A/N: What's this? PLOT?! HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN? Okay, admittedly not too long, all things considered, but plot that actually moves the story forward seems to be a rare beast in this story. Can you believe that originally, this was supposed to be chapter NINE?! Way back around chapter 4, I wrote a conversation between Natsu and Tazuna that I sorta figured would be part of chapter 10. What a naïve child I was. Remember when I estimated that this book would only be 70-80k words? And here we are, already at 70,000 and I haven't even hit the goddamn CHUNIN EXAMS. I don't know whether to be impressed with myself, or horrified. One day, you guys. ONE DAY I'LL WRITE A STORY AND IT WILL GO EXACTLY HOW I EXPECTED IT TO THE FIRST TIME.
Anyway, thanks to everyone who reads, and to everyone who takes the time to review! I think I've said it before, but the knowledge that people other than my little sister like this story always makes me so happy.
Want a funny story? My sister was visiting for Thanksgiving, and while we were chilling out, the conversation turned towards fanfics, and she was like, "You know, I've been reading this awesome Naruto fic you should check it ou-" and she just sorta trails off, and looks at me.
You guys have no idea how much that made my day. I COULD MAKE A PATRONUS OUT OF THAT MEMORY, THE DAY MY LITTLE SISTER TRIED TO SUGGEST MY OWN FANFIC TO ME TO READ. It was all the validation I ever needed, the knowledge that she reads it, and likes it, enough to try and suggest it to me in a moment of supreme derp, where she forgot I was the one writing it~
Aaaaanyway, should probably wrap up this author note. Thanks again for reading!
Natsu stumbles into Team 7's usual training field, aching muscles turning his legs into barely-functioning jelly. The night before, he'd collapsed straight into bed as soon as he got home - not even bothering to deal with clothes or anything - all thanks to Sasuke's ridiculousness in trying to prove himself. It wasn't even a competition! After spending hours catching Tora, he had to go and agree to join that kid's training-!
Should have turned around and left when I had the chance… Probably should have used some of Kizashi-san's potion thing too… It's magic, I swear it is! Ugh...
Sasuke is already there when he arrives, and Natsu glowers at the kid as he flops himself onto the grass.
"Next time," he grouses, "just say you have training already planned, and don't just invite yourself into someone else's regimen. Please."
"Hn."
Natsu scoffs, rolling onto his back to look up at the Uchiha. "You fell down the stairs when we were getting off the wall. Just admit you were an idiot."
Sasuke looks away, and Natsu decides he's far too tired to deal with this.
He's half-way to falling asleep in the grass when Naruto bounces into the clearing, greeting them with the same energy he always seems to have in the mornings. Natsu sits up, rubbing at his eyes, because he's pretty sure that has to be a hallucination.
"Natsu-kun! Your hair's a mess!" Naruto jogs over, squinting at Natsu's head, and the pinkette grimaces.
"I got up late and didn't bother to brush it out." he mutters, because he's not about to admit that he forgot to brush it out.
Over a month, Natsu thinks, should be more than enough time to get used to long hair. But somehow, it was like dragging himself out of bed any other time he'd trained too hard, and it didn't even occur to him that hair was something he had to bother with. Before, no one could tell whether he'd brushed his hair or not.
Sakura-chan's hair has only gotten longer, and he really should ask her if it's okay to cut it, but somehow the thought of it feels like giving up - it's not even as long as Erza's, yet! "It's… pretty awful, Natsu-kun. Are you sure…?"
Naruto trails off, and Natsu shrugs. "It's fine. Kakashi'll be here shortly anyway."
"Indeed I will!" Kakashi says cheerily, appearing in a flurry of leaves. Naruto squawks, spinning around and tripping over his own feet as he tries to face Kakashi.
Something about the older man looks drawn and nervous, though Natsu isn't sure whether that's his imagination, hoping the sensei suffered as much as they did last night.
"Now, my cute little students," he starts with a curled eye-smile, clapping his hands together, "I've decided to let you all take an out-of-village C-Rank!"
"Wha- really?!" Naruto jumps up, cheering.
"Yes, yes, I'm sure you're quite happy! I'm keeping an eye on the missions that come in, and I'll let you know when I find one… hmm… appropriate, shall we say? But for now, training! Since you've proven yourselves capable of the most basic level of teamwork, I suppose I should make sure your individual skills haven't gotten worse, though I admit I wonder if that's even possible~" Natsu gets the impression of Kakashi's smile widening, despite most of the man's face being covered.
He bites back a groan as he shoves himself to his feet, because with a smile like that Natsu knows Kakashi is planning something sadistic for them, and he's not about to give the man the satisfaction.
He's just gonna have to push through the burning muscles. If Sakura-chan's body isn't used to that kind of treatment, well, what better time to get used to it?
Natsu makes a note to himself that he will definitely use Kizashi's bubble concoction tonight, no matter how much his body tries to protest!
"...so anyway, I'm pretty sure this is an awful misuse of Inoichi-san's jutsu, but I read the instructions this time and you're supposed to soak in the bath for at least thirty minutes and I figured since I'm pretty sure your dad would be annoyed if I broke this tub too, I'd better distract myself some other way, and decided to come visit!" Natsu rolls his head to look through the window, carefully adjusting his balance on the porch's rail.
Sakura smiles, somewhat sadly. "Thanks, Natsu. You did make sure you wouldn't drown us, right?"
Her teasing falls flat at the end, and Natsu feels a stab of guilt. He turns around, moving to sit up on the rail. "I'm sorry, you know." His fingers tighten around the wood. "I never wanted this to happen, but it did, and you're the one paying for it. It's not fair…"
Sakura looks up, meeting his eyes, and Natsu has no idea what else he could possibly say.
"Did something happen?" she asks, tilting her head, "I already told you, you don't have to apologize."
"Heh. Yeah, I guess you could say that. I shouldn't be so surprised when you know something's up." Natsu shrugs. "Kakashi-san finally cleared us for a C-Rank job. I guess… I guess I always thought that I'd be gone before now, you know? But I'm not, and I just can't help but worry. It's already been over a month, and now we're advancing, taking our first C-Rank job, and I don't like it. I should be home, with my friends, taking my own jobs, and Sakura-chan should be with her team, going on her first mission outside the village- I don't know. I guess Kakashi's announcement just makes it feel more real. Inoichi-san has already been wondering if this is gonna be permanent. He hasn't said it out loud, but I can smell the resignation. He doesn't think it can be fixed, and I hate it! Now isn't the time to give up!"
Natsu crosses his arms, glaring down at the planks of wood that make up the porch wrapping around Sakura's cabin.
"I was poking around that door earlier."
At Sakura's words, he looks up, and she quickly continues, "The one you came through, not the one we went to before Inoichi-san pulled you out, I mean. I was poking it, and I even grabbed one of the kunai here and tried to break it? Ehehe, don't tell Inoichi-san though he'd be so mad - anyway, were you dreaming last night? About a blue cat eating your hair cause it'd turned into fish?"
Natsu tumbles over the back of the railing, squawking. "Wha- Sakura-chan! How'd you know!" he scrambles up, vaulting himself back over so he can get closer to the window. Sakura laughs.
"Well, my kunai didn't do anything to the door when I tried to stab it, but then I tried to pull the door off its hinges? That didn't work either, but while I was trying, I guess I got… flashes? And you said something about how just because you got turned into a fish-dusa didn't mean Happy was allowed to eat you…"
Natsu laughs, somewhat embarrassed. "Happy's my partner! He's a talking cat, and he loves fish. Though that dream really came out of nowhere, lemme tell you! Did the door do anything else?"
Sakura shakes her head. "No, but I'm going to keep trying! I thought about trying the second door, but we don't know where that one leads, so I guess it felt more dangerous to mess with it. I'll let you know if anything unusual happens though!"
Natsu nods, lacing his fingers behind his head. "Alright. Hey, you know? If using your kunai on the door caused that to happen, do you think we could use em some other way?"
Sakura gives him a confused look and Natsu drops his arms. "Like, if you could shove one over to this side by squeezing it through the gap in this window, and I could use it on the door into your cabin? Since you probably already tried that from the inside…"
"Hmm…" Sakura turns around to look at the kunai on her nightstand in contemplation. "All the items in this room are Memory Anchors. When I touch that kunai and focus on it, I can clearly remember the first time I made a bullseye. That's the memory tied to it. I don't know what would happen if we could somehow get it out into the Field… I guess you'd get that memory? Maybe? The window's not open enough for it to fit though… so for now I'll just keep using it on the door. I can always try and move it later if I want."
"Alright."
It's silent for a few moments, and it's still uncomfortable to Natsu, how lacking in realism Sakura-chan's mindscape is. No rustling leaves, or lapping water, or even the sort of creaking that's just part of wood homes. The only sounds he can hear are the ones he and Sakura make themselves, and it's always creepy. Shuddering, he sits down and leans against one of the supports that make up the railing.
"So, Inoichi-san taught me how to dive into someone else's mind yesterday! He did it cause he wanted to show me a special type of diving, and the safest way to learn it is on someone else apparently, so I got to see what his mind looked like! Or, part of it anyway."
Sakura turns back to look at him, curious, and Natsu smiles.
"I'm pretty sure that guy's got layers, and I only got to see the surface which was full of defenses! It was pretty cool though, reaaaaally pretty. I shouldn't be so surprised I guess, but still! Supposedly I should be able to use that technique on myself, and then be able to slip into the subconscious? He didn't say if I'd end up in mine or yours, but probably yours again considering that's the only place I ever end up… he's hoping I could get onto the other side of the door, and unlock it from that end! Apparently it's sorta dangerous, but if it works who cares? I'll definitely warn you before I do it, though. Just so you know to wait by the door, just in case!"
Sakura nods, then hesitates.
"Natsu-san?" she asks after a moment, and Natsu makes a considering noise.
"I was wondering… after that door locked, you couldn't touch your own chakra, you said. But before that, you could reach it without a problem here in the mindscape, and you could feel it out in the physical world."
"Yeah, that's right."
"If the door locking took that away… I suppose I was wondering, if we unlocked it again, would I be able to touch your chakra?"
Natsu stops slouching, suddenly alert. "I… it might be possible. But even if you could reach it, my… chakra… is nothing like yours. It probably wouldn't be safe. Drago- well, I mean, it took me years to properly learn to control my own power. It's not like anyone else's, not really. And I don't know what would happen if we damaged your cabin…"
The determined look Sakura-chan makes is enough to make Natsu wonder if they aren't some weird multi-world family, because that's his, 'im gonna do this and you cant stop me' face, no doubt.
Being on the other end of it is definitely less fun than being the one making it.
"Well, it was just something I was curious about." Sakura says, as though they don't both know exactly what she was thinking. Natsu's not about to turn himself into a hypocrite calling her out on it though.
"Well, if you're gonna 'be curious' with it after we get that door back open, at least promise to hold that curiosity off until I'm around to hopefully keep things under control, yeah? You know I'm from a different world, you really have no idea how different my chakra is from yours. There're only a couple people back home with power similar to mine, it's rare."
"Really?" Sakura scoots closer, interested, and no.
"It's not a kekkei genkai! I don't care what Inoichi says, anyone can learn! But usually if you start practicing when you're too old, it gets dangerous. Since it relies on changing your own physical body, if you don't start young enough you might not be able to adapt, and you can kill yourself pretty quick…"
"Is that why your teeth are so sharp? I thought it was a bit unusual. A bit like Kiba, but a lot more pronounced…"
Natsu nods, pushing himself to his feet as she trails off. "Yeah, though they're the only permanent change. I can change a lot of other things whenever I want, like my eyes or skin or even organs, but my teeth are like that forever. It was actually pretty weird getting used to them at first - cause if you start learning young enough, before your baby teeth fall out, then they'll grow in different and that takes some adjusting! I cut myself so many times, back when I first had the sharper teeth grow in! It took a while to get used to it! I've had them for so long now that I don't really remember what it was like to have normal teeth, though. Or, well, didn't, I guess. Your teeth are normal, after all."
Sakura laughs a little, touching her front teeth. "I guess they are! You should probably go make sure we haven't drowned in the tub though. Seriously, Natsu-san. I'll be fine!"
Natsu sighs. "Yeah, probably. That'd be a sorry way to die. 'Here Lies Natsu, Who Drowned in a Shallow Tub'. Gray'ould mock me forever. Goodbye, peaceful afterlife. Take care then, Sakura-chan!"
Turning around, Natsu closes his eyes and focuses until he can feel that tugging sensation.
The sudden transition from dry to wet is far more unpleasant than he would have expected, and the pinkette flails and chokes for a moment.
"You okay in there?"
Kizashi-san's voice calls from the hallway, and Natsu spits water before responding.
"Yeah, I'm fine!"
Natsu really doesn't know whether it's been half an hour or not, but his hands are all pruney and that's good enough for him. Feeling only the slightest of protests from his legs as he stands up and then later gets ready for bed, Natsu commits to himself - he will get that recipe!
For the next couple of days of training, Kakashi uses shadow clones to work with each of them individually. Natsu isn't sure what he's been teaching Sasuke, but Naruto goes on about wanting to learn cool jutsu enough that Natsu figures the blond's been stuck cleaning up his taijutsu. Natsu would almost be willing to trade, because getting Sakura-chan's body used to his style of fighting is something he's been doing mostly on his own, and outside eyes would be helpful, but no. Kakashi said something about wanting to make sure his jutsu were up to par, and started having him go through what were apparently called the 'Academy Three'; basic jutsu all academy students learn, that Kakashi thought Natsu might not know due to being an interloper.
He's not wrong, but Natsu finds himself frustrated regardless. Of the three, by the time Kakashi comes to them with news of a C-Rank, the only one he can manage is a henge. It's not too different from Mirajane's illusions, just using Sakura-chan's thicker chakra instead. It's really just a matter of pulling the chakra around himself like a film, and telling it 'look like this!'. But creating a copy of himself, even if it's an illusion copy, that can walk and jump and at least pretend to fight? Or teleporting himself by switching places with something? Something just doesn't work, and as far as Kakashi-sensei can tell, it's not a problem with how he's shaping the chakra, so that means it's a problem with his focus.
As complicated as his feelings are on the matter, Kakashi coming to tell them there's a C-Rank is something of a relief, just to give him a break from figuring out what he's doing wrong with the jutsu.
"Yeah!" Naruto jumps, fist pumping. "Finally! What is it, what is it? Do we get to escort a princess to a super-important treaty?"
"That would be an A-Rank mission, Naruto-chan! Or, if she was an especially minor princess, maybe a B-Rank. But you're quite right, it is an escort! I already accepted the mission on behalf of Team 7, so everyone will be meeting at the main gates in twenty minutes. We'll be escorting to Wave, so pack everything you think you'll need and meet up." Kakashi gives them a cheery smile before disappearing in a puff of smoke.
Natsu tosses a wave over his shoulder as he turns and heads back to Sakura-chan's house. Mebuki-san is still there when he walks in, and she gives him a worried look as he slips off his sandals.
"Is everything alright, Natsu-kun? Did you forget something?"
Natsu shakes his head, setting down the bento she'd made next to his sandals. "Kakashi is taking us out on an escort mission, so I might be gone for a week, I'm guessing. I'm not sure how long those usually take, but he said to pack a bag. I know Sakura-chan had one in her closet?"
"Oh." Her face falls, and Natsu opens his mouth to reassure her that it won't be dangerous and Sakura-chan won't be hurt, before he realizes.
"Sorry. I totally forgot, you were gonna talk to Sakura-chan tonight. I-"
"It's alright, Natsu-kun. Go get packed." She pushes him toward the stairs, and he goes without resistance.
The bag is right where he remembers, and Natsu takes a moment to swap out Sakura-chan's red outfits for the black ones he wears. He digs through everything else just to make sure nothing's missing, finds a hairbrush and a pack of spare kunai, as well as a- kimono? Natsu scrunches his nose, tossing it back into the closet, hardly about to carry around clothes he can't fight in.
He takes the bag downstairs and puts the bento Mebuki-san made for him in it, then slides it on as he stomps into the sandals.
"Take care?" Natsu turns, looking at Sakura-chan's mother, and the woman looks torn, like she wants to do something but doesn't. Natsu pushes the thought aside and grins.
"I'll be fine, Mebuki-san! Promise!"
She opens her mouth, then closes it, smiling sadly. "Of course, Natsu-kun. Good luck."
Something about the conversation feels off, like he was supposed to say something but didn't, and Natsu isn't sure what to do about that, so he laughs it off and darts out the door, heading straight for the gates.
He's the last one there, Kakashi casually thumbing through a book as Naruto bounces eagerly. Sasuke stands a little away, as though not wanting to be seen with them. Kakashi glances up as Natsu comes to a stop.
"The client should be here any minute. Go sign out with the gate guard while you wait."
One of the guards holds out a clipboard as Natsu walks over, and the pinkette grimaces as he takes it.
I have no idea what Sakura-chan's signature looks like!
Natsu panics, scribbling down a hasty set of characters that could read 'cherry blossom' if you squinted, and hands the clipboard back.
The guard mutters something like, 'eager little brats' as he turns away, and Natsu sighs in relief.
"Ah, Tazuna-san! There you are!"
Natsu spins around, levelling a suspicious look on Kakashi.
His voice was way too friendly! There's something wrong here…
"Wha- you're the client?" Naruto exclaims, and Natsu shifts his gaze, looking for-
The blond's finger points toward an old man clutching a bottle of sake, and Natsu's sensitive nose already wants nothing to do with him.
"I should be sayin' that myself! A buncha brats is what you give me?"
"Maa," Kakashi intercedes, stepping into the old man's line of sight, "you get what you pay for. You paid for a low-end escort, of course you get a genin team. I assure you, they're more than capable of handling any banditry between here and Wave." The old man scowls and starts necking the alcohol, and Natsu grimaces.
Oh this'll be fun.
"Shall we be off then~?"
Natsu closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, through his mouth, before turning to fall into formation with the rest of Team 7.
Kakashi is way too cheerful for this.
...how far is this Wave place, anyway?