A/N: Day ten. I'm like an hour late from my self-appointed schedule, but whatever. It's done.
Every morning, Sai wakes up and goes to check on his esteemed sister. As her chakra signature is often concealed, he has to see for himself if she is home. More often than not, she is, but there are times that she is missing. If that is the case, a clone always arrives and informs him of her whereabouts.
Today, she is home. Already up before him and preparing breakfast, she turns towards him as he makes his entrance. The smile that forms on her face at the sight of him is a constant reminder of why he fights for her as diligently as he does.
She walks towards him, running fingers through his hair. "You neglect brushing your hair simply because you like me to do it, don't you?" she grins in knowing, eliciting the genuine pull of a smile on his face.
"That is correct, Sakura-neesama." he confirms, without shame as it has always been a pleasant experience for her to brush his hair. His hair is not long, but it is thick enough. He looks over to the table, pleased to see that there is a variety of food that caters to all members of the household.
Neji trudges in, with a squinty glare and his precious hair in mild disarray. "You made all this?" he accuses Sakura, shifting the very same squinty glare in her direction.
"Tou-chan only knows how to make gravy and tea, and Kakashi can only cook fish." she replies with a sigh, though her smile is fond. "Sai isn't allowed to cook and so it's left to me to handle the food most of the time."
Sai nods, because his first and last attempt was disastrous. "Do you know how to cook, Neji?" he queries, watching as the other boy's expressions contorts to reflect his feelings of being reluctantly impressed. Neji has a hard time being honest with himself, Sai believes.
"Only simple dishes." the Hyuuga responds, tilting his chin upwards before taking a seat.
Kakashi is the next to make his appearance, his hair as gravity defying as ever. "Ohayou…" he greets with a certain peppiness, prompting Sai to imagine dog ears and a wagging tail. Though he is their superior and an excellent shinobi, it truly is difficult to not associate Kakashi with a dog.
"Ohayou, Kakashi." Sakura returns with a slight smile, reaching up and patting Kakashi's head when he leans down. It is an obligatory action, otherwise their elder will feel neglected and possibly grow mushrooms in the corner from his gloom. "This is your first day back as a jounin, isn't it?"
Sai sits, watching as Kakashi beams at the fact that Sakura remembers. Neji is glaring at the table like it has done him a great offence, but is probably impatiently waiting for Father to arrive and for Sakura to sit. He has manners, sometimes.
"Greetings, my sprinklefairies!" Father bursts into the room, wearing his rainbow robe and matching slippers. Sai still wonders how hair can naturally form into a sakura. "I ̶ finally dear lord ̶ have the day off and so we can all go shopping and do family things!"
Sakura returns from the kitchen to set down the drinks before taking her own seat. "Something good must have happened if you've given yourself a day off." she notes, taking a sip of her own concoction of tea. Sai prefers it more than Father's other brands, but that it because it is orientated towards the good health of ninja rather than to simply soothe the random civilian.
Father sits down and Sai blinks, realising that the dining table is nearly filled to the maximum. His gaze slides from Sakura, to Kakashi, to Father and then to Neji. They are all different, with their own distinctive personalities and appearances. Yet, they all sit together as one.
This is his family. It is strange to note that his life went from being an orphan taken in by a shady old man intent on brainwashing him, to being a part of a dysfunctional family with lots of shady associates and traits.
"Itadakimasu." he murmurs, feeling a tug at the corners of his lips.
During an obligatory hang out session with the Academy group that has grown in members, Naruto drops his wallet and a small photo flutters onto the ground. Sai bends down, picking both the wallet and the photo up in an act of courtesy.
Then he pauses, feeling both intrigued and somewhat perturbed when he looks into wide eyes the shade of indigo. The pupils are miniscule, the sclera too visible and the eye bags distinctive. They stare directly in the camera, in the motion of turning around as though the photographer took it by surprise.
Why is there no light in her eyes, he wonders? They are… glassy and strange, like they are staring through the photo and at him. It is unnerving, to see such eyes on a calm face that has a strange similarity to his sister.
"That's my aunt." Naruto explains, prompting Sai to lift his head and glance at the charismatic blonde whose eyes are focused on the photo. "Her eyes really draw you in, don't they?" he laughs, glancing over to the group who have wandered to a nearby vendor. Some are paired off, but together as a group nonetheless. "The crazy wide eyes is actually just how her eyes are. Pretty intimidating, right?"
Sai glances down at the photo again. It puts him on edge. "She looks like…" he begins, but is almost immediately cut off.
"Sakura-chan looks like her." Naruto corrects, something strange about his smile. He reaches out a hand, and Sai obediently returns the fallen items. "I mean, Sakura-chan doesn't have her eyes but they do look similar aesthetic-wise. I heard that Shion-nee had a really eccentric personality too; lots of swearing and dramatic hand movements."
He blinks before a mild frown mars his expression. "That is Shion-sama?" he queries, then raises his brows in realisation as it makes quite a lot of sense. Aside from differences such as shades, age and facial shapes, they do look incredibly alike. Sakura could be mistaken as the long lost daughter, he believes.
"Sama? Wait, you know her?" there is a mild sense of panic when the de facto leader of the Academy group scrutinises him. He cannot reveal his sister's secret lest he betray her trust, which would never be regained if so.
"Our… teacher was once her student." he explains, with a mild smile and a tilted head. "Do you have any other photos of your family in your wallet?"
Naruto stares at him for a moment, before grinning and rubbing the back of his head. Sometimes, Sai feels as though there is something off about his associate. It has become more noticeable of late, perhaps because of the Uchiha massacre. "I have a few of tou-chan and kaa-chan together. I actually have one of Shion-nee and Sasuke's brother, but I don't keep that one in my wallet since it'd be weird to have a photo of that guy there."
He nods in understanding, as it would be rather questionable. "Sakura-neesama was correct in her belief that you love your family regardless of their deceased status." he does not doubt Sakura, but it is nice to have further confirmation.
The responding smile is almost… sharp, Naruto's gaze shifting over to his best friend. Sasuke is already staring ̶ an expected creepy act ̶ but the Uzumaki looks away first. Sai will have to discuss the kinds of tension people can have with his sister, if only for them to be amused. Neji would certainly be irritated by it if he were around to hear, so it would be punishment for refusing to join the outing since his cousin from the main house is in attendance.
Sakura may force a resolution to that in time, if it proves to be a detrimental effect in the future.
"Well, they were pretty spectacular people, you know? I want to know all about them, even all the bad." Naruto looks to the side, a peculiar expression contorting his face. "No one's perfect, after all…"
Sai smiles. "Does that mean you will kiss and make up with Sasuke-san for lacking certain qualifications for being a human being?" he inquires, in that particular voice that is insincerely polite and catered towards aggravating people.
"Should've expected that." Naruto laughs before stepping forward with a determined gleam in his eyes. "We're going to have to spar again sometime soon, then I'll be able to show you."
"You will show me your subpar skills?" Sai taunts, his responding smile both mocking and genuine.
He and Neji watch Sakura and Shisui spar, which is always an interesting spectacle to witness. Since their captain is who he is, they have been taught to push their bodies to the limits for maximum speed and efficiency. It is hellish.
But whilst Shisui often trains with each of them one on one, his expressions are always disturbing whenever he spars the sole female of their team. His eyes light up, a wild glint in his eyes as he dons a matching smile. He becomes more vicious… excited, perhaps. With Sai and Neji, their captain's expressions are as infuriatingly pleasant as always.
Sai has always thought that Sakura's style is unorthodox and intense, because she incorporates a few specialisations such as poison, fuuinjutsu and genjutsu. That is then mixed in with her own physical capabilities, making her a dangerous opponent to fight against. He remembers watching an enemy step onto one of her fuuinjutsu traps, only for six garnet tendrils of chakra to burst upwards and impale them as though a demonic spider was lurking under the ground.
It was a gruesome sight, but it is not an uncommon one in their line of work. It was also morbidly artistic, as the tendrils has shaped themselves into the general shape of a flower before dispersing.
Yet despite Sakura's prowess, Shisui is always able to put her on the defensive. From the beginning, he has always had a questionable familiarity with her style. They are both swift, as expected of Team Yamaneko members, so the spars to an outsider would often be fairly unseen.
Shisui slams a fist into Sakura's stomach, prompting a glow to surround her form before she is engulfed in an explosion. Their captain has to retreat, as the same tendrils Sai remembers pursue the Uchiha. It would be quite the illustration, with the tendrils connected to a demon intending to drag the poor soul to the afterlife.
"You want to know a secret?" their captain grins, far too casual as he dodges three tendrils before getting his cheek nicked by the last one. They dissipate soon after, their existence at its limit. "You all know how the Yondaime Hokage is hailed for having defeated over a thousand Iwa shinobi during the Daisanji Ninkai Taisen?"
Neji's perpetual frown deepens. It would be amusing to use tape in an attempt to get rid of it. "Yes, he single-handedly annihilated the invasion forces and won Konohagakure the war. It was recorded that a sea of higanbana had immediately sprouted on the battlefield, with many forming theories that he was an agent of the Shinigami."
As Sakura's chakra signature is consistently concealed, when three of her pop up he is unsure as to who is the real one. It has been confirmed by Shisui that even the Sharingan is unable to see her chakra signature, as it is the result of a seal rather than the simple blanketing technique.
"He had a shadow. The Yondaime Hokage was as impressive as they say, but even his speed had their limits." the Sharingan in Shisui's left eye deactivates, as the scratch on his cheek begins to discolour. His widening grin means that he is impressed, but it is not a pleasant sight to look at as an opponent… or at all. "There are certain genjutsu specialists capable of destroying minds in their entirety… It's an unforgettable sight to see how the light shatters in their eyes. They drop like puppets having their strings cut, you see?"
Sai feels a mild frown forming on his face, as he has come to the conclusion that the shadow of the Yondaime Hokage was the woman currently hidden within Sakura's mind. It is understandable that word of mouth is more reliable than the history books for information like this.
"Sharingan users are able to do such a thing, with enough practice and development of their kekkei genkai." Shisui laughs, flickering in and out of view to dodge projectiles before retaliating in kind. "Shion-taichou's the only one I know to have been able to do it without a Sharingan, but she was sure there would be others."
The real Sakura coughs blood as she lands away from their captain after having been kicked in the abdomen, her gaze intense and focused. "You sound like you respected her a lot, Shisui-taichou." she comments with the usual tranquillity in her tone, spitting excess blood onto the ground before wiping her mouth.
"She was the elder sister I never had." Shisui hums, closing his left eye and wiping the blood from his cheek. "I used to be a lot like the rest of my clan, until she fucked my mind so many times that my change in personality was inevitable." his bright smile is disconcerting, since it is uncommon to be pleased about having your mind violated to such a point. How bad did he used to be if this is the end result? "My obsession was the Sharingan, something I had to get over since she took sadistic pleasure in blowing up all of her students' eyes in new and creative ways."
Neji glowers, most likely remembering their memorable first meeting. "Sounds like someone we know." he hisses, his glare noticed by an amused Sakura. "So she could condition others in any way that she wanted using her genjutsu?"
Their captain scratches the back of his head, looking towards the sky in thought. "Essentially. Sometimes she would slam her genjutsu straight into you that it's impossible not to notice but you had no way to counteract in time, whilst other times she was frighteningly subtle. I think she manipulated just about everyone she took a liking to, shaping them to whatever she wanted them to be for her own purposes." then Shisui turns his toothy smile over to Sai and Neji, setting them both on edge. "My role model in life, really. I've learnt a lot from her."
That would make a lot of sense, he considers.
"She sounds like a deplorable human being." Neji manages to sneer. "Any kind of trust built would be a fabricated lie, since she would be influencing them to act the way she wants them to rather than giving them the free will to choose on their own."
"Ha!" Shisui gives a mocking laugh, making a hand gesture to Sakura to signal the end of the spar. Her shoulders relax and she begins to crack a number of her joints. "She was many things, Neji-chan. Cruel, manipulative and selfish to name a few. To many, she was a monster. To her, we weren't even people. You know how some consider their pets family members? That's what we were in hers."
Sai remembers being referred to as a pet once. Though he is sure that Sakura sees him as a brother, perhaps Father sees him the same way that Shion did to her family.
"She's never tried to hide who she is. Shion-taichou was the type that people were drawn to despite all of her dangerous flaws." he is staring directly into Sakura's eyes as he says this, most likely speaking to Shion herself. The only one unaware is Neji, which must be frustrating. "Everything about her was unhealthy, but the fact that she cared at all was what tied certain people to her."
Sakura smiles, her eyes not quite soft but almost. "You were one of her favourites." she states, so surely that Sai is certain she is relaying a message from the very woman they are speaking about.
"If Shion-sama was the one to be our captain instead of you, she would end up killing us would she not?" Sai inquires, curious as he tilts his head. What would life be like if Shion had remained alive? What would his sister be like?
Shisui turns towards him, his wild eyes glimmering with mocking disappointment. "Oh, Sai-chan. You should know by now that there are worse things than death."
Yes, he agrees. It should have been obvious, so he nods and accepts his mistake without shame. "That is true, Shisui-taichou."
Neji is glaring at the grass, likely upset with the subject matter as a whole. It is understandable, since he is the most human of them all.
Sakura and Sai have decided to intrude on Neji on their day off, loitering about his room and bothering him with their presence. It is always a fun past time, since their teammate is unable to be honest with himself.
"Go away." Neji growls, which is unlike the apathetic demeanour that he often attempts to employ in public. It fails, of course, since it is his and Sakura's mission to constantly tease the Hyuuga into submission or retaliation.
To make a point that they are not going anywhere, he and Sakura settle on his bed with matching smiles. Neji glares, in futility.
"This is our time to bond without needing to shed blood on the battlefield together." Sai explains, feeling it widen when the glare is directly solely on him for a whole five seconds. "It is important that you do not feel neglected because you are the most normal of us."
It is true, even after all Neji has gone through with them. He is also the one least informed about certain situations, such as the soul of Shion being inside Sakura's head and the child trafficking business that Father runs in the shadows. They trust him to a certain degree, but Neji's adjustment period is longer than any of theirs.
"Leave me alone and I'll like you more." is Neji's irritated response, standing up and about to make an attempt at forcing them out of his room. It should be obvious by now that rebelling is fruitless, but Sai suspects whether or not their Hyuuga teammate enjoys being like this.
Sakura sits up, cracking her back. "I'll brush your hair." she bribes, smiling in triumph when Neji freezes. Sai is jealous. Having his hair brushed is soothing, but he is sure it would be much better with long and silky hair.
The Hyuuga whips around, wearing a nasty glare meant for Sakura like she is his arch-nemesis. "I abhor you." he seethes, though it is clearly untrue as Neji obediently sits down at the side of his bed. Sakura leans over to obtain the hairbrush before moving into position. 'I abhor you' without a doubt means 'I love you'.
He has read in a book somewhere that females often get angry to hide how pleased they are. If Sai had not already witnessed the proof of Neji's sex during an awkward walk-in moment, he would think their teammate a female pretending to be a man like one of those peculiar romance novels.
"When are you going to give up and just admit that you would die for us?" Sakura queries with a laugh, gathering Neji's hair and beginning to tend to it. "Or are you fully embracing the 'false sibling hate' that's common among siblings?"
Sai blinks, then looks to the wall in thought. He has never fought with Sakura in such a way, as they have always gotten along.
"Who would want to die for siblings like you?" Neji scoffs, seeming to have already accepted the Haruno siblings as his own siblings. It is surprising, to say the least. "Sadistic, annoying nuisances."
When the Hyuuga accepted the higanbana crown and placed it on his belt, it had become a symbol of their unity. They would die for each other, there is no question about that.
"You are now our otouto, Neji." Sai smiles, feeling a genuine bubble of pleasure in his chest at the thought. Neji's face contorts into one of disgust and indignation. "Our bratty otouto with nice girly hair."
Sakura laughs, immune to the nasty look thrown her way. Though they are both immune to the usual glares, an upside down glare is not very intimidating at all.
"Poor otouto." she grins, continuing to brush their little brother's hair. "Always the butt of our jokes. What are we going to do with you?"
Neji sulks as he stares at the ceiling. "I hate you both." but Sai does not miss the involuntary twitch of a smile.
Chapter Word Count: 3,483
Total Word Count: 32,078
Targeted Word Count: 1,667
A/N: I struggled so hard during this chapter. But you get Naruto and Shisui the Shion backstory fairies, so bless them. You also get some tsundere shit with Neji and family shit with Sai. I wonder if the family thing has anything to do with me personally. It seems to be a common thing in my stories, I feel.
Right, now I'm off to stress write some more. Next chapter might be where a timeskip consisting of a few years will happen. So it'll be like the first ten chapters were dedicated to before canon, the next ten to pre-shippuden and then the ten after that to shippuden. Don't know yet. I only have a few hours to decide, ha.
Reviews are love. Reviews are life. It's never ogre.