A/N: Day... six?
Her body's been aching for a while now, because her chakra reserve is starting to expand in a faster manner. It's painful to go through her daily routines, which makes everything even more miserable. She goes through the motions regardless, because there's no gain without pain. Ignoring the technicalities that sometimes there is gain without pain, she takes the phrase to heart.
Kakashi comes up from behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and forcing her to sit in his lap, though his legs are on either side of her. She sighs with resignation, because dogs need affection. Sakura relaxes and leans against his chest. He's emitting a pampered aura, which makes her contemplate if she should just stop trying to view him as human and accept him as a dog in human's form.
"Kizashi's going to be gone on a business trip for a few months…" he informs her, gently swaying from side to side. At least he's happier, but she feels like one misstep could break him and she'd have to start all over again. "He promises to bring you and Sai presents."
Father's business is expanding, and she knows he has plans in regards to Gatou Company. That man plays the same game as Father, but Father will surely win if it turns out to be a battle.
Sai lands in front of her, his footfalls silent but his exhausted pants audible. Drenched in sweat, he looks like he's about to collapse. He does soon after, looking at her with more emotion than when she first met him. Oh, how things change.
"Welcome back, Sai." she greets him, crossing her legs and gesturing for him to crawl over and rest his head in her lap. He does so, and she cushions his head from hitting the bones of her legs too hard.
She begins to run her hands through his matted hair as he shuts his eyes, Kakashi opting to gently rock back and forth instead of side to side. They're a family, brought together by some rather curious circumstances, but a family nonetheless.
"Gai and Genma want to meet you…" Kakashi murmurs, his arms tightening the slightest around her. He sounds like he's sulking. "I don't want them to…"
"You've been holding off for about three years now. I might as well meet them at some point before they grow desperate enough to stalk me. I'm surprised that they haven't met me already considering you live with me." then she tilts her head in thought. "Never mind. I know how meticulous you can be."
Kakashi nuzzles her as if pleased that she knows something about him. What an adorable man-child-dog. It's almost as though he's been trained to view any kind of positivity towards him as wonderful praise, which brings up the question of what exactly Shion did to him.
"Right, so his dickhead of a father killed himself and I was basically forced to raise him myself. He was already a dickish little kid, so some shit had to change if I was going to deal with him, yeah. I mean, I didn't have to raise him, but that's like walking by an abandoned puppy in the street. Then his teammates started dying one by one ̶ fuck Rin, man, fuck her ̶ and that was hell to deal with because it scarred the shit out of him. Especially Rin, that apparent super cute and nice medical-nin. Hoe impaled herself on his fucking hand! Like bitch, kill yourself with your own hand at the least, yeah!"
The vehemence in Shion's tone in regards to whoever Rin was is rather unusual. Shion tends to only regard the old man down below with such force. Sakura thinks it's understandable though, what kind of person kills themselves by using their teammate as the kunai?
"We have the option to apply for early graduation this year." Sai breathes, as if in remembrance. He opens his eyes, staring up at her as one would when looking at a superior. "Should we?"
She thinks of her group, of Shikamaru and the possibility of them wanting to graduate early as well. If not enough pass, she and Sai would likely be placed with an older genin who'll be graduating around the same time. Then the time spent together may decrease, as she would be spending more time with her team and going on missions.
The slight pang of pain is noted but soon dismissed as she remembers that she can't hold herself back just because of reasons like wanting more time spent with friends. Time waits for no one, after all.
"Yes." Sakura answers, and Sai closes his eyes once more.
After coming to terms with her feelings and the reciprocation that's resulted from it, Sakura is much more… open about it both to herself and to others. The mortification has gradually eased and she's managed to accustom herself to the pleasant feeling Shikamaru's existence brings. They're still children, so nothing is set in stone but they appreciate the time that they have together.
Her relationship with the heir of the Nara clan has improved immensely, as they're both rather honest and are capable of sitting together in long bouts of silence without discomfort. The unfortunate part is their group of friends.
Whilst Hinata and Chouji are happy and Sai doesn't care, Naruto and Sasuke seem to be struggling with coming to terms with it all. It appears to be a bit more complicated than just simple jealousy, because the way they feel towards her is not as simple as liking her.
"I'm just…" Naruto frowns, leaning back against his chair with his arms behind his head. "I'm trying to figure out how I feel about you, you know? I think you're the prettiest girl there's ever been… but I don't know if that's because I like you like that or because I have a really strong appreciation of your appearance." he turns to her, seeking her understanding. "You know what I mean?"
She nods in confirmation. "Emotions are difficult to discern." and though the curriculum wants to teach the children about revealing no emotions, they can't be ignorant enough to believe that those rules could be properly followed. Some updates would be recommended in regards to the Academy.
Naruto grins, glad that she understands. "Yeah, but then you have Sasuke and he's just a freaking mess." he sighs, ruffling his hair in frustration. Ino is once again attempting communication with the Uchiha, but her efforts are wasted. "He keeps saying that it's meant to be 'you and him' and that any other pairing is wrong. I'm pretty sure it's because of that damn brother of his, who's like, telling him what to do from the shadows."
Sasuke's development as a human being has been stuck somewhat in a stalemate, as there's been very little change to his behaviour over the years that she's known him. His smiles are less disturbing, but there's still something unsettling about it. He's also becoming more prone to using informal language, using contractions to make him seem a little less like a robotic and creepy nobleman.
She supposes the fact that his Sharingan's awakened is a change as well, but it's not surprising. What is surprising are the rumours circulating between the ninja in regards to his clan. They've been isolating themselves far more over the years, to the point it's starting to become suspicious.
Sasuke's father has apparently refused to divulge information and insisted that it's clan business. She's not sure if the Hokage has employed any ANBU to investigate, but only time can tell what will develop with that wretched clan.
"The Uchiha have always been so complicated and secretive…" drawls a tired Shikamaru from her other side. "But why would Sasuke's brother be so interested in Sakura that he would attempt to force them together? What purpose would that serve? Maybe Sasuke's just added onto whatever his brother's asked of him." he shrugs at his own theory.
Sakura has inklings, but it's Shion knows a larger part of the story. The history between Itachi and Shion is shrouded in mystery, but she doesn't think it was a particularly healthy one. Then again, can Shion's relationship with Kakashi be considered healthy when he was basically raised like a dog?
Naruto leans on the desk, frowning in contemplation. "I've learnt that questioning Sasuke's brother is really just a lost cause because that guy's basically the embodiment of a bad mystery. Like, I don't think anyone would be too happy to figure him out and understand why he is the way he is."
That's an accurate description, she believes. "Has Hinata confessed to you yet?" she inquires, reminded that Hinata's absent due to clan obligations. She is the heiress, after all.
Her blonde companion dons a sheepish smile as he rubs the back of his head. "She hasn't, but it's pretty obvious from the way she always acts around me. Always stuttering and blushing whenever I look at her. It's kind of cute." he looks above her, likely conjuring an image of Hinata's reddened face. "It's really easy to tease her. I didn't really think much of her before, but she's grown on me."
That's progress for Hinata at the least. Shikamaru leans on her, the scent of pine registering in her mind. "Where's Sai?" he yawns in question.
"Sick." she answers, glancing at him. "I was experimenting with some new medicinal herbs and Sai was my guinea pig. It'll be flushed out of his system by tomorrow."
Shikamaru's exhale is one of amusement, whilst Naruto has a livelier reaction. "Sure glad I'm not your brother!" he laughs, before standing up and calling out to Sasuke who's managed to make Ino cry. "Goddammit, Sasuke! What did I tell you about making girls cry?!"
Sasuke turns to face his best friend, his expression as blank as always. "But Ino-san is a pig, not a girl." he replies with his usual monotone. It's as if he stated a fact rather than insulted the Yamanaka heiress.
Shion finds it hilarious though. "The one thing I can appreciate about Sasuke is the blunt shade he throws at people. Though it's something a little less appreciated when his bluntness is used in regards to his future with you, yeah."
Shikamaru yawns. "I'm glad I'm not your brother too…" he mutters, content to ignore the drama around them. "That'd be a little weird."
"Well," Sakura tilts her head, "whilst incest isn't illegal, it definitely would be rather absurd. But I'm used to that by now."
She comes home and checks on Sai, who happens to be in her room rather than in his. Kakashi's blood still stains the floor, but Shion thinks it adds character. She also thinks someone might think it's period blood, but Sakura's a little young and no one but family enters the house.
He's all snuggled up in her sheets, and though still with a sickly pallor that makes him even whiter than he already is; it's cute.
"Sakura-neesama…" he croaks after squinting open an eye. "Okaeri…"
She smiles, holding up a small plate of momen tofu prepared for him. "Tadaima, Sai. Sit up, I know you haven't eaten anything yet." she replies, setting down the plate onto her bedside table to help him sit up.
He rests his head and back against the wall, his head almost lolling to the side. "I love you… Sakura-neesama…" he rasps out with a dopy smile. "We're family… We're… nakama…"
"Dude, he's off his face." Shion snorts with an amused fondness. "What a cute little brother you have, even if he's like a year older. Semantics, yeah."
Sakura smiles, genuinely pleased. Though she and Sai have created an inseparable bond, they rarely express their familial love for one another with words. It's the first time he's ever said so, and even though it's because he's sick from her experimental concoction, she's happy.
"I love you too, Sai." she answers, brushing his bangs out of his face. She'll have to start incorporating medical ninjutsu into her regime, in case this happens again. She's honestly surprised that it doesn't happen more often, considering.
Sai smiles, his eyes closed. She helps him eat before settling him back into her bed and making her way downstairs to put the plate in the sink.
Sakura takes a moment to look around her home, which is large as Father has the money to spend, yet it's cluttered with all their personal belongings in a homey mess. Sai's drawings and calligraphy on the wall, with her own earlier attempts at fuuinjutsu up on display. Kakashi and Shion have helped her immensely in regards to fuuinjutsu and genjutsu, so looking at them now makes her almost ashamed that she was once that bad. The true fuuinjutsu is hidden within the walls, out of sight.
There are photos of her and Father together, which are now accompanied by various other photos including their previously new additions. Mother's face is somewhat blurred now despite her superior memory, as there are no photos to remember her by. She doesn't particularly mind.
Mother must be somewhere, feeling like she belongs. Or the woman's dead, but either way.
"This is what you're fighting to protect, sugar plum. Fuck all that village shit, it's this." Shion comments, then yawns. "Even if Konoha falls, all that matters is your home. Loyalty is to your home and your home is your family. Fuck everyone else, no one has the time to care more than they should for strangers, yeah."
Sakura thinks Shion has something against the village, but that's been in question for a while now. So she nods in understanding, preparing some medicinal tea that'll help Sai rather than poison him.
Shion isn't the most kind of people, but she's capable of caring for people and that's enough for Sakura. If Shion was different, Sakura knows that her life would turn out to be much duller.
Because Sakura would've died and her body a puppet of living flesh for a monster that even the Shinigami wouldn't take.
Shikamaru frowns as he rubs his neck and looks somewhere into the sky. "My parents want you to come over for dinner." he tells her, sounding perplexed about such a thing. Then again, they've never met each other's parents. Father would talk about marriage and make innuendos the entire time. Shion would crack up and it'd just be an awkward experience for both Sakura and Shikamaru.
"Well," she hums, tilting her head, "I can if they really want me to. Unless it would make you uncomfortable."
He meets her eyes, then smiles at her. "I want you to come over to dinner too, I just had the convenient excuse of my parents wanting to meet you." he admits. She smiles and laughs, her face warm but not burning as it used to. Far less inconveniencing.
"When?" she queries, glancing over to where Sai and Naruto are having a spontaneous spar. Sai can stay at home alone if he has to, content to spend his time doing art. Kakashi's going to be home later tonight and Father's still on his business trip. He's sent her quite a few letters and packages even though it's only been a short while.
"Tonight, if I could convince you." Shikamaru answers with a smirk, cracking his neck and glancing behind her. She follows his line of sight to see Chouji approaching a dejected Ino, who's been seen visually questioning her fascination towards Sasuke in the corner. "If we graduate at the same time, I'm going to be on a team with her and Chouji. Chouji's fine, but Ino's so troublesome."
"Sai and I are going to take the early graduation exam." she comments, tilting her head when Ino's face blows up in red. That must be what Sakura looks like when she's flustered. It really is noticeable, she thinks with an inward wince.
She hears Shikamaru shift, so she turns her attention back onto him to see him frowning at the grass. "Yeah…?" he mutters, his mood abruptly sunken. She blinks.
"We might as well, since there's nothing more for us here. There wasn't much in the first place." she frowns. "They need to upgrade their education system. I get that it's peace time but people still die regardless."
The boy in front of her makes a sound of agreement, but his demeanour has taken on one of frustration. She wonders if it's because she's going to take the exam.
"I guess it's natural for prodigies to graduate early…" he sighs, scratching his head before stepping forward and embracing her. She tenses for a moment before relaxing, feeling his chin rest on her shoulder. She returns the gesture. "I'll catch up." he whispers as a promise.
A smile forms on her lips. "I'd wait, but you know me." she laughs. He steps back, but hasn't quite let go of her. She returns that gesture too.
He has a knowing, fond look in his eyes as he stares at her. "I do." he replies. "So… My house after school?"
"Yeah," she confirms, "I look forward to it."
Chapter Word Count: 2,863
Total Word Count: 18,258
Targeted Word Count: 1,667
A/N: Shikamaru's probably using his shadow jutsu shit to make me integrate him further into the story, the little shit. Whatever, it's cute. My readers, what do you think of different POVs every ten chapters? I'm only toying with the thought at the moment.
Reviews are love. Reviews are life. It's never ogre.