Haruhi sighed as she slowly crept back to awareness. Might Gai was speaking to Kakashi in the living room down the hall, soft tones from the man still loud enough to rouse her from her sleep.
She wondered what could have caused this out of character behavior. She tried to hide her smile as she heard Kakashi step lightly down the hall, him purposefully making noises because he knew it startled her to see him seemingly appear out of nowhere.
He paused over her splayed form, before his amused face appeared before her's, pressing a kiss to her brow as he murmured.
"Haruhi, I know you're awake."
She hummed, then paused her stretching when she felt him become serious.
"Apparently, someone removed the Seals from the Branch Hyuga yesterday evening. They staged a coup against the main family and only a few main branch members are left."
She snapped awake and bolted upright, Kakashi moving swiftly out of her way as he had predicted this.
"They don't know who helped remove the seals." Kakashi said neutrally. But his shining eyes revealed that he had a pretty good idea who it, or rather, they were.
She exhaled, all at once feeling amused, exasperated, excited, hopeful, and mournful. SO that was why Might Gai came. Neji was his student.
"Those damn kids."
"Hm. They get it from you, dear."
"Are the kids going to be safe?"
"Gai said all their leads have gone cold, and Neji isn't saying anything. Hinata and Hanabi won't budge either. The village is on soft lockdown for now as we figure out new security protocols to protect the Hyuga, but the Branch family members already have a few good ideas as to how to do that."
They move to the kitchen, or rather, Kakashi supports her as they move to eat breakfast. She had gotten progressively weaker since getting back. Kakashi noticed, his eye crinkling in the corner with worry.
"Well, I hope the kids aren't too busy. I was thinking about calling the team meeting today."
Kakashi stilled.
"...That's probably for the best. The seal will be ready in the next two to three days."
Kakashi made a move, swiping his thumb and summoning his dogs to collect the rest of team seven while they sat in the kitchen. They needed to have this talk.
Haruhi was startled to hear another knock at the door. Kakashi opened it, and to both of their surprise, Sai answered.
Sai had been by far the most reclusive of the ever expanding team seven. A few days before she was kidnapped for the second time, she had made a breakthrough. At one of the art classes at The Commons, Sai had taken a shine to the paintings and the oil paints Haruhi had gotten from a friend at Konoha's university. They had fun discussing different art styles, color theory, and contrasting themes and colors in paintings. Sai did struggle with that last one, but unlike before where he would shut down when confronted with how much he struggled to understand others, he had a breakthrough and enjoyed the painting greatly.
It seemed art was the key in getting Sai to connect with others.
Moegi and her mothers were there leading the class, and also took part in the conversation. Sai had painted a beautiful family portrait of them, and even though only Haruhi could tell from her experience with Sai, it almost seemed like an apology.
Sai looked at her, tears wetting his face, and she immediately but gently pulled him inside and into a kind hug. He hugged back, at first hesitant but then with vigor. She had never seen him cry before and signaled for Kakashi to close the door as they moved to the couch. She let him cry for a bit before he did the strangest thing. He pulled back and smiled at her. Then stuck out his tongue.
It took a second before Haruhi realized it was blank, no seal in sight. Her and Kakashi exchanged a split second look of shock before Sai spoke.
"I got my seal removed. I have some things to say to Tsunade-Sama about Danzo. Will you come with me?"
Haruhi opened her mouth to speak. To say yes. Of course she would, but when she moved to stand she collapsed back onto the couch. Haruhi was struck with the realization that if she was barely shuffling around the house today with support there was no way she could ever accompany Sai.
That hurt. She wanted to support her kids, but every breath she exhaled took some of her energy with it.
"Sai, I...I can't leave the house right now. I'm not feeling well and I just called a team meeting to discuss it. Kakashi knows what you mean when you say you got your seal removed. He can accompany you after we have the team meeting, okay?"
Kakashi nods, making sure to appear as friendly as possible. Sai speaks anyway.
"Okay. I...He did awful things to us." Sai speaks and realization dawns on his face. He can say what he wants to without repercussion. He is free to speak. "It wasn't right. I was never okay with it even when I thought it was normal. He says he was teaching us how to be ninja. But not like how you do Kakashi-sensei. His way hurt. It was bad. I know it isn't normal now."
Haruhi blinks back tears, and pulls him into another hug. They stayed like that until Pakkun and the others returned, Sakura, Karin, Naruto, and Haku all circling up around them, looking very nervous. Haruhi frowned, confused. She had called team meetings in the past before without anyone getting worried, why the long faced. Oh!
"Relax, none of you are in any trouble." She smiled, eyes twinkling with light and life that had been absent these past few days.
"We're not?"
"Nope. As far as I've heard, you've done nothing wrong. But we do have something to discuss. Please take a seat."
Haruhi wipes her sweaty palms on her sleep wear before she spoke.
"You all know how I haven't been feeling well the past few days?"
"Yeah, because of that jerk Orochimaru!"
Haruhi smiles sadly.
"That is a part of it, but not the full story. Do you remember how I explained I was summoned here through a summoning seal?"
They nodded.
"And all of you know that summons cannot last indefinitely in the world before their chakra runs out?"
There was a pause.
"NO!" Naruto shouted. "NO NO NO NO NO!"
Haruhi bit her lip.
"Naruto-"
"NO! You can't go! Not after Sasuke went too! This is just like when you tried to leave after Wave!"
"I don't have a choice."
"And if you did?" Haku spoke quietly.
Haruhi's voice sputters out. She then gets upset.
"You know, I'm so tired of people calling me selfish for wanting to go home. I enjoyed many things about this world but I did not come here willingly. I have a family too and I'm not selfish for wanting to go home. I love all of you, but I simply wasn't supposed to be here for this long."
Several tiny, hurt faces look at her and Haruhi immediately feels horrible. She sighs again and tries to compose herself before speaking again.
"I have to go. Soon. I'm going to miss you all and I'm sorry for upsetting you. Wanna hang out here today, watch tv and bake cookies while we wait for everything to calm down? You can tell me all about what's going on."
Sakura sniffles and nodded, while Karin, Haku, and Sai also nodded. Sakura quietly launches into a report about her family as Kakashi bakes sugar cookies for them, Naruto helping to mix the batter in the kitchen as he calmed down from crying. Sai took joy in interjecting and saying whatever came to mind, mainly something about cursing out the elders.
Karin and Sakura seemed to be really getting along and it was really funny to see the freaked out faces of everyone else when these two girls who used to be on bad terms now getting along.
Yukio apparently liked it when Mr Haruno sang tv jingles in his low voice. Karin and Haku spoke about getting part time jobs at Tsubaki's Kunoichi shop. They spoke about how many kunoichi made interesting personalities, and the cool limited time items that made their way into the shop.
Sai spoke of his time sitting on top of the hokage mountain and painting the scenery, and working at the commons in some of the art classes.
Naruto mumbled something in the back about a rasengan but she couldn't hear what it was.
"Now what do you all think about the hyuga coup?"
They fell silent, before Karin and Sakura giggled together.
"It's like what you said, sensei, everyone deserves to be free! I'm happy that whoever it was who helped free the branch family did so."
Haruhi smirked into her drink.
"How has everyone else reacted so far?"
Haku took over.
"Most people are shocked, but happy for the Hyuga while a few others who remember the Hyuga affair are a bit worried. I know Lady Tsunade increased patrols, and the Hyuga are enforcing new policies and teaching all their clan members new jutsu to protect their eyes. A couple of the more traditional residents of Konoha wish it didn't happen. The Hyuga are an old house and represent orthodoxy and obedience. To have them so publicly upended means their own authority will not be questioned."
"Oh! Questioned how?"
Haku was silent for a second and so Karin spoke.
"Some of the people are starting to talk openly about the Uchiha massacre. They noticed similarities to the Hyuga situation. Tenten and Emi were talking about it to use in their shop earlier. Other customers and people eating at Ichiraku's were talking about it too."
They all fell silent at the reminder. The district was thriving, but the main house and now Sasuke's apartment were empty. Haruhi and Kakashi had gone and cleaned it out of it's depressingly few possessions and stored them in a room in Kakashi's clan house. If Sasuke ever came back he would get them here.
Haruhi knew Sasuke wasn't evil and she knew he was good at heart and wanted to help Orochimaru's prisoners. But with all that was going on in Konoha and the reckoning the village seemed to be undertaking she could almost say his departure was unnecessary.
Almost.
As the rest gathered in the kitchen Sakura gently pulled Haruhi to the side.
"Tsunade held a meeting with Inari and Shisui."
"Oh? How'd it go? What does he know now?"
"We told him that he is an Uchiha and a victim of bloodline theft. We said his family will be under protection as we track down the man who attacked him and his family. He's scared to remember, but Tsunade is looking into it with Ino for him. Inari's pregnancy is healthy so far."
Haruhi smiled, a true one, happy at the good news and hope for the future. She kept forgetting after all the tragedies, but the world here was a hopeful one. Temari was made the kazekage in Suna, and she was enacting policies that were catapulting the desert nation out of poverty. Mei in Kiri was doing something similar, as Haku reported during a meeting with diplomats from Kiri. She was even holding elections based on the election in Konoha for the first hokage for many of their public officials. And Tsunade was putting in work in order to clean up Konoha's act. Of course, she had a lot of work ahead of her, and Konoha still had to answer for all it's past crimes without sweeping them under the rug, which is why she imagines Sasuke left. It was the only way to assure justice for the Uchiha even with Tsunade on their side.
Not only that, but many of the social programs that Haruhi had started had begun to flourish. A second and third Commons were being built around the village and would soon be operational with the board who ran the one in the Uchiha district overseeing and appointing leaders. In the past several months literacy rates had increased in Konoha to over 90% from the classes taught at the commons and at the school by Iruka and Tsubaki with other teachers. Community gardens had sprung up run by Kiki and others. On some of their house call trips outside of the village Haruhi had seen community classes set up in a way that was very similar to The Commons, meaning that ideas of universal education and free speech were spreading. More independent newspapers popped up with the increase in the reader base and many more people were becoming aware and educated because of it. People were beginning to question the world they were in, and wondering if it could be better.
The future here was going to be great. And she wouldn't see it.
Her smile became bittersweet.
She wished she could say goodbye to Sasuke at least. He was a good kid. It was funny, how he had been her least favorite at first before becoming the one she related to the most.
She went into the kitchen and ate with the rest of Team seven. It was a great night with delicious cookies and dinner. She laughed at Naruto's jokes, who sat next to her as he had forgiven her and just wanted to spend what time he had with her.
The night ended early, with Haruhi too exhausted to continue and the parting hugs she gave the kids felt permanent. It wasn't the final time she would see the kids before she went home, but as the kids walked back to their houses, they looked back. Then they continued on home.
Instead of being hurt Haruhi was happy they would be able to go on without her, because as much as Haruhi pretended otherwise in order to remain unattached at the beginning, she had indisputably become a mother/sister figure to a group of lonely kids. Most orphans, all isolated. It was breathtaking how important that role was. And now it was ending.
Kakashi helps her get ready for bed, braiding her hair when her arms are too weak to hold them up for long.
Her lip wobbles, and Kakashi plants a kiss to the corner of her mouth as she wraps her arms around him.
"Kakashi?"
"Hm?"
"You know, uh, it's kinda funny…" Her voice breaks off. He nods encouragingly.
"I, when I first got here through the seal, there was this split second of confusion, before I saw the east aisan influences everywhere. So I choose the name Haruhi. To uh, fit in. Ha. Which is funny because I was so small and fit nowhere, get it?"
He pauses.
"I suppose that is kinda funny. Can I ask what your name is?"
"It's Harper."
"Harper." He tried it out, and Haruhi (Harper?) shivered at her name in his mouth. "It fits you." He said almost sounding surprised. "And it sounds similar to Haruhi."
"Yeah, it does. My mom named me Harper after a famous author she liked, Harper Lee. It's a name that's become quite popular in recent years."
"Do you want me to call you that instead, to get used to it again?"
She opened her mouth, the closed it again, before opening it.
"No. Just call me Haruhi. It's my name for here. I'll adjust when I get back, I...Just wanted you to know me."
His eye softened.
"I do know you. I'm glad to."
Her face pinched with grief and she felt like a fragile thing. Scared and mourning.
"I'm going to miss you."
He said nothing, only scooping her up and bringing them both to bed. She was losing chakra fast, but they were careful, and comforted each other under the moonlight.
Yep. We are drawing to a close. it's weird to think, because this fanfic has been so much of my life for well over 3 years. I promise you all, i will give you an ending to be happy with, so even though this looks grim...just hold on for now!
WEAR. YOUR. DAMN. MASKS. AND REGISTER TO VOTE AND REQUEST A BALLOT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!