A/N: Thanks to BG90 for pointing out that bit about the name. I just about bashed my head against my desk when I read your review, cause I felt like such an idiot for not thinking of it myself. I hope I've found a decent way to address this issue!
I was originally going to have the restaurant conversation and the talk with Sakura's parents be two different chapters, but decided to combine them into one super-long one, because I got slapped with inspiration to write. Also, got hit with ideas for the C-rank missions so I want to get through this worldbuilding as soon as possible so we can hit the fun stuff! Enjoy the longer chapter! Also, expect an Interlude sometime about Wednesday – Kakashi POV, taking place about the middle of this chapter!
Inoichi leads them to a place called Yakiniku Q, and Natsu's mouth waters at the scent of barbecue. The place is fairly busy, though not quite at peak, and there's little delay in being seated at a table.
Menus are handed out, and Natsu spreads it open immediately, already looking for a price column. The language is as easy to read as it was to understand, even though Natsu knows the characters don't look like anything he's seen back home. He chalks that up to proof that he's just using Sakura-chan's grasp of the language, and returns to carefully perusing his options.
"Nothing's on fire…"
Natsu doesn't feel especially surprised, since there wasn't any fiery food in Edolas either, but something about it is still a little disappointing, and he props his chin on the table and stares at the menu as though it will change for him.
"I'm fairly sure that's a good thing, Natsu-san." Inoichi offers, looking over at the pinkette.
Natsu groans. "I meant the food! Do you guys not have fire chicken or anything like that?"
"I'm not certain what that is. Chicken spiced hot enough to be described as fiery?"
Natsu sits up to stare at Inoichi. "No way! It's chicken that's just on fire. It's actually pretty interesting to make, cause you gotta light it on fire without actually burning it to a crisp, I think Mira had some special technique to do it… cause it never tasted like it had lots of oils on it or anything…" Natsu stares blindly as he tries to remember exactly how it was made, but it's been so long since he even cared, he usually just bought it without thinking anymore…
"People actually eat something like that?"
Inoichi's words break Natsu out from his daze, and he shrugs. "Mostly just me honestly! Since I can eat fire an' stuff. Though there are a few places that actually serve it even outside the guild, cause you're supposed to put the fire out with the special sauce it comes with, and apparently it makes some really cool flavor! I wouldn't know, I just eat it while it's still on fire, but Lucy said it was a delicacy to most people and she'd know stuff like that. I guess it's probably a good thing though, cause I don't know if Sakura-chan's body can eat fire… she seemed to think my fire tricks were really odd, you know? But they're pretty much baby exercises to teach you control, they aren't that special…"
"A kekkei-genkai?" Kakashi muses, setting down his menu and looking up at him.
Bloodline… limit?
Natsu shakes his head violently. "No way! Anyone can learn really! I mean, it gets more dangerous the older you are when you start, Igneel said something about how older bodies don't adapt well to techniques that change your organs and stuff, I wasn't paying too much attention, but anyone who starts young enough can learn! I dunno with Sakura-chan though, cause mostly I still feel like me, right? I didn't even realize anything was odd with my body until I tried to kick you and my leg fell so short! So, it's probably not safe to just assume I could do everything I'm used to, since I can't really tell anything's wrong unless I actually look at myself…"
Kakashi and Inoichi exchange glances, and Natsu glares at their blatant show of leaving him out of the conversation.
"Ah, I hope I'm not interrupting! May I take your orders now?"
"Yes, my apologies! This will all be on one tab, miss." Inoichi rattles off his own order in a tone that implies he's ordered it many times before, and Kakashi follows suit, taking his own time.
"And you, miss?" The waitress asks kindly, pen poised to write. Natsu fights to smile at her instead of scowling. "I'd like the Harami, along with amazake!" he offers brightly, and the waitress freezes, staring at him.
"Ah… that is… you realize that Harami is meant to be shared between multiple people?" The waitress shifts, looking over the table, and Natsu just grins.
"Don't worry! I can eat it! Those guys can have their kid meals if they want, but some of us have appetites!"
"V-very well then. Please look forward to your meal!" The waitress bows, walking towards the back. Inoichi quickly turns to glare at him.
"Natsu-san…"
The blond's attempt at a reprimand is cut off by Kakashi's laughter, as he hides behind a book. "Oh dear. I think you've been had, Inoichi-san." The sensei's eye curls in a smile from above the cover.
"Don't you think that's a bit rude, Natsu-san?"
Natsu shrugs, leaning back in the seat. "What do you mean? I'm just hungry!" he offers the mind-walker his brightest grin, and the man groans, dropping his face into his palms.
"So," Kakashi offers idly, flipping a page in his book, "the people in Natsu-kun's home must be a very peaceful people, if they have the time and energy to practice using chakra techniques for cooking instead of combat. Is Natsu-kun's tendency towards missions unusual then?"
Natsu gives the man his most confused look. "Whether you got… chakra, or not, everyone's good at different things! I'm good with fire! I don't always go on hunting jobs or bounties, sometimes people hire me for demolition. The master said something about how if I was gonna blow stuff up anyway I should at least get paid for it, so when people need something destroyed so they can build on top of it or something, I get those sorts of jobs too. Levy can fight, but she's super good with languages! So she gets lots of translation or code-related jobs, and sometimes even like, curse-breaking and stuff. So why wouldn't there be people who are just really good at using their power to cook or something? Supposedly, in Desierto, there's a place with a lady who makes teas infused with her power for all sorts of neat effects! Like, there were rumors that some of them could even make you heal faster. It wasn't fast like Wendy's abilities, but some professionals apparently ran a bunch of tests that confirmed she had that sort of power! Levy told everyone when she first heard about it, cause she thought it was such a unique ability. So of course the people who are good at fighting fight, and everyone else finds stuff they're good at, too. That's how it should be everywhere, right?"
"Hmm. It must be a strange land you're from, where bounty jobs don't always mean killing and someone can learn how to brew tea with chakra if they want. Here, the only people you'll find experimenting like that are those that are retired from injury, not wanting to give up chakra entirely. How odd." Kakashi muses lightly, still turning pages in his book at an even pace.
Natsu gives him a suspicious look, then turns to Inoichi-san. "Are you guys seriously like that? Everyone with chakra is just… conscripted into your army or something?"
Inoichi looks taken aback for a moment. "No, Natsu-san. Ah, thank you." He nods to the waitress who sets down their drinks, promising to return shortly with the food. "If we forced people to join our military, they'd be far more likely to betray us - no one conscripted against their will would make for a good person to trust your back to. However, we do not offer any instruction at all to those who refuse to enroll. If you are not a shinobi, or involved in our administration in any way, then it is better to refuse to teach you anything. After all, if you teach a clansman techniques, and then they decide to become a merchant or something, travelling around the world, who is to say what they might do with the techniques they've been taught? No, anyone who chooses not to enroll in the academy is left to live as a civilian, or attempt to figure out stuff on their own, which is of course, highly dangerous and prone to leaving dead bodies." The man shrugs as though that's all there is to say on the subject, and Natsu pulls his hand away from his drink, struggling to swallow back bile.
"But m-chakra is a part of us. Anyone who has it, who uses it, it's- you can't just- refuse to use it? It's part of who we are. Making people choose like that… it isn't even a choice! Loads of people who want nothing to do with fighting would join anyway just because anything less would be denying what you are! That's wrong!"
Inoichi offers him a confused look of his own. "I've never noticed any such thing in anyone who hasn't already had years of practice with chakra."
"Mm. With the exception of… certain people, who have so much chakra they all but have to use it, it is rather unheard of. Even among kekkei genkai clans, it is rather rare to have anyone who feels that they must use chakra, without any prior training. I wonder how Natsu-kun came to such a conclusion?"
Natsu looks between the two older men, biting back his worry.
I… already sort of wondered if I could still use magic like normal here… it shouldn't be so surprising to learn that chakra isn't just a different name for magic but a different energy altogether. In the hospital, Sakura-chan's magic felt so odd when I tried to grab it…
"Natsu-san?"
"Yeah?" he jerks his head up, meeting Inoichi's eyes as the man levels a considering gaze on him.
"You seemed lost in thought."
Natsu shrugs. "You guys are weird. I didn't even want to be here in the first place, but now I want to stay even less. Can we just talk about how to fix this already?"
Inoichi sighs. "Natsu-san… I really don't think this is going to be as quick and simple as you hope. Even if we could get lucky and find a breakthrough, there's no certainty of that. Better to prepare as though this will take a while, and be pleasantly surprised if it's quick, than to go straight to searching for solutions only to struggle to deal with long-term problems as they occur. As such, there are some things about your position that you need to be aware of."
Natsu crosses his arms, leaning back into the booth. Inoichi pauses as the waitress comes back with their food, and they all take a moment to divide it up.
The table descends into silence, Inoichi letting his comments go as everyone digs in to eat. The food is actually pretty good, and Natsu devours it with gusto. It feels like he hasn't eaten in days, and he half-wonders if the reason Sakura-chan is so tiny is because she doesn't eat enough.
The food runs out way too soon, and Natsu finds himself oddly torn between feeling bloated, and still hungry.
"Is… is this normal?" he asks, looking up at Inoichi to find the blond staring at him with a truly unusual look on his face.
"S-Natsu-san?"
"I mean… I'm still hungry! But I also feel like I'm going to be sick if I eat anything else! That's never happened to me before! Usually I can even eat more than that…"
The blond turns considering, carefully pondering his question. "I've never heard of such an occurrence… perhaps it is something that will settle with time. If you're used to eating quite a bit more food, where Sakura-chan isn't, then maybe your mind just expects you to still be hungry even though you aren't, so you're ending up with mixed signals. If this situation goes on for so long, I'd expect such a symptom to disappear after a week, no more than two."
Natsu nods lethargically. "Good to know… so let's just talk about that stuff you mentioned before…"
Inoichi nods, turning to look at Kakashi. "Is something wrong, Hatake-san?" Natsu cracks open an eye, to see an oddly guilty look on the silver-haired man's face.
"Ah, I actually completely forgot until I saw Natsu-kun just now… I'd told my students before the test to skip breakfast, and of course Natsu-kun went to the hospital without lunch… this will have been the first meal Sakura-chan ate all day. If I'd realized sooner, I'd have at least made sure the hospital provided something light. My apologies."
"Oh!" Natsu's face lights up in comprehension. "No worries. Honestly I didn't even realize how hungry I was until the food was right in front of me anyway…"
Kakashi nods, and Inoichi turns back to look at the pinkette. "It's quite obvious by what you said before that we come from completely different cultures. As such, I feel you need to understand - ours is a mercenary society. It is not unusual for people to take jobs specializing in information gathering, like myself, or assassination, like Hatake-san." The silver-haired man offers a cheery wave that feels out of place against Inoichi's declaration, and Natsu fights to keep from tensing up. Have I ended up in some sort of cultish yami guild?! "Children, and especially new graduates like Sakura-chan and her teammates, are not expected to decide on a specialization. They take a wide variety of easier, D-rank jobs until they earn promotions, after which they are usually encouraged to specialize. A jack-of-all-trades may be useful sometimes, but often for a village as large as Konoha, it's far better to have a team of specialists than just one person who's good at everything. Are you following?"
...not just a yami guild, but a yami guild that takes D-rank jobs?! Is this secretly hell? I thought places like that were all like, S-rank murders and stuff!
"Uh… you don't seriously expect me to do D-ranks, do you?" Kakashi chokes on a laugh, burying his face into his book, as Inoichi stares at him in exasperation.
"That's what you decide to focus on?" The man sighs, consciously releasing tension from his shoulders. "Our village operates in three-man teams, Natsu-san. Unlike some others, we heavily prioritize teamwork, so it's rare to find a Konoha team with less members. Even if it turns out that you maintain all your strength in Sakura-chan's body, which I doubt you will as such a thing is not common in possessions of any sort, that would not change the fact that her two teammates, Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun, are both twelve-year-old children with no true combat experience. So yes, you will be taking D-rank jobs alongside them until all of you are seen as strong enough, as a team, to take harder jobs. That will, of course, be decided between Hatake-san and Hokage-sama."
Natsu turns to glare harshly at the table. "Why me?" he mutters, trying to light it on fire with his eyes. Sakura-chan's m- chakra shifts about at his intense focus. "Dammit I was in the S-class trials, I don't wanna go back to the basics!" Natsu's head drops suddenly, only barely missing his plate to smack lightly into the table, and he groans against the unyielding wood. Above him, Kakashi and Inoichi exchange another speaking glance, before the silver-haired man reaches over to poke the top of his new student's head.
"Maa, Natsu-kun, it's not so bad. I'm stuck in the same boat after all!"
Natsu shifts to prop his chin on the table and stare up at the man.
"I'm serious! I'm listed as an S-Rank threat in the bingo books of every country on the continent! And instead of taking all sorts of fun jobs, I'll be babysitting a couple brats through the most boring D-ranks imaginable! So you won't be suffering alone~!"
Natsu tilts his head against the wood at the sensei's statement. "Wait." he sits up fully, looking at both his companions. "You guys… seriously put S-Rank people into a mentorship position? Isn't that… I dunno, poor allocation of resources?"
A look of surprise crosses Inoichi's face. "Ah, you know, most people don't realize that. Admittedly, not every Jonin put on teaching rotation is S-Rank like Hatake-san, though more are than you'd first think. After all, the children are our future. Leaving them in the hands of weaker shinobi only means they're likely to be killed before they can ever become strong men and women in their own right. You can't teach someone by smothering them, so entrusting them to teachers powerful enough to deal with any threat and also be able to do so while protecting others… that's the best way to make sure your children grow strong enough to see the future. So perhaps in the short-term, taking strong shinobi like Hatake-san out of rotation seems like a waste, but it more than pays off in the long term, when the children grow up and come to stand as S-Rank shinobi in their own right."
"...You guys must have a lot of S-Rank shinobi to be able to afford such a thing." Natsu offers, once more pushing down the worry that crawls through his chest.
"We are one of the largest shinobi villages in the Elemental Nations. It goes without saying that we can fuel no few number of teams full of S-Rank shinobi. Obviously, I'm not going to give you any names. Not every S-Rank manages a bingo book listing, and we like to keep it that way."
...definitely got myself stuck in a yami guild.
Just.
A city-sized one? Gah, what even is this place?!
"S-so, why did Sakura-chan want to be a shinobi?" Natsu asks, wondering if he truly wants to know.
Inoichi shrugs. "You'd have to ask her. While she and my daughter are friends, I do not believe Ino ever asked, though I do know that many civilian-raised children, like Sakura-chan, believe that being a shinobi is an exciting job. Most of them don't realize the truth of our kind of work until the conditioning classes at the Academy, and most drop out after that. Why Sakura-chan stayed… well. Whatever reasons she has, I would not know them. Anyone can drop out of the Academy, though you're usually looked at a bit more suspiciously if you drop out in your last year than if you choose to do so before then."
"Are you going to expect me to kill people?"
"What would you do if I said yes?"
Natsu freezes, staring at the man. I didn't expect him to be so willingly blatant about it… he's not even going to dance around the subject, huh?
"You guys… aren't my people. Just like you said, right? I'm not one of your people, but you aren't one of mine either. I'm not going to kill for you. I'd never be able to face my friends back home if I did something like that. I'll protect Sakura-chan's friends for as long as it takes us to find a solution to this, but I'm not bloodying my hands for you. If you've got a problem with that, then we'll just have to find a way to fix this! If Sakura-chan joined knowing she'd have to kill, then that's on her. I won't do it. I'll help, I'll do whatever I need to look for a way back, I'll learn whatever you have to teach me, but I'm not killing."
Inoichi stares at him, unblinking, and Natsu matches him stubbornly. Eventually the man sighs. "I think you'll find, in our world, that protecting someone without killing anyone else is a very difficult thing to do. But I suppose you'll learn the hard way, if you remain here long enough. And if you don't, it's hardly an issue. Perhaps we'll save more thorough discussions of our respective cultures for some other time though. For now, I believe we need to address what will happen with the rest of the day."
Kakashi enters the conversation smoothly, once again idly turning pages in his book. "After we're done here, I plan to seek out both Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun, to inform them that the test was passed, and that we'll all meet first thing tomorrow morning for a meeting. I would prefer if Inoichi-san could make it, to smooth over any initial difficulties in convincing the two of Sakura-chan's unique situation."
Inoichi nods. "If you could meet Natsu-san and I at Sakura-chan's house after you pass on the message to your other students, that would be appreciated. Mebuki-san is a very… determined woman, and I'd certainly appreciate a second presence as we have more thorough discussions with her and her husband."
Natsu grimaces, once more uncomfortable at the idea of… parents, people who looked at him like he was their kid, at someone not Igneel trying to… Sitting up, he focuses on Kakashi's dramatic faces as the man attempts to talk Inoichi-san out of it, pushing aside everything else.
Eventually Kakashi agrees (with surprising reluctance) to meet up at the Haruno household that evening. Inoichi sighs with dramaticized relief, then turns back to Natsu. "That's that settled. I suppose that leaves only deciding on schedules for you to start learning the basics of mind techniques, and… well. Everyone else."
"Everyone else?" Natsu queries, avoiding the thought of techniques for now.
Even if they're useful and for a good reason, I'd still rather fight any day than use weird mind powers like Warren or that Misty guy!
"Hokage-sama has requested that this remain on a need-to-know basis. However, Sakura-chan has quite a few classmates, Academy teachers, and possibly even shopkeepers who would all be rather suspicious at the thought of her suddenly insisting upon being addressed by a new name. As such, we need to address this."
Natsu crosses his arms. "Wouldn't all those people also be suspicious if I don't do my makeup and coo over boys or something too? I know Sakura-chan said something about a crush, you gonna ask me to fake that so no one gets 'suspicious'?" he glares, daring Inoichi to say yes.
"Ah, that's true, but a sudden behavior change isn't always unusual after a genin exam. It's considered the final test of whether you can cut it to be a shinobi. Some people drop out, others undergo changes, usually a steady determination to do better and take life as a shinobi more seriously. Dropping a crush and worrying less about appearances are both somewhat normal behaviors for kunoichi who have had a sudden reality check on our world. Going by an entirely different name, however…"
Natsu grimaces. "I don't want to go by a different name! And it's not like Natsu is exclusively a boy's name, so couldn't we just find some sort of excuse?"
"Sakura-chan was born in spring. So unless you're saying you'd like to call yourself Haru…"
"Might be better than Sakura." the pinkette grumbles.
Inoichi sighs. "I am not saying that you should exclusively adopt the name Sakura. However, at least in public, in order to avoid issues, it might be best-"
"Maa, Inoichi-san. I do agree with you, for the most part. However, I do think you're failing to take into consideration Sakura-chan's teammates. Sasuke-kun might not be much of an issue, but Naruto-kun is very fond of Sakura-chan. I don't know if he would appreciate being forced to address a stranger by her name, once we explain things to him. So perhaps we should instead look for a believable excuse? Unless, of course, you're the one volunteering to explain to Naruto-kun why he'll have to address Natsu-kun as Sakura even when he's not her?"
Inoichi groans, slapping a hand across his eyes, as Natsu grins at the sensei. At least someone has sense here!
"Fine. We can brainstorm later, with Sakura's parents. If anyone could come up with a reason as to why Sakura-chan might suddenly change her name, they would. And you and I will have to discuss mission and training times, before I can work out when would be best to work on teaching Natsu-san my techniques, so… let's pay and head out, I suppose."
"You won't be having your clansmen do it?" Kakashi questions, as the blond pulls out his wallet and counts out the money, offering a mild glare to Natsu as he lays it on the table.
"No. None of my clansmen would be willing to do it without the full story, and at this point in time, I would prefer not to tell more people than necessary, even though I'm certain Hokage-sama would permit it. I'll be teaching myself, at least until we know a little more about the situation here. Shall we go?"
Kakashi nods, standing up. "I'll see you two at Sakura-chan's house then. For now, I've got some brats to hunt down…" sighing, the silver-haired man strides off, book casually in front of his face.
"Let's be off then, Natsu-san."
Natsu nods, standing up, grimacing at the discomfort of his still-bloated stomach, and follows the blond out the door.
Maybe if I walk really slowly, I'll find an excuse to talk my way out of this…
Walking slowly does not help with finding excuses. Natsu stares up at the door with trepidation, feeling entirely unprepared for talking to someone's parents.
Maybe if I just treat them like Macao?
...somehow I don't think that would work.
Natsu glances up to see Inoichi about to knock. "W-wait!"
"Hmm?" The man hesitates, hand still poised against the door, and turns to look at the pinkette.
Natsu scrambles for an excuse. "Uh… shouldn't we… wait for Kakashi to get here? He might try to ditch if we don't, after all!"
Inoichi raises an eyebrow, looking down at him. "True enough." he says, with a tone that makes it clear he knows exactly what Natsu is doing.
Natsu laughs nervously, stepping away from the house and sitting down on the edge of the road. Inoichi joins him after a moment, tilting his head to stare up at the slowly-appearing stars.
"Why do you want to avoid speaking with them? They aren't your parents, and no one is expecting you to treat them as such."
Natsu hunches over, elbows on knees and chin resting in his hands, staring at the edge of the road. "Doesn't matter how I treat them. They're still gonna treat me like their kid. And- it's not like I don't- understand. Macao has a kid, back home, I know how parents work, but- some of the older people tried to take me in, when I first joined Fairy Tail. Don't leave a kid to fend for themselves, I guess. But really, it just felt like they were trying to replace Igneel. I was strong enough to take care of myself! I could run jobs and pay for my own living, I didn't need someone else to take care of me! And I proved it, to all of them! And now you're saying I've got to just… go back to letting someone else take care of me, and I get it, I know exactly how Macao would react if this happened to his kid, but I don't… I don't want to. I made it on my own once, when I was actually a kid, younger than Sakura probably. I don't wanna rely on someone now!"
"Perhaps you shouldn't look at it like that." Inoichi offers mildly, still unmoving as he looks up at the sky.
"Then how should I look at it?" Natsu grumbles, dropping his arms to play with a rock.
"You've already proven, to yourself as much as to your friends back home, that you can make it on your own. So what shame is there in letting someone else provide for you now that you know you can do it without them? Even if you let someone help you here, it doesn't invalidate what you've done before. And as you said. You understand how it would make them feel, so don't think of this as doing it for your sake - think of it as doing it for theirs.
"And I know you may not like having them treat you like a child at all, much less their own, but… they're civilians. They aren't as good at handling situations like this as Hatake-san and I are, and even I've sometimes found myself thinking of you as Sakura. I believe I've caught myself before you noticed, for the most part, but the better anyone knows Sakura-chan, the harder it will be for them to look at you and see you for yourself. That's something you're going to have to live with for as long as you're here. Admittedly, the longer you stay, the more people will get used to thinking of you as yourself, instead of Sakura-chan, but I don't believe any of us want you here that long. So, you're the one who's going to have to get used to this. Perhaps in some ways, living with Sakura-chan's family will help with that, even if you will find it uncomfortable."
"I guess…" Natsu grabs a fistfull of dirt, watching it seep out between his fingers. Inoichi lapses into silence as Natsu repeats the action again and again, wanting to call out his fire, but not wanting to deal with it now of all times, if it decides not to work right with Sakura-chan's chakra.
Kami-sama but I want to burn something. Run to the edges of the world and find my own way home instead of relying on these people…
But that would be so unfair to Sakura-chan. If I had to get stuck in another world, why couldn't I be in my own body while I was at it! Then I wouldn't have to worry about someone else…
Natsu's fist clenches around the dirt, compacting it into a ball, and when he withdraws his fingers, it drops to the ground and breaks into a dozen pieces.
"Kakashi's here…" he mutters, and Inoichi's head jerks down in surprise, eyes wandering until the silver-haired man steps out of the shadows and they lock on him.
"I was being silent." the sensei offers, and Natsu sighs.
"You're upwind. An idiot could smell the dog on you from half a mile."
"Sakura-chan doesn't have enhanced senses." Natsu looks up at Kakashi for the first time, and shrugs. Inoichi interjects smoothly as he stands and brushes himself off.
"That's actually not all that surprising. Yamanaka tend to have a heightened sense of touch compared to the average person, for a variety of reasons. Even when we're in someone else's body, this tends to transfer at about 80% of our capabilities. Not quite as good as when we're in our own bodies, but usually still more than most people have. It's believed to be because enhanced senses are often less about the actually sensory capabilities themselves, but how your brain processes what's already detectable. Most people naturally filter their sensory input to prevent overload, but some people are born with one or two senses unusually heightened, because they're capable of handling it better than most others. So when you possess someone else, you tend to keep that particular ability, though people with truly extraordinary senses sometimes develop chronic headaches in the bodies of other people who can't quite cope with the strain."
"Ooh? How interesting. Are you getting up anytime soon?" Kakashi glances down pointedly, and Natsu scowls at him.
"Tch."
Natsu stands up crossing his arms as he turns to face the door. Inoichi raises an eyebrow at his dirty backside, before giving it up as a lost cause and turning to knock on the door. Natsu grimaces, wishing Kakashi had taken longer to show up.
Gonna have to get this over with eventually though…
The door opens so quickly that it's obvious Sakura-chan's parents were waiting for them.
"Inoichi-san, please come in." The woman -Mebuta, or something? Natsu doesn't even remember what Inoichi called her back then- ushers the blond in with a smile, casting a glare at Kakashi as he follows, before turning some confused, unreadable look onto Natsu as he trails in behind the others. Her eyes fixate on the dirt covering his hands and clothes, and Natsu sends his own glare, daring her to say something. She purses her lips, turning to close the door as he slides off Sakura's sandals.
He follows Kakashi and Inoichi into a room with numerous chairs while Sakura's mother offers them refreshments, and finds himself standing awkwardly in the entrance as they both greet Sakura's father and take seats.
Staring at the man whose hair is merely a darker shade of pink, Natsu finds himself wondering what his human parents might have looked like. Did his hair come from his father, like Sakura's did? Or his mom? O-or a grandparent?
It doesn't matter. I never even knew them, Igneel is the only one I want! I'll find him, no matter what!
"Natsu-san?"
Natsu jolts out of his thoughts at Inoichi's mild call, to find his fingers imbedded in the frame of the entryway dividing the rooms. He slowly uncurls them, staring at the fractured wood and a splinter he hadn't even realized had wedged into his finger. He pulls it out, wiping the welling blood on the hem of Sakura's dress, and stiffly walks over to sit on the sofa next to Kakashi. The man gives him a glance, but Natsu ignores it, drawing up his legs and wrapping his arms around them as he stares out at everyone over his knees.
Inoichi sighs. "I apologize. If the repairs to the wall are unduly expensive, we can offer compensation."
Sakura's father laughs, waving it off. "We make more than enough to afford some minor repairs. Please don't concern yourself."
Inoichi nods, waiting a moment as Sakura's mother comes in with cups of water for everyone. Kakashi grabs the one she tries to give Natsu, and the woman gives the two of them an unreadable look before moving to sit next to her husband.
"Well, I suppose now we should get down to business." Inoichi takes a sip of the water, then sets the glass on a small stand next to his chair.
The sound of the shifting water gives Natsu an unpleasant sensation in his gut, and he pulls his legs closer and tries to ignore the feeling. Kakashi sets both cups down without drinking, as Sakura's father sighs.
"You explained a little bit, but I admit to still being somewhat confused, Inoichi-san. You said that due to unusual side-effects of a jutsu, someone else ended up trapped in our daughter's body and that you could not force them out without hurting her, but… I was a genin for a time, before I was permitted to leave the corps. I've never heard of such a thing before."
Inoichi nods. "That's the most basic summary, though admittedly even I don't fully understand the exact circumstances here. As far as I can tell, Natsu-san is from the Outer Continents. He says he was in an exam, and used an untested defensive jutsu to block a powerful attack. When he regained consciousness, he was in Sakura-chan's body in the middle of her genin exam, half a world away. I have used my clan's jutsu to enter Sakura-chan's mindscape and speak with her and Natsu-san together, and neither of them have any idea how this might have happened. Due to Natsu-san's appearance within Sakura-chan's mind, and his own vivid pink hair, I wondered if perhaps you had any extended family, which could offer at least a partial explanation for this, which I believe I asked you to look into. Whether you do or not… well, the truth is, it doesn't give this situation much more clarity regardless. Please be assured, we do plan to do everything we can to resolve this as soon as possible. Even Natsu-san is uncomfortable with the situation, so we will all be cooperating fully with each other in order to come to a quick solution. However, we are dealing with unusual technical side-effects, so… hope for the best but prepare for the worst, as they say."
Sakura's father seems to age a decade at the blond's words, leaning back against his chair in exhaustion. Her mother shifts uncomfortably, looking around the room with a tight expression on her face.
"And what do we do until then?" The woman eventually asks, glancing at Natsu before looking away just as quickly. Kakashi leans forward, pinning his eye on her.
"We plan to have Natsu-san continue to work with Team 7 in Sakura-chan's place for now. Hokage-sama has agreed with this. What you do is up to you, but as this is on a need-to-know basis, it would be easier for everyone if Sakura-chan did not appear to suddenly move out when quite a few people know you don't have a poor relationship with each other. We would like to hope that once we find a solution to this, Sakura-chan could simply return to her life with as little adjustment as possible, but if it would be too much for you, we can try to arrange alternatives."
Sakura's father shakes his head, nearly before Kakashi finishes speaking. Natsu shifts uncomfortably as his bladder continues to complain.
"I… this is truly an unusual situation, but… Sakura is our daughter. We can make it work, somehow… Do we know where to start with fixing this?" The man looks at Natsu, clearly not as troubled as his wife, and the pinkette shifts again, grimacing.
"Inoichi-san said something about teaching me clan techniques, to see if maybe it'd be safer for me to undo this myself than leaving him to try and do it by force…" Natsu shifts again, dropping his arms and curling his legs under him, and Sakura's father starts to look worried.
"Is something wrong? You seem more uncomfortable than just nerves would imply." The man stands up, prepared to walk over, and Natsu flinches.
"I'm fine! It's not important! Let's just figure out some way to convince everyone that Sakura-chan would believably change her name so I don't gotta deal with that and then I can go to bed and hope this was just a weird dream!"
Inoichi looks over at him, then groans. "You have to go to the bathroom, don't you?"
"I DON'T!"
"Natsu-san-"
"I said I don't so I don't! Let's just move on to the important stuff already!"
"I don't understand," Sakura's mother says, "It would only take a minute or two. What's the problem?"
Kakashi sighs, as Inoichi shifts uncomfortably, and decides to take the heat. "I believe you might have missed it, but… Natsu-kun is a boy. I believe he doesn't even know how women are supposed to function-"
"Of course I know how, I'm not an idiot! I-I j-just- I'm not a pervert dammit!"
Sakura's parents both freeze, her mother looking increasingly horrified as all emotion bleeds off her father's face, and Natsu bites at his lip, arms curling tight around his torso.
"R-right." the elder pinkette shifts his weight, looking down with an oddly blank face. "Right. That- that does complicate things, doesn't it."
"Kizashi!" Sakura's mother stands up, grabbing at her husband's arm, and he turns to face her.
"Dearest please. We can freak out about this later. For now, let's just… be practical. Practical." The man begins to look quite out of his depths, even as he attempts to hold it together, and Natsu winces.
Whose idea was this…? I swear, when I find out who's responsible I'm gonna beat them so hard they'll wish they were dead!
"B-but-"
Kizashi puts his hands on his wife's shoulders, guiding her back down to her chair. "We'll… have a proper freak-out about this later. Promise. For now, let's just… deal with it. Okay?"
"Okay…" the woman nods, gripping the armrests of her chair and taking deep breaths. Kizashi turns back to look at Natsu.
"You're going to have to deal with this as well, you know." The man offers mildly, and Natsu flinches. The man sighs, then moves forward to grab Natsu's arm and pull him off the couch.
"Come along. The bathroom's this way."
Natsu follows in numb horror as the man leads him by the arm to a small room down the hall.
"Do I have to…?" Natsu asks softly, staring at the open door uncomfortably.
"Funnily enough, your disgust actually makes me feel better about this, Natsu-kun. I can only imagine how it must feel, but someone as upset as you isn't going to take advantage of my daughter in any way. And besides. If you wet yourself, you're just going to have to take a shower instead. Which is worse?"
"Doesn't make me fell better…" the pinkette mutters as he walks unsteadily into the room and closes the door behind him.
"What have I done to deserve this…? Whatever it is I swear I am so, so sorry."
Natsu waits uncomfortably for a moment, but his apologies don't magically fix the issue, and he groans before slowly inching closer to the toilet.
Even having to hug Gray is a better fate than this!
Natsu closes his eyes, taking deep breaths. When he realizes he's not going to calm down at all, he groans and awkwardly hikes up the dress.
Faster I do it faster it's done and hopefully it'll never happen again!
...please don't make me do this again.
Grimacing, Natsu goes about the business as quick as he can, all but bolting to the sink to scrub his hands after, blushing and awkwardly refusing to look at the mirror.
Please, never, ever again!
He can just tell his face is still beet red as he opens the door, and Kizashi snorts softly as he sees Natsu walk out.
"Shall we then?" The man offers, and Natsu finds himself unexpectedly grateful that he doesn't say anything else. Nodding, he quickly follows the older man back to the living room, and by the time he sits back down, he feels like the blush has mostly faded.
"So," Kizashi starts as he takes his seat and grabs his wife's hand, "I believe you said something about names?"
Inoichi glances at Natsu, but nods without saying anything to him. "Natsu is uncomfortable with the idea of responding to Sakura-chan's name, but if we don't want people to wonder what's going on, he would have to. However, Hatake-san pointed out that his other students might not like addressing a stranger by Sakura's name, so we hoped that as her parents you might be able to find a justifiable reason for Natsu to use his own name?"
Kizashi and his wife look at each other a few moments.
"I'm not really sure," he eventually says, turning to look at Natsu. "If you were hoping for a convenient idea like a shinobi relative to look up to, I'm afraid I don't have any. And of course, you know Sakura-chan was born in March. If it was just the highly feminine nature of 'Sakura' that bothered you, Natsu-kun, Haru would likely be acceptable as a nickname, both because of its similarity to our family name of Haruno and because of the season of Sakura's birth."
Natsu shakes his head, sighing.
"It's my name, I don't just want to give it up! Haru, Sakura, it's all the same! Someone who isn't me! And, even if people find it weird, are they really gonna think it's something like possession? Why would that be anyone's first guess? They'll probably just think Sakura-chan went crazy or something, which, sure, isn't too nice for her, but it's not a big deal in the long run right?"
Inoichi leans back in his seat. "I think, Natsu-san, that you underestimate how paranoid many older shinobi can get."
"But Sakura-chan doesn't know many older shinobi!" Natsu interrupts. "You said some shop keepers, teachers, and mostly other kids! So, anyone older we meet… I'll be their first impression, right? I mean, when we fix this, there won't be any reason for you guys not to come clean, so Sakura-chan won't have any issues either. Why do I have to change?"
"H-he has a point." Sakura's mother offers, still looking rather uncomfortable. "I'm not really sure I'd like to address him by my daughter's name, either, even if it would invite less questions. Besides, if we as her parents support her sudden desire to change her name, I don't think many people would question it. Ino-chan might, since she knows Sakura so well, but I would be surprised if you could hide this from her for long anyway."
Inoichi closes his eyes in clear exasperation, as Kakashi chuckles.
"Well, that's that." The sensei offers, emptying his water so smoothly Natsu doesn't even catch a glimpse of his face. "Is there anything else we'll need to address here? I know Natsu-kun is a little uncomfortable at the idea of living here, but that is something I hope the three of you can work out between yourselves…"
"Will there be any way to speak to our daughter?" Kizashi asks suddenly, looking at Inoichi.
The man nods. "Repeated mental delving can strain younger minds, especially ones not equipped to handle it, as well as multiple people, but if Natsu-san were willing, we could easily set aside some time every week for me to assist. It wouldn't be safe to take both of you at once, but it is possible."
Natsu shrugs. "Don't really mind," he mutters, "'s not like it'd hurt or anything."
"Thank you, Natsu-kun." Natsu shifts uncomfortably at the sincerity in Kizashi's voice. "Then, I don't think there's anything else that needs addressed right now. Perhaps I'll show Natsu-kun to...his… room, and if we think of anything else, we can arrange some time to speak with you?"
"You know my door is always open, Kizashi-san, Mebuki-san. I am more than happy to offer my services as a therapist whenever I have time, if you need. You know how to reach me." The blond stands up, offering a small bow to the Harunos, then turns to Natsu. Something like panic boils in the pinkette's stomach as the blond offers his farewell. "Please have a good night, Natsu-san. I will see you tomorrow."
"Y-yeah, you too."
Natsu has a feeling that it will actually be an uncomfortable night, but tries to keep it from showing as he follows them to the door, to avoid being alone with Sakura's parents as long as possible.
They get to the front door far too quickly for his liking, and Kakashi chuckles as he turns to bid farewell.
"Maa, Natsu-kun, it's hardly the end of the world. Relax!" He reaches out, ruffling Natsu's hair, and the pinkette slaps his hand away, sputtering.
"Oi!"
Kakashi laughs again, disappearing in a flurry of leaves before Natsu can retaliate. Inoichi bows again and takes his leave, and Natsu finds himself standing awkwardly in the hallway, looking at the rest of the Haruno family with trepidation.
I swear, if I survive this I'll leave offerings at every shrine and alter I can find!
And never tell Gray, for as long as I live.
Ever.
Kami-sama, please don't let Gray find out.