out Konoha's secrets."
"Well, technically, that's not the only conclusion. You could have startled me into running when you first threatened me. Or I could've thought it was a training exercise created by my sensei. Or I simply could've been having too fun, especially when you didn't find me, to end the game! Really, you should be more open minded Kakashi."
"Why is your hair black?" Sakura paused, shouldn't he be asking more pertinent questions? Really, at a time like this all he could wonder about was her hair colour?? Or maybe he was trying to lull her into a false sense of security before he pounced.
"My hair was pink because of a prank my friend pulled on me. It wore off before you found me."
Moving back to her more interesting pocky Sakura carefully observed her Mango, Banana and Honey, classic Strawberry and Mint Chocolate flavors. Reaching out for the mint chocolate, she was suddenly and quite rudely ripped off the bed and forced to follow a fairly demanding pace behind Kakashi.
Sending a quick glance at the forlornly empty bed, Sakura sent out a chakra string to grab a box and bring it back to her. Kakashi either didn't notice because he was too angry or he simply didn't care.
Happily munching on her sugar, Sakura made no complaints about being dragged around the village. She knew Kakashi was leading them to the Hokage Tower. And, since civilians and shinobi alike had to go there, it was a very public route that they took.
Sakura took great relish in calling out cutsie nicknames to Kakashi and commenting on how various items would look in their new house; or how she wanted to have children, and when would he step up to the plate.
Suffice to say, Kakashi had a red face, visible behind his mask, when he slammed open the door to Hokage's office.
Sakura frowned at the two men giggling over a book that was clearly a work in progress.
"I realize that you are perverted men, but could at least try to put it away when company comes to call? No one really wants to know about the personal lives of such public figure-heads!"
It was the Toad Sannin that responded. "Aww, it's okay. It's just Kakashi and I'm already working him into the ranks."
Sakura smacked her forehead muttering about idiotic men and innuendo. "Maybe so, but I highly doubt you've ever seen me and thus should try to act presentable. For all you know I could be an important, up and coming figure from another village."
This time it was the Sandaime, "But you are with Kakashi, who is holding your hand in a familiar fashion and has a very flushed face. So he obviously knows you in some way. Perhaps in a more intimate way than you would like to admit-"
He was cut off by a very pissed off dark haired beauty who was easily holding him three feet off the ground with only a few fingers. Her other hand was crackling with raw chakra, itching to slam into the village leader.
"I may only be a civilian, but my mother did teach me some of the shinobi arts. I suggest you hold your tongue and be more careful about what you say to those you don't know."
Normally brown eyes were glowing a dark, menacing purple. Sandaime, thought inwardly a little more scared than he would have like to admit, kept a composed face and nodded. He was let go and gracefully landed on his feet, barely stumbling against the desk.
"And in the future I might suggest the same for you as well. It's not good policy to go about assaulting a neighboring village's Hokage. It could cause your village quite a bit of trouble."
The menacing female was abruptly all smiles with rainbows and hearts radiating from her person. "But see that's the thing! I -do- know you! And you also know me, though not yet. Isn't it wonderful? I love holding power over people. No wonder Itachi went crazy…"
All three men stared at the teenage girl. Why were the good looking ones always insane? Sandaime shook his head and asked why they were here. Kakashi told of the previous day's happenings from his point of view before Sakura took over.
"As there is no way for me to prove my story, you'll just have to trust me about a few things. I am shinobi of the Leaf but I doubt I will continue."
Kakashi's voice was hard. "A shinobi is a shinobi until the day they die. You cannot just release yourself from a duty the binds you to the protection of the city."
"Ah, but see, the beauty of that, is I'm not duty bound to the city! In fact, technically I'm not even here. Well I am, but I'm not. You know?" No one did.
Sakura sighed. How to do this…? If only she had something from the future… A light bulb went off. Quickly turning to Jiraiya she posed a question.
"You're a seal master right?" Jiraiya nodded cautiously. "Alright. Is it possible for me to write a document and have you seal it so that only certain parts can be read after certain times?"
Jiraiya turned serious and thought for a moment. "Theoretically it should be. Can't say I've ever tried it before."
"Alright! Here's what's gonna happen. I'm going to write a document. Each section will relate to a specific date. Jiraiya will seal the document so that it is impossible to read until that date has passed. And once it is finished being read, it be sealed back into its container where no one can get at it.
"In the meantime, since as you said people will think that Kakashi and I are together, in some way, we will go from there. Our parents arranged a marriage between us when we were children. Unfortunately, because of Kakashi's family's death, he is the new Family Head and it is up to him to decide if he wants to still do this. My parents have waited until he was of an appropriate age to understand before telling him of this arrangement.
"Kakashi has allowed for a six-month trial basis where we will get to know each other and see if a marriage is compatible. I am a civilian and my father was an old friend of Kakashi's father. I know all the appropriate lady arts and will say that my family is small and newly ennobled. That should put me off the radar, but I'll need your help to create a paper trail.
I will have been told stories of Kakashi ever since I was a child, which is why I know him more so than he seems to know me. That will explain my presence and people will get used to me. You'll have to think up something to tell Arashi-sensei and Rin-chan 'cause they'll definitely spot holes. Kakashi, you can do that.
So let's say we meet in…oh a week today? I'll have written everything by then and gotten Jiraiya's help with the sealing. Then, hopefully, when you read that, you'll begin to trust me. Sound good?" She didn't wait for a response.
"Wonderful! In that case Hokage-sama, I need to set up a new passport, bank account and get a job, even though my family allows me money, I prefer to stay busy and integrate myself into society that way. If you want to tell the village, that's up to Kakashi, I'll follow his lead on this."
Sandaime nodded and set about pulling up citizenship forms, bank information and altogether far too much paper to be dealing with this late in the day. Kakashi stared blandly at the female and old man in front of him.
How is it that just last night he had been fine with his solitary life and today he had to deal with finding a fugitive who managed to escape him ALL DAY and is now his fiancée? His mother had instilled manners in him and he would be polite in public, but behind closed doors, ooh that girl better watch herself!
*~*~*~*~*
Sakura smiled at the Sandaime and all the forms. She had signed everything, including her new identification papers under her new name. Sunameri Suiren, the Water Lily of the Black Ocean Porpoise family. It was a matrilineal family, though she would be, maybe, marrying into a patriarchal line.
Placing her important papers in an inside pocket of her jacket, she found Kakashi asleep on a couch. Smiling she picked him. Getting the Hokage to put a gengutsu on the two of them so it looked like their positions were flipped, the newly christened Suiren jumped out a window and leapt across rooftops to get to Kakashi's apartment as quickly as possible.
*~*~*~*~*
Kakashi woke up in his own bed. Shaking his head to get rid of the cobwebs, he passed through the living room to get to the kitchen. A small body with far too much hair was curled up on the couch. Frowning at her he made himself a cup of coffee.
Suiren's nose twitched at the strong scent of coffee. Blindly standing up, she sniffed the air and clumsily made her way to the kitchen. Yanking the cupboard door open and groping around for a mug, she slammed it on the counter.
Burning her fingers in a search for the pot, the liquid sloshed into the mug as she poured. More than a few drops splattered over the edge. With sludgy movements the mug was brought to her mouth and the steaming hot liquid chugged down.
Kakashi reached out a hand to stop her. The liquid was steaming! Was she stupid!? Brown eyes snapped open at the heat of the sudden caffeine intake. Panting steam, Suiren shook her head.
"Wooh! Damn that's hot! Ha! Okay, I'm awake!" She turned to an opened mouthed Kakashi, "Well? What are we going to do today? Actually whatever you plan to do can wait. I need you to show me to the bank and other places where I can set up my life here. And I need to go shopping!"
Kakashi grimaced at her sickeningly sweet smile.
*~*~*~*
Kakashi groaned as Suiren spotted another store. They had spent two hours in the bank, Kakashi doing nothing but sitting in a chair, staring blindly at the porridge coloured walls. The next three hours had been spent looking for a place to live. And a job, so she could pay for the new place. The Hokage had given her a sufficient sum to start up her life. She would pay it back, over a set time period they had set up.
A brief lunch on the go and the horror started. Thankfully, the girl seemed to have some brains and had a sealing scroll with her and put all of her purchases in that. Kakashi just had to follow along, like a puppy following his master.
It was entirely too degrading. Especially when other ninja happened to walk by. And it happened far too often for his liking. In fact, he was pretty sure Jiraiya and the Hokage had set them up to the task.
Almost walking into the stopped form of Suiren, Kakashi sent the dark haired girl a half glare.
"Deciding it's not worth it?" Her head tilted.
"Maybe. I quite like the clothes that they have, and from the looks of it, they aren't that popular. So I feel like a have to give them some business. As it stands though, I do have enough clothes to last me for a while. And the shop will still be there in a month or whenever I decide to go shopping again."
She smiled at him. "So yes, we're done. You can go back to your apartment and sag against your couch and flip aimlessly through channels without really looking at any of them."
His glare hardened.
Her grin widened even more. "Just so you know, the Hokage is going to announce our 'engagment', as it were, to the village tomorrow around mid morning. Thought you might want to know."
"And when did you find this out?"
"He sent me a message earlier."
"And he didn't think to tell me why?" A quirked eyebrow was his response.
"Porbably because he knew that you wouldn't care. Or maybe he just felt like yanking your chain by not telling you and letting you get the information second hand. And there's no way you can slip out of being there either."
The grin changed to a smirk. "As much as you hate public events, as this concerns the engagement of the last of a clan, you have to be there. And you can't be late. So I'll make sure that you're up early, and dressed properly. See you tomorrow morning, bright and early!"
And the curvy figure, clad in the same clothes as the previous day, walked off toward her new apartment. Kakashi stared at her back until she disappeared.
The whole village was going to know he was now engaged. And it was something he had no control over. He had always done his best to avoid females, and now he was engaged.
Well, fuck.
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