Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chapter 16: Helping Hand

The metal hand rake moved around the dark brown earth, creating three rows as mounds of dirt were displaced. The top of his brown hat was all she could make out from the corner of her eye. He was having more fun than being useful. But she supposed she knew that well before they started.

"Use the tool, Naruto-kun." She suggested gently. "It will be a pain picking the dirt out from underneath your fingernails later." She held out the end of the rake. Something she was delighted to find in the old garden shed that was once in use many years ago. It was a little rusty but it still did the job.

"When will the stuff we planted grow?" Naruto asked her with more than a little impatience.

"We just put in the potato parts. It's going to take some time."

"How much time?" He asked with a groan.

"A long time," she said with a sigh. Up to seventy days but she was not going to tell him that. "Let's make sure to add more dirt so the potatoes stay nice and warm in the cold."

"Okay," Naruto grabbed the piles of dirt that the rake had pushed and began to add it as a second layer.

"How are things going back at the house?" She asked him in a light tone.

"Okay," Naruto smacked his hands against the soil. "Otosama is really boring."

Sakura bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling. "He's a grown-up. We're all a little boring."

"You're not boring." Naruto transferred dirt from between his hands. He watched as some of it fell to the ground between each round. Faster than sand in an hourglass.

"What are you talking about? You were just bored not even five minutes ago." She reminded him in a teasing tone.

"Oh yeah," he seemed to remember. "But that's different. You're different." He insisted.

"It's just because you know me a little better, that's all. I'm sure if you keep at it, you'll find that your Otosama is not all that boring." She looked at the garden bed. "I think that's good enough for now. Do you want to water the five plants we planted?"

"Yes!" Naruto picked up the small pot by his foot. He held it up high.

"Wait, Naruto-kun!" Sakura held out her hand to stop him. She lowered his wrist, bringing it closer to the plant. "Gently, slowly. Count to ten."

Naruto began to count as he tilted the cup just enough to water the soil.

"Are you trying to be more friendly?" Sakura asked the boy as he lifted the cup so it was no longer tilted.

Naruto pouted. "So boring!" He whined.

Sakura shook her head. "You just have to be patient." She lowered her gaze so that she was nearly eye level with the raised bed. "It's just like waiting for the potatoes to grow."

"I don't like waiting," Naruto grumbled.

"They'll be the best potatoes you ever had, dattebayo!" Sakura said with a grin. "And do you know why?" She raised her pink brows to pin him with a look of inquisition.

Naruto furrowed his brows together. He looked at the mounds of wet dirt. "Because I waited? Because I was patient?" He asked her with fleeting confidence.

Sakura's eyes sparkled as her smile softened. "Because you were patient."

"Will we have a new story tonight?" He asked with unconcealed excitement.

"Not tonight. In a couple of nights, we will. We'll practice reading on the two we have." Sakura promised. The boy nodded his head, content with the arrangement.

It was still dark. She was long accustomed to waking up before the sun. Years before she arrived at the heart of Konoha. Her sandals crushed the loose gravel underfoot. She was hungry. Even with breakfast. It was getting harder to ignore the way her stomach was eating itself. She had not slept last night.

'Maybe I should try that hot water thing.'

Her Okaasan and Obasan did swear by it when they talked about dieting, a million years ago. A lifetime ago.

'Poverty is also helpful in maintaining a slim figure.'

The full water bucket in her hands felt as heavy as ten. She carried it carefully to the stables. The last thing she wanted was to be wearing the water. Then she would be hungry and freezing. A terrible combination of things to be. She ignored the way her stomach turned when she stepped into the warm, yellow light. She was not alone.

'Turn around.'

Instead of listening to the persistent voice in her head, she chose to take a couple more steps into the stable. He looked over his shoulder and locked eyes with her. The bucket nearly slipped out of her clammy hands.

"Good morning," he greeted easily. His elbow was leaning on the wooden, stable door.

Sakura swallowed back the acid that rose up in her throat. She dipped her head to acknowledge the greeting.

"Did you sleep well?" He asked her, seemingly oblivious to her lack of enthusiasm to engage with him.

"Hm," she made a noncommittal sound. She set the bucket down and stood there awkwardly as she waited for him to move.

"You're quite the conversationalist. Has anyone told you that before?" He tossed a red apple in his hands. Her eyes followed as the apple moved up and down. He noticed. "Catch," he tossed it towards her, underhanded.

Sakura caught it with a small yelp that she convinced herself could pass as a sigh. She looked from it to him with clear confusion on her face.

"You gave me twigs yesterday so I figured I would give you fruit today. You know, the part of the tree that people actually want to eat." He said in a light tone. His face was captured in the lines of seriousness.

Sakura frowned. "Did you steal this from Uma-san?"

"What?"

"Did you steal this apple, the one you're giving to me from the horse behind you?" Her jade eyes narrowed slightly as she asked the question. Indignation was starting to cover up her earlier avoidance.

"Kaminari," Minato said flatly.

"What?" Sakura asked with a furrowed brow. Her hand - the one not holding the apple - was dangerously close to coming to her hip.

"The horse, the one you call Uma-san, has a name. And the name is Kaminari." Minato pointed to the very horse in question in the stall directly behind him.

"It's a pretty name," she said in a tone influenced by a state of befuddlement. "Lightening," she smiled. "It suits him."

"And no, I did not steal the apple from Kaminari." Minato studied her. "Being the horse's handler comes with some perks."

'It looks so good.'

Sakura looked at the deeply red apple. It was a small miracle that her stomach did not speak for her. Or that she had not tackled the man for it. She supposed she still had a ways to go before she got that desperate for food.

"I can't accept this," she held it out toward him.

"You already have," Minato said with a sigh. "Stop making it weird."

'I'm the one that's making this weird? Me?'

She bit her bottom lip to keep from gaping at him and his audacity. She stared at the apple as her sluggish mind picked up the pace.

"You know what they say about apples," she looked over at him.

"What?" He asked with raised brows. Now both his elbows rested on the door behind him.

"An apple a day keeps the sensei away," she enlightened him impassively. She gestured with her hand for him to take it. She took in his stance, she saw no give. Sakura gripped the fruit with both hands. She pulled the flesh of it apart. The sound of it being ripped open registered in his ears.

'What?' His eyes widened momentarily, it was so slight that Sakura did not notice.

"We can share," she said. "That way you've given me something. The slate is clean and I don't feel weird about it."

"A compromise," he reached out for the half of the fruit that was being extended.

Sakura settled against the door of the empty stall just to the left of him. She bit into the crispy, yellow flesh of the apple. Her mouth watered. She could not remember the last time she had an apple. It tasted just as good as she remembered, better even.

"How are you feeling?" She asked him without looking at him. She found it easier to talk when she did not have to look at him.

Minato made a noncommittal noise. She was thankful that he did not make mouth sounds as he chewed.

She found his non-answer answer rather frustrating. "Are you trying to make a point?" She asked him blandly. She took a smaller bite of the apple, trying to savor what was left of it for as long as she could.

"Pretty annoying isn't it?" He asked with a humorless smile. It did not reach his eyes. He dusted off his hands. His half of his apple was becoming one with his stomach acid.

"Are you going to be here every morning?" She looked at the ground.

"Is food all it takes to get you to start talking?" He leaned his head against his curled fist. She was pointedly looking away from him. He was not oblivious. "Like I said, I'm responsible for Kaminari. I need to make sure he's being taken care of up to standard."

"What happened to the other horse? The gray one?" She asked him in between bites.

"The general went back to the frontlines," Minato answered. His shoulders tightened slightly as he thought about the war. He was still waiting to hear back from Kakashi.

"Do you think the war will be over soon?" She turned her head to look at him. The earnestness in her eyes caught him by surprise.

"Above my pay grade." He looked on as she bit into the core.

"Were you injured in battle?" Her eyes darted to his left side. His hand moved there instinctively.

"I was," he said with a sigh.

"It's surprising that they had an attendant - sorry, manager - out there fighting." She said with a frown.

"In war, on the battlefield, there is no such thing as a non-combatant." He said with more tightness than he intended.

Sakura flinched. "Sorry."

Minato took in her reservedness. "I'm feeling better. Thank you for asking," he said in a gentler voice. He reminded himself that honey caught more flies than salt. Her jade-colored eyes met his timidly for a couple of seconds.

"Are you in any pain?" She searched his face before looking away.

"No, not any more than I usually am." He answered truthfully.

"Is it weird being back here after all these years?" Sakura asked in a light tone. Her curiosity was not too different from her hunger. The more he shared, the more she craved.

He pressed his index finger to his top lip. His eyes darkened as if he was deep in thought. "Yes and no. A lot is different. But in many ways, things have not changed all that much. Things look the same."

Sakura tilted her head up and stared at the ceiling. The air had become heavy, charged. She was starting to feel lightheaded.

'Maybe I ate too much.'

"The world kept going on without you?" She asked in a tone riddled with wisdom beyond her years.

"Yeah," he nodded his head absentmindedly, not all there. "The world moved on." He cleared his throat. "The rumors must be rampant. The theories as to the sudden arrival." He searched her guarded facade subtly from the corner of his eye.

"I'm sure they are," she tugged at her gray sleeves.

"Care to share?" He asked with raised brows.

"Sorry, I wouldn't know," she looked back down at the ground.

"You don't have your own theories about the Master?" His tone conveyed his skepticism.

"I don't think about him," she said with a shrug, without much thought.

"That's interesting. I've heard some things about you," He rubbed the back of his neck slowly. He did not miss the panic flash across her eyes before she reminded herself to school her features.

"Like what?" Her need to know superseded her sense of self-preservation.

"Like how you're a real busybody. Getting involved in all kinds of things," he answered impassively. His demeanor did not betray the extent of his interest.

"You shouldn't believe in everything you hear," she said with a scoff. She was not unaware of just how her heart rate picked up slightly at his admission.

"Still I find it hard to believe that you have zero opinions on the Master. This entity that seems more omnipotent than human." Minato mused. "I know I was curious before I met him all those years ago."

'If you don't have anything nice to say it is better not to say anything at all.' It was a golden rule for a reason.

"Who the Master is and who he is not is not of my concern," Sakura looked at him without blinking.

"I hear you are close to his son," Minato applied slightly more pressure. It was subtle and minute but it did increase regardless.

Sakura sighed. A fond smile crossed her face. "I'm a placeholder," there was an earnestness to her. "I'm helping to pass the time. Maybe I was not completely honest," she mused as she rubbed her elbow.

"About what?" He coaxed.

"About not thinking of the Master. Maybe I do think about him in the context of being there for his son, for once." She was fully aware that she was opening up to a near-perfect stranger. A stranger who could have her livelihood taken away. But something in his features, had her opening up all the same.

Minato let her words wash over him. "The boy was not abandoned." He said tightly, harshly.

Sakura smiled sadly. "Maybe." She looked down at her rough hands. "But maybe he does not see it that way."

His throat went dry and he felt the air being knocked out of him. He gripped onto his discipline and control.

"I'm sorry," she said after some heavy moments of silence passed by them with neither of them speaking or moving. Occasional sounds from Kaminari were all that kept the silence from closing in and strangling the very air out of their lungs.

"I'm the one who asked," he responded in a voice that he did not quite recognize.

"Thank you for the apple." She tried to steer the conversation back to a safe ground.

"It was nothing," he pressed up against the door. His eyes did not betray any of the inner turmoil growing in him. He crossed his arms. "But now that we shared an apple, don't you think it's time you shared your name with me?"

"Is that all my name is worth?" She blinked slowly. "Half an apple?"

"Does it have a price?" Steely cobalt refused to let her off this easily. He searched her face. "I offered a whole one."

She bit the inside of her cheek. His stormy eyes pulled her in. It was slow at first but now she was at least knee-deep in the cobalt sea. "What's in a name?" Sakura said in a distracted voice. Not all quite there. "Maybe you overpaid." She said in a murmur.

'What has gotten into you?' The voice in her head scolded her.

'This is like pulling teeth.' Minato thought to himself.

Minato patted the back of his head. He cleared his throat. He felt the fabric of his hair wrap. "We're going to be seeing each other every day while the Master stays here. It would be nice to address you with something other than 'servant girl'."

'Just let it go.'

"Or you could just not address me at all." She countered, charging forward like an angry bull. Or was it stubborn? "And I won't pry into if you're really an Uzumaki or not."

His eyes narrowed. "Not all Uzumaki are created equal. Not all are born with a silver spoon in their mouths."

'You don't know the half of it.' The voice in her head sounded almost bitter.

The sudden spike in tenseness in the air was not lost on her. She wiped her sweaty palms on her kimono. Not nearly subtly enough. She felt his eyes.

"I have a lot of work to do," she did not look at him. She moved to the bucket. Minato stepped away from the stall, clearing a path for her.

"Careful," he told her as she slipped through the door, unable to help himself. She turned around to look at him with annoyance. "He's a little picky about who he lets near him. Don't get too close."

Kaminari flicked his long, white tail as if insulted by the insinuation. The display was followed by a forcible exhale through his nostrils.

'I hadn't noticed.'

Sakura merely shrugged before she turned around just in time to hide her frown. She filled the trough with fresh water. Kaminari was there within seconds drinking it loudly, unbothered by her presence. He had taken it upon himself to disprove his handler's claims it seemed. She walked back to the door. She did not read too much into the look Minato was giving her.

"I'll be back with the hay." She announced. She herself was not quite sure who she was announcing it to exactly.

Her face was red and she was a little out of breath but she managed to bring the hay bale all by herself. The fresh, open air and literal distance and time apart cleared up both her head and her mood. She was back to being indifferent. It was a step up from being defensive.

The blond hid any surprise he felt well.

He tossed the paperweight in the air. Both his mind and his actions were not of his own volition. His ears burned with the conversation that took place in the early hours of the morning.

'The boy was not abandoned.'

Defensive. The voice in his head was defensive. He remembered both feeling and acting defensively. She was a stranger. Her opinion did not matter. It was less than nothing. It was inconsequential. He was never one to care about what others said about him. He was confident in who he was as a man.

'Maybe. But maybe he does not see it that way.'

His eyes narrowed as he caught the round, smooth rock. He tossed it up again. The tightness in his chest only grew each time he heard the words.

'But maybe he does not see it that way.'

His fingers curled around the rock. He felt the pressure against his palm. His navy eyes stared out the lone window of the room, out towards the dormant foliage. His shoulders coiled tightly as if they were wound like springs.

She tried her very best not to fidget in place. Her knees had started to ache long ago. Sakura subtly moved out from atop her ankles. She felt relief instantly. Her fingers played the ends of her sleeve. The gray of her kimono was even more muted in the glow of the lantern. She rubbed the back of her neck seeing how adjusting her position did not invite a round of criticism, so she decided to double down.

"Is the girl coming for reading lessons?" Tomoha blew on the cup of hot water in her hands. She registered the surprise in the woman's green orbs.

"A couple times a week as her schedule allows," Sakura admitted. Her eyes wandered the space. Tomoha's quarters were always in an impeccable state. She had yet to find an errant strand of hair on the floor.

"Seems like you've taken it upon yourself to teach all the children in this compound." Tomoha's voice was neither pleased nor displeased. She walked the line of impassive, neutral well.

"You know about that?" The question slipped out before she could bite her tongue.

Tomoha let out a wry chuckle. "I know everything that goes on here. Everything." The woman said with a slight frown. "It is my job to know." She added as an afterthought.

"It just sort of happened." Sakura folded her hands on her knees. "They took an interest in what Naruto-sama was doing. I hope it's okay."

"It's good for Naruto-sama to have interactions with those close to his age." Tomoha took a sip of the water.

"Ambe-san," Sakura looked even more nervous than she had been prior. "I'm sorry about the whole situation earlier. Things just escalated so quickly, Uzumaki-san was losing so much blood. In a way, my brain just shut off and instinct took over. But I want you to know it won't happen again. I am prepared to take full responsibility for breaking the rules. I'll accept any punishment. All I request is please don't fire me and please allow me to see Naruto-sama."

Tomoha nearly rolled her eyes. "The Uzumakis," she pressed her lips together in distaste, "are a particular bunch. He explained to me that it was mostly his fault. Since he is essentially family, there is nothing I can do about him. But you girl," Tomoha saw the girl nearly squirm in place. "You should be more careful. You have less rope. Just enough to hang yourself."

Sakura nodded her head. "I understand."

Tomoha bit the corner of her lip. The action was subtle but it kept her from scoffing. The girl really had no idea.

"The more I learn about Kushina-sama," Sakura's face broke out into a smile. "The more I admire her. The more Naruto-sama makes sense. It seems like being a troublemaker is in his blood."

Tomoha's lips twitched upwards for the briefest of seconds. "That it is." She closed her eyes and pictured a smiling, round face with purple eyes and oh-so-long vibrant, red hair. "She was the life of this place. She made this compound a home. She was the heartbeat."

"She was not here long as the daughter-in-law, a little over a year but I watched her grow up from the ages of six to twelve. She was here more than her own home. She had so much light. She was so full of life." Tomoha's fond expression looked so foreign and out of place on her face.

Sakura's smile slipped off her face slowly. "I really wish Naruto-sama had a chance to get to know her."

Tomoha made a sound of agreement. "There's nothing he wants more. She would have been an incredible mother. She was an incredible mother." Tomoha clicked her tongue. "Much too short. Her time was much too short."

A still blanketed the room. Only the sound of the flame dancing in the slight breeze carried in through the cracked open window was detectable.

"Ambe-san," Sakura's voice was hesitant when she found the strength to break the silence and the grip of their internal thoughts. "Would it be alright if I asked you a question?"

"You probably shouldn't if you know what's good for you." She closed her eyes and took another sip. "But I doubt you do."

Sakura's index finger drew small circles on her knee. "Is it really true that the Master saw Naruto-sama for the first time just recently?"

Tomoha sighed deeply. "It's true." She looked at the blank face of the girl. "You should really dial back your judgment."

"I didn't say anything," Sakura held up her hands.

"Your eyes," Tomoha pointed for good measure. "They said enough. More than enough."

'Well, there's really nothing I can do about that.'

"You don't know the Master. You do not know the Master's upbringing and circumstances. You do not get to judge." She said gruffly, powered by her defensiveness.

"You're right." She bowed her head.

"They are not flat little characters in one of your children's stories where everything always works out in the end. They are real people. They have flaws. They have shortcomings. They have their own demons. The Master is no different. He is not cold. He is not heartless. I will not tolerate you - or anyone - thinking that way about him in my presence." Her tone was clipping.

Sakura nearly brought her hand to her cheek. It felt like she had been struck. Sakura dipped her head even further towards the ground.

"I'm sorry Ambe-san," she muttered. "It is not my place."

"Indeed it is not." Tomoha's eyes took on a distant look to them. "Master's father, the First Master, was a harsh man. He was an ambitious man. He was driven. The Namikaze are different. Do you know what sets them apart from the rest of the nobility of this village?"

Sakura shook her head.

"Lift your neck, girl. I am trying to teach you a lesson." Tomoha ordered.

Sakura complied. She was surprised to find that Tomoha's face was not set in its usual lines of sternness. There was something almost unreliable about her expression.

"The Namikaze are not a clan. They are a family. They came from humble beginnings. The First Master, Naoto-sama, worked for everything that was given to him. He joined the war against Kiri when he was just thirteen years old. He was one of the youngest foot soldiers. He volunteered well before the draft was instituted. He moved through the ranks as he got older. As he rose, the name Namikaze gained recognition. By the end of the war, he was twenty years old. He was awarded this property by the Shogun and Daimyo as a token of their appreciation for his efforts in the war. They would not have won without him. They said that he was one of the best military minds they had ever seen. His mind was only second to his will and bravery."

Tomoha paused to wet her throat with a sip of water.

"I and a handful of servants - all who are mostly gone now - came along with the property. It used to belong to a wealthy merchant. He had no children. The land was reallocated after his death." Tomoha explained.

"Because of the newly gained accolades and property, he now had access to a substantially larger marriage pool. The Daimyo himself arranged for his niece to marry Naoto-sama. They met at their marriage ceremony. She was so kind. She was gentle. She was everything the First Master was not. They had a child within their first year. The Master," she smiled. There was a twinkle in her eye.

"The First Master wanted the Master to supersede him. He wanted him to surpass anything he had accomplished. He wanted the Master to be the Shogun."

Sakura's lips parted as her jaw hung open in shock.

Tomoha nodded her head. "The Daimyo you see, does not get along well with the Shogun. By giving his niece to the First Master, he made the house of Namikaze stronger. He set the house up to eventually overtake the Shogun. But it would take time. The First Master would not be able to do it. But the Second, the Second just might. And that was what the First Master spent his whole focus on. The Master was groomed from birth for this role. It was all he knew."

"And he was a prodigy. He is a prodigy. He picked up things quickly. At just the age of six, he was already understanding concepts that were beyond anything I understood. I have never seen another quite like him. Maybe there will never be one like him. He is a marvel."

There was great pride in her voice. Her whole face was lit up in it. Sakura could only imagine that this was what it looked like when a parent was proud of their child.

"Kushina-sama was the first person to see Master as who he really was, after Master's mother of course. Just a boy. That was what Kushina-sama saw. It was just luck, or perhaps fate, that the First Master agreed to the Master's suggestion that he marry Kushina-sama. The Uzumaki Clan is strong, it is powerful. The First Master saw it as a strategic move to guarantee his bloodline and the hold on this house. He wanted the wealth and power he accumulated to go beyond just one generation. He was tactical and strategic."

"But Master, Master just wanted to marry the love of his life. He did not care about anything else. He did not want anything else. He just wanted her."

Sakura felt her throat go dry. Her thoughts, her ability to think abandoned her. She was left with the crushing weight of it all. She was presented with something she did not fully understand. She was sinking.

"What happened to the Master? The First Master," Sakura asked in a small voice. The air in the room has become suffocating.

"He passed. Not even six months after the Young Master was born. Master in honoring his father's wishes did not come back for the funeral." Tomoha's expression and tone grew as solemn as the implications of her uttered statement.

"I'm sorry," Sakura said for a lack of anything better to say.

"Do you know why I am telling you all this, girl?" Tomoha asked her tersely. The sudden sharpness in her gaze caught Sakura off guard.

'To mess with my head?'

Sakura shook her head instead of voicing the thought that had just raced across it.

"You are immortalizing stories. Stories for the Young Master about the past of his parents. You are helping to fill the hole in his heart. The loneliness inside with who his parents were. Maybe that will help him connect with the parent that still is. Maybe one day it will help the Young Master understand his father better. You have a lot of influence. Do not misrepresent the Master. He is incredible. He has to be. A woman like Kushina-sama would not have fallen for the Master if he was even remotely like the idol you have in your mind."

She felt so small, so out of place under the heat of Tomoha's withering glance. It stripped her down to nothing. Just as Tomoha had called her. She was nothing. She should not be here. Not in this room and certainly not with this responsibility.

"Do you understand me, girl?" Tomoha asked her.

"Ambe-san," she began with apprehension.

"What is it?" Tomoha asked her irritably.

"Why is the Master back? Why now?" Sakura pushed out the question in one breath so she did not chicken out. "Does this mean the war is about to end?"

'Or is he sick? Injured? Dying? Defecting? Was he reprimanded? Stripped of his rank? Is he conspiring with noblemen for a coup?' Her mind raced with the possibilities to explain his sudden appearance.

Tomoha's face became as warm as stone. Her dark eyes glittered with a hard edge. "It is not your place to ask why a man has returned to his own home."

Sakura flinched.

"Just like it is not my place to ask about things that are beyond my meager comprehension." Tomoha nearly spat out. "It would do you well to mind your business and not think of the House of the Master more than I give you permission to."

Sakura nodded her head, not trusting herself to not put her foot in her mouth yet again. The silence was worse than the harsh words and judgment.

"The girl," the intensity in Tomoha's eyes no longer burned straight through Sakura's soul. "The material you are using to teach her to read, they are not the same as the Young Master's correct?"

"Y-Yes," Sakura cleared her throat. It felt like she had been kicked in the head. "She has a more extensive vocabulary. I'm using the books that Chinen-sensei was originally using with Naruto-sama."

"Good," Tomoha's eyes darted to the door. "My intuition tells me you are not a gossip," Tomoha said with a frown. "I trust that you will not prove me wrong."

"I won't," Sakura bowed her head.

"Leave. Come back in two days." Tomoha turned her back to the girl.

Sakura clumsily got up to her feet. The sensation of pins and needles overwhelmed her system. She reached for the wall. She waited for the blood to flow and for her legs to wake up. She walked back to the quarters in the dead of the night, her head spinning with what she just learned.

'What could I have possibly done so horrid and unspeakable in my past life to deserve this?'

The voice in her head sounded like her mother. Even more so than usual. She could picture Mebuki's face asking the very question. Down to the frown line that always developed in the middle of her eyebrows when her gaze landed on Sakura for more than a couple of seconds. If this kept up, she too would develop that same tick.

True to his word, he was there yet again on another morning. Despite his punctuality and consistency nothing about their arrangement was constant. Yesterday he had been nearly completely silent. The day before that he had been talkative. No two mornings were the same. He kept the ground under her feet unstable.

She was not even going to begin to try to process and label the complex emotion welling up inside of her. She felt nauseous, only she knew there would not be a quick remedy. Nor would there be instant relief after a sudden purging of emotion from her system.

'If only I could be so lucky.'

"You were right, Bandana Girl." He said with a slight air of condescension that she was convinced he had no idea it even existed. Or maybe she was just biased. "This stuff isn't terrible." He chewed on the birch bark as he watched her work.

'I hope he chokes on it.'

Picturing it almost made her feel better, marginally. But then she would have to give him the Heimlich which given their size difference and his injury would be rather difficult. Or Kami forbid, if it came down to mouth to mouth, they would both be dead. She sighed.

"Leaves the mouth really dry though," Minato said with a frown.

'Maybe he is an Uzumaki after all. He's got the attitude of a clan member down.'

She certainly was not going to acknowledge the nickname he had given her two days ago. Something told her it would only encourage him. He seemed to like getting under her skin.

'He must be bored out of his mind.'

"Don't take this the wrong way, Minori-san," she said in a slow drawl. "But other than supervising Kaminari's care, what do you do all day?"

"Rest," Minato answered, not completely disingenuously. "I am still injured. Did you forget?"

'As if you'd let me.'

Sakura rolled her eyes. She had the sense to turn her head before she did so. She glided the brush through the horse's stark, white hair.

"You have such pretty hair, Kaminari-san," Sakura patted the horse on his neck fondly as she whispered the compliment. He nickered in response.

"How did you notice his limp?" Minato could not help but feel a tinge of betrayal at the horse's antics.

"He was favoring one of his legs," Sakura answered disinterestedly. "The nail bed has completely healed. He can be ridden now without restrictions." She took a couple of steps back from the horse. "You're welcome to check for yourself, Minori-san."

"I'll take your word for it, Bandana Girl."

'I can't believe I ever thought his voice was pleasant. It's annoying. As annoying as the rest of him.'

She threw the brush into the bucket at her feet with more force than necessary. It rattled against the other tools in there before it settled down. He shot her a less-than-impressed look.

"That's expensive," he chided her.

"Sorry," she grumbled under her breath.

"You're mumbling Bandana Girl. What was that?" Minato brought his hand to his ear.

'For the love of Kami.'

"Sakura," she said in a small voice.

Minato's frown grew in size.

She found a part of her bristling at the look on his face. "I get it okay? My name doesn't suit me." She nearly spat out heatedly.

'It doesn't suit me because I'm ugly.'

"It really doesn't," Minato agreed in what he thought was a dry joking manner.

'It doesn't suit you because you're not delicate.'

He handed Sakura the pitchfork. She began to break up the hay. She could feel his eyes on her while he worked. She had still not found a way to deal with it with grace. It was distracting. Twice she had nearly dropped all the hay from the end of the tool.

'Small talk might help.'

At this point, she was desperate enough to try nearly anything. She did not know what to make of him. He kept changing just when she thought she had him figured out. People fell into categories for her. But Minori, Minori was a little bit of everything. She could not decide where he fit in her neat little boxes made out of her sense of self-preservation. And that terrified her. Because if she did not know where he fit and what he was, she could not protect herself against him. She could not slip on a mask to get him to leave her alone. Because for some Kami-forsaken reason, he had taken an interest in her. And that did not sit well with her.

"The Master must really trust you," she began her attempt at something that was decidedly not small talk.

'Thinking about him now, are you?' The wry voice that sounded suspiciously like his called out into his mind.

Minato crossed his arms. "What makes you say that?"

"A man's horse is the one thing he can always count on, especially during hard times such as war. If the Master trusts you with his horse it is not that much of a stretch to assume he trusts you."

His visage was that of stoic calm. His expression did not betray anything other than the fact that her observation left him guarded.

"How do you know so much about men and their horses?" He asked her in a voice more gruff than the situation called for.

"My Otosan answered the draft for my family." She lifted another forkful of hay to the feeder. "His horse, Kaze, was his closest companion. Kaze kept my Otosan tethered to home. It was his connection." Sakura sighed as she remembered the heartbroken look on her father's face when he said goodbye to his faithful steed. He had cried. It was only the second time in her life she had seen her father cry.

Minato's cobalt irises lowered to the ground. "The Master does trust me." He said after some time. After he had measured his words. "I occasionally have his ear." He watched her back as she worked. "Does that mean anything to you?"

Sakura shook her head. "Not to me. No." She bit her lip.

'Might mean something to Naruto-kun, though.'

"Are you close to the Master's son, Minori-san?" She asked him without turning around as she continued her task.

Minato frowned. "No." His stomach burned at the truth she forced out of him.

"Why not?" She asked with genuine curiosity. "He's an easy kid to like and want to get to know."

'You would know.' He inwardly scoffed. "I have not met the Young Master."

Sakura looked over her shoulder at him in slight surprise. "You're family, aren't you? No matter how distant. Surely that means something." It would mean everything to Naruto. To the boy who craved family and connection. It seemed odd to her that he was kept from what family he did have.

"I don't want to confuse him. The Master is trying to bond with him. I can't get in the way of that." He answered with hints of sincerity.

"Hm," the answer seemed to satisfy her. She returned to her work once again.

"Can I ask you something, Sakura-san?" He took a step forward. He rested his forearms against the wooden stable door.

"Sure."

"What tasks do you do around here?"

"Um," Sakura scratched her scalp through her bandana. "I get the eggs in the morning, do laundry every other day, move the food into storage, do the dishes, tutor Naruto-sama, and this I suppose."

"You can read?" He feigned surprise in his voice.

She turned around. "I can do math too," she looked less than impressed at his surprise.

"That's not very common for the labor class." He stated the fact without added air or attitude.

"Not all labor class people are created equal." She spared him a reflective look.

"I suppose that is true." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"My Okaasan actually taught my Otosan how to read." She rubbed the back of her neck. Her father was a laborer. He came from a family of laborers. Their hands were designed to hold farming tools not books is what her father used to say to her when she was pouring over medical scrolls.

"You must understand the Young Master pretty well. I heard horror stories from his uncle and father just how much of a handful that boy is."

"He's just young and spirited," Sakura smiled at the ground. "He's definitely teachable."

"That's good," Minato said with a relieved sigh. "It wouldn't do to have a Master who can't read."

"Minori-san?" Sakura looked at him with a hand on her hip. "Naruto-sama likes ramen." She stated simply.

The stoic mask slipped to reveal genuine surprise. He leaned forward. "Pardon?"

"Naruto-sama likes ramen. And he likes toads. And the color orange. He likes sleeping. He likes stories, especially with hime. He likes to play. Red bean soup too. He doesn't like his vegetables but Ambe-san is working on that. He doesn't like waiting. He really dislikes bullies. He just wants someone to spend time with him and be there for him consistently. He only needs to be shown a little bit of love before he makes someone his. Just make an effort. It will make all the difference."

Minato's mouth went dry. It took him a moment to find his voice. It took him longer still to find the words. "Why are you telling me this?"

"You have the Master's ear, right? Maybe you can help. Even if it's only occasionally." She stepped to the door.

He took a step back wordlessly. He watched her walk out of the stall in a state of shock. For every one question she answered, she posed three more in its place. For everything he learned about her, the more confused he became.

'Just what are you, Sakura?'

Please review. Thank you!