A/N: Day two. It's so nice to see that a few of you have decided to stick around. Your existence brings me joy.
Her control over her chakra is what Shion says to be perfect, an incredibly rare ability to have. The thought makes Sakura's heart swell with triumph, only deflating the slightest when Shion explains that it might change as she grows due to larger reserves from Shion's chakra.
"But I'm fairly certain that you'll keep your perfect chakra control as long as you keep practicing as you grow, which shouldn't be a problem really. It's an innate thing, so it won't go away. Even if it falls a little, you've got better control than even grown and successful shinobi, yeah. Kind of irritates me, since it took me so long to get my chakra control at the level required for fuuinjutsu and genjutsu. I'll have to teach them to you at some point. You'd do well, and creating your own storage scrolls is the fucking best."
Sakura smiles, pleased with this development. She thinks it's a good reason to celebrate by going out to buy some sweets, so she finishes tending to her garden to do just that.
Father is at work, saying something about new tea imports. Kakashi is on a long-term mission, which he relayed to her with a solemn resignation before leaving. Shion advised that he needs lots of physical contact or he'll start feeling neglected and a neglected Kakashi is an even more pitiable Kakashi.
It's becoming really hard to see Kakashi as a human rather than an overgrown dog with nice hair. She still tries, sometimes.
She locks the front door before beginning her journey, paying little attention to the people around her whilst still attempting to be alert. The instinct to detect danger and the like is something she has to work for, Shion says. Something that her body reacts to without a second's thought.
Perhaps one would argue that there's no need for that in Konoha, but Sakura knows otherwise. The ones that dwell with the roots of the trees corrupt it, but it's not a problem that she particularly cares about. Not yet, at least.
Kakashi had nearly become part of that, but Shion had convinced him that having a seal that can blow him up if he's captured on his tongue isn't that great. Especially when it's by some old toad of a man with some weird habits involving children. Father doesn't like the man much either, but business is business. He still worries she's going to get caught up in that.
She doubts it will be in the way he fears. Shion abhors the man and will send her into a coma if she chooses to become one of his many little dolls. Like a disturbing harem of brainwashed children that do all of his bidding.
Sakura's stomach churns with disgust, whilst Shion chortles. She's been tainted by Shion, for the disturbing image in her head would never have come to mind if not for her.
"Understanding innuendos at four, what an accomplishment. I'm proud of you, sugar plum, you're going places. Hell, maybe, but who knows? Perhaps you'll get my peculiar habit to remain existing in the living realm long after I've died, yeah. I feel like this reptilian freak without a nose and a severe case of thanatophobia, which would then make you a bespectacled kid with a cool lightning bolt on his forehead. Which is actually a mark to signify that the said reptilian freak has sealed apart of himself inside of the said bespectacled kid, in the form of some ugly snake baby."
Sometimes, Shion talks about nonsensical things. It's like a joke to herself, but one that has lost a large sense of memorability and familiarity. Too many years and too many memories, so what remains of forgotten memories is intuition. Or so Shion says.
Sakura doesn't mind. Shion's voice has become soothing despite its scratchiness. She's not sure that she would adjust so well if their roles were reversed, but it's likely that baby Shion would have died because Sakura doesn't yet have the skill to forcefully create a seal that stores and returns chakra like the way the heart does with blood. Then to modify it without the main consciousness needing to be aware…
It's taken her a while to realise just how impressive Shion is, but she supposes that she hasn't had anyone to really compare Shion to. Shion's feats are normal and expected, like the strange act would be her failing. Perhaps that's why prodigies are seen the way they are.
"Thank you." Sakura murmurs, sidestepping an older child about to run into her. Shion hums with acknowledged bemusement. "For saving me after I was born. I know that you would have died with me… but thank you."
Shion makes a sound reminiscent to one clicking their tongue. "You're important, jelly bean. I don't remember how, but you are. There's a story here, that I've forgotten. I might have changed it in my last life, but it's still there. And you're a part of it, yeah."
Shion's voice is so sure that Sakura doesn't doubt it for a moment. It makes a pleasant sensation tickle her chest.
"Also, you're welcome. I know I'm awesome."
Sakura's beginning to grow tired of being accosted by children every time she leaves the house. It's only the second time so far, but one time was enough times. This time it's a single child, one with vibrant hair of… bumblebee. If there's one thing she's gotten from Mother other than a variant shade of her eyes, it's Mother's incessant need to use names of shades instead of 'bright yellow' or the like.
His eyes are also shiny. The colour of sapphires that illuminate as the sun hits them with a natural charisma. It's really quite unnerving, because it's almost like this child is from a book written for boys. Especially when there are distinctive whisker marks on his cheeks, reminding her of a fox.
"Dear Jesus, that's my nephew!" Shion exclaims, as if in sudden realisation. "Fuck me, I forgot I had a nephew!"
Sakura's sense of absurdity has come back into play as she frowns at Shion's nephew, who looks like he's about to tackle her to the ground with how quickly he's advancing. She wonders if she should run before he can reach her, but it's too late. His adorable, unnerving face with his perfect teeth is in her own face.
"Hey, there." he grins, placing his hands behind his head. She's misjudged him, thinking his charisma type is obnoxiously exuberant. His bangs are hanging in his eyes and it's beginning to bother her. "You're cute."
Sakura is stumped, and Shion bursts into deranged laughter. "My god, he's already so much like his father! Smooth, baby cheeks, smooth."
"Uh…" she struggles with forming a response to that. "Thank you?" her voice rises in pitch and uncertainty, because it's the first time someone other than Father and Shion has called her cute.
Shion's nephew beams at her. "I'm Naruto. And you're Sakura, right?" he outstretches his hand, refusing to reply to her visual cue for him to explain why he knows that.
Then she thinks back to when Arata and his gang accosted her a few weeks prior. "Were you hiding in the trees that time…?" she frowns, because that's creepy and suspicious. His responding smile is answer enough.
"A stalker like his father too, damn." Shion snorts at this.
"Hey!" he raises his hands in surrender, both of them ignoring the fact that she didn't shake his hand. "I was just there when it happened! Not like I was following you or anything." which makes him sound even more suspicious. Then again, finding people hanging in trees isn't that uncommon.
"So why are you here now?" she queries, tilting her head and analysing him. He's wearing a shirt with a familiar symbol on it, one that's in Shion's fuuinjutsu. She only knows that because Kakashi has learned a few of Shion's techniques.
Naruto looks to the side for a moment, before looking back at the rhombus on her forehead then to the higanbana in her hair. "I thought you looked cute… but that you also look like Shion-nee from all the photos I have of her and kaa-chan and tou-chan."
"Kushina and Minato are dead, and I don't know whether the fucking Hokage is making sure someone is looking after him or not, yeah. Fuck sake."
Sakura decides that she might as well learn a bit more about Shion's nephew named after some ingredient in ramen.
What Sakura notes whilst spending time with Naruto is that he's fairly popular. Not outrageously so, but there are many vendors and random civilians that greet him as they pass by. She still thinks he's a little unnatural, with other's treatment of him only enhancing the thought.
She bets he has an exceptional backstory where he's related to one of the four Hokage or something. It only seems fitting for a person like him. Would that make Shion an important figure?
Despite her suspicions, she does appreciate that he seems to be on her level when it comes to his vocabulary and comprehension. She's learned that they're the same age with her being a few months older and it's made her respect him just a little bit more. As well as a little more suspicious.
Private training, perhaps?
"So is that red diamond on your forehead a tattoo or a clan marking?" Naruto questions her, after many other questions in regards to her eating preferences and hobbies. They share a hobby of gardening and promise to exchange tips at some point in the future. The thought is mildly pleasant.
"A seal." she answers honestly, but decides to refrain from revealing Shion's existence. She can't be too sure of him keeping it a secret, because Shion doesn't know Naruto like she knows Kakashi. It was also a onetime situation because Shion had taught her not to spill her guts to anyone that mentions the woman stuck in her head. "I was born with too much chakra. This seal regulates it."
Naruto does a proficient attempt at whistling. "That's pretty cool. Shion-nee and Mito-baachan both had those on their foreheads, but I don't know if they were seals too."
"You talk of your family a lot even though they're all dead and you've never met them." she notes, and then Shion makes an abrupt sound of surprised amusement. Perhaps that was too harsh to say, but Shion's too busy cackling to tell her if so.
Her current companion stops with a frown, looking ahead with a complex look in his eyes. "I guess… that it's because they're dead that I talk about them. I mean… at least to me, it makes them feel alive." he replies, although she doesn't understand very well. She's never really experienced loss.
"I don't understand." she admits. "But I'll take your word for it. Why do you call your aunt Shion-nee?"
Naruto blinks, taking a moment to adjust to her pace. "Well," he grins, scratching his cheek, "she looks too young in the photos. She had these mean bags under her eyes, because I hear she had… chronic insomnia or something, but she still looked really young."
They continue walking, and Shion has quietened down. "Do you know how she died?"
"Ojiisan says that she died whilst on an ANBU mission with her partner. She had this cool technique to accelerate the healing process of her cells, but it wasn't like Tsunade-baachan's technique so it took large chunks of her lifespan instead of however much Tsunade-baachan's technique would. Tsunade-baachan's ojiisan's former student, you know, one of the Sannin?"
"Tsunade and I got along, for the most part. She learned the Byakugou no In from Mito ̶ my great-aunt or some shit ̶ like myself, but I was never interested in medical ninjutsu. Mostly because Orochimaru kept wanting me as a medical assistant and I wanted to spite him. I did manage to use my own chakra to create the technique Minato Jr.'s talking about with him. Makes me wonder if he somehow succeeded in modifying it for his own thanatophobic needs, the weirdo."
"She left, didn't she?" Sakura asks, remembering the textbooks dedicated to the Sannin. Tsunade had left to become a wandering medic after the death of her partner, whilst her partner's niece remained to someday take over the hospital.
Naruto cracks his neck. "She comes by occasionally to check up on things like Hentai-sensei, and sometimes the other weird one comes too. He's usually in some basement, doing strange things to animals or something." he answers, before touching a lock of her hair. "You know, I really like your hair."
"Careful, sugar plum. He might fuck you up in the future with his unnerving charisma." Shion chuckles, although Sakura is honestly concerned about that.
She's not sure how to deal with a boy liking things about her appearance. She doesn't spend too much time looking at herself, in favour of more important things. Sometimes she forgets the colour of her eyes or the faint scar under her left eye from playing with a kunai with uncooperative hands.
"I…" she pauses, looking at him and trying to think of something pleasing about him. "I like that you appear to be on my mental level."
His eyes widen, then he begins to laugh. "Yeah," he confirms, "I like that about you too, Sakura-chan."
"Tiny adults," Shion murmurs, "Adorable little adults with one being my nephew. Adorable."
Kakashi comes home and bleeds all over her floor, which Sakura knows she's not going to bother cleaning. When he sees her, she can't help but see him as a battered puppy waiting to be welcomed home. It's rather discomforting, but Sakura has gotten used to it for the most part.
She's been taking Shion's advice, making sure to rarely mention anything about her and what she's thinking. Kakashi then takes his cues to remain silent on the subject, which brings more room for him to build a bond with just Sakura.
Though they know that Sakura has adopted many of Shion's traits, there's the large factor of Sakura's personality and speech being vastly different to Shion's. Kakashi's able to differentiate, but Sakura suspects that this is more like a transference of dog owner than anything else.
Kakashi isn't unintelligent, of course, but it's in his nature to immediately think of Shion whenever Sakura does something Shion would do. She sighs, because it's complicated and she really doesn't want to think too much on it.
At the very least, Shion has noticed that Kakashi says Sakura's name with a tone akin to personable rather than his usual solemnity. The way he says Shion's name is reminiscent to despaired longing, which really just makes the entire room more depressing.
"So I might have made him rely on me a bit too much, my bad. I didn't expect to die so soon, yeah."
Sakura walks over to her drawer, pulling out her medical supplies and then walking over to him. She kneels down beside him, then stares for a moment. The sense of urgency is absent, since Kakashi knows to go to the hospital if it's fatal. Shion had to beat that into him, so the blood is misleading.
"Okaeri, Kakashi." she smiles, reaching up and removing his hitai-ate then lowering his mask. He's an attractive man, but she sincerely hopes that his romantic feelings towards Shion don't transfer over to her. That would be… well, uncomfortable for the most part. Father recommends when she becomes a chuunin, but the thought of ever becoming his girlfriend with his former girlfriend in her head is just strange.
But life has led her to expect the absurd in life, so it could be possible. Her young age means there's a lot of room for change.
"Tadaima." he croaks, his eyes mismatched eyes softening as a smile forms on his face. Her heart clenches, because he's endearing in a puppy sort of way. She thinks becoming his girlfriend would be like becoming her dog's girlfriend.
This is a thought that's relayed to Shion, and Shion figuratively dies from her guffawing.
Chapter Word Count: 2,695
Total Word Count: 6,728
Targeted Word Count: 1,667
A/N: I had thought to make Sakura a little more like a child in the beginning, but apparently that doesn't seem to fit with some things. Then you have Naruto, but here's to hoping that you can still make out that they're children if you squint hard enough. Also just saying that the pace appears to be sort... monthly? Depending.
I'd love to hear your thoughts, theories on some things and where you think it's going to go. But it's cool if you're lurking. At least you're reading it and I appreciate that.
Reviews are love. Reviews are life. It's never ogre.