A/N: Day nineteen. Still alive, ha.
As Senju Tsunade is announced as the Godaime Hokage, Sakura finds herself wondering about how the state of Konohagakure will fare. She supposes that out of the Sannin, Tsunade would appear to be the most capable of leading a village. Jiraiya's too flighty and lackadaisical to really care about politics, whilst Orochimaru is seems to be perpetually fatigued as he runs through his own personal experiments. The road to immortality is a long one, she thinks.
Tsunade will at least be able to direct her temper onto something productive, rather than because of something small like when Sai had purposefully given a treasured type of sake to someone that wasn't the slug Sannin. Well… Sakura just hopes that the village doesn't crumble, because then they're going to have to move and there's always trouble with moving.
Naruto and Sasuke approach her and her brothers, the crowd splitting for his convenience as they disperse. It's always a little strange, like Naruto's just too good to be real. Maybe he really does take some personality traits from his aunt, but has taken things to a new level by making himself likeable to everyone as a whole.
"Sakura-chan! So Hentai-sensei and I are apparently going to go on some long term trip, to expand my knowledge and whatever for my apprenticeship." he explains as he stops before her, giving her his usual amiable grin. "We're leaving tomorrow, so I wanted to say goodbye. Sasuke here is going to be undergoing some kind of clan leader training alongside an apprenticeship, so he's screwed."
Sasuke gives his best friend an unimpressed stare, before sliding his dark gaze over to her and practically reenergising from just looking upon her visage. "I'd like to visit you, but I know that I'll be busy." he tells her, twitching forward but doing no more as her brothers flank her with intimidating stares plastered on their faces. He frowns at them both, though she smiles.
Team Yamaneko's other former charges have also scored themselves apprenticeships upon their promotion. Surprisingly, Datsuji and Karin are apprenticed under Orochimaru. She expects that those two will eventually develop their relationship into something both volatile and intimate. Lee is understandably apprenticed to Might Gai, whom she's still yet to meet because Kakashi's still not ready. Tenten's become the apprentice of Tsunade, since Sakura had suggested that her first real female friend would do well. The slug Sannin had seen it as a challenge and accepted.
"Hey, Naruto." she starts, tilting her head as he blinks at her. "What about Haku?" because last she heard, he's still not trusted enough on his own.
The blonde's eyes widen in realisation, before he smiles again. "He's coming with us, since I'm technically his guardian and it'd be too troublesome to just leave him at my place. I guess him becoming an official ninja of Konoha has been postponed until we get back, but I don't think he cares that much anyway."
Sakura smiles, in that particular fashion whenever she thinks of the androgynous teen. She's fond of him, in the way that humans are fond of grouchy but entertaining pets. "I don't think he cares as long as he's with you, since you've essentially replaced Zabuza-san."
Naruto's eyes flash for a moment, but she didn't need that to understand that he already knows as well. "Yeah, that's true." he replies, before looking behind her. "Ah, well I guess we have to go." he announces, then steps forward and envelops her in a hug.
She returns the gesture, before bringing her lips close to his ear. "When you get back, I want to tell you something." she whispers, because Shion's given the okay on telling Naruto about her. Sakura doesn't know how he will react, but she knows there's a chance that Naruto may stop seeing her as Sakura once he knows.
It's a risk she'll have to take, she supposes as they release one another and his eyes search hers before he nods. "Alright. Wait for me?" he smiles.
"Mm… no." she answers, and they depart from one another with a smile.
She receives a delicate but significantly-sized package a month or so after the Chuunin Exams, and pushes down the paranoia of the contents being someone's severed head or even a severed penis. Perhaps she reads too many horror novels.
To her pleasant surprise, she opens it to find two glass sculptures. One is a cherry blossom branch attached to a stand, pigmented with soft shades of brown and pink.
The other one is smaller, but it's far more delicate in detail, as it's her. She's sitting on a slant, her head tilted upwards and bringing attention to the intense details of her eyes. The way they're coloured almost makes it seem as if they're illuminate.
She was watching the moon, she remembers. She's both impressed and a little perturbed of the accurate and intricate details.
Sakura picks up the note that had been hiding underneath the glass sculptures, unfolding it to see what's written on it. She hopes it's not something like that one time Itachi sent her a bouquet, in a gesture that would be romantic if he wasn't who he is.
Sakura,
Your persistent appearance in my head irritates me, so I've attempted to create a few more glass sculptures with you in mind… in hopes to alleviate my said irritation. It hasn't worked and now I've created too many.
Temari thinks that you might appreciate it if I sent some to you, but I've decided only to give you the ones I like best. She seems to believe that I'm… 'crushing' on you. That appears to be a term for being especially partial to someone in an amorous manner.
It's not to my belief that that's the case with my thoughts of you. I don't know you well and I have no desire to court and marry you…
What I feel towards you is envy. You have no doubt of who you are, Sakura… I see that in your eyes. It's vexing.
I don't know who I am. Then… when I think of you, I become restless for that reason.
Gaara
"Whilst still rather odd, at least he does not harbour any romantic feelings towards you." Sai comments from over her right shoulder, as Neji looks over her left. "Although, is it appropriate to think of Sasuke-san's fixation towards you as romantic?"
"Well," Sakura hums, folding the paper, "Sasuke does want to marry me and then create a legacy together. But trying to decipher the complexities of his thought process and emotions is a thing I'd rather not do for long."
Neji picks up the sculpture of her, examining it. "He's good, even if his personality is warped. I heard that artists generally come with a mental illness, especially if they're a ninja." he remarks with a conflicted sneer, probably not liking the fact that he likes the sculpture.
Sakura stands from the couch, holding onto cherry blossom branch and taking the other one of her from her brother. "I'm going to put these in my room." since they're nice, even if their reason for existing is because of envy from a boy who likes to steal his victims' eyes.
"You're still dating the gummy pineapple, jelly bean?" Shion yawns in question as Sakura traverses the stairs. When Shion receives her answer via their mental link, she exclaims in disgust. "Ugh, Jesus what the fuck, yeah? That's six years, fuck me. Whilst that'd be impressive on its own, the fact that it all started when you little turds were six makes it just fucking strange. Where's the romantic drama of a love rival, yeah? Or the shallow heartbreak of unrequited crushes?"
She's surprised herself, honestly, since she expected to lose interest at some point as humans tend to do. Yet, somehow, their interest in one another still remains strong. She knows he gets irritated with Sasuke, but no one actually considers Sasuke a viable match since he's just too bizarre for her. There's also Lee, whom appeared to be interested but she hasn't spoken to him since his promotion. She doubts she'd ever be interested in him either, for multiple reasons.
Neji going on a rampage may or may not be one of them, along with the fact that taijutsu specialist yells most of the time.
If she thinks about it, she's not really had many romantic love interests. Itachi is definitely not one of them, since she doubts he even really cares about her as a person. Rather, he cares about her because Shion is inside of her and his kind of caring is terribly unhealthy. Kakashi's not one either, since she's basically his owner rather than anything romantic. Her stomach clenches, because the thought of it just seems wrong.
Naruto's affection towards her has steadily become more of a siblingship, since his long past revelation that he doesn't actually like her the same way Shikamaru does. He doesn't seem as though he likes Hinata in that fashion either, despite his endless teasing since he knows that she adores him. It would appear he just does that for fun, which is a little cruel.
"I suppose no one else really interests me in that way." Sakura murmurs as she reorganises her shelf. She doesn't think that's a bad thing, since she's not under the belief that he's grown boring over the years. They understand one another in a way that is calming and soothing, but they also are able to communicate if they don't understand something.
Shion groans. "That's fucking gross, yeah. Stable relationships, ha! They seem like such a dream, since I'm just fucked up as a being and I lose interest as quickly as I find it. Some stick though, although not in a manner in which I care about them romantically. I don't think I have the capacity for that, you know, since I am as I am." then Shion makes another sound of disgust. "Oh, wait, fuck me you're a preteen now. Oh, god, all the hormones and shit."
Sakura lets out an abrupt laugh, because that does seem like an unpleasant situation to be in. She's sure that it would be quite uncomfortable feeling the sensations of another as they explore themselves. No privacy at all. She nearly snorts.
"Well, fuck that ish. I'm out! My mind's coming up with all this nauseating shit, so I'm going to sleep, yeah." and Shion goes back into her little bubble. Sakura wonders what it's like being in Shion's position. Is it dark there?
She doesn't play shogi with Shikamaru or Shikaku, and after years of trying they've just given up. So they tend to play each other as she watches from the sidelines, although that's not what's happening at the moment.
At the moment, she's being led further into the forest belonging to the Nara clan. Her eyes flit around, finding the multitudes of fireflies fluttering about to be quite atmospheric. Almost ethereal, like from a novel about fantasy and witches living in forests.
They stop by a small lake, where its clear waters are almost illuminate with the rays of the moon shining over them. She realises that this setting is actually somewhat romantic, and she looks to a fidgety Nara.
He still has a habit of rubbing the side of his neck when troubled. "I've been meaning to take you here, but we've been busy lately." he informs her, tilting his neck before grabbing her hand again and leading her to a nearby tree.
They sit by the base of its trunk, then settle into a comfortable silence as they listen to the calming sounds of the wildlife.
She stares at the water, where the steady reflection of the moon lies. "Have you ever wondered why we've lasted this long?" she queries after a few minutes of silence, leaning on him and resting her head on his shoulder. He shifts to accommodate her and it brings a light smile to her face.
"More than I'd like to admit." he responds with a sigh. "Every time you're away, I think about how you might come back and tell me you've lost interest. I think about how you'd frown in response to my smile, bringing this guilty aura as you tell me that you've become interested in someone else now. Then I think about how much I really love it when in reality, you always smile back."
Shion immediately gags, somehow, before muttering about how little she can deal with the cute shit and going to sleep.
Sakura smiles, trying to calm that tight and painful sensation in her chest. She knows it means she's happy, but it's really quite uncomfortable. "Does it worry you that much?" she wonders, because even if it hurts her, she knows that she'd be able to move on. It's something she's already accepted even if it hasn't happened yet, because the future is always uncertain.
Shikamaru shifts, and she lifts her head to face him. He's frowning, first at the grass then at her. "You're always so accepting of the possibility of us… Well, not being together anymore. It almost… No, it does irritate me." he pulls out his hair tie to run his hands through his hair in frustration. "I think about who's going to be come along and take you away… How I'd probably just let you go even if it would crush me."
Then he lets out a self-depreciating chuckle. "I feel so stupid, like I shouldn't even be worrying about this crap. I feel like I shouldn't be thinking like this because of how young I am, how young we are. Our relationship has become more than some childish romance, because of how advanced our mentalities are. It just feels strange because we're actually in a serious relationship when we shouldn't be."
Sakura frowns, turning to face her entire body towards him. "I think I understand what you mean. We've entirely skipped the short-lived, childish 'boyfriend and girlfriend without much meaning' phase. Because of how we are, it's become something far more important far sooner than expected." she tilts her head, in thought.
He looks to her, before giving her a smile that's both appreciative and pained. "Yeah… Because of how young we are, I don't know how much value 'I love you' has. It could be the same as saying that to someone that did you a favour, without true meaning."
She blinks, before sighing and looking back out to the water. "I don't do that, saying 'I love you' to someone I don't love. It would cheapen the words, I feel. You're of the same mind, Shikamaru." she comments, cracking her back as her skin tingles from his staring. She turns back to him with a slight smile. "Even if it feels like it's too soon because of our age, I'd still believe you if you told me you loved me. It'd probably give me a heart attack, but I'd believe you."
He cracks a smile, before looking away in contemplation. "I guess I've been having some unnecessarily troublesome thoughts lately. Tou-san and kaa-san think it's puberty." he frowns, almost in a sulking manner. "Might be. But I'm glad I got it out."
She hums in acknowledgement, grabbing a lock of his now loose hair. "I think our relationship has always been more spiritual anyway. No matter our age or our appearance, it's our souls that really connect and I think that's timeless."
Shikamaru hides his face in his arms, but she sees the red on his ears. "Ugh… That should have been obvious to me." he whispers, annoyed with himself.
Sakura laughs, content to ignore the natural inclination to believe something's about to go wrong. It's probably because the good parts of the story are always followed by the bad.
The owl perched before her is as about tall as Kakashi is and even larger in width, its alabaster eyes staring right into her soul. She blinks a few times, but she doesn't like away as it seems to be assessing her. Perhaps she should have put less chakra in, but it's too late now.
"You house another, young one." the giant, apparently male owl voices in an understandable language. She blinks again. "There is an old and mutated soul within you, touched by the curse of eternal reincarnation."
Sakura frowns with a tilt of her head. "I assume that only your kind can see that, since I've been around other summons and they haven't noticed." she replies, rather than asking how since the regal and wise-sounding owl is likely to explain without her prompt.
It nods. "My kind are tied with the afterlife, as we are guardians to the place known as Joudo. It grants us the ability to sense souls, both living and deceased. The one that resides within you is both alive and not, having never entered through any dimension's gate to the afterlife." it explains, fluffing its feathers for a moment.
She hums. "So that means that Shion's from another world?" she questions, because she doesn't think Shion's ever specified.
The owl hoots in confirmation. "The one you call Shion is from many other worlds, as their soul travels dimensions with each death they suffer. However, it would seem that the cycle has been interrupted with the inclusion of you. They should have left this world, but now they reside within you in a… stalemate of sorts. They have become a part of you now, and I do not know whether this means you will suffer the same fate as them."
Sakura feels something jump in her chest. She hadn't thought of that possibility, but now that she thinks about it… It seems more plausible since Shion's chakra has merged with her own. Their minds may be separated but their chakra isn't. She decides to think about it later.
"What's your name?" she inquires, pushing away the worrisome thoughts to think about later.
"Mamoru…" he ̶ it seems like a male, if she's simply going by the voice ̶ glances down at the open summon contract, where her name is written in blood. "Sakura-hime. Though the soul within you is alarming, my kind do not judge the sins that stain each soul. My brethren and I shall assist you in any way that we are able."
She smiles, taking a deep breath before replying. "Can you tell me about your abilities?" since it'd be quite difficult to utilise them otherwise.
Mamoru hoots. "Certainly."
Chapter Word Count: 3,091
Total Word Count: 62,228
Targeted Word Count: 0
A/N: I feel like this chapter was just me trying to explain shit to myself, in story form. But whatever, look at the Shikamaru struggling with the fact that he's too mature. Ha, suffer. Anyway, next chapter will be another POV change. Though I'll probably come up with something, feel free to suggest whose mind you'd like to delve into.
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