Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chapter 22: Parting of Lips, Flutter of an Eyelid

Sakura studied the girl closely. She was quiet. Uncharacteristically so. Sakura sighed. She closed the book in front of her. Rin blinked up at her in surprise.

"Rin-chan," Sakura read the non-verbal communication from Rin. It gave her a clear picture. "What's wrong?" Sakura asked in a voice twisted with gentle patience.

"N-Nothing," Rin stammered. Her chocolate orbs stayed firmly trained on the scroll on her lap.

"Rin-chan," Sakura rubbed her forehead before she tugged her bandana over her brows. "You're making mistakes. It's not like you. Where is your head preoccupied?"

To her horror, Rin burst into a fit of tears at her question. "Rin-chan!" Sakura shuffled closer to the girl, walking on her knees. She sat back on her heels. "Hey," she said gently as she timidly reached out to touch the girl's shoulder.

"O-Oneechan," Rin wailed miserably. "All I'm good for is making mistakes." Rin worked out through a mess of tears, sniffles, and snobs.

It took Sakura a moment to work out what she said. Sakura rolled onto her feet. She moved around the room. She was back within less than a minute. She handed Rin a cup of water.

"Drink." Her voice left no room for argument.

Rin nodded her head. She sipped on the glass. And blew her nose into the cloth Sakura held out for her.

Sakura's jade eyes were colored with concern. "What happened, Rin-chan?" She asked gently.

"I was in the main house," Rin paused to gather herself, catching herself before she fell apart again. "And I kept doing everything wrong."

"Main house? "Sakura asked with a frown. "Why were you in the main house, Rin-chan?"

"Tsuhi-sama," she nearly whimpered the name. "The niece saw me in the courtyard with the boys. She called me over and told me to draw a bath. I couldn't say no."

Sakura made a sympathetic sound. She refilled Rin's cup. The brunette nodded in thanks. She took a couple of sips of the cool water. Her breath was still not completely back to normal.

"The first time the water was not hot enough. The second time it was too hot. The third time," Rin's eyes filled with tears, "she started to get really angry. She said so many mean things. I was so nervous -"

"She yelled at you?" Sakura failed to completely keep her outrage from her voice. It took Rin reacting negatively to the cadence of her voice for Sakura to soften. "I'm sorry," she squeezed the girl's forearm in a gesture to communicate that she would do a better job of listening.

"I finally got the ratio right the fourth time but she was so, so, so angry. She wanted rose petals and oils in her hair. It was awful! I didn't know which ones to use. I couldn't even put it on her correctly. I've never had oil in my hair! I don't know what it's supposed to feel like. She got even angrier. She accused me of trying to ruin her hair because I was jealous." Rin's eyes were wide. "She won't tell Ambe-san will she? I didn't mean to do anything wrong. I didn't know and she didn't tell me! I didn't even know that water can be too thin! Oneechan!"

"It's okay," Sakura said levelly, staying calm for the girl who was on the verge of hyperventilating. There was no place for anything other than temperance or tranquility in the room. "You'll be fine. Nothing will happen to you."

"Oneechan?" Rin peered at her through her tears clinging to her assurances with desperation.

"You didn't know," Sakura said gently. "Ambe-san won't punish you." She smiled reassuringly.

"Are you sure?" Rin asked her with disbelief.

"You're a child, Rin-chan. It was an honest mistake. What kind of monster would insist on punishing a child for one mistake?" Sakura asked her gently, lifting Rin's chin so that the girl was meeting her gaze. "If you can't make mistakes every now and then during your childhood then when can you?" She asked rhetorically with an airy hum.

"I don't know," Rin murmured.

"Did she ask your name?" Sakura asked her softly. Rin shook her head. "Great. If she makes a fuss we'll just say that your name is Sakura." She said with a slight joking air.

"You'd do that?" Rin asked with an open mouth.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you, Rin-chan, and prevent this from happening. The least I can do is take responsibility." Sakura smiled apologetically at her. "I'm sorry I didn't back up my words."

Rin shook her head. "Oneechan! You were with Naruto-sama. It all happened so fast there was nothing you could do."

"Maybe," Sakura sighed. She saw the traces of crestfallenness that refused to leave Rin alone. "Seriously, Rin-chan don't worry about it. Even I wouldn't know what to do in that situation. Where did you find rose petals?"

Rin lowered her eyes. "I just ripped some flowers from the garden - camellias I think - and hoped she wouldn't notice."

"Did she?" Sakura asked with contained amusement, trying very hard for Rin to lighten up.

Rin shook her head.

"And the oil?" Sakura bit the inside of her cheek to keep from giggling.

"I just brought back what I could get my hands on from the main house kitchen," Rin admitted sheepishly. "The ones that didn't smell fishy."

"Sorry," Sakura stifled a snicker and shook her head, clearing her person of her amusement. "You thought quickly on your feet, that's a great skill to have." Sakura beamed at her with pride.

"I have a lot of practice. The boys keep me on my toes," Rin tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"You handled the situation beautifully," Sakura declared without any doubt. "Much better than I would have." She stretched her arms over her head. "If she asks for you again to draw her bath or do anything for her, come find me no matter what I'm doing. I'll take care of it." She winked at the girl.

"Oneechan?" Rin stared at her in slight surprise.

"I'm bored out of my mind sitting around all day, Rin-chan." Sakura grinned with more mirth than she felt. "I could use some excitement."

"Trust me, Oneechan," Rin's solemn face regarded her. "No one is that bored."

"Water was too thin?" Sakura asked skeptically, giving Rin a sidelong glance.

Rin burst out laughing. Sakura threw her head back and joined in merrily. Rin's giggles lifted Sakura's spirits. She finally understood the old proverb. Laughter really was the best medicine. Both of them felt magnitudes better. So much so in fact, that they continued Rin's lesson where the girl did not make a single mistake. A fact that Sakura highlighted and celebrated, causing Rin's face to turn bright red at the praise. She left Sakura's room practically skipping and that filled Sakura with a lightness that she wished she could bottle and save for a heavy day.

It was a new day but he found himself in a slight variation of yesterday's nonsense. Minato smiled as Kin looked up at him from underneath her lashes, which were long now that he had been forced to think about it.

'Is she pretty?'

It was an innocent enough question. Kin was tall. Kin was slender while still being womanly. Kin had smooth, clear skin. Kin had long, beautifully kept raven hair. Kin had full lips. Kin had all her teeth. All of Kin's teeth were white and straight. Kin's face was without blemishes or scars. Kin walked with grace and confidence - unless she was pretending to be clumsy. Kin came from a decent family when all things were considered. She had all the qualities that were heavily sought after.

He had answered her question truthfully. Nothing more and nothing less. Objectively speaking, Kin was conventionally considered pretty, maybe even beautiful. In theory. But as he stood next to her, trapped in her clutches, he was not seeing the appeal. Not even remotely. The lunch together had somehow transformed into a post-lunch walk together. Naruto had run off the second he cleared his plate to go to his afternoon lesson with Sakura. Minato was aware that it was less than noble that he used his five-year-old son as a buffer with respect to the raven-haired woman but he was quickly reaching the end of his patience.

He tilted his head back slightly. He kept one ear on and engaged with what was coming out of Kin's mouth. She was sharp. She would not be placated by simple smiles and his mere presence. She expected engagement. She expected his engagement in conversation would eventually lead to an engagement of a different level. He was not stupid. And unfortunately, neither was she. They both knew her intentions and yet it was a dance to see who would bring it up first.

This was something that Danzo had planned probably since the moment Kushina's coffin was lowered into the ground. Power and status were two things the man was not born with. Naoto, his father was able to secure it and Danzo was still trying to secure it for himself. It was all clear to Minato. He was expected to dance. He was expected to participate so he did. So he was.

"Konoha is so beautiful," her hand around his bicep flexed slightly as she pulled his attention and his gaze. "So different from the Ongaku." A small village located somewhere in the northeast of Fire. Near the border.

"The Ongaku has less green," Minato noted with a nod. "Konoha is less rocky. Fewer cliffs."

"Have you been to Ongaku before?" Kin asked him in surprise.

"Briefly," Minato was beginning to regret opening his mouth. "Only for a few days. My garrison and I were passing through."

"Well," Kin said in a voice that could be deceived as sultry. "Next time you're in Ongaku maybe I can show you around," she giggled into her hand as if caught off guard by her own forwardness. Her pale cheeks were dusted with pink.

"Maybe," he said with the dip of his head.

"It must have been so lonely being out at war all these years," her hand migrated from his arm to his chest. She stopped walking. She was close enough that he could feel her body heat.

"At times," he admitted without emotion. Her perfume tickled his nose.

'It was peaceful.' He now understood what Shikaku had meant about war being peaceful.

Her red-painted lips pulled into a grimace. Her eyes were solemn. "I pray every day that this war be over soon so you can come back home and restart your life."

Minato opened his mouth. A loud exuberant shriek reached both of their ears. His mouth clenched close just as his heart rate picked up.

'Naruto? What's he doing here? He's supposed to be back at the house.'

Panic was the tone of his internal voice. He felt his palms begin to sweat.

"Naruto-kun! Get back here right this instant!" An all-to-familiar voice shrieked loudly indifferent to who was listening.

His heart stopped completely in his chest. Right behind the boy was Sakura chasing after him. They were close. Less than five yards away. He watched in slow motion as the boy noticed him. Naruto's face broke out into a grin that stretched from ear to ear.

"Tochan!" He exclaimed in excitement, the moment their eyes met.

The small blond blur raced towards the spot where he stood like a tree, stationary. Minato could not take his eyes off of her. She had frozen in place much like him. When she recovered she fell into a deep bow at the waist.

"Tochan!" Naruto tugged at his clothes. "That's my friend Sakura!" He pointed to the bent frame of Sakura. "She's really nice. She's really smart and she's really pretty." Naruto said animatedly in his great excitement. Minato kept his eyes trained on Sakura trying to gauge if she was within hearing shot of the boy's considerably lower volume levels.

Minato saw Kin move from the corner of her eye. She regarded Sakura. Kin's dark eyes moved over Sakura's scrawny frame that was swimming in her faded and well-worn clothes. Kin's red lip curled downward in dismissal. Minato kept his mouth shut. His heart was pounding in his ears. Sakura had not looked up at him but she would surely recognize his voice if he spoke and if she was within range. He also did not trust himself to speak at that moment. He was having trouble thinking past the panic of his mind.

He felt Kin's eyes on his person. She was waiting for him to take charge, to say something. As was Naruto. Naruto was tugging his hand. The motion did nothing to jerk his brain and body into motion. Everything was still very much delayed and muddled.

Kin took a step forward. She blocked Sakura from Naruto's line of sight. The woman was still standing in the middle of the gardens, looking woefully out of place in the barren landscape.

"That's nice, Naruto-kun." Kin smiled at the boy. "Do you want to join your Otosama and me on our walk?" She offered brightly.

"Tochan," Naruto said adamantly. "I like her." He added almost desperately, ignoring Kin entirely.

Minato furrowed his brow. His eyes darted from Naruto's hopeful face and the still-bowing Sakura. Kin followed his gaze. She cleared her throat.

"Servant?" She addressed Sakura loudly enough to eliminate all possibility of not being heard. Minato did not miss the way Sakura's whole body stiffened. Kin's voice lost the bell-like quality he was accustomed to hearing. She forgot to lilt it. It was cold enough to send a shiver through him.

Minato kept his lips from pulling into a frown by biting the inside of his cheek. Naruto was looking at him expectantly. Minato watched with bated breath as Sakura stepped forward. Her head was bowed low. She had not looked up once.

"Take Naruto-kun back to his Sensei. He's supposed to be at his lesson." Kin commanded.

Naruto puffed his cheeks in a clear ramp-up to let Kin have a piece of his mind. Minato's sharp look had his cheeks deflating just as quickly as they had inflated. Naruto took a couple of steps back. There was clear disappointment set in his features. Disappointment at his father's silence. Naruto did not fight Sakura's hand that circled around his wrist.

Sakura bowed again at the waist. Minato did not recognize her posture or mannerisms. It was so meek. So demure. So subservient. She tugged on Naruto's wrist subtly but Minato did not miss the action.

"I'm sorry, Tsuhi-san. Otosama," Naruto grumbled out a less-than-genuine apology.

"You may go, Servant. We'll see you later Naruto-kun," Kin offered the boy a smile. He glowered at her with hard eyes.

Minato watched as Sakura led Naruto back in the direction that they had come. Not once did she look up from her sandals. The sounds of Naruto's whines and Sakura's scolds were like music to his ears. She had not waited long enough before beginning to reprimand the boy. They both sounded like themselves again.

His smile only fell off his face when he was alone once again with Kin.

"Namikaze-sama," Kin's expression was serious. There was an annoyed edge to her as well.

"Yes, Tushi-san?" He found his voice again. His lungs were able to expand to capacity once more.

"Do you find me beautiful?" She asked the question point blank.

His voice abandoned him just as suddenly as it had come back. He was surprised at her frankness, at her openness. It was bold of her to ask him such a question.

"Pardon?" He cleared his throat. He was still coming down from the frenzy of what could have happened and how badly everything could have gone for him for his brain to be working close to normal capacity.

"Do you find me to be suitable?" Kin pressed on without embarrassment or hesitation. Two things that Minato felt. "I know," she sighed deeply. "I know my hair isn't red. But it is long. It is beautiful. It may not be the same as your late wife's but it is no less beautiful." Kin's dark eyes bore into his.

Minato blinked at her, dazed.

"My eyes may not be violet but they are big and they are almond-shaped," she blinked slowly accentuating the length of her long thick lashes, drawing his eye in. "I hope you do not find me crass and too direct, Namikaze-sama," Kin's expression was solemn. "I would make a good wife. I will be a good wife. One that would make her husband very happy and very proud." She raised her eyes to his. He felt the full weight of her gaze. The heat, the scrutiny, the honesty, the promise, the lust, he felt it all at that moment.

"I don't doubt that, Tushi-san." His tone was smooth and gentle, forgiving. The way her eyes lit up was not missed on him. He pushed down the unease building in him. "I'm not ready, Tushi-san. I am still dealing with my loss."

Her face fell instantly at his words which only made his guilt rise in return.

"I'm sorry," he apologized genuinely. Dealing with rejection from someone was not something he enjoyed doing.

Kin said nothing. She turned away from him. Her whole demeanor was closed off.

"Shall we continue our walk?" Minato asked her lightly without looking at her, allowing her time to compose herself if she needed it without the added pressure of being watched.

"Forgive me Namikaze-sama," she said in a quiet voice. "I'm feeling tired. Maybe we can continue our walk tomorrow?" Her small smile did not reach her eyes.

"Of course," Minato nodded his head in understanding. "Please rest. I hope you feel better soon."

"Thank you," she muttered.

The walk back to her room was quiet. Not once did their bodies make contact, accidental or intentional.

"Naruto?" He addressed the back of his son. The churning of his stomach was beginning to make him queasy. He tried not to entertain the thoughts in his head. The thoughts that told him he had undid nearly two months of progress in one moment of silence.

Naruto did not look up from the sheet. Minato could see figures. Naruto was doing math. He was silent just as he had been at dinner. No one had really spoken. Not Kin, not Danzo, and not Naruto. The unspoken conversation Minato had with Tomoha was the extent of what was said.

Minato kneeled down next to Naruto's chair. His throat was tight. The boy was upset, no doubt over what transpired this afternoon. The unfriendly set of his son's shoulders and face was the very real price of his inaction. He was disappointed in him. And that crushed Minato hard enough that it was difficult to breathe. .

"What are you working on?" Minato asked him in a light tone despite the heaviness in his chest.

"Math," Naruto answered tersely.

"You're getting good at math," the smile pulled at his lips felt unnatural. "Did you learn anything new?"

Naruto nodded his head. His eyes focused on the next math problem on the page. One plus five. Minato watched in silence as the boy drew a six in the blank space.

"Do you want to share with me?" Minato asked again with the same amount of enthusiasm and hope.

Naruto shook his head. He shuffled the page under his wrist. He did not pause before answering the next question.

"Are you upset with me, Naruto?" Minato asked him gently. "It's okay if you are. You can tell me. I won't be mad." He paused. "You can always tell me what you're feeling. I will always try my best to listen." He swallowed thickly as he held his breath.

Naruto's hand stopped moving. Only the fluttering of his blond lashes along with the slight rise and fall of his chest were any indications of proof of life as the seconds ticked away in Minato's head. His fingers curled into a tiny fist. He turned his head. His blue eyes blazed with determination when he regarded his father.

"I don't like Tushi-san," Naruto stated firmly. "I don't want Tushi-san as my new Okaasan."

"N-Naruto?" Minato said his name, completely taken aback at what he had just uttered. The pieces started to come together for him. "Is that why you're upset?"

"You can't pick her Tochan!" Both of Naruto's hands were curled into fists now. "She's mean!"

"Naruto, that's not a very nice thing to say." Minato shook his head. "I'm," he took in the boy's defeated stance. "I'm not looking for anyone right now." He willed his voice to remain calm. "I want to take my time and get to know you. Just you," he offered the boy a reassuring smile.

"So you're not looking for a new Okaasan for me?" Naruto asked him guardedly.

"No," Minato answered firmly. He brought his hand to Naruto's shoulder.

"Are you sad?" Naruto's eyes bore into his.

"No," Minato answered. "I have you, how can I be sad?" he smiled. He did not have time to react. Naruto launched himself at him. The boy wrapped his arms around Minato's neck. He swallowed the lump in his throat and blinked back his tears as he hugged his son for the first time.

He set down the steaming cup of tea on the table. The hot liquid spilled off the sides of the ceramic cup glazed in an olive green. It splattered on the dark wooden table, hand-engraved with intricate floral patterns.

"You bring me more excuses?" Danzo's eye, as hard as coal narrowed dangerously as he sneered at his niece sitting across from him. "As to why you can not hold up your end of the deal?"

Kin straightened to the accusation. "It is not my fault." She held his gaze with a heated expression.

"I gave you everything you asked for. I funded everything you wanted: perfume, clothes, shoes, oil for your hair, paint for your face. I gave you everything. And now you have the audacity to tell me you're done? After giving me nothing, girl." His tone was low, dangerous. It was the same that had sent many scurrying away in fear for their lives before his accident. Before he was cut down in his prime.

"He still loves her!" Kin shot back. "There is nothing I can do. He is not ready to move on. And I can't wait my whole life for the possibility. My youth won't last forever." Kin explained without blinking.

Danzo scoffed. Her red lip matched the red silk kimono she was wearing. The very expensive kimono that she was wearing.

"Do you honestly think you can do better than marrying the future Shogun?" He narrowed his eye. "This is the best possible match for you. You can correct the fates of all of your future generations if you just stay the course as we planned. As we talked about."

Kin crossed her arms over her chest. She leaned back further on her heels. "I have a prospective match. It is a good one. In the Uchiha Clan."

"Marrying a no-name Uchiha is nothing. It is setting your sights too low." Danzo kept a white knuckle grip on his anger. He needed her. He needed his niece to cooperate. As much as it pained him to admit it. "It is a mistake if you go through with it."

"It is being realistic," Kin hissed. "Something you always taught me. I'm going to say yes to the match. Kindly do not stand in the way of it. I am not going to waste my breath to ask you to give your blessing to Otosama to finalize it."

"Is your mind made up?" He asked her coolly. His red-hot fury cooling into something more sustainable.

"It is," Kin looked down at her hands.

"I will give my endorsement," his scratchy voice blanketed the room. "On one condition." Danzo recognized the suspicion in her eyes. It brought a smile to his lips. She was a clever girl. "You give me some time."

"How much time?" Kin asked him with her walls still up despite her growing interest.

"Give me six months," Danzo answered confidently. He held up his hand at Kin's bubbling protest. "I will find you a better match myself within the Uchiha Clan if your suitor cannot wait that long. You have my word."

"You think Namikaze-sama will change his mind?" Kin asked with a furrowed brow.

"I cannot speak to that," Danzo said with a sigh. "But certainly circumstances can be changed."

Kin felt fear grip her at the sinister look on her uncle's face. It was unnerving. He was unnerving. She suddenly remembered why she avoided him like the plague when she was younger.

"Alright," she voiced her agreement. "I will give you six months. I hold you to your word."

She paused as she looked around the tidy tea room. There were so many ornate details to look at.

"I will cut my visit short. I will leave today. I will not return until you can guarantee that Namikaze-sama is willing to accept a wife." Kin brought her eyes to his lone eye sharply.

"My word is binding." Danzo dismissively put her apprehensions to rest. "Have safe travels back, Niece."

"Thank you, Uncle." Kin dipped her head before she rose to her feet. She left the tearoom shortly after to let her uncle finish his tea in peace. She made her way to her quarters to pack. Her uncle would arrange for a carriage to take her back. He excelled at planning.

"Oh! Good evening, Ambe-san." Sakura held open the door to the bathhouse to the woman who was just about to enter as she was leaving.

"Sakura," Ambe dipped her head. She took in the damp handkerchief around Sakura's head and the water droplets dripped down her neck only to disappear in the brown towel that was laid across her shoulders.

"How are you doing with the cold?" Sakura helped the woman carry her hot water back into the bathhouse.

"Much better," Tomoha admitted with a sigh. She hung her towel and the clothes she was to change into on the hooks. "The bitter leaves are helping."

"I'm so glad to hear that," Sakura's eyes shone with genuine relief.

"Is the girl coming for a lesson tonight?" Tomoha asked her casually.

Sakura furrowed her brow. She corrected her surprised expression for about a few seconds.

"We actually already had the lesson, we had to move it around this week." Her jade eyes never left Tomoha's face.

"What is it?" Tomoha asked her impatiently.

"I can teach you if you'd like," Sakura offered in a timid manner. She was clearly trying not to offend Tomoha.

Tomoha laughed wryly. "I am in my sixties, dear. What can I hope to possibly gain from learning how to read now?" She asked rhetorically without bitterness.

"It's never too late to learn," Sakura said with a smile.

Tomoha pressed her lips into a bloodless line. She watched as the sureness waned from Sakura's face.

"Go back inside before you catch a head cold from walking around with wet hair and create more work for me," Tomoha said with a gruff scoff.

Sakura smiled. She saw nothing but warmth in Tomoha's eyes. "Yes, ma'am." She made a show of bowing before leaving the bathhouse.

"That girl," Tomoha muttered under her breath. She pulled the stool closer to her as she set about removing her clothes. Her knees and wrists moved painlessly despite the cool chill in the air.

The cawing of a crow rang overhead. There was a rustle of feathers in a flurry in response. Angry beaks opened to unload their grievances at her in the form of an asynchronous chorus. They demanded her attention. They followed her around as she moved through the fenced enclosure.

Sakura held the metal platter full of birdfeed above her head as the chickens clucked underfoot. She was mindful of where to step. Thirteen chicks were pecking at her ankles in curiosity. They were incredibly precious. Both she and Naruto were obsessed with them. Sakura set the feed on top of the flat hutch. She grabbed the basket containing the eggs she had gathered into her arm.

The crow continued to circle overhead. Lazily.

Sakura closed the latch on the fence. She turned her head in the direction of the secondary kitchen. An aggressive shriek and angry flurry of alarm had her setting down the basket gently and running back to the fence. She closed the door behind her.

"Shoo!" She waved her arms up in a sweeping motion toward the sky. "Shoo!" She shouted angrily. She alternated between scaring off the crow and trying to usher the chickens and their chicks back into the safety of their home.

"Go away!" She flailed her arm over her head, glaring furiously at her adversary.

"That's one way out of a conversation," a deep, soothing voice colored with amusement said.

Sakura froze with her hands above her head. She closed her eyes.

'Maybe if I stand still he'll get bored and leave.'

"Are you pretending to be insane?" Minato tilted his head. His teasing smile grew in size as he saw her shoulders stiffen. "Because it's very convincing if you are." He offered oh-so-helpful feedback.

Sakura lowered her arms. She whirled around and pinned him with a glare. "There was a crow," she pointed up. "It was going after one of the chicks." She pointed to the ground.

Minato tilted his head up. His cobalt blue eyes scanned the expanse of the dreary sky. His eyes eventually landed on her flushed-with-embarrassment face.

"Really? I don't see anything."

"It was there," Sakura crossed her arms. She ignored the chick that was pecking at her ankle. His warm, inviting eyes made it hard to focus on anything else.

"If you say so," he said with clear disbelief. "Did this one talk too?" He smiled sunnily at her. "Or is that just your unflattering nickname for me?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." She said in a huff. The way her left eye twitched gave her away. "And that wouldn't even make any sense!" She pointed out the obvious. "Your hair is yellow, not black." She really did not understand his thought process. Unless he meant something darker, which she did not even want to entertain.

"It could be an ironic nickname."

"What?" She furrowed her brows. "Why…what?" She blinked at him in a total loss. "There was a crow!" She said lamely with waning conviction, bringing them right back to where they started only he was more amused and she was that much more flustered. "Beak, wings, talons, and everything." She added fuel to the fire of mortification that burned in her.

"Right," he squinted his eyes and looked upwards.

Sakura's hands found her hips. "Are you calling me a liar?" She narrowed her eyes at him in an open challenge.

"You jumped to that conclusion yourself." He held up his hands. "I just agreed with you."

"Don't you have better things to do, Minori-san," Sakura asked him in a huff, "than to make fun of me?"

Minato tapped his chin as if he were deep in thought. She followed the movement of his eyes as they migrated from side to side.

"No," he said with a large grin, cheekily.

Sakura turned on her heel, presenting her back to him. The act solicited a rumbling chuckle from Minato. Sakura bit her lip to keep from smiling. The sound heated her cheeks for a very different reason. The chick at her ankle had lost interest. It was picking at the ground not too far from her.

"I thought I told you to take it easy," Minato called out. Not entirely ready to end the interaction.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "I'm feeding chickens. Hardly back-breaking work."

"You have a problem with authority don't you?" He asked her back. She was stubbornly refusing to look at him. He tried not to read too much into why.

She shrugged disinterestedly in response.

"So," he walked over to the edge of the fence that separated them. He rubbed his hands. "Did anything interesting happen lately?" He asked airily, casually.

"Nothing worth mentioning." Sakura quipped with an undecodable voice.

He restrained a frustrated sigh. He had managed to smooth things over with Naruto. He could not help but wonder if it would take more effort with her. Kin had been awful to her and he let her be. Minato cleared his throat.

"The niece is gone."

"Hm?" Sakura looked at him over her shoulder. Her large green eyes blinked at him in surprise.

"I thought you might like to know," he rubbed the back of his neck. His eyes wandered up from her flushed cheeks to her eyes. He forced lightness into his voice to mask everything else. "So you can stop being jealous now."

'What did he just say to you?'

Sakura's jaw hung open. She turned her head. Her eyes darted around the space wildly. She did not think. Her right hand fisted the birdfeed. Taking in a whole handful. She wheeled around and shot it at him. Without thought or consequence. With reckless abandon. Shock entered his face. His blue eyes were wide with surprise. Sakura brought her hands to her mouth.

"Iamsosorry," she said in one breath not pausing between each word. "I don't know what came over me. I just saw red and I…" she looked at him up and down. "Are you alright?"

Minato rubbed his eyes. "I think you nearly blinded me with a piece of split corn." He held his hand over his eyelid.

"What?!" Sakura ran to stand on the other side of the fence, hastily. "Let me see," she pried his fingers from his eye.

"It's fine, Sak-"

"Stop squirming and just let me see!" Her green eyes blazed with authority.

Minato stood still. Sakura pushed up to her tiptoes. She let out a sound of impatient frustration as she was still too short to see. He felt her hands come to either side of his head. She pulled down none too gently like a person possessed. He hunched forward towards her over the fence. She was staring at his left eye intently with focus. Concern dominated her features. She searched his eye for any remnants of the birdfeed.

'Thank Kami.'

She did not find anything in his eye. His left eye was starting to water. Sakura pulled fabric from her sleeve. His head was free. He straightened to his full height.

"Bend down," she commanded.

He did not fight it. The look in her eye did not even allow for the fleeting thought of defiance. He bent his knees. They came to rest against the middle panel of wood of the enclosure. The chicken wire fencing on the other side dug into his skin. Sakura held the fabric over his left eye. She pushed up to her toes once again, her small hand on his shoulder steadied her. Before either she or Minato truly understood what she was doing, Sakura pressed her slightly parted lips against the fabric.

His breath hitched in his throat. All thoughts cleared his mind. He watched through his one wide-open eye as she blew hot hair against his other eyelid. He could smell her. She was all he could smell. She was so close, that she overpowered the stench from the birds with her aroma.

He could feel the texture of soft lips through the thin fabric on the delicate skin of his eyelid. They were so warm. Almost as warm as the half-open-mouth hot breath she blew. Short puffs. In rhythm. He felt every bit of movement of her full lips against his skin. Soft yet firm. Steady but inconsistent. Just like her, nothing but contradictions. His good eye fluttered closed without thought each time she bestowed warm breaths on his aching eye. The hand on his shoulder tightened as she fought to maintain her balance. He was lost in the sensation of it all.

She looked over his head. Sakura inhaled through her nose and exhaled slowly through her mouth. His eyelid moved under the thin scrap of fabric that separated her lips from his skin. She felt each twitch, each movement. Each pulse. She pulled back, gently lifting the fabric away with her hands.

"How is your eye now?" She searched his stunned face.

She was so close, distracting. She was so close that he discovered that her eyelashes were pink just like her eyebrows. He had never noticed that before. Not red, not white, not blonde, not orange but pink. Soft. Like the pink of the petals of Sakura blossoms. Her name, he realized then and there, was perfect for her. She had pink hair. A fact that had his mind reeling a little. He did not know that was even possible. He watched her pink lashes flutter in the air as she blinked. Like the wings of a butterfly. He inhaled sharply.

Her lashes pulled his attention to her eyes. It was as if he were seeing them for the first time, truly. He noticed for the first time all the flecks of the different shades of green that made up her eyes. They reminded him of a toy he had when he was just a boy. A simple contraption on the outside, with nothing noteworthy. But when held up a source of light and peered through with focus, a whole different world was revealed. Shards of green in every shade danced and glimmered together to form her irises.

'Kaleidoscope.' He remembered the name of the toy he loved so much. Her eyes were like a kaleidoscope. A kaleidoscope of green.

Stunning. Her eyes left him stunned. Like a bird after hitting a panel of glass at full force. Without a single thought.

She moved further away from him. He could see both her eyes now. Minato blinked. He closed his mouth which had been hanging open this whole time.

"Minori-san?" Sakura called out to him for the third time with a tilt of her head. "Can you see me?" She waved her hand in front of his left eye.

"I-I," Minato cleared his throat. He closed his right eye. "Everything is still a little blurry," he managed to say in a steady voice despite his irregular heartbeat.

Sakura frowned. "Maybe we should try cool water," she thought out loud.

"No," Minato said a little too quickly. He compensated by shaking his head slowly. "It's helping. Maybe just a couple more times."

"You sure?" Sakura chewed on her bottom lip.

"What do we have to lose?" He offered her a lopsided one-eyed smile.

Sakura took in his eye which looked like it was beginning to swell. She could still see water in it. His sclera was a light pink instead of its normal white. She prodded the skin underneath his eye with a gentle hand. It did not look too bad.

'We probably won't need the Sensei to take a look.'

"Okay," she nodded her head, convinced of her triaging assessment. "Ready?" She asked as she put the fabric back against his closed eyelid.

"Ready," Minato said in a soft voice. He leaned forward toward her, bent at the knees. He watched her as she blew on his eye three more times. His skin tingled from the warm puffs leaving her mouth. He could smell her breath in the air. He could taste it.

"How's that?" She backed away.

The lack of her aroma and warmth was felt suddenly. Minato rose to his full height. He covered his right eye and opened his left. He looked around. Everything was clear and his eye was no longer actively watering.

"Better," he smiled at her. "Thank you."

"Kami," Sakura brought her hands to her face. Panic and guilt were clear as day on her face. "I'm so sorry. I could have blinded you!" She exclaimed apologetically. "I reacted so badly."

Minato laughed. It was a hearty sound. "The men wouldn't have let me live it down if you did." He traced the path her fingers had been right below his eye socket. "I survived more than five years of war without major permanent injury only to lose an eye back here."

The color drained completely from Sakura's face. She looked down at her feet. "I am so sorry."

The teasing smile slipped off of Minato's face at her crestfalleness. "I shouldn't have pushed so hard, the joke was in bad taste." He said in a gentle voice.

"Please don't look for excuses for my behavior. There are none." She dipped her head in a shallow bow, at the waist just like the one she had given yesterday. "I am so sorry, Minori-san."

And just like yesterday her voice was as meek as the rest of her. His stomach turned. "Sakura-san," he brought a hand to her shoulder. She stiffened from his touch. Her head lifted up, revealing a pair of surprised jade-colored orbs. "I'm fine. Honestly," he smiled easily at her. "I'm really impressed with your aim. It's almost as if you were trying to take my eye out. Makes me wonder if you're a spy or something."

Sakura's jaw nearly fell to the floor. "I didn't do it on purpose! I mean I did but I didn't think it through. I didn't mean to hurt you…not like this! Not permanently." She explained both loudly and quickly. She slapped a hand over her mouth and looked around. She glared at his shaking shoulders and he tried unsuccessfully to contain his laughter. "Stop," she said sheepishly. Batting his hand that was still on her shoulder away halfheartedly. "I'm not a spy," she all but mumbled in embarrassment. Her eyes had found the floor again. A chick had decided her foot was the best place to take an impromptu nap.

Minato grinned. "You make it too easy," he let out a satisfied sigh. He wiped the moisture from his eyes. The action drew Sakura's attention. "I'm fine," he brought his hand to his heart. "Truly, I'm okay." He missed some droplets of moisture.

"Don't rub," she grabbed his hand from mid-air seemingly reading his mind. "If it gets itchy," she prodded the skin of his eyelid with the dabs of her index finger picking up remnants of his tears as she moved, "splash some water, you don't want to scratch your cornea." Her jade eyes darted all around his face with scrutiny. One that he did not mind all that much.

"I won't rub," he promised. Her lashes fluttered heavily.

"Okay," she let go of his hand. She bent down to pick up the sleeping chick. "I should get back to work." She looked over her shoulder at the chickens that had gotten up on the top of the hutch. They had cleaned the platter. They were poking at their own reflections and clucking disgruntledly.

"Need some help?" Minato asked with an easy smile.

Sakura bit her lip. "Sure," she matched his smile. She took a couple of steps back to give room for Minato to step through the gate. The two of them worked to corral the chicks and chickens back to the hen house.

The crow cawed overhead but neither the Haruno nor the Namikaze noticed. They were too busy stealing glances and sharing smiles, laughs, and the occasional contact - both of the accidental and not-so-accidental variety to be concerned with what went on outside of their little world of shades of green and shades of blue.

He continued to move at the pace that best accommodated his senior. Minato looked over at the increasingly narrowing streets of Konoha.

"Thank you for personally demonstrating what it entails to run the compound, Shimura-sama. I did not realize how involved it was." Minato studied the back of Danzo's shoulders.

"It is my pleasure, Namikaze-sama." Danzo did not turn to look at him as he spoke. "It is rare that I have to check in with the various vendors and those who provide service. But I thought it would be beneficial for you to place the storefront and name with the entry in the books."

"Absolutely," Minato said in agreement. "A lot has changed in five years."

"Indeed it has. About a fourth of the vendors have since gone out of business, while others have raised their prices while decreasing quality. Change is inevitable." Danzo said dryly.

Minato absentmindedly nodded his head. He had not known what to expect when Danzo announced unceremoniously that they were to go into town. He would be remiss if he said that his guard was not up the entire time. It was. But so far everything Danzo said and did was lining up. On the surface at least.

'More digging needs to be done before any of this can be trusted.'

They had visited the grocer, the aviary, the weapon shop, along with a handful of other places of business. It had been a long day. They were cutting it under the wire to arrive back at the compound in time for dinner which was something Minato really wanted to be back in time for. Having meals with his son was one of the highlights of his day.

Minato wrinkled his nose at the smell that was permeating out of the ground it seemed. There was a build-up of trash at the edges of the walkway. Something that he was really not accustomed to seeing. Konoha's streets, despite being busy at all hours of the day, were immaculate. But not here. Not this stretch of street he had never ventured to. Minato frowned.

Danzo came to a stop. His cane clicked against the dirty pathway. Minato's eyes scanned over the building to his left and Danzo's right. There were sounds coming out of the building. Very distinctive sounds. He avoided making eye contact with the hungry faces behind the wooden bars. They looked like they wanted to devour him. The raven-haired man spun around to face him.

"We have already visited all the places that service the house." Danzo folded his hands over the hilt of the cane seemingly unbothered by the cooing and sounds of beckoning being directed their way. He turned his head to look at the entrance that was adorned with silhouettes of two women with plentiful curves.

"I wanted to show you where you would come to service yourself," Danzo said flatly, devoid of all emotion.

Minato's brow was set into a stern line. Flashbacks to Kakashi standing next to him as they faced a grinning ear-to-ear Jiraiya who gifted them an hour of pleasure for Minato's sixteenth birthday played in his mind. He had been at a loss for words then. He had simply walked away when his brain regained enough coherence to manage the function. Uncaring of what Kakashi and Jiraiya decided to do with the paid-for time slots.

He had been a child then, ten years ago. He was not a child now.

"Shimura-sama?" The way Minato said the man's name said everything. It encapsulated his confusion - his controlled calm.

"Your uncle," Danzo made a distasteful face, "no doubt knows all the established hotspots and perhaps he shared them with you and Hatake-sama. But it is my duty as the person trusted with the charge of the house, and of you by the First Master himself, to look out for your best interest. This establishment is on the newer side. Opened shortly after the start of the war. It is more discrete. Should you find yourself in need of the many services provided here, this is where you come."

Minato's face melted into an emotionless mask. It nearly rivaled Danzo's.

"I do not need the details," Danzo carried on. "I just need you to be smart. This is the right way to go about having your needs met without running the risk of people talking or worse yet, siring a bastard child."

Minato's eyes were as hard as sapphires. But he kept the blank mask securely on his face.

"Of course, there are other ways - more tasteful ways of having your needs addressed." Danzo rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "A wife in most cases is favorable to a whore. But the choice is yours, Master. I am here to serve not to judge. All I ask is that you do not lie to me so that I can lie, cover, and cheat for you."

"Shimura-sama," he measured out his words. He shrouded himself in his composure. "Thank you for going above and beyond for my family, for my house."

Danzo dipped his head. "Of course."

"If you'll excuse me, I would like to head back now so that I can have dinner with my son."

Minato bowed his head slightly. He left the man in his wake not looking back even once.

"Sorry," she mumbled under her breath. Her long, thick pink eyelashes felt so heavy all of a sudden. It required too much effort to keep them fully open. She settled for half-lidded.

"For what?" He asked her breathily, teasingly.

"Your eye," she could feel his body heat through the fabric of her clothes. She could feel him against her. He was solid. His muscles were firm under her hand.

"It's helping," his breath was hot against her lips and neck.

"Hm," she leaned forward with every intention of continuing to heat his eye. The thin fabric, thinner than a butterfly's wing, fell from his face. It landed across her chest, there was no more free space for it to fall to. His arm around her waist was pinning her to him. Like tree trunks. Strong and unrelenting. Her knees buckled at the way he was looking at her.

"Leave it," Minori's low voice sent a shiver down her spine.

"But your eye?" She protested half-heartedly. She felt his arms around her waist tighten, pulling her even closer still. She had not thought it was possible. Chest to chest. Not even space for a hand to slip through to separate them.

"It's better," he assured her. His stormy gaze racked over her face slowly.

"Oh," she said disappointedly. She felt pressure at the back of her neck where his fingers met her skin. She let out a small gasp.

His grin sent a thrill down her spine all the way to her toes. "There's something else you can fix." His hungry gaze finally came to rest on her full lips.

"What is -"

He answered her question with his lips meeting hers before she could work it out completely. Her knees gave way completely, folding under her. His arm was keeping her upright and secure against him. Her eyes fluttered closed. Her hands worked through his shaggy, yellow hair. She moaned against his mouth. Her lips fit so nicely against his. Almost as if they were fashioned from the same material as a set. It just made sense. The way he led and took control she did not feel awkward or out of place at all.

It was her first kiss. She had no idea what she was doing. But he was teaching her all the while kissing her. The push and pull of their lips. There was a rhythm to it. It was like a dance. She did not know how to do that either. But she imagined it would be something like this. They moved in tandem. In perfect harmony. Her head spun. Her body was overheating but she did not care. She did not care if she erupted into a pile of ash as long as she died with her lips against his.

His teeth nibbled on her bottom lip. Soft at first. Getting her accustomed to the sensation. And out of nowhere, he bit down hard. She whimpered. Granting him access to the parts of her mouth he had yet to explore. His tongue traced the cave of her cheeks. Thoroughly. Sometimes rough and sometimes slow. He kept her on her feet with his arms and on her toes with his actions. She did not know what to expect. But each touch, caress, new and foreign brought forth sounds she had never made before. Sounds she did not think she was capable of. She clung to him desperately. She drew in air greedily as her chest heaved against his. Her fingers curled around the fabric around his shoulders.

His hands never stopped moving.

"Wait," she breathed disoriented from the heights he took her to. She tried to catch her breath. "Minori-san, wait." Her words stopped his hand from undoing the knot at the base of her neck.

"You don't trust me?" He asked in that teasing voice of his with the uneven smile that drove her insides crazy. It was unfair. He has his wits about him and his charm. All the while she was a gasping mess. He remained perfectly in control and calm and she was coming undone. Unraveling at the seams.

"It's not that," she bit her lip. It felt bigger than what she was used to. It was more sensitive than what she remembered. His eyes were filled with smugness watching her struggle to formulate complete sentences because he knew full well he was the reason why. He was not even the slightest bit subtle. "I…I," she gave up with a frustrated groan. His lips moved up her neck. Then up her jaw. Biting and kissing and driving her completely crazy.

"It's okay, Sakura." He breathed into the shell of her ear. He nibbled on her earlobe gently.

She shivered even though everything burned.

"Okay," she muttered weakly. His lips were back over hers. She gasped when he bit down on her bottom lip. His tongue slipped into her mouth. She made yet another sound she had never made before. Her back arched as she desperately tried to push up against him even more. He eased more distance between them with a hand. Before she could even think to question as to why he would do such a thing, his tongue claimed dominance over hers. He swallowed her needy whimper as his large, warm, calloused hands pushed down her kimono from her shoulders demandingly, ready to explore the expanse of her now exposed skin.

Sakura bolted upright. Her heart was pounding in her ears. She looked around wildly. The darkness of her room greeted her with a cold embrace. She pressed a hand to her racing heart. There was sweat on her temple and upper lip. She could feel a bead of sweat move down her neck to the small of her back along her spine.

"Kami, kami, kami," she repeated like a mantra trying desperately to cool herself down. Sakura yanked off the covers from her body.

Imagines of his hot flesh against her coupled with the sensation of phantom touches all over her body where his hands had been, tormented her. Sakura fisted her hands into her hair.

"Kami, kami, kami." She prayed that thinking of God - the creator of everything - would push the sinful images from her mind, the moans from her ears, and the burning from her skin.

Her face was red as she remembered what triggered the dream. It was all her fault. She had hurt him without thinking and to fix that she had acted again without thinking. She kissed his eyelid. It ultimately boiled down to that. Her dream was so vivid because she knew for a fact that his body was solid. She had felt it even if her brain had been preoccupied with conducting a…procedure for lack of a better word.

His face flashed before her. Burning his likeness in the walls of her brain. His mischievous smile would be the death of her. She just knew it. She gulped. Maybe 'Crow' was an apt nickname for him. It seemed rather fitting where she was currently sitting. She exhaled shakily. She blinked.

Sakura grabbed her pillow roughly. She shoved it over her mouth. She let out a frustrated growl. She threw it back on the mat. She slammed back against it. She stared at the ceiling with pleading eyes.

"Please, Kami," she folded her hands. "Please let me not think of him. I promise I'll stop going to the stables. Just don't let me think of him. Don't let me see him. I'll be good. I'll donate more to shrines. Please."

Sakura closed her eyes. A handsome face with hair as yellow as the sun and eyes as unpredictable and turbulent as the ocean greeted her. Her eyes snapped open.

"Kamikamikamikami," she pulled her covers over her head, covering her face completely. The sheet could only do so much. It did not hide the shame she felt at herself. The heat from her face warmed her cocoon of indignity.

A/N: How's that? Lol. Things are heating up. Let me know what you think. Please and thank you!