DISCLAIMER- Nope, still owning nothing.
A/N- I ALTERED THE CHAPTER. I'm sorry if any of you were insulted by my obvious lack of knowledge about Japanese customs but I read your comments and tried to fix things as best as I could! Sorry again but I don't really know anything about Japanese culture, except what I've picked up from Google, manga/anime and writing this fic x
….
You never know how much you rely on stuff until it's not there.
Like internet, phones...
...or online shopping.
(I just want to be able to buy what I need, for once, and not have to 'invent' it-!)
Or friends and family.
….
Kaiya-san had ended up being the one to propose my petition to the Council. I figured she would be the one to make the most impact, considering everything.
If it had come from me, I'd have been laughed out judging by looks alone and I doubted the secretary would have even let me in (I'd met her, she was annoying).
The ladies had been eager to help me, after having a good old laugh at my expense when Mikoto told them about how shy I'd been about the whole thing. I'd let them, inwardly pleased at how the women seemed much more casual after a good laugh. Even if it was at my expense.
It had been embarrassing, okay? I knew I had a bit of an independence chip on my shoulder, but it was still awkward to ask for help. I was trying though, which is what mattered, I guessed.
Sadly, but predictably, my business petition was moving at a snail's pace through the bureaucracy and I had to reach a certain demand and income before I qualified as a business owner suitable to take up a part of the Market place.
Meaning I needed an increase in customers.
Not many, mind you, but enough to make me need a game plan. And, honestly? I wasn't sure I could do it by myself anymore. I was already dedicating most of the day to my baking and I was only one person, a small girl at that. Even if I was already something of a delivery vendor, I needed to really up my game. If I was older, richer, maybe just a man, it could maybe be easier.
I didn't know what to do anymore.
This was different from choosing not to be a ninja. I wasn't going to be a killer but I wasn't living a normal life either. If I was just some average kid, I would've got an apprenticeship when I was 12 or 11 with Yuri-oba and then lived an unassuming life, married at 21, maybe taking over the shop when I was 30 or so. Two children, one a ninja and the other another craftsman. A few grandkids and then a happy retirement.
I sounded alarmingly like Shikamaru.
Maybe it changed when I met Hitoshi, learning about how strange our family's connections were. Maybe it was when I started baking and people were so interested.
Maybe it was when I couldn't change Minato's fate, the memory of his smiling eyes overlaid with Shisui's and I realised I couldn't walk away a second time.
And so, here I was, 10 years old and trying to spread my wings. Regardless, it was too late to turn back, even if I had wanted to. There was no such thing as a simple life. Sure, I'd had the fridge at Ichiraku's but that wasn't an independent venture; in comparison to this, that was Teuchi seriously humouring a young girl who'd been favoured by the village dictator. But, maybe I was trivialising it.
I'd started the whole process at the end of June, the Council meeting scheduled directly after I'd spoken to all the women I wanted as sponsors.
I wasn't that I couldn't ask some men for help, it just happened to be all women, but the Clan Heads were all incredibly busy and I didn't know them as well. I also didn't think the Council would appreciate it if I got active Shinobi involved etc., and Teuchi was a relatively new owner himself, only having set up when I was 6 (5 years, in the grand scheme of things, wasn't that long).
But now, I needed something new, something fresh-
"Ugh, I'm so hungry!" Hoshiko groaned under her breath, her arms filled with plastic-wrapped silk from the Merchant's stall. As I walked beside her, arms clasping a paper bag of ribbons and threads, I couldn't help but laugh at her uncharacteristic complaint, used to the older girl being rather shy.
"Do you wanna grab something really quick?" I tipped my head in the direction of Market Street, "We're not due back for a while yet." And it was really early anyway, I could definitely have a second breakfast. Unfortunately, Yuri-oba had a rush-order wedding veil to embroider so there was little rest for the wicked.
Hoshiko smiled ruefully, heaving the silk upwards when it started slipping and continued on back to Yuri-oba's place. "It's too much hassle, let's just get back and then we'll sort out some snacks."
Hmm, 'hassle'?
I followed the older girl on autopilot, barely blinking when Yuri-oba directed us to set the materials down on the main workbench.
Hassle, hassle, hassle- what could I make that had little-to-no hassle? Sure, my desserts were popular but they needed a plate and utensils!
Pretzels? Popcorn?
"Yuri-oba, I've just remembered something I need to do, can I please be excused?" The seamstress looked up from where she was examining a wedding veil design, her expression startled before it warmed.
"Of course, Kiharu!" she shooed me off with a wave of her hand, "I know you only come in here to beat the customers to my latest stock and check on these old bones!" I laughed at her cheeky wink, already half-out the door.
Once outside, I started running.
"Excuse me, Nara-san!" I called, puffing as I slowed to a stop at the Nara Compound gates. "Is Ensui back from his mission?"
The older Nara, a man named Ojiro in his late 30's, opened one eye from where Yoshino had told him to guard, half-asleep and slumped on top of the wall. Poor guy, he probably just wanted to go home.
In the early-November drizzle, I couldn't blame him.
"No, Dazai-san," Ojiro drawled, pulling a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and lighting one. The smoke drifted upwards as lazily as a Nara and I watched with narrowed eyes how the man took a long drag. "Yoshino-sama will probably want to speak to you, though."
"…those will kill you, you know."
Jerking his free hand into the ram seal, shadow stretching to open the gate for me, the older Nara tapped off the butt of his fag.
"Rather a smoke did me in than Kumo."
Not knowing how to respond, I merely nodded and pushed through the gate into the Compound. The click of the lock behind me, as Ojiro stretched out his shadow once more, sounded strangely final.
…
The Nara Compound was very different from the Uchiha and Yamanaka. Whilst the dojutsu users were organised like a miniature village and the Yamanaka's were a simple collection of houses, like a cul-de-sac with a perimeter wall, the Nara's land included woods.
As in, they lived in the woods.
Too many fairy tales leapt to mind.
In the anime/manga, I hadn't realised that quite meant that they literally lived like Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Various cottages dotting the wilderness with a tall fence marking the boundaries and the houses peeked out between the massive tree-trunks.
It was strangely mysterious. The woods were extremely quiet, like some reverent shrine to nature, and I felt like I was intruding on something every time I came around.
The deer herd were also nowhere near as shy as the ones I had seen before. They were bold, like actual people, and strolled between the houses and through the grounds like we were the ones intruding. As I walked, one of the older does started trotting along beside me and I carefully rubbed her flank. Her head turned to assess me, her large black eyes strangely intelligent, but she didn't do anything. After years of visits, I had little doubt I was easily recognised. And if I was a hostile? I'm told that stags could maul humans very easily with those huge antlers.
It was different, seeing the effects chakra had on summons, and then, on normal animals.
Take the Forest of death, for example! (Actually, let's not go there.)
But, whilst it could be considered a bit freaky, all I could think of was how much I'd loved Disney's Bambi.
The Clan Head's house came into view, the only sign it was different from the others being the large herb garden out front. Just another thing I admired about Shikaku-sama, the fact that he didn't live to a different standard than the others~
"Ohayo!" I called, letting myself in the back door. After years of visits, we were all pretty casual by now.
"Kiharu-chan, nice of you to drop by!" Yoshino appeared around the corner, apron on and I wondered what she wanted with me. Yoshino was only so outwardly pleasant in her own home when she got her way. (Even if she was in a good mood, she tended to look aggravated. I wondered if it was some game she liked to play with all the lazy Nara, giving them all heart attacks when they were at their most relaxed…)
I wasn't left wondering for long as, in the same breath, Yoshino continued. "Shikamaru is in his room, maybe you should go and say 'Hi'….and get that boy up before the morning's over…" she grumbled the last part, turning back to the sink and scrubbing up the dishes from breakfast.
It wasn't really a question, I internally noted, amused despite myself.
The house was built along traditional lines, with a small garden in the centre, so there were no stairs to climb. Shika's room was towards the back of the house, separated by Yoshino's fig tree from his parents' room, and was strangely empty. There was little in the way of toys, only a few stuffed teddies dotted around (mine had yet to move from its place of honour beside the 4-year old's pillow, I noted smugly) and everything seemed to be a similar boring shade of blue. The lazy boy probably wanted it that way- less hassle, or some nonsense-
"Shika," I called softy, tapping on the doorframe with a single knuckle. The small lump under the duvet twitched before slowly rolling over.
"Nee-chan," A little voice grumbled out beneath the cover and a small hand appeared, twitching to beckon me over.
Huffing out a near-silent laugh, I sat on the edge of the bed and pulled the bundle of blankets over me, slipping under the covers like it was the laziest blanket-fort in the world. Well, Naras and all that, I supposed.
"What's got you hiding under here, ay?" I stroked a single finger down a babyish cheek, smiling when Shika puffed out his cheeks in annoyance. "Was it Ino-chan, again?"
"Why won't she let me sleep?" The young Nara grouched, eyes half lidded and silently annoyed.
"She probably just wants to play, you know," I reasoned and listened intently when Shikamaru told me how she pushed him awake three times.
"Girls are so troublesome," he declared. Oh no, I wasn't going to let that rest, boy-o.
Making my eyes widen and water slightly, his own eyes popped open in panic and he scooted closer to rest against my shoulder, "But not you, Ki-nee-" I made sure to still look hurt and the younger boy fell for it hook, line and sinker.
He was only three, he'd learn eventually.
"You let me sleep and show me the best places to cloud watch. And," he blushed slightly, probably realising he'd talked quite a lot to my face, "you never get angry."
I couldn't help but smile, slipping an arm around his shoulders and rolling onto my back so the younger boy was rested against my chest. After carefully eying me to make sure I wasn't actually crying, the younger boy relaxed slightly. Hmm, I probably shouldn't enjoy shaking him up so much. Yoshino must be rubbing off on me.
"But," I sniffed, "What about Hana and your cousin Hisa? Or Sora-oba?"
"Hana is loud and very energetic but I guess she's okay. Hisa," Shika's nose scrunched up in distaste and I resisted the urge to bop it, "is troublesome, she keeps pulling my hair out." That made me frown but I wasn't too concerned, the other girl was only 6. I'd leave that for now.
"Sora-oba makes mackerel whenever you have dinner there," I pointed out fairly and the boy grudgingly agreed.
"So, girls aren't all troublesome, are they?"
He didn't respond, so I tried a different angle.
"Does that mean that boys aren't troublesome?" Shika huffed in defeat, nodding that I had a point.
"Shisui," he agreed and I rolled my eyes so hard it hurt.
Why the hell didn't my otouto like my best friend?
Shisui was great with kids! Ino and Chouji loved him, he was such a great play-partner. Even Sasuke, who clung to Itachi like a burr, liked his older cousin. Shika, however, would scowl like I'd kept him awake for 48 hours whenever Shisui would pop up, glaring as he clutched at me – as if Shisui would what? Rip me away forever? Tch! – before shoving his face in my neck and transforming into a very small, Nara-shaped rain cloud.
Knowing it was a lost cause to address that last bit, I simply rubbed noses with him, enjoying how his eyes closed happily when my purr started up. He was so precious!
"Shikamaru!" Yoshino yelled. "Are you up yet?"
The boy in question groaned loudly, rolling his eyes and smushing his face into my collarbone, as if that could drown out his mother. I snorted and sat up, bringing my little brother with me, and casually hooked an arm around his legs. Standing up, Shika curled on my hip, I walked across to the kitchen.
"Yoshino-san, Shika wants to visit Chouji. Can I take him over?" I felt Shika smile against my neck and I grinned at Yoshino, who cocked an eyebrow but let us go.
"Don't let him sleep the day away, Kiharu!" The Lady Nara called after us and I couldn't hide in my giggles any longer. "And make sure he actually walks at some point today!"
Ignoring his mother immediately, Shika conked out on my shoulder before we'd even left his Clan's grounds and I walked the ten-minute stroll to Chouza's house listening to his fuzzy little baby snores.
So cute.
The Akimichi at the gate, Akihiro, took one look at the pair of us and grinned, waving us through without a fuss. The rain, which had blown over whilst I was at Yoshino's, started up again and I pulled my cardigan around Shika as I ducked my head and ran for the house.
"Hello, Kaiya-san, sorry for coming over unannounced!" I called as I toed off my shoes and plonked a disgruntled Shikamaru down so he could do the same.
"Kiharu-san, it's a good thing you're here, I just heard back from the council." The ebony-haired woman came around the corner and leaned against the wall. I gulped nervously, slowing what I was doing to look up at the mother in front of me.
"They've set a date for your petition; it's on the first of December."
….
"Ensui, praise Kami-sama!" I sighed, hugging my friend as quickly as possible before I started dragging him over to the table.
I'd been at Kaiya's house for 2 hours, in the middle of playing cats-cradle with Chouji with Shikamaru curled up napping like a cat in my lap, when I'd remembered why I'd left Yuri-oba's in such a rush that morning.
Aww, shit!
"Kaiya-san, how much do I need to increase my demand by before I meet with the Council, again?"
The Akimichi Matriarch looked over from her paperwork, tapping her chin with a pen in thought. "Hmmm, I'd say an increase of 100 more regulars, to be on the safe side."
Ah yes, that's why I was sweating.
I was so screwed, wahhhhhhhhhh-
"Yo," Ensui had tapped on the kitchen door and, in my eyes, the weak sunlight behind him made him glow like an angel of mercy. "Ojiro said you were looking for me, Kiharu?"
And that's where we were now.
"Ensui, I need you to make me something, okay?!"
The 19-year-old glared at me, undoubtedly sensing both trouble and more work.
"And what would that be, hmm?"
"A special pan! The Blacksmith would take too long and Goro-san gets huffy when you want anything diff-"
"You do remember that I'm not an actual craftsman, right?" Ensui interrupted, brow raised.
"…Ensui, I have four weeks."
It had been a while since I saw the Nara boy look that unnerved. For a long few minutes we just sat and stared at each other.
I noted his sloppy ponytail, how the wings of his eyeliner had been rubbed away. He was just back from a mission, wasn't he? I had little doubt that Ensui was cataloguing my own scruffiness intently, taking in the dark circles and tense shoulders. I certainly felt shit so I had little doubt I looked it too.
Ensui sighed explosively through his nose, dropping his forehead to rest on his folded arms. I felt shit, knowing how drained he must feel, but I needed his help, badly.
"Okay." His voice was muffled and made me feel even more exhausted at the wave of relief that washed over me. "Okay. How do you want to do this?"
….
The next few weeks were explosively busy.
Ensui and I had ended up borrowing Goro-san's kiln, in the end. The man was such a grouch, I almost didn't want to give him that discount for the Ichiraku fridge but, well, it was the payment Ensui suggested and that was that.
Bother.
At least I was down to 99 more regulars, now, I guessed.
It took us four days to get my pan done, with minimum sleep and a sense of calculating urgency. Despite what he thought, Ensui was a massive help, somehow knowing things like the right alloys and how to forge casts (I started thanking Yoshino like she was a goddess after the second day, thankful that she'd made him learn these things when replacing the Clan's weaponry). After wracking our brains for the best way to do it (Ensui had learned long ago not to ask how I knew things, assuming it was either too troublesome or he trusted that my creativity sprung from random places), we then settled down to actually make it. We worked like Yoshino herself was breathing down out necks and I couldn't bring myself to regret it; Who knew when he'd be called out on another mission? Ensui didn't even really get what is was we'd made but, when I used it on a tester batch, he agreed that this world's first 'Waffle Pan' was pretty worth it.
(This time around, Inoichi-oji bought me the patent – Ensui didn't want in – and I found myself crying in relief again; that it was mine and that it was finally done.)
The next three weeks, I made more cakes than ever in the evening, temporarily overloading Teuchi so much that Fridge wasn't emptied most days until almost 5, rather than the usual 2pm.
In the morning, I camped out in Ichiraku's and sold a tonne of Waffles, Crepes and Soft-pretzels.
I had a trolley filled with different toppings, flavours and fillings, that I'd prepped the nights before and I was ready to fucking rumble. The cold weather seemed to, in fact, help boost my sales. People still had to go out for food and shopping, no matter he weather, after all and my steaming goodies seemed to attract them all like flies.
Matcha-green waffle or crepe? Done.
Cinnamon pretzel? No problem. Oh, you want to try the hot apple sauce as well? No problem!
I was a ray of sunshine, happily serving even the most stand-offish of customers with a delighted grin. On the inside, I felt like death warmed over with a curl of fear squirming in my stomach like a live snake.
Every sale, every treat sold, I fretted over my deadline. Part of me was thrilled that they all seemed to be going down so well (I was glad that, current circumstances aside, the demand hadn't curbed my enjoyment of baking) but I was so stressed.
There were other good side effects, though.
I mean, I'd never seen Genma-nee more that when he'd discovered my churros could be ordered in batches of twenty. If he wasn't burning through all his calories in ANBU, I'd have felt guilty for making him eat like a pig. Even better, when he came sniffing for his new favourite lunchtime snack, he also brought Raidou around, probably figuring that it was safe by now.
How foolish!
A younger guy, I assumed he was the third Guard, Iwashi, was also tagging along. He was super quiet, reminding me of my eldest sister, and the thought made me smile at him in welcome.
I stopped smiling when he declined my dessert with a toss of his head. Ehh, never mind, I don't like that bitch.
"Raidou-nii," I smiled warmly at his nervous expression. It had been a good month since I'd last seen him, when I'd pressed a travel-bento box into his hands (Genma hadn't been by in a month so he was ignored and didn't get one). Fondly eying how Raidou approached like I was as sharp-clawed as 'Toshi, I appreciated that at least one of them had the good sense not to underestimate the damage I could dish.
I always did like him best.
"What will you have? It's on the house, of course!" Genma, currently stuffing his face into his full-price Churros, choked.
"Oh, err," The scarred brunet floundered and I grinned at him. He was so cute when he was flustered. And I hadn't even started teasing him yet!
"Just a cinnamon and sugar pretzel, please, Kiharu-chan." I hummed happily as I got it sorted, rolling out and twisting a pretzel that must've been twice the size of the others. A small crowd of children and curious adults had gathered around to watch me make the customary twirl and I mentally applauded myself for having the foresight to practice so furiously, I could have done it with my eyes shut.
Nothing more embarrassing than fumbling in front of a crowd, after all.
When I popped the tray into the oven I'd commandeered from Teuchi, I turned around to see my queue (mainly composed now of the kids who'd watched and then dragged their parents over) had grown out the door.
"Yes, please?" I called the next one over, lamenting the loss of a good teasing opportunity.
When the egg-timer 'ding!'-ed, I pulled out the pretzels, putting in another tray and resetting the timer again. Taking Raidou's monster, I brushed it in melted butter, picking it up with a pair on tongs and rolling it in a mixing bowl of cinnamon sugar. I then popped the steaming hot dough into a paper cone, passing it over with a napkin and grinning at the flabbergasted look on Raidou's face.
"Are they, err, always this large?" The ninja eyed the pretzel that was larger than his face and I blinked innocently up at him, aware of the families currently watching.
"It's your 'Welcome Home!' present, Raidou-nii!" I smiled with stars twinkling in my eyes, feeling scarily similar to my dad's unintentional Hashirama impression. "I missed you!"
Just as planned, the crowd 'aw'-ed at the heart-warming display and Genma – hypocritical, if you asked me – looked betrayed at the back wall.
Serves him right, for being so bad at visiting and not calling me 'imouto' and not dating Raidou and getting married so I can plan the entire thing and be flower-girl-
I had a few bones to pick with him, I'll admit.
Ignoring the initial teasing of Raidou and the unpleasant discovery that Iwashi didn't like sweet things (poor boy, what kind of life do you lead-) (I tried not to remember that Kakashi was the same and that I hated eggplant), that kind of set the tone for the next few weeks.
As in, curious crowds, greedy Genma, showering Raidou in affection.
Not to forget, frenzied baking in the evenings, staying with Inoichi-oji and Sora-oba because dad was out of town on a B-rank and I had started hating being home alone, and passing out on my bed from exhaustion every night.
I didn't have time for tea with Mikoto on Fridays anymore (she came to see me in the evenings instead and had started helping me meet my daily quota…she was the first person, since Kaa-san – and Sora-oba, years ago – who I'd taught anything to) and Shisui, when he was free for lunch, dropped round for a few free crepes whenever he could.
(I'd tried to get him to at least help with the cooking but…not to buy into any stereotypes…Shisui was better off sticking to his mission campfires. I knew he could cook a decent meal and the few times he'd made me lunch had been pretty tasty, but heaven forbid that boy get technical in any way! Even if it was just making sure the Churros didn't burn-!)
And there wasn't an issue with giving certain people discount or free food- I didn't need the start-up money to increase, I needed the people to.
And, by some fucking miracle, they did.
I was so frenzied that it wasn't until the night before my meeting with the Council, the one to negotiate buying shares and a stall in the Market Place, that I realised why I felt so wrong.
Tou-san wasn't going to make it back in time.
Sat on my bed, in the room beside Ino-imouto' s, I stared down at my nervously shaking hands.
The last time I'd seen either Toshi or dad had been two weeks ago.
Hitoshi had purred the entire night, knowing how upset I'd been when Tou-san had unhappily announced that he had to lead a tracking mission to Frost in the morning. Which meant Hitoshi had to go as well.
I'd nodded, of course, putting on a brave face and finishing my dinner like my stomach hadn't just turned to iron.
It wasn't just that dad had been leaving on more and more missions outside of the village with Toshi, longer missions that he couldn't even tell me the most basic information about, that it was even more dangerous now with the high tensions with Kumo, that his mission was going to take him scarily close to Cloud's borders.
That I'd half-moved into the room next to Ino's and that, the first night I'd stayed over, I'd cried in Inoichi-oji' s lap because it wasn't Tou-san holding me through a nightmare about Shisui's suicide.
It wasn't just because it felt like dad hadn't been around for anything important in a long time. Because I knew it wasn't his fault, that it didn't mean he didn't love me. It wasn't because that didn't make my heart ache any less.
It wasn't. It wasn't.
I wasn't that selfish.
Except, I was.
So, the night before my petition meeting, I cried into a pillow I half-owned, in a bed that didn't stink of panther, in a room Sora-oba had filled with touches of green because it was my favourite colour, and in a house that had other people in it.
A soft 'pat-pat-pat' of little feet had me turning towards the door, quickly scrubbing away tears that I knew would upset Ino if she saw them.
A platinum blonde head popped around the doorframe, face set into a stubborn expression and I beckoned her inside, knowing that she wouldn't let it rest until she felt she'd investigated and sorted things out.
My darling little terror, I thought fondly, letting the younger girl climb into my lap with an ease that spoke of practice.
She was very quiet.
As much as Shika liked to moan, and I could attest to her tantrums, Ino was a very clever girl and she knew exactly how to play people. I tried not to think of T&I skills being genetically transferrable.
"You know," I whispered to the dim room, breaking the silence. Staring up at the ceiling, the only light came from a small, yellow desk lamp in the shape of a flower on the far side of the room. "I was there when you were born, imouto."
"Really?" Ino asked, her own babyish voice lisping a bit over the whisper.
"Really, really," I nodded, clasping my hands around Ino as she sat in my lap, her back to my chest with her head tucked under my chin. "And I promised Sora-oba, when I saw you, that I would try and be a good nee-chan to you."
If Ino felt my tears when they hit her hair, she didn't show it, merely snuggled further into my cuddle.
"And I'm your imouto!" she whispered, giggling a little and a tiny smiled tugged at my lips in response.
"You can always come to me, even when you fight with Shika," I teased gently, "…and I'll always be around to listen."
…..
"You look lovely, Nekki-chan," Sora-oba assured me, nervous hands smoothing down the fabric along my shoulders.
My kimono, red with white flowers along the hem and a white obi, was pristine. My hair was brushed into a very neat ponytail, my bangs falling to frame my face and skim my jaw. My teeth were brushed and my face washed, hands too. My shoes were spotless and my stomach, in defiance of my twisting worry, was filled with a hearty breakfast.
I was a mess.
It didn't help that Sora-oba was dressed up as well, not as much as I was, but I was the one trying to make a point here. Sora-oba didn't have to prove herself like I did.
"Ready?" She stepped back and turned towards the door, dropping a kiss onto Ino's forehead and Inoichi' s cheek as she swept past.
"You'll be fantastic, Kiharu," My uncle reassured me as, behind us and stood on the sofa, Ino impetuously declared that I was the best. No pressure, kiddo…
"Thanks!" I managed to squeak, gulping convulsively as we left the house and started down the street.
I'll never fucking forgive myself if I vomit now, of all times!
The petition was being held in the Council's meeting room, on the third floor of the Hokage Tower and, waiting outside for us, were all my leading ladies. Amongst them, Yuri-oba was looking just as pale as I felt but, nowadays, I wasn't sure if that was just because she was still coughing. And Tsume, Tsume was dressed in clothes that looked alarmingly like her Jonin outfit, all prepped and ready to fight dirty.
I tried not to whimper.
We were led upstairs by a bored looking Chuunin and I was pretty sure we wouldn't have to wait too long, my appointment scheduled for nine on the dot and we'd timed it perfectly. Then again, you never knew with bureaucracy.
I did feel a bit better when I saw the very important-looking ledgers in an even more important-looking Kaiya's hands. At least someone will know what they're doing.
They were running 10 nerve-wrecking minutes behind schedule when we were let into the room.
It was a traditional board room, with the Council Members arranged in a long line facing me. They had low tables in front of them, all sat traditionally on the floor.
It felt very like a trial.
Lowering myself into a respectful bow, I introduced myself, comforted by the presence of the women behind me.
"Ohayo gozaimasu, Honourable Elders. I am Dazai Kiharu and I wish to open my own stall in the Market place."
I waited a beat or two before slowly rising and lowering myself into the traditional seiza, sending up a quick prayer that my legs wouldn't go dead before this was over. Shuffling behind me let me know that the ladies had followed suit.
That was one of the worst things about this; not being able to see a friendly face, sitting out in front on my own.
I felt a little too like an offering to feel comfortable.
"Dazai-san, you are, as I understand it, only 10 years of age, correct?" The man in the centre spoke. His glasses and grey hair were…uncomfortably…familiar.
What the fuck was Homura Mitokado doing in the Civilian Council?
"Hai."
"And you do not find yourself too young?" Not a single twitch, of his eyebrow or of anything. The man was a fucking rock. A militaristic one, as well.
"Whilst it may be true that I am young, Elder-sama, I have been baking since I was a very young child and, for the past three years, have sold my wares at Ichiraku Ramen. As my clientele and the demand for my goods have flourished, I believe this is the next logical step."
"Please," I swallowed nervously, "I have prepared a small selection of my wares for you to sample."
Sora-oba, who'd been carrying the tray the entire time (my hands were shaking too much to be trusted with it), gracefully handed the tray to one of the attendants along the side of the room. Small samples of my fresh strawberry tart, matcha mousse cake and other titbits (that wouldn't go cold or melt when we were waiting) were neatly organised on tiny dishes.
Inoichi-oji had said they were beautiful and I focused intently on those words as the dishes were distributed amongst the Council members.
Some of the members shifted slightly, one older woman's brows rising in surprise, at either my words or the food, I couldn't tell.
Did they not fricking read my file? I had to consciously stop my eyebrow from twitching, focusing instead on how a few members took carefully small bites of the cheesecake option.
That's Mikoto's favourite, I mentally chanted, and she's a Lady-
"The Market is an extremely valuable part of our village's economy," A blonde woman leaned forward, cold eyes assessing me shrewdly. She had the same shark-ish feel about her as Kaiya except this woman, I knew, wouldn't hesitate to deal me some real damage. "There are plenty of people of who petition for access to the Market. Why should it go to you, especially a girl of your age? There are plenty of food vendors in that area already."
"If I may," I reached one arm back for Kaiya's folders, who handed them over so smoothly I was impressed she could roll with the punches so quickly. She was the one meant to talk figures, after all. Then again, with Kaiya, I should have known better. "I have here a ledger outlining my profits from the past 3 years, starting with the patents provided to me by Yondaime-sama."
I wasn't shaking at this point.
I was cold and smooth, adrenaline making my eyes even sharper and every touch a deliberate movement. They'd fucking pissed me off when they questioned my right for this, as if I was some spoiled little girl who wanted to play shop. And I wasn't below using the gifts and advantage's Minato had given me before he died. The last Namikazi had been a genius after all; I doubted he hadn't thought of this when he'd done me those favours in his name. And I wasn't afraid of using any means necessary to get this done as quickly and smoothly as possible. Even if it did irk my independence-chip to realise and act on it.
"The Yondaime?" A balding man spoke sharply, the plate in front of him already clean, but I all but ignored him, my eyes boring into Homura's.
He sat back, letting the other member's whisper sharply amongst themselves, but his eyes missed nothing. Even if I didn't already know all he was capable of (well, as much as the limited information provided by the anime/manga allowed me), I would have been wary of the look in his eye. Mentioning the Yondaime could make or break this petition. Whilst he was extremely beloved by the village, I knew that Danzo and the other two had no love lost for him.
What did it mean when a famous Jonin Elder, a teammate of Sandaime-sama and a student of Tobirama, sat in the centre of the Civilian Council like he was a King holding Court?
"Dazai-san, please retire outside whilst we discuss your petition further," Nodding warily, I backed up and rose on slightly numb ankles. "Please leave the ledger and dishes here with us."
The sound of the door closing echoed slightly in the small waiting room we found ourselves in.
Breathing out a shaky breath and, conscious of the thin walls, I broke the silence with a whispered, "Did I do okay?"
As if a dam had broken, the women gathered around me in their various outfits (Tsume was, naturally, grinning like a maniac from where she leaned against the wall in her Jonin uniform) like birds enfolding me in their wings.
"Oh, Kiharu," Yuri-oba murmured into my hair, "Your mother would've been so proud."
…
The peace of the morning, on a quiet and focused Wednesday, was broken by a small girl making a spectacle of herself.
For anyone who recognised her, this itself was not unusual.
The fact she was wearing a violently-scarlet kimono in the middle of the snow-covered village made her all the more eye-catching.
The fact she was screaming with joy, crying messily as she wafted an official-looking scroll around her head like a lunatic as she dashed towards a certain Ramen stand, made her a memorable source of entertainment for those staring out their windows for a break in the monotony.
"Teuchi!" I beamed like the massive mess I didn't give-a-shit-that I was, "Teuchi! I got it!"
The man in question dropped the empty wok he was holding, staring blankly between me and the deed I was furiously hugging. Two Chuunins in the corner watched on, looking vastly entertained.
"You…got it?"
I nodded furiously, accepting the flying hug from Ayame as she squealed and threw herself around the counter and into my arms.
"Congratulations!" The older man roared, louder than I'd ever heard him, and his hand came down to warmly ruffle my hair. It must've ruined my ponytail, one I'd spent ages fretting over this morning, but now I didn't care.
Because I'd gotten it.
Beaming up at the man who made it all happen, I unwrapped one arm from Ayame and stuck it out to him for a hearty shake, which he happily obliged.
"It will be a pleasure doing business with you, Honourable business-partner!"
"Kiharuuuu!" Kotetsu howled behind me and I whirled around to see both boys booking it down the street.
"We just heard in the Hokage Tower that a girl got the deed to the last free Market stall!" Izumo was the first to crash into me, altering his centre of gravity at the last moment so we wouldn't go flying and swung me around in a circle instead. With my face smothered his uniform, I couldn't even muster the usual aggravation at how much the two had shot up recently. Another body pressed into my back and I found myself squashed in a Izu-Tetsu sandwich.
"Was it you? Was it you? Was it you?" Kotetsu chanted desperately and I yanked myself free for a moment to breathe and nod furiously.
"Yatta!" They crowed and I had little doubt that my own grin was just as massive as theirs were.
"Come on! Genma will have a cow if you don't tell him yourself!"
I barely had time to wave back at the father-daughter duo as I was yanked out of there.
"Oi! Genma!" Tetsu led the way to the training ground I'd noticed Genma preferred over the years. And, when I said led-
"Put me down!" I thumped my fists against his back, aiming for where I knew his bony vertebrae stuck out. "I can walk and tell him myself, you know?!"
The Tokubetsu Jonin stopped whatever he was doing (I wasn't exactly in the position to see) and let out a tolerant sigh at his 'ducklings' antics.
"What are you doing to Kiharu, now, boys?"
In his indignation to defend his intentions, Kotetsu let go of my legs and I prepared myself to be reunited with the ground. Via my face. Thankfully, in a blur, Izumo caught me and gently set me upright on my feet.
I always knew he was my favourite, see?
"Nee-chan," I whirled around to face the assassin, completely undeterred, but immediately changed course once I caught sight of who he had been training with.
"Raidou-nii!" I crowed happily, flinging myself across the space and into his embarrassed arms. "I got the deed!" and, to my everlasting bliss, the hug was suddenly happily reciprocated.
"Wow, Kiharu-chan, congratulations!" Raidou smiled, still looking a bit uncomfortable with my blatant acts of affection, but he obviously meant it and that's what mattered.
I ignored Genma's squawking reaction behind me, still miffed that he and Raidou weren't an item. Or taking my attempts as anything other than a joke. Poor Raidou was such a sweet and innocent soul, it was obviously all Genma's fault they weren't happening. Anyway, the greedy pig was probably just thinking of all the Churros I could make him-
….
Once the bliss had worn off a bit, I was supremely embarrassed by the party Sora-oba had gleefully thrown for me that evening.
I couldn't believe I'd thought she was all graceful and serene at one point.
Oba-san invited everyone.
Shisui had Shunshined to a stop half-a-foot in front of me when he arrived and I'd not even had time to blink before I was swept into a massive bear hug, his face in my shoulder where I could feel his grin and his enthusiasm making us rock from side to side.
This, naturally, was one of the extremely few things that could spark Shika into action and the boy had promptly interrupted us, winding Ino up like a toy-master and then setting her off in my direction.
I'd been hit with a rogue bowling ball with less force.
But the floods had then descended, with the next generation Ino-Shika-Cho all demanding to be picked up for a hug. For the sake of equality, seeing how much I saw Ino and carried Shika when he wanted to nap, I chose Chouji to cuddle. Shika looked disgruntled that his plan hadn't worked all the way through – he'd eventually learn about planning for different variables – and I had to act fast to distract Ino from whining.
Thankfully, Chouji really liked Shisui from how often the older boy would tag along to my baby-sitting gigs and was more than happy to be cuddled between us.
I squinted at Yoshino suspiciously when I could've sworn I saw a camera flash.
Everyone was content to simply mill around and chat and, I couldn't contain my smug expression when I saw how happy Mikoto was when everyone accepted her presence so easily. The Uchiha Matriarch was effortlessly chatting with the other mothers, smiling gently, and I closed my eyes for a moment in relief.
Mikoto might just be the saviour of her Clan.
On the other hand, Fugaku was, apparently, stuck in a meeting with the Elders. I'd barely seen the man, except in passing and, whilst the pity remained, I felt increasingly impatient with him. He looked like a hard-ass but I was becoming more and more disappointed at how he didn't leap at the opportunities provided by Mikoto, Shisui and I to better the Clan-Village relationships. We were being nice for a reason, you know! (Well, I had little doubt that we were all try for the same reason, just without any acknowledgement between us)
Thankfully, Itachi had been able to come and was contentedly holding hands with Sasuke, who beamed up at his brother.
Speaking of Sasuke, I briefly saw him introduced to his future academy-mates but was pulled through the crowd to greet Akane-sama before I could crane my neck to see how they hit it off. Well, there were no explosions of Ino's shrieks (love-struck or furious), so I could only presume it went well.
Hana turned up late, covered in grass from training and trailing behind her hyper puppies, who were more than happy to shower me with kisses. With a bit of shuffling, I also managed to get the puppies interested in scenting Itachi and he thankfully proved to be a dog-person. (Imagine if he'd hated them or been allergic? Any change of warming Hana up to him would've been impossible!)
When the Triplets seemed inclined to stay with Itachi for a while, Hana grudging asked him about his genin team, looking like someone was holding a kunai to her neck.
Still, progress was progress and I took what I could get! (Shisui and I snickered into our juice, huddled together, at the picture the pair painted. Oh, I was so getting Shisui in on project GenXRai if this was how much he enjoyed my low-key Hana and Itachi match-up…!)
I was disappointed though that, after everything he'd done for me, Ensui wasn't yet back from Grass. I mean, the older boy had played a huge part in getting me where I was now.
I wasn't even going to think about the Dad-and-Hitoshi-shaped elephant in the room.
And I told myself I didn't have to!
Until they came back a week later.
….
I was in the middle of beating some eggs, just starting my daily baking quota for the evening. I still did all my baking at home and needed to make my stock for Ichiraku; Teuchi' s Fridge was still up the in the air, we hadn't decided if it should stay as a dessert branch in the stall or not.
When the front door opened, I frowned, wracking my brains for who could be coming around at this time, but the pad of paws on wooden floors had me freezing.
"Cub," The panther rumbled, prowling over to me at top speed and thumping his head into my torso. I slowly set the bowl down on the counter, sliding down the cabinet and wrapping my arms around his huge, black shoulders.
"'Toshi," I mumbled, "I got the deed."
Purring loudly and slowly rubbing his head against mine, Hitoshi lowly congratulated me and curled around my huddled figure. Swallowing hard, I remembered that if he was here, then Dad would be back from the Tower soon. We settled down to wait in silence.
I was…furious.
When the door banged open again and Dad – tanned skin dusty from the road, flak jacket ripped and eyes frantically meeting mine – rushed over to us, I tried to keep it in.
I was so happy to see him I could cry.
So, when I opened my mouth to welcome him home, I somehow ended up yelling instead.
"I got the deed, Tou-san," My mouth was twisted bitterly and something ugly was rising in my stomach. "And you weren't here for it."
Before he could reach me, dad froze.
"K-Kiharu," his eyes, soft and bruised in his face, widened with hurt but I'd started this and I told myself I see it through.
He deserved to know how I felt, that was the only way we could maybe move past this. Dad couldn't make more of an effort if I didn't ask him to.
"I know, I know," My fists came up to scrub my cheeks of their own accord and I noticed the Hitoshi had gone completely silent, like a very life-like throw on my lap instead of a real summon. "It's not really your fault, you have to take missions – you're ordered to! – but, Neko-tou-" and here was when my tears finally spilled.
"When are you ever home anymore?"
Dad looked devastated, like I'd punched him in the gut, and his own eyes started watering as he started down at me.
"Nekki," Seiichi lowered himself down in front of me and I started crying even harder at the nickname he'd not called me in years.
"Oh Hime, Nekki, I'm sorry."
And then boiling hot arms curled around be, pulling me to an achingly familiar chest. Even straight from the road, he still smelled of cinnamon and pine.
The both of us sobbed like children and l felt like we'd somehow made a breakthrough.
…
By the summer after I turned 11, things had changed.
After our little heart-to-heart, Tou-san and Genma pulled some strings in the mission office, explaining that, even if I was technically considered a prodigy by most people's standards (which had ruffled more than a few feathers when it came out I wasn't going to be put through the system like Itachi), Tou-san needed to be around more to look after me.
Whilst the in-village duties paid less, Dad and I now both had strong incomes and it wasn't a real issue.
Despite getting the deed in December, it took months to get everything sorted. Despite being the largest Hidden Village, there was a back-log on orders for the resident carpenters and I had to wait for the weather to clear up and them to make time for me for another month, which took us into January.
Then I needed to accumulate all my equipment (I couldn't just strip our kitchen at home) and then spend weeks making a fuck tonne of custom napkins and bags. They were just disposable tissue but there wasn't a company around here that printed things for you, like there'd been before, so I almost killed myself with boredom, stamping and hanging out to dry thousands of napkins and paper bags.
When any of my friends were annoying or the kiddies needed punished, they ended up helping me in some form or another. (Yoshino tried this with Shika but he simple fell asleep on me so, to replace the deterrent of working with me, she made the poor boy join her one her morning runs if he'd been naughty. Exercise, to punish Shikamaru- I cried with laughter-!)
So, after all was said and done, I didn't get to open until it was almost March!
It wasn't too close to Ichiraku's, being in the middle of the main Market (twice as expensive, but worth it), and nestled in between my favourite tea and spice-shop and a stall that sold savoury buns to eat on the go (the pork always smelled divine).
The stall was wonderful though, when it was finally ready. It was quite large, around 8 square meters, with two ovens installed at the back and a massive fridge cabinet. I had splurged on an ice-cream machine as well (how the hell they had that but not a Waffle Pan, I'd never know) and the front counter had a curved glass screen so people could watch me cook.
Like with Ichiraku's, I had banners blocking out the worse of the breeze out front but, unlike the hanging cloth that Teuchi favoured, I pinned mine up, like outside the old café's from before. They were navy blue, with thin white pin-stripes and red ribbons hanging along the edge. It was very Sailor-Moon-esque but I love it.
I called the place "Nekki's" (the name given to me by Noko) and the logo printed on all the bags, the napkins and the sign outside was of a little scarlet cat, curled around a yellow rose.
Call me sentimental, but it felt right.
Opening day was a new level of chaotic, the stall rammed full of my fellow shop-owners (Squeeeeeee, I was a shop owner!) come to scope out the new edition to the neighbourhood and curious customers. Thankfully, loads of my regulars popped their heads in and promised to support both this place and my old Fridge back with Teuchi. Tou-san had dropped in for brunch before he was due back at the mission desk (Hitoshi had disappeared again, I don't even know where that cat was going these days) but I was so happy that he could be there. Genma, along with Raidou and Iwashi (who stubbornly ate next-door's pork buns in the corner), took a two hour 'lunch break' to sample the entire menu and, whilst his little display definitely made people more eager to try stuff, he was also a pain in the neck, asking me to make so many different things for one order.
Talk about chucking me in the deep end.
In other news, I had successfully stopped Raidou's brain and got Genma to call me 'imouto' (YESSS!) when I named the biggest options of the Churro boxes and soft pretzels 'Platoon(s)' (as in "Would you like that in small, medium or Platoon?"), after their Elite Guard formation. They were so cute, blushing like they were 16 again, waaaaa-
Shisui and Ensui had also been camped outside my place at 7am when I came to open up and had yet to leave. (I could have sworn the Uchiha had training today but I didn't bring it up, aside from sending him a knowing smirk, to which he responded with innocently fluttering those annoying lashes of his.) Ensui was sat on the steps outside, enjoying the warm spring breeze and nursing a waffle with matcha ice-cream. Back inside the stand, Shisui was bouncing around, talking to everyone about how young I was and how I'd gotten so far, blah blah blah- so embarrassing!
Mikoto had also popped in to see how I was doing around 11 o' clock and, seeing my harried face (I was only 11, jeeze) had never left, calmly slipping behind the counter to restock the napkins and re-organise the ingredient trays, taking orders and handing out sugared pretzel samples to tide the crowd over.
What an angel!
So yeah, opening day had been crazy and it had only calmed down slightly in the past 3 months. I had been floating ever since, if you ignored the stress of opening my own business, and then, predictably, came crashing back down to earth.
On the last Saturday in June, in a lull in the rush, I popped my head out for a bite of lunch and found Sasuke wandering around the Market place.
"Sasuke!" I called, lifted one arm to wave the almost four-year-old over when his head jerked towards me.
"Hi, Kiharu," The little tyke grumbled, knowing that I started wailing like my dad if he tried to add a suffix to my name. If he wasn't going to call me 'nee-', there was no way he was going be adding anything else to it. He dragged his feet over to me, looking the picture of disgruntlement, and I felt a stab of pity. Sasuke, I had found, was more energetic the more you knew him. When I'd been around when we were younger, Mikoto's youngest had always been a bit quieter. As the years passed, he slowly opened up, even if he was obsessed with ninja and didn't really like much other than tomatoes.
It hurt to see him so upset.
Itachi was out of the village on an escort mission and Sasuke was feeling more and more left out. Poor kid, I couldn't even remember where Itachi had gone this time, everything was so busy nowadays. I knew that Shisui was trying to help him, teaching him how to throw kunai and stuff, but he was gone more and more now as well. Sasuke adored Shisui though – which I thought was hilarious, whenever he shot the older boy down with all the ruthlessness of a sniper whenever his cousin thought he could claim to be stronger than Itachi.
I was expecting Shisui to get into the Bingo book any day now, even if he was only 12.
So, I ushered the younger Uchiha into my stall, getting him to help make Waffles for the rest of the afternoon. By the end of the day, when Mikoto came looking for him, he'd finally let out a tiny smile and I felt a bit better too.
It was a week later that Hitoshi came to get me, as I was closing up for the day, to take me to the hospital.
When I saw Mikoto in the corridor, a sleeping Sasuke on her hip, I paled and broke into a run, grasping her hand as I skid to a stop.
"Hime!" I fretted, "what's happened?" taking in the tear tracks on Sasuke's little cheeks, I paled even further. I didn't remember anything bad happening at this time, was this something new or had been left out of the anime/manga? Who was-
"Itachi-" The Uchiha Matriarch gulped, "-was on a mission to escort the Daimyo to Konoha-"
Oh, shit.
"-the rest of the genin team was killed-" My knees turned to water and I wondered absently if the ceiling was getting lower or if that was just me.
"-activated his Sharingan-"
"-Shisui tagged along with the ANBU back up-"
…..
"Don't stop thinking about tomorrow
Don't stop, it'll soon be here,
It'll be here, better than before;
Yesterday's gone, yesterday's gone.
Oooh, don't ya look back…"
…
A/N- Yo! New chapter, people! As to how I write this stuff so fast? It's a skill honed from years of leaving essays too late, the ability to binge-write 5 thousand words in a few hours (or 9k+, as in this case). Useful, but my mum wouldn't be impressed with its origins. Good thing this stuff is anonymous! This chapter is humongous and it was actually two separate chapters before I just merged the two Word docs. I felt like I wanted the whole issue dealt with in one chapter, even if it may have been more dramatic to split them after the scene with Ino and leave you in suspense a touch longer. But I've got something special planned for 18 and 19 ;) Anyway, you're all gems for being so supportive, so enjoy! X