Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chapter 11: Sickness and Discomfort

Flashback

He landed on his back with a solid thud. He blinked slowly, dazed from the impact. His lungs were frozen in place unable to expand or contract. He saw dark spots across his vision. He could hear the disgruntled exclaims of the beast. He moved his fingers. It was a promising sign.

His breath was the first thing to come back. He drew in a long breath. He gingerly got up to his feet. His hand went up to his shoulder. It was throbbing in agony. His whole left side did. It hurt when he breathed in too deeply.

He leaned back against the fence. His right arm came to rest against the top of the white fence that made up the paddock. The wooden fibers were rough against the bare skin of his arm. He could feel his body turning a different shade than the red from being painted in the sun. He felt every bead of sweat migrating down from his neck to the small of his back. It clung to him. It mixed in with the fine layer of dirt that coated his back like a second skin.

"That right there is a dud," a bored voice from the other side of the fence drawled out.

"I got careless," Minato narrowed his eyes as he studied the trotting stallion. He had yet to settle down.

"Did the kick connect with your head too?" Kakashi quipped, taking a big bite out of the deep red apple in his hand. He chewed loudly. Right next to Minato's ear.

"I got too comfortable around him." Minato dusted off his hand in his pants. He looked at his friend. "A little help?"

"Fix it yourself," Kakashi said with a scoff. His dark eyes took in the black and blue developing on Minato's back. He could only imagine the damage his chest took. "I want no part in your suicide mission."

Minato grunted. He grabbed his shoulder and yanked it back. Tears stung in his eyes as the joint popped back into place.

"Damn," he lowered down onto his butt. He rested his arms on his bent knees, loosely.

"You've had that thing for two years now and it won't let you stay on for more than two seconds. I think it's time you give it up." Kakashi leaned forward on his forearms.

"I put too much time and work into him to give up now." Even to himself, it sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than Kakashi.

Kaminari galloped in circles around the enclosure. Throwing his head around. His white mane rippled with each head whip.

"He lets you touch him and put a saddle on him. Big deal," Kakashi continued his poorly concealed attempt at dissuasion.

"It is," Minato hauled himself up to his feet. He leaned back heavily against the fence. He watched the horse who was now standing at the opposite end of the enclosure.

"If you are so hellbent on getting your ass kicked why didn't you come find me? I would have been happy to oblige, Namikaze-sama."

"We can go right now," Minato smirked. "You might actually win for once." He rubbed the back of his neck. He turned it slowly. He could already feel the soreness kicking in.

'Tomorrow is going to be fun.'

"My code prevents me from raising a hand against a weaker opponent." Kakashi took another bite of his apple. He was nearly halfway done. He could see the core on one side. "But seriously, what's so special about this horse? Despite the obvious." He studied the side profile of Minato closely.

"The harder you have to work for something, Kakashi, the more satisfying it is when you reap the rewards of that work. This horse is special. In more ways than one. He will be the best horse in any squadron or battalion, on either side. If I am going to be Shogun I need every advantage I can get. The best horse surely will help my chances."

Kakashi looked up at the sky to cover for the fact that he wanted to roll his eyes. "You are stubborn, like your old man." He relented with a sigh.

Minato grabbed the apple from his hand just as Kakashi was about to take a bite. The Hatake watched as the blond turned around. The smile fell off his face. Minato's whole body was overcome with tension.

Kakashi felt his blood go cold in his veins. "He's right behind me, isn't he?" He said in a volume barely above a whisper.

Minato's lip pulled into a smirk. Then only then, did Kakashi's heart restart. "You asshole." Kakashi narrowed his eyes.

Minato waved him off dismissively. He was already halfway across the paddock. Kakashi watched as the blond held out the apple. Kaminari, the white stallion, eyed the Namikaze with hesitation. Kakashi brought his face to rest in his palm. His elbow balanced on the top of the painted white wooden fence.

The horse kicked up dirt with its front legs almost like a bull that was about to charge.

"The stubborn idiot," Kakashi was on high alert. Minato was lucky enough to survive one kick. He did not think his luck would continue to two. The horse was now eating out of the seventeen-year-old's hand. Minato with a steady, confident hand grabbed the reins and led the horse. They walked together back and forth. The apple was completely gone.

"You have two years," Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck. Two years before Minato was to be married. Two years before the woman who raised Kaminari would step back into the Namikaze Compound as the daughter-in-law of the family. Two years to tame the stallion enough to ride.

"You impatient, Bastard." Kakashi let out a breath.

He watched as Minato got up on the saddle once more.

End of Flashback

'This is not good.'

Sakura looked between the disgruntled face of the five-year-old boy, and the frustration lining the middle-aged tutor's face and the scroll in her hands. The blond and the raven-haired man both could throw hands at any moment. Sakura smiled nervously at the tutor.

"Sensei," she began in a calm, smooth voice. "May I please have a word with you?"

The man uncrossed his arms but the cross look on his face remained. He nodded his head, barely. He stood up and walked through the doors of the dining room where Naruto was conducting his studies. That was the intention anyway.

Sakura looked over her shoulder at the boy. There was a smugness in his eyes. "Stay," she commanded. She watched him all but deflate. Naruto scowled but he remained seated at the table. Thankfully the tutor had turned his back so he did not see Naruto sticking his tongue out at him.

Sakura felt the cool air on her face. She came to a stop about a yard from the tutor. His hands were behind his back. His black cap sat atop his mostly black ponytail with streaks of gray.

"Um sensei," she looked up from the strokes of ink on the scroll.

"Speak clearly girl. Speak without hesitation. Do not waste my time." His churlish tone was like a slap in the face.

Sakura swallowed. "Sensei, these scrolls seem to be a little verbose and dense for a child. Especially for a child who is just starting to learn how to read. Would it be possible to start with something simpler? Something other than the history of Konoha?" She had started off strong but she ended up finishing off in a timid manner.

The man whirled around. His long mustache and beard swayed. It distracted her.

"Are you questioning my methods?" His dark eyes narrowed through his thick glasses.

'Nothing gets past you, huh?'

Sakura lowered her gaze. "Sensei, I have no right or authority to do so. I am merely trying to offer a different perspective. I -."

"Do you think you could do a better job than me?" He asked with a self-righteous scoff, clearly offended at the words that he had just been forced to utter.

"Not at all!" She dipped her head lower. "Young Master is struggling and it may be beneficial to start off with something more basic to encourage him to learn and grow so that hopefully, eventually he falls in love with reading and learning." She offered him just that, her perspective.

The tutor's lips curled upward into a look of disdain. "These are the same scrolls, books, and methods used to teach the Young Master's father. If they were good enough for Master, they are certainly good enough for the Young Master." If looks could kill, Sakura would be six feet under. There was no doubt in her mind.

'Some teacher. This guy is so lazy!'

Sakura bit her lip. "Young Master is not Master. He is not his father. What worked for the Master is not working for Naruto-sama."

"Petulant child!" His sudden rise in volume caused Sakura to jump. She nearly fumbled the scroll. She managed to catch it before it hit the ground. "Your codling of the Young Master will make him fall behind. It will make him weak. Thank Kami the First Master is not amongst us to see this day." He pinched the bridge of his nose.

Sakura stood there awkwardly unsure of what to do with herself.

"Young Master needs more discipline. He needs more work. That is the only way he will catch up. My understanding is that your role is to ensure he does not fall behind. Stay within your limits, girl. I will not be so forgiving the second time." He sneered at her. His face was pulled into the line of contempt.

Sakura felt her eye twitch involuntarily. "Young Master needs a different lesson plan." She managed to keep her voice level despite the vitriol rising in the back of her throat.

The man scoffed. "This is why women should not be educated. You know how to read and write and you think you know better than me. A man who spent his whole life teaching."

'Alrighty then.'

Sakura's lips pulled into an unnatural smile. "Sensei, it would be in everyone's best interest if we worked together. Young Master is behind. I cannot argue with that."

The man eyed her guardedly.

"He needs more time to be at the level where his brain can appreciate your genius and your ways. He is just not there yet." She kept her voice level and calm but not without the lilt of manipulation. "Please give me some time to get him to the baseline your lesson requires. In both reading and math."

She saw the way his eyes glittered at the praise. "What makes you think you can get him there?" He asked with hints of interest.

"As a woman," she began, "my brain is closer to that of a child. I understand his challenges and struggles because they are not too far off from my own. You, sensei, are articulate, well-read and well-studied. Am I wrong to presume you have not been a student yourself for quite some time?" She smiled as he shook his head. "So there might be some disconnect. Master might have been the exception to the rule or perhaps the Young Master is. But at the end of the day, if anyone can get his reading up to where it should be, it's me."

His dark eyes regarded her. He expanded his thumb and index finger along his mustache. She could see the gears turning in his head.

'Just a little more.'

"And of course, if I am unable to get the Young Master to the level needed to appreciate your genius, the blame falls squarely on my shoulders. And I will gladly accept it." She bowed her head. Her index finger tapped the back of her folded hands as she waited.

"Very well," the man said haughtily. "I will be generous and give you three months to get the Young Master to the benchmark."

'How magnanimous of you, you sexist prick.'

"Thank you, Sensei," Sakura said in a voice rich with feigned gratitude.

"I will leave the boy in your hands then." He turned on his heel. She heard his footfalls getting further and further away.

She raised her head when she could no longer hear him. Sakura walked back through the doors. She found Naruto scribbling over the contents of a scroll with a brush. He dropped it instantly at the sight of her.

'Later. I will clean up this mess later.'

Sakura sighed through her nose. "Get up," she looked at him.

Naruto was out of the seat without hesitation. He walked over to her. She saw the ink stains on his hands and his cheek.

"Let's go," she turned on her heel. She heard him hurry to follow her.

"Where are we going?" He rubbed his eye while looking up at her. He smeared more ink across his face.

Sakura walked through the hallway of the main house. The gardens were a whirlwind of brown, gray, and black as she walked by.

"We're going to learn math." She said with finality.

"Sounds boring," Naruto said with a pout.

Sakura grinned at him. "It won't be." She led him to the hand pump. Sakura pulled out scraps of fabric from her sleeve - something she had taken to doing when she started working with Naruto in an official capacity just four days ago - and wet them with the water from the pump. Sakura started to wipe the ink from his face.

"Hold still," she said in a gentle tone. The boy stopped wiggling. She felt his gaze on her. "I'm going to be helping you learn how to read and do math. If we have some time after, maybe even how to write some characters. How does that sound?"

Naruto shrugged. "Okay," he watched her roll up his sleeves. He held his hands out as she moved the lever of the pump up and down.

"You already know how to count to ten. That's really good." She gave him a handkerchief to dry off his hands. He did so and handed it back to her. Sakura crossed the courtyard to hang it up with the other drying laundry.

"We're going to play a game where we learn to match the sound of the number to the look of the number," Sakura explained. Her eyes locked in on a broomstick. She moved to pick it up.

"A game? I thought we were learning." He said with a frown. Confusion lined his features.

"We're going to do both." She gestured for him to move back. She began to draw neat rectangles into the dirt. She drew ten of them, alternating between drawing one or two right next to each other.

"Okay, where do we start off when we count?" She looked at him.

Naruto looked at his closed fists. He uncurled the index finger of his left hand.

"One!" His face lit up as he remembered.

"That's right!" She grinned. She drew a '1' in the first box, the one closest to them. "What comes next?" She looked at him.

"Two," he said with a little less confidence.

"Right again." She drew the number in the second box. They carried on until all the boxes had numbers. "There," Sakura looked at her handiwork with appreciative eyes. "Now for the game."

Naruto looked at her with building excitement.

"We need to find a rock. Not too big. One that will fit in your hand. And it would be better if it was smooth." She looked around the space. "Think you can find it?"

"Yeah!" Naruto was off to the races as he looked for what she asked.

Sakura rested her chin on her hands over the hilt of the broomstick. A smile donned her lips and there was a twinkle in her eye. She squatted down when Naruto was in front of her again. He held out a rock. His other hand batted at his face. Sakura with gentle hands removed the spider web from his hair.

"Is this good?" He looked at her, awaiting her judgment.

"It is," Sakura nodded her head. "It's a very good rock."

"Ew!" Naruto flailed his arm. "Get it off!" He screeched. "Get it off!"

"Calm down, Naruto-sama." She said in a gentle voice. "Here," she encouraged him to stop flailing like a bag caught in a windstorm. Sakura held out her hand, the spider crawled up it.

Naruto shuddered. He watched as she walked it back to the bushes from where he had picked the rock from. It sauntered onto a leaf.

"Are you okay?" She asked the boy calmly.

Naruto shook his head. "You weren't scared?" The awe in his voice made his statement sound more like a question.

Sakura grinned at him. "It's just a little spider. Its home was disturbed when you went into the bushes. The whole thing was way scarier for the bug than it was for you, Naruto-sama."

Naruto frowned. "Bugs are icky. You should have killed it!"

"Everything has a place and a role, even bugs. Do you know spiders kill flies and mosquitos? They come in handy." She explained slowly.

"Really?" Naruto paused to consider it. "Even snakes?"

"Even snakes," Sakura said with a firm nod.

"But a snake hurt you," Naruto pointed to her bandaged arm. He rubbed his scabbed-over knee absentmindedly.

"Snakes are important too. They keep away rats and vermin that eat our food. It's important to respect nature and everything in it as much as possible." Sakura rubbed the back of her neck. "That day was scary. When the snake came out. But we were not paying attention to where we were stepping. The snake was scared too. It acted out a sense to protect itself. The snake was not bad."

Naruto's expression darkened as it became more serious. "You protected me."

"Yeah because I'm a grown-up. It's what we're supposed to do." She looked over her shoulder. "Now what do you say we go and play this game?"

"Yeah!" His whole demeanor changed. "How do I play?"

"You have to be on one leg, you throw the rock and you need to go pick it up. When you land in a square you say the number and you jump up and down that number of times before you can move on. If each foot is in a different box you only have to do that for the bigger of the two numbers." She extended her hand. "Rock please," she curled her fingers around it when Naruto pressed it into her palm. "Okay. I'll go first just to show you how it's done."

Naruto clapped his hands and watched as Sakura threw the rock. It landed in the box labeled '7'. Each time she landed in a square she said the number and counted out loud and she jumped up and down that many times. He watched her navigate to the rectangle with the rock. She picked it up and did the whole thing all over again, backward.

"Got that?" She looked at him with her hands on her hips.

"You're amazing." Naruto beamed at her.

Sakura's cheeks turned red. "Your turn, Naruto-sama."

He took the rock and set his face into an expression of pure determination.

Each time Kaminari's hooves made contact with the ground it sent a jolt of pain through his whole frame. It was his sheer stubbornness that was keeping him upright on the white horse. His armor was providing some benefit. It was keeping the bandages pressed firmly against the newly restitched wound.

Minato let out a sigh of frustration just as Kaminari blew out forcibly through his nose.

'I'm sorry.'

He apologized in his head to his horse because he knew that Kakashi would never let him hear the end of it if he did so with actual words.

Minato could hear the clopping of Chidori, Kakashi's gray horse that was speckled with white, coming from behind him. It was by design. The Hatake refused to take his eyes off him ever since the failed assassination attempt. This was the slowest either horse had moved in quite some time. And their journey had just begun.

Minato rolled his shoulders. He felt the weight of his bow, strapped across his back. If worse came to worst and he had to use it, the stitches would not stand a chance. Using his bow would be a sure death sentence. Ideally, he would be able to take a couple of enemy combatants along with him.

The pair continued their multi-day journey in silence.

Sakura pulled her bandana down as she moved out of the doors of the bathhouse. The cold air had the warmth injected into her by the water fading faster than the time it took to cross over to the servant dining space. She ignored the eyes and the whispers. She smiled tentatively at Miharu. The cook flicked her wrist and deposited a ladleful of congee into her awaiting bowl.

'Well, at least she seems to be more or less normal.'

She shuffled over to her usual spot, to her usual seat, and at her usual time. She tapped the spoon at the edge of her bowl. Her jade-colored eyes searched for a familiar face. She found her. Sakura pointed her feet in her direction.

"Rin-chan," she smiled easily at the brunette.

"Sakura-san," the girl's eyes returned immediately to her bowl.

Sakura frowned. She shifted her weight on her feet. "Is everything alright, Rin-chan?" She asked the girl.

Rin nodded her head. Sakura resisted the urge to press.

"Okay," she took a step back. She looked at the pair of faces that came to sit next to Rin. "Juna-san, Kai-san," Sakura smiled at them.

"Sakura-chan," Juna greeted her dryly. "What are you waiting for?" Juna asked her in agitation as she settled into her stool.

"Sorry?" Sakura tilted her head to the side denoting her confusion.

"Are you going to be all stuck up and prissy now that you have a new job? Has it gone to your head?" Juna asked her point blank, ignoring the hand that her husband had placed on her shoulder in a gesture that was clearly meant to calm her down.

Sakura looked at their faces. Even Rin was looking at her.

"Of course not," Sakura said with a scoff.

"Then sit down, Sakura-chan." Juna huffed. "I'm hurting my neck looking up at you." She whined.

Sakura grinned. She settled into a stool. She started to split the congee into two. She scooped it into Rin's bowl. The girl smiled at her in gratitude. Sakura felt warmth growing from her stomach to her throat.

"Sakura-chan did we tell you about the judgey cow that stares shamelessly at us?" Juna's eyes glistened with anticipation.

"Do I want to know?" Sakura looked at Rin and Kai for context.

"Relax, when I say 'cow' I mean like an actual cow and not a horrible, simple-minded woman." Juna brushed off her reservations.

"Cows are actually really smart," Sakura said with a frown. "Smarter than some people too I take it. Men or women. So calling a dumb woman a cow is more insulting to a cow than it is to the woman."

Rin giggled into her hand. Kai shook his head. Juna grinned from ear to ear. "Oh, how we missed you, Sakura-chan." Her hazel eyes wandered to Sakura's arm. "How are you feeling?" She asked gently.

"Fine, I barely even feel it anymore," Sakura answered absentmindedly. "So about this cow?"

Juna sighed dramatically. "You're going to want to be mentally prepared. There's a lot of ups and downs in this story."

Rin nodded her head. "Juna-san is telling the truth."

Sakura leaned forward. Her interest was beyond piqued.

Kai muttered darkly under his breath. His face was flush with preemptive embarrassment for what was about to be retold.

Flashback

"Why are you staring at me, Haruma-chan?" Sakura asked her brother with no shortage of annoyance. She pushed him on the swing. He kept his face tilted back towards her.

"You hair, Oneechan!" The boy supplied happily. He watched as the sunlight reflected off of it. His grin grew in size.

One of her hands moved to tug at the ends subconsciously. They were alone and it was wet. She was allowed to have it out in the open. But it still made her nervous. Her other hand pushed him squarely on his back.

"If you're going to make fun of it, let me just stop you right there." She shot him a pointed look. "I've heard everything under the sun about it. There's nothing you can say to me that I have never heard before."

Haruma shook his head so emphatically that he almost made himself nauseous enough to throw up. He looked at her with sharp green eyes.

"Your hair is so pretty, Oneechan! I can't look away!" He grinned from ear to ear.

Sakura stood there too stunned to push her little brother on the swing their father had made for them. It did not take long for the boy to come to a near halt. He twisted the rope to turn to face her. His feet planted firmly on the ground, while the wooden plank was against his back.

"You think my hair is pretty?" She asked him in confusion. No one had described it like that before. Usually, people were either scared or hostile when they saw it. At least that's what her Okaasan said.

Haruma nodded his head. "So pretty. The prettiest. I wish my hair was pink just like yours Oneechan!"

"Haruma-chan," Sakura felt her annoyance at having to babysit him again melt away. She leaned forward on her knees. "Do you mean it?"

"Duh," her younger brother answered with a quick eye roll. "It's different. No one else I know has pink hair. Not even Otosan! His is almost red."

Sakura felt a smile pull at her lips. She ran her hand through Haruma's soft hair. "I wish I had your hair. It's the best of both worlds: pink and yellow. It's not unique enough like mine to be weird but it's not common either. It suits you." She ruffled his hair.

Haruma giggled. "Really?" His eyes were bright.

"Really." She tapped him on the nose. "Now turn around. We're not done yet."

"Okay!" Haruma spun around. He sat back on the seat. "Ready!"

"Here we go!" Sakura pushed him. His giggles reached her ears. The sound threatened to lift her higher than the swing could ever go.

'Your hair is so pretty, Oneechan!'

Her smile blossomed in large part to the warmth spreading through her heart.

End of Flashback

She bolted upright. The pounding on the wooden frame of her door was growing louder.

"Just a minute," she stammered out. She pulled a white cloth from under her pillow. She gathered her locks in her hands. She twisted them into a bun on the center of her head. Sakura fastened the knot of her bandana as she finished tucking in all of her hair.

Sakura adjusted the neckline of her clothes to ensure her modesty. Without lighting a lantern, Sakura moved to the door. She slid it open. Her brain went blank as she found herself face-to-face with a guard.

"Come with me," he ordered.

Sakura scrambled to put her shoes on. She followed after him. His armor creaked and groaned as he moved. The metal plates brushed up against each other.

"Is everything okay?" She asked as she brought her fisted hand to her chest. She matched his brisk pace. His rigid frame has no give. He ignored her entirely.

'What did I do now?'

Her mind raced. In the dim lantern glow, she could see the main house approaching, the Master's house. Her stomach twisted even more so.

"Is Naruto-sama alright?" she asked the silent guard. He said nothing again. She chewed on her bottom lip.

'Calm down. No use getting worked up before you have the facts.'

Sakura took in a shaky breath just as the guard pushed open the door. She followed him down the corridor with the clean wooden floors. Her sandals creaked against them. In the dead of the night, it was all the more eerie.

She stayed within three steps of the guard. She did not want to be accused of being someplace she was not supposed to be. He came to a stop at a door. He knocked twice before he opened it. She blinked her eyes as she adjusted to the lack of light inside the room. She looked over at the guard. He gestured for her to step inside.

Sakura moved as quietly as possible. Her shoes had long been abandoned at the main door. Her bare feet made contact with the cool floor. She did not even give herself time to slip into some socks. She could feel her body heat leaving through the soles of her feet.

"Sakwa?" A muffled voice came out to her left.

"Naruto-sama?" She called out in a barely audible voice.

"Sakwa."

She could hear the smile in his voice. She felt around with her hands. Trying to locate him. An arm darted out and grabbed her elbow. The palm was rough and full of lines.

"Over here, girl." Tomoha's voice was by her ear.

Sakura felt herself being guided around a bed. She was lowered into a stool. She could see much better now. Her jade eyes took in Naruto's flushed face, his half-closed eyes, and the cold compress on his forehead.

"What happened?" The palm of her hand moved of its own volition to rest on top of the white towel.

"He caught a case of the weather. He was walking outside with wet hair." Tomoha masked the worry in her eyes with the abrasiveness in her tone. "He forgot his hat."

"Has a sensei seen him?" She looked at the woman to her left.

"He left. Naruto's been asking for you." Tomoha said with a sigh. She pulled the covers to his chin. "He won't settle down."

"Sakwa," his glossy blue eyes looked at her. "You came," he gave her a lopsided smile.

"I did, Naruto-sama." She saw the water basin on the end table. She removed the towel from his forehead and wet it. She wrung it out before putting it back across his brow. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired. Hot. Heavy." Naruto said grimly.

"I'm sorry. You'll feel better soon. Did you take the medicine the sensei gave you?" She asked him with a gentle smile.

Naruto made a face. "It was bitter!"

Sakura let out a small chuckle. "That means it's working." She found Tomoha's gaze. "Can you please bring warm water with turmeric, ginger, and some honey?"

Tomoha pressed her lips into a firm line. Her eyes were flat as she regarded the woman.

"Naruto-sama needs to keep his fluids up," She patted him on the back of the hand. "I would go get it myself but I don't know the layout of the kitchen here and we don't have honey or turmeric in the servant's kitchen," Sakura said in a low voice that only Tomoha could hear.

"Fine," she relented. "Naruto-sama, I will be back soon." She squeezed the boy's hand.

"Sakwa?" Naruto blinked a few times to bring her face into focus. "Are you my Okaasan?"

'It's the fever talking.'

Sakura's eyes widened. "Why do you ask?"

"Your hair" he furrowed his brow. "It's orange."

"My hair?" She brought her hand to her face. Her heart sank. She looked at a strand that she had missed. The pink lock painted in an orange hue of the warm light was just behind her ear.

"No Naruto-sama," she cleared her throat. "Your Okaasan is a hime, remember? You said so yourself. I'm just me. I'm just a nobody."

"Oh yeah," Naruto muttered, clearly disappointed. "Sakura?"

"Hm?" She looked at him with apprehension set in her jade orbs.

"I don't like it when you call me 'sama'. I liked it when you called me Uzumaki-kun. It felt nice." He brought a hand to rest on his stomach over the covers.

"How about I call you Naruto-kun then, is that alright?" She stroked his too-warm cheek with the back of her hand gently.

"Okay," he smiled at her. It made her heart flip.

"Naruto-kun can we keep the color of my hair a secret? Just between you and me." She had her doubts that he would remember.

"Okay," Naruto said after some consideration. "Can you tell me a story?"

"Yes, let me tell you a story." She said in a gentle voice.

Naruto's blond lashes fluttered as he blinked slowly.

Tomoha readjusted the placement of her hand on the metal glass. The warm liquid inside was burning her fingers. In her haste to get back to the Young Master, she had forgotten to pick up a towel or scrap of fabric. She sighed as she rearranged her fingers yet again. It was still much too hot to drink.

The boy's delirious pleas for Sakura still rang in her ears. He had been inconsolable. He refused to lie still in bed until she promised that she would go get the girl for him. The tears had dried almost instantly from his eyes. She saw profound relief when she uttered the words. He only wanted her. Only Sakura would do.

She moved through the dark corridors. Restless thoughts gnawed at the back of her mind. Her stomach churned with worry.

"It's just a head cold." She reminded herself. She was a veteran. She had nursed many colds, touches of flu, and other alignments for first the Master and now the Young Master. But she would be lying to herself if she said she was not rattled.

"I really am getting too old for this." She muttered into the idle air.

Her heart was growing weaker as the years went by. She was convinced of it. Had this even been five years ago, she would have just ridden it out. She would not have told a guard to wake up a servant who had been here for little over a month and a half. She would not have given in to the boy's demands. She would have let him cry himself out. Because in the long run that was what would be best for the boy.

She slid open the door. Her eyes adjusted to the change of light. Tomoha froze in place. The woman's hair was flowing down her back, held back only by the worn-out cloth of her bandana. Her hair looked like a fiery orange. Almost red. She was caressing the back of Naruto's cheek in such a tender touch it could only be described one way: motherly. Her eyes looked darker in the light. She was humming softly to the boy. He was just as captivated by her spell as she was in his.

'Kushina-chan.'

Tomoha's heart ached in her chest. She blinked the tears from her eyes. The face before her changed. It was not the Uzumaki woman but the Haruno. She cleared her throat. Sakura seemed to be startled out of her trance.

"Ambe-san," she said her name in a whisper.

Tomoha pushed further into the room. She barely noticed her burning fingers. "Here," she handed the younger woman the drink vessel.

Sakura nearly dropped it given how hot it was. She set it on the table before she flailed her hands. She blew on her fingertips. Tomoha watched as Sakura procured a length of fabric from her sleeve. She folded it and used it to grab the metal. She blew on the top of the glass. She braved touching the sides as she tried to gauge if it was safe enough to drink. She swirled it in her hands carefully so as to not spill any of the liquid on herself.

Tomoha stood in silence. Her dark eyes darted from the woman to the boy and back again.

"His fever isn't going up. I think he'll be alright by the morning." She smiled at Naruto. "If you drink all of this, you'll be on your feet up in no time." She looked down at the glass. "Feel up for it?"

Naruto nodded his head weakly. Sakura set the glass back down. She helped Naruto into a seated position. She rearranged his pillows to support his back. She held the container in her hands. She guided it to his lips.

"It won't be bitter, I promise." She said gently at the look of trepidation on his face. Naruto wrapped his small hand around hers as he took his first sip. Tomoha watched as the boy drained the entire contents. "There," Sakura helped him back down. She smoothed the covers over him. "Sweet dreams, Naruto-kun." Sakura fondly brushed the damp blond locks from his forehead. The cold compress was sitting at the edge of the basin that contained the cool water. The metal glass was also sitting bedside.

Sakura must have seen the unspoken request on Tomoha's face because, after a minute of listening to Naruto's deep breathing, she untangled her fingers from his grip. She gently lowered his hand down to his side. She tucked it into the covers, safe from the air. Sakura rose to her feet. Her silent footfalls followed Tomoha out of the room.

The shoji doors slid closed. Sakura stood with her hands clasped before her. Tomoha pointed to her head. The pinkette's brows furrowed. Her hand came out. Her eyes widened as she realized that her bun was nowhere to be found. She twisted her hair and secured it into place, hidden from the world. She looked at Tomoha's face with panic in her jade-colored irises.

"I won't say anything," Tomoha said through barely moving lips. "It's good you keep it hidden away. It's flashy. Eye-catching. Invest in something more secure to hold it in place."

Sakura stared at her toes. "Yes, Ambe-san."

"Don't be embarrassed," the woman said gruffly. "I was the one who woke you from the dead of sleep."

"Ambe-san?" Sakura looked up at the woman with surprise.

"Thank you for coming." Ambe did not quite meet her in the eye.

Sakura smiled softly. She pressed her hand to her heart. "No need to thank me. If you need me at any time, if Naruto-sama needs me at any time, I'll be there."

"You can go. You can come check on him in the morning after you finish your tasks." Tomoha leaned against the wall.

"Ambe-san," Sakura looked torn between closing her mouth and speaking further.

Tomoha sighed. "Out with it girl."

'Just say it.'

"Can you please tell me more about Naruto-sama's mother?" Sakura pulled her fingers, popping them at the knuckles.

Tomoha stared blankly at the woman, convinced she did not hear right. "Come again?" She asked in a low tone.

"Naruto-sama," she felt the heat rise to her face and her resolve drop down to her toes. "He asks about his mother a lot. He likes to hear stories. I thought that in order to get him to be interested and invested in reading, I could write little stories about his mother. That way her memory stays alive in those stories. Stories that help him learn to read. And he can revisit them anytime he wants." She scratched the side of her neck. "I don't mean to overstep. Please forgive me if I did. I can make up the stories and tell him it's about some other princess. It's fine. Forget that I said anything. It was silly and I should never have made the suggestion -"

"Will you take a breath?!" Tomoha nearly shook her by the shoulders. The woman inhaled audibly.

"Sorry," Sakura fiddled with the bandages around her arm.

"Kushina-sama," Tomoha sighed. "Kushina-chan," she began with more warmth than Sakura had ever seen before on her face, "was the life of this home. She made this compound a home."

Sakura forced her mouth to close. She strained her ears to listen to the sound of Tomoha's voice.

"Shouldn't you be writing this down?" Tomoha asked her with a raised eyebrow. All traces of the warmth were gone when she asked her pointed question.

"I have a good memory," Sakura answered breathlessly.

"Fine, follow me. We can talk more in the dining room." Tomoha turned on her heel.

Sakura followed after her. Her feet did not touch the ground, she was filled with so much giddiness.

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