After the "official opening of the Chuunin Exams" event, they all went home individually with a plan to meet up for an early dinner at Kakashi and Kaisuki's shared duplex. This time, Kakashi invited them into his own home to spend the evening talking about their mental approach to the exams and to teach them all three different chakra-powered paper seals to place on windows and doors at home that would prevent anyone from snooping or trying to spy on them.
Sasuke had been quiet the whole time, from before the ceremony to the moment they split up to go home. His gaze remained avoidant and his behavior withdrawn. He was dismissive of any attempt to engage him or bring him into the conversation. The prodigious Uchiha already knew two of the three sigils Kakashi showed them, having long-since mastered them out of fear for his privacy from stalkers among their peer-group and the genuine, albeit far more downplayed paranoia about his fugitive brother still secretly spying on him, even now.
Sasuke's ongoing paranoia about Itachi meant that most of his complaints and worries were brushed off by the majority of the adults who had raised him and the other Academy students. Sasuke was carefully monitored by ANBU and had been since the day of the massacre. He was used to seeing those masks around and about the village. He recognized them as an authority he deferred to out of obligation, not trust or loyalty.
As for his classmates-turned-stalkers... in the Academy days, before Sakura had been allowed by her own anti-government parents to join her peer group at the state-funded Shinobi Academy, Sasuke had already been the obsession of most of the school. Boys and girls alike were in awe in the sense that they saw him as a handsome and mysterious weirdo, whereas Naruto and Kaisuki were seen as incompetent, idiotic, trouble-making, cursed freaks. The treatment difference was immeasurable. Naruto and Kaisuki were a threat; Sasuke was a toy.
Sakura had always liked Sasuke, but from what she considered to be a respectful distance. Despite her insistence that she just thought he was handsome to look at from very far away, Sakura supposed her gaze towards the boy must've been obvious to everyone else. She didn't know if Sasuke had ever noticed the way she looked at him, but she also wondered how he could've missed it when everyone else seemed to know.
Sasuke was always recognized for his Uchiha-bred talent and was routinely shown off by the teachers as their best student. His skills were a constant training exercise for the other girls in the class. The poor Uchiha had frequently caught the other girls following him home or snooping through the things he brought to school. Everyone wanted to get into his head; to find the evidence of him being just as crazed as his "maniac" brother, or just to learn enough about him that they could get close to him.
At a certain point, it got so bad that he stopped keeping journals, he stopped drawing, he stopped writing poems – everything he made or wrote down was stolen, read without his permission, or used to prove that he wasn't as cool and mysterious as everyone thought. Ino had done it, the rest of her clique had done it, many of the boys had done it, Naruto himself had even done it.
Sasuke eventually stopped bringing anything to school that he couldn't put in his pockets, stopped writing things down, kept everything he owned in triple-locked chests. He learned sigils specifically designed to prevent people from seeing through his windows, put locks on every door in his house that only he had a key to. He had been forced to take a lot of very adult measures to keep people out of his house and belongings.
The Hokage's decision to force Sasuke to move into the apartment he was in now had been as much about managing the boy's paranoia as it was about keeping him physically safe. If his classmates had that level of ease accessing him, there was no telling when (not if) Itachi or anyone else would come for the lone Uchiha Sasuke.
As much as he'd fought against signing away his ownership of the Uchiha Estates, he had seemed more comfortable and less anxious in his now well-defended little apartment since the move. However, in the last few months, Sakura had noticed that Sasuke didn't seem as happy to be returning home to his isolation chamber, and had seemed far less rested in the mornings when she saw him. She noticed when she was hiding around, stalking him, that he was looking over his shoulders now more than ever. He always used to refuse her when she offered to walk him home in the evenings, but at some point he'd started asking her – asking her! - if she would be okay walking home with him.
Maybe it was just that they'd become closer as teammates. Sure, that was a possibility. Sasuke never spoke of it, so Sakura didn't know if he knew she still followed him home even when he said not to; or that she got up at least twice per night to make certain that Sasuke was still home, asleep and undisturbed; or that during the day, if they had no intention to meet as a team, she would make a trip past his house every single time she had to go out, no matter how out of the way her teammate's apartment was, and would sometimes travel over there to keep an eye on his home and self even if she had no reason to. She just wanted to make sure he was safe.
Ino had put her up to it originally but Sakura had always wanted to be closer to Sasuke, to understand him on a deeper and more intimate level than anyone else. Even if he never acknowledged her attentiveness, she just wanted to be there with whatever he needed, whenever he needed it.
She had wanted to bring it up to Kaisuki before but she realized she had no idea how to admit that she was stalking their teammate. Kaisuki had always been protective of Sasuke, at least when they were younger. Kaisuki would go to bat for Sasuke in an instant, no questions asked about who or why. They had split up their whole friendship over Uchiha Itachi, but Sakura had recognized that their bond couldn't be that easily severed when Kaisuki joined their team so many months ago.
Anyway, Sakura considered as she combing her hair with her fingers, agitated. I imagine Saeka already knows about it.
Still, though... "I know some very intimate and private details about Sasuke's paranoia and some other worrisome things because I stalk his house day and night" wasn't something she felt like she could admit to her fellow Kunoichi. And, if she was worrying, surely Kaisuki had noticed something too, right? She'd mentioned it to Kakashi without offering any form of explanation as to how she knew, and it seemed like her mentor had listened despite not prying. He probably knew, even if no one else did.
She could see Kakashi and Kaisuki's duplex from the roof of the empty storefront next to Sasuke's home. Surely Saeka could sense her from that distance if she could pick up on people entering the village before they reached the gates, right? Although, even so... Saeka knowing didn't mean Kaisuki knew. Kaisuki was very clear about the fact that she couldn't force her spirits to tell her anything and that they regularly withheld information from her.
If Kaisuki already knew, she would have definitely confronted Sakura about it, right? Did that mean Saeka was intentionally keeping it from her? Or did she simply feel it wasn't important enough information to warrant bringing it up? Either way, her fondness for the dead girl grew. Sasuke was visibly terrified of Saeka, but Sakura didn't share the sentiment. She understood where the Uchiha was coming from with his fear and contempt of her but, at the same time, she didn't understand why Sasuke seemed to think Saeka still hated him or wanted him dead.
She heard a sound and directed her gaze to the bottom floor of Sasuke's apartment. She'd been posted on the roof across the street from his home nearly all day. She had run into him unexpectedly early in the morning, while she was on her "morning run", and he'd looked paler and more scared than she'd ever seen him. He'd been looking around, distracted and paranoid, while she was trying to talk to him, only to cut the conversation short and insist he needed to get home quickly.
As he was locking his door, with her chakra carefully hidden, Sakura jumped four buildings away, just outside of the distance Sasuke's mild chakra sense could pick up, and dropped down to the street. Unmasking her chakra, and knowing she had four steps before he'd pick up on her, she started at an immediate jog. She had agreed to meet him but had been so caught up in her thoughts she'd forgotten she'd promised to meet him at the door. Stupid!
He was looking towards her, still within one step of his front door, once she started running towards him. "Sasuke!" she called out, waving her arm with a smile.
He returned the gesture with a stiff wave of his own, his anxiety painfully visible.
"Hey, sorry I'm late!" she fake-panted once she reached him. "Mom was arguing with me about dinner." It was partially true, except that the fight she was talking about had happened yesterday and it was about the Hokage allowing her team to take the Chuunin Exams.
Sasuke's eyes seem to search her face for lies, before directing his gaze away and clearing his throat. "It's no problem. Let's go?"
She nodded with a bubbly smile. "Yea!"
Kakashi and Kaisuki's duplex was only four empty buildings away. Usually, even in just that amount of time, Sasuke would find something to complain about. Today, however, he was quiet; gaze roaming around every corner and every rooftop, shoulders stiff.
"Sasuke-kun, are you alright?" She asked softly, almost in a whisper. Sasuke's pace faltered for a half-second before he recovered. "You seem more anxious today."
Sakura knew to keep it vague enough that he had the option to openly lie to her face and she could pretend that she was alright with the lie. A lie was exactly what she expected, but the way he delivered it and what kind of lie he told her could give at least a clue of what was on his mind or whether she should be worried. He could've also just had a bad nightmare.
She was surprised – stunned, even – when Sasuke replied in a barely audible whisper. "ANBU showed up at my house again yesterday... asking about you-know-who." His words were unsteady. She had already known that ANBU had been at his house; she'd watched them take him away.
Without letting her concern (or shock at his honesty) show too much, she replied just as quietly as he had spoken. "Are you okay?" She queried. "Is there anything I can do?"
He fell silent for a long, long moment. "W-well-..." He hesitated, and Sakura noticed the shift in his expression from anxiety to shame. "No, nevermind, I'll be..."
Her heart dropped at the sadness and fear and pain in his eyes, shouting in her mind furiously: How could anyone dare hurt him like this!?
"Sasuke," she quietly urged. "Anything. I won't judge you, I promise."
He slowed to a stop and she stopped with him, facing him. "W-would you spend the night with me?" He asked, just a little louder than they'd been speaking before. His gaze was lowered, shoulders hunched, hands stiffly in his pockets, arms rigid to his sides. He was completely ashamed to be asking for help and Sakura felt her heart break in a thousand piece.
Nevertheless, she smiled brightly at him, bobbing her head assuredly. "Yes, of course. I'd be happy to."
Sasuke looked doubtful. "Y-You don't need to ask your...?"
"No, if it's for a teammate, they'll get over it." She maintained with a cheerful grin. "I'm sure they won't mind. If anything, they'll just lecture me about not telling them stuff beforehand. It'll be fine."
Sakura knew that her parents (especially her dad) would probably have a lot to say, but she didn't care. They hardly made any attempt to truly understand her and she was tired of trying to explain herself. Whatever fury they had in store for her wasn't nearly as important as Sasuke's safety and comfort. She'd sacrifice that relationship in a heartbeat if it meant Sasuke would be okay.
"Anyway, we're gonna be late at this rate, let's hurry!" She urged him along and they started walking again. The warnings from Kakashi were echoing around in her head. Did Sasuke's brother, the missing-nin Uchiha Itachi, have anything to do with what was going on? Was there some kind of corruption happening in ANBU, or the village leadership?
"I don't appreciate you using them as bait." She had heard Kakashi say that as he shook the Hokage's hand and the statement continued to play on repeat in her mind. What did he mean by bait? Bait for what... or who?
Sasuke knocked several times on the door, a little too hard. Kakashi opened the door right away, and Sakura could've sworn she saw concern in his eyes when he looked at Sasuke. She wondered if the Jounin recognized the meaningful look in her eyes. She knew something was going wrong, something bad was happening, but she couldn't pinpoint it. Hopefully Kakashi knew enough to help them survive the Exams.
Their mentor stepped aside to let them in and lingered in the doorway to ensure that no one was watching or stalking them.
.
Kaisuki had already looked up from her seat on the couch when Kakashi opened the door to let Sakura and Sasuke him. She smiled at them and waved, immediately noticing the unhealthy pallor in Sasuke's face. He looked thinner, more tired, and more anxious than she'd seen him in a long time. Her eyebrows came together in concern.
"Hi," Sakura greeted cheerily as they entered the room. Sasuke awkwardly meandered into the actual dining room, which had nothing but a single chair and a small table in it. He always seemed to want to sit as far from the team as possible when he wasn't feeling well.
She heard Saeka's voice pipe up in her head, seemingly out of nowhere. "Look at Sakura," the young spirit requested, her tone just short of demanding. It was strange for the girl to ask for something so specific but Kaisuki knew Saeka wouldn't ask her to do something without a good reason.
Kaisuki looked at Sakura and was surprised to find her pink-haired teammate meeting her gaze. Worry, tension, and even fear were present in her sea foam green eyes. She only held Kaisuki's gaze for a few seconds before she followed Sasuke into dining room. She could hear them muttering to one another but she couldn't make out what they were saying.
Regardless, Kaisuki felt her heart, as heavy as a stone, drop into her stomach. Something's wrong.
Saeka hummed thoughtfully and Kaisuki turned inward to get a look at her. "What?" The Yurei asked.
"It's nothing," was Saeka's impossible-to-believe reply. Before Kaisuki could speak at all, Saeka had pulled away and disappeared into the darkness beyond the white spotlight. Way to be helpful, dude. She thought, somewhat annoyed. Gods forbid any of them just tell her the truth from the start. She felt someone tapping her on the shoulder and quickly blinked herself back to the external world.
Kakashi was standing in front of her. "Everything alright?" He asked quietly, beckoning her to follow him to the kitchen to help with the final preparations on the meal.
"I don't know," came her quietly confused reply. She watched as her mentor carefully inspected each dish, tasting everything, adding seasoning here and there, humming in thought to himself as he worked. "I think something's up with Sasuke and... maybe Sakura. Saeka seems like she knows something as well but she's not being very... forthcoming about it."
When she looked up, Kakashi was blocking the door by opening the fridge to noisily pull out dips and previously made cold foods. She knew he had heard her so she didn't speak on it again. Instead, she changed the subject, "Is Naruto late yet?"
"Not until we've started eating, technically," Kakashi answered, kicking the fridge shut. The whole thing shuddered and swayed worryingly for a moment before settling into its original position. Kakashi then headed in the direction of the dining area he had prepared for them, which was just the living room. He had placed extra chairs around the large coffee table and tired gray couch.
There was another rapid set of knocks at the door at that moment and, without waiting to be let into the house, Naruto brusquely threw the door open, stumbling inside. "I'm here!" He announced a little breathlessly. "Just in time!"
Sakura was upon him immediately, a shaming finger prodding him in the chest before he was even two feet from the door. "Actually, you're about ten minutes late, Naruto," she lectured, though the smile on her face gave away the fact that she was teasing.
"Well, I had to account for Kakashi being late. Even with them keeping each other on task, there's gonna be a delay." He retorted, sticking out his tongue at her in a goofy expression. Sakura giggled, shaking her head in mock-disappointment. Naruto looked to the food Kakashi was bringing to his makeshift dining area and licked his lips. "Honestly, I thought I might be too early still."
Kaisuki looked over the short wall that separated the actual dining room from the kitchen. "I was feeling really good today so I just came over and started prepping before Kakashi was even awake," she chuckled lightheartedly. "I haven't felt this good in ages. The meds are working, now, can confirm!"
Naruto beamed at her with relief evident in his blue eyes. "Hell yea, that's great! I was already really excited about the Chuunin Exams, but now I can be more excited because I won't have to worry so much about you!" He admitted joyfully.
Kaisuki understood what he meant and why he'd felt that way but it still stung. She knew that her team had been worried about her ever since they got back from the Wave Country Incident, despite Sasuke's garbage attitude lately. Naruto in particular had already confided to her his fear that she might get worse, or that he'd lose her altogether. She understood his fear and was grateful that Izumi had been able to help her, but she couldn't help feeling like a burden.
"Remember," Izumi patted her shoulder from the inside and she felt it externally. "Feelings are not facts. You are not a burden, you just feel that way."
She smiled sadly to herself, "You're right," she agreed. "You're definitely right."
She finished moving the dumplings she had made onto a proper serving plate and carried them to the living room. Kakashi had already brought the cold food and reheated the hot foods she had prepared earlier in the day. Once the dumplings hit the coffee table in the living room, she announced to the entire room, "Food's ready, come and get it!"
Sakura was already walking over to Sasuke, who didn't seem to have heard Kaisuki at all. The Yurei paid it no mind and sure enough, just as Kakashi and Naruto were getting comfortable, Sakura and Sasuke appeared at the table and seated themselves side-by-side. Kaisuki counted the plates, place mats, and cutlery everyone had and nodded in satisfaction.
She seated herself next to Naruto on the tired couch, while Sasuke and Sakura sat in a pair of dining room chairs. Kakashi dragged a recliner chair out of his bedroom at some point and dragged it up to the short table. With a chant of "thanks for the food!" they all dug in.
Kaisuki couldn't help keeping a close eye on Sakura as they were eating. Her teammate kept looking towards Sasuke, always cheerfully smiling, doting on him. She had never seen Sasuke allow Sakura to fawn over him like that and while most people might've thought, oh, he's finally opening up, how nice, Kaisuki's immediate observation was that Sakura seemed anxious and worried, despite her demeanor.
"She's drawing your attention to Sasuke on purpose, Kaisuki. This is a show for you and Kakashi, not for Sasuke's benefit." Kaisuki flinched when Saeka suddenly spoke. Hadn't the girl left? Why was she back now? At the mention of her mentor, Kaisuki's gaze slid across to the other end of the coffee table they were eating off of, to where Kakashi was posted. He caught Kaisuki's gaze for just a moment before he looked back over at Sasuke and Sakura, his gaze as indirect as he could make it. Even so, the Yurei could tell he was gauging the behavior of her two teammates carefully. Naruto, meanwhile, was blissfully gorging himself on the dumplings Kaisuki had made.
"I-... what does that even mean, Saeka?" She replied, unable to disguise her exasperation. She heard the young spirit click her tongue in agitation before disappearing again. Saeka seemed to be moodier every time she spoke since the opening ceremony for the Chuunin Exams, when she had allegedly felt Itachi's chakra nearby.
"Tomorrow morning, you'll all be starting the exams. I'll pick you all up from home in the morning and escort you to the grounds where the exams are taking place." Kakashi suddenly started talking, forcing Kaisuki out of her thoughts. "I ask that you all wait for me to arrive before leaving your homes."
The Yurei caught Sakura stealing an anxious, furtive glance towards Kakashi. Their instructor didn't seem to even notice but Kaisuki was sure he'd seen it. "If you want to stay with one another tonight so you can get picked up together tomorrow, that's also fine, just let me know before you leave."
Naruto's hand immediately shot up, his mouth moving rapidly to chew and swallow before he was able to speak. Kakashi raise his eyebrows at the boy and then gestured for him to speak his mind.
"I want to stay over at Kaisuki's tonight!" He announced excitedly.
Kaisuki choked on the mouthful of noodles she'd been about to swallow, unable to contain her giggles as she fought to keep her food in her mouth. Naruto laughed at her openly, apologizing for "almost killing her", his cheeks red from mirth.
"I don't mind if you stay the night, Naruto," Kaisuki gasped out after swallowing, then continuing to chuckle and giggle to herself.
Sakura suddenly spoke up as well. "Then, Sasuke, is it alright if I stay with you? So I don't have to come as far in the morning? Maybe we can all get together for a light breakfast before we head out, if we get up early enough, right?" Her cheeks were red in embarrassment, but she maintained her assertiveness and Kaisuki silently commended her on that.
Sasuke looked confused for a moment, taken aback by her sudden question. However, the two of them exchanged a glance that appeared to hold a lot of unspoken words. Sakura nodded minutely as if to cue Sasuke to respond. His face was turning red as well. Finally, the Uchiha cleared his throat awkwardly and nodded, forcing a smile onto his tense, unhappy expression.
"Y-yea, that's … a great idea." He started out strong but his voice was quieter with every word. He looked humiliated but Kaisuki wasn't sure why. It wasn't like he had asked Sakura to stay over... right? Kaisuki directed her gaze towards her plate, focusing on the remnants of her meal instead of her thoughts of Sasuke. She didn't want anyone catching her brooding so intensely.
"That's really helpful actually, so I appreciate that as well, Sakura," Kakashi replied, his smile showing through his eyes. "If you get up early and there's no sign of me, I don't mind if you two want to walk over to wake me up, since you'll be close by. I trust you to watch after each other."
There was a stiff, pregnant pause, before Kakashi continued. "Additionally, I want to add," he began grimly. "If anything happens – anything, please just run straight here, alright? If you can't get to us for some reason, set the house on fire."
Kaisuki stole a glance towards Sasuke, not wanting to give him the impression that she was closely observing him. Kakashi's warning was very direct about the kind of threat they could be facing. She knew that Saeka was keeping watch over everyone at all times but she also knew that Sasuke didn't trust her or Saeka at all. Sasuke's face had gone white and he'd frozen in place with a dumpling clutched between his chopsticks, hand trembling ever so slightly. His free hand, resting on the table, slowly balled up into a white-knuckled fist.
"W-wha-... uh, Sensei, what are you...?" Naruto looked genuinely flabbergasted, and Kaisuki couldn't blame him. She hadn't told Kakashi or anyone that Saeka had picked up on Itachi near the village gates during the exam ceremony. Aside from that, she had a feeling that the young spirit was picking up on movement within and outside of the village that she was refusing to share. She wished the girl would stop hiding things.
Wouldn't it make everything worse when the truth finally did come out?
"We had a talk like this before, remember?" Kakashi lowered his voice, resting his elbows on his knees and leaning forward somewhat. "The reason your ID cards don't have your real names on them. The Chuunin Exams is a security risk for any nation that's willing to host it. It's a show of military power to hold the Chuunin Exams within a Hidden Village.
"Spies, assassins, kidnappers, traffickers... those kinds of people always roll into town during the Exams," Kakashi explained calmly, though there was a level of anger in his tone that didn't slip by unnoticed. "It's too easy for them to fake identification walking alongside merchants and tourists, dressed like common folk. If someone wanted to come after any of you, this is the time for them to do so."
Kakashi's expression darkened. Kaisuki swallowed hard, her eyes skirting across the table to Sakura and Sasuke. Her fellow Kunoichi had pursed her lips, her expression surprisingly serious and calm. She looked ready for a fight, somehow. Beside her, Sasuke had very slowly and very shakily lowered his chopsticks and dumpling back to his plate, his face a little green. Their mentor reiterated what he'd said before: "So, if someone comes after you, run to me. If you can't escape-..."
Kaisuki didn't even realize Saeka had come forward again until she felt her mouth start moving, interrupting their mentor rather rudely.
"I will know if you're in danger, regardless of where or when," Saeka stated. Kaisuki could feel the way her expression had shifted to something that must've appeared dangerous to the rest of the team. All eyes were on her and everyone other than Kakashi seemed taken-aback by the look in her eyes.
"If someone comes after any of you," she spoke in a low, dangerous voice, "I'll know about it." Then, Saeka's gaze moved to Sakura, who was looking at her intently. "I'll come and protect you, no matter who I have to kill. I promise no harm will come to any of you under my watch."
It was less about what Saeka had said than how much she had said and how she said it. The girl didn't usually interact that much with the other members of the team besides Kakashi and Naruto. She didn't usually speak so much out loud. She was rather shy and reserved and she recognized that Sasuke was nervous of her so she made a point to avoid stressing him out needlessly. It'd been years since Kaisuki had truly seen her menacing angry side.
Something was really wrong and it was visible in the way Saeka's demeanor had changed so thoroughly since the Exams had first been announced. Kaisuki had thought of her attitude as being moody or grumpy but now, looking at the girl from the inside, she saw something completely different. Internally, Saeka's expression reflected a cold fury, barely restrained so as to be ready at a moment's notice. There was so much Kaisuki didn't know about Saeka but, in the moment, she knew before anything else that the girl was prepared for the absolute worst. That alone was terrifying in and of itself.
It wasn't a question of if something was going on; it was a matter of what would happen, when it would happen, and who would being orchestrating it.
She felt Khrai and Izumi come closer into the spotlight. In a way it as reassuring to know they were prepared to protect her and her friends and her home. They had trained so much that they could talk more openly and directly. However, there was a nearly unbearable pit of fear that settled into Kaisuki's stomach the moment she felt Khrai enter the white, spotlit area.
Khrai's heavy hand dropped onto her shoulder and she let go of the reality outside of herself to turn inward and face Khrai within their shared mindscape. The Elf gazed solemnly at Kaisuki and then looked over at Saeka, who paid them no heed and continued speaking to her team on their behalf. When the woman looked back to her Yurei hostess, Kaisuki saw the knowing glint in her eye.
"Ye've noticed too, then, aye?" The Elf inquired. Kaisuki bit her lip, wondering if she would've felt better if she didn't know anything. Finally, the Yurei bobbed her head minutely to indicate her affirmative.
"Do you know what's going on? Or anything at all?" Kaisuki asked her hopefully. Khrai shook her head, mouth pulled to one side, her usual scowl more worried than Kaisuki had ever seen it before. The woman looked pensive and a bit frustrated. Did she really not know what was going on...?
"She sensed Itachi near t'e outskirts o' t'e village t' ot'er day, but she hasn' said anyt'ing about it since. I don' even know if 'e's still in town or if he just, I don't know... stopped at t'e old estate ta grab somet'ing he forgot." Kaisuki couldn't help but smile at Khrai little quip. "She's been blockin' me from readin' 'er chakra sense since t'en."
Kaisuki couldn't help her heart sinking. Was Itachi really what Saeka was worried about? Did she consider him a threat? She wished she could easily read the chakra patterns that Saeka picked up on. The only way she ever knew was if Saeka herself passed the information along verbally.
"How do you know it was Itachi?" Kaisuki queried, her eyebrows pulling together. Khrai's pursed lips told her all she needed to know – the Elf could read the differences in chakra patterns that Saeka picked up on. It was frustrating. She had a somewhat sickening sense that something bigger than all of them was going on, and that Khrai was intentionally keeping details from her. It wouldn't be the first time, but it didn't make sense to the Yurei that they would conceal it from her.
"If something was going on and you knew about it, you would tell me, right?"
Khrai blinked, visibly taken aback by the somewhat demanding question. Her eyebrows came together in surprise and what looked like hurt, but then she lowered her gaze and looked away. Kaisuki felt a strange, cold anger within her as she straightened up her posture and took a couple steps back from Khrai until the Elf's hand slid off her shoulder.
"Kai-chan, ye know I-..."
"Khrai," Kaisuki interrupted her, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. She felt betrayed. "I really want to be able to trust you." Her hands clenched into frustrated, shaking fists as she looked up at the Elf again. "So please look me in the eye and tell me whether you know something."
Khrai sucked her lips into her mouth, clamping on them with her teeth for a moment. She lowered her head and took her own deep, stabilizing breath before she looked up at Kaisuki again, eyes bright with sincerity. "T'ere is somet'ing going on, aye. It's surely got to be t'e demons preparin' for somet'ing. I've felt 'em t'rough Saeka a couple times before she blocked me out."
Kaisuki chest was tight. Khrai continued, "T'ere's a bunch of examinees t'at are possessed and I'm sure ye know what t'at means. I don' know what's really goin' on, but I'll tell ya' this: Itachi's not involved wit' t'e demons. Saeka t'inks he's 'ere outta concern fer Sasuke, not 'cause he's tryin' to commit crimes wit'in the village. She hasn't told me anyt'ing, I'm mostly guessing, but... I will say t'is: I don't t'ink Itachi is what startled 'er at t'e openin' ceremony, if ye recall."
She had been right then. She hadn't wanted to admit what she'd been suspicious of the entire time, but Khrai had laid it out for her. There was no room for second-guessing anymore. The village was about to attacked by demons, led by some anonymous threat.
Kaisuki swallowed the tension in her throat and asked a bit weakly, "What do we do?"
"Hey," Saeka's voice startled Kaisuki and when she turned around to see the young spirit standing just behind her, her heart skipped a beat in additional surprise. Had she been listening? Why was Kaisuki afraid of her listening in? "You can take over."
Khrai didn't get a chance to reply to her question but the blue-eyed Elf met her gaze knowingly when the hostess glanced towards her one last time. She then cleared her throat, trying to remove the emotion lodged in it and hummed her affirmative at the youngest spirit. Saeka didn't even seem to acknowledge that she'd been greeted at all as she stalked past them, muttering unintelligibly under her breath. Was she mad at them? Or was she just lost in thought? What – or who – had her so on edge?
When Kaisuki blinked back into external awareness, she was surprised when she realized that her body had been without a pilot for at least a minute or two. Her eyes felt dry from not blinking enough and her posture had listed forward noticeably. She straightened up, rolling her shoulder a few times and clearing her throat – this time in the real world, which was much more satisfying and effective than it had been internally.
Kakashi was staring at her with both eyes open, his Sharingan observing her carefully. Sometimes she wondered what he could see. Everyone was very still – even Naruto. She couldn't deny feeling uncomfortable with all the attention.
"Kaisuki?" Her best friend called softly to her, touching her shoulder gently. A few deep breaths and a bit of rapid blinking and she felt centered.
Before any questions could be asked, she just started explaining what Khrai had told her. "Something is going to happen during the exams," she informed them all. She was surprised by the lack of anxiety in her voice as she spoke. "Khrai says there's definitely a few – or perhaps a bunch of examinees who are possessed." She paused, scowling at her hands. "But we don't know when it's going to happen, what's going to happen, or who's going to be involved."
"There are many possessed students even among your peers," the matter-of-fact, blunt way that Kakashi stated it was like a slap in the face for her teammates, though Kaisuki herself had already figured as much. "I have suspicions that at least two Jounin among my own cohort are possessed as well. However, my biggest concern right now is how deep this goes. If the Hokage, or god's forbid, if ANBU is comprom..."
There was an unexpected bang and when Kaisuki and Naruto and Kakashi looked towards the sound, Sasuke had slammed his fists on the table. He was trembling from head to toe, his face ashen, and, though his eyes were directed at Kakashi, his gaze seemed to be very far away.
"Sasuke-kun, are you okay?" Sakura's voice was shockingly calm in that moment and suddenly, Kaisuki had the feeling she didn't know her pink-haired teammate at all. Her soft green eyes were locked onto Sasuke's shaking fists, her expression carefully neutral as she observed him for a few long seconds. Slowly and deliberately, she gently placed her hand on top of the Uchiha's. His trembling didn't abate at all, but Sakura kept her hand there anyway.
"Do you want to go home early, Sasuke-kun?" She asked him, just barely above a whisper. Sasuke's fists opened somewhat but it appeared to be difficult for him to keep them that way.
"No, this is important..." he muttered quietly, suddenly sounding very tired. "It's too important to leave now."
Kaisuki glanced over at Naruto, finding a well of worry and anxiety in her best friend's eyes. He looked at her, strangely in-tune to the situation compared to normal. He wanted her to say something, knowing that his own interjection wouldn't be appreciated in that moment.
Kaisuki pursed her lips for a moment before she turned back to Sasuke to offer, "Do you want to step out on the porch for a minute, we'll come wi-...?"
"No, no, no," his voice had taken on an incongruously aggressive tone, bordering on fully hostile. Kaisuki's eyebrows came together in surprise but Sakura didn't even seem phased. She remained still, focused, her eyes trained on his face, taking in every aspect of his body language.
The Uchiha lifted his head, visible shock and fear in his eyes, his hands had clenched back into tight fists, the trembling seeming to worsen. His body language, voice, and expression were completely in conflict with one another. "What do you mean, A-A-ANBU might be-..." the stutter coupled with the still-hostile tone of his voice was bizarre to say the least
"Sasuke-..."
"They've been coming by almost every day! Because I guess Itachi's been making moves nearby..." he snapped, his fearful eyes searching Kakashi and Kaisuki's faces. "What do you mean, they mi-... they might be..." his breathing hitched on the gravity of his own words and it sank in for Kaisuki at that moment.
ANBU's been bringing him in for questioning? She thought, startled and immediately worried. Daily? For how long?
She looked to Kakashi and saw in his eye that he was probably deeply regretting bringing it up in the first place. Kaisuki turned back to Sasuke, wanting to offer some kind of reassurance but, before she could form her own words, she felt Saeka's voice coming out of her mouth.
"ANBU is not that severely compromised yet," Saeka stated firmly, throwing a harsh glance at Kakashi for causing such a panic. "I'm sure Kakashi-sensei didn't mean to startle you. There is one ANBU who is possessed and has been for a while, but he's one of the guards in the Hokage's office building and he has had no involvement in... those meetings, Sasuke."
"I meant it when I said I was keeping watch. I wouldn't neglect something so serious if it was really happening. I will keep you safe – all of you. I'm very hard to kill and far stronger than you may ever know." The final statement was spoken with a ferocious intensity that felt more frightening than reassuring. Despite the tone she had taken, Sasuke released a shaky breath, looking like he was on the verge of dissolving into tears.
Saeka pulled away again, allowing Kaisuki to use her own voice. "Things are getting weird," the Yurei commented, a tired smile crossing her face. "We just need to stick together. You four and all four of me."
There was a unanimous affirmative, in the form of nods and quiet hums. Naruto was the only exception, because of course he was, smiling and chuckling at Kaisuki's fairly poor attempt at a joke.
Sakura and Sasuke left together, Naruto joining Kaisuki on her side of the duplex she shared with Kakashi. The blond did his best to distract Kaisuki from what was now looming in front of them. The Chuunin Exams were to start the following morning. They would wake up early, have a strategy meeting over breakfast, and then make their collective way to the exam grounds. She tried her best to focus on Naruto's antics and jokes and storytelling, but her heart was beating just fast enough to be uncomfortable. It served as a consistent reminder that tomorrow was coming... tomorrow was coming.
